[Page 96]

Advice to a Friend, designing to Publish his Poems.

1 REclaim, rash Friend, your wild Resolves t'engage
2 A captious, and ill-natur'd Age.
3 'Tis not enough the Verse you write be Good,
4 To Take, it must be Understood.
5 And to instruct the World, where you excell,
6 Is harder much than writing Well.
7 Th'are different Tasks to write Well, and to Please;
8 The last (alass!) a Work of Ease.
9 Whilst Midas Umpire sits; let None admire
10 Pan's Pipe preferr'd to Phebus Lyre.
11 The gawdiest Painting takes the Vulgar sight,
12 Whilst artfull Pieces less Delight.
13 In vain is Nature Represented Well,
14 If't it be not Gay, 'twill never Sell.
[Page 97]
15 Hark in your Ear ('Tis a strange Mystery,
16 But a grand Truth), if Popular you'd be,
17 Faith spare your Pains, and Write Ex-tempore.

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Title (in Source Edition): Advice to a Friend, designing to Publish his Poems.
Author: Nahum Tate
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Genres: advice

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Tate, Nahum, c. 1652-1715. Poems by N. Tate. London: Printed by T.M. for Benj. Tooke ..., 1677, pp. 96-97. [15],133p. (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Harding C 2953].)

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