Madmoments: or First Verseattempts By a Bornnatural. Addressed to the Lightheaded of Society at Large, by Henry Ellison |
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ON MONEYSEEKERS. |
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 | Madmoments: or First Verseattempts |  |
ON MONEYSEEKERS.
By God! one Handfull of a Milton's DustWere worth the Souls of all the modern Race
Of Wealthadorers: one Look of his Face,
Nay, e'en a Plastercopy of his Bust
Placed in God's Temple, would from out it thrust
With unendurëd Frown, the Brood so base
Of Moneychangers, to some fitter Place
For their Abominations! but we must
Be dumb as Stones! it is illbred, forsooth!
To use plain Terms and speak the naked Truth,
It shocks us! we are Dwarfs—mere Bastards, yea,
Bastards in Soul, and mincingly we tread
Where Gods have left their Footsteps; we must pay
E'en for the Reverence we owe the Dead:
We cannot near a Milton's Ashes stray
To commune with his Spirit, without Gold!
And at God's very Templedoor we're told
The Price of our Admission! e'en the Ray
Of his own Light is taxed—Shame, Shame I say,
How long must we endure that thus instead
Of hevenly Things, vile Gold be worshippëd?
How many Knaves and Dotards buy their Way
To the Statespinnacle, who 'neath should stay,
Were Bags of Gold not sought, but Heart and Head!
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Not sell ye like vile Sheep? but still your own
Brute Vices scourge ye in them, yours alone!
For were the Roots but sound, the Fruit would be
Of generous Taste, and worthy of the Tree:
Not rotten at the Core, as now we see!
| Madmoments: or First Verseattempts | |