And if we will recite nine hours in ten, You lose your patience, just like other men. t A fingle verfe, we quarrel with a friend; ν Repeat unafk'd; lament, the w Wit's too fine 365 But most, when ftraining with too weak a wing, We needs will write Epiftles to the King; X And from the moment we oblige the town, 370 375 Yety think, great Sir! (fo many Virtues shown) Ah think, what Poet best may make them known? Or chufe at least some Minister of Grace, a Charles, to late times to be transmitted fair, Affign'd his figure to Bernini's care; And great b Naffau to Kneller's hand decreed 381 To fix him graceful on the bounding Steed; NOTES. racter has been separated from the Regal. This difcerning of Spirits now seems to be the allotment of the ecclefiaftical branch, Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud Ad libros et ad haec Mufarum dona vocares; C [At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque Munera, quae multa dantis cum laude tulerunt, Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variufque poetae ;] Nec magis expreffi vultus per ahenea figna, Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum NOTES. which the following inftance will put out of doubt. The famous HUGO GROTIUS had, fome how or other, furprized the world into an early admiration of his parts and virtues. But his Grace Archbishop Abbot was not the dupe of dazzling appearances. In one of his Refcripts to Sir Ralph Winwood, at the Hague, he unmafks 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 firft coming to the King, by "reafon of his good Latin tongue, he was fo 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 JUDGAnd I myself difcovering that to be his habit, as if "he did imagine that every man was bound to hear him fo 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 ftay to fupper, which he did. There was prefent Dr. "Steward and another Civilian, unto whom he flings out fome queftion of that profeffion, and was fo full of words, that Dr. Steward afterwards told my Lord, That he did perceive by him, "MENT. 66 . The Hero William, and the Martyr Charles, Not with fuch majesty, fuch bold relief, 390 NOTES. "that, like a SMATTERER, he had studied fome two or three "questions, whereof when he came in company he must be talking "to vindicate his fkill; but, if he were put from thofe, he would "fhew himself but a SIMPLE FELLOW. There was prefent also "Dr. Richardson, the King's profeffor of Divinity in Cam"bridge, and another Doctor in that Faculty, with whom he "falleth in alfo about fome of thofe queftions, which are now "controverted amongst the Minifters in Holland. And be"ing matters wherein he was ftudied, 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 difpo"fition of the man: and HOW KINDLY HE USED MY LORD "OF ELY FOR HIS GOOD ENTERTAINMENT." Winwood's Memorials, Vol. iii. p. 459. SCRIBL. 66 Seriously, my Lord of Ely was to be pitied. But this was an extraordinary cafe; for as expofed as their Lordfhips may be to these kind of infults, happy is it that the men are not always at hand that can offer them. A fecond Grotius, for ought I know, may be as far off as a fecond Century of my Lords of Ely.-But it was enough that this fimple fellow was an Arminian and Republican, to be defpifed by Abbot and his master. For in the opinion of thefe great judges of Merit, Religion and Society could not fubfift without Predeftination and Arbitrary power. : Clarorum apparent. nec fermones ego mallem e Repentes per humum, quam res componere geftas, Terrarumque fitus et flumina dicere, et arces Montibus impofitas, et barbara regna, tuisque Aufpiciis totum confecta duella per orbem, Clauftraque cuftodem pacis cohibentia Janum, Et formidatam Parthis, te principe, Romam: Si quantum cuperem, poffem quoque. fed neque parvum Carmen majeftas recipit tua; nec meus audet Rem tentare pudor, quem vires ferre recufant. Sedulitas autem ftulte, quem diligit, urget; Praecipue cum fe numeris commendat et arte. NOTES. VER. 405. And I'm not us'd toPanegyric ftrains;] Archbishop Tillotson hath faid, "That fatire and invective were the easiest "kind of wit, becaufe almost any degree of it will ferve to abufe "and find fault. For wit (fays he) is a keen inftrument, and "every one can cut and gash with it. But to carve a beautiful "image and polish it, requires great art and dexterity. To "praife any thing well, is an argument of much more wit than to abuse; a little wit, and a great deal of ill-nature, will fur"nifh a man for fatire, but the greateft inftance of wit is to "commend well." Thus far this candid Prelate. And I, in my turn, might as well fay, that Satire was the most difficult, and Panegyric the eafieft thing in nature; for that any barber Oh! could I mount on the Mæonian wing, Your Arms, your Actions, your Repose to fing! What f feas you travers'd, and what fields you fought! Your Country's Peace, how oft, how dearly bought! How barb'rous rage fubfided at your word, fword! And Nations wonder'd while they dropp'd the 399 How, when you nodded, o'er the land and deep, 1 Peace ftole her wing, and wrapt the world in fleep; "Till earth's extremes your mediation own, And Afia's Tyrants tremble at your ThroneBut Verfe, alas! your Majesty disdains ; k And I'm not us'd to Panegyric strains : NOTES. 405 furgeon can curl and fhave, and give cofmetic-washes for the fkin; but it requires the abilities of an Anatomist to diffect and lay open the whole interior of the human frame. But the truth is, thefe fimilitudes prove nothing, but the good fancy, or the ill judgment of the ufer. The one is juft as easy to do ill, and as difficult to do well as the other. In our Author's Essay on the Characters of Men, the Encomium on Lord Cobham, and the fatire on Lord Wharton, are the equal efforts of the fame great genius. There is one advantage indeed in Satire over Panegyric, which every body has taken notice of, that it is more readily received; but this does not fhew that it is more easily written. |