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How could Devotion b touch the country pews,
Unless the Gods bestow'd a proper Muse?

C

Verse chears their leisure, Verse affifts their work, 235
Verse prays for peace, or fings down Pope and Turk.
The filenc'd Preacher yields to potent strain,

And feels that grace his pray'r befought in vain ;
The bleffing thrills thro' all the lab'ring throng,
And Heav'n is won by Violence of Song.

d

240

Our rural Ancestors, with little bleft, Patient of labour when the end was reft, Indulg'd the day that hous'd their annual grain, With feasts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain : The joy their wives, their fons, and fervants fhare, Eafe of their toil, and part'ners of their care: The laugh, the jeft, attendants on the bowl, Smooth'd ev'ry brow, and open'd ev'ry foul: With growing years the pleafing Licence grew, And Taunts alternate innocently few.

f

But Times corrupt, and Nature, ill-inclin'd,
Produc'd the point that left a fting behind;
Till friend with friend, and families at ftrife,
Triumphant Malice rag'd thro' private life.

246

250

Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took th' alarm, 255 Appeal'd to Law, and Juftice lent her arm.

NOTES.

mired in these Poems, owe lefs to the liberty of imitating, than to the fuperior genius of the imitator.

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VER. 259. Most warp'd to Flatt'ry's fide, etc.] Thefe two lines (notwithstanding the reference) are an addition to the Original. They feemed neceffary to compleat the History of the rife and progrefs of Wit; and, if attended to, will be feen to make much for the argument the Poet is upon, viz. the recommendation of Poetry to the protestion of the Magiftrate. And is, therefore, what Horace would have chosen to say, had he reflected on it.

VER. 263. We conquer'd France, etc.] The inftance the Poet here gives, to answer that in the Original, is not fo happy. However, it might be faid with truth, that our

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At length, by wholfome 1 dread of statutes bound,

The Poets learn'd to please, and not to wound:

i

Moft warp'd to Flatt'ry's fide; but fome, more nice,

Preferv'd the freedom, and forbore the vice.

Hence Satire rofe, that juft the medium hit,

And heals with Morals what it hurts with Wit.

260

* We conquer'd France, but felt our Captive's

charms;

Her Arts victorious triumph'd o'er our Arms;

Britain to soft refinements less a foe,

1

Wit grew polite, and Numbers learn'd to flow.
Waller was smooth; but Dryden taught to join
The varying verfe, the full-refounding line,
The long majestic March, and Energy divine.
Tho' ftill fome traces of our ruftic vein

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And fplay-foot verfe, remain'd, and will remain.
Late, very late, correctness grew our care,

When the tir'd Nation " breath'd from civil war.

NOTES.

265

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270

Intrigues on the Continent brought us acquainted with the provincial Poets, and produced Chaucer. Only I wonder, when he had fuch an example before him, of a Bard who fo greatly polished the rufticity of his age, he did not ufe it to paraphrase the sense of

Defluxit numerus Saturnius, et grave virus
Munditias pepulere :

VER. 267. Waller was smooth;] Mr. Waller, about this time with the Earl of Dorfet, Mr. Godolphin, and others, tranflated the Pompey of Corneille; and the more correct French Poets began to be in reputation,

P.

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Tentavit quoque rem, fi digne vertere poffet:
Et placuit fibi, natura fublimis et acer:

P

Nam fpirat tragicum fatis, et feliciter audet:

Sed turpem putat infcite metuitque lituram.

Creditur, ex medio quia res arceffit, habere Sudoris minimum; sed habet Comoedia tanto

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Plus oneris, quanto veniae minus. afpice, Plautus

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Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi,

Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut infidiofi:

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VER. 290. Aftræa,] A Name taken by Mrs. Behn, Authorefs of feveral obfcene Plays, etc. P.

Ibid. The stage how loosely does Afræa tread,] The fine

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Show'd us that France had something to admire. 275
Not but the P Tragic fpirit was our own,
And full in Shakespear, fair in Otway shone:
But Otway fail'd to polifh or refine,

And fluent Shakespear fcarce effac'd a line.
Ev'n copious Dryden wanted, or forgot,
The laft and greatest Art, the Art to blot.
Some doubt, if equal pains, or equal fire
The humbler Muse of Comedy require.
But in known Images of life, I guess

The labour greater, as th' indulgence less °.
Obferve how feldom ev'n the best fucceed:
Tell me if Congreve's Fools are Fools indeed?
What pert, low Dialogue has Farqu'ar writ!

t

How Van wants grace, who never wanted wit!

'

The stage how loosely does Aftræa tread,

Who fairly puts all Characters to bed!

And idle Cibber, how he breaks the laws,

X

W

To make poor Pinky eat with vast applause !
But fill their * purfe, our Poet's work is done,
Alike to them, by Pathos or by Pun.

O you! whom Vanity's light bark conveys
On Fame's mad voyage by the wind of praise,

NOTES.

280

285

290

295

metaphor of non aftri&to, greatly improved by the happy ambiguity of the word loafely

VER. 296. O you! whom Vanity's light bark conveys,1

* L

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