Altho' ironically grave,

He fham'd the fool, and lafh'd the knave:
To fteal a hint was never known,

310

But what he writ was all his own.

SIR, I have heard another story; "He was a moft confounded Tory. "And grew, or he is much bely'd, "Extremely dull, before he dy'd."

315

CAN we the Drapier then forget? Is not our nation in his debt?

"Twas he that wri. the Drapier's letters!-

"HE fhould have left them for his betters;

320

"We had a hundred abler men,

"Nor need de; end upon his pen.

Say what you will about his reading, "You never can defend his breeding; "Who in his jatires, running riot, "Could never leave the surta in quiet ; "Attacking, when he took the whim,

all one to him.

325

"Court, city, camp,

"But why would he, except he flobber'd,

"Offend our patriot, great Sir Robert,

330

"Whofe counfels aid the fov'reign pow'r "To fave the nation ev'ry hour?

"What scenes of evil he unravels

"In fatires, libels, lying travels!

"Not sparing his own clergy-cloth,

"But eats into it, like a moth!

PERHAPS I may allow, the Dean

Had too much fatire in his vein,

And feem'd determin'd not to starve it,

Because no

age could more deferve it.

Yet malice never was his aim;

He lash'd the vice, but fpar'd the name.

335

340

No individual could-refent,

Where thousands equally were meant:

345

His fatire points at no defect,
But what all mortals may correct;
For he abhorr'd that senseless tribe
Who call ic humour when they gibe:
He fpar'd a hump or crooked nofe,
Whose owners fet not up for beaux.
True genuine dulnefs mov'd his pity,
Unless it offered to be witty.

Those who their ignorance confeft,
He ne'er offended with a jeft;
But laugh'd to hear an idiot quote
A verfe from Horace learn'd by rote.
Vice, if it e'er can be abash'd,
Must be or ridicul'd, or lafe'd.
If you refent it, who's to blame?
He neither knew you, nor your name.
Should vice expect to 'scape rebuke,
Because its owner is a duke?
His friendships, ftill to few confin'd,
Were always of the middling kind;
No fools of rank or mongrel breed,
Who fain would pafs for lords indeed,
Where titles give no right or power,
And peerage is a wither'd flower.
He would have deem'd it a difgrace,
If fuch a wretch had known his face.
On rural fquires, that kingdom's bane,
He vented oft his wrath in vain:

Squires to market brought;

Who fell their fouls and――for nought;
The-go joyful back,

To the church, their tenants rack,
Go fnacks with *

And keep the peace, to pick up fees:

In every job to have a share,

A jail or t-np-e to repair;

And turn the———for public roads
Commodious to their own abodes.

He never thought an honour done him,
Because a peer was proud to own him ;
Would rather flip afide, and chufe

To talk with wits in dirty fhoes;

And fcorn the tools with stars and garters,
So often seen careffing Chartres.
He never courted men in ftation,
Nor perfons held in admiration ;:
Of no man's greatness was afraid,
Because he fought for no man's aid.
Tho' trusted long in great affairs,
He gave himself no haughty airs:
Without regarding private ends,
Spent all his credit for his friends ::
And only chofe the wife and good;
No flatt'rers; no allies in blood;
But fuccour'd virtue in distress,
And feldom fail'd of good fuccefs;
As numbers in their hearts must own,

Who, but for him, had been unknown.

He kept with princes due decorum ;

Yet never flood in awe before 'ern.

He follow'd David's leffon juft ;

In princes never put his truft:

And, would you make him truly four,
Provoke him with a flave in power.

The I-sh f-te if you nam'd,

With what impatience he declaim'd!
Fair LIBERTY was all his cry;

For her he stood prepar'd to die
For her he boldly stood alone;
For her he oft expos'd his own.

380

385

390

395

.400

405

410

Two kingdoms, just as faction led, ́
Had fet a price upon his head;
But not a traitor could be found,

415

To fell him for fix hundred pound.

HAD he but fpar'd his tongue and pen,
He might have rofe like other men :
But power was never in his thought,

420

And wealth he valu'd not a groat:

Who ftill were true, to please his foes.

He labour'd many a fruitless hour t,

To reconcile his friends in power;

430

Saw mifchief by a faction brewing,

While they purfu'd each other's ruin.
But, finding vain was all his care,

He left the court in mere defpair.

In the year 1713, the late Queen was prevailed with by an addrefs from the house of Lords in England, to publish a procla mation, promifing three hundred pounds to difcover the author of a pamphlet, called, The public ffirit of the Whigs; and in Ireland, in the year 1724, the Lord Carteret, at his firft coming into the government, was prevailed on to iffue a proclamation, pro. mifing the like reward of three hundred pounds to any person who could difcover the author of a pamphlet, called, The Drapier's fourth letter, &c. writ against that destructive project of coining halfpence for Ireland. But in neither kingdom was the Dean dif covered. Dub. edit.. -See vol. v. and vol. iii. p. 59.

This

Queen Anne's miniftry fell to variance from the first year after their miniftry began. Harcourt the Chancellor, and Lord Bolingbroke the Secretary, were difcontented with the Treasurer Oxford, for his too much mildness to the Whig party. quarrel grew higher every day until the Queen's death. The Dean, who was the only perfon that endeavoured to reconcile them, found it impoffible; and thereupon retired to the country about ten weeks before that fatal event. Upon which he returned to his deanry in Dublin; where, for many years, he was worried by the new people in power, and had hundreds of libels writ an gainst him in England. Dub. edit.—See vol. iv. p. az.

AND, oh! how short are human schemes!

435

Here ended all our golden dreams.

What St John's fkill in ftate-affairs,
What Ormond's valour, Oxford's cares,
To fave their finking country lent,
Was all destroy'd by one event.

440

And make the government a Babel:
Pervert the laws, difgrace the gown,
Corrupt the f te, rob the c
To facrifice old E-d's glory,

450

Himself within the frown of power;
Purfu'd by base invenom'd pens,

Far to the land of S

and fens ;

A fervile race in folly nurs❜d,

Who truckle moft, when treated worst.

460

*In the height of the quarrel between the ministers, the Queen died. Dub. edit.

+ Upon Queen Anne's death, the Whig faction was restored to power, which they exercifed with the utmost rage and revenge; impeached and banished the chief leaders of the church-party, and stripped all their adherents of what employments they had, c. Dub. edit.

Upon the Queen's death, the Dean returned to live in Dublin, at the deanry houfe. Numberlefs libels were writ against him in England as a Jacobite; he was infulted in the street, and at night he was forced to be attended by his fervants armed. Dub. edit. The land of S--and fens, is Ireland. Dub. edit.