THE LIBRARY 
 
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 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
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 FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCH.\RD 
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 EPISTLE 
 
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 Right Hon'''^ the Earl of ****** 
 
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 Noluerim Juv. 
 
 By Mr. WILLIAM WHITEHEAD, 
 
 Fellow of Clare-Hall^ Cambridge. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for R. D o d s l e y, at Tully% Head in Pall-mall ; and 
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 M. DCC. XLIV. 
 
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 O E T S, my Lord, by fome unlucky Fate 
 Condemn'd to flatter the too eafy Great, 
 Have, oft^ regardlels of their Heav'n-born 
 
 Enfhrin'd a Title, and ador'd a Name ; 
 
 For Idol Deities forfbok the True, 
 
 And pai4 to Greatnefs what was Virtue's Due. 
 
 Flame, 
 S 
 
 ♦ "^AtT 
 
 Yet hear, at leaft, one recreant Bard maintain 
 Tiieir Incenfe fruitlefs, and your Honours vain ; 
 Teach you to fcorn th' auxiliar Props, that raife 
 The 'painted Produce of thefe Sun-lhine Days j lo 
 
 '.. rj B Proud 
 
 86SGS6
 
 ( 4 ) 
 Proud from yourfelf, like India's Worm, to weave 
 
 Th' ennobling Thread, which Fortune cannot give. 
 
 In two (hort Precepts your whole Leflbn lies j 
 
 Wou'd you be Great? be Virtuous, and be Wife. 
 
 In elder Time, e'er Heralds yet were known 15 
 To gild the Vain with Glories not their own 5 
 Or infant Language faw fuch Terms prevail. 
 As Fefs and Chev'ron^ Pale and Contrepak j 
 'Twas He alone the ihaggy Spoils might wear, 
 Whofe Strength fubdued the Lion, or the Bear j 2.0 
 For him the rofy Spring with Smiles beheld 
 Her Honours ftript from every Grove and Field 5 
 For him the ruftic Quires with Songs advance j 
 For him the Virgins form the annual Dance. 
 Born to prote(9:, like Gods they hail the Brave 5 25 
 And fure 'twas Godlike, to be born to fave ! 
 
 In l[urkey ftill thefe fimple Manners reign, 
 Tho' Pharamond has liv'd, and Charlemagne : 
 The Cottage Hind may there admitted rife 
 A Chief, or Statefman, as his Talent lies ; 30 
 
 And all, but Othmari's Race, the only Proud, 
 Fall with their Sires, and mingle with the Croud. 
 
 Politer
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 Politer Courts, ingenious to extend 
 The Father's Virtues, bid his Pomps defcend ; 
 Chiefs prasmature with fuafive Wreaths adorn, 35 
 And force to Glory Heroes yet unborn, 
 f Plac'd like Hamikars Son, their Path's confin'd. 
 Forward they muft, for Monfters prefs behind ; 
 Monfters more dire than Spain's^ or Barcas Snakes, 
 If Fame they grafp not, Infamy o'er takes. 40 
 
 'Tis the fame Virtue's vigorous, jull Effort 
 Muft grace alike St. jfames^s^ or the Porte 5 
 Alike, my Lord, muft Turk^ or Britiflj Peer, 
 Be to his King, and to his Country dear 5 
 Alike muft either Honour's Caufe maintain, 45 
 
 You to preferve a Fame, and They to gain. 
 
 For Birth precarious were that boafted Gem, 
 
 Tho' Worth flow'd copious in the vital Stream : 
 (Of which a fad Reverfe Hiftorians preach. 
 And fage Experience proves the Truths they teach.) 50 
 For fay, ye Great, who boaft another's Scars, 
 And, like Eufms^ end among the Stars, 
 
 Ver. 37. Flac'd like Hamilcar's 5o«, &c. ] Ibl fama eft, in quiete vifuin ah co 
 Juvenem divina fpecie, qui lb ab Jove diceret ducem in Italiam Annibali 
 miflum. Proinde fequeretur, neque ufquam a fe defledteret oculos. Pavidum 
 
 prime), nufqiiam refpicientem, &<^.— Tandem, temperarc oculis nequivifte : 
 
 lum vidiiTe poll Ic lerpGntem mira magnitudine cum ingenti arborum ac vir- 
 gultorum ftrage ferri, (2c. Liv. lib. xxi. c. 22. 
 
 What
 
 ( ^ ) 
 
 What is this Boon of Heav'n ? dependent ftill 
 On Woman's Weaknefs, and on Woman's Will. 
 Might not, in pagan Days, and open Air, 55 
 
 Some wand 'ring yove furprize th' unguarded Fair ? 
 And did your gentle Grandames always prove 
 Stern Rebels to the Charms of lawlefs Love ? 
 And never pitied, at fome tender Time, 
 A dying Damiarij with'ring in his Prime ? 60 
 
 Or, more politely to their Vows untrue, 
 Lov'd, and elop'd, as modern Ladies do? 
 
 But grant them virtuous, were they all of Birth? 
 Did never Nobles mix with vulgar Earth, 
 And City Maids to envied Heights tranflate, 6^ 
 Subdued by Paffion, and decay 'd Eftate ? 
 Or figh, ftill humbler, to the pafling Gales 
 By turf-built Cots in daify-painted Vales ? 
 Who does not^ Pamela^ thy Suff 'rings feel? 
 Who has not wept at beauteous Gri/ePs Wheel ? 70 
 And each fair Marchionefs, that Gallia pours 
 (Exotic Sorrows) to Britannia'^ Shores ? 
 
 Ver. 60. A dying Damian, Gfc] See "January and May in Chaucer and 
 Mr. Fope. 
 
 Ver, 71. Each fair Marchionefs^ &c.] Marianne ^ the Fortunate Country 
 Maid, £=fc. 
 
 Then 
 
 /
 
 Then blame us not, if backward to comply 
 With your Demands : We fear a Forgery. 
 In fpite of Patents, and of Kings Decrees, 7^ 
 
 And blooming Coronets on Parchment-Trees, 
 Your Proofs are gone, your very Claims are loft, 
 But by the Manners of that Race you boaft. 
 O if true Virtue fires their gen'rous Blood, 
 The Feel for Fame, the Pant for public Good, 80 
 The kind Concern for Innocence diftreft. 
 The Titus'" Wifti to make a People bleft. 
 At every Deed we fee their Father's Tomb 
 Shoot forth new Laurels in eternal Bloom ; 
 We hear the rattling Car, the neighing Steeds, %^ 
 A Poitiers Thunders, and a CreJJy bleeds ! 
 Titles and Birth, like Diamonds from the Mine, 
 Muft by your Worth "be polifh'd e're they Ihine ; 
 Thence drink new Luftre, there unite their Rays, 
 And ftream thro' Ages one unfullied Blaze, 90 
 
 But what avails the Creft with Flow'rets crown'd. 
 The Mother virtuous, or the Sires renown'd. 
 If, from the breathing Walls, thofe Sires behold 
 The midnight Gamefter trembling for his Gold : 
 
 C And
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 And fee thofe Hours, when Sleep their Toils repalr'd, 
 (Or, if they wak'd, they wak'd for Britain^s Guard,) 
 Now on lewd Loves beftow'd, or drench'd in Wine^ 
 Drown and embrute the Particle divine ? 
 How muft they wifh, with many a Sigh, unheard 
 The warmefl: Prayer they once to Heav'n prefer'd ! loo 
 When not content with Fame for Kingdoms won. 
 They fought an added Boon, and aik'd a Son ; 
 That Cloud eternal in their Sky ferene. 
 That dull dead Weight that drags them down to Men, 
 And fpeaks as plainly as the Mufe's Tongue, 1 05 
 ^' Frail were the Sires from whom we Mortals fprung," 
 
 Incenfe to fuch may breathe, but breathes in vain. 
 The dufky Vapour but obfcures the Fane : 
 Loretto's Lady like, fuch Patrons bear 
 The flatt'ring Stains of many a live-long Year 5 no 
 Whilft but to Ihame them beams fi£i:itious Day, 
 And their own Filth th' Eternal Lamps betray. 
 Tell us, ye Names, preferv'd from Charles's Times 
 In Dedication Profe, Heroic Rhimes ; 
 Wou'd ye not now, with equal Joy refign 115 
 
 (Tho' taught to flow in Drydetis Strain divine) 
 
 Ver. 109. Loretto's L<7^y, &c.] See Dr. Ml dole ton's Letter {xomRome 
 (4th Edit. Odavo) Page 155. 
 
 The
 
 "C^ ; 
 
 The awkward Virtues never meant to fit, 
 
 The alien Morals, and imputed Wit, 
 
 Whofe very Praife but lends a fatal Breath 
 
 To fave expiring Infamy from Death ? 120 
 
 And yet, in conqu'ring Vice fmall Virtue lies ; 
 The V^eak can fliun it, and the Vain defpife. 
 'Tis yours, my Lord, to form a nobler Aim, 
 And build on aftive Merit endlefs Fame j 
 Unlike the loit'ring, ftill forgotten Croud, 1 25 
 
 Who, ev'n at beft but negatively good. 
 Thro' Sloth's dull Round drag out a Length of Days, 
 While Life's dim Taper gradually decays ; 
 And Numbers fall, and Numbers rife the fame, 129 
 Their Country's Burthen, and their Nature's Shame. 
 
 What tho' in Youth, while flatt'ring Hopes prefume 
 On Health's vain Flourifh for long Years to come, 
 Thoughtlefs and gay, a mad Good-nature draws 
 From Followers Flatt'ry, and from Crouds Applaufe j 
 Nay from the Wife, by feme capricious Whim, 135 
 Shou'd, mix'd with Pity, force a faint Efteem : 
 Yet will in Age that Siren charm prevail. 
 When Cares grow peevifh, and when Spirits fail ? i 
 
 Or
 
 — ~ — ^ — nj— j- 
 Or muft, defpis'd, each Fool of Fortune figh 
 O'er Years mifpent with retrofpe£l:ive Eye, 140 
 
 Till Pomp's laft Honours load the pageant Bier, 
 And much Solemnity without a Tear ? 
 
 'Tis yours with Judgment nobly to beftow. 
 And treafure Joys the Bounteous only know. 
 See, fav'd from Sloth by you, with venial Pride, 145 
 Laborious Health the ftubborn Glebe divide 5 
 Inftrufted Want her folded Arms unbend, 
 And fmiling Induflry the Loom attend. 
 Yours too the Talk to fpread indulgent Eafe, 
 Steal Cares from wrinkled Age, difarm Difeafe ; 150 
 Infulted Worth from proud Oppreffion fcreen. 
 And eive nesledied Science where to lean. 
 Titles, like Standard-Flags, exalted rife. 
 To tell the Wretched where Protection lies ; 
 And he who hears unmov'd Affliction's Claim, 155 
 Deferts his Duty, and denies his Name. 
 
 Nor is't enough, tho' to no Bounds confin'd. 
 Your Cares inftruCI:, or Bounties blefs Mankind. ' 
 'Tis yours, my Lord, with various Skill to trace. 
 By Hiftory's Clue, the Statefman's fubtle Maze ; 1 60 
 
 Oblerve
 
 ( " ) 
 
 Obferve the Springs, that mov'd each nice Machine, 
 Not laid too open, and not drawn too thin ;' 
 From Grecian Mines bring fterUng Treafures Home, 
 And grace your Britain with the Spoils of Rome. 
 But chief that Britain^ gradual Rife behold, 165 
 The changing World's Reverfe, from Lead to Gold : 
 Happy at laft, thro' Storms in Freedom's Caufe, 
 Thro' fierce Prerogative, and trampled Laws^ 
 To blend fuch feemina inconfiftent Thinas, 
 As Strength with Eafe, and Liberty with Kings, i 70 
 Know too, where Europe^ wav'ring Fates depend. 
 What States can injure, and what States defend. 
 
 Their Strength, their Arts, their Policies your own 
 
 And then, like Pelham, make that Wifdom known. 
 Wake every latent Faculty of Soul, - 175 
 
 Teach from your Lips the glowing Senfe to roll, 
 Till lift'ning Senates blefs the kind Alarm, 
 Convinced, not dazzledj and with Judgment warm. 
 
 Superior Talents, on the Great beftow'd. 
 Are Heav'n's peculiar Inftruments of Good : 180 
 
 Not for the few, who have them, are defign'd ; 
 What flows from Heav'n mufl: flow for all Mankind. 
 
 D Blufh
 
 ( 12 ) 
 
 Blufti then, ye Peers, who. Niggards of your Store, 
 Brood o'dt the (hining Heap, not make it more ; 
 Or Wilmot like, at fome poor Fool's Expence, 1 85 
 Squander in Wit the facred Funds of Senfe. 
 Wifdom alone is true Ambition's aim, 
 Wifdom the Source of Virtue, and of Fame, 
 Obtain'd with Labour, for Mankind employ 'd, 
 And then, when moft you (hare it, beft enjoy 'd. 190 
 
 See ! on yon fea-girt Ifle the Goddefs ftands. 
 And calls her Vot'rys with applauding Hands \ 
 They pant, they ftrainjthey glow thro' Climes upknown. 
 With added Strength, and Spirits not their own. 
 Hark ! what loud Shouts each glad Arrival hail ! 1 95 
 How full Fame's Fragrance breathes in ev'ry Gale ! 
 How tempting nod the Groves forever green ! 
 
 « But Tempefts roar, and Oceans roll between/'— 
 
 Yet fee, my Lord, your Friends around you brave 
 That roaring Tempeft, and contending Wave, aoo 
 
 See lab'ring thro' the Billowy Tide ! 
 
 See — impatient for the adverfe Side ! 
 
 O much-lov'd Youths ! to Britain juftly dear. 
 
 Her Spring, and Promife of a fairer Year. 
 
 Succels
 
 ^ ( 13 ) 
 
 Succels be theirs, whate'er their Hopes engage, 205 
 Worth grace their Youth, and Honours crown their A ge^ 
 And every warmeft Wifh fincere, and free. 
 My Soul e'er breathes, O - - -, for thee I 
 
 Hard is your ftated Tafk by all allow'd, 
 And modern Greatnels rarely burfts the Gioud. 216 
 LuU'd high in Fortune's filken Lap, you feel 
 No Shocks, nor Turns of her uncertain Wheel : 
 Amufements dazzle, weak Admirers gaze. 
 And Flatt'ry fooths^ and Indolence betrays. 
 Vet ftill, my LoRDj on happy Peers attends 215 
 That nobleft Privilege, to chufe their Friends j 
 The Wife, the Good are theirs, their Call obey ; 
 If Pride refufe not, Fortune points the Way. 
 Nor great your Toils on Wifdom's Seas, compar'd 
 With theirs who Ihift the Sail, or watch the Card. 226 
 For you, the Sages every Depth explore, 
 For you, the Slaves of Science ply the Oar ; 
 And Nature^s Genii fly with Sails unfurl'd, 
 The Drake's and RALErcn's of the mental World. 
 
 6ut ftav — too lonCT meer Em/i/h Lavs detain 22 s 
 Vour lighL-v\ ing'dXhought.s^that rove beyond the Main; 
 
 No
 
 No fancied Voyage there experts the Gale, 
 No allegoric Zephyr fwells the Sail. 
 
 Yet, e'er you go^ e'er Galliah Pomp in\-ades 
 
 The milder Truths of Grantas peaceful Shades, 23d 
 This Verfc at leafl: be yours, and boldly tell. 
 That if you fail, not unadvis'd you fell 5 
 But, bleil with Virtue and with Senfe adorn'd^ 
 A willinor \^i£liiTi of the Fools vou fcorn'd. 
 
 F I ]^ I S.
 
 Lately pulliped hy the fame Author : 
 
 1. Danger of Writing Verse. 
 
 2. Essay on Ridicule. 
 
 3. Ann Boleyn to Henry VIII. 
 
 4. Atys and Adrastus. 
 
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