Classic Poem

Why shou'd Man's Apprehension be his Praise?
Yet Fear, the Height of it, be deem'd Disgrace!
Since Fear is cautious, and industrious too,
At the same time, does Wit and Wisdom shew,
Which nothing vainly will, or rashly, do;
Whilst Courage only is the Fear of Shame,
Exposing Man but to his Reason's Blame;
Whose Valour's greater, as his Sense is less,
And aims at Honour by Fool-Hardiness:
So Man's vain Honour in pursuing Praise,
In Spight of Justice, shou'd be his Disgrace:
Since seeking Praise should Infamy be thought,
When more from Vanity, than Honour, sought.
Then there's more Glory in Contempt of Fame,
When Pride converts ev'n Merit into Blame,
And makes sought Honour grow the Seeker's Shame;
Whose Courage is the Height of Fear, (we see)
Else a wise Coward wou'd he dare to be,
And live from Strife, and Emulation, free;

Who Praise by Death, as soon as gain'd, must lose,
Much less his Fortitude than Weakness shews.
The Name of Madman, more than Hero, fits,
The Man who, drunk with Vanity, commits
Bold things, that Nature, Sense, and Justice shock;
That startle Reason, and Religion mock:
So no more Praise deserves (the Sober think)
Than Bullies do for Prowess in their Drink;
Who in bold Acts a stupid Courage shew,
Only because they know not what they do.

Men lavish of their Souls, in Quest of Fame,
Meet Death, and all but for an empty Name.
Against their Sense, and their Experience strive
To die in Fact, in Fancy to survive!
To gain by Death an Immortality,
Which ought to be their Reason's Infamy:
Since Men best Proof of Sense and Valour give,
Who, spight of Fame, dare for their Country live;
For he who dies, is out of Fear, or Pain,
But he who lives may suffer both again;
Then sure, as Courage is but Dread of Shame,
Fear is but Courage, in Contempt of Fame.
Fear is Man's Height of Honour, scorning Praise,
Boldly defying Fame, to bear Disgrace,
Rather than for a Murderer to pass:

Thus Fear, can bolder things than Courage do;
And, as 'tis Courage, so 'tis Conduct too.
Shy Prudence 'tis, and wary Policy,
Which Danger wisely does at Distance spy,
And makes its Danger its Security:
Since Danger to us much less fatal is,
As prudent Fear prevents us from Surprize.
And the same Care, that distant Danger shews,
Forc'd to the Tryal our Protection grows:
Since Cowardice, oft acting from Dispair,
Does more than Men of strongest Courage dare;
For Cowards, when they cannot run away,
A desp'rate Fury on the Foe display;
And win the Honours of the dreaded Day.

But Cowardice does Honour best sustain,
When it transgresses not the passive Strain:
Since as 'tis harder much, 'tis nobler too,
To suffer Wrongs unmov'd, than Wrongs to do.
In fine, th' Excess of Honour is but Fear,
Which makes Man all things out of Fear to dare,
And turns the Height of Courage, call'd Dispair;
Thus Fear is Honour, which despises Shame;
Wisdom, preferring Safety still to Fame.
So Circumspect, Just, Honourable, Wise,
Is honest, cautious, guiltless Cowardice;
Which of Man's Virtue still the best Defence,
Secures his Faith, preserves his Innocence:
Nay, and 'tis evident, but for our Fear,
In vain all Virtue, all Religion were.
Justice is not our Fear of God, but Man;
Religion's but our Dread of endless Pain,
Rather than Hope eternal Joys to gain.
Nay, sure, our Faith in Heav'n Presumption were,
But for this modest meritorious Fear;
Then Circumspect, and harmless Cowardice,
At once appears both innocent and wise;
Makes Saints and Stoicks, wears Religion's Face,
And shines with ev'ry Philosophick Grace.
Which makes a Man, so patient, and so meek,
When strook on one, to turn the other Cheek,
Rather than Vengeance wickedly to seek.
Fear is, in short, the Virtues all in one,
Since, but for that, perhaps, we should have none:
Men's Faith in God proceeds but from their Fear,
Or else none Right would do, or Wrong would bear
No Faith in God, no Truth to Man wou'd shew;
Or, but for Fear of Hell, to Heav'n wou'd go;
Then Fear, which Honour scorns, or Vanity,
Dreads no ill Name, Disgrace, or Infamy;
And Innocence prefers to guilty Fame;
Shou'd be Man's Honour, rather than his Shame;
Which dares its self, spite of its self to own,
The hardest Thing, that by the Brave is done:
And sure next That the greatest Boldness is,
To push at Fame, by praising Cowardice.