What tho' no facred earth allow thee room, So peaceful refts without a stone a name, 69 What once had beauty, titles, wealth, and fame. How lov'd, how honour'd once, avails thee not, To whom related, or by whom begot; A heap of duft alone remains of thee, 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud fhall be! 74 Poets themselves muft fall like those they sung, Deaf the prais'd ear, and mute the tuneful tongue. Ev'n he, whose foul now melts in mournful lays, Shall shortly want the gen'rous tear he pays; Then from his clofing eyes thy form shall part, And the laft pang fhall tear thee from his heart, Life's idle business at one gafp be o'er, The Mufe forgot, and thou belov'd no more! PROLOGUE ΤΟ Mr. ADDISON'S Tragedy O F CATO. O wake the foul by tender ftrokes 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 ftage, 5 Commanding tears to stream thro' ev'ry age; Tyrants no more their favage nature kept, And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept. Our author fhuns by vulgar fprings to move The hero's glory, or the virgin's love; In pitying Love, we but our weakness show, IQ Here tears shall flow from a more gen'rous caufe, He bids your breasts with ancient ardour rife, 15 25 While Cato gives his little Senate laws, Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in ftate; 30 The pomp was darken'd, and the day o'ercaft; NOTES. VER. 20. But what with pleafure] This alludes to a famous paffage of Seneca, which Mr. Addifon afterwards ufed as a motte. to his play, when it was printed. 35 The Triumph ceas'd, tears gufh'd from ev'ry eye; On French tranflation, and Italian song. * Be justly warm'd with your own native rage: NOTES. 4I 45 VER. 37. Britons, attend :] Mr. Pope had written it arife, in the spirit of Poetry, and Lberty; but Mr. Addifon frighten'd at fo daring an expreffion, which, he thought, fquinted at rebellion, would have it alter'd, in the fpirit of Profe and Politics, to attend. VER. 46. As Cato's felf, etc.] This alludes to that famous story of his going into the Theatre, and immediately coming out again, EPILOGUE то Mr. Rowe's JANE SHORE. PR Defign'd for Mrs, OLDFIELD. Rodigious this! the Frail-one of our Play From her own Sex fhould mercy find to-day! You might have held the pretty head afide, Peep'd in your fans, been ferious, thus, and cry'd, The Play may pafs--but that ftrange creature, Shore, I can't--indeed now--I fo hate a whore- Juft as a blockhead rubs his thoughtless skull, Our fex are still forgiving at their heart; We'd be the beft, good-natur'd things alive. 6 II |