of Mr. WALLER'S POEMS. 269 one now: without prophefying, a man may eafily know what fort of laurels are like to be in request. Whilst I am talking of Verfe, I find my felf, I do not know how, betrayed into a great deal of profe. I intended no more than to put the Reader in mind what respect was due to any thing that fell from the pen of Mr. WALLER. I have heard his laft printed copies, which are added in the feveral editions of his poems, very flightly fpoken of; but certainly they do not deferve it. They do indeed discover themselves to be his last, and that is the worst we can say of them. He is there. * Jam fenior; fed cruda Deo viridifque fenectus. The fame cenfure perhaps will be paffed on the pieces of this Second Part. I fhall not fo far engage for them, as to pretend they are all equal to whatever he wrote in the vigor of his youth: yet, they are fo much of a piece with the reft, that any man will at firft fight know them to be Mr. WALLER'S. Some of them were wrote very early, but not put into former collections, for reafons obvious enough, but which are now ceafed. The play was altered to please the Court: it is not to be doubted who fat for the Two Brother's characters. It was agreeable to the fweetnefs of Mr. WALLER's temper, to foften the rigor of the Tragedy, as he expreffes it: but, whether it be fo agreeable to the nature of Tragedy it felf, to make every thing come-off eafily, I leave to the Critics. In the Prologue, and Epilogue, there are a few verfes that he has made ufe of upon another occafion: but, the Reader will be pleased to allow that in Him, that has been allowed fo long in Homer, and Lucretius. Exact writers dress up their thoughts fo very well always, that, when they have need of the fame fenfe, they cannot put it into other words, but it must be to its prejudice. Care has been taken in this Book to get together every thing of Mr. WALLER's that is not put into the former collection: fo that between both, the Reader may have the Set complete. It will perhaps be contended after all, that fome of these ought not to have been published: and Mr. † Cowley's decifion will be urged, that a neat tomb of marble is a better monument than a great pile of rubbish. It might be answered In the Preface to his Works. VIRG. En. 6. v. 304. to 270 Preface to the fecond Part, &c. to this, that the Pictures, and Poems, of great Makers have been always valued, tho' the last hand were not put to them. And I believe none of those Gentlemen that will make the objection, would refuse a sketch of Raphael's, or one of Titian's draughts of the first fitting. I might tell them too, what care has been taken by the learned, to preserve the fragments of the antient Greek and Latin Poets: there has been thought to be a Divinity in what they faid; and therefore the least pieces of it have been kept up, and reverenced like religious reliques. And, I am fure, take away the "* "mille anni," and impartial reasoning will tell us there is as much due to the memory of Mr. WALLER, as to the most celebrated names of antiquity. But, to wave the difpute now of what ought to have been done; I can affure the Reader, what would have been, had this edition been delayed. The following Poems were got abroad, and in a great many hands; it were in vain to expect, that among fo many admirers. of Mr. WALLER, they should not meet with one fond enough to publish them. They might have ftaid, indeed, 'till by frequent tranfcriptions they had been corrupted extremely, and jumbled together with things of another kind: but, then they would have found their way into the world. So it was thought a greater piece of kindness to the Author, to put them out whilst they continue genuine, and unmixed; and fuch as He Himself, were He alive, might own. * Alluding to that Verfe in JUVENAL, And yields to Homer on no other icore, Sat. 7. Mr. C. DRYDEN. The [271] The Epitaph on Mr. WALLER'S Monument in Beconsfield Church-yard in Buckinghamfhire written by Mr. Rymer, late Hiftoriographer-royal. On the WEST-END. EDMUNDI WALLER HIC JACET ID QUANTUM MORTI CESSIT, QUI INTER POETAS SUI TEMPORIS FACILE PRINCEPS, LAUREAM, QUAM MERUIT ADOLESCENS, OCTOGENARIUS HAUD ABDICAVIT. HUIC DEBET PATRIA LINGUA QUOD CREDAS, SI GREACE LATINEQUE INTERMITTERENT, MUSAE LOQUI AMARENT ANGLICE. On the SOUTH-SIDE. HEUS, VIATOR! TUMULATUM VIDES EDMUMDUM WALLER, QUI TANTI NOMINIS POETA, ET IDEM AVITIS OPIBUS, INTER PRIMOS SPECTABILIS, MUSIS SE DEDIT, ET PATRIAE. NONDUM OCTODECENNALIS, INTER ARDUA REGNI TRACTANTES SEDEM HABUIT, A BURGO DE AGMONDESHAM MISSUS. HIC VITÆ CURSUS; NEC ONERI DEFUIT SENEX, VIXITQUE SEMPER POPULO CHARUS, PRINCIPIBUS IN DELICIIS, ADMIRATIONI OMNIBUS. [272] HIC CONDITUR TUMULO SUB EODEM RARA VIRTUTE ET MULTA PROLE NOBILIS UXOR, MARIA EX BRESSYORUM FAMILIA, CUM EDMUNDO WALLER, CONJUGE CHARISSIMO: QUEM TER EȚ DECIES LAETUM FECIT PATREM, V FILIIS, FILIABUS VIII; QUOS MUNDO DEDIT, ET IN COELUM REDIIT, On the EAST-END. EDMUNDUS WALLER CUI HOC MARMOR On the NORTH SIDE. HOC MARMORE EDMUNDO WALLER MARIAEQUE EX SECUNDIS NUPTIIS CONJUGI, PIENTISSIMIS_PARENTIBUS PIISSIME PARENTAVIT EDMUNDUS FILIUS HONORES BENE-MERENTIBUS EXTREMOS DEDIT QUOS IPSE FUGIT. EL. W. I. F. H. G. EX TESTAMENTO H. M. P. IN JUL. MDCC. FINI S. |