That first was H-vy's, F-'s next, and then So Latin, yet fo English all the while, All Boys may read, and Girls may understand! NOTES. 75 Then VER. 69. The gracious Dew of Pulpit Eloquence,] Our moral Bard was no great adept in Theology, nor did he enter into the depths of Pulpit Eloquence. This rendered his judgment of things, on certain occafions, but flight and fuperficial. It is plain here he gibeth at this mafter-ftroke of Pulpit Eloquence: but Maiter Doctor Thomas Playfere might have taught him better. This eminent Court Divine, in his Spital fermon, preached in the year 1595, layeth open the whole Mystery. "The voice of a Preacher (faith he, himselfe a powerful Preacher) ought to be the voice of a Crier, which should not pipe to make the People dance, but mourne to make them weep. Hence it is, that in the oulde law, none that was blinde, or had anie blemishe in his eye, might serve at the Aulter; because for that impediment in his eye he could not well fhew his inwarde forrowing by his outward weeping. And when they offered up their first-borne, who was ordinarily in every family their Priefte, or their Preacher, they offered alfo with him a paire of turtle doves or two young pigeons. That paire of turtle doves did fignify a paire of mournfuli eyes: those two younge pigeons did fignifie likewife two weeping eyes: And at that offering they prayed for their first-borne, that afterwards he might have fuch eyes himselfe. For indeed, as Austin witneffeth, THERE IS MORE GOOD TO BE DONE with fighing than with speaking, with weeping than with words. Plus gemitibus quam fermonibus, plus fletu quam affatu." SCRIBLERUS.. VER. 71. F's] Foxe's. VER. 73. O come, that eafy, Ciceronian ftyle,] Dr. Bland of Eton was a very bad writer, Dr. Middleton a remarkable good one; perhaps, our beft: but he was the friend of Pope's enemy, Lord Hervey: hinc illa lachrymæ ! BENNET. VER. 75. Pride of Middleton] The life of Tully, the most important of his works, procured Dr. Middleton a great reputation, and Then might I fing, without the least offence, NOTES. Or and a great fum of money, which he generously gave to his nieces. It is a moft pleafing and useful work, and gives a comprehenfive view of a molt interefting period in the Roman Hiftory, and of the characters principally concerned in thofe important events. It may be worth obferving, that he is much indebted, without acknowledging it, to a curious book little known, intitled, G. Bellendini, Scoti, de Tribus Luminibus Romanorum, Libri 16. Parifiis. Apud Taffanum du Bray: 1634. Folio; dedicated to King Charles. It comprehends a hiftory of Rome from the foundation of the city to the time of Auguftus, drawn up in the very words of Cicero, without any alteration of any expreffion. In this book Middleton found every part of Cicero's own history in his own words, and his works arranged in chronological order, without farther trouble, The impreffion of this work being fhipped for England, was loft in the veffel, which was cast away, and only a few copies remained that had been left in France. I venture to fay, that the ftyle of Middleton, which is commonly esteemed very pure, is blemished with many vulgar and cant terms; fuch as, "Pompey had a month's mind on that fore; thefe ad vances; this fqueamishness;" &c. He has not been fuccefsful in the translations of those many Epiftles of Tully which he has inferted; which, however curious, yet break the thread of the narration. Mongault and Melmoth have far exceeded him in their excellent tranflations of thofe pieces. WARTON. The book mentioned by Warton, Bellendenus, has been edited by a profound scholar, and eloquent writer, Dr. Samuel Par, whofe animated preface, &c. is in the hands of every fcholar. He fpeaks with a warmth that does honour to his heart, respecting Dr. Middleton's conduct, in not avowing to whom he was so much indebted. VER. 75 and Bland,] He had been master of Eton College, and a friend of Sir Robert Walpole He tranflated into Latin, with much purity and elegance, the Solil quy of Cato in the beginning of the fifth act of tl.at Tragedy. WARTON. VER. 76. All Boys may read, and Girls may underßand!] i, e. full of fchool phrafes and Anglicifms. WARBURTON. VER. 78. Nation's Senfe ;] The cant of Politics at that time. WARBURTON. Or teach the melancholy Mufe to mourn, NOTES. 80 So VER. SO. CAROLINA Queen confort to king George II. She died in 1737. Her death gave occafion, as is obferved above, to many indifcreet and mean performances unworthy of her memory, whose last moments manifefted the utmost courage and refolution. POPE. VER. 80. Hang the fad Verfe on CAROLINA'S Urn,] How finely has this been done by Handel, in that exquifite Funeral service, performed over her remains in Westminster; a strain worthy of her virtues, and which will be answered by tendereft emotions of fympathy, by all who hear it, who have a foul for music. "When the ear heard her, then it bleffed her; and when the eye faw her, it gave witnefs of her-fhe delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless, and him, that had none to help him.” VER. 81. And hail her passage to the Realms of Reft,] Dryden has a paffage fimilar to the former couplet in his Abfalom and Achitophel, part i. Or fled fhe with his life, and left this verse To hang on her departed patron's hearfe? And a verfe, resembling the laft of this quotation, a little earlier in the fame poem : All parts fulfill'd of fubject, and of fon : as Cowley alfo, on the death of the Earl of Balcarras: Perform'd all parts of Virtue's vigorous life. WAKEFIELD. VER. 82. and all her Children bleft!] No fubtle commentary can torture these words to mean any thing but the most poignant sarcasm on the behaviour of this great personage to her fon on her death-bed. A very fevere copy of verfes was circulated at the time, faid to be written by Lord Chesterfield, which ended thus: "And unforgiving, unforgiven died!" So that our Author's own Note is at variance with his Text, as is a Letter written to Mr. Allen. WARTON. So-Satire is no more-I feel it die No Gazetteer more innocent than I And NOTES. VER. 82. all her children bleft!"] Her memory has been vindicated in the most satisfactory manner by Mr. Coxe: "The enemies of Queen Caroline have represented her as being of an unforgiving temper; and even reproached her with want of maternal tenderness. It was maliciously fuggefted, that fhe fomented the misunderstanding between the King and the Prince of Wales; but, on the contrary, she exerted her utmost influence to abate the petulance of the Son, and the irritability of the Father. "The tongue of flander has ever reproached her with maintaining her implacability to the hour of her death, and refufing her pardon to the Prince, who had humbly requested to receive her bleffing. To this imputation Lord Chesterfield alludes, in a copy of verfes circulated at that time: "And unforgiving, unforgiven dies!" Pope also has configned to pofterity this aspersion: “and all her children bleft !” "I am happy to have it in my power to remove this ftigma from the memory of this great Princefs. She fent her bleffing to her Son, and a message of forgiveness, and told Sir Robert Walpole she would have feen him with pleasure, but prudence forbad the interview, as it might embarrass and irritate the King." Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole, p. 497. In the difgufting and difgraceful couplet written by Pope, which Warton has printed, it was, "Here lies wrapt up in forty thousand towels, The only proof that Caroline had bowels.” I am informed by Mr. Coxe, that forty thousand, fhould have been four and twenty. As a contraft to the fevere irony of Pope, on Queen Caroline, I fhall conclude this account with the following pathetic And let, a God's-name, ev'ry Fool and Knave NOTES 85 For lines, faid to have been presented by Lord Landfdowne to her, with his works, in his old age, 1 32 They were written in a blank leaf, and are indeed beautiful and affecting : A Muse expiring, who with earliest voice Made Kings, and Queens, and Beauty's charms, her choice, VER. 84. No Gazetteer more innocent than I.] The Gazetteer is one of the low appendices to the Secretary of State's office; and his business is to write the Government's news paper, published by authority. Sir Richard Steele for fome time had this poft; and he describes the condition of it very well, in the Apology for himfelf and his writings: "My next appearance as a writer was in the quality of the lowest Minister of State, to wit, in the office of Gazetteer; where I worked faithfully according to order, without ever erring against the rule observed by all Ministers, to keep that paper very innocent and very infipid. It was to the reproaches I heard every Gazette-day against the writer of it, that. I owe the fortitude of being remarkably negligent of what People fay, which I do not deserve." WARBURTON. VER. 87. Why fo? if Satire] About this time a great fpirit of liberty was prevalent. All the men of wit and genius, who indeed were all in the oppofition, joined in increafing it. Glover wrote his Leonidas with this view; Nugent, his Odes to Mankind, and to Mr. Pulteney; King, his Miltonis Epiftola, and Templum Libertatis; Thomfon his Britannia, his Liberty, and his Tragedy of Agamemnon; Mallet, his Muftapha; and Brooke, his Gustavus Vafa; our Author, his Imitations of Horace, and these two Dialogues; and Johnfon, his London. WARTON. |
