"A way to Heaven, though not their own, might find;
"To them, to all, he was polite and free,
"Kind to the poor, and, ah! most kind to me:
"Ralph,' would he say, 'Ralph Dibble, thou art old;
"That doublet fit, 'twill keep thee from the cold.
"How does my sexton?-What! the times are hard;
"Drive that stout pig, and pen him in thy yard.'
"But most, his rev'rence loved a mirthful jest :-
"Thy coat is thin; why, man, thou'rt barely dress'd;
"It's worn to th' thread; but I have nappy beer;
Clap that within, and see how they will wear!"
'Gay days were these; but they were quickly past:
"When first he came, we found he cou'dn't last :
"A whoreson cough (and at the fall of leaf)
"Upset him quite;-but what's the gain of grief?
"Then came the Author-Rector : his delight
"Was all in books; to read them, or to write :
"Women and men he strove alike to shun,
"And hurried homeward when his tasks were done.
"Courteous enough, but careless what he said,
"For points of learning he reserved his head;
"And, when addressing either poor or rich,
"He knew no better than his cassock which.
"He, like an osier, was of pliant kind,
"Erect by nature, but to bend inclined;
"Not like a creeper falling to the ground,
"Or meanly catching on the neighbours round.-
"Careless was he of surplice, hood, and band-
"And kindly took them as they came to hand;
"Nor, like the doctor, wore a world of hat,
"As if he sought for dignity in that.
"He talk'd, he gave, but not with cautious rules,
"Nor turn'd from gipsies, vagabonds, or fools;
"It was his nature, but they thought it whim,
"And so our beaux and beauties turn'd from him.
"Of questions much he wrote, profound and dark-
"How spake the serpent, and where stopp'd the ark;
"From what far land the Queen of Sheba came;
"Who Salem's priest, and what his father's name;
"He made the Song of Songs its mysteries yield,
"And Revelations, to the world, reveal'd.
"He sleeps i' the aisle-but not a stone records
"His name or fame, his actions or his words:
"And, truth, your reverence, when I look around,
"And mark the tombs in our sepulchral ground,
"(Though dare I not of one man's hope to doubt),
"I'd join the party who repose without.
"Next came a youth from Cambridge, and, in truth,
"He was a sober and a comely youth;
"He blush'd in meekness as a modest man,
"And gain'd attention ere his task began;
"When preaching, seldom ventured on reproof,
"But touch'd his neighbours tenderly enough.
"Him, in his youth, a clamorous sect assail'd,
"Advised and censured, flatter'd, and prevail'd.-
"Then did he much his sober hearers vex,
"Confound the simple, and the sad perplex;
"To a new style his reverence rashly took;
"Loud grew his voice, to threat'ning swell'd his look;
Above, below, on either side, he gazed,
"Amazing all, and most himself amazed:
"No more he read his preachments pure and plain,
"But launch'd outright, and rose and sank again :
"At times he smiled in scorn, at times he wept,
"And such sad coil with words of vengeance kept,
"That our best sleepers started as they slept.
"Conviction comes like lightning,' he would cry;
"In vain you seek it, and in vain you fly;
"""Tis like the rushing of the mighty wind,
"Unseen its progress, but its power you find;
"It strikes the child ere yet its reason wakes;
"His reason fled, the ancient sire it shakes.
"The proud, learn'd man, and him who loves to know "How and from whence these gusts of grace will blow, "It shuns, but sinners in their way impedes, "And sots and harlots visits in their deeds: "Of faith and penance it supplies the place; "Assures the vilest that they live by grace, "And, without running, makes them win the race.' "Such was the doctrine our young prophet taught; "And here conviction, there confusion wrought;
"When his thin cheek assumed a deadly hue,
"And all the rose to one small spot withdrew :
"They call'd it hectic; 'twas a fiery flush,
"More fix'd and deeper than the maiden blush ;
"His paler lips the pearly teeth disclosed,
"And lab'ring lungs the length'ning speech opposed.
"No more his span-girth shanks and quiv'ring thighs
"Upheld a body of the smaller size;
"But down he sank upon his dying bed,
"And gloomy crotchets fill'd his wandering head.—
"Spite of my faith, all-saving faith,' he cried,
"I fear of worldly works the wicked pride;
"Poor as I am, degraded, abject, blind,
"The good I've wrought still rankles in my mind; ;
"My alms-deeds all, and every deed I've done,
"My moral-rags defile me, every one;
"It should not be what say'st thou? tell me, Ralph.'
"Quoth I, 'Your reverence, I believe, you're safe;
"Your faith's your prop, nor have you pass'd such time "In life's good-works as swell them to a crime. "If I of pardon for my sins were sure, "About my goodness I would rest secure.'
"Such was his end; and mine approaches fast; "I've seen my best of preachers-and my last."He bow'd, and archly smiled at what he said, Civil but sly:-"And is old Dibble dead?"
Yes! he is gone: and we are going all;
Like flowers we wither, and like leaves we fall ;-
Here, with an infant, joyful sponsors come,
Then bear the new-made Christian to its home;
A few short years, and we behold him stand,
To ask a blessing, with his bride in hand:
A few, still seeming shorter, and we hear
His widow weeping at her husband's bier :-
Thus, as the months succeed, shall infants take
Their names; thus parents shall the child forsake;
Thus brides again and bridegrooms blithe shall kneel,
By love or law compell'd their vows to seal,
Ere I again, or one like me, explore
These simple annals of the VILLAGE POOR.
The Subject-Poverty and Cunning described-When united, a jarring Couple Mutual Reproof-The Wife consoled by a Dream-Birth of a Daughter-Description and Prediction of Envy-How to be rendered ineffectual, explained in a Vision-Simulation foretells the future Success and Triumphs of Flattery-Her Power over various Characters and different Minds; over certain Classes of Men; over Envy himself Her successful Art of softening the Evils of Life; of changing Characters; of meliorating Prospects, and affixing Value to Possessions, Pictures, &c.-Conclusion.
Omnia habeo, nec quicquam habeo [.
Quidquid dicunt, laudo; id rursum si negant, laudo id quoque.
Negat quis, nego; ait, aio. Postremò imperavi egomet mihi
Omnia assentari.
Terent. in Eunuch. [A&t II. Sc. 2.]
It has been held in ancient rules,
That flattery is the food of fools;
Yet now and then your men of wit
Will condescend to taste a bit.
Swift, Cadenus and Vanessa.]
USE of my Spenser, who so well could sing
The passions all, their bearings and their ties;
Who could in view those shadowy beings bring,
And with bold hand remove each dark disguise,
Wherein love, hatred, scorn, or anger lies:
Guide him to Fairy-land, who now intends
That way his flight; assist him as he flies,
To mark those passions, Virtue's foes and friends,
By whom when led she droops, when leading she ascends.
Yes! they appear, I see the fairy-train!
And who that modest nymph of meek address?
Not Vanity, though loved by all the vain;
Not Hope, though promising to all success;
Nor Mirth, nor Joy, though foe to all distress;
Thee, sprightly syren, from this train I choose,
Thy birth relate, thy soothing arts confess;
'Tis not in thy mild nature to refuse,
When poets ask thine aid, so oft their meed and muse.
In Fairy-land, on wide and cheerless plain, Dwelt, in the house of Care, a sturdy swain;
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