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[Page 59]
[Illustration]
FABLE [18] XVIII.
The Painter who pleased No body and Every body.
1 Lest men suspect your tale untrue,
2 Keep probability in view.
3 The trav'ler, leaping o'er those bounds,
4 The credit of his book confounds;
5 Who with his tongue hath armies routed
6 Makes ev'n his real courage doubted.
[Page 60]7 But flatt'ry never seems absurd,
8 The flatter'd always take your word,
9 Impossibilities seem just,
10 They take the strongest praise on trust;
11 Hyperboles, though ne'er so great,
12 Will still come short of self-conceit.
13 So very like a Painter drew,
14 That ev'ry eye the picture knew;
15 He hit complexion, feature, air,
16 So just, the life itself was there.
17 No flatt'ry, with his colours laid,
18 To bloom restor'd the faded maid,
19 He gave each muscle all its strength,
20 The mouth, the chin, the nose's length
21 His honest pencil touch'd with truth,
22 And mark'd the date of age and youth.
23 He lost his friends, his practice fail'd,
24 Truth should not always be reveal'd;
[Page 61]25 In dusty piles his pictures lay,
26 For no one sent the second pay.
27 Two bustos, fraught with ev'ry grace,
28 A Venus' and Apollo's face,
29 He plac'd in view; resolv'd to please,
30 Whoever sate, he drew from these,
31 From these corrected ev'ry feature,
32 And spirited each aukward creature.
33 All things were set; the hour was come,
34 His pallet ready o'er his thumb,
35 My lord appear'd, and seated right
36 In proper attitude and light,
37 The Painter look'd, he sketch'd the piece,
38 Then dipt his pencil, talk'd of Greece,
39 Of Titian's tints, of Guide's air;
40 Those eyes, my lord, the spirit there
41 Might well a Raphael's hand require,
42 To give them all the native fire;
43 The features fraught with sense and wit
44 You'll grant are very hard to hit,
[Page 62]45 But yet with patience you shall view
46 As much as paint and art can do.
47 Observe the work. My lord reply'd,
48 'Till now I thought my mouth was wide,
49 Besides, my nose is somewhat long,
50 Dear sir, for me, 'tis far too young.
51 Oh, pardon me, the artist cry'd,
52 In this we painters must decide.
53 The piece ev'n common eyes must strike,
54 I warrant it extreamly like.
55 My lord examin'd it anew;
56 No looking-glass seem'd half so true.
57 A lady came, with borrow'd grace
58 He from his Venus form'd her face,
59 Her lover prais'd the painter's art;
60 So like the picture in his heart!
61 To ev'ry age some charm he lent,
62 Ev'n Beautys were almost content.
63 Through all the town his art they prais'd,
64 His custom grew, his price was rais'd.
[Page 63]65 Had he the real likeness shown,
66 Would any man the picture own?
67 But when thus happily he wrought,
68 Each found the likeness in his thought.
Source edition
Gay, John, 1685-1732. FABLES. By Mr. GAY. London: Printed for J. Tonson and J. Watts, MDCCXXVII., 1727, pp. 59-63. [14],173,[1]p.: ill.; 4°. (ESTC T13818)
Editorial principles
Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.
Other works by John Gay
- [FABLE ] INTRODUCTION TO THE FABLES. The Shepherd and the Philosopher. ()
- FABLE [01] I. The Lyon, the Tyger, and the Traveller. ()
- FABLE [02] II. The Spaniel and the Cameleon. ()
- FABLE [03] III. The Mother, the Nurse, and the Fairy. ()
- FABLE [04] IV. The Eagle, and the Assembly of Animals. ()
- FABLE [05] V. The Wild Boar and the Ram. ()
- FABLE [06] VI. The Miser and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [07] VII. The Lyon, the Fox, and the Geese. ()
- FABLE [08] VIII. The Lady and the Wasp. ()
- FABLE [09] IX. The Bull and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [10] X. The Elephant and the Bookseller. ()
- FABLE [11] XI. The Peacock, the Turkey, and Goose. ()
- FABLE [12] XII. Cupid, Hymen, and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [13] XIII. The tame Stag. ()
- FABLE [14] XIV. The Monkey who had seen the World. ()
- FABLE [15] XV. The Philosopher and the Pheasants. ()
- FABLE [16] XVI. The Pin and the Needle. ()
- FABLE [17] XVII. The Shepherd's Dog and the Wolf. ()
- FABLE [19] XIX. The Lyon and the Cub. ()
- FABLE [20] XX. The Old Hen and the Cock. ()
- FABLE [21] XXI. The Rat-catcher and Cats. ()
- FABLE [22] XXII. The Goat without a beard. ()
- FABLE [23] XXIII. The Old Woman and her Cats. ()
- FABLE [24] XXIV. The Butterfly and the Snail. ()
- FABLE [25] XXV. The Scold and the Parrot. ()
- FABLE [26] XXVI. The Cur and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [27] XXVII. The Sick Man and the Angel. ()
- FABLE [28] XXVIII. The Persian, the Sun and the Cloud. ()
- FABLE [29] XXIX. The Fox at the point of death. ()
- FABLE [30] XXX. The Setting-dog and the Partridge. ()
- FABLE [31] XXXI. The Universal Apparition. ()
- FABLE [32] XXXII. The two Owls and the Sparrow. ()
- FABLE [33] XXXIII. The Courtier and Proteus. ()
- FABLE [34] XXXIV. The Mastiffs. ()
- FABLE [35] XXXV. The Barley-mow and the Dung-hill. ()
- FABLE [36] XXXVI. Pythagoras and the Countryman. ()
- FABLE [37] XXXVII. The Farmer's Wife and the Raven. ()
- FABLE [38] XXXVIII. The Turkey and the Ant. ()
- FABLE [39] XXXIX. The Father and Jupiter. ()
- FABLE [40] XL. The two Monkeys. ()
- FABLE [41] XLI. The Owl and the Farmer. ()
- FABLE [42] XLII. The Jugglers. ()
- FABLE [43] XLIII. The Council of Horses. ()
- FABLE [44] XLIV. The Hound and the Huntsman. ()
- FABLE [45] XLV. The Poet and the Rose. ()
- FABLE [46] XLVI. The Cur, the Horse, and the Shepherd's Dog. ()
- FABLE [47] XLVII. The Court of Death. ()
- FABLE [48] XLVIII. The Gardener and the Hog. ()
- FABLE [49] XLIX. The Man and the Flea. ()
- FABLE [50] L. The Hare and many Friends. ()