The fruit of knowledge, golden fruit !

That once forbidden tree,

Hedg'd in by furly man, is now
To Britain's daughters free :
In Eve, (we know) of fruit fo fair
The noble thirst began ;

And they, like her, have caus'd a fall,
A fall of fame in man :

And fince of genius in our fex,

O Addifon! with thee

The fun is fet, how I rejoice
This fifter lamp to fee!

It sheds, like Cynthia, filver beams
On man's nocturnal flate;

His leffen'd light, and languid pow'rs,
I show, whilft I relate.

PART II.

BUT what in either fex, beyond

All parts, our glory crowns ?

In ruffling feasons to be calm,

And fmile while fortune frowns.' Heav'n's choice is fafer than our own; Of ages paft inquire,

What the most formidable ill's

To have our own defire.'

If,

1

If, in your wrath, the worst of foes
You with extremely ill;,

Expose him to the thunder's ftroke,
Or that of his own will.

What numbers rufhing down the fleep
Of inclination ftrong,

Have perifh'd in their ardent with!
Wish ardent, ever wrong!
'Tis Refignation's full referve,
Moft wrong, as it implies
Error,moft fatal in our choice,
Detachment from the fkies.

By clofing with the fkies, we make
Omnipotence our own;
That done, how formidable ill's
Whole army is o'erthrown!

No longer impotent and frail,

Ourselves above we rife:

We fcarce believe ourselves below!
We trefpafs on the skies!

The Lord and Soul and fource of all,

Whilft man enjoys his ease,

Is executing human will,

In earth, and air, and feas,
Beyond us, what can angels boaft ?
Archangels what require ?

Whate'er below, above, is done,
Is done as- →we defire.

Of Rome’s exalted lines. C
All, that the fun furveys. fubdu'd,

But Cato's mighty mind'

How grand! moft true; yet far beneath
The foul of the refign'd.

To more than kingdoms, more than worlds

To paffion that gives law;

Its matchlefs empire could have kept

Great Cato's pride in awe : · That fatal pride, whofe cruel point Transfix'd his noble breaft ;

Far nobler if his fate fuftain'd

Had left to Heaven the rest:

Then he the palm had borne away,
At diftance Cæfar thrown ;.

Put him off cheaply with the world,
And made the fkies his own.
What cannot Refignation do?
It wonders can perform :

That pow'rful charm, Thy will be done,

Can lay the loudest storm.

Come,

Come, Refignation! then, from fields, Where, mounted on the wing,

A wing of flame, bless'd martyrs' souls. Afcended to their King.

Who is it calls thee? One whose need
Tranfcends the common fize;

Who ftands in front against a foe
To which none equal rise:

In front he ftands, the brink he treads
Of an eternal flate;

How dreadful his appointed post!
How ftrongly arm'd by fate.

His threat'ning foe! what fhadows deep
O'erwhelm his gloomy brow!

His dart tremenduous !

My fole afylum, thou.

-at fourscore

My foe and me; at thy approach,

My foe begins to fmile.

O for that fummit of my wish,

Whilft here I draw my breath,

That promise of eternal life,

A glorious fmile in death!

What fight, heav'n's azure arch beneath, Hath most of heav'n to boaft?

The man refign'd; at once ferene,

And giving up the ghost.

At Death's arrival they fhall fmile.
Who, not in life o'er-gay,

Serious and frequent thought fend out
To meet him in his way.

My gay eoevals! (fuch there are),
If happiness is dear;

Approaching death's alarming day
Discreetly let us fear.

The fear of death is truly wife,
Till wisdom can rise higher;
And, arm'd with pious fortitude,
Death, dreaded once, defire.
Grand elimacteric vanities

The vaineft will defpife;

Shock'd when, beneath the snow of age,

Man immaturely dies.

But am not I myself the man?

No need abroad to roam

In queft of faults to be `chaftis'd;

What cause to blush at home!

In life's decline, when men relapfe
Into the fports of youth,

The fecond child out-fools the first,
And tempts the lash of truth..

Shall a mere truant from the grave
With rival boys engage?

His trembling voice attempt to fing,
And ape the poet's rage?

Here,