The Complaint: Or, Night-thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality: To which is Added A Paraphrase on Part of the Book of Job |
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againſt ambition angels art thou becauſe beneath bleffings bleft blifs boaſt book of Job boundleſs breaſt cauſe darkneſs death defcend Deity divine Doft dread duft earth endleſs eternal ev'ry facred fafe fame fate fcene feems feen fenfe fhades fhall fhines fhould figh fight fink firſt fkies fleep fmile foft fome fong fons foon foul fpirit ftars ftill fuch fure glory guilt happineſs heart heav'n himſelf human illuftrious immortal juft laſt lefs life's loft Lorenzo man's moft mortal moſt muft muſt nature nature's ne'er night nought numbers o'er paffions paft pain peace pleaſure pow'r praife praiſe prefent pride proud reafon rife ſcene ſcheme ſhall ſkies ſpeak ſphere ſtars ſtate ſtill ſtorm ſtream ſtrikes ſtrong thee thefe theme themſelves theſe thine thofe thoſe thought thouſand thro throne truth vaft virtue whofe whoſe wife wiſdom wiſh wretched
Popular passages
Page 16 - tis madness to defer: Next day the fatal precedent will plead ; Thus on, till wisdom is push'd out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene.
Page 17 - At thirty man suspects himself a fool ; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan ; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves and re-resolves; then dies the same.
Page 16 - Of man's miraculous mistakes this bears The palm, ' That all men are about to live, For ever on the brink of being born.' All pay themselves the compliment to think They one day shall not drivel : and their pride On this reversion takes up ready praise ; At least, their own ; their future selves applaud How excellent that life they ne'er will lead.
Page 5 - The bell strikes One. We take no note of time But from its loss : to give it then a tongue Is wise in man. As if an angel spoke I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright, It is the knell of my departed hours. Where are they? With the years beyond the flood.
Page 33 - Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours ; And ask them, what report they bore to heaven ; And how they might have borne more welcome news.
Page 85 - Religion's All. Descending from the skies To wretched man, the goddess in her left Holds out this world, and, in her right, the next...
Page 17 - ... immortal. All men think all men mortal but themselves ; Themselves, when some alarming shock of Fate Strikes through their wounded hearts the sudden dread : But their hearts wounded, like the wounded air, Soon close; where past the shaft no trace is found.
Page 16 - How excellent that life they ne'er will lead! Time lodg'd in their own hands is Folly's vails ; That lodg'd in Fate's to wisdom they consign ; The thing they can't but purpose they postpone.
Page 103 - Virtue, for ever frail, as fair, below, Her tender nature suffers in the crowd, Nor touches on the world, without a stain : The world's infectious ; few bring back at eve, Immaculate, the manners of the morn.
Page 7 - Embryos we must be till we burst the shell, Yon ambient azure shell, and spring to life, The life of gods, O transport ! and of man. Yet man, fool man ! here buries all his thoughts ; Inters celestial hopes without one sigh.