Charity Never Faileth

SAY would'st Thou gain eternal Praise,
Go foolish Man thy great designs pursue,
Go, try ten thousand ways
Thy Toil like Sisyphus each hour renew
Yet know that after all Thy Pain
Like him thou dost but roll a heavy Stone in vain.

Rush, if thou wilt into the Camp, and try
To purchace Fame by Victory,
Let Fortune stil against thy foes conspire
Still on Thee, her Darling wait
And kindly seem to make her great.
Great as thy soaring wishes can require
Yet when thy Troops return with Conquest crown'd
Thy recompence is only shouts and noise
(The Rabbles unintelligible voice)
And scarce a Lawrel-leaf for every wound.

But say the Senate should thy Service own
And to thy Memory with comely Pride
Erect a shining Pyramide
By this Thou canst not be for ever known,
The Marble will decay, the Polish'd Iron rust.
And both will be as soon as Thou art, Dust.

Then throw your Sword and Gauntlet by
Change your Armour for a Gown
Read all the Secrets of Philosophy
And thus endeavor to obtain renown.
Yet here thy Study will prove vain
No glory can'st Thou hence obtain
Since Men the mighty Stagyrite disdain.
Should'st Thou invoke the Muses then, and try
If honor can be gain'd by Poetry,
Alas ! no glory will from hence arise
Tho (which is much improbable) thy Rhimes
Affect the Squeamish Criticks of these times
What they Admire their Children may dispise
Homer is Censur'd, Ennius quite thrown by.
Then how short-liv'd will be thy Praise
Like what thou labour'est for, a sprig of Bayes
'Twill with its Transitory Master Dye.

Hard fate! can nothing then secure our Name
From Envys cruel rage
And the devouring Teeth of Age
Can nothing Purchace everlasting Fame ?
Yes, Charity will do't, 'tis This alone
Will make its Author always known
The Charitable Man shal live
Without what needless Art can give
And every Tongue his Acts rehearse
Tho no Man built his Tomb, or sung his Praise in Verse.

Old Time and Envy shal his glory view
Each vainly striving to pursue
Whilst looking back he sees them fly behind
And scapes the fatal Gulph which swallows all Mankind
Nay even in that dreadful Day
When all Men else to Rocks and Caverns run
And desperately strive an angry God to shun
When time it self shal be no more
Who fed the Orphan, and reliev'd the Poor
Shal with undaunted Courage stay
And Ten times more receive, then e'er he gave away.