Classic Poem

One of the Lords of his Majesty's T REASURY .

With Genius blest, with Sciences adorn'd,
O Dodington! polite in generous Arts,
A Muse allow'd to boast thy gracing Smile
Thus, free, invokes Thee: Patriot ever pure!
In Counsel steady, eloquent , and brave ;
Severely strict to Honour , and estrang'd
To the mean Arts of Court-Hypocrisy ;
Thy Prince 's and thy Country 's darling Hope.
But in thy private Virtues how refin'd!
Beyond Example eminently Good:
Physician of the melancholy Mind
Deprest by Fortune's Weight; sure Comforter
Of drooping Merit finking in Despair.
O wou'd the useless Great but copy thee!
( Original of Virtues, prime and rare! )
The griev'd, impoverish'd, World no more shou'd mourn:
No more be heard the miserable Cry
Of injur'd Widows for their Orphan Babes ,
Sore pining in severe Necessity ;
The piercing Wrongs , which humbled Merit bears,
And all the crowding Objects of Distress ,
That rend the soft compassionating Soul.

N OBILITY ! be better than a Name .
N OBILITY ! Perfection of all Good ,
Or of all Bad extreme ; Words cannot paint
The Power of thy Beneficence divine,
When freely flowing from the open Heart,
Extract of purest Worth without Alloy.
Pleas'd, cou'd I wish, with devious Steps enlarg'd,
To visit here a full, illustrious Train ,
Endear'd by Ties of soft Humanity ;
A Court where brightest Constellations shine .
Yet loth must I forbear th' unequal Theme;
My Muse , unable for so long a Flight,
In D ODINGTON ' s large Worth collects entire
The Trophies of their wide-establish'd Fame.
Nor, Patron , let thy prais'd Humility
Suspect this Zeal the sycophantic Strain
Of Bard insidious: Me, nor learnt in Arts
Of servile Fraud to barter Truth for Smiles ;
Gratefhul where once oblig'd ; but far remov'd
From hateful Flattery , with low Submiss
To sue to empty Title , and debase
Her steady Principles for sordid Praise
Of the Great Vulgar: Happy to persist
Unvarying, only to the foremost Names
Devoted, H ERVEY , O RRERY , and Y OURS ,
And H ERTFORD'S , lov'd by ev'ry gentle Muse .

O haste the noble Work that waits thy Hand!
The Muses 's Sons , a gen'rous, suff'ring Race,
Loyal to Courts and Kings ; be these thy Care
To succour from an ill requiting Age.
But far away be the lewd Rout repell'd
Of trading Poet afters , pest'ring Swarm!
Who ever at the Gates of Palaces,
With their loose-fashion'd Rhimes perpetual throng,
Offensive, and the liberal Hand restrain
From Merit , equally expos'd! Of these
Vouchsafe Dutinction, and the Genius prompt
Encourage. By this generous Pattern form'd
Gallus and Pollio , antient Names, inclin'd
To worthy Verse a favouring Ear ; nor less
Maecenas , and Agrippa , and renown'd
Augustus , Glory of Saturnian Climes .
Thus Britain too may boast of equal Fame,
Patriots to cherish Worth and liberal Arts .
Somers nor thought it scorn, nor Halifax ,
Great Peers! to patronize deserving Song ;
Nor D ORSET , who could well attune the Lyre.
Thou too indulgent of Poetic Worth
The Mase attests, nor of her favour'd Train
Shall one be found unwitness to thy Praise.
Mean while of ev'ry Science eminent ,
The Honour, Stamp of true Nobility!
Nor of the rural Theme contemptuous, scorn
An humble Verse, tho' of the wat'ry Race ,
And Fisher 's Art descriptive; Labour new .
The fam'd Sicilian Swain his Oaten Reed
To P TOLEMY attun'd, and M ARO 's Song,
Made lowly Shades deserve a C ONSUL 's Care.
So might but thine, the Piscatory Strain
Deserve, or to its Aid invok'd, appear
His present Genius, while I sing to thee!
Nor less delightful shou'd th' unlofty Lay
Be then esteem'd, that sings of Fishy Lakes ,
Bank'd with green Shade, unvisited Retreats ,
The Haunts of Anglers , and sequester'd Bards ,
Peacefully musing; hither led of Old
Prophetick of celestial Truth, fam'd Seers
Were wont, observant of the sacred Call
To hasten; and with vacant Minds releast,
Attend the heavenly Charge ; and mightiest Kings
Have here their careful Diadems exchang'd.
— Ah, me, will ever the unpitying Fates ,
To Poets most disastrous , with one Wish,
One humble Wish (so might it but succeed!)
Suffice my ling'ring Soul , destrous long
Of Solitude , kind Banisher of Care!
Happy if some upraising Hand, like thine,
Wou'd place me in the rural Seat remote
Mild Servitor ; or carelessly employ'd ,
To ward in Forest Lares the Sylvan Game .
Enwrapt, I languish for the wish'd Retreat ,
Deny'd to my unhappy Hopes — For me
Hard-fated Hours with cheerless Round renew,
To the throng'd City's uninspiring Gloom,
And all its dull Formalities confin'd;
Except when by the Poet's Page enlarg'd,
I wander free thro' classic Shades renown'd ,
O'er Helicon , thy hallow'd Walk, and thine,
Green Ida , Seat of desolated Troy ,
Eternal Names in antiquated Song .
O! lead me where the Cypress high embowers
With glimmering Shade, where thick'ning Groves surround,
The Lotus , and the all-obscuring Pine!
To fruitful Chios , or th' Arvisian Field ,
Plenteous of cheering Bacchus : Or thy Shores,
Kind Latium , let my loosen'd Fancy range:
Praeneste , Mother of the genial Vine ,
Cool Bajae , and Peligni , rich in Streams,
And Cuma, nam'd of Rest and sweet Repose .
Here, to the rural Choice at large resign'd,
Hortensius liv'd, great Orator ! and erst
The Senators and Consuls lasting Pride,
Fam'd C ICERO , retir'd from Cares and Rome .
Pleas'd with his Change, he bad adieu to Courts ,
Nor oft the humble Angle wou'd disdain
To tend at Hours contemplative; to Thought
Kind Minister . Shall I forget to hail
Linternum , where devote to Solitude
Immortal S CIPIO spent his peaceful Days,
Lov'd S CIPIO ; Glory of the Roman Name!
Thus haply T HOU , might Britain so permit,
Wou'd pass thy free, unruffled Hours; nor so
Should she be wanting of thy Guardian Care ,
For ever wakeful found . In future Times
(If rising Virtues by Degrees acquire
Perfection, and extend the heavenly Mind)
Her Genius thou shalt be, and oft invok'd
By grateful Bards , be present at the Call.
Nor partial to thy high Deserts , refuse
This unadorn'd, perhaps prophetick Strain ,
For P HOEBUS so persuades — My weary'd Lyre
Unstrung, untun'd in thy exhaustless Praise ,
Be on thy sacred Laurel hung — Inscrib'd
— Attendant on thy Worth, the virtuous Muse
This Tablet vows, an Offering to thy Fame .