Soft words fuit beft petitioners' intent;
Soft words, O ye petitioners of Kent! i

10 Whoe'er harangues before he gives his vote,
Should fend sweet language from a tuneful throat,
Pultney the coldeft breaft with zeal can fire,
And Roman thoughts by Attic ftile infpire;
He knows from tedious wrangling to beguile
The ferious house into a cheerful fmile;
When the great patriot paints his anxious fears
For England's fafety, I am loft in tears.
But when dull speakers ftrive to move compaffion,
I pity their poor hearers, not the nation
Unless young members to the purpose keep,
I fall a laughing, or I fall asleep.

10 Non fatis eft pulchra effe Poemata, dulcia funto
Ut ridentibus arrident, ita flentibus adfunt
Humani vultus: fi vis me flere, dolendum eft
Primum ipfi tibi: tunc tua me infortunia lædent,
Telephe, vel Peleu: male fi mandata loquêris,
Aut dormitabo, aut ridebo.

i The petition here alluded to, was one prefented to the Houfe of Commons, from the magiftrates of Kent, in 1701. It contained a cen→ fure on the proceedings of that branch of the legislature, for not enabling King William to profecute the war. The House, in refentment of the infult offered to their dignity by the petitioners, committed five of them, who were deputies for the reft, to the Gatehouse.

* Afterwards earl of Bath.

Can

1 Can men their inward faculties controul
Is not the tongue an index to the foul ?
Laugh not in time of service to your God,
Nor bully, when in cuftody o' th' rod;
Look grave, and be from jokes and grinning far,
When brought to fue for pardon at the bar:
If then you let your ill tim'd wit appear,
Knights, citizens, and burgeffes will fneer.

12 For land, or trade, not the fame notions fire The city-merchant, and the country-'fquire ; Their climes are distant, though one cause unites The lairds of Scotland, and the Cornish knights. 13 To likelihood your characters confine: Don't turn Sir Paul out, let Sir Paul refign.

In

11 Format enim natura prius nos intus ad omnem
Fortunarum habitum, &c.

Poft effert animi motus interprete linguâ.

-triftia mæftum

Vultum verba decent, &c.

Si dicentis erunt fortunis abfona dicta,
Romani tollent equites peditefque cachinnum.
12 Intererit multum Davufne loquatur, an Heros:
Mercatorne vagus, cultorne virentis agelli;
Colchus, an Affyrius; Thebis nutritus, an Argis.
13 Aut famam fequere, aut fibi convenientia finge,
Scriptor. Honoratum fi forte reponis Achillem,

Impiger,

In Walpole's voice (if factions ill intend)
Give the two universities a friend;

Give Maidstone wit, and elegance refin'd;

m

To both the Pelhams " give the Scipio's mind;
To Cart'ret learning, eloquence, and parts;

n

To George the fecond, give all English hearts.
14 Sometimes fresh names in politics produce,
And factions yet unheard of introduce ;
And if you dare attempt a thing so new,
Make to itself the flying fquadron true.

15 To speak is free, no member is debarr'd; But funds and national accounts are hard :

Safer

Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer,
Jura neget fibi nata, nihil non arroget armis;
Sit Medea ferox invictaque, flebilis Ino,
Perfidus Ixion, Io vaga, triftis Oreftes.

14 Si quid inexpertum fcenæ committis, & audes
Perfonam formare novam, fervetur ad imum
Qualis ab incepto procefferit, & fibi conftet.

15 Difficile eft proprie communia dicere: tuque
Rectius Iliacum carmen deducis in actus,

Quam fi proferres ignota indictaque primus.

1 George Finch, afterwards earl of Winchelsea.

n Thomas Pelham Holles, duke of Newcastle, and Henry Pelham, Esg his brother.

John Carteret, lord Carteret, afterwards earl Granville.

Publica

Safer on common topicks to difcourfe,
The malt-tax, and a military force.

On these each coffee-house will lend a hint,
Beûdes a thousand things that are in print.

But fteal not word for word, nor thought for thought,
For you'll be teaz'd to death, if you are caught,
When factious leaders boaft increasing ftrength,
Go not too far, nor follow every length:
Leave room for change, turn with a grace about,
And swear you left 'em, when you found 'em out.
16 With art and modefty your part maintain;
And talk like Col'nel Titus, not like Lane o.
The trading knight with rants his speech begins,
Sun, moon, and ftars, and dragons, faints, and kings a

Publica materies privati juris erit, fi

Nec circa vilem patulumque moraberis orbem;
Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus
Interpres; nec defilies imitator in arctum,
Unde pedem proferre pudor vetet, aut operis lex,

16 Nec fic incipies, ut fcriptor Cyclicus olim,
"Fortunam Priami cantabo & nobile bellum.”
Quanto rectius hic, qui nil molitur inepte,
"Dic mihi Mufa virum, captæ poft tempora Troja,
Qui mores hominum multorum vidit & urbes."

Sir Richard Lane, member for Worcafter in the year 1727.

But

But Titus faid, with his uncommon fenfe,
When the exclufion-bill was in fufpence P
I hear a lion in the lobby roar ;

Say, Mr. Speaker, fhall we fhut the door
And keep him there, or fhall we let him in
To try if we can turn him out again?

17 Some mighty blusterers impeach with noise, And call their private cry, the public voice.

18 From folios of accounts they take their handles, And the whole balance proves a pound of candles;

17 Non fumum ex fulgore, fed ex fumo dare lucens
Cogitat

18 Quid dignum tanto feret hic promiffor hiatu?

Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

In a debate on the exclufion bill, January 7, 1680, Colonel Titus, amongst other things, obferved, "If a lion was in the lobby, and we were to confider which way to fecure ourselves from him, and con"clude it is best to shut the door and keep him out, "No, fays another, "let us chain him and let him come in, but I should be loth to put the ❝ chain on. Should the nomination of the judges, and all other pre"ferments, be in your hands, what a kind of government would you "have, without feet or claws? As fuch a king cannot hurt you, fo he

cannot protect you. It has been faid by another, "Let us eftablish a good council about the king. But I never knew a king and his "council of a different opinion. A wife king has, and alfo makes a "wife council, but a wife council does not always make a wife "king, &c.". Grey's Debates, vol. viii, page 279.

As