But fee far off the modeft WRIGHT retire!
Alone he rules his Element of Fire:
Like Meteors darting through the gloom of Night, 225 His fparkles flash upon the dazzled fight;
with momentary anguish smart,
And Nature trembles at the power of Art.
May thy bold colours, claiming endless praise,
fhine with undiminish'd blaze,
For
ages
And when the fierce VESUVIO burns no more,
May his red deluge down thy canvass pour!
Art with no common gifts her GAINSB'ROUGH grac'd, Two different Pencils in his hand she plac'd;
This fhall command, fhe faid, with certain aim,
A perfect Semblance of the human Frame;
This, lightly fporting on the village-green,
Paint the wild beauties of the rural Scene.
In Storms fublime the daring WILSON foars,
And on the blafted Oak his mimic Lightning pours:
APOLLO triumphs in his flaming skies,
And claffic Beauties in his scenes arise.
Thy Graces, HUMPHREYS, and thy Colours clear, From Miniature's fmall circle disappear:
May their distinguish'd Merit still prevail,
And shine with luftre on the larger Scale.
Let candid Juftice our attention lead,
To the foft Crayon of the graceful READ:
Nor, GARD'NER, fhall the Mufe, in hafte, forget
Thy Taste and Eafe; tho' with a fond Regret
She pays, while here the Crayon's pow'r fhe notes,
A Sigh of Homage to the Shade of COATES.
Nor, if her favour'd hand may hope to shed
The flowers of glory o'er the skillful dead,
Thy Talents, HOGARTH! Will fhe leave unfung;
Charm of all eyes, and Theme of every tongue!
A separate province 'twas thy praise to rule ;
Self-form'd thy Pencil! yet thy works a School,
Where strongly painted, in gradations nice,
The Pomp of Folly, and the Shame of Vice,
Reach'd thro' the laughing Eye the mended Mind,
While Truth of Character, exactly hit,
And dreft in all the dyes of comic wit;
While thefe, in FIELDING's page, delight fupply,
So long thy Pencil with his Pen fhall vie.
Science with grief beheld thy drooping age
Fall the fad victim of a Poet's rage:
But Wit's vindictive fpleen, that mocks controul,
Nature's high tax on luxury of foul!
This, both in Bards and Painters, Fame forgives;
Their Frailty's buried, but their Genius lives.
Still many a Painter, not of humble Name,
Appears the tribute of applaufe to claim;
Some alien Artifts, more of English Race,
With fair ANGELICA our foreign Grace,
Who paints, with Energy and Softnefs join'd,
The fond Emotions of the female Mind;
And CIPRIANI, whom the Loves surround,
And sportive Nymphs in Beauty's Ceftus bound':
For him thofe Nymphs their every Charm difplay,'
For him coy VENUS throws her veil away;
And ZAFFANI, whofe faithful colours give
The tranfient glories of the Stage to live;
On his bright canvass each dramatic Muse
A perfect copy of her scene reviews ;
Each, while those scenes her loft delight restore,
Almost forgets her Garrick is no more.---
O'er these I pass reluctant, leaft too long
The Muse diffusely fpin a tedious Song.
Yet one short pause, ye Pow'rs of Verse, allow
To cull a Myrtle Leaf for MEYERS's Brow!
Tho' fmall its Field, thy Pencil may presume
To ask a Wreath where Flowers immortal bloom.
As Nature's felf, in all her pictures fair,
Colours her Infect works with nicest care,
Nor better forms, to please the curious eye,
The fpotted Leopard than the gilded Fly;
So thy fine Pencil, in its narrow space,
Pours the full portion of uninjur'd Grace,
And Portraits, true to Nature's larger line,
Boast not an Air more exquifite than thine.
Soft Beauty's charms thy happiest works express,
Beauty thy model and thy Patronefs.
For her thy care has to perfection brought
Th' uncertain toil, with anxious trouble fraught;
G 2
Thy colour'd Chryftal, at her fond defire,
Draws deathlefs Luftre from the dang'rous Fire,
And, pleas'd to gaze on its immortal charm,
She binds thy Bracelet on her fnowy arm.
While Admiration views, with raptur'd eye,
Thefe Lights of Art that gild the British sky;
Oh! may my Friend arife, with luftre clear,
And add new Glory to this radiant Sphere.
This with, my ROMNEY, from the pureft fource,
Has Reason's Warrant, join'd to Friendship's Force.
For Genius breath'd into thy infant Frame
The vital Spirit of his facred Flame,
Which frequent mists of Diffidence o’ercloud,
Proving the vigor of the Sun they shroud.
Nature in thee her every gift combin'd,
Which forms the Artift of the nobleft kind;
That fond Ambition, which bestows on Art
Each talent of the Mind, and paffion of the Heart;,
That dauntlefs Patience, which all toil defies,
Nor feels the labour while it views the prize.
Enlight'ning Study, with maturing pow'r,.
From these fair feeds has call'd the op'ning flow'r; 330
Thy
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