Labour in Vain or, What Signifies Little or Nothing. Viz. I. The Poor Man's Petitioning at Court. II. Expectation of Benefit from a Covetous Man in his Life-time. III. The Marriage of an Old Man to a Young Woman. IV. Endeavours to Regulate Mens Manners by Preaching or Writing. V. Being a Jacobite. VI. Confining an Insolvent Debtor. VII. Promise of Secrecy in a Conspiracy. VIII. An Enquiry after a Place [by Edward Ward] |
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 | Labour in Vain |  |
Endeavours to Regulate Mens Manners by Preaching or Writing.
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[He that would bar me of a coming Joy]
He that would bar me of a coming Joy,And by strict Rules, my Liberty Destroy,
In Trammels makes me Pace away my Life,
'Twixt Nature and his Rules is constant strife;
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By Reason of their great Antipathy;
This is the Language of th'Unthinking Man,
Who led by Custom, loves to be Prophane;
And will not change his Road, what e're you Teach,
Scarce tho' a Jonah once again should Preach:
But still that Monkey, Man, would Imitate,
And Virtue Practice, Copy'd from the Great.
Examples, wanting Precepts, are but Vain;
And moving Arguments in florid strain,
Won't make the Blockish Crow'd from Ill Refrain.
| Labour in Vain | |