Long has the Mufes' land been overcast,

And many rough and stormy winters past;
Hid from the world, and thrown in fhades of night,
Of heat depriv'd, and almost void of light :
While Wit, a hardy plant, of nature bold,
Has ftruggled ftrongly with the killing cold :
So does it ftill through oppofition grow,
As if its root was warmer kept by snow:
But when fhot forth, then draws the danger near,
On every fide the gathering winds appear,
And blasts destroy that fruit, which frosts would spare.
But now, new vigour and new life it knows,
And warmth that from this royal prefence flows.

O would she shine with rays more frequent here!
How gay would then this drooping land appear
Then, like the fun, with pleasure she might view
The smiling earth, cloath'd by her beams anew.
O'er all the meads, fhould various flowers be feen
Mix'd with the laurel's never-fading green,
The new creation of a gracious Queen.

EPI

WITH AN ITALIAN PASTORAL.

Whatever future fate our house may find,

At prefent we expect you should be kind;

Inconftancy itself can claim no right,

Before enjoyment and the wedding-night.
You must be fix'd a little ere you range,
You must be true till you have time to change.
A week, at leaft; one night is fure too foon:
But we pretend not to a honey-moon.
To novelty we know you can be true,
But what, alas! or who, is always new?
This day, without prefumption, we pretend
With novelty entire you 're entertain’d;
For not alone our house and fcenes are new,
Our fong and dance, but ev'n our actors too.
Our play itself has fomething in't uncommon,
Two faithful lovers, and one conftant woman.
In fweet Italian strains our fhepherds fing,
Of harmless loves our painted forests ring,
In notes, perhaps, lefs foreign than the thing.
To found and fhow at firft we make pretence,
In time we may regale you with some sense,
But that, at prefent, were too great expence."

We only fear the beaux may think it hard,
To be to-night from smutty jests debarr'd :
But, in good-breeding, fure they'll once excufe
Ev'n modefty, when in a ftranger-mufe.

The day's at hand when we shall shift the scene,
And to yourselves fhew your dear selves again :
Paint the reverse of what you've seen to-day,
And in bold ftrokes the vicious town difplay.

PYRRHUS KING OF EPIRU S.

Ο UR age has much improv'd the warrior's art ;

For fighting, now, is thought the weakest part;

And a good head, more ufeful than a heart.
This way of war does our example yield;
That ftage will win, which longeft keeps the field.
We mean not battle, when we bid defiance;
But ftarving one another to compliance.
Our troops encamp'd are by each other view'd ;
And thofe which firft are hungry, are fubdued.
And there, in truth, depends the great decifion :
They conquer, who cut off the foes' provifion.
Let fools with knocks and bruises keep a pother,
Our war and trade is to outwit each other;
But, hold: will not the politicians tell us,
That both our conduct and our forefight fail us ;

T.

To raife recruits, and draw new forces down ;
Thus, in the dead vacation of the town,
To mufter up our rhymes, without our reafon,
And forage for an audience out of season ?
Our author's fears muft this false step excufe;
'Tis the first flight of a juft-feather'd Muse:
Th' occafion ta'en, when critics are away;
Half wits and beaux, thofe ravenous birds of prey.
But, heaven be prais'd, far hence they vent their wrath,
Mauling, in mild lampoon, th' intriguing Bath.
Thus does our author his first flight commence ;
Thus, against friends at firft, with foils we fence:
Thus prudent Gimcrack try'd if he were able
(Ere he'd wet foot) to fwim upon a table.

Then spare the youth; or, if you'll damn the play,
Let him but firft have his, then take your day.

EPILOG

TO

U E

ORO ONO KO.

OU fee we try all shapes, and shifts and arts,

Yo

To tempt your favours, and regain your hearts. We weep, and laugh, join mirth and grief together, Like rain and funfhine mix'd, in April weather. Your different taftes divide our poet's cares: One foot the fock, t' other the buskin wears:

Thus while he ftrives to pleafe, he's forc'd to do 't,
Like Volfcius, hip-hop, in a single boot.

Criticks, he knows, for this may damn his books :
But he makes feafts for friends, and not for cooks.
Though errant-knights of late no favour find,
Sure you will be to ladies-errant kind.

To follow fame, knights-errant make profefsion
We damfels fly, to fave our reputation :

:

So they, their valour fhow; we, our difcretion.
To lands of monfters and fierce beafts they go :
We to those islands where rich hufbands grow:
Though they're no monsters, we may make them fo..
If they're of English growth, they'll bear 't with
patience :

But fave us from a fpoufe of Oroonoko's nations!
Then bless your stars, you happy London wives,
Who love at large, each day, yet keep your lives:
Nor envy poor
Imoinda's doating blindness,
Who thought her husband kill'd her out of kindness.
Death with a husband ne'er had fhewn fuch charms,
Had the once died within a lover's arms.

Her error was from ignorance proceeding:
Poor foul! fhe wanted fome of our town-breeding!
Forgive this Indian's fondness of her spouse;
Their law no chriftian liberty allows :

Alas! they make a confcience of their vows!

If virtue in a heathen be a fault;

Then damn the heathen school where he was taught.

She might have learn'd to cuckold, jilt, and sham,
Had Covent-Garden been in Surinam.

PRO