ERRATA.

VOL. II.

[The lines cited from the several poems are those of the poems; those cited from title-pages containing mottoes are the lines of the pages.]

Page6 l. 21 fororreadbut.  p. 13 l. 5 forWithreadIn.ib.l. 13 for 2 read 1.ib.l. 17 forAct II. Scene 7readAct IV. Scene 2.  p. 27 l. 5 several lines omitted afterand such.ib.l. 9 for 4 read 3.ib.l. 12 foro’erreadin.ib.l. 14 forEgeanreadÆgean.ib.l. 15 forEmiliareadÆmilia.ib.l. 16 for 5 read 1.ib.l. 18 forshe badreadhe bade.ib.l. 21 forth’ insolentreadthe insolent.ib.l. 24 forfatereadstate.ib.l. 25 foryoureadye.  p. 28 l. 13 forPainreadPains.  p. 41 l. 3 forthenreadthere ....ib.l. 11 for 3 read 1.  p. 47 l. 204 forChesterfieldread‘Chesterfield.’p. 56 l. 4 forever true and humblereada true and humble wife.ib.l. 10 forThe fatal timereadThe leisure and the fearful time.ib.l. 11 forall ceremonies andreadthe ceremonious.ib.l. 18 forimpiety, thou impiousreadimpiety and impious.ib.l. 20 for 2 read 1.  p. 67 l. 4 forpeculiarreadparticular.ib.l. 5 forshereadhe.ib.l. 6 forherreadhis.ib.l. 7 forherreadhis.ib.l. 16 forTempestreadThe Tempest. p. 69 l. 50 forMarcusread‘Marcus.’p. 76 l. 344 fordivine!read‘divine!’.  p. 87 l. 3 formake a curtsyreadmake curtsy.ib.l. 4 forbut forreadbut yet for.ib.l. 11 foramble, you nick-namereadyou amble, and you lisp, and nick-name.ib.l. 15 forAm I contemn’dreadStand I condemn’d.ib.l. 16 forII. readIII.  p. 92 l. 166‘Chaste, sober, solemn’ and ‘devout.’Not in inverted commas.  p. 93 l. 197 forwhat womanreadthat woman.  p. 95 l. 265 forthanreadthen.  p. 101 l. 4 forOrreadCould.ib.a line omitted after ll. 6, 7 and 8 respectively.  p. 103 l. 46 forLeareadlea.  p. 113 l. 8 forAs You Like ItreadMuch Ado about Nothing, Act II. Scene 1.ib.l. 11Act IV. Scene 3omitted.ib.l. 14 forhencereadhome.ib.ll. 16-20 ‘Be the Sweet Helen’s Knell’ is printed as immediately preceding the rest of these lines, instead of following them 28 lines later.  ForHe left a wifereadHe lost a wife. In the Shakspearean text these words form the latter part of a line, and are followed by a line and a half here omitted.  p. 116 l. 75 forbeauty bless’dreadbeauty-bless’d.  p. 124 after line 3 a line omitted.ib.l. 9 forsometimesreadsomething.ib.l. 13 forMeasure for Measure, Act II. Scene 4readMuch Ado about Nothing, Act III. Scene 1.  p. 134 l. 3 forheavensreadheaven.  p. 145 l. 11 forwith purgedreadin purged.  p. 159 l. 13 foruponreadof.ib.l. 16 forpitiablereadpitiful and.ib.l. 17 forBut thou artreadThou stern.  p. 185 l. 13 forfor itreadfor ’t.  p. 194 l. 311 fordosedreaddozed.  p. 211 l. 8 forin theereadof thee.ib.l. 12 forbut tyrannousreadbut it is tyrannous.p. 228 ll. 3 and 6SheandHerare substituted forHeandHisin the original passage.ib.l. 9 forthere isreadthere’s.  p. 242 l. 4 forTaming the ShrewreadTaming of the Shrew.ib.l. 7 forAct V. Scene 2readAct II. Scene 1.  p. 249 l. 233 forhasreadhad.  p. 251 l. 6 forwith my troll-my-damesreadwith troll-my-dames.ib.l. 7 forScene 2readScene 3.ib.l. 9 forholdingreadhiding.  p. 253 l. 31 forof asreadas of.  p. 259 l. 272 forseemsreadseemed.  p. 261 l. 372 forI boyreadI a boy.  p. 264 l. 6 forpractice mayreadpractices.ib.l. 8 forwith hindsreadwith his hinds.ib.l. 12 forbeing whatreadbeing the thing.  p. 276 l. 10 forHe hasreadHe is.  p. 308 l. 200 forknowreadknew.  p. 341 l. 298 forhearreadheard.  p. 351 l. 184 forlook’dreadlook.  p. 381 l. 344 forboundedreadbonded.  p. 391 l. 738 forcomfortreadcomforts.  p. 397 l. 91 foritreadits.  p. 409 ll. 556-8 three inverted commas, instead of four, prefixed to each line, and no single inverted comma at the end of l. 558.  p. 413 l. 716 forparent’sreadparents’.  p. 415 l. 807 forpeasant’sreadpeasants’.  p. 423 l. 116 forHasreadHad.  p. 449 l. 731 no inverted comma before and after the words But why delay so long?  p. 461 ll. 358-9 no inverted commas prefixed to these lines, and no inverted comma at the end of l. 359.  p. 462 l. 404 forboughtreadbrought.  p. 466 l. 567 no inverted comma at beginning or end of this line.  p. 468 l. 636 no third inverted comma before and after the wordsI am this being.ib.ll. 638-40 no third inverted comma before the wordthusin l. 638 or before ll. 639 and 640 or at the end of l. 640.  p. 469 ll. 692-7 two inverted commas before each of these lines and at the close of l. 697.  p. 470 ll. 714-7 two inverted commas before each of these lines and at the end of l. 717. p. 478 l. 1054 forwillreadwilt.

TALES. Variants in edition of 1812 (first edition), and ‘Original MS.’ readings given as footnotes in Life and Poems (1834). These latter are distinguished as ‘O.M.’

Preface: p. 5, l. 1. present Volume.  p. 10, l. 22. Ahitophel.  l. 23. Ogg. pp. 10-11.instead ofl. 30-l. 5:

It has been asked, if Pope was a poet? No one, I conceive, will accuse me of vanity in bringing forward this query, or suppose me capable of comparing myself with a man so eminent: but persons very unlike in other respects may, in one particular, admit of comparison, or rather the same question may be applied to both. Now, who will complain that a definition of poetry, which excludes a great part of the writings of Pope, will shut out him? I do not lightly take up the idea, but I conceive that by that kind of definition, one half of our most agreeable English versification (most generally held, by general readers, to be agreeable and good) will be excluded, and an equal quantity, at least of very moderate, or, to say truly, of very wretched composition, will be taken in.(O.M.)

Tale 1.The edition of 1834 contains the following note to the Quotations: These mottoes are many, because there is a reference in them not only to the characters, but frequently to the incidents also; and they are all taken from Shakspeare, because I could more readily find them in his scenes, than in the works of any other poet to whom I could have recourse.(O.M.)

l. 310. tyger. l. 371. skulks.

Tale 2.Second Quotation. Hath written. Third Quotation. fire and flood.instead ofll. 191-4:

In a clear eve the lover sail’d, and oneAs clear and bright on aged Allen shone:On the spot sanction’d by the last embraceThe old man stood! and sigh’d upon the place.(O.M.)

In a clear eve the lover sail’d, and oneAs clear and bright on aged Allen shone:On the spot sanction’d by the last embraceThe old man stood! and sigh’d upon the place.(O.M.)

instead ofll. 253-274:

Oft to his children had the father toldWhere he resided in the years of old;When, without thought, his feeling and his prideThe native town adorn’d and magnified;The streets, the markets, and the quays were allSpacious and grand, and every building tall:The tower and church were sea-marks leagues from land—Men were amazed to see them look so grand!His father’s house was then in Allen’s eyes,But far increased in beauty and in size;And their small area where the schoolboys play’d,Room for an army had his fancy made:But now the dark and feeble mind debased,Contracted, sullied all that fancy graced,All spaces dwindled—streets but alleys seem’d:Then dreamt he now, or absent had he dream’d?The church itself, the lofty tower, the sceneOf so much glory, was debased and mean:The mind each object in dull clothing dress’d,And its own sadness on each scene impress’d.(O.M.)

Oft to his children had the father toldWhere he resided in the years of old;When, without thought, his feeling and his prideThe native town adorn’d and magnified;The streets, the markets, and the quays were allSpacious and grand, and every building tall:The tower and church were sea-marks leagues from land—Men were amazed to see them look so grand!His father’s house was then in Allen’s eyes,But far increased in beauty and in size;And their small area where the schoolboys play’d,Room for an army had his fancy made:But now the dark and feeble mind debased,Contracted, sullied all that fancy graced,All spaces dwindled—streets but alleys seem’d:Then dreamt he now, or absent had he dream’d?The church itself, the lofty tower, the sceneOf so much glory, was debased and mean:The mind each object in dull clothing dress’d,And its own sadness on each scene impress’d.(O.M.)

Tale 3.l. 57. expence.  l. 92. indure.instead ofll. 105-7:

Because in beaten ways we ever tread,And man by man, as sheep by sheep, is led,None start aside, but in the paths proceed,(O.M.)

Because in beaten ways we ever tread,And man by man, as sheep by sheep, is led,None start aside, but in the paths proceed,(O.M.)

l. 377. controul.  l. 398. controul.  l. 502. conns.  l. 514. controul.

Tale 4.Third Quotation, sundred.  l. 32. teazing.

Tale 5.l. 334. expence.  l. 348. extacy.  l. 492. teaz’d.  l. 662. controuling.  l. 703. curt’sy’d.

Tale 6.First Quotation. curtesy ... curtesy.  Third Quotation. gig. l. 226. doat.

Tale 7.l. 46. besprinkled.  l. 162. rustics.  l. 370. needs.

Tale 8.First Quotation. pityless.  l. 36. teaze.  l. 39. saught.  l. 256. controul.  l. 325. intranc’d.

Tale 9.l. 15. mamas.  l. 32. Montague.  l. 55. to his failings blind.  l. 56. the mind.  l. 57. pourtray’d.  l. 187. we knew not—’twas her fate.

Tale 10.Third Quotation. this spring.  l. 106. dykes.  l. 116, note. Laver.  l. 148. Trav’ler.  l. 162. Trav’ler’s.  l. 211. teiz’d.  l. 288. Trav’ler.  l. 321. Trav’ler.  l. 349. dykes.  l. 354. Trav’ler.

Tale 11.l. 15. Sampson.  l. 42. was dignity.  l. 127. Africk’s.  l. 233, arbor’s.  l. 297. bad.

Tale 13.l. 307. Colin.

Tale 14.Fourth Quotation. rooted sinew.  l. 89. Who knows?—or build.  l. 352. teaze.  l. 377. controul.  l. 495, wo.

Tale 15.l. 10. earthy.  l. 158. controul.  l. 164. conceiving that the coming day.  l. 248. are these sinners.  l. 406. temptations.

Tale 16.l. 499. secresy.  l. 581. æra.

Tale 17.Third Quotation, l. 3. act of our necessities.  l. 139. controul.  l. 299. paniers.  l. 409. smoaky.

Tale 18.l. 196. controul.

Tale 19.l. 154. controul.  l. 180. controul.

Tale 20.l. 119. expence.  l. 132. expence.  l. 204. teaz’d.  l. 212. t’excuse it as a woman’s way.

Tale 21.l. 47. teaze.  l. 50. controul.  l. 53. uncontroul’d.  l. 186. tenour.

TALES OF THE HALL.Variants in edition of 1819 (first edition).

‘Original MS.’readings given as footnotes in Life and Poems (1834). These are distinguished as ‘O.M.’

Variants in Crabbe MSS.in the possession of the Cambridge University Press. These are distinguished as ‘U.P.’

Variants in Crabbe MSS.in the possession of Mrs Mackay. These are distinguished as ‘M.’

Book I.

l. 151. inforce.

Book II.

Instead ofll. 15-20:

Yet with this difference might observers findSome kindred powers and features of the mind.A love of honour in both spirits ruled,But here by temper, there by trouble cool’d;Their favourite objects, studies, themes, pursuits,Had various beauties, merits, ends, and fruits.(O.M.)

Yet with this difference might observers findSome kindred powers and features of the mind.A love of honour in both spirits ruled,But here by temper, there by trouble cool’d;Their favourite objects, studies, themes, pursuits,Had various beauties, merits, ends, and fruits.(O.M.)

instead ofll. 63-70:

Joel nor time nor seasons could command,He took his comforts as they came to hand;Nor came they often, nor delay’d so long,That they were habits either weak or strong;What seem’d habitual was the urgent forceOf stern necessity that shaped his course.(O.M.)

Joel nor time nor seasons could command,He took his comforts as they came to hand;Nor came they often, nor delay’d so long,That they were habits either weak or strong;What seem’d habitual was the urgent forceOf stern necessity that shaped his course.(O.M.)

Book III.

Instead ofll. 7-14:

“Oh! there’s a wicked little world in schools,Where mischief suffers and oppression rules;Where mild, quiescent children oft endureWhat a long placid life shall fail to cure;Where virtuous boys, who shrink from early sin,Meet guilty rogues, who love to draw them in,Who take a pleasure at their just surprise,Who make them wicked, and proclaim them wise.”(O.M.)

“Oh! there’s a wicked little world in schools,Where mischief suffers and oppression rules;Where mild, quiescent children oft endureWhat a long placid life shall fail to cure;Where virtuous boys, who shrink from early sin,Meet guilty rogues, who love to draw them in,Who take a pleasure at their just surprise,Who make them wicked, and proclaim them wise.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 23-34:

“Behold him now, without the least pretenceTo such command——behold him five years hence;Mix’d in the world, his interest in his sight,How smooth he looks, his language how polite,No signs of anger, insult, scorn are seen;The address is mild, the temper is serene;His fiery passions are resign’d and still,They yield to reason, or obey his will.But are they dead?—Not so: should he attainThe wish’d-for fortune, they will live again;Then shall the Tyrant be once more obey’d,And all be Fags, whom he can make afraid.”(O.M.)

“Behold him now, without the least pretenceTo such command——behold him five years hence;Mix’d in the world, his interest in his sight,How smooth he looks, his language how polite,No signs of anger, insult, scorn are seen;The address is mild, the temper is serene;His fiery passions are resign’d and still,They yield to reason, or obey his will.But are they dead?—Not so: should he attainThe wish’d-for fortune, they will live again;Then shall the Tyrant be once more obey’d,And all be Fags, whom he can make afraid.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 90-7:

“But when he sits in judgment, and decreesWhat men should rule us, and what books should please,And thus the merit of a critic gains,Only for blowing out a Frenchman’s brains,I must demur, and in my mind retraceThe accountant Hector, and his rueful face;But on he blunders! thinking he is wise,Who has much strength, no matter where it lies.”(O.M.)

“But when he sits in judgment, and decreesWhat men should rule us, and what books should please,And thus the merit of a critic gains,Only for blowing out a Frenchman’s brains,I must demur, and in my mind retraceThe accountant Hector, and his rueful face;But on he blunders! thinking he is wise,Who has much strength, no matter where it lies.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 192-7:

“Again was made the offer, and again,With threats, with noble promises, in vain.When my Lord saw that nothing could be done,He nobly cried,—‘I’ll fit him as my son;Sir, will you go?’ As meekly as a saint,Charles humbly begg’d to stay on land and paint.”(O.M.)

“Again was made the offer, and again,With threats, with noble promises, in vain.When my Lord saw that nothing could be done,He nobly cried,—‘I’ll fit him as my son;Sir, will you go?’ As meekly as a saint,Charles humbly begg’d to stay on land and paint.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 204-29:

“Stubborn though mild, and fearing to offend,He gain’d his freedom, and he lost his friend:My Lord appeal’d to all the world, and cried,—‘There never breathed such stubbornness and pride;Do what you please, Sir, I am justified.’So said my Lord; for he was grieved to findSuch vile ingratitude in base mankind.“The boy then wrote for bread. I saw him thrice;His passions placid, he without a vice:He sometimes painted, but was uninspiredBy genius, unprotected, unadmired;But pensive, sober, diligent, employ’d}His every hour, his life without a void,}He sought for little, nothing he enjoy’d.}I fear he thought himself, because distress’d,An injured genius, by the world oppress’d.”(O.M.)

“Stubborn though mild, and fearing to offend,He gain’d his freedom, and he lost his friend:My Lord appeal’d to all the world, and cried,—‘There never breathed such stubbornness and pride;Do what you please, Sir, I am justified.’So said my Lord; for he was grieved to findSuch vile ingratitude in base mankind.“The boy then wrote for bread. I saw him thrice;His passions placid, he without a vice:He sometimes painted, but was uninspiredBy genius, unprotected, unadmired;But pensive, sober, diligent, employ’d}His every hour, his life without a void,}He sought for little, nothing he enjoy’d.}I fear he thought himself, because distress’d,An injured genius, by the world oppress’d.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 253-60:

“Years past away; I think some twenty-five,Again I saw him, and but just alive,And still forbidding, silent, sullen, proud,As one whose claims were just, and not allow’d.He saw me, saw my sympathy with pain,}Received my humble offers with disdain,}And sternly told me not to come again.”}(O.M.)

“Years past away; I think some twenty-five,Again I saw him, and but just alive,And still forbidding, silent, sullen, proud,As one whose claims were just, and not allow’d.He saw me, saw my sympathy with pain,}Received my humble offers with disdain,}And sternly told me not to come again.”}(O.M.)

instead ofll. 296-301:

“Thou, Charles! unaided by a noble friend,Hadst spent a careful life, as others spend;But when thy patron’s vanity and thineWere made by cruel fortune to combine,’Twas then th’ unhappy wretch was lifted highOn golden stilts, and seem’d to touch the sky;But when the tempter hand withdraws the props,The vision closes, and the victim drops.”(O.M.)

“Thou, Charles! unaided by a noble friend,Hadst spent a careful life, as others spend;But when thy patron’s vanity and thineWere made by cruel fortune to combine,’Twas then th’ unhappy wretch was lifted highOn golden stilts, and seem’d to touch the sky;But when the tempter hand withdraws the props,The vision closes, and the victim drops.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 362-87:

“The boy was tall, but with a mincing air,Blue, languid eyes, pale cheek, and flaxen hair;His temper fretful, but his spirits mild,}Loved by mamma, by all her maidens styled}The wittiest darling, and the sweetest child.}In those dear times, when that mamma had rule,There was much play, few lessons, and no school;But, oh! misfortune—when the lady died,No second wife her honour’d place supplied,But one dishonour’d; and she quickly sentAll who had grief to grieve in banishment:No longer now was there the rush of joy,The flood of fondness o’er the happy boy;No more indulgence by the maidens shown,For master’s pleasure, purchase of their own;But they as spies were to new service sent,And the sad boy to school and banishment.”(O.M.)

“The boy was tall, but with a mincing air,Blue, languid eyes, pale cheek, and flaxen hair;His temper fretful, but his spirits mild,}Loved by mamma, by all her maidens styled}The wittiest darling, and the sweetest child.}In those dear times, when that mamma had rule,There was much play, few lessons, and no school;But, oh! misfortune—when the lady died,No second wife her honour’d place supplied,But one dishonour’d; and she quickly sentAll who had grief to grieve in banishment:No longer now was there the rush of joy,The flood of fondness o’er the happy boy;No more indulgence by the maidens shown,For master’s pleasure, purchase of their own;But they as spies were to new service sent,And the sad boy to school and banishment.”(O.M.)

Book IV.

Instead ofll. 3-22:

“Brother,” said George, “when I beheld you last,The time how distant!—Well! the time is past—I had not then these comforts you behold,Things that amuse us when we’re getting old.These Pictures now! experienced men will say,They’re genuine all, and so perhaps they may;They cost the money, that I’m sure is true,And therefore, Richard, I will say it too.Music you find; for hither ladies come;They make infernal uproar in the room.I bear it. Why? because I must expectTo pay for honour, and I fear neglect.And if attraction from your person flies,You must some pleasure from your purse devise:But this apart—the triflers should not knowThat they can comfort or regret bestow.”(O.M.)

“Brother,” said George, “when I beheld you last,The time how distant!—Well! the time is past—I had not then these comforts you behold,Things that amuse us when we’re getting old.These Pictures now! experienced men will say,They’re genuine all, and so perhaps they may;They cost the money, that I’m sure is true,And therefore, Richard, I will say it too.Music you find; for hither ladies come;They make infernal uproar in the room.I bear it. Why? because I must expectTo pay for honour, and I fear neglect.And if attraction from your person flies,You must some pleasure from your purse devise:But this apart—the triflers should not knowThat they can comfort or regret bestow.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 76-7:

“That gun itself, that breaks upon the ear,Has something suited to the dying year.”“The dying partridge!” cried, with much disdain,Th’ offended ’Squire—“Our laws are made in vain:The country, Richard, would not be amiss,But for these plagues, and villanies like this;Wealth breeds the curse that fixes on the land,And strife and heritage go hand in hand.”(O.M.)

“That gun itself, that breaks upon the ear,Has something suited to the dying year.”“The dying partridge!” cried, with much disdain,Th’ offended ’Squire—“Our laws are made in vain:The country, Richard, would not be amiss,But for these plagues, and villanies like this;Wealth breeds the curse that fixes on the land,And strife and heritage go hand in hand.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 88-130:

They walk’d along, through mead and shaded wood,And stubble ground, where late abundance stood,And in the vale, where winter waters glide,O’er pastures stretching up the mountain side.With a shrewd smile, but mix’d with look severe,The landlord view’d the promise of the year.“See! that unrivall’d flock! they, they aloneHave the vast body on the slender bone;They are the village boast, the country’s theme,Fleece of such staple! flesh in such esteem!”Richard gave praise, but not in rapturous style;He chose his words, and spoke them with a smile:“Brother,” said he, “and if I take you right,I am full glad—these things are your delight;I see you proud, but,”—speaking half aside—“Is, now, the pleasure equal to the pride?”A transient flush on George’s face appear’d,Cloudy he look’d, and then his looks were cleared:“Look at yon hind!” said he,—“in very deed,His is the pride and pleasure in the breed;He has delight, he judges—I the name,And the whole praise—I speak it to my shame.Oh! Richard, Richard, tell me, if you can,What will engage and fix the mind of man?”“Suppose,” said he, “we look about the green,  }In yonder cots some objects may be seen,}T’ excite our pity, or relieve our spleen,”}“Oh! they are thieves and blockheads,” George replied,“Unjust, ungrateful, and unsatisfied;To grasp at all, their study, thought, and care,All would be thieves and plunderers, if they dare;His envious nature not a clown conceals,But bluntly shows the insolence he feels.”“And whence,” said Richard, “should the vice proceed,But from their want of knowledge, and their need?Let them know more, or let them better feel,And I’ll engage they’ll neither threat nor steal.”“Brother,” said George, “your pity makes you blindTo all that’s vile and odious in mankind;’T is true your notions may appear divine,But for their justice—let us go and dine.”(O.M.)

They walk’d along, through mead and shaded wood,And stubble ground, where late abundance stood,And in the vale, where winter waters glide,O’er pastures stretching up the mountain side.With a shrewd smile, but mix’d with look severe,The landlord view’d the promise of the year.“See! that unrivall’d flock! they, they aloneHave the vast body on the slender bone;They are the village boast, the country’s theme,Fleece of such staple! flesh in such esteem!”Richard gave praise, but not in rapturous style;He chose his words, and spoke them with a smile:“Brother,” said he, “and if I take you right,I am full glad—these things are your delight;I see you proud, but,”—speaking half aside—“Is, now, the pleasure equal to the pride?”A transient flush on George’s face appear’d,Cloudy he look’d, and then his looks were cleared:“Look at yon hind!” said he,—“in very deed,His is the pride and pleasure in the breed;He has delight, he judges—I the name,And the whole praise—I speak it to my shame.Oh! Richard, Richard, tell me, if you can,What will engage and fix the mind of man?”“Suppose,” said he, “we look about the green,  }In yonder cots some objects may be seen,}T’ excite our pity, or relieve our spleen,”}“Oh! they are thieves and blockheads,” George replied,“Unjust, ungrateful, and unsatisfied;To grasp at all, their study, thought, and care,All would be thieves and plunderers, if they dare;His envious nature not a clown conceals,But bluntly shows the insolence he feels.”“And whence,” said Richard, “should the vice proceed,But from their want of knowledge, and their need?Let them know more, or let them better feel,And I’ll engage they’ll neither threat nor steal.”“Brother,” said George, “your pity makes you blindTo all that’s vile and odious in mankind;’T is true your notions may appear divine,But for their justice—let us go and dine.”(O.M.)

Book V.

l. 182. woe. l. 415. controul.

Book VI.

The Book opens:

The evening came: “My Brother, what employsThy mind?” said Richard; “what disturbs thy joys?Hast thou not all the good the world can give,And liv’st a life that kings might sigh to live?Can nothing please thee? Thou wert wont to seizeOn passing themes, and make the trifles please.Thy Muse has many a pleasant fancy bred,And clothed in lively manner!—--is she dead?”“Not dead but sick, and I too weary growOf reaping nothing from the things I sow.What is the pleasure—thou perhaps canst say—Of playing tunes, if none can hear thee play?Timid and proud, the world I cannot court,Nor show my labours for the critic’s sport.Hast thou the courage, Richard? hast thou triedAn Author’s perils? hast thou felt his pride?For vain the efforts, and they quickly tire,If we alone our precious things admire.”“Not so,” said Richard, and acquired a lookThat some expression from his feelings took;“Oh! my dear Brother, if this Muse of mine,Who prompts the idle thought, the trifling line,If she who calmly looks around, nor moreMuse of the Mad, the Foolish, and the Poor,If she can pleasure—and she can—impart,Can wing the fancy, can enlarge the heart;What must a Muse of strength, of force, of fire,In the true Poet’s ample mind inspire?What must he feel, who can the soul expressOf saint or hero?—he must be no less.Nor less of evil minds he knows the pain,But quickly lost the anguish and the stain,While with the wisest, happiest, purest, best,His soul assimilates and loves to rest.Crowns would I spurn, and empires would I lose,For inspiration from the sacred Muse.”“A song,” said George, “and I my secret store,Confined in dust and darkness, will explore.Poet with poet, bard and critic too,We fear no censure, and dread no review.A judge so placed must be to errors kind,And yield the mercy that he hopes to find;Begin then, Richard, put thy fears aside;}Shall I condemn, who must myself be tried? }In me at least my Brother may confide.}In hope of wearing, I shall yield the bays,And my self-love shall give my rival praise.”(O.M.)

The evening came: “My Brother, what employsThy mind?” said Richard; “what disturbs thy joys?Hast thou not all the good the world can give,And liv’st a life that kings might sigh to live?Can nothing please thee? Thou wert wont to seizeOn passing themes, and make the trifles please.Thy Muse has many a pleasant fancy bred,And clothed in lively manner!—--is she dead?”“Not dead but sick, and I too weary growOf reaping nothing from the things I sow.What is the pleasure—thou perhaps canst say—Of playing tunes, if none can hear thee play?Timid and proud, the world I cannot court,Nor show my labours for the critic’s sport.Hast thou the courage, Richard? hast thou triedAn Author’s perils? hast thou felt his pride?For vain the efforts, and they quickly tire,If we alone our precious things admire.”“Not so,” said Richard, and acquired a lookThat some expression from his feelings took;“Oh! my dear Brother, if this Muse of mine,Who prompts the idle thought, the trifling line,If she who calmly looks around, nor moreMuse of the Mad, the Foolish, and the Poor,If she can pleasure—and she can—impart,Can wing the fancy, can enlarge the heart;What must a Muse of strength, of force, of fire,In the true Poet’s ample mind inspire?What must he feel, who can the soul expressOf saint or hero?—he must be no less.Nor less of evil minds he knows the pain,But quickly lost the anguish and the stain,While with the wisest, happiest, purest, best,His soul assimilates and loves to rest.Crowns would I spurn, and empires would I lose,For inspiration from the sacred Muse.”“A song,” said George, “and I my secret store,Confined in dust and darkness, will explore.Poet with poet, bard and critic too,We fear no censure, and dread no review.A judge so placed must be to errors kind,And yield the mercy that he hopes to find;Begin then, Richard, put thy fears aside;}Shall I condemn, who must myself be tried? }In me at least my Brother may confide.}In hope of wearing, I shall yield the bays,And my self-love shall give my rival praise.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 18-30:

“Wilt thou explain? I shall not grieve to shareA lover’s sorrow, or a husband’s care?”Kindness like this had moved a sterner man,Richard much more. He smiled, and thus began:—“No more I loved the sea; that plunge had tamedMy blood, by youth in idleness inflamed:To my affairs I forced my mind t’ attend,And sought the town to counsel with a friend.Much we debated—Could I now resignMy earthly views, and look to things divine?Could I to merchandise my mind persuade,And wait in patience for the gain of trade?Or if I could not early habits quit,Had I a stock, and could subsist on wit?“Measures like these became my daily themes,My airy castles, my projector’s dreams.But health, so long neglected, now becameNo more the blessing of my failing frame:A fever seized it, of that dangerous kind,That while it taints the blood, infects the mind.I traced her flight as Reason slowly fled,And her last act assured me Hope was dead:But Reason err’d, and when she came againTo aid the senses and direct the brain,She found a body weak, but well disposedFor life’s enjoyments, and the grave was closed.But danger past, and my recovery slow,}I sought the health that mountain gales bestow, }And quiet walks where peace and violets grow. }“Now, my dear Brother, when the languid frameHas this repose, and when the blood is tame,Yet strength increasing, and when every hourGives some increase of pleasure and of power,When every sense partakes of fresh delight,And every object wakes an appetite;When the mind rests not, but for ever rovesOn all around, and as it meets approves;Then feels the heart its bliss, that season then is love.“Think of me thus disposed, and think me thenRetired from crowded streets and busy men,In a neat cottage, by the sweetest streamThat ever warbled in a poet’s dream;An ancient wood behold, so vast, so deep,That hostile armies might in safety sleep,Where loving pairs had no observers near,And fearing not themselves, had none to fear;There to fair walks, fresh meadows, and clear skies,I fled as flee the weary and the wise.”(O.M.)

“Wilt thou explain? I shall not grieve to shareA lover’s sorrow, or a husband’s care?”Kindness like this had moved a sterner man,Richard much more. He smiled, and thus began:—“No more I loved the sea; that plunge had tamedMy blood, by youth in idleness inflamed:To my affairs I forced my mind t’ attend,And sought the town to counsel with a friend.Much we debated—Could I now resignMy earthly views, and look to things divine?Could I to merchandise my mind persuade,And wait in patience for the gain of trade?Or if I could not early habits quit,Had I a stock, and could subsist on wit?“Measures like these became my daily themes,My airy castles, my projector’s dreams.But health, so long neglected, now becameNo more the blessing of my failing frame:A fever seized it, of that dangerous kind,That while it taints the blood, infects the mind.I traced her flight as Reason slowly fled,And her last act assured me Hope was dead:But Reason err’d, and when she came againTo aid the senses and direct the brain,She found a body weak, but well disposedFor life’s enjoyments, and the grave was closed.But danger past, and my recovery slow,}I sought the health that mountain gales bestow, }And quiet walks where peace and violets grow. }“Now, my dear Brother, when the languid frameHas this repose, and when the blood is tame,Yet strength increasing, and when every hourGives some increase of pleasure and of power,When every sense partakes of fresh delight,And every object wakes an appetite;When the mind rests not, but for ever rovesOn all around, and as it meets approves;Then feels the heart its bliss, that season then is love.“Think of me thus disposed, and think me thenRetired from crowded streets and busy men,In a neat cottage, by the sweetest streamThat ever warbled in a poet’s dream;An ancient wood behold, so vast, so deep,That hostile armies might in safety sleep,Where loving pairs had no observers near,And fearing not themselves, had none to fear;There to fair walks, fresh meadows, and clear skies,I fled as flee the weary and the wise.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 174-5:

“With whom she tarried, a delighted guest!Delightful ever! blessing still and bless’d.”(O.M.)

“With whom she tarried, a delighted guest!Delightful ever! blessing still and bless’d.”(O.M.)

l. 359. woe.

Book VII.

Instead ofll. 533-4:

And thus she said, and with an air designedTo look and be affectionate and kind.(U.P.)

And thus she said, and with an air designedTo look and be affectionate and kind.(U.P.)

l. 551. woe.instead ofll. 593-8:

Come, my dear Friend, discard that Brow of Care:What was at first intended all things are;All by the mighty Cause for bliss designedThe only good of Matter and in Mind.So was I taught by one who taught me allThat I the first and only good can call!(U.P.)

Come, my dear Friend, discard that Brow of Care:What was at first intended all things are;All by the mighty Cause for bliss designedThe only good of Matter and in Mind.So was I taught by one who taught me allThat I the first and only good can call!(U.P.)

instead ofll. 601-2;

I meant again, in spite of every Cow,To pass that way and hear my Shepherd’s Vow.(U.P.)

I meant again, in spite of every Cow,To pass that way and hear my Shepherd’s Vow.(U.P.)

afterl. 625:

When the sun is descended the moon will arise;And sweeter her softer and mellower Ray,When the blossom no longer is fair in our Eyes,The Fruit will enlarge and our losses repay;And when from the cheek the young Roses decay,Tis a Sign that the Fire is collected within:No longer for Boys the light flower to display,But manly Affections to wake and to win.(U.P.)

When the sun is descended the moon will arise;And sweeter her softer and mellower Ray,When the blossom no longer is fair in our Eyes,The Fruit will enlarge and our losses repay;And when from the cheek the young Roses decay,Tis a Sign that the Fire is collected within:No longer for Boys the light flower to display,But manly Affections to wake and to win.(U.P.)

instead ofll. 626-41:

My Damon was the first to wakeThe Flame that slept but cannot die;My Damon is the last to takeThe best the truest softest Sigh.The Life between is nothing worth:O! cast it all as vile away.Save the sweet Day that gave it Birth,And this a fonder happier Day.O tell me not what I have done,When there is so much done amiss;For who can fate and madness shunIn such bewildering World as this?Love can a thousand Faults forgive,Or with a tender Smile reprove;And now let nought in Memory live,But that we meet and that we love.(U.P.)

My Damon was the first to wakeThe Flame that slept but cannot die;My Damon is the last to takeThe best the truest softest Sigh.

The Life between is nothing worth:O! cast it all as vile away.Save the sweet Day that gave it Birth,And this a fonder happier Day.

O tell me not what I have done,When there is so much done amiss;For who can fate and madness shunIn such bewildering World as this?

Love can a thousand Faults forgive,Or with a tender Smile reprove;And now let nought in Memory live,But that we meet and that we love.(U.P.)

instead ofll. 664-7:

Were you not Witness how I blossomed then,Blushing and blooming in the Eyes of Men;Made by one sex a Goddess, and deniedRespect and notice by the other’s Pride?(U.P.)

Were you not Witness how I blossomed then,Blushing and blooming in the Eyes of Men;Made by one sex a Goddess, and deniedRespect and notice by the other’s Pride?(U.P.)

instead ofll. 682-91:

Is it not written, he who came to saveThe adultress [ ] of her Crime forgave;Would the lost sheep all graciously restore,And bade the weeping Sinner sin no more?Yes, this is true, but where the Eye that readsThe broken Spirit or the Heart that bleeds?But where the Heart that could the Deed deplore,And where the Hand that would the Mind restore;That could the sinful Soul on trust receiveAnd, tho’ all urged against Belief, believe?(U.P.)

Is it not written, he who came to saveThe adultress [ ] of her Crime forgave;Would the lost sheep all graciously restore,And bade the weeping Sinner sin no more?Yes, this is true, but where the Eye that readsThe broken Spirit or the Heart that bleeds?But where the Heart that could the Deed deplore,And where the Hand that would the Mind restore;That could the sinful Soul on trust receiveAnd, tho’ all urged against Belief, believe?(U.P.)

instead ofll. 702-9:

With Spirits low and ill-directed MindShe soon her [       ] of penitence resigned;And rushed again into the World, prepar’dTo do whatever thoughtless Frenzy dared.And so she perished!Nay! while yet disposedT’ enjoy the world, the world’s adventures closed.(U.P.)

With Spirits low and ill-directed MindShe soon her [       ] of penitence resigned;And rushed again into the World, prepar’dTo do whatever thoughtless Frenzy dared.And so she perished!Nay! while yet disposedT’ enjoy the world, the world’s adventures closed.(U.P.)

instead ofll. 736-7:

To save from sin the long expected pay,And call hence Souls whose bodies waste away.(U.P.)

To save from sin the long expected pay,And call hence Souls whose bodies waste away.(U.P.)

instead ofll. 742-3:

And I a fellow sinner! who enquiredIf ought beside the feeble Heart requiredWas by, to watch the Dawn of Hope, to cheerThe drooping Spirit, and to prove how dearThe [Loving] Soul may be whose Turning is sincere.(U.P.)

And I a fellow sinner! who enquiredIf ought beside the feeble Heart requiredWas by, to watch the Dawn of Hope, to cheerThe drooping Spirit, and to prove how dearThe [Loving] Soul may be whose Turning is sincere.(U.P.)

instead ofl. 751:

To think for what was formed this Creature Man!(U.P.)

To think for what was formed this Creature Man!(U.P.)

instead ofl. 757:

Gold, to enlarge the Treasures that abound.(U.P.)

Gold, to enlarge the Treasures that abound.(U.P.)

afterl. 766:

I shuddered, R[ichard], at the general View—The Work undone—What yet I had to do!(U.P.)

I shuddered, R[ichard], at the general View—The Work undone—What yet I had to do!(U.P.)

l. 781. woe. l. 782. woe. l. 789. woe.

Book VIII.

Variant ofll. 33-67:

The Brothers’ Subject on their Morning RideWas, as it chanced, the Misery of Pride!

The Brothers’ Subject on their Morning RideWas, as it chanced, the Misery of Pride!

[illegible attempts.]The very Virtues suffer! and but fewAltho’ unshamed bear Want and pity too.This is the Serpent Poverty that Stings!And Wealth, thus flying, certain misery brings.

[illegible attempts.]The very Virtues suffer! and but fewAltho’ unshamed bear Want and pity too.This is the Serpent Poverty that Stings!And Wealth, thus flying, certain misery brings.

The Wretched then the common fate deploreAnd mourn Enjoyments that return no more.They who so dearly loved in happier timesDoubt the tried Worth; their Sorrows are their Crimes.They spoil the Temper; they disturb the rest;Men fly the Scold, the Comforter, the Guest.(M.)

The Wretched then the common fate deploreAnd mourn Enjoyments that return no more.They who so dearly loved in happier timesDoubt the tried Worth; their Sorrows are their Crimes.They spoil the Temper; they disturb the rest;Men fly the Scold, the Comforter, the Guest.(M.)

instead ofll. 48-53:

“Oh! that we had the virtuous pride to showWe know ourselves what all about us know;Nor, when our board contains a single dish,Tell lying tales of market-men and fish!We know ’tis hard from higher views to fall—What is not hard when life is trial all?”(O.M.)

“Oh! that we had the virtuous pride to showWe know ourselves what all about us know;Nor, when our board contains a single dish,Tell lying tales of market-men and fish!We know ’tis hard from higher views to fall—What is not hard when life is trial all?”(O.M.)

afterl. 67:

“But I digress, dear Richard, who despiseTellers of tales, who stop and moralize;As some good editors of Esop usedTheir privilege, and readers’ sense abused:Who half a page to write their fable took,And just a page and half to swell their book.But to that gentle being I return,And, as I treat of patience, let me learn.”(O.M.)

“But I digress, dear Richard, who despiseTellers of tales, who stop and moralize;As some good editors of Esop usedTheir privilege, and readers’ sense abused:Who half a page to write their fable took,And just a page and half to swell their book.But to that gentle being I return,And, as I treat of patience, let me learn.”(O.M.)

instead ofll. 106-7:

“Like Saul’s fair daughters, as by Cowley sung;Not from a monarch, but a yeoman sprung.”(O.M.)

“Like Saul’s fair daughters, as by Cowley sung;Not from a monarch, but a yeoman sprung.”(O.M.)

afterl. 113:

Who gazed at Jane saw Wonder and Delight;Who looked on Lucy blessd the pleasing Sight.

Who gazed at Jane saw Wonder and Delight;Who looked on Lucy blessd the pleasing Sight.

The Air of Lucy her Admirers heldIn pleasing Bondage; that of Jane repell’d.(M.)

The Air of Lucy her Admirers heldIn pleasing Bondage; that of Jane repell’d.(M.)

afterl. 119:

Lucy not often could those Looks command,But had the sober praise and offered Hand;For those who breathed for Jane those Sighs of fireAsked not their Reason, What do I desire?While Lucy’s Lovers felt the Wishes riseAnd could explain the purport of their Sighs.In future day one spake how Friendships please,And one, a Lover, whom we charm and teize;And then began the speech of Jane to raiseMen’s awe, and Lucy’s to obtain their praise.(M.)

Lucy not often could those Looks command,But had the sober praise and offered Hand;For those who breathed for Jane those Sighs of fireAsked not their Reason, What do I desire?While Lucy’s Lovers felt the Wishes riseAnd could explain the purport of their Sighs.In future day one spake how Friendships please,And one, a Lover, whom we charm and teize;And then began the speech of Jane to raiseMen’s awe, and Lucy’s to obtain their praise.(M.)

instead ofll. 196-207:

Now Lucy’s Lover was a plain good Man,Who meant to marry on a saving Plan.Jane is perhaps the prettier one to view,He judged; but [has] the Keener Judgment too;And, if her Eye be more than Lucy’s bright,And beams upon you with a fiercer Light,A face may be admired; but, put the CaseA Man shall marry, what avails a face?A Wife that[’s] pretty her Conditions makes;A Wife that[’s] prudent rather gives than takes.Beauty will cost require and Wealth command,But there is Safety in a closing Hand;And what if Lucy to the needy sendsToo great a portion and the deed defends,That ’tis her own; there’s prudence in the WordsThat will preserve the Good that is her Lord’s.Besides, there’s not a Virtue we possessSo soon restrain’d as giving to distress;And, then, a rival makes a woman nice,And Jane’s admirer will enhance her price.Thus, thinking but concealing what he thought,This cautious Lover Lucy’s favour sought.(M.)

Now Lucy’s Lover was a plain good Man,Who meant to marry on a saving Plan.Jane is perhaps the prettier one to view,He judged; but [has] the Keener Judgment too;And, if her Eye be more than Lucy’s bright,And beams upon you with a fiercer Light,A face may be admired; but, put the CaseA Man shall marry, what avails a face?A Wife that[’s] pretty her Conditions makes;A Wife that[’s] prudent rather gives than takes.Beauty will cost require and Wealth command,But there is Safety in a closing Hand;And what if Lucy to the needy sendsToo great a portion and the deed defends,That ’tis her own; there’s prudence in the WordsThat will preserve the Good that is her Lord’s.Besides, there’s not a Virtue we possessSo soon restrain’d as giving to distress;And, then, a rival makes a woman nice,And Jane’s admirer will enhance her price.Thus, thinking but concealing what he thought,This cautious Lover Lucy’s favour sought.(M.)

afterl. 231:


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