THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES -Samuel Johnson:
The Tenth Satire of Juvenal, IMITATED By SAMUEL JOHNSON Let Observation with extensive View, Survey Mankind, from China to Peru; Remark each anxious Toil, each eager Strife, And watch the busy Scenes of crouded Life; Then say how Hope and Fear, Desire and Hate, O'er spread with Snares the clouded Maze of Fate, Where wav'ring Man, betray'd by vent'rous Pride, To tread the dreary Paths without a Guide; As treach'rous Phantoms in the Mist delude, Shuns fancied Ills, or chases airy Good. How rarely Reason guides the stubborn Choice, Rules the bold Hand, or prompts the suppliant Voice, How Nations sink, by darling Schemes oppres'd, When Vengeance listens to the Fool's Request.
Fate wings with ev'ry Wish th' afflictive Dart, Each Gift of Nature, and each Grace of Art, With fatal Heat impetuous Courage glows, With fatal Sweetness Elocution flows, Impeachment stops the Speaker's pow'rful Breath, And restless Fire precipitates on Death. But scarce observ'd the Knowing and the Bold, Fall in the gen'ral Massacre of Gold; Wide-wasting Pest! that rages unconfin'd, And crouds with Crimes the Records of Mankind, For Gold his Sword the Hireling Ruffian draws, For Gold the hireling Judge distorts the Laws; Wealth heap'd on Wealth, nor Truth nor Safety buys, The Dangers gather as the Treasures rise. Let Hist'ry tell where rival Kings command, And dubious Title shakes the madded Land, When Statutes glean the Refuse of the Sword, How much more safe the Vassal than the Lord, Low sculks the Hind beneath the Rage of Pow'r. And leaves the honny Traytor in the Tow r, Untouch'd his Cottage, and his Slumbers sound, Tho' Confiscation's Vulturs clang around. The needy Traveller, serene and gay. Walks the wild Heath, and sings his Toil away. Does Envy seize thee? crush th' upbraiding Joy. Encrease his Riches and his Peace destroy, New Fears in dire Vicissitude invade. The rustling Brake alarms, and quiv'ring Shade.
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