Some acts she now with less resistance bore,
Nor took alarm so quickly as before:
Like those in towns besieged, who every ball
At first with terror view, and dread them all,
But, grown familiar with the scenes, they fear
The danger less, as it approaches near;
So Conscience, more familiar with the view
Of growing evils, less attentive grew:
Yet he who felt some pain, and dreaded more,
Gave a peace-offering to the angry poor.
Thus had he quiet-but the time was brief,
From his new triumph sprang a cause of grief;
In office join'd, and acting with the rest,
He must admit the sacramental test:
Now, as a Sectary, who had all his life,
As he supposed, been with the Church at strife,
(No rules of hers, no laws had he perused,
Nor knew the tenets he by rote abused);
Yet Conscience here arose more fierce and strong,
Than when she told of robbery and wrong;
"Change his religion! No! he must be sure
"That was a blow no conscience could endure."
Though friend to virtue, yet she oft abides In early notions, fix'd by erring guides;
And is more startled by a call from those,
Than when the foulest crimes her rest oppose;
By error taught, by prejudice misled,
She yields her rights, and fancy rules instead;
When Conscience all her stings and terror deals,
Not as truth dictates, but as fancy feels:
And thus within our Hero's troubled breast,
Crime was less torture than the odious test.
New forms, new measures, he must now embrace,
With sad conviction that they warr'd with grace;
To his new church no former friend would come,
They scarce preferr'd her to the Church of Rome:
But thinking much, and weighing guilt and gain,
Conscience and he commuted for her pain;
Then promised Fulham to retain his creed,
And their peculiar paupers still to feed ;
Their attic-room (in secret) to attend,
And not forget he was the Preacher's friend;
Thus he proposed, and Conscience, troubled, tried,
And wanting peace, reluctantly complied.
Now care subdued, and apprehensions gone,
In peace our Hero went aspiring on ;
But short the period-soon a quarrel rose,
Fierce in the birth, and fatal in the close;
With times of truce between, which rather proved That both were weary, than that either loved.
Fulham ev'n now disliked the heavy thrall, And for her death would in his anguish call, As Rome's mistaken friend exclaim'd, Let Carthage
So felt our Hero, so his wish express'd,
Against this powerful Sprite-delenda est:
Rome in her conquest saw not danger near,
Freed from her rival, and without a fear;
So, Conscience conquer'd, men perceive how free,
But not how fatal such a state must be.
Fatal not free our Hero's; foe or friend,
Conscience on him was destined to attend :
She dosed indeed, grew dull, nor seem'd to spy
Crime following crime, and each of deeper dye;
But all were noticed, and the reckoning time
With her account came on-crime following crime.
This, once a foe, now Brother in the Trust, Whom Fulham late described as fair and just, Was the sole Guardian of a wealthy Maid, Placed in his power, and of his frown afraid : Not quite an idiot, for her busy brain
Sought, by poor cunning, trifling points to gain;
Success in childish projects her delight,
She took no heed of each important right.
The friendly parties met-the Guardian cried, "I am too old; my sons have each a Bride:
Martha, my Ward, would make an easy Wife; "On easy terms I'll make her yours for life; "And then the creature is so weak and mild, "She may be soothed and threaten'd as a child ;""Yet not obey," said Fulham, "for your fools, "Female and male, are obstinate as mules."
Some points adjusted, these new friends agreed, Proposed the day, and hurried on the deed.
" 'Tis a vile act," said Conscience :-"It will prove," Replied the bolder Man, "an act of love; "Her wicked Guardian might the Girl have sold "To endless misery for a Tyrant's gold; "Now may her life be happy-for I mean "To keep my temper even and serene." "I cannot thus compound," the Spirit cried, "Nor have my laws thus broken and defied : "This is a fraud, a bargain for a Wife;
Expect my vengeance, or amend your life."
The Wife was pretty, trifling, childish, weak ; She could not think, but would not cease to speak : This he forbad-she took the caution ill,
And boldly rose against his sovereign will;
With idiot-cunning she would watch the hour,
When friends were present, to dispute his power:
With tyrant-craft, he then was still and calm,
But raised in private terror and alarm:
By many trials, she perceived how far
To vex and tease, without an open war;
And he discover'd that so weak a mind
No art could lead, and no compulsion bind;
The rudest force would fail such mind to tame,
And she was callous to rebuke and shame;
Proud of her wealth, the power of law she knew,
And would assist him in the spending too:
His threat'ning words with insult she defied,
To all his reasoning with a stare replied;
And when he begg'd her to attend, would say,
"Attend I will-but let me have my way."
Nor rest had Conscience: "While you "From me," she cried, "you seek redress in vain.” His thoughts were grievous: "All that I possess "From this vile bargain adds to my distress;
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