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You afk me, if Parifian Dames, like our's,
With ratt'ling Dice profane the Sunday's Hours?
If they the Gamefter's pale-ey'd Vigils keep,
And ftake their Honour while their Hufbands fleep?
Yes, Sir; like English Toafts, the Dames of France
Will rifque their Income on a fingle Chance:
But here no Wife can blast her Husband's Fame,
Cuckold is grown an honourable Name.

Stretch'd on the Grafs, the Shepherd fighs his Pain;
And on the Grafs what Shepherd fighs in vain ?
Such were our Pleafures in the Days of Yore,
When am'rous CHARLES Britannia's Scepter bore;
The Nightly Scene of Joy the Park was made,
And Love, in Couples, peopled ev'ry Shade:
But fince at Court the Rural-Tafte is loft,
What mighty Sums have Velvet-Couches coft?
Like France, our Courtiers keep a num'rous Train,
To load their Coach; and Tradesmen dun in vain.
Nor has Religion left us in the Lurch,

And, as in France, our Vulgar croud the Church;
Our Ladies too fupport the Mafquerade;
The Sex, by Nature, love the' Intriguing-Trade.
Here, on the Opera-Stage, the Youth of France,
In bright Array attract the Female Glance:
This languishes, this ftruts, to fhew his Mien;
And not a gold-clock'd Stocking moves unseen,

But hark! the full Orchestra strikes the Strings;
The Hero ftruts, and the whole Audience fings:
My jarting Ear harsh, grating, Murmurs wound,
Hoarfe and confus'd, like Babel's mingled Sound.
O footh me with some soft Italian Air,
Let Harmony compose my tortur'd Ear!
When Anaftafia's Voice commands the Strain,
The melting Warble thrills thro' ev'ry Vein;
Thought stands, Sufpence and Silence pleas'd attends,
While in her Notes the heav'nly Choir descends.

You'll

You'll think 'tis Time fome other Theme to chufe, And not with Beaus and Fops fatigue the Muse. Should I let Satire loose on English Ground, There, Fools of various Characters abound; But here, my Verse is to one Race confin'd; All Frenchmen are of Petit-maitre Kind.

On his Return from France, the Friendship between Mr. Pope and him, was grown to fuch an Height, that they began to think of living entirely together, which, however, they did not do, Mr. Gay being call'd for a Time to Stanton Harcourt, my Lord being exceffively fond of his Company; while he was there, a Storm of Thunder and violent Lightning put all the Inhabitants into a very great Confternation, and two People were kill'd by it, who happened to be out in the Field, and too far off other Shelter, could only reach the Side of a Cock of Barley, of which he writes in a very particular Manner to Mr. Fenton, dating his Letter from that Place, Aug. 3, 1718.

THE only News that you can expect to have

from me here, is News from Heaven, for I am quite out of the World, and there is scarce any Thing can reach me except the Noife of Thunder, which undoubtedly you have heard too. We have read in old Authors of high Towers levell'd by it to the Ground, while the humble Valleys have escap'd: The only Security against it is the Laurel, which however, I take to be no great Security to the Brains of modern Authors. But to let you fee that the contrary of this oft happens, I must acquaint you, that the highest and most extravagant Heap of Towers in the Universe, which is in this Neighbourhoad, stands ill undefac'd, while a Cock of Barley in our next

Field has been confum'd to Afhes. Would to God that this Heap of Barley had been all that had perifh'd! For unhappily beneath this little Shelter fate two much more conftant Lovers than ever were found in Romance under the Shade of a Beech Tree. John Hewet was a well-fet Man of about five and twenty, Sarah Drew might be rather call'd comely than beautiful, and was about the fame Age. They had pafs'd thro' the various Labours of the Year together, with the greatest Satisfaction; if she milk'd, 'twas his Morning and Evening Care, to bring the Cows to her Hand; it was but laft Fair that he bought her a Present of green Silk for her Straw Hat, and the Pofy on her filver Ring was of his chufing. Their Love was the Talk of the whole Neighbourhood; for Scandal never affirm'd, that they had any other Views than the lawful Poffeffion of each other in Marriage. It was that very Morning that he had obtain'd the Consent of her Parents, and it was but till the next Week they were to wait to be happy. Perhaps in the Intervals of their Work they were now talking of the Wedding Cloaths, and John was fuiting feveral Sorts of Poppies and Field Flowers to her Complexion, to chufe her a Knot for the Wedding-day. While they were thus bufied, (it was on the laft of July between two and three in the Afternoon) the Clouds grew black, and fuch a Storm of Lightning and Thunder enfued, that all the Labourers made the best of their Way to what fhelter the Trees and Hedges afforded. Sarah was frightned and fell down in a Swoon on a Heap of Barley. John who never feparated from her, fat down by her, having rak'd together two or three Heaps the better to fecure her from the Storm. Immediately there was heard fo loud a Crack, as if Heaven had split afunder; every one was now folicitous for the Safety

of

of his Neighbour, and called to one another through+ out the Field: No Anfwer being return'd to those who call'd to our Lovers, they ftept to the Place where they lay; they perceiv'd the Barley all in a Flame, and then, fpy'd this faithful Pair: John with one Arm about Sarah's Neck, and the other held over her, as to fkreen her from the Lightning. They were ftruck dead, and ftiffen'd in this tender Pofture. Sarah's left Eye-brow was fing'd, and there appear'd a black Spot on her Breaft: Her Lover was all over black, but not the leaft Signs of Life were found in either. Attended by their melancholy Companions, they were convey'd to the Town,, and the next Day were interr'd in Stanton-Harcourt Church-yard. My Lord Harcourt, at Mr. Pope's and my Requeft, has caused a Stone to be plac'd over them, upon Condition that we furnish'd the Epitaph, which is as follows;

When Eastern Lovers feed the Funeral Fire,
On the fame Pile the faithful Pair expire;
Here pitying Heaven that Virtue mutual found,
And blafted both that it might neither wound.
Hearts fo fincere th' Almighty faw well pleas'd,
Sent his own Lightning, and the Victims feiz'd.

But my Lord is apprehenfive the Country People will not understand this, and Mr. Pope fays he'll make one with something of Scripture in it, and with as little of Poetry as Hopkins and Sternhold.

Your, &c.

Whenever Mr. Gay had any Time upon his Hands, or was free from the Great, who us'd to be giving him continual Invitations to their Seats, Mr. Pope was ftill harping upon the old String of their living together, which only now depended upon the

Death

Death of his Mother; this is evident in a Letter of his to Mr. Gay, juft after he was recover'd from a Fit of Illness, and while Mr. Pope's Mother was in fuch declining Health, as well as Age, that he daily expected she would be call'd hence. Thus he writes to Mr. Gay:

Faithfully affure you, in the Midft of that Melancholy with which I have been fo long encompass'd, in an hourly Expectation almost of my Mother's Death; there was no Circumftance that render'd it more infupportable to me, than that I could not leave her to see you. Your own prefent Escape from fo imminent Danger, I pray God may prove lefs precarious than my poor Mother's can be; whofe Life at best can be but a fhort Reprieve, or a longer dying. But I fear, even that is more than God will please to grant me; for, these two Days paft, her moft dangerous Symptoms are return'd upon her; and unless there be a fudden Change, I muft in a few Days, if not in a few Hours, be depriv'd of her. In the afflicting Profpect before me, I know nothing that can fo much alleviate it as the View now given me (Heaven grant it may encrease) of your Recovery. In the Sincerity of my Heart, I am exceffively concern'd, not to be able to pay you, dear Gay, any Part of the Debt I very gratefully remember I owe you on a like fad Occafion, when you was here comforting mein her laft great Illness. May your Health augment as faft as I fear her's must decline: I believe that would be very faft- may the Life that is added to you be past in good Fortune and Tranquility, rather of your own giving to yourself, than from any Expectations or Truft in others. May you and I live together, without wifhing more Felicity or Acquifitions than Friendship can give and re

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