How could Devotion touch the country pews,
Unless the Gods beftow'd a proper Muse?

с

Verfe chears their leifure, Verfe affifts their work, 235
Verse prays for peace, or fings down 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 Heav'n is won by Violence of Song.

d

с

Our rural Ancestors, with little bleft,

Patient of labour when the end was reft,

240

246

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 servants share,
Eafe of their toil, and part'ners of their care:
The laugh, the jeft, attendants on the bowl,
Smooth'd ev'ry brow, and open'd ev'ry soul:
With growing years the pleafing Licence grew,
And f Taunts alternate innocently flew.
But Times corrupt, and Nature, ill-inclin'd,
Produc'd the point that left a sting behind;
Till friend with friend, and families at ftrife,
Triumphant Malice rag'd thro' private life.

250

Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took th' alarm, 255 Appeal'd to Law, and Juftice lent her arm.

NOTES.

mired in these Poems, owe lefs to the liberty of imitating, than to the fuperior genius of the imitator.

Conditione fuper communi: quin etiam lex

Poenaque lata, malo quae nollet carmine quemquam

Defcribi. vertere modum, formidine fuftis

Adi bene dicendum, dele&andumque redacti.

* Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit, et artes Intulit agrefti Latio. fic horridus ille

VER. 259. Moft warp'd to Flatt'ry's fide, etc.] Thefe two lines (notwithstanding the reference) are an addition to the Original. They feemed neceffary to compleat the Hiftory of the rife and progrefs of Wit; and, if attended to, will be seen to make much for the argument the Poet is upon, viz. the recommendation of Poetry to the_protection of the Magiftrate. And is, therefore, what Horace would have chofen to fay, had he reflected on it.

VER. 263. We conquer'd France, etc.] The inftance the Poet bere gives, to answer that in the Original, is not fo happy. However, it might be faid with truth, that our

h

At length, by wholsome dread of ftatutes bound, The Poets learn'd to please, and not to wound:

i

Moft warp'd to 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.

260

* We conquer'd France, but felt our Captive's

charms;

Her Arts victorious triumph'd o'er our Arms;

Britain to foft refinements less a foe,

Wit grew polite, and Numbers learn'd to flow.
Waller was smooth; but Dryden taught to join
The varying verfe, the full-refounding line,
The long majeftic March, and Energy divine.
Tho' ftill fome traces of our ruftic vein
And fplay-foot verfe, remain'd, and will remain.
Late, very late, correctness grew our care,
When the tir'd Nation" breath'd from civil war.

NOTES.

265

}

270

Intrigues on the Continent brought us acquainted with the provincial Poets, and produced Chaucer. Only I wonder, when he had fuch an example before him, of a Bard who fo greatly polished the rufticity of his age, he did not use it to paraphrafe the fenfe of

Defluxit numerus Saturnius, et grave virus
Munditiae pepulere:

VER. 267. Waller was smooth;] Mr. Waller, about this time with the Earl of Dorset, Mr. Godolphin, and others, tranflated the Pompey of Corneille; and the more correct French Poets began to be in reputation. P.

Quid Sophocles et Thefpis et Aeschylus utile fer

rent :

Tentavit quoque rem, fi digne vertere poffet
Et placuit fibi, natura fublimis et acer:
Nam P fpirat tragicum fatis, et feliciter audet:
Sed turpem putat inscite metuitque lituram.

Creditur, ex medio quia res arceffit, habere
Sudoris minimum; fed habet Comoedia tanto

S

Plus oneris, quanto veniae minus. afpice, Plautus

t

Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi,

Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut infidiofi:

VER. 290. Aftræa,] A Name taken by Mrs. Behn, Authorefs of feveral obfcene Plays, etc. P.

Ibid. The ftage how loosely does Afiræa tread,] The fine

Exact Racine, and Corneille's noble fire,

Show'd us that France had fomething to admire. 275 Not but the Tragic fpirit was our own,

And full in Shakespear, fair in Otway fhone:

But Otway fail'd to polish or refine,

And ¶ 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 humbler Mufe of Comedy require.
But in known Images of life, I guess

The labour greater, as th' indulgence lefs.
Obferve how feldom ev'n the best fucceed:
Tell me if 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 loosely does Aftræa tread,
Who fairly puts all Characters to bed!

And idle Cibber, how he breaks the laws,

W

To make poor Pinky eat with vast applause !
But fill their * purfe, our Poet's work is done,
Alike to them, by Pathos or by Pun.

.

O you! whom y Vanity's light bark conveys On Fame's mad voyage by the wind of praise,

NOTES.

280

285

290

295

metaphor of non aftricto, greatly improved by the happy ambiguity of the word loosely

VER. 296. O you! whom Vanity's light bark conveys,]

.* L