THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES INTRODUCTION

In A Nutshell
"The Vanity of Human Wishes" is a poem about, well, the vanity of human wishes. Great, so
we're done here? Well… not quite. You see, this is not the most optimistic poem. In it, the
speaker lays out why all our hopes and dreams are likely to come to nothing. We want lots of
money? Good luck to us. Lots of power? Too much power will only get us into trouble. We want
to look beautiful? Our beauty will destroy us.
Not only that, but the poem dwells on our weakness as human beings. We can't help being too
proud or arrogant or greedy. We're far from perfect, in other words. It's inherent to our human
nature to be weak. And it's this weakness that gets us into trouble.
Written in 1749, while Johnson was working on his far-more-famous Dictionary of the English
Language, this poem is inspired by the "Tenth Satire," which was written by the Latin poet
Juvenal. It's a "satire" because it holds a very unflattering mirror up to humankind. It's a poem
that shows us all that's wrong with us, and all that's wrong with our values. We're guessing that
Johnson was loads of fun at parties.

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

We all want to lead happy lives, don't we? But we can only do that if we're wise and clever
enough to avoid making other people's mistakes. But hey, who has the time to sit there and study
human nature and figure out what's the best way to lead our lives? That Xbox isn't going to play
itself, right?
Thank goodness, then, for "The Vanity of Human Wishes." That's because we can use the poem
as a kind of shortcut: it sums up all of those bad things we need to avoid in order not to end up
miserable. So, let's thank Samuel Johnson for doing all the hard work for us, so that we don't
have to. All together now: "Thank you, Samuel." We're sure he appreciates it—wherever he is.

HE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES: TEXT OF THE POEM

Let observation, with extensive view,
Survey mankind from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious toil, each eager strife,
And watch the busy scenes of crowded life;
Then say how hope and fear, desire and hate,
O'erspread with snares the clouded maze of fate,
Where wav'ring man, betray'd by vent'rous pride,
To tread the dreary paths without a guide;
As treacherous phantoms in the mist delude,
Shuns fancied ills, or chases airy good.
How rarely Reason guides the stubborn choice,
Rules the bold hand, or prompts the suppliant voice;
How nations sink, by darling schemes oppress'd,
When vengeance listens to the fool's request;
Fate wings with ev'ry wish th' afflictive dart,
Each gift of Nature, and each grace of Art,
With fatal heat impetuous courage glows,
With fatal sweetness elocution flows,
Impeachment stops the speaker's powerful breath,
And restless fire precipitates on death!
But, scarce observed, the knowing and the bold
Fall in the gen'ral massacre of gold;
Wide-wasting pest! that rages unconfin'd,
And crowds with crimes the records of mankind
For gold his sword the hireling ruffian draws,
For gold the hireling judge distorts the laws;
Wealth heap'd on wealth, nor truth, nor safety buys,
The dangers gather as the treasures rise.
Let hist'ry tell, where rival kings command,
And dubious title shakes the madded land,
When statutes glean the refuse of the sword,
How much more safe the vassal than the lord:
Low sculks the hind beneath the reach of pow'r,
And leaves the wealthy traitor in the Tow'r;
Untouch'd his cottage, and his slumbers sound,
Though confiscation's vultures hover round.
The needy traveller, serene and gay,
Walks the wild heath, and sings his toil away.
Does envy seize thee? Crush th' upbraiding joy,
Increase his riches, and his peace destroy--
Now fears in dire vicissitude invade,
The rustling brake alarms, and quivering shade;
Nor light nor darkness brings his pain relief,
One shows the plunder, and one hides the thief.
Yet still one general cry the sky assails,
And gain and grandeur load the tainted gales;
Few know the toiling statesman's fear or care,
Th' insidious rival, and the gaping heir.
Once more, Democritus, arise on earth,
With cheerful wisdom and instructive mirth;
See motley life in modern trappings dress'd,
And feed with varied fools th' eternal jest:
Thou who couldst laugh where want enchain'd caprice,
Toil crush'd conceit, and man was of a piece;
Where wealth unlov'd without a mourner died;
And scarce a sycophant was fed by pride;
Where ne'er was known the form of mock debate,
Or seen a new-made mayor's unwieldy state;
Where change of fav'rites made no change of laws,
And senates heard before they judg'd a cause;
How wouldst thou shake at Britain's modish tribe,
Dart the quick taunt, and edge the piercing gibe?
Attentive, truth and nature to descry,
And pierce each scene with philosophic eye,
To thee were solemn toys or empty show
The robes of pleasure, and the veils of woe:
All aid the farce, and all thy mirth maintain,
Whose joys are causeless, or whose griefs are vain.
Such was the scorn that fill'd the sage's mind,
Renew'd at every glance on human kind.
How just that scorn, ere yet thy voice declare,
Search every state, and canvass ev'ry prayer.
Unnumber'd suppliants crowd Preferment's gate,
Athirst for wealth, and burning to be great;
Delusive Fortune hears the incessant call,
They mount, they shine, evaporate, and fall.
On ev'ry stage the foes of peace attend,
Hate dogs their flight, and insult mocks their end.
Love ends with hope, the sinking statesman's door
Pours in the morning worshipper no more;
For growing names the weekly scribbler lies,
To growing wealth the dedicator flies;
From every room descends the painted face,
That hung the bright Palladium of the place;
And smok'd in kitchens, or in auctions sold,
To better features yields the frame of gold;
For now no more we trace in ev'ry line
Heroic worth, benevolence divine:
The form distorted justifies the fall,
And detestation rids th' indignant wall.
But will not Britain hear the last appeal,
Sign her foes' doom, or guard her fav'rites' zeal?
Through Freedom's sons no more remonstrance rings,
Degrading nobles, and controlling kings;
Our supple tribes repress their patriot throats,
And ask no questions, but the price of votes;
With weekly libels and septennial ale,
Their wish is full to riot and to rail.
In full-blown dignity see Wolsey stand,
Law in his voice, and fortune in his hand:
To him the church, the realm, their pow'rs consign,
Through him the rays of regal bounty shine,
Turn'd by his nod, the stream of honour flows,
His smile alone security bestows:
Still to new heights his restless wishes tow'r;
Claim leads to claim, and power advances powe';
Till conquest unresisted ceas'd to please,
And rights submitted, left him none to seize.
At length his sovereign frowns-the train of state
Mark the keen glance, and watch the sign to hate.
Wher-e'er he turns, he meets a stranger's eye,
His suppliants scorn him, and his followers fly;
Now drops at once the pride of awful state,
The golden canopy, the glitt'ring plate,
The regal palace, the luxurious board,
The liv'ried army, and the menial lord.
With age, with cares, with maladies oppress'd,
He seeks the refuge of monastic rest.
Grief aids disease, remember'd folly stings,
And his last sighs reproach the faith of kings.
Speak thou, whose thoughts at humble peace repine,
Shall Wolsey's wealth, with Wolsey's end, be thine?
Or liv'st thou now, with safer pride content,
The wisest justice on the banks of Trent?
For why did Wolsey, near the steeps of Fate,
On weak foundations raise th' enormous weight?
Why but to sink beneath misfortune's blow,
With louder ruin, to the gulfs below?
What gave great Villiers to th' assassin's knife,
And fix'd disease on Harley's closing life?
What murder'd Wentworth, and what exil'd Hyde,
By kings protected, and to kings allied?
What but their wish indulg'd, in courts to shine,
And pow'r too great to keep, or to resign?
When first the college rolls receive his name,
The young enthusiast quits his ease for fame;
Through all his veins the fever of renown,
Spreads from the strong contagion of the gown;
O'er Bodley's dome his future labours spread,
And Bacon's mansion trembles o'er his head.
Are these thy views? Proceed, illustrious youth,
And Virtue guard thee to the throne of Truth!
Yet should thy soul indulge the gen'rous heat,
Till captive Science yields her last retreat;
Should Reason guide thee with her brightest ray,
And pour on misty Doubt resistless day;
Should no false kindness lure to loose delight,
Nor Praise relax, nor Difficulty fright;
Should tempting Novelty thy cell refrain,
And Sloth effuse her opiate fumes in vain;
Should Beauty blunt on fops her fatal dart,
Nor claim the triumph of a letter'd heart;
Should no disease thy torpid veins invade,
Nor Melancholy's phantoms haunt thy shade;
Yet hope not life from grief or danger free,
Nor think the doom of man revers'd for thee:
Deign on the passing world to turn thine eyes,
And pause a while from letters, to be wise;
There mark what ills the scholar's life assail,
Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail.
See nations, slowly wise, and meanly just,
To buried merit raise the tardy bust.
If dreams yet flatter, once again attend,
Hear Lydiat's life, and Galileo's end.
Nor deem, when learning her last prize bestows,
The glitt'ring eminence exempt from foes;
See, when the vulgar 'scape, despised or aw'd,
Rebellion's vengeful talons seize on Laud.
From meaner minds though smaller fines content,
The plunder'd palace, or sequester'd rent,
Mark'd out by dangerous parts he meets the shock,
And fatal Learning leads him to the block:
Around his tomb let Art and Genius weep,
But hear his death, ye blockheads, hear and sleep.
The festal blazes, the triumphal show,
The ravish'd standard, and the captive foe,
The senate's thanks, the gazette's pompous tale,
With force resistless o'er the brave prevail.
Such bribes the rapid Greek o'er Asia whirl'd;
For such the steady Romans shook the world;
For such in distant lands the Britons shine,
And stain with blood the Danube or the Rhine;
This pow'r has praise, that virtue scarce can warm,
Till Fame supplies the universal charm.
Yet Reason frowns on War's unequal game,
Where wasted nations raise a single name,
And mortgag'd 'states their grandsires' wreaths regret,
From age to age in everlasting debt;
Wreaths which at last the dear-bought right convey
To rust on medals, or on stones decay.
On what foundation stands the warrior's pride,
How just his hopes, let Swedish Charles decide;
A frame of adamant, a soul of fire,
No dangers fright him, and no labours tire;
O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain,
Unconquer'd lord of pleasure and of pain;
No joys to him pacific sceptres yield,
War sounds the trump, he rushes to the field;
Behold surrounding kings their powers combine,
And one capitulate, and one resign;
Peace courts his hand, but spreads her charms in vain:
"Think nothing gain'd," he cries, "till nought remain,
On Moscow's walls till Gothic standards fly,
And all be mine beneath the polar sky."
The march begins in military state,
And nations on his eye suspended wait;
Stern Famine guards the solitary coast,
And Winter barricades the realms of Frost;
He comes, nor want nor cold his course delay;
Hide, blushing Glory, hide Pultowa's day:
The vanquish'd hero leaves his broken bands,
And shows his miseries in distant lands;
Condemn'd a needy supplicant to wait,
While ladies interpose, and slaves debate.
But did not Chance at length her error mend?
Did no subverted empire mark his end?
Did rival monarchs give the fatal wound,
Or hostile millions press him to the ground?
His fall was destin'd to a barren strand,
A petty fortress, and a dubious hand;
He left the name at which the world grew pale,
To point a moral, or adorn a tale.
All times their scenes of pompous woes afford,
From Persia's tyrant to Bavaria's lord.
In gay hostility, and barb'rous pride,
With half mankind embattled at his side,
Great Xerxes comes to seize the certain prey,
And starves exhausted regions in his way;
Attendant Flatt'ry counts his myriads o'er,
Till counted myriads soothe his pride no more;
Fresh praise is tried till madness fires his mind,
The waves he lashes, and enchains the wind;
New pow'rs are claim'd, new pow'rs are still bestow'd,
Till rude resistance lops the spreading god;
The daring Greeks deride the martial show,
And heap their valleys with the gaudy foe;
Th' insulted sea with humbler thoughts he gains,
A single skiff to speed his flight remains;
Th' encumber'd oar scarce leaves the dreaded coast
Through purple billows and a floating host.

The bold Bavarian, in a luckless hour,

Tries the dread summits of Caesarean pow'r,
With unexpected legions bursts away,
And sees defenceless realms receive his sway:
Short sway! fair Austria spreads her mournful charms,
The queen, the beauty, sets the world in arms;
From hill to hill the beacon's rousing blaze
Spreads wide the hope of plunder and of praise;
The fierce Croatian, and the wild Hussar,
And all the sons of ravage, crowd the war;
The baffled prince, in Honour's flatt'ring bloom,
Of hasty greatness finds the fatal doom,
His foes' derision, and his subjects' blame,
And steals to death from anguish and from shame.
Enlarge my life with multitude of days,
In health, in sickness, thus the suppliant prays;
Hides from himself his state, and shuns to know
That life protracted is protracted woe.
Time hovers o'er, impatient to destroy,
And shuts up all the passages of joy:
In vain their gifts the bounteous seasons pour,
The fruit autumnal, and the vernal flow'r;
With listless eyes the dotard views the store,
He views, and wonders that they please no more;
Now pall the tasteless meats and joyless wines,
And Luxury with sighs her slave resigns.
Approach, ye minstrels, try the soothing strain,
Diffuse the tuneful lenitives of pain:
No sounds alas would touch th' impervious ear,
Though dancing mountains witness'd Orpheus near:
Nor lute nor lyre his feeble pow'rs attend,
Nor sweeter music of a virtuous friend;
But everlasting dictates crowd his tongue,
Perversely grave, or positively wrong.
The still returning tale, and ling'ring jest,
Perplex the fawning niece and pamper'd guest;
While growing hopes scarce awe the gath'ring sneer,
And scarce a legacy can bribe to hear;
The watchful guests still hint the last offence,
The daughter's petulance, the son's expense,
Improve his heady rage with treacherous skill,
And mould his passions till they make his will.
Unnumber'd maladies his joints invade,
Lay siege to life, and press the dire blockade;
But unextinguish'd Av'rice still remains,
And dreaded losses aggravate his pains;
He turns, with anxious heart and crippled hands,
His bonds of debt, and mortgages of lands;
Or views his coffers with suspicious eyes,
Unlocks his gold, and counts it till he dies.
But grant, the virtues of a temp'rate prime
Bless with an age exempt from scorn or crime;
An age that melts with unperceiv'd decay,
And glides in modest innocence away;
Whose peaceful day Benevolence endears,
Whose night congratulating Conscience cheers;
The gen'ral fav'rite as the gen'ral friend:
Such age there is, and who shall wish its end?
Yet ev'n on this her load Misfortune flings,
To press the weary minutes' flagging wings:
New sorrow rises as the day returns,
A sister sickens, or a daughter mourns.
Now kindred Merit fills the sable bier,
Now lacerated Friendship claims a tear.
Year chases year, decay pursues decay,
Still drops some joy from with'ring life away;
New forms arise, and different views engage,
Superfluous lags the vet'ran on the stage,
Till pitying Nature signs the last release,
And bids afflicted worth retire to peace.
But few there are whom hours like these await,
Who set unclouded in the gulfs of Fate.
From Lydia's monarch should the search descend,
By Solon caution'd to regard his end,
In life's last scene what prodigies surprise,
Fears of the brave, and follies of the wise?
From Marlb'rough's eyes the streams of dotage flow,
And Swift expires a driv'ler and a show.
The teeming mother, anxious for her race,
Begs for each birth the fortune of a face:
Yet Vane could tell what ills from beauty spring;
And Sedley cursed the form that pleased a king.
Ye nymphs of rosy lips and radiant eyes,
Whom Pleasure keeps too busy to be wise,
Whom Joys with soft varieties invite,
By day the frolic, and the dance by night,
Who frown with vanity, who smile with art,
And ask the latest fashion of the heart,
What care, what rules your heedless charms shall save,
Each nymph your rival, and each youth your slave?
The rival batters, and the lover mines.
With distant voice neglected Virtue calls,
Less heard and less, the faint remonstrance falls;
Tir'd with contempt, she quits the slipp'ry reign,
And Pride and Prudence take her seat in vain.
In crowd at once, where none the pass defend,
The harmless freedom and the private friend.
The guardians yield, by force superior plied;
By Int'rest, Prudence; and by Flattery, Pride.
Here Beauty falls betray'd, despised, distress'd,
And hissing Infamy proclaims the rest.
Where, then, shall Hope and Fear their objects find?
Must dull Suspense corrupt the stagnant mind?
Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate,
Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
Must no dislike alarm, no wishes rise,
No cries invoke the mercies of the skies?
Enquirer, cease, petitions yet remain,
Which Heav'n may hear, nor deem religion vain.
Still raise for good the supplicating voice,
But leave to Heav'n the measure and the choice.
Safe in his pow'r, whose eyes discern afar
The secret ambush of a specious pray'r.
Implore his aid, in his decisions rest,
Secure whate'er he gives, he gives the best.
Yet when the sense of sacred presence fires,
And strong devotion to the skies aspires,
Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind,
Obedient passions, and a will resign'd;
For love, which scarce collective man can fill;
For patience, sov'reign o'er transmuted ill;
For faith, that panting for a happier seat,
Counts death kind Nature's signal of retreat:
These goods for man the laws of heav'n ordain,
These goods he grants, who grants the pow'r to gain;
With these celestial Wisdom calms the mind,
And makes the happiness she does not find.
 THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES SUMMARY
"The Vanity of Human Wishes" is one ambitious poem. In it, the speaker surveys all of mankind,
and examines the way in which all kinds of dreams and wishes and ambitions come to nothing.
The poem is loosely divided up into sections which deal with different kinds of power and
ambition. There are sections that deal with political power, financial power, intellectual power,
and even sexual power. The speaker's aim is to show how all of these kinds of power are
pointless and don't bring us any satisfaction—good to know.
In order to convince us of his point of view, the speaker refers to various historical figures, citing
their fates as examples of why the pursuit of wealth and power is ultimately futile. There's no
point in running after money or status. They're not going to bring us happiness or peace. On the
contrary: they'll only bring us lots of trouble.
The ultimate conclusion of the poem is that the only chance at a happy life we have is through
God. It's only through our faith in God that we can hope to find peace and contentment. So we'd
better pull out our prayer books and start praying.

STANZA 1 SUMMARY

Lines 1-10
Let observation, with extensive view,
Survey mankind from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious toil, each eager strife,
And watch the busy scenes of crowded life;
Then say how hope and fear, desire and hate,
O'erspread with snares the clouded maze of fate,
Where wav'ring man, betray'd by vent'rous pride,
To tread the dreary paths without a guide;
As treacherous phantoms in the mist delude,
Shuns fancied ills, or chases airy good.

 In the first lines of the poem, the speaker takes a wide view. He tells us that he will use
"observation" to survey mankind from "China to Peru." In other words, we're looking at
all of human nature here. We better get comfortable.
 And what the speaker of the poem sees doesn't make him happy. He notes that mankind
is ruled by "hope and fear, desire and hate," and that these emotions often lead people
astray. The speaker also says that man is often led by pride, which misguides him like a
"treacherous" phantom, or ghost, in the mist.
 In addition to this simile, comparing pride to a ghost, we can also see the use
of metaphor here, when the speaker describes fate as a "clouded maze" that we have to
navigate.
Lines 11-20
How rarely Reason guides the stubborn choice,
Rules the bold hand, or prompts the suppliant voice;
How nations sink, by darling schemes oppress'd,
When vengeance listens to the fool's request;
Fate wings with ev'ry wish th' afflictive dart,
Each gift of Nature, and each grace of Art,
With fatal heat impetuous courage glows,
With fatal sweetness elocution flows,
Impeachment stops the speaker's powerful breath,
And restless fire precipitates on death!

 The speaker of the poem says that reason rarely guides people, or sways them to act in
considered ways. Entire nations are destroyed because of the schemes and decisions of
fools who are guided by a desire for vengeance, not by reason.
 What's more, fate has a way of turning every wish, every gift of nature, and even the gift
of art into something bad (this speaker isn't the most optimistic guy around, clearly).
Even qualities like courage and elocution (clear speech) are corrupted and used toward
bad ends.
 In these lines we can see the use of a couple of literary devices. There's our old pal
metaphor again, when the speaker refers to the pains of fate as a flying dart ("wing[ing]
with ev'ry wish th' afflictive dart").
 There's also consonance, particularly in the lines "How nations sink, by darling schemes
oppress'd,/ When vengeance listens to the fool's request," which repeat the S sound
throughout. Check out "Sound Check" for more on that.

STANZA 2 SUMMARY

Lines 21-28
But, scarce observed, the knowing and the bold
Fall in the gen'ral massacre of gold;
Wide-wasting pest! that rages unconfin'd,
And crowds with crimes the records of mankind
For gold his sword the hireling ruffian draws,
For gold the hireling judge distorts the laws;
Wealth heap'd on wealth, nor truth, nor safety buys,
The dangers gather as the treasures rise.

 Here the speaker gets into talking about that gold stuff: loot, cheddar, dollar dollar bills
y'all, money. He says that everyone is corrupted by the desire for money. Using
another metaphor, the speaker likens money to "a pest" that takes over human society and
leads to many crimes.
  People hire themselves out and commit crimes for money. Judges twist the law for
money. The speaker also says that no matter how rich we are, we can't buy truth or safety.
On the contrary: more wealth brings with it more danger.

STANZA 3 SUMMARY

Lines 29-36
Let hist'ry tell, where rival kings command,
And dubious title shakes the madded land,
When statutes glean the refuse of the sword,
How much more safe the vassal than the lord:
Low sculks the hind beneath the reach of pow'r,
And leaves the wealthy traitor in the Tow'r;
Untouch'd his cottage, and his slumbers sound,
Though confiscation's vultures hover round

 Here the speaker says that we need only look at history to see how it's much better to be a
"vassal" (a lowly person) or a "hind" (a peasant) than a "lord." Why? Because if we're a
lord, or one of the "rival kings," we'll be at each other's throat fighting for power.
 The speaker's use of the phrase "statutes glean the refuse of the sword" is ambiguous. A
"statute" is a written law and to "glean" is to gather something, usually information or
ideas. The speaker's words suggest that laws are twisted according to who wins power
through force (the "sword").
 A lowly person is beneath the reach of power. However, a rich traitor is likely to end up
in the "Tow'r" (that's the London Tower—a famous prison). So it's better to be a lowly
person because, if we're little guys we can sleep soundly at night, our little cottage will be
safe, though even then there's still a danger that the little we have will be confiscated, or
taken away. Feeling cheered up, yet?

STANZA 4 SUMMARY

Lines 37-44
The needy traveller, serene and gay,
Walks the wild heath, and sings his toil away.
Does envy seize thee? Crush th' upbraiding joy,
Increase his riches, and his peace destroy--
Now fears in dire vicissitude invade,
The rustling brake alarms, and quivering shade;
Nor light nor darkness brings his pain relief,
One shows the plunder, and one hides the thief.

 A poor traveller, according to the speaker, is happy and at peace. He walks through the
wilderness singing all his troubles away. But the minute envy seizes him (note
 the personification there), he is no longer happy. If his wealth increases, his peace is
destroyed.
 Rustling leaves alarm him, and the shade scares him. Neither light nor darkness brings
him relief from his pain and his troubles. Light shows him what's been stolen from him,
and darkness hides the thief who has stolen from him. In a nutshell: it's bad times, indeed.

STANZA 5 SUMMARY

Lines 45-48
Yet still one general cry the sky assails,
And gain and grandeur load the tainted gales;
Few know the toiling statesman's fear or care,
Th' insidious rival, and the gaping heir.

 Despite all the trouble that wealth brings, people still wish for more money. In a turn
of figurative language, the speaker notes that the wind is full of people's cries for more
profit and for power.
 Few people know the worries that the statesman (or politician) has to deal with, including
having to worry about scheming rivals, and his anxiety over who will inherit his title.

STANZA 6 SUMMARY

Lines 49-56
Once more, Democritus, arise on earth,
With cheerful wisdom and instructive mirth;
See motley life in modern trappings dress'd,
And feed with varied fools th' eternal jest:
Thou who couldst laugh where want enchain'd caprice,
Toil crush'd conceit, and man was of a piece;
Where wealth unlov'd without a mourner died;
And scarce a sycophant was fed by pride;

 The speaker calls on Democritus (an ancient Greek philosopher) to rise from death with
his "cheerful wisdom and instructive mirth." The speaker wants Democritus to see
modern life (in Britain), and make fun of all the fools that are around.
 The speaker suggests that Democritus lived in a society (ancient Greece) where lack of
worldly goods meant that people weren't so greedy. Back in Democritus' day, hard work
crushed arrogance, people were more whole, and wealth wasn't missed or mourned. It
was a place where sycophants (those who kiss up) weren't all over the place.
 The speaker describes ancient Greece in this way in order to set up a contrast with British
society. Unlike the ancient Greece in which Democritus lived, Britain is full of greedy
people, arrogant people, money-hungry people, and kiss-ups, in other words. Sounds like
a terrible place for a vacay.
Lines 57-60
Where ne'er was known the form of mock debate,
Or seen a new-made mayor's unwieldy state;
Where change of fav'rites made no change of laws,
And senates heard before they judg'd a cause;

 Here the speaker continues to describe all that's wrong with British society. (There's a lot
of stuff, apparently.)
 For example, it's a society in which fake debates are held, and where a new mayor is
inaugurated into office with lots of showy rituals (as used to happen back in Johnson's
day). It's also a society where laws change according to which new favorite is put in
power, and in which courts judge a case before hearing all the evidence.

Lines 61-68
How wouldst thou shake at Britain's modish tribe,
Dart the quick taunt, and edge the piercing gibe?
Attentive, truth and nature to descry,
And pierce each scene with philosophic eye,
To thee were solemn toys or empty show
The robes of pleasure, and the veils of woe:
All aid the farce, and all thy mirth maintain,
Whose joys are causeless, or whose griefs are vain.

 The speaker thinks that Democritus would judge Britain very harshly, given how flawed
British society is. He would attack the Brits with his sharp criticisms and witticisms.
 If he were alive, Democritus would describe truth and human nature very accurately,
given how attentive his "philosophic eye" is.
 To Democritus, both pleasure and sorrow are just toys or empty show.
The figurative "robes of pleasure" and the "veils of woe" are meaningless to him. He
would maintain his good spirits regardless of joy and sorrow.

STANZA 7 SUMMARY

Lines 69-72
Such was the scorn that fill'd the sage's mind,
Renew'd at every glance on human kind.
How just that scorn, ere yet thy voice declare,
Search every state, and canvass ev'ry prayer.

 Democritus was full of scorn for people and for humankind generally. (He sounds like a
great dude.)
 The speaker says that Democritus' scorn is justified, given that if we look any "state," and
consider what people pray and wish for, we would see that they deserve scorn. (The
 speaker uses the word "state" in an ambiguous way here, since it can refer to an actual
country or a mental "state.")

STANZA 8 SUMMARY

Lines 73-76
Unnumber'd suppliants crowd Preferment's gate,
Athirst for wealth, and burning to be great;
Delusive Fortune hears the incessant call,
They mount, they shine, evaporate, and fall.

 A lot of people are eager to advance themselves, wanting to be "preferred." They're

thirsty for wealth and power. But fortune, or fate, is misleading. People rise, they shine,
and then they fall.
 Here again the speaker uses the literary device of metaphor, figuratively depicting
"Preferment" as a "gate" at which people crowd.

Lines 77-82
On ev'ry stage the foes of peace attend,
Hate dogs their flight, and insult mocks their end.
Love ends with hope, the sinking statesman's door
Pours in the morning worshipper no more;
For growing names the weekly scribbler lies,
To growing wealth the dedicator flies;

 The speaker continues by describing why it's so bad to desire wealth and power.
Troublemakers, or enemies of "peace," hound those who want wealth and power. Hate—
personified here— follows them wherever they go.
 When they lose everything, they're made fun of and insulted. Not only that, but ambitious
people lose both love and hope.
 When the big politician begins to lose his power, the people who used to kiss up to him
stop coming around.
 Writers lie on account of those whose names are becoming important, or they dedicate
themselves and their work to people who are wealthy.

Lines 83-90
From every room descends the painted face,
That hung the bright Palladium of the place;
And smok'd in kitchens, or in auctions sold,
To better features yields the frame of gold;
For now no more we trace in ev'ry line
Heroic worth, benevolence divine:
The form distorted justifies the fall,
And detestation rids th' indignant wall.

 Portraits of important people with painted faces (and insincere hearts) can be found in
every room. They hang like a "bright Palladium" from walls. "Palladium," an image of
the Greek goddess Athena, is a symbol of protection. The gold frame of these portraits
makes the features of these important people look better.
 The image of the "painted face" can also be understood as a kind of metaphor. The
speaker is talking about paintings, but on a metaphorical level these paintings also
represent the superficial values of these powerful or wealthy people.
 These painted faces don't reflect "heroic worth" or "benevolence." These distorted
features (which indicate distorted hearts) explain the powerful person's downfall. People's
hatred rids the wall of these fake portraits.

STANZA 9 SUMMARY

Lines 91-98
But will not Britain hear the last appeal,
Sign her foes' doom, or guard her fav'rites' zeal?
Through Freedom's sons no more remonstrance rings,
Degrading nobles, and controlling kings;
Our supple tribes repress their patriot throats,
And ask no questions, but the price of votes;
With weekly libels and septennial ale,
Their wish is full to riot and to rail.

 Here the speaker asks a question: won't Britain (personified here) listen to his (the
speaker's) appeal and destroy her enemies, all of those fake, power hungry people? Or
will she guard her corrupt "fav'rites"?
 The speaker says that those who supposedly defend freedom no longer speak out against
corrupt nobles and kings. Britain's weak-willed people keep silent, and don't ask any
questions except what the price of a vote is.
 On a weekly basis, the British people make false statements and drink. Their only wish is
to start riots and to cause trouble. Our speaker is not a fan.

STANZA 10 SUMMARY

Lines 99-103
In full-blown dignity see Wolsey stand,
Law in his voice, and fortune in his hand:
To him the church, the realm, their pow'rs consign,
Through him the rays of regal bounty shine,
Turn'd by his nod, the stream of honour flows,

 Here the speaker begins to give examples of historical figures as a way of providing
evidence for his views. He begins with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was a cardinal of
the Roman Catholic Church under King Henry VIII and was a big political figure in the
mid-1500s.
 Wolsey was very powerful. He could dictate laws. The power of the church and the
English realm were under his control, and through him the bounty of the king shone.
Wolsey's nod gave honor to people. His smile alone could provide security for people.

Lines 104-112
His smile alone security bestows:
Still to new heights his restless wishes tow'r;
Claim leads to claim, and power advances powe';
Till conquest unresisted ceas'd to please,
And rights submitted, left him none to seize.
At length his sovereign frowns-the train of state
Mark the keen glance, and watch the sign to hate.
Wher-e'er he turns, he meets a stranger's eye,
His suppliants scorn him, and his followers fly;

 But still Wolsey wasn't satisfied with all he had, and he was greedy for more power.
Everyone submitted their rights to him, until there were no more rights for him to take,
and he still wasn't satisfied.
 Wolsey goes so far in his greed for more power that the king begins to be displeased. The
rest of the country notices the king's displeasure, and waits for a sign from him to begin
hating Wolsey.
 Suddenly, everywhere Wolsey turns he finds that he is dealing with strangers. The people
who had come to him to seek help now scorn him, and his followers turn their backs on
him.

Lines 113-120
Now drops at once the pride of awful state,
The golden canopy, the glitt'ring plate,
The regal palace, the luxurious board,
The liv'ried army, and the menial lord.
With age, with cares, with maladies oppress'd,
He seeks the refuge of monastic rest.
Grief aids disease, remember'd folly stings,
And his last sighs reproach the faith of kings.
  All at once Wolsey's pride is shaken. His golden canopy, his fancy cutlery and plates, his
royal palace, his luxurious lifestyle, his army, and everything else is taken away from
him.
 Wolsey is oppressed by age and worries and illness, and so he seeks to recover by leading
a monastic life. But his grief makes his illness worse. The memory of all his mistakes
stings him. And with his last breath he reproaches (criticizes) treacherous kings. It's not a
good way to go out.

STANZA 11 SUMMARY

Lines 121-128
Speak thou, whose thoughts at humble peace repine,
Shall Wolsey's wealth, with Wolsey's end, be thine?
Or liv'st thou now, with safer pride content,
The wisest justice on the banks of Trent?
For why did Wolsey, near the steeps of Fate,
On weak foundations raise th' enormous weight?
Why but to sink beneath misfortune's blow,
With louder ruin, to the gulfs below?

 Here the speaker of the poem addresses the reader directly. He asks us readers whether
we want Wolsey's wealth, which came at the cost of his terrible downfall.
 The speaker continues asking questions, suggesting that we should be content to live with
less pride and more justice. He refers to the river Trent here, which is one of the big
rivers in England.
 The speaker returns to Wolsey, wondering why he tempted fate by placing the very heavy
weight of his ambition on "weak foundations." The speaker uses geographic and
architectural imagery here to get his point across.
 The geographic and architectural imagery the speaker uses here gives us yet another
example of metaphor: "For why did Wolsey, near the steeps of fate,/ On weak
foundations raise th' enormous weight?"
 Wolsey's ambition, the speaker says, only led him to the deepest depths of misfortune.

STANZA 12 SUMMARY

Lines 129-134
What gave great Villiers to th' assassin's knife,
And fix'd disease on Harley's closing life?
What murder'd Wentworth, and what exil'd Hyde,
By kings protected, and to kings allied?
What but their wish indulg'd, in courts to shine,
And pow'r too great to keep, or to resign?

 In these lines the speaker refers to a whole host of historical figures who ended up badly.
  Villiers ended up killed by an assassin. Harley died of disease. Wentworth ended up
murdered. Hyde was exiled.
 All of these political figures ended their lives in misfortune because their desire for great
power was indulged, even though these men were protected by kings and allied to them.
(To learn more about these poor sap historical figures referenced in this stanza, check out
our "Shout-Outs" section.)

STANZA 13 SUMMARY

Lines 135-142
When first the college rolls receive his name,
The young enthusiast quits his ease for fame;
Through all his veins the fever of renown,
Spreads from the strong contagion of the gown;
O'er Bodley's dome his future labours spread,
And Bacon's mansion trembles o'er his head.
Are these thy views? Proceed, illustrious youth,
And Virtue guard thee to the throne of Truth!

 In this stanza, the speaker turns away from discussing political figures to consider the fate
of those who devote their lives to learning. Think scholars and students have it easier than
political big-wigs? Think again.
 When the young academic is first enrolled in college, he leaves his easy life in search of
scholarly fame. He's eager for renown, in other words.
 In the line "Spreads from the strong contagion of the gown" we can see alliteration at
play with the repetition of S sounds. Check out "Sound Check" for more on that.
 The scholar's work fills the Bodleian Library at Oxford University ("Bodley's dome").
 When the speaker says "Bacon's mansion trembles o'er his [the scholar's] head," he is
referring to an old superstition that the bridge—on which the image of the famous
medieval philosopher Roger Bacon is engraved—will collapse when a scholar greater
than Bacon makes his way under it.
 The speaker encourages the young scholar to pursue his studies, and hopes that virtue and
goodness will lead him to truth.

Lines 143-156
Yet should thy soul indulge the gen'rous heat,
Till captive Science yields her last retreat;
Should Reason guide thee with her brightest ray,
And pour on misty Doubt resistless day;
Should no false kindness lure to loose delight,
Nor Praise relax, nor Difficulty fright;
Should tempting Novelty thy cell refrain,
And Sloth effuse her opiate fumes in vain;
Should Beauty blunt on fops her fatal dart,
Nor claim the triumph of a letter'd heart;
Should no disease thy torpid veins invade,
Nor Melancholy's phantoms haunt thy shade;
Yet hope not life from grief or danger free,
Nor think the doom of man revers'd for thee:

 The speaker addresses the young scholar directly here. He says that, if the young scholar
is taken up by a passion for knowledge, they have to be careful. He describes a long list
of temptations and obstacles that the scholar faces in the pursuit of knowledge.
 Scholars can be tempted into bad delights. Praise can lead us to relax their efforts.
Difficulty might frighten them. They have to resist new things and not let laziness slow
them down. A beautiful lady might conquer their heart, and disease might invade their
body. Depression (or "Melancholy") might haunt them, like a phantom.
 The speaker's words suggest that only hope can be free of grief or danger. Scholars' lives,
on the other hand, are haunted by grief and danger. Scholars have to understand that
they're not going to escape the doom that's destined for mankind. (Anyone else think this
guy missed his calling as a motivational speaker?)

Lines 157-164
Deign on the passing world to turn thine eyes,
And pause a while from letters, to be wise;
There mark what ills the scholar's life assail,
Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail.
See nations, slowly wise, and meanly just,
To buried merit raise the tardy bust.
If dreams yet flatter, once again attend,
Hear Lydiat's life, and Galileo's end.

 The speaker continues to address scholars directly. Only when they understand that their
own lives, as scholars, are going to be full of misfortune can they look at the world and
become fully wise.
 They will see all the problems that assail a scholar's life. These problems include hard
work (too much of it), envy, failure, patrons (whom scholars have to depend on for
money), and jail. Wait, what? Jail?
 Nations will only honor the scholar and his work (writing in the mid-1700s, Johnson
probably was not including women here) when they become wise and (a little) just. They
will put up a bust (a statue) to honor the scholar only after he's dead and buried.
 If scholarly dreams make scholars feel good about themselves and about the future, they
need only remember Lydiat's life and Galileo's death.

STANZA 14 SUMMARY

Lines 165-174
Nor deem, when learning her last prize bestows,
The glitt'ring eminence exempt from foes;
See, when the vulgar 'scape, despised or aw'd,
Rebellion's vengeful talons seize on Laud.
From meaner minds though smaller fines content,
The plunder'd palace, or sequester'd rent,
Mark'd out by dangerous parts he meets the shock,
And fatal Learning leads him to the block:
Around his tomb let Art and Genius weep,
But hear his death, ye blockheads, hear and sleep.

 In this stanza, the speaker continues talking about the sad fate of the scholar.
 When their hard work and learning are rewarded, they'd better not think that our enemies
won't find equal prestige and importance.
 The speaker refers to William Laud, a learned man who was the Archbishop of
Canterbury from 1633-45. He was executed in 1645 by his enemies—the
Parliamentarians.
 The speaker suggests that those who have "meaner minds" (less intelligent minds) are
punished less severely, but those who have greater minds (like William Laud) are
punished more severely. The scholar's own learning and his dangerous ideas lead him to
the execution block. Yikes.
 The speaker personifies "Art" and "Genius" as "weeping" figures, crying at the scholar's
tomb.

STANZA 15 SUMMARY

Lines 175-184
The festal blazes, the triumphal show,
The ravish'd standard, and the captive foe,
The senate's thanks, the gazette's pompous tale,
With force resistless o'er the brave prevail.
Such bribes the rapid Greek o'er Asia whirl'd;
For such the steady Romans shook the world;
For such in distant lands the Britons shine,
And stain with blood the Danube or the Rhine;
This pow'r has praise, that virtue scarce can warm,
Till Fame supplies the universal charm.

 Brave people are always greedy for honor. They want festive torchlights to be lighted in
their honor, and to read stories about themselves in the papers, among other things.
 The "rapid Greek" (Alexander the Great—check out "Shout Outs") conquered Asia in
order to gain such honor, and the Romans shook the world for it. The British carried out
successful military campaigns along the Danube and Rhine rivers (in Bavaria and
Austria) for such honor.
  The speaker states that "This pow'r has praise, that virtue scarce can warm." His words
are somewhat ambiguous here. What he seems to be getting at is that brave, ambitious
men want praise for their actions.
 Virtue, or goodness, isn't a motivation for their actions. They want to be famous; they
don't care about being good.

Lines 185-190
Yet Reason frowns on War's unequal game,
Where wasted nations raise a single name,
And mortgag'd 'states their grandsires' wreaths regret,
From age to age in everlasting debt;
Wreaths which at last the dear-bought right convey
To rust on medals, or on stones decay.

 Our reason doesn't condone war, which is essentially unfair. In war whole nations are
destroyed so that one man's name can be raised up high.
 In these lines we can see the literary device of personification. The speaker represents
Reason as "frowning" on "War's unequal game." So Reason is described as a person, with
facial expressions no less.
 Nations end up in a whole lot of debt only so that the wreaths of a few "grandsires," or
war heroes, can be hung up. This is regrettable. These wreaths are temporary, they decay,
but that big pile of debt accumulated during war doesn't disappear.

STANZA 16 SUMMARY

Lines 191-200
On what foundation stands the warrior's pride,
How just his hopes, let Swedish Charles decide;
A frame of adamant, a soul of fire,
No dangers fright him, and no labours tire;
O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain,
Unconquer'd lord of pleasure and of pain;
No joys to him pacific sceptres yield,
War sounds the trump, he rushes to the field;
Behold surrounding kings their powers combine,
And one capitulate, and one resign;

 The speaker says that we need only look at the example of the Swedish King Charles XII
to see what a flimsy foundation the pride and hopes of the war hero rest on.
 So what about him? Well, Charles had a pretty impressive body, "a soul of fire" (or a
passionate soul). He wasn't scared of anything and he never grew tired.
 Charles is the lord of love and fear and pleasure and pain (of everything, basically). He
doesn't get any joy out of peaceful "sceptres" (the staff, or stick, that kings carry). The
minute the war trumpets sound, he's running out to fight in the battlefield.
  The enemy kings combine their power against him. But then they all give in—Charles is
too strong for them.
 He sounds like a righteous dude.

Lines 201-222
Peace courts his hand, but spreads her charms in vain:
"Think nothing gain'd," he cries, "till nought remain,
On Moscow's walls till Gothic standards fly,
And all be mine beneath the polar sky."
The march begins in military state,
And nations on his eye suspended wait;
Stern Famine guards the solitary coast,
And Winter barricades the realms of Frost;
He comes, nor want nor cold his course delay;
Hide, blushing Glory, hide Pultowa's day:
The vanquish'd hero leaves his broken bands,
And shows his miseries in distant lands;
Condemn'd a needy supplicant to wait,
While ladies interpose, and slaves debate.
But did not Chance at length her error mend?
Did no subverted empire mark his end?
Did rival monarchs give the fatal wound,
Or hostile millions press him to the ground?
His fall was destin'd to a barren strand,
A petty fortress, and a dubious hand;
He left the name at which the world grew pale,
To point a moral, or adorn a tale.

 After Charles wins all of these wars, there is peace in the land. But Charles isn't satisfied
with peace. He basically says "Nothing is gained until my military flags fly over
Moscow, and I am king of everything beneath the northern sky."
 Again he marches off to war, as nations watch him. His army has to deal with famine and
the cold of winter, but he doesn't stop his military march.
 Yeah, that's a bad idea: Charles's army and all his glory are destroyed at Pultowa (or
"Poltova,"), where Charles's army is defeated in 1709. Charles leaves his broken army
and ends up miserable in distant lands, a defeated hero. He waits as ladies and slaves
negotiate on his behalf.
 The speaker asks a series of rhetorical questions here, suggesting ways in which Charles
could have had a more dignified end to his life. But no, Charles wasn't assassinated by
rival kings or killed by hostile crowds. He was condemned to live out the rest of his life
in exile, on a barren shore, in a pathetic little fortress.
 His name, which at one time made people the world over grow pale with fright, is now
only good for pointing out the moral that too much ambition just isn't good for us.

STANZA 17 SUMMARY
Lines 223-233
All times their scenes of pompous woes afford,
From Persia's tyrant to Bavaria's lord.
In gay hostility, and barb'rous pride,
With half mankind embattled at his side,
Great Xerxes comes to seize the certain prey,
And starves exhausted regions in his way;
Attendant Flatt'ry counts his myriads o'er,
Till counted myriads soothe his pride no more;
Fresh praise is tried till madness fires his mind,
The waves he lashes, and enchains the wind;
New pow'rs are claim'd, new pow'rs are still bestow'd,

 The speaker begins by re-iterating that having too much pride and arrogance is just not a
good idea. And he demonstrates his point by referring to more historical examples:
"Persia's tyrant" (Xerxes) and "Bavaria's lord"
 (Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII). (To learn more about these historical figures, check
out our "Shout-Outs.")
 The speaker first focuses on Xerxes, whom he describes as hostile and barbaric. He has a
huge army, and he moves toward his prey (Greece, which he seeks to conquer), starving
entire regions as he makes his progress forward.
 His huge number of followers constantly flatter him, until flattery isn't enough to soothe
his pride anymore.
 He wants more and more praise, until he goes crazy. He strikes out at waves and puts the
wind in chains (yup, he's pretty much lost the plot at this point).
 Even still, he wants more power, and more power is given to him.

Lines 234-240
Till rude resistance lops the spreading god;
The daring Greeks deride the martial show,
And heap their valleys with the gaudy foe;
Th' insulted sea with humbler thoughts he gains,
A single skiff to speed his flight remains;
Th' encumber'd oar scarce leaves the dreaded coast
Through purple billows and a floating host.

 This goes on until Xerxes' plans to conquer Greece are resisted by the Greeks, who defeat
Xerxes and stop him from advancing into their territory. They ridicule his show of
strength and power. The bodies of his dead soldiers are heaped up in Greek valleys.
 In the end, Xerxes is humbled and forced to return to the sea. There's only a single ship of
all his fleet left for him to escape on—ouch.
 The speaker refers to Xerxes making his escape on the ship: "Through purple billows and
a floating host." Are the "purple billows" a reference to the fire and smoke that has
 engulfed the rest of his fleet? And what about the "floating host"? Are these the bodies of
his dead army? It isn't totally clear.
 What is clear is that Xerxes is fleeing with his over-ambitious tail tucked firmly between
his legs.

STANZA 18 SUMMARY

Lines 241-254
The bold Bavarian, in a luckless hour,
Tries the dread summits of Caesarean pow'r,
With unexpected legions bursts away,
And sees defenceless realms receive his sway:
Short sway! fair Austria spreads her mournful charms,
The queen, the beauty, sets the world in arms;
From hill to hill the beacon's rousing blaze
Spreads wide the hope of plunder and of praise;
The fierce Croatian, and the wild Hussar,
And all the sons of ravage, crowd the war;
The baffled prince, in Honour's flatt'ring bloom,
Of hasty greatness finds the fatal doom,
His foes' derision, and his subjects' blame,
And steals to death from anguish and from shame.

 Charles Albert, or Charles VII, the "bold Bavarian," tries to gain the throne of Austria
("Caesarean pow'r") through conquest.
 At first he does well, managing to take over "defenceless realms." But Austria's queen,
Maria Theresa, stops him. She raises a huge army that includes Croatian fighters and
Hungarian horsemen ("Hussars"), who are interested in gaining praise and plunder.
 Poor Charles Albert, once honored, is defeated. His enemies make fun of him, and his
subjects blame him.
 Charles Albert dies (metaphorically) from "anguish and from shame"—bummer.

STANZA 19 SUMMARY

Lines 255-264
Enlarge my life with multitude of days,
In health, in sickness, thus the suppliant prays;
Hides from himself his state, and shuns to know
That life protracted is protracted woe.
Time hovers o'er, impatient to destroy,
And shuts up all the passages of joy:
In vain their gifts the bounteous seasons pour,
The fruit autumnal, and the vernal flow'r;
With listless eyes the dotard views the store,
He views, and wonders that they please no more;

 Many of us pray for long lives—whether we're healthy or sick we want to live for a long
time.
 But the person who prays for long life hides from himself the fact that a longer life means
more misery.
 The phrase "Life protracted is protracted woe" is an example of chiasmus, a literary
figure in which words or phrases are repeated in reverse order.
 The speaker says that time is the problem: it destroys everything and takes away any
possibility of happiness.
 Time makes all the beauties of nature—and its different seasons—seem empty. As time
passes and we grow old we look at the beauties of nature and wonder why these beautiful
things don't please us any more. Man, are we ever getting depressed over here.

Lines 265-282
Now pall the tasteless meats and joyless wines,
And Luxury with sighs her slave resigns.
Approach, ye minstrels, try the soothing strain,
Diffuse the tuneful lenitives of pain:
No sounds alas would touch th' impervious ear,
Though dancing mountains witness'd Orpheus near:
Nor lute nor lyre his feeble pow'rs attend,
Nor sweeter music of a virtuous friend;
But everlasting dictates crowd his tongue,
Perversely grave, or positively wrong.
The still returning tale, and ling'ring jest,
Perplex the fawning niece and pamper'd guest;
While growing hopes scarce awe the gath'ring sneer,
And scarce a legacy can bribe to hear;
The watchful guests still hint the last offence,
The daughter's petulance, the son's expense,
Improve his heady rage with treacherous skill,
And mould his passions till they make his will.

 Even food and wine become tasteless and bland, and luxurious things no longer satisfy
us.
 The speaker asks "minstrels" (musicians) to approach and play music in order to dispel
the pain that time brings. But this is hopeless. Beautiful sounds can't reach the old person,
even if Orpheus himself—the famous ancient Greek musician—was playing music.
Neither the sound of a lute nor a lyre will reach an aged person, or the music of a good
friend.
 Instead, the old man is constantly issuing statements that are either wrong or serious, and
telling stories and jokes which baffle his niece, who comes to fawn on him and his
pampered guest.
  But even the growing hopes of this foolish person can't "awe," or stop, people, sneering at
him.
 His guests hint at all his problems—and no, it's not just his downer attitude. His
daughter's bad temper and all the money his son is wasting. He grows madder and
madder, and his passions overcome his willpower.

STANZA 20 SUMMARY

Lines 283-290
Unnumber'd maladies his joints invade,
Lay siege to life, and press the dire blockade;
But unextinguish'd Av'rice still remains,
And dreaded losses aggravate his pains;
He turns, with anxious heart and crippled hands,
His bonds of debt, and mortgages of lands;
Or views his coffers with suspicious eyes,
Unlocks his gold, and counts it till he dies.

 The old man's body is invaded by illnesses which threaten his life, but he's still greedy.
 All his losses make things worse for him, and with his anxious heart and crippled hands
he goes over his debt papers and land mortgages and counts his gold until he dies. On the
plus side: he doesn't have to be so stinkin' depressed about everything anymore.

STANZA 21 SUMMARY

Lines 291-298
But grant, the virtues of a temp'rate prime
Bless with an age exempt from scorn or crime;
An age that melts with unperceiv'd decay,
And glides in modest innocence away;
Whose peaceful day Benevolence endears,
Whose night congratulating Conscience cheers;
The gen'ral fav'rite as the gen'ral friend:
Such age there is, and who shall wish its end?

 The speaker says that it would be good to be granted the benefits of a moderate prime of
life, one in which we're free from scorn and crime.
 It would be good to have a life that moves forward without our bodies' apparent decay,
one full of innocence.
 The days and nights of this moderate life are also full of peace and benevolence and
conscience. It's a life in which we're favored as friends. It's possible to live such a life,
and the speaker asks, who would want such a life to end? Not us, that's who.
 STANZA 22 SUMMARY

Lines 299-310
Yet ev'n on this her load Misfortune flings,
To press the weary minutes' flagging wings:
New sorrow rises as the day returns,
A sister sickens, or a daughter mourns.
Now kindred Merit fills the sable bier,
Now lacerated Friendship claims a tear.
Year chases year, decay pursues decay,
Still drops some joy from with'ring life away;
New forms arise, and different views engage,
Superfluous lags the vet'ran on the stage,
Till pitying Nature signs the last release,
And bids afflicted worth retire to peace.

 Hey, maybe things are finally picking up for our speaker. Maybe he's finally seeing the
silver lining in all of these dark clouds…
 No, who were we kidding? Everything is totally terrible all the time, always. Even this
peaceful life is plagued by misfortune. With each new day there's a new sorrow: a sister
might get sick or a daughter might be sad.
 The speaker states that "kindred Merit fills the sable bier." A "bier" refers to a frame on
which a coffin is placed at a funeral. So the speaker is figuratively referring to death here.
He's suggesting that good things, including "Merit," eventually die. This is one of the
difficulties of life: even if it's a good life, we have to watch things (and people we love)
die.
 The speaker continues to refer to more things that make life full of misery. A friendship
gone bad can make us cry. Each new year brings with it decay. Little by little joy drops
away from life, which is "withering" or shrinking. Someone cue the sad violins.
 New things and new views emerge, leaving us behind, until at last Nature takes pity on us
and allows us to die and find peace.

STANZA 23 SUMMARY

Lines 311-318
But few there are whom hours like these await,
Who set unclouded in the gulfs of Fate.
From Lydia's monarch should the search descend,
By Solon caution'd to regard his end,
In life's last scene what prodigies surprise,
Fears of the brave, and follies of the wise?
From Marlb'rough's eyes the streams of dotage flow,
And Swift expires a driv'ler and a show.
  The speaker refers back to the life he's just described in the previous stanza. He says that
few of us have such a moderate fate.
 Here the speaker refers to the story of "Lydia's monarch" (Croesus) who was visited by
the Athenian wise man Solon. Solon told Croesus that he shouldn't consider himself
happy until he had lived happily to the end of his life.
 The speaker continues by saying that there are so many examples in life of brave people
being afraid and wise people making mistakes.
 For example, the Duke of Marlborough had an unhappy end, which the speaker refers to
here. The Duke suffered strokes in his old age and was paralyzed later in his life, until he
died in 1722.
 The speaker also refers to the writer Jonathan Swift here, who suffered ill health toward
the end of his life.

STANZA 24 SUMMARY

Lines 319-328
The teeming mother, anxious for her race,
Begs for each birth the fortune of a face:
Yet Vane could tell what ills from beauty spring;
And Sedley cursed the form that pleased a king.
Ye nymphs of rosy lips and radiant eyes,
Whom Pleasure keeps too busy to be wise,
Whom Joys with soft varieties invite,
By day the frolic, and the dance by night,
Who frown with vanity, who smile with art,
And ask the latest fashion of the heart,

 In this stanza, the speaker turns to examining feminine beauty as a source of pride and
happiness. Could we be taking a turn to happy town at last?
 He begins by stating that a mother always wishes for her child to be beautiful. The
speaker refers to "Lady Vane" here. Anne Vane was a lady-in-waiting who became a
mistress to King George II's son, Frederick. She was supposedly very beautiful, and here
the speaker suggests that her beauty only brought her trouble. So yeah, no detours to
Happyville for us.
 Sir Charles Sedley's daughter, Catherine Sedley, was the mistress of King James II.
Charles Sedley cursed his daughter's beauty, because it led to her match with King James,
whom he didn't like. (Hit up our "Shout-Out" section for more.)
 Here the speaker addresses beautiful ladies directly. We'll paraphrase: "You pretty young
things with rosy lips and radiant eyes, who are too busy having fun to learn to be wise.
You who pursue pleasure, and who spend your days frolicking and your nights dancing."
 These ladies are vain, and they smile in order to manipulate, and are interested in the
latest romantic fashions.
 How dare they?
Lines 329-41
What care, what rules your heedless charms shall save,
Each nymph your rival, and each youth your slave?
The rival batters, and the lover mines.
With distant voice neglected Virtue calls,
Less heard and less, the faint remonstrance falls;
Tir'd with contempt, she quits the slipp'ry reign,
And Pride and Prudence take her seat in vain.
In crowd at once, where none the pass defend,
The harmless freedom and the private friend.
The guardians yield, by force superior plied;
By Int'rest, Prudence; and by Flattery, Pride.
Here Beauty falls betray'd, despised, distress'd,
And hissing Infamy proclaims the rest.

 The speaker continues addressing pretty young ladies directly: "Your charms (which are
'heedless' or reckless) disregard rules or caution. Each pretty young nymph is your enemy
and every young man is your slave."
 Again, we're paraphrasing the speaker's words to pretty young things: "Rival young
ladies 'batter,' or attack you, and your lover 'mines,' or takes advantage of you."
 These beautiful women don't hear the voice of virtue and goodness, and they throw pride
and prudence to the wind. The pretty young nymph begins behaving badly. Her caution is
neglected in favour of her self-interest, and her pride gives in to flattery.
 Soon she finds herself involved in scandals, and the subject of gossip.

STANZA 25 SUMMARY

Lines 342-350
Where, then, shall Hope and Fear their objects find?
Must dull Suspense corrupt the stagnant mind?
Must helpless man, in ignorance sedate,
Roll darkling down the torrent of his fate?
Must no dislike alarm, no wishes rise,
No cries invoke the mercies of the skies?
Enquirer, cease, petitions yet remain,
Which Heav'n may hear, nor deem religion vain.

 The speaker begins this final stanza by asking a series of rhetorical questions. To which
end can we direct our hope and fear? Must our minds be corrupted by suspense? Must
helpless man be swept along by the current of his fate? Must we make no wishes, and ask
for no mercy?
 In these lines we see more use of one of Johnson's favorite literary devices: metaphor.
Fate is depicted as a "current" that sweeps man along.
  The speaker then tells us to stop asking questions (though of course it's him, not us, who
is asking questions, so dude needs to settle down a little if you ask us). He says that we
may be able to appeal to Heaven, and that we should not dismiss the power of religion.

Lines 351-356
Still raise for good the supplicating voice,
But leave to Heav'n the measure and the choice.
Safe in his pow'r, whose eyes discern afar
The secret ambush of a specious pray'r.
Implore his aid, in his decisions rest,
Secure whate'er he gives, he gives the best.

 The speaker says that we can raise our voice to ask for good, but we have to leave it to
Heaven to work things out for us.
 We have to have faith in God's power. God, after all, sees very far, even into our wrong
prayers.
 We have to ask for God's help and accept his decisions, and we have to be secure in the
knowledge that whatever God gives us is the best.

Lines 357-368
Yet when the sense of sacred presence fires,
And strong devotion to the skies aspires,
Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind,
Obedient passions, and a will resign'd;
For love, which scarce collective man can fill;
For patience, sov'reign o'er transmuted ill;
For faith, that panting for a happier seat,
Counts death kind Nature's signal of retreat:
These goods for man the laws of heav'n ordain,
These goods he grants, who grants the pow'r to gain;
With these celestial Wisdom calms the mind,
And makes the happiness she does not find.

 When we are full of a sense of sacred (God's) presence, and we aspire to turn our
devotion to God, let us ask for a healthy mind, passions that we can control, and a
resigned will. Let's also ask for love and patience and faith, which counts death as a
blessing.
 Heaven ordains these good things for man, and God gives them. He also gives us power
to find what we want.
 With these good things that God gives, the speaker tells us, we can find wisdom, which
calms us, and we can also find the happiness that can't be found in worldly things.
 Ah, so we get a happy ending after all. We knew our speaker would cheer up eventually.