| |
| THE 1 Grecian Wits, who Satyr first began, | |
| Were Pleasant Pasquins on the Life of Man; | |
| At Mighty Villains, who the State opprest, | |
| They durst not Rail 2 perhaps; they Laugh’d at least, | |
| And turn’d ’em out of Office with a Jest. | 5 |
| No Fool could peep abroad, but ready stand | |
| The Drolls to clap a Bauble in his hand: | |
| Wise Legislators never yet could draw | |
| A Fop, within the Reach of Common-Law; | |
| For Posture, Dress, Grimace, and Affectation. | 10 |
| Tho’ Foes to Sence, are Harmless to the Nation. | |
| Our last Redress is Dint of Verse to try, | |
| And Satyr is our Court of Chancery. | |
| This Way took Horace to reform an Age, | |
| Not Bad enough to need an Author’s Rage: | 15 |
| But Yours, 3 who liv’d in more degen’rate Times, | |
| Was forc’d to fasten Deep, and worry Crimes: | |
| Yet You, my Friend, have temper’d him so well. | |
| You make him Smile in spight of all his Zeal: | |
| An Art peculiar to your Self alone, | 20 |
| To joyn the Vertues of TWO stiles in One. | |
| Oh! were your Author’s Principle receiv’d, | |
| Half of the lab’ring World wou’d be reliev’d; | |
| For not to Wish, is not to be deceiv’d! | |
| Revenge wou’d into Charity be chang’d, | 25 |
| Because it costs too Dear to be Reveng’d: | |
| It costs our Quiet and Content of Mind; | |
| And when ’tis compass’d leaves a Sting behind. | |
| Suppose I had the better End o’ th’ Staff, | |
| Why should I help th’ ill-natur’d World to laugh? | 30 |
| ’Tis all alike to them who gets the Day; | |
| They Love the Spight and Mischief of the Fray. | |
| No; I have Cur’d my Self of that Disease, | |
| Nor will I be provok’d, but when I please: | |
| But let me half that Cure to You restore; | 35 |
| You gave the Salve, I laid it to the Sore. | |
| Our kind Relief against a Rainy Day, | |
| Beyond a Tavern, or a tedious Play; | |
| We take your Book, and laugh our Spleen away, | |
| If all your Tribe, (too studious of Debate) | 40 |
| Wou’d cease false Hopes and Titles to create, | |
| Led by the Rare Example you begun, | |
Clyents wou’d fail and Lawyers be undone.
JOHN DRYDEN. | |
