What's long or fhort, each accent where to place,
And speak in publick with fome fort of grace.
I fcarce can think him fuch a worthless thing,
Unless he praise fome Monster of a King,
Or Virtue, or Religion turn to sport,
To please a lewd, or un-believing Court.
Unhappy Dryden ! — In all Charles's days,
Rofcommon only boafts unfpotted bays;
And in our own (excufe fome Courtly stains)
No whiter page than Addison remains.
He, 69 from the taste obfcene reclaims our youth,
And fets the Paffions on the fide of Truth,
Forms the foft bofom with the gentlest art,
And pours each human Virtue in the heart.
Let Ireland tell, how Wit upheld her cause,
Her Trade supported, and fupply'd her Laws;
And leave on SwIFT this grateful verse ingrav'd,
The Rights a Court attack'd, a Poet fav'd.
Behold the hand that wrought a Nation's cure,
Stretch'd to 71 relieve the Idiot and the Poor*,
Proud Vice to brand, or injur'd Worth adorn,
And 70 ftretch the Ray to Ages yet unborn.
Torquet 69 ab obfcænis jam nunc fermonibus aurem ;
Mox etiam pectus præceptis format amicis,
Afperitatis, & invidiæ corrector, & iræ.
Recte facta refert; 70 orientia tempora notis
Inftruit exemplis : 71 inopem folatur, & ægrum.
*A Foundation for the maintenance of Idiots, and a Fund for affifting the Poor, by lending small fums of money on demand.
Not but there are, who merit other palms;
Hopkins and Sternhold glad the heart with 71 Pfalms:
The 72 Boys and Girls whom charity maintains, 231
Implore your help in thefe pathetic strains:
How could Devotion 73 touch the
country pews, Unless the Gods beftow'd a proper Mufe?
Verse chears their leisure, Verse affifts their work, 235
Verse prays for Peace, or fings down 74 Pope and Turk.
The filenc'd Preacher yields to potent strain,
And feels that grace his pray'r befought in vain,
The bleffing thrills thro' all the lab'ring throng,
And
75 Heav'n is won by Violence of Song.
Our 76 rural Ancestors, with little bleft,
Patient of labour when the end was rest,
Indulg'd the day that hous'd their annual grain,
With feafts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain :
The joy their wives, their fons, and fervants fhare, 245
Ease of their toil, and part'ners of their care :
Caftis cum 72 pueris ignara puella mariti
Difceret unde 73 preces, vatem ni Mufa dediffet?
Pofcit opem Chorus, & præfentia numina fentit ;
Caeleftes implorat aquas docta prece blandus;
Avertit morbos, 74 metuenda pericula pellit;
Impetrat & Pacem, & locupletem frugibus annum.
75 Carmine Di fuperi placantur, carmine Manes.
76 Agricola prifci, fortes, parvoque beati,
Condita poft frumenta, levantes tempore fefto
Corpus, & ipfum animum fpe finis dura ferentem,
Cum fociis operum, & pueris, & conjuge fida,
Tellurem porco, Silvanum late piabant,
The laugh, the jeft, attendants on the bowl,
Smooth'd ev'ry brow, and open'd ev'ry foul:
With growing years the pleasing Licence grew,
And 77 Taunts alternate innocently flew.
But Times corrupt, and 78 Nature, ill-inclin'd,
Produc'd the point that left a sting behind;
Till friend with friend, and families at strife,
Triumphant Malice rag'd thro' private life.
Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took th' alarm, 255
Appeal'd to Law, and Juftice lent her arm.
At length, by wholesome 79 dread of ftatutes bound,
The Poets learn'd to please, and not to wound:
Moft warp'd to So Flatt'ry's fide; but fome, more nice,
Preferv'd the freedom, and forbore the vice.
Hence Satire rofe, that just the medium hit,
And heals with Morals what it hurts with Wit.
Floribus & vino Genium memorem brevis ævi.
Fefcennina per hunc inventa licentia morem
77 Verfibus alternis opprobria rufiica fudit ;
Libertafque recurrentes accepta per annos
Lufit amabiliter: 78 donec jam fevus apertam
In rabiem verti cæpit jocus, & per boneftas
Ire domos impune minax. Doluere cruento
Dente laceffiti: fuit inta&tis quoque cura
Conditione fuper communi: 79 quin etiam lex
Panaque lata, malo que nollet carmine quemquam
Defcribi. Vertere modum, formidine fuftis
Ad 80 benedicendum, delectandumque redacti.
81 We conquer'd France, but felt our Captive's charms; Her Arts victorious triumph'd o'er our Arms; Britain to foft refinements lefs a foe,
Wit grew polite, and 82 Numbers learn'd to flow. * Waller was smooth; but Dryden taught to join The varying verfe, the full-refounding line,
The long majestic March, and Energy divine.
Tho' still some traces of our 83 rustic vein
And fplay-foot verfe remain'd, and will remain.
Late, very late, correctness grew our care,
When the tir'd Nation 84 breath'd from civil war.
Exact 85 Racine, and Corneille's noble fire,
Shew'd us that France had fomething to admire. 275
Not but the 86 Tragic fpirit was our own,
And full in Shakespear, fair in Otway fhone:
81 Græcia capta, ferum victorem cepit, & Artes Intulit agrefti Latio, fic horridus ille Defluxit 82 numerus Saturnius, & grave virus Munditiæ pepulere: fed in longum tamen ævum Manferunt, bodieque manent, 83 veftigia ruris. Serus enim Græcis admovit acumina chartis; Et poft 84 Punica bella quietus, quærere cœpit, Quid 85 Sophocles,&Thefpis, & Æfchylus utile ferrent: Tentavit quoque rem fi digne vertere poffet; Et placuit fibi, natura fublimis, & acer : Nam 86 fpirat tragicum fatis, & feliciter audet:
*Mr. Waller about this time with the E. of Dorfet, Mr. Godolphin, and others, tranflated the Pompey of Corneille; and the more correct French Poets began to be in reputation.
But Otway fail'd to polish or refine,
And 87 fluent Shakespear scarce effac'd a line.
Ev'n copious Dryden wanted, or forgot,
The last and greatest Art, the Art to blot.
Some doubt, if equal pains, or equal fire
The 38 humbler Mufe of Comedy require ?
But in known Images of life, I guess
The labour greater, as th' indulgence less. 89
Obferve how seldom ev'n the best fucceed:
Tell me if 90 Congreve's Fools are Fools indeed?
What pert, low Dialogue has Farqu'ar writ!
How Van wants grace, who never wanted Wit!
The ftage how 92 loosely does* Aftræa tread,
Who fairly puts all Characters to bed:
And idle Cibber, how he breaks the laws,
To make poor Pinky 91 eat with vast applause!
But fill their 93 purse, our Poet's work is done,
Alike to them, by Pathos or by Pun.
Sed 87 turpem putat in fcriptis, metuitque lituram.
Creditur, ex 88 medio quia res arceffit, habere
Sudoris minimum; fed habet comoedia tanto
Plus oneris, quanto venia minus. 89 Afpice Plautus
Quo pacto 90 partes tutetur amantis ephebi,
Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut infidiofi ?
Quantus fit Dorfennus 91 edacibus in parafitis !
Quam 92 non aftricto percurrat pulpita focco!
Geftit enim 93 nummum in loculos demittere, poft has
Securus, cadat, an recto ftet fabula talo.
*Aftræa, a Name taken by Mrs. Behn, Authorefs of feveral obfcene Plays, &c.
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