His fancy elegant, his judgment nice,
His method easy, and his style concise ;
The Bard of Reason, with her vigor fraught,
Her pureft doctrine he divinely taught;
Nor taught in vain! His precept clear and chaste
Reform'd the errors of corrupted Taste;
And French Imagination, who was bit
By that Tarantula, distorted Wit,
Ceafing her antic gambols to rehearse,
Bleft the pure magic of his healing verfe :
With his loud fame applauding Europe rung,
And his just praise a rival Poet fung.
Yet, had this Friend of Verfe-devoted Youth,
This tuneful Teacher of Poetic truth,
Had he but chanc'd his doctrine to diffuse
Ere Milton commun'd with his facred Muse;
And could that English, self-dependant soul,
Born with fuch energy as mocks controul,
Could his high fpirit, with fubmiffive awe,
Have stoop'd to listen to a Gallic Law;
His hallow'd fubject, by that Law forbid *,
Might ftill have laid in filent darkness hid,
And, this bright Sun not rifing in our sphere,
HOMER had wanted ftill his true compeer.
From hence let Genius to himself be just, Hence learn, ye Bards, a liberal distrust; Whene'er 'tis faid, by Syftem's haughty Son, That what He cannot do, can ne'er be done,
'Tis Fancy's right th' exalted throne to prefs,
Whose height proud Syftem can but blindly guess,
Springs, whofe existence she denies, unlock,
And call rich torrents from the flinty rock.
Let the true Poet, who would build a name
In noble rivalship of antient fame,
When he would plan, to triumph over Time,
The splendid fabric of his lofty rhyme,
Let him the pride of Conftantine affume,
Th' imperial Founder of the fecond Rome,
Who fcorn'd all limits to his work affign'd, †
Save by th' infpiring God who rul'd his mind;
* Ver. 359. See NOTE VII.
† Ver. 377. See NOTE VIII.
Or, like the fabled * Jove, to ascertain
The doubtful confines of his wide domain,
Two Eagles let him fend of equal wing,
Whofe different flight may form a perfect ring,
And, at the point where Sense and Fancy meet,
There fafely bold, and though fublime difcreet,
His fame's foundation let him firmly lay,
Nor dread the danger of difputed sway!
Yet, if the Bard to glory muft afpire
By free exertion of unborrow'd fire,
Nor, like the Claffic Bigot, vainly deem
No modern Muse can challenge just esteem,
Unless her robe in every fold be preft
To fall precifely like the Grecian veft;
If the blind notion he must boldly fhun,
That Beauty's countless forms are only one,
And not, when Fancy, from her magic hoard,
Would blindly bring him treasures unexplor'd,
Jupiter, ut perhibent, fpatium quum difcere vellet
Naturæ, regni nefcius ipfe fui,
Armigeros utrimque duos æqualibus alis
Mifit ab Eois Occiduifque plagis.
Parnaffus geminos fertur junxiffe volatus;
Contulit alternas Pythius axis aves.
Snap her light wand, and force her hand to bear
The heavier Compafs, and the formal Square;
Let him no less their dangerous pride decline,
Who fingly criticise their own defign.
In that nice toil what various perils lurk !
Not Pride alone may mar the needful work;
But foes more common to the feeling nerve,
Where Taste and Genius dwell with coy Referve,
The fickly Doubt, with modeft weakness fraught,
The languid Tedium of o'erlabour'd thought,
The Pain to feel the growing work behind
The finish'd model in the forming mind;
These foes, that oft the Poet's bofom pierce,
Thefe! that condemn'd to fire Virgilian Verfe,
Prove that the Bard, a bold, yet trembling elf,
Should find a Critic firmer than himself.
But what fine Spirit will affume the Judge,
Patient thro' all this irkfome toil to drudge?
'Tis here, O Friendship! here thy glories fhine ;
The hard, th' important tafk is only thine;
For thou alone canft all the powers unite,
That justly make it thy peculiar right;
Thine the fixt eye, which at no foible winks;
Thine the warm zeal, which utters all it thinks,
In those sweet tones, that hafty Spleen difarm,
That give to painful Truth a winning charm,
And the quick hand of lift'ning Genius teach,
To grafp that excellence he burns to reach:
Thou fweet Subduer of all mental ftrife!
Thou Source of vigor! thou Support of life!
Nor Art nor Science could delight or live,
Without that energy thy counsels give :
Genius himself must fink in dumb defpair,
Unbleft, uncherish'd by thy cheering care.
Nor let the Bard, elate with youthful fire,
When Fancy to his hand presents the lyre,
When her ftrong plumes his foaring spirit lift,
When Friendship, Heaven's more high and holy gift,
With zeal angelic prompts his daring flight,
And round him darts her doubt-difpelling light,
Let him not then, by Vanity betray'd,
Look with unjust contempt on Learning's aid!
But, as th' advent'rous Seaman, to attain
That bright renown which great Discoverers gain,
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