Here orange-trees with blooms and pendants shine, WEEPING. WHILE Celia's tears make sorrow bright, These silver drops, like morning dew. The baby in those sunny spheres That heav'n, the threaten'd world to spare, EARL OF ROCHESTER. On Silence. SILENCE! coeval with eternity; Thou wert ere Nature's self began to be, 'Twas one vast nothing all, and all slept fast in thee. Thine was the sway, ere heav'n was form'd, or earth, Ere fruitful thought convceiv'd creation's birth, Or midwife word gave aid and spoke the infant forth. Then various elements against thee join'd, And fram'd the clamorous race of busy humankind. The tongue mov'd gently first, and speech was low, Till wrangling science taught it noise and show, And wicked wit arose, thy most abusive foe. But rebel wit deserts thee oft in vain; Afflicted sense thou kindly dost set free, And routed reason finds a safe retreat in thee. With thee in private modest dulness lies, Yet thy indulgence is by both confest ; Silence the knave's repute, the whore's good name, The only honour of the wishing dame; The very want of tongue makes thee a kind of fame. But couldst thou seize some tongues that now are free, How church and state would be oblig❜d to thee! At senate and at bar how welcome wouldst thou be! Yet speech, e'en there, submissively withdraws From rights of subjects, and the poor man's cause: Then pompous silence reigns, and stills the noisy laws. Past services of friends, good deeds of foes; The country wit, religion of the town, The parson's cant, the lawyer's sophistry, Lord's quibble, critic's jest; all end in thee; . All rest in peace at last, and sleep eternally. EARL OF DORSET. Artemisia. THOUGH Artemisia talks by fits Reads Malbranche, Boyle, and Locke: Haughty and huge as High-Dutch bride, On her large squab you find her spread, That lies and stinks in state. She wears no colours (signs of grace) All white and black beside: Dauntless her look, her gesture proud, So have I seen, in black and white, A stately worthless animal, That plies the tongue, and wags the tail, PHRYNE. PHRYNE had talents for mankind; Like some free open port of trade: Her learning and good breeding such, 'Twas Si Signior, 'twas Yaw Mynheer, Obscure by birth, renown'd by crimes, In di'monds, pearls, and rich brocades, So have I known those insects fair Still gain new titles with new forms; THE DUNCIA D. TO DR. JONATHAN SWIFT. BOOK I. ARGUMENT. The Proposition, Invocation, and Inscription. Then the original of the great empire of Dulness, and cause of its continuance. The College of the Goddess in the City, with her private academy for poets in particular; the governors of it, and the four cardinal virtues. The Poem hastes into the midst of things, presenting the Goddess, on the evening of a Lord Mayor's day, revolving the long succession of her sons, and the glories past and to come. She fixes her eyes on Bayes, to be the instrument of the event which is the subject of the Poem. He is described among his books, After debating whether to betake himself to the church, to gaming, or to party-writing, he raises an altar of proper books, and purposes theron to sacrifice all his unsuccessful writings. As the pile is kindled, the Goddess, beholding the flame, flies and puts it out, by casting on it the poem of Thule. She reveals herself to him, transports him to her Temple, unfolds her arts, and initiates him into her mysteries, then announcing the death of the Poet-Laureat, anoints him, carries him to Court, and proclaims him successor. THE mighty mother, and her son who brings The Smithfield muses to the ear of kings, REMARKS. This Poem was written in the year 1726. In the next year an imperfect edition was published at Dub |