Reason refin'd and to perfection brought,
By wise Philosophy, and serious Thought,
Supports the Soul beneath the pond'rous Weight
Of angry Stars, and unpropitious Fate,
Then is the time she should exert her Pow'r,
And make us practice what she taught before.
For why are such Volum'nous Authors read,
The learned Labours of the famous Dead.
But to prepare the Mind for its defence,
By sage Results, and well-digested, Sense;
That when the Storm of Misery appears
With all its real, or fantastick Fears,
We either may the rolling danger fly,
Or stem the Tide before it swells too high.