Then from his closing eyes thy form shall part, And the last pang fhall tear thee from his heart. Life's idle bufinefs at one gafp be o'er, The Mufe forgot, and thou belov'd no more! PRO PROLOGUE то Mr. ADDISON's Tragedy O F САТО. T O wake the foul by tender ftrokes of art, 5 To raise the genius, and to mend the heart; To make mankind, in confcious virtue bold, Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold: For this the Tragic Muse first trod the stage, Commanding tears to stream thro' ev'ry age; Tyrants no more their favage nature kept, And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept. Our author fhuns by vulgar fprings to move The hero's glory, or the virgin's love; In pitying Love, we but our weakness show, And wild Ambition well deserves its woe. Here tears shall flow from a more gen'rous cause, Such Tears as Patriots shed for dying Laws: He bids your breafts with ancient ardour rife, 15 And calls forth Roman drops from British eyes. 10 20 Virtue confefs'd in human fhape he draws, 25 Who hears him groan, and does not wish to bleed? Ev'n when proud Cæfar, 'midft triumphal cars, The fpoils of nations, and the pomp of wars, Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in ftate; 30 35 Your VER. 20. But what with pleasure] This alludes to a famous paffage of Seneca, which Mr. Addison afterwards used as a motto to his play, when it was printed. VER. 37. Britons, attend] Mr. Pope had written it arife, in the fpirit of Poetry and Liberty; but Mr. Addifon frightend at fo daring an expreffion, which, he thought, fquinted at rebellion, would have it alter'd, in the fpirit of Profe and Politics, to attend. Your scene precariously fubfifts too long On French tranflation, and Italian fong. 41 45 VER. 46. As Cato felf, etc.] This alludes to the famous ftory of his going into the Theatre, and imme diately coming out again. EPILOGUE то Mr. RowE'S JANE SHORE. PRO Defigned for Mrs. OLDFIELD. Rodigious this! the Frail-one of our Play From her own Sex fhould mercy find to-day! You might have held the pretty Head afide, Peep'd in your fans, been serious, thus, and cry'd, "How ftrangely you expose yourself, my dear ?” Our sex are still forgiving at their heart; There are, 'tis true, who tell another tale, The godly dame, who fleshly failings damns, 15 20 Would |