Libris et curis, ftatu taciturnius exit Plerumque, et rifu populum quatit; hic ego r Verba lyræ motura fonum connectere digner? תן Frater erat Romæ confulti rhetor; ut alter Alterius fermone meros audiret honores: NOTES. Gracchus VER. 123. court, and city roars,] Not fo ftrong as the original metaphor ; "Fluctibus in mediis, et tempeftatibus urbis." Milton wrote his Paradife Loft in London, as did Thomson his three last Seasons, and his charming Caftle of Indolence; and Armstrong his Art of Preferving Health, a fine claffical poem, omitted in the Collection of English Poets. WARTON. VER. 132. And fook his head at MURRAY, as a Wit.] It is the filly confolation of blockheads in all profeffions, that he, whom Nature has formed to excel, does it not by his fuperior knowledge, but his wit; and fo they keep themselves in countenance as not fairly outdone, but only outwitted.—The miferable glory of knowing nothing but in their own trade, M. de Voltaire has well expofed, where, fpeaking of a great French Lawyer, of the like genius and talents with our admirable countryman, he says, " Il faifoit reffouvenir la France de ces tems, où les plus austères Magiftrats, confommés comme lui dans l'etude des Loix, fe delaffoient des fatigues de leur état, dans les travaux de la literature. Que ceux qui meprisent ces travaux amiables; que ceux qui mettent je ne fai quelle miferable grandeur à se renfermer dans le cercle étroit de leurs emplois, font à plaindre ! ignorent ils que CICERON, après avoir rempli la première place du monde, plaidoit encore les caufes des Citoyens, écrivoit fur la nature des Dieux, conferoit avec des Philofophes ; qu'il alloit au Théatre; qu'il daignoit cultiver l'amitié d'Efopus et de Rofcius, et laifoit aux petits efprits, leur conflante gravité, qui n'eft que la mafque de la mediocrité ? The miferable malice of the human heart has been always back ward to confefs that great Parts and great Science were to be found together. The eminent Perfon, here mentioned, hath long triumphed over fo vile a prejudice. BACON was not fo happy. The blemishes in his moral character disabled him from 3 ftemming See! ftrow'd with learned duft, his nightcap on, 119 } And here, while town, and court, and city roars, With mobs, and duns, and foldiers, at their doors; Shall I, in London, act this idle part? Compofing fongs, for Fools to get by heart? m The Temple late two brother Serjeants faw, Who deem'd each other Oracles of Law; With equal talents, thefe congenial fouls, 125 One lull'd th' Exchequer, and one funn'd the Rolls; Each had a gravity would make you split, And fhook his head at MURRAY, as a Wit. NOTES. 131 " 'Twas, femming and fubduing it Indeed, Envy was ever unwilling to allow any man to excel in more than one accomplishment. As to the particular application of this wayward judgment, it is fometimes right and fometimes wrong. Thus, for inftance, when the Public would not allow the great Lawyer, Cooke, to be a Claffic Scholar and a Wit too, (though he had given fo many delectable fpecimens of both,) they were perhaps in the right. But when they affumed though they spoke by the Organ of Q. Elizabeth herself) that Bacon, a great Philofopher, was yet no Lawyer, they were certainly in the wrong. WARBURTON. VER. 132. MURRAY, as a Wit] Alluding to the common cant of that time, as if this eminent and accomplished perfon was more of a polite fcholar than a profound lawyer; as if law and literature were incompatible; a notion that might eafily be confuted by the examples of Lords Somers and Hardwicke, Mr. Yorke and Judge Black ftone, and many others. WARTON. VER. 132. as a Wit] Not long fince, we are informed by the Editor of the "Minstrelfy of the Scottish Border," that a poor schoolmaster in Scotland was publicly obliged to renounce "the unprofitable and ungodly art of Poetry !" Gracchus ut hic illi foret; huic ut Mucius ille. n Carmina compono, hic elegos; mirabile visu, Mox etiam (fi fortè vacas) fequere; et procul audi NOTES. Idem, VER. 135. all poetic merit,] The words of the Original alluded to, contain a beautiful metaphor of a work, Cælátum Mufis Novem, polished and finifhed by the hands of the Mufes them. felves. Bentley has wantonly and taftlefsly altered the word to Sacratum; as he has done the word alterius, ver. 176, to alternis, and the word contrada, ver. 80, to non tacta; and in ver. 90, has changed vexat for verfat; and in ver. 87, frater for pactus; and would have procul repeated, ver. 199. Pauperies immunda procul, procul----- he WARTON. VER. 14. but Stephen,] Mr. Stephen Duck, a modeft and worthy man, who had the honour (which many who thought themselves his betters in poetry, had not) of being esteemed by Mr. Pope.— Queen Caroline, who moderated in a Sovereign between the two great Philofophers, Clarke and Leibnitz, in the most sublime points in Metaphyfics and Natural Philofophy, chofe this man for her favourite Poet. WARBURTON. By the interest of Mr Spence, who had a fincere regard for Stephen Duck, whofe life he wrote, and published his poems, he obtained the living of Byfleet in Surry. He was unfortunately drowned at Reading, 1756. WARTON. ""Twas, Sir, your law," and "Sir, your elc "quence," "Yours, Cowper's manner-and yours, Talbot's "fenfe." "Thus we difpofe of all poetic merit, 135 Yours Milton's genius, and mine Homer's fpirit. Walk with respect behind, while we at ease 140 Weave laurel Crowns, and take what names we please. My dear Tibullus!" if that will not do, "Let me be Horace, and be Ovid you: "Or, I'm content, allow me Dryden's ftrains, 145 "And you fhall rife up Otway for your pains." Much do I fuffer, much, to keep in peace This jealous, wafpifh, wrong-head, rhyming race; NOTES. And VER. 145 allow me Dryden's frains,] The older he grew, the better Dryden wrote. We may apply to him, what Oppian fays. of the fpirited horfes of Cappadocia ; χραίπνοτεροι δε πελῶσιν ἐσω μαλὰ γήρασκεσι. Lib. i. Cynegytic, ver. 201. It has been imagined that Horace laughs at Propertius in that line of the Original, 66 Quis, nifi Callimachus ?" WARTON. VER. 146. And you shall rife up Otway for your pains.] An imitation of Dryden, at Virg. Ecl iii. 162. Tell that, and rife a Phebus for thy pains. VER. 147. Much do I fuffer,] Multa fero, in the Original, has been idly interpreted to mean, "I carry with me a great many compliments, foothing fpeeches," &c. WARTON. ss, et mente receptâ, Obturems impure legentibus aures. V Gaudent fcribentes; et fe venerantur, et ultro, Si taceas, laudant quidquid fcripfere beati. P Obfcurata diu populo bonus eruet, atque NOTES. Proferet VER. 154. They treat themfelves] Literary hiftory fcarce affords a more ridiculous example of the vanity and felf-applause of authors, than what is related of Cardinal Richlieu, (in the Melanges d'Hiftoire of M de Vigneul Marville,) whofe tragedy of Europa having been cenfured by the French Academy, who did not know the author, the Cardinal, in a fit of indignation, tore the copy into a thousand pieces, scattered it about his chamber, and retired full of rage to his bed. But at midnight, called for light and for his attendant, and with great pains and difficulty gathered up the fragments of his beloved play, and carefully pafted them together. WARTON. VER. 162 Nay tho' at Court] Not happily turned from intra penetralia Veftæ -But he could not forbear a fling at the Court. In ver. 164. why, "in downright charity ?” WARTON. VER. 167. Command o'd words that long have flept, to wake,] Warburton fays, "The imagery is here very fublime. It turns the Poet to a Magician, evoking the dead from their fepulchres : "Et mugi e folum, manefque exire fepulchris!!” Horace has not the fame force, 139 "Proferet in lucem fpeciofa vocabula rerum ! !” |