 | The Poems of John Byrom |  |
115
A SONG.
[Why, prithee now, what does it signify]
I
Why, prithee now, what does it signifyFor to bustle and make such a Rout?
It is Virtue alone that can dignify,
Whether clothèd in Ermine or Clout.
Come, come, and maintain thy Discretion,
Let it act a more generous Part;
For I find, by thy honest Confession,
That the World has too much of thy Heart.
II
Beware, that its fatal AscendancyDo not tempt thee to mope and repine;
With an humble and hopeful Dependency
Still await the good Pleasure Divine.
Success in a higher Beatitude
Is the End of what's under the Pole;
A Philosopher takes it with Gratitude,
And believes it is best on the whole.
116
III
The World is a Scene, thou art sensible,Upon which, if we do but our best,
On a Wisdom That's incomprehensible
We may safely rely for the rest:
Then trust to Its kind Distribution;
And, however Things happen to fall,
Prithee, pluck up a good Resolution
To be cheerful and thankful in all!
| The Poems of John Byrom | |