 | Miscellanies In Prose And Verse |  |
An Epistle to a Young Gentleman.
To you, dear Ned, unask'd, Advice I send,
The kind Remembrance, of a distant Friend:
Forgive th'Intrusion; but approve th'Intent;
And take that rightly, which was rightly meant.
The kind Remembrance, of a distant Friend:
Forgive th'Intrusion; but approve th'Intent;
And take that rightly, which was rightly meant.
How hard a thing it is in Life to steer
Thro' all those Rocks, and Shelves, we meet with here!
Abandon'd to our own unsteady Will,
To Good invited, but made prone to Ill;
Whilst Passions biass, and while Fancy guides,
Reason's but talk'd of, and in vain presides:
Swerve but the least, how soon you go astray;
So much the wrong is still the readiest Way.
Thro' all those Rocks, and Shelves, we meet with here!
Abandon'd to our own unsteady Will,
To Good invited, but made prone to Ill;
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Reason's but talk'd of, and in vain presides:
Swerve but the least, how soon you go astray;
So much the wrong is still the readiest Way.
If Love of Pow'r, and mad Ambition seize,
If the false Glitter of a Courtier please:
Beware in Time, and check the growing Heat;
Nor run, too rashly, on the gross Deceit.
Consider well, how easy 'tis to fail,
And what the Methods are that must prevail.
Can you pervert that honest, generous Mind?
Can you in Interest your sole Pleasure find?
Forget yourself, your Country, and your Friends,
And sacrifice 'em all to vilest Ends?
Then you may soar, aloft, above the rest,
With all the Pomp of State unwieldly, blest.
And, like a Comet shine with dreadful Blaze;
Whilst giddy Mortals tremble as they gaze.
If the false Glitter of a Courtier please:
Beware in Time, and check the growing Heat;
Nor run, too rashly, on the gross Deceit.
Consider well, how easy 'tis to fail,
And what the Methods are that must prevail.
Can you pervert that honest, generous Mind?
Can you in Interest your sole Pleasure find?
Forget yourself, your Country, and your Friends,
And sacrifice 'em all to vilest Ends?
Then you may soar, aloft, above the rest,
With all the Pomp of State unwieldly, blest.
And, like a Comet shine with dreadful Blaze;
Whilst giddy Mortals tremble as they gaze.
Shou'd Thirst of Wealth, with specious Names engage,
And steal upon you in your tender Age:
The prudent Youth, too careful of his Gold,
Will grow a downright Miser, when he's old.
In vain Compassion, Honour, Justice plead,
Widows must starve, and even Orphans bleed.
No Ebbs this headstrong, sordid Passion knows,
But swells, like Winter Torrents, as it flows.
And steal upon you in your tender Age:
The prudent Youth, too careful of his Gold,
Will grow a downright Miser, when he's old.
In vain Compassion, Honour, Justice plead,
Widows must starve, and even Orphans bleed.
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But swells, like Winter Torrents, as it flows.
When Love invades, and Nature fain wou'd yield,
Can Youth, so ill defended, keep the Field?
When thus assaulted, and when thus betray'd,
Reason, ere well awake, is Captive made:
Pleas'd with its Bonds, scarce wishing to be free,
And hardly feels, the Loss of Liberty:
Then, oh! remember, ere it be too late,
What real Pains, on fancied Pleasures wait.
Think, whilst you gaze, the Nymph so fair, so kind,
Is still as fickle, as the wavering Wind;
For Conquest made, she thinks that beauteous Frame,
And like ambitious Heroes, kills for Fame.
Can Youth, so ill defended, keep the Field?
When thus assaulted, and when thus betray'd,
Reason, ere well awake, is Captive made:
Pleas'd with its Bonds, scarce wishing to be free,
And hardly feels, the Loss of Liberty:
Then, oh! remember, ere it be too late,
What real Pains, on fancied Pleasures wait.
Think, whilst you gaze, the Nymph so fair, so kind,
Is still as fickle, as the wavering Wind;
For Conquest made, she thinks that beauteous Frame,
And like ambitious Heroes, kills for Fame.
| Miscellanies In Prose And Verse | |