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155

TO JACOB BRYANT, Esq.

I

The Sophist spins his subtle thread;
On liberty and fate,
With heart deprav'd, and puzzled head,
Prolongs the dull debate;
Till Virtue, Truth, his Saviour, and his God,
By Metaphysic's mighty lore
At once lose all their essence, all their power,
Charm'd to eternal sleep by that magician's rod.
156

II

O shame to prostituted parts!
Was time, was genius given,
To darken by dishonest arts
The clear decrees of heaven?
Tell me, my Bryant, burns not all thy soul
With indignation's holy zeal?
Tell me, thou Patriot of the Christian weal,
Feel'st not, secure thyself, what dangers wait the Whole?

III

Thou do'st. To vindicate the ways
Of God to Man, is thine:
And all thy nights, and all thy days
In Truth's neglected mine,
By thee discover'd in these later times,
Thine hand digs deep for solid ore,
The hard-earn'd treasure speeds to many a shore,
And claims its honour due, the praise of distant climes.
157

IV

Where'er thou com'st, discerning Sage,
Detected Falshood flies;
Tho sanctified by many an age,
The creed of Centuries.
Thy torch is rais'd, and lo! the historic Muse
Rears from the dust her mangled head,
Tells the true story of her mighty dead,
And thro each peopled land her wandering tribes pursues.

V

Now stronger grows the blaze of light;
The darkness melts away
Which wrapt Ægyptian realms in night,
And long obscur'd their day.
In vain from Ham's wise sons did Greece of old
Aspire to tear Invention's crown;
In vain she hoped to fix a sure renown
On tales of dragon's teeth, and fabled fleece of gold;
158

VI

The charm is o'er. Thou to her source
Dark Error first didst trace:
Thou marking all her winding course
Shalt free the human race
From prejudice, imbibed in earliest youth;
And sweeping all the mists away
Which Fiction rais'd to lead thy steps astray,
Firm on her blazing throne shalt fix Historic Truth.

VII

Proceed, my friend; so shalt thou find
In these dark paths thy God:
His works, his word, with steady mind
From stern oppression's rod,
From quibbling words, from lying lips retrieve;
And while thou talk'st of ancient days
Erect memorials to Jehova's praise,
Till Sceptics cease to doubt, and Infidels believe.
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