Thought it too little, and too small the praise : The other tried to think, for thinking so Answered his purpose best, that what of great Mankind could do, had been already done; And therefore laid him calmly down to sleep. Different in mode-destructive both alike: Destructive always indolence; and love From other motive than resistless love : Tho’ base, main-spring of action in the world ; It stuck the feather on the gay coquette, And on her finger laid the heavy load ; Measured the furrow of the field with nice Directed share; shaped bulls, and cows, and rams; And threw the ponderous stone ; and pitiful, ; Indeed, and much against the grain, it dragged The stagnant, dull, predestinated fool, Thro' learning's halls, and made him labour much Abortively; tho' sometimes not unpraised He left the sage's chair, and home returned, Making his simple mother think that she Had born a man. In schools, designed to root Sin up, and plant the seeds of holiness In youthful minds, it held a signal place. The little infant man, by nature proud, Was taught the Scriptures by the love of praise, And grew religious as he grew in fame. And thus the principle, which out of heaven With what success it needs not now to say. Destructive both we said, activity, And sloth-behold the last exemplified, In literary man. Not all at once, He yielded to the soothing voice of sleep; But having seen a bough of laurel wave, He effort made to climb ; and friends, and even Himself, talked of his greatness, as at hand, And prophesying drew his future life. Vain prophecy! his fancy, taught by sloth, Saw in the very threshold of pursuit, A thousand obstacles ; he halted first, And while he halted, saw his burning hopes, Grow dim and dimmer still; ambition's self, The advocate of loudest tongue, decayed; still; 1 His eye fell heavy from the mount of fame ; resolves to benefit the world, expired, The hero best example gives of toil Unsanctified. One word his history writes : He was a murderer above the laws, And greatly praised for doing murderous deeds : And now he grew, and reached his perfect growth. And also now the sluggard soundest slept, And by him lay the uninterred corpse. Of every order, sin and wickedness, Deliberate, cool, malicious villany, This age, attained maturity, unknown Before ; and seemed in travail to bring forth Some last, enormous, monstrous deed of guiltOriginal, unprecedented guilt, That might obliterate the memory Of what had hitherto been done most vile. Inventive men were paid, at public cost, : |