EPISTLE IV.

"T

Is ftrange, the Mifer should his Cares employ

5

To gain those Riches he can ne'er enjoy : Is it lefs ftrange, the Prodigal should waste His wealth, to purchase what he ne'er can taste? Not for himself he fees, or hears, or eats; Artists must chufe his Pictures, Mufic, Meats: He buys for Topham, Drawings and Designs, For Pembroke Statues, dirty Gods, and Coins; Rare monkish Manufcripts for Hearne alone, And Books for Mead, and Butterflies for Sloane. 10

EPISTLE IV.] The extremes of Avarice and Profufion being treated of in the foregoing Epiftle; this takes up one particular branch of the latter, the Vanity of Expence in people of wealth and quality; and is therefore a corollary to the preceding, juft as the Epiftle on the Characters of Women is to that of the Knowledge and Charac ters of Men.

NOTES.

VER. 7. Topham] A Gen- | Mead, and Butterflies for tleman famous for a judi- Sloane.] Two eminent Phycious collection of Draw- ficians; the one had an excellent Library, the other

ings. P.

VER, 10. And Books for the finest collection in Eu

N.Blakey inv.et del.

Ravenet Sculp

What brought S." Visto's ill-got Wealth to waste? Some Damon whisperd Visto! have a Taste...

Epioni

Faste

YOR

LA LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

Think we all these are for himself? no more
Than his fine Wife, alas! or finer Whore.

14

For what has Virro painted, built, and planted? Only to fhow, how many Taftes he wanted. What brought Sir Vifto's ill got wealth to waste? Some Dæmon whisper'd, "Vifto! have a Tafte." Heav'n vifits with a Tafte the wealthy fool, And needs no Rod but Ripley with a Rule. See! fportive fate, to punish aukward pride, Bids Bubo build, and fends him fuch a Guide: 20

NOTES.

rope of natural curiosities ; | most of it; and so indeed both men of great learning becomes, by accident, the and humanity. P. more fashionable Thing of the two. SCRIBL.

VER. 12. Than his fine Wife, alas! or finer Whore.] VER. 18. Ripley] This By the Author's manner of man was a carpenter, emputting together thefe two ployed by a firft Minifter, different Utenfils of falfe who raised him to an ArMagnificence, it appears, chitect, without any genius that, properly speaking, nei- in the art; and after fome ther the Wife nor the Whore wretched proofs of his inis the real object of modern fufficiency in public Buildtafte, but the Finery only: 'ings, made him ComptrolAnd whoever wears it, whe-ler of the Board of works. P. ther the Wife or the Whore, VER. 19. See! Sportive it matters not; any fur-fate, to punish aukward ther than that the latter is thought to deserve it beft, as appear from her having

pride.] Pride is one of the greatest mischiefs, as well as absurdities of our nature;

A standing fermon, at each year's expence,
That never Coxcomb reach'd Magnificence!
You show us, Rome was glorious, not profuse,
And pompous buildings once were things of Use.
Yet fhall (my Lord) your juft, your noble rules 25
Fill half the land with Imitating-Fools;

Who random drawings from your sheets fhall take,
And of one beauty many blunders make;

VARIATIONS.

After 22, in the MS.

Muft Bishops, Lawyers, Statesmen, have the skill
To build, to plant, judge paintings, what you will?
Then why not Kent as well our treaties draw,
Bridgman explain the Gospel, Gibbs the Law?

NOTES.

tempt and ridicule, which his native badness of heart fo well deferves.

and therefore, as appears | fate or fortune to bring both from prophane and fa-him into the public concred Hiftory, has ever been the more peculiar object of divine vengeance. But aukward Pride intimates fuch abilities in its owner, as eafes us of the apprehenfion of much mischief from it; fo that the poet fuppofes fuch a one fecure from the ferious resentment of Heaven, though it may permit

VER. 23. The Earl of Burlington was then publishing the Defigns of Inigo Jones, and the Antiquities of Rome by Palladio. P.

VER. 28. And of one beauty many blunders make;] Because the road to Tafte,