Man holds in conftant service bound

The blustering winds and feas;
Nor funs difdain to travel hard
Their master, man, to please :

To final good the worst events
Through fecret channels run;
Finish for man their deftin'd course,
As 'twas for man begun.

One point (obferv'd, perhaps, by few)
Has often fmote, and fmites

My mind, as demonstration strong;
That heaven in man delights:

What 's known to man of things unfeen,
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 juft

Of that poor infect's goods, fo late
Call'd out of night and dust.

What various motives to rejoice!
To render joy fincere,

Has this no weight? our joy is felt

Beyond this narrow sphere :

Would we in heaven new heaven create,

And double its delight?

A fmiling world, when heaven looks down,

How pleasing in its fight!

Angels

Angels ftoop forward from their thrones

To hear its joyful lays;

As incense sweet enjoy, and join,
Its aromatic praise : ·

Have we no caufe to fear the stroke
Of heaven's avenging rod ?
When we prefume to counteract
A fympathetic God?

If we refign, our patience makes
His rod an harmless wand;
If not, it darts a ferpent's fting,
Like that in Mofes' hand;

Like that, it swallows up whate'er:
Earth's vain magicians bring,
Whofe baffled arts would boaft below
Of joys a rival spring.

Confummate love! the lift how large

Of bleffings from thy hand!
To banish forrow, and be bleft,
Is thy fupreme command.

Are fuch commands but ill obey'd?
Of blifs, fhall we complain?
The man, who dares to be a wretch,
Deferves still greater pain.

Joy is our duty, glory, health;
The funshine of the foul;
Our best encomium on the Power
Who fweetly plans the whole:

Joy

Joy is our Eden still poffefs'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 diftance 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, whilft good prefent we poffefs
More precious we pursue:

Of joy the more we have in hand,
The more have we to come;
Joy, like our money, interest bears,
Which daily fwells the fum.

"But how to fmile; to ftem the tide
"Of nature in our veins ;

"Is it not hard to weep in joy?
"What then to finile in pains ?"

Victorious joy! which breaks the clouds,
And ftruggles through a storm;
Proclaims the mind as great, as good;
And bids it doubly charm:

If doubly charming in our fex,

A fex, 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 fpirits greatly damp'd distort
Ideas of delight,

Look through the medium of a friend,
To fet your notions right:

As tears the fight, grief dims the foul;
Its obje& dark appears ;
True friendship, like a rifing fun,
The foul's horizon clears.

A friend 's an optick to the mind
With forrow clouded o'er;
And gives it ftrength of fight to fee
Redrefs unfeen before.

Reason is fomewhat rough in man;
Extremely finooth and fair,

When she, to grace her manly strength,
Affumes a female air:

A Friend you have, and I the fame,
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 eafe,

Will leave to me the dreg, in thoughts

Too common; fuch as thefe;

Mrs. Montague.

Let

Let thofe 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;

Lull'd reafon fleeps, the pulse is king;
Defpotic body reigns:

Have you

* 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 forrow's fhades,
But forrow well fubdued;

And in proud fortune's frown defy'd
By meek, unborrow'd good.

By Refignation; 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 reft

Our reftless 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 difbeliev'd by murmuring minds,

They must conclude it lefs :

* Mrs, Montague.

The