At Quin's high plume, or Oldfield's, 16 petticoat;
Or when from Court birth-day fuit beltow'd,
Sinks the 17 loft Actor in the tawdry load.
hark! the Univerfal peal!

Booth enters

"But has he spoken?" not a syllable.

355

345

What shook the stage, and made the people ftare?
108 Cato's long wig, flow'r'd gown, and lacquer'd chair.
Yet left you think I railly more than teach,
Or praife malignly Arts I cannot reach,
Let me for once prefume t'inftruct the times, 340
To know the Poet from the Man of rhymes:
"Tis he, 9 who gives my breast a thousand pains,
Can make me feel each Paffion that he feigns';
Inrage, compofe, with more than magic Art,
With Pity, and with Terror, tear my heart;
And fnatch me, o'er the earth, or thro' the air,
To Thebes, to Athens, when he will, and where.
110 But not this Part of the Poetic ftate
Alone, deferves the favour of the Great:
Think of thofe Authors, Sir, who would rely
More on a Reader's fenfe, than Gazer's eye.
Or who fhall wander where the Muses fing?
Who climb their mountain, or who tafte their fpring?
How fhall we fill a Library with Wit,
When Merlin's Cave is half unfurnish'd yet?
My Liege! why Writers little claim your thought,
I guess; and, with their leave, will tell the fault;

NOTES.

359

355

VER. 354. a Library) Munus Apolline dignum. The Palatine Library then building by Augustus.

P.

VER. 355. Merlin's Cave) A Building in the Royal Gardens of Richmond, where is a small, but choice Collection of Books.

P.

112 Multa quidem nobis facimus malà faepe poetae, (Ut vineta egomet cedam mea) cum tibi librum 113 Solicito dainus, aut fefo: cum laedimur, unum Si quis amicorum eft aufus reprendere versum : Cum loca jam 5 recitata revolvimus irrevocati : Cum 6 lamentamur non apparere labores Noltros, & tenui deducta poemata filo;,

Cum 7 fperamus eo rem venturam, ut, fimul atque
Carmina refcieris nos fingere commodus, ultro
Arceffas, & egere vetes, & fcribere cogas.

Sed tamen eit us operae precium cognofcere, quales'
Aedituos habeat belli fpectata domique
Virtus 19 indigno non committenda poetae.
129 Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille
Choerilus incultis qui verfibus & male natis
Retulit acceptos, regale numifma," Philippos.
Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt
Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine foedo
Splendida facta linunt. idem rex ille, poema
Qui tam ridiculum tam care prodigus emit,
Edicto vetuit, ne quis fe praeter Apellem
Pingeret, aut alius Lyfippo duceret aera
Fortis 12 Alexandri vultum fimulantia, quod fi

NOTES.

VER. 385. But Kings in wit may want difeerning Spirit.) This is not much to be wondered at fince the Sacerdotal Cha

We 12 Poets are (upon a Poet's word)

Of all mankind, the creatures moft abfurd :

The 3 season, when to come, and when to go, 360 To fing, or ceafe to fing, we never know;

365

And if we will recite nine hours in ten,
You lose your patience, juft like other men.
Then too we hurt ourselves, when to defend,
A 14 fingle verfe, we quarrel with a friend;
Repeat 15 unafk'd; lament, the 5 Wit's too fine
For vulgar eyes, and point out ev'ry line.
But noft, when training with too weak a wing,
We needs will write Epiftles to the King;
And 7 from the moment we oblige the town, 370
Expect a place, or pension from the Crown:
Or dubb'd Hiftorians by exprefs command,
T'enroll your triumphs o'er the feas and land,
Be call'd to Court to plan fome work divine,
As once for Louis, Boileau and Racine.

375

Yet 18 think, great Sir! (fo many Virtues shown) >Ah think, what Poet beft may make them known ? Or chufe at leaft fome Minifter of Grace,

Fit to bestow the 119 Laureat's weighty place.

120 Charles, to late times to be tranfmitted fair, 380 Affign'd his figure to Bernini's care;

And great 121 Naffau to Kneller's hand decreed
To fix him graceful on the bounding Steed;
So well in paint and stone they judg'd of merit :
But Kings in Wit may want difcerning Spirit. 385

NOTES.

racter has been feparated from the Regal.

This discerning of spl

rits now seems to be the allotment of the ecclefiaftical branch,

LS

Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud
Ad libros & ad haec Mufarum dona vocares;
122 Boeotum in craffo jurares aere natum.

[At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque
Munera, quae multa dantis cum laude tulerunt,
Dilecti tibi Virgilius Variufque poetae;]

Nec magis expreffi 123 vultus per ahenea figna, Quan per vatis opus mores animique virorum

دو

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 the Archibifhop Abbot was not to be deceived by dazzling appearances. In one of his Referipts 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 f 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 reason 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 PE,,DANT, full of words, and of NO GREAT JUDGMENT. And I myself discovering that to be his habit, as if he did ima,, gine 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 elfe he would make the King weary of him. This did not take place but that afterwards he fell to it again, as was especially obferved 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. Stew,,ard and another Civilian, unto whom he flings out fome queftion of that profeffion, and was fo full of words, that Dr. Stew,,ard afterwards told my Lord, That he did perceive by him,

The Hero William, and the Martyr Charles,

One knighted Blackmore, and one penfion'd Quarles;
Which made old Ben, and furly Dennis fwear,
"No Lord's anointed, but a 122 Ruffian Bear."
Not with fuch 123 majetty, fuch bold relief,
The Forms auguft, of King, or conqu'ring Chief,

390

NOTES.

,, 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 those, he would fhew. » himself but A SIMPLE FELLOW. There was present alfo " Dr. Richardson, the King's profeffor of 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 Minifters in Holland. And being matters wherein ,, he was ftudied, he uttered all his fkill 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 com"pany before could overwhelm them fo with talk for so long a ,, time. I write this un:o you fo largely that you may know the difpofition of the man: and HOW KINDLY HE USED MY LORD OF ELY FOR HIS GOOD ENTER,,TAINMENT."," Wicacod's Memorials, vol. iii. p. 459.

SCRIBL.

Seriously, my Lord of Ely was to be pitied. But this was an extraordinary cafe; and, as expofed as their Lordships may be to these kind of infults, happy is it that the men are not always at hand that can offer them, A fecond Grotiks, for aught 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.