Smit with the Pomp of lofty Sentiments

Pleas'd Pride proclaim'd, what Reafon difbeliev'd.
Pride, like the Delphic Prieftefs, with a Swell,
Rav'd Nonfenfe, destin'd to be Future Sense,
When Life Immortal, in full Day, should shine.
They spoke, what nothing but Immortal Souls
Could fpeak, and thus the Truth they queftion'd, prov'd.
CAN then Abfurdities, as well as Crimes,

Speak Man Immortal? All things fpeak him fo.
Much has been urg'd; and doft thou call for more?
Call; and with endless Queftions be diftreft,
All unrefolveable, if Earth is All.

"WHY Life, a Moment; Infinite, Defire?
"Our Wish, Eternity; our Home, the Grave?
"Heav'n's Promise dormant lies in human Hope,
"Who wishes Life Immortal, proves it too.
"Why Happiness purfu'd, tho' never found?
"Man's Thirft of Happiness declares It is,
"(For Nature never gravitates to -nought;)
"That Thirst unquencht declares It is not Here.
"My LUCIA, Thy CLARISSA, call to Thought;
"Why cordial Friendship rivetted fo deep,
"As, Hearts to pierce at firft, at parting, rend,
"If Friend, and Friendship vanish in an Hour?
"Is not this Torment in the Mask of Joy?
"Why by Reflection marr'd the Joys of Senfe?
"Why paft, and future, preying on our Hearts,
"And putting all our prefent Joys to Death?
"Why labours Reason? Inftinct were as well;
"Inftinct, far better; what can chufe, can err;
"O how Infallible the thoughtless Brute?
""Twere well his Holiness was half as fure.
"Reafon with Inclination, why at War?

"Why Senfe of Guilt? why Confcience up in Arms?” CONSCIENCE of Guilt, is Prophecy of Pain,

And Bofom-council to decline the Blow.

Reafon

Reason with Inclination ne'er had jarr'd,
If nothing Future paid Forbearance Here.
Thus on-These, and a thousand Pleas uncall'd,
All promife, fome enfure, a fecond Scene;
Which, was it doubtful, would be dearer far
Than all Things else most certain; was it false,
What Truth on Earth fo precious as the Lye?
This World it gives us, let what will enfue:
This World it gives, in that high Cordial, Hopes
The Future of the Prefent is the Soul;

How this Life groans, when fever'd from the next?
Poor, mutilated Wretch, that Disbelieves !
By dark Diftruft his Being cut in two,

In both Parts perishes.; Life void of Joy,
Sad Prelude of Eternity in Pain!

COULDST Thou perfuade me, the next Life could fail
Our ardent Wishes; how fhould I pour out
My bleeding Heart in Anguifh, new, as deep?
Oh! with what Thoughts, thy Hope, and my Defpair
Abhorr'd ANNIHILATION! blasts the Soul,

And wide-extends the Bounds of Human Woe? In this black Channel would my Ravings run: "Grief, from the Future borrow'd Peace, ere-while "The Future vanisht! and the Present pain'd! "Strange Import of unprecedented Ill!

"Fall, how profound! Like Lucifer's, the Fall! "Unequal Fate! His Fall, without his Guilt! "From where fond Hope built her Pavilion high "The Gods among, hurl'd headlong, hurl'd at once "To Night! To Nothing! Darker ftill than Night. "If 'twas a Dream, why wake me, my worst Foe! "O for Delufion! O for Error ftill!

"Could Vengeance strike much stronger, than to plant "A Thinking Being in a World like This,

Not over-rich before, now beggar'd quite;

❝ More curft than at the Fall? The Sun goes out!

The Thorns fhoot up! What Thorns in ev'ry "Thought?

"Why Senfe of Better? It imbitters Worse. "Why Sense? Why Life? If but to figh, then fink "To what I was? Twice Nothing! and much Woe! Woe, from Heav'n's Bounties! Woe, from what 66 was wont

"To flatter moft, high Intellectual Pow'rs.

"Thought, Virtue, Knowledge! Bleffings, by thy "" Scheme,

"All poifon'd into Pains. Firft, Knowledge, once
My Soul's Ambition, now her greatest Dread.
"To know myself, true Wisdom ?—No, to fhun
"That fhocking Science, Parent of Despair!
"Avert thy Mirror; If I see, I die.

" Know my
By painful Speculation, pierce the Veil,
Dive in His Nature, read His Attributes,

Creator? Climb His bleft Abode

a

Foe,

"And in Admiration. on gaze "Obtruding Life, with-holding Happiness? "From the full Rivers that furround His Throne, "Not letting fall one Drop of Joy on Man; "Man gafping for one Drop, that he might ceafe "To curfe his Birth, nor envy Reptiles more! "Ye fable Clouds! Ye darkest Shades of Night! " Hide Him, for ever hide Him, from my Thought, "Once all my Comfort; Source, and Soul of Joy! "Now leagu'd with Furies, and with Thee against me, Thee, Mankind's boasted Friend, and blackest Foe. "Know His Atchievements? Study His Renown? "Contemplate this amazing Universe, "Dropt from his Hand, with Miracles replete ?"For what? 'Mid Miracles of nobler Name, "To find one Miracle of Mifery?

"To find the Being, which alone can know,

And praife His Works, a Blemish on His Praife?

“ Thro3

"Thro' Nature's ample Range, in Thought, to ftrole, "And ftart at Man, the fingle Mourner There, "Breathing high Hope! chain'd down to Pangs, and "Death!

"KNOWING is Suff'ring: And fhall Virtue share "The Sigh of Knowledge? Virtue shares the Sigh. "By ftraining up the Steep of Excellent,

By Battles fought, and from Temptation, won, "What gains fhe, but the Pang of seeing Worth, Angelic Worth, foon, fhuffled in the Dark "With ev'ry ice, and fwept to brutal Duft? "Merit is Madness; Virtue is a Crime; "A Crime to Reafon, if it costs us Pain "Unpaid: What Pain, amidst a thousand more, "To think the moft Abandon'd, after Days "Of Triumph o'er their Betters, find in Death "As foft a Pillow, nor make fouler Clay?

66

Duty! Religion! Thefe, our Duty done,
Imply Reward. Religion is Miftake.

"Duty?-There's none, but to repel the Cheat.
"Ye Cheats! away; ye Daughters of my Pride!
"Who feign yourselves the Fav'rites of the Skies:
"Ye tow'ring Hopes! abortive Energies!
"That tofs, and struggle in my lying Breaft,
"To scale the Skies, and build Presumptions There,
"As I were Heir of an Eternity;

"Vain, vain Ambitions! trouble me no more.

66

Why travel far in Queft of fure Defeat?

"As bounded as my Being, be my Wish.

“All is inverted, Wisdom is a Fool.

"Senfe! take the Rein; blind Paffion! drive us on;

65

And, Ignorance! befriend us on our Way;

"Ye new, but truest Patrons of our Peace!

"Yes; give the Pulse full Empire; live the Brute, "Since, as the Brute, we die.

The Sum of Man,

"Of Godlike Man! to revel, and to rot.

"But not on equal Terms with other Brutes: "Their Revels a more poignant Relish yield, "And safer too; They never Poisons chufe. "Inftinct, than Reason, makes more wholsome Meals, "And fends all-marring Murmur far away. For fenfual Life They beft Philofophize; "Theirs, that Serene, the Sages fought in vain : ""Tis Man alone expoftulates with Heav'n, "His, all the Pow'r, and all the Cause, to mourn. "Shall buman Eyes alone diffolve in Tears?

"And, bleed, in Anguish, none but human Hearts? "The wide-ftretcht Realm of Intellectual Woe, "Surpaffing Senfual far, is All our Own. "In Life fo fatally distinguisht, why

"Caft in one Lot, confounded, lumpt, in Death? "ERE yet in Being, was Mankind in Guilt ? "Why thunder'd this peculiar Clause against us, "All-mortal, and All-wretched!-Have the Skies "Reasons of State, their Subjects may not scan, "Nor humbly reason, when they forely figh? "All mortal, and All-wretched!-'Tis too much; Unparalleli'd in Nature: 'Tis too much

"On Being unrequested at Thy Hands, OMNIPOTENT! for I fee nought but Pow'r. AND why fee That? Why Thought? To toil, " and eat,

Then make our Bed in Darkness, needs no Thought. "What Superfluities are reas'ning Souls?

"Oh give Eternity! or Thought destroy.

"But without Thought our Curse were half unfelt; "Its blunted Edge would fpare the throbbing Heart, "And therefore 'tis beftow'd. I thank thee, Reafon! "For aiding Life's too small Calamities, "And giving Being to the Dread of Death. "Such are thy Bounties !-Was it then too much For me, to trefpafs on the Brutal Rights?

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