Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50992
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Miscellany poems
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Phillips, John.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing M2232A; ESTC R31027
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16,271
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50
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is of little use And hardly can a perfect Cure produce Without a Diet too which to rehearse Shall be the last performance of my Verse Deny your self of all luxurious Food That with prolifick Heat inflames the Blood The Body pamper'd will at length controul The chaster Resolutions of the Soul Taste not the tempting Liquor of the Vine But bid adieu to the free Joys of Wine What tho' it sparkle in the Glass and smile Like faithless Woman it destroys the while To quench your Thirst and Nature satisfy To Crystal Streams and living Fountains fly Some vainly think that they may use a mean And not from Bacchus totally abstain But credit me the sober Glass will prove The most prevailing Argument to Love For he that with immod'rate Wine destroys His Vigour seldom thinks of Beauty's Joys A little moves but too much slakes Desire As Piles of Fuel quite put out the Fire My Task is ended and methinks I see Th' awaken'd Youth shake off their Lethargy Of Love And now each Lady wonders whence Proceeds the cause of this indifference Consults her Glass and questions if her Face Retains its Features and its wonted Grace Love's Empire falls no more do we invoke His Deity and make his Altars smoke See what tormenting Fears disturb the Boy What racking Cares the vanquish'd God annoy With folded Arms he stands and drooping Wings And wide his Bow and useless Arrows flings No fev'rish Sighs now swell the Virgin 's Breasts No dire Despair the lovely Youth molests But both from pow'rful Verse receive their mutual Rest. So the young Prophet with his tuneful Lyre Did raging Saul with gentle Thoughts inspire The angry Daemon listen'd as he plaid Grew wond'rous mild and his soft Notes obey'd A REFLECTION ON OUR Modern Poesy AN ESSAY The Second Edition Fuit haec Sapientia quondam Publica privatis secernere sacra profanis Concubitu prohibere vago dare jura maritis Oppida moliri legis incidere ligno Sic honor nomen divinis Vatibus atque Carminibus venit Hor. de Arte Poet. TO MY Honoured Friend and School-Fellow Mr. A. OWEN SIR THE way of Dedicating now most in fashion seems to me to stand in as great need of a Reformation as does our Poetry For as we take nothing to be True and Genuine Poetry but what is Light Frothy and has a wanton Air throughout it so the generality seem to stand persuaded That an Epistle Dedicatory loses its End quite if not stuff'd up with gross and open Flattery sufficient to call a Blush into any modest Reader 's Cheek But here it is a hard matter to judge Whether the Impudence of the Author or the Vanity of the Patron who believes all true that 's said of him does contribute most to carry on this notorious piece of Folly Now Sir though our Early Friendship and Intimate Acquaintance was the Reason that prevaild most upon me in presenting this small Essay to You yet to speak truth there was another Motive too which made me the more desirous of it and that was merely upon the account of running counter to the generality of Dedicating Poets to try if a particular Example might have any small Influence in correcting the Poetical License they take upâ—n such like occasions For here I was satisfied that I might come off without the least flattering Glance with one who though young has Experience enough to understand that Personal Respect is not to be estimated by the fine Complements and Flourishes of a Fanciful Pen. And for my part I think if our Poets go on at their old Rate but a little longer we shall be apt to interpret Epistles of this sort as we do Dreams by the contrary The great Scandal that Poetry has of late been subject to together with the respect I always had for it gave occasion for the following Reflection For as I was considering how much this Art was esteemed amongst our Forefathers and how Venerable nay almost Sacreâ— the Name of a Poet was then Surely thought I the Former Honour and the Present Disgrace the Muses lye under could never depend on the different Capricio's of two divers Ages but there must be some more reasonable Ground for this matter which if once discovered will give a very fair opportunity of restoring Verse to its Primitive Dignity Some there are who suspect That the want of Genius in our Age has given Poetry this deadly Wound But they will soon find their Mistake if laying aside the blind Veneration we have for Antiquity they compare the Ancients and Moderns in any sort of Poetry excepting the Epic. So that we must seek out for some other Cause more probable than the former And what others may spy I know not but I think the great Difference lies here That Poetry is now no longer the Fountain of Wisdom the School of Virtue it is no longer a fit Trainer up of Youth a Bridler of the Passions and exorbitant Desires But on the contrary he is reckoned the Ablest Poet that is most dextrous at conjuring up these Evil Spirits to disturb the Calm and Quiet of the Soul And this if I mistake not is that which hath deform'd so great a Beauty and cast an Odium on that most excellent Art which was once the Pride of Conquerors and Envy of Philosophers What I have transiently remark'd in the following Verses will I doubt not be dislik'd by many of our Rhiming Sparks for take but the Liberty of Writing Immodestly from 'em and you have quite dismounted them off their Pegasus they are quite Tongue-tid 't is with them as Horace says it was 〈◊〉 the Reign of the old Comedy Chorusque Turpiter obticuit sublato jure nocendi What I have said against Love upon the Stage I would not have apprehended so as if I would have that Passion quite exploded for I think it one of the fittest Passions for Poetry and capable of very great Ornaments but then I would have it very nicely and delicately handled and what might give the least Offence to the severest Modesty always cast in Shades for it is then only that this Passion is not to be allow'd when it goes beyond its bounds and that is when the Poet 's Strokes are too bold and his Colours too glaring I was told which I my self afterwards found to be true that a great Part of my Design was already performd in the Preface to Prince Arthur However that did not trouble me in the least for I was very glad to see my self of the same Opinion with so eminent an Author since I had laid a Rude Draught of my Reflection the last Summer which I then shew'd several of my Acquaintaince However the World may think this a Sham and I am very willing to be thought indebted to so creditable a Person for what I have said I shall make no Apology for the Tediousness of my Epistle since you are too often guilty of the Contrary Vice in writing to your Real