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Rare monkish Manufcripts for Hearne alone,

And Books for Mead, and Butterflies for Sloane. 10
Think we all these are for himself? no more
Than his fine Wife, alas! or finer Whore.

For what has Virro painted, built, and planted?
Only to fhew, how many taftes he wanted.
What brought Sir Vifto's ill-got wealth to wafte? 15
Some Dæmon whisper'd, "Visto! have a Taste,"
Heav'n vifits with a Taste the wealthy fool,
And needs no Rod but Ripley with a Rule,
See! sportive fate, to punish aukward pride,
Bids Bubo build, and fends him fuch a Guide : 20
A ftanding fermon at each year's expence,
That never Coxcomb reach'd Magnificence !

VER. 10. And Books for Mead, and Butterflies for Sloane.] Two eminent Phyficians; the one had an excellent Library, the other the finest collection in Europe of natural curiofities; both men of great learning and humanity.

VER. 12. Than bis fine Wife, alas! or finer Whore.] By the Author's manner of putting together these two different Utenfils of falfe Magnificence, it appears, that, properly fpeaking, neither the Wife nor the Whore is the real object of modern tafte, but the Finery only: "And whoever wears it, whether the Wife or the Whore, it matters not; any further than that the latter is thought to deserve it best, as appears from her having most of it; and fo indeed becomes, by accident, the more fashionable Thing of the

two.

VER. 18. Ripley] This man was a carpenter, employed by a first Minifter, who raised him to an Architect, without any genius in the art and after some wretched proofs of his infufficiency in public Buildings, made him Comptroller of the Board of works,

You fhow us, Rome was glorious, not profufe, And pompous buildings once were things of Ufe. Yet fhall (my Lord) your juft, your noble rules 25 Fill half the land with Imitating-Fools;

Who random drawings from your fheets fhall take,
And of one beauty many blunders make;
Load fome vain Church with old Theatric state,
Turn Arcs of triumph to a Garden-gate;
Reverse your ornaments, and hang them all

On fome patch'd dog-hole ek'd with ends of wall;
Then clap four flices of Pilafter on't,

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That, lac'd with bits of ruftic, makes a Front.

Shall call the wind thro' long arcades to roar,

35

Proud to catch cold at a Venetian door ;
Conscious they act a true Palladian part,
And if they ftarve, they starve by rules of art.
Oft have you hinted to your brother Peer,
A certain truth, which many buy too dear:
Something there is more needful than Expence,
And fomething previous ev'n to Tafte 'tis Senfe:

--

40

VER. 23. The Earl of Burlington was then publishing the Defigns of Inigo Jones, and the Antiquities of Rome by Palladio.

VARIATIONS.

After ver. 22. in the MS.

Muft Bishops, Lawyers, Statefmen, have the skill
To build, to plant, judge painting, what you will?
Then why not Kent as well our treaties draw,
Eridgman explain the Gospel, Gibbs the Law?

2

Good Senfe, which only is the gift of Heav'n,
And tho' no Science, fairly worth the seven:
A Light, which in yourself you must perceive; 45
Jones and Le Nôtre have it not to give.

To build, to plant, whatever you intend,
To rear the Column, or the Arch to bend,
To fwell the Terras, or to fink the Grot ;
In all, let Nature never be forgot.
But treat the Goddefs, like a modeft fair,
Nor over-drefs, nor leave her wholly bare;
Let not each beauty ev'ry where be spy'd,
Where half the skill is decently to hide.

50

He gains all points, who pleafingly confounds,

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Surprizes, varies, and conceals the Bounds.

Confult the Genius of the Place in all;

That tells the Waters or to rife, or fall;

Or helps th' ambitious Hill the heav'ns to scale,
Or fcoops in circling theatres the Vale ;

60

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VER. 46. Inigo Jones the celebrated Architect, and M. Le Nôtre, the defigner of the best Gardens in France. VER. 57. Confult the Genius of the Place, etc. to defigns, ver. 64.] The perfonalizing or rather deifying the Genius of the place, in order to be confulted as an Oracle, has produced one of the noblest and most sublime descriptions of Defign, that poetry could exprefs. Where this Genius, while prefiding over the work, is reprefented by little and little, as advancing from a fimple advifer, to a creator of all the beauties of improved Nature, in a variety of bold metaphors and allufions, all rifing one above another, till they com plete the unity of the general idea.

Calls in the Country, catches op'ning glades,
Joins willing woods, and varies thades from shades;
Now breaks, or now directs, th' intending Lines;
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, defigns.

Still follow fenfe, of ev'ry Art the Soul,
Parts anfwering parts fhall flide into a whole,
Spontaneous beauties all around advance,
Start ev'n from Difficulty, Atrike from Chance ;
Nature fhall join you; Time shall make it grow

A Work to wonder at

perhaps a Srow.

Without it, proud Verfailles! thy glory falls

And Nero's Terraces defert their walls :

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65

70

The vaft Parterres a thouíand hands fhall make,
Lo! COBHAM comes, and floats them with a Lake:

Firft the Genius of the place tells the waters, or only fimply gives directions: Then he helps th' ambitious bill, or is a fellow-labourer: Then again he fcoops the circling Theatre, or works alone, or in chief. Afterwards, rifing faft in our idea of dignity, he calls in the country, alluding to the orders of princes in their progrefs, when accustomed to display all their ftate and magnificence: His character then grows facred, he joins willing woods, a metaphor taken from one of the offices of the priesthood; 'till at length, he becomes a Divinity, and creates and prefides over the whole :

Now breaks, or now directs th'intending lines,
Paints as you plant, and, as you work, defigns,

Much in the fame manner as the plaftic Nature is supposed to do, in the work of human generation.

VER, 70. The feat and gardens of the Lord Viscount Cobham in Buckinghamshire,

Or cut wide views thro' Mountains to the Plain, 75
You'll wish your hill or shelter'd feat again.
Ev'n in an ornament its place remark,
Nor in an Hermitage fet Dr. Clarke.

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Behold Villario's ten-years toil complete; His Quincunx darkens, his Efpaliers meet; The Wood fupports the Plain, the parts unite, And ftrength of Shade contends with ftrength of Light; A waving Glow the bloomy beds display,

Blufhing in bright diverfities of day,

With filver-quiv'ring rills mæander'd o'er -
Enjoy them, you! Villario, can no more;
Tir'd of the scene Parterres and Fountains yield,
He finds at laft he better likes a Field.

85

99

Thro' his young Woods how pleas'd Sabinus stray'd, Or fat delighted in the thick'ning fhade, With annual joy the red'ning fhoots to greet, Or fee the stretching branches long to meet! His Son's fine Taste an op❜ner Vista loves, Foe to the Dryads of his Father's groves;

VER 75, 76. Or cut wide views thro' Mountains to the Plain, You'll with your bill or shelter'd feat again.] This was done in Hertfordshire by a wealthy citizen, at the expence of above 5000 1. by which means (merely to overlook a dead plain) he let in the north-wind upon his house and parterre, which were before adorned and defended by beautiful woods.

VER. 78. --- fet Dr. Clarke.] Dr. S. Clarke's busto placed by the Queen in the Hermitage, while the Dr. duely frequented the Court. P. But he should have added. with the innocence and difintereftedness of a Hermit.

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