The Stoic faw, in double wonder luft, Whence, then, thofe thoughts? those tow'ring thoughts, that flew [pride. Such monstrous heights?-From infind, and from Can then abfurdities, as well as crimes, Speak man immortal? all things fpeak him fo. All unrefolvable, if earth is all. "Why life, a moment? infinite defire? "Our wifh, eternity? our home, the grave? "Heav'n's promife dormant lies in human hope; Who wishes life immortal, proves it too. "Why happiness purfu'd, though never found? "Man's thirft of happiness declares. It is ; "(For nature never gravitates to neught ;) "That thirst unquench'd, 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. 66 "If friend and friendship vanish in an hour? 66 66 66 Why fenfe of guilt? why Confcience up in arms How this life groans, when fever'd from the next! 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! blafts the foul, And wide-extends the bounds of human woe! Could I believe LORENZO'S fyftem true, In this black channel would my ravings run. 66 Grief from the future borrow'd peace, ere-while "The future vanish'd! and the prefent 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, "LORENZO! boaftful of the name of friend! "O for delufion! O for error still! "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 curs'd than at the fall?—The fun goes out! "The thorns fhoot up! what thorns in ev'ry thought! "Why fenfe of better? it embitters worse. "Why fenfe? why life? if but to figh, then fink "To what I was? Twice nothing! and much woe ! Woe, from Heav'ns bounties! woe, from what was "To fiatter moft, high intelle&ual pow'rs.. [wont "Thought, Virtue, Knowledge! bleffings, by thy scheme, "All poifon'd into pains. Firft, Knowledge, once "My foul's ambition, now her greatest dread. "To know myself, true wifdom?—No, to fhun "That fhocking fcience, parent of defpair! "Avert thy mirror; If I fee, I die. "Know my Creator? Climb his bleft abode : "By painful fpeculation, pierce the veil, "Dive in his nature, read his attributes, "And gaze in admiration on a foe, 66 Obtruding life, withholding 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 cease. "To curfe his birth, nor envy reptiles more? "Ye fable clouds! ye darkelt fhades of night! "Hide him, for ever hide him, from my thought; "Once all my comfort; fource, and foul of joy! Now leagu'd with furies, and with thee*, againft me; "Thee, mankind's boafted friend, and blackest foe. "Dropt from his hand, with miracles replete ! "To find the being, which alone can know Breathing high hope! chain'd down to pangs and death! "Knowing is fuff'ring; and shall Virtue share "The figh of Knowledge ?-Virtue fhares the figh. "By ftraining up the fteep of excellent, "By battles fought, and from temptation won, Of triumph, o'er their betters, find in death "As foft a pillow, nor make fouler clay ! "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 breast, "To fcale the fkies, and build prefumptions there, As I were heir of an eternity; Vain, vain ambitions! trouble me no more. * LORENZO. "Why travel far in queft of fure defeat? As bounded as my being, be my with. "All is inverted; Wifdom is a fool. "Senfe! take the rein; blind Paffion! drive us on; "And Ignorance! befriend us on our way; "Ye new, but trueft patrons of our peace! "Yes; give the puife 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 fafer too? they never poisons choose : Infine, than Reason, makes more wholesome meals, "And fends all-marring murmur far away. "For fenfual life they beft philofophize; "Theirs that ferene the fages fought in vain ; " 'Tis man alone expoftulates with Heav'n ; "His, all the pow'r, and all the cause, to mourn. "Shall human eyes alone diffolve in tears? "And bleed, in anguish, none but human hearts ? The wide-ftretch'd realm of intellectual woe, Surpaffing fenfual far, is all our own. "In life fo fatally diftinguifh'd, why "Cat in one lot, confounded, lump'd in death? "Ere yet in being, was mankind in guilt; "Why thunder'd this peculiar claufe against us, "All-mortal, and all-wretched? Have the skies "Reafons of itate, their fubjects may not fean, "Nor humbly reafon, when they forely figh? "All mortal, and all-wretched!- -'tis too much; Unparallel'd in nature; 'tis too much "On being unrequested at thy hands, Omnipotent! for 1 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 fuperfluities are reas'ning fouls! Oh, give eternity! or thought destroy! But without thought, our curfe were half unfelt |