Frailties and passions, long suppressed, were shown; Then, to provoke him was a dangerous thing; His pride would punish, and his temper sting; His powerful hatred sought th' avenging hour, 290 And his proud vengeance struck with all his power-- Save when th' offender took a prudent way The rising storm of fury to allay. This might he do, and so in safety sleep, By largely casting to the angry deep; Or, better yet (its swelling force t' assuage,) By pouring oil of flattery on its rage. And now, of all the heart approved, possess'd, Fear'd, favour'd, follow'd, dreaded, and caress'd, He gently yields to one mellifluous joy, 300 The only sweet that is not found to cloy, Bland adulation! Other pleasures pall On the sick taste, and transient are they all; But this one sweet has such enchanting power, The more we take, the faster we devour; Nauseous to those who must the dose apply, And most disgusting to the standers-by; Yet in all companies will Laughton feed, Nor care how grossly men perform the deed. As gapes the nursling, or, what comes more near, 310 Some Friendly-island chief, for hourly cheer-- When wives and slaves, attending round his seat, Prepare by turns the masticated meat: So for this master, husband, parent, friend, His ready slaves their various efforts blend, And, to their lord still eagerly inclined, Pour the crude trash of a dependent mind. But let the muse assign the man his due; Worth he possess'd, nor were his virtues few;-- He sometimes help'd the injured in their cause; 320 His power and purse have back'd the failing laws; He for religion has a due respect, And all his serious notions are correct; Although he pray'd and languished for a son, He grew resigned when Heaven denied him one; He never to this quiet mansion sends Subject unfit, in compliment to friends. Not so Sir Denys, who would yet protest He always chose the worthiest and the best: Not men in trade by various loss brought down, 330 But those whose glory once amazed the town; Who their last guinea in their pleasures spent, Yet never fell so low as to repent; To these his pity he could largely deal, Wealth they had known, and therefore want could feel. Three seats were vacant while Sir Denys reign'd, And three such favourites their admission gain'd; These let us view, still more to understand The moral feelings of Sir Denys Brand. LETTER XIV. _INHABITANTS OF THE ALMS-HOUSE._ BLANEY. Sed [quam] cæcus inest vitiis amor, omne futurum Despicitur; suadent brevem præsentia fructum, Et ruit in vetitum damni secura libido. _Claudian. in Eutrop._ [Lib. II. vv. 50-2].