And, though 'tis hardly understood Befides, his memory decays: "For poetry, he's paft his prime, "He takes an hour to find a rhyme; "His fire is out, his wit decay'd, "His fancy funk, his Mufe a jade. "I'd have him throw away his pen; "But there's no talking to fome men!" And then their tenderuefs appears By adding largely to my years: "He's older than he would be reckon'd, "And well remembers Charles the Second. "He hardly drinks a pint of wine; "And that, I doubt, is no good fign. "His ftomach too begins to fail: Inquire what regimen I kept; 80 Than all the fnivellers round my bed. 85 They must be verify'd at last. 95 90 The news through half the town is run. 100 140 145 150 155 160 Forgetting his own flesh and blood!" 105 Some paragraph in every paper, 110 115 To curfe the Dean, or blefs the Drapier. The doctors, tender of their fame, Wifely on me lay all the blame. "We must confefs, his cafe was nice; "But he would never take advice. "Had he been rul'd, for aught appears, "He might have liv'd these twenty years: "For, when we open'd him, we found "That all his vital parts were found." From Dublin foon to London fpread, 'Tis told at court, "The Dean is dead." And Lady Suffolk,' in the spleen, Runs laughing up to tell the Queen. The Queen, fo gracious, mild and good, 120 Cries," Is he gone! 'tis time he fhould. "He's dead, you fay; then let him rot. "I'm glad the medals were forgot. "I promis'd him, I own; but when? "I only was the Princefs then: "But now, as confort of the King, "You know, 'tis quite another thing." "Laft year we thought him ftrong and hale; Yet, fhould fome neighbour feel a pain 125 Now Chartres, at Sir Robert's levee, "Provided Bolingbroke were dead !” 135 170 175 180 185 190 195 * Mrs. Howard, at one time a favourite with the Dean. N. ↑ Which the Dean in vain expected, in return for Small prefent be bad fentt Princefs. N. 1 Now Curll his fhop from rubbish drains: Which Pope must bear, as well as I. Here fhift the fcene, to represent St. John himself will fcarce forbear When we are lafh'd, they kifs the rod, 200 205 210 215 220 The fools, my juniors by a year, 225 230 My female frends, whofe tender hearts Why do we grieve that friends skould die? Where's now the favourite of Apollo? Some country fquire to Lintot goes, 235 The country-members, when in town, By bravely running prieft-craft down: Peform'd as jugglers do their feats: Suppofe me dead; and then fuppofe 245 250 255 285 299 295 300 305 "He fham'd the fool, and lafh'd the knave; 310 "Can we the Drapier then forget? 315 "Twas he that writ the Drapier's letters!" "He fhould have left them for his betters; 320 "We had a hundred abler men, "Nor need depend upon his pen.— "Say what you will about his reading, "You never can defend his breeding; 260 "Who, in his fatires running riot, "Could never leave the world in quiet ; * Wolfton is bare confounded with Woolafton. N. 325 Where thousands equally were meant: He ne'er offended with a jest; "He lafa'd the vice, but fpar'd the name. "No individual could refent, "His fatire points at no defect, "But what all mortals may correct; "For he abhor'd the fenfeless tribe "Who call it humour when they gibe: "He fpar'd a hump, or crooked nofe, "Whofe owners fet not up for beaux. "True genuine dulnefs mov'd his pity, "Unless it offer'd to be witty. "Those who their ignorance confeft, "But laugh'd to hear an idiot quote "A verfe from Horace learn'd by rote. "Vice, if it e'er can be abafh'd, 355 "And, would you make him truly four, "Provoke him with a flave in power. "The Irish fenate if you nam'd, 345 350 "With what impatience he declaim'd! "Fair LIBERTY was all his cry; "For her he stood prepar'd to die; "For her he boldly stood alone; "For her he oft' expos'd his own. "Two kingdoms, just as faction led, "Had fet a price upon his head; "But not a traitor could be found, "To fell him for fix hundred pound. 410 415 "Muft be or ridicul'd, or lafe'd. "If you refent it, who's to blame? 360 "And pity'd those who meant the wound; "But kept the tenor of his mind, 425 "To merit well of human-kind; "Nor made a faerifice of those "He neither knows you, nor your name. "Should vice expect to 'fcape rebuke, "Because its owner is a duke? "His friendships, ftill to few confin`d, "Were always of the middling kind; "No fools of rank, or mungrel breed, "Who fain would pafs for lords indeed: Where titles give no right or power, "And peerage is a wither'd flower; "He would have deem'd it a difgrace, "If fuch a wretch had known his face. "On rural fquires, that kingdom's bane, "He vented oft his wrath in vain: "What St. John's fkill in ftate affairs, "What Ormond's valour, Oxford's cares, 375 "To fave their finking country lent, "To rob the church, their tenants rack; "Go fnacks with ****** juftices, "And keep the peace to pick up fees; "Too foon that precious life was ended, "On which alone our weal depended, "In every jobb to have a share, "A gaol or turnpike to repair; 380 "And turn ******* to public roads When up a dangerous faction starts, "With wrath and vengeance in their hearts; "By felemn league and covenant boand, 445 "Commodious to their own abodes. "Toruin, flaughter, and confound; He never thought an honour done him, "Becauí: a peer was proud to own him, "To turn religion to a fable, "Would rather flip afide, and choofe 385 To talk with wits in dirty hoes; And fcorn the tools with ftars and garters, So often feen careffing Chartres. He never courted men in ftation, Nor perfus held in admiration ; 320 Corrupt the fenate, rob the crown; "To facrifice Old England's glory, "And make her infamous in ftory: "When fuch a tempeft shook the land, "How could unguarded virtue stand! "And make the government a Babel; "Pervert the laws, difgrace the gown, 66 450 in's greatnefs was afraid, le fought for no man's aid. His friends in exile, or the Tower, Himself within the frown of power; Pursued by base invenom'd pens, Far to the land of f and fens ; A fervile race in folly nurs'd, Who truckle most, when treated worst. "By innocence and refolution, He bore continual perfecution; While numbers to preferment rofe, Whofe merit was to be his foes; When ev'n bis oron familiar friends, Intent upon their private ends, Like renegadoes now he feels, Against bim lifting up their beels. "The Dean did, by his pen, defeat An infamous destructive cheat; Taught fools their intereft how to know, And gave them arms to ward the blow. Envy hath own'd it was his doing, To fave that hapless land from ruin ; While they who at the fteerage flood, And reap'd the profit, fought his blood. "To fave them from their evil fate, In him was held a crime of ftate. A wicked monster on the bench, Whose fury blood could never quench; As vile and profligate a villain, As modern Scroggs, or old Treffilian; Who long all justice had discarded, Nor fear'd be God, nor man regarded; Vow'd on the Dean his rage to vent, And make him of his zeal repent: But Heaven his innocence defends, The grateful people stand his friends; Not trains of law, nor judges' frown, Nor topics brought to please the crown, Nor witness hir'd, nor jury pick'd, Prevail to bring him in convict. "In exile, with a steady heart, He spent his life's declining part; Where folly, pride, and faction fway, Remote from St. John, Pope, and Gay." Which if he lik'd, much good may't do bim. His zeal was not to lash our crimes, But difcontent against the times: For, had we made him timely offers To raife his poft, or fill his coffers, Perhaps he might have truckled down, Like other brethren of his gonz For party he would fearce have bled: 460" With all the turns of Whigs and Tories: "Was cheerful to his dying-day; "And friends would let him have his way. "As for his works in verfe or profe, "I own myself no judge of those. 465" Nor can I tell what criticks thought them ; "But this I know, all people bought them, "As with a moral view defign'd, "To pleafe and to reform mankind; 470" The world must own it to their fame, 475" No nation wanted it fo much. 480 485 490 495 500 505 510 515 I fay no more-because he's dead. VOL. V. W grape's juice fick; HEN I left you, I found myself of the I'm fo full of pity, I never abuse fick; And the patienteft patient that ever you knew fick Both when I am purge-fick, and when I am spewfick. I pitied my cat, whom I knew by her mew fick ; She mended at first, but now she's a-new fick. Captain Butler made fome in the church black and blue fick ; Dean Crofs, had he preach'd, would have made us all pew-fick. Are not you, in a crowd when you fweat and ftew, fick? Lady Santry got out of the church when she grew fick, And, as fast as he could, to the deanry flew fick. Such mufick would make a fanatick or Jew sick, My footman came home from the church of a bruife fick, And look'd like a rake, who was made in the ftews fick ; * This melley (for it cannot be calle! a poem) is 520 given as a specimen of those bagatelles for which the Dean bath perhaps been too feverely cenfured. Sume which were still more exceptionable, are jupprifti. N. G g And poor I myself was, when I withdrew, fick ; For the fmell of them made me like garlick and rue fick, And I got through the crowd, though not let by a clue, fick. Yet hop'd' to find many (for that was your cue fick; But there was not a dozen (to give them their due) fick, And thofe, to be fure, ftuck together like glew, fick. So are ladies in crowds, when they squeeze and they ferew, fick. You may find they are all, by their yellow pale hue, fick; So am I, when tobacco, like Robin, I chew, fick. fick; Had we two been there, it would have made me and you fick : A lady that long'd, is by eating of flew fick; There's a gamefter in town, for a throw that he And yet the old trade of his dice he'll purfue fick; I've known an old mifer for paying his due fick ; At prefent I'm grown by a pinch of my foe fick, And what would you have me with verfes to do Of rhymes I've a plenty, Answered the fame day when sent, Nov. 23. I defire you will carry both these to the Doctor, together with his own; and let him know we are not perfons to be infulted. "Can you match with me, "Who fend thirty-three? "You must get fourteen more, "To make up thirty-four : "But, if me you can conquer, "I'il own you a ftrong cur*." This morning I'm growing by smelling of yew fick; My brother's come over with gold from Peru fick; Laft night I came home in a storm that then blew fick; This moment my dog at a cat I halloo fick ; I hear, from good hands, that my poor coufin Hugh's fick, And now there's no more I can write (you'll exBy quaffing a bottle, and pulling a screw fick : cufe fick; You fee that I fcorn to mention word musick. I'll do my best, To fend the reft; Without a jeft, I'il ftand the test. Thefe lines that I send you, I hope you'll perufe fick; I'll make you with writing a little more news fick : Laft night I came home with drinking of booze fick; My carpenter fwears that he'll hack and he'll hew fick; An officer's lady, I'm told, is tattoo fick : fick. Lord! I could write a dozen more ; You fee, I've mounted thirty-four. EPIGRAM ON THE BUSTS IN RICHMOND HERMITAGE. 1732 "Sic fibi lætantur Docti " W How are thefe venerable buftoes grac'd' ITH honour thus by Carolina plac'd, O Queen, with more than regal title crown'd, The lines" thus marked" were written by Dr. Swift, at the bottom of Dr. Helfbam's twenty lines: and the following fourteen were afterwards adied un the fame paper. N. † Newton, Locke, Clarke, and Wooleßen. |