To Mr. THOMAS SOUTHERN, RESIGN'D to live, prepar'd to die, The mushrooms fhew his wit was fudden ! May Toм, whom Heav'n fent down to raise VER. 6. A table,] He was invited to dine on his birth-day with this Nobleman, who had prepared for him the entertainment of which the bill of fare is here fet down. VER. 8. Prefents her harp] The harp is generally wore on the Irish Linen; fuch as Table-cloths, etc. VER. 16. The price of prologues and of plays,] This alludes to a ftory Mr. Southern told of Dryden, about the fame time, to Mr. P. and Mr. W. When Southern firft wrote for the ftage, Dryden was fo famous for his Prologues, that the players would act nothing without that decoration. His ufual price till then had been four guineas: But when Southern came to him for the Prologue he had befpoke, Dryden told him he must have fix guineas for it; "which (faid he) young man, is out of no difrefpect to yon; but the "players have had my goods too cheap."- -We now look upon thefe Prologues with the fame admiration that the Virtuofi do on the Apothecaries pots painted by Raphael. DORSET, the Grace of Courts, the Mufes' Pride, Patron of Arts, and Judge of Nature, dy'd. The fcourge of Pride, tho' fanctified or great, Of Fops in Learning, and of Knaves in State: Yet foft his Nature, tho' fevere his Lay, His Anger moral, and his Wisdom gay. Bleft Sat'rift! who touch'd the Mean fo true, As fhow'd, Vice had his hate and pity too. Bleft Courtier! who could King and Country pleafe, Yet facred keep his Friendships, and his Eafe. Epitaphs.] Thefe little compofitions far exceed any thing we have of the fame kind from other hands: yet, if we except the Epitaph on the young Duke of Buckingham, and perhaps one or two more, they are not of equal force with the rest of our Author's writings. The nature of the Compofition itfelf is delicate; and generally it was a task imposed on him; though he rarely complied with requests of this nature, as we may fee by the fmall number of thefe poems, but where the subject was worthy of his pen. For random praise the Work would ne'er be done : Each Widow afks it for the best of Men; For him he weeps, for kim fhe weds again. Bleft Peer! his great Forefathers ev'ry grace Where other BUCKHURSTS, other DORSETS shine, Yet when thefe elegiac movements came freely from the heart, he mourns in fuch ftrains as fhew he was equally a master of this kind of Compofition with every other he undertook, as the following lines in the Epifle to fervas may witness; which would have made the finest Epitaph in the world: Call round her Tomb each object of defire, II. On Sir WILLIAM TRUMBA L, One of the principal Secretaries of State to King WILLIAM III. who, having refigned his place, died in his Retirement at Easthamfted in Berkshire, 1716. A PLEASING Form; a firm, yet cautious Mind; Honour unchang'd, a Principle profeit, Fix'd to one fide, but mod'rate to the, reft: A Love to Peace, and Hate of Tyranny; Such this Man was: who now, from Earth remov'd, At length enjoys that Liberty he lov'd. III. On the Hon. SIMON HARCOUrt, Only Son of the Lord Chancellor HARCOURT, at the Church of Stanton-Harcourt in Oxfordshire, 1720. T O this fad Shrine, whoe'er thou art! draw near, How vain is Reason, Eloquence how weak! IV. On JAMES CRAGGS, Efq. In Westminster-Abbey. JACOBUS CRAGGS REGI MAGNE BRITANNIE A SECRETIS ET CONSILIIS SANCTIORIBUS, - PRINCIPIS PARITER AC POPULI AMOR ET DELICIE VIXIT TITULIS ET INVIDIA MAJOR ANNOS, HEU PAUCOS, XXXV. OB. FEB. XVI. MDCCXX. Statefman, yet Friend to Truth! of Soul fincere, Prais'd, wept, and honour'd, by the Mufe he lov'd. V. Intended for Mr. ROWE, THY HY Reliques, Rowe, to this fair Urn we trust, VARIATIONS. 5 It is as follows on the Monument in the Abbey erected to Rowe and his Daughter. Thy Reliques, Rowe! to this fad shrine we truft, And near thy SHAKESPEAR place thy honour'd bust, To thefe, fo mourn'd in death, fo lov'd in life; NOTE S. VER. 3. Beneath a rude] The Tomb of Mr. Dryden was erected upon this hint by the Duke of Buckingham; to which was originally intended this Epitaph, This SHEFFIELD rais'd. The facred Duft below which the Author fince changed into the plain infcription now upon it, being only the name of that great Poet. J. DRYDEN. Natus Aug. 9. 1631. Mortuus Maij 1. 1700. JOANNES SHEFFIELD DUX BUCKINGHAMIENSIS POSUIT. |