With envious eyes they Bryfa's glories fee,
Nor think they can be great, while less than he.
Envy their cunning fharpen'd, and their wit,
Enough before for treacherous councils fit:
T'accufe him openly not yet they dare,
But fubtly by degrees his fall prepare:
They knew by long-experienc'd desert
How near he grew rooted to Cæfar's heart;
To move him hence, requir'd no common skill,
But what is hard to a refolved will ?
They found his public actions all conspire,
Wifely apply'd, to favour their desire :
But one they want their venom to fuggeft,
And make it gently flide to Cæfar's breaft:
Who atter than * Villerius for this part?
And him to gain requir'd but little art,
For mischief was the darling of his heart.
A compound of such parts as never yet
In any one of all God's creatures met:
Not fick men's dreams fo various or fo wild,
Or of fuch difagreeing fhapes compil'd;
Yet, through all changes of his shifting scene,.
Still conftant to buffoon and harlequin,
As if he 'ad made a prayer, than his of old
More foolish, that turn'd all he touch’d to gold.
God granted him to play th' eternal fool,
And all he handled turn to ridicule.
Thus a new Midas truly he appears,
And fhews, through all disguise, his affes ears.
Did he the weightiest business of the state
At council or in fenate-house debate,
King, country, all, he for a jest would quit,
To catch fome little flash of paltry wit :
How full of gravity foe'er he ftruts,
The in robes will fcramble for his nuts :
ape
Did he all laws of heaven or earth defy,
Blafpheme his God, or give his king the lye;
Adultery, murders, or ev'n worse, commit,
Still 'twas a jeft, and nothing but sheer wit:
At laft this edg'd-tool wit, his darling sport,
Wounded himself, and,banifh'd him the court:
Like common jugglers, or like common whores,
All his tricks fhewn, he was kick'd out of doors.
Not chang'd in humour by his change of place,
He ftill found company to fuit his grace;
Mountebanks, quakers, chemifts, trading varlets,
Pimps, players, city fheriffs, and fuburb harlots;
War his averfion, once he heard it roar,
But, "Damn him if he ever hear it more!"
And there you may believe him, though he fwore.
But with play-houses, wars, immortal wars,
He wag'd, and ten years rage produc'd a * farce.
As many rolling years he did employ,
And hands almoft as many, to destroy
Heroic rhyme, as Greece to ruin Troy.
Once more, fays Fame, for battle he prepares,
And threatens rhymers with a fecond farce :
But, if as long for this as that we stay,
He'll finish Clevedon sooner than his play.
This precious tool did the new statesmen use
In Cafar's breath their whispers to infuse:
Sufpicion's bred by gravity, beard, and gown;
But who fufpects the madman and buffoon ?
Drolling Villerius this advantage had,
And all his jefts fober impreffions made:
Befides, he knew to chufe the foftest hour,
When Cæfar for a while forgot his power,
And, coming tir'd from empire's grand affairs,
In the free joys of wine relax'd his cares.
'Twas then he play'd the fly successful fool,
And ferious mifchief did in ridicule.
Then he with jealous thoughts his prince could fill,
And gild with mirth and glittering wit the pill.
With a grave mien, difcourfe, and decent state,
He pleasantly the ape could imitate,
And foon as a contempt of him was bred,
It made the way for hatred to fucceed.
The greatest jeft of all, "he'd needs be wife---"
[Here the writer left off.]
"TWA AS noon, when I, scorch'd with the double fire
Of the hot fun and my more hot defire,
Stretch'd on my downy couch at eafe was laid,
Big with expectance of the lovely maid.
The curtains but half drawn, a light let in,
Such as in fhades of thickest groves is feen;
Such as remains when the fun flies away,
Or when night's gone, and yet it is not day.
This light to modest maids must be allow'd,
Where shame may hope its guilty head to shrowd.
And now my love, Corinna, did appear,
Loose on her neck fell her divided hair;
Loose as her flowing gown, that wanton'd in the air.
In fuch a garb, with fuch a grace and mien,
To her rich bed approach'd th' Affyrian queen.
So Laïs look'd, when all the youth of Greece
With adoration did her charms confefs.
Her envious gown to pull away I try'd,
But the refifted ftill, and ftill deny'd ;
But fo refifted, that the feem'd to be
Unwilling to obtain the victory.
So I at laft an eafy conquest had,
Whilft my fair combatant herself betray'd:
But, when the naked stood before my eyes.
Gods! with what charms dift she my foul furprize!
What snowy arms did I both fee and feel!
With what rich globes did her soft bofom fwell!
Plump, as ripe clusters, rofe each glowing breast,
Courting the hand, and fueing to be prest!
In every limb what various charms were fpread,
Where thousand little Loves and Graces play'd!
One beauty did through her whole body fhine.
I faw, admir'd, and prefs'd it close to mine.
The reft, who knows not? Thus entranc'd we lay,
Till in each other's arms we dy'd away;
O give me fuch a noon (ye gods) to every day.
HORACE, BOOK II. ODE IV.*
LUSH not, my friend, to own the love
Which thy fair captive's eyes do move:
Achilles, once the fierce, the brave,
Stoop'd to the beauties of a flave;
Tecmeffa's charms could overpower
Ajax her lord and conqueror;
Great Agamemnon when fuccefs
Did all his arms with conqueft blefs;
When Hector's fall had gain'd him more
Than ten long rolling years before,
By a bright captive virgin's eyes
Ev'n in the midst of triumph dies.
You know not to what mighty line
The lovely maid may make you join ;
See but the charms her forrow wears,
No common caufe could draw fuch tears:
Thofe ftreams fure that adorn her fo
For lofs of royal kindred flow :
* See another imitation of this ode in Yalden's
|