How! leap into the pit our life to save ? And rush those other founds, that feem by tongues By panting dog, tir'd man, and spatter'd horse, } MORAL. Beware of defperate fteps. The darkest day (Live till to-morrow) will have pafs'd away. COWPER. CHAP. XXV... THE MODERN RAKE'S PROGRESS. THE young Tobias was his father's joy; He train'd him, as he thought, to deeds of praise, Here as it feem'd (but he had none to blame) And why,' faid he, fhould my fond father prate 'Of virtue and religion? They afford No joys, and would abridge the scanty few • Of nature. Nature be my deity, • Her let me worship, as herself enjoins, At the full board of plenty.' Thoughtless boy! So to a libertine he grew, a wit, He A man of honour, boastful empty names He call'd him home, with great applause, dismiss'd Blefs'd Blefs'd him, and bade him profper. With warm heart He drew his purse strings, and the utmost doit Pour'd in the youngfter's palm.. Go to the feat of learning, boy. Away,' he cries, Be good, Be wife, be frugal, for 'tis all I can.' 'I will,' faid Toby, as he bang'd the door, And wink'd, and snapp'd his finger, Sir, I will.' So joyful he to Alma Mater went A sturdy fresh man. See him juft arriv'd, To drown his freshness in a pipe of port. Quick, Mr. Vintner, twenty dozen more; Some claret, too. Here's to our friends at home. There let 'em dose. Be it our nobler aim To live-where ftands the bottle?' Then to town Hies the gay fpark for futile purposes, And deeds my bashful muse disclaims to name. From town to college, till a fresh supply Sends him again from college up to town. So, blaming with good cause the vast expence, And no one knows what charming things are doing Till the gull'd boy returns without his pence, So Toby fares, nor heeds Till terms are wafted, and the proud degree, Vain was the hope. Tho' many a wolf as fell He penn'd a challenge, fent it, fought, and fell. I CHAP. I. ON MODESTY. Know no two words that have been more abused by the different and wrong interpretations which are put upon them, than thefe 'two, Modefty and Affurance. To fay, fuch a one is a modeft man, fometimes indeed paffes for a good character; but at present is very often used to fignify a sheepish awkward fellow, who has neither good breeding, politenefs, nor any knowledge of the world. AGAIN, A man of affurance, though at first it only denoted a perfon of a free and open carriage, is now very ufually applied to a profligate wretch, who can break through all the rules of decency and morality without a blush. I SHALL endeavour, therefore, in this effay, to restore thefe words to their true meaning, to prevent the idea of Modefty from being confounded with that of fheepishness, and to hinder Impudence from paffing for Affurance. IF I was put to define Modefty, I would call it, The reflection of an ingenuous mind, either when a man has committed an action for which he cenfures himself, or fancies that he is exposed to the cenfure of others. For this reafon a man truly modeft is as much so when he is alone as in company, and as fubject to a blush in his clofet, às when the eyes of multitudes are upon him. |