The feafon when to come and when to go,
To fing, or ceafe to fing, we never know;
And if we will recite nine hours in ten,
You lofe your patience juft like other men.
Then, too, we hurt ourselves when, to defend
A 2 fingle verfe, we quarrel with a friend;
Repeat 3 unafk'd; lament the 4 wit's too fine
For vulgar eyes, and point out ev'ry line:
But most when train ng with too weak a wing,
We needs will write epiftles to the King;
And 5 from the moment we oblige the Town,
Expect a place or penfion from the Crown;
Or, dubb'a Hiftorians, by exprefs command,
T'enrol your triumphs o'er the feas and land,
Be call'd to Court to plan fome work divine,
As once for Louis, Boileau and Racine.
Yet think, grear Sir! (fo many virtues fhown,) Ah! think what poet beft may make them known; Or chufe at leaft fome minifter of grace,
Fit to bestow the 7 Laureat's weighty place.
8 Charles, to late times to be tranfmitted fair, 380 Affign'd his figure to Bernini's care;
I Solicito damus, aut feffo: cum lædimur, 2 unum
Si quis amicorum eft aufus reprendere verfum :
Cum loca jam 3 recitata revolvimus irrevocati:
Cum 4 lamentamur non apparere labores
Noftros, et tenui deducta poemata filo :
Cum 5 fperamus eo rem venturam, ut fimul atque
Carmina reicieris nos fingere, commodus ultro
Arcessas, et egere vetes, et fcribere cogas.
Sed tamen eft operæ pretium cognofcere, quales
dituous habeat belli ípectata domique
Virtus, 7 indigno non committenda poetæ.
8 Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille
Choerilus, incultis qui verfibus et male natis
Rettulit acceptos, regale numifma, Philippos.
Sed veluti tradata notam labemque remittunt
Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine fœdo
Splendida facta linunt. idem rex ille, poema
And great Nassau to Kneller's hand decreed
To fix him graceful on the bounding steed:
So well in paint and ftone they judg'd of merit:
But kings in wit may want difcerning fpirit.
The hero William, and the Martyr Charles,
One knighted Blackmore, and one penfion'd Quarles,
Which made old Ben, and furly Dennis fwear,
"No Lord's annointed, but a 2 Ruffian bear."
Not with fuch 3 majefty, fuch bold relief,
The forms auguft of king, or conq'ring chief,
E'er fwell'd on marble, as in verfe have fhin'd
(In polifh'd verfe) the manners and the mind.
Oh! could I mount on the Mæonian wing,
Your 4 arms, your actions, your repofe, to fing! 395
What 5 feas you travers'd, and what fields you fought!
Your country's peace how oft, how dearly bought!
How 6 barb'rous rage fubfided at your word,
And nations wonder'd while they dropp'd the fword!
How when you nodded, o'er the land and deep
7 Peace ftole her wing, and wrapp'd the world in fleep.
Qui tam ridiculum tam care prodigus emit;
Edicto vetuit, ne quis fe, præter Apellem,
Pingeret, aut alius Lyfippo duceret æra
Fortis Alexandri vultum fimulantia: quod fi
Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud
Ad libros, et ad hæc Mufarum dona vocares;
2 Bootum in craffo jurares aëre natum.
[At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque
Munera, quæ multa dantis cum laude tulerunt,
Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variufque poetæ ;]
Nec magis expreffi 3 vultus per ahenea figna,
Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum
Clarorum apparent: nec fermones ego mallem
Repentes per humum, 4 quam res componere geftas,
Terrarumque 5 fitus, et flumina dicere, et arces
Montibus impofitas, et 6 barbara regna, tuifque
Aufpiciis totum 7 confecta duella per orbem,
Clauftraque cuftodem pacis cohibentia Janum,
Till earth's extremes your meditation own,
And Afia's tyrants tremble at your throne.
But 2 verfe, alas! your majefty difdains:
And I'm not us'd to panegyric ftrains.
The zeal of 3 fools offends at any time,
But most of all the zeal of fools in rhyme.
Befides, a fate attends on all I write,
That when I aim ar praife they fay 4 I bite.
A vile 5 encomium doubly ridicules;
There's nothing blackens like the ink of fools.
If true, a woeful likenefs; and if lies,
"Praise undeferv'd is fcandal in disguise.”
Well may he 7 blush who gives it, or receives;
And when I flatter, let my dirty leaves
(Like 8 journals, odes, and fuch forgotten things
As Eufden, Philips, Settle, writ of kings,)
Clothe fpice, line trunks, or, flutt'ring in a row,
Befringe the rails of Bedlam and Soho.
Et formidatam Parthis, te principe, Romam;
Si quantum cuperem, poffem quoque. fed neque par-
2 Carmen majeftas recipit tua, nec meus audet [vum
Rem tentare pudor, quam vires ferre recufent.
Sedulitas autem. 3 ftulte, quem diligit, urget;
Præcipue cum fe numeris commendat et arte.
Difcit enim citius, meminitque libentius illud
Quod quis 4 deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur.
Nil moror 5 officium quod me gravat: ac neque ficto
In 6 pejus vultu proponi cereus ufquam,
Nec prave factis decorari verfibus opto:
Ne 7 rubeam pingui donatus mune e, et una
Cum fcriptore meo, capfa porre&us aperta,
Deferar in vicum vendentem thus et odores,
Et piper, et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis.
DEAR Col'nel, Cobham's and your country's friend!
You love a verfe; take fuch as I can fend.
I A Frenchman comes, prefents you with his boy, Bows and begins-" This lad, Sir, is of Blois : "Observe his shape, how clean! his locks how curl'd! My only fon; I'd have him fee the world.
"His French is pure; his voice too-you shall hear. "Sir, he's your flave for twenty pounds a year. "Mere wax as yet, you fashion him with ease; "Your barber, cook, upholsterer; what "A perfect genius at an op'ra fong"To fay too much might do my honour wrong. "Take him with all his virtues, on my word; "His whole ambition was to ferve a lord. "But, Sir, to you with what would I not part? "Tho', faith, I fear't will break his mother's heart. “ Once (and but once) I caught him in a lie, "And then, unwhipp'd, he had the grace to cry: "The fault he has I fairly fhall reveal,
"(Could you o'erlook but that)-it is to fteal." 20
HOR. LIB. II. EPIST. II.
FLORE, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni,
I Si quis forte velit puerum tibi vendere natum Tibure vel Gabiis, et tecum fic agat: "Hic et "Candidus, et talos a vertice pulcher ad imos, "Fiet eritque tuus nummorum millibus octo; "Verna minifteriis ad nutus aptus heriles; "Literulis Græcis imbutus, idoneus arti "Cuilibet: argilla quidvis imitaberis uda : "Quin etiam canet indoctum, fed dulce bibenti. "Multa fidem promifla levant, ubi plenius æquo “Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, merces. "Res urget me nulla: femel hic ceffavit; et (ut fit) "In fcalis latuit metuens pendentis habenæ. "Des nummos, excepta nihil te fi fuga lædat." VOL. II.
1 If, after this, you took the graceless lad,
Could you complain, my friend, he prov'd fo bad?
Faith, in fuch cafe, if you fhould profecute,
I think Sir Godfrey should decide the suit,
Who fent the thief that ftole the cash away,
And punish'd him that put it in his way.
2 Confider then, and judge me in this light;
I told you when I went I could not write;
You faid the fame; and are you discontent
With laws to which you gave your own assent?
Nay, worse, to ask for verfe at fuch a time!
D'ye think me good for nothing but to rhyme?
3 In Anna's wars a foldier, poor and old,
Had dearly earn'd a little purfe of gold:
Tir'd with a tedious march, one luckless night
He flept, (poor dog!) and loft it to a doit.
This put the man in fuch a defp'rate mind,
Between revenge, and grief, and hunger join'd,
Against the foe, himfelf, and all mankind,
He leap'd the trenches, fcal'd a castle-wall,
Tore down a ftandard, took the fort and all.
"Prodigious well!" his great commander cry'd;
Gave him much praife, and fome reward befide.
1 Ille ferat pretium, poenæ fecurus, opinor.
Prudens emifti vitiofum: dicta tibi eft lex.
Infequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniqua.
2 Dixi me pigrum proficifcenti tibi, dixi
Talibus officiis prope mancum: ne mea fævus
Jurgares ad te quod epiftola nulla veniret.
Quid tum profeci, mecum facientia jura
Si tamen attentas? quæreris fuper hoc etiam, quod
Expectata tibi non mittam carmina mendax.
3 Luculli miles collecta viatica, multis
Arumnis laffus dum nocta ftertit, ad affem
Perdiderat : poft hoc vehemens lupus, et sibi et hosti
Irarus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer,
Præfidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt,
Summe munito, et muitarum divite rerum.
Clarus ob id factum, donis ornatur honeftis,
Accipit et bis dena fuper feftertia nummûm.
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