1

III.
Then various elements against thee join'd,

In one more various animal combin'd,
And fram'd the clam'rous race of busy human-kind.

IV.
The tongue mov'd gently first, and speech was low,

Till wrangling science taught it noise and show,
And wicked wit arose, thy most abusive foe.

-V.
But rebel wit deserts thee oft in vain;

Loft in the maze of words he turns again,
And seeks a surer ftate, and courts thy gentler reign.

VI.
Aflicted sense thou kindly doft set free,

Oppress'd with argumental tyranny,
And routed reason finds a safe retreat in thee.

VII.
With thee in private modeft dulness lies,

And in thy bosom lurks in thought's disguise;
Thou varnisher of fools, and cheat of all the wise!

VIII.
Yet thy indulgence is by both confeft;

Folly by thee lies fleeping in the breaft,
And 'tis in thee at last that wisdom seeks for reft.

IX. Silence, the knave's repute, the whore's good name,

The only honour of the wishing dame; Thy very want of tongue makes thee a kind of fame:

X. But cou'dlt thou seize some tongues that now are

free, How Church and state wou'd be oblig'd to thee? At Senate, and at Bar, how welcome would'it thou be?

XI.
Yet speech ev’n there, submissively withdraws

From rights of subjects, and the poor man's cause; Then pompous Silence reigns, and stills the noisy.

laws.

XII.

Paft services of friends, good deeds of foes,

What fav’rites gain, and what th’Exchequer owes, Fly the forgetful world, and in thy arms repose.

XIII.
The country wit, religion of the town,

The countier's learning, policy o'th' gown,
Are beft by thee express'd, and shine in thee alone,

XIV. 1 The parson's cant, the lawyer's sophisty,

Lord's quibble, critic's jest; all end in thee, All rest in peace at last, and deep eternally.

Ε Ρ Ι Τ Α Ρ Η

A

Pleasing form, a firm, yet cautious mind,
Sincere, tho' prudent; conftant, yet re-

sign'd;
Honour unchang'd, a principle profest,
Fixt to one side, but mod'rate to the reft;,
An honeft courtier, and a patriot too,
Just to his Prince, and to his country true;
Fill'd with the sense of age, the fire of youth;
A scorn of wrangling, yet a zeal for truth;
A gen'rous faith, from superstition free,
A love to peace, and hate of tyranny;
Such this man was; who now, from earth remov.d,
At length enjoys that liberty. he lov’d.

PROLOGUE

TO

Mr. Addision's Tragedy

OF

C A T 0. T:

10 wake the soul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the

heart; To make mankind, in conscious virtue bold, Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold: For this the Tragic Muse first trod the stage, Commanding tears to stream thro' ev'ry age; Tyrants no more their savage nature kept, And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept.

Our