But when the breath of age commits the fault,
'Tis naufeous as the vapor of a vault.
So wither'd ftumps difgrace the fylvan fcene,
No longer fruitful and no longer green,
The faplefs wood divefted of the bark,
Grows fungous and takes fire at ev'ry spark.
Oaths terminate, as Paul obferves, all ftrife-
Some men have furely then a peaceful life,
Whatever fubject occupy discourse,
The feats of Veftris or the naval force,
Affeveration bluft'ring in your face.
Makes, contradiction fuch an hopeless cafe;
In ev'ry tale they tell, or falfe or true,v
Well known, or fuch as no man ever knew,
They fix attention, heedlefs of your pain,
With oaths like rivets forced into the brain,
And ev❜n when fober, truth prevails throughout,
They fwear it, 'till affirmance breeds a doubt,
A Perfian, humble fervant of the sun,
Who though devout yet bigotry had none,
Hearing a lawyer, grave in his addrefs,
With adjurations ev'ry word impress,
Supposed the man a bishop, or at least,
God's name fo much upon his lips, a priest,
Bowed at the close with all his graceful airs,
And begg'd an int'reft in his frequent pray'rs.
Go'quit the rank to which ye ftood preferred,
Henceforth affociate in one common herd,
Religion, virtue, reafon, common sense
Pronounce your human form a falfe pretence,
A mere disguise in which a devil lurks,
Who yet betrays his fecret by his works.
Ye pow'rs who rule the tongue, if fuch there are, And make colloquial happiness your care,
Preferve me from the thing I dread and hate,
A duel in the form of a debate:
The clash of arguments and jar of words
Worfe than the mortal brunt of rival fwords,
Decide no queftion with their tedious lengthy
For oppofition gives opinion ftrength,
Divert the champions prodigal of breath,
And put the peaceably-disposed to death.
Oh thwart me not, Sir Soph. at ev'ry turn,
Nor carp at ev'ry flaw you may difcern,
Though fyllogifms hang not on my tongue,
I am not surely always in the wrong;
'Tis hard if all is falfe that I advance,
A fool must now and then be right, by chance.
Not that all freedom of diffent I blame,
No-there I grant the privilege I claim.
A difputable point is no man's ground,
Rove where you pleafe, 'tis common all around,
Difcourfe may want an animated--No-
To brush the furface and to make it flow,
But still remember if you mean to please,
To prefs your point with modefty and ease.
The mark at which my jufter aim I take,
Is contradiction for its own dear fake;
Set your opinion at whatever pitch,
Knots and impediments make something hitch,
Adopt his own, 'tis equally in vain,
Your thread of argument is fnapt again ;
The wrangler, rather than accord with you,
Will judge himself deceiv'd, and prove it too.
Vociferated logic kills me quite,
A noisy man is always in the right,
I twirl my thumbs, fall back into my chair,
Fix on the wainscot a diftrefsful ftare,
And when I hope his blunders are all out,
Reply difcreetly-to be fure-no doubt.
DUBIUS is fuch a fcrupulous good man-
Yes you may catch him tripping if you can.
He would not with a peremptory tone
Affert the nose upon his face his own;
With hesitation admirably flow,
He humbly hopes, prefumes it may be fo.
His evidence, if he were called by law,
To fwear to fome enormity he faw,
For want of prominence and juft relief,
Would hang an honest man and fave a thief.
Through conftant dread of giving truth offence, He ties up all his hearers in fufpenfe,
Knows what he knows as if he knew it not,
What he remembers feems to have forgot,
His fole opinion, whatfoe'er befall,
Cent'ring at laft in having none at all.
Yet though he teaze and baulk your lift'ning ear,
He makes one ufeful point exceeding clear;
Howe'er ingenious on his darling theme,
A fceptic in philofophy may feem,
Reduced to practice, his beloved rule,
Would only prove him a confummate fool,
Ufelefs in him alike both brain and speech,
Fate having placed all truth above his reach;
His ambiguities his total fum,
He might as well be blind and deaf and dumb.
Where men of judgment creep and feel their way, The Pofitive pronounce without dismay,
Their want of light and intellect fupplied
By fparks abfurdity strikes out of pride :
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