University of Virginia Library

[O wretched man! who, while his soul is green]

O wretched man! who, while his soul is green,
Must talk of GOD, and something seem to mean;
Explain at large what none has ever known,
With folly half by rote and half his own;
Quibble dogmatic nonsense for his bread,
And pound good words until he beats them dead;
In season, out of season, pray and preach;
And never learn, for he must always teach.