And Grace, the first attendant of her train,
She whom APELLES wooed, nor wooed in vain,
TO REYNOLDS gives her undulating line,
And Judgment doats upon his chafte defign.
Tho' Envy whispers in the ear of Spleen,

125

What thoughts are borrow'd in his perfect scene,
With glee fhe marks them on her canker'd scroll,
Malicious Fiend! 'twas thus that VIRGIL ftole, 130
To the bright Image gave a brighter Glofs,
Or turn'd to pureft Gold the foreign Dross.
Excelling Artift! long delight the eye!

Teach but thy tranfient tints no more to fly, *
BRITAIN fhall then her own APELLES fee,
And all the Grecian fhall revive in thee.

Thy manly spirit glories to impart

The leading Principles of lib'ral Art; †

135

To youthful Genius points what course to run,
What Lights to follow, and what Rocks to fhun: 140
So ORPHEUS taught, by Learning's heavenly sway,
To daring Argonauts their doubtful way,

And mark'd, to guide them in their bold Career,
Th' unerring Glories of the ftarry Sphere.

Thy Hand enforces what thy Precept taught,
And gives new leffons of exalted thought;

145

Thy nervous Pencil on the canvass throws

The tragic ftory of fublimeft woes:

The wretched Sons, whom Grief and Famine tear, The Parent petrified with blank Defpair,

150

Thy UGOLINO gives the heart to thrill,

With Pity's tender throbs, and Horror's icy chill.
The offspring now of many a rival hand,
Sublimity and Grace adorn the Land;

Tho' but fome few years paft, this barren coaft 155
Scarce one fair grain of native Art could boast.

Of various form, where'er we turn our eyes,

With ftrong and rapid growth new wonders rise;
Like feeds that Mariners, with generous toil,

Have wifely carried to fome kindred foil,

160

Which, fhooting quick and vig'rous in their birth, Speak the fond bounty of the virgin Earth:

The Land o'erjoy'd a fairer fruit to see

Adopts, with glad furprize, the alien Tree.

Now Art exults, with annual Triumphs gay, † 165 And BRITAIN glories in her rich display;

* Ver. 151. See NOTE XLIX.

Ver. 165 See NOTE L.

2

Merit,

Merit, who unaffifted, and unknown,
Late o'er his unfeen labours figh'd alone,
Sees honour now his happier toils attend,
And in the generous Public finds a friend.

170

O lovely Painting, to whose charms I bow, "And breathe my willing verfe with fuppliant vow," Forgive me, if by undiscerning Praife,

Or groundless Cenfure, which falfe Judgment fways,
My failing line with faint resemblance wrong
Thy Sons, the fubject of no envious fong!

Supremely skill'd the varied group to place,
And range the crowded fcene with eafy grace;
To finish parts; yet not impair the whole,
But on th' impaffion'd action fix the foul;

175

180

Thro' wandering throngs the patriot Chief to guide, The fhame of CARTHAGE, as of ROME the pride; Or, while the bleeding Victor yields his breath, Give the bright leffon of heroic Death.

Such are thy Merits, WEST: by Virtue's hand 185 Built on the human heart thy praise shall stand, While dear to Glory, in her guardian Fane,

The names of REGULUS and WOLFE remain.

With kindred power a rival hand fucceeds, For whofe juft fame expiring CHATHAM pleads; 190

Like CHATHAM's language, luminous and bold,
Thy colours, COPLEY, the dread scene unfold,
Where that prime Spirit, by whose guidance hurl'd,
BRITAIN'S avenging thunder aw'd the world,

In patriot cares employ'd his parting breath,
Struck in his field of Civic fame by Death;
And Freedom, happy in the tribute paid
By Art and Genius to so dear a Shade,
Shall own, the measure of thy praise to fill,
The aweful subject equall'd by thy skill.

195

200

TO DANCE's pencil, in Precifion ftrong, Transcendent Force, and Truth of Line belong. Not GARRICK'S felf, to SHAKESPEARE'S fpirit true, Display'd that spirit clearer to our view,

Than DANCE expreffes, in its fiercest flame,

The Poet's Genius in the Actor's Frame.

205

From GARRICK's features, with diftraction fraught,

He copies every trace of troubled thought;

And paints, while back the waves of Battle roll,
The Storm of fanguinary RICHARD's foul.

The rapid MORTIMER, of Spirit wild,

Imagination's dear and daring Child,

210

Marks the fierce Ruffian, in the Dungeon's gloom, Stung with remorfe, and fhudd'ring at his doom.

Yet

Yet ftill to nobler heights his Genius fprings,
And paints a leffon to tyrannic Kings:
In his bright colours fee the field appear
To Freedom facred, and to Glory dear,

215

Where JOHN, proud Monarch, baffled on his throne, Hears the brave Chief his lawless pow'r difown, 220 And, for an injur'd Nation, nobly claim

The glorious CHARTER of immortal Fame!

But fee far off the modest WRIGHT retire !

Alone he rules his Element of Fire:

Like Meteors darting through the gloom of Night,

His sparkles flash upon the dazzled fight;

Our

eyes

with momentary anguish smart,

And Nature trembles at the power of Art.

226

May thy bold colours, claiming endless praise,
For ages fhine with undiminish'd blaze,

230

And when the fierce VESUVIO burns no more,

May his red deluge down thy canvass pour !

Art with no common gifts her GAINS B'ROUGH grac'd,

Two different Pencils in his hand she plac'd;

This fhall command, fhe faid, with certain aim, 235
A perfect Semblance of the human Frame;
This, lightly sporting on the village-green,
Paint the wild beauties of the rural Scene.