Anacreon lives, they cry, th' harmonious swain
Retunes the lyre, and tries his wonted strain,
'Tis he-our loft Anacreon lives again.
But, when th' illuftrious poet foars above
The sportive revels of the God of Love,
Like Maro's Mufe, he takes a loftier flight,
And towers beyond the wondering Cupid's fight.-
If thou would'st have thy volume ftand the test,
And of all others be reputed beft,

Let Congreve teach the liftening groves to mourn,
As when he wept o'er fair Paftora's urn.

Let Prior's Mufe with foftening accents move,
Soft as the ftrains of conftant Emma's love:
Or let his fancy chufe fome jovial theme,
As when he told Hans Carvel's jealous dream; -
Prior th' admiring reader entertains

}

With Chaucer's humour, and with Spenser's strains.
Waller in Granville lives; when Mira fings,
With Waller's hand he strikes the founding ftrings,
With fprightly turns his noble genius fhines,
And manly fenfe adorns his easy lines.

On Addison's fweet lays attention waits,
And filence guards the place while he repeats 31
His Muse alike on every subject charms,
Whether the paints the god of love, or arms:
In him pathetic Ovid fings again,

And Homer's Iliad fhines in his Campaign.
Whenever Garth fhall raife his fprightly fong,
Senfe flows in eafy numbers from his tongue;
Great Phoebus in his learned fon we fee,
Alike in phyfic, as in poetry.

When

When Pope's harmonious Mufe with pleasure roves Amidft the plains, the murmuring ftreams, and groves, Attentive Echo, pleas'd to hear his fongs,

Through the glad fhade each warbling note prolongs;
His various numbers charm our ravish'd ears,
His steady judgement far out-fhoots his years,
And early in the youth the god appears.

From thefe fuccessful bards collect thy ftrains;
And praife with profit fhall reward thy pains :
Then, while calves-leather-binding bears the fway,
And sheep-skin to its fleeker glofs gives way ;
While neat old Elzevir is reckon'd better
Then Pirate Hill's brown sheets and fcurvy letter;
While print-admirers careful Aldus chufe,
Before John Morphew, or the weekly news;
So long shall live thy praise in books of fame,
And Tonfon yield to Lintott's lofty name.

EPISTLE

EPISTLE XIV.

TO THE MOST HONOURABLE

THE EARL OF OXFORD,

THE LORD HIGH TREASURER*.

The Epigrammatical Petition of your Lordship's most humble Serva.it,

JOHN GAY.

I'

'M no more to converfe with the fwains,
But go where fine people refort:

One can live without money on plains,
But never without it at court.

If when with the fwains I did gambol,
I array'd me in filver and blue;

When abroad and in courts I fhall ramble,

Pray, my lord, how much money will do?

*See, in Swift's Works, a letter from Mr. Gay, dated June 8, 1714. N.

ECLOGUES.

E CLOGUE S.

THE

BIRTH OF THE SQUIRE.

IN IMITATION OF THE POLLIO OF VIRGIL.

Y

E fylvan Muses, loftier ftrains recite:

Not all in fhades and humble cots delight. Hark! the bells ring; along the distant grounds The driving gales convey the fwelling founds; Th' attentive swain, forgetful of his work, With gaping wonder, leans upon his fork. What fudden news alarms the waking morn? To the glad Squire a hopeful heir is born. Mourn, mourn, ye stags, and all ye beafts of chace; This hour destruction brings on all your race: See the pleas'd tenants duteous offerings bear, Turkeys and geese and grocers' sweetest ware; With the new health the ponderous tankard flows, And old October reddens every nose.

Beagles