With feven revolving funs, the racy juice, And olive rarely interfpers'd, whose shade Thus Britain's hardy fons, of ruftic mould, Should they, with high defence of triple brafs horns, Whilft Demogorgon heard his stern beheft) boafts Herfelf a world, with ocean circumfus'd? The mind to ditties blithe, and charming fong. His feimeter with huge two-handed sway. door: Thy jocund fons confront the horrid van, That crowds his gonfalon of feven foot size; And with their rubied faces and the foe; Whilst they of fober guise contrive retreat, She faid: the fire of gods and men fupreme, BACHANALIAN SONG'. COME, fill me a glass, fill it high, A bumper, a bumper I'll have: He's a fool that will flinch; I'll not bate an ind Though I drink myself into my grave. Here's a health to all those jolly fouls, Who like me will never give o'er, Whom no danger controuls, but will take of their bowls, And merrily ftickle for more. Drown Reafon and all fuch weak foes, I fcorn to obey her command; Could the ever fuppofe I'd be led by the nafe, And let my glass idly stand? Reputation's a bugbear to fools, A foe to the joys of dear drinking, Made ufe of by tools, who'd fet us new ruits, And bring us to politic thinking. THE LIFE OF WALSH. WILLIAM WALSH Was fon of Jofeph Walsh, Efq. of Abberly, in Worcestershire, where he was born in 1663. At the age of fifteen, he was entered a gentleman commoner in Wadham College, Oxford; but left the university without taking a degree. On leaving the univerfity, he retired to his native county, and pursued his ftudies at home. He afterwards gratified his defire of travelling, and improved himself by converfing with men of wit and learning abroad. On his return from his travels he came to London, where his rank, talents, and address, soon introduced him to the firft company in high and literary life. The best judges of his time bear teftimony to the early indications of his taste and judgment in poetry and criticism. With Dryden, in particular, he was a great favourite; for in the poftfcript to his Virgil, he calls him the beft critic of our nation. He was not, however, merely a critic and a scholar, but a man of fashion, oftentatiously splendid, it is faid, in his dress; and a courtier, distinguished by the friendship of the Duke of Shrewsbury, and Gentleman of the Horse to Queen Anne, under the Duke of Somerset. He was likewise a member of parliament, having been several times chofen knight of the thire for the county of Worcester, and once the representative of Richmond in Yorkshire. He appears, from his writings, to have been a zealous friend of the Revolution; but without rancour or animofity against the opposite party; for he continued his reverence and kindness for Dryden, after he was difpoffeffed of the laurel by King William, and discountenanced by the public, for his mean compliance and converfion to Popery in the preceding reign. In 1705, he began to correspond with Pope, in whom he discovered very early the power of poetry, and predicted his future excellence. Their letters are written upon the paftoral comedy of the Italians, and the pastorals which Pope was then preparing to publish. Pope always retained a grateful remembrance of his early notice, and mentioned him in one of his latter pieces among those that had encouraged his juvenile studies: "And knowing Walsh would tell me I could write." He had before given him more fplendid praise in his Effay on Criticism; and, in the opinion of Warburton, facrificed a little of his judgment to his gratitude. The time of his death is uncertain; but it is fuppofed to have happened in 1709, in the 46th year of his age. This is all that is known of Walf; a man much admired by his contemporaries; and who feems to have had a well cultivated, though not a very extensive understanding. Dryden and Pope have given their fan&tion in his favour, to whom he was perfonally known: a circumftance greatly to his advantage; for had there been no perfonal friendship, there is reafon to believe, their encomiums would have been lefs lavish; at leaft, his works do not carry fo high an idea of him as they have done. His works are not numerous. In profe he wrote a Dialogue concerning Wamen, being a Defence of the Fair Sex, addreffed to Eugenia, printed in 1691. This is the meft confiderable of his productions, and is highly commended by Dryden in a preface which he prefixed to it. "I was not ignorant," fays that great critic, that he was naturally ingenious, and that he had improved himself by travelling; and from thence I might reasonably have expected that ar of gallantry which is fo vifibly diffufed through the body of the work, and is indeed the foul that animates all things of this nature; but fo much variety of reading, both in ancient and modern authors, fuch digeftion of that reading, so much juftness of thought, that it leaves no room for affectation or pedantry I may venture to fay, are not over common among practifed writers, and very rarely to be found among beginners" In 1692, he published "A Collection of Letters and Poems, amorous and gallant;" to which he pre fixed a very judicious preface upon epiftolary compofition and amorous poetry. In 1697, he wrote an Essay on Paftoral Poetry, with a short defence of Virgil, against some of the reflections of Fontenelle, which is prefixed to Dryden's tranflation of Virgil's Paftorals. A small polthumous piece of his compofition, entitled Efculapius, or the Hofpital of Feels, in imitation of Lucian, was printed in 1714. His poems were reprinted among the works of the minor poets, in 2 vols. 12mo. 1749. They conlift chiefly of elegies, epitaphs, odes and fongs, which are in general elegant, though not great. His Golden Age Refiored, in particular, has fonie humour; and his Imitation of Horace is, for the most part, happily turned. "He is known more," fays Dr. Johnfon, " by his familiarity with great men, than by any thing done or written by himself. In all his writings there are pleafing paffages. He has, howeve, more elegance than vigour, and feldom rifes higher than to be pretty." |