A Reflection on Seeing That Excellent Picture of Belisarius, Drawn by Vandyke

Poor, blind, and old, see! Belisarius led An alms to ask of those his bounty fed: Whom he defended, by his lord beknav'd; And circumvented by the wretch he sav'd! Do such things startle you? rash thoughts suspend, Judge not appearances, but mark the end. What if the present is alone reveal'd, And all beyond it prudently conceal'd; What if the clue, when life's last thread is spun, Should to a farther, more extensive, run; If here varieties disorders seem, Hereafter make a more consistent scheme; Why inequalities confusion call? 'Tis providence in nature, God in all; This shows the value of all earthly things, A great man's favours, or the smiles of kings; On fortune's slippery ground, who stand elate, This day the marks of love, the next of hate.