Digital Day Thoughts

A Brief Introduction to Digital Day Thoughts

Henry Jones (1721-1770) started life as a bricklayer in County Louth, Ireland, but in his early twenties, Jones’s literary accomplishments caught the attention of the Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Chesterfield brought this natural genius to London in 1748, where Jones met early encouragement. His poems sold fairly well, and his drama, The Earl of Essex, was, according to the Dictionary of National Biography, the most popular play dealing with Essex in England and America through the early years of the nineteenth century.

Financial success and literary recognition in the 1750s would not prove lasting supports, however. A retrospective in the May and June 1794 issues of The European Magazine, and London Review described Jones sliding into dissipation and eventually offending Lord Chesterfield by borrowing eight guineas from the Earl’s footman (349, 350). Jones would never recover his patronage. In his last years, Jones spent time in sponging houses before meeting with a rather ignominious end: Jones, after being in a state of inebriety for two days, was found run over by a waggon on the night of the third, in St. Martin’s Lane, without his hat or his coat (423).

The success of The Earl of Essex notwithstanding, Jones has virtually disappeared from literary history. William J. Christmas speculates that perhaps no eighteenth-century poet, plebiean or otherwise, who wrote and published as much as Jones did has evaporated more completely from our critical discussions of the period (130). Christmas should know: the third chapter of his monograph, The Lab’ring Muses, is the only extended treatment of Jones in modern criticism (Christmas also wrote the current DNB entry for Jones). If he is mentioned at all, it is usually in passing. The publisher Rayner Unwin, for example, discussing uneducated poets of the later eighteenth century, summarized Jones thus: [s]ometimes mediocrity was inherent in the man, as in the case of Henry Jones, who was brought from Ireland by the Earl of Chesterfield, quarreled with his patron, failed to fulfil himself as a poet, and later had the misfortune to be run over when drunk (77). Aside from The Lab’ring Muses, the only recent work that considers Jones at any length is Bridget Keegan’s anthology, Eighteenth-Century English Labouring-Class Poets (2003), which reprints selections from several of Jones’s poems, including parts of Day Thoughts.

Jones deserves further rehabilitation. Chronologically, he stands between early natural poets like Stephen Duck (1705-1756), Mary Collier (1688–1762), and Mary Leapor (1722–1746) on the one hand, and enduringly-popular laboring poets like Robert Burns (1759-1796) and John Clare (1793-1864) on the other. Jones made a ripple in literary history when Augustan values began confronting new Romantic sensibilities. Jones’s criticism of the graveyard school of poetry in Day Thoughts is an especially fascinating piece of reader response because the genre is often framed as a transitional proto-Romantic, proto-Gothic form. In this light, Jones seems rather retrograde—he is concerned that the allure of dark and supernatural imagery unfits the mind for mature reasoning and humble daytime pleasures.

Why he chose poet and Church of England minister, Edward Young, as chief target of criticism is a bit mystifying, however. Ostensibly, Jones should favor his work. Though Young’s The Complaint: or, Night-Thoughts (1742-1745) is considered an examplar of the graveyard school, it does not dwell in the lurid detail which so irked Jones; that was rather the characteristic of poems like Robert Blair’s The Grave (1743). Where Young does dabble in churchyard imagery—The Knell, the Shroud, the Mattock, and the Grave; / The deep damp Vault, the Darkness, and the Worm—he is quick to subvert it and to turn thought to moral ends: These are the Bugbears of a Winter’s Eve, produced by Imagination’s fool, and Error’s Wretch (IV:10-11, 12, 14, his emphasis). This is very close to Jones’s judgment against all this Din, about a Worm’s Concerns as the Vapours of a heated Brain and The sacred Bugbears of a frighted World.

Indeed, Jones’s cheery portrayal of radiant Gems of Heav’n, that nightly burn, seems remarkably similar to Young’s own positive refiguration of night. Darkness has more divinity for me, writes Young, because It strikes thought inward; it drives back the soul / To settle on herself, our point supreme! (V.128-130). Quoting these same lines, Fred Botting writes, Night Thoughts criticises ignorance and superstition (34). Christmas too notes what should be a congruity between Jones and Young: Jones’s moral didacticism is also concerned with the subject of religion, and he clearly champions the cultivation of Christian piety and religious values in a contemporary cultural setting. In this respect, Jones closely follows Young, whose nine ‘nights’ of Night Thoughts represent a sustained apology for Christian dogma in verse (The Lab’ring 141). Could Jones have misread Young or lumped him in indiscriminately with more grisly graveyard poets?

Christmas registers these contradictions without offering much explanation: Though Jones apparently lionized Young early in his career, imitating his views on ‘Ambition’ for instance, he too comes under fire later in this poem for his ‘horrid Scenes’ and ‘ghastly Images.’ (154). It is not clear how Young’s restrained use of horrid scenes and ghastly images for the sake of transforming them is any different from Jones’s reproduction of the same scenes for the sake of criticizing them. Jones’s main problem, Christmas suggests, centers on the function of death. Instead of portraying it as the great social leveler, as both Gray and Young had done, Jones views it as only an end to worldly toil, pain, and grief. (154). But here too, the opposition between the poets may not be as great as it seems, since Young also portrayed death as a positive good, not just a leveler: Auspicious Æra! Golden Days, begin! / The Thought of Death, shall, like a God, inspire (III.308-9).

If anything, Young overvalues the spiritual brightness of night and its concomitant thoughts of mortality. Young’s narrator aims to convert his atheistic interlocutor, Lorenzo, to Christianity by forcing his attention upon the permanent state of death, but death as glorious kingdom for the Christian, not as gloomy prison. Even death refigured may be thought of to excess, however. Jones asks, should ants and other creatures to whom our jealous Pride denies Superior Talents, and immortal Thought be granted the opportunity to rejoice, / With fearless Hearts, of Shadows fearless made, / And fancy’d Terrors all? Imaginary / Phantoms! From these exempt, they live at Ease. Humans, meanwhile—a race of Beast and Angel join’d—are scared by Ravens, Vultures, and what Harpies cry, all imaginary thoughts that are the Property of Custom, Fraud, and Cunning! Mankind is too apt to produce visions by Melancholy seen.

Jones thus seems to assert that lingering in darkness, however positively valued, incubates dejection, which is unnatural to immortal man. If he errs in lumping Young together with the more lurid graveyard poets, he wouldn’t be the last to overemphasize Young’s dolors. Cecil Moore in 1953 judged Young “the gloomiest of all poets in this period, if not in all English literature” (232). But another factor may be at work. Though Christmas argues that a Christian moral scheme undergirds Jones’s poetics, Day Thoughts hints at a universalist strain in its critique of night thoughts. Jones apostrophizes the sun, Was it thy great, thy good Creator’s View, / (O Horrid Plan,) to cheat me into Being, / To gratify Revenge and Rage eternal, / In Tortures beyond Thought, and endless Woe. The implicit no of Jones’s rhetorical question at the least de-emphasizes terror of sin, death, and avenging spirits.

Through this lens, Young’s attempt at poetic conversion of the infidel through meditation on mortality is misguided. The fearsome vision that death presents to an atheist (and, for that matter, to the immature Christian), before the reforming eyes of faith can refashion it into inspiration, is unnecessary. It might end in depression and superstition. Thus, while it does seem a misreading to attribute to Young the whole dismal Pageantry of Death which characterizes other strains of graveyard poetry, Jones’s criticism perhaps centers on Young’s apologetics. Jones offers an alternative: to Let Fancy drive these Goblins from her Sight and to look up to sunny skies where Thy Gracious God awaits thee.

This grace of God is nearly the final thought in Day Thoughts, but its relationship to God’s law is uncertain. Jones puts the relationship in play a few lines earlier when he declares death No grisly Terror to the honest Heart: / If God be just. O Blasphemy, to doubt / His Justice or his Mercy!——Mercy all / (But not unjust) is God. Is this a roundabout way of arguing against Calvinist double predestination that all humans are eligible for salvation—that they simply need be honest?Compare Robert A. Aubin’s (unheeded) judgment in 1935 that Jones deserves an eminent place among those who through the eighteenth century fought decadent Calvinism and ‘black’ melancholy in the name of common sense (107). Is it a declaration of universalism screened by a parenthetical qualifier about justice? Or is the universal salvation of mankind justice itself?

Eric Parisot’s argument that graveyard poetry becomes a replacement for the printed funeral sermon provides historical context for the thesis that Jones is offering doctrinal, rather than strictly poetic or societal, critique. Young and other graveyard poets were favorites of the Wesleys, for example, and Parisot documents the religious use of Young’s poetry among middle-class readers. Shopkeeper Thomas Turner read Night Thoughts aloud in its entirety to his family twice in four years, a practice he reserves (according to his diary) for only three other works — Tillotson’s Sermons, Sherlock’s Practical Discourse Concerning Death, and Milton’s Paradise Lost (89). Is Jones’s critique of morbid imagery also a critique of this catechetical aspect of graveyard poetry? If night thoughts undermine reason and common sense, it would certainly be provoking to witness Young being fed to families directly—and not just upper-crust literati, but humble tradesmen. Could there also be a class aspect to Jones’s criticism? Day Thoughts raises a host of fascinating questions which demand further analysis and debate. This digital version, while not a critical edition, is an attempt to encourage investigation through uniquely digital tools.

The Relief: A Poem. WHY all this solemn Apparatus apparatus ? why? Why all this Din, din about a Worm’s worm’s Concerns concerns ? The Child child of Dust dust , of Misery misery , of Scorn scorn ; The Prey prey of Flattery flattery , the Food food of Pride pride ; Vain Expectation’s expectation’s Bubble bubble , Reason’s reason’s Dupe dupe ; By frantic Hope hope misled; and lost in Whirls whirls Of visionary Scenes scenes , enchanted Piles piles , The fancy’d Fabricks fabricks built by Vanity vanity Upon the Vapours vapours of a heated Brain brain ; By Craft craft kept up in injur’d Reason’s Spight reason’s spight , By Custom custom held in reverential Awe awe ; The sacred Bugbears bugbears A frightful object; a walking spectre, imagined to be seen; generally now used for a false terrour to frighten babes (Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language). [Digital Edition] of a frighted World world ; To serve the Purpose purpose of designing Knaves knaves , And yoke the Neck neck of Fools fools ? —— The awful Temples temples , Tombs tombs , and tolling Clocks clocks ; The midnight Damps damps that drop from weeping Yews yews , Beneath th’ eclipsed Moon moon , (the Scriech-Owl’s scriech-owl’s Haunt) haunt) Drenching the Locks locks of some night-watching Pilgrim pilgrim , Who sits, in dismal Meditation meditation wrapt, And brainsick Horror horror , o’er yon mould’ring Grave grave , By Time time defac’d, and frequent Footsteps footsteps worn: No Mark mark remaining, but th’ erected Stone stone Inscrib’d with Narratives narratives uncouth of Birth birth , Of Death death , (a mute unmeaning Blank blank between) The Chissel’s chissel’s Story story to the pensive Hind hind , Who painful pores upon the wasted Words words , And puzzling scans th’ imperfect Characters characters Half hid in Nettles nettles , and perplex’d with Thorn thorn . Here, moping Superstition superstition nightly broods; Here counts the Clarion clarion of the Bird bird of Dawn dawn , Whose dreary Note note proclaims the ebbing Night night , And drives the frighted Goblin goblin to his Haunt haunt , The Time-recording time-recording Cock cock : or to the Winds winds Repeats her unavailing Vespers vespers o’er; The Winds winds , that mournful yell, from ecchoing Vaults vaults , And broken Sepulchres sepulchres , their groaning Accents accents ; As if they wail’d the long-departed long-departing Dead dead , Who slumber, deep in everlasting Night night , Within these dreary Mansions mansions ; where no Dawn dawn Returns. Thus, hideous Melancholy melancholy dips Her Pencil pencil , still, still in dark delusive Tincts tincts , And paints the Face face of Things things ; detested Groupe growpe !The quarto and octavo editions record different archaic spellings of the word “groop,” a livestock gutter. A Landskip landskip Although, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, this form of “landscape” was archaic in the eighteenth-century, it was still in use. The OED itself quotes mid-century examples from William Shenstone, the poet and landscape gardener. Jones may have wished to draw on medieval associations, however, as the old-fashioned spellings of “groop” in both editions of the poem suggest. fit for Hell: hell: the Work work of Fiends fiends ! Let rescu’d Fancy fancy turn aloft her Eye eye , And view yon wide extended Arch arch ; behold behold Yon Crystal crystal Concave concave , studded with the Gems gems , The radiant Gems gems of Heav’n heav’n , that nightly burn In golden Lamps lamps , and gild th’ ætherial Space space ; That smiling Vault vault , that Canopy canopy of Stars stars , Those cluster’d Constellations constellations ! Mark mark , yon Moon moon Serenely shine; (her borrow’d Lustre lustre full;) The Mountain mountain Tops tops , the Rocks rocks , the Vales vales , the Lawns lawns , By her set off, adorn’d, and made delightful: The boundless Main main , a polish’d Mirror mirror now, Reflecting, from its Bosom bosom , back, the vast, The wonderful, the glorious, glad Appearance appearance ! Bright Visions visions eccho to th’ enchanted inchanted Eye eye ; As, on the Ear ear , harmonious Sounds sounds return In mimic Notes notes , responsive made to fill, To charm the Fancy fancy , with repeated Transport transport . All these, in their eternal Round round , rejoice; All these, with universal Praise praise , proclaim Their great Creator creator ; bountiful, benign, Immensely good, rejoicing in his Creatures creatures ! Behold, yon blazing Sun sun ! but, Oh, to what; To what shall we compare; (away with such A Thought thought ) to what resemble him! this Globe globe ; Ten thousand thousand Worlds worlds , beyond where Space space Exists, where Matter matter lives; beyond the Grasp grasp Of human Thought thought , Imagination’s imagination’s Ken ken , Nay Reason’s reason’s Reach reach , the Intellect intellect of Angels? angels? — But, Silence silence best becomes the boundless Theme theme ; In Wonder wonder swallow’d up, and deep Astonishment astonishment ! What should we fear? This this glorious Prospect prospect brings No dreadful Phantom phantom to the frighted Eye eye , No Terror terror to the Soul soul ; ’tis Transport transport all! Here Fancy fancy roves, in sweet Variety variety For ever lost; her native Bliss bliss . For her, The blue ethereal Arch arch expands; her Table table Spread out with all the Dainties dainties of the Sky sky , Imagination’s rich Regale regale . For her The Clouds clouds absorb the Ev’ning ev’ning Ray ray ; and drink The liquid Gold gold , which stains their fleecy Sides sides With all the Tincts tincts of Heav’n heav’n , transmitted through A thousand diff’rent Strainers strainers to the Eye eye , And thence upon the ravish’d Soul soul diffus’d. The blushing Beauties beauties of the infant Morn morn , Aurora’s Saffron saffron Beam beam ; the splendid Bow bow , Whose copious Arch arch was bent by Hands hands divine, An Emblem emblem form’d of half Eternity eternity , By Angels angels robe’d in all the Aggregate aggregate , Th’ unblended Aggregate aggregate , of various Day day , Of Heav’n’s heav’n’s own Day day ; and from its Sun-beams sun-beams drawn, In all its Tinges tinges dipt, its Glories glories dress’d. For her, the smiling Earth earth puts on her Mantle mantle ; Her Mantle mantle green, with purple mix’d, with Gold, gold,While the capitalization of colors could vary in eighteenth-century typesetting practice, the quarto’s capitalized Gold, appearing in the same sentence as uncapitalized green and purple, suggests that gold might be metal (a noun) rather than color (an adjective). The matter remains ambiguous, however; cf. Jones’s use of Saffron eight lines earlier. With all the Liv’ries liv’ries of the youthful Spring spring , To wake new Raptures raptures in the Heart heart of Man man ; And fill his Soul soul with Gratitude gratitude immense. All these are Reason’s reason’s Treasures treasures , Stores stores of Thought thought ; Reflection’s unexhausted Funds funds , replete With Matter matter for her own delightful Task task . Here Wisdom wisdom works at large; here smiling builds, For sweet Content content , a homely Shed shed ; where Joy joy , Where Gladness gladness , visit oft her temp’rate Guests guests , And make their willing Stay stay : here, undisturb’d, They reign, they revel, take their Fill fill of all That Nature nature (ever bounteous Mother) mother) yields, For Use use or Pleasure pleasure : but Excess excess avoid; That Fiend fiend accurs’d, whose bloated Visage visage wan, And troubled Eye eye , betray her inward Pang pang , Which shakes severe her paralytic Nerve nerve , Her tott’ring Frame frame ; e’er Death death , by Nature nature taught, And Time time , in Season season , due, with gentle Hand hand Can cut the wasted Thread thread : Excess excess usurps With Force force th’ abortive Task task , and vindicates Her Prey prey ——Come all, ye Family family of Joy joy ; Ye Children children of the chearful Hour hour , begot By Wisdom wisdom on the virtuous Mind mind ; O, come! Come Innocence innocence , in conscious Strength strength secure; Come Courage courage , foremost in the manly Train train ; Come all; and in the honest Heart heart abide, Your native Residence residence , your Fortress fortress still, From real or from fancy’d Evils evils free: O, come; indignant, drive out, far beyond The utmost Precincts precincts of the human Breast breast , Beyond the Springs springs of Hope hope , the Cells cells of Joy joy , And ev’ry Mansion mansion where a Virtue virtue lives; O drive far off, for ever drive that Bane bane , That hideous Pest pest , engender’d deep in Hell hell , Where Stygian Glooms glooms condens’d dimension’d Darkness darkness , Contains, within its dire Embrace embrace , that Monster monster Horrid to Sight sight , and by the frighted Furies furies In their dread Pannic pannic Superstition nam’d! The close contracted Span span of human Life life The indentation of this line is strange. Normally, an indent would indicate the beginning of a new verse paragraph, but the octavo printing fails to include an extra line space—the other indicator of verse paragraphs—and the quarto puts this line at the top of a page, making a line space impossible. Is dearly purchas’d by the Sons sons of Care care ; Since Sickness sickness , Disappointment disappointment , Pain pain , and Death death , A thousand vary’d unavoided Evils evils , Prey hourly on the vexing Heart heart of Man man , Like Officers officers of Wrath wrath , let loose by Pride pride , To raise the rigid Tax tax on wretched Being being ; A dreadful Int’rest int’rest , for a Sum sum so small! Enough are these, alas, to gall and sting! What need we then for fancy’d Evils evils seek, To scare the Soul soul , and harrow up the Heart heart , Already toss’d, and torn, and broken down By Evils evils of its own Contrivance? contrivance? Evils evils Still adverse found, to Nature’s nature’s wholesome wholsome Ways ways ; The Bane bane of ev’ry Bliss bliss , and social Joy joy : Ambition, with her Train train ; and Luxury luxury , With Custom custom link’d, with fell Corruption corruption join’d, Led up by Fashion fashion in her frantic Dance dance , Follow’d by Misery misery , Despair despair , and Death death . For Pity’s pity’s Sake sake , forbear to haunt the World world With hideous Spectres spectres , and fantastic Forms forms ; With harpy footed Furies furies , fearful Phantoms phantoms , Everlasting Torments torments , and unquenched Fire fire . O say, what horrid Scenes scenes are these you draw! What Portraits portraits of th’ Almighty! hence, away; See Reason reason turns the Face face aside, see Nature nature Start at the monstrous Form form ! and cry aloud Through all her Works works , it is not like. Forbear, Ye croaking Ministers ministersEdward Young was a minister in the Church of England. of midnight Dreams dreams , Ye madding Trumpeters trumpeters of false Report report , Forbear to pour your ghastly Images images On Truth truth , nor give just Providence providence the Lie lie . What’s a Church-Yard church-yard , what I pray? This this horrid Goblin goblin Array’d in midnight Weeds weeds by frantic Fancy fancy I’ th’ solemn Moon-struck moon-struck Hour hour ? a Bed bed prepar’d For silent unperceiving Dust dust that once To human Thought thought was wedded, vital Clay clay , Divorc’d by Death death to join the general Mother mother , Divided far from its Companion companion dear, Th’ immortal Soul soul , that now above the Stars stars Forgets this trampled Clod clod , and joins the Choirs choirs Of Bliss bliss , ’tis gloomy all and solemn. Hark, Was it the Clock clock that told the passing Hour hour , And told it too at Midnight midnight ? when deep Silence And hideous Darkness darkness reign o’er half the World world : It was.——What then? it tells it too at Noon noon , Amidst the Noise noise and Sunshine sunshine of that Hour hour , The Clock clock that calls to Business business or to Pleasure pleasure The Sons sons of Avarice avarice and sensual Joy joy . What tragic Bustle bustle when an Engine engine strikes! Shall meer Negations negations , unsubstantial Shades shades , Such Monsters monsters form, to fright th’ unthinking Crow crowd To Fancy fancy tangible, to Terror terror real? Let Monks monks , let Nurses nurses put these Vizors vizors on, To startle Bigots bigots, and astonish Babes babes ; Reason scorns, and Common Sense common sense defies ’em; And who so weak to shudder at the Sound sound Of yon departed Moment moment fled for ever! Or with his sad foreboding Sighs sighs keep Time time To each elapsing Sand sand that silent flows From his exhausting Glass glass with breaking Heart heart : “O wretched Avarice avarice of Breath breath , to draw “Fresh Air air , or gaze upon the wearied Sun sun ; To tread the same unvary’d Round round with Pain pain , To eat, to drink, to sleep, to satisfy Each sensual sordid Appetite appetite , alas! How oft have distant Prospects prospects , verdant Views views , With all that Fortune’s fortune’s faithless flattering Mirror mirror To sanguine Pride pride presents and vain Self-Love self-love , How oft has cheated Hope hope complain’d, and sought For Refuge refuge in Despair despair ? The the Sense sense itself Grows weary of the Toil toil , the beastly Toil toil , And Reason reason oft repeats this Lesson lesson learn’d From Pain pain , ’tis Time time to die; and what is Time time Itself! this awful Sire sire of Births births prodigious; The Creature creature of the Mind mind , no more: the Vassal vassal Of Thought thought , whose very Being being is the Soul soul Made short or long, as that is more or less Employ’d——Good Heav’n heav’n and Earth earth , what horrid Noise noise ! What Stir, stir about a Reptile’s reptile’s poor Concerns concerns ! And when a Worm worm expires, shall Nature nature , say say, Shall suffering Nature nature sympathize with me? Re-eccho Groan groan for Groan groan ? so Pride pride asserts; O, monstrous Pride pride ! made drunk by Fancy fancy at Ambition’s Feast feast . Shall younder Sun sun be hid, Fierce Ætna flame, and Thunder thunder shake the Poles poles , Because, forsooth, some Spring spring eccentric moves Within this frail Machine machine ? and Passion passion sways The Soul soul , for this the universal Flood flood Broke loose beyond its stated Bounds bounds ; for this! The Mountains mountains melt, the Comets comets glare; for this! Shall Famine famine , Pestilence pestilence , and War war devour? But, hark! th’ infernal Forge forge begins to roar, The Sounds sounds of Sorrow sorrow , and the Yells yells of Pain pain , Now tear the Shop shop of Death death , and reach my Sense sense : The Flames flames ascend, the Furies furies howl, and all The Stygian Eccho’s eccho’s ring a Peal peal ; a Peal peal so loud loud, That shakes the North north of Hell hell , and makes the Throne throne Of Terror terror start. O whence this fierce Uproar uproar ! This strong Convulsion convulsion in the Realms realms of Woe woe ! Behold yon Reptile reptile gasping in the Arms arms , Th’ inexorable Arms arms of Death death ; how pale! How ghastly are its Looks looks ! Ah! see, how Fear fear , How Dread, dread distort the Face face , and fix the Eye eye , The pallid Eye eye , that Window window of the Soul soul , The parting Soul soul , that Spark spark of Entity entity , Which now stands shiv’ring on the Verge verge of Life life , And views th’ imaginary Gulph gulph beneath! What Horrors horrors ! O, what Anguish anguish , must she taste, Whilst yet her Faculties faculties are left entire; Whilst yet, she views the gaping Fiends fiends and Flames flames ! O say, can human Thought thought , can Words words express, What Nature nature feels in that tremendous Hour hour ? What Pangs pangs , what Spasms spasms , twisting too and fro With irritated Force force , convulsive, tug The rooted Fibres fibres , and the Springs springs of Life life ! By Horrors horrors heighten’d, and distemper’d Fumes fumes , That rack the Mind mind , and tear the tortur’d Frame frame ; Till the crack’d Heart heart , subdu’d at length, forgets To pant; and Death death , in Mercy mercy , ends the Fray fray : Nor only then, when near th’ expiring Gasp gasp , (Tho’ then, each Moment moment counterweighs an Age) age) Not only then, but through the goaded Length length Of harrass’d Life life , we drag the burden’d Weight weight Of slavish Fear fear , impos’d on Childhood’s childhood’s Thought thought , By Ignorance ignorance , made grey in gainful Error error , And credulous Design design ; who sit enthron’d, Like Tyrants tyrants of an antient Race race , to plead Prescription’s Right right , and rule the passive Soul soul . Can then a gracious God be said to call From forth the vacant unexisting Blank blank , A Race race of Creatures creatures capable of Joy joy , Enrich’d with Thought thought , and warm with fierce Desire desire ; With delicate Sensations sensations cover’d o’er, And nice Perception perception , prompt to gratify Th’ implanted Impulse impulse , and the vig’rous Call call ? When Nature nature makes her strong, her just Demand demand ; When Passion passion rises at the loud Alarm alarm ; Led up by Reason reason to the genial Task task ; By Reason reason guided to the wise Retreat retreat . Can Justice justice punish what herself decrees, And make Obedience obedience to her Laws laws a Crime crime ? Justice is Nature nature in her social Dress dress ; And social Virtue virtue is the Voice voice of Heav’n heav’n . Shall arbitrary Cobwebs cobwebs skreen this Truth truth , With positive dogmatical Behests behests ; And give yon blazing Sun sun the Lye lye ? Awake, Unhood-wink’d Man man , and cast abroad thy Eyes eyes ; Behold all Nature nature in one gen’rous Strife strife , The War war of Amity amity , and Discord discord sweet; The Strife strife of strong Benevolence benevolence , behold, The universal Agents agents all at work, From diff’rent Quarters quarters , with contending Pow’rs pow’rs ; In hostile Harmony harmony , to propagate One glorious and eternal Good good to Man man : To Beasts beasts , to Fish fish , to Fowl fowl ; to Plants plants , perhaps;—— perhaps; To all that feel th’ informing Touch touch of Good good , With grateful Energy energy their Texture texture strike, And send the gladsome Tiding tiding to the Soul soul . See Nature nature , in her various Stile stile , express The thankful Tribute tribute of incessant Praise praise , From lifeless Matter matter , to the sprouting Blade blade Of humble Grass grass , upon the liv’ry’d Lawn lawn ; From trodden Daisies daisies , to the Plant plant of Jove.The oak tree. See The Iliad, Book XIV, as rendered by one of Jones’s favorite authors, Alexander Pope: As when the Bolt, red-hissing from above, / Darts on the consecrated Plant of Jove, / The Mountain-Oak in flaming Ruin lies, / Black from the Blow, and Smoaks of Sulphur rise (481-84). [Google Books] Behold the genial Æther æther swarm with Life life ; With quick’ning Millions millions float. Behold the Ant ant , That Citizen citizen severe, with all her Tribes tribes Incorporate, or diff’rent colour’d Train train ; Denisons of Dust dust , and privileg’d to think, Employ their parsimonious Intellect intellect , And in their Turn turn rejoice. ’Tis Life’s life’s great Charter charter , Giv’n from Eternity eternity to all that breathe. Shall those, to whom our jealous Pride pride denies Superior Talents talents , and immortal Thought thought ; Shall they, in Self-Felicity self-felicity , flow o’er, And mental Transport transport ; since, no Joy joy , alas, But in the Mind mind , can live; shall they, whom we Meer Animates animates , miscall; shall they rejoice, With fearless Hearts hearts , of Shadows shadows fearless made, And fancy’d Terrors terrors all? Imaginary Phantoms! From these exempt, they live at Ease ease ; Regale each Sense; sense: enjoy Existence existence still, Without Excess excess . The Sons sons of Pride pride may here Be taught, what Instinct instinct , and what Reason reason mean: Reason, thou Title title to superior Rank rank , Thou dear bought Purchase to purchase of the Sons sons of Eve, What Ravens ravens , Vultures vultures , and what Harpies harpies cry, With What Clang clang incessant, o’er thy destin’d Head head ! And scare thy timid Soul soul , thou Lord lord of Nature nature ! Beast and Angel angel join’d! eccentric Wretch wretch ! The Property property of Custom custom , Fraud fraud , and Cunning cunning ! The Dupe dupe of Arrogance arrogance , the Fool fool of Forms forms ! With envious Eyes eyes , from thy exalted Stand stand , Look down upon thy subject World world , and ask Thy own experienc’d Heart heart , what living Thing thing , Amidst the meanest Reptiles reptiles , in thy Reign reign , Can suffer such Extremes extremes of Woe woe as thee? Rise up, thou glorious Attribute attribute ! assert Thy native Dignity dignity ; rise up once more, In injur’d Man’s man’s Defence defence ; rise, Reason reason , rise; And with thy Ray ray , invincible, drive far These fancy-form’d, these monster-stalking Shades shades , These Giant giant Shapes shapes , by Melancholy melancholy seen, With horrid Strides strides , to glance athwart the sick Imagination, curtain’d in already By Superstition’s superstition’s Hand hand , and terrify’d By her magnific Glass glass , reflecting still The midnight Goblin goblin , and the ghastly Shade shade . In Justice justice to thy Great great Creator creator , rise, To human Nature nature , and to injur’d Truth truth : Thou Attribute attribute divine! thou Ray ray of God! Immortal Reason reason ! come, and with thee bring In thy exulting Train train , invincible, The honest Purpose purpose , and the chearful Heart heart ; The joyful Fancy fancy , fill’d with Images images Of Truth truth , of Science science , and of social Love love . Let Friendship friendship too be there; O, closer to Thy sacred Breast breast embrace her; closer yet: She comes, she comes, from Heav’n heav’n , her native Place place , And with her see whate’er deserves thy Wish wish , Whate’er is cordial, comely, and humane, Whate’er is rational, what’er is pure; The Handmaid handmaid of th’ Almighty, sent to bless The suffering Sons sons of Men men ; to soften Sorrow sorrow ; To sweeten Care care : Seraphic Guest guest ! all hail! Thou, dearer than Relations relations dear; than Son son , Than Father father , Brother brother , Wife wife , or tender Tye tye ; Thou Child child of sweet Benevolence benevolence , begot By Reason reason on the virtuous Heart heart ; arise, Thou best belov’d of Heav’n heav’n ! thou Joy joy , thou Crown crown Of Man man , arise; and from thy sacred Presence presence Drive far each hideous Apparition apparition , form’d By midnight Hags hags , beneath th’ abortive Gloom gloom , The Bane bane of ev’ry social Bliss bliss ; thy Bane bane . What magic Sounds sounds are these, that pow’rful shed Their thrilling Transport transport through the raptur’d Soul soul , And captivate each Thought thought ? ’Tis ’tis Music’s music’s Charms charms . Hark! again, again, they strike; again possessJones appears to be overturning Young’s penchant to strike, again, again, the phrase the thought of death: Dost ask Lorenzo, why so warmly prest, / By Repetition hammer’d on thine Ear, / The Thought of Death? (Night Thoughts V.682-84 in Cornford's 1989 edition). [See also Google Books] The Heart heart : O! sweeter, louder yet proclaim Thy large Dominion dominion o’er the kindred Soul soul , Extatic Harmony harmony , triumphant Bliss bliss , To the glad Heart heart ! where Virtue virtue tunes the Strings strings . Awake, awake, each chearful Thought thought ; arise At that seraphic Call call ; ’tis Friendship’s friendship’s Voice voice . Good Nature nature , now, arise, in Smiles smiles array’d; Thou welcome Guest guest , with Aspect aspect open still, And with unguarded Lip lip , because thy Heart heart With social Fervor fervor glows, and sends its Message message To the rich Tongue tongue , by Sense sense directed still; By Prudence prudence taught: Behold behold yon smiling Bowl bowl , By Temp’rance temp’rance mix’d, with chearful Hand hand , invites Thy Lip lip : See see blushing Beauty beauty there adorn’d With Modesty modesty sublime, with Meekness meekness robe’d, With Grace grace invincible attract the Soul soul , And heighten ev’ry Joy joy : Thou thou Fugitive fugitive , Fly far, intruding Care care ; from hence fly far; And in some Gothic Cell cell , with Superstition superstition , With slavish Horror horror , make thy drear Abode abode . Let in the mimic Arts arts , the Muse muse shall lead Them in; herself their Chief chief , their Crown crown , their Pride pride , Immortal Pride pride , that hands them safe through all The Havock havock and the Wrecks wrecks of Time time ; by her Preserv’d, recorded, and immortal made. Behold the magic Pencil’s pencil’s mock Creation creation ; The peopled Canvass canvass , and the story’d Wall wall ; How Life life , how Passion passion , blend together there! To ravish, and to warm the wond’ring Soul soul , And lift its Faculties faculties to Heav’n heav’n . O, there Let Fancy fancy feast, and take her Fill fill of all, That Genius genius , or that Learning learning yield; of all That Dignity dignity or Grace grace bestow, to banquet Reason, and cheer chear the Heart heart , susceptible, Whom Genius genius , Taste taste , and Science science , form’d to feel, To foster, cherish, and enjoy the Guests guests Divine; the Soul soul congenial, copious, warm, Exalted, and humane, with op’ning Arms arms Will rush to meet Embrace embrace , and welcome in Th’ angelic Visitants visitants in meek Disguise disguise , In Britain yet, (alas, how few the Friends friends , The hospitable Friends friends they find) yet there, Yet even there, a Chesterfield and Holderness, Anxious for their Country’s country’s fading Glory glory , Inspir’d by Genius genius and immortal Fame fame , Throw wide their Gates gates , and hail the mimic Arts arts . Abroad, abroad, there Health health invites thee forth; There, Pleasure pleasure courts thee in her russet Robe robe Magnificent: the Morning morning Gales gales arise, With freighted Pinions pinions wafting all the East east In od’rous Incense incense to thy ravish’d Mind mind ; Thy mind, dilated now with all the wide Extended various Prospect prospect , stretch’d beneath The Cope cope of Heav’n heav’n sublime; delicious Feast feast ! Th’ ecchoing Hills hills the chearing Horn horn delight, The Soul soul exerting Clangor clangor , rip’ning Ceres, And the rich swelling Grape grape ; in these exult, In these rejoice, thy Lot lot bestow’d, O Man man ! Whilst Youth youth and Vigour vigour in thy Heart heart remain, And Nature nature bids thee to her Banquet banquet come, Thy Portion portion giv’n beneath the Sun sun . Once more, Collect thy Pow’rs pow’rs divine, once more drive off That evil Thing thing call’d Fear fear , that slavish Fiend fiend ! Let Hope hope , let Joy joy , thy Bosom bosom Inmates inmates be, Through Life life still cherish’d, and in Death death held fast. A Gracious gracious God, loud speaking to thy Heart heart , Through all his Works works , this Truth truth inculcates still, Nature’s thy Nurse nurse , and Providence providence thy Friend friend . Integrity, with fearless Heart heart , ride on, Undaunted, tread the various Path path , through Life life , Which leads to Death death , that hospitable Stage stage : Where weary Nature nature takes her last Repose repose , And lays her down from Toil toil , and Pain pain , to rest In sweet Oblivion oblivion wrapt; remote from Grief grief , And all th’ ingrafted Ills ills which Life life has foster’d. Why should approaching Death death affright the Soul? soul?Here, one may wonder whether Jones, intentionally or not, is misreading Young. While some graveyard poets did wallow in the terror of death, Young’s purpose in Night Thoughts is precisely to render death less fearsome. Why Reason reason start, and turn away from him, Who comes to bring us home from Misery misery , Mistake and Fear fear ? the Messenger messenger of Heav’n heav’n ! No grisly Terror terror to the honest Heart heart : If God be just. O Blasphemy blasphemy , to doubt His Justice justice or his Mercy mercy !——Mercy all (But not unjust) is God. O sacred Source source Of Bounty bounty , Life life , and Truth truth eternal; rise, Look down, and vindicate thy injur’d Name name , From those, who dress thee out in Terror terror , Thunder thunder , Revenge, with flaming Bolts bolts and hissing Wheels wheels ; With all the dreadful Equipage equipage of Wrath wrath , Infernal Malice malice , and tyrannic Pride pride , O Bigot bigot Blasphemy blasphemy ! begot on Fear fear , By Pride pride made drunk! by Melancholy melancholy nurs’d! By Ignorance ignorance , by Cruelty cruelty , brought up! By Craft craft accomplish’d, and by Custom custom fix’d! Detested Monster monster !——Tell, ye Stars stars that rule Th’ ambrosial Night night , thou circling Moon moon proclaim, Blazon abroad thy great Original original , Thou glorious Sun sun ! of unperceiving Things things , Thy Maker’s maker’s brightest Image image ! O declare, Was it thy great, thy good Creator’s creator’s View view , (O Horrid horrid Plan plan ,) to cheat me into Being being , To gratify Revenge revenge and Rage rage eternal, In Tortures tortures beyond Thought thought , and endless Woe woe . Can he enjoy a Wretch’s wretch’s Dolors dolors ? He exult At Agony agony ? Can can He he , like Nero, view His noblest Work work consum’d, and triumph in The Blaze blaze ? O Justice justice , lifty thy righteous Arm arm : Yet hold! Compassion, Patience patience , and Redress redress , Still best become thee, ’tis but Frenzy frenzy all, And brain-sick Rant rant , which Physick physick shou’d should remove, And Reason reason cool. Thou Homicide homicide forbear! And from thy Throat throat thy desp’rate Hand hand withdraw; Lay down the murd’rous Knife knife , the loaded Gun gun , And fling the baneful Volume volume by; nay, burn it; Tear, scatter it abroad; O, quick deface The pestilential Lye lye that taints the whole, And breaths breathes thro’ ev’ry Page page . Away with such Contagion from the Eyes eyes of Man man ; with Tombs tombs , With Church-yards church-yards , tolling midnight Clocks clocks ; away With fun’ral Pomp pomp , with gloomy mock Parade parade , With sable Hearses hearses , Scutcheons scutcheons , nodding Plumes plumes , And all the dismal Pageantry pegeantry of Death death . Let Fancy fancy drive these Goblins goblins from her Sight sight ; Let Mirth mirth , let Joy joy , let Transport transport fill their Place place ; Philosophy and Faith faith shall hand them in, And Nature nature bid them welcome. O rejoice, Distinguish’d Man man ! rejoice, how bless’d thy Lot lot , Whilst Reason reason is thy Guide guide ! look up, look up, O see where Hope hope stands pointing to the Sky sky , On Sun-beams sun-beams rais’d, by Angels angels beckon’d on; See her celestial Flight flight , where thou shalt follow. Turn thy Eyes eyes thither; thither lift thy Heart heart . Thy Gracious gracious God awaits thee there; to him Thou shalt return in Season season due, to taste Immortal Transports transports ! thy Beginning beginning , End end , Thy Center center , Father father , Saviour saviour , and thy Friend friend . FINIS FINIS .