II.

What paffes in the dark third row,
And what behind the scene,
Couches and crippled chairs I know,
And garrets hung with green;
I know the fwing of finful hack,
Where many damfels cry alack.
With a fa, la, la.

III.

Then why to courts fhould I repair,
Where's fuch ado with Townshend?.
To hear each mortal stamp and fwear,
And ev'ry speech with Zounds end;
To hear 'em rail at honeft Sunderland,
And rafhly blame the realm of Blunderland".
With a fa, la, la.

IV.

Alas! like Schutz I cannot pun,
Like Grafton court the Germans;
Tell Pickenbourg how flim fhe's grown,
Like Meadows† run to sermons;
To court ambitious men may roam,
But I and Marlbro' ftay at home.

With a fa, la, la.

NOTES.

*Ireland.

+ Mentioned before in the Verfes to Mrs. Howe.

V. In

V.

In truth, by what I can discern,

Of courtiers 'twixt you three,

Some wit you have, and more may learn
From court, than Gay or Me:
Perhaps, in time, you'll leave high diet,
To fup with us on milk and quiet.
With a fa, la, la.

VI.

At Leicester-Fields, a houfe full high,
With door all painted green,
Where ribbons wave upon the tye,

(A Milliner I mean ;)

There may you meet us three to three,
For Gay can well make two of Me.

With a fa, la, la.

But fhou'd

VII.

you catch the prudifh itch,

And each become a coward,

Bring fometimes with you lady Rich *,
And fometimes miftrefs Howard † ;

For virgins to keep chafte must go
Abroad with fuch as are not fo.

With a fa, la, la.

NOTES.

VIII. And

Lady Rich was a correfpondent of Lady M. W. Montagu. + Mrs. Howard, mistress to George II. afterwards Countess of Suffolk. See "Verfes to a Lady at Court," in this Volume,

VIII.

And thus, fair maids, my ballad ends;
God fend the king fafe landing*;
And make all honeft ladies friends
To armies that are standing;
Preserve the limits of those nations,
And take off ladies limitations.

With a fa, la, la.

NOTES.

*This Ballad was written anno 1717.

NOTWITHSTANDING Pope's affected contempt of the Court, he was proud of the acquaintance of fome of the beautiful young women belonging to it.

In 1776 were published, two fmall volumes, intitled, Additions to Pope's Work. Warton has filently adopted all the notes, and the information that the Turk, alluded to in the first stanza, "little Ulrick." Are we to infer that Warton was the editor of the two volumes I have mentioned?

was

The Ladies mentioned in this Ballad, Pope speaks of in a letter : "I met the Prince, with all his Ladies on horfeback, coming from hunting.

"Mrs. B-(Bellenden) and Mrs. L-(Lepell) took me into protection (contrary to the law against harbouring Papists), and gave me a dinner." Letters to feveral Ladies.

THE THREE GENTLE SHEPHERDS.

F gentle Philips will I ever fing,

OF

With gentle Philips fhall the vallies ring.
My numbers too for ever will I vary,

With gentle Budgell, and with gentle Carey,
Or if in ranging of the names I judge ill,
With gentle Carey and with gentle Budgell,
Oh! may
all gentle bards together place ye,
Men of good hearts, and men of delicacy.
May fatire ne'er befool ye, or beknave ye,

And from all wits that have a knack, God fave ye.

NOTES.

5

ΤΟ

VER. 10. And from all wits that have a knack,] Curl faid, that in profe he was equal to Pope, but that in verfe Pope had merely a particular knack.

MR. POPE's WELCOME FROM GREECE.

A Copy of Verfes, written by Mr. GAY upon Mr. POPE'S having finifhed his Tranflation of HOMER'S ILIAD.

I.

ONG haft thou, friend! been absent from thy foil,
Like patient Ithacus at fiege of Troy;

I have been witness of thy fix years toil,

Thy daily labours, and thy night's annoy, Loft to thy native land, with great turmoil,

On the wide fea, oft threat'ning to destroy: Methinks with thee I've trod Sigæan ground, And heard the shores of Hellefpont refound.

II.

Did I not fee thee when thou first fett'st fail

To feek adventures fair in Homer's land?

Did I not fee thy finking fpirits fail,

And with thy bark had never left the ftrand? Ev'n in mid ocean often didft thou quail,

5

10

And oft lift up thy holy eye and hand,

Praying the Virgin dear, and faintly choir,
Back to the port to bring thy bark entire.

15

III.

Chear up, my friend, thy dangers now are o'er;
Methinks-nay, fure the rifing coals appear;

Hark how the guns falute from either shore,

As thy trim veffel cuts the Thames so fair :

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