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PROBATIONARY ODE EXTRAORDINARY, By the Rev. W. MASON, M.A.
[The following second attempt of Mr. MASON, at the ROYAL SACK, was not inserted in the celebrated collection of Odes formed by Sir JOHN HAWKINS.—What might be the motive of the learned Knight for this omission can at present only be known to himself.—Whether he treasured it up for the next edition of his Life of Dr. JOHNSON, or whether he condemned it for its too close resemblance to a former elegant lyric effusion of the Rev. Author, must remain for time, or Mr, FRANCIS BARBER, to develope.—Having, however, been fortunate enough to procure a copy, we have printed both the Odes in opposite leaves, that in case the latter supposition should turn out to be well founded, the public may decide how far the worthy magistrate was justified in this exclusion.]
ODE ODE
To the Honourable WILLIAM PITT. To the Right Hon. WILLIAM PITT.
By W. MASON, M.A. By W. MASON, M.A.
?? ???, ?t? f???e?a? “Give not the Mitre now!
T?at?? f???a? ?f????a?ta? ??p?de?, Lest base-tongued ENVY squinting at my
brow,
??t? ??et?? p?te s???t? pat??a?, Cry, ’lo! the price for CAVENDISH
betray’d!’
??d? t??sd ?????. But in good time nor that, oh! PITT!
PINDAR, Isthm. Ode 2. forget,
Nor my more early service yet unpaid,
My puffs on CHATHAM in his offspring’s
aid,
Not what this loyal Ode shall add to
swell the debt.”
MY OWN TRANSLATION.
I. I.
’Tis May’s meridian reign; yet Eurus ’Tis now the TENTH of APRIL; yet the
cold wind
Forbids each shrinking thorn its In frigid fetters doth each blossom
leaves unfold, bind,
Or hang with silver buds her rural No silver buds her rural throne
throne: emboss:
No primrose shower from her green lap No violets blue from her green lap
she throws[1], she throws[2];
No daisy, violet, or cowslip blows, Oh! lack-a-daisy! not a daisy blows,
And Flora weeps her fragrant And (ere she has them) FLORA weeps
offspring gone. their loss.
Hoar frost arrests the genial dew; Hoar frost, with bailiff’s grizly
hue,
To wake, to warble, and to woo At Winter’s suit, arrests the dew;
No linnet calls his drooping No Cuckow wakes her drowsy mate:
love:
Shall then the poet strike the His harp then shall a Parson
lyre, strum,
When mute are all the feather’d When other Blackbirds all are
quire, dumb,
And Nature fails to warm the syrens of When neither Starlings, Daws, or
the grove? Magpies prate?
II. II.
He shall: for what the sullen Spring He shall: for what the sulky Spring
denies denies,
The orient beam of virtuous youth An annual butt of sugar’d SACK
supplies: supplies;
That moral dawn be his inspiring That beverage sweet be his inspiring
flame. flame,
Beyond the dancing radiance of the Cloath’d in the radiant influence of
east the East,
Thy glory, son of CHATHAM! fires his Thy glory, son of CHATHAM, fires his
breast, breast;
And proud to celebrate thy vernal And swift to adulate thy vernal
fame. fame,
Hark, from this lyre the strain Hark! from his lyre a strain is
ascends, heard,
Which but to Freedom’s fav’rite In hopes, ere long, to be
friends preferred,
That lyre disdains to sound. To sit in state ’midst mitred
peers.
Hark and approve, as did thy Hark and approve! as did thy sire,
sire[3]
The lays which once with kindred The lays which, nodding by the
fire fire,
His muse in attic mood made Mona’s To gentle slumbers sooth’d his
oaks rebound. listening ears.
III. III.
Long silent since, save when, in Long silent since, save when on
KEPPEL’s name, t’other side,
Detraction, murd’ring BRITAIN’s naval In KEPPEL’s praise to little purpose
fame, tried,
Rous’d into sounds of scorn th’ I rous’d to well-feign’d scorn the
indignant string[4]. indignant string;
But now, replenish’d with a richer But now replete with a more hopeful
theme, theme,
The vase of harmony shall pour its The o’erflowing ink-bottle shall pour
stream, its stream,
Fann’d by free Fancy’s Through quills by Dullness pluck’d
rainbow-tinctur’d wing. from gosling’s downy wing.
Thy country too shall hail the St. JAMES’s too shall hail the
song, song,
Her echoing heart the notes Her echoing walls the notes
prolong; prolong,
While they alone with [5]envy Whilst they alone with sorrow
sigh, sigh.
Whose rancour to thy parent dead Whose reverence for thy parent
dead,
Aim’d, ere his funeral rites were Now bids them hang their drooping
paid, head,
With vain vindictive rage to starve And weep, to mark the conduct of his
his progeny. progeny.
IV. IV.
From earth and these the muse averts From these the courtly muse averts her
her view, eye.
To meet in yonder sea of ether blue To meet with genuine unaffected joy
A beam to which the blaze of noon is A scene that passes in the Closet’s
pale: gloom;
In purpling circles now the glory In whitening circles the dim glory
spreads, spreads,
A host of angels now unveil their Bedchamber Lords unveil their powder’d
heads, heads,
While heav’n’s own music triumphs on And Tory triumphs sound throughout
the gale. the room:
Ah see, two white-rob’d seraphs Ah! see two Jannisaries lead
lead
Thy father’s venerable shade; Illustrious BUTE’s thrice-honour’d
shade;
He bends from yonder cloud of Behind yon curtain did he stand,
gold,
While they, the ministers of Whilst they (which Whigs with
light, horror mark)
Bear from his breast a mantle Bear from his cloak a lantern
bright, dark,
And with the heav’n-wove robe thy And trust the hallow’d engine to thy
youthful limbs enfold. youthful hand.
V. V.
“Receive this mystic gift, my son!” he “Receive this mystic gift, brave boy,”
cries, he cries,
“And, for so wills the Sovereign of “And if so please the Sovereign of the
the skies, skies,
With this receive, at ALBION’s With this receive at GEORGE’s
anxious hour, anxious hour,
A double portion of my patriot zeal, A double portion of my Tory zeal,
Active to spread the fire it dar’d to Active to spread the fire it dared to
feel feel,
Thro’ raptur’d senates, and with Through venal senates, and with
awful power boundless pow’r,
From the full fountain of the tongue From the full fountain of the
tongue,
To call the rapid tide along To roll a tide of words along,
Till a whole nation caught the Till a whole nation is deceived.
flame.
So on thy sire shall heav’n bestow, So shall thy early labours gain
A blessing TULLY fail’d to know, A blessing BUTE could ne’er attain;
And redolent in thee diffuse thy In fact, a Courtier be, yet Patriot be
father’s fame. believed.
VI. VI.
“Nor thou, ingenuous boy! that Fame “Nor thou, presumptuous imp, that fame
despise disown,
Which lives and spreads abroad in Which draws its splendor from a
Heav’n’s pure eyes, monarch’s throne,
The last best energy of noble Sole energy of many a lordly mind,
mind[6];
Revere thy father’s shade; like him Revere the shade of BUTE, subservient
disdain still
The tame, the timid, temporizing To the high dictates of the Royal
train, will;
Awake to self, to social interest Awake to self, to social interest
blind: blind.
Young as thou art, occasion calls, Young as thou art, occasion calls,
Thy country’s scale or mounts or Prerogative or mounts or falls
falls
As thou and thy compatriots As thou and thy compatriots[7]
strive; strive,
Scarce is the fatal moment past Scarce in the fatal moment past
That trembling ALBION deem’d her Which Secret Influence deem’d her
last, last,
O knit the union firm, and bid an Oh! save the expiring fiend, and bid
empire live. her empire live!
VII. VII.
“Proceed, and vindicate fair Freedom’s “Proceed!—Uphold Prerogative’s high
claim, claim,
Give life, give strength, give Give life, give strength, give
substance to her name; substance to her name!
The native rights of man with Fraud The rights divine of Kings with
contest. Whigs contest;
Yes, snatch them from Corruption’s Save them from Freedom’s bold
baleful power, incroaching hand,
Who dares, in Day’s broad eye, those Who dares, in Day’s broad eye, those
rights devour, rights withstand,
While prelates bow, and bless the And be by Bishops thy endeavours
harpy feast. bless’d!”
If foil’d at first, resume thy If foil’d at first, resume thy
course, course,
Rise strengthen’d with ANTÆAN Whilst I, though writing worse and
force, worse,
So shall thy toil in conquest Thy glorious efforts will
end. record;
Let others court the tinsel things Let others seek by other ways,
That hang upon the smile of kings, The public’s unavailing praise,
Be thine the muse’s wreath; be thou Be mine the BUTT OF SACK—be thou the
the people’s friend.” TREASURY’S LORD!
[1] This expression is taken from Milton’s song on May Morning, to which this stanza in general alludes, and the 4th verse in the next.
[2] Improved from Milton.
[3] The poem of Curactacus was read in Ms. by the late Earl of Chatham, who honoured it with an approbation which the author is here proud to record.
[4] See Ode to the Naval Officers of Great Britain, written 1779.
[5] See the motto from Pindar.
[6] in allusion to a fine and well-known passage in MILTON’s Lycidas.
[7] Messrs. JENKINSON, ROBINSON, DUNDAS, &c. &c.
