Sine arte compta, et elegans sine tædio,

Aderit venustas; et salus

Suo rubore rosea; et innocentia

Cadente purior nive;

Aderit amor, risus, voluptas, gaudium,

Et litium fugax quies.

Aderit labella comprimens taciturnitas,
Et fœderis servans fides;

Et omnis eventus memor prudentia,
Divesque rerum industria :

Accedet his virtutibus pia humilitas,
Nunquam immemor Dei aut sui.
Regina gratiarum aderit humanitas,
Perferre facilis et pati,

Humana si natura quid deliquerit,
Aut caverit siquid parùm :
Calumniantium susurros improbans,
Paucisque notam infamiam ;

Memor, invidi rumoris ut malignitas
Inimicat urbes et domos.

Famulabitur castum intuens modestia,

Et docta cultu urbanitas ;
Et advenis præsens domi hospitalitas,
Aperta vultus et manum.

His cum sodalibus Melissa gratiis
Ducetur ad tuam domum ;

Fidelis, ægrum quicquid aut lætabile est,
Et vera tecum particeps;

Whose wisdom, teaching well to bear,
Sooths the bitterness of care;

Whose joy, if prosp'rous fate you meet,
Adds new sweetness to the sweet.
These ties will nuptial love engage,
Down from youth to hoary age,
If e'er Melissa, lovely spouse,

Life's companion, crown your vows.
Such, such a consort choose to wed,
Worthy of your board and bed.

DEDICATION

PREFIXED TO TABLES OF ANCIENT COINS, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES, IN THE YEAR 1727; BY MR. CHARLES ARBUTHNOT, STUDENT OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD.

TO THE KING.

GREAT name, which in our rolls recorded stands,
Leads, honours, and protects the learned bands,
Accept this offering, to thy bounty due,
And Roman wealth in English sterling view.
Read here, how Britain, once despis'd, can raise
As ample sums, as Rome in Cæsar's days;

r The king's name stands first in the buttery book of Ch. Ch.

Solando quæ curarum amara leniat,

Et consulendo temperet ;
Fruendo quæ felicitates augeat,

Et quæ novis addat novas.
Irrupta copula hisce continebitur,

His vinculis firmabitur,

Validis ab annis ad senectam, si tuæ

Melissa sit vitæ comes;

Quam, Marce, cum ducetur uxor, elige,
Mensæque consortem et tori.

DEDICATIO AD REGEM;

IN IPSIUS GRATIAM LATINE REDDITA.

AUGUSTUM nomen, nostro qui primus in albo
Præfulges, doctasque auges, quas protegis, artes;
Externas digneris opes, veterumque monetam,
Et Romæ angliaca librare numismata lance.
Hic lege, quas, olim neglecta, Britannia jactet,
Queis neque, devicti spoliis orientis onusta,

Pour forth as numerous legions on the plain,
And with more dreadful navies awe the main.
Though shorter lines her fix'd dominions bind,
Her floating empire stretches unconfin'd.

From Thetis' stores, and not her neighbours' spoils,
She draws her treasure, fruit of honest toils.

Rome sack'd, and plunder'd; Britain clothes and

feeds

s;

Acquires their riches, but supplies their needs.

Sweet seat of freedom! be thy happier doom, To 'scape the fate, as well as guilt of Rome : Where riot, offspring of unwieldy store,

Enerv'd those arms, that snatch'd the spoil before ;
With costly cates she stain'd her frugal board,

Then with ill-gotten gold she bought a lord.
Corruption, discord, luxury combin'd,

Down sunk the far-fam'd mistress of mankind.

Hear, righteous prince! O hear us loud invoke Thy worth unblemish'd, to avert this stroke: Yourself so free from ev'ry lawless view, You scarce admit the homage that is due.

Roma recensebat plures sub Cæsare gazas ;

Quot campum agminibus stipet, quo fulmine, quantis Per mare diffusas classes terroribus armet,

Et tua quam late pandat vexilla per

orbem.

Clausa licet terras spatiis brevioribus, udum,
Qua pontus patet usque ambos porrectus ad Indos,
Vendicat imperium: nec passim, ut Roma, rapinis
Omnia divexans, armis sua furta tuetur,
Audax grassatrix; sed cultu divitis arvi
Proventus, peregrino auro, telæque labores
Mutat lanificæ, vestire et pascere gentes
Læta magis, quam vi nudare, et perdere ferro.

Esto tibi, o libertatis pulcherrima sedes,
Sors melior, nescire et fata et crimina Romæ,
Cui studiosa dapum inventrix, et prodiga mensæ
Luxuries, et copia iners, visuque libido

Obscœna, in tantum nervos animosque resolvit,
Degener ut prorsus morum, fœcundaque culpæ,
Servitii pretiosa emptrix, plebemque patresque
Corrupta, et discors armis, et perdita luxu,
Corruerit victrix orbis, rerumque potita.

O pater! o princeps! nec frustra assuete vocari: Audi, obtestamur majestatemque fidemque Virtutemque tuam, nobisque averte malorum

Hanc faciem; ipse adeo procul ambitionis ab œstro,