Page:The Works of Alexander Pope (1717).djvu/22

 

To Mr. POPE on his Pastorals.

By Mr. WYCHERLEY.

IN these more dull, as more censorious days,
When few dare give, and fewer merit praise;
A Muse sincere, that never flatt'ry knew,
Pays what to friendship and desert is due.
Young, yet judicious; in your verse are found
Art strengthning Nature, Sense improv'd by Sound:
Unlike those Wits, whose numbers glide along
So smooth, no thought e'er interrupts the song:
Laboriously enervate they appear,
And write not to the head, but to the ear:
Our minds unmov'd and unconcern'd they lull,
And are at best most musically dull.
So purling streams with even mrumurs creep,
And hush the heavy hearers into sleep.
$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ As smoothed speech is most deceitful found,
The smoothed numbers oft' are empty sound,
And leave our lab'ring fancy quite a-ground.
But Wit and Judgment join at once in you,
Sprightly as youth, as age consummate too:
$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$Your strains are regularly bold, and please
With unforc'd care, and unaffected ease,
With proper thoughts, and lively images:
Such as by Nature to the Ancients shown,
Fancy improves, and Judgment makes your own:

For