Churchill. Should he from toils of government retire,
And for a moment fan the poet's fire;
Should he, of fciences the moral friend,
Each curious, each important, fearch suspend,
Leave unailifted Hill of herbs to tell,
And all the wonders of a cocklefhell,
» Having the Lord's good grace before his eyes,
,, Would not the Home step forth, and gain the prize? Or if this Wreath of honour might adorn
The humble brows of one in England born,
Prefumptuous ftill thy daring must appear;
Vain all thy tow'ring hopes, whilft I am here."
Thus fpake a form, by filken fmile, and tone
Dull and unvary'd, for the Laureat known,
Folly's chief friend, Decorum's eldest fon,
In ev'ry party found, and yet of none.
This airy fubftance, this fubftantial shade,
Abafh'd I heard, and with refpect obey'd.
(Von Dr. Samuel Johnson, (geboren 1709, geftor: ben 1784) einem Manne, der sich als Sprachforscher, Kunstrichter und wißiger Schriftsteller so ungemein auszeich nete, und dessen sämmtliche Werke Sir John Hawkins im Jahr 1786 in zwölf Bänden herausgab, hat man verschieds ne, mit verdientem Beifall aufgenommene, Satiren, die anfänglich einzeln, und hernach in der bekannten Dodsleyis schen Sammlung, englischer Gedichte, abgedruckt wurden. Eine der schönsten darunter ist die auf die Eitelkeit menschlicher Wünsche, eine freie Nachahmung der oben stellenweis se gelieferten zehnten Satire Juvenal's, mit der man die hier aus jener gelieferten Proben des Anfanges' und Schlufses vergleichen kann.)
THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES.
Let* obfervation with extenfive view
Survey mankind from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious toil, each eager ftrife,
And watch the bufy fcene of human life;
Then fay how hope and fear, defire and hate,
O'erfpread with inares the clouded maze of fate,
Where wav'ring man, betray'd by vent'rous pride,
To tread the dreary paths without a guide;
As treach'rous phantoms in the mift delude,
Shuns fancied ills, or chafes airy good.
How rarely reafon guides the ftubborn choice,
Rules the bold hand, or prompts the fuppliant voice,
How nations fink, by darling schemes opprefs'd,
When vengeance liftens to the fool's request.
Fate wings with ev'ry wifh th' afflictive dart,
Each gift of nature, and each grace of art,
With fatal heat impetuous courage glows,
With fatal fweetnefs elocution flows;
Impeachment ftops the fpeaker's pow'rful breath,
And restless fire precipitates on death,
*) But fearce obferv'd the knowing and the bold Fall in the 'gen'ral maffacre of gold;
Wide-wafting peft! that rages unconfin'd,
And crouds with crimes the records of mankind.
For gold his fword the hireling ruffian draws,
For gold the hireling judge diftorts the laws;
Wealth heap'd on wealth, nor truth nor fafety buys,
The dangers gather as the treafures rife.
Let hift'ry tell where rival kings command,
And dubious title 1hakes the madded land,
When statutes glean the refufe of the fword,
How much more fafe the vaffal than the lord,
Low fculks the hind beneath the rage of pow'r,
And leaves the wealthy traytor in the Tow'r,
Untouch'd his cottage, and his flumbers found,
Tho' confifcation's vulturs hover round.
The needy traveller, ferene, and gay
Walks the wild heath, and fings his toil away.
Does envy feize thee? cruth th' upbraiding joy,
Increase his riches, and his peace deftroy;
New fears in dire viciffitude invade,
The ruft'ling brake alarms, and quiv'ring fhade,
Nor light nor darkness bring his pain relief,
One fhews the plunder, and one hides the thief.
Yet **) ftill one general cry the skies affails,
And gain and grandeur load the tainted gales;
Few know the toiling ftatefman's fear or care,
Th' infidious rival and the gaping heir.
Once ***) more, Democritus, arife on earth,
With chearful wisdom, and inftructive mirth,
See motly life in modern trappings drefs'd,
And feed with varied fools th' eternal jeft;
Thou, who couldft laugh, where want enchain'd ca-
price,
Toil crufh'd conceit, and man was of a piece;
Where wealth unlov'd without a mourner dy'd;
**) v. 23---27.
***) v.28---55
And fearce á fycophant was fed by pride;
Where ne'er was known the form of mock debate,
Or feen a new-made mayor's unwieldy ftate;
Where change of fav'rites made no change of laws,
And fenates heard, before they judg'd a caufe;
How wouldst thou fhake at Britain's modifh tribe,
Dart the quick taunt, and etch the piercing gibe!
Attentive truth and nature to decry,
And pierce each scene with philofophic eye.
To thee were folemn toys or empty fhow
The robes of pleasure, and the veils of woe:
All aid the farce, and all thy mirth maintain,
Whofe joys are caufelefs, and whofe griefs are vain.
Such was the fcorn that fill'd the lage's mind,
Renew'd at ev'ry glance on human kind;
How just that fcorn ere yet thy voice declare,
Search every state, and canvafs ev'ry pray'r
*) Unnumber'd fuppliants croud Preferment's
gate,
Athirst for wealth, and burning to be great.
Delufive Fortune hears th' inceffant call,
They mount, they fhine, evaporate, and fall.
On ev'ry ftage the foes of peace attend,
Hate dogs their flight, and infult mocks their end.
Love ends with hope, the finking ftate finan's door
Pours in the morning worshiper no more
For growing names the weekly fcribbler lies,
To growing wealth the dedicator flies,
From every room defcends the painted face,
That hung the bright Palladium of the place,
And fmoak'd in kitchens, or in auctions fold
To better features yields the frame of gold.
For now no more we trace in ev'ry line
Heroic worth, benevolence divine:
The form diftorted juftifies the fall,
And deteftation rids th' indignant wall.
Dr.Johnson Where *) then shall Hope and Fear their objects
Muft dull Sufpence corrupt the stagnant mind?
Must helpless man, in ignorance fedate,
Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
Muft no diflike alarm, no wishes tife,
No cries attempt the mercies of the skies?
Enquirer, ceafe, petitions yet remain,
Which heav'n may hear, nor deem religion vain,
Still raife for good the fupplicating voice,
But leave to heav'n the measure and the choice.
Safe in his pow'r, whofe eyes difcern afar
The fecret ambush of a fpecious pray'r.
Implore his aid, in his decifions reft,
Secure, whate'er he gives, he gives the best.
Yet when the fenfe of facred prefence fires,
And strong devotion to the fkies afpires,
Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind,
Obedient paffions, and a will refign'd;
For love, which scarce collective man can fill;
For patience fov'reign o'er transmuted ill;
For faith, that panting for a happier seat,
Counts death kind Nature's fignal of retreat:
Theefe goods for man the laws of heav'n ordain,
Thefe goods he grants, who grants the pow'r to
With these celeftial wisdom calms the mind,
And make the happiness she does not find.
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