[Page 51]

VERSES ON MRS. BILLINGTON'S APPEARANCE AT OXFORD.

TO THOMAS BARRETT LENNARD, ESQ.

1 IN ages past the sweetly-flowing strain,
2 By Orpheus pour'd along the verdant plain,
3 Disarm'd the tiger's fierce relentless rage,
4 And could the lion's horrid wrath asswage:
5 Secure from harm amidst the bloody throng,
6 The love-lorn bard attun'd his plaintive song.
7 Next old Amphion prov'd the pow'r of sound,
8 And bade his walls defenceless Thebes surround.
9 Such were the wond'rous feats of former days,
10 And such the force of long-forgotten lays.
11 Though now at Musick's voice no ramparts rise,
12 No lion fell in magic thraldom lies,
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13 Yet still its sweet resistless pow'r remains,
14 We feel its force in living vocal strains.
15 For, hark! how worthy of Apollo's praise,
16 Eliza tunes her softly-thrilling lays!
17 And whilst full many a proud aspiring fane
18 In echo sweet prolongs the cheerful strain,
19 Behold, forth issuing from the portals wide,
20 Display'd in many a long and sable tide,
21 The letter'd sons of holy science come,
22 By music lur'd to quit that peaceful home,
23 Where tranquil pleasures crown the passing hour,
24 And Wisdom dwells unaw'd by tyrant power.
25 Behold how round Apollo's shrine they throng,
26 And list enraptur'd to the swelling song.
27 But mark! Swift passing through the buoyant air
28 Yon gloried car a nobler tribute bear!
29 See Handel, source of sweet majestic strains,
30 Direct his flight to these his favourite plains.
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31 Behold him now with mute attention pause,
32 Now join, with rapture bright, the just applause.
33 Since Handel then approves the lovely dame,
34 And stamps his fiat on her lasting fame,
35 From lov'd Parnassus' height desced, ye Nine,
36 And round her brows your brightest laurels twine.

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Title (in Source Edition): VERSES ON MRS. BILLINGTON'S APPEARANCE AT OXFORD. TO THOMAS BARRETT LENNARD, ESQ.
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Genres: occasional poem

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Berkeley, George Monck, 1763-1793. Poems: by the late George-Monck Berkeley, Esq. ... With a preface by the editor, consisting of some anecdotes of Mr. Monck Berkeley and several of his friends. London: printed by J. Nichols; and sold by Messrs. Leigh and Sotheby; Mr. Edwards; Mr. Cooke, Oxford; Mr. Todd, York; Messrs. Simmons and Co.; Messrs. Flackton, Marrable, and Claris; and Mr. Bristow, Canterbury, 1797, pp. 51-53. viii,DCXXXII,212p.,plate: port.; 4⁰. (ESTC T142950; OTA K111746.000) (Page images digitized by the University of California Libraries.)

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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.

Other works by George Monck Berkeley