12 That last best effort of thy skill, To form the life, and rule the will, Propitious power! impart: Teach me to cool my passion's fires, Make me the judge of my desires, The master of my heart. 13 Raise me above the Vulgar's breath, Pursuit of fortune, fear of death, And all in life that's mean: Still true to reason be my plan, Still let my actions speak the man, Through every various scene. 14 Hail! queen of manners, light of truth; Hail! charm of age, and guide of youth; Sweet refuge of distress: In business, thou! exact, polite; Thou giv'st retirement its delight, Prosperity its grace. 15 Of wealth, power, freedom, thou the cause; Foundress of order, cities, laws, Of arts inventress thou! Without thee, what were human-kind? How vast their wants, their thoughts how blind! Their joys how mean, how few! 16 Sun of the soul! thy beams unveil: Let others spread the daring sail On Fortune's faithless sea: While, undeluded, happier I From the rain tumult timely fly, And sit in peace with thee. LOVE. AN ELEGY. Too much my heart of Beauty's power hath known, Too long to Love hath reason left her throne; Too long my genius mourn'd his myrtle chain, And three rich years of youth consumed in vain. My wishes, lull'd with soft inglorious dreams, Forgot the patriot's and the sage's themes: Through each Elysian vale and fairy grove, Through all the enchanted paradise of love, Misled by sickly Hope's deceitful flame, Averse to action, and renouncing fame. 10 At last the visionary scenes decay, My eyes, exulting, bless the new-born day, Whose faithful beams detect the dangerous road In which my heedless feet securely trod, And strip the phantoms of their lying charms That lured my soul from Wisdom's peaceful arms. For silver streams and banks bespread with flowers, For mossy couches and harmonious bowers, Lo! barren heaths appear, and pathless woods, And rocks hung dreadful o'er unfathom'd floods: 20 For openness of heart, for tender smiles, Looks fraught with love, and wrath-disarming wiles; Lo! sullen Spite, and perjured Lust of Gain, And cruel Pride, and crueller Disdain; Lo! cordial Faith to idiot airs refined, Now coolly civil, now transporting kind. For graceful Ease, lo! Affectation walks; And dull Half-sense, for Wit and Wisdom talks. New to each hour what low delight succeeds, What precious furniture of hearts and heads! 30 By nought their prudence, but by getting, known, And all their courage in deceiving shown.