Juvenile poems on various subjects. With The prince of Parthia, a tragedy. / By the late Mr. Thomas Godfrey, Junr. of Philadelphia. ; To which is prefixed, some account of the author and his writings. ; [One line from Horace]

POSTSCRIPT.

IN a note to the foregoing Account, it was observed that some of Mr. GODFREY'S Posthumous Pieces are less finished than his earlier performances; and the reader will not wonder at this when he considers the sudden manner in which it pleased the Supreme Wisdom to call him from this earthly stage. It is probable too, as he left his pieces in various hands, and some of them were frequently transcribed, that several mistakes might have been made this way. The Publisher when he first entered on this undertaking, intended to have corrected every thing of this kind according to his best judgment, and as it might have been presumed the Author would have done, if he had been spared to a longer life. But as it has been observed, the Editor's attention being called off to pursuits of another nature, he was obliged to relax in that design, and in consulting one of Mr. GODFREY'S friends, on whose judgment he always had the strongest reliance, it occasioned, in some places, his remitting this intention. The reasons that prevailed on him are contained in the following Letter; and if it proves as satisfactory to the reader, as it was to him, there will be no further apology wanted for the present form in which these Juvenile Pieces, of our much lamented Author, now appear.

SIR,

IT is greatly to your credit, that the warm friendship, which subsisted between the late Mr. GODFREY and you, is affectionately extended to his memory, and has induced you to undertake the labour of collecting his Posthumous Pieces to be publish'd in one volume, with those more corrected and finished Performances, which made their appearance in his life-time, after passing thro' the hands of some of his friends, whose judgment he esteemed. You tell me, you have been inform'd, that the Authors of the Monthly Review, in England, have not given a very high character of the "COURT OF FANCY," which we had considered as one of Mr. GODFREY'S capital performances; and you ask whether it might not be proper to make such corrections in his posthumous Works, especially the "Prince of Parthia," as the Author himself, if now alive, would thankfully accept from his friends; par|ticularly in regard to his Pointing, and the Accentuation of some of his words and classical names?

As to what is said in the Review, it would not displease you, if you had seen it. The judgment given of Mr. Godfrey's poetical abilities, by the Authors of that work, who had seen only a few of his performances, does not differ much from that of his warmest and most indulgent friends, who have seen the whole.

Mr. Godfrey (say the Authors) possesses a considerable degree of poetical imagination, but little learning, as appears from his improper accentuation of classical names

They mention the Pieces in the American Magazine, which first procured him his poetical reputation; and add that—

they remember, to have since

seen a pretty Poem of his (meaning his Piece call'd "VICTORY") on the suc|cess of the British Arms in America.

He certainly has genius; and we are sorry he had not education to improve it.

This is their conclusion, and the substance of what they say; in which Mr. Godfrey's friends will join with them. But as want of learning was his misfortune, not his fault, the noble efforts of his natural genius deserve the greater praise; and this the Reviewers confess by saying

They wish well to learning in the Colonies, and would not discourage any efforts that way, by the rigour of criticism.

'Tis kind not to discourage, but it is still more kind positively to encourage; and it were to be wish'd that the Reviewers had found room to give some examples of our Author's strong imagination and picturesque genius from the "Court of Fancy." The following might have been chosen among many others. After describing the Temple of Fancy, he gives this grand description of the Goddess Fancy herself.

" High in the midst, rais'd on her rolling throne, " Sublimely eminent, bright Fancy shone, &c. " A radiant bough, ensign of her command, " Of polish'd gold, wav'd in her lily hand— " In silver traces, fix'd unto her car " Four snowy Swans, proud of th' imperial Fair, " Wing'd lightly on: each, in gay beauty drest, " Smooth'd the soft plumage that adorn'd her breast; " Sacred to her the lucent chariot drew— " Or whither wildly thro' the air she flew, " Or whither to the dreary shades of night, " Oppress'd with gloom, she downwards bends her flight,— " Or proud aspiring, sought the blest abodes, " And boldly shot among th' astonish'd Gods."—

I need not hint to you the propriety of all this Painting "Fancy mounted sub|limely on a rolling throne" "snowy Swans" whirling her car, with winged speed, whithersoever she pleases; in which our Author was no doubt animated by those beauti|ful lines of Shakespeare, in the motto to his performance—

The Poet's eve, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from Heaven to Earth, from Earth to Heaven!

I have, for brevity, omitted several lines in our Author's description of Fancy herself; but the following lines, where he makes the Muses Graces and Loves, with their true offspring, Poetry, Painting and Music, to be the attendants on Fancy, in the characters of the three great ancient masters, Homer, Apelles, and Timotheus—these lines, I say, are conceived with such classical propriety, and express'd with such laconic elegance, that they well deserve notice.

" On her right hand, appear'd the joyful Nine, " And on her left, the Graces all-divine; " Young infant-Love, soft, on her breast reclin'd, " And with his Mother's glowing beauty shin'd. " Her fav'rite Sons were rang'd in order round, " In three bright bands, with deathless laurel crown'd; " Great Homer, here enjoy'd superior day, " Illuminated by bright Fancy's ray; " Apelles, there, whose magic hand could give " Form to the mass, and bid the Fiction live; " Timotheus next, whose animated lyre, " Cold Grief could charm, and thoughtless Rage inspire."—

POPE himself would not have thought the best of his writings dishonor'd by such nervous, well-imagin'd and harmonious lines as these. Nor is the humble place, which our Author has given himself, among the attendants of Fancy, less to be admir'd for the modesty and delicate beauty of the thought—

Close at her FEET, a Bard, in raptures lost, Was plac'd, and wildly round his eye-balls tost— Great Fancy was his theme! the soothing strain, In floods of pleasure, thrill'd thro' every vein—

His address to Fancy is very beautiful, and also his following apology for intruding into her court—

With lowly reverence I hither came, Not to deride, but to adore thy name; To thee I ever dedicate my song, And hail thy glories, 'midst this suppliant throng—

He then represents the Goddess as indulgent to his prayer, in the following rap|turous lines—

—Here, mortal! take this lyre, Strike bold the strings, and sing as I inspire. Humbly I bow'd, her mild commands obey'd, And careless o'er the lyre my fingers laid; And soon, with wild poetic rage possess'd, All my frame shook, and lab'ring heav'd my breast.

His chusing "Zephyr" as the messenger of Fancy, and his various descriptions on this head, could arise only from true poetic genius. His Account of the AEgyptian superstitions, the Heathen worship, &c. shews great reading in the ancient mythology

and history, as well as an attentive perusal of the translations of Greek and Roman classics; and what more could be expected from a youth that was only acquainted with the English, and a little of the French tongue?

" Toward the rosy East, great Mythra shone, " Bright in the glories of a rising Sun. " Beneath in solemn pomp, with hands uprear'd " In flowing robes the Magi all appear'd—&c. " Northward fierce† 2.1Woden stood, with terrors crown'd, " And angry† 2.2Thor threw heedless thunder round— " Old Merlin struck the lyre, the wond'ring throng " Attend around to his prophetic song— " Southward, disorder'd figures struck my eyes, " Monkies and Serpents rais'd to Deities,—&c. " Maim'd Memnon there seem'd on his‡ 2.3 harp to play, " And hail Osiris bringing on the day. " Pale Isis crescent faintly glimmer'd here, " And barking‖ 2.4 A••ubis display'd the Year—&c."

Our Author's succeeding descriptions of Poetry, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Astronomy, Philosophy, &c. are equally pleasing—a few of the lines will shew this.

" Astronomy, with proud aspiring eye, " Gaz'd on the glowing beauties of the sky. " Her vest with glittering stars was spangled o'er, " And in her hand a telescope she bore. " With this she mark'd the rolling planets way, " Or where portentous comets dreadful stray— " Tho' last not least, Philosophy was seen, " Slow was her step, and awful was her mien. " A volume open, in her hand she held, " With Nature's law the ample page was fill'd. " 'Tis her's great Nature's wond'rous Depths t' explore, " Or to the Gods in heavenly rapture soar— " Fair Truth she led, in spotless white array'd, " And pleasing Beauty, sweet celestial maid. " Where Truth and Nature aid the great design, " BEAUTY attends and makes it all divine.—

From the Court of Fancy he makes a sudden transition to the Court of Delusion,—where—

—Within confin'd Gay Fictions lurk, and Dreams of every kind— Drest by her hand, they shine with mimic bloom, Or, at her word, their Nothingness resume.—

The word "Nothingness" is peculiarly expressive in this line. Under this head, the airy schemes of Ambition, thirst of Power, Superstition, Jealousy, Avarice, false Honour, false Affectation of Learning, &c. are described—I shall only quote a few lines, out of several pages.

" Others, more bold, majestic 'portments take, " And plague, delighted, those who dream awake. " Such are the dreams of those who thirst for power, " The superstitious, and a thousand more. " Others usurp the features of the dead, " And shake the torch around the murd'rer's bed; " Affright the vigil, or in wanton mirth, " Make fools seek hidden treasure in the earth."—

Our Virtuoso and butter-fly men are well ridicul'd in what follows—

The next to her approach'd a reverend dame, In trophies great, from Insects torn, she came. With stately step she trod the plain along, And threw her treasure 'mid th' admiring throng. Forward with joy, each curious mortal sprang, This caught a gaudy wing, and that a pointed fang.

The Moral of his conclusion is excellent—

As thus I onward mov'd with wand'ring pace, And view'd the varied wonders of the place; Just Heaven, I cry'd, Oh! give me to restrain, Imagination with a steady rein! Tho' oft she leads thro' Pleasure's flowery ways, In Error's thorny path she sometimes strays. Let me my hours with solid Judgment spend, Nor to Delusion's airy dreams attend; By REASON guided, we shall only know Those heavenly joys which FANCY can bestow.

Thus you see I have not altered my judgment of this Poem. There is a proper

poetical spirit supported thro' the whole; and but few places where I think it could be amended. Many beautiful passages might be selected from his other Pieces; such as the Character of General Wolfe, Pastoral 3. The Garden-Description in the Assembly of Birds, &c.—

I come now to the question you ask,—

Whether it might not be proper to make such corrections in Mr. Godfrey's posthumous Pieces, as he himself, if alive, would thankfully accept from his friends?

In answer to this I would observe, that such corrections and alterations as were made in Mr. Godfrey's Pieces in his life-time, upon hints from his friends, and with the approbation of his own judgment, were thereby rendered his own. Sometimes he would insert such corrections, as they were offered to him; and othertimes substitute something in their stead, better than his own first thoughts, or the amendments pro|pos'd by his friends. It was in this last method, by improving on the criticisms and remarks of every judicious friend, that the writings of Pope and some of our greatest Poets, appeared so elegantly nervous and correct.

No doubt, sundry corrections are wanted in some of Mr. Godfrey's posthumous Pieces, and especially in the Prince of Parthia; I will mention a few. In Pastoral 1st, tho' he has sometimes accented the word "Alexis" right, and seems to have known the proper pronunciation of it—yet in the following couplet which occurs thrice, he has occasionally placed the accent wrong—

Droop, droop ye groves; ye plains, in silence mourn, Let nought be gay, 'til Alexis return—

It might be amended various ways—

Droop, droop ye groves, and all ye plains be dumb, Let nought be joyful 'til Alexis come.—

Or preserving the first rhime, and leaving out the name Alexis which is not material, being in the couplet immediately preceeding—

Droop, droop ye groves, ye fields, in silence mourn, Let nought be joyful till the Swain's return.

Or preserving the name—

Alexis gone! be dumb, each grove and plain, Let nought be joyful, 'till I see my Swain.

So in the same Pastoral, the word "lay" is not English, but the couplet may be amended with the smallest alteration—

Here by my side, my pipe shall useless lay, Unheeded now Alexis is away.—

To be corrected thus:

Here by my side, my pipe shall useless lie, Unheeded now Alexis is not nigh.

In this couplet, it is to be observed, that Mr. Godfrey places the accent on Alexis right.

In Pastoral 2d, are these lines—

Witness, ye groves, and eke, ye powers divine, How oft she's sworn her faithless heart was mine. Now, fir'd by female pride, she scorns the truth, And gives to wealthy Ageon her youth. He's rich in num'rous flocks, scarce knows his store, My love is all, nor can I boast of more.

What is faulty in these lines, proceeds from unnecessary elisions, the obsolete word "eke" and the spelling the classical name wrong; for I do not at present remember any such name as Ageon, and if there be such a one, it is here wrong accented. The smallest alteration amends the whole;

Witness ye groves, and all ye powers divine, How oft she swore her saithless heart was mine. Now, fir'd by female pride, she scorns the truth, And to the rich AEgaeon gives her youth. Of numerous flocks the swain scarce knows his store, My love is all, nor can I boast of more.

A few lines afterwards he places the accent differently on the same word "Ageon;" which shews that, in his first hasty draughts, he did not even stay so far to attend to these lesser matters, as to make one part consistent with another.

There is the same fault in placing the name "Amphion" a few stanzas below, which a small transposition amends.

As to the Tragedy, it is evidently very unfinished, especially in the last act; and nothing but that fondness which every Author has for a performance when it comes first from his pen, would have made him propose it for the stage. But as he knew the Company was about to break up, and he might not soon have another opportunity of trying his success this way, he was willing to offer it; and as the present elisions and unfinished lines, would not have been perceived from the mouth of the Actors, he would have had leisure before the publication to correct every thing which he might have found faulty, in the diction and measure. As to the sentiments, they are gene|rally noble, and worthy of the subject; and in respect to the plan, it would not be just to enquire whether the Unities of the Drama be all rigidly observed by a youth,

who, perhaps, never heard of the rules of Horace, or the Stagyrite; yet our Author's own peculiar Genius, and ideas of Propriety, have help'd him surprizingly out, in this matter.

The same oversights which I have taken notice of in some of the Pastorals, like|wise occur in this Tragedy.

What pleasure, Phraates, must swell his bosom, To see the prostrate nation all around him, And know he's made them happy! to hear them Tease the Gods to shower their blessings on him?

For which, might be read as follows—

What joy, Phraates, must expand his bosom, To see the prostrate nation all around him, Made happy by his virtues! and to hear them Weary the Gods to show'r their blessings on him?

In the two first of the three following lines, there are bad grammar, and bad ac|centuation.

" While shame and rout disperses all her sons, " Barzaphernes pursues the fugitives, The few whom fav'ring night redeem'd from slaughter."

They might be alter'd thus—

While shame and rout disperse her hapless sons; Bold Barzaphernes seeks, with vengeful arm, The few whom fav'ring night redeem'd from slaughter.

A little lower we have these lines—

Arsaces heard, And thro' the swelling waves he rush'd to save His drowning brother, and gave him life; And for the boon the ingrate pays him hate.—

where the 3d line wants a syllable, and there is a disagreeable jingle in the others. They might run thus—

—Arsaces heard, And rushing, instant, thro' th' opposing tide To save his sinking brother, gave him life, Who for the boon ignobly pays him hate.

I could easily send you more examples of corrections that might be made in this and Mr. Godfrey's other Posthumous Pieces, which you put into my hands; but I

am fully persuaded that it will be safer for you, and perhaps more acceptable to many readers, to lay these remains of Mr. Godfrey before the Public, in their genuine ori|ginal state, than venture on any material alterations, which might not after all be alike agreeable to every body; and perhaps in some cases be for the worse. For instance, in the following line—

Still in intricate mazes round I run—

the accent on the word "intricate" is wrong; and a person desirous to place it right and make the line smooth, would correct it thus—

In mazes intricate still round I run—

But I could not advise such an alteration as this; for it may probably have been the Author's intention in this line to make the sound an echo to the sense; and if so, the intricacy of the line, and difficulty of the pronunciation, with the two in's joined to|gether, are sufficiently expressive of the subject.

To offer smaller corrections of this kind, might be the work of any hand; but to reach the heights to which our Poet has arrived in many parts of his writings, and of this Tragedy itself, is the lot of but a few.

How strongly is the following curse express'd!

O may he never know a father's fondness, Or know it to his sorrow! may his hopes Of joy be cut like mine, and his short life Be one continued tempest—if he lives, Let him be curst with jealousy and fear— May tort'ring Hope present the flowing cup, Then hasty, snatch it from his eager thirst, And when he dies, base treachery be the means.

As a contrast to the fierce passions in the preceeding lines, may be quoted the fol|lowing humane sentiments.

O 'tis a heavenly virtue, when the heart Can feel the sorrows of another's bosom! It dignifies the man. The stupid wretch Who knows not this sensation, is an image, And wants the feeling to make up a life

I shall add but one quotation more from this Tragedy—

How shall I thank you, ye bright glorious Beings! Shall I in humble adoration bow, Or fill the earth with your resounding praise?

No, this I leave so noisy hypocrites— A mortal's tongue disgraces such a theme. But heaven delights where silent gratitude Mounts each aspiring thought to its bright throne, Nor leaves to language aught: words may indeed From man to man their several wants express, Heaven asks the purer incense of the heart.

Upon the whole, I persuade myself that, the severest critic, looking over smaller matters, will allow these writings of Mr. Godfrey, to be aptly characteriz'd, in the following lines from the Court of Fancy—

Bold Fancy's hand th' amazing pile uprears, In every part stupendous skill appears; In beautiful disorder, yet compleat, The structure shines irregularly great.

I am,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

Notes

• † 2.1

  Gods of the Northern Nations.
• † 2.2

  Gods of the Northern Nations.
• ‡ 2.3

  Alluding to the story of Memnon's statue in the temple of Serapis, at Thebes, fabulously said to send harmonious sounds from its mouth, when first touch'd by the rays of the rising sun.
• ‖ 2.4

  An Egyptian idol, with a dog's head.—Latratorem, Semicanem Deum—saith Virg. AEn. 8.