Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-02-19

invite the reader particular attention 10 the folIow.
lug bednlin ltues. which we extract from ia. Ber
nSd% gazette they cOiubihe in an eminent decree
eooi poetry ahd good sense, far superior all the
wLetehed pastoral nummeIy ofth- day.
From "a Bsrn,sd1 GGsfttel
THE PHILOSOPHERS SCALES-nY I.xrr,y,o,
In days oil Jore, as Gothic faaie tells,
Nheui !eauning dRiiy cleaned nem grated cells.
nhen wild AsuOogy's distorted eve
shaU'd the fair field of true PHILOSOPHY
hnd wandering through The depth. OF ments, NIGHT
; night DARK predictions mid the worlds OF light:
Nhen curious A'chymY, With puzzled brow
Attempted ttinss which Sci.hce laughs at now
'sine the useful purpose she cousuhs
Ia vain chineras aud ubNnown results -
IN idose grey tiines therc liv'd a reteIeud Sage,
whose wisdom shed its light on that da,k aye
A Monk he MAS, iminur'd ia cloisteted walls,
Whefe niw the IN,'d ruin crambling fails:
twas q profound sec!usipn that he chose.
The noisy world dttdtDed not that rep Sc
The How of murmuring waters day by day,
Ana whistliug S,nds that fofc'd their tardy way
I'M. reverend tIees, of ages rrow,h, that made
Around the Pile deep mOnasiIc shade;
Ire chauated psalm, OF solitary prtJer--
snSh were tue sounds that broke the silence there.
twas here, Nhen his rites sacefdotai were DER
IN me Septh OF hts cell with its stone covered hooI
X, To- thought his chimericai hraln,
Bat whether by hacic's r achyuli's powers
We know Ut-indeed 'Jis no business of ours:
Perhaps II was only by patience aud care,
Al last thai he brought his invention to hear:
~ youth twas projected, hut years stole away
And And ere twas complete Ire wrnkled and grey
h"t success 10 secure, unless energy fails
Anu az length he produced the Philosophers Scales.
what were they! You ash YOU shall preseEti, see,
h"-ior such properties wondtous had they,
That Qualities. feelings, aud honshts they could weigh
Together with articles small immense
From mountains oT planets, to atoms OF sense;
N"ught was there SO bulky, hut there II could lay,
Ana no"sht SO ETHEREAL bat there it world stay
ana nousht SO reluctant but in it trust 20 -.
All which some examples mofe clearly will show.
49, Inc hrs thing ne weiehd was the head Of Foit0ire
Nheh retained all Tue wit that had ever been there;
As weight, he threw in torn scrap of leaf,
Containing the prayer of the Penitent Inlet;
when the skull rose aloft with o sudden a speI
mat u oounc al like ball on the roof of the cell.
One time be pui in -iterahaer tie Great,
WIN garment that DorcUS had made, for a weight ,
And though clad IN aruor from sandals to crown,
rae nero rose up, and the CARMEN went down.
a long low of Aims hOusrs amply euduw'd
lily we'll esteemed PAarisec busy and proud
Next loaded one scale while the other " as prest
BY those mies tue Poor widow drop "a INTO Tue chest
Up hew the ENDORSEMENTS, not weighing an ounte
AND dowH, down the faTlhins's worth came with a
bounce.
Again he performed experiment rare:
Monk, with austeTiIies bleeding and hare
Climbed into his scale ia the other was laid
lhe htait OF eur Norard now partly deCaJed;
""e" he 'ouhu WIN surprise, that the whole OF his
Weghd less h! pounds than this bit Of the other
nv 'artheT expo ilnenis, Ono matter how,)
lie sound that ten chaTiots weigh'd less than one
PIOUsh
.hohgh balanced by OILY a ten penny nail
=! a Shield ana helmet. buckier and spear,
Heigrd less than widows unchtIstalised tear
A Ljrd and a ady went up at full sail
W zen BEE chauced to light on the opposite scale
leu loctor5, ten Lawyers, Two Cour'iers, Earl,
Ten CpIasel!oFs Mirs, full Of powder and curl,
All htaped in one balance and swinging from thence
Heigh'd less than few grams Of cGHdOr aud sense.
hTsl wafer diamond, with biiii ,anls begirt
Ihan onS GOOD potato just waSi'd from The dirt
1eI not Mountains Of silver ana gold wnuid suffice
one pearl to outwesh'twas the pearl Of great price
Last OF ALL tue Whole world bOwled IN al the gate
wan the SOHt OF beggar to serve for weight:
When tue former sprdng up with sIr0ng A rebuff
Ihat II mddea vast rent, aud escaped at The roof;
When balanced IN air, 1t ascended on high,
Aud sailed up aeIt a balloon il the SKY /;
While the scale with the soul in nightly fell
That II jerked the Philosopher out Of His cell.
Dear reader if e'er self deception prevails
We pray you to try The Philosophers Scales
But II they are lost in the ruins around,
Perhaps good substitute thus may he found
Lei Judgment and Conscience in circles be cut
20 Witch sttings of Th0Hgn may he carrfully put +;
Let these be H'ade even with caution extreme,
And lDParfiGhtH for beam,
IbeH bring good actions which pride over rates
a hj tear up your ROfiUsS hits for The weights