Would you the ruin'd merchant's foul appease, Think on the laurels that his temples fhade, Forbear. 'Tis cruel further to commend; I wake your forrow, and again offend. EPISTLE LONG haft thou, friend! been abfent from my foil, Thy daily labours, and thy night's annoy, On the wide fea, oft' threatening to destroy : Methinks with thee I've trod Sigæan ground, And heard the fshores of Hellefpont refound. H. Did I not fee thee when thou firft fett'ft fail Did I not fee thy finking fpirits fail, And wish thy bark had never left the strand ? A clofe imitation of the beginning of the 46th Canto of the "Orlando Furiofo." Mr. Gay has even adopted the measure of his original, and has comprized his defign in almoft the fame number of lines, viz. in twenty-one octave stanzas, instead of nineteen. S. Ev'n Ev'n in mid ocean often didst thou quail, And oft' lift up thy holy eye and hand, Praying the Virgin dear, and faintly choir, Back to the port to bring thy bark entire. III. Chear up, my friend! thy dangers now are o'er; nay, fure the rifing coafts appear; Methinks Hark! how the guns falute from either shore, IV. Now pafs we Gravefend with a friendly wind, And Tilbury's white fort, and long Blackwall; I fee his chimney fmoke, and hear him fay, V. Come in, my friends here fhall ye dine and lie, And fup, and breakfast on, (if ye comply) For For now I fee, I fee proud London's fpires; VI. Oh, what a concourse swarms on yonder quay ! Who come in crouds to welcome thee from Troy.. Hail to the bard, whom long as loft we mourn'd; From fiege, from battle, and from storm, return'd ! VIL Of goodly dames, and courteous knights, I view The filken petticoat, and broider'd vest; Yea peers, and mighty dukes, with ribbands blue, (True blue, fair emblem of unstained breast.) Others I fee, as noble, and more true, By no court-badge diflinguifh'd from the reft: First fee I Methuen, of fincereft mind, * As Arthur grave, as foft as woman-kind, VIII. What lady's that, to whom he gently bends? Who knows not her? ah! thofe are Wortley's eyes How art thou honour'd, number'd with her friends! For the diftinguishes the good and wife. This perfon is mentioned in Pope's Epifle to Arbuthnot, ver. 23. "Arthur, whofe giddy fon neglects the laws, "Imputes to me, and my damn'd works, the caufe." The The sweet-tongued Murray near her fide attends; I fee two lovely fifters, hand in hand, The fair-hair'd Martha, and Terefa brown; Madge Bellenden, the talleft of the land; And fmiling Mary, foft and fair as down. Yonder I fee the chearful dutchess stand, For friendship, zeal, and blithfome humours known: Whence that loud fhout in fuch a hearty ftrain? Why, all the Hamiltons are in her train. X. See next the decent Scudamore advance, With her perhaps Mifs Howe came there by chance, But now behold the female band retire, And the thrill mufick of their voice is ftill'd She afterwards married Booth the player. S. + Mrs Bicknell, the actrefs, is mentioned in the Spectator, Tatler, and Guardian, with applaufe. S. Sheffield, 1 |