On one that fits our purpose most,
Whom therefore thus we do accost:—
Thou that with ale, or viler liquors, 645
Didst inspire Withers, Pryn, and Vickars,[1]
And force them, though it were in spite
Of Nature, and their stars, to write;
Who, as we find in sullen writs,
And cross-grain'd works of modern wits, 650
With vanity, opinion, want,
The wonder of the ignorant,
The praises of the author, penn'd
By himself, or wit-insuring friend;
The itch of picture in the front, 655
With bays, and wicked rhyme upon't,
All that is left o' th' forked hill[2]
To make men scribble without skill;
Canst make a poet, spite of fate,
And teach all people to translate; 660
Though out of languages, in which
They understand no part of speech;
Assist me but this once, I 'mplore,
And I shall trouble thee no more.
In western clime there is a town,[3] 665
To those that dwell therein well known,
Therefore there needs no more be said here,
We unto them refer our reader;
For brevity is very good.
When w' are, or are not understood.[4] 670
To this town people did repair
On days of market, or of fair,
- ↑ George Wither, a violent party writer, and author of many poetical pieces; William Prynne, a voluminous writer, and author of the Histriomastix, for which he lost his ears; John Vickars, a fierce parliamentary zealot. A list of the works of these and other writers of the period will be found in Lowndes, Bibl. Manual.
- ↑ That is, Parnassus, supposed to be cleft on the summit.
- ↑ He probably means Brentford, about eight miles west of London. See Part ii. Cant. iii. ver. 996.
- ↑ "If we are understood, more words are unnecessary; if we are not likely to be understood, they are useless." Charles II. answered the Earl of Manchester with the above couplet, only changing very for ever, when he was making a long speech in favour of the dissenters.
