Page:The works of Anna Laetitia Barbauld volume 1.djvu/383

Rh O happy period! soon to pass away, Soon will the swelling gales assert their sway, And drive the vessel from the sheltered port,— O guide it Heaven!—of winds and waves the sport. Nor yet "to raise the genius" is our aim, With Shakespear's high-wrought scenes and words of flame. A little story, drawn from fairy lore, A nursery tale, this evening we explore: "To mend the heart," indeed, we mean to try, And show what poison lurks in flattery. 'T is true our hero was a prince—what then ! Believe me, Flattery stoops to common men. A little dose, made up with skill and care, A grain or two of incense, all can bear : ’T is life's first rule,—by complaisance we live; All flatter all, and to receive we give. Myself, for instance, am sent here tonight With soothing speech your favour to invite;