Page:Complete Works of Henry Fielding - Henley Vol 10.djvu/306

282 Long have I seen, with sorrow and surprise, Unhelped, unheeded, thy strong genius rise, To form our manners and amend our laws, And aid, with artful hand, the public cause.

When modern crimes, to elder times unknown, With worse than Sodom's guilt pollute this town, Tied to old rules, though Westminster must aid, The shame and scandal of the nuptial bed, Thy equitable muse asserts her claim, To mark the monster with eternal shame, Thy brute appears, in the most just decree, Triumphant only in his infamy.

But see! the politician mounts the stage, The bane and weakness of our clime and age! Who can unmoved behold th' instructive scene? Indulge his laughter? or contain his spleen? When he reflects that such grave heads, so late, Controlled our senate, and inflamed our state!

Oh! had the muse a due attention found, Her flights encouraged, and her labours crowned; Each busy knave had felt her vengeful hand, And laughter branded whom the laws should brand!

In vain we wish!—and the compliant bard The public taste must sway, that must reward; To that conforming, he must fill the scene, With puppets, players, Henley, harlequin; Farce, mask, and opera, Grub Street and the Court, Linked of nonsense must club to make us sport.

Yet here, even here, what sense! with how much art, He courts the head, since we deny the heart; Mark, in his mirth how innocent he plays! And while he mines the mimic, hurts not Bayes—— Though much provoked, no base ill-nature stains, With murderous dye, his unpolluted strains.