IMPROMPTU TO LADY WINCHILSEA.1

OCCASIONED BY FOUR SATIRICAL VERSES ON WOMEN WITS, IN THE RAPE OF THE LOCK.

you

N vain boast poetic names of yore,
And cite those Sapphos we admire

no more:

Fate doomed the fall of every female wit;

But doomed it then, when first Ardelia writ.
Of all examples by the world confessed,
I knew Ardelia could not quote the best;
Who, like her mistress on Britannia's throne,
Fights and subdues in quarrels not her own.
To write their praise you but in vain essay;
E'en while you write, you take that praise
away:

Light to the stars the sun does thus restore,
But shines himself till they are seen no more.

OCCASIONED BY SOME VERSES OF HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF

BUCKINGHAM.2

USE, 'tis enough; at length thy labour

M

ends,

And thou shalt live, for Buckingham commends.

Let crowds of critics now my verse assail,

1 Lady Winchilsea published a tragedy and a volume of poems, under the name of Ardelia.

2 Complimenting Pope on his Iliad, and on his merit as a friend. For the Duke of Buckingham, see Essay on Criticism, v. 723.

Let Dennis write, and nameless numbers rail; This more than pays whole years of thankless pain :

Time, health, and fortune are not lost in vain. Sheffield approves, consenting Phoebus bends, And I and Malice from this hour are friends.

TO THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF OXFORD.1

UPON A PIECE OF NEWS IN MIST (MIST'S JOURNAL),
THAT THE REV. MR. W. REFUSED TO WRITE
AGAINST MR. POPE, BECAUSE HIS BEST PATRON
HAD A FRIENDSHIP FOR THE SAID P.

ESLEY, if Wesley 'tis they mean,
They say on Pope would fall,
Would his best patron let his pen
Discharge his inward gall.

What patron this, a doubt must be,
Which none but you can clear,
Or father Francis 'cross the sea,
Or else Earl Edward here.

That both were good must be confessed;
And much to both he owes ;

But which to Him will be the best,
The Lord of Oxford knows.

1 From Nichols's Literary Anecdotes; the allusions are to the Rev. Samuel Wesley, and Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester.

LINES IN EVELYN'S BOOK OF COINS.1

OM WOOD of Chiswick, deep divine,
To painter Kent gave all this coin.
'Tis the first coin, I'm bold to say,
That ever churchman gave to lay.

LINES ON SWIFT'S ANCESTORS.2

ONATHAN SWIFT
Had the gift,

By fatherige, motherige,
And by brotherige,

To come from Gotherige,
But now is spoiled clean
And an Irish Dean.

In this church he has put
A stone of two foot;
With a cup and can, sir,
In respect to his grandsire;
So, Ireland, change thy tone,
And cry, O hone! O hone!

For England hath its own.

1 Written in Evelyn's Book of Coins, given by Mr. Wood to Kent. Communicated to Notes and Queries, Mar. 13, 1851.

2 "Swift put up a plain monument to his grandfather, and also presented a cup to the church of Goodrich, or Gotheridge (Herefordshire). He sent a pencilled elevation of the monument (a simple tablet) to Mrs. Howard, who returned it with the following lines inscribed on the drawing by Pope. The paper is indorsed, in Swift's hand, Model of a Monument for my grandfather, with Mr. Pope's roguery.' ”. SCOTT's Life of Swift, p. 3.

·

LINES SUNG BY DURASTANTI WHEN SHE TOOK LEAVE OF THE ENGLISH STAGE.'

THE WORDS WERE IN HASTE PUT TOGETHER BY MR. POPE, AT THE REQUEST OF LORD PETERBOROUGH.

ENEROUS, gay, and gallant nation,
Bold in arms, and bright in arts;

Land secure from all invasion,
All but Cupid's gentle darts!
From your charms, oh who would run ?
Who would leave for the sun?
Happy soil, adieu, adieu !

you

Let old charmers yield to new ;

In arms, in arts, be still more shining; All your joys be still increasing;

All your tastes be still refining;

All your jars for ever ceasing:

But let old charmers yield to new.
Happy soil, adieu, adieu !

ON THE COUNTESS OF BURLINGTON CUTTING PAPER.

ALLAS grew vapourish once, and odd,

She would not do the least right thing,

Either for goddess, or for god,

Nor work, nor play, nor paint, nor sing.

1 Margarita Durastanti was brought to England by Handel in 1719, and retired in 1723.

Jove frowned, and, "Use," he cried, "those

eyes

So skilful, and those hands so taper;

Do something exquisite and wise-"
She bowed, obeyed him,—and cut paper.

This vexing him who gave her birth,
Thought by all heaven a burning shame;
What does she next, but bids, on earth,
Her Burlington do just the same.

Pallas, you give yourself strange airs;
But sure you'll find it hard to spoil
The sense and taste of one that bears
The name of Saville and of Boyle.'

Alas! one bad example shown;
How quickly all the sex pursue!
See, madam, see the arts o'erthrown,
Between John Overton and you ! 2

Her maiden name was Lady Dorothy Saville. She married Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington, in

1721.

2 We may conjecture that the Countess of Burlington had, in an absent mood, amused herself with cutting to pieces one of the Sibylline leaves of paper on which Pope had written some verses. Perhaps John Overton, her servant, had been called to remove the litter, and hence had helped to “o'erthrow the arts."-Courthope.