"Ye self-will'd herd, call Reason to unbend / Your ill-warp'd minds, and to her theme attend."
— Bennet, John (fl. 1774-1796)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
Oxford
Publisher
Mess. Prince, Fletcher and Parker ... and by the author
Date
1774
Metaphor
"Ye self-will'd herd, call Reason to unbend / Your ill-warp'd minds, and to her theme attend."
Metaphor in Context
Ye self-will'd herd, call Reason to unbend
Your ill-warp'd minds, and to her theme attend:
When waters flow, and floods abroad remain,
When icy snows the groaning wheels detain,
Need's then a virtue; lighten each vast load,
The day revere, and silent pass the road.
But should foul Practice follow at your heels,
And Sabbaths oft be spent in trimming wheels;
Should parcels be deliver'd from each cart,
Nay, load and unload like as in a mart;
Though usage so far sway the thoughtless great,
As now to hold days sacred obsolete;
Tho' magistrates their duty will neglect,
And even treat Prophaneness with respect:
Yet will stern Vengeance baffle such vile ways,
And send Distraction forth instead of Ease;
Yea, tho' Prosperity's all-pleasing state
Here you attend: alas! the book of fate
Is ready op'd, and life stands on the verge
Of infinite duration; can we urge
One plea of merit to support the cause
Of violating the Almighty's laws?
Rather, while Time awaits, let each amend,
And strive to make an injur'd God a friend:
Then shall Religion with true pleasure shine,
And Sabbaths be rever'd with zeal divine!
Your ill-warp'd minds, and to her theme attend:
When waters flow, and floods abroad remain,
When icy snows the groaning wheels detain,
Need's then a virtue; lighten each vast load,
The day revere, and silent pass the road.
But should foul Practice follow at your heels,
And Sabbaths oft be spent in trimming wheels;
Should parcels be deliver'd from each cart,
Nay, load and unload like as in a mart;
Though usage so far sway the thoughtless great,
As now to hold days sacred obsolete;
Tho' magistrates their duty will neglect,
And even treat Prophaneness with respect:
Yet will stern Vengeance baffle such vile ways,
And send Distraction forth instead of Ease;
Yea, tho' Prosperity's all-pleasing state
Here you attend: alas! the book of fate
Is ready op'd, and life stands on the verge
Of infinite duration; can we urge
One plea of merit to support the cause
Of violating the Almighty's laws?
Rather, while Time awaits, let each amend,
And strive to make an injur'd God a friend:
Then shall Religion with true pleasure shine,
And Sabbaths be rever'd with zeal divine!
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "unbend" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
John Bennet, Poems on Several Occasions (Oxford: Mess. Prince, Fletcher and Parker ... and by the author, 1774). Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey English Poetry Full-Text Database, 1992.
Date of Entry
05/09/2011
