A POEM TO THE MEMORY OF MR. CONGREVE : INSCRIBED TO HER GRACE, HENRIETTA, DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE author of the following poem, not having had the happiness of a personal acquaintance with Mr. Congreve, is sensible that he has drawn his private character very imperfectly. This all his friends will readily discover; and therefore f any one of them had thought fit to do justice to those amiable qualifications which made him the love and admiration of all who knew him, these verses had never seen the light.

THIS poem was published in 1729, without the name of the author. It was reprinted in 1843, "for the Percy Society, with a Preface and Notes by Peter Cunningham, Esq."

This passionate admirer of the author of the Seasons informs his readers, that the poem was pointed out to him by the late Rev. H. F. Carey, the gifted translator of Dante, "who assigned it to Thomson, from the characteristic impress which it bears to the acknowledged productions of that delightful poet. Millan was at this time Thomson's publisher. Winter and Summer, the Poem to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton, and Britannia, were all, like this on Congreve, 'printed for J. MILLAN, at his shop near the Horse Guards. Nay, more; these several poems by Thomson are advertised among Millan's books, and at the head of his list at the end of this very publication. These are facts of importance in assigning the authorship of this poem to Thomson: separately, indeed, they are of little value; collectively, as I think, conclusive."-CUNNINGHAM's Preface. From internal evidence the ascription of the authorship to Thomson seems to be correct; and a diligent critic would find no difficulty in identifying several of the sentiments and epithets in these verses with others of remarkable affinity in "the Seasons." This attempt to ingratiate himself, by gross adulation, into the good opinion of the young and profligate Duchess of Marlborough, whose disgraceful connexion with Congreve was in those days no secret, may be traced to the state of his finances, at that time wofully low, and to his intimacy with Mallet; who himself ultimately succeeded, under the guise of promised literary services which were never performed, in abstracting from the thrifty Duchess dowager some of the wealth which she had contrived to amass Much allowance, however, must be made for Thomson in the untoward condition in which he then found himself, and of which he was painfully conscious, as the following lines will testify:-

Curious to choose each better grace, unseen

Of vulgar eyes; wild delicacy free;

Though labour'd, happy; and though strong, refined.

30

Judgment, severely cool, o'erlook'd his toil,

And, patient, finish'd all; each fair design,

With freedom regular, correctly great,

A master's skilful daring. Closely wrought
His meaning fable, with deep art perplex'd,
With striking ease unravell'd: no thin plot,
Seen through at once and scorn'd, or ill-conceal'd
By borrow'd aids of mimicry and farce.
His characters strong-featured, equal, just,
From finer Nature drawn; and all the Mind
Through all her mazes traced,-each darker vice
And darling folly, under each disguise,
By either sex assumed, of studied ease,
False friendship, loose severity, vain wit,
Dull briskness, shallow depth, or coward rage.
Of the whole Muse possess'd, his piercing eye
Discern'd each richer vein of genuine mirth,
Humour or wit; where differing, where agreed;
How counterfeited, or by Folly's grin,
Or Affectation's air; and what their force
To please, to move, to shake the ravish'd scene
With laughter unreproved. To him the soul,
In all her higher workings, too, was known :

35

40

45

What passions tumult there; whence their prompt spring, Their sudden flood of rage, and gradual fall;

Infinite motion! source supreme of bliss

Or woe to man; our heaven or hell below!

Such was his public name: nor less allow'd

His private worth; by Nature made for praise :

A pleasing form; a soul sincere and clear,

Where all the human graces mix'd their charms,

Pure candour, easy goodness, open truth,

Spontaneous all; where strength and beauty join'd

With wit indulgent, humble in the height

Of envied honours, and, but rarely found,

The' unjealous friend of every rival worth.

Adorn'd for social life; each talent his

To win each heart, the charm of happy ease,
Free mirth, gay learning, ever-smiling wit,
To all endear'd, a pleasure without pain;

55

60

39

65

70

Imp

Disc

Con

thou that

Pop

form

Our

furn

to w

tion

cast

last