 | Poems on several occasions |  |
ADDISON'S VERSES TO THE PRINCESS,
BURLESQUED.
Lo! the man that has whilom establish'd his fame,
Is now grown, with some reason, ashamed of his name.
Yet the Muse that so oft could with politics fire
Great sir Richard the knight, nay, and Joe the esquire;
That with marvellous courage and lucky invention
Britain's laws could defend, and deny her intention;
Make old Cato a Whig when the Tory court grieved her,
And then stoutly durst rail at the man who believed her;
Makes bold to the princess this writing to tender,
But desires not to print it till Preston surrender.
Joseph's hopes are assured; but of what, is yet latent;
Though it should by his gaping be pension or patent.
This princess secures what we now are possessing;
Though he stays not to tell us the name of the blessing.
'Tis no matter: it ages to come shall be seen in;
And though sense there is none, you may guess at a meaning.
Is now grown, with some reason, ashamed of his name.
Yet the Muse that so oft could with politics fire
Great sir Richard the knight, nay, and Joe the esquire;
That with marvellous courage and lucky invention
Britain's laws could defend, and deny her intention;
Make old Cato a Whig when the Tory court grieved her,
And then stoutly durst rail at the man who believed her;
Makes bold to the princess this writing to tender,
But desires not to print it till Preston surrender.
473
Though it should by his gaping be pension or patent.
This princess secures what we now are possessing;
Though he stays not to tell us the name of the blessing.
'Tis no matter: it ages to come shall be seen in;
And though sense there is none, you may guess at a meaning.
He tells us, the land shall no longer bemoan
Herself as a widow, since Anna is gone:
Who was widow'd, we know, for some years of her reign;
But the king has a consort,—deny it who can:
As if our good fortune from thence did arise,
Where our monarch's severest unhappiness lies!
The royal line broken, new set, shall be stronger;
And the throne, you must know, shall be doubtful no longer.
That is, for a certain, howe'er he has minced it,
The throne always is doubtful when Whigs are against it.
Many babes shall immortal this family render,
All as right as my leg, not a rag of Pretender.
The females, poor girls! if we credit our prophet,
Shall have kings to their sweethearts; though nought will come of it.
But then, for our comfort, their hopeful young brother
Shall find out one lately born just like his mother:
And though his less fortunate sisters did fail,
He shall speed in his suit; and then heigh for heirs male!
Herself as a widow, since Anna is gone:
Who was widow'd, we know, for some years of her reign;
But the king has a consort,—deny it who can:
As if our good fortune from thence did arise,
Where our monarch's severest unhappiness lies!
The royal line broken, new set, shall be stronger;
And the throne, you must know, shall be doubtful no longer.
That is, for a certain, howe'er he has minced it,
The throne always is doubtful when Whigs are against it.
Many babes shall immortal this family render,
All as right as my leg, not a rag of Pretender.
The females, poor girls! if we credit our prophet,
Shall have kings to their sweethearts; though nought will come of it.
But then, for our comfort, their hopeful young brother
Shall find out one lately born just like his mother:
474
He shall speed in his suit; and then heigh for heirs male!
Why art thou not, Joe, with thy friend still a sharer,
And to trusty Sir Richard a true armour-bearer;
To furnish out arms for the dead-doing knight,
To prompt panegyric, and satire indite?
Then each, as his genius best led him, might praise
The sad Children i'th' Wood or sublime Chevy Chase;
And you, while your wit did old ballads adorn,
Might with better grace talk of the babes yet unborn.
And to trusty Sir Richard a true armour-bearer;
To furnish out arms for the dead-doing knight,
To prompt panegyric, and satire indite?
Then each, as his genius best led him, might praise
The sad Children i'th' Wood or sublime Chevy Chase;
And you, while your wit did old ballads adorn,
Might with better grace talk of the babes yet unborn.
The Whig poets at length should, he owns, be appeased;
Nor be worse than Old Nick, who is good when he's pleased.
For abusing their betters there once might be reason:
Now it merits a gaol for suspicion of treason.
Their warm moderation should now become colder—
In verse; for in prose they may write a “Free-holder.”
Nay, they may, if they please, and have nought else to say, too,
Call the king “great as Cæsar, and virtuous as Cato;”
Whose soul was unmoved, though his rage could perplex it;
And who made in the play such a notable exit.
Nor be worse than Old Nick, who is good when he's pleased.
For abusing their betters there once might be reason:
Now it merits a gaol for suspicion of treason.
Their warm moderation should now become colder—
In verse; for in prose they may write a “Free-holder.”
Nay, they may, if they please, and have nought else to say, too,
Call the king “great as Cæsar, and virtuous as Cato;”
Whose soul was unmoved, though his rage could perplex it;
And who made in the play such a notable exit.
475
Meanwhile (for these praises must take up some time)
The princess may view the arts couch'd in his rhyme;
Which here shall be nameless: perhaps she may know 'em;
They are used at a court, and sometimes in a poem.
To' encourage such bards is her interest, says Joe:
For she then on the stage shall be set for a show;
Her character such as no Whig drew before,
More a Christian than Cato, and purer than Shore:
And in Drury (which, sure, she with rapture must see!)
She shall shortly the subject of tragedy be.
'Tis well Joe is loyal, and means not to harm her:
Had a Tory talked thus, he might fear an informer.
One of wit with his zeal would have wish'd from his heart,
That she never might make of a tragedy part.
The princess may view the arts couch'd in his rhyme;
Which here shall be nameless: perhaps she may know 'em;
They are used at a court, and sometimes in a poem.
To' encourage such bards is her interest, says Joe:
For she then on the stage shall be set for a show;
Her character such as no Whig drew before,
More a Christian than Cato, and purer than Shore:
And in Drury (which, sure, she with rapture must see!)
She shall shortly the subject of tragedy be.
'Tis well Joe is loyal, and means not to harm her:
Had a Tory talked thus, he might fear an informer.
One of wit with his zeal would have wish'd from his heart,
That she never might make of a tragedy part.
As a queen Waller sung, though for no mighty matter,
Yet she lives to this day, 'cause the poet could flatter;
Even so shall the princess in after-times shine,—
But the flattery then must be nicer than thine.
Our grandsons with eyes, like us, smitten shall be
When they read of her charms, as we are when we see;
As with Henry's kind eyes we see Rosamond fair:
Which compliment makes the squire's loyalty clear;
For, though made to himself, he ne'er grudges it her.
But should no Whiggish bard (which, I own, would surprise)
Be in sense not poetic ambitious to rise,
And sing her rare charms, then we all are undone;
For, though never so rare, they'll be possibly gone
In an age, or in less,—'tis a hundred to one.
But for aye they must certainly live, if they're placed in
Some verse—but not this—that shall prove everlasting.
Yet she lives to this day, 'cause the poet could flatter;
Even so shall the princess in after-times shine,—
But the flattery then must be nicer than thine.
Our grandsons with eyes, like us, smitten shall be
When they read of her charms, as we are when we see;
476
Which compliment makes the squire's loyalty clear;
For, though made to himself, he ne'er grudges it her.
But should no Whiggish bard (which, I own, would surprise)
Be in sense not poetic ambitious to rise,
And sing her rare charms, then we all are undone;
For, though never so rare, they'll be possibly gone
In an age, or in less,—'tis a hundred to one.
But for aye they must certainly live, if they're placed in
Some verse—but not this—that shall prove everlasting.
| Poems on several occasions | |