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TRANSLATION OF MARTIAL'S EPIGRAN
ON ANTONIUS PRIMUS.1

Ar length my friend (while Time with still career
Wafts on his gentle wing his eightieth year)
Sees his past days safe out of Fortune's pow'r
Nor dreads approaching Fate's uncertain hour,
Reviews his life, and in the strict survey
Finds not one moment he could wish away,
Pleased with the series of each happy day.
Such, such a man extends his life's short space,
And from the goal again renews the race;
For he lives twice, who can at once employ
The present well, and ev'n the past enjoy.

TO ERINNA.

1722.

THOUGH Sprightly Sappho force our love and praise
A softer wonder my pleased soul surveys,
The mild Erinna blushing in her bays.

So, while the sun's broad beam yet strikes the sight,
All mild appears the moon's more sober light,

Serene, in virgin majesty she shines;
And unobserved the glaring sun declines.

INSCRIPTION ON A PUNCH-BOWL,

IN THE SOUTH-SEA YEAR (1720), FOR A CLUB, CHASED WITH JUPITER PLACING CALLISTO IN THE SKIES, AND

EUROPA WITH THE BULL.

COME, fill the South Sea goblet full;
The gods shall of our stock take care;
Europa pleased accepts the bull,

And Jove with joy puts off the bear.

1 Jam numerat placido felix Antonius ovo, &c.

2 Erinna was a celebrated Greek poetess who died young. She was chained by her mother to her Spinning Wheel. Her chief poem is called "The Spindle." Pope applies her name to some unknown literary friend of his in these lines,

ON RECEIVING FROM THE RIGHT HON. THE LADY FRANCES SHIRLEY' A

STANDISH AND TWO PENS.

YES, I beheld th' Athenian Queen'
Descend in all her sober charms;
"And take," (she said, and smiled serene,)
"Take at this hand celestial arms:

"Secure the radiant weapons wield;
This golden lance shall guard desert,
And if a vice dares keep the field,

This steel shall stab it to the heart."

Awed, on my bended knees I fell,
Received the weapons of the sky;
And dipt them in the sable well,
The fount of fame or infamy.

"What well? what weapons?" (Flavia cries,)
"A standish, steel and golden pen!
It came from Bertrand's, not the skies;
I gave it you to write again.

"But, friend, take heed whom you attack;
You'll bring a house (I mean of peers)
Red, blue, and green, nay white and black,
L- and all about your ears.

"You'd write as smooth again on glass,
And run, on ivory, so glib,

As not to stick at fool or ass,

Nor stop at flattery or fib.

1 To enter into the spirit of this address, it is necessary to premise, that the poet was threatened with a prosecution in the House of Lords, for the two poems entitled the "Epilogue to the Satires." On which, with great resentment against his enemies, for not being willing to distinguish between

"Grave epistles bringing vice to light"

and licentious libels, he began a third dialogue, more severe and sublime than the first and second; which being no secret, matters were soon compromised. His enemies agreed to drop the prosecution, and he promised to leave the third dialogue unfinished and suppressed. This affair occasioned this beautiful little poem, to which it alludes throughout, but more especially in the four last stanzas.-Warburton quoted by Bowles.

2 Pallas.

3 A famous toy-shop at Bath. - Warburton.

"Athenian Queen! and sober charms!
I tell ye, fool, there's nothing i't:
Tis Venus, Venus gives these arms;
In Dryden's Virgil see the print."

"Come, if you'll be a quiet soul,

That dares tell neither truth nor lies,
I'l lift you in the harmless roll

Of those that sing of these poor eyes.

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TRANSLATION OF A PRAYER OF BRUTUS.

Given by Pope to the Rev Aaron Thompson, of Queen's College, Oxford. Mr. Thompson got him to look over a translation of the "Chronicle of Geoffrey of Monmouth," done by himself, and Pope translated these lines from it for him. Pope gives a most amusing account of his interviews with Mr. Thompson in his letters.

GODDESS of woods, tremendous in the chase,
To mountain wolves and all the savage race,
Wide o'er th' aerial vault extend thy sway,
And o'er th' infernal regions void of day.
On thy third reign look down; disclose our fate,
In what new station shall we fix our seat?
When shall we next thy hallowed altars raise,
And choirs of virgins celebrate thy praise?

[From the Letters.]

IMPARTIAL JOVE.

JOVE was alike to Latian and Phrygian,
For well you know that Wit's of no religion.

1 When she delivers to Eneas a suit of heavenly armour.Warburton.

2 This beautiful lady was fourth daughter of the Earl of Ferrers, who had, at that time, a house at Twickenham. She was the "Fanny, blooming fair," of Lord Chesterfield's once well-known ballad. She died unmarried at Bath in 1762,

A POEM.

The Third Dialogue is supposed to have been the fragment following, which was found by Lord Bolingbroke, his executor, amongst the sweepings of his study. It is a mere literary curiosity.

1740.

O WRETCHED Britian jealous now of all,

What God, what mortal, shall prevent they fall?
Turn, turn thine eyes from wicked men in place
And see what succour from the patriot race.

1

C, his own proud dupe, thinks monarchs things
Made just for him as other fools for kings;

Controls, decides, insults thee ev'ry hour
And antedates the hatred due to pow'r

Through clouds of passion P

's views are clear,

He foams a patriot to subside a peer;

Impatient sees his country bought and sold,
And damns the market where he takes no gold.

2

GRAVE, righteous S jogs on, till, past belief, He finds himself companion with a thief.

To purge and let the blood, with fire and sword, Is all the help stern S- would afford.

That those who bind and rob thee, would not kill, Good C hopes, and candidly sits still.

5

Of Ch- s W who speaks at all,

No more than of Sir Harry or Sir Paul?

6

Whose names once up, they thought it was not wrong To lie in bed, but sure they lay too long.

G -r, C -m, Bt, pay thee due regards, Unless the ladies bid them mind their cards.

8

with wit that must

And Cd, who speaks so well, and writes,
Whom (saving W.) every S. harper bites.

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Whose wit and

must needs

equally provoke one,
Finds thee, at best, the butt to crack his joke on.
As for the rest, each winter up they run,
And all are clear, that something must be done.
Then urged by C—t,1 or by C– -t stopp'd,
Inflamed by P —,2 and by P- dropp'd;

1

They follow reverently each wondrous wight,
Amazed that one can read, that one can write:
So geese to gander prone obedience keep,
Hiss if he hiss, and if he slumber, sleep.
Till having done whate'er was fit or fine,
Uttered a speech, and asked their friends to dine;
Each hurries back to his paternal ground,
Content but for five shillings in the pound;
Yearly defeated, yearly hopes they give,
And all agree, Sir Robert cannot live.

3

Rise, rise, great W,3 fated to appear,
Spite of thyself, a glorious minister!

Speak the loud language princes
And treat with half the

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At length to Britain kind, as to thy
Espouse the nation, you

What can thy H."

Dress in Dutch

4

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Though still he travels on no bad pretence,
To show

6

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Or those foul copies of thy face and tongue,
Veracious W- and frontless Young;
Sagacious Bub, so late a friend, and there
So late a foe, yet more sagacious H-
Hervey and Hervey's school, F, H
Yea, moral Ebor, or religious Winton.9
How! what can O- -W, what can D-
The wisdom of the one and other chair,
N- laugh, or D- -'s sneer,

11

12

-y, H——n‚3

10

Or thy dread truncheon, M.'s 13 mighty peer?

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Blackburn, Archbishop of York, and Hoadley, Bishop of 10 Onslow, the Speaker, and Earl Delawar

Winchester.

11 Newcastle's.

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