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How weak the barrier of mere nature proves
Oppos'd against the pleasures nature loves!
While felf-betray'd, and wilfully undone,
She longs to yield, no fooner woo'd than won.
Try now the merits of this bleft exchange
Of modeft truth for wit's eccentric range.
Time was, he clos'd as he began the day
With decent duty, not afham'd to pray;
The practice was a bond upon his heart,
A pledge he gave for a confiftent part,
Nor could he dare prefumptuously displease
A pow'r confefs'd fo lately on his knees.
But now farewell all legendary tales,
The fhadows fly, philosophy prevails;

Pray'r to the winds, and caution to the waves,
Religion makes the free by nature slaves,
Priests have invented, and the world admir'd
What knavish priests promulgate as inspir'd,
'Till reafon, now no longer overaw'd,

Refumes her pow'rs, and spurns the clumfy fraud,
And, common fense diffufing real day,

The meteor of the gospel dies away.

Such rhapsodies our fhrewd discerning youth

Learn from expert enquirers after truth;
Whofe only care, might truth presume to speak,
Is not to find what they profefs to feek.
And thus well tutor'd only while we share
A mother's lectures and a nurse's care;

And

And taught at fchools much mythologic ftuff,*
But found religion fparingly enough;

Our early notices of truth, difgrac'd,

Soon lofe their credit, and are all effac'd.

Would you your fon fhould be a fot or dunce, Lafcivious, headstrong, or all these at once; That, in good time, the stripling's finish'd taste For loofe expence, and fashionable wafte, Should prove your ruin and his own at last; Train him in public with a mob of boys, Childish in mifchief only and in noife, Elfe of a mannish growth, and five in ten In infidelity and lewdness, men. There fhall he learn, ere fixteen winters old, That authors are most useful, pawn'd or fold; That pedantry is all that schools impart,

But taverns teach the knowledge of the heart; There waiter Dick, with Bacchanalian lays, Shall win his heart and have his drunken praife, His counfellor and bofom friend fhall prove, And fome street-pacing harlot his first love.

* The author begs leave to explain: Senfible that, without fuch knowledge, neither the ancient poets nor historians can be tafted, or indeed understood, he does not mean to cenfure the pains that are taken to instruct a school-boy in the religion of a heathen, but merely that neglect of Chriftian culture which leaves him fhamefully ignorant of his

own.

Schools,

Schools, unlefs difcipline were doubly strong,
Detain their adolefcent charge too long;
The management of Tiroes of eighteen
Is difficult, their punishment obfcene.
The ftout tall Captain, whofe fuperior fize
The minor heroes view with envious eyes,
Becomes their pattern, upon whom they fix
Their whole attention, and ape all his tricks.
His pride, that scorns t' obey or to submit,
With them is courage, his effrontery wit.
His wild excurfions, window-breaking feats,
Robb'ry of gardens, quarrels in the ftree:s,
His hair-breadth 'fcapes, and all his daring
fchemes,

Transport them, and are made their fav'rite themes.

In little bofoms fuch atchievements ftrike
A kindred spark, they burn to do the like.
Thus, half-accomplish'd ere he yet begin
To show the peeping down upon his chin,
And, as maturity of years comes on,
Made juft th' adept that you design'd your fon,
T'infure the perfeverance of his course,
And give your monstrous project all its force,
Send him to college. If he there be tam'd,
Or in one article of vice reclaim'd,

Where no regard of ord'nances is shown

Or look'd for now, the fault must be his own.

Some

Some sneaking virtue lurks in him, no doubt, Where neither ftrumpets charms, nor drinkingbout,

Nor gambling practices, can find it out.
Such youths of spirit, and that spirit too,
Ye nurs❜ries of our boys, we owe to you :
Though from ourselves the mischief more pro-

ceeds,

For public schools 'tis public folly feeds;
The flaves of cuftom and establish'd mode,
With pack-horse conftancy we keep the road,
Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny
dells,

True to the jingling of our leaders bells.
To follow foolish precedents, and wink
With both our eyes, is easier than to think;
And fuch an age as ours baulks no expence,
Except of caution and of common-sense,
Elfe fure, notorious fact and proof fo plain
Would turn our steps into a wiser train.

I blame not thofe who with what care they can
O'erwatch the num'rous and unruly clan,

Or if I blame, 'tis only that they dare
Promise a work of which they must defpair.
Have ye, ye fage intendants of the whole,
An ubiquarian presence and controul,
Elisha's eye, that when Gehazi ftray'd

Went with him, and faw all the game he play'd?

Yes,

Yes-ye are confcious: and on all the shelves Your pupils ftrike upon, have ftruck yourselves. Or if by nature fober, ye had then,

Boys as ye were, the gravity of men,

Ye knew at least, by conftant proofs addrefs'd
To ears and eyes, the vices of the rest.
But ye connive at what ye cannot cure,
And evils not to be endurid, endure,
Left pow'r exerted, but without fuccefs,
Should make the little ye retain still lefs.
Ye once were justly fam❜d for bringing forth
Undoubted scholarship and genuine worth,
And in the firmament of fame ftill fhines,
A glory bright as that of all the figns,
Of poets rais'd by you, and statesmen and divines.
Peace to them all, thofe brilliant times are fled,
And no fuch lights are kindling in their stead.
Our striplings fhine indeed, but with fuch rays
As fet the midnight riot in a blaze,

And feem, if judg'd by their expreffive looks,
Deeper in none than in their furgeons books.

Say, mufe (for education made the song,
No mufe can hesitate or linger long)
What causes move us, knowing as we must
That these Menageries all fail their trust,
To fend our fons to scout and scamper there,
While colts and puppies cost us so much care?

Be

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