Bound in thy adamantine chain The Proud are taught to taste of pain, And purple Tyrants vainly groan With pangs unfelt before, unpitied and alone. When first thy Sire to send on earth Virtue, his darling Child, defign'd, To thee he gave the heav'nly Birth, And bad to form her infant mind. Stern rugged Nurse! thy rigid lore With patience many a year the bore: What forrow was, thou bad'ft her know, And from her own she learn'd to melt at others' woe. Scared Scared at thy frown terrific, fly Self-pleafing Folly's idle brood, Wild Laughter, Noife, and thoughtless Joy, And leave us leisure to be good. Light they difperfe, and with them go The fummer Friend, the flatt'ring Foe; By vain Prosperity received, To her they vow their truth, and are again believed. Wisdom in fable garb array'd Immers'd in rapt'rous thought profound, And Melancholy, filent maid With leaden eye, that loves the ground, Still on thy folemn fteps attend: Warm Charity, the gen'ral Friend, With Juftice to herself fevere, And Pity, dropping soft the fadly-pleafing tear Oh, gently on thy Suppliant's head, Dread Goddess, lay thy chaft'ning hand! Not in thy Gorgon terrors clad, Nor circled with the vengeful Band (As by the Impious thou art feen) With thund'ring voice, and threat'ning mien, With fcreaming Horror's funeral cry, Despair, and fell Disease, and ghaftly Poverty. |