What junkets fat the filmy people!
And what liqueurs they chufe to tipple!
Behold him, at fome crife, prescribe,
And raise with drugs the fick'ning tribe!
Or haply, when their fpirits fau'ter,
Sprinkling my Lord of CLOYNE's tar-water,
When nature's brood of infects dies,
See how he pimps for am'rous flies!
See him the timely fuccour lend her,
And help the wantons to engender!
Or fee him guard their pregnant hour;
Exert his foft obftetric pow'r :
And, lending each his lenient hand,
With new-born grubs enrich the land!
*O WILKS! what poet's loftieft lays
Can match thy labours, and thy praife?
Immortal fage! by fate decreed
To guard the moth's illuftrious breed!
'Till flutt'ring fwarms on fwarms arise,
And all our wardrobes teem with flies!
And muft we praise this tafte for toys
Admire it then in girls and boys.
Ye youths of fifteen years, or more,
Refign your moths-the feafon's o'er.
"Tis time more focial joys to prove;
'Twere now your nobler task-to love.
Let *
's eyes more deeply warm;
Nor, flighting nature's faireft form,
*Alluding to moths and butterflies delineated by BENJAMIN
WILKS. See his very expenfive proposals.
The biafs of your fouls determine
Towards the mean love of nature's vermin.
But ah! how wond'rous few have known, To give each stage of life its own.
'Tis the pretexta's utmoft bound, " With radiant purple edg'd around,
To please the child; whofe glowing dyes
Too long delight maturer eyes :
And few, but with regret, affume
The plain-wrought labours of the loom.
Ah! let not me by fancy steer,
When life's autumnal clouds appear;
Nor ev'n in learning's long delays
Confume my faireft, fruitless days:
Like him, who should in armour spend
The fums that armour should defend.
Awhile, in pleasure's myrtle bow'r,
We share her smiles, and bless her pow'r :
But find at last, we vainly strive
To fix the worst coquette alive. -+
O you! that with affiduous flame
Have long purfu'd the faithlefs dame;
Forfake her foft abodes awhile,
And dare her frown, and flight her fmile."
Nor fcorn, whatever wits may fay,
The foot-path road, the king's high-way.
No more the fcrup'lous charmer teize,
But feek the roofs of honeft eafe;
The rival fair, no more purfu'd,
Shall there with forward pace intrude
Shall there her ev'ry art effay,
To win you to her flighted sway;
And grant your fcorn a glance more fair
Than e'er she gave your fondeft pray'r,
But would you happinefs purfue?
Partake both cafe, and pleasure too?
Would you, thro' all your days, dispense
The joys of reason, and of sense?
Or give to life the moft you can,
Let focial virtue shape the plan.
For does not to the virtuous deed
A train of pleafing fweets fucceed?
Or, like the fweets of wild defire,
Did focial pleasures ever tire?
Yet midft the groupe be fome preferr'd,
Be fome abhorr'd-for DAMON err'd:
And fuch there are-of fair addrefs-
As 'twere unfocial to carefs.
O learn by reafon's equal rule
To fhun the praise of knave, or fool!
Then, tho' you deem it better still
To gain fome ruftic 'fquire's good will;
And fouls, however mean or vile,
Like features, brighten by a smiles
Yet reafon holds it for a crime,
The trivial breast shou'd share thy time a
And virtue, with reluctant eyes,
Beholds this human facrifice!
Thro' deep reserve, and air ere,
Miftaken DAMON won refpect; t
But cou'd the fpecious homage país,
With any creature, but an afs?
If conscious, they who fear'd the skin,
Wou'd fcorn the fluggish brute within.
What awe-ftruck flaves the tow'rs enclose,
Where Perfian monarchs eat, and doze ?
What proftrate rev'rence all agree,
To pay a prince they never fee!
Mere vaffals of a royal throne!
The fophi's virtues must be fhewn,
To make the reverence his own.
As for THALIA-wouldst thou make her
Thy bride without a portion take her.
She will with duteous care attend,
And all thy penfive hours befriend;
Will fwell thy joys, will fhare thy pain;
With thee rejoice, with thee complain;
Will smooth thy pillow, pleat thy bow'rs;
And bind thine aching head with flow'rs.
But be this previous maxim known,
If thou can't feed on love alone:
If bleft with her, thou canst sustain
Contempt, and poverty, and pain :
If fo-then rifle all her graces
And fruitful be your fond embraces.
Too foon, by caitiff-fpleen infpir'd, Sage DAMON to his groves retir❜d:
The path disclaim'd by fober reason ;
Retirement claims a later feason;
Ere active youth and warm defires
Have quite withdrawn their ling'ring fires.
With the warm bofom, ill agree,
Or limpid stream, or shady tree.
Love lurks within the rofy bow'r,
And claims the fpeculative hour;
Ambition finds his calm retreat,
And bids his pulse too fiercely beat;
Ev'n focial friendship duns his ear,
And cites him to the public fphere.
Does he refift their genuine force?
His temper takes fome froward courfe ;
"Till paffion, misdirected, fighs
For weeds, or fhells, or grubs, or flies!
Far happiest he, whofe early days
Spent in the focial paths of praise,
Leave, fairly printed on his mind,
A train of virtuous deeds behind :
From this rich fund, the mem'ry draws
The lafting meed of self-applause.
Such fair ideas lend their aid
To people the fequester'd shade.
Such are the naïads, nymphs, and fauns,
That haunt his floods, or chear his lawns.
If where his devious ramble frays,
He virtue's radiant form furveys;
She feems no longer now to wear
The rigid mien, the frown severe ;
To fhew him her remote abode;
To point the rocky arduous road:
But from each flower, his fields allow,
She twines a garland for his brow,
• Alluding to the allegory in CEBES's tablet.
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