The Works of Alexander Pope (1717)/On Silence, in imitation of the style of the late E. of R.

by Alexander Pope

 

On SILENCE, in imitation of the style of the late E. of R.

 

I.
Silence! coœval with Eternity;
Thou wert, e'er nature first began to be,
'Twas one vast nothing, all, and all slept fast in thee.

II.
Thine was the sway, e'er heav'n was form'd or earth,
E'er fruitful Thought conceiv'd creation's birth,
Or midwife Word gave aid, and spoke the infant forth.

III.
Then various elements against thee join'd,
In one more various animal combin'd,
And fram'd the clam'rous race of busy human-kind.

IV.
The tongue mov'd gently first, and speech was low,
Till wrangling Science taught it noise and show,
And wicked Wit arose, thy most abusive foe.

V.
But rebel Wit deserts thee oft' in vain;
Lost in the maze of words, he turns again,
And seeks a surer state, and courts thy gentler reign.

VI.
Afflicted sense thou kindly dost set free,
Oppress'd with argumental tyranny,
And routed reason finds a safe retreat in thee.

VII.
With thee in private modest dulness lies,
And in thy bosom lurks in thought's disguise;
Thou varnisher of fools, and cheat of all the wise!

VIII.
Yet thy indulgence is by both confest;
Folly by thee lies sleeping in the breast,
And 'tis in thee at last that wisdom seeks for rest.

IX.
Silence, the knave's repute, the whore's good name,
The only honour of the wishing dame;
Thy very want of tongue makes thee a kind of Fame.

X.
But cou'dst thou seize some tongues that now are free,
How Church and State wou'd be oblig'd to thee?
At Senate, and at Bar, how welcome wou'dst thou be?

XI.
Yet speech, ev'n there, submissively withdraws
From rights of subjects, and the poor man's cause;
Then pompous silence reigns, and stills the noisy laws.

XII.
Past services of friends, good deeds of foes,
What Fav'rites gain, and what th' Exchequer owes,
Fly the forgetful world, and in thy arms repose.

XIII.
The country wit, religion of the town,
The courtier's learning, policy o'th' gown,
Are best by thee express'd, and shine in thee alone.

XIV.
 The Parson's cant, the Lawyer's sophistry,
 Lord's quibble, Critic's jest; all end in thee,
All rest in peace at last, and sleep eternally.