The country open lay without defence; For poets frequent inroads there had made, The shape, the face, with every lineament, 100 And all the large demains* which the dumb Sister swayed; Received in triumph wheresoe'er she went. Her pencil drew whate'er her soul designed, 105 115 And oft the happy draught surpassed the image in her mind. 7 120 125 The scene then changed; with bold erected look 130 With such a peerless majesty she stands, As in that day she took the crown from sacred hands; * Dryden's spelling, demains, is here preserved. In the original edition this line stood: "Her forming hand gave shape unto the name." It was altered in the republication of 1694 to what is printed above. Mrs. Killigrew painted James II.; eye stood in the first edition instead of sight, substituted in 1694 * Before a train of heroines was seen, And her bright soul broke out on every side. 140 145 To such immoderate growth her conquest rose As equal were their souls, so equal was their fate. Alas! thou knowst not, thou art wrecked at home. No more shalt thou behold thy sister's face, Thou hast already had her last embrace. But look aloft, and if thou kenst from far, 175 This passage was considerably altered in 1694 from the first edition, where it stood: "As in that day she took from sacred hands ↑ Orinda; the name given to Katharine Philips, a poetess, who died of small-pox in 1664, in her thirty-third year. Her poems were published in 1667, with the title, "Poems by the most deservedly admired Mrs. Katharine Philips, the matchless Orinda ;" and Anne Killigrew wrote some verses in her honour Those clothed with flesh, and life inspires the dead ; The sacred poets first shall hear the sound, And foremost from the tomb shall bound, For they are covered with the lightest ground; 190 There thou, sweet saint, before the quire shalt go, 195 UPON THE DEATH OF THE VISCOUNT OF DUNDEE.* OH last and best of Scots! who didst maintain 5 This is a free translation by Dryden of a Latin epitaph on the famous Claverhouse by Dr. Pitcairn John Graham of Claverhouse, made Viscount Dundee in 1688, was killed in 1689, fighting for James II. at Killicrankie, and in the moment of achieving victory over General Mackay's force. The death of Dundee was the ruin of James's cause in Scotland. The following is the original Latin epitaph — "Ultime Scotorum! Potuit, quo sospite solo, Libertas patriæ salva fuisse tuæ ; Te moriente novos accepit Scotia cives, Ultime Scotorum, atque ultime Grahme, vale!" EPITAPH ON THE LADY WHITMORE.* FAIR, kind, and true, a treasure each alone, Come, virgins, ere in equal bands ye join, 5 And wish your vows, like hers, may be returned, So loved when living, and when dead so mourned. 10 *Frances, wife of Sir Thomas Whitmore, baronet, of Bridgnorth, died in 1690, and was buried at Twickenham. This epitaph by Dryden is on the monu.nent in Twickenham Church. |