Would he oblige me? let me only find, Come, come, at all I laugh he laughs, no doubt; 35 The only diff'rence is, I dare laugh out. 40 F. Why yes: with Scripture still 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: A Patriot is a Fool in ev'ry age, Whom all Lord Chamberlains allow the Stage: These nothing hurts; they keep their Fashion still, And wear their strange old Virtue, as they will. 45 If any afk you, "Who's the Man, so near "His Prince, that writes in Verse, and has his ear ?" Why, answer, LYTTLETON, and I'll engage NOTES. originally in the poem, though omitted in all the first editions. P. VER. 37. Why yes: with Scripture till you may be free;] Thus the Man commonly called Mother Ofßorn, who was in the Minifter's pay, and wrote Journals; for one Paper in behalf of Sir Robert, had frequently two againft J. C. VER. 39. A Joke on Jekyl,] Sir Joseph Jekyl, Master of the Rolls, a true Whig in his principles, and a man of the utmost probity. He sometimes voted against the Court, which drew upon him the laugh here described of ONE who bestowed it equally upon Religion and Honesty. He died a few months after the publication of this poem. P. VER. 43. These nothing hurts;] i. e. offends. VER. 47. Wby, answer, Lyttleton,] George Lyttelton, 50 But were his Verses vile, his Whisper base, To Vice and Folly to confine the jest, Sets half the world, God knows, against the reft; Did not the Sneer of more impartial men At Sense and Virtue, balance all agen. P. Dear Sir, forgive the Prejudice of Youth: : NOTES. 56 60 Secretary to the Prince of Wales, diftinguished both for his writings and speeches in the spirit of Liberty. P. VER. 51. Sejanus, Wolfey.] The one the wicked minister of Tiberius; the other, of Henry VIII. The writers against the Court usually bestowed these and other odious names on the Minifter, without distinction, and in the most injurious manner. See Dial. II. * 137. P. Ibid. Fleury,] Cardinal: and Minister to Louis XV. It was a Patriot fashion, at that time, to cry up his wisdom and honesty. P. Come, harmless Characters that no one hit; 65 70 O come, that easy Ciceronian style, As, tho' the Pride of Middleton and Bland, NOTES. 75 80 VER. 66. Henley Osborn,] See them in their places in the Dunciad. P. VER. 69. The gracious Dew] Alludes to some court fermons, and florid panegyrical speeches; particularly one very full of puerilities and flatteries; which afterwards got into an address in the same pretty style; and was lastly ferved up in an Epitaph, between Latin and English, published by its author. P. 1 VER. 76. All Boys may read, and Girls may understand!] i. e. full of school-book phrases and Anglicisms. VER. 78. Nation's Sense;] The cant of Politics at that time. 1. VER, 80. Carolina] Queen consort to King George II. And hail her passage to the Realms of Rest, And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave 85 F. Why so? if Satire knows its Time and Place, You still may lash the greatest- in Disgrace : For Merit will by turns forsake them all; Would you know when! exactly when they fall. 90 But let all Satire in all Changes spare Immortal S-k, and grave De-re. NOTES. She died in 1737. Her death gave occafion, as is observed above, to many indiscreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whose last moments manifested the utmost courage and resolution. P. How highly our Poet thought of that truly great perfonage may be seen by one of his letters to Mr. Allen, written at that time; in which, amongst others, equally refpectful, are the following words: " The Queen shewed, " by the confession of all about her, the utmost firmness " and temper to her last moments, and through the course " of great torments. What character historians will al" low her, I do not know; but all her domestic servants, " and those nearest her, give her the best teftimony, that "of fincere tears." VER. 92. Immortal S-k, and grave De-re!] A title given that Lord by King James II. He was of the Bedchamber to King William; he was so to King George I. he was so to King George II. This Lord was very skilful Silent and soft, as Saints remove to Heav'n, 95 NOTES. in all the forms of the House, in which he discharged himself with great gravity. P. VER. 97. There, where no Passion, etc.] The excellent writer De l'Esprit des Loix gives the following character of the Spirit of Courts, and the Principle of Monarchies: "Qu'on life ce que les Historiens de tous les tems ont dit " sur la Cour des Monarques; qu'on se rapelle les con"versations des hommes de tous les Païs sur le miferable " caractère des COURTISANS; ce ne sont point des choses " de speculation, mais d'une triste expérience. L'ambi" tion dans l'oisiveté, la bassesse dans l'orgueil, le desir de " s'enrichir sans travail, l'aversion pour la vérité; la fla"terie, la trahison, la perfidie, l'abandon de tous ses engagemens, le mepris des devoirs du Citoyen, la crainte " de la vertu du Prince, l'esperance de ses foiblesses, et " plus, que tout cela, LE RIDICULE PERPETUEL JETTE SUR LA VERTU, font, je crois, le Caractère de la plupart des Courtisans marqué dans tous les lieux et dans tous les tems. Or il est très mal-aifé que les Principaux " d'un Etat soient malhonnêtes-gens, et que les inferieurs " foient gens-de-bien, que ceux-là soyent trompeurs, & 66 que ceux-ci consentent à n'être que dupes. Que si dans " le Peuple il se trouve quelque malheureux honnête" homme, le Cardinal de Richelieu dans son Testament " politique insinue, qu'un Monarque doit se garder de s'en " fervir. Tant-il est vrai que la Vertu n'est pas le reffort " de ce Gouvernment." |