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[Page 15]
PRETTYMAN.
Father of lies; by whom, in Eden's shade,
Mankind's first parents were to sin betray'd;
Lo! on this altar, which to thee I [raiss?],
Twelve bibles, bound in red Morocco [blaise?]
BANKS.
Blest pow'rs of falshood, at whose shrine I bend,
Still may success your vot'ry's lies attend;
What prouder victims can your altars boast, 40
Than honor stain'd, and fame for ever lost?
PRETTYMAN.
How smooth, persuasive, plausible, and glib,
From holy lips is dropp'd the specious fib!
Which, whisper'd slyly in its dark career,
Assails with art, the unsuspecting ear.
BANKS.
How clear, convincing, eloquent, and bold,
The bare-fac'd lie, with manly courage told!
Which, spoke in public, falls with greater force, 50
And heard by hundreds, is believ'd of course.
PRETTYMAN.
Search through each office for the basest tool,
Rear'd in Jack Robinson's abandon'd school;
Rose, beyond all the sons of dulness, dull,
Whose legs are fearcely thicker than his scull,
Not Rose, from all restraints of conscience free,
In double dealing, is a match for me.
BANKS.
Step from St.Stephen's up to Leaden-hall Leadenhall],
Where Europe's crimes appear no crimes at all;
Not Major Scott, with bright Pagodas paid;
That wholesale dealer in the lying trade; 60
Not he, howe'er important his design,
Can lie with impudence, surpassing [pain?]
PRETTYMAN.
Sooner the ass in fields of air shall graze,
Or Warton's Odes with justice claim the bays;
Sooner shall mackrel on the plains disport,
Or Mulgrave's hearers think his speech too short;
Sooner shall sense escape the prattling lips
Of Captain Charles, or Col'nel Henry Phipps;
Sooner shall Campbell mend his phrase uncouth,
Than Doctor Prettyman shall speak the truth! 70
BANKS
When Fox and Sheridan for fools shall pass,
And Jemmy Luttrell not be thought an ass;
When all their audience shall enraptur'd fit
With Mawbey's eloquence, and Martin's wit;
When fiery Kenyon shall with temper speak,
When modest blushes dye Dundas's cheek;
Then, only then, in Pitt's behalf will I
Refuse to pledge my honor to a lie.
PRETTYMAN.
While in suspence our Irish project hung,
A well-fram'd fiction from this fruitful tongue 80
Sooth'd Britain's cares, had all her terrors cease;
And lull'd her Manufacturers to peace;
The tale was told with so demure an air,
Not wary Commerce could escape the snare.
BANKS
When secret influence expiring lay,
And Whigs triumphant hail'd th' auspicious day,
I bore that faithless message to the House,
By Pitt contriv'd the gaping 'squires to [chouse?];
That deed, I ween, demands superior thanks:
The British Commons were the dupes of Banks. 90
PRETTYMAN
Say in what regions are those fathers found,
For deep-dissembling policy renown'd;
Whose subtle precepts for perverting truth,
To quick perfection train'd our patron's youth,
And taught him all the mystery of lies?
Resolve me this, and I resign the prize.
BANKS.
Say what that mineral, brought from distant climes,
Which screens delinquents, and absolves their crimes,
Whose dazzling rays confound the space between
A tainted strumpet, and a spotless Queen; 100
Which Asia's Princes give, which Europe's take;
Tell this dear Doctor, and I yield the stake. -
PITT.
Enough, my friends - break off your tuneful sport,
'Tis Levee day, and I must dress for Court;
Which hath more boldly, or expertly lied,
Not mine th' important contest to decide.
Take though this mitre, Doctor, which before
A greater hypocrite sure never wore,
And if to services rewards be due,
Dear Banks, this coronet belongs to you : 110
Each from that Government deserves a prize,
Which thrives on shuffling, and subsists by lies.
V.6 Amant alterna Camenae --- Virg.
V.10. Hos Corydon, illos referebat in ordine Thyrss [Thyrsus]
---Virg.
V.31. Dicite; quando quidem in molli consedimus
herbâ. --- Virg.
V.63 Ante leves ergo pascenter in aethere cervi
Et freta destituent nudos in littore pisces. --- Virg..
V.91. Die quibus in terris, &c. --- Virg.
V.106. Non nostrum inter vos tantas componere lites ---
Virg.
V.111. Et vitulâ tu dignus & hic. --- Virg.
The Lyars.} This eclogue is evidently an imitation of the
third Bucolic of Virgil, which is as observed by Dr. Joseph
Warton, brother of our incomparable Laureat, is of that
species, called Amoeboea, where the characters introduced,
contend in alternate verse. The second always endeavouring to
surpass the first speaker in an equal number of lines.
O witless lout.} Our poet here seems to deviate from his
general rule, by the introduction of a phrase, which appears
rather adapted to the lower and less elevated strain of pasteral,
than to the dialogue of persons of such distinguished rank.
It is, however, to be considered, that it is far from exceed-
ing the bounds of possibility to suppose, that, in certain in-
stances, the epithet of "Witless," and the coarse designation
of "Lout," may be as applicable to a dignitary of the church,
as to the most ignorant and illiterate rustic.
Gaping 'Squires.] The ingenious and sagacious gentlemen,
who at the period of the glorious revolution of 1784, held
frequent meetings at the St. Alban's Tavern, for the purpose
of bringing about an union, that might have prevented the
dissolution of parliament; which meetings afforded time to
one of the members of the proposed union to concert means
throughout every part of the kingdom, for ensuring the suc-
cess of that salutary and constitutional measure, which thro'
his friend Mr. B--ks [Banks], he had solemnly pledged himself not to adopt.
Whose [dasling?] rays.} It must be acknowledged that there
is some obscurity in this passage, as well as in the following line,
"Which Asia's Princes give, which Europe's take"
of which certain seditious, malevolent, disaffected critics have
taken advantage, and have endeavoured, by a forced con-
struction, to discover in them an unwarrantable insinuation
against the highest and most sacred characters; from which
infamous imputation, however, we trust, the well known and
acknowledged loyalty of our author's principles, will suffici-
ently protect him.
.