Page:The Law of Lombardy.djvu/5



ARD is the tak, in modern days to chooe, Congenial ubjects for the tragic mue: The hitorian's page, the fertile epic tore, Were known, and ranack’d centuries before: Like lucious gardens, unenclos'd they lay, To ev'ry aunt'ring bard an eay prey. The enter’d, and, as tate impell'd, they fed On Homer ome, and ome on Hollinghead. From loftiet numbers, or from humblet proe, At each conpir’d, the artles tructures roe. Thus one great labour of their work was o'er, They found a fable, and they ought no more. Careles were they of action, place, or time, Whoe only toil was dialogue and rhyme. “Rules which the rigid Sragyrite devis'd, “Our fathers knew not, or, if known, depis'd. Whilt ide by ide, were mingled in the cene, A laughing rutic, and a weepinh queen. Space was obedient to the boundles piece, That op'd in Mexico, and clos'd in Greece. Then thick with plots the crowded tale was own, 'Till the divided boom felt for none; “They fear’d no cenures of a frowning pit, “That judg'd as looely as the authors writ.” But we, who poted in time's tardy rear, Before a learn'd tribunal now appear; With anxious art a lable mut deign, Where probability, and interet join: Where time, and place, and action, all agree To violate no acred unity. And thus each candid critic mut confes The labour greater, and indulgence les; When uch the tak, the wonder is to meet, Not many pieces bad, but one complete. Nor let preumptious poets fondly claim From rules exemption, by great Shakepeare's name; Though comets move with wild excentric force, Yet humbler planets keep their tated coure. But now, a bard, who touch'd your hearts before, Again alutes you from a neighbouring hore. Fir'd by the applaue you gave his early lays, He tands again a candidate for praie; Nor from your former favour dares foreee To worthle trains a partial detiny. But if his virgin palm was fairly won, And this next coure with equal vigour’s run, Now join to bind his freher laurels on. He fears no jaundic'd rival's envious breath, The hands which twin'd, hall till preerve the wreath.