So great a soul, such sweetness join’d in one,
Could only spring from noble Grandison.[12]
You, like the stars, not by reflection bright,
Are born to your own heaven, and your own light;
Like them are good, but from a nobler cause,
From your own knowledge, not from nature’s laws. 
Your power you never use, but for defence,
To guard your own, or other’s innocence:  30
Your foes are such as they, not you, have made,
And virtue may repel, though not invade. 
Such courage did the ancient heroes show,
Who, when they might prevent, would wait the blow: 
With such assurance as they meant to say,
We will o’ercome, but scorn the safest way. 
What further fear of danger can there be? 
Beauty, which captives all things, sets me free. 
Posterity will judge by my success. 
I had the Grecian poet’s happiness, 40
Who, waving plots, found out a better way;
Some god descended, and preserved the play. 
When first the triumphs of your sex were sung
By those old poets, beauty was but young,
And few admired the native red and white,
Till poets dress’d them up to charm the sight;
So beauty took on trust, and did engage
For sums of praises till she came to age. 
But this long-growing debt to poetry
You justly, madam, have discharged to me, 50
When your applause and favour did infuse
New life to my condemn’d and dying Muse.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 11:  ‘Lady Castlemain’ this lady was for many years a favourite mistress of Charles II., and was afterwards created Duchess of Cleveland.]

[Footnote 12:  ‘Grandison:’  her father, killed at Edgehill.]

* * * * *

EPISTLE IV.

TO MR LEE, ON HIS “ALEXANDER.”

  The blast of common censure could I fear,
  Before your play my name should not appear;
  For ’twill be thought, and with some colour too,
  I pay the bribe I first received from you;
  That mutual vouchers for our fame we stand,
  And play the game into each other’s hand;
  And as cheap pen’orths to ourselves afford,
  As Bessus[13] and the brothers of the sword. 
  Such libels private men may well endure,
  When states and kings themselves are not secure:  10
  For ill men, conscious of their inward guilt,
  Think the best actions on by-ends are built. 
  And yet my silence had not ’scaped their spite;
  Then, envy had not suffer’d me to write;
  For, since I could not ignorance pretend,
  Such merit I must envy or commend. 
  So many candidates there stand for wit,
  A place at court is scarce so hard to get: 
  In vain they crowd each other at the door;