And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast, And been bow'd to the earth by its fury; To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury - Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime, The regrets of remembrance to cozen, And having obtained a New Trial of Time, Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.

Hood addresses those who have suffered through the past year, likening its judgment to that of a biased jury and its hardships to an “Adversity’s blast.” The speaker urges a communal toast—“fill to the Future!”—as a way to outwit (“cozen”) the pull of regret and memory. The legal metaphor of a “New Trial of Time” frames the coming year as a chance for renewed judgment and better fortune: a fresh “dozen” months that may be kinder than the last. The stanza blends conviviality with consolation, characteristic of Hood’s ability to yoke wit and pathos in social verse.