Perhaps, by its own ruins fav'd from flame, 15
Some bury'd marble half preferves a name;
That Name the learn'd with fierce difputes pursue,
And give to Titus old Vefpafian's due.

Ambition figh'd: She found it vain to trust The faithlefs Column and the crumbling Bust: Huge moles, whofe fhadow stretch'd from shore to fhore,

21

Their ruins perish'd, and their place no more'!
Convinc'd, the now contracts her vaft defign,
And all her Triumphs fhrink into a Coin.
A narrow orb each crouded conqueft keeps, 25
Beneath her Palm here fad Judæa weeps.

Now fcantier limits the proud Arch confine,
And scarce are seen the proftrate Nile or Rhine;
A fmall Euphrates thro' the piece is roll'd,
And little Eagles wave their wings in gold.

NOTES.

VER. 18. And give to Titus old Vefpafian's due.] A fine infinuation of the entire want of Tafte in Antiquaries; whose ignorance of Characters mifleads them, (fupported only by a name) againft Reafon and Hiftory.

VER. 25. A narrow Orb

30

The Medal, faithful to its charge of fame,

Thro' climes and ages bears each form and name:
In one short view fubjected to our eye

Gods, Emp'rors, Heroes, Sages, Beauties, lie.
With sharpen'd fight pale Antiquaries pore, 35
Th' inscription value, but the ruft adore.
This the blue varnish, that the green endears,
The facred ruft of twice ten hundred years!
To gain Pefcennius one employs his schemes,
One grafps a Cecrops in ecftatic dreams.
Poor Vadius, long with learned fpleen devour'd,
Can tafte no pleasure fince his Shield was scour'd:
And Curio, restlefs by the Fair-one's fide,
Sighs for an Otho, and neglects his bride.

40

Theirs is the Vanity, the Learning thine: 45 Touch'd by thy hand, again Rome's glories fhine; Her Gods, and god-like Heroes rife to view, And all her faded garlands bloom a-new.

NOTES.

VER. 35. With fharpen'd fight pale Antiquaries pore,] Microfcopic glaffes, invented by philofophers to discover the beauties in the minuter works of nature, ridiculously applied by Antiquaries, to detect the

cheats of counterfeit medals.

VER. 37. This the blue varnifh, that the green endears] i. e. This a collector of filver; That, of brafs coins.

VER. 41. Poor Vadius] See his hiftory, and that of his Shield, in the Memoirs of Scriblerus.

Nor blush, these studies thy regard engage;

These pleas'd the Fathers of poetic rage;
The verfe and fculpture bore an equal part,

And Art reflected images to Art.

50

55.

Oh when shall Britain, confcious of her claim, Stand emulous of Greek and Roman fame? In living medals fee her wars enroll❜d, And vanquish'd realms fupply recording gold? Here, rifing bold, the Patriot's honeft face; There Warriors frowning in historic brass : Then future ages with delight shall see How Plato's, Bacon's, Newton's looks agree;

NOTES.

VER. 49. Nor blush, thefe Studies thy regard engage;] A

fenfelefs affectation which fome writers of eminence have betrayed; who when fortune, or their talents have raised them to a condition to do without thofe arts, for which only they gained our esteem, have pretended to think letters below their Character. This falfe fhame M. Voltaire has very well, and with proper indignation, expofed in his account of Mr. Congreve :

60

never have come to see him; "and I was very much difguft"ed at fo unfeasonable a piece "of vanity. Letters concerning the English Nation, xix. VER. 53. Oh when shall Bri

He had one Defect, which "was, his entertaining too 66 mean an Idea of his firft "Profeffion, (that of a Wri-tain, &c.] A compliment to

"ter) tho' 'twas to this he

one of Mr. Addifon's papers in

Or in fair feries laurell'd Bards be shown,

A Virgil there, and here an Addison.

Then shall thy CRAGGS (and let me call him mine) On the caft ore, another Pollio, fhine;

With aspect open, shall erect his head,

65

And round the orb in lasting notes be read, "Statesman, yet friend to Truth! of foul fincere, "In action faithful, and in honour clear; "Who broke no promife, ferv'd no private end, "Who gain'd no title, and who loft no friend; "Ennobled by himself, by all approv❜d, "And prais'd, unenvy'd, by the Muse he lov'd.

NOTES.

the Spectator on this fubject. VER. 67. "Statefman, yet friend to truth, &c.] It should be remembered that this poem was written to be printed before Mr. Addison's discourse on Medals, in which there is the the following cenfure of long legends upon coins: "The firft "fault I find with a modern "legend is its diffufiveness. "You have fometimes the "whole fide of a medal over66 run with it. One would fancy the Author had a Defign of being Ciceronian"but it is not only the tedi"oufness of these infcriptions

66

"that I find fault with; fup"pofing them of a moderate "length, why must they be in "verfe? We fhould be fur"prized to fee the title of a "ferious book in rhime. Dial. iii.

VER. ult. And prais'd unenvy'd by the Muse he lov'd.] It was not likely that men acting in fo different spheres as were those of Mr. Craggs and Mr. Pope, fhould have their friendfhip difturbed by Envy. We muft fuppofe then that fome circumstances in the friendship of Mr. Pope and Mr. Addifon are hinted at in this place.