With horns and trumpets now to madness swell,
Now sink in sorrows with a tolling bell;[R 1]
Such happy arts attention can command,
When fancy flags, and sense is at a stand. 230
Improve we these. Three Cat-calls[R 2] be the bribe
Of him, whose chatt'ring shames the Monkey tribe:
And his this Drum, whose hoarse heroic base
Drowns the loud clarion of the braying Ass.
Now thousand tongues are heard in one loud din: 235
The Monkey-mimics rush discordant in;
'Twas chatt'ring, grinning, mouthing, jabb'ring all,
And Noise and Norton[R 3], Brangling and Breval,
Dennis and Dissonance, and captious Art,
And Snip-snap short, and Interruption smart, 240
And Demonstration thin, and Theses thick,
And Major, Minor, and Conclusion quick.
Hold (cry'd the Queen) a Cat-call each shall win;[I 1]
Equal your merits! equal is your din!
Remarks
- ↑ Ver. 228.—with a tolling bell;] A mechanical help to the Pathetic, not unuseful to the modern writers of Tragedy.
- ↑ Ver. 231. Three Cat-calls] Certain musical instruments used by one sort of Critics to confound the Poets of the Theatre.
- ↑ Ver. 238. Norton,] See ver. 417.–J. Durant Breval, Author of a very extraordinary Book of Travels, and some Poems. See before, Note on ver. 126.
Imitations
- ↑ Ver. 243. A Cat-call each shall win, &c.]
Non nostrum inter vos tantas componere lites,
Et vitula tu dignus, & hic———Virg. Ecl. iii.
