Like rich old wardrobes, things extremely rare,
Extremely fine, but what no man will wear.
Thus much I've faid, I truft, without offence;
Let no court-fycophant pervert my sense, 126
Nor fly informer watch these words to draw
Within the reach of Treafon, or the Law.

None starve, none furfeit fo. But (oh) we allow
Good works as good, but out of fashion now,
Like old rich wardrobes. But my words none
draws

Within the vast reach of th' huge statutes jawes.

SATIRE

SATIRE III.

VERSIFIED by Dr PARNEL.

OMPASSION Checks my spleen, yet Scorn denies
The tears a paffage thro' my fwelling eyes;

Co

To laugh or weep at fins might idly show
Unheedful paffion, or unfruitful woe.
Satire! arife, and try thy fharper ways,
If ever Satire cur'd an old disease.

Is not Religion (Heav'n-defcended dame)
As worthy all our foul's devoutest flame,
As moral virtue in her early fway,

5

When the best Heathens faw by doubtful day? 10
Are not the joys, the promis'd joys above,
As great and strong to vanquish earthly love,
As earthly glory, fame, respect, and show,
As all rewards their virtue found below ?
Alas! Religion proper means prepares, 15
Thefe means are ours, and muft its end be theirs?
And fhall thy father's fpirit meet the fight
Of Heathen fages cloth'd in heav'nly light,
Whose merit of strict life, feverely fuited
To Reafon's dictates, may be Faith imputed?
Whilst thou, to whom he taught the nearer road,
Art ever banish'd from the blefs'd abode.

20

Oh! if thy temper fuch a fear can find, This fear were valour of the nobleft kind. Dar'ft thou provoke, when rebel fouls afpire, 25 The Maker's vengeance, and thy monarch's ire?

30

Or live entomb'd in fhips, thy leader's prey,
Spoil of the war, the famine, or the fea?
In fearch of pearl, in depth of ocean breathe,
Or live, exil'd the fun, in mines beneath?
Or, where in tempests icy mountains roll,
Attempt a paffage by the northern pole?
Or dar'st thou fearch within the fires of Spain,
Or burn beneath the Line, for Indian gain?
Or for fome idol of thy fancy draw

35

Some loofe-gown'd dame; O courage made of ftraw!

Thus, defp'rate coward! would'ft thou bold appear,
Yet when thy God has plac'd thee centry here,
To thy own foes, to his, ignobly yield,
And leave, for wars forbid, th' appointed field?

41

Know thy own foes; th' apoflate angel, he You ftrive to please, the foremost of the three; He makes the pleafures of his realm the bait, But can be give for love, that acts in hate? The world's thy fecond love, thy fecond foe, 45 The world, whose beauties perish as they blow: They fly, fhe fades herfelf, and at the best You grafp a wither'd ftrumpet to your breast. The flesh is next, which in fruition waftes, High flush'd with all the fenfual joys it tastes, 50 While men the fair, the goodly foul destroy, From whence the flesh has pow'r to taste a joy, Seek't thou Religion, primitively found---Well, gentle friend, but where may fhe be found? By faith Implicit blind Ignaro led, 55 Thinks the bright feraph from bis country fied, And feeks her feat at Rome, because we know She there was seen a thousand years ago;

And

And loves her relic rags, as men obey

The foot-cloth where the prince fat yesterday. 60 Thefe pageant forms are whining Obed's fcorn, Who feeks Religion at Geneva born,

A fullen thing, whose coarseness fuits the crowd; 'Tho' young, unhandfome; tho' unhandfome, proud: Thus, with the wanton, fome perverfely judge 65 All girls unhealthy but the country-drudge.

No foreign schemes make eafy Capio roam,
The man contented takes his church at home;
Nay, fhould fome preachers, fervile bawds of gain,
Should fome new laws, which like new fashions reign,
Command his faith to count falvation ty’d
To visit his, and vifit none befide,

He grants falvation centers in his own,
And grants it centers but in his alone:

71

From youth to age he grafps the proffer'd dame,
And they confer his faith, who give his name: 76
So from the guardian's hands, the wards who live
Enthrall'd to guardians, take the wives they give.
From all profeffions carelefs Airy flies,
For, all profeffions can't be good, he cries,
And here a fault, and there another views,
And lives unfix'd for want of heart to chufe.
So men, who know what fome loofe girls have done,
For fear of marrying fuch, will marry none.

80

The charms of all obfequious Courtly ftrike; 85 On each he dotes, on each attends alike; And thinks, as diff'rent countries deck the dame, The dreffes altering, and the sex the fame; So fares Religion, chang'd in outward how, But 'tis religion ftill, where'er we go: This blindness fprings from an excess of light, And men embrace the wrong to chuse the right.

90

But

But thou of force must one religion own, And only one, and that the right alone.

To find that right one, ask thy rev'rend fire; 95 Let him of his, and him of his inquire;

100

Tho' Truth and Falsehood feem as twins ally'd,
There's eldership on Truth's delightful fide,
Her feek with heed----who seeks the foundest first,
Is not of no religion, nor the worst.
T'adore, or fcorn an image, or proteft,
May all be bad: doubt wifely for the best;
"Twere wrong to fleep, or headlong run aftray;
It is not wand'ring, to inquire the way.

105

On a large mountain, at the bafis wide, Steep to the top, and craggy at the fide, Sits facred Truth enthron'd; and he who means To reach the fummit, mounts with weary pains, Winds round and round, and ev'ry turn effays Where fudden breaks refift the fhorter ways. 110 Yet labour fo, that, ere faint age arrive, Thy fearching foul poffefs her reft alive; To work by twilight were to work to late, And age is twilight to the night of Fate. To will alone, is but to mean delay; To work at present is the use of day,

115

For man's employ much thought and deed remain,
High thoughts the foul, hard deeds the body strain:
And myft'ries afk believing, which to view
Like the fair fun, air plain, but dazzling too. 120
Be Truth, fo found, with facred heed possest,
Not kings have pow'r to tear it from thy breast.
By no blank charters harm they where they hate,
Nor are they vicars, but the hands of Fate.
Ah! fool and wretch, who lett'ft thy foul be ty'd
To buman laws! or muft it fo be try'd;

126

Or