To the Right Hon. Sir ROBERT WALPOLE.

To the Right Hon. Sir ROBERT WALPOLE . — Quod censet amiculus , ut si Caecus iter monstrare velit . — HOR. By the Honourable Mr. D — THO' strength of genius , by experience taught , Gives thee to sound the depth of human thought , To trace the various workings of the mind , And rule the secret springs that rule mankind ; Rare gift ! yet , Walpole , wilt thou condescend To listen , if thy unexperienc'd friend Can aught of use impart , tho' void of skill , And raise attention by sincere good will : For friendship sometimes want of parts supplies , The heart may furnish what the head denies . As , when the rapid Rhine o'er swelling tides , To grace old Ocean's coast , in triumph rides , Tho' rich in source , he drains a thousand springs , Nor scorns the tribute each small riv'let brings : So thou shalt hence absorb each feeble ray , Each dawn of meaning in thy brighter day ; Shalt like , or where thou canst not like , excuse , Since no mean interest shall prophane the Muse ; No malice wrapt in truth's disguise offend , No flattery taint the freedom of a friend . When first a generous mind surveys the great , And views the crowds that on their fortune wait , Pleas'd with the shew , ( though little understood , ) He only seeks the pow'r , to do the good : Thinks , till he tries , 'tis godlike to dispose , And gratitude still springs when bounty flows ; That ev'ry grant sincere affection wins , And where our wants have end , our love begins . But they who long the paths of state have trod , Learn from the clamours of the murm'ring crowd , Which cramm'd , yet craving , still their gates besiege , 'Tis easier far to give , than to oblige . This of thy conduct seems the nicest part , The chief perfection of the statesman's art , To give to fair assent a fairer face , Or soften a refusal into grace . But few there are , that can be freely kind , Or know to fix the favours on the mind ; Hence some whene'er they wou'd oblige , offend , And while they make the fortune , lose the friend : Still give unthank'd ; still squander , not bestow ; For great men want not what to give , but how . The race of men that follow courts , 'tis true , Think all they get , and more than all , their due ; Still ask , but ne'er consult their own deserts , And measure by their interest , not their parts . From this mistake so many men we see But ill become the thing they wish to be : Hence discontent and fresh demands arise , More power , more favour in the great man's eyes All feel a want , tho' none the cause suspects , But hate their patron for their own defects . Such none can please , but who reforms their hearts , And when he gives them places , gives them parts . As these o'erprize their worth , so sure the great May sell their favours at too dear a rate . When merit pines while clamour is prefer'd , And long attachment waits among the herd ; When no distinction , where distinction's due , Marks from the many the superior few ; When strong cabal constrains them to be just , And makes them give at last , because they must ; What hopes that men of real worth should prize What neither friendship gives , nor merit buys . The man who justly o'er the whole presides , His well-weigh'd choice with wise affection guides : Knows when to stop with grace , and when advance , Nor gives from importunity , or chance ; But thinks how little gratitude is ow'd , When favours are extorted , not bestow'd . When safe on shore ourselves , we see the crowd Surround the great , importunate and loud , Thro' such a tumult 'tis no easy task , To drive the man of real worth to ask ; Surrounded thus , and giddy with the shew , 'Tis hard for great men rightly to bestow ; From hence so few are skill'd in either case , To ask with dignity , or give with grace . Sometimes the great , seduc'd by love of parts , Consult our genius , but neglect our hearts ; Pleas'd with the glittering sparks that genius flings , They lift us tow'ring on the eagle's wings : Mark out the flights by which themselves begun , And teach our dazzled eyes to bear the sun , 'Till we forget the hand that makes us great , And grow to envy , not to emulate . To emulate a generous warmth implies , To reach the virtues that make great men rise ; But envy wears a mean malignant face , And aims not at their virtues , but their place . Such to oblige , how vain is the pretence ! When ev'ry favour is a fresh offence , By which superior power is still imply'd , And while it helps the fortune , hurts the pride . Slight is the hate neglect or hardships breed , But those who hate from envy , hate indeed . Since so perplex'd the choice , whom shall we trust ? Methinks , I hear thee cry , the brave , the just ; The man by no mean fears or hopes controul'd , Who serves thee from affection , not for gold ! We love the honest , and esteem the brave , Despise the coxcomb , but detest the knave . No shew of parts the truly wise seduce , To think that knaves can be of real use . The man who contradicts the public voice , And strives to dignify a worthless choice , Attempts a task that on the choice reflects , And lends us light to point out new defects . One worthless man that gains what he pretends , Disgusts a thousand unpretending friends ; And since no art can make a counter pass , Or add the weight of gold to mimic brass , When princes to bad ore their image join , They more debase the stamp than raise the coin ; Be thine that care , true merit to reward , And gain that good ; nor will the task be hard . Souls found alike so quick by nature blend , An honest man is more than half thy friend . Him no mere views , no haste to rise , shall sway , Thy choice to sully , or thy trust betray . Ambition here shall at due distance stand , Nor is wit dangerous in an honest hand : Besides , if failings at the bottom lie , He views those failings with a lover's eye . Tho' small his genius , let him do his best , Our wishes and belief supply the rest : Let others barter servile faith for gold , His friendship is not to be bought or sold . Fierce opposition he unmov'd shall face , Modest in favour , daring in disgrace ; To share thy adverse fate alone pretend , In power a servant , out of power a friend . Here pour thy favours in an ample flood , Indulge thy boundless thirst of doing good . Nor think that good alone to him confin'd ; Such to oblige is to oblige mankind . If thus thy mighty master's steps thou trace , The brave to cherish , and the good to grace , Long shalt thou stand from rage and faction free , And teach us long to love the king and thee ; Or fall a victim , dangerous to the foe , And make him tremble when he strikes the blow ; While honour , gratitude , affection join , To deck thy close , and brighten thy decline . Illustrious doom ! the great when thus displac'd , With friendship guarded , and with virtue grac'd , In aweful ruin , like Rome's senate , fall The prey and worship of the wond'ring Gaul . No doubt to genius some reward is due , ( Excluding that were satirizing you ) : But yet believe thy undesigning friend , When truth and genius for thy choice contend , Tho' both have weight , when in the balance cast , Let probity be first , and parts the last . On these foundations if thou dar'st be great , And check the growth of folly and deceit , When party rage shall drop thro' length of days , And calumny be ripen'd into praise , Then future times shall to thy worth allow That fame , which envy wou'd call flattery now . Thus far my zeal , tho' for the task unfit , Has pointed out the rocks where others split : By that inspir'd , tho' stranger to the Nine , And negligent of any fame but thine , I take that friendly , but superfluous part , That acts from nature what I teach from art .