You laugh, if coat and breeches ftrangely vary,
White gloves, and linen worthy Lady Mary!
But when no Prelate's Lawn with hair-shirt lin❜d,
Is half fo incoherent as my Mind,

When (each opinion with the next at ftrife,
One s ebb and flow of Follies all my life)

It plant root up; I build, and then confound;

Turn round to fquare, and square again to round;
"You never change one muscle of your face,
You think this Madness but a common cafe,
Nor w once to Chanc'ry, nor to Haie apply;
Yet hang your lip, to fee a Seam awry !
Careless how ill I with myself agree,

Kind to my dress, my figure, rot to Me.

Is this my Guide, Philofopher, and Friend?

166

171

175

This he, who loves me, and who ought to mend ; Who ought to make me (what he can, or none,) That Man divine whom Wisdom calls her own; 180 Great without Title, without Fortune blefs'd;

Richy ev'n when plunder'd, z honour'd while opprefs'd;

Lov'da without youth, and follow'd without power;
At home, tho' exil'd; b frce, tho' in the Tower;
In short, that reas'ning, high, immortal Thing; 185
Juft less than Jove, and much above a King,
Nay, half in heav'n- except (what's mighty odd)
A fit of Vapours clouds this Demy-God?

с

EPISTOLA

VI.

IL admirari, prope res eft una, Numici,

NIL

Solaque quae poffit facere et fervare beatum.

b Hunc folem, et ftellas, & decedentia certis

Tempora momentis, funt qui formi line nulla

d

Imbuti fpectent. & quid cenfes, munera terrae ?

Quid, maris extremos Arabas ditantis et Indos ?

For

VER. 3. dear MURRAY,] This Piece is the most finished of all his imitations, and executed in the high manner the Italian Painters call con amore. By which they mean, the exertion of that principle, which puts the faculties on the ftretch, and produces the fupreme degree of excellence. the Poet had all the warmth of affection for the great Lawyer to whom it is addreffed and, indeed, no man ever more deferved to have a Poet for his friend. In the obtaining of which, as neither Vanity, Party, nor Fear, had any share; fo he fupported his title to it by all the offices of true Friendship. VER. 4. Creech] From whofe tranflation of Horace the two first lines are taken.

:

VER. 6. ftars that rife and fall,] The original is,

decedentia certis

Tempora momentis

EPISTLE VI.

66

To Mr. MURRAY,

"NT make me

OT to admire, is all the Art I know,

To make men happy, and to keep them fo." (Plain Truth, dear MURRAY, needs no flow'rs of

speech,

So take it in the very words of Creech.)

This Vault of Air, this congregated Ball,
Self-center'd Sun, and Stars that rise and fall,
There are, my Friend! whofe philofophic eyes
Look thro', and trust the Ruler with his skies,
To him commit the hour, the day, the year,
And view this dreadful All without a fear.
Admire we then what d Earth's low entrails hold,
Arabian shores, or Indian feas infold ;

All the mad trade of e Fools and Slaves for Gold?

}

which words fimply and literally fignify, the change of feafons. But this change being confidered as an object of admiration, his imitator has judiciously expreffed it in the more fublime figurative terms of

Stars that rife and fall.

by whofe courses the seasons are marked and distinguished. VER, 8. truft the Ruler with bis Skies. To him commit the bour,] Our Author, in these imitations, has been all along careful to correct the loofe morals, and abfurd divinity of his Original.

I