Yellow’d with wavy crops of golden grain;
  So fruitful kisses fell where Venus flew;
  And by the power of genial magic grew: 
  A plenteous harvest! which she deign’d t’impart
  To sooth an agonizing love-sick heart. 
  All hail, ye Roseat kisses! who remove
  Our cares, and cool the calenture of love. 
  Lo!  I your poet in melodious lays,
  Bless your kind pow’r; enamour’d of your praise: 
  Lays! form’d to last, ’till barb’rous time invades
  The muses hill, and withers all their shades. 
  Sprung from the Guardian[B] of the Roman name,
  In Roman numbers live secure of fame.

Joannis Secundi Basum IId. translated.

An Epistle to Thomas Lambard Esq;

An Ode to the right hon.  John lord Gower.

  An epitaph

  On Mr. Elijah Fenton,

  At east-Hampstead in Berks, 1730.

  This modest stone, what few vain marbles can,
  May truly say, here lies an honest man: 
  A Poet, bless’d beyond a Poet’s fate,
  Whom Heav’n kept sacred from the proud and great: 
  Foe to loud praise, and friend to learned ease,
  Content with science in the vale of peace. 
  Calmly he look’d on either life, and here
  Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear;
  From nature’s temp’rate feast rose satisfy’d
  Thank’d Heav’n, that he had liv’d, and that he died.

[Footnote A:  See Jacob, p. 55.]

[Footnote B:  Venus.]

* * * * *

Barton Booth, Esq;

It[A] is but justice to the memory of this great actor to give him a place among the poets, if he had been less considerable in that province than he really was; for he appears early to have understood the Latin classics, and to have succeeded in occasional pieces, and little odes, beyond many persons of higher name in poetry.  Mr. Booth was descended from a very ancient, and honourable family, originally seated in the County Palatine of Lancaster.  His father, John Booth, esq; was a man of great worth and honour; and though his fortune was not very considerable, he was extremely attentive to the education of his children, of whom Barton (the third) was born in 1681.

When about nine years of age, he was put under the tuition of the famous Dr. Busby, head-master of Westminster school, under whom some of the ablest men have been educated, that in the last and present age have done honour to the nation.  The sprightliness of Booth’s parts early recommended him to the notice of Dr. Busby:  he had a strong passion for learning, and a peculiar turn for Latin poetry, and by studying the best authors in it, he fixed many of the finest passages so firmly in his memory, that he was able to repeat them with such propriety, and graceful action, with so fine a tone of voice, and peculiar emphasis, that it was taken notice of by the whole school.