Ode to Dragon, Mr. Garrick's house-dog, at Hampton

ODE TO DRAGON, Mr. GARRICK's Houſe-dog, AT HAMPTON.

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I.DRAGON! ſince lyrics are the mode,
To thee I dedicate my Ode,
And reaſon good I plead:
Are thoſe who cannot write, to blame
To dedicate their hopes of fame,
To thoſe who cannot read?

[6]II.O cou'd I, like that nameleſs wight *,
Find the choice minute when to write,
The mollia tempora fandi!
Like his, my muſe ſhould learn to whiſtle
A true Heroical Epiſtle,
In ſtrains which never can die.

III.Father of lyrics, tuneful HORACE!
Can thy great ſhade do nothing for us
To mend the Britiſh lyre?
One luckleſs bard has broke the ſtrings,
Seiz'd the ſcar'd muſes, pluck'd their wings,
And put out all their fire.

[7]IV.DRAGON, thou tyrant of the yard,
Great nameſake of that furious guard
That watch'd the fruits Heſperian!
Thy choicer treaſures ſafely keep,
Nor ſnatch one moment's guilty ſleep,
Fidelity's criterion.

V.O DRAGON! change with me thy fate,
To me give up thy place and ſtate,
And I will give thee mine:
I, left to think, and thou to feed!
My mind enlarg'd, thy body freed,
How bleſt my lot and thine!

[8]VI.Then ſhalt thou ſcent the rich regale
Of Turtle and diluting Ale
Nay, ſhare the ſav'ry bit;
And ſee, what thou haſt never ſeen,
For thou haſt but at HAMPTON been,
A feaſt devoid of wit.

VII.Oft ſhalt thou ſnuff the ſmoaking veniſon,
Devour'd, alone, by gorging denizen,
So freſh, thou'lt long to tear it;
Tho' FLACCUS † tells a diff'rent tale
Of ſocial ſouls who choſe it ſtale,
Becauſe their friends ſhou'd ſhare it.

[9]VIII.And then on me what joys wou'd wait,
Were I the guardian of thy gate,
How uſeleſs bolt and latch!
How vain were locks, and bars how vain,
To ſhield from harm the houſehold train
Whom I, from love, wou'd watch!

IX.Not that 'twou'd crown with joy my life,
That BOWDEN, or that BOWDEN's wife,
Brought me my daily pickings:
Tho' ſhe ſuſpends the ſcales of Fate,
And deals the ſcanty mortal date
To turkeys and to chickens!

[10]X.Tho' fir'd with innocent ambition
BOWDEN *, great Nature's rhetorician,
More flow'rs than BURKE produces;
And tho' he's ſkill'd more roots to find,
Than ever fill'd an Hebrew's mind,
And better knows their uſes,

XI.I'd get my maſter's ways by rote,
Ne'er wou'd I bark at ragged coat,
Nor tear the tatter'd ſinner;
Like him, I'd love the Dog of merit,
Careſs the cur of broken ſpirit,
And give them all a dinner.

[11]XII.I'd copy too his blue-ey'd Wife,
A very Pallas on my life,
Yet I've a doubt juſt ſtarted—
For what ſhou'd Pallas have to do
With Venus, and her Ceſtus too?
Indeed they ſhou'd be parted.

XIII.Whene'er I heard the ratt'ling coach
Proclaim their long-deſir'd approach,
How wou'd I haſte to greet 'em!
Nor ever feel I wore a chain,
Till, ſtarting, I perceiv'd with pain,
I cou'd not fly to meet 'em.

[12]XIV.The maſter loves his ſylvan ſhades,
Here, with the nine melodious maids,
His choiceſt hours are ſpent:
Yet I ſhall hear ſome witling cry,
(Such witling from my preſence fly!)
"GARRICK will ſoon repent:

XV."Again you'll ſee him, never fear;
"Some half a dozen times a year
"He ſtill will charm the age;
"Accuſtom'd long to be admir'd,
"Of ſhades and ſtreams he'll ſoon be tir'd,
"And languiſh for the ſtage."

[13]XVI.Peace!—To his ſolitude he bears
The full-blown ſame of thirty years;
He bears a nation's praiſe:
He bears his lib'ral, poliſh'd mind,
His worth, his wit, his ſenſe refin'd;
He bears his grove of Bays.

XVII.When others drop the heart-felt tear,
Becauſe this Sun has left his ſphere,
And ſet at higheſt noon;
I'll drop a tear as warm, as true,
I lov'd his beams as well as you,
And mourn they're ſet ſo ſoon.

[14]XVIII.But all in vain his orb he quits,
Still there, in Memory's eye, he ſits,
And will, till Time be done:
For he ſhall ſhine while Taſte ſurvives,
And he ſhall ſhine while Genius lives,
A never-ſetting Sun.

THE END.