FRAGMENT OF

A COPY OF VERSES

то

Lord March and Lord George,

SONS OF

His Grace the Duke of Rd,

ON THEIR

Dangerously falling through the Ice at Godwood: illuftrated with Notes Variorum, by MARTIN SCRIBBLER, Jun.-Supposed to be written by B. THORNTON, Efq.

EAVE ruftic Mufe, the Cott and furrow'd

LE Plains,

The Loves of rural Nymphs, and Shepherd Swains;
Lay by the lowly Reed, whofe fimple Notes
Die on the lonely Hills round wattled Cotes.

Furrow'd Plains.] Left we should imagine that the Plains here meant were plain and even, as all Plains fhould

I

fhould be, the Author judiciously adds an Epithet which unplains the Plains at once.

Wattled Cotes.] An elegant Expreffion.

For Strains fublime fcrew up the pompous Lyre, And boldly fon'rous fweep the trembling Wire; Critics are in doubt what Inftrument our Poet would here make use of; though I think it is plain, it can be no other than a Jew's Harp. Nor is it any Objection to fay that this is fometimes in the Mouth of the Vulgar, fince its Notes feem adapted to fuch noble Subjects as this. For, as the Poet Fufian Sackbut, fweetly fings:

Buzzing twangs the Iron Lyre
Shrilly thrilling,
Trembling, trilling,

Whizzing with the wav'ring Wire.

Son'rous] Who, that has not loft his Ears, can be fatisfied with the cutting off the long O in this -Word? I fay, read Snorus; as the Bafs of a Jew's Harp, or, (as it fhould be written) Jaws-Harp, very nearly resembles Snoring, B-NTLY.

While condescending Nobles circle round, In bending Attitude, to judge the Sound. This is truly fublime. Here we have the Humility, (a rare Virtue) the Manner of fitting or ftanding, and the Pofture of the Nobles who are (not barely to hear, but) to try, hang, or acquit the Sound, as they think fit, and all in two Verfes.

Fancy delighted touches p'er the Strings,

And warbling to the Groves of Richmond wings. The laft Line, I confefs, has long puzzled me, and I fufpect it is a falfe Reading, and fhould be corrected thus:

And rambling thro' the Groves of Richmond fings.
F 2

When

When January, newly in his Reign,

With frofty Fetters bound the rugged Plain. The Hiftory is this: January was the eldest Son of December, and mounted the Throne of his Anceftors on the Demife of his Father. Now these Lines are fine indirect Satire on Kings: for you fee King January is no fooner pop'd upon the Throne, than he makes ufe of Fetters to bind his Dominions to Submiffion. O Reges, Reges!

Rugged Plain.] See, Note the Second.

And o'er the Pool outfpread the icy Sheet, Tempting to flipp'ry Sport the School-Boy's Feet; Zoilus, Jun. cavils at this first Verse, as not thinking it a proper Employment for King January to turn Chamberlain. But fure, he forgot that even Princeffes of old would darn Stockings, or mend Towels, or do any fuch housewifely Work. Then fure our new Monarch might make a Bed without Scandal, the Sheets were doubtless of the finest Ice.

as

Two Youths, whofe Birth the highest Reve

.

rence claim,

Sweet Buds of Honour, rip'ning into Fame; Left the warm Hearth, to tafte the freezing Air, 'Twixt hiffing Woods by rocking Winds ftript

bare.

Philofophers have not yet fixed the true Taste of freezing Air; though we may learn from this Paffage that it was not warm; because then the two Youths would not have left the warm Hearth, to taste it between hiffing Woods: fo that we may conclude it to be hiffing cold.

By rocking Winds flript bare.] Rocking Winds. Nonfenfe. We muft certainly read, robbing Winds, and then the Senfe is complete. The Winds were a fort of Free-Booty Gentlemen, that ftript the poor

Woods

Woods to the Skin, and left them (in worse Condition than Adam and Eve) without so much as a Leaf to cover their Nakedness.

WRBRT―N,

The starting Deer before their Footsteps fly, And turning fhiver with aftonish'd Eye. The ordinary Reader will not be able to compre hend this Paffage. It means, that the Deer run away from them, that they fhiver with Cold, that they turn to look, and confequently with an Eye, which Eye is aftonished: And as they fhiver and have an Eye, they must shiver with that Eye; and they must also shiver in turning, and turn in fhivering and fo they turn and shiver, and fhiver and turn. W-RB-RT-N,

Zoilus afks what their Eye is astonished at? Why, at Fifty Things; at the Buds of Honour, the hiffing Woods, the rocking Winds, Icy Sheet, rugged. Plain, frofty Fetters.

On Nature's Fingers turn'd, their Locks embrac'd
Their vi'let Temples, pittorefquely grac'd.

Nature is here elegantly reprefented as a TyreWoman, or rather Woman-Barber; and as Barbers bind the Hair round their Fingers to make it curl, our Poet properly fays, On Nature's Fingers turned,' to exprefs, that their Locks curled naturally. So intimately he knows Arts and Artifts

Vilet Temples.] A lefs judicious Writer would have faid, Snow-white; and that not improperly, as it was the Snowy Seafon. But how much more fignificant is the Epithet, Violet? For as Violets are blue, and 'tis common in cold frofty Weather for the Nofe to look blue, fo the Temples will be blue or violet, in fo fevere a Froft.

The Cotton MS. has two Lines immediately after

thefe

which feem to come from our Author

And Jove, kind Barber, from his Heav'nly Puff,
Thofe Locks to powder, fhook down Snow enough.

The furious Blafts, with which the Foreft mews, Dancing the Curls, their falvage Nature lofe. Every Naturalift knows how fuch Forefts, agitated by the Wind, in their Sound resemble the Cry of a Cat, especially if the growls a little, at the fame Time fhe mews.

Lonely they wander'd thro' the leafless Shade, And now befide the frozen Water play'd. How careful is our Poet to let us know that the Shade here meant is leaflefs, left immediately on mentioning the Shade of Trees we should look for Leaves, and be difappointed. We are not too nicely to enquire how the Shade was made; for this is one of the Myfteries, which-fublime Poets are allowed to conceal from vulgar Apprehenfions.

Doubting its Strength, they try the brittle Sides, Now lighter George towards the Centre glides; March views his vent'rous Feet, while gen'rous Fear

Tortures the Eyebrows of the tender Peer.

By March is not meant, as fome will have it, the Month fo called; becaufe it was January that was then King; and as he was but newly in his Reign juft before, we can hardly fuppofe him to be dethroned fo foon.

The trembling Trees their lengthen❜d Arms extend, And leaning, pufh'd by Winds, towards him bend, It is a Doubt whether the Trees would have bent towards him, had they not been pufhed by the Winds. For my Part, I am inclined to think they would; for had they been unwilling to do it, they need not have ftretched out their Arms, as they did,

but