The Complaint: Or, Night-thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality: To which is Added A Paraphrase on Part of the Book of JobR. Chapman and A. Duncan, 1775 - 388 pages |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ambition angels art thou aſk becauſe beneath beſt bleſſings bleſt bliſs book of Job boſom boundleſs cauſe Chriſtian cloſe dark death Deity deſcend diſtant divine doſt dread duſt earth eternal ev'ry fame fate fight firſt fong fons foon foul fuch glory guilt happineſs heart heav'n human immortal inſpire juſt know'ſt laſt leaſt leſs life's Lorenzo man's mortal moſt muſt nature nature's ne'er night nought numbers o'er pain paſſions paſt peace pleaſure pow'r praiſe preſent pride proud reaſon reſt rife riſe ſay ſcene ſcheme ſcorn ſee ſeen ſenſe ſet ſevere ſhades ſhadow ſhall ſhame ſhare ſhe ſhew ſhines ſhock ſhort ſhould ſkies ſmall ſmile ſome ſpeak ſphere ſpirit ſpread ſtand ſtars ſtate ſtill ſtorm ſtrange ſtranger ſtream ſtrike ſuch ſure ſweet thee theſe thine thoſe thought thro throne truth univerſe vaſt virtue waſte whoſe wife wisdom wiſh
Popular passages
Page 16 - tis madness to defer: Next day the fatal precedent will plead ; Thus on, till wisdom is push'd out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene.
Page 17 - At thirty man suspects himself a fool ; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan ; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves and re-resolves; then dies the same.
Page 16 - Of man's miraculous mistakes this bears The palm, ' That all men are about to live, For ever on the brink of being born.' All pay themselves the compliment to think They one day shall not drivel : and their pride On this reversion takes up ready praise ; At least, their own ; their future selves applaud How excellent that life they ne'er will lead.
Page 5 - The bell strikes One. We take no note of time But from its loss : to give it then a tongue Is wise in man. As if an angel spoke I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright, It is the knell of my departed hours. Where are they? With the years beyond the flood.
Page 33 - Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours ; And ask them, what report they bore to heaven ; And how they might have borne more welcome news.
Page 85 - Religion's All. Descending from the skies To wretched man, the goddess in her left Holds out this world, and, in her right, the next...
Page 17 - ... immortal. All men think all men mortal but themselves ; Themselves, when some alarming shock of Fate Strikes through their wounded hearts the sudden dread : But their hearts wounded, like the wounded air, Soon close; where past the shaft no trace is found.
Page 16 - How excellent that life they ne'er will lead! Time lodg'd in their own hands is Folly's vails ; That lodg'd in Fate's to wisdom they consign ; The thing they can't but purpose they postpone.
Page 103 - Virtue, for ever frail, as fair, below, Her tender nature suffers in the crowd, Nor touches on the world, without a stain : The world's infectious ; few bring back at eve, Immaculate, the manners of the morn.
Page 7 - Embryos we must be till we burst the shell, Yon ambient azure shell, and spring to life, The life of gods, O transport ! and of man. Yet man, fool man ! here buries all his thoughts ; Inters celestial hopes without one sigh.