"Go, vain mistaken Man, if you would find / That golden Ore, Contentment of the Mind, / Depart from all these busy Ills of Life /And live exempt from Pride, and Noise and Strife"
— Pattison, William (1706-1727)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for H. Curll
Date
1728
Metaphor
"Go, vain mistaken Man, if you would find / That golden Ore, Contentment of the Mind, / Depart from all these busy Ills of Life /And live exempt from Pride, and Noise and Strife"
Metaphor in Context
Forbear, vain Man, to seek Contentment here,
Vain are your Hopes, and barren is your Care:
Believe no Fortune can so high aspire,
But proud, ambitious Thoughts are always higher:
What tho' you reign proud Tyrant of the East,
Yet Care, a greater Tyrant, rules your Breast;
You, with a Nod, the suppliant World command,
Yet cannot rule that little Empire, Man.
Hope not in Wealth to find Contentment here,
"For he that gathers Riches, gathers Care.
Then curb this curst Ambition--dare be Poor,
And find a richer in a poorer Store.
Go, vain mistaken Man, if you would find
That golden Ore, Contentment of the Mind,
Depart from all these busy Ills of Life
And live exempt from Pride, and Noise and Strife,
From all the griping Bonds of Usury,
From all the wicked Ills of Money free,
Too low for Envy, for Contempt too high.
Vain are your Hopes, and barren is your Care:
Believe no Fortune can so high aspire,
But proud, ambitious Thoughts are always higher:
What tho' you reign proud Tyrant of the East,
Yet Care, a greater Tyrant, rules your Breast;
You, with a Nod, the suppliant World command,
Yet cannot rule that little Empire, Man.
Hope not in Wealth to find Contentment here,
"For he that gathers Riches, gathers Care.
Then curb this curst Ambition--dare be Poor,
And find a richer in a poorer Store.
Go, vain mistaken Man, if you would find
That golden Ore, Contentment of the Mind,
Depart from all these busy Ills of Life
And live exempt from Pride, and Noise and Strife,
From all the griping Bonds of Usury,
From all the wicked Ills of Money free,
Too low for Envy, for Contempt too high.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "gold" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1727).
The Poetical Works of Mr. William Pattison, Late of Sidney College Cambridge. (London: Printed in the year MDCCXXVIII [i.e. 1727] For H. Curll in the Strand). <Link to ESTC>
The Poetical Works of Mr. William Pattison, Late of Sidney College Cambridge. (London: Printed in the year MDCCXXVIII [i.e. 1727] For H. Curll in the Strand). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
05/27/2005
