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ON RECEIVING FROM

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE LADY FRANCES SHIRLEY

A STANDISH AND TWO PENS.

YES, I beheld th' Athenian Queen

Defcend in all her fober charms; "And take (fhe faid, and fmil'd ferene) "Take at this hand celestial arms:

"Secure the radiant weapons wield;

"This golden lance fhall guard Defert,

NOTES.

5

"And

The Lady Frances Shirley] A Lady whofe great Merit Mr. Pope took a real pleasure in celebrating. WARBURTON.

VER. 1. Yes, I beheld, &c.] To enter into the spirit of this Addrefs, it is neceffary to premise, that the Poet was threatened with a profecution in the House of Lords, for the two foregoing Poems, the Epilogue to the Satires. On which, with great resent. ment against his enemies, for not being willing to diftinguish be

tween

Grave Epiftles bringing Vise to light,

and licentious Libels, he began a third Dialogue, more fevere and fublime than the first and fecond; which being no fecret, matters were foon compromised. His enemies agreed to drop the profecution, and he promised to leave the third Dialogue unfinished and fuppreffed. This affair occafioned this little beautiful poem, to which it alludes throughout, but more especially in the four laft ftanzas. WARBURTON

"And if a Vice dares keep the field,
"This steel shall ftab it to the heart."

Aw'd, on my bended knees I fell,

Receiv'd the weapons of the sky;

And dipt them in the fable Well,

ΙΟ

The Fount of Fame or Infamy.

" What Well? what Weapon? (Flavia cries)
"A ftandifh, fteel and golden pen!
"It came from Bertrand's, not the skies;
" I gave it you to write again.

"But, Friend, take heed whom you attack
"You'll bring a House (I mean of Peers)
"Red, Blue, and Green, nay white and black,
"Land all about your ears.

"You'd write as fmooth again on glass,

"And run, on ivory, fo glib,

"As not to ftick at fool or ass, "Nor ftop at Flattery or Fib.

"Athenian Queen! and fober charms !
"I tell ye, fool, there's nothing in't:

NOTES.

VER. 15. Bertrand's,] A famous toy-shop at Bath.

VER. 23. fool or afs,] The Dunciad.

15

20

25

" 'Tis

WARBURTON.

WARBURTON.

VER. 24. Flattery or Fib.] The Epifile to Dr. Arbuthnot.

WARBURTON.

""Tis Venus, Venus gives thefe arms; "In Dryden's Virgil fee the print.

Come, if you'll be a quiet foul,

"That dares tell neither Truth nor Lies,

“I'll lift you in the harmless roll

“Of those that sing of these poor eyes.'

NOTES.

39

VER 27. thofe arms;] Such toys being the ufual prefents from lovers to their miftreffes. WARBURTON.

VFR. 28 fee the print.] When fhe delivers Æneas a fuit of heavenly armour. WARBURTON.

VER. 30. neither Truth nor Lies,] i. e. If you have neither the courage to write Satire, nor the application to attempt an Epic Poem. He was then meditating on fuch a work.

WARBURTON.

VER. 32. Of those that fing of these poor eyes.] Among the many fwains who fung of " thefe poor eyes," was Lord Chefterfield, in his well known Ballad :—

"When Fanny blooming fair,
Firft met my ravish'd fight,
Struck with her face' and air,

I gaz'd with strange delight."

This beautiful Lady was fourth daughter of Earl Ferrers, who had at that time a houfe at Twickenham. Notwithstanding her numerous admirers, she died at Bath, unmarried, in the year 1762. At Clarendon Park, near Salisbury, the feat of her Sifter's Son, Henry Bathurst efq., there is a full length painting, by Sir Godfrey Kneller; and if fhe was as handfome as she is there reprefented, Lord Chefterfield's paffionate addrefs might be eafily accounted for. The writer of this note had looked at it for fome time with admiration, without knowing whofe portrait it was, when the hofpitable and benevolent Owner of the mansion said, "That is the celebrated Fanny blooming fair." Her fifter, married to Mr. Bathurst's father, is painted at full length in the fame room.

Lady

Lady Frances is dreffed in a Turkish habit, probably introduced by Lady M. W. Montagu to England at the time, as she lived at Twickenham. The dress is beautiful, and gives great effect to the attitude and countenance. The sketch of Earl Ferrers' House and Gardens is in the back ground.

I shall here present the Reader with a valuable Literary Curio. fity, a Fragment of an unpublished Satire of Popè, intitled, ON THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND FORTY; communicated to me by the kindness of the learned and worthy Dr. Wilson, formerly fellow and librarian of Trinity College, Dublin; who Speaks of the Fragment in the following terms:

"This Poem I tranfcribed from a rough draft in Pope's own hand. He left many blanks for fear of the Argus Eye of those who, if they cannot find, can fabricate treafon; yet, spite of his precaution, it fell into the hands of his enemies. To the hieroglyphics, there are direct allufions, I think in fome of the notes on the Dunciad. It was lent me by a grandson of Lord Chetwynd, an intimate friend of the famous Lord Bolingbroke, who gratified his curiofity by a boxful of the rubbish and sweepings of Pope's ftudy, whofe executor he was, in conjunction with Lord Marchmont." WARTON.

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