Nor would forgive herself the mighty crime Of keeping terms with Person, Place, and Time. 40 Let liquid gold emblaze the sun at noon, With borrow'd beams let silver pale the moon; Let surges hoarse lash the resounding shore, Let streams meander, and let torrents roar; Let them breed up the melancholy breeze, To sigh with sighing, sob with sobbing trees; Let vales embroidery wear; let flowers be tinged With various tints; let clouds be laced or fringed, They have their wish; like idle monarch boys, Neglecting things of weight, they sigh for toys; 50 Give them the crown, the sceptre, and the robe, Who will may take the power, and rule the globe. Others there are, who, in one solemn pace, With as much zeal as Quakers rail at lace, Railing at needful ornament, depend On Sense to bring them to their journey's end: They would not (Heaven forbid!) their course delay, Nor for a moment step out of the way, To make the barren road those graces wear Which Nature would, if pleased, have planted there. 60 Vain men! who, blindly thwarting Nature's plan, Ne'er find a passage to the heart of man; Who, bred 'mongst fogs in academic land, Scorn every thing they do not understand; Who, destitute of humour, wit, and taste, Let all their little knowledge run to waste, And frustrate each good purpose, whilst they wear The robes of Learning with a sloven's air. Though solid reasoning arms each sterling line, Though Truth declares aloud, 'This work is mine,' Vice, whilst from page to page dull morals creep, 70 Throws by the book, and Virtue falls asleep. Sense, mere dull, formal Sense, in this gay town, Must have some vehicle to pass her down; Nor can she for an hour insure her reign, Unless she brings fair Pleasure in her train. Let her from day to day, from year to year, In all her grave solemnities appear, And with the voice of trumpets, through the streets, Deal lectures out to every one she meets; 80 Half who pass by are deaf, and t' other half Can hear indeed, but only hear to laugh. Quit then, ye graver sons of letter'd Pride! Taking for once Experience as a guide, Quit this grand error, this dull college mode; Be your pursuits the same, but change the road; Write, or at least appear to write, with ease, 'And if you mean to profit, learn to please.' In vain for such mistakes they pardon claim, Because they wield the pen in Virtue's name: 90 Thrice sacred is that name, thrice bless'd the man Who thinks, speaks, writes, and lives on such a plan! This, in himself, himself of course must bless, But cannot with the world promote success. He may be strong, but, with effect to speak, Should recollect his readers may be weak; Plain, rigid truths, which saints with comfort bear, Will make the sinner tremble and despair. True Virtue acts from love, and the great end At which she nobly aims is to amend. 100