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OMINUS
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FORMS SIMA-7
Reginald, Saumarez de Havilland.
1
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484
1754
L.Fuzdrinier, Sculp
POEMS
1
ON
Several Occafions.
BY THE LATE
MATTHEW PRIOR, Efq;
LONDON:
Printed for J. and R. TONSON and S. DRAPER,
and H. LINTOT.
M DCC LIV.
ས་་་་་་
English
Rieckerell
24 To the Right Honourable
T
12.90
LIONEL,
EARL of
Dorfet and Middleſex.
But,
My T looks like no great Compliment to
Your Lordship, that I prefix Your
Name to this Epiftle; when, in the
Preface, I declare the Book is publifh'd
almoſt againſt my Inclination.
in all Cafes, My Lord, You have an Hereditary
Right to whatever may be called Mine. Many of
the following pieces were written by the Command
of your Excellent Father; and moft of the reſt,
under his Protection and Patronage
The particular Felicity of Your Birth, My
Lord; The natural Endowments of Your Mind,
which, without Sufpicion of Flattery, I may tell
You, are very Great; The good Education with
which thefe Parts have been improved; and Your
coming
A 3
t
DEDICATION.
coming into the World, and ſeeing Men very early;
make Us expect from Your Lordship all the Good,
which our Hopes can form in Favour of a Young
Nobleman. Tu Marcellus eris,
Our Eyes
You must be
and our Hearts are turned on You.
a Judge and Mafter of Polite Learning; a Friend
and Patron to Men of Letters and Merit; a faith-
ful and able Counſellor to Your Prince; a true Pa
triot to Your Country; an Ornament and Honor
to the Titles You poffefs; and in one Word, a
Worthy Son to the great Earl of DORSET.
It is as impoffible to mention that Name, with-
out defiring to Commend the Perfon; as it is to
give Him the Commendations which his Virtues.
deferved. But I affure my felf, the moft agreeable
Compliment I can bring Your Lordfhip, is to pay
a grateful Refpect to Your Father's Memory. And
my own Obligations to Him were fuch; that the
World muft pardon my Endeavoring at His Cha-
racter, however I may mifcarry in the Attempt.
A Thoufand Ornaments and Graces met in the
Compoſition of this great Man, and contributed to
make Him univerfally Belov'd and Efteem'd. The
Figure of His Body was Strong, Proportionable,
Beautiful and were his Picture well Drawn, it
muſt deſerve the Praife given to the Portraits of
RAPHAEL; and, at once, create Love and Re-
ſpect. While the Greatnefs of His Mien inform'd
Men, they were approaching the Nobleman; the
Sweetneſs of it invited them to come nearer to the
Patron. There was in his Look and Geſture
fomething that is more eafily conceived than de-
fcribed;
DEDICATION.
fcribed; that gain'd upon You in His Favour, bes
His Behaviour was
fore He ſpake one Word.
Eafy and Courteous to all; but Diftinguifhed and
Adapted to each Man in particular, according to his
Station and Quality. His Civility was free from
the Formality of Rule, and flowed immediately
from His good Senſe.
Such were the Natural Faculties and Strength of
His Mind, that He had occafion to borrow very
little from Education; and He owed thofe Advan-
tages to His own Good Parts, which Others acquire
by Study and Imitation. His Wit was abundant,
Noble, Bold. Wit in moft Writers is like a Foun
tain in a Garden, fupply'd by feveral Strean s
brought thro' artful Pipes, and playing fometimes
agreeably. But the Earl of DORSET's was a
Source rifing from the Top of a Mountain, which
forced its own way, and with inexhauftible Supplies,
delighted and enriched the Country thro' which it
pafs'd. This extraordinary Genius was accompa-
ny'd with fo true a Judgment in all Parts of fine
Learning, that whatever Subject was before Him,
He difcourfed as properly of it, as if the peculiar
Bent of His Study had been apply'd That way;
and He perfected his Judgment by Reading and Di-
geſting the best Authors, tho' He quoted Them
very feldom,
Contemnebat potiùs literas, quàm neſciebat :
and rather feem'd to draw His Knowledge from His
own Stores, than to owe it to any Foreign Affift-
ance.
A 4
The
DEDICATIO N.
The Brightness of His Parts, the Solidity of
His Judgment, and the Candor and Generofity of
His Temper diftinguiſh'd Him in an Age of
great Politenefs, and at a Court abounding with
Men of the fineft Senfe and Learning. The moft
eminent Maſters in their feveral Ways appeal'd to
His Determination. WALLER thought it an Ho-
nor to confult Him in the Softnefs and Harmony
of his Verfe and Dr. SPRAT, in the Delicacy and
Turn of his Profe. DRYDEN determines by Him,
under the Character of Eugenius, as to the Laws of
Dramatick Poetry. BUTLER ow'd it to Him
that the Court tafted his Hudibras : WICHER-
LEY, that the Town liked his Plain Dealer: and
the late Duke of BUCKINGHAM deferr'd to pub-
lifh his Reberfal; 'till He was fure (as He ex-
preffed it) that my Lord DORSET would not
Rebcarfe upon Him again. If We wanted Foreign
Teftimony; I A FONTAINE and ST. EVREMONT
have acknowledged, that He was a perfect Mafier
in the Beauty and Fineness of their Language, and
of All that They call les Belles Lettres. Nor was
this Nicety of His Judgment confined only to
Books and Literature; but was the fame in Statu-
ary, Painting, and all other Parts of Art. BER-
NINI Would have taken His Opinion upon the
Beauty and Attitude of a Figure; and King
CHALES did not agree with LELY, that my Lady
CLEVELAND's Picture was Finifhed, 'till it had
the Approbation of my Lord BUCKHURST.
As the Judgment which he made of Others
Writings, could not be refuted; the Manner in
which
DIDICATION.
५
which He wrote, will hardly ever be Equall'd.
Every one of his Pieces is an Ingot of Gold, intrin-
fically and folidly Valuable; fuch as, wrought or
beaten thinner, would fhine thro' a whole Book
of any other Author. His Thought was always
New; and the Expreffion of it fo particularly
Happy, that every Body knew immediately, it
could only be my Lord DORSET's: and yet it was
fo Eafy too, that every Body was ready to imagine
himfelf capable of writing it. There is a Luftre
in His Verfes, like that of the Sun in CLAUDE
LORAINE'S Landskips: it looks Natural, and is
Inimitable. His Love-Verfes have a Mixture of De-
licacy and Strength: they convey the Wit of P £-
TRONIUS in the Softnefs of TIBULLUS. His Satyr
indeed is fo feverely Pointed, that in it He appears,
what His Great Friend the Earl of ROCHESTER
(that other Prodigy of the Age) fays He was;
The best good Man, with the worst natur'd Mufc.
Yet even here, That Character may juftly be Ap-
plied to Him, which PERSIUS gives of the beſt
Writer in this Kind, that ever lived:
Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico
Tangit, & admiffus circum præcordia ludit.
And the Gentleman had always fo much the better
of the Satyrift, that the Perfons touched did not
know where to fix their Refentments; and were
forced to appear rather Afhamed than Angry. Yet
fo far was this great Author from Valuing himſelf
upon His Works, that He cared not what became
A 5
of
DEDICATION.
of them, though every Body elfe did. There are
many Things of His not Extant in Writing,
which however are always repeated like the Ver-
fes and Sayings of the Antient DRUIDS, they re-
tain an Univerſal Veneration; tho' they are pre-
ſerved only by Memory.
As it is often ſeen, that thofe Men who are leaſt
Qualified for Buſineſs, love it moft; my Lord
DORSET'S Character was, that He certainly un-
derſtood it, but did not care for it.
Coming very Young to the Poffeffion of two Plen-
tiful Eſtates, and in an Age when Pleaſure was
more in Faſhion than Buſineſs; He turned his Parts
rather to Books and Converfation, than to Politicks,
and what more immediately related to the Public.
But when ever the Safety of his Country demand-
ed His Affiftance, He readily entred into the moft
Active Parts of Life; and underwent the greateſt
Dangers, with a Conftancy of Mind, which fhew-
ed, that He had not only read the Rules of Philo-
phy, but underſtood the Practice of them.
In the firſt Dutch War He went a Volunteer
under the Duke of YORK: His Behaviour, during
That Campaign, was fuch, as diftinguifh'd the
SACKVILLE defcended from that HILDEBRAND
of the Name, who was one of the greateſt Cap-
tains that came into ENGLAND with the Con-
queror. But His making a Song the Night before
the Engagement (and it was one of the prettiest
that ever was made) carries with it fo fedate a
Prefence of Mind, and fuch an unufual Gallantry,
that it deferves as much to be Recorded, as
ALEX-
DEDICATION.
3
*
ALEXANDER'S jefting with his Soldiers, before he
paffed the GRANICUS: or WILLIAM the First of
ORANGE, giving Order over Night for a Battle,
and defiring to be called in the Morning, left He
ſhould happen to Sleep too long.
From hence, during the remaining Part of
King CHARLES's Reign, He continued to Live
in Honourable Leifure. He was of the Bed-cham-
ber to the King, and poffeffed not only His Ma-
fter's Favor, but (in a great Degree) his Famili-
arity; never leaving the Court, but when he was
fent to That of FRANCE, on fome fhort Com-
miffions and Embaffies of Compliment as if the
King deſigned to fhow the FRENCH, (who
would be thought the Politeft Nation) that one
of the Finest Gentlemen in EUROPE was His
Subject; and that We had a Prince who under-
ftond His Worth fo well, as not to fuffer him to be
long out of his Prefence.
:
The fuceeeding Reign neither relifh'd my Lord's
Wit, nor approv'd His Maxims: fo He retired
altogether from Court. But as the irretrievable
Miftakes of That unhappy Government went on
to threaten the Nation with fomething more ter-
rible than a Dutch War: He thought it became
Him to refume the Courage of His Youth, and
once more to Engage Himſelf in defending the
Liberty of his Country. He entred into the
Prince of ORANGE's Intereft; and carried on
His Part of that great Enterpriſe here in LONDON,
and under the Eye of the Court; with the fame
Refolution, as His Friend and Fellow-Patriot the
late
DEDICATION.
late Duke of DEVONSHIRE did in open Arms
at NOTTINGHAM; 'till the Dangers of thoſe
Times encreaſed to Extremity; and juft Appre-
henfions arofe for the Safety of the Princeſs, our
prefent Glorious Queen: then the Earl of DOR-
SET was thought the propereft Guide of Her ne-
ceffary Flight, and the Perfon under whofe Cou-
rage and Direction the Nation might moft fafely
Truft a Charge fo precious and Important.
After the Eftabliſhment of their late Majefties
upon the Throne, there was Room again at Court
for Men of my Lord's Character. He had a Part
in the Councils of thofe Princes, a great Share in
their Friendſhip; and all the Marks of Diftinc-
tion, with which a good Government could re-
ward a Pariot. He was made Chamberlain of
their Majefty's Houfhold; a Place which He fo
eminently Adorn'd by the Grace of His Perfon,
and the Fineneſs of His Breeding, and the Know-
ledge and Practice of what was Decent and Mag-
nificent; that He could only be Rivalled in theſe
Qualifications by one great Man, who has fince
held the fame Staff.
The laft Honors He received from his Sovereign,
(and indeed they were the Greateſt which a Sub-
ject could receive) were, that He was made Knight
of the Garter, and conftituted one of the Regents
of the Kingdom, during his Majefty's Abfence.
But His Health, about that Time, fenfibly De-
clining; and the Public Affairs not threatned by
any Imminent Danger; He left the Bufinefs to
Thofe who delighted more in the State of it;
and
DEDICATION.
and appeared only fometimes at Council, to fhew
his Reſpect to the Commiffion: giving as much
Leifure as He could to the Relief of thoſe Pains,
with which it pleafed God to Afflict Him; and
Indulging the Reflections of a Mind, that had
looked thro' the World with too piercing an Eye,
and was grown weary of the Profpect. Upon the
whole, it may very juftly be faid of this Great
Man, with Regard to the Public, that thro' the
Courfe of his Life, He Acted like an Able Pilot
in a long Voyage; contented to fit Quiet in the
Cabin, when the Winds were allayed, and the
Waters ſmooth ; but Vig lant and Ready to re-
fume the Helm, when the Storm aroſe, and the Sea
grew Tumultuous.
I ask Your Pardon, My Lord, if I look yet
a little more nearly into the late Lord DOR-
SET'S Character: if I examine it not without
fome Intention of finding Fault; and (which is
an odd way of making a Panegyric) fet his Ble-
miſhes and Imperfections in open View.
The Fire of His Youth carried Him to fome
Exceffes but they were accompanied with a moſt
lively Invention, and true Humour. The little
Violences and eafy Miftakes of a Night too
gayly spent, (and That too in the Beginning of
Life) were always fet Right the next Day, with
great Humanity, and ample Retribution. His
Faults brought their Excufe with them, and his
very Failings had their Beauties. So much Sweet-
neſs accompanied what He faid, and fo great Ge-
neroſity
DEDICATIO N.
nerofity what He did; that People were always
prepoffeffed in his Favor and it was in Fact
true, what the late Earl of ROCHESTER faid, in
Jeft, to King CHARLES; That He did not know
how it was, but my Lord DORSET might do any
thing, yet was never to Blame.
He was naturally very fubject to Paffion; but
the ſhort Guft was foon over, and ſerved only to
fet off the Charms of his Temper, when more Com-
pos'd. That very Paffion broke out with a Force
of Wit, which made even Anger agreeable: While
it lafted, He faid and forgot a thouſand Things,
which other Men would have been glad to have
ſtudied and wrote: but the Impetuofity was Cor-
rected upon a Moment's Reflection; and the Mea-
fure altered with fuch Grace and Delicacy, that
You could fcarce perceive where the Key was
Changed.
He was very Sharp in his Reflections; but ne-
ver in the wrong Place. His Darts were fure to
Wound; but they were fure too to hit None, but
thofe whofe Follies gave him very fair Aim. And
when He allowed no Quarter; He had certainly
been provoked by more than common Error: by
Men's tedious and circumftantial Recitals of their
Affairs; or by their multiply'd Queſtions about his
own; by extreme Ignorance and Impertinence; or
the mixture of theſe, an ill-judg'd and never-ceafing
Civility or laftly, by the two Things which were
his utter Averfion; the Infinuation of a Flatterer,
and the Whiſper of a Tale-bearer.
If
DEDICATION.
!
J
If therefore We fet the Piece in its worft Po-
fition; if its Faults be moft expofed; the Shades
will ſtill appear very finely join'd with their Lights;
and every Imperfection will be diminiſhed by the
Luftre of fome Neighb'ring Virtue. But if we
turn the great Drawings and wonderful Colour-
ings to their true Light; the Whole muſt appear
Beautiful, Noble, Admirable.
He poffeffed all thofe Virtues in the higheft De-
gree, upon which the Pleaſure of Society, and the
Happineſs of Life depend: and He exerciſed them
with the greateſt Decency, and beft Manners. As
good Nature is faid, by a great * Author, to be-
long more particularly to the ENGLISH, than any
other Nation; it may again be faid, that it be-
longed more particularly to the late Earl of DOR-
SET, than to any other ENGLISH Man.
A kind Husband He was, without Fondneſs :
and an indulgent Father, without Partiality. Se
extraordinary good a Mafter, that This Quality
ought indeed to have been number'd among his
Defects for He was often ferved worſe than became
his Station; from his Unwillingneſs to affume an Au-
thority too Severe. And, during thofe little Tranf-
ports of Paffion, to which I juſt now ſaid He was
fubject; I have known his Servants get into his
way, that They might make a Merit of it im-
mediately after for He that had the good Fortune
to be Chid, was fure of being Rewarded for it.
* Sprat. Hift. of the Royal Society.
His
DEDICATION.
His Table was one of the Laft, that gave Us an
Example of the Old Houfe-keeping of an ENG-
LISH Nobleman. A Freedom reigned at it,
which made every one of his Guefts think Him-
felf at Home: and an Abundance, which fhewed
that the Mafter's Hofpitality extended to many
More, than Thoſe who had the Honor to fit at
Table with Him.
In his Dealings with Others; his Care and
Exactness, that every Man fhould have his Duc,
was fuch, that You would think He had never feen
a Court: the Politenefs and Civility with which
this Juftice was adminiftred, would convince You
He never had lived out of One.
He was fo ftrict an Obferver of his Word, that
no Confideration whatever could make him break
it; yet fo cautious, left the Merit of his Act ſhould
arife from that Obligation only; that He ufually
did the greateſt Favors, without making any pre-
vious Promife. So inviolable was He in His Friend-
fhip, and fo kind to the Character of Thofe,
whom He had once Honored with a more inti-
mate Acquaintance; that nothing less than a De-
monftration of fome Effential Fault, could make
Him break with Them: and then too, his Good-
nature did not confent to it, without the greateſt
Reluctance and Difficulty. Let me give one In-
ftance of this amongst many. When, as Lord
Chamberlain, He was obliged to take the King's
Penfion from Mr. DRYDEN, who had long before
put Himſelf out of a Poffibility of Receiving any
Favor
DEDICATION.
Favor from the Court: my Lord allowed him an
Equivalent, out of his own Eftate. However dif-
pleaſed with the Conduct of his old Acquaintance,
He relieved his Neceffities; and while He gave
Him his Affiftance in Private; in Publick, He ex-
tenuated and pitied his Error.
The Foundation indeed of thefe Excellent Qua-
lities, and the Perfection of my Lord DORSET'S
Character, was That unbounded Charity which
ran through the whole Tenor of his Life; and fat
as vifibly Predominant over the other Faculties of
his Soul; as She is faid to do in Heaven, above Her
Sifter Virtues.
Crouds of Poor daily thronged his Gates, ex-
pecting thence their Bread: and were fill leffened
by His fending the moft proper Objects of his
Bounty to Apprenticeſhips, or Hofpitals. The La-
zar and the Sick, as He accidentally faw them, were
removed from the Street to the Phyfician, and
Many of them not only restored to Health; but
ſupplied with what might enable Them to reſume
their former Callings, and make their future Life
happy. The Prifoner has often been releaſed, by
my Lord's paying the Debt; and the Condemned
has been faved by his Interceffion with the Sove-
reign where He thought the Letter of the Law
too rigid. To Thoſe whofe Circumftances were
fuch as made Them afhamed of their Poverty,
He knew how to beftow his Munificence, without
offending their Modefty; and under the Notion of
frequent Prefents, gave Them what amounted to a
Sub-
DEDICATION.
Subfiftence. Many yet alive know This to be
true, though He told it to None, nor ever was
more uneaſy, than when any one mention'd it to
Him.
We may find among the Greeks and Latins,
TIBULLUS, and GALLUs; the Noblemen
that writ Poetry:
AUGUSTUS and MÆ CE-
NAS; the Protectors of Learning: ARIS TI-
DES, the good Citizen; and ATTICU s, the
well-bred Friend: and bring them in, as Ex-
amples of my Lord DORSE T's Wit; His
Judgment; His Juftice; and His Civility. But
for His Charity, my Lord, We can fcarce find a
Parallel in Hiftory itself.
.
TITUS was not more the Delicia Humani
generis, on this Account, than my Lord DOR-
SET was. And, without any Exaggeration, that
Prince did not do more good in Proportion out
of the Revenue of the Roman Empire, than Your
Father out of the Income, of a private Eftate.
Let this, my Lord, remain to You and Your
Pofterity a Poffeffion for ever; to be Imitated, and
if poffible, to be Excelled.
As to my own Particular, I fcarce knew what
Life was, fooner than I found myſelf obliged to
His Favor; nor have had Reafon to feel any
Sorrow, fo fenfibly as That of His Death.
Ille dies-quem femper acerbum
Semper honoratum (fic Di voluiftis) habebo.
NEAS
DEDICATION.
MEASS BESANGED MAX asr st Exam vas of
الله
ENEAS could not reflect upon the loſs of
His own Father with greater Piety, My Lord,
than I muſt recall the Memory of Yours: and
when I think whofe Son I am writing to, the
leaft I promiſe myfelf from Your Goodneſs is
an uninterrupted Continuance of Favor, and a
Friendship for Life. To which, that I may with
fome Juftice Intitle myfelf, I fend Your Lord-
ſhip a Dedication, not filled with a long Detail
of Your Praiſes, but with my fincereft Wiſhes
That You may Deſerve them. That You may
employ thofe extraordinary Parts and Abilities
with which Heaven has bleffed You, to the Ho-
nor of Your Family, the Benefit of Your Friends,
and the Good of Your Country; That all Your
Actions may be Great, Open and Noble, fuch
as may tell the World whofe Son and whoſe Suc-
ceffor You are.
!
What I now offer to Your Lordſhip is a Col-
lection of Poetry, a kind of Garland of Good
Will. If any Verfes of my Writing fhould ap-
pear in Print, under another Name and Patro-
nage, than that of an Earl of DORSET, Peo-
ple might fufpect them not to be Genuine. I
have attained my prefent End, if thefe Poems
prove the Diverſion of fome of Your Youthful
Hours, as they have been occafionally the Amufe-
ment of ſome of Mine; and I humbly hope, that
as I may hereafter bind up my fuller Sheaf, and
lay fome Pieces of a very different Nature (the
Product
}
DEDICATION.
Product of my feverer Studies) at Your Lordship's
Feet, I fhall engage Your more ferious Reflec-
Happy, if in all my Endeavours I may
contribute to Your Delight, or to Your Inftruc-
tion, I am, with all Duty and Refpect,
tion :
MY LORD,
Your Lordship's
moſt Obedient, and
Moft Humble Servant,
$
1
MAT. PRIOR.
PREFACE.
HE Greatest Part of what I have
Written having been already Publifhed,
either fingly or in fome of the Mifcella-
nies, it would be too late for Me to
make any Excufe for appearing in Print.
But a Collection of Pocms has lately ap-
pear'd under my Name, tho' without my Knowledge,
in which the Publisher has given Me the Honor of
fome Things that did not belong to Me; and has Tran
fcribed others fo imperfectly, that I hardly knew them
to be Mine. This has obliged Me, in my own De-
fence, to look back upon fome of thofe lighter Studies,
which I ought long fince to have quitted, and to
Publifh an indifferent Collection of Poems, for fear
of being thought the Author of a worse.
Thus I beg Pardon of the Publick for Reprinting
fome Pieces, which, as they came fingly from their
first Impreffion, have (I fancy) lain long and quietly
in Mr. TONSON's Shop; and adding others to them,
which were never before Printed, and might have
lain as quietly, and perhaps more fafely, in a Corner
of my own Study.
The Reader will, I hope, make Allowance for
their having been written at very diftant Times,
and on very different Occafions; and take them as
they
PREF A CE.
they happen to come, Publick Panegyricks, Amorous
Odes, ferious Reflections, or idle Tales, the Product
of his leifure Hours, who had Buſineſs enough upon
his Hands, and was only a Poet by Accident.
I take this Occafion to thank my good Friend and
School-fellow Mr. DIBBEN, for his excellent Verfion
of the Carmen Seculare, though my Gratitude may
justly carry a little Envy with it; for I believe the
most accurate Judges will find the Tranſlation exceed
the Original.
I must likewife own myself obliged to Mrs.SINGER,
who has given Me Leave to Print a Paftoral of
Her Writing; That Poem having produced the Verfes
immediately following it. I wish She might be pre-
vailed with to publish fome other Pieces of that Kind,
in which the Softness of her Sex, and the Fineness of
Her Genius, confpire to give Her a very diſtinguiſh-
ing Character.
POST.
POSTS CRIPT
I
Muft help my Preface by a Poftfcript to tell
the Reader that there is ten Years Di-
Stance between my writing One and the
Other; and that (whatever I thought
then, and have fomewhere faid, that I
would publish no more Poetry) He will find
Several Copies of Verſes ſcattered through this
Edition, which were not printed in the Firft. Thofe relating
to the Publick ftand in the Order They did before, and ac-
cording to the feveral Years, in which they were written ;
bowever the Difpofition of our National Affairs, the
Actions, or the Fortunes of fome Men, and the. Opinons of
others may have changed. Profe and other Human Things
may take what Turn they can; but Poetry, which pre-
tends to have ſomething of Divinity in it, is to be more
permanent. Odes once printed cannot well be altered,
when the Author has already faid that He expects His
Works should live for ever: And it had been very fooliſh
in my Friend HORACE, if fome Years after His Exegi
Monumentum, He fhould have defired to fee his Building
taken down again.
The Dedication likewife is Reprinted to the Earl of DOR-
SET, in the foregoing Leaves, without any Alteration;
though I had the fairest Opportunity, and the ftrongest Incli-
nation to have added a great deal to it. The blooming Hopes,
which I faid the World expected from my then very Young
Patron, have been confirmed by moft Noble and diftinguished
Firft. Fruits; and His Life is going on towards a plentiful
Harvest of all accummulated Virtues. He has, in Fact, ex-
seeded whatever the Fondness of my Wishes could invent in
His
POSTSCRIP T.
His Favour: His equally Good and Beautiful Lady enjoys
in Him an Indulgent and Obliging Husband; His Chil-
dren, a Kind and Careful Faiher; and His Aquaintance,
a Faithful, Generous, and Polite Friend. His Fellore-
Peers have attended to the Perfuafion of his Eloquence;
and have been convinced by the Solidity of His Reasoning.
He has, long fince, defcrved and attained the Honor of
the Garter. He has managed fome of the Charges of the
Kingdom with known Ability; and laid them down with
entire Difintereſsment. And as he continues the Exercises
of theſe eminent Virtues (which that He may to a very
old Age, fhall be my perpetual Wish) He may be One of
the Greatest Men that our Age, cr poffibly our Nation has
tred; and leave Meterials for a Panegyric, not unwor
thy the Pen of fome future PLINY.
From fo Noble a Subject as the Earl of DORSET, to fo
mean a one as myſelf, is (I confess) a very Pindaric
Tranfition. Ifhall only fay one Word, and trouble the Rea-
der no further. I published my Poems formerly, as Mon-
fieur JOURDAIN fold his Silk: He would not be thought
a Tradefman; but ordered jone Picces to be measured. out
to his particular Friends. Now I give up my Shop, and
difpofe of all my Poetical Goods at once: I must therefore
defire, that the Public would pleaſe to take them in the
Grofs; and that every Body would turn over what He
docs not like.
-1
POEMS
POEMS
ON
SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
On Exodus iii. 14. I am that I am.
An
OD E.
Written 1688, as an Exercife at St. JOHN's
College, CAMBRIDGE.
I.
AN! Fooliſh Man!
Scarce know'st thou how thyfelf began;
Scarce haft thou Thought enough to prove
thou art ;
Yet fleel'd with ftudy'd Boldness, thou
dar'it try
To fend thy doubting Reafon's dazzled Eye
Through the myfterious Gulph of vaft Immenfity.
Much thou can't there difcern, much thence impart.
Vain Wretch! fupprefs thy knowing Pride;
Mortifie thy learned Luft :
Vain are thy Thoughts, while thou thyself are Duſt.
B
II. Let
2
POEMS on several Occafions.
II.
Let Wit her Sails, her Oars let Wiſdom lend;
The Helm let politick Experience guide:
Yet ceafe to hope thy fhort-liv'd Bark ſhall ride
Down ſpreading Fate's unnavigable Tide.
What, tho' ftill it farther tend ♪
Still 'tis farther from its End;
And, in the Bofom of that boundleſs Sea,
Still finds its Error lengthen with its Way.
III.
With daring Pride and infolent Delight
Your Doubts refolv'd you boaſt, your Labours crown'd;
And, "ETPH KA! your God, forfooth is found
Incomprehenfible and Infinite.
But is He therefore found? Vain Searcher! no:
Let your imperfect Definition fhow,
That nothing You, the weak Definer, know.
IV.
Say, why fhou'd the collected Main
Itſelf within itſelf contain ?
Why to its Caverns fhou'd it fometimes creep,
And with delighted Silence fleep
On the lov'd Bofom of its Parent Deep?
Why ſhou'd its num'rous Waters ſtay
In comely Difcipline, and fair Array,
”Till Winds and Tides exert their high Command!
Then prompt and ready to obey,
Why do the rifing Surges ſpread
Their op'ning Ranks o'er Earth's fubmiffive Head,
Marching thro' different Paths to different Lands ?
V.
Why does the conftant Sun
With meafur'd Steps his radiant Journeys run?
Why
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
3
Why does He order the Diurnal Hours
To leave Earth's other Part, and rife in Ours?
Why does he wake the correſpondent Moon,
And fill her willing Lamp with liquid Light,
Commanding Her with delegated Pow'rs
To beautifie the World, and bleſs the Night?
Why does each animated Star
Love the juft Limits of its proper Sphere?
Why does each confenting Sign
With prudent Harmony combine
In Turns to move, and fubfequent appear,
To gird the Globe, and regulate the Year?
VI.
Man does with dangerous Curiofity
Theſe unfathom'd wonders try:
With fancy'd Rules and arbitrary Laws
Matter and Motion he reftrains;
And ſtudy'd Lines and fictious Circles draws:
Then with imagin'd Soveraignty
Lord of his new HYPOTHESIs he reigns.
He reigns How long? 'till fome Ufurper rife ;
And he too, mighty Thoughtful, mighty Wife,
Studies new Lines, and other Circles feigns.
From this laft Toil again what Knowledge flows?
Just as much, perhaps, as fhows
That all his Predeceffor's Rules
Were empty Cant, all JARGON of the Schools;
That he on t'other's Ruin rears his Throne;
And fhows his Friend's Miftake, and thence confirms his
VII.
On Earth, in Air, amidſt the Seas and Skies.
Mountainous Heaps of Wonders rife ;
Whole tow'ring Strength will ne'er fubmit
To Reafon's Batteries, or the Mines of Wit:
B 2
[own.
Yet
POEMS on fever al Occafions.
Yet fill enquiring, ftill miſtaking Man,
Each Her repuls'd, each Hour dare onward prefs;
And levelling at GOD his wandring Guefs,
(That feeble Engine of his reafoning War,
Which guides his Doubts, and combats his Deſpair)
Laws to his Maker the learn'd Wretch can give:
Can bound that Nature, and prefcribe that Will,
Whofe pregnant Word did either Ocean fill:
Can tell us whence all BEINGS are, and how they move
and live.
Thro' either Ocean, fooliſh Man!
That pregnant Word fent forth again,
Might to a World extend each A TO м there;
For every Drop call forth a Sea, a Heav'n for
VIII.
every Star.
Let cunning Earth her fruitful Wonders hide;
And only lift thy ftaggering Reafon up
To trembling CALVARY's aſtoniſh'd Top;
Then mock thy Knowledge, and confound thy Pride,
Explaining how Perfection fuffer'd Pain,
Almighty languifh'd, and Eternal dy'd :
How by her Patient Victor Death was flain;
And Earth prophan'd, yet bleſs'd with Deicide.
Then down with all thy boafted Volumes, down;
Only referve the Sacred One:
Low, reverently low,
Make thy ftubborn Knowledge bow ;
Weep out thy Reafon's, and thy Body's Eyes ;
Deject thyfelf, that thou may'ft rife;
To look to Heav'n, be blind to all below.
IX.
Then Faith, for Reafon's glimmering Light, fhall give
Her Immortal Perspective;
And Grace's Prefence Nature's Lofs retrieve:
Then
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
5
Then thy enliven'd Soul fhall fee,
That all the Volumes of Philofophy,
With all their Comments, never cou'd invent.
So politick an Inftrument,
АСО
To reach the Heav'n of Heav'ns, the high Abode,
Where MosEs places his Myfterious God,
As was the Ladder which old JACOB rear'd,
When Light Divine had human Darkneſs clear'd;
And his enlarg'd Ideas found the Road,
Which Faith had dictated, and Angels trod.
To the COUNTESS of EXETER, Playing
WH
on the Lute.
AT Charms You have, from what high Race
You Sprung,
Have been the pleaûng Subjects of my Song:
Unskill'd and young, yet fomething till I writ,
Of CA'N DISH Beauty join'd to CECIL's Wit.
But when you pleaſe to fhow the lab'ring Muſe,
What greater Theme your Mufick can produce;
My babling Praiſes I repeat no more,
But hear, rejoice, ftand filent, and adore.
The PERSIAN s thus first grazing on the Sun,
Admir'd how high 'twas plac'd, how bright it fhone;
But, as his Pow'r was known, their Thoughts were rais'd;
And foon they worship'd, what at firſt they prais'd.
ELIZA's Glory lives in SPENCER's Song;
And Cow LE Y's Verfe keeps fair ORINDA young.
That as in Birth, in Beauty You excell,
The Mufe might dictate, and the Poet tell :
Your Art no other Art can fpeak; and You,
To fhow how well you play, muſt elez
B3
Your
1
6
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Your Mufick's Pow'r your Mufick muft diſcloſe;
For what Light is, 'tis only Light that ſhows.
Strange Force of Harmony, that thus controuls
Our Thoughts, and turns and fanctifies our Souls:
While with its utmoſt Art your Sex cou'd move
Our wonder only, or at beft our Love:
You far above Both theſe your God did place,
That your high Pow'r might worldly Thoughts destroy;
That with your Numbers You our Zeal might raiſe,
And, like Himſelf, communieate your Joy.
When to your Native Heav'n You fhall repair,
And with your Prefence crown the Bleffings there,
Your Lute may wind its ftrings but little higher,
To tune their Notes to that immortal Quire.
Your Art is perfe&t here; your Numbers do,
More than our Books, make the rude Atheift know,
That there's a Heav'n, by what he hears below,
As in fome Piece, while LUKE his Skill expreft,
A cunning Angel came, and drew the reft:
So when you play, fome Godhead does impart
Harmonious Aid, Divinity helps Art;
Some Cherub finishes what You begun,
And to a Miracle improves a Tune.
To burning ROM E when frantick NERO play'd,
Viewing that face, no more he had furvey'd
The raging Flames; but ftruck with ftrange Surprize,
Confefs d them lefs than thofe of AN NA's Eyes:
But, had he heard thy Lute, He foon had found
His Rage eluded, and his Crime aton'd :
:
Thine, like AMPHION's Hand, had wak'd the Stone,
And from Deſtruction call'd the rifing Town:
Malice to Mufick had been forc'd to yield;
Nor could he Burn fo faft, as Thou cou'dft Build.
}
PICTURE
POEMS on several Occafions.
7
PICTURE of SENECA dying in a Bath.
By JORDAIN. At the Right Honourable
the EARL of EXETER's at Burleigh-
Houſe.
W!
HILE cruel NERO only drains.
The Moral SP A N I A R D's ebbing Veins,
By Study worn, and flack with Age,
How dull, how thoughtlefs is his Rage?
Heighten'd Revenge He fhould have took;
He ſhould have burnt his Tutor's Book;
And long have reign'd fupream in Vice:
One nobler Wretch can only rife;
'Tis he whofe Fury fhall deface
The Stoic's Image in this Piece.
For while unhurt, divine JORDAIN,
Thy Work and SENECA's remain,
He ſtill has Body, ftill has Soul,
And lives and ſpeaks, reſtor❜d and whole.
An
OD E.
I.
HILE blooming Youth, and gay Delight
Sit on thy rofey Cheeks confeft,
W!
Thou haft, my Dear, undoubted Right
To triumph o'er this deftin'd Breaſt.
My Reafon bends to what thy Eyes ordain;
For I was born to Love, and thou to Reign.
II.
But would you meanly thus rely,
On Power, You know, I muft Obey?
B 4
Exert
POEMS on several Occafions.
Exert a Legal Tyranny;
And do an Ill, becauſe You may?
Still muft I Thee, as Atheifts Heav'n adore;
Not fee thy Mercy, and yet dread thy Power?
III.
Take Heed, my Dear, Youth flies apace;
As well as CUPID, TIME is blind:
Soon muſt theſe Glories of thy Face
The Fate of vulgar Beauty find:
The Thouſand Loves, that arm thy potent Eye,
Muft drop their Quivers, flag their Wings, and die.
IV.
Then wilt Thou figh, when in each Frown
A hateful Wrinkle more appears;
And putting peevish Humours on,
Seems but the fad effect of Years:
Kindneſs itſelf too weak a Charm will prove,
To raife the feeble Fires of aged Love.
V.
Forc'd Compliments, and formal Bows
Will fhew Thee just above neglect:
The Heat with which thy Lover glows,
Will fettle into cold Respect:
A talking dull Platonic I fhall turn ;
Learn to be civil, when I ceaſe to burn.
VI.
Then fhun the Ill, and know, my Dear,
Kindness and Conftancy will prove
The only Pillars fit to bear
So vaft a Weight, as that of Love.
If thou can't wish to make my Flames endure,
Thine muſt be very fierce, and very pure.
VII. Hafte,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
9
*
VII.
Hafte, CELIA, hafte, while Youth invites,
Obey kind CUPI D's prefent Voice;
Fill ev'ry Senſe with foft Delights,
And give thy Soul a Looſe to Joys:
Let Millions of repeated Bliffes prove,
That Thou all Kindnefs art, and I all Love.
VIII.
Be Mine, and only Mine; take care
Thy Looks, thy Thoughts, thy Dreams to guide
To Me alone; nor come fo far,
As liking any Youth befide:
What Men e'er court Thee, fly 'em, and believe
They're Serpents all, and Thou the tempted Eve.
IX.
So fhall I court thy dearest Truth,
When Beauty ceaſes to engage;
So thinking on thy charming Youth,
I'll love it o'er again in Age:
So TIME itſelf our raptures fhall improve,
While ftill we wake to Joy, and live to Love.
An Epistle to FLEETWOOD SHEPHARD, Efq;
Burleigh, May 14, 1689.
SIR,
S once a Twelvemonth to the Prieſt,
A Holy at Ro ME, here Antichrift,
The SPANISH King prefents a Jennet,
To fhew his Love;
That's all that's in it:
For if his Holinefs would thump
His reverend Bum 'gainſt Horſe's Rump,
He might b'equipt from his own Stable
With one more White, and cke more Able..
B 5
Or
10
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Or as with Gondola's and Men, His
Good Excellence the Duke of VENICE
(I wiſh, for Rhime, t'had been the King)
Sails out, and gives the Gulph a Ring;
Which Trick of State, He wifely maintains,
Keeps Kindness up 'twixt old Acquaintance:
For elfe, in honeft Truth, the Sea
Has much leſs need of Gold, than He.
Or, not to rove, and pump one's Fancy
For Popish Similies beyond Sea;
As Folks from Mud-wall'd Tenement
Bring Landlords Pepper-Corn for Rent;
Prefent a Turkey, or a Hen
To thofe might better ſpare them Ten ;
Ev'n fo, with all Submiffion, I
(For firft Men inftance, then apply)
Send You each Year a homely Letter,
Who may return me much a better.
Then take it, Sir, as it was writ,
To pay Refpect, and not fhow Wit:
Nor look askew at what it faith;
There's no Petition in it,'Faith.
Here fome would fcratch their Heads, and try
What they ſhould write, and How, and Why;
But I conceive, fuch Folks are quite in
Miſtakes, in Theory of Writing.
If once for Principle 'tis laid,
That Thought is Trouble to the Head;
I argue thus: The World agrees,
That He writes well, who writes with Eafe:
Then He, by Sequel Logical,
Writes beft, who never thinks at all.
Verſe comes from Heav'n, like inward Light;
Mere human Pains can ne'er come by't ;
The
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
I I
;
The God, not we, the Poem makes
We only tell Folks what He ſpeaks.
Hence, when Anatomifts difcourfe,
How like Brutes Organs are to Ours;
They grant, if Higher Powers think fit,
A Bear might foon be made a Wit;
And that for any thing in Nature,
Pigs might ſqueak Love-Odes, Dogs bark Satyr.
MEMNON, tho' Stone, was counted vocal;
But 'twas the God, mean while, that ſpoke all.
ROME oft has heard a Croſs Haranguing:
With prompting Prieft behind the Hanging:
The Wooden Head refolv'd the Queſtion;
While You and PETTIS help'd the Jeft on.
Your crabbed Rogues that read LUCRETIU s,
Are againſt Gods, You know; and teach us,
The God makes not the Poet; but
The Thefis, vice-verfâ put,
Should Hebrew-wife be understood;
And means, The Poet makes the God.
EGYPTIAN Gard'ners thus are faid to
Have fet the Leeks they after pray'd to;
And ROM IS н Bakers praife the Deity
Thy chipp'd, while yet in its Paniety.
That when you Poets fwear and cry,
The God infpires; I rave, I die ;
If inward Wind does truly fwell Ye,
'T muſt be the Cholick in your Belly:
That Writing is but juft like Dice,
And lucky Mains make People Wife:
That jumbled Words, if Fortune throw 'em,
Shall, well as DRYDEN, form a Poem ;
Or make a Speech, correct and Witty,
As you know who at the Committee.
So
12
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
So Atoms dancing round the Center,
They urge, made all Things at a Venture,
But granting Matters fhou'd be fpoke
By Method, rather than by Luck;
This may confine their younger Stiles,
Whom DRYDEN pedagogues at WI LL's:
But never cou'd be meant to tye
Authentick Wits, like you and I:
For as young Children, who are try'd in
Go-Carts, to keep their Steps from fliding;
When Members knit, and Legs grow ftronger,
Make uſe of ſuch Machine no longer;
But leap pro Libitu, and ſcout
On Horfe call'd Hobby, or without :
So when at School we first declaim,
Old BUS BEY walks us in a Theme,
Whoſe Props fupport our Infant Vein,
And help the Rickets in the Brain :
But when our Souls their Force dilate,
And Thoughts grow up to Wit's Eftate;
In Verſe or proſe, We write or chat,
Not Six pence Matter upon what.
'Tis not how well an Author fays;
But 'tis how much, that gathers Praiſe.
TONSON, who is himself a Wit,
Counts Writers Merits by the Sheet.
Thus each fhould down with all he thinks,
As Boys eat Bread, to fill up Chinks.
Kind Sir, I fhould be glad to fee You;
I hope Y'are well; fo God be wi' You ;
Was all I thought at firſt to write :
But Things fince then, are alter'd quite;
Fancies flow in, and Mufe flies high:
So God knows when my Clack will lye:
I muft
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
13
I muft, Sir, prattle on, as afore,
And beg your Pardon yet this half Hour.
So at pure Barn of loud NON-CON,
Where with my Granam I have gone,
When LOBB had fifted all his Text,
And I well hop'd the Pudding next ;
Now to apply, has plagu'd me more,
Than all his Villain Cant before.
For your Religion, firft, of Her
Your Friends do fav'ry Things aver:
They fay, She's honeft, as your Claret,
Not fowr'd with Cant, nor ftum'd with Merit;
Your Chambér is the fole Retreat
Of Chaplains ev'ry SUNDAY Night:
Of Grace, no doubt, a certain Sign,
When Lay-man Herds with Man Divine;
For if their Fame be justly great,
Who would no Popiſh Nuncio treat;
That His is greater, We must grant,
Who will treat Nuncio's Proteftant.
One fingle Pofitive weighs more,
You know, than Negatives a Score.
In Politicks, I hear, You're ftanch,
Directly bent against the FRENCH;
Deny to have your free-born Toe
Dragoon'd into a Wooden Shoe:
Are in no Plots; but fairly drive at
The Publick Welfare, in your private:
And will, for ENGLAND'S Glory try
Turks, Jews, and Jefuits to defy,
And keep your Places 'till you die.
For me, whom wandring Fortune threw
From what I lov'd, the Town and You;
Let me juſt tell You how my Time is
Paft in a Country Life. Imprimis,
}
As
14
POEMS on Several Occafions.
As foon as PHOEBUS' Rays infpect us,
First, Sir, I read, and then I Breakfaft;
So on, 'till forefaid God does fet
I fometimes Study, fometimes Eat.
Thus, of your Heroes, and brave Boys,
With whom old HOMER makes ſuch Noife,
The greateſt Actions I can find,
Are, that they did their Work, and Din'd.
The Books of which I'm chiefly fond,
Are fuch as You have whilom con'd;
That treat of CHINA'S Civil Law,
And Subject's Right in GOLCONDA;
Of Highway-Elephants at CEYLAN,
That rob in Clans, like Men o'th' HIGHLAND;
Of Apes that ftorm, or keep a Town,
As well almoft as Count LAUZUN;
Of Unicorns and Alligators
Elks, Mermaids, Mummies, Witches, Satyrs,
And twenty other ftranger Matters;
Which, tho' they're Things I've no Concern in,
Make all our Grooms admire my Learning.
Criticks I read on other Men,
And Hypers upon Them again;
From whoſe Remarks I give Opinion
On twenty Books, yet ne'er look in One.
Then all your Wits that fleer and fham,
Down from DON QUIXOTE to TOM TRAM;
From whom I Jeſts and Punns purloin,
And flily put 'em off for Mine:
Fond to be thought a Country Wit:
The reft,
when Fate and You think fit.
Sometimes I climb my Mare, and kick her
To bottl'd Ale, and neighbouring Vicar;
}
Some-
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
15.
Sometimes at STAMFORD take a Quart,
Squire SHEPHARD's Health,
With all my Heart.
Thus, without much Delight or Grief,
I fool away an idle Life:
'Till SHADWELL from the Town retires,
(Choak'd up with Fame and Sea-coal Fires,)
To blefs the Wood with peaceful Lyrick:
Then hey for Praiſe and Panegyrick;
Juſtice reftor'd, and Nations freed,
And Wreaths round WILLIAM's glorious Head.
To the COUNTESS of DORSET. Written
in her MILTON. By Mr. BRADBURY.
EE here how bright the firſt-born Virgin fhone,
SE
And how the first fond Lover was undone.
Such charming Words, our beauteous Mother ſpoke,
AS MILTON wrote, and fuch as Yours her Look.
Yours, the beſt Copy of th' Original Face,
Whoſe Beauty was to furnish all the Race:
Such Chains no Author cou'd eſcape but He;
There's no Way to be ſafe, but not to See.
To the LADY DURSLEY, on the fame
H
Subject.
ERE reading how fond ADAM was betray'd,
And how by Sin EvE's blafted Charms decay'd;
Our common Lofs unjustly you complain;
So ſmall that Part of it, which You ſuſtain.
You ftill, fair Mother, in your Offspring trace
The Stock of Beauty deſtin'd for the Race:
Kind Nature, forming Them, the Pattern took
From Heav'n's firft Work, and EVE's Original Look.
You,
·
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
16
You, happy Saint, the Serpent's Pow'r controul :
Scarce any actual Guile defiles your Soul:
And Hell does o'er that Mind vain Triumph boaft,
Which gains a Heav'n, for earthly EDEN loft.
With Virtue ftrong as Yours had E V E been arm'd,
In vain the Fruit had blufh'd, or Serpent charm'd;
Nor had our Bliſs by Penitence been bought;
Nor had frail ADAM fall'n, nor MILTON wrote.
To my LORD BUCKHURST, very Young,
Playing with a CAT.
T
HE am'rous Youth, whoſe tender Breaſt
Was by his darling Cat poffeft,
Obtain'd of VENUS his Defire,
Howe'er irregular his Fire:
Nature the Pow'r of Love obey'd:
The Cat became a bluſhing Maid;
And, on the happy Change, the Boy
Imploy'd his Wonder and his Joy.
Take care, O beauteous Child, take care,
Left Thou prefer ſo raſh a Pray'r:
Nor vainly hope, the Queen of Love
Will e'er thy Fav'rite's Charms improve.
O quickly from her Shrine retreat ;
Or tremble for thy Darling's Fate.
The Queen of Love, who foon will ſee
Her own ADONIS live in Thee,
Will lightly her first Lofs deplore;
Will eafily forgive the Boar:
Her Eyes with Tears no more will flow;
With jealous Rage her Breaft will glow:
And on her tabby Rival's Face
She deep will mark her new Difgrace.
An
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
17
An ODE.
I.
WHILE from our Looks, fair Nymph, You gues
fecret Paffions of our Mind;
My heavy Eyes, You fay, confeſs,
A Heart to Love and Grief inclin'd.
II.
There needs, alas! but little Art,
To have this fatal Secret found;
With the fame Eafe You threw the Dart,
'Tis certain You may ſhow the Wound.
III.
How can I fee You, and not love;
While You as op'ning Eaſt are fair?
While cold as Northern Blafts You prove;
How can I love and not deſpair?
IV.
The Wretch in double Fetters bound
Your potent Mercy may releaſe:
Soon, if my Love but once were crown'd,
Fair Prophetess, my Grief would ceaſe.
A
SONG.
IN vain You tell your parting Lover,
You wiſh fair Winds way waft Him over.
Alas! what Winds can happy prove,
That bear Me far from what I love?
Alas! what Dangers on the Main
Can equal Thoſe that I ſuſtain,
From flighted Vows, and cold Diſdain?
Be gentle, and in Pity chooſe
To with the wildeſt Tempefts loofe:
That
18
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
That-thrown again upon the Coaſt,
Where first my Shipwreckt Heart was loſt,
I may once more repeat my Pain;
Once more in dying Notes complain
Of flighted Vows and cold Difdain.
The DESPAIRING SHEPHERD,
A¹
LEXIS fhunn'd his Fellow-Swains,
Their rural Sports, and jocund Strains:
(Heav'n guard us all from CUPID's Bow!)
He loft his Crook, He left his Flocks;
And wand'ring thro' the lonely Rocks,
He nourish'd endleſs Woe.
The Nymphs and Shepherds round him came :
His Grief fome pity, Others blame;
The fatal Cauſe All kindly feek:
He mingled his Concern with theirs ;
He gave 'em back their friendly Tears;
He figh'd, but wou'd not ſpeak.
CLORINDA came among the reft;
And She too kind Concern expreft,
And ask'd the Reafon of his Woe:
She ask'd, but with an Air and Mien,
That made it eafily foreſeen,
She fear'd too much to know.
The Shepherd rais'd his mournful Head ;
And will You pardon Me, He ſaid,
While I the cruel Truth reveal ?
Which
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
19
Which nothing from my Breaft fhou'd tear;
Which never thou'd offend Your Ear,
But that you bid Me tell.
'Tis thus I rove, 'tis thus complain,
Since you appear'd upon the Plain;
You are the Caufe of all my Care:
Your Eyes ten thouſand Dangers dart;
Ten thouſand Torments vex my Heart :
I love, and I deſpair.
Too much, ALEXIS, I have heard:
Tis what I thought; 'tis what I fear'd:
And yet, I pardon You, She cry'd:
But you ſhall promiſe ne'er again
To breathe your Vows, or ſpeak your Pain:
He bow'd, obey'd, and dy'd.
To the Honble CHARLES MONTAGUE, Eſq;
H°
L
OWE'ER, 'tis well, that while Mankind
Thro' Fate's perverſe Mæander errs,
He can Imagin'd Pleaſures find,
To combat againſt Real Cares.
II.
Fancies and Notions He purfues,
Which ne'er had Being but in Thought:
Each like the GRECIAN Artist; woo's
'The Image He himſelf has wrought.
III.
Against Experience He believes,
He argues againſt Demonſtration;
Pleas'd, when his Reafon He deceives;
And fets his Judgment by his Paffion.
The
20
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
IV.
The hoary Fool, who many Days
Has ſtruggl'd with continu'd Sorrow,
Renews his Hope, and blindly lays
The defp'rate Bett upon to Morrow.
V.
To Morrow comes: 'tis Noon, 'tis Night;
This Day like all the former flies:
Yet on He runs to fcek Delight
To Morrow, 'till to Night He dies:
VI.
Our Hopes, like tow'ring Falcons, aim
At Objects in an airy height:
The little Pleaſure of the Game
Is from afar to view the Flight.
VII.
Our anxious Pains We, all the Day,
In fearch of what we like, employ:
Scorning at Night the worthless Prey,
We find the Labour gave the Joy.
VIII.
At Diſtance thro' an artful Glafs
To the Mind's Eye Things well appear:
They lose their Forms, and make a Mafs
Confus'd and black, if brought too near.
IX.
If We fee right, We fee our Woes:
Then what avails it to have Eyes ?
From Ignorance our Comfort flows:
The only wretched are the Wife.
X.
We weary'd fhould lie down in Death:
This Cheat of Life would take no more;
If You thought Fame but empty Breath;
I, PHILLIS but a perjur'd Whore.
HYMN
POEMS on several Occafions.
21
HYMN to the SUN. Set by Dr. PURCEL,
and Sung before their MAJESTIES ON
New-Years-Day, 1694.
L
I.
IGHT of the World, the Ruler of the Year,
With happy ſpeed begin Thy great Career;
And, as Thou doft thy radiant Journies run,
Through every diftant Climate own,
That in fair ALBION Thou haft feen
The greateſt Prince, the brighteſt Queen,
That ever fav'd a Land, or bleſt a Throne, [known.
Since firſt Thy Beams were fpread, or Genial Power was
II.
So may Thy Godhead be confeft,
So the returning Year be bleſt,
As his Infant Months beftow
Springing Wreaths for WILLIAM's Brow,
As his Summer's Youth fhall ſhed
Eternal Sweets around MARIA's Head.
From the Bleffings they beſtow,
Our Times are dated, and our Era's move:
They govern and enlighten all below,
As thou doft all above.
III.
Let our Hero in the War
Active and fierce, like Thee, appear:
Like Thee, great Son of Jo v E, like Thee
When clad in riſing Majeſty,
Thou marcheft down o er DE LO S' Hills confeft,
With all Thy Arrows arm'd, in all Thy Glory dreft.
Like Thee, the Hero does his Arms employ,
The raging PYTHON to deſtroy,
And give the injur'd Nations Peace and Joy.
IV. From
22
POEMS on feveral Oocafions.
IV.
From faireft Years, and Time's more happy Stores,
Gather all the fmiling Hours;
Such as with friendly Care have guarded
Patriots and Kings in rightful Wars ;
Such as with Conqueft have rewarded
Triumphant Victors happy Cares;
Such as Story has recorded
Sacred to NAS SAU's long Renown,
For Countries fav'd, and Battles won.
V.
March Them again in fair Array,
And bid Them form the happy Day,
The happy Day defign'd to wait
On WILLIAM's Fame, and EUROPE'S Fate.
Let the happy Day be crown'd
With great Event, and fair Succeſs;
No brighter in the Year be found,
But that which brings the Victor home in Peace.
VI.
Again thy Godhead We implore,
Great in Wiſdom as in Power;
Again, for Good MARIA's fake, and Ours,
Chooſe out other fmiling Hours;
Such as with joyous Wings have Aed,
When happy Counfels were advifing;
Such as have lucky Omens fhed
O'er forming Laws, and Empires rifing;
Such as many Courfers ran,
Hand in Hand, a goodly Train,
To blefs the great ELIZA's Reign;
And in the Typic Glory fhow,
What fuller Blifs MARIA fhall beflow.
¡
VII. As
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
23
VII.
As the folemn Hours advance,
Mingled fend into the Dance
Many fraught with all the Treaſures,
Which Thy Eaſtern Travel views ;
Many wing'd with all the Pleafures,
Man can ask, or Heav'n diffufe:
That great MARIA all thoſe Joys may know,
Which, from Her Cares, upon Her Subjects flow.
VIII.
For thy own Glory fing our Sov'reign's Praiſe,
God of Verfes and of Days:
Let all thy tuneful Sons adorn
Their lasting Works with WILLIAM's Name;
Let chofen Mufes yet unborn
Take great MARIA for their future Theme :
Eternal Structures let Them raiſe,
On WILLIAM and MARIA's Praife:
Nor want new Subject for the Song;
Nor fear they can exhauſt the Store;
'Till Nature's Mufick lies unftrung;
"Till Thou, great God, fhalt lofe Thy double Pow'r ;
And touch Thy Lyre, and fhoot Thy Beams no more.
The LADY'S LOOKING-GLASS.
C
ELIA and I the other Day
Walk'd o'er the Sand Hills to the Sea:
The fetting Sun adorn'd the Coaſt,
His Beams intire, his Fierceneſs loft :
And, on the Surface of the Deep,
The Winds lay only not afleep:
The
24
POEMS on Several Occafions.
!
The Nymph did like the Scene appear,
Serenely pleaſant, calmly fair:
Soft fell her Words, as flew the Air.
With fecret Joy I heard Her ſay,
That She would never miſs one Day
A Walk fo fine, a Sight fo gay.
But, oh the Change! the Winds grow high;
Impending Tempeſts charge the Sky;
The Light'ning flies, the Thunder roars;
And big Waves lafh the frighten'd Shoars.
Struck with the Horror of the Sight,
She turns her Head, and wings her Flight;
And trembling vows, She'll ne'er again
Approach the Shoar, or view the Main.
Once more at leaſt look back, faid I,
Thyſelf in That large Glafs defcry:
When Thou art in good Humour dreſt;
When gentle Reafon Rules thy Breaft;
The Sun upon the calmeſt Sea
Appears not half fo bright as Thee:
'Tis then that with Delight I rove
Upon the boundleſs Depth of Love:
I blefs my Chain; I hand my Oar;
Nor think on all I left on Shoar.
But when vain Doubt, and groundleſs Fear
Do That Dear fooliſh Bofom tear;
When the big Lip, and wat'ry Eye
Tell Me, the rifing Storm is nigh:
'Tis then, Thou art yon' angry Main,
Deform'd by Winds, and dafh'd by Rain ;
And the poor Sailor that muſt try
Its Fury, labours less than I.
Shipwreck'd, in vain to Land I make;
While Love and Fate ftill drive Me back:
Forc'd
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
25
$
Forc'd to doat on Thee thy own Way,
I chide Thee firft, and then obey.
Wretched when from Thee, vex'd when nigh,
I with Thee, or without Thee, die.
LOVE and FRIENDSHIP:
A PASTORAL.
By Mrs. ELIZABETH SINGER.
AMARYLL IS.
WHILE from the Skies the ruddy Sun defcends:
And rifing Night the Evening Shade extends;
While pearly Dews o'erfpead the fruitful Field;
And clofing Flowers reviving Odours yield:
Let Us, beneath thefe fpreading Trees, recite
What from our Hearts our Mutes may indite.
Nor need We, in this clofe Retirement, fear,
Left any Swain our am'rous Secrets hear.
SILVI A.
To ev'ry Shepherd I would Mine proclaim;
Since fair AMINTA is my fofteft Theme:
A Stranger to the locfe Delights of Love,
My Thoughts the nobler Warmth of Friendſhip prove:
And, while its pure and facred Fire I fing,
Chafte Goddeſs of the Groves, Thy Succour bring.
AMARYLLIS.
Propitious God of Love, my Breaſt inſpire
With all Thy Charms, with all Thy pleafing Fire :
Propitious God of Love, Thy Succour bring;
Whilft I Thy Darling, Thy ALEXIS fing,
ALEXIS, as the op'ning Bloffoms fair,
Lovely as Light, and foft as yielding Air.
For Hin each Virgin fighs; and on the Plains
The happy Youth above each Rival reigns.
C
Nor
26
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Nor to the Echoing Groves, and whifp'ring Spring,
In ſweeter Strains does artful CONON fing;
When loud Applaufes fill the crouded Groves ;
And PHOEBUS the fuperior Song approves.
SILVI A.
Beauteous AMINTA is as early Light,
Breaking the melancholy Shades of Night.
When She is near, all anxious Trouble flies;
And our reviving Hearts confefs her Eyes.
Young Love, and blooming Joy, and gay Defires,
In ev'ry Breast the beauteous Nymph infpires;
And on the Plain when the no more appears;
The Plain a dark and gloomy Profpect wears.
In vain the Streams roll on the Eaſtern Breeze
Dances in vain among the trembling Trees.
In vain the Birds begin their Ev'ning Song,
And to the filent Night their Notes prolong:
Nor Groves, nor cryftal Streams, nor verdant Field,
Does wonted Pleaſure in Her Abſence yield.
AMARYLLIS.
And in His Abfence, all the penfive Day,
In fome obfcure Retreat I lonely ſtray;
All Day to the repeating Caves complain,
In mournful Accents, and a dying Strain,
Dear lovely Youth, I cry to all around;
Dear lovely Youth, the flattering Vales refound.
SILVIA.
On flow'ry Banks, by ev'ry murm'ring Stream,
AMINTA is my Mufe's fofteft Theme:
"Tis She that does my artful Notes refine:
With fair AMINTA's Name my nobleſt Verſe ſhall ſhine.
AMARYLLIS.
I'll twine freſh Garlands for ALEXIS' Brows,
And confecrate to Him eternal Vows:
The
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
27
The charming Youth fhall my APOLLO prove:
He ſhall adorn my Songs, and tune my Voice to Love.
To the AUTHOR of the foregoing PASTORAL.
Y SILVIA if thy charming Self be meant ;
BY
If Friendship be thy Virgin Vows Extent;
Oh! let me in AMINTA'S Praiſes join:
Her's my Efteem fhall be, my Paffion Thine.
When for Thy Head the Garland I prepare;
A fecond Wreath fhall bind AMINTA'S Hair;
And when my choiceft Songs Thy Worth proclaim,
Alternate Verſe ſhall blefs AMINTA's Name:
My Heart ſhall own the Juftice of her Cauſe:
And Love himſelf fubmit to Friendship's Laws.
But, it beneath thy Numbers foft Diſguiſe,
Some favour'd Swain, fome true ALEXIS lies;
If AMARYLLIS breathes thy fecret Pains;
And thy fond Heart beats Meaſure to thy Strains :
May't thou, howe'er I grieve, for ever find
The Flame propitious, and the Lover kind:
May VENUS long exert her happy Pow'r,
And make thy Beauty, like thy Verfe, endure:
May ev'ry God his friendly Aid afford;
PAN guard thy Flock, and CERES blefs thy Board.
But, if by chance the Series of thy Joys
Permit one Thought lefs chearful to ariſe;
Piteous transfer it to the mournful Swain,
Who loving much, who not belov'd again,
Feels an ill fated Paffion's laſt Excefs;
And dies in Woe, that Thou may'ft live in Peace.
*.
****
C 2
то
そ
​28
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
To a LADY: She refusing to continue a
Difpute with me, and leaving me in the
Argument.
SP
An O D E.
I.
PARE, Gen'rous Victor, fpare the Slave,
Who did unequal War purſue ;
That more than Triumph He might have,
In being overcome by You.
II.
In the Diſpute whate'er I ſaid,
My Heart was by my Tongue bely'd ;
And in my Looks You might have read,
How much I argu'd on your fide.
III.
You, far from Danger as from Fear,
Might have fuftain'd an open Fight:
For feldom your Opinions err;
Your Eyes are always in the right.
IV.
Why, fair One, wou'd You not rely
On Reafon's Force with Beauty's join'd?
Cou'd I their Prevalence deny,
I must at once be Deaf and Blind.
V.
Alas! not hoping to ſubdue,
I only to the Fight aſpir'd:
To keep the beauteous Foe in view
Was all the Glory I defir'd.
VI, But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
29
VI.
But She, howe'er of Vict'ry fure,
Contemns the Wreath too long delay'd :
And, arin'd with more immediat Pow'r,
Calls cruel Silence to her Aide
VII.
Deeper to wound, She fhuns the Fight:
She drops her Arms, to gain the Field:
Secures her Conqueft by her Fight;
Aud triumphs, when She feems to yield.
VIII.
So when the PARTHIAN turn'd his Steed,
And from the Hoftile Camp withdrew ;
With cruel Skill the backward Reed
He fent; and as He fied, He flew.
}
Seeing the DUKE of ORMOND's Picture
at Sir GODFREY KNELLER'S.
O
UT from the injur'd Canvas, KNELLER, ftrike,
Thefe Lines too faint: the Pi&ure is not like,
Exault thy Thought, and try thy Toil again:
Dreadful in Arms, on LANDEN's glorious Plain
Place ORMOND's Duke: impendent in the Air
Let His keen Sabre, Comet-like, appear,
Where-e'er it points, denouncing Death: below
Draw routed Squadrons, and the num❜rous Foe
Falling beneath, or flying from his Blow:
'Till weak with Wounds, and cover'd o'er with Blood,
Which from the Patriot's Breaft in Torrents flow'd.
He faints: His Steed no longer hears the Rein;
But ſtumbles o'er the Heap, His Hand had flain.
C 3
}
And
30
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
And now exhauſted, bleeding, pale he lies;
Lovely, fad Object! in His half-clos'd Eyes
Stern Vengence yet, and Hoftile Terror ſtand:
His Front yet threatens; and his Frowns command.
The Gallick Chiefs their Troops around Him call ;
Fear to approach Him, tho' they fee Him fall.
O KNELLER, Could thy Shades and Lights exprefs
The perfect Heroe in that glorious Dreſs;
Ages to come might ORMOND's Pi&ure know;
And Palms for Thee beneath his Lawrels grow:
In fpite of Time Thy Work might ever fhine;
Nor HOMER'S Colours laſt fo long as Thine.
CELIA to D A MON.
Atque in Amore mala hæc proprio, fumméque fecundo
Inveniuntur.
Lucret. Lib. 4.
W
HAT can I fay, what Arguments can prove
My Truth, what Colours can deſcribe my Love;
If its Excefs and Fury be not known,
In what Thy CELIA has already done?
Thy Infant Flames, whilft yet they were conceal'd
In tim❜rous Doubts, with Pity I beheld ;
With eafy Smiles difpell'd the filent Fear,
That durft not tell Me, what I dy'd to hear:
In vain I firove to check my growing Flame;
Or fhelter Paffion under Friendship's Name:
You faw my Heart, how it my Tongue bely'd ;
And when You prefs'd, how faintly I deny'd
Ere Gardian Thought cou'd bring its fcatter'd Aid;
Ere Reafon cou'd fupport the doubting Maid;
My Soul furpriz'd, and from her felf disjoin'd,
Left all Referve, and all the Sex behind:
From
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
3 I
>
From your Command her Motions fhe receiv'd ;
And not for Me, but You, fhe breath'd and liv'd.
But ever bleft be CYTHEREA's Shrine;
And Fires Eternal on Her Altars fhine;
Since thy dear Breaſt has felt an equal Wound;
Since in thy Kindneſs my Defires are crown'd.
By Thy each Look, and Thought, and Care, 'tis ſhown,
Thy Joys are center'd All in Me Alone;
And fure I am, Thou wou'dit not Change this Hour
For all the White ones, Fate has in its Pow'r.
Yet thus belov'd, thus loving to Excefs,
Yet thus receiving and returning Bliſs,
In this great Moment in this golden Now,
When ev'ry trace of What, or When, or How,
Shou'd from my Soul by raging Love be torn,
And far on fwelling Seas of Rapture born;
A melancholy Tear afflicts my Eye;
And my Heart labours with a fudden Sigh :
Invading Fears repel my Coward Joy;
And Ills forfeen the prefent Bliſs deſtroy.
Poor as it is, This Beauty was the Cauſe,
That with first Sighs Your panting Bofom rofe:
But with no Owner Beauty long will ſtay,
Upon the Wings of Time born fwift away;
Paſs but fome fleeting Years, and Theſe poor Eyes
(Where now without a Boaft fome Luftre lyes)
No longer ſhall their little Honours keep;
Shall only be of ufe to read or weep:
And on this Forehead, where your Verfe has faid,
The LOVES delighted, and the GRACES play'd;
Infulting Age will trace his cruel Way,
And leave fad Marks of his deſtructive Sway.
Mov'd by myCharms, with them your Love may ceafe,
And as the Fuel finks, the Flame decreaſe :
C 4
Or
32
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Or angry Heav'n may quicker Darts prepare;
And Sickness trikes what Time awhile wou'd fpare.
Then will my Swain His glowing Vows renew?
Then will his throbbing Heart to mine be true?
When may own Face deters Me from my Glaſs;
And KNELLER only fhews what CELIA was.
Fantaflick FAME may found her wild Alarms;
Your Country, as You think, may want your Arms.
You may neglect, or quench, or hate the Flame,
Whofe fmoke too long obfcur'd your rifing Name:
And quickly cold indiff'rence will enfue;
When you Love's Joys thro' Honour's Optick view.
Then CELIA's loudeft Pray'r will prove too weak,
To this abandon'd Breaſt to bring You Back;
When my lott Lover the tall Ship afcends,
With Mufick Gay, and Wet with Jovial Friends :
The tender Accent of a Woman's Cry
Will pafs unheard, will unregarded die;
When the rough Seaman's louder Shows prevail;
When fair Occafion fhews the fpringing Gale; [Sail.
And Int'reft guides the Helm; and Honour fwells the
Some wretched Lines from this neglected Hand,
May find my Hero on the Foreign Strand,
[mand:
Warm with new Fires, and pleas'd with new Com-
While She who wrote 'em, of all Joy bereft
To the rude Cenfure of the World is left;
Her mangi'd Fame in barb'rous Paflime loft,
The Coxcomb's Novel, and the Drunkard's Toaſt.
But nearer Care (O pardon it!) fupplies
Sighs to my Breast, and Sorrow to my Eyes.
Love, Love himfelf (the only Friend I have)
May corn his Triumph, having bound his Slave.
That Tyrant God, that reftlefs Conqueror
May quit his Pleafure, to affert his Pow'r;
}
For
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
33
Forfake the Provinces that bleſs his Sway,
To vanquish Thofe that will not yet obey.
Another Nymph with fatal Pow'r may rife,
To damp the finking Beams of CELIA's Eyes;
With haughty Pride may hear Her Charms confeſt;
And fcorn the ardent Vows that I have bleft:
You ev'ry Night may figh for her in vain ;
And rife each Morning to fome freſh Diſdain:
While CELIA's fofteft Look may ceaſe to charm ;
And Her Embraces want the Pow'r to warm:
While theſe fond Arms, thus circling You, may prove
More heavy Chains, than Thofe of hopeless Love.
Just Gods! All other Things their Like produce:
The Vine arifes from her Mother's Juice:
When feeble Plants or tender Flow'rs decay;
They to their Seed their Images convey:
Where the old Myrtle her good Influence fheds;
Sprigs of like Leaf erect their Filial Heads:
And when the Parent Rofe decays, and dies;
With a reſembling Face the Daughter-Buds arife.
That Product only which our Paffions bear,
Eludes the Planter's miferable Care:
While blooming Love affures us Golden Fruit;
Some inborn Poifon taints the fecret Root:
[fhoot.
Soon fall the Flow'rs of Joy; foon Seeds of Ha red
Say, Shepherd, fay, Are thefe Reflections true?
Or was it but the Woman's Fear that diew
This cruel Scene, unjult to Love and You?
Will You be only, and for ever Mine?
Shall neither Time, nor Age our Souls disjoin ?
From this dear Bofom fhall I re'er be torn ?
Or You grow Cold, Refpe&ful, or Forfwern?
And can You not for Her You love do more,
Than any Youth for any Nymph before?
C 5
34
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
An ODE.
Preſented to the K I NG, on
his MAJESTY's arrival in HOLLAND
after the QUEEN'S DEATH. 1695.
A
Quis defiderio fit pudor aut modus
Tam cari capitis? præcipe lugubres
Cantus Melpomene.
I.
T MARY'S Tomb, (fad, facred Place !)
The Virtues ſhall their Vigils keep:
And every Muſe and every Grace
In folemn State ſhall ever weep.
II.
The future, pious, mournful Fair,
Oft as the rolling Years return,
With fragrant Wreathes, and flowing Hair,
Shall viſit her diſtinguiſh'd Urn.
III.
For Her the Wife and Great ſhall mourn;
When late Records her Deeds repeat:
Ages to come, and men unborn
Shall blefs her Name, and figh her Fate.
IV.
Fair ALBION fhall, with faithful Truſt,
Her holy Queen's fad Reliques guard;
'Till Heav'n awakes the precious Duft,
And gives the Saint her full Reward,
V. But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
35
V.
But let the King diſmiſs his Woes,
Reflecting on her fair Renown ;
And take the Cyprefs from his Brows,
To put his wonted Lawrels on.
VI.
If preft by Grief our Monarch ftoops;
În vain the BRITISH Lions roar:
If He, whofe Hand fuftain'd them, droops,
The BELIC Darts will wound no more.
VII.
Embattel'd Princes wait the Chief,
Whoſe Voice fhou'd Rule, whofe Arm fhou'd lead;
And, in kind Murmurs, chide That Grief,
Which hinders EUROPE being freed.
VIII.
The great Example They demand,
Who ftill to Conqueſt led the Way ;
Wiſhing him prefent to Command,
As they ftand ready to Obey.
IX.
*
They feek That Joy, which us'd to glow,
Expanded on the Hero's Face;
When the thick Squadrons preſt the Foe,
And WILLIAM led the glorious Chace.
X.
To give the mourning Nations Joy.
Reftore Them Thy aufpicious Light
Great Sun with radiant Beams deſtroy
Thofe Clouds, which keep Thee from our Sight.
XI.
Let Thy fublime Meridian Courſe
For MARY's fetting Rays atone:
Our Luftre, with redoubl'd Force,
Muft now proceed from Thee alone.
XII.
36
POEMS on feveral Oocafions.
XII.
See, pious King, with diff'rent Strife
Thy ftruggling ALBION's Bofom torn :
So much She fears for WILLIAM's Life,
That MARY's Fate the dare not mourn.
XIII.
Her Beauty, in thy fofter Half
Bury'd and loft, She ought to grieve:
But let her Strength in Thee be ſafe;
And let Her weep; but let Her live.
XIV.
Thou, Guardian Angel, fave the Land
From thy own Grief, her fiercest Foe;
Left BRITAIN, refcu'd by Thy Hand,
Should bend and fink beneath Thy Woe.
XV.
Her former Triumphs all are vain,
Unleſs new Trophies ftill be fought;
And hoary Majefty fuftain
The Battles, which Thy Youth has fought.
XVI.
Where now is all That fearful Love,
Which made her hate the War's Alarms ?
That foft Excefs, with which She ftrove
To keep her Hero in her Arms?
XVII.
While, ftill She chid the coming Spring,
Which call'd Him o'er his fubje& Seas :
While, for the Safety of the King,
She wiſh'd the Victor's Glory leſs.
XVIII.
'Tis chang'd; 'tis gone: fad BRITAIN now
Haftens her Lord to Foreign Wars:
Happy, if Toils may break his Woe;
Or Dangers may divert his Cares.
XIX. In
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
37
XIX.
In Martial Din She drowns her Sighs,
Left He the riſing Grief ſhou'd hear :
She pulls her Helmet o'er her Eyes,
Leſt He ſhould ſee the falling Tear.
XX.
Go, mighty Prince, let FRANCE be taught,
How conſtant Minds by Grief are try'd ;
How great the Land, that wept and fought,
When WILLIAM led, and MARY dy'd.
XXI.
Fierce in the Battel make it known,
Where Death with all His Darts is feen,
That he can touch thy Heart with None,
But That which ftruck the Beauteous Queen.
XXII,
BELGIA indulg'd her open Grief,
While yet her Maſter was not near;
With fullen Pride refus'd Relief,
And fat Obdurate in Deſpair.
XXIII.
As Waters from her Sluices, flow'd
Unbounded Sorrow from her Eyes:
To Earth her bended Front She bow'd,
And fent her Wailings to the Skies.
XXIV.
But when her anxious Lord return'd;
Rais'd is her Head; her Eyes are dry'd:
She fmiles, as WILLIAM ne'er had mourn'd;
She looks, as MARY ne'er had dy'd.
XXV.
That Freedom which all Sorrows claim,
She does for Thy Content refign:
Her Piety it ſelf would blame;
If Her Regrets fhould waken Thine.
XXVI. To
38
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
XXVI.
To cure thy Woe, She fhews Thy Fame:
Left the great Mourner ſhould forget,
That all the Race, whence ORANGE came,
Made Virtue triumph over Fate.
XXVII.
WILLIAM his Country's Caufe cou'd fight,
And with his Blood Her Freedom feal:
MAURICE and HENRY guard that Right,
For which their pious Parents fell.
XXVIII.
How Heroes rife, how Patriots fet,
Thy Father's Bloom and Death may tell :
Excelling Others Theſe were Great :
Thou, greater ftill, muft Theſe excell.
XXIX.
The laft fair Inftance thou muſt give,
Whence NAS SAU's Virtue can be try'd ;
And fhew the World, that thou canst live
Intrepid, as Thy Comfort dy'd.
XXX.
Thy Virtue, whofe refiftless Force
No dire Event could ever ftay,
Muft carry on its deſtin'd Courſe ;
Tho' Death and Envy ſtop the Way.
XXXI.
For BRITAIN'S Sake, for BELGIA's, live:
Pierc'd by Their Grief forget Thy own;
New Toils endure; new Conqueſt give ;
And bring Them Eafe, tho' Thou haft None.
XXXII.
Vanquish again; tho' She be gone,
Whoſe Garland crown'd the Victor's Hair :
And Reign; tho' She has left the Throne,
Who made Thy Glory worth thy Care.
XXXIII.
3
1-
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
39
XXXIII.
Fair BRITAIN never yet before
Breath'd to her King a uſeleſs Pray'r:
Fond BELGIA never did implore,
While WILLIAM turn'd averſe His Ear.
XXXIV.
But ſhould the weeping Hero now
Relentleſs to their Wiſhes prove;
Should He recall, with pleafing Woe,
The Object of his Grief and Love ;
XXXV.
Her Face with thouſand Beauties bleft,
Her Mind with thouſand Virtues ftor'd,
Her Pow'r with boundleſs Joy confeſt,
Her Perfon only not ador'd:
XXXVI.
Yet ought his Sorrow to be checkt;
Yet ought his Paffions to abate;
If the great Mourner would reflect,
Her Glory in her Death compleat.
XXXVII.
She was inftructed to command,
Great King, by long obeying Thee:
Her Scepter guided by Thy Hand,
Preferv'd the Ifles, and Rul'd the Sea.
XXXVIII.
But oh! 'twas little, that her Life
O'er Earth and Water bears thy Fame:
In Death, 'twas worthy WILLIAM's Wife,
Amidst the Stars to fix his Name.
XXXIX.
Beyond where Matter moves, or Place
Receives its Forms, Thy Virtues roll :
From MARY'S Glory, Angels trace
The Beauty of her Partner's Soul.
XLS Wife
1
40
POEMS on several Occafions.
XL.
Wife Fate, which does its Heaven decree
To Heroes, when they yield their Breath,
Haftens Thy Triumph. Half of Thee
Is Deify'd before thy Death.
XLI.
Alone to thy Renown 'tis giv'n,
Unbounded thro' all Worlds to go:
While She great Saint rejoices Heav'n ;
And thou fuftain't the Orb below.
In IMITATION of ANACREON.
L
ET 'em cenfure: what care I?
The Herd of Criticks I defy.
Let the Wretches know, I write
Regardless of their Grace, or Spite.
No, no: the Fair, the Gay, the Young
Govern the Numbers of my Song.
All that they approve is ſweet:
And All is Señfe, that They repeat.
Bid the Warbling Nine retire:
VENUS, String thy Servant's Lyre:
Love fhall be my endleſs Theme:
Pleaſure fhall triumph over Fame:
And when theſe Maxims I decline,
APOLLO, may Thy Fate be Mine:
May I grafp at empty Praife;
And lofe the Nymph, to gain the Bays.
3
An
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
4I
An O D E.
I.
HE Merchant, to fecure his Treaſure,
Conveys it in a borrow'd Name:
EUPHELIA ferves to grace my Meaſure ;
But CLOE is my real Flame.
II.
My fofteſt Verfe, my darling Lyre
Upon EUPHELIA's Toilet lay;
When CLOE noted her Defire,
That I ſhould fing, that I fhould play.
III.
My Lyre I tune, my Voice I raiſe;
But with my Numbers mix my Sighs;
And whilst I fing EUPHELIA's praiſe,
I fix my Soul on CLOE's Eyes.
IV.
Fair CLOE blufh'd: EUPHELIA frown'd:
I fung and gaz'd: I play'd and trembl'd:
And VENUS to the Loves around
Remark'd, how ill we all diffembl'd.
ODE
42
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
O DE
Sur la Prife de N AMUR, par les Armes
du Roy, l'Année 1692.
Q
Par Monfieur BOILEAU DESPRE AU X.
UELLE docte & Sainte yvreſſe
Aujourd'huy me fait la loy?
?
Chaftes Nymphes du Permeffe,
N'est-ce pas vous que je voy
Accourez, Troupe Sçavante :
Des fons que ma Lyre enfante ;
Ces Arbres font réjouis:
Marquez en bien la cadence:
Et vous, Vents, faites Silence:
Je vais Parler de Louis.
II.
Dans fes chanfons immortelles,
Comme un Aigle audacieux,
PINDARE étendant fes aiſles,
Fuit loin des Vulgaires yeux.
Mais, ô ma fidele Lyre,
Si, dans l'ardeur qui m'infpire.
Tu peux ſuivre mes Tranſports;
Les chefnes de Monts de Thrace
N'ont rien oui, que ne'efface
La douceur de tes accords.
III.
Eft-ce APOLLON & NEPTUNE,
Qui fur ces Rocs Sourcilleux
Ont,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
43
An ENGLISH BALLAD,
On the Taking of NA MUR by the KING
of GREAT BRITAIN, 1695.
SOM
Dulce eft defipere in loco.
I. and II.
O ME Folks are drunk, yet do not know it:
So might not BACCHUS give You Law?
Was it a Mufe, O lofty Poet,
Or Virgin of St. CYR, You faw?
Why all this Fury? What's the Matter,
That Oaks must come from Thrace to dance?
Muft ſtupid Stocks be taught to flatter?
And there no fuch Wood in France?
Why muft the Winds all hold their Tongue?
If they a little Breath ſhould raiſe :
Would that have fpoil'd the Poet's Song;
Or Puff'd away the Monarch's Praiſe ?
PINDAR, that Eagle, mounts the Skies:
While Virtue leads the noble Way :
Too like a Vultur BOILEAU flies,
Where fordid Int'reft fhews the Prey.
When once the Poet's Honour ceaſes,
From Reaſon far his Tranſports rove:
And BOILEAU, for eight hundred Pieces,
Makes Louis take the Wall of JoVE.
III.
NEPTUNE and SoL came from above,'
Shap'd like MEGRIGNY and VAUBAN:
They
44
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Ont, compagnons de Fortune,
Batii ces Murs orgueilleux?
De leur enceinte fameule
La Sambre unie à la Meufe,
Defend le farai abord ;
Et par cent bouches horribles
L'airain fur ces Monts terribles
Vomit le Fer, & la Mort.
IV.
Dix mille vaillans ALCIDES
Les bordant de toutes parts,
D'éclair au loin homicides
Font petiller leurs Remparts:
Et dans fon Sein infidele
Par tout la Terie y recele
Un feu preft â s'élancer,
Qui foudain perçant fon goufre,
Ouvre un Sepulchre de foufre,
A quiconque ole avancer.
V.
Namur, devant tes murailles
Jadis la Grece euft vingt Ans
Sans fruit veu les funerailles
De fes plus fiers Combattans.
Quelle effroyable Puiffance
Aujourd'huy pourtant s'avance,
Prefte à foudroyer tes monts?
Quel bruit, quel feu l'environne ?
C'eft JUPITER en Perſonne ;
Ou c'est le Vainqueur de Mons.
6
VI. N'en
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
45
They armed thefe Rocks; then ſhow'd old Jove
Of Marli Wood, the wond'rous Plan,
Such Walls, theſe three wife Gods agreed,
By Human Force could ne'er be ſhaken:
But You and I in HOMER read
Of Gods, as well as Men, miftaken.
Sambre and Maeſe their Waves may join ;
But ne'er can WILLIAM'S Force reſtrain:
He'll pass them both, who paſs'd the Boyn:
Remember this, and arm the Sein.
IV.
Full fifteen thouſand lufty Fellows
With Fire and Sword the Fort maintain:
Each was a HERCULES, you tell us,
Yet out they march'd like common Men.
Cannons above, and Mines below
Did Death and Tombs for Foes contrive:
Yet Matters have been order'd fo,
That most of Us are ſtill alive.
V.
If Namur be compar'd to Troy;
Then BRITAIN's Boys excell'd the GREEKS:
Their Siege did ten long Years employ;
We've done our Bus'nefs in ten Weeks.
What Godhead does fo fait advance,
What dreadful Pow'r thofe Hills to gain?
'Tis little WILL, the Scourge of France;
No Godhead but the firſt of Men.
His mortal Arm exerts the Pow'r
To keep ev'n Mons's Victor under:
And that fame JUPITER no more
Shall fright the World with impious thunder.
VI. Our
46
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
VI.
N'en doute point: c'eft luy-mefme.
Tout brille en luy; Tout eft Roy.
Dans Bruxelles NASSAU blême
Commence à trembler pour Toy.
En vain il voit le Batave,
Deformais docile Efclâve,
Rangé Sous fes étendars :
En vain au Lion Belgique
Il voit l'Aigle Germanique
Uni Sous les Leopards.
VII.
}
Plein de la frayeur nouvelle,
Dont fes fens font agités,
A fon fecours il appelle
Les Peuples les plus vantéz.
Ceux-là viennent du rivage,
Ou s'enorgueillit le Tage
De l'or, qui roule en fes eaux;
Ceux-ci des champs, où la neige
Des marais de la Norvége
Neuf mois couvre les rofeaux.
VIII.
Mais qui fait enfler la Sambre?
Sous les Jumeaux effrayéz,
Des froids Torrens de Decembre
Les Champs par tout font noyéz.
CERES s'enfuit, éplorée
De voir en proye à BOREE
Ses
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
47
VI.
Our King thus trembles at Namur,
Whilft VILLEROY, who never afraid is,
To Bruxelles marches on fecure,
To bomb the Monks, and ſcare the Ladies.
After this glorious Expedition,
One Battle makes the Marſhal Great:
He must perform the King's Commiffion:
Who knows, but ORANGE may retreat
Kings are allow'd to feign the Gout,
Or be prevail'd with not to Fight:
And Mighty Louis hop'd, no doubt,
That WILLIAM Wou'd preferve that Right.
VII.
From Sein and Loyre, to Rhone and Po,
See ev'ry Mother's Son appear:
In fuch a Cafe ne'er blame a Foe,
If he betrays fome little Fear.
He comes, the mighty VILLEROY comes;
Finds a ſmall River in his Way:
So waves his Colours, beats his Drums;
And thinks it prudent there to ſtay.
The Gallic Troops breathe Blood and War
The Marſhal cares not to march fafter:
Poor VILL’ROY moves fo flowly here,
We fancy'd all, it was his Mafter.
VIII.
Will no kind Flood, no friendly Rain
Diſguiſe the Marſhal's plain Difgrace:
No Torrents fwell the low Mehayne?
The World will fay, he durft not paſs.
Why will no Hyades appear,
Dear Poet, on the Banks of Sambre ?
Just as they did that mighty Year,
When you turn'd June into December.
The
48
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Ses guerets d'epics chargéz,
Et Sous les Urnes fangeufes
Des Hyades oraguefes
Tous fes Tréfors fubmergéz.
IX.
Déployez toutes vos rages,
Princes, Vents, Peuples, Frimats;
Ramaffez tous vos nuages;
Raffemblez tous vos Soldats.
Malgré vous Namur en poudre
S'en va tomber Sous la foudre
Qui domta Lille, Courtray,
Gand la Superbe Eſpagnole,
Saint Omer, Bezançon, Dole,
Ypres, Maftricht, & Cambray.
X.
Mes préfages s'accompliffent:
Il commence à chanceler:
Sous les coups qui retentiffent
Ses Murs s'en vont s'écrouler.
MARS en feu qui les domine,
Souffle à grand bruit leur ruine,
Et les Bombes dans les airs
Allant chercher le tonnere,
Semblent tombant fur la Terre,
Vouloirs s'ouvrir les Enfers.
XI.
Accourez, NASSAU, BAVIERE,
De ces Murs l'unique eſpoir:
A couvert d'une Riviere
Venez: vous pouvez tout voir.
Confidercz
?
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
49
1
The Water-Nymphs are too unkind
TO VILL❜ROY; are the Land-Nymphs fo?
And fly They All, at Once Combin'd
To fhame a General, and a Beau ?
IX
Truth, Juftice, Senfe, Religion, Fame
May join to finish WILLIAM's Story:
Nations fet free may blefs his Name;
And France in Secret own his Glory.
But Ipres, Maftricht, and Cambray,
Besançon, Ghent, St. Omers, Lyle,
Courtray, and Dole-Ye Criticks, fay,
How poor to this was PINDAR's Stile?
With Eke's and Alfo's tack thy Strain,
Great Bard; and fing the deathleſs Prince,
Who loft Namur the fame Campaign,
He bought Dixmude, and plunder'd Deynfe.
X.
I'll hold ten Pound my Dream is out:
I'd tell it You, but for the Rattle
Of thoſe confounded Drums; no doubt
Yon' bloody Rogues intend a Battle.
Dear me a hundred thoufand French
With Terror fill the neighb'ring Field:
While WILLIAM carries on the Trench,
'Till both the Town and Caft'e yield.
VILL ROY to BOUFFLERS fhould advance,
Says MARS, thro' Cannons Mouths in Fire;
Id eft, one Marefchal of France
Tells t'other, He can come no nigher.
XI.
Regain the Lines the ſhorteſt Way,
VILL'ROY; or to Versailles take Poft;
D
For,
50
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Confiderez ces approches :
Voyez grimper fur ces roches
Ces Athletes belliqueux;
Et dans les Eaux, dans la Flame,
Louis à tout donnant l'ame,
Marcher, courir avecque eux.
XII.
Contemplez dans la tempefte,
Qui fort de ces Boulevars,
La Plume qui fur fa tefte
Attire tous les regards.
A cet Aftre redoutable
Toûjours un fort favorable
S'attache dans les Combats :
Et toûjours avec la Gloire
MARS amenant la Victoire
Vole, & le fuit à grands pas.
XIII.
Grands Deffenfeurs de l'Espagne,
Montrez-vous: il en eft temps:
Courage; vers la Mabagne
Voilà vos Drapeaux flottans.
Jamais les ondes craintives
N'ont veû fur leurs foibles rives
Tant de guerriers s'amaffer.
Courez donc: Qui vous retarde?
Tout l'Univers vous regarde.
N'ofez vous la traverſer ?
XIV.
Loin de fermer le paffage
A vos nombreux bataillons,
LUXEMBOURG a du rivage
Reculé fes pavillons.
Quoy ?
POEMS on several Occafions.
5[
For, having ſeen it, Thou canst fay
The Steps, by which Namur was loſt.
The Smoke and Flame may vex thy Sight:
Look not once back: but as thou goeſt,
Quicken the Squadrons in their Flight;
And bid the D1 take the floweſt.
D-
Think not what Reaſon to produce,
From Louis to conceal thy Fear:
He'll own the Strength of thy Excuſe;
Tell him that WILLIAM was but there.
XII.
Now let us look for Louis' Feather,
That us'd to ſhine ſo like a Star:
The Gen'rals could not get together,
Wanting that Influence, great in War,
O Poet! Thou had'ft been diſcreeter,
Hanging the Monarch's Hat fo high;
If thou had'ft dubb'd thy Star, a Meteor,
That did but blaze, and rove, and die.
XIII.
To animate the doubtful Fight,
Namur in vain expects that Ray:
In vain France hopes, the fickly Light
Should ſhine near WILLIAM's fuller Day,
It knows Versailles, its proper Station;
Nor cares for any foreign Sphere:
Where You fee BOILEAU's Conftellation,
Be fure no Danger can be near.
XIV.
The French had gather'd all their Force;
And WILLIAM met them in their Way:
Yet off they bruſh'd, both Foot and Horſe.
What has Friend BOILEAU left to fay?
D 2
When
52
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Quoy? leur feul aſpect vous glace?
Où font ces chefs pleins d'audace,
Jadis fi prompts à marcher,
Qui devoient de la Tamiſe,
Et de la Dráve Soûmiſe,
Jufqu'à Paris nous chercher ?
XV.
Cependant l'effroy redouble
Sur les Remparts de Namur
Son Gouverneur qui fe trouble
S'enfuit fous fon dernier mur.
Déja jufques à fes portes
Je voy monter nos cohortes,
La Flame & le Fer en main :
Et fur les Monceaux de piques,
De Corps morts, de Rocs, de Briques,
S'ouvrir un large chemin.
XVI.
C'en eft fait. Je viens d'entendre
Sur ces Rochers éperdus
Battre un Signal pour ſe rendre:
Le Feu ceffe. Ils font rendus.
Dépoüillez vôtre arrogance,
Fiers Ennemis de la France,
Et deformais gracieux,
Allez à Liege, à Bruxelles,
Porter les humbles nouvelles
De Namar pris à vos yeux.
520
}
When
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 53
:
When his high Mufe is bent upon't,
To fing her King,
that great Commander,
Or on the Shores of Hellefpont,
Or in the Valleys near Scamander ;
Wou'd it not fpoil his noble Task,
If any foolish Phrygian there is,
Impertinent enough to ask,
How far Namur may be from Paris.
XV.
Two Stanza's more before we end,
Of Death, Pikes, Rocks, Arms, Bricks, and Fire:
Leave 'em behind You, honeſt Friend:
And with your Country-Men retire.
Your Ode is ſpoilt; Namur is freed;
For Dixmuyd ſomething yet is due :
So good Count GUISCARD may proceed;
But BOUFFLERS, Sir, one Word with you.
XVI.
'Tis done. In Sight of theſe Commanders,
Who neither Fight, nor raiſe the Siege,
The Foes of France march fafe thro' Flanders:
Divide to Bruxelles, or to Liege.
Send, FAME, this News to Trianon,
That BoUFFLERS may new Honours gain :
He the fame Play by Land has fhewn,
AS TOURVILLE did upon the Main.
Yet is the Maríhal made a Peer:
O WILLIAM may thy Arms advance;
That He may loſe Dinant next Year,
And fo be Conſtable of France.
33
D 3
Prefented
54
POEMS on several Occafions.
Prefented to the KING, at his Arrival in
HOLLAND, after the Diſcovery of the
Confpiracy 1696.
Serus in cælum redeas; diuque
Lætus interfis populo Quirini :
Neve Te nofiris vitiis iniquum
Tallat
Ocyor aura
Hor. ad Auguftum.
YE to wait!
E careful Angels, whom eternal Fate
Ordains, on Earth and human Acts to wait;
Who turn with fecret Pow'r this reftlefs Ball,
And bid predeſtin'd Empires rife and fall :
Your Sacred Aid religious Monarchs own;
When first They merit, then afcend the Throne:
But Tyrants dread Ye, left your juft Decree
Transfer the Pow'r, and fet the People free:
See refcu'd BRITAIN at your Altars bow:
And hear her Hymns your happy Care avow:
That ſtill her Axes and her Rods fupport
The Judge's Frown, and grace the awful Court:
That Law with all her pompous Terror ftands,
To wreft the Dagger from the Traitor's Hands;
And rigid Juſtice reads the fatal Word;
Poiſes the Balance first, then draws the Sword.
BRITAIN Her Safety to your Guidance owns,
That She can fep'rate Parricides from Sons;
That, impious Rage diſarm'd, She lives and Reigns,
Her Freedom kept by Him, who broke Her Chains.
And Thou, great Miniſter, above the reft
Of Guardian Spirits, be Thou for ever bleft:
Thou
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
5,5
?
Thou, who of old wert fent to ISRAEL'S Court,
With fecret Aid great DAVID's ftrong Support;
To mock the frantick Rage of cruel SAUL,
And ftrike the uſeleſs Jav'lin to the Wall.
Thy later Care o'er WILLIAM's Temples held,
On BoYN's propitious Banks, the heav'nly Shield;
When Pow'r Divine did Sov'reign Right declare;
And Cannons mark'd, whom They were bid to fpare.
Still, bleffed Angel, be thy Care the ſame;
Be WILLIAM's Life untouch'd, as is his Fame:
Let him own Thine, as BRITAIN Owns His Hand:
Save Thou the King, as He has fav'd the Land.
We Angels Forms in pious Monarchs view;
We reverence WILLIAM; for He acts like You;
Like You, Commiffion'd to chaftife and blefs,
He must avenge the World, and give it Peace.
Indulgent Fate our potent Pray'r receives;
And ftill BRITANNIA fmiles and WILLIAM lives:
The Hero dear to Earth, by Heav'n belov'd,
By Troubles must be vex'd, by Dangers prov'd:
His Foes muſt aid to make his Fame compleat,
And fix his Throne fecure on their Defeat.
So, tho' with fudden Rage the Tempeft comes;
Tho' the Winds roar ; and tho' the Water foams;
Imperial BRITAIN on the Sea looks down,
And ſmiling fees her Rebel Subject frown :
Striking her Cliff, the Storm confirms her Pow'r :
The Waves but whiten her Triumphant Shore:
In vain They wou'd advance, in vain retreat:
Broken They dafh, and perish at her Feet.
For WILLIAM ſtill new Wonders ſhall be ſhown :
The Pow'rs that refcu'd, fhall preſerve the Throne.
Safe on his Darling BRITAIN's joyful Sea,
Behold, the Monarch plows his liquid Way:
D 4
His
56
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
His Fleets in Thunder thro' the World declare,
Whofe Empire they obey, whofe Arms they bear.
Blefs'd by afpiring Winds, He finds the Strand
Blacken'd with Crouds; He fees the Nations ftand
Bleffing his Safety proud of his Command.
In various Tongues He hears the Captains dwell
On their great Leader's Praife, by Turns 7 hey tell,
And liften, each with emulous Glory fir'd,
HOW WILLIAM conquer'd, and how FRANCE retir'd;
HOW BELGIA freed the Hero's Arm confefs'd,
But trembl'd for the Courage which ſhe bleſt.
O Louis, from this great Example know,
To be at once a Hero, and a Foe:-
By founding Trumpets, Hear, and rat'ling Drums,
When WILLIAM to the open Vengeance comes:
And See the Soldier plead the Monarch's Right,
Heading His Troops, and Foremoſt in the Fight.
Hence then cloſe Ambuſh and perfidious War,
Down to your Native Seats of Night repair.
And Thou, BELLONA, weep thy cruel Pride
Reſtrain'd, behind the Victor's Chariot ty'd
In brazen Knots, and everlafting Chains.
(SO FUROPE'S Peace, fo WILLIAM's Fate ordains.)
While on the Iv'ry Chair, in happy State
He fits, Secure in Innocence, and Great
In regal Clemency; and views beneath
Averted Darts of Rage, and pointless Arms of Death.
To CLOE Weeping.
EE, whilft Thou weep'ft, fair CLOE, fee
SE
The World in Sympathy with Thee.
The chearful Birds no longer fing,
Each drops his Head, and hangs his Wing.
}
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions,
57
The Clouds have bent their Bofom lower,
And fhed their Sorrows in a Show'r.
The Brooks beyond their Limits flow;
And louder Murmurs fpeak their Woe.
The Nymphs and Swains adopt Thy Cares:
They heave Thy Sighs, and weep Thy Tears.
Fantaftick Nymph! that Grief ſhould move
Thy Heart Obdurate againſt Love.
Strange Tears! whofe Pow'r can foften All,
But That dear Breaft on which they fall.
To Mr. HOWARD:
An
ODE.
I.
D
EAR HOWARD, from the foft Affaults of Love,
Poets and Painters never are Secure;
Can I untouch'd the Fair ones Paffions move?
Or Thou draw Beauty, and not feel its Pow'r?
II.
To Great APELLES when young AMMON brought
The darling Idol of his Captive Heart;
And the pleas'd Nymph with kind Attention fat,
To have Her Charms recorded by His Art:
III.
The am'rous Mafter own'd Her potent Eyes;
Sigh'd when He look'd, and trembl'd as He drew 2
Each flowing Line confirm'd his firft Surprize,
And as the Piece advanc'd, the Paffion grew.
IV.
While PHILIP's Son, while VENUS' Son was near,
What different Tortures does his Bofom feel?
Great was the Rival, and the God fevere:
Nor could He hide his Flame, nor durit reveal.
D 5
V. The
58
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
}
V.
The Prince, renown'd in Bounty as in Arms,
With Pity faw the ill-conceal'd Diſtreſs ;
Quitted his Title to CAMPASPE'S Charms,
And gave the Fair one to the Friend's Embrace.
VI.
Thus the more beauteous CLOE fat to Thee,
Good How ARD, emulous of the GRECIAN Art:
But happy Thou, from CUPID's Arrow free,
And Flames that pearc'd Thy Predeceffor's Heart.
VII.
Had Thy poor Breaft receiv'd an equal Pain ;
Had I been vefted with the Monarch's Pow'r ;
Thou muſt have figh'd, unlucky Youth, in vain;
Nor from My Bounty hadft Thou found a Cure,
VIII.
Tho' to convince Thee, that the Friend did feel
A kind Concern for thy ill fated Care,
I would have footh'd the Flame, I could not heal;
Giv'n Thee the World; tho' I with-held the Fair.
B
LOVE. Difarm'd.
ENEATH a Myrtle's verdant Shade
As CLOE half afleep was laid,
CUPID perch'd lightly on Her Breaſt,
And in That Heav'n defir'd to reft:
Over her Paps his Wings He fpread:
Between he found a downy Bed,
And neftl'd in His little Head.
Still lay the God: The Nymph furpriz'd,
Yet Miſtreſs of herſelf, devis'd,
How the the Vagrant might inthral,
And Captive Him, who Captives All.
Her
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
59
Her Bodice half way fhe unlac'd
About his Arms She flily caft
The filken Bond, and held Him faſt.
The God awak'd; and thrice in vain
He strove to break the cruel Chain
And thrice in vain He fhook his Wing,
Incumber'd in the filken String.
Flutt'ring the God, and weeping faid,
Pity poor CUPID, generous Maid,
Who happen'd, being Blind, to ſtray,
And on thy Bofom loft his Way:
Who ftray'd, alas! but knew too well,
He never there muſt hope to dwell.
Set an unhappy Pris'ner free,
Who ne'er intended harm to Thee.
To Me pertains not, She replies,
To know or care where CUPID flies;
What are his Haunts, or which his Way;
Where he would dwell, or whither ftray:
Yet will I never fet Thee free:
For Harm was meant, and Harm to Me.
Vain Fears that vex thy Virgin Heart!
I'll give the up my Bow and Dart:
Untangle but this cruel Chain,
And freely let Me fly again.
Agreed Secure my Virgin Heart:
Inftant give up thy Bow and Dart :
The Chain I'll in Return unty;
And freely Thou again fhalt fly.
Thus the the Captive did deliver;
The Captive thus gave up his Quiver.
The God difarm'd, e'er fince that Day
Paffes his Life in harmlefs Play;
Flies round, or fits upon her Breaſt,
A little, flutt'ring, idle Gueſt.
}
E'er
60
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Ee'r fince that Day the beauteous Maid
Governs the World in CUPID's ftead;
Directs his Arrow as She wills;
Gives Grief, or Pleaſure; fpares, or kills.
B
CLOE
HUNTING.
EHIND her Neck her comely Treffes ty'd,
Her Iv'ry Quiver graceful by her Side,
A-Hunting CLOE went: She loſt her Way,
And thro' the Woods uncertain chanc'd to ftray.
APOLLO paffing by beheld the Maid;
And, Siller Dear, bright CYNTHIA turn, He ſaid:
The hunted Hind lies clofe in yonder Brake.
Loud CUPID laugh'd, to fee the God's Miftake;
And, laughing cry'd, Learn better, great Divine,
To know thy Kindred, and to honour Mine.
Rightly advis'd, far hence thy Sifter feek,
Or on MEANDER'S Bank, or LATMUS' Peak.
But in This Nymph, My Friend, my Sifter know:
She draws My Arrows, and She bends my Bow:
Fair THAMES She haunts, and ev'ry neighb'ring Grove,
Sacred to foft Recefs, and gentle Love.
Go, with thy CYNTHIA, hurl the pointed Spear
At the rough Boar; or chace the flying Deer :
I and my CLOE take a nobler Aim:
At human Hearts we fling, nor ever miss the Game.
CUPID and GANYMEDE.
IN Heav'n, one Holy-day, You read
In wife Anacreon, GANYMEDE
Drew heedlefs CUPID in, to throw
A Main, to pafs an Hour, or fo.
The
POEMS on Jeveral Occafions.
61
The little Trojan, by the way,
By HERMES taught, play'd All the Play.
The God unhappily engag'd,
By Nature rash, by Play enrag'd,
Complain'd, and figh'd, and cry'd, and fretted;
Loft ev'ry earthly thing he betted:
In ready Money, all the Store
Pick'd up long fince from DANAE's Show'r
A Snuff-Box, fet with bleeding Hearts,
Rubies, all pierc'd with Diamond Darts;
His Nine-pins, made of Myrtle Wood:
(The Tree in IDA's Foreft ftood)
His Bowl pure Gold, the very fame
Which PARIS gave the CYPRIAN Dame;
Two Table-Books in Shagreen Covers ;
Fill'd with good Verfe from real Lovers;
Merchandiſe rare! A Billet-doux,
Its Matter paffionate, yet true;
Heaps of Hair Rings, and Cypher'd Seals;
Rich Trifles; ferious Bagatelles.
What fad Diſorders Play begets!
Deſp'rate and mad, at length He ſets
Thoſe Darts, whofe Points make Gods adore
His Might, and deprecate his Pow'r:
Thoſe Darts, whence all our Joy and Pain
Arife: thofe Darts
-come, Seven's the Main,
Cries GANYMEDE: The ufual Trick:
Seven, flur a Six; Eleven: A Nick.
Ill news goes faft: 'Twas quickly known,
That fimple CUPID was undone.
Swifter than Lightning VENUS flew:
Too late She found the thing too true.
Guefs how the Goddefs greets her Son:
Come hither, Sirrah; no, begon;
And,
62
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
And, hark Ye, is it fo indeed?
A Comrade You for GANYMEDE?
An Imp as wicked, for his Age,
As any earthly Lady's Page;
A Scandal and a Scourge to TROY:
A Prince's Son? A Black-guard Boy ;
A Sharper that with Box and Dice
Draws in young Deities to Vice.
All Heav'n is by the Ears together,
Since firſt That little Rogue came hither:
JUNO herſelf has had no Peace:
And truly I've been favour'd lefs:
For Jove, as FAME reports, (but FAME
Says things not fit for Me to name)
Has acted ill for fuch a God,
And taken Ways extremely odd.
And Thou, unhappy Child, She ſaid
(Her Anger by her Grief allay'd)
Unhappy Child, who thus haft loſt
All the Eſtate We e'er could boaſt ;
Whither, O whither wilt Thou run,
Thy Name defpis'd, thy Weakneſs known?
Nor fhall thy Shrine on Earth be crown'd:
Nor fhall thy Pow'r in Heav'n be own'd;
When Thou, nor Man, nor God can't wound.
Obedient CUPID kneeling cry'd,
Ceafe, dearest Mother, ceaſe to chide:
GANY's a Cheat, and I'm a Bubble:
Yet why this great Exceſs of Trouble ?
The Dice were falfe: the Darts are gone:
Yet how are You, or I undone ?
The Lofs of Theſe I can fupply
With keener Shafts from CLOE's Eye:
Fear not, We e'er can be difgrac'd,
While that bright Magazine fhall laft:
}
Your
POEMS on Several Occafions.
63
Your crouded Altars ftill fhall ſmoke;
And Man your Friendly Aid invoke :
JOVE fhall again revere your Pow'r,
And rife a Swan, or fall a Show'r.
CUPID Miſtaken.
I.
S after Noon, one Summer's Day,
VENUS flood bathing in a River;
AS
-
CUPID a ſhooting went that Way,
New ftrung his Bow, new fill'd his Quiver.
II.
With Skill He chofe his ſharpeſt Dart:
With all his Might his Bow He drew.
Swift to his beauteous Parent's Heart
The too well-guided Arrow flew.
III.
I faint! I die! the Goddefs cry'd:
O cruel, could'ſt Thou find none other,
To wreck thy Spleen on ? Parricide!
Like NERO, Thou haſt ſlain thy Mother.
IV.
Poor CUPID fobbing ſcarce could ſpeak ;
Indeed, Mamma, I did not know Ye:
Alas! how eafy my Miſtake?
I took You for your Likeneſs CLOE.
W
VENUS Miftaken.
I.
HEN CLOE's Picture was to VENUS ſhown;
Surpriz'd, the Goddeſs took it for Her own.
And what, faid She, does this bold Painter means?
When was I Bathing thus, and Naked feen?
II. Pleas'd
64
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
II.
Pleas'd CUPID heard, and check'd his Mother's Pride:
And who's blind now, Mamma? The Urchin cry'd.
'Tis CLOE's Eye, and Cheek, and Lip, and Breaſt:
Friend How ARD's Genius fancy'd all the reſt.
I
A
SON G.
F Wine and Mufick have the Pow'r,
To eaſe the Sickneſs of the Soul;
Let PHOEBUS ev'ry String explore;
And BACCHUS fill the fprightly Bowl.
Let them their friendly Aid employ,
To make my CLOE's Abfence light;
And feek for Pleaſure, to destroy
The Sorrows of this live-long Night.
But She to Morrow will return:
VENUS, be Thou to Morrow great ;
Thy Myrtles ftrow, Thy Odours burn;
And meet Thy Fav'rite Nymph in State.
Kind Goddeſs, to no other Pow'rs
Let Us to Morrow's Bleffings own:
Thy Darling Loves fhall guide the Hours:
And all the Day be Thine alone.
I
The DOV E.
-Tantæne animis cæleftibus Ira?
I.
N VIRGIL's facred Verfe we find,
That Paffion can deprefs or raife
The Heavenly as the Human Mind:
Who dare deny what VIRGIL fays?
Virg.
II. But
"
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
65
IL
prove,
But if They fhou'd; what our great Maſter
Has thus laid down, my Tale fhall
Fair VENUS wept the fad Difafter
Of having loft her Fav'rite Dove.
III.
In Complaifance poor CUPID mourn'd;
His Grief reliev'd his Mother's Pain;
He vow'd he'd leave no Stone unturn'd,
But She fhou'd have her Dove again,
IV.
Tho' None, faid He, fhall yet be nam'd,
I know the Felon well enough:
But be She not, Mamma, condemn'd
Without a fair and legal Proof.
√.
With that, his longeſt Dart he took,
As Conſtable wou'd take his Staff:
That Gods defire like Men to look,
Wou'd make ev'n HERACLITUS laugh.
VI.
LOVE's Subaltern, a Duteous Band,
Like Watchmen round their Chief appear:
Each had his Lanthorn in his Hand:
And VENUS mask'd brought up the Rea r.
VII.
Accouter'd thus, their eager Step
TO CLOE's Lodging They directed:
(At once I write, alas! and weep,
That CLOE is of Theft fufpected.)
VIII.
Late They fet out,, had far to go:
3
St. DUNSTAN's as They pafs'd, ftruck One..
CLOE for Reaſons good, You know,
Lives at the fober End a'th' Town.
:
IX. With
66 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
IX.
With one great Peal They rap the Door,
Like Footmen on a Viſiting-Day.
Folks at her Houfe at fuch an Hour!
Lord! what will all the neighbours ſay ?
X.
The Door is open up They run:
Nor Prayers, nor Threats divert their Speed:
Thieves! Thieves 1 cries SUSAN; We're undone;
They'll kill my Miſtreſs in her Bed.
XI.
In Bed indeed the Nymph had been
Three Hours: for all Hiftorians fay,
She commonly went up at Ten,
Unleſs Piquet was in the Way.
XII.
She wak'd, be fure, with ſtrange Surprize,
O CUPID, is this Right or Law,
Thus to diſturb the brighteſt Eyes,
That ever flept, or ever faw?
XIII.
Have you obferv'd a fitting Hare,
Lift'ning, and fearful of the Storm
Of Horns and Hounds, clap back her Ear,
Afraid to keep, or leave her Form?
XIV.
Or have you mark'd a Partridge quake,
Viewing the tow'ring Faulcon nigh?
She cuddles low behind the Brake:
Nor wou'd ſhe ſtay: nor dares fhe fly.
XV.
Then have You feen the Beauteous Maid ;
When gazing on her Midnight Foes,
She turn'd each Way her frighted Head,
Then funk it deep beneath the Cloaths.
XVI.
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
67
XVI.
VENUS this while was in the Chamber
Incognito: for SUSAN faid,
It ſmelt fo ftrong of Myrrh and Amber-
And SUSAN is no lying Maid,
XVII.
But fince we have no preſent Need
Of VENUS for an Epiſode:
With CUPID let us e'en proceed;
And thus to CLOE ſpoke the
Hold up your Head: hold
XVI
Hand
ye
Wou'd it were not my
This cruel Writ, wherein y
Indicted by the Name of
XIX.
For by that fecret Malice ſtirr'd,
Or by an emulous Pride invited,
You have purloin'd the fav'rite Bird,
In which my Mother most delighted.
XX.
Her blufhing Face the lovely Maid
Rais'd juſt above the milk-white Sheet,
A Roſe-Tree in a Lilly Bed,
Nor glows fo red, nor breathes fo fweet.
XXI.
Are You not He whom Virgins fear,
And Widows court? is not your Name
CUPID? If ſo, pray come not near
Fair Maiden, I'm the very fame.
XXII.
Then what have I, good Sir, to ſay,
Or do with Her, You call your Mother?
If I fhould meet her in my Way,
We hardly court'fy to each other.
XXIII.
68
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
.XXIII.
DIANA Chafte, and HEBE fweet,
Witneſs that what I fpeak is true :
I wou'd not give my Paroquet
For all the DOVES that ever flew.
XXIV.
Yet, to compofe this Midnight Noiſe,
Go freely fearch where-e'er you pleaſe :
(The Rage that rais'd, adorn'd her Voice)
Upon yon' Toiléry Keys.
XXV.
Her Keys He takes
prs unlocks;
Thro' Wardrobe
Peeps into ev'ry Che
Cloſet bounces;
6x;
Turns all her Furber
and Flounces.
XXVI.
But Dove, depend on't, finds He none;
So to the Bed returns again:
And now the Maiden, bolder grown,
Begins to treat Him with Difdain.
XXVII.
I marvel much, She fmiling faid,
Your Poultry cannot yet be found:
Lies he in yonder Slipper dead,
Or may be, in the Tea-pot drown'd ?
XXVIII.
No, Traytor, angry Love replies,
He's hid fomewhere about Your Breaft;
A Place, nor God, nor Man denies,
For VENUS' Dove the proper Neſt.
XXIX.
Search then, She ſaid, put in your Hand,
And CYNTHIA, dear Protectrefs, guard Me:
As guilty I, or free may ftand,
Do Thou, or punifh, or reward me.
XXX.
POEMS on feveral Occafions:
69
XXX.
But ah! what Maid to Love can truſt ;
He fcorns, and breaks all legal Power:
Into Her breaft his Hand He thruft;
And in a Moment forc'd it lower.
XXXI.
O, whither do thoſe Fingers rove,
Cries CLOE, treacherous Urchin, whither?
O VENUS! I fhall find thy Dove,
Says He; for fure I touch his Feather.
A LOVER's ANGER.
As
S CLOE came into the Room t'other Day,
I peevish began; Where fo long cou'd You ftay?
In your Life time You never regarded your Hour:
You promis'd at Two; and (pray look Child) 'tis Four.
A Lady's Watch needs neither Figures nor Wheels:
'Tis enough, that 'tis loaded with Baubles and Seals.
A Temper fo heedlefs no Mortal can bear
Thus far I went on with a refolute Air.
Lord bleſs Me, faid She; let a Body but ſpeak:
Here's an ugly hard Roſe-bud fall'n into my Neck:
It has hurt Me, and vext me to fuch a Degree
See here; for you never believe Me; pray fee,
On the left Side my Breaſt what a Mark it has made,
So ſaying, her Boſom She careleſs diſplay'd.
That Seat of Delight I with Wonder furvey'd;
And forgot ev'ry Word I defign'd to have ſaid.
MERCURY and CUPID.
N fullen Humour one Day Jove
IN
Sent HERMES down to IDA's Grove,
Commanding CUPID to deliver
His Store of Darts, his total Quiver;
That
70
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
That HERMES fhou'd the Weapons break,
Or throw 'em into LETHE's Lake.
HERMES, You know, muſt do his Errand :
He found his Man, produc'd his Warrant:
CUPID, your Darts this very Hour
There's no contending againft Power.
How fullen JUPITER, juſt now
I think I faid: and You'll allow,
That CUPID was as bad as He:
Hear but the Youngster's Repartée.
Come Kinfman (faid the little God)
Put off your Wings, lay by your Rod;
Retire with Me to yonder Bower;
And reft yourſelf for half an Hour:
'Tis far indeed from hence to Heav'n:
And You fly faft: and 'tis but Seven.
We'll take one cooling Cup of Nectar ;
And drink to this Celeſtial Hector
He break my Darts, or hurt my Pow'r!
He, LEDA's Swan, and DANAE's Show'r !
Go, bid him his Wife's Tongue reftrain;
And mind his Thunder, and his Rain.
My Darts? O certainly I'll give 'em:
From CLOE's Eyes He ſhall receive 'em :
There's One, the beſt in all my Quiver,
Twang! thro' his very Heart and Liver,
He then ſhall Pine, and Sigh, and Rave:
Good Lord! what Buftle fhall We have!
NEPTUNE muſt ſtraight be ſent to Sea;
And FLORA fummon'd twice a-day :
One must find Shells, and t'other Flow'rs,
For cooling Grotts, and fragrant Bow'rs,
That CLOE may be ferv'd in State:
The HOURS muft at Her Toilet wait:
Whilft
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
71
Whilft all the reafoning Fools below,
Wonder their Watches go too flow.
LYBS muft Ay South, and EURUS Eaft,
For Jewels for Her Hair and Breaſt :
No Matter tho' their cruel Haſte
Sink Cities, and lay Forefts wafte.
No matter tho' This Fleet be loft;
Or That lie wind-bound on the Coaft.
What whifp'ring in my Mother's Ear!
What Care, that JUNO fhou'd not hear!
What Work among You Scholar Gods!
PHOEBUS muft write Him am'rous Odes:
And Thou, poor Coufin, must compofe
His Letters in fubmiffive Profe:
Whilft haughty CLOE, to ſuſtain
The Honour of My Myftick Reign,
Shall all his Gifts and Vows diſdain;
And laugh at your Old Bully's Pain.
Dear Couz, faid HERMES in a Fright,
For Heav'n fake keep your Darts: Good Night.
On BEAUTY. ARIDDLE.
R
ESOLVE Me, CLOE, what is THIS:
Or forfeit me One precious Kiſs.
'Tis the firſt Off-ſpring of the Graces :
Bears diff'rent Forms in diff'rent Places;
Acknowledg'd fine, where e'er beheld;
Yet fancy'd finer, when conceal'd.
'Twas FLORA's Wealth, and CIRCE'S Charm;
PANDORA'S Box of Good and Harm:
'Twas Mar's Wish, ENDYMION's Dream;
APELLES' Draught, and OVID's Theme.
THIS guided THESEUS thro' the Maze;
And fent Him home with Life and Praiſe.
But
72
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
But THIS undid the PHRYGIAN Boy;
And blew the Flames that ruin'd TROY.
THIS fhew'd great Kindneſs to old GREECE,
And help'd rich JASON to the Fleece.
THIS thro' the Eaſt juſt Vengeance hurl'd,
And loft poor ANTHONY the World.
Injur'd, tho' LuCRECE found her Doom ;
THIS baniſh'd Tyranny from ROME.
Appeas'd, tho' LAIS gain'd her Hire;
THIS fet PERSEPOLIS on Fire.
For THIS ALCIDES learn'd to Spin:
His Club laid down, and Lion's Skin.
For THIS APOLLO deign'd to keep,
With fervile Care, a Mortal's Sheep.
For THIS the Father of the Gods,
Content to leave His high Abodes,
In borrow'd Figures looſely ran,
EUROPA'S Bull, and LEDA's Swan,
For THIS He reaffumes the Nod,
(While SEMELE commands the God)
Launces the Bolt, and ſhakes the Poles;
Tho' Momus laughs, and Juno fcolds.
Here lift'ning CLOE fmil'd and faid;
Your Riddle is not hard to read:
I guess it - Fair one, if You do;
Need I, alas! the Theme purfue?
For THIS Thou fee'ft, for THIS I leave,
Whate'er the World thinks Wife or Grave,
Ambition. Bufinefs, Friendship, News,
My uſeful Books, and ferious Mufe.
For THIS I willingly decline
The Mirth of Feaſts, and Joys of Wine;
And chufe to fit and talk with Thee,
(As Thy great Orders may decree)
Of
POEMS on several Occafions. 73
Of Cocks and Bulls, and Flutes and Fiddles,
Of Idle Tales, and fooliſh Riddles.
The QUESTION, to LISETTA.
WHAT
7HAT Nymph fhou'd I admire, or truft,
But CLOE, Beauteous, CLOE Juft?
What Nymph fhould I defire to ſee,
But Her who leaves the Plain for Me?
To whom fhou'd I compofe the Lay,
But Her who liftens when I play?
To whom in Song repeat my Cares,
But Her who in my Sorrow fhares?
For Whom fhou'd I the Garland make,
But Her who joys the Gift to take,
And boaſts She wears it for my Sake?
In Love am I not fully bleft?
LISETTA, pr'ythee tell the reſt.
SUR
LISETTA'S REPLY.
URE CLOE Juft, and CLOE Fair
Deferves to be Your only Care:
But when You and She to Day
Far into the Wood did ftray,
And I happen'd to paſs by;
Which way did You caſt your Eye ?
But when your Cares to Her You fing,
Yet dare not tell Her whence they ſpring;
Does it not more afflict your Heart,
That in thofe Cares She bears a Part?
E
}
When
74
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
When You the Flow'rs for CLOE twine,
Why do you to Her Garland join
The meanest Bud that falls from Mine?
Simpleft of Swains! the World may ſee.
Whom CLOE loves, and Who loves Me.
T
The GARLAND.
I.
HE Pride of ev'ry Grove I choſe,
The Violent fweet, and Lilly fair,
The dappl'd Pink, and blufhing Roſe,
To deck my charming CLOE's Hair.
II.
At Morn the Nymph vouchfaft to place.
Upon her Brow the various Wreath;
The Flow'rs lefs blooming than her Face,
The Scent lefs fragrant than her Breath.
III.
The Flow'rs She wore along the Day:
And ev'ry Nymph and Shepherd ſaid,
That in her Hair they lookt more gay,
Than glowing in their Native Bed.
IV.
Undreft at Evening when She found
Their Odours loft, their Colours paft;
She chang'd her look, and on the Ground
Her Garland and her Eye She, caft.
V.
That Eye dropt Senfe diftinct and clear,
As any MUSES's Tongue cou'd ſpeak;
When from its Lid a pearly Tear
Ran trickling down her beauteous Cheek.
}
VI. Diffembling
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 75
VI.
Diffembling what I knew too well,
My Love, my Life, faid I, explain
This Change of Humour: pr'ythee tell:
That falling Tear-
What does it mean?
VII.
She figh'd; She fmil'd: and to the Flow'rs
Pointing, the Lovely Moralift faid:
See, Friend, in fome few fleeting Hours,
See yonder, what a Change is made.
VIII.
Ah me! the blooming Pride of MAY,
And that of Beauty are but One:
At Morn both flouriſh bright and gay,
Both fade at Evening, pale, and gone.
IX.
At Dawn poor STELLA danc'd and fung;
The am'rous Youth around Her bow'd;
At Night her fatal Knell was rung;
I ſaw, and kiſs'd Her in her Shrowd.
X.
Such as She is, who dy'd to Day:
Such I, alas! may be to Morrow ;
Go, DAMON, bid thy Mufe difplay
The Juftice of thy CLOE's Sorrow.
The LADY who offers her Looking-Glafs to
VE
VENUS.
ENUS, take my Votive Glafs;
Since I am not what I was;
What from this Day I fhall be,
VENUS, let me never fee.
E 2
CLOE
76 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
?
1
You
F
CLOE JEALOUS.
I.
ORBEAR to ask Me, why I weep;
Vext CLOE to her Shepherd ſaid;
'Tis for my Two poor ftraggling Sheep
Perhaps, or for my Squirrel dead.
II.
For mind I what you late have writ?
Your fubtle Queftions, and Replies;
Emblems, to teach a Female Wit
The Ways, where changing CUPID flies,
III.
Your Riddle purpos'd to Rehearſe
The general Pow'r that Beauty has:
But why did no peculiar Verſe
Defcribe one Charm of CLOE's Face?
IV.
The Glafs, which was at VENUS' Shrine,
With fuch Myfterious Sorrow laid:
The Garland (and You call it Mine)
Which ſhow'd how Youth and Beauty fade.
V.
Ten Thouſand Trifles light as Theſe
Nor can my Rage, nor Anger move:
She fhou'd be humble, who wou'd pleaſe;
And She muft fuffer, who can love.
VI.
When in my Glafs I chanc'd to look;
Of VENUS what did I implore?
That ev'ry Grace which thence I took,
Shou'd know to charm my DAMON more.
VII. Reading
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
77
VII.
Reading thy Verfe; who heeds, faid I,
If here or there his Glances flew ?
O free for ever be his Eye,
Whoſe Heart to Me is always true.
VIII.
My Bloom indeed, my little Flow'r
Of Beauty quickly loft its Pride;
For fever'd from its Native Bow'r,
It on thy glowing Bofom dy'd.
IX.
Yet car'd I not, what might prefage
Or withering Wreath, or fleeting Youth;
Love I efteem'd more ſtrong than Age,
And Time lefs permanent than Truth.
X.
Why then I weep, forbear to know:
Fall uncontroul'd my Tears, and Free:
O DAMON, 'tis the only Woe,
I ever yet conceal'd from Thee.
XI.
The fecret wound with which I bleed
Shall lie wrapt up, ev'n in my Herfe:
But on my Tomb-ftone thou fhalt read
My Anſwer to Thy dubious Verſe.
Answer to CLOE Jealous, in the fame Stile.
The AUTHOR Sick.
I.
ES, faireft Proof of Beauty's Pow'r
Dear Idol of My panting Heart,
YE
Naure points This my fatal Hour:
And I have liv'd; and We mult part.
E 3
II. While
78
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
II.
While now I take my laſt Adieu,
Heave Thou no Sigh, nor fhed a Tear;
Left yet my half-clos'd Eye may view,
On Earth an Object worth its Care.
III.
From Jealoufy's tormenting Strife
For ever be Thy Bofom freed:
That nothing may disturb Thy Life,
Content I haften to the Dead.
IV.
Yet when fome better-fated Youth
Shall with his am'rous Parly move Thee;
Reflect One Moment on His Truth
Who dying Thus, perfifts to love Thee.
A BETTER ANSWER.
I.
EAR CLOE, how blubber'd is that pretty Face?
D Thy Cheek all on Fire, and Thy Hair all uncurl'd:
Pr'ythee quit this Caprice; and (as Old FALSTAF fays)
Let us e'en talk a little like Folks of this World.
11.
How can'ft Thou prefume, Thou haft leave to deſtroy
The Beauties, which VENUS but lent to thy keeping?
Thoſe Looks were defign'd to inſpire Love and Joy:
More ord❜nary Eyes may ferve People for weeping.
III.
To be vext at a Trifle or two that I writ,
Your Judgment at once, and my Paffion you wrong:
You take that for Fact, whch will fcarce be found Wit:
Od's Life! must one fwear to the Truth of a Song?
IV. What
A
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
79
IV.
What I ſpeak, my fair CLOE, and what I write, fhews
The Difference there is betwixt Nature and Art:
I court others in Verfe; but I love Thee in Profe:
And They have my Whimfies, but Thou haft my Heart.
V.
The God of us Verſe-men (You know Child) the SUN,
How after his Journeys He fets up his Reſt:
If at Morning o'er Earth 'tis his Fancy to run:
At Night he declines on his THETIS's Breaft.
VI.
So when I am weary'd with wand'ring all Day;
To Thee my delight in the Evening I come:
No Matter what Beauties I faw in my Way:
They were but my Vifits, but Thou art my Home.
VII.
Then finiſh, Dear CLOE, this Paſtoral War;
And let us like HORACE and LYDIA agree:
For Thou art a Girl as much brighter than Her,
As He was a Poet fublimer than Me.
PALLAS
TH
An
and
and VENU S.
EPIGRAM.
HE TROJAN Swain had judg'd the great Difpute
And Beauty's Pow'r obtain'd the Golden Fruit;
When VENUS, loofe in all Her naked Charms,
Met JovE's great Daughter clad in fhining Arms.
The wanton Goddeſs view'd the Warlike Maid
From Head to Foot, and Tauntingly She faid:
Yield, Sifter; Rival, yield: Naked, You fee,
I vanquish: Guess how Potent I ſhould be:
If to the Field I came in Armour dreft;
Dreadful, like Thine, my Shield, and terrible my Creft.
E 4
The
80
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
The Warrior Goddeſs with Difdain reply'd;
Thy Folly, Child, is equal to thy Pride:
Let a brave Enemy for once adviſe,
And VENUS (if 'tis poffible) be Wiſe.
Thou to be ſtrong must put off every Dreſs:
Thy only Armour is thy Nakednefs:
And more than once, (or Thou art much bely'd)
By MARS himſelf That Armour has been try❜d.
To a Young GENTLEMAN in LovE.
F
A T T AL E.
ROM publick Noife and factious Strife,
From all the bufy Ills of Life,
Take me, My CELIA, to thy Breaft;
And lull my wearied Soul to Reft:
For ever, in this humble Cell,
Let Thee and I, my Fair One, dwell;
None enter elfe, but Love
and He
Shall bar the Door, and keep the Key.
To painted Roofs, and fhining Spires
(Uneafy Seats of high Defires)
Let the unthinking Many croud,
That dare be Covetous and Proud :
In golden Bondage let Them wait,
And barter Happineſs for State:
But Oh! My CELIA, when Thy Swain
Defires to fee a Court again;
May Heav'n around this deftin'd Head
The choiceft of its Curfes fhed:
To fum up all the Rage of Fate,
In the Two Things I dread and hate;
May'ft Thou be Falfe, and I be Great.
}
Thus,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
81
Thus, on his CE LIA's panting Breaſt,
Fond CELADON his Soul expreft;
While with Delight the lovely Maid
Receiv'd the Vows, She thus repaid:
Hope of my Age, Joy of my Youth,
Bleft Miracle of Love and Truth!
All that cou'd e'er be counted Mine,
My Love and Life, long fince are Thine:
A real Joy I never knew ;
'Till I believ'd Thy Paffion true:
A real Grief I ne'er can find;
'Till Thou prov't Perjur'd or Unkind.
Contempt, and Poverty, and Care,
All we abhor, and all we fear,
Bleft with thy Prefence, I can bear.
Thro' Waters, and thro' Flames I'll go,
Suff'rer and Solace of thy Woe:
Trace Me fome yet unheard-of Way,
That I Thy Ardour may repay;
And make my conftant Paffion known,
By more than Woman yet has done.
Had I a Wiſh that did not bear
The Stamp and Image of my Dear;
I'd pierce my Heart thro' ev'ry Vein,
And Die to let it out again,
:
NO VENUS fhall my Witnefs be.
(If VENUS ever lov'd like Me)
That for one Hour I wou'd not quit
My Shepherd's Arms, and this Retreat,
To be the PERSIAN Monarch's Bride,
Part'ner of all his Pow'r and Pride;
Or Rule in Regal State above,
Mother of Gods, and Wife of Jove.
Ала
£ 5
82
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
O happy theſe of human Race!
But foon, alas! our Pleaſures pafs.
He thank'd her on his bended Knee;
Then drank a Quart of Milk and Tea ;
And leaving her ador'd Embrace,
Haften'd to Court to beg a Place.
While She, his Abfence to bemoan,
The very Moment He was gone,
Call'd THYRSIS from beneath the Bed!
Where all this time he had been hid.
W
MOR A L.
HILE Men have theſe ambitious Fancies;
And wanton Wenches read Romances;
Our Sex will What? Out with it. Lye;
And Theirs in equal Strains reply.
The Moral of the Tale I fing
(A Poſy for a Wedding Ring)
In this fhort Verfe will be confin'd:
Love is a Jeſt, and Vows are Wind.
An ENGLISH PADLOCK.
M
ISS DANAE, when Fair and Young,
(AS HORACE has divinely fung)
Cou'd not be kept from Jove's Embrace
By Doors of Steel, and Walls of Brafs.
The Reaſon of the Thing is clear;
Would Jove the naked Truth aver:
CUPID was with Him of the Party;
And fhew'd himſelf fincere and hearty:
For, give i hat Whipfter but his Errand;
He takes my Lord Chief Juftice' Warrant;
Daunt-
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
83
Dauntless as Death away He walks ;
Breaks the Doors open; fnaps the Locks;
Searches the Parlour, Chamber, Study;
Nor ftops 'till He has CULPRIT's Body.
Since This has been Authentick Truth,
By Age deliver'd down to Youth;
Tell us, miſtaken Husband, tell us,
Why fo Myſterious, why fo Jealous?
Does the Reſtraint, the Bolt, the Bar
Make Us lefs Curious, Her lefs Fair?
The Spy, which does this Treaſure keep,
Does She ne'er fay her Pray'rs, nor fleep?
Does She to no Exceſs incline?
Does She fly Mufick, Mirth, and Wine?
Or have not Gold and Flatt'ry Pow'r,
To purchaſe One unguarded Hour ?
Your Care does further yet extend:
That Spy is guarded by your Friend.
But has This Friend nor Eye, nor Heart?
May he not feel the cruel Dart,
Which, foon or late, all Mortals feel?
May He not, with too tender Zeal,
Give the fair Pris'ner Cauſe to ſee,
How much He wishes, She were free?
May He not craftily infer
The Rules of Friendſhip too fevere,
Which chain Him to a hated Truft ;
Which make Him Wretched, to be Juft?
And may not She, this Darling She,
Youthful and healthy, Flesh and Blood,
Eafie with Him, ill us'd by Thee,
Allow this Logic to be good?
Sir, will your Queſtions never end ?
I trust to neither Spy nor Friend.
}
In
84
POEMS on Several Occafions.
In fhort, I keep Her from the Sight
Of ev'ry Human Face.- She'll write.
From Pen and Paper She's debarr❜d.
Has She a Bodkin and a Card?
She'll prick her Mind. She will You fay:
But how fhall She That Mind convey?
I keep Her in one Room: I lock it:
The Key (look here) is in this Pocket.
The Key-hole, is That left? Moft certain,
She'll thruft her Letter thro-Sir MARTIN.
Dear angry Friend, what muſt be done?
Is there no Way?
There is but One.
Send Her abroad; and let Her fee,
That all this mingled Mafs, which She
Being forbidden longs to know
Is a dull Farce, an empty Show,
Powder, and Pocket-Glafs, and Beau;
A Staple of Romance and Lies,
Falfe Tears, and real Perjuries:
Where Sighs and Looks are bought and fold;
And Love is made but to be told:
Where the fat Bawd, and lavish Heir
The Spoils of ruin'd Beauty ſhare :
And Youth feduc'd from Friends and Fame,
Muſt give up Age to Want and Shame.
Let Her behold the Frantick Scene,
The Women Wretched, falfe the Men:
And when, thefe certain Ills to fhun,
She would to Thy Embraces run;
Receive Her with extended Arms:
Seem more delighted with her Charms:
Wait on Her to the Park and Play :
Put on good Humour; make Her gay:
}
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
97
Difcourfing largely on this Theme,
O'er Hills and Dales Their Godſhips came;
'Till well nigh tir'd and almoft Night,
They thought it proper to alight.
Note here, that it as true as odd is,
That in Diſguiſe a God or Goddeſs
Exerts no fupernat❜ral Powers;
But acts on Maxims much like Ours.
They ſpy'd at laft a Country Farm,
Where all was fnug, and clean, and warm;
For Woods before, and Hills behind
Secur'd it both from Rain and Wind:
Large Oxen in the Fields were lowing:
Good Grain was fow'd: good Fruit was growing
Of laſt Year's Corn in Barns great Store;
Fat Turkeys gobbling at the Door:
And Wealth (in fhort) with Peace confented,
That People here fhould live contented:
But did they in Effect do fo?
Have patience, Friend, and Thou shalt know;
The honeſt Farmer and his Wife,
Two Years declin'd from Prime of Life,
Had ftruggled with the Marriage Nooſe ;
Apalmoſt ev'ry Couple does:-
Sometimes, my Plague! fometimes, My Darling!
Kiffing to Day, to Morrow fnarling;
Jointly fubmitting to endure.
That Evil, which admits no Cure,
✔
Our Gods the outward Gate unbarr'd:
Our Farmer met 'em in the Yard;
Thought they were folks that loft their Way;
And ask’d them civilly to Aay:
Told 'em, for Supper, or for Bed
They might go on, and be worfe fped.
F
Y.
མ་
So
98
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
So faid, fo done: the Gods confent:
All three into the Parlour went :
They compliment: They fit; They chat;
Fight o'er the Wars; reform the State;
A thouſand knotty Points they clear,
"Till Supper and my Wife appear.
Jove made his Leg, and kifs'd the Dame:
Obfequious HERMES did the fame.
Jove kifs'd the Farmer's Wife, You fay.
He did—but in an honeſt Way:
Oh! not with half that Warmth and Life,
With which he kiss'd AMPHITRYON's Wife.
Well then, Things handfomely were ferv'd:
My Miſtreſs for the Strangers carv❜d.
How ftrong the Beer, how good the Meat,
How loud They laugh'd, how much They eat,
In Epic ſumptuous wou'd appear;
Yet fhall be paſs'd in Silence here:
For I ſhould grieve to have it faid,
That by a fine Deſcription led,
I made my Epifode too long,
Or tir'd my Friend, to grace my Song.
The Grace-Cup ferv'd the Cloath away,
Jove thought it time to fhew his Play:
Landlord and Landlady, He cry'd,
Folly and Jefting laid afide,
That ye thus hofpitably live,
And Strangers with good Chear receive,
Is mighty grateful to your Betters,
And makes e'en Gods themselves your Debtors.
To give this Thefis plainer Proof,
You have to Night beneath your Roof
A Pair of Gods: (nay never wonder)
This Youth can Fly, and I can Thunder.
1
}
I'm
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
99
I'm JUPITER, and He MERCURIUS,
My Page, my Son indeed, but fpurious.
Form then Three Wishes, You and Madam:
And fure, as You already had 'em,
The Things defir'd in half an Hour
Shall all be here, and in your Pow'r.
Thank Ye, great Gods, the Woman fays:
Oh! may your Altars ever blaze.
A Ladle for our Silver Diſh
Is what I want, is what I wiſh.
#
A Ladle! cries the Man, a Ladle!
'Odzooks, CORSICA, You have pray'd ill;
What ſhould be Great, You turn to Farce;
I wiſh the Ladle in your A
With equal Grief and Shame my Mufe,
The Sequel of the Tale purfues;
The Ladle fell into the Room,
And ftuck in old CORSICA's Bum.
Our Couple weep Two Wishes paſt,
And kindly join to form the laft.
To eaſe the Woman's aukward Pain,
And get the Ladle out again.
T
MORA L
HIS Commoner has Worth and Parts,
Is prais'd for Arms, or lov'd for Arts:
His Head achs for a Coronet :
And who is blefs'd that is not Great?
Some Senfe, and more Eftate, kind Heav'n
To this well-lotted Peer has given :
What then? He must have Rule and Sway:
And all is wrong, 'till He's in Play.
The Mifer muſt make up his Plumb,
And dares not touch the hoarded Suin;
F 2
!
The
-
100
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
The fickly Dotard wants a Wife,
To draw off his laft Dregs of Life.
Againſt our Peace We arm our Will:
Amidſt our Plenty, Something fill
For Horfes, Houſes, Pictures, Planting,
To Thee, to Me, to Him is wanting.
The cruel Something unpoffefs'd
Corrodes, and leavens all the reſt.
That Something, if we could obtain,
Would foon create a future Pain:
And to the Coffin, from the Cradle,
'Tis all a WISH, and all a LADLE.
1
Written at PARIS. 1700. In the Begin
ning of ROBE's GEOGRAPHY.
F All that WILLIAM Rules, or ROBE
Defcribes, Great RHEA, of Thy Globe;
When or on Poft-Horſe, or in Chaiſe,
With much Expence, and little Eaſe,
My deſtin❜d Miles I fhall have gone,
BY THAMES OF MAESE, by Po or RHONE,
And found no Foot of Earth my own;
GREAT MOTHER, let Me Once be able
To have a Garden, Houfe, and Stable;
That I may Read, and Ride, and Plant,
Superior to Defire, or Want;
And as Health fails, and Years increaſe,
Sit down, and think, and die in Peace.
Oblige Thy Fav'rite Undertakers
To throw Me in but Twenty Acres:
This Number fure They may allow :
For Pafture Ten, and Ten for Plow;
}
'Tis
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
101
'Tis all that I would Wish, or Hope,
For Me and JOHN, and NELL, and CROP.
Then, as Thou wilt, difpofe the reſt
(And let not FORTUNE ſpoil the Jeſt)
To Thofe, who at the Market-Rate
Can barter Honour for Eftate.
Now if Thou grant'it Me my Requeſt,
To make Thy Vot'ry truly bleft,
Let curſt Revenge, and faucy Pride
To fome bleak Rock far off be ty'd;
Nor e'er approach my Rural Seat,
To tempt Me to be Bafe and Great.
And, GODDESs, This kind Office done,
Charge VENUS to command her Son,
(Where-ever elfe She lets him rove)
To fhun my Houſe, and Field, and Grove:
Peace cannot dwell with Hate or Love.
Hear, gracious RHEA, what I ſay :
And Thy Petitioner ſhall Pray.
}
Written in the Beginning of MEZERAY'S
Hiſtory of FRANCE.
W
1.
HATE'ER thy Countrymen have done
By Law and Wit, by Sword and Gan,
In Thee is faithfully recited:
And all the Living World, that View
Thy Work, give Thee the Praifes due,
At once Inftructed and Delighted.
II.
Yet for the Fame of all thefe Deeds,
What Beggar in the Invalides,
F 3
With
102
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
With Lameness broke, with Blindneſs fmitten,
Wish'd ever decently to die,
To have been either MEZERAY,
Or any Monarch he has written?
III.
It ſtrange, dear Author, yet it true is,
That down from PHARAMOND to Louis,
All covet Life, yet call it Pain:
And feel the Ill, yet fhun the Cure :
Can Senfe this Paradox endure?
Refolve me, CAMBRAY, or FONTAINE,
IV.
The Man in graver Tragick known
(Tho' his beſt Part long fince was done)
Still on the Stage defires to tarry:
And He who play'd the Harlequin,
After the Jeft ftill loads the Scene
Unwilling to retire, tho' Weary,
Written in the Nouveaux Interefts des
PRINCES de l'EUROPE.
LEST be the Princes, who have fought
BLE
For Pompous Names, or wide Dominion;
Since by Their Error We are taught,
That Happineſs is but Opinion.
ADRIANI MORIENTIS ad Animam
A
Suam.
NIMULA, vagula, blandula,
Hofpes, Comefque Corporis,
Quæ nunc abibis in loca,
Pallidula, rigida, nudula?
Nec, ut foles, dabis joca.
By
POEMS on Several Occafions.
103
By Monfieur FONTENELLE.
A petite Ame, ma Mignonne,
M+
Mieten vasdong, mal Fille,
Tu t'en vas donc, ma Fille, & Dieu fçaçhe où Tu vas
Tu pars feulette, nuë, & tremblotante, Helas!
Que divendra ton humeur folichonne ?
Que deviendront tant de jolis ébats ?
Po
IMITATE D.
OOR little, pretty, flutt'ring Thing,
Muſt we no longer live together?
And doft thou prune thy trembling Wing;
To take thy Flight Thou know'ft not whither ?
Thy humorous Vein, thy pleafing Folly
Lies all neglected, all forgot:
And penfive, wav'ring, melancholy,
Thou dread'ft and hop'ft Thou know'ft not what.
A paffage in the MORIE ENCOMIUM
of ERASMUS Imitated.
I
N awful pomp, and Melancholy State,
See fettled REASON on the Judgment Seat;
Around Her croud DISTRUST, and DOUBT, and FEAR,
And thoughtful FORESIGHT, and tormenting CARE:
Far from the Throne, the trembling PLEASURES ftand,
Chain'd up, or Exil'd by Her ſtern Command.
Wretched her Subjects, gloomy fits the Queen;
'Till happy CHANCE reverts the cruel Scene:
And Apish FOLLY with her wild Reſort
Of Wit and Jeft diſturbs the folemn Court.
F 4
See
104
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
See the fantaſtic Minftrelfy advance,
To breathe the Song, and animate the Dance.
Bleft the Ufurper! happy the Surprize!
Her Mimic Poſtures catch our eager Eyes :
Her jingling Bells affect our captive Ear:
And in the Sights We fee, and Sounds we hear,
Againſt our Judgment She our Senfe employs:
The Laws of troubl'd REASON She deftroys:
And in their Place rejoices to indite
Wild Schemes of Mirth, and Plans of looſe Delight.
To Dr. SHERLOCK, on his PRACTICAL
DISCOURSE Concerning DEATH.
F
ORGIVE the Mufe, who in unhallow'd Strains
The Saint one Moment from his GOD detains :
For fure, whate'er You do, where e'er You are,
'Tis all but one good Work, one conftant Pray'r:
Forgive Her; and intreat That GOD, to whom
Thy favour'd Vows with kind Acceptance come,
To raiſe her Notes to that fublime Degree,
Which fuits a Song of Piety and Thee.
Wond'rous good Man! whoſe Labours may repel
The Force of Sin, may ftop the Rage of Hell:
Thou, like the BAPTIST, from thy GOD was fent
The crying Voice, to bid the World repent.
The YOUTH fhall ſtudy, and no more engage
Their flatt'ring Wiſhes for uncertain AGE;
No more with fruitlefs Care, and cheated Strife;
Chafe fleeting Pleaſure thro' this Maze of Life;
Finding the wretched All They here can have,
But prefent Food, and but a future Grave:
T
Each.
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
105
Each, great as PHILIP's Victor Son, fhall view,
This abject World, and weeping, ask a New.
Decrepit AGE fhall read Thee, and confefs,
Thy Labours can affwage, where Med'cines ceaſe:
Shall bleſs thy Words, their Wounded Soul's Relief,
The Drops that ſweeten their laſt Dregs of Life:
Shall look to Heav'n, and laugh at all beneath :
Own Riches gather'd, Trouble; Fame a Breath;
And LIFE an Ill, whofe only Cure is DEATH.
Thy even 1 houghts with fo much Plainnefs flow,
Their Senfe untutor'd INFANCY may know:
Yet to fuch height is all that Plainnefs wrought;
Wir may admire, and letter'd PRIDE be taught:
Eafie in Words, thy Style in Senſe ſublime :
On it's bleft Steps each Age and Sex may rife;
'Tis like the Ladder in the PATRIARCH'S Dream,
It's Foot on Earth, it's Height above the Skies,
Diffus'd it's Virtue, boundleſs is it's Pow'r:
'Tis publick Health, and univerſal Cure:
Of Heav'nly MANNA 'tis a fecond Feaſt,
A Nation's Food, and All to ev'ry Taſte.
}
To it's laft Height mad BRITAIN's Guilt was rear'd
And various DEATH for various Crimes fhe fear'd.
With your kind Work her drooping Hopes revive:
You bid Her read, repent, adore, and live:
You wreft the Bolt from Heav'ns avenging Hand;
Stop ready DEATH, and fave a finking Land.
O! fave Us till: ftill blefs Us with thy Stay:
O! want thy Heav'n, 'till we have learnt the Way:
Refufe to leave thy deftin'd Charge too foon:
And for the Church's Good, defer thy own.
O! live; and let thy Works urge our Belief,
Live to explain thy Doctrine by thy Life;
F 5
"Till
106
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
"Till future INFANCY, baptiz'd by Thee,
Grow ripe in Years, and old in Piety;
'Till CHRISTIANS, yet unborn. be taught to die.
Then in full Age, and hoary Holinefs
Retire, great Teacher to thy promis'd Bliſs :
Untouch'd thy Tomb, uninjur'd be thy Duft,
As thy own Fame among the future Juft;
'Till in laft Sounds the dreadful Trumpet fpeaks:
'Till JUDGMENT calls; and quicken'd NATURE wakes:
'Till thro' the utmoſt Earth, and deepeſt Sea
Our ſcatter'd ATOMS find their deſtin'd Way,
In hafle to cloath their Kindred Souls again;
Perfect our State, and build immortal Man:
Then fearleſs Thou, who well fuftain'ft the Fight,
To Paths of Joy, or Tracts of endleſs Light,
Lead up all thoſe who heard Thee, and believ'd:
'Midſt thy own Flock, great Shepherd, be receiv'd;
And glad all Heav'n with Millions thou haft fav'd
}
}
CARMEN SECULARE, for the Year 1700.
To the K IN G.
Afpice, venturo lætentur ut Omnia Sæc'lo:
O mihi tam longa maneat pars ultimo vitæ
Spiritus, & quantum fat erit tua dicere falta!
Virg. Eclog. 4.
THY
I.
HY elder Look, great JANUS, caft
Into the long Records of Ages paſt:
Review the Years in faireſt Action dreſt
With noted White, fuperior to the reſt;
RAs deriv'd, and Chronicles begun
From Empires founded, and from Battles won :
Show
POEMS on several Occafions.
107
Show all the Spoils by valiant Kings atchiev'd;
And groaning Nations by Their arms reliev'd;
The Wounds of Patriots in Their Country's Cauſe,
And happy Pow'r fuftain'd by wholfome Laws:
In comely Rank call ev'ry Merit forth:
Imprint on ev'ry A&t it's Standard Worth;
The glorious Parallels then downward bring
To Modern Wonders, and to BRITAIN'S King:
With Equal Juftice and Hiftoric Care
Their Laws, Their Toils, Their Arms with his compare:
Confefs the various Attributes of Fame
Collected and compleat in WILLIAM's Name:
To all the lift'ning World relate,
(As Thou dost his Story read)
That nothing went before ſo Great,
And nothing Greater can fucceed.
II.
Thy Native LATIUM was Thy darling Care,
Prudent in Peace, and terrible in War:
The boldeſt Virtues that have govern'd Earth
From LATIUM's fruitful Womb derive their Birth.
Then turn to Her fair written Page ;
From dawning Childhood to eſtabliſh'd Age,
The Glories of Her Empire trace:
Confront the Heroes of Thy ROMAN Race:
And let the juſteſt Palm the Victor's Temples grace.
III.
The Son of MARS reduc'd the trembling Swains,
And ſpread His Empire o'er the diſtant Plains:
But yet the SABINS violated Charms
Obſcur'd the Glory of His rifing Arms.
NUMA the Rights of ſtrict Religion knew ;
On ev'ry Altar laid the Incenfe due;
}
}
Unfkill'd
108 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Unskill'd to dart the pointed Spear,
Or lead the forward Youth to noble War.
Stern BRUTUS was with too much Horror good,
Holding his Fafces ftain'd with Filial Blood.
FABIUS was Wife, but with Excefs of Care:
He fav'd his Country; but prolong'd the War,
While DECIUS, PAULUS, CURIUS, greatly Fought,
And by Their ſtrict Examples taught,
How wild Defires fhould be controul'd;
And how much brighter Virtue was, than Gold;
They ſcarce Their fwelling Thirft of Fame could hide
And boaſted Poverty with too much Pride.
Excess in Youth made SCIPIO lefs Rever'd:
And CATO dying, feem'd to own, He Fear'd..
JULIUS with Honour tam'd RoME's foreign Foes;
But Patriots fell, e'er the Dictator rofe.
And while with Clemency AUGUSTUS reign'd;
The Monarch was ador'd; the City chain'd.
IV.
With jufteft Honour be Their Merits dreſt:
But be Their Failings too confeft :
Their Virtue like their TYBER's Flood
Rolling, it's Courſe defign'd the Country's Good:
But oft the Torrent's too impetuous Speed
From the low Earth tore fome polluting Weed:
And with the Blood of Jove there always ran,
Some viler Part, fome Tincture of the Man.
V..
Few Virtues after Theſe fo far prevail,
But that Their Vices more than turn the Scale:
Valour grown wild by Pride, and Pow'r by Rage,
Did the true Charms of Majefty impair;
ROME by Degrees advancing more in Age,
Show'd fad remains of what had once been fair
;
'Till
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
109
'Till Heav'n a better Race of Men ſupplies:
And Glory fhoots new Beams from Weſtern Skies,
VI.
Turn then to PHARAMOND, and CHARLEMAIN,
And the long Heroes of the GALLICK Strain;
Experienc'd Chiefs, for hardy Prowe's known,
And bloody Wreaths in vent'rous Battles won.
From the First WILLIAM, our great NORMAN King,
The bold PLANTAGENETs, and TUDORS bring,
Illuftrious Virtues who by turns have roſe,
In Foreign Fields to check BRITANNIA'S Foes.
With happy Laws Her Empire to ſuſtain ;
And with full Power affert Her ambient Main
But fometimes too induftrious to be Great,
Nor Patient to expect the Turns of Fate,
They open'd Camps deform'd by Civil Fight:
And made proud Conqueft trample over Right;
Difparted BRITAIN mourn'd Their doubtful Sway
And dreaded Both, when Neither wou'd obey.
VII.
From DIDIER and imperial ADOLPH trace,
The Glorious offspring of the NASSAU Race,
Devoted Lives to Publick Liberty;
The Chief ftill dying or the Country free.
Then fee the Kindred Blood of ORANGE flow,
From warlike CORNET, thro' the Loins of BEAU;
Thro' CHALON next, and there with NASSAU join,
From RHONE's fair Banks tranfplanted to the RHINE.
Bring next the Royal Lift of STUARTS forth,
Undaunted Minds, that rul'd the rugged North;
'Till Heav'ns Decrees by rip'ning Times are ſhown;
'Till SCOTLAND's Kings afcend the ENGLISH Throne;
And the fair Rivals live for ever One.
VIII. JANUS,
:
}
110 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
JANUS, mighty Deity,
VIII.
Be kind; and as Thy fearching Eye
Does our Modern Story trace
Finding fome of STUART's Race
Unhappy, pafs Their Annals by:
No harth Reflection let Remembrance raiſe :
Forbear to mention what Thou canst not praiſe :
But as Thou dwell'ft upon that Heav'nly * Name,
To Grief for ever Sacred, as to Fame,
Oh! read it to thy felf; in Silence weep;
And Thy convulfive Sorrows inward keep;
Left BRITAIN'S Grief fhou'd waken at the Sound;
And Blood gufh fresh from Her eternal Wound.
IX.
Whither would'ſt Thou further look?
Read WILLIAM's Acts, aud cloſe the ample Book:
Perufe the Wonders of His dawning Life:
How, like ALCIDES, He began;
With Infant Patience calm'd Seditious Strife,
And quell'd the Snakes which round his Cradle ran.
X.
Defcribe His Youth, attentive to Alarms,
By Dangers form'd, and perfected in Arms:
Igrac'd;
When Conqu'ring, mild; when Conquer'd, not dif
By Wrongs not leffen'd nor by Triumphs rais'd:
Superior to the blind Events
Of little Human Accidents;
And conftant to his firft Decree,
To curb the Proud, to ſet the Injur❜d free ; [Knee.
To bow the haughty Neck, and raiſe the fuppliant
XI.
His opening Years to riper Manhood bring;
And fee the Heroe perfect in the King:
*MARY.
Impe
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
IIL
Imperious Arms by Manly Reafon fway'd,
And Power Supreme by free Confent obey'd,
With how much Hafte His Mercy meets his Foes:
And how unbounded His Forgiveneſs flows;
With what Defire He makes His Subjects bleſs'd,
His Favours granted ere his Throne addreſs'd:
What Trophies o'er our captiv'd Hearts he rears,
By Arts of Peace more potent, than by Wars:
How o'er Himſelf, as o'er the World, He Reigns,
His Morals ftrength'ning, what His Law ordains.
XII.
Thro' all His Thread of Life already spun,
Becoming Grace and proper Action run:
The Piece by VIRTUE's equal Hand is wrought,
Mixt with no Crime, and ſhaded with no Fault;
No Footſteps of the Victor's Rage
Left in the Camp where WILLIAM did engage:
No Tincture of the Monarch's Pride
Upon the Royal Purple ſpy'd:
His Fame, like Gold, the more 'tis try'd
The more ſhall it's intrinſick Worth proclaim;
Shall pass the Combat of the fearching Flame,
And triumph o'er the vanquish'd Heat,
For ever coming out the fame,
And lofing nor it's Luftre nor it's Weight.
XIII.
JANUS, be to WILLIAM juft ;
To faithful HISTORY His Actions truft:
Command Her, with peculiar Care
To trace each Toil, and comment ev'ry War:
His faving Wonders bid Her write
In Characters diftinctly bright;
That each revolving Age may read
The Patriot's Piety, the Hero's Deed:
}
And
112
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
And ftill the Sire inculcate to his Son
Tranfmiffive Leffons of the King's Renown;
That WILLIAM's Glory ftill may live;
When all that prefent Art can give,
The Pillar'd Marble, and the Tablet Brafs
Mould'ring, drop the Victor's Praiſe:
When the great Monuments of his Pow'r
Shall now be vifible no more:
When SAMBRE fhall have chang'd her winding Flood;
And Children ask, where NAMUR ftood.
XIV.
NAMUR, proud City, how her Tow'rs were arm'd!
How She contemn'd the approaching Foe!
'Till She by WILLIAM's Trumpets was alarm'd,
And ſhook, and funk, and fell beneath his Blow,
JOVE and PALLAS, mighty Pow'rs,
Guided the Hero to the hoftile Tow'rs.
PERSEUS feem'd lefs fwift in War,
When, wing'd with Speed, he flew thro' Air.
Embattel'd Nations ftrive in vain
The Hero's Glory to reſtrain :
Streams arm'd with Rocks, and Mountains red with Fire
In vain againſt His Force confpire.
Behold Him from the dreadful Height appear!
And lo! BRITANNIA's Lions waving there.
XV.
EUROPE freed, and FRANCE repell'd
The Hero from the Height beheld: r
He fpake the Word, that War and Rage fhou'd ceafe:
He bid the MAESE and RHINE in Safety flow;
And dictated a lafting Peace
To the rejoicing World below.
To refcu'd States, and vindicated Crowns
His equal Hand prefcrib'd their ancient Bounds;
Ordain'd,
1
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
113
Ordain'd, whom ev'ry Province ſhould obey;
How far each Monarch fhould extend His Sway:
Taught 'em how Clemency made Pow'r rever'd;
And that the Prince Belov'd was truly Fear'd.
Firm by His Side unspotted HONOUR ftood,
Pleas'd to confefs Him not fo Great as Good;
His Head with brighter Beams fair VIRTUE deck't,
Than Thoſe which all His num'rous Crowns reflect:
Eſtabliſh'd FREEDOM clap'd her joyful Wings;
Proclaim'd the Firſt of Men, and beſt of Kings.
XVI.
Whither would the Muſe aſpire
With PINDAR's Rage, without his Fire?
Pardon me, JANUS, 'twas a Fault,
Created by too great a Thought:
Mindless of the God and Day,
I from thy Altars, JANUS, ftray,
From Thee, and from My felf born'far away.
The fiery PEGASUS difdains
To mind the Rider's Voice, or hear the Reins:
When glorious Fields and opening Camps he views;
He runs with an unbounded Loofe:
Hardly the Mufe can fit the headstrong Horſe;
}
Nor would She, if She could, check his impetuous Force;
With the glad Noiſe the Cliffs and Vallies ring;
While She thro' Earth and Air purſues the King.
XVII.
She now beholds him on the BELGIC Shore;
Whilft BRITAIN's Tears his ready Help implore,
Diffembling for Her Sake his rifing Cares,
And with wife Silence pond'ring vengeful Wars,
She thro' the raging Ocean now
Views him advancing his aufpicious Prow;
Combating adverſe Winds and Winter Seas,
Sighing the Moments that defer Our Eafe;
Daring
114
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Daring to weild the Scepter's dang'rous Weight,
And taking the Command, to fave the State;
Tho' ere the doubtful Gift can be fecur'd,
New Wars must be fuftain'd, new Wounds endur’d.
XVIII.
Thro' rough IERNE's Camps, She founds Alarms,
And Kingdoms yet to be redeem'd by Arms;
In the dark Marfhes finds her glorious Theme;
And plunges after Him thro' BoYN's fierce Stream.
She bids the NEREIDS run with trembling Hafte,
To tell old OCEAN how the Hero paſt..
The God rebukes their Fear, and owns the Praiſe
Worthy that Arm, Whofe Empire He obeys.
XIX.
Back to His ALBIAN She delights to bring
The humbleſt Victor, and the kindeſt King.
ALBION with open Triumph would receive
Her Hero, nor obtains His Leave;
Firm He rejects the Altars She wou'd raiſe;
And thanks the Zeal, while he declines the Praiſe.
Again She follows Him thro' BBLGIA's Land,
And Countries often fav'd by WILLIAM's Hand;
Hears joyful Nations bleſs thoſe happy Toils.
Which freed the People but return'd the Spoils.
In various Views She tries her conftant Theme;
Finds Him in Councils, and in Arms the fame :
When certain to o'ercome, inclin'd to fave,
Tardy to Vengeance, and with Mercy, Brave.
XX,
Sudden another Scene employs her Sight;
She fets her Hero in another Light:
Paints His great Mind Superior to Succefs,
Declining Conqueft, to eſtabliſh Peace;
She
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 115
w¢****h¢A
She brings ASTREA down to Earth again,
And Quiet, brooding o'er His future Reign.
XXI.
Then with unweary Wing the Goddess foars
Eaft, over DANUBE and FROPONTIS' Shoars;
Where jarring Empires ready to engage,
Retard their Armies, and fufpend their Rage;
'Till WILLIAM's Word, like That of Fate, declares;
If they ſhall ſtudy Peace, or lengthen Wars.
How facred His Renown for equal Laws,
To whom the World defers it's Common Cauſe!
How fair His Friendſhips, and His Leagues how juft,
Whom ev'ry Nation courts, Whom all Religions truft!
XXII.
From the MAOTIS to the Northern Sea,
The Goddeſs wings her defp'rate Way;
Sees the young MUSCOVITE, the mighty Head,
Whoſe Sov'reign Terror forty Nations dread,
Inamour'd with a greater Monarch's Praiſe,
And paffing half the Earth to His Embrace:
She in His Rule beholds His VOLGA's Force,
O'er Precipices with impetuous Sway
Breaking, and as He rowls his rapid Courſe,
Drowning, or bearing down, whatever meets his Way.
But her own King She likens to his THAMES,
With gentle Courſe devolving fruitful Streams:
Serene yet Strong, Majeſtick yet Sedate,
Swift without Violence, without Terror Great.
Each ardent Nymph the rifing Current craves :
Each Shepherd's Pray'r retards the the parting Waves :
The Vale along the Bank their Sweets difclofe :
Freſh Flow'rs for ever rife: and fruitful Harveſt grows.
XXIII. Yet
116
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
XXIII,
Yet whither wou'd th' adventurous Goddeſs go?
Sees She not Clouds, and Earth, and Main below?
Minds She the Dangers of the LYCIAN Coaft,
And Fields, where mad BELLEROPHON was loft?
Or is Her tow'ring Flight reclaim'd,
By Seas from ICARUS's Downfal nam'd?
Vain is the Call, and uſeleſs the Advice:
To wife Perfuafion Deaf, and human Cries,
Yet upward She inceffant flies;
Refolv'd to reach the high Empyrean Sphere,
And tell Great Jove, She fings His Image_here;
To ask for WILLIAM an Olympic Crown,
TO CHROMIUS' Strength, and THERON's Speed unknown:
'Till loft in tracklefs Fields of fhining Day,
Unable to diſcern the Way,
Which NASSAU's Virtue only could explore,
Untouch'd, unknown, to any Mufe before,
She, from the noble Precipices thrown,
Comes rufhing with uncommon Ruin down.
Glorious Attempt! Unhappy Fate !
The Song too daring, and the Theme too great !
Yer rather thus She wills to die,
Than in continu'd Annals live, to fing
A fecond Heroe, or a Vulgar King;
And with ignoble Safety fly
In Sight of Earth, along a middle Sky.
XXIV.
To JANUS'-Altars, and the numerous Throng,
That round his myftic Temple prefs,
For WILLIAM's Life, and ALBION's Peace,
Ambitious Mufe reduce the roving Song.
JANUS, caft thy forward Eye
Future, into great RHEA's pregnant Womb;
Where
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
117
Where young Ideas brooding lie,
And tender Images of Things to come:
'Till by Thy high Commands releas'd;
'Till by Thy Hand in proper Atoms dreſs'd,
In decent Order They advance to Light;
Yet then too ſwiftly fleet by human Sight;
And meditate too foon their everlaſting Flight.
XXV.
Nor Beaks of Ships in Naval Triumph born
Nor Standards from the hoftile Ramparts torn,
No Trophies brought from Battles won,
Nor Oaken Wreath, nor Mural Crown
Can any future Honours give,
To the Victorious Monarch's Name:
The Plenitude of WILLIAM's Fame
Can no accumulated Stores receive.
Shut then, auſpicious God, Thy Sacred Gate,
And make Us Happy, as our King is Great.
Be kind, and with a milder Hand,
Clofing the Volume of the finish'd Age,
(Tho' Noble, 'twas an Iron Page)
A more delightful Leaf expand,
Free from Alarms, and fierce BELLONA's Rage:
Bid the great Months begin their joyful Round,
By FLORA fome, and fome by CERES Crown'd;
Teach the glad Hours to ſcatter, as they fly,
Soft Quiet, gentle Love, and endleſs Joy:
Lead forth the Years for Peace and Plenty fam'd,
From SATURN's Rule, and better Metal nam'd.
XXVI.
Secure by WILLIAM's Care let BRITAIN ftand;
Nor dread the bold Invader's Hand:
From
118
POEMS on several Occafions.
T
}
From adverſe Shores in Safety let Her hear
Foreign Calamity, and diftant War;
Of which let Her, great Heav'n, no Portion bear.
Betwixt the Nations let Her hold the Scale:
And as She wills, let either Part prevail :
Let her glad Vallies fmile with wavy Corn:
Let fleecy Flocks her rifing Hills adorn :
Around her Coaft let ftrong Defence be ſpread:
Let fair Abundance on her Breaft be fhed:
And Heav'nly Sweets bloom round the Goddess Head.
XXVII.
Where the white Towers and ancient Roofs did ſtand,
Remains of WOLSEY's, or great HENRY's Hand,
To Age now yielding, or devour'd by Flame;
Let a young PHENIX raife her tow'ring Head
Her Wings with lengthen'd Honour let Her fpread;
And by her Greatnefs fhew her Builder's Fame:
Auguft and Open, as the Hero's Mind,
Be her Capacious Courts defign'd:
Let ev'ry Sacred Pillar bear
Trophies of Arms, 2nd Monuments of War.
The King ſhall there in PARIAN Marble breathe,
His Shoulder bleeding freſh: and at His Feet
Difarm'd ſhall lie the threat'ning DEATH:
(For fo was faving Jove's Decree compleat.)
Behind, That Angel ſhall be plac'd, whofe Shield
Sav'd EUROPE, in the Blow repell'd :
On the firm Bafis, from his Oozy Bed;
BOYN fhall raiſe his Laurell'd Head;
And his Immortal Stream be known,
Artfully waving thro' the wounded Stone.
XXVIII.
And Thou, Imperial WINDSOR, ftand enlarg'd,
With all the Monarch's Trophies charg'd:
Thou,
POEMS on Several Occafions.
119
Thou, the fair Heav'n, that doft the Stars incloſe,
Which WILLIAM'S Bofom wears, or Hand beſtows
On the great Champions who fupport his Throne,
And Virtues nearest to His own.
كم
XXIX.
Round ORMOND's Knee, Thou ty'ft the Myftic String,
That makes the Knight Companion to the King.
From glorious Camps return'd, and foreign Fields,
Bowing before thy fainted Warrior's Shrine,
Faſt by his great Forefather's Coats, and Shields
Blazon'd from ВоHUN's, or from BUTLER'S Line,
He hangs His Arms; nor fears thofe Arms fhould fhing
With an unequal Ray; or that His Deed
With paler Glory fhould recede,
Eclips'd by Theirs, or leffen'd by the Fame
Ev'n of His own Maternal NASSAU's Name,
XXX.
Thou fmiling fee'ft great DORSET's Worth confeft,
The Ray diſtinguiſhing the Patriot's Breaſt:
Born to protect and love, to help and pleaſe;
Sov'reign of Wit, and Ornament of Peace,
O! long as Breath informs this fleeting Frame,
Ne'er let me pafs in Silence DORSET's Name;
Ne'er ceafe to mention the continu'd Debt,
Which the great Patron only would forget,
And Duty, long as Life, muſt ſtudy to acquit.
XXXI.
Renown'd in Thy Records fhall CA'N DISH ftand,
Afferting Legal Pow'r, and juft Command:
To the great Houfe thy Favour ſhall be ſhown,
The Father's Star tranfmiffive to the Son.
From Thee the TALBOT's and the SEYMOUR's Race
Inform'd, Their Sire's immortal Steps fhall trace:
}
Happy
}
120
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
f:
Happy may their Sons receive
The bright Reward, which Thou alone canft give.
XXXII
And if a God thefe lucky Numbers guide;
If fure APOLLO o'er the Verfe prefide;
JERSEY, belov'd by all (For all muft feel
The Influence of a Form and Mind,
Where comely Grace and conftant Virtue dwell,
Like mingl❜d Streams, more forcible when join'd)
ERSEY ſhall at Thy Altars ftand;
Shall there receive the Azure Band,
That fairest Mark of Favour and of Fame,
Familiar to the VILLIER's Name.
XXXIII.
Science to raiſe, and Knowledge to enlarge,
Be our great Maſter's future Charge;
To write His own Memoirs, and leave His Heirs
High Schemes of Government, and Plans of Wars;
By fair Rewards our Noble Youth to raiſe
To emulous Merit, and to Thirſt of Praiſe;
To lead Them out from Eafe ere opening Dawn,
Through the thick Foreft and the diftant Lawn,
Where the fleet Stag employs their ardent Care ;
And Chafes give them Images of War.
To teach Them Vigilance by falfe Alarms;
Inure Them in feign'd Camps to real Arms;
Practiſe Them now to curb the turning Steed,
Mocking the Foe; now to his rapid Speed
To give the Rein, and in the full Career,
To draw the certain Sword, or fend the pointed Spear,
XXXIV.
Let Him unite His Subjects Hearts,
Planting Societies for peaceful Arts;
Some
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
121
Some that in Nature ſhall true Knowledge found;
And by Experiment make Precept found;
Some that to Morals fhall recall the Age,
And purge from vitious Drofs the finking Stage;
Some that with Care true Eloquence fhall teach,
And to juſt Idioms fix our doubtful Speech:
That from our Writers diftant Realms may know
The Thanks We to our Monarch owe;
And Schools profeſs our Tongue through ev'ry Land,
That has invok'd His Aid, or bleft His Hand.
XXXV.
Let His high Pow'r the drooping Muses rear,
The MUSES Only can reward His Care:
'Tis They that give the great ATRIDES Spoils :
'Tis They that ftill renew ULYSSES' Toils:
To Them by fmiling Jove 'twas giv'n, to fave
Diftinguiſh'd Patriots from the Common Grave;
To them, Great WILLIAM's Glory to recall,
When Statues moulder, and when Arches fall.
Nor let the MUSES, with ungrateful Pride,
The Sources of their Treaſure hide :
The Heroe's Virtue does the String inſpire,
When with big Joy They ftrike the living Lyre:
On WILLIAM'S Fame their Fate depends:
With Him the Song begins: with Him it ends.
From this bright Effluence of His Deed
They borrow that reflected Light,
With which the lafting Lamp they feed,
Whoſe Beams difpel the Damps of envious Night.
XXXVI.
Through various Climes, and to each difant Pole
In happy Tides let active Commence roll:
Let BRITAIN'S Ships export an Annual Fleece,
Richer than ARGOs brought to ancient GREECE:
G
Returning
:
122
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Returning loaden with the fhining Stores,
Which lie profufe on either INDIA's Shores.
As our high Veffels pafs their watʼry Way,
Let all the Naval World due Homage pay;
With hafty Reverence their Top-Honours lower,
Confeffing the afferted Power,
To Whom by Fate 'twas given, with happy Sway
To calm the Earth, and vindicate the Sea.
XXXVII.
Our Pray'rs are heard, our Maſters' Fleets fhall go
As far as Winds can bear, or Waters flow,
New Lands to make, new INDIES to explore,
In Worlds unknown to plant BRITANNIA's Pow'r;
Nations yet wild by Precept to reclaim,
And teach 'em Arms, and Arts, in WILLIAM's Name.
XXXVIII.
With humble Joy, and with reſpectful Fear
The list'ning People fhall His Story hear,
The Wounds He bore, the Dangers He fuftain'd,
How far He Conquer'd, and how well He Reign'd;
Shall own His Mercy equal to His Fame,
And form their Children's Accents to His Name,
Enquiring how, and when from Heav'n He came.
Their Regal Tyrants fhall with Bluſhes hide
Their little Lufts of Arbitrary Pride,
Nor bear to ſee their Vaſſals ty'd:
When WILLIAM's Virtues raife their opening Thought,
His forty Years for Publick Freedom fought,
EUROPE by His Hand fuftain'd,
His Conqueft by His Piety reftrain'd
And o'er Himfelf the laft great Triumph gain'd.
XXXIX.
No longer fhall their wretched Zeal adore
Ideas of deſtructive Power,
Spirits that hurt, and Godheads that devour:
}
}
New
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
123
New Incenſe They ſhall bring, new Altars raife,
And fill their Temples with a Stranger's Praiſe;
When the Great Father's Character They find
Viſibly ſtampt upon the Heroe's Mind;
And own a preſent Deity confeft,
In Valour that preferv'd, and Power that bleſs'd.
XL.
Through the large Convex of the Azure Sky
(For thither Nature cafts our common Eye)
Fierce Meteors ſhoot their arbitrary Light;
And Comets march with lawleſs Horror bright:
Thoſe hear no Rule, no righteous Order own;
Their Influence dreaded as their Ways unknown:
'Thro' threaten'd Lands They wild Deſtruction throw,
'Till ardent Prayer averts the Publick Woe:
But the bright Orb that bleffes all above,
The facred Fire, the real Son of Jove,
Rules not His Actions by Capricious Will;
Nor by ungovern'd Power declines to Ill:
Fix'd by juft Laws He goes for ever right:
Man knows his Courſe, and thence adores His Light.
XLI.
O JANUS! would intreated Fate confpire
To grant what BRITAIN'S Wiſhes could require;
Above, That Sun fhould ceaſe his Way to go,
Ere WILLIAM cease to rule, and bleſs below:
But a relentleſs Deſtiny
Urges all that e'er was born:
Snatch'd from herArms, BRITTANNIA once muſt mourn
The Demi-God: The Earthly Half muft die.
Yet if our Incenſe can Your Wrath remove;
If human Prayers avail on Minds above;
Exert, great God, Thy Int'reft in the Sky;
Gain each kind Pow'r, each Guardian Diety,
G 2
That
124
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
:
That conquer'd by the publick Vow,
They bear the diſmal Miſchief far away:
O! long as utmoſt Nature may allow,
Let Them retard the threaten'd Day;
Still be our Maſter's Life Thy happy Care:
Still let His Bleffings with His Years increaſe:
To His laborious Youth confum'd in War,
Add lafting Age, adorn'd and crown'd with Peace:
Let twiſted Olive bind thofe Laurels faft,
Whoſe Verdure muft for ever laſt.
XLII.
Long let this growing ERA blefs His Sway:
And let our Sons His preſent Rule obey:
On his fure Virtue long let Earth rely :
And late let the Imperial Eagle fly,
To bear the Heroe thro' His Father's Sky,
TO LEDA'S Twins, or He whofe glorious Speed,
On Foot prevail'd, or He who tam'd the Steed;
TO HERCULES, at length abfolv'd by Fate
From Earthly Toil, and above Envy great;
TO VIRGIL'S Theme, bright CYTHEREA's Son,
Sire of the LATIAN, and the BRITISH Throne:
To all the radiant Names above,
Rever'd by Men, and dear to Jove.
Late, JANUS, let the NASSAU-Star
New-born, in rifing Majefty appear,
To triumph over vanquish'd Night,
And guide the profp'rous Mariner
With everlafting Beams of friendly Light.
}
CAR-
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions. 125
CARMEN SECULARE, Latinè redditum
Per THO. DIBBEN, è Trin: Coll: Cant.
Ego Dís amicum,
Seculo feftas referente Luces,
Reddidi Carmen
JANE
Hor.
ANE Bifrons, prifcos à tergo refpice lapfi
Annales ævi, felicefque ordine longo
Evolvas Faftos, quos cætera Tempora fupra
Confpicuos Albo, fec'lis Monumenta futuris
Urbes fundatæ, & parti pofuêre Triumphi.
Aggredere infignes fpoliis, lauroque decoros
Enumerare Duces, quos nobilis ira gementem
Impulit ulcifci populum; qui facra cruore
Jura Patrum fanxêre fuo; fceptrifve potiti
Miferunt lætum placidis fub legibus Orbem.
Agmine prepetuo Series ornata Laborum
Procedat; fuus omnis Honos, fua debita quemque
Laus infcripta notet: tum Noftra ad Tempora cafus
Infignes ducas, Famamque & Fata Parentum
Mirac'lis oppone Novis, Regique BRITANNO.
Dumque fide, curaque pari per fingula curris ;
Dum varios recolis populos, variofque labores
Et ftudia, & leges, pugnataque prælia feris
Temporibus mandas; Tute ipfe fatebere, JANE,
Omnium in AURIACO cumulari Nomine famam :
Et dices Orbi attonito; nil Secula Tale
Prima tulêre Hominum, nil Majus poftera reddent.
Vertice fublimi furgat, tua Maxima cura,
Bello & Pace potens LATIUM: Fortiffima corda,
Egregios rerum Dominos dabat ITALA tellus,
Felix prole virûm; fœcundam hanc afpice Gentem,
G 3
ROMA-
126
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
ROMAMOSQUE tuos; huc vertere, & altiùs omnem
Nafcentis primâ repetens ab Origine Regni
Expedias famam; pulchro in certamine Pubem
Oppone AUSONIAM ; & cedat fua Palma merenti.
Si potuit ferro LATII turbare Colonos,
Palantes MAVORTE fatus, fi ruftica latè
Regna domare armis; raptæ fine more SABINE,
Surgenti famæ, cœptifque ingentibus obftant.
Sacra Deûm, fan&tafque Aras, & Templa tueri
Cura NUMAM fubiit: fed frigida Dextera bello,
Non haitam torquere fciens, enfemque rotare
Fulmineum, juvenumque manus armare frementûm.
Confiliis, efto, FABII Romana vigebant
Arma: at res omnes gelidè tardéque miniftrans,
Dilator nimiùm Sapiens ingrata trahebat
Bella. Quid immani Patrem pietate cruentum
Ultorem BRUTUM referam, fortefque fub armis
MILIUM, DECIUM, CURIUM? Tot magna Animorum
Nos Exempla monent, quâ poffit lege Libido
Frænari, & quantum cedat virtutibus Aurum :
Hos quoque fed nimiùm gaudens popularibus auris,
Hos rapit Ambitio, tumidoque Superbia faſtu
Oftentans humilefque cafas, parvofque Penates.
Sit quanquam Illuftris, primos Inglorius annos
Scipiades egit: nec Mens invicta Catonis,
Semper erat, tunc faffa metum, vel viſa fateri,
Cùm ceffit Fato, & lucem indignata refugit.
JULIUS Externos fruftr domat, omnia RoмÆ
Subjiciens, ROMAMQUE Sibi; Surgitque triumphans
Afflictos Cives fuper, oppreffumque Senatum.
Imperium lene AUGUSTUS, Patriamque fuba&tam
Mollia vinc❜la pati jutfit: fed vincula paſſa eſt,
Purpureum cultu infolito venerata Tyrannum.
Fas
POEMS on everal Occafions.
127
Fas Veterum laudes juftis celebrare Triumphis:
Fas etiam errores, atque omnia ferre fub auras.
Stare loco impatiens magnâ fefe impete verfat
Vivida vis animi, Patrii ceu TYBRIDIS unda,
Cui nunc lene Aluens rigat agros dulcis aquæ fons ;
Vortice nunc rapido volvit fe turbidus Amnis;
Et limo caftas obfcoeno polluit Undas:
Diis quanquam Geniti, atque invicti viribus effent,
Mortalem infecto faffi funt Sanguine Matrem.
Decolor ex illo vitiis dominantibus
tas
Degenerare aufa eft: rumpit vinc'la omnia Miles
Acer, acerba fremens; Majeftatemque verendain
Effrænis violat rabies: jam Segnior annis
Deficit illa olim rerum pulcherrima Roma;
Heu! Vix agnofces veteris Veftigia Formæ :
Donec gens Divûm, nati venientibus annis,
Heroum novus Ordo datur, nova Lumina Surgunt;
HESPERIOQUE Dies melior procedit Olympo.
Afpice ut infignis Spoliis PHARAMONDUS opimis
Ingreditur, MAGNUSQUE Aquilis qui Lilia junxit,
CAROLUS; inde Alii, quos GALLICA terra Triumphis
Dives alit, genus acre Virûm, fpectataque bello
Pectora. Sed major nunc rerum apparet Imago:
Sanguineæ en! Lauri, victriciaque arma WILHELMI
NORMANNI: Viden' externis quanta intonet oris
TUDORUM manus armipotens, & Nomina magna,
PLANTAGENUM metuenda Domus ! quid plurima Virtus
Amborum potuit, Te, victrix ANGLIA, teftor,
Quam labor Heroum imperio Maria omnia circum
Afferuit, fundanfque Armis & Legibus ornans :
Felix fi nunquam regnandi dira cupido
Cognatas acies paribus concurrere telis
Egiffet, Patriæque in vifcera vertere Vires:
G 4
Illa
128
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
:
Illa afflicta fedet, variis incerta Triumphis,
Cui det colla Jugo, quem fit paffura Tyrannum.
Quò DESIDERî foboles, quò CÆSAR ADOLPHUS,
NASSOVIIQUE alii rapiunt, celeberrima Proles?
Omnes illuftres, omnes in utrumque parati,
tas
Aut Patriam tutari, aut certæ occumbere Morti.
Hos juxta AURIACUS pleno fluit agmine Sanguis,
Immortale genus: Primufque en! Martius Auctor
CORNIGER inde Heros qui BELLO à corpore nomen
Obtinuit; nofco crines, frontemque venuftum [eft
FRANCIGENE Juvenis; Domus hinc CHALONIA mixta
NASSOVIIS; fedes que novas, RHENUMQUE bicornem
Inde petit, linquens RHODANUM, ripamque Sonantem.
Jamque STUARTIADUM Series longiffima Regum
Emicat. Illa diu magnâ ditione tenebat
Effrænem Populum, & duris Regna horrida glebis:
Donec Fata Deûm, & luftris labentibus
SCOTORUM manibus tranfcribi Sceptra jubebant
ANGLICA; feceruntque Omnes uno ore BRITANNOS.
Atque hîc, Magne Deus, cùm res fcrutabere noftras,
Sis bonus O! paſsímque oculos per cuncta ferenti
Si quid fortè Tibi occurrat de Gente STUARTÛM
Infelix; (utcunque ferent ea fata Minores)
Pro Patriâ, obteftor, pro Majeftate BRITANNI
Imperii, nihil Ingratum, nihil Acre dolores.
Obductos vulgare finas: Preme, JANE, tenebris,
Quæ laudare nequis; Teque ad Meliora referves.
Utque erit ad * NOMEN ventum, quod flebile femper,
Semper honoratum (fic, Dii, voluiftis) habemus ;
Supprime fingultus, fubmifsâ & voce dolores
Hos compefce, Tuo ne docta BRITANNIA Luctu
Ire iterùm in lachrymas, iterùm gemebunda querelam
Integret infandam; ftilletque cruore recenti
Æternùm crudele patens fub Pectore vulnus.
* MARIE.
Quò
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
129
Quò jam Raptus abis? NASSOVI, JANE, labores
Aggredere O! magnos, atque amplum claude Volumen.
En! Infans Victor, nutu dum temperat iras
Turbati Populi; jacet en TIRYNTHIUS alter;
Ardentefque Hoftes, & fibila colla tumentes
Sternit; & in cunis Infans Se vindicat Heros.
En! quantis tollit fe rebus firmior Ætas ?
Quales Primitia Juvenis, bellique ferocis
Dura Rudimenta, & primis nova Gloria in Armis?
Sublimis Marte adverfo, Mitifque fecundo,
Eventus omnes, & ineluctabile Fatum
Subjecit Pedibus: Non Mens elata Triumphis,
Non depreffa Malis; fed in omnia Pectus Honeftum
Fertur idem, Fatis contraria Fata rependens.
Dum Curas hominum, dum Spes contemnit inanes,
Fortunæque vices cæcas; quocunque cadat res,
Hoc animo fixum fedet, æternùmque fedebit,
"Parcere Subjectis, & debellare Superbos.
En totum Heroem, Maturum, & Sceptra tenentem
Contemplare Virum en! ut juſtâ fulminet Irâ
Terrarum egregius Vindex; placidufque volentes
Per Populos det jura; infefto & leniat Hofti
Pectora flexanimus Victor; mitiſque jacentûm
Dat vitam lachrymis! quo Pectora fida fuorum
Amplecti ftudio properat? quàm totus in Illis?
Quàm curas Pater indulgens defcendit in omnes?
Nec Regem pudet Officio certare Priorem.
Hâc arte, O Bellis ingens, ingentior almâ
Morum temperie, devincis corda benignis
Affueta Imperiis: longos hâc arte Triumphos,
Maxime Victor, agis, cùm Teque, animofque Tuorum,
Pacatumque regas æquis Virtutibus Orbem.
Per varias Vitæque vices, Operumque colores.
Idem cautus Honos, metuens & gratia culpæ,
G 5
Pura-
130
POEM 3 on feveral Occafions.
Puraque fimplicitas totâ defcripta Tabellâ
Effulget; Conftanfque fibi fervatur ad imum.
Victoris caftra ingrederis? certamina nulla
Cum Victis, belli nulla horrida figna cruenti
Apparent infixa agris: Non Militis ardor
Turbavit pectus; nec Purpura picta fuperbos
Induxit Regum faftus: fed Fama peric❜lo
Explorata (velut fulvum fornacibus aurum)
Emicat innocuo: fruftra Vulcania peftis,
Circùm immanè fremit: Contemptorique minatur
Flamma fuo: cæco contrà dominata furori
Ardens fpectatur Virtus, Pondufque Nitoremque
Illæfum fervans; & Amico vivit in Igne.
Unum, JANE, oro (quando Nos noftraque morti
Debemur) magni faltem mirac'la WILHELMI
Exuperare, Virûmque finas vòlitare per ora;
Ut nati natorum, & qui nafcentur ab illis,
Virtutem ex Illo moniti, pulchrumque Laborem
Cognofcant, & Sancta procul Veftigia adorent.
Exoriare aliquis, Regis qui gefta BRITANNI,
Fataque Fortunafque docens, Morefque Manufque
(Argumentum ingens !) vivis committere chartis
Aufis, & ferum producere Nomen in ævum :
Cùm Statuæ, multo cùm victum tempore Marmor,
Eraque labentur; cùm bello Sævior omni
Invidiofa Dies Famæ monumenta BRITANNÆ
Delebit; tardis cùm SABIS flexibus ibit
Per terras mutata novas; ferique Nepotes
Quærent, quâ ftabant immania Saxa NAMURCÆ.
En! Urbem, dicent, quæ quondam condidit Aftris
Ambitiofa Caput; toties quæ pertulit omnem
Irrifi Nubem belli: fed non ita fenfit
Armatos BRITONAS; non irrita tela WILHELMI
Experta eft; vaftis dum Victor Turribus inftans,
Cum
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
131
Cum Populo, & Signis victricibus, & magnis Diis,
Fundamenta quatit: Mortaliaque Agmina fruſtra
Contra NASSOVIUM atque JOVEM, contráque MINERVAM
Tela tenent Medio difcrimine cædis & ignis,
Ceu PERSEUS per aperta volans, Ipfe arduus Arces,
Oppofitas Scandit: fruftráque obje&ta retardant
Flumina, flammarumque globi, Scopulique minaces:
En tandem Summis infultans Arcibus Heros,
Atque ANGLI juxtà, fulgentia Signa, Leones.
Et jam finis erat; cùm Victor vertice ab alto
Defpexit GALLUM attonitum, & tum libera vinc'lo
Littoraque, & latos populos; pacemque filenti
Indulfit felicem Orbi: longè audiit æther,
Et terræ, & fluvii; jamque ibat mollior undis
MOSA; ferufque fuas RHENUS compefcuit iras.
Coutinuò leges æternaque fœdera certis
Impofuit Manus æqua locis ; quam fingula Metam,
Et quem quæque ferat Dominum, quem quæque recuſet
Gens, femel edixit; Mirantemque admonet Orbem,
Quantus Amor Populi, quanta & Reverentia mitem
Profequitur Regem: Comes indivifus amico,
Adftat HoNos lateri: fupra caput explicat alas
LIBERTAS firmata novas; Pulchræque Sorores,
Et VIRTUS & FAMA, pari difcrimine certant,
Utrum ornare magis Regemne, Virumne deceret.
Quid Loquor? aut ubi fum? quis Me per opaca viarum
Ire furor fuadet? quos MUSA affurget in Aufus?
Dum Vatis Furias THEBANI Concipit (Ignes
O fi conciperet fimiles !) Te, JANE, relinquit,
Teque, Arafque tuas, ut Coelum & fydera tentet ;
Demens! quæ nimbos & non imitabile fulmen
PINDARICUM fimulare aufa eft. Da, JANE, furenti,
Da veniam MusÆ, fua quam rapit ampla volantem
Materia; & tollit volvens fub Naribus ignem
PEGASUS
132
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
•
PEGASUS ardua in aftra; neque audit anhelus habenas.
Cùm latos Campos, immenfumque afpicit æquor,
Expatiatur Equus; vix hæret MUSA frementi;
Nec fcit, quà fit iter; nec fi fciat, Imperet illi.
Saxa per, & fcopulos, & depreffas convalles
Infequitur Regem; Tellufque fub ungue tonanti
Icta gemit; reboant Sylvæque, & magnus Olympus.
Nunc cafus MUSA antiquos, annofque reducit
Præteritos, Patriifque Virum meditatur in arvis.
Hic BRITONUM motus curâ, lachrymifque Suorum,
Confilium vultu tegit ; & Secum ante peractum
Belli & Regnorum volvit fub pectore fatum:
Et mox armatas Hyberno fydere claffes
Molitur; contràque iras Colique, Marifque
Impavidus grande urget iter: tum fanguine multo
Tutandas ANGLORUM Arces, oblataque Regna
Occupat; amiffo fluitantem errare Magiftro
Senfit; & ipfe Ratem turbatis rexit in undis.
Jamque alias hinc in Lachrymas, alia horrida Bella,
Per defolate Regna infelicia IERNES
Diva Virum fequitur; Fluctufque irrumpit in altos
BOVINDA Bello undantis; tum NAïDAS ad Se
Impatiens trepidas vocat; hortaturque Sorores
Maturare fugam, quantufque emerferat Heros,
OCEANO narrare Patri: vanum ille timorem
Ridet; eamque Manum victis agnofcit in undis,
Imperio dignam Pelagi, fævoque Tridente.
Hinc pleno BRITONUM Victor fubit oftia velo
Stans çelsâ in puppi: Pueri, innuptæque Puellæ,
Effufique Patres refonant is littora circum
Sacra canunt Reduci; fed reppulit ille moleftum
Officium pofcitque Animos, Laudefque recufat.
Mox charos iterùm BELGAS, fedefque Suorum,
Et Patriam, & totiès raptos ex hofte Penates
Hof pes
POEMS on feveral Occafions,
133
Hofpes adit: Varii Populi, diverfaque Signa,
Externique Duces omnes focia Arma ferentes
Communem celebrare Ducem; quàm tardus ad Iram.
Quàm placidus Victor, fortunatufque laborum
Securus Palmæ, dum prædam rejicit Heros!
Nunc verfæ Scenæ difcedunt: altera rerum
Nunc furgit facies: aliâ fub Luce videri
Heros grandis amat; Succeffuque Altior ipfo
Innumeris Belli Spoliis, partifque Trophæis
Pacem lætus emit; Jam VIRGO reddita terras
Pacatas vifit; jamque aurea Tempora circum
Felices fecura quatit CONCORDIA pennas.
Mox ad DANUBIUM, raucæque PROPONTIDIS undam,
EÖASQUE plagas alis audacibus ardens
MUSA volat; lethi quà jam difcrimine parvo
Stant acies, utrinque necem lugubrè minantes :
Hi motus animorum, iræ, infandique paratus,
Compreſsâ belli rabie, ſuſpenſa tenentur ;
Donec confilia ingentis fpectata WILHELMI
Oftendant, Pacemne colant, an in arma ferantur.
Quæ regio in terris, ubi Regis fœdera Sancta,
Aut Leges placidæ ignotæ ? Quæ Regna per Orbem
(Qualemcunq; fidem, Dominum quemcunq; fatentur)
Communem AURIACO dubitent fubmittere Caufam?
Hinc ad Hyperboream glaciem, monteſque nivales
Urget Diva viam ; quà MoscoVITICUS altum
Fulminat ad Tanaim CÆSAR; nutuque tremendo
Jura quaterdenis Juvenis dat gentibus unus:
Hic tamen, Hic CESAR perculfus Nomine Regis
Majoris, non Legatis, neque dulce Miniftris
Officium impatiens ceffit; Se, Se Ipfe, Suumque
Objecit Caput, infidi Maris omnia vincens
Tædia, dimidiumque Orbis poft Terga relinquens,
Tangeret ut San&tam, per quam ftetit ANGLIA, dextram.
Hujus
134 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
A
Hujus in imperio tumidum, magnúmque fluentem
Cernere erat VOLGAM; multâ cui fpumeus undâ,
Saxofúmque fonans, obftantia pondera torrens
Aut fecum rapit, aut immiti gurgite mergit.
Sed Noftrum, fed MUSA fuum tibi, TAME, tuifque
Rivis affimulat Regem non Amnis abundans,
Sed plenus per opima virûm Fortem abfque Furore
Fundit aquam, tardoque procul Languore Serenam :
Quofcunque O! BRITONUM lambis pulcherrimus agros,
Omnia ibi ridere facis: Tibi candida NAÏS
Purpureas inter violas, & fuavè rubentes
Vota facit refoluta rofas: Te lentus in umbrâ
Labentem expectat Paftor: Te mollia Prata,
Te fitiunt croceis halantes floribus Horti.
Quò feror? Unde abii? Tuque, audaciffima Musa,
Quò peritura ruis? Si formidabile littus,
Si Lycios temnas faltus, fataliaque Arva,
Bellerophontai quæ fignavêre furores :
I, fequere infidos ventos, nova Nomina lapſu
Subjectis pofitura undis: Ea furda monenti
Ardet in Aftra maìgs; perque inconceffa Diei
Luxurians Spatia æterni, petit intima Dîvum
Sacra, JOVEM, fimilemque Jovis dictura WILHELMUM:
Indefeffa illi maturos pofcit Honores:
Illi ut Olympiacæ referantur præmia palmæ,
Quam velox THERON, quam vaftis viribus ingens
Sperabat nunquam CHROMIUS: MUSAM Illius ergo
Per nitidos orbes Lucis, campofque patentes,
Dulcis raptat amor: juvat explorare Priorum
Curæ iter ignotum : fed inextricabilis error,
Et cæca ambages, quas una refolvere Virtus
NASSOVII novit, fecuram, & vana tumentem
Exuperant longè Divam; jamque æthere toto
Præcipitata agitur; jam torti fulminis inftar
Fertur;
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
135
Fertur; & horrificis tonat exanimata ruinis.
O Cœptum Sublime! infelix exitus aufi
Nobilis ! O MUSA, & Vires pro Nomine tanto
Exiguæ fed fic potiùs cecidiffe juvabit
Audentem, quàm venâ humili inferiora ſecutam
Radere iter medium, tutafque extendere pennas.
Nunc ad Te, & Tua Sacra, Pater, turbamque Sonantem
(Matres atque Viros) quæ circum plurima claufas
Fufa fores, Pacem BRITONUM, Vitamque WILHELMI
Ardens implorat, nunc Ambitiofa vagantes
MUSA modos revocet: Tuque O! qua fecula fronte
JANE vides ventura, RHEÆ genetricis in alvum
Defcendas, partûs ubi femina prima futuri,
Et teneræ Species, fimulachraque carcere clauſo
Mixta jacent; donec magnum per inane coacta
Mox durare jubes, & Rerum fumere formas.
Tum tua vox, divine Autor, Tua cæca relaxat
Spiramenta manus; juftis emiffa Figuris
Dum veftit Junctura decens & amabilis Ordo.
Sed nimiùm brevis hora fugam meditata perennem
Tranſit: & æternam repetunt naſcentia noctem.
Non de Navali furgentes ære Triumphi,
Captivi Currus, ereptaque ab hofte Trophæa:
Non Civilis honos Quercûs, non umbra Coronæ
Muralis, Laurique novum decus addere Regi
ANGLIACO poffunt; fatis Illum confcia Virtus,
Geftaque fublimem tollunt: ad fydera raptim
Vi propriâ nituntur, opifque haud indiga noſtræ.
Nunc ergò, ut Populus felix cum Rege potenti
Fortunis paribus furgat; compagibus arctis
Claudantur Belli porta: & jam, Myftice Cuftos,
Mitior O! jam, Dive, precor, melioribus Orbis
Aufpiciis, aliofque Dies, aliumque tenorem
Tandem habeat, jubeas: hic ferrea definat Ætas
(Magna,
136
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
(Magna, efto, fed Ferrea erat) faffufque Metallum
Pulchrius, Annorum fe gratior explicet Ordo.
Haud iterùm pavidos Bellum turbabit Agreftes;
At fecura Quies, at mollis Somnus, Amores
Jucundi, fuavefque Joci cum dulcibus Horis
Perpetuum ducant orbem: Hoc à cardine rerum
Paulatim incipiant magni procedere Menfes :
Atque his flava CERES, his formofiffima FLORA
Afpiret; furgatque novo gens Aurea fec❜lo.
Immunis belli, dextræque innixa WILHELMI
Terra BRITANNA fui fedeat; fpectetque ruinas,
Et cladem, & Lachrymas, quarum pars nulla futura eft,
Externas, iræque hominum miferetur inanis.
Illa inter motas fatum immutabile Gentes
Difpenfet; vincantque Illæ quas vincere mavult;
Sic noto cellos tuti fub Matribus agni
Balatu implebunt colles: Sic vallibus imis,
Irriguos Amnes inter, Seges aurea in altum
Surget; & ipfe fuas mirabitur ANGLIA meffes:
Delicias Diva æternas dum pectore pleno
Fundet ; & Ambrofios fpirabit vertice odores.
Aulai Antiquæ cæcis exorta ruinis.
(Quà Turres Albas, veterum penetralia Regum
WOLSEI fabricata manu, HENRICIQUE Labores,
Cernere erat) juvenile caput Phoenicis ad inftar
Regia fublimis tollat, melioribus, oro,
Aufpiciis; & quæ fuerit minùs obvia flammis.
Alta, Augufta, ingens, Domincque fimillima magno,
Fandat ſe veneranda Domus: Captiva Columnæ
Arma ferant facræ, belli monumenta cruenti,
Spiculaque clypeofque atque horrida fanguine Signa:
Stabunt & Parii lapides, mediufque WILHELMUS
En fpirans Humerufque recens à vulnere vivis
Rorabit guttis: metuens pro Vindice mundi
1
A tergo
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
137
A tergo apparet GENIUS, capitique minacem
Avertit Mortem: jacet illa innoxia, inermis
(Nam fic confuluit Jovis indulgentia terris)
Intrepidi ante pedes Herois.
Tu quoque magnam
Partem opere in tanto, viridi BoVINDA reclinans
Lecto, habeas, imo Senior de gurgite vifus
Lauriferum quaffare Caput: Saxum evomit undas;
Æternique cadunt cæfo de marmore Rivi.
Tuque O! quæ Famæ fervas monumenta BRITANNÆ,
Regis opus, Regumque decus, cape dona Tuorum,
Inclyta WINSORIÆ turris. Tu Stellifer æther,
Signa geris, quibus Ipfe fuum & delecta fuorum
Pectora diftinguit, Divifque accedere juffit
NASSOVIUS, proprioque Pater decoravit honore.
Tu cirum ORMONDI robuftum myftica ne&tens
Vinc'la genu, potuifti Equitem focium addere Regi:
Redditus his Victor terris, fpoliifque potitus,
Suppliciter venerans Divi fub MILITIS Aram
Vota facit: veterum juxta decora alta Parentum,
BOTLEROS inter, viêtriciaque arma ВонUNI
Ipfe fuum clypeum, fuaque æmula figna fuperbis
Poſtibus aptavit, tanti non immemor Hæres
Nominis aut Proavûm dubitans extendere famam ;
Utcunque Illa novi fecum grave pondus honoris
Attulit OSSORIDA mater NASSOVIA Genti.
SACVILLI TU, Diva, latus, Tu lumine pectus
Sanctum ornas, ubi dulcis Honos, ubi mille placendi
Conjurant Artes; labor unus & una voluptas,
Tollere depreffos, & fuftentare jacentes.
Hos brevis informet fragilis dum Spiritus artus,
Indictus nunquam noftris SACVILLUS abibit
Carminibus; nunquam labetur pectore chari
Officium capitis: Munus quia maximus Ille
Confert; collatique olim meminiffe recufat.
Jura
138
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Jura fidemque Patrum, libertatemque CAVENDOS
Afferere audentes, Tuus amplo veſtit honore,
Diva, favor: Stabit longum fortuna per ævum
Alta Domus; patrioque nitebunt fydere nati.
Per Te SANCTMAURI, per Te TALBOTIA proles,
Felices Ambo, veftigia magna Parentum
Ambo luftrantes, faxum hoc immobile dum Tu
Serves, Nomine erunt. Tuque, O pars maxima Mufæ,
O Decus, O Noftrum, cui pulchro in corpore Virtus
Emicat, & fincera Fides, & Gratia morum,
Has JERSEE, (preces valeant fi vatis amici,
Si Deus hoc Carmen, Deus hoc infpiret APOLLO)
Has tanges aras; hinc cingula facra decoro
Aptabis lateri, veterifque infignia famæ
VILLERIIS fueta, & Tibi non indebita fumes.
Artibus intentum melior tum cura vocabit
Heroa ANGLIA CUM, mirantem Annalibus Orbem
Exornare fuis, ferofque docere Nepotes
Imperii Arcana, & magna exemplaria Belli.
Hinc, ut Virtutem dociles, verumque Laborem
Cognofcant, Laudifque animi accendantur amore;
Regis ad exemplum portis fe Prima Juventus
Effundens, dum mane novum, dum gramina canent ;
Per faltus, gelidumque nemus, præruptaque faxa,
Nunc Cervos turbabit agens; nunc ardua in armis,
Et vigil ad vocem, quâ fictum Buccina fignum
Bellica dat, grave Martis opus, fub imagine lusûs.
Paulatim ex tanto affuefcat tolerare Magiftro:
Et nunc altus Eques fpatiismagna atria circum
Curvatis fertur; luctantia nunc premit ora
Bellatoris Equi; nunc torto verbere pronus
Dat lora, & medio fervens in pulvere; ftri&tum
Aut enfem quatit, aut certam jacit impiger haftam.
Facis
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
139
Pacis amans, ftudiifque favens, focia agmina jungant
Sancta Corona fenum, exemplis monitura minores,
Qui Virtutis honos, & quid Sapientia poffit.
Hos rerum juvet obfcuros penetrare receffus,
Et varias caufas, Naturæ arcana modeſtæ,
Indiciis aperire novis clarifque repertis.
Illos degeneri audentes fuccurrere fec'lo,
Cura gravis maneat Morum, & labor Hercule dignus,
Exonerare repletum immundâ forde Theatrum.
Sermones Alii patrios, incertaque verba
Ad leges fixas revocent, Venerefque decoras;
Ut latè ANGLIACIS inftructa Annalibus Orbis
Gaudeat, ad Noftram refonet gens Singula linguam,
Vindicis ante pedes quæcunque effufa BRITANNI,
Miferat aut oppreffa Preces, aut libera Grates.
Neglectum in primis Carmen, MuSAMQUE jacentem
Tollat amica manus: nam refpondere labori
MUSA pio novit, Regifque rependere Amores.
Illa patrum cineres fanctos, venerandaque Buſta
Vulgari fecernit humo, famamque filenti
Vindicat à tumulo: per MUSAM notus ULYSSES
Spirat adhuc; coramque Virum jam cernere fas eft:
MUSE AGAMEMNONIAS palmas, femperque recentes
Confervare datur Lauros: Eadem Illa WILHELMI
(Cùm ftatuæ, folidoque Arcus de marmore ficti
Deficient) longo Nomen facrum afferet ævo.
Haud verò par officium, partefque premamus
Ingrati alternas; cùm nîl fine CÆSARE pulchrum,
Nil altum MusÆ labor inchoat: altera junctam
Alterius fic pofcit opem, & conjurat amicè.
Igneus hinc numeris Vigor, & cœleftis Origo;
Hinc effulgentes æternâ luce CAMENÆ,
Informi cedente fitu, tenebrifque fugatis,
Invida fquallentis vincent oblivia Noctis.
Secures
140
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Securos BRITONUM Commercia libera portus.
Omni ex parte petent; totum demiffa per Orbem
Pulchrior hinc ARGO, meliori & vellere dives
Annua dona feret; Spoliifque redibit onuſta,
INDIAM in EUKOPAM portans, gazamque nitentem,
Quæ diffufa jacet, quà Sol utrumque recurrens
Afpicit Oceanum. Quafcunque BRITANNICA Pinus
Ingreditur fublimis aquas, fubmittat Honores
Navita quifque fuos: puppefque Infigne fuperbum
Inclinent, faffæ, quem TETHYS omnibus undis
Elegit, Dominum; quem vafo Immobile Fatum
Deftinat Imperio, Terrâque Marique potentem.
Audivêre preces Divi: jamque ANGLICA claffis,
Quà dabit aura viam, tutum per aperta profundi
Curret iter, nova Regna petens, nova Littora viſens,
Ignotumque fuis mittens fub legibus Orbem.
Alter tum GANGES, atque altera quæ feret aurum
INDIA NASSOV10 cedet: Populique feroces
Arma, Artes, Morefque fcient, Nomenque WILHELMI.
Suppliciter venerans, demiffo lumine ſtabit
Agmen agrefte Virûm; miramque loquentis ab ore
Hiftoriam eripiens, nunc Famam & Fata WILHELMI,
Vulnera, Sudorem, Palmafque, Peric'laque difcet,
Quæ quibus anteferat dubitans; nunc Quantus in armis,
Qualis in Hofte fuit, quos Bello & Pace Triumphos
Erexit: Matres, ut cœlo decidit Heros,
Tum natis referent: & vox, quam proferet Infans
Prima, WILHELMUS erit: tenebris inhonefta Tyranni
Indecores Capita abfcondent, tum dira fuorum
Supplicia, indignos genitus, juftafque querelas
Ferre indignantes; cùm confcia Fama, Pudorque
Provocat ad meliora Animos, cùm bella WILHELMI
Bella quaterdenos læfis pro gentibus Annos
Confecta audierint, tandemque filentibus armis,
(Majus
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
142
(Majus opus) partos felici Pace Triumphos.
Non dehinc has miferos Myfteria dira docebit
Barbara Relligio: nulla horrida Numina finget;
Vana Superftitio, Divûmque immania Monftra;
NASSOVII Virtus cùm fe mirantibus offert,
Præfentem confeffa Deum; cùm figna decoris
Divini, ternæque patent veftigia Mentis
Herois defcripta Animis, & vindice Dextrâ.
Scilicet horrendi juſtâ fine lege Cometæ
Incertam lucem quatiunt, & Crine minaces
Sanguineo lugubrè rubent, triftefque trementi
Indicunt iras Orbi; nifi publica vota
Avertant lævum miferis Mortalibus Omen.
At verò juftis Mundum qui temperat horis,
Vera Jovis proles, Cœlo puriffimus Ignis,
Non errore vago, cæcaque libidine fertur ;
Certus iter fixum peragit: curfufque Diurnos
Obfervant homines, & fan&tum Sydus adorant.
ני
O Jane, O! Divûm fi flectere Fata liceret ;
Si Parca ANGLORUM precibus miteſcere ſcirent ;
Sol ifte ante fuum ceffaret currere Cœlum,
Quàm REX NASSOVIUS terræ fe fubtrahet orbæ
Addendus Superis: fed inexorabile Numen
Omne premit mortale: adderit, volventibus Annis,
Dira futura Dies, & ineluctabile tempus,
Cùm pars Semidei moefto Materna Sepulchro
Condetur; Dominifque fuis plorabitur Abfens.
At vos, O Divi, fi quid pia vota valebunt,
Vos precor, Eterni, quorum hæc fub numine Tellus,
Tuque, O Sancte, Tuis, Bifrons, Cœleftia firma
Pectora confiliis; Sociique per Æthera Divi,
Dic, in amicitiam coeant, Tecumque BRITANNAM
Conjurent fervare Domum: Communibus omnium
Orati precibus, magno procul Omine triltem,
Dii,
142- POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Dii, removete Diem; multofque benigniùs Annos
Accumulate facro Capiti: da, JANE, fenectam
Immunem Curis, placidâque quiete potitam :
Sat Bello EUROPÆQUE datum eft: fatis arma Juventus
Senfit: & ingentes teftatur terra Triumphos.
Canitiem novus ornet Honos; dum tempora circum
Victrices inter Lauros affurgat Oliva.
En! Hujus, JANE, aufpiciis nafcentia longum
Sec❜la habeant omen pacis ; lætique Nepotes
Seros jucundis agitent fub Legibus annos;
Ante ferat quàm Cœlo animam Jovis Armiger alto,
Nobile onus, Patrioque Heros pofcatur Olympo;
Ambo ubi LEDÆI, ceu qui Pedes ibat in hoftem,
Ceu luctantis Equi fpumentia qui regit ora ;
Magnus ubi ALCIDES Fato, & JUNONIS iniquæ
Sævis ereptus juffis; ubi grande MARONIS
Argumentum, Auctor LATII, Regnique BRITANNI,
Otia agunt: ubi tot radiantia Nomina toto
Æthere nota fatis, quos omnes æquus amavit
JUPITER, & meritis Domines donavimus aris:
Serò, JANE Pater, cœlo decus adde patenti
NASSOVIUM Sydus, quod amicâ luce corufcum
Fulgeat, & dubiis oftendat littora Nautis.
An
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
143
An ODE. Infcribed to the Memory of the
Honourable Colonel GEORGE VILLIERS,
Drowned in the River PIAV A, in the
Country of FRIULI, 1703. In Imitation
of HORACE, Ode 28. Lib. 1.
Te Maris & Terræ numeroque carentis arenæ
Menforem cohibent, Archyta, &c.
S&
AY, dearest VILLIERS, poor departed Friend,
(Since fleeting Life thus fuddenly muſt end)
Say, what did all thy bufie Hopes avail,
That anxious thou from Pole to Pole didft fail;
Ere on thy Chin the ſpringing Beard began
To fpread a doubtful Down, and promiſe Man?
What profited thy Thoughts, and Toils, and Cares,
In Vigor more confirm'd, and riper Years?
To wake ere Morning dawn to loud Alarms,
And march 'till cloſe of Night in Heavy Arms;
To fcorn the Summer's Suns and Winter's Snows,
And fearch thro' ev'ry Clime thy Country's Foes?
That Thou might Fortune to thy Side engage;
That gentle Peace might quell BELLONA's Rage;
And ANNA'S Bounty crown her Soldier's hoary Age ?
In vain We think that free-will'd Man has Pow'r
To haften or protract th' appointed Hour.
Our Term of Life depends not on our Deed:
Before our Birth our Funeral was decreed.
Nor aw'd by forefight, nor mif-led by Chance,
Imperious Death directs his Ebon Lance;
[Dance.
Peoples great HENRY's Tombs: and leads up HOLBEN's.
Alike muft ev'ry State, and ev'ry Age
Suftain the univerfal Tyrant's Rage:
For
144
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
For neither WILLIAM's Pow'r, nor MARY's Charms
Could or repel, or pacify his Arms:
Young CHURCHILL fell, as Life began to bloom:
And BRADFORD's trembling Age expects the Tomb.
Wiſdom and Eloquence in vain would plead
One Moment's Refpite for the learned Head:
Judges of writings and of Men have dy'd;
MECENAS, SACKVILLE, SOCRATES, and HYDE:
And in their various Turns the Sons must tread
Thoſe gloomly Journeys, which their Sires have led.
The ancient Sage, who did fo long maintain,
That Bodies die, but Souls return again,
With all the Births and Deaths he had in Store,
Went out PYTHAGORAS, and came no more.
And modern As--L, whofe capricious Thought
Is yet with Stores of wilder Notions fraught,
Too foon convinc'd, fhall yield that fleeting Breath,
Which play'd fo idly with the Darts of Death.
Some from the ftranded Veffel force their Way;
Fearful of Fate, they meet it in the Sea:
Some who eſcape the Fury of the Wave,
Sicken on Earth, and fink into a Grave:
In Journeys or at home, in War or Peace,
By Hardſhips Many, Many fall by Eafe.
Each changing Seaſon does it's Poiſon bring,
Rheums chill the Winter, Agues blaft the Spring:
Wet, Dry, Cold, Hot, at the appointed Hour,
All act fubfervient to the Tyrant's Pow'r :
And when obedient Nature knows His Will,
A Fly, a Grapeſtone, or a Hair can kill.
For reftlefs PROSERPINE for ever treads
In Paths unfeen, o'er our devoted Heads ;
And on the ſpacious Land, and liquid Main
Spreads flow Diſeaſe, or darts affictive Pain:
Variety of Deaths confirm her endleſs Reign.
On
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
145
On curft PIAVA's Banks the Goddefs ftood,
Show'd her dire Warrant to the rifing Flood;
When What I long muft love, and long muſt mourn,
With fatal Speed was urging his Return;
In his dear Country, to diſperſe his Care,
And arm himſelf by Reft for future War:
To chide his anxious Friends officious Fears,
And promiſe to their Joys his elder Years.
Oh! deftin'd Head; and oh! fevere Decree;
Nor native Country Thou, nor Friend fhalt fee;
Nor War haft thou to wage, nor Year to come :
Impending Death is thine, and inftant Doom.
Hark! the imperious Goddeſs is obey'd:
Winds murmur; Snows defcend; and Waters ſpread :
Oh! Kinfman, Friend- Oh! vain are all the Cries
Of human Voice; ftrong Deſtiny replies;
Weep You on Earth: for He ſhall fleep below:
Thence None return; and thither all muſt go.
Whoe'er Thou art, whom Choice or Buſineſs leads
To this fad River, or the neighb'ring Meads;
If Thou may'ſt happen on the dreary Shores
To find the Object which This Verſe deplores;
Cleanſe the pale Corps with a religious Hand
From the polluting Weed and common Sand;
Lay the dead Heroe graceful in a Grave;
(The only Honour He can now receive)
And fragrant Mould upon his Body throw:
And plant the Warrior Lawrel o'er his Brow:
Light lie the Earth; and flouriſh green the Bough.
So may juft Heav'n fecure thy future Life
From foreign Dangers, and domeftick Strife:
And when th' Infernal Judges difmal Pow'r
From the dark Urn fhall throw Thy deftin'd Hour;
H
}
When
146
POEMS on feveral Occaſions.
When yielding to the Sentence, breathlefs Thou
And pale fhalt lie, as what Thou burieſt now;
May ſome kind Friend the piteous Object ſee,
And equal Rites perform, to That which once was Thee.
PROLOGUE, Spoken at Court before the
QUEEN, on Her Majesty's Birth-
Day, 1704.
SH
:
HINE forth, Ye Planets, with diftinguiſh'd Light,
As when Ye hallow'd first this Happy Night:
Again tranfmit your friendly Beams to Earth
As when BRITANNIA joy'd for ANNA's Birth:
And Thou, propitious Star, whofe facred Pow'r
Prefided o'er the Monarch's Natal Hour,
Thy radiant Voyages for ever run,
Vielding to none but CYNTHIA, and the Sun:
With thy fair Afpect ftill illuftrate Heav'n :
Kindly preferve what Thou haft greatly giv❜n:
Thy Influence for Thy ANNA We implore:
Prolong One Life; and BRITAIN asks no more:
For Virtue can no ampler Power expreſs,
Than to be Great in War, and Good in Peace:
For Thought no higher Wiſh of Bliſs can frame,
Than to enjoy that Virtue STILL THE SAME.
Entire and fure the Monarch's Rule must prove
Who founds Her Greatneſs on Her Subjects Love;
Who does our Homage for our Good require;
And Orders that which We fhould firft Defire:
Our vanquish'd Wills that pleafing Force obey:
Her Goodness takes our Liberty away:
And haughty BRITAIN yields to Arbitrary Sway.
}
Let
:
POEMS on everal Occafions.
147
Let the young AUSTRIAN then Her Terrors bear,
Great as He is, Her Delegate in War:
Let Him in Thunder ſpeak to both his SPAINS,
That in theſe dreadful Ifles a Woman Reigns.
While the bright Queen does on Her Subjects ſhow'r
The gentle Bleffings of Her fofter Pow'r ;
Gives facred Morals to a vicious Age,
To Temples Zeal, and Manners to the Stage;
Bids the chafte Mufe without a Bluſh appear;
And Wit be that which Heav'n and She may hear.
MINERVA thus to PERSEUS lent Her Shield;
Secure of Conqueft, fent Him to the Field:
The Heroe acted what the Queen ordain'd:
So was His Fame compleat, and ANDROMEDE unchain’d.
Mean time amidſt Her Native Temples fate
The Goddefs, ftudious of Her GRECIAN's Fate,
Taught 'em in Laws and Letters to excell,
In Acting juftly, and in Writing well.
Thus whilft She did Her various Pow'r difpofe;
The World was free from Tyrants, Wars, and Woes:
Virtue was taught in Verfe, and ATHENS' Glory roſe.
A LETTER to Monfieur BOILEAU
DESPREAU x; occafion'd by the Vic-
tory at BLENHEIM, 1704.
Cupidum, Pater optime, vires
Deficiunt: neque enim quivis horrentia Pilis
Agmina, nec fractâ pereuntes cufpide Gallos
Hor. Sat. 1. L. 2.
SINCE hir'd for Life, thy Servile Mufe muft fing
Succeffive Conquefts, and a glorious King;
H 2
Muft
148
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Muſt of a Man Immortal vainly boaſt;
And bring him Lawrels, whatfoe'er they coft:
What Turn wilt Thou employ, What Colours lay
On the Event of that Superior Day,
In which one ENGLISH Subject's profp'rous Hand
(So JOVE did will; fo ANNA did command:)
Broke the proud Column of thy Mafter's Praife,
Which fixty Winters had confpir'd to raiſe?
From the loft Field a hundred Standards brought
Muſt be the Work of Chance, and Fortune's Fault:
BAVARIA's Stars muſt be accus'd, which fhone,
That fatal Day the mighty Work was done,
With Rays oblique upon the GALLIC Sun.
Some DÆMON envying FRANCE mif-led the Fight:
And MARS miftook, tho' Louis order'd right.
WURTS?
When thy *young Mufe invok'd the tuneful Nine,
To ſay how Louis did not paſs the RHINE,
What Work had We with WAGEN INGHEN, ARNHEIM,
Places that could not be reduc'd to Rhime?
And tho' the Poet made his laſt Efforts,
WURTS-Who could mention in Heroic
But, tell me, hait thou Reaſon to complain
Of the rough Triumphs of the laft Campaign;
The DANUBE reſcu'd, and the Empire fav'd,
Say, is the Majeſty of Verſe retriev'd ?
And would it prejudice thy fofter Vein,
To fing the Princes, Louis and EUGENE?.
Is it too hard in happy Verſe to place
The VANS and VANDERS of the RHINE and MÄES?
Her Warriors ANNA fends from TWEED and THAMES,
That FRANCE may fall by more harmonious Names.
* Epiftre 4. du Sr. Boileau Defpreaux au Roy.
En vain, pour Te Louer, &c.
Can't
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
149
Canft thou not HAMILTON or LUMLY bear!
Would INGOLDSBY or PALMES offend thy Ear ?
And is there not a Sound in MARLBRO's Name,
Which Thou, and all thy Brethren ought to claim,
Sacred to Verfe, and fure of endleſs Fame?
}
CUTTS is in Meeter fomething harſh to read :
Place me the valiant GOURAM in his ftead:
Let the Intention make the Number good:
Let generous SYLVIUS fpeak for honeft Wood.
And tho' rough CHURCHILL fcarce in Verfe will ſtand,
So as to have one Rhime at his Command:
With Eafe the Bard reciting BLENHEIM's Plain,
May cloſe the Verfe, remembring but the DANE.
I grant, old Friend, old Foe, (for fuch We are
Alternate as the Chance of Peace and War)
That We Poetick Folks, who must reftrain
Our meaſur❜d Sayings in an equal Chain,
Have Troubles utterly unknown to Thoſe,
Who let their Fancy loofe in rambling Profe.
For inftance now, how hard is it for Me
To make my Matter and my Verſe agree?
In one great Day on HOCHSTET's fatal Plain
FRENCH and BAVARIANS twenty thouſand ſlain;
Puſh'd thro' the DANUBE to the Shoars of STYX
Squadrons eighteen, Battalions twenty fix:
Officers Captive made and private Men,
Of these twelve hundred, of those thousands ten.
Tents, Ammunition, Colours, Carriages,
Cannon, and Kettle-Drums-----fweet Numbers theſe.
But is it thus You ENGLISH Bards compoſe?
With RUNICK Lays thus tag infipid Profe?
And when you ſhould your Heroes Deeds rehearſe,
Give us a Commiffary's Lift in Verfe?
H;
Why
150
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Why Faith DES FREAUX, there's Senfe in what You
I told you where my Difficulty lay :
[fay:
So vaſt, ſo numerous were great BLENHEIM's Spoils,
They fcorn the Bounds of Verfe, and mock the Mufe's
To make the rough Recital aptly chime,
[Toils.
Or bring the Sum of GALLIA's Lofs to Rhime,
'Tis mighty hard: What Poet would effay
To count the Streamers of my Lord Mayor's-Day?
To number all the feveral Diſhes dreft
By honeft LAMB, laft Coronation Feaft?
Or make Arithmetick and Epic meet,
And NEWTON'S Thoughts in DRYDEN's Stile repeat ?
O Poet, had it been APOLLO's Will,
That I had fhar'd a Portion of thy Skill:
Had this poor Breaft receiv'd the Heav'nly Beam ;
Or could I hope my Verſe might reach my Theam ;
Yet, BOILEAU, yet the lab'ring Mufe fhould ftrive,
Beneath the Shades of MARLBRO's Wreaths to live:
Should call afpiring Gods to blefs her Choice;
And to their Fav'rites Strain exalt her Voice,
Arms and a Queen to Sing; Who, Great and Good,
From peaceful THAMES to DANUBE's wond'ring Flood
Sent forth the Terror of her high Commands,
To fave the Nations from invading Hands,
To prop fair Liberty's declining Caufe,
And fix the jarring World with equal Laws.
The Queen ſhould fit in WINDSOR's facred Grove,
Attended by the Gods of War and Love:
Both fhould with equal Zeal Her Smiles implore,
To fix Her Joys, or to extend Her Pow'r.
Sudden, the NYMPHS and TRITONS fhould appear;
And as great ANNA's Smiles difpel their Fear,
With active Dance ſhould her Obſervance claim;
With Vocal Shell fhould found Her happy Name.
Their
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
{
Their Master THAMES fhould ve the neighb
By his ſtrong Anchor known, and Silver Oar; [Sho
Should lay his Enfigns at his Sovereign's Feet,
And Audience mild with humble Grace intreat.
To Her his dear Defence he fhould complain,
That whilft He bleffes Her indulgent Reign;
Whilft furtheft Seas are by his Fleets furvey'd,
And on his happy Banks each INDIA laid;
His Brethren MAES, and WAAL, and RHINE, and SAAR
Feel the hard Burthen of oppreffive War:
That DANUBE ſcarce retains his rightful Courſe
Againſt two Rebel Armies neighb'ring Force:
And All muſt weep fad Captives to the SEIN,
Unleſs unchain'd and freed by BRITAIN's Queen.
[GAUL;
The valiant Sov'reign calls Her Gen'ral forth;
Neither retires Her Bounty, nor His Worth:
She tells Him, He muft EUROPE's Fate redeem,
And by That Labour merit Her Eſteem:
She bids Him wait Her to the Sacred Hall;
Shows Him Prince ED WARD,
Fixing the bloody Crofs upon His Breaft,
Says, He must Die, or fuccour the Diftrefs'd:
Placing the Saint an Emblem by His Side,
and the conquer'd
She tells Him Virtue arm'd muſt conquer lawleſs Pride.
The Heroe bows obedient, and retires :
The Queen's Commands exalt the Warrior's Fires.
His Steps are to the filent Woods inclin'd,
The great Deſign revolving in his Mind:
When to his Sight a Heav'nly Form appears:
Her Hand a Palm, her Head a Lawrel wears.
Me, She begins, the fairest Child of Jove,
Below for ever fought, and bleſs'd above;
Me, the bright Source of Wealth, and Power and Fame s
(Nor need I fay, VICTORIA is my Name)
น 4
Me
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
e great Father down to Thee has fent:
Bids me wait at Thy diftinguish'd Tent,
To execute what ANNA's With would have:
Her Subject Thou, I only am Her Slave.
Dare then; Thou much belov'd by fmiling Fate:
For ANNA's Sake, and in Her Name, be Great:
Go forth, and be to diftant Nations known,
My future Fav'rite, and My darling Son.
At SCHELLENBERG I'll manifeft fuftain
Thy glorious Caufe; and fpread my Wings again,
Confpicuous o'er thy Helm, in BLENHEIM's Plain.
The Goddeſs faid, nor would admit Reply;
But cut the liquid Air, and gain'd the Sky.
His high Commiffion is thro' BRITAIN known:
And thronging Armies to His Standard run,
He marches thoughtful; and He ſpeedy fails:
(Blefs Him, ye Seas! and profper Him ye Gales!)
BBLGIA receives Him welcome to her Shores,
And WILLIAM's Death with leffen'd Grief deplores.
His Prefence only must retrieve That Loſs:
MARLBRO to Her must be what WILLIAM was.
So when great ATLAS, from thefe low Abodes
Recall'd, was gather'd to his Kindred-Gods;
ALCIDES refpited by prudent Fate,
Suftain'd the Ball, nor droop'd beneath the Weight.
Secret and Swift behold the Chief advance;
Sees half the Empire join'd, and Friend to FRANCE:
The BRITISH General dooms the Fight; His Sword
Dreadful He draws: The Captains wait the Word.
ANNE and ST. GEORGE the charging Heroe cries:
Shrill Echo from the neighb'ring Wood replies
ANNE and ST. GEORGE At That aufpicious Sign
'The Standards move; the adverſe Armies join,
Of Eight great Hours, Time meaſures out the Sands;
And EUROPE's Fate in doubtful Balance ſtands:
}
The
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
153
}
The Ninth, VICTORIA Comes :--o'er MARLBRO's Head
Confefs'd She fits; the Hoftile Troops recede :
Triumphs the GODDESS, from her Promiſe freed.
The Eagle, by the BRITISH Lion's Might
Unchain'd and Free, directs her upward Flight:
Nor did She e'er with stronger Pinions foar
From TYBER's Banks, than now from DANUBE's Shoar.
Fir'd with the Thoughts which theſe Ideas raiſe,
And great Ambition of my Country's Praiſe;
The ENGLISH Mufe fhou'd like the MANTUAN rife,
Scornful of Earth and Clouds, fhould reach the Skies
With Wonder (tho' with Envy ftill) purfu'd by Human
Eyes.
But We muſt change the Style---Juſt now I ſaid,
I ne'er was Matter of the tuneful Trade.
Or the ſmall Genius which my Youth could boaft,
In Profe and Buſineſs lies extinct and loft.
Blefs'd, if I may fome younger Muſe excite;
Point out the Game, and animate the Flight;
That from Marſeilles to Calais FRANCE may know,
As We have Conqu'rors, We have Poets too;
And either Lawrel does in BRITAIN grow!
That, tho amongst ourſelves, with too much Heat,
We fometimes wrangle, when We fhould debate;
(A confequential Ill which Freedom draws;
A bad Effect, but from a Noble Caufe)
We can with univerfal Zeal advance,
To curb the faithleſs Arrogance of FRANCE.
Nor ever fhall BRITANIA's Sons refufe
To anſwer to thy Mafter or thy Muſe;
Nor want juft Subject for victorious Strains;
While MARLBRO's Arm Eternal Lawrel gains;
And where old SPENCER fung, a new ELISA reigns.
i
H 5
}
منه
}
For
154
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
For the PLAN of a FOUNTAIN, on
which is the Effigies of the QUEEN on
a Triumphal Arch, the Figure of the DUKE
of MARLBOROUGH beneath, and the
Chief Rivers of the World round the whole
Work.
Y
E active Streams, where-e'er your Waters flow,
Let diftant Climes and furtheft Nations know,
What ye from THAMES and DANUBE have been taught,
HOW ANNE Commanded, and how MARLBRO Fought.
Quacunque æterno preperatis, Flumina, lapfu,
Divifis latè Terris, Populifque remotis
Dicite, nam vobis TAMISIS narravit & IST BR,
ANNA quid Imperiis potuit, quid MARLBURUS Armis.
The
A
CHA MELE ON.
S the Chameleon, who is known
To have no Colours of his own;
But borrows from his Neighbours Hue
His White or Black, his Green or Blue;
And ſtruts as much in ready Light,
Which Credit gives Him upon Sight:
As if the Rain-bow were in Tail
Settl'd on Him, and his Heirs Male ;
So the young 'Squire, when firft He comes
From Country School to WILL'S or Tom's:
And equally, in Truth is fit
To be a Stateſman or a Wit;
With
'j
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 155
Without one Notion of his own,
He Santers wildly up and down,
"Till fome Acquaintance, good or bad,
Takes notice of a ſtaring Lad;
Admits Him in among the Gang:
They jeft, reply, difpute, harangue:
He acts and talks, as They befriend him,
Smear'd with the Colours, which They lend Him.
Thus merely, as his Fortune chances,
His Merit or his Vice advances,
If haply He the Sect purſues,
That read and comment upon News;
He takes up Their myfterious Face:
He drinks his Coffee without Lace:
This Week his mimic-Tongue runs o'er
What they have faid the Week before,
His Wiſdom fets all EUROPE right;
And teaches MARLBRO when to Fight.
Or if it be his Fate to meet
With Folks who have more Wealth than Wit &
He loves cheap Port, and double Bub;
And fettles in the Hum Drum Club:
He learns how Stocks will Fall or Rife;
Holds Poverty the greatest Vice;
Thinks Wit the Bane of Converfation;
And fays that Learning fpoils a Nation
But if, at firft. He minds his Hits,
And drinks Champaine among the Wits;
Five deep He Toafts the tow'ring Laffes;
Repeats you Verfes wrote on Glaſſes;
Is in the Chair; prefcribes the Law;
And Lyes with Thofe he never faw.
}
MERRY
:
:
156 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
S
MERRY
ANDRE W.
LY MERRY ANDREW, the laft Southwark Fair
(At Barthol'mew he did not much appear :
So peevish was the Edict of the May'r)
At Southwark therefore as his Tricks He fhow'd,
To pleaſe our Maſters, and his Friends the Croud;
A huge Neats-Tongue he in his Right Hand held:
His Left was with a good Black-Pudding fill'd.
With a grave Look, in this odd Equipage,
The Clownish Mimic traverſes the Stage:
Why how now, ANDREW! cries his Brother Droll,
To Day's Conceit, methinks, is fomething dull:
Come on, Sir, to our worthy Friends explain,
What does Your Emblematick Worſhip mean?
Quoth ANDREW; Honeſt Engliſh let Us ſpeak :
Your Emble
- (what d'ye call't) is Heathen Greek.
To Tongue or Pudding Thou haft no Pretence :
Learning Thy Talent is, but Mine is Senſe.
That bufie Fool I was, which Thou art now;
Defirous to correct, not knowing how;
With very good Defign, but little Wir,
Blaming or Praifing Things, as I thought fit.
I for this Conduct had what I deſerv'd;
And dealing honeſtly, was almoſt ſtarv’d.
But thanks to my indulgent Stars, I Eat;
Since I have found the Secret to be Great.
O deareſt ANDREW, fays the humble Droll,
Henceforth may I obey, and Thou controll;
Provided Thou impart Thy uſeful Skill.
Bow then, fays ANDREW; and, for once, I will
Be of your Patron's Mind, whate'er He fays;
Sleep very much; Think little; and Talk lefs:
منه
Mind
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions:
157
Mind neither Good nor Bad, nor Right nor Wrong,
But eat your Pudding, Slave; and Hold your Tongue.
A Rev'rend Prelate ftopt his Coach and Six,
To laugh a little at our ANDREW's Tricks.
But when He heard him give this Golden Rule;
Drive on; (He cry'd,) This Fellow is no Fool.
D
A SIMILE.
EAR THOMAS, did'ft though never pop
Thy Head into a Tin-man's Shop?
There, THOMAS, didft Thou never fee
('Tis but by way of Smile)
A SQUIRREL fpend his little Rage,
In jumping round a rowling Cage?
The Cage, as either Side turn'd up,
Striking a Ring of Bells a-top-
Mov'd in the Orb, pleas'd with the Chimes,
The foolish Creature thinks he climbs :
But here or there, turn Wood or Wire,
He never gets two Inches higher.
So fares it with thoſe merry Blades,
That frisk it under PINDUS' Shades.
In noble Songs, and lofty Odes,
They tread on Stars, and talk with Gods,
Still Dancing in an airy Round,
Still pleas'd with their own Verfes Sound,
Brought back, how fait foe'er they go,
Always afpiring, always low.
SA
The
--
FLIES.
AY, Sire of Infects, mighty SoL,
(A Fly upon the Chariot-Pole
Cries
158
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Cries out) what Blue-Bottle alive
Did ever with fuch Fury drive?
Tell BELZEBUB, Great Father, tell,
(Says t'other, perch'd upon the Wheel)
Did ever any Mortal Fly
Raife fuch a Cloud of Duft, as I?
My Judgment Turn'd the whole Debate :
My Valour Sav'd the finking State.
So talk two Idle buzzing Things;
Tofs up their Heads, and ftretch their Wings.
But let the Truth to Light be brought :
This neither Spoke, nor t'other Fought:
No Merit in their own Behav*or:
Both rais'd, but by their Party's Favor.
GR By
From the GREEK.
REAT BACCHUS, born in Thunder and in Fire
Native Heat afferts His dreadful Sire.
Nouriſh'd near fhady Rills and cooling Streams,
He to the Nymphs avows his Am'rous Flames.
To all the Breth'ren at the Bell and Vine,
The Moral ſays; Mix Water with your Wine.
F
EPIGRAM.
RANK Carves very ill, yet will palm all the Meats:
He Eats more than Six ; and Drinks more than he Eats.
Four Pipes after Dinner he conſtantly ſmokes;
And feafons his Whifs with impertinent Jokes.
Yet fighing, he fays, we muſt certainly break;
And my cruel Unkindneſs compells him to ſpeak;
For of late I invite Him-but Four Times a Week.
A NO-
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
159
T
ANOTHER.
O JOHN I ow'd great Obligation;
But JOHN, unhappily thought fit,
To publish it to all the Nation:
Sure JoHN and I are more than Quit.
ANO
THE R.
'ES, every Poet is a Fool:
YE
By Demonftration NED can fhow it:
Happy, cou'd NED's inverted Rule
Prove every Fool to be a Poet.
THY
ANO THE R.
HY Nags (the leanest Things alive)
So very hard Thou lov't to drive ;
I heard thy anxious Coach-man fay,
It cofts Thee more in Whips, than Hay.
3
To a Perſon who wrote Ill, and spake Worfe
against Me.
L
YE, PHILO, untouch'd on my peaceable Shelf;
Nor take it amifs, that fo little I heed Thee:
I've no Envy to Thee, and fome Love to my Self:
Then why fhou'd I anſwer; fince firft I must read
Thee?
Drunk with HELICON's Waters and double brew'd Bub,
Be a Linguiſt, a Poet, a Critic, a Wag;
To the folid Delight of thy Well-judging Club,
To the Damage alone of thy Bookfeller BRAG.
Purfue
160
POEM's on feveral Occafions.
Purſue me with Satyr: what Harm is there in't?
But from all viva voce Reflection forbear:
There can be no Danger from what Thou shalt Print:
There may be a little from what Thou may'ft fwear.
On the fame Perfon.
HILE fafter than his coftive Brain indites,
PHILO's quick Hand in flowing Letters writes;
His Cafe appears to Me like honeft TEAGUE's,
When he was run away with, by his Legs.:
PHOEBUS, give PHILO o'er himself Command;
Quicken his Senfes, or reſtrain His Hand;
Let Him be kept from Paper, Pen, and Ink:
So may He ceaſe to Write, and learn to Think.
F
Quid fit futurum Cras fuge quærere.
OR what To-morrow ſhall diſcloſe,
May spoil what You To-night propoſe:
ENGLAND may change; or CLOE ftray:
Love and Life are for To-day.
A POEM,
The NUT-BROWN MAID.
Written Three Hundred Years fince.
E it right or wrong, thefe Men among
On Woman do complayne;
BE
Affyrmynge this, how that it is
A Labour ſpent in vaine,
To love Them wele; for never a dele
Thy love a Man againe.
For lete a Man do what He
can,
Ther Favour to attayne;
Yet
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
161
Yet yf a new do Them purſue,
Ther furit trew Lover than
Laboureth for nought; for from her Thought
He is a baniſhyd Man.
I fay not nay, but all that day
It is bothe writ and fayde,
That Woman's Fayth is, as who faythe;
All utterly decayed.
But nevertheleſs right good Witneſs
I' this cafe might be layde,
That They love trewe, and contynewe,
Record the Nut brown Mayde.
Which from her Love (whan Her to prove,
He came to make his mone)
Wold not depart; for in her Herte
She lovyd but Him alone.
Than betwene Us, lettens difcuffe,
What was all the maner,
Between them too: We wyll alſo
Telle all the peyne and fere
That She was in. Now I begynne,
So that ye me anſwere.
Wherefore all Ye, that prefent be,
I pray Ye give an Eare.
MAN.
I am the Knyght; I come by Nyght,
As fecret as I can;
Saying, alas! thus ftandeth the Cafe,
I am a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
And I your Wylle for to fulfylle
In this wyl not refuſe;
Trufting to fhew, in Wordis fewe,
That Men have an ille uſe,
(To
162
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
(To ther own ſhame) Women to blame,
And cauſeleſs them accufe:
Therefore to You I anſwere now,
Alle Women to excuſe:
-M'yn own Herte dere, with You what chere,
I pray You telle anone;
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
It ftondeth fo; a dede is do,
Wherefore moche harm fhall growe:
My defteny is for to dey
A ſhameful Deth, I trowe:
Or ellis to flee: the one muſt be:
None other way I knowe.
But to withdrawe, as an Outlaw,
And take me to my Bowe.
Wherefore adew, my-own Herte trewe :
None other red I can;
For I muft to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMAN.
O Lord! what is this wordis blyffe,
That chaungeth as the Mone?
My Somers Day, in lufty May,
Is derked before the None.
I here you fay, Farwell: nay, nay!
We departe not foo fone:
Why fay Ye fo? wheder wyl Ye goe?
Alas! what have Ye done?
Alle my welfare to forrow and care
Shulde chaunge, if Ye were gon;
For in my mynde, of all Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
I can
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
163
MAN.
I can beleve, it ſhall you greeve,
And fhomwhat you diſtrayne ;
But aftyrwarde your paynes harde,
Within a day or tweyne,
Shal fone aflake; and Ye fhal take
Comfort to you agayne.
Why should Ye nought? for to make thought,
Your labur were in vayne,
And thus I do, and pray you too,
As hertely as I can ;
For I must to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Now fyth that Ye have fhewed to Me
The Secret of your mynde;
I fhal be plaine to you againe,
Like as Ye fhal Me fynde.
Syth it is fo, that Ye wyll goe,
I wol not leve behynde:
Shal never be fayd, the Nut-brown Mayde
Was to her Love unkynde.
Make You redy; for fo am I,
Although it were anone:
For in my mynde, of all Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
AMAN
Yet I You rede, to take good hede,
What Men wyl think and ſeý;
Of Yonge and Olde it fhall be tolde,
That Ye be gone away:
Your wanton wylle, for to fulfylle,
In grene Wode you to play
And that Ye myght from your delyte
Noo lenger make delay.
Rather
164 POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Rather than Ye fhould thus for me,
Be called an ylle Woman;
Yet wold I to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Though it be fonge, of Old and Yonge,
That I fhuld be to blame;
Theirs be the charge, that ſpeke fo Large,
In hurting of my Name.
For I wyl prove, that feythful Love
It is devoyd of Shame;
In your Diftrefs and Heavynefs
To part wyth you the fame.
"And fure all thoo that doo not ſo,
Trewe Lovers ar they none:
But in my mynde, of all Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
I counſel you, remember how,
It is no Mayden's lawe,
Nothing to doubt, but to renne out
To Wode with an Outlawe.
For Ye must there, in your hand bere
A Bowe ready to drawe:
And as a Theef, thus muft Ye lyve,
Ever in Drede and Awe.
}
Whereby to You gret harme may grow;
Yet I had lever than,
That I had to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMAN..
I think not nay; But as Ye faye,
It is noo Mayden's lore;
But Love may make Me for your fake,
As I have faid before,
To
POEMS on feveral Occafions, 165
To come on fote, to Hunte and Shote,
To get us Mete in Store.
For fo that I your Company
May have, I ask noo more:
For which to parte, it makith myn Herte
As colde as any Ston.
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
+
MAN.
For an Outlawe, this is the Lawe,
That Men hym Take and Binde,
Wythout pytee Hanged to bee,
And waver with the Wynde.
Yf I had neede, as God forbede,
What refons coude Ye finde?
For fothe I trowe, Ye and your Bowe
Shuld draw for fere behynde.
And no Merveyle; for lytel avayle
Were in your Council than:
Wherefore I to the Wode wyl goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Full well knowe Ye, that Wymen be
But febyl for to Fyght:
Noo Womanhede it is in deede,
To bee bold as a Knyght.
Yet in fuch fere Yf that Ye were,
With Enemys day and nyght;
I wolde withftonde, with Bow in honde,
To grieve them as 1 myght:
And you to fave, as Wymen have
From dethe many one:
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
01
+
MAN.
166
POEMS on Several Occafions.
MAN.
Yet take good hede! for ever I drede,
That Ye coude not fuftoin
The thorney Weyes, the depe Valeis,
The Snow, the Froft, the Reyn,
The Cold, the Hete. For Drye or Wete,
We muſt lodge on the Playn;
And us above, noon other Rofe,
But a Brake, Bush, or twayne,
Whiche fone fhuld greve you, I beleve;
And Ye wolde gladely than,
That I had to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Syth I have here been partynere
With You of Joy and Blyffe,
I muſt alſo, parte of your woo
Endure, as Refon is.
Yet am I fure of one Plefure;
And, fhortly, it is this:.
That where Ye bee, me feemeth, par-dy
I could not fare amyſs.
Without more Speche, I you befeche,
That We were foon a-gone:
For in my mynde, of all Mankynde,
I love but You alone,
MAN.
Yf Ye goo thedyr, Ye muft confider,
Whan Ye have luft to dyne,
There ſhal no Mete be for to gete,
Nor Drink, Bere, Ale, ne Wine';
Ne Shetis clene, to lye betwene,
Made of Thred and Twyne;
*
Noon
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
167
Noon other Houfe, but Levys and Bowes,
To kever your Head and myn.
O myn Herte fwete, this ylle Dyet
Shuld make you Pale and Wan:
Wherefore I to the Wode wyl goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man..
WOMAN.
Among the wyld Dere, fuch an Archier,
As men ſay that Ye bee,
We may not fayle of good Vitayle,
Where is fo grete plente.
And Watir cleere of the Ryvere
Shal be full fwete to Me;
With which in hele, I fhall right wele
Endure, as Ye fhall fee.
And er We goe, a Bed or two
I can provide anone;
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
Loo! yet before, Ye must do more,
If ye wyl go with Me;
As cut to your Here, up by your
Your Kurtel to the Knee,
Ere,
Wyth Bowe in Honde, for to wythftonde
Your Enemys yf nede be:
And this fame Nyght, before Day-lyght,
To Wode-ward wyl I Flee.
And yf Ye wille all this fulfylle,
Do it fhortly as Ye can;
Ellis wil I to the grene Wode goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMAN
:
168
POEMS on Several Occafions.
WOMA N.
I ſhall as now do more for You,
Than longeth to Womanhede,
To ſhort my Here, a Bow to bere,
To Shote in tyme of nede,
O my fweet Moder, before all other,
For You have I moft Drede:
But now Adieu I muſt enfue,
Where Fortune duth Me lede,
All this make Ye, and lete Us Flee:
The Day run faft upon:
For in my mynde of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
Nay, nay, not fo: Ye fhall not go:
And I fhall tell Ye why:
Your Appetite is to be light
Of Love, I wele eſpie,
For right as Ye have fayde to Me,
In lykewyfe hardely
Ye wolde anſwere, whofoever it were,
In way of Company.
It is fayd of Olde; fone Hote, fone Colde:
And fo is a Woman:
Wherefore I to the Wode wyl goe,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Yf Ye take hede, yt is noo nede
Such Wordis to fay bee Me:
For ofte Ye prey'd, and longe affayed,
Er I you lovid, par-dy.
And though that I of Aunceſtry
A Baron's Daughter bee;
Yet have You prov'd, how I You Loved,
A Squyer of low Degree;
A
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
169
And ever fhal, what fo befalle,
To dey therefore anone ;
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde;
I love but You alone.
MAN.
A Baron's Childe to be begyled,
It were a curfed Dede:
To be Felawe with an Outlawe,
Almighty God forbede!
It better were, the pore Squyer
Alone to Forreſt Spede;
Than Ye ſhall faye, another Daye,
That by that wicked Dede
Ye were betrayed.
Wherefore, good Maide,
The beſt rede that I can,
Is that I to the grene Wode go,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Whatſoever befalle, I never fhalle,
Of this thing You upbraid:
But yf Ye go, and leave Me fo,
Then have Ye Me betraid.
Remember Ye wele, how that Ye dele;
For yf Ye, as Ye fayde,
Be fo unkynde, to leve behynde
Your Love, the Nut-brown Maide:
Truft Me truely, that I fhall dey
Sone after Ye be gone ;
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
Yf that Ye went, Ye fhulde repent;
For in the Forreſt now
I have purveid me of a Maide,
Whom I love more than You.
I
*
Ano
170
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Another fayrer than e'er Ye were ;
I dare it well avowe:
And of You bothe, Eche fhulde be wrothe
Wyth other, as I trowe.
It were myn Efe, to lyve in Peſe:
So wyl I, yf I can :
Wherefore I to the Wode wyl go,
Alone, a baniſhyd Man.
WOMA N.
Though in the Wode, I undirftode,
Ye had a Paramour;
All this may nought remove my Thought,
But that I will be Your.
And She ſhall fynde Me ſoft and kynde,
And curteis every hour,
Glad to fulfylle all that She wylle
Commaunde Me to my Pow'r.
For had Ye loo, an hundred moo;
Yet wolde I be that One:
For in my mynde of all Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
Myne own dere Love, I fee the Prove,
That Ye be kynde and trewe;
Of Mayde and Wyfe, in al my Lyf,
The beſt that ever I knew.
Be merry and glad; be no more fad;
The cafe is chaunged newe;
For it were Ruthe, that for your Trouth,
Ye fhulde have cauſe to rewe.
Be not difmayed; whatſoever I fayd
To you when I began:
I wyl not to the grene Wode go;
I am no baniſhyd Man.
WOMAN.
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
171
WOMAN.
Theis tidings be more glad to me,
Than to be made made a Quene ;
Yf I were fure, they ſhould endure:
But it is often feen,
When Men wyl breke Promyfe, they ſpeke
The Wordis on the Splene.
Ye ſhape ſome Wyle, Me to begyle,
And ftele fro me, I wene.
Then were the cafe wars than it was;
And I more woo begon;
For in my mynde, of al Mankynde,
I love but You alone.
MAN.
Ye fhall not nede further to drede:
I will not diſparage
You. God defende; fyth you defcende
Of ſo grete a Lynage.
Now underſtande, to Weftmerlande,
Whiche is my Hery tage,
I wyl you bringe; and with a Rynge,
By wey of Maryage ·
I wyl you take, and Lady make,
As ſhortly as I can.
Thus have ye wone an Erlie's Son,
And not a baniſhyd Man.
HENRY and EMMA, APOE м, upon the
Model of the NUT-BROWN MAID.
TH
To
CLOE.
HOU, to whofe Eyes I bend; at whofe Command,
(Tho' low my Voice, tho' artdefs be my Hand)
I 2
I take
172
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
I take the ſprightly Reed, and fing, and play;
Careless of what the cens'ring World may ſay:
Bright CLOE, Object of my conftant Vow,
Wilt thou a while unbend thy ferious Brow?
Wilt thou with Pleaſure hear thy Lover's Strains,
And with one Heav'nly Smile o'erpay his Pains?
No longer ſhall the Nut-brown Maid be old;
Tho' fince her Youth three hundred Years have roll'd.
At Thy Defire, She ſhall again be rais'd;
And her reviving Charms in lafting Verſe be prais'd.
No longer Man of Woman ſhall complain,
That he may Love and not be Lov'd again:
That We in vain the fickle Sex purſue,
Who change the Conftant Lover for the New.
Whatever has been writ, whatever faid
Of Female Paffion feign'd, or Faith decay'd;
Henceforth fhall in my Verfe refuted ftand,
Be faid to Winds or writ upon the Stand.
And while my Notes to future Times proclaim
Unconquer'd Love, and ever-during Flame;
O faireſt of the Sex! be Thou my Muſe:
Deign on my Work thy Influence to diffuſe.
Let me partake the Bleffings I rehearſe,
And grant me, Love, the juft Reward of Verfe.
As Beauty's potent Queen, with ev'ry Grace
That once was EMMA's, has adorn'd thy Face;
And as Her Son has to my Bofom dealt
That conftant Flame, which faithful HENRY felt:
O let the Story with thy Life agree;
Let Men once more the bright Example fee;
What EMMA was to Him, be Thou to Me.
Nor fend me by thy Frown from Her I love,
Diſtant and fad, a baniſh'd Man to rove.
}
But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
173
But oh! with Pity long intreated Crown
My Pains and Hopes; when thou fay'ft that One
Of all Mankind thou lov'ft; Oh! think on Me alone.
HERE beauteous Isis and her Husband TAME
WHEE
With mingled Waves for ever flow the Same,
In Times of Yore an ancient Baron liv'd;
Great Gifts beſtow'd, and great Respect receiv'd.
When dreadful EDWARD with fuccesful Care
Led his free BRITONS to the GALLIC War;
This Lord had Headed his appointed Bands,
In firm Allegiance to his King's Commands;
And (all due Honours faithfully difcharg'd)
Had brought back his Paternal Coat enlarg`d
With a new Mark, the Witnefs of his Toil,
And no inglorious Part of Foreign Spoil.
From the loud Camp retir'd and noify Court,
In Honourable Eafe and rural Sport,
The Remnant of his Days He fafely paſt;
Nor found they Lagg'd too flow, nor Flew too faſt,
He made his Wiſh with his Eſtate comply,
Joyful to live, yet not afraid to Die.
:
One Child he had, a Daughter chaſt and fair,
His Age's Comfort, and his Fortune's Heir.
They call'd her EMMA for the beauteous Dame
Who gave the Virgin Birth, had born the Name,-
The Name th' indulgent Father doubly lov'd;
For in the Child the Mother's Charms improv'd.
Yet as when little round his Knees She play'd;
He call'd her oft in Sport His Nut-brown Maid:
The Friends and Tenants took the fondling Word:
As ftill they pleaſe, who imitate their Lord:
I 3
Ulage
174
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Ufage confirm'd what Fancy had begun :
The mutual Terms around the Lands were known;
And EMMA and the Nut-brown Maid were One.
}
As with her Stature, ftill her Charms encreas'd;
Thro' all the Ifle her Beauty was confefs'd.
Oh! what perfections must that Virgin fhare,
Who faireſt is eſteem'd, where all are Fair?
From diſtant ſhires repair the noble Youth,
And find, Report for once had leffen'd Truth.
By Wonder first, and then by Paffion mov'd,
They came; they faw; they marvell'd; and they lov'd.
By publick Praiſes, and by fecret Sighs
Each own'd the general Power of EMMA's Eyes.
In Tilts and Turnaments the Valiant ftrove,
By glorious Deeds to purchaſe EMMA's Love.
In gentle Verſe the Witty told their Flame,
And grac'd their choiceft Songs with EMMA's Name.
In vain they Combated, in vain they Writ:
Uſeleſs their Strength, and impotent their Wit.
Great VENUS only must direct the Dart,
Which elſe will never reach the Fair one's Heart,
Spight of th' Attempts of Force, and foft Effects of Art.
Great VENUS muft per fer the happy One:
In HENRY'S Cauſe her Favour muſt be ſhown:
And EMMA, of Mankind, muſt Love but him alone.
While theſe in publick to the Caſtle came,
And by their Grandeur juftify'd their Flame;
More fecret Ways the careful HENRY takes;
His Squires, his Arms, and Equipage for fakes:
In borrow'd Name, and falfe Attire array'd,
Oft he finds Means to fee the beauteous Maid.
When EMMA hunts, in huntſman's Habit dreſt,
HENRY on Foot purfues the bounding Beaft.
Ia
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
175
In his right Hand his Beachen Pole be bears:
And graceful at his Side his Horn he wears.
Still to the Glade, where She has bent her Way,
With knowing Skill he drives the future Prey.
Bids her decline the Hill, and fhun the Brake;
And fhews the Path her Steed may ſafeſt take.
Directs her Spear to fix the glorious Wound;
Pleas'd in his Toils to have her Triumph Crown'd ;
And blows her Praiſes in no common Sound.
A Falc'ner HENRY is, when EMMA Hawks:
With her of Tarfels, and of Lures he talks.
Upon his Wriſt the tow'ring Merlin ſtands ;
Practis'd to rife, and ſtoop at her Commands.
And when Superior now the Bird has flown,
And headlong brought the tumbling Quarry down ;
With humble rev'rence he accofts the Fair;
And with the honour'd Feather decks her Hair.
Yet ftill, as from the ſportive Field She goes,
His down caft Eye reveals his inward Woes.
And by his Look and Sorrow is expreſt,
A nobler Game purfu'd than Bird or Beaſt.
A Shepherd now along the Plain he roves;
And, with his jolly Pipe, delights the Groves.
The neighb'ring Swains around the Stranger throng,
Or to admire, or emulate his Song:
While, with foft Sorrow, he renews his Lays,
Nor heedful of their Envy, nor their Praiſe.
But ſoon as EMMA's Eyes adorn the Plain,
His Notes he raiſes to a nobler Strain,
With dutiful reſpect and ſtudious Fear;
Left any careless Sound offend her Ear.
A frantick Gipfey now the Houſe he haunts,
And in wild Phraſes ſpeaks diffembled Wants.
I 4
}
With
$76
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
/ 86
With the fond Maids in Palmiſtry he deals:
They Tell the Secret firft, which he Reveals:
Say who fhall Wed, and who fhall be beguil'd;
What Groom fhall Get, and Squire maintain the Child.
But when bright EMMA would her Fortune know ;
A fofter look unbends his op'ning Brow.
With trembling Awe he gazes on her Eye ;
And in foft Accents forms the kind Reply;
That She fhall prove as Fortunate as Fair;
And HYMEN's choiceft Gifts are all referv'd for Her.
Now oft had HENRY chang'd his fly Diſguiſe,
Unmark'd by all but beautecus EMMA's Eyes:
Oft had found Means alone to fee the Dame,
And at her Feet to breathe his am'rous Flame;
And oft the Pangs of Abſence to remove
By Letters, foft Interpreters of Love:
'Till Time and Induftry (the mighty Two
That bring our Wishes nearer to our View)
Made him perceive, that the inclining Fair
Receiv'd his Vows with no reluctant Ear;
That VENUS had confirm'd her equal Reign,
And dealt to EMMA's Heart a fhare of HENRY's Pain.
While CUPID fmil'd, by kind Occafion bleſs'd,
And, with the Secret kept, the Love encreas'd;
he am'rous Youth frequents the filent Groves;
And much He meditates for much He loves.
He loves: 'tis true; and is belov'd again:
Great are his Joys: But will they long remain?
EMMA with Smiles receives his prefent Flame;
But fmiling, will fhe ever be the fame?
Beautiful Looks are rul'd by fickle Minds;
And Summer Seas are turn'd by fudden Winds.
Another Love may gain her cafe Youth:
Time changes Thought; and Flatt'ry conquers Truth.
O
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
177
O impotent Eſtate of human Life!
Where Hope and Fear maintain eternal Strife ;
Where fleeting Joy does laſting Doubt inſpire;
And moſt We queſtion, what We moſt Defire.
Amongst thy various Gifts, great Heav'n beſtow
Our Cup of Love unmix'd; forbear to throw
Bitter Ingredients in; nor pall the Draught
With naufeous Grief: for our ill-judging Thought
Hardly enjoys the pleafurable Tafte:
Or deems it not fincere; or fears it cannot laft.
With Wiſhes rais'd, with Jealoufies oppreft,
(Alternate Tyrants of the Human Breaſt)
By one great Trial he refolves to prove
The Faith of Woman and the Force of Love.
If fcanning EMMA's Virtues, He may find
That beauteous Frame incloſe a ſteady Mind,
He'll fix his Hope, of Future Joy fecure;
And live a Slave to HYMEN's happy Pow'r.
But if the Fair one, as he fears, is frail;
If pois'd aright in Reafons Equal Scale,
Light fly her Merit, and her Faults prevail;
His Mind He vows to free from am'rous Care,
The latent Miſchief from his Heart to tear,
Reſume his Azure Arms, and fhine again in War.
South of the Caftle in a verdant Glade
A fpreading Beech extends her friendly Shade:
Here oft the Nymph his breathing Vow had heard;
Here oft Her Silence had Her Heart declar'd.
As active Spring awak'd her Infant Buds,
And genial Life inform'd the verdant Woods;
HENRY, in Knots involving EMMA's Name,
Had half exprefs'd, and half conceal'd his Flame
Upon This Tree: and as the tender Mark
Grew with the Year, and widen'd with the Bark;
1 5
VENUS
178
POEMS on Several Occafions.
VENUS had heard the Virgin's foft Addreſs,
That, as the Wound, the Paffion might increaſe.
As potent Nature fhed her kindly Show'rs,
And deck'd the various Mead with op'ning Flow'rs ;
Upon This Tree the Nymph's obliging Care
Had left a frequent Wreath for HENRY'S Hair:
Which as with gay Delight the Lover found;
Pleas'd with his Conqueft, with her Prefent crown'd,
Glorious thro' all the Plains He oft had gone,
And to each Swain the Myftic Honour shown:
The Gift ftill prais'd, the Giver ftill unknown,
His fecret Note the troubled HENRY writes;
To the known Tree the lovely Maid invites:
Imperfect Words and dubious Terms exprefs,
That unforeſeen Mifchance diſturb'd his Peace;
That He muft fomething to her Ear commend,
On which Her Conduct, and His Life depend.
Soon as the Fair one had the Note receiv'd;
The remnant of the Day alone fhe griev'd:
For different this from ev'ry former Note,
Which VENUs dictated, and HENRY wrote;
Which told her all his future Hopes were laid
On the dear Bofom of his Nut brown Maid,
Which always blefs'd her Eyes, and own'd her Pow'r ;
And bid her oft Adieu, yet added more.
Now Night advanc'd. The Houſe in Sleep were laid.
The Nurfe experienc'd, and the prying Maid;
At laſt that Sprite, which does inceſſant haunt
The Lover's Steps, the ancient Maiden Aunt.
To her dear HENRY EMMA wings her Way,
With quicken'd Pace repairing forc'd Delay.
For Love, fantaflic Pow'r, that is afraid
To fir abroad 'till Watchfulneſs be laid;
Un-
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
179
Undaunted then, o'er Cliffs and Valleys ftrays;
And leads his Vot'ries fafe thro' pathleſs Ways.
Not ARGUS with his Hundred Eyes (hall find,
Where Cupid goes; tho' He poor Guide is blind.
The Maiden firſt arriving, fent her Eye
To ask, if yet it's Chief Delight were nigh:
With Fear, and with Defire, with Joy and Pain
She fees, and runs to meet Him on the Plain.
But oh! his Steps proclaim no Lover's Hafte:
On the Low Ground his fix'd Regards are caft:
His artful Boſom heaves diſſembľ'd Sighs;
And Tears fuborn'd fall copious from his Eyes.
With Eafe, alas! we Credit what we Love:
His painted Grief does real Sorrow move
In the afflicted Fair; Adown her Cheek
Trickling the genuine Tears their Current break,
Attentive ftood the mournful Nymph: the Man
Broke Silence firft: the Tale alternate ran.
ST
MAN.
INCERE O tell me, hafte thou felt a Pain,
EMMA, beyond what Woman
knows to feign?
Has Thy uncertain Bofom ever ftrove
With the first Tumults of a real Love?
Haft Thou now dreaded, and now bleft his Sway,
By Turns averfe, and joyful to obey?
Thy Virgin Softneſs haft Thou e'er bewail'd;
As Reafon yielded, and as Love prevail'd?
And wept the potent God's refiftlefs Dart,
His killing Pleaſure, his Ecftatic Smart,
And heav'nly Poifon thrilling thro' thy Heart?
If fo, with Pity view my wretched State ;
At leaft deplore, and then forget my Fate:
}
To
180
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
To fome more happy Knight referve thy Charms,
By Fortune favour'd, and fucceſsful Arms:
And only as the Sun's revolving Ray
Brings back each Year this melancholy Day;
Permit one Sigh, and fet apart one Tear,
To an abandon'd Exile's endleſs Care,
For Me, alas! Out-caft of Human Race,
Love's Anger only waits, and dire Disgrace;
For lo! thefe Hands in Murther are imbru'd;
Theſe trembling Feet by Juftice are purfu'd:
Fate calls aloud, and haftens me away;
A Shameful Death attends my longer Stay;
And I this Night muft fly from Thee and Love,
Condemn'd in lonely Woods, a baniſh'd Man to rove,
EM MA.
What is our Blifs, that changeth with the Moon;
And Day of Life, that darkens ere 'tis Noon?
What is true Faflion, if unbleft it dies?
And where is EMMA's Joy, if HENRY flies?
If Love, alas! be Pain; the Pain I bear,
No Thought can figure, and no Tongue declare.
Ne'er faithful Woman felt, nor falfe one feign'd
The Flames, which long have in my Bofom reign'd:
The God of Love himfelf inhabits there,
With all his Rage, and Dread, and Grief, and Care,
His Complement of Stores, and total War.
O! ceaſe then coldly to fufpect my Love;
And let my Deed at leaſt my Faith approve.
Alas! no Youth fhall my Endearments fhare;
Nor Day nor Night fhall interrupt my Care
No future Story fhall with Truth upbraid
The cold Indiff'rence of the Nut brown Maid:
Nor to hard Banifhment fhall HENRY run;
While careleſs EMMA fleeps on Beds of Down.
Care,}
View
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
181
View Me reſolv'd, where-e'er Thou lead'ft, to go
Friend to thy Pain, and Partner of thy Woe;
For I atteft fair VENUS, and her Son,
That I, of all Mankind, will love but Thee alone.
HENRY.
Let Prudence yet obftruct Thy vent'rous Way;
And take good heed, what Men will think and ſay:
That beauteous EMMA vagrant Courſes took;
Her Father's Houſe and civil Life forfook ;
That full of Youthful-Blood, and fond of Man,
She to the Wood land with an Exile ran.
Reflect, that leffen'd Fame is ne'er regain'd;
And Virgin Honour once, is always ftain'd:
Timely advis'd, the coming Evil fhun:
Better not do the Deed, than weep it done.
No Penance can abfolve our guilty Fame;
Nor Tears, that wash out Sin, can wash out ſhame.
Then fly the fad Effects of deſp❜rate Love ;
And leave a baniſh'd Man thro' lonely Woods to rove.
EMMA.
Let EMMA's hapless Cafe be falfely told
By the rash Young, or the ill-natur'd Old:
Let ev'ry Tongue its various Cenfures chufe;
Abfolve with Coldneſs, or with Spite accuſe :
Fair Truth at last her radiant Beams will raiſe;
And Malice vanquish'd heightens Virtue's Praife.
Let then thy Favour but indulge my Flight;
O! let my Prefence make thy Travels light;
And potent VENUS fhall exalt my Name,
Above the Rumours of cenforious Fame:
Nor from that bufie Demon's reſtleſs Pow'r
Will ever EMMA other Grace implore,
Than that this Truth fhould to the World be known;
That I, of all Mankind, have lov'd but Thee alone.
HENRY
182 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
HENRY.
But canft thou wield the Sword, and bend the Bow?
With active Force repel the sturdy Foe?
When the loud Tumult ſpeaks the Battle nigh,
And winged Deaths in whiftling Arrows fly;
Wilt Thou, tho' wounded, yet undaunted ſtay,
Perform thy Part, and fhare the dangerous Day?
Then, as thy Strength decays, thy Heart will fail,
Thy Limbs all trembling, and thy Cheeks all pale;
With fruitless Sorrow, Thou, inglorious Maid,
Wilt weep thy Safety by thy Love betray'd:
Then to thy Friend, by Foes o'er charg'd, deny
Thy little uſeleſs Aid, and Coward fly:
Then wilt thou curſe the Chance that made Thee love
A banish'd Man, condemn'd in lonely Woods to rove.
EMMA.
With fatal Certainty THALESTRIS knew
To fend the Arrow from the twanging Yew:
And great in Arms, and foremoſt in the War,
BONDUCA brandiſh'd high the BRITISH Spear.
Could Thirſt of Vengeance, and Defire of Fame
Excite the Female Breaſt with Martial Flame?
And ſhall not Love's diviner Pow'r infpire
More hardy Virtue, and more gen'rous Fire?
Near Thee, miftruft not, conftant I'll abide.
And fall, or vanquish, fighting by thy Side.
Tho' my inferior Strength may not allow,
That I should bear, or draw the Warrior Bow
With ready Hand I will the Shaft ſupply,
And joy to fee thy Victor Arrows fly.
Touch'd in the Battle by the Hoftile Reed,
[bleed
Should'ft Thou (but Heaven avert it!) fhould't Thou
To ftop the Wounds my fineft Lawn I'd tear;
Wafn them with Tears, and wipe them with my Hair:
Bleft,
POEMS on several Occafions.
183
:
Bleft, when my Dangers and my Toils have ſhown,
That I, of all Mankind, could love but Thee alone.
HENRY.
But canft Thou, tender Maid, canft Thou fuftain
Afflictive Want, or Hunger's preffing Pain?
Thoſe Limbs, in Lawn and fofteft Silk array'd,
From Sun-beams guarded, and of Winds afraid;
Can they bear angry Jove? Can they refiſt
The parching Dog-itar, and the bleak North-Eaſt?
When chill'd by adverfe Snows, and beating Rain,
We tread with weary Steps the long fome Plain;
When with hard Toil We ſeek our Ev'ning Food,
Berries and Acorns, from the neighb'ring Wood;
And find among the Cliffs no other Houſe,
But the thin Covert of fome gather'd Boughs;
Wilt Thou not then reluctant fend thine Eye
Around the dreary Waſte; and weeping try
(Tho' then, alas! that Tryal be too late)
To find thy Father's Hofpitable Gate
And Seats, where Eafe and Plenty brooding fate?
}
Thofe Seats, whence long excluded Thou muſt mourn :
That Gate, for ever barr'd to thy Return:
Wilt thou not then bewail ill-fated Love,
And hate a banifh'd Man, condemn'd in Woods to rove?
EM MA.
Thy Rife of Fortune did I only wed,
From it's Decline determin'd to recede;
Did I but purpoſe to embark with Thee,
On the ſmooth Surface of a Summer's Sea;
While gentle ZEPHYRS play in profp'rous Gales;
And Fortune's Favour fills the fwelling Sails:
But would forfake the Ship, and make the Shoar,
When the Winds whiſtle, and the Tempeſts roar ?
No,
184
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
No, HENRY, no: One Sacred Oath has ty'd
Our Loves; One Destiny our Life fhall guide;
Nor Wild, nor Deep our common Way divide.
When from the Cave thou riſeſt with the Day,
To beat the Woods, and roufe the bounding Prey:
The Cave with Mofs and Branches I'll adorn,
And cheerful fit, to wait my Lord's Return.
And when Thou frequent bring'ft the fmitten Deer;
(For feldom, Archers fay, Thy Arrows err)
I'll fetch quick Fewel from the neighb'ring Wood,
And ſtrike the ſparkling Flint, and drefs the Food:
With humble Duty and officious Hafte,
I'll cull the furtheft Mead for Thy Repaft:
The choiceft Herbs I to thy Board will bring;
And draw Thy Water from the fresheft Spring:
And when at Night with weary Toil oppreft,
Soft Slumbers Thou enjoy't, and wholefome Reft;
Watchful I'll guard Thee, and with Midnight Pray'r
Weary the Gods to keep Thee in their Care;
And joyous ask at Morn's returning Ray,
ми
If Thou haft Health, and I may bleſs the Day.
My Thoughts fhall fix, my lateſt Wiſh depend
On Thee, Guide, Guardian, Kinfman, Father, Friend:
By all thefe facred Names be HENRY known
TO EMMA's Heart: and grateful let Him own,
That She, of all Mankind, could love but Him alone.
HENRY.
Vainly thou tell'ft Me, what the Woman's Care
Shall in the Wildneſs of the Wood prepare :
Thou, ere thou goeft, unhappyeft of thy Kind,
Muſt leave the Habit, and the Sex behind.
No longer fhall thy comely Treffes break
In flowing Ringlets on thy fnowy Neck ;
Or
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 185
Or fit behind thy Head, an ample Round,
In graceful Breeds with various Ribbon bound:
No longer fhall the Boddice aptly lac'd,
From thy full Bofom to thy flender Waſte,
That Air and Harmony of Shape expreſs,
Fine by Degrees, and beautifully leſs:
Nor fhall thy lower Garments artful Pleat,
From thy fair Side dependent to thy Feet,
Arm their chafte Beauties with a modeft Pride,
And double ev'ry Charm they feek to hide.
Th' Ambrofial Plenty of Thy fhining Hair
Cropt off and loft, fcarce lower than Thy Ear
Shall ftand uncouth: a Horfe-man's Coat fhall hide
Thy taper Shape, and Comeliness of Side:
The fhort Trunk Hofe fhall fhow thy Foot and Knee
Licentious, and to common Eye-fight free :
And with a bolder Stride, and looſer Air,
Mingl'd with Men, a Man thou muſt appear.
Nor Solitude, nor gentle Peace of Mind,
Miftaken Maid, fhalt Thou in Forefts find:
'Tis long, fince CYNTHIA and her Train were there:
Or Guardian Gods made Innocence their Care.
Vagrants and Out-laws fhall offend Thy View':
For fuch must be my Friends, a hideous Crew
By adverſe Fortune mix'd in Social Ill,
Train'd to affault, and difciplin'd to kill:
Their common Loves, a lewd abandon'd Pack,
The Beadle's Laſh ſtill flagrant on their Back:
By Sloth corrupted, by Diſorder fed,
Made bold by Want, and proftitute for Bread:
With fuch muft EMMA hunt the tedious Day,
Affift their Violence, and divide their Prey:
With fuch She must return at fetting Light,
Tho' not Partaker, Witneſs of their Night,
Thy
186
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
い
​Thy Ear, inur'd to charitable Sounds,
And pitying Love, muft feel the hateful Wounds
Of Jeft obfcene, and vulgar Ribaldry,
The ill-bred Queſtion, and the lewd Reply;
Brought by long Habitude from Bad to Worfe,
Muſt hear the frequent Oath, the direful Curfe,
That lateft Weapon of the Wretches War,
And Blafphemy, fad Comrade of Despair.
Now, EMMA, now the laft Reflection make,
What Thou would'ſt follow, what Thou muſt forfake:
By our ill omen'd Stars, and adverſe Heav'n,
No middle Object to thy Choice is given.
Or yield thy Virtue, to attain thy Love;
Or leave a baniſh'd Man, condemn'd in Woods to rove.
EM MA.
O Grief of Heart! that our unhappy Fates
Force Thee to fuffer what thy Honour hates:
Mix Thee amongst the Bad; or make Thee run
Too near the Paths, which Virtue bids Thee ſhun.
Yet with her HENRY ftill let EMMA go;
With Him abhor the Vice, but fhare the Woe:
And fure my little Heart can never err
Amidst the worft; if HENRY ftill be there.
Our outward Act is prompted from within;
And from the Sinner's Mind proceeds the Sin:
By her own Choice free Virtue is approv'd;
Nor by the Force of outward Objects mov'd.
Who has affay'd no Danger, gains no Praiſe.
In a ſmall Ifle, amidst the wideft Seas,
Triumphant Conftancy has fix'd her Seat:
In vain the Syrens fing, the Tempeſts beat:
Their Flatt'ry She rejects, nor fears their Threat.
For Thee alone thefe little Charms I dreft:
Condemn'd them, or abfolv'd them by thy Teft.
}
In
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
1.87
In comely Figure rang'd my Jewels fhone,
Or negligently plac'd for Thee alone:
For Thee again they fhall be laid afide:
The Woman, HENRY, fhall put off her Pride
For Thee my Cloaths, my Sex, exchang'd for Thee,
I'll mingle with the People's wretched Lee ;
O Line extream of human Infamy!
Wanting the Sciffors, with thefe Hands I'll tear
(If that obftructs my Flight) this load of Hair.
Black Soot, or yellow Walnut fhall difgrace
This little Red and White of EMMA's Face.
Theſe Nails with Scratches fhall deform my Breaſt,
Left by my Look, or Colour be expreſs'd
The Mark of ought High born, or ever better dreſs’d.
Yet in this Commerce, under this Diſguiſe,
Let Me be grateful ftill to HENRY's Eyes.
Loft to the World, let Me to Him be known:
My Fate I can abfolve; if He ſhall own,
That leaving all Mankind, I love but Him alone.
HENRY.
O wildest Thought of an abandon'd Mind!
Name, Habit, Parents, Woman left behind,
Ev'n Honour dubious, Thou preferr'ſt to go
Wild to the Woods with Me: Said EMMA fo?
Or did I dream what EMMA never faid?
O guilty Error! and O wretched Maid!
Whofe roving Fancy would refolve the fame
With Him, who next fhould tempt her eafie Fame;
And blow with empty Words the ſuſceptible Flame.
Now why ſhould doubtful Terms thy Mind perplex ?
Confefs thy Frailty, and avow the Sex:
No longer loofe Defire for conſtant Love
}
}
мл
Miſtake; but ſay, 'tis Man with whom Thou long'it
to rove.
EMMA.
188 POEMS on fever al Occafions..
*
E M M A.
Are there not Poiſons, Racks, and Flames, and Swords;
That EMMA thus muſt die by HENRY's Words ?
Yet what could Swords or Poifon, Racks or Flame,
But mangle and disjoint this brittle Frame! [Fame.
More fatal HENRY'S Words; they murder EMMA's
And fall theſe Sayings from that gentle Tongue,
Where civil Speech, and ſoft Perſuaſion hung;
Whofe artful Sweetness and harmonious Strain,
Courting my Grace, yet courting it in vain,
Call'd Sighs, and Tears, and Wishes to it's Aid;
And, whilst it HENRY'S glowing Flame convey'd,
Still blam'd the Coldness of the Nut brown Maid?
Let envious Jealoufie, and canker'd Spight
Produce my Actions to feverest Light,
And tax my open Day, or fecret Night.
Did e'er my Tongue fpeak my unguarded Heart
The leaſt inclin'd to play the Wanton's Part?
Did e'er my Eye one inward Thought reveal,
Which Angels might not hear, and Virgins tell
And haft Thou, HENRY, in my Conduct known
One Fault, but That which I muft ever own,
That I, of all Mankind, have lov'd but Thee alone?
HENRY.
Vainly thou talk'ft of loving Me alone:
Each Man is Man; and all Our Sex is One.
Falſe are our Words; and fickle is our Mind:
Nor in Love's Ritual can We ever find
Vows made to laft, or Promiſes to bind.
By Nature prompted, and for Empire made,
Alike by Strength or Cunning We invade:
When arm'd with Rage We march againſt the Foe:
We lift the Battle-Ax, and draw the Bow:
}
When
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
189
When fir'd with Paffion we attack the Fair;
Deluſive Sighs and brittle Vows We bear;
Our Falfhood and our Arms have equal Uſe ;
As they our Conqueft, or Delight produce.
The foolish Heart Thou gav'ft, again receive,
The only Boon departing Love can give.
To be leſs Wretched, be no longer True:
What strives to fly Thee, why fhould'ft Thou purfue?
Forget the preſent Flame, indulge a New,
Single the lovelieft of the am'rous Youth;
Ask for his Vow; but hope not for his Truth.
The next Man (and the next Thou fhalt believe)
Will pawn his Gods, intending to deceive;
Will kneel, implore, perfift, o'ercome, and leave.
Hence let Thy CUPID aim his Arrows right;
Be Wife and Falfe, fhun Trouble, feek Delight ;.
Change Thou the first, nor wait Thy Lover's Flight.
Why should'ft Thou weep? let Nature judge our Cafe,
I faw Thee Young, and Fair; purfu'd the Chafe
Of Youth, and Beauty : I another faw
Fairer, and Younger: yielding to the Law
Of our all-ruling Mother, I purfu'd
More Youth, more Beauty : Bleft Viciffitude!
My active Heart ftill keeps it's priftine Flame;
The Object alter'd, the Defire the fame.
This Younger Fairer pleads her rightful Charms;
With preſent Power compels me to her Arms.
And much I fear, from my fubjected Mind
(If Beauty's Force to conftant Love can bind)
That Years may roll, ere in Her turn the Maid
Shall weep the Fury of my Love decay'd;
And weeping follow Me, as Thou dost now,
With idle Clamours of a broken Vow.
Nor
190
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Nor can the wildnefs of thy Wiſhes err
So wide to hope that Thou may'ft live with Her.
Love, well Thou know'ft, no Partnerſhip allows :
CUPID averſe rejects divided Vows:
Then from thy fooliſh Heart, vain Maid, remove
An uſeleſs Sorrow, and an ill-ftarr'd Love ;
And leave me, with the Fair, at large in Woods to
I
rove.
EM MA.
Are we in Life thro' one great Error led?
Is each Man perjur'd, and each Nymph betray'd?
Of the Superior Sex art Thou the worft?
Am I of Mine the moſt compleatly Curſt?
Yet let me go with Thee; and going prove,
From what I will endure, how much I love.
This potent Beauty, this Triumphant Fair,
This happy Object of our diff'rent Care,
Her let me follow; Her let me attend,
A Servant; (She may fcorn the Name of Friend.)
What She demands, inceffant I'll prepare:
I'll weave Her Garlands; and I'll pleat Her Hair:
My bufie Diligence fhall deck Her Board;
(For there at least I may approach my Lord)
And when Her HENRY's fofter Hours adviſe
His Servant's Abfence; with dejected Eyes
Far I'll recede, and Sighs forbid to riſe.
Yet when encreafing Grief brings flow Diſeaſe;
And ebbing Life, on Terms fevere as theſe,
Will have it's little Lamp no longer fed ;
When HENRY's Miftrefs fhows him EMMA dead;
Reſcue my poor Remains from vile Neglect:
With Virgin Honours let my Herfe be deckt,
And decent Emblem; and at leaſt perſuade
This happy Nymph, that EMMA may be laid,
}
Where
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
191
Where Thou, dear Author of my Death, where She
With frequent Eye my Sepulchre may fee.
The Nymph amidft her Joys may haply breath
One pious Sigh, reflecting on my Death,
And the fad Fate which She may one Day prove,
Who hopes from HENRY'S VOWS Eternal Love.
And Thou forfworn, Thou cruel, as Thou art,
If EMMA'S Image ever touch'd thy Heart;
Thou fure must give one Thought, and drop one Tear
To Her, whom Love abandon'd to Deſpair;
To Her, who dying, on the wounded Stone
Bid it in lafting Characters be known,
That, of Mankind, She lov'd but Thee alone.
HENRY.
Hear, folemn Jove; and confcious VENUS, hear;
And Thou, bright Maid, believe Me, whilft I fwear;
No Time, no Change, no Future Flame ſhall move
The well-plac'd Bafis of my lafting Love.
O Powerful Virtue! O Victorious Fair!
At leaſt excufe a Tryal too fevere:
Receive the Triumph, and forget the War.
No baniſh'd Man, condemn'd in Woods to rove,
Intreats thy Pardon, and implores thy Love :
No perjur'd Knight defires to quit thy Arms,
Faireſt Collection of thy Sex's Charms,
Crown of my Love, and Honour of my Youth:
HENRY, thy HENRY with Eternal Truth,
As Thou may'ſt wifh, fhall all his Life imploy,
And found his Glory in his EMMA's Joy.
In Me behold the Potent EDGAR's Heir,
Illuftrious Earl: Him terrible in War.
Let LOYRE Confefs; for She has felt his Sword,
And trembling fled before the BRITISH Lord.
}
Him
192
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Him great in Peace and Wealth fair DEVA knows ;
For fhe amidſt his fpacious Meadows flows;
Inclines her Urn upon his fatten'd Lands;
And fees his num'rous Herd imprint her Sands.
And Thou, my Fair, my Dove, fhalt raiſe thy Thought
To Greatneſs next to Empire; fhalt be brought
With folemn Pomp to my Paternal Seat;
Where Peace and Plenty on Thy Word fhall wait.
Mufic and Song fhall wake the Marriage Day:
And while the Priests accufe the Bride's Delay;
Myrtles and Roſes ſhall obftruct Her Way.
Friendſhip ſhall ſtill Thy Evening Feafts adorn;
And blooming Peace fhall ever blefs Thy Morn.
Succeeding Years their happy Race ſhall run:
And Age unheeded by Delight come on;
While yet Superior Love ſhall mock his Pow'r:
And When old Time fhall turn the fated Hour,
Which only can our well-ty'd Knot unfold:
What refts of Both, One Sepulchre-ſhall hold.
Hence then for ever from my EMMA'S Breaft
(That Heav'n of Softnefs, and that Seat of Reft)
Ye Doubts and Fears, and All that know to move
Tormenting Grief, and All that trouble Love,
Scatter'd by Winds recede, and wild in Forreſts rove.
E M M A.
•
O Day the fairest fure that ever rofe!
Period and End of anxious EMMA'S Woes!
Sire of her Joy, and Source of her Delight;.
O! wing'd with Pleaſure take thy happy Flight,
And give each future Morn a Tincture of thy White.
Yet tell thy Votary, potent Queen of Love,
HENRY, MY HENRY, will He never rove?
Will He be ever Kind, and Juft and Good?
And is there yet no Miftrefs in the Wood?
}
}
None,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
193
None, none there is: The Thought was rafh and vain;
A falſe Idea, and a fancy'd Pain.
Doubt ſhall for ever quit my ftrengthen'd Heart,
And anxious Jealoufie's corroding Smart;
Nor other Inmate ſhall inhabit there,
But foft Belief, young Joy, and pleaſing Care.
Hence let the Tides of Plenty ebb and flow,
And FORTUNE's various Gale unheeded blow.
If at my Feet, the Suppliant Goddeſs ſtands,
And ſheds her Treaſure with unweary'd Hands:
Her preſent Favour cautious I'll embrace,
And not unthankful ufe the proffer'd Grace:
If She reclaims the Temporary Boon,
And tries her Pinions, flut'ring to be gone;
Secure of Mind I'll obviate her Intent,
And unconcern'd return the Goods She lent.
Nor Happineſs can I, nor Mifery feel,
From any Turn of her fantaſtic Wheel:
Friendship's great Laws, and Love's fuperior Pow'rs
Muft mark the Colour of my future Hours.
From the Events which Thy Commands create
I muſt my Bleffings or my Sorrows date;
And HENRY's Will muft dictate EMMA's Fate.
Yet while with clofe Delight and inward Pride
(Which from the World my careful Soul fhall hide)
I fee Thee, Lord and End of my Defire,
Exalted high as Virtue can require;
With Pow'r invefted, and with Pleaſure chear'd;
Sought by the Good, by the Oppreffor fear'd;
Loaded and bleft with all the affluent Store,
Which human Vows at fmoaking Shrines implore;
Grateful and humble grant Me to employ
My Life, fubfervient only to thy Joy;
K
And
194
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
And at my Death to bleſs thy Kindneſs ſhown
To Her, who of Mankind could love but Thee alone.
W
HILE thus the conftant Pair alternate faid,
Joyful above them and around them play'd
Angels and sportive LovEs, a numerous Crowd;
Smiling They clapt their Wings, and low they bow'd:
They tumbled all their little Quivers o'er,
To chufe propitious Shafts, a precious Store :
That when their God fhould take his future Darts,
To ſtrike (however rarely) conftant Hearts.
His happy Skill might proper Arms imploy,
All tipt with Pleaſure, and all wing'd with Joy:
And Thofe, They vow'd, whofe Lives ſhould imitate
Theſe Lovers Conftancy, fhould fhare their Fate.
The Queen of Beauty ftop'd her bridled Doves;
Approv'd the little Labour of the LOVES;
Was proud and pleas'd the mutual Vow to hear;
And to the Triumph call'd the God of War:
Soon as She calls, the God is always near.
Now MARS, fhe faid, let Fame exalt her Voice;
Nor let thy Conquefts only be her Choice:
But when She fings great EDWARD from the Field
Return'd, the Hoftile Spear and Captive Shield
In CONCORD'S Temple hung, and GALLIA taught
to yield:
And when, as prudent SATURN fhall compleat
The Years defign'd to perfect BRITAIN's State,
The ſwift-wing'd Power fhall take her Trump again,
To fing Her Fav'rite ANNA's wondrous Reign;
To recollect unweary'd MARLBRO's Toils,
Old Rugus' Hall unequal to his Spoils ;
The BRITISH Soldier from his high Command
G.crious, and GAUL thrice Vanquish'd by his Hand:
}
Let
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 195
Let Her at leaſt perform what I defire;
With fecond Breath the Vocal Braſs inſpire;
And tell the Nations in no Vulgar Strain,
What Wars I manage, and what Wreaths I gain.
And when Thy Tumults and Thy Fights are paſt;
And when Thy Lawrels at my Feet are caft ;
Faithful may'ft Thou, like Britiſh HENRY prove:
And EMMA-like let me return Thy Love..
Renown'd for Truth, let all Thy Sons appear;
And conftant Beauty fhall reward their Care.
MARS ſmil'd, and bow'd: the CYPRIAN Deity
Turn'd to the glorious Ruler of the Sky;
And-Thou, She fmiling faid, Great God of Days
And Verſe, behold my Deed, and ſing my Praiſe,
As on the British Earth, my Fav'rite Ifle,
Thy gentle Rays and kindeft Influence fmile,
Thro' all her laughing Fields and verdant Groves,
Proclaim with Joy theſe memorable Loves.
From ev'ry annual Courſe let One great Day,
To celebrated Sports and Floral Play
Be fet afide; and in the fofteft Lays
Of Thy Poetic Sons, be folemn Praiſe,
And everlaſting Marks of Honour paid,
To the true Lover, and the Nut brown Maid.
K 2
Al
A N
ODE
Humbly Infcrib'd to the
QUEEN,
ON THE
GLORIOUS SUCCESS
OF
Her MAJESTY's Arms,
MD CC VI.
Written in Imitation of SPENSER's Style.
Te non paventis funera Galliæ,
Duræque tellus audit Iberiæ:
Te cæde gaudentes Sicambri
Compofitis venerantur Armis.
Printed in the Year M DCC LIV.
Hor.
THE
PREFACE.
W
HEN I first thought of Writing upon
this Occafion, I found the Ideas fo great
and numerous, that I judg'd them
more proper for the Warmth of an
Ode, than for any other fort of Poe-
try: I therefore fet HURACE before Me for a
Pattern, and particularly his famous Ode, the
Fourth of the Fourth Book,
Qualem miniftrum fulminis Alitem, &c.
which He wrote in praife of DRUSUS after his
Expedition into GERMANY, and of AUGUSTUS
upon his happy Choice of That General. And in
the following Poem, tho' I hape endeavour'd to
Imitate all the great Strokes of that Ode, I have
taken the Liberty to go off from it, and to add va-
riouſly, as the Subject and my own Imagination
K 4
carry'd
PREFACE.
:
carry'd Me. As to the Style, the Choice I made
of following the Ode in Latin, determin'd Me in
English to the Stanza; and herein it was im
poffible not to have a Mind to follow Our great
Countryman SPENSER; which I have done (as
well at least as I could) in the Manner of my Ex-
preffion, and the Turn of my Number: Having on-
ly added one Verfe to his Stanza, which I thought
made the Number more harmonious; and avoided
Juch of his Words, as I found too obfolete. I have
however retain'd fome few of them, to make the
Colouring lock more like SP EN s E R's. Beheft,
Command; Band, Army; Prowefs, Strength; I
weet, I know; I ween, I think; whilom, hereto-
fore; and Two or Three more of that Kind, which
I hope the Ladies will pardon me, and not judge
my MUSE less handsome, though for once she ap-
pears in a Farthingale. I have alſo in SPENCER's
Manner, ufed Cæfar for the Emperor, Boya for
Bavaria, Bavar for that Prince, Ifter for Danube,
Iberia for Spain, &c.
That Noble Part of the Ode which I just now
mention'd,
Gens, quæ Cremato Fortis ab Ilio-
Jactata Tufcis æquoribus, &c.
where HORACE praises the Romans, as being
Defcended from Æneas, I have turn'd to the Ho-
nor of the BRITISH Nation, defcended from
BRUTE, likewife a TROJA N. That this
BRUTE
PREFACE.
1
BRUTE, Fourth or Fifth from NEAS, fettled
in ENGLAND, and built LONDON, which he call'd
Troja Nova, or Troynovante, is a Story which (I
think) owes its Original if not to GEOFFRY of
Monmouth, at least to the Monkish Writers, yet
is not rejected by Our great CAMDEN, and is told
by MILTON, as if (at least) He was pleas'd with
it; though poffibly he does not believe it: However
it carries a Poetical Authority, which is fufficient for
our Purpofe. It is as certain that BRUTE came
into ENGLAND, as that ÆNEAS went into ITALY;
and upon the Suppofition of thefe Facts, VIRGIL
wrote the beſt Poem that the World ever read, and
SPENCER paid Queen ELIZABETH the greatest
Compliment.
I need not obviate one piece of Criticism, that I
bring my Heroe
From burning Troy, and Xanthus red with Blood:
whereas he was not born, when that City was de-
ftroy'd. VIRGIL, in the Cafe of his own ENEAS
relating to DIDO, will ftand as a fufficient Proof,
that à Man in his Poetical Capacity is not accoun-
table for a little Fault in Chronology.
My two Great Examples, HORACE and
SPENCEF, in many Things refemble each other:
Both have a Height of Imagination, and a Majefty
of Expreffion in defcribing the Sublime; and both
know to temper thofe Talents, and ſweeten the De-
K 5
fcriptions
PREFACE.
fcription, fo as to make it Lovely as well as Pom-
pous: Both have equally That agreeable Manner of
mixing Morality with their Story, and that Curiofa
Felicitas in the Choice of their Diction, which every
Writer aims at, and fo very few have reach'd:
Both are particularly fine in their Images, and
Knowing in their Numbers. Leaving therefore our
two Masters to the Confideration and Study of those
who defign to Excel in Poetry, I only beg Leave to
add, that it is long fince I have (or at least ought
to have) quitted PARNASSUS, and all the flow'ry
Roads on that Side the Country; though I thought
myſelf indiſpenſably obliged, upon the prefent Occafion,
to take a little Journey into Thofe Parts.
An
Q
W
An O DE,
Humbly Infcrib'd to the
UE E N.
I.
HEN Great AUGUSTUS govera'd Ancient
ROME,
[Wars;
And fent his Conqu'ring Bands to Foreign
Abroad when Dreaded, and Belov'd at Home;
He faw his Fame increafing with his Years;
HORACE, great Bard (fo Fate ordain'd) arofe;
And Bold, as were his Countrymen in Fight,
Snatch'd their fair Actions from degrading Profe,
And fet their Battles in Eternal Light:
High as their Trumpets Tune His Lyre he ftrung;
And with his Prince's Arms He moraliz'd his Song.
II.
When bright ELIZA rul'd BRITANNIA's State,
Widely diftributing Her high Commands;
And boldly Wife, and fortunately Great,
Freed the glad Nations from Tyrannick Bands;
An equal Genius was in SPENCER found:
To the high Theme He match'd his Noble Lays:
He travell'd ENGLAND o'er on Fairy Ground,
In Myftic Notes to Sing his Monarch's Praiſe:
Reciting wond'rous Truths in pleaſing Dreams,
He deck'd ELIZA's Head with GLORIANA's Beams.
III. But,
}
204.
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
III.
But, Greateſt ANNA! while Thy Arms purfue
Paths of Renown, and climb Afcents of Fame,
Which nor AUGUSTUS, nor ELIZA knew;
What Poet fhall be found to fing Thy Name?
What Numbers fhall record, what Tongue fhall fay
Thy Wars on Land, Thy Triumphs on the Main?
O Faireſt Model of Imperial Sway!
What Equal Pen fhall write thy wond'rous Reign ?
Who fhall Attempts and Feats of Arms rehearſe,
Not yet by Story told, nor parallel'd by Verfe?
IV.
Me all too mean for fueh a Task I weet:
Yet if the Sov'reign Lady deigns to Smile,
I'll follow HORACE with impetuous Heat,
And cloath the Verfe in SPENSER'S Native Style.
By theſe Examples rightly taught to fing,
And fmit with Pleaſure of my Country's Praiſe,
Stretching the Plumes of an uncommon Wing,
High as OLYMPUS I my Flight will raiſe :
And lateſt Times ſhall in my Numbers read
ANNA'S Immortal Fame, and MARLBRO's hardy Deed.
V.
As the ftrong Eagle in the filent Wood,
Mindleſs of warlike Rage, and hoftile Care,
Plays round the rocky Cliff, or cryftal Flood;
'Till by Jove's high Behefts call'd out to War,
And charg'd with Thunder of his angry King,
His bofom with the vengeful Meffage glows:
Upward the Noble Bird directs his Wing;
And tow'ring round his Mafter's Earth-born Foes,
Swift He collects his fatal Stock of Ire;
Lifts his fierce Talon high, and darts the forked Fire.
VI. Sedate
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
205
VI.
Sedate and calm thus Victor MARLBRO fate,
Shaded with Laurels, in his Native Land;
'Till ANNA calls Him from his foft Retreat,
And gives Her Second Thunder to his Hand.
Then leaving fweet Repofe, and gentle Eafe,
With ardent Speed He feeks the diftant Foe:
Marching o'er Hills and Vales, o'er Rocks and Seas,
He meditates, and ftrikes the wond'rous Blow:
Our Thought flies flower than Our General's Fame:
Grafps He the Bolt? (We ask) when He has hurl'd the
Flame.
VII.
When fierce BAVAR ON JUDOIGN's ſpacious Plain
Did from afar the BRITISH Chief behold;
Betwixt Deſpair, and Rage, and Hope, and Pain,
Something within his warring Bofom roll'd:
He views that Fav'rite of indulgent Fame,
Whom whilom He had met on ISTER'S Shoar:
Too well, alas! the Man he knows the fame,
Whoſe Prowess there repell'd the BOYAN Pow'r;
And fent them trembling thro' the frighted Lands,
Swift as the Whirlwind drives ARABIA's fcatter'd Sands,
VIII.
His former Loffes He forgets to grieve;
Abfolves his Fate, if with a kinder Ray
It now would ſhine, and only give Him leave
To Balance the Account of BLENHEIM's Day.
So the fell Lion in the lonely Glade,
His Side ſtill ſmarting with the Hunter's Spear,
Tho' deeply wounded, no way yet difmay'd,
Roars terrible, and meditates new War;
In fullen Fury traverſes the Plain,'
To find the vent'rous Foe, and Battle Him again.
IX. Mif
206 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
IX.
Mifguided Prince! no longer urge Thy Fate,
Nor tempt the Heroe to unequal War;
Fam'd in Misfortune, and in Ruin Great,
Confefs the Force of MARLBRO's ftronger Star.
Thoſe Lawrel Groves (the Merits of thy Youth)
Which Thou from MAHOMET didſt greatly gain,
While bold Affertor of refiftle's Truth,
Thy Sword did Godlike Liberty maintain,
Muft from thy Brow their falling Honours fhed;
And their transplanted Wreaths muft deck a worthier
X.
[Head.
Yet ceaſe the Ways of Providence to blame,
And Human Faults with Human Grief confefs:
'Tis Thou art chang'd; while Heav'n is ftill the ſame :
From Thy ill Councils date Thy ill Succefs.
Impartial Justice holds Her equal Scales:
'Till ftronger Virtue does the Weight incline:
If over Thee thy glorious Foe prevails;
Γ'
He now defends the Cauſe, that once was Thine.
Righteous the War, the Champion ſhall ſubdue ;
For JovF's great Handmaid PoWER, muft JovE's De-
crees purſue.
XI.
Hark! the dire Trumpets found their fhrill Alarms:
AUVERQUERQUE, branch'd from the renown'd NAS-
Hoary in War, and bent beneath his Arms. [SAUS
His Glorious Sword with Dauntless Courage draws:
When anxious BRITAIN mourn'd her parting Lord,
And all of WILLIAM that was Mortal Dy'd;
The faithful Heroe had receiv'd This Sword
From his expiring Mafter's much lov'd Side.
Oft from its fatal Ire has Louis flown,
Where-e'er Great WILLIAM led, or MAESE and
SAMBRE run.
XII. But
:
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
207
:
XII.
But brandiſh'd high, in an ill-omen'd Hour
To Thee, proud GAUL, behold thy juleft Fear,
The Maſter Sword, Difpofer of thy Power:
'Tis that which CAESAR gave the BRITISH Peer.
He took the Gift: Nor ever will I fheath
This Seel (fo ANNA's high Behefts ordain)
The General faid, unleſs by Glorious Death
Abfolv'd, 'till Conqueft has confirm'd your Reign.
Returns like theſe our Miftrefs bids us make,
When from a Foreign Prince a Gift her BRITONS take.
XIII.
And now fierce GALLIA rufhes on her Foes,
Her Force augmented by the BoYAN Bands;
So VOLGA's Stream, increas'd by Mountain Snows,
Rolls with new Fury down thro' RUSSIA's Lands,
Like two great Rocks againſt the raging Tide
(If Virtue's Force with Nature's We compare)
Unmov'd the Two united Chiefs abide,
Suftain the Impulfe, and receive the War.
Round their firm Sides in vain the Tempeſt beats;
And ſtill the foaming Wave with leffen'd Power retreats.
XIV.
The Rage difpers'd, the Glorious Pair advance,
With mingl'd Anger, and collected Might,
To turn the War, and tell aggreffing FRANCE,
HOW BRITAIN'S Sons, and BRITAIN'S Friends can fight.
On Conqueſt fix'd, and covetous of Fame,
Behold them rufhing thro' the GALLIC Hoft.
Thro' ftanding Corn fo runs the fudden Flame,
Or Ealtern Winds along SICILIA's Coaſt.
They deal their Terrors to the adverſe Nation:
Pale Death attends their Arms, and ghaitly Defolation.
XV. But
208 POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
XV.
But while with fierceft Ire BELLONA glows;
And EUROPE rather Hopes than Fears her Fate;
While BRITAIN preffes her afflicted Foes;
What Horror damps the Strong, and quells the Great ?,
Whence look the Soldiers Cheeks diſmay'd and pale?
Erft ever dreadful, know they now to dread?
The Hoftile Troops I ween, almoſt prevail;
And the Purfuers only not recede.
Alas! their leffen'd Rage proclaims their Grief!
For anxious, lo! They croud around their falling Chief.
XVI.
I thank thee, Fate, exclaims the fierce BAVAR;
Let BOYA's Trumpet gateful Iô's found:
I faw him fall, their Thunderbolt of War:
Ever to Vengeance facred be the Ground-
Vain Wish! fhort Joy! the Heroe mounts again
In greater Glory, and with fuller Light:
The Ev'ning Star fo falls into the Main,
To rife at Morn more prevalently bright.
He rifes fafe, but near, too near his Side,
A good Man's grievous Lofs, a faithful Servant dy'd.
XVII.
Propitious MARS! the Battle is regain'd:
The Foe with leffen'd Wrath difputes the Field:
The BRITON fights, by fav'ring Gods fuftain'd:
Freedom muſt live; and lawleſs Power muft yield.
Vain now the Tales which fabling Poets tell,
That wav'ring CONQUEST ftill defires to rove!
In MARLBRO's Camp the Goddeſs knows to dwell:
Long as the Heroe's Life remains her Love.
Again FRANCE flies: again the Duke purſues :
And on RAMILIA's Plains He BLENHEIM's Fame renews.
XVIII. Great
!
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
209
XVIII.
Great Thanks, O Captain great in Arms! receive
From thy Triumphant Country's publick Voice:
Thy Country greater Thanks can only give
To ANNE, to Her who made thofe Arms Her Choice.
Recording SCHELLENBERG's, and BLENHEIM's Toils,
We dreaded left thou ſhould'ſt thoſe Toils repeat:
We view'd the Palace charg'd with GALLIC Spoils;
And in thofe Spoils We thought thy Praiſe compleat:
For never GREEK, we deem'd, nor ROMAN Knight,
In Characters like theſe did e'er his Acts indite.
XIX.
Yet mindleſs ſtill of Eafe, Thy Virtue flies
A Pitch to Old and Modern Times unknown:
Thofe goodly Deeds which We fo highly prize,
Imperfect feem, great Chief, to Thee alone, [taid,
Thofe Heights, where WILLIAM's Virtue might have
And on the Subject World look'd fafely down,
By MARLBRO pafs'd, the Props and Steps were made,
Sublimer yet to raiſe his Queen's Renown:
Still gaining more, ftill flighting what he gain'd
Nought done the Hero deem'd, while ought undone re-
main'd.
XX..
When fwift-wing'd RUMOUR told the mighty GAUL,
How leffen'd from the Field BAVAR was fled;
He wept the Swiftnefs of the Champion's Fall;
And thus the Royal Treaty-Breaker ſaid:
And lives He yet, the Great, the loft BAVAR,
Ruin to GALLIA, in the Name of Friend?
To Me, how far has Fortune been ſevere ?
Has the Foe's Glory, or our Grief an End?
Remains there, of the Fifty Thouſand loft,
To fave our threaten'd Realm, or guard our fhatter'd
Ceaft?
XXI. To
210
POEMS on Several Occafions.
XXI.
To the cloſe Rock the frighted Raven flies,
Soon as the rifing Eagle cuts the Air:
The fhaggy Wolf unfeen and trembling lies,
When the hoarſe Roar proclaims the Lion near.
Ill-ftarr'd did We our Forts and Lines forfake,
To dare our BRITISH Foes to open Fight;
Our Conqueft We by Stratagem ſhould make:
Our Triumph had been founded in our Flight.
'Tis Our's, by Craft and by Surprize to gain:
'Tis Theirs, to meet in Arms, and Battle in the Plain,
XXII.
The ancient Father of this Hoftile Brood,
Their boafted BRUTE, undaunted fnatch'd his Gods
From burning TROY, and XANTHUS red with Blood,
And fix'd on Silver THAMES his dire Abodes:
And this be TROYNOVANTE, He faid, the Seat
By Heav'n ordain'd, My Sons, Your lafting Place:
Superior here to all the Bolts of Fate
Live, mindful of the Author of your Race,
Whom neither GREECE, nor War, nor Want, nor Flame,
Nor Great PELEIDES' Arm, nor JUNO's Rage could tame.
XXIII.
Their TUDORS hence, and STUART's Off-fpirng flow:
Hence FDWARD, dreadful with his Sable Shield,
TALBOT to GALLIA's Fow'r Eternal Foe,
And SEYMOUR, fam'd in Council, or in Field:
Hence NEVIL, Great to Settle or Dethrone,
And RAKE, and CA'NDISH, Terrors of the Sea :
Hence BUTLER's Sons, o'er Land and Ocean known,
HERBERT's and CHURCHILL'S Warring Progeny :
Hence the long Roll which GALLIA fhould conceal:
For oh! Who, vanquifh'd, loves the Victor's Fame to tell?
XXIV. Envy'd
POEMS on several Occafions, 211.
XXIV.
Envy'd BRITANNIA, fturdy as the Oak,
Which on her Mountain-Top She proudly bears,
Eludes the Ax, and ſprouts againſt the Stroke;
Strong from her Wounds, and greater by her Wars.
And as Thoſe Teeth, which CADMUS fow'd in Earth,
Produc'd new Youth, and furniſh'd freſh Supplies :
So with young Vigor, and fucceeding Birth,
Her Loffes more than recompens'd ariſe;
And ev'ry Age She with a Race is Crown'd,
For Letters more Polite, in Battles more renown'd.
XXV.
Obftinate Pow'r, whom nothing can repel ;
Not the fierce SAXON, nor the cruel DANE,
Nor deep Impreffion of the NORMAN Steel,
Nor EUROPE'S Force amafs'd by envious SPAIN,
Nor FRANCE on univerfal Sway intent,
Oft breaking Leagues, and oft renewing Wars,
Nor (frequent Bane of weaken'd Government)
Their own inteftine Feuds, and mutual Jars;
Thofe Feuds and Jars, in which I truſted more,
Than in my Troops, and Fleets, and all the GALLIC
Pow'r.
XXVI.
To fruitful RHEMIS, or fair LUTETIE's Gate
What Tidings (hall the Meffenger convey?
Shall the loud Herald our Succefs relate,
Or mitred Prieſt appoint the Solemn Day?
Alas! my Praiſes they no more muft Sing;
They to my Statue now muft bow no more:
Broken, repuls'd is their Immortal King:
Fall'n, fall'n for ever is the GALLIC Pow'r
The Woman Chief is Maſter of the War:
Earth She has freed by Arms, and vanquish'd Heav'n by
Pray'r
XXVII. While
5.
1
212 POEMS on feveral Occafions.
i
XXVII.
While thus the ruin'd Foe's Defpair commends
Thy Council and Thy Deed, Victorious Queen,
What shall thy Subjects ſay, and what Thy Friends?
How fhall Thy Triumphs in our Joy be ſeen?
Oh! daign to let the eldeſt of the NINE,
Recite BRITANNIA Great, and GALLIA Free:
Oh! with her Sifter SCULPTURE let her join
To raife, Great ANNE, the Monument to Thee;
To Thee, of all our Good the Sacred Spring;
To Thee, our dearest Dread; to Thee, our fofter KING.
XXVIII.
Let EUROPE fav'd the Column high erect,
Than TRAJAN's higher, or than ANTONINE'S;
Where fembling Art may crave the fair Effect,
And full Atchievement of Thy great Deſigns.
In a calm Heav'n, and a ferener Air,
Sublime the QUEEN fhall on the Summit ſtand,
From Danger far, as far remov'd from Fear,
And pointing down to Earth Her dread Command.
All Winds, all Storms that threaten Human Woe,
Shall fink beneath Her Feet, and fpread their Rage below.
XXIX.
Their Fleets ſhall ſtrive by Winds and Water toft;
Till the young AUSTRIAN on IBERIA's Strand,
Great as ÆNEAS on the LATIAN Coaſt,
Shall fix his Foot: and This, be this the Land,
Great Jove, where I for ever will remain,
(The Empire's other Hope fhall fay) and here
Vanquish'd, Intomb'd I'll lie; or Crown'd, I'll Reign-
O Virtue, to thy BRITISH Mother dear!
Like the fam'd TROJAN fuffer and abide ;
For ANNE is Thine, I ween, as VENUS was His Guide.
XXX. There
4
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 213
XXX.
There, in Eternal Characters engrav'd,
VIGO, and GIBRALTAR, and BARCELONE.
Their Force deſtroy'd, their Privileges fav'd,
Shall ANNA's Terrors, and Her Mercies own :
SPAIN, from th' Ufurper BOURBON's Arms retriev'd,
Shall with new Life and grateful Joy appear,
Numb'ring the Wonders which That Youth atchiev'd,
Whom ANNA clad in Arms, and fent to War;
Whom ANNA fent to claim IBERIA's Throne:
And made Him more than King, in calling Him her Son.
XXXI.
There ISTHER pleas'd, by BLENHEIM's glorious Field
Rolling ſhall bid his Eaſtern Waves declare
GERMANIA fav'd by BRITAIN's ample Shield,
And bleeding GAUL afflicted by her Spear:
Shall bid Them mention MARLBRÔ, on that Shore
Leading his Iſlanders renown'd in Arms,
Thro' Climes, where never BRITISH Chief before
Or pitch'd his Camp, or founded his Alarms:
Shall bid them blefs the QUEEN, who made his Streams
Glorious as thoſe of Born, and fafe as thoſe of THAMES.
XXXII.
BRABANTIA, clad with Fields, and crown'd with
Tow'rs,
With decent Joy ſhall her Deliv'rer meet;
[Pow'rs,
Shall own Thy Arms, Great Queen, and blefs Thy
Laying the Keys beneath Thy Subject's Feet.
FLANDRIA, by Plenty made the Home of War,
Shall weep her Crime, and bow to CHARLES reftor'd;
With double Vows fhall blefs Thy happy Care,
In having drawn, and having fheath'd the Sword,
From theſe their Sifter Provinces fhall know,
How ANNE fupports a Friend, and how forgives a Foc.
XXXIII. Bright
!
214
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
XXXIII.
Bright Swords, and cretted Helms, and pointed Spears
In artful Piles around the Work fhall lie;
Vars,
And Shields indented deep in ancient W
Blazon'd with Signs of GALLIC Heraldry;
And Standards with diftinguifh'd Honours bright,
Marks of high Pow'r and National Command,
Which VALOIS' Sons, and BOURBON's bore in Fight,
Or gave to Forx', or MONTMORANCY's Hand:
Great Spoils, which GALLIA must to BRITAIN yield,
From CRESSY's Battle fav'd, to grace RAMILIA's Field.
XXXIV.
And as fine Art the Spaces may difpofe,
The knowing Thought and curious Eye fhall fee
Thy Emblem, Gracious QUEEN, the BRITISH Rofe,
Type of fweet Rule, and gentle Majefty:
The NORTHERN Thiſtle, whom no Hoftile Hand
Unhurt too rudely may provoke, I ween;
HIBERNIA'S Harp, Device of Her Command,
1
And Parent of Her Mirth, fhall there be feen:
Thy vanquish'd Lillies, FRANCE, decay'd and torn,
Shall with diſorder'd Pomp the lafting Work adorn.
XXXV.
Beneath, Great QUEEN, oh! very far beneath,
Near to the Ground, and on the humble Baſe,
To fave Herſelf from Darkness, and from Death,
That MUSE defires the laft, the loweſt Place;
Who tho' unmeet, yet touch'd the trembling String;
For the Fair Fame of ANNE and ALBION's Land,
Who durft of War and Martial Fury Sing:
And when Thy Will, and when thy Subject's Hand
Had quell'd thofe Wars, and bid that Fury cease;
Hangs up her grateful Harp to Conqueft, and to Peace.
į
CANTATA
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
215
CANTATA. Set by Monfieur GALLIARD.
BEN
REC 1 T.
ENEATH a verdant Lawrel's ample Shade,
His Lyre to mournful Numbers ftrung,
HORACE, immortal Bard, fupinely laid,
TO VENUS thus addrefs'd the Song:
Ten thouſand little LovEs around
Lift'ning, dwelt on ev'ry Sound.
ARIE T.
Potent VENUS, bid Thy Son
Sound no more His dire Alarms.
Youth on filent Wings is Flown:
Graver Years come rolling on. }
Spare my Age unfit for Arms:
Safe and Humble let Me reſt,
From all Am 'rous Care releas'd.
Potent VENUS, bid Thy Son
Sound no more His dire Alarms.
REC
IT.
Yet, VENUS, why do I each Morn prepare
The fragrant Wreath for CLOE's Hair?
Why, do I all Day lament and figh,
Unleſs the beauteous Maid be nigh?
And why all Night purfue her in my Dreams,
Thro' Flow'ry Meads, and Cryſtal Streams?
RECI T.
Thus fung the Bard; and thus the Goddeſs fpoke:
Submiffive bow to LovE's imperious Yoke :
Ev'ry State, and ev'ry Age
Shall own My Rule, and fear my Rage:
Compell❜d by Me Thy Mufe fhall prove,
That all the World was born to love.
ARIET.
!
216
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
0
ARIE T.
Bid Thy deftin'd Lyre diſcover
Soft Defire, and gentle Pain:
Often praiſe, and always love Her:
Thro' her Ear her Heart obtain.
Verſe fhall pleaſe, and Sighs fhall move Her:
CUPID does with PHOEBUS reign,
As
HER RIGHT NAM E.
S NANCY at Her Toilet fat,
Admiring This, and blaming That;
Tell Me, She faid; but tell Me true;
The Nymph who cou'd your Heart fubdue,
What Sort of Charms does She poffefs?
Abfolve Me Fair One: I'll confefs;
With Pleaſure I reply'd. Her Hair,
In Ringlets rather dark than fair,
Does down her Iv'ry Bofom roll,
And hiding Half, adorns the Whole.
In her high Forehead's fair half-round
Love fits in open Triumph crown'd:
He in the Dimple of her Chin,
In private State, my Friends is ſeen.
Her Eyes are neither black, nor gray,
Nor fierce, nor feeble is their Ray;
Their dubious Luftre feems to fhow
Something that ſpeak nor Yes, nor No.
Her Lips no living Bard, I weet,
May fay, how Red, how Round, how Sweet:
Old HOMER only cou'd indite
Their vagrant Grace, and foft Delight:
They ftand Recorded in his Book,
When HELEN fmil'd, and HEBE fpoke-
1
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
217
The Gipley turning to her Glafs,
Too plainly ſhow'd, She knew the Face;
And which am I moſt like, She faid,
Your CLOE, or Your Nut brown Maid?
Ο
Written in an O V I D.
VID is the fureft Guide,
You can name, to fhow the Way
To any Woman, Maid, or Bride,
Who refolves to go aftray.
A TRUE MA I D.
O, no; for my Virginity,
N%
When I loſe that, fays Rose, I'll die:
Behind the Elmes, laft Night, cry'd Dick,
ROSE, were You not extremely Sick?
T
ANOTHER.
EN Months after FLORIMEL happen'd to wed,
And was brought in a laudable Manner to Bed:
She warbled Her Groans with ſo charming a Voice,
That one half of the Pariſh was ftun'd with the Noife,
But when FLORIMEL deign'd to lie privately in,
Ten Months before She and her Spoufe were a kin;
She chofe with fuch Prudence her Pangs to conceal,
That her Nurfe, nay her Midwife, fcarce heard her once
fqueal.
Learn, Husbands, from hence, for the Peace of your Lives,
That Maids make not half fuch a Tumult, as Wives.
L
AREA
།
218
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
A REASONABLE AFFLICTION.
ON
N His Death-Bed poor LUBIN lies;
His Spouſe is in Diſpair:
With frequent Sobs, and mutual Cries,
They both exprefs their Care.
A diff'rent Cauſe, fays Parfon SLY,
The ſame Effect my give:
Poor LUBIN fears, that He ſhall Die;
His Wife, that He may Live.
Another REASONABLE AFFLICTION.
F
ROM her own Native FRANCE as old ALISON paſt,
She reproach'd English NELL with Neglect or with
Malice,
That the Slattern had left in the Hurry and Haft,
Her Lady's Complexion, and Eye-brows at CALAIS.
HER
Η
ANOTHER.
ER Eye-brow-Box one Morning loft,
(The beſt of Folks are oft'neſt croft)
Sad HELEN this to JENNY faid,
Her careless but afflicted Maid;
Put me to Bed then, wretched JANE;
Alas! when ſhall I riſe again?
I can behold no Mortal now:
For what's an Eye without a Brow?
On the fame Subject.
N a dark Corner of the Houſe
IN
Poor HELEN fits, and fobs and cries;
I
She
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
219
She will not fee her Loving Spouſe,
Nor her more dear Picquet-Allies :
Unleſs She find her Eye-brows,
She'll e'en weep out her Eyes.
HⓇ
On the fame.
'ELEN was just flipt into Bed:
Her Eye-brows on the Toilet lay:
Away the Kitten with them fled,
As Fees belonging to her Prey.
For this Misfortune carelefs JANE,
Affure yourſelf was loudly rated :
And Madam getting up again,
•
With her own Hand the Moufe-Trap baited.
On little Things, as fages write,
Depends our Human Joy, or Sorrow:
If we don't catch a Mouſe To-night,
Alas! no Eye-brows for To-morrow.
HOW
PHYLLIS's
AGE.
OW old may РHYLLIS be, You ask,
Whoſe Beauty thus all Hearts engages ?
To Anſwer is no eafie Task:
For She has really two Ages.
Stiff in Brocard, and pinch'd in Stays,
Her Patches, Paint, and Jewels on;
All Day let Envy view her Face;
And PHYLLIS is but Twenty-one.
L 2
Paine
220
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Paint, Patches, Jewels laid afide,
At Night Aftronomers agree,
The Evening as the Day bely'd;
And PHYLLIS is fome Forty-three.
WH
Forma Bonum Fragile.
7HAT a frail Thing is Beauty, fays Baron LECRAS,
Perceiving his Miſtreſs had one Eye of Glafs:
And ſcarcely had He ſpoke it;
When She more confus'd, as more angry She grew,
By a negligent Rage prov'd the Maxim too true:
She dropt the Eye, and broke it.
A Critical Moment.
OW capricious were Nature and Art to poor
HOW NELL?
She was painting her Cheeks at the time her Nofe fell.
An EPIGRAM.
Written to the Duke de NOAILLES.
AIN the Concern which You exprefs,
VA
That uncall'd ALARD will poffefs
Your Houſe and Coach, both Day and Night,
And that MACKBETH was haunted leſs
By BANQUO's reſtleſs Spright.
With Fifteen Thouſand Pound a Year.
Do You complain, You cannot bear
An Ill, You may ſo foon retrieve?
Good ALARD, faith, is Modefter
By much, than You believe.
Lend
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 221
Lend Him but fifty Louis' d'or;
And You fhall never fee Him more
Take the Advice; Probatum eft.
Why do the Gods indulge our Store,
But to fecure our Reft?
..
EPILOGUE to PHÆDRA.
Spoken by Mrs. OLDFIELD, who acted ISMENA.
ADIES, To-night your Pity I implore
LA
For one, who never troubled You before:
An OXFORD-Man, extremely read in GREEK
Who from EURIPIDES makes PHADRA ſpeak;
And comes to Town to let Us Moderns know,
How Women lov'd two thouſand Years ago.
If that be all, faid I, e'en burn your Play:
I'gad! We know all that, as well as They:
Show Us the youthful, handfome Charioteer.
Firm in his Seat, and running his Career ;
Our Souls wou'd kindle with as gen'rous Flames,
As e'er infpir'd the antient GRECIAN Dames:
Ev'ry ISMENA would refign her Breaft;
And ev'ry dear HIPPOLYTUS be bleſt.
But, as it is, Six flouncing FLANDERS Mares
Are e'en as good, as any Two of Theirs:
And if HIPPOLYTUS can but contrive
To buy the gilded Chariot: JOHN can drive.
Now of the Buſtle You have feen To day,
And PHÆDRA's Morals in this Scholar's Play,
Something at leaſt in Juſtice ſhould be faid;
But this HIPPOLYTUS fo fills One's Head
Well! PHÆDRA liv'd as chaſtly as ſhe cou'd;
For ſhe was Father Jove's own Fleſh and Blood.
L 3
Her
222
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Her aukward Love indeed was odly fated;
She and her POLY were too near related:
And yet that Scruple had been laid aſide,
If honeft THESEUS had but fairly dy'd :
But when He came, what needed He to know,
But that all Matters ſtood in fatu quo?
There was no harm, You fee, or grant there were:
She might want Conduct; but He wanted Care.
'Twas in a Husband little lefs than rude,
Upon his Wife's Retirement to intrude
He ſhould have fent a Night or two before,
That He would come exact at fuch an Hour;
Then He had turn'd all Tragedy to Jeft;
Found ev'ry Thing contribute to his Reft;
The Picquet-Friend difmifs'd, the Coast all clear,
And Spouſe alone impatient for her Dear.
But if theſe gay Reflections come too late,
To keep the guilty PHEDRA from her Fate;
If your more ferious Judgment muſt condemn
The dire Effects of her unhappy Flame:
Yet, Ye chafte Matrons, and Ye tender Fair,
Let Love and Innocence engage your Care:
My Spotless Flames to your Protection take;
And ſpare poor PHEDRA for ISMENA's fake.
EPILOGUE to LUCIUS.
Spoken by Mrs. HORTON.
T
HE Female Author who recites To-day,
Trufts to her Sex the Merit of her Play.
Like Father BAYES fecurely She fits down:
Pit, Box and Gallery, Gad! All's our Own,
In antient GREECE, fhe fays, when SAPPHO writ,
By their Applaufe the Critics fhow'd their Wit,
They
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
223
They tun'd their Voices toher LYRIC String;
Tho' they cou'd All do fomething more than Sing.
But one Exception to this Fact we find ;
That Booby PHAON only was unkind,
An ill-bred Boat-man, rough as Waves and Wind.
From SAPPHо down thro' all fucceeding Ages,
And now on FRENCH, or on ITALIAN Stages,
Rough Satyrs, fly Remarks, ill-natur'd Speeches,
Are alway aim'd at Poets that wear Breeches.
Arm'd with LONGINUS, or with RAPIN, no Man
Drew a fharp Pen upon a Naked Woman.
The Bluft'ring Bully in our ne ghb'ring Streets
Scorns to attack the Female that He meets:
Fearleſs the Petticoat contemns his Frowns:
The Hoop fecure whatever it furrounds.
The many-colour'd Gentry there above,
By turns are rul'd by Tumult, and by Love:
And while their Sweet- hearts their Attention fix,
Suſpend the Din of their damn'd clatt'ring Sticks.
Now, Sirs
To You our Author makes Her foft Requeſt.
Who ſpeak the kindeſt, and who write the beſt,
Your Sympathetic Hearts She hopes to move,
From tender Friendſhip, and endearing Love.
If PETRARCH'S Mufe did LAURA's Wit rehearſe;
And CowLEY flatter'd dear ORINDA's Verſe;
She hopes from You- -Pox take her Hopes and Fears;
I plead her Sex's claim; what matters Her's?
By Our full Pow'r of Beauty we think fit,
To damn the Salique Law impos'd on Wit:
We'll try the Empire You fo long have boaſted;
And if we are not Prais'd, We'll not be Toafted.
Approve what One of us prefents To-night;
Or ev'ry Mortal Woman here fhall write;
L 4
Rural
224
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
I
1
I
}
Rural, Pathetic, Narrative, Sublime,
We'll write to You, and make You write in Rhime;
Female Remarks fhall take up all your Time.
}
Your Time, poor Souls! we'll take your very Money;
Female Third Days fhall come fo thick upon Ye,
As long as we have Eyes, or Hands, or Breath,
We'll Look, or Write, or Talk You All to Death,
Unless You yield for Better and for Worfe:
Then the She PEGASUS fhall gain the Course;
And the Grey Mare will prove the better Horſe.
The THIEF and the CORDELIER, a BALLAD.
To the Tune of King JOHN, and the ABBOT of
CANTERBURY.
WHO has e'er been at PARIS, muft needs know
the Greve,
The fatal Retreat of th' unfortunate Brave :
Where Honour and Juftice moſt odly contribute,
To eafe Hero's Pains by a Halter and Gibbet,
Derry down, down, bey derry down.
There Death breaks the Shackles, which Force had put on ;
And the Hangman compleats, what the Judge but be-
gun:
There the 'Squire of the Pad, and the Knight of the Poft,
Find their Pains no more balk'd, and their Hopes no
Derry down, &c.
(more croft.
[known;
Great Claims are there made, and great Secrets are
And the King, and the Law, and the Thief has his own;
But my Hearers cry out; What a duce doft Thou ayl
Cut off thy Reflections; and give Us thy Tale.
Derry down, &c.
'T was
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
225
'Twas there then, in civil Refpe&t to harsh Laws,
And for want of falfe Witnefs, to back a bad Cauſe,
A NORMAN, tho' late, was oblig'd to appear:
And Who to affift, but a grave CORDELIER?
Derry down, &c.
The 'Squire, whofe good Grace was to open the Scene,
Seem'd not in great Hafte, that the Show fhou'd begin:
Now fitted the Halter, now travers'd the Cart ;
And often took Leave; but was loth to Depart.
Derry down, &c.
What frightens You thus, my good Son ? fays the Prieft?
You Murder'd, are forry, and have been Confeſt.
O Father! my Sorrow will ſcarce fave my Bacon:
For 'twas not that I murder'd, but that I was Taken.
Derry down, &c.
Pough! pr'ythee never trouble thy Head with fuch
Fancies:
Rely on the Aid You fhall have from Saint FRANCIS
If the Money You promis'd be brought to the Cheſt,
You have only to Die: let the Church do the reſt.
Derry down, &c.
And what will Folks fay, if they fee You afraid;
It reflects upon Me; as I knew not my Trade:
Courage, Friend; To day is your Period of Sorrow?
And Things will go better, believe Me, To-Morrow.
Derry down, &c.
To-Morrow? our Hero reply'd in a Fright:
He that's hang'd before Noon, ought to think of To-
night.
L 5
Tell
226
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Tell your Beads, quoth the Prieft, and be fairly trufs'd up,
For You furely To-night ſhall in PARADISE Sup.
Derry down, &c.
Alas! quoth the 'Squire, howe'er fumptuous the Treat,
Parblew, I fhall have little Stomach to Eat;
I ſhould therefore eſteem it great Favour and Grace;
Would you be fo kind, as to go in my Place.
Derry down, &c.
That I would, quoth the Father, and thank you to boot
But our Actions, You know, with our Duty muſt fuit.
The Feaft, I propos'd to You, I cannot tafte;
For this Night, by our Order, is mark'd for a Faft.
Derry dorun, &c.
Then turning about to the Hangman, He faid;
Diſpatch me, I pr'ythee, this troubleſome Blade:
For Thy Cord, and my Cord both equally tie;
And We Live by the Gold for which other Men Die.
Derry down, &c.
An EPITAP H.
Stet quicunque volet potens
I
Aula culmine lubrico, &c.
NTERR'D beneath this Marble Stone,
Lie Saunt'ring JACK, and Idle JOAN,
While rolling Threefcore Years and One
Did round this Globe their Courſes run;
If Human Things went Ill or Well;
If changing Empires rofe or fell
Senec.
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
227
The Morning paft, the Evening came,
And found this Couple ftill the ſame.
They Walk'd and Eat, good Folks: What then?
Why then They Walk'd and Eat again:
They foundly flept the Night away :
They just did Nothing all the Day:
And having bury'd Children Four,
Wou'd not take Pains to try for more:
Nor Sifter either had, nor Brother;
They feem'd juft Tally'd for each other.
Their Moral and Oeconomy
Moſt perfectly They made agree:
Each Virtue kept its proper Bound,
Nor Trefpafs'd on the others Ground.
Nor Fame, nor Cenfure They regarded:
They neither Punifh'd, nor Rewarded.
He car'd not what the Footmen did :
Her Maids She neither prais'd, nor chid:
So every Servant took his Courſe:
And bad at Firſt, They all grew worſe.
Slothful Diſorder fill'd His Stable;
And fluttish Plenty deck'd Her Table.
Their Beer was ftrong; Their Wine was Port:
Their Meal was large; Their Grace was ſhort.
They gave the Poor the Remnant meat,
Juft when it grew not fit to eat.
They paid the Church and Pariſh Rate;
And took, but read not the Receit :
For which they claim their Sunday's Due,
Of lumbering in an upper Pew.
No Man's Defects fought they to know;
So never made themſelves a Foe.
No Man's good Deeds did They commend;
So never rais'd Themfelves a Friend.
"
Nor
228
POEMS on Several Occafions.
Nor cherifh'd They Relations poor:
That might decreaſe their prefent Store:
Nor Barn nor Houfe did they repair:
That might oblige Their future Heir.
They neither Added, nor Confounded:
They neither Wanted, nor abounded.
Each Christmas They Accompts did clear,
And wound their Bottom round the Year.
Nor Tear, nor Smile did Their imploy
At News of Publick Grief, or Joy.
When Bells were Rung, and Bonefires made;
If ask'd, they ne'er deny'd their Aid:
Their Jugg was to the Ringers carry'd;
Whoever either Dy'd, or Marry'd.
Their Billet at the Fire was found;
Whoever was Depos'd, or Crown'd.
Nor Good, nor Bad, nor Fools, nor Wife;
They wou'd not learn, nor cou'd advife:
Without Love, Hatred, Joy or Fear,
They let
a kind of→→ as it were:
Nor Wish'd, nor Car'd, nor Laugh'd, nor Cry'd:
And fo They liv'd, and fo They dy'd.
HORAC E Lib. I. Epiſt. IX.
Septimius, Claudi, nimirum intelligit unus,
Quanti me facias: &c.
Imitated.
To the Right Honourable Mr. HARLEY.
D
EAR Dick, how e'er it comes into his Head,
Believes as firmly as He does his Creed,
That You and I, SIR, are extreamly great;
Tho' I plain MAT, You Minister of State:
One
3
POEM's on feveral Occafions.
229
One Word from Me, without all doubt, He fays,
Wou'd fix his Fortune in fome little Place.
Thus better than Myſelf, it ſeems, He knows,
How far my Intereft with my Patron goes;
And anſwering all Objections I can make,
Still plunges deeper in his dear Miſtake.
From this wild Fancy, SIR, there may proceed
One wilder yet, which I forfee, and dread;
That I, in Fact, a real Intereſt have,
Which to my own Advantage I wou'd fave,
And, with the ufual Courtier's Trick, intend
To ferve Myſelf, forgetful of my Friend.
To fhun this Cenfure, I all Shame lay by ;
And make my Reafon with his Will comply;
Hoping for my Excufe, 'twill be confeſt,
That of two Evils I have choſe the leaſt.
So, SIR, with this Epiftolary Scroll,
Receive the Partner of my inmoft Soul:
Him you will find in Letters, and in Laws
Not unexpert, firm to his Country's Caufe,
Warm in the Glorious Intereft You purſue,
And, in one Word, a Good Man and a True.
To Mr. HARLEY, wounded by GUISCARD,
1711.
ab ipfo
Hor.
I'
Ducit opes animumque ferro.
I.
N one great Now, Superior to an Age,
The full Extremes of Nature's Force We find:
How Heav'nly Virtue can exalt; or Rage
Infernal, how degrade the Human Mind.
II. While
230
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
II.
;
While the fierce Monk does at his Tryal ſtand
He chews Revenge, abjuring his Offence :
Guile in his Tongue, and Murther in his Hand,
He ftabs his Judge, to prove his Innocence.
III.
The guilty Stroke and Torture of the Steel
Infix'd, our dauntless BRITON fcarce perceives:
The Wounds His Country from His Death muſt feel,
The PATRIOT views; for thoſe alone He grieves.
IV.
Thebarb'rous Rage that durft attempt Thy Life,
HARLEY, great Counfellor, extends Thy Fame:
And the fharp Point of cruel GUISCARD'S Knife,
In Braſs and Marble carves Thy deathleſs Name.
V.
Faithful Affertor of Thy Country's Caufe,
BRITAIN with Tears fhall bath thy glorious Wound:
She for thy Safety fhall enlarge Her Laws;
And in Her Statutes fhall Thy Worth be found.
VI.
Yet 'midſt Her Sighs She Triumphs, on the Hand
Reflecting, that diffus'd the Publick Woe;
A Stranger to her Altars, and her Land:
No Son of Her's could meditate this Blow.
VII.
Mean Time Thy Pain is gracious ANNA's Care:
Our Queen, our Saint, with facrificing Breath
Softens Thy Anguifh: In Her pow'rful Pray'r
She pleads Thy Service, and forbids Thy Death.
VIII.
Great as Thou art, Thou canft demand no more,
O Breaft bewail'd by Earth, preferv'd by Heav'n!
No higher can afpiring Virtue foar:
Enough to Thee of Grief, and Fame is giv❜n.
An
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
231
(
An Extempore INVITATION to the EARL of
OXFORD, Lord High Treasurer, 1712.
My LORD,
Ο
UR Weekly Friends To-morrow meet
At MATTHEW's Palace, in Duke-freet,
To try for once, if They can Dine
On Bacon-Ham, and Mutton-chine :
If weary'd with the great Affairs,
Which BRITAIN trufts to HARLEY'S Cares,
Thou, humble Stateſman, may'ft deſcend,
Thy Mind one Moment to unbend ;
To fee Thy Servant from his Soul
Crown with Thy Health the fprightly Bowl:
Among the Guefts, which e'er my Houſe
Receiv'd, it never can produce
Of Honor a more glorious Proof.
Tho' DORSET us'd to blefs the Roof.
T
ERLE ROBERT's MICE.
In CHAUCER's Style.
WAY Mice, full Blythe and Amicable,
Batten befide Erle ROBERT's Table.
Lies there ne Trap their Necks to catch,
Ne old black Cat their Steps to watch,
Their Fill they eat of Fowl and Fiſh;
Feaft-lyche as Heart of Moufe mote wiſh.
As Gueſts fat Jovial at the Board,
Forth leap'd our Mice: Eftfoons the Lord
Of BOLING, whilome JoHN the SAINT,
Who maketh oft Propos full queint,
Laugh'd
232 POEMS on ſeveral Occaſions.
J
Laugh'd jocund, and aloud He cry'd,
To MATTHEW feated on t' oth' fide;
To Thee, lean Bard, it doth partain
To underſtand thefe Creatures Tweine.
Come frame Us now fome clean Device,
Or playfant Rhime on yonder Mice :
They feem, God fhield Me, MAT. and CHARLES.
Bad as Sir TOPAZ, or Squire QUARLES
(MATTHEW did for the nonce reply)
At Emblem, or Device am I:
But could I Chaunt, or Rhyme, pardie,
Clear as Dan CHAUCER, or as Thee:
Ne Verfe from Me (fo God me fhrive)
On Mouſe, or other Beaſt alive.
Certes, I have theſe many Days
Sent myne Poetic Herd to graze.
Ne Armed Knight ydrad in War
With Lyon fierce will I compare :
Ne judge unjust, with furred Fox,
Harming in fecret Guiſe the Flocks:
Ne Prieſt unworth of Goddeſs Coat,
To Swine ydrunk, or filthy Stoat.
Elk Similè farewell for aye,
From Elephant, I trow, to Flea.
Reply'd the friendlike Peer, I weene,
MATTHEW is angred on the Spleen.
Ne fo, quoth MAT, ne fhall be e'er,
With Wit that falleth all fo fair:
Eftfoons, well weet Ye, mine intent
Boweth to your Commaundement.
If by theſe Creatures Ye have ſeen,
Pourtrayed CHARLES and MATTHEW been;
Behoveth neet to wreck my Brain,
The reſt in Order to explain.
That
•
:
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
233
That Cup-board, where the Mice difport,
1 liken to St. *STEPHEN's Court: * Exchequer
Therein is Space enough, I trow,
For elke Comrade to come and goe :
And therein eke may Both be fed
With Shiver of the Wheaten Bread.
And when, as theſe mine Eyen furvey,
They ceafe to skip, and fqueak and play;
Return they may to different Cells,
AUDITING One, whilſt t'other TELLS.
Dear ROBERT, quoth the SAINT, whofe Mind,
In Bounteous Deed no Mean can bind;
Now as I hope to grow devout,
I deem this Matter well made out.
Laugh I, whilft thus I ferious Pray?
Let that be wrought which MAT. doth fay:
Yea, quoth the ERLE, but not To-day.
F
In the fame Style.
ULL oft doth MAT. with TOPAZ dine,
Eateth bak'd Meats, drinketh Greek Wine;
But TOPAZ his own Werke rehearſeth;
And MAT. mote praiſe what TOPAZ verfeth.
Now fure as Prieft did e'er fhrive Sinner,
Full hardly earneth MAT. his Dinner:
F
In the fame Style.
AIR SUSAN did her Wif-hede well menteine.
Algates affaulted fore by Letchours tweine:
}
Now, and I read aright that Auncient Song,
Olde were the Paramours, the Dame full yong.
Had
234
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Had thilke fame Hale in other Guife been tolde;
Had They been Young (pardie) and She been Olde:
That, by St. KIT, had wrought much forer Tryal;
Full merveillous, I wote, were fwilk Denyal.
A FLOWER painted by SIMON VARELST.
HEN fam'd VARELST this little Wonder drew;
WHEN fam'd
FLORA Vouchſaf'd the growing Work to view :
Finding the Painter's Science at a Stand,
The Goddeſs fnatch'd the Pencil from his Hand;
And finiſhing the Piece, She fmiling faid:
Behold One Work of Mine, that ne'er ſhall fade.
To the Lady ELIZABETH HARLEY,
Since Marchioness of CARMARTHEN,
on a Column of Her Drawing.
W
HEN future Ages fhall with Wonder view
Theſe glorious Lines, which HARLEY's Daughter
drew;
They fhall confefs, that BRITAIN could not raiſe
A fairer Column to the Father's Praiſe.
PROTOGENES and APELLES.
WH
HEN Poets wrote, and Painters drew,
As Nature pointed out the View:
Ere GOTHIC Forms were known in GABECE,
To ſpoil the well-proportion'd Piece:
And in our Verfe ere Monkish Rhimes
Had jangl'd their fantaftick Chimes:
Ere
POEMS on everal Occafions.
235
1
Ere on the flow'ry Lands of RHODES
Thofe Knights had fix'd their dull Abodes,
Who knew not much to paint or write,
Nor car'd to pray, nor dar'd to fight:
PROTOGENES, Hiftorians Note,
Liv'd there, a Burgess Scot and Lot;
And, as old PLINY's Writings ſhow,
APELLES did the fame at Co.
Agreed theſe Points of Time and Place,
Proceed We in the preſent Cafe.
Picqu'd by PROTOGENE's Fame,
From Co to RHODES APELLES came;
To fee a Rival and a Friend,
Prepar'd to Cenfure, or Commend,
Here to abfolve, and there object,
As Art with Candor might direct.
He fails, He lands, He comes, He rings:
His Servants follow with the Things :
Appears the Governante of th' Houſe:
For fuch in GREECE were much in uſe:
If Young or Handfom, Yea or No,
Concerns not Me, or Thee to know.
Does 'Squire PROTEGENES live here?
Yes, Sir, fays She with gracious Air,
And Court'fey low; but just call'd out
By Lords peculiarly devout;
Who came on purpoſe, Sir, to borrow
Our VENUS, for the Feaft To-morrow.
To grace the Church: 'tis VENUS' Day:
I hope, Sir, You intend to ſtay,
To fee our VENUS: 'tis the Piece
The moſt renown'd throughout all GREECE,
So like th' Original, they ſay :
But I have no great Skill that Way.
But,
236
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
But, Sir, at Six ('tis now paft Three)
DROMO must make my Mafter's Tea:
At Six, Sir, if You pleaſe to come,
You'll find my Mafter, Sir, at Home.
Tea, fays a Critic big with Laughter,
Was found fame twenty Ages after;
Authors, before they write, fhou'd read.
'Tis very true; but We'll proceed.
!
And, Sir, at prefent wou'd you pleaſe
To leave your Name
Fair Maiden, yes.
Reach me that Board. No fooner ſpoke
But done. With one judicious Stroke,
On the plain Ground APELLES drew
A Circle regularly true;
And will you pleafe, Sweet-heart, faid He,
To fhew your Mafter this from Me?
By it He preſently will know,
How Painters write their Names at Co.
He gave the Pannel to the Maid.
Smiling and Court'fing, Sir, She faid,
I fhall not fail to tell my Maſter:
And, Sir, for fear of all Diſaſter,
I'll keep it my ownſelf: Safe bind,
Says the old Proverb, and Safe find.
So, Sir, as fure as Key or Lock-
Your Servant Sirat Six a Clock.
Again at Six APELLES came;
Found the fame prating civil Dame.
Sir, that my Maſter has been here,
Will by the Board itſelf appear.
If from the perfect Line He found,
He has prefum'd to fwell the Round,
Or Colours on the Draught to lay ;
'Tis thus (He order'd me to fay)
Thus
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
237
Thus write the Painters of this Ifle:
Let thoſe of Co remark the Style.
She faid; and to his Hand reſtor'd
The rival Pledge, the Miffive Board.
Upon the happy Line were laid
Such obvious Light, and eafie Shade;
That PARIS' Apple ſtood confeft,
Or LEDA's Egg, or CLOE's Breaſt:
APELLES view'd the finiſh'd Piece;
And Live, faid He, the Arts of GREECE !
Howe'er PROTOGENES and I
May in our Rival Talents vie;
Howe'er our Works may have exprefs'd,
Who trueft drew, or colour'd beſt;
When He beheld my flowing Line;
He found at least I cou'd defign:
And from his artful Round, I grant,
That He with perfect Skill can paint.
The dulleft GENIUS cannot fail
To find the Moral of my Tale :
That the diſtinguiſh'd Part of Men,
With Compafs, Pencil, Sword, or Pen,
Shou'd in Life's Vifit leave their Name,
In Characters, which may proclaim,
That They with Ardor ftrove to raiſe
At once their Arts, and Country's Praiſe;
And in their Working took great Care,
That all was Full, and Round, and Fair.
DEMOCRITUS and HERACLITUS,
DEMOCRITUS, dear Droll, revifit Earth,
And with our Follies glut Thy heighten'd Mirth:
Sad HERACLITUS, ferious Wretch, return,
In louder Grief our greater Crimes to mourn.
Be-
238
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
}
1
Between You both I unconcern'd ſtand by:
Hurt, can I laugh? and Honeſt, need I cry
T
For my own Tombstone.
?
O Me'Twas giv'n to die: to Thee 'tis giv'n
To live: Alas! one Moment fets us ev'n.
Mark! how impartial is the Will of Heav'n?
}
GUALTERUS DANISTONUS ad Amicos.
D
UM Studeo fungi fallentis munere vitæ,
Adfe&toque viam fedibus Elyfiis,
ARCTOA florens Sophiâ, SAMIISQUE fuperbus
Difcipulis, Animas morte carere cano.
Has ego corporibus profugas ad fidera mitto;
Sideraque ingreffis otia blanda dico;
Qualia conveniunt Divis, queis fata volebant
Vitäi faciles molliter ire vias:
Vinaque Cœlicolis media inter gaudia libo;
Et me quid majus fufpicor effe viro.
Sed fuerint nulli forfan, quos fpondeo, cœli;
Nullaque fint DITIS Numina, nulla Jovis.
Fabula fit terris agitur quæ vita relictis;
Quique fuperftes, Homo; qui nihil, efto Deus.
Attamen effe hilares, & inanes mittere curas
Proderit, ac vitæ commoditate frui,
Et feftos agitâffe dies, ævique fugacis
Tempora perpetuis detinuiffe jocis.
His me parentem præceptis occuper Orcus,
Et Mors; feu Divum, feu nihil effe velit;
Nam Sophia Ars illa eft, quæ fallere fuaviter horas
Admonet, atque Orci non timuiffe minas.
IMITA
!
POEMS on Several Occafions.
239
ST
IMITAT TE
D.
TUDIOUS the buſy Moments to deceive,
That fleet between the Cradle and the Grave,
I credit what the GRECIAN Dictates fay,
And SAMIAN Sounds o'er ScoTIA's Hills convey.
When Mortal Man reſigns his tranfient Breath;
The Body only I give o'er to Death,
The Parts diffolv'd, and broken Frame I mourn:
What came from Earth, I fee to Earth return.
The Immaterial Part, th' Ethereal Soul,
Nor can Change vanquish, nor can Death controul.
Glad I releaſe it from it's Partner's Cares
And bid good Angels waft it to the Stars.
;
Then in the flowing Bowl I drown thoſe Sighs,
Which, Spight of Wiſdom, from our Weakneſs rife,
The Draught to the Dead's Mem'ry I commend,
and offer to the now immortal Friend.
But if oppos'd to what my Thoughts approve,
Nor PLUTO's Rage there be, nor Pow'r of Jove;
On its dark Side if Thou the Profpect take;
Grant all forgot beyond black LETHE's Lake:
In total Death fuppofe the Mortal lie,
No new hereafter, nor a future Sky:
Yet bear thy Lot content; yet ceaſe to grieve:
Why, ere Death comes, doft Thou forbear to live ?
The little Time Thou haft, 'twixt Inftant Now
And Fate's Approach, is All the Gods allow :
And of this little haft Thou ought to ſpare
To fad Reflection, and corroding Care?
The Moments paft, if Thou art wife, retrieve
With pleaſant Mem'ry of the Blifs they gave.
The pleaſant Hours in prefent Mirth imploy,
And bribe the Future with the Hopes of Joy,
The
i
r
240
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
The Future (few or more, howe'er they be)
Were deftin'd erft; nor can by Fate's Decree
Be now cut off, betwixt the Grave and Thee.
}
The first HYMN of CALLIMACHUS
to JUPITER.
W
HILE we to Jove felect the holy Victim,
Whom apter fhall we fing, than Jove himſelf,
The God for ever Great, for ever King;
Who flew the Earth-born Race, and meaſures Right
To Heav'n's great Habitants? DICTAAN hear'it Thou
More joyful, or LYCEAN, long Difpute
And various Thought has trac'd. On IDA's Mount,
Or DICTE, ftudious of his Country's Praife,
The CRETAN boafts Thy Natal Place: but oft
He meets Reproof deferv'd: for He prefumptuous
Has built a Tomb for Thee, who never know'ſt
To die, but liv't the fame To-day and Ever.
ARCADIAN therefore be Thy Birth: Great RHEA
Pregnant to high PARRHASIA'S Cliffs retir'd,
And wild LYCEUs, black with fhading Pines :
Holy Retreat! Sithence no Female hither,
Conſcious of Social Love and Nature's Rites,
Muft dare approach, from the inferior Reptile
To Woman, Form Divine. There the bleft Parent
Ungirt her fpacious Bofom, and diſcharg'd
The pond'rous Birth: She fought a neighb'ring Spring
To wash the recent Babe: In vain: ARCADIA,
"(However ftreamy, now aduft and dry,
Deny'd the Goddefs Water; where deep MELAS,
And rocky CRATIS flow, the Chariot fmoak'd
Obſcure with rifing Duft: the thirsty Trav❜ler
In
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 241
A
In vain requir'd the Current, then impriſon'd
In fubterraneous Caverns: Foreſts grew
Upon the barren Hollows, high o'erfhading
The Haunts of Savage Beafts, where now IAON,
And ERIMANTH incline their friendly Urns.
Thou too, O Earth, great RHEA faid, bring forth;
And ſhort ſhall be thy Pangs: She faid; and high
She rear'd her Arm, and with her Sceptre ftruck
The yawning Cliff: from its difparted Height
Adown the Mount the gufhing Torrent ran,
And chear'd the Vallies: There the Heav'nly Mother
Bath'd, mighty King, Thy tender Limbs: She wrapt
In purple Bands: She gave the precious Pledge [them
To prudent NEDA, charging her to guard Thee,
Careful and fecret: NEDA, of the Nymphs
That tended the great Birth, next PHILYRE
And STYX, the eldeft. Smiling She receiv'd Thee,
And confcious of the Grace, abfolv'd her Truft:
Not unrewarded; fince the River bore
The Fav'rite Virgin's Name; fair NEDA rowls
By LEPRION's ancient Walls, a fruitful Stream.
Faft by her flow'ry Bank the Sons of ARCAS,
Favʼrites of Heav'n, with happy Care protect
Their fleecy Charge; and joyous drink her Wave.
Thee, God, to CNOSSUS NEDA brought: the Nymphs
And CORYBANTES Thee their facred Charge
Receiv'd: ADRASTE rock'd Thy golden Cradle :
The Goat, now bright amidſt her fellow-Stars,
Kind AMALTHEA, reach'd her Teat diftent
With Milk, Thy early Food: the fedulous Bec
Diftill'd her Honey on Thy purple Lips.
Around, the fierce CURETES (Order folemn
To thy foreknowing Mother!) trod tumultuous
Their Myftic Dance, and chang'd their founding Arms;
M
Indu-
242
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Induſtrious with the warlike Din to quell
Thy Infant Cries and mock the Ear of SATURN,,
Swift Growth and wond'rous Grace, O heav'nly Jove,
Waited Thy blooming Years: Inventive Wit,
And perfect Judgment crown'd Thy youthful A&t.
That SATURN's Sons receiv'd the three-fold Empire
Of Heav'n, of Ocean, and deep Hell beneath,
As the dark Urn and Chance of Lot determin'd,
Old Poets mention, fabling. Things of Moment
Well nigh equivalent and neighb'ring Value
By Lot are parted: But high Heav'n, Thy Share,
In equal Balance laid 'gainſt Sea or Hell,
Flings up the adverfe Scale, and fhuns Proportion.
Wherefore not Chance, but Pow'r, above Thy Brethren
Exalted Thee, their King. When Thy great Will
Commands Thy Chariot forth; impetuous Strength,
And fiery Swiftnefs wing the rapid Wheels,
Inceffant; high the Eagle flies before Thee.
And oh as I and mine confult Thy Augur,
Grant the glad Omen; let Thy Fav'rite rife
Propitious, ever foaring from the Right.
Thou to the leffer Gods haft well affign'd
Their proper Shares of Pow'r: Thy own, great Jove,
Boundless and univerfal. Thoſe who labor
The fweaty Forge, who edge the crooked Scythe,
Bend ftubborn Steel, and harden gleening Armor,
Acknowledge VULCAN's Aid. The early Hunter
Bieles DIANA's Hand; who leads Him fafe
O'er hanging Cliffs; who fpreads his Net fuccefsful,
And guides the Arrow through the Panther's Heart.
The Soldier from fuccefsful Camps returning
With Laurel wreath'd, and rich with hoftile Spoil,
Severs the Bull to MARS. The skilful Bard,
Striking the THRACIAN Harp, invokes APOLLO,
To
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
243
To make his Hero and Himself Immortal.
Thofe, mighty Jove, mean time, Thy glorious Care,
Who model Nations, publifh Laws, anounce
Or Life or Death, and found or thange the Empire.
Man owns the Pow'r of Kings; and Kings of Jove.
And as their Actions tend fubordinate
To what Thy Will defigns, Thou giv't the Means
Proportion'd to the Work; Thou fee'ft impartial,
How They thofe Means imploy. Each monarch rules
His different Realm, accountable to Thee,
Great Ruler of the World: Theſe only have
To ſpeak and be obey'd; to Thofe are giv'n
Affiftant Days to ripen the Deſign;
To fome whole Months; revolving Years to fome:
Others, ill-fated are condemn'd to toil
Their tedious Life, and mourn their Purpoſe blaſted
With fruitleſs Act, and Impotence of Council.
Hail! greateſt Son of SATURN, wife Difpofer
Of ev'ry Good: Thy Praife what Man yet born
Has fung? Or who that may be born fhall fing?
Again, and often hail! indulge our Prayer,
Great Father! grant us Virtue, grant us Wealth:
For without Virtue, Wealth to Man avails not;
And Virtue without Wealth exerts lefs Pow'r,
And lefs diffufes Good. Then grant us, Gracious,
Virtue and Wealth; for both are of Thy Gift.
The Second HYMN of CALLIMACHUS
to APOLLO.
H
AH! how the Laurel, great APOLLO's Tree,
And all the Cavern fhakes! far off, far off,
M 2
The
244
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
The Man that is unhallow'd: for the God,
The God approaches. Hark! He knocks; the Gates
Feel the glad Impulfe: and the fever'd Bars
Submiffive clink againſt their brazen Portals.
Why do the DELIAN Palms incline their Boughs,
Self-mov'd: and hov'ring Swans, their Throats releas'd,
From native Silence, carol founds harmonious?
Begin, young Men, the Hymn: let all your Harps
Break their inglorious filence; and the Dance,
In myftic Numbers trod, explain the Mufic.
But first by ardent Pray'r, and clear Luftration
Purge the contagious Spots of Human Weaknefs:
Impure no Mortal can behold APOLLO.
So may Ye flouriſh favour'd by the God,
In Youth with happy Nuptials, and in Age]
With Silver Hairs, and fair Defcent of Children;
So lay Foundations for afpiring Cities,
And bleſs your ſpreading Colonies' Encreaſe.
Pay facred Rev'rence to APOLLO's Song;
Left wrathful the far-fhooting God emit
His fatal Arrows.
And Seas fubfide,
Silent nature ftands;
obedient to the Sound
Of Io, IO PEAN! nor dares THETIS
Longer bewail Her lov'd ACHILLES' Death:
For PHOEBUs was his Foe. Nor muft fad NIOBE
In fruitless Sorrow perfevere, or weep
E'ven thro' the PHRYGIAN Marble. Haplefs Mother!
Whofe Fondneſs could compare her Mortal Off-fpring
To thoſe which fair LATONA bore to Jove.
Io! again repeat Ye, lo PEAN!
Against the Deity 'tis hard to ſtrive.
He that refifts the Pow'r of PTOLEMY,
Refift's the Pow'r of Heav'n: for Pow'r from Heav'n
Derives; and Monarchs rule by Gods appointed.
Recite
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
245
Recite APOLLO's Praife, till Night draws on,
The Ditty fill unfinish'd; and the Day
Unequal to the Godhead's Attributes
Various, and Matter copious of your Songs.
Sublime at Jove's right Hand APOLLO fits,
And thence diftributes Honor, gracious King,
And Theme of Verſe perpetual. From his Robe
Flows Light ineffable: His Harp, his Quiver,
And LICTIAN Bow are Gold: with golden Sandals
His Feet are fhod; how rich! how beautiful!
Beneath his Steps the yellow Min'ral riſes;
And Earth reveals her Treaſures. Youth and Beauty
Eternal deck his Cheek: from his fair Head
Perfumes diftill their Sweets; and chearful HEALTH,
His dutious Mandmaid, thro' the Air improv'd,
With lavish Hand diffufes Scents Ambrofial.
The Spear-man's Arm by Thee, great God, directed,
Sends forth a certain Wound. The Laurel'd Bard,
Inſpir'd by Thee, compofes Verfe Immortal.
Taught by thy Art Divine, the fage Phyfician
Eludes the Urn; and chains, or exiles Death.
Thee NOMIAN We adore; for that from Heav'n
Defcending, Thou on fair AMPHRY SUS' Banks
Didft guard ADMETUS' Herds. Sithence the Cow
Produc'd an ampler Store of Milk; the She-Goat
Not without Pain dragg'd her diftended Udder;
And Ewes, that erft brought forth but fingle Lambs,
Now dropp'd their Two-fold Burthens. Bleft the Cattle,
On which APOLLO caft his fav'ring Eye!
But, PHOEBUS, Thou to Man beneficent,
Delight'ft in building Cities. Bright DIANA,
Kind Sifter to thy Infant-Deity
New-wean'd, and juft arifing from the Cradle,
Brought hunted wild Goats-Heads, and branching Antlers
M 3
Of
246
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
:
Of Stags, the Fruit and Honor of her Toil.
Theſe with difcerning Hand Thou knew'ft to range,
(Young as Thou waft) and in the well-fram'd Models,
With Emblematic Skill, and myſtic Order,
Thou fhew'dft, where Towers or Battlements fhould rife;
Where Gates fhould open; or where Walls ſhould compaſs:
While from thy childish Paftime Man receiv'd,
The future Strength, and Ornament of Nations.
BATTUS, our great Progenitor, now touch'd
The LIBYAN Strand; when the foreboding Crow
Flew on the Right before the People, marking
The Country defin'd the aufpicious Seat
Of future Kings, and Favor of the God,
Whofe Oath is fure, and Promife ftands Eternal.
Or BOEDROMIAN hear'ft Thou pleas'd, or CLARIAN,
PHOEBUS, great King? for diff'rent are Thy Names,
As Thy kind Hand has founded many Cities,
Or dealt benign Thy various Gifts to Man.
CARNEAN let Me call Thee; for my Country
Calls Thee CARNEAN: the fair Colony
Thrice by Thy gracious Guidance was tranfported,
Ere fettl'd in CYRENE; there W' appointed
Thy annual Feafts, kind God, and blefs thy Altars
Smoaking with Hecatombs of flaughter'd Bulls;
As CARNUS, thy High-Prieft and favour'd Friend,
Had erft ordain'd; and with myfterious Rites,
Our great Forefathers taught their Sons to worship.
Io CARNEAN PHOEBUS! Io PEAN!
The yellow Crocus there, and fair Narciffus
Referve the Honours of their Winter-Store,
To deck Thy Temple; 'till returning Spring
Diffufes Nature's various Pride; and Flow'rs
Innumerable, by the foft South- weft
Open'd, and gather'd by Religious Hands,
Rebound
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
247
Rebound their Sweets from th'odoriferous Pavement.
Perpetual Fire ſhine hallow'd on Thy Altars,
When Annual the CARNEAN Feaft is held:
The warlike LIBYANS clad in Armor, lead
The Dance; with clanging Swords and Shields They beat
The dreadful Meaſure: in the Chorus join
Their Women, Brown but Beautiful: fuch Rites
To Thee well pleafing. Nor had yet Thy Votaries,
From GREECE tranſplanted, touch'd CYRENE's Banks,
And Lands determin'd for their laft Abodes;
But wander'd thro' AZILIS' horrid Foreſt
Difpers'd; when from MYTRUS A's craggy Brow,
Fond of the Maid, aufpicious to the City,
Which muft hereafter bear her favour'd Name,
Thou Gracious deign'ft to let the fair One view
Her Typic People; Thou with Pleaſure taught'ft Her
To draw the Bow, to flay the fhaggy Lyon,
And ſtop the ſpreading Ruin of the Plains.
Happy the Nymph, who honour'd by Thy Paffion,
Was aided by thy Pow'r! The monstrous PYTHON
Durft tempt Thy Wrath in vain: for dead He fell,
To thy great Strength, and golden Arms unequal.
Io! while Thy unerring Hand elanc'd
Another, and another Dart; The People
Joyfully repeated Io! Io PEAN !
Elance the Dart, APOLLO: for the Safety,
And Health of Man, gracious Thy Mother bore Thee.
ENVY Thy lateſt Foe fuggefted thus:
Like Thee I am a Pow'r Immortal; therefore
To Thee dare ſpeak. How canft Thou favour partial
Thofe Poets who write little? Vaft and Great
Is what I Love: The far-extended Ocean
To a ſmall Riv'let I prefer. APOLLO
Spurn'd ENVY with his Foot; and thus the God:
$
M 4
DAMON,
248
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
}
J
f
7
DÆMON, the head-long Current of EUPHRATES,
ASSYRIAN River, copious runs, but Muddy;
And carries forward with his ftupid Force
Polluting Dirt; His Torrent ftill augmenting,
His Wave ftill more defil'd; mean while the Nymphs
MELISSAN, Sacred and Reclufe to CERES,
Studious to have their Off'rings well receiv'd,
And fit for Heav'nly Ufe, from little Urns
Pour Streams felect, and Purity of Waters.
Io! APOLLO, mighty King, let ENVY
Ill-judging and Verbofe, from LETHE's Lake,
Draw Tuns.unmeafurable; while Thy Favor
Adminiſters to my ambitious Thirſt
The wholeſome Draught from AGANIPPE's Spring
Genuine, and with foft Murmurs gently rilling
Adown the Mountains where Thy Daughters haunt.
CHARITY.
A PARAPHRASE On
the Thirteenth CHAPTER of the First
EPISTLE to the CORINTHIATS.
D
ID fweeter founds adorn my flowing Tongue,
Than ever Man pronounc'd, or Angel fung:
Had I all Knowledge, Haman and Divine,
That Thought can reach, or Science can define
And had I Pow'r to give that Knowledge Birth,
In all the Speeches of the babling Earth;
Did SHADRACH'S Zeal my glowing Breaſt inſpire,
To weary Tortures, and rejoice in Fire;
Or had I Faith like that which ISRAEL faw
When MOSES gave them Miracles, and Law:
Yet gracious CHARITY, indulgent Gueſt,
Were not Thy Pow'r exerted in my Breaſt;
Thoſe
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
249
Thoſe Speeches would fend up unheeded Pray'r:
That Scorn of Life would be but wild Diſpair:
A Tymbal's Sound were better than my Voice:
My Faith were Form: my Eloquence were Noife.
CHARITY, decent, modeft, eaſy, kind,
Softens the high, and rears the abject Mind;
Knows with just Reins, and gentle Hand to guide,
Betwixt vile Shame, and arbitrary Pride.
Not foon provok'd, She eafily forgives;
And much She fuffers, as She much believes.
Soft Peace She brings where-ever She arrives :
She builds our Quiet, as She forms our Lives;
Lays the rough Paths of peevish Nature ev'n;
And opens in each Heart a little HEAV'N.
Each other Gift, which GOD on Man beſtows,
It's proper Bound, and due Reſtriction knows ;
To one fixt Purpoſe dedicates its Power;
And finishing its Act, exifts no more.
Thus, in Obedience to what HEAV'N decrees,
Knowledge fhall fail, and Prophecy ſhall cease;
But lafting CHARITY's more ample Sway,
Nor bound by Time, nor fubject to decay,
In happy Triumph fhall for ever live,
f
And endlefs Good diffufe, and endleſs Praiſe receive.
As thro' the Artift's intervening Glafs,
Our Eye obferves the diſtant Planets paſs;
A little we diſcover; but allow,
That more remains unfeen, than Art can fhow:
So whilft our Mind its Knowledge wou'd improv
(Its feeble Eye intent on Things above)
High as We may, We lift our Reaſon up,
By FAITH directed, and confirm'd by HOPE:
Yet are We able only to furvey
Dawnings of Beams, and Promifes of Day.
M 5
HEAV'N'S
250
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
5
HEAV'N's fuller Effluence mocks our dazl'd Sight;
Too great its fwiftnefs, and too ftrong its Light.
But foon the mediate Clouds ſhall be diſpell'd:
The Sun fhall foon be Face to Face beheld,
In all his Robes with all his Glory on,
Seated fublime on His Meridian Throne.
Then conftant FAITH, and holy HOPE fhall die,
One loft in Certainty, and One in Joy:
Whilft Thou, more happy Pow'r, fair CHARITY,
Triumphant Sifter, greateſt of the Three,
Thy Office, and Thy Nature ftill the fame,
Lafting thy Lamp, and unconfum'd thy Flame,
Shalt ftill furvive
Shalt ftand before the Hoft of HEAV'N Confeft,
For ever bleffing, and for ever bleſt.
Engraven on a COLUMN in the Church of
HALSTEAD in ESSEX. The Spire of
which, burnt down by Lightning, was re-
built at the Expence of Mr. SAMUEL
FISK F, 1717.
IEW not this Spire by Meaſure giv'n
V¹
To Buildings rais'd by common Hands:
That Fabric rifes high as Heav'n,
Whofe Bafis on Devotion ſtands.
While yet We draw this vital Breath,
We can our FAITH and HOPE declare :
But CHARITY beyond our Death
Will ever in our Works appear.
Beft be He call'd among good Men,
Who to his GOD this Column rais'd:
Tho' Lightning ftrike the Dome again;
The Man, Who built it, fhall be prais'd.
Yet
THE
FIRST CANTO.
M
ATTHEW met RICHARD, when or
where
From Story is not mighty clear:
Of many knetty Points They fpoke;
And Pro and Con by turns They took.
Rats half the Manuſcript have eat :
Dire Hunger! which we ftill regret:
O! may they ne'er again digeſt
The Horrors of fo fad a Feaſt.
Yet lefs our Grief, if what remains,
Dear JACOB, by thy Care and Pains
Shall be to future Times convey'd,
It thus begins:
**** Here MATTHEW faid:
ALMA in Verfe; in Profe, the MIND,
By ARISTOTLE's Pen defin'd,
Throughout the Body fquat or tall,
Is bona fide, All in All.
And yet, flap daſh, is All again
In ev'ry Sinew, Nerve, and Vein:
Runs here and there, Like HAMLET'S Ghoft :
While every where She rules the roaft.
1
This
256
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
This Syftem, RICHARD, We are told,
The Men of Ox FORD firmly hold.
The CAMBRIDGE Wits, you know, deny
With Ipfe dixit to comply.
hey fay (for in good Truth They fpeak
With ſmall Reſpect of that old GREEK)
That, putting all his Words together,
'Tis Three blue Beans in One blue Bladder."
ALMA, They ftrenuouſly maintain.
Sits Cock-Horfe on Her Throne the Brain;
And from that Seat of Thought difpenfes
Her Sov'reign Pleaſure to the Senfes.
Two Optic Nerves, They fay, She tyes,
Like Spectacles, a-crofs the Eyes;
By which the Spirits bring her Word,
Whene'er the Balls are fix'd, or ftirr'd;
How quick at Park and Play they ſtrike;
The Duke they court; the Toaſt they like;
And at St. JAMES's turn their Grace
From former Friends, now out of Place.
Without thefe Aids, to be more ferious,
Her Pow'r, They hold, had been precarious:
The Eyes might have confpir'd her Ruin;
And She not known, what They were doing.
Fooliſh it had been, and unkind,
That They ſhould fee, and She be blind.
Wife Nature likewife, They fuppofe,
Has drawn two Conduits down our Nofe:
Cou'd ALMA elfe with Judgment tell,
When Cabbage ftinks, or Rofes fmell?
Or who wou'd ask for her Opinion
Between an Oyſter and an Onion?
For from moſt Bodies, DICK, You know,
Some little Bits ask Leave to flow;
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
257
And, as thro' thefe Canals They roll,
Bring up a Sample of the whole.
Like Footmen running before Coaches,
To tell the Inn, what Lord approaches.
By Nerves about our Palate plac'd,
She likewife judges of the Tafte.
Elſe (diſmal Thought!) our warlike Men
Might drink thick Port for fine Champagne;
And our ill judging Wives and Daughters
Miſtake Small-beer for Citron-Waters.
Hence too, that She might better hear,
She fets à Drum at either Ear;
And Loud or Gentle, Harfh or Sweet,
Are but th' Alarums which they beat.
Laft, to enjoy her Senfe of Feeling
(A thing She much delights to deal in)
A thouſand little Nerves She fends
Quite to our Toes, and Fingers' Ends;
And Theſe in Gratitude again.
Return their Spirits to the Brain;
In which their Figure being printed
(As juft before, I think, I hinted)
ALMA inform'd can try the Cafe,
As She had been upon the Place.
Thus, while the Judge gives diff'rent Journeys
To Country Counfel, and Attornies;
He on the Bench in quiet fits,
Deciding, as they bring the Writs.
The POPE thus prays and fleeps at Rom,
And very feldom ftirs from Home:
Yet fending forth his Holy Spies,
And having heard what They adviſe,
He rules the Church's bleft Dominions,
And fets Men's Faith by his Opinions.
The
1
258
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
The Scholars of the STAGYRITE.
Who for the Old Opinion fight,
Would make their Modern Friends confefs,
The difference but from More to Lefs.
The MIND, fay They, while You fuſtain
To hold her Station in the Brain;
You grant, at leaſt, She is extended :
Ergo the whole Diſpute is ended.
For 'till Tomorrow fhou'd you plead
From Form and Structure of the Head;
The MIND as vifibly is feen
Extended thro' the whole Machine.
Why fhou'd all Honor then be ta'en
From Lower Parts to load the Brain:
When other Limbs we plainly fee,
Each in his way, as brisk as He ?
For Mufic, grant the Head receives it ;
It is the Artift's Hand that gives it.
And tho' the Scull may wear the Laurel;
The Soldier's Arm fuftains the Quarrel.
Befides, the Noftrils, Ears, and Eyes
Are not his Parts, but his Allies.
Ev'n what you hear the Tongue proclaim,
Comes ab Origine from them.
What could the Head perform alone,
If all Their friendly Aids were gone?
A foolish figure He muſt make;
Do nothing elfe, but fleep and ake.
Nor Matters it, that You can fhow,
How to the Head the Spirits go.
Thofe Spirits ſtarted from fome Goal,
Before they thro' the Veins cou'd roll.
Now we fhou'd hold them much to blame,
If They went back, before They came.
If
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
259
If therefore, as We muſt fuppofe,
They came from Fingers, and from Toes;
Or Toes, or Fingers, in this Cafe,
Of Num fcull's Self fhou'd take the Place.
Difputing fair, You grant thus much,
That all Senfation is but Touch.
Dip but your Toes into cold Water,
Their Correfpondent Teeth will chatter
And ftrike the Bottom of your Feet;
You fet your Head into a Heat.
The Bully beat, and happy Lover
Cenfels, that Feeling lies all over.
Note here, LUCRETIUS dares to teach
(As all our Youth may learn from CREECH)
That Eyes were made, but cou'd not view;
Nor Hands embrace, nor Feet purſue :
But heedlefs Nature did produce
The Members first, and then the Ufe.
What Each muft act, was yet unknown,
'Till all is mov'd by Chance alone.
A Man firſt builds a Country Seat;
Then finds the Walls not good to eat.
Another Plants, and wond'ring fees
Nor Books, nor Medals on his Trees.
Yet Poet and Philofopher
Was He, who durft fuch Whims aver.
Bleft, for his fake, be human Reaſon,
That came at all, tho' late, in Seaſon.
But no Man fure e'er left his Houſe,
And faddl'd Ball, with Thoughts fo wild,
To bring a Midwife to his Spouſe,
Before He knew fhe was with Child.
"
And
260
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
And no Man ever reapt his Corn,
Or from the Oven drew his Bread,
Ere Hinds and Bakers yet were born,
That taught them both to Sow and Knead.
Before They're ask'd, can Maids refuſe ?
Can
Pray, fays DICK, hold in your Mufe,
While you in Pindaric Truths rehearſe ;
She hobbles in Alternate Verſe.
Verfe? MAT. reply'd; is that
that my Care?
Go on, quoth RICHARD, foft and fair.
This looks, friend Dick, as Nature had
But exercis'd the Salefman's Trade:
As if She haply had fat down,
And cut out Cloaths for all the Town:
Then fent them out to Monmouth Street,
To try, what Perfons they wou'd fit.
But ev'ry Free and Licenc'd Taylor
Would in this Thefis find a Failure.
Should Whims like theſe his Head perplex,
How could he work for either Sex?
His Cloaths, as Atomes might prevail,
Might fit a Piſmire, or a Whale.
No, no : He views with ftudious Pleaſure
Your Shape, before He takes your Meaſure.
For real KATE He made the Boddice,
And not for an Ideal Goddefs.
No Error near his Shop-board lurk'd:
He knew the Folks for whom He work'd.
Still to Their Size He aim'd his Skill:
Elfe, pr'ythee, who wou'd pay his Bill ?
Next, DICK, if Chance herſelf fhou'd vary ;
Obferve, how Matters would miſcarry :
Acrofs your Eyes, Friend, place your Shoes ;
Your Spectacles upon your Toes:
}
Then
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
261
Then You and MEMMIUS fhall agree,
How nicely Men would walk, or fee.
But Wiſdom, peevish and croſs-grain'd,
Muſt be oppos'd, to be fuftain'd.
And fill your Knowledge will increaſe,
As You make other People's lefs.
In Arms and Science 'tis the fame:
Our Rival's Hurts create our Fame.
At FAUBERT's if difputes arife
Among the Champions for the Prize;
To prove, who gave the fairer Butt,
JOHN fhews the Chalk on ROBERT's Coat.
So, for the Honor of Your Book,
It tells, where other Folks miſtook :
And, as their Notions You confound,
Thoſe You invent get farther Ground.
The Commentators on old ARI-
STOTLE ('tis urg'd) in Judgment vary :
They to their own Conceits have brought
The Image of his general Thought.
Juſt as the Melancholic Eye
Sees Fleets and Armies in the Sky;
And to the poor Apprentice Ear
The Bells found Whittington Lord May❜r.
The Confrer thus explains his Scheme:
Thus Spirits walk, and Prophets dream ;
NORTH BRITONS thus have Second Sight;
And GERMANS free from Gunſhot fight.
THEODORET, and ORIGEN,
And fifty other Learned Men
Atteft, that if their Comments find
The Traces of their Maſter's Mind;
ALMA can ne'er decay nor die :
This flatly t'other Sect deny,
SIM.
262
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
SIMPLICIUS, THEOPHRAST, DURAND;
Great Names, but hard in Verfe to ftand.
They wonder Men fhould have mistook
The Tenets of their Maſter's Book ;
And hold, that ALMA yields her Breath,
O'ercome by Age, and feiz'd by Death.
Now which were Wife? and which wre Fools?
Poor ALMA fits between two Stools:
The more ſhe reads, the more perplext:
The Comment ruining the Text:
Now fears, now hopes her doubtful Fate:
But RICHARD, let her look to That-
Whilſt We our own Affairs purſue.
Thefe diff'rent Systems, Old or New,
A Man with half an Eye may fee.
Were only form'd to diſagree.
Now to bring Things to fair Conclufion,
And fave much Chriftian Ink's Effufion;
Let me propoſe an Healing Scheme,
And fail along the Middle Stream:
For, Dick, if We could reconcile
Old ARISTOTLE with GASSENDUS;
How many would admire our Toil?
And yet how few would comprehend us?
Here, RICHARD, let my Scheme commence,
Oh! may my Words be loſt in Senſe;
While pleas'd THALIA deigns to write
The Slips and Bounds of AIMA's Flight.
My fimple Syſtem fhall fuppofe,
That ALMA enters at the Toes;
That then She mounts by juſt Degrees
Up to the Ancles, Legs, and Knees:
Next as the Sap of Life does riſe,
She lends her Vigor to the Thighs;
And,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
263
And, all theſe under-Regions paft,
She neſtles fomewhere near the Waſte:
Gives Pain or Pleafure, Grief or Laughter;
As We ſhall ſhow at large hereafter.
Mature, if not improv'd, by Time
Up to the Heart She loves to climb :
From thence, compell'd by Craft and Age,
She makes the Head her lateſt Stage..
From the Feet upward to the Head;
Pithy, and fhort, fays DICK: proceed.
DICK, this is not an idle Notion:
Obferve the Progrefs of the Motion:
Firſt I demonſtratively prove,
That Feet were only made to move;
And Legs defire to come and go:
For they have nothing else to do.
Hence, long before the Child can crawl,
He learns to kick, and wince, and ſprawl:
To hinder which, your Midwife knows
To bind Thoſe Parts extremely cloſe;
Left ALMA newly enter'd in,
And ftunn'd at her own Chrift'ning's Din,
Fearful of future Grief and Pain,
Should filently ſneak out again.
Full piteous feems young ALMA's Cafe:
As in a lucklefs Gamefter's Place,
She would not play, yet muſt not paſs.
Again as She grows fomething ſtronger,
And Maſter's Feet are fwath'd no longer,
If in the Night too oft He kicks,
Or fhows his Loco-motive Tricks ;
Theſe firſt Affaults fat KATE repays Him,
When half-aſleep She overlays Him.
}
Now
264
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Now mark, dear RICHARD, from the Age,
That Children tread this Worldly Stage,
Broom-ftaff or Poker they beftride,
And round the Parlor love to ride;
'Till thoughtful Father's pious Care
Provides his Brood, next Smithfield Fair,
With Supplemental Hobby-Horſes:
And happy be their Infant Courſes!
Hence for fome Years they ne'er ftand ftill:
Their Legs, you fee, direct their Will.
From opening Morn 'till fetting Sun,
A-round the Fields and Woods they run:
They frisk, and dance, and leap, and play;
Nor heed, what FRIEND or SNAPE can fay,
To Her next Stage as ALMA flies,
And likes, as I have faid, the Thighs.
With Sympathetic Pow'r She warms
Their good Allies and Friends, the Arms.
While BETTY dances on the Green;
I
And SUSAN is at Stool-ball feen:
While JOHN for Nine-pins does declare;
And ROGER loves to pitch the Bar;
Both Legs and Arms ſpontaneous move:
Which was the Thing I meant to prove.
Another Motion now She makes:
O need I name the Seat She takes?
His Thought quite chang'd the Stripling finds;
The Sport and Race no more He minds;
Neglected Tray and Pointer lie:
And Covies unmolefted fly.
Sudden the jocund Plain He leaves;
And for the Nymph in Secret grieves.
In dying Accents He complains
Of cruel Fires, and raging Pains.
!
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
265
The Nymph too longs to be alone;
Leaves all the ſwains and fighs for One.
The Nymph is warm'd with young Defire;
And feels, and dies to quench His Fire.
They meet each Evening in the Grove:
Their Parley but augments their Love,
So to the Prieft their Cafe They tell:
He ties the Knot; and all goes well.
But, O my MUSE, juft Diſtance keep,
Thou art a Maid, and muſt not peep.
In nine Months Time the Boddice loofe,
And Petticoats too ſhort, diſcloſe,
That at This Age the active Mind
About the Waſte lies moft confin'd;
And that young Life, and quick'ning Senfe
Spring from His Influence darted thence.
So from the middle of the World
The SUN's prolifick Rays are hurl'd:
'Tis from that Seat He darts thofe Beams,
Which quicken Earth with genial Flames.
DICK, who thus long had paffive fat,
Here ftrok'd his Chin, and cock'd his Hat;
Then flapp'd his Hand upon the Board;
And thus the Youth put in his Word.
Love's Advocates, fweet Sir, would find Him
A higher Place than You affign'd Him
Love's Advocates, DICK, who are thoſe ?---
The Poets, You may well fuppofe.
I'm forry, Sir, You have diſcarded
The Men, with whom 'till now You herded.
Profe-Men alone for private Ends,
I thought, forfook their ancient Friends.
In cor ftillavit, cries LUCRETIUS;
If He may be allow'd to teach Us.
N
A
i
The
1
:
រ
1
266
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
F
The felf-fame Thing foft Ovin fays,
(A proper Judge in fuch a Cafe.)
HORACE his Phrafe is torret jecur;
And happy was that curious Speaker.
Here VIRGIL too has plac'd this Paffion:
What fignifies too long Quotation?
In Ode and Epic plain the Cafe is,
That Love holds one of thefe two Places.
DICK, without Paffion or Reflection,
I'll ftraight demolish this Objection.
Firſt Poets, all the World agrees,
Write half to profit, half to pleaſe.
Matter and Figure they produce;
For Garnish This, and That for Ufe;
And, in the Structure of their Feafts,
They ſeek to feed, and pleaſe their Guefts:
But one may balk this good Intent,
And take Things otherwiſe than meant.
Thus, if you Dine with my Lord May'r,
Roaft-Beef, and Ven'fon is your Fare,
Thence You proceed to Swan, and Bustard,
And perfevere in Tart, and Cuſtard:
But Tulip-leaves, and Lemon-peel
Help only to adorn the Meal:
And painted Flags, fuperb and neat,
Proclaim You welcome to the Treat.
The Man of Senfe his Meat devours;
But only fmells the Peel and Flow'rs ;
And he must be an idle Dreamer,
Who leaves the Pie, and gnaws the Streamer.
That CUPID goes with Bow and Arrows,
And VENUS keeps her Coach and Sparrows,
Is all but Emblem to acquaint One,
The Son is fharp, the Mother wanton.
Such
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
267
Such Images have fometimes fhown
A Myftic Senfe, but oftner None.
For who conceives, what Bards devife,
That Heav'n is plac'd in CELIA's Eyes,
Or where's the Senfe, direct or moral,
That Teeth are Pearl, or Lips are Coral ?
Your HORACE owns, He various writ,
As wild, or fober Maggots bit:
And, where too much the Poet ranted,
The Sage Philoſopher recanted.
His grave Epifles may difprove
The wanton Odes He made to LOVE.
LUCRETIUS keeps a mighty Pother
With CUPID, and his fancy'd Mother:
Calls her great Queen of Earth and Air,
Declares that Winds and Seas obey Her;
And, while Her Honour He rehearſes,
Implores Her to infpire his Verfes.
Yet, free from this Poetic Madneſs,
Next Page He fays in fober Sadnefs,
That She and all her fellow-Gods
Sit idling in their high abodes,
Regardleſs of this World below,
Our Health or Hanging, Weal or Woe;
Nor once disturb their heav'nly Spirits
With SCAPIN'S Cheats, or CAESAR's Merits.
Nor e'er can LATIN Poets prove,
Where lies the real Seat of Love.
Fecur they burn, and Cor they pierce,
As either beft fupplies their Verfe:
And, if Folks ask the Reaſon for't,
Say, one was long, and t'other fhort.
Thus, I prefume, the BRITISH Muſe,
May take the Freedom Strangers ufo.
N 2.
IN
268
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
In Profe our Property is greater:
Why ſhould it then be leſs in Metre?
If CUPID throws a fingle Dart;
We make him wound the Lover's Heart:
But if he takes his Bow and Quiver ;
'Tis fure, He must transfix the Liver:
For Rhime with Reaſon may diſpenſe;
And Sound has Right to govern Senfe.
But let your Friends in Verfe fuppofe,
What ne'er ſhall be allow'd in Profe;
Anatomifts can make it clear,
The Liver minds his own Affair :
Kindly ſupplies our publick Uſes;
And parts and ſtrains the Vital Juices ;
Still lays fome uſeful Bile aſide,
To tinge the Chyle's infipid Tide:
Elfe We ſhould want both Gibe and Satyr;
And all be burſt with pure Good-nature.
Now Gall is bitter with a Witneſs:
And Love is all Delight and Sweetneſs.
My Logic then has loſt its Aim,
If Sweet and Bitter be the ſame:
AN He, methinks is no great Scholar,
Who can mistake Defire for Choler,
The like may of the Heart be faid;
Courage and Terror there are bred.
All thofe, whofe Hearts are looſe and low,
Start, if they hear but the Tattoo:
And mighty Phyſical their Fear is:
For, foon as Noife of Combat near' is,
Their Heart, deſcending to their Breeches,
Muft give their Stomach cruel twitches.
But Heroes who o'ercome or die,
Have their Hearts hung extremely high:
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 269
The Strings of which, in Battle's Heat,
Againſt their very Corlets beat;
Keep Time with their own Trumpet's Meaſure:
And yield 'em moft exceffive Pleaſure.
Now if 'tis chiefly in the Heart,
That Courage does it felf exert ;
'Twill be prodigious hard to prove,
That This is eke the Throne of Love.
Would Nature make One-Place the Seat
Of fond Defire, and fell Debate?
Moſt People only take Delight in
Thofe Hours, when They are tir'd with Fighting?
And has no Man, but who has kill'd
A Father, right to get a Child?
Thefe Notions then I think but idle:
And Love ſhall ftill poffefs the Middle.
This Truth more plainly to diſcover,
Suppofe your Hero were a Lover.
Tho' He before had Gall and Rage,
Which Death, or Conqueft muſt aſſwage;
He grows difpirited and low :
He hates the Fight and fhuns the Foe.
In fcornful Sloth ACHILLES flept;
And for his Wench, like TALL-BOY, wept:
Nor would return to War and Slaughter;
'Till They brought back the Parfon's Daughter.
ANTONIUS fled from ACTIUM's Coaſt,
AUGUSTUS preffing, Asta loft:
His Sails by CUPID's Hand unfurl'd,
To keep the Fair, he gave the World,
EDWRRD Our Fourth, rever'd and Crown'd,
Vig'rous in Youth in Arms renown'd;
While ENGLAND's Voice, and WARWICK's Care
Defign'd him GALLIA's beauteous Heir;
N 3
*
Chang'd
4
270
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Chang'd Peace and Pow'r for Rage and Wars,
Only to dry One Widow's Tears.
FRANCE's fourth HENRY we may fee,
A Servant to the fair D'ESTREE;
When quitting CoUTRAS profp'rous Field,
And Fortune taught at length to yield,
He from his Guards and Mid-night Tent,
Difguis'd o'er Hills and Vallies went,
To wanton with the fprightly Dame;
And in his Pleaſure loft his Fame.
Bold is the Critic, who dares prove,
Thefe Heroes were no Friends to Love;
And bolder He, who dares aver,
That they were Enemies to War.
Yet, when their Thought fhould, now or never,
Have rais'd their Heart, or fir'd their Liver ;
Fond ALMA to thofe Parts was gone,
Which LovE more juftly calls his own.
Examples I could cite You more ;
But be contented with thefe Four:
For when One's Proofs are aptly chofen
Four are as valid as four Dozen.
One came from GREECE, and one from ROME;
The other Two grew nearer Home.
For fome in Ancient Books delight,
Others prefer what Moderns write;
Now I fhould be extremely loth,
Not to be thought expert in Both.
:
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
271
The SECOND CANTO.
UT ſhall we take the MUSE abroad,
Br we
To drop her idly on the Road?
And leave our Subject in the middle;
AS BUTLER did his Bear and Fiddle?
Yet He, confummate Mafter, knew
When to recede, and where purſue:
His Noble Negligences teach,
What Others Toils deſpair to reach.
He, perfect Dancer, climbs the Rope,
And balances your Fear and Hope :
If after fome diftinguifh'd Leap,
He drops his Pole, and feems to flip;
Straight gath'ring all his active Strength,
He rifes higher half his Length.
With wonder You approve his Slight;
And owe your Pleaſure to your Fright.
But like poor ANDREW, I advance,
Falle Mimic of my Mafter's Dance;
A-round the Cord a while I fprawl;
And thence, tho' low, in earneſt fall.
My Preface tells You, I digreſs'd:
He's half abfolv'd who has confefs'd.
I like, quoth DICK, your Simile :
And in Return, take Two from Me.
As Maſters in the Clare obſcure,
With various Light your Eyes allure:
A flaming Yellow here They fpread;
Draw off in Blue, or charge in Red:
Yet from theſe Colours odly mix'd,
Your Sight upon the Whole is fix'd.
Or as, again, your Courtly Dames
(Whofe Cloaths returning Birth-Day claims)
N 4
1
By
272
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
=
By Arts improve the Stuffs they vary;
And Things are beſt as moſt contrary.
The Gown with ftiff Embroid'ry fhining,
Looks charming with a flighter Lining:
The Out-, if INDIAN Figure ftain ;
The In-fide muit be rich and plain.
So You, great Authors, have thought fit,
To make Digreffion temper Wit:
When Arguments too fiercely glare,
You calm 'em with a milder Air:
To break their Points, You turn their Force;
And Furbelow the plain Diſcourſe.
RICHARD, quoth MAT, theſe Words of Thine
Speak fomething fly, and fomething fine:
But I fhall e'en refume my Theme ;
However Thou may'ſt praiſe, or blame.
As People marry now, and fettle;
Fierce Love abatès his uſual Mettle:
Worldly Defires, and Houſehold Cares
Disturb the Godhead's foft Affairs:
So now, as Health or Temper changes,
In larger Compafs ALMA ranges,
This Day below, the next above;
As light or folid Whimfies move.
So Merchant has his Houfe in Town,
And Country-Seat near BANSTED Down:
From One he dates his Foreign Letters,
Sends out his Goods, and duns his Debtors:
In t'other, at his Hours of Leiſure,
He fmokes his Pipe, and takes his Pleaſure.
And now your Matrimonial CUPID,
Laſh'd on by Time, grows tir'd and ſtupid.
For Story and Experience tell Us,
That Man grows cold, and Woman jealous.
Both
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
$
273
Both would their little Ends fecure:
He fighs for Freedom, She for Pow'r.
His Wishes tend abroad to roam;
And Hers, to domineer at Home.
Thus Paffion flags by flow Degrees;
And ruffled more, delighted lefs,
The buſy Mind does feldom go
To thoſe once charming Seats below :
But, in the Breaft incamp'd, prepares
For well-bred Feints, and future Wars,
The Man fufpects his Lady's crying
(When he laſt Autumn lay a-dying)
Was but to gain him to appoint Her
By Codicil a larger Jointure.
The Woman finds it all a Trick,
That He could fwoon, when She was £ck;
And knows, that in That Grief he reckon'd
On black-ey'd SUSAN for his Second.
Thus having ftrove fome tedious Years
With feign'd Defires, and real Fears;
And tir'd with Anſwers and Replies,
Of JOHN affirms, and MARTHA lies;
Leaving this endleſs Altercation,
The Mind affects a higher Station.
POLTIS, that gen'rous King of THRACE,
I think, was in this very Caſe.
All ASIA now was by the Ears;
And Gods beat up for Voluntiers
To GREICE, and Troy; while POLTIS fat
In Quiet, governing his State.
And whence, faid the Pacific King,
Does all this Noife, and Diſcord fpring?
Why, PARIS took ATRIDES' Wife
With Eafe I could compofe this Strife:
N 5
The
274
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
}
The injur'd Heroe ſhould not loſe,
Nor the young Lover want a Spoufe:
But HELEN chang'd her firft Condition,
Without her Husband's juft Permiffion.
What from the Dame can PARIS hope? .
She may as well from Him elope.
Again, how can her old Good-man
With Honour take Her back again?
From hence I logically gather
The Woman cannot live with Either.
Now I have Two right honeft Wives,
For whofe Poffeffion No Man ftrives:
One to ATRIDES I will fend }
And t'other to my TROJAN Friend.
Each Prince fhall thus with Honour have,
What Both fo warmly feem to crave:
The Wrath of Gods and Man ſhall ceaſe;
And POLTIs live and die in Peace.
DICK, if this Story pleafeth Thee,
Pray thank Dan POPE, who told it Me.
Howe'er fwift ALMA's Flight may vary,
(Take this by way of Corollary :)
Some Limbs She finds the very fame,
In Place, and Dignity, and Name:
Theſe dwell at fuch convenient Diftance,
That each may give his Friend Affiftance.
Thus He who runs or dances, begs
The equal Vigour of Two Legs;
So much to both does ALMA truſt,
She ne'er regards, which goes the firſt.
TEAGUE could make neither of them ſtay.
When with Himself he ran away.
The Man who ſtruggles in the Fight,
Fatigues left Arm as well as right:
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لان
For whilft one Hand exalts the Blow,
And on the Earth extends the Foe;
T'other would take it wond'rous ill,
If in your Pocket. He lay ftill.
And when you ſhoot, and fhut one Eye,
You cannot think, He would deny
To lend the t'other friendly Aid,
Or wink, as Coward, and afraid.
No, Sir; whilft He withdraws his Flame:
His Comrade takes the furer Aim.
One Moment if his Beams recede;
As foon as e'er the Bird is dead,
Opening again, He lays his Claim
To half the Profit, half the Fame:
And helps to Pocket up the Game.
"Tis thus, One Tradefman flips away,
To give his Part'ner fairer Play.
Some Limbs again in Bulk or Stature
Unlike, and not a kin by Nature,
In Concert act, like modern Friends;
Becauſe one ferves the t'other's Ends.
The Arm thus waits upon the Heart,
So quick to take the Bully's Part;
That one, tho' warm, decides more flow
Than t'other executes the Blow.
A Stander-by may chance to have it,
Ere HACK himſelf perceives, He gave it.
The am'rous Eyes thus always go
A-ftroling for their Friends below:
For long before the 'Squire and Dame
Have tête à tête reliev'd their Flame;
Ere Vifits yet are brought about,
The Eye by Sympathy looks out;
Knows FLORIMEL, and longs to meet Her:
And, if He fees, is fure to greet Her,
}
The
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POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Tho' at Safh-Window, on the Stairs,
At Court, nay (Authors fay) at Pray'rs.
The Funeral of fome valiant Knight
May give this Thing its proper Light.
View his Two Gantlets; theſe declare
That Both his Hands were us'd to War.
And from his Two gilt Spurs 'tis learn'd,
His Feet were equally concern'd.
But have you not with Thought beheld.
The Sword hang dangling o'er the Shield?
Which shows the Breaft, That Plate was us'd to,
Had an Ally tight Arm to truſt to:
And by the Peep-holes in his Creſt,
Is it not virtually confeft,
That there his Eyes took diftant Aim,
And glanc'd Refpect to that bright Dame,
In whofe Delight his Hope was center'd,
And for whoſe Glove his Life he ventur'd?
Objections to my general Syftem
May rife perhaps; and I have mift them:
But I can call to my Affiftance
Proximity (mark that !) and Diſtance;
Can prove, that all Things, on Occafion,
Love Union, and defire Adheſion;
That ALMA merely is a Scale ;
And Motives, like the Weights prevail.
If neither Side turn down or up,
With Lofs or Gain, with Fear or Hope;
The Balance always would hang ev'n,
Like MAH'MET's Tomb, 'twixt Earth and Heav'n.
This, RICHARD, is a curious Caſe:
Suppoſe your Eyes fent equal Rays,
Upon two diftant Pots of Ale,
Not knowing, which was Mild or Stale:
In
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277
;
In this fad State your doubtful Choice
Would never have the cafting Voice:
Which Beft or Worft, You could not think;
And die You must, for want of Drink
Unleſs fome Chance inclines your Sight,
Setting one Pot in fairer Light;
Then You prefer or A, or B,
As Lines and Angles beſt agree:
Your Senſe refolv'd impells your Will:
She guides your Hand,
So drink your Fill.
Have you not ſeen a Baker's Maid
Between two equal Panniers fway'd?
Her Tallies ufelefs lie, and idle,
If plac'd exactly in the Middle:
But forc'd from this unactive State,
By virtue of fome cafual Weight;
On either Side You hear 'em clatter,
And judge of right and left-hand Matter.
Now, RICHARD, this coercive Force,
Without your Choice, must take its Courfe,
Great Kings to Wars are pointed forth,
Like loaded Needles to the North.
And Thou and I, by Pow'r unfeen,
Are barely Paffive, and fuck'd in
TO HENAULT'S Vaults, or CELIA'S Chamber,
As Straw and Paper are by Amber.
If we fit down to play or fet
(Suppoſe at Ombre or Baſſet)
Let People call us Cheats, or Fools;
Our Cards and We are equal Tools.
We fure in vain the Cards condemn :
Ourſelves both cut and ſhuff'd them.
In vain on Fortune's Aid rely:
She only is a Stander-by.
Poor
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POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Poor Men ! poor Papers! We and They
Do fome impulfive Force obey:
And are but play'd with-
Do not play.
But Space and Matter we ſhould blame;
They palm'd the Trick that loft the Game.
Thus to fave further Contradiction,
Againſt what You may think but Fiction:
I for Attraction, Dick, declare:
Deny it thoſe bold Men that dare.
As well your Motion, as your Thought
Is all by hidden Impulſe wrought:
Ev'n faying, that You Think or Walk,
How like a Country 'Squire you talk ?
Mark then ;- Where Fancy or Defire
Collects the Beams of Vital Fire;
Into that Limb fair ALMA flides,
And there, pro tempore, refides.
She dwells in NICHOLINI's Tongue,
When PYRRHUS chants the Heav'nly Song.
When PEDRO does the Lute command,
She guides the cunning Artiſt's Hand.
Thro' MACER's Gullet fhe runs down,
When the vile Glutton dines alone.
And void of Modefty and Thought,
She follows BIBO's endleſs Draught.
Thro' the foft Sex again She ranges:
As Youth, Caprice, or Faſhion changes.
Fair ALMA careleſs and ferene,
;
In FANNY's fprightly Eyes is feen
While they diffuſe their Infant Beams,
Themfelves not confcious of their Flames.
Again fair ALMA fits confeft,
On FLORIMEL's experter Breaſt;
When She the rifing Sigh conſtrains,
And by concealing ſpeaks her Pains.
}
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In CYNTHIA'S Neck fair ALMA glows,
When the vain Thing her Jewels ſhows:
When JENNY's Stays are newly lac'd,
Fair ALMA plays about her Waſte ;
And when the fwelling Hoop fuftains
The rich Brocard, fair ALMA deigns
Into that lower Space to enter,
Of the large Round, Herself the Centre.
Again: That fingle Limb or Feature
(Such is the cogent Force of Nature)
Which moft did ALMA's Paffion move,
In the first Object of her Love,
For ever will be found confeft,
And printed on the am'rous Breaft.
O ABELARD, ill-fated Youth,
Thy Tale will juftify this Truth:
But well I weet, thy cruel Wrong
Adorns a nobler Poet's Song.
Dan POPE for thy Misfortune griev'd,
With kind Concern, and Skill has weav'd
A filken Web; and ne'er fhall fade
It's Colours; gently has He laid
The Mantle o'er thy fad Diftrefs:
And VENUS fhall the Texture bleſs.
He o'er the weeping Nun has drawn
Such artful Folds of Sacred Lawn ;
That Love with equal Grief and Pride,
Shall fee the Crime, He ftrives to hide:
And foftly drawing back the Veil,
The God fhall to his Vot'ries tell
Each conſcious Tear, each bluſhing Grace,
That deck'd Dear ELOISA's Face.
Happy the Poet, bleft the Lays,
Which BUCKINGHAM has deign'd to praife.
Next
289
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Next Dick, as Youth and Habit fways,
A hundred Gambols ALMA plays.
If, whilſt a Boy, JACK ran from School,
Fond of his Hunting-horn, and Pole;
Tho' Gout and Age his Speed detain,
Old JOHN halloo's his Hounds again :
By his Fire-fide he Aarts the Hare;
And turns Her in his Wicker-Chair:
His Feet, however lame, You find,
Have got the better of his Mind.
If while the Mind was in her Leg,
The Dance affected nimble PEG;
Old MADGE, bewitch'd at Sixty one,
Calls for Green Sleeves, and Jumping Joan.
In publick Mark, or private Ball,
From Lincoln's-Inn, to Goldſmith's-Hall,
All Chriſtmas long away She trudges;
Trips it with Prentices and Judges:
In vain her Children urge her Stay;
And Age or Falfey bar the Way.
But if thoſe Images prevail,
Which whilom did affect the Tail;
She ſtill renews the antient Scene;
Forgets the forty Years between:
Aukardly gay, and odly merry,
Her Scarf pale Pink, her Head. Knot Cherry;
O'er-heated with Ideal Rage,
She cheats her Son, to wed her Page.
If Alma, whilft the Man was young,
Slip'd up too foon into his Tongue:
Pleas'd with his own fantaſtic Skill,
He lets that Weapon ne'er lie ſtill.
On any Point if You diſpute;
Depend upon it, He'll confute:
Change
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281
Change Sides; and You increaſe your Pain :
For He'll confute You back again.
For one may ſpeak with TULLY's Tongue;
Yet all the while be in the wrong.
And 'tis remarkable, that They
Talk moft, who have the leaſt to ſay.
Your dainty Speakers have the Curfe,
To plead bad Caufes down to worſe:
As Dames, who Native Beauty want,
Still uglier look, the more They paint.
Again: if in the Female Sex,
ALMA ſhould on this Member fix;
(A cruel and a defp'rate Cafe,
From which Heav'n fhield my lovely Lafs!)
For evermore all Care is vain,
That would bring ALMA down again.
As in habitual Gout, or Stone,
The only Thing that can be done,
Is to correct your Drink and Diet,
And keep the inward Foe in Quiet:
So, if for any Sins of Our's,
Or our Forefathers, Higher Powers,
Severe tho' juft, afflict our Life
With that Prime Ill, a talking Wife;
'Till Death ſhall bring the kind Relief:
We must be Patient, or be Deaf.
You know, a certain Lady, Dick,
Who faw Me, when I laft was fick :
She kindly talk'd, at least three Hours,
Of Plaftic Forms, and Mental Pow'rs:
Defcrib'd our pre-exiſting Station,
Before this vile Terrene Creation:
And left I ſhould be weary'd, Madam,
To cut Things fhort, come down to ADAM;
From
282
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
From whence, as faft as She was able,
She drowns the World, and builds up BABEL:
Thro' SYRIA, PERSIA, GREECE She goes;
And takes the ROMANS in the Cloſe.
But We'll diſcant on gen'ral Nature:
This is a Syftem, not a Satyr.
Turn We this Globe; and let Us fee,
How diffrent Nations diſagree,
In what we wear, or eat and drink;
Nay, Dick, perhaps in what We think.
In Water as You fmell and taſt
The Soils, thro' which it rofe and paſt;
In ALMA's Manners You may read
The Place where She was born and bred.
One People from their fwadling Bands
Releas'd their Infant's Feet and Hands:
Here ALMA to thefe Limbs was brought;
And SPARTA's Offspring kick'd and fought.
Another taught their Babes to talk,
Ere they cou'd yet in Goe carts walk:
There ALMA ſettl'd in the Tongue:
And Orators from ATHENS fprung.
Obferve but in thefe Neighb'ring Lands,
The diff'rent Ufe of Mouths and Hands:
As Men repos'd their various Hopes,
In Battles Theſe, and Thofe in Tropes.
In BRITAIN'S Ifles, as HEYLIN notes,
The Ladies trip in Petticoats;
Which for the Honour of their Nation,
They quit but on fome great Occafion.
Men there in Breeches clad You view:
They claim that Garment, as their due.
In TURKEY the Reverſe appears;
Long Coats the haughty Husband wears:
And
A
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283
And greets His Wife with angry Speeches;
If She be ſeen without her Breeches.
In our Fantaſtic Climes the Fair
With cleanly Powder dry their Hair:
And round their lovely Breaſt and Head
Freſh Flow'rs their mingl'd Odors fhed.
Your nicer HOTTENTOTS think meet,
With Guts and Tripe to deck their Feet:
With down-caſt Looks on TOTTA's Legs,
The ogling Youth moſt humbly begs,
She would not from his Hopes remove
At once his Breakfaſt, and his Love:
And if the skittish Nymph fhould fly;
He in a double Senfe muft die.
We fimple Toasters take Delight
To ſee our Women's Teeth look white.
And ev'ry faucy ill bred Fellow
Sneers at a Mouth profoundly yellow.
In CHINA none hold Women ſweet,
Except their Snags are black as Jett.
King CHIHU put Nine Queens to Death,
Convict on Statute, Iv'ry Teeth.
3
At TONQUIN if a Prince ſhould die
(As Jefuits write, who never lye)
The Wife, and Counſellor, and Prieſt,
Who ferv'd Him moſt, and lov'd Him beſt;
Prepare, and light his Fun'ral Fire,
And chearful on the Pile expire.
In EUROPE 'twould be hard to find
In each Degree One half fo kind.
Now turn We to the fartheft Eaft,
And there obſerve the Gentry Dreſt ;
Prince GIOLO, and his Royal Sifters,
Scarr'd with ten thouſand comely Blifters;
The
284
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
!
The Marks remaining on the Skin,
To tell the Quality within.
Diftinguiſh'd Slaſhes deck the Great :
As each excels in Birth, or State;
His Oylet-holes are more, and ampler :
The King's own Body was a Samplar.
Happy the Climate, where the Beau
Wears the fame Suit for Ufe, and Show:
And at a fmall Expence your Wife,
If once well pink'd, is cloth'd for Life.
Weftward again the INDIAN Fair
Is nicely fmear'd with Fat of Bear :
Before You fee, You fmell your Toaſt:
And ſweeteſt She, who ſtinks the moſt.
The fineſt Sparks, and cleaneſt Beaux
Drip from the Shoulders to the Toes.
How fleek their Skins! their Joints how eaſy!
There Slovens only are not greafy.
I mention'd diff'rent Ways of Breeding:
Begin We in our Children's Reading.
To Mafter JOHN the ENGLISH Maid
A Horn-book gives of Ginger-bread:
And that the Child may learn the better,
As he can name, He eats the Letter:
Proceeding thus with vaft Delight,
He ſpells, and gnaws,. from Left to Right.
But fhew a HEBREW's hopeful Son,
Where We ſuppoſe the Book begun ;
The Child would thank you for your Kindness,
And read quite backward from our Finis.
Devour He Learning ne'er ſo faft
Great A would be referv'd the laſt.
An equal Inftance of this Matter,
Is in the Manners of a Daughter.
In
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285
In EUROPE, if a harmleſs Maid,
By Nature and by Love betray'd,
Should e'er a Wife become a Nurſe;
Her Friends would look on Her the Worfe.
In CHINA, DAMPIER's Travels tell Ye:
(Look in his Index for PAGELLI :)
Soon as the BRITISH Ships unmoore,
And jolly Long boat rows to Shore;
Down come the Nobles of the Land:
Each brings his Daughter in his Hand,
Befeeching the Imperious Tar
To make Her but One Hour his Care;
The tender Mother ſtands affrighted,
Left her dear Daughter fhould be flighted:
And poor Mifs YAYA dreads the Shame
Of going back the Maid She came.
Obſerve how Cuſtom, Dick, compels
The Lady that in EUROPE dwells :
After her Tea She flips away;
And what to do, One need not ſay.
Now fee great POMONQUE'S Queen
Behav'd Herſelf amongſt the Men:
Pleas'd with her Punch, the Gallant Soul
First drank, then water'd in the Bowl;
And ſprinkl'd in the Captain's Face
The Marks of Her Peculiar Grace
To cloſe this Point, We need not roam
For Inftances fo far from Home.
What parts gay FRANCE from fober SPAIN?
A little rifing Rocky Chain.
Of Men born South or North o'th' Hill,
Thoſe feldom move; Theſe ne'er ſtand ſtill.
DICK, you love Maps, and may perceive
ROME not far diftant from GENEVE.
1
If
286
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
If the good POPE remains at Home,
He's the first Prince in CHRISTENDOME.
Chooſe then, good POPE, at Home to ſtay;
Nor Weftward curious take Thy Way.
Thy Way unhappy fhould't Thou take
From TIDER's Bank to LEMAN-Lake;
Thou art an Aged Prieſt no more,
But a young flaring Painted Whore;
Thy Sex is loft: Thy Town is gone,
No longer ROME, but BABYLON.
That fome few Leagues ſhould make this Change,
To Men unlearn'd feems mighty ſtrange.
But need We, Friend, infift on This ?
Since in the very CANTONS SWISS,
All Your Philofophers agree,
And prove it plain, that One may be
A Heretic, or True Believer,
On this, or t'other Side a River,
Here with an artful Smile, quoth DICK,
Your Proofs come mighty full, and thick
The Bard on this extenfive Chapter,
Wound up into Poetic Rapture,
Continu'd: RICHARD, caft your Eye
By Night upon a Winter-Sky:
Caft it by Day-light on the Strand,
Which compaffes fair ALBION's Land:
If You can count the Stars that glow
Above, or Sands that lie below;
Into thoſe Common-places look,
Which from great Authors I have took ;
And count the Proofs I have collected,
To have my Writings well protected.
Theſe I lay by for Time of Need ;
And Thou may'ft at thy Leiſure read.
For
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287
་
For ſtanding every Critic's Rage.
I fafely will to future Age
My Syftem, as a Gift, bequeath,
Victorious over Spight, and Death.
The THIRD CANTO.
R
ICHARD, who now was half a fleep,
-
Rous'd; nor would longer Silence keep:
And Senfe like this, in vocal Breath
Broke from his twofold Hedge of Teeth.
Now if this Phrafe too harsh be thought;
POPE, tell the World, 'tis not my Fault.
Old HOMER taught us thus to fpeak;
If 'tis not Senſe: at leaſt 'tis GREEK.
As Folks, quoth RICHARD, prone to Leafing,
Say Things at firft, becauſe they're pleafing;
Then prove what they have once afferted;
Nor care to have their Lye deferted :
'Till their own Dreams at length deceive 'em ;
And oft repeating, they believe 'em:
Or as again thofe am'rous Blades.
Who trifle with their Mother's Maids;
Tho' at the firft their wild Defire,
Was but to quench a preſent Fire:
Yet if the object of their Love
Chance by LUCINA's Aid to prove;
They feldom let the Bantling roar
In Basket, at a Neighbour's Door:
But by the flatt'ring Glafs of Nature,
Viewing themſelves in Cake-bread's Feature;
With ferious Thought and Care fupport,
What only was begun in Sport..
Juft
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POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Juſt fo with You, my Friend, it fares,
Who deal in Philofophic Wares;
Atomes You cut; and Forms You meaſure,
To gratifie your private Pleaſure ;
"Till airy Seeds of cafual Wit
Do fome fantaſtic Birth beget:
And pleas'd to find your System mended,
Beyond what You at firft intended,
The happy Whimſey You purſue;
'Till You at length believe it true.
Caught by your own delufive Art,
You fancy firſt, and then affert.
Quoth MATTHEW: Friend, as far as I
Thro' Art or Nature caft my Eye
This Axiom clearly I difcern,
That One muft Teach, and t'Other Learn.
No Fool PYTHAGORAS was thought:
Whilft He his weighty Doctrines taught ;
He made his lift'ning Scholars ftand,
Their Mouth ftill cover'd with their Hand:
Elfe, may be, fome odd-thinking Youth,
Lefs Friend to Doctrine than to Truth,
Might have refus'd to let his Ears
Attend the Muſick of the Spheres ;
Deny'd all tranfmigrating Scenes,
And introduc'd the Uſe of Beans.
From great LUCRETIUS take His Void;
And all the World is quite deſtroy'd.
Deny DES-CART His fubtil Matter;
You leave Him neither Fire, nor Water.
How odly would Sir Isaac look,
If You, in Anſwer to his Book,
Say in the Front of your Difcourfe,
That Things have no Elaftic Force?
How
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 289
is
How could our Chymic Friends go on,
To find the Philofophic Stone;
If You more pow'rful Reaſons bring,
To prove, that there is no fuch Thing?
Your Chiefs in Sciences and Arts,
Have great Contempt of ALMA's Parts,
They find, She giddy is, or dull ;
She doubts, if Things are void, or full:
And who ſhould be prefum'd to tell,
What She Herfelf fhould fee, or feel?
She doubts if two and two make four,
Tho' She has told them ten times o'er.
It can't―it may be- and it must:
To which of theſe muft ALMA truft?
Nay further yet They make Her go,
In doubting, if She doubts, or no.
Can Syllogifm fet Things right;
No: Majors foon with Minors fight;
Or, Both in friendly Confort join'd,
The Confequence limps' falfe behind.
So to fome Cunning-Man She goes,
And asks of Him, how much She knows.
With Patience grave He hears Her ſpeak;
And from his ſhort Notes, gives Her back
What from her Tale He comprehended :
Thus the Diſpute is wifely ended.
From the Account the Lofer brings,
The Conj'ror knows, who ftole the Things.
'Squire (interrupted Dick) fince when
Were You amongst thefe Cunning-Men?
Dear Dick, quoth MAT, let not Thy Force
Of Eloquence fpoil my Difcourfe.
I tell Thee, this is ALMA's Cafe,
Still asking, what fome Wife-man fays,
O
Whe
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POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Who does his Mind in Words reveal,
Which All muſt grant; tho' Few can ſpell.
You tell Your Doctor, that Y' are ill:
And what does He, but write a Bill,
Of which You need not read one Letter?
The worſe the Scrawl, the Dofe the better.
For if you knew but what You take;
Tho' You recover, He muft break.
Ideas, Forms, and Intellects
Have furnish'd out three diff'rent Sects.
Subftance, or Accident divides
All EUROPE into adverfe Sides.
Now, as engag'd in Arms or Laws,
You muſt have Friends to back your Caufe:
In Philofophie Matters fo
Your Judgment muft with others' go.
For as in Senates, fo in Schools,
Majority of Voices rules.
Poor ALMA, like a lonely Deer,
O'er Hills and Dales does doubtful err:
With panting Hafte, and quick Surpriſe,
From ev'ry Leaf that itirs, She flies:
Till mingl'd with the neighb'ring Herd,
She flights what erft She fingly fear'd,
And now, extempt from Doubt and Dread,
She dares purſue; if They dare lead ;
As their Example ſtill prevails;
She tempts the Stream, or leaps the Pales.
He then, quoth DICK, who by Your Rule
Thinks for Himself, becomes a Fool.
As Party Man who leaves the reſt,
Is call'd but Whimsical at Beft.
Now, by your Favour, Mafter Mar,
Like RALPHO, here I fmell a Rat.
I muft
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291
•
I muſt be lifted in Your Sect;
Who, tho' they teach not, can protect.
Right, RICHARD, MAT. in Triumph cry'd:
So put off all Miſtruſt and Pride.
And while my Principles I beg;
Pray answer only with Your Leg.
Believe what friendly I advife:
Be firft fecure; and then be wife.
The Man within the Coach that fits,
And to another's Skill fubmits,
Is fafer much (whate'er arrives)
And warmer too, than He that drives.
So, DICK Adept, tuck back Thy Hair;
And I will pour into thy Ear
Remarks, which None did e'er difclofe,
In fmooth-pac'd Verfe, or hobling Profe.
Attend, Dear Dick; but don't reply :
And Thou may'ft prove as Wife as I.
When ALMA now in diff'rent Ages,
Has finish'd Her afcending Stages;
Into the Head at length She gets,
And there in Public Grandeur fits,
To judge of Things, and cenfure Wits.
Here, RICHARD, how could I explain,
The various Lab'rinths of the Brain?
Surpriſe My Readers, whilft I tell 'em
Of Cerebrum, and Cer bellum?
How could I play the Commentator
On Dura, and on Pia Mater?
Where Hot and Cold, and Dry and Wet,
Strive each the t'other's Place to get;
And with inceffant Toil and Strife,
Would keep Poffeffion during Life.
0 2
des id
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POEMS on feveral Occafions.
I could demonftrate every Pore,
Where Mem'ry lays up all her Store;
And to an Inch compute the Station,
'Twixt Judgment, and Imagination
O Friend! I could difplay much Learning,
At leaſt to Men of fmall Difcerning.
'The Brain contains ten thousand Cells:
In each ſome active Fancy dwells ;
Which always is at Work, and framing
The feveral Follies I was naming.
As in a Hive's vimineous Dome,
Ten thouſand Bees enjoy their Home;
Each does her ftudious Actions vary,
To go and come, to fetch and carry :
Each ſtill renews her little Labour;
Nor juftles her affiduous Neighbour:
Each whilft this Thefis I maintain;
I fancy, Dick, I know thy Brain.
O with the mighty Theme affected,
Could I but fee thy Head diffected!
My Head, quoth DICK, to ferve your Whim?
Spare That, and take fome other Limb.
Sir, in your nice Affairs of Syftem.
Wife Men propofe; but Fools affift 'em./
Says MATTHEW: RICHARD, keep thy Head,
And hold thy Peace; and I'll proceed.
Proceed? quoth DICK: Sir, I aver,
You have already gone too far.
When People once are in the Wrong;
Each Line they add, is much too long.
Who faſteſt walks, but walks aftray,
Is only furtheft from his Way.
Blefs your Conceits! muft I believe,
Howe'er abfurd, what You conceive:
And,
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 293
And, for your Friendship, live and die
A Papiſt in Philofophy?
I fay, whatever You maintain
Of ALMA in the Heart, or Brain;
The plaineſt Man alive may tell Ye,
Her Seat of Empire is the Belly :
From hence She ſends out thoſe Supplies,
Which make Us either (tout or wife:
The Strength of ev'ry other Member,
Is founded on your Belly-Timber:
The Qualms or Raptures of your Blood
Rife in proportion to your Food:
And if you would improve your Thought:
You must be fed, as well as taught.
Your Stomach makes your Fabric roll;
Just as the Bias rules the Bowl.
That great ACHILLES might imploy
The Strength, defign'd to ruin TROY;
He Din'd on Lion's Marrow, fpread
On Toafts of Ammunition-Bread:
But by His Mother fent away,
Amongst the THRACIAN Girls to play,
Effeminate He fat, and quiet:
Strange Product of a Cheese-cake Diet!
Now give my Argument fair Play ;
And take the Thing the t'other Way:
The Youngter, who at Nine and Three
Drinks with his Sifters Milk and Tea,
From Break-faft reads 'till twelve a Clock,
BURNET and HEYLN, HOBBES and LOCK;
He pays due Vifits after Noon
To Coufin ALICE, and UNCLE JOHN ;
At Ten from Coffee-Houſe or Play
Returning, finiſhes the Day.
But
0 3
294
POEMS on feveral Occaſions,
But give him Port, and potent Sack;
From Milk Sop He starts up Meback:
Holds that the Happy know no Hours;
So thro' the Street at Midnight fcow'rs:
Breaks Watch men's Heads, and Chair- men's Glaffes ;
And thence proceeds to nicking Safhes:
'Till by fome tougher Hand o'ercome,
And first knock'd down, and then led Home ;
He damns the Footman, ftrikes the Maid,
And decently reels up to Bed.
Obferve the various Operations
Of Food, and Drink in feveral Nations.
Was ever TARTAR fierce or cruel,
Upon
the Strength of Water-Gruel?
But who fhall fland His Rage and Force;
If firit he rides, then eats his Horfe?
Sallads, and Eggs, and lighter Fare
Tune the ITALIAN Spark's Guitar.
And, if I take Dan CONGREVE right;
Pudding and Beef make BRITONS fight.
TOKAY and COFFEE caufe this Work,
Between the GERMAN and the TURK:
And Both, as They Provifions want,
Chicane, avoid, retire, and faint.
Hunger and Thirſt, or Guns and Swords
Give the fame Death in diffrent Words.
To push this Argument no further ;
To ſtarve a Man, in Law, is Murder.
As in a WATCHB's fine Machine,
Tho' many artful Springs are feen;
The added Movements, which declare
How full the Moon, how old the Year,
Derive their ſecondary Pow'r
From that, which fimply points the Hour.
For,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
295
For, tho' theſe Gim-cracks were away
(QUARE would not fwear; but QUARE would fay)
However more reduc'd and plain,
The Watch would ftill a Watch remain:
But if the Horal Orbite ceaſes;
The whole ftands ftill, or breaks to pieces :
Is now no longer what it was;
And You may e'en go fell the Cafe ;
So if unprejudic'd you fcan
The Goings of this Clock-work, Man;
You find a hundred Movements made
By fine Devices in his Head:
But 'tis the Stomach's folid Stroke,
That tells his Being, what's a Clock.
If You take off his Rhet'ric Trigger;
He talks no more in Mode and Figure:
Or clog his Mathematic-Wheel :
His Buildings fall; his Ship ftands ſtill.
Or laſtly, break his Politic-Weight;
His Voice no longer rules the State.
Yet if theſe finer Whims were gone;
Your Clock, tho' plain, would ftill go on
And fpoil the Engine of Digeſtion ;
And You entirely change the Queſtion.
ALMA'S Affairs no Pow'r can mend;
The Jeft alas! is at an End:
Soon ceaſes all this worldly Buftle;
And you confign the Corps to RUSSEL.
Now make your ALMA come or go
From Leg to Hand, from Top to Toe;
Your System, without My Addition,
Is in a very fad Condition.
So HARLEQUIN extoll'd his Horfe,
Fit for the War, or Road, or Courſe;
04
His
296
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
His Mouth was foft; his Eye was good;
His Foot was fure as ever trod :
One Fault he had, a Fault indeed;
And what was that? The Horfe was Dead.
DICK, from theſe Inftances and Fetches,
Thou mak'ſt of Horfes, Clocks, and Watches,
Quoth MAT, to Me thou feem'ſt to mean,
That ALMA is a mere Machine :
That telling others what's a Clock,
She knows not what Herfelf has ftruck;
But leaves to ftanders-by the Trial,
Of what is mark'd upon her Dial.
Here hold a Blow, good Friend, quoth Dick,
Aud rais'd his Voice exceeding quick:
Fight fair, Sir: what I never meant
Don't You infer. In Argument
Similies are like Songs in Love:
They much deſcribe; they nothing prove.
MAT, who was here a little gravell'd:
Tolt up his Nofe, and would have cavil'd:
But, calling HERMES to his Aid,
Half pleas'd, half angry, thus He ſaid:
Where mind ('tis for the Author's Fame)-
That MATTHEW call'd, and HERMES came.
In Danger Heroes, and in Doubt
Poets find Gods to help 'em out.
Friend RICHARD, I begin to fee,
That You and I fhall ſcarce agree.
Obferve how odly you behave:
The more I grant, the more You crave.
But, Comrade, as I faid juſt now,
I ſhould affirm, and You allow.
We System makers can ſuſtain
The Thefis, which you grant, was plain;
?
And
POEMs on feveral Occafions.
.297
And with Remarks and Comments teaze Ye;
In cafe the Thing before was eaſy.
But in a Point obfcure and dark,
We fight as LEIBNITS did with CLARK;
And when no Reaſon we can ſhow,
Why Matters This or That way go,
The ſhorteſt Way the Thing We try,
And what We know not, We deny :
True to our own o'erbearing Pride,
And falfe to all the World befide.
That old Philofopher grew crofs,
Who could not tell what Motion was:
Becauſe he walk'd against his Will;
He fac'd Men down, that He stood still.
And He who reading on the Heart
(When all his Quodlibets of Art
Could not expound its Pulfe and Heat)
Swore, He had never felt it beat.
CHRYSIPPUS, foil'd by EriCURUS,
Makes bold (Jove bleſs Him!) to affure Us,
That all things which our Mind can View,
May be at once both falſe, and true.
And MALBRANCH has an odd Conceit,
As ever enter'd FRENCHMAN's Pate:
Says He, fo little can our Mind
Of Matter, or of Spirit find,
That We by Guefs, at leaft, may gather
Something, which may be Both, or Neither,
Faith, Dick, I must confefs, 'tis true
2
(But this is only Entry Nous)
That many knotty Points there are,
Which All difcufs, but Few can clear.
As Nature flily had thought fit,
For fome by Ends, to crofs-bite Wit,
05
Circles
298
POEMS on Several Occafions.
Circles to fquare, and Cubes to double,
Would give a Man exceffive Trouble:
The Longitude uncertain roams,
In ſpite of WH
N and his Bon bs.
What System, DICK, has right averr'd
The Caufe, why Woman has no Beard;
Or why, as Years our Frame attack,
Our Hair grows white, our Teeth grow black ?
In Points like Thefe, We must agree,
Our Barber knows as much as We.
Yet ftill unable to explain,
We must perfift the beſt We can :
With Care our Syftems ftill renew,
And prove Things likely, tho' not true.
I could, Thou fee'ft, in quaint Dispute,
By dint of Logic ftrike Thee mute;
With learned Skill, now pufh, now parry',
From Darii to Bocardo vary,
And never yield, or what is worſt,
Never conclude the Point difcours'd.
Yet, that You bic & nunc may know,
How much You to my Candor owe;
I'll from the Difputant defcend,
'To fhow Thee, I affume the Friend:
I'll take Thy Notion for my own-
(So most Philofophers have done)
It makes my Syftem more complete:
DICK, can it have a Nobler Fate?
Take what Thou wilt, faid DICK, Dear Friend;
But bring thy Matters to an End.
I find, quoth MAT, Reproof is vain:
Who first offend will firft complain.
Thou wifheft, I fhould make to Shoar;
Yet fill put'ft in Thy thwarting Oar.
What
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
299
What I have told Thee fifty times
In Profe, receive for once in Rhimes:
A huge fat Man in Country-Fair,
Or City-Church, (no matter where)
Labour'd and puſh'd amidſt the Croud,
Still bauling out extremely loud;
Lord fave Us! why do People preſs!
Another marking his Diftrefs,
Friendly reply'd; Plump Gentleman,
Get out as fast as e'er You can:
Or ceaſe to puſh, or to exclaim:
You make the very Croud You blame.
Says Dick, your Moral does not need
The leaft Return; fo e'en proceed:
Your Tale, howe'er apply'd was ſhort :
So far, at least, I thank You for't.
MAT. took his Thanks, and in a Tone
More Magifterial, thus went on.
Now ALMA fettles in the Head
As has before been fung, or faid :
And here begins this Farce of Life;
Enter Revenge, Ambition, Strife:
Behold on both Sides Men advance,
To form in Earneft BAYs's Dance.
L'AVARE not using Half his Store,
Still grumbles, that He has no more;
Strikes not the prefent Tun, for fear
The Vintage ſhould be bad next Year:
And eats To-day with inward Sorrow,
And Dread of fancy'd Want To-morrow.
Abroad if the Sur-tout You wear
Repells the Rigor of the Air;
Would You be warmer, if at Home
You had the Fabric, and the Loom?
And if two Boots keep out the Weather ;
What need you have two Hides of Leather?
Could
300
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Could PEDRO, think You, make no Trial
Of a Sonata on his Viol,
Unless he had the total Gut,
Whence every String at firſt was cut ?
When RARUS fhows You his Carton
He always tells You, with a Groan,
Where two of that fame Hand were torn,
Long before You, or He were born.
Poor VENTO's Mind fo much is croft,
For Part of His PETRONIUS loft;
That He can never take the Pains
To underſtand what yet remains.
What Toil did honeft CURIO take?
What ftrict Enquiries did He make,
To get one Medal wanting yet,
And perfect all his ROMAN Sett?
'Tis found and O his happy Lot!
'Tis bought, lock'd up, and lies forgot:
Of Theſe no more You hear Him ſpeak:
He now begins upon the GREEK.
Theſe rang'd and ſhow'd, ſhall in their Turns
Remain obfcure, as in their Urns.
My Copper-Lamps at any Rate,
For being true Antique, I bought;
Yet wifely melted down my Plate,
On Modern Models to be wrought:
And Trifles I alike purſue ;
Becauſe They're Old; becaufe They're New.
DICK, I have ſeen You with Delight,
For GEORGY make a Paper-Kite.
And fimple Odes too many fhow Ye,
My fervile Complaifance to CLOE.
Parents and Lovers are decreed
By Nature Fools
That's brave indeed 1
Quoth DICK: fuch Truths areworth receiving
Yet ftill DICK look'd as not believing.
}
Now
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
'301
Now, ALMA, to Divines and Profe
I leave Thy Frauds, and Crimes, and Woes;
Nor, Think To-night of Thy Ill-Nature,
But of Thy Follies, Idle Creature,
The turns of Thy uncertain Wing,
And not the Malice of Thy Sting:
Thy Pride of being great and wiſe,
I do but mention, to defpife,
I view with Anger and Difdain,
How little gives Thee Joy or Pain:
A Print, a Bronze, a Flow'r, a Root,
A Shell, a Butter-fly can do't.
Ev'n a Romance, a Tune, a Rhime,
Help Thee to pass the tedious Time,
Which elfe would on thy Hand remain:
Tho' flown it ne'er looks back again.
And Cards are dealt, and Chefs-boards brought,
To eaſe the Pain of Coward-Thought.
Happy Reſult of Human Wit!
That ALMA may Her felf forget,
DICK, thus We act; and thus We are,
Or tofs'd by Hope, and funk by Care.
With endleſs Pain This Man purfues
What, if he gain'd, He could not ufe:
And T'other fondly Hopes to fee
What never was, nor e'er fhall be.
We err by Ufe, go wrong by Rules,
In gefture Grave, in Action Fools:
We join Hypocrifie to Pride,
Doubling the Faults, We ſtrive to hide.
Or grant, that with extreme Surprize,
We find ourſelves at Sixty wife;
And twenty pretty Things are known,
Of which we can't accomplish One;
Whilft, as my Syſtem fays, the Mind
Is to thefe upper Rooms coufin'd:
Should
302
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
4
Should I, my Friend, at large repeat
Her borrow'd Senfe, her fond Conceit;
The Bede-roll of her vicious Tricks ;
My Poem will be too prolix.
For could I my Remarks fuftain,
Like SOCRATES, or MILES MONTAIGNE;
Who in theſe Times would read my Books,
But TOM O' STILES, or JOHN O' NOKES?
AS BRENTFORD Kings difcreet and wife,
After long Thought and grave Advice,
Into LARDELLA's Coffin peeping,
Saw nought to caufe their Mirth or Weeping:
So ALMA now to Joy or Grief
Superior, finds her late Relief:
Weary'd of being High, or Great,
And nodding in her Chair of State;
Stunn'd and worn out with endleſs Chat,
Of WILL did this, and NAN faid that;
She finds, poor Thing, fome little Crack,
Which Nature forc'd by Time, muft make;
Thro' which She wings her deftin'd Way:
Upward She foars; and down drops Clay:
While fome furviving Friend fupplies
Hic jacet, and a hundred Lies.
O RICHARD, 'till that Day appears,
Which must decide our Hopes and Fears,
Would FORTUNE calm her prefent Rage,
And give us play-things for our Age:
Would CLOTHO wash her Hands in Milk,
And twift our Thread with Gold and Silk:
Would She in Friendſhip, Peace, and Plenty,
Spin out our Years to four times Twenty:
And fhould We both in this Condition,
Have conquer'd Love, and worſt Ambition;
(Elfe thofe two Paffions by the way,
May chance to fhow us fcurvy Play ;)
Then
POEMS an ſeveral Occafions.
303
Then RICHARD, then fhould we fit down,
Far from the Tumult of the Town:
I fond of my well-chofen Seat,
My Pictures, Medals, Books compleat:
Or ſhould we mix our Friendly Talk,
O'er fhaded in that Fav'rite Walk;
Which thy own Hand had whilom planted,
Both pleas'd with all we thought We wanted:
Yet then, ev'n then one crofs Reflection
Would ſpoil Thy Grove, and my Collection:
Thy Son, and his, e'er that, may die;
And Time fome uncouth Heir fupply;
Who fhall for nothing elſe be known,
But ſpoiling All, that Thou haft done.
Who fet the Twigs, fhall He remember,
That is in Hafte to fell the Timber?
And what ſhall of thy Woods remain,
Except the Box that threw the Main?
Nay may not Time and Death remove
The near Relations, whom I love?
And my Coz Toм, or his Coz MARY
(Who hold the Plough, or skim the Dairy)
My Fav'rite Books and Pictures fell
To SMART, or DOILEY by the Ell?
Kindly throw in a little Figure,
And fet the Price upon the bigger?
Thoſe who could never read the Grammar,
When my dear Volumes touch the Hammer,
May think Books beft, as richeſt bound.
My Copper Medals by the Pound
May be with learned Juftice weigh'd:
To turn the Balance, OтHO's Head
May be thrown in; And for the Mettle,
The Coin may mend a Tinker's. Kettle
Tir'd with theſe Thoughts
Quoth Dick, with Your Philofophy
Lefs tir'd than I,
That
A
304
POEMS on several Occafions.
That People live and die, I knew
An hour ago, as well as You.
And if Fate fpins Us longer Years,
Or is in hafte to take the Shears ;
I know, We muſt both Fortunes try,
And bear our Evils wet or dry.
Yet let the Goddeſs fmile, or frown;
Bread we ſhall eat, or white, or Brown:
And in a Cottage, or a Court,
Drink fine Champaigne, or muddl'd Port.
What need of Books thefe Truths to tell,
Which Folks perceive, who cannot ſpell ?
And muft We Spectacles apply,
To view what hurts our naked Eye?
Sir, if it be Your Wifdom's Aim,
To make Me merrier than I am;
I'll be all Night at Your Devotion
Come on, Friend; broach the pleafing Notion;
But if you would deprefs my Thought;
Your System is not worth a Groat-
For PLATO's Fancies what care I ?
I hope You would not have me die,
Like fimple CATO in the Play,
For any Thing that He can fay?
E'en let Him of Ideas fpeak
To Heathens in his Native GREEK,
If to be fad is to be wife ;
I do moſt heartily defpife
Whatever SOCRATES has faid,
Or TULLY writ, or WANLEY read.
Dear DRIFT, to fet our Matters right,
Remove thefe Papers from my Sight
-
Burn MAT'S DES CART', and ARISTOTLE:
Here, JONATHAN, Your Mafter's Bottle.
SOLO-
SOLOMON
ON THE
VANITY
OF THE
WORL D
A
POE M
In THREE BOOK S.
Cic. de Senect.
Ο ΒίΘ τ όνομ' έχει, πόνΘ δ' ἔργῳ πέλει. Eurip.
Siquis Deus mihi largiatur, ut ex hac ætate repueraſcam,
in cunis vagiam, valde recufem.
The bewailing of Man's Miferies hath been elegantly and
copiously fet forth by Many, in the Writings as well
of Philofophers, as Divines. And it is both a pleaſant
and a profitable Contemplation.
Lord Bacon's Advancement of Learning.
Printed in the Year M DCC LIV.
THE
PREFACE.
I
Tis hard for a Man to speak of himſelf
with any tolerable Satisfaction or Suc-
cefs: He can be no more pleafed in bla-
ming himself, than in reading a Satyr
made on him by another: and though
He may justly defire, that a Friend
fhould praise him; yet if he makes his own Pane-
gyrick, He will get very Few to Read it. It is harder
for him to speak of his own Writings. An Author
is in the Condition of a Culprit: the Public are his
Judges: by allowing too much, and condefending too
far, He may injure his own Caufe, and become a
kind of Felo do fe; and by pleading and Afferting
too boldly, He may difpleafe the Court that fits upon
him: His Apology may only heighten his Accufation.
I would avoid thefe Extremes; and though, I grant,
it would not be very civil to trouble the Reader with
a long Preface, before he enters upon an indifferent
Poem; I would fay fomething to perfuade him to take
it as it is, or to excufe it for not being better.
The Noble Images and Reflections, the profound
Reaſonings upon Human Actions, and excellent Pre-
cepts for the Government of Life, which are found
in the PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, and
other
PREFACE.
other Books commonly attributed to SOLOMON, af
ford Subjects for finer Poems in every Kind, than
have, I think, as yet appeared in the GRE E K,
LATIN, or any Modern Language: How far they
were Verfe in their Original, is a Differtation not to
be enter'd into at prefent.
Out of this great Treasure, which lies heap'd up
together in a confufed Magnificence, above all Order,
I had a Mind to collect and digeft fuch Obfervations,
and Apothegms, as most particularly tend to the
Proof of that great Affertion, laid down in the begin-
ning of the ECCLESIASTES, ALL IS VANITY.
Upon the Subject thus chofen, fuch various Images
prefent themselves to a Writer's Mind, that He must
find it easier to judge, what should be rejected, than
what ought to be received. The Difficulty lies in
drawing and difpofing; or (as the Painters term it)
in grouping fuch a Multitude of different Objects,
preferving fill the Justice and Conformity of Style
and Colouring, the fimplex duntaxat & unum, which
HORACE preſcribes, as requifite to make the whole
Picture beautiful and perfect.
As Precept, however true in Theory, or useful in
Practice, would be but dry and tedious in Verfe,
efpecially if the Recital be long; I found it neceffary
to form fome Story, and give a kind of Body to the
Poem. Under what Species it may be comprehended,
whether Didaſcalic, or Heroic, I leave to the Judg-
ment of the Critics; defiring them to be favourable in
their Cenfure; and not follicitous what the Poem is
called, provided it may be accepted.
The chief Perfonage or Character in the Epic, is
always proportioned to the Defign of the Work, to
carry on the Narration, and the Moral. HOMER
intended to fhew us in his Iliad, that Diffentions a-
mongst
PREFACE.
3
mong ft great Men obftru&t the Execution of the nobleft
Enterprizes, and tend to the Ruin of a State or King-
dom. His ACHILLES therefore is haughty, and
Paffionate, impatient of any Restraint by Laws, and
arrogant in Arms. In His Odyffes the fame Poet
endeavours to explain, that the hardest Difficulties
may be overcome by Labour, and our Fortune reftored
after the feverest Afflictions. ULYSSES therefore
is valiant, virtuous, and patient. VIRGIL'S
Defign was to tell us, how from a fmall Colony efta-
blished by the TROJANS in ITALY, the ROMAN
Empire rofe, and from what antient Families AU-
GUSTUS (who was His Prince and Patron) de-
fcended. His Heroe therefore was to fight his Way to
the Throne, fill diftinguish'd and protected by the
Favour of the Gods. The Poet to this End takes off
from the Vices of ACHILLES, and adds to the
Virtues of ULYSSES; from both perfecting a Cha-
rafler profer for his Work in the Perfon of ENEAS.
As VIRGIL copy'd after HOMER, other Epic
Poets have copied after them both. TASSO'S
Gierufalemme Liberata is directly Troy Town
Sacked; with this Difference only, that the two
chief Characters in HOMER, which the LATIN
Poet had join'd in One, the ITALIAN has feparated
in his GODFREY and RINALDO: but He makes
them both carry on his Work with very great Success.
RONSARD'S FRANCIADE, (incomparably good as
far as it goes) is again VGIL's neis. His
"Heroe comes from a Foreign Country, fettles a Colony
and lays the Foundation of a future Empire. I in-
Stance in thefe, as the greatest ITALIAN and
FRENCH Poets in the Epic. In our Language
SPENCER has not contented himself with this fub-
miffive Manner of Imitation: He lanches out into
very
PREFACE.
very flowery Paths, which fill feem to conduct him
into one great Road. His Fairy Queen (had it been
finish'd) must have ended in the Account, which
every Knight was to give of his Adventures, and in
the accumulated Praifes of his Heroine GLORIANA.
The whole would have been an Heroic Poem, but in
another caft and Figure, than any that ever had been
written before. Yet it is obfervable that every Heroe
(as far as We can judge by the Bocks fill remaining)
bears his diftinguifh'd Character, and reprefents fome
particular Virtue conducive to the whole Defign.
To bring this to our preſent Subject. The Plea.
fures of Life do not compenfate the Miferics: Age
Steals upon Us unawares; and Death, as the only
Cure of our Ills, ought to be expected, but not feared.
This Inftruction is to be illuftrated by the Action of
fome great Perfon. Who therefore more proper for
the Business, than SOLOMON himself? And why
may He not be fuppofed now to repeat what, We take
it for granted, He acted almost three thousand Years
fince? If in the fair Situation where this Prince was
placed, he was acquainted with Sorrow; If endowed
with the greatest Perfections of Nature, and poffefs'd
of all the Advantages of external Condition, He could
not find Happiness; the rest of Mankind may fafely
take the Monarch's Word for the Truth of what He
afferts. And the Author who would perfuade, that
We should bear the Ills of Life patiently, meerly be-
caufe SOLOMON felt the fame, has a better Argument,
than LUCRETIUS had; when in his imperious way,
He at once convinces and commands, that We ought
to fubmit to Death without repining, becauſe EPICU-
RUS died.
The whole Poem is a Soliloquy: SOLOMON is
the Person that speaks: He is at once the Heroe and
the Author; but He tells Us very often what others
fay
PREFACE.
fay to Him. Thofe chiefly introduced are His Rah-
bies and Philofophers in the First Book, and His
Women and their Attendance in the Second: With
Theſe the Sacred History mention Him to have con-
verfed, as likewife with the Angel brought down in
the Third Book, to help Him out of His Difficulties,
or at least to teach Him how to overcome them.
Nec Deus interfit nifi dignus vindice nodus.
I prefume this Poetical Liberty may be very justly
allowed Me on fo folemn an Occafion.
In my Defcription I have endeavoured to keep to
the Notions and Manners of the JEWISH Nation,
at the time when SOLOMON lived: and where I
allude to the Customs of the GREEKS, I believe I
may be juſtified by the strictest Chronology; though
a Poet is not obliged to the Rules that confine an
Hiftorian. VIRGIL has anticipated Two hundred
Years; or the TROJAN Heroe and CARTHAGI-
NIAN Queen could not have been brought together:
And without the fame Anachronifm feveral of the
fineft Parts of his neis must have been omitted.
Our Countryman MILTON goes yet further.
He
takes up many of his Material Images fome Thouſands
of Years after the Fall of Man: Nor could He other-
wife have written, or We read one of the fublimest
Pieces of Invention that was ever yet produced. This
likewife takes off the Objection, that fome Names of
Countries, Terms of Art, and Notions in Natural Phi-
lofophy are otherwiſe expreſſed, than can be warran-
ted by the Geography or Aftronomy of SOLOMON's
Time Poets are allowed the fame Liberty in their
Deſcriptions and Comparisons, as Painters in their
Draperies and Ornaments: Their Perfonages may be
dress'd, not exactly in the fame Habits which they
wore,
PREFACE.
wore, but in fuch as make them appear most graceful.
In this cafe Probability must atone for the want of
Truth. This Liberty has indeed been abufed by Emi-
nent Masters in either Science. RAPHAEL and
TASSO have shewed their Difcretion, where PAUL
VERONESE and ARIOSTO are to answer for
their Extravagancies. It is the Excess, not the
Thing it felf, that is blameable.
I would fay one Word of the Meaſure, in which
This, and most Poems of the Age are written.
Heroic with continued Rhime, as DONNE and his
Contemporaries used it, carrying the Senfe of one
Verfe most commonly into another, was found too
diffolute and wild, and came very often too near
Profe. As DAVENANT and WALLER cor-
rected, and DRYDEN perfected it; It is too con-
fined: It cuts off the Senfe at the end of every firſt
Line, which must always rhime to the next following;
and confequently produces too frequent an Identity
in the Sound, and brings every Couplet to the Point
of an Epigram. It is indeed too broken and weak,
to convey
the Sentiments and reprefent the Images
proper for Epic. And as it tires the Writer while
he compofes, it must do the fame to the Reader
while he repeats; efpecially in a Poem of any confider-
able length.
If ftriking out into Blank Verfe, as MILTON
did (and in this kind Mr. PHILIPS, had He lived,
would have excelled) or running the Thought into
Alternate and Stanza, which allows a greater Vari-
ety, and fill preferves the Dignity of the Verfe; as
SPENCER and FAIRFAX have done; If either of
thefe, I fay, be a proper Remedy for my Poetical
Complaint, or if any other may be found, I dare not
determine: I am only enquiring, in order to be better
informed; without prefuming to direct the Judgment
of
PRE F A C E.
of Others. And while I am ſpeaking of the Verfe it-
felf, I give all juft Praise to many of my Friends now
living; who have in Epic carried the Harmony of
their Numbers as far, as the nature of this Measure
will permit. But once more; He that writes in
Rhimes, dances in Fetters: And as his Chain is more
extended, he may certainly take larger Steps.
I need make no Apology for the fhort Digreffive
Panegyric upon GREAT BRITAIN, in the first
Book: I am glad to have it obferved, that there ap-
pears throughout all my Verfes a Zeal for the Honor
of my Country: and I had rather be thought a good
Engliſh-man, than the best Poet, or greatest Scholar
that ever wrote.
And now as to the publishing of this Picce, though
I have in a literal Senfe obferved HORAC E's No-
num prematur in Annum; yet have I by no means
obeyed our Poetical Lawgiver, according to the Spirit
of the Precept. The Poem has indeed been written
and laid afide much longer than the Term pre-
fcribed; but in the mean time I had little Leifure,
and lefs Inclination to revife or print it. The frequent
Interruptions I have met with in my private Studies,
and great Variety of Publick Life, in which I have
been imployed; my Thoughts (fuch as they are) hav-|
ing generally been expreffed in Foreign Language,
and even formed by à Habitude very different from
what the Beauty and Elegance of English Poetry
requires: All These, and fome other Circumftances
which we had as good pass by at prefent, do juftly
contribute to make my Excufe in this Behalf very
plaufible. Far indeed from defigning to print I had
locked up thefe Papers in my Scritoire, there to lie
in Peace 'till my Executors might have taken Them
out.
What altered this Deſign; or how my Scritoire
P
came
PREFACE.
came to be unlocked before my Coffin was nailed; is
the Question. The true Reafon I take to be the beft:
Many of my Friends of the first Quality, fineſt Learn-
ing, and greatest Understanding, have wrefted the
Key from my Hands by a very kind and irresistible
Violence: And the Poem is published, not without
my Confent indeed, but a little against my Opinion;
and with an implicit Submiffion to the Partiality of
Their Judgment. As I give up here the fruits of
many of my vacant Hours to their Amusement and
Pleasure; I fhall always think myself happy, if I
may dedicate my most ferious Endeavours to Their
Intereft and Service. And I am proud to finish this
Preface by faying, that the Violence of many Enemies,
whom I never justly offendid, is abundantly recom-
penfed by the Goodness of more Friends, whom I can
never fufficiently oblige. And if I here affume the
Liberty of mentioning My Lord HARLEY and
Lord BATHURST as the Authors of this Amicable
Confederacy, among all Thofe, whofe Names do me
great Honor at the beginning of my Book, in the
Folio Edition: Thefe Two only ought to be angry with
me; for I difobey their pofitive Order, whilst I make
even this fmall Acknowledgment of their particular
Kindness.
KNOW-
港
​KNOWLEDGE:
THE
FIRST BOOK.
The ARGUMENT.
SOLOMON Seeking Happiness from Know-
ledge, convenes the Learned Men of His
Kingdom; requires them to explain to Him
the various Operations and Effects of Na-
ture; difcourfes of Vegetables, Animals,
and Man; propofes fome Questions concern-
ing the Origin, and Situation of the habit-
able Earth; proceeds to examine the Syſtem
of the vifible Heaven; doubts if there may
not be a Plurality of Worlds; enquires into
the Nature of Spirits and Angels; and wishes
to be more fully informed, as to the Attri-
butes of the Supreme Being. He is imper-
fectly answered by the Rabbins, and Doctors;
blames His own Curiofity; and concludes,
that, as to Human Science, ALL IS VA-
NITY.
30
P 2
TEXTS chiefly alluded to in this
BOOK
The Words of the Preacher the Son of DAVID King of
JERUSALEM. ECCLESIASTES, Chap. I. Verf. 1.
Vanity of Vanities, faith the Preacher, Vanity of Va-
nities, all is Vanity. Verf. 2.
I communed with mine own Heart, faying, lo, I am
come to great Eſtate, and have gotten more Wiſdom,
than all they that have been before me in JERUSA-
LEM: Yea my Heart had great Experience of Wif
dom and Knowledge. Verf. 16.
He fpake of Trees, from the Cedar-tree that is in Le-
BANON, even unto the Hyop that fpringeth out of
the WaH: he spake alſo of Beaſts, and of Fowl, and
of creeping Things, and of Fishes. 1 KINGS,
Chap. IV. Verf. 33.
I know,
that whatſoever God doeth, it fhall be for
ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken
from it and God doeth it, that Men fhould fear be-
fore him. ECCLESIASTES. Chap. III. Verf. 14.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: Alfo
he hath ſet the World in their Heart, fo that no Man
can find out the Work that God maketh from the
beginning to the end. Verf. 11.
For in much Wiſdom is much Grief: and He that
increaſeth Knowledge, increaſeth Sorrow. Chap. I.
Verf. 18.
And further, by thefe, my Son, be admonished: of
making any Books there is no End: and much
Study is a weariness of the Flefh. Chap. XII.
Verf. 12.
KNOW.
KNOWLEDGE:
THE
FIRST
BOOK.
E Sors of Men, with juft Regard attend,
Obferve the I reacher, and believe the Friend,
Whoſe ſerious MUSE infpires him to ex-
plain,
That all we Act, and all we Think-is Vain.
That in this Pilgrimage of Seventy Years,
O'er Rocks of Perils, and thro' Vales of Tears
Deftin'd to march, our doubtful Steps we tend,
Tir'd with the Toil, yet fearful of its End.
That from the Womb We take our fatal Shares
Of Follies, Paffions, Labours, Tumults, Cares:
And at Approach of Death fhall only know
The Truths, which from theſe penfive Numbers flow,
That We purſue falſe Joy, and fuffer real Woe.
Happineſs, Object of that waking Dream,
Which we call Life, miftaking: Fugitive Theme
Of my purſuing Verfe, Ideal Shade,
Notional Good, by Fancy only made,
And by Tradition nurs'd, fallacious Fire,
Whoſe dancing Beams mif-lead our fond Defire,
Caufe of our Care, and Error of our Mind:
Oh! hadft Thou ever been by Heav'n deſign'd
P 3
}
To
318
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
To ADAM, and his Mortal Race, the Boon
Entire had been referv'd for SOLOMON:
On Me the partial Lot had been beſtow'd;
And in my Cup the golden Draught had flow'd.
But O! ere yet Original Man was made;
Ere the Foundations of this Earth were laid;
It was opponent to our Search, ordain'd,
That Joy, ftill fought, fhould never be attain’d.
This fad Experience citès me to reveal;
And what I dictate, is from what I feel.
Born as I was, great DAVID's fav'rite Son,
Dear to my People, on the HEBREW Throne,
Sublime my Court with OPHIR's Treaſures bleft,
Ny Name extended to the fartheſt Eaſt,
My Body cloth'd with ev'ry outward Grace,
Strength in my Limbs, and Beauty in my Face,
My hining Thought with fruitful Notions crown'd,
Quick my Invention, and my Judgment found.
Arife (I commun'd with myſelf) ariſe;
Think, to be Happy; to be Great, be Wife:
Content of Spirit muft from Science flow;
For 'tis a Godlike Attribute, to Know.
I faid; and fent my Edict thro' the Land:
Around my Throne the letter'd Rabbins ſtand,
Hiſtoric Leaves revolve, long Volumes ſpread,
The Old difcourfing, as the Younger read:
Attent I heard, propos'd my Doubts, and faid:
The Vetegable World, each Flant and Tree,
Its Seed, its Name, its Nature, its Degree
I am allow'd, as FAME reports, to know,
From the fair Cedar, on the craggy Brow
Of LEBANON nodding fupremely tall,
To Creeping Mofs, and Hyffop on the Wall:
}
Yet
POEMS on feveral Qccafions.
319
Yet juft and confcious to myself, I find
A thouſand Doubts oppoſe the ſearching Mind.
I know not why the Beach delights the Glade
With Boughs extended, and a rounder Shade;
Whilft tow'ring Firrs in Conic forms arife,
And with a pointed Spear divide the Skies :
Nor why again the changing Oak ſhould ſhed
The Yearly Honor of his ftately Head;
Whilft the diſtinguiſh'd Yezu is ever ſeen,
Unchang'd his Branch, and permanent his Green.
Wanting the Sun why does the Caltha fade?
Why does the Cypress flourish in the Shade?
The Fig and Date, why love they to remain
In middle Station, and an even Plain;
While in the lower Marſh the Gourd is found;
And while the Hill with Olive-fhade is crown'd ?
Why does one Climate, and one Soil endue
The blushing Poppy with a crim fon Hue;
Yet leave the Lilly pale, and tinge the Violet blue?
Why does the fond Carnation love to fhoot
A various Colour from one Parent Root;
While the fantaſtic Tulip ſtrives to break
In two-fold Beauty, and a parted Streak?
The twining Jafmine, and the blufhing Rofe,
With lavish Grace their Morning Scents diſcloſe :
The ſmelling Tub'rofe and Junquele declare,
The ftronger Impulſe of an Evening Air.
Whence has the Tree (refolve me) or the Flow'r
A various inſtinct, or a diff'rent Pow'r ?
}
Why should one Earth, one Clime, one Stream, one Breath
Raife this to Strength, and ficken That to Death?
Whence does it happen, that the Plant which well
We name the Senſitive ſhould move and feel?
P 4
Whence
..
320
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Whence know her Leaves to answer her Command,
And with quick Horror fly the Neighb'ring Hand?
Along the Sunny Bank, or watʼry Mead,
Ten thouſand Stalks their various Bloffoms fpread:
Peaceful and lowly in their native Soil.
They neither know to fpin, nor care to toil;
Yet with confefs'd Magnificence deride
Our vile Attise, and Impotence of Pride.
The Couflip fmiles, in brighter yellow drefs'd,
Than That which veils the nubile Virgin's Breaft.
A fairer Red ftands blufhing in the Roſe,
Than That which on the Bridegroom's Veftment Aows.
Take but the humbleit Lilly of the Field;
And if our Pride will to our Reafon yield,
It must by fure Comparifon be fhown
That on the Regal Seat great DAVID's Son, -
Array'd in all his Robes, and Types of Pow'r,
Shines with le's Glory, than that fimple Flow'r.
Of Fiſhes next,' my Friends, I would enquire,
How the mute Race engender, or refpire;
From the ſmall Fry that glide on JORDAN'S Stream
Unmark'd, a Multitude without a Name,
To that Leviathan, who o'er the Seas
Immenfe rolls onward his impetuous Ways,
And mocks the Wind, and in the Tempeft plays.
How They in warlike Bands march greatly forth
From freezing Waters, and the colder North,
To Southern Climes directing their Career,
Their Station changing with th' inverted Year.
How all with careful Knowledge are indu'd,
To chufe their proper Bed, and Wave, and Food:
To guard their Spawn, and educate her Brood.
Of Birds, how each according to her Kind
Proper Materials for her Neft can find;
}
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
321
And build a Frame, which deepeft Thought in Man
Would or amend, or imitate in vain.
How in fmall Flights They know to try their Young,
And teach the callow Child her Parent's Song.
Why theſe frequent the Plain, and thoſe the Wood,
Why ev'ry Land has her ſpecific Brood.
Where the tall Crane, or winding Swallow goes,
Fearful of gathering Winds, and falling Snows:
If into Rocks, or hollow Trees they creep,
In Temporary Death confin'd to Sleep;
Or conſcious of the coming Evil, fly
To milder Regions, and a Southern Sky.
Of Beaſts and creeping Infects fhall we trace
The wond'rous Nature, and the various Race;
Or wild or tame, or Friend to Man or Foe,
Of Us what They, or what of Them We know ?
Tell me, Ye ftudious, who pretend to fee
Far into Nature's Bofom, whence the Bee
Was firſt inform'd her vent'rous Flight to fteer
Thro' tractless Paths, and an Abyſs of Air.
Whence She avoids the flimy Marth, and knows
The fertile Hills, where iweeter Herbage grows,
And Hony making Flow'rs their opening Buds difclofe.
How from the thicken'd Miſt, and ſetting Sun
Finds She the Labour of her Day is done?
Who taught Her againſt Winds and Rains to ftrive,
To bring her Burden to the certain Hive,
And thro' the liquid Fields again to paſs
Dutious, and heark'ning to the founding Braſs?
And, O Thou sluggard, tell me why the Ant,
'Midft Summer's Plenty thinks of Winter's Want :
By conftant Journies careful to prepare
Her Stores; and bringing home the Corney Ear,
By what inftruction does the bite the Grain,
Left hid in Earth, and taking Root again,
P 5
}
It
322
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
It might elude the Forefight of her Care?
Distinct in either Infect's Deed appear
The marks of Thought, Centrivance, Hope and Fear.
Fix thy corporeal, and internal Eye
On the Young Gnat, or new-engender'd Fly;
On the vile Worm, that Yefterday began
To crawl; Thy Fellow-Creatures, abject Man!
Like Thee they breathe, they move, they taſt, they fee,
They fhow their Paffions by their Acts, like Thee:
Darting their Stings, they previouſly declare
Defign'd revenge, and fierce intent of War:
Laying their Eggs, they evidently prove
The Genial Pow'r, and full Effect of Love.
Each then has Organs to digeft his Food,
One to beget, and one receive the Brood:
Has Limbs and Sinews, Blood, and Heart, and Brain,
Life and her proper Functions to ſuſtain,
Tho' the whole Fabric fmaller than a Grain.
What more can our penurious Reaſon grant
To the large Whale, or Caftled Elephant,
To thofe enormous Terrors of the NILE,
The crested Snake, and long-tail'd Crocodile,
Than that all differ but in Shape and Name,
Each deflin❜d to a lefs or larger Frame?
For potent Nature loves a various act,
Prone to enlarge, or ftudious to contract:
Now forms her Work too fmall, now too immenfe,
And fcorns the Meaſures of ou; feeble Senſe.
The Object ſpread too far, or rais'd too high,
Denies its real Image to the Eye:
Too little, it eludes the dazl'd Sight;
Becomes mixt Blacknefs, or unparted Light.
Water and Air the varied Form confound;
тол
The Atraight looks crooked, and the Square grows round.
Thus
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
323
P
Thus while with fruitless Hope, and wearied Pain,
We feek great Nature's Power, but feek in vain;
Safe fits the Goddeſs in her dark Retreat ;
Around Her, Myriads of Ideas wait,
And endleſs Shapes, which the Myſterious Queen
Can take or quit, can alter or retain:
As from our loft Purfuit She wills to hide
Her clofe Decrees, and chaften human Pride.
Untam'd and fierce the Tiger ftill remains:
He tires his Life in biting on his Chains:
For the kind Gifts of Water, and of Food,
Ungrateful, and returning Ill for Good,
He feeks his Keeper's Flesh, and thirts his Blood:
While the ftrong Camel, and the gen'rous Horfe,
Reftrain'd and aw'd by Man's inferior Force,
Do to the Rider's Will their Rage fubmit,
And anſwer to the Spur, and own the Bit;
Stretch their glad Mouths to meet the Feeder's Hand,
Pleas'd with his Weight, and proud of his Command.
Again: the lonely Fox roams far abroad,
On fecret Rapin bent, and Midnight Fraud;
Now haunts the Cliff, now traverſes the Lawn;
And flies the hated Neighbourhood of Man:
While the kind Spaniel, and the faithful Hound,
Likeft that Fox in Shape and Species found,
Refuſes thro' thefe Cliffs and Lawns to roam :
Purfues the noted Path, and covets home;
Does with kind Joy Domestic Faces meet;
Takes what the glutted Child denies to eat ;
And dying licks his long-lov'd Maſter's Feet.
By what immediate Caufe They are inclin'd,
In many Acts, 'tis hard I own, to find.
I fee in others, or I think I fee,
That ftrict their Principles, and ours agree.
}
}
Evil
324
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Evil like Us they fhun, and covet Good;
Abhor the Poiſon, and receive the Food.
Like Us they love or hate! like Us they know,
To joy the Friend, or ſtrapple with the Foe.
With feeming Thought their Action they intend,
And uſe the Means proportion'd to the End.
Then vainly the Philofopher avers,
That reafon guides our Deed, and Inftinct theirs.
How can We juitly diff'rent Cauſes frame,
When the Effects entirely are the fame?
Instinct and reafon how can we divide?
'Tis the Fool's Ignorance, and the Pedant's Pride.
With the fame Folly fure, Man vaunts his Sway;
If the brute Beaſt refufes to Obey.
For tell me, when the empty Boafter's Word
Proclaim himſelf the Univerſal Lord;
Does He not tremble, left the Lion's Paw
Should join his Plea againſt the fancy'd Law?
Would not the Learned Coward leave the Chair;
If in the Schools or Porches fhould appear
The fierce Hyana, or the foaming Bear?
The Combatant too late the Field declines;
When now the Sword is girded to his Loins.
When the fwift Veffel flies before the Wind;
Too late the Sailor views the Land behind.
And 'tis too late now back again to bring
Enquiry, rais'd and tow'ring on the Wing:
Forward She ftrives, averfe to be withheld
From nobler Objects, and a larger Field.
Confider with me this Ætherial Space,
Yielding to Earth and tea the middle Place.
Anxious I ask Ye, how the Penfile Ball
Should never ftrive to rife, nor never fear to fall.
When I reflect, how the revolving Sun.
Does round our Globe his crooked Journies run;
I
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
325
:
I doubt of may Lands, if they contain
Or Herd of Beaft, or Colony of Man:
If any Nations pafs their deftin'd Days
Beneath the neighb'ring Sun's dire&er Rays:
If any fuffer on the Polar Coaſt,
The Rage of ARCTOS, and eternal Froſt.
May not the Pleaſure of Omnipotence
To each of Theſe fore fecret Good diſpenſe?
Thoſe who amidſt the Torrid Regions live,
May they not Gales unknown to us receive;
See daily Show'rs rejoice the thirſty Earth,
And blefs the flow'ry Buds fucceeding Birth;
May they not pity Us, condemn'd to bear
The various Heav'n of an obliquer Sphere;
While by fix'd Laws, and with a juſt Return,
They feel twelve Hours that Shade, for twelve that burn,
And praife the neighb'ring Sun, whofe conftant Flame
Enlightens them with Seaſons ſtill the fame ?
And may not Thofe, whofe diftant Lot is caft
North beyond TARTARY's extended Wafte;
Where thro' the Plains of one continual Day,
Six fhining Months purfue their even Way;
And fix fucceeding urge their dusky Flight;
Obfcur'd with Vapours and o'erwhelm'd in Night:
May not, I ask, the Natives of theſe Climes
(As Annals may inform fucceeding Times)
To our Quotidian Change of Heav'n prefer
Their own Viciffitude, and equal Share
Of Day and Night, difparted thro' the Year?
May they not fcorn our Sun's repeated Race,
To narrow Bounds prefcrib'd, and little space,
Haft'ning from Morn, and headlong driv'n from Nocn,
Half of our Daily Toil yet fcarcely done?
May they not justly to cur Climes upbraid
Shortnefs of Night, and Penury of Shade;
}
That
326
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
That e'er our wearied Limbs are juſtly bleft
With wholeſom Sleep, and neceffary Reft;
Another Sun demands return of Care,
The remnant Toil of Yeſterday to bear?
Whilft, when the Solar Beams falute their Sight,
Bold and fecure in half a Year of Light,
Uninterrupted Voyages they take
To the remoteft Wood, and fartheft Lake;
Manage the Fiſhing, and purſue the Courſe
}
With more extended Nerves, and more continu'd Force.
And when declining Day foríakes their Sky;
When gath'ring Clouds fpeak gloomy Winter nigh;
With Plenty for the coming Seafon bleft,
Six folid Months (an Age) they live, releas'd,
From all the Labor, Procefs, Clamor, Woe,
Which our fad Scenes of daily Action know:
They light the fhining Lamp, prepare the Feaft,
And with full Mirth receive the welcome Gueft:
Or tell their tender Loves (the only Care
Which now they ſuffer) to the lift'ning Fair,
And rais'd in Pleafure, or repos'd in Eafe
(Grateful Alternates of fubftantial Peace)
They bless the long Nocturnal Influence fhed
On the crown'd Goblet, and the Genial Bed.
In foreign Ifles which our Difcov'rers find,
Far from this length of Continent disjoin'd,
The rugged Bears, or ſpotted Lynx's Brood
Frighten the Vallies, and infeft the Wood,
The hungry Crocodile, and hiffing Snake
Lurk in the troubl'd Stream and fenny Brake:
And Man untaught, and rav'nous as the Beaft,
Does Valley, Wood, and Brake, and Stream infeſt.
Deriv'd thefe Men and Animals their Birth
From Trunk of Oak, or pregnant Womb of Earth?
Whence
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
327
Whence then the Old Belief that all began
In EDEN's fhade, and one created Man?
Or grant, this Progeny was wafted o'er
By coafting Boats from next adjacent Shore:
Would Thofe, from whom We will fuppofe they ſpring,
Slaughter to harmleſs Lands, and Poyſon bring?
Would they on Board or Bears, or Lynxes take,
Feed the She-Adder, and the brooding Snake?
Or could they think the new Difcover'd Ifle,
Pleas'd to receive a pregnant Crocodile?
And fince the Savage Lineage we muſt trace
From NOAH fav'd, and his diftinguiſh'd Race;
How ſhould their Fathers happen to forget
The Arts which NOAH taught, the Rules He fet,
To fow the Glebe, to plant the gen'rous Vine,
And load with grateful Flames the Holy Shrine?
While the great Sire's unhappy Sons are found,
Unprefs'd their Vintage, and untill'd their Ground
Straggling o'er Dale and Hill in queſt of Food,
And rude of Arts, of Virtue, and of God.
How fhall We next o'er Earth and Seas purfue
The vary'd Forms of every thing we view ;
That all is chang'd, tho' all is ftill the ſame,
Fluid the Parts, yet durable the Frame?
Of thoſe Materials, which have been confefs'd
The priftine Springs, and Parents of the reſt,
Each becomes other. Water ftop'd gives Birth
To Grafs and Plants, and thickens into Earth:
Diffus'd it rifes in a higher Sphere;
Dilates its Drops, and ſoftens into Air:
Thoſe finer Parts of Air again aſpire:
Move into Warmth, and brighten into Fire:
That Fire once more by thicker Air o'ercome,
And downward forc'd, in Earth's capacious Womb
Alters
328
POEM's on ſeveral Occafions.
Alters its Particles; is Fire no more;
But lies refplendent Duft, and ſhining Oar;
Or running thro' the mighty Mother's Veins,
Changes its Shape; puts off its old Remains;
With watry Parts its leffen'd Force divides;
Flows into Waves, and rifes into Tides.
Difparted Streams fhall from their Channels fly,
And deep furcharg'd by fandy Mountains lie,
Obſcurely fepulcher'd. By eating Rain,
And furious Wind, down to the diftant Plain
The Hill, that hides his Head above the Skies,
Shall fall: The Plain by flow Degrees ſhall riſe
Higher than er'ſt had ſtood the Summit Hill:
For Time muft Nature's great Behefts fulfill.
Thus by a length of Years, and Change of Fate,
All things are light or heavy, ſmall or great :
Thus JORDAN'S Waves ſhall future Clouds appear;
And EGYPT's Pyramids refine to Air.
Thus later Age fhall ask for PISON'S Flood:
And Travellers enquire, where BABEL ftood.
Now where we ſee theſe Changes often fall,
Sedate we paſs them by, as Natural:
Where to our Eye more rarely they appear,
The pompous Name of Prodigy they bear:
Let active Thought theſe cloſe Meanders trace;
Let Human Wit their dubious Bound'ries place.
Are all Things Miracle; or nothing fuch?
And prove We not too little, or too much?
For that a Branch cut off, a wither'd Rod
Should at a Word pronounc'd revive and bud;
Is this more ftrange, than that the Mountain's Brow,
Strip'd by December's Froft, and white with Snow,
Should puſh in Spring, ten thouſand thouſand Buds;
And boaft returning Leaves, and blooming Woods?
That
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
329
:
That each fucceffive Night from opening Heav'n
The Food of Angels fhould to Man be giv❜n ;
Is this more ftrange, than that with common Bread
Our fainting Bodies every Day are fed;
Than that each Grain and Seed confum'd in Earth,
Raifes its Store, and multiplies its Birth;
And from the handful which the Tiller fows,
The labour'd Fields rejoice, and future Harveſt flows?
Then from whate'er We can to Senfe produce
Common and plain, or wond'rous and abftrufe,
From Nature's conftant or Eccentric Laws,
The thoughtful Soul this gen'ral Influence draws,
That an Eff&t mult preíuppofe a Caule.
And while the does her upward Flight futain,
Touching each Link of the continu'd Chain,
At length fhe is oblig'd and forc'd to fee
A Firft, a Source, a Life, a Deity;
What has for ever been, and muſt for ever be.
This great Exiſtence thus by Reaſon found,
Bleft by all Pow'r, with all Perfection crown'd:
How can we bind or limit His Decree,
By what our Far has heard, or Eye may fee?
Say then is all in Heaps of Water loft,
Beyond the Iſlands, and the Mid-land Coaft ?
Or has that God, who gave our World its Birth,
Sever'd thoſe Waters by fome other Earth,
Countries by future Plow fhares to be torn,
And Cities rais'd by Nations yet unborn!
Ere the progreffive Courſe of reſtleſs Age
Performs Three thouſand times its Annual Stage:
May not our Pow'r and Learning be fuppreft;
And Arts and Empire learn to travel Weft?
Where, by the Strength of this Idea charm'd,
Lighten'd with Glory, and with Rapture warm'd
}
}
Afcends
330
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Afcends my Soul? what fees She White and Great
Amidft fubjected Seas? An ISLE the Seat
Of Pow'r and Plenty; Her Imperial Throne,
For Juftice and for Mercy fought and known;
Virtues Sublime, great Attributes of Heav'n,
From thence to this diftinguifh'd Nation giv'n:
Yet farther Weft the Weſtern ISLE extends,
Her happy Fame; her Armed Fleet She fends
To Climates folded yet from human Eye;
And Lands, which we imagine Wave and Sky.
From Pole to Pole She hears her A&ts reſound,.
And rules an Empire by no Ocean bound;
Knows her Ships anchor'd, and her Sails unfurl'd
In other INDIES, and a fecond World.
Long fhall BRITANNIA (That muſt be her Name)
Be firft in Conqueſt, and prefide in Fame:
Long ſhall her favour'd Monarchy engage
The Teeth of Envy, and the Force of Age:
Rever'd and Happy She fhall long remain,
Of human Things leaft changeable, leaft vain.
Yet all muſt with the gen'ral Doom comply;
And this Great Glorious Pow'r, tho' laft, muſt die.
Now let us leave this Earth, and lift our Eye
To the large convex of yon' Azure Sky:
Behold it like an ample Curtain fpead,
Now ftreak'd and glowing with the Morning Red;
Anon at Noon in flaming Yellow bright,
And chufing Sable for the peaceful Night.
Ask Reaſon now, whence Light and Shade were giv'n,
And whence this great Variety of Heav'n:
Reaſon or Guide, what can She more reply,
Than that the Sun illluminates the Sky;
Than that Night rifes from his abſent Ray,
And his returning Luftre kindles Day?
But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
331
But we expect the Morning Red in vain :
'Tis hid in Vapours, or obfcur'd by Rain.
The Noontyde Yellow we in vain require:
'Tis black in Storm, or red in Light'ning Fire.
Pitchy and dark the Night fometimes appears,
Friend to her Woe, and Parent of our Fears:
Our Joy and Wonder fometimes She excites,
With Stars unnumber'd, and eternal Lights.
Send forth, Ye Wife, fend forth your lab'ring Thought:
Let it return with empty Notions fraught,
Of airy Columns every Moment broke,
Of circling Whirlpools, and of Spheres of Smoke:
Yet this Solution but once more affords
New Change of Terms, and fcaffolding of Words:
In other Garb my Queſtion I receive;
And take the Doubt the very fame I gave,
Lo! as a Giant ftrong the lufty Sun
Multiply'd Rounds in one great Round does run,
Twofold his Courfe, yet conftant his Career,
Changing the Day, and finishing the Year.
Again when his deſcending Orb retires,
And Earth perceives the Abfence of his Fires;
The Moon affords us Her alternate Ray,
And with kind Beams diftributes fainter Day:
Yet keeps the Stages of her Monthly Race,
Various her Beams, and changeable her Face.
Each Planet fhining in his proper Sphere,
Does with juft Speed his radiant Voyage ſteer:
Each fees his Lamp with diff'rent Luftre crown'd:
Each knows his Courfe with diff'rent Periods bound:
And in his Paffage thro' the liquid Space,
Nor haftens, nor retards his Neighbour's Race.
Now fhine theſe Planets with fubftantial Rays?
Does innate Lustre gild their meafur'd Days?
Or
332
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Or do they (as your Schemes, I think, have ſhown)
Dart furtive Beams, and Glory not their own,
All Servants to that Source of Light, the Sun?
Again I fee ten thoufand thoufand Stars,
Nor caft in Lines, in Circles, nor in Squares:
(Poor Rules, with which our bounded Mind is fill'd,
When We would plant, or cultivate, or build)
But fhining with fuch vaft, fuch various Light,
As fpeaks the Hand, that form'd them, Infinite :
How mean the Order and Perfection fought
In the best Product of the human Thought,
Coinpar'd to the great Harmony that reigns
In what the Spirit of the World ordains!
Now if the Sun to Earth tranfmits his Ray,
Yet does not ſcorch us with too fierce a Day;
How (mall a Portion of his Pow'r is giv'n
To Orbs more diftant, and remoter Heav'n ì
And of thofe Stars, which our imperfect Eye
Has doom'd, and fix'd to one Eternal Sky,
Each by a native ſtock of Honour great,
May dart ftrong Influence, and diffufe kind Heat,
It ſelf a Sun; and with tranfmiffive Light
Enliven Worlds deny'd to human Sight:
Around the Circles of their ambient Skies
New Moons may grow or wane, may fet or rife;
And other Stars may to thofe Suns be Earths;
Give their own Elements their proper Births;
Divide their Climes, or elevate their Pole ;
See their Land flouriſh, and their Oceans roll;
Yet theſe great Orbs thus radically bright,
Primitive Founts, and Origins of Light,
May each to other (as their diff'rent Sphere
Makes or their Diſtance, or their Height appear)
Be feen a nobler, or inferior Star;
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
333
And in that Space, which We call Air and Sky,
Myriads of Earths, and Moons, and Suns may lie
Unmeafur'd and unknown by human Eye.
In vain We meaſure this amazing Sphere,
And find and fix its Centre here or there;
While its Circumf'rence fcorning to be brought
Ev'n into fancy'd Space, illudes our vanquish'd Thought.
Where then are all the radiant Monsters driv'n,
With which your Gueffes fill'd the frighten'd Heav'n ?
Where will their fitous Images remain ?
In Paper Schemes, and the CHALDEAN'S Brain.
This Problem yet, this Offspring of a Gueſs,
Let Us for once a Child of Truth confefs;
That thefe fair Stars, thefe Objects of Delight
And Terror, to our fearching dazl'd Sight,
Are Worlds immenfe, unnumber'd, infinite :
But do thefe Worlds difplay their Beams, or guide
Their Orbs, to ferve thy Ufe, to pleaſe thy Pride?
Thy felf but Duft; thy Stature but a Span,
A Moment thy Duration; fooliſh Man!
As well may the minuteſt Emmet fay,
That CAUCASUS was rais'd to pave his Way:
The Snail, that LEBANON's extended Wood
Was deftin'd only for his Walk and Food;
The vileft Cockle, gaping on the Coaſt
That rounds the ample Seas as well may boaſt,
The craggy Rock projects above the Sky,
That He in Safety at its Foot may lie ;
And the whole Ocean's confluent Waters (well,
тала
Only to quench his Thirft, or move and Blanch his Shell.
A higher Flight the vent'rous GODDESS tries,
Leaving material Worlds, and local Skies :
Enquires, what are the Beings, where the Space,
That form'd and held the ANGELS ancient Race.
For
334
POEM's on feveral Occafions.
For Rebel LUCIFER with MICHAEL fought
(I offer only what Tradition taught)
Embattl'd Cherub againſt Cherub roſe;
Did Shield to Shield, and Pow'r to Pow'r oppofe:
Heav'n rung with Triumph: Hell was fill'd with
Woes.
What were theſe Forms of which your Volumes tell,
How fome fought great, and others recreant fell:
Theſe bound to bear an everlaſting Load,
Durance of Chain, and Banifhment of God;
By fatal Turns their wretched Strength to tire;
To fwim in fulph'rous Lakes, or land on folid Fire:
Whilft thofe exalted to primæval Light,
Exceſs of Bleffing, and Supreme Delight,
Only perceive fome little Paufe of Joys
In thoſe great Moments, when their God employs
Their Miniſtry, to pour his threaten'd Hate
On the proud King, or the Rebellious State;
Or to reverfe JEHOVAH's high Command,
And ſpeak the Thunder falling from his Hand,
When to his Duty the proud King returns,
And the rebellious State in Aſhes mourns.
How can good Angels be in Heav'n confin'd;
Or view that Prefence, which no Space can bind?
Is GOD above, beneath, or yon', or here?
He who made all, is He not ev'ry where?
Oh how can wicked Angels find a Night
So dark, to hide 'em from that piercing Light,
Which form'd the Eye, and gave the Pow'r of Sight?
What mean I now of Angel, when I hear
Firm Body, Spirit pure, or fluid Air? ·
Spirits to Actions fpiritual confin'd,
Friends to our Thought, and Kindred to our Mind,
Should only act and prompt us from within,
Nor by external Eye be ever feen.
Was
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
335
Was it not therefore to our Fathers known,
That theſe had Appetite, and Limb, and Bone?
Elfe how could ABRAM wash their weary'd Feet;
Or SARAH pleaſe their Taſte with fav'ry Meat?
Whence fhould they fear? or why did Lor engage
To fave their Bodies from abufive Rage,
And how could JACOB, in a real Fight,
Feel or refift the wreſtling Angel's might?
How could a Form its Strength with Matter try?
Or how a Spirit touch a Mortal's Thigh?
Now are they Air condens'd, or gather'd Rays?
How guide they then our Pray'r, or keep our Ways,
By ftronger Blafts ftill fubject to be toft,
By Tempeſts ſcatter'd, and in Whirlwinds loft?
Have they again (as Sacred Song proclaims)
Subſtances real, and exifting Frames ?
How comes it, fince with them we jointly ſhare
The great Effect of one Creator's Care;
That whilft our Bodies ficken, and decay,
Their's are for ever healthy, young, and gay?
Why whilft We ftruggle in this Vale beneath,
With Want and Sorrow, with Difeafe and Death,
Do They more blefs'd perpetual Life employ
On Songs of Pleaſure, and in Scenes of Joy?
Now when my Mind has all this World furvey'd,
And found, that Nothing by it felf was made;
When Thought has rais'd it ſelf by Juſt Degrees,
From Vallies crown'd with Flow'rs, and Hills with Trees,
From fmoaking Min'ral, and from rifing Streams;
From fatt'ning NILUS, or victorious THAMES;
From all the Living, that four-footed move
Along the Shoar, the Meadow, or the Grove;
From all that can with Fins, or Feathers fly,
Thro' the Aerial, or the Wat'ry Sky;
From
܃
336
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
From the poor Reptile with a reas'ning Soul,
That miferable Mafter of the Whole;
From this great Object of the Body's Eye,
This fair Half-round, this ample azure Sky,
Terribly large, and wonderfully bright
With Stars unnumber'd, and unmeaſur'd Light;
From Effences unfeen, Celeſtial Names,
Enlight'ning Spirits, and minifterial Flames,
Angels, Dominions, Potentates, and Thrones,
All that in each Degree the Name of Creature owns:
Lift we our Reaſon to that Sov'reign Caufe,
ཀ
[Laws;
Who bleft the whole with Life, and bounded it with
Who forth from Nothing call'd this comely Frame,
His Will and Act, His Word and Work the ſame;
To whom a thousand Years are but a Day;
Who bad the Light her genial Beams diſplay;
And fet the Moon, and taught the Sun his Way:
Who waking Time, his Creature, from the Source
Primæval, order'd his predeftin'd Course:
Himſelf, as in the Hollow of his Hand,
Holding, obedient to His High Command,
The deep Abyſs, the long continu'd Store,
[pour
Where Months, and Days, and Hours, and Minutes
Their floating Parts, and thenceforth are no more.
This ALPHA and OMEGA, Firft and Laft,
Who like the Potter in a Mould has caft
The World's great Fame, commanding it to be
Such as the Eyes of Senfe and Reafon tee;
Yet if He wills, may change or fpoil the whole;
May take yon' beauteous, myftic, ftarry Roll,
And burn it, like an uſeleſs parchment Scroll :
May from its Bafis in one Moment pour
This melted Earth
Like liquid Metal, and like burning Oar:
}
Who
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
337
Who fole in Pow'r, at the Beginning faid;
Let Sea, and Air, and Earth, and Heav'n be made:
And it was fo- And when He fhall ordain
In other Sort, has but to ſpeak again,
And They ſhall be no more: Of this great Theme,
This Glorious, Hallow'd, Everlaſting Name,
This GOD, I would difcourfe
The learned Elders fat appal'd, amaz'd;
And each with mutual Look on other gaz'd,
Nor Speech They meditate, nor Anſwer frame:
Too plain, alas! their Silence spake their Shame:
'Till One, in whom an outward Mien appear'd,
And Turn fuperior to the vulgar Herd,
Began; that Human Learning's furtheft Reach
Was but to note the Doctrines I could teach;
That Mine to Speak, and Theirs was to Obey :
For I in Knowledge more, than Pow'r did ſway:
And the aſtoniſh'd World in Me beheld
Moses eclips'd, and JESSE's Son excell'd.
Humble a Second bow'd, and took the Word;
Forfaw my Name by future Age ador❜d.
O Live, faid He, Thou Wifeft of the Wife!
As None has equall'd, None fhall ever rife
Excelling Thee
Parent of wicked, Bane of honeft Deeds,
Pernicious Flatt'ry! Thy malignant Seeds
In an ill Hour, and by a fatal Hand
Sadly diffus'd o'er Virtue's Gleby Land,
With rifing Pride amidst the Corn appear,
And choak the Hopes and Harveſt of the Year.
And now the whole perplex'd ignoble Crowd
Mute to my Queſtions, in my Praiſes loud,
Echo'd the Word: whence Things aroſe, or how
They thus exiſt, the Apteft nothing know:
What
'
338
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
}
What yet is not, but is ordain'd to be,
All Veil of Doubt apart, the Dulleft fee.
My Prophets, and my Sophifts finiſh'd here
Their Civil Efforts of the Verbal War:
Not fo my Rabbins, and Logicians yield;
Retiring till they combat: from the Field
Of open Arms unwilling they depart,
And fculk behind the Subterfuge of Art.
To ſpeak one Thing mix'd Dialects they join ;
Divide the Simple, and the Plain define ;
Fix fancy'd Laws, and form imagin'd Rules,
Terms of their Art, and Jargon of their Schools,
Ill-grounded Maxims by falfe Glofs enlarg'd,
And captious Science againſt Reafon charg'd.
Soon their crude Notions with each other fought:
The adverſe Sect deny'd, what This had taught;
And He at length the ampleft Triumph gain'd,
Who contradicted what the laft maintain'd.
O wretched Impotence of human Mind!
We erring ftill Excufe for Error find;
And darkling grope, not knowing We are blind.
Vain Man! fince firft the blufhing Sire effay'd
His Folly with connected Leaves to ſhade;
How does the Crime of thy reſembling Race
With like Attempt that priftine Error trace?
Too plain thy Nakedneſs of Soul eſpy'd,
Why doft Thou ftrive the conſcious Shame to hide
By Masks of Eloquence, and Veils of Pride?
With outward Smiles their Flatt'ry I receiv'd;
Own'd my Sick Mind by their Difcourfe reliev'd;
But bent and inward to my Self again
Perplex'd, theſe Matters I revolv'd; in vain.
My Search ſtill tir'd, my Labour ſtill renew'd,
At length I Ignorance, and Knowledge view'd,
}
}
Impar-
POEMS on several Occafions.
339
Impartial; Both in equal Balance laid
[weigh'd.
Light flew the knowing Scale; the doubtful Heavy
Forc'd by reflective Reaſon, I confeſs,
That human Science is uncertain Gueſs.
Alas! We grafp at Clouds, and beat the Air,
Vexing that Spirit We intend to clear.
Can Thought beyond the Bounds of Matter climb!
Or who ſhall tell Me, what is Space or Time?
In vain We lift up our prefumptuous Eyes
To what our Maker to their Ken denies :
The Searcher follows faft; the Object fafter flies.
The little which imperfe&ly We find,
Seduces only the bewilder'd Mind
To fruitless Search of Something yet behind.
Various Difcuffions tear our heated Brain:
Opinions often turn; ftill Doubts remain;
And who indulges Thought, increafes Pain,
How narrow Limits were to Wiſdom giv’a?
Earth She furveys; She thence would meaſure Heav'a:
Thro' Miſts obſcure, now wings her tedious Way;
Now wanders dazl'd with too bright a Day;
And from the Summit of a pathlels Coaſt
Sees INFINITE, and in that Sight is loft.
Remember, that the curs'd Defire to know,
Off (pring of ADAM, was thy Source of Woe.
Why wilt Thou then renew the vain Purſuit,
And rafhly catch at the forbidden Fruit?
With empty Labour and eluded Strife
Seeking, by Knowledge, to attain to Life;
For ever from that fatal Tree debarr'd,
Which flaming Swords and angry CHERUBS guard.
Q &
PLEA
}
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1
J
1
५
29
PLEASURE:
THE
SECOND BOOK.
The ARGUMENT.
SOLOMON again feeking Happineſs, enquires
if Wealth and Greatness can produce it:
begins with the Magnificence of Gardens and
Buildings, the Luxury of Mufic and Feaft-
ing; and proceeds to the Hopes and Defires
of Love. In two Episodes are fhewn the
Follies and Troubles of that Paffion. So-
LOMON ftill diſappointed, falls under the
Temptations of Libertinism and Idolatry;
recovers his Thought, reaſons aright, and
concludes, that as to the pursuit of Pleaſure,
and fenfual Delight, ALL IS VANITY
AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT.
Q 3
TEXTS
TEXTS chiefly alluded to in this
1
BOOK.
I faid in my own Heart, go to now, I will prove thee
with Mirth; therefore enjoy Pleafure. ECCLESI-
ASTES, Chap. II. Verf. 1.
I made me great Works, I builded me Houfes, I plant-
ted me Vineyards. Verf. 4.
I made me Gardens and Orchards; and I planted
Trees in them of all kinds of Fruits. Verf. 5.
I made me Pools of Water, to Water therewith the
Wood that bringeth forth Trees. Verf. 6.
Then I looked on all the Works that my Hands had
wrought, and on the Labour that I had laboured to do:
And behold, all was Vanity, and Vexation of Spirit;
and there was no Profit under the Sun. Verf. 11.
I gat me Men-Singers and Women-Singers, and the de-
lights of the Sons of Men, as Mufical Inftruments,
and that of all Sorts. Verf. 8.
1
I fought in mine Heart to give myſelf unto Wine (yet
acquainting mine Heart with Wifdom) and to lay
hold on Folly, 'till I might fee what was that Good
for the Sons of Men, which they ſhould do under
Heaven, all the Days of their Life. Verf. 3.
Then I faid in my Heart, as it happeneth unto the
Fool, fo it happeneth even unto Me; and why was
I then more Wife? Then I faid in my Heart, that
this alfo is Vanity. Verf. 15.
Therefore I hated Life, becauſe the Work that is
wrought under the Sun is grievous unto me. Chap. II.
Verf. 27.
Dead Flies caufe the Ointment to fend forth a flinking
Savour: fo doth the little Folly him that is in Repu-
tation for Wiſdom and Honour. Chap. X. Verf. 1.
The Memory of the Juft is bleffed, but the Memory of
the Wicked ſhall rot. PROVERES, Chap. X. Verf. 7.
PLEA
PLEASURE:
THE
SECOND BOO K.
T
RY then, O Man, the Moments to deceive,
That from the Womb attend Thee to the
Grave:
For weary'd Nature find fome apter Scheme:
Health be thy Hope; and Pleaſure be thy Theme:
From the perplexing and unequal Ways,
Where Study brings Thee; from the endleſs Maze,
Which Doubt perfuades to run, forewarn'd recade,
To the gay Field, and flow'ry Path, that lead
To jocund Mirth, foft Joy, and careless Eafe:
Forfake what may inftruct, for what may pleafe:
Effay amusing Art, and proad Expence:
And make thy Reaſon fubject to thy Senfe.
I commun'd thus: the Pow'r of Wealth I try'd,
And all the various Luxe of coftly Pride,
Artiſts and Plans reliev'd my folemn Hours:
I founded Palaces, and planted Bow'rs.
Birds, Fiſhes, Beafts of each Exotic Kind
I to the Limits of my Court confin'd.
To Trees transferr'd I gave a ſecond Birth;
And bid a foreign Shade grace JUDAH's Earth.
Fiſh-ponds were made, where former Foreſts
And Hills were levell'd to extend the View.
Q4
grew;
Rivers
!
344
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Rivers diverted from their Native Courſe,
And bound with Chains of Artificial Force,
From large Caſcades in pleafing Tumult roll'd;
Or rofe thro' figur'd Stone, or breathing Gold.
From furtheft AFRICA's tormented Womb
The Marble brought, erects the fpacious Dome,
Or forms the Pillars long-extended Rows,
On which the planted Grove, and penfile Garden grows.
The Workmen here obey the Mafter's Call,
To gild the Turret, and to paint the Wall;
To mark the Pavement there with various Stone:
And on the Jafper Steps to rear the Throne :
The ſpreading Cedar, that an Age had ſtood,
Supreme of Trees, and Miftrefs of the Wood,
Cut down and carv'd, my fhining Roof adorns,
And LEBANON his ruin'd Honor mourns.
A thouſand Artifts fhew their cunning Pow'r,
To raiſe the Wonders of the Iv'ry Tow'r.
A thouſand Maidens ply the purple Loom,
To weave the Bed, and deck the Regal Room
'Till TYRE confeffes her exhaufted Store,
That on her Coaft the Murex is no more;
'Till from the PARIAN Ifle, and LIBYA's Coaſt,
The Mountains grieve their hopes of Marble loft;
And INDIA's Woods return their Juſt Complaint,
Their Brood decay'd, and want of Elephant,
My full Deſign with vaft Expence atchiev'd,
I came, beheld, admir'd, reflected, griev'd,
I chid the folly of my thoughtless Haft:
For, the Work perfected, the Joy was paſt.
To my new Courts fad Thought did ſtill repair;
And round my gilded Roofs hung hov'ring Care.
In vain on filken Beds I fought Repoſe;
And reſtlefs oft from purple Couches rofe;
Vexations
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
345
Vexatious Thought ſtill found my flying Mind
Nor bound by Limits, nor to Place confin'd;
Haunted my Nights, and terrify'd my Days;
Stalk'd thro' my Gardens, and purfa'd my Ways,
Nor ſhut from artful Bow'r, nor loft in winding Maze.
Yet take thy Bent, my Soul; another Senſe
Indulge; add Mufic to Magnificence:
Effay, if Harmony may Grief controll;
Or Pow'r of Sound prevail upon the Soul.
Often our Seers and Poets have confeft,
That Mufic's Force can tame the furious Beaft;
Can make the Wolf, or foaming Boar reſtrain
His Rage; the Lion drop his crefted Main,
Attentive to the Song; the Lynx forget
His Wrath to Man, and lick the Minstrel's Feet.
Are we, alas! leſs favage yet then theſe?
Elfe Mufic fure may human Cares appeafe.
I fpake my Purpoſe; and the chearful Choir
Parted their Shares of Harmony: the Lyre
Soften'd the Timbrel's Noife: the Trumpet's Sound
Provok'd the DORIAN Flute (both fweeter found
When mix'd :) the Fife the Viol's Notes refin'd
And ev'ry Strength with ev'ry Grace was join'd.
Each Morn they wak'd Me with a ſprightly Lay;
Of opening Heav'n they Sung, and gladfome Day.
Each Evening their repeated Skill exprefs'd
Scenes of Repofe, and Images of Reſt :
Yet ftill in vain for Mufic gather'd Thought:
But how unequal the Effects it brought?
The foft Ideas of the chearful Note,
Lightly receiv'd, were eafily forgot:
The folemn Violence of the graver found
Knew to strike deep, and leave a lafting Wound.
Q5
And
546
POEMS on feveral Occafions:
And now reflecting, with Grief defcry
The fickly Luft of the fantaftic Eye;
How the weak Organ is with feeing cloy'd,
Flying ere Night what it at Noon enjoy'd.
And now (anhappy Search of T'ho ght !) I found
The fickle Ear foon glutted with the Sound,
Condemn'd eternal Changes to puriue,
Tir'd with the laſt, and eager of the New.
I bad the Virgins and the Youth advance,
To temper Mufic with the (prightly Dance.
In Vain! too low the Aimic Motions feem ;
What takes our Heart, muft merit our Esteem,
Nature, I thought. perform'd too mean a Part,
Forming her Movements to the Rules of Art;
And vex'd I found. that the Mulcian's Hand
Had o'er the Dancer's Mind too great Command.
I drank; I lik'd it not: 'twas Rage; 'twas Noife;
An airy Scene of tranfitory Joys.
In vain I truſted, that the flowing Bowl
Would banish Sorrow, and enlarge the Soul.
To the late Revel, and protracted Feaft
Wild Dreams fucceeded, and disorder'd Reft;
And as at Dawn of Morn fair Reaſon's Light
Broke thro' the Fumes and Phantoms of the Night;
What had been faid, I ask'd my Soul, what done ;
How flow'd our Mirth, and whence the Source begun!
Perhaps the Jeft that charm'd the (prightly Croud,
And made the Jovial Table laugh ſo loud,
To fome falle Notion ow'd its poor Pretence,
To an ambiguous Word's perverted Senſe,
To a wild Sonnet, or a wanton Air,
Offence and Torture to the Sober Ear.
Perhaps, alas! the pleafing Stream was brought
From this Man's Error, from another's Fault;
From
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
347
From Topics which Good-nature would forget,
And Prudence mention with the laſt Regret.
Add yet unnumber'd Ills, that lie unſeen
In the Pernicious Draught; the Word obſcene,
Or harsh, which once elanc'd muſt ever fly
Irrevocable; the too prompt Reply,
Seed of fevere Diftruft, and fierce Debate;
What We ſhould ſhun, and what We ought to hate.
Add too the Blood impoverish'd, and the Courie
Of Health fupprefs'd, by Wine's continu'd Force.
Unhappy Man! whom Sorrow thus and Rage
To diffrent Ills alternately engage.
Who drinks, alas! but to forget; nor fees,
That melancholy Sloth, fevere Diſeaſe,
Mem'ry confu 'd, and interrupted Thought,
Death's Harbingers, lie latent in the Draught:
And in the Flow'rs that wreath the ſparkling Bowl.
Fell Aders hifs, and poys'nous Serpents roll.
·Love,
Remains there Ought untry'd, that may remove
Sickneſs of Mind, and heal the Bofom?
Love yet Remains: Indulge his genial Fire,
Cherish fair Hope, folicit young Defire,
And boldly bid thy anxious Soul explore
This laſt great Remedy's Myſterious Pow'r.
Why therefore hefitates my doubtful Breaſt?
Why ceaſes it one Moment to be bleft;
Fly (wift, my Friends; my Servants, fly; imploy
Your inftant Pains to bring your Maſter Joy.
Let all my Wives and Concubines be dreís'd:
Let them to-night attend the Royal Feaft;
All ISRAEL'S Beauty, all the foreign Fair;
The Gifts of Princes, or the Spoils of War.
Before their Monarch They fhall fingly pafs;
And the moft Worthy fhall obtain the Grace,
I faid:
¡
348
POEMS on feveral Occafions:
;
}
I faid: the Feaft was ferv'd: the Bowl was crown'd';
To the King's Pleaſure went the mirthful round:
The Women came: as Cuftom wills, they paft:
On one (O`that diſtinguiſh'd One! I caſt
The fav'rite Glance! O! yet my Mind retains
That fond Beginning of my infant Pains.
Mature the Virgin was of EGYPT's Race:
Grace fhap'd her Limbs; and Beauty deck'd her Face:
Eafy her Motion feem'd, ferene her Air:
Full, tho' unzon'd, her Bofom rofe: her Hair
Unty'd, and ignorant of artful Aid,
Adown her Shoulders loofely lay diſplay'd;
And in the Jetty Curles ten thoufand CUPID's play'd.
Fix'd on her Charms, and pleas'd that I could love,
Aid me my Friends, contribute to improve
Your Monarch's Bliss, I faid; freſh Roſes bring
To ftrow my Bed; 'till the impov'rish'd Spring
Confefs her Want; around my am'rous Head
Be dropping Myrrhe, and liquid Amber fhed,
'Till ARAB has no more. From the foft Lyre,
Sweet Flute, and ten- ftring'd Inftrument, require
Sounds of Delight: and Thou, fair Nymph, draw nigh;
Thou in whofe graceful Form, and potent Eye
Thy Mafter's Joy long fought at length is found;
And as thy Brow, let my defires be crown'd;
O fav'rite Virgin, that haſt warm'd the Breaſt,
Whofe fov'reign Dictates fubjugate the Eaſt!
I faid; and fudden from the Golden Throne
With a fubmiffive Step I hafted down.
The glowing Garland from my Hair I took,
Love in my Heart, Obedience in my Look;
Prepar'd to place it on her comely Head:
O fav'rite Virgin! (yet again I ſaid)
Receive
PO EMS on feveral Occafions.
349
Receive the Honors deſtin'd to thy Brow;
And O above thy Fellows happy Thou!
Their Duty muft thy fov'reign Word obey.
Rife up, my Love, my fair One, come away.
What Pang, alas! what Ecftafy of Smart
Tore up my Senfes,
and transfix'd my Heart;
When She with modeft Scorn the Wreath return'd,
Reclin'd her beauteous Neck, and inward mourn'd?
Forc'd by my Pride, I my Concern fupprefs'd,
Pretended Drowſineſs, and Wiſh of Reſt;
And fullen I forfook th' Imperfect Feaft:
Ordering the Eunuchs, to whoſe proper Care
Our Eaſtern Grandeur gives th' imprifon'd Fair,
To lead her forth to a diſtinguiſh'd Bow'r,
And bid her drefs the Bed, and wait the Hour.
•
Reftless I follow'd this obdurate Maid
(Swift are the Steps that Love and Anger tread)
Approach'd her Perfon, courted her Embrace,
Renew'd my Flame, repeated my Difgrace:
By Turns put on the Suppliant, and the Lord:
Threaten'd this Moment, and the next implor'd;
Offer'd again the unaccepted Wreath,
And Choice of happy Love, or inftant Death.
Averfe to all her am'rous King defir'd,
Far as She might, She decently retir'd:
And darting Scorn, and Sorrow from her Eyes,
What means, faid She, King SOLOMON the Wife?
This wretched Body trembles at your Pow'r:
Thus far could Fortune: but She can no more.
Free to her felf my potent Mind remains ;
Nor fears the Victor's Rage, nor feels his Chains,
'Tis faid, that Thou canst plaufibly diſpute,
Supreme of Seers, of Angel, Man, and Brute;
}
Canft
359
POEM on several Occafions.
Canft plead with ſubtil Wit and fair Diſcourſe,
Of Paffion's Folly, and of Reafon's Force.
That to the Tribes attentive Thou canst ſhow,
Whence their Misfortunes, or their Rieffings flow.
That Thou in Science, as in Pow'r art great;
And Truth and Honour on Thy Edicts wait.
Where is that Knowledge now, that Regal Thought
With juft Advice and timely Counſel fraught?
Where now, O Judge of ISRAEL, does it rove?
What in one Moment doft Thou offer? Love
Love? why 'tis Joy or Sorrow, Peace or Strife?
'Tis all the Color of remaining Life:
And Human Mis'ry muſt begin or end,
As He becomes a Tyrant, or a Friend.
Would DAVID's Son, religious, jutt and grave,
To the first Bride-bed of the World receive,
A Foreigner, a Heathen, and a Slave?
Or grant, Thy Paffion has theſe Names deſtroy'd;
That Love, like Death, makes all Diſtinction void;
Yet in his Empire o'er Thy abject Breaft,
His Flames and Torments only are expreft:
His Rage can in my Smiles alone relent:
And all his Joys folicit my Confent
Soft Love, fpontaneous Tree, its parted Root
Muft from two Hearts with equal Vigour fhoot:
Whilſt each delighted, and delighting, gives
The pleafing Ecſtaſy, which each receives:
Cherish'd with Hope, and fed with Joy it grows:
Its chearful Buds their opening Bloom diſclofe;
And round the happy, Soil diffuſive Odor flows.
If angry Fate that mutual Care denies;
The fading Plant bewails its due Supplies:
Wild with Despair, or fick with Grief, it dies.
By
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
35B
By Force Beafts act, and are by Force reftrain'd:
The Human Mind by gentle Means is gain'd.
Thy uſeleſs Strength, miftaken King, employ:
Sated with Rage, and ignorant of Joy,
Thou fhalt not gain what I deny to yield;
Nor reap the Harveft, tho' Thou fpon.'it the Field.
Know, SOLOMON, Thy poor Extent of Sway;
Contract thy Brow, and ISRAEL fhall obey:
But wilful Love Thou muſt with Smiles appeaſe;
Approach his awful Throne by juſt Degrees;
And if Thou would't be Happy, learn to pleaſe.
Not that thoſe Arts can here fuccessful
For I am diftin'd to another's Love.
Beyond the cruel Bounds of Thy Command,
To my dear Equal, in my Native Land,
My plighted Vow I gave: I His receiv'd:
Each fwore with Truth, with Pleafure each believ'
The mutual Contract was to Heav'n convey'd:
In equal Scales the bufy Angels weigh'd
prove;
Its folemn Force, and clap'd their Wings, and ſpread
The lafting Roll, recording what We faid.
Now in my Heart behold Thy Poinard ſtain’d;
Take the fad Life which I have long disdain'd;
End, in a dying Virgin's wretched Fate,
Thy ill-ſtarr'd Paffion, and My ftedfaſt Hate.
For long as Blood informs thefe circling Veins;
Or fleeting Breath its lateſt Pow'r retains:
Hear me to EGYPT's vengeful Gods declare,
Hate is my Part: be Thine, O King, Deſpair.
Now ftrike, She ſaid, and open'd bare her Breaft;
Stand it in JUDAH's Chronicles confeft,
That DAVID'S Son, by impious Paffion mov❜d,
Smote a She-Slave, and murder'd what He lov'd,
}
Afham'd,
352
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Afham'd, confus'd, I ſtarted from the Bed;
And to my Soul yet uncollected faid:
Into Thy felf, fond SOLOMON, return;
Reflect again, and Thou again fhalt mourn.
When I through number'd Years have Pleaſure fought;
And in vain Hope the wanton Phantom caught;
To mock my Senfe, and mortify my Pride,
'Tis in another's Pow'r, and is deny'd,
Am I a King, great Heav'n! does Life or Death
Hang on the Wrath, or Mercy of My Breath ;
While kneeling I My Servant's Smiles implore;
And One mad Dam'fel dares difpute My Pow'r ?
To Raviſh Her? That Thought was foon deprefs'd,
Which muft debaſe the Monarch to the Beaſt.
To fend Her back? O whither, and to whom?
To Lands where SOLOMON muft never come;
To that Infulting Rival's happy Arms,
For whom, difdaining Me, She keeps her Charms.
Fantaſtic Tyrant of the am'rous Heart;
How hard Thy Yoke! how cruel is Thy Dart!
Thoſe ſcape Thy Anger, who refuſe Thy Sway;
And thofe are puniſh'd moft, who moft Obey.
See JUDAH'S King revere thy greater Pow'r:
What canft Thou covet, or how triumph more?
Why then, O LOVE, with an obdurate Ear
Does this proud Nymph reject a Monarch's Pray'r?
Why to fome fimple Shepherd does She run,
From the fond Arms of DAVID's Fav'rite Son?
Why flies fhe from the Glories of a Court,
Where Wealth and Pleaſure may Thy Reign fupport,
To fome poor Cottage on the Mountain's Brow,
Now bleak with Winds, and cover'd now with Snow:
Where pinching Want muft curb her warm Defires,
And Houfhold Cares fupprefs Thy Genial Fires?
ї
Too
POEMS on feveral Occafions:
353
Too aptly the afflicted Heathens prove
The Force, while they erect the Shrines of Love,
His Mystic Form the Artizans of GREECE
In wounded Stone, or molten Gold expreſs:
And CYPRUS to his Godhead pays her Vow:
Faft in his Hand the Idol holds his Bow:
A Quiver by his Side fuftains his Store
Of pointed Darts; fad Emblems of his Pow'r :
A pair of Wings He has, which He extends
Now to be gone; which now again He bends
Prone to return, as beſt may ferve his wanton Ends.
Entirely thus I find the Fiend pourtray'd,
Since first alas! I faw the beauteous Maid:
I felt Him ftrike; and now I fee Him fly:
Curs'd Dæmon! O! for ever Broken lie
Thoſe fatal Shafts, by which I inward bleed!
O! can my Wiſhes yet o'ertake thy Speed!
Tir'd may'ft Thou pant, and hang thy flagging Wing;
Except thou turn'ft Thy Courfe, refolv'd to bring
The Dam'fel back, and fave the Love-fick King.
My Soul thus ftruggling in the fatal Net,
Unable to enjoy, or to forget;
I reafon'd much, alas! but more I lov'd;
Sent and recall'd, ordain'd and difapprov'd;
'Till hopeleſs plung'd in an Abyſs of Grief,
I from Neceffity receiv'd Relief:
Time gently aided to affwage my Pain;
And Wiſdom took once more the flacken'd Reign,
But O how ſhort my Interval of Woe!
Our Griefs how fwift; our Remedies how flow!
Another Nymph (for fo did Heav'n ordain,
To change the Manner, but renew the Pain)
Another Nymph, amongst the many Fair,
That made my fofter Hours their folemn Care,
}
Before
354
ProAMS on ſeveral Occaſions.
Before the reft affected ſtill to ftand ;
And watch'd my Eye, preventing My Command.
ABRA, She fo was call'd, did fooneſt haſt
To grace my Prefence; ABRA went the laſt :
ABRA was ready ere I'callid her Name;
And tho' I call'd another, ABRA came.
Her Equals firft obferv'd her growing Zeal;
And laughing glofs'd, that ABRA ferv'd ſo well.
To Me her Actions did unheeded die,
Or were remark'd but with a common Eye;
'Till more appriz'd of what the Rumour ſaid,
More I obſerv'd peculiar in the Maid.
The Sun declin'd had ſhot his Weſtern Ray;
When tir'd with Bufinefs of the folemn Day,
I purpoſe to unbend the Evening Hours,
And banquet private in the Women's Bow'rs.
I call'd before I fat to wash my Hands:
For fo the Precept of the Law commands,
Love had ordain'd, that it was ABRA's Turn
To mix the Sweets, and minifter the Urn.
:
With awful Homage, and fubmiffive Dread
The Maid approach'd, on my declining Head
To pour the Oils: She trembled as the pour'd;
With an unguarded Look She now devour'd
My nearer Face; and now recall'd her Eye,
And heav'd, and ftrove to hide a fudden Sigh.
And whence, faid I, canft: Thou have Dread, or Pain
What can thy Imag'ry of Sorrow mean?
Secluded from the World, and all its Care,
Haft Thou to grieve or joy, to hope or fear?
For fure, I added, fure thy little Heart
Ne'er felt Love's Anger, nor receiv'd his Dart.
Abath'd She bluſh'd, and with Diſorder ſpoke:
Her rifing Shame adorn'd the Words it broke,
If
Forms on feveral Occafions. 35.5
If the great Mafter will defcend´to hear
The humble Series of His Hand-maid's Care?
O! while She tells it, let him not put on
The Look, that awes the Nations from the Throne:
O! let not Death fevere in Glory lie
In the King's Frown, and Terror of his Eye.
Mine to obey; Thy Part is to ordain ;
And tho' to mention, be to fuffer Pain;
If the King ſmile, whilft I my Woe recite;
If weeping I find Favour in His Sight;
Flow fast my Tears, full rifing his Delight.
O! Witneſs Earth beneath, and Heav'n above;
For can I hide it? I am fick of Love:
If Madneſs may the Name of Paffion bear;
Or Love be call'd, what is indeed Deſpair.
Thou Sov'reign Pow'r, whofe fecret Will controlls
The inward Bent and motion of our Souls!
Why haft Thou plac'd fuch infinite Degrees
Between the Cauſe and Cure of my Diſeaſe?
The mighty Object of that raging Fire,
In which unpity'd ABRA muft expire,
Had He been born fome fimple Shepherd's Heir,
The lowing Herd, or fleecy Sheep his Care;
At Morn with him I o'er the Hills had run,
Scornful of Winter's Froft, and Summer's Sun.
Still asking, where He made his Flock to reft at Noon.
For him at Night, the dear expected Guest,
I had with hafty Joy prepar'd the Feaft;
And from the Cottage, o'er the diſtant Plain,
Sent forth my longing Eye to meet the Swain;
Wav'ring, impatient, tofs'd by Hope and Fear;
'Till He and Joy together ſhould appear ;
And the lov❜d Dog declare his Mafter near.
M
}
Qo
ඊ
356
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
On my declining Neck, and open Breaft,
I ſhould have lull'd the lovely Youth to Reft;
And from beneath his Head, at dawning Day,
With foftest Care have ftoln my Arm, away;
To rife and from the Fold releaſe the Sheep,
Fond of his Flock, indulgent to his Sleep.
Or if kind Heav'n propitious to my Flame
(For fure from Heav'n the faithful Ardor came)
Had bleft my Life, and deck'd my natal Hour
With Height of Title, and Extent of Pow'r :
Without a Crime my Paffion had aſpir'd,
Found the lov'd Prince, and told what I defir'd.
Then had come, preventing SHEBA's Queen,
To fee the comelieft of the Sons of Men;
To hear the charming Poet's-am'rous Song,
And gather Honey falling from his Tongue:
To take the fragrant Kiffes of his Mouth,
Sweeter than Breezes of her native South ;-
Likening his Grace, his Perfon, and his Mien
To all that Great or Beauteous I had feen.
Serene and bright his Eyes, as folar Beams
Reflecting temper'd Light from Chryftal Streams;
Ruddy as Gold his Cheek; his Bofom fair
As Silver; the curl'd Ringlets of his Hair
Black as the Raven's Wing; his Lip more red,
Than Eaftern Coral, or the Scarlet Thread;
Even his Teeth, and white like a young Fleck
Coeval, newly fhorn, from the clear Brook
Recent, and blanching on the Sunny Rock.
Iv'ry with Saphirs interfpers'd, explains.
How white his Hands, how blue the Manly Veins.
Columns of poliſh'd Marble firmly ſet
On golden Baſes, are his Legs and Feet.
}
H
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions. 357
His Stature all Majeftic, all Divine,
Straight as the Palm-tree, ftrong as is the Pine.
Saffron and Myrrhe are on his Garments, fhed:
And everlaſting Sweets bloom round his Head.
What utter I? where am I? wretched Maid!
Die, ABRA, die: too plainly haft Thou faid
Thy Soul's Defire to meet his High Embrace,
And Bleffings ftamp'd upon thy future Race;
To bid attentive Nations bleſs thy Womb,
With unborn Monarchs charg'd,and SOLOMONs to come.
Here o'er her Speech her flowing Eyes prevail.
O fooliſh Maid! and O unhappy Tale!
My fuff'ring Heart for ever fhall defy
New Wounds, and Danger from a future Eye.
O! yet my tortur'd Senfes deep retain
The wretched Mem'ry of my former Pain,
The dire Affront, and my EGYPTIAN Chain.
As Time, I faid, may happily efface
That cruel Image of the King's Difgrace;
Imperial Reaſon ſhall reſume her Seat;
And SOLOMON once fall'n, again be great.
Betray'd by Paffion, as fubdu'd in War,
We wifely ſhould exert a double Care,
Nor ever ought a fecond time to Err.
This ABRA then-
I faw Her; 'twas Humanity; it gave
Some Refpite to the Sorrows of my Slave.
Her fond Exceſs proclaim'd her Paffion true;
And generous Pity to that Truth was due.
Well I intreated Her, who well deferv'd;
I call'd Her often; for She always ferv'd.
Uſe made her Perfon eaſy to my Sight;
And Eafe infenfibly produc'd Delight.
}
MA
When-
*
358
Pozмs on feveral Occafions.
Whene'er I revell'd in the Women's Bow're
(For firft I fought her but at loofer Hours)
The Apples She had gather'd fmelt moft fweet:
The Cake She kneaded was the fav'ry Meat:
But Fruits their Odor loft, and Meats their Tafte:
If gentle ABRA had not deck'd the Feaft.
Dishonour'd did the fparkling Goblet ſtand:
Unleſs receiv'd from gentle ABRA's Hand:
And when the Virgins form'd the Evening Choir,
Raifing their Voices to the Maſter-Lyre ;
Too flat I thought This Voice, and That too fhrill
One ſhow'd too much, and one too little Skill:
Nor could my Soul approve the Mufic's Tone:
'Till all was hufh'd, and ABRA Sung alone.
Fairer She feem'd, diftinguifh'd from the reft;
And better Mien diſclos'd, as better dreſt.
A bright Tiara round her Forehead ty'd,
To jufter Bounds confin'd its rifing Pride:
The blufhing Ruby on her fnowy Breaft,
Render'd its panting Whitenefs more confefs'd:
Bracelets of Pearl gave Roundness to her Arm;
And ev'ry Gem augmented ev'ry Charm.
Her Senfes pleas'd, her Beauty ftill improv'd;
And She more lovely grew, as more belov❜d.
And now I cold behold, avow; and blame
The feveral Follies of my former Flame;
Willing my Heart for Recompence to prove
The certain Joys that lie in profp'rous Love.
For what, faid I, from ABRA can I fear,
Too humble to infult, too ſoft to be ſevere ?
The Damfel's fole Ambition is to pleaſe:
With Freedom I may like, and quit with Eaſe:
She Sooths, but never can enthral my Mind :
Why may not Peace and Love for once be join'd?
Great
1
POEM's on feveral Occafions.
359
Great Heav'n! how frail thy Creature Man is madet
How by Himſelf infenfibly betray'd!
In our own Strength unhappily fecure,
Too little cautious of the adverſe Pow'r;
And by the Blaſt of Self-opinion mov'd,
We wish to charm, and feek to be belov❜d.
On Pleaſure's flowing Brink We idly ſtray,
Maſters as yet of our returning Way;
1
Seeing no Danger, We difarm our Mind ;
And give our Conduct to the Waves and Wind:
Then in the flow'ry Mead, or verdant Shade
To wanton Dalliance negligently laid,
We weave the Chaplet, and we crown the Bowl;
And fmiling fee the nearer Waters roll;
'Till the ftrong Gufts of raging Paffion rife;
"Till the dire 'Tempeft mingles Earth and Skies;
And ſwift into the boundleſs Ocean born,
་
Our foolish Confidence too late We mourn :
Round our devoted Heads the Billows beat;
And from our troubl'd View the leffen'd Lands retreat.
O mighty Love! from thy unbounded Pow'r
How fhall the human Bofom reft ſecure?
How fhall our Thought avoid the various Snare!
Or Wiſdom to our caution'd Soul declare
The diff'rent Shapes, Thou pleafeft to imploy,
When bent to hurt, and certain to deſtroy ?
The haughty Nymph in open Beauty dreft,
To-day encounters our unguarded Breaſt:
She looks with Majeſty, and moves with State:
Unbent her Soul and in Misfortune great,
She Scorns the World, and dares the Rage of Fate.
Here whilft we take ſtern Manhood for our Guide,
And guard our Conduct with becoming Pride;
Charm'd
360
POEMS on several Occafions.
Charm'd with the Courage in her Action ſhown,
We praiſe her Mind, the Image of our own.
She that can pleaſe, iş certain to perſuade :
To-day belov'd, To-morrow is obey'd;
We think we ſee thro' Reafon's Optics right;
Nor find, how Beauty's Rays elude our Sight:
Struck with her Eye, whilft We applaud her Mind:
And when We ſpeak Her great, We wish her kind.
To-morrow, cruel Pow'r, Thou arm'ft the Fair
With flowing Sorrow, and difhevel'd Hair;
Sad her Complaint, and humble is her Tale,
Her Sighs explaining where her Accents fail. -
Here gen'rous Softneſs warms the honeft Breast:
We raiſe the fad, and fuccour the diſtreſs'd;
And whilſt our with prepares the kind Relief;
Whilft Pity mitigates her rifing Grief:
We ficken foon from her contagious Care;
Grieve for her Sorrows, groan for her Difpair;
And againſt Love too late thofe Boſoms arm,
Which Tears can foften, and which Sighs can warm,
Againſt this neareſt crueleft of Foes,
What fhall Wit meditate, or Force oppoſe?
Whence, feeble Nature, fhall We fummon Aid;
If by our Pity, and our Pride betray'd?
External Remedy fhall We hope to find,
When the cloſe Fiend has gain'd our treach'rous Mind,
Infulting there does Reaſon's Pow'r deride;
And blind Himfelf, conducts the dazl'd Guide?
My Conqueror now, my lovely ABRA held
My Freedom in her Chains; my Heart was.fill'd
With Her, with Her alone: in Her alone
It fought its Peace and Joy:
while She was gone,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
361
:
It figh'd, and griev'd, impatient of her Stay:
Return'd, She chas'd thofe Sighs, that Grief away:
Her Abfence made the Night: her Prefence brought
the Day.
The Ball, the Play, the Mask by Turns fucceed.
For Her I make the Song: the Dance with Her I lead.
I court Her various in each Shape and Dreſs,
That Luxury may form, or Thought exprefs.
To day beneath the Palm-tree on the Plains
In DEBORAH'S Arms and Habit ABRA reigns :
The Wreath denoting Conqueft guides her Brow;
And low, like BARAK, at her Feet I bow.
The Mimic Chorus fings her profp'rous Hand;
As She had flain the Foe, and fav'd the Land.
Tomorrow She approves a fofter Air;
Forfakes the Pomp and Pageantry of War;
The Form of peaceful ABIGAIL affumes;
And from the Village with the Prefent comes:
The Youthful Band depofe their glitt'ring Arms;
Receive her Bounties, and recite her Charms;
Whilft I affume my Father's Step and Mien,
To meet with due Regard my future Queen.
If hap❜ly ABRA's Will be now inclin'd
To range the Woods, or chace the flying Hind;
Soon as the Sun awakes, the fprightly Court
Leave their Repoſe, and haflen to the Sport.
In leffen'd Royalty, and humble State,
Thy King, JERUSALEM, defcends to wait,
'Till ABRA Comes. She comes: a Milk white Steed,
Mixture of PERSIA's, and ARABIA's Breed,
Suftains the Nymph: her Garinents flying loofe
(As the SYDONIAN Maids, or THRACIAN ufe)
And half her Knee, and half her Brealt: ppear,
By Art, like Negligence, difcles'd, and Lare.
R
Her
362
POEMS on several Occafions.
"
Her left Hand guides the hunting Courfer's Flight:
A Silver Bow She carries in her Right:
And from the golden Quiver at her Side,
Ruftles the Ebon Arrow's feather'd Pride.
Saphirs and Diamonds on her Front diſplay
An artificial Moon's increafing Ray.
DIANA, Huntress, Miftrefs of the Groves,
The fav'rite ABRA fpeaks, and looks, and moves.
Her, as the preſent Goddefs, I obey:
Beneath her Feet the captive Game I lay,
The mingl'd Chorus fings DIANA's Fame:
Clarions and Horns in louder Peals proclaim
Her Myſtic Praife: the vocal Triumphs bound
Againſt the Hills: the Hills reflect the Sound.
If tir'd this Evening with the hunted Woods,
To the large Fiſh-pools, or the glaffy Floods
Her Mind To morrow points; a thouſand Hands
To-night employ'd, obey the Kind's Commands.
Upon the wat'ry Beach an artful Pile
Of Planks is join'd, and forms a moving Iſle.
A golden Chariot in the Midſt is ſet ;
And filver Cygnets feem to feel its Weight.
ABRA, bright Queen, afcends her gaudy Throne,
In femblance of the GRECIAN VENUS known:
TRITONS and Sea-green NAIADS round her move;
And fing in moving Strains the Force of Love:
Whilft as th'approaching Pageant does appear;
And echoing Crouds fpeak mighty VENUS near;
I, her Adorer, too devoutly ſtand
Faft on the utmost Margin of the Land,
With Arms and Hopes extended, to receive
The fancy'd Goddeſs riſing from the Wave.
O fubject Reason! O imperious Love!
Whither yet further would My Folly rove?
Is
!
1
J
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
363.
Is it enough that ABRA fhould be great
In the wall'd Palace, or the Rural Seat?
That masking Habits, and a borrow'd Name
Contrive to hide my Plenitude of Shame?
No, no: JERUSALEM combin'd muſt ſee
My open Fault, and Regal Infamy,
Solemn a Month is deftin'd for the Feaft:
ABRA invites: the Nation is the Gucft.
To have the Honor of each Day fuftain'd,
The Woods are travers'd: and the Lakes are drain'd;
ARABIA'S Wilds, and ÆGYPT's are explor'd:
The Edible Creation decks the Board:
Hardly the Phenix 'fcapes
The Men their Lyres, the Maids their Voices raife,
To fing my Happinefs, and ABRA's Praife.
And flavish Bards our mutual Loves rehearſe
In lying Strains, and ignominious Verfe:
While from the Banquet leading forth the Bride,
Whom prudent Love from publick Eyes fhould hide ;
I fhow Her to the World, confefs'd and known
Queen of my Heart, and Part'ner of my Throne.
And now her Friends and Flatt'rers fill the Court:
From DAN, and from BEERSHEBA They refort:
They barter Places, and difpofe of Grants,
Whole Provinces unequal to their Wants,
They teach Her to recede, or to debate:
With Toys of Love to mix Affairs of State;
By practis'd Rules her Empire to fecure;
And in my Pleaſure make my Ruin fure.
They gave, and She transferr'd the curs'd Advice,
That Monarchs ſhould their inward Soul diſguiſe,
Diffemble and command, be falfe and wife;
By ignominious Arts for fervile Ends
}
Should compliment their Foes, and fhun their Friends.
R 2
And
304
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
And now I leave the true and juſt Supports
Of Legal Princes, and of honeft Courts,
BARZILLAI'S, and the fierce BENAIAH's Heirs,
Whofe Sires, great Partners in my Father's Cares,
Saluted their young King at HEBRON crown'd,
Great by their Toil, and glorious by their Wound.
And now, unhappy Council, I prefer
Those whom my Follies only made me fear,
Old CORAH's Brood, and taunting SHIMEI's Race;
Mifcreants who ow'd their Lives to DAVID's Grace;
Tho' they had fpurn'd his Rule, and curs'd Him to
his Face.
Still ABRA's Pow'r, my Scandal ſtill increas'd;
Juftice fubmitted to what ABRA pleas'd:
1
Her Will alone could fettle or revoke ;
And Law was fix'd by what She lateft fpoke.
ISRAEL neglected, ABRA was my Care:
I only acted, thought, and liv'd for Her.
I durit not reafon with my wounded Heart.
ABRA poffefs'd; She was its better Part.
O! had I now review'd the famous Cauſe,
Which gave my righteous Youth fo juft Applaufe;
In vain on the diffembl'd Mother's Tongue
Had cunning Art, and fly Perfuafion hung;
And real Care in vain, and native Love
In the true Parent's panting Breaft had ſtrove;
While both deceiv'd had 'feen the deftin'd Child
Or flain, or fav'd, as ABRA frown'd, or fmil'd.
Unknowing to command, proud to obey,
A life-lefs King, a Royal Shade I lay.
Unheard the injur'd Orphans now complain:
'The Widow's Cries addrefs the Throne in vain.
Caufes unjudg'd difgrace the loaded File;
And fleeping Laws the King's Neglect revile.
No
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
365
No more the Elders throng'd around my Throne,
To hear my Maxims, and reform their own.
No more the Young Nobility were taught,
How MOSES govern'd, and how DAVID fought.
Looſe and undifciplin'd the Soldier lay;
Or loft in Drink and Game the folid Day:
Porches and Schools, defign'd for publick Good,
Uncover'd, and with Scaffolds cumber'd ſtood,
Or nodded, threatning Ruin
Half Pillars wanted their expected Height;
And Roofs imperfect prejudic'd the Sight.
The Artists grieve; the lab'ring People droop:
My Father's Legacy, my Country's Hope,
God's Temples lie unfiniſh'd
The Wife and Grave deplor'd their Monarch's Fate,
And future Miſchiefs of a finking State.
Is this, the Serious faid, is this the Man,
Whole active Soul thro' ev'ry Science ran?
Who by just Rule and elevated Skill
Preferib'd the dubious Bounds of Good and Ill?
Whofe Golden Sayings, and Inmortal Wit,
On large Phylacteries expreffive writ,
Were to the Forehead of the Rabbins ty'd,
Our Youth's Inftruction, and our Age's Pride?
Could not the Wife his wild Defires reſtrain ?
Then was our Hearing, and his Preaching vain !
What from his Life and Letters were we taught,
But that his Knowledge aggravates his Fault?
In lighter Mood the Humorous and the Gay
(As crown'd with Roſes at their Feaſts they lay)
Sent the full Goblet, charg'd with ABRA's Name,
And Charms ſuperior to their Maſter's Fame:
Laughing fome praiſe the King, who let 'em fee,
How aptly Luxe and Empire might agree:
R 3
Some
366
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Some glofs'd, how Love and Wifdom were at Strife;
And brought my Proverbs to confront my Life.
However, Friend, here's to the King, one cries:
To Him who was the King, the Friend replies.
The King, for JUDAH's, and for Wiſdom's Curſe,
To ABRA yields: could I, or Thou do worſe?
Our loofer Lives let Chance or Folly fleer:
If thus the Prudent and Determin'd err.
Let DINAH bind with Flowers her flowing Hair:
And touch the Lute, and found the wanton Air:
Let us the Bliſs without the Sting receive,
Free, as we will, or to enjoy, or leave.
Pleaſures on Levity's fmooth Surface flow:
Thought brings the Weight, that finks the Soul to Woe.
Now be this Maxim to the King convey'd,
And added to the Thoufand He has made.
Sadly, O Reafon, is thy Pow'r exprefs'd,
Thou gloomy Tyrant of the frighted Breaft!
And harsh the Rules, which We from Thee receive
If for our Wiſdom We our Fleaſure give;
And more to think be only more to grieve.
If JUDAH'S King at thy Tribunal try'd,
Forfakes his Joy, to vindicate his Pride;
And changing Sorrows, I am only found
}
[bound.
Loos'd from the Chains of Love, in Thine more ftrictly
But do I call Thee Tyrant, or complaia,
How hard thy Laws, how abfolute thy Reign?
While Thou, alas! art but an empty Name,
To no Two Men, who e'er difcours'd, the fame;
'The idle Product of a troubled Thought,
In borrow'd Shapes, and airy Colours wrought;
A fancy'd Line, and a reflected Shade;
A Chain which Man to fetter Man has made
By Artifice impos'd, by Fear obey'd.
}
Yet,
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
збу
Yet, wretched Name, or Arbitrary Thing,
Whence ever I thy cruel Effence bring,
I own thy Influence; for I feel thy Sting.
Reluctant I perceive thee in my Soul,
Form'd to command, and deſtin'd to controul.
Yes; thy infulting Dictates fhall be heard:
Virtue for once fhall be Her own Reward:
Yes; Rebel ISAREL, this unhappy Maid
Shall be difmifs'd: the Crowd ſhall be obey'd:
The King his Paffion, and his Rule fhall leave,
No longer ABRA's, but the People's Slave.
My Coward Soul ſhall bear its wayward Fate:
I will, alas! be wretched, to be great,
And figh in Royalty, and grieve in State.
I faid: refolv'd to plunge into my Grief
At once fo far, as to expect Relief
From my Despair alone
I choſe to write the Thing I durft not ſpeak,
To Her I lov'd, to Her I muft forfake.
The harſh Epiſtle labour'd much to prove,
How inconfiſtent Majefty, and Love.
I always fhould, It faid, eſteem Her well;
But never fee her more: It bid Her feel
No future Pain for Me; but inftam wed
A Lover more proportion'd to her Bed;
And quiet dedicate her remnant Life
To the juft Duties of an humble Wife.
She read; and forth to Me She wildly ran,
To Me, the Eafe of all her former Pain.
She kneel'd, intreated, ftruggl'd, threaten'd, cry'd,
And with alternate Paffion liv'd, and dy'd:
'Till now deny'd the Liberty to mourn,
And by rude Fury from my Prefence torn,
R 4
}
}
This
368
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
This only Object of my real Care,
Cut off from Hope, abandon'd to Deſpair,
In fome few posting fatal Hours is hurl'd
[World.
From Wealth, from Pow'r, from Love, and from the
Here tell Me, if Thou dar't, my confcious Soul,
What diffrent Sorrows did within Thee roll?
What Pangs, what Fires. what Racks didſt Thou ſuſtain ?
What fad Viciflitudes of fmarting Pain?
How oft from Pomp and State did I remove,
To feed Defpair, and cherish hopeless Love?
How oft, all Day, recall'd I ABRA's Charms,
Her Beauties preis'd, and panting in my Arms?
How oft, with sighs, view'd every Female Face,
Where mimic Fancy might her Likeneſs trace?
How oft defir'd to Ay from ISRAEL's Throne,
And live in Shades with Her and Love alone ?
How oft, all Night, purfu'd her in my Dreams,
O'er flow'ry Vallies, and thro' Cryſtal Streams;
And waking, view'd with Grief the rifing Sun,
And fondly mouin'd the dear Deluſion gone?
When thus the gather'd Storms of wretched Love,
In my fwoln Bolom, with long War had ſtrove;
At length they broke their Bounds: at length their Force
Bore down whatever met its flronger Courſe :
Lay'd all the civil Bonds of Manhood waſte :
And ſcatter'd Ruin as the Torrent paft.
So from the Hills, whofe hollow Caves contain
The congregated Snow, and fwelling Rain;
'Till the full Stores their antient Bounds difdain
Precipitate the furious Torrent flows:
In vain would Speed avoid, or Strength oppoſe:
Towns, Forefts, Herds, and Men premifcuous drown'd,
With one great Death deform the dreary Ground:
The echo'd Woes from diftant Rocks reſound.
}
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
369
And now, what impious Ways my Wiſhes took;
How they the Monarch, and the Man forfook;
And how I follow'd an abandon'd Will,
Thro' crooked Paths, and fad Retreats of Il!,
HOW JUDAH's Daughters now, now foreign Slaves,
By turns my proſtituted Bed receives:
Thro' Tribes of Women how I loofely rang'd
Impatient; lik'd To-night, To-morrow chang'd;
And by the Inftinct of capricious Luft,
Enjoy'd, difdain'd, was grateful, or unjuft:
O, be theſe Scenes from human Eyes conceal'd,
In Clouds of decent Silence juſtly veil'd!
O, be the wanton Images convey'd
To black Oblivion, and eternal Shade!
Or let their ad Epitome alone,
And outward Lines to future Age be known,
Enough to propagate the fure Belief,
[Grief.
That Vice engenders Shame; and Folly broods o'er
Bury'd in Sloth, and loft in Eaſe I lay:
The Night I revell'd; and I flept the Day.
New Heaps of Fewel damp'd my kindling Fires;
And daily Change extinguiſh'd young Defires.
By its own Force deitroy'd, Fruition ceas'd;
And always weary'd, I was never pleas'd.
No longer now does my neglected Mind
Its wonted Stores, and Old Ideas find.
Fix'd Judgment there no longer does abide,
To take the True, or fet the Falſe afide.
No longer does fwift Mem'ry trace the Cells,
Where ſpringing Wit, or young Invention dwells.
Frequent Debauch to Habitude prevails :
Patience of Toil, and Love of Virtue fails.
By fad Degrees impair'd my Vigor dies;
'Till I Command no longer e'en in Vice.
R 5
The
*
370
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
The Women on my Dotage build their Sway:
They ask; I grant: They threaten; I obey.
In Regal Garments now I gravely ftride,
Aw'd by the PERSIAN Damfel's haughty Pride.
Now with the loofer SYRIAN dance, and fing,
In Robes tuck'd up, opprobrious to the King.
Charm'd by their Eyes, their Manners I acquire,
And ſhape my Foolishness to their Defire,
Seduc'd and aw'd by the PHILISTINE Dame,
At DAGON's Shrine I kindle impious Flame.
With the CHALDEAN's Charms her Rites prevail;
And curling Frankincenſe afcends to BAAL.
To each new Harlot I new Altars drefs;
And ferve Her God, whofe Perfon I carefs.
Where, my deluded Senfe, was reafon flown?
Where the high Majeſty of DAVID'S Throne?
Where all the Maxims of Eternal Truth,
With which the Living GOD inform'd my Youth ?
When with the lewd EGYPTIAN I adore
Vain Idols, Deities that ne'er before
In ISRAEL'S Land had fix'd their dire Abodes,
Beaftly Divinities, and Droves of Gods:
OSIRIS, APIS, Pow'rs that chew the Cud,
And Dog ANUBIS, Flatt'rer for his Food;
When in the Woody Hills forbidden Shade
I carv'd the Marble, and invok'd its Aid:
When in the Fens to Snakes and Flies, with Zeal
Unworthy human Thought, I proftrate fell;
To Shrubs and Plants my vile Devotion paid;
And ſet the bearded Leek, to which I pray'd:
When to all Beings Sacred Rites were giv'n ;
Forgot the Arbiter of Earth and Heav'n.
Thro' thefe fad Shades, this Chaos in my Soul,
Some Seeds of Light at length began to roll,
The
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
371
The rifing Motion of an Infant Ray
Shot glimm'ring thro' the Cloud. and promis'd Day.
And now one Moment able to reflect,
I found the King abandon'd to Neglect,
Seen without Awe, and ferv'd without Refpect.
I found my Subjects amicably join,
To leffen their Defects by citing Mine.
The Prieft with Pity pray'd for DAVID'S Race;
And left his Text, to dwell on my Difgrace.
The Father, whilft he warn'd his erring Son,
To fad examples which He ought to ſhun,
Deſcrib'd, and only nam'd not Solomon.
Each Bard, each Sire did to his Pupil fing,
A Wife Child better than a fooliſh King.
Into Myfelf my Reaſon's Eye I turn'd;
And as I much reflected, much I mourn'd.
A mighty King I am, an Earthly God:
Nations obey my Word, and wait my Nod,
I raiſe or fink, imprifon or fet free;
And Life or Death depends on my Decree.
Fond the Idea, and the Thought is vain:
O'er JUDAH's King ten thouſand Tyrants reign,
Legions of Luft, and various Pow'rs of Ill
Infult the Maſter's Tributary Will:
And He, from whom the Nations ſhould receive
Juftice and Freedom, lies Himfelf a Slave,
Tortur'd by cruel Change of wild Defires,
Lafh'd by mad Rage. and fcorch'd by brutal Fires.
O Reaſon! once again to Thee I call:
Accept my Sorrow, and retrieve my Fall.
Wifdom, Thou fay'ft, from Heav'n receiv'd her Birth,
Her Beams tranſmitted to the ſubject Earth.
Yet this great Empress of the human Soul
Does only with imagin'd Pow'r controul;
}
}
If
372
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
If reftleſs Paffion by rebellious Sway
Compels the weak Ufurper to obey.
O troubled, weak, and Coward, as thou art!
Without thy poor Advice the lab'ring Heart
To worſe Extremes with fwifter Steps would run,
Not fav'd by Virtue, yet by Vice undone.
Oft have I faid; the Praiſe of doing well
Is to the Ear, as Ointment to the Smell.
Now if fome Flies perchance, however ſmall,
Into the Alabafter Urn fhou'd fall;
The Odors of the Sweets inclos'd, would die;
And Stench corrupt (fad Change!) their Place ſupply.
So the leaſt Faults, if mix'd with faireft Deed,
Of future Ill become the fatal Seed:
Into the Balm of pureſt Virtue caft,
Annoy all Life with one contagious Blaft.
Loft SOLOMON! purfue this Thought no more :
Of thy paft Errors recollect the Store:
And filent weep, that while the Deathlefs Mufe
Shall fing the Juft; fhall o'er their Head diffufe.
Perfumes with lavish Hand; She ſhall proclaim
Thy Crimes alone; and to thy evil Fame
Impartial, fcatter Damps and Poiſons on thy Name.
Awaking therefore, as who long had dream'd,
Much of my Women, and their Gods afham'd,
From this Abyſs of exemplary Vice
Refoly'd, as Time might aid my Thought, to rife;
Again I bid the mournful Goddeſs write
The fond Purfuit of fugitive Delight:
Bid her exalt her melancholy Wing,
And rais'd from Earth, and fav'd from Paffion fing
Of human Hope by croſs Event deſtroy'd,
Of ufelefs Wealth, and Greatnefs unenjoy'd,
Of Lutt and Love, with their fantastic Train,
Their Wiſhes, Smiles, and Looks deceitful, all and vain.
POWER:
POWER:
THE
THIRD BOOK.
The ARGUMEN T.
SOLOMON confiders Man through the fe-
veral Stages and Conditions of Life; and
concludes in general, that we are all Mife-
rable. He reflects more particularly upon
the Trouble and Uncertainty of Greatness and
Power; gives fome Inftances thereof from
ADAM down to Himself; and still con-
cludes that all is VANITY. He reafons
again upon Life, Death, and a future Be-
ing; finds Human Wisdom too imperfect to
refolve his Doubts; has Recourſe to Reli-
gion; is informed by an Angel, what ſhall
happen to himself, his Family, and his
Kingdom, 'till the Redemption of ISRAEL:
and, upon the whole, refolves to ſubmit his
Enquiries and Anxieties to the Will of his
Creator.
TEXTS
•
TEXTS chiefly alluded to in this BOOK.
Or ever the Silver Cord be loofed, or the golden Bowl
be broken, or the Pitcher be broken at the Fountain,
or the Wheel broken at the Cistern.
ECCLSI-
ASTES, Chap. XII Verſ. 6.
The Sun arifeth, and the Sun goeth down, and hafteth
to his Place where He aroſe.
ECCLESIASTES.
Chap. I. Verf. 5.
The Wind goeth towards the South, and turneth about
unto the North It whirleth about continually; and
the Wind returneth again, according to his Circuit.
Verf. 6.
All the Rivers run into the Sea: yet the Sea is not full.
Unto the Place from whence the Rivers come, thither
they return again. Verf. 7.
Then fhall the Duft return to the Earth, as it was and
the Spirit fhall return unto God who gave it. Ec-
CLESIASTES, Chap. XII. Verf. 7.
Now when SOLOMON had made an End of Praying, the
Fire came down from Heaven, and confum'd the
Burnt-offering, and the Sacrifices; and the Glory
of the Lord filled the Houfe. II. CHRONICLES,
Chap. VII. Verf. 1.
By the Rivers of BABYLON, there We fat down; Yea
We wept, when We remembred Sion, &c. PSALM
CXXXVII. Verf. 1.
I faid of Laughter, it is mad; and of Mirth, what doth
it? ECCLESIASTES, Chap. II. Verf. 2.
No Man can find out the Work that God maketh,
from the Beginning to the End. ECCLESIASTES,
Chap. III. Verf. 11.
Whatfoever God doth, it fhall be for ever; nothing can
be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God do-
eth it, that Men fhould fear before Him. Verf. 14.
Let us hear the Conclufion of the whole Matter; Fear
God and keep his Commandments; for this is the whole
Duty of Man, ECCLESIASTES, Chap. XII. Verf. 13.
POWER
POWE E R:
THE
THIRD BOOK.
OME then, my Soul: I call Thee by that
Name,
Thou bufie Thing, from whence I know
I am :
For knowing what I am, I know Thou art ;
Since That must needs exift, which can impart.
But how cam'ft Thou to be, or whence Thy Spring:
For various of Thee Priefts and Poets fing.
Hear'ft Thou fubmiffive, but a lowly Birth?
Some fecret Particles of finer Earth,
A plain Effect which Nature muſt beget,
As Motion orders, and as Atoms meet;
Companion of the Body's Good or ill;
From Force of Inftinct more than Choice of Will;
Conscious of Fear or Valor, Joy or Pain,
As the wild Courfes of the Blood ordain;
Who as Degrees of Heat and Cold prevail,
In Youth doft flourish, and with Age fhalt fail;
'Till mingled with thy Partner's lateſt Breath
Thou fly't diffolv'd in Air, and loft in Death.
Or if Thy great Existence would afpire
To Cauſes more fublime; of Heav'nly Fire
Wer't
376
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
:
Wer't Thou a Spark ftruck off, a fep'rate Ray,
Ordain'd to mingle with Terreftrial Clay;
With it condemn'd for certain Years to dwell,
To grieve its frailties, and its Pains to feel;
To teach it Good and Ill, Difgrace or Fame;
Pale it with Rage, or redden it with Shame :
To guide its Actions with informing Care,
In Peace to Judge, to Conquer in the War;
Render it Agile, Witty, Valiant, Sage,
As fits the various Courſe of human Age;
'Till as the Earthly Part decays and falls,
The Captive breaks Her Prifon's mould'ring Walls;
Hovers a-while upon the fad Remains,
Which now the Pile, or Sepulchre contains;
And thence with Liberty unbounded flies,
Impatient to regain Her native Skies.
Whate'er Thou art, where-e'er ordain'd to go
(Points which We rather may difpute, than know)
Come on, Thou little Inmate of this Breaft,
Which for Thy Sake from Paffions I diveſt:
For thefe, Thou fay'ft, raiſe all the ſtormy Strife,
Which hinder Thy Repoſe, and Trouble Life.
Be the fair Level of Thy Actions laid,
As temp❜rance wills, and Frudence may perfuade:
Be thy Affections undiſturb'd and clear,
Guided to what may Great or Good appear;
And try if Life be worth the Liver s Care.
Amals'd in Man there juítly is beheld
What thro' the whole Creation has excell'd:
The Life and Growth of Plants, of Beafts the Senfe,
The Angel's Forecast and Intelligence:
Say from theſe glorious Seeds what Harveft flows:
Recount our Bleffings, and compare our Woes.
}
In
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 377
In its true Light let cleareſt Reaſon ſee
The Man dragg'd out to Act, and forc'd to Be ;
Helpleſs and naked on a Woman's Knees
To be expos'd or rear'd as She may pleaſe;
Feel her Neglect, and pine from her Diſeaſe.
His tender Eye by too direct a Ray
Wounded, and flying from unpractis'd Day ;
His Heart affaulted by invading Air,
And beating fervent to the vital War;
To his young Senſe how various Forms appear;
That ftrike his Wonder, and excite his Fear?
By his Distortions he reveals his Pains;
He by his Tears, and by his Sighs complains;
'Till Time and Ufe affift the Infant Wretch,
By broken Words, and Rudiments of Speech,
His Wants in plainer Characters to fhow,
And paint more perfect Figures of his Woe,
Condemn'd to facrifice his childish Years
To babling Ign'rance, and to empty Fears;
To pass the riper Period of his Age,
Acting his Fart upon a crowded Stage;
To lafting Toils expos'd, and endleſs Cares,
To open Dangers, and to fecret Snares;
To Malice which the vengeful Foe intends,
And the more dangerous Love of feeming Friends.
His Deeds examin'd by the People's Will,
Prone to forget the Good, and blame the Ill:
Or fadly cenfur'd in their curs'd Debate,
Who in the Scorner's, or the Judge's Seat
Dare to condemn the Virtue which They hate.
Or would he rather leave this frantic Scene;
And Trees and Beaſts prefer to Courts and Men?
:
}
by
In
378
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
In the remote Wood and lonely Grott
Certain to meet that worft of Evils, Thought;
Diff'rent IDEAS to his Mem'ry brought:
Some intricate, as are the pathlefs Woods;
Impetuous fome, as the defcending Floods:
With anxious Doubts, with raging Pailions torn,
No fweet Companion near, with whom to mourn;
He hears the Echoing Rock return his Sighs;
And from himſelf the frighted Hermit flies.
Thus, thro' what Path foe'er of Life We rove,
Rage companies our Hate, and Grief our Love:
Vex'd with the prefent Moment's heavy Gloom,
Why feek We Brightnefs from the Years to come?
Diſturb'd and broken like a Sick Man's Sleep,
Our troubled Thoughts to diftant Profpects leap:
Defirous ftill what flies us to o'ertake:
For Hope is but the Dream of thoſe that wake:
But looking back, We fee the dreadful Train
Of Woes, a-new which were we to fuftain,
We fhould refufe to tread the Path again.
Still adding Grief, ftill counting from the First;
Judging the lateſt Evils ftill the worst:
And fadly finding each progreffive Hour
Heighten their Number, and augment their Pow'r:
'Till by one countleſs Sum of Woes oppreft.
Hoary with Cares, and Ignorant of Reft,
We find the vital Springs relax'd and worn :
Compell'd our common Impotence to mourn,
Thus, thro' the Round of Age, to Childhood We return;
Reflecting find, that naked from the Womb
We yesterday came forth; that in the Tomb
Naked again we muft To-morrow lie,
Born to lament, to labor, and to die.
}
Вла
País
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
379
:
Paſs We the Ills, which each Man feels or dreads,
The Weight or fall'n, or hanging o'er our Heads;
The Bear, the Lion, Terrors of the Plain,
The Sheepfold ſcatter'd, and the Shepherd flain;
The frequent Errors of the pathlefs Wood,
The giddy Precipice, and the dang❜rous Flood:
The noiſom Peft'lence, that in open War
Terrible, marches thro' the Mid-day Air,
And ſcatters Death; the Arrow that by Night
Cuts the dank Miſt, and fatal wings its Flight;
The billowing Snow, and Violence of the Show'r,
That from the Hills difperfe their dreadful Store,
And o'er the Vales collected Ruin pour;
The Worm that gnaw the ripening Fruit, fad Gueſt,
Canker or Locust hurtful to infeft
The Blade; while Husks elude the Tiller's Care,
And Eminence of Want diftinguishes the Year.
Pals we the flow Difeafe, and ſubtil Pain,
Which our weak Frame is deftin'd to fuftain ;
The cruel Stone, with congregated War
Tearing his bloody Way? the cold Catarrh,
With frequent Impulfe, and continu'd Strife,
Weak'ning the walled Seats of irkſome Life;
The Gout's fierce Rack, the burning Fever's Rage,
The fad Experience of Decay; and Age,
Herself the foreft Ill; while Death, and Eaſe,
Oft and in vain invok'd, or to appeaſe,
Or end the Grief, with hafty Wings recede
From the vext Patient, and the fickly Bed.
Nought fhall it profit, that the charming Fair,
Angelic, fofteft Work of Heav'n, draws near
To the colk fhaking paralytic Hand,
Senfelefs of Beauty's Touch, or Love's Command,
}
Nor
380
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Nor longer apt, or able to fulfill
'The Diclates of its feeble Mafter's Will.
Nought fhall the Pfaltry, and the Harp avail,
The pleafing Song, or well repeated Tale;
When the quick Spirits their warm March forbear;
And numbing Coldneſs has unbrac'd the Ear.
The verdant Rifing of the flow'ry Hill,
The Vale enamell'd, and the Cryfial Rill,
The Ocean rolling, and the fhelly Shore,
Beautiful Objects, fhall delight no more ;
When the lax'd Sinews of the weaken'd Eye
In wat'ry Damps, or dim Suffufion lie.
Day follows Night; the Clouds return again
After the falling of the latter Rain:
But to the Aged-blind fhall ne'er return
Grateful Viciffitude: He ftill muft mourn
The Sun, and Moon, and ev'ry Starry Light
Eclips'd to Him, and loft in everlafting Night.
Behold where Age's wretched Victim lies:
See his Head trembling, and his half-clos'd Eyes:
Frequent for Breath his panting Bofom heaves:
To broken Sleep his remnant Senſe He gives;
And only by his Pains, awaking finds He Lives;
Loos'd by devouring Time the filver Cord
Diffever'd lies: unhonor'd from the Board
The Cryſtal Uurn, when broken, is thrown by;
And apter Utenfils their Place fupply.
Theſe Things and Thou muſt ſhare One equal Lot;
Die, and be loft, corrupt and be forgot;
While ſtill another, and another Race
Shall now fupply, and now give up the Place.
From Earth all came, to Earth muſt all return;
}
Frail as the Cord and brittle as the Urn.
But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
381
But be the Terror of thefe Ills fupprefs'd:
And view We Man with Health and Vigor bleft,
Home He returns with the declining Sun,
His deftin'd Task of Labor hardly done;
Goes forth again with the afcending Ray,
Again his Travel for his Bread to pay,
And find the Ill fufficient to the Day.
Hap'ly at Night He does with Horror fhun
A Widow'd Daughter, or a dying Son:
His Neighbor's Off-fpring He To morrow fees;
And doubly feels his Want in their Increaſe:
The next Day, and the next he muſt attend
His Foe triumphant, or his buried Friend.
In ev'ry Act and Turn of Life he feels
Publick Calamities, or Houfhold Ills:
The due Reward to just Defert refus'd :
The Truft betray'd, the Nuptial Bed abus'd:
The Judge corrupt, the long depending Cauſe,
And doubtful Iffue of mifconftru'd Laws,
The crafty Turns of a diſhoneft State,
And violent Will of the wrong-doing Great:
The Venom'd Tongue injurious to his Fame,
Which nor can Wiſdom fhun, nor fair Advice reclaim.
Eſteem We theſe, my Friends, Event and Chance,
Produc'd as Atoms form their flutt'ring Dance?
Or higher yet their Effence may We draw
From deftin'd Order, and Eternal Law?
Again, my Mufe, the cruel Doubt repeat:
Spring they, I fay, from Accident, or Fate?
Yet fuch, We find, they are, as can controul
The fervile Actions of our wav'ring Soul;
Can fright, can alter, or can chain the Will;
Their Ills all built on Life, that fundamentall Il.
ма
O fatal
!
}
382
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
O fatal Search! in which the lab'ring Mind,
Still prefs'd with Weight of Woe, ftill hopes to find.
A Shadow of Delight, a Dream of Peace,
From Years of Pain, one Moment of Releaſe ;
Hoping at leaſt She may Herfelf deceive,
Against Experience willing to believe,
Defirious to rejoice, condemn'd to grieve.
Happy the Mortal Man, who now at laſt
Has thro' this doleful Vale of Mis'ry palt;
Who to his deftin'd Stage has carry'd on
The tedious Load, and laid his Burden down ;
Whom the cut Brafs, or wounded Marble ſhows
Victor o'er Life, and all her Train of Woes.
He happier yet, who privileg'd by Fate
To fhorter Labor, and a lighter Weight,
Receiv'd but Yeſterday the Gift of Breath,
Order'd To-morrow to return to Death.
But O! beyond Deſcription happieſt He,
Who ne'er muft roll on Life's tumultuous Sea;
Who with blefs'd Freedom from the gen'ral Doom
Exempt, muft never force the teeming Womb,
Nor fee the Sun, nor fink into the Tomb.
:
Who breathes, muft fuffer; and who thinks, must
mourn;
And He alone is blefs'd, who ne'er was born.
"Yet in thy turn, Thou frowning Preacher, hear:
"Are not theſe general Maxims too fevere?
"Say cannot Pow'r fecure its Owner's Bliſs ?
:
"And is not Wealth the potent Sire of Peace?
"Are Victors blefs'd with Fame, or Kings with Eafe?
I tell Thee, Life is but one common Care;
And Man was born to fuffer, and to fear.
"But
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
383
"But is no Rank, no Station, no Degree
"From this contagious Taint of Sorrow free?
None, Mortal, None: Yet in a bolder Strain
Let Me this melancholy Truth maintain:
But hence, Ye Worldly, and Prophane, retire:
For I adapt my Voice, and raiſe my Lyre
To Notions not by Vulgar Ear receiv'd :
Ye ftill muſt covet Life, and be deceiv'd:
Your very Fear of Death fhall make Ye try
To catch the Shade of Immortality;
Wiſhing on Earth to linger, and to fave
Part of its Prey from the devouring Grave;
To those who may furvive Ye, to bequeath
Something entire, in fpite of Time and Death;
A Fancy'd Kind of Being to retrieve,
And in a Book, or from a Building live.
Falle Hope! vain Labor! let fome Ages fly:
The Dome fhall moulder and the Volume die :
Wretches, ftill taught, ftill will Ye think it ftrange,
That all the Parts of this great Fabric change;
Quit their old Station, and Primæval Frame;
And loſe their Shape, their Effence, and their Name?
Reduce the Song: our Hopes, our Joys are vain:
Our Lot is Sorrow; and our Portion Pain.
What Paufe from Woe, what Hopes of Comfort bring
The Name of Wife or Great, of Judge or King?
What is a King, a Man condemn'd to bear
The publick Burden of the Nation's Care;
Now crown'd fome angry Faction to appeaſe;
Now falls a Victim to the People's Eafe:
From the first blooming of his ill-taught Youth,,
Nourish'd in Flatt'ry, and eftrang'd from Truth:
At
.
#
•
•
384
POEMS on several Occafions.
*
At Home furrounded by a fervile Croud,
Prompt to abuſe, and in Detraction loud :
Abroad begirt with Men, and Swords, and Spears;
His very State acknowledging his Fears:
Marching amidſt a thouſand Guards, He fhows
His fecret Terror of a thouſand Foes;
In War however Prudent, Great, or Brave,
To blind Events, and fickle Chance a Slave:
Seeking to fettle what for ever flies;
Sure of the Toil, uncertain of the Prize.
But he returns with Conqueft on his Brow;
Brings up the Triumph and abfolves the Vow:
The Captive Generals to his Carr are ty'd:
The joyful Citizens tumultuous Tide
Echoing his Glory, gratify his Pride.
What is this Triumph? Madneſs, Shouts, and Noife,
One great Collection of the People's Voice.
The Wretches he brings back, in Chains relate,
What may To-morrow be the Victor's Fate.
The Spoils and Trophies born before Him, Show
National Lofs, and Epidemick Woe,
Various Diſtreſs, which He and His may
Does he not mourn the valiant Thouſands flain;
The Heroes, once the Glory of the Plain,
Left in the Conflict of the Fatal Day,
know.
Or the Wolve's Portion, or the Vulture's Prey?
Does he not weep the Lawrel, which he wears,
Wet with the Soldier's Blood, and Widows Tears?
See, where he comes, the Darling of the War!
See Millions crouding round the gilded Car!¸
In the vaſt Joys of this Ecftatic Hour,
And full Fruition of fucceſsful Pow'r,
One ivioment and one 'Thought might let Him fcan
The various Turns of Life, and fickle State of Man.
Are
POEMS on feveral Occafions. 385
Are the dire Images of fad Diſtruſt,
And Popular Change obfcur'd a-mid the Duft,
That rifes from the Victor's rapid Wheel
Can the loud Clarion, or fhrill Fife repel
The inward Cries of Care? can Nature's Voice
Plaintive be drown'd, or leffen'd in the Noife;
Tho' Shouts as Thunder loud affli&t the Air
Stun the Birds now releas'd, and fhake the Iv'ry Chair?
'Yan' Croud (He might reflect) yon' joyful Croud,
Pleas'd with my Honors, in my Prailes loud
(Should fleeting Vict'ry to the Vanquiſh'd go;
Should She depreſs my Arms, and raiſe the Foe)
Would for that Foe with equal ardor wait
At the high Palace, or the crouded Gate;
With reſtlels Rage would pull my Statues down;
And caft the Brais a-new to His Renown.
O impotent Defire of Worldly Sway!
That I, who make the Triumph of To-day,
May of To-morrow's Pomp one Part appear,
Ghaftly with Wounds, and lifelefs on the Bier!
Then [Vileneſs of Mankind !] then all of Thefe,
Whom my dilated Eye with Labor fees,
Would one, alas! repeat Me Good, or Great,
Waſh my pale Body, or bewail my Fate ?
Or, march'd I chain'd behind the Hoftile Carr,
The Victor's Paftime, and the Sport of War;
Would One, would One his pitying Sorrow lend,
Or be fo poor, to own He was my Friend?
Avails it then, O Reafon, to be wife?
To fee this cruel Scene with quicker Eyes?
To know with more Diftinction to complain,
And have fuperior Senfe in feeling Pain?
Let us revolve that Roll with ftri&eft Eye,
Where fafe from Time diftinguifh'd Actions lie;
S
And
:
386
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
And judge if Greatnefs be exempt from Pain,
Or Pleaſure ever may with Pow'r remain.
ADAM, great Type, for whom the world was made,
The fairest Bleffing to his Arms convey'd,
:
A charming Wife; and Air, and Sea, and Land,
And all that move therein to his Command
Render'd obedient: fay, my penfive Mufe,
What did theſe golden Promifes produce?
Scarce tafting Life, He was of Joy bereav'd:
One Day, I think, in PARADISE He liv'd;
Deftin'd the next His Journey to purſue,
Where wounding Thorns, and curfed Thiftles grew.
E'er yet He earns his Bread, a down his Brow,
Inclin'd to Earth, his lab'ring Sweat muſt flow
His Limbs muft ake, with daily Toils opprefs'd;
Ee'r long-wifh'd Night brings neceffary Reft:
Still viewing with Regret his Darling Eve,
He for Her Follies, and His own mult grieve.
Bewailing ftill a-fresh their hapless Choice;
His Ear oft frighted with the imag'd Voice
Of Heav'n, when firft it thunder'd; oft his View
A-ghaft, as when the Infant Lightning flew
And the ſtern CHERUB ftop'd the fatal Road,
Arm'd with the Flames of an Avenging GOD.
His Younger Son on the polluted Ground,
First Fruit of Death, lies Plaintiff of a Wound
Giv'n by a Brother's Hand: His Eldeſt Birth
Flies, mark'd by Heav'n, a Fugitive o'er Earth.
Yet why thefe Sorrows heap'd upon the Sire,
Becomes nor Man, nor Angel to enquire.
Each Age finn'd on; and Guilt advanc'd with Time:
The Son ftill added to the Father's Crime;
'Till GOD arofe, and great in Anger faid:
Lo! it repenteth Me, that Man was made,
With-
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
387
}
ལ་ན
Withdraw thy Light, Thou Sun! be dark, Ye Skies!
And from your deep Abyfs, Ye Waters, rife!
The frighted Angels hear'd th' Almighty Lord;
And o'er the Earth from wrathful Viols pour'd
Tempeſts and Storm, obedient to his Word.
Mean time, His Providence to NOAH gave
The Guard of All, that He defign'd to fave.
Exempt from general Doom the Patriarch ftood;
Contemn'd the Waves, and triumph'd o'er the Flood.
The Winds fall filent: and the Waves decreaſe:
The Dove brings Quiet, and the Olive Peace:
Yet ftill His Heart does inward Sorrow feel,
Which Faith alone forbids Him to reveal.
If on the backward World his Views are caft;
'Tis Death diffus'd, and univerfal Waſte.
Prefent (fad Profpect!) can He Ought defcry,
But (what affects his melancholy Eye)
The Beauties of the Antient Fabric loft,
In Chains of craggy Hill, or Lengths of dreary Coal:
While to high Heav'n his pious Breathings turn'd,
Weeping He hop'd, and Sacrificing mourn'd;
When of GOD's Image only Eight he found
Snatch'd from the War'ry Grave, and fav'd from Na-
tions drown'd;
And of three Sons, the future Hopes of Earth,
The Seed, whence Empires muft receive their Birth,
One He foreſees excluded Heav'nly Grace,
And mark'd with Curfes, fatal to his Race.
!
ABRAHAM, Potent Prince, the Friend of GOD,
Of Human Ills must bear the deftin'd Load;
By Blood and Battles muſt his Pow'r maintain,
And flay the Monarchs, ere He rules the Plain;
Muft deal juſt Portions of a fervile Life
To a proud Handmaid, and a peevish Wife;
$ 2
Mut
388
POEMS on ſeveral Occafions.
Muft with the Mother leave the weeping Son,
In Want to wander, and in Wilds to groan;
Muft take his other Child, his Age's Hope,
To trembling MORIAM's melancholy Top,
Order'd to drench his Knife in filial Blood;
Deftroy his Heir, or difobey his GOD.
MOSES beheld that GOD; but how beheld
The Deity in radiant Beams conceal'd,
And clouded in a deep Abyss of Light;
While prefent, too fevere for Human Sight,
Nor flaying longer than one fwift-wing'd Night.
The following Days, and Months, and Years decreed
To fierce Encounter, and to toilfome Deed.
His Youth with Wants and Hardſhips muſt engage:
Plots and Rebellions muft difturb his Age:
Some CORAH fill arofe, fome Rebel Slaye,
Prompter to fink the State, than He to fave:
And ISRAEL did his Rage fo far provoke,
That what the Godhead wrote, the Prophet broke.
His Voice fcarce heard, his Dictates fcarce believ'd,
In Camps, in Arms, in Pilgrimage, He liv'd;
And dy'd obedient to fevereft Law,
Forbid to tread the promis'd Land, He faw.
My Father's Life was one long Line of Care,
A Scene of Danger, and a State of War.
Alarm'd, expos'd, his Childhood muſt engage
The Bear's rough Gripe, and foaming Lion's Rage.
By various Turns his Threaten'd Youth muft fear
GOLIAH's lifted Sword, and SAUL's emitted Spear.
Forlorn He muft, and perfecuted fly;
Climb the fteep Mountain, in the Cavern lie;
And often ask, and be refus'd to die.
For ever, from His manly Toils, are known
The Weight of Pow'r, and Anguiſh of a Crown.
}
}
What
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
389
What Tongue can ſpeak the reftlefs Monarch's Woes;
When GOD, and NATHAN were declar'd his Foes?
When ev'ry Object his Offence revil'd,
}
The Husband murder'd, and the Wife defil'd,
The Parent's Sins imprefs'd upon the dying Child?
What Heart can think the Grief which He fuftain'd;
When the King's Crime brought Vengeance on the Land;
And the inexorable Prophet's Voice
Gave Famine, Plague, or War; and bid Him fix his
Choice?
He dy'd; and Oh! may no Reflection ſhed
Its pois'nous Venom on the Royal Dead:
Yet the unwilling Truth muft be exprefs'd;
Which long has labor'd in this penſive Breaſt :
Dying He added to my Weight of Care:
He made Me to his Crimes undoubted Heir:
Left his unfinish'd Murder to his Son,
And JOAB's Blood intail'd on JUDAR's Crown.
Young as I was, I hadled to fulfill
The cruel Dictates of my Parent's Will.
Of his fair Deeds a diftant View I took;
But turn'd the Tube upon his Faults to look ;
Forgot his Youth, fpent in his Country's Caule,
His Care of Right, his Rev'rance to the Laws:
But could with Joy his Years of Folly trace,
Broken and old in BATHSHEBAS, Embrace;
Could follow Him, where-e'er He ftray'd from Good,
And cite his lad Example; whilſt trod
Paths open to Deceit, and track'd with Blood.
Soon docile to the fecret Acts of Ill,
With Smiles I could betray, with Temper kill:
Soon in a Brother could a Rival view;
Watch all his Acts, and all his Ways purfue.
$ 3
}
In
390
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
In vain for Life He to the Altar fled:.
Ambition and Revenge have certain Speed.
Ev'n there, my Soul, ev'n there He fhould have fell;
But that my Intereft did my Rage conceal.
Doubling my Crime, I promife, and deceive;
Purpoſe to flay, whilft fwearing to forgive.
Treaties, Perfuafions, Sighs, and Tears are vain:
With a mean Lye curs'd Vergeance I fuftain
Join Fraud to Force, and Policy to Pow'r;
'Till of the deftin'd Fugitive fecure,
In folemn State to Parricide 1 rife;
;
And, as GOD lives, this Day my Brother dies.
Be Witness to my Tears, Celeſtial Mufe!
In vain I would forget, in vain excufe
Fraternal Blood by my Direction fpilt;
In vain on JOAB's Head transfer the Guilt:
The Deed was acted by the Subject's Hand;
The Sword was pointed by the King's Command,
Mine was the Murder: it was Mine alone;
Years of Contrition muft the Crime atone:
Nor can my guilty Soul expect Relief,
But from a long Sincerity of Grief.
With an imperfect Hand, and trembling Heart,
Her Love of Truth fuperior to her Art,
Already the reflecting Mufe has trae'd
The mournful Figures of my Action paft.
'The penfive Goddeſs has already taught,
How vain is Hope, and how vexatious Thought;
From growing Childhood to declining Age,
How tedious every Step, how gloomy ev'ry Stage.
This Courſe of Vanity almoſt compleat,
Tir'd in the Field of Life, I hope Retreat
In the ill Shades of Death: for Dread and Pain,
And Grief will find their Shafts elanc'd in vain,
And
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
391
}
And their Points broke, retorted from the Head,
Safe in the Grave, and free among the Dead.
Yet tell Me, frighted Reaſon! what is Death?
Blood only ſtopp'd, and interrupted Breath?
The utmoſt Limit of a narrow Span,
And end of Motion which with Life began ?
As Smoke that rifes from the kindling Fires
Is feen this Moment, and the next expires:
As empty Clouds by rifing Winds are toft,
Their fleeting Forms fcarce fooner found than loft :
So vaniſhes our State, ſo paſs our Days:
So Life but opens now, and now decays:
The Cradle and the Tomb, alas! ſo nigh;
To live is fcarce diftinguiſh'd from to die.
Cure of the Mifer's With, and Coward's Fear,
Death only fhews Us, what We knew was near.
With Courage therefore view the pointed Hour;
Dread not Death's Anger; but expect his Pow'r;
Nor Nature's Law with fruitless Sorrow mourn;
Bat die, O Mortal Man! for Thou waft born.
Cautious thro' Doubt; by Want of Courage, Wife,
To fuch Advice the Reas'ner ftill replies.
Yet meaſuring all the long continued Space,
Ev'ry fucceffive Day's repeated Race,
Since Time firſt ſtarted from his priſtin Goal,
'Till He had reach'd that Hour, wherein my Soul
Join'd to my Body fwell'd the Womb; I was,
(At least I think fo) Nothing; muft I país
Again to Nothing, when this vital Breath
Ceafing, configns Me o'er, to Reft, and Death?
Muft the whole Man, amazing Thought! return
To the cold Marble, or contracted Urn ?
And never fhall thofe Particles agree,
That were in Life this Individual He?
S 4
But
392
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
But fever'd, muft They join the general Mafs
'Thro' other Forms, and Shapes ordain'd to paſs;
Nor Thought nor Image kept of what He was?
Does the great Word that gave him Senfe, ordain,
That Life fhall never wake that Senſe again?
And will no Pow'r his finking Spirits ſave
}
From the dark Caves of Death, and Chambers of the
Grave?
Each Evening I behold the fetting Sun
With down-ward Speed into the Ocean run:
Yet the fame Light (pafs but fome fleeting Hours)
Exerts his Vigor, and renews his Pow'rs;
Starts the bright Race again: His conftant Flame
Rifes and fets, returning ftill the Same.
I mark the various Fury of the Winds;
Theſe neither Seaſons guide, nor Order binds:
They now dilate, and now contract their Force:
Various their Speed, but endleſs is their Courfe.
From his first Fountain and beginning Ouze,
Down to the Sea each Brook and Torrent flows:
Tho' fundry Drops or leave, or fwell the Stream;
The whole ftill runs, with equal Pace, the Same.
Still other Waves fupply the rifing Urns;
And the eternal Flood no Want of Water mourns.
Why then must Man obey the fad Decree,
Which fubjects neither Sun, nor Wind, nor Sea?
A Flow'r, that does with opening Morn ariſe,
And flourishing the Day, at Evening dies;
A winged Eastern Blaft, juft skimming o'er
The Ocean's Brow, and finking on the Shore;
A Fire, whofe Flames thro' crackling Stubble fly;
A Meteor ſhooting from the Summer Sky;
A Bowl a-down the bending Mountain roll'd;
A Bubble breaking, and a Fable tøld;
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
393
A Noon-tide Shadow, and a Midnight Dream
Are Emblems, which with Semblance apt proclaim
Our Earthly Courfe: But, O my Soul! fo faft
Muft Life run off: and Death for ever laft?
This dark Opinion, fure, is too confin'd
Elfe whence this Hope, and Terror of the Mind ?
Does Something ftill, and Somewhere yet remain,
Reward or Puniſhment, Delight or Pain
Say fhall our Relicks fecond Birth receive?
Sleep We to wake, and only die to live?
When the fad Wife has clos'd her Husband's Eyes,
And pierc'd the Echoing Vault with doleful Cries;
Lies the pale Corps not yet entirely Dead?
The Spirit only from the Body fled,
The groffer Part of Heat and Motion void,
To be by Fire, or Worm, or Time deſtroy'd:
The Soul, immortal Subftance, to remain,
Confcious of Joy, and capable of Pain?
And if Her Acts have been directed well,
While with her friendly Clay She deign'd to dwell;
Shall She with Safety teach her priftine Seat?
Find her Reft endleſs, and her Blifs compleat?
And while the buried Man We idly mourn;
Do Angels joy to fee His better half return?
But if She has deform'd this Earthly Life
With murd'rous Rapine, and feditious Strife:
Amaz'd, repuls'd, and by thofe Angels driv'n
From the Ethereal Seat, and blissful Heav'n,
In everlaſting Darkneſs muft She lie,
Still more unhappy, that She cannot die?
Amid Two Seas on One fmall Point of Land
Weary'd, uncertain, and amaz'd We ftand:·
On either Side our Thoughts inceffant turn:
Forward We dread; and looking back We mourn.
$ 5
Lofing
394
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
1
:
?
Lofing the Prefent in this dubious Haft;
And loft Ourselves betwixt the future, and the Paft.
Thefe cruel Doubts contending in my Breaft,
My Reaſon ftaggering, and my Hopes opprefs'd,
Once more I faid: once more I will enquire,
What is this little, agile, pervious Fire,
This flutt'ring Motion, which We call the Mind ?
How does She act ? and where is She confin'd ?
Have We the Pow'r to guide Her, as We pleaſe?
Whence then thofe Evils, that obſtruct our Eaſe ?
We Happineſs purfue; We fly from Pain;
Yet the Purſuit, and yet the Flight is vain:
And, while poor Nature labors to be bleft,
By Day with Pleaſure, and by Night with Ref ;
Some ſtronger Pow'r eludes our fickly Will;
Daſhes our rifing Hope with certain Ill;
And makes Us with reflective Trouble fee,
That all is deſtin'd, which We fancy free.
That Pow'r ſuperior then, which rules our Mind,
Is Es Decree by Human Pray'r inclin'd?
Will He for Sacrifice our Sorrows eaſe?
And can our Tears reverfe His firm Decrees?
Then let Religion aid, where Reaſon fails :
Throw Loads of Incenſe in, to turn the Scales ;
And let the filent Sanctuary ſhow,
What from the babling Schools We may not know,
How Man may fhun, or bear his deftin'd Part of Woe.
What ſhall amend, or what abfolve our Fate?
Anxious We hover in a mediate State,
Betwixt Infinity and Nothing; Bounds,
Or boundlefs Terms, whofe doubtful Senfe confounds.
Unequal Thought; whilft All We apprehend,
Is, that our Hopes muft rife, our Sorrows end;
As our Creator deigns to be our Friend.
PM
I faid;
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
395
I faid;
and inftant bad the Priefts prepare
The ritual Sacrifice, and folemn Pray'r.
Select from vulgar Herds, with Garlands gay,
A hundred Bulls afcend the Sacred Way.
The artful Youth proceed to form the Choir:
They breathe the Flute, or ftrike the vocal Wire.
The Maids in comely Order next advance;
They beat the Timbrel, and inftruct the Dance.
Follows the chofen Tribe from LEVI ſprung,
Chanting by juſt Return the holy Song.
Along the Choir in Solemn State they paſt,
The Anxious King came laft.
The facred Hymn perform'd, my promis'd Vow
I paid and bowing at the Altar low,
Father of Heav'n! I faid, and Judge of Earth!
Whofe Word call'd out this Univerſe to Birth;
By whofe kind Pow'r and influencing Care
The various Creatures move, and live, and are;
But, ceafing once that Care, withdrawn that Pow'r,
They move (alas !) and live, and are no more:
Omni-fcient Mafter, Omni-prefent King,
To Thee, to Thee, my laſt Diſtreſs I bring.
Thou, that can'ft Still the Raging of the Seas,
Chain up the Winds, and bid the Tempefts ceafe;
Redeem my fhip-wreck'd Soul from raging Gufts
Of cruel Paffron, and deceitful Lufts :
From Storms of Rage, and dangʼrous Rocks of Pride,
Let Thy trong Hand this little Veffel guide
(It was Thy Hand that made it) thro' the Tide
Impetuous of this Life: let Thy Command
Direct my Courſe, and bring me fafe to Land.
If, while this weary'd Flesh draws fleeting Breath,
Not fatisfy'd with Life, afraid of Death,
}
It
396
POEMS on several Occafions.
$
It hap❜ly be Thy Will, that I fhould know
Glimpse of Delight, or Paufe from anxious Woe;
From Now, from inftant Now, great Sire, difpel
The Clouds that preis my Soul; from Now reveal
A gracious Beam of Light; from Now infpire
My Tongue to fing, my Hand to touch the Lyre:
My open'd Thought to joyous Proſpects raiſe ;
And, for Thy Mercy, let me fing Thy Praiſe.
Or, if Thy Will ordains, I ſtill ſhall wait
Some New Here-after, and a future State;
Permit me Strength, my Weight of Woe to bear;
And raise my Mind fuperior to my Care.
Let Me, howe'er unable to explain
The fecret Lab'rynths of Thy Ways to Man,
With humble Zeal confefs Thy awful Pow'r;
Still weeping Hope, and wond'ring ſtill Adore.
So in my Conquest be Thy Might declar'd:
And, for Thy Juftice, be Thy Name rever❜d.
i
My Pray'r fcarce ended, a ftupendious Gloom
Darkens the Air; loud Thunder ſhakes the Dome:
To the beginning Miracle fucceed
An awful Silence, and religious Dread.
Sudden breaks forth a more than common Day:
The facred Wood, which on the Altar lay,
Untouch'd, unlighted glows
Ambrofial Odor, fuch as never flows
From ARAB's Gum, or the SABEAN Rofe,
Does round the Air evolving Scents diffuſe:
The holy Ground is wet with Heav'nly Dews:
Celeſtial Mufic (fuch JESSIDES' Lyre,
Such MIRIAM's Timbrel would in vain require)
Strikes to my Thought thro' my admiring Ear,
With Ecitafy too fine, and Pleaſure hard to bear :
}
And
POEMS on several Occafions.
397
And lo! what fees my raviſh'd Eye? what feels
My wond'ring Soul? an opening Cloud reveals
An Heav'nly Form embody'd, and array'd
With Robes of Light. I heard: the Angel faid:
Ceaſe, Man of Woman born, to hope Relief.
From daily Trouble, and continu'd Grief.
Thy Hope of Joy deliver to the Wind:
Supprefs thy Paffions; and prepare thy Mind.
Free and Familiar with Misfortune grow:
Be us'd to Sorrow, and inur'd to Woe.
By weak'ning Toil, and hoary Age o'ercome,
See thy Decreaſe; and haften to Thy Tomb,
Leave to thy Children Tumult, Strife, and War,
Portions of Toil, and Legacies of Care.
Send the Succeffive Ills thro' Ages down;
And let each weeping Father tell his Son,
That deeper ftruck, and more diſtinctly griev'd,
He muft augment the Sorrows He receiv'd.
The Child to whofe Succeſs thy Hope is bound,
Ere thou art fcarce Interr'd, or he is Crown'd;
To Luſt of Arbitrary Sway inclin'd
(That curfed Poiſon to the Prince's Mind!)
Shall from thy Dictate, and his Duty rove,
And loſe his great Defence: his People's Love.
Ill Counſell'd, Vanquiſh'd, Fugitive, Difgrac'd,
Shall mourn the Fame of JACOB's Strength effac'd.
Shall figh the King diminish'd, and the Crown
With leffen'd Rays defcending to his Son.
Shall fee the Wreaths, his Grandfire knew to reap
By active Toil, and Military Sweat,
Pining incline their fickly Leaves, and ſhed
Their falling Honors from His giddy Head.
By Arms, or Pray'r unable to affwage
Domestic Horror, and inteftine Rage,
Shall
398
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
Shall from the Victor and the Vanquish'd fear,
From ISRAEL's Arrow, and from JUDAH's Spear:
Shall caft his weary'd Limbs on JORDAN'S Flood,
By Brother's Arms difturb'd, and ftain'd with Kindred-
Blood.
Hence lab'ring Years fhall weep their deftin'd Race
Charg'd with ill Omens, fully'd with Difgrace.
Time by 'Neceffity compell'd, fhall go
Thro' Scenes of War, and Epocha's of Woe.
The Empire leffen'd in a parted Stream,
Shall lofe its Courfe.
Indulge thy Tears: the Heathen ſhall blafpheme:
JUDAH fhall fall, opprefs'd by Grief and Shame ;
And Men fhall from her Ruins know her Fame.
New ÆGYPTs yet, and fecond Bonds remain,
A harfher PHARAOH, and a heavier Chain.
Again obedient to a dire Command,
Thy Captive Sons fhall leave the promis'd Land.
Their Name more low, their Servitude more vile,
Shall on EUPHRATES' Bank, renew rhe Grief of NILE.
Theſe pointed Spires that wound the ambient Sky,
Inglorious Change! fhall in Deftruction lie
Low, levell'd with the Duft; their Heights unknown,
Or meaſur❜d by their Ruin. Yonder Throne
For lafting Glory built, defign'd the Seat
Of Kings for ever bleft, for ever great,
Remov'd by the Invader's barb'rous Hand,
Shall grace his Triumph in a foreign Land.
The Tyrant fhall demand yon' facred Load
Of Gold and Veffels fet a-part to GOD,
Then by vile Hands to common Ufe debas'd;
Shall fend them flowing round his drunken Feaft,
With facrilegious Taunt, and impious Jeft.
}
Twice
POEMS on fever al Occafions.
399
Twice fourteen Ages fhall their Way complete:
Empires by various Turns fhall riſe and ſet ;
While Thy abandon'd Tribes fhall only know
A diff'rent Mafter, and a Change of Woe:
With down-caft Eye-lids, and with Looks a-ghaft,
Shall dread the Future, or bewail the Paſt.
Afflicted ISRAEL fhall fit weeping down,
Faft by the Streams, where BABEL's Waters run ;
Their Harps upon the neighb'ring Willows hung,
Nor joyous Hymn encouraging their Tongue,
Nor chearful Dance their Feet: with Toil opprefs'd,
Their weary'd Limbs aſpiring but to Reſt.
In the reflective Stream the fighing Bride,
Viewing her Charms impair'd, abafh'd fhall hide
Her penfive Head; and in her languid Face
The Bridegroom fhall fore-fee his fickly Race:
While pond'rous Fetters vex their clofe Embrace.
With irkſome Anguish then your Prieſts ſhall mourn
Their long-neglected Feafts defpair'd Return,
And fad Oblivion of their folemn Days.
Thenceforth their Voices They ſhall only raife,
Louder to weep. By Day your frighted Seers
Shall call for Fountains to exprefs their Tears;
}
And with their Eyes were Floods: by Night from
Dreams
Of opening Gulphs, black Storms, and raging Flames,
Starting amaz'd, fhall to the People ſhow
Emblems of Heav'nly Wrath, and Myftic Types of Woe.
The Captives, as their Tyrant fhall require,
That They ſhould breathe the Song, and touch the Lyre,
Shall fay: can JACOB's fervile Race rejoice,
Untun'd the Mufic, and difus'd the Voice?
What can we play (They fhall diſcourſe) how fing
In foreign Lands, and to a Barb'rous King?
We
400
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
We and our Fathers from our Childhood bred
To watch the cruel Victor's Eye, to dread
The arbitrary Lafh, to bend, to grieve
(Out cait of Mortal Race) can We conceive
Image of ought delightful, foft, or gay?
Alas! when We have toil'd the long fome Day;
The fulleft Bliſs our Hearts afpire to know,
Is but fome Interval from active Woe;
In broken Reft, and ftartling Sleep to mourn,
"Till Morn, the Tyrant, and the Scourge return.
Bred up in Grief, can Pleaſure be our Theme?
Our endleſs Anguiſh does not Nature claim?
Reaſon, and Sorrow are to Us the Same.
Alas! with wild Amazement We require,
If Idle Folly was not Pleaſure's Sire:
Madneſs, We fancy, gave an ill-tim'd Birth
To grinning Laughter, and to frantic Mirth.
This is the Series of perpetual Woe,
Which Thou, alas! and Thine are born to know.
Illuftrious Wretch ! repine not, nor reply:
View not, what Heav'n ordains, with Reaſon's Eye ;
Too bright the Object is: the Diſtance is too high.
The Man who would refolve the Work of Fate,
May limit Number, and make Crooked Straight;
Stop Thy Enquiry then; and curb Thy Senfe;
Nor let Duft argue with Omnipotence.
"Ti: GOD who muft difpofe, and Man ſuſtain,
Born to endure, forbidden to complain.
Thy Sum of Life muft His Decrees fulfil;
What derogates from His Command, is Ill;
And that alone is Good, which centers in His Will.
Yet that thy Lab'ring Senfes may not droop,
Loft to Delight, and deftitute of Hope:
}
}
Remark
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
401
Remark what I, God's Meffenger, aver
From Him, who neither can deceive, nor err.
The Land at length redeem'd, fhall ceafe to mourn;
Shall from her fad Captivity return.
SION ſhall raiſe her long dejected Head;
And in her Courts the Law again be read.
Again the glorious Temple fhall arife,
And with new Luftre pierce the neighb'ring Skies.
The promis'd Seat of Empire fhall again.
Cover the Mountain, and command the Plain ;
And from Thy Race diftinguifh'd, ONE fhall fpring,
Greater in A&t than Victor, more than King.
In Dignity and Pow'r, fent down from Heav'n,
To fuccour Earth. To HIM, to HIM, 'tis giv'n,
affion, and Care, and Anguish ro deſtroy.
Thro' HIM foft Peace, and Plenitude of Joy
Perpetual o'er the World redeem'd ſhall flow,
No more may Man inquire, nor Angel know.
Now, SOLOMON, rememb'ring Who thou art,
A&t thro' thy remnant Life the decent Part.
Go forth: Be ſtrong: With Patience, and with Care
Perform, and Suffer: To Thyfelf ſevere,
Gracious to Others, Thy Defires fupprefs'd,.
Diffus'd Thy Virtues, Firſt of Men, be Beſt.
Thy Sum of Duty let Two Words contain;
O may they graven in thy Heart remain!
Be Humble, and be Juft. The Angel ſaid:
With upward Speed His agile Wings he fpread;
Whilft on the holy Ground I proftrate lay,
By various Doubts impell'd, or to obey,
Or to object at length (my mournful Look
Heav'n-ward erect) determin'd, thus I fpoke:
Supreme, Allwife, Eternal Potentate!
Sole Author, Sole Diſpoſer of our Fate !
Enthron'd
i
402
POEMS on feveral Occafions.
*
Enthron'd in Light, and Immortality,
Whom no Man fully fees, and none can fee!
Original of Beings! Pow'r Divine!
Since that I Live, and that I Think, is Thine ;
Benign Creator, let Thy plaftic Hand
Difpofe its own Effect. Let Thy Command
Reftore, Great Father, Thy Instructed Son;
And in My Act may THY great WILL BE DONE.
THE
THE
CONTENT S.
O
N Exodus III. 14. I am that Iam, Ax
Ode. Written in 1688, as an Exercise at
St. John's College, Cambridge..
To the Countess of Exeter playing on the Lute.
Picture of Seneca dying in a Bath, by Jordain, at
the Right Honourable the Earl of Exeter's at
Burleigh Houſe.
An Ode.
An Epistle to Fleetwood Shepherd, Esq;
To the Countess of Dorfet. Written in Her
Milton. By Mr. Bradbury.
To the Lady Dursley, on the fame Subject.
To my
a Cat.
An Ode.
A Song.
}
Page 1
P. 5
SP.
P. 7
ibid.
P. 9
P. 15
ibid.
Lord Buckhurft, very Young, playing with } p. 16
The Defpairing Shepherd. ·
To the Honourable Charles Montague, Efq;
Hymn to the Sun, fet by Dr. Parcel, and Sung
before their Majefties on New Year's Day,
1694.
The Lady's Looking Glass.
Love and Friendſhip: A Paftoral. By Mrs.
Elizabeth Singer.
To the Author of the foregoing Pafioral.
P. 17
ibid.
P. 18
P. 19
P. 21
p. 23
·}
P. 25
P. 27
To
CONTENTS.
}
}
To a Lady, She refufing to continue a Difpute with
Me, and leaving Me in the Argument: An Ode. P. 28
leaving me in the lingue &
Seeing the Duke of Ormond's Picture at Sir
Godfrey Kneller's.
Celia to Damon.
}P.
p. 29
p. 30
An Ode prefented to the King, on His Majefty's
Arrival in Holland, after the Queen's Death, p. 34
1695.
In Imitation of Anacreon.
An Ode.
P. 40
P. 41
Ode fur la prise de Namur par les Armes du
Roy, l'Année 1692. Par Monfieur Boileau p. 42
Defpreaux.
An Engliſh Ballad, on the taking of Namur by p. 43
the King of Great-Britain, 1695.
Preſented to the King at his Arrival in Holland
after the Diſcovery of the Confpiracy, 1696.
To Cloe weeping.
To Mr. Howard. An Ode.
Love difarm'd.
Cloe hunting.
Cupid and Ganymede.
Cupid mistaken.
Venus miflaken.
A Song.
The Dove.
A Lover's Anger.
Mercury and Cupid.
The Question: to Liſetta.
}p.
}P.
P. 54
p. 56
P. 57
p. 58
p. 60
ibid.
P. 63
ibid.
P. 64
ibid.
p. 69
ibid.
P. 71
P. 73
ibid.
On Beauty: A Riddle.
Lifetta's Reply.
P. 74
The Lady who offers her Looking-Glafs to Venus.
P. 75
Cloe
The Garland.
CONTENTS.
Cloe jealous.
P. 76
Anſwer to Cloe jealous, in the ſame Style ; the }p. 77
Author fick.
A better Anfwer.
P. 78
Pallas and Venus: an Epigram.
P. 79
To a Young Gentleman in Love. A Tale.
P. 80
An English Padlock.
P. 82
Hans Carvel.
A Dutch Proverb.
p. 85
p. 89
}p. 90
P. 95
p. 100
P. 101
Paulo Purganti and his Wife: an Honest, but
a Simple Pair.
The Ladle.
Written at Paris, 1700: In the beginning of
Robe's Geography.
Written in the beginning of Mezeray's Hiftory
of France.
ritten in the Nouveaux Interefts des Princes
de l'Europe.
Adriani Morientis ad Animam Suam.
By Monfieur Fontenelle.
Imitatea.
4 Paſſage in the Morie Encomium of Eraf-
mus.
Imitated.
p. 102
ibid.
p. 103
ibid.
fibid.
}p:
SP. 14
To Dr. Sherlock, on his practical Diſcourſe con-
cerning Death.
Carmen Seculare, for the Year 1700: to the King. p. 106
Carmen Seculare, Latinè redditum per Tho.
Dibben, è Trin: Col: Cantab.
·p. 125.
P.
An Ode infcribed to the Memory of the Honou-
rable Colonel George Villiers, drowned in
the River Piava, in the Country of Friuli p. 143
1703: In Imitation of Horace. Ode
XXVIII. Lib. I.
Prologue fpoken at Court before the Queen on?
Her Majesty's Birth-Day, 1704.
on} p. 146
A
CONTENT S.
A Letter to Monfieur Boileau Defpreaux, occa-
fioned by the Victory at Blenheim, 1704.
For the Plan of a Fountain, &c.
The Chamelion,
Merry Andrew.
A Simile.
}
P. 147
I
P. 154
ibid.
p. 156
P. 157
ibid.
The Flies.
From the Greek.
Epigram.
Another.
Another.
Another.
p. 158
ibid.
· P. 159
ibid.
ibid.
* }
ibid.
P. 160
ibid.
To a Perfon who wrote Ill, and Spake Worſe Į
against Me.
On the fame Perfon.
Quid fit futurum Cras, fuge quærere.
The Nut-brown Maid: a Poem written Three ?
hundred Years fince.
ibid.
%}
$ p. 171
Henry and Emma, a Poem upon the Model of
the Nut-brown Maid.
An Ode bumbly infcrib'd to the Queen on the
Glorious Success of Her Majesty's Arms, 1706. P. 197
Written in Imitation of Spenser's Style.
Cantata Set by Monfieur Galliard,
Her Right Name.
Written in an Ovid.
A True Maid.
Another.
A Reaſonable Affliction.
Another Reasonable Affliction.
Another.
On the fame Subject.
On the fame.
Phyllis's Age.
p. 215
P
216
p. 217
ibid.
ibid.
P. 218
ibid.
ibid.
ibid.
p. 219
ibid.
Forma
CONTENTS.
Forma Bonum fragile.
A Critical Moment.
An Epigram written to the Duke de Noailles.
P. 220
ibid.
ibid.
Epilogue to Phædra: Spoken by Mrs. Oldfield, } p. 221
Epilogue to Lucius: Spoken by Mrs. Horton. P. 222
The Thief and the Cordelier: a Ballad to the
Tune of King John and the Abbot of Canter- P. 224
bury.
An Epitaph.
}
To the Right Honourable Mr. Harley: in Imi-
tation of Horace, Lib. I. Epift. 9.
P. 226
S P. 228
To Mr. Harley wounded by Guifcard, 1711:0
11:§ p. 229
an Ode.
An Extempore
Invitation to the Earl of Ox-
ford Lord High-Tre-furer, 1712.
Earl Robert's Mice: In Chaucer's Style.
In the fame Style.
In the fame Style.
A Flower painted by Simon Varelft.
To the Lady Elizabeth Harley, fince Marchie
nefs of Carmarthen; on a Column of Her
Drawing.
Protogenes and Apelles.
Democritus and Heraclitus.
For my own Tomb Stone.
Gualterus Daniftonus ad Amicos.
Imitated.
}P. 231
ibid.
P. 233
ibid.
P. 234
ibid.
ibid.
P. 237
P. 238
ibid.
P. 239
P: 240
P. 243
} P. 248
The First Hymn of Callimachus, to Jupiter.
The Second Hymn of Callimachus, to Apollo.
Charity a Paraphrafe on the XIIIth Chapter 2
of the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
Engraven on a Column in the Church at Hal-
ftead in Effex: the Spire of which, burnt
down by Lightning, was rebuilt at the Ex-
pence of Mr. Samuel Fiske, 1717.
P. 250
CONTENTS.
Written in Montaign's Effays, given to the Duke
of Shrewsbury in France, after the Peace, p. 251
1713.
An Epifile defiring the Queen's Picture, Written
at Paris, 1714; but left unfinished by the
fudden News of Her Majeſty's Death.
ALMA, or the Progress of the Mind:
in Three Canto's.
ibid.
Canto I.
Canto II.
Canto III.
P. 255
p. 2.71
P. 287
SOLOMON: a Poem in Three Books.
Knowledge: Book I.
Pleafure: Book 11.
Power: Book III.
FINIS.
P.. 317
P. 343
P. 375
}
*
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}
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