The Works of the English Poets: With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical

Atheist, and rebel too, fhe does oppofe

(God and the king have always the fame foes).
Legions of verfe you raife in their defence,
And write the factious to obedience;
You the bold Arian to arms defy,

A conquering champion for the Deity
Against the whigs firft parents, who did dare
To difinherit God-Almighty's heir.

And what the hot-brain'd Arian first began,
Is carried on by the Socinian,

Who ftill affociates to keep God a man.

But 'tis the prince of poets' tafk alone

T'affert the rights of God's and Charles's throne.
Whilft vulgar poets purchase vulgar fame

By chaunting Chloris' or fair Phyllis' name;

Whose reputation fhall last as long,

As fops and ladies fing the amorous fong.

A nobler subject wisely they refuse,

The mighty weight would crush their feeble Muse.
So, story tells, a painter once would try

With his bold hand to limn a deity :
And he, by frequent practising that part,

Could draw a minor-god with wondrous art:
But when great Jove did to the workman fit,
The thunderer fuch horror did beget,
That put the frighted artist to a stand,
And made his pencil drop from 's baffled hand.

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To Mr. DRYDEN, upon his Tranflation of the Third Book of VIRGIL'S GEORGICKS.

A PINDARIC O D E.

By Mr. JOHN DENNIS.

WHILE mounting with expanded wings

The Mantuan fwan unbounded heaven explores,
While with feraphic founds he towering fings,
Till to divinity he soars :

Mankind ftands wondering at his flight,
Charm'd with his mufick, and his height:
Which both transcend our praife.
Nay Gods incline their ravish'd ears,
And tune their own harmonious fpheres,
To his melodious lays.

Thou, Dryden, canft his notes recite
In modern numbers, which exprefs
Their mufick, and their utmost might:
Thou, wondrous poet, with fuccefs
Canft emulate his flight.

II.

Sometimes of humble rural things,
Thy Mufe, which keeps great Maro ftill in fight,
In middle air with varied numbers fings;
And fometimes her fonorous flight

To heaven fublimely wings.

But first takes time with majefty to rife,
Then, without pride, divinely great,
She mounts her native skies;
And, Goddess like, retains her state
When down again she flies.

Com

Commands, which judgment gives, she still obeys,
Both to deprefs her flight, and raise.
Thus Mercury from heaven defcends,
And to this under world his journey bends,

When Jove his dread commands has given :
But, ftill, defcending, dignity maintains,
As much a God upon our humble plains,
As when he, towering, re-afcends to heaven.

III.

But when thy Goddess takes her flight, With fo much majelty, to fuch a height, As can alone fuffice to prove,

That the defcends from mighty Jove :

Gods! how thy thoughts then rife, and foar, and fhine! Immortal spirit animates each line;

Each with bright flame that fires our fouls is crown'd, Each has magnificence of found,

And harmony divine.

Thus the first orbs, in their high rounds,

With fhining pomp advance;

And to their own cœleftial founds

Majestically dance.

On, with eternal fymphony, they roll,

Each turn'd in its harmonious course,