The season when to come and when to go,
To fing, or cease to fing, we never know;
And if we will recite nine hours in ten,
You lofe your patience just like other men.
Then, too, we hurt ourselves when, to defend
A 2 fingle verse, we quarrel with a friend;
Repeat 3 unafk'd; lament the 4 wit's too fine
For vulgar eyes, and point out ev'ry line :
But most when strain ng with too weak a wing,
We needs will write epistles to the King;
And 5 from the moment we oblige the Town,
Expect a place or penfion from the Crown;
Or, dubb'a Historians, by express command,
T' enrol your triumphs o'er the feas and land,
Be call'd to Court to plan fome work divine,
As once for Louis, Boiteau and Racine.
Yet 6 think, grear Sir! (fo many virtues shown,) Ah! think what poet beft may make them known; Or chuse at least some minifter of grace, Fit to bestow the 7 Laureat's weighty place.
8 Charles, to late times to be tranfmitted fair, 380 Affign'd his figure to Bernini's care;
Solicito damus, aut fefso: cum lædimur, 2 unum
Si quis amicorum est aufus reprendere verfum :
Cum loca jam 3 recitata revolvimus irrevocati:
Cum 4 lamentamur non apparere labores
Noftros, et tenui deducta poemata filo:
Cum 5 fperamus eo rem venturam, ut fimul atque
Carmina rescieris nos fingere, commodus ultro
Arceffas, et egere vetes, et fcribere cogas.
Sed tamen eft operæ pretium cognofcere, quales
Ædituous habeat belli spectata domique
Virtus, 7 indigno non committenda poetæ.
$ Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille
Chærilus, incultis qui verfibus et male natis
Rettulit acceptos, regale numisma, Philippos.
Sed veluti tra&ata notam labemque remittunt
Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine fædo
Splendida facta linunt. idem rex ille, poema
And great Nassau to Kneller's hand decreed
To fix him graceful on the bounding steed :
So well in paint and ftone they judg'd of merit:
But kings in wit may want difcerning spirit.
The hero William, and the Martyr Charles,
One knighted Blackmore, and one penfion'd Quarles,
Which made old Ben, and furly Dennis swear,
"No Lord's annointed, but a Ruffian bear."
Not with fuch 3 majesty, fuch bold relief,
The forms august of king, or conq'ring chief,
E'er swell'd on marble, as in verse have shin'd
(In polish'd verse) the manners and the mind.
Oh! could I mount on the Mæonian wing,
Your 4 arms, your actions, your repose, to fing! 395
What 5 feas you travers'd, and what fields you fought!
Your country's peace how oft, how dearly bought!
How 6 barb'rous rage subsided at your word,
And nations wonder'd while they dropp'd the sword !
How when you nodded, o'er the land and deep
7 Peace stole her wing, and wrapp'd the world in fleep.
Qui tam ridiculum tam care prodigus emit;
Edicto vetuit, ne quis se, præter Apellem,
Pingeret, aut alius Lyfippo duceret æra
Fortis Alexandri vultum fimulantia: quod fi
Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud
Ad libros, et ad hæc Mufarum dona vocares;
2 Bœotum in crasso jurares aëre natum.
[At neque dedecorant tua de se judicia, atque
Munera, quæ multa dantis cum laude tulerunt,
Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variusque poetæ;]
Nec magis expreffi 3 vultus per ahenea figna,
Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum
Clarorum apparent: nec fermones ego mallem
Repentes per humum, 4 quam res componere gestas,
Terrarumque 5 fitus, et flumina dicere, et arces
Montibus impofitas, et 6 barbara regna, tuisque
Aufpiciis totum 7 confecta duella per orbem,
Clauftraque custodem pacis cohibentia Janum,
Till earth's extremes your meditation own,
And Afia's tyrants tremble at your throne.
But 2 verse, alas! your majesty disdains:
And I'm not us'd to panegyric strains.
The zeal of 3 fools offends at any time,
But most of all the zeal of fools in rhyme.
Befides, a fate attends on all I write,
That when I aim ar praise they say 4 I bite.
A vile 5 encomium doubly ridicules;
There's nothing blackens like the ink of fools.
If true, a 6 woeful likeness; and if lies,
"Praife undeferv'd is scandal in disguise."
Well may he 7 blush who gives it, or receives;
And when I flatter, let my dirty leaves
(Like & journals, odes, and fuch forgotten things
As Eufden, Philips, Settle, writ of kings,)
Clothe spice, line trunks, or, flutt'ring in a row,
Befringe the rails of Bedlam and Soho.
Et formidatam Parthis, te principe, Romam ;
Si quantum cuperem, poffem quoque. fed neque par-
2 Carmen majeftas recipit tua, nec meus audet [vum
Rem tentare pudor, quam vires ferre recufent.
Sedulitas autem. 3 ftulte, quem diligit, urget;
Præcipue cum se numeris commendat et arte.
Difcit enim citius, meminitque libentius illud
Quod quis 4 deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur.
Nil moror 5 officium quod me gravat: ac neque ficto
In 6 pejus vultu proponi cereus ufquam,
Nec prave factis decorari verfibus opto:
Ne 7 rubeam pingui donatus mune e, et una
Cum & fcriptore meo, capfa porrectus aperta,
Deferar in vicum vendentem thus et odores,
Et piper, et quidquid chartis amicitur ineptis.
DEAR Col'nel, Cobham's and your country's friend!
You love a verse; take such as I can fend.
A Frenchman comes, presents you with his boy,
Bows and begins" This lad, Sir, is of Blois : "Observe his shape, how clean! his locks how curl'd! "My only fon; I'd have him fee the world. "His French is pure; his voice too-you shall hear. "Sir, he's your flave for twenty pounds a year. " Mere wax as yet, you fashion him with ease; "Your barber, cook, upholsterer; what you please: "A perfect genius at an op'ra fong"To say too much might do my honour wrong. "Take him with all his virtues, on my word; "His whole ambition was to serve a lord.
"But, Sir, to you with what would I not part? "Tho', faith, I fear't will break his mother's heart. "Once (and but once) I caught him in a lie, "And then, unwhipp'd, he had the grace to cry: "The fault he has I fairly shall reveal,
" (Could you o'erlook but that)-it is to steal."
FLORE, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, Si quis forte velit puerum tibi vendere natum Tibure vel Gabiis, et tecum fic agat: "Hic et " Candidus, et talos a vertice pulcher ad imos, " Fiet eritque tuus nummorum millibus octo; " Verna minifteriis ad nutus aptus heriles; "Literulis Græcis imbutus, idoneus arti "Cuilibet: argilla quidvis imitaberis uda: "Quin etiam canet indoctum, fed dulce bibenti. " Multa fidem promifla levant, ubi plenius æquo " Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, merces. " Res urget me nulla: femel hic ceffavit; et (ut fit) " In scalis latuit metuens pendentis habenæ.
" Des nummos, excepta nihil te fi fuga lædat." VOL. II.
If, after this, you took the graceless lad,
Could you complain, my friend, he prov'd fo bad?
Faith, in fuch cafe, if you should profecute,
I think Sir Godfrey should decide the fuit,
Who fent the thief that stole the cash away,
And punish'd him that put it in his way.
2 Confider then, and judge me in this light;
I told you when I went I could not write;
You faid the fame; and are you discontent
With laws to which you gave your own assent ?
Nay, worse, to ask for verse at such a time!
D'ye think me good for nothing but to rhyme?
3 In Anna's wars a foldier, poor and old,
Had dearly earn'd a little purse of gold:
Tir'd with a tedious march, one luckless night
He flept, (poor dog!) and lost it to a doit.
This put the man in fuch a defp'rate mind,
Between revenge, and grief, and hunger join'd,
Against the foe, himself, and all mankind,
He leap'd the trenches, scal'd a castle-wall,
Tore down a standard, took the fort and all.
"Prodigious well!" his great commander cry'd;
Gave him much praise, and some reward beside.
■ Ille ferat pretium, pœnæ fecurus, opinor.
Prudens emisti vitiofum: dicta tibi est lex.
Insequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniqua.
2 Dixi me pigrum proficifcenti tibi, dixi
Talibus officiis prope mancum: ne mea fævus
Jurgares ad te quod epistola nulla veniret.
Quid tum profeci, mecum facientia jura
Si tamen attentas? quæreris fuper hoc etiam, quod
Expectata tibi non mittam carmina mendax.
3 Luculli miles collecta viatica, multis
Ærumnis lassus dum nocta stertit, ad afsem
Perdiderat: post hoc vehemens lupus, et sibi et hofti
Irarus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer,
Præfidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt,
Summe munito, et multarum divite rerum.
Clarus ob id factum, donis ornatur honeftis,
Accipit et bis dena super sestertia nummûm.
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