Classic Poem

Of the mind's wonders, old or new,
Give me the pen of Montagu —
Rich in all styles — in every vein —
A Cowper, Stanhope , and Montaigne .
Her comic ease and sportive grace
Can Sevigne herself replace:
By her enlighten'd, we forget
That Wortley's name commands regret:
Her dialogue has Congreve's wit,
The cap a Sheridan would fit.
But, when her taste and genius dare
TOfight their cause against Voltaire , —
Was judgment ever more acute?
Could praise its Hero better suit?
In her Longinus we renew;
She 's the Sublime her pencil drew.
Or, when ascending in its claims,
With Carter, Beattie , or with Kaimes ,
Her vision takes a higher cast,
The Reasoner is by none surpass'd.
So Tully, Rome's enlightening sun,
Was all the Orators in one;
And Caesar had a Native's word
In all the Languages he heard.