"My name, perhaps, hath reach'd your ear; Attend, and be advis'd by Carc.

Nor love, nor honour, wealth, nor power,
Can give the heart a chearful hour,

When health is loft. Be timely wife :
With health all taste of pleasure flies."
Thus faid, the Phantom disappears.
The wary counsel wak'd his fears.
He now from all excefs abftains,
With phyfic purifies his veins;
And, to procure a fober life,
Refolves to venture on a wife.

But now again the Sprite afcends,
Where'er he walks, his ear attends,
Infinuates that beauty 's frail,
That perfeverance must prevail;
With jealoufies his brain inflames,
And whifpers all her lovers' names.
In other hours fhe reprefents

His household charge, his annual rents,
Increafing debts, perplexing duns,
And nothing for his younger fons.

Straight all his thought to gain he turns,
And with the thirst of lucre burns.
But, when poffefs'd of Fortune's store,
The Spectre haunts him more and more;

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Sets want and mifery in view,

Bold thieves, and all the murdering crew;
Alarms him with eternal frights,

Infefts his dream, or wakes his nights.

G 2

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How

How shall he chace this hideous guest ?
Power may perhaps protect his reft.
To Power he rofe. Again the Sprite
Befets him morning, noon, and night;
Talks of Ambition's tottering feat,
How Envy perfecutes the great,
Of rival hate, of treacherous friends,
And what difgrace his fall attends.
The court he quits, to fly from Care,
And fecks the peace of rural air:
His groves, his fields, amus'd his hours;
He prun'd his trees, he rais'd his flowers.
But Care again his steps pursues,
Warns him of blafts, of blighting dews,
Of plundering infects, fnails, and rains,

And droughts that flarv'd the labour'd plains.
Abroad, at home, the Spectre's there;

In vain we feek to fly from Care.

At length he thus the Ghost addreft :
"Since thou must be my conftant guest,
Be kind, and follow ine no more;
For Care, by right, fhould go before."

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THE TWO OWLS AND THE SPARROW.

WO formal Owls together fat,

TW

Conferring thus in folemn chat. "How is the modern tafte decay'd! Where's the refpect to wifdom paid?

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Our worth the Grecian fages knew;
They gave our fires the honour due;
They weigh'd the dignity of fowls,
And pry'd into the depth of Owls.
Athens, the feat of learned fame,
With general voice rever'd our name;
On merit title was conferr'd,

And all ador'd th' Athenian bird."

"Brother, you reafon well, replies
The folemn mate, with half-fhut eyes.
Right. Athens was the feat of learning,
And truly wifdom is difcerning..
Befides, on Pallas" helm we fit,

The type and ornament of wit:

But
now, alas! we 're quite neglected,
And a pert Sparrow's more refpected.”
A Sparrow, who was lodg'd befide,
O'erhears them footh each other's pride;
And thus he nimbly vents his heat :
"Who meets a fool muft find conceit.
I grant you were at Athens grac'd,
And on Minerva's helin were plac'd;
But every bird that wings the sky,
Except an Owl, can tell you why:

From hence they taught their fchools to know
How falfe we judge by outward show;
That we fhould never looks efteem,
Since fools as wife as you might feem.
Would ye contempt and fcorn avoid,
Let your vain-glory be destroy'd ;

Humble your arrogance of thought,
Pursue the ways by Nature taught:
So fhall you find delicious fare,
And grateful farmers praise your care;
So fhall fleek mice your chace reward,
And no keen cat find more regard."

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THE COURTIER AND PROTEUS.

WHENE'ER a Courtier's out of place,

The country fhelters his difgrace;

Where, doom'd to exercife and health,
His house and gardens own his wealth.
He builds new schemes, in hope to gain
The plunder of another reign;
Like Philip's fon, would fain be doing,
And fighs for other realms to ruin.

As one of thefe (without his wand)
Penfive along the winding ftrand
Employ'd the folitary hour,

In projects to regain his power,
The waves in fpreading circles ran,
Proteus arofe, and thus began.

"Came you from court? for in

A felf-important air is seen."

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your mien

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He frankly own'd his friends had trick'd him,

And how he fell his party's victim.

"Know,

"Know, fays the God, by matchless skill

I change to every shape at will;

But yet, I'm told, at court you fee

Those who prefume to rival me."

:

Thus faid a Snake, with hideous trail, Proteus extends his fcaly mail.

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"Know, fays the Man, though proud in place, All Courtiers are of reptile race.

Like you, they take that dreadful form,

;

Bask in the fun, and fly the florm
With malice hifs, with envy glote,
And for convenience change their coat;
With new-got luftre rear their head,
Though on a dunghill born and bred."

Sudden the God a Lion ftands;

He shakes his mane, he fpurns the fands.
Now a fierce Lynx, with fiery glare ;
A Wolf, an Afs, a Fox, a Bear.

"Had I ne'er liv'd at court, he cries,
Such transformation might furprize;
But there, in quest of daily game,
Each able Courtier acts the fame;
Wolves, Lions, Lynxes, while in place,
Their friends and tellows are their chace.

They play the Bear's and Fox's part,
Now rob by force, now fteal with art.
They fometimes in the fenate bray,
Or, chang'd again to beafts of prey,
Down from the Lion to the Ape,
Practise the frauds of every shape."

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