Written In The Beginning Of Mezeray's History Of France

Matthew Prior 1664 – 1721



Whate'er thy countrymen have done
By law and wit, by sword and gun,
In thee is faithfully recited,
And all the living world that view
Thy work, give thee the praises due
At once instructed and delighted.

Yet for the fame of all these deeds
What beggar in the invalids,
With lameness broke, with blindness smitten,
Wish'd ever decently to die,
To have been either Mezeray,
Or any Monarch he has written?

It's strange, dear Author, yet it true is,
That down from Pharamond to Louis
All covet life, yet call it pain,
And feel the ill, yet shun the cure:
Can sense this paradox endure?
Resolve me, Cambray, or Fontaine.

The man in graver tragic known
(Though his best part long since was done)
Still on the stage desires to tarry,
And he who play'd the Harlequin,
After the jest still loads the scene,
Unwilling to retire though weary.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
85

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCB XXAXDA XXEDDE XADAXD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 816
Words 152
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6

Matthew Prior

Matthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat. more…

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