Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1827-03-10

as ANY Of our contemporaries. But what would the
world say Of US, were We TO publish note address
ell TO ourselves couched IN the following terms -
= BY inserting IN your very valuable paper, which
by the way read with great interest, the following
lines from the pen Of Mrs. Jane Taylor, you will
o9lige one of your subscribers, and admirer Of
the Cadet" We should be set down as absolute
- Noodles" and therefore we must decline comply
ing with the request of our fair friend. But let 5
hasten TO the Poetry.
THE PHILOSOPHERS SCALES.
In days OF yore, as Gothic fable tells,
When iesrnin. dimy e canned from grated cells,
When wild Astroloyvs siorted eve,
Shunned he fair field OF true Philosophy,
And wandering through the depths Of mental nj sh,,
Sought dark predictions mid the worlds oiIght;
When curious Aichymy, with puzzled brow,
Attempted things which science laughs at now,
Lo-os the useful purpose she consu,s,
In ysin chImeras and unknown results
Ia those gray times there lived reverend Sage,
Whose wisdom shed IL. light IN that dark age.
Monk he was. immured in cio'stered walls,
Whore now the Ivied rum crumbing falls
Twas profound secluson that ha chose
The ho'sy world disturbed not his repose:
The 10. of murnuring waters, day ~ day,
Au' whistlins winds, that forcd their tariy way
Around he pile deep mona.,ic shade;
The chanted psalm or solitary prayer
Suco were the sounds that broke the silence there.
'Twi, he,e, when his rites sacredotal were DER,
In the depth III his cell with ts stone aoor,
Resisnlng 10 thought mis- chimercH! brain,
he !rrm'd the contrivance we now shall explain;
But whether Wy mag,cs a'chymys powers,
We know not-injeel, ii. no business of ours:
Per 'ap, i, wa, only by patience aud care,
At ltst thai he brought his inven ion To bear:
la nth twas PROJECTED. but years stole away,
Ani ere twas complete he was wrinkled and gray
But slccess s secure. unless energy fails
And at !ength he produced The Philosophers Scales.
VIII were they! you ask you shall presently see,
The scales were not made to weigh sugar and tea
y no; for such properties wond'rous had they,
Tia qualities, feelings, and Thoughts they could
weigh;
Together with articles small or immense,
Ftpm mountains or planets, TO atoms OF sense;
Nou-ht was thero 80 bulky, but there it could lay,
And rsht etheria! but there it would stay;
Ard nnuSht so rel uctant but IN it must go:
A. ~bch some example, more cl arly will show.
Tn frat thns he wai,hoI was the head of Voitaire,
WI ~ rettne1 al. he Wit that had ever been there,
AZ ''Iyht. he tnrsw in torn scrap OF leaf
Con'alnins the prayer OF the Penitent Thief
When tho skull ,osa aloft with so sudden a spell,
That it ounced like ball on the roof o! the cell
One lime ne put in 4lsrander The GreoL
With garment that Dorcas had made, for a weight,
And though clad in armour from ,anJsls TO crown,
The Hero rose up, and the garment went down.
long row Of Aims hou-ns, amply endowed,
Bv a veil esteemed Pha isee busy and proud
Ncx ioa led one scale while the other was pressed
b. ;p'se mites the Poor Widow droppd into the
ahet,
Up few the endowment, not weighing an ounce,
All iown, down the farthing's worth came with a
bounce.
Again he Oeriormeh an expert ent rare:
A '!olk with austerities bleed ng and bare,
Ct'rD"i into his scaIe-n the other was laid
T. aa., Of our Ho0ard, now partly decayed;
Waco ne iounJ with surprise, that the whole Of his
We. 81 less by some pounds than this bit OF the
By f.,,oey experiments (no matter how
He fo4I' hat ten chariOts wegh'd less than one
pogh:
A swo-' With gilt rappng. rose up in the scale.
Thou danced by oply ;en-pennv mail
A snel rGi II helmet, buckler and spear,
Weishr a.- than "A FLOWS unchristals'd tear;
A Lord Lady went up at full sail,
When l'as chanced to git on the opposite scale
Ten Doc "rs, teo Lawyers. NO Courters. one Earl
Ten CoIn,ellors' Wigs, full of powder and curl.
Ali hespi n me balance. and swinging FROM tn ence
Wegh'd less than few grains OF candour and ss,ase
A irst-water diamond with brilliants besirt,
Than one good potar oe just wash'd from ne lirt;
Yet not mountain. Of silver and gold would suffice,
One pearl to outweish-'twas the pearl of grea
price!
Last Of all The whole worlI wa, bowlsJ ia ut the
CRATE,
With the soul Of heggar TO serve fo- a weights
When the former sprany up with strong a rebuff
That it made vast 'ent, aud e.caped al the roof;
When balanced IN air. it ascendel on high,
And sailed ~ oft balloon IN the sky;
While the scale with the soul ia, nightly fell
That 1t jerked the Philosopher put Of his cell.
MORAL.
Dear reader, If e'e- self deception prevails,
We pray you to- try The Philosophers scales;
But if they are lost in the ruiEs around,
Perhaps COOL substitute thus may he found:
let Jafgment and Conseience in circles be cut,
To which string. Of Thought may he carefully put
Let these BE- made even with caution extreme,
An' hnparfidhfy serve for a beam.
Then bring those good actions which pride over
rates,
And tear up your .Notire, in bit. for the weights