FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142  
143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  
ein the moralist designed A compliment on human kind; For here he owns, that now and then Beasts may degenerate into men. FROM VERSES ON THE DEATH OF DR. SWIFT Vain human kind! fantastic race! Thy various follies who can trace? Self-love, ambition, envy, pride, Their empire in our hearts divide. Give others riches, power, and station, 'Tis all on me a usurpation. I have no title to aspire; Yet, when you sink, I seem the higher. In Pope I cannot read a line But with a sigh I wish it mine; When he can in one couplet fix More sense than I can do in six, It gives me such a jealous fit I cry, 'Pox take him and his wit!' I grieve to be outdone by Gay In my own humorous biting way. Arbuthnot is no more my friend, Who dares to irony pretend, Which I was born to introduce, Refined it first, and showed its use. St. John, as well as Pultney, knows, That I had some repute for prose; And, till they drove me out of date, Could maul a minister of state. If they have _mortified_ my pride, And made me throw my pen aside: If with such talents Heaven has blessed 'em, Have I not reason to detest 'em? * * * * * Suppose me dead; and then suppose A club assembled at the Rose; Where, from discourse of this and that, I grow the subject of their chat. And while they toss my name about, With favour some, and some without, One, quite indifferent in the cause, My character impartial draws: 'The Dean, if we believe report, Was never ill-received at court. As for his works in verse and prose, I own myself no judge of those; Nor can I tell what critics thought 'em, But this I know, all people bought 'em, As with a moral view designed To cure the vices of mankind, His vein, ironically grave, Exposed the fool, and lashed the knave. To steal a hint was never known, But what he writ was all his own. 'He never thought an honour done him, Because a duke was proud to own him; Would rather slip aside and choose To talk with wits in dirty shoes; Despised the fools with stars and garters, So often seen caressing Chartres. He never courted men in station, Nor persons held in admiration; Of no man's greatness was afraid, Because he sought for no man's aid. Though trusted long in great affairs, He gave himself no haughty airs. Without regarding private ends. Spe
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142  
143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

station

 

thought

 

Because

 

designed

 

indifferent

 

impartial

 

haughty

 

character

 
affairs
 

received


report

 

assembled

 

discourse

 

detest

 

Suppose

 

suppose

 

private

 
favour
 

Without

 

subject


admiration
 

persons

 

courted

 

honour

 

Chartres

 

caressing

 

Despised

 

choose

 

people

 

bought


Though

 

critics

 

garters

 
trusted
 

sought

 
reason
 

lashed

 

afraid

 

greatness

 

Exposed


mankind

 
ironically
 
usurpation
 
aspire
 

riches

 

empire

 
hearts
 

divide

 

couplet

 

higher