Fragment LVI: Lawful and honest gain, the gift of Heaven

Lawful and honest gain, the gift of Heaven,
Is lasting ; and abides where it is given.
But where a man, by perjury or by wrong,
Rises in riches ; though secure and strong
In common estimation, (though he deem
Himself a happy. man, and so may seem,)
Yet the just sentence on his wicked gains
Already stands recorded, and remains
For execution.— Hence we judge amiss ;
And the true cause of our mistake is this :
The punishment ordain’d by Heaven’s decree -
Attaches to the sin, but (as we see
In many cases) leaves the sinner free.—
—Death follows, and is faster in his rate,
While vengeance travels slowly ; speedy fate
Arrests the offender at a shorter date.