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FABLE [31] XXXI.
The Universal Apparition.
1 A Rake, by ev'ry passion rul'd,
2 With ev'ry vice his youth had cool'd;
3 Disease his tainted blood assails,
4 His spirits droop, his vigor fails,
5 With secret ills at home he pines,
6 And, like infirm old-age, declines.
7 As, twing'd with pain, he pensive sits,
8 And raves, and prays, and swears by fits,
9 A ghastly phantome, lean and wan,
10 Before him rose, and thus began.
11 My name perhaps hath reach'd your ear;
12 Attend, and be advis'd by Care.
13 Nor love, nor honour, wealth nor power
14 Can give the heart a cheerful hour,
15 When health is lost. Be timely wise:
16 With health all taste of pleasure flies.
17 Thus said, the phantome disappears.
18 The wary counsel wak'd his fears;
19 He now from all excess abstains,
20 With physick purifies his veins;
21 And to procure a sober life
22 Resolves to venture on a wife.
23 But now again the sprite ascends,
24 Where'er he walks his ear attends,
25 Insinuates that beauty's frail,
26 That perseverance must prevail,
[Page 106]27 With jealousies his brain inflames,
28 And whispers all her lovers names;
29 In other hours she represents
30 His houshold charge, his annual rents,
31 Encreasing debts, perplexing duns,
32 And nothing for his younger sons.
33 Strait all his thought to gain he turns,
34 And with the thirst of lucre burns;
35 But when possest of fortune's store,
36 The spectre haunts him more and more,
37 Sets want and misery in view,
38 Bold thieves and all the murd'ring crew,
39 Alarms him with eternal frights,
40 Infests his dream, or wakes his nights.
41 How shall he chase this hideous guest?
42 Power may perhaps protect his rest;
43 To pow'r he rose. Again the sprite
44 Besets him morning, noon and night,
45 Talks of ambition's tott'ring seat,
46 How envy persecutes the great,
[Page 107]47 Of rival hate, of treach'rous friends,
48 And what disgrace his fall attends.
49 The court he quits to fly from Care,
50 And seeks the peace of rural air;
51 His groves, his fields amus'd his hours,
52 He prun'd his trees, he rais'd his flowers;
53 But Care again his steps pursues,
54 Warns him of blasts, of blighting dews,
55 Of plund'ring insects, snails and rains,
56 And droughts that starve the labour'd plains.
57 Abroad, at home, the spectre's there:
58 In vain we seek to fly from Care.
59 At length he thus the ghost addrest.
60 Since thou must be my constant guest,
61 Be kind, and follow me no more,
62 For Care by right should go before.
Source edition
Gay, John, 1685-1732. FABLES. By Mr. GAY. London: Printed for J. Tonson and J. Watts, MDCCXXVII., 1727, pp. 104-107. [14],173,[1]p.: ill.; 4°. (ESTC T13818)
Editorial principles
Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.
Other works by John Gay
- [FABLE ] INTRODUCTION TO THE FABLES. The Shepherd and the Philosopher. ()
- FABLE [01] I. The Lyon, the Tyger, and the Traveller. ()
- FABLE [02] II. The Spaniel and the Cameleon. ()
- FABLE [03] III. The Mother, the Nurse, and the Fairy. ()
- FABLE [04] IV. The Eagle, and the Assembly of Animals. ()
- FABLE [05] V. The Wild Boar and the Ram. ()
- FABLE [06] VI. The Miser and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [07] VII. The Lyon, the Fox, and the Geese. ()
- FABLE [08] VIII. The Lady and the Wasp. ()
- FABLE [09] IX. The Bull and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [10] X. The Elephant and the Bookseller. ()
- FABLE [11] XI. The Peacock, the Turkey, and Goose. ()
- FABLE [12] XII. Cupid, Hymen, and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [13] XIII. The tame Stag. ()
- FABLE [14] XIV. The Monkey who had seen the World. ()
- FABLE [15] XV. The Philosopher and the Pheasants. ()
- FABLE [16] XVI. The Pin and the Needle. ()
- FABLE [17] XVII. The Shepherd's Dog and the Wolf. ()
- FABLE [18] XVIII. The Painter who pleased No body and Every body. ()
- FABLE [19] XIX. The Lyon and the Cub. ()
- FABLE [20] XX. The Old Hen and the Cock. ()
- FABLE [21] XXI. The Rat-catcher and Cats. ()
- FABLE [22] XXII. The Goat without a beard. ()
- FABLE [23] XXIII. The Old Woman and her Cats. ()
- FABLE [24] XXIV. The Butterfly and the Snail. ()
- FABLE [25] XXV. The Scold and the Parrot. ()
- FABLE [26] XXVI. The Cur and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [27] XXVII. The Sick Man and the Angel. ()
- FABLE [28] XXVIII. The Persian, the Sun and the Cloud. ()
- FABLE [29] XXIX. The Fox at the point of death. ()
- FABLE [30] XXX. The Setting-dog and the Partridge. ()
- FABLE [32] XXXII. The two Owls and the Sparrow. ()
- FABLE [33] XXXIII. The Courtier and Proteus. ()
- FABLE [34] XXXIV. The Mastiffs. ()
- FABLE [35] XXXV. The Barley-mow and the Dung-hill. ()
- FABLE [36] XXXVI. Pythagoras and the Countryman. ()
- FABLE [37] XXXVII. The Farmer's Wife and the Raven. ()
- FABLE [38] XXXVIII. The Turkey and the Ant. ()
- FABLE [39] XXXIX. The Father and Jupiter. ()
- FABLE [40] XL. The two Monkeys. ()
- FABLE [41] XLI. The Owl and the Farmer. ()
- FABLE [42] XLII. The Jugglers. ()
- FABLE [43] XLIII. The Council of Horses. ()
- FABLE [44] XLIV. The Hound and the Huntsman. ()
- FABLE [45] XLV. The Poet and the Rose. ()
- FABLE [46] XLVI. The Cur, the Horse, and the Shepherd's Dog. ()
- FABLE [47] XLVII. The Court of Death. ()
- FABLE [48] XLVIII. The Gardener and the Hog. ()
- FABLE [49] XLIX. The Man and the Flea. ()
- FABLE [50] L. The Hare and many Friends. ()