And ventur'd to affert its But feem'd to me fo juft and true, "No, Sir," fays Johnson, " 'tis not fo, Encourag'd thus to mend my faults, Which way I fhould apply it ; Learning and Wit seem'd past my reach, Then come, my friends, and try your skill, (My books are at a distance,) With you I'll live and learn, and then So lend me your affistance. Dear Dear Knight of Plympton, teach me how And fmile ferene like thine; Thou fay't, not only fkill is gain'd, Thy temper mild, thy genius fine, Thy art of pleafing, teach me, Garrick, Oh! could we read thee backwards too, Sir Joshua Reynolds. N 4 If Garrick being afked to read Cumberland's Odes, laughed immoderately, and affirmed that fuch ftuff might as well be read backwards as forwards, and the witty Rofcius accordingly read them in that manner, and, wonderful to relate! produced the fame good fenfe and poetry the one way as the other. 4 If I have thoughts and can't exprefs 'em, Jones teach me Modefty and Greek, Let Johnson teach me how to place, And from the roughness of his file, 1. FROM DR. BERNARD, DEAN OF DERRY, TO THE LATE DR. GOLDSMITH, [Read at their literary club, after the wellknown EPITAPHS written by the members on GOLDSMITH.] GOLDSMITH I yield: reftrain thy rage, Who ne'er had ventur'd to engage, Draw not thy angel's quill for shame, Go fet thy wit at DAVY! On him let all thy vengeance fall, That wily loon has too much art But Parthian like, he drew his dart, Has wounded thee, and fled! *David Garrick, Efq. 'was abfent when thefe were first read. A POETICAL EPISTLE, " FROM MR. CUMBERLAND TO DR. GOLDSMITH. OR SUPPLEMENT TO HIS "RETALIATION," A POEM. DOCTOR! according to our wishes, Of various emblematic meat: And now it's time, I truft, you'll think. To Douglas, fraught with learned stock For if there's fault in tafte, or odour, He'll fearch.it, as he fearch'd out Lauder. To Johnfon, philofophic fage, The moral Mentor of the age, And crown his cup with priestly Port! Now |