John Sheffield

“ Not only in the choice of Words or Sense,
But on the World, of Manners, and on Men;
Fancy is but the Feather of the Pen;
Reason is that substantial, useful part,
Which gains the Head, while 'tother wins the Heart. ”

“ OF Things in which Mankind does most excel,
Nature's chief Master-piece is Writing well;
And of all sorts of Writing none there are
That can the least with Poetry compare:
No kind of work requires so nice a touch,
And if well finish'd, nothing shines so much;
But Heav'n forbid we should be so profane,
To grace the Vulgar with that Sacred Name;
'Tis not a Flash of Fancy which sometimes
Dazling our minds, sets off the slightest Rhimes ”

“ Rhimes,
His own deserve as great Applause sometimes;
But once his Pegasus has born dead weight,
Rid by some lumpish Minister of State.
Here rest, my Muse, suspend my Cares a while,
A greater Enterprise attends thy toil ”

“ Read Homer once, and you can read no more,
For all things else appear so dull and poor.
Verse will seem Prose, yet often upon him look, ”

“ There's no such thing in Nature, and you'll draw
A faultless Monster, which the World ne'er saw:
Some Faults must be that his Misfortunes drew,
But such as may deserve Compassion too. ”

“ Nature's chief Master-piece is Writing well; ”

“ Must above Cowley, nay and Milton too prevail,
Succeed where great Torquato, and our greater Spencer fail.
FINIS.
↑ Waller's ↑ Denham's ↑ Pindarick Odes ↑ Mr. D———n. ↑ A famous Satyrical Poem of his. ↑ A Libel, for which he has both applauded and wounded, tho intirely innocent of the whole matter. ↑ Philaster. A Play of Beaument and Fletcher. ↑ An admirably Character in a Play of Shakespear's. ↑ A late author,
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”