Her silver locks display the moon, Her teeth the night with darkness dyes, But some Zelinda, while I sing, Yet, spite of fair Zelinda's eye, ON THE DEATH OF : MR. ROBERT LEVET, A PRACTISER IN PHYSIC. CONDEMN'D to Hope's delusive mine, Of ev'ry friendless name the friend. Yet still he fills Affection's eye, Obscurely wise, and coarsely kind ; Nor, letter'd Arrogance, deny Thy praise to merit unrefin'd. When fainting nature call'd for aid, In misery's darkest cavern known, Then with no fiery throbbing pain, ΕΡΙΤΑΡΗ ΟN CLAUDE PHILLIPS, AN ITINERANT MUSICIAN.* PHILLIPS! whose touch harmonious could remove The pangs of guilty pow'r, and hapless love, * These lines are among Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies: they are nevertheless recognised as Johnson's in a memorandum of his hand-writing, and were probably written at her request. Phillips was a travelling fiddler up and down Wales, and was greatly celebrated for his performance. Rest here, distrest by poverty no more, ΕΡΙΤΑΡHIUM* IN THOMAM HANMER, BARONETTUM. Honorabilis admodum THOMAS HANMER, Baronettus, Wilhelmi Hanmer armigeri, è Peregina Henrici North De Mildenhall in Com. Suffolciæ Baronetti sorore et hærede, Filius; Johannis Hanmer de Hanmer Baronetti Hæres patruelis Antiquo gentis suæ et titulo et patrimonio successit. Duas uxores sortitus est; Alteram Isabellam, honore à patre derivato, de Arlington comitissam, Deindè celsissimi principis ducis de Grafton viduam dotariam: Alteram Elizabetham Thomæ Foulkes de Barton in Com. Suff. armigeri Filiam et hæredem. Inter humanitatis studia feliciter enutritus, Omnes liberalium artium disciplinas avidè arripuit, Quas morum suavitate haud leviter ornavit. Postquam excessit ex ephebis, Continuò inter populares suos famâ eminens, Et comitatûs sui legatus ad Parliamentum missus, Ad ardua regni negotia per annos prope triginta se accinxit: Cumque apud illos amplissimorum virorum ordines Solent nihil temerè effutire, • At Hanmer church, in Flintshire. Sed probè perpensa dissertè expromere, Non minus integritatis quàm eloquentiæ laude commendatus, Æquè omnium, utcunque inter se alioqui dissidentium, Aures atque animos attraxit. Annoque demum M.DCC.XIII, regnante Annâ, Communi Senatûs universi voce designatus est: Quod munus, Cum nullo tempore non difficile, Tum illo certè, negotiis Et variis et lubricis et implicatis difficillimum, Honores alios, et omnia quæ sibi in lucrum cederent munera, Sedulò detrectavit, Ut rei totus inserviret publicæ ; Justi rectique tenax, Et fide in patriam incorruptâ notus. Ubi omnibus, quæ virum civemque bonum decent, officiis satisfecisset, Paulatim se à publicis consiliis in otium recipiens, Inter ante-actæ vitæ haud insuaves recordationes, Et bonis omnibus, quibus charissimus vixit, Hic juxta cineres avi, suos condi voluit, et curavit PARAPHRASE OF THE ABOVE EPITΑΡΗ. BY DR. JOHNSON.* THOU who survey'st these walls with curious eye, His force of genius burn'd in early youth, Thus early wise, th' endanger'd realm to aid, In business dextrous, weighty in debate, Resistless merit fix'd the Senate's choice, This task perform'd--he sought no gainful post, • This Paraphrase is inserted in Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies. The Latin is there said to be written by Dr. Freind. Of the person whose memory it celebrates, a copious account may be seen in the Appendix to the Supplement to the Biographia Britannica. |