And floods came roaring in with mighty found, And favedst those that would themselves have drown'd; When thou hadft greater caufe to fear : XVI. Nor didft thou only for thy age provide, Our after-times and late pofterity Shall pay unto thy fame as much as we ; They too are made by thee. When fate did call thee too a higher throne, And when thy mortal work was done, When heaven did fay it, and thou must be gone, Who might (if any could) make us forget thy lofs; Had he not been Not only to thy blood, but virtue kin, Not only heir unto thy throne, but mind : 'Tis he fhall perfect all thy cares, And with a finer thread weave out thy loom : So one did bring the chofen people from Their flavery and fears, Led them through their pathless road; Guided himself by God, H'as brought them to the borders; but a fecond hand Did fettle and fecure them in the promis'd land. To a Perfon of Honour (Mr. EDWARD HOWARD) upon his Incomparable, Incomprehenfible Poem, intituled The BRITISH PRINCES. YOUR book our old knight-errants fame revives, Writ in a style agreeing with their lives. All rumours ftrength their prowess did out-go, To praise the Welsh the world muft now combine, You You that can make immortal by your fong, In all things elfe you borrow help from none: A fubject new, writ in the newest way. Go forth, great author, for the world's delight; Teach it, what none e'er taught you, how to write ; They talk strange things that ancient poets did; How trees and stones they into buildings lead : For poems to raise cities, now, 'tis hard, But yours, at least, will build half Paul's churchyard. On his MISTRESS DROWN'D. S WEET ftream, that dost with equal pace Both thyself fly and thyself chace, Forbear awhile to flow, And listen to my woe. Then go and tell the fea that all its brine Inform it that the gentler dame, I' th' glory of her bud Has pafs'd the fatal flood, Death by this only stroke triumphs above Alas, alas! I must give o'er, My fighs will let me add no more. Go on, fweet ftream, and henceforth reft THE THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS, Which happened in the fecond Year of the PELOPONNESIAN WAR: First described in Greek by THUCYDIDES; I KNOW not what pleafure you could take in beftowing your commands fo unprofitably, unless it be that for which nature fometimes cherishes and allows monfters, the love of variety. This only delight you will receive by turning over this rude and unpolished copy, and comparing it with my excellent patterns, the Greek and Latin. By this you will fee how much a noble fubject is changed and disfigured by an ill hand, and what reafon Alexander had to forbid his picture to be drawn but by fome cele-brated M 3 |