of joy and Lord of right and wrong, Honour can game, drink, riot in the stew,
Cut a friend’s throat; — what cannot Honour do? 40
Ah me! — the storm within can Honour still
For Julio’s death, whom Honour made me kill?
Or will this lordly Honour tell the way
To pay those debts, which Honour makes me pay?
Or if with pistol and terrific threats 45
I make some traveller pay my Honour’s debts,
A medicine for this wound can Honour give?
Ah, no! my Honour dies to make my Honour live.
But see! young Pleasure, and her train advance,
And joy and laughter wake the inebriate dance; 50
Around my neck she throws her fair white arms,
I meet her loves, and madden at her charms.
For the gay grape can joys celestial move,
And what so sweet below as Woman’s love?
With such high transport every moment flies, 55
I curse Experience that he makes me wise;
For at his frown the dear deliriums flew,
And the changed scene now wears a gloomy hue.
A hideous hag th’ Enchantress Pleasure seems,
And all her joys appear but feverous dreams. 60
The vain resolve still broken and still made,
Disease and loathing and remorse invade;
The charm is vanish’d and the bubble’s broke, —
A slave to pleasure is a slave to smoke!’
Such lays repentant did the Muse supply; 65
When as the Sun was hastening down the sky,
In glittering state twice fifty guineas come, —
His Mother’s plate antique had rais’d the sum.
Forth leap’d Philedon of new life possest: — 69
‘Twas Brookes’s all till two,—’twas Hackett’s all the rest!
ON IMITATION
All are not born to soar — and ah! how few
In tracks where Wisdom leads their paths pursue!
Contagious when to wit or wealth allied,
Folly and Vice diffuse their venom wide.
On Folly every fool his talent tries; 5
It asks some toil to imitate the wise;
Tho’ few like Fox can speak — like Pitt can think —
Yet all like Fox can game — like Pitt can drink.
INSIDE THE COACH
‘Tis hard on Bagshot Heath to try
Unclos’d to keep the weary eye;
But ah! Oblivion’s nod to get
In rattling coach is harder yet.
Slumbrous God of half-shut eye! 5
Who lovest with limbs supine to lie;
Soother sweet of toil and care
Listen, listen to my prayer;
And to thy votary dispense
Thy soporific influence! 10
What tho’ around thy drowsy head
The sevenfold cap of night be spread,
Yet lift that drowsy head awhile
And yawn propitiously a smile;
In drizzly rains poppean dews 15
O’er the tired inmates of the Coach diffuse;
And when thou’st charm’d our eyes to rest,
Pillowing the chin upon the breast,
Bid many a dream from thy dominions
Wave its various-painted pinions, 20
Till ere the splendid visions close
We snore quartettes in ecstasy of nose.
While thus we urge our airy course,
O may no jolt’s electric force
Our fancies from their steeds unhorse, 25
And call us from thy fairy reign
To dreary Bagshot Heath again!
DEVONSHIRE ROADS
The indignant Bard composed this furious ode,
As tired he dragg’d his way thro’ Plimtree road!
Crusted with filth and stuck in mire
Dull sounds the Bard’s bemudded lyre;
Nathless Revenge and Ire the Poet goad 5
To pour his imprecations on the road.
Curst road! whose execrable way
Was darkly shadow’d out in Milton’s lay,
When the sad fiends thro’ Hell’s sulphureous roads
Took the first survey of their new abodes; 10
Or when the fall’n Archangel fierce
Dar’d through the realms of Night to pierce,
What time the Bloodhound lur’d by Human scent
Thro’ all Confusion’s quagmires floundering went.
Nor cheering pipe, nor Bird’s shrill note 15
Around thy dreary paths shall float;
Their boding songs shall scritch-owls pour
To fright the guilty shepherds sore,
Led by the wandering fires astray
Thro’ the dank horrors of thy way! 20
