Sacred Weapon left for Truiho Defence) Fole Dread of Follý Yice and Ingoloncel, To all but Fleaven directed Hands deniedo The Muse

may give thee but the Gods must quide.

EPILOGUE

TO THE

SA TIRES

Written in uDCCXXXVIII.

DIALOGUE I.

FR. OT twice a twelve-month you appear

in Print, And when it comes, the Court fee nothing in't. You

grow correct, that once with Rapture writ, And are, besides, too moral for a Wit.

a

VARIATIONS.
After ver. 2. in the MS.

You don't, I hope, pretend to quit the trade,
Because you think your reputation made :
Like good ** of whom so much was said,
That when his name was up, he lay, a-bed.
Come, come, refresh us with a livelier song,

Or like ** you'll lie a-bed too long. VER. I. Not twice a twelve-month, etc.] These two lines are from Horace; and the only lines that are fo in the whole Poem ; being meant to give a handle to that which follows in the character of an impertinent Censurer,

'Tis all from Horace; etc, P,

Decay of Parts, alas ! we all must feel

5 Why now, this moment, don't I fee

you

steal? 'Tis all from Horace ; Horace long before ye Said, “Tories call'd him Whig, and Whigs a Tory;" And taught his Romans, in much better metre, “ To laugh at Fools who put their trust in Peter.”

But Horace, Sir, was delicate, was nice ; Bubo observes, he lash'd no fort of Vice : Horace would say, Sir Billy serv'd the Crown, Blunt could do Bus°ness, H-ggins knew the Towe; In Sappho touch the Failings of the Sex,

IS In rev'rend Bishops note fome small Negleets, And own, the Spaniard did a waggish thing, Who cropt our Ears, and sent them to the King. His sly, polite, insinuating style Could please at Court, and make Augustus smile :

VARIATIONS.
P. Sir, what I write, mould be correctly writ.
F. Correct ! 'tis what no genius can admit.

Besides, you grow too moral for a Wit. Ver. 12. Bubo observes,] Some guilty person very fond of making such an observation:

VER. 14. H--ggins] Formerly Jaylor of the Fleet prison, enrich'd himself by many exactions, for which he was tried and expelled.

VER. 18. Who cropt our Ears,] Said to be executed by the Captain of a Spanish ship on one Jenkins, a Captain of an English one. He cut off his ears, and bid him carry them to the King his master,

21

An artful Manager, that crept between
His Friend and Shame, and was a kind of Screen.
But 'faith your very Friends will soon be sore :
Patriots there are, who wish you'd jest no more-
And where's the Glory! 'twill be only thought 25
The Great man never offer'd you a groat,
Go see Sir ROBERT-

P. See Sir Robert !-hum
And never laugh—for all my life to come?
Seen him I have, but in his happier hour
Of Social Pleasure, ill-exchang'd for Pow'r ; 30
Seen him, uncumber'd with the Venal tribe,
Smile without Art, and win without a Bribe.
Would he oblige me? let me only find,
He does not think me what he thinks mankind.

VER. 22: Screen.]

Omne vafer vitium ridenti Flaccus amico

Tangit, et admiffus circum præcordia ludit Perf. Ibid. Screen.) A metaphor peculiarly appropriated to a certain person in power.

VER. 24. Patriots there are, etc.] This appellation was generally given to those in opposition to the Court. Though some of them (which our author hints at) had views too mean and interested to deserve that name,

VER, 26. The Great man] A phrase, by common use, appropriated to the first minister.

VER, 31. Seen bim, uncumber'd] These two verses were originally in the poem, though omitted in all the first editions.

VÆR, 34. wbat be thinks mankind. ] This request seems some. what absurd : but not more so than the principle it refers to. That great Minifter, it seems, thought all mankind Rogues ; and that every one had his price. It was usually given as a