So some coarse Country Wench, almost decay'd, UMBRA. [From the Miscellanies. The original of the character has been variously sought in Walter Carey (a F. R. S. and Whig official), Charles Johnson and Ambrose Philips. Umbra' must in no case be confounded with the 'Lord Umbra' of the Satires.] LOSE to the best known Author Umbra sits, CLO The constant Index to all Button's Wits1. "Who's here?" cries Umbra: "only Johnson,”—“Oh! 5 But cries as soon, "Dear Dick, I must be gone, TO MR JOHN MOORE, Author of the celebrated Worm-Powder. [From the Miscellanies.] How much, egregious Moore, are we Man is a very Worm by birth, Deceiv'd by Shows and Forms! Whate'er we think, whate'er we see, 1 [Button's coffee-house in Covent Garden was the resort of Addison's circle.] 2 [Charles Johnson, a second-rate dramatist. Vile, Reptile, weak, and vain! Bowles.] 3 [Tickell. See Introductory Memoir, P xxviii. That Woman is a Worm, we find E'er since our Grandam's evil; The Learn'd themselves we Book-worms The Blockhead is a Slow-worm; The Nymph whose Tail is all on Flame, The Fops are painted Butterflies, First from a Worm they take their Rise, The Flatterer an Ear-wig grows; And Death-watches Physicians. That Statesmen have the Worm, is seen, Ah Moore! thy Skill were well employ'd, The Worm that never dies! O learned Friend of Abchurch-Lane1, Since Worms shall eat ev'n thee. Our Fate thou only canst adjourn SANDYS' GHOST; OR A PROPER NEW BALLAD ON THE NEW OVID'S METAMORPHOSES. AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BE TRANSLATED BY PERSONS OF QUALITY. [From the Miscellanies. It is obviously not by Gay (see St. 13). Sir Walter Scott, quoted by Roscoe, explains the ballad to refer to a translation of the Metamorphoses published by Sir Samuel Garth (and written by several hands, of which Pope's was one), to supersede the old translation of George Sandys, who died in 1643.] E Lords and Commons, Men of Hear how a Ghost in dead of Night, YE Wit, And Pleasure about Town; Read this ere you translate one Bit Of Books of high Renown. Beware of Latin Authors all! Nor think your Verses Sterling, For not the Desk with silver Nails, With saucer Eyes of Fire, A Wit and courtly 'Squire. Rare Imp of Phoebus, hopeful Youth The Works of all the Muses. Ah! why did he write Poetry, That hereto was so civil; To Rhyming and the Devil? 1 [Abchurch (properly Upchurch) Lane, Lombard Street.] A Desk he had of curious Work, Now as he scratch'd to fetch up Thought, With Whiskers, Band, and Pantaloon, "I hear the Beat of Jacob's Drums3, Poor Ovid finds no Quarter! comes 4 In Haste, without his Garter. "Then Lords and Lordlings, 'Squires and Knights, See first the merry P Wits, Witlings, Prigs, and Peers! Garth at St James's, and at White's, Beats up for Volunteers. "What Fenton will not do, nor Gay, Nor Congreve, Rowe, nor Stanyan, Tom B- -t5 or Tom D'Urfey may, John Dunton, Steele, or any one. "If Justice Philips' costive head Some frigid Rhymes disburses ; They shall like Persian Tales be read, And glad both Babes and Nurses. "Let W-rw-k's Muse with Ash-t join?, And Ozell's with Lord Hervey's: Tickell and Addison combine, And P-pe translate with Jervas. "Ye Ladies too draw forth your pen, "Now, Tonson, list thy Forces all, "A Metamorphosis more strange 'To what' (quoth 'squire) 'shall Ovid change?' THE TRANSLATOR. Egbert SANGER served his apprenticeship with Jacob Tonson, and succeeded Bernard Lintot in his shop at Middle Temple Gate, Fleet Street. Lintot printed Ozell's translation of Perrault's Characters, and Sanger his translation of Boileau's Lutrin, recommended by Rowe, in 1709. Warton. ZELL11, at Sanger's call, invoked his Muse- His numbers such as Sanger's self might use. THE THREE GENTLE SHEPHERDS. F gentle Philips will I ever sing, OF With gentle Philips shall the valleys ring. And from all wits that have a knack, God save ye5. 5 ΙΟ LINES WRITTEN IN WINDSOR FOREST. [LETTER to a Lady (Martha Blount) in Bowles, dated by Carruthers, LL hail, once pleasing, once inspiring shade! ALL Scene of my youthful loves and happier hours! And gently press'd my hand, and said "Be ours!- At Court thou may'st be liked, but nothing gain: 5 6 1 [By Wycherley.] 2 [By Rowe.] 3 Henry Carey. Roscoe. The author of Sally in our alley' and a dramatist. But there was also a John Carey, a contributor to the Tatler and Spectator, and Walter Carey. Carruthers. 4 [These four lines seem to have suggested Canning's well-known epigram on Hiley and Bragge.] 5 Curll said, that in prose he was equal to Pope; but that in verse Pope had merely a particular knack. Bowles. TO MRS M. B. ON HER BIRTH-DAY1. [1723.] H be thou blest with all that Heav'n can send, Not with those Toys the female world admire, Let Joy or Ease, let Affluence or Content, Friend: 10 15 20 THE CHALLENGE. A COURT BALLAD. To the Tune of 'To all you Ladies now at Land,' &c. [By Dorset.] Written anno 1717. Warton. [THIS delightful trifle is addressed to Pope's charming friends at the Court of the Prince and Princess of Wales (afterwards King George II. and Queen Caroline), and is full of petits mots alluding to the ladies and gentlemen of their society.] [Martha Blount. Lines 5-10 occur as a reflexion on the poet's own birthday in a letter to Gay of the year 1722, and they were also adapted for him to a kind of epitaph on Henry Mordaunt, the nephew of Lord Peterborough, who committed suicide in 1724. On this occasion the following lines were added: 'If there's no hope with kind, though fainter ray The lines concerning which the charge of plagiarism was mutually made between Pope and James Moore-Smythe were omitted by Pope on reprinting the poem, but introduced (slightly altered) in the Characters of Women (Morai Essays, Ep. 11. vv. 243-248).] 2 [This delightful trifle is addressed to Pope's charming friends at the Court of the Prince and Princess of Wales (afterwards King George II. and Queen Caroline), and is full of petits mots The same dull story-MORDAUNT, thou didst alluding to the ladies and gentlemen of their well.' society.] |