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HORACE, LITERALLY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE; FOR THE USE OF THOSE WHO ARE DESIROUS OE ACQUIR- ING OR RECOVERING A COMPETENT KNOWLEDGE OE THE LA- TIN LANGUAGE.

C. SMART, A.M. OF PEMBROKE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.

EDINBURGH: TRTNTUD AT THU VNIVEHSIIT PRESS, FOR J. OGLE, PARLIAMENT CLOSE; M. OGRE, J. STEVENS & CO. GLASGOW ; R. OGLE *' AND J. HAMILTON, LONDON.

1810, 1S 76' > * ADVERTISEMENT. THE EDITOR of the present Edition has been careful to correct, both in the Original and the Translation, numerous errors that are to be found in the common copies. He has not printed the English and Latin on opposite pages, because the most experienced teachers are of opinion, that a translation ought not to be used till the student has bestowed all his own penetration and industry in endeavouring to make out the sense of the author. He is, however, too apt to have recourse to it, when it is immediately under his eye, before his penetration and industry have been sufficiently exerted. When he is at a loss, the difficult passage will easily be found in this Edition by turning to the corresponding page in the other Volume.

PREFACE.

The following verfion being the work of 9 man who has made poetry, perhaps, too much the bufinefs of his life, fome account of his mo- tives for undertaking it may feem neceffary. In the firft place, then, there was reafon to be- lieve that a thing of this kind, properly execu- ted, would be very ufeful to thofe who arc de- firous of acquiring or recovering a competent knowledge of the Latin tongue. Secondly, tha* extraordinary fuccefs which attempts of this kind have met with, thougn by men who manifeflly did not understand the author, any otherwife than through a French medium ; and though printed in large volumes, and fold at a propor- tionable price, gave fufficient reafon for the tranflator to hope, that his labour would not be in in vain ; I fay labour^ for genius, if he had any pretenfions to it, could not have been exerted in the work btfore us.

The purchafer Vrili herein find, that cheap- nefs and convenience have been confulted for his fervice.

Though every line is conftrued almoft ver- batim, yet abfolute baldnefs has been, as much as poffible, avoided.

The learned reader need not be informed that this verfion Was not intended for him ; though fame of the moft eminent of that cha- rafler have condefcended to examine the ma- nufcript, and given it the far. ft ion of their ap- probation.

I fliall take leave of ray reader in the words of an old poet, which are applicable enough to this Undertaking:

Dumos inter et altera Scrupolis fetjuimur vadis. PREFACE. v Fronte exile negotium Et dignum pueris puteg : Aggreffis labor arduus Nec tradlabile pondus eft. Par exanimis xftus eft Ceu fubiimia differas Par eft judicii mora Pompae gloria vilis eft. Terent. Maurus.

N. B. This work will be particularly ufeful to fuch Foreign Gentlemen as are already acquainted with the Latin, and are defirous of being mailers of the Ejigliih tongue. .

1 THE

FIRST BOOK

OF THE

ODES

O F

HORACE.

O D E I.

To MAECENAS. Al! men have different attachments : Horace,’j tajfe is for Lyric poetry, for the fuccefs cf 'ivbich he de- pends upon the patronage cf}AlECt.ti AS. MAECENAS,defcenc’ed from royal ancellors, O both my prote&ion and my darling honour! There are fomewhofe delight it is t* have col- lected Olympic dull in the chariot race ; and lohom the goal nicely avoided by glowing wheels, and the noble palm, exalts to the Gods—the governors of the world. This man, if an affembly of the capricious Roman commonalty be bent to raife him to the higheft digni- A ties; *5 T. ( i ) ties; another, if he Rath * ftored up in his own granary whatfoever is fwept fro-i' the Lybian threfliing-floots ; a third, as his delight is to plow his patrimonial fields, you could never tempt him, with all the wealth of At- tains, to become a timorous failor, and crofs the Myflo- an fea in a Cyprian bark. The merchant, dreading the fouth-weft wind contending with the Icaiian waves, commends tranquillity and the ruralnefs of his village : but danger over, and incapable of being taught to bear poverty, he refits his fhattered veffeb There is another whofe higheft giul is in cups^ of old Maffic, and in breaking the day, one while ftretched 'at cafe under the green Arbutus, another at the placid head of feme fir- cred llteam. The camp, and' the fott-nd of the trumpet confufej with that of the clarion, and wars deteited by mother’s, rejoice many. The huntiman', unmindful of bis tender fpottfe, re- mains in the cold air, whether a hart is he’d in view by his faithful hounds, or; IVirfian boar has broke tils circling toils. Ivy, the reward of learned brows, equals Me (in hap- phirfs ] to the Gods above : the cool grove, and the * light dances of Nymphs and Satyrs, diftinguifh Ma" from the crowd ; if neither Euterpe with-holds her pipe, nor Polyhymnia difdain? to tune the Lefbian lyre. But if you will rank me am ng the Eyrie poets, I ihall towV to the ftars w:th my eraltcd head— You to ’he nobleft he’ghts rf fame Shall raifeyour poet s deathk fs name.

''Hath imported vajl quantities of corn from Africa, 0©2 i 3 ) B.T.

ODE II.

To AUGUSTUS CJESAR. Horace ddTuaclss Augustus from refigning the empire-, on account of the prodigies which happen i at the beginning of the }-ear- NOUGH of fnow and dreadful hail hath Jupiter now fent upon the earth, and having hurled bit thunderbolts with his red flaming right hand againft the facred towers, he hath terrified the city : he hath terri- fied the nations, left the grievous age of * Pyrrho-, com- plaining of prodigies till then unheard of, fnould re.urn, when Proteus drove all his rwhieherd to vifit the lofty mountains.; and the fifhy race was entangled in the elm-top, which before was the frequented feat of doves; and the timorous deer fwam in the over whelming flood. V/e have feen the yeWa'N /troubled) Tiber, with his waves forced back with violence from the f i'uf- can fhore, proceed to demolifti the monuments of king Numa, and the temples of Vcfta; while he .v muts h:m- felf the avenger of the too difconfolate f Ilia, and the uxorious river, leaving his channel, overflows his left * bank||, notwithftanding the difapprobation of Jupiter.

* An allufion to the deluge cyDeucalion and Pyrrha. •J That is, from the Tufcan fea, into which the Tiber difeharges itfeif. ip Ilia, the mother of Romulus, was thrown into the Tiber; from which circumjlance the poets call her the wife of that River- God. | The fhore of Rome. A * Oux B. I. ( 4 ) Our youth, lefs numerous by the vices of their fa- thers, ftall hear of the citizens having whetted that fword againji tbemjelves^ with whic h it had been better that the formidable perfians had fallen ; they Ihallheay of aiiual engagements. Which of the Gods fhall the people invoke to the affairs of the finking empire ? With ■wha? prayer fhall the facrcd Virgins importune Vefta, who is now unattentive to their hymns ?\ To whon» Ciall Jupiter affign the talk of expiating our wickednefs ? Do thou at length, prophetic Apollo, (we pray thee l) come, veiling thy radiant flioulders with a cloud : Or thou, if it be more agreeable to thee, fmiling Venus, a,- bout whom hover the Gods of Mirth and Love : On thou, if thou regard thy neglefted race and defeendants, our founder ATars, to whom clamour and polilh’d heU niets, and the terrible afpedl of the Mootiflt infantry againft their bloody enemy are delightful, fatiated a't length with thy fport, alas! of too long! continuance^ Or if thou, the winged ton of gentle Maia, by chan- ging thy figure perfonate a * youth upon earth, fubmitr ting to be intitled the avenger of Carfar. I.ate mayft thou return to the fkies, and long mayft thou with plca«- fure be prefent to the Roman people ; neither may an untimely blaft trunfport thee from us, offended at our crimes. Here mayft thou rather delight in magnificent triumphs, and to be called father and prince ; nor fuffer the Parthians with impunity to make incurfions, you, O Cxfar, being our general.

^ * Our young emperor Augullus.

ODE ( 5 ) trj-y... ;-rT- ■?■■■/!■=», ODE III.

To the SHIP, in which Virgil was about to fail to Athens. Horace 'wijhes Virgil a good 'voyage, and in'veighi againjl the impious boldnefs of mankind. SO may the powerful Cypr’an Goddefs; fo may the bright ftars, the * bro'.hc rs of Helen; and fo may the father of the winds, confining all except f lapyx, diredl thee, O Ship, who art intrufted with Virgil; my prayer is that thou mayft land him fafeon the Athe- nian Ihore, and preferve the half of my foul Surely oak and threefold brafs furrounded his hea-t, who firtt trulf- cd a frail veffel to the mercilefs ocean, nor was afraid of the impetuous African •wind contending with the Northern ftorms, nor of the mournful Hyades, nor of the rage of the South-weft wind, than which there is not a more abfolute controller of the Adriatic, to either raife, or to afluage its waves at pleafure. Whit form of death could terrify him, who beheld unmoved the rolling monfters of the deep ; who Lcheld unmoved the tempeftuous fwelling of the fea, and the Acierceraunians .—infamous rocks! In vain hath God in his wifdom divided the countries of the earth by the feparating ocean, if notwithft ind- ing profane (hips bound over waters which ought not fo be violated. The race of man, prefumptuous enough * Caltor and Pollux. •J' A qyejlerly ‘Zvind. A 3 ta B. I. f 6 ) to fuj;port every thing, rufhes on through forbidden wickednefs.* The prefumptuous fon of lapetus (P'ro- Txetbcus,) by an impious (unhappy) fraud brought down fire into the world : After fire was thus ftolen from the celefiial manfions, cenfumption, and a new train of fe- vers fettled upon the ear.h ; and the flow approaching neccfiity of death, which till now was remote, accele- rated its pace. Dtedalus eflayed the empty air wit wings not defigned for men : The labour of Hercules broke through Acheron. There is nothing too arduous for mortals to attempt. We aim at heaven itfelf thro’ follyf; neither do we fuffer, by our wickednefs, Jupiter to lay afide his revengeful thunderbolts.

ODE IV.

To SESTIUS. Jev He exhorts him to pknfure, on the cenfnierations of the approach of fpring, and the brensity of life. Qi EVERE winter is relaxed by the agreeable viciffi- O tude of the fpring and the weftern breeze; and engines haul from Jhore the dry fhips; and neither does the cattle any longer delight in the flails, or the plough- man in the fire-iide; nor are the meadows whiten’d by hoary frofts. Now Cytherean .Venus leads up the

* Or, if ‘with Hemelius and Sanadon •me read up - on the authority of an ancient M.S. vetilum & nc- las—breaks through all human and divine ia-cu. f Alluding to the fable of the giants* dan :e ( 7 ) B.I. dance by moon-light; and the comely Graces in con- junction with the Nyuijihs fhake the ground with al- ternate feet; while ardent Vulcan inflames the labo- rious forges of the Cyclops. Now it is fitting to encir- cle the fhining head * either with verdant myrtle, or with fuch flowers as the relaxed earth produces. Now liktwife is it fitting to facrifke to Faunus in the fhady groves, whether he demand a lamb, or is more pleal- d with a kid. Pale death knocks at the cottages of the poor and the palaces of kings W’ith an impartial pace. O happy Seftius, the fliort fum total of life forbids us to form remote expcClations. Prefently ftiall darknels, and the ghpfts fo much talked of, and the fhadowy man ■ fion of Pluto opprefs you : where when you ihailonce arrive, you ftiall neither decide the dominion of the bottle f by dice, nor Avail you admire the tender Lyci- das, with whom now all the youth is inflamed, and ior whom, e’er long, the ladies will grow warm.

O D E V. To PYRRHA. They are mlferable

ODE VI.

To AG RIP P A. Horace’s genius is fitter for amorous fubjefls, than to celebrate the exploits of heroes. YOU (hall be deferibed by Varius, with all the flight of the Maonian verfe, as brave, and a fubduer of \our enemies, whatever atchievements your fierce fol- diery (hall have accotnplilh’d, under your command, ei- ther a fhip-board, or on horfeback. We humble wri- ters, O Agrippa, neither undertake thefe high fubjeCls, nor the deftruflivc wrath of inexorable Achilles, nor the voyages of the crafty Ulyfles, nor the cruel houfe of Telops: while diftidence, and the Mufe who prelides ever the peaceful Lyre, forjjids me to diminifh the prai- fes of illuftrious Ciefar, and yours, through defedt of ge- nius. Who with fufficient dignity will ever deferibe Jvdars cover’d with bis adamantine coat of mail, or Me- riones embrow-n’d with Trojan duft, qr the fon of Ty- 4cus, (PwhedeJ a match for the Gods bv the favour of PaB^sil ( 9 ) B. L Palla?? We, ivbether free, whether enamoured ourfelves, with our accutlomed levity, ilng of banquets; we of the battles of maids, defperate againit young fellows—with pared nails.

ODE VII,

To MUNATIUS PLANCUS. He defcribcs the pleafant retreat o/Tibur. The po- et adot’/es him to drive away tare with wine, after the example e/'Tcucer. THER poets {ball celebrate the famous Rhodes, or Mitylene, or Ephefus, or th'* walls of Corinth fituated between two feas, or Thebes iliuftrious by the birth of Bacchus, or Delphi by Apollo’s Oracle, or the Theffalian Tempe. There are fome whofe foie em- ployment is to chant in endlefs verfe the city of the fpotlefs virgin godJefs Pallas, and to prefer the olive r to every other leaf that’s gathered. Many a one, in honour of Juno, celebrates Argos produftive of ge- nerous horfes, and rich Mycente. Neither patient 1,ace- daemon fo much ftruck me f or my fancy) neither fo much did the plain of fertile Lariffa, as the houfe of refounding Alhunea f, aud the precipitately-rapid A- nio, and the Piburnean groves, and the orchards wa- ft red

* The favourite tree q/Pallas, f Ws houfe at Tibur near the lake of Albunea. To airu or houfes fituated on rivers, lakes, &c. were called is. T. ( xo ) tcred by dudtile rivulets As Notus * h eften fcrene, anJ clears away the clouds from a lowring {ky, nor teems with perpetual llrowers; (b do you, O Plancus, wifely remember to put an end to care and the toils of life by mellow wine; whether the camp refulgent with banners polTeisyou,or the denfefhade of your own Tibur {hall detain you. When Teucer fled from Salamis and his father, he is repotted, notwithftanding, to have bound his temples bath’d in wine, with a poplar crown, thus accofting his anxious friends : O aflbeiates and companions, we will go wherever fortune, more propi- tious than a father, {hall carry us. Nothing is to be defpair’d of under Teucer’s condudl, and the auspices of Teucer.: for the infallible Apollo has promifed that ^ Salamis in a new land, fhall render the name-equivo- cal. O gallant heroes, and often my feilow-l'ufferers in greater hardfltips than thefe, now expel your cares with wine : to-morrow wc will revifit the vaft ocean. called by the ancients, the towns or houfes of thofe rivets, &c. A great way round the lake of Albu- nea, the earth founds hollow under the feet, which probably gave occafwn to the epithet refounding here ■fttadeufeef See Spence’s Polym.

y Not the South, as is usually render'd, but tl)t South-South- IVefl,

OPE r XX } b: t. jti. ——— ODE VIII.

To LTiJIA. He blanks Ly ilia for er.^aAng Sybaris in difhonour- ab 'e amours, and making hint leave thofe manly Exercifes to nutsich he had been accujlomed. J TDIA, I conjure you by all the Powers above, to tell me why you are lb intent to ruin Sybaris by your amours ? Why hates he the funny plain, tbd f» inured to Sear the Dull and Heat ? Wherefore doth he neither, in military accoutrements, appear mounted a- mong his equals * ; nor manage the gallic lleed with bitted reins ? Why fears he to touch the yellow Tiber ? Why Ihuns he Oil, ufcdby Wrejllers, more cautioully than the blood of Vipers ? Wherefore neither doth he, who hath often acquired fo much reputation by the Quoit, often by the Javelin having cleared the mark, any long- er apptar with arms all black-and-blue by martial ev- erclf- ii Why is he concealed, as they fay the fon of the Scz-Goddefs Thetis was juft before the mournful f'j- neralsof Troy ; left a manly habit fliould hurry him to flaughter and the Lycian f troops—to the deJtruBion of the Trojan force?

*Mili,aris equitet, alletdes to the Ludus Trrjjsr, deferibed JEneid V. in which youths performed ft, mock fight on horfeback. ■[The Lycians were auxiliaries te the Trojans.

OD E b r. *( )

ODE IX.

To THALIARCHUS. OU fee how the mountain Soraiftc (lands whiten’d * with deep fnow, nor can the labouring woods any longer fupport the weight, and the rivers itagnate with the (harpnefs of the froft. Diffolve the cold, liberally piling up billets on the hearth ; and draw forth, O Thaliarchus, the more generous wine, four years old, cut of the Sabine jar. Leave the reft to the Gods, who having once laid the winds warring with the fervid ocean, neither the cypreffes, nor the aged alhes, are moved. Avoid inquiting, what may happen to-mor- row ; and whatever day fortune fttall beftow on you, fcore it up for gain; nor difdain, being a young fellow, delicious loves, nor dances, as long as ill-natured hoari- nefs keeps off from your blooming age. Now let both the Campus Martius, and the publick walks, and foft whifpers in the dark, be repeated at the appointed hour: now too the delightful laugh, the betrayer of the flculk- ing damfel from a fecret corner, and the token rav;fh’d from her arms or finger, pretendingly tenacious of it.

' As if it

ODE ( *3 ) b. r.

ODE X.

Io MERCURr. MERCt)R.Y,thoif eloquent gfandfon of Atlas, who artful form’d the favage manners of the iirft men, by oratory, and the exercife of the graceful Paleftra : I will celebrate thee, the meffenger of Jupiter and the tther Gods, and the fire of the bending harp ; ibtc, inge- nious to conceal whatever you have a mind to, in a Jocole theft. While Apollo, in angry voice, threaten’d you, then but a boy, that un'efs you had reflored the ot- tn, fome thr: driven away by your fraud, he laugh’d, when be found bimjelf deprived of his quiver alfo. More- over, the wealthy Priam, at his depanure from Ilium, under your guidance,deceived the proud foils of Atrcue, (Agdr/iemnon and Menelaus) and the Theffalian watch- lights, and the camp inveterate againft Troy. You place the fouls of good men in blifsful regions, and com- pel together the aery croud with your golden rod,' being acceptable both to the fupernal and infernal Gods. * ''

O D E XI. . To LEUCONOE. INQUIRE not,Leuconoc, (’tisnot fitting you fliould know) how long a term oflifethe Godshave granted to you or me: neither confult the Chaldean calculations. B How E I. ( 14 ) How mucrh better is it to bear with patience whatever {hailhappen'! Whether Jupiter hath indulged us with jnorc winters, or fi/'s be the lad, which now breaks the Etrurian waves againft the oppofing rocks. Be wife ; rack off your wines, and abridge your hopes preport’onei to the fhortnefs of your life. While we are converftng, envious age has been flying; feize the prefent day, not giving the leaft credit to the fucceeding one.

ODE XII.

To AUGUSTUS. A hymn inprafe of Gods and nrn. WHAT man, what hero, O Clio, will you under- take to celebrate on the harp, or the fltrill pipe? What God? Whofe name lhall the fportive echo re- found, either in the lhady borders of Helicon, or on the top of Pindus, or on the cold Haemus? Whence the woods follow’d promifeuoufly the tuneful Orpheus, who, by his * maternal art,retarded the rapid courfesof rivers, and the fleet winds ; and was fo fweet, that he drew the liftening oaks with his harmonious firings. But what can I fing prior to the ufual praifes of the fa- ther of us.all) who governs the affairs of men and Gods; who governs the fea, the earth, and the whole world, with orr.teful viciffitudes■ of fesfnns? Whence nothing is produced greater than him; nothing fprings either like him, or even in a fecond degree to him : nevertbe-

Calliope was the mother o/'Orpheus. Jcfa, ( rs ) B. I. lefs, Pallas has acquired thofe honours which are next after him. Neither will I pafs thee by in fiknce, O Bacchus, bold in combat : nor thdt, O virgin, (Diana) who art an enemy to the favage beafts : nor thee, O Phoebus, for- midable for your unerring dart. 1 will fing alfo of Her- cules, and the tzuo tons of Leda, ( Cap;nr ami Pollux) the' one illufhious for his atcli'evements on horfeback, the other on foot; whole benign conflellation, as foon as it has {hone forth to the failors, the troubled furge falls down from the rocks the winds ceafe, the clouds vanilh, Giyl the threatening waves fubfide in the fea, becaufe it Was their will. After thefe, 1 am in doubt whom I fhall firft commemorate,whether Romulus, or the peace- ful reign of Numa, or the haugh'y enfigns of Tarqui- nius (Prifcus), or the glorious death of Cato ? 1 will ce- lebrate, out of gratitude, with the choiceft verfes, Re- gulus, and the Scauri, and Paulus, (JEmilius) prodigal of his great foul, when Carthage conquer’d, and alfo Fabricius. Severe poverty, and an hereditary farm, with a dwell- ing adapted to it, formed this hero ufeful in war, as it did alio Curius, with his rough locks, and Camillas. "The fame of Marcellus inertafes, as a tree does in the infenfible progrefs of time. But the Julian conftellation fhines ami dll them all, as the moon amongft the IcfTer ftars. O thou fon of Saturn, the author and preferver of the human race ; the protection of Caefar is commit- ted to thy charge by the fates: thou fhalt reign fu- preme with Car far for thy fecond. Whether he (hall i.ibdu»/with a juft vidtory, the Parthiuns making in- roads upon Italy, or {hall render fubjedt the Seres and Indians on the F.aftcrn coafts ; he {hall rule the wide B % world B, I. ( 16 ) .world with equity, in fuhordination only ta thee : to a.! fuak Ihuke Olympus with thy tremendous car ; thou fli.tlt hurl thy hoftile thunder-bolts againft the polluted groves.

ODE XIII.

To LYDIA. Horace deferibes his ozvn jealoufy. Lydia, when you commend Telephus’s rofy neck. and the waxen arms of Telephus, alas ! my in- flam’d liver fwelis with hitter cholcr. At that time, neither is my mind firm, nor does my colour maintain a certain fifuation * : and the involuntaiv tears glide on jny cheek, demonftratins' with what lingering flames I am inwardly confumed. I am on fire, whether excef- five quarrels in your cups have fiained your fair fhoul- ^ers; or whether the youth, in his furv, has imprefs’d ■with his teeth a memorial of himftlf on your lips. If you’ll give due attention to my advice, never exp*cl that he will be conftant, who inhumanly wounds thofc fweet kifles, which Venus has fleep’d in the quinteff- ence of her own nedlar O more than thrice happy are thofc, whom an indifloluble connctfl-on binds together; and whofe love, undivided by’ impious complainings, docs not feparatc them foone: than the day of death

* That is, my reafon is confufed, and my colour comes and goes*

ODE ODE XIV.

*rbe poet diflitades the Romans />a»i reviving the ci- vil vjar. The republic is reprefented wider the al- legory of ajhip. Ship, fhall new waves hear thee hack to fea again ? O what are you doing ? Bravely feize the port. Do you not perceive, that your fides are deftitute of cars, and your mail wounded by the violent fouth, and your main-yards groan, and your keel can fcarce fup- port the impetuofity of the waves, without the help of cordage ? Your fails are not entire ; neither have you Gods*, whom you may again invoke in your diftrefs : notwithftanding you are made of the pines of pontus, and, being the daughter of an illuftrious wood, you boall of your race, and a fame now of no fervice to you. The timorous lailot has no dependence on a painted Hern. Look to yourfelf, tuilefs you are defti- ued to be the fport of the winds. O thou, that waft lately my trouble and fatigue, but who now createft in me tendernefs and folicitude, may’ll thou efcape thofe dangerous feas, which flow among ft the fhining Cy- chides 1

* The Jlatues of the Gods on the poop are broken, off.

B 3 O D E ODE XV.

Nereus’s prophecy of the dejlruciion of Troy. WHEN the perfidious fliepherd (Paris) carried off by fea in Trojan fhips his hoftei's Helen, Kerens fupprefs’d the fwift winds, in an unp'eafing calm, that he might fing io them their dire fates. Withun- lutlcy omens do you convey home that iveman, whom Greece lhall demand back again with a numerous ar- my, having entered into a confederacy to diffolve your nuptials, and the ancient kingdom of Priam. Alas! what fweat to horfes, what to men is juft at hand! What a defti u&ion are you preparing for the Trojan nation ; even now Pallas is fitting her helmet and her fhield, and her chariot and her fury! In vain looking fierce thro’ the patronage of Venus,will you comb your hair, and run divifions upon the effeminate harp with fongs pleafing only to women. In vain will you efcape ihe fpears that difturb the nuptial bed, and the poig- nance of the Cretan dart, and thttdin of battle, and A- j’ax fwift in purfuit. Neverthelefs, alas! the time will come, though late, when you fliall befmear your adul- terous hairs in the dull. Do you not fee the fon of Laertes, fatal to your nation, and the Pylian Nellor, Salaminian Teucer, and Sthenelus fkill’d in fight; or, if there be occafion to manage horfes, an expert cha- rioteer, purfue you wish intrepidity? Mcriones alio thail you experience. Behold ! the gallant Ion of Ty- deus, even a better man than his father, glows te find ypu out; him, as a flag flies a wolf, which he has fecn sn t»c appefite fide of the vale, unmindful of his paf- ture, lhall you effeminate fly gritvoufly panting : not fnch -he promifes you made your mijinfs. The fleet of the enraged Achilles fhall defer for a time that day, ■which is to be fatal to Troy and the Trojan matrons . but after a certain number of years, Grecian fire {hall tonfume the Trojan palaces.

Horace had lampocrUd Gratidia, the mother o/'Tyn- daris, lie attempts to appeafe her offended daugh- ' ter, rhit'Jly by aUedgin^ the ungoi'crnablenefs of paffon. O Daughter, more charming than thy charming Ma-» ther put what end you pleafe to thofe injimous jambicks; either in the flames, or, if you chufisit, in the Adriatic fea. Neither Cybclc, nor Apollo,bihe pofTefibi of the priefts, fo fhakes the breaft: in his in- n oft (brines; Bacchus does not do it equally, nor d« the Corybantesfo redouble their ftrokes on their (harp- founding cymbals, as direful anger; which neither the Noric fword can deter, nor the (hip-wrecking (ca, nor dreadful fire, nor Jupiter himftlf rattling from atone in the tremendous tumult of bis thunder. It is reported that Prometheus was obliged to add to that original day, •with •which he form'd mar,kind, fomc ingredient taken from every animal, and that he apply’dthe vehemence of the raging lion to the human breaft. It was rage that def-' troy’d Thy cites with an humble perdition; and has B. I. ( ao ') been the final raufe, that lofty cities have been entirely deiuolilh’d and that an infolent army has drove the hoftile plough-lhare over their walls. Compofe year mind. An ardour of foul attack’d me alfo in bloom- ing youth, and drove me in a rage to the writing ef fwift-footed iumbicks. -But now 1 am defirdus of ex- changing feverity for good-nature, provided you’ll be- come my friend, after my having recanted my ill lan- guage, and refture me your affedtions.

ODE xvn.

To TTNDARIS. Horace invites Tyndaris to a fafe retreat from the a.idtaiaujnefs of Cyrus in his Sabine villa. r-pJhr. nimble Faunus often exchanges the Lycian J- mountain for the pleafant Lucretilis, ar.d always defends my fhe-goats from the fcorching fummer, and the rainy winds. 'T he wrandering wives of the unfavou- ry bufband (She Goats) feek the hidden ftrawberry-tree* and thyme with fecurity thro’ the dangerlefs grove : nor do the kids dread the green lizards, or tiie martial wolves; whenever, Tyndaris, the vales and the fmooth rocks of the floping Ullica have refounded with Lis melodious pipe. The Godsate my protetftors. My piety and my mufe are agreeable to the Gods. Here plenty, rich with rural honours, fhall flow to you, with her generous horn fill’d to the brim. Here, in a fequef- ter’d vale, lhall you avoid the heat of the dog-ftar; and on your Anacreontic harp, ihtdl you ling of Penelope ( ** ) B. L i«ii rWc frail Circe, driving for one lover : here fin'd «(uafF, under a (hade, cups of unintoxicating Lefbian. Nor fhail the raging fon of Semele enter the conibac with Mars; and unfufpedted you fhall not fear the in- foknt Cyrus, left he fhould lay his intemp erate hands on you, who are by no means a match for him; and fhould cut the chaplet that is platted in your hair, and your inoffenfive garment.

ODE XVIII.

To VARUS. Tiaf mifdralle is the life of milk-fops, but more ft that of drunkards- VArus, you can plant no tree preferably to the vine, about the mellow fail of Tibur, and the walls of Catibrs. For God hath render’d every thing crofs to the foher : or do biting cares difperfe any otherwife, than by the ufe of -wine. Who, after drinking, ever complains of the hardlhips of war or poverty ? Who ,oes not rath'r celebrate thee, father Bacchus, and thee, O lovely Venus! Neverthelefs, the battle of the Centaurs with the Lapithse, which was fought in their tups, adr'.onihics us not to exceed a moderate ufe of the g fts of Bacchus And Bacchus himfelf admonifhes us in bis feverity to the Thracians, when greedy to la- tisfy their Jufts, they make little diftirition between right and wrong. O cand'd Baccir -1 1 will not roufe thee igairlt thy nor will I bring abroad thy my- Qerit t ■which are cover’d with various leaves. Ceafe your

ODE XIX.

To GLYCERA. That he was injlattud with the love of her. HE cruel mother of the Cupids, and the fon of the Theban Semele, and my oiun lafcivious eafe.cotm- fnand me to give back my mind to its deferted ibvea. The fplendour of Clycera, Ihining brighter than the Parian marble, inflames me : her agreeable petukincy, and her countenance, too unlteady to be beheld, inflame me. Venus attacking me with her whole force, lias quitted Cyprus; nor fuffers me to ling of the Scythians, and the Parthian, furious when his horfe is turned for flight, nor any fubjedl which is net to my prefent pur- pofe. Here, Haves, place me a live turf; here place me the vervains and frankincenfe, with a flaggon of two- year-old wine. Glycera will approach more propitious, after 1 have facrificed a vidtim. ( *3 ) B. I

ODE XX.

To MAECENAS. The poet intimates fo Maecenas, who had offer'd him- f- lf to he his gueji., that he jhould only treat him with common wine, unlefs he himfelf brought bet- ter along with him. MY dear knight, Maecenas, you /hall drink at my boufe '■< the ignoble Sabine •wine in fober cups, which I myfelf fealed up, in a Grsecian eaflc, flored at that time, when fo great an applaule was given you in the amphi- theatre, that the banks of your family river, together with the chcarfulecho of the Vatican mountain, return’d yoarpraifes. You, ■when you are at home, will drink the Cxcuban, andtheyVce of that grape which is fqueez’d in the Calenian prefs : for neither the Falernian vines, nor the Formiau hills, feafon my cups.

ODE XXL

On DIANA and APOLLO. YE tender virgins, fing Diana ; ye boys, fing Apollo, with his unihorn hair, and Latona, paffionately beloved by the fupreme Jupiter. Ye f■virginsJ praile her that rejoices in the rivers, and the thick groves, which project cither from the cold Algidos, or the gloomy woods of Erymanthus, or the green Cragus. Ye boys, B.f. ( 24 ) %oys, extol with equal praifes Tetr.pe and Apollo's Delos, and his (houlder adorned with a quiverr and Ids brother M’ercury'tlyie. He,prevailed upon by your in- tercellion, lhall drive away calamitous war, and mifera- ble famine, and the plague ft^om the Roman people, and their fovereign Cmfar, to the Fenians and the Britons.

ODE XXII.

To ARISTIUS FUSCUS. 'That thrn’ the protect ion of confcians innocence, and Lalage’r f-zvour, he never feared any thing. THE man of perfect life, and pure from wicEedncft, O Fufcus, has no occafton for the Moorilh javelins j(or bow, nor the quiver, loaded with poifoned darts. Whether he is about to make his journey thro’ the ful- »ry Syrres, or the inhofpitable Caucafas, or thofe pieces which Hydafpes, celebrated in flory, walhcs. For late- ly, as I was finging my Lalage, and wander’d beyond any ufual bounds, devoid of care, a wolf in the Sabine wood fled from me,tho’ I was unarmed': Such a mon- fter, as neither the warlike Apulia nourilhes in its exten- sive woods, nor the land of Juba, the dry nurfe of lions, produces. Place me in thofe barren plains, where no tree is refrefh’d by the genial air; at that part of thfi world, w hich clouds and ah inclement atmofphere in- fell. Place me under the chariot of the fun too near, rn a land deprived of habitations; there will I love my fiVeetly-fuiiliog, fweetly-fpeaking Lalagc. O ^ E C 45 ) £.r.

ODE XXIII.

To CHLOE. That being now marriageable, Jbe had no reafon to be frightened at the fight of a man. YOU fhun me, my Chloe, like a fawn that is feeking ts timorous mcther in the pathlefs mountains, not without a vain dread of the breezes and the thickets: for Ihe trembles both in her heart and knees, whethei1 the arrival of the fpring hath bccotne terrible to her by its ruffling leaves, or the green lizards have ftirred the bufh. But I do not follow you, like a favage tigrefs* or a Gaetulian lion, to tear you to pieces. Therefore quit your mother, now you are mature for a hufband.

ODE XXIV.

To FIRGIL. He admonifhes him to bear with patience the death ^/'Quintilius. TTHAT fhame or bound can there be to our affedti" v v on for id dear a perfon ? O Melpomene, to whom your father has given a melting voice, and the harp, teach me the mournful ffrains. Does then a per- petual fleep opprefs Qnintilius? To whom when will tnodefty, and uncorrupt faith the filler of juflice, and! tmdifguifcd truth, find any equal ? He dy’d lamented G ty B.I. ( 16 ) by many good men, but more lamented by none, than you, O Virgil. You, tj&o’pious, alas! in vain demantjl Quintilius back from the Gods, who did not lend him us on fuch terms. What tho’ you con’d {hike the lyre, liften’d to by the trees, with more fweetntfs than the Thracian Orpheus yet the blood can never return to the empty llnde, which Mercury, inexorable to reverfe the fates, has, with his dreadful caduceus. once driven to the gloomy throng. This is hard : but every thing becomes more (upportable by patience, which it is out of our power to amend.

ODE XXV. itt—:— ' ~ To L TD I A. He lattes neenfton to infult her for her former haugbti- nefs, and tells her that fhe ts no

ODE xxvr.

That fee from allcare and anxiety, he celebrates the praifes of Lamia. Friend to the Mufes, I will deliver up grief and fears to the wanton winds, to waft into the Cre- tan fea : being Angularly carelefs, what king of a frozen region is dreaded under the pole, or what may give apprchenfions to Tiridates. O fweet Mufe, who art de- lighted with pure fountains, weave together the fun- ny flowers, weave a chaplet for my Lamia. Without thee my praifes profit nothing. To render him immor- tal by new ftrains, to render him immortal by the Lefbian lyre becomes both you and your fifters.

* Tkc intermediate /pace between new and full inotn.

C a ODE ( 48 )

ODE XXVII.

To his COMPANIONS. 'That it is perfeElly unfeafonalle to virangle over, their liquor. O quarrel in your cups, which were made for joy- ous purpofes, is downright Thracian. Away with the barbarous cuftom, and protect modeft Bacchus from bloody frays. How immenfely difagreeable to wine and candles, is the fabre of the Medea ! O my companions, reprefs your horrible vociferations, and reft quietly on bended elbow. Would you have me alfo take my {hare of ftout Falernian ? Let the brother of Opuntian Megilla then declare, with what wound he is happy, with what dart he is dying.—What! do you refufe ?—I will not drink upon any other condition. Whatever kind of paffion rules you, it feorches you with flames you neetl not be afhamed of, and you always go a raking after an ingenuous love. Come on, whatever your cafe, truft it to faithful ears. Ah unhappy! in how great a Charybdis are you ftruggling, a youth Worthy of a better flame ? What witch, what magician with his Theffalian incantations, what deity can free you ? Pegafus himfelf will fcarce deliver you, fo intang- igd, from this three-fold chimsera. ( 29 ) B. I,

ODE XXVIII.

Under the form of a dialogue between afailor and the ■ gboji s/-Archytas, be ridicules tbe opinion of the Py- thagoreans, and recommends the care of the burial of tbe dead. cj’HE leant of the fmall prefent of a little fand near the Matinian fhore, confines thee, O Archytas, the i'ur- veyor of fea and earth, and the innumerable fand : nor is it of any advantage to you, a mere mortal, to have explored the celdfial regions, and to have traverfed the round world in your comprehenfive imagination. Thus alfo did the father of Pelops, the gueft of the Gods, die; andTithonus likewife wastranflated to the fkies, and Minos, admitted to the fecrets of Jupiter; and the Tartarean regions arepofTeffed of the fon of Pan- thous, (iVWoruj.jonce more fent down to the receptacle of the dead ; notwithlfanding, having retaken his (hield from the temple, he gave evidence of the Trojan times, and that he had given up to gloomy death nothing but his nerves and Ikiti; and be is no inconfiderable judge of tiuth and nature in your opinion, But one night awaits all, and the road of death muff once be traveil’d. The furies give up fome to the fport of horrible Mars :• the fea is deft.rui2ive to the avaritious failors : the min- gled iunerals of young and old are crouded together: not one ftngle perfon docs the cruel Proferpine pafs by. The fouth wind, the tempeftuous attendant on the fet- ting Orion, has funk me alfo in the Illyrian waves. But do not thou, O failor, malignantly grudge to give a por- C 3 tion B.I. f 39 ) pon of loofe fand to my bones, and unburied head. S*3 whatever the eaft -wind lhall threaten to the Italian fea, let the Venufinian woods fuffer, while you are in fafe- ty; and may a manifold profit, from whatever port it may, come to you, by favouring Jove, and Neptune, the defender of the confecrated Tarentum. But if you by chance make light of committing a crime, which will be hurtful to your innocent poderity, juft laws and contemptuous treatment await you in your turn, t fhall not be defertcd with fruitlefs prayers ; and no ex- piations fhall atone for you. Though you are in a hur- ry, you need not tarry long : after having three times Jprinkled the duft over me, you may proceed.

ODE XXIX.

To ICCIUS. He banters the young man for leaving his ftudy of philofophy to become a fuldier. OIccius, you now covet the opulent treafures of the Arabians, and are making vigorous preparations fora war agajnft the kings of Saba, hitherto unconquer- ed, and are forming chains for the formidable Mode. What barbarian virgin fhall be your flave, after you have kill’d her betrothed hufband ?, What boy from the coutt fhall be made your cup-bearer with his perfumed locks, (kill'd to diredt the Seiican arrows with his fa- ther’s bow? Who will now deny that it is poflible for precipitate rivers to flow back again to the high moun- tains, and fur Tiber to change his courfe, fince you arc ‘ ' ' * ' about I 3t ) B. If, aoput to exchange the noble works of Panxtus, collefl- ed from all parts, together with the whole Socratic fa- mily, for Iberian armour, after you had given us hopes of better things.

ODE XXX.

To FEN US. Horace invokes Venus ta be prefent at Glycen’s pri- vate facrifice. O Venus, queen of Cnidos and Paphos, negledt your favourite Cyprus, and tranfpert yourfelf into the; beautiful temple of Glycera, who is invoking you with abundance of frankincenfe. Let your fervid fon haften along with you, and the graces with their zones loofed, and the nymphs, and youth difagreeabie without you, and Mercury.

ODE XXXI.

To APOLLO. SC bat a foundflute of body~nnd mind, together with a tafle for poetry, exceeds all other bleffings of life. WHAT does the poet beg from the confecratctj ^Wxffij/'Phcebus? What docs he pray for, while he pours from the flagon the firfc libation of wine ? Not the rich crops of fertile Sardinia : not the goodly flocks 6i B.I, ( ) of the fcorched Calabria: not gold, or Indian ivory i not thofe countries, which the Hill river Liris cats away with its filent ftreanis. Let thofe, to whom fortune has given the Calenian vineyards, prune them with a hook- ed knife : and let the wealthy merchant drink out of golden cups, the wines procured by his Syrian merchan- dife, favour’d by the Gods themfelves, for as much as without lofs he vifits three or four times a year the At- lantic fea. Me olives fuppott, me fuccories and emol- lient mallows. O thou foil of I.atona, grant me to en- joy my acquifitions, and to have my health, together with an unimpaired underftanding, I befeeih riee; and that I may not lead a difhonourable old age, not one de- prived of a tafte for mufic.

ODE XXXII.

To his L TR E. Being defined to write a fecular ode, Horace invokes kis lyre to ajjjl him with f ruins equal to the fubjetl. WE are mno called upon. If in idle amufement in the Ihadc with you, we have play’d any thing that may live for this yearand many, come on, aflift me with a lyric ode in Latin, my dear Lyre,—•firft tuned in Greet: by the Lcfbian citizen Alcorns : who fierce in war, yet amidft arms, or if he had made fuft to the watery fliore his toffed vcfiel, fung Bacchus, and the mufes, and Venus, and the boy her ever clofe attendant, and Lycus, lovely for bis black eyes and jetty locks. O thou orna- ment of Apollo, charming fliell, agreeable even at the banquets ( 33 ) B.I, CLliqueU of fupremc Jupiter! O thou fv/eet alleviator of anxious toiis, be propitious to me, whenever I duly invoke thee.

ODE XXXIII.

To ALBIUS TIBULLUS. He endeavours to comfort him by injlancing others who were in love without a mutual return. GRIEVE nottoo much, my Albius, thoughtful of cru- el Chycera ; nor chant your mournful elegies,be- caufe, having forfeited her faith,a younger man is more a- greeable than you in her eyes. Behold a love for Cyrus in fi antes Z, ■ycarh, diftinguilhed for he raW/ci/tidittle* forehead: Cyrus follows the rough-fpun Pholoe ; but fhe-goats fha'.lfoonerbe united to the Apulian wolves, than Fho- Joe fhall commit a crime with a bafe adulterer. Such is the will of Venus, who delights in cruel fport to fub- jedl to her brazen yokes perfons and tempers ill fuited to each other. As for myfelf, the flave-born Myrtalc, more untra&able than the Adriatic fea, that forms the Calabrian gulfs, intangled me in a pleafing chain, at the very lime a more eligible love courted my embraces.

* The ancients thought a fmall forehead a great beauty, and the ladies a felled it in their drejs. ODE B. I. ( 34 )

ODE XXXIV.

In a pretended recantation he abfolutely overthrows the arguments in favour of the providence of the Gods. I Was an unfrequent and remifs worfhipper of the Gods, while 1 profefs’d the enors of a fenfelefs phi- Jdfophy ; but now I am obliged to fet fail back again, and to renew the courfe that ( had deferred : For Ju- piter, who ufuully cleaves the * clouds with his gleam- ing lightening, lately drove his thundering horfes and rapid chariot through the clear ferene : at which the iluggilh earth, and wand’ring rivers ; at which Styx, and the horrid feat of detefted Tamarus, and the ut- m»ft boundary of Atlas, were lhaken. The Deity is a- ble to make an exchange between the higheft and low- eft, and diminiihes the exalted, by bringing to light the obfeure : rapacious fortune, with a fhrill whizzing, hath borne off the plume from one head, and delights in having placed, notfx'J, it on another.

* It was the opinion of the Epicureans, that thun- der was caufed by the collifion of one cloud againfl another. But Horace, hearing thunder in ctcloud- kis fky, gives up their dotlrine. ODE ODE XXXV.

To FORTUNE. He prays to her for the commonwealth, Augultus, and the Roman armies- OGoddefs, who prcfideft over beautiful Antium ; thou that art ready to exalt mortal man from the mofl abject flate ; or to convert fuperb triumphs into funerals. Thee the poor countryman folicits with his anxious vows; and whofoever ploughs the Carpa- thian fea with the Bythinian veffel, importunes thee as miftrefs of the fea. Thee, the rough Dacian ; thee the wandering Scythians, and cities, and nations, the war- like Latium alfo, and the mothers of barbarian kings, and tyrants, chid in purple, are in dread of. Spurn not with defhudtive foot, that column which now {lands firm, nor let popular tumults roufe thofe who now reft quiet to arms,—to arms—and break the empire. Inexorable neceflity always marches before you, hold- ing in her brazen hand huge * fpikes and wedges, nor is the tormenting hook abfent, or the melted lead. Thee hope reverences and fidelity rare, robed in a white garment; nor does file defert thee, howfoever in wrath thou change thy robe and abandon the hou- fes of the -poweiful. But the faithlefs cloud of ctwipa.

* Thefe were fevernl injlruments of puhifljment and death, which were fculpiured in the temple of For- tune at Antiutn. nions^ B. I. ( 36 ) tiers, and the perjur’d harlot draws back : Friende,' treucherr us in their promifes to bear equally the burden of ad-aerjily, when calks are exhaulled, very dregs and all, fly oft'. Preferve thou Crefar, who is meditating an expedition againft the Britains, the fanheft people in the world, and alfo the new levy of youths to be dreaded by theeaftern regions, and the Red fea. Alas! 1 am aftiamed of the wounds and wickednefs of the pub- lic, and brethren Jlain by brethren. What have we, a hardened age, abhorred ? What have we in our impie- ty left unviolated ? From what has our youth reftrain- ed their hands out of reverence to the gods? What altars have they fpared ? O may you forge a-new our blunted fwords on a dift’erent anvil againft the Mefla- getx and Arabians.

ODE XXXVI.

He congratulates Plotius Numida upon his happy return from Spain. occalion to facrifice with incenfe , i the votive blood of a heifer to the God*, the guardians of Numida; who, now returning in lafety from the extremeft part of Spain imparts ma- ny imbraces to his beloved companions, but to none more than his dear Lamia, mindful of his childhood fpent under one and the fame governor, and of the * ' * y!t the beginning of the feventeentb year the Ro- man youth changed the Prxtexta, or ley's gown, for - the toga virilis, or man's gown. gown, j < 37 ) gown, which they changed at the fame time. Let not this joyful day be without a * Cretan mark of diftinc- tion; let us not fpare the jar at hand ; nor, f Salian ■ like, let there be any reflation of feet; nor let the to- ping Damalis conquer Baflus in the Thracian j Amyf- tis; nor let there be rofes wanting to thejbanquet, nor the ever-green parfley, nor Ihort liv’d lily. All the company will fix their diflblving eyes on Damalis; but fhe, more luxuriant than the wanton ivy, will not be feparated from her new lover.

ODE XXXVII.

To his COMPANIONS. That they ought to make a rejoicing on account of Cleopatra’s death. NOW, my companions, is the time to caroufe, now to beat the ground with a light foot; now is the time that was to deck the couch of the Gods with jump, tuous Salian dainties. Before this, it was impious to produce the old Cascuban ftored up by our anceftors; while the queen, with a contaminated gang of creatures,

* The Cretans mark'd their lucky days with white, and the renjerfe with black. f Salii : Oriejls a/Mars, who made dancing a prin- cipal t>art of their religious worjhip. j Amyftis, a large Thracian cup, which to ex- haufi at a breath war ejlcem'd a piece of drunken, bravery. » noifomc B T. ( 38 ) r-oifome through diftcmpcr, was preparing giddy def-' trudlion for the capitol, and the fubverfion of the cm* pire, being weak enough to hope for any thing, and intoxicated with the favours of fortune.^ But fcarcely a fingle ihip preferred from the flames, abated her fu- ry : and Crefar reduced her mind, inflamed with Egyp- tian wine, to real fears, clofe purfuing her, in her flight from Italy, with his gallies, (as the hawk purfues the tender dove?, or the nimble hunter the hare in the plains of fnovvy iEmon) that h- might throw into chains jthis dutruiftiv’e monfter of a ivoman, who feeking a more generous death, neither had an effeminate dread of the fword, nor re; air’d with her Iwift (hip to hid- den fljorei She was able alfo to look upon her palace, lying in fuirTS, with a countenance unmoved, and cou- ragious enough to handle exafperated afps *, that (he might imbibe into her body the deadly poifon, being more refolved by having premeditated her death : for fhe wras a woman of fuch gft atnefs $ foul, as to fcorn to be carried off iu haughty triumph, like a private perfon, by rough Uburn an tars.

* Plutarch fajs, it ‘was that kind of ferpent called cm afp.

ODE ODE XXXVIII.

To his SERVANT. lie forewarns him againji any extravagant doings at his entertainment. BOY, I deleft the pomp of the Peifians : chaplets, which are woven with the * • Philyra, dxfpl afe me ; by no means hunt for the place where the latter rofe abides. It is my particular defire that you make no laborious addition to the plain myrtle ; for myrtle is neither unbecoming you a fervant, nor me while I quaff under this mantling vine.

•**— — — ■ ■ *

* Philyra; a thin membrane between the bark an l the wood ef the Tilia, or Linden tree, which they made ufe of by way of ribband in their chaf- fttSp Sr.Q. THE

SECOND BOOK

O F T H E

ODES

OF

HORACE.

ODE I.

To ASINIUS POLLIO. He intreats him to quit tragedy for the prefent, that he may apply himfelf wholly to the hijlory of the ci- vil wars. 'yLT' OU are treating of the civil commotion, -which j tcgan in the confulfhip of Metellus, and the eaufes of the war, and the crimes that were eommitted and the meafures that -were taken, and the fport of fortune, and the pernicious * confederacy of the chiefs, and arms ftained with blood not yet expia-

' The triumvirate of Octavius, Lepidus, and An- tony. ted ( 41 ) vroik full of hazardous confequence s and you are treading upon fires hid undei deceitful aihes : Let therefore the muf. that prefides over fevere tragedy, he for a while abfent from the theatres; flrortly, when you fhall have regulated the public affairs, you fhall refume your great work in the tragic llyle, O Follio,you ex- cellent fuccour to melancholy defendants and a confult- ing fenatc; Polhe, to whom the laurel produced im- mortal honours in the Dalmatian triumph. Ev’n now you ftun cur ears with the threatning murmur of horns: now the clarions found; now the glitter of arms af- frights the flying fteeds, and dazzles the fight of the ri- ders. Now I feem to fee great commanders befmear’d with glorious dull, and the whole earth fubdued, except the ftubborn foul of Cato. Juno, and every other God propitious to the Africans, impotently went off, leav- ing that land unrevenged ; hut fcon offer’d the defeend- ants of the conquerors, as facrifices to the manes of Ju- gurtha What plain, enriched by Latin blond, bears not record, hy its numerous fcpulchres, of onr impious battles, and of the fount’ of the downfal of Italy, heard even by the MedesJ What pool? What rivers are un- confcious of deplorable war ? What fea have not the Daunian flaughters difcoloured ? What ftiore is not ftained by our blood ? But do not, rafh mufe, neglec- ting your jocofe drains, refume the talk of Cxan plain- tive long, but rather leek with me for mcafures of a light- er flyle, beneath fome love-fequefter’d grotto.

Q D E b. ii. f 41 y

ODE II.

To CRISPUS SALLUST1US. That be alone is rich, who makes a proper ufe of bis riches ; and he alone is happy that can com- mand his pqffions. OCrifpus Sal'uftius, thou foe to the bullion that is concealed in the niggard earth *, there is no luf- tre in money, unlefs it derisfesits fplendour from a mo- derate enjoyment. Proculeius Ihall live to an extended age, confpicuous for fatherly affedtion to brothels : fur- viving fame Avail bear him on an indifToluble wing. You may have a more extenfive dominion by control- ling a craving difpofition, than if you cou’d unite Ly- bia to the diftant Gades, and each of the Carthage* were fubjeft to you alone. The direful dropfy increa- fes by felf-indulgence, nor extinguiflies the thirft, un- lefs the caufe of the diforder has departed from the veins, and the watry languor from the pallid body. Virtue, differing from the vulgar, excepts Phraates, the' reftored to the throne of Cyrus, from the number of the happy ; and correfts the falfe language of the populace, by conferring the kingdom, and the effabliflicd diadem, and perpetual laurel, on him alone, whofoever hr is, that views the largeft heaps of treafure, without o*c wilhful caff of his eye. ODE

* Coveteufly hoarded in the earth* ( 43 ) B. II,

ODE HI.

To QUINTUS DELLIUS. That the happ 'mefs of life conffh in ferenity

0 D E IV.

To XANTHJAS PHOCEUS. That be bad no eccafion to be ajhamed at being in love with his maid ; for that had been the cafe with many great men. IET not, O Xanthias Phoceus, yourpaClon for your a maid put you out of countenance; before your time {he Have Brifeis moved the haughty Achilles by her fair complexion. The beauty of the captive Tec- mefla fmote her mafter the Telamonian Ajax: Aga- memnon, in the midft of vidtory, burned for a ravilh’d virgin; when the barbarian troops fell by the hands of their Thefialian conqueror, and Heftor, being taken off, left Ttoy more liable to be deftroy’d by the tired Grecians. You do not know but the beautiful Phyllis has parents of condition happy enough to do honour to you their fon-in-law. Certainly fhe muft be of royal race, and laments the unpropitioufnefs of her family Gods*. Be confident, flic was not feleAed for you out of the paltry vulgar ; nor that one fo true, fo unmerce- nary, could pofiibly be born of a mother to be afhamed of. 1 can commend arms, and face, and well-made kgs, quite chaftely. Be far from being jealous of one, whofe age hath trembled upon the verge of forty-fa

* Laments the dljlrcfs of her family. + To cl

OD E V.

That he ought to recall his af flion from the purfuit of a young lady as yet unripe for his addrepcs. OT as yet is fhe fit to be broken to the yoke ; nor as yet is fhe equal to the duties of a partner, nor can fhe fupport the weight of the bull impetuoufly rufh- ing upon enjoyment. Your heifer’s foie inclination is about verdant fields, one while in running flreams, aba- ting the grievous heat; at another, highly delighted to frifk with the fleerlings in the moift willow ground. Supprefs your appetite for the immature grape ; fhortly variegated autumn (hall tinge the livid chillers with a purple hue. Shortly fhe fhall follow you ; for impetu- ous time runs on, and fhall place to her account thofe years, of which it abridges you : fhortly Lalage, with f a wanton affurance, fhall feek a hufband, beloved in a higher degree than the coy Fhr loe, or ev’n Chloris; with j rcfplendency on her fair fhoulder*, like the luf- tre of the fpotlcfs moon upon the nodlurnal fea, or ev’n the Cnydian Gyges, whom if you intermix in a compa- ny of girls, the undifcernible difference occafmned by his flowing locks and equivocal countenance, would won- .derfully impofe on flrangers, though of fagacity.

* The gay ladies in Rome dreffed fo as to Jhew their fhoulder ODE B II. ( 46 )

ODE VI.

To S E P TI M IU S. Horace invites him to come and live in the country with him. SEPTIMIUS, who art ready to g; with me, even to Gades, and to the Cantabrian, Jiill untaught to bear our (the Roman) yoke, and the inhofpita! Syrtcs, where perpetually boils the Mauritanian wave. O may Tibur, founded by a Grxcian colony, be the habita-. tion of my old age ! There let there be an end to my fatigues by fea and land and war; from whence if the cruel fates debar me, I will feck the river of Galefus, delightful for (beep * cover’d with fkins, and the coun- tries reigned over by Lacedemonian Phalantus That corner of the world fmiles in my eye beyond all others; where the honey yields not to the Hymettian, and the olive rivals the verdant Venafrian : where the tempe- rature of the air-f produces along fpring and mild win- ters, and Aulqn, friendly to the fruitful vine f, envies pot the Faletnian grapes. That place, and thofe bleft;

* To prtferve the delicacy of their feeces from thf inclemency of the weather. t' See Jupiter, the climate, or the air, thus tranjlan tedy Ode 1.15. &c. r % Bacchus, in like mannery herefgnifes th v ne. tow’nnf ( 47 ) b. n. I tft'w’ring hills, follicit you and me : there you (hall be- dew the glowing allies of your poetical friend with a tributary tear.

ODE VII. — To POMPEIUS VARUS. He longratulates his friend on his being rejlored t* him and his country. O Often reduced with me to the lafl: extremity, in the war which Brutus carried on, who hasrefto- red thee, a Roman citizen, to the Gods of thy country and the Italian air, Bompey, thou firft of my compa- nions? with whom I have frequently broken * the loit- tering day in drinking, having my hair, Ihining with the Syrian unguents, crown’d •with foiuers. Together with thee did I experience the battle of Philippi, and a precipitate flight, having lhameiully enough left my Ihield : when valour itfelf was broken , and the moft da* ring fmote the fqualid earth with their faces. But Mer- cury fwift convey’d me away, terrified as I was, in a thick cloud through the midft of the enemy. Thee the reciprocating fea, with its tempefiuous waves, bore back again to war. Wherefore render to Jupiter the offer- ing that is due, and depofit your limbs, wearied with a

Vo break a day is with us alfg a common form *f expreffton in many parts of England,/or leaving fart of tlx proper bufinefs of the day undone. tedious B. II. ( 48 ) tedious war, under my laurel, and fpare not thofe calks that \t ere referved for you. Fill up the polifhed bowls with oblivious maflic : pour out the f c fumed ointments from the capacious fliclls. Who takes care to haften the chaplets of freib parfley or myrtle ? Whom fhall the Venus * pron mice to be toaft-mailer ? In wild caroufe I will become frantic as the Bacchanalians. ’Tis delight- ful to me to play the madman on the reception of my friend.

ODE VIII.

To B ARINE. That her /wearing was no reafon for his believing her ; for the Gods never puni/bed the perjuries of beauties. IF any punifhment, Barine, for your violated oath had ever been of prejudice to you ; if you had be- come lefs agreeable by the blackneis of a iingle tooth or nail, I might believe you. But you no fooner have bound your perfidious head with folemn vows, but you fhine out more charming by far, and come forth the public care of all our youth. It is of advantage to you to deceive the buried alhes of your mother, and the ft. lent conftellations of the night, together with nil hea- ven, and the immortal Gods. Venus herfelf, 1 profefs,

* The Romans chafe their toajl-majler by caf ing ef dice, and the fortunate throw thej named Venus. ( 49 ) B. II. laughs at this; the gentle nymphs laugh, and cruel Cu- pid, who is perpetually ftiarpning his burning darts on a bloody whettlone. Add to this, that all our boys are grow ing up for you; a new fet of flaves is growing ups aor do the former ones quit thehoufeof their impious * mi*1 refs nttwiltbftanditig they often have threaten’d it. The matrons are in dread 6f yo(i on account of their young lads; the thrifty old men are in dread of you; and the girls but juft married are in diftfefs, left yout beauty ftiould flacken the ajftliions of their hufbands.

ODE IX.

To Titus valgius. lie comforts his friend grieving for the lofs of his fori, QHOWERS d-> not perpetually pour down upon the furrow’d fields, nor do hurricanes for ever harrafi the Cafj iafi fea; nor, my friend Valgius, does the mo- tionlefs ice remain fixed throughout all the months irt the regions of Armenia : or do the Garganian oaks al- ‘ways labour under the northerly winds, and the alh trees art not always widow’d of their leaves. But you con- tinually purfue Myftes, who is taken from you, with ■aournful meafures : nor do the effects of your love for him ceafe at the rifing of Vtfper, nor, when he flies the rapid reproach of the fun. But the three-aged old ma* (Nrfior) did not lament for the amiable Antilochus all

* As having fo often broke her faith. E tht B. TI. ( 50 ) the years of his life: nor did his parents, or his Trojan fifters perpetually bewail the blooming Tioilus. At length then defifi: from your tender complaints; and ra- ther let us fing the frefh trophies of Auguftus Catfar and how the frozen Niphates, and the river Medus, add- ed to the vanquifh’d nations, roll more humble tides, and the Gelonians ride within a fmall tradl of land, endpafs not the hound preferibed them.

ODE X.

To LICINIUS MURENA. Hi advifes him to be content with a meant and t* maintain an evennefs of temper. Licinius, you will lead a better courfe of life, by neither always purfuing the main fea, nor, while you cautioully are in dvead of llorms, by preffing too much upon th hazardous Ihore. Whofoever loves the golden mean, is fccure from the fordidnefs of an an- tiquated cell, and is too prudent fo have a palace that might expofe him to enyy. The lofty pine is more frequently agitated with winds,, and high towers fall down wiih a heavier ruin ; and thunderbolts flrike the fummits of the mountains. A well-provided breaft hopes in adverfity, and fears in profperity. ’Tis the fame Jupiter, that hiings the hideous winters back, and that takes them away. If it is bad with us now, it /ball not be fo hereafter. Apollo fometimes roufes the iilent lyric mufe, nor does he always bend his bow. ( 51 ) B. II. in narrow circumftances appear iu high fpirits, and un- daunted. In the fame manner you will prudently con- traft your fails, ivhicb are aft to be too much fwollen in a prol'perous gale.

ODE XI.

To gUINTIUS HIRPINUS. He endeavours to divert the mind of Q\s\nU\ts frnm public and private folicitudes to a tajle for ga- iety and enjoyment. OQuintius Hirpinus, forbear to be inquifitive what the Cantabrian, and the Scythian, divided from ns by the interpofition of the Adriatic,.is meditating; neither be fearfully felicitous for the neccffaries of life, which requires but a few things. Youth and beauty fly fwift away, •while faplefs old age expels the wanton loves and gentle fleep. The fame glory does not al- ways remain to the vernal flow’rs, nor does the rud- dy moon Ihine with one continued afpedl : why, there- fore, do yon fatigue your mind, unequal to eternal pro- jects ? Why do vve not rather, (while it is in our pow- er) thus careiefly reclining under a lofty plane-tree, or this pine, with our hoary locks made fragrant with ro- fes and annointed with Syrian perfume, indulge our- fclves with generous wine ? Bacchus dillipates preying cares. What Have is at baud here inftantly to cool fome cups of ardent Falernian in the pafling ftream ? Who w ill tempt the vagrant wanton Lyde from her houfe t See that you bid her haften with her ivory lyre, not E 3 flaying {laying to drefs her hair, hut being content t» have it collected into a careleft knot after the Spartan falhion.

ODE XII.

To MAECENAS. That he wasfo given up to Licymnia, that he cculd not rife to ntore Jerious JuhjeBs. DO not inhft that the long wars of fierce Numan- tia, or the formidable Hannibal, or the Silician fea, tmputpled with Carthaginian blood, Ihould be adapt- ed to the tender lays of the lyre : nor the cruel f-api- thac, nor Hylaeus, exceffive in wine, and the earth-bora youths ((rwe/j-) fubdued by Herculean force,front whom the fplendid habitation of old Saturn dreaded dinger. And you yeurftlj\ Maecenas, with more propriety fhall recount the battles of Ctefar, and the necks of haugh- ty kings led in triumph through the ftreets, in hiftorical profe. It was the mufe’s will that 1 Ihould celebrate the fweet ftiains of my miftrefs Licymnia, that I Ihould celebrate her bright-darting eyes, and her breaft, lau- dably faithful to mutual love ; who can with a grace introduce her foot into the dance, or, {porting, contend in raillery, or join arms with the tight virgins on the celebrated Diana’s feftival. Would you, TVtvcenxs, change one of Licymnia’s trefies for all the rich 4chae- tnenes pofleffed, or the Mygdonian wealth of fertile Phrygia, or all the dwellings of the Arabians, replete •with treafutes ? Efpecially when (he turns her neck u meet the ardent kifl^ ot with a gentle cruelty denies, what ( 53 ) B. II. {he would more delight to have ravifhed by the peti- tioner, lometimes ihc eagerly anticipates to fnateh t&em herfelf ,

ODE XIII. t

Ti the tree, by the fall of which he had like to have been crufh’d. OTree, he planted you in an inaufpkions hour, whoever did it firft, and with an impious hand raifed you to the deftrudHon ofpoftcrity, and the fcan- dai of my ground. I cou’d believe that he had broke his own father’s neck, and ftained his moll fecrct a- partments with the midnight blood of his gueft. fie has pradhfed the Cokhan poifons, and whatever wick- ednefs is any where conceived, who planted in my field thee, a forry log ; thee, ready to tumble on the head of thy inofFenfive mafter. What we ought to he aware of, no man is fufficiently cautious at all hours. The Carthaginian lailor thoroughly dreads the Bofphorus; nor, beyond that, does he fear his hidden fate from any o:her quarter. '1 he foldicr dreads the arrows and the expeditious retreat of the Parthian; the Parthian, the chains and force of the Italians : but the unexpected affanlt of death has carried off, and will carry off the world in general. How near was I feeing the domi- nions of auburn Proferpine, and abacus fitting in judg- ment ; the kle&ed roanfions alfo of the pious, arid Sap- pho, complalnirg on her uEolian lyre, of her oivn country damfels; and thee, O Aleius, founding in fnl- E 3 kr B. II C 54 ) ler ftrains on thy golden harp the dillrefles of the f*a, the dihrcfles of exile, and the diftreffes of war ! The ghofts admire them both, while they utter Jtraim wor- thy of a religious lilence: but the crouded multitude, with prejfi'ig ftioulders, imbibes, with a more greedy ear, battles and hanilhed tyrants. What wonder ? Since the many-headed monitor of bell, (Cerberus,) aftonilh- ed at thofe lays, hangs down his fable ears; and the fnakes, entwined in the hair of the furies, are footh’d. Moreover, Prometheus, and the fire of Pelops, are delu- ded into an infcnlibility of their torments, by the melo- dious found : nor is Orion any Unger follicitous to har- rafs the lions, or the fearful lynxes.

ODE XIV.

To POSTUMVS. That death can neither be avoided, nor retarded; and that therefore we ought to make a generous vfe of riches while we live. I.AS ! my Poftumus, my Poltumus, the fleeting years glide on ; nor will piety caufe any delay to wrinkles and advancing old age, and infuperable death. You could not, if you were to facrifke every day three hundred bulls, render propitious pitilefs Pluto, who confines the thrice-monllrous Geryon, and Tityos, with the difnral Stvgian llream, namely, that fream, which is to he pafied over by all who are fed upon the muni- ficence of the earth, whether kings or-pocr hinds. In vain Hi all web* free from fangoinarv Mars, and the broken ( J5 ) » W- krekcn billows of the hoarfe Adriatic ; in vain (hall we be appichenfive of the South, noxious to human bo- dies in die time ot autumn. The black Cocytus, wan- dring with languid cunent and the infamous race of Danaus, and bifyphus the fon of iEohis, doom’d to e- ternal toil, mull be vifiteJ >ur land, and houl'e, and pleafing wife mull be left, noi ihall any of thole trees, which you are nurfing, follow you, their tranfitory mailer, except the hated cypreffes; a worthier heir (hall confume your CacCuban wines, now guarded v.ith | a hundred keys, and fhad lavijhly tinge the pavement with noble wine, more exquifue than what graca pon- tifical entertainments.

ODE XV.

Hi oppofes t’ i ancient thri/iinefs and frugality to the modern luxury and extravagance. THE royal edifices will in a fhort time leave but a few acres for the plough : ponds of wider ex- tent than -he l.ucrine lake will be every where to be feen ; and the barren plane tree willfupplant the elms. Then banks of violets, and myrtle groves; and all the tribe of nofcgays ftyall diffii e their odours in the olive- planfations, which vyeie fruldul to their preceding mailer. Th. u the denft boughs of the luur.l fliad ex- clude 'he burning beams. It was not fo prefcribed by the inftitutes of Romulus, and the fern unlhaven Cato, and ar.cii nt cuftom. Their private revenue was con- tradted while that of the community was great. No private men were then polleifeJ of ten-foot galleries, ichiJr B. 11. ( S6 ) w’A/i-A colleiled the fhady northern breezes; nor did the laws permit them torcjeft the cafuai turf fur their »tvn huts, though at the fame time they obliged them to ornament in the moil fumptuous manner, with new ftone, the buildings of the public, and the temples of the Gods, at a common expence.

O D E XVI.

To GROSPHUS. That happinefs is obtained by bridling our c,ffe3ions. Grospiios, he that is caught in the wide iEgeaa fea, when a black tempeft hath obfenred the moon, and ne’eraftar appears for the mariners to regulate their courfe by.fnpplicates the Gods for eafe ; for eafe Tirracc furious in war ; for eafe the Mede with quiver graceful, neither purchafeable by jewels, nor by purple, nor by gold. For neither regal treafnres, nor the ConfuTs offi- cer can remove the wretched tumults of the mind, nor cares that hover about the fplendid ceilings of the great. That man lives happily on a little, who can view with pleafure the ald-fafiisnei family falt-fellar on his frugal board ; neither anxiety, nor fordid avarice robs him of gentle fleeps. Why do we, whofe vigour is fo tran- fitory, aim at many things ? Why do we change our ini’n for climates heated by another fun ? Who ever, by becoming an exile from bis country, likewife efcaped from himfclf? Confuming care boardsrwn brazen-beak- ed fhips ; nor does it quit the troops of horfernen,/cr it is more fieet than flags, more fleet than the .florm- C 17 ) B. If. driving ?aft-7i>»W. A mind that is chearful for its pre- fcnt fl-itt, wiil d fdain to be folicitous any farther, and can conedt the bitters of life with an ingenuous frnile. Nothing on earth is completely blcft. A premature death carried off the celebrated Achilles : a protradted old age wore down Tithonus; and time perhaps may extend to me what it Iball deny to you. Around you a hundred flocks kleat, and Sicilian heifers low ; for your ufe the mare, fit for the harnefs, neighs; wool dohbly dipt in the African purple-Ayt, cloaths you ; on me un mng fate hath beftowed a fmall country eftate, and a little genius for the Grecian mufe, * and a con- tempt for the m Jignity of the vulgar.

ODE XVII.

To MAECENAS. JJe comforts Maecenas labouring tinder a perpetual fever, and denies that he canpoflibly furvive him. HY do you kill me with your complaints f ’tis neither agreeable to the Gods, nor to me, that you {hould depart fifft, O Maecenas, thou grand ornaT ment and fupport of my affairs. Alas! if an untimely blow harry away you, a part of my foul, why do I, the other moiety remain, my value loft, nor any longer whole? That fatal day {hall bring deftrudfion on u«

I Horace being the firjl eujho brought Lyric poetry (o any degree of perfection among/} the Romans. both. B. II. ( 5* ) both. I have by no means taken a falfe oath : we will go, we will go, whenever you fhall lead the way, pre- pared to be fellow-travellers in the laft journey. At we,—neither the breath of the fiery Chimaera, nor the hundred-handed Gyas, was he to rife again, fhall ever tear me from you : fuch is the will of powerful Juftice and of the Fates. Whether Libra, or malig- nant Scorpio had the afeendant at my natal hour, or Capricorn the tyrant of the weftern w'ave, our hcrof- copes agree in a wonderful manner. Thee the benign protedfion of Jupiter, fhining with friendly afpedl, ref- cued from the baleful influence of impious Saturn *, and retarded the wings of precipitate deftiny, at the time the crowded people, in refoundin; applanit s, thrice hailed you in the theatre : me, the trunk of a tree fai- ling upon my fkull, would have difpatched, had not Faunus (or i'un,) the proteiflor of men of genius, with his right hand warded off the blow. Be you mindful to pay the vidtims and the votive temple; I will facri- fice an humble lamb.

* In Aftrology, he is always e/leemed unlucky, tin- lefs correfted by the Trine of Jupiter, and fuppofed to incline perfons born under hirst to I'ice and wick- ednefs.

ODE ( S9 ) b. ir.

ODE XVIII.

He inveighs againjl the Roman luxury and covetouf- nejs. NOR. ivory, nor gilded arch, makes a figure in my houfe : no Hymettian beams reft upon pillars cut cut of the extreme parts of Africa ; nor, a pretended heir, have I poffeffed myfelf of the palace of Attains :• nor do ladies, my dependants, fpin Laconian purple for my ufe. But honour, and a liberal vein of genius, are mine: and the man of fortune makes his court to me svho am but poor. I importune the Gods no farther, nor do Iiequire of my friend in power any larger en- joyments, fufficicntly happy with my Sabine farm a- lone. Day is driven on by day, and the new moons haften to their wane. You put out marble to be hewn, though with one foot in the grave, and, unmindful of a fepulchre, are building houfes; and are bufy to extend the fhore of the fta, that beats with violence at Baias, not rich enough while reftrained to the limits of land. Why is it, that, through avarice, you even remove the landmarks of your neighbour’s ground, and trcfpafs be- yond the bounds of your clients ? and v. ife and huf- band are turn’d out, bearing in their bofom their houfc- ijold Gods, and their poor-looking children. Ncver- thelefs, no court more certainly awaits its wealthy lord, than the of (lin’d feat of rapacious Pluto. Why do you go on l The impartial earth is open to the poor, as 1. II. ( to ) as well as to the fons of kings : nor has the life-gnaril ferry-man of hell, bribed with gold, re-condodted the artful Prometheus ; He hurries along the haughty Tan* talus and his race ; He cobdefcends, whether invoked ar not, to relieve the poor freed from their labours.

ODE XIX.

On BACCHUS. A Dithyrambic, or Drinking Song. That it was his duty to celebrate the praifes of Bac- chus, as being full of, and roufed and animated by his divinity. ISaw Bacchus (believe it, pofterity,) didlating verfes amongft the remote rocks, and the nymphs a-learn* sing them, and the attentive ears of the goat-footed fatyrs. *Evae! [huzza!) my mind trembles with re- cent dread, and my foul, being replete with Bacchus, has a tumultuous joy. Evae t fpare me, Bacchus; fpare fne, thou that art formidable for thy dreadful f I'hyrfus. It is given me to fing the wanton Bacchanalian prieft- effej, and the fountain of wine, and rivulets flowing with milk, and to re-iterate the honies dlftdling from hollow trunks. It is granted me likewife to celebrate the

* An interjeftion, ufed by the priejieffts of Ba.’chus •« this fJlivaL which cannot be literally tranjlated. •f A /pear, round the ftiaft of which ivy and v:ne ha ves were twined. a honour ( 6i ) B. It. honour added to the conftellationsby your happy fpoufe, (Ariadne) and the palace of Pentheus, demolilhed with hideous ruin, and the perdition of Thracian Lycurgus. You command the rivers, you the barbarian fea : You, moift wdth wine, in felefted mountains, -bind the hair of your Thraciah priefteffes with a knot of vipers with- out hurt. You, when the impious band of giants fca- led the realms of father Jupiter, through the Iky, repel- led Rhaetas with the paws and horrible jaw of the lion- Jhape you then ajfumed. Though reported to be better a- dapted for ounces, and jokes, and play, you were ac- counted infufficient for fight; Yet it then appeared you had the fame common talent for peace and war. Thee, ornamented with thy golden horn, Cerberus innocent- ly gazed at, gently wagging his tail, and with his tri- ple tongue, licked your feet and legs as you returned.

ODE XT.

To MAECENAS. He promifes himfelf eternal fame from his ojerfes. T A tw'o-formed poet, will be conveyed through the ■fl-3 liquid air with no vulgar nor humble wing . nor will I loiter upon earth any longer ; and, fuperior to envy, will I quit cities. Not I, ev’n I, whom my ri- vals ftile the blood of low parents, my dear Maeo nas, lhall die; nor will I be reftrained by the Stygian wave. At this iuftant, a rough flein fettles upon my ankles, and )? ail b. ir. ( 6* ) all upwards T am transformed into a white hird *, and the downy plumage ariies over my fingers and (bould- ers. Now having become a melodious bird, more expe- ditious than the Daedalean Icarus, I will vifit the (bores of the murmuring Bofphorus,and the Getulean Syrtes, and the Hyperborian plains. Me, the Colchan, and the Dacian, who pretends not to fear the Marfian co- hort, and the remoteft Geionians, (hall know : me, the learned Spaniard (hall ftudy, and he that drinks the wa- ters of the Rhone. Let there be no dirges, or (bameful lamentation', or bewailings at my only feeming funeral: fupprefs yeur crying, and forbear the fuperfluous ho- nours of a fepulchre.

* The poets allegorically reprefented themfelves ctj transformed into jkuans.

TH2 /

THE

THIRD BOOK

O F T H E

ODES

O F

HORACE,i i i —-—'z.—',;-: ODE I.

That happinefs confijls not in honours and riches. I Abominate the uninitiated vulgar, and drive them off. Give a religious attention : I, the pr'eft of the mufes, fing to virgins and boys verfes not heard before. The dominion of dread fovereigns is only o- yer their own fubjefts *, that of Jupiter, glorious for * Literally flocks. Homer is fond of terming kings fhepherds of the people. Thus the true Goo entitles himfelf the fhepherd of his people, and them the flieep of his palture : the expreffton therefore is not too low for the pomp of the ftrophe, agreeably to the charge of a late ingenious ed.tor of our author. F a hi* E. III. ( 64 ) his conqueft aver the giants, who fiiakes al) nature with his nod, is over fovereigns thernfelves. It happens that one man plants trees, in regular rows, to a greater ex- tent than another : this man comes down ipto the Cam- pus-.M

* Alluding to the Jlory of Damocles. 1 • ! the ( gj ) B.m, the fun *, nor the Falernian vine, nor the Perfian per- fume, compofes a troubled mind, why (hou’d I fet a- bout a lofty edifice with envy-excitiftg columns, and in the modern tafle ? Why fhould I exchange my Sabine vale for wealth, that is attended with more trouble.

ODE II.

To his FRIENDS. He praifes military bravery, probity, and fidelity in tbs keeping of a fecret. LET the rebuff youth my friends, learn to endure pinching want in the a&ive exercife of arms, and an expert horfeman, dreadful for his fpear, let him har- rafs the fierce Parthians; and let him lead a life expofed to the open air, and in familiarity with dangers. Him, the confort and marriageable viigin-danghter of fome warring tyrant, viewing from the hoftile walls, may figh —alas 1 left the royal huiband, unacquainted with the flate of the battle, fhou’d provoke by a touch this ter-

* It is prfumed that commentators upon this paf- fage might have fucceeded better, had they remem- bred S.-neca’s exprejjion, clarum mtmdi h&us,/peak- ing of the fun. The fun, in many languages, is fre- quently and emphatically termed the ftar. Clarior, here rendered dazzling, refers not at all to decolour of purple, but only to the uie of it as a badge of dig- nity and ojfce. F3 riblj B. III. ( 66 ) rible lion, whom rage hurries through the mi 'ft c£ liaughter *. It is fvveet and glorious to die for one’s country : death even purfues the man that flies from him; nor does he fpare the trembling knees of effemi- nated youth, nor the coward back. Virtue, unknow- ing of bafe repulfe j-, fhines with immaculate honours; nor does Ihe affume or lay afide the enfigns of her dig- nity, at the capricious veering of popular air. Virtue, throwing open heaven to thofc who deferye.not to die, directs her progrefs through paths of diflkulty, and fpurns with a rapid wing groveling crouds, and the flabby earth. There is likewife a hire reward for faith- ful fllence. 1 will prohibit that man, who brail divulge the fscred rites of j: myfterious Ceres, from being un- der the fame roof with me, or from fetting fail with me in the fame precarious veffel : for Jupiter, when he is flighted, often joins a good man in th; fame fate with a bad one. It is feldom that punilhment though lame of foot, hath failed to overtake a villain.

* Which he fpreads where ver he gees. f V.rlue, as independant of factions and parlies, can fuffer no diminution of its native honours by po- pular caprice. Cato’s virtues are here fuppofed to be alluded to. and bow did they Through the dark cloud of ills that cover’d him, Break ouf and burn with more triumphant b ight- neis! j The Elcufiman myJleries,fo named,from Eleufis, in Attica, where they were celebrated.

9TE ( 67 ) B. III.

ODE III.

He privately dijjuades Auguflus from any thoughts of transferring the feat of empire to Troy. NOT the rage of the people prefling to hurtful mea- fures, not the afpedh of a threatening tyrant, can lhakc from his fettled purpofe, the man that is juft and. determined in his refolution; nor can the fouth wind, that tumultuous ruler of the reftlefs Adriatic, nor can' the mighty hand of thundering Jupiter : if a crulhed world ihould fall in upon him, the'ruins would ftrikc him undifmay’d. By this means Pollux, by this the wandering Hercules, arrived at the harry citadels : a- mongft whom Auguftus hath now taken his place, and quails nectar with impurpled lips. Thee, O father Bac- chus, meritorious for this virtue, thy tygers carried, drawing the yoke with indocile neck; by this Romu- lus efcaped Acheron (death) on the horfes of Mars. Juno fpoke what the Gods in full council approved : “ Troy, Troy a fatal and lewd judge *, and a foreign 1 woman, (Helen) have reduced to aflies, condemn’d, to- gether with its inhabitants and fraudulent prince, to me and the chafte Minerva, ever fince Taomedon dis- appointed the Godsf of the ftipnlated reward. Now * Alluding to the judgement of Paris, t Apollo and Neptune, /or building the walls of Troy. The origin of the fable is fuppofed to have been his borrowing money out of the temples of thofe tiu.c Cods, which he never returned. ceithei B. TIL ( 68 ) aeither the infamous gueft of the Lacedemonian aduL trefs (hines any more; nor does Priam’s perjured family- break the warlike Grxcians by the aid of Hedlor; and that war, fpun out to fuch a length by our fa&ions, hath funk to peace. Henceforth, therefore, 1 will give up to Mars both my bitter refentment and my deteP.ed grand- fon, whom the Trojan priefttfs bore *. Him will I fuffer to enter the bright regions, to drink the juice of nedfar, and to be inrolled amongft the peaceful or- der of Gods. As long as the extenfive fea rages be-, tween Troy andRome, let them •whilji exiles reign hap- py in any other part of the tvorU: as long as cattle tram- ple upon the bulls of Priam and Paris, and wild bealts conceal their young ones with impunity, may the Capi- tol remain in fplendor, and may brave Rome give laws to the conquer’d Medes. Tremendous let her extend her name abroad to the extremeil boundaries of the eartbt where the interlocated ocean feparates Europe from Af- rica, where the fwollen Nile waters the plains; deriving more bravery from the contempt of gold as yet undif- covered, and fo bell lituated whilft hid in the earth, than from forcing it out for the ufes of mankind, with a hand ready to make depredations on every thing that is facr'ed. Whatever end of the world«has made ref; 11- _ * Romulus, the founder of the Roman flute

* perrphrqjis beautifully exprejji-ve of the ttrrid and frigid zones, which the antients thought not in- habitable, or: account of the intolerable extremity of- tbsir refpetlive temperatures.

® BE b. m. ( 70 )

ODE IV.

To CALLIOPE. That every thing goes well with tho/e who are un- der the protection of the Gods. DESCEND from heaven, O queen Calliope, and come fintr with your pipe a length’ned llrain ; or, if you had now rather, with your dear voice, or on the harp or lute of Phcebus. Do ye hear ? Or does a pleafing frenzy delude me ? I feem to hear her, and to expatiate -with her along the hallowed groves, through which pleafant rivulets and gales make their way.—‘ Me, when a child, and fatigued with play, in fleep the woodland doves, famous in (lory, cover’d with green leaves in the Apulian mount jin Valunfujt without the limits of plentiful Apulia; fo that it was matter of Wonder to all that inhabit'the neft * of lofty Acher- ontia, the Bantine forefts, and the rich foil of lov.r Fe- rentum, how I cou’d fleep with my perfon fecure from deadly vipers and ravenous bears ; how I cou’d be co- ver’d with facred laurel and myrtle heaped together, never corf dering me as a child not fo animated without divine affiftance. Yours, O ye mufes, •wholly yours, whether I am elevated to the Sabine heights; or whe- ther the cool Praenefte, or the Hoping Tibur, or the W'atry Baiae, have engaged me. Me, who am attach-

* Acherontia was Jituated on the fumnik of a mountain, like a nejl in a tall tree. ed ( 71 ) b.iil

* A promontory, fo called from a pilot it) iEneas, fjjbo wen lofl there. his fc. III. ( 37 ) Hs (houMers, Apollo/ikjW of Delos and Patara, wpo bathes his flowing hair in the pure water of Caftalia, and pofleffes the groves of Lycia and his native wood. Force, void of conduct, falls by its own weight : more- over, the Gods promote difcreet force t® farther ad- vantage; but the fame beings deteft forces that medi- tate every kind of imbiety. The hundred-handed Gy- as is an evidence of the juftnefs of my fentiments, and Orion, the tempter of the fpctlefs Diana, deftroy'd by a virgin-dart. The earth heaped over her own mon- fters, grieves and laments her offspring fent to difma! hell by a thnnder-bolt; nor does the adtive fire confume jTEtna, that is placed over it, nor does the vulture defert the liver of incontinent Tityus, being Rationed there as an avenger of his bafenefs; and three hundred chains Confine the * amorous Pirithous.

ODE V.

Hepraifes Auguflus, e ef- Ipemed a prefent deity, the Britaius and terrible Par- thians being added to the Roman empire. JVbat ! has any foldier of Craffus’s lived an infamous hufband with a barbarian wife ? And has (O the corrupted fenate and inverted morals of the times !) the Marfan and Apuiian,

* for being Pluto’/ rival. unmindful ( 73 ) B III. tmminufu] of the * facred fhields, of the Raman name and Jiabit, and of f eternal Vefta, grown old in the camps of hoftile fathers-in-law, Jupiter Capitolinas and the city being as yet in fafety ? The prudent mind of Regulus had provided agairtft this, diffenting from ignominious terms, and a precedent produftive of deftrutflion to the fucceeding age, if the captive youth was not to pe- rilh urpitied. 1 have beheld, faid he, the Roman fkmtk- . ards affixed to the Carthaginian temples, and their arms taken aw’ay from our foldiers without bloodffied. f have beheld the arms of our citizens inverted behind their free-born-hacks, and the gates of the enemy unihut, and the fields, which were depopulated by our battles, to be cultivated a-nenv. The foldicr, to be fure, ran- fom’d by gold, will return a braver fellow :—No— you add lofs to infamy : for neither does the wool pre- pared in the die emr relume its toft native colour ; and genuine valour, w'hen once it has failed, horns to re- fume the place of which it was difpolTcjTed through cowardice. If the, hind, difentangled from the thick- i'et-toils, ever fights, tlcn indeed ffiall he be valorous, who has entrufted himfelf to faithlefs enemies; and he lhaij trample the Carthaganians in a focond war, who daf- tardly has felt the thongs with his arms tied behind

* Called Ancilia, one of which being fent from hea- ven, was a token of empire being ejlabli/bed at Rornt, which, that it might not be dijlinguifljed and Jlolen ■ away, Nurna caufed eleven more to be forged exactly like it, and to be kept in the temple n/'Mats. Eternal, bccaufe a perpetual fire was preferred 'n her temple by the vejial virgins, G him. b. m. ( u ) him, and h*s been afraid of death. He tlrough e-x t-V- ice, knowing no o' hcr way to preferve his life, has con- founded peace with the very ; <5f of-war.—O fcandal! O i'luftrioas Carthage, elevated to a higher pitch by Italy’s dTgraceful downfal:—He is reported to have rejeAed the embrace of his virtuous wife and h’s little fons, like one degraded, and po have ffernly fix’d his manly coitn'enance on the ground, until he, by his unexampled counfei, had confirm’d the waver- ing fenators, and, midft his weeping friends, he hailed away, a glorious exile. Notwithftanding he knew what the barbar’an. executioner was providing for him, yet he puih’d his oppolxng kindred and the populace re- tarding his return, from him, in nti other manner, thin if (after he had quitted the tedious bufinefs of his clients by determining their fuit) he was only go- ing to the Venafran plains, or the JLacedemuuian Ta- rentum.

ODE VI.

To the ROMANS. Thai tbs contempt of religion, avd the corruption of morals, had brought the great ft rmsfortunei upon the Romans'. YOU fhall f-affer, O Rome, for the fins of your an- ceftors, though innocent of them, till you lhall Ivave repair’d the temples and tottering edifices of the Gods, and their ftatues, that are defiled with footy ( 75 ) b. in. felf as fak^rclniate to ttie Gods: to -this fcurce refer every undertaking, to this every event. The .Gods, bc- caufe neglected, have inflicled many evils on calami- tous Italy. Already has Monaefes, and the band of Pacorus, twice repelled our inaufpicious attacks, and exulrs in having added the Roman Ipoils to the.r inferi- or collars. The Dacian and ^Ethiopian have aim oft demolilhed the ctxy engaged in civil broils, the one for- midable for his fleet, the other more expert for iniflile arrows. The times, fertile in wickednefs, have, in the fltft place, polluted the marriage flete, and thereby the ilfue, and families. From this fountain perdrion being derived, has overwhelmed the nation, and people. The virgin, marriageable, delights to he taught the Ionic dances, and at this time even is fafliioped in her limb's, and cherilhes unchafte defires from her very infancy j for Ihc courts younger debauchees when her hufoand is in his cups, nor has Are any choice, to whom {he iiiaif privately grant her forbidden pleafurcs when the light# are removed, but, at the word of command, openly, not without the knowledge of her hufband, fhe will come forth, whether if be a fail or that calls for her, or the captain of a Spaniih Clip, the extravagant purchafer of her impurities. 'Twas not a youth born from parents iike thefe, that tinged the fea with Carthaginian gore, and flew Pyrrhus, and Antiochus the Great, and the terrific Hannibal; but a manly progeny of ruftic fol- diers, inftrudtcd to turn the glebe with Sabine fpades, and to enn y clubs cut out of the woods at the pieafut £ of a rigid mother, what time the fun fhifted the Cia- dpws of the mountains, and took the yokes from the wearied oxen, bringing on the pleafant hour with his recreating chariot. M'hat does not wafting time de- G a #ay ? B. IjI. ( 76 ) cay? The age of our fathers, worfe than cur grand- fires, produced us [till more flagitious, us, who are a- bout to produce an offspring more vicious even than our- filves.

O D E VII.

To ASTERIE. Tit comforts Aflerie, troicblcd far the abfnce of her hnfband, and exharts her to perfi vere in her fidelity to him. WHY, O A ft eric, do you weep for Gyges, a youth of inviolable conftancy, whom the kindly ze- phyrs fhall reftore to you with the beginning of the fpring, enriched wdth a Bithynian cargo ? Driven as far as Oricum by the fouthern winds, after the ri/ing cf the goat’s tempeftaous conftellution, he fleeplefs pafles the cold nights in abundant weeping f»r you : but the agent <'f your anxious landlady flyly tempts him by a. thoufand methods, informing him that his miftrefs, Chloe, is fighingyS/- him, and burns with your flames. He re- monftrates to him how a perfidious woman urged the credulous Proetus, by fall'e accufations, to haften the death of the overchafte Beilerophon.—He tells how Pc- leus was like to have been given up to the infernal re- gions, while out of temperance he avoided the Magne- fian Hippolyte; and the deceiver quotes hiftories to him, that are leffoBo for finning.—In vain,—for heart-whole as yet, he receives his words deafer than the Icarian rocks.—But with regard to you, have a rare left vour neighbour { 77 ) B. III. neighbour Knipeus prove too pleating. Though no o- ther pert'on equally tkilful to guide the ftee’d is confpi- cuous in the courfe, nor does any one with equal Tviit- nefs fvvim down the Etrurian ftreani, yet i'eeurc your houfe at the very approach of night, nor look down into the frreets at the found of the doleful pipe ; and jiiil remain inflexible, however upbraided with iufcnfibility.

ODE VIII.

To MAECENAS. He invites M«ecenas to a domejiic entertainment, nvhicb be was refolded to celebrate joyovjly. O Maecenas, learned in * both language-, you won- der what I, who am a tingle man, have to do on the f calends of March ; what tlefe flowers mean, and the cenfer replete with frankincenfe, and the coal.-, laid upon the live turf. 1 made a vow of a joyous banquet and a white goat to Bacchus, after having been at the point of death by a bkrw from a { tree. 'I his day, fa- tted in the revolving year, fhall remove the cork falf- ened with pitch from that jar, which was § fcfc to fu-

* Greek c«r/.Latin. •j- A fejiival particularly celebrated by married people. } See Ode XIII. Book II. § The Romans uf.d to ripen or mellow their wine by fumigation. G 5 migate B. III. ( ;s ) migate in the confnlfliip of Tullus. Take, my Mae- cenas, a hundred glaffes on account of the fafety of yotu* friend, and continue the wakeful lamps even to day- light : all clamour and paffion he far away. Poft- poue your political cares with regard to the Hate : the army of the Dacian Cotifon is defeated : the trouble- 1'ome Mede is quarrelling with himfelf in a horrible v i war. The Cantabrian, cur old enemy on the Spa- nilh CGaf), is fubjeft to us, though conquer’d by a long- difputed vidlory. Now too the Scythians are preparing to quit the fkdd wirh their unbent bows. Neglt&ful, as a private perfon, forbear to be too folicitous, lell the community in any -wife fuffer, and joyfully feize the boons of the prefent hour, and quit furious affairs.

ODE IX.

To LYDIA. A D:akaue between Horace and Lydia. HORACE. AS leng as I was agreeable to you, nor did any o- ther youth more acceptable fold his arms over your fnowy neck, I flourifh’d more blell than the Per- fian monarch. LYDIA. As long as you had not a greater flame for any other, nor was Lydia below Chloe in your affsftkns, I, Lydia, of diflinguilh’d fame,fiourilhed more eminent that! the Roman * Ilia.

* The metier of Rcmu'c s. i HO- ( 79 ) b.iil HORACE. The Cretan Chloe now commands me, Ikilful in fwect modulations, and a miftrefs of the lyre; for whom 1 would not dread to die, if the fates would fpare her my furviving foul. LYDIA. Calais, the fon of the Thurian Ornithus, inflames me with a mutual fire ; for whom I wou’d twice fuffer death, if the fates wou’d fpare my furviving hoy. HORACE. But what if our former love returns,-and unites by a brazen {indijfolnble) yoke us notv feparated ? tvhat if Chloe with her golden locks be fhook off, and the door of the repudiated Lydia again open to me ? LYDIA. Though he is brighter than a {hr, you of more le- vity than a cork, and more-pallionate than the blufter- ing Adiiatic ; with you 1 Ihou’d love to live, w ith you I wou’d chearfully die. b. nr. ( So )

ODE X.

To LTCE. That, laying afide her hardnefs of heart, Jhe would take fame pity on him. OLyce,hadyou* drank from the remote Tanais, in a {kite oi marriage with fome barbarian, yet you might be forty to expofe meproftrated before your obdu- rate doors, to tbofc inhabitants the north winds. Do you hear with what a noiie your gate, with what a noife the grove planted about your elegant buildings rebellows to the winds? And how Jupiter glazes thefcttled fnow with his pure influence ? Lay afide difdain offenfive to Venus, left your I rope flioy’d run backwards with rapid wheel. Your Tyrrhenian father did not beget you to be as in- acceflible a» Penelope to your wooers. O, notwirhftand- ing neither prefents, nor prayers, nor theviolet-tindltired palenefs of your lovers, nor your hufband fmitten with a mufical madam, bend you to pity; yet at length fpare thy fappliants, thou that art no foftcr than the llurdy cak, nor of a gentler difpofition than the African Lr- pents. This fide of mine will notalwajs be able to bear your thielhold and the rain.

* Jfyou had been an inhabitant e/Scythia, of which Tarais is a river. f Alluding to wheels and pulleys, where, if you once let go your hold, t.bs weigh t carries off the rope with great 'velocity. OPS ( Si ) B. III.

ODE XI.

To MERCURY. That mojl grievous puni/hmetits’ 'iv?re appointed for cruelty even in the other nxiorld. O Mercury (fince the ingenious Araphion moved. rocks by his voice, you being his tutor) and thou my harp expert to refound with feven firings, former- ly neither vocal nor plcafing, but now agreeable to the tables of the wealthy, and the temples of the Gods ; dic- tate meafures to which Lyde may incline her obftinate ears, who, like a filly of three years old, playfome, frilks about in the fpacious fields, inexperienced in the fwcets of nuptial loves, and hitherto unripe for the en- joyment of a hufband. You are able to draw after you tygers and attendant woods, and to retard rapid rivers. To your blandHhments the enormous porter of the in- fernal palace yielded, though an hundred ferpents for- tify his head, and a peftilential fteam, and an infecti- ous poifon iffues from his triple-tongu’d mouth. More- over, Ixion and Tityus fmiled with a reludlant ufpedi : and while yon foothe the daughters of Danaus with your delightful harmony, their veflel for fome time re- mained dry. Let Lyde hear an account of their crime, and their well-known puuifliment, and the cafk ilill empty by the water dreaming through the bottom, and what lading fates await their mifdeeds even beyond the grave.—Impious! (for what greater impiety cou’d they have committed ?) Impious they cou’d dedrey their bride- B. III. C 8* ) bridegrooms with the cruel po'gnard. One out of the many, worthy of the nuptial torch, was nobly falfe to her perjur’d parent, and a maiden illuilrieus to all pof- terity : Sis, who faid to her youthful hufband, Anfe 1 atife ! left an eternal flcep be given to you from a hand you have no fufpicion of; difappgint your father-in- law and my atrocious lifters, who, like liorieffes, hav- ing pofTefTcd themfclvcs of fo many calves, (alas!) tear each of them to pieces ; I am of foftcr mould than they, neither will I ftrike thee, nor will 1 detain thee in my cuftody. I.et my Lther load me with cruel chains, be- caufe out of mercy I fpared my unhappy fpoufe : let him tranfport me even to the extreme Numidian plains. Depart, where your feet and the winds carry you, while the night and Venus are favourable : Depart, with an happy omen, yet not forgetful of me, engrave my mournful ftory on my tomb.

ODE XII.

To NSOBULE. That Jhe being captivated by the love of young We- ber, had given herfelf up tajloth and idlene/s. IT is only for the unhappy neither to give indulgence to love, nor to wa!h away cares with delicious wine, or to be difpirited out of dread for the lalhes of an uncle’s tongue. The winged boy of Venus, O Neo- bule, has deprived you of your fpindle and your webs, and the beauty of Hebrus from Lipera, of the arts of induftrious Minerva, after he has bathed his anointed fhoulders C S.5 }' B. HI. fioti'ders in the waters of the Tiber; a better horfe- fnan than Bellerophon hjmfclf, neither conquer’d at boxing, or by want of fwiftnefs in the race : he is alfo dextrous to flrike with his javelin the flags flying thro’ the open plain? in frightned herd, and adfive to furprize the wild boar lurking in his deep covert.

ODE XIII.

To the Bandusian Fountain. //<' promifes the futintain afacrifice and renown from hi! -iterfes. OThoti fountain of Bandufia, clearer than glafs, worthy of delicious wine from goblets crowned I with flowers; to-morrow you (hall be prefented with i a kid, whofe forehead pouting with new horns, deter- mines upon both love and war in vain; for this ofF- fpring of the wanton flock fliall tinge your cooling dreams with fearlet blood. The fevere feafon of the' burning dog-ftar cannot reach thee; you afford a re- frelhing coolnefs to the oxen fatigued with the plough- fhare, and to the ranging flock. You alfo fliall become one of the famous fountains, through my celebrating the oak. that covers the hollow rocks, from whence thy prattling rills bounding defeend.

ODE 3. III. ( 84 )

ODE XIV.

To the ROMANS. - He celebrates Auguftus’j return from Spain. yJUguJius C.cfar, O ye Roman people, who was lately faid, like another Hercules, to have explored the laurel purchafable by death, reviiits his domeftic Gods, vidlorioiis from the S]>anifli fhore. Let the jnatron Li via, to whom her hufband alone is dear, come forth in public pioceflion, having firft performed her du*y to the jtdt (iods, and Oflania, the lifter of our glorious ge- neral, the mothers alfo of the maidens and of the youths juft preferved from danger, becomingly adorned with fupplicatory fillets. Ye, O young men, and young wo- men lately married, abftain from ominous expreflions. This d ry, to me a real ftftival, lhall expel gloomy cares: I will neither dread commotions, nor violent death, while Ctefar is in pofl’eflion of the earth. Away, Have, and feek for perfume and chaplets, and a calk, that re- members the* Martian war, if any veflel cou’d elude the vagabond f Spartacus. And bid the tuneful Neaera make hafte to colleft into a knot her efl'tnccd hair ; but if any delay Ihould happen from the furly porter, come- away. Hoary hair mollifies minds, that are fond of

* hated at the time of the (Martian or Italic

ODE XV.

Upon CHLORIS.

* That is,Jbe had betterffin, than intrigue.

H QDE E. III. ( )

ODE XVI.

To MAECENAS. That riches are the fountain of all evils, and that the greatejl happinefs of life confjls in a mean. Brazen tower and doors of oak, and the melan- choly watch of wailful dogs, had fufficiently de- fended the imprifon'd Danae from midnight gallants ; had not Jupiter and Venus laughed at Acrifuis, the anxious keeper of the immured maiden : jor they -well Innv that the way wou’d be fafe and open after the God had transformed himfclf into a bribe. Gold de- lights to penetrate thro’ the midft of guards,and to break y: s through ftone walls, more potent than the thunder- bolt. The family of the Grascian * augur perith’d, im- mers’d in deftrudiion on the account of lucre. The f man of Macedonia cleft the gates of cities, and fubvert- ed rival monarchs by bribery. Bribes enthral even fierce captains of (hips. Care, and a third: for more, is the confequence of increafmg wealth. Therefore, O Mae- cenas, thou glory of the Roman knights, 1 have juftly dreaded to raife the far confpicuous head. As much more as any man Ihall deny himfelf, fo much more fhall he receive from the Gods. Naked as I am, 1 feek

* Amphiaraus, 'o.vbo for a bribe qvas betray’d by his nvife Eriphile. f Philip, the father o/’Alexander the great. the ( 8? ) b. m. ■the c?.raps of thofe that covet nothing ; and as a defen- ce, rejoice to quit the iide of the wealthy : a more il- luftrious pofTefibr of a contemptible fortune, than if [ cou’d be laid to treafure up in my granaries all that the induftrious Appulian cultivates, poor amidft abundance I of wealth. A rivulet of clear water, and a wood of a few acres, and a certain profpedt of my good crop, are 1 bleffings unknown to him who glitters in the procon- fullhip of fertile Africa : I am more happily circum- ftanccd. Tho’ neither the Calabrian bees produce ho- ney, nor wine ripens to age for me in a Formian calk, nor rich fleeces increafe in Gallic paftures ; yet diftrefs- ful poverty is remote, nor if 1 defired more, wou’d you refufe to grant it me. I Ihall be better able to ex- tend my fmall revenues by contracting my deflres, than if I could join the kingdom of Halyatticus, (Lydia) to the Phrygian plains. Much is wanting to thole who covet much. ’Tis well ivith him, to whom God hath given what is neceflary with a fparing hand.

ODE XVII.

To AELIUS LAMIA. He exhorts him to fptnd the morrow, which threa- tened to be dark and cloudy, in a liberal indul- gence. OAPlius, who art nobly defeended from the ancient Lamus (*lor as much as they report, that both

* This parenthejis is judicionjly omitted by Sanation. H 3 " the B. III.

who is faid to have poffeffed, as prince, the Formian walls, and Liris gliding; to the {hores of Marica—an extenfive potentate. To-morrow a tempeft fent forth from the call; (hall flrew the grove with many leaves, hnd the fliore with ufelefsfea-weed, unlefs that old pro- phetefs of rain, the raven, deceives me. Pile up the dry wood while you may ; to-morrow you lhall indulge your genius with wine, and with a pig of two months old, with your flaves difmifs’d from their labours.

ODE xvur.

To FAUNUS. A Hvmn. That he would be propitious to him. Faunus, thou lover of the flying nymphs, heniga-. ly traverfe my borders and funny fields, and de- part propitious to my little nurfery; if a tender kid falls a vifiim to you at the completion of the year, nor plenty of wines be wanting to the goblet, the compa- nion of Venus, and the ancient altar fmoaks with libe- ral perfume. All the cattle fport in the gralfy plain, when the nones of December return to you for the cek- faetion of your frjlival; the village keeping holiday, en- joys leifurc in the fields, together with the oxen, free from toil. The wolf wanders amongfl the fearlejs iambs ; ( *9 ) B. If!, Limbs; the wood featters its rural leaves for you, ami the labourer rejoices to have beat tire hated ground in triple dance.

ODE XIX.

To TELEPHUS. By a fudden interruption be brings o'ucr 'r.n urtfra- fonable detailer of antient hijlory, to think rather of nohat might promote the ffH vity of the enteh- taiument. HOW far Codrtis, who was not afraid to die for his country, is removed from luachus, and the race of Aeacus, the battles all'o that were fought at facred Troy—tbfe fubjetts you dcfcant upon ; but at what price wc may purchafe a hoglhead of Chian ; who fhall warm the water for bathing, who finds a houfe, and at what hour I am to get rid of thfe Pelignian colds, you are fi- lent. Give me, boy, a lumber for the new moon in an inftant, give me one for midnight, and one lor Murena the augur. Let the decanters be mix’d up with three or nine glafies, accordingto eveiy one’sdifpofition. 't he enraptur’d hard, who delights in the odd-number’d mufes, ftrall call for brimmers thrice three. Each of the graces,in conjunftion with her naked filler, fearful of hi oils, prohibits upwards of three. ’Tis my pleafure to rave: Why ceafe the breathings of the Phrygian flute ? Why is the pipe hung up with the filent lyre ? 1 hate your niggardly handfuls : ftrew roles in abundance, H 3 Let b. ra. C 93 } Let the envious Lycus hear the jovial noife; and let our neighbour, ill-fuited to the old Lycus hear it. The ripe Chloe aims at thee, Telephus, with thy bufhy locks, at thee, bright as the clear evening-liar; but the love of my Glycera flowly confumes me.

ODE XX.

To PTRltHUS. That he Jhould not endea'vour to force a-mny ike beau- tiful youth from his damfel. O you not perceive, O Pyrrhus, at what an hazard you are taking away the whelps from a Getulian lieneis ? In a little while you, a timorous ravilher, fi’.all fly from the fevere engagement, when flte lhall march through the oppofmg band of youth redemanding her beauteous Nearchus. A grand conteft, whether a gitat- er Ibare of the boo;y faall fall to thee or her. In the mean time, while you produce your fwift anows, Ihe whets her terrific teeth ; while the umpire of the com- bat is reported to have placed the palm under his na- ked foot, and rcfrelhed his fhoulder, overfpread with his perfumed hair, with the gentle breeze : juft fuch a- nother as was Nireus, (or CarymedeJ he that was ra- vilh'd from the watry Ida.

ODE ( 91 ) 8. 111.

ODE XXI.

To his y A R. He calls upon it to furnifh him with generous in compliment to Mcfliiia. Thou goodly cafe that was brought to light at the lame time with me in the eonfullhip of Manlius, whether you contain the oecajion of complaint, or jefts, or broils and madding amours, or gentle fleep ; under whatever title you preferve the choice maUic, thou art worthy to be removed in an aufpicious day; defeend, Corvinus bids me draw the mellowed: wine. He, tho' he is imbued in the Socratic ledfures, will not morofe- ly rejedf thee. T he virtue even of old Cato is record- ed to have frequently been warmed with wine. You apply a gentle violence to that difpofition, which is, in general, of a rougher cad. You reveal the cares and fe- eret defigns of the wife by the njftjlanse of merry Bac- chus. You reftore hope and fpirit to anxious minds, and give * horns to the poor man, who after tjJlingyo\s, neither dreads the diadems of enraged monarchs, nor the weapons cf the military. Thee, Bacchus, and Ve- nus—if ihe comes in good humour, and the Graces loth to f difloive the knot of their union, and living lights

* Alluding to their affixing horns to theJlr.tue of Bacchus. •j" Infeparably united. They are painted holding each others hands. B. III. ( 9* ) lhall prolong till returning Phoebus puts the liars to flight.

ODE XXII.

To DIANA. lit; promifes an annual thankfgiving fur the happy deliverance of his mijlrefs. T ^IRGIN protc&refs of the mountains and the groves, V thou three-form’d Goddefs, who thrice * invoked, heareft the young women in labour, and favtft them from death. Sacred to thee be this pine that overfha- dows my villa, which I, at the completion of every year, joyful will prefent with the blood of a boar yigjujl meditating his oblique attack.

ODE XXIII.

To PHIDTLE. That the biffings of the Cods are not fo ejfehluaV.y fecured by cojlly as by pure oblations. MY country Phidyle, if you raife your fuppliant hands to heaven at the new moon, and appeafe the houlhold Gods with frankincenfe, and this year’s fruits, and a ravening fwine ; the fertile vine fiiall nei-

* Or, invoked by three different names. ther • ( 93 ) b. nr. thrr feel the pestilential fouth-wcft, nor the corn the barren blight, or your dear brood the fickly feafon of the fruit-bearing autumnal year, for the deftined v.61 ini, which is paftured in the fnowy Algidum amongft the oak* and holm trees, or thrives in the Albanian mea- dows, with its throat Shall [lain the axes of the pricfts. It is not required of you, -who are crowning our little Gods with fea-water and the brttle myrtle, to folicit Ibtm with a great daughter of fheep. If an innocent hand touches the altar, a magnificent vidtim will not pacify the offended Penates (Hcufchold GodsJ more ac- ceptably than a confecrated cake and crackling fait.

ODE XX.V.

To the COVETOUS. He inveighs agairjl the vices of his age, and props - fes remedies for them. rl~,HOUGH more wealthy than the hoarded {or un- -1- rifled) treafures of the Arabians and rich India, yon fhould poT-'s y^urfelf by your edifices of the whole Tyrrhenian a^d Apulian (e• yet if cruel fate fixes its adamantine grapples upon the topmoft roofs, you Ihall not oifengage your mind from dread, nor your life from the fnarcs of death. The Scythians that dwell in the plains, whofe carts, according to their cuflom, draw their vagrant habitations, live in a better man- ner, and fo do the rough Geta:, whofe uncircumfcribed acres produce fruits and corn free to all alike, nor is a longer than annual tillage agreeable, and a fucceffor ret lieves

I n. m. ( 94 ) .lieveshim who has accompliihed his labours by an equal right. There the guiltlefs wife pares her mothcrlefs children in law, nor does the portioned fpoufe govern her hufband, nor puts any confidence in a flcek adulter- er. Their portion is the eminent virtue of their pa- rents, and a chaftity rcferved from any other man by a fledfuft fecurity : and it is forbidden to fin, or the re- ward is death. O! if there be any one willing to remove cur impious llaughters, and civil rage : if he is defirous to be infcribed The father of the state, on fta- tues creSicd to him, let him dare to curb linftiperable li- centioufnef-, and be famous to pofterity ; ftncc we (O injuftice !) deteit virtue while living, but invidionfly feck for her after file is taken out of our view. To what purpofe are our woful complaints, if fin is not cnt off with punifhment ? of what efficacy are empty law's, without morals to enforce them ? if neither that part of the world which is precluded hy the fervent heats, nor that fide which borders upon the north, and fnows, harden’d upon the ground, keep off the merchant; and the expert failors get the better of the horrible feas. Poverty, being ejieemrd a great reproach, impels its both to do and to fuffer any thing, and deferts the path of virtue as too difficult. I.et us then caft our gems and precious ftones, and ufelefs gold, the caufe of extreme evil, either into the capitol, where the acclamations and croud of applauding citizens call us, or into the adjoin- ing ocean. If we are truly penitent for onr enormi- ties, the very elements of depraved lufl are to be erafed, and the minds of too foft a mould fhould be harden’d by fevercr feudies. The noble youth knows not how to keep his feat on horfeback, and is afraid to go a hunt- ing, more Ikill’dloplay (if you chufe it) with the Gre- , ciaa ( 95 ) B. III. dan tr»qac, or dice which are prohibited bylaw. While the father’s perjury can deceive his co-heir, partner, and friend, and he hafte to get money for an unworthy heir. In a word ; iniquitous wealth increafes, aW yet fomething is ever wanting to the incomplete fortune.

ODE XXV.

To BACCHUS. A Ditiivrambic. IBs deftgn is to praife Auguftus, bring elevated to it through the infpiration 0/Bacchus. WHITHER, O Bacchus, arc you hurrying me, re- plete with your injluence ? into what groves, into what recelfes am 1 driven, adluated with uncommon fpirit ? In what caverns, meditating the immortal ho- nour of iliullrious C'acfar, fliall I be heard enrolling him amongft the liars and the council of Jove ? I will utter fomething extraordinary, new, hitherto unfung by any other voice. Thus the lleeplefs Bacchanalian prielt- efs is llrurk with enthufiafm calling her eyes upon Hebrus, and Thrace bleached with fnow, and Rhodope traverfed by the feet of Barbarians. How am I de- lighted in my rambles, to admire the rocks and the de- fert grove! O lord of the Naiads and the Bacchanalian •women, who are able with their hands to overthtovv lofty afh-trees; nothing little, nothing low, nothing mertal, will I fing. ’Tis a charming hazard, O Bac- B. III. ( 9^ ) ■inis, to accompany the fcod who binds hit temples wltk the verdant vine-leaf.

ODE XXVI.

To VENUS. Hu bids farewell to lone. T Lately lived a propet perfon far thefermce of the girls, ■4 and c*mpaigned it not without honour; but now this ■wall, which guards the left fide of the ftatue of fea- born Venus, (hall have tny arms and my lyre difchar- ged from warfare. Here, here, depofite the finning flambeaux, and the wrenching irons, and the bows, that threaten’d the refilling doors. O thou goddcfs, that poffeffes the blifsful Cyprus, and Memphis that is free from the Sithonian fnow, 0 then Queen of Love, give the haughty Chloe one cut with your fcigh raifed ialh.

ODE XXVII.

To GALATEA, upon her going to fea. His bell wi/bes attending her departure, he fets before her the dangers of the fea, and mojl particularly the example of Europa. 1ET the augury of the chattering jay, and a preg- a rant bitch, or a tawny wolf running down from the f 97 ) B. III. tic Laritivian fields, or a fox with whelp condudl the impious on their way: the ferpent alfo breaks his under- taken journey, if like an arrow athwart the way it has frighten’d the horfes I, a provident augur for her whom I fhall be concerned for, will invoke from the eaft with my prayers the raven foreboding byhiscroak- ing, before the bird that is prefaging of impending fhowers revifits the ftagnant pool?. May you be hap- py. O Galatea, wherefoever you chufe to refide, and live mindful of me, and may neither the unlucky pye, tier the vagrant crow, forbid yovi- goihg on. But do you fee with what an uproar the prone Orion labours on. 1 well know wHat the dangerous bay of the Adri- atic is, and in what manner * lapys, fiemingly ferene, is guilty of deceit. Let the wives and children of oitr ene- mies feel the. dark tumults of the rifing fouth, and the toaring of the blacken’d fca, and the fhores trembling with its la!h. Thus too Europa trufted her fair fide to the deceitful bull, and, bold as (he was, turn’d pale at the fea abounding with monfters, and the cheat now become manifeft. She, who lately in the meadows was bufied about flowers, and the compofer of the chaplet meet for nymphs, now faw nothing in the dulky night, but ftars and water. Who, as foon as {he arrived at Crete, powerful with its hundred cities, cry’d out, over- come with rage, O father, O the lofl: name of daughter, O my duty ! from whence > whither am I come ? one death is too little for a virgin’s crime. Am 1 awake while I deplore my bafe offence; or docs forae vays

* See note to Ode III. lib. i. t phantom B. III. ( 93 ) phantom, which, efcaping from the ivory gate *, brings on a dream, impofe upon me, as yet free from vice ? was it better to travel o’er the tedious waves, or to gather the frefh flowers ? if any one now wou’d deliver up to me in my anger this infamous bull, I wou’d do my ut- mcfl to tear him to pieces with fteel, and break off the horns of the monfter, lately fo much beloved by me. Abandoned 1 have left my father’s houfe, and yet aban- doned 1 procrailinate my doom. O if any of the Gods hear this, I wifh I may wander naked amongft lions. Before a difagreeable decay feizes my comely cheeks, and moifture leave this tender prey, I defire, in all the perfedlion of my beauty, to be the food of tygers. *• Thou bafe F.uropa, thy abfent father preffes thee : “ why do you hefitate to die; you may do for your “ neck fufpended from this aih, with your girdle that “ has comroodioufly attended you. Or if a precipice, £< and the rocks that are edged with death, pleafe you; “ come on, commit yourfelf to the rapid ftorm : unlefs “ you that are of blood royal had rather card your mif- “ trefs’s wool, and bo given up as a concubine to feme “ barbarian dame.” Ife/v the treachtroufly-fniiling Venus, and her foil, with his bow relaxed, approached the complaining maid. Prefently, when flic had fuffi- ciently rallied her, rpfrain (fhe cry’d) from your rage and paifionate chidings, fmee this detefled bull ihall fur- render his horns to be torn in pieces by you—Are you

* The f acts fabled two gates of dreams, one of horn, and the other ofineory ; out cj the farmer th: true ones were fuppefed to frocied, and the f iff'ones front the latter- ignorant \ ( 99 J B. HI. ignorant, that you are the wife of the invincible Jove ? Forbear your fobbing. Learn duly to fupport your dif- tinguiihed good fortune. A *divifion of the world Audi bear your name.

ODE XXVIII.

To LTD E. In order to pafs Neptune’r feqfl agreeably, be invites her to bis boufe. WHAT can I do better on the feftal day of Nep- tune ? produce viy adlive, Lyde, the hoarded Cascuban, and make an attack upon wifdom, who is ever upon her guard. You perceive the noontide is on its decline ; and yet, as if the fleeting day flood ftill, you delay to bring out of the ftore-houfe the f loitering calk that hears its date from the confulfhip of Bibulus. We will fing by turns, Neptune, and the green locks of his Nereids; you (hall chant, on your wreathed lyre, La- tona, and the darts of the nimble Cynthia ; at the con- clufion of your long, let her f Venus) be celebrated, who, Writh her yoked fwans, vifits Cnidos and the fhining Cy- clades and Paphos : let the night alfo be celebrated in a fuitable lay.

* The continent o/-Europe. f Alluding to Bibu’us, ex:ho, being colleague zuitb Ctelar, cctfj a mere cypher, and his office a f.ne-cure.

la ODE B HT. ( i*o )

ODE XXIX.

To MAECENAS. fie invites him to a frugal entertainment, and exstfe- ly admonifhes him to lay afule all anxious cares a- bout futurity. OMxcenas, thou progeny of Tufcan kings, there has been a long while for you in my houfe feme mellow wine in an unbroached hogfhead, with rofe- ilowers and expreffed tffence for your hair. Difengage yourfelf from any thing that may retard you, nor con- tinually contemplate the marlhy Tibur, and the Hoping fields of Aefula, and the hills of Telegonus* the par- ricide. Learie abundance, which is the fource of dain- tir.efs, and yon pile of buildings approaching near the lofty clouds :■ ceafe to admire the fmouk and opulence and noife of ilourifliing P.ome. A change is frequently agreeable to the rich, and a cleanly meal in the little cottage of the poor hath fmooth’d an anxious brow without carpets or purple. Now the bright father of Andromeda (Cephtus) difplays his hidden fire; now Frocyon rages, and the conftellation of the frantic lion, as the fun caufes the thirfly' feafon to revolve. Now the weary Ihephcrd, with his languid flock, feeks the iliade, and the river, and the thickets of rough Sylva-

* Telegonus, the founder of Tufculum, acciden tally killed his father. ( 1CTI ) b. m. nus; and tlic filent bank is free from the wavering winds. You regard what conftitution may lejl fuit the ftate, and are in an anxious dread for Rome, what pre- parations the Seres, and the Badirians fubjedt to Cyrus, and the fadlious Tanuis, are making. The wife Gods involve in obfcure darknef's the events of the time to come, and laugh if a mortal is over and above folicitons. Be mindful to manage duly that which is prefent. What remains goes on in the manner of the river, at one time calmly gliding in the middle of its channel to the Tuf- cau fea, at another rolling along corroded ftoncs, and flumps of trees forced away, and cattle, and houfes, not without the noife of echoing mountains and neighbour- ing woods, when the mercilefs deluge enrages the peace- ful waters. That man is mailer of himfelf, and fhall live happy, who has it in his power to fay, I have lived to-day : to-morrow let father invelt the heaven, either with a black cloud, or with clear funfhine ; nc- Vcrthelefs, he lhall not render ineffedtual what is pail, nor change nor annihilate what the fleeting hour has once carried off. Fortune, happy in the execution of her cruel office, and perfllting to play her infolent game, changes uncertain honours, now to me, and by and by indulgent to another. I praile her while Are abides by me. if Ihe moves her fleet wings, I relign what fitt: has beflowed, and wrap myfelf up in my virtue, and court honcll poverty without a portion.. ’Tis no bufinefs af mine, if the mall groan with the African florins, to have recourfe to piteous prayers, and to make a bargain with my vows, that my Cyprian and Syrian merchandize may not make an addition to the wealth of the infatiable fea. Then the fanning gale and the twin Pollux fiiall carry me fafa in the protedion of a I 3 licul a 4 AjSfc % I? Ilf. ( ) iTc.fi with two oars, through the tumultuous ^geaa it a.

ODE XXX. lie promife: kimfelf an immortality of fame from his poetisal writings. I Have esecuted a monument more lifting than brafi, ami mme fublime tbr.n the regal elevation of pyra- mids. which the wafting rain, the unavailing north- wind, or an innumerable fuccefiion of years, and the flight of fcafons, ftiall not be able to demolifh. I IlialT hot wholly die, but a great part of me fliall ei'cape Libi- tina *. I fhrll continually be renew'd in the praifes of pofterity, as long as the priefi fitall afcend the Capitol with the filent veftal virgin. Where the rapid Aufi. dus fliall murmur, and where Daunus, poorly Supplied with water, ruled over a ruftic people, I, exalted from a low degree, fliall be acknowledged as having original- ly adapted the Aeolic verfe to Italian meafures.—Mel- pomene, affume that pride which your merits have ac- quired, and willingly crown my hair with the Delphic laurel.

* Codiefs of Death.

T H E THE

FOURTH BOOK

OF THE

ODES

O F

HORACE.

O D E I.

To VENUS. He ivas now arrived at fucb an age that he ought no longer to think of love affairs. AFT5.R. a !ong ceffation, O Venus, again are you ftirring up tumults ? Spare me, I befeech you, I befeech you. I am not the man I was un- der the dominion of good-natur’d Cynaia. Forbear, thou cruel mother of foft defircs, to bend one bordering upon fifty, now too harden’d for your foft commands go whither the foothing prayers of youth invoke thee. Itlore fcafonably may you revel in the houfe of Paulus 3 Maximus, B. IV. ( 104 ) Maximus, flying thither with your fplendid fwans; if you feek to enflame a fuitable bread:. For he is both noble and graceful, and by no means filent in the caufe of diftreffed defendants, and a youth of an hundred ac- comjilifhments, he fhaH bear the edfigns of your war- fare far and wide : and whenever more prevailing than the ample prefcntsof a rival, he fliall laugh at his expence, he (hall erect thee in marble under a citron dome near the Alban lake. There you fltall fmell abundant frank- incenfe, and fhall be charm’d with the mixed mufick of the lyre and Berecynthian pipe, not without the fla- gelct. There the youths, together with the tender maidens, twice a day celebrating your divinity, fhall, * Salian-like, with _/ira>-white foot, thrice fhake the ground. As for me, neither woman, nor youth, nor the fond hope of a mutual inclination, nor to contend in wine, nor to bend my temples with frefli flowers, de- light me any longer. But why, ah ! why, O Liguri- nus, does the tear every now and then trickle down my checks? why does my fluent tongue falter betw'een my words with an ill-becoming filence? Thee, in my dreams by night 1 clafp, caught in my arms; thee flying crofs the turf of the Campus Martius, thee I purfue, O crusl one, through the rolling waters. ,

* Priejls of Bacchus.

ODE ( ) B. IV.

ODE II.

To jn ramus iulus. i Horace, being d'fired to celebrate the victories ef‘ Auguftus in Pindaric •verfe, excufes himfAf in fuch a manner, that the vert excufe itfeif very highly performs what he feems to decline. TT7 HOEVER endeavous, O lulus, to rival Pindar, * ' makes an effort on wings formed of wax, by art Txdalian, about to communicate his name to the azure Tea. Like a river, pouring down a mountain, when fudden rains have increafed it beyond its accuftomed banks; fuch the deep-mouthed Pindar rages and rufuey on immeafurable; fure to merit polio’s laurel, whe- ther he rolls down Lis new-formed terms through the daring dithyrambie, and is born on in numbers exempt from rule : whether he fmgs the Gods, and kings the offspring of the Gods, by whom the Centaurs periihed with a juft deftruftion, by •whom Was quenched the flame of the dregful Chimtera, or celebrates he thofe whom the palm, in the Olympic games at Ells brings home exalt- ed to the Ikies—wreftler or fteed, and prefents them with a gift preferable to a hundred ftatues : or does he deplore fome youth, fnatched by death from his mourn . ful bride, he difplays both his (Length and courage and •golden morals to the ftats, and refcucs him from the

* Incorrupt, the morals of the golden age. '-Ir'k B. IV. ( ) dark oblivion of the grave. A copious lirong air * ele-* vates the Dircean fwan, O Antonias, as often us he hoars into the lofty regions of the clouds : hut I, after the cnl- tom and manner of the f Matinian bee, that laborioufly gathers the grateful thyme ; I, a diminutive creature, compofe elaborate verfes about the grove and the banks of the wateiy Tibur. You,. a poet of a fnblimer rats, fhull fmg of Crefar, whenever graceful in his merited laurel he fhall drag the fierce Sicanrbri along the facred hill; Ctrfir, than whom nothing greater or better the fates and indulgent G'-.U ever bellowed on the,earth, nor will beflow, though the times fhou’d return to th- ir primitive gold. You fhall fuig both the feftal days, and the public rejoicings on account of the e/iwi-irnplored return of the brave Auguftus,_and the forum filent from krw futts. Then (if I can offer any thing worth hear- ing) a confiderable portion of my Voice fhall join the ge- neral acclamation, and then will I firg, happy at the re- ception of Ctefar, “ O glorious day, O worthy art thou to be celebrated.” And whilft you move along in pro- cefiion, fhouts of triumph we will repeat, fa outs of triumph the whole city fliall repeat, and we will offer frankincenfe to the indulgent Gods. Thee ten bulls and as many heifers fhall abfolve, me a tender freerling, that, having left his dam, thrives in fpacious paflures for the clifcharge of my vows; reftmbling, by the horns on his forehead, the bright curvature of the moon when fhe appears of three days old, in which part alf'o he has a — v * Flies Jirongly. f Matinus

ODE III.

To MELPOMENE. He acknowledges the favour to her, that he oltahis feme place and rank amongjl poets. HIM, O Melpomene, whom at his birth you have once view’d with a benign afptef, the Uihmi/n conteft fhall not render eminent as a wrelllcr; the fwift horfe fhall not draw him triumphant in a Grecian car : nor fhall warlike atchievement fhew him in the capitol, a general adorned with the Delian laurel, on account of his having quafhed the proud threats of kings : but fuch waters as flow through the fertile Tibur and the denfe leaves of the groves, fhall make him diftinguifhed for the Aeolian f Alcaic) verfe. The fons of Rome, the queen of cities, deign to rank me amongft the amiable band of poets ; and now I am lefs carped at by the tooth cf envy. O thou mufc, who regulates the fweet har- mony of the gilded fhcll ' ! O thou, who can immediate- ly beftow, if you pl<:afe,the notesof the dying fwan upon the mute fifh ! it is entirely your gift that I am marked out, as the ftringer of the Roman lyre, by the fingers of paflengers : that I breathe, and give plcafure, if I give pleafure, is yours.

* Thf lyre was -made.of a iorlo'fe Jhell. ODE B. IV. ( )

ODE IV.

The Praises of Deusus. lie celebrates the ‘victory cf C!au(lius Drufus Nero owr the Vindelici. LIKE as the winged mihifter of thunder (* to whom Jupiter, the fovereign of the Gods, has afligned the dominion over the fleeting birds, having experien- ced his fidelity in the cfcir of the beauteous Ganymede,) at one time youth and hereditary vigour drew i/m from his neft, unufed to toil; and the vernal winds, the Ihowers being now difpelled, taught him, atJirfl timo- rous, unwonted enterprizes : in a little while his vio- lent impetuofity difpatched him, as an enemy, to the fheep-felds; and now an appetite for food and fight has impelled him upon the relndfant dragons : or as a fiie- goat, intent on rich paftures, has beheld a young li«n but juft weaned from the udder of his tawny dam, ready to be devoured by his newly-grown tooth : fuch did the Rhceti and the Vindelici behold Drufus carrying on the war under the Alps; (whence this people derived the cuftom, which has always prevailed amongft them, of anningtheir righthandswiththe Amazonian axe, I have purpofely omitted to enquire : neither can we difeover eveiy thing.) But thofe troops, which Lad been fora long while and extenfively vitftorious, being fubdued by

* This parer.thefis is omitted by many editors- the ( io9 ) B. IV. the ccmchxS of a youth, perceived what a difpofition, what a genius rightly educated under an auspicious roof, what the fatherly affciftion of Auguftus tovs ards the young Neros cou’d jointly effedl. The brave are generated by the brave ; and there is in ftecrs, there is in horfes the virtue of their fires; nor do the coura- geous eagles procreate the unwarlike dove. But yet learning improves the innate force, and good difcipline confirms the mind: whenever morals are deficient, vices difgrace what is naturally good. What thou ow- eil, O Rome, to the Ncros, the river Metaurus is a witnefs, and the defeated Afdruhal, and that day nvhich •was illufirious by the difpelling of darknefs from Italy, Mnd which firft fmiled with benignant victory * ; when the terrible African f Hannibal) rode through the Li- lian cities, like a fire through the pitchy pines, or the jl call-wind through the Sicilian waves. After this, the Roman youth increafed continually in fuccefsful ex- ploits, and temples, laid walle by the impious outrage of the Carthaginians, had the jiatues of their Gods fet up again. And, at length, the perfidious Hannibal faid, we, like flags, the prey of rapacious wolves, follow of our own accord thofe, whom to deceive and efcape is a fignal triumph. That nation, which, toffed in the Etruri- an waves, bravely tranfported their Gods, and fons, and aged fathers, from the burnt Troy to the Italian cities, like an oak lopped by fturdy axes in Algidus, abounding jn dulky leaves, through Ioffes, and through wounds .derives ftrength and fpirit from the very Heel. The

* Adorea, here ufed for •vifiory, ii properly the di- firtbution of corn to the foldiers after viclory. K Hydr* U. IV. ( ”0 ) Hydra did not with more vigour inereafe upon Herett' les grieving to he overcome, nor did the Colchanj *, or the Echionian Thebes f produce a greater prodigy. Shou’d you fink it in the depth, it comes out more beautiful : fhou’d you contend with it, with great glory will it overthrow the conqueror unhurt before, and will hght battles to be the talk of the wives. No longer can I fend boafting meflengers to Carthage : all the hope and fuccefs of my name is fallen, io fallen by-the death- of Afdrub.rl. There is nothing but what the hands of the C’kudian faenil^ will perform; which both Jupiter defends with his propitious divinity, and fagacious pre- caution condufls through the fnarp trials of war.

ODE V.

To AUGUSTUS. That b? eivoud return as focn as pojjible into the city. OThou beft guardian of the Roman people, who w< rt horn under propitious Gods, you are abfent from us too long : after having promifed a mature arri- val to the facrfcd council of the fenators, return. Ref- tore, O excellent general, the tight to your country; for, like the fpring, wherever your countenance has frione upon the people, the day proceeds more agreta-

* Alluding to ty Echiou. ( I” ) E. TV. Wy, and the fun has a fuperior luftre. As a mother with ■vows, omens, and prayers, calls for her fon (whom the fouth-v ind with adverfe gales detains from his fweet home, flaying more than a year beyond thft,Carpathian fea) nor turns afide her looks iron; the vin .ing firore; in like manner, infpired with l. yal «iiht’s, i;is country fieks for Casfar. For under your aufjices, the ox in fife-ty traverfes the meadows: Ceres noune.e. toe ground, and fo does abundant krolperity : ■ tailors flei-n thi n’ the calm ocean ; and honour is * in dread of being ccn- fured. The chafte lami.'y is pailuted by o adul t .es: morality and the law have got the better of that foui crime: the child-bearing women are commended for an offspring, like the father ; and punifhmeut preffes as a companion upon guilt. Who tan fear the Parthian ? who the frozen Scythian ? who the progeny that rough Germany produces, while Ok far is in fafety ? who the war of fierce Spain ? Kvery man now puts a period to the day midfthis own hills, and marries the vine to the widow'd elm-trees; from hence he returns joyful to his wine, and invites you, as a Deity, to his fecond courfe. Thee with many a prayer, thee he purines with wine poured out in libation from the cups; and joins your divinity to that of hishoufehold Gods, in the fame manner as Greece was mindful of Caftor and the great Hercules. May you, O excellent general bellow a lafling feflivity to Italy—This is our language when we are fober at the early day, this is our language, when we have well drank, at the time the fun is be- neath the ocean.

* And therefore takes proper precaution againjl it. K, a ODE % IV. ( ”1 }

O D E VI.

HYMN to APOLLO. THOU GOil, whom the oiLpring of Niobe experien* ccd to be an avenger of a prefumptive tongue, ind the ravifher Tityos likrzuifi, and alfo the * Theffalian Achilles almoft the conqueror of lofty Troy, a warrior fuperior to all others, bet unequal to thee; though fon of the f>a-gnddefs Thetis, he (hook the fDardaniaa towers, encountering with his dreadful fpear. He, as it Were a pine fmote with the biting ax, or a cyprefs prbftruted by the eaft wind, fcdl extended, and reclined his neck in the Tro;an dad. He wou’d not, by being flint up in s ■wotdjm horfe that falfely pretended to bear the facred rites of Minerva, have furprized the Trojans, revelling in an evil hour, and the court of Priam ma- king merry with balls; but openly inexorable to his captives, Oh impions! Oh! wou’d have burnt fpeechlcfs babes with Grecian fires, even thofe conceal’d in their mother’s womb i had not the father of the Gods pre- vailed upon by your intreaties, and thofe of the beaute- ous Venus, granted to the tfijlrefs’ii affairs of Aeneas, walls founded under happier aufpices. Thou lyrift, Phcebus, the tutor of the harmonious Thalia, who bathes thy locks in the river Xanthus, O delicate Agyi-

* Ph'hia, t' that hyi propitious to the fruits of the earth, and expeditious in rolling on the precipi- tate months.—Snortly a bride you will fay, — “ I, “ expert in the meafures of the poet Horace, recited an “ ode which was acceptable to the Gods, when the fe- “ cular period brought on the feftal days.”

* Apollo cww Jlyled Agyieus,

ODE B. IV. ( ”4 )

ODE VII.

To TOR %JJ ATUS. By reprefenting to him tbt certainty of death, he ex- horts him to ii-ve in a chearful and a joyous manner. npHE fnovvs are diff Ived away, the herbage now re~ A turns to the fields, and the leaves to the trees. The earth changes her viciifitudes, and the decreafing rivers glide along their banks : the elder grace, together with the nymphs, and her * two fillers, dares ntrw na- ked lead up the dance. That you are nor to expeft things permanent here, the year, and the hour that hur- ries av. ay the agreeable day, juficiently convinces us. The olds are mitigated by the returning Zephyrs; the fummer follows dole upon the fpring Ihoi tiy to die it- ielf,as loon as fruitful Autumn lhall died its {lores: fj and anon flugguli winter returns again. Nevertheleis 1 the uick-revolving moons repair their warnings in the Ikies : but when we defeend to thefe regions where the 1 pious Aeneas, whercTullu ..nd the wealthy Ancusiaw t gone before us, we become nothing but ouil and lhade. Who knows whether the 'Gods above will add to this , day’s reckoning the fpace of to-morrow ? Everything j which you itiail indulge to‘your friendly genius, fhall efcape the greedy hands of yv.ir lieir. When once, O |

* There were three graeet, Aglaia, Thalia, and Eupnrolyne. Tor- ( 1 *5 ) B IV. Torquatos, you {hall be dead, and Minos {hall have made his awful decifions concerning you; not your fa~ niily, not your eloquence, not even your piety lhall ref- tore you to life. For neither can Diana Ire* the chafe Hippolytus from infernal darknels: nor is Thefeus a- ble to break off the Lethxan tetters from his dear Pi- rithous.

ODE VIII.

To MARCItTS CENSOiilNUS. That the gift of immorlaUiy is in the poeuser of the poets. OCenforinus, with liberal heart I would prefent my acquaintance with goblets and beautiful vales of Lrafs : 1 wou’d prefent them with tripods, ■which were the rewards of the brave Grecians : nor will you bear oft the meaneit of my donations, if ever 1 become rich in thofe pieces of art, which either Parrhafias or Scopas produced; the latter in ftatuary, the former in liquid colours, eminent to portray at one time the image of a man, at another that of a God. Put I have no itore of this fort, nor do your * circumftances or inclination re- require any fuch curiolities as rhefe. You delight in verfes: verfes I can give, and fet a value on the dona- tion, Not marbles engraved with publick inferiptions.

* Cenforinus wrtj ■very uealthy, and cenfequenlly was fujftcientty provided with elegant furniture. P.IV. ( ”6 ) by the means of which breath and life returns to illufl- rious generals after their deceafe ; not the precipitate flight of Hannibal, and his menaces retorted upon his own head; not the flames of impious Carthage more eminently fet forth his praifes, who returned *, having gained a name from conquer’d Africa, than the f Ca- labrian mufes; neither, fhou’d writings be lilent, wou’d you have any adequate reward for your laudable adtions. What wou’d the fon of Mars and Ilia be, if invidious filence had ftifled the metits of Romulus ? The force, and favour, and voice of powerful poets confecrates Aea- «us, fnatched from the Stygian floods, to the fortunate iflands. The mufe forbids a praife-wotthy man to die : the mufe confers the happinefs of heaven. Thus labo- rious Hercules has a place at the long’d-for banquets •f Jupiter : thus the fons of Tyndarus, (Cafor and Pol- lux ) that bright conftellation, refcue fhatter’d veflels from the bofom of the deep : and thus Bacchus, with his temples adorned with the verdant vine-branch, brings the prayers of his votaries to fuccefsful iflues.

* Scipio, hence named Scipio Africanus. + Ennius, the famous old poet, was Lorn in Call* Itria.

O D 3 ( ”7 ) B. IV.

ODE IX.

To MARCUS LOLLIUS. ‘The poet endeavours, by his verfes, to refcue LolliusV name from oblivion. DO not imagine that thofe words will perhaps be loft, which I, though born on the far-refounding Aufidtis, utter to be accompanied with the tyre, by arts hitherto undivulged. If IVIasonian Homer does poffefs the firft rank.jirf the Pindaric and * Cean mufes, and he menacing flraitu of Alcatus and the majeftic ones of stefichorus, are by no means obfcure ; neither, if Ana- :reon, though long ago and ever Jo lightly fung any thing, aath time deftroyed it . even now breathes the love and live the ardours of the Aeolian maid, (Sappho) tommitted to her lyre. The Lacedemonian Helen is tot the only fair who hath been inflamed by admiring he delicate ringlets of a gallant, and garments embroid- ■red with gold, and courtly accomplilhments, and re- inue : or was Tencer the fiift that directed arrows font the Cydonian bow: Troy was more than once larafled ; the great Idomeneus and Sthenelus were not :he only heroes that fought battles worthy to be record- id by the mufes : The fierce Hedtor, or the ftrenuous Deiphobus were not the firft that received heavy blows 11 defence of virtuous wives and children ; many brave

* Simonides

QBE ( "9 ) B. 1V-.

ODE X.

To LIGUR INUS. ‘ * Tm poet ad-vifes him not to be too fond of his fine ferfon. O Cruel flill, and fill prevalent in the endowments of beauty, when an unexpedted plume lhall come Upon your vanity, and thofe locks,which now play loofc- fy on your Ihoulders, lhall fall off, and that colour, which is now preferable to the bloffom of the damalk rofe, changed, O Ugurinus, lhall turn into a wrinkled face ; then will you fay, (as often as you fee yourfelf quite another perfon in the looking-glafs) alas ! why was not my prefent inclination the fame when 1 was young ? or why do not my former cheeks return unimpaired t® thefc my prefent fentiments.

ODE XL

To PHYLLIS. He invites her to an entertainment on Maecenas’^ birth day. PHYLLIS, I have a calk full of Albanian wine, up- wards of nine vears old ; I have in my garden par- ley or the weaving of chaplets; I have a great plenty % ef B. IV. ( 120 ) ivy, with which, when you have bound youf hair, you look fo gay : the houfe Ihines chearfuliy with plate : the altar, bound with chafte vervain, longs to be fprink- led -with the blood of a facrificed lamb ; all hands are bu- fy : my girls and boys, in bufypreparation, fly about from place to place : the flames quiver, rolling on their pointed funimit the footy fmoak. But yet that you may know to what joys you are invited ; the ides are to be celebra- ted by you, the day which divides April, the * month of fea-born Venus ; a day, with reafon to be folemni- zed by me, and almoft more facred to me than that of my own birth ; fince from this day my dear Maecenas reckons his flowing years. A rich and buxom girl hath poflefled herfelf of Telephus, whom you court, a youth a- bove your rank; and Ihe holds him fail by an agreeable fetter. Confumed Phaeton ftrikes terror into ambitious hopes, and the winged Pegafus.not ftomaching/eirarthe earth-born rider Bellerophon, affords a terrible example, that you ought always to purfue things that are fuitable to you ; and that you Ihould avoid a difproportioned match, by thinking it a crime to entertain a hope beyond what is allowable. Come then, thou laft of my loves (for hereafter lhall I burn for no other woman) learn with me fuch meafures, as you may recite with your lovely voice: our gloomy cares Ihall be mitigated with an ode.

* The grand feflival of Venus vjas celebrated in this month.

ODE ( 1*1 ) B. iv.

ODE XII.

To VIRGIL. Horace in'vltes hint to fupptr, upon confideratwn that he brings fomething towards the entertainment a- long with him. Thracian * breezes, thofe. attendants on the -1- fpring, that moderate the raging fea, now fill the fails; now neither are the meadows ftiff ivith frcjl, nor roar the rivers, fwollen with winter’s fnow. The un- happy •)■ bird, that piteoufly bemones the fate of Itys, and is the eternal difgrace of the houfe of Cecrops; bccaufe Ihe wickedly tevenged the cruel liberties that kings will take, now builds her nefl. The keepers of the fheep play tunes upon the pipe a mid ft the tender herbage, and delight that God (Pan) to whom flocks and the fliady hills of Arcadia are agreeable. The time of year, O Virgil, has brought on a drowth : but if you defire to quaff wine from the Calenian prefs, you that are a conftant companion of young noblemen, muft earn your liquor by br inging fame fpikenard : a fmall box of fpike- nard fliall draw out a cafk, which now lies in the Sul- pician ftore-houfe, bounteous in the indulgence of frefh

* Zephyrs blowing from Thrace, f The fwallow into which Progne was metamdr- Iphofedfor revenging the rape of Philomela, by ferv- ing up T.reus’j fon Itys to him in a ban cruet. E. IV. ( tia ) hopes and efficacious in the wafliing away the bitternefs of care. To which joys if you haften, come inflantly with your merchandife : 1 do not intend to dip you in itiy cups fcot-free, like a man of wealth in a hou'e a- bounding with plenty. But bvive-ver, lay afide delay, and the dtfire of gain; and mindful of the gloomyyhnf- ral flames, intermix, while you may, your grave ftudies with a little light gaiety : ’tis delightful to give a loofe on a proper occafion.

ODE XIII.

To LTCE. He hifuhs her on being the contempt of the young fel- lows. PT,HE Goa’s have heard my prayers, oh Lyce,—oh l.yce, the Gods have heard my prayers : you are become an old woman, and yet you would have the appearance of a beauty ; and you wanton and drink in an audacious manner ; and when in for it, foheit tardy Cupid with an affrdted quavering of voice. He bafks hi the charming cheeks of the blooming Ch'a, who is a proficient on the lyre. The teazing urchin flies over ]>lafted oaks, and ftarts hack at the fight of you, becaufe fou} teeth, becaufe wrinkles and fnowy hair render you odious. Now neither Coan purples, nor fpaikling jew- els reltore thofe years, which winged time has inferted in the public annals. Whither is beauty gone? alas! or whither your bloom? Whither your graceful deport- ment ? ( 1*3 ) B. IV. merit ? What have you remaining of her, of her who breathed loves, and ravifhed me from myfelf ? Happy in acompliftiments next to Cynara, and diftinguifhtd for an afpedi of graceful delicacies : hut, the fates granted but a few years to Cynara, intending to preferve for a long time Lyce to be a rival in years with the aged ra- ven : that the fervid young fellows might vifit, not without exceflive laughter, that torch, -which once fa bright- ly fcorched, now reduced to alhes.

ODE XIV.

To AUGUSTUS. He nfenbes the -viGory c/'Drufus o-iter the Vindelici, and more efpecially that o/'Tiberius over the Rhoe- ti, to the aufpices andfuccefs of Auguflus. WHAT zeal of the fenators, or what of the Roman people, by decreeing the moft ample honours, can eternize your virtues, O Auguftus, by monumen- tal inferiptions, and lading records ? O thou, wherever the fun illuminates the habitable regions, greateft of princes, whom the Vindelici, that never experienced the Roman fway, have lately learned how powerful you are in war. Tor Drufus, by means of your foldiery, has more than once bravely overthrown the Genauni, an implacable race, and the rapid Brcuni, and the citadels firuated on the tremendous Alps. The elder of the Heroes f TiberiusJ foon after fought a terrible battle, and, by your propitious aufpices, fmotc the ferocious L Z Rhoeti | B. IV. ( 134 ) Rhoeti : how worthy of admiration in the field rf bat- tle to fa with'what deftrudion he oppreffed the brave fiearts devoted to voluntary death : juft as the fouth works the untameable waves, when the myftic dance of the Pleiades cleaves the clouds; fo is he ftrenuous to annoy the troops of the enemy, and to drive his eager i fteed thro’ the midft of flames, thus the bull-formed * (or branching) Aufidus, who waflies the dominions of the Apulian Daunus, rolls, when he rages and medir tales an horrible deluge to the cultivated lands ; when Claudius overthrew, with impetuous might, the iron ranks of the barbarians, and by mowing down both front and rear, ftrewed the ground, victorious, without ffaining any lofs on his fide; thro’ your fupplying him with troops, you with councils, and your own guardian powers. For, on that day, when the fuppliant Alexan- drea opened her ports and defert court, fortune, pro- pitious to you in the third f luftrum, has put a happy period to the war, and has aferibed frefh praife, and the only | wilh’d-for honour to the victories already obtained. O thou dread guardian of Italy and imperi- al Rome, thee the Spaniard, till now unconquer’d, and the Mede, and Indian ; thee the vagrant Scythian •admires; thee both the Nile, who conceals his foun- tain heads, and the Danube; thee the rapid Tigris; thee the monfter-bearing ocean that roars againft the

* The antient painters and fculptors ufed to give horns to the images of their River-Gods. •f See note to ode iv. book II. j This vie!ory, obtained by Tiberius, left the world in peace, and Rome no more to

ODE XV.

To AUGUSTUS, on the reiteration of peace.

HOEBUS chided me, when I was meditating to ling of battles and conquer’d cities on the lyre ; that I might not fet my little fails along the vaft Tyr- rhenian fea. Your age, oh Csefar, has both rdlored plenteous crops to the fields, and has brought back to our * Jupiter the Roman ftandards, torn from the proud pillars of the Parthians ; and has Ihut up the temple of Janus founded by Romulus, now free from war; and has impofed a due difcipiinc upon head-ftrong licentiouf- nefs and has extirpated crimes, and recalled the ancient arts; by which the Latine name and lirength of Italy have increafed, and the fame and majefty of the empire is extended from the fun’s welter o bed, to the eaft. While Crefar is at the head of affairs, neither civil rage nor violence, fliall dilturb the general tranquillity; r.or hatred which forg. s Iwords, and fetsat variance unhap- py dates. Not thofe, who drink of t he deep Danube, fliali now break the Julian edieds; not the Getre, not the fe- res or the perfidious Pcrfians, nor thofe borne upon the

* The Umple q/'Jupiter Cupitoiinus. 1-3 river B- IV. C 116 ) liver Tanais. And let us, both on common and feftil days, amidft the gifts of joyous Bacchus, together with our wives, and families, having firft duly invoked the Gods, celebrate, after the manner of our anceftors, with fongs accompanied with Lydian pipes, our late valiant iomtnanders, and Troy,and Anchifss, and the offspring ?f benign Venus.

I 3 K O-

« HORACE’S EPODESj

OR T H H

FIFTH BOOK

O F T H E

ODES

OF

HORACE.,

O D E I.

To MAECENAS. Horace fjftrs to accompany him on his departure for the AcSiian expedition. YOU will go, my fViend Msecenas, with Libur- nian gallies amongft the tow’ring forts of An- tony's large Ihips, ready at your own hazard to undergo any of CiEfar’s dangers. What dial! I do ? to whom life may indeed be agreeable if you furvive, but, if otherwife, it will be infupportable. Whether fhall I at your, eommands purfuc my eafe, which cannot be pleafing B. V. ( 1*8 ) pleafing unlefs in your company ? or fhall J endure this toil with fuch a courage as becomes uneS'cminate men to beat—I will bear it; and with an intrepid foul will 1 foil, w you, either through the fummits of the Alps, and the inhofpiuble Caucafus, or to the furtheft weftern bay. You may alk, perhaps,, how I, unwar- like and infirm, can afiitl your labours by mine ? while 1 am your companion 1 fhall be in lefs anxiety, which takes poffeflion of the abfent in a greater meafure. As the bird that has unfledged young, is in a greater dread of fcrpcnts approaches, when they are left;—Not that if Ihc Ihould be prei’ent when they came, Ihe could be of any more fervice. Not only this, but every other war, lhall be chearfully embraced by me for the hopes of your favour : and this, not that my ploughs fhou’d labour yoked to a greater run b.r of teams of mine own oxen ; or that my cattle before the fcorching- dog-liar fhou’d chang^ the Calabrian for the Lucanian paftures: neither that my white councty box Ihould reach (ap- proach in magnificence) the Cn.tean * walls of lofty Tuf- culum. Your generoftty has already enriched me enough, and more than enough : 1 fliall never yvilh to amafs, what either, like tue mifer Chremes in the play, I may bury in the earth, or luxatiflufiy lijuander, like a prodi- gal rake.

* Circaean, Ircaifc Tuieulum

ODE \ < ) B. V.

ODE II.

The Praises of a Country Life. Alphius the ufurer, 'weary as it were with his craft, praifes a country lije; hut Jhortly overcome with avarice* he returns to his natural bent, and his old •way of living. APPY the man, who, remote from bufinefs, after the manner of the ancient race of mortals, culti- vateshis paternal lands with his own oxen, difengaged from every kind of ufury; he is neither alarmed w'ith j| the horrible trumpet, as a foldier, nor dreads he the angry fea ; he Ihunsboth the bar, and the proud portals of the men in power. Wherefore he either weds the lofty poplars to the mature branches of the vine ; or lop- ping cff the ufelefs boughs with his pruning-knife, he ingrafts more fruitful ones ; or takes a profpedl of the herds of his lowing cat’l t wandering about in a lonely vale ; or {lores his honey, preffed from the combs, in clean veffels; or {hears his tender {heep. Or, when Autumn has lifted up in die fields his head adorned with mellow fruits, how glad is he while he gathers the pears graft- ed by himfetf and the grape that vies with the purple, with which he may recompenfe thee. Oh Priapus, and thee, fithei Sylvanus, the guardian of his boundaries ! fomrtimes he delights to lie under an aged holm-tree, fometinses on the nutted grafs; meanwhile the waters glide down from fieep clefts; the birds warble in the woods 5 E. V. ( 130 ) woods; and the fountains murmur with their purling ftreams, which invites on gentle {lumbers. But when the wintry feafon of the * tempeftuous air prepares rains and fnows, he either pulhes the fierce boars, with dogs on every fide, into the intercepting toils; or fpreads his thin nets with the fmootli pole, as a fnare for the vora- cious thrulhes; or catches in his gin the timorous hare, or that ftranger the crane pleafing rewards for hit la- bour. Amongft fuch joys as thefe, who does not forget thofe mifehievous anxieties, which are the property of love ? But if a chafte wife, affifting on her part in tbs management of the houfe, and beloved children, (fuch as is the Sahinc, or the fun-hurnt fpoufe of the indatlri- ous Appulian) piles up the ■)• facred hearth with old wood juft at the approach of her weary huiband ; and, (hutting up the fruitful cattle in the woven hilrdles, fhe milks dry their diftended udders ; and drawing this year’s wine out of a well- feafoned ca{k, prepares the unbought collation ; not the Lucrine oyfters cou’d de- light me more, or the turbot, or the fear, fhos’d the tempeftuous winter drive any from the Eaftern floods to this fea : not the turkey, nor the Afiatic wild fowl, can come into my ftomach more agreeable, than the 1

* Thundering Jupiter : but as thunder is the leaji frequent in (winter, and Jupiter, it has aba'ie been ebferved, frequently fgnifes the air, the exbreffton may perhaps be heft underflood of the loud hurricanes and the general troubled flute of the atmofpbere in the (winter feafon. f The Roman hearths were doubly facred, firjl, to their houfehold Cods, andfecondly ie Vdta. olive ( 131 ) BV. 1 olive gather’d from the richeft branches of the trees, or | the forrel, that loves the meadows, or mallows, falubri- ous for a fickly body, or a lamb flain at the feaft of the Goal Terminus *, or a refcued from the wolf. Amidft thefe dainties, how it pleafes one to fee the well- fed fheep haftening home! to fee the weary oxen, with I drooping ne.-k, dragging the inverted plough-fhare ; si, and numerous -fiaves, the teft of a rich family, ranged a- | bout the fmiling houfchold Gods! When Alphius the SI nfurer, now on the point of turning countryman, had ;| faid all this, he colledled in all his money on the Ides f ; + —-«»

ODE III.

To MAECENAS. He exprejjes his averjhn to garlick. IF any perfon at any time with an impious hand has broke his aged father’s neck, let him, ly -way of pu- nifoment, eat garlick, more baneful than hemlock. Oh the hardy bowels of the mowers 1 what poifon is this that rages in my entrails t has viper’s blood, infnfed in thefe herbs, deceived me ? or has Canidia meddled with this vile food ? When Medea, beyond all the other Ar- gonauts, admired their handfome leader, fhe anointed

* The tutelar God of their boundaries. f The middle of one month. I The beginning of another. Jafon E. V. ( r3* ) Jafon with this as he was going to tie the unexperienc’d yoke on the fiery bulls : and having revenged herfelf on fiafion s miftrefs (Crevfia) by making her prefents bef- meared with this, Ihe flew away on her winged dragon. Never did the fteaming influence of any conflellation fo raging as this reft upon the thir fty Apulia; nor did the gift ofi Dejanira burn hotter upon the fhoulders of the laborious Hercules, But if ever, facetious Mtece- cas, you Ihou’d have a defire for any fuchJh‘Jf again, t wifh that your girl may oppofe her iMsd to your kifs, and lie at the furtheft part of the bed.

ODE IV.

On a certain perfion, who, from a Jlwve, being made a military tribune,

* Via facra, the grand filreet that led to the Capi- tol. •was { 133 ) ti. V. | 'was fiA of his oiTice, he cultivates a thoufand acres of Falernian land, and wears out the Appian road writ I his prancing; nags ; and, in defpite of Otho *, fits in the ! firft rows of the Ci cits as a knight of diftinrfiion. To what purpofe is. it that fo many brazen-beaked (hips of ittimenfe bulk ihou’d be had but againfl: pirates and a 5 band of flaves, while this, this fellow, is a military tri- bune ?

O D E V.

The imprecations of a boy againjl the switch Canldia, I “"OUT, oh whatever potuer of the Gods rules the -IJ earth and human race, what means this tumult ? and what the hideous looks of all thefe olJ hags, fix'd u~ •ji pon me alone ? 1 corjjure thee hy thy children (if invo- N feed Luciria was ever prefent at any real birth of yours,) !l) I conjure tht e by this empty honour of my purple f and fl hy Jupiter, who rnufi difapprove thefe proceedings ; why | do you look at me like a ftep-mother, eras a wild bcaffc ftficken with a dart ? While the boy made thefe cotn-

* Rolcius Otho made a law by which the feats of tbc Roman knights in the Ci us were regulated. f The t iga praei c x r,, which the children of the no- bility wore, was bordered with purple. t The toga pi 3e:ex a, and the hulla, which latter was a piece of gold or fiver, made in tbcjhape of an heart. M 6 V. ( t34 ) cf difHn>?tion taksn from Itim, a delicate body, fueh a* might foften the impious breafts of the fa-vvgc Thra- cians : Canidia, having her hair uncombed head inter- woven with little vipers, orders wild fig-trees torn up from groves, orders funetal cyptcfTes, aod eggsbefmear- ed with the gore of a loathlome toad, and feathers of the nodlurna! fcreech-owl and thofe herbs, which * lol- chos, and Spain, fruitful in poilons, tranfmits, and bones, fnatched from the mouth of a hungry hitch, to be burnt in Coichian f flames. But Sagana, tucked up for ex-' pedition, fprinkling the waters of Avernusf all over the houfe, briftles up with her rough hair, like a fea- urchin, or a boar purfued. Veia, deterred by no re* morfe of confcience, groaning with the toil, dug up the ground with the lharp fpade : where the boy, fixed in, might long be tormented to death at the fight of food varied two or three times in a day; while he flood out with his face juft as much as bodies, fufpended by the chin in fnvimming, projedl from the water,that hisparch- ed marrow and diy’d li.ver might be a charm for love ; when once the pupils of his eyes had v. ailed away by being fixed on the forbidden food. Both the idle Na- ples and every neighbouring town believed, that Folia of Arminium, a witch of mafeuline lull, was not abfent from thefc rites : Jhe who wi|h her ThefTalian incanta- tions, forces the charmed cc nftellations and the moon

* A tc

f Coichian, /arA Medea o/’CoIchoswtti/e ufe cft that h, according to art. f Avcnus ewas a like in Campsnia, nvhofc

* Snburra, a Jirert in iorne inhabited by the low er clafs of people, and a notorious nefl for harlots. •j- Maifus was a fan of the forcerefs Circe. M a the B. V. ( 136 ) the fea, with the earth extended over it,.{boner than yott {hall not burn with a love for me, in the fame manner 8s this pitch burns in the footy flames. At thefe words, the boy no longer attempted, as before, to move impi- ous hags, by foothing expreflions ; but doubtful in what manner he flrou’d break frlence, utter’d Thyeftean * im- precations. Potions (fays he) have a great efficacy in confounding right and w ong, but are riot able to invert the condition lot of human nature : I will perfecute you ■with curfes: and that execrating deteftation is not to he expiated by any vidlim. Moreover, when doom- ed by you to death I lhail have expired, 1 will attend you as a norifurnal fury; and a ghoft, I will attack your faces with my hooked talons ; (for ftich is the power of thofe divinities, th Manes f) and brooding upon your reftlefs breafts, 1 will deprive you of repofe by terrible •viftons. And tbtn the mob from village to village, af- fauking you on every fi le with ftones, flrall denroliflt all you filthy hrgs. Finally, the v'olvcs and Kfquilian J: vultures fiinli leaner abroad your nnburied limbs. Nor {hall this fpeilacle escape the obferyation of my parents, who alas! muft furvive me.

* T1 vefle- n. furb execrations as Tbvefl s made ufe of to his brother At reus. Vitl S n. 'frag. -j- Mmes. the geniufes oj' the dead,

ODE > l I ' ( ) B, Vi

ODE VI,

Agaicft CassiusSeverus Horace threatens to revenge himfelf ori him for his maledictions- HOU cur, that art a coward agairJt wolves, why do you pcrfecutc innocent ftrangers ? why do you not, if you can, turn your empty yelpings hither, and attack me, who will bite again ? for, like a maftiff, or tawny greyhound, that is a friendly affiftant to fhep- herds, I will drive with ercited ears through the deep fnows every brute that fhall go before me. eis fir you r when you have fill’d the grove with your tremendous barking, you fmcll at the food that is thrown to you. Have a care, have a care : for, very bitter againft bad men, I exert my horns ever ready fir affault; like * him that was rejected as a fon-in-law by the perfidious Ly- cambes, of the f fatyric enemy of Bupalus. What, if

* Lycambes hrohe his word with the poet Archi- lochus, with regard to his daughter Neobule j ut>ori which Archilochus compofed fofivere a fatire againjl him, that both he and his daughter hanged themfelves in defpair- f Bupalus, a celebrated painter, having ridiculed the perfon of the poet Hipponax, by a portraiture he made of him, the bard, in return, write a mojl bit- ter inveffive againjl him. M 3 any B. Y- ( 138 ) any cur attack me with malignant tooth ft all t only blubber like a boy that is incapable of revenging him- fclf?

O D. E VII.

To the Roman People. On their renewing the civil war. WHITHER, whither impious are you rufting ? or why are the fvvords drawn that were fo lately fheathed ? is there then too little of Roman blood fpilt upon land and fea ? awl this,not that the Romans might burn the proud towers of envious Carthage, or that the Britains, hitherto unaflailed, might go down the Sacred Way bound in chains : but that, agreeably to the wilh- es of the Parthians, this city may fall by its own ftrength. ylnd yet this barborcur method of fighting never obtained even among ft either wolves or favage lions, IjUilcfs againft a different ipecies. Does blind phrenzy or your fuperior valour, oryovre crime, hurry you on at this rate/ anfwcr me. They are filent—and livid palenefs infetfts their countenances, and their ftrirken fouls are ffupified. This is die cafe: a cruel fatality, and the crime of fratricide have difquieted the Romans, from that time, when the blood of the innocent Remus *, te> be expiated by his defeendants, was Ipiil’d upon the earth.

* He was Jlain hy his brother Romulus, for ridi- culing3 his wall byJ leapingr over it. * ODS f ( 139 ) B. V.

ODE VIII.

Upon a Wjnton Old Woman. AN you, grown rank and old, alk what unnerm* my vigour ? when your teeth art black, and old age withers your brow with wrinkles; and whofe back finks between your ftaring hipbones, like that of an un- healthy cow. hut,Jaijoidb ! your bread; and your fal- len ched—full well rei'embling a broken.backed horfe, provokes me ; and a body flabby, and feeble knees fup- portcd by fwoilen legs. May you be happy : and may triumphal Aatues * adorn your funeral proccffion : and may no matron appear in public abounding with richer ptails. What follows, becaufe the bookifh doics feme- times love to indulge on li ken pillows ? are unlearned conditutions the lefs robufl ? or are their limbs lets flout ? but for you to raife an appetite in a ftomach that is nice, it is necefiary that you exert every art of language.

* There ivas a privilege, termed the right of Ima- ges, which pern.itted the Jlatues of fuch aticeflors of ijje deceafed as bad been dignified by public honours, to carried in the funeral procejfion.

ODE B V. ( 140 )

ODE IX.

To MAECENAS. Horace celebrates the fuccrffcs. that preceded thei'ic* tory at Allium. WHEN, oh happy Maecenas, (hall I, overjoyed at Cxfar’s being victorious, drink with you under the ftately dome (for fuch is the will of Jupiter) the Cscuban referved for feftal entertainments, whilft the lyre plays a tune, accompanied with flutes, that in the 1 or e, thefie in the Phrygian tntafurt ? as lately; when the Neptunian * admiral, driven from the fea, and his navy burned, fled, after having menaced thofe chain* to Kome, which, like a friend, he had taken off from perfidious flaves. The Roman foldiers (alas! yc, our pofterity,will deny the fact) enflaved to a woman f CUo* fatra) carries pallifadoes and arms, and can be fubfer- vient to haggard eunuchs : and amongft the military flandards, oh fhame ! the fun beholds an Egyptian cano- py. Indignant at this, the Gauls turned two thoufand of their cavalry, proclaiming Csefar : and the flrips of the hoftiie navy, going off to the left, lie by in port. Hail, thou God of triumph ! you that delay the triune phal honours ef golden chariots, and untouched heifers.

* Pr mpey the Great had been a wry fuccefsfu! ad* rniral, which gave young Pomp y the hint to Jlyle himjelf thefon of Neptune. { 141 ) B. V. I Hail, thou God of triumph1 you neither brought back: la general equal to Cxfar from the Jugurthine war; not from the African -zvar, him, whofe valour raifed hirn a 1 monument by conquer'd Carthage. Our enemy, over- thrown both by land and fea, has changed his purple veftments for mourning. Andncnvhe either feeks Crete, :i famous for her hundred cities, ready to fail with the ’winds unfavourable : or the Syrtes haraffed by the fouth ; or elfe is driven by the uncertain fea. Bring ifllither, b°y. larger bowls, and the Chian or Lefbiyi 'wine; or what may corredl this rifing qualm of mine, I fill me out the Cxcuban. ’Tis my pleafure to diffipate T care and anxiety for Catfar’s danger with delicious 1 wine.

O D E X.

Againft MJlFIUS. Horace 'wijhes to fvffer Jlupciureck. '1HE veffel that carries theloathfome Mxvitis makes her departure with an unlucky omen. Be mind- ul, oh fouth-wind, that you buffet it about with hor- rible billows. May the gloomy eaft, turning up the [tea. difperfe its cables and broken oar?. Let the north arife in as mighty fury as when he rives the quivering aks on the lofty mountains ; nor let a friendly ftar ap- ear tiirough the fpiffy night, in which the baleful O- fion fets : nor let him be convey’d in a calmer fea, than (Evas the Gnecian band of conquerors, when Pallas turn’d h*; B. V. ( T4* ) her rage from burned Troy to the (hip of impious Ajax* Oh what a fweat is coming upon your failors, and •what a fallow palencfs upon you, and that effeminate wail- ing and iboje prayers to unregarding Jupiter; when the Ionian bay, roaring with the tempeftuous fouth- weft, fhall break your keel! but, if extended along the winding {bore, you {hall delight the cormorants as a dainty prey, a lafcivious he-goat, and an ewe-iamb, {hall be faerificcd to the tempefts.

ODE XL

To PETTIUS. Horace hfo much in Iotc, that he cannot apply him* /elf to theJludy cf poetry. IT by rio means, oh Pettius, delights me, as heretofore to write Lyric verfes, being fmitten with cruel love ; with love who takes pleafure to inflame me beyond others, either for youths or maidens. This is the third December, that has fliaken the leafy honours from the woods,fince I ceafed to be mad for Inachia. Ah me! (for I am afltamed of fo great a misfortune} what a fubjct'd of talk was I through the ivlole city ! 1 repent too of the entertainments, that I frequented, at which both a languiflting, and filence, and fighs, heaved from

* Ajax Oi'.ens, nuho debauched Cafiand, a in the temple q/-Pallas, which raifed the indignation of that Coddefs agairfl him. the C 143 ) E. V, .ithe bottom of my bread, have difeover’d the lover. Then, as foon as the indelicate God, Bacchus, by ftronger i wine than ordinary, had removed, as I grew warm, the : fecrets of my heart from their repofitory, 1 made my complaints thus lamenting to you, “ that the faired ge- “ nius of a poor man hath no weight againlt wealthy lucre.” Wherefore if a generous indignation firou’d oil in my bread, infomuch as todifperfe to the winds :hefe difagreeable (thoughfootbing) applications, that give o cafe to the defperate wound ; then the lhame of being ’crcomc, ending, fhall ceafe to conted with rivals of uch a fort. When I, with great gravity, had applaud- the refaiutions in your prefence, being ordered by you :o go hornI was carried, with a wandering foot, to ©ds, alas! to me not friendly, and, alas! obdurate dfcaces ; againd which I bruift-d my loins and fide. Now y engagements with the delicate Lycifcus engrofs 11 my time : from them neither the unreferved admo- itions, nor the ferious reprehenfions of other friends, an recal me to my former tade for poetry ;—but, per- aps, either a new flame for fome beautiful damfti, or more winning addrefs of fonre new acquaintance ■ray.

ODE XII.

Upon an old Woman, ijTTT’HAT would you be at, you woman,fitter for the •T|VV fwarfhy menders? why do you fend tokens, by billet-doux to me, ijnd not to fome vigorous youth, and P, V. ( 144 ) and of a tafte not nice ? For I am one who difeern it Polypus, or fetid ramminefs, however concealed, more quickly than the keeneft dog the covert of the boar; What fweatincfs, and how rank an odor, every where rifes from her wither’d limbs! when Ihe ftrives to lay her furious rage with impoffibilities; now file has no longer the advantage of moift cofmetics, and her colour appears as if ftained with crocodilian ordure; and now; in wild impetuofity, Ihe tears her bed, bedding, and all file has. She attacks even my loathings in the moft angry terms :—you are always lefs dull with Ina- chy than me : in her company you are threefold com- plaifance; but you are ever unprepared to oblige me in a flngle inftance. Lefbia, who firfl: recommended you-— fd unfit a help in time of need, may fhe lead apes in hell : when Coan Amyntas paid me his ad- drefies; who is ever as conftant in his fair.one’s fervice, as the young tree to the hill it grows on. For whom were laboured the fleeces of the richcft Tyrian dye t for you? even fo that there was not one in company, amongft gentlemen of your own rank, whom his own wife * admired preferably to you ; oh unhappy me,’ whom you fly, as the lamb dreads the fierce wolves, or the ftie-goats the lions.

* When it was the fajhion for hujbands to he a • domed with garments of their wives’ mamfaSoryi their tajle and elegancy were fare to he admired.

ODE ( 145 ) B. V.

ODE XIII.

To a FRIEND. The troubles of life are to be ajfvjaged by drirflng, andfingingt and friendly convsrfution. AN horrible florm has condenfed the fky, and lliow- ers and fnows bring down the atmoi'pherc : now the Tea, now the woods bellow with the Thracian north- wind. Let us, my friends, take occafton of merriment from this iifmalnefs of the day; and while our knees are vigorous, and it becomes us, let old age, with his con- tracted rorehead, become fmooth. Do you produce the wine that was preffed in the confullhip of my Torqua- tus. Forbear to talk of any other matters. The Dei- ty, perhaps, will reduce thefe prefent evils to your former happy flate by a propitious change. Now it is fitting both to be bedewed with Perfian perfume, and to relieve our breafts of dire vexations by the lyre, facred to Mer- cury. In the fame mann-r as the noble Centaur, Chiron, fung to his grand pupil : invincible mortal, thou fon of the Goddeii Thetis, the land of Affaracus * awaits you, W'hich the cold currents of the little Scamander and the Lvift gliding Simois divide : from whence the fatal fif- ters have broke off your return by a thread that cannot be altered; nor fhall your azure mother convey you back to your home. There then by wine and mufick,

‘ Phrygia, ex here AiTaracus the fon q/Tros reigned. N and B.V. ( 146 and by Tweet eonverfe, drive away every fymptcm (d hideous melancholy.

ODE XIV.

To MAECENAS. Horace'j/ove for Phryne hinders him from fini/hing the promifed iambics. YOU kill me, my courteous Maecenas, by frequently inquiring, why 3 Toothing indolence has diffufed as great a degree of forgetfiilnefs on my inmoft fen- fes, as if I had imbibed with a thirfty throat thofe Cups that bring on Lethean flumbers. For the God, the God prohibits me from bringing to a conclufion the vcrfes l promifed yc«, namely thofe iambics which T had begun. In the fame manner tfty report that Ana- creon of Teios*, burnt for the Samian Bathyllus; who often lamented his love to an inaccurate meafure on a hollow lyre. You are violently in love yourfelf: but if a fairer flame did not burn befieged Troy, rejoice in your happy lot. Phryne, though a freed-woman, and not content with a Angle admirer, confumes me.

* A city q/Tonia.

ODE 5. v. ( *47 )

ODE XV.

To NE/r.R/1. He complains of her breath of faith- IT was night, and the moon fiione in a ferene fky a- mongft the leffer flats ; when you, about to violate ihe divinity of the great Gods, fwore to be true to my ru- queAs, embracing me with your arms more cloftly than the lofty oak is clafped ky the ivy , that while the wolf fhou’d remain an enemy to the flock, and Orion, unpro* pitious to the failors, fhou’d trouble the wintry fea, and while the air fkou’d fen the unfhorn locks of Apollo, /e long you votv’d that this love fhou’d be mutual. O Neae- ra, you fhall one day greatly grieve on account of my merit: for if there is any thing of manhood in Horace, he will cot endure that you fhou’d dedicate your nights continually to another, whom you prefer ; and, exafpe- rated, will look out for a miflrrft mho mill return bis love : -Snd tho’ an .unfeigned forrow fhou’d take pofleffion of you, yet my firmnefs fhall not give way to that beauty yyhich has once given me difguft. But as for you, who- ever you are that are more fuccefsful than me, and now flrut proud of my misfortune; tho’ you be rich ' flo :ks, and abundance of land, and all Padlolus flow for you, nor the myfteries of tranfmigrating Pythagoras efc ipe you, and you excel Nireus in beauty; alas ! in a Jhort time you fhall bewail her love transferred elfcwhere : but I jhajy laugh in my turn. «DE B. V. ( I4S )

ODE XVI.

To the Roman Ptcple. 'Thri Rome, nuklcb the wrath of the Gods delivers vp to be torn to pieces by intejhne

fummon us thro’ the waves, (in the fame manner as the nvbote flare of the Phocaeans fled, after having utter’d rxecrstt.ons again'}fueb as Jboud return, ana left their fields. and ( 149 ) B.V. ar.d proper dwellings, and temples, to be inhabited by boars and ravenous wolves.) Is this agreeable ? or has any one a better fcbeme to advife ? why do we delay to go a fhip-board under an aufpicious omen ? but firft let us fwear to thefe conditions—the ftones lb all fwim up- wards, lifted up from the bottom of the fea, as foon as it fhall not be impious to return : nor let it grieve us to dtreft our fails homewards then, and not before, when the Po {hall wa{h the tops of tbe Matinian fummits; or the lofty Apennine ihall remove into the fea, or a miracu- lous appetite flraU unite monfters by a ftrange kind of luf^ : infomuch that tigers may delight to couple with hinds, and the dove he polhred with the kite; nor the fimple il herds may dread the tawny lions; and the he-goat, grown fmooth, may dove the briny main. After having 1’worn to thefe things, and whatever elfe may cut off the •fi pleafing hope of returning, let us go, the whole city of ns, or, at lea/l, that part which is fuperior to the illite- rate mob : but let the idle and defpairing part remain upon thefe inaufpicious habitations. But ye., that have bravery, away with effeminate grief, and fly beyond the Tufcan {bore. The circumambient ocean awaits us : let us feck the plains, the happy plains, and fortu- nate iflantls, where the untilled land yearly produces corn, and the unpruned vineyard pun&ually fiourilhes; and where the branch of the never-failing olive bloflbms fprth, and the purple fig adorns its native tree; honey diftds from hollbw oaks; and the light water hounds down from the high mountains with a murmuring pace. There the flre-goats come to the miik-pails of their own accord, and the friendly flock return with their udders diftended; nor does the evening b.ar growl about the i^cepfold, nor does the rifing ground fwell with vipers: N 3 sad B. V. ( 150 ) and many more things fhall we, happy Rowans, view with admiration ; how neither the rainy eaft lays wafle the corn-fields with profufe fhowers, nor is the ferule feed burnt by too dry a glebe ; the king of Gods modera- ting both cx'rcrnrs. The lh;p that ca- ried the Argonauts never attempted to come hi'.her; nor did the lafcivious Medea of Colc his fet her foot in this place : hither the Si- donian mariners never turned their fail-yards, nor the toiling crew of Ulyffes. No contagious diftempers’Acrc hurt the flocks : nor does the fiery violence of any con- hellation fcorch the herd. Jupiter fet apart thofe ihores' for a pious people, when he debafed the golden age with brafs: with brafs, then with iron he hardened the ages; from which there flail be an happy efcape for the good, according- to'my prcdidlicns.

-O D E XVII.

Dialogue between Horace and Canidia.

He ironically begs her pardon ; JJoe anfivers, that Jhe never will Ott reconciled to him.

now 1 yield to powerful fciencc ; and fuppiiant _-.eech you by the dominions of Proferpine, and by the inflexible divinity of Diana, and by the books of incantations winch are able to call down the liars difpla- ced from the firmament; oh, Canidia, at length defift from your imprecation,, aud quickly turn, turn back \ OUT ( TJI ) B. V. yonr magical machine *. Telephusf moved •with eomfaf- Juju'xYic grandfon of Nareus againft whom he arro- gantly had put his troops of Myfians in battle array, and againft: whom he had darted his fharp javelins. The Trojan matrons lamented over the body of the man-flay- ing Hedtor, which had been condemned to birds of prey and dogs, aftef king Priam, having left the walls of the city, proftrated himfelf, alas ! at the feet of the obftinate Achilles. The mariners of the indefatigable Ulyiles put off their limbs, briftled with the hard fkins tffwinc, at the will of Circe : and then their reafon and voice were reftoted, and their former tomelinefs to their countenances. I have fuffer’d punifhment enough, and more than enough, on your account, oh thou that art fo dearly beloved by the failors and fadtors. My vigour is gone away', and my ruddy complexion has left me; my bones are covered with a ghaftly fkin : my hair too with your preparations is grswn hoary. No eafe ref- pites me from my fufferings : night prefics upon day, and day upon night; nor is it in my power to relieve my lungs, which are ftrained with gafping. Where-

* The rhombus twas a kind of wheel, by the turn- ing of which certain forceries were performed. f Telephus, king of Mylia, oppofed the march of the Greeks through hit kingdom in their way to Troy. He was wounded by the fpear .5/Achilles, and af- terwards cured by fame filings from the fame wea- pon, for which he was direeled to apply by the ora- cle. J Thetis, the mother of Achilles, was daughter to Nereus. fore B. V. ( rja ) fore, wretch that I am, I am compelled to credit, wh^t before was denied by me, That the charms of the Sam- nites difeompefe the breaft, and the head fpbts in fun- derat the Marfian incantations. What wou’d you have more } O fea ! O earth! I bum in fuch a degree as nei- ther Hercules did, befmeared with the black gore of Nef- fus, nor the fervid flame burning in the Sicilian Aetna. Yet thou, a laboratory of Colchian poifons, remaineft on fire, till S reduced to a dry ember, ihall be wafted away *y the injurious winds. What event ? or what penalty awaits me ? fpeak out : I will with honour pay the demanded multft ; ready to make an expiation, whether you ftiall require to have it done with an hundred fleers, or you chufe to be celebrated on a lying lyre : yrou a woman of modefty, you a woman of probity, {hall tra- yerfe the flats, as a golden conftellation. Carter, and the brother of the great Caftor, though offended at the infa- my brought on theirfjter'Helen, yet overcome by intrea- ty, reftored to the poet * his eyes that were taken a- way from him. And do yon (for it is in your power) extricate me from this frenzy, oh thou, that art neither defiled by family meannefs, nor, Hie an old forcerefs, art fkilful to difperfe the afhes of poor people, after they have been nine days interred. You have an hefpitable breaft, and unpolluted hands ; and your womb is a fruit- ful one; and, whenever you bring forth, you fpring up with unabated vigour.

* The poet Stefichorus wrote a fatire agahfl He- len, on account of which her brethren Caftor and Pollux deprived the bard of kis fght, but, on his ma- king a recantation, he was rfiored. Cani- ( 153 ) B. V.

C.inidia’s Answer HY do you pour forth your intreaties to ears that are objiinatdy fliut up ngainfl them ? the win- try ocean, with its briny tempers, does not laih rocks more deaf to the cries of the naked mariners. What, (hall you, without being made an ertampleof, deride the Co'tytian * myfeeries, facred to unreftrained love, which were divulged by you ? and (hall you, ajfimhig the office of Pontiff, with regard to my Ffquilian incantations, fill the city with my name,unpuni{hed ? What will it avail me to have enriched the Pelignian forcereffes with my charmt, and to have prepared poifon of more expedition than ethers, if a flower fate awaits you than is agreeable to my wiflies ? an irkfome life (hall be protradled by you, wretch as you are, only for this purpofe, that you may mperpetually be able to endure new tortures. Tantalus, althe fre of the perfidious Pelops, always in want of that ■Iplenteous banquet, which is always before him, wiflies llfor refpite : Prometheus, chained to the vulture wiflies |j/«r reji\ Sifyphus wifties to place the (tone upon the (Jjfummit of the mountain : but the laws of Jupiter for- Bbid. Thus you, in hopes of relief, (hall defire at one oltime to leap down from an high tower, at another to 4jlay open your bread with the Noric fword ; and, griev- ing with your tedious indifpofition, (hall tie noofes a- bout your neck in vain. For I at that time will ride on your odious (boulders; and the whole earth (hall ac- knowledge my unexampled power. What, (hall l, who can give motion to waxen images (as you yourfclf, in.

* Cotytto, or Cotys, was the Goddefs of impurity. quifitive' B V. C 154 ) quifitive as you are, were convinced of) and fnatch the moon from heaven by my incantations, /, ivbo cap raife the de«d after they are burned, and duly prepare the potion of love ; Jhall 1 bewail the fucuftlep event of my art having no efficacy upon you. ^ fi s

SECULAR POEM*

l o t

HORACE.

The Poet to the People. Abominate the uninitiated Vulgar, and drive them off. Give a religions attention : I, the prieft of the

! * In conformity to the opinion of M. Sanadon, and >i nany other ingenious editors of our author, it is here aj bought proper to collect together, into one •vienu, U he federal parts the fecutar ode may be fuppofed td “t at' - originally conftfled of. Whether or no the ge- ts eraliiy of competent judges of antiquity and Horatian s'; 'egance, be convinced that this is the form in njubicb 4 fa author wrote, and Rome admired it ; mofl, I be- d 'eve, will allow, that in this condition every pari is onffent, each divifion adds dignity to the whole, and * bat there arifes a poem, which is at once the fnrjl ■s.x sonument of heathen worfhip, and perhaps the nollefl ii ‘ecimen of lyric poetry that is any where remaining. Mafes, ( 156 ) Mufes, fing to virgins and boys verfes not heard be* fore *.

To the Chorus of Youths and Virgins. PHOEBUS gave me genius, Phoebus gave me the art of compfing verfe, and the title of Poet. Therefore, ye virgins of thefirft diftindtion, and ye’youths born of illuftrious parents, ye wards of the Delian Goddefs, who flops with her bow the flying lynxes and the fieetefi flags, obferve the Lefbian meafure, and the motion of my thumb ; duly celebrating the fon of Latona ; duly celebrating the Goddefs that enlightens the night with her fhining crefcent.y?'? that is fo propitious to the fruits’

FIRST CONCERT. Hymn to Apollo. Chorus of Youths and Virgins. THOU god, whom the offspring of Niobe experien. ced to be an avenger of a prefumptive tongue, and j the ravilher Tityos liievuife, and alfo the Theffalian A- chilles almofl the conqueror of lofty Troy, a warrior fu- perior to all others, but unequal to thee ; though fon of] *0* 1- Book 111. f Otis VI. Book IV. the ( 157 ) the Sea-goddefs Thetii, he fhook the Dardanian tow- ers, encountering with his dreadful fpear. He, as it were a pine fmote with the biting ax, or a cyprei's prof- trated by the eaft-Wind, fell extended, and reclined his : neck in the Trojan duft. He wou’d not, by being (hut up in a wooden horfe that falfely pretended to bear the l facred rites of Minerva, have furprized the Trojans, 1 revelling in an evil hour, and the court of Priam ma- king merry with balls; but openly inexorable to his 1 captives, Oh impious! Oh ! wou’d have burnt fpeech- j lefs babes with Grecian fires, even thofe conceal’d in I their mother’s womb : had not the father of the Gods; 1 prevail’d upon by your intreaties, and thofe of the beau- t teous Venus, granted to the diflrefs'd affairs of Aeneas, if walls founded under happier aufpices. Thou lyrift, I Phoebus, the tutor of the harmonious Thalia, wh* «l batheft thy locks in the river Xanthus, O delicate A- gyieus, fupport the dignity of the Latian mufe *.

Q

*CWe VI. B. IV, ( 158 )

SECOND CONCERT. Chorus of Youths. 7”E tender virgins, fing Diana :

Chorus of Virgi.vs. Ye boys, fing Apollo with his unJhorn hair ;

C horus of Youths and Virgins. And Lstona, palfionately beloved by the fupreme Ju- piter. Chorus of Youths,. Ye ('virginsJ praife her that rejoices in the rivers, and the thick groves, which projedt cither from the cold 'Aigidos, or the gloomy woods of hrymanthus, or the ' green Cragus. Chorus of Virgins. Ye boys, extol with equal praifes Tempe and Apol- lo s Delos, and his fhoulder, adorned with a quiver, and his brother Mercury’s lyre.

Chorus of Youths and Virgins. He, prevailed upon by your interceffion, fhall drive away calamitous war, and miferable famine, and the plague from the Roman people, and their fovereign Ctefar, to the Perf.ans and the Britcss.

THIRD ( 159 )

THIRD CONCERT. To APOLLO and DIANA. Prpycrs for the fafety of the empire and emperor. Chorus cf Youths and Virgins. PHOEBUS, and thou, Diana, fovereign of the woods, ye illuftrious ornaments of the heavens, oh ever- vvorthy of adoration, and ever-ndored, beftow what we pray for at this facrcd feafon : at which the Sibylline verfts have given diredions that feled virgins and chafte youths fhou’d ftng a hymn to the Deities, to whom the feven hills of Rome are acceptable.

Choru? of Youths, Oh genial fun, who in your fplendid car draw forth and obfeure the day, and -who arii'e another and the fame; may it never be in your power to behold any thing moic glorious than the city of Rome !

Chorus of Virgins. Oh Ilithyia *, who art of lenient power to produce jthe timely birth, protect the matrons in Ltbour; whe- ather you chufe the title of Lucina, or Genitalis. Oh' iGoddefs, multiply our offspring; and profper the de- icrees of the fenate in relation to the joining of women

* Ilithyia, Lucina, and Genetyllis, ether names for Diana. O a in C 16* ) in wedlock, and the matrimonial law ah«ut t* teemt with a new race :

Chorus of Youths and Virgins. That the ftated revolution of an hundred and te* years may bring back the hymns and the games, three times by bright day-light reforted to in crouds, and as often in the welcome night. And you, ye fatal fillers, infallible in having predicted what is now eftablilhed, and what the fettled order of things preferves, add pro- pitious fates to thofe already pad. Let the earth, fer- tile in fruits and flocks, prefent Ceres with a Iheafy 1 crown : may both falubrious rains and Jupiter’s fure air cherilh the young brood.

Chorus of Youths. Apollo, mild and gentle with your fneathed arrows, hear the fuppliant Youths:

Chorus of Virgins. Oh moon, thou horned queen of liars, hear the Vir- gins. Chorus of Youths and Virgins. Tf Rome be your work, and the Trojan troops arri- ved on the Tufcan Ihore, the part commanded !>y ym/r oracles to change their homes and city by a fuccel'sful navigation : for whom the pious Aeneas, furviving his country, fecured a free pafiage, without damage, thro! ! the burning Troy, about to give them more ample pof- feffions than thofe that were left behind : O ye Deities, grant to the tradlable youth probity of manners ; to old ( •) age, ye Deities, grant a pleating retirement; to the Ro- man people, in general, wealth, and n numerous progeny, and every kind of glory. And may that prince, the il- luftrious iflue of Anchifes and Venus, who this day worfhips you with offerings of white hulls, reign f'upe- rior to the warring enemy, but merciful to the prollrate. Now the Parthian, by fea and land, dreads our power- ful forces and the Roman axes : now the Scythians beg to know cur commands, and the Indians, but lately fo ar- rogant. Now truth, and peace, and honour, and an- cient modefty, and negledted virtue, dare to return, and happy plenty appears, with her horn full to the brim.

Chorus of Youths. Pheebus, the God of augury, and confpicuous for his fhiningbow, and dear to the nine mufes, who by his fa- lutary art, foodies the wearied limbs of the human-boAy ; if he, propitious, furveys his own Palatine, may he prolong the Roman affairs, and the happy Rate of Italy to another luRrum, and to a Rill improving age. Chorus of Virgins. And may Diana, who poffelfes mount Aventine and Algidus, regard the prayers of the Qeindecemviri, and lend a gracious ear to the fupplications of the Youths. Chorus of Youths and Virgins. We the choir, that were taught to fmg the praifes ot Phoebus and Diana, bear home with us a good and cer- tain hope, that Jupiter, and all the other Gods perceive and attend to thcle our fupplications.

03 HO-

THE

SATIRES

O F

HORACE,

SATIRE I.

To MAECENAS- That all, but especially the covetous, think their oyjn condition the hardejl.

CW comes it to paft, Msecenas, that no one lives content with his condition, whether rea- fop gave it him, or chance threw it in his way; but praifes thofe who have different purfuits? O happy merchants! fays the fotdier, oppreffed with years, and now brojte down in his limbs through excefs of la- bour. On the other fide, the merchant, when the South- winds tofs his (hip, cries, Warfare is preferable for why ? the engagement is begun, and in an iuftant comes there a fpeedy SAT. I. ( 166 ) a fpeedy death, or a happy vidtory. The lawyer prat- fes the farmer’s yfo/r, when the client knocks at his door by cock-crow. Brt he who, having entered into a recognifance, is dragged from the country into the city, cries thofc only are happy who live in the city. The other injiancct of this kind (they are fo numerous) . ivould weary out the loquacious Fabius to repeat them. Not to keep you in fufpence, attend to what an ifiue I will bring this matter. If any god Ihould fay, To ! I will effedl what you defire : you that was juft now a foldier, fhall be a merchant; you, that aeas lately a law- yer,_/W/ he a farmer. Do ye depart one way, and ye another, having exchanged the parts you are to at! in life. How now ! why do you ftand ? They are unwilling, and yet it is in their power to be happy. What reafon, then, can he afligned, but that Jupiter ihould defervedly diftend both his cheeks in indignation, and declare that for the future he will not be fo indulgent as to lend an ear to their prayers ? But furthermore, that I may not run over this in a laughing manner, like thofe who treat on ludicrous fubjedls : (though what hinders one to be merry and tell the truth ? as good natured teachers at •- firft give cakes to their boys, that they may be willing . to learn their firft rudiments. However, raillery apart, let us inveftigate ferrous matters.) He that turns the • lumpilb glebe with the hard plongh-lhare, this fraudu- lent adulterer of the law, the foldier, and the failors, who | dauntl fs run through every fea, profefs that they en- dure toil with this intention, that, when old men, they m y retire into a fecure refting place, when once they have got together a fufficier.t provifion. Thus the little ant, (for fhe may ferve for an exam- ple,) of great induftry, carries with her mouth what- ever ever fhe is able, and adds to her heap, which ihe piles up, fey no means ignorant of, and not improvident for the future, f Which ant, nmrthehji, as foon as Aquarius faddens he inverted year, never creeps abroad, but wifely makes jfe of thofe floret whicli were provided before hand : while neither fultry fummer, nor winter, fire, ocean, "word, can drive you from the furfult of gain. You fur- nount every obflacle, that no other man may.be richer ban yourfelf. But what pleafure is it for you, anxious o depofit an immenfe weight of filver and gold in the :arth dug up by ftealth, to hide it ? But if you fhould leffen it, it may be reduced in time o a paltry farthing. But, unld's that be the cafe, what beauty bas an ac- umulated hoard? Though your threihing-fioor fhould ield an hundred thoufand bufhels of corn, your belly fill not on that account contain more than mine; juft s if it was your lot to carry on your loaded flioulder e bafleet of bread amongft flaves, you would receive o more for your own Jhare than- he who bore no part of e burden. Or tell me, what it is to the purpofe of at man, who lives within the compafs of nature, whe« rcr he plow "an hundred or a thoufand acres. But it is ftill delightful to take out of a great hoard. While you leave us as much to take out of a moder- e jlore, why fhould you extol your yrarf granaries, ore than our fmaller repofitories; as if you had occa- n for no more than a pitcher or glafs of water, and ould fay, I had rather draw fa much from a great ri- r, than the fame quantity from this little fountain, ence it comes, that the rapid Aufidus carries away gether with the bank, fuch as an abundance more cc- SAT. I. ( 168 ) pious than what is juft delights. But he who delites 9nly fo much as is fufficient, neither drinks bis water foul- ed with the mud, nor lofes his life in the waves. But & great majority of mankind, milled by depraved de- fire, cry, No fum is enough : becaufe you are eftecmed in proportion to what you pofl'efs. What can one do to fucb a tribe as this ? ivhy, bid them be wretched, fiace their inclination prompts them to it. As a certain per- fon is recorded to have lived at Athens, covetous and rich, who was wont to defpife the talk of the people in this manner : The croud hifs me abroad; but I applaud myfelf at home, as foon as I contemplate my money in my cheft. Thethirfty Tantalus catches at the ftreanu that elude his lips. Why do you laugh ? The name changed, and the tale is told of you. You fleep upon your bags, heaped up on every fide, avidioujly gaping •ver them, and are obliged to abftain from them, as if they were confecrated things, or to amufe yourfelf with them, as you would with piiftures. Are you ignorant ®f what real value money is, what ufe it can afford ? Bread, herbs, a bottle of wine *, may be purchafed with it; to which nece[fariei add fueh others as being with-held, human nature would be urteafy with itfelf. What 1 to watch, half dead with terror, night and day, to dread profligate thieves, fire, and your flaves, left they ftiould run away and plunder you; is this delightful ? As for me, 1 fhould always wiih to be very poor in poffeffions held upon thefe terms. But if your body fhall be difordered by being feized

* Sextarius, which is here rendered a bottle, war abyut afint and a half of our meajv.re, with ( 169 ) B-T. with a cold, or any other eafualty (hould confine you to your bed ; you have one that will abide by yoUj prepare medicines, intreat the phyucian that he would raife you to your feet, and rcftore you to your children and dear relations. Nor your wife, nor your fon, defires your recovery ; till your neighbours, acojuuintance, nay, the n/ei-y boys and girls, hate you. And do you wonder, that no one tenders you the affedtlon, which you by no means me- Ht, fince you prefer your money to every thing elfe ? But if you think to retain, and preferve for your friends the relations which nature gives you, without taking any pains : wretch that you are, you lofe your labour equally as if any one ihbuld train an afs to be obedient to the rein, and run in the Camput! Martius. At laft* let there be fome end to your fearchiflg after r'nhes, and fince you hhve mote than enough, be in lefs dread of po- verty ; and begin to ceal'e from your toil, that being ac- quired which you coveted : nor do as did one Umidi- ns, ’tis no tedious ftory, who was fo rich, he rileafured his money, hut fo fordid that he never cloathed himfelf any better than a flaVe; and, even to his laft moments, was in dread left want of bread ihould ftarve him : but his freed-woman, the braveft of all the daughters of Tyndarus *, ciit him in two with a hatchet. What therefore do you perfuade me to ? that T fiiould jiead tlffe life of a f Mtenius ? or in fuch a manner as a omentanus? * Helm arid Clytemnfira, the daughters of f pida- rus kill'd their hrjbands, Deiphabus and Agatnem* on, nvith this

* Tanais and Fi/ellius, two perfons labouring un- der d’fordrrs cf -very oppqfite natures. ■j' A voluminous fcriii/ler-

8 ,ATIR? ( 1?* ) B. I.

SATIRE IT.

Bad men, ‘whtn they avnid certain •vices, fall into their oppofte extremes.

''HE tribes of minftrels, quacks, flroliers, mimics. blackguards ; alf this fct is forrowl'ul and dejeftcd on account of the death of the finger Tigeilius : for he was liberal towards them. On the other hard, this man, dreading to be called a fpendthrift, won’t give a poor friend even vvherc-withal to keep off cold and pinching hunger. But if you afk him why he wickedly confumes the noble eflate of his grandfather and father in tafte- lefs gluttony, buying with borrowed money' ail forts of dainties : h: anfwers, Becaule he is unwilling to be rec- koned fordid, er a man of a mean fpirit : for this he is praifed by fume,

* The Roman youths put on the toga virilis, or man- ly gown, at about feventeen. P a when SAT. ir. ( l?i ) when he has heard of fucb hnauery ? But youll fjy pci~~ baps, this man expends upon himfelf in proportion to his immmfe gain. Hrbat he ? You can hardly believe how little a friend he is to himfelf: infomuch as that farher *, whom Terence^ comedy introduces as living miferable after he had caufed his fon to run away from him, did not torment himfelf worfe than he. Now, if any one fliould aik, to what purpcfe does this matter teiid ? I anfwer to this namely, while fools flnm one fort of vices, they fall upon their oppofite extremes. JV’alrhi- nus walks with his garments trailing upon the ground; there is another droll fellow whoever with them tucked up even to h:s middle : Rufillus fmells like perfume it-, feif. but Gorgomus like a he-goat. In fine, there is no me; n olferved. There are fome who would not for the world keep company with a lady, unlefs her modeft garment periedHy conceal her feet. Another f, again, will only have fuch as take their flation in a (linking hret' el. When a certain noted fpark came out of 4 baud' -houfe, the divine Cato retir'd him w th this fen- tence Proceed (fay- he) in your virtuous courfe : For when once foul hid has inflamed the veins, ’tis right for young fellows to come hither, in comparifon of their having to do with other men’s wives. I (hould not be •willing to be commended on fuch terms, fays Cupien- aius, an admirer of the filken veil. Ye that do not with well to the proceedings of adul ttrers, it is worth your while to attend how they ar*

* Menedem’is ir. the bhautontimor time nos. fH atium in quibufdam noiim mterpretari. Quintilian. ham- ( 173 ) B.L hampert'd on all fidcs; and that their pkafurc, which happens to them but feldom, is interrupted with a fjreat deal of pain, and often in the midft of v> ry great dan- g-:ri. One has thrown himfelf headlong from the top of a houfe : ano'dier has been whipt almoft to death ; a third, in hit. flight has fallen into a mercilefs gang of thieves; another has paid a fine, to avoiJ corporal pu- nilhmcnt; the loweft fervar.ts have treated another with the vileft indignities. Moreover, this misfortune happened to a certain perfon, lie entirely loft his man- hood. Every body find it was with juftice : but Gal- bu denied it. But how much fafer is the traffic amongft -women of the fecondrate ! I mean the freed women ; after which Salluftius is not lefs mad, than he who commits adul- tery. But if lie had a mind to be good and generous to them, as far only as his eftate and reafon would diredt him, and as far as a man might be liberal with moderation ; he would give a fufficiency, not what would bring upon himfelf at once ruin and infamy. However, he hugs him- fe’f in this one coiifidcraticn ; this he delights ill, this he extoh; I meddle with no matron Juft as Marfteus, the lover of the courtezan Origo ; he who gives his paternal eftate und feat to an adfrefs, and then fays, I never had any thing to dc with other mens wives. But you have with adreffes, you have with common ftrumpets; from whence your reputation derives a greater perdition than your eftate. ^ What, is it abundantly lufticient tfi avoid tile, petfon merely, and not that mice which is ti- niverfaily noxious ? To lofe one’s good name, to fquan- der a father’s effedls, is in every refpetft an evil. What is the diifcrencc, then, -with regard to yourfdf, whether B 3 you SAT. ir. ( IU ) ycu fin with the perfon of a matroti, a auid«ii, er

* One of the Argonauts, fo Jharp-ftghted, that he <111 as fahled to fee at the defiance of one hundred and thirty miles- ' f A lady of the Plautlan family remarkable for bad eyes—or perhaps injudicious in the choice of her lovers. ' \ The courtezan. that SAT. II. ( 176 ) that flie have neither a bad leg, nor a difagrccable foot, you may i'urvey her perfectly with your c-ye. Or, would you chufe to have a trick put upon you, and your mo- ney extorted, before the goods are Ihewn you ? Bet perhaps you'll fwg to. me thefe verfes out of Callimachus, As the huntfman purfues the hare in the deep fnow, but dil'dains to touch it when it is placed before him : thus fings the rake, and applies it to himfelf: My love is like to this, for it patlesover ivith contempt an eafy prey, and purfues what flies from it. But do you hope that grief and uneafinefs, and bitter anxieties, will be expelled from your breaft by fuch verfes as thefe ? Would it not be more profitable to enquire what boundary nature has affixed to the appetites, namely, what fhe. can pa- tiently do without, and what fhe would lament the de- privation of, and by this means feparate whit is folid from what is vain ? What 1 when thirft parches your jaws, are you felicitous for golden cups to drink out of? What ? when you are hungry, do you defpife every thing but peacock and turbot ? .mi/when your pafiions are in- flamed, and a common gratification is at hand, would you rather be confumed with defire, than poffefs it ? Jf you •would, 1 would not : for I love fuch pleafures as are of eafieft attainment. But fhe whofe language is, “ By and by,” “ But for a fmall matter more,” “ If my “ hufband fliould.be out of the way,” Is only for perits maitres : and for himfelf, Philodemus fays, he chufes her who neither ftands for a great price, nor delays-to come when flie is ordered. Let her be fair and ftraight, and fo far decent as not to appear defirous of feeming fairer than nature has made her. When I am in the company of fuch an one, fays he, flie is my Ilia and Egetia : in facet, 1 give her any tender name. Nor am 1 apprehen- I five { m ) B. I. ! (Tve, while I am in her company, lefl her hulband (houlij ", return from the country ; the door ihcmld be broke open ; the dog Ihould bark; the houfe ihaken fhould refoun4 ; on all ftdes with a great noife ; left the woman, pale t 'with fear, Ihould bound away from me; left the maid,, confcious of guilt,fhould cry out, Ihe is unuone ; left fhe Ihould be in apprehenfion for her limbs, the detected |ij niife for her portion and I for mylclf: left I mult run 'away with my deaths all loofe, and barefooted, lor fear i jmy money, or my perfon, or, finally, my charadter, ffiould be demoliflied. It is a dreadful thing to be u catched. I could prove this, even if Fabius * was the 4 judge.

SATIRE HI. t We aught to connive at the faults of our friends, and. all faults are not to he ranked in the catalogue of * crimes.

^ TH,S *s a common to all fingers, that amonglt •' J- their friends, they nerer are inclined to fing when ft‘.bey are alked, iaT unrequefted they never defift. TU ill jellius.that /r/ijer of Sardinia, had this fault. Had Caefar, ft who c^uid have forced him to compliance, bcfeeched r him on account of his father’s friendihip, and his own.

* An eminent lattoyer, vjho had himfelf been detec- 'id in a frolic of this nature. hi SAT. III. ( 17 ) he would have had no fuccefs. But if he hlmfef was difpofed to fing, he would chant To Bacche * over and over, from the beginning f of an entertainment to the very conclufon of it; one while at the higheft pitch of his voice, at another time with that which anfwers to the deepeft firing of the tetrachord There was no- thing uniform in that fellow : frequently would he run along, as one flying from an enemy; more frequently he walked as if he bore ir. firocrfion the facrifice of Juno ; he had often two hundred Caves, and often but ten : one while talking of kings and potentates, and every thing that was magnificent; at another, ‘ Let me have ‘ only a three-legged table, and a feller of clean fait, and ‘ a gown, which, though ccarfe, may be fufficient to 1 keep out the cold.’ Had you given ten hundred thoufand feflerces to this moderate man, who was con- tent with fuch fmall matters, in five days time there would be nothing in his bags. He fat up at nights e-een to day-light: he fnored out all the day. Never was there any thing fo inconfiftent with itfelf. Now fome perfon may fay to me. What are you?, have you no faults ? but they are others, and perhaps of a lefs culpa- ble nature. When Mteniusrailed at Novius in hisabfence : Hark ye, fays a certain perfon, are you ignorant of your own charaBer? or do you think to impofe yourfelf upon us

* The two initial words of home drinking fongy ' from which the w ’ole took its appellation, + From the egg to the apple, the former of which was Jtrued up at the opening, the latter at the con- clufton of the feajl. ( 179 ) B-1- a' a prrfun we do not know ? As for me, I forgive rry- f If, quoth Mrcnius. This is a fooiiih and impious fcf- love, and worthy to be ftigmatized. When you look over your own vices,winking •wilfully at them, as it were, with lore eyes; why are you wdth regard to thofe of your friends, as fliarp-lighted as an eagle, or the Epidau- rian ferpent ? But, on -the other fide of the queftion, it is your fate, that your friends Ihould inquire into your vices in turn. A certain perfon is a little too hafly in his temper ; and not well calculated to bear the Iharp- witted fneers of thefe men : he may be made a jell; of, becaufe his gown hangs aukwardly, he at the fame time being trimmed in a very ruftic manner, and his wide fnoe hardly Hicks to his foot. But he is fo good, that no man can be better; but he is your friend : but an immenfe genius is concealed under this unpolilhed per- fon of his. Finally, fift yourfelf thoroughly, whether nature has originally fown the feeds of any vices in you, or even an ill habit has done it. For the fetn, fit only to be burned, over-runs the negleiftcd fields. -Bet let us return from our digreffion. As his mif- trefs’s difagreeable failings efcape the blinded lover, or even thefe give him pleafure; as Agna’s wen does to Balbinus, I could wiili that we erred in this manner with regard to friendihip, and that virtue had affixed a reputable appellation to fuch an error. And as a father ought not to contemn his fon, if he has any defedl, iq the fame manner we ought not l> contemn our friend. The father calls his fquinting boy, a pretty leering rogue; andyf any man has a little defpicable brat, fuch as the Stbortive Sifyphus * formerly was, he .calls it a fweet * Sifrphus, the fan of M. Antony, the triunriir, nuis only two feet high. SAT. HI. ( 180 ) moppet : this child with diflotted legs, the father, in a fondling voice, calls bne of the Vari * ; and another, who is club-footed, he calls a Scaifrus*. Thus, if this friend of your’s lives more fparingly than ordinary, let him be ftyled a man of frugality : Another is imperti- nent, and apt to brag a little ; he requires to be reckon- fed entertaining to his friend? : But another is too rude, and takes greater liberties than are fitting ; let him be tfteemed a man of fincerity and bravery : Is he too fiery? let him be numbered amongft perfons of fpuit. This method, in my opinion, both unites friends,and p’vferves them in a ftate of union. But we invert the very vir- tues themfelves, and are defirous of throwing dirt upon the untainted veflel. If a man of probity live among!! us, and is a perfdn of Angular diffidence ; we give him the name of a dull and fat-headed fellow : This mao avoids every fnare, and lays himfelf open to no ill-de- figning vtflain ; (lifice we live amidft fuch a ivicied race, where keen envy and flagitioufnefs are flourifhing) in- ftead of a fenfible and wary man. We call him a difgui- fed and fubtile fellow. And if any one is more open, and lefs referred than ufual (in fuch a degree as I have bften prefentcd myfelf to you, Matcenas) Co as perhaps' impertinently to interrupt a perfon reading, or muling' with any kind of prate; we cry, this fellow afluaily wants common fenfe. Alas, how indifcrcetly do we or- Main a fevere law againft ourfelves. For no one is borri without vices: and he is the heft man who is incum-

* The Vari and Scaurs * were wry noble familiei and had their name} originally from fame of thrfe ikfed-j. rfrtcd < i8i ) B. I. bered with the leaft. When my dear friend, as is no more than juft, weighs my good qualities againft ray had ones; let him, if he is willing to he beloved, turn the fcale to the majority of the former, (if 1 have in- deed a majority of good qualities;) on this condition, he (hall be placed in the fame balance. He who re- I quires that his friend Ihould not take offence at his own great protuberances, fhould excufe his friend’s little warts. It is hut fair, that he who intreats a pardon for his faults, fhould be ready to grant one in his turn. Upon the whole, for as much as the vice anger, as well as others inherent in weak mortals, cannot be to- tally eradicated; why does not human reafon make ufe of its own juft weights and mcafures; and lb punifti faults as the nature of the thing demands? If any man fhould punilh with die crofs a {lave, who, being order- ed to take away the dilh, fhould gorge the half-eaten iifh, and warm fauce ; he would, amongft people in their fenfes, he called a madder man than l.abeo*. But how more an irrational and heipous crime is this? Your friend perhaps has been guilty of a fmall error ; which unlefs you forgive, you ought to he reckoned a four, an ill-natured fellow'; and yd you hate him, and avoid him, as a poor debtor does Drufo; who, when the woeful Calends come upon the unfortunate man, unlefs he procures the intereft or capital by hook or by crook, is compelled to hear his fpiteful precedents with his neck ftretched out like a Have. Should my friend in his li- quor water my couch, or has he thrown down a jar car-

* Labeo, a petulant-, abvfvve lawyer, who did not [pare even Augujlus him/elf CL SAT. III. ( *** J ved by the hands of Fvander; Ihall he for this trifling affair, or becaufe in his hunger he has taken a thicken before me out of my part of the difh, be the lefs agree- able friend to me ? Jf ft, what could I do if he was guilty of theft, *r had betrayed things committed to him- in confidence, or broke his word ? They who are plea- fed to rank all faults nearly on an equality, are gravel- led when they come to the truth of the matter : found fenfe and morality are againft them, and utility itfelf, which is the very mother almoft of right and equity When rude animals, they crawled forth upon the firtb- formed earth, the nntte and dirty herd of ’em fought with their nails and fifts for their acorn and caves, af- terwaids with clubs, and finally- with regular arms, which experience had forged : till they found out words- and names, by which they afeertained their language and ftnfations : henceforward they began to abftain- from war, to fortify towns, and eftablilh laws, that no perfoa, with impunity, might be a thief, a robber, or an adulterer. For before Helen’s time-, there exifted many a woman, who was the difmal caufc of war : but thofe /biMor Heroes fell by unknown deaths, whom ra- vifhing uncertain venery, as the bull does in the herd, the ftrongeft flew. It muft of nccelhty be acknow- ledged, if you have a mind to turn over the seras and annals of the world, that laws were invented from an apprehenfion of the natural injuftice of mankind. Nor can mere nature feparate what is unjuft from what is juft, in the fame manner as fhe diftinguifhes what is good from its reverfe, and what is to be avoided from that which is to be fought after : nor will reafon per- fuade men to this, that he who breaks down the cab- hage-fialk of his neighbour, fins in as great a meafure, 3 and C 183 ) B. I. En3 in die fame iranner, as he who fteak by night things confecrated to the Gods. Let there be a ftandard fettled., that may inflidt adequate puniihment.supon crimes : left you fhould persecute any one with the horrible thong, who is only deferving of a flight whipping. For 1 am not in the l*ijl apprehenfive, that you fliould correct with the rod one that deferyes to fuffer feverer ftripes; Cnee you affect that pilfering is an equal crime to highway- robbery, and threaten that you would prune off with an uzdiftinguiihing hook little and great vices, if man- kind was to give you the fovereignty over them *. If Jre be neceffarily rich, who is wife, and a good Shoemaker, and alone truly handsome,jand a king into the bargain, why do you wifh for that which you are poffeiied of ? You do not underftand what Chryflppus, the father of your feci, fays: The wife man never made himfelf Ihoes nor flippers : neverthelefs, the wife man is a fhoe-maker. How fo ? In the fame maimer, though Hermogenes be filent, he is a fine finger notwithftanding, and an excel- ent mufician : and as the fubtile lawyer Alleuus, after every iuftrument of his calling was thrown afide, and his Ihop Ihut up, was ftill a barber : thus is the wife man of all trades, thus is he a king. O greateft of great kings, the w aggilh boys pluck you by the beard; whom, unlefs you reltrain with your ftaff, you will be fqueezed to pieces with a mob all about you, and you may wretch- edly bark and burft your lungs in vain. Not to be te-

* The doBrine of the Stoics, as explained by Chry- Jippus, was, that a wife man was not only, ipi'o fafio, a king, but likewife of all trades and profffions what- foeuer, CL* dious: SAT. V. ( 184 ) dious: while you, great monarch, lhaIWo to the farthing hath, and no guard fiiall attend you, evcept the abfurd Crifpinus , and my dear friends fhail pardon me in any matter I fliall foolillily offend ; I alfo in my turn will cheerfully put up with their faults; and thus, though a private man, I fhall live more happily than you that are a king.

SATIRE IV. lie apologizes for the liberties taken by fatiricpetii in general, and particularly by himfelf. V THE poets Eupolis, and Cratinus, and Ariftophanes and others, who are authors of the antient comedy, if there was any perfon defetving to be diftinguifhed for being a rafeal, or a thief, an adulterer, ora cut-throat, or in any fhape an infamous fellow, they branded him with great freedom. Upon thefe models Lucilius en- tirely depends, having imitated them, changing only theirfee; and numbers : a man of wit, of great ketnnefs, of lingular execution in the compofition of verfe ; for in this refpedt he was faulty ; he would often, as a great feat ditSate two hundred verfes in an hour, {landing in the fame portion. As he flowed muddily, there was alivays fomething that one would wifh to trafe : be was verbole, and too lazy to endure the fatigue of writing; of writing accurately : for with regard to the quanti- ty of bis -arris, l make no account of it. But, fee! Crifpinus challenges me ez-ea for ever fo little a wager: , 11 ke 1( 185 ) b.l Take, if you dare, at this inftant take your tablets : let . there be a place, a time, and perfons to fee fair play ap- 1 pointed, and let us fee who can write the moft. The 15 Gods have done a good part by me, fince they have i framed me of an humble and meek difnofition, fpeaking ( but feldom, irai ties but briefly : But do you, Cnfpitwsy as much as you will, imitate air which is Ihut up in leathern * bellows, which is perpetually puffing, till the ifire foftens the iron. Fannius is an happy man, who, I of his own accord, has prefented his manufcripts and pidlure f to the Palatine Apollo : when not a foul will per- ufe my writings, who am afraid to rehearfe in public, on this account, becaufe there are certain perfons who can by no means relifh this kind of fatiric writings; as there are very many who defer ve cenfure. Single any liman out of the crowd; he either labours under a cove- tous diipofition, or through wretched ambition. One is mad in love with married women, another with children : a third the fplendor of filver captivates: Al- binos is in raptures with brafsf : another exchanges his merchandife from the rifmg fun §, even to that with ■which the weftern regions are warmed : but he is hur- ried headlong through dangers, as dull wrapped up in a whirlwind; in dread left he ftiould lofe any thing out t of his capital, or in hope that he may increafe his {lore, jl All thefe are afraid of verfes, they hate poets. “ He

* Literally goat's leather. f The Augujlan repofttory for the 'writings and rf- fgles of men of genius. { Brazen bujls and njafes. § ki urn the eajl. Qji “ has SAT. IV. ( i86 ) “ has hay on his horn, they cry ; avoid him at a gredt “ dillance : if he can but raife a laugh for his own di- “ verfion, he will not fpare any friend : and whatever “ he has once blotted upon his paper, he will take a “ pleafure in letting all the boys and old women know, “ as they return from the bakehoufe, or the lake.” But come on, pleafe to attend to a few words on the other fide of the quefiion. In the firft place, then, I ■will except myfelf out of the number of thofe 1 will allow to he poets: for one mull not call it fufircient to tag a verfe; nor if any per- fon, like me, writes in a Ityle bordering on eonverfation,- mufl you efteem him to be a poet. Who has genius, who has a foul of a diviner call, and a greatnefs of ex- preffion, give him the honour of this appellation. On this account fome have queried whether comedy be a poem or not: becaufe an animated fpirit and force is neither in the ftyle nor the fubjeft-matter: bating that it differs from profe by a certain meafure, it is mere profe. But one may objeSi to th:s, that emen m comeJy an inflamed father rages,-becaufe his diffeiute fon, mad after a prof- titute miilrefs, refufesa wife with a large portion ; and (what is an egregious fcandal) rambles about drunk with flambeaux by day-light. Yet could Pornponius, •were his father alive, hear lefs fevere reproofs? Where- fore it is not fuff.cient to write verfes merely in proper language ; which, if you take to pieces, any perfon may fiorm in the fame manner as the father in the play *. If from thefe verfes which I write at this prefent, or thofe that Lucilius did formerly, you take away certain pau-

* Denied in tke AJelfhi. fjs ( 1^7 ) E. h fe» and meafui'cs* and make that whidh v’a' fird hi or-* der hindernioft, by placing the latter words before thofe that preceded in the verfe; you will not difcern the limbs of a poet * when thrown in pieces, in the fame manner as you would were you to tranlpofe ever fe theje lines Ennius ; When Difcord dreadful burjls the brazen bars. And Iron locks Jhe rends to thunder forth her ivar s. So far of this matter; at another opportunity, I may inveitigate whether a comedy be a true poem or not ; how 1 lhall only confider this point, whether this fatiri* kind of writing be defervedly an objedt of your fufpi- cion or not. Sulcius the virulent, and Caprius, both hoarfe with their malignancy, walk openly, and with their libelsf too in their hands ; each of them a fmgu- lar terror to robbers : but if a man Hycs honeftly, and with clean hands, he may defpife them both. Though you be like highwaymen Coelus and Byrrhus, I am not a common accufer, like Caprius and Sulcius : why, therefore, Ihouldyou be afraid of me ? no (hop nor (fall holds my books, which the fweaty hands of the vulgar and of Hermogenes Tigellius, may foil. I repeat to no- body except my intimates, and that only ■when I cannot poflibly avoid it; not any where, and bef»re any body. There are many who recite their writings in the mid- dle of the forum; and who do it while bathing : the clofenefs of the place it feerns gives melody to the voice, 'i bis pleafes coxcombs, who never confider vvhe-

* D'rvtjl ihefe lines as much as you pleafe of the meajure, neverthelefs the poetical fpirit cwill remain* f Tablets containing articles of indictment. ther SAT. IV. ( ) ther they do this to no purpofe, or at *n improper time. But you, fays he, delight to hurt people, and this you do out of a mifehievous difpofition. From what fourcc do you throw this calumny upon me? Is any one then your voucher, with whom I have lived in intimacy ? He who hack-bites his abfent friend ; nay mere, who does not defend at another’s accufmg him; who affedts to raife loud laughs in company, and the reputation of a funny fellow at other's expense; who can make things he never faw; who cannot keep fecrets; he is a danger- ous man ; be you aware of him. You may often fee it, even in crowded companies, where twelve fup toge- ther on three couches ; one of which fhall delight at any rate to afperfe the reft, except him * who furnilhes the bath ; and him too afterwards in his liquor, when truth- telling Bacchus opens the fecrets of his heart. Yet this man feems entertaining, and well bred, and frank to you, who are an enemy to the malignant : but do I, if 1 have laughed becaufe the fop Rufillus fmells all per- fumes, and Gorgonius, like a he-goat, appear invidious and a fnarler to you ? If by any means mention happen to be made of the thefts of Pettllus Capitolinus in your company; you defend him after your manner: as thus, Capitolinus nas had me for a companion and friend even from childhood, and on being applied to, has done many things on my account; and I am glad that he lives fe- cure in the city; but I wonder, notwithftanding, how he evaded that fentence that was paired again!! him. This is the very effence of invidious poifon, this is mere malice itfclf : which crime, that it ihall he far remote

** The koji, majler of the feoji. from from !;:y writings, and prior to them, from my mind, I p iincere’.y promife, if I can take upon me to promife any i tiling of myfelf. If I {hall fay any thing in my wri- ( tings too frecdy, if perhaps too ludicroufly, you mull ' favour me by your indulgence with this allowance. '[For try excellent father inured me to this cuftom, that oy noting each particular vice, 1 might avoid it by the iljexaniple cf others,. When he exhorted me that 1 Ihould live thriftily, frugally, and content with whit he had ( iprovidedfor me; Don’t you fee, -rnoU Jn’ fiy how '''Tr'ch- ;1 edly the fon of Albius lives ? and how miferably Bar- : rus ? an affecting JelTon to hinder any one from fquan- tidering away his patiimony. When he would deter me i'from filthy fondnefs for a {trumpet: Take care, faid hi, i. that you do not refemble Sedtanus. That 1 might not •foilo adulterefies, when I could enjoy a lawful amour : the charadler, cry’d he, of Trebonius, who was caught in the fade, is by no means clever. The philofopher t may tell you the reafons what is better to be avoided, : and what to be purfued. It is fufficient for me, if I can prtferve the morality traditional from my forefa- thers, and keep your life and reputation inviolate, fo I long as you {land in need of a guardian : As foon as age {hall have ftrengthened your limbs and mind, you will fwim without cork. In this manner he formed me as yet a boy ; and whether he ordered me to do any particular thing, You have an authority, boy, for do- ing this : ih h he i .{lanced feme one out of the feledl magiftrates : or did he forbid me any thing. Can you doubt, fays he, whether this thing.be dishonourable* and againll your ifitereft to be done, when this perfon aud the other is become fuch a burning fname for hi* bad charaAer on thefe accounts ? As a neighbouring funeral SAT. IV. ( *9° ) funeral difpirits lick gluttons, and through fear of deatli forces them to have mercy upon themfelves; fo other men's difgraces often deter tender minds from vices. From this method of education 1 am clear from all fuch vices as bring dcftrudtion along with them : By lefler foibles, and fuch as you may think venial, I am poflcf- fed. And even from thcfe, perhaps, a maturer age, the finccrity of a friend, or my own judgment, may make great reductions. For neither when I am in bed, or walking in the piazzas, am 1 wanting to myfelf:— This way of proceeding is better :—By doing fuch a thing I IVall live more comfortably ; —By this means I fhall render myfelf agreeable to my friends:—Such a tranfa&ion was not clever :—What, lhall I at any time imprudently commit any thing like it ? Thefe things I revolve in fiience by myfelf. When I have any leifure, I amufe myfelf with my papers. This is one of thole leffer foibles I was fpeaking of: to which if you don’t grant your indulgence, a numerous band of poets may come, which will take ray part; (for we are many more in number now than ever :) and like the Jews we will force you to come over to our numerous par- V- ( 191 ) B. L

SATIRE V.

defcribes a certain journey of bis from Rome /a Brtmduflum with great pleafantry.

AVING left magnificent Rome, Aricia received me in but a middling inn : Heliodorus the rheto- cian, by far the moft learned of the Grecians, -ivas my ow-travelkr : Thence we proceeded to Forum-Ap- , fluffed with failors and furly landlords. This ftage, t one for perfons more expedite than we, being lag- d, we divided into two parts : the Appian way is lef» efome to bad travellers. Here I, on accoont of the wa- r, which was execrable, proclaim war againft my bel- , waiting not without impatience for my companions, hilft at flipper. Now the night was preparing co- read her Ihadows upon the earth, and to difpky the rcftellations in tire heavens. Then our flaves began to liberal of their abufe to the watermen, and the wa- rmen to our flaves, “ Here, bring to, ye dogs." “You are flowing in hundreds : hold, now J'urc there is enough.” Thus while the fare is paid, and the mule ftened, a whole hoar is pafled away. The curfed tats, and frogs of the fens drive affrepofe. While e waterman and a pafleuger well foaked with plenty thick wine, vie with one another in finging the prai- s of their abfent miftreffes : at length the pafl'enger, •ing fatigued begins to fleep ; and the lazy waterman ties SAT. V. ( 191 ) ties the halter of the mule turned nut a grazing, to ad great ftone, and fnores, lying flat on his back. And now the day approached, when we faw the boat made no way : until a cholerie fellow, one of the paflengcrs,, leaps out of the boat, and drubs the head and fides of foth mule and waterman with a willow cudgel. At' inft we were fcarcely fet afhore at the fourth hour *. We injiantly walh our faces and hands in thy water, G Feronia. Then having dined, we crawled on three miles farther; and arrive under Anxur, which is built upon rocks that look white to a great dillante. Maecenas was to come here, as was the excellent Cocceius, both lent ambaffadors on matters of great importance; ha- ving been before accotlonied to reconcile f friends at variance. Here, having got fore eyes, I was obliged to the life of the black ointment. In the mean time came Mtecenas, and Cocceins, and Fonteius Capito along with them, a nobleman of the greateft accomplilhment; and intimate with Mark Antony, no man more fo. Without regret we next paffed Fundi, where Aufi- dius Lufcus was prattor, laughing heartily at the honours of that crazy feribe, namely, his prastexta, laticlave, and pan of incenfe. At our next Jlage, being weary, we tar-* jy in the city of the Mamurite Murena compliment- ing us with his houfe, and Capito with his kitchen. 'i he next day arifes by much the moft agreeable of. all: for Plotius, and Varius, and Virgil, met us at SinuV —I * Our ten o'clock. f OBa-vius and Antony. } Formioc, y>c/» nukencc the family of the Mamurm'i\ ret tvus deri ved- ( 193 ) B.I. efCa; Souls, more candid ones than which the world never produced, nor is there a perfon in the w'orld more devoted to them than myfelf. O what embraces, and what tranfports were there among ft us ! While / am in my fenfes, nothing on earth can I prefer to a compa- nionable friend. The village which is next adjoining to the bridge of Campania, accommodated us with lodg- ing at night; and the public officers with fuch a quan- tity of fuel and fait, as they are obliged to by law. From this place the mules depofited their pack-faddles at Capua betimes in the morning. Maecenas goes to play at tennis; hut I and Virgil to our repofe : for to play at tennis is hurtful to weak eyes and feeble confli- tutions. From this place the villa of Cocceius, fituated above the Caudian inns, which abounds with plenty of every thing that is good, receives us. Now, my mufe, I beg of you briefly to relate the notable engagement between the buffoon Sarmentus and Meffius Cicirrus ; and front ■what anceftry defeended each entered to the conteft. The illuftrious race of Meffius—Ofcian *: Sarmentus f his miftrefs is ftill alive. Sprung from fuch families as thefe, they came to the combat. And firfl Sarmentus : “ I pronounce thee to have the very look of a mad « horfe.” We laugh; and Meffius himfelf fays, “ I “ accept your challengeand wags his head. “ O!” cries he, “ if the horn was not cut off your forehead, “ what would you not do; fince maimed as you are,

* A •veryJlrong irony, for the Ofciant ojjere infa- mous to a pro'verb. ■f Sarmentus was confequently a flave- R SAT. V. C *94 ) “ you bully at fuch a rate ?” For a fcul fear had dif- graced the left part of Meflms’s grifly forehead. Then cutting many jokes upon his Campanian difeafe, and upon his face, he defired him to exhibit Polyphemus's dance : that he had no occafion for a mafquc, or the tragic hufkins. Cicirrus retorted largely to thefe : he alked, whether he had confecrated his chain to the houfehold gods according to his vow : though he was a Icribe, he told him his miltrefs’s property in him was not the lefs on that account. Laftly, he alkcd how he ever came to run away; fuch a lank, meagre fellow, for whom, a * pound of corn a-day would he more than fufficient. In fhort, we were fo diverted, that we con- tinued that fupper to an unufual length. From hence we proceed ftraight on for Benevcntum ; where the buttling landlord almoft burnt himfelf m roaftingfome lean thrulhes: for the fire falling through the old kitchen floor, the fpreading flame made a great progrefs towards the higheft part of the roof. Then you might have feen the hungry guefts and frighten’d flaves fnatching their fupper out ofl the flames, and every body endeavouring to extinguifh the fire. After this, Apulia began to difeover to me her f well- known mountains, which the Atabulus j fcorches with his blatts: and through which we fhould never have crept, unlefs the neighbouring village of Trivicus had

* By the laws of the tweli'e tables, JIavcs were allowed a pound of corn a-day each. f Apulia

* iEquotaticum was the town whofe name can- not Jland in a hexameter verfe. \ There are two meanings in the original Iratif lymphis, fife. The JirJl fays, the town was built in Zefpite of the waters, as if they were offended at its I'l'tg built. The fecond, that Its inhabitants were •vijicnurietf SAT. VI. ( 196 ) waters, gave us occafion for jefts and laughter; for ticy wanted to perfuade us, that at this fucrcd portal the in- ccnl'e melted without the help of fire. The Jew * A pel- la may believe this, not I. For 1 have learned from Epicurus, that the Gods dwell in a ft ate of tranquillity ; nor, if nature effe<51 any wonder, that the anxious Gods fend it from the high canopy of the heavens. Brundufnmi ends both my long journey and my paper.

SATIRE VI. ■ X 4

To MAECENAS. Of true Nobility. OMxcenas, tho’, of all the Lydians f that ever in- habited the Tufcan territories, no one is of a no- bler family than yourfelf: and neither tho’ you have anceftors born on father and mother’s fide, that in times paft have had the command of great armies, do you, as the generality are wont, tofs up your nofe at obfeure

'vifionarieSyluvatics, LYMPHatici. Francis. —- flit there is a third interpretation, nvh'ch feenis more plaufble, viz. that the water was mery bad at this place. * Or, the circumcifed few. f There,s a tradition, that the Lydians under Tyr- rhenus, the fan of Hercules, came into Italy, and pof- fed tbemfelves of Tufcany. people ( 197 ) 1* people, fuch as me, who had tnly a freed-man for my father : fince you deny that it is of any confequence of what parents any man is born fo, that he be a man of merit. You perfuade yourfelf with great truth, that before the dominion of Tullius, and * the reign of one born a flave, frequently numbers of men de- fcended from anceftors of no rank, have both lived •with the reputation of men of merit, and have been dif- tinguilhed by the greateft honours: ■while, on the o- ther hand.Lxvinus, the defcendant of that famous Vale- rius, by whofe means Tarquinius Superbus fled, being expelled from his kingdom, was not a farthing more cfteemed on account of bis family, even in the judgement of the people; whofe difpofition you are perfeSly ac- quainted with ; and who frequently foolilhly bcftow honours on the unworthy, and are, out of their flupi- dity, flaves to a name ; who are (truck with admiration by infcriptions and ftatues. What then is it fitting for us to do, who are far, very far removed from the vul- gar in our fentiments ? For grant it, that the people had rather confer a dignity on Lrevinus, than on Decius, ■who is a new man f; and the cenfor Appius would tx- pel me the fenate houJe,\sttcA\iic I was not fprung from a fire of diftinclion ; and that too defervedly, inafmuch as l refted not content in my own condition. But yet glory captivates in her dazzling car the obfcure as cUfely fet- ter’d as thofe of nobler birth. What would it profit you.

* Ignoble, becaufe Servius Tullius was the fan of <* female captii

* Names of femes. f Had fuch a ftrength of voice. Noife is apt to take ewitbtbe vulgar, and thus be.ewas raifed, by no other merit, to honours in the fate. Now ( *59 ) li. I. Now I return to myfdf, who am defcended from a !reed-man; whom every body nibbles at, as being de- ifcended from a freed-man. Now they i» it, becaufe, Mas- eenas, 1 am a conftant gueft of yours; but formerly they iid it, becaufe a Roman legion was under my command, being then a military tribune. This latter cafe is dif- 0 liferent from the former : for though any perfon perhaps .might juftly envy me that poll of honour, yet could he llnot do fo with regard to your being my friend ; efpecial- ly as you are very cautious to admit only fuch as are ‘worthy of your ejleem; and are far from having any fini- ! Her ambitious view: in foliciting it. I cannot reckon my- Ifelf a lucky fellow on this account, vi%. that ’twas by accident that I got you for my friend; for no kind of accident threw me in your way. That bell of men Vir- jil, long ago, and after him Varius, told what 1 was. When firft I came into your prefence, I fpoke only a few words in a broken manner; (for childilh balhfulnefs hindered me from fpeaking more) I did not pretend to 1 tell you that I was the iffue of an illuftrious father : I ! did not pretend that I rode about the country (or, about ' ray country eftate) on a Satureian horfe*1, but plainly il tell what I really was : You anfwer (as your cuftom is) few words; I depart; and you re-invite me after the '(ninth month, and command me to be in the number of your friends. I efteem it a Angular honour, that I plea- fed you, who diftinguifti probity from bafenefs, not by he illuftrioufnefs of a father, but by the purity of heart the manner of living. Satureium, or Saturnm,

* In order to prevent the expence of flopping at the inn. t The refert of the cheating augurs and fortune- -tellers. lifteniog SAT. VI. ( oca ) liftening amongft the fortune-tellers: thence 1 take mr- felf home to a plate of onions, pulfe, and pancakes. My fupper is fenced up by three Haves: and a white ftone fab I'upports two cups and a tumbler : near them (land* a homely ewer, and a cruet w ith a little bowl, all ear- then ware from Campania. Then I go to reft; by no means concerned becaufe I muft rife in the morning and pay a vifit to the faint <.f * Marfyas, who abfolutdy dif- claims that he is able to bear the look of the younger Novius. I lie a-bed to the fourth hour : after that I take a ramble, or 1 write or read what may amufe me in my privacy. I am anointed with oil,but not with fuch as the nafty niggard Natta is, when he robs the lamps. Dut when the fun, become more violent, has reminded me to go to bathe, I efcape the hour of his fcorching influence. Having dined in a temperate manner, juft enough to hinder me from having an empty ftomach during the reft of the day, I trifle in my own houfe. This is the life of thofe who are free from wretched and hurdenfome ambition : with fuch things as thefe I comfort myfelf, in a way to live more delightfully than

* The Jlatue of Marfyas, the Satyr, tuho contended nvith Apollo, and auas flayed for his prefumption, eivas erefled in the Forum, opp'flte the feat of the me.- gift rates ; and the poet pleafantly goes on to fay, it flood in fuch an attitude, as Jheoved its indignation to behold a man, mho had been a flame, nom fitting a- • mong the magifirates of Rome. The fatyr, in his ■ refentment at fuch a fight, forgets the pain of his ; being flay'd alive. This mas like mi/e the vfual place | ( 1*3 ) B.r. |«f my grand-father had been a quxftor *, and father md uncle too.

SATIRE VII.

' humoroujly deferibes a fquabblc betwixt Rupilius and Perjius. what manner the f mongrel Perfius revenged the filth and venom of Rupilius, furnamed King, is, I Junk, known to all the blind and barbers in Rome. This ' Pcrfiu* being a man of fortune, had a very great bufi- Wnefs at Clazomene 1, and, into the bargain, trou- Ublefome litigations with King ; a harden’d fellow, and Mane who was able to exceed even King in virulence ; lionfident, biuftering, and of fuch a bitternefs of fpeech, Uihat be wou’d out-ftrip the Sifennx § and Barri, if ever ko well equipt ]\fir the putpafe. L But I return to King. After nothing could be fettled a jetwixt them ; (for people amongft whom adverfe war $ jreaks out, are proportionably vexatious on the fame uccount as they are brave. Thus between Hedlor, the

* The Sftaflorfc'ip aval a place of great honour and, •>rofi. f Perjius ouas a Greek by his father> and. an Ita- Iinn by his mother. $ A city of the leffer Afta. § Sifenna and Barri were it famous in all refpccls, tut efpecially for •virulence of jpeerh. || On white horfes; a proverbial expreffton: White hotf s were deemed the fve'ftefl. fon PAT. VII. ( 204 ) fon of Priam, and the kigh-fpirited Achilles, the rage ■was of fo capital a nature, that only the final deftruc- tion of one of them could determine it; and this on no other account, than that valour in each of them was eonfummate. If difcord fets two cowards to work, or if an engagement happens between two that are not of a match, as * that of Diomede and the Lycian Glau- cus; the worfe man will walk off, buying his peace by fending prefents;) when Brutus held, as praetor, the fertile Afia, this notable pair, Rupilius and Perfiua en- countered, in fuch a manner, that the gladiator Bacchi- us Was never better matched with Bithus. Impetuous they hurry to the caufc; each of them a fine fight. Perfius firft opens his cafe; and is laugh’d at by all the affembly; he extols Brutus, and extols the guard ; he ftiles Brutus the fon of Afia, and his attendants he ftilts falutary flars, all except King: that he, he fays, came like that dog, the conftellation hateful to hufbandmen : in fhort, he pour’d along like a wintry flood, where the ax feldom cohies. Then upon his running on in fo fmart and fluent a manner, the Prseneftine bi»g difedis fome witticifms ; fqueezed from the vineyard, himlelf a hardy vine-dref- ; fer, never defeated, to whomthe pafienger had often been obliged to yield, bawling cuekow with roaring voice, ‘f But the Grecian Perfius, as foot? as he had been weij fprinkled with Italian vinegar, bellows out : O Brutus, by the great Gods I conjure you, who art accuftomed to take off f kings, why do you not difpatch this king ?

* Homer’s Hind, book the fourth. ■f It was an hereditary glory in the family qf Bnf lus, to aboii/b tyranny, and punj/i tyrants. Belicvt ( iOS ) B. T. Believe me, this is a piece of work which of right he* longs to you.

■- ;; -I.'.-..i ■. a---a- rr. •. ar SATIRE VIII.

Priapus complains that the Efquilian memt is inf jl- ed with the incantations of forcerejfes.

FOR MERLY I was the trunk of a wild fig-tree, an ufelefs log : when the artificer, in doubt whether he fhould make a ftool or a Priapus * of me, deter- mined at lajt that l IhouH be a God. Henceforward / became a God, the greateft terror of thieves and birds : for my right hand retrains thieves, and a bloody-look- ing pole is (Iretched out from my frightful middle : bne a reed fixed upon the crown of my head terrifies the tnifehievous birds, and hinders them from fettling in thefe new gardens. Before this, the fellow Have bore dead corpfes thrown out of their narrow cells to this place, in order to be depofited in paltry coffins. This place flood a common fepulchre for the miferable mob, for the buffoon Panrolabus, and Nomentanus the rake. Here a column afiigned a thoufand feet of ground in front, and three hundred towards the fields ; that the burial-place fiiould not defeend to the heirs of the eilate.

* He was the fon of Bacchus and Venusy and prifi- ded over, and was a proteflor to the gardens. In fad, he was nothing put a fcarc-crow. Now SAT.vnr. ( *c6 ) Now one may live in the Efquilias, fince it is made * an healthy place,and walk upon an open terrafs>; where’ lately the melancholy pafiengers beheld the ground frightful with white bones. Though both the thieves and wild beads ufed to infeft this place, put together, do not occalionme fo much care and trouble, as do tbcfe hags, that turn peoples minds by their incantations and drugs. Thefe 1 cannot by any means deftroy nor hin- der, but that they will gather bones and noxious herbs, as foon as the fleeting moon has-lhewn forth her beau- teous face. ' ■ ' I myfelf faw Canidia, with her fable garment tucked tip, walk with bare feet and dilhevelled hair, yelling together with the elder Sagana. Palenefs had render- ed each of them horrible to behold. They began to claw up the earth with their nails, and to tear a black ewe-lamb to pieces with their teeth. The blood was- poured into a ditch, that from thence they might charm o t the ihades of the dead, ghofts that were to give them anfwers. There was a woollen effigy too, ano- ther of wax ; the woolen one larger, which was to in-- fliiS jome fort of punifhment on the little one of nax. The waxen flood in a fuppliant poflure, as ready to per- ilh in a fervile manner. One of the hags invokes He- cate, and the other fell Tifiphone. Then might you fee ferpents and infernal bitches crawl about them ; and the moon with blufhes withdrawing behind the lofty monuments, that fhe might not be a witnefs to thefe infamous doings.—But if 1 lie, even a title, about this affair, may my head be contathinated with the white filth of

By Maecenas. ravens; ( ) B. 1. ravens; and inay Julius, and the effeminate Mifs Pedia- tius, and the knave Voranus' come to urine upon me, and befoul me. Why fnould I mention every parti- cular ? viz. in what manner, fpeaking alternately with Sa^ana, the ghofis uttered difmal and piercing ftirieks; and how clandeftinely they hid in the eatth a wolf’s beard, with the teeth of a fpotted fnakc; and how great a blaze flamed forth from the waxen image ? and how I was ftiocked at the voices and adtions of thefe two fu- ries, a fpedtator however by no means incapable of re- venge ; for from my * cleft bum of fig-tree I let a fart, which made as great an explofion as a hurften bladder. But they immediately ran into the city; and then, with exceeding laughter and diverfion might you have feeii Canidia’s artificial teeth, and Sagana’s towering tete of fali'e hair falling off, and the herbs, and the inchant- ed bracelets from her arms.

SATIRE IX.

S He deferibts his fufferings from the loquacity of an impertinent fellow. I Was accidentally going along the Via Sacra, medi- tating on fome trifle or other, as is my cuftom, and

* The wood of which he was made, not being per- fectly dry. his god/hip burft; the witches took the crack for what the poet fays it was, and the god boq/ls of it as afignal mark of his 'vengeance. 1 totally sat. ix. c ) I totally intent upon it. A certain perfefi, known to me ty name only, runs up ; and having feized my hand, j [ “ How do you, my deareft man alive ?” Tolerably well, fays T, as times go ; and I wilhyeu everything you can defire. When / fercemtd he [Ml followed me ; Would you any thing ? fays I to him. But he, “ * You know 1 : “ me, fays he : I am a man of learning ” Upon this account, fays I, you’ll have mote of tny efteem. Want- ing fadly to get away front him, fometimes I walked on a-pace, now and thcri I flopt and whifpercd fome- thing to the boy. W’hen the fweat ran down to the bottom of Biy ancles, O, fays I to myfelf, Bollanusf, bow happy are you in a head-piece ! Meanwhile he kept prating on any thing that came uppermofl, prai- fed the ftreets, the city ; and when 1 made him no an- fwer; “ You want terribly, fays he, to get away: I “ perceived it long ago; but you ire nevet the near- “ er: I fltall flick dofe to you : I {hall follow you hence : “ Where are you at prefent bound for ?” There is no need for your being carried fo much about. I want to fee a perfon who is unknown to you ; he lives a great way off a-erofs the Tiber, juft by Ctefar’s gardens. “ I “ have nothing to do, and am not lazy ; I will attend “ yrtu thither.” I haflgdowti my ears like a furly afs, when an heavier load than Ordinary is put upon his back. He begins again : “ If I am tolerab'y acquaint- ed with myfelf, you will not efteem Vifcus, or Vuri-

* Or, Buts fays he, you knows me. f Nothing is recorded of him, but that he was ei- ther A -very choleric or a veryJiupid fellows. The lat- ter feife is preferred. us, ( ) b. r. " its, \ friend, more thsn me; for who can write more “ verfes, or in a fhorter time than I ? Wlio can move “ liis limbs with fofter grace in the dance ? And then “ 1 fing^that even Hermogenes may envy me.” Here there was an opportunity of intetrupting him; Have you. Sir, a mother, or any relations, that are in- terefted in your welfare ? “ Not one have I; I have bii- “ ried them all.” Happy they ! Now I remain. Dif- patch me; for the fatal moment is at hand, which, an old Sabine forcerefs, having fliaken her divining urn, foretold when I was a boy ; 4 '1 his child, neither fhall “ cruel poifon, nor the hoftile fword, nor the crippling “ gout, nor pleurify, nor rough deftroy ; a babbler lhall 44 one day demolilh him: if he is wife, let him avoid 44 talkative people, as foon as he comes to man’s ef- 44 tate.” One fourth of the day being now part, we came to Vella’s ; and, as good luck would have it, he was obli- ged to appear to his recognizance; which tinlefs he did, he muft have loft his caufe. 44 If you love me; 44 fays he, ftep in here a little.” May I die, if 1 be ei- ther able to ftand it out, or have any knowledge of the civil laws; and befides, I am in a hurry, you know whither. 44 I am indoubt what I fhall do,” fays he } 44 vyhether defert you, or my caufe.” Me, I beg of you, Sir. “ I will not do it,” fays he; and began to take the lead of me. 1 (as it is difficult to contend with one’s mailer) follow him. 44 How {lands it with Mxcenas 44 and you ?” Thus he begins his prate again. “ He’s 44 one of few intimates, and of a very wife way of think- 44 ing. No man ever made ufe of opportunities with 44 more clevernefs. You fhould have a powerful af- 45 fiftant, who could play an under part, if you were S3 “ difpoftd SAT. IX. ( its ) “ were difpofed tfl recommend this man *: may I perilh “ if you wtiuld not furpiant all the reft.” Wc do not live there in the manner you imagine; there is not a houfe in Romt that is freer or more remote from evils f of this nature. It is never of any dififtrvice to me, that any particular perfon is wealthier or a better fcholar than I am: every individual has his proper rank. “ You tell me a marvellous thing, fcarcely credible.” But it is even fo. “ You the more inflame my defires “ to be near his perfon.” You need only be inclined to it; fuch is your'merit, you will accomplifh it: and he is very ctpable of being won ; and on that account the firft acccfs to him he makes difficult. “ I will “ not he wanting to myfelf: I will corrupt his fervants “ with prei'ents; if I am excluded to-day, I will not de- fift; T W’ill feek proper opportunities; I will meet “ him in the public ftreets; I will wait upon him home. « This world allows nothing to mortals without great “ labour.” White he was tunning on at this rate, lo, Fufcus Ariftius comes up, a dear friend of mine, and one who knew the fellow well. We make a flop. « Whence come you? Whither are you going?” he afks and anfvvers. 1 begin to twitch him by the elbnv, and to take hold of his arms that were ajftfiedly paflive, nodding and diflorting my eyes, that he might refene me. Cruelly arch he laughs, and pretends not to take the hint: anger galled my liver. Certainly, fays /, Fufcus, you mentioned, that you wanted to communi- cate fomething to me in private. “ l remember it

* Pointing to himfilf f Family broils and jeaioiijiei. M very ( 2” ) B.f. very well; bu will tell it you at a better opportuni- ty : to-day is the thirtieth fabbath *. Would you affront the circumcil'ed Jews ?” I reply that I had no Tcruple of confluence on that account. “ But I have ; I am fomething weaker, one of the multitude. You muft forgive me s I will fpeak with you at another time.” And hath this fun arofe fo difaftrous upon e ? The wicked rogue runs away, and leaves me un- er the harrow. But by good luck his adverfary met aim f; and “ whither arc you going, you infamous fel- ‘ low?” roars he with a loud voice; And, “ do you ‘ witnefs the arreft V' I injlantly affent f. He hurries aim into court : there is a great clamour on both fades, iml a mob tame up from all parts. Thus Apollo prefer* ed me.

* The Jews began their year the jirji of September, tnd celebrated their Pajfrevcr about the middle of A- 'ril, at the expiration of thirty weeks. It continued ight days, the two firjl and two lafl of which, it vas not permitted amongjt them even to talk upon •ujtnefs. t The impertinent fellow. t Literally, “ / offer my ear’' for the perfon to ouch; which was a particular form on tbefe occa- ■ ons and without which the perfon called on was not 'bliged to appear. The reafon of this Pliny gives, sit in aure ima memoriae locus, quam tungcates ttella nur,

SA. SAT, X. ( *i2 )

SATIRE X.

He fupports the judgment he had before given of Lu- cilius, and interjperfes fame excellent precepts for the writing cffatire,.

TO be lure I did fay * that the vfcrfes of Lnciliu? did not run fmoothly. Who is fo fooliihly fond of Lucilius, that he would not own this ? But the fame •writer is applauded in the fame fatire, on account of his having lalhed the town with great humour. Neverthe- lefs, granting him this, 1 will not therefore give up o- ther confderations; for, at that rate, 1 might even admire the farces of Laberius as fine poems. Wherefore it is by no means fufficient to make an auditor grin with laughter; and yet there is fome degree of merit even in this. There is a concifenefs reiiuifite, that the fen- tence may run off, nor embarafs itfelf in a multiplicity of words, that overload the fated ear; and fometimes a grave, frequently a jocofe ftile is neceflary, fupporting the charadfer one while of the orator, and at another of the poet, now and then that of a graceful rallier, that curbs the force of his pleafantry, and weakens it on pur- pofe. For ridicule often decides matters of importance

* See fatire the fourth of this book, verfe the ele- venth- n.iore ( ) B.t. Ifttffe cffecStially, and in a better manner, than the fe- ere. Thdfe poets by whom the anticnt comedy was rote, ftood upon this foundation, and in this are they orthy of imitation : whom neither the fmooth-faced iermogenes ever read, nor that baboon * who is (killed nothing but finging the wanton compojttioni of Calvus nd Catullus. But Lucilius,fay they, did a great thing, when he in* rmixed Greek words with Latin. O late-learned ■nees ! what do you think that arduous and admirable, hich was done by Pirhole the K ho ? But (fill iey cry) the ftile elegantly compofed of both tongues is !le more pleafant, as if the Falernian winef is mixed rith Chian. When you ,ake verfes, I aik you thisquef- on, were you to undertake the difficult caufe of the accu» :dPetillus|,whether,for inilance,forgetfulof yourcoun- 1 and your father’s language, while Pedius, Poplicola, d Corvinus, elaborately pleaded againll you in Latin; ould you chufe to intermix words borrowed from a* road, like the double tongued Canufinian § ? But as >r myfelf, who was born on this hde the w ater, when was upon making Greek verfes; Romulus appearing

* Demetrius, a poet and after, very remarkable for is deformity. I One of tbefe wines was fweet, and the other ough, conf-quently they drank heft mixed- f Seefatire the fourth, verfe ninety-fourth, of this oak. § Canuftum was a town of Apulia, whofe inhahi- mts were of Grecian extraction, and fpoke (as a wdern would fay) broken Latin. to SAT. X. ■f M4 ) to me after mid night, w hen dreams are true, forbad me in words to this effedl : “ You epu’d not be guilty “ of more folly by carrying timber into a wood, th.m “ if you are defirous to throng in amongft the great “ crouds of Grecian writers.” ‘Therefore while the boinballical Alpinus murders poor Memnon *, and while he deforms the f muddy fource of the Rhine, I amufe myfclf with thefe fetires; which can neither be recited in the temple of Apollo, as conteft* ing for the prize, when Tarpa prefides as judge, nor can have a run over and over again reprefented in the theatre. You, O h'undanus, of all men breathing, are the moft capable of prattling tales ia a comic vein, how an artful courtezan, and a Davus itnpofe upon an old •Chremes : Pollio fings the adlions of kings in j lambic meafure : the fublime Vatins compofes the manly Epic, in a manner that no one can equal: And to Virgil the mufes that delight in rural feenes have granted the § delicate and the elegant, It was this kind of fatiric •wri- ting, the Atacinian Varo and fome others having at- tempted it without fuccefs, which I may have fonif flight merit in; inferior to the inventor ; nor would I

* The name cf a wretched tragedy wrote by this s Alpinus. ■\ In his wretched defeription of it •, the name of the river in the Celtic language, fignifying pure. f Kad two meafures, each conjifling of two feet. * Hence fometimes fenarii, andfometimes trimetia. § The Aim-id was not publijhed when this fatire was wrote. yrefu;r:5# f *15 ) b, refume to pull off the laurel crown, placed upon his row with fuch great applaufe. But I laid that he flowed muddily, frequently car- ping along more things which certainly ought to be aken away than left. Be it fo ; do you, who are a ;reat fcholar, find no fault with any thing in the great omer, 1 pray ? Does the facetious Lucilius make no Iterations in the tragedies of Accius? Does not the me poet ridicule many of Ennius’s verles, which are .0 light for the gravity of the fubjcQ ? When at the fame he fpcaks of hiriifelf, by no means as fuperior to hat he blames. What therefore fhould hinder me like- ife, while 1 am reading the works'of Llicilius from in- uiring whether ’tis his genius, or the difficult nature if his iubjetft', that will not fufftr his verbs to be more niflied, and to run more fmoothly, than if any one, inking ft fufficrent (attending to this only ) to con- ude a iomething of fix feet, be fond of writing two undred verfes before he cats, and as many after fup- r ? Such was the genius of the Tufcan Caffius, more ipetuous than a rapid river ; who as it is currently re- ined, was burnt at the funeral pile with the fuel of hi. is own books and papers. Let it be allowed, I fayt at I.ucilius was an humorous polite writer ; that he as alfo more corredt than Ennius, the author of a kini poetry not yet well cultivated, nor at all attempted v the Giecians, and -more correit like-wife than the tribe our old poets : but yet he, if he had been brought own by the fates of this age of ours, would have re- ench’d a great deal from his writings; he would have run’d off every thing that fhould tranfgrefs the limits [ perfection ; and, in the conapofitian of verfes, would often SAT. X. ( 216 ) often have fcratched his head, and bit his nails to the quick. You that intend to write, what is worthy to he read more than once, * blot frequently : and take no pains to make the multitude admire you, content with the fevrjuJimus readers. What, wnuld'you be fuch a fool as to be ambitious that your verl'es fhould be taught in petty fchools ? That is not my cafe. It is enough for me that the knight Msecenas applaud : as the courage- ous aRrcfi Arbufcula erprefled herfelf, in contempt of the reft of the audience, when fhe was hiffed by the popu- lace. What, fliall that grub-worm Pantilius have any effeiSl: on me ? Or can I be vexed, that Demetrius carps at me behind my back ? or becaufe the trifler Fannius, that hanger-on to Hermogenes Tigellius, attempts to‘ hurt me? May Plotius, and Varius, Matcenas, and Vir- gil, Valgius,and Odlavius, approve thefe fatirn, and the excellent Fufcus likewife; and I could wifh that both the Vifci would^oin in their commendations: Ambi- tion a-part, I may mention you too, O Pollio; you alfo Meflala, together with your brother : and at the fame time you, ye Bibuli and Set vi; and along with thefe, you, candid Furnius • 1 coull name many others, whom, tho’ men of learning and my friends, I purpofely omit ; to whom I could wifli thefe fatires, fuch as they are, may

* Literally, often turn your flvlus. The Jiylus was an inflrument to write in wax with; one end of which was Jlearp, in order to form the letters, and the other fiat, like a trowel, to erafe them occa- fonally. give ( 217 ) B. I. give fatisfacSion ; and I {hould be very much chagrin’d if they pleafed in a degree below my expedtation. You, : Demetrius, and you, Tigelliup, I bid lament amongft t your female difciples. Go, boy *, and inftantly copy this fatire more into | the end cf my hook.

* His anianuenfu.

T % T If S T H-2

SATIRES

O F

HORACE,

BOOK II.

SATIRE I. : Be fttpprfes himfelfto confull with Trebatius, wl't- ther he Jhauld dtftji from writing fatires, or not. THERE are feme perfons to ■whom I may feem too fevere in the writing of fatire, and to extend the affair too far: Another fet are of opinion, that all I have written is nervelefs, and that a thoufand verfes like mine might be fpun out in one day. Trebatius, give me your advice, what I ifcal! do. Be quiet. I fliaU not make, you fay, verfe? at { IT9 ) B. IT. j'Sft all ? I do fay fo. May 1 be hanged, if that would i not be bell; but I cannot fleep. Let tl.ofe who want « fowid fleep, anointed fwim three times crofs the Tiber; i and have their clay well moiftened with wine overnight. Or, if fuch a great love of fcribbling hurries you on, i venture to celebrate the atchievements of the invinci- l We Casfar, certain of ample rewards for ynur pains. ' Defirous 1 am, my good,fattier,ro Jo this, yet my ftrength fails me : nor can any one deferibe the troops bridled i i| with fpears, nor tbe Gauls dying on their Ihiver’d darts, oi nor the wounded Parthian falling from his horfe. Ne- s| verthelefs, you may defqribe him juft and brave, as the » Wife Lucilius did Scipio. J will not be wanting to my- felf, when I can bring matters-to bear : no verfes of f ( Horace’s, unlefs well-timed, will gain the attention of ) Cxfar ; whom, like a generwu Jteid, if you droite auk- vi wardly, he will kick back upon you, being at all quar- : ) ters on his guard. How much better would this be, rl than to cut with fevere fatire Pantolabus the buftoon, 14 and tbe rake Nomentanusf when, befules, every 1 body is afraid for himfelf, lift le Jbouldie the next, and < bates you, though ’he is not meddled with. What i lhall I do ? Milonius falls a dancing, the moment he < becomes light-headed a*d warm, and the candles ap- « pear multiply’d. Caftor delights in horfemandiip; and he who fprang from the fame egg *, in boxing. As : many thoufands of people as there are in the -world, fo many difterent inclinations are there. I am amufed

* Cajior and Pollux lucre born of, or rather hatch- td by Leda, in confequence of her amour with Jupi- ter in thefbape of a /won. T ? with SAT. r. C ) with putting words into metre, in the manner of Tuci- hits, who had greater abilities than you and l put toge- ther. He long ago communicated his fecrets to his books, as to faithful friends; never having recourfe eife- where, whether things went well or ill with him : w'hence it happens, that the whole life of this old poet is as open to the view, as if it had been painted on a vo- tive tablet *. His example I follow f, though in doubt whether I am a Lucanian, or an Apulian : for the Ve- . nufinian farmers plow upon the boundaries of both tountrie:, who (as the ancient tradition has it) were a tolony lent, on the expuilion of the Samnites, for this purpofe, that the enemy might not make incurfions on the Romans, through a vacant unguarded frontier: or left the Apulian nation, or the fierce JLucanian, ftiould make an invafion. But this pen of mine Ihall not wil- fully attack any man breathing, and ftiall defend me like a fword that is Iheathed in the fcabbard : which why fliould 1 attempt to draw, •while 1 am fofe from hoftile villains? O Jupiter, father and fovereign, may iny weapon laid afide wear away with ruft, and may no one injure me, who am defirous of peace ! But that man who Ihall provoke me (I give notice that it is bet- ter to let me alone) fhall weep his folly, and a diftinguilh- ed eharatfter lhail be fung through all the ftreets of Rome.

* The Romans had often piBures dranun of certain events in their lives, which they bound themfelves by a vozu to confecrate to the gods. J- A tedious parenthejis, in which he burlefqttes Lit- tiiius’s manner of writing. Cerviui..

« ( sax > B. II. Cerrius, when he is offended, threatens one with the laws and the judiciary * urn ; Albutius's Canidia poifon tp thofe, with whom fhe is at enmity ; Turius threatens great dangers aga'wjl yaut if yc>4 conteft any thing while he p re fide s as judge. How every thing terrifies thofe taken for its enemies, with that in which it is moft powerful, and how flrong natural inftindt commands this, thus infer with me. The wolf attacks with his teeth, the bull with his horns. From what principle is this, if not a fuggeftion from within ? Intrufl that de- bauchee Scxva with the cuftody of his ancient mother; «i his pious hand will commit no outrage : A wonder in- deed ! juft as the wolf does not attack any one with his hoof, nor the bull wjth his teeth; but a honied potion may take off the old dame. That I may not be tedious, whether a placid old age j awaits me, or whether death now hovers about me with his fable wings; rich, or poor, at Rome, or if fortune fhould fo order it, an exile abroad; whatever be the colour of my life, I will write. O my child, I fear you cannot be long lived; and that fonte creature of the great ones will ftrike you ftiff. WhatJ when Lucilius had the courage to be the firft in compofmg verfes after this manner, and to pull off that mafk, by the means of which each man ftrutted with a fair outfide, tho’ foul within ; what, was l.xlius or he who derived a weft- b deferved title from the deftrudtion of Carthage, offend- A ed at his wit ? or were they hurt at Metellus’s being

* A criminal was acquitted or condemned by the number of votes which the judges call into an u ; Scipio Africams. T 3 bused. SAT. I. ( 2zi ) laihed, or Lupus covered over with Lucilius's latsp'oons f But he took to tafk the heads of the people, and the people themfelves, clafs by clafs: in fltort, he fpared none but virtue and her friends. Bat yet, when the valorous Scipio, and the mild philofophical Lxliui, had withdrawn tlu mfelves from the croud, and the pub- lic fcene ; they ufed to divert tliemfelves with him, and joke in a free manner, while a few vegetables boiled for /upper. Of whatever rank I am, though below the cftate and wit of Lucilius; yet envy muff be obliged to own that I have lived well with great men ; anil want- ing to fallen her * tooth upon fome weak part, will ftrike it againft the fond : unlefs you, learned Treba- tius, difapprove of any thing I have faid. For my part, 1 cannot make any objection to this. But however, that forewarned, you may be upon your guard, left an igno- rance of our facred law's fhould bring you into trouble : hefureof this, if any perfoti Ihall make Icandalous ver- fes againft a particular man, an adtion Hes, and ftn- tence may be paj/edagain/ him. It is granted, if they art fcandalous : but if a man compofe good ones, and is praifed for them by fuch.a judge as Ctefar ? if a man falls foul upon him only who deferves his invedlive s, while himfelf is unblam able ? in fuch a cafe, the procefs will be cancelled -with Lngbter : and you, being difmilTed, may depart in peace.

* Alluding to the fable of the viper and the file.

SA- { 2*3 ) B. IL

=*= SATIRE II.

On frugality. WHAT and how great the virtue to live contented- ly on-a. little, this is no do

* A bird, ‘ivbofe JL ft tufted like kare ; prabably a. curlew. f Sc celled, becaufe it divides Latium from Tuf- cauj. prefens ( ns' ) B. It. ^refent to taint the delicacies of thefe glut'tns: tho’ the hoar and turbot newly taken are rank, when forfeiting abundance provokes the fick ftomach; and when the {suedguttler prefers turnips and lharp elecampane. How- ever, all appearance oj poverty is not quite banilhed from the banquets of our nobles; for there is, even at this day, a place for paltry eggs and black olives. And it was noriong ago, lince the table of Gallonius the audtioneer was rendered infamous, by having a fturgeon fer-jcd up •whole upon it. What ? was the fea at that time lefs nu- tritive of turbots ? The turbot was fecure, and the flork unmolefted in her neft; till the * prattorian Sem- proniuj, the inventor, fir ft taught you to eat them. From whence 1 am convinced, that if any one was to give it out that roafted cormorants are delicious, the Roman youth,yj teachable in depravity, would acquiefce in it. Hut in the judgement of Ofcllus, a fordid way of living will differ widely from frugal fimplicity. For ’tis to no purpofe for you to (him that vice of luxury, if perverfe- !y you fly to the contrary extreme. Avidienus, to whom the nick-name of Dog is apply’d v/hh great propriety, eats olives of five years old; and wild cornels; and can- not bear to rack off his wine unlefs it be turned fou,, and the fmell of his oil you cannot endure ; which (tho* cloathed in W'hite he celebrates the f wedding feftival, his birth-day, or any other feflival day) he pours out

* Horace calls him ironically Pretotian, for when Sempronius put up for that high office be bad not fevers votes. f Repotia : an entertainment made bp the bride-* groom the day after marriage. himfelf SAT. II. ( 126 >) fcimfclf by little and little, from an horn erect, that ; holds two pounds, upon his cabbage, tut at the lame time is lavilh enough of hisJlrong old vinegar*. What manner of living therefore Ihall the wife man put in praclice, and which of thefe examples {hall he copy ? On one fide f the wolf prefles on, and the dog on the other, as the faying is. A perfon will be ac- counted decent, inafmuch as he offends not by fordid, nefs, and is defpicable thro’ neither extreme of conduiff. , Such a man will not, after the example of old Albucius, be tyrannically cruel while he affigns his fervantt their refpedlive offices; nor, on the contrary, like fimple Nse- vius, will he offer greafy water to his company : for that is too great a fault. Now learn what and how great benefits a temperate diet will bring along with it. In the firft place, you may enjoy good health ; for you may readily believe how detrimental a diverfity of things is to any man, when you recollect that fort of food, which, by its fimplicity, fat fo well upon your ftomach fame time ago, -when you was a child. But when you have once mixed boiled and roaft together, together thruflies and fhell-fifli, the fweet juices will turn into bile, and the thick phlegm will bring a jarring upon the ftomach. Don’t you fee how pale each guejl rifes from a \ perplexing variety of dilhcs 1

* To correct the bad tajle of the oil, this being cheaprf. f A proverbial exprejjion for being in a difficult fi- t nation. Between two fires: | Literally, a doubtful fupper, i, e. the variety is fo great, that the guefis hefitate, are in doidt, what they Jhall chufe firfi. C 227 ) 3 IT. if afi entertainment ? Befides this, the body, overloaded h arith the debauch of yeftetday, deprefles the mind along i Sfith it, and fixes to the earth that portion of the divine it pirit. Another man, as foon as he has taken a repaft, . ind rendered his limbs up to repofe in the fame inftant Iilmoft, rifes vigorous in t!js morning to the duties of his i'halling. However, he may fometime have recourfe to llbetter cheer ; whether the revolving year Ihall bring on : h feftival, or if he has a mind to refrelh his body, im- I aired iy labour ; and when years Ihall approach, and eeble age require to be ufed more tenderly. But as or you, if a troublefome habit of body, or creeping old Mge, Ihould come upon you ; what addition can be made I :o that foft indulgence, which you, as yet young and in Imealth, anticipate ? 0 Our anceftors praifed a boar when it was ftale : not k >ecaufe they had no nofes; but with this view, I fuppofe, •J.bat a vifitor coming later than ordinary might par- t abe of it, tho’ a little mufty, rather than the vora* ious mafter Ihould devour it all himfelf while fweet. I ilh that the primitive earth had produced me among!1- itch heroes as thele. Have you any regard for reputation, which affctfls e human ear more agreeably than mufic ? Great tur- ots, magnificent dilbes, bring a great difgrace along vith ’em, together with expence. Add to this, that rour * relations and . neighbours will be exafperated at !ou, thus at enmity with yourfelf, and defirous of death n vain, fmee you will cot, in your poverty, have three

Literally, the uncle by the father’s fide. farthings SAT. II. ( ) farthings left to purchafe a rope withal. Trafms, you fay, may with juftice be called to account with fuch lan- guage as this: but I pofiefs an ample revenue, ancj wealth fuflicient for three potentates. Why then have you not a better.method of expending your fuperfluities? Why is any man, undefervingof dijlrejj'cdcircwnjhmces, in want while you abound ? How comes it to pafs that the antient temples of the god* are falling to ruin ? Why do not you, wretch that you are, beflow fomething on your dear country, out of fo vaft a hoard ? What, A you think that matters fhall always go well with you of all mankind f O thou that hereafter fhalt be the great derifion of thine enemies ! which of the two fhall depend upon himfelf in exigencies with moft certainty ? he, who has ufed his mind and high-fwollen body to redundant cies ; or he, who, contented with a little, and provident for the future, like a wife man, in time of peace, fhaii make the neceflary preparations for war ? That you may the readier give credit to thcfc thing*; I myfelf, when a little boy, took notice that this Oiellu* did not ufe his unincumbered eftate more profufely than he does now it is reduced. You may fee the induftriou* fcufbandman labouring for hire in the land once hit own, but now * affigned to others, with his cattle and children, talking to this effefl ; I never ventured to eat any thing on a work-day except pot-herbs, with a hock of fmoak- d;y’d bacon. And when a friend came to vifit me after a long abfence, or a neighbour came in, an acceptable gueft, upon refting me from work on account of the rain ; we lived well, not on fifties fent for from the city.

* -After the civil ivar, the lands of the beaten party ’were divided amwgfi tlx foldien of the conqueror. bftt ( *19 ) B. It but on a puilet and a kid : then a dried grape, and a tint, with a large fig or too, fet off our fecond courfe. After this, it was our diverfion to have no other regu- lation in our cups, fave that againft drinking to a fault: then Ceres wotlhipped with a libation, that the corn might arife in lofty ftems, fmoothed with wine the me- lancholy of the contradict! brow. Let fortune rage, and ftir up new tumults; what can file do more to im- pair my ejlate ? How much more favingly have either I |ji lived, and how left neatly have you gone, my children, fince this new poffcffor came ? For nature hath appoint- ed to be perpetual lord of this earthly property, neither him, nor me, nor any one. He drove us out: either iniquity, or ignorance in the quirks of the law, fhall do the fame by him, certainly in the end his longer-lived heir Ihall expel him. Now this field goes under the de- nomination of Umbrenus’s, lately it was Ofellus’s, and it fhall be the abfolute property of no man ; for it will turn to my ufe one while, and by and by to that of ano- ther. Wherefore, my lads, live undaunted ; and oppofe gallant breads againfl the ftrokes of adverfity.

SATIRE III.

Damafippus in a c»nrverfation with Horace, proves this paradox of the Stoic philojophy, That meji men are aSuallj mad.

' you write fo feldom, as not to call for parchment four times in the year, huHed in reforming your f*r- U SAT. III. ( ) writings, yet are you angry at yourfelf, that indu!- ging in wine and fleep you produce nothing worthy to he the fuhjeft of converfation. What will be the con- fequence ? but you took refuge here, it feems, at the very celebration of the Saturnalia, out of pure fobriety. Diftate therefore fomcthing worthy of your promifes : :■ cootc, begin. There is nothing. The pens are found fault with to no purpofe, and the harmlefs wall, which mull | have been built under the difpleafure of gods and poets, fuffers to no end. But you had the look of one that ’.I threatened to perform many and excellent things, when once your villa had received you, free from avocation, under its warm roof. To what purpofe was it to How Plato upon Menander ? Eupolis upon Archilochus ? Foe what end did you bring abroad fuch companions ? What, are you fetting about to appeafe envy by deferting vir- tue? Wretch, you will be defpifed. That improbous Syren, Sloth, mull be avoided; or whatever acquilitions you made in the better part of your life, muft with e- quanimity be given up. May the gods and goddefies, O Damafippus, prefent you with a barber for your found advice. But by what means did you get fo well acquaint- ’ ed with me ? Since all my fortunes were diflipated at the middle of the * Exchange, being detached from all l bufinefs of my own, 1 mind that of pthjr people. For I formerly I ufed to take a delight in enquiring, in what I f T-Je the crafty Sifyphus might have walhed his feet; I

* Literally, the middle Jam;.';. There

* Fufius ’tuns an a3or, who playing the charafter of Ilione, was fuppofed to be ajleep, when the ghojl of her fort Polydore called to her, Dear mother, hear me. Inf us haming drank too much, fell really of cep ; and Catienus, who play d Polydore, having called to without waking him, the whole houfe, as if each of them was a Catienus, cried out, Dear mo- fber, hear me. The number of two hundred thou- ff'tdis apleafant exaggeration, Francis, two ( ) E. II. twft hundred thoufand Catieni at the fame time {oar- ing out, O mother, I call you to my aid. I will demonftratc to you, that the generality of all mankind are mad in the comtniffion of fome folly limilar to this. Damafippus is a madman for purchaftng antique {la- tues: but is Damaftppus’s creditor in .his fenfes, think you? Well: fuppofe i fhould fay to you.^-.-e, receive this fum of money, which ysu can never repay; will you be a madman, if you receive it? or would you be more abfurd for rejecting a booty, which propitious Mercury offers? Take up of the banker Ncrius ten thoufand fefterces : it will not fignify : add all the forms of Cicu- ta, fo verfed in the knotty points of law : add a thoufand obligations ; yet this wicked Proteus will evade all thefo ties. And when you fhall drag him to juftice, laugh, ing * as if his cheeks were none of his own ; he will be transformed into a boar, fometimes into a bird, feme- times into a Hone, and when he pleafes Into a tree. If to conduit one’s affairs badly be the part of a madman,- and the reverfe be that of a man well in his fenfes i the brain of Perillius (believe me) who orders you that fum of money, which you can never repay, is much more unfoui.d than yours. Whoever is affiidted with evil ambition, or the love of meney ; whoever is fmitten with luxury, or 'gloomy fuperllition, or any other difeafe of the mind, I com- mand him to adjuft his garment and attend : here, all of ye come near me, in order, while I convince yoa that you are mad.

f A proverbial exbrejjion for lavgh'tr.g hnmeder- atefy. U3 By SAT. III. ( 234 ) > By far the largeft portion of hellebore i* to be admi- riilered to the covetous : I know not whether reafon does not confign all Anticyra * for their ufe. The . heirs of Staberius engraved the fum be left them upon his tomb; unlefs they adted in this manner, they were j under an obligation to exhibit an hundred pair of gladi- : arors to the people, beftdes an entertainment according / to the direction of Arrius ; and as much corn as is cut j in all Africa. Whether I have ■willed this rightly or ; wrongly; it was my will : be not fevere againft me, 4 cries the tejlater. I imagine, the provident mind of Sta- ; berius forefaw this. What then could he think when he appointed by will, that his heirs fhould engrave the J fum trial of their patrimony upon his tomb-ftone ? As ' long as he lived, he deemed poverty a great vice, and ' nothing did he more induftrioufly avoid : infomuch, that had he died lefs rich by one farthing, the more iniqui- j tous would he have appeared tohimfelf. For every thing in nature, virtue, fame, glory, divine and human affairs, j ore fubfervient to the attractions of riches ; which who- { ever fhall have accumulated, he fhall be illufltious, i brave, juft. What, wife too ? Aye, and a king, and whatever elfe he pleafes. This he was in hopes would greatly redound to his praife, as if it had been an ac- j quifition of his virtue. In what rcfpeift did the Grecian Ariftippus aiit like this ? who ordered his flaves to throw away his gold in the midft of Libya ; bccaufe, encum- bered with the burden of it, they went too flow. Which | is the greater madman of thefe two ? An example is

* An ijland in the Archipilago, fa»ious far the pro- duFion of« I'cjl quant it j of hellebore. nothing ( 33J ) B. H. |i nothing tp the purpofe, that decides one controvcrfy by ■ bringing up another. If any perfon was to buy lyres, t land when he had bought them, flow them up in font : (one particular place, tho' neither add idled to the lyre, nor any one mufe wlutfoever; if a man war to > uy patine; iknives and lafts, who was no Ihoemab r; fads lit for utvigation, and yd adverfe to me: Ur raifing; he would t every where defervedly be ft efamous, and out of .{■his fenfes. And how doer he differ, from thefe :jiau- who hoards up cafti and gold, anc. suo.vs not how t to make ufe of them, when they are aCcr.mulatt^i, and ( is afraid to touch them as if they were confecrated ? ulf any perfon before a great heap of corn Ihould keep rfnerpetual watch with a long club, and though he, the s towner of it, ihould not dare to take a ftngle grain there- i from, when an hungred; and ihould rather feed upon jjbitter herbs: if, wl-iile a thoufand hogiheads of Chian, ihr old Falernian, is ftored up within ; nay, three hun- ired thoufand, be drinks nothing but what is mere iharp inegar : again; if wanting but one year of eighty, he ould lie upon ftraw, who has good bed-cloaths rotting n his cheil, the food of worms and moths : he would item mad, belike, but to few perfons; becaufe the rcateil part of mankind labours under the fame ma- dy. Thou dotard, hateful to the gods, doil thou guard ill tie potjijfionr, for fear of wanting thyfelf, to the end :.that dry fon, or even the freed man thy heir, ihould (guzzle it all up ? For how little will each day deduit (from your capital, if you begin to pour better oil upon, tyour greens, and your head, filthy with the feurf not combed out of it ? If any thing is a fufficiency, where- fore re ytu guilty of perjury, ■ze/’cryW do you rob and plunder sat. hi. |{ f j plunder from all quarters ? Are you in yout fenfes ? If you were to begin to pelt the populace with Hones, and your Haves, which y«u pufchafed with your own money; all the very boys and girls will cry out a mad- man. When you difpatch your wife with a rope, and your mother with poifon, are you right in your head? For what ? you neither did this at Argos, nor with the fword, as the mad Oreftes flew his mother. What, do you imagine that he ran mad after he had murder- ed his parent ? and that he was not rather drove mad by the wicked furies, before he warmed his fharp fteel in his mother’s throat ? Nay, -from the time Oreftes is deemed fy you to have been of a dangerous difpofnion, he did nothing in fail that y-ou can blame : he did not dare to offer violence with his fword to Pylades, nor his After Elcdtra : he only gave ill language to both of them, by calling her a fury, and him fome other oppro- brious name, that his violent choler fuggefted. Opimius, poor among heaps of filver and gold hoard- ed up within his own poffeffion, who iffed to drink out Of Campanian ware the meagre Veienfine wine on holi- days, and mere dregs on common days, was fome time ago taken with a prodigioOs lethargy, infotnuch that his heir was already fcouring about his coffers and keys full of joy and triumph. His phyfician, a man of much fidelity and difpatch, raifes him in this manner : he or- ders a table to be brought, and the bags of'money to be poured out, and feveral perfons to approach in order to tell it : by this method he fets the man upon his legs again, And, at the fame time, he addreffed him to this effedl; “ Unlefs you guard your money, your “.ravenous heir will even now carry off thefe treafurei of yours.” tVhat, while I am alive ? That you may live, ( 237 ) B. II. i'. live, therefore, awake, obferve this advice. What would you have me do ? Why your blood would fail you that are fo reduced, unlefs food and fome great reftora- tive be adminiftered to your decayed ftomach. Do you 1 hefitate ? come on; take this ptifane made of rice. How much did it coft ? A trifle. How much then ? Eight afies *. Alas! what does it matter, whether i die of a difeafe, or by theft and rapine ? Who then is found ? He who is not a fool. What is tithe covetous man ? Both a fool and a madman. What} if a man be not covetous; is he therefore immediately to be deem'd found? By no means. Why fo. Stoic? I will tell you. Such a patient (fuppofe Craterus the fhy ifician faid fo) is not fick at the heart. Is he therefor? Swell, and flull he get up ? No, he will forbid that : hecaufe hie fide or his rein; are vexed with an acute tdifeafe. In like manner, fuch a man is not perjur’d nor (•[fordid. Let him then facrifice a hog to his propitious houfehold gods. But he is ambitious and alfuming. Let him therefore make a voyage to Anticyra. For : what is the difference, whether you fquander whatever you have upon a fcoundrel, or make no ufe of your ac- juifitions ? Servius Oppidius, rich in the poffeflion of an ancient eftate, is reported, when dying, to have divided two farms at Canufium betwixt his two fons, and to have iddreffed the boys called to hisbedfide in this manner : When I faw you. Aulas, carry your playthings and nuts carelefsly in your bofom, and to give them and game them away; you Tiberius, to count them, and anxious r— * The as was about three farthings of our money. hid I SAT.IIT. ( 238 ) hide them in hides; I was'afraid left a madnefs of a different nature fliould ppffefs you both; left you, Julus,, fliould follow the example of Nomentanu*, and you, Ti« berius, that of Cicuta. Wherefore each of yo», intrea- ted by our houfhoid gods, do you take care left you lef*' fen ; you left you make that greater, which your fatherri thinks, and the purpofes of nature determine to be fuf- ficient. furthermore, left glory ftiould entice you, I will bind each of you by an oath : which ever of you fhall be an edile or a prater, let him be excommunicated and accurfed. Would you deftroy your efferfts in hr- gejfes of * pcafe, beans, and lupines, that you may ftalk in the Circus at large, or ftand reprejevtcd in a ftatue of brafs ; a madman, ftript of your paternal eftate, ftript of your money ? To the end, forfooth, that you may gain thofe applaufes which Agrippa gains, a cunning fox imitating a generous lion. O Agatnemnon, why do you prohibit any one from burying Ajax ? 1 am a king. Being a plebeian, 1 mak< no farther inquiry. And 1 command a juftifiable thing But if I feem unjuft to any one, 1 permit him to fpcal his fentiments with impunity. Greateft of Kings, ma the gods grant, that after the taking of Troy, you ma: condudl your fleet fafe home : may I then have the li berty to alk queftions, and reply in my turn ? Afk. Wh, docs Ajax, a hero fecond only to Achilles, rot abovegrount fo often render'd glorious for having fared the Grecians that Priam, and Priam’s people may exult in his bein unburied, by whofe means fo many youths have bee:

* Vfitally given to the populace by candidates fa thofe p'Jls cf honour‘ deprive (

* .df place in Rgme

* A proverbial exprejfton for being either acquitted or condemned. + Polemon, a notorious rake, that event drunk in- to the fchool of Xenocrates, by euhont he evcts reform- ed, and afterwards became his difcipli. X “ the? SAT. Til. ( *42 ) “ ther think of putting an end to my pains ? She hat “ excluded me ; flie recalls me ; fliall I return ? No, not “ if The fhould befeech me.” Obferve the fervant not a little wifer : “ O mailer, that which has neither mo- “ deration nor condudt, cannot be guided by reafon or “ method. In love thefe evils ate inherent: war me “ •wii/e, then peace again. If any one fltould endeavour ‘‘ to afeertain thefe things, that are various as the wea- “ ther, and fluctuating by blind chance, he will make “ no more of it, than if he Ihould fet about raving “ by right rcafon and rule.” What! when picking the pippins from the Picenian apples, you rejoice if haply you have ftruck the vaulted roof; are you yourfelf ? What! when you llrike but fault’ring accents from your antiquated palate, how much wifer are you than a citVd that builds houfes c/" day ? '1 hen to the folly of love, add bloodfhed, its confeqitence, and * flir the flic with a fword. I alk you, when Marius lately, after he had ftabb’d Hel- las, threw hirofelf down a precipice, was he raving mad f or will you abfolve the man from the imputation of a diflurb d mind, and condemn him for the crime, ac- cording to your cuftom, impeding on things names that have an f aiTxnity inJignjication ? There was a certain freedmah, who, an old man, ran about the ftreets in a morning faffing, with his hands ■walhed, and prayed thus, “ Snatch me alone frem « death ; (adding, For what fo great thing is it ?) me “ alone, for it is an eafy matter for the gods;” this man was found in both his ears and eyes; hut his mailer

* A ■proverbial cutprefliorfyt making bad

* The family of Menenius—-a crazy perfon> of a nu- merous and illuftrious family. f Alluding to a fable of jEfop, inhere Jupiter is feigned to haue put t

* 7urbo was a little Jlrutting gladiator.

SA- ( »45 ) B. II,

SATIRE IV.

He ridicules the abfurdily of one Catius, who placed, the J'ummit of human felicity in the culinary art.

WHENCE, and whither, Catius ? I have not time ie h form you, being clefirous of impreffing on my memory fome new precepts : fuch as may excel Pytha* goras, and he that was accufed by Anytus *, and the learned Plato. I acknowledge my offence, fince I have interrupted you at fb unlucky a juncture : but grant me your pardon, good Sir, I befeech you. If any thing Ihould have flipped you now, you will prefently recolledl it : whether this talent of yours be of nature, or .of art, for you are amazing in both. Nay, but I was felicitous, how I might retain all thefe precepts ; as being things of a delicate nature, and in a delicate flyle. Tell me the name of this perfonage ; and at the fame time whether he is a Roman, or a foreigner ? As I have them by heart, I will recite the precepts: the author mull be concealed. Obferve, in the f rfl place, to ferve up thofe eggs that are of an oblong make, as being of fweeter flavour, and finer colour, than the round ones' for being tough- Ihcll’d, they contain a male yolk. Cabbage that grows

* Socrates, who was falfely accufed by Melitus and Anyius of contemning the gods, X 3 in SAT. IV, ( 246 ) in dry lands, is fweeter than that about the town : no- thing is more flafliy than a garden much watered. If a viiitor fhould come unexpeitedly upon you in the even- ing; left the old hen, being tough, prove difagreeable to his palate, you muft be infttutfted to drown it in Fa- lernian wine, mixed with water; this will make it ten- der. The mufhrooms that grow in meadows are of the beft kind: till others are dangeroufly trufted. That man (hall fpend his rummers healthy, who fhall finiih his dinners with mulberies black with ripenefs, which he fhall have gathered from the tree, before the fun is too powerful. Aufidius ufed to mix honey with ftrong h'alernian, injudicioufly : becaufe it is fitting to commit nothing to the empty Veins, but what is emollient : you will, with more propriety wafh your ftomach with foft mead. If your belly fhould be hard bound ; limpins and coarfe cockles will remove all •bftrn&ions; likewife leaves of the fmall forrel; but not without Coan white wine. The ihcreafing moons fill out the lubricating fhell-fifh. But every fea is not alike produdbivc of the exquifite forts. The Lucrine mufcle is better than the Baian burret: the bejl oyfters come' from the Circean promontory : crayfifh from Mifenum ; the foft Taren- tUm plumes herfelf on her broad ’fcallops.' Let no one prefumptuouflyarrogatetohimfelfthefeience of banquet- ing unlefs the nice dodtrine of taftes has been prcvioufly confider’d by him with great exadlnefs. Nor is it c- rtough to fweep away a parcel of fifties ftom the expen- five flail, while he remains ignorant for what fort ftew’d fauce is more proper, and what being roafted, the fate gueft willprefently replace himfelf on his elbow *. Let

* Such ~.vas the eating pejhire of the Rcruans. the ( *47 ) B. II. ■ the boar from Umbria, and that which has been fed with I the acorns of the fcarlet oak, bend the round difhes of If that perfon, who diflikes all flabby meat : for the Lau- jt rentian boar, fatten’d with flags and reeds, is bad. The i vineyard does not always afford the moll eatable kids. . A man of fenfe will be fond of the wings of a pregnant i: hare. What is the proper age and nature of filh and u] fowl, though enquired after, never was difcover’d before it my dijlingujhing palate. There are fome whofe geni- us invents nothing but new kinds of paflry. But to Waftc one’s care upon one thing, is by no means fulfi- «j cient: juft as if any perfon fhould ufe all his endeavours al for this only, that the wine be not bad; quite carelefs. at the fame time, what oil he pours upon his fifh. If you put out your Maffic wine in fair weather; if there is a- ny thing thick in it, it will be attenuated by the noctur- nal air, and that fmell, -which is unfriendly to the nerves, will go off: but if filtrated through linen, it will lofc its entire flavour. He who Ikilfully mixes the Surrenti- flian wine with Falernian lees, collects the fedicaent with a pigeon’? egg : becaufe the yolk tends to the bot- tom, lolling down with it all the heterogeneous parts. You may roufe the jaded toper with roafted ftvritnpsaud African cockles : for lettuce after wine floats upon the four’d ftomach : by ham preferably; and by faufages rather it craves to be rellored to its true tone and appe- tite : nay, it will prefer every thing, which is brought fmoaking hot from the nafty eating-houfes. It is worth while to be acquainted with the two forts of fauce. The Ample confifts of fweet oil: but it will be proper to mix it with rich wine and pickle, but -with no cither pictL than that with which the Byzan cd. When this, mixed with ihre S,AT. IV. ( *48 ) and, fprinkled with Corycimfaffron, has flood fame time, you Ihall over and above add what the berry of the Ve- tiafran olive yields, when prtfled. The Tiburtian yield to the Picenian apples in juice : though they excel in look. The Venufian grape is proper {or preferring in pots. The Albanian you had better harden in the fmoke. I am found to be the firfl. that ferved up this grape with apples in neat little plates, to be the firfl likcwife thatfervedup wine-lees and herring.brine, and White pepper finely mixed with black fait. It is an e- normous fault to beftow three thoufand fefterces on the fifh-market, and to cramp the roving fifhes in a narrow difii. A great naufeating difturbs the ftomach, if either the Have touches the cup with greafy hands, while he licks up fnacks ; or if offenfive grime has adhered to the ancient goblet. In trays, in mats, in faw-duftj that are fo cheap, what great t.xpence can there he ? But if they arc negledtcd, ’tis an heinous fhanre. What, is it fitting that you fliouid fweep Mofaic pavements with a dirty broom made of palm, and throw Tyrian carpets over the unwafhed furniture of your couch ; not re- membering, that by how much lefs care and expence thefe things are attended with, fo much the more juftiy inay the nvant of them be found fault with, than with thofe things which cannot be obtained, but at the tables of the rich ? Learned Catius, entreated by oUr friendfhip and the Gods, remember to introduce me to an audience with this great man, whenever you lhail go to him. For tho’ by your memory you relate every thing faithfully to me; yet as a relator, you cannot delight me in fo high a degree. Add to this, the countenance and deport- ment of the man, whom you, happy in having fear do not 1 ( *49 ) kqt much regard, becaufe it has been your lot: but I : iiave ho fmall folicitude, that I may approach the dif* lant fountain-heads, and imbibe the precepts of fucb a Jeffed life.

■t:=a. err

SATIRE V.

r.n an humorous dialogue between UlyJJes and Tirejias^ 1'' he expofes thofe arts, which the fortune-hunters i made ufe of, in order to he appointed the heirs of ' rich old men.

BESIDES what you have already told me, O Tirefias, anfwer to this petition of mine: by what art and ’Expedients may I be able to repair my ruined fortunes? —Why do you laugh ? Does it already feem little to you, thou cozener, to be brought back_/y/> to Ithaca, md to behold again your family houfehold gods? Othou ■ who never fpake falfe to any one, you fee how naked i and deftitute I return home, according to your prophe- I :y : nor is there either my magazine, or cattle, unem- ({jezzled by the fuitors of Penelope. But birth and vir- tue, unlefs attended with fubftance, is viler trnf, than fea- •veed. L Since (circumlocution apart) you are in dread of po- erty; hear by what means you may grow wealthy. If a thrufh, or any dainty thing for your own private voting fhall be given you ; let it fpeed away to that place, where fhines a great fortune, the poffelTor being *n ■ i Sat. v. ( 2jo ) an old man : delicious apples, and whatever daintie* your well-cultivated ground brings forth for you, let tne rich man,0.1 mote to be reverenced than your houfe- hold god, tafte before him : who, though he be perju- red, of no family, llained with his brother’s blood, a runaway ; if he defires it, do not refufe to go along with him his companion on the exterior fide *. What, fhalL 1 walk cheek by jole with a filthy Damas; 1 did not behave rr.yfelf in that manner at Troy, contending always with the bell. You mull then be poor. I will command my indignant foul to bear this

* The left fide; that is, ginse him the nvall. f The pranomtn Cicero, Publius Virgilius Muro. am ( 2JI ) E. II t ?rr; acquainted with all the precarious quirks of the Jaw; I can plead caufes. Any one (hull fooncr fnatch my [ eyes from me, than he fhall think meanly of, and defraud > you of the -value ef a deaf nut. This is my care, that you : lofe nothing, that you be not made a jell of.” Then ■ hid him go home, and make much of himfelf. Be his :i folicitor yourfelf: perfevere, and he ftedfall: whether the glaring dog-ftar (hall cleave the infant llatues; or I Furius *, difltnded with his greafy paunch, fhall fpew [•■white fnow over the wintry Alps. Don’t you fee (fhail I fome one fay, jogging the perfon that Hands next to him by the elbow) how indefatigable he is, how fer- viceable to his friends, how acute ? By this means more gudgeons fhall fwim in, and your filh-ponds fhall m- creafe. Further if any one in affluent circumftances has rear- ed an ailing fon; left a too open complaifance to a Tin- gle man ftiouid detedl you, creep gradualiy into the hope ef fucceerling him, and that you may he fet down as fecond heir; and, if any cafualty fhould difpatch the boy to his long home, you may come into the vacancy ; This die feldom fails. Whoever delivers his will to you to he read, be mindful to decline it, and pufh the parchments from you : do it however in fuch a manner, that you may catch with an oblique glance, what the firft page intimates to be in the fecond claufe : run over with a

* A parody upon a lombajlic line of Furius Eiba- (ulus. t Literary, the firft wax ; for they ufed to cut their letters with theflylus f already deferibed) upon wax, fpretid pon ’vellum, or tablets. quick tAT.V. ( 2J1 } quick eye, whether you are foie heir, br coheir with fnany others. Sometimes a well-feafon’d lawyer, rifen from a Quinque Vir *, (hall delude the gaping raven ; and the fortune-hunter Nafica (hall be laughed at by Coranus. What, do you rave ? or do you play upon me deftgn- i edly, by uttering obfeurities? D fon of Laertes, what- ever 1 fiiallfay, will adlually come to pafs, or it •will not: forthegreat Apollo gives me the power to divine. Then, if it is proper, relate what that tale means. At that time when the youth, dreaded by the Parthi* arts, an offspring derived from the noble ./Eneas, (hall be mighty by land and fea ; the tall daughter of Na- I fica, f> averfe to pay the fum total-of his debts, {hall wed the flout Coramis. Then the fon-in-law fliall proceed thus: he (hall deliver his will to his father-in- law, and intreat him that he would read it : Naflca will at length receive it, after it has many times beett refufed by him, and fliall filently perufe it; and wilt find no other legacy left to him and his, except leave to lament. To thefe Jireflions I have already given, I fubjoin that following : if haply a cunning woman, or a freedman, have the management of an old driveller ; join with them as an affociate : praife them, that you may be praifed in your abfence. This too is of fervice : but to florin the capitol itfelf, excels this method by far. Shall he, a dotard, fcribble wretched verfes ? applaud them.

* Quinque Vir, one of the fine commi/fioners to execute a tranfaBion ; an officer (it Jhould feem by tb'u t^ffage) of no great ctnfequence. Shall ( *53 ) B.H. Shall he be a weneher ? Take care ytti da nat fujfcr him to alk you: of your own accord complailantly deli- ver up your Penelope to him, as preferable to yourfelf "What, do you think fo fobef, and fo chafte a woman can be brought over .whom Joniany wooers could not divert from the right courfe ? May bo fo—becaufe a parcel of young fellows came, who were too parfimonious to give a great price, nor fo much defirous of an amorous intercourfe, as of the kitchen. So far your Penelope is chafte : who, I had (he once tailed of one old doating gallant, and iha- red with you the profit, fie would have been like a hound, which will never be frighted away from the reeking Ikiu of the new kill'd game. What 1 am going to tell you, happened when I wa* an old man : a wicked hag at Thebes was, according to her will, carried forth in this manner: her heir bore.' irer corpfe, anointed with a large quantity of oil, upon his naked ihoulders; with the intent that, if poffible, fhe might efcape from him even when dead; becaufe 5 imagine, he had preffed upon her too much when li- ving. Be cautious in your addreffes: neither be want- ing in your pains, nor be immoderately exuberant. By voluntary garrulity you’ll offend the fplenetick and tnorofe. You muft not, iv.vswr, be dent. Be Davus in the play ; and ftaml with your head on one fide, much like one who ftands in great awe. Attack him with complaifance : if the air frefnens, advife him carefully •to cover up his precious head : difengage him from the croud, by oppofing your (boulders to it : clofely attach your ear to him if chatty *. Is he immoderately fond of

* Aurem fubftringere, ftgnifies. puttirg the hair bekiu4 the ears, Is be able to hear better. SAT. VI. t *54 ) being praifed? ply him home, till he fnali cry oui, ‘j with his hands lifted up to heaven, Ohe! and puff up the fwelling bladder with tumid fpeeches. When he {hall have at laj} releafed you from your long fervitude and anxiety; and being certainly awake, you ftiall hear this article in bis will, “ Let Ulyffes be heir of one fourth | “ of my eftate Is then my companion Damas now no more! Where ftiall I find another fo brave and lb | faithful ? Throw out jemcthing of this kind every now and then : and, if you can a little, weep for him. It is fit to difguife your countenance, which other-wife would be- tray your joy. As for the monument, which is left to your own difcretion, credl it without meannefs. The neighbourhood wilf commend the funeral handfomely performed. If haply any of your co-heirs, being ad- vanced in years, Ihould have a dangerous cough; whether he has a mind to be a purchafer of a farm, or i houfe, out of your (hare, tell him, you will come to any- terms he Jball propofc, and make it over to him gladly for a trifling fum. But the imperious Proferpinc drags me. hence. Live, and proffer.

S'A- { 255 ) B. It.

SATIRE VI.

He fets the conveniences of a country retirement in op- poftion to the troubles of a life iu to-iun.

THIS was ever amorgft the munber of tny wifhes: a portion of ground not over large, in which wua a garden, and a fountain with a continual {beam clcie to my houfe, and a little woodland befides The gods have done more abundantly and better for me than ’Tis well: O fon of Mala *, i aflc nothing more, that you would mate thefe donations lafting for me. : 1 have neither made my eftate larger by had means, nor am in a way to render it lels by vine or nii'conduiX , if I do not foolilhly make any petition -f this fort O that yon neighbouring angle, which nowTpcik the regu- larity of my field, could be joined tv it! O that fa e acci- dent would difeover to me an urn full of ir.ont y • c, it did to him ; who, a treafure being found by hint, bought that very ground he before tilled in capacity of an hired fervant, enriched by Hercules’s•}• being his friend ; if what 1 have at prefent fatisfies my grateful mind: 1

* Mercury. f He vjas fuppofed to prefide over hid treafures, find unexpected pain Ya fnppUeatc SAT. VI ( ejS ) fuppllcate you with this prayer: Make my cattle fat for the ufe of their mafter, and every thing; die, except my genius : and as you are wont, be my chief guardian. Wherefore, when 1 have removed myfclf from the city to the mountains and my caftle, what can I adorn, pre- ferably to my fatires and profaic mufe ? 7htre neither evil ambition deftroys me, nor the heavy fouth-wind, or the fickly autumn, the gain of baleful * Libitina. P'ather of the morning, or Janus, if with more pVa- furc you hear yourfdf called £y that name, from whom men commence the toils of their bufmefs, and -ways of life, (fuch is the will of the gods) be thou the beginning of my fong. At Rome you hurry me away to be bail for fine one: Away, difpatch, you cry, left any one ft'.ould be before-hand with you in doing that friendly office : I muft go at all events, whether the north-wind fweep the earth, or winter contratfts the fnowy day into a nar- rower circle. After this, having uttered in a clear and determinate manner the legal form which may be a de- triment to me, I mpft buftle through the croud; muft difoblige the tardy. What’s your will madman, and what are you about ? So a wicked fellow accofts me with his paffionate curfes. You joftle every thing that is in your way, if with an appointment full in your mind, you are polling away to Mtecenas. This pleafes me, and is as honey to my palate ; I will not tell a He clout the matter. But by the time I reach the gloomy Efquiliae; an hundred affairs of other people’s f encompafs me on every fide. Rofcius begg’d the favour you’d be with

* 'The goddefs ef funerals, or death. •f Literally, leap through my head and about my fide. ( 257 ) BH- i him at the court-houfe to-morrow before the *' fecond hour. The fecreturies requeued you would remember, J Qointu5 f, to return to-day about an affair of public c concern, and of great confequence. Pray, get Maece- nas to put his fignet to thele tablets Should one fay, 1 I’ll endeavour at it: If you will, you can, atlds he; and 'i is more earneft. The fever.th year approaching to the eighth is no%v elapfed, from the time Maecenas began to reckon me in the number of his friends; only thus ■ fir, as one he would like to take along with him in Ij!t I chariot, when he went a journey, and to whom he would i: trail: fuch kind of trifles as thefe : What is the hour ? Is ) Gallina, the Thracian, a match for the viadiaior Syru. ? I "I he cold morning air begins to pinch thofe that are ill '[ provided againji it, and fuch things as are well enough intrufted to a leaky ear. For all this time every day and hour I have been more fubjedted to envy. Our fon of ! •fortune here, fayt every tody, law all the ffiev/s in com- d pany wilh IrCacenas, and played with him in the Cam- pus Martins. Does any difheartening report fpread ii from the roftrum thro' the ftreets ; whoever comes in rj my way, confults me concerning it: Good Sir, have you, ffor you muft know, flnee you approach nearer the 4 gods than -we) heard any thing relating to the Da- cians ? Nothing at all for my part, / reply. How you ever are a fncerer ! But. may all the gods torture me, if I know any thing of the matten What ? will Csfar

* Before eight o’clock in the morning. f The firJl of Horace s three names—Quintus Hera- tins Flaccus. £ The principalperfons in power, Y (JSVC . * SAT. VI. ( 25 S ) give the lands he promifed the foldiers^ in * Sicilj-, or Italy ? As I ant fwearing I know nothing about it, they wonder at me, thinking me, to be fure, a creature of extraordinary and profound fecrecy. Amongft things of this nature the day is wafted by me, mortified as 1 am, not without fuch wifhes asthefe : O rural retirement, when fhall I behold thee ? and when | fttall it be in my power to contract a pleafing oblivion of a life full of folicitude, one while with the books of the ancients, another in sleep and leifure ? O when fhall the f bean related to Pythagoras, and at the fame time herbs well larded with fat bacon, be fet before me ? O evenings and fuppers fit for gods ? with which I and my friends regale ourielves in the prefence of my houfhold gods ; and feed my faucy fiaves with viands, of which libations have been made. The gueft, according to e- very one’s inclination, takes off the glafles, ivhicb tre of different fixes, free from mad laws: whether one of a ftrong conftitution choofes hearty bumpers, or another mere joyoufty waxes mellow with moderate ones. Then converfation arifes, not concerning other people’s villas and houfes, nor whether Lepos dances well, or not ; but we debate on what is more to our putpofe, and nubat ’tis a

'* Sicily was called Triqaetra, from its triangular form. f /UluJing to tbit philofopher’s believing jh: me- tempfyebojis in fucb an ext nt. as to imagine fouls fometimes tranfmigrated into beans. This is fuppofed to have arifn from Pome conceited Ukenejfes be- tween fame parts of a bean and others of the human body. bad C *59 ) b. n. t ba.i thing not to know : whether men are made happy 1 by riehesor virtue: and what engages us into intimacies* i I imereftormoralretftitude: andwhat isthenature of good, : and what its perfection. Mean while, my neighbour Cer- i vius prates away old {lories relative to the fubjeCt. For if any one ignorantly commends the troublefome riches I of Arellius, he thus begins: On a time a country moufe is reported to have received a city moufe into his poor e: cave, an old hoft his old acquaintance ; a blunt fellow, and attentive to his acquifitions; yet fo as he could, on B occajtotiy enlarge his narrow foul in a&s of hofpitality. What need of many words ? he neither grudged him the ii hoarded vetches, nor the long oats; and bringing in his a mouth a dry plumb^ftone, and nibbled feraps of bacon, a prefented them to him, being defirous, by the variety to of the fupper, to get the better of the daintinefs of his i; gueft, who hardly touched, with his delicate tooth, the tjl Several things : while the father of the family hirnfelf, i:| extended on frefh ftraw, eat a little burnt cruft and dar- ij nel, leaving that which was better for bis gue/l. At a length the citizen addrefling him, “ Friend, fays he, II “ what delight have you to livelaborioufly on the ridge 1 “ of a rugged thicket ? will you not prefer men and ’ “ the city to tbefe favage woods ? Take my advice ami 1 “ go along with me : froce mortal lives are allotted to ' “ all terreftial animals, neither any efcape from death, ei- I “ ther for the great or fmall. Wherefox-e, my good friend, “ while it is in your power, live happy in joyous II “ circumftanees : in Jbort, live mindful of how brief an “ exiftence you are.” Soon as thefe fpeeches'had wrought t upon the pcafant; he leaps nimbly from his cave r ta thence they both purfue their intended journey, being de- i firous to fteal under the city walls by night. And now the SAT. VI. ( s6o ) the night polTelTed the middle region of the heavent, when each of them fet foot in a gorgeous palace : where carpets dyed with crim/en grain glitter’d upon ivory cou- ches, and many hafkcts of yeflerday’s magnificent en- tertainment remained, which had yefterday Keen fet hy in balkets piled up on one another. After therefore he had placed the peafant, llretchcd at cafe, u}x>q.a fplen- ciid carpet; he bullies about like an adroit hoft, and keeps bringing up one difh clofe to another ; and, with an af- fetled civility, performs ail. the ceremonies, firll tailing of every thing he ferves up. He, lying at his eafe, re- joices in the change of his fituation, and adts the part of a boon companion in his good cheer ; when, on a hid- den, a prodigious rattling of the folding doors fhook them both eff their ccuches. Terrified they began tofeamptr all about the room ; and mere and more heartlefs to he in confufion, whilfl the lofty houfe refounded with tt* lariittg of mad iff dogs ; upon which, fays the country ns cure, I have no defire for a life like this ; and fare- well : my wood and cave, fecure from furprizes, (hall, with homely tares, comfort me/,;- this ttiJabpmntmtiJ, ( a6i ) B.IL

SATIRE. VII.

One of Hor3Ce’j /7

"T Have a long while been attending to you; and would *- fain fpeak a few words in return, kut being a Have, 1 am afraid. What, Davus i Yes, Davus, a faithful fer- vant to his mafter, and an honefl one, at leaf! fufficient- ly fo : that is, for you to think his life in no danger f. Well, (fince onr anceftors would have it fo) ufe the free- dom of December : fpeak on. One part of mankind are fond of their vices with femi conftancy, and adhere to their purpofe : a confider- able part fluctuate?; one while embracing the right, another liable to depravity. Prifcus, frequently obfer- ved with three rings, fometimes with his left hand bare, lived fo irregular, that he would change his robe every hour ; from a magnificent edifice, he would on a fud-

* A feajl injlituted in honour of Saturn, in ivhofe reign all men were upon a footing. It was held in December, and the fairs at that time were pennit- ted to to treat their mafiers with great familiarity. f Ignorant freople hair a common proverb. Such a child: is too good (or too witty) to be long liv’d. den SAT. VII. ( *6* ) ^tn hide himfelf in fuch a place, from whence a decent ji; freedraan would fcarce come out in a reputable mac- i ner; one while he would chufe to lead the life of a rake 1 at Rome, another that of a fcholar at Athens; born in | the defpite of every attribute of Vertumnus *. Thatl buffoon,Volanerius,when the defervedgout had crippled! his lingers, maintained*u fellow that he had hired at a 1 daily price, who took up the dice, and put them into j the box for him : yet by how much more conftant he! was in his vice, by fo much lefs wretched was he than I the former perfon, who one while is in difficulties by | Uo loofe, another by too tight a rein. Will you not tell to-day, thou varlet, whither fuch I Wretched Huff tends ? Why, to you, I fay. In what ref-l peift to me, fcoundrel ? You praife the happinefs and| manners of ^he ancient Roman people; and yet if any f god was on a fudden to reduce you to them, you the1 fame man would earneftly beg to be excufed : either ! becaufe you are not really of opinion that what you bawl about is right ; or becaufe you are irrefolute in defending the right and hcfitate, in vain defirous to ex- -tradl your foot from the mire. At Rome you long lor the country ; when you are in the country, ever fickle, you extol the abfent city to the Ikies. If haply you are -invited out no where to flipper, you praife your fallad tlmi you enjoy in tranquillity ; and, as if whenever you go abroad it is upon compulfion, yon think yourfelf fo hap-

* Vertumnas prejided over the changes of the fea- Jons. There were many flatues of him, and in va- rious forms, which eccafior.s Verfumni in the plural number. ?/ ( 263 ) E.TI. Isf, and do fo hug yourfe!f,that you ar« obliged to drink o where : but {hould Msecenas lay his commands Uf on m rou to come late, at the firft lighting up of the tapers, |i 0 be his guefi ? “ Is there nobody to bring the oil with t more expedition ? Docs any body hear ?” you fputter . frith mighty bellowing, and tben you icour away, kiilvius, and the buffoons ivho expected to fup ovitb you, lepart, after having utter’d curfes not proper to be re- eated. Any one may fay, for T own the truth, that am eafily feduced by my appetite : I fnuffup my flofs It a favoury fmell : am weak, lazy : and, if you have a mind to add any thing elfe, a fot. But feeing you ire as I am, and perhaps fomething worfe, why do ou wilfully call me to an account, as if you was the Metier man ? and, with fpecious phrafes, difguife your jl ivn vices? What, if you are found out to be a great- Ir fool than I, vHo was purchafed for five hundred / rachmas * ? Forbear to terrify me with your looks ; :ftrain your hand and your anger, while I relate to .ifou, what Crifpinus’s porters taught me. A Another man’s wife captivates you a harlot, Davns : >i -hich of us fins more defcrvingly of the gallows ? When it een nature inflames me ; any common wench that picks 1 ue up, difmifles me neither difhonoured, nor in the lecrjl h tlicitous whether a richer or a handfomer man enjova 1 :r next. You, when you have caft off your enfigns of gnity, your equeftrian ring, and your Roman habit, irn out, from a grave magiftrate, a wretched Dama f.

About fifty crowns Jlerlhig, if the Attic drachma!, bes f as is computed) fix /hillings of our money. f A. common name for a Jlave in Rome. biding SAT. VII. ( *64 ) hiding with a crape your eflenced head ; are you not rcd/Zy what you perionate ? You are introduced appre- henfive of confequrnctj, and as you are altercating with your paffions, your bones fluke with fear. What is the difference, whether you go condemned, Met agUiJiator *, to be galled with fcourges, or to be flain with the fword; or be fqueezed up, neck and heels, in a filthy chert, where ihe maid, confcious of her miftrefs’s crime, has flowed you ? Has not the hufband of the offending dame a juft power of punijhingboth ^ Againft thefeducer even a jufter ? But fhe neither changes her drefs, or place, or fins to that exetfs as you Jo; fince the woman is in dread even of you, nor gives any credit to you, tio' youprafefs to love her. You muft go under the yoke knowing- ly, and put all your fortune, and livelihood, and your reputation, together with your limbs, into the power of an emaged hufband. Have you efcaped ? I fuppofe ihtn you will be afraid^/sr the future, and, being warned, will be cautious. A’», you will fetk occafion when a- gain you may be in terror, and aga'n may be likely ta perifh. O fo often a Have! What beaft, when it has amce efcaped, by breaking its toils, ever abfurdly trufts >tfelf to them again ? You fay, “ I am no adulterer.” Nor, by Hercules, am I a thief, when 1 wifely pafs by •fie filver vafes. Take away the danger, and vagrant nature will fpring forth, when all roftraints are remo- ved. Are you then, my mailer,_/o much my inferior, by faing fubjeileJto the dominion of fo many things and per* fens ? whom vengeance, though inflitfted three or four

* A gladiator, when he wat fold, laid himftlf un- dpr theje fanguinury obligations. 7 ( i65 ) * 3. 1L, {'raf9 c-j:r, can never free from this wretched folicitude ? Add to what has been faid above, a thing of no lefs •weight : for whether he be an underling, who obeys the mafier-Cave*, as it is yourcuftom to affirm; or only a fellow-fiave ; what am 1 in refpedk of yeu ? You, for example, who have the command of me, are in fubjec-* tion'to other thingsf, and are led about, like a pup- pet, which is moveable by the means of wires not its own. Who then is free ? The wife man who has dominion over himfelf: whom neither poverty, nor death, nor chains affright : brave in the checking of his appetites, and in contemning honours; and perfedt in himfelf, polilh’d and round {; fo that nothing can retard him is his level courfe : againft whom misfortune ever advan- ces ineffectually. Can you, out of all thefe recognize any thing applicable to yourfelf? A woman demands five talents of you, plagues you, and after you are turn- ed out of doors, ffie bedews you with cold water ; (he calls you again. Refcue your neck from this vile yoke : Come fay, I am free, quite free. You are not able : For an implacable mafter oppreffesyour mind, and claps the (harp fpurs to your jaded appetite, and forces you on rWyi reludfant. When you, a fool, quite languiffi.at a pidlurc by Paufias; how are you lefs to blame than I, when 1 admire the combats of Fuivius,and Rutuba, and

* The Romans of diftinElion had one Jla-ve thatpre- fided over the refl. f Tour pajjions. I Alluding to a globe, ‘which, having no afperities, goes fmoothly on in its courfe. 7, Placi- EAT. VII. ( *65 } Placideiamis, with their bended knees, painted in cray- ons, or charcoal, as if the men were actually engaged, and pufli and parry, moving their weapons? Dasus is a fcoundrel, and a loiterer; but you have the character of an exquifite and expert ccnnoiffeur in antiquities. If I am allured by a fmoaking pally, I am a good-for- nothing fellow : Does your great virtue and foul rdift (be temptation of delicate entertainments? A tendernefs for my belly is too deftfuftive for me : Why fo ? For does not my back pay for it ? But how do you come off with more impunity, lince you hanker after fuch dainties, as cannot be had for a little cxpence ? Then thofe delicacies, perpetually taken, pall upon the ftomaeh ; and your miltaken feet will not fupport your fickly bo- dy. Is that boy guilty, who by night pawns a ftolen feraper * for feme grapes? And has he nothing fervile about him, who in indulgence to h>s guts, fells his ef- tates ? Add to this, that you yourfelf cannot be an hour by yourfclf, nor difpofe of your leifure in a right man- ner ; and defert yourfelf as a mete fugitive and vaga- bond, tone while endeavouring with wine, another with fleep, to cheat care : in vain : for the gloomy companion preifes upon you, and purfues you in your flight. Where can I get a {tone ? What occafion is there for it ? Where can I get fume darts ? The man is either mad, or making of verfes. If you don’t take yourfelf, away

* The Jlrigil was an injlrument made of either iron, brafs, or fiver, that the Romans made ufe of in their bagnios to ferape of the Jwrat: there is a figure of one of them to be feen in Battley’s Antj^uitates RuTUPiNAE. in < 267 ) B. I!. in an inftant, you Jhall go and male a ninth labourer * at my Sabine eftate.

SATIRE VIII.

A /mart defcription of a mifer rzJiculoufy atling the extravagant.

TjOW did the entertainment of that happy fellow Na- * * fidienus pleafe you ? for yefterday, as I was lock- ing to make you my gueft, you was faid to be drinking there from mid-day It fleafid me fo, that I never wa# happier in my life. Say, (if it is not troublefome) what food firft calmed your raging appetite. In the firft place, there was a Lucanian boar ; which was taken while the gentle fouth-wind blew, as the father of the entertainment affirmed; around it poig- nant rapes, lettuces, radilhes; fuch things as provoke a languid appetite; (kirrets, anchovies, dregs of Coan wine f. Thefe once removed, one Have, tucked high, with a purple cloth wiped the maple table, and a fe- cund ga hered up whatever laid ufelefs, and whatever could offend the gnefts ; fwarthy Hydafpes advances, like an Attic maid with Ceres’ facred rites, bearing wines of Cxcubum ; Alcon brings thofe of Chios, .un-

* There -a:ere eight already at hard labour at Ho- race’s country-houfe. f Vinegar made of fuck. Za damaged SAT. VIII. ( *63 ) .damaged Iiy the fea *. Here the mafter cries : Maece- nas, if Alban or Falernian wine delight you more thus thofe already brought; we have both. Jll-fated riches! But, f undanus, I am impatient t* b now, who were Iharcrs in this feaft where you fared lo well. I was highefi, and next me mas Vihos Thurinns, and below, if I remember riglt was Varius ; Vibidius, with Servilius Balatro, whom Maecenas had brought along with him, unbidden guefts f, Above KaJlJier.us himfelf was Nomentanus, below him Porcius, mbo made iAtvfcif ridiculous in fwallowing whole cakes at once. •Nomentanu* mas prefmt for this/)»ryw/i, that if any thing elegant Ihould chance to be unobftrvcd, he might fhew it w'ith his pointing finger. For the other company, ve, I mean, tzt prcmtfcueijiy of fowls, oyflers, hlh, which had concealed in them a juice far different from the know n and common : as prefcntly appeared, when he reached to me the entrails of a plaice and of a tur- bot, fuch as had never been tailed before. After thr, 1 o informed me that honey-apples were moll ruddy, when gathered under the w aning moon. What differ- ence this makes, you will hear heft from himfelf. Then Jays Vibidius to Ealatro ; we, if we do not drink to his coft, ihall die in his debt. And he calls for larger tum- blers. A [ ilenefs prefertly changed the countenance of our hoft, who tears nothing fo much as hard drinkers: either bccaufe liny are more freely cenforious; or he- caulc heating wines s\<.aU:nthe[u'oi'ile judgement of tie p&-

* Cr, that never was at fea : horne brewed, f literally fiiadows, /. e-friends introduced by Mat- CMOS- late. ( *59 ) I3.IT. late. V it'dins and Balatro, all following their ex- ample, pour whole calks into Aliphanians * : The gueflsf indeed of the 1cwelt couch, did no hurt to the flagons. A lamprey next is brought, extended in a diih, in the midft of floating ihrimps. Where- upon, This, fays the mafter, was caught when preg- Inant; which after having young would have been lefs delicate in its flelh. For thefe a fauce is mixed up ; with oil which the heft cellar of Venafrutn prefled ; with pickle from the juices of the Iberian fiih, with wine of five years old, but produced on this fide the fea while it is boiling; after it is boiled, the Chian wine foils it fo weil, that no other does better than it, with white pepper; not without the vinegar which, by being vitiated f, turned four the Methymnean grape. I firfl: {hewed the way to flew it in green rockets, and the bit- ter elicampane; Curtilius to Jtezu in it the fea-urchin unwalhed, as being better than the pickle, which tho fea flicll-fiih yields. In the mean time the fufpended tapeftry made a heavy- downfall upon the difh, bringing down along with it as much black dull as the north-wind never raifes on the plains of Campania. Having been fearful of fomc- thing worfe, as foon as we perceived there was no dan- ger we rife up. Rufus, hanging his head, began to weep, as if his fon had died an untimely i/rati : What

* Cups of fize larger than ordinaryy made at slli- pba, a Samnite town. •f Thefe were hit own creature}, Komentanus and Porcius. j The •vinegar was only fpoiled wines. would SAT. VUt. ( .1:0 ) yould have been the end, had not the difcreet Noaie*- tanus thus railed Ids friend ? Alas ! O fortune, what is more cruel to us than thee ! How doft thou always t .Le pleafure in fporting with human affairs! Varius could fcatee fmother a laugh with his napkin. Balatro, inter- ino- at every thing, obferved. This is the condition of human life : and therefore a fuitable glory will never anfwer your labour. Muft you be rent and tortured with all manner of anxiety, that I may be entertained fumptuoufly; left burnt bread, left ill-feafened foup fttould be fet before us that all your {laves fhould wait properly attired and neat ? Add befides thefe accidents; if the hangings Ihould tumble down, as juft now ; if the groom flipping with his foot ftiould break a difh. But aiverfity ufes to difclofc, profperity to conceal the abi- lities of a hoft as of a general. To this Nafidienus : May the Gods give you all the bleflings, whatever you can pray for; you are f'o good a man, and fe evil a gueft: and calls for his fandals. Tdicn on every couch you might fee divided whifpers buzzii.g in fecret car. I would not chufe to have feen any theatrical enter- tainments fooner than thtfe things. But come, recount what you laughed at next. While Vibidius is enquir- ing of the Haves, whether she flagon was alfo broKn, becaufe cups of mine were not brought when he called for them ; and while a laugh is continued on feigned pretences, Balatro fccending it; you.hJafidienus, return with an altered countenance, as if to repair your ill for- tune by art. Then followed the flaves, bearing on a 1 :rge charger the fevered limbs of a crane befprinkled with much fait, not without flour, and the liver of a white goofe fed with fattening fgs, and the wings cf hares ( 271 ) B. II. Kates torn off, as a much daintier difli, than if one eats them with the loins. Then vve faw blackbirds alfo fet before us with fcorched * breafts, and ring-doves with- out the rumps : Delirious morfels, did not the mafter give us the hiilory of their caufes and natures : whom we iu revenge fled from, fo as to tafte nothing at all: as if Canidia, more venomous than African ferpents, had poifoned them with hei breath.

'* ;. e. over-roajled. t

HO-

i THE

EPISTLES

O F

HORACE.

BOOK I.

EPISTLE 1.

To MAECENAS. r poet renounces all •verfes of a ludicrous turn, and. I refol’ves to apply himfelf wholly to the Jludy of phi- I lofophy, which teaches to bridle the defires, and. \pofpone every thing to virtue. ‘iEOENAS, the fubjeA of my former fong, juftly entitled to my lateft, you fetk to en- gage me again in the old lifts, having been lied fufSciently, and now prefented with the rod * of

i* The Rudis was a wooden foil given to the gla- i, iters when they were dfw'fed from tie fag * H Jrudem ? freedom ? My age is not the fame, nor is my genius. Veianius, his arms confecrated on a pillar of Hercu’es’a temple, lives fnugly retired in the country, that he may not, from the extremity of the fandy * amphitheatre, f» often fupplicate the people’s favour. Some one fetms frequently to ring in my quick ear; Wifely in time difmifs the aged courfer, left derided he mifearry at laft, and break his wind. Now therefore I lay afide both ver- fes, and all other fpisrtive matters; my ftudy and enqui- ry is after what is true and fitting, and I am wholly engaged in this: I lay up, and colfedt rules which I may be able hereafter to draw out into aflien. And left you ftiould perchance enquire under what leader, in what houfe of philofiphy I enter myfelf a pupil • addicted to fwear implicitly to the ipfe-dixits of no particular matter, where ever the ftorm drives me, I become a gueft. One while I become adlive, and am plung’d in the waves of Hate affairs, a maintainer and a rigid par- tizan of ftridt virtue; then again I relapfe infenfibly in- to Ariftippus’s maxims, and endeavour to fuit ciicum- ftances to myfelf, not myfelf to circumftances. As the- sight feems long to thofe with whom a miftrefs hasu broke her appointment, and the day feems long to thofe: who owe their labour; as the year moves flow with, minors, whom the harfh guardianfhip of their mothers confines; fo all that time to me flows tedious and dif- tafteful, which delays my hope and defign of ftrenuouf- ly executing that which is of equal benefit to the poorlj

* The area of the amphitheatre was Jlrewn with fund to prei'eni its becoming Jl‘pperj, and to drink vp the blood. ( *77 ) ■a'fid ttf the fich, which neglcded will he of equal de-* triment to young .ind old. It remains, that I condudl and comfort myfilf by thefe principles : your fight is not fo piercing as that of Lypceus ; you will not how- ever, defpife being anointed if you are lore-eyed : nof bcaufe you defpair of the mufcles of the invincible' Gly- con *, wili you be carelefs of prefervirtg your body from the knotty gout. There is fome point in philojophy ■we may advance to, if we can no farther. Does your heart burn with avarice and a wretched defire of more? Words there are, and charms f, with which you may mitigate this pain, and rid yourfelf of a great part of the diftemper. Do you fwell with the love of praife ? There are certain purgations which can reilore you, a certain treatife being perufed thrice with purity of mind. The envious, choleric, indolent, the flave to wine, to women; none is fo favage, that he cannot be tamed, if he will only lend a patient ear to di! tipline. It is virtue, to fly vice ; and the firfl jtep of wifdom, to have lived free from folly. You fee with what toil of mind and body you avoid thofe things which you believe to be the greateft evils, a Imall fortune, and a fhameful repulfe. An a&ive merchant you run to the remoteft Indies, fleeing poverty through fea, through rocks, through flames. And will you not Jcura, and hear, and be advifed by one that is wifer, that you may no longer regard thofe things which you

* Suppofed to be a JIatue of Hercules, made b': Gly- son, and called The Glycon. f lie conftdcrs pbilofophj as cfmvjical force againfi ihe unruly pafhons of (he mind. ' A a I oolifhly £*• t C *79 ) foolifhly- admire and wifh for ? What little champion of the villages, and of the ftreets would fcorn being crown- ei at the great Olympic games, who had the hopes and happy opportunity of vi<3ory without toil ? Silver is left valuable than gold, gold than virtue. O citizens, citizens, wealth is to be fought for firft; virtue after riches : this the hightfl Janus * from the Lowell inculcates; yoUng men and old repeat thefe ftiaxims, having their bags and account-books hung on the left arm. You have foul, have breeding, have elo- tpience, and honour : if fix or fewn thoufand ftflerces be wanting to complete your four hundred thoufand, you fhall he a plebeian. But boys at play cry, You fhal) be a k ng, if you will do right, ftet this be a zM/,’r brazen wall, To be confcious of no ill, to turn paje with no guilt. Tell me, pray, is the Roician law bed, or the boys fong, which offers the kingdom to them that do right, fung by the manly Curii and Gamilli ? Does he advife you bed, who fays, Make a fortune ; a fortune, if you can, honedly ; if not, a fortune by any means ; that you may view from a nearer bench the tear- moving poems of Pup; ius : or he who friendly ani- mates and enables you to dand free and upright, a match for haughty fortune ? If now perchance the Roman people fhould afk me, why 1 do not epyoy the fame femiments vvirli them as I do the fame porticoes, nor piirfue or fly from what- ever they admire or diflike : J will reply, waac the cau- tious fox once on a time anfwereti the fick iion : Be-

* There j vfurers, &c. Caufe ( *79 ) B- L canfe the foot-marhs all looking towards you, atid none from you, aft'right me. Thou ait a monfter with ma- ny heads. For what fhall 1 follow ? or whom ? One fet of men delight to farm the public revenues; there are fome who would inveigle covetous neb widows with fweetmeats and fruits, and enfuate old men, whom they might fend Hie JiJb into their ponds : the fortunes of many grow by concealed ufury. But he it that dif- ferent men are engaged in different employments ami purfuits : can the fame perfons continue an hour toge- ther approving the fame things ? If the man of wealth has faid, no bay in the world outfhin .s delightful Bail, the lake and the fea prefently feel the eagernefs of their impetuous mafter : to whom, if a vicious humour gives the omen ; he ll-cry, To-morrow, workmen, ye lhall con- vey from hence your tools to Teanum. Has he in his hall the genial bed ? He fays, nothing is preferable to, nothing better than a fmgle life : if he has not, he fwears the married only are happy. With what noofe can I hold this Proteus varying thus his forms ? What does the poor man ? Laugh at him too: Is he not ever changing his garrets, beds, baths, barbers ? He is as much furfeited in a hired boat, as the rich man is whom his own galley conveys. If 1 meet you with my hair cut vwry by an uneven barber, you laugh at me.- If I chance to have a ragged fhirt under a handfome coat, or if my dxfproportioped gown ill fits me, you laugh : What do you do, when my judgment contradicts itfelf? when it defpifes, what it before defired; feeks for that which lately it ncgledted} is all in a ferment, and is inconfiitent in the whole te- nor of life ; pulls down, builds up, changes fqyare to » l rojjijdf ep.l ( 280 ) round? In this cufe, you think I am mad in the com* mon way, and you do not laugh at all, nor believe that I Hand in need of a phyfiuan, or of a keeper afligned ■ by the praitor; albeit you are the guardian of my uf* fairs, and are difgufted at fucb a funtHiw as ap ill par- ed nail of a friend that depends upon you, that reveres you. In a word, the wife man is inferior to Jupiter alone, is rich, free, honourable,handfome.laftly, king of kings; above all, he is found, unlefs when deflexions are trou- blcfome *.

* Alluding feemingly to a pojfagr in Epitfetut, •prefermed by Arrian, 'wherein an Epicurean objefis to the being of a Providence from his being torment- ed with a continual defuxion ; for which Epicurus Upbraids his pupil, and afks if it is not better to life his hands to wipe his nofe, than focli/hly deny the be- ivg of Providence, which had wifely formed him with hands-. ( ) B. I.

EPISTLE II. \ To LOLLIUS. He prefers Hotner to all the philofopbers, as a mo- ral cvriffr, and aduifes an early cultivation of virtue.

WHILE you, great Lollius, declaim at Rome, I at Prtencfte have perufed over again the writer of the Trojan war : who teaches more clearly, and bet- ter than Chryfippus * and Grantor, what is laudable, what ftiameful, what profitable, what not fo. If no- thing employs you cthcrwife, hear why I have concluded fo. The ftory in which,on account of Paris’s intrigue, Greece is related to be wafted in a tedious war with the Barbarians, Contains the tumults of foolifti princes and people. Antenor gives his opinion for cutting off the caufe of the war. tWhat does Paris? He cannot bo brought to comply, though it is in order that he may reign fafe, and live happy. Neftor labours to compofe the differ- ences between Achilles and Agamemnon : love inflame* one; rage, both in common. The Greeks fuffer for What their princes aid foolifhly. Within the walls of Ilium, and without, enormities are committed, by fedi- lion, treachery, injuftice, and luft, and rage.

* Two eminent philofopbers and writers on moral

A ip. n. ( iSz Again, to fhew wliat virtue, and what wifdotn eail •do, he has propounded Ulyfles an inftrildtive pattern'; v. ho having fubciued Troy, wifely got an iniight into the conilitutioris and cuftoms of many nations; and while for himfelf, while for his aflbciates he is contri- ving a re'turn into their own country, on the fpacious fra he endured many hardfhips, and was not to be funk by all the itormsof adverfity. You are well acquainted with the fongs of the Sirens, and Circe’s cups : of which if he had foolifhly and greedily drank along with his at- tendants, he had bee’n an ignominious and fenleleh jla' e under the command of a proftitutc : he had lived a fi.thy dog, or a hog that delights in mire. We are a mcer n amber, and born on!# to confume the fruits of the earth ; Hie Penelope’s fuitors, ufekfs drones, lilt Alcinous’s youth, who were employed above meafurc In pampering their bodies; all whofe glory was to fleep till mid-day, and to lull their cares to refl by the found of the harp. Robbers rife by night, that they may cut men’s throats; and won’t jou awake to lave yourfeif T But if you will not when you are in health, you will be forced to take care when you are in a dropfy * ; and uniefs before day y'ou call for a book with a light, uniefs you brace your mind with ftudy and honeil employments ; you will be -hspt aw^rke and tormented with envy or with love. For why do you haden to remove what hurts your eyes ; but if any thing gnaws upon your mind, do you defer the time of curing

* i. t. If you tiot take proper precautions to prevent di/lesnper s, you will be forced 10 ufe dijitgree- vile remedies. C 183 ) B. ■it from year to year l He has half done who has made a beginning. Tbertfo.c boldly undertake the ftudy of' (rue wifdom : begin it brejl.itly. He who pollponts the hour of living well, like the hind in the fable, waits till all the water in the river is run off: whereas it flows, and will flow ever rolling in a continued jlream. Money is fought for, and a wife fruitful in bearing children, and wild woodlands are reclaimed by the plow. ‘To what end all this? He that has got a competency, let him wilh for no more. Not a houfe, and farm, not a heap of brafs * and gold can remove fevers from the body of their fide mailer, or cates from his mind. The pc if-(Tor mull be well, if he thinks of enjoying the things he has heaped tsgether. He that is a Have to defire or to fear; his houfe or ellate does him juil as much good as paintings do a fore-eyed perfon. fomentations do the gout, mulic does the ears that are alilifled with coiiedc- ed matter. Unlcfs the veffel is Ivveet; whatever you. pour into it, turns lour. Defpife pleafures; pleafurc bought with pain is hurtful. The covetous man is ever in want : fet a certain limit to your wiflies. The en- vious perfon wattes at the thriving condition of another: Sicilian tyrants never invented a greater torment than envy. He that will not curb his paffion, will wifh that undone which his wild grief and refentment prompted him to, while he violently plies his revenge with unfa- ted rancour. Rage is a Ihort madnefs. Rule your paf- fion ; which commands, if it dors not obey : do you reftrain it with a bridle, do you with fetters. The

* Brafs was a very valuable fart of tbs Roman curren/j. groom £P. III. C 284 ) groom forms the docile horfe while his neck is ye* ten- der, to go the way which his rider dire<3s him : the young hound, from the time that he barked at the deer’s ficin in the hall, campaigns it in the wmods. Now, while you are young, with an untainted mind imbibe inftrudHon; now apply yourfeif to the mafen of morality. A calk will long preferve the flavour, with which when new it was once impregnated.—But if you lag behind, or vigoroufly pufh on before i I neither wait for the loiterer, nor ftrive to overtake thole that precede me.

EPISTLE III.

To JULIUS FLORUS. ylflsr enquiring after Claudius Tiberius Nero, and fame of his friends^ he exhorts Floras to the Jiudy ofphilofopby. I Long to know, Julius Florus, in what regions of the earth Claudius, the ftep-fon of Auguftus, is leading war. Do Thrace and Hebrus bound with icy chains, or the narrow fea running between the neighbouring towers *, or Alia’s fruitful plains and hills detain you ? What works is the ftudious train planning f ? In this

* The Hdlefpont, between Se/los and dby Jos. f Toimg gentlemen of learning, •who formed the court and guard of Augufus. too ( 2§5 ) 8- I- • .too J am anxious. Who takes upon himfelf to write the military atchicvements of Auguftus ? Who diffufes (. into dirt • u ages, the glo>y o/'his wars, and the prudence of \ lit peace s * ? What is Titius about, who Shortly will be | celebrated by every Roman tongue i who dreaded not to I: drink of the Pindaric fpring, flaring ro difdain common v waters and open llreanis : How does he do ? How mind- I ful is he of me ? Does he employ himfelf to adopt The- | ban meafures to the Latin lyre,‘under the dire&ion of 1 his mufe? or does he ftorm and fwel! in the pompous I llyle of tragic art ? What may 1 esperft from Celfus? |i He has been advifed, and the advice is ftill often to be ^ repeated, to acquire flock of his own, and forbear to |i touch whatever writings the Palatine Apollo has receiv- | ed ; left, if it chance that the flock of bods Ihould fonts time or other come to demand their f-.athers, he, like the daw ftiipt of his ftolen colours, be expofed to ridi- !cule. What do you undertalce ? Wlrat thyme are you bufy hovering about ? Your genius is not fmall, is not Uncultivated, and fhamtfully rough. Whether you edge i your tongue for pleading caufes, or whether you prepare to give council in the civil law : or whether you com- poie fbme lo'-cly poem , you will bear off the firft prize i of the victoiious ivy. If now you could quit the cold fo- i mentations of care, wherever divine phiiofophy would lead you, you would go. Let us, botli fmail and great, ; pufli forward in this work, in this purfiiit ; if to our country, if to ourfelves we would live dear ? You muft alfo write me word of this, Whether Mu- natius is of as much cancel n to you as he ought ? Or

* Or, his military and peaceful honours ? whether EP.TV. ( a86 ) whether the ill-patched reconciliatinn it! vaitl clofer, and is rent afunder again ; and either Ibe hot blood ef your youth, or inexperience exafperates you, wild i-t/j as un- managed couriers? In whatever place ye live, too wor- thy to break the paternal bond of amity) a devoted hei- fer is feeding again!! your return.

rrrrrrr

EPISTLE IV,

To ALBIUS TIBULLUS. /ft- declares his accompli/hments, and after prepofmg the thought of death he converts it into an cccafion of pleafantry.

LBIUS, thou candid critic of my difeourfes, what fhall I fay you arc now' doing in the country a- bout Pedum ? Writing what may excel the words of Caffius Parmenfis; or fauivtering filently among the healthful groves, concerning yourfelf about every thing worthy of a wife and good man ? You were not a bo- dy without a mind. The gods have given you a beau- tiful form, the gods have given you wealth, and the fa- culty of enjoying it. What greater blclllng could a nurfe wilh for her be- loved child, than that he might he wife, and able to ex- prefs what are his fentiments; and that refpedt, repu- tation, health, might happen to him in abundance, and 3 decent living, with a never-failing parfe? In ( 287 ) B. I. In the of hope and care, in the midft of fear* and difquietudes, think every day that Ihines upon you is the iatt. ‘Thus the hour which {hail not be expedted, Vrili come upon you an agreeable addition. When you {ball have a mind to laugh, you {hall fet me fat and fleck with good keeping, a hog of Epicu* tus’s herd.

EPISTLE V.

To TORgUJTUS. He invites him to a frugal entertainment-, but a clean- ly and cheerful one.

F you can be contented to repofe yourfelf> as my guefh II upon Archias’s couches, and are not afraid to make a whole meal of herbs from a moderate difb ; 1 will wait for you, Torquatus, at my houfe about fun-fet. You {hall drink wine put in the veffel in the fecund .confullhip of Taurus, between the fenny Min- turnte and Petrinum of FinuelTa. if you have any thing better, fend for it; orbring your commands. Bright Ihines my hearth, and my furniture is clean for you al- ready. Difmifs all airy hopes, and contefls about rich- es, and Mofchus’s caufe. Te>-morrow, a feftal day oq account of Ctefar’s birth, allows of indulgence and re- pofe. We Ihall have free l.berty to prolong the fum- mer evening with friendly converfation. To what pur- ff have I a fortune, if l may not ufc it ? He that is {paring $P. V. ( ) fparing rut of rf^ard to Hs heir, and too nigfgardfy, it rext neighbour to a madman. I’ll begin to drink and to fcatter flowers, and I’ll endure even to be accounted jnconflderate. What docs not wine freely thank cnier- prizc ? It dif.lof 9 fecrets ; commam.s our hopes to be ratified; pufhes the coward on to the fight; removes the prelfute from troubled minds; teaches the aits. Whom have not plentiful cups made eloquent f Whom bavelLty not made free and eafy under pinching po- verty? I ivbo am both the proper perfon, and not unwilling, am charged to take care of thefe particulars, that no dirty covering on the couch, no foul napkin contract your nofe into wrinkles; and that the cup and the difh may Ihew you to yourfclf; that there be no one to car- ry abroad what is faid among faithful friends ; that e- quals may meet and be joined with equals. I will add to you Brutus and Septimius, and Sabinus, unlefs a bet- ter entertainment, and a miftrefs more agreeable de- tains him. There is room clfo for many introduflions ; but goaty ramminefs is oflenfive in companies that are too much crouded. Do you write word what number you would be ; and- fetting afide bufinefs, through the back door give the flip to your client who keeps guard in your court.

£ P I S T IrS ( *8? ) B. I.

EPISTLE VI.

To NUMICTUS. ’That a irtu:.

'O admire nothing is almofl the one and only thing, -L Numicius, which can make and keep a man hap- py. There are fume who view this fun, and the ftars, and the feafons retiring at certain periods, untainted with any fear. What do you think of the gifts of the earth ? what, of the fca that enriches the remote Ara- bians and Indians ? whatof fcenical (hews, the applaufe and favours of the kind Roman ? In what manner do you think they are to he looked upon, with what ap- prehcnfions, and with what countenance ? He that dreads the reverfe of thefe, admires them almoft in the fame way as he that deftres them : fear alike difturbs both ways ; an unforefeen turn of things equally terrifies each of them : let a man rejoice, or grieve; defire, or fear; what matters it : if, whatever he perceives better or worfe than his expe&ations, with downcaft look, he is llupified in mind and body ? Let the wife man bear the name of fool, the juft of unjuft ; if he purfues virtue itfelf beyond proper bounds, Co now, look with tranfport upon fiiver, and antique jnarble, and brazen liatues, and the arts : admire gems HI, auJ EP. VI. ( *90 ) and the Tyrian colours : rejoice, that a theufand eyes srtf fated upon you while you fpeak : induftrious repair ear- ly to the forum, late to your houfe, that Mutius may not reap more grain-tiirawv, from his lands gained in dowry, and (unbecoming indeed, fince he fprung from meaner parents,) that he may net be an objedl of admiration to- you, rather than you to him. Whatever is in the earth, time will bring forth into open day light ; will bury and hide things that now fhine brigbteft. When Agrip- pa’s portico, and the Appian way fhall have.beheld yoii well known and ilhtjlriom; ftill it r Mains for you to go where Numa and Ancus are arrived. If your fide 01* your reins are aftliifled with an acute difeafe, fet-k a remedy for the difeafe. Would you live happily ? Who would not? If virtue alerfe can confer this; difcarding' pleafures, ftrenuoufly purfue it. Do you think virtue is' a fet of words, as a grove is a parcel of Wees? Be it your care that no other enter the port before you : that you lofe not year trafnek with’ Cibyra, with Bithynia. I.et the round funt of at thoufand talents be compleated, as many more ; further, let a third thoufand fuccesd, and the part which may fquare the heap. Forwhy, fove- rtfgn money gives a man a wife with a large portion, and credit, and friends, and family, and beauty; and the goddejfes Perfjafion, and Venus, gra.ee the well-mo- nied man. The king of the Cappadocians, though rich in flaves, is in want of coin : be not you/iie him. Lit- cull us, as they fay, being afked if he could lend a hun- dred cloaks for the ftage, Flow can I lb many ? fays he : yet I II fee, and fend as many as I have : a little after'he writes, that he had five thoufand cloaks in his- houfe : they might take part of them, or all. ’Tis a Icanty houfe where there are not many thing fuperflu- ous. ( 29t ) B-1.

* The Ccerites having f&cured the vrflal •virgins and tutelary gods of Rome, vjh-n it was fackedby the Cauls, were rewarded with the privileges of citizens , but afterwards taking part with Tarquin, they were deprived of the right of voting at elections and enrol- led by themfelves : whence Cserite cera, or Caeritum tabulis digni, fit to roll with the Carites. became a term of great reproach. £b» pleafuTC EP. VII. ( 29i ) pieafure was dearer than their country. If, as Mimner- mus thinks, nothing ispleafant without love and mirth, live in love and mirth. Live : be happy. If you know of any thing prefera- ble to thefe maxima, candidly communicate it : if not, with me make ufe of tfiefe.

EPISTLE VII,

To MAECENAS. Hr apologizes to Maecenas for his long abfence front Rome; and acknowledges his fanjours to him in fuch a manner as to declare liberty preferable to all other blejjings.

HAVING promifed you that I would be in thi country but five days, falfe to my word, I am ab- fent the whole month of Auguft *. But, if you would have me live found and irt perfedt health; the indulgence you grant me, Mtecenas, when 1 am ill, you will grant

* In the old flyle of the R.omans, and after the ad- dition of yamtarv and February to their kalendar, Sextilis denoted the fixth month, the year beginning with March. It afterwards received ike name of Auguft, in honour o/'Auguftus: ns Qmntilis the nfth month, whs denominated July,.//'0”2 Julius Cre- far. < 293 ) B-L trie atfo when I am afraid of being ill; while the time of the fir it figs, and the autumnal heat graces the underta- ker with his black attendants: while every father and mother turn pale with fear for their children : and 'while over-adted diligence, and attendance at the fo- rum, bring on fevers, and unfeal wills. But if the win- ter fhall fcatter fnow upon the Alban fields ; your po- et will go down to the fea-fide, and be careful of him- felf, and ftudy fparingly * ; you, dear friend, he will re* vifit with the zephyrs, if you will give him leave, and with the firfl fwallow. You have made me rich, not in the manner which the Calabrian hoft bids bis gucjl eat cf his pears. Eat, pray, Sir. I have had enough. But do you take away with you what quantity you will. You arc very kind. You will carry them Co difagreeable prefents to your little children. I am as much obliged by your offer, as if 1 were lent away loaded. As you pleafe : you will leave them to be devoured to-day by the hogs. The prodigal and fool gives away what he defpifes and hates : the reaping favours like thefe has produced, and will ever produce ungrateful men. A good and wife man profeffes himfelf ready ta do kindaeffes to the de- ferving ; and yet is not ignorant how true coins differ

* Contractus here is a word of great difficulty y and has been very varioujly explained by commentators, as contracted, or beat double with cold ; in dofe confinement, contradto in loco, Iffc. but it feems ra- ther a figure arifng out of his idea of the fea ; from contrahere vela, to furl fail; and It carry, in this place, thefgnifcation a/1 lying by. from. EP. VII. ( 25M ) from lupines *. I will alfo fhew myfelf deferring .if the honour of being grateful f. But if you would not have me depart from you any tvhither ; you muft re- ftore my vigorous conftitution, the black locks that irevi on my narrow forehead { : you muft reftore to me the art to talk with pleafantry : you muft reftore to me the art to laugh with becoming eafe, and to whine over my liquor at the jilting of the wanton Cynara. A thin field-moufe had by chance crept throcgh a narrow cranny into a cheft of grain; and, having feaft- ei itfelf, in vain attempted to come out again, with its body now fiuffed and full. To which a weafel at a dif- tance cries. If you would efcape thenee, repair lean to the narrow hole which you entered lean. If I be ad- drefied with this fimilitude, I am ready to refign all; neither do I, fated with delicaues, cry up the calm re- pofe of the vulgar, nor would I change my liberty and eafe for the riches of the Arabians. You have often commended me for being model!; : when prefent you heard from me the appellation of king and father, nor am Ja word more fparhig in your ahfcnce. Try whether I can cheafully reftore what you have given me. Not amifs anfwered Telemaclms, fon of the patient Ulyfl'es; the country of Ithaca is not proper for horfes, as being neither extended into champaign fields, nor abounding with much grafs : Atrides, I will leave behind me your

* A pulfc, ufed by

* Inditflis Latinis. Philip could go into the count try only on the holidays. They nvere called indidlae, or concept ivae, becaufe they nuere not celebrated on any Jlated days, dies ftatas, but at the pleafure of the conful. They were in/lituted in honour of Jupiter, in memory of a peace concluded between Tarquinius Su- ferltis, and the people of Latium. Philip’s ( 2^7 ) B. i. Philip's houfe. Whom as foon as Philip beheld rough and unfliav^n; Vulteius, fays he, yoo feem to me to be too laborious and earneft. In truth, patron, replied he, you would call me a Wretch, if you would apply to me my true name. 1 befeech, and conjure yon then, by your genius, and your right hand, and your houfe- hold gods; reftore me to my former way of life. As foon as a man perceives how much the things he has difcarded excel thofe hepurfues; let him return in time, and refume thofe he before relinquiflied. It is a truth, that every one ought to meafure himfelf by his own proper foot and ftandard.

EPISTLE VIII.

To CELSUS ALB 1X0EANUS. That he ewas neither well in body nor in mind; that Celfus Jhould bear his profperity with moderation.

MY mufe, at my requeft, give joy, and wiih fuccefg to Celfus Albinovanus, the attendant and the fe- cretary of Nero. If he Ihall enquire, what I am doing j fay, that I, tbmah promifmg many and fine things, y.-t live neither well, according t» the rules of /lri8pb'dofophy, nor agreeably ; not becaufe the hail has crulhed my vines, and the heat has nipped my olives; nor becaufe my herds are diftempered in remote puftures : but be- caufe, lefs found in my mind than in'my whole body, I Will EP. IX. ( 398 ) f will hear notliing-, learn nothing that may relieve me difeafed as I am; that I am diipleafed with my faithful phyficians, am angry with my friends *,for be- ing induftrious to roufe me from a fatal lethargy; that I purfue things that have done me hurt; avoid thofe things which f am perfuaded would be of fervice ta me; inconftast as the wind, at Rome I am in love with Tibur, at Tibur with Rome. After this, enquire how he does; how he manages his bufinefs and himfelf; how he pleafesthe young prince, and his attendants. If he fhall fay, well; firfl congratulate him, then remember to whifper this admonition in his ears : As you. Cel- fus, bear your fortune, fo will we behave to you.

EPISTLE IX.

To CLAUDIUS TIBERIUS NERO,

He recommends Septimius to him,

OF all the men in the world Septimius furely, O Claudius, knows bejl the ftiare 1 have in your re- gards. For when he requefls, and by his intreaties in a manner compels me to undertake to recommend and introduce him to you, as one wot thy of the confidence

* Perhaps this is the only injlance where cur is to be unflerjlood in the fenfe of quod. Francis. ;md quitted

I. B. ) 299 (

X. EPISTLE To ARISTIUS FUSCUS.

able to nature, and more friendly to liberty.

that lover TTF. who love the country falute Fufcus

much un- V V the town ; in this point alone we are

as I haire Do you afk why ? I live and reign, as foon country. with mofs, and the groves of the delightful overgrown the neft ; I praife the rivulets, the rocks you keep 2 dent together; like old and conftant doves, more agree- He pratfct a country before a city life, as denies: we timents : whatever one denies, the other too fen- ilke, but in other things almoft twins, of brotherly great deal in order that do. Indeed I faid a tvhat I can of an intimate the office I discharge as thinking ohjedle, choofes deferving; who ever of Nero, houfehold and the

put in for the prize of town-bred a greater fault, I have

brave and good.

intreaties of a friend; enrol i perfeded at the preffing

approve of modefty’s being fu- il confidence. If now you

own power, and rea- to be a. diflembler of my ’ than it is,

lefs with you was to pretend my intereft - be fufpedled

I was afraid left I fliould off excufed : but 1 I might come

retinue, and believe him to be I this perfon among your

of avoiding the reproach myfeif alone. So, V dy to ferve

better than myfeif you: he fees and knows i friend with

—RTS' EP. X. ( 300 ) quitted thofe things which you extol to the Ikie* with joyful applaufe. And, like a prieft’s fugitive Have, I rejed lufcious wafers ; 1 defire plain bread, which is more agreeable to me now than honied cakes. If we muft live fuitably to nature, and a plot of ground is to be firft fought for to raife a houfe upon; do you know any place preferable to the blifsful country ? is there any fpot where the winters are more temperate ? where a more agreeable breeze moderates the rage of the dog-ftar, and the feafon of the lion, when once that furious Jign has received the fcorching fun ? Is there a plate where envious care lets diflurbs our flumbers ? Is the grafs inferior in fmell or beauty to the Libyan peb- bles ? Is the vyater, which by being forced flrives to burft the lead in the ftreets, purer than that which trembles in murmurs naturally down its Hoping channel ? Why, trees are nurfcd among the variegated columns of the city; and that houfe is commended which has a profped of diftant fields. Drive out nature by violence (with a fork) yet thill fhe will return, and becoming infenfibly vi&ori- ous, will break through mens improper difgufis. Not he, who is not Ikilful enough to compare the fleeces that drink up the dye of Aquinum, with the Si- donian purple, and to JiJUnguiJb them ; will receive a more certain damage, and nearer to his marrow, than he who fliall not be able to diftinguilh falfe from true. He who has been overjoyed by profperity, will be fhocked by a change of things. If you admire any thing greatly, you’ll be unwilling to refign it. Avoid great things : under a mean roof one may outfirip kings, and the favourites of kings, in a happy life. The flag, fuperior in fight, drove the horfe from the * common pafture : till the latter Jhll vvorlled in the long conteil^ ( 3oi ) B. I. Conteft, implored the aid of man, and received the bri- dle : but after he had parted conqueror from his con- quer’d enemy, he could not fliake the rider from his back, tier the bit from his mouth. So he who afraid of poverty, forfeits his liberty, -which is more valuable than mines of treafure ; lhall be fo wretched as to carry a mafter, and lhall eternally be a Have, for not knowing how to ufe a little. When a man’s condition does not fuit him; it will be as a Ihoe at any time, which, if too big for his foot, will throw him down ; if too little, will pinch him. If you are chearful and fatisfed with your lot, Ariftius, you will live wifely ; nor lhall you let me go uncorredted, if I appear to ferape together more than enough, and not have done. Accumulated money is the mailer or Have of each owner, deferving rather to follow than to lead the twilled rope. Thefe I dictated to you behind the mouldering tem- ple of Vacuna * ; in all other things happy, except that you was not with me.

* The goddefs of -vacations or of idlenefs.

Cc EPISTLE EP. XI. ( 301 )

|E P I S T L E XI.

To BULL ATWS. Endeavouring to recal him hack to Rome from A- lia, nohither kr had ret-eated through his *weari~ nefs of the civil vuars, he advifes him to eafe the dfquietude of his mind, not by the length of his journey, but by forming his mind into a right dif- jofition.

WHAT, Bnllithis, do you think of Chios, and of the celebrated Lefbos ? What of neat Samos ? What of Sardis the royal refidence of Croefus ? What of Smyrna and Colophon ? Are they greater or lefs than fame makes them ? Are they all contemptible in comparifon of the Campus Martins and the river Ti- ber ? Does fame one of Attalus’s cities enter into your wifh ? Or do you admire Lebedus, through a furfeit of the fea and of travelling ? You know what Lebedus is: it is a more unfrequented town than Gabii and Fi- dense : yet there would 1 be willing to live, and, for- getful of my friends, and forgot by them, view from land Neptune raging at a diftance But neither he who comes to Rome from Capua, befpattered with rain and mire, would live alivays in an inn; nor doe he who has contratfted a cold, cry up ftoves and bagnios as completely furnifhing the means of a happy life : nor if the ( 303 ) E- *• the violent Couth wind has toffed you in the deep, will you therefore fell your fliip on the other fide of the Egean fea. On a man that is found in mind, Rhodes and the beautiful Mitylene have fuch an effedl, as a thick cloak at the fummer folftice, thin drawers in fnowy weather, bathing in the Tiber in winter, a fire in the month of Auguft. While you may, and •white for- tune preferves a benign afpedl, let abfent Samos, and Chios, and Rhodes, be commended by you here at Rome. Whatever profperous hour providence bellows upon you, receive it with a tkankful hand ; and defer not the enjoyment of the comforts of life till a year is at an end: that, in whatever place you are, you may fay that you have lived with fatisfaftion. For if rea- fon and difcretion, not a place that commands a prof- pedt of the wide extended fea, remove our cares ; they change their climate, not their difpofition, who run be- yond the fea; a laborious inefficacy harraffes us : by (hips and by chariots we feek to live happily. What you feek is here at home, is at Ulubrsi; if a juft temper ©f mind is not your want.

i z EPISTL1. EP. XII. ( 3°4 )

EPISTLE XII.

To ICCIUS. Vnder the appearance of praifing the man's parfimo- ny, he archly ridicules it; introduces Grofphus to him, and concludes ‘with a few articles of news concerning the Roman affairs.

O ICCIUS, if you tightlyenjoythe*Sicilian products, which you colIetSI fpr Agrippa ; it is not poflible that a greater affluence can be given you by Jove him- felf. Away with complaints: for that man is by no mean;! poor, who hath the ufe of fvery thing he wants. If it is well with your belly, your back, and your feet; even regal wealth can add nothing greater. If ftrange- ly abftemious, amidll profufion, you live upon fallad and fhell-fifh ; you will confequently live in fuch a Jrugal manner, that prefently fortune fhall flow upon you in a river of gold: either hecaufe money cannot change the natural difpofition, or becaufe it is your opinion that all things are inferior to virtue alone. Can we wonder, if ether mens cattle feed upon the meadows and corn-fields of Democritus, while his adtive foul is abroad

* Augufus had given Agrippa confderable poffef- ftons in Sicily, as a reward for his having reduced that IJland.—Iccius was agent there to Agrippa. travelling ( 3*5 ) BrI, trjvtWn* withoiit his body? Since you, amidft fuels great impurity and infetlion of profit, have no talte for any thing trivial, but ftill mind only things of a fub- lime nature ; namely, what caufes fet bounds to the fea; what rules the year; whether the ftars fpontaneoufly, or by dire&ion, wander about, and are erratic ; what throws obfeurity on the moon, and what brings out her orb ; what is the intention and power of the jarring harmony of things; whether Empedocles, or the hypu- thefis of Stertinius, be in the wrong ? However, whether you murder* fifhes, or onions and garlick, receive Pompeius Grofphus : and if he alks any favour, grant it him frankly : Grofphus will defire nothing but what is right, and juft. The fruits of friend- fhip are cheap, when goodf men want any. thing. But that you may not be ignorant in what fituation the Roman affairs are : the Cantabrians have fallen by the valour of .Agrippa, and the Armenians by that of Claudius Nero : Phraates has, in the moft fuppliant manner, admitted the laws and power of Caefar. Gol- den plenty has poured out the fruits of Italy from a full horn.

* Murder, in ridicule of the doctrine of Pythagoras, qubo held that thefouls of the human kind pajjed jitccef- Jinjely, into the bodies of men, animals, and plants. + Becauje they arc always modejl, and reafonable in their demands.

C c 3 EPISTLE EP. XIII. ( 306 )

EPISTLE XIII.

To FINNIUS ASINA.

Fiotict'cautions him toprefent his poems to Auguflus at a proper opportunity, and with due decorum.

AS on your fetting put I frequently and fully gave you inllruflions, Vinnius, that you would prefent thefe volumes t* Auguflus fealed up, if he fhall be in health, if in fpirits, finally, if he fhall afk for them : leaft you offend out of zeal for me, and induftrioufly bring an odium upon my books by being an agent of violent officioufnefs. If haply the heavy load of my paper fhould gall you ; caft it from you, rather than throw down your pack in a rough manner, where you are directed to carry them, and turn your paternal name of Afina* into a jeft, and make ypurfelf a common {lory. Make ufe of your vigour over the hills, the ri- vers, and the fens. As foon as you have got the better of your enterprize, and you arrive there, you muft keep

* Horace puns upon the word Afina, which, beftdes being a proper name,ftgniftes an afs. Many Roman iirnames were derived from Afinus. The family of Annii, had that of Alella ; the Claudian, Afellus ; the Sempronian, Afellio, If c. your ( 507 ) B.y. I your burden in this pofition; left you happen to carry my bundle of books under your arm, as a clown does a [ Jamb, or as drunken Pyrrhia * in the flay doet the balls t of pilfer’d wool, or as a tribe-gueft f carries his flippers j t with his fuddling-cap. You muft not tell pubiicly how you fweated with carrying thofe verfes, which may de- tain the eyes and ears of Caifar. Solicited with much intreaty, do your beft. Finally, get you gone, farewell: take care you do not Humble, and break my orders (for- i get your errand. J

EPISTLE XIV. . .

To his STEWARD. !fle upbraids his levity for contemning a country life, which had been his choice, and being eager to re- turn to Rome.

STEWARD of my woodlands, and little farm, that reftores me to myfelf, which you defpife, though for- i merly inhabited by five families, and wont to lend five good fenators to Varia; let us try, whether I with

* Alluding to a paffage in a comedy of Titinius's. f Alhenatus fays. Members of the fame tribe had entertainments called ccenae tluafte, ward-feafts, as they might now be termed. more EP. XIV. ( 308 ) more fortitude pluck the thorns out of my mind, or yon out of my ground; and whether Horace, or his eftate, be in a better condition. Tho’ my affeiSion and folicitude for l.amia, mourn- ing for his brother, lamenting inconfolably lot hi* brother’s lofs, detain me ; neverthelefs my heart and foul carry me thither, and long to break thr ough , thofe barriers that obltrucl my way. I pronounce him the happy man, who dwells in the cour.try, you him win lives in the city. He, to whom his neigh- bour’s lot is agreeable, muft of confequence dillikc hi* own. Each of us U a fool for iinjultly blaming the in- nocent place. The mind is in fault, which never ef- capes from itfelf. When you was a drudge at every one’s beck, you tacitly prayed for the country: now you are appointed my Howard, you wrfh for the city, the Ihews, and the public baths. But you ktrow I am con- frftent with mylelf, and loth to go, whenever difagree- able bufinefs drags me to Rome. We are not admirer* of the fame things : hence it is that you and I difagree. For what you reckon defert and inhofpitable wilds, ire, who is of my way of thinking, calls delightful places and drfirkes what you cfleem pleafant. The bawdy- houfes, I perceive, and greafy taverns, raife your incli- nation for the city : and ibis, beeaufe my little fpot will feoner yield frankincenfe and pepper, than grapes; nor is there a tavern near, which can fupplyyou with wine; nor a minftrel harlot, to whofe thrumming you may dance cumberfome to the ground : and yet, it ftems

* Horace fays tins ironic ally, f:r bis fleoXsara s bead e&as fo taken up

* Sluices cut for ^watering the ground; as, Claudite jam rivos, pueri: fat prata biberunt. VlRC. + At his Sabine farm- £ Limio oculis afpicere aliquein ; to look afkew, or afkar.ee ; but the Latins newer vfd limare in that fettfe. The fcholiajl explains the vjord limat by de- merit, imtninuit. It was a fuperjlition amongjl the ancients, that an envious, or malicious eye, couldajfebi what it looked upon*, as Nefcip quis teneros oculus mihi fafcinat agnos. ViRG. Some eye or other faf'mates my tender lambkins. munching EP. XV. ( 3x0 ) munching your daily allowance with the flaves in town; you ardently vi ilh to be of the number of thefe. my cunning foot-boy envies you the ufe of the firing, the flocks, and the garden. The lazy ox wifnes for the horfe’s trappings: the horfe wifhes to go to plough. But I fhall be of opinion, that each of them ought con- tentedly to exercife that art which he underftands.

E PIS T L E XV.

To C. NUMOXIUS FALA. Preparing to go to the baths either at Valia or Sa- lem um, he enquires after the healthfulnefs and a= greeablenefs of the places-

* ,nr,15 your part, my Vala, to write to me, and mine A to give credit to your information, what fort of a winter generally is at Velia, what the air at Saler- num; what kind of inhabitants the country confifts of, and how the road is: (for f Antonius Mufa pronounces Suite to be of no fervicc to me : yet makes me obnoxi- ous to the place, when I am bathed in cold water, ev’n

* The natural conJlruSion in the original does not begin till line •j' Phyfician to Augujhts, n tne midft of the froll, by hit preferipi'ion. In truth, the village murmurs to fie their myrtle groves deferted, and the fulphureous waters, faid to expel lingering dif- orders from the nerves, defpifed ; envying thofe inva- lids, who have the courage to espofe their head and breaft to the Clufian fprings, and retire to Gabii, and fuch cold countries. My courfe therefore mull be alter- ed, and my horfe driven beyond his accuftomed ftages. Whither are you going ? will the angry rider fay, pul- ling in the left hand rein, I am not for Cum* or Bai* : (but the horfe’s * ear is in the bit.) You muji inform me lile-w fe which si the two people is fupported by the greateft abundance of corn : whether they drink rain- water collected in refervoin, or from perennial wells of fweet element: (for as to the wine of that part I give myfelf no trouble to inquire: at my country feat I can difpenfe and bear with any thing: but when I’ve arri- ved at a fea-port, l inCft upon that which is generous and mellow, fuch as may drive away my cares, fueh as may flow into my veins and animal fpirits with a large portion of hope, fuch as may fupply me with words, fuch as may make me appear young in the eyes of my Lucanian miflrefs.) Which trad! of land produces moli hares, which mcjl boars : which teas harbour the moft fifties and fea-urchins, that I may be able to return home from thence in good cafe, and like a luxurious Pheacian. When Menius, having manfully made away with his paternal and maternal eftates, began to be accounted 'x

• Ecu is irjlead of equ; is of the b:Jl MSS. and edi- titr.s. ’ Francis. ?.P. XV. ( 311 ) nicrry fdlow : a vagabond droll, who had no certain place of living ; who, when dinnerlefs, could not diC- tinguifh a fellow-citizen from an enemy; unmerciful in forging any fcandal againft any perfon; the peft, and hurricane, and gulf of the market; whatever he could get, he gave to his greedy gut. This fellow, when he had extorted little or nothing from the favourers of his iniquity, or thofe that dreaded it, would eat up ivbole dilhes of coarfe harllet and lamb’s entrails: as much: as would have fufnced three bears : Then truly, like reformer Beftius *, would he fay, that the bellies of extravagant fellows ought to be branded with a red hot iron. The fame man, however, when he had reduced to fmoak and afhes whatever more confiderable booty he had got: Faith, faid he, 1 do not wonder if there are fuch perfons, as eat up their eftates; Cnee no- thing certainly is better than a fat thrulh, nothing finer than a large f fovv’s paunch In fasft, l am juft fuck another myfelf * for, when matters are a little deficient, I commend the fnug and homely fare, of fufficient refo- lation amidft mean provifions: but if any thing offer’d better and more delicate; I, the fame individual philofi- pher cry oat, that ye are wife, and alone live well, whofe wealth and eftate is confpicuous from the elegance of your villas.

* Cornelius Beflius, mentioned as a perfon of great auflerity by Perfius. Tune bona incolumis minuas ? Sed Beftius urget Dodlores Graios. Pers. Sat. vt. | This 'was efleemed a dainty among ft the Romans' EPISTLE ( 313 ) B. I.

U

EPISTLE XVI.

To glHNTWS. He defer ib-s to Quintius the form-, filiation, advan- tages of his country houfe i then declares that pro- bit/ conffs in the confcioufntfs of good works, li- berty in probity.

ASK me not, my beft Quintius, whether my farm maintains its mafter with corn-fields, or enriches him with olives, or with fruits, or meadow-land, or the elm-tree cloath’d with vines: the lhape and fitua- tion of my ground lhall be deferibed to you at large. There is a continued range of mountains, except ivhere they are 1'eparated by a fhadowy vale : but in fuch a manner, that the approaching fun views it on the right fide, and departing in his flying car, warms the left. You would commend its temperature. What think you ? if my very briars produce in abundance the ruddy cornels and damfons? if my oak and holm-tree accom- modate my cattle with plenty of acorns, and their maf- ter with a copiou fhade ? You would fay that * Tu* rentum, brought nearer to Rome, fhone in all its verdant

* A very pleafant city, frequently celebrated by Ho- race, vid. Ode xjtvm. lib. i. Ode vj. lib. 2. Ode v. lib. J. Q d beauty IP. XVI. ( 3H ) beauty. A fountain too deferving to give name to i river, infomuch that Hebrus does not furrouud Thrace more cool or more limpid, flews falubrious to the infirm bead, falubrious to tile bowels. Thefe fweet, yea (if ■you’ll credit me) tbel'e delightful retreats/prelerve me to you in a ftate of health okc* in the Jid/y hours of Sep- tember. You live exceeding well, if you take care * to fupport the charadler you bear. Long ago all Rome has proclaim- ed you happy : but I am apprehenfive, left you ftiould give more credit concerning yourfelf to any ore than yourfelf; and left you fliould imagine a man nay he hip- py tlsugb differing from the wif; and good ; or, becaulis the people pronounces you found and perfedtly well, left you diffepable the lurking fever at meal times, until a trembling feize your greafod hands. The falfe modefty of fools will conceal, ulcers, rather than have them cured. If any one (hculd mention battles which you had fought by land and foa, and in fuch expreflions, at thefe fnould footh your liftening ears'; “ May Jupiter, “ who confults the fafety both of you and the city, long « keep in doubt, whether the people be more folieftous “ for your welfare, or you for the people’sYou might perceive thefe .encomiums to belong only to Arguftus : w hen you fuffer yourfclf to be term'd a philofopher and one of an accomplifhed life; fay, pry’thee, would you anfwer totbefentpel'ation.' in your own name ? Tobe fine I like to be called a wife and good man, as^well as you. He, who gave this ebcrafhr to-day, if he will, can take it away to-morrow : at the fame people, if

* Literally, to be <\vhaty»u are reported. they ( 3T5 ) B.J. i, they have conferred the confulfhip on an unworthy per- fon, may liinvifc take it away from him : refign it; for it is ours, they cry : 1 do refign it accordingly, and ; chagrin’d withdraw. Thus if they ihould call me rogue, deny me to be temperate, afiert that I had ftranglea my own father with a halter; ftiall 1 be flung, and change colour at thefe falfe reproaches ? Whom does falfe ho- nour delight, or lying calumny terrify, except the vi- cious and (kkly-minded ? Who then is good ? He who , obfetveo the decrees of the feriate, who obferve'i the law and rules of juflice; by whole arbitration many and important difputes are decided ; by whofe furety pri- vate property, and by whofe tellimony caufes are ob- 1B tained. Vet pet haft his own family and all the neigh- bourhood fee this man, however fpecious in a fair out- fide to he polluted within. If a Have fhould fay to me, I have not committed a robbery, nor ran away : you have your reward; you are not galled with the lalh, I I fay. . I have not killed any mau :—mighty well—you - lhall not therefore feed the carrion-crows on the crofs. 1 am however a good man, and blamelefs:—Your Sabine friend denies, and contradicts the faSi. For the wary wolf dreads, the pitfall, and the hawk the fufpedled n&tofnares, and thejdte the concealed hook. The good, on the contrary, hate to fin from the love of virtue : you will commit no crime merely for the fear of punifhment. Let there W a profpcdl of efcaping, you will confound fiicred and profane things together. For when from a thouland bulhelsof beans you filch one ; the lofs in that cafe to rue is lefs, but not your villainy. Tour honefl pian whom every forum, and every court of juflice looks upon with reverence, whenever he makes an atonement to the Cods with the offering of a fwine or an ox : After Dd» he ep. xvr. 316 ) he has pronounced in a clear diftinguilhahle voice, O father Janus, O Apollo; he then moves his lips, « eee afraid of being heard : “ O fair Lavenia, put it in my “ power to deceive mankind', grant me the appearances “ of a juft and upright man : throw a cloud of night “ over my fraudulent pradlices.” In truth, I do not fee how a covetous man can be better, or h»w more free than a flave, when he Hoops down for the fake of a farthing, ftuck in the road for Jfort. For he that will be covetous, will alfo be anxious : but he that lives in a ftate of anxiety, lhall never in my eftimation be free. He, who is always in a hurry to be -wealthy, and immerfed in the fudy of augmenting his fortune, has loft the arms of reafon, and defected the port of virtue.— Uo-wever, do not kill your Captive, if you can fell him : he will ferve you advantageaufly; let him, as he is inured to drudgery, feed your cattle, and plow: let him go to fea, and winter in the midft of the waves; let him be of ufe to the market, and import corn and other provi- fions. A good and wife man, like Bacchus in thp play *, will have courage to fay : “ Pentheus, king of Thebes, « what indignities will you compel me to fuffer and “ endure ? I will take away your goods: My cattle, I “ fuppofe, my land, my movables, my money ; you may “ take them. I’ll confine you with hanri-cuffs and fet- « ters under a mercilefs goaler. A deity himfelf will « difeharge me, whenever I pleafe." In my opinion.

* The Baechis of Euripides, in 'which Bacchus, tho* bound in chains by Pentheus, is introduced accojling him in this refolute manner. this ( 317 ) B.I. tWs Is his meaning; I will die. Death is the ultimate boundary of human matters.

EPISTLE XVII.

To SCJiFA. That a life of hvftnefs is preferable to a private and inaftive one; the friend/hip ofgreat men is a lau- dable acquijition, yet their favours are ever to be fohcited with rni. defy and caution.

THOUGH, Screva, you have fufFicient prudence of your own, and well know how to demean yourfelf towards your fuperiors; yet hear what are the fenti- ments of your did chrony, labo bwifelf ftill requires mare teaching : juft as if a blind man ftrould undertake to ftiew the way : however fee if even I can advance any thing, which you may think worth your while to adopt as your own. If indulgent reft, and fleep till feven o’clock, delight you : if dull, and the rumbling of wheels, if the noife of the tavern offend you ; I (hall order you off for * Feren. tinum. For joys are not the property of the rich a- lone : nor has he lived ill, who at his hi. th and at his

* A town in New Latium of little confequence, and fit for retirement. D d 3 death IP. XVII. ( 3IS ) death has * pafled unnoticed. If you are difpofed to be of fervice to your friends, and at the fame time treat your- felf with fomewhat more indulgence ; you muft f pay your refpe&s to the great. If he could dine to his fa- tisfadlion on herbs, ArifHppus would never frequent the tables of the great. If he who blames me (replies Arif- tippus) knew how to live with the great, he would fcoin his vegetables. Tell me, which maxim and conduft of the two you approve ; or fince you are my junior, hear the reafon v\ hy AfilWppus’s opinion is preferable : for thus as they report, be baffled the fnarling cynic : I play the buffoon for my own advantage, you to plenfe the populace. This proceeding of mine is righter and far more honourable ; that a horfe may carry, and a groat man feed me. I do but my duty : you beg for refufe, an inferior to the poor giver ; though you pretend you are in Want of nothing. As for Ariftippus, every com- plexion of life, every ftation, and circumftance fat grace- fully upon him, j afpiring in general to greater things, yet equal to the prefent: on the other hand, 1 fhall be much furprized, if a contrary way oflife Ihouid become this cynic, whom obftinacy Cloaths with a double rag. The one will not wait for his purple robe ; but howfo- ever dreffeu will go through the mofl frequented places.

* Fefe'lif, the original, is eminently beautiful, and might be render’d—has tfcaptd the obfervutioti of mankind. f Literally, in your hungry mood you mtiji go to the ejfenced nobleman. jTentanteui majora fere, pi aefentibus cequum. So the Latin mujl be pointed. and ( 319 ) & L and will, without aukwardnefs, fupport either charac- ter : the other will Ihun the cloak wrought at * Mile- tus with greater averfton than the bite of dog or viper ; he will die with cold, unlefs you reftore him his ragged garment : reftore it then, and let him live like a fool as he is. To perform car exploits, and Ihevv the citizens their foes in chains, reaches the throne of Jupiter, and afpires to eeleftial honours. To have been acceptable to the great, is not the leaft of praifes. It is not every man’* lot to gain the port of j- Corinth. He prudently fat ftill who was afraid leit he fhould not fucceed : be it fo ; what then ? Was it not bravely done by him, who car- ried his point ? Either here therefore, or no where, is what we are' inveftigating. '1 he one dreads the weight of the enterprise, as too burdenfome for a puflilanimous foul and a weak conftitution : the other undertakes and tarries it through. Either virtue is an empty name, or the man who makes the experiment defervedly claims the honour and the reward. Thofe, who mention nothing of their poverty before their lord,'will gain more than the importunate. There is a great difference between modeftly accepting a fa- vour, or feising it at it were by violence. But this was the principle and fource of every thing I alledged. He who tells hit lord, my filler is without a portion, my mother poor, and my ellate' neither faleable, nor fuffi- cient for my fupport; cries but in effeli. Give me amor, fel of bread : another whine's in the fame key, and let the

* banious for the excellency of its ouool. t The great dijficu'.ty of entering the port of Corinth, gave rife to th;< proverb. platter EP. XVII. ( 3W ) platter be carved out for me with half a (bare of the bounty. But if the crow could have fed in filence, he ■would have had better fare, and * much lefs of quarrel- ling and of envy. A companion taken ly his hrd to Brundifium, or the pleafant Surrentum, who complains of the ruggednefs of the roads, and the bitter cold, and rains, or laments that his cheft is broke open, and his proviiions {lolen ; refembles the well-known tricks of an harlot, weeping fo frequently for her necklace (or lap-dog,) fo frequent- ly for a girdle that is forcibly taken from her : that at length no credit is given to her real griefs and loifes. Nor does he who has been once ridiculed in the ftreets care to lift up a vagrant with a pretended broken leg ; though abundance of tears fhouid flow from him ; tho’ fwearing by holy f Onris, believe me ; nmu I don’t impofe

* Minus et minus has never been underjlaod by the critics. It is properly an Orientali/m, or a form of exprejjion natural in the eajlern languages, imply- ing an augefs or fuperlative degree. In this place it may either be an argument of a general rationale through all language: ; or, as the eajlern tafle ran the mojl of any into fable and allegory, that the lite- ral 'tranfation offome fable into t/je Roman language is here alluded to. There are many fables extant in Arabic, laying claim to a much higher antiquity than is here fuppefed. f Ofirls being the great Egyptian god, perhaps it is hence to be coliecUd, that gypfet, or Egyptians, were ( in ) b.i. impofe upon you; O cruel, take up the lame. Seek out for * a ftranger, cries the -wbole hoarfe neighbour- hood.

EPISTLE XVIII.

To LOLLIUS.

, He t feats at l

IF I rightly know your temper, moft ingenious Lol- lius, you will beware of imitating a flatterer, while .you profefs yourfelf a friend. As a matron is unlike and of a different afpeS: from a common ftrumpet, fo will a true friend differ from the toad-eater. There is an oppofite vice to this, rather greater of the tiro; a clownifli, inelegant, and difagreeable bluntnefs, which would recommend itfelf by an unfhaven face and black teeth : while it defires to be termed downright free- dom and true fincefity. Virtue is the medium of the two vices, and equally remote from either. The one

vuere common impofiors in Rome ; and that the name of that vagrant tribe is hence fill continued in the fatne fenfe. * One that has had no experience of your impofures. EP. XVIII. ( 3« ) is too prone to cop.iplaifance, and a jefter of the loweft couch *, he fo reverences the rich man’s nod, fo repeats ' his fpeeehes, and catches up his falling- words; inlb- much that you would take him for a fchool-boy, faying his lelTon to a rigid mailer, or that.a player was adting an under-part: another often wrangles even for a f goat’* hair ; and arms and engages for any trifle : “ That “ I, truly, fhould not have the firfl credit; and that I “ fliould not boldly fpeak aloud what is my real fenti- “ ment—Ufwn fuel terms another life would be of no va- “ lue.” But what is the fubjedl of this controverfy ? Wly, whether the gladiator Callor or Docilis be the cle- verer fellow; whether the Minucian or the Appian bo the better road to Brundifium ? Him whom pernicious venery, whom quick-difpatch- ing dice beggars; whom vanity drefles out and perfumes beyond his abilities, whom infatiable hunger and third , after money, or whom a fhame and averfton of poverty pofTeffes; his rich friend, though furnifbed with half a ; fcore more vices than L:, hates and abhors : or, if he j does not hate him, governs him ; and, like the pious mother to her fo», would have him more wife and vir- i tuous than herfelf : and fays what is nearly true; my | riches (think not to imitate me) admit of extravagancy ; your income is but fmall: a fcanty gown becomes a prudent dependant : ceafe to vie with me. Whomfo- ever Eytrapelus had a mind to punilh, he prrfented with ccftly garments. For now (/aid heJ happy in his j

* The lower end of tint table, i t -d proverbial exprejft'jn for making much ado a- bout a trifle. ■ ‘ hi* ( 3'3 ) E-1- his fine cloaths, he will afTume new fchemes and hopes; he -will fleep till day-light; prefer an harlot to his ho- neft calling ; will run * into debt; and at laft become a gladiator, or drive a gardener’s horfe for hire. Do not you at any time pry into his (your patron s) ferrets ; and keep clofe what is intrufled to you, though put to the torture hy the forte of wine or paSion. Nei- ther Commend your own inclinations, or find fault with tbofe of others : nor, when he isdifpofed to hunt, mufl you make verfts. For by fuch means the amity of the twins Zethus and Amphion broke off; till the lyre, dilliked by the auflere w as filent. Amphion is thought to have given wray to his brother’s humours : fo do you rather yield to the gentle didfates of your friend in power : as often as he leads forth his dogs into the fields, and his cattle laden with iEtoliari nets; arife, and lay afide the peevilhnefs of your unmannerly mufe, that you may fup together on the delicious fare, purchafed by your labour; for this is an exercife habitu-. al to the manly Romans, of fervice to their fame, and life, and limbs : efpecially when you are in health, and are able either to excel the dog in fwiftnefs, or the boar in flrength. Add to this, that there is no one who handles martial weapons more gracefully. You well, know with what acclamations of the fpedlators you fuftain the combats in the Campus Martius : in fine, as yet a boy, you endured a bloody campaign and the Cantabrian wars, beneath a commander, who is now replacing the ftandards recovered from the Parthian tem- ples ; and, if any thing is wanting, affigns to the Ro».

* Liter ally,feed on other mens money. man ■ fip. XVIII. ( 3J4 ) ftian arms their grandeur. And that you may not vfith* draw yourfelffrom fuch diverftons, and inexcufably be ab- fenc; though you are careful to do nothing out of mea- fure and moderation, yet you fometimes amufe yourfelf at your country-feat. The meek fleet divides the little boats into two fquairons : the Adtian fea-fight is repre- fented by boys under your diredtion in a hoftile form { your brother is the foe ; your lake, the Adriatic : nvhere you fght till * rapid vidory crowns the one or the other with her bays. Vour patron f Auguflus, who will per- ceive that you come into his talle, will applaud your fports with f both hands. Moreover, that I may advife you (if in truth you ftand in need of an advifer ;) take great circumfpedion what you fay of any man, and to whom. Avoid an in- tjuifitive impertinent : for fuch an one is always a tat- tler ; nor do fuch open ears retain, with fidelity, what is entrufted to them : and a word once fet abroad flies 1 irrevocably. Let no flave within the marble threfllold of your ho- noured friend inflame your heart; left the owner of the beloved damfel gratify you with Jo trifling a prefent.

* 'The •viElory at ABium, according to Plutarch and Fiona, was gained ttery expedhioujly. f Auguflus had injlituted games of this nature to commemorate the battle of ABium. 1 Literally—with both his thumbs. ;—At the combats of the gladiators, the comprrjfton of the thumbs was an indication of popularity, as turning them upwards was of dfapprobation, even to death. or ( S*5 ) S.l. nr mortifying to your ivifies fhould torment you

* Literally—•tu;7£ the tooth of The on > who vtas a Grecian poet-, remarkable for the ill-natured fpirit of ffi.ire that prevail'd in his ■writings. E e £P. XVJIf. ( 3*6 ) c

* A little rivulet in our poet’s Saline farm.

E r i s t l a ( .w ) a i.

^EPISTLE XIX.

T# MAECENAS. He Jheqjjs the folly of fame perjons, evho would imi- tate h:m ; and the envy of others, who would cen- fire him.

T\yT^’ learned fiend Mseceras, if you believe oki Cra- tiuus, no verfes which are written by water drink- e.rs can pleafe, or be long-lived. Ever fmce Bacchus in- lifted the brain-lick poets amongft the fatyrs and the fauns; the fweet tnufes have uftially fmelt of wine in the morning. Homer, by his exceflive praifes of wine, is convifted as a boozer : father Eunius kinafelf never fallied forth to fing of arms, unlefs he nveu in drink. “ I will condemn the fober therefore to the bar and the “ '‘prxtor’s bench, and deprive the abftemious of ti'.e “ power of ■finging.” As foon as l gave out this ediif, the poets did rot ceafe to contend in midnight cups, and to ftink of ’em by day. What? if any favage, by a ftern countenance, and hare feet, and the texture of a fcanty gown, ftiouid imitate Cato ; will he too reprefent the virtue and mo-

Literally, Libo r tribunal, fo called from its founder Libo., F. e z rals ep. xrx. ( 32s ) rals of Cato ? The tongue that imitated the manner of x imageries was the deilrudlion of * the Moor, while he affedfed to he humorous, and attempted to feem elo' <]uent. The example that is imitahle in its faults, takes in the ignorant. Soh! if l was to grow pale by accident, tJ;efe podajlers would drink the blood-thinning cummin, 0 ye imitators, a fertile herd ! how often your buf- tling efforts raife my indignation, how often excite my mirth! 1 nva: the original nolo fet my free footkeps upon-the vacant fod; 1 trod not in the fheps of others. He who de- pends upon hirnftlf as leader, commands the fwarm. 1 fir ft fliewed to Italy the f Parian iambics; following the numbers and fpirit of Archilochus, but not his fub- je

* j'arbita (fays the fcholiafi) was a Moor, nvondrous beautiful are you “ in your own eyes.” At thefe fneers I am. afraid to turn up my nofe ; and left I fliould be torn by the acute nails of my adverfaty, this place is difagreeable, I cry put, and demand a prorogation of the contefl. For con- teft begets trembling emulation, and ftrife ; and ftrife hrings forth cruel enmities and funeral war.

* Slugufhts.

£03 EPISTLE EP. XX. ( 33o )

EPISTLE XX.

To HIS Bcror.. In vain he endeavours to keep in his book, defiroiis of getting abroad, tells it vuhat trouble it is to- under- go, and refers to pojlcrity fctne other things to-be J'aid of him.

YOU feem, my book, to look nviffully at * Janos and Veftumnus; to the end that you may' be fet out for fale, neatly polifhed by the pumice ftone of the Sofiif. You hate keys, andfeals, which are agreeable to a modeft •volume: yon grieve that you are Ihewn but to a few, and extol public places; though educated in another manner. Away with you, whither you are fo folicitcus of going : there will be no returning for you, when you are once fet out. Wretch that I am, what have 1 done ? What did I want ? you will fay, when any one gives you ill treatment ; and you know that you will be } Iqueezed into fmall compafs, as foon as

* The farum, where two Jlatues were ere hied to thofe deities. f Two very eminent R -man bookfellers. 1 Rolled up clofe, to lie by: at that time of day, all books were in rolls, the libri quadrati, as we have them now, not coming into ufe till long afterwards. the ( 3J1 ) B- *■ the eager reader is fatiated. But if the the Augur be not prejudiced by refentment of your error, you fhall be carelfed at Kome on/y till your youth be palled. When thumb’d by the hands of the vulgar you lhall begin to grow dirty; either you lhall in frlence feed the grovel- ling book-worms, or you (hall make your clcape to U- tica *, or lhall be lent bound to f llerda. Your difregard- ed advifer lhall then laugh at ym : as he, who in a pal- lion pufhed his refradory afs over the precipice. For who would lave an aft again It his will ? Thisybfe too awaits you, that faulteriug dotage lhall t'eize on you to teach boys their rudiments in the Ikirts of the city. But when the abating f warmth of the fun Iball 1 attradl more ears ; you flrall tell them, that 1 was the Ion of a freedman, ami extended my wings beyond my neft ; fo that as much as- you take away from my fami- ly, you may add to my merit: that I was in favour with the firlt men in the (late, both in war and peace ; of a Ihort ftature, grey before my time, calculated for fuftaining of heat, prone to paffion, but fo as to be foon appeafed. If any one fhould chance to enquire my age; let him know that I had compleated four times § eleven Decembers, in the year that Lollrus took in Lepidus as his colleague in the confulale.

* A city of A frica. f A town in Spain. 1 V/bm company meet together to converfe in the gentler heal of the evening. § Horace was born on the %th of December, an. ah. urb. cond. 689. and conferpiently his-forty fourth year ended 733. SaNAiKm. THE THE

EPISTLES

O F

HORACE,

BOOK II.

EPISTLE I.

To AUGUS TUS *. He honours him with the kighejl compliments:, then treats copioujlj of poetry, its origin, charaBer, and excellent e, SINCE you alone fupport tie burden of fo many and fuch weighty concerns, defend Italy with your arms, adorn it by your virtues, reform it by your laws ;

* This epijlle is fuppofed to have been occqfioned by a kind reproach from Auguflus, for our Author’s ne~. ( 335 ) b. n. laws; I ftiould offend, O Csefar, againft the inferefts of my country, did I trefpafs upon your time with a long dil'courfe. Romulus, and father Barchus, and Caftor and Pol. lux, after great atchievcments received into the temples of the gods, while they were improving the world and human nature, compofing fierce diifen- fions, fettling property, building cities; they lamented that the efteem they might have expedled was not paid in proportion to their merits. He who crufhed the dire hydra, and fubdued the rerxwned monfters by his fore-fated labour, found envy was to he tamed by death alone. For he burns with his own fplendor, whofe fupe- riority is opprcffive to the arts beneath him : after his deceafe he fiiali be had in honour. On you, while pre- fent amongft us, we confer mature honours, and rear altars where yout name i» to be fworn by, confefiing that nothing equal to you has hitherto rifen, or will

gltH, or bq/hfulneft, in acknowledging him in his works ; “ Know, Jays he, I am angry with you. '* IVbat, are you apprehenftnie it will injure your re- “ putation with pejleriiy, that you have been one of “ my friends ?” This is defervedly ranked amongft our author’s beft performances ; and proves at once the moft perfect delicacy of iafte and manners, a maf culine fuperiority of genius, a correB judgment, and an extraordinary compafs of erudition. The length of it feems alfo to have been occaftoned by the em- peror’s raillery, where he banter'd him with being afraid of making his poems difproportioned to his ftature. here- EP. 1. 0 33* ) hereafter rife. But here your people, wife and juft kr this one point, for preferring you to our own, you to the Grecian heroes, by no means eftimate other things with like proportion and mealtire; and difdain and deleft every thing hut what they fee removed from earth and already part ; fuch favourers are they of antir quity, as to affert that the Mufes themfclves, upon mount Albanus, dictated the Twelve 1'ables,forbidding to tranfgrefs, which the Decemviri ratified; the leagues of our kings concluded with the Gabii, or the rigid Sar bines; the records of the Pontiftces, and the antient vo- lumes of the Augurs. If, hecaufe the moft antient writings of the Greeks are alfo the beft, Roman authors are to be weighed in the fame fcale ; there is no need we fliould fay much : there’s nothing hard in the infide of an olive, nothing hard in the outfide of a nut. We are arrived at the higheft pitch of fuccefs in arts : we paint, and fing, and vvreftle more fkilfully than the anointed Greeks. If length of time makes poems better, as it does wine, I would fain know how many years will ftamp a value on wri- tings. A writer who died an hundred years ago, is he to be reckoned among the perfeeft and antient, or among the mean and modern authors ? Let lome fixed period exclude all difpute. He is an old and good writer who completes a hundred years. What ! one that died a month, or a year later, amohg which is he to be ranked? Among the old poets, or among thofe whom both the pre- fect age and pofterity will difdainfully rejedl ; He may fairly be placed among the ancients, who is younger ei- ther hy a Ihort month only, or even by a whole year. I take the advantage of this concefiion, and pull away by little and little, as if they nvere the hairs of a horfe’s tail; ( 33J ) b. rt. fiii; arfd I take away one, and then again another fingle one ; till like a tumbling heap, w/y adverjury, whs has rccourfe to annals, and efthnates excellency by the year, and admires nothing but what Libitina has made facred, falls to the ground. Ennius the wife, the'nerVods, and, as our critics fay, a fecond Homer, feems llightly to regard what become* of his promifes and Pythagorean dream's. Kacvius is not in people’s hands, but ftill flicks almoft frefb in their memory: fo facred is every ancient poem. As oft as a debate arifes whether thisor the other is prefer- able ; Pacuvius bears away the character of a learned, Accius of a lofty writer : Afranius’s gown is faid to have fitted Menander ; Plautus is /aid to hurry after the pattern of the Sicilian Eptcharmus; Ciccilius to excel in gravity, Terence in contrivance. Thefe mighty Rome karns by heart, and thefe fhe views crouded in her tea narrow theatre * thefe fhe efteems and accounts her po- ets from Livy * the writer’s age, down to our time. Sometimes the populace fee right; they are fometime* wrong : if they admire and extol the antient poets foaa to prefer nothing before, to compare nothing with them; they err : if they think and allow that they exprefs fome things in an obfolete, mofl in a ftiff, many in a carelefs manner; they both think fenfibly and agree with me, and determine with the affent of Jove him- felt. Not that I bear an ill will againft I.ivy’s epics, and would doom them to deflrudlion, which 1 remem- ber the fevere Oibilius taught me when a boy ; but that

* Livius Andronicus, the oldtjl of the Let tin poets, cr.d the jirjl of them

* Perfumed ^waters were fprinkled through the Roman theatres, and the Jlage was coarered with flowers. Titus fjintius had theftrntime of Atta gi- ven him, which Jignifies a man who walks on tip- toe. His fingular gait is here alluded to. ( .137 ) bcfil ancieftt ? cr what v/ould there have hern to be fead, a;:d thumbed in common by every body ? When firft Greece, her wars being oyer, began ti* trifle, and thro’ poderity to glide into folly; fhe glow- ed with the love one while of wreniwa* another while of horfes; was fond of artificers in marble, or in ivotyf or in brafs: hung her looks and -whtle attention upon a pidlure; was delighted now with muficians, now witk tragedians : as if an infant girl (he fported und r the , nurfe ; foon cloyed, (he abandoned what before (he eur- neftly defired. What is there that pleafes, or is odious, which you may not th.nk mutable ? This ejfeit had hap- py times of peace and favourable gales of fortune. At Rome it was long pleafing and cuftomary to be up early with open doors, to expound the law s to cli- .cnts; today out money cautioully upon certainties; (:• .hear the eiders, and tofell the younger by what meant their fortunes might increafe, and pernicious luxury be diminiihed. The inconftant people have changed then' mind, and glow with an univerfal ardour for Writing s young men and grave fathers fup crowned with leaves, and dictate poetry. I myfelf, who affirm that I write no verles, am found more falfe than the Parthians; and, awake before die fun is rifen, 1 call for my pen, and pa- pers, and defk. He that is ignorant of a ffiip is afiai4 to work a Hup : none but who has learnt the art, dares adminiftcv even fouthern-wobd to the nek : phyficians undertake what belongs to phyficians : mechanicks ban- .die tools : but we, unlearned and learned, promifeuouf- ly write poems. Yet what 'advantages this error and this flight mad- nefs has, thus compute : The poet’s mind is not ealily covetous: being fond of verfes, he fludies this alons; P f he EP. I. ( 33? ) he laughs at Ioffes, flights of Haves, fires; he contrives no fraud againft his partner, or his young ward; he lives on hulks and brown bread ; though daffardly and unfit for war, he is ufeful at home, if you allow this, that great things may derive affiftance from ftnall ones. The pottfafhions the child’s tender and lifping mouth, and turns his ear even at this time from obfcene lan- guage ; afterwards alfo he forms his ht art with friendly precepts, the corredfor of his mdenefs, and envy, and paffion ; he truly records events (or, records virtuous adlions;) he inftructs the rifing age with approved ex- amples ; comforts the indigent and the fick. Whence fhould the virgin *, ftranger to an hufband, with the chafl.e boys, learn the folemn prayer, had not the mufe given a poet? The chorus begs the divine aid, and finds the gods propitious ; fweet in learned prayer they im- plore the waters of the heavens; avert difeafes, drive offimpcnding dangers; obtain both peace, and years en- riched with ftuifs. With fong the gods above are ap- peafed, with fong the gods below. Our ancient fwains, flout, and happy with a little, af- ter their grain was laid up, regaling with a feftival feafon their bodies, and even their minds, patient of hardfhips through the hope of their ending, with their Haves and faithful wife, the partners of their labours, atoned with a hog thegoiMefs Tellus,with milk Silvanus, with flowers and wine the genius that reminds us of our Htort life. Invented by this cuflom the Fefcennine li- ctntioufncfs poured forth its ruftic taunts in alternate

s* Alluding to the Solemn performance of the fecit- lar ode. verfes; ( 339 ) B n* verfes : and this liberty, received down through revolv- ing years, fported pleafingly : till at length the bitter railery began to be turned into open rage, and, threat- ening with impunity, to ftalk thiough reputable fami- lies. They that fuffered from its bloody tooth, fmarted with the pain : they too that were unhurt, were con- cerned for the common condition of all: further aifo, a law and penalty was enadled, which forbad that any one fhould be ftigmatized in lampoon. Through fear of the baflinado, they were reduced to the necefiity of changing their manner, and of pruifing and delight- ing. Captive Greece took captive her fierce conqueror, and introduced her arts into rude Latium. Thus flow- ed off the rough Saturnian numbers, and delicacy ex- pelled the rank virulence : but for a long time there remained, and at this day remain, fomt traces of ruftici- ty. For late the Roman -wriUr applied his genius to the Grecian pages; and enjoying rdt after the Punic wars, began to fearch what ufeful matter Sophocles,and Thef- pis, and iEfchylus afforded : he tried too, if he could with dignity tranflate their works; and pleafed him- felf in tie event, teing by nature of a genius fubiime and ftrong: for he breathes a fpirit tragic enough, and dares fuccefsfully ; but injudicioufly fears a blot, and thinks it difgraceful in his writings. Comedy is believed to require the leaft pains, becaufe it fetches its fubjedt from common life; but the lefs indulgence it meets with, fo much the more labour it requires. See in what manner Plautus fupports the chara&er of a lover under age, how that of a covetous father, how that of a cheating pimp ; how Dorfennus exceeds all meafure in his voracious paralites; with how F f 2 loofe ep. r. C 340 ) Joofe nnJ car elf; a fock he runs over the fta*e : for He is glad to put the money is his pocket, after this, re- gordlefs whether his play Hand or fall. Him, whom glory in her airy car has brought upon the ftage, the carelef? fpetftator diipirits, the attentive puffs tip : fo light, fo fnvall a matter it is, which over- turns or raifes a mind that is covetous of praife ! Adieu the ludicrous bufinefs of dramatic •writing, if applaufe de- nied brings me back meagre, bt-ftowed maies me full of flcfh and fpirits. This often too drives away and deters eaten an adven- turous poet; that they who are in number more, in worth and rank inferior, unlearned, and foolifh, and, if the equeflrian order diffents, ready to fall to blows, in the midft of the play' call for either a bear or boxers ; for in thefe the mob delight. Nay, even ali the pleafure of our knights now is transferred from the ear to the un- eertain eyes and their vain atnufemenrs. The curtains are kept down for font hours or more, while troops of horfe, and companies of foot flee o’er the ftage; next is drag- ged forward the fortune of kings with their hands •hound behind them ; chariots, litters, carriages, fhips hurry on ; captive ivory, captive Corinth is born along. Democritus, if he were on earth, would laugh ; whe- ther a panther, confufed with the different fpecies of the camel, or whether a white elephant attrafled the eyes of the crowd. He would view the people more atten- tively than the fportsthemfelves, as affording him more ftrange fights than the a<3or : and for the writers, he would think they told their ftory to a deaf afs. Por what voices are able to overbear the din which our theatres refound with ? You would think the grove of Garpanus, or the Tufcan fea, was rearing ; with fo great ( 341 ) B. 11. roife are viewed the ftiews and contrivances, and fo- reign riches ; with which the adfor being daub’d over, as loon as he appears upon the ft age, each right hand encounters with the left. Has he laid any thing yet / Nothing at all. What then pleafes the people fa muev ? The cloth refembling the colour of violets, with the dye of Tarentum. And that you may not think I envioufly praife thofe kinds of writing which I decline undertaking, though others execute them well: that poet to me looms able to walk upon an * extended rope, who with his fictions, grieves my foul, enrages, foothes, fills it with falfe ter- rors, as an inchanter; and lets me now in '1 hebes, now in Athens. But of thofe too who had rather truft thernfelves with a reader, than bear the dildain of an haughty fpedtator, ufe a little care ; if you would fill with books \\\

* G'evss a if per at* hr oof of h:s Jkili. Ff 3 for F.P, T. ( 3+1 ) {or us, and fecure us from want, and oblige us to write. Eut yet ’tis worth the while to know, who fliali be the * priefts of your virtue fignalized in war and at home, which is not to be trufted to an unworthy poet. A tavourite with king Alexander the Great was that Choerilus, who re his uncouth and ill-formed vcrfes owed the many pieces he received of Philip’s f royal coin. But as ink when touched leaves behind it a mark and a blot, fo writers in a manner flain fhining actions by foul poetry. That fame king, who prodigally bought fo dear fo ridiculous a poem, by an edict forbad that anyone befides Apelles fbould paint him, or that ary other than Lyfippus ihould mould brafs for the like- nefs of the valiant Alexander. But Ihould yon call that faculty of his, fo delicate in dlfcerning other arts to judge tyf books and of thefe gifts of the mufes; you will Jwear he had been born in the grofs air of the Boeoti- ans. But neither do Virgil and Varius, your beloved poets, difgrace your judgment of them, and the prefents, which they have received with great honour to the do- nor; nor do the features of illuftrious men appear more

* JEdbuos.] Since the time

EPISTLE EP. II. ( 344 )

EPISTLE II.

To JULIUS FLO HUS. In apolog izing for not haring 'written to him, he Jhc'ws, That the

FI.ORU3, thou faithful friend to the good and iliuf- trious Nero, if by chance any one {hon'd offer to fell you a boy born at Tibur or Gabii, and fhould treat with you in this manner : “ Thisioy is both good* “ natured, and well-favoured from head to foot, fhall “ become and be yours for * eight-thoufand feftetces; “ a domeftic Have ready in his attendance at his maf- “ ter’s nod, initiated in the Greek language, of a capa* “ city for any art: you may fliape out any thing with “ fucb moift clay : befides, he will fing in artlefs niau- “ ner, but yet entertaining o’er a glafs of wine. l,a- “ vifh promifes leffcn credit, when any one cries up cx- “ travagantly the wares he hasfor tale, which he wants “ to put off. No emergency obliges me to difpfe of “ him : though poor, I am in nobody’s debt. None of the “ chapmen would do this for you: nor fhould every

* About fifty poundt. body ( 345 ) B.It. birly readily receive the fame favour from me. Once “ indeed \it loiter’d on an errand; and (as it generally hap- “ pens) abfconded, being afraid of the lalh that hangs in the * ftair-cafe. Give me your money, if this “ runaway trick, which I have excepted, does not of- “ fend you.” In my opinion, the man may take his price, and he ferure from any legal puniihment: you wittingly purchafed a good-for-nothing hoy : the condi ■ tion of the contrail was told you. Neverthelefs, you proiecute this man, and detain him in an unjuft fuit. I told you, at your fctting out, that I was indolent; I told you T was in a manner incapable of fuch offices ; that you might not chide me in angry mood, on account that no letter from me came to hand. What then have I profited, if you notwithftanding arraign the very con- ditions that make for me ? On the fame fcore too you complain, that / am worfe than my word, and do not fend yon the verfes you expeited. A foldier of Lucullus’s having run through a great many hardlhips, Was robbed of his flock to a penny, as he lay footing in the night quite fatigued : after this, lihe a ravenous wolf equally exafperated at himfelf and the enemy, eager with his hungry fangs, he beat off a j-oyal guard from a poll, as they report, very ftrongly fortify’d, and well fupply’d with military (lores. Made famous for this exploit, he is crown’d with honourable rewards, and receives twenty tboufand feftercesinto the bargain. It happened about this time, that his officer,

* The

* A wealthy Athenian, who left to the philofophert a fine honfe at Athens, adorned with a magnificent gallery, a number ofjlatues, and books, with a beau* tiful large park planted with trees. have ( 347 ) B. II. fcaire taken atvay my mirth, my gallantry, my revelling*, and play: they now are proceeding to force poetry from me. What would you have me do ? In Ihort, ail perfons do not love and admire the fame things. You delight in the ode : he is pleafed with iambics} another with fatires written in the manner of Bion, and virulent wit. Three guefts fcarcely can he found to agree in laf.e, t raving very different ililhes ■with various palate. What lhall I give ? What lhall I not give ? You forbid what another infills on : what you defire, that truly is four and difguftful to the other two. Belides other difficulties, do you think it practicable for me to write poems at Rome, amidfl fo many folici- tudes and fo many fatigues ? One calls me as his fecuri- 4y, another to hear his works, all bufinefs elfe apart; one lives on the mount of Quirinus; the other in the extremity of the Aventine ; ye/ both mull be waited on. The diftances between them, you fee, are charm- ir.gly commodious *. “ But the llreets are clear, fo “ that there can be no obftacle to the thoughtful.”— A builder in heat hunics along with his mules and por- ters : the machine whirls aloft one while a Rone, at another a great piece of timber : the difmal funeral* difpute the nay with the unwieldy carriages : here runs a mad dog, there ruih.s a Tow begrimed with mire.— Go now, and meditate with yourfelf your harmonious yeifes. All the whole choir of poets love the grove, »nd avoid cities, due votaries to Bacchus delighting in

^ Ironically—for theft two mounts were at the nor- thern and fouthern extremes of Rome. reppfc £p. ft. ( 348 ) fepofe and fiiadc. Would you have me, smidft fd gfe.Tt noife both by night and day, attempt to ling, and trace the difficult /oot-fteps of the poets?—A genius who has chofe out the quiet Athens fur his refidence, and has de- voted feven years to ftudy, and has grown old in books and ftudy, frequently walks forth more dumb than a ftatue, and Ihakes the peoples fides with laughter : but here in the midft of the billows and; tempefts of the city, can I be thought capable to connect words likely to wake the found of the lyre ? At Rome there was a rhetorician, brother to a law- yer; fi Jfomi of each other were they that they would hear nothing but the mere praifes of each other : infomuch that the latter appeared a' Gracchus to the former, the former a Mucins to the latter. Why (hould this frenzy afteift the obftreperous poets in a lefs degree ? I wtite odes, another elegies, a work wonderful to behold, and burnilhed by the nine mufes. Oblerve firft, with what a faftidious air, with what importance we ftirtfey tits temple of Apollo vacant for the Roman poets. In the next place you may follow (if you are at leifure) and liften what each produces, and wherefore each weaves for himftlf the laurel crowu. Like Sam nit e * gladia- tors in flow duel, till candle-light, we are beaten and wafte out the enemy with equal blows. I come off Al- caeus, in his fuffrage : he in mine, who ? IVLy who, but Callimachus ? Or, if he fetms to make a greater demand; he becomes Mimftermus, and grows in fame by the cho- fen appellation. Much do I endure, in order to pacify

* The Samnite gladiators ufed to fight with foils for the entertainment of the gufis at /upper time. this- ( 34^ ) E. ii. this p .flionate rate of poets, when I ana writing; and fiibrniffive court the applaufe of the people : but ha- ving finifhed my fludies and recovered my fenfes, I the fame man can now boldly flop my open years againfh reciters, Thofe who make bad verfes are laughed at; but they are pleafed in writing, and reverence themfelves, and, if you are filent, they fall to praifing of their own ac- cord ; happy whatever be their performance. But he who defues to execute a genuine poem, will with hia papers affume the fpirit of an honeft critic ; whatever words fhall have but little clearnefs and elegance, or ihall be without weight, and be held unworthy of efti- mation, he will dare to difplace; tho’ they may recede with relutffance, and ftill remain in the fandtuary of V efta * : thofe that have been long had from the people he kindly will drag forth, and bring to light thofe ex- prcilive denominations of things, that were ufed by th* Catoes and Cethegufes of ancient times, though now deformed duft and negledted age refts upon them : he’ll adopt new words, which ufe, the parent of language, fhall produce : forcible, and perfpicuous, and bearing the utmoll ftmilitude to a limpid ftfeam, he’ll pour out his treafures, and enrich Latium with a comprehenfive language : the luxuriant he’ll lop : the too harfh he’ll polifh with a fenlible cultivation : thofe void of expref- fion he’ll difeard : he’ll exhibit the appearance of one at play ; and will be, in hit invention, on the rack, like"

* The Penetralia Vefise were only to be entered by the highpritji : in a'.lufton to which Horace humo- ro'-tfly makd the poet's elojet bis fiiinSum ianclorum. G g i dancer Ei’.ii. ( n6 ) a dancer an the jhtge, v fid one wliile a .To As th^ rflotionj df a latyr, at another of a clumfy Cyclops. I had rather be efteemed a foolifh and dull writer, while my follies p'eafe myfelf, or at lealT efcape my no- tice, than be wife, and froart for it. There lived at Argos a man of no ineonfiderable rank, who imagined that he was hearingj/oMr admirable tragedians, a joyful fitter and applauder in an empty theatre: who ne-ver- $e!efs could fupport the o'ther duties of life in a juft fhanncr; a truly honed neighbour, amiable for his hof- pitality, kind towards his tvife, one who could pardon his flaves for a fmallfaulty nor would rave at the break- ing of a bottle-feal; one, who had finfc enough to avoid a precipice, or an open well. This man being cured at the expence, and by the care of his relations, when fie had voided by the means of pure hellebore the dif- drder and melancholy humour, and returned to him- felf : by heavens,'my friends, faid he, you have defiroy- ed, not laved me; to rob me thus of my pleafure, and rake from me by worle fuch a moll agreeable delufion of mind fn a word, it is of the firfl confequence to be wife in the rejedlion of trifles, and leave childijb play to boys for whom it is in feafon ; and not to fern words to be fee to roufic for the Roman harps, but rather to be per- fectly an adept in the numbers a proport;ons of real life. Thus therefore I commune with myfclf, and pon- der thefe things in filence : “ if no quantity of water “ would put an end to your thirll, you would tell it to “ your phyficians. And is there none to whom you “ dare conlefs, that the more you get, the more you j *< crave ? If you had a wound, which was not relieved “• by a plant or root prcfciifced to you; you would re- “ fufe ( 351 ) b. n. “ fufe being diySored with a root or plant that did no “ good You had heard that vicious folly left the man “ on whom the gods conferred wealth; an-d though ‘‘ you are nothing wifcr, fince you were richer, will “ you neVerthelefs ul'e the lame monitors, as before ? “ But could riches in faSi make you wife, if they could make you lefs fovetous and mean-fpirited; * you “ well might blufh, if there lived on earth one more a* “ varitious than yourfeif.” If that be any man’s property, which he has bought'bf the pound and penny, and there be 1'ome things to which (if you give credit to the lawyers) polf ffion gives a claim ; then the field, that feeds you, is your own ; and Orbius’s fteward, when he harrows the arable land whereof he is foon to give you the fruits, finds you are in eJJ'ift the proper mafter. You give your money, upon •witch you receive grapes, pullets, eggs, a hogihead of llrong wine : certainly in this manner you by little and little purfhafe that farm, for which, perhaps, the owner paid three hundred thoufand fefterces, or more. What does it fignify whether you live on whatis paid for t’other day, or a long while ago ? He who purchafed the Ari- cinian and Veientian fields fome time fince, fups on bought vegetables, however he thinks etherwHe ; nay, he boils his pot with bought wood at the approach of every chill evening. But be calls all that his own, as far as where the planted poplar prevents quarrels a- mongft neighbours by a determinate limitation : as if

* If tivifdom and giodrifs were the eonfequemes of great pajfions, covetoufiefs would then be a virtue. G g a any EP. II. ( 351 ) any thing were a man's property, which in a moment of the fleeting hour, now hy felicitations, now hy (ale, by violence at another time, and now by the fupreme lot of all men, may change matters,' and come into ano- ther’s jurifdidlion. Thus, fmee the perpetual pofieflion is given to none, and one man’s heir urges on ano- ther’s, as wave impels wave ; of what importance are houfes,or granaries? Or what the Lucanian paftures joined to the Calabrian ; if death', inexorable to a bribe, mows down the grand together vtith the fmall ? Gems, marble, ivory, Tufcan flatues, pictures, filver plate, robes dyed with Getulian purple, there are who cannot acquire; and there are others, who are not fo- licitous of having. Of two brothers, why one pre- fers lounging, play, and perfume, men to * Herod’s rich palm-tree groves; why the other rich and uneafy; from the rifin'g of the light to the evening! fttade fub- dues his woodland with fire and tteel: our attendant genius if/? knows, who governs the planet of our nati- vity, the divinity that prefdes over human nature, who dies with each individual, of various complexion, white and black. I’ll freely ufe, and take out from my moderate flock, as much as my exigence demands; nor will I be un- der any apprehenfions of what opinion my heir fliall be concerning me, when he fhaU find I have left him no more than I had given me. And yet I, the fame

* Judea

* This fcjlival 04 oft (be jlage.

H 0-

/ HORACE’S BOOK

UPON THE

^ A R T of POETRY.

To the f Pisoes. IF a painter (hould form a defign of uniting a horfe’s neck to a human head, and fpreid a variety of plu- mage

* Horace, in this celebrated didaSicpeem, is great- h obliged to /Irijlotle's art vf poetry, which, how- ever, be has improved upon, notwithjianding Scalifer calls it an art written without art. Mr Pope thinks this want of method a beauty : Horace ftill charms with graceful negligence, And without method talks us into fenfe; Will, like a friend, familiarly convey The trueff notions in the ealieft way. Mr Hurd, in his commentary, endeavours to point out a method, that is actually ohferv-d. “ Thefub- “ ject of this piece being, as I fuppofe, one, V’%. the “ flats of the Roman drama, and common fenfe re- “ quiring,evcn in the free(lforms ofcompofitdon,fume “ kind of m-thnd, the intelligent reader will not be “ fwprized to find the poet profecuting his fubjecl in a “ regular well-ordered plan.” \ Pifo the father, and his two fans, fame of the mrjjl illujlrious perfionages in Home, eminent for learn- ing themftlves, and great encouragers of it in others ( 35$ ) mage over limbs of different animals taken from every part of nature, fo that what is a beautiful w oman in the upper parts, terminate unfightly in an ugly fifli below ; could you, my friends, refrain from laughter, were you admited to futh a fight? Believe, ye Pifoes, the book will be perfectly like fuch a pidlure, the ideas of which, in the manner of a fick man’s dreams, are ail vain and fi&itious : fo that neither head nor foot can be reduced to any uniformity. But poets and painters (you'llfayJ have never had an equal authority of attempting any thing. We are confeious of this, and this ptivilege vve demand and allow reciprocally : but not to fuch a de- gree that the tame fhould affociate with the favnge; nor that ferpems fhould be coupled with birds, lambs with tyge. s. In pompous introdndiions, and fuch as promife a great deal, it generally happens, that one or two verfes pf purple patchwork, that may make a great fhew, ar$ tigg’d to the nvork ; as when the grove, and the altar of Diana, and the meandring of a current haflening thro’ pleafunt fields, or the river Rhine, or the rainbow is dcf- cribed But here there was no room for thefe fine things. Perhaps too you know how to draw a * cyprd's; but,

* Boughs of cyprejs were curried in funeral pro' ceffions, and placed before the boufes of the great upon particular occnfions of farrow, E: non pit b. ins ludlus teflata cup: t ifus. Luc: an. A painter might by fre- quent practice excel in drawing a tree, for which there was fuch a demand, and he therefore abfvrd- ly determines to Jfjcw his fkUl upon all occafons, even by painting it in the cceat. Francis. I what C 3.V7 ) ',yhst is that to the purpofe, if he who is to lie pointed for the given })rice \s to be rep ref enter! as fwimming hope* lefs out of a fliipwreck ? * A large ciilern at firft was deCgned : why, as the wheel revolves, turns out a lit- j tie pitcher ? In a word, be your fubjeit what it will, let it be merely Ample and uniform. A great majority of us poets, father, and youths wor- thy fuch a father, are mifled by the appearance of right, i 'labom* to be concife, andJo I become obfeure : nervi s 'and fpirit are apt to fail him that aims at the eafy : one that pretends to be fublime, proves bombaftical; ho that is too cautious and fearful of the ftorna crawls along the ground : he who wants to vary his fubjedt in a mar- vellous manner, paints the dolphin for the woods, the boar in the fea. The avoiding of an error leads to a fault, if Ikill be wanting. A ftatuary about the ^Emilian fchool, of himfelf fnall both erprefs the nails, and Ihall imitate in brafs the flexible hair; unhappy yet in the main, becaufe he knows nbt how to finifh a complete piece. I would ho more chufe to be fuch a hand as this, had I a mind to compofe any thing, than to live with a hideous nofe though remarkable for the fnejl black eyes and jetty hair. Ye who write, make choice of a fubjefi fuitable to your abilities : and revolve in your thoughts a confider- able time, what your ftrength declines, and what it is able to fupport. Neither elegance cf fiyle, nor a perfpi-

* A metaphor taken from t be ahfurd conduB of a lad potter, nubo aims at making a magnificent niafe, h it is only able to fnifh a little paltry pitcher. cuous. I r 358 ) euous difpoiition fhall def^-rt the man, by whom the (ubjefl mattet is chofen * judicioufly. This, or I am miftaken, will conftittite the merit and beatify of a jujl difpofition ; that the author of the pre- jedied poem juft now fay what ought juft now to he faid, have the adJrefs to put off moft of his thoughts and wave them for the prefent, to embrace one, and reject ana. ther. f In the choice of his words too he muft be delicate and it * Lambinus iV;P”r/>rehrp''tentcr *■«■-«■ '’/hmo./ui, which (as Mr Hurd obfervcs ) gii'es a prrtiiteiitfenfe, with- out juftfying the txprtJJ'ioiiS. In truth., I believe there is no adverb in the Latin tongue ufed infuch a tjzanner. I therefore render it judicioufly cr ably. The learned editor of Statius reads pudentcr, which Mr Hurd feems to approve, and cites this pajjcige in the epiftle to Auguflus: ———nee meus audet Rem tentaLtepudor, quam vires ferre recufant. f Hoc amet, hoc fpernat, promifli carminis audtpr. In verbis etiam tenuis cautulque ierendis. Dr Bently has inverted the order of thefe two lines, in which he is followed by Sanaa on. and has likewife the approbation of Mr Franc s—But I join Mr Hurd, who thinks this an alteration not only without fuffi- c'v.-ni reafin, but prejudicial to the fcope and tenor of the port's meaning. As for the conflr it Ilian (fays Mr Hurd) the commonefl reader can find binjelj at ( 359 ) •nd cautious; you will exprefs youifelf eminently we3, if a dextrous compofition for combination) fhoukl give af^ sir of novelty to a common word. If it happen to be recefT'ry to expiain fome abftrufe i'ubjedls by new in- vented terms, it will follow that you muft frame worifc never heard of by the old-fa(hion’d * Ccthegi; and fuob a licence will be granted, if modeflly ufed : and new and lately formed words will have more authority, if they defcend from a Greek fource, with a flight deviation. But why fhould the Homans grant to Piautus and Ca> eilius a privilege denied to Virgil and Varius? Why fhould I be envied, if 1 have it in my power to acquire a few words; when the language of Cato and Ennius have enriched our native tongue, and produced new ap- pellatives? It has been, and ever will be, allowable to coin a word marked with the flamp in prefent requeft. As leaves in the woods are changed with the fleeting years : the earlieft: fall off urft : in this manner words perifh with old age, and thofc lately invented flsurifh and thrive, like men in the days of their youth. We, and all our works, are doomed to death; f whether

vo loft to defend it aguinjl the force of the doBor’s pbjeBions. * Cetbegin ; a name of fevered old Romans, one of •whom vjas fo famous an orator, that he avas f i- led by Ennius, fuadae medulla, thequintejfence ofper- fuafon. There is a fngular beauty and propriety in ufng the old deetc from the north winds, a work of royal magnificence; or the lake lor a long time unfertile and fit for oars, now inaintains4its neighbouring cities, and feels the heavy plough ; or the river taught to run in a more conveni- ent channel, has changed its courfe, which was fo dtf? trudlive to the fruits. The.works of mortal man mint perifh : much lefs can the honour and elegance of lan- guage be long-lived. Many words lhall revive, which now have fallen off; end many which are now in ei- ti em fhal! fall off, if it be the will of cuffbm ; in whofe power is the dccifion, the right, and ftandard of lan- guage. * Homer has inftruifted us in what meafare the at-

* There is a peculiar propriety, (fays the ingenious Mr Hurd,) in this enumeration of the federal kinds of poetry, as addrefed to the dramatic writer. H) is not only to Jiudy. for the purpofes here explained, the charaBeriflic differences of either fpecies of the drama. He mufl farther he knowing in the other kinds of poetry, fo as to be able, as the nature of his work will demand, to adopt the genius cf each, iri its turn, and to transfer the graces of unimerfal poe- try into the drama. Thus to follow the divifion here laid down, there will fomeibnes he occafton for the pomp and high colouring of the epic narrath’es ■, fame- times for the plainti've foftnrfs, and prffionate incon- nexion of the tlegy ■■ and the chorus, if charaBerisoed in the ancient manner, niujl catch the fiery, enraptu- red fpirit (f the ode. chievement*1 ( 3^1 ) .hievctncnts of kings, and qhiefs, and direful war, might be written with propriety. Plaintive ftrains originally were appropriated to the unequal numbers of the elegiac . afterwards hvc an.! i'uc- eefsful defires were included. Yet what author firft publilhed humble elegy, the critics difpute, and the cou- troverfy ftill waits the determination of the judge. Rage armed Arohilochus with the iambic of his own * invention. The fock and the majeH.ic.bu'ficin affumed this tneafure as adapted for dialogue, and to filence the noife of the populace, apd leji calculated for the ailioii of the/lege. To celebrate gods, arid the fons of gods, and the vic- torious wreftler, and the fteed /oremoft in the race, and the inclination of youths, and the freey'oyr of wins, chp mufe has allotted to the lyre. If 1 am incapable and unfkilful to obferve the diftinc- tions here deferibed, and the chjferad co’nplcxions of works of genius, why am 1 accoited by the name of poet? Why, out of falfe mode-fly, do 1 prefer being ignorant.to learn- ing and tafic ? - A comic fubjeft will not be handled in tragic verfe : in like manner the banquet of Thyeftes will not bear to be xoiD in familiar verfes, and fetch as almofl fuit

* Or, the iambic meafure moll fuitable for rage t J'or fometiir.es it is named after Aleman, the oldejt ' f the Greek lyric writers, vid. Serv. de. cent, tne- tr'u. By leading with a fbort foot it is fuited to the impetuof.ly of anger ; and at the fame time (with the trochaic) approaching the neartjl to profe, is the Jit left for recital. * ' < H h with ( 3** ) v^Ith the fock. Let each peculiar fpecies of varifitig fill with decorum its proper place. Neverthelefs, fome- times even comedy exalts her voice, and Chremes in a paflion rails in a tumid ftrain : and a tragic writer ge- nerally expreffes grief in a profaic flile- Telephus, and Peleus, when they are both in poverty and exile, throw afide their rants and gigantic expreflions, if they have a mind to move the heart of the fpedlator with their cofiplaint. It is not enough that poems be beautiful : let them lit tender and affedting, and bear away the foul of the auditor wherefoever they pleafe. As the human counte- 11 a nee fmiles on thofe that fmile, fo does it fymjiathife with thofe that weep. If you would have me weep, you mull firft exprefs the paffion of grief yourfelf; then, Telephus, or Peleus, your misfortunes really hurt me : lut if yotr pronounce the parts affign’d you ill, I fhall either fall afftep or laugh. Pathetic accents fait a melancholy countenance; words full of menaces require an angry ajpell; wanton expreflions, a fportive look ; and ferious matter, an auf- tere orle. For natUre forms us firft within to every mo- dification of fortune; fhe prompts or impels us to anger; or depreflcs us to the earth, and afiiufls us with infup- portable forrovv : then expreffes thofe emotions of the mind by the tongue its interpreter. If the words be difeordant to the ftation of the fpeaker, the Roman * knights and plebeians will raife an immoderate laugh. For it wid make a wide difference, whether it be Da- vus that fpeaks, or an hero; a man well flricken in years,

* Viz. Perfons of all ranhi. ( 3^3 ) cr a frot young fellow in his bloom ; and a matron ^Jiftinftion, or an officious nurfe , a roaming merchant, or the cultivator of a verdant inclofure; a Colchian, ■or an Affyrian ; one educated at Thebes, or one at Ar- gos. You that write, either follow tradition, or invent fuch fables as are.congruous to themfelves. If you have to reprefent the renowned Achilles ; let him be indefati- gable, wrathful, inexorable, courageous, let him deny that laws were made for him, let him arrogate every thing to force of arms. Let Medea be fierce and un- tradfable, Inoanohjeft of pity, Ixion perfidious, lo wan- dering, Oreftes in circumilances of diftrefe. If you offer to the ftage any thing unattempted, and venture to form a new chara/fter; let it be preferved tp the lafi, fuch as it fat out at the beginning, * and be confiflent with itfelf. It is difficult to write with pro- priety on fubjedls to which all evritershave a f common claim; and you with more prudence 'will reduce the Iliad into Jive adls, than be the firfi; to introduce argu- ments unknown and never treated on before. A pub- lic (lory will become your own property, if you do not dwell upon the whole circle of events, which is paltry, and open to every one; pot mull you be fo 1-,.. * Mr Hurd propofes to read this •verfe in the foW lo-iuing mannery ab incepto proctflerit au fihi conftet; and runs into fome ingenious refinements, to pro-ve the Specific difference bei-zveen unit' or. Ml TV and CONSISTENCY. ■f SuhjeBt unbundled by any body, and therefore common for all- Hha faithful ( 364 ) faithful a tranflator as to take the pains of rendering jour author word for v, ord; nor by clofdy imitating throw youriVlf into fnch flreights, from whence either lhame and the rules of your work, niay forbid you to retreat. Nor muft you make fuch an exordium as the itine- rant * ftribbler of old ; “ I will fing the/ate of Priam “ and the noble war.” What will this boaftcr produce worthy of all this gaping ? The mountains are in labour ' and a ridiculous mou e Iball be brought forth. How much more to the purp Te he, who fets about nothing improperly? “ Sing for me, my mufe, the man, who, “ after the time of the destruction of Troy, furveyed “ the manners of many men, and ffates.” He meditates not to product fmokc from a tlalh, but out of fmoke to elicit fire, that from thence he may bring forth his in- ftances of the mat vellous with ftrikiug beauty, fuJ> as Antiphates, Scylla, Cyclops, and Charybdis". Nor does he, f /tie a certain poet, date Diomede’s return from Me- leager’s death, nor trace the rife of the Trojan war from I.eda's eggs : he always haflens to the event ; and hurries away his reader into themidft of interefling cir- cum fiances, no otherwife than if they wcrec/rw.'/v known: and what he defpairs of as to receiving any polifh from his touch he omits: and in fuch a manner forms his fi&ions, fo intermingles the falfe and true, that the mid-

*Cyclicu$, from xux\ixcst circulator, circurtvfora- reus, a -vagabond bard that Jung -verfei of his cxivn ionipofitien in theJlreets. f Seme ahfurd poet, a colemporary -with Horace, ' r-i certainly knovm. dfe- ( 565 ) ■die is not inconfiflent with the beginning, nor the eJ'-d with the middle. Pleafe to attend to what I, and the public in my o- ■pinion, expedi from you as a dramatic writer. If you are defirous of an applauding fpedUtor, who will wait for the falling of the curtain, and till the * chorus calls out “ Your plauditthe manners of every age muftbe Jlrongly marked by you, and a proper decorum affigned to mens varying difpofitions, and years. The boy, who is juft able to pronounce his words, and prints the ground with a firm tread j delights to play with his fellows, and contrails and lays afide anger without rea- fon, and is fubjcdt to change every hour. The feeard- jefs youth, his guardian bcing'at length difcharged. joys in horfes and dogs, and the verdure of the funny Cam- pus Mardus; pliable as wax to be' inclined to vice, rough to advifers, a flow provider of things really ufe- ful, prodigal of his money, high-fpirited, and amorous and hafty in defecting the objeds of his paffion. rifler this, our inclinations being chaitged, the age and fpirit of manhood fecks after wealth, and friendly connections, is fubfervient to points of honour; and is cautious of committing any adion he would afterwards be induftri- ous to corredt. Many inconveniences encompafs a man in years; either becanfe he feeks eagerly after gain, and abltains from what he has got, and is afraid to make ufe of it ; or becaufe he tranfads every thing in a timo- rous and faint manner, dilatory, flow in hope, remifs,

’ TM the citrus fays, Vos valete et plaudit? ■; ye - auditors, farewell, and applaud. The concife and tonflaxt epilogue .Qil.e Roman comedies. H h 3 and ( 3^6 ) : «id fearful of futurity; peevifl], queruiou;, a par.cey- »ift of former times when he was a boy, a chaftii'er and tenfuret of his juniors. Our * advancing years bring r.iany advantages along with them, many our declin- ing o'ne- take away. That the parts therefore belonging to age may- not be given to a youth, and thofe of a man to a boy, we mutt dwell pa ticuUrly on thofe qua- lities which are joined and adapted to each perfon’s age. An aiftion is either reprefented on the ft age, or be- ing done ellewnere, is there related. The things that enter by the ear affect the mind more languidly than fuch as arc fubmitted to the faithful eyes, and what a fpedtator prefents to himleif. You muit not, howe- ver, bring upon the ftage fuch things which are fit on- ly to be adted behind the fceries: and you mull take a- way from public view" many adtions, which elegant defi- cription may foon after deliver in prefence cf ’ihefpefia- ton. Let not Medea murder her ’ons before the peo- ple ; or the execrable Atreus openly drefs a bouquet of human vifeera ; nor let Progne be metamorphofed’ in- to a bird, or Cadmus into a ferpent. Whatever you {hc.w to me in this manner, not'able to give credit to,. )' deleft. Let a play that would be enquired after, and, though -feeic, would be prefenred anew, neither be ft oner nfc.- longcr than the frith add. Nor let a'gdd interfere, un-

* Fivm childhood to the meridian cf manhood, of prime of life, our years may be feud to advance, and (■fur that, to recede or decline. lei's ( 3^7 ) kis a difficulty worthy a god’s unravelling ftiocift hap- pen : nor let a fourth perfon be officious to fpeak. Let the chorus defend and fupport the part, and man- ly charader of an ador : nor let them ting any thing between the ads which is not conducive to, and fitly coherent with the main defign. Let them both patro- r.ife the good, and give them friendly advice, and regu- late the paflionate, and be fond to appeafe the proud : let them praile the temperate repaft of a fhort meal, fet forth the falutary effeds of juilice, laws, and peace with her open gates : let them conceal what is told to them in confidence, and fupplicare and implore the gods, that profperity may return to the wretched, and abandon the haughty. The flute originally, not as now, begirt with brafs, and emulous of tiie trumpet ; but flenUer and of fimple form, with few flops, was of fervice to accompa- rry and aflift the chorus, and with its tone was fufticient to fill the i ows, that were not as yet too crouded : whi- ther an audience eafily numbered as being finall, and fo- her, chafte and modeft, met together. But when the vidorious Romans began to extend their territories, and an ampler wall encompafled the city, and their ge- ruufes were indulged on feltivals by drinking ofwitle in the day-time without cenfure ; a greater freedom acce- ded both to the numbers of poetry, and the meafures of mufu. For what talfe could an unlettered clown, and one juft dilinifled from the plough have, when in compa- ny with the polite, the bafe with the man of honour ? Thus the mufician added new movements and a luxu- riance to the ftmpixity of the ancient art, and * ftrutting.

* Strutting, &c. alluding to their Jkifting ftdes in finging theJtropbe, antflrophe, &c. backward*

/ ( 368 ) ■backwards and forwards, drew a length of train over tlu: A age : thus likewife new notes were added to the fe ve- rity of the lyre, and precipitate eloquence produced an unufual language in the theatre ; and the good fenfe of tht chorus, then expert ip teaching ufeful things, and pre- fcicnt of futurity, differed hardly from the oracular Delphi. The poet who firft tried his fkill in * tragic verfc for the paltry prize of a goat, foon after expofed to view wild fatyrs naked, and attempted raillery withfe- verity, ftill preferring the gravity of tragedy: on account that the fptdlator, on ielHvuls, when riotous and heat-

* Tragedy [fays the learned and judicious Mr Ry~ >ncr) nvas with the ancients a piece of religious wor- Jbip, a part of their liturgy. The priefls fung an an- them to their god DionyJ'us, oubiijl the goat flood at his altar to be facrificed : and this was called rpy- ycdSix, the goat Jong, or tragedy. I would therefore read in Horace, vilem certavit ad hircum, tu rhetor (li&urus AD aras. The priejfs were called the cho- rus. Thefpis at length introduced the epifodes—Thefe the priefls liked not, and in a pajfion roared out, “ ’Tis nothing to Dionyfus, nothing to Dionyfus whence the proverb, rpis aspeetStowesv. See Rymer’s excellent letter to Shepherd. The names of Tragedy and comedy, which were reprefen- t at ions of ancient life, (rpa-ydSix.. xui/j.ds.x J undoubted- ly prove that they were originally fung, when ailed, and not repeated, as they are now. Tide efTay on llomer, fed- 3. p, 39. id ( 369 ) cd with wine, was to be amufed with captivating Ihows and agreeable novelty. But it will be expedient fo to recommend the bantering, the rallying fatires, in fuch a manner to turn earneft into jeft ; that none who ihall be exhibited as a god, none who is introduced as an hero lately confpicuous in regal purple and gold, may deviate into the low ftile of obfcore, mechanical fhops; or, on the rtverfe, while he avoids the ground, a fi- fed!: cloudy mills, and empty jargon. Suklime tragedy difdaining to prate in trivial verfes, like matron * commanded to dance on the grind fellival, will a flume an air of modefty, even in the midll of petulant (or •wanton) fatyrs. As a writer of fatire, ye Pifoes, 1 lhali never be fond of unornamented words, and fuch term* as reign among!! the vulgar : nor Ihall I labour to dif- fer fo widely from the complexion of tragedy", at to make no diftindlion, v/hether f Davus be the fpeaker, and the bold Pythias who gained a talent by gulling of Simo ; or the grave Silcnus, the guardian and attend- ant of the pupil god Bacchus. I would fo execute a fic- tion taken from a well known Aory, that any body might entertain hopes of doing the fame thing; but, on the experiment, fhould fweat and labour in vain. Such power has a juft arrangement and connedlion of

* Young •women were ufually ehofen to dance in ho- nour of the gods ; but in fome fejlinals, as in that of the great goddefs, the pontiffs obliged married noo- men to dance-, from whence the poet fays jufla. Dacier. -f- Davits, Pythias, Sime, comic characters in Lu- cs'ius, Menander, and Terence. the ( 3?o ) the parts : fuch grace may be added to fubjedts merely common. In my judgment, the fawns, that are brought out of the woods, Ihould not be too gamefome with their tender ftrains, as if they were educated in the city, and almoft at the bar, or, on the other hand, Ihould blui> der out their obfceee and fcandalous fpeeches. For at fuch fuff all are offend) d, who have an (a) horfe, a father, or an eftate : nor will they receive with ap- probation, or give the laurel crown to fuch rwnfcnfe, as the purchafers of parched peafe and nuts are delighted with, , A long fyllable put after a Ihort one, is termed an iambic, a brifc, lively meafure : whence alfo it com- manded the name of * trimetres to be added to iam, bics, though it yielded fix beats of time, being fimilar to itfelf from firft to lall. Not long ago, that it might come fomewhat flower, and with more majffty to the ear, it obligingly and contentedly admitted into its pa- ternal heritage the lledfaft fpoadees : agreeing however by fbcial league, that it was not to depart from the fe- cond and fourth place. But this hind of meafure rarely makes its appearance in the { notable trimetres of Ac-

(a) The knights who haw a horfe kept at the public expence ; quibus eft pater, people of birth, pa-- tricians ; they, who bane wealth, and are there- fore diflinguijhed from knights and patricians. Dacier, * Con/ijling of three meafures. f Containing all pure iambics. j Ironically fncerlng at the hobbling numbers of the eld poets. tigs C 371 ) Cius, arid of Ennius. Such verfe as theirs brought upon the ilage with a clumfy weight of fpondees, either loads the poet with the imputation of being too precipitate and carelefs, or difgracefully accufes him of ignorance in his art. ’Tis not every judge that difeerns inharmonious ver- fes, and an undeferved indulgence is in this cafe granted to the Roman poets. But {ball I, on this account, make excurfions, and write licentioufly ? or fhould not I ra- ther fuppofe that all the world are to fee my faults; fecure, and cautious never to err but within reafmahle hopes of being pardoned ? ‘Thus, though perhaps I have merited no praife, at leajl I have efcaped cenfure. Ye, * who are defrous to excel, turn over the Grecian models by night and by day. But our anceftors com- mended both the numbers of Plautus, and his Uroicej of plJafantry ; too tamely, 1 will not fay foolifldy, ad- niiring each of them ; if you and I but know how to diftinguiffi a coarfe joke from a fmart repartee, and underhand the proper cadence by nfr.g our fingers f and ears. Thefpis is faid to have invented a new kind of tra- gedy, and to have carried his pieces about in carts, which certain /trailers, who had their faces befmeared with lees of wine, fang and a&cd. After him iEfchylus, the in- ventor of the vizard-mafle, and decent robe, laid the flage over with boards of a tolerable fize, and taught to fpeak

< This, perhaps, is particularly addrejfcd to the Pifoes. f They made ufe of their fingers both to meafure the quantity of the verfe, and beat time to the mttfic. , X ( 371 ) in a grand theatrical tone, and ftrijt in the bulkin. To chefe fucceeded the * old comedy, not without confider- able praife : but the perfonal freedom it took degenera- ted into excefs and violence, worthy to be regulated by law : a law was made accordingly, and the chorus, the right it claimed of abufing mens charatdcrs being taken away, difgracefully became filent. Our poets have left no fpecies »Jthe art unattempted ; jior have thefe of them merited the ieaft tonour, who dared t > forfake the footftcps of the Greeks, and cele- br 'f doM'-fli: faiSls; whether they have inflrudted ua in f tr. , »dy or comedy. Nor would Italy be raifed highe valour, and feats of arms, ^tan by its language, did ru : Jfatigue and tedioufnefs pi ufing the | file

* H'tt.b regard to the •various changes and revolu- tions comedy has undergone^ it is djlingtu/hed into three kinds ; the #ld, which was founded upon real fails, and the perfons pointed out ly their proper names ; the middle, where the fuhjeils were real, •hut the names fiBitious ; the new, wherein both the names and the aSion are imaginary. f Tngatcc, when ufed alone, f.gnifies any theatri- cal piece, of which the fubjeB or piot was taken from a Roman Jlory, as y&\\\z\x. ftgnifed the fume amongjl the Greeks. But when prsetexttc is f t in oppofition to togatse, thefirjl means tragedy, and thefecond co- medy, becaufe the praetexta was a robe worn only by the firfl perfons of the commonwealth, but the toga was the ordinary habit of the common people. Francis. Gerreifing, polifhing; finifhing. i difguft * C 371 )' £Ifgu'ft every one of our poets. Do you* the dcfcend- ants of Pompiliiis, reject that poem, which many days and many a blot have not ten times fubdued to the mod pcrfeift accuracy. Bccaufe Democritus be- lieves that genius is more fuccefsful than wretched art, and excludes from Helicon all poets who are in their fenfes, a great number of us do not care to part with their nails, or heard ; frequent places of folitude, ami ihun the baths: For he will acquire, he tbinh, the ef- teem and title of a poet, if he never fubmits his head, which is not to be cured by even three * Anticyras, to f Liciuus the barber. What an unlucky fellow ami, who am purged for the fplecn in J'pring time ! Elfe no- body would compofe better poems; but the purchafe Knot worth the expchce. Therefore I will ferve in- fpad of a v. hetftone, which, tliongh not capable of it- felf to cut,y;r can make deel fharp : fo I, who can w rite no poetry myfelf, will teach the duty and bufj- nrfs of nn auibo ; whence he may be docked with rich materials; what improves and forms the poet; what gives a grace, what not; what is the tendency of ex- cellence, and wh:.t that of error. To have § good fenfe is the fird principle and foun-

An ijland in the Archipelago, famous for its pro- d’ttlion of a evt/? quantity oj hellebore. Viil. lib. II. i«r. v. f: j A barber and freed man of Augufltts, who mad' hi at a fenator for no other merit, it Jhould fetm, than h'n d-tejlaiion of Potnp/y. t Or, philtfofhj , See. I i tain C '?74 ) ..in of writing well. The * Socratic papers will direft you i« the choice of your fubjedts : and words fponta- neoufly will accompany the fubjedt, ivhin it is well con- ceived. He, who has learned, what he owes to his coun- try, and what to his friends; with what aiTedlidn a pa- rent, a brother, and a llranger are to be loved; what is the duty of a fenator, what of a judge ; what the duties of a general fent out to war; he, I fey, certainly knows how to give fuiiabie attributes to every charadltr. 1 fhould diredt the learned imitator to have a regard to the mode of nature and manners, and from thence draw his expreffions to the life. Sometimes a play, that is fhevvy with common places, and where the manners are well marked, though of no elegance, without force or art, gives the people much higher delight, and more eft'edlually commands their attention, than verfe void of matter, and tuneful trifles. To the Greeks, covetous of nothing but praife, the mufe gave genius; to the Greeks the power of exptef- fing themfelves in round jiuent periods. The Roman youth learn by long computations to fubdivide a pound into an hundred parts. Let the ion of f Albinus tell me, if fiom five ounces one be fubftradted, what remains!' He would have faid—the third of a pound.—Bravely done ! you will he able to take care of your own affairs. An ounce is added : what will that be ? Half a pound. ' 5- * Having faid that good fenfe is veceffary, he now tells them where it is to he found: in Socrates's pki- Ufophy, that philofophy which alone enlightens the mind, and teaches ethics better than all the others. + An infamous and wealthy ufurer. When ( 37J ) i “When this fordid ruft and hankering after wea'th in’i:- once tainted their minds, can we exped. that fuch verfcs fhbuld be made as are worthy * the oil of cedar, and the well-wrought cyprefs ? The poets intend either to profit, or delight; or to deliver at once both the pleafures and neceffaries of life. ■Whatever precepts you give, be concife : that docile minds may foon comprehend what is faid, and faith- fully retain it. All fuperfluous inftrudlions come out from the overflowing memory. Let whatever is ima- gined for the fake of entertainment, have as much veri- fimilitude as pofiible : let not your play demand belief for whatever abfurdities it is inclinable to exhibit: nor take out t>f a f witch’s belly a living child, that foe had dined upon. The tribes of the feniors rail againft every thing that is void of edification : the exalted knights difregard poems that are dry and auftere. He who joins inftrudtion with the agreeable, carries the j votes of all1 mankind,hj delighting, and at the fame time admonifh. ir.g the reader. This book gets money for the § Sofii,

. * Tbt ancients rubbed their books 'with oil of ce- dar, and kept them in cafes of cyprefs, as being mcfl durable. t Horace undoubtedly alludes to fame ridiculous poet of bis time, 'who had brought this monjlrous incident into a play. t Literally, every point; alluding to the manner op' voting at the Comitia, by putting a point over the name of every candidate. Hence perh aps the Engl'jh proverb, to tarry one’s point. $ Eminent boekfellers mentioned Epifl. lib. 2. 2c. I i 3' this ( 37.6 ) this croffcs the fea, and continues to its celebrated au* thor^ lafting duration. Yet there are faults which we fhoirld be ready to par- don : for neither does the firing aiii'nys form the found which tile hand and conception o[ the performer intends, hut very often returns a iharp note, when he demands a flat; nor will the bow always hit whatever matk it threatens. But when there is a great majority of beau- ties in a poem, 1 will not be offended with a few ble- niilhes, which either inattention has dropt, or human nature has not fuflkiently provided againft. What therefore is to be determined in this matter ? As a tranf- criber, if he ftill commits the fame fault, though he has •been reproved, is without excufe ; as the harper who always blunders on the fame firing, is Jure to be laughed at : fo he who is excefhvely deficient becomes another * Chcerilus, whom, when I find him tolerable in two or three places, I wonder at with laughter; and at the fame time am grieved, whenever honeft Homer grows drovvfy. But ’tis allowable that fleep fhould fleal upon an author in a long work. As is painting, fo is poetry : fome pieces will flrike you more, if you fland near; and fome,jf you are at a great diflance : one loves the dark; another which is not afraid of the critic’s fubtile judgment, chufes to be feen in tire light: the one has pleafed once ; the other Will give pleafure, if ten times repeated. O thou eldefl of the promiftng youths, though you are framed to a right judgment by your father’s inftrudlions,

* A ftupidpeet cenfured by Arijlotk. Vid. lib. j. Epifl. X. and ( 377 ) acd are wife in yov.rfelf; yet take this truth along with you, and remember it: that in certain things a medium and tolerable degree of eminence may be admitted : a counfellor and pleader at the bar of the middle rate is- far removed from the dljiinguifhed merit of eloquent Mef- fala, nor has fo much knowledge of the law as Caffel- lius Aulus; but yet he is in fame requeft : hat a medio- crity in poets, neither gods, nor men, nor even the book- fellers (hops have endured. As at an agreeable enter- tainment difeordant mufic, and muddy effence, and pop- pies mixed vyith * Sardinian honey, give offence; becaufe the fupper might have paffed without them : fo poetry, created and invented for the delight of our fouls, if it comes (hort ever fo little of the furatnit, finks to the bottom. He who does not underftand the games, abftains from the weapons ufed in the Campus Martius : and the un- Ikilfulin the tennis-ball, the quoit,and thef troque, keeps himfelf quiet; left the crouded ring fnould raife a laugh- ter at his expence : notwithttanding this, he who knows nothing of verfes prefumes to compofe. Why not ? He is freeborn and of a good family ; above aft, he is re- giftertd at an | equeftrian fum, and clear from every

* Sardinia was full of hitter herbs, from whence the honey was bitter. White poppy feed roajled was mingled with honey by the ancients. Nannius. f Troque —T/jcre were two kinds of di-verftor.s that had this name, one was like the top, and the o- ther like the hoop. J In order to entitle a Roman to be ranked in the e- qutjlrian order, he was obliged to prove himfelf worth 10,000 crowns. n3 vice ( 378 ) vice. Ypu, 1 am perfuaded, will neither fay nor do any thing in oppofition to Minerva : fuch is your judgment fuch your difpofition. But if ever you lhall write any thing, let it be fubmitted to the ears of * Metius Tarpa, who is a judge, and your father’s, and mine ; and let it be fuppreffed till the ninth year, your papers being laid xipfccurely within your own cullody. You will have it in your power to blot out what you have not made pub- lic : but a word once fent abroad can never return. Orpheus, the pricft and interpreter of the go&s, frjl deterred the favage race of men from ravages and in- human diet; hence faid to tame tygers and furious li- ons : Amphion top, the builder of the Theban wall, was found to give the ftones motion with the found of his lyre, and to lead them wherever he would, by en- gaging perfuafion. This was deemed wifdom of yore, to diftinguilh the public from private weal, things fa- tred from things profane; to prohibit a promifeuous commerce between the fexes; to give laws to married people ; to plan out cities; to engrave laws on tables of wood. Thus honour accrued to divine poets and their verfes. After thefe, the excellent Homer, and Tyrteus, animated the manly mind to martial atchievemints with their verfes. Oracles were delivered in poetry, and the ce- conomy of life pointed out, and the favour of fovereign princes was folicited in Pierian flrains, games were in- fHtuted, and a cheerful period put to the tedious labours of the day : this I remind you of, left haply you fhould he afhamed of the lyric mufc, and Apollo the god of fong.

* An excellent critic, mentioned in the lotbfatire, lib. I. It ( 379 ) It his been made a quefyon, whether good poetry be derived from nature or art. For my part, I can neither conceive what ftudy can do without a rich natural vein, nor what rude genius can avail of itfelf ; fo much does the one require the aiiiftance pf the other and fo ami- cably do they confpirc to produce the fame effect. He wh o is induftrious to reach the wifted-for goal, has done and fuffered much when a boy ; he, hath fweated and Ihi- vered with cold; he has abluained from love and wine. He, who fings the Pythian flrains, firft was a learner, and in awe of a mailer. But in poetry ’tis now enough for a man to fay of himfelf; “ I make admirable verfes a murrain feize the hindermoft : it is fcandalous for me to be outllrippcd, and fairly to acknowledge that 1 am ignorant of that which 1 never learned. As a crier, who colleds the croud together to buy his goods; fo a poet rich*in land, rich in money put out at intereft, invites flatterers to come and praife his •marts for a reward. But if he be one who is well able to fet out an elegant table, and give fecurity for a poor man, and relieve him when entangled in plaguy law- fuits; 1 foall wonder, if with this wealth he can dif- tinguilh a true friend from a falfe one. For you, whe- ther you have made, or intend to make, a prefent to any one ; do not bring him full pf joy diredlly to y,our finilhed verfes : for then he’ll certainly cry out, Charm- ing, excellent, judicious ! he’ll turn pale ; at fomc parts he will even diftil the dew from his friendly eyes j he will jump about; will beat the ground with extafy. As thofe that mourn at funerals for pay, do and fay more than thofe that are atflidled from their hearts ; fo the fnam-adnirer is always more aficcled, than he that prai- fes ia fimsrlty. Certain kings are faid to ply with frtqueat ( 3S> ) ftequenf bumpers, and by theJlnngth of luine make tr'.iJ1 of a man, who they are fcdulous to know, whether he is worthy their friendfhip or not. Thus if you compofs verfes, let not the * foi’s concealed intentions impofe upon you. If you had recited any thing to Quintilius; he would fay. Alter, I pray, this and this ; if you replied you could do it no better, having made the experiment twice nr thrice in vain, he would order you to blot out, and once more apply to the anvil your ill-formed verfes: if you chofe rather to defend, than correct a fault; he fpene not a word more, nor labour in vain, but you alone might be fond of yourfelf, and your own works with* out a rival. A good and fenlible man will cenfure fpiritlefs verfes, he will condemn the trafh; on the in- correcft he will draw acrofs a black-llroke with his pen ; he will lop off ambitious and redundant ornaments; he will make him throw light on the parts that are not perfpicuous; lie'll arraign what isexprefied ambigtioufly> he will mark what Ihould be altered; in Ihort, he will be an •}■ Ariftarchus : he will not fay. Why (hould I give

* Alluding to the ‘well-known fable of the fox and. crow. f Arijlarchus wins a very great critic, who limed in the reign rf Ptolemy Philadelphia, andwias cotem- porary with Callimachus; he wrote above fourfeorv volumes of commentaries on Homer, Ariflophun-s, and other Greek poets ; he revifed and corrected He- mer, which work is lojl with the rejl'of his criti- tijms, which were fo nice and penetrating, that he was commonly called the Diviner, on aciomt of his great fagacity., m.y C 3*1 ) ifiy friend offence about mere trifles ? Th-'fe trifles will lead him into mifchiefs of ferious confcquence, when once made an objedt of ridicule, and ufed in a finifter manner. Like one whom an odious plague or jaundice, fana- tic phrenzy, or lunacy diflrefles ; thofe who are wife avoid a mad poet, and are afraid to touch him : the boys joftle him, and the incautious purfue him. If, like a fowler intent upon his game, he fhould fall into a well or ditch while he belches out his fuftian verfes and roams about, though he fhould cry out for a long time, “ Come to my affiftance, O my countrymen !” not one would give himfelf the trouble of taking him up. Was any one to take pains to give him aid, and let down a rope; how do you know, but he threw himfelf in thither on purpofe ? I would fay ; and would relate the death of the famous Sicilian poet. Empedo- cles, while he was ambitious ef being efteemed as an immortal god, in a cold fit leaped into JEtna. Let po- ets have the privilege and licence to die as they plcafe. He who faves a man againft his will, does the fame as killing him. Neither is it the^firft time he has behaved in this manner ; nor, was he to be forced from his pur- pofes, would he now become a man, and lay afide his defire of fuch a famous death. Neither does it appear fufliciently, why he makes verfes : whether he has Ha- led upon his father’s afhes, or farrilcgioufly removed th« fad trophy of the vindidlive thunder : ’tis evident, hew— ever, that he is mad, and like a bear that has burfl thro* the grates that fhut up his den, this unmerciful te- hearfer chafes the learned and unlearned. And whom- fnever he lays hold on, he fallens on him, and kills him •with reading ; a leech that will not quit the fkin till fhtiated with blood. THE END.

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