Man holds in constant service bound

The blustering winds and seas ; Nor funs disdain to travel hard

Their master, man, to please : To final good the worst events

Through secret channels run;
Finish for man their destin'd course,

As 'twas for man begun.
One point (observ'd, perhaps, by few)

Has often smote, and smites
My mind, as demonstration strong;

That heaven in man delights :
What's known to man of things unseen,

Of future worlds, or fates ?
So much, nor more, than what to man's

Sublime affairs relates ;
What 's Revelation then? a lift,

An inventory just
Of that poor insect's goods, so late

Call'd out of night and dust.
What various motives to rejoice!

To render joy sincere,
Has this no weight? our joy is felt

Beyond this narrow sphere :
Would we in heaven new heaven create,

And double its delight?
A smiling world, when heaven looks down,
How pleasing in its fight!

Angels

Angels stoop forward from their thrones

To hear its joyful lays;
As incense sweet enjoy, and join,

Its aromatic praise :
Have we no cause to fear the stroke,

Of heaven's avenging rod ?
When we presume to counteract

A sympathetic God?
If we resign, our patience makes

His rod an harmless, wand;
If not, it darts a serpent's sting,

Like that in Moses? hand ;.
Like that, it swallows up whate’er:

Earth’s vain magicians bring,
Whose baffled arts would boast below

Of joys a rival spring.
Consummate love! the list how large

Of blessings from thy hand!
To banith Lorrow, and be blest,

Is thy supreme command.
Are such commands but ill obey'd ?

Of bliss, shall we complain ?
The man, who dares to be a wretch,

Deserves still greater pain.
Joy is our duty, glory, health;

The sunshine of the soul;
Our best encomium on the Power

Who sweetly plans the whole:

Joy

Joy is our Eden still possess’d:

Be gone, ignoble grief !
'Tis joy makes gods, and men exalts,

Their nature, our relief;
Relief, for man to that must stoop,

And his due distance know;
Transport 's the language of the skies,

Content the style below.
Content is joy, and joy in pain

Is joy and virtue too ;
Thus, whilst good present we pofless

More precious we pursue :
Of joy the more we have in hand,

The more have we to come ;
Joy, like our morey, interest bears,

Which daily swells the sum.
" But how to smile ; to stem the tide

" Of nature in our veins ; “ Is it not hard to weep in joy?

“ What then to sinile in pains ?” Victorious joy! which breaks the clouds,

And struggles through a storm ; Proclaims the mind as great, as good ;

And bids it doubly charm :
If doubly charming in our sex,

A sex, by nature, bold;
What then in yours ? 'tis diamond there,

Triumphant o'er our gold.

And

And should not this complaint repress ?

And check the rising figh?
Yet farther opiate to your pain

I labour to supply.
Since spirits greatly damp'd distort

Ideas of delight,
Look through the medium of a friend,
To set

your

notions right:
As tears the fight, grief dims the soul;

Its object dark appears ;
True friendship, like a rising sun,

The soul's horizon clears.
A friend 's an optick to the mind

With sorrow clouded o'er;
And gives it strength of light to see

Redress unseen before.
Reason is somewhat rough in man;

Extremely smooth and fair,
When she, to grace her manly strength,

Affumes a female air :
A * Friend you have, and I the same,

Whose prudent, soft address
Will bring to life those healing thoughts

Which dy'd in your distress ;
That friend, the spirit of my

theme Extracting for your ease, Will leave to me the dreg, in thoughts

Too common; such as these;

Let

* Mrs. Montague.

Have you

Let those lament, to whom full bowls

Of sparkling joys are given ; That triple bane inebriates life,

Imbitters death, and hazards heaven: Woe to the foul at perfect ease !

'Tis brewing perfect pains; Lullid reason sleeps, the pulse is king ; Despotic body reigns :

* ne’er pity'd joy's gay scenes,
And deem'd their glory dark ?
Alas! poor Envy! she's stone-blind,

And quite mistakes her mark :
Her mark lies hid in sorrow's shades,

But forrow well subdued ;
And in proud fortune's frown defy'd

By, meek, unborrow'd good.
By, Resignation ; all in that

A double friend may find,
A wing to heaven, and, while on earth,

The pillow of mankind;
On pillows void of down, for rest

Our restless hopes we place;
When hopes of heaven lie warm at heart,

Our hearts repose in peace :
The peace, which refignation yields,

Who feel alone can guess;
'Tis disbeliev'd by murmuring minds,

They must conclude it less :

The

* Mrs, Montague.