Page:The Excursion, Wordsworth, 1814.djvu/326

300 From carelessness; and thus, in lapse of time,

These joint infirmities induced decay

Of worldly substance; and distress of mind,

That to a thoughtful Man was hard to shun,

And which he could not cure. A blooming Girl

Served in the house, a Favourite that had grown

Beneath his eye, encouraged by his care.

Poor now in tranquil pleasure he gave way

To thoughts of troubled pleasure; he became

A lawless Suitor to the Maid; and she

Yielded unworthily.—Unhappy Man!

That which he had been weak enough to do

Was misery in remembrance; he was stung,

Stung by his inward thoughts, and by the smiles

Of Wife and Children stung to agony.

Wretched at home he gained no peace abroad;

Ranged though the mountains, slept upon the earth,

Asked comfort of the open air, and found

No quiet in the darkness of the night,

No pleasure in the beauty of the day.

His flock he slighted: his paternal fields

Became a clog to him, whose spirit wished

To fly, but whither? And this gracious Church,