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Gracious to others, thy defires fupprefs'd,
Diffus'd thy virtues, first of men, be best.
Thy fum of duty let two words contain ;
O may they graven in thy heart remain !
Be humble, and be juft, the angel faid:
With upward fpeed his agile wings he fpread;
Whilft on the holy ground I proftrate lay,
By various doubts impell'd, or to obey,
Or to object at length (my mournful look
Heav'n-ward erect) determin'd, thus I fpoke:

:

Supreme, All Wife, Eternal Potentate!
Sole Author, fole Difpofer of our fate!
Enthron'd in light, and immortality,
Whom no man fully fees, and none can fee!
Original of beings! Pow'r Divine!

Since that I live, and that I think, is thine;
Benign Creator, let thy plaftic hand
Difpofe its own effect. Let thy command
Reftore, great Father, thy inftructed son ;
And in my act may thy great will be done.

[Mr PRIOR, after the publication of the folio edition of his works, from which this is taken, printed, fingly, the four Poems which follow,]

THE

CONVERSATION.

T A L E.

T always has been thought difcreet,

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To know the company you meet;
And fure there may be fecret danger,
In talking much before a ftranger.
Agreed: What then? then drink your ale,.
I'll pledge you, and repeat my tale.

No matter where the scene is fixt:.
The perfons were but odly mixt;
When fober Damon thus began:
(And Damon is a clever man.)

I now grow old; but ftill, from youth,
Have held for modefty and truth.
The men who by thefe fea-marks fteer,.
In life's great voyage never err:
Upon this point I dare defy

The world I paufe for a reply.

:

Sir, either is a good assistant:

Said one who fat a little distant:

Truth decks our speeches and our books :

And modesty adorns our looks:

But farther progress we must take,
Not only born to look and speak:
The man muft act. The Stagyrite
Says thus, and fays extremely right:
Strict juftice is the fov'reign guide,
That o'er our actions fhould prefide ::
This queen of virtues is confeft,
To regulate and bind the reft.
Thrice happy, if you can but find
Her equal balance poize your mind :
All diff'rent graces foon will enter,
Like lines concurrent to their center.

'Twas thus, in short, these two went on, With yea and nay, and pro and con, Through many points divinely dark, And Waterland affaulted Clarke; "Till, in theology half loft, Damon took up the Evening-Poft; Confounded Spain, compos'd the North, And deep in politics held forth.

Methinks we're in the like condition, As at the Treaty of Partition: That stroke, for all King William's care, Begat another tedious war.

Matthew, who knew the whole Intrigue, Ne'er much approv'd that Myftic League:

In the vile Utrecht Treaty too,
Poor man, he found enough to do.
Sometimes to me he did apply;
But downright dunstable was I,
And told him, where they were mistaken,
And counsell'd him to save his bacon :
But (pafs his politics and profe) ~

I never herded with his foes;
Nay, in his verses, as a friend,
Iftill found fomething to commend:
Sir, I excus'd his Nut-brown Maid;
Whate'er feverer critic faid :

Too far I own, the girl was try'd:
The women all were on my fide.
For Alma I return'd him thanks:
I lik'd her with her little pranks :
Indeed, poor Solomon in rhime,
Was much too grave to be fublime.

Pindar and Damon scorn transition So on he ran a new Division; 'Till out of breath he turn'd to fpit: (Chance often helps us more than wit) T'other that lucky moment took,

Juft nick'd the time, broke in, and spoke.

Of all the gifts the gods afford,

(If we may take old Tully's word)
The greatest is a friend; whofe love
Knows how to praife, and when reprove :
From fuch a treasure never part,

But hang the jewel on your heart:

And, pray, fir (it delights me) tell;
You know this author mighty well-
"Know him! d'ye queftion it? Ods fifh:
"Sir, does a beggar know his dish?
"I lov'd him, as I told you, I
"Advis'd him-Here a ftander-by:
Twitch'd Damon gently by the cloke,
And thus, unwilling, filence broke;
"Damon, 'tis time we fhould retire:
"The man you talk with is Mat. Prior."

Patron thro' life, and from thy birth my friend. Dorfet, to thee, this fable let me fend.

With Damon's lightness weigh thy folid worth
The foil is known to fet the diamond forth:
Let the feign'd tale this real moral give,
How many Damons, how few Dorfets live.

July, 1721.

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