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This Apple to tranfplant, if to the name
Its merit answers: no where fhalt thou find
A wine more priz'd, or laudable of taste.
Nor does the Eliot least deserve thy care,
Nor John Apple, whofe wither'd rind, intrench'd
With many a furrow, aptly represents

Decrepit age, nor that from Harvey nam'd,

471

Quick-relishing. Why should we fing the Thrift,
Codling, or Pomroy, or of pimpled coat

The Ruffet, or the Cat's Head's weighty orb, 475
Enormous in its growth, for various use
Tho' these are meet, tho', after full repaft,
Are oft requir'd, and crown the rich deffert?
What tho' the Pear-tree rival not the worth
Of Ariconium products? yet her freight
Is not contemn'd, yet her wide-branching arms
Best screen thy mansion from the fervent Dog
Adverse to life; the wintry hurricanes

480

In vain employ their roar, her trunk unmov'd Breaks the strong onfet and controls their rage: 485

479. What tho' the Pear-tree rivals not the worth

Of Ariconian products.

-]

The finer forts of Perry were perhaps not generally known in Philips's time. The Teinton Squash, made in the parish of Teinton in Gloucesterfhire, and the Oldfield, made in feveral parts of Herefordshire, and particularly about Ledbury, confidered as equal, if not fuperior, to the best Cider. The Teinton Squash Perry is a liquor moft highly prized, and fells for more, upon the spot where it is made, than almoft any wine whatever.

Chiefly

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Chiefly the Bofbury, whose large increase,

Annual, in fumptuous banquets claims applaufe.
Thrice-acceptable beverage! could but art

Subdue the floating lee, Pomona's felf

49

Would dread thy praise, and fhun the dubious strife.
Be it thy choice, when fummer-heats annoy,
To fit beneath her leafy canopy,

Quaffing rich liquids; oh! how fweet t'enjoy
At once her fruits and hospitable shade!

491

But how with equal numbers fhall we match 495 The Musk's furpaffing worth, that earliest gives Sure hopes of racy wine, and in its youth,

486.

the Bofbury-]

The parish of Bofbury, in Herefordshire, is famous for a Perry, that is known by the name of Barland. It has a rougher taste than most other forts of Perry, and is therefore feldom acceptable to thofe, who have not been accustomed to drink it. This Pear is a native of Bofbury, where in a large common field, called Barland Field, fome very old trees are ftill fhewed, which are faid to be the original trees. There are alfo confiderable plantations of the Oldfield Pear, in the parish of Bofbury.

496. The Musk's furpaffing worth.]

There are two forts of Musk apples, the White and the Red. The White Musk produces no very famous Cider. The Red Mufk is confidered as one of the best of the Herefordshire fruits.

497. -Racy wine.]

Dr. Johnfon, fpeaking of Thomfon's Poems, after they were altered and enlarged by fubfequent revifals, fays, "They are, I think, improved "in general; yet I know not whether they have not loft part of what "Temple calls their race; a word, which applied to wines, in its primi“tive sense, means the flavor of the foil.”

The original and metaphorical meaning of the word racy, may be given from the beginning of one of Cowley's Poems.

As to a northern people, (whom the fun
Ufes juft as the Romish Church has done

H

Her

Its tender nonage, loads the spreading boughs
With large and juicy offspring, that defies
The vernal nippings, and cold fideral blasts?
Yet let her to the Red-streak yield, that once
Was of the fylvan kind, unciviliz’d,
Of no regard, till Scudamore's skilful hand

Her prophane laity, and does affign
Bread only to ferve both for bread and wine)
A rich Canary fleet welcome arrives;

Such comfort to us here your letter gives,

Fraught with brisk RACY verses; in which we

500

THE SOIL FROM WHENCE THEY CAME, tafte, fmell, and fee.
Its tender nonage.]

498.

But in THEIR TENDER NONAGE, while they fpread

Their springing leaves, and lift their infant head;

500.

DRYDEN'S Tranflation of Virgil's fecond GEORGIC. V. 497. fideral blafts.]

Pliny, in his chapter De fervandis uvis et morbis arborum, Nat. Hift. L. xvii. ufes fideratio to exprefs the blighting, or blafting of trees, whether caused by extreme heat or extreme cold.-So the Greeks called blighted trees arfußanta dardfa; and fo were we used formerly, when many fatal effects were referred to the ftars, to say of any thing that was blasted or withered, that it was planet-ftruck.- But our Poet most probably borrowed his fideral blasts from Milton, P. L. x. 692.

These changes in the heavens, tho' flow, produc'd
Like change on fea and land, SIDERAL BLAST,
Vapor and moift, and exhalation hot,

Corrupt and peftilent

503.

Scudamore's fkilful hand.]

The family of Scudamore derive their name from the Scutum Amoris Divini, the Croix Patée Fitchée, which they originally bore as their arms, and which was probably given them in honor of fome gallant action in defence of the Chriftian faith. Saint Scudamore, the ancestor of the family, came into England with William the Conqueror, and first fettled at Upton, near Warminster in Wiltshire, which still retains the name of Upton Scudamore. In the reign of Edward III. Thomas, the younger fon of Sir Peter de Scudamore, married the eldest daughter of Clara de Ewyas, heirefs of Ewyas Harold in Herefordshire, by Ivan Whelen her husband; upon which, he affumed the arms of three Stirrops, and the Name of Ewyas, from the inheritance of the faid Clara; his fon and heir, Philip de Scudamore, being fometimes called Philip de Ewyas.

This

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Improv'd her, and by courtly discipline
Taught her the favage nature to forget:

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51

505

This Philip fettled at Hom-Lacy, on the river Wye, five miles below Hereford, which has fince that time been the principal feat of the family. His fon, Sir John Scudamore, married Alice, daughter and coheir of the famous Owen Glendowr. Many of the family of Scudamore, were perfons of the greatest reputation, and enjoyed confiderable honors and offices. John, the first Viscount Scudamore, the perfon here mentioned, as having improved his Cider plantations, and brought the Redftreak apple into notice, was the fon and heir of Sir James Scudamore, from whom Spenfer has been faid to have taken the character of Sir Scudamore, in his Faery Queen, and was born in the year 1600. At the age of fourteen, he married the only daughter of Sir Arthur Porter, Knt. and foon distinguished himself by his fingular virtue, piety, and learning, upon which accounts he was highly refpected, and his friendship was particularly cultivated by Laud, then Bishop of St. David's, who constantly vifited him at Hom-Lacy, in his way to and from his diocese. In his twenty-firft year, he was unanimoufly chofen to represent his native County in Parliament, and the fame year was created a Baronet by King James. In the fourth year of Charles I. he was advanced to the titles of Baron Dromore, and Viscount Scudamore of Sligo, in the kingdom of Ireland. He was at Portsmouth, waiting to attend the Duke of Buckingham on his propofed expedition, when that nobleman was ftabbed by Felton; and was fo much affected at that event, the Duke having shewed him great marks of regard, that he immediately retired into the country, and, to divert his grief, applied himself, amongst other country amufements, to planting and grafting apple-trees, particularly the Red-ftreak apple. In 1634 he was called from his retirement, and fent Ambaffador to France, where he refided four years, and acquitted himself with fingular prudence and honor.- In the civil wars his zeal for the royal cause was such as might be expected from the intimate friend of Laud and Buckingham; and in this cause he was a confiderable fufferer, being taken in Hereford, when it furrendered to Waller in 1643, and fent up prifoner to the Parliament, while his houfes were ruined, and his eftates fequeftered. It was a long time before he regained his liberty, as he would not take the negative oath, conceiving himself bound not to withdraw his allegiance from the King. His attachment to his Royal Mafter, during his life, was not more confpicuous than his great kindness to the imprifoned loyalifts afterwards, and his bountiful charity to the diftreffed clergy, many of whom, in his own neighbourhood, he entirely fupported.--He was a confiderable benefactor to the churches adjoining to his property, endowing feveral, and augmenting others very confiderably. He died in the year 1671 universally lamented. 504. Improv'd her, and by courtly difcipline Taught her the favage nature to forget :]

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Hence ftyl❜d the Scudamorean plant; whose wine
Whoever tastes, let him with grateful heart.
Respect that ancient loyal house, and wish
The noble Peer, that now transcends our hopes
In early worth, his country's justest pride,
Uninterrupted joy, and health entire.

Let every tree in every garden own

510

The Red-streak as fupreme, whofe pulpous fruit,

Virgil fpeaks thus of the methods of meliorating the wild forts of fruit-trees, GEORGIC. ii. 49.

tamen hac quoque fi quis

Inferat, aut fcrobibus mandet mutata subactis,
EXUERINT SILVESTREM ANIMUM; cultuque frequenti,
In quafcunque voces artes, haud tarda fequentur.
Yet thefe, receiving graffs of other kind,

Or thence tranfplanted, change their favage mind,
Their wildness lofe, and quitting nature's part,
Obey the rules and discipline of art.

5.09. The noble Peer that now transcends our hopes

In early worth.]

DRYDEN.

This was James, the laft Viscount Scudamore, grandson of the first Viscount. He was born in 1684, and was probably cotemporary with our Poet at Chrift Church in Oxford, as Anthony Alfop, M. A. of Chrift Church (mentioned in a preceding note), prefixed to his Fabularum Efopicarum Delectus, published in 1698, a poetical Dedication to this young nobleman. He firft ferved in Parliament for his native county; an honour which he afterwards voluntarily declined, and was elected for the city of Hereford. He married Frances the only daughter of Simon Lord Digby, and died in 1716, leaving one daughter, married first to Henry, fecond Duke of Beaufort, by whom she had no iffue, and afterward to Charles Fitzroy, Efq. by whom the left a daughter, born Feb. 16, 1749, and married April 2d, 1771, to the prefent Duke of Norfolk.

513. The Red-ftreak as fupreme.]

The Red-streak apple is ftill efteemed a prime Herefordshire fruit, and Cider, made of that alone, will fometimes prove more excellent than any other fort. But it feems that the true method of managing this particular Cider is loft, as of late years it has been found fo precarious a liquor, that out of ten or twelve hogfheads of pure Red-ftreak Cider fel

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