Poems on Several Occasions :: :: University of Virginia Library

First, the great Gods thy utmost Rev'rence claim;
Use with religious Awe their sacred Name:
Assur'd they View thy Ways, let nought controul
The Oath thou once hast bound upon thy Soul.
Next, to the Heroes bear a grateful Mind,
Whose glorious Cares and Toils have bless'd Mankind.

Let just Respect and decent Rites be paid
To the immortal Manes of the Dead.
Honour thy Parents, and thy next of Kind:
And virtuous Men wherever thou canst find,
In the same Bond of Love let them be join'd.

Useful and steady let thy Life proceed,
Mild ev'ry Word, Good-natur'd ev'ry Deed;
Oh, never with the Man thou lov'st contend!
But bear a thousand Frailties from thy Friend.
Rashly inflam'd, vain Spleen, and slight Surmise,
To real Feuds and endless Discords rise.

O'er Lust, o'er Anger, keep the strictest Rein,
Subdue thy Sloth, thy Appetite restrain.
With no vile Action venture to comply,
No, tho' unseen by ev'ry mortal Eye.

Above all Witnesses thy Conscience fear,
And more than all Mankind thyself revere.

One Way let all thy Words and Actions tend,
Reason their constant Guide, and Truth their End.
And ever mindful of thy mortal State,
How quick, how various are the Turns of Fate;
How here, how there the Tides of Fortune roll;
How soon impending Death concludes the Whole;
Compose thy Mind, and free from anxious Strife
Endure thy Portion of the Ills of Life:
Tho' still the good Man stands secure from Harms,
Nor can Misfortune wound, whom Virtue arms.

Discourse in common Converse, thou wilt find
Some to improve, and some to taint the Mind;
Grateful to that a due Observance pay;
Beware lest this intice thy Thoughts astray;

And bold Untruths which thou art forc'd to hear,
Receive discreetly, with a patient Ear.

Wouldst thou be justly rank'd among the Wise?
Think ere thou dost, ere thou resolv'st advise.
Still let thy Aims with thy Experience square,
And plan thy Conduct with sagacious Care.
So shalt thou all thy Course with Pleasure run,
Nor wish an Action of thy Life undone.

Among the various Ends of thy Desires,
'Tis no inferior Place thy Health requires.
Firmly for this from all Excess refrain,
Thy Cups be mod'rate, and thy Diet plain:
Nor yet unelegant thy Board supply,
But shun the nauseous Pomp of Luxury.
Let Spleen by cheerful Converse be withstood,
And honest Labour purify the Blood.

Each Night, ere needful Slumber seals thy Eyes,
Home to thy Soul let these Reflexions rise;
How has To-day my Duty seen express'd?
What have I done, omitted, or transgress'd?
Then grieve the Moments thou hast idly spent:
The rest will yield thee Comfort and Content.

Be these good Rules thy Study and Delight,
Practise by Day, and ponder them by Night;
Thus all thy Thoughts to Virtue's Height shall rise,
And Truth shall stand unveil'd before thy Eyes;
Of Beings the whole System thou shalt see,
Rang'd as they are in beauteous Harmony;
Whilst all depend from one superior Cause,
And Nature works obedient to her Laws.
Hence, as thou labour'st with judicious Care
To run the Course allotted to thy Share,

Wisdom refulgent with a heav'nly Ray,
Shall clear thy Prospect, and direct thy Way.

Then all around compassionately view
The wretched Ends which vain Mankind pursue,
Tost to and fro by each impetuous Gust,
The Rage of Passion, or the Fire of Lust,
No certain Stay, no safe Retreat they know,
But blindly wander thro' a Maze of Woe.
Meanwhile congenial Vileness works within,
And Custom quite subdues the Soul to Sin.
Save us from this Distress, Almighty Jove!
Our Minds illumine, or our Ills remove.

But O! secure from all thy Life is led,
Whose Feet the happy Paths of Virtue tread.
Thou stand'st united to the Race Divine,
And the Perfection of the Gods is thine.

Imperial Reason, free from all Controul,
Maintains her just Dominion in thy Soul.
Till purg'd at length from ev'ry sinful Stain,
When friendly Death shall break the cumb'rous Chain,
Loos'd from the Body thou shalt take thy Flight,
And range immortal in the Fields of Light.