Fortune, blind, frantic, deaf. With restless wings
The world she ranges, and her favours flings:
Flings and refumes, and plunders and bestows,
Caprice divides the bleffings and the woes.
Her grace unstable as her tott'ring ball,
Whene'er she smiles fhe meditates our fall.
When most we trust her, we are cheated most,
In defolating lofs we mourn our boast:

Her cruel blast invades our hafty fruit,

And withers all our glory at the root.

What mean those multitudes around her? Why
Such motley attitudes perplex our eye?

Some, in the act of wildest rapture, leap,

In agony fome wring their bands, and weep.
Th' unreas❜ning crowd; to paffion's fequel blind,
By paffion fir'd and impotent of mind:
Competitors in clamorous fuit, to share
The toys fhe toffes with regardless air;
Trifles, for folid worth by most pursu’d,
Bright-colour'd vapours, for fantastic good :
The pageantry of wealth, the blaze of fame,
Titles, an offspring to extend the name,
Huge strength, or beauty which the strong obey,
The victor's laurel, and defpotic sway.

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Thefe,

These, humour'd in their vows, with lavish praise
The glory of the gracious goddess raise :
Those other, lofers in her chance-full game,
Shorn of their all, or frustrate in their aim,
In murmurs of their hard mishap complain,
And curfe her partial and malignant reign.

Now, further still in this low fenfual ground,
Traverse yon flow'ry mount's fequefter'd bound.
In the green center of those citron fhades,

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'Mong gardens, fountains, flow'ry walks, and glades, 140 Voluptuous Sin her pow'rful spells employs,

Souls to feduce, feducing fhe destroys.

See! Lewdness, loosely zon'd, her bosom bares,
See! Riot her luxurious bowl prepares :

There stands Avidity, with ardent eye,

There dimpling Adulation smooths her lye.
There ftation'd to what end?

In watch for prey,

Fortune's infatuate favourites of a day.

These they caress, they flatter, they entreat

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To try the pleasures of their soft retreat,
Life difencumber'd, frolickfome, and free,

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All eafe, all mirth, and high felicity.

Whom

Whome'er by their inveigling arts they win
To tread that magic paradife of Sin,

In airy dance his jocund hours fkim round,
Sparkles the bowl, the festal fongs refound:
His blood ferments, fir'd by the wanton glance,
And his loofe foul diffolves in am'rous trance.
While circulating joys to joys fucceed,
While new delights the fweet delirium feed;
The prodigal, in raptur'd fancy, roves
O'er fairy fields and through Elyfian groves:
Sees glitt❜ring visions in fucceffion rife,
And laughs at Socrates the chafte and wife.
'Till, fober'd by distress, awake, confus'd,
Amaz'd, he knows himself a wretch abus'd;
A fhort illufion his imagin'd feast,
Himself the game, himself the slaughter'd beast.
Now, raving for his fquander'd wealth in vain,
Slave to those tyrant jilts he drags their chain:
Compell'd to fuffer hard and hungry need,
Compell'd to dare each foul and defp'rate deed.
Villain, or knave, he joins the fharping tribe,
Robs altars, or is perjur'd for a bribe:

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Stabs for a purse, his country pawns for gold,
To every crime of blackeft horror fold.

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Shiftlefs

Shiftless at length, of all resource bereft,

In the dire gripe of Punishment he's left.

Obferve this strait-mouth'd cave: th' unwilling light Juft fhews the difmal deep defcent to night.

In centry fee these haggard crones, whose brows

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Rude locks o'erhang, a frown their forehead ploughs: Swarthy and foul their fhrivell'd skin behold,

And flutt'ring fhreds their vile defence from cold.

High-brandishing her lafh, with ftern regard,

Stands Punishment, an ever-waking ward;
While fullen Melancholy mopes behind,

Fix'd, with her head upon her knees reclin'd

And, frantic with remorfeful fury, there

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Fierce Anguish ftamps, and rends her fhaggy hair. 190 Who that ill-featur'd spectre of a man,

Shiv'ring in nakedness, fo fpare and wan?
And fhe, whofe eye aghaft with horror ftares,
Whofe meagre form a fifter's likeness bears?
Loud Lamentation, wild Defpair. All these,
Fell vulturs, the devoted caitiff feize.

Ah dreadful durance! with these fiends to dwell!
What tongue the terrors of his foul can tell?
Worry'd by these foul fiends, the wretch begins
Sharp penance, wages of remember'd fins:

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Then

Then deeper finks, plung'd in the pit of Woe,
Worfe fuff'rings in worse hell to undergo:
Unless, rare guest, Repentance o'er the gloom
Diffuse her radiance, and repeal his doom.
She comes! meek-ey'd, array'd in grave attire,
See Right Opinion, join'd with Good Defire,
Handmaids of Truth: with those, an adverse pair
(Falfe Wisdom's minions, that deceiving fair)
Attend her folemn ftep: the furies flee.
Come forth, she calls, come forth to liberty,
Guilt-harrafs'd thrall: thy future lot decide,
And, pond'ring well, elect thy future guide.
Momentous option! choofing right, he'll find
A fov'reign med'cine for his ulcer'd mind;
Led to True Wisdom, whose cathartic bowl
Recovers and beatifies the foul.
Mifguided elfe, a counterfeit he'll gain,
Whofe art is only to amuse the brain :
From vice to studious folly now he flies,
From bliss still erring, still betray'd by lies.

O heavens! where end the risks we mortals run?
How dreadful this, and yet how hard to fhun!
Say, father, what diftinctive marks declare

That counterfeit of Wisdom?

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