[Page 104]

To a GENTLEMAN, on the Birth-day of his first Son.

By the Same.
1 THY sanguine hope compleated in a boy,
2 Hymen's kind boon, my friend, I give thee joy.
3 Of fine strange things, and miracles to be,
4 Expect no flatt'ring prophecy from me.
5 'Tis Time's maturing bus'ness to call forth
6 Degen'rate meanness, or transmitted worth:
[Page 105]
7 Under his sliding course of hours and days
8 The artist's labour mellows or decays.
9 Then, let me see, what my fond wish bespoke,
10 The lively colouring, and manly stroke.
11 Is there the sweetness, easiness, and grace,
12 Maternal beauties, shed upon his face?
13 Is there the frank benevolence; the fire
14 Sincere and gen'rous, darted from his sire?
15 The judging Muse, where lines like these must strike,
16 Will eye the copy, — own, — 'tis very like:
17 Point out each virtue, each resemblance tell
18 Pleas'd, that the parents drew themselves so well.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): To a GENTLEMAN, on the Birth-day of his first Son.
Author: Sneyd Davies
Themes: birthday; parents; children
Genres: heroic couplet
References: DMI 23443

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Source edition

Dodsley, Robert, 1703-1764. A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. By Several Hands. Vol. V. London: printed by J. Hughs, for R. and J. Dodsley, 1763 [1st ed. 1758], pp. 104-105. 6v.: music; 8⁰. (ESTC T131163; OTA K104099.005) (Page images digitized by the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive from a copy in the archive's library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, 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.