Ellis Walker Poems

If I should boast I wealthier am than you,
It follows not that I am better too;
If I should say, I'm the more florid man,
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Doth any one bathe earlier than the time
That's usually observed, or drink much wine;
Censure him not, nor say 'tis not well done,
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When you in ev'ry place yourself profess
A deep philosopher, you but express
Much vanity, much self-conceit betray,
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When men of shallow heads themselves advance
Above their usual pitch of ignorance,
To talk of maxims and of rules; forbear
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The hopes and fears of a plebeian's mind
To outward objects only are confin'd;
Riches and pleasures are his chief delight,
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Such, and so differing is the character
Of the plebeian and philosopher.
Now the proficient, he that labours on
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Doth any man look big, and boast that he
Doth understand
Chrysippus
thorowly,
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To these great rules with constancy adhere
With noble resolutions, pious fear;
Fear to recede from these, as you would dread
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Awake, awake, how long will you decline
The happiness propos'd, and waste your time?
How long through sloth, will you persist to slight,
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Philosophy's most useful part is this,
Which shews us what a wise man's duty is,
Which teacheth what we should pursue or fly;
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