ERRATA.
VOL. II.
[The lines cited from the several poems are
those of the poems; those cited from title-pages containing mottoes
are the lines of the pages.]
Page 6 l. 21 for or read but.
p. 13 l. 5 for With read In. ib. l. 13 for 2 read 1. ib. l.
17 for Act II. Scene 7 read Act IV. Scene 2. p. 27 l. 5 several
lines omitted after and such. ib. l. 9 for 4 read 3. ib. l. 12
for o’er read in. ib. l. 14 for Egean read Ægean. ib.
l. 15 for Emilia read Æmilia. ib. l. 16 for 5 read 1. ib.
l. 18 for she bad read he bade. ib. l. 21 for th’ insolent
read the insolent. ib. l. 24 for fate read state. ib. l.
25 for you read ye. p. 28 l. 13 for Pain read Pains. p. 41
l. 3 for then read there .... ib. l. 11 for 3 read 1.
p. 47 l. 204 for Chesterfield read ‘Chesterfield.’ p. 56 l. 4 for
ever true and humble read a true and humble wife. ib. l. 10 for
The fatal time read The leisure and the fearful time. ib. l.
11 for all ceremonies and read the ceremonious. ib. l. 18 for
impiety, thou impious read impiety and impious. ib. l. 20 for
2 read 1. p. 67 l. 4 for peculiar read particular. ib. l. 5
for she read he. ib. l. 6 for her read his. ib. l. 7 for
her read his. ib. l. 16 for Tempest read The Tempest. p. 69
l. 50 for Marcus read ‘Marcus.’ p. 76 l. 344 for divine! read
‘divine!’. p. 87 l. 3 for make a curtsy read make curtsy. ib.
l. 4 for but for read but yet for. ib. l. 11 for amble, you
nick-name read you amble, and you lisp, and nick-name. ib. l. 15
for Am I contemn’d read Stand I condemn’d. ib. l. 16 for II.
read III. p. 92 l. 166 ‘Chaste, sober, solemn’ and ‘devout.’ Not
in inverted commas. p. 93 l. 197 for what woman read that woman.
p. 95 l. 265 for than read then. p. 101 l. 4 for Or read
Could. ib. a line omitted after ll. 6, 7 and 8 respectively.
p. 103 l. 46 for Lea read lea. p. 113 l. 8 for As You Like It read
Much Ado about Nothing, Act II. Scene 1. ib. l. 11 Act IV. Scene
3 omitted. ib. l. 14 for hence read home. ib. ll. 16-20
‘Be the Sweet Helen’s Knell’ is printed as immediately preceding
the rest of these lines, instead of following them 28 lines later.
For He left a wife read He lost a wife. In the Shakspearean text
these words form the latter part of a line, and are followed by a
line and a half here omitted. p. 116 l. 75 for beauty bless’d read
beauty-bless’d. p. 124 after line 3 a line omitted. ib. l. 9 for
sometimes read something. ib. l. 13 for Measure for Measure,
Act II. Scene 4 read Much Ado about Nothing, Act III. Scene 1.
p. 134 l. 3 for heavens read heaven. p. 145 l. 11 for with purged
read in purged. p. 159 l. 13 for upon read of. ib. l. 16 for
pitiable read pitiful and. ib. l. 17 for But thou art read
Thou stern. p. 185 l. 13 for for it read for ’t.
p. 194 l. 311 for dosed read dozed. p. 211 l. 8 for in thee read of
thee. ib. l. 12 for but tyrannous read but it is tyrannous.
p. 228 ll. 3 and 6 She and Her are substituted for He
and His in the original passage. ib. l. 9 for there is read
there’s. p. 242 l. 4 for Taming the Shrew read Taming of
the Shrew. ib. l. 7 for Act V. Scene 2 read Act II. Scene 1.
p. 249 l. 233 for has read had. p. 251 l. 6 for
with my troll-my-dames read with troll-my-dames. ib. l. 7 for
Scene 2 read Scene 3. ib. l. 9 for holding read hiding.
p. 253 l. 31 for of as read as of. p. 259 l. 272 for
seems read seemed. p. 261 l. 372 for I boy read I a
boy. p. 264 l. 6 for practice may read practices. ib.
l. 8 for with hinds read with his hinds. ib. l. 12 for being
what read being the thing. p. 276 l. 10 for He has read
He is. p. 308 l. 200 for know read knew. p. 341
l. 298 for hear read heard. p. 351 l. 184 for look’d
read look. p. 381 l. 344 for bounded read bonded.
p. 391 l. 738 for comfort read comforts. p. 397 l. 91
for it read its. p. 409 ll. 556-8 three inverted commas,
instead of four, prefixed to each line, and no single inverted comma
at the end of l. 558. p. 413 l. 716 for parent’s read
parents’. p. 415 l. 807 for peasant’s read peasants’.
p. 423 l. 116 for Has read Had. p. 449 l. 731 no
inverted comma before and after the words But why delay so long?
p. 461 ll. 358-9 no inverted commas prefixed to these lines, and
no inverted comma at the end of l. 359. p. 462 l. 404 for
bought read brought. p. 466 l. 567 no inverted comma at
beginning or end of this line. p. 468 l. 636 no third inverted
comma before and after the words I am this being. ib. ll. 638-40
no third inverted comma before the word thus in l. 638 or before
ll. 639 and 640 or at the end of l. 640. p. 469 ll. 692-7 two
inverted commas before each of these lines and at the close of l.
697. p. 470 ll. 714-7 two inverted commas before each of these
lines and at the end of l. 717. p. 478 l. 1054 for will read wilt.
VARIANTS.
TALES. Variants in edition of 1812 (first edition), and
‘Original MS.’ readings given as footnotes in Life and Poems (1834).
These latter are distinguished as ‘O.M.’
Preface: p. 5, l. 1. present Volume. p. 10, l. 22.
Ahitophel. l. 23. Ogg. pp. 10-11. instead of l. 30-l. 5:
It has been asked, if Pope was a poet? No one, I conceive, will
accuse me of vanity in bringing forward this query, or suppose me
capable of comparing myself with a man so eminent: but persons very
unlike in other respects may, in one particular, admit of comparison,
or rather the same question may be applied to both. Now, who will
complain that a definition of poetry, which excludes a great part of
the writings of Pope, will shut out him? I do not lightly take up
the idea, but I conceive that by that kind of definition, one half
of our most agreeable English versification (most generally held, by
general readers, to be agreeable and good) will be excluded, and an
equal quantity, at least of very moderate, or, to say truly, of very
wretched composition, will be taken in. (O.M.)
Tale 1. The edition of 1834 contains the following note to
the Quotations: These mottoes are many, because there is a
reference in them not only to the characters, but frequently to the
incidents also; and they are all taken from Shakspeare, because I
could more readily find them in his scenes, than in the works of any
other poet to whom I could have recourse. (O.M.)
l. 310. tyger. l. 371. skulks.
Tale 2. Second Quotation. Hath written. Third Quotation.
fire and flood. instead of ll. 191-4:
In a clear eve the lover sail’d, and one
As clear and bright on aged Allen shone:
On the spot sanction’d by the last embrace
The old man stood! and sigh’d upon the place. (O.M.)
instead of ll. 253-274:
Oft to his children had the father told
Where he resided in the years of old;
When, without thought, his feeling and his pride
The native town adorn’d and magnified;
The streets, the markets, and the quays were all
Spacious and grand, and every building tall:
The tower and church were sea-marks leagues from land—
Men were amazed to see them look so grand!
His father’s house was then in Allen’s eyes,
But far increased in beauty and in size;
And their small area where the schoolboys play’d,
Room for an army had his fancy made:
But now the dark and feeble mind debased,
Contracted, sullied all that fancy graced,
All spaces dwindled—streets but alleys seem’d:
Then dreamt he now, or absent had he dream’d?
The church itself, the lofty tower, the scene
Of so much glory, was debased and mean:
The mind each object in dull clothing dress’d,
And its own sadness on each scene impress’d. (O.M.)
Tale 3. l. 57. expence. l. 92. indure.
instead of ll. 105-7:
Because in beaten ways we ever tread,
And man by man, as sheep by sheep, is led,
None start aside, but in the paths proceed, (O.M.)
l. 377. controul. l. 398. controul. l. 502. conns. l. 514. controul.
Tale 4. Third Quotation, sundred. l. 32. teazing.
Tale 5. l. 334. expence. l. 348. extacy. l. 492. teaz’d.
l. 662. controuling. l. 703. curt’sy’d.
Tale 6. First Quotation. curtesy ... curtesy. Third Quotation.
gig. l. 226. doat.
Tale 7. l. 46. besprinkled. l. 162. rustics. l. 370. needs.
Tale 8. First Quotation. pityless. l. 36. teaze. l. 39. saught.
l. 256. controul. l. 325. intranc’d.
Tale 9. l. 15. mamas. l. 32. Montague. l. 55. to his failings
blind. l. 56. the mind. l. 57. pourtray’d. l. 187. we knew not—’twas
her fate.
Tale 10. Third Quotation. this spring. l. 106. dykes. l. 116,
note. Laver. l. 148. Trav’ler. l. 162. Trav’ler’s. l. 211. teiz’d.
l. 288. Trav’ler. l. 321. Trav’ler. l. 349. dykes. l. 354. Trav’ler.
Tale 11. l. 15. Sampson. l. 42. was dignity. l. 127. Africk’s.
l. 233, arbor’s. l. 297. bad.
Tale 13. l. 307. Colin.
Tale 14. Fourth Quotation. rooted sinew. l. 89. Who knows?—or
build. l. 352. teaze. l. 377. controul. l. 495, wo.
Tale 15. l. 10. earthy. l. 158. controul. l. 164. conceiving
that the coming day. l. 248. are these sinners. l. 406. temptations.
Tale 16. l. 499. secresy. l. 581. æra.
Tale 17. Third Quotation, l. 3. act of our necessities. l. 139.
controul. l. 299. paniers. l. 409. smoaky.
Tale 18. l. 196. controul.
Tale 19. l. 154. controul. l. 180. controul.
Tale 20. l. 119. expence. l. 132. expence. l. 204. teaz’d.
l. 212. t’excuse it as a woman’s way.
Tale 21. l. 47. teaze. l. 50. controul. l. 53. uncontroul’d.
l. 186. tenour.
TALES OF THE HALL. Variants in edition of 1819 (first edition).
‘Original MS.’ readings given as footnotes in Life and Poems
(1834). These are distinguished as ‘O.M.’
Variants in Crabbe MSS. in the possession of the Cambridge
University Press. These are distinguished as ‘U.P.’
Variants in Crabbe MSS. in the possession of Mrs Mackay.
These are distinguished as ‘M.’
Book I.
l. 151. inforce.
Book II.
Instead of ll. 15-20:
Yet with this difference might observers find
Some kindred powers and features of the mind.
A love of honour in both spirits ruled,
But here by temper, there by trouble cool’d;
Their favourite objects, studies, themes, pursuits,
Had various beauties, merits, ends, and fruits. (O.M.)
instead of ll. 63-70:
Joel nor time nor seasons could command,
He took his comforts as they came to hand;
Nor came they often, nor delay’d so long,
That they were habits either weak or strong;
What seem’d habitual was the urgent force
Of stern necessity that shaped his course. (O.M.)
Book III.
Instead of ll. 7-14:
“Oh! there’s a wicked little world in schools,
Where mischief suffers and oppression rules;
Where mild, quiescent children oft endure
What a long placid life shall fail to cure;
Where virtuous boys, who shrink from early sin,
Meet guilty rogues, who love to draw them in,
Who take a pleasure at their just surprise,
Who make them wicked, and proclaim them wise.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 23-34:
“Behold him now, without the least pretence
To such command——behold him five years hence;
Mix’d in the world, his interest in his sight,
How smooth he looks, his language how polite,
No signs of anger, insult, scorn are seen;
The address is mild, the temper is serene;
His fiery passions are resign’d and still,
They yield to reason, or obey his will.
But are they dead?—Not so: should he attain
The wish’d-for fortune, they will live again;
Then shall the Tyrant be once more obey’d,
And all be Fags, whom he can make afraid.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 90-7:
“But when he sits in judgment, and decrees
What men should rule us, and what books should please,
And thus the merit of a critic gains,
Only for blowing out a Frenchman’s brains,
I must demur, and in my mind retrace
The accountant Hector, and his rueful face;
But on he blunders! thinking he is wise,
Who has much strength, no matter where it lies.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 192-7:
“Again was made the offer, and again,
With threats, with noble promises, in vain.
When my Lord saw that nothing could be done,
He nobly cried,—‘I’ll fit him as my son;
Sir, will you go?’ As meekly as a saint,
Charles humbly begg’d to stay on land and paint.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 204-29:
“Stubborn though mild, and fearing to offend,
He gain’d his freedom, and he lost his friend:
My Lord appeal’d to all the world, and cried,—
‘There never breathed such stubbornness and pride;
Do what you please, Sir, I am justified.’
So said my Lord; for he was grieved to find
Such vile ingratitude in base mankind.
“The boy then wrote for bread. I saw him thrice;
His passions placid, he without a vice:
He sometimes painted, but was uninspired
By genius, unprotected, unadmired;
But pensive, sober, diligent, employ’d}
His every hour, his life without a void, }
He sought for little, nothing he enjoy’d. }
I fear he thought himself, because distress’d,
An injured genius, by the world oppress’d.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 253-60:
“Years past away; I think some twenty-five,
Again I saw him, and but just alive,
And still forbidding, silent, sullen, proud,
As one whose claims were just, and not allow’d.
He saw me, saw my sympathy with pain,}
Received my humble offers with disdain,}
And sternly told me not to come again.” }(O.M.)
instead of ll. 296-301:
“Thou, Charles! unaided by a noble friend,
Hadst spent a careful life, as others spend;
But when thy patron’s vanity and thine
Were made by cruel fortune to combine,
’Twas then th’ unhappy wretch was lifted high
On golden stilts, and seem’d to touch the sky;
But when the tempter hand withdraws the props,
The vision closes, and the victim drops.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 362-87:
“The boy was tall, but with a mincing air,
Blue, languid eyes, pale cheek, and flaxen hair;
His temper fretful, but his spirits mild,}
Loved by mamma, by all her maidens styled}
The wittiest darling, and the sweetest child.}
In those dear times, when that mamma had rule,
There was much play, few lessons, and no school;
But, oh! misfortune—when the lady died,
No second wife her honour’d place supplied,
But one dishonour’d; and she quickly sent
All who had grief to grieve in banishment:
No longer now was there the rush of joy,
The flood of fondness o’er the happy boy;
No more indulgence by the maidens shown,
For master’s pleasure, purchase of their own;
But they as spies were to new service sent,
And the sad boy to school and banishment.” (O.M.)
Book IV.
Instead of ll. 3-22:
“Brother,” said George, “when I beheld you last,
The time how distant!—Well! the time is past—
I had not then these comforts you behold,
Things that amuse us when we’re getting old.
These Pictures now! experienced men will say,
They’re genuine all, and so perhaps they may;
They cost the money, that I’m sure is true,
And therefore, Richard, I will say it too.
Music you find; for hither ladies come;
They make infernal uproar in the room.
I bear it. Why? because I must expect
To pay for honour, and I fear neglect.
And if attraction from your person flies,
You must some pleasure from your purse devise:
But this apart—the triflers should not know
That they can comfort or regret bestow.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 76-7:
“That gun itself, that breaks upon the ear,
Has something suited to the dying year.”
“The dying partridge!” cried, with much disdain,
Th’ offended ’Squire—“Our laws are made in vain:
The country, Richard, would not be amiss,
But for these plagues, and villanies like this;
Wealth breeds the curse that fixes on the land,
And strife and heritage go hand in hand.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 88-130:
They walk’d along, through mead and shaded wood,
And stubble ground, where late abundance stood,
And in the vale, where winter waters glide,
O’er pastures stretching up the mountain side.
With a shrewd smile, but mix’d with look severe,
The landlord view’d the promise of the year.
“See! that unrivall’d flock! they, they alone
Have the vast body on the slender bone;
They are the village boast, the country’s theme,
Fleece of such staple! flesh in such esteem!”
Richard gave praise, but not in rapturous style;
He chose his words, and spoke them with a smile:
“Brother,” said he, “and if I take you right,
I am full glad—these things are your delight;
I see you proud, but,”—speaking half aside—
“Is, now, the pleasure equal to the pride?”
A transient flush on George’s face appear’d,
Cloudy he look’d, and then his looks were cleared:
“Look at yon hind!” said he,—“in very deed,
His is the pride and pleasure in the breed;
He has delight, he judges—I the name,
And the whole praise—I speak it to my shame.
Oh! Richard, Richard, tell me, if you can,
What will engage and fix the mind of man?”
“Suppose,” said he, “we look about the green, }
In yonder cots some objects may be seen,}
T’ excite our pity, or relieve our spleen,” }
“Oh! they are thieves and blockheads,” George replied,
“Unjust, ungrateful, and unsatisfied;
To grasp at all, their study, thought, and care,
All would be thieves and plunderers, if they dare;
His envious nature not a clown conceals,
But bluntly shows the insolence he feels.”
“And whence,” said Richard, “should the vice proceed,
But from their want of knowledge, and their need?
Let them know more, or let them better feel,
And I’ll engage they’ll neither threat nor steal.”
“Brother,” said George, “your pity makes you blind
To all that’s vile and odious in mankind;
’T is true your notions may appear divine,
But for their justice—let us go and dine.” (O.M.)
Book V.
l. 182. woe. l. 415. controul.
Book VI.
The Book opens:
The evening came: “My Brother, what employs
Thy mind?” said Richard; “what disturbs thy joys?
Hast thou not all the good the world can give,
And liv’st a life that kings might sigh to live?
Can nothing please thee? Thou wert wont to seize
On passing themes, and make the trifles please.
Thy Muse has many a pleasant fancy bred,
And clothed in lively manner!—--is she dead?”
“Not dead but sick, and I too weary grow
Of reaping nothing from the things I sow.
What is the pleasure—thou perhaps canst say—
Of playing tunes, if none can hear thee play?
Timid and proud, the world I cannot court,
Nor show my labours for the critic’s sport.
Hast thou the courage, Richard? hast thou tried
An Author’s perils? hast thou felt his pride?
For vain the efforts, and they quickly tire,
If we alone our precious things admire.”
“Not so,” said Richard, and acquired a look
That some expression from his feelings took;
“Oh! my dear Brother, if this Muse of mine,
Who prompts the idle thought, the trifling line,
If she who calmly looks around, nor more
Muse of the Mad, the Foolish, and the Poor,
If she can pleasure—and she can—impart,
Can wing the fancy, can enlarge the heart;
What must a Muse of strength, of force, of fire,
In the true Poet’s ample mind inspire?
What must he feel, who can the soul express
Of saint or hero?—he must be no less.
Nor less of evil minds he knows the pain,
But quickly lost the anguish and the stain,
While with the wisest, happiest, purest, best,
His soul assimilates and loves to rest.
Crowns would I spurn, and empires would I lose,
For inspiration from the sacred Muse.”
“A song,” said George, “and I my secret store,
Confined in dust and darkness, will explore.
Poet with poet, bard and critic too,
We fear no censure, and dread no review.
A judge so placed must be to errors kind,
And yield the mercy that he hopes to find;
Begin then, Richard, put thy fears aside;}
Shall I condemn, who must myself be tried? }
In me at least my Brother may confide.}
In hope of wearing, I shall yield the bays,
And my self-love shall give my rival praise.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 18-30:
“Wilt thou explain? I shall not grieve to share
A lover’s sorrow, or a husband’s care?”
Kindness like this had moved a sterner man,
Richard much more. He smiled, and thus began:—
“No more I loved the sea; that plunge had tamed
My blood, by youth in idleness inflamed:
To my affairs I forced my mind t’ attend,
And sought the town to counsel with a friend.
Much we debated—Could I now resign
My earthly views, and look to things divine?
Could I to merchandise my mind persuade,
And wait in patience for the gain of trade?
Or if I could not early habits quit,
Had I a stock, and could subsist on wit?
“Measures like these became my daily themes,
My airy castles, my projector’s dreams.
But health, so long neglected, now became
No more the blessing of my failing frame:
A fever seized it, of that dangerous kind,
That while it taints the blood, infects the mind.
I traced her flight as Reason slowly fled,
And her last act assured me Hope was dead:
But Reason err’d, and when she came again
To aid the senses and direct the brain,
She found a body weak, but well disposed
For life’s enjoyments, and the grave was closed.
But danger past, and my recovery slow,}
I sought the health that mountain gales bestow, }
And quiet walks where peace and violets grow. }
“Now, my dear Brother, when the languid frame
Has this repose, and when the blood is tame,
Yet strength increasing, and when every hour
Gives some increase of pleasure and of power,
When every sense partakes of fresh delight,
And every object wakes an appetite;
When the mind rests not, but for ever roves
On all around, and as it meets approves;
Then feels the heart its bliss, that season then is love.
“Think of me thus disposed, and think me then
Retired from crowded streets and busy men,
In a neat cottage, by the sweetest stream
That ever warbled in a poet’s dream;
An ancient wood behold, so vast, so deep,
That hostile armies might in safety sleep,
Where loving pairs had no observers near,
And fearing not themselves, had none to fear;
There to fair walks, fresh meadows, and clear skies,
I fled as flee the weary and the wise.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 174-5:
“With whom she tarried, a delighted guest!
Delightful ever! blessing still and bless’d.” (O.M.)
l. 359. woe.
Book VII.
Instead of ll. 533-4:
And thus she said, and with an air designed
To look and be affectionate and kind. (U.P.)
l. 551. woe. instead of ll. 593-8:
Come, my dear Friend, discard that Brow of Care:
What was at first intended all things are;
All by the mighty Cause for bliss designed
The only good of Matter and in Mind.
So was I taught by one who taught me all
That I the first and only good can call! (U.P.)
instead of ll. 601-2;
I meant again, in spite of every Cow,
To pass that way and hear my Shepherd’s Vow. (U.P.)
after l. 625:
When the sun is descended the moon will arise;
And sweeter her softer and mellower Ray,
When the blossom no longer is fair in our Eyes,
The Fruit will enlarge and our losses repay;
And when from the cheek the young Roses decay,
Tis a Sign that the Fire is collected within:
No longer for Boys the light flower to display,
But manly Affections to wake and to win. (U.P.)
instead of ll. 626-41:
My Damon was the first to wake
The Flame that slept but cannot die;
My Damon is the last to take
The best the truest softest Sigh.
The Life between is nothing worth:
O! cast it all as vile away.
Save the sweet Day that gave it Birth,
And this a fonder happier Day.
O tell me not what I have done,
When there is so much done amiss;
For who can fate and madness shun
In such bewildering World as this?
Love can a thousand Faults forgive,
Or with a tender Smile reprove;
And now let nought in Memory live,
But that we meet and that we love. (U.P.)
instead of ll. 664-7:
Were you not Witness how I blossomed then,
Blushing and blooming in the Eyes of Men;
Made by one sex a Goddess, and denied
Respect and notice by the other’s Pride? (U.P.)
instead of ll. 682-91:
Is it not written, he who came to save
The adultress [ ] of her Crime forgave;
Would the lost sheep all graciously restore,
And bade the weeping Sinner sin no more?
Yes, this is true, but where the Eye that reads
The broken Spirit or the Heart that bleeds?
But where the Heart that could the Deed deplore,
And where the Hand that would the Mind restore;
That could the sinful Soul on trust receive
And, tho’ all urged against Belief, believe? (U.P.)
instead of ll. 702-9:
With Spirits low and ill-directed Mind
She soon her [ ] of penitence resigned;
And rushed again into the World, prepar’d
To do whatever thoughtless Frenzy dared.
And so she perished!
Nay! while yet disposed
T’ enjoy the world, the world’s adventures closed. (U.P.)
instead of ll. 736-7:
To save from sin the long expected pay,
And call hence Souls whose bodies waste away. (U.P.)
instead of ll. 742-3:
And I a fellow sinner! who enquired
If ought beside the feeble Heart required
Was by, to watch the Dawn of Hope, to cheer
The drooping Spirit, and to prove how dear
The [Loving] Soul may be whose Turning is sincere. (U.P.)
instead of l. 751:
To think for what was formed this Creature Man! (U.P.)
instead of l. 757:
Gold, to enlarge the Treasures that abound. (U.P.)
after l. 766:
I shuddered, R[ichard], at the general View—
The Work undone—What yet I had to do! (U.P.)
l. 781. woe. l. 782. woe. l. 789. woe.
Book VIII.
Variant of ll. 33-67:
The Brothers’ Subject on their Morning Ride
Was, as it chanced, the Misery of Pride!
[illegible attempts.]
The very Virtues suffer! and but few
Altho’ unshamed bear Want and pity too.
This is the Serpent Poverty that Stings!
And Wealth, thus flying, certain misery brings.
The Wretched then the common fate deplore
And mourn Enjoyments that return no more.
They who so dearly loved in happier times
Doubt the tried Worth; their Sorrows are their Crimes.
They spoil the Temper; they disturb the rest;
Men fly the Scold, the Comforter, the Guest. (M.)
instead of ll. 48-53:
“Oh! that we had the virtuous pride to show
We know ourselves what all about us know;
Nor, when our board contains a single dish,
Tell lying tales of market-men and fish!
We know ’tis hard from higher views to fall—
What is not hard when life is trial all?” (O.M.)
after l. 67:
“But I digress, dear Richard, who despise
Tellers of tales, who stop and moralize;
As some good editors of Esop used
Their privilege, and readers’ sense abused:
Who half a page to write their fable took,
And just a page and half to swell their book.
But to that gentle being I return,
And, as I treat of patience, let me learn.” (O.M.)
instead of ll. 106-7:
“Like Saul’s fair daughters, as by Cowley sung;
Not from a monarch, but a yeoman sprung.” (O.M.)
after l. 113:
Who gazed at Jane saw Wonder and Delight;
Who looked on Lucy blessd the pleasing Sight.
The Air of Lucy her Admirers held
In pleasing Bondage; that of Jane repell’d. (M.)
after l. 119:
Lucy not often could those Looks command,
But had the sober praise and offered Hand;
For those who breathed for Jane those Sighs of fire
Asked not their Reason, What do I desire?
While Lucy’s Lovers felt the Wishes rise
And could explain the purport of their Sighs.
In future day one spake how Friendships please,
And one, a Lover, whom we charm and teize;
And then began the speech of Jane to raise
Men’s awe, and Lucy’s to obtain their praise. (M.)
instead of ll. 196-207:
Now Lucy’s Lover was a plain good Man,
Who meant to marry on a saving Plan.
Jane is perhaps the prettier one to view,
He judged; but [has] the Keener Judgment too;
And, if her Eye be more than Lucy’s bright,
And beams upon you with a fiercer Light,
A face may be admired; but, put the Case
A Man shall marry, what avails a face?
A Wife that[’s] pretty her Conditions makes;
A Wife that[’s] prudent rather gives than takes.
Beauty will cost require and Wealth command,
But there is Safety in a closing Hand;
And what if Lucy to the needy sends
Too great a portion and the deed defends,
That ’tis her own; there’s prudence in the Words
That will preserve the Good that is her Lord’s.
Besides, there’s not a Virtue we possess
So soon restrain’d as giving to distress;
And, then, a rival makes a woman nice,
And Jane’s admirer will enhance her price.
Thus, thinking but concealing what he thought,
This cautious Lover Lucy’s favour sought. (M.)
after l. 231:
