What's long or fhort, each accent where to place,
And speak in public with fome fort of grace.
I scarce can think him such a worthless thing,
Unless he praise some Monster of a King;
Or Virtue, or Religion turn to sport,
To please a lewd, or unbelieving Court.
Unhappy Dryden!-In all Charles's days,
Rofcommon only boasts unfpotted bays;
And in our own (excufe fome Courtly stains)
No whiter page than Addison remains.
He," from the taste obscene reclaims our youth,
And fets the Paffions on the fide of Truth,
Forms the foft bofom with the gentlest art,
And pours each human Virtue in the heart.
Let Ireland tell, how Wit upheld her cause,
Her Trade fnpported, and supplied her Laws;
And leave on SwIFT this grateful verfe ingrav'd,
"The Rights a Court attack'd, a Foet fav`d.”
Behold the hand that wrought a Nation's cure, 225
Stretch'd to relieve the Idiot and the Poor,
Proud Vice to brand, or injur'd Worth adorn,
And stretch the Ray to Ages yet unborn.
Not but there are, who merit other palms;
Hopkins and Sternhold glad the heart with Pfalms
VER. 230. Sternbold.] One of the verfifiers of the old finging pfalms. He was a Courtier, and Groom of the Robes to Hen. VIII. and of the Bedchamber to Edward vi. Fuller, in his Church Hiftory, fays he was esteemed an excellent Poet.
Caftis cum pueris ignara puella mariti
Difceret unde preces, vatem ni Mufa dediffet? Pofcit opem chorus, et praefentia numina fentit; Coeleftes implorat aquas, docta prece blandus; Avertit morbos, metuenda pericula pellit; Impetrat et pacem, et locupletem frugibus annum. "Carmine Dî fuperi placantur, carmine Manes.
• Agricolae prifci, fortes, parvoque beati,
Condita poft frumenta, levantes tempore fefto
Corpus & ipfum animum fpe finis dura ferentem,
Cum fociis operum pueris et conjuge fida,
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant,
Floribus et vino Genium memorem brevis aevi.
Fefcennina per hunc inventa licentia morem
f Verfibus alternis opprobria ruftica fudit;
Libertafque recurrentes accepta per annos
Lufit amabiliter: donec jam faevus apertam
In rabiem coepit verti jocus, et per honeftas
Ire domos impune miņax. doluere cruento
Dente laceffiti: fuit intactis quoque cura
VER. 241. Our rural Ancestors, etc.] This is almost literal; and fhews, that the beauty and fpirit, fo much admired in these
133
The Boys and Girls whom charity maintains, 231
Implore your help in these pathetic strains:
How could Devotion b touch the country pews,
Unless the Gods beftow'd a proper Muse?
Verfe chears their leisure, Verse affifts their work,
Verse prays for Peace, or fings down Pope and Turk,
The filenc'd Preacher yields to potent ftrain,
And feels that grace his pray'r besought in vain;
The bleffing thrills thro' all the lab'ring throng,
And Heav'n is won by Violence of Song.
Our * rural Ancestors, with little blest, 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 servants share,
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 flew.
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.
Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took th' alarm.
Appeal'd to Law, and Justice lent her arm.
Poems, owe lefs to the liberty of imitating, than to the fuperior
Conditione fuper communi: quin etiam lex
Poenaque lata, malo quae nollet carmine quemquam
Defcribi. vertere modum, formidine fuftis
Adi bene dicendum, delectandumque redacti.
* Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit, et artes
Intulit agrefti Latio, fic horridus ille
Defluxit numerus Saturnius, et grave virus
Munditiae pepulere: fed in longum tamen aevum
Manferunt, hodieque manent, veftigia ruris.
Serus enim Graecis admovit acumina chartis;
VER 259. Moft warp'd to Flatt'ry's fide, etc.] These two lines (notwithstanding the reference) are an addition to the Original. They seemed neceffary to compleat the History of the rife and progress 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 protection 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 bere gives, to answer that in the Original, is not fo happy. However, it might be faid with truth, that our Intrigues on the Continent brought us acquainted with the Provincial Poets, and produced Chaucer. I, only, wonder, when he had such an exam
At length, by wholsome ↳ dread of statutes bound,
The Poets learn'd to please, and not to wound:
Moft warp'd to i Flatt'ry's fide; but some, more nice,
Preferv'd the freedom, and forbore the vice.
Hence Satire rofe, that just the medium hit,
And heals with morals what it hurts with Wit.
*We conquer'd France, but felt our Captive's
charms;
Her Arts victorious triumph'd o'er our Arms;
Britain to foft refinements lefs a foe,
Wit grew polite, and Numbers learn'd to flow.
Waller was smooth; but Dryden taught to join
The varying verse, the full-refounding line,
The long majeftic March, and Energy divine.
Tho' ftill fome traces of our ruftic vein
And fplay-foot verfe remain'd, and will remain.
Late, very late, correctnefs grew our care,
When the tir'd Nation " breath'd from civil war,
Exact Racine, and Corneille's noble fire,
Show'd us that France had something to admire. 275
ple before him, of a Bard who fo greatly polished the rufticity of his age, he did not use it to paraphrase the sense of
Defluxit numerus Saturnius, et grave virus
Munditiae 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.
|