MR. POPE's WELCOME FROM GREECE.

A Copy of Verfes, written by Mr. GAY upon Mr. POPE'S having finished his Tranflation of HOMER'S ILIAD.

L

I.

ONG haft thou, friend! been absent from thy foil,
Like patient Ithacus at fiege of Troy;

I have been witness of thy fix years toil,

Thy daily labours, and thy night's annoy, Loft to thy native land, with great turmoil,

On the wide fea, oft threat'ning to destroy: Methinks with thee I've trod Sigæan ground, And heard the fhores of Hellefpont refound.

II.

Did I not fee thee when thou first fett'ft fail
To feek adventures fair in Homer's land?

Did I not fee thy finking spirits fail,

And with thy bark had never left the strand? Ev'n in mid ocean often didst thou quail,

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10

And oft lift up thy holy eye and hand,

Praying the Virgin dear, and faintly choir,
Back to the port to bring thy bark entire.

III.

Chear up, my friend, thy dangers now are o'er;
Methinks-nay, fure the rifing coafts appear;

Hark how the guns falute from either shore,

As thy trim veffel cuts the Thames so fair :

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Shouts

Shouts anfw'ring shouts, from Kent and Effex roar,

And bells break loud thro' every gust of air: Bonfires do blaze, and bones and cleavers ring, As at the coming of fome mighty king.

IV.

Now pass we Gravefend with a friendly wind,
And Tilbury's white fort, and long Blackwall;
Greenwich, where dwells the friend of human kind,
More vifited than either park or hall,
Withers the good, and (with him ever join'd)

Facetious Difney, greet thee first of all:

I fee his chimney smoke, and hear him fay,
Duke! that's the room for Pope, and that for Gay.

V.

Come in, my friends, here shall ye dine and lie,
And here fhall breakfast, and here dine again;
And fup, and breakfast on, (if ye comply)

For I have still some dozens of champaign :
His voice still leffens as the ship fails by ;

He waves his hand to bring us back in vain ; For now I fee, I fee proud London's fpires; Greenwich is loft, and Deptford dock retires.

NOTES.

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30

35

40

VI. Oh,

VER. 29. Withers the good,] There is something highly pleaf. ing in thefe tranfient touches of portraits and character, and in the minute defcriptive circumftances of fcenery. Withers is the fame on whom Pope wrote the Epitaph.

VER. 30. Facetious Difney,] He is called by Lady Mary Montagu, “Duke Disney ;" alfo in the Letters of Pope, &e. "Poor Duke Difncy is dead."

VI.

Oh, what a concourse fwarms on yonder key!
The sky re-echoes with new shouts of joy :
By all this show, I ween, 'tis Lord May'rs day;
I hear the voice of trumpet and hautboy.—
No, now I fee them near-oh, these are they

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Who come in crowds to welcome thee from Troy. Hail to the bard whom long as loft we mourn'd, From fiege, from battle, and from storm return'd!

VII.

Of goodly dames, and courteous knights, I view 50 The filken petticoat, and broider'd vest;

Yea Peers, and mighty Dukes, with ribbands blue, (True blue, fair emblem of unstained breast.) Others I fee, as noble, and more true,

By no court-badge diftinguifh'd from the reft: 55 First see I Methuen, of fincereft mind,

As Arthur grave, as foft as woman kind.

VIII.

What lady's that, to whom he gently bends?
Who knows not her? ah! thofe are Wortley's eyes?
How art thou honour'd, number'd with her friends:
For she distinguishes the good and wife.

61

The

NOTES.

VER. 57 As Arthur grave, &c.] This perfon is mentioned in

the Epistle to Arbuthnot, v. 23.:

"Arthur, whofe giddy fon neglects the laws,

Imputes to me, and my damn'd works, the caufe!"

WARTON.

The fweet-tongu'd Murray near her fide attends.

Now to my heart the glance of Howard flies; Now Harvey, fair of face, I mark full well,

With thee, youth's youngest daughter, fweet Lepell.

IX.

I fee two lovely fisters, hand in hand,

The fair hair'd Martha, and Terefa brown;

Madge Bellenden, the tallest of the land;

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And fmiling Mary, foft and fair as down.

Yonder I fee the chearful Duchess stand,

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For friendship, zeal, and blithsome humours known:

Whence that loud fhout in fuch a hearty strain ?
Why all the Hamiltons are in her train.

X.

See next the decent Scudamore advance,

With Winchelsea, ftill meditating fong:

With her perhaps Mifs Howe came there by chance, Ner knows with whom, or why fhe comes along.

NOTES.

75

Far

VER. 62. Murray] The late Lord Chief Juftice Mansfield. VER. 64. Now Harvey,] Mary Lepel!, married to Lord Harvey.

VER. 65. two lovely fifters,]
VER. 67. Madge Bellenden

prior note.

VER. 70. chearfu' Duchefs]

Martha and Terefa Blount.

Sister to Mary, of whom see a

Duchefs of Queenfborough.

VER. 74. Scudamore] Lady Scudamore.

VER. 76. Mifs Howe] Mentioned before in Verfes "On Prudery."

Far off from these fee Santlow, fam'd for dance;
And frolick Bicknell, and her sister young;
With other names, by me not to be nam'd,
Much lov'd in private, not in public fam❜d!

XI.

But now behold the female band retire,

And the fhrill mufic of their voice is ftill'd! Methinks I fee fam'd Buckingham admire,

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That in Troy's ruin thou hadft not been kill'd; 85 Sheffield, who knows to strike the living lyre, With hand judicious, like thy Homer skill'd. Bathurst impetuous haftens to the coast, Whom you and I ftrive who fhall love the most.

XII.

See generous Burlington, with goodly Bruce, (But Bruce comes wafted in a soft sedan) Dan Prior next, belov'd by ev'ry muse,

And friendly Congreve, unreproachful man! (Oxford by Cunningham hath fent excuse)

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See hearty Watkins comes with cup and cann; 95

And Lewis, who has never friend forfaken ;

And Laughton whisp'ring afks-Is Troy town taken?

NOTES.

XIII. Earl

VER. 78. Santlow, fam'd for dance ;] She afterwards married Booth the player. Mrs. Bicknell, the actrefs, is mentioned either in the Spectator or Tatler, with applause.

WARTON.