And by a gentle bow divin'd
How well a cully's purfe was lin'd;
To a forlorn and broken rake,
Stood without motion, like a stake.

The rod of Hermes was renown'd
For charms above and under ground;
To fleep could mortal eye-lids fix,
And drive departed fouls to Styx.
That rod was just a type of Sid's,
Which o'er a British fenate's lids
Could scatter opium full as well,
And drive as many fouls to hell.

Sid's rod was flender, white, and tall, Which oft he us'd to fish withal; A plaife was faften'd to the hook, And many score of gudgeons took : Yet ftill fo happy was his fate, He caught his fifb, and fav'd his bait. Sid's brethren of the conj'ring tribe A circle with their rod defcribe, Which proves a magical redoubt To keep mischievous fpirits out. Sid's rod was of a larger ftride, And made a circle thrice as wide, Where Spirits throng'd with hideous din, And he ftood there to take them in : But, when th' enchanted rod was broke, They vanish'd in a stinking smoke.

G 4

Achilles

Achilles' fcepter was of wood,
Like Sid's, but nothing near fo good;
That down from ancestors divine
Transmitted to the hero's line,

Thence, thro' a long descent of kings,
Came an heir-loom, as Homer fings.
Though this description looks so big,
That Sceptre was a faplefs twig,
Which from the fatal day, when first
It left the foreft where 'twas nurs'd,
As Homer tells us o'er and o'er,
Nor leaf, nor fruit, nor bloffom bore.
Sid's fceptre, full of juice, did fhoot
In golden boughs, and golden fruit ;
And he, the dragon, never fleeping,
Guarded each fair Hefperian pippin.
No hobby-horfe, with gorgeous top,
The deareft in Charles Mather's fhop *,
Or glitt'ring tinfel of May-fair,
Could with this rod of Sid compare.
Dear Sid, then why wer't thou so mad
To break thy rod like naughty lad?
You shou'd have kifs'd it in your distress,
And then return'd it to your mistress;
Or made it a Newmarket fwitch,
And not a rod for thy own breech.
But, fince old Sid has broken this,
His next may be a rod in pifs.

* An eminent toyman in Fleet-ftreet.

ATLAS,

OR, THE

MINISTER OF STATE.

TO THE

LORD TREASURER OXFORD.

ATLAS, we read in ancient fong,

Was fo exceeding tall and strong,

He bore the skies upon his back,
Just as a pedlar does his pack:
But, as a pedlar overprefs'
Unloads upon a stall to rest,

Or, when he can no longer ftand,
Defires a friend to lend a hand;
So Atlas, left the pond'rous fpheres
Shou'd fink, and fall about his ears,
Got Hercules to bear the pile,
That he might fit and rest a while.
Yet Hercules was not fo ftrong,
Nor could have borne it half fo long.
Great statesmen are in this condition;
And Atlas is a politician,

A premier minifter of state;

Alcides one of fecond rate.
Suppose then Atlas ne'er fo wife,

Yet, when the weight of kingdoms lies
Too long upon his fingle fhoulders,
Sink down he muft, or find upholders.

THE

THE

DESCRIPTION

OF A

SALAMANDER,

Out of Pliny's Natural History, Lib. 10. C. 67. and Lib. 29. C. 4.

As

S maftiff dogs in modern phrase are Call'd Pompey, Scipio, and Cæfar; As pyes and daws are often ftil'd

With christian nick-names like a child;
As we fay monfieur to an ape,
Without offence to human fhape;
So men have got from bird and brute
Names that would beft their natures fuit.
The lion, eagle, fox, and boar,

Were heroes titles heretofore,
Bestow'd as hi'roglyphicks fit

To fhew their valour, ftrength, or wit
For what is understood by fame,
Befides the getting of a name?
But, e'er fince men invented guns,
A diff'rent way their fancy runs:
To paint a hero, we enquire

For fomething that will conquer fire.

Would

Would you defcribe Turenne * or Trump†?
Think of a bucket or a pump.

Are these too low ?--then find out grander,
Call my lord Cuts a falamander‡.
"Tis well ;---but fince we live among
Detractors with an evil tongue,
Who may object against the term,
Pliny fhall
prove what we affirm
Pliny fhall prove, and we'll apply,
And I'll be judg'd by ftanders-by.

First, then, our author has defin'd
This reptile of the ferpent kind,
With gaudy coat, and fhining train ;
But loathfome fpots his body ftain :
Out from fome hole obfcure he flies,
When rains defcend, and tempefts rife,
Till the fun clears the air; and then
Crawls back neglected to his den.

So, when the war has rais'd a storm, I've seen a fnake in human form,

*The famous marefchal Turenne, general of the French forces, faid to have been the greatest commander of the age.

+ Van Trump, admiral of the States General in their laft war with England eminent for his courage and his victories.

Lord Cuts. Salamander was a name given him by his flatterers, upon his having fur

vived an engagement in which he ftood an inceffant fire for many hours. He is faid frequently to have lamented himself in these terms, "G-d d—n my "bl-d, I'm the most unlucky. "dog upon earth; for I never "engaged an enemy without "being wounded, nor a whore "without being p-x'd."

All