Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	francis_n	henry_n	sir_n	24,304	5	6.7179	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51806	Greenwich-Hill a poem / by Mr. Manning.	Manning, Mr. (Francis), fl. 1688-1716.	1697 (1697)	Wing M487; ESTC R31167	9,137	18

Greenwich-Hill A POEM By Mr Manning Quod superest ultrò sacris largire Camaenis Lord Coke LONDON Printed by Tho. Warren for Francis Saunders at the Blue Anchor in the lower Walk of the New Exchange in the Strand 1697. TO Dr HENRY NEWTON DEAR SIR THE following piece has a natural recourse to you for 't was your character of the distinguish'd Prospects which Greenwich afforded before I had taken a very strict view of them My self that first inclin'd me to attempt the draught and tho' Cooper's Hill has not suffer'd me to pretend to an Original yet is it Honour enough for me to Copy after That especially since it gives me an occasion to publish the just regard I have for any thing that You commend Sir John Denham you know was a great Wit and the Poem I mention'd is justly celebrated for a Master-piece in the kind But then as the Hill He chose admits not such variety of Prospect as Greenwich which Barclay who had been a great Traveller preferrs to any He had seen one may easily conceive that had That famous Poet taken Greenwich for his Theme it must in his hands have rais'd it self even above Cooper's Hill But here Sir in such an artless performance as Mine you must not think of the least Comparison I have only attempted what He could have made compleat To have proportion good sense beauty and harmony in a Poem belongs to very few Writers in these days Not but that we have several living Examples of true Genius and refin'd Art amongst us Some who tho' they ne'er attempted to write Epick Poems yet in the Judgment of Skillful Men could have exceeded any Modern Vndertakings of that kind But even among the best where do we find a concurrence of those Qualifications that ought to be distinguish'd in a Poet I have often agreed with you that to the making of a good Poet it is requisite that He should have a round stock of Learning a Conversation with the Court and the Art of Versifying These things besides a Genius which is the Soul of all are so connected with each other that a Man can never be said to be finish'd without them all That Mr. Waller was perhaps the Man amongst us that has most deserv'd this Character will I believe upon consideration go very near to be granted He was indeed a great Genius nor had He less Art and Happiness in the ordering and expressing of his thoughts A Man of a wonderful fancy an inimitable softness a delicacy as well as a justness of sense a politeness of Language even in his first pieces which may give us Wonder when we consider there was not much above twenty years between Spencer and Him and a most harmonious turn of words All is easy natural and flowing and yet his industry is such that every thing be says is of full weight and attended with all the Shining Graces of Poetry Many of the rest appear full of Genius and sprightly Wit but without seeming to inherit all that is necessary And some you are sensible swoln with Envy and ill Nature failings which Men of true Wit and generous breeding would be ashamed of make a trade of carping at every trivial fault in other Men's Works when their own are too abominable even to merit Censure I do confess a good Critick is of great use in the Common-Wealth of Learning One who is just enough to separate a Man's Person from his Works and in the last to censure such faults only as are either unnatural indecent or wholly disagreeing with their subject not to be rigidly Censorious but to observe and practise the good-natur'd rule of Horace Ubi plura nitent in carmine non ego paucis Offendar maculis quas aut incuria fudit Aut humana parum cavit Natura How averse our Criticks are to such humanity of temper I need not mention since you who are truly indu'd with so much of it have often justly despis'd them for their barbarity in attacking the slender failings of Great Men and not only in avoiding their Excellencies but presuming with a shameful vanity to make a fault sometimes by their own false Judgment of what is exceeding proper in the Author they censure For my own part I know myself below their Envy and therefore dare speak Besides what I have done in relation to Greenwich was chiefly in obedience to some Friends whose commands are of more weight with me than all the dangers of pride and ill-nature from those Wretches who being unacquainted with good Manners and true Sense make Detraction and Envy the Employment of their Lives I may very well call it ill-Nature and Envy and want of breeding in them and not so good a sense of Men and things as others have that excites them to be so censorious since in You we find not only an Vniversal Knowledge accompanied with a perfect Civility and good Nature but such an extraordinary Modesty that were it not for your goodness I could scarce hope to be forgiven by you for publishing a Truth which all that know you will do you the justice to declare as well as Your most Affectionate Brother and very Faithful Humble Servant F. M. Greenwich-Hill SInce every Mountain where the Muses come Is call'd Parnassus and induces some Poetick Friend to celebrate its Name Here Greenwich I attempt to sing Thy Fame Led by the Wonders which my ravish'd sight Views from Thy lovely Park 's aspiring height O! could I make my Numbers but attain To Denham's sweetness not His Hill should gain A rise o'er Thee nor yet proportion hold With Thy just Fame which I could then unfold With greater force transported with each grace So charming that surrounds the lofty Place Then should'st Thou be to me as that to Him Parnassus was and merit more esteem For That exalted by his Muse alone Without his Song had still remain'd unknown But Thou by Nature such Renown dost claim Thou want'st no Poet's Art to give Thee Fame And if Thy various Beautys I could trace As they deserve with more than common grace The Writer's credit and the Poem's Fame Would spring from Thee whilst Thou art still the same Here then my rising Eye before my Feet Ascend the Mount so fair a Pile doth meet As in a Poet's fancy well might prove Apollo's Palace or the Seat of Jove And the aspiring Hill on which 't is lay'd Might be Parnassus or Olympus made This view which of a sudden strikes my sight Fills me with so surprising a delight That I 'm o'erjoy'd at what I can descry From hence nor wish more limits to my Eye And viewing well this Prospect's Beauteous store It gives me wonder to be promis'd more Thus in some Painter's outward room we find Enough to please and to surprise the Mind And when the Artist labours to invite Our Eyes to more variety of sight We part not without pain from what before We saw so pleasing that we wish'd no more