III.

ON THE HON. SIMON HARCOURT,

ONLY SON OF THE LORD CHANCELLOR HARCOURT; At the Church of Stanton-Harcourt in Oxfordshire,

T

1720.

o this fad Shrine, whoe'er thou art! draw near, Here lies the Friend most lov'd, the Son most dear:

Who ne'er knew Joy, but Friendship might divide, Or gave his Father Grief but when he dy'd.

How vain is Reafon, Eloquence how weak! If Pope must tell what HARCOURT cannot speak. Oh let thy once-lov'd Friend inscribe thy Stone, And, with a Father's forrows, mix his own!

5

NOTES.

VER. 4. But when he dy'd.] Thefe were the very words used by Louis XIV. when his Queen died, 1683; though it is not to be imagined they were copied by Pope. Such coincidences in writers

are not uncommon.

VER. 6. If Pope must speak.] A very wretched quibble on the eloquence of Lord Harcourt!

IV.

ON JAMES CRAGGS, ESQ.

In Westminster-Abbey.

JACOBUS CRAGGS

REGI MAGNAE BRITANNIAE À SECRETIS

ET CONSILIIS SANCTIORIBUS,

PRINCIPIS PARITER AC POPULI AMOR ET DELICIAE:

VIXIT TITULIS ET INVIDIA MAJOR

ANNOS, HEU PAUCOS, XXXV.

OB. FEB. XIV. M DCCXX.

Statesman, yet Friend to Truth! of Soul fincere,
In Action faithful, and in Honour clear!
Who broke no Promife, ferv'd no private End,
Who gain'd no Title, and who loft no Friend,
Ennobled by Himfelf, by All approv'd,

Prais'd, wept, and honour'd, by the Mufe he lov'd.

THE

THE following fevere Epitaph on Mr. Craggs, a Parody on the Duke of Buckingham's, in Westminster Abbey, was written by Mr. Smith, Author of Phædra Hippolitus:

"An epitaph," fays Dr. Johnson, "given partly in profe and partly in verse, partly in English and partly in Latin, like that on Craggs, resembles the conversation of a foreigner, who telle part of his meaning by words, and conveys part by figns."

V.

INTENDED FOR MR. ROWE,

IN WESTMINSTER-ABBEY.

THY

HY Reliques, Rowe, to this fair Urn we truft, And facred, place by DRYDEN's awful duft: Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies,

To which thy Tomb fhall guide inquiring eyes.

Peace

VARIATIONS.

He altered it much for the better, as it now ftands on the Mo nument in the Abbey, erected to Rowe and his Daughter:

Thy Reliques, RowE! to this fad shrine we trust,
And near thy SHAKESPEAR place thy honour'd bust.
Oh, next him, skill'd to draw the tender tear,
For never heart felt paffion more fincere ;
To nobler fentiment to fire the brave,
For never BRITON more difdain'd a slave.
Peace to thy gentle fhade, and endless rest;
Bleft in thy genius, in thy love too bleft!
And bleft, that timely from our scene remov❜d,
Thy foul enjoys the liberty it lov'd.

To thefe, fo mourn'd in death, fo lov'd in life!
The childless parent, and the widow'd wife,
With tears infcribes this monumental stone,
That holds their ashes and expects her own.

NOTES.

W.

VER. 3. Beneath a rude] The tomb of Mr. Dryden was erected upon this hint by the Duke of Buckingham; to which was originally intended this Epitaph:

"This

Peace to thy gentle fhade, and endless rest!
Bleft in thy Genius, in thy Love too bleft!
One grateful Woman to thy fame supplies
What a whole thankless land to his denies.

NOTES.

"This Sheffield rais'd. The facred duft below

Was Dryden once: The reft who does not know?" which the Author fince changed into the plain inscription now upon it, being only the name of that great poet:

J. DRYDEN,

Natus Aug. 9. 1631. Mortuus Maij 1. 1700.

JOANNES SHEFFIELD DUX BUCKINGHAMIENSIS POSUIT.

P.

IT was always understood that Pope had a fincere regard for Rowe; but the following extraordinary anecdote is related from Mr. Spence's Collections:

"Rowe, in Mr. Pope's opinion, maintained a decent character, but had no heart. Mr. Addifon was justly offended with some behaviour which arose from that want, and estranged himself from hin, which Rowe felt very feverely. Mr. Pope, their common friend, knowing this, took an opportunity, at some juncture of Mr. Addifon's advancement, to tell him how poor Rowe was grieved at his displeasure, and what fatisfaction he expreffed at Mr. Addison's good fortune; which he expreffed fo naturally, that he (Mr. Pope) could not but think him fincere. Mr. Addison replied, 'I do not fufpect that he feigned; but the levity of his heart is such, that he is ftruck with any new adventure; and it would affect him juft in the fame manner, if he heard I was going to be hanged.' Mr. Pope faid, he could not deny but Mr. Addison understood Rowe well."