"To nature first my labours were confin'd
"And all her charms were open'd to my mind,
"Each flower that glisten'd in the morning dew,
"And every shrub that in the forest grew:
"From earth to heaven I cast my wondering eyes,
"Saw suns unnumber'd sparkle in the skies,
"Mark'd the just progress of each rolling sphere,
"Describ'd the seasons, and reform'd the year.
"At length sublimer studies I began,
"And fix'd my level'd telescope on man;
"Knew all his powers, and all his passions trac'd,
"What virtue rais'd him, and what vice-debas'd:
"But when I saw his knowledge so confin'd,
"So vain his wishes, and so weak his mind,
"His soul, a bright obscurity at best,
"And rough with tempests his afflicted breast,
"His life, a flower ere evening sure to fade,
"His highest joys, the shadow of a shade;
"To thy fair court I took my weary way,
"Bewail my folly, and heaven's laws obey,
"Confess my feeble mind for prayers unfit,
"And to my maker's will my soul submit:
"Great empress of yon orb that rolls below,
"On me the last best gift of heaven bestow."
He
