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University of Virginia Library

Matthew Prior. Dialogues of the Dead and Other Works

in Prose and Verse. The Text Edited by A. R. Waller

Prior, Matthew (1664-1721)

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DIALOGUES OF THE DEAD AND OTHER WORKS IN PROSE AND VERSE

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A SUPPLEMENT TO Mr. Prior's POEMS. Consisting Of such Pieces as are Omitted in the late Collection of his Works, and Others, now first Published, from his Original Manuscripts, in the Custody of his Friends.

To the Right Honourable the Countess Dowager of DEVONSHIRE, ON A Piece of Wissin's; Whereon were all her Grandsons Painted.

The Female PHAETON.

The Judgment of VENUS.

SONG To his Mistress.

AN EPISTLE TO Sir Fleetwood Sheppard.

A SATIRE ON THE Modern Translators.

A Satire upon the Poets, in Imitation of the Seventh Satire of Juvenal.

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[POEMS FROM THE New Collection, 1725]

Epitaph Extempore.

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THE Turtle and the Sparrow.

APPLICATION OF THE TURTLE and SPARROW.

VERSES Spoke to the Lady Henrietta-Cavendish Holles Harley, In the LIBRARY of St. John's College, Cambridge

PROLOGUE TO THE ORPHAN.

THE CONVERSATION,

COLIN's MISTAKES.

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[MISCELLANEOUS POEMS ETC., FROM THE COLLECTION OF DRIFT]

Considerations on part of the 88th Psalm.

ON THE TAKING OF NAMUR, 1692.

TO A CHILD of QUALITY, FIVE YEARS OLD, The AUTHOR Forty.

THE FORTUNE-TELLER.

CUPID Turned STROLLER.

DAPHNE and APOLLO.

PROLOGUE, SPOKEN BY Lord BUCKHURST, AT WESTMINSTER-SCHOOL,

[THE SECRETARY.]

UPON THIS PASSAGE IN SCALIGERIANA.

Gabriel and his Wives.

Richard and Nelly.

CUPID IN AMBUSH.

The Priest and the Shepherd.

ON A FART, LET IN THE HOUSE of COMMONS.

On Hall's Death.

THE WANDERING PILGRIM.

THE ADVICE OF VENUS.

CUPID TURNED PLOWMAN.

HUSBAND AND WIFE.

CHAST FLORIMEL.

THE OLD GENTRY.

THE Insatiable PRIEST.

DOCTORS Differ.

PONTIUS AND PONTIA.

Cautious Alice.

TO A POET of Quality, PRAISING THE Lady HINCHINBROKE.

TRUTH TOLD AT LAST.

TWO BEGGARS Disputing their Right to an Oyster they had Found; a Lawyer thus decides the Cause.

FOR My own Monument.

TO My Lord HARLEY.

A LETTER TO The Honourable LADY Miss Margaret-Cavendish-Holles-Harley.

TRUTH AND FALSHOOD.

Nelly's Picture.

PROLOGUE FOR DELIA's PLAY.

CUPID's Promise.

Lamentation for DORINDA.

ON A PRETTY MADWOMAN.

The Torment of ABSENCE.

THE NEW-YEAR'S GIFT TO PHYLLIS.

Upon a FRIEND, WHO HAD A Pain in his Left-Side.

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THE EXAMINER. 7 SEPTEMBER 1710

To the Earl of Godolphin.

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[MISCELLANEOUS POEMS, FROM THE COLLECTION OF EVANS, INCLUDING TWENTY-FOUR SONGS.]

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I.

II.

II. PARTING WITH FLAVIA.

III.

IV.

IV. TO PHILLIS.

V.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

VIII. A TWO PART SONG.

IX.

X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XV.

XVI.

XVI. LES ESTREINES.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XIX. ADVICE TO A LADY.

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

TO THE REV. DR. FRANCIS TURNER, BISHOP OF ELY WHO HAD ADVISED A TRANSLATION OF PRUDENTIUS.

THE REMEDY WORSE THAN THE DISEASE.

EPIGRAM, EXTEMPORE.

EPIGRAM ON BISHOP ATTERBURY.

ON BISHOP ATTE[R]BURY'S BURYING THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, MDCCXX.

LINES WRITTEN UNDER THE PRINT OF TOM BRITTON, the Small-coal-man, PAINTED BY Mr. WOOLASTON.

WRITTEN IN LADY HOWE'S OVID'S EPISTLES.

AN EPISTLE, MDCCXVI.

ANOTHER EPISTLE.

TRUE'S EPITAPH.

UPON Playing at OMBRE, WITH TWO LADIES.

ON MY BIRTH-DAY.

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POEMS FROM THE LONGLEAT MSS.

To a Lady Sleeping.

Charity never faileth.

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There be Those that leave Their Names behind them.

I.

II.

III.

Many Daughters have done well, But Thou Excellest them all.

On the Coronation.

Not Writing to K. P.

Arria and Petus out of Martial.

To the Countess of Dorset walking in a Garden.

To the E. of D. upon His Marriage.

Journey to Copt-Hall.

On Mr Fleetwood Shephards Killing the French K***

Advice to the Painter, Upon the defeat of the Rebels in the West, and the Execution of the late D. of Monmouth.

To the Bishop of Rochester Upon His Account of the Whiggish Conspir[a]cy by His late Majesty's order.

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To the E. of Dorset on the Birth of His Son.

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

A Hymn to the Spring.

A Session of the Poets

To a Friend on his Marriage.

Letter to J****

To Dr F********* in a Letter to Beverley disswading him from drinking Waters.

[Inspired Wit.]

Epistle to Lord ---.

To My Lady Exeter, on New Years day.

[Answer to an] Orange.

[Great Nassau rise from Beauty]

The same Varied.

A Hymn to Venus, upon a Marriage.

A new Answer to an Argument against a Standing-Army.

[A Ballad of Vigour.]

Seneca, Troas. Act 2d.

Translated from the Original French.

[Reality and Image.]

Verses Intended for Lock and Montaigne.

Fragments Written At Down-Hall.

Fragments for Alma.

The World was 200 Year in the Dark following Aristotle.

Written under a Picture painted by Mr Howard.

True Statesmen.

On the Marchioness of Caermarthen.

Virgils Georgic 4 Verse 511 Qualis ------ implet

Answer to the Female Phaeton.

In a Window in Lord Villiers house.

To a Painter (fragments).

A Prologue intended to the Play of Chit Chat, but never finished.

Prelude to a Tale from Boccace in blank Verse.

PREDESTINATION.

[Fragment from Britanicus.]

Translation of an Epitaph upon Gilbert Glanville Bishop of Rochester as written in Rochester Cathedral.

From Ronsard's Franciade Book the IVth Folio 465.

[Fragments in Prose and Verse.]

[Jinny the Just.]

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FRAGMENTS FROM PRIOR'S LETTERS, ETC.

FROM A LETTER TO THE EARL OF DORSET.

ON THE DEATH OF QUEEN MARY.

WRITTEN IN THE LIBRARY, [Wimpole] Dec. 2, 1720. M.P.

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POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO PRIOR

AN ANSWER TO THE Curious MAID. A TALE.

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THE LYON AND THE FOX.

An EPISTLE from the Elector of BAVARIA to the FRENCH King, after the Battle of Ramillies.

An Apology to a Lady, who told me, I cou'd not love her heartily, because I had lov'd others.

Against Modesty in Love.

On a young Lady's going to Town in the Spring.

When the Cat's away, The Mice may play.

A FABLE OF THE WIDOW AND HER CAT.

A Paraphrase on the French.

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95

PROLOGUE, SPOKEN BY Lord BUCKHURST, AT WESTMINSTER-SCHOOL,

At a Representation of Mr Dryden's CLEOMENES, The Spartan HERO.

At Christmas. 1695.

Pish, lord, I wish this Prologue was but Greek,
Then young Cleonidas would boldly speak:
But can Lord Buckhurst in poor English say,
Gentle spectators pray excuse the play?
No, witness all ye Gods of ancient Greece,
Rather than condescend to terms like these,
I'd go to school six hours on Christmas-day,
Or construe Persius while my comrades play.
Such work by hireling actors should be done,
Who tremble when they see a critic frown.
Poor rogues that smart like fencers for their bread,
And if they are not wounded are not fed.
But, Sirs, our labour has more noble ends,
We act our Tragedy to see our Friends:
Our gen'rous scenes are for pure love repeated,
And if you are not pleas'd, at least your treated.
The candles and the cloaths our selves we bought,
Our Tops neglected, and our Balls forgot.
To learn our parts we left our midnight bed,
Most of you snored whilst Cleomenes read;
Not that from this confession we would sue
Praise undeserv'd; we know our selves and you:
Resolv'd to stand or perish by our cause,
We neither censure fear, or beg applause,
For those are Westminster and Sparta's laws.

96

Yet if we see some judgment well inclin'd,
To young desert, and growing virtue kind,
That critic by ten thousand marks should know,
That greatest souls to goodness only bow;
And that your little Hero does inherit
Not Cleomenes more than Dorset's spirit.