Her friends, from all the toils of fame fecure,
Alas! inglorious, greater toils endure.

Doom'd all to mourn, who in her cause engage
A youth enervate, and a painful age;

A fickly faplefs mafs, if reafon flies;
And, if the linger, impotently wife!

A thoughtless train, who, pamper'd, sleek, and gay,
Invite old age, and revel youth away;

From life's fresh vigour move the load of care,
And idly place it where thy leaft can bear.
When to the mind, difeas'd, for aid they fly,
What kind reflection fhall the mind supply?
When, with lost health, what should the loss allay,
Peace, peace is loft: a comfortless decay!
But to my friends, when youth, when pleasure flies,
And earth's dim beauties fade before their eyes,
Through death's dark vista flowery tracts are feen,
Elyfian plains, and groves for ever green.
If o'er their lives a refluent glance they caft,
Their's is the prefent who can praise the past.
Life has its blifs for thefe, when past its bloom,
As wither'd roses yield a late perfume,

Serene, and fafe from paffion's stormy rage,
How calm they glide into the port of age!
Of the rude voyage lefs depriv'd than eas'd;
More tir'd than pain'd, and weaken'd than difeas'd.
For health on age, 't is temperance muft beftow;
And peace from piety alone can flow;

And all the incenfe bounteous Jove requires,

Has fweets for him who feeds the facred fires.

Sloth views the towers of fame with envious
Defirous ftill, ftill impotent to rise.

Oft, when refolv'd to gain those blifsful towers,
The penfive queen the dire ascent explores,
Comes onward, wafted by the balmy trees,
Some fylvan mufic, or fome fcented breeze :
She turns her head, her own gay realm the spies,
And all the fhort-liv'd refolution dies.

eyes;

Thus fome fond infect's faultering pinions wave,
Clafp'd in its favourite fweets, a lasting slave :
And thus in vain these charming vifions please
The wretch of glory, and the flave of ease:
Doom'd ever in ignoble state to pine,

Boaft her own scenes, and languish after mine.

But fhun her finares: nor let the world exclaim, Thy birth, which was thy glory, prov'd thy fhame. With carly hope thine infant actions fir'd; Let manhood crown what infancy inspir'd. Let generous toils reward with health thy days, Prolong thy prime, and eternize thy praise. The bold exploit that charms th' attefting age, To latest times fhall generous hearts engage; And with that myrtle fhall thy fhrine be crown'd, With which, alive, thy graceful brows were bound: Till time fhall bid thy virtues freely bloom,

And raife a temple where it found a tomb.

Then in their feafts thy name shall Grecians join; Skall pour the sparkling juice to Jove's and thine.

Thine,

Thine, us'd in war, fhall raise their native fire;
Thine, us'd in peace, their mutual faith inspire.
Dulnefs perhaps, through want of fight, may blame,
And spleen, with odious industry, defame;
And that, the honours given, with wonder view,
And this, in fecret fadnefs, own them due:
Contempt and envy were by fate design'd
The rival tyrants which divide mankind;
Contempt, which none, but who deferve, can bear;
While envy's wounds the smiles of fame repair.
For know, the generous thine exploits fhall fire,
Thine every friend it suits thee to require,
Lov'd by the gods, and, till their feats I fhew,
Lov'd by the good their images below."

Ceafe, lovely maid, fair daughter of the skies!
My guide! my queen! th' extatic youth replies.
In thee I trace a form defign'd for sway;

Which chiefs may court, and kings with pride obey. And, by thy bright immortal friends I swear,

Thy fair idea fhall no toils impair.

Lead me! O lead me where whole hofts of foes
Thy form depreciate, and thy friends oppose!
Welcome all toils th' inequal fates decree,
While toils endear thy faithful charge to thee.
Such be my cares, to bind th' oppreffive hand,
And crush the fetters of an injur'd land:
To fee the monster's noxious life refign'd,
And tyrants quell'd, the monsters of mankind!
Nature shall smile to view the vanquish'd brood,
And none, but envy, riot unsubdued,

In cloister'd ftate let felfifh fages dwell,
Proud that their heart is narrow as their cell!
And boast their mazy labyrinth of rules,
Far lefs the friends of virtue, than the fools:
Yet fuch in vain thy favouring fmiles pretend;
For he is thine, who proves his country's friend.
Thus when my life well-fpent the good enjoy,
And the mean envious labour to destroy;
When, ftrongly lur'd by fame's contiguous fhrine,
I yet devote my choicer vows to thine;

If all my toils thy promis'd favour claim,

O lead thy favourite through the gates of fame!
He ceas'd his vows, and, with disdainful air,
He turn'd to blaft the late exulting fair.
But vanish'd, fled to fome more friendly fhore,
The conscious phantom's beauty pleas'd no more:
Convinc'd, her fpurious charms of drefs and face
Claim'd a quick conqueft, or a fure difgrace.
Fantastic power! whofe tranfient charms allur'd,
While error's mift the reasoning mind obfcur'd :
Not fuch the vi&refs, virtue's conftant queen,
Endur'd the teft of truth, and dar'd be seen.
Her brightening form and features feem'd to own,
'T was' all her with, her intereft, to be known:
And when his longing view the fair declin'd,
Left a full image of her charms behind,

Thus reigns the moon, with furtive splendor crown'd, While glooms opprefs us, and thick shades furround.

But

But let the fource of light its beams display,
Languid and faint the mimic flames decay,
And all the fickening fplendor fades away. ·

The PROGRESS of TASTE.

OR,

The FATE of DELICACY.

}

A POEM on the Temper and Studies of the AUTHOR; and how great a Misfortune it is, for a Man of small Estate to have much TASTE.

PART the FIRST.

PERH

ERHAPS fome cloud eclips'd the day,
When thus I tun'd my pensive lay.

"The ship is launch'd-we catch the gale-
On life's extended ocean fail:

For happiness our course we bend,

Our ardent cry, our general end!

Yet, ah! the scenes which tempt our care
Are like the forms difpers'd in air,
Still dancing near diforder'd eyes;
And weakeft his, who beft defcries!
Yet let me not my birth-right barter,
(For wifhing is the poet's charter;

All bards have leave to with what 's wanted,
Though few e'er found their wishes granted;