Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

ADVICE

TO A YOUNG LADY,

ON THE DANGER OF INDISCRIMINATE ACQUAINTANCE.

To nature much, yet art declares,

As much to her thou ow'it,

And pointing out thy air and mien,
By that confirms her boaft.

She fays to fashion and improve

She largely did impart,

And modefty and candour join

To regulate thy heart.

Dear favourite of contending powers!

Thus all thy charms affert,

And wit and judgment eager rise,

To publish thy defert.

Then, lovelieft bloffom of the spring!

Should folly dare aspire,

Let not the fluttering infect nip

That worth which all admire.

Thy

Cc

Thy heart, ftill confcious of itself,

Sufpects no latent snare;

But where the sun intensely shines,
The lurking adder's there.

And envy, like the canker worm,
The fairest fruit affails;

Is ftill affiduous to destroy,

And oft, too oft, prevails.

Even things most rare, familiar made,

No longer are explor'd,

Which treasur'd right might luftre gain;

Might be like thee ador'd.

Thy foul, where all perfections meet,

All pure fenfations warm,

Can the infipid dangler please? -
His trite fuggeftions charm?

Admitting fuch, howe'er in sport,

All will not fo explain,

And fenfe and honour 'twill deter,

That ne'er give virtue pain.

The

The flimfy tribe may fuit the fcope

Of flight unfinish'd girls;

In thee 'twere wafte of time at beft
To ftrew before them pearls.

If praise delight, 'tis merit's due,
And none can bar thy claim;

But thofe, who most deserve themselves,
Contribute moft to fame.

Mark you those mantling shrubs, how fair!
What sweets thofe flowers difclofe !
Comes the bleak eaft, parch'd is the tree,
And fickening droops the rofe.

The mantling fhrub, the opening flower,
Thy sweetness fall beneath;

More noxious than the eastern blast

The officious coxcomb's breath.

It ranges far, it pierces deep,

It spreads contagion round,

And chief the baleful influence aims,

Where charms like thine abound.

Such

Such affable engaging eafe,

Such artlefs innocence,

In fituation fo expos'd,

Need fuch confummate fenfe.

The first approach 'twere beft to guard;
If there repuls'd they fail,

No wrong can vanity prefume,
Perchance would blush to rail.

Thus the weak fhaft at random sped
Difcretion may despise ;—

Oh! may experience dearly bought,
Ne'er dim thofe beauteous eyes.

EPIGRAM.

JACK talks of honour, truth, and heart

And kindness in event;

Show it, fays Time-JACK fkulks apart→→

O! damn your fentiment.

THE

то

RICHARD CROSBIE, ESQ.*

ON HIS

ATTEMPTING A SECOND AERIAL EXCURSION,

TUESDAY MAY THE XIITH, MDCCLXXXV.

THO' envy, CROSBIE! vilify thy name,

And strive to blast the harvest of thy fame,
'Tis virtue's common lot; nor thou repine,
The tribute due to great attempts is thine.
Deep tho' the barbed shaft of rancour pierce,

The sentence paft, time only can reverse ;
To time, the impartial arbiter, submit,
And let dark calumny her venom spit.
You, of HIBERNIA's fons, none can deny,
A DEDALUS, first launch'd into the sky,
And with the flame of patriot glory fir'd,
To the third region of the air aspir'd;
Untutor'd and alone purfu'd your flight
Thro' untried space impervious to the fight.
So in the fiery car the prophet caught,

Majestic rifing pierc'd the azure vault;

Towards earth from high his awful prefence bow'd,
Look'd up, and vanish'd thro' the impending cloud.

5

ΤΟ

15

Eyes!

« PředchozíPokračovat »