Poems upon several Occasions By Mr. Smith |
 |
Prologue
to the FOX: Spoken by Mr. WILKS TO THE University of Oxford. |
 | Poems upon several Occasions |  |
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Prologue to the FOX: Spoken by Mr. WILKS TO THE University of Oxford.
One Age produc'd Two mighty Bards, to show
How far the utmost Pow'r of Wit cou'd go.
Heav'n diff'rent Talents did to each impart,
Shakespear more Wit, but Johnson shew'd more Art.
Shakespear's diffusive Genius cou'd dispense,
In gentle moving Sounds, the deepest Sense:
But Nature wanted Skill,—and Johnson brought
Horatian Laws to authorize his Thought.
Ben's surly Lines are in Defiance writ,
Sturdy the Phrase, and obstinate his Wit;
His Plays the Form of Ancient Structures claim,
Equal in Plan, and Rivals of their Fame;
Which, by the Model of the Ancients cast,
Shall like the Works of Greeks and Romans last.
How far the utmost Pow'r of Wit cou'd go.
Heav'n diff'rent Talents did to each impart,
Shakespear more Wit, but Johnson shew'd more Art.
Shakespear's diffusive Genius cou'd dispense,
In gentle moving Sounds, the deepest Sense:
But Nature wanted Skill,—and Johnson brought
Horatian Laws to authorize his Thought.
Ben's surly Lines are in Defiance writ,
Sturdy the Phrase, and obstinate his Wit;
His Plays the Form of Ancient Structures claim,
Equal in Plan, and Rivals of their Fame;
67
Shall like the Works of Greeks and Romans last.
The various Humours which his Pen engage
Are calculated right for ev'ry Age,
We have La-fools, and fashionable Tonies,
Corbacchio's, Mosca's, and our own Volpones.
The Beaux our Fox's Way of Practice prove,
They mount our Stage, and play vile Quacks in Love;
And to their Mistresses in amorous Cases,
Like him prescribe,—their own Cathartick Faces.
Are calculated right for ev'ry Age,
We have La-fools, and fashionable Tonies,
Corbacchio's, Mosca's, and our own Volpones.
The Beaux our Fox's Way of Practice prove,
They mount our Stage, and play vile Quacks in Love;
And to their Mistresses in amorous Cases,
Like him prescribe,—their own Cathartick Faces.
In the Performance we present to-Night,
Masterly drawn you'll see the Parasite;
When the Gulls yawn, he subtly plays his Bait,
All bribe, and all are Heirs to the Estate:
So Burgess, where the Gold is freely giv'n,
Cajoles the Saints, and packs 'em all to Heav'n.
Masterly drawn you'll see the Parasite;
When the Gulls yawn, he subtly plays his Bait,
All bribe, and all are Heirs to the Estate:
So Burgess, where the Gold is freely giv'n,
Cajoles the Saints, and packs 'em all to Heav'n.
68
Your better Tastes such nauseous Shams refuse:
You, like our Author, cultivate the Muse.
What Joys (O Ben) thy Ghost receives to see
These Ranks of thy Athenian Progeny,
A Learned Race of younger Bens here sit,
Th' adopted Sons of thy immortal Wit;
Who, by the Dictates of thy Genius taught,
Can best admire, what their Great Father wrote.
You, like our Author, cultivate the Muse.
What Joys (O Ben) thy Ghost receives to see
These Ranks of thy Athenian Progeny,
A Learned Race of younger Bens here sit,
Th' adopted Sons of thy immortal Wit;
Who, by the Dictates of thy Genius taught,
Can best admire, what their Great Father wrote.
| Poems upon several Occasions | |