179^- ON DR. young's night thoughts. 155 



I could quote from the Night Thoughts many fimi" 

 ]ar palTages of fubtile and fantaftical antithefis ; but I am 

 afraid, that the bulk of readers would take them for 

 charming poetry. ThoCe who can diftinguifli quaint- 

 nefs and affeftation from true fublimity, will find fuch 

 paffages in every page, nay, almoft in e^^ery lin.^ How- 

 ever, I fhall hazard fome fpecimens which leem to re- 

 ferable Ralph's Kiddles very much. 



" All knowing ! all unknown, and yet tveli-inown / 



" Near, though rerxoie / and tho' unfathoni d, yi'/t^ 



" And though invij'thle , for evi r lecn ! 



" Know this Lorcozo, (feem it ne'er fo ftrange), 



" Nothing can fatisfy, but what confounds ; 



" Nothing but what ajtonijlts, is true \. 



Speaking of man, he fays : 



" An heir of glory ! a frail child of duft ! 

 " Helplefs! immortal ! infi^i infinite 1 

 " A IVorm ! a Ge</." 



The " Devil" and the " Saint" are hardly fuch 

 exaggerated oppofites as the " worm" and the 

 " God.-" 



The following extracts I leave, without illuflration, 

 to the common fenfe of the reader. I have fometimes 

 quoted, and fometimes omitted to quote the particu- 

 lar Night and line ac which the fpecimen may be found; 

 bMt the Doftor's ftile is fu-fficiently marked. 



" Procraftination is the ?Z>it/of time! 



" What c-jn awake thee, unawak'd by this, 

 " Expended Deity on human weal ? 



Night 4th, 1. ig?. 

 " Oh love of gold ! "Yhovi meunej} of amours ! 



Night 4th, I. 349. 

 " Are paffions, then, tht pagans of the foul ? 



t One of the venerable ancient fathers held a very Cmilar maxim. 

 Credo guiii cfl impofjibile. The name of this logician was TcrtuUian. A 

 gjcat part of his works is exaAly in the fame ftyle. In particular, iht: 

 reft of the very paragiaph now quoted, is fo grofsly indecent, that I 

 dare not (hock tlic pious car, by attempting to infcrt it. Yet our di- 

 vines, of all dcfciiptions, are inctfiantly appealing to the authority of this 

 man, who was, in eveiy refpc(5l, ai; hv.ndiod and fifty degrees below 

 V^hifton or Whitcfield. ' 



U2 



