Lady's Poetical Magazine, Or Beauties of British Poetry

But when th' illuftrious poet foars above
The sportive revels of the god of love,
Like Maro's Muse he takes a loftier flight,
And tow'rs beyond the wond'ring Cupid's fight.
If thou wouldst have thy volume ftand the teft,
And of all others be reputed beft,

Let Congreve teach the lift'ning groves to mourn,
As when he wept o'er fair Paftora's urn.

Let Prior's Muse with soft'ning accents move,
Soft as the strains of conftant Emma's love;
Or let his fancy chufe fome jovial theme,
As when he told Hans Carvel's jealous dream:
Prior th' admiring reader entertains

With Chaucer's humour and with Spencer's ftrains.
Waller in Granville lives: when Mira fings,
With Waller's hand he ftrikes the founding ftrings;
With sprightly turns his noble genius fhines,
And manly sense adorns his eafy lines.

On Addison's sweet lays attention waits,
And filence guards the place while he repeats:
His Mufe alike on ev'ry fubje&t charms,
Whether she paints the god of love or arms:
In him pathetick Ovid fings again,
And Homer's Iliad fhines in his Campaign.
Whenever Garth fhall raise his fprightly fong,
Senfe flows in easy numbers from his tongue;
Great Phoebus in his learned fon we fee,

Alike in phyfick as in poetry.

When Pope's harmonious Mufe with pleasure roves
Amidst the plains, the murm'ring ftreams and groves,
Attentive Echo, pleas'd to hear his fongs,

Thro' the glad shade each warbling note prolongs;
His various numbers charm our ravish'd ears,
His fteady judgment far outfhoots his years,

And early in the youth the god appears.

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From thefe fuccefsful bards collect thy ftrains, And praise with profit fhall reward thy pains : Then, while calves-leather binding bears the fway, And sheep-skin to it's fleeker glofs gives way; While neat old Elzivir is reckon'd better

Than Pirate Hill's brown sheets and scurvy letter ;
While print-admirers careful Aldus chufe,
Before John Morphew, or the weekly news;
So long fhall live thy praise in books of fame,
And Tonfon yield to Lintott's lofty name.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.