On his GROTTO at Twickenham,

COMPOSED OF

Marbles, Sparrs, Gemms, Ores, and Minerals.

TH

HOU who fhalt ftop, where Thames' tranf-
lucent wave

Shines a broad Mirrour thro' the shadowy Cave;
Where ling'ring drops from min'ral Roofs distill,
And pointed Crystals break the sparkling Rill,
Unpolish'd Gemms no Ray on Pride beftow,
And latent Metals innocently glow:

VARIATIONS.

After v. 6. in the MS,

You see that Island's wealth, where, only free,
Earth to her entrails feels not Tyranny.

5

i. e. Britain is the only place on the globe which feels not Tyranny even to its very entrails. Alluding to the condemnation of Criminals to the Mines, one of the inflictions of civil justice in moft Countries. The thought was exceeding natural and proper in this place, where the Poet was defcribing a Grotto incrufted and adorned with all forts of Minerals collected, by the means of commerce, from the four quarters of the Globe.

On bis Grotto.] The improving and finishing his Grott was the favourite amusement of his declining Years; and the beauty of his poetic genius, in the difpofition and ornaments of this romantic recefs, appears to as much advantage as in his best contrived Poems.

Approach. Great NATURE ftudioufly behold!
And
eye the Mine without a wifh for Gold.
Approach: but awful! Lo! th'Egerian Grott,
Where nobly penfive, St. JoHN fate and thought;
Where British fighs from dying WYNDHAM ftole,
And the bright flame was fhot thro' MARCHMONT”
Soul.

Let fuch, fuch only, tread this facred Floor,
Who dare to love their Country, and be poor.

VARIATIONS,

9

VER. II. Where British fighs from dying Wyndham fole,] In his M. it was thus,

To Wyndham's breaft the patriot-paffions stole,

which made the whole allude to a certain Anecdote of not much confequence to any but the parties concerned.

VER. 9. Egerian Grott] Alluding to Numa's projecting his fyftem of Politics in this Grott, affifted, as he gave out, by the Goddess Ægeria.

то

Mrs. M. B. on her BIRTH-DAY.

H be thou bleft with all that Heav'n can send,
Long Health, long Youth, long Pleasure, and
a Friend:

Not with those Toys the female world admire,
Riches that vex, and Vanities that tire.

With added years if Life bring nothing new,
But like a Sieve let ev'ry bleffing thro',"
Some joy ftill loft, as each vain year runs o'er,
And all we gain, some sad Reflection more;
Is that a Birth-day? 'tis alas! too clear,
Tis but the Funeral of the former year,

Let Joy or Ease, let Affluence or Content,
And the gay Conscience of a life well spent,
Calm ev'ry thought, inspirit ev'ry grace,
Glow in thy heart, and smile upon thy face.
Let day improve on day, and year on year,
Without a Pain, a Trouble, or a Fear;
Till Death unfelt that tender frame destroy,
In fome foft Dream, or Extafy of joy,
Peaceful fleep out the Sabbath of the Tomb,
And wake to Raptures in a Life to come.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 15. Originally thus in the MS.

And oh fince Death must that fair frame destroy,
Dye, by fome fudden Extasy of Joy ;

In fome foft dream may thy mild foul remove,
And be thy latest gafp a Sigh of Love.

To Mr. THOMAS SOUTHERN,

R

On his Birth-day, 1742.

ESIGN'D to live, prepar'd to die,
With not one fin, but poetry,

This day Tom's fair account has run
(Without a blot) to eighty one.
Kind Boyle, before his poet, lays
A table, with a cloth of bays;
And Ireland, mother of fweet fingers,
Presents her harp ftill to his fingers.
The feast, his tow'ring genius marks
In yonder wild goofe and the larks!
The mushrooms fhew his wit was fudden!
And for his judgment, lo a pudden!
Roaft beef, tho' old, proclaims him ftout,
And grace, altho' a bard, devout.

5

10

May Toм, whom heav'n fent down to raise
The price of prologue and of plays,

15

VER. 5. A table] He was invited to dine on his birth-day with this Nobleman, who had prepared for him the entertainment of which the bill of fare is here fet down.

VER. 8. Prefents her barp] The harp is generally wove on the Irish Linen; fuch as Table-cloths, etc.

VER. 16. The price of prologues and of plays,] This alludes to a story Mr. Southern told of Dryden, about the fame time,

Be ev'ry birth-day more a winner,
Digeft his thirty-thousandth dinner;
Walk to his grave without reproach,
And fcorn a rafcal and a coach,

20

time, to Mr. P. and Mr. W. When Southern first wrote for the stage, Dryden was fo famous for his Prologues, that the players would act nothing without that decoration. His usual price till then had been four guineas: But when Southern came to him for the Prologue he had bespoke, Dryden told him he muft have fix guineas for it; " which (faid he) young man, is "out of no disrespect to you; but the Players have had my goods "too cheap."-We now look upon these Prologues with the fame admiration that the Virtuofi do on the Apothecaries pots painted by Raphael.