How! leap into the pit our life to save? To fave our life leap all into the grave? For can we find it lefs? Contemplate first The depth how awful! falling there, we burst And rush those other founds, that feem by tongues MORAL. Beware of defp'rate fteps. The darkest day (Live till tomorrow) will have pafs'd away. COWPER CHAP. XXV. THE MODERN RAKE'S PROGRESS. THE Young Tobias was his father's joy; He train'd him as he thought, to deeds of praife, No joys, and would abridge the scanty few Her let me worship, as herfe:f enjoins, At the full board of plen y.' Thoughtless boy! A man of honour, boastful empty names He call'd him home, with great applaufe difmifs'd ́ Blefs'd Blefs'd him, and bade him profper. With warm heart He drew his purfe-ftrings, and the utmost doit Pour'd in the youngfter's palm. Away,' he cries, Go to the feat of learning, boy. Be good, 'I will,' faid Toby, as he bang'd the door, And wink'd, and fnapp'd his finger, 'Sir, I will.' So joyful he to Alma Mater went A flurdy fresh man. See him juft arriv'd, To drown his freshnefs in a pipe of port. A Quick, Mr. Vintner, twenty dozen more; Some claret,, too. Here's to our friends at home. To live where ftands the bottle?' Hies the gay fpark for futile purposes, Then to town And deeds my bafhful mufe difclaims to name. Send him again from college up to town. Obtains it by a lie, gallops away, And no one knows what charming things are doing, Till the gull'd boy returns without his pence, So Toby fares, nor heeds Till terms are wafted, and the proud degree, Vain was the hope. Though many a wolf as fell He penn'd a challenge, fent it, fought, and fell. ADRIANO. [70] BOOK III. DIDACTIC PIECES. I CHAP. I. ON MODESTY. KNOW no two words that have been more abused by the different and wrong interpretations which are put upon them, than these two, Modefty and Affurance. To say, fuch a one is a modeft man, fometines indeed paffes for a good character; but at prefent is very often used to fignify a sheepish awkward fellow, who has neither good breeding, politeness, nor any knowledge of the world. AGAIN, a man of affurance, though at first it only denoted a perfon of a free and open carriage, is now very usually applied to a profligate wretch, who can break through all the rules of decency and morality without a blufh. I SHALL endeavour, therefore, in this effay, to restore these words to their true meaning, to prevent the idea of Modesty from being confounded with that of sheepishness, and to hinder impudence from paffing for Affurance. IF I was put to define Modefty, I would call it, The reflection of an ingenuous mind, either when a man haş committed an action for which he cenfures himself, or fancies that he is exposed to the cenfure of others. For this reafon a man truly modeft is as much fo when he is alone as in company, and as subject to a blush in his clofet, as when the eyes of multitudes are upon him. |