"Are your thoughts by Justice sway'd, / And in Reason's balance weigh'd?"
— Merrick, James (1720-1769)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
Reading
Publisher
Printed by J. Cornan and Co.
Date
1765
Metaphor
"Are your thoughts by Justice sway'd, / And in Reason's balance weigh'd?"
Metaphor in Context
Ye whose lips the cause decide,
Say, does Truth your sentence guide?
Are your thoughts by Justice sway'd,
And in Reason's balance weigh'd?
Let your conscious tongues attest
What Ye harbour in your breast.
Hearts Ye bear, that deep within
Cherish each suggested sin,
And the dictates of your will
With remorseless hands fulfill.
From the womb, in error's way
See the infant sinner stray:
Nurtur'd in deceit and wrong
See him with advent'rous tongue
(Prompt his earliest skill to try,)
Lisp the meditated lye.
See their veins with venom swell;
Arm'd with such, the Adder fell
Stops her ear, in many a fold
'Mid the shelt'ring brake uproll'd,
While each note the Charmer tries,
And his utmost art defies.
Say, does Truth your sentence guide?
Are your thoughts by Justice sway'd,
And in Reason's balance weigh'd?
Let your conscious tongues attest
What Ye harbour in your breast.
Hearts Ye bear, that deep within
Cherish each suggested sin,
And the dictates of your will
With remorseless hands fulfill.
From the womb, in error's way
See the infant sinner stray:
Nurtur'd in deceit and wrong
See him with advent'rous tongue
(Prompt his earliest skill to try,)
Lisp the meditated lye.
See their veins with venom swell;
Arm'd with such, the Adder fell
Stops her ear, in many a fold
'Mid the shelt'ring brake uproll'd,
While each note the Charmer tries,
And his utmost art defies.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "soul" and "balance" in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
12/11/2006
