X.

They speak me infolent and rude,
Light, trivial, puerile, and crude,
The child of Pride and Vanity:
Poor Tufcan-like Improvisation
Is but of English sense caftration,
And infantine inanity.

XI.

Such idle rhymes, like Sybil's leaves,
Kindly the scatt'ring wind receives
The gath❜rer proves a fcorner.
But hold! I fee the coming day!
-The Spectre faid, and ftalk'd away
To fleep in POETS' CORNER.

PSALM

PSALM

XXXIX.

IMITATED IN BLANK VERSE.

I

MDCCLXXVI.

Will take heed, I faid, I will take heed,

Nor trespass with my tongue; will keep my

mouth

As with a bridle, while the finner's near.
-Silent I mus'd, and ev'n from good refrain'd;
But, full of pangs, my heart was hot within me,
The lab'ring fire burft forth, and loos'd my tongue.

Lord, let me know the measure of my days,
Make me to know how weak, how frail I am!
My days are as a span, mine age as nothing,
And Man is altogether Vanity.

Man walketh in an empty fhade; in vain
Difquieting his foul, he heaps up riches,
Knowing not who fhall gather them,

And now

Where refts my Hope, O Lord? It refts in THEE. Forgive me mine offences! Make me not

A fcorn unto the foolish! I was dumb,

And open'd not my mouth, for 'twas Thy doing.

VOL. III.

Q

Oh

Oh take thy ftroke away! Thy hand destroys me.
When with rebukes thou chaft'neft man for fin,
Thou mak❜ft his beauty to confume away :
Diftemper preys upon him, as a moth
Fretting a garment. Ah, what then is Man?
Every Man living is but Vanity!

Hear, hear my pray'r, O Lord! oh, hear my Cry!
Fity my Tears! for I am in Thy fight

But as a ftranger, and a fojourner,

As all my fathers were. Oh, fpare me then,
Though but a little, to regain my strength,
Ere I be taken hence, and feen no more!

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUES

AND

E PILOGUE S.

1