MISCELLANIES. THE CLOWN'S REPLY. John Trott was desir'd by two witty peers, "An't please you," quoth John, "I'm not given to letters, PROLOGUE, WRITTEN AND SPOKEN BY THE POET LABERIUS, A ROMAN KNIGHT, WHOM CESAR FORCED UPON THE STAGE. Preserved by Macrobius.t WHAT! no way left to shun th' inglorious stage, * [This is the only effusion preserved of several, which Goldsmith is said to have written while a student at Edinburgh.] [This translation was first printed in "The Present State of Polite Learning," in 1759; but was omitted in the second edition, which appeared in 1774. Decimus Laberius was made a Roman knight by Julius Cæsar. For a long period he maintained the first character as a farce writer; but Publius Syrus at last became his rival, and carried off the applause of the theatre See Aulus Gellius, l. iii., c. 7; and Hor. Sat. lib. i. sat. x.] Scarce half alive, oppress'd with many a year, THE LOGICIANS REFUTED. In imitation of Dean Swift.* Logicians have but ill defin'd As rational the human mind; [First printed in the "Busy Body," 1759; to draw attention to which publication it was announced as the production of the Dean of St. Patrick. It was included in the Dublin edition of his works, and is continued by Sir Walter Scott, who had doubtless forgotten its position in the works of Goldsmith. See Life, ch. ix. Reason, they say, belongs to man, By ratiocinations specious, Have strove to prove with great precision, With definition and division, Homo est ratione preditum ; But for my soul I cannot credit 'em; That man and all his ways are vain ; Than reason, boasting mortals' pride; Deus est anima brutorum. Who ever knew an honest brute At law his neighbor prosecute, Bring action for assault and battery, Or friend beguile with lies and flattery? No politics disturb their mind; They eat their meals and take their sport, Nor know who's in or out at court; They never to the levee go To treat as dearest friend, a foe; They never importune his Grace, Nor ever cringe to men in place; Nor draw the quill to write for Bob :* * [Sir Robert Walpole, the object of so much vituperation by Swift.] Fraught with invective they ne'er go, No judges, fiddlers, dancing masters, At court, the porters, lacqueys, waiters, And footmen, lords and dukes can act. Thus at the court, both great and small, Behave alike, for all ape all. EPIGRAM ON A BEAUTIFUL YOUTH, STRUCK BLIND BY LIGHTNING.* Sure 'twas by Providence design'd, Rather in pity, than in hate, That he should be, like Cupid, blind, STANZAS ON THE TAKING OF QUEBEC, AND DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE. † Amidst the clamor of exulting joys, Which triumph forces from the patriot heart, And quells the raptures which from pleasure start. O, Wolfe to thee a streaming flood of woc, Whilst thy sad fate extorts the heart-wrung tear. * [First printed in "The Bec," 1759. See vol. i. p. 18.] ["The Princess of Eboli, the mistress of Phillip II. of Spain, and Maugiron, the minion of Henry III. of France, had each of them lost an eye; and the famous Latin epigram, which Goldsmith has either translated or imitated, was written on them."-LORD BYRON, Works, vol. vi p. 390.] [First printed in the "Busy Body," 1759. The alleged relationship of the Poet with this distinguished officer, produced very naturally an effort to celebrate him, after a death so honorable.] |