And thou, great poet, in whose nervous lines
The native majefty of freedom shines,

Accept this friendly praise; and let me prove
My heart not wholly void of public love;
Though not like thee I ftrike the founding string
To notes which Sparta might have deign'd to fing,
But, idly sporting in the fecret fhade,
With tender trifies soothe some artless maid.

TO WILLIAM PITT, ESQUIRE,

ON HIS

LOSING HIS COMMISSION,

In the Year 1736.

LONG had thy virtues mark'd thee out for fame,

Far, far fuperior to a Cornet's name;

This generous Walpole faw, and griev'd to find
So mean a poft difgrace that noble mind.
The fervile standard from thy freeborn hand
He took, and bade thee lead the patriot band.

BODI

PRO

PROLOGUE

TO

THOMSON'S CORIOLANU S.

I

SPOKEN BY MR. QUIN.

COME not here your candour to implore

For scenes, whose author is, alas! no more ;-
He wants no advocate his caufe to plead;
You will yourselves be patrons of the dead.
No party his benevolence confin'd,

No fect - alike it flow'd to all mankind.
He lov'd his friends (forgive this gushing tear:
Alas! I feel, I am no actor here)

He lov'd his friends with fuch a warmth of heart,
So clear of intereft, fo devoid of art,

Such generous friendship, fuch unshaken zeal,
No words can speak it; but our tears may tell.
O candid truth, O faith without a ftain,
O manners gently firm, and nobly plain,
O fympathizing love of others' blifs,

Where will you find another breast like his ?
Such was the man- -the poet well you know:
Oft has he touch'd your hearts with tender woe:
Oft in this crouded houfe, with just applause,
You heard him teach fair Virtue's pureft laws;
For his chafte Muse employ'd her heaven-taught lyre
None but the nobleft paffions to infpire,

Not one immoral, one corrupted thought,
One line, which dying he could with to blot.
Oh! may to-night your favourable doom
Another laurel add, to grace his tomb:
Whilft he, fuperior now to praise or blame,
Hears not the feeble voice of human fame.
Yet, if to thofe whom most on earth he lov'd,
From whom his pious care is now remov'd,

With whom his liberal hand, and bounteous heart,
Shar'd all his little fortune could impart;

If to thofe friends your kind regard fhall give
What they no longer can from his receive;
That, that, ev'n now, above yon ftarry pole,
May touch with pleasure his immortal foul.

you, who, fupreme o'er every work of wit,
In judgment here, unaw'd, unbiafs'd, fit,

The palatines and guardians of the pit;
If to your minds this merely modern play
No ufeful fenfe, no generous warmth convey;
If fuftian here, through each unnatural scene,
In firain'd conceits found high, and nothing mean;
If lofty dullness for your vengeance call:
Like Elmerick judge, and let the guilty fall.

But

But if fimplicity, with force and fire,

Unlabour'd thoughts and artless words inspire;

If, like the action which thefe fcenes relate,

The whole appear irregularly great;
If master-strokes the nobler paffions move :
Then, like the king, acquit us, and approve.

INSCRIPTIONS AT HAGLEY,

I. On a VIEW from an ALCOVE,

VIRIDANTÍA TEMPE!

TEMPE, QVAE SYLVAE CINGVNT SVPERIMPEN

DENTES.

II. On a RoCKY FANCY SEAT.

EGO LAVDO RVRIS AMOENI,

RIVOS, ET MVSCO CIRVMLITA SAXA NEMVSQVE.

III.

TO THE MEMORY OF

WILLIAM SHENSTONE, ESQUIRE;

IN WHOSE VERSES

WERE ALL THE NATURAL GRACES,

AND IN WHOSE MANNERS

WAS ALL THE AMIABLE SIMPLICITY,
OF PASTORAL POETRY,

WITH THE SWEET TENDERNESS

OF THE ELEGIAC.

H 4

IV. On

IV. On the Pedestal of an URN *,
ALEXANDRO POPE;

POETARVM ANGLICANORVM

ELEGANTISSIMO DVLCISSIMOQVE;

VIRORVM CASTIGATORI ACERRIMO,
SAPIENTIAE DOCTORI SVAVISSIMO,

SACRA ESTO.

ANN. DOM. MDCCXLIV.

V. On a BENCH.

LIBET IACERE MODO SVB ANTIQVA ILICE,

MODO IN TENACE GRAMINE;

LABVNTVR ALTIS INTERIM RIVIS AQVAE;

QVAERVNTVR IN SYLVIS AVES:

FONTESQUE LYMPHIS OBSTREPVNT MANANTIBVS

SOMNOS QUOD INVITET LEVES.

VI. On THOMSON'S SEAT †.

INGENIO IMMORTALI

IACOBI THOMSON,

POETAE SVBLIMIS,

VIRI BONI;

AEDICVLAM HANC, QVEM VIVVS DILEXIT,
POST MORTEM EIVS CONSTRVCTAM,
DICAT DEDICATQVE

GEORGIVS LYTTELTON.

* A Doric portico in another part of the park is ho-

noured with the name of "Pope's Building," and

infcribed, QVIETI ET MVSIS.

A very handsome and well-finished building, in

an octagonal line.

CONTENTS