The facred poets first shall hear the found, And foremost from the tomb fhall bound, For they are cover'd with the lightest ground; And straight, with in-born vigor, on the wing, Like mounting larks, to the new morning fing. There thou, fweet faint, before the quire fhall go, As harbinger of heaven, the way to show, The way which thou fo well haft learnt below. Upon the DEATH of the EARL of DUNDEE, H laft and beft of Scots! who didft maintain Thy country's freedom from a foreign reign; New people fill the land now thou art gone, New gods the temples, and new kings the throne. Scotland and thee did each in other live; Nor would't thou her, nor could fhe thee furvive. Farewel, who dying didft fupport the state, And couldft not fall but with thy country's fate. EARL of ABINGDON, &c. MY LORD, THE commands, with which you honored me fome months ago, are now perform ed: they had been fooner; but betwixt ill health, fome business, and many troubles, I was forced to defer them till this time. Ovid, going to his banishment, and writing from on shipboard to his friends, excufed the faults of his poetry by his misfortunes; and told them, that good verses never flow, but from a ferene and compofed fpirit. Wit, which is a kind of Mercury, with wings faftened to his head and heels, can fly but flowly in a damp air. I therefore chofe rather to obey you late than ill if at least I am capable of writing any thing, at any time, which is wor thy your perufal and your patronage. I cannot fay that I have escaped from a fhipwreck; but have only gained a rock by hard swimming; where I may pant a while and gather breath: for the doctors give me a fad affurance, that disease never took its leave of any man, but with a purpose to return. However, my lord, I have laid hold on my |