Mellow'd by time, here beauteous paintings glow,
There marble bufts illuftrious faces fhow:
And in old coins are little heroes feen,
With venerable rust of ages green:
Around, unwounded by the teeth of age,
By Gothick fire, and Perfecution's rage,
Perfect and fair unnumber'd volumes ftand,
By Providence preferv'd for OXFORD's hand.
Whilft thus within these magic walls I stray,
At once all climes and ages I furvey:
On Fancy's wings I fly from fhore to shore,
Recall paft time, and live whole æras o'er :
Converse with heroes fam'd in ancient fong,
And bards, by whom those heroes breathe fo long:
Obferve the quick migrations Learning makes,
How harrass'd nations trembling fhe forfakes,
And haftes away to build her downy nest
In happier climes, with peace and plenty bleft.
See how, in fam'd AUGUSTUS' golden days,
Wit triumphs, crown'd with univerfal praise !
Approaches thrones with a majestic air,
The Prince's mistress, and the Statesman's care.
MECENAS
MECENAS fhines in ev'ry claffic page,
MECENAS, once the HARLEY of his
Nor with lefs glory fhe her charms display'd,
In Albion once when Royal ANNA fway'd.
See OXFORD fmiles! and all the tuneful train,
In his Britannia's fons revive again;
PRIOR, like HORACE, ftrikes the founding ftrings,
And in harmonious POPE once more great MARO fings.
Again she waves her pinions to be gone,
And only hopes protection from his fon :
Chas'd from the fenate and the court fhe flies,
There craft and party zeal her place supplies.
Yet ftill, fince fix'd in WIMPLE's happy plain,
(Her laft retreat) she knows not to complain.
There in great OXFORD's converfe does engage
Th' inftructed ear, and fhames a vicious age;
Or in his confort's accents ftands confeft,
And charms with graceful ease each list'ning guest;
Or with her lov'd companions gladly tied,
Goodness fincere, and Beauty void of pride,
Fixes her throne in MARGARETTA's face,
And from her lips acquires a new refiftless grace.
Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley, afterwards married to William, the fecond Duke of Portland. D
Exoptat fe florem illum esse, quo uteretur amica.
ERGO, flofcule, tu mes puellæ
Hoc florente finu ufque conquiefces ?
Ergo tu dominæ meæ papillis
Beatus nimis infidebis usque?
O fi, flofcule, mî tuâ liceret
Ifta forte frui, & meæ puellæ
Incubare finu, atque defidere
Hos inter globulos papillularum,
Non fic lentus inerfque conquiefcam,
Non fic infideam otiofus ufque.
Sed toto fpatio inquietus errem,
Et feram finui, feramque collo
Mille bafia, mille & huic & illi
Impingam globulo ofculationes.
A poet of the fixteenth century, born at Clermont,
To a NOSEGAY in PANCHARILLA's Breaft.
UST you alone then, happy flow'rs,
Ye fhort-liv'd fons of vernal fhow'rs,
Muft you alone be still thus bleft,
And dwell in PANCHARILLA's breaft?
Oh would the Gods but hear my pray❜r,
To change my form and place me there!
I should not fure fo quickly die,
I fhou'd not fo unactive lie;
But ever wand'ring to and fro,
From this to that fair ball of fnow,
Enjoy ten thousand thousand bliffes
And print on each ten thousand kifles.
in Auvergne, Lieutenant General of Bar on the Seigne ; who, of all the moderns, in his Latin poems approaches the nearest to the grace, ease, and softness of Tibullus.
Nec mihi fatis hæc putes futura:
Namque & difcere curiofus optem,
Quid difcriminis inter hunc & illum,
Et quantus tumor hujus illiufque ;
Quantum albedine præftet hic vel ille;
Quantum duritie hic vel ille vincat;
Sinifterne globus, globufne dexter
Figura placeat rotundiore;
An dexter globus, an globus finifter
Papilla rubeat rubentiore:
Explorem quoque, quo beata ducat
Illa femita, quæ globos gemellos
Sic difcriminat, & fubeffe clamat
Mellitum magis eleganfque quiddam:
Indagem quoque, quicquid eft latentis,
Et labar tacitus, ferarque fenfim,
Ufque Cypridis ad beata regna.
At mi PANCHARIDIS meæ papillas
Nec fummo licet ore fuaviari,
Nec levi licet attigifie palmâ.
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