And hail her passage to the Realms of Reft,
All Parts perform'd, and all her Children blest !
So- Satire is no more - I feel it die
No Gazetteer more innocent than I -
And let, a God’s-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave 85
Be grac'd thro' Life, and flatter'd in his Grave.

F. Why so ? if Satire knows its Time and Place,
You still may lalh the greatest in Disgrace :
For Merit will by turns forsake them all ;
Would you know when ! exactly when they fall. 90
But let all Satire in all Changes (pare
Immortal S-k, and grave De

re.

Notes. She died in 1737. Her death gave occasion, as is observed above, to many indiscreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whose last moments manifested the utmost courage and resolution. P.

How highly our Poet thought of that truly great personage may be seen by one of his letters to Mr, Allen, written at that time; in which, amongst others, equally refpectful, are the following words: “ The Queen shewed, * by the confession of all about her, the utmost firmness " and temper to her last moments, and through the course " of great torments. What character historians will al“ low her, I do not know; but all her domeftic servants, " and those nearest her, give her the best testimony, that er of fincere tears.'

VER. 92. Immortal Smk, and grave De-re!] A title given that Lord by King James IŤ. He was of the Bed. chamber to King William ; he was so to King George I. he was so to King George II. This Lord was very kilful

Silent and soft, as Saints remove to Heav'n,
All Tyes diffolv'd, and ev'ry Sin forgivon,
These may some gentle ministerial Wing

95
Receive, and place for ever near a King!
There, where no Paffion, Pride, or Shame transport,
Lullid with the sweet Nepenthe of a Court ;

Notes. in all the forms of the House, in which he discharged himself with great gravity. P.

VER. 97. There, where no Palloon, etc.] The excellent writer De Esprit des Loix gives the following character of the Spirit of Courts, and the Principle of Monarchies : " Qu'on lise ce que les Historiens de tous les tems ont dit “ sur la Cour des Monarques ; qu'on se rapelle les con“ versations des hommes de tous les Païs sur le miserable “ caractère des COURTISANS; ce ne sont point des choses

de speculation, mais d'une trifte expérience. L'ambi« tion dans l'oifiveté, la basseffe dans l'orgueil, le defir de “ s'enrichir fans travail, l'aversion pour la vérité; la fa“ terie, la trahison, la perfidie, l'abandon de tous les “ engagemens, le mepris des devoirs du Citoyen, la crainte “ de la vertu du Prince, l'esperance de ses foiblesses, et “ plus, que tout cela, LE RIDICULE PERPETUEL JÉTTE

SUR LA VERTU, font, je crois, le Caractère de la pla.

part des Courtisans marqué dans tous les lieux et dans 6 tous les tems. Or il est très mal-aisé

que les Principaux “ d'un Etat soient malhonnêtes-gens, et que les inferieurs « foient gens-de-bien, que ceux-là soyent trompeurs, &

que ceux-ci consentent à n'être que dupes. Que fi dans “ le Peuple il se trouve quelque malheureux honnête“ homme, le Cardinal de Richelieu dans fon Teftament “politique infinue, qu'un Monarque doit se garder de s'en « fervir. Tant-il est vrai que la Vertu n'est pas le ressort « de ce Gouvernment."

2

There, where no Father's, Brother's Friend's disgrace Once break their reft, or ftir them from their Place: But past the Sense of human Miseries,

IOI All Tears are wip'd for ever from all eyes ; No cheek is known to blush, no heart to throb, Save when they lose a Question, or a Job. P. Good Heay'n forbid, that I thould blast their glory,

105 Who know how like Whig Ministers to Tory, And when three Sov'reigns dy'd, could scarce be vext, Confid'ring what a gracious Prince was next. Have I, in silent wonder seen such things As Pride in Slaves, and Avarice in Kings; 110 And at a Peer or Peeress, fhall I fret, Who starves a Sifter, or forfwears a Debt? Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boast ; But shall the Dignity of Vice be loft ? Ye Gods ! shall Cibber's Son, without rebuke, 115 Swear like a Lord, or Rich out-whore a Duke ;

VARIATIONS. VER. 11 2. in fome editions,

Who starves a Mother,

NOTES. VER. 108. gracious Prince] The style of Addreffes on an acceffion.

VER, 115. Cibber's Son, -- Rich] Two Players : look for them in the Dunciad, P.

A Fav'rite's Porter with his Mafter vie,
Be bribʼd as often, and as often lie?
Shall Ward draw Contracts with a Statesman's skill?
Or Japhet pocket, like his Grace, a Will ? 120
Is it for Bond, or Peter, (paltry things)
To pay their Debts, or keep their Faith, like Kings?
If Blount dispatch'd himself he play'd the man,
And so may'st thou, illustrious Passeran !
But shall a Printer, weary of his life,

125
Learn, from their Books, to hang himself and Wife?
This, this, my Friend, I cannot, must not bear;
Vice thus abus’d, demands a Nation's care :
This calls the Church to deprecate our Sin,
And hurls the Thunder of the Laws on Gin,

130
NOTES.
VER. 123. If Blount] Author of an impious and foolish
book called the Oracles of Reason, who being in love with
a near kipfwoman of his, and rejected, gave himself a
stab in the arm, as pretending to kill himself, of the con-
fequence of which he really died. P.

Ver. 124. Pafferan!] Author of another book of ihe fame stamp, called A philofophical discourse on death, being a defence of suicide.

Ver. 125. But shall a Printer, etc.) A Fact that hap. pened in London a few years paft. The unhappy man left behind him a paper justifying his action by the reasonings of some of these authors. P. VER. 129.

This calls the Church to deprecate our Şin,] Alluding to the forms of prayer, composed in the times of public calamity; where the fault is generally laid upon the People.

VIR. "130. Gin.] A spiricuous liquor, the exorbitant

1

Let modeft Foster, if he will, excell
Ten Metropolitans in preaching well ;
A fimple Quaker, or a Quaker's Wife,
Out-do Landaffe in Doctrine,-yea in Life:
Let humble ALLEN, with an aukward Shame, 135
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it Fame.

Notes.
use of which had almost destroyed the lowest rank of the
People till it was restrained by an act of Parliament in
1736. P.

VER, 131. Let modeft Foster] This confirms an obfervation which Mr. Hobbes made long ago, That there be

very few Bishops that act a fermon so well, as divers Presbyterians and fanatic Preachers can do. Hift. of Civ, Wars.

p.

62. SCRIBL. VER. 134. Landaffe] A poor Bishoprick in Wales, as poorly supplied. P.

Ver. 135. Let humble ALLEN with an aukward Shame, Do good by stealth, and blush to find it Fame.] The true Character of our Author's moral pieces, contidered as a Supplement to human laws (the force of which they have deservedly obtained) is, that his praise is always delicate, and his reproof 'never misplaced: and therefore the firx not reaching the bead, and the latter too fenfibly touching the heart of his vulgar readers, have made him cenfured as a cold Panegyrift, and a caustic Satirist; whereas, indeed, he was the warmelt friend, and the most placable enemy.

The lines above have been commonly given as an inftance of this ungenerous backwardness in doing justice to merit. And, indeed, if fairly given, would bear hard upon the Author, who believed the person here celebrated to be one of the greatest characters in private life that ever was ; aud known by him to be, in fact, all, and

* R