Dr. Goldsmith and fome of his friends occasionally dinal at the St. James's coffee house. One day it was proposed to write epitaphs on him. His country, dialect, and perfon, furnished subjects of witticism. He was called on for RETALIATION, and at their next meeting, produced the following poem.

Fold, when Scarron his companions invited,
Each guest brought his dish, and the feast was

united;
If our* landlord fupplies us with beef and with fish,
Let each gueft bring himself, and he brings the best dish:
Our + dean shall be venison, juft fresh from the plains ;
Our | Burke shall be tongue, with a garnish of brains ;

* The master of the St. James's coffee-house where the doctor, and the friends he has characterized in this poem, occasionally dined.

+ Doctor Barnard, dean of Derry in Ireland.

# Mr Edmund Burke, member for Wendover, and one of the greatest orators in this Kingdom.

Our * Will shall be wild fowl, of excellent flavour,
And + Dick with his pepper shall heighten their favour :
Our † Cumberland's sweet-bread its place shall obtain,
And || Douglas is pudding, fubftantial and plain :
Our 5 Garrick's a sallad, for in him we fee
Oil, vinegar, sugar, and saltness agree:
To make out the dinner full certain I am,
That q Ridge is anchovy, and ** Reynolds is lamb;
That ft Hickey's a capon, and by the fame rule,
Magnanimous Goldsmith a goofberry fuol.
At a dinner fo various, at such a repast,
Who'd not be a glutton, and stick to the last ?

* Mr William Burke, late secretary to general Conway, and member for Bedwin. * Mr Richard Burke, Collector of Granada.

Mr Richard Cumberland, author of the West Indian, Fashionable Lover, the Brothers, and other dramatic pieces.

|| Doctor Douglas, cannon of Windsor, an ingenious Scotch gentleman, who has no less distinguished him. self as a citizen of the world, than-a found critic, in de. tecting several literary mistakes (or rather forgeries) of his countrymen ; particularly Lauder on Milton, and Bower's History of the Popes,

Ø David Garrick, Esq; joint patentee, and acting manager of the Theatre-royal, Drury-lane.

Counfellor John Ridge, a gentleman belonging to the Irish bar; the relish of whose converfation was juftly compared to an anchovy.

** Sir Josiua Reynolds, president of the Royal Academy.

++ As eminent attorney.

Here, waiter, more wine, let me fit while I'm able,
Till all my companions fink under the table;
Then with chaos and blunders encircling my head,
Let me ponder, and tell what I think of the dead.

Here lies the good * dean, re-united to earth, Who mixt reason with pleasure, and wisdom with mirth: If he had any faults, he has left us in doubt, At least in fix weeks, I could not find 'em out; Yet fome have declar'd, and it can't be deny'd 'em, That fly-boots was cursedly cunning to hide 'em.

Here lies our good † Edmund, whose genius was

such, We fcarcely can praise it, or blame it too much; Who, born for the universe narrow'd his mind, And to party gave up what was meant for mankind. Tho' fraught with all learning, yet ftraining his throat, To persuade + Tommy Townshend to lend him a vote; Who, tov deep for luis hearers, ftill went on refining, And thought of convincing, while they thought of

dining; Tho' equal to all things, for all things unfit, Too nice for a statesman, too proud for a wit : For a patriot too cool ; for a drudge disobedient ; And too fond of the right to pursue the expedient. In short, 'twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in place, fir, To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor.

* Vide page 199.

+ Vide

page 199. | Mr T. Townsend, member for Whitechurch.

Here lies honeft * William, whose heart was a mint, While the owner ne'er knew half the good that was in't; The pupil of impulse, it forc'd bim along, His conduct still right, with his argument wrong; Still aiming at honour, yet fearing to roam, The coachman was tipsy, the chariot drove home ; Would

you ask for his merits ? alas! he had none; What was good was fpontaneous, his faults were his

Own.

Here lies honett Richard whose fate I must sigh at; Alas that such frolic should now be so quiet ! What fpirits were bis ! what wit and what whim ; + Now breaking a jest, and now breaking a limb ? Now wrangling and grumbling to keep up the ball ! Now teazing and vexing, yet laughing at all ! In short fo provoking a devil was Dick, That we wili.'d him full ten times a day at old nick; But, milling his mirth and agreeable vein, As often we wilh d to have Dick back again.

Here I Cumberland lies, having acted his parts,
The Terence of England, the mender of heaits ;
A flattering painter, who made it his care
To draw men as they ought to be, not as they are.
His gallants are all faultless his women divine,
And comedy wonders at being so fine ;

This gen.

* Vide page 200.

+ Mr Richard Burke ; vide page 200. tleman having nightly fractured one of his arms and Jegs, at different times, the doctor has rallied him on those accidents, as a kind of retributive justice for breaking his jelts on other people.

# Vide page 200.

Like a tragedy queen he has dizen'd them out,
Or rather like tragedy giving a rout,
His fools have their follies ro loft in a crowd
Of virtues and feelings, that folly grows proud,
And coxcombs alike in their failings alone,
Adopting his portraits are pleas’d with their own.
Say, where has our poet this malady caught;
Or, wherefore his characters thus without fault?
Say, was it that vainly directing his view
To find out mcu's virtues, and finding them few,
Quite fick of pursuing each troublefome elf,
Hc grew lazy at last, and drew for himself?

Here * Douglas retires from his toils to relax, The scourge of impostors, the terror of quacks: Come all ye quack bards, and ye quacking divincs, Come, and dance on the spot where your tyrant re

clines, When satire, and censure encircled his throne, I fear'd for your safety, I fear'd for my own ; But now he is

gone, and we want a detector, Our t Dodds shall be pious, our # Kenricks shall

lecture; || Macpherson write bombast, and call it a ftyle, Our Townshend make speeches, and I fhall compile ; New I Lauders and Bowers the Tweed shall cross over, No countryman living their tricks to discover ;

* Vide page 200

+ The Rev. Dr. Dodd. I Mr. Kenrick lately read lectures at the Devil tavern, under the title of · The School of Shakespeare'

ll James Macpherson, Esq; 'who lately, from the mere force of his Style, wrote down the first poet of all antiquity. ♡ Vide page 200.

Vide

page 200.