THE Tears of the Muſes; IN A CONFERENCE, BETWEEN Prince GERMANICUS, AND A Male-content Party.

LONDON: Printed for T. WARD, near Pater-noſter Row. M.DCC.XXXVII.

LEST it ſhou'd be conſider'd as a Diſregard of Propriety, when a Poem of a Satirical Species, is addreſs'd to the Patronage moſt diſtinguiſh'd for Extent of Humanity, pleaſe to receive it, as a poetical Janus; of whoſe Oppoſite two Faces, the faireſt and beſt drawn you will find to be Panegyric.

BUT, on That Side, you were attach'd.—And, ſuch devoted Admirers of the Life wou'd with Difficulty have been brought to allow a Reſemblance in the Picture. Whereas, on the Side of the Satire, you cou'd not poſſibly be Parties concerned: and were, therefore, beſt qualify'd, to judge it, impartially.

YET, ſince it is not by any Merit of mine, that you are ſo ſafe on the Satirical Quarter, It was fit I ſhou'd do ſomething, that might have room to expect your Acknowledgment. I have, therefore, declin'd any Encomium on your generous Society; or on Any of its particular Members: tho', to Every Reader, not ſuch, It wou'd have increas'd the Delight of the Poem.

BUT, You are ſuch Enemies to every Kind of Corruption, that I apprehended the very Appearance, of an Attempt at evading your Judgment, by engaging your Generoſity in my Favour.

IN this Situation, there are preſerv'd to you all the natural Rights of the Critic. Yet, I am under no Pain from the Uſe you may make of that Freedom: For, what candid Writer wou'd wiſh to eſcape a Reproach, where, being ſure of its Juſtice, he can be made but the Wiſer, from Effect of its Severity? And, as to the more deſirable Reverſe of the Proſpect, no Man is in Danger of miſſing your Approbation, unleſs he has, no where, deſerved it.

THE Muſes have uſed you too kindly, not to expect your Concern, for the Fate you will find 'em reduc'd to: And, to hear of your Grief, and good Wiſhes in their Behalf, may, from the Knowledge they have of your Conſequence, deſerve to be thought little leſs, than a Balance, for the Neglect they are under, from Thouſands.

BUT, to ſpeak a plain Truth, without Metaphor, whatever Advantage the Poetical World wou'd have deriv'd from imaginary Muſes, might be, really, an Effect, of ſome ſuch confederate Influence as yours, in good Earneſt exerted.

HOW many great and deſirable Changes in literate Taſte, may we not reaſonably expect, from the aſſociated Prevalence of Numbers, united, as you are, upon the moſt generous Principle in Nature, an unprofitable and voluntary Purſuit of the Benefit of Others, from Effect of your own Coſt, and Labour?

TO inſtance, in One, the moſt obvious and eaſy of many: How ſoon wou'd our preſent low Reliſh for dramatical Buffoonery give Way, to your nobler Example?—perſevering (indeed, with ſome neceſſary Obſtinacy) to applaud, and ſupport, good Tragedy and Comedy: till what is now but mere Reaſon, might have the Honour to be conſider'd as Faſhion—by Concurrence of your munificent Endeavours, but for one or two ſhort Winters?

AND, yet, what a National Deliverance were This!—With what Effuſion of unmercenary Gratitude would it immortalize thoſe generous Conquerors, who, protecting the nobleſt of our Youth from bad Principles, had, by expelling Mean-ſpiritedneſs, Corruption, and Folly, from our Theatres, intercepted them in their Paſſage upward, into Situations whence their Effects, extended wider, become in Proportion more dreadful.

WHATEVER Miſconceptions have ariſen, with View to your more immediate and particular good Purpoſe, from its Relation to the Profeſſion of a conſiderable Body, in Trade, whoſe Intereſt may appear to be concern'd, not in the Intention, but Effect, of your Eſtabliſhment, There will never, I am perſuaded, lie any Objection at all againſt this opener and eaſier Road, to the Redemption of one Branch of Polite Learning, that ſtands in too viſible Need of your Patronage.

AND, now, ſince All the Motive I had to this diſtant Addreſs was the Pleaſure of profeſſing, in public, my Reſpect for ſo public a Spirit; you will forgive me, that I with-hold from your Knowledge a Diſcovery of ſo little Importance, as the Name, of

NOT aſſuming ſuch an Air of Authority, as to give Rules, much leſs Examples, of Writing, the Author in the following Verſes intended no more, than an humble Attempt, from mere private Curioſity, upon an Idea of Satire, which appear'd to be New: or not practis'd.

There is indeed, ſomething ſo like Cruelty in the Face of that Species of Poetry, that it can only be reconcil'd to Humanity, by the general Benevolence of its Purpoſe: attacking Particulars, for the Public Advantage.

But, methinks, It gives up this End, (which is Reformation) when, miſtaking the Means, It attempts the good Work with a Hand either too rough, or too gentle.

In the firſt Caſe, It corrodes, where It profeſſes to cure: In the ſecond, It is only ſportive and wanton, with what It ſhou'd correct, and diſcountenance.

The Medium perhaps might be found, in an Art like that of the Painters: who, by oppoſing their Shades againſt LIGHTS, call out Darkneſs into open Diſtinction.

So, Enormities, which Satiriſts wou'd cenſure, are but dimly and imperfectly mark'd, till the Defect admits Diſgrace, from the Neighbourhood of Perfection.—Then Contempt ſtings more ſcarply, in One, by the compar'd Admiration of the Other: Beſides, that the Cenſur'd are driven, at the ſame Time, from their la • t little Refuge of Vanity, and can no longer recriminate upon the Cenſurer his Ill-nature, and Malevolence of Purpoſe.

I am afraid, there is another Particular, that calls aloud for the Regard of the Satiriſt: and That is, a Reflexion, how far Decency may make it a Duty, to abandon his perſonal Self, and inſinuate Opinions, with Modeſty. I mean from the Mouth of ſome figurative Speaker, whom He ought to ſuppoſe of more Conſequence; and whoſe Sentiments the Reader will be ſure to receive with leſs Scruple.

There is a Meaning, in the very Name, of a Poet, that ſhou'd ſeem to preſcribe us this Duty: And the Uſe and Neceſſity of Invention can never be more manifeſt, than where the Subject is ſo •• vidious, as Satire.

Who is there, to ſay Truth, ſo unguilty of the Follies of Life, that he dares, in his own proper Perſon, ſtand out and juſtify the Right he aſſumes, of reproaching the Conduct of Others?

Reproof is too bitter a Potion, to be welcome from our Senſe of its Uſe. And the adminiſtring Hand ſhou'd be dear, not diſguſtful, if it would incline us to taſte it, with Pleaſure.

I thought it but neceſſary, to prefix this ſhort Note, to an Eſſay toward a New Kind of Satire. I will not pretend to aſſert my own Syſtem: becauſe it is the moſt probable Thing in the World, that I ſhou'd conceive a miſtaken Idea. Yet, ſince by frequent Attempts and Miſcarriages, there are ſtarted, at leaſt, ſome good Hints, He, whoſe falſe Steps have contributed either to the Caution, or Direction, of Others, may be ſaid to have err'd, with Good Fortune.