To
the
Rev.
Dr.
Freind
,
on
his
quitting
Westminster
School
.
IF
void
of
Art
my
languid
Verse
appears
,
Forgive
,
O
FREIND
,
the
Bard
,
who
sings
in
Tears
:
Rude
are
the
Lays
,
which
only
Grief
adorns
;
And
dull
the
Muses
,
when
APOLLO
mourns
;
When
Science
trembles
o'er
MINERVA's
Shrine
,
To
see
her
fav'rite
Priest
his
Charge
resign
.
Yet
why
should
Grief
debase
his
glorious
Name
,
Or
blast
the
Bays
,
his
Merits
justly
claim
?
No
venal
View
his
noble
Temper
sways
;
He
quits
with
Honour
,
what
he
kept
with
Praise
.
As
some
wise
Leader
,
in
successful
Wars
,
Worn
out
with
Age
,
and
cover'd
o'er
with
Scars
,
Resigns
the
Post
,
he
bravely
long
sustain'd
,
Crown'd
with
the
Palm
,
his
former
Valour
gain'd
:
So
thou
,
paternal
Sage
!
may'st
now
repose
;
Nor
seek
new
Laurels
,
to
adorn
thy
Brows
;
Review
thy
Toils
,
and
see
what
polish'd
Peers
Honour
thy
forming
Hand
,
and
studious
Cares
:
Let
learned
CART'RET
,
elegant
of
Taste
,
Confess
the
Mould
,
in
which
his
Mind
was
cast
:
Let
HERVEY's
Muse
her
Tutor's
Worth
proclaim
,
And
PELHAM's
Royal
Trust
declare
thy
Fame
;
PELHAM
,
in
whose
capacious
Soul
we
find
The
Scholar
,
Statesman
,
and
the
Patriot
join'd
.
Nor
shall
the
tender
Plants
,
which
round
thee
stand
,
E'er
prove
ungrateful
to
the
Planter's
Hand
;
Water'd
by
Thee
,
their
well-fix'd
Roots
extend
,
Their
Branches
flourish
,
and
the
Fruits
ascend
;
While
pleasing
Hope
with
Expectation
smiles
,
To
reap
the
future
Product
of
thy
Toils
,
Intent
to
see
thy
Pupils
shining
forth
,
Whose
Actions
soon
shall
better
speak
thy
Worth
;
When
in
the
Train
of
Senators
they
come
,
Refin'd
with
all
the
Arts
of
Greece
and
Rome
;
While
,
in
each
Act
,
their
prudent
Counsels
shew
Their
Master's
Loyalty
,
and
Learning
too
.
Thus
have
thy
Precepts
made
thy
Province
shine
,
And
ev'n
MINERVA's
Athens
yield
to
thine
.