The Dispensary.

Canto II.

Soon as the Ev'ning veil'd the Mountains Heads,
And Winds lay hush'd in subterranean Beds;
Whilst sick'ning Flow'rs drink up the Silver Dew,
And Beaus, for some Assembly, dress anew;
The City Saints to Pray'rs and Play-house haste;
The Rich to Dinner, and the Poor to Rest:
Officious Phantom then prepar'd with Care
To slide on tender Pinions through the Air.
Oft he attempts the Summit of a Rock,
And oft the Hollow of some blasted Oak;
At length approaching where bleak Envy lay,
The hissing of her Snakes proclaim'd the way.
Beneath the gloomy Covert of an Yew,

5

10

That taints the Grass with sickly Sweats of Dew;
No verdant Beauty entertains the Sight,

15

But baneful Hemlock, and cold Aconite;

1-7 lauteten in 1-4. 6:

Soon as with gentle Sighs the ev'ning [Ev'ning ] Breeze

Begun to whisper thro' the murm'ring Trees;

And Night to wrap [had wrap'd 1] in Shades the Mountains Heads, Whilst [While 2-4] Winds lay hush'd in Subterranean Beds;

Officious Phantom did with speed prepare

9 He often sought 1-3 12 He found, by the way.1 13 Ewe,

2-4

1.6

In a dark Grott the baleful Haggard lay,
Breathing black Vengeance, and infecting Day.
But how deform'd, and worn with spightful Woes,
When Accius has Applause Dorsennus shows.
The cheerful Blood her meager Cheeks forsook,
And Basilisks sate Brooding in her Look.
A bald and bloated Toad-stool rais'd her Head;
The Plumes of boding Ravens were her Bed.
From her chapp'd Nostrils scalding Torrents fall,
And her sunk Eyes boil o'er in Floods of Gall.
Volcano's labour thus with inward Pains,
Whilst Seas of melted Oar lay waste the Plains.
Around the Fiend in hideous Order sate

Fowl bawling Infamy, and bold Debate:
Gruff Discontent, thro' Ignorance mis-led,
And clam'rous Faction at her Party's Head:
Restless Sedition still dissembling Fear,
And sly Hypocrisie with Pious Leer.

*

Glouting with sullen Spight the Fury shook

Her clotter'd Locks and blasted with each Look,

Then tore with canker'd Teeth the pregnant Scrolls,

Where Fame the Acts of Demy-Gods enrolls.

And as the rent Records in pieces fell,

Each Scrap did some Immortal Action tell.

* See Dryd. Fab.

17-18 lauteten in 1-4:

There crawl'd the meagre [meager 3] Monster on the Ground,
And breath'd a livid Pestilence around:

19—22 fehlen in 1—4 20 Rapacious Verres, late a Statesman, knows. 23 bloted 1-2 24 The ] And 1

25-28 lauten in 1-4:

Down her wan Cheeks sulphureous Torrents flow,

And her red haggard Eyes with Fury glow.

Like Etna with Metallick Streams [Steams 2-4] oppress'd,

She breaths a blue Eruption from her Breast:

28 lye 29-36 fehlen in 1–4 30 Foul 6.9-11. Wi 34 Hypocrisy 11. w i 37 And rends1 Then rends 2-4 || Scrolls 1 38 Demi-Gods 2-4

1

40

This show'd, how fix'd as Fate Torquatus stood,
That, the fam'd Passage of the Granick Flood;
The Julian Eagles, here, their Wings display,
And there, like setting Stars, the Decii lay;
This does Camillus as a God extol,
That points at Manlius in the Capitol;
How Cochles did the Tyber's Surges brave,
How Curtius plung'd into the gaping Grave.
Great Cyrus, here the Medes and Persians join,
And, there, th' immortal Battel of the Boyn.

As the light Messenger the Fury spy'd,
A while his curdling Blood forgot to glide:
Confusion on his fainting Vitals hung,
And falt'ring Accents flutter'd on his Tongue.
At length, assuming Courage, he convey'd
His Errand, then he shrunk into a Shade.

The Hag lay long revolving what might be

The blest Event of such an Embassie.

Then blazons in dread Smiles her hideous Form,
So Light'ning gilds the unrelenting Storm.

41 Kein neuer Abschnitt 1-4

1

42 That, the fam'd] And That, the 1|| Flood. 1-4
43 here
Decii lay. 1-3
49 joyn, 1.4
wond'rous on 1

display; 1-4 44 And there, all pale, th'expiring
45 extol. 1-4 46 Capitol, 1-4

50 And the Glorious 2-3 the 1 51 the light] th'airy 1-4 53 fault'ring 1-4 55 length essay'd 1-4 Fiend, then shrunk into a Shade. 1-4 She 1-3

60 Lightning 2-4

47 Cocles 10. 11 wondrous the

52 glide. 1-4 56 T'inform the 1-4 59 Then]

57 Embassy

6

guilds glides 3—4

An Stelle von

61-78 haben 1-4 folgende Verse, die in W unter dem Text in Kursivdruck als Zusatz zu V. 60 beigefügt sind:

Then she, [she] alas! how long in vain have I
Aim'd at those noble Ills the Fates deny:

Within this Isle for ever must I find

Disasters to distract my restless Mind. [Mind? 2-4]

Thus she

Mankind are bless'd, they riot still

Unbounded in Exorbitance of Ill.

By Devastation the rough Warrior gains,

And Farmers fatten most when Famine reigns;
For sickly Seasons the Physicians wait,
And Politicians thrive in Broils of State.
The Lover's easie when the Fair One sighs,
And Gods subsist not but by Sacrifice.

Each other Being some Indulgence knows,
Few are my Joys, but infinite my Woes.

W1] to the Sacred See.

Good Te-ns [Tillotson's W1] Celestial Piety
Has rais'd his Virtues [At last has rais'd him a—
So-rs [Somers W1] do's [does 2-4] sickning [sick'ning 3-4] Equity
restore, [restore 2]

65

70

5

And helpless Orphans now need weep [are oppress'd 2-4 W] no more.
Pem-ke [Pembroke W1] to Britain endless Blessings brings;
He spoke [spoke; 2-4] and Peace clap'd her Triumphant wings: 10
[wings; 2-4]

Unshaken is the Throne and safe its Lord,

[Great 0-nd [Ormand W1] shines illustriously bright] 2-4 W1 Whilst M-d or O-nd wears a Sword.

[With Blazes of Hereditary Light. 2—4. W

The noble Ardour of a Loyal Fire,

[When De-re appears, all Eyes confess]

4

Inspires the generous Breast of De-re [Delamere W1]

[An easie Grandeur graces his Address.']

[And M-ld is [Mulgrave ever W] active to defend His Country, with the Zeal he loves his Friend. 2-4]

15

Like Leda's shining [radiant 2-4] Sons, divinely clear,
P-land [Portland W'] and J-sey [Jersey W1] deck'd in Rays

appear

To Guild [Gild, w1] by turns, the G-[Gallick 2-] Hemisphear.
Worth is Distress is rais'd by M-gue, [Montague; W1]
Augustus listens if Maecenas sue.

And V-ns [Vernon's W1] Vigilance no slumber takes,
Whilst Faction peeps abroad, and Anarchy awakes.

My present Pain Britannia's Genius wills,

And thus the Fates record my future Ills.

A Heroine shall Albion's Scepter bear,

With Arms shall vanquish Earth, and Heav'n with Pray'r. She on the World her Clemency shall show'r,

And only to preserve, exert her Pow'r.

Tyrants shall then their impious Aims forbear,

And Blenheim's Thunder, more than *Etna's, fear.
Since by no Arts I therefore can defeat

The happy Enterprizes of the Great,

80

I'll calmly stoop to more inferiour Things;

And try if my lov'd Snakes have Teeth or Stings.

She said; and strait shrill Colon's Person took,

In Morals loose, but most precise in Look.

Black-Fryars Annals lately pleas'd to call
Him Warden of Apothecaries-Hall.

85

And, when so dignify'd, did not forbear

That Operation which the Learn'd declare

Gives Cholicks ease, and makes the Ladies fair.

90

In trifling Show his Tinsel Talent lies,
And Form the want of Intellects supplies.
In Aspect grand and goodly He appears,
Rever'd as Patriarchs in primæval Years.
Hourly his Learn'd Impertinence affords
A barren Superfluity of Words.

* In Etna were forged the thunderbolts which Jove employ'd against the Ambition of the giants.

79 Since by no Arts I ] Since therefore by no Arts I1 Since by

no Arts I therefore 2-4 81 things; 1-4 83 straight 1-4. 11 85 Black-Fryar's 11-4 87 dignifi'd, 1-4 || he'd 1——-4. 6 90 In vain Formality [starch'd Urbanity 2-6] his Talent lies, [lyes 6] 1-4 th'empty Head's defects, the Band supplies. 1 in 1-4.6

91 And 92-93 fehlen

95