ON THE TIMES IN ENGLAND.
39
Let not, o'ercome by indolence and ease,
Slothful indulgence be the fruits of peace;
Let not prosperity produce excess,
But calm content, and grateful happiness.
But, ah! refinement's enervating hand
Is threatening swift destruction through the land,
And luxury, with an avalanche's force,
Gains strength as it advances on its course.
Refinement!—ah! how falsely so defined!
Real refinement is of heart and mind,
Truly consists in purity of soul,
And Christian courteousness to crown the whole.
Pride and ambition reign alike in all,
No rank exclusively in great and small;
Each aims at those above himself, and then
Inferiors copy him in turn again.
All feel the general impulse, and look down
With scorn on those in stations once their own;
The sons of tradesmen hate the name of trade,
In which their vulgar fortunes have been made.
Dress, show, and equipage alone excite
The emulation which, directed right,
Slothful indulgence be the fruits of peace;
Let not prosperity produce excess,
But calm content, and grateful happiness.
But, ah! refinement's enervating hand
Is threatening swift destruction through the land,
And luxury, with an avalanche's force,
Gains strength as it advances on its course.
Refinement!—ah! how falsely so defined!
Real refinement is of heart and mind,
Truly consists in purity of soul,
And Christian courteousness to crown the whole.
Pride and ambition reign alike in all,
No rank exclusively in great and small;
Each aims at those above himself, and then
Inferiors copy him in turn again.
All feel the general impulse, and look down
With scorn on those in stations once their own;
The sons of tradesmen hate the name of trade,
In which their vulgar fortunes have been made.
Dress, show, and equipage alone excite
The emulation which, directed right,
