See how the double nation lies;
Like a rich coat with skirts of frize:
As if a man, in making pofies,
Should bundle thiftles up with roles.
Who ever yet a union faw
Of kingdoms without faith or law?
Henceforward let no ftatefman dare
A kingdom to a ship compare ;
Left he fhould call our commonweal
A veel with a double keel:
Which, juft like ours, new rigg'd and mann'd,
And got about a league from land,
By change of wind to leeward fide,
The pilot knew not how to guide.
So toiling faction will o'erwhelm
Our crazy double-bottom'd realm.
Or, the RECEIPT to form a BEAUTY *.
WHEN Cupid did his grandfire Jove intreat
To form fome Beauty by a new receipt,
Jove fent, and found far in a country-scene
Truth, innocence, good-nature, look ferene :
From which ingredients first the dextrous boy
Pick'd the demure, the awkward, and the coy.
An elegant Latin verfion of this little poem is in the fixth volume of Dryden's Mifcellanies.
The Graces from the court did next provide
Breeding, and wit, and air, and decent pride:
These Venus cleans from every fpurious grain
Of nice, coquet, affected, pert, and vain.
Jove mix'd up all, and his best clay employ'd;
Then call'd the happy Compofition Floyd.
To the Honourable Mrs. FINCH, afterwards Countess of
WINCHELSEA, under her name of ARDELIA.
PHOEBUS, now fhortening every shade,
Up to the northern tropic came,
And thence beheld a lovely maid,
Attending on a royal dame.
The god laid down his feeble rays,
Then lighted from his glittering coach;
But fenc'd his head with his own bays,
Before he durft the nymph approach.
Under thofe facred leaves, fecure
From common lightning of the fkies,
He fondly thought he might endure
The flashes of Ardelia's eyes.
The nymph, who oft had read in books
Of that bright god whom bards invoke,
Soon knew Apollo by his looks,
And guefs'd his bufinefs ere he fpoke.
He, in the old celestial cant,
Confefs'd his flame, and fwore by Styx Whate'er the would defire, to grant
But wife Ardelia knew his tricks.
Ovid had warn'd her, to beware
Of ftrolling gods, whofe ufual trade is,
Under pretence of taking air,
To pick up fublunary ladies.
Howe'er, fhe gave no flat denial,
As having malice in her heart; And was refolv'd upon a trial,
To cheat the god in his own art. Hear my request, the virgin faid; Let which I please of all the Nine Attend, whene'er I want their aid,. Obey my call, and only mine.
By vow oblig'd, by paffion led,
The god could not refufe her prayer :-
He wav'd his wreath thrice o'er her head,
Thrice mutter'd fomething to the air.
And now he thought to feize his due :-
But fhe the charm already tried.
Thalia heard the call, and flew
To wait at bright Ardelia's fide..
On fight of this celeftial prude,
Apollo thought it vain to stay;
Nor in her prefence durft be rude;
But made his leg, and went away..
He hop'd to find some lucky hour,
When on their Queen the Mufes wait :
But Pallas owns Ardelia's power;
For vows divine are kept by Fate.
Then, full of rage, Apollo spoke :
Deceitful Nymph! I fee thy art;
And, though I can't my gift revoke,
I'll disappoint its nobler part.
Let stubborn pride poffefs thee long,
And be thou negligent of fame;
With every Mufe to grace thy fong,
May'ft thou defpife a poet's name!
Of modeft poets thou be firft;
To filent fhades repeat thy verfe,.
Till Fame and Echo almost burst,.
Yet hardly dare one line rehearse..
And laft, my vengeance to complete,
May'ft thou descend to take renown,
Prevail'd on by the thing you hate,
A Whig and one that wears a gown!"
Built from the RUINS of WHITEHALL, 1706 *..
N times of old, when time was young,
And poets their own verses sung,
A verfe would draw a ftone or beam,
That now would over-load a team;
Lead them a dance of many a mile,
Then rear them to a goodly pile.
Each number had its different power:
Heroic ftrains could built a tower;
Sonnets, or Elegies to Chloris,
Might raise a house about two stories;
A Lyric Ode would flate; a Catch
Would tile; an Epigram would thatch.
But, to their own or landlord's coft,
Now poets feel this art is loft.
Not one of all our tuneful throng
Can raife a lodging for a song:
For Jove confider'd well the cafe,
Obferv'd they grew a numerous race;
And, fhould they build as fast as write,
"Twould ruin undertakers quite.
This evil therefore to prevent,
He wifely chang'd their element:
On earth the god of wealth was made
Sole patron of the building trade;
Leaving the wits the fpacious air,
With licence to build caftles there :
And, 'tis conceiv'd, their old pretence
To lodge in garrets comes from thence.
Premifing thus, in modern way,
The better half we have to fay:
Sing, Mufe, the house of
In higher ftrains than we began.
Van (for 'tis fit the reader know it) Is both a herald and a poet;
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