Nobles, whom arms or arts adorn, Wait for my infants yet unborn. None but a peer of wit and grace Can hope a puppy of my race.

And, O would fate the bliss decree To mine (a bliss too great for me!) That two my tallest sons might grace, Attending each with stately pace,

Iulus' side, as erst Evander's,"

*

To keep off flatterers, spies, and panders,
To let no noble slave come near,

And scare Lord Fannys from his ear,
Then might the royal youth, and true,
Enjoy at least a friend or two;
A treasure which, of royal kind,
Few but himself deserve to find.

Then Bounce ('tis all that Bounce can crave) Shall wag her tail within the grave.

And though no doctors, Whig or Tory ones,
Except the sect of Pythagoreans,
Have immortality assign'd

To any beasts but Dryden's hind: t

Yet Master Pope, whom Truth and Sense
Shall call their friend some ages hence,
Though now no loftier themes he sings,
Than to bestow a word on kings,
Has sworn by Styx, the poet's oath,
And dread of dogs and poets both,
Man and his works he'll soon renounce,
And roar in numbers worthy Bounce.

* Virgil, Æneid 8.

"A milk-white hind, immortal and unchanged."
Hind and Panther, ver. 1.

ON

THE COUNTESS OF BURLINGTON CUTTING PAPER.

PALLAS grew vap'rish once and odd;
She would not do the least right thing,
Either for goddess or for god,

Nor work, nor play, nor paint, nor sing.

Jove frown'd, and "Use (he cried) those eyes
So skilful, and those hands so taper;
Do something exquisite and wise-"
She bow'd, obey'd him, and cut paper.

This vexing him who gave her birth,
Thought by all Heaven a burning shame ;
What does she next, but bids, on earth,
Her Burlington do just the same.

Pallas, you give yourself strange airs ;
But sure you'll find it hard to spoil
The sense and taste of one that bears
The name of Saville and of Boyle.

Alas! one bad example shewn,
How quickly all the sex pursue!
See, madam, see the arts o'erthrown
Between John Overton and you!

ON A CERTAIN LADY AT COURT.

BY MR. POPE.

I KNOW the thing that's most uncommon, (Envy, be silent and attend!)

I know a reasonable woman,

Handsome and witty, yet a friend.

Not warp'd by passion, awed by rumour,

Not grave through pride, or gay through folly; An equal mixture of good humour,

And sensible, soft melancholy.

"Has she no faults, then, (Envy says,) sir?"
Yes, she has one, I must aver:

When all the world conspires to praise her,
The woman's deaf, and does not hear.*

* Equal in elegance to any compliment that Waller has paid to Sacharissa, especially the last stanza, and the answer to Envy. The lady addressed was Mrs. Howard of Marble Hill, bedchamber woman to Queen Caroline, and afterwards Countess of Suffolk. Thus far Warton.

"Lady Suffolk was early affected with deafness. Cheselden the surgeon, then in favour at Court, persuaded her that he had hopes of being able to cure deafness by some operation on the drum of the ear, and offered to try the experiment on a condemned convict, then in Newgate, who was deaf. If the man could be pardoned, he would try it, and if he succeeded, would practise the same cure on her ladyship. She obtained the man's pardon, who was cousin to Cheselden, who had feigned that pretended discovery to save his relation, and no more was heard of the experiment. The man saved his ear too, but Cheselden was disgraced at court."-Lord Orford's Reminiscences, apud Works, IV. 303.