Yet still her charms in breathing paint engage; Her modest cheek shall warm a future age. 56 Beauty, frail flow'r, that ev'ry season fears, Blooms in thy colours for a thousand years. Oh lasting as those Colours may they shine, The kindred Arts shall in their praise conspire, One dip the pencil, and one string the lyre. Yet should the Graces all thy figures place, And breathe an air divine on ev'ry face; Yet should the Muses bid my numbers roll Strong as their charms, and gentle as their soul; With Zeuxis' Helen thy Bridgewater vie, And these be sung till Granville's Myra die : 60 65 70 75 NOTES. Ver. 60. Worsley's eyes;] This was Frances Lady Worsley, Wife of Sir Robert Worsley, Bart. of Appuldercombe, in the Isle of Wight; Mother of Lady Cartaret, Wife of John Lord Carteret, afterward Earl Granville. There is an excellent letter of this Lady to Dr. Swift in his Letters, p. 77. Ver. 70. One dip the pencil,] The great Michael Angelo Buanoriti did both. See his Poems, printed at Florence, in 4to. 1623; some of which are very elegant, and nearly equal to Petrarch. Alas! how little from the grave we claim! NOTES. Ver. 78. a Name.] Pope used to say, that Jervas translated Don Quixote without understanding Spanish. Warburton added a supplement to the preface of this translation, concerning the origin and nature of romances of chivalry; which supplement Pope extols in his letters; but the opinions in it are thoroughly and entirely confuted by Mr. Tyrrwhit, in vol. ii. of Supplemental Observations on Shakspeare, p. 373. EPISTLE ΤΟ MRS. BLOUNT, WITH THE WORKS OF VOITURE. In these gay thoughts the Loves and Graces shine, And all the Writer lives in ev'ry line; His easy heart may happy Nature seem, And the gay mourn'd who never mourn'd before; 5 10 15 NOTES. Ver. 1. In these gay] The works of Voiture, after having been idolized in France, are now justly sunk into neglect and oblivion. 300 The truest hearts for Voiture heav'd with sighs, The Smiles and Loves had died in Voiture's death, Let the strict life of graver mortals be 20 And, if it can, at once both please and preach. 25 Have Humour, Wit, a native Ease and Grace, Few write to those, and none can live to these. 30 Too much your sex is by their forms confin'd Severe to all, but most to Womankind; Custom, grown blind with Age, must be your guide; Your pleasure is a vice, but not your pride; NOTES. Ver. 19. The Smiles] Alluding to an elegant epitaph on Voi ture: "Etrusca Veneres, Camœnæ Iberæ, Many curious particulars of his life may be found in the entertaining Miscellanies of Vigneul Marville, vol. ii. p. 409. Corneille was invited to read his Polyeucte at the Hotel de Rambouillet, where the wits of that time assembled, and where Voiture presided. It was coldly received; and Voiture was sent to tell Corneille in gentle terms, that it was the opinion of his friends that Polyeucte would not succeed. Such judges were the most fashionable wits of France! 35 By nature yielding, stubborn but for fame : But sets up one a greater in their place : Well might you wish for change by those accurst, 40 45 The Gods, to curse Pamela with her pray'rs, Gave the gilt Coach, and dappled Flanders Mares, The shining robes, rich jewels, beds of state, And to complete her bliss, a Fool for Mate. She glares in Balls, front Boxes, and the Ring, A vain, unquiet, glitt'ring, wretched Thing! Pride, Pomp, and State, but reach her outward part; She sighs, and is no Dutchess at her heart. But, Madam, if the fates withstand, and you 51 56 Are destin❜d Hymen's willing Victim too; Still makes new conquests, and maintains the past; |