How lov'd, how honour'd once, avails thee not, A heap of duft alone remains of thee, 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud fhall be! . Poets themselves must fall like those they sung, 75 Deaf the prais'd ear, and mute the tuneful tongue. Ev'n he, whofe foul now melts in mournful lays, Shall fhortly want the gen'rous tear he pays; Then from his clofing eyes thy form shall part, And the last pang fhall tear thee from his heart, 80 Life's idle bufinefs at one gafp be o'er, The Muse forgot, and thou belov'd no more! PROLOGUE то Mr ADDISON'S Tragedy OF CATO. To wake the foul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the heart, To make mankind, in confcious virtue bold, Live o'er each fcene, and be what they behold: For this the Tragic Muse first trod the stage, Commanding tears to ftream thro' ev'ry age; Tyrants no more their savage nature kept, And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept. Our author fhuns by vulgar fprings to move The hero's glory, or the virgin's love; In pitying love, we but our weakness show, And wild Ambition well deferves its woe. Here tears shall flow from a more gen'rous cause, Such tears as Patriots fhed for dying Laws: 5 10 15 He bids your breafts with ancient ardour rise, Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in state; NOTES. 20 25 30 35 VER. 20. But what with pleasure] This alludes to a famous paffage of Seneca, which Mr. Addison afterwards used as a motto to his play, when it was printed. VER. 37. Britons, attend:] Mr. Pope had written it With honeft fcorn the firft fam'd Cato view'd Rome learning arts from Greece, whom she subdu'd; Your fcene precariously fubfifts too long On French tranflation, and Italian fong. Dare to have fenfe yourfelves; affert the ftage, NOTES. 41 45 arife, in the spirit of Poetry, and Liberty; but Mr. Addifon, frighten'd at fo daring an expreffion, which, he thought, fquinted at rebellion, would have it alter'd, in the fpirit of Profe and Politics, to attend. VER. 26. As Cato's felf, etc.] This alludes to that famous ftory of his coming into the Theatre, and going out again. EPILOGUE то Mr. RowE'S JANE SHORE. Defign'd for Mrs. OLDFIELD. PRodigious this! the Frail-one of our Play From her own Sex fhould mercy find to-day; You might have held the pretty head afide, 6 "How ftrangely you expose yourself, my dear?" 10 But let me die, all raillery apart, Our fex are still forgiving at their heart; We'd be the beft, good-natur'd things alive. |