ON A SIMILAR OCCASION, FOR THE YEAR 1789. -Placidaque ibi demum morte quievit. VIRG. There calm at length he breathed his foul away. "Ou moft delightful hour by man "Experienced here below, "The hour that terminates his fpan, "His folly, and his woe! "Worlds fhould not bribe me back to tread "Again life's dreary wafte, "To fee again my day o'erfpread "With all the gloomy past. "My home henceforth is in the skies, "Earth, feas, and fun adieu! "All heaven unfolded to my eyes, "I have no fight for you." So fpoke Afpafio, firm poffeft Of faith's fupporting rod, He was a man among the few Sincere on virtue's fide; And all his ftrength from fcripture drew, To hourly ufe applied. That rule he prized, by that he feared, Nor ever frowned, or fad appeared, For he was frail as thou or I, But when he felt it, heaved a figh, Such lived Afpafio; and at laft Called up from Earth to Heaven, The gulph of death triumphant paffed, By gales of bleffing driven. His joys be mine, each Reader cries, They shall be yours, my Verfe replies, Such only be your lives. ON A SIMILAR OCCASION, FOR THE YEAR 1790. Ne commonentem recta sperne. BUCHANAN. Defpife not my good counsel, He who fits from day to day, Where the prifoned lark is hung, Heedlefs of his loudeft lay, Hardly knows that he has fung. Where the watchman in his round Nightly lifts his voice on high, None accuftomed to the found, Wakes the fooner for his cry. So your verfe-man I, and clerk, Yearly in my fong proclaim Death at hand-yourselves his mark— And the foe's unerring aim. Duly at my time I come, Publishing to all aloud Soon the grave must be your home, But the monitory strain, Oft repeated in your ears, Can a truth, by all confeffed Of fuch magnitude and weight, Grow, by being oft expreffed, Trivial as a parrot's prate? Pleafure's call attention wins, Hear it often as we may New as ever seem our fins, Though committed every day. |