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Where, from Intrusion (as they thought) secure,
In lolling Pofture, and with Look demure,
Immers'd in Politicks and fober Chat,
The Dons ferenely o'er their Bottle fat ;
In customary Suits of folemn Black,'
Save that the Peruke whitens down the Back,

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Slow from their Lips proceeds the puff'd Perfume, 45
And Sleep-inviting Vapours cloud the Room.
Licentiato enters.-With Appall

Each was ftruck dumb, as Mute at Funeral.-
So fat the Roman Curules, dully wife,

When Gauls rush'd in, and view'd them with

Surprize,

Taking their awful Forms for Deities.

NOTES.

50

Choak’d

We cannot but take Notice here of an infamous Addition to thofe admirable Lines, in Favour of this noble exotic Plant; to wit,

Tobacco Hick, Tobacco Hick,

Twill make you well, if you are fick.

An Enemy to Tobacconists has reversed the Sentiment, by faying,

V.43.

Tobacco Hick, Tobacco Hick,

If you are well will make you fick.

In cuftomary Suits of Solemn Black,'

Or cuftomary Suits of folemn Black. Hamlet

V. 49. So fat the Roman Curules, dully wife, When Gauls rufh'd in, and view'd them with Surprize,

Taking their awful Forms for Deities.

When the Crowd of fuperannuated Patriots had, by their Advice and Exhortations to the Soldiers, done all that was in their Power towards

the

Choak'd with the Fume, Licentiato broke The folemn Silence, and thus, coughing, spoke : • Give

ΝΟΤΕ.

the Defence of the Capital [Rome] they returned to their Houses, there to wait, with steady Refolution, the coming of the Enemy, and Death. Such of them as had triumphed for Victories, or • had been Curule Magiftrates, that they might die with the greater Dignity, adorned themselves with the Infignia of those Honours which they had ac< quired by their Virtue. Cloathed in their triumphal Robes, or thofe of their Magiftracies, they repaired to the Forum, and feating themselves there in their Curule Chairs, maintained the fame refpectable Air of Greatnefs, as when in the Fulnefs of their former Power.

As the Gauls had met with little Refiftance from the Romans in the Field, and were not put to the • Trouble of an Affault to take the City, they entered it (at the Gate Collina) without any Thing, in their Appearance, of hoftile Anger, that raging Flame, kindled by Oppofition, Difficulty, and Danger. Moving on, they beheld, with Amazer ment, the Streets unpeopled as a Defert; and when they came to the Forum, and caft their Eyes all around, they could obferve no Shew of • War but in the Citadel alone. What chiefly drew and fixed their Attention, was the Company of venerable Victims, who had devoted themfelves to Death. Their magnificent purple Robes, their long white Beards, their Air of Greatness, their Silence, Stilnefs, and Serenity, all thefe aftonished the Gauls, held them at an awful Distance, and infpired them with the fame Refpect which they would have had for fo many Gods. It chanced, however, that one of the Soldiers (who was, probably, lefs apt

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• Give us, (hem, hem,) one Drop to clear our Lungs,
(Hem,hem) one little Drop to cool our Tongues.' 55
No; not a fingle Drop, 'ftern Socio roar'd,
And up he fnatch'd the Bottle from the Board.
How dares Licentiato force our Gate?'
He faid, and hurl'd the Bottle at his Pate.
The Glass, lefs hard,quick from hisFront rebounds,60
Scarce leaving on the Skin fome fuperficial Wounds.

Thrice happy thou, whofe tender Brain's immur'd In thickeft Cafe, by leaden Skull fecur'd!

Drug-venders elfe had rued th' Adventure cross,
And callous Undertakers mourn'd thy Lofs.

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NOTE.

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65

to be religiously affected than his Comrades) took the Freedom gently to put his Hand towards the Beard of Manlius Papirius, as if he meant to ftroke it; a Familiarity which fo much offended the majestick Figure, that, with a fmart Blow of his Ivory Truncheon, he broke the Fellow's Head. There needed no more to put an End to all Reverence for fuch a cholerick Deity. The Gauls inftantly killed Papirius; and, as if he had given the Signal for a general Maffacre, all the reft were now flain, fitting, like him, in State, in their Curule • Chairs.'

HOOKE's Rom. Hift. Book II, Chap. XXXVIII.

Let the Reader figure to himself the Doctors,their magnificent full-trim'd Black,their long white Perukes, their Air of Greatness, their Silence, Stillnefs, and Serenity, their Gold-headed Canes, (no less refpectable than the Ivory Truncheon)their fitting in State, in their Elbow Chairs ;-Let the Reader, I fay, figure to himfelf thefe Majeftick Figures, and we are confident, he must be ftruck with Awe and Admiration.

Yet with the Shock Licentiato lies Stun'd-from the Floor unable to arise;

And, as when Cupping-uten fil's applied,

The trickling Streams from narrow Sluices glide,
So down his Face flow flows a purple Flood:- 70
The Mufe affirms not, whether Wine or Blood.

PART III.

AND now a general Tumult reigns thro' all; "To Arms, to Arms," on ev'ry Side they bawl.

Each grave Bafhaw, that bears three deathful Tails, Rous'd from his Torpor joins in fierce Aflails ; Foregoes his wonted Solemnefs of Mein,

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While Wig meets Wig, and Cane encounters Cane.

NOTE.

V. 67. Yet with the Shock Licentiato lies
Stun'd-from the Floor unable to arife.

The Sound is here defignedly made to echoe to the Senfe.

So Virgil.

-procumbit humi Bos.

Many Inftances may be brought, not only from the
Greek and Latin Poets, of fimilar Attention, but al
fo from our own.
Let one fuffice.-

Shakespear, in his King Lear, has the following Line.

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Many a Fathom down precipitating," the Precipitation of which Tate has chofen to ftop (in his Alteration of this Play) by fubftituting

"Many a Fathom tumbling down,”

O what a tumbling down is here!

The

The ruffled Hairs on fretful Perukes rise,
Like Quills on Hedge hog, when he roll'd up lies
Their Knots on either Side the Tyes unfold,
And pendent Midmoft ftands erectly bold.

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So when Medufa's Head bore Snakes for Hair, (Curl'd like the Têtes our Dames of Fafhion wear,) Their Folds untwifting, with Amaze and Dread They ftruck the Foe, and inftant ftar'd him dead. The Cane, for Sapience rever'd of old, 15 (With Head of Amber, or with Head of Gold,) Sage Nurfe of Thought, that gently kifs'd the Nofe, On the crack'd Cranium deals defcending Blows. The fhort fnug Sword, of Measure Larks to fpit, With modeft Hilt juft peeping thro' the Slit From peaceful Scabbard starts a warring Blade, By a mere Bodkin the Quietus made.'

NOT. E S.

20

V. 7. The ruffled Hairs on fretful Perukes rife,
Like Quills on Hedge-hog, when he roll'd up lies.

Make thy young Hairs to ftand on End,
Like Quills upon the fretfui Porcupine.

HAMLET.

V. 12. Curl'd like the Têtes our Dames of Fashion wear.

Thefe prepofterous Ornaments of false Hair, twisted and twirled into a thousand unnatural Shapes, may indeed be very properly called Medufa Tetes, though it must be confeffed they are (in the Language of Enamoratos) not quite fo kiling. For the Story of Medufa, fee the End of the Latin Dictionary, under the Letter M.

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V. 22. By a mere Bodkin the Quietus made.'

When himself might his Quietus make
With a bare Bodkin.

HAMLET.

So

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