Laudes, quam Calabræ1 Pierides: neque Si chartæ fileant quod benè feceris Mercedem tuleris. Quid foret Ilia Mavortifque m puer, fi taciturnitas Obftaret meritis invida Romuli ? Ereptum n ftygius fluctibus acum Virtus, & favor, & lingua potentium Vatum divitibus confecrat infulis. What tho' Earl Temple got a name, By making John the Painter peach Will all the Jackals of Jack Ketch A man, I know, may get a penfion Say, Johnfon! where had been m Fingal, The chieftan had been nought at all, A non-existing non-existence. Mac, like a n poet ftout and good, 40 45 59 First plung'd, then pluck'd him from Oblivion's flood, And bade him bluster at his ease, Among the fruitful Hebrides. 55 cafioned the noble bard's exaltation; as it was thought expedient to have another poetical placeman in readiness to celebrate the final overthrow of the American rebels. Nay, it is affured, that a reverfionary grant of the office of laureat has in this inftance been fuperadded to the treasurership, yet with the defalcation of the annual butt of fack, which the Lord Steward calculates will be a confiderable faving to the nation. A How couldst thou, fimple Clare! that ifle abuse, 170 Did he not long pay Viry for our peace? 175 Sure then he might afford, to my poor thinking, drinking. I care not, if her hinds on fens and rocks, Shall The poet's exordium feemed to have been taken from that very Ode in Horace which I have alfo attempted to imitate in this pamphlet. It began by affuring her Majefty, that Ireland was. too poor to prefent her with a piece of gold plate. Could poor lerne gifts afford, Juft emblem of her zeal, fhould flame. This fuppofed poverty of his native country ftruck me at the time as a mere gratis-dictum. I have therefore, from verfe 180 to verfe 86 of this epifile, endeavoured to refute it, for the honour of Ireland. Ver. 178. I care not, &c.] Alluding to thefe lines in the fame poem: Where ftarving hinds from fens and rocks, And in a note on the paffage, he tells us that thefe Finds ne Shall Irish hinds to mutton make pretenfions? 180 Ah! hadst thou, North, adopted this fage plan, And fcorn'd to tax each British ferving-man, 185 Thy friend Macgreggor, when he came to town, As poets fhould do) in his chaise and one, Had feen his foot-boy Sawney, once his pride, On ftunt Scotch poney trotting by his fide, With frock of fuftian, and with cape of red, Nor grudg'd the guinea tax'd upon his head. But, tufh, I heed not-for my country's good I'll pay it it will purchase Yankee bloodAnd well I ween, for this heroic lay, Almon will give me wherewithal to pay. Tax then, ye greedy minifters, your fill: In these bleft times to have is but to ask. Ye know, whate'er is from the public preft, 190 195 2001 ver eat animal food; but fays not one word about potatoes, that moft nutritious of all aliments, which is furely very difingenuous. For 205€ 210 For he, the nurfing father, that receives, 215 Ver. 211. Around one common centre.] I was let into this fecret by my late patron, Sir William Chambers; who, as Mr. Cox's automata were very much in the Chinefe tafte, was very curious to discover their mechanifm. I must do the Knight the jotice to own that fome of my best things are borrowed from bim. ODE |