A fine writer in this kind presents you with the following posie:
The groves appear all drest with wreaths of flowers,
And from their leaves drop aromatic showers,
Whose fragrant heads in mystic twines above
Exchange their sweets, and mix'd with thousand kisses
As if the willing branches strove
To beautify and shade the grove,—
(which, indeed, most branches do).' Pope, as often, is not a little unfair in his critique.
p. [144] Eternal Night.
Soles occidere, et redire possunt:
Nobis, cum semel occidit brevis lux,
Nox est perpetua una dormienda.
—Catullus, Ad Lesbiam.
p. [148] On a Juniper-Tree. This poem is also to be found in the following editions of Rochester's Works: Poems on Several Occasions by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of R——. Printed at Antwerpen. [London.] 1680? In The Works of the Earls of Rochester, Roscommon, Dorset, 1712; 1718; 1731; 1739 (in which year there were two several and slightly divergent editions); 1752; 1800? It must not, however, be for a moment supposed that the Earl of Rochester has any claim to the authorship of this piece. Unscrupulous booksellers collected songs, poems, satires of every kind under his name and included them amongst his oft-reprinted works without explanation or discrimination. With the opening lines of this poem cf. Horace, Sermonum, i, viii:—
Olim truncus eram ficulnus, inutile lignum,
cum faber, incertus scammum faceretne Priapum,
maluit esse deum.
p. [148] Busks. A Busk is 'A strip of wood, whalebone, steel, or other rigid material passed down the front of a corset and used to stiffen and support it'. N.E.D. which quotes, inter alia, 1688, R. Holme, Armoury, in, 94/2: 'A Busk ... is a strong peece of Wood, or Whalebone thrust down the middle of the Stomacker.'
p. [151] Mr. Grinhil. John Greenhill, the famous portrait-painter, was born at Salisbury about 1644. He was the eldest son of the registrar of the diocese of Salisbury. About 1662 he migrated to London and became a pupil of Sir Peter Lely. Almost instant success awaited him, and his progress proved so rapid as to excite the master's jealousy. He married early, and was at first industrious. After a few years, however, he became a boon companion of the free-living theatrical and literary circles of the day, and fell into irregular habits. 19 May, 1676, whilst returning from the Vine Tavern, Greenhill fell into the gutter in Long Acre, was carried to his lodging in Lincoln's Inn Fields where he died that same night. He is buried in St. Giles-in-the-Fields. Amongst his portraits, which are highly esteemed, are those of Charles II; James, Duke of York; Shaftesbury; Locke; Davenant; Cowley; William Cartwright, the actor. This Poem on Greenhill's death has been included amongst Poems on Several Occasions by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of R—— Printed at Antwerpen. [London.] 1680? And again, in Poems on Several Occasions by the R. H. the E. of R. London. 1712.