"Noble and young, who ftrikes the heart "With ev'ry fprightly, every decent part; Equal, the injur'd to defend, "To charm the mistress, or to fix the " friend. "He, with a hundred arts refin'd, "Shall ftretch thy conquefts over half the "kind: "To him each rival fhall fubmit, "Make but his riches equal to his wit. "Then shall thy form the marble grace 66 (Thy Grecian form) and Chloe lend the "face: "His houfe, embofom'd in the grove †, "Sacred to focial life and focial love, "Shall glitter o'er the pendent green, "Where Thames reflects the vifionary "fcene: "Thither, the filver-founding lyres "Shall call the fmiling loves, and young "defires; "There, ev'ry grace and mufe fhall throng, "Exalt the dance, or animate the fong; "There youths and nymphs, in confort gay, "Shall hail the rifing, clofe the parting day." ↑ He had at that time an intention of leaving his house at Twitenham to Mr. Murray, on very eafy terms; and with this view he entertained the projects of feveral improvements and purchases. But when he found, by the growing fame and rifing station of his friend, that it was never likely to be of any ufe to him, he laid afide that purpose. The conclufion is very poetical, and much beyond the Latin. The poet laments that he is no longer fufceptible of those joys, though he ftill follows the goddefs in his dreams: And he thus defcribes the delufion of fancy. "Nocturnis te ego fomniis Fam captum tenes, jam volucrem fequor "Te per gramina Martii Campi, te per aquas, dure, volubiles." Now, now I feize, I clafp thy charms, arms; "And fwiftly fhoot along the Mall, "Or foftly glide by the canal, "Now fhown by Cynthia's filver ray, "And now, on rolling waters fnatch'd “away.” Among the little pieces in this volume, is an Epiftle to the Earl of Oxford, which was fent with Dr. Parnelle's poems, published by our author, after the faid Earl's imprifonment in the Tower, and retreat into the country, in the year 1721; and which is, indeed, a mafter-piece. The following lines in this epiftle feem to claim particular notice. "Such were the notes thy once-lov'd poet fung, "Till death untimely ftopp'd his tuneful 66 tongue. "For * For him, thou oft haft bid the world attend, "Fond to forget the statesman in the friend †; "For Swift, and him, defpis'd the farce of fate, "The fober follies of the wife and great; "Dext'rous,the craving, fawning crowd to quit, "And pleas'd to 'fcape from flattery to wit." There is great beauty likewise in the lines, whereby our author defcribes the amiable fincerity, and all-powerful influence of his favourite mufe. "In vain to deferts thy retreat is made; "The muse attends thee to thy filent shade: "'Tis hers, the brave man's lateft fteps to "trace, Rejudge his acts, and dignify difgrace. †There is perhaps too much truth in thefe lines; but whatever our author might intend, it was certainly no compliment to a fallen minifter, to remind him, that he used to make the world attend, while he was entertaining himself with a man of wit. But the fact is, that Lord Oxford, as a minifter, was negligent, if we may believe what Lord Bolingbroke ufed to fay to his friends. He added likewife, that Oxford was, in converfation, puzzled and embarraffed; and, upon the whole, unequal to his ftation. It was his wont, every day almoft, to fend idle verfes from court to the Scriblerus Club, which confifted of Swift, Arbuthnot, Parnelle, Pope, and fometimes Gay. He was likewife used to frequent the Club every night almoft, and would talk idly, even on the crifis of the most important concerns. Envy itself, however, muft allow that this nobleman dif played a moft manly fortitude during the courfe of his adverfity. "When Int'reft calls off all her sneaking train, "And all th' oblig'd defert, and all the vain; She waits, or to the fcaffold, or the cell, "When the last ling'ring friend has bid fare"well." The two epiftles likewife to Mrs. Blount *, have diftinguifhed merit. That which is addreffed to her on her leaving the town after the Coronation, opens with inimitable eafe and pleafantry. "As fome fond virgin, whom her mother's care Drags from the town to wholesome country "air, Juft when the learns to roll a melting eye, "And hear a fpark, yet think no danger nigh; "From the dear man unwilling fhe muft fever, "Yet takes one kifs before fhe parts for ever: "Thus from the world fair Zephalinda flew, "Saw others happy, and with fighs withdrew; "Not that their pleasures caus'd her discontent, "She figh'd not that they stay'd, but that she "went t." The Mr. POPE appears to have had a very fincere and tender friendship for this Lady, which malice was forward to milconftrue. In a letter to Mr. Bethel, he thus bewails the cenforioufnefs of the world, which prevents his good offces towards her." Half the effects of my friendship for her, God knows, are rendered impracticable or difagree"able to her, by malicious infinuations; and I cannot be "of the ufe I wish to be to her." The writer of thefe fheets has now in his hand the original copy of thefe verfes, from whence it appears that our author The reft of this poem abounds with turns of agreeable humour and fprightly gallantry. But our extracts have already, in the opinion of fome, perhaps, been too copious. There are feveral other miscellaneous little pieces in this volume which have great merit, more especially the collection of Epitaphs, of which it is fufficient to say, that they are equal, if not fuperior to any compofitions of the fame kind. The contents of the remaining volumes of the octavo edition of his works, confift of the Memoirs of Scriblerus, felect Effays which he wrote in the Guardian, as likewise his Preface to the Tranflation of Homer's Iliad, and the Works of Shakespear, together with fome leffer pieces, and his feveral epiftolary correspondences. author made fame alterations, perhaps not for the better. The feventh line in the original stood thus "So fair Teresa gave the town a view." The alteration, though it has undoubtedly improved the harmony of the verfe, may probably be thought not to have mended the fenfe: For the reluctance with which fhe went into the country is better defcribed by her taking a wishful retrospective view of the town, than by her flying from it. It must be added, that in the original there are fixteen additional lines, which immediately follow the laft line of the printed copy. In these the poet humorously describes the manner in which the beau Ejprits spent their time in town, But on reflection he thought proper to fupprefs thefe lines, |
