BOOK I. That fure attends. CIDER. Permit me, bounteous Lord, To blazon what, though hid, will beauteous fhine, And with thy name to dignify my song. But who is he, that on the winding stream Of Vaga first drew vital breath, and now Approv'd in Anna's fecret councils fits, 73 651 Weighing the fum of things with wise forecast, 655 Solicitous of public good? How large His mind, that comprehends whate'er was known Not conscious of its skill! What praise deserves 660 To blazon what, though hid, will beauteous fhine,]. But, mortals, know 'tis ftill our greatest pride To BLAZE THOSE VIRTUES WHICH THE GOOD WOULD HIDE. 652. But who is he, that on the winding fiream Of Vaga firft drew vital breath, &c.] V. 368. QUIS PROCUL ILLE AUTEM ramis infignis oliva, Virg. ENEID. vi. 808. 655. Weighing the fum of things with wife forecast,] In citing the following paffage from Milton in this place, it is highly proper to refer the reader to an observation in a preceding note. (See note on V. 526.) Had not the Almighty Father, where he fits CONSULTING ON THE SUM OF THINGS, foreseen. L P. L. vi. 671. Thy Thy pipe, and skreen'd thee from opprobrious tongues. Acknowledge thy own Harley, and his name 663. —And Skreen'd thee from opprobrious tongues.] From the accounts we have of the amiable mildness and inoffenfive difpofition of our Poet, we may wonder what could have induced any persons to have thrown reproaches on him; or what ground they could have found for fo doing. But it must be remembered that he was patronifed by a party, and " was called forth to deliver the acclamation of the Tories upon the "victory at Blenheim, probably with an occult oppofition to Addison;" whofe, pen being fet to work upon the fame occafion by the Wigs, produced his moft popular poem, The Campaign. It may be fuppofed that fome comparifons took place between these rival compofitions, which poffibly bore hard upon our Author, whofe Blenheim, as Dr. Johnfon well obferves," is the poem of a scholar, all inexpert of war; of a man, who "writes books from books, and ftudies the world in a college.' may fancy alfo that there is a certain stiffness in it, which marks its being compofed (as his Biographers have affured us it was) without a difpofition for the task, at the folicitation of those whom he could not refuse. 664. Harley.] -We The family of Harley in England is very ancient. The illuftrious family of Harlai in France is fuppofed to be a branch of it. A warrior of the name of Harley, commanded an army under Ethelred King of England, in his wars against Swaine King of Denmark. Before the Norman conqueft, Sir John de Harley poffeffed Harley castle in Shropshire.Robert Harley, fon of Sir Richard Harley, in the reign of Edward II. married Margaret daughter and coheir of Bryan de Brampton, by which marriage he acquired, together with a great eftate, Brampton caftle.Thomas Harley Efq. of Brampton, had a grant from King James I. of the Caftle of Wigmore in Herefordshire; he was father of Sir Robert Harley Knight of the Bath, who was grandfather of the Lord Treasurer. Robert Harley, eldest fon of Sir Edward Harley Knight of the Bath, by his fecond wife Abigail daughter of Nathaniel Stephens Efq. of Effington in Glocefterfhire, did not firft" draw his vital breath on Vaga's winding ftream," as our Poet here fuppofes, but was born in Bow Street Covent Garden, December 5, 1661, and was educated under the Reverend Mr. Birch at Shilton near Burford, together with the Lords Harcourt and Trevor, who also were the zealous friends and patrons of our Author. He was first chofen Member of Parliament for Tregony in Cornwall, and afterwards ferved for the town of Radnor, till he was made a Peer. He was Speaker of the House of Commons in three fucceeding Parliaments. In 1704 he was made Secretary of State, in which office he continued four years, when having gained confiderable credit with the Queen he raised fo much the jealoufies of all parties, that he was obliged to refign. On the change of the Miniftry in 1710, he came a fecond time into power, being made one of the Commiffioners of the Treasury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. In the following year a confiderable party began again to Book I. CIDER. 75 Inscribe on every bark; the wounded plants 665 to be formed against him, but he recovered his finking popularity by an event that was near proving fatal to him, being ftabbed with a pen-knife by the Marquis de Guifcard, a French spy, then under examination of the Privy Council for a fuppofed defign on the life of the Queen. This accident was of great ufe to Mr. Harley, as the party formed against him could not immediately attack a man felected by the intended affaifin of the Queen as his next victim. The Queen took this occafion to create him a Peer by the titles of Baron Harley of Wigmore, and Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer; with remainder, for want of male iffue, to the heirs male of Sir Robert Harley Knight of the Bath, his grandfather. She alfo appointed him Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain, and the next year made him a Knight of the Garter.- He refigned his ftaff of Lord High Treafurer into the hands of the Queen a few days before her death. The first year of the following reign, he was impeached by the Commons, and, being committed to the Tower by the Houfe of Lords, remained in confinement till the ift of July 1717, when, being brought to a public trial by his Peers, he was acquitted.- He was one of the great Patrons of our Poet, who addreffed to him his Elenbeim with a highly encomiaftic exordium. Pope alfo compliments him in a very high ftrain in an Epiftle addreffed to him, with an edition of Parnell's Poems, after his retreat into the country. And fure if aught below the feats divine Can touch immortals, 'tis a foul like thine; A very oppofite character is indeed given of him by Lord Bolinbroke, once his great political confederate, in his Letter to Sir William Wyndbam, as well as by Bishop Burnet in his Hiftory of his own Time. Perhaps equal allowance fhould be made for the compliments of Poets, the political quarrels of Statefmen, and the violence of Party-writers. He died May 21, 1724, aged 64, leaving by his firft wife Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Foley, Efq. of Witley Court in the county of Worcester, and fifter of the firft Lord Foley, one fon, Edward; who fucceeded him in his eftate and title, and, marrying the daughter and heirefs of his Grace John Duke of Newcastle, left by her only one daughter, that eminent Virtuofa, the late much respected Duchefs Dowager of Portland: the title and eftate defcending to his first coufin Edward Harley Efq. of Eyewood in the county of Hereford, his name 665. This Such are our heroes, by their virtues known, Or fkill in peace and war. Of fofter mold The female fex, with sweet attractive airs, Subdue obdurate hearts. The travellers oft', 670 That view their matchless forms with transient glance, Catch sudden love, and figh for nymphs unknown, Smit with the magic of their eyes, Nor hath This is from Virgil, ECLOG. X. 52. · Certum eft in fylvis, inter fpelea ferarum Malle pati, TENERISQUE MEOS INCIDERE AMORES ] WARTON, It is poffible that Philips had here in his mind a paffage in the fecond Book of the PARADISE REGAINED, which the fine tafte of the late Mr. Warton has juftly termed exquifite. Many are in each region paffing fair As the noon-sky: more like to goddeffes Than mortal creatures, graceful and difcreet, And sweet allay'd, yet terrible t'approach; 670. V. 155 the travellers oft', That view their matchlefs forms with tranfient glance, Milton, in his feventh Elegy, written at the age of nineteen, describes himself" catching fudden love, and fighing for an unknown nymph.' The fy, tedious days, defpis'd, forlorn, 74. The dadal hand of Nature.] s is Lucretius's NATURAQUE DEDALA rerum. 587. Equal love.] has the fame expreffion in his Splendid Shilling. he, each circling glass, Witheth her health, and joy, and EQUAL LOVE. libly he had a paffage of Terence in his mind. O Thais, Thais, utinam effet mihi PARS EQUA AMORIS tecum; ac pariter fieret Ut aut hoc tibi doleret itidem, ut mihi dolet; Aut ego iftuc abs te factum nihili penderem. L. v. 235. 685 690 Eunuch. Act I. Sc. II. With |