 | Poems |  |
85
TO DANIEL WEBB, ESQ; AT BATH,
ON READING IN MS. HIS DIALOGUE IN FAVOUR OF BLANK VERSE, &c.
How few, oh Webb, by sprightly wit inspir'd,
True judgment guided, and bright genius fir'd;
Above all vulgar prejudice can soar,
And paths untried with daring steps explore!
To custom slaves, they quench the spark divine,
And with faint rays of servile copyists shine.
Oh bane of genius! how the tribe I hate;
What imitator ever yet was great?
True judgment guided, and bright genius fir'd;
Above all vulgar prejudice can soar,
And paths untried with daring steps explore!
To custom slaves, they quench the spark divine,
And with faint rays of servile copyists shine.
Oh bane of genius! how the tribe I hate;
What imitator ever yet was great?
Friend of the muses, of true taste the friend,
With joy I read, with rapture I commend;
Proceed; and hurl false taste, th' usurper, down;
And place immortal Shakespeare on his throne:
Proceed, proceed; and from the power of song
Unloose the Gothic chain, which bound her long:
Which still the tinkling train of rhymers try
Softly to clink, and faster still to tie:
So shall the sister arts thy praise proclaim,
And these shall sing, and those shall paint thy fame.
With joy I read, with rapture I commend;
Proceed; and hurl false taste, th' usurper, down;
And place immortal Shakespeare on his throne:
Proceed, proceed; and from the power of song
Unloose the Gothic chain, which bound her long:
Which still the tinkling train of rhymers try
Softly to clink, and faster still to tie:
So shall the sister arts thy praise proclaim,
And these shall sing, and those shall paint thy fame.
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