Now with the loofer Syrian dance and fing, Where, my deluded fenfe, was reason flown? Where all the maxims of eternal truth, 900 905 With which the living God inform'd my youth, 910 Vain idols, deities that ne'er before 915 920 To fhrubs and plants my vile devotion paid, And fet the bearded leek, to which I pray'd; When to all beings facred rites were given, Forgot the Arbiter of earth and heaven? Through these fad fhades, this chaos in my foul, 925 Some feeds of light at length began to roll. The The rifing motion of an infant ray Shot glimmering through the cloud, and promis'd day. And now, one moment able to reflect, I found the king abandon'd to neglect, Seen without awe, and ferv'd without respect. To leffen their defects by citing mine. The priest with pity pray'd for David's race, Into myself my Reason's eye I turn'd, 930 } 935. } 940 945 Legions of luft, and various powers of ill, Infult the mafter's tributary will: 950 And he, from whom the nations should receive Juftice and freedom, lies himself a flave, Tortur'd by cruel change of wild defires, Lash'd by mad rage, and fcorch'd by brutal fires. 955 Wisdom, Wisdom, thou fay'ft, from Heaven receiv'd her birth, 960 O troubled, weak, and coward, as thou art, Without thy poor advice, the labouring heart To worse extremes with swifter fteps would run, 965 Not fav'd by virtue, yet by vice undone. Oft' have I faid, the praise of doing well Is to the ear as ointment to the smell. The odours of the fweets inclos'd would die, 970 And stench corrupt (fad change!) their place fupply. Into the balm of pureft virtue caft, Loft Solomon! pursue this thought no more : And filent weep, that, while the deathless Muse 975 980 } 985 From From this abyfs of exemplary vice Refolv'd, as time might aid my thought, to rife; The fond pursuit of fugitive delight; Bid her exalt her melancholy wing, And, rais'd from earth, and fav'd from paffion, fing Of human hope by cross event destroy'd, Of useless wealth and greatnefs unenjoy'd, Of luft and love, with their fantastic train, 990 Their wishes, fmiles, and looks, deceitful all, and vain. VOL. XXXIII. T TEXTS 66 TEXTS CHIEFLY ALLUDED TO IN BOOK III. Or ever the filver cord be loofed, or the golden bowl! "be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, 66 or the wheel broken at the ciftern." Eccl. xii. 6"The fun arifeth, and the fun goeth down, and hafteth "to his place where he arofe." Ch. i. 5. "The wind goeth towards the fouth, and turneth about "unto the north. It whirleth about continually; "and the wind returneth again, according to his cir"cuit." Verf. 6. "All the rivers run into the fea: yet the fea is not full. "Unto the place from whence the rivers come, thi"ther they return again." Ver. 7. "Then fhall the dust return to the earth, as it was: and "the fpirit fhall return unto God who gave it." Ch. xii. 7. "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the """fire came down from Heaven, and confumed the "burnt-offering, and the facrifices; and the glory of "the LORD filled the houfe." 2 Chron. vii. 1. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we fat down; yea 66 we wept, when we remembered Sion," &c. Pfalm cxxxvii. I. "faid of laughter, it is mad; and of mirth, what "doth it?" Ecclef. ii. 2. "No man can find out the work that God maketh, "from the beginning to the end." Ch. iii. 11. "Whatsoever God doeth, it fhall be for ever; nothing "canbe put toit, nor any thing taken fromit: and GOD "doeth it, that men should fear before him.” Ver. 14. “Let us hear the conclufion of the whole matter; fear "GoD, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. Ch. xii. 13. |