But were his Verfes vile, his Whisper base,
You'd quickly find him in Lord Fanny's cafe.
Sejanus, Wolfey, hurt not honest FLEURY,
But well, may put fome Statesman in a fury.

Laugh then at any, but at Fools or Foes;
These you but anger, and you mend not those.
Laugh at your friends, and, if your Friends are fore,
So much the better, you may laugh the more.
To Vice and Folly to confine the jeft,

56

Sets half the world, God knows, against the reft;
Did not the Sneer of more impartial men
At Sense and Virtue, balance agen.
Judicious Wits spread wide the Ridicule,
And charitably comfort Knave and Fool.

P. Dear Sir, forgive the Prejudice of Youth:
Adieu Distinction, Satire, Warmth, and Truth!

50

60

NOTES.

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 minifter of Tiberius; the other, of Henry VIII. The writers against the Court ufually bestowed thefe and other odious names on the Minister, without diftin&tion, and in the most injurious manner. See Dial. II. 137. P.

Ibid. Fleury,] Cardinal: and Minifter to Louis XV. It was a Patriot fashion, at that time, to cry up his wisdom and honefty. P.

Come, harmless Characters that no one hit;
Come, Henley's Oratory, Ofborn's Wit!
The Honey dropping from Favonio's tongue,
The Flow'rs of Bubo, and the Flow of Y-ng!
The gracious Due of Pulpit Eloquence,
And all the well-whipt Cream of Courtly Senfe,
That First was H-vy's, F-'s next, and then
The S-te's, and then H-yy's once agen.
O come, that easy Ciceronian style,

So Latin, yet fo English all the while,

As, tho' the Pride of Middleton and Bland,
All Boys may read, and Girls may understand!
Then might I fing, without the leaft offence,
And all I fung thould be the Nation's Sense;
Or teach the melancholy Muse to mourn,
Hang the fad Verse on CAROLINA's Urn,

NOTES.

65

70

75

80

VER. 66. Henley-Ofborn,] See them in their places in

the Dunciad.

P.

VER. 69. The gracious Dew] Alludes to fome court fermons, and florid panegyrical ípeeches; particularly one very full of puerilities and flatteries; which afterwards got into an addrefs in the fame pretty ftyle; and was laftly ferved up in an Epitaph, between Latin and English, published by its author. P.

VER. 76. All Boys may read, and Girls may underfland!] i. e. full of school-book phrases and Anglicisms.

VER. 78. Nation's Senfe;] The cant of Politics at that time.

VER. 80. Carolina] Queen confort to King George II..

5

And hail her paffage to the Realms of Reft,

All Parts perform'd, and all her Children bleft!
So-Satire is no more I feel it die-

No Gazetteer more innocent than I

--

And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave 85
Be grac'd thro' Life, and flatter'd in his Grave.

F. Why fo if Satire knows its Time and Place,
You ftill may lafh the greateft in Disgrace:

For Merit will by turns forfake 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 obferved above, to many indifcreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whose last moments manifefted the utmost courage and refolution. P.

How highly our Poet thought of that truly great personage 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 fhewed,

by the confeffion of all about her, the utmost firmness " and temper to her last moments, and through the course " of great torments. What character hiftorians will al"low her, I do not know; but all her domeftic fervants, " and those nearest her, give her the beft 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 fo to King George I. he was fo to King George II. This Lord was very skilful

3

Silent and foft, as Saints remove to Heav'n,
All Tyes diffolv'd, and ev'ry Sin forgiv❜n,
These may fome gentle minifterial Wing
Receive, and place for ever near a King!
There, where no Paffion, Pride, or Shame transport,
Lull'd with the fweet Nepenthe of a Court;

2

95

NOTES.

in all the forms of the Houfe, in which he difcharged himself with great gravity. P.

VER. 97. There, where no Paffion, 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 Hiftoriens de tous les tems ont dit "fur la Cour des Monarques; qu'on fe rapelle les con"verfations des hommes de tous les Païs fur le miferable "caractère des COURTISANS; ce ne font point des chofes "de fpeculation, mais d'une trifte expérience. L'ambi❝tion dans l'oifiveté, la baffeffe dans l'orgueil, le defir de "s'enrichir fans travail, l'averfion pour la vérité; la fla"terie, la trahison, la perfidie, l'abandon de tous fes "engagemens, le mepris des devoirs du Citoyen, la crainte "de la vertu du Prince, l'efperance de fes foibleffes, et "plus, que tout cela, LE RIDICULE PERPETUEL JETTÉ SUR LA VERTU, font, je crois, le Caractère de la plu68 part des Courtifans marqué dans tous les lieux et dans "tous les tems. Or il est très mal-aisé que les Principaux "d'un Etat foient malhonnêtes-gens, et que les inferieurs "foient gens-de-bien, que ceux-là foyent trompeurs, &

<i

66

que ceux-ci confentent à n'être que dupes. Que fi dans "le Peuple il fe trouve quelque malheureux honnête"homme, le Cardinal de Richelieu dans fon Teftament "politique infinue, qu'un Monarque doit fe garder de s'en "fervir. Tant-il eft vrai que la Vertu n'eft pas le reffort « de ce Gouvernment.'

""

101

There, where no Father's, Brother's Friend's difgrace
Once break their reft, or ftir them from their Place:
But past the Senfe of human Miseries,
All Tears are wip'd for ever from all eyes;
No cheek is known to blush, no heart to throb,
Save when they lofe a Question, or a Job.

P. Good Heav'n forbid, that I fhould blaft their

105

glory,

Who know how like Whig Minifters to Tory,
And when three Sov'reigns dy'd, could scarce be vext,
Confid'ring what a gracious Prince was next.
Have I, in filent wonder seen such things
As Pride in Slaves, and Avarice in Kings;
And at a Peer or Peerefs, fhall I fret,
Who ftarves a Sifter, or forfwears a Debt?
Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boaft ;

But shall the Dignity of Vice be loft?

Ye Gods! fhall Cibber's Son, without rebuke, 115

Swear like a Lord, or Rich out-whore a Duke ;

VARIATIONS.

VER. 112. in fome editions,
Who ftarves a Mother,

NOTES.

VER. 108. gracious Prince] The style of Addresses on an acceffion.

VER. 115. Cibber's Son, Rich] Two Players: look for them in the Dunciad,

P.