And this old oak, that fhades this hollow way,
Amidft whofe windings fheep and oxen ftray!
'Tis thus Theocritus his landkip gives,
'Tis thus the speaking picture moves and lives.
Alike in Terence and in Guido's air,
Our praise the height of art and nature share.
In broader mirth if Plautus tread the stage,
With equal humour Hemkirk's boors engage.
She fpoke, with friendly emulation ftirr'd,
And Phabus from his throne with pleasure heard.
CEPTRE of eafe! whofe calm domain extends
SO'er the froze Chronian, or winere lagging gales
Fan to repofe the Southern realms. O! whom
More flaves obey than swarm about the courts
Me hap'ly flumb'ring all a fummer's day, Thy meaneft fubject, often haft thou deign'd Gracious to vifit. If thy poppy then
Was e'er infus'd into my gifted quill,
* The goddess of Indolence. The capital of the Mogul's country, T. Kouli Kan.
The capital of Chiralately plunder'd by
If e'er my nodding Muse was bleft with pow'r,
To doze the reader with her opiate verse—
Come, goddefs; but be gentle; not as when
On ftudious heads attendant thou art seen
Fast by the twinkling lamp, poring and pale
Immers'd in meditation, fleep's great foe?
Where the clue-guided casuist unwinds
Perplexities; or Halley from his tower
Converses with the stars: In other guize
Thy prefence I invoke. Serene approach,
With forehead smooth, and fauntring gait; put on
The smile unmeaning, or in sober mood
Fix thy flat, mufing, leaden eye: as looks
Simplicius, when he ftares and feems to think.
Prompted by thee, Refervo keeps at home,
Intent on books: he when alone applies
The needle's reparation to his hose,
Or ftudious flices paper. Taught by thee
Dullman takes fnuff, and ever and anon
Turns o'er the page unread. Others more fage,
Place, year, and printer not unnoted, well
Examine the whole frontispiece, and if
Yet ftricter their enquiry, e'en proceed
To leaves within, and curious there felect
Italicks, or confult the margin, pleas'd
To find a hero or a tale: all else,
The obfervation, maxim, inference
Disturb the brain with thought-It fure were long
To name thy fev'ral vot'ries, Pow'r fupine,
And all thy various haunts. Why should I speak
Of coffee-house? or where the eunuch plays,
Or Rofcius in his bufkin? These and more
Thy crowded temples, where thou fit'ft enfhrin'd
Glorious, thy incense ambergris, and time
Thy facrifice. About thee cards and dice
Lie scatter'd, and a thousand vaffal beaux
Officiate at thy worship.-Nor mean while
Is folitude lefs thy peculiar sphere;
There unattended you vouchfafe to shroud
Your beauties, gentle Potentate; with me
By vale or brook to loiter not difpleas'd:
Hear the ftream's pebbled roar, and the sweet bee
Humming her fairy-tunes, in praise of flowers;
Or clam'rous rooks, on aged elm or oak,
Aloft the cawing legiflators fit,
Debating, in full fenate, points of ftate.
My bower, my walks, my ftudy all are thine,
For thee my yews project their fhade: my green
Spreads her foft lap, my waters whisper fleep.
Here thou may'ft reign fecure, nor hoftile thought,
Nor argument, nor logick's dire array
Make inroad on thy kingdom's peace.—What tho'
Malicious tongues me harmless represent,
A traitor to thy throne: or that I hold
Forbidden correfpondence with the Nine,
Plotting with Phabus, and thy foes! What tho'
VOL. V.
Of fatire they impeach me, ftrain severe !
Thou know'ft my innocence: 'tis true indeed
I fometimes fcribble, but 'tis thou infpir'st:
In proof accept, O goddefs, this my verfe.
Win elbow and
HAT ken mine eyes, enchanted? man of eafe,
In elbow chair, and under brow of thought
Intense, on fome great matter fixt, no doubt:
What mean the myrmidons on either hand
In paper-coats, and orderly array,
Spread far and wide, on table, desk, and stool,
Variety of troops, white, purple, pied,
And grey, and blue's battalion trim; and who
In marbled regimentals, fome in vest
Gay edg'd with gold; of various garb, and tongue,
And clime; extended o'er the wooden plain.
Not force more numerous from her teeming loins
Pours forth Hungaria to the Danube's bank
Croats and Pandours: nor the swarming war
Of Turk and Nadir, nodding oppofite
With particolour'd turbans. Sing, O Mufe,
Their marshal'd numbers, and puiffance. First,
With fable shield, and arms opaque, advance
Divinity polemic, fober rage,
Yet deadly! (and can rage in minds divine
Inhabit!) councils, fynods, cloyfters, schools,
Cowl beats off cowl, and mitre mitre knocks.
Prefbyt❜ry here with wither'd face askew,
Vengeance demure; and there devoutly fierce
Catholicos, in lawn sprinkled with blood.
Not far behind with her divided troops
Comes Policy, with democratic fhouts
On one hand, on the other loud acclaim
For pow'r hereditary, and right divine :
I fee the various portraiture display'd,
Brutus and Nimrod, libertines, and flaves,
And crowns, and breeches flutter in the air.
Who next with aspect fage and parchment wav'd
Voluminous come on? I know their beards
Hiftoric, see the style acute, with which
They fight old Time, maugre his desp'rate scythe,
And as he cleaves the pyramid, apply
Their puny prop. Hence annals, journals hence,
And memoirs, doubtful truth, and certain lies,
And tales, and all the magazines of war.
What Mufe, O Poetry, can pafs unfung
Thy flowing banners, and gay tent, adorn'd
With airy trophies ? or would leave thy name
Uncatalogu'd, were it but Nereus-like
Alluding to the arms impress'd on the money of the Commonwealth of England.
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