Her silver locks display the moon, Her brows a cloudy show, Strip'd rainbows round her eyes are seen, Her teeth the night with darkness dyes, But some Zelinda, while I sing, And all the pens of Cupid's wing Yet, spite of fair Zelinda's eye, And all her bards express, My Lyce makes as good a sky, ON THE DEATH OF MR. ROBERT LEVET, A PRACTISER IN PHYSIC. CONDEMN'D to Hope's delusive mine, Well try'd through many a varying year, Of ev'ry friendless name the friend. Yet still he fills Affection's eye, When fainting nature call'd for aid, The pow'r of art without the show. In misery's darkest cavern known, No summons mock'd by chill delay, His virtues walk'd their narrow round, The busy day-the peaceful night, Then with no fiery throbbing pain, EPITAPH ON CLAUDE PHILLIPS, AN ITINERANT MUSICIAN.* PHILLIPS! whose touch harmonious could remove These lines are among Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies: they are nevertheless recognised as Johnson's in a memorandum of his hand-writing, and were probably written at her request. Phillips was a travelling fiddler up and down Wales, and was greatly celebrated for his performance. Rest here, distrest by poverty no more, EPITAPHIUM* IN THOMAM HANMER, BARONETTUM. Honorabilis admodum THOMAS HANMER, Baronettus, Johannis Hanmer de Hanmer Baronetti Antiquo gentis suæ et titulo et patrimonio successit. Alteram Isabellam, honore à patre derivato, de Deindè celsissimi principis ducis de Grafton viduam dotariam: Alteram Elizabetham Thomæ Foulkes de Barton in Inter humanitatis studia feliciter enutritus, Omnes liberalium artium disciplinas avidè arripuit, Quas morum suavitate haud leviter ornavit. Postquam excessit ex ephebis, Continuò inter populares suos famâ eminens, Et comitatûs sui legatus ad Parliamentum missus, Ad ardua regni negotia per annos prope triginta se accinxit: Cumque apud illos amplissimorum virorum ordines Solent nihil temerè effutire, * At Hanmer church, in Flintshire. Sed probè perpensa dissertè expromere, Non minus integritatis quàm eloquentiæ laude Equè omnium, utcunque inter se alioqui dissidentium, Annoque demum M.DCC.XIII, regnante Annâ, Communi Senatûs universi voce designatus est: Cum nullo tempore non difficile, Et variis et lubricis et implicatis difficillimum, Honores alios, et omnia quæ sibi in lucrum cederent munera, Sedulò detrectavit, Ut rei totus inserviret publicæ ; Justi rectique tenax, Et fide in patriam incorruptâ notus. Ubi omnibus, quæ virum civemque bonum decent, officiis satisfecisset, Paulatim se à publicis consiliis in otium recipiens, Inter literarum amoenitates, Inter ante-actæ vitæ haud insuaves recordationes, Et bonis omnibus, quibus charissimus vixit, Hic juxta cineres avi, suos condi voluit, et curavit PARAPHRASE OF THE ABOVE EPITAPH. BY DR. JOHNSON. THOU who survey'st these walls with curious eye, Thus early wise, th' endanger'd realm to aid, Beheld with love-with veneration heard. eye, This task perform'd--he sought no gainful post, This Paraphrase is inserted in Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies. The Latin is there said to be written by Dr. Freind. Of the person whose memory it celebrates, a copious account may be seen in the Appendix to the Supplement to the Biographia Britannica. |