Poetae Britannici A POEM Satyrical and Panegyrical Primum ego me illorum dederim quibus esse Poetas Excerpam numero Cui Mens divinior atque Os Magna locuturum des Nominis hujus honorem Hor. LONDON Printed for A. Roper at the Black-Boy and R. Basset at the Mitre both in Fleetstreet and Sold by Mr. Jefferies Bookseller in Cambridge MDCC To his Friend on the following POEM OThers their praise may gratefully bestow And pay that Debt which they to merit owe But Im indebted on a double Score Much for your Verse but for your Friendship more And who an equal recompence can tell For one who sings and one who loves so well To praise your Verse is what the most will do I would do something more in praising you Not how the Poet 's for his Verse admir'd But how good Nature makes the Man desir'd And yet the Task 's so great to praise a Friend That I much rather would your Verse commend I would indeed but something in your Lines So strange so dazling so peculiar Shines That loud-tongu'd praise must here be at a stand And Silent wonder only must commend Thus mighty Joy is by excess conceal'd Yet Shakes the breast and fain would be reveal'd Intranc'd in extasy unmov'd it lies The â—â—ights too heavy and it cannot rise W. DOVE To my Friend on his Characters of the English POETS AT last our English Tongue is happy made And our Wit 's grown industrious as our Trade The Rev'rend Prophet now with joy may see The utmost of his wish fullfill'd in Thee All Foreign Wit in English dress display'd Without the help of any Foreign Aid Whatever Ancient Greece or Rome could Boast Is now Transported to the British Coast Now all their bright perfections scatter'd shine In ev'ry Poem but Unite in Thine So the Sun yeilds a double Heat and Light When in a Glass his scatter'd Beams Unite Maeon's Great Son no longer shall confine To his fam'd Verse the force of Heat Divine Our Godlike Milton has as Nobly Wrote He Sings as boldly as his Angels fought Judicious Dryden may with Virgil claim Of just yet daring flights the prudent Fame Waller in Verse as Tender as his Love Like soft Catullus does our passions move To Horace and to Cowly does belong The Boundless Fancy of the Lyrick Song Bion and Congreve shall in Mournful Swains Lament Untimely Fate to Weeping strains Brave Cutar like Tyrtaeus shall Engage The Heroe's Courage and the Poets Rage Oldham and Juvenal in keenest Rhimes Shall lash the Follies of Degenerate Times Whither does Fancy hurry me along To you my Friend this Province does belong Your Copious Wit can only Theirs express For only Yours can Suit an equal dress Your flowing Numbers can alone dispense The warmest Fancy with the coolest sense Your heat of Youth can Tow'r a Milton's flight And Judgment can like Virgil steer it Right Oh may some Genius like your self arise Whose Wit and Learning may the World Surprise As you have giv'n each Tuneful Bard his due May he confer the same Reward on you W. Worts Poetae Britannici A POEM SURE when the Maker in his Heav'nly Breast Design'd a Creature to command the rest Of all th' erected Progeny of Clay His Noblest Labour was his first Essay There shone th' Eternal Brightness and a Mind Proportion'd for the Father of Mankind The vigour of Omnipotence was seen In his high Actions and imperial Mien Inrich'd with Arts unstudy'd and untaught With loftiness of Soul and dignity of Thought To rule the World and what he rul'd to Sing And be at once the Poet and the King Whether his Learning with his Breath he drew And saw the depth of Nature at a view Or new descending from th' Angelick Race Retain'd some Tincture of his native place Fine was the matter of that curious Frame Which lodg'd his Fiery Guest and like the same Nor was a less resemblance in his Sense His Thoughts were lofty just his Eloquence When e're he spoke from his Seraphick Tongue Ten thousand comely Graces ever young With new Calliope's and Clio's sprung No shackling Rhyme chain'd the free Poets mind Majestick was his Style and unconfin'd Vast was each Sentence and each wondrous strain Sprung forth unlabour'd from his fruitful Brain But when he yielded to deluding Charms Th' harmonious Goddess shunn'd his empty Arms. The Muse no more his sacred Breast inspir'd But to the Skies her ancient Seat retir'd Yet here and there Coelestial Seeds she threw And rain'd melodious Blessings as she flew Which some receiv'd whom gracious Heaven design'd For high Employments and their Clay refin'd Who of a Species more sublime can tame The rushing God and stem the rapid Flame When in their Breasts th' impetuous Numen rowls And with uncommon heaves swells their Diviner Souls Thus the Companion of the Godhead sung And wrote upon those Reeds from whence he sprung He first of Poets told how Infant light Unknown before dawn'd from the Womb of Night How Sin and Shame th' Unhappy Couple knew And through affrighted Eden more affrighted flew How God advanc'd his Darling Abram's fame In the sure promise of his lengthn'd Name On Horeb's top or Sina's flaming Hill Familiar Heav'n reveal'd his sacred Will Seth's Column then firm and unshaken stood And long out-liv'd the malice of the Flood His Father's fall was Letter'd on the Stone Thence Arts Inventions Sciences were known Thence Divine Moses with exalted Thought In Hebrew Lines the Worlds beginning wrote The Gift of Verse descended to the Jews Inspir'd with something nobler than a Muse. Here Deborah in fiery Rapture sings The rout of Armies and the fall of Kings Thy Torrent Kison shall for ever flow Which trampl'd o'er the Dead and swept away the Foe With Songs of Triumph and the Maker's praise With sounding Numbers and united lays The Seed of Judah to the Battle flew And Orders of destroying Angels drew To their Victorious side who marching round Their Foes touch'd Myriad's at the Signal sound By Harmony they fell and dy'd without a Wound So strong is Verse Divine when we proclaim Thy Power eternal Light and sing thy Name Nor does it here alone its Magick show But works in Hell and binds the Fiends below So pow'rful is the Muse when David plaid The Frantick Daemon heard him and obey'd No noise no hiss the Dumb Apostate lay Sunk in soft Silence and dissolv'd away Nor was this Miracle of Verse confin'd To Jews alone for in a Heathen mind Some strokes appear thus Orpheus was inspir'd Inchanting Syrens at his Song retir'd To Rocks and Seas he the curst Maids pursu'd And their Strong charms by stronger charms subdu'd But Greece was honour'd with a greater Name Homer is Greece's Glory and her Shame How could Learned Athens with Contempt refuse Th' Immortal Labours of so vast a Muse Thee Colophon his Angry Ghost upbraids While his loud numbers charm th' Infernal Shades Ungrateful Cities which could vainly strive For the
Heated with rage he lash'd the Romish Crimes In rugged Satyr and ill-sounding Rhymes All Italy fear'd his imbitter'd Tongue And trembled less when sharp Lucilius stung Here let us pass in Silence nor accuse Th' extravagance of his unhallow'd Muse. In Jordan's Stream she wash'd the tainted Sore And rose more beauteous than she was before Then Fancy curb'd began to lose her Rage And Spark's of Judgment glimmer'd in his page VVhen the wild Fury did his breast inspire She rav'd and set the Little VVorld on Fire Thus L gh by Reason strove not to controul The Powerful heat which o'er-inform'd his Soul He took his Swinge and Nature's bounds surpast Stretch'd her and bent her till she broke at last VVe scorn to Flatter or the Dead defame But who will call a blaze a Lambent Flame Terror and Pity are allow'd to be The moving parts of Tragick Poetry If Pity sooths us Otway claims our praise If Terror strikes then L gh deserves the Bays VVe grant a Genius shines in Jaffeir's part And Roman Brutus speaks a Master's Art But still we often Mourn to see their Phrase An Earthly Vapour or a Mounting blaze A rising Meteor never was design'd T' amaze the sober part of Human kind Were I to write for Fame I would not chuse A prostitute and mercenary Muse. VVhich for poor gains must in rich Trappings go Emptily gay magnificently low Like ancient Rome's Religion Sacrifice and show Things fashion'd for Amusement and surprize Ne're move the Head though they divert the Eyes The mouthing Actor's well-dissembled Rage May strike the young Sir Foplings on the Stage But disingag'd the swelling Phrase I find Like Spencer's Gyant sunk away in Wind. It grates judicious Readers when they meet Nothing but jingling Verse and even feet Such false such counterfeited Wings as these Forsake th' unguided Boy and plunge him in the Seas L gh aim'd to rise above great Dr n's height But lofty Dr n kept a steddy flight Like Daedalus he times with prudent care His well-wax'd Wings and waves in Middle-Air Crown'd with the sacred Snow of reverend Years Dr n above th' ignobler Crowd appears Raises his laurell'd Head and as he goes O'er-shoulders all and like Apollo shows The native Spark which first advanc'd his Name By industry he kindled to a flame Then to a different Coast his Judgment flew He left th' Old World behind and found a New On the strong Columns of his lasting Wit Instructive Dr n built and peopled it In every Page Delight and Profit shines Immortal Sense flows in his mighty Lines His Images so strong and lively be I hear not Words alone but Substance see The proper Phrase of our exalted Tongue To such perfection from his Numbers sprung His Tropes continu'd and his Figures fine All of a piece throughout and all Divine Adapted Words and sweet Expressions move Our various passions Pity Rage and Love I weep to hear fond Anthony complain In Sh r's fancy but in Virgil's strain Tho for the Comick others we prefer Himself the Judge nor does his Judgment err But Comedy 't is thought can never claim The sounding Title of a Poem's name For Railery and what creates a smile Betrays no lofty Genius nor a Style That heav'nly heat refuses to be seen In a Town-Character and Comick Mein If we would do him right we must produce The Sophoclean Buskin when his Muse With her loud Accents fill'd the Listning Ear And Peals applauding shook the Theatre They fondly seek Great Name to blast thy Praise Who think that Foreign-banks produc'd thy Bays Is he oblig'd to France who draws from thence By English energy their captive sense Tho' Edward and fam'd Henry war'd in vain Subduing what they could not long retain Yet now beyond our Arms the Muse prevails And Poets conquer when the Heroe fails This does superiour Excellence betray O could I write in thy immortal way If Art be Nature's Scholar and can make Such great improvements Nature must forsake Her ancient Style and in some grand Design She must her own Originals decline And for the noblest Copies follow Thine This all the World must offer to thy praise And this Thalia sang in rural lays As sleep to weary Drovers on the Plain As a sweet River to a thirsty Swain Such Divine Dr n's charming Verses show Please like the River like the River flow When his first years in mighty order ran And cradled Infancy bespoke the Man Around his Lips the waxen Artists hung And breath'd Ambrosial Odours as they sung In yellow Clusters from their Hives they flew And on his Tongue distill'd eternal Due Thence from his Mouth harmonious Numbers broke More sweet than Honey from the knotted Oke More smooth than streams that from a Mountain glide Yet lofty as the Top from whence they slide Long he possest th' Hereditary Plains Belov'd by all the Hersdmen and the Swains Till he resign'd his Flock opprest with fears And olden'd in his woe as well as fears Yet still like Aetna's Mount he kept his Fire And look'd like beauteous Roses on a Brier He smil'd like Phoebus in a stormy Morn And sung like Philomel against a Thorn Here Syren of sweet Poesy receive That little praise my unknown Muse can give Be Thou immortal nor harsh censure fear Tho' angry Bl re in Heroicks jear A Bard who seems to challenge Virgil's flame And next in height would be the next in name With lofty Maro he at first may please The Generous Britain rises by degrees But once on Wing through secret paths he rows And losing Virgil's sight in a main Ocean flows Then seeks his Pilot through the boundless Sky And sometimes soars too eager and too high The Mantuan Bird keeps a soft gentle flight Is always lofty and still plays in sight Calm and serene his Verse his active Song Runs smooth as Thames's River and as strong Like his own Neptune he commands the Waves Like Aeolus high Bl re sometimes raves We grant he labours with no want of Brains Or Fire or Spirit but he spares the pains One happy Thought or two may at a heat Be struck but Time and Study must compleat A Verse sublimely good and justly great It call'd for an Omnipotence to raise The World's imperial Poem in Six Days But Man that off-spring of corrupting Clay Subject to err and subject to decay In hopes desires will power a numerous Train Uncertain fickle impotent and vain Must tire the Heavenly Muse with endless Prayer And call the smiling Angels to his care Must sleepless Nights Vulcanian Labours prove Like Cyclops forging Thunder for a Jove With flame begin thy glorious Thoughts and Style Then cool and bring them to the smoothing File If you design to make your Prince appear As perfect as Humanity can bear Whom Vertues at th' expence of danger please Deaf to the Syrens of alluring ease No Terrours Thee Achilles could invade Nor Thee Ulysses any charms persuade This must be done if Poets
fly And raise their Airy Babel to the Sky VVho arm'd with Gabble to create a Name Design a Beauty and a Monster frame Not so the Seat of Phoebus rose which lay In Ruins buried and a long decay To Britany the Temple was convey'd By Nature's utmost force and more than Human Aid Built from its Basis by a Noble Few The stately Fabrick in perfection view While Nature gazes on the polish'd Piece The Work of many rowling Centuries For joyn'd with Art she labour'd long to raise An English Poet meriting the Bays How vain a Toil for Authors first were known For Greek and Latin Tongues but scorn'd their own As Moors of old near Guinea's precious Shore For glittering Brass exchang'd their shining Ore Involving Darkness did our Language shroud Nor could we view the Goddess thro' the Cloud Sunk in a Sea of Ignorance we lay Till Chaucer rose and pointed out the Day A Joking Bard whose Antiquated Muse In mouldy Words could solid Sense produce Our English Ennius He who claim'd his part In wealthy Nature tho' unskill'd in Art The sparkling Diamond on his Dung-hill shines And Golden Fragments glitter in his Lines Which Spencer gather'd for his Learning known And by successful Gleanings made his own So careful Bees on a fair Summers Day Hum o'er the Flowers and suck the Sweets away Of Gloriana and her Knights he sung Of Beasts which from his pregnant Fancy sprung O had thy Poet Britany rely'd On Native Strength and Foreign Aid deny'd Had not wild Fairies blasted his design Maeonides and Virgil had been Thine Their finish'd Poems he exactly view'd But Chaucer's Steps Religiously pursu'd He cull'd and pick'd and thought it greater praise T' adore his Master than improve his Phrase 'T was counted Sin to deviate from his Page So Sacred was th' Authority of Age The Coin must sure for currant Sterling pass Stamp'd with old Chaucer's Venerable Face But Johnson found it of a gross Allay Melted it down and flung the Scum away He dug pure Silver from a Roman Mine And prest his Sacred Image on the Coin We all rejoic'd to see the pillag'd Ore Our Tongue inrich'd which was so poor before Fear not Learn'd Poet our impartial blame Such Thefts as these add lustre to thy Name Whether thy labour'd Comedies betray The Sweat of Terence in thy glorious way Or Catiline plots better in thy Play Whether his Crimes more excellently shine Whether we hear the Consul's Voice Divine And doubt which merits most Rome's Cicero or Thine All yield consenting to sustain the Yoke And learn the Language which the Victor spoke So Macedon's Imperial Heroe threw His Wings abroad and Conquer'd as he flew Great Johnson's Deeds stand Parallel with His Are Noble Thefts successful Piracies Souls of a Heroe's or a Poet's frame Are fill'd with larger Particles of flame Scorning Confinement for more Lands they grone And stretch beyond the Limits of their own Fletcher whose Wit like some Luxuriant Vine Profusely wanton'd in each Golden Line Who prodigal of Sense by B mont's care Was prun'd so wisely and became so fair Could from his copious Brain new Humours bring A bragging Bessus or inconstant King Could Laughter now now melting Pity raise In his Amyntor's and Aspasia's But Rome and Athens must the Plots produce With France the Handmaid of the English Muse. Ev'n Shakespear sweated in his narrow Isle And Subject Italy obey'd his Style Boccace and Cynthio must a Tribute pay T' inrich his Scenes and furnish out a Play Tho' Art ne'er taught him how to write by Rules Or borrow Learning from Athenian Schools Yet He with Plautus could instruct and please And what requir'd long toil perform with ease By Native Strength so Theseus bent the Pine Which cost the Robber many years Design Tho' sometimes Rude Unpolish'd and Undress'd His Sentence flows more careless than the rest But when his Muse complying with his Will Deigns with informing heat his Breast to fill Then hear him Thunder in the pompous strain Of Aeschylus or sooth in Ovid's Vein Then in his Artless Tragedies I see What Nature seldom gives Propriety I feel a Pity working in my Eyes When Desdemona by her Husband dies When I view Brutus in his Dress appear I know not how to call him too severe His rigid Vertue There atones for all And makes a Sacrifice of Caesar's Fall Nature wrought Wonders then when Shakespear dy'd Her dearest Cowley rose drest in her gaudy Pride So from great Ruines a new Life she calls And builds an Ovid when a Tully falls With what delight he tunes his Silver strings And David's toils in David's numbers sings Hark! how he Murmurs to the Fields and Groves Her Rural Pleasures and his Various Loves Yet every Line 's so innocent and clear Hermits may read them to a Virgin 's Ear. The radiant Godhead in the Bush he found Fearless he saw and trod the hallow'd Ground Then her soft Lute Converted Clio strung While modestly the mingled Graces sung Unstol'n Promethean Fire informs his Song Rich is his Fancy his Invention strong His Wit unfathom'd has a fresh supply Is always flowing out but never dry Sure the profuseness of a boundless Thought And lavish'd Wit was ne'er allow'd a Fault A Spirit that is unconfin'd and free Should hurry forward like the VVind or Sea VVhich laughs at Laws and Shackles when a vain Presuming Xerxes shall pretend to Reign And on the fliting Air impose his pond'rous Chain If you who read him well should chance to find His Phrase too mean t' express his lofty mind His Turns too numerous or too harsh his Rhyme Impute it to his Years and Fortune's Crime He stood afar and view'd the Promis'd Land But perish'd e'er he touch'd the Sacred Strand Thro' what Tempestuous Foâ—â—unes was he hurl'd What Troubles which alarum'd all the World Frighted the Muses nor was he inclin'd To throw important Minutes to the Wind. There let such Drudges study who are paid Verse was his Recreation not his Trade Immortal Cowley who alone could dare With Wings well balanc'd tempt th' unbounded Air. Who to his Lyre Pindarick Strains could call Nor fear'd the danger of a threatned Fall O had He liv'd to Waller's Reverend Age Better'd his Measures and Reform'd his Page Then Britain's Isle might raise her Trophies high And solid Rome or witty Greece out-vy The Rhine the Tyber and Parisian Seyne When e'er they pay their Tribute to the Main Should no kind Name more gratefully rehearse Than lofty Cowley's never dying Verse The Thames should sweep her Briny Way before And with his Fame salute each distant Shore Then He like Glorious Milton had been known To Lands which Conquest has insur'd our own Milton whose Muse kisses th' Embroider'd Skies VVhile Earth below grows little as she flies Thro' trackless Air she bends her winding flight Far as the Confines of retreating Light Tells the Sindg'd Moors how Scepter'd Death began His lengthning Empire o'er offending Man Unteaches Conquer'd Nations to Rebel