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Be niggards of advice on no pretence;

For the worst avarice is that of sense.

With mean complacence, ne'er betray your trust, 580 Nor be fo civil as to prove unjust.

Fear not the anger of the wife to raise;

Those best can bear reproof, who merit praise.
"Twere well might Critics ftill this freedom take
But Appius reddens at each word you speak,
And ftares tremendous, with a threatening eye,
Like fome fierce tyrant in old tapestry.
Fear moft to tax an honourable fool,

585

Whose right it is, uncenfur'd, to be dull!

Such, without wit, are Poets when they please,

599

As without learning they can take degrees.
Leave dangerous truths to unsuccessful fatires,

And flattery to fulfome dedicators,

Whom, when they praife, the world believes no more Than when they promife to give fcribbling o'er.

"Tis best sometimes your cenfure to restrain, And charitably let the dull be vain :

NOTE.

595

Your

Ver. 586. And ftares, tremendous, &c.] This picture was taken to himself by John Dennis, a furious old critic by profeffion, who, upon no other provoca tion, wrote against this Effay, and its author, in a manner perfectly lunatic: For, as to the mention made of him in ver. 270. he took it as a compliment, and faid it was treacherously meant to caufe him to overlook this Abufe of his Perfon.

VARIATION.

Ver. 597. And charitably let dull fools be vain.

Your filence there is better than your spite,

For who can rail fo long as they can write?

Still humming on, their drowzy course they keep, 600
And lafh'd fo long, like tops, are lash'd asleep.
Falfe fteps but help them to renew the race,
As, after stumbling, jades will mend their pace.
What crowds of thefe, impenitently bold,
In founds and jingling fyllables grown old,
Still run on poets, in a raging vein,

Ev'n to the dregs and fqueezings of the brain,
Strain out the last dull dropping of their fenfe,
And rhyme with all the rage of impotence.

605

Such shameless Bards we have: and yet 'tis true, 610'
There are as mad, abandon'd Critics too.
The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read,

With loads of learned lumber in his head,
With his own tongue ftill edifies his ears,
And always listening to himself appears.
All books he reads, and all he reads affails,
From Dryden's Fables down to Durfey's Tales:
With him, most authors steal their works, or buy;
Garth did not write his own Difpenfary.

615

Name

Ver. 600.

VARIATION.

Still humming on, their old dull course they keep.

NOTE.

Ver. 619. Garth did not write, &c.] A common flander at that time in prejudice of that deferving author. Our Poet did him this juftice, when that flander moft prevailed; and it is now (perhaps the fooner for this very verfe) dead and forgotten.

620

Name a new Play, and he's the Poet's friend,
Nay fhow'd his faults-but when would Poets mend?
No place fo facred from fuch fops is barr'd,

dead;

625

Nor is Paul's church more fafe than Paul's church-yard:
Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you
For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.
Diftrustful sense with modeft caution speaks,
It ftill looks home, and fhort excurfions makes:
But rattling nonfenfe in full vollies breaks,
And, never fhock'd, and never turn'd afide,
Burfts out, refiftlefs, with a thundering tide.

But where's the man, who counsel can bestow,
Still pleas'd to teach, and yet not proud to know?
Unbiafs'd, or by favour, or by fpite;

Not dully prepoffefs'd, nor blindly right;

}

630

Though learn'd, well-bred; and though well-bred,

fincere ;

Modeftly bold, and humanly severe :

Who to a friend his faults can freely show,

And gladly praise the merit of a foe?

Bleft with a taste exact, yet unconfin'd;

A knowledge both of books and human kind;

635

640

Generous

VARIATIONS.

Ver. 623. Between this and ver. 624.

In vain you shrug and fweat, and strive to fly :
These know no Manners but of Poetry.
They'll stop a hungry Chaplain in his grace,
To treat of Unities of time and place.

Ver. 624. Nay run to Altars, &c.

Ver. 634. Not dully prepoffefs'd, or blindly right.

Generous converfe; a foul exempt from pride;
And love to praise, with reason on his fide?

Such once were Critics; fuch the happy few,
Athens and Rome in better ages knew.

The mighty Stagyrite firft left the shore,

Spread all his fails, and durst the deeps explore;
He fteer'd fecurely, and difcover'd far,
Led by the Light of the Mæonian Star.
Poets, a race long unconfin'd and free,
Still fond and proud of favage liberty,

Receiv'd his laws; and stood convinc'd 'twas fit,
Who conquer'd Nature, fhould prefide o'er Wit.
Horace still charms with graceful negligence,
And without method talks us into fenfe,
Will, like a friend, familiarly convey

The trueft notions in the easiest way.

VARIATIONS.

645

650

655

He,

Between ver. 646 and 649, I found the following lines,

fince fuppreffed by the Author:

That bold Columbus of the realms of wit,
Whofe first discovery's not exceeded yet,
Led by the Light of the Mæonian Star,
He fteer'd fecurely, and discover'd far.
He, when all Nature was fubdued before,
Like his great Pupil, figh'd, and long'd for more:
Fancy's wild regions yet unvanquifh'd lay,

A boundless empire, and that own'd no fway.
Poets, &c.

After ver. 648. the first edition reads,

Not only Nature did his laws obey,

But Fancy's boundless empire own'd his sway.

Ver. 655. Does, like a friend, &c.

Ver. 655, 656. These lines are not in ed. 1.

He, who fupreme in judgment, as in wit,
Might boldly cenfure, as he boldly writ,

Yet judg'd with coolness, though he fung with fire;
His precepts teach but what his works inspire.
Our Critics take a contrary extreme,

They judge with fury, but they write with phlegm:
Nor fuffers Horace more in wrong Translations
By Wits, than Critics in as wrong Quotations.
See Dionyfius Homer's thoughts refine,
And call new beauties forth from

every line!

Fancy and art in gay Petronius please,

The scholar's learning, with the courtier's ease.
In grave Quintilian's copious work, we find
The justest rules and clearest method join'd:
Thus useful arms in magazines we place,
All rang'd in order, and difpos'd with grace,
But lefs to please the eye, than arm the hand,
Still fit for use, and ready at command.

Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire,
And bless their Critic with a Poet's fire.
An ardent Judge, who, zealous in his trust,
With warmth gives fentence, yet is always just;

VARIATIONS.

660

665

670

675

Whofe

Ver. 668. The fcholar's learning, and the courtier's ease.

Ver. 673, &c.

Nor thus alone the curious eye to please,

But to be found, when need requires, with eafe.

The Mufes fure Longinus did infpire,

And blefs'd their Critic with a Poet's fire.

An ardent Judge, that zealous, &c.

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