• Solicito damus, aut feffo: cum lædimur,' unum Si quis amicorum eft aufus reprendere verfum : Cum loca jam recitata revolvimus irrevocati : W u Cum lamentamur non apparere labores Noftros, et tenui deducta poemata filo; X Cum fperamus eo rem venturam, ut, fimul atque Carmina refcieris nos fingere, commodus ultro Virtus, indigno non committenda poeta. * Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille Chœrilus, incultis qui verfibus et male natis Rettulit acceptos, regale numifma, Philippos. Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine fœdo NOTES. Splendida VER. 366. Repeat unafk'd;] Unavoidably weaker than the Ori ginal, loco jam recitata; public recitations before great audiences, collected for that purpose, being common at Rome, (see many Epiftles in Pliny,) to which we have no cuftom that can answer in an imitation. Juvenal, in a well known paffage, laughs at Statius's reciting his Thebaid : "Curritur ad vocem jucundam," &c. WARTON. VER. 379. Laureat's weighty place.] It became a fashion for all the admirers and followers of Pope to join with him in con demning Colley Cibber. Dr. Johnson wrote a very pointed Epigram on this fubject, which was also equally severe on George the. Second: "Auguftus ftill furvives in Maro's strain, And Spenfer's verse prolongs Eliza's reign; For Nature form'd the Poet for the King." WARTON.. S The feason, when to come, and when to go, To fing, or cease to fing, we never know; t W A fingle verfe, we quarrel with a friend; And from the moment we oblige the town, y 360 365 370 375 Yet think, great Sir! (fo many Virtues fhown;) Ah think, what Poet best may make them known? Or choose at least fome Minister of Grace, a Charles, to late times to be tranfmitted fair, 380 Affign'd his figure to Bernini's care; NOTES. And VER. 380. Charles, to late times, &c.] In the third volume of the Catholic Church Hiftory of England, printed at Bruffels, 1742, fol. there is a curious anecdote concerning this matter, taken from an Italian MS. of the Memoirs of Panzani, the Pope's Agent: "Before Panzani fet out on his journey, (to England,) which was about the year 1635, her Majefty wrote a letter to Cardinal Splendida facta linunt. idem rex ille, poema b Fortis Alexandri vultum fimulantia. quod fi Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud Ad libros et ad hæc Mufarum dona vocares; NOTES. Bootum Barberini; wherein, amongst other things, fhe defired he would use his intereft with the famous Sculptor Cavalier Bernini, that he would cut two Buftos; one of the King, the other of herself: which were to be brought over by Panzani, alleging that her husband was uncommonly curious in works of that kind, and no prefent could be more acceptable to him. Bernini was one of a haughty temper, and had lately refufed the like favour to the Cardinal Richlieu, who defired his own Bufto from the fame hand. But Barberini's reputation and addrefs prevailed upon him to grant the request. I mention this Bufto upon account of the extraordinary circumftances which attended it; fome whereof are taken notice of by our Hiftorians: But what I shall further relate, is not commonly known. It is reported, that when Bernini took a view of the original picture, according to which he was to form the King's Bufto, he obferved fuch melancholic lines, that they in a manner spoke some dismal fate that would befall the person it reprefented. And this he fignified to those who were present." P. 38. WARBURTON. VER. 382. And great Naffau] "This prince," fays Mr. Wal pole "like most of thofe in our annals, contributed nothing to the advancement of the Arts. He was born in a country where taste never flourished, and nature had not given it to him as an embellishment to his great qualities. Reserved, unfociable, ill in his health, and fowered by his fituation, he fought none of those amusements, that make the hours of the happy much happier. He had fo little leifure to attend to, or fo little difpofition to men of wit, that when St. Evremond was introduced to him, the king faid, coldly, "I think you was a major general in the French fervice." WARTON. And great b Naffau to Kneller's hand decreed To fix him graceful on the bounding Steed; NOTES. So WARTON. VER. 384. So well in paint] The tafte and knowledge of Charles I. in the fine arts are univerfally known and acknowledged; and his fonduefs for Shakespear and Fairfax's Taffo, fhews his judgment in Poetry. VER. 385. But Kings in Wit may want difcerning Spirit.] This is not to be wondered at, fince the Sacerdotal character has been feparated from the Regal. This difcerning of Spirits now seems to be the allotment of the ecclefiaftical branch, which the following inftance will put out of doubt. The famous HUGO GROTIUS had, fome how or other, surprised the world into an early admiration of his parts and virtues. But his Grace Archbishop Abbot was not to be deceived by dazzling appearances. In one of his Referipts to Sir Ralph Winwood, at the Hague, he unmasks this forward Dutchman, who a little before had been fent over to England by the States. "You must take heed how you truft DOCTOR GROTIUS too far, for I perceive him to be so ADDICTED TO SOME PARTIALITIES IN THOSE PARTS, THAT HE FEARETH NOT TO LASH SO IT MAY SERVE A TURN. At his first coming to the King, by reafon of his good Latin tongue, he was so tedious and full of tittle tattle, that the KING's judgment was of him, that he was fome PEDANT, full of words, and of NO GREAT JUDG-' MENT. And I MYSELF DISCOVERING that to be his habit, as if he did imagine that every man was bound to hear him so long as he would talk, did privately give him notice thereof, that he fhould plainly and directly deliver his mind, or else he would make the King weary of him. This did not take place, but that afterwards he fell to it again, as was especially observed one night at fupper at the Lord Bishop of Ely's, whither being brought by Mr. Cafaubon (as I think), my Lord intreated him to stay to fupper, which he did. There was prefent Dr. Steward and another Civilian, unto whom he flings out fome question of that profeffion; and was fo full of words, that Dr. Steward afterwards told my Lord, That he did perceive by him, that, like a SMATTERER, he had ftudied fome two or three questions; whereof when he came in company he must be talking, to vindicate his skill; but if he were put from thofe, he would fhew himself but a SIMPLE FELLOW. There was prefent alfo Dr. Richardfon, the King's profeffor of Divinity Bootum in craffo jurares aëre natum. d Nec magis expreffi vultus per ahenea figna, Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum Clarorum apparent. nec fèrmones ego с mallem Repentes per humum, quam res componere geftas, Terrarumque fitus et flumina dicere, et arces f Divinity in Cambridge, and another Doctor in that Faculty, with whom he falleth in alfo, about fome of thofe queftions, which are now controverted amongst the Ministers in Holland; and being matters wherein he was studied, he uttered all his skill concerning them. MY LORD OF ELY SITTING STILL AT THE SUPPER ALL THE WHILE, AND WONDERING what a man he had there, who, never being in the place or company before, could overwhelm them fo with talk for fo long a time. I write this unto you fo largely, that you may know the difpofition of the man and HOW KINDLY HE USED MY LORD OF ELY FOR HIS GOOD ENTERTAINMENT. 'Winwood's Memorials, vol. iii. SCRIBL. P. 459. Seriously, my Lord of Ely's cafe was to be pitied. But this will not happen every day: for as exposed as their Lordships may be to these kind of infults, happy is it, that the men are not always at hand, who can offer them. A fecond Grotius, for aught I know, may be as far off as a second Century of my Lords of Ely. —But it was enough that this fimple fellow was an Arminian and a Republican, to be despised by Abbot and his Mafter. For, in the opinion of these great judges of merit, Religion and Society could not fubfift without PREDESTINATION and ARBITRARY POWER. However, this difcerning Spirit, it is certain, had not left L. when the grave Hiftorian Anthony Wood was fo hofpitably entertained there; who, in the journal of his life under the POWER. |