36

Come, come, at all I laugh he laughs, no doubt;
The only diff'rence is, I dare laugh out.

F. Why yes with Scripture ftill you may be free; A Horfe-laugh, if you please, at Honefty;

A Joke on JEKYL, or fome odd Old Whig
Who never chang'd his Principle, or Wig:
A Patriot is a Fool in ev'ry age,

40

Whom all Lord Chamberlains allow the Stage:
These nothing hurts; they keep their Fashion ftill,
And wear their strange old Virtue, as they will.
If any ask you,
"Who's the Man, fo near 45
"His Prince, that writes in Verse, and has his ear ?'

proof of his penetration, and extensive knowlege of the world. Others perhaps would think it an instance of a narrow understanding, that, from a few of Rochefoucault's maxims, and the corrupt practice of thofe he commonly converfed with, would thus boldly pronounce upon the character of his Species. It is certain, that a Keeper of Newgate, who fhould make the fame conclufion, would be heartily laughed at.

VER. 37. Why yes: with Scripture, etc.] A fcribler, whofe only chance for reputation is the falling in with the fashion, is apt to employ this infamous expedient for the prefervation of his fleeting existence. But a true Genius could not do a foolisher thing, or fooner defeat his own aim. The fage Boileau ufed to fay on this occafion, "Une ouvrage fevere peut bien plaire aux libertins; mais un ouvrage trop libre plaira jamais aux perfonnes feveres."

VER. 39. A Joke on Jekyl] Sir Jofeph Jekyl, Master of the Rolls, a true Whig in his principles, and a man of the utmost probity. He fometimes voted against the Court, which drew upon him the laugh here defcribed of ONE who bestowed it equally upon Religion and Honesty. He died a few months after the publication of this poem,

Why, anfwer, LYTTELTON, and I'll engage
The worthy Youth fhall ne'er be in a rage:
But were his Verfes vile, his Whisper base,
You'd quickly find him in Lord Fanny's cafe.
Sejanus, Wolfey, hurt not honeft FLEURY,
But well may put fome Statesmen in a fury.

50

Laugh then at any, but at Fools or Foes;
Thefe you but anger, and you mend not those. 54
Laugh at your friends, and, if your Friends are fore,
So much the better, you may laugh the more,
To Vice and Folly to confine the jest,

Sets half the world, God knows, against the reft;
Did not the Sneer of more impartial men
At Senfe and Virtue, balance all agen.
Judicious Wits fpread wide the Ridicule,
And charitably comfort Knave and Fool.

P. Dear Sir, forgive the Prejudice of Youth:
Adieu Diftinction, Satire, Warmth, and Truth!

60

VER. 47. Why, anfwer, Lyttelton.] George Lyttelton, Secretary to the Prince of Wales, diftinguished both for his writings and speeches in the spirit of Liberty.

VER. 51. Sejanus, Wolfey,] The one the wicked minister of Tiberius: the other, of Henry VIII. The writers against the Court ufually bestowed these and other odious names on the Minister, without diftinction, and in the most injurious manner. See Dial. II. ver. 137.

Ibid. Fleury,] Cardinal: and Minister to Louis XV. It was a Patriot-fashion, at that time, to cry up his wifdom and honesty.

VOL. IV.

65

Come, harmlefs Characters that no one hit;
Come, Henley's Oratory, Ofborn's Wit!
The Honey dropping from Favonio's tongue,
The Flow'rs of Bubo, and the Flow of Y-ng!
The gracious Dew of Pulpit Eloquence,

And all the well-whipt Cream of Courtly Senfe 70
That First was H-vy's, F―'s next, and then
The S-te's, and then H-vy's once agen.
O come, that eafy Ciceronian ftyle,

So Latin, yet fo English all the while,

As, tho' the Pride of Middleton and Bland,
All Boys may read, and Girls may understand!
Then might I fing, without the leaft offence,
And all I fung fhould be the Nation's Senfe ;
Or teach the melancholy Muse to mourn,
Hang the fad Verse on CAROLINA's Urn,
And hail her paffage to the Realms of Reft,
All Parts perform'd, and all her Children bleft!

75

80

VER. 66. Henley-Osborn.] See them in their places in the Dunciad,

VER. 69. The gracious Dew] Alludes to fome court fermons, and florid panegyrical speeches: particularly one very full of puerilities and flatteries; which afterwards got into an address in the fame pretty style; and was lastly ferved up in an Epitaph, between Latin and English, published by its author.

VER. 78. Nation's Senfe ;] The cant of Politics at that time. VER. 80. Carolina.] Queen confort to King George II. She died in 1737. Her death gave occafion, as is obferved above, to many indiscreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whofe last moments manifefted the utmost courage and refolution,

So-Satire is no more-I feel it die

No Gazetteer more innocent than I

And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave
Be grac'd thro' Life, and flatter'd in his Grave.

85

F. Why fo? if Satire knows its Time and Place, You ftill may lafh the greateft-in Disgrace:

For Merit will by turns forfake them all;

Would you know when? exactly when they fall. go
But let all Satire in all Changes fpare
Immortal S-k, and grave Dere!
Silent and foft, as Saints remove to Heav'n,
All Tyes diffolv'd, and ev'ry Sin forgiv❜n,
Thefe may fome gentle minifterial Wing
Receive, and place for ever near a King!
There, where no Paffion, Pride, or Shame tranfport,
Lull'd with the sweet Nepenthe of a Court;

95

VER. 92. Immortal S--k, and grave De--re !] A title given that Lord by King James II. He was of the Bedchamber to King William; he was fo to King George I. he was fo to King George II. This Lord was very skilful in all the forms of the Houfe, in which he difcharged himself with great gravity.

VER. 97. There, where no Passion, etc.] The excellent writer De l'Esprit des Loix gives the following character of the Spirit of Courts, and the Principle of Monarchies: Qu'on "life ce que les Historiens de tous les tems ont dit fur la Cour "des Monarques; qu'on fe rapelle les converfations des "hommes de tous les Païs fur le miferable caractère des

COURTISANS; ce ne font point des chofes de fpeculation, "mais d'une trifte expérience. L'ambition dans l'oifiveté, la "baffeffe dans l'orgueil, le defir de s'enrichir fans travail, "l'averfion pour la verité ; la flaterie, la trahison, la perfidie, l'abandon de tous fes engagemens, le mepris des devoirs du

"

There, where no Father's, Brother's, Friend's difgrace Once break their reft, or ftir them from their Place: But paft the Sense of human Miseries,

All Tears are wip'd for ever from all eyes ;

No cheek is known to blush, no heart to throb,
Save when they lose a Question, or a Job.

101

P. Good Heav'n forbid, that I fhould blaft their glory,

105

Who know how like Whig Ministers to Tory,
And when three Sov'reigns dy'd, could scarce be vext,
Confid'ring what a gracious Prince was next.
Have I in filent wonder, seen fuch things
As Pride in Slaves, and Avarice in Kings;
And at a Peer, or Peerefs, fhall I fret,
Who ftarves a Sifter, or forfwears a Debt?

VARIATIONS:

Ver. 112. in fome editions,

Who starves a Mother,

110

er Citoyen, la crainte de la vertu du Prince, l'efperance de fes "foibleffes, et plus, que tout cela, LE RIDICULE PERPETUEL 66 JETTE SUR LA VERTU, font, je crois, le Caractére de la "plupart des Courtisans marqué dans tous les lieux et dans "tous les tems. Or il est très mal-aisé que les Principaux "d'un Etat foient malhonnêtes-gens, & que les inferieurs "foient gens-de-bien, que ceux-la foyent trompeurs, & que "ceux-ci confentent à n'être que dupes. Que fi dans le "Peuple il fe trouve quelque malheureux honnêto-homme, le "Cardinal de Richelieu dans fon Teftament politique infinue, "qu'un Monarque doit fe garder de s'en fervir. Tant-il eft "vrai que laVertu n'eft pas le reffort de ce Gouvernment." VER. 108. gracious Prince] The style of Addreffes on an

acceffion.