Joy fills his soul, joy innocent of thought; What power, (he cries) what power these wonders wrought?" 256 Son, what thou seek'st is in thee! look and find 251 REMARKS. 261 261 Immortal Rich Mr. John Rick, master of the Theatre-Royal in Covent Garden, was the first that excelled this way. W. 25 Wings the red lightning, &c.] Like Salmoneus in Eu. VI. • Dum flammas Jovis, et sonitus imitatur Olympi. -nimbos, et non imitabile fulmen, Ære et cornipedum pulsu simularat equorum.' 258 -o'er all unclassic ground.] Alludes to Mr. Addison's verse in the praises of Italy: • Poetic fields encompass me around, And still I seem to tread on classic ground.' As ver. 26 is a parody on a noble one of the same author in the Campaign: and ver. 259, 260, on two sublime verses of Dr. Y. W. 'But, lo! to dark encounter in mid air New wizards rise; I see my Cibber there! 266 Booth in his cloudy tabernacle shrin'd, On grinning dragons thou shalt mount the wind, Here shouts all Drury, there all Lincoln's-inn ; Alike their labours, and alike their praise. 'And are these wonders, sou, to thee unknown? Coach'd, carted, trod upon, now loose, now fast, REMARKS. 266, 267 Booth and Cibber were joint managers of the Theatre in Drury-Lane. Safe in its heaviness, shall never stray, The sure forunner of her gentle sway: For new abortions, all ye pregnant fair! "This, this is he foretold by ancient rhymes, 319 The' Augustus born to bring Saturnian times. IMITATIONS. 319, 320 This, this is he foretold by ancient rhymes, Hic vir, hic est! tibi quem promitti sæpius audis, Sæcula qui rursus Latio, regnata per arva Saturno quondam'- f VIRG. Eu. VI. Saturnian here relates to the age of lead, mentioned, B. 1. ver. 26. Signs following signs lead on the mighty year! REMARKS. 325 On poet's tombs see Benson's titles writ !] William Benson (Surveyor of the Buildings to his Majesty King Geo 1.) gave in a report to the Lords, that their house and the Painted Chamber adjoining were in immediate danger of falling; whereupon the Lords met in a committee to appoint some other place to sit in while the house should be taken down. But it being proposed to cause some other builders first to inspect it, they found it in very good condition. The Lords upon this were going upon an address to the King against Benson for such a misrepresentation; but the Earl of Sunderland, then Secretary, gave them an assurance that his Majesty would remove him, which was done accordingly. In favour of this man, the famous Sir Christopher Wren, who had been architect to the Crown for above fifty years, who built most of the churches in London, laid the first stone of St. Paul's, and lived to finish it, had been displaced from his employment at the age of near ninety years. W. Sir Christopher died in 1723, at the age of 91; and was buried under his own great fabric, with four words that comprehend his merit and his fame: Si quæras monumentum, circumspice!' WALPOLE'S Anecdotes. 326-Ambrose Philips.] He was (saith Mr. Jacob) one of the wits at Button's, and a justice of the peace.' But he hath since met with higher preferment in Ireland: and a much greater character we have of him in Mr Gildon's Complete Art of Poetry, Vol. I. p. 157. Indeed, he confesses, he dares not set him quite on the same foot with Virgil, lest it should seem fiattery, but he is much mistaken if posterity does not afford him a greater esteem than he at present enjoys.' He endeavoured to create some misunder standing between our author and Mr. Addison, whom also soon after he abused as much. W. 330 While Wren with sorrow to the grave descends, Till Birch shall blush with noble blood no more; 6 Enough! enough!' the raptur'd monarch cries; And through the ivory gate the vision flies. 340 REMARKS. 350 Gay dies unpension'd, &c.] See Mr. Gay's fable of the Hare and many Friends. This gentleman was early in the friendship of our author, which continued to his death. He wrote several works of humour with great success: The Shepherd's Week, Trivia, The What-d ye-call it, Fables; and lastly, that prodigy of fortune, the Beggar's Opera. 355 Proceed great days! &c.-Till Birch shall blush, &c.] Another great prophet of Dulness, on this side Styx, promiseth those days to be near at hand. 'The devil (saith he) licensed bishops to license masters of schools to instruct youth in the knowledge of the heathen gods, their religion, &c. The schools and universities will soon be tired and ashamed of classics, and such trumpery.' Hutchinson's Use of Reason recovered. SCRIBL. 340 And through the iv'ry gate, &c. 'Sunt geminæ somni portæ ; quarum altera fertur VIRG. Eu. VI. |