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-Spatio brevi

Spem longam refeces-[d]

from a fhort life cut off all hopes that grow too long. They must be pruned away, like fuckers, that choak the mother-plant, and hinder it from bearing fruit. And in another place, to the fame sense,

Vitæ fumma brevis fpem nos vetat inchoare longam [e],

which Seneca does not mend when he fays, "Oh! quanta dementia eft fpes longas inchoantium!" but he gives an example there of an acquaintance of his, named Senecio, who, from a very mean beginning, by great industry in turning about of money through all ways of gain, had attained to extraordinary riches, but died on a sudden after having supped merrily, "In ipfo actu benè cedentium rerum, in ipfo procurrentis fortunæ impetu," in the full courfe of his good fortune, when he had a high tide, and a stiff gale, and all her fails on; upon which occasion he cries, out of Virgil [ƒ],

"Infere nunc, Melibæe, pyros, pone ordine vites!"

Go, Melibæus, now,

Go graff thy orchards, and thy vineyards plant;
Behold the fruit !

[d] Carm. xi, 6. [e] Ibid. iv. 15. [f] Buc. i. 74.

For

For this Senecio I have no compaffion, because he was taken, as we fay, in ipfo facto, still labouring in the work of avarice; but the poor rich man in St. Luke (whofe cafe was not like this) I could pity, methinks, if the fcripture would permit me; for he seems to have been fatisfied at last, he confesses he had enough for many years, he bids his foul take its eafe, and yet for all that, God fays to him, Thou fool, this night thy foul fhall be required of thee, and the things thou baft laid up, whom shall they belong to [g]? Where fhall we find the causes of this bitter reproach and terrible judgment? we may find, I think, two; and God, perhaps, faw more. Firft, that he did not intend true rest to his foul, but only to change the employments of it from avarice to luxury; his defign is, to eat and to drink, and to be merry. Secondly, that he went on too long before he thought of resting; the fulness of his old barns had not fufficed him, he would stay till he was forced to build new ones; and God meted out to him in the fame measure; fince he would have more riches than his life could contain, God destroyed his life, and gave the fruits of it to another.

Thus God takes away fometimes the man from his riches, and no lefs frequently riches from the man: what hope can there be of fuch a marriage, where both parties are fo fickle and [g] Luke xii. 20.

uncertain?

uncertain? by what bonds can fuch a couple be kept long together?

I.

Why doft thou heap up wealth, which thou must quit,
Or, what is worse, be left by it?

Why doft thou load thy felf, when thou'rt to flie,
Oh man, ordain'd to die?

2.

Why dost thou build up stately rooms on high,
Thou who art under ground to lie?
Thou fow'ft and planteft, but no fruit must fee,
For death, alas! is fowing thee [b].

3.

Suppofe, thou fortune couldft to tameness bring,
And clip or pinion her wing;
Suppofe, thou couldst on fate so far prevail,
As not to cut off thy entail;

4.

Yet death at all that fubtlety will laugh,
Death will that foolish gard'ner mock,
Who does a flight and annual plant engraff,
Upon a lasting stock.

5.

.Thou doft thyself wife and industrious deem;
A mighty husband thou wouldst seem;

[b]-is fowing thee] A Chriftian, and even apof

tolic idea. St. Paul had faid ψυχικόν, ΕΓΕΙΡΕΤΑΙ σῶμα πνευματικόν. -i. e. death fows the animal body, may Spring up from it.

ΣΠΕΙΡΕΤΑΙ σῶμα I Cor. xv. 44. that a fpiritual

Fond

Fond man! like a bought flave, thou all the whil Doft but for others sweat and toil.

6.

Officious fool! that needs must meddling be

In bufinefs, that concerns not thee!

For when to future years thou extend'ft thy cares, Thou deal'ft in other mens affairs [i].

7.

Even aged men, as if they truly were
Children again, for age prepare;
Provisions for long travel they defign,
In the last point of their short line.

8.

Wifely the ant against poor winter hoards
The stock, which fummer's wealth affords,
In grafhoppers, that must at autumn die,
How vain were fuch an induftry!

Of

9.

power and honour the deceitful light
Might half excufe our cheated fight,-

If it of life the whole fmall time would stay,
And be our fun-fhine all the day;

10.

Like lightning [k], that, begot but in a cloud, (Though fhining bright, and speaking loud)

Whillt [i] Thou deal' ft in other mens affairs] Properly fo; and still more inexcufably, than the meddling bankrupt in Horace

"aliena negotia curo,

"Excuffus propriis-"

2 Sat. iii, 10.

Whilft it begins, concludes its violent race,
And where it gilds, it wounds the place.

II.

Oh scene of fortune, which doft fair appear,
Only to men that stand not near!
Proud poverty, that tinfel bravery wears!
And, like a rainbow, painted tears!

12.

Be prudent, and the fhore in profpect keep,
In a weak boat truft not the deep.
Plac'd beneath envy, above envying rise;
Pity great men, great things defpife.

13.

The wife example of the heavenly lark [7],
Thy fellow-poet, Cowley, mark;

Above

parifon is to be fupplied out of the foregoing ftanzaBut the light of power and honour is "Like lightning, that &c.

[1] The wife example, &c.] The poet's apology for himfelf (in which there is a mixture of badinage) may be conceived to stand thus :

Worldly men love to juftify themselves by an appeal to the animals; which, fay they, are prompted by instinct, an unerring guide, to provide for futurity. Be it fo, replies the author: I have my appeal to that quarter, as well as they. The Ant is their example; and they do well to drudge and fave, in imitation of his diligence and parfimony

Wifely the ant against poor winter hoards

The ftock, which fummer's wealth affords. I, as a poet, have my example in the heavenly Lark (for the animal world has its poets, as well as drudges); and, in that character, am leffoned, by

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