No More Learning

To joys forbidden man aspires,
Consumes his soul with vain desires;
Folly the spring oj his pursuit,
And disappointment all the fruit. . . . . .
Our dear delights are often such,
Expos'd 10 view, but not to touch.
The sight our foolish heart inflames:
We long for pine-apples in frames.
244
Thus says the piophet o/ the Turk,
" Good musselman, abstHin from pork.
There is a part in ev'ry swine,
No jriend or follower of mine
May taste, whate'er his inclination,
On pain of excommunication. "
Such Mahomet's mysterious charge ;
And thus he left the point at large.
Had he the sinful part express'd,
They might with safety eat the rest:
But, for one piece, they thought it hard
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? Key to English Prosody.
From the whole hog to be debarr'd,
Aud set their w it at work, to find
What joint the prophet had in mind.
Much controversy straight arose :
These chose the back, the belly those.
By some 'tis confidently said,
He meant not to forbid the head;
While others at that doctrine rail,
And piously prefer the tail.
Thus, conscience freed from ev'ry clog,
Mahometans eat up the hog.
You laugh ! 'tis well. --The tale, applied,
May make you laugh on t'other side.
" Renounce the world," the preacher cries.
" We do," a multitude replies;
While one, as innocent, regards
A snug and friendly game at cards,
And one, whatever you may say,
Can see no evil in a play;
Some love a concerr or a race,
And others shoottwg, or the chase.
Revil'd and lov'd, renoune'd and follow'd,
Thus, bit by bit, the world is swallow'd.
245
Iq youth's soft prime, my course is sped ;
Yet ma-l-ny aflow'r | my path has spread.
246
If foes presump-|-fMOMs dare | invade, ,
To us our country cries for aid :
To us their hands our children spread;
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? 36 Key to English Prosody.
We guard from wrong the nuptial bed.
From us, the joys of home who feel,
Like lightning falls the vengeful steel.
Iambic Verses of ten syllables.
247
In Thracian wilds as Orpheus tunes his song,
The raptur'd beasts in crowds around him throng.
248
A sable gloom the mountain seems to throw,
Imbrowns the steep, and shades the glen below.
249
How long shall man creation's boons survey,
And madly throw its richest pearls away ?
250
The freshening breezes sweep the clouds away,
That hid awhile the golden orb of day.
251
At ev'ry turn she made a little stand,
And thrust among the thorns her lily hand.
252
He brought in triumph back the beaa-\-teous dame, \
With whom her sister, fair Emi-|-/? a, came. \
Iambic Verses of ten syllables, with a mixture of other
feet besides the Iambus.
253
Of those sublimer pleasures to partake,
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? Key to English Prosody. 37
The world and all its charms i would forsake.
254
While thus the shepherd sleeps from passion free,
His state a monarch might with envy see.
255
Fair rile and order in her mansion dwell:
She eats with temp'rancc what she earns so well.
256
The pavement rang with more than mortal sound;
Wide flew huge stones uprooted from the ground.
257
Incarnate fiends, who, void of fear or shame,
Dare to assume the Christian's sacred name.
258
Hopeless and sad, at length I sink to rest,
By sorrow, silence, solitude, oppress'd.
259
Led on by me, the danger bravely dare;
With me the perils and the glory share.
260
The hero, th irstitngy or immortal fame,
Had rather nobly die, than live with shame.
261
Like p\lgrims, to th' appointed place we tend:
The world's an inn, and death the journey's end.
262
Take what God glees, since to rebel is vain.
The bad grows better, which we well sustain.
263
Here lie a holy and a happy pair.
E
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? 38 Key to English Prosody.
As once in grace, they now in glory share.
264
In Scythid, with the war-|-r/or queen | he strove,
Whom first by force he conquer'd, then by love.
265. -- The Planet Saturn.
Round his huge form, a wond'rous circle clings,
And girds his frozen globe with lucid rings.
266. -- The Planet Jupiter.
Four bright s. Mellites his orb attend,
and to his night their borrow'd ra-\-dia>ice lend.
267
Nora my breast labors with oppressive care ;
And o'er my cheek descends the falling tear.
268
Distrust mankind : with your own heart confer;
And dread e'en there to find a flatterer.
269
Seraph of earth, lov'd Charity appears,
And drops on human griefs celestial tears.
270
Tell them, triumphant still I hope to live,
And, after death, with them in bliss revive.
271
Faint is the honor, which the Muse conveys,
If, void of truth, she lavish wanton praise.
272
o genial Nature ! o'er my soul preside :
The trembling hand of feeling friendship guide.
273
With pious care, I'll deck his humble tomb,
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? Key to English Prosody. 39
And bid the mem'ry o/*his virtues bloom.
274
all my ambition was to gain your praise,
And all my pleasure, you alone to please.
275
From earth's low orb he bids his car to rise,
And sails adventYy<<s through the trackless skies.
276
Though Pleasure hail thee with her laughing eyes,
Soon will thy crimes in direful judgement rise.
277 ,
Conceive a maid with ev'ry virtue crown'd,
Alike for beauty and for wit renown'd.
278
His speech the tempest tifher grief restrain'd ;
end her lost peace the maid awhile regain'd.
279
The sun, revolting 8n his axis, turns,
and with creative fire intensely burns.
280
Alas! too soon the gilded prospects fled;
Leaving despair and mis'ry in their stead.
281
of hh fine feelings Jack may well be vain ;
For most acutely lias he felt a cane.
282
Succeeding ages shall his triumph hear,
and with their admiration blend a tear.
283
oh! for a while discard the vulgar joys
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? 40 Key to English Prosody.
Of empty pageant and unmeaning noise.
284
Suspicion haunts the wretch, where'er he flies:
Hated he lives, and unlamented dies.
285
Though here he shine in polish'd lustre bright,
Scarce in the heav'ns is seen his fainter light.
286
In Tauris, stern Diana's altar stood,
With terrors girt, and drench'd with human blood.
287
On Satan's brow, see stern defiance lour,
And all around him Hell's grim Regions pour.
288
Then man, with universal concord blest,
Shall clasp each friend and brofAer to hisLreast.
289
For gold and honors, vain the giddy strife;
The first of honors as a useful life.
290
There modest Worth in secret sorrow pines,
And, far from ev'iy joy, his head reclines.
291
Earn, if you want: ifyou abound, impart.
These both are pleasures to the feeling heart.
292
Without strict discipfitie, the fav'rite child,
Like a neglected forester, runs wild.
293
Can gold calm passion, ot make reason shine ?
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? Key to English Prosody.
Can we dig peace or wisdom from the mine ?
294
ReYigion, is/in heav'nly truths attir'd,
Needs only to be seen, to be admir'd.
295
The slaves of cusfowi and cstablish'd mode,
With pack-horse constancy we keep the road.
296
He will not blush, that has a father's heart,
To take in childish plays. a childish part.
297
Now lofty hills their verdant crowns display,
In vernal pomp emerging into day.
298
Of old practifio/feVs the boasted skill
Could nought avail to check the growing ill.
299
In vain the eye of morn its brightness lends:
In vain the eve its frolic Zephyr sends.
For me, whom fate of ev'ry joy beguiles,
No music warble's, and no beauty smiles.
300
Blest ffiem'ry ! wafted by thy gentle gale,
oft tip the stream of time I turn my sail,
To view the fairy haunts of long-lost hours,
Blest with far greener shades, far fresher flow'i
301
I pity bashful men, who feel the pain
Of fancied scorn and qudeserv'd disdain,
And bear the marks, upon a blushing face,
E3
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? 48, Key to English Prosody.
Of needless shame, and self-impos'd disgrace.
302
We come with joy from our eternal rest,
To see th' oppressor in his turn oppress'd
'Tis thus Omnipotence his law fulfils ;
And Vengeance executes what Justice wills.
SOS
Philosophy, without her heav'nly guide,
May blow up self-conceit, and nourish pride,
But, while her province is the reas'ning part,
Has still a veil of midnight on her heart.
304. - The Christian.
He holds no parley with unmanly fears:
Where duty bids, he confidently steers,
Faces a thousand danger* at her call,
And, trusting in his God, surmounts them all.
305
Not numroiis are our joys when life is new ;
And yearly some are fall<<<g of the few.
306
With vain endeavour seek not thou to find
The secret counsels of almighty mind.
Involv'd in darkness, lies the great decree ;
Nor can the depths of fate be pierc'd by thee.
307
oh! wipe from Sorrow's cheek the falling dew
To you the sons of want their plaint renew.
Again the balm of kind relief impart,
And glad, with timely aid, the aching heart.
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? Key to English Prosody. 43
308
Sweet is to me the morsel valour gains:
Sweet h the homely cup which freedom drains :
Sweet are the joys which independence knows;
And sweet revenge, wreak'd on insulting foes.
309
On parent's knees, a naked new-born child,
Weeping thou sat'st, while all around thee smil'cl.
So live, that, sinking In thy last long sleep,
Calm thou may'st smile, when all around thee weep.
310
Pleasures are few ; and fewer we enjoy :
Pleasure, like quidm/rer, is bright and coy:
We strive to grasp it with our utmost skill :
Stilt It eludes us, and it glitters still.
311
" Can this be true ? " an arch observer cries. --
" True! yes, 'tis true: I saw it with these eyej. "--
" Sir, i believe it on that ground alone:
I could not, had I seen it with my own. "
312
A tale should be judicious, clear, succinct;
The language plain, the incidents well link'd.
Tell not, as now, what ev'ry body knows;
And, new or old, still has/e<< to a close.
315.
Though in Vulcanian pnnop/y array'd,
His native weakness Vatroclus betray'd,
When, rashly tempting the unequal fight,
He fell beneath resistless Hector's might,
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? 44 Key to English Prosody.
By his supe-|-n'or prow-\-ess taught to know,
How difFrent real worth from empty show.
314
ph! could some poet rise, in wisdom bold,
And halt thy beatifies to the world unfold,
Roving on fancy's wing, thy fire impart,
And feel thy genius beaming on his heart--
J'd humbly wish, though vain the wish would be,
That some small portion might alight on me.
315. --To England, on the Roman Invasion.
Thy language, at this distant moment, shows,
How much the country to the conqu'ror owes:
Expressive, energefk, and refin'd,
It spar/c/es with the gems he left behind.
He brought thy hind a blessjwg, when he came :
He found thee savage, and he left thee tame.
316
The scenes of life, when present and confess'd,
Stamp but their bolder features on the breast:
Yet not an Image, when remotely view'd,
However tri-|-rta/, and | however rude,
But wins the heart, and wakes the social sigh,
With ev'ry claim of close affinity.
317
Each undw/ating vale rich harvests fill:
Fldw'rs deck the mead: trees crown the waving hill.
Oaks from their boughs a show'r of acorns throw :
Bees hoard their necfwr in the trunk below.
Large flocks, that spread, and whiten o'er the field,
Their fleecy tixhute to the shepherd yield.
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? Key to English Prosody. 45
318. -- Sir Robert Walpole.
Thus was he fbrin'd to govern and to please:
Familiar greatness, dignity with ease,
Compos'd his frame: admir'd in ev'ry state,
In private amiable, in public great;
Gentle in pow'r, but daring in disgrace;
His love was liberty, his wish was peace.
319
High on his throne Darius tow'r'd in pride:
The fair Apame grac'd the sov'reign's side;
And now she smil'd, and now, with mimic frown,
Plac'd on her brow the monarch's sacred crown.
In transport o'er her faultless form he bends,
Loves ev'ry look, and ev'ry act commends.
320. --A Miser.
A rusty hat he wore, and threadbare cloak:
Hedin'd and supp'd at charge of other folk :
and by his looks, had he held out his palms,
He might be thought an object fit for alms.
So, to the poor if he refus'd his pelf,
Heus'd them full as kindly is himself.
321. --Androcles and the Lion.
His form terri/ie when the lion rears,
Half dead with fright, Id! androcles appears.
But, when his well-known face the lion views,
How soon his former friendship he renews!
The grateful brute lies fawning on the ground,
And licks the hand that erst had heal'd his wound.
322. --The Planet Jupiter.
Twelve times revolving earth her course must run,
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? 46 Key to English Prosody.
ere the vast planet journeys round. the sun.
Four radiant moons the mighty monarch guide,
And dance in bright succession by his side;
Eclipsing and eclips'd, around him move,
And light with ciianging beams the night of Jove.
Thus round the sacred oak, in ith garlands gay,
The rural virgins dance in bright array.
323
As those we love decay, we die in part:
String a/ier string is sevtr'dfrom the heart;
Till loosen'd life, at last but breathing clay,
Without one pang, is glad to fall away.
Unhappy he, who latest feels the blow,
Whose exes have wept o'er ev'ry friend laid low;
Dragg'd /iwg'ring on from partial death to death,
Till, dying, all he can resign, is breath.
324. -- The Post Horse.
ere his exhausted spir<<fs can return,
Or through his frame reviving ardor burn, [sore :
Came forth he must, though limping, maim'd, and
He hears the whip : the chaise ts at the door.
The collar tightens: and again he feels
His half-heal'd wounds inflam'd : again the wheels
With tiresome sameness in his cars resound,
O'er blinding dust, or miles of flinty ground.
Thus nightly robb'd, and injur'd ev'ry day,
His piece-meal murd'rers wear his life ayay.
325
The thrush, the blackbird -- all the tuneful throng,
That cheer the groves with their melodious song,
Ana narmjess spenu tnetr days--ye gunners'. spare.
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? Key to English Prosody'.
But the predacious tyrants of the air,
Whose fierce attacks the peaceful tribes annoy
On these, ye gunners ! all your skill employ.
326
Say, what is man, in his own proud esteem ?
Hear him -- himself the pott and the theme --
A monarch cloth'd with majesty and awe ;
His mind his kingdom, dud his will his law ;
Grace in his mien, and g\ory in his eyes ;
Supreme on earth, and worthy of the skies;
Strength in his heart, dominion in his nod ;
And, thunderbolts excepted, quite a god.
So sings he, charm'd with his own mind and form
The song magnificent, the theme a worm.
32 7
That se^applauding bird, the peacock, see!
Mark what a haughty Pharisee is he.
Meridian sun-beams tempt him to unfold
His radiant glories, azure, green, and gold
He seems to say, " Ye meaner fowl, give place
t dm all splendor, dignity, and grace. "
Not so the pheasunf on his eliarms presumes,
Though he too has a glory in his plumes.
He, C/imtian-Iike, retreats, with modest mien,
To the close copse, or far-sequester'd green,
And shines, without, desiring to be seen.
328
Pldc'dftir'his trial, tin this bustling stage,.
From thoughtless youth to ruminating age,
Free in his will to choose or to refuse,
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? 48 Key to English Prosody.
Man may improve the crisis, tir abuse. . . .
Heav'nfrtSm above, and consciencefrtim within,
Cries in his startled ear, " Abstain from sin. "
The world around solid/s his desire,
And kindles in his soul a treach'rous fire,
While, all his purposes and steps to guard,
Peace fol\ows Virfue, as her sure reward ;
And Pleasure brings as sture/y in her train
Remorse and sorrow and vindictive pain.
329
The lapse of time and rirers is the same :
Both speed their journey with a restless stream.
The silent pace, with which they steal away,
No wealth can bribe, no pray'rs persuade to stay :
Alike irremeable both, when past;
and a wide ocean swallows both at last.
Though each resemble each in ev'ry part,
A diff'rence strikes at length the musing heart.
Streams never flow in vain : where streams abound,
How laughs the land, with various plenty crown'd!
But time, that should enrich the nobler mind,
Neglected, leaves a dreary waste behind.
380. -- Written in a hollow Tree.
To philosophic mental peace dispos'd,
Here in this hollow trunk I sit compos'd,
Far/rim the world, in this sequester'd cell,
Like old Diogenes, content to dwell;
Inspir'd to moralise, and trace the time ?
When thisence roap'ring oak wasin its prime,
When o'er the lawn its verdant branches spread,
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? Key to English Prosody. 49
Though now, from age and mutilation, dead. . . . . . .
This relic then a temple now shall be
To those who love Arcadian scenes, like me;
Who hear with rapture all the warbling throng
Hail the sweet morn of spring with grateful song.
Iambics of Jive feet, or ten syllables, with examples of
Syneeresis.
N
331
The fragrant bloss#/ns tif the vernal field
To artful bees melli-\-fluous es-|-sence yield.
332
A brave and \ir-\-tuous ve-\-teran was hj? ,
Who ne'er to foul dishonor bent the knee.
333 '
The a-l-/#e blooms, | when o'er'her tow'ring head
A hundred years their fost'ring dews have shed.
334
AVith hurried steps, she seeks the vale of death,
and, in deli-j-> ifitm wild, | resigns her breath.
335
The morning beams, that life and joy impart,
Shall with their genial m-\-Jluence warm \ my heart.
336
Then lightly from his lofty steed he flew,
And, one by one, he rais'd the sup-\-pUant crew. |
337
They strive, regard/ess of the spark divine,
In fashion's dim and trans-l-jewf beams | to shine.
F
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? "50 Key to English Prosody.
338
TKlSu wast the ve-|-r<<esf slave, | in days of yore,
That ever dragg'd a chain, or tugg'd an oar.
339
Whoe'er can lead a pa-I-M& statesA-m&n forth,
Replete with wisdom, fortitude, and worth. . . .
To him this golden chain and scarf I give.
His name, engrav'd with mine, shall ever live.
340
While Damocles, amid the pomp of state,
Enrapfwr'd at the regal banquet sate,
He spied the sword suspended o'er his head;
and, at the sight, all joy and pleasure fled.
Alarm'd, he starledjrom the sump-\-tuous board, |
And wish'd his humbler, safer, fare restor'd.
* 341
Has nature to my nerves that force denied,
With which my bap-l-pier fel-\-lows are supplied ?
Or does my shrinking mind, averse to toil,
From labor's duties lazily recoil?
No. ' to these limbs the boun-\-tcous hand | of heav'n
Of force a more than common share has giv'n:
Nor were their pow'rs, by indolence or pride,
To the severest claims of toil denied.
342. -- To Mrs. Siddons.
Expos'd to scenes where varied pleasure glows,
And all the lures which vice for beauty throws,
Tis thine, unhurt 'midst danger /# remain,
And, though thou feel'st its in-\-Jluence,prove | it vain.
Th' asbestos thus the pow'r of fire defies,
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? Key to English Prosody. 51
And, 'midst its vitf/ewce, un-injur'd lies;
And, though destructive flames around it roar,
Quits the fierce furnace, perfect as before.
But whence canst thou with feet un-injur'd tread
The world's dire path, with burning ploughshares
spread ?
Whence can thy heart temptation's pow'r disdain,
While Envy's darts assail thy fame in vain ?
o'er thee Religion's shelt'ring pinions wave,
And Virtue guards the wreath that Justice gave.
Iambics of eight syllables, and of six, with alternate
rhime.
343
ah! what is life ? -- The road to death
Through anguish and dismay.
tils we inhale with ev'ry breath,
Along the devious way.
S44
Now the sweet songsters if the grove
Their matin hymns prepare,
Which, tun'd to gi&titude and love,
Their maker's pow'r declare.
345
At eve together still we rove,
The nightinga/e to hear,
Who sweetly chants the notes of love,
So tremu/owily clear.
346
The orphan too he cltfd and taught,
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? 52 Key to English Prosody.
The widow's wants reliev'd,
To prisons kind assistance brought,
Where captive debtors griev'd.
347
Yon hoi>eZ ts his drear abode,
Which scarcely shelter yields:
all day he sits beside the road,
Or slowly walks the fields.
348
Th' Elysian prospect round me glows,
With vernal hues o'erspread :
My heart with ecstasy o'erflows,
As these lov'd scenes I tread.
349
But now, by taste and judgement plann'd,
Throughout these scenes we find
The works of Art's improving hand
With ancient splendor join'd.
350. -- The Glow-worm.
Beneath the hedge, or near the stream,
A worm is known to stray,
That shows by night a lucid beam,
Which disappears by day.
351. -- The Antiquary.