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O Sacred Weapon leji for Truths Defence
Sole Dread of Folly, Vice and Insolence,
To all but Heaven directio Ilands denied
The Muse may give thee but the Gees must quide.

EPILOGUE

TO THE

SATIRE S.

IN TWO DIALOGUES.

Written in MDCCXXXVIII.

DIALOGUE I.

FR. NOT twice a twelvemonth you appear in Print, And when it comes, the Court fee nothing in't

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You grow correct, that once with Rapture writ,
And are, befides, too moral for a Wit.
Decay of Parts, alas! we all muft feel-
Why now, this moment, don't I fee you steal?
'Tis all from Horace; Horace long before ye
Said, "Tories call'd him Whig, and Whigs a Tory;"

VER. 1. Not twice a twelvemonth, etc.] Thefe two lines are from Horace: and the only lines that are fo in the whole Poem; being meant to give a handle to that which follows in the character of an impertinent Cenfurer;

'Tis all from Horace, etc.

VARIATIONS.

After ver. 2. in the MS.

You don't, I hope, pretend to quit the trade,
Because you think your reputation made:
Like good Sir Paul, of whom fo much was faid,
That when his name was up, he lay a-bed.
Come, come, refresh us with a livelier fong,
Or, like Sir Paul, you'll lie a-bed too long.
P. Sir, what I write, should be correctly writ.
F. Correct! 'tis what no genius can admit.
Befides, you grow too moral for a Wit.
VOL. II.

}

And taught his Romans, in much better metre,

To laugh at Fools who put their truft in Peter." 10
But Horace, Sir, was delicate, was nice;
Bubo obferves, he lafh'd no fort of Vice:

Horace would fay, Sir Billy ferv'd the Crown,
Blunt could do Bus'nefs, H-ggins knew the Town;
In Sappho touch the Failings of the Sex,
In rev'rend Bishops note fome Small Neglects,
And own the Spaniard did a waggish thing,
Who cropt our Ears, and fent them to the King.
His fly, polite, infinuating style

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Could please at Court, and make AUGUSTUS fmile: An artful Manager, that crept between

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His Friend and Shame, and was a kind of Screen.
But 'faith your very Friends will foon be fore;
Patriots there are, who wish you'd jeft no more-
And where's the Glory? 'twill be only thought 25
The Great man never offer'd you a groat.

VER. 12. Bubo obferves,] Some guilty perfon very fond of making fuch an obfervation.

VER. 14. H-ggins] Formerly Jaylor of the Fleet-prison, enriched himself by many exactions, for which he was tried and expelled.

VER. 18. Who cropt our Ears,] Said to be executed by the Captain of a Spanish fhip on one Jenkins, a Captain of an English one. He cut off his ears, and bid him carry them to the King his mafter.

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Ibid. Screen.] A metaphor peculiarly appropriated to a certain perfon in power.

VER. 24. Patriots there are, etc.] This appellation was generally given to those in oppofition to the Court. Though fome of them (which our author hints at) had views too mean and interested to deferve that name.

VER. 26. The Great man] A phrase, by common use, appropri ated to the first Minister.

Go fee Sir ROBERT

P. See Sir ROBERT!-hum

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And never laugh-for all my life to come?
Seen him I have, but in his happier hour
Of Social Pleasure, ill-exchang'd for Pow'r;
Seen him, uncumber'd with a Venal tribe,
Smile without Art, and win without a Bribe.
Would he oblige me? let me only find,
He does not think me what he thinks mankind.
Come, come, at all I laugh he laughs, no doubt; 35
The only diff'rence is, I dare laugh out.

F. Why yes with Scripture ftill you may be free; A Horse-laugh, if you please, at Honesty;

A Joke on JEKYL, or fome odd Old Whig,
Who never chang'd his Principle, or Wig;

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VER. 31. Seen him uncumber'd] Thefe two verfes were originally in the Poem, though omitted in all the first editions.

VER. 34. what he thinks mankind.] This requeft feems fomewhat abfurd; but not more fo than the principle it refers to. That great Minifter, it feems, thought all mankind Rogues; and that every one had his price. It was ufually given as a proof of his penetration, and extenfive knowledge of the world. Others perhaps would think it an instance of a narrow understanding, that, from x few of Rochefoucault's maxims, and the corrupt practice of thofe he commonly converfed with, would thus boldly pronounce upon the character of a Species. It is certain, that a Keeper of Newgate, who fhould make the fame conclufion, would be heartily laughed at. VER. 37. Why yes: with Scripture, etc.] A fcribbler, whofe only chance for reputation is the falling in with the fashion, apt to employ this infamous expedient for the prefervation of his fleeting existence. But a true Genius could not do a foolisher thing, or fooner defeat his own aim. The fage Boileau ufed to fay on this occafion, "Une ouvrage fevere peut bien plaire aux libertins; mais "une ouvrage trop libre ne plaira jamais aux perfonnes feveres."

VER. 39. A Joke on Jekyl] Sir Jofeph Jekyl, Mafter of the Rolls, a true Whig in his principles, and a man of the utmost probity. He fometimes voted against the Court, which drew upon him the laugh here defcribed of ONE who bestowed it equally upon Religion and Honesty. He died a few months after the publication of

this poem.

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