Ante pedes vario infcriptam diagrammate arenam
Cernas, rectis curva, atque intertexta rotunda
Schemata quadratis---queis fcilicet abdita rerum
Pandere fe jactat folam, doctafque forores
Fastidit, propriæque nihil non arrogat arti.
Illàm olim, duce Neutono, tum tendit ad aftra,
Ætheriafque domos fuperûm, indignata volantem
Turba mathematicûm retrahit, pœnafque repofcens
Detinet in terris, nugifque exercet ineptis.
Tertia Microphile, proles furtiva parentis
Divinæ; produxit enim commixta furenti
Diva viro Phyfice---mufcas & papiliones
Luftrat inexpletum, collumque & tempora rident
Floribus, & fungis, totâque propagine veris.
Rara oculis nugarum avidis animalia quærit
Omne genus, feu ferpit humi, feu ludit in undis,
Seu volitans tremulis liquidum fecat aëra pennis.
Before her, lo infcrib'd upon the ground,
Strange diagrams th' aftonish'd fight confound,
Right lines and curves, with figures fquare and round.
With these the monster, arrogant and vain,
Boasts that she can all myfteries explain,
And treats the facred Sifters with difdain.
She, when great Newton fought his kindred skies,
Sprung high in air, and ftrove with him to rife,
In vain---the mathematic mob restrains
Her flight, indignant, and on earth detains ;
E'er fince the captive wretch her brains employs
On trifling trinkets, and on gewgaw toys.
Microphile is station'd next in place,
The fpurious iffue of celestial race;
From heav'nly Phyfice she took her birth,
Her fire a madman of the fons of earth;
On flies fhe pores with keen, unwearied fight,
And moths and butterflies, her dear delight;
Mushrooms and flow'rs, collected on a string,
Around her neck, around her temples cling,
With all the strange production of the spring.
With greedy eyes fhe'll fearch the world to find
Rare, uncouth animals of every kind;
Whether along the humble ground they stray,
Or nimbly sportive in the waters play,
Or thro' the light expanse of æther fly,
And with fleet pinions cleave the liquid sky.
Y
O! ubi littoribus noftris felicior aura
Polypon appulerit, quanto cava templa Stuporis
Mugitu concuffa trement, reboabit & ingens
Pulfa palus! Plaufu excipiet Dea blanda fecundo
Microphile ante omnes; jam non crocodilon adorat ;
Non bombyx, conchæve juvant: fed Polypon ardet,
Solum Polypon ardet,----& ecce ! faceta feraci
Falce novos creat affidue, pafcitque creatos,
Ah! modo dilectis pafcit nova gaudia mufcis.
70
Quartam Materies peperit conjuncta Stupori,
Nomen Atheia illi, monftrum cui lumen ademptum, 75
Atque aures; cui fenfus abeft; fed mille trifulcæ
Ore micant linguæ, refugas quibus inficit auras.
Hanc Stupor ipfe parens odit, vicina nefandos
Horret fylva fonos, neque furda repercutit Echo
Ye gales, that gently breathe upon our shore,
O! let the Polypus be wafted o'er;
How will the hollow dome of Dulness ring,
With what loud joy receive the wond'rous thing? 100
Applaufe will rend the fkies, and all around
The quivering quagmires bellow back the found;
How will Microphile her joy attest,
And glow with warmer raptures than the rest?
This will the curious crocodile excell,
The weaving worm, and filver-fhining shell;
No object e'er will wake her wonder thus
As Polypus, her darling Polypus.
Lo! by the wounds of her creating knife,
New Polypuffes wriggle into life,
Fast as they rise, she feeds with ample store
Of once rare flies, but now efteem'd no more.
The fourth dire shape from mother Matter came,
Dulness her fire, and Atheism is her name;
In her no glimpse of facred Sense appears,
Depriv'd of eyes, and deftitute of ears:
And yet fhe brandishes a thousand tongues,
And blafts the world with air-infecting lungs.
Curs'd by her fire, her very words are wounds,
No grove re-ccchoes the detefted founds.
Mendacem natura redarguit ipfa, Deumque
Et cœlum, & terræ, veraciaque Aftra fatentur.
Se fimul agglomerans furgit chorus omnis aquarum,
Et puro fublimè fonat grave fulmen olympo.
Fonte ortus Lethæo, ipfius ad oftia templi,
Ire foporifero tendit cum murmure rivus,
Huc potum Stolidos Deus evocat agmine magno :
Crebri adfunt, largifque fitim reftinguere gaudent
Hauftibus, atque iterant calices, certantque ftupendo.
Me, me etiam, clamò, occurrens ;---fed vellicat aurem
'alliope, nocuafque vetat contingere lymphas.
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