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How! leap into the pit our life to save? To fave our life leap all into the grave? For can we find it lefs?

Contemplate first

The depth how awful! falling there, we burst
Or fhould the brambles, interpos'd, our fall
In part abate, that happiness were fmall;
For with a race like theirs no chance I fee
Of peace or eafe to creatures clad as we.
Mean time, noife kills not. Be it Dapple's bray,
Or be it not, or be it whofe it may,

And rush those other founds, that feem by tongues
Of dæmons utter'd, from whatever lungs,
Sounds are but founds, and till the caufe appear,.
We have at least commodious standing here;
Come fiend, come fury, giant, monster, blast
From earth or Hell, we can but plunge at last.
While thus fhe fpake, I fainter heard the peals,
For Reynard, close attended at his heels
By panting dog, tir'd man, and fpatter'd horfe,
Through mere good fortune took a diff'rent course:
The flock grew calm again, and I, the road
Following that led me to my own abode,
Much wonder'd that the filly sheep had found
Such cause of terrour in an empty found,
So fweet to huntfinan, gentleman, and hound.

MORAL.

Beware of defp'rate fteps. The darkest day (Live till tomorrow) will have pafs'd away.

COWPER

CHAP. XXV.

THE MODERN RAKE'S PROGRESS.

THE Young Tobias was his father's joy;

He train'd him as he thought, to deeds of praife,
He taught him virtue, and he taught him truth,
And fent him early to a public school.
Here as it feem'd (but he had none to blame)
Virtue forfook him, and habitual wice
Grew in her ftead. He laugh'd at honefty,
Became a feeptic, and could raise a doubt
E'en of his father's truth. "Twas idly done
To tell him of another world, for wits
Knew better; and the only good on earth
Was pleafure; not to follow that was fin.
Sure he that made us, made us to enjoy;
And why," faid he, 'fhould my fond father prate
⚫ Of virtue and religion? They afford

No joys, and would abridge the scanty few
Of nature. Nature be my deity,

Her let me worship, as herfe:f enjoins,

At the full board of plen y.' Thoughtless boy!
So to a libertine he grew, a wit,

A man of honour, boastful empty names
That dignify the villain. Seldom feen,
And when at home under a cautious mask
Concealing the lewd foul, his father thought
He grew in wifdom, as he grew in years.
He fondly deem'd he could perceive the growth.
Of goodnefs and of learning fhooting up,.
Like the young offspring of the shelter'd hop,
Unusual progrefs in a fummer's night.

He call'd him home, with great applaufe difmifs'd ́
By his glad tutors gave him good advice-

Blefs'd

Blefs'd him, and bade him profper.

With warm heart

He drew his purfe-ftrings, and the utmost doit

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Pour'd in the youngfter's palm. Away,' he cries,

Go to the feat of learning, boy. Be good,
Be wife, be frugal, for 'tis all I can.'

'I will,' faid Toby, as he bang'd the door,

And wink'd, and fnapp'd his finger, 'Sir, I will.'

So joyful he to Alma Mater went

A flurdy fresh man. See him juft arriv'd,
Receiv'd, matriculated, and refolv'd

To drown his freshnefs in a pipe of port.

A Quick, Mr. Vintner, twenty dozen more;

Some claret,, too. Here's to our friends at home.
There let them dofe. Be it our nobler aim

To live where ftands the bottle?'

Hies the gay fpark for futile purposes,

Then to town

And deeds my bafhful mufe difclaims to name.
From town to college, till a fresh fupply

Send him again from college up to town.
The tedious interval the mace and cue,
The tennis-court and racket, the flow lounge
From street to ftreet, the badger-hunt, the race,
The raffle, the excurfion, and the dance,
Ices and foups, dice, and the bet at whift,
Serve well enough to fill. Grievous accounts
The weekly poft to the vex'd parent brings
Of college impofitions, heavy dues,
Demands enormous, which the wicked fon
Declares he does his utmost to prevent.
So, blaming with good caufe the vast expenfe,
Bill after bill he fends, and pens the draught
Till the full ink-horn fails. With grateful heart
Toby receives, fhort leave of abfence begs,

Obtains it by a lie, gallops away,

And no one knows what charming things are doing,

Till the gull'd boy returns without his pence,
And prates of deeds unworthy of a brute.
Vile deeds, but fuch as in thefe polish'd day's
None blames or hides.

So Toby fares, nor heeds

Till terms are wafted, and the proud degree,
Soon purchas'd, comes his learned toils to crown.
He fwears, and fwears he knows not what, nor cares,
Becomes a perjur'd graduate, and thinks foon
To be a candidate for orders. Ah!

Vain was the hope. Though many a wolf as fell
Deceive the fhepherd, and devour the flock,
Thou none shalt injure. On a luckless day,
Withdrawn to taste the pleasures of the town,
Heated with wine, a vehement difpute
With a detefted rival shook the roof:

He penn'd a challenge, fent it, fought, and fell.

ADRIANO.

[70]

BOOK III.

DIDACTIC PIECES.

I

CHAP. I.

ON MODESTY.

KNOW no two words that have been more abused by the different and wrong interpretations which are put upon them, than these two, Modefty and Affurance. To say, fuch a one is a modeft man, fometines indeed paffes for a good character; but at prefent is very often used to fignify a sheepish awkward fellow, who has neither good breeding, politeness, nor any knowledge of the world.

AGAIN, a man of affurance, though at first it only denoted a perfon of a free and open carriage, is now very usually applied to a profligate wretch, who can break through all the rules of decency and morality without a blufh.

I SHALL endeavour, therefore, in this effay, to restore these words to their true meaning, to prevent the idea of Modesty from being confounded with that of sheepishness, and to hinder impudence from paffing for Affurance.

IF I was put to define Modefty, I would call it, The reflection of an ingenuous mind, either when a man haş committed an action for which he cenfures himself, or fancies that he is exposed to the cenfure of others.

For this reafon a man truly modeft is as much fo when he is alone as in company, and as subject to a blush in his clofet, as when the eyes of multitudes are upon

him.

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