Twins ty'd by nature, if they part, they die. Haft thou no friend to fet thy mind abroach? Good fenfe will ftagnate. Thoughts shut up want air, And spoil, like bales unopen'd to the sun.
Had thought been all, fweet fpeech had been deny'd; Speech, thought's canal! speech, thought's criterion too! Thought in the mine, may come forth gold, or drofs; 470 When coin'd in word, we know its real worth. If sterling, ftore it for thy future use; 'Twill buy thee benefit; perhaps renown. Thought, too, deliver'd, is the more poffeft; Teaching, we learn; and, giving, we retain The births of intellect; when dumb, forgot, Speech ventilates our intellectual fire; Speech burnishes our mental magazine; Brightens, for ornament; and whets, for use. What numbers, fheath'd in erudition, lie,
Plung'd to the hilts in venerable tomes, And rusted in ; who might have borne an edge, And play'd a sprightly beam, if born to speech; If born bleft heirs of half their mother's tongue! 'Tis thought's exchange, which, like th' alternate
Of waves conflicting, breaks the learned fcum, And defecates the ftudent's ftanding pool.
In Contemplation is his proud resource? 'Tis poor, as proud, by Converse unfuftain'd.
Rude thought runs wild in Contemplation's field; 490 Converse, the menage, breaks it to the bit
Of due reftraint; and emulation's fpur
Gives graceful energy, by rivals aw'd. 'Tis converfe qualifies for folitude; As exercife, for falutary rest.
By that untutor'd, Contemplation raves; And Nature's fool, by Wifdom is undone. Wisdom, though richer than Peruvian mines, And fweeter than the sweet ambrofial hive, What is fhe, but the means of Happiness? That unobtain'd, than folly more a fool; A melancholy fool, without her bells.
Friendship, the means of wisdom, richly gives The precious end, which makes our wisdom wife. Nature, in zeal for human amity,
Denies, or damps, an undivided joy,
Joy is an import; joy is an exchange;
Joy flies monopolifts: it calls for Two;
Rich fruit! heaven-planted! never pluckt by One.
Needful auxiliars are our friends, to give
To focial man true relish of himself. Full on ourselves, defcending in a line, Pleafure's bright beam is feeble in delight : Delight intenfe is taken by rebound; Reverberated pleasures fire the breast. Celestial Happiness, whene'er fhe stoops To vifit earth, one shrine the goddess finds, And one alone, to make her sweet amends For abfent heaven-the bofom of a friend; Where heart meets heart, reciprocally foft, Each other's pillow to repofe divine. Beware the counterfeit; in Paffion's flame
Hearts melt, but melt like ice, soon harder froze. True love ftrikes root in Reafon; paffion's foe: Virtue alone entenders us for life:
her much-Entenders us for ever:
Of Friendship's faireft fruits, the fruit most fair Is Virtue kindling at a rival fire,
And, emulously, rapid in her race. C the foft enmity! endearing ftrife!
This carries friendship to her noon-tide point, And gives the rivet of eternity.
From Friendship, which outlives my former themes, Glorious furvivor of old Time and Death;
From Friendship, thus, that flower of heavenly feed; 535 The wife extracts earth's moft Hyblean blifs, Superior wisdom, crown'd with smiling joy.
But for whom bloffoms this Elyfian flower.? Abroad They find, who cherish it at Home. Lorenzo! pardon what my love extorts, An honeft love, and not afraid to frown. Though choice of follies faften on the Great, None clings more obftinate than fancy fond That facred friendship is their easy prey; Caught by the wafture of a golden lure,
Or fascination of a high-born fmile.
Their fmiles, the Great, and the Coquet, throw out
For Others hearts, tenacious of their Own;
And we no lefs of ours, when fuch the bait. Ye fortune's cofferers! Ye powers of wealth! Can gold gain friendship? Impudence of hope! As well mere man an angel might beget. D 3
Love, and Love only, is the loan for love. Lorenzo! pride reprefs; nor hope to find
A friend, but what has found a friend in Thee. All like the purchafe; few the price will pay ; And this makes friends fuch miracles below. What if (fince daring on so nice a theme) I fhew thee friendship Delicate, as Dear, Of tender violations apt to die?
Referve will wound it; and Distrust, destroy.
Deliberate in all things with thy friend.
But fince friends grow not thick on every bough Nor every friend unrotten at the core ;
First, on thy friend, deliberate with Thyself; Paufe, ponder, fift; not Eager in the choice, Nor jealous of the chofen; Fixing, Fix; Judge before friendfhip, then confide till death. Well, for thy friend; but nobler far for Thee; How gallant danger for earth's highest prize! A friend is worth all hazards we can run. "Poor is the friendless mafter of a world: "A world in purchase for a friend is gain." So fung He (angels hear that angels fing! Angels from friendship gather half their joy) So fung Philander, as his friend went round In the rich ichor, in the generous blood
Of Bacchus, purple god of joyous wit,
A brow folute, and ever-laughing eye.
He drank long health, and vitrue, to his friend; His friend, who warm'd him more, who more infpir'd. Friendship's the wine of life; but friendship new
(Not fuch was His) is neither Strong, nor Pure. O! for the bright complexion, cordial warmth, And elevating spirit, of a friend,
For twenty fummers ripening by my fide
All feculence of falfehood long thrown down; All focial virtues rifing in his foul;
As crystal clear; and fmiling as they rife! Here Nectar flows; it sparkles in our fight; Rich to the taste, and genuine from the heart High-flavour'd blifs for gods! on earth how rare! On earth how loft !-Philander is no more. 'Think'st thou the theme intoxicates my fong? Am I too warm? Too warm I cannot be. 1 lov'd him much; but now I love him more. Like birds, whose beauties languish, half-conceal'd, Till, mounted on the wing, their gloffy plumes Expanded fhine with azure, green, and gold; How bleffings brighten as they take their flight! 600 His flight Philander took; his upward flight, If ever foul afcended. Had he dropt, (That eagle genius !) O had he let fall
One feather as he flew; I, then, had wrote,
What friends might flatter; prudent foes forbear; 605 Rivals fcarce damn; and Zoilus reprieve. Yet what I can, I muft; it were profane To quench a glory lighted at the skies,
And caft in fhadows his illuftrious clofe.
Strange! the theme most affecting, most fublime, 610 Momentous moft to man, fhould fleep unfung!
And yet it fleeps, by genius unawak'd,
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