| At length, in office thus install'd, And each was gone where duty call'd, | |
| He, with a pressing arm, embrac'd The busy cook's well-fatten'd waist, As with her pin she plied the paste; | } |
| When from her active tongue he drew The duties which he had to do, And how he might their claims divide, Nor lean too much to either side. —Our hero, who now felt his ground, Thought not of change in what he found; And that to enter on reform Would be but to excite a storm, Disturb the Knight's desir'd repose And fill a kitchen full of foes. He plainly saw his station bound him To be at peace with all around him: But, as the diff'rent int'rests drew, He rather trembled at the view. |
Thus, if we may small things compare
With those which more important are,
We may Ezekiel's state apply
To maxims of philosophy,
By which it seems life's changeful hours
Are subject to two adverse powers,
That govern as by time or chance,
Nay, struggle for predominance;
While each, at diff'rent hours, may be