While here to Shakespeare Garrick pays His tributary thanks and praise; Invokes the animated stone, To make the poet’s mind his own; That he each character may trace With humour, dignity, and grace; And mark, unerring mark, to men, The rich creation of his pen: Preferr’d the prayer—the marble god Methinks I see, assenting, nod, And, pointing to his laurell’d brow, Cry—“Half this wreath to you I owe: Lost to the stage, and lost to fame; Murder’d my scenes, scarce known my name; Sunk in oblivion and disgrace Among the common scribbling race, Unnotic’d long thy Shakespeare lay, To dulness and to time a prey: But now I rise, I breathe, I live In you—my representative! Again the hero’s breast I fire, Again the tender sigh inspire; Each side, again, with laughter shake, And teach the villain-heart to quake; All this, my son! again I do— I?—No, my son!—’Tis I, and you.” While thus the grateful statue speaks, A blush o’erspreads the suppliant’s cheeks— “What!—Half this wreath, wit’s mighty chief?— O grant,” he cries, “one single leaf; That far o’erpays his humble merit, Who’s but the organ of thy spirit.” Phoebus the generous contest heard— When thus the god address’d the bard: “Here, take this laurel from my brow, On him your mortal wreath bestow;— Each matchless, each the palm shall bear, In heav’n the bard, on earth the play’r.” “Verses dropped in Mr. Garrick’s Temple of Shakespeare.” _Poems and Miscellaneous Compositions_, 1790. Garrick had in his garden at Hampton a temple dedicated to Shakespeare, containing a statue of the poet by Roubiliac. WILLIAM COMBE, 1812 (1741-1823) “_Dr. Syntax in the Pit of Covent Garden Theatre._” CRITIC.— “Oh, what a _Falstaff_! Oh, how fine! Oh, ’tis great acting—’tis divine!” SYNTAX.— “His acting’s great—that I can tell ye; For all the acting’s in his belly.” CRITIC.— “But, with due def’rence to your joke, A truer word I never spoke Than when I say—you’ve never been The witness of a finer scene. Th’ admir’d actor whom you see Plays the fat knight most charmingly: ’Tis in this part he doth excel; _Quin_ never played it half so well.” SYNTAX.—