The Character Of A Good Parson.[1] Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDEFGGHIJJKKKLLMM NNOOPQRSRTTUUVWXXKMJ Y PPZA2B2B2FD YYKKC2D2FDE2E2 F2G2OOOO A2ZYYOOOOO OOOOOOOOH2H2OO OOI2I2OOOJ2J2KO EEAA CCOO MMOOOOA2A2Z OOIK2OO YL2 M2M2QP OON2N2OOFD O2O2 DDOOA parish priest was of the pilgrim train | A |
An awful reverend and religious man | B |
His eyes diffused a venerable grace | C |
And charity itself was in his face | C |
Rich was his soul though his attire was poor | D |
As God had clothed his own ambassador | E |
For such on earth his bless'd Redeemer bore | F |
Of sixty years he seem'd and well might last | G |
To sixty more but that he lived too fast | G |
Refined himself to soul to curb the sense | H |
And made almost a sin of abstinence | I |
Yet had his aspect nothing of severe | J |
But such a face as promised him sincere | J |
Nothing reserved or sullen was to see | K |
But sweet regards and pleasing sanctity | K |
Mild was his accent and his action free | K |
With eloquence innate his tongue was arm'd | L |
Though harsh the precept yet the preacher charm'd | L |
For letting down the golden chain from high | M |
He drew his audience upward to the sky | M |
And oft with holy hymns he charm'd their ears | N |
A music more melodious than the spheres | N |
For David left him when he went to rest | O |
His lyre and after him he sung the best | O |
He bore his great commission in his look | P |
But sweetly temper'd awe and soften'd all he spoke | Q |
He preach'd the joys of heaven and pains of hell | R |
And warn'd the sinner with becoming zeal | S |
But on eternal mercy loved to dwell | R |
He taught the gospel rather than the law | T |
And forced himself to drive but loved to draw | T |
For fear but freezes minds but love like heat | U |
Exhales the soul sublime to seek her native seat | U |
To threats the stubborn sinner oft is hard | V |
Wrapp'd in his crimes against the storm prepared | W |
But when the milder beams of mercy play | X |
He melts and throws his cumbrous cloak away | X |
Lightning and thunder heaven's artillery | K |
As harbingers before the Almighty fly | M |
Those but proclaim his style and disappear | J |
The stiller sound succeeds and God is there | Y |
- | |
The tithes his parish freely paid he took | P |
But never sued or cursed with bell and book | P |
With patience bearing wrong but offering none | Z |
Since every man is free to lose his own | A2 |
The country churls according to their kind | B2 |
Who grudge their dues and love to be behind | B2 |
The less he sought his offerings pinch'd the more | F |
And praised a priest contented to be poor | D |
- | |
Yet of his little he had some to spare | Y |
To feed the famish'd and to clothe the bare | Y |
For mortified he was to that degree | K |
A poorer than himself he would not see | K |
True priests he said and preachers of the Word | C2 |
Were only stewards of their sovereign Lord | D2 |
Nothing was theirs but all the public store | F |
Intrusted riches to relieve the poor | D |
Who should they steal for want of his relief | E2 |
He judged himself accomplice with the thief | E2 |
- | |
Wide was his parish not contracted close | F2 |
In streets but here and there a straggling house | G2 |
Yet still he was at hand without request | O |
To serve the sick to succour the distress'd | O |
Tempting on foot alone without affright | O |
The dangers of a dark tempestuous night | O |
- | |
All this the good old man perform'd alone | A2 |
Nor spared his pains for curate he had none | Z |
Nor durst he trust another with his care | Y |
Nor rode himself to Paul's the public fair | Y |
To chaffer for preferment with his gold | O |
Where bishoprics and sinecures are sold | O |
But duly watch'd his flock by night and day | O |
And from the prowling wolf redeem'd the prey | O |
And hungry sent the wily fox away | O |
- | |
The proud he tamed the penitent he cheer'd | O |
Nor to rebuke the rich offender fear'd | O |
His preaching much but more his practice wrought | O |
A living sermon of the truths he taught | O |
For this by rules severe his life he squared | O |
That all might see the doctrine which they heard | O |
For priests he said are patterns for the rest | O |
The gold of heaven who bear the God impress'd | O |
But when the precious coin is kept unclean | H2 |
The Sovereign's image is no longer seen | H2 |
If they be foul on whom the people trust | O |
Well may the baser brass contract a rust | O |
- | |
The prelate for his holy life he prized | O |
The worldly pomp of prelacy despised | O |
His Saviour came not with a gaudy show | I2 |
Nor was his kingdom of the world below | I2 |
Patience in want and poverty of mind | O |
These marks of Church and Churchmen he design'd | O |
And living taught and dying left behind | O |
The crown he wore was of the pointed thorn | J2 |
In purple he was crucified not born | J2 |
They who contend for place and high degree | K |
Are not his sons but those of Zebedee | O |
- | |
Not but he knew the signs of earthly power | E |
Might well become Saint Peter's successor | E |
The holy father holds a double reign | A |
The prince may keep his pomp the fisher must be plain | A |
- | |
Such was the saint who shone with every grace | C |
Reflecting Moses' like his Maker's face | C |
God saw his image lively was express'd | O |
And his own work as in creation bless'd | O |
- | |
The Tempter saw him too with envious eye | M |
And as on Job demanded leave to try | M |
He took the time when Richard was deposed | O |
And high and low with happy Harry closed | O |
This prince though great in arms the priest withstood | O |
Near though he was yet not the next of blood | O |
Had Richard unconstrain'd resign'd the throne | A2 |
A king can give no more than is his own | A2 |
The title stood entail'd had Richard had a son | Z |
- | |
Conquest an odious name was laid aside | O |
Where all submitted none the battle tried | O |
The senseless plea of right by Providence | I |
Was by a flattering priest invented since | K2 |
And lasts no longer than the present sway | O |
But justifies the next who comes in play | O |
- | |
The people's right remains let those who dare | Y |
Dispute their power when they the judges are | L2 |
- | |
He join'd not in their choice because he knew | M2 |
Worse might and often did from change ensue | M2 |
Much to himself he thought but little spoke | Q |
And undeprived his benefice forsook | P |
- | |
Now through the land his cure of souls he stretch'd | O |
And like a primitive apostle preach'd | O |
Still cheerful ever constant to his call | N2 |
By many follow'd loved by most admired by all | N2 |
With what he begg'd his brethren he relieved | O |
And gave the charities himself received | O |
Gave while he taught and edified the more | F |
Because he showed by proof 'twas easy to be poor | D |
- | |
He went not with the crowd to see a shrine | O2 |
But fed us by the way with food divine | O2 |
- | |
In deference to his virtues I forbear | D |
To show you what the rest in orders were | D |
This brilliant is so spotless and so bright | O |
He needs no foil but shines by his own proper light | O |
John Dryden
(1)
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