And, of my mere motion and [pecial good grace,
Intended in time to succeed in your place,
On Tuesday the tenth seditiously came
With a certain false traitress, one Stella by name,
To the deanry, house, and on the north glass,
Where for fear of the cold I never can pass,
Then and there, vi & armis, with a certain utenfil,
Of value five shillings, in English'a pencil,
Did maliciously, falfely, and traiterously write,
Whilft Stella aforesaid stood by with a light.
My fister had lately depos’d upon oath,
That she stopt in her course to look at them both :
That Stella was helping, abetting, and aiding;
And fill, as he writ, stood smiling and reading :
That her eyes were as bright as myself at noon-day,
But her graceful black locks were all mingled with grey;
And by the description I certainly know,
'Tis the nymph that I courted some ten years ago ;
Whom when I with the best of my talents endued
On her promise of yielding, she acted the prude :
That some verses were writ with felonious intent,
Direct to the north, where I never yet went:
That the letters appeared revers'd through the pane,
But in Stella's bright eyes they were plac'd right again;
Wherein she distinctly could read every line,
And presently guess’d that the fancy was mine.
She can swear to the person, whom oft she has seen
At night between Cavan Street and College Green.
Now

you see why his verses so feldom are shewn; The reason is plain, they are none of his own;

And

And observe while you live, that no man is shy
To discover the goods he came honestly by.
If I light on a thought, he will certainly steal it,
And, when he has got it, find ways to conceal it;
Of all the fine things he keeps in the dark,
There's scarce one in ten but what has my mark;
And let them be seen by the world if he dare,
I'll make it appear that they're all stolen ware.
But as for the

poem
he writ on

your

fash, I think I have now got him under my lash; My sister transcrib'd it last night to his forrow, And the publick shall fee’t, if I live till to-morrow. Through the zodiac around, it shall quickly be spread In all parts of the globe where your language is read. He knows very well, I ne'er gave a refusal, When he ask'd for my aid in the forms that are usual ; But the secret is this ; I did lately intend To write a few verses on you, as my friend : I studied a fortnight, before I could find, As I rode in my chariot, a thought to my mind, And resolv'd the next winter (for that is my time, When the days are at shortest) to get it in rhyme ; Till then it was lock'd in my box at Parnassus; When that subtle companion, in hopes to surpass us,Conveys out my paper of hints by a trick, (For I think in my conscience he deals with Old Nick) And, from my own stock provided with topicks, He gets to a window beyond-both the tropicks; There out of my sight, just against the north zone, Writes down my conceits, and then calls them his own;

And

And you, like a booby, the bubble can swallow :
Now who but Delany can write like Apollo ?
High treason by statute ! yet here you object,
He only, stole hints, but the verse is correct;
Though the thought be Apollo's, 'tis finely expressid:
So a thief steals my horse, and has him well dress’d.

ow, whereas the fad criminal feems past repentance,
We Phæbus țhink fit to proceed to his sentence.
Since Delany has dar'd, like Prometheus his fire,
To climb to our region, and thence to steal fire ;
We order a vulture, in shape of the spleen,
To prey on his liver, but not to be seen.
And we order our subjects of every degree
To believe all his verses were written by me:
And, under the pain of our highest displeasure,
To call nothing his but the rhyme and the measures
And lastly, for Stella, juft out of her prime,
I'm too much revenged already by time.
In return to her scorn, I send her diseases,
But will now be her friend whenever the pleases :
And the gifts I bestow'd hier will find her a lover, ;
Though she lives to be grey as a badger all over.

NEWS FROM PARNASSUS.

BY DR. DEL A N Y. PARNASSUS, February the twenty-seventh.

The Poets afsembled here on the eleventh, Conven'd by Apollo, who gave them to know, He'd have a vicegerent in his empire below ;:

Bus

But declar'd that no Bard should this honour inherit,
Till the rest had agreed he surpass’d them in merit.
Now this, you 'll allow, was a difficult case,
For each Bard believ'd he'd a right to the place ;
So, finding th' assembly grow warm in debate,
He
put

them in mind of his Phaëton's fate : 'Twas urg'd to no purpose; disputes higher rose, Scarce Phoebus himself could their quarrels compose ; Till at length he determin'd that every

Bard Should (each in his turn) be patiently hcard.

First, one who believ'd he excell'd in translation, Founds his claim on the doctrine of man's transmigrațion: “ Since the soul of great Milton was given to me, “ I hope the convention will quickly agree.”

Agree !" quoth Apollo : “ from whence is this fool? “- Is he just come from reading Pythagoras at school ? “ Be gone! Sir, you 've got your subscriptions in time, " And given in return neither reason nor rhyme.”

To the next, says the God, “ Though now I won’x

chuse you,

" I'll tell you the reason for which I refuse you : “ Love's goddess has oft' to her parents complain'd « Of my favouring a Bard who her empire disdain'd; “ That, at my instigation, a poem you writ, “ Which to beauty and youth preferr'd judgement and

“ wit ;

“ That, to make you a Laureat, I gave the first voice, “ Inspiring the Britons t'approve of my choice. “ Jove sent her to mc, her

power try; « The Goddess of Beauty what God can deny ?

" She

to

66

you, because

« She forbids your preferment; I grant her desire.

Appease the fair Goddess : you then may rise higher."

The next that appear'd had good hopes of succeeding, For he merited much for his wit and his breeding. 'Twas wise in the Britons no favour to show him, He else might expect they should pay what they owe him. And therefore they prudently chose to discard The Patriot, whose merits they would not reward. The God, with a smile, bad his favourite advance, “ You were sent by Astræa her Envoy to France : “ You bent your ambition to rise in the state ; « I refuse

you

could stoop to be great." Then a Bard who had been a successful Translator, “ The Convention allows me a Versificator.” Says Apollo, “ You mention the least of

your

merit; By your works it appears you have much of my

" spirit. “ I esteem you so well, that, to tell you the truth, “ The greatest objection against you 's your youth : “ Then be not concern'd you are now laid aside; “ If you live, you shall certainly one day preside.”

Another, low bending, Apollo thus greets, “ 'Twas I taught your subjects to walk through the

o streets." “ You taught them to walk ! why, they knew it before: “ But give me the Bard that can teach them to foar. “ Whenever he claims, 'tis his right, I'll confess, “ Who lately attempted my style with success;. « Who writes like Apollo has most of his spirit, “ And therefore 'tis just I distinguish his merit ;

" Whe