In Lud's old walls tho' long I rul'd, renown'd
Far as loud Bow's stupendous bells refound;

VARIATIONS.

faith Henriquez of a maiden of low condition, objecting his high quality: What have his Comparisons here to do? Correct it boldly,

Throw all my gay Caparifons afide,

And turn my proud additions out of service.

ACT II. SCENE I.

All the verse of this Scene is confounded with profe;
O that a man

Could reafon down this Feaver of the blood,
Or footh with words the tumult in his heart!
Then, Julio, I might be indeed thy friend.
Read
this fervor of the blood,
Then, Julio, I might be in deed thy friend.
marking the juft oppofition of deeds and words.

ACT IV. SCENE I.

How his eyes fake fire !-faid by Violante, obferving how the luftful fhepherd looks at her. It must be, as the fenfe plainly demands,

How his eyes take fire!

And measure ev'ry piece of youth about me!

Ibid. That, tho' I wore disguises for fome ends.

She had but one disguise, and wore it but for one end.
Restore it, with the alteration but of two letters,
That, tho' I were difguifed for fome end.

A c T IV. SCENE II.

To oaths no more give credit,

To tears, to vows; false both!.

Falfe Grammar I'm fure. Both can relate but to two

things and fee! how eafy a change fets it right?

:

To tears, to vows, falfe troth

280

Tho' my own Aldermen confer'd the bays,
To me committing their eternal praise,
Their full-fed Heroes, their pacific May'rs,
Their annual trophies, and their monthly wars:
Tho' long my Party built on me their hopes,
For writing Pamphlets, and for roasting Popes;

VARIATIONS,

I could fhew you that very word Troth, in Shakespear, a hundred times..

Ibid. For there is nothing left thee now to look for,
That can bring comfort, but a quiet grave.

This I fear is of a piece with None but itself can be its parallel: for the grave puts an end to all forrow, it can then need no comfort. Yet let us vindicate Shakespear where we can: I make no doubt he wrote thus,

For there is nothing left thee now to look for,
Nothing that can bring quiet, but the grave.

Which reduplication of the word gives a much ftronger emphasis to Violante's concern. This figure is call'd Anadiplofis. I could fhew you a hundred just such in him, if I had nothing else to do.

After 284. In the former Edd. followed,

SCRIBL.

Diff'rent our parties, but with equal grace
The Goddess fmiles on Whig and Tory race.

NOTES.

VER. 266, 267. Booth and Cibber were joint managers of the Theatre in Drury-lane.

VER. 268. On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind.] In his Letter to Mr. P. Mr. C. folemnly declares this not to be literally true. We hope therefore the reader will understand it allegorically only.

VER. 282. Annual trophies, on the Lord-mayor's day; and monthly wars in the Artillery-ground.

VER. 283. Tho' long my Party] Settle, like moft Party

285

Yet lo! in me what authors have to brag on!
Reduc'd at laft to hifs in my own dragon.
Avert it Heav'n! that thou, my Cibber, e'er
Should'st wag a ferpent-tail in Smithfield fair!
Like the vile ftraw that's blown about the streets,
The needy Poet fticks to all he meets,
290
Coach'd, carted, trod upon, now loose, now fast,
And carried off in fome Dog's tail at last.
Happier thy fortunes! like a rolling stone,
Thy giddy dulnefs ftill fhall lumber on,
Safe in its heavinefs, fhall never ftray,
But lick up ev'ry blockhead in the way.

VARIATIONS.

295

VER. 295. Safe in its heaviness &c.] In the former Edd.

Too fafe in inborn heavinefs to ftray;

And lick up ev'ry blockhead in the way.
Thy Dragons, Magiftrates, and Peers fhall tafte,
And from each fhew rife duller than the last.
Till rais'd from booths, &c.

NOTES.

writers, was very uncertain in his political principles. He was employed to hold the pen in the Character of a popish fucceffor, but afterwards printed his Narrative on the other fide. He had managed the ceremony of a famous Popeburning on Nov. 17, 1680. then became a trooper in King James's army, at Hounslow-heath. After the Revolution he kept a booth at Bartholomew-fair, where, in the droll called St. George for England, he acted in his old age in a Dragon of green leather of his own invention; he was at laft taken into the Charter-house, and there died, aged fixty years.

Thee fhall the Patriot, thee the Courtier tafte,
And ev'ry year be duller than the last.

'Till rais'd from booths, to Theatre, to Court,
Her feat imperial Dulness fhall transport,
Already Opera prepares the way,

The fure fore-runner of her gentle fway:

Let her thy heart, next Drabs and Dice, engage,
The third mad paffion of thy doting age.
Teach thou the warb'ling Polypheme to roar,
And scream thyfelf as none e'er scream'd before!

NOTES.

**

300

305

VER. 297. Thee shall the Patriot, thee the Courtier tafte,] It flood in the first edition with blanks, and ** Concanen was fure "they muft needs mean no body but King GEORGE and Queen CAROLINE; and faid he "would infift it was fo, till the poet cleared himself by "filling up the blanks otherwise, agreeably to the context, and confiftent with his allegiance. "Pref. to a Collection of verfes, effays, letters, &c. against Mr. P. printed for A. Moor, p. 6.

66

VER. 305. Polypheme] He tranflated the Italian Opera of Polifemo; but unfortunately loft the whole jeft of the ftory. The Cyclops afks Ulyffes his name, who tells him his name is Noman: After his eye is put out, he roars and calls the Brother Cyclops to his aid: They enquire who bas burt him? he anfwers Noman; whereupon they all go away again. Our ingenious Tranflator made Ulyffes anfwer, I take no name, whereby all that followed became unintelligible. Hence it appears that Mr. Cibber (who values himself on fubfcribing to the English Translation of Homer's Iliad) had not that merit with respect to the Odyffey, or he might have been better inftructed in the Greek Pun-nology.

To aid our caufe, if Heav'n thou can'ft not bend,
Hell thou fhalt move; for Fauftus is our friend :
Pluto with Cato thou for this fhalt join,
And link the Mourning Bride to Proferpine.
Grub-street! thy fall should men and Gods conspire,
Thy stage shall stand, ensure it but from Fire.
Another Æfchylus appears! prepare

For new abortions, all ye pregnant fair!
In flames, like Semele's, be brought to bed,
While op'ning Hell spouts wild-fire at your head.
Now Bavius take the poppy from thy brow,
And place it here! here all ye heroes bow!

This, this is he, foretold by ancient rhymes:
Th' Auguftus born to bring Saturnian times.

IMITATIONS.

310

315

320

VER. 319, 320. This, this is he, foretold by ancient rhymes,
Th' Auguftus, &c.]

Hic vir, hic eft! tibi quem promitti fæpius audis,
Auguftus Cæfar, divum genus; aurea condet
Secula qui rurfus Latio, regnata per arva

Saturno quondam

Virg. Æn. vi.

Saturnian here relates to the age of Lead, mentioned book i. 26.

NOTES.

VER. 308, 309. Fauftus, Pluto, &c.] Names of miferable Farces, which it was the custom to act at the end of the best Tragedies, to fpoil the digeftion of the audience.

VER. 312. enfure it but from Fire] In Tibbald's farce of Proferpine, a corn-field was fet on fire: whereupon the other play-house had a barn burnt down for the recreation of the fpectators. They also rival'd each other in fhowing the burnings of hell fire, in Dr. Fauftus.

VER. 313. Another Æfchylus appears!] It is reported of