Until thou fhalt have eas'd thy conscience,
Of fpleen, of politicks, and nonfenfe;
And, when thou 'ft bid adieu to cares,
And fettled Europe's grand affairs,
'Twill then, perhaps, be worth thy while
For Drury-Lane to fhape thy ftyle :
"To make a pair of jolly fellows,
"The fon and father, join to tell us,
"How fons may safely disobey,
"And fathers never should fay nay,
"By which wife conduct they grow friends
"At laft-and fo the story ends *.”
When first I knew thee, Dick, thou wert
Renown'd for skill in Fauftus' art †,
Which made thy closet much frequented
By buxom laffes--fome repented
Their lucklefs choice of husbands-others,
Impatient to be like their mothers,
Receiv'd from thee profound directions
How beft to fettle their affections.
Thus thou, a friend to the diftrefs'd,
Didft in thy calling do thy beft.
But now the Senate (if things hit
And thou at Stockbridge wert not bit),
*This is faid to be a plot of a comedy with which
Mr. Steele has long threatened the town.
In fome particulars it would apply to "The Confcious "Lovers."
There were fome tolerable grounds for this reflection. Mr. Steele had actually a laboratory at Poplar.
Muft feel thy eloquence and fire,
Approve thy fchemes, thy wit admire,
Thee with immortal honours crown,
Whilft, Patriot-like, thou 'lt ftrut and frown.
What though by enemies 'tis faid,
The laurel, which adorns thy head,
Must one day come in competition
By virtue of fome fly petition :
Yet mum for that; hope still the best,
Nor let fuch cares disturb thy rest.
Methinks I hear thee loud as trumpet,
As bagpipe fhrill, or oyfter-ftrumpet ;
Methinks I fee thee, fpruce and fine,
With coat embroider'd richly fhine,
And dazzle all the idol-faces
As through the ball thy worship paces;
(Though this I fpeak but at a venture,
Suppofing thou haft tick with Hunter)
Methinks I fee a black-guard rout
Attend thy coach, and hear them shout
In approbation of thy tongue,
Which (in their style) is purely hung,
Now! now you carry all before you!
Nor dares one Jacobite or Tory
Pretend to anfwer one fyl-lable,
Except the matchlefs hero Abel *.
What though her highnefs and her fpoufe
In Antwerp † keep a frugal house,
+ Where the duke of Marlborough then refided.
"On popes, for all the blood they 've spilt,
"For maffacres, and racks, and flames,
"For lands enrich'd by crimson streams,
"For inquifitions taught by Spain,
"Of which the Christian world complain."
Dick, we agree-all 's true thou 'ft said,
As that my Mufe is yet a maid.
But, if I may with freedom talk,
All this is foreign to thy walk :
Thy genius has perhaps a knack
At trudging in a beaten track,
But is for ftate-affairs as fit
As mine for politicks and wit.
Then let us both in time grow
Nor higher than our talents rife;
To fome fnug cellar let's repair
From duns and debts, and drown our care;
Now quaff of honest ale a quart,
Now venture at a pint of port,
With which infpir'd, we 'll club each night
Some tender fonnet to indite,
And with Tom D'Urfey, Philips, Dennis,
Immortalize our Dolls and Jenneys.
* General Macartney, who killed duke Hamilton.
JOHN DENNIS the fheltering Poet's INVITATION to RICHARD STEELE, the fecluded Party-writer, and Member; to come and live with him in THE MINT; 1714*.
Fit to be bound up with THE CRISIS..
thou canst lay afide a spendthrift's air,
And condefcend to feed on homely fare,
Such as we Minters, with ragouts unstor'd,
Will, in defiance of the law, afford:
Quit thy patrols with Toby's Christmas-box,
And come to me at The Two Fighting Cocks;
Since printing by subscription now is grown
The ftaleft, idleft cheat about the town;
And ev'n Charles Gildon, who, a Papift bred,
Has an alarm against that worship spread,
Is practising thofe beaten paths of cruifing,
And for new levies on Proposals mufing.
'Tis true, that Bloomsbury Square 's a noble place : But what are lofty buildings in thy cafe? What's a fine houfe embellifh'd to profufion, Where fhoulder-dabbers are in execution? Or whence its timorous tenant feldom fallies,. But apprehenfive of infulting bailiffs?
*This and the preceding poem are printed. from copies in the Lambeth Library, K. 1. 2. 29, 30. 4to.
This once be mindful of a friend's advice,
And ceafe to be improvidently nice;
Exchange the profpects that delude thy fight,
From Highgate's steep afcent and Hampftead's height, With verdant fcenes, that, from St. George's field, More durable and fafe enjoyments yield.
Here I, ev'n I, that ne'er till now could find
Eafe to my troubled and fufpicious mind,
But ever was with jealoufies poffefs'd,
Am in a state of indolence and reft;
Fearful no more of Frenchmen in difguife,
Nor looking upon ftrangers as on fpies,
But quite divefted of my former fpleen,
Am unprovok'd without, and calm within :
And here I'll wait thy coming, till the fun
Shall its diurnal courfe completely run.
Think not that thou of sturdy butt shalt fail,
My landlord's cellar's ftock'd with beer and ale,
With every fort of malt that is in use,
And every county's generous produce.
The ready (for here Christian faith is fick,
Which makes us seldom trespass upon tick)
Inftantly brings the choiceft liquors out,
Whether we afk for home-brew'd or for ftout,
For mead or cyder, or, with dainties fed,
Ring for a flask or two of white or red,
Such as the drawer will not fail to fwear
Was drunk by Pilkington when third time mayor.
That name, methinks, fo popularly known
For oppofition to the church and crown,
|