Or venturing beyond the reach of wit So he that once stood for the learned'ft man, To read all authors to him with their glosses, To be read to him every way the wind Should chance to fit, before him or behind; That had been fought by consonants and vowels; And And practis'd all the tricks upon the charts, That come in dry vats o'er from Francfort fairs, Was wont to scatter books in every room, Where they might best be seen by all that come, UPON UPON AN HYPOCRITICAL NONCONFORMIS T. A PINDARIC ODE *. I. HERE's nothing fo abfurd, or vain, THER Or barbarous, or inhumane, But, if it lay the least pretence To piety and godliness, Or tender-hearted confcience, Does facred instantly commence; And all that dare but question it, are strait 5 As *This and the two following compofitions are the only ones that our Author wrote in this measure; which fome readers may, perhaps, think too grave and folemn for the fubject, and the turn of Butler's wit. It must, however, be allowed, that he falls no way fhort of his ufual depth and reach of thought, keennefs of fatire, and acutenefs of expreffion. As malefactors, that escape and fly Into a fanctuary for defence, Muft not be brought to juftice thence, Although their crimes be ne'er fo great and high; Is fentenc'd and deliver’d-up To Satan, that engag'd him to 't, That are employ'd by him, while he and they II. And, as the Pagans heretofore Did their own handyworks adore, 10 15 20 And made their stone and timber deities, Their temples and their altars, of one piece; 25 The fame outgoings feem t' infpire Our modern felf-will'd Edifier, That, out of things as far from fenfe, and more, Contrives new light and revelation, The creatures of th' imagination, 30 35 For For fpiritual gifts and offerings, Which Heaven to present him brings; And ftill, the further 'tis from sense, And ought to be receiv'd with greater reverence. III. But, as all tricks whofe principles Are falfe, prove falfe in all things elfe, Is but in penfion with his confcience, Like fpiritual foundations Endow'd to pious ufes, and defign'd To entertain the weak, the lame, and blind; But ftill diverts them to as bad, or worse, 55 Than others are by unjust governors : He ftill puts out all dues He owes to Heaven to the devil to use, And makes his godly intereft great gains; 60 Takes all the Brethren (to recruit The fpirit in him) contribute, And, to repair and edify his fpent And broken-winded outward man, prefent For painful holding-forth against the government. 65 IV. The |