 | Poems |  |
Mr. RYDER.
When Ryder, with sighs, left that mirth-loving spot
Where the sins of the man in the friend are forgot;
All-bounteous Ierne, who gives drink and diet,
But when Gratitude speaks—bids the crater be quiet!
With his faults on his forehead he met the fierce eye
Of those critical squadrons who write—but to lie.
As it ne'er was his subtle and illusive lot
To envelope what is, by a shew of what's not;
His performance was bold, if not always correct,
And his mien, like his mind, was august and direct.
But this is a land where Deception embraces
The mean fawning caitiff who Nature disgraces;
And transcendent Ability cannot protect
Its own proper lord from the public neglect;
There's a social sophistry crept into life,
Which keeps modest Merit and Honor at strife;
For the surface contents those averse to much toil,
And but few take the pains to examine the soil;
Such men, like th' Ephemera, should rapid decay,
And be born, blaze, and perish, within the same day;
As their praise puts the kindred of Doubt into motion,
Like a lawyer when caught—at religious devotion.—
Where the sins of the man in the friend are forgot;
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But when Gratitude speaks—bids the crater be quiet!
With his faults on his forehead he met the fierce eye
Of those critical squadrons who write—but to lie.
As it ne'er was his subtle and illusive lot
To envelope what is, by a shew of what's not;
His performance was bold, if not always correct,
And his mien, like his mind, was august and direct.
But this is a land where Deception embraces
The mean fawning caitiff who Nature disgraces;
And transcendent Ability cannot protect
Its own proper lord from the public neglect;
There's a social sophistry crept into life,
Which keeps modest Merit and Honor at strife;
For the surface contents those averse to much toil,
And but few take the pains to examine the soil;
Such men, like th' Ephemera, should rapid decay,
And be born, blaze, and perish, within the same day;
As their praise puts the kindred of Doubt into motion,
Like a lawyer when caught—at religious devotion.—
Those actors there are, who have touch'd silly hearts,
Impell'd by a congress of pitiful hearts;
Upheld by those Journals which blaze in the day,
Tho' their numbers and jarrings lead Reason astray;
Unknown to example, he acts from his feeling,
And scorns his compeers who get rich by their stealing.
Iv'e seen him play Wolsey with wonderful force,
I've seen him in Zanga draw tears from their source;
His Ironside, Hob, Scrub, Tom, Scapin, and Ben,
Are parts where he equals the dramatists' pen;
And his Miser, like Rigby's blithe board, when he treats,
Is surrounded by richness, and pregnant with sweets;
Propriety smiles in such habits to find him,
As he leaves all his rivals at distance behind him.—
Had the Graces but moulded his visage and figure,
In the censor's stern eye no adept would seem bigger:
He has failings, 'tis true, but where's he who has none?
Yet his faults are like blots in the radiant sun;
Which Envy had dash'd, but she found by Surprise
That the beam of his excellence dazzl'd her eyes.
Impell'd by a congress of pitiful hearts;
255
Tho' their numbers and jarrings lead Reason astray;
256
And scorns his compeers who get rich by their stealing.
Iv'e seen him play Wolsey with wonderful force,
I've seen him in Zanga draw tears from their source;
His Ironside, Hob, Scrub, Tom, Scapin, and Ben,
Are parts where he equals the dramatists' pen;
And his Miser, like Rigby's blithe board, when he treats,
Is surrounded by richness, and pregnant with sweets;
Propriety smiles in such habits to find him,
As he leaves all his rivals at distance behind him.—
Had the Graces but moulded his visage and figure,
In the censor's stern eye no adept would seem bigger:
He has failings, 'tis true, but where's he who has none?
Yet his faults are like blots in the radiant sun;
Which Envy had dash'd, but she found by Surprise
That the beam of his excellence dazzl'd her eyes.
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