Page:The Art of Preserving Health - A Poem in Four Books.djvu/127

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B. IV.
Preserving HEALTH.
119

And Virtue, thro' this labyrinth we tread.
Virtue and Sense I mean not to disjoin;
265Virtue and Sense are one; and, trust me, he
Who has not virtue is not truly wise.
Virtue (for meer good-nature is a fool)
Is sense and spirit, with humanity:
'Tis sometimes angry, and its frown confounds;
270'Tis even vindictive, but in vengeance just.
Knaves fain would laugh at it; some great ones dare;
But at his heart the most undaunted son
Of fortune dreads its name and awful charms.
To noblest uses this determines wealth;
275This is the solid pomp of prosperous days;
The peace and shelter of adversity.
And if you pant for glory, build your fame
On this foundation, which the secret shock
Defies of Envy and all-sapping Time.

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