220

Forms the foft bofom with the gentlest art,
And pours each human Virtue in the heart.
Let Ireland tell, how Wit upheld her caufe,
Her Trade supported, and supplied her Laws;
And leave on SwiFT this grateful verse ingrav'd,
"The Rights a Court attack'd, a Poet fav'd.
Behold the hand that wrought a Nation's cure, 225
Stretch'd to relieve the Idiot and the Poor,
Proud Vice to brand, or injur'd Worth adorn,
And 70 ftretch the Ray to Ages yet unborn.
Not but there are, who merit other palms;
Hopkins and Sternhold glad the heart with 7 Psalms: 230
The 72 Boys and Girls whom charity maintains,
Implore your help in these pathetic strains :
How could Devotion 73 touch the country pews,
Unless the Gods beftow'd a proper Muse?
Verfe chears their leifure, Verfe affifts their work, 235
Verfe prays for Peace, or fings down 74 Pope and Turk.
The filenc'd Preacher yields to potent strain.
And feels that grace his pray'r befought in vain ;
The bleffing thrills thro' all the lab'ring throng,
And Heav'n is, won by Violence of Song,

Our 76 rural Ancestors, with little bleft,

Patient of labour when the end was reft,

NOTES.

240

VER. 230. Sternhold.) One of the veffifiers of the old finging pfalms. He was a Courtier, and Groom of the Robes to Hen. VIII. and of the Bedchamber to Edward VI. Fuller, in his Church History, fays he was esteemed an excellent Poct.

VER. 241. Our rural Ancestors, &c.) This is almoft literal; and fhews, that the beauty and spirit, fo much admired in these Poems, owe less to the liberty of imitating, than to the superior genius of the imitator.

Corpus & ipfum animum fpe finis dura ferentem,

Cum fociis operum pueris & conjugé fida,
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte piabant,

Floribus & vino Genium memorem brevis aevi.
Fefcennina per hunc inventa licentia morem
77 Verfibus alternis opprobria ruftica fudit;
Libertafque recurrentes accepta per annos
Lufit amabiliter: 78 donec jam faevus apertam
In rabiem coepit verti jocus, & per honeftas
Ire domos impune minax. doluere cruento
Dente laceffiti: fuit intactis quoque cura
Conditione fuper communi: 79 quin etiam lex

Poenaque lata, malo quae nollet carmine quemquam Defcribi. vertere modum, formidine fuftis

Ad bene dicendum, delectandumque redacti.

8 Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit, & artes Intulit agrefti Latio. fic horridus ille

NOTES.

VER. 259. Most warp'd to Flatt'ry's fide, &c.) These two lines (notwithstanding the reference) are an addition to the Original. They feemed neceffary to compleat the Hiftory of the rife and progress of Wit; and, if attended to, will be feen to make much for the argument the Poet is upon, viz. the recom mendation of Poetry to the protection of the Magiftrate. And is, therefore, what Horace would have chofen to fay, had he reflected on it.

Indulg'd the day that hous'd their annual`grain,
With feafts, and off'rings, and a thankful strain:
The joy their wives, their fons, and fervants fhare, 245
Eafe of their toil, and part'ners of their care:
The laugh, the jeft, attendants on the bowl,
Smooth'd ev'ry brow, and open'd ev'ry foul:
With growing years the pleafing Licence grew,
And 77 Taunts alternate innocently flew.
But Times corrupt, and 78 Nature, ill-inclin'd,
Produc'd the point that left a fting behind;
Till friend with friend and families at ftrife,
Triumphant Malice rag'd thro' private life.
Who felt the wrong, or fear'd it, took th' alarm, 255
Appeal'd to law, and juftice lent her arm.

250

At length, by wholsome 79 dread of ftatutes bound,
The Poets learn'd to please and not to wound:
Moft warp'd to 8 Flatt'ry's fide; but fome, more nice,
Preferv'd the freedom, and forbore the vice. 260
Hence Satire rofe, that just the medium hit,
And heals with Morals what it hurts with Wit.
81 We conquer'd France, but felt our Captive's charms;
Her Arts victorious triumph'd o'er our Arms;
Britain to foft refinements lefs a foe,

NOTES.

265

VER. 263. We conquer'd France, &c.) The inftance the Poet here gives, to answer that in the Original, is not fo happy. low ever, it might be said with truth > that our Intrigues on the Continent brought us acquainted with the Provincial Poets, and produced Chaucer. I, only, wonder, when he had fuch an example before him, of a Bard who fo greatly polifhed the rufti city of his age, he did not ufe it to paraphrafe the fenfe of Defluxit numerus Saturnius, & grave virus Munditiae pepulere:

·Defluxit 82 numerus Saturnius, & grave virus

Munditiae pepulere: fed in longum tamen aevum
Manferunt, hodieque manent, 83 veftigia ruris.

Serus enim Graecis admovit acumina chartis;

Et polt 84 Punica bella quietus quaerere coepit,
Quid 85 Sophocles & Thefpis & Aefchylus utile ferrent:
Tentavit quoque rem fi digne vertere poffet:
Et placuit fibi, natura fublimis & acer :

Nam 86 fpirat tragicum fatis, & feliciter audet:
Sed 87 turpem putat infcite metuitque lituram.
́ Creditur, ex 88 medio quia res arceffit, habere
Sudoris minimum ;. fed habet Comoedia tanto

NOTES.

VER. 267. Waller was smooth;) Mr. Waller, about this time with the Earl of Dorfet, Mr. Godolphin, and others, tranflated the Pompey of Corneille; and the more correct French Poets began to be in reputation.

P.

VER. 280. Ev'n copious Dryden -) copious aggravated the fault. For when a writer has great ftores, he is inexcufable not to discharge the easy task of chufing of the best

VER. 282. Some doubt, &c.) In Tragedy it is the action, and in Comedy it is the manners, which moft engage our attention. But it is easier to direct and conduct an action than to draw and colour manners. Befides, our ignorance of high life makes falfe manners in Tragedy efcape unobserved; but unnatural action in Comedy lies hid from no body. Hence it is, that the diffi culty of fucceeding lies on the fide of the comic writer. fupport thefe obfervations, let me afk, from whence

To

arifes our

270

Wit grew polite, and 82 Numbers learn'd to flow.
Waller was fimooth; but Dryden taught to join
The varying verfe, the full-refounding line,
The long majestic March, and Energy divine.
Tho' ftill foine traces of our 83 ruftic vein,
And fplay foot verfe remain'd, and will remain.
Late, very late, correctnefs grew our care,
When the tir'd Nation 84 breath'd from civil war,
Exact 85 Racine, and Corneille's noble fire,
Show'd us that France had fomething to admire. 275
Not but the 85 Tragic fpirit was our own,
And full in Shakespear, fair in Orway fhone :..
But Otway fail'd to polish or refine,
And 87 fluent Shakespear fcarce effic'd a line.
Ev'n copious Dryden wanted, or forgot,
The laft and greatest Art, the Art to blot.
Some doubt, if equal pains, or equal fire
The 88 humbler Mufe of Comedy require.

NOTES.

280

difguft, when the fcene in Comedy is laid abroad, and that of Tragedy at home. It appears, at firft fight, whimsical and capricious, but has its foundation in nature. What we chiefly feek in Comedy is a true image of life and manners; but we are not easily brought to think we have it given us, when dressed in foreign modes and fashions. And yet a good writer muft follow his fcene and obferve deco:um. On the contrary, 'tis the action in Tragedy which moft engages our attention. But to

fit a domeftic Occurrence for the frage we must take greater liberties with the action than a well known ftory will allow. Not but perhaps another reafon might be given for our difapprobation of this inverted ftate of the scene. Comedy deals much in fatire, Tragedy in panegyric: and our natural malignity will more eafily fuffer us to find the ridiculous at home, than the heroic.

VOL. IV.

L