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 THE 
 
 EPODES SATIRES AND EPISTLES 
 
 OF HORACE
 
 THE EPODES, SATIRES, AND 
 EPISTLES OF 
 
 HORACE. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY THE LATE 
 
 REV. FRANCIS HOWES, M.A. 
 
 MINOR CANON OF NORWICH CATHEDRAL, 
 
 AUTHOR OF A TRANSLATION OF PERSIUS, MISCELLANEOUS POETICAL 
 
 TRANSLATIONS, ETC, ETC. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 V/ILLIAM PICKERIx\G 
 
 18+5
 
 C. WHITTINGHAM, CHISWICK.
 
 TO 
 SIR JOHN WILLIAMS, 
 
 ONE OF THE JUDGES OF THE QUEENS BENCH, 
 
 ETC. ETC. ETC. 
 
 AN OLD AND VALUED FRIEND OF THE LATE AUTHOR, 
 
 THE FOLLOWING TRANSLATION IS 
 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 THE EDITOR.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 TNTRODUCTION ix 
 
 -*• Epodes 3 
 
 The Secular Ode 31 
 
 The Satires Book 1 37 
 
 Book II 87 
 
 The Epistles Book 1 143 
 
 Book II 199 
 
 The Notes 246
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 IN fending the following tranflation into the world, 
 the Editor regrets that it fhould fhare the common 
 fate of pofthumous publications — that of incomplete- 
 nefs. Happily the deficiency that remains to be fup- 
 plied to complete a Tranflation of the works of Ho- 
 race, confifts in that portion of them, the Odes, of 
 which Englilh verfifications may be generally thought 
 to be already fufEciently abundant. Yet it is fcarcely 
 probable that the Author, had his life and health 
 been fpared, would have fuffered fo (comparatively) 
 fmall a portion of his arduous tafk to remain unex- 
 ecuted. 
 
 Touching the degree of fuccefs which may be 
 thought to attend the prefent endeavour to convey an 
 accurate perception of the fenfe and fpirit of Horace to 
 the Englifh reader, the Editor is well aware that no ob- 
 fervations of his own could obtain a verdift not com- 
 manded by the intrinfic merit of the work. He only 
 alks for that indulgence, which is due to every work 
 that lacks the finifliing ftroke of the hand that firft 
 projefted it. In preparing the following volume for
 
 X Introduction. 
 
 publication, he has had frequent occafion to lament 
 his inability to fupply the " note to be inferted," or to 
 make fuch additions as might poffibly have prefented 
 themfelves to the Author : but the text of the tranf- 
 lation itfelf appears before the public, nearly if not 
 precifely in the form it would have done, had the 
 publication enjoyed the full advantage of the Author's 
 fuperintendence. 
 
 That the attempt to transfufe into Englifh verfe 
 any (even a diftant) approximation to the real and 
 peculiar beauties of Horace, is one of undoubted dif- 
 ficult}', the moll ordinary Horatian fcholar muft; be 
 well aware. With great juftice it has been obferved 
 that " poetical tranflation is of all kinds of compofi- 
 tion that in which the pojftble praife bears the fmalleft 
 proportion to its inherent difficulty and labour."* 
 And if this remark be true as applied generally to all 
 poetical tranflation, more peculiarly is it fo as applied 
 to a tranflation of Horace. Who is there from the 
 fchool-boy upwards to the matureft fcholar that has 
 not experienced a greater or lefs degree of difficulty 
 in tracing accurately the thread and connexion of the 
 writer's thoughts — the tenui dedu£la poemata filo ? 
 No one could be more imprefl'ed than the Author of 
 the following tranflation with the many and great im- 
 pediments that prefent themfelves to a really fatisfac- 
 tory Englifli verfification of Horace. In the Intro- 
 duflion to his Tranflation of Perfius, publiflied in 
 
 * Quarterly Review, vol. 49. On Wright\ Tranjlat'ton of 
 Dante.
 
 Introduction. xi 
 
 1 809, he obferves, fpeaking of the three Roman Sati- 
 rifts, Perfius, Juvenal, and Horace : — 
 
 ** With refpeft to the comparative difficulty of 
 tranflating thefe three Satirifts, I confider Juvenal as 
 by far the eafieft ; Perfius comes next after a confider- 
 able interval ; and Horace is much more difficult 
 than either of the former. Notwithftanding this dif- 
 ficulty an approximation may be made to a good tranf- 
 lation, at leaft to one better than any which has hi- 
 therto appeared ; for both that of Francis and the 
 Duncombes are very flat and infipid." 
 
 In the fame Introduftion from which the above 
 obfervations are extrafted, there appear a few remarks 
 upon Horace as a Satirift, which may not be regarded 
 as altogether out of place, if inferted here. Alluding 
 to the common comparifon that is inftituted between 
 the heroes of Roman Satire, the author goes on to 
 obferve : — 
 
 " A comparifon which weighs their various merits 
 in the fame fcale, mull of neceffity be unfair and in- 
 conclufive. It is a queftion which cannot be referred 
 to any fixed ftandard ; fince every reader will adopt 
 as his favourite, him whofe turn is moil congenial 
 with his own. He that is fond of arch raillery at 
 the foibles of mankind, will prefer Horace ; he that 
 burns with indignation at its vices, will cry up Juvenal : 
 and a third, who reliflies keen irony and jeering far- 
 cafm at its abfurdities, will attach himfelf to Perfius." 
 
 And fubfequently fpeaking of Horace alone, after 
 having alluded to the various circumftances, which
 
 xii Introduction. 
 
 might probably exert their influence in deciding the 
 diilinguifhing traits of his poetry, he adds : — 
 
 " Such \vere the circumflances in which Horace 
 entered upon the compofition of fatire, with a tafte 
 refined by the ftudy of the Grecian poets, and a pen 
 praftifed in that fpecies of poetical compofition which 
 above all others demands a delicate nicety of expref- 
 fion. His Satires are accordingly what we fhould 
 expeft ; replete with fprightly urbanity and good- 
 humoured wit ; feafoned with all poffible elegance 
 and terfenefs of diftion, void of afFeftation and pe- 
 dantic ftiiFnefs; without any very difgufting fervili- 
 ties, yet without any fpice of morofe and gloomy 
 acrimony, calculated rather to raife a laugh at the 
 lighter foibles of the world, than a fneer at its vanities 
 or a frown at its crimes. One charafteriftic trait in 
 Horace is the addrefs and dexterity with which he 
 flings his oblique ftrokes of raillery. He never feems 
 to find fault for the fole fake of finding fault. His fly- 
 eft blows are conveyed in a parenthefis. In ftiort he 
 has the air of one that ridicules the world by the way, 
 and hits the very mark intended, without appearing 
 fo much as to take aim at it. Horace has by fome 
 been blamed for the loofe profaic texture of many of 
 his verfes, which has been imputed to flovenly neg- 
 ligence. Had all his verfes been of this defcription, 
 or had they been fuch in any one fatire throughout, 
 we mull have allowed him to be, as he defcribes Lu- 
 cilius.
 
 Introduction. xlii 
 
 Emundtae nari?, durus componere •verfus. 
 
 But thefe feemingly negligent verfes will be rarely 
 found to extend to any confiderable number at a time. 
 They are moft applied where there is the leaft eleva- 
 tion in the thought ; that is, where any other ftruc- 
 ture of verfe would be out of place ; for nothing can 
 be more monftrous than plain common-fenfe dreft up 
 in Epic dignity of numbers. They are befides al- 
 moft always preceded or followed by one or more 
 lines of harmonious cadence or compaft ftrength. 
 Thus does this flagging kind of verfification, feafon- 
 ably introduced, not only give to Horace's hexame- 
 ters an air of unftudied eafe and graceful negligence, 
 but ferves alfo to diverfify rhythm in fuch a manner, 
 that the ear is never tired with a monotonous famenefs 
 of found. It is art concealing art, and in adopting 
 it he follows his own admirable rule by ading occa- 
 fionally the part of one ' parcentis viribus atque ex- 
 tenuantis eas confultoJ' It conftitutes the light and 
 fliade of his poetry, and is the rudder by which he 
 contrives 
 
 to fteer 
 rom grave to gay, from lively to fevere." 
 
 The Editor offers no apology for the above copious 
 extrafls, for they are the only extant remarks of the 
 Tranflator upon his poet. In conclufion he has 
 only to obferve that in the difcharge of his duties as 
 Editor, he has confined himfclf to the fimple fupcr-
 
 xiv Introduction. 
 
 intendence of" the prefs, and carefully abftained from 
 the infertion of any matter that was not ftriftly from 
 the Tranflator's pen. He has adopted this courfe 
 partly from refpeft to his memory, and partly from a 
 convidion. 
 
 Which whifpers in his ear, 'tis better far, 
 Never to do, what, if you do, you mar. 
 
 C. HOWES. 
 
 Dulwich College, 
 July, 1845.
 
 THE EPODES.
 
 THE EPODE: 
 
 EPODE I. 
 
 AddreJJ'ed to Meecenas about to fail for the naval 
 battle at ASlium. 
 
 YOUR light Liburnian bark fhall fkim the wave 
 To dare the floating bulwark's frown, 
 Refolved for Caefar's fake each rifk to brave. 
 
 And make his weal or woe your own. 
 Meanwhile, for us, Maecenas, what were meet ? 
 
 What muft a fond retainer do. 
 To whom, while lives his patron, life is fweet — . 
 
 But owns no charm, bereaved of you? 
 Should he at eale lag (as you bid) behind — 
 
 Eafe unenjoy'd, while you're afar ? 
 Or brook all toils and perils, with a mind 
 
 Firm as befits the brave in war ? 
 Yes, yes, he will, and trace with dauntlefs breaft 
 
 Your fleps the Alpine fummits o'er, 
 Traverfe the houfelcfs Caucafus' wild wafte. 
 
 Or feek the' Atlantic's utmoft fhore. 
 A(k you, what aid this nervelefs arm can lend, 
 
 Which nought of martial ftrength may boaft ? 
 'Twill calm, at leaft, my fears for you, my friend ; 
 
 Fears that ftill vex the abfent moll:.
 
 4 The Epodes. 
 
 Thus for her callow brood, when left, the dove 
 
 More dreads the ferpent's ambufh fell — 
 Yet knows her wing too weak, tho' ftretch'd above, 
 
 His Healthy inroad to repel. 
 Me to encounter this and many a toil 
 
 Pure friendfhip would itfelf incline : 
 Not that the groaning ox might ply the foil. 
 
 Yoked to more numerous ploughs of mine — 
 Not that my Sabine lawns with ampler range 
 
 Might ftretch to Tufculum's fair towers. 
 Or flocks for cool Lucanian paftures change 
 
 Calabrian drought, when Sirius lowers. 
 Your bounty ev^ery want and wifh has crown'd ? 
 
 Tis well : To feek fuperfluous gain — 
 But Chremes-like) to hide it underground. 
 
 Or wafte (like royflering heirs) — were vain ! 
 
 EPODE II. 
 
 The Ufurer^s praifes of a country life. 
 
 'APPY the man, who, far from bufy coil, 
 (As lived our Ample fires of old) 
 With his own team ploughs his paternal foil, 
 
 A llranger to the cares of gold ! 
 Roufed by no clarion to the battle's brunt. 
 
 Scared at no wintry billow's roar. 
 He fhuns the Forum's llrifc, nor deigns to hunt 
 
 Dull levees at the proud man's door : 
 More pleafed around tall poplars to efpoufc 
 
 His new-raifed progeny of vines.
 
 The Epodes. 5 
 
 With wary hook he prunes the Ilraggling boughs, 
 
 And each more hopeful fhoot intwines ; 
 Or views his lowing herd, as in the lea 
 
 They graze aloof; or in pure crocks 
 Stores from the comb the neftar of the bee ; 
 
 Or fhears the younglings of his flocks : 
 Or, when his golden head boon Autumn rears, 
 
 Crown'd with ripe fruits and flowers, on high. 
 With pride he culls his own ingrafted pears. 
 
 Or grapes that with the purple vie — 
 Thee with due gifts, Priapus, watchful god ! 
 
 And thee, Silvanus ! to falute. 
 Sweet his repofe, now on the tutted fod. 
 
 Now at fome aged beech-tree's root — 
 Beneath their banks while rippling ftreamlets creep. 
 
 The groves with warbling plaints refound. 
 And murmurs that invite to balmy fleep 
 
 Arc heard from gufliing rills around ! 
 But, when grim winter bids the welkin roar 
 
 With beating hail-ftorms, he befets 
 With many a beagle ftaunch the briftly boar, 
 
 And drives him on the tapering nets ; 
 Or for the hungry thrufh fpreads meflies rare 
 
 On flender props along the plain. 
 And fpringes to beguile the timorous hare 
 
 (Sweet fpoil !) or migratory crane. 
 Amid fuch fports who might not well forget 
 
 Love's fretful jealoufies and jars? 
 But, fliould a buxom babe-environ'd mate 
 
 Help to divide his houfehold cares, 
 (Chafte as the Sabine dame, or fun-burnt bride 
 
 Of fome fleet Daunian mountaineer) 
 Who piles the evening hearth with logs well-dried.
 
 6 The Epodes. 
 
 Her confort's wifh'd return to cheer, — 
 And, penning in their wattled cotes the flock. 
 
 Drains the diftended udder's hoard, — 
 Then, broaching lufcious wine of this year's ftock. 
 
 With unbought dainties heaps the board ; 
 Not Lucrine fhell-fifh — not rich Turbot more 
 
 Would gratify my tafte, or Char 
 (Should tempefts thundering on the Euxine fliore 
 
 Waft any to our coaft from far) — 
 Not choice Pintado, Afric's boailed treat. 
 
 Nor ev'n Ionian Red-game now 
 Would tempt my palate more, than olives fweet 
 
 Frefh gather'd from the loaded bough ; 
 With forrel wild, that loves the watery mead — 
 
 Or, lenient to clogg'd ftomach, mallow — 
 Or lamb long vow'd to Terminus — or kid 
 
 Snatch'd from the wolf's rapacious fwallov>\ 
 'Mid fuch repaft, to vie\v the ^vell-fed flocks 
 
 Huddling to fold in twilight's gloom, 
 Kow charmang, and to fee the flow-paced Ox 
 
 With languid neck come trailing home 
 The' inverted plough, — while menials born and bred 
 
 Beneath his roof, in feftive mirth. 
 Swarm round the board, with homely plenty fpread, 
 
 Beflde the Gods that guard his hearth ! 
 Thus Alfius fpake, with ufury's troubles vex'd. 
 
 And vow'd to live a rural fwain ; 
 So call'd in all his caili that month — the next 
 
 Puts every penny out again !
 
 The Epodes. 
 
 EPODE III. 
 
 Addrejfed to Macenas dur'uig the author's Jicknefs 
 occafioned by garlick eaten at /upper zvith him on 
 the preceding day. 
 
 SHOULD wretch e'er dare to wring with impious 
 An aged father's throat, his meed [nooie 
 
 Be this — to fwallow Garlick, than the juice 
 
 Of aconite more noxious weed ! 
 Wondrous, that reapers can fuch trafh digeft ! 
 
 That human ilomachs can be framed 
 So tough I What venom's this that racks my breaft. 
 
 As if with quenchlefs fires inflamed ? 
 What ! has the cook infufed into the mefs 
 
 (Unknown to me) fome viperous banc ? 
 Or has Canidia, that foul forcerefs. 
 
 Here tried her cunning hand again ? 
 When, fmit with Jafon, pride of Argo's crew, 
 
 The amorous queen, by magic lore. 
 Bade him the brazen-footed bulls fubdue. 
 
 With this, belike, fhe charm'd him o'er ; — 
 With this imbued thofe bridal gifts fo rare. 
 
 By which on her proud rival's head 
 She wreak'd her vengeance, and upborne in air 
 
 On dragon-wing triumphant fled ! 
 Such vaporous heat, when Sirius fires the globe. 
 
 Ne'er fcorch'd Appulia's thirfty ground ! 
 Not toil-worn Hercules the' cnvenom'd robe 
 
 More big with dire combuftion found !
 
 8 The Epodes. 
 
 But, fhould my fportivc friend e'er chance to fet 
 His heart on food fo rank, I pray — 
 
 May Chloe flight his dalliance in a pet. 
 And pufli the proffer'd kifs away ! 
 
 EPODE IV. 
 
 Stiid to be addrejfed to Men a, afreed-man of Pompey. 
 
 DEEP as the' averfion fix'd by fate's decree 
 'Twixt wolf and lamb, is mine to thee, 
 Whofe furrow'd loins and ancles gall'd retain 
 
 Marks of the penal thong and chain ! 
 Strut as thou may'f!:, and vaunt thy ill-got pelf — 
 
 Fortune can never alter Self. 
 Pacing the Sacred Street with pompous ftride, 
 
 Robed in a mantle fix ells wide, 
 See'ft thou not, pidured in the' indignant eye, 
 
 The thoughts of every palfer-by ? — 
 " Yon wretch, who once Triumv'ral whippings bore, 
 
 " Till ev'n the Beadle's arm grew fore, 
 " Now ploughs his thoufand acres — fcours each day 
 
 " With prancing fteeds the Appian way — 
 " And at the public fliov.-s, in Otho's fpite, 
 
 " Flaunts in front feats a fwaggering knight ! 
 " What boots it, launching to difpatch afar 
 
 " So many ftrong-beak'd fliips of war, 
 " To put down pirates and a fervile hoft, 
 
 " While he— he fills the Tribune's poft r "
 
 The Epodes. 9 
 
 EPODE V. 
 
 The forceries of Canidia. 
 
 " TUST Powers, that make terreftrial fcenes your care, 
 
 J " And watch mankind from heaven's high throne ! 
 
 " What means this turmoil rude ? why grimly glare 
 
 " Thofe eyes, all fix'd on me alone ? 
 " Say, by the babes (it" e'er that womb has ftrove 
 
 " With unabortive child-birth throes) — 
 " By this poor pride of purple — by great Jove 
 
 " Who marks and will avenge my woes — 
 " Why, when I fue for pity, doft thou low'r 
 
 " That angry fcowl — that threatening glance, 
 " Stern as the ftepdame, fierce as the vex'd boar 
 
 " That writhes beneath the hunter's lance ? " 
 While thus imploring ftood the timid youth. 
 
 Reft of his badges, whofe green age 
 And unfledged innocence might hope to foothe 
 
 The barbarous Thracian's hotteft rage, 
 Canidia, nothing moved, her unkempt hair 
 
 Enwreath'd with many an adder fell, 
 Turn'd, and in thundering accents bade prepare 
 
 To folemnize the rites of hell. 
 Slips of wild fig-tree fetch'd from mouldering tombs 
 
 And funeral yew fhe bade them bring. 
 Eggs with the blood of toads befmear'd, and plumes 
 
 Pluck'd from the midnight owlet's wing. 
 Thefe, with a thoufand herbs of baneful growth. 
 
 Well known to fage Theflalian dames. 
 And thigh-bones fnatch'd from famifh'd blood-hound's 
 mouth.
 
 10 The Epodes. 
 
 She gave to feed the Colchian flames. 
 Then up rofe Sagana, and fprinkled round 
 
 Black ftreams that mock'd, Avernus ! thine, 
 With robe high-cindured, and with locks unbound. 
 
 That briftled like the porcupine. 
 Feia, unaw'd by guilt, with groaning fpade 
 
 Delved a deep pit, where, fix'd upright. 
 The youth might fee the varied viands fpread. 
 
 And pine with famine o'er the fight, — 
 Chin-deep inearth'd, that, when his gloating eye 
 
 Had flrain'd o'er each forbidden courfe. 
 His marrow and parch'd liver might fupply 
 
 A powder of refiillefs force. 
 That Folia too, oi Rimhii, was there. 
 
 Lewd Naples and its fuburbs tell — 
 Folia, of rampant lull, who can unfphcre 
 
 The moon and planets by her fpell. 
 
 Canidia, gnawing to the quick with teeth 
 
 Of livid hue her thumb-nail, fped. 
 And bending to the Powers that rule beneath — 
 
 What faid flie ? or what left unfaid ? 
 " Infernal Hecate ! and thou, filent Night ! 
 
 " Your wonted influence interpofe, 
 " Preflde propitious o'er the mylHc rite, 
 
 " And hurl your vengeance on my foes ! 
 " What time the wild-wood beails at midnight rtill 
 
 " Tranced in foft flumber ceafe to roar, 
 " My grey gallant with love's warm wiflies fill 
 
 " And to thefe \vidow'd arms reftore ! 
 " There, as he fkulks along Suburra's ftreet, 
 
 " Let yelping watch-dogs bay him round, 
 " (The public jcfl,) bedaub'd with unguents fweet
 
 The Epodes. ii 
 
 " As my own hands could e'er compound ! — 
 " What balks my (kill ? why fail the' ingredients dire, 
 
 " By which Medea on the head 
 " Of her falfe lord, the bride, and royal fire 
 
 " At once avenged her injured bed — 
 " When, by the robe of deadly tilTue wrought, 
 
 " Wrapt in ftrange flames her rival fell ? 
 " And yet what herb, what root have I not fought 
 
 " Thro' craggy ftecp or bofky dell ? 
 " Lo ! couch'd on beds, with fome oblivious weed 
 
 " Imbued, he woos each harlot's arms ! 
 " 'Tis plain — he roams at large, perfidious ! freed 
 
 " By fome adept's more potent charms. 
 " But know, new philtres of no vulgar power 
 
 " Shall force thee. Varus ! to return, 
 " Taught, perjured wretch ! to rue that parting hour, 
 
 " And with rekindled ardours burn. 
 " No fpell by Marfian beldame mutter'd o'er 
 
 " Thy palfied fenfes fhall recall : 
 " A ftrongcr chalice yet remains in ftore — 
 
 " A ftronger, to complete thy fall : 
 " And fooner heaven fliall fink beneath the fea, 
 
 " While folid earth lies ftretch'd above, 
 *' Than thou not burn once more with love of me, 
 
 " Like fulphur in the blazing ftovc." 
 
 On this, the youth not with foft plaint (as erft) 
 
 To foothe their ruthlefs ears effay'd. 
 But paufed awhile, till from his lips forth burfl: 
 
 Such prayers as chafed Thyefles made : 
 " Spells may the facred rules of right reverfe — 
 
 " Not Heaven's juft bolt of vengeance ftay : 
 " Then take, ye hags ! my deep and folcmn curfe —
 
 i'2 The Epodes 
 
 " A cLirfe no viftim can allav ! 
 " Sunk by your arts in death, your beds I'll feek, 
 
 " And haunt you, as a fiend, by night, 
 " With harpy talons tear each quivering check, 
 
 " (Such power attends an injured iprite !) 
 " And perch'd, a goblin, on your heaving hearts, 
 
 " Chafe balmy fleep ; — ^with fhowers of Hones 
 " Indignant crowds fhall pelt you from all parts, 
 
 " Vile imps of hell and loathfome crones. 
 " At laft, your limbs, by wolves and vultures torn, 
 
 " Shall ftrew Efquilia's gloomy plains ; 
 " To cheer my parents' eyes, (ah ! left to mourn,) 
 
 " This fpeftacle at leaft remains ! " 
 
 EPODE VI. 
 
 Addrejfed (as fome coiijeBure) to CaJJtus Severus. 
 
 WHY, fnarling cur ! the harmlefs gueft affail. 
 But at the wolf's approach turn tail ? 
 Dare hither to diredl thy threatenings vain. 
 
 And fnap at thofe who'll bite again ! 
 Fierce as the malHfF or gaunt Spartan hound 
 
 (The fhepherd's trufty guardian found) 
 With ears ereft thro' drifted fnows I chafe 
 
 All that I meet of favage race. 
 Thou, when thy howls have bid the woodland quake. 
 
 Art fure to fnift" the profFer'd cake. 
 Beware ! — with pointed horns abroad I go. 
 
 Prepared to gore each mongrel foe. 
 Not Parian bard's lampoon with deeper awe
 
 The Epodes. 13 
 
 Inipired his perjured fire-in-law : 
 Not keener taunt fmote Bupulus with dread. 
 
 Avenging the mif-fculptured head. 
 What — gall'd by {lander's venom'd tooth, mull 
 
 Like a lorn babe, fit ftill and cry ? 
 
 EPODE VII. 
 
 Addrejfed to the Roman People, to proteft againjl the 
 renewal of civil war on the part of Antonius ajftji- 
 ed by Cleopatra. 
 
 STAY, madmen ! ftay : where rulh ye, fteep'd in 
 Why quits the fword its fheath again ? [guilt ! 
 Has not enough of Latian gore been fpilt. 
 
 Empurpling every field and main ? 
 And why? — That Carthage, levell'd to the ground, 
 
 Rome's rival, might her power obey ? — 
 That Britons, whom no fhackles yet had bound. 
 
 Might pace in chains the Sacred Way ? 
 No— but (as vowed the Parthian in his rage) 
 
 That Rome by her own hand might bleed. 
 For fhame ! luch war nor wolves nor tigers wage. 
 
 Foes but to beafts of alien breed. 
 Is it ftark frenzy — fate's refiftlefs gale — 
 
 Or guilt impels you ? — Speak, reply ! — 
 See, Confcience rtrikes them dumb — their cheeks turn 
 They paufe aghaft, yet know not why ! [pale — 
 Ah ! fo it is ! — Our fate-devoted walls 
 
 A fratricidal doom purfues ! 
 While guiltlefs Remus' blood for vengeance calls, 
 Rome's lateft race his murder rues I
 
 14 The Epodes. 
 
 EPODE VIII. {omitted.) 
 
 EPODE IX. 
 
 Addrejfed to Mtecoias on the fir Jl arrival of the news 
 of the fi^ory at ABiuni. 
 
 WHEN fliall I, feated at the fumptuous board, 
 The flaik for feftive mirth long ftored 
 With you, M^cenas ! drain, rejoiced to learn 
 
 (So Jove hath will'd) the fafe return 
 Of conquering Csfar, while flirill pipes confpire 
 
 Attemper'd to the warbling lyre ? 
 As late, when he, mock- ruler of the waves. 
 
 Who chains, knock'd off from rebel flaves. 
 Would fain upon our free-born necks have bound. 
 
 Saw his fleet burnt — his followers drown'd. 
 Lo ! Roman troops (alas ! a future age 
 
 Will fcarcely credit hiftory's page) 
 Have march'd and countermarch'd at woman's call, 
 
 Nay — brook'd fome flirivell'd Eunuch's thrall, 
 And 'mid war's banner'd pomp the fun has feen 
 
 (Oh fhame !) the netted palanquin ! 
 At this, two-thoufand Gallic horfe turn heel. 
 
 Change fides, and fhout for Cajfar's weal, — 
 While half their navy, panic ftruck, tack fliort 
 
 To larboard, or lie hid in port ! 
 All hail to Casfar's triumph ! what delays. 
 
 In celebration of his praife.
 
 The Epodes. 15 
 
 The heifer yet unyoked — the gilded car — 
 
 The milk-white fteeds — and pomp of war ? 
 Not, from Jugurtha's overthrow return'd. 
 
 Has chief more glorious laurels earn'd ; — 
 Not he, furnamed from Africa, to whom 
 
 Valour o'er Carthage rear'd a tomb. 
 Vanquifh'd by fea and land, the baffled foe 
 
 Doffs the red fcarf for weeds of woe ; 
 While, borne by breezes not its own, his fleet 
 
 Sneaks off to hundred-citied Crete, 
 Or foundering on vex'd quickfands toils in vain. 
 
 Or drifts at random o'er the main. 
 Fill to the brim, boys ! fpeed the goblet round. 
 
 With Chian or with Lefbian crown'd ; 
 Or mete the mellower Cscuban, whofe balm 
 
 May check betimes the rifing qualm ! 
 All fear and care on Casfar's fcore, to day 
 
 Let fparkling cups chafe far away ! 
 
 EPODE X. 
 
 Imprecating tetnpefts and Jhipwreckto Mavius, about 
 to Jet fail for Greece ; perhaps as a parody on Ode 1, 3. 
 
 WITH omens ill the fhip her anchor weighs. 
 Which ftinking M^evius hence conveys. 
 Wake, Southern blaft ! and with the fwelling tide 
 
 Lafh fore-and-aft her trembling fide ! 
 Rife, Eurus ! and with rattling peals of thunder 
 Break down her mart — her cordage fundcr !
 
 i6 The Epodes. 
 
 Her beams let Boreas fhiver, with a rtroke 
 
 Rude as uproots the mountain oak ! 
 And let Orion, as he finks below. 
 
 Dark horror o'er the waters throw. 
 That not a ftar may lend its twinkling light. 
 
 To cheer the gloomy brow of night ! 
 Nor let him quit in calmer feas the llrand. 
 
 Than did the conquering Grecian band. 
 When Pallas turn'd from Ilium wrapt in fire 
 
 On Ajax' impious bark her ire ! 
 Gods ! what alarm awaits the fweltering crew. 
 
 And oh ! what afhy palenefs -^ou. 
 With many a \vomanlv lament and tear. 
 
 And prayers to Jove averfe to hear — 
 When murky clouds the' Ionian gulf deform. 
 
 The furge rebellowing to the ftorm, 
 And o'er the founder'd keel the big wave roars. 
 
 Her timbers crack'd — difperfed her oars ! 
 But, fhould your carcafe on the beach at laft 
 
 (Rich prey for cormorants) be call, 
 A goat (fit vidlim) to the Tempells flain 
 
 Shall, with a lamb, Jove's altar llain. 
 
 EPODE XL 
 
 To his friend Pettius, lamaiting his own ill-luck and 
 ficklenefs in his amours. 
 
 ACK'D with the pangs of love, I lift no more 
 To pen light fonnets, Pettius ! as before 
 Love, that for fome new charmer ftill in turn 
 Above all hearts fecms deftined mine to burn.
 
 The Epodes. 17 
 
 Thrice has December ftrew'd the woodland plain 
 With wither'd leaves, fince, in defpair to gain 
 The proud Inachia, I retired forlorn. 
 Made the town's talk — the butt of public fcorn. 
 Alas ! how I regret my follies pall ! — 
 How blufli for thofe fad banquets, where at lail:, 
 Defpite of every effort to appear 
 Gay like the reft, too oft the trickling tear. 
 The figh that from my inmoft bofom ftolc. 
 And filent languor fpake the melting foul ! 
 But, when ingenuous Bacchus, wont to wreft 
 With warmer cups each fecret from the breaft, 
 Unlock'd the heart and loofed the tongue's reftraint, 
 I whifper'd in your ear this piteous plaint : — 
 " Shame, that poor honeft fuitors, like myfelf, 
 " Muft tamely bow before the pride of pelf! 
 " But — fhould the moody fpleen, with which I pine, 
 " Wax into wrath, and to the winds confign 
 " Grief's chill emollients, by whofe aid the fore 
 ** (Nothing affuaged) feems but to fefter more — 
 " Awaken'd pride (hall all this bofom fire, 
 " And from the ill-match'd ftrife with fcorn retire." 
 Words of fuch ftern refolve you heard me fay. 
 And urged the plan ; I homewards took my way. 
 But ah ! too foon this heart forgot its pride ; 
 And, as Love's witchcraft lured my foot afide. 
 With truant ftep — fcarce confcious where I went — 
 To that unfriendly door my courfe was bent. 
 Where on the threfliold and hard flints I fpread 
 My aching loins and pillow'd my fick head. 
 Now Chloe holds me captive in love's chain ; 
 From whofe foft fpell not even the difdain 
 Of her, who tortures me with cold caprice, 
 c
 
 i8 The Epodes. 
 
 Nor friends' kind counfcl can my foul releafe — 
 Nought but a new amour witli fome new fair. 
 Who braids in rofy wreaths her flowing hair. 
 
 EPODE XII. {omitted.) 
 
 EPODE XIII. 
 
 WITH gathering tempcfts, fee, the welkin lowers, 
 And Jove in rattling hail and murky fliowers 
 Defcends — all Nature feems to ftand aghaft — 
 And feas and woods howl to the Thracian blafl ! 
 Snatch we, my friend ! occafion from the day — 
 Ere age has blanch'd the cheek and joys decay. 
 Draw forth the flafk whofe date records my birth. 
 And fmooth the wrinkled brow in timely mirth ! 
 The reft — ah mention not! — Who knows but peace 
 May yet return, and Heaven bid difcord ceafe ? 
 A truce with moping grief and bodings dire ! 
 Lull'd rather by the foftly-warbling lyre. 
 And dripping with the fragrant Perfian nard. 
 Laugh, quaff and revel ! — To his peerlefs ward. 
 Such were the leffons by fage Chiron iung : — 
 " All-conquering mortal, from immortal fprung ! 
 " Thee Troy awaits, my fon ! with martial blood 
 " Diftain'd — a land by cool Scamander's flood 
 " And winding Simois wafli'd — from whofe fad bourn 
 " The fure-fpun thread of Fate precludes return, 
 " Nor e'er fliall azure Thetis o'er the main 
 " Waft her vidlorious fon to Greece again. 
 " No more — Let wine and fong each forrow there 
 ** Aflliagc, fweet lenitives of gloomy care !"
 
 The Epodes. ig 
 
 EPODE XIV. 
 
 YOU afk — " What means this torpid indolence 
 " That in oblivion every fenfe 
 " Has fteep'd, as if my thirfty lips had quaff 'd 
 
 " At Lethe's fpring a copious draught ? " — 
 And kill me by remonftrance without end : 
 
 A God — a God denies, my friend ! 
 All power the promifed ftanzas to compofc. 
 
 And bring my fragment to a clofe ; 
 Love, mighty Love the vein of fong has marr'd ! 
 
 So glow'd of old the Teian bard — 
 So in wild meafures to the plaintive fhell 
 
 Mourn'd the coy jilt he loved fo well. 
 Yourfelf, no ftranger to the pleafmg pain. 
 
 Are caught, like me, in Cupid's chain. 
 But, if a fairer flame beleaguer'd not 
 
 Troy's towers, commend your happy lot ! 
 My thoughts on humble Phrync now are bent, 
 
 A freed-girl — nor with one content. 
 
 EPODE XV. 
 
 To his perjured mifircfs, Neara. 
 
 TWAS night, and 'mid herftarry train was k(tn 
 The moon's pale orb in heaven's fcrene. 
 When, with fond arms (as ivy twines the oak) 
 Clafping my neck, thou didil invoke
 
 20 The Epodes. 
 
 The gods to feal our plighted faith ; — nay more. 
 
 Thy tongue (their power infuhing) fwore. 
 That, long as prowling wolves infeft the fheep. 
 
 Or north-winds vex the v/intry deep. 
 Or Phoebus waves his trefles to the gale. 
 
 This love between us fhould not fail. 
 Beware, falfe girl ! the day may yet enfue. 
 
 When thou my ftubborn pride fhalt rue : 
 For, if one fpark of manhood ftill remains 
 
 To fire thy flighted Flaccus' veins. 
 He will not brook for ever, that thofe charms 
 
 Should blcfs a favor'd rival's arms — 
 But feek fome other miftrefs, who may prove 
 
 More prone to render love for love ; 
 Nor fhall this bofom, with juft vengeance fteel'd. 
 
 To beauty's fpell (once broken) yield. 
 And thou, proud youth ! ufurper of my place. 
 
 Triumphant now in my difgracc. 
 Whoe'er thou be — tho' rich in herds and lands. 
 
 Lord of Paflolus' golden fands, 
 Well-fkill'd to found the depths of Samian lore. 
 
 Nor Nireus boaft his beauty more — 
 Yet — wait awhile — the jilt thy fuit fhall fpurn. 
 
 And I deride thy plaints in turn !
 
 The Epodes. 21 
 
 EPODE XVI. 
 
 Addreffed to the Roman People, deprecating the continuance 
 of civil war, with its ruinous confequences ; to avoid which, 
 the poet playfully (as if haranpjuing the aflembled populace) 
 recommends, that all, or at leaft the fpirited few, fhould aban- 
 don their country as one devoted to deftruCtion, and feek the 
 Happy IJles, fabled ftill to retain the purity and felicity of the 
 golden age. 
 
 ALREADY lengthen'd to another age. 
 Foul Difcord reigns and civil rage ; 
 And Rome, with whom no foreign power competes. 
 
 From her own hand her death-blow meets ! 
 She, who the neighbouring Marfi an could withftand — 
 
 Foil'd proud Porfenna's Tufcan band — 
 Fierce Spartacus and rival Capua quell'd, 
 
 With Gaul that oft in vain rebell'd — 
 Whom not Germania's blue-eyed fons coerced. 
 
 Nor Carthage by fond matrons curft — 
 Muft fall by us, a loft polluted race, 
 
 And wild-beafts re-ufurp her place. 
 Oh fhame ! a barbarous viftor, flufli'd \vith pride. 
 
 Shall o'er her fmoking ruins ftride — 
 Her founder's bones, long pent in hallow'd urn, 
 
 Uptorn, infulting foes fhall fpurn — 
 And o'er yon bulwarks, levell'd to the ground. 
 
 The trooper's clattering hoof refound! 
 Here all, perhaps, — at leaft the generous few — 
 
 May afk. What courfe we muft purfuc, — 
 What means adopt, fuch dire diftrefs to fliun ? 
 
 My voice is this — I know but one — 
 To aft as the Phocreans did of yore. 
 
 And (as they left their native fhorc.
 
 22 The Epodes. 
 
 Reiigning all they loved — their fields, their homes. 
 
 Paternal hearths and facred domes — 
 To be the wild boar's and gaunt wolf's fojourn. 
 
 Pledged homewards never to return) 
 To quit our Latium, and at random go 
 
 Where tides may drift or breezes blow. 
 Is this your will ? — Should any difapprovc. 
 
 Some fitter counfel let them move ! 
 Elfe — with propitious omens why delay 
 
 To launch the bark and fpeed away ? 
 But firft fwear duly — that, till ocean fhow 
 
 The millftone buoyant from below. 
 Return is barr'd — that then (and not till then) 
 
 The winds fhall waft us back again. 
 When mounting from his oozy bed the Po 
 
 Shall o'er Matinus' fummit flow — 
 Or Apennine his cloud-enveloped fteep 
 
 Bow down and plunge beneath the deep — 
 When brutes fhall couple in unnatural love. 
 
 Tiger with deer, and kite with dove — 
 Lambs unappall'd the lion's ravin brave. 
 
 And goats with dolphins fkim the wave ! 
 This oath (with aught that elfe may loofe the band 
 
 That links us to our parent land) 
 Swear all, and then depart, — if not the whole. 
 
 Yet thofe that own a nobler foul ! 
 At home let drooping hearts and drowfy heads 
 
 Still prefs their fate-devoted beds ! 
 But you, ye brave ! unmanly wails give o'er. 
 
 And fly beyond the Tufcan fliore. 
 To diftant plains of ambient ocean bound. 
 
 That lave the central earth around ! 
 There let us feek the Ifles — the Happy Ifles,
 
 The Epodes. 23 
 
 Sweet bowers of blifs, where Nature fmiles — 
 Where annual harvelb crown uncultured fields — 
 
 The vine unpruned her clufter yields — 
 The olive fprouts with never-failing gem — 
 
 The ripe fig loads its native ftem — 
 Each oak drops honey — down the mountain's fide 
 
 Soft rills with tinkling murmurs glide — ■ 
 The ewes at night-fall hafle uncall'd, nor fail 
 
 To bring full udders to the pail — 
 No growling bear fkulks round the evening fold. 
 
 Nor viper's nell: upheaves the mould ! 
 Nay — (more to move our rapture) — there no rains 
 
 With fweeping deluge lafh the plains. 
 Nor fultry droughts forbid the grain to teem — 
 
 Kind Heaven tempering each extreme ! 
 Here venturous Argo touch'd not — hither came 
 
 With unblefl: drugs no Colchian dame — 
 Nor Tyrians, nor Ulyffes' toil-worn band 
 
 E'er anchor'd on this quiet ftrand — 
 No murrain taints the herd — no noxious pcft 
 
 Or dogftar's maddening heats moleft ; 
 Jove for the juil referved thefe feats of old. 
 
 When he alloy'd Time's priftine gold 
 With brafs. That ore, by viler fince difplaced. 
 
 Is now to cankerous drofs debafed — 
 An age of woe ; whence (if their bard be right) 
 
 The good may wing an eafy flight.
 
 24 The Epodes. 
 
 EPODE XVII. 
 
 Horace' 5 ironical Recantation, and Canidia's Anjzuer. 
 
 Horace. 
 
 YES, yes — at length with reverence due 
 I bow to magic's might, and fue 
 By the dark fhades of" death, where dwell 
 The grifly potentates of hell — - 
 By Proferpine's fublime beheft — 
 By Necromancy's arts unbleil. 
 Which can unfphere the moon on high 
 And pluck down planets from the (ky — 
 A truce, Canidia ! with thofe charms 
 And fpells, that fill me with alarms ! 
 In mercy fpare my foul to rack. 
 And let the myllic Reel run back ! 
 The prayers of Telephus (we're told) 
 Moved Thetis' doughty fon of old, 
 Tho' he had led his Myfian bands 
 Againft him, and with daring hands 
 Hurl'd the keen lance.— Slain Hedor lay. 
 To dogs and vultures doom'd a prey. 
 Till Priam from the fame ftern chief 
 Sought in the foe's mid camp relief. 
 Low at his feet a fuppliant calt ; 
 Which caufed the Trojan dames at laft 
 To' anoint their champion for the bier. 
 And bathe his relics with a tear. 
 Ulyflcs' comrades laid afide 
 Their bellial fliape and briftly hide. 
 When Circe, won by prayer, to each
 
 The Epodes. 25 
 
 Reftored the powers of fenfe and fpeech. 
 
 And crown'd with prilline grace their brows. 
 
 Enough (and more) of penal woes 
 
 Thy wrath has bid me pay, O^thou — 
 
 The trader's trull and factor's frow ! 
 
 My health is flown : youth's rofeate bloom 
 
 Is faded, leaving in its room 
 
 Thefe haggard cheek-bones, wan and thin. 
 
 Scarce cover'd with a lurid {kin : 
 
 My locks, that curl'd in jetty pride. 
 
 To ftraggling grey thine oils have dyed : 
 
 Day chafes night — night day — nor fees 
 
 One moment's refpite from difeafe : 
 
 Strange vaporous crudities diftend 
 
 My cheft — my anguifli knows no end. 
 
 Perforce, then, I retraft, and now 
 
 (What once I dared to doubt) allow — 
 
 That Sabine forceries can moleft 
 
 By mutter'd fpells a mortal breaft. 
 
 And that the Marfian beldame's art 
 
 Can rive the brain and rack the heart. 
 
 What wouldil: thou more ? O earth ! O fea ! 
 
 I burn — I blaze — flames compafs me. 
 
 Fierce as did Hercules of yore, 
 
 Smear'd with the Centaur's venom'd gore — 
 
 Intenfe as with a boiling tide 
 
 Of fulphur ftream down ^Etna's fide. 
 
 Yet thou, till crumbled into dull 
 
 I'm fcatter'd by the paffing guil. 
 
 In glowing lab'ratory pent 
 
 Still ply'ft thy horrible intent. 
 
 When may I look for my difcharge ? 
 
 When roam the world again at large ? 
 
 And what mud be the ranfom ? fay —
 
 26 The Epodes. 
 
 The fine impofed I'll vouch to pay : 
 
 Yea — tho', to expiate my guilt, 
 
 A hundred heifers' blood be fpilt : 
 
 Or doft thou hymns of praife require? — • 
 
 Thou, pureji — (quoth the flattering lyre) 
 
 Mojl virtuous of thy fex hy far, 
 
 Shalt walk the fkies a radiant ftar ! 
 
 Callor and Pollux, twin-born fons 
 
 Of Leda, by Stefichorus once 
 
 Sorely aggrieved, whofe flanderous fong 
 
 Had done their fillers mickle wrong. 
 
 Smote him with blindnefs ; but, implored. 
 
 To the recanting bard reftored 
 
 The fight themfelves had torn away 
 
 In vengeance for his harflier lay. 
 
 Thou too (for well thou canft) thefe fits 
 
 Of frenzy, that diftraft my wits. 
 
 Withhold ! O thou, not bred (I trow) 
 
 In ftews — not born of parents low — 
 
 Not wont to ranfack graves, and fpurn 
 
 The poor man's newly-buried urn. 
 
 In aid of thy myfterious art ! — 
 
 Pure are thy hands, and boon thy heart 1 
 
 Thy brood is genuine — none have room 
 
 To doubt the produft of thy womb : 
 
 No kidnapper of infants thou — ■ 
 
 But, as the midwives all allow. 
 
 Oft as Lucina tends thy cries. 
 
 She bids thee brifk from childbed rife ! 
 
 Canidia. 
 Why wafte petitions on clofed ears ? 
 Not rocks to fhipwreck'd mariners
 
 The Epodes. 
 
 More deaf when winter's angry tides 
 
 With foaming billows lafh their fides ! 
 
 Shalt thou prefume with taunts profane 
 
 Cotytto's orgies to arraign ? 
 
 Shalt thou to public fcorn uphold 
 
 The rites where lull reigns uncontroul'd, — 
 
 Then, as high-priell, infpeft at will 
 
 The myfteries of the' Efquilian hill, * 
 
 And hawk (unpunifh'd) up and down 
 
 Canidia's name through all the town ? 
 
 What boots it that I oft with gold 
 
 Have lured Pelignian crones to' unfold 
 
 The fecrets of their conjuring tricks. 
 
 And learnt the deadly dofe to mix 
 
 Of quick elFeft, if thee a fate. 
 
 More tardy than my vows, await ? 
 
 Well — live thou fhalt — but live, to know 
 
 A loathfome lingering life of w^oe. 
 
 Eafe is the prayer — the fond defire — 
 
 Of Tantalus, falfe Pelops' fire. 
 
 With hunger amid banquets curft. 
 
 Amid frelh water-fprings with thirlt : 
 
 Fail to the gnawing vulture bound, 
 
 Prometheus bids all hell refound 
 
 With prayers for eafe : with many a groan 
 
 Prays Sifyphus to' upheave the rtone 
 
 To the hill's top : — In vain — for why? 
 
 Jove's fovercign laws the boon deny. 
 
 So thou Ihalt wifh, perhaps, one hour. 
 
 To fling thyfelf from fome tall tower — 
 
 The next, with deep defpair oppren''d. 
 
 To plunge the poniard in thy breall — 
 
 Or fain life's irkfome bands to loofc,
 
 28 The Epodes. 
 
 Weave for thy neck the' unhallow'd noofe. 
 But no — Thy foe with goblin pride 
 Thofe hated fhoulders fliall bcftride. 
 In triumph perch'd, as if fhe hurl'd 
 Defiance o'er a proftrate world I 
 Shall I, who planets by mv fpell 
 Unfphere— and (as thou know'll too well) 
 Make waxen dolls to perfonate 
 And rack by proxy whom I hate — 
 Dead afhes with new life infpire — 
 And drug the cup of warm defire, 
 Thofe arts, which ne'er have fail'd, now fee 
 Baffled by fuch a worm as thee ?
 
 THE SECULAR ODE.
 
 THE SECULAR ODE. 
 
 Compofed at the requeft of the Emperor Auguftus for the fifth 
 regular celebration of the Ludi Sacularei in the year of the City 
 737- 
 
 PHCEBUS, and thou, Diana, fylvan Power ! 
 Bleft pair — revered, and Hill to be revered — 
 Bright gems of ether! grant the fuit preferr'd 
 At this fix'd hour 
 
 Of hallow'd joy, when (as the Sibyl's lays 
 Ordain'd) chafte Youths and Virgins to the Powers 
 That guard the city and her feven-hili'd towers 
 Pour fongs of praife ! 
 
 Thou genial Sun ! whofe orb in heaven's high dome 
 Reveals and fhrouds the day — ftill rifmg new 
 And ftill the fame — may nothing meet thy view. 
 Greater than Rome ! 
 
 And thou, Lucina ! lenient to difclofe 
 
 The ripen'd birth — whatever name bcft pleafe 
 
 Thine ear — Natalis ! Ilithyia ! — eafe 
 
 Our matron's throes ! 
 
 Grant large increafe, and fpeed the Senate's caufe, 
 Who ftrengthens (ftudious of their country's good) 
 Pure wedlock's bands, and to recruit her brood 
 Stamp nuptial laws :
 
 32 The Secular Ode. 
 
 That oft as years, to decades full eleven 
 Revolving, fhall renew with folemn rite 
 This Jubilee, glad anthems day and night 
 
 May rife to heaven. 
 
 And you, whofe verdift, once declared. Hands faft, 
 
 Link'd in Neceffity's eternal chain. 
 
 Ye Deftinies ! with future bleffings deign 
 
 To crown the paft ! 
 
 May Earth, boon parent, rich in flocks and fruit, 
 Grace Ceres with a wreath of golden ears. 
 While the foft fhower and gale falubrious rears 
 Each budding flioot ! 
 
 Placid and mild, thy fhafts of vengeance flieath'd. 
 Hear thou the Youths, majelHc Lord of light ! 
 Hear thou the prayer, bicorned Queen of night. 
 By Virgins breath'd ! 
 
 Bleft twain ! if Rome from you derived her birth ; — 
 If hither, led by you, the Trojan bands 
 Urged a fafe courfe, what time for dillant lands 
 
 They changed their hearth ; 
 
 To whom, unfcathed, thro' Ilium wrapt in flame. 
 The brave furvivor of the land he loft 
 Oped a free path, to found on Latium's coaft 
 A nobler name ; 
 
 Grant to our docile youth each virtuous grace ! 
 To weary veterans grant ferene repofe ! 
 Grant health, wealth, ifllie, all that Heaven beftows 
 To Rome's whole race !
 
 The Secular Ode. 33 
 
 And may the Prince, who at your fhrine bids flow 
 The milk-white heifer's blood, Anchifes' heir. 
 Long rule, to crufh the rebel and to fpare 
 
 The proftrate foe ! 
 
 The Mede, now qaell'd by land as on the wave. 
 Has to our arms and Alban Axes bow'd ; 
 The Scythian hordes, and Indian (late fo proud) 
 Our mercy crave. 
 
 Truth, Honour, generous Shame (repell'd with fcorn,) 
 Mild Peace, and Virtue that to heaven had flown. 
 Dare to return, and Plenty haftes to crown 
 
 Her brimming Horn. 
 
 Befure, the golden-quiver'd God, who fees 
 Fate's awful myfteries, whom the warbling Nine 
 Hail as their leader, and whofe arts benign 
 Afluage difcafe. 
 
 Will, if. he fmile on his own facred towers. 
 Prolong the Roman weal and Latium's blifs 
 From age to age, and ft:ill improve froir this 
 To happier liours : 
 
 Nor lefs will She, fo long on Aventine 
 And Algidus enfhrined, her votaries now 
 Propitious heed, and to our youthful vow 
 
 Kind ears incline. 
 
 We, then, the band who jointly tune their praife. 
 Bear home a fure and cheering hope, that Jove 
 Lifla and approves, with all the Hoft above, 
 Thefe choral lays. 
 
 D
 
 THE SATIRES.
 
 THE SATIRES. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 SATIRE I, 
 
 TT THENCE comes it, dear Maecenas, that we 
 
 Each to applaud his neighbour's lot inclined — 
 Each to repine at that which chance has thrown 
 Into his lap, or choice ordain'd his own ? 
 Bleft is the merchant's fate, the foldier cries. 
 As bow'd with years the toilfome march he plies : 
 Again, the merchant toft by ftorms at fea 
 Exclaims, — The foldier' s is the life for me i 
 For why — the trumpet fummons to the fray. 
 And death or glory quickly crowns the day. 
 The lawyer, when ere cock-crow at his gate 
 Loud clients knock, applauds the peafant's fate : 
 Dragg'd from the country by a writ, the clown 
 Swears none are bleft but thofe that dwell in town. 
 So many like examples wait our call. 
 Scarce prating Fabius could recount them all. 
 But (not to tire myfelf and you) 'twere bcft 
 At once to bring the matter to the teft. 
 Suppofe fome god Ihould cry, " Lo, it fhall be
 
 38 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 " Ev'n as ye lift : you, foldicr, off to fea ! 
 " You, lawyer, go and plough ! advance, retire, 
 " Change fides, and be at laft what ye defire ! " 
 Why all draw back ! — Was ever whim like this ? — 
 Retraft their wifhes, and renounce their blifs ! 
 What hinders but that Jove, with burly fcowl 
 (As limners paint him) and inflated jowl. 
 In vengeance fwear, that never will he deign 
 A patient hearing to fuch fuits again ? 
 
 But, not to treat my fubjeft as in jeft — 
 (Albeit why may not truth in fmiles be dreft. 
 As gentle teachers lure the child to come 
 And learn his horn-book, with a fugar plum ?)— 
 Joking apart — he that with reftlefs toil 
 Urges his ploughfhare through the ftubborn foil. 
 This tapfter-like retailer of the laws. 
 This veteran champion of his country's caufe. 
 And this ftout feaman who in queft of gain 
 Unfurls his fail and braves the boifterous main. 
 All with one view profefs to labour on — 
 That, when at laft the fpring of life is gone 
 And ftrength declines, of ample ftores pofleft 
 They may retire to competence and reft. 
 " So the fmall ant" (the precedent they plead), 
 " Patient of toil and provident of need, 
 " Drags in her mouth whatever fpoil Ihe meets, 
 " And adds it to her ftock of hoarded fweets." 
 
 Yet that fame ant, when wintry clouds appear. 
 And grim December's blafts deform the year. 
 Creeps not from home ; but temperately wife 
 Unlocks her hoard and feeds on her fupplies : 
 While you nor fummer's heat nor winter's cold 
 Can tear afunder from the fearch of gold ;
 
 s. I. The Satires. 39 
 
 Fire, water, fleel muft yield to fordid pelf, 
 'Till not a wretch is wealthier than yourfelf. 
 Say, what avails it thus to drudge and fweat 
 For all the gold and filver you can get, — 
 And, when the filver and the gold are found. 
 To delve a pit and hide them underground ? 
 
 The heap, once touch'' d, foon dwindles to an end. 
 But wherefore was it heap'd, unlefs to fpend ? 
 Tenthoufand coombs are threfh'd upon your floor ; — 
 What follows ? not that you can eat the more. 
 Thus, were it yours to bear upon your head 
 Amid a train of flaves the fack of bread. 
 Not one loaf more would to your portion fall 
 Than to the reft who carried none at all. 
 Whoe'er to nature's wants conforms his will. 
 Say, what imports it whether that man till 
 Ten — or ten thoufand — rood? A pleafure lies 
 In drawing what one wants from large /applies. 
 This we can draw, too, from our humbler ftore ; 
 And what can all your granaries do more ? 
 As if you fhould of water clear and fweet 
 Need but a pitcher-full (while at your feet 
 Bubbled a fpring) and fay, " My cup I'll fill 
 *' From yon deep river, not from this poor rill." 
 So fhall the flippery bank your foot betray. 
 And you by Aufidus be fwept away ; 
 While he, who wifely ftudies to confine 
 His wifhes there, where nature draws the line. 
 Quaffs pure his beverage from the fountain's fide. 
 Nor tempts the perils of the boifterous tide. 
 
 Yet thoufands, duped by avarice in difguife. 
 Intrench themfelves in maxims fage and wife. 
 Go on, fay they, and hoard up all you can y
 
 40 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 For wealth is worth, and money makes the man ! 
 What fhall we fay to fuch ? Since 'tis their will 
 Still to be wretched, let them be fo ilill ! — 
 Self-curfl as that fame mifer mull have been. 
 Who lived at Athens, rich as he was mean, — 
 Who, when the people hifT'd, would turn about 
 And drily thus accoft the rabble-rout : 
 " Hifs on ; I heed you not, ye faucy wags, 
 " While felf-applaufes greet me o'er my bags." 
 
 Poor Tantalus attempts in vain to fip 
 The flattering ftream that mocks his thirfty lip. 
 You fmile, as if the ftory were not true ! 
 Change but the name, and it applies to you. 
 O'er countlefs heaps in niceft order ftored 
 You pore agape, and gaze upon the hoard. 
 As relicks to be laid with reverence by. 
 Or piftures only meant to pleafe the eye. 
 
 With all your calh, you feem not yet to know 
 Its proper ufe, or what it can beftow ! 
 " 'Twill buy me herbs, a loaf, a pint of wine, — 
 " All, which denied her. Nature would repine." 
 But what are your indulgences ? All day. 
 All night, to watch and fhudder with difmay. 
 Left ruffians fire your houfe, or flaves by Health 
 Rifle your coffers, and abftraft your wealth ? 
 If this be affluence— this her boafted fruit. 
 Of all fuch joys may I live deftitute ! 
 
 " Yet if a cold " (you urge) " or aching head 
 " Or other ill confine you to your bed, 
 " With wealth you'll never want fome faithful friend 
 " Or civil neighbour, zealous to attend, 
 " Sit by you, mix your cordials, and requeil 
 " The doftor to beware and do his beft, —
 
 s. I. The Satires. 41 
 
 "Your precious health, if poffible, reftore, 
 
 " And give you to your weeping friends once more." 
 
 Vain thought ! for you nor daughter, fon, nor wife 
 Puts up the prayer, or cares about your life. 
 Relations and acquaintance, great and fmall. 
 Female and male, defpife — deteft you all. 
 Nor wonder if, while gold is all your care. 
 That love, you feel not, neither muft you fhare. 
 But if you think to win, by wealth alone. 
 The love of them whom nature made your own, 
 Tis labour loft, — as if one ftrove to train 
 The afs to prance and curvet to the rein. 
 
 Pufh not your wifties then to this excefs ; 
 But, as you have the more, fear want the lefs. 
 You are what once you wifh'd : — then wifely ceafe 
 All further trouble, and repofe in peace : 
 Left the fame doom be yours, which, as we're told, 
 Befel a rich curmudgeon once of old, 
 Poifeft (my tale is fhort) of fo much treafure 
 That he could count it only by the meafure ; 
 And yet withal fo eager ftill to fave. 
 He dreft, he fared, fcarce better than a flave, — 
 Nay, to his death was haunted with the dread 
 Of want and beggary hanging o'er his head. 
 At laft a wench of true Tyndarid vein 
 Took up an axe and clave the churl in twain. 
 
 But mufi I wajie, like Neevius, my ejiate? 
 Like Nomentanus, live a profligate ? — 
 Why deal in fuch extremes ? what need to place 
 Thefe oppofite exceffes face to face ? 
 1 blame the niggard ; but it follows not 
 That I commend the rake-hell and the fot. 
 Much as they differ, Tanais I admire
 
 4^ The Satires. b. i. 
 
 As little as I do Vifellius' fire. 
 Some bound there ever is, fome rule of right. 
 Which parts each error from its oppofite : 
 Folly and vice on either fide are feen. 
 While juftice, truth, and virtue lie between. 
 
 Thus — (to revert to what was faid at firft) — 
 All view their own condition as the woril ; 
 And, meanly envious of another's lot. 
 Scorn what they have and praife what they have not. 
 If but fome luckier neighbour's ewes or kine 
 Yield more than theirs, they murmur and repine : 
 And, while infatiate avarice bids them pant 
 Firft one and then another to fupplant. 
 However rich, fome richer ftill they find. 
 Toil after them, nor heed the poor behind. 
 So in the race, when ftarting from the bar 
 The furious courfers urge the rapid car. 
 To pafs the next on fpeeds the charioteer, 
 Difdaining him that lingers in the rear. 
 Hence few are found, who dying can declare 
 That theirs was comfort unalloy'd with care ; 
 Or, rifing from life's banquet, quit their feat. 
 Like cheerful guefts, contented with the treat. 
 
 But hold ! — You'll think I've pillaged the fcrutoir 
 Of blear Crifpinus : — Not one word then more ! 
 
 N 
 
 SATIRE II. 
 
 YMPHS of the Syrian pipe in fhining rows, 
 Quacks, ftrolling-playcrs, buftbons, and Ba- 
 latros.
 
 s. II. The Satires. 43 
 
 With grief for loft Tigellius droop and pine ; 
 For oh ! his hand was free, his heart benign ! 
 Another (mark the contraft !) Ihall withhold 
 A mite to fave from penury and cold 
 His ftarving friend, alarm'd forfooth left all 
 Should fet him down a thriftlefs prodigal. 
 
 Afk the gay ftripling, why at fuch a rate 
 He racks his patrimonial eftate. 
 Borrowing huge fums to pile his table high 
 With coftly junkets : and he'll tell you why : — 
 Becaufe he deprecates the gracelefs name 
 Of niggard. Some applaud him ; fome cry fhame. 
 
 Fufidius, no lefs fearful to be thought 
 A loon, a rake-hell, and a thing of nought, 
 Tho' rich in lands, tho' rich in thoufands lent 
 To brifk young heirs at one month's five-per-cent. 
 Prompt with encumbering fuccours to affift. 
 Seeks up and down, and enters on his lift 
 Lads of true mettle, who (the manly gown 
 AfTumed) yet pine beneath a guardian's frown. 
 Great Jove ! you cry; But furely for his pains 
 He fpends his treafure freely as he gains. 
 Not fo ; you know not how this child of pelf 
 Starves amid affluence and defrauds himfelf. 
 The felf- tormenting father in the play 
 Who drove by ftern rebukes his fon away — 
 Take him as Terence paints him — fcarce could be 
 More rigorous in his penances than he. 
 
 But what of thefe examples ? — Why it feems. 
 Fools, fhunning errors, rufh into extremes. 
 Malthinus ftruts with flowing tunic graced : 
 Another quaintly tucks it to his waift. 
 Rufillus breathes of all the fcent Ihops fell :
 
 44 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Gorgonius glories in a goat-like fmell. 
 
 No medium is obferved. There are who chufe 
 
 None but the matron ; others haunt the ftews. 
 
 (The reft of this Satire is omitted.) 
 
 SATIRE III. 
 
 ALL fingers have this fault — that if you try 
 To make them fmg, they never will comply : 
 But leave them to themfelves, and unrequired 
 They'll fing 'till all the company are tired. 
 Tigellius had, we know, this whim fo ilrong 
 That Caefar's felf who might enforce a fong. 
 Though he conjured him in a friendly tone 
 By all his father's favours and his own. 
 Could not prevail. But, if the fit took place. 
 Now in fhrill treble — now in thundering bafs 
 'Twas Bacchus, hail! when firft the banquet came. 
 And down to the laft courfe 'twas ftill the fame. 
 Such was the man : Impell'd by vain caprice 
 His life had nothing in it of a piece. 
 One day you faw him hurrying to and fro. 
 As if he fled from fome purfuing foe : 
 Anon, as if great Juno's pomp to grace. 
 Marching along with flow and folemn pace. 
 Sometimes he kept two hundred flaves ; — and then. 
 Wait but a day or two, he had but ten. 
 Now in big phrafe he'd talk of mighty things. 
 Of foreign courts, of Tetrarchs and of Kings : 
 And now 'twas — " Grant me. Heaven ! ('tis all I wifli) 
 " A three-legg'd table and an earthen difli ;
 
 s. III. The Satires. 45 
 
 " A cleanly fcollop-fhell my fait fhall hold ; 
 " A coat, however coarfe, may fence the cold." 
 Yet, had you given amid his frugal plan 
 Five thoufand pounds to this abftemious man. 
 Thus void of pride, thus ealily content. 
 Within five days 'twas every penny fpent. 
 While others were awake, he fnoring lay. 
 Then fat up all the night 'till break of day ;— 
 Ever at variance with himfelf. — But here 
 Methinks fome reader whifpers in my ear : 
 Have you no faults yourfelf? I anfwer. Yes ; 
 Faults of a different hue, and haply lefs. 
 
 When Masnius dared a brother-knave attack 
 And jeer'd at Novius once behind his back, 
 " Art thou," cries one, " blind to thyfelf alone, 
 " Or would'll thou vapour as to us unknown ? 
 " Look o'er thine own part follies." — " So I do," 
 Retorts the wag, " and overlook them too." 
 This partial felf-indulgence, void of fhame 
 As well as fenfe, deferves the ftrongeft blame. 
 At your own failings while you leer afkance 
 With half-clofed eye, why dart this eagle glance 
 At others' faults ? fince others, it is plain. 
 Will call as fharp a gaze at yours again. 
 What tho' your friend be hafty now and then, — 
 Too rough for the nice tafte of modern men ? 
 What tho' his beard oft alk the barber's Ikill, 
 His coat look fhabby, or his Ihoes fit ill ? 
 Yet, you might add, he is a man of parts. 
 His bofom holds the very beft of hearts ; 
 And in this rude exterior lurks enfhrined 
 A generous temper and gigantic mind. 
 Sift then your foul ; explore each fecret fin
 
 4^ The Satires. b. i. 
 
 By nature or worfe habit fown within : 
 For oft thro' long negleft the noxious weed 
 Towers o'er the crop and chokes the rifing feed. 
 
 Mark how afFedion blinds the lover's eyes ! 
 He in his miftrefs not a fault efpies : 
 In her each blemifli feems to him a grace. 
 And none but beauty-fpots adorn her face. 
 Balbinus, blind with love, enamour'd grows 
 Ev'n of the polypus in Agna's nofe. 
 In friendfhip would our weaknefs were the fame. 
 And dignified with Candour* s nobler name ! 
 
 As parents in their offspring, fo fhould we 
 Seek to extenuate ev'n the fault we fee. 
 Is the child fquint-eyed ? — Oh the pretty dear ! 
 The father lifps, // has a roguijh leer. 
 Is it a dwarfifh cub, fcarce two feet high. 
 Like Sifyphus ? — Sweet poppet ! is the cry. 
 Varus 'tis call'd, if bandy-legg'd and lame : 
 For why — great Varus thence derived his name : 
 Or is the darling ricketty ? — If kiff'd 
 And hail'd a Scaurus, who obferves the twift ? 
 
 Thus, if your friend purfue the faving plan. 
 Commend him for a prudent thrifty man. 
 Is he a pert officious coxcomb ? — Say, 
 The fellow has a lively pleafant way. 
 If blunt, 'tis franknefs all. If choleric. 
 His temper, to be fure, is warm and quick ! 
 Such is the way, methinks, to banifh llrife. 
 To make men friends and keep them (o for life. 
 
 But we invert the rule, and magic fpite 
 Transforms ev'n virtues to their oppofite. 
 Have we a modeft friend ? We call him Ihy : 
 Is he rcitiA'ed ? The wretch is dull and dry.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 47 
 
 Or is he prompt to turn off every blow, 
 
 Still on his guard againft the latent foe ? — 
 
 (Since life's a path where fnares are fpread around 
 
 And ambufh'd envy deals the treacherous wound) — 
 
 For knowledge of the world and care difcreet. 
 
 We term it arrant knavery and deceit. 
 
 Does he at times unwittingly intrude. 
 
 With idle prattle innocently rude. 
 
 Or on our bufy or our thinking hours — 
 
 (As I, fir, oft fecurely have on yours ?) 
 
 Teafed we exclaim. What rank impertinence ! 
 
 The blundering booby fure wants common-fenfe . 
 
 Alas I thus unconcern'd we one and all 
 Pronounce the law by which ourfelves mull fall. 
 For who by birth is faultlefs ? and the beft — 
 What means it but lefs faulty than the reft? 
 Let then the man, that would be call'd my friend. 
 Whene'er he weighs my worth, in mercy bend 
 To merit's fide (if merit's fide prevail). 
 And kindly favour virtue's finking fcale. 
 Slow to condemn and willing to efteem. 
 Let fweet good-nature poife the trembling beam. 
 Let him, I fay, to thefe fair terms agree ; 
 And the fame favour fhall be fhown by me. 
 He (fays the proverb) who would hide a wen. 
 At leaft fhould fpare the warts of other men : 
 Apply the maxim ; and in juftice you. 
 Who claim indulgence, muft beftow it too. 
 
 But, fince this vice of anger, like the reft. 
 Can ne'er be rooted from the' untutor'd breaft. 
 At leaft adjuft your wrath by Reafon's laws 
 Nor let the confequence outrun the caufe. 
 The flave, who, order'd to remove a dilh.
 
 48 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Sips the warm fauce or licks the favour)' fifli, 
 His mailer well may chide — and fo fhould I : — 
 But, if he hang the knave or crucify, 
 More mad than Labeo he mull furely be 
 In all men's eyes that were not mad as he. 
 Now, how much worfe and more devoid of fenfe 
 Is this ? — Your friend commits fome flight offence. 
 Such as the man who would not foon forgive 
 Were a barbarian churl unfit to live : 
 For this you fcout him as a pell, and fhun 
 Like Rufo's debtors when they meet their dun ! 
 Rufo— who, when the difmal month's expired, 
 Unlefs the wretch can raife the I'um required. 
 Bids his poor prifoner ilretch the lillening head, 
 And with fome long citation reads him dead. 
 
 My friend perhaps on fome convivial day 
 Has ftain'd with wine the couch on which he lay ; 
 Has thrown a chalice down of curious mould. 
 That grac'd Evander's royal hands of old ; 
 Or, urged by hunger, reach'd acrofs the difli 
 To feize the fatteil fowl or fined fifh : — 
 For fuch fmall faults to hate him were abfurd. 
 What fliall I do then, if he break his word ? 
 What, if he prove perfidious or unjull, — 
 Forfwear a contraft, or betray a trull ? 
 
 Some hold, 'tis true, that crimes are equal all ; 
 But prefs their fophiftry with fails, 'twill fall : 
 It contravenes all cullom, feeling, fenfe. 
 And that grand tell of right — expedience. 
 What time amid the brutes at Nature's birth 
 Man crawl'd to being from his parent-earth. 
 Soon for the flickering cave or fylvan food 
 Fierce difcord rofe among the favage brood.
 
 s. HI. The Satires. 49 
 
 At firfl with fifts — with cudgels next they fought. 
 
 And arms at length ingenious malice wrought. 
 
 Then follow'd fpeech, and names to things affign'd 
 
 Stamp'd by the voice the motions of the mind. 
 
 By flow degrees they ceafed their brutal ftrife 
 
 To woo the gentler arts of focial life, — 
 
 To build the town, with ramparts to enclofe, — 
 
 Till for the common welfare laws arofe ; 
 
 Laws, to deter the bad, protedl the juil. 
 
 And curb the rage of rapine and of lull. 
 
 For oft, ere Helen, had weak woman's charms 
 
 Unflieath'd the fword and fet the world in arms. 
 
 But then, when jult as random paffion drove 
 
 They fnatch'd the pleafures of promifcuous love, 
 
 (As to the ftouteft bull the reft will yield. 
 
 Till one yet llouter drive him from the field) 
 
 Untutor'd ftrength would foon the fray decide. 
 
 And thus unknown they fought — unfung they died. 
 
 Trace in the records of the' hiftoric page 
 The world's vaft annals back from age to age. 
 This inference from the fearch you needs muftdraw — 
 That fear of outrage firft engender'd law. 
 Pleafure from pain, an evil from a good 
 Inftinft difcerns, — but never undcrftood 
 In what juft adlions differ from unjuft, 
 'Till ufe had ftiown the need of mutual truft. 
 Thus right and wrong is that which more or lefs 
 Promotes or mars the general happiness : 
 And ne'er can he be proved by logic found 
 Who fnaps a cabbage from his neighbour's ground. 
 Equal in guilt with him, who, leaping o'er 
 All fliame, purloins the altar's facred ftore. 
 
 Let then fome rule be fix'd, which may difpcnfc 
 
 E
 
 50 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Proportion'd penalties to each offence : 
 Nor him, whofc crime a tbrule might atone. 
 Cut with your baftinado to the bone. 
 For, that you e'er will err on mercy's fide. 
 And where the furious knowt fhould be applied, 
 Wave the light rod, quitting the too fevere 
 For the too mild, — I fee but little fear : 
 While facrilege and petty theft you fay 
 Are equal, and (had joa the fovereign fway) 
 Be men's mifdeeds however great or fmall. 
 The felf-fame vengeance fhould await them all. 
 
 Had you the fzvay ! — Why if the Sage alone 
 Can boaH: all wit, worth, beauty, as his own, — 
 If he be firft and beft in every thing, 
 A fhoemaker and * every inch a king,' — 
 Do you not reign already.? — Prithee, fool ! 
 The ftoic cries, 7n'iflake not thus the rule. 
 Confult Chryjippus — he pall end the ft rife : 
 Perhaps the wife-man never in his life 
 Made either ftpoe or fan da I j yet we know 
 He's ftill a firft-r ate fhoemaker. — How fo ? — 
 Was not Tigellius, when he held his tongue, 
 A finger juft as much as when he fung? 
 Was not Alfenus, when he clofed his ft all, 
 Pacli'd off his lafts, and laid afide his awl, 
 Juftly confider'd as a cobbler ftill? 
 So then the Sage, by virtue of his fall, 
 Tho" exercifing none, may yet be f aid 
 To be a perfeB mafter of each trade: 
 He centers all things in himfelf alone. 
 And reigns a monarch tho* without a throne. 
 
 But, after all, mcthinks, great king of kings ! 
 You fometimes fuffer moll unroyal things.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 51 
 
 A troop of dirty boys, that form your fuite. 
 Twitch your long beard and hoot you thro' the ftreet. 
 In vain you lift your ftaff : the faucy throng 
 Still mock your growlings as you mope along. 
 
 In fhort — while you, dread fire ! among the many 
 Bathe your illuftrious perfon for a penny ; — 
 And none, to fwell the pageantry of ftate. 
 Save dull Crifpinus, on your levee wait ; — 
 Permit a fool like me, when he offends. 
 To claim indulgence from his candid friends ; 
 And in his turn o'erlooking their defcfts 
 To fhow to them that mercy he expefts. 
 Thus on your power, tho' mean, I may look down. 
 And, the' a Subjeft, envy not your Crown. 
 
 SATIRE IV. 
 
 CRATINUS, Eupolis, with fome few more 
 Who trod the comic ilage in days of yore. 
 Was there a knave or fcoundrel of their time. 
 Rake, ruffian, thief — whatever were his crime. 
 On him their honeft indignation hurl'd. 
 And lafh'd with freedom a licentious world. 
 
 Clofe to their fteps and ftudious of their fame. 
 His numbers different — but his fcope the fame, 
 Lucilius follow'd, fkill'd in taunts fevere 
 To point at trembling vice the cauftic jeer. 
 Yet, with addrcfs and pleafantry enough. 
 His ftyle was awkward and his verfes rough. 
 For all his pride unhappily was plac'd 
 In this — tliat what he wrote, he wrote with hufte ;
 
 52 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 And had, while {landing on one foot, the power 
 
 To fpin his lines two hundred in the hour. 
 
 No wonder lure, if fuch a rapid flood 
 
 Bore in its current no fmall fhare of mud : 
 
 No wonder if the hand, which only cared 
 
 For writing faft, wrote much that might be fpared. 
 
 The toil of writing well is death to fuch : 
 
 Yet, if not well, what matters it how much? 
 
 See, bold Crifpinus boafts fuch fluent eafe. 
 He'll write a race with me for what I pleafe ! 
 " Come on ! Take you your tablets," he will fay, 
 " And I'll take mine ; appoint your place and day : 
 " Let umpires watch us both ; and let us try 
 " Which can compoie the fafter — you or I." 
 
 Thanks to my ftars that made me of a mind 
 To brawls and babbling never much inclined, — 
 Patient and poor in fpirit, flow to boaft, 
 And oft, when moft contemn'd, contented moll ! 
 Go on then, ye that lill, to give free vent 
 To every thought within your bofoms pent ! 
 Go, ape the blackfmith's leathern lungs that blow 
 Till the fufed mafs in ruddy current flow. 
 Bleft Fannius, whofe kind friends, unafk'd, combine 
 To bear his bufl: and books to Phoebus' fhrine. 
 The world applauding ! — while, whate'er I write, 
 Before that world I tremble to recite, — 
 Aware that fatirc fuits not gentle ears. 
 And each man hates it — bccaufe each man fears. 
 
 Pick me a man at random from the throng; — 
 My life upon't, there's fomething in him wrong: 
 Bafe envy fours him, or ambition fires ; 
 He burns with lawlefs love or worfc defires ; 
 Or pines the fculptured fllver to amafs.
 
 s. IV. The Satires. 53 
 
 Or dotes with Albius on Corinthian brafs ; 
 Or traffics from the climes of orient day 
 To reahns that glow beneath the fetting ray : 
 See how from port to port, from fliore to fhore. 
 Urged headlong by the reftlefs thirft of more, — 
 And, tho' ftill faving, eager ftill to fave, — 
 Like dull before the wind, he fkims the wave ! 
 No wonder fure if thefe and fuch as thefe 
 The poet and his verfe alike difpleafe. 
 
 Like a mad bull, they fhun him thro' the ftreets ; 
 " Beware," they cry : " he butts at all he meets ! 
 " And, if he can but let his fpleen o'erflow, 
 " The fpiteful creature fpares nor friend nor foe : 
 " Befides, whate'er he once has written down, 
 " He's wretched 'till 'tis known to half the town, 
 " And at the baker's fhop or public well 
 " Men — women — boys the witty flander tell." 
 
 A few plain words in my defence I claim : 
 Firft from the lift of Poets ftrike my name. 
 For not the merely fmooth and flowing line — 
 Much lefs fuch loofe pedeftrian verfe as mine — 
 Confers that title. No — the Bard is he 
 Who boafts a genius bold, creative, free ; 
 Whofe fancy, when diviner thoughts infpire. 
 Springs up aloft to foar on wings of fire ; 
 Whofe words in more than mortal accents roll. 
 And echo back the greatnefs of his foul. 
 
 Hence fome have doubted if 'twere right to call 
 The Comic Drama poetry at all ; 
 Since nor its ftyle nor matter is impreft 
 With that fine rage which fills the poet's breaft, — 
 And, fave that all in meafured cadence flows. 
 Its diftion differs not from fimple profe.
 
 54 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 " Yet," you objeft, " the father ftamps the ftage 
 
 " And rates his fon with more than profe-like rage, 
 
 " When the gay ftripling, deaf to wifdom's lore, 
 
 " Slights the rich heirefs for the thriftlefs whore ; 
 
 " Or ftaggering forth, 'ere night obfcures the fky, 
 
 " Waves in the open ftreet his torch on high." 
 
 But, were Pomponius' fire his fon to fee, 
 
 Would he not rave and fcold as loud as he ? 
 
 'Tis not enough then merely to inclofe 
 
 Plain fenfe in numbers, — which if you tranfpofe. 
 
 The words were fuch as any man might fay, 
 
 Juft like the ranting father in the play. 
 
 Take but from mine or old Lucilius' rhime 
 
 This regular return of meafured time, — 
 
 Let every line's arrangement be reverfed. 
 
 And place the firft word lail — the lall word firll ; 
 
 What's the refult ? — 'Tis poetry no more. 
 
 And therefore was not poetry before. 
 
 Not fo — When Difcord brake the ponderous bar 
 
 And oped the adamantine gates of War : 
 
 Here diflocate — diftort him, as you will ; — 
 
 Tho' piecemeal torn, you fee the Poet ftill. 
 
 How far this kind of writing forms or no 
 A proper poem, we may elfewhere fhow : 
 Proceed we now to that more ferious head — 
 How far it forms an objeft of juft dread. 
 Caprius and Sulcius with their bags and books. 
 Writs in their hands and gibbets in tlieir looks. 
 Walk forth and ftrike, wherever they appear. 
 The felon and the thief with confcious fear. 
 Yet he whofe hands are pure, who keeps his oath. 
 Nor wrongs his neighbour, may defpife them both. 
 Now tho' a rogue, like Coslius, you may be.
 
 s. IV. The Satires. 55 
 
 It follows not that Caprius is like me. 
 My books on no vile ftall or column ftand, 
 Soil'd by Tigellius' and each vulgar hand. 
 When I recite them (which I feldom do), 
 'Tis but in private to a friend or two, — 
 At their requeft, not of my own free grace, — 
 Not before all, nor yet in every place. 
 I grant that fome lefs delicate there are. 
 Who fpout their poems in the public fquare, — 
 Or in the bath, where fweetly floats the found 
 Re-echo'd by the vaulted roof around. 
 Coxcombs, thus eager to obtrude their rhime. 
 Feel little fcruple about place and time. 
 
 I write (you tell me) with a bafe defign. 
 And fpiteful rancour diftates every line. 
 Whence and from whom do thefe foul charges flow ? 
 Can any, that have known me, tell you fo ? 
 The wretch who can revile an abfent friend. 
 Or, when reviled, is backward to defend ; — 
 Who thinks ill-nature wit ; and, poorly proud 
 To catch the laughter of a grinning croud. 
 Bids from his lips the hallow'd fecret fly. 
 Or, when truth fails him, coins the blackening lie : 
 If fuch there be, him, Romans ! it were well 
 To mark : his touch is death, his heart is hell ! 
 
 Go, fcan a party but of twelve, reclined 
 Around the genial board, and you fliall find 
 That fome more pert and overbearing gueil 
 With faucy jokes befpatters all the reft ; — 
 All but his hoft, — and him too, when the bowl 
 Gives licence to the tongue and bares the foul. 
 Yet he's a boon companion, frank and free ; 
 While every jeft is blafphemy in me :
 
 56 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 And if perchance I fmiling fay — The fop 
 Rufillus breathes of perfumes from the pop, 
 Gorgonius glories in a goat-like fmell, — 
 Oh ! tis fuch fcandal as no tongue can tell ! 
 
 Mention perhaps is in your prefence made 
 Of him who filch'd the crown from Jove's own head. 
 Now hear the cenfor of the" envenom'd page ! 
 Now fee him glow with friendfhip's generous rage ! 
 Not fo ; he damns, while feeming to defend : — 
 " Petillius was my very worthy friend ; 
 " From early youth I've been his frequent gueft, 
 " And many has he ferved at my requeft : 
 " So after all he lives, and lives at large ; — 
 " Well, 'troth, I'm glad ; but 'twas an ugly charge." 
 Here is the honey'd lip and heart of coal. 
 The canker-juice and night-fhade of the foul. 
 Now, fpite like this, I'll venture to engage. 
 Ne'er ftain'd my heart, nor e'er fhall ftain my page. 
 
 But if I jell more freely now and then. 
 And give a larger licence to my pen. 
 Some early habits wrought into my frame 
 Plead my excufe — if not fupport my claim. 
 A tender father taught my youthful breaft 
 To mark the vice he wifh'd me to deteft. 
 And warn'd me what to fhun and what purfuc 
 By holding apt examples to my view. 
 If he would have me frugally inclined. 
 Content with what himfelf could leave behind, 
 " Look," he would fay, " at Albius' ruin'd fon ; 
 " See Barrus by his own excefs undone ! 
 " An ufeful leffon this to all young heirs 
 " To guard againfl; extravagance like theirs." 
 If he would arm me 'gainft the wanton's eye.
 
 s. IV. The Satires. 57 
 
 "Take warning from Scftanus," he would cry ; 
 
 And that I might not woo the wedded dame. 
 
 While fafety recommends a fandlioned flame, 
 
 " Trebonius," he would hint, " kick'd out of doors, 
 
 " Gain'd little credit by his loofe amours. 
 
 " The ledtures of the wife, my fon, 'erelong 
 
 " Will point you out the grounds of right and wrong. 
 
 " Enough for me if my poor art infpires 
 
 " Plain rules of life tranfmitted from our fires, 
 
 " Which, while you need a guardian, may fccure 
 
 " Your morals chaile, your reputation pure : 
 
 " When manhood gives your mind a firmer tone, 
 
 " You'll drop thefe corks and ftem the tide alone." 
 
 With fuch monitions providently kind 
 He moulded to his will my youthful mind : 
 And if he urged me to a virtue, " See, 
 " For this you've good authority," faid he ; 
 " Copy that man's example," — holding forth 
 Some judge or ftatefman of acknowledged worth. 
 If he would frighten me from fomething bafe, 
 'Twas then — " That fuch things lead but to difgrace 
 " Henceforth you cannot doubt; for mark, my fon, 
 " The bad repute of fuch or fuch an one." 
 Juft as a neighbour's funeral paffrng near 
 Strikes the fick glutton with a wholefome fear. 
 So, when it meets the tender llripling's eyes. 
 Another's fhame oft warns him to be wife. 
 
 Well, thanks then to a parent's timely care. 
 Such crimes as tend to ruin and defpair 
 Taint not my foul. To fomc fmall faults indeed. 
 Some venial frailties, guilty f^ill I plead. 
 And haply thefe too may in time be brought 
 To yield to friendly counfel and fage thought :
 
 58 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 For, whether on my couch fupinely laid 
 
 Or fauntering in the public colonnade. 
 
 Still to myrelf'fome lellon I impart. 
 
 And thus in fecret commune with my heart : 
 
 Here duty points y — this path to comfort tends ; — 
 
 Thus I may win the' affeBions of my friends ; — 
 
 This or that folly be it jnine to f>un 
 
 Taught by the fate offuch or fuch an one. 
 
 Such are my dumb foliloquies : when time 
 Permits, I pen them down in fportive rhime ; 
 A praftice to be number'd, I allow. 
 Among thofe lighter faults I named juft now. 
 But if, extreme to mark what is amils. 
 You ftoop to cenfure fuch a fault as this, 
 A hoft of verfe-men to my aid I'll call, 
 (And truft my word, our forces are not fmall) 
 Who, like the Jews, if ftill our fedl you flight. 
 Shall drag you off a trembling profelyte. 
 
 SATIRE V. 
 
 FORTH from majeftic Rome I took my way. 
 And reach'd Aricia 'ere the clofe of day. 
 With Heliodorus excellently verfed 
 In rhetoric and of learned Greeks the firft. 
 There having met with tolerable cheer. 
 Our courfe to Appii-forum next we ilcer, 
 A town with tars and cheating tapilers throng'd : 
 Thus to a two-days' journey we prolonged 
 A diftance which more light-heel'd trav'llers go 
 In one : the Appian road bell fuits the flow.
 
 s. V. The Satires. 59 
 
 And finding here the water thick as mud, 
 I fairly waged a war with flefh and blood. 
 In not the beft of humours Handing ftill 
 While my lefs dainty comrades ate their fill. 
 
 Now Night 'gan fold this nether world in fhade 
 And o'er the heavens her ilarry mantle fpread. 
 When the hoarfe boatmen at our flaves let loofe — 
 And thefe at them — much clamorous abufe. 
 Haul back ajhore, d'ye hear? — Zoutids, here's a rout / 
 Avafi — you'll fink us — -fee what you're about ! 
 While thus they wrangle, take our freights, and tie 
 The mule which tow'd us, full an hour flips by. 
 The gnats and croaking natives of the lake 
 All night confpired to keep me wide awake. 
 Our tar too and the mule-driver began, 
 Drench'd to the full with many a vapid can. 
 To carol forth alternately an air 
 Each in the praifes of his abfent fair. 
 At laft the drowfy mule-driver gave o'er. 
 And laid him down upon the bank to fnore : 
 The pilot moor'd his veffel to a tree, 
 Turn'd off the mule, and fnored as loud as he. 
 And now the dawn of day was near at hand. 
 When lo ! we find our tow-boat at a ftand : 
 'Till up ftarts one, and with a fallow club 
 Cut from the (hore, begins in wrath to drub 
 The loins and fhoulders both of mule and men ; 
 Thus, 'ere we difembark'd, 'twas almoft ten. 
 
 Right glad was each his hands and face to lave 
 Fcronia ! in thy pure and facred wave. 
 After a flight repaft three miles we creep 
 To where bright Anxur crowns the rocky fteep. 
 The good Maecenas and Cocceius here
 
 6o The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Were on that day cxpedlcd to appear, 
 
 CommifTion'd each for moll important ends 
 
 And fkill'd to reconcile divided friends. 
 
 Here then we ftop : — and while my hand applies 
 
 The lenient falve to my diflemper'd eyes, 
 
 Maecenas and Cocceius both arrive. 
 
 And with them, that moil polifh'd man alive, 
 
 Fonteius Capito, than whom none fhared 
 
 A higher place in Anthony's regard. 
 
 We pafs through Fundi, laughing at the flatc 
 Of Lufcus, now its pompous magiitrate. 
 The fmoking cenfer, the impurpled veil. 
 And broad lace beaming on a Scrivener's breall. 
 To Formias next, where gladly we repofe ; — 
 Lodg'd at Mursna's, fupp'd at Capito's. 
 
 Sweet was the dawn of the fucceeding day ; 
 For SinuefTa, where our journey lay. 
 Brought Plotius, Varius, Virgil to our view, — 
 Three fouls as generous as the world e'er knew. 
 To fuch in friendfhip may I Hill be bound ! 
 Oh, what embraces, what delights went round 1 
 Sure of all blefhngs fent us from above 
 There's none like meeting with the friend we love. 
 
 Near the Campanian bridge we next alight. 
 Where a fmall hamlet lodg'd us for the night. 
 And the purveyors (as the laws require 
 On fuch occafions) furniflied food and fire. 
 
 Our trully mules then taking the flraight road 
 To Capua, in good hour refign their load: 
 Whither arrived, Mscenas brifkly goes 
 To tennis — I and Virgil to repofe ; 
 His weak digeflion and my weaker eyes 
 Unfitting both for fuch keen excrcife.
 
 s. V. The Satires. 6i 
 
 Thence to Cocceius' pleafant feat we come 
 
 Which overlooks the Inns ofCaudium; 
 
 Where, nobly entertain'd by him, we fhare 
 
 A large profulion of delicious fare. 
 
 And now, kind Mufc ! aflift me to difclofe 
 
 A fierce rencounter 'twixt tvvo valiant foes, — 
 
 Meffius Cicirrus this, a gawky wight — 
 
 Sarmentus that, a fpunging parafite. 
 
 Birth to the former far-fam'd Oi'ci gave ; 
 
 The latter was — or fhould have been — a flave. 
 
 Such were the chiefs. Sarmentus firft exclaim'd, 
 
 *' You look as favage as a colt untamed." 
 
 Meffius on this pretends to Ihake his mane ; 
 
 Jm I P quoth he ; have at you then again ! 
 
 " Tis well (retorts the foe) that horny fprout 
 
 " Which graced your forehead, has been rooted out ; 
 
 " For elfe how juftly had we quaked with dread, 
 
 " Since mangled thus you threaten with your head !" 
 
 It chanced, as ufual on Campania's (hore, 
 
 A ghaftly blotch upon his front he bore. 
 
 So after many a jeft upon his face 
 
 And that grim fear which mark'd his native place, 
 
 Sarmentus begs him without lofs of time 
 
 To' enaft the Cyclops in the pantomime ; — 
 
 No need of buflcins, mafk, or fcenic art. 
 
 Since Nature's felf had form'd him for the part. 
 
 Then Meffius afks, if to the Lares now 
 
 His chains were hung according to his vow. 
 
 " That fcrivener's trade," adds he, " which you 
 
 profefs, 
 " Makes not your miftrefs' claim one jot the Icfs. 
 " But prithee, wherefore did you flee away ? 
 " Why fcorn your ftated pound of meal per day?
 
 62 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 ** For furely 'twas enough and plenty too 
 " For fuch a puny fcare-crow thing as you ?" 
 Right pleafantly that evening did we fup. 
 And much we laugh'd and long we kept it up. 
 
 Then ftraight for Beneventum, where our holl 
 Putting fome meagre thrufhes down to roaft. 
 The flame's wild fury buriling thro' the ftove 
 Kiff'd in afpiring curls the roof above. 
 Forth rufliing then were feen with one accord 
 The trembling menial and his hungry lord. 
 All aftively employ'd in various ways 
 To fnatch the remnants and to quench the blaze. 
 
 Appulia's well-known hills appear at lail, 
 Whofe hoary fummits face the parching blaft ; 
 Nor ftiould we e'er have climbed their rugged height. 
 Had not Trivicum lodg'd us for the night. 
 Where the green leaves and crackling fagots fly, 
 'Till clouds of fmoke drew tears from every eye. 
 'Twas here I ftaid (oh ! fools that lovers are !) 
 Full half the night to meet a faithlefs fair ; 
 But fleep furprifed me warm'd with loofe defires. 
 And balmy vifions quench'd my amorous fires. 
 
 Borne thence in chaifes eight long leagues, we came 
 To a fmall town, whofe unpoetic name 
 Suits not my verfe : but thus it may be told ; — 
 Water, fo common elfcwhere, here is fold ; 
 Its bread fo excellent, that trav'llers fage 
 Here- ftore their wallets for the following ftage : 
 Canufium bakes it gritty, nor is richer 
 In point of water by one fingle pitcher. 
 This town, if we may credit what is faid. 
 Was built of old by valiant Diomed. 
 Here Varius from his friends in forrow parts.
 
 s. V. The Satires. 63 
 
 And leaves us with moift eyes and aching hearts. 
 
 At night the town of Rubi tired we gain. 
 The journey long, the roads knee-deep with rain. 
 Next day to Barium's walls we ftretch our courfe. 
 The weather fairer, but the ways Hill worfe. 
 
 Egnatia (on the founding of which town 
 Sure all the nymphs look'd inaufpicious down. 
 And ftamp'd her Tons the fillieft race on earth) 
 Produced a fund of pleafantry and mirth : 
 For incenfe in the facred portal laid 
 Melts (they pretend) without the cenfer's aid. 
 Such tales may fuit the forefkin-clipping Jew : 
 We hold that heaven has fomething elfe to do, — 
 Nor, if in nature's courfe fome wonders rife 
 Believe the' immortal Pow'rs defert the ikies. 
 To ruffle their ferenity of blifs 
 By conj'ring paltry miracles like this. 
 
 Brundufium terminates our labours long ; 
 Where as my journey ends, fo ends my fong. 
 
 SATIRE VI. 
 
 THO' all the Tufcans, fince the days of yore 
 When Lydia colonifed Etruria's fhore. 
 You, dear Maecenas ! far in birth outfhine; — 
 The' your progenitors in cither line 
 O'er mighty legions ftretch'd imperial fway 
 And reap'd immortal laurels in their day ; — 
 You fcout not others with difdainful pride. 
 Nor fneer at Horace tho' to flavcs allied.
 
 64 The Satires, b. i. 
 
 No matter where (you fay) or whence they rofe. 
 If but their blood in gentle current flows : — 
 Juftly convinced that, long before that hour 
 When menial Tullius was advanced to power, 
 Thoufands had rif'n to office, whofe high worth 
 Burft the weak barrier of ignoble birth ; 
 While yonder wretch Lasvinus, tho' he trace 
 Down from Valerius his unfullied race — 
 (That great republican whofe patriot hand 
 Thrull the proud Tarquin from a groaning land) 
 The croud ftill rated at his proper price. 
 Nor in his lineage overlook'd his vice : 
 That croud — who oft their gifts on knaves beftow. 
 The tools of pride, the worfhippers of fhow. 
 Who gaze with ftupid reverence on the dull 
 Of crumbling ftatues and the titled buft. 
 
 But fay, what courfe muft little folk purfue. 
 Who, tho' obfcure like me, can think with you ? 
 For, grant that with the mob mere birth and name 
 Too often triumph over virtue's claim, — 
 That many a bafe Lievinus will prevail 
 Where new-fprung worth muft in a Decius fail, — 
 That fome ftern Appius would my name erafe 
 As by defcent difqualified for place ; — 
 (And faith the Ccnfor juftly may caftiier 
 The upftart fool that quits his proper fpherc) — 
 Yet not to birth alone belongs that fire 
 Which prompts the glowing bofom to afpire ; 
 Chain'd to her car in bright triumphal ftate. 
 Glory alike leads on both fmall and great. 
 
 Say what avail'd thee, Tillius ! that thy pride 
 Bade thee rcfume the purple thrown afide. 
 And ftamp'd thee Tribune? — Envy's tongue grew 
 loud.
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 65 
 
 And they, that fpared thee humble, fpurn'd thee 
 
 Soon as the leg in fable ikins is drefl'd [proud. 
 
 And the broad purple glitters on the breaft. 
 
 From that time forth it gives the whifper room — 
 
 Who is yon fenator P and fprung from whom? 
 
 As he, that pines, like Barrus, to be thought 
 
 A perfed; beauty without fpeck or fault. 
 
 Makes all the girls inquifitive to know 
 
 Each feveral feature of fo fmart a beau, — 
 
 ** What is his ftature ? is he brown or fair ? 
 
 " What fort of leg, foot, ankle, teeth, and hair?" — 
 
 So he that undertakes to guide the ftate 
 
 And charge his fhoulders with a nation's weight. 
 
 To watch the people's intereft, to infpedl 
 
 The fhrines, and all the empire to proteft, — 
 
 He that profefTes this ftupendous tafk 
 
 Forthwith compels a flaring world to afk. 
 
 From whom he fprang, — to whom he is allied, — 
 
 And whether fpotlefs on the mother'' s fide. 
 
 " Shall you " — then cries (methinks) indignant 
 Rome — 
 " The fpawn of Cyrus, Dama, God knows whom, 
 " Hurl us at will from the Tarpeian rock 
 " And give the free-born Roman to the block ?" 
 And yet my colleague (he fhall ftraight reply) 
 // lozuer by one whole degree than I ; 
 For what my father was, is Novius now. 
 " And what if that," they anfwer, " we allow — 
 " Are you then a Meflala ? mull: you rife 
 " At once a Paulus in your own vain eyes ? 
 " Befides know this — that Novius is graced 
 *' With gifts ftill better fuited to our tafte : 
 *' For in the Forum fliould two hundred wains
 
 66 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 " Encounter with rude fhock three funeral trains, 
 
 " So ftrong — fo clear is his Stentorian bawl, 
 
 " He'd filence hoofs and horns and trumpets all." 
 
 But come, to Horace turn we back awhile, 
 Horace, the freed-mari' s fon, whom all revile — 
 Now, becaufe you, Maecenas, condescend 
 To bid him Ihare your board a welcome friend, — 
 In former days, becaufe, to rank prefcrr'd, 
 A Roman legion harken'd to his word. 
 Yet mark the difference : Tho' the Tribune's poll 
 In me were juftly an invidious boaft. 
 Not fo your friendlhip who with no low views 
 Chufe but by worth, and ponder 'ere you chufe. 
 
 That luck befriended me they cannot fay : 
 For 'twas not luck which threw me in your way. 
 Virgil inform'd you what I was, of old ; 
 And Varius fince the fame kind tale has told. 
 When ufher'd, with few words and faultering tongue 
 (For balhful diffidence its powers unilrung) 
 I did not boaft my birth — I did not fay 
 That round my wide domains I took my way 
 Borne on Saturian fteed : but neither lefs 
 Nor more than what I was, did I profefs. 
 You fpoke, as ufual, briefly : I withdrew : 
 At nine months' end you fummon'd me anew. 
 And bade me be your friend : I grateful bow'd : 
 For proud I felt, and ever fhall feel proud. 
 To be approved by one whofe liberal foul 
 Difcerns the good and bad, the fair and foul. 
 Not by nobility of birth and kin. 
 But by the better noblenefs within. 
 
 If, fave fome venial flaws, no grofs defeft 
 Sullies my nature — otherwife corred —
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 67 
 
 (As here and there the fearching eye may trace 
 A mole or freckle in the faireft face) 
 If none with reafon can my life accufe 
 As given to griping avarice or the flews — 
 If I am found (for praife myfelf I muft) 
 Dear to my friends, if innocent, if juil — 
 Mean tho' my parentage, my birth tho' low, 
 'Tis to 2. parent's care this boail I owe. 
 
 Poor as he was, fcant as his acres were, 
 He fcorn'd to trull a village pedant's care ; 
 And, while to Flavius' fchool his neighbours' fons. 
 Great youths derived from great Centurions, 
 Would go, with flate and fatchel at their fides. 
 And copper flipend paid per monthly Ides, 
 His boy at once to Rome he boldly brought 
 Each nobler branch of fcience to be taught. 
 Which fons of Knights or Senators require : 
 He that had feen my lackeys, my attire. 
 Might fwear the fund that furnifh'd fuch fupplies 
 Had paft from fire to fon for centuries. 
 Himfelf, my bell and trulliell guardian found. 
 Still faw me fafe to all my teachers round. 
 In fhort he kept my chaflity of mind 
 (That faireft flower in virtue's garland twined) 
 Pure not in aftion only and in will. 
 But from all femblance and attaint of ill. 
 Nor fear'd he what a cenfuring world might fay 
 Should I, with all his care, fome future day 
 A drudging cryer at public fales be fecn. 
 Or cafh-colleftor, as himfelf had been. 
 Nor had I, even in that low eilate. 
 Blamed his cxpenfe or deem'd his care too great ; 
 Bat now, fincc fate had nobler things in ftorc.
 
 68 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 He claims my praife — my gratitude — the more. 
 
 Ne'er fhall I blufh, while reafon holds her throne. 
 To call a father fuch as this my own. 
 Let others urge that never-failing plea — 
 That need, not choice, made low their pedigree; 
 And, could the fates fubmit to their control. 
 Fair titles fhould adorn its ample fcroll. 
 In my defence be no fuch pretext fought ; 
 Far is my voice from theirs, and far my thought. 
 Could I at nature's hands the boon obtain 
 From certain years to trace paft life again. 
 With leave to chufe what parents pleafed me beft 
 As pride might prompt or fancy might fuggeft ; 
 To each his wifh — for me, content with mine. 
 The flattering change I'd cheerfully decline. 
 Renounce the boaft of pageantry and place. 
 And fcorn the ivory chair and liflor's mace. 
 For this odd whim I may be call'd, 'tis true. 
 Mad by the world — but wife, I truft, by you ; — 
 Wife to fhift off a fplendid load of care 
 Which as I ne'er had borne, I ne'er could bear. 
 
 For wealth I then muft get, no matter how, — 
 And pay to all I meet the cringing bow ; 
 Nor take a journey or a rural ride 
 Without a dozen danglers at my fide, 
 Leil to the world the fad difgrace be known 
 That Horace went from town and went alone. 
 A coach comes next, with horfes — footmen — plate. 
 And all the pomp and all the plague of ftate. 
 But now beftriding my cropp'd mule at eafe 
 I jog it to Tarentum if I pleafe ; 
 And, while the cloakbag makes his crupper fore. 
 His rider galls him in the ribs before.
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 69 
 
 Yet none for this will fay that I am mean, — 
 As, Tillius ! thou, when Prsetor thou art feen 
 With five poor flaves, who fweating at the talk 
 Bear at thy heels a ftewing-ftove and flafk. 
 
 Thus many a comfort I enjoy, which you. 
 Great fir ! and thoufands of the great, ne'er knew. 
 Alone I faunter when I will and where, 
 Afk here the price of flour — of potherbs there ; 
 Around the lying Circus carelefs ftray. 
 Or walk the Forum at the clofe of day. 
 And hear the fates : — then hie me home to eat 
 My porringer of fcallions, pulfe, and beet. 
 Three boys attend their mafter while he fups ; 
 A white flab holds a pitcher and two cups : 
 Hard by a patera for libations ftands. 
 With a coarfe cruife and bafin for my hands, — 
 All cheap Campanian ware. Then off to reft. 
 My mind by no perplexing thoughts diftrefl!''d 
 That I muft rife betimes the following morn 
 To vifit Marfyas, who with looks of fcorn 
 And hand uplifted vows he cannot bear 
 That younger Novius' felf-conceited air. 
 'Till ten I lie ; then ramble forth ; or write. 
 Or read, as long as either gives delight : 
 When fedentary filence tires, I rife 
 And oil my limbs for manly exercife. 
 Not with fuch greafe as from the lamp's dull flame 
 Natta purloins to fmear his filthy frame. 
 And when fatigue or noon's intenfer ray 
 From toil and tennis fummon me away, 
 I feek the bath ; with flight repaft fuftain 
 My ftomach for the hours which yet remain ; 
 Then lounge within-doors j and the day from hence
 
 7© The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Glides to a clofe in eafy indolence. 
 
 Such is the quiet life to thole decreed 
 Who hate ambition — fuch the life I lead ; 
 Secure in greater comfort thus to live 
 Than crown'd with all the grandeur birth can give ; 
 Happier than if my pedigree could boaft 
 Of Qusftors — Pra-tors — Senators a hoft. 
 
 SATIRE VII. 
 
 HOW half-bred Perjtus clipp'd the venom'd fting 
 Of that pert outlaw hight Rupilius King, 
 Gagg'd his foul mouth and put his rancour down — 
 Is known through all the barbers' fhops in town. 
 Much wealth by ufury had this Perlius made 
 And Hill in Afia drove a thriving trade ; 
 With King too now he urged a teazing fuit. 
 Sturdy as he and keenly refolute. 
 With flang fo glib as left on wings o' th' wind 
 Sifenna, Barrus, many a length behind. 
 
 But to my tale : — When neither would concede 
 And each refolved to conquer or to bleed — 
 (For warriors ilill are leaft difpofed to yield 
 Who moil have proved their prowefs in the field. 
 As Hedlor and Achilles wont to fwell 
 With mutual rage that death alone could quell — 
 Why but becaufe for feats of valour known 
 Each claim'd the prize of glory for his own? — 
 While cowards, when they quarrel, foon retreat ; 
 And, when unequal champions chance to meet. 
 The weak with proffer'd gifts redeems his head.
 
 s. VII. The Satires. 71 
 
 As whilome Glaucus did to Diomed) 
 
 Bent then on law, what time great Brutus bore 
 
 Praetorian fway on Afia's fertile fhore. 
 
 Forth ftep the combatants, a doughty pair ; 
 
 And here Rupilius Hands, and Perfius there. 
 
 Never did nobler fpeftacle engage 
 
 The eve, or llouter champions mount the ftage. 
 
 Perfius firft ftates the cafe, 'till all around 
 Loud peals of laughter thro' the court refound. 
 Brutus and all his fuite he loads with praife, — 
 Calls him a Sun which fheds its kindly rays 
 On Afia's coaft ; and all the reft, fave King, 
 Planets that rife with healing in their wing : 
 Him a vile Dog-ftar, hateful to the fwain. 
 That carries death and famine in its train. 
 Thus roll'd his tide of eloquence along ; 
 The wintry torrent not more bold and ftrong. 
 Which fweeps its way through forerts of high oak 
 That never echo'd to the woodman's ftroke ! 
 
 Prsenefte's fon now rifes and replies 
 With biting taunts and foul fcurrilities. 
 Rank as vine-dreflers fling, when perch'd on high 
 They hear the cuckoo in each pafler-by. 
 
 Nettled with thefe home gibes, uprofe the Greek 
 With brief rejoinder : " Brutus ! hear me fpeak ; 
 " Thy fires were patriots in Rome's earlier day, 
 " Nor thou a patriot lefs renown'd than they : 
 '* Since then from regicide thy glory fprings, 
 " Speak — ftrike — redrefs, and trounce this worft of 
 kings!"
 
 72 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 SATIRE VIII. 
 
 TIME was when I, the god of gardens, flood 
 A very worthlefs log of fig-tree wood ; 
 And long the ruftic artift was in doubt 
 Into what form 'twere bell to cut me out, — 
 Whether to exercife his art and tool 
 In fafhioning a god or a joint-Ilool. 
 At length he fix'd upon a fhape divine. 
 And that of great Priapus foon was mine. 
 Behold me now then to a god preferr'd. 
 The dread of many a rogue and many a bird ! 
 For my right hand which holds a hook, but chief 
 This ruddy ilake, appals the prowling thief. 
 A reed too ftuck upon my head you'll find 
 That waves and whiilles to the paffing wind. 
 At which the feather'd plunderers taking fright 
 Far from thefe new plantations wing their flight. 
 
 Hither of old dragg'd from his narrow cot 
 The flave bore forth his fellow flave to rot ; 
 Hither for burial throng'd the poor man's bier. 
 And wretches relied from their labours here. 
 Here flept the lozel rake, the beggar'd loon, 
 Caffius the fot and Manlius the buffoon. 
 How long — how broad thefe precinfts of the dead. 
 Engraved on yonder ftone may flill be read : 
 Ten by three hundred feet — fee, pledged it bears — 
 Ne^er to revert to the tejlator'' s heirs. 
 But now Elquilia boalls its balmy air. 
 Its funny terrace and its bright parterre ;
 
 s. VIII. The Satires. 73 
 
 And green boughs waft delicious fragrance round. 
 Where lately thigh-bones bleach'd the ghaftly ground. 
 
 Yet not to me are thieves or fowls that dare 
 To haunt this fpot, one half fo great a care 
 As thofe infernal hags who here moleft 
 With charms and baneful drugs the human breaft. 
 • Thefe can no art reftrain — no terror chafe ; 
 But foon as Cynthia lifts her full-orb'd face. 
 Away they fally forth, and hunt with fpeed 
 For human bones, and cull each noxious weed. 
 
 The curft Canidia I myfelf have feen 
 With fable mantle and diforder'd mien 
 Follow'd by Sagana : their feet were bare. 
 High-girt their robes, and loofe their flaky hair. 
 Loud were their yellings, terrible their fhrieks. 
 And hideous palenefs overfpread their cheeks. 
 Then fquatted to the ground each beldame witch ! 
 And, delving in the earth a magic ditch, 
 A coal-black lamb with rabid teeth they tore. 
 And dropp'd into the pit its reeking gore ; 
 That, forced by forcery from the filent tomb. 
 The fhadowy ghofts might tell of things to come. 
 Two little effigies they then difplay'd. 
 And this of wool and that of wax was made ; 
 The woollen one was larger, form'd (I guefs) 
 To domineer and lord it o'er the lefs. 
 The waxen trembling ilood in piteous guife. 
 And fued for mercy with imploring eyes. 
 Meanwhile the beldams bow'd the fuppliant knee. 
 Invoking Hecat and Tifiphone. 
 Anon were feen fnakes crawling from below. 
 And barking hell-hounds hurried to and fro ; 
 'Till Cynthia blufhing at the impious rite
 
 74 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Behind a lofty tomb-llone veil'd her light. 
 
 If ought befide the truth thefe lips have faid. 
 May owls and jackdaws dung upon my head ! 
 And may each Julius, pathic, thief, and rogue 
 Beneath my facred noflrils difembogue ! 
 
 Why need I add how, while the ghofls difcourfe 
 With Sagana, flirill tones encounter hoarfc ? 
 Why tell of all I fhuddering faw and heard — 
 How with an adder's tooth a fhe-wolf's beard 
 They hid in earth, — how lire by magic raifed 
 Around the waxen form with fury blazed — 
 How Ihock'd, in fhort, to witnefs all that pail 
 I wreak'd my vengeance on the Huts at lail? 
 For, loud as a blown bladder burfts afunder. 
 My fig-tree poftern gave a crack like thunder. 
 Scared at the noife, the witches flinging down 
 Their apparatus, fcamper'd off to town ; 
 And wing'd with terror ran at fuch a rate, 
 That this let fall her teeth, and that her tete ; 
 Oh 'twould have made you laugh to fee them bound. 
 While herbs and wreaths and fpells bellrew'd the 
 ground ! 
 
 SATIRE IX. 
 
 ALONG the Sacred Street I chanced to flray 
 Mufing I know not what, as is my way. 
 And wholly wrapt in thought — when up there came 
 A fellow fcarcely known to mc by name : 
 Grafping my hand, " My dear friend, how d'ye do? 
 " And pray," he cried, " how wags the world with 
 you?"
 
 s. IX. The Satires. 75 
 
 / thank you, pojftng well, as times go now ; 
 
 Your Jer'jant : — And with that I made my bow. 
 
 But finding him ftill dangle at my fleeve 
 
 Without the flighteft lign of taking leave, 
 
 I turn with cold civility and fay — 
 
 Any thing further. Sir, with me to-day ? 
 
 " Nay, truce with this referve ! it is but fit 
 
 " We two were friends, fince I'm a brother-wit." 
 
 Here fome dull compliment I ftammer'd out. 
 
 As, That, Sir, recommends you inuch no doubt. 
 
 Vex'd to the foul and dying to be gone, 
 I flacken now my pace, now hurry on ; 
 And fometimes halt at once in full career, 
 Whifpering fome trifle in my lackey's ear. 
 But when he ftill ftuck by me as before, — 
 Sweating with inward fpleen at every pore. 
 Oh ! how I long'd to let my paffion pafs. 
 And figh'd, Bolanus, for thy front of brafs ! 
 
 Meanwhile he keeps up one incellant chat 
 About the ftreets, the houfes, and all that : 
 Marking at laft my filence — " Well," faid he, 
 " 'Tis pretty plain you're anxious to get free ; 
 " But patience, darling Sir ! fo lately met — 
 " Odflife ! I cannot think of parting yet. 
 " Inform me, whither arc your footfteps bound?" 
 To fee (but pray donU let me drag you round) 
 A friend of mine, who lies extremely ill 
 A mile beyond the bridge, or further fill. 
 " Nay then, come on ! I've nothing elfe to do ; 
 " And as to diftance, what is that — withyoa.'" 
 
 On hearing this, quite driven to defpair, 
 Guefs what my looks and what my feelings were ! 
 Never did afs upon the public road.
 
 76 The Satires. b. r. 
 
 When on his back he felt a double load. 
 Hang both his ears ib difmal and fo blank. 
 " In me. Sir," he continues, " to be frank, 
 " You know not what a friend you have in ftore : 
 " Vifcus and Varius will not charm you more. 
 " For as to dancing, who with me can vie ? 
 " Or who can fcribble verfe fo fall as I ? 
 " Again, in powers of voice fo much I fliine 
 " Hermogenes himfelf might envy mine." 
 
 Here for a moment, pufF'd with felf-applaufe. 
 He ftopp'd ; I took advantage of the paufe : 
 Thefe toils will Jhor ten. Jure, your precious life s 
 Have you no loving mother, friend, or wife 
 Who takes an inter eft in your fate ? — " Oh, no ; 
 " Thank heaven! they're all difpofed of long ago." 
 
 Good luck (thought 1), by thee no longer vex'd ! 
 So T, it feems, mull be difpofed of next : 
 Well, let me but at once refign my breath ; 
 To die by inches thus were worfe than death. 
 Now, now I fee the doom approaching near. 
 Which once was told me by a goflip feer : 
 While yet a boy, the wrinkled beldame fhook 
 Her urn, and, eyeing me with piteous look, 
 " Poor lad !" fhe cried, " no mifchief fhalt thou feel 
 " Or from the poifon'd bowl or hoftile Heel ; 
 " Nor pricking pleurify, nor heflic cough, 
 " Nor flow-confuming gout fhall take thee off: 
 " 'Tis thy fad lot, when grown to man's eftate, 
 " To fall the viftim of a puppy's prate : 
 " Go, treafure in thy mind the truths I've fung, 
 " And fhun, if thou art wife, a chattering tongue." 
 
 At Vcfta's temple we arrived at laft ; 
 And now one quarter of the day was pad —
 
 s. IX. The Satires. 77 
 
 When by the greatell luck he had, I found. 
 To ftand a fuit, and by the law was bound 
 Either to anfwer to the charges brought. 
 Or elfe to fufFer judgment by default, 
 " I'm forry to detain you here," he cried ; 
 " But might I afk you juft to ftep afide?" 
 You jnuft excufe me s legs fo cramped with gout 
 As mine, I fear, could 7iever ftand it out : 
 Then, may I perijh if Vve fkill or tafte 
 For law ; befides, you know I am in hafte. 
 " Faith, now you make me doubtful what to do ; 
 " Whether to facrifice my caufe or you." 
 Me, by all means. Sir! — me, I beg and pray. 
 " Not for the world," cried he, and led the way. 
 Convinced all further ftruggle was but vain, 
 1 follow like a captive in his train. 
 
 " Well" — he begins afrefh — " how ftand you. Sir, 
 " In the good graces of our Minifter ? " 
 His favorites are but few, and thofe feleB : 
 Never was one more nice and circumfpeB. 
 " Enough — In all fuch cafes I'm the man 
 " To work my way ! In fhort, to crown your plan, 
 ** You need (om&fecond, mafter of his art, 
 *' To aft, d'ye fee, a fort of under-part. 
 " Now what is eafier ? — Do but recommend 
 " Your humble fervant to this noble friend ; — 
 " And, take my word, the coaft we foon fhould clear, 
 " And you 'erelong monopolize his ear." 
 Tujh ! matters go not there as you fuppofe ; 
 No roof is purer from intrigues like thofe: 
 Think not, if fuch or fuch furpafs my'elf 
 In wealth or wit, Pm laid upon the Jhelf: 
 Each has his place ajjign^d. — " Why, this is new
 
 78 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 " And paffing ilrange ! " — Tet not more Ji range than 
 
 true. 
 " Gods ! how you whet my wifhes ! well, I vow, 
 " I long to know him more than ever now." 
 AJfail him then ; the "will is all you need ; 
 With prow efs fuch as yours, you muft fucceed : 
 He''s not impregnable ; but (what is worjl) 
 He knows it, and is therefore Jhy at firjl. 
 " If that's his humour, truft me, I fhall fpare 
 " No kind of pains to win admittance there : 
 " I'll bribe his porter ; if denied to-day, 
 " I'll not defift, but try fome other way : 
 " I'll watch occafions — linger in his fuite, 
 " Waylay, falute, huzzah him through the ftreet. 
 *' Nothing of confequence beneath the fun 
 " Without great labour ever yet was done." 
 
 Thus he proceeded prattling without end. 
 When — who fhould meet us but my worthy friend, 
 Ariftius Fufcus, one who knew the fop 
 And all his humours : up he comes — we flop. 
 " Whence now, good Sir, and whither bound?" he 
 And to like qucllions, put in turn, replies. [cries. 
 In hopes he'd take the hint and draw me off, 
 I twitch his liftlefs fleeve— nod — wink — and cough. 
 He, feigning ign'rance what my fignals mean. 
 With cruel waggery fmiles : — I burn with fplecn. 
 
 Fufcus (faid I), you mention' d father day 
 Something particular you wifh^d to fay 
 Betwixt ourfelves. — ^' Perhaps I might: 'tis true: 
 " But never mind ; fome other time will do : 
 " This is the Jews' grand feall ; and I fufpefl 
 " You'd hardly like to fpurn that holy fedl." 
 Nay,fQrJuchfcruples, ^ troth I feel not any.
 
 s. IX. The Satires. 79 
 
 " Well, but I do, and, like the vulgar many, 
 " Am rather tender in fuch points as thefe : 
 " So by and bye of that. Sir, if you pleafe." 
 Ah me ! that e'er fo dark a fun fhould rife ! 
 Away the pitilefs barbarian flies. 
 And leaves me baffled, half bereft of life. 
 All at the mercy of the ruthlefs knife. 
 
 With hue and cry the plaintiff comes at laft ; 
 " Soho there, firrah ! whither now fo fail ? 
 " Sir" — he addrefl"'d me — " You'll bear witnefs 
 
 here?" 
 J'^e, that I will, quoth I, and turn'd my ear. 
 Anon he's dragg'd to court ; on either fide 
 Loud fhouts enfue, and uproar lords it wide : 
 While I, amid the hurly-burly riot. 
 Thanks to Apollo's care ! walk off in quiet. 
 
 SATIRE X. 
 
 YES, I did fay that old Lucilius' fong 
 In rough unmeafur'd numbers halts along 
 And who fo blindly partial to his verfe. 
 That dares to call Lucilius fmooth and terie? 
 Yet that with ridicule's keen gibe he knew 
 To lafli the town, I gave him honour due. 
 Let then his humorous talent ftand confeft ; 
 Still granting this, I mull withhold the reft : 
 For, if mere wit all excellence combine. 
 The farces of Laberius were divine. 
 
 Tis not fufficient with broad mirth to win 
 The laugh convulfive and diftended grin ;
 
 8o The Satires. b. i. 
 
 And, though to fct an audience in a roar 
 Be fomething, ftill we look for fomething more. 
 'Mid other needfuls brevity we place. 
 That all your thoughts may flow with eafe and grace ; 
 Not wildly rambling, but compaft and clear. 
 Nor clogg'd with words that load the labouring ear. 
 The ftyle muft vary too from grave to gay, . 
 Juft as the varying fubjcd points the way; 
 Now roufe the poet's fire, the fpeaker's art — 
 Now ftoop to aft the humourill's lighter part. 
 Like one who, to give play, retreating cowers. 
 And purpofely puts forth but half his powers : 
 For oft a fmile beyond a frown prevails. 
 And raillery triumphs where invedive fails. 
 In this the earlier comic bards excel. 
 In this deferve our imitation well ; — 
 Thofe wits whom nor Hermogenes the fair 
 Nor that pert jackanapes e'er made his care. 
 Who only knows Catullus' ftrains to fing 
 And troll foft Calvus to the warbling firing. 
 But 'tis alleged, " that old Lucilius fhines 
 *' In mingling Greek with Latin in his lines." 
 Ye puny pedants ! feems it ftrange to you 
 What ev'n Pitholeon of Rhodes could do ? — 
 " Yet there's a fweetnefs in this blended fpeech 
 *' Which neither tongue (fay they) apart can reach, 
 *' Like that rich zeft which nicer taftes difcern 
 " In mellow Chian mix'd with rough Falern." 
 Talk you of verfe alone ? Or (let me alk) 
 Were you engaged in the more arduous tafk 
 Of pleading for Petillius, would you fpeak 
 A motley brogue, half Latin and half Greek ? 
 And, while our Pedius and MefTala toil
 
 s. X. The Satires. 8i 
 
 In the pure idiom of their native foil. 
 Spurning your birthright, would you at the Bar 
 Mix terms outlandifli with vernacular, — 
 And, like Canufium's amphibious fons. 
 Jabber a brace of languages at once ? 
 
 In early youth, when llrong was my defire 
 With Latian hand to fmite the Attic Ivre, 
 Rome's founder, at the hour when dreams are true, 
 Rofe in a vifion to my wondering view : 
 " Horace !" — faid he in accents deep and flow, 
 *' Horace ! the fruitlefs enterprife forego : 
 " To fwell the hofl of Grecians were as vain 
 " As adding water to the boundlefs main." 
 Hence, while Alpinus in bombaftic line 
 Lays Memnon low and mars the head of Rhine, 
 Thefe fportive lays I fmg, ne'er meant to vie 
 For ivy crowns 'neath Tarpa's critic eye. 
 Nor fraught with ribald mirth or tragic rage 
 Night after night to figure on the ftage. 
 
 To paint the lavifli ilripling's crafty girl 
 Plotting with Davus to outwit the churl — 
 This is a branch of art, Fundanius, known 
 Of modern wits to you and you alone, 
 Whofe pencil to the prattling fcene can give 
 That air of truth which bids the pifture live : 
 In ftately trimeters proud Pollio fmgs 
 The tragic fates of heroes and of kings : 
 Varius in matchlefs numbers full and grand 
 Pours his bold epic with a mailer's hand ; 
 While every mufe that haunts the fylvan plain 
 Breathes grace and elegance in Virgil's ilrain. 
 In Satire only, which with fome few more 
 Varro had tried (but vainly tried) before, 
 
 G
 
 82 The Satires. b. i. 
 
 Could I fucceed ; though fure that no fuccefs 
 Of mine could make its firft inventor lefs : 
 For never from his brows would Horace tear 
 The wreath he wears and well deferves to wear. 
 
 Tis true I faid that like a rapid flood 
 He carries in his courfe a train of mud. 
 And that his happier lines are few compared 
 With thofe loofe ftragglers that might well be fpared. 
 And do not you, ye critics ! now and then 
 Peck at the foibles ev'n of Homer's pen ? 
 Dares not your loved Lucilius to corre£l 
 In older Accius many a grofs defedl? 
 Of Ennius does he not with laughter fpeak. 
 Where'er his verfe is lame— his language wxak ? 
 Talks he not of himfelf, when felf he names. 
 As one fuperior far to thofe he blames ? 
 What then forbids us, when we con him o'er. 
 To ufe that freedom which he ufed before ? — 
 Aflc if his ruggednefs of numbers feem 
 Due to the flov'nly pen or ftubborn theme? — 
 And doubt if patience may not give the ftrain 
 A fmoother flow than that man can attain. 
 Who (deeming that his lines, however rough. 
 While each contains fix feet, run fmooth enough) 
 Scribbles before his fupper twice five fcore. 
 And after fupper fcribbles twice five more; — 
 Like Tufcan Cafllus whofe exuberant fong 
 Swift as a mountain torrent fweeps along ; 
 Of whom fame tells, fo rapid was his ftyle. 
 That his own volumes form'd his funeral pile ? 
 
 But grant Lucilius is polite and chafte ; — 
 Grant that he took more pains and fliews more tafle 
 Than that rude bard who by a lucky hit
 
 s. X, The Satires. 83 
 
 Firft dared a path unknown to Grecian wit. 
 Or than our older minilrels : — Yet, could fate 
 To times more modern have prolong'd his date. 
 How \vould he toil each roughnefs to refine. 
 To nerve the weak and point the lagging line ! 
 Each crude excrefcence, each redundant fprav. 
 As falfe luxuriance, he would prune away. 
 Nor amid fancy's wildeft raptures fail 
 To fcratch the brow and ?naw the bleeding nail. 
 
 Spare not eralion, ye that wifh your ftrain. 
 When once perufed, to be perufed again ; 
 Nor court the mob, — contented if thofe few 
 Can praife, whofe judgment fpeaks their praifes true. 
 Let others more ambitious joy to fee 
 Their works the fchool-boy's tafk ! Enough for me 
 If Knights applaud, as once with faucy pride 
 To hiding crouds Arbufcula replied. 
 
 What — fliall the bug Pantilius move my fpleen ? 
 Or fhall I fret becaufe unheard, unfeen, 
 Demetrius aims his pitiful attack 
 And fpurts his venom'd flime behind my back r 
 Shall fneers from Fannius, or his dangling gucll. 
 The pert Hermogenes, difturb my reft ? 
 No — let Maecenas fmile upon my lays, — 
 Let Plotius, Varius, Valgius, Virgil praife, — 
 Let Fufcus and the good Oftavius deign 
 With either Vifcus to approve the ftrain ; — 
 And, far from idle dreams of vulgar fame. 
 You, Pollio ! you, Meflala ! let me name. 
 Nor Icfs your brother; candid Furnius too, 
 And you, my Bibulus ! and Servius ! you : 
 Such, with feme others whom I here omit. 
 Such arc the friends whofe tafte I fain would hit ;
 
 84 The Satires. r. i. 
 
 Mine be the boaft to win the fmiles of thefe. 
 
 Nor e'er to pleafe them lefs than now I pleafc ! 
 
 But you, Demetrius, and your ftupid gang — 
 
 I hid you, with Tigcllius all go hang 
 
 And (cribble tafks for fchool-girls! — Boy, pen down 
 
 Thefe lines, and let them know I fcorn their frown! 
 
 END OF THE FIRST BOOK.
 
 THE SATIRES, 
 
 BOOK 11.
 
 ' THE SATIRES. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 SATIRE I. 
 
 THERE are — 'tis wondrous, but there are — who 
 deem. 
 All that I write fevere to an extreme : 
 While others fwear that in my nervelefs way 
 A thoufand verfes might be fpun a-day. 
 On you, Trebatius ! for advice I call. — - 
 Dejijl. — What, write no fatire then at all ? 
 Tea, nothing. — Marry, your advice is good ; 
 But then I cannot flumber, though I would. — 
 Who yieedeth found repofe, with pliant li?nb 
 Thrice acrofs Tiber' s current let him fwim. 
 And quaff, 'ere to the pillow he rejign 
 His wearied frame, large draughts of generous wine. 
 But, ifimpelPd by love of verfe, you needs 
 Mufi write, record great C^far^s mat chiefs deeds : 
 There frowns noflander, there no dangers lurk ; 
 The hero' s fmile fhall crown the poet''s work. 
 
 To paint fuch fcenes and paint them as they are. 
 To roll in verfe the thunder of the war. 
 To fing the briilling fquadron's proud array.
 
 88 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 The clafh of armour and the battle's bray. 
 The javelin quiv'ring in the Gaul's pale corfe. 
 The rtricken Parthian fainting from his horfe, — ■ 
 Such themes, good Sir ! demand a mafter's fkill ; 
 To me the power is wanting, not the will. 
 
 Might you not paint him generous, jujl, nnd fage. 
 As Scipio Jhines i7i fair Lucilius^ page? 
 
 When time and place and circumftance fhall feem 
 Aufpicious, plcafed I'll court the glorious theme : 
 But till fome lucky hour of leilure, ne'er 
 Shall Horace force his praife on Ca^far's ear : 
 Who, like a fteed, when coax'd without addrels, 
 Prefents his hoof and fpurns the rude carefs. 
 
 ^Twere better thus, than lajh in grofs lampoon 
 * Cajfius the Jot and Manlius the buffoon : ' 
 When, though untouched, each dreads you as a foe. 
 And hates the'' affailant ""ere he feels the blow. 
 
 What can I do ? when the warm fumes arife. 
 And doubling flambeaux fwim before his eyes, 
 Milonius dances: Callor loves to quell 
 The prancing fteed ; Sprung from the felf-fame flicll. 
 His brother round his fill the Csftus binds : 
 As many men, fo many are their minds. 
 My whim is verfc : Lucilius I purfue. 
 One greater (pardon me) than me or you. 
 Each fecret of his foul he frankly penn'd. 
 And made his book his confidential Wend ; 
 Whate'er befel, did Fortune fmilc or frown. 
 Thither he flew and there he ftamp'd it down : 
 Hence in the old man's prattling page we find 
 A full-length pifture of his life and mind. 
 Him then I follow, — in purfuits like thefe 
 Delighted follow,— call me what you pleafe —
 
 s. I. The Satires. 89 
 
 Half of Lucanian, half Apulian growth. 
 For we Venuiians border upon both, — 
 Sent thither, when the Samnite fled (they fay) 
 To Hop the gap and keep the foe at bay. 
 Left either nation, uncontroul'd by fpies. 
 Should take the flumbering Roman by furprile. 
 
 Yet never, truft me, fliall this pen be found 
 To deal one wanton or malicious wound ; 
 No — 'till fome ruffian's rage my path molefts. 
 Safe as a fword. within its fheath it refts. 
 And would to heaven this weapon which I wear 
 With everlafting ruft might canker there! 
 For, could my wifhes move the Powers above. 
 Ne'er fhould they roufe me from the peace I love. 
 But he that touches me, (hands off! 1 cry, — 
 A vaunt, and at your peril come not nigh !) 
 Shall for his pains be chaunted up and down. 
 The jeft and byeword of a chuckling Town. 
 
 Each wields in felf-defence his proper arms : 
 Provoke Canidia, — fhe has herbs and charms : 
 Cervius, to ftrike the foe with wholefome awe, 
 Prefents his writ and fulminates in law : 
 While Turius, if he owe you fome fmall grudge. 
 Swears you'll be trounced if tried where he is judge. 
 To all by Nature's boon fome means belong 
 Of quelling outrage and retorting wrong. 
 The wolf with teeth, with horns the bull contends; 
 Why, but becaufe fo fovereign inftinft bends ? 
 Truft Scjeva's long-lived mother to his care, — 
 The wealthy crone to the impatient heir ; 
 Such is his filial love, his felf-command. 
 No deed of blood fliall ftain his pious hand. 
 Wond'rous ! as if it were a common fight
 
 90 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 For wolves to lift their heels or bulls to bite ! 
 'Tis true, no blood fhall tender Scsvajpill ; 
 But Sc£va knows the virtues of a Pill. 
 
 Whether, in fine, life's long-protra£led day 
 Shall fee me calmly fink in flow decay; 
 Or whether, deltined to an early tomb. 
 Death waves around my path his ebon plume ; 
 In wealth, in poverty ; at Rome, or fcnt 
 (If fuch my lot) to fome lorn banifliment ; 
 Whate'er may prove the hue of life, yet ftill. 
 While life continues, write I muft and will. 
 
 Thy days, my fon, I fear, will foon be fped ; 
 Some patron' s withering frozvn Jhall freeze thee dead. 
 
 What — when Lucilius in Rome's earlier day 
 Firft boldly launch'd in Satire's thorny way. 
 And, ftripping Reynard of his gaudy fkin, 
 Unmafk'd the fop and bared the fool within, 
 Did he demur who built his well-earn'd fame 
 On Afric's ruins ? or did Lxlius blame ? 
 Metellus jullly fcourged did they refent. 
 Or Lupus with thofe damning truths befprent? 
 No — governors and govern'd, great and fmall. 
 He worried to and fro, and Inapp'd at all : — 
 All but the good, to thofe and thofe alone 
 Gave quarter, and made Virtue's friends his own. 
 Yet oft with him, retired from crouds and noife 
 To fire-fide quiet and domeilic joys. 
 This famed for wifdom — that for Carthage fpoil'd 
 Would jell: and trifle while their porridge boil'd ; — 
 In eafy frolics all the foul unbend. 
 And fink the fage and hero in the friend. 
 Whate'er I be, howe'er I muft fubmit 
 To my precurlbr both in wealth and wit.
 
 3. I. The Satires. 91 
 
 Yet that the great approve me and carefs 
 
 Reludlant Envy muil herfelf confcfs ; 
 
 And the ftern llufF, \vhich with envenom'd fpite 
 
 She thinks to nibble, fliall refill: her bite. 
 
 What fays Trebatius learned in the law ? 
 
 Thus far your cafe is clear i I fpy no flaw. 
 
 Tet have a care ! 'ere trouble come, 'twere fit 
 
 You mark betimes the ftatute's text ; to wit — 
 
 If A have libeWd B in wicked ftrains. 
 
 An a8ion lies — Hear what the law ordains ! 
 
 Wicked! But what if it be underftood 
 That Casfar's judgment ftamps the verfes good? 
 And what if one, himfelf of unfoil'd fame. 
 Step forth to brand the frontlefs fool with fliame ? 
 
 Nay, then the bufinefs will be turn'd to fport. 
 The bill thrown out, and you dif charged the court. 
 
 SATIRE II. 
 
 LEARN what delights fpare diet can afford. 
 The thoufand virtues of a frugal board ! — 
 (Thefe precepts, reader ! from a peafant flow. 
 Not me : Ofcllus taught them long ago. 
 One rich in uniophifticated fenfe, 
 Whofe book was life, whofe fchool experience) 
 Learn this, my friends! — but not amid the ftate 
 Of lordly chargers and of dazzling plate ; — 
 Not where the table, richly fraught, difplays 
 A radiance that appals the trembling gaze ; — 
 Not when grofs fenfe holds reafon in controul. 
 And clogs with prejudice the finking foul :
 
 92 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 But weigh it failing, while the brain is clear : — 
 Why fo ? you aflc. — Have patience; you fhall hear. 
 
 Ill fitted is the judge, whom bribes afl'ail. 
 To balance juftice with an even icale. 
 Go, chafe the timorous hare o'er hill and plain ; 
 Teach the wild colt to curvet to the rein : 
 Or, if perchance you flirink from Roman fports, 
 Train'd to the fofter games which Greece imports, — 
 Each joint well fupplcd with gymnaftic oil 
 (While plcafure fweetly fmooths the brow of toil) 
 Speed the fwift ball, or hurl with wary eye 
 The ponderous quoit athwart the yielding fky ; 
 When of fuch exercile fome hours have ftrung 
 Your fqueamifh appetite and parch'd your tongue, 
 Loath, if you can, our homely fare, and fpurn 
 AU but Hyblean fweets in rough Falern. 
 
 Suppofe your larder lock'd — no futtler nigh. 
 While roaring waves protect the finny fry : 
 What then ? a cruil of bread with fait befprent 
 The blatant appetite fhall well content. 
 Why but becaufe the relifh of the treat 
 Lies in the mailer more than in the meat ? 
 Make hunger then your fauce — let toil procure 
 A zeil, and be the genuine epicure : 
 Since char nor ortolans can e'er excite 
 The pamper'd fluggard's fickly appetite. 
 
 Yet after all you'll hardly deign, I fear. 
 To dine on pullet when a peacock's near ; 
 By vain caprice or empty fhow cajoled ; 
 Becaufe forfooth the fcarce bird fells for gold. 
 And llrutting forth elate with beauty frail 
 Expands the gaudy glories of his tail. 
 But do you eat that plumage you adore ?
 
 s. II. The Satires. 93 
 
 Or is he, cook'd, as beauteous as before ? 
 Since you prefer it, then, yet know not why, 
 'Tis plain your taile takes counfel from your eye. 
 
 But whence is that more nice difcernment taught 
 That tells at once where yon fea- wolf was caught, — 
 If at the mouth or 'twixt the bridges caft 
 Or in the open feas he gafped his laft ? 
 A mullet of three pounds is called a treat. 
 And yet you chop it piece-meal 'ere you eat. 
 Then why, poor Have of prejudice ! defpife 
 The larger pikes, if taite depend on fize? 
 Is it becaufe dame nature wife in all 
 Has made the latter great — the former fmall? 
 Give me, fome gourmand cries, 'tis all I wijh, 
 A huge furmullet ftretch'd on a huge dijh ! 
 Propitious South winds, fend your choaking blaft. 
 Breathe putrefaction on the foul repaft. 
 And taint it to their heart's defire ! — nay, fpare 
 Your aid, iince nature has vouchfafed my prayer ; 
 Which to the queafy ftomach overfill'd 
 Bids boar and turbot ftink though newly kill'd. 
 Sour elicampane is their next refource. 
 And pickles brace them for another courfe. 
 Well, thanks to heaven, fimplicity has yet 
 Some favour 'mid the banquets of the great : 
 Ev'n pamper'd luxury ftoops to lowly fare. 
 And eggs and tawny olives ilill arc there. 
 
 Look back a few fhort years, and you fhall fee 
 The cryer Gallonius ftamp'd with infamy 
 For having fturgcon at his board. But how — 
 Were turbots rarer in the feas than now ? 
 No — but the turbot in thofc feas had rell. 
 And fafc the ftork might flumbcr in her neft.
 
 94 l^HE Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Until PrcTtorian vvifdom gave the word. 
 And Fafliion llamp'd her fandlon on the bird. 
 And fo, fliould now her edidl but declare 
 That roafted fea-gulls are delicious fare. 
 No doubt but we fhould fee all Rome obey. 
 Prompt to purfue where folly leads the way. 
 
 A difference lies (Ofellus thinks) between 
 A frugal ityle of living and a mean : 
 For 'tis in vain that this extreme we fhun. 
 If to its oppofite we headlong run. 
 Avidienus, for his avarice ftyled 
 The cur, feeds daily upon cornels wild 
 And olives five years old ; — takes care to pour 
 Libations only when his wine is four: — 
 And ev'n upon the day of feftive mirth 
 That celebrates his wedding or his birth. 
 Rank oil, whofe fcent no common nofe can bear. 
 Upon his cole-worts with religious care 
 He flowly dribbles from a ftraight-mouth'd jar, — 
 Then drenches them with floods of vinegar. 
 
 Which path of conduft fhall the wife purfue ? 
 And which of thcfe two models keep in view ? — 
 What fays the proverb ? — He is Jure to err 
 Who to efcape the wolf tnujl meet the cur. 
 The happy mean is his, whofe board o'erflows 
 With plenty, yet no vain profufion fhows : 
 Whofe frugal elegance delights his friends. 
 While no pomp dazzles and no dirt offends : 
 Who gives his orders Avith a cheerful eafe 
 That, while it picafcs, fliows no toil to pleafe : 
 Unlike Albutius, who with dull parade 
 Summon'd his flaves before the cloth was laid. 
 To each and all their feveral funftions plann'd.
 
 s. II. The Satires. 95 
 
 And charged them what tofervc and where to Hand ; — 
 
 Nor, Najvius-like, fo exquilitely cafy 
 
 That ev'n the water for your hands was greafy. 
 
 Hear now what joys from temperate diet flow : 
 Imprimis, Health, that firft of joys below. 
 For think, when on fome fimple difh you dined. 
 How light the heart, how buoyant was the mind ! 
 But when a courfe of boil'd and roall is run, — 
 And fifh, flefh, fowl, et ccetera, mix in one, — 
 To phlegm and bile the meats fermenting pafs 
 And the cloy'd llomach loaths the' incongruous mafs. 
 See with what death-like palenefs in his face 
 The pamper'd glutton heaves him from his place ! 
 Befldes, the body clogg'd with crude excefs. 
 Which fumes of yefternight's debauch opprefs. 
 Forbids the glowing fpirit to afpire 
 And chains to earth the fpark of heavenly fire. 
 The other from his fliort light lupper goes. 
 And, fnatching a 'iz\w hours of found repofe. 
 Springs up betimes with fpirits blithe and gay 
 To do the well-plann'd bufinefs of the day. 
 Yet will he pafs to more enlivening cheer 
 At feafons, whether the revolving year 
 Bring back the fellive hour, or nature claim 
 Some extras to recruit a wcakcn'd frame ! 
 Or when grey hairs and tottering rtcps demand 
 Benigner treatment and a gentler hand. 
 But how can you relax, who 'ere your time 
 Grafp each indulgence in youth's vigorous prime ? 
 How cheer the bed of fickncfs ? how affuage 
 The drowfy languors of decrepid age ? 
 
 Our fathers held rank boar in high efteem : 
 Not that they had no nofes ; — but I deem
 
 96 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 It ftriick them as more decent that the gueft. 
 Whom chance might bring, fhould fhare the tainted 
 Than that the owner by himfclf fhould eat [feaft. 
 The whole, a felfifh glutton, frefh and fweet. 
 Oh golden period ! would that new-born earth 
 'Mid that heroic race had given me birth ! 
 
 Bcfides, does fame of anv worth appear. 
 That fweeteft mufic to a mortal ear ? 
 Know that great turbots, with ragouts and fauces. 
 Engender great difcredit and great loffcs. 
 Add to all this a guardian's angry frown. 
 The world's contempt and (what is worfe) your 
 
 own ; — 
 The felf-reproving mind's internal flrife. 
 With ftrong — but vain — defires of quitting life. 
 When not one penny of your fquander'd pelf 
 Remains to buy a rope and hang yourfelf. 
 
 Theje hints (fays one) to Traujius may apply ; 
 He may with jufiice fear expetife, — 7iot I, 
 Whofe wide ejiate an ample income brings 
 And revenues fufficient for three kings. 
 And is there then, I afk, no other end 
 On which xhtfurplus thou might'll nobly fpend ? 
 Say, why does merit ftarve in rags ? or fay. 
 Why fall our ancient temples to decay ? 
 Why not from thofe fuperfluous hoards beftow 
 A mite to foothe thy burthen'd country's woe r 
 Shalt thou alone feel no reverfe ? fhalt thou 
 Thrive on for ever as thou thriveft now ? 
 Poor child of fcorn ! fay which with better grace 
 May dare to look pert Fortune in the face — 
 The man that ftill in luxury's lap reclined 
 Pampers his body and unnerves his mind —
 
 s. II. The Satires. 97 
 
 Or he that, with a little well content 
 And of his future comforts provident. 
 Like a wife chief is cautious to prepare 
 In time. of peace the requilites for war ? 
 
 To ftamp thefe precepts, hear what I fhall tell : 
 I knew Ofellus, when a boy, full well ; — 
 Knew him pofTeft of the fame frugal mind 
 Then when he throve, as lince when he declined. 
 Still on thofe acres, once his own eftate. 
 Hard at his work and patient of his fate. 
 The fturdy fwain is feen with hoary locks 
 EncompafT'd by his children and his flocks. 
 My rule was never to exceed (he fays) 
 My greens and fmoke-dried flitch on common days : 
 And even if the friend I held moft dear 
 Knock'd at my gate, unfeen for many a year, — 
 Or if a neighbour on fome rainy day 
 Dropt in to chat a leifure hour away. 
 We pledged it not o'er dainties fetch'd from town, 
 But the fat kid and barn-door fowl went down. 
 The cloth removed, grapes which myfelf had dried, 
 With figs and nuts, a plain defert fupplied : 
 And, as around the jocund grace-cup went. 
 Fill was the word and fliame the prefident : 
 While Ceres worftiipp'd with libations due — 
 (So might flie ftill the full-ear'd crop renew !) 
 Bade us from toil a pleafing refpite fliare 
 And fmooth'd awhile the wrinkled brow of care. 
 
 Let Fortune rave and wanton as flie lift, — 
 From fuch a life how little can be mifl"'d ! 
 Say, are our looks lefs blithfome or our frame 
 Lefs ftout, my boys, fince this new Jlr anger came ? 
 For view'd as property, the land, my fons.
 
 98 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Is neither his, nor mine, nor any one's. 
 He turn'd me out ; and him his own excefs 
 Or the law's quirks fhall fhortly diipoffefs : 
 At bcft, ilern Death's ejedlment, foon or late. 
 Shall prove thefe acres but a life-ellate. 
 Umbrenus' name the farm at prefent bears ; 
 'Twas lately mine, and fhall be foon his heir's : 
 Now this, now that may fow the ground and till ; 
 But all alike are tenants but at will. 
 Bear up then. Boys ! and ftem the adverfe tide. 
 Patience your ftay and providence your guide ! 
 
 SATIRE III. 
 
 In the form of a Dialogue between Horace and 
 Damafippus. 
 
 SO feldom now you court the Mufe, I hear. 
 You call for parchment foarcely thrice a year : 
 On dull revifal while you wafle your pow'rs. 
 And, fleep or wine engrofling all your hours, 
 Vex'd with yourfelf you peeviflily complain 
 That you can hammer out no living ftrain. 
 How now ! from Saturn's revels you withdrew. 
 As one refolved to carol fomething new. 
 Here then, all fober, keep your promife ; come. 
 Begin, compofe — Alas ! you ftill are dumb. 
 In vain you curfe the pen, and in a rage 
 Pour your refentment on the lucklefs page. 
 Poor innocents ! regardlefs of their worth 
 Sure Gods and Poets frown'd upon their birth.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 99 
 
 Methought your looks befpoke fome wondrous feat 
 
 If e'er you reach'd your villa's fnug retreat. 
 
 Why elfe, as if to' indulge a ftudious fit. 
 
 Heap Plato's wifdom on Menander's wit ? 
 
 Why take Archilochus, a goodly load. 
 
 With Eupolis, companions on the road ? 
 
 Think you the wrath of envy to appeafe. 
 
 By quitting virtue for inglorious eafe ? 
 
 Poor wretch! contempt awaits you. Scorn the fmiles 
 
 Of Siren Sloth and her infidious wiles, — 
 
 Or tamely forfeit all your claim to praife. 
 
 The meed of toil and fruits of better days. 
 
 IF Your counfel, Damafippus, I muft own. 
 Is juft : And for the wifdom you have fliown 
 Heaven fend you a good barber ! — But pray tell. 
 How wift you me and my concerns fo well ? 
 
 IF Learn, fince the Forum faw by fad negleft 
 My fortunes all on Ufury's quickfands wreck'd. 
 From that time forward I devote my cares 
 (Reft of my own) to other men's affairs. 
 For late my fole ambition was to' amafs 
 Not current gold, but rare Corinthian brafs ; 
 Proud if I chanced with fome old vafe to meet 
 In which fly Sifyphus had bathed his feet. 
 Oft I pronounced in all the pride of tafte 
 This rudely fculptured and that coarfely call; 
 Would name the price with connoifTeur-like air 
 To here a bufto, a relievo there ; 
 Or cheapen'd manfions, parks, and pleafu re-grounds. 
 And many bargains bought for many pounds. 
 The auftion-hunters, when they met me, fmiled 
 And pointing cried — See Mercury's favour'd child ! 
 
 IF I know the mania you fo long endured.
 
 lo.o The Satires. p. ii. 
 
 And wonder by what procefs you were cured. 
 ^ The old diilemper to a new gave place ; 
 And this, you know, is no uncommon cafe : 
 One patient finds his pleurify depart 
 Or head-ache, but to fettle at the heart ; 
 That, cured of lethargy, turns pugililt 
 And at the frighten'd doftor darts his fill. 
 fl Go to, pray Heaven your frenzy be not fuch ! 
 H Softly, good fir ! prefume not quite fo much : 
 For if there's truth in wife Stertinius' rules. 
 You and the world are madmen all and fools. 
 From his pure lips with wondrous wifdom fraught 
 My eager ear fome golden precepts caught. 
 What time my guardian genius he appear'd. 
 Bade me to nurfe this fapient length of beard. 
 From the Fabrician bridge my fteps withdrew. 
 And open'd fcenes of comfort to my view. 
 Wild in defpair, with muffled head 1 ftood 
 Prepared to plunge into the roaring flood. 
 When up he came in time of greateft need. 
 And " Hold ! " he cried, " forbear the dreadful deed : 
 Emancipate thy mind from this falfe Ihame, 
 Nor fhrink 'midft madmen from a madman's name. 
 For be it firft inquired, to make all plain. 
 What madnefs is, and who are the infane. 
 If this be found in you and none befide, 
 I'm dumb — go, perifli nobly in the tide ! 
 The man whom ignorance warps and paffions blind. 
 Him have Chryfippus and the Porch defined 
 A madman. Mark, the rule embraces you. 
 Kings, Commons, all — except the favour'd few. 
 Hear now why thofe who proudly call you mad, 
 In reafon's view are every whit as bad.
 
 s. in. The Satires. ioi 
 
 As, when bewilder'd in a wood by night 
 This trav'ller takes the left and that the right. 
 Each ftrays, though in a different path he ftrays, 
 Mock'd by the feif-fame error various ways, — 
 So is it here ; and he that laughs at you 
 May wear the cap ; for he is crack-brain'd too. 
 
 See Mania in a thoufand forms appear ! 
 One fears where there exifts no caufe for fear. 
 And in an open field complains he fees 
 His path oppofed by rivers, rocks, and trees. 
 Another maniac of a different turn 
 Will rulh where torrents roll and ^tnas burn. 
 Warn'd by a mother's, lifter's, confort's care — 
 Here 'fawns ngulf, here frowns a rock ; beware! 
 He's deaf as drunken Fufius in the play 
 Who fnored the part of {lumbering Hecuba, 
 While, back'd by thoufands, Polydorus bawls — 
 Awake, dear mother ! ^tis thy fon that calls. 
 
 Alike to wifdom's eye through all mankind 
 Prevails fome llrange obliquity of mind. 
 With his \z?ifous poor Damafippus buys 
 Statues and bufts — and here his madnels lies. 
 But is his creditor of mind quite found 
 Whofe loans return him fixpence in the pound ? 
 Suppofe one fays, " Take this nor e'er repay ;" 
 Are you forfooth a madman who obey ? 
 Call him the madman rather, who pretends 
 To fpurn the prize propitious Mercury fends. 
 
 Ten drawn on Nerius ; fign the loan with fpccd : 
 'Tis not enough — down with the bond and deed : 
 A thoufand parchments let Cicuta draw, 
 Skill'd to tie faft each knotty noofe of law. 
 Though chains of adamant the wretch enthrall.
 
 102 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 This curfed Proteus-debtor burfts them all ; 
 Laughs in his fleeve when dragg'd to court, and fee — 
 He turns at will to bear, bird, rock, or tree ! 
 No more — if to o'erftep felf-intereft's bound 
 Be mad, while caution proves the reafon found. 
 Strong in his breaft the flames of frenzy burn 
 Who lends his money never to return. 
 
 Hafte and adjuft the mantle's decent fold. 
 All ye that madden with the thirft of gold, — 
 Whofe bofoms kindle with ambition's fires, — 
 Whofe blood ferments with lechery's wild defires, — 
 Whom fuperflition's flavifh fear molelb, — 
 In fhort, whatever frenfy rack your breafls. 
 Approach in ranks, be patient if you can. 
 And hear me prove you maniacs to a man ! 
 
 The mifer firfl : none wants a keeper more 
 Or afks a flronger dofe of hellebore. 
 By wifdom's rules I know not if to fuch 
 A whole Anticyra's produce were too much. 
 Staberius will'd, to make his riches known. 
 Their fum fhould be engraved upon his Hone : 
 His heirs, in cafe of failure, to engage 
 Two hundred champions for the public flage, 
 Befides a one-year's Libyan crop of grain. 
 With fuch a feaft as Arrius fhould ordain. 
 Whether I form'' d my judgment well or ill. 
 Such was my pleafure ; whs dare thwart my will? 
 Such haply was the plea which weigh'd with him. 
 But would you learn the motive for this whim? 
 'Twas this : He thought no fin like being poor ; 
 Through all his life he dreaded nothing more ; 
 And would no doubt have blufh'd for his excefs. 
 If he had died worth but one farthing lefs.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 103 
 
 All things in his efteem — fame, virtue, health. 
 Human and heavenly — bow to bleffed wealth : 
 He that is rich, in every trade has ikill, — 
 Is brave, juft, wife, aye monarch, what you will. 
 Such was his creed ; with him the road to praife 
 Was wealth, and therefore wealth he ftrove to raife. 
 
 How different, Ariftippus ! your commands. 
 When with your flaves you traverfed Afric's fands ! 
 Finding their freight of gold begat delay. 
 You bade them fling the cumbrous ore away. 
 Which was the greater madman ? fome will afk : 
 The problem is a nice, but needlefs taflc : 
 Extremes but puzzle the difpute ; for who 
 Can hope to folve old doubts by ftarting new ? 
 
 If one devoid of ear or tafle (hould buy 
 A hundred harps and pile them up on high ; 
 Or treafure many a laft and paring-knife. 
 Who never botch'd a fhoe in all his life ; 
 Or fails, who took in failing no delight ; — 
 The world would ftamp him mad, and well they might. 
 Now point me out the difference, if you can, 
 Between thefe downright maniacs and the man 
 Who heaps, but dares not ufe, his darling ore. 
 And deems it facrilege to touch the ftore. 
 If near a heap of corn one takes his fland, 
 Couch'd like a watchful dragon, club in hand. 
 Yet feeding upon bitter herbs is fain 
 Sooner to flarve than touch a fingle grain ; — 
 If old Falern and Chian fifty tier — 
 Nay fifty thoufand — in his vaults appear. 
 Yet loath to violate a fingle jar 
 He fips the dregs of ropy vinegar; — 
 If in his eightieth year, when nature's law
 
 104 T"he Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Indulgence claims, he feeks his bed of ftraw. 
 Though rich in fumptuous quilts, which left a prey 
 To moths and worms within his chefts decay : — 
 Perhaps he's thought a madman but by few : 
 Why but becaufe the rell are madmen too? 
 Go, gracelefs dotard ! watch thy hoarded wine. 
 That fome fly freedman or wild fon of thine. 
 When thy old bones are mouldering in the grave. 
 May drink it out and laugh at him that gave ! 
 
 'Tis pen'ry that I fear, methinks you fay : 
 Go, count how trifling were the charge per day 
 Upon your herbs fome fweeter oil to flied 
 And give fome unguents to that fqualid head. 
 If fuch a pittance can your wants fupply. 
 Why, madman ! break your oath and cheat and lie ? 
 Should you begin the pafiing crowd to fl;one 
 And kill the flaves by purchafe made your own. 
 The very rabble whom you chanced to meet 
 Would hoot you for a madman through the ftreet. 
 And are you fane forfooth, who hang your wife 
 And drug the bowl againft a mother's life ? 
 What though the deed was not at Argos done? 
 What though you ne'er, like Clytemneftra's fon. 
 Applied the poniard ? — Idle pleas and vain ! 
 Think you 'twas matricide firft turn'd his brain ? 
 Or that his foul was not with fiends pofleft 
 Long 'ere his fword had pierced a mother's breail ? 
 We hear not that Oreftes from the time 
 They deem'd him mad, dared any heinous crime. 
 Againft Ele£lra did he e'er offend. 
 Or lift the fword againft his faithful friend ? 
 No — her he only as a fiend addreft. 
 And him what wild delirium might fuggeft.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 105 
 
 Opimius, poor amid his hoarded coin. 
 Who quafF'd on common days the lees of wine. 
 And thought it much on feftivals to Ihare ^ 
 
 Small Veian tiff from cheap Campanian ware. 
 So deep a lethargy once chanced to feize 
 That his glad heir affail'd the chefts and keys. 
 The doflor, an expert and fkilful man. 
 To roufe his patient tried the following plan: 
 Large bags of gold were emptied on the floor. 
 And friends employ'd to come and count it o'er. 
 All things prepar'd, he raifed the lick man's head. 
 And pointing where the glittering iieaps were fpread, 
 " Arife," he cried ; " your greedy heir will take 
 " All your effefts, unlefs you watch and wake. 
 " Look, they commence their plunder even now ! " — 
 What 'ere I die ! " Then wake and live." — But how ? 
 " Your fainting ftomach needs fome ftrength'ning 
 
 food ; 
 " Take this Elixir — come, 'twill do you good. " 
 Firji tell me what it coft ? — " The price is fmall." 
 How much, I ajk ? — " One fliilling ; that is all.'* 
 A Jhilling ! ''/death, if ruin muft enfue. 
 What matter if by theft, difeafe, or you ? 
 
 Who then is fane ? The man from folly free. 
 And what's the mifer ? none fo mad as he. 
 If not a mifer, am I ftraightway fane ? 
 Far from it, — Why, great ftoic ? — I'll explain. 
 Craterus declares his patient free from gout : 
 Is he then hearty ? can he walk about ? 
 No, he will anfwer ; for there yet remains 
 A fharp diftemper in the fide and reins. 
 You neither cheat nor hoard ; fo far you fliine : 
 Slay to your favouring Houfehold-gods a fwine !
 
 io6 The Satires. b. ii- 
 
 But do you thirft for place and power? — Away, 
 Steer for A nticyra without delay : 
 For whether to the mob you fling your pelf 
 Or hoard it, where's the difference to yourfelf? 
 
 Oppidius of Canufmm, his eilate 
 (A large one, reckoning by the antique rate) 
 Between two fons refolving to divide, 
 Summon'd and thus addreft them 'ere he died. 
 " Long fince, my children, when ye both were boys, 
 ** I mark'd the different treatment of your toys. 
 " Yours, Aulus ! fcatter'd and negledled lay, 
 " Were often giv'n and fometimes thrown away : 
 " While you, Tiberius ! of feverer mood 
 " Counted and hid them up where'er you could. 
 " Obferving this I fear'd — nay, ftill I fear — 
 " Left various frenfies fhould in both appear : 
 " Left you the vile example fhould purfue 
 *' Of Nomentanus — of Cicuta you. 
 " Conjured, then, by our Houfehold-gods, beware, 
 " As ye regard a dying father's prayer, 
 " You of enlarging, you of making lefs — 
 " By fordid avarice or by wild excefs — 
 " What feems fufiicient in your father's eyes, 
 " What fenfe approves and nature juftifies. 
 " But, left ambition lure you to the great, 
 " Hear on what terms I leave you my eftate : 
 " Whichever of the twain is ^dile firft 
 " Or Pr.-etor, be he outlaw'd and accurft ! " 
 
 Vainglorious fool, thus to confume thy means 
 In fcattering largefles of peas and beans. 
 All for a brazen buft and gaudy train, 
 Stripp'd of thy houfe, thy chattels, and domain, — 
 Thinking forfooth Agrippa's praife to win.
 
 5. III. The Satires, 107 
 
 A would-be lion, though an afs within ! 
 
 Whence Agamemnon does this order fpring 
 That Ajax lie untomb'd ? — Obe^ your king ! 
 Enough; I'm but your fubjedl; and fubmit. 
 Nay, more — we think our edifi jujl and Jit : 
 Yet, if there be to whom it feems fever e. 
 Let him allege his reafons ; we will hear. 
 Great Chief, may heaven vouchfafe thee to deftroy 
 And quit in fafety the proud walls of" Troy ! 
 Fain would I put fome queftions, if I may. 
 With leave to anfwer. — Say what thou would'/} fay. 
 Why does brave Ajax, who for Greece has won 
 Such laurels, fecond but to Peleus' fon. 
 Rot uninterr'd ? what triumph will it be 
 To Priam and his people, when they fee 
 That hero robb'd of funeral rites, by whom 
 So many youth of theirs have loft a tomb I 
 Upon our flocks zvith frantic rage he flew. 
 And dealing flaughter thought 'twas us he flew. 
 Here fell my f elf — here lay Ulyjfes gored — 
 There Menelaus reek'd beneath his fword. 
 When you at Aulis to the altar led 
 Iphigenia in a heifer's ftead. 
 Sprinkled upon her brow the faked meal. 
 And to her throat applied the ruthlefs fteel. 
 What fhall we fay ? Was he with frenfy wild. 
 And are you fane who facrifice your child ? 
 But after all what harm did Ajax do ? 
 He kill'd the fliccp and oxen, it is true : 
 He curfed the two Atridas ; but his wife 
 And fon — he would not hurt them for his life. 
 He fpared his Teucer ; and his deadlieft foe 
 Felt but in effigy the vengeful blow.
 
 'io8 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 /, when Di^na^j wrath, as Calchas /wore. 
 Detain'' d our barks upon the Grecian Jhore, 
 To gain a pajfage through the Jiormy food, 
 Strove wifely to propitiate Heaven with blood. 
 Aye, whofe, rafli madman ! but thine own ? reply. 
 My own, I grant ; — as madman, I deny. 
 He to whofe view bewildering paffion flings 
 Falfe colours and diftorts the form of things, 
 (Whether from rage or folly, 'tis the fame) 
 Is frantic, and deferves a madman's name. 
 Was Ajax mad, who what he did fcarce knew. 
 And in his mood the harmlefs cattle flew ? 
 And, when for empty title's fake you fln, 
 Bafely deliberate, is all found within ? 
 Does no infanenefs in that breaft refide 
 Which pants for fovereignty and fwells with pride ? 
 What if fome wight fliould take it in his head 
 To pet a lambkin in a daughter's fl;ead, — 
 Trinkets, fine clothes, and tiring-maids provide. 
 And defl;ine her fome noble lordling's bride ; — 
 Straight his incompetence the law declares 
 And names truftees to manage his affairs. 
 Reverfe the pifture now, and fay that one 
 Slays for a lamb his child, as you have done : 
 What fliall we call it ? — Madnefs, to be fure. 
 And fuch a madnefs as admits no cure. 
 For trufl: this maxim : In whatever mind 
 Reigns folly, there too madnefs fits enflirined. 
 Frenfy and vice are in efi^ecfl; the fame ; 
 And whofo fondly hunts the bubble fame. 
 Him have ten thoufand furies captive led 
 And grim Bcllona thunder'd round his head. 
 Now turn your eye to the voluptuous race ;
 
 s. III. The Satires. 109 
 
 Give Luxury and Nomentanus chafe ; 
 And mark if fcann'd by reafon's fober rule 
 The fpendthrift be not mad, the rake a fool. 
 Yon tripling, having dropp'd the filial tear. 
 Steps into fome ten thoufand pounds a year. 
 What does he firft ? — He puts his edift out. 
 That fifhmongers and fruiterers, coute-qui-coute, — 
 That all who vend perfumes, choice birds, choice 
 
 meat. 
 With all the riff-raff of the Tufcan ftrcet. 
 Buffoons, pimps, poulterers, to his hall repair. 
 And what enfued, when they affembled there ? 
 Silence proclaim'd, amid the full divan. 
 The Pimp arofe, and rifmg thus began : 
 " Whate'er belongs to me — whate'er to thefe — 
 " Is yours to-day, to-morrow, when you pleafe." 
 Then did the youth thus gracioufly reply : 
 " Friends, you provide me all that gold can buy; 
 " You booted hunt the midnight foreft o'er, 
 " That I may fup on a delicious boar : 
 " You fwoop the fiflies from the wintry fea, 
 " And of your perils bring the fruits to me : 
 " I neither need nor merit this vail ftore ; 
 " Here take this hundred — you this hundred more. 
 " A trifle fhare to you, dear fir, mull fall 
 " Whofe fpoufe at midnight liflens to my call." 
 
 iEfopus' fon drew from Metella's ear 
 That pearl for which he eril had paid fo dear, 
 And in a vinegar folution quaffd 
 A cool ten-thoufand pieces at one draught. 
 Could he have fhown a mind more pail all cure. 
 Had he confign'd it to the public few'r? 
 
 The fons ot Arrius too a jovial pair.
 
 no The Satires. b.'ii. 
 
 Refolved on dainties no expence to fpare. 
 Twins in debauch, frivolity, and vice, 
 Luncheon'd on nightingales of monftrous price. 
 How fhall we mark all fuch ? with blackening coal. 
 As fools and mad — or chalk them found and whole ? 
 
 To yoke a team of mice, build huts of fod. 
 Ride on a fwitch, and play at ev'n-and-odd,— 
 All this if one fhould do with bearded chin. 
 Few would deny that madnefs lurk'd within. 
 Say now — if fober argument fhall prove 
 Thefe freaks not half fo childiih as to love, 
 (No matter whether on the play-ground roll'd 
 You gambol as you did when four years old. 
 Or for a jilt with foolilh tremors quake 
 And whine and whimper for a harlot's fake) 
 Would you, like Polemo reclaim'd, lay by 
 Each tell-tale badge of the mind's malady ? 
 And, as he reeking from debauch, 'tis faid. 
 Drew one by one the garlands from his head. 
 Stung by the fober fage's keen rebuff. 
 Would you too doff the tippet, fwathe, and muff? 
 
 Offer the way-ward child a plum ; 'tis ftill 
 / wont : withhold it, and he cries, / wz//. 
 And is the doating lover lefs a child. 
 Who ponders, from his millrefs' gate exiled. 
 Whether to go or not, where he were fure 
 To go uncall'd, nor quits the hated door ? 
 Whi2t, fighs the youth ; — and can I fiill refuje 
 When of herfclf Jhe fends for me and fues? 
 Or fiall I boldly clofe at once my pain ? 
 She Jhut me out^fhe fummons me again: 
 And can I after this return ? oh no. 
 Not though jhe beg me on her knees to go !
 
 s. III. The Satires. m 
 
 Now hear the Have, how well the truth he hits ; 
 " Mafter, that thing which in itielf admits 
 " Nor mean nor method, we attempt in vain 
 " By method and by counfel to reftrain. 
 " In Love are all thefe ills — alternate wars 
 " And peace, fufpicions, jealoufies, and jars : 
 " Thefe random fits, thefe ever-flitting forms, 
 " Vague and inconftant as the winds and ftorms, 
 " Who thinks to moderate, were no lefs a fool 
 " Than he that Ihould attempt to rave by rule." 
 
 What — are his intelledls correft and clear. 
 Who, picking out the kernels of a pear. 
 Hails it an omen of fuccefs in love. 
 If chance one hit the ceiling's height above ? 
 When, bent with years, you clip each tender word. 
 Art fane ? or whether were it more abfurd 
 With that bald pate to ape an amorous itch 
 And lifp out love, — or ride upon a fwitch ? 
 
 Nor is this all : Hence darker evils flow. 
 And what began in folly, ends in woe : 
 Oft has fufpicion the fond bofom gored 
 And temper'd at love's flame the vengeful fword. 
 When Marius plunged the knife in Hellas' breail. 
 Then leap'd down headlong, was he not poflbft? 
 Or elfe acquitted of diforder'd fenfe. 
 Shall he be guilty found of fm prepenfe ? 
 Say 'twas in malice or in madnefs done. 
 The terms are tantamount — the thing is one. 
 
 I knew a freedman once, advanced in age. 
 Who went, by way of morning pilgrimage. 
 With clean-wafli'd hands to run from ftreet to ftrcet, 
 Bow'd to each ftatuc that he chanced to meet. 
 And paying in due form liis vows, would cry —
 
 112 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Grant me, ye gods all-powerful, ne^er to die! 
 This fellow one might warrant wind and limb, 
 Not thick of hearing nor of eye -fight dim : 
 His brain no mafter but an errant knave 
 Would fcruple to except, if fold a flave. 
 Such too muft clafs, by wife Chryfippus rules. 
 With thee, Menenius ! and thy fellow-fools. 
 
 " O Jove ! " the mother cries, whofe fole employ 
 For five long months has been to nurfe her boy, 
 '* O Jove ! who, as thy fovercign will may pleafe, 
 *' Inflideft anguifh or reliev'ft difeafe, 
 " If to thefe weeping eyes thou giv'ft to fee 
 *' My lingering little-one from ague free, 
 " On the firfl; folemn fail thy priefts command 
 *' Chin-deep in Tiber's current he fhall ftand." 
 Should chance or med'cine's aid prolong his breath 
 And fnatch her foftling from the jaws of death. 
 Bare on the river's brink fhe makes him fit, 
 Then pull him in, renews his ague-fit. 
 And ilamps his doom. — What mania have we here ? 
 What but the frenfy of religious fear ? 
 
 ^ So fpake the fage Stertinius good and great, 
 The eighth wife man and wifeft of the eight : 
 Such arms in felf-defence he bade me wield. 
 And drive each rude affailant from the field. 
 Who calls me mad, now hears as much in turn ; 
 And he, that taxes me, perchance may learn, 
 To his own grolTer faults no longer blind. 
 To mark the wallet pendent from behind. 
 
 ^ O lloic ! fo may future luck befriend 
 Your bargains, and your fhatter'd fortunes mend ! 
 Since you have clearly proved that all men's minds 
 Are touch'd, and folly is of various kinds.
 
 s. III. The Satires. 113 
 
 Say which of all its fpecies racks my brain ? 
 For 'faith I feem not to myfelf infane. 
 f[ Nor did the mad Agave, when fhe bore 
 Her own fon's head and eyed the dripping gore. 
 H Come then, I grant the juftice of your rule, 
 And will moft humbly own myfelf a fool, — 
 Nay, madman too. Say only of what turn 
 You think my madnefs is ? II Attend and learn. 
 Firft then you build ; in other words, you vie 
 With giants, tho' you ftand fcarce three feet high. 
 You fmile, when Turbo on the ftage is feen. 
 At his fmall ftature and commanding mien : 
 But is he more ridiculous than you. 
 When, whatfoe'er you fee Mascenas do. 
 Forthwith, regardlefs of your pigmy frame. 
 You think that Horace too muft do the fame ! 
 
 A mother frog, 'tis faid, in queft of food 
 Had roam'd abroad and left her infant brood : 
 An ox came by and crufli'd them all but one. 
 Who told his weeping mother what was done, — 
 How a ftupendous monfter huge and tall 
 Had trodden on the reft and kill'd them all. 
 Then puffing both her fides, D^ye think, faid (he, 
 ''Twas big as this? — " Aye, bigger far," quoth he. 
 What big as this ? — " Nay, mother, ceafe," he cries ; 
 " Strain till you burft, you'll never reach his fize." 
 
 This fable piflures to the life the ftate 
 Of little folk, like you, that ape the great. 
 Add to thefe fymptoms that moft ftrange defire 
 For fcribbling verfe — add oil, that is, to fire : 
 For when was poet known that had his wits ? 
 H Hold, hold ! ^ I mention not your raving fits, 
 That horrid aptitude to fume and fret —
 
 114 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 H Good Damafippus, have you not done yet ? 
 IT Your ftyle of living far above your fphere — 
 IT Pray, faucy Iloic, ccafe to interfere 
 In my concerns. IT And then your lewd excefs — 
 ^ Oh fpare, thou greater madman, fpare a lefs ! 
 
 SATIRE IV. 
 
 In the form of a dialogue between Horace and Catius. 
 
 HAH, Catius ! whence and whither now fo fall? 
 IT Prithee excufe me ; I'm in urgent hafte 
 To note down precepts which the Samian fage. 
 The tongue of Socrates, and Plato's page 
 Ne'er equall'd. IT Marrj^, I confefs my crime 
 To interrupt you at this awkward time. 
 Yet ftay, indulge my thirft of curious lore : 
 What now efcapes, refledlion will rellore ; 
 For, be the fyftem relative to art 
 Or nature, you have always both by heart. 
 ^ But then I'd fain fubllantiate, 'ere 'tis fled. 
 This fkein of dodlrine fpun of flendereft thread. 
 ^ And who is he from whom the doftrine came ? 
 Roman or fojourner? and what's his name? 
 ^ Go to— I'll try and tell you, if I can. 
 The rules themfelves : no matter for the man. 
 
 The long-fhaped eggs fliould be preferr'd to round : 
 Their juice is richer, and they more abound 
 In nutriment. This rule will never fail. 
 For they inclofe the embryo of the male. 
 
 The cabbage grown in dry and upland fields
 
 ^' ^^' The Satires. h^ 
 
 Is fvveeter far than what the fuburb yields. 
 Here none but plants of wa% tafte are had • 
 Irnguous ground for all this tribe is bad. 
 
 Should 70U receive an unexpeded gueft 
 And frefh-kill'd fowl be all you have, 'twere belt 
 boufe It ahve in mix'd Falernian wine : 
 This makes the flefli eat tender, rich, and fine. 
 
 Prefer thofe mulhrooms that in paftures fpring- 
 i o fwallow others is a dangerous thing. 
 I warrant he fhall feldom ficknefs feel 
 Who with ripe mulb'ries ends his morning meal • 
 But then they muft be gather'd, to be fweet, 
 'Ere the fun fheds his full meridian heat. 
 Aufidius for his morning beverage ufed 
 Honey in ftrong Falernian wine in'fufed ; 
 But here methinks he fhew'd his want of brains • 
 Dnnk Ids auftere beft fuits the empty veins. 
 And he with greater prudence will proceed' 
 Who wets his wizzard firft with lenient mead 
 If nature lingers, in one mefs combine 
 Dwarf-forrel, mufcles, and white Coan wine • 
 To the clogg'd ftomach 'twill reftore its play ' 
 And wafh the crude obftruftions clean away. 
 Shell-filh afford a lubricating flime : 
 But then you mult obferve both place and time 
 They're caught the fineft when the moon is new • 
 The Lucnne far excel the Baian too. 
 Mifenum fliines in cray-fiHi ; Circe moft 
 In oyfters ; fcollops let Tarentum boaft. 
 
 The culinary critic firlt fliould learn 
 Each nicer fhade of flavour to difcern • 
 To fweep the fifli-ftalls is mere fliow at belt 
 Unlefs you know how each thing fliould be drelt-
 
 ii6 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 And what if roafted — what if ftew'd aright 
 Rallies the ftomach and renews the fight. 
 
 Let boars of Umbrian growth replete with maft. 
 If game delight you, crown the rich repaft : 
 Thofe of Laurentian breed, whofe only food 
 Are fedge and rufhes, are not half fo good. 
 The vine-fed gazell fmall enjoyment brings : 
 The wife in pregnant hares prefer the wings. 
 To con the worth and age of fifh and bird, 
 'Ere I explain'd it, was an art ne'er heard. 
 Some wafle their genius upon parte alone. 
 As if one virtue would all faults atone : 
 Others in choice of wines place all their pride. 
 Indifferent in what oil their fifh is fried. 
 Expofe to a clear fky your Maffic wine ; 
 Whate'er was thick, the night-air will refine. 
 Unpleafant odours too will thus be chafed : 
 But flraining it through linen mars the tafte. 
 Whoe'er, its flrength and fpirit to increafe. 
 Pours his Surrentine o'er Falernian lees. 
 Should clarify the mafs with pigeons' eggs, 
 "Which in their fall precipitate the dregs. 
 Baked fhrimps and cockles o'er the furnace drefl 
 Serve to recruit the faturated guefl. 
 But lettuce after many a bumper glafs 
 Floats on the fliomach and corrodes the mafs. 
 Chufe rather ham or chitterlings or aught 
 That reeking from the Tavern-fire is brought. 
 
 The compound fauce demands your nicefl care, 
 Mix'd up with oil, rich wine, and caviare : 
 But be it of no other fort than that 
 Long fince diflill'd from a Byzantine vat. 
 With fhredded herbs and faffron let it boil.
 
 s. IV. The Satires. 117 
 
 And when it cools, pour in Vcnafrian oil. 
 
 Tiburtine pears to Picene yield in juice. 
 
 In look fuperior, but lefs fit for ufe. 
 
 For grapes Venaculan big jars provide. 
 
 But dry the Alban at your chimney's fide. 
 
 This grape with apples, brine, and Coan lees, 
 
 (Add fait and fifted pepper, if you pleafe) 
 
 Round the main difh in feparate plates to ftrew 
 
 Is an invention to my genius due. 
 
 Fools, having fpent a fortune for a fifh. 
 
 Cramp its circumference in a fcanty difh. 
 
 Tis apt foul naufea in the gueft to raife. 
 
 If by a greafy glafs the flave betrays 
 
 His lickorifh thefts : nor is the eye lefs hurt 
 
 To fee an antique vafe begrimed with dirt. 
 
 How fmall of fand, brooms, duflers is the price ! 
 
 Yet to o'erlook them what a flagrant vice ! 
 
 Gods ! who would fweep with filthy befom o'er 
 
 The beauties of a teflelated floor ? 
 
 Or who with fenfe of decency would fpread 
 
 An umvafh'd cover o'er a purple bed ? 
 
 The lefs expenfe and pains fuch trifles claim. 
 
 To difregard them is the greater fhame : 
 
 Some comforts nought but wealth commands ; but 
 
 Are fuch as all can compafs if they pleafe. [thefe 
 
 m Good Catius ! let me by the gods, I pray. 
 Hear this profefTor, be he who he may. 
 For though you have his leftures at command. 
 Yet through your mouth it comes but fecond-hand. 
 Befides there's fomething in his look, his air. 
 Far more than you that know him are aware. 
 I, by the love of facred fcience led. 
 Would quaff her waters at the fountain-head.
 
 ii8 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 SATIRE V. 
 
 Dialogue betzveen UhJJes and Tirefias. 
 
 T HANKS, good Tirefias! — yet in one point more 
 Vouchfafb the aid of your prophetic lore. 
 The ways and means, if auglit there be, declare 
 Kind fage ! my fhatter'd fortunes to repair : 
 And then — But fay, what means that lurking fmile? 
 % How now, unconfcionable fon of wile ; 
 Are your regards fo foon on lucre bent ? 
 A refcued outcaft, and not yet content ! 
 Seems it fo fmall a boon to greet once more 
 Your houfehold-gods, and tread your native fhore ? 
 
 ^ Unerring feer ! how ftripp'd I muft behold 
 That much-loved home, you have yourfelf foretold ; 
 There not a cellar nor a flock remain 
 Of mine, unranfack'd by the fuitor-train. 
 And well Tirefias wots, that fame and birth 
 With empty coffers are of little worth. 
 
 ^ To fpeak plain truth, 'tis penury you fear : 
 Would you then learn the road to wealth, give ear. 
 If a male-thrufh be fent you by a friend. 
 Or other tit-bit more than markets vend. 
 Balk your own palate, and difpatch it ftraight 
 To fome old dotard with a huge eftate. 
 The firft-fruits of your garden and your field, 
 Whate'er your ponds — whate'er your orchards yield, 
 'Ere offerings due before the Gods be placed. 
 Let your more worthy God — the rich man — tafte..
 
 s. V. The Satires. 119 
 
 Though reeking from a brother's blood, forfworn, 
 A thief, a renegade, the butt of fcorn. 
 Yield the pert fool precedence ; nor difdain. 
 If need require, to linger in his train. 
 
 IF And mull: Ulyffes then (oh foul difgrace !) 
 Truckle to knaves and give a Dama place ? 
 Not fo I bore myfelf at Troy, but fw^ell'd 
 With proud ambition, and with heroes held 
 High rivalry, ftill foremoft to endure 
 The battle's brunt. 11 Be proud then, and be poor. 
 IT Nay, then, cheer up, my foul ! — for ah ! what care 
 Has not that foul already learn'd to bear ? 
 Only proceed, great prophet, to unfold 
 The promifed path to happinefs and gold. 
 
 IT I fay, hunt legacies ; lay every bait 
 To choufe the doating churl of his eftate : 
 And though fome few, too fly to be your prey. 
 May nibble round the hook and flink away, — 
 Ne'er in defpondence from your purpofe ftart. 
 Nor for one failure drop the gainful art. 
 Should rumour whifper of a fuit at law, — 
 How great, how trivial, matters not a ftraw — 
 Afk not on which fide juftice lies; but which 
 Is childlefs, fuperannuated, rich : 
 And though he fue perhaps from wanton fpite. 
 Plead on his fide and prove that black is white. 
 But him of jufter caufe and purer life 
 Spurn, if a fon be his or teeming wife. 
 Accoft your client then in terms like thefe : 
 " Quintus, or Publius," or whate'er you pleafe — 
 Only be fure the fool his furname hears. 
 For thefe fame furnamcs tickle tender cars ; — 
 " That worth, which long has fix'd me for your friend.
 
 120 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 " Now zeal for juftice prompts me to defend. 
 
 " In pleading I am verfed, in fpeech excel, 
 
 " And know the wire-drawn quirks of Law full well. 
 
 " Make yourfelf eafy ; leave the cafe to me ; 
 
 " For fooner would I lofe thefe eyes than fee 
 
 " So good a creature cheated of a mite : 
 
 " 111 trounce the caitiff and aflert your right." 
 
 Then bid him to domeftic peace retire. 
 
 While you conduft things to his heart's defire. 
 
 Bawl loud for juftice 'fpite of fummer's duft. 
 
 Though bldxing Sirius fplit the new-made bujl ; 
 
 Nor heed though Furius in his mawkifti mood 
 
 Befpirt with hoary fnows the Alpine wood. 
 
 Perchance fome witnefs of the wordy fray 
 
 Shall twitch his neighbour's fleeve, and whifpering 
 
 fay— 
 " How ftaunch he is ! how ardent to defend 
 " His client's caufe ! how zealous for his friend !" 
 Thus one good trick a thoufand dupes cajoles, 
 'Till Thunnies crowd to your decoy in flioals. 
 
 Anon, left fome fufpeft the fhallow plan. 
 Vary the field, and court the married man. 
 But pay your moft obfequious fervice there. 
 Where wealth awaits fome puny milk-fop heir. 
 This feldom fails : for, fhould he profper, ftill 
 Your name ftands fecond in the old man's will : 
 And, if good-luck fhould fend him to his tomb, 
 Ulyfles fhall fupply the ftripling's room. 
 
 Whene'er a will is given you to be read. 
 Decline the tafk and turn afide your head. 
 Yet, as with coy reluftance you deny 
 And pufh it from you, glance a carelefs eye 
 Down to the fecond Item, and explore
 
 s. V. The Satires. 121 
 
 Whether your name ftand folc, or join'd with more. 
 Yet mark me well ; and, cautious what you do. 
 Beware the tables be not turn'd on you. 
 A fhrewd old Scrivener, future time will (how. 
 Shall like the fox cajole the gaping crow; 
 Coranus (hall his wheedling foe outwit. 
 And fad Nafica prove the biter bit. 
 H Are you ftark mad ? or do you but intend 
 To fay in jeft what none can comprehend ? 
 H Son of Laertes ! every word by me 
 Foretold, is fure to be — or not to be ! 
 From great Apollo flows this art of mine. 
 And he it was who taught me to divine. 
 IF Yet prithee if the fecret may be told. 
 The meaning of that myftic tale unfold. 
 H What time a hero, whofe high lineage fprings 
 From brave ^neas and from Trojan kings. 
 The Parthian's terror and his country's boaft. 
 Shall ftretch his fway o'er many a dillant coall, 
 Nalica's daughter fliall Coranus wed. 
 And grace (to pay old debts) a letcher's bed. 
 Then Ihall the fon intreat him to perufe 
 His will, which long the father fhall refufe : 
 Yet, after decent fcruples, he complies ; 
 When — Oh ! the difmal truth that meets his eyes ! 
 For nothing can the wretched cull find there 
 Bequeath'd to him or his, fave blank defpair. 
 But, to proceed — Is there a dotard fway'd 
 By fome fly freedman or fome canting jade, — 
 Unite with them in amicable league. 
 And court the profits of a joint intrigue. 
 Praife their afliduous zeal with kind concern. 
 That they may found your praifcs in their turn.
 
 122 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 This plan mav anfwer : — Yet 'twere beft of all 
 
 At one bold ftroke to ftorm the capital. 
 
 Does the poor driveller fcribble doggrel verfe ? 
 
 Commend his tafte as fine — his ftyle as terfe. 
 
 Or is he lewd ? anticipate his vows, 
 
 ProfFer with friendly zeal your loving fpoufe. 
 
 And, as if none but he deferred fuch charms, 
 
 Blefs with Penelope his wither'd arms. 
 
 H Think you a dame fo prudent, fo difcreet. 
 
 Will e'er confent to humour this deceit — 
 
 She whom the fuitors, though they tried each art. 
 
 Could never tempt from honour to depart? 
 
 IT Thofe fuitors feldom tried what gold can do : 
 
 Their paffion rather was to feaft, than woo. 
 
 Gratuitoufly chafte fhe was, I grant ; 
 
 But find her out fome veteran rich gallant. 
 
 And let her fliare the profits of his flame, — 
 
 I warrant you fhe'll follow up the game. 
 
 An odd occurrence in my time befel 
 An honeft Thcban whom I knew full well. 
 A rich old lady left him all fhe had. 
 With one provifo v/hich fhe chofe to add : 
 My corpfe (faid fhe), anointed well, my heir 
 On naked jJjoulders to the pile mujl bear: 
 Hoping no doubt, when all her toils \vere part. 
 To give her humble flave the flip at laft. 
 Beware of teazing then ; proceed with art ; 
 Be neither fhy, nor over-aft your part. 
 Avoid extremes ; be neither too verbofe, — 
 For others' prate is death to the morofe ; 
 Nor too referved, — flill lefs will that engage 
 The felf-complacency of babbling age. 
 But copy Davus in the play, who ftands
 
 s. V. The Satires. 123 
 
 Awe-ftruck, with head inclined and folded hands. 
 
 Studious to ferve and forward to obey. 
 
 Win by obfequioufnefs your eafy way. 
 
 Intreat him, fhould the air bite fharp and cold. 
 
 The cloak around his precious throat to fold: 
 
 In walking, elbow off the faucy throng. 
 
 And ftoutly hale his tottering fteps along : 
 
 With greedy ear let all his tales be heard. 
 
 And catch his jefts as loath to lofe a word. 
 
 Does he love praife? indulge the puppy's thirft ; 
 
 Blow the capacious bladder 'till it burft : 
 
 Go on till he exclaims with angry air 
 
 And hands upraifed — Hold, flatterer, forbear ! 
 
 At length when, clofed your bondage and your fear. 
 The long expedled found falutes your ear — 
 Item, to dear Ulyjfes I bequeath 
 One moiety, as herein underneath — 
 With well-feign'd forrow ever and anon 
 Sigh out — " And is my Dama dead and gone ? 
 " Ah, woe is me ! where fhall I ever find 
 ** Another friend fo conflant and fo kind ? " 
 Meanwhile, if poffible, with much ado 
 Squeeze from your eyes a trickling tear or two : 
 For praflice to the features can impart 
 A gloom that mafks the gladnefs of the heart. 
 If to diredl the funeral be your doom, 
 Raife to his memory a fumptuous tomb : 
 Thus at no great expenfe much fame is won. 
 And all the world fhall fay 'twas nobly done. 
 Perchance among your co-heirs there appears 
 One with a wheezing cough advanced in years : 
 If fuch there be, accofl him and declare 
 That if he wifhes to partake your fliare.
 
 124 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Be it or houfe or land, you are not nice. 
 He's welcome to it and may name his price. 
 
 More I could fing : — But hark, the queen of hell 
 Chides my delay : — a laft, a long farewell ! 
 
 SATIRE VI. 
 
 THIS was of old my wifhes' utmoft bound ; — 
 A fnug eftate with houfe and garden ground. 
 Where a fmall grove might wave its foliage near 
 And a pure fpring run bubbling all the year. 
 Indulgent Heaven has granted this, and more : 
 'Tis well ; no further bleffmgs I implore. 
 Great fon of Maia, make but to endure 
 The boons I have, and ftamp their tenure fure ! 
 
 If to no fraud I owe what I poflefs. 
 If by no fault or folly make it lefs, — 
 If from my lips no idle vows efcape. 
 As, " Oh for yonder nook that mars the fhape 
 Of my domain ! " or, " Oh would chance unfold 
 To thefe bleft eyes fome fecret hoard of gold ! " 
 (As he that ploughing found a treafured ftore 
 And bought the land he till'd for hire before) 
 If pleafed with what is given thy votary lives. 
 Nor indifpofed to blefs the hand that gives ; — 
 Thus I intrcat thee : ftill vouchfafe to fhed 
 Thy tutelary influence o'er my head ! 
 Increafc my cattle, to my flocks be kind. 
 And fatten all I have — except my mind ! 
 
 Fled from the city and the city's care
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 125 
 
 To breathe on Sabine hills a purer air, 
 (Welcome, fweet theme ! than which I ne'er can chufe 
 One more congenial to my flip-fhod mufe) 
 Ambition's burthen from my mind I caft. 
 And fliun the preffure of the noxious blaft ; 
 Autumn's grim form, that loads the frequent bier 
 And gluts the grave, remits his terrors here. 
 
 Thou whom the morning's bufy crowd adore ! 
 Or Janus ! — if that title pleafe thee more — 
 Great Sire, fmce all mankind, by Heaven's decree, 
 'Ere they commence their labours, bow to thee, — 
 With thee begins my fong. — From peaceful home 
 To offer bail thou fummon'ft me to Rome. 
 " Arife," I hear thee cry — " Begone with fpeed j 
 " Let none anticipate the friendly deed. 
 " What though the withering north-wind fcour the 
 
 plain ? 
 " What though bleak winter, fraught with fnow and 
 
 rain, 
 " Bid the fwift day in narrower circles run ? 
 " 'Tis bufinefs calls, and bufinefs muft be done." 
 
 Suppofc me then at Rome, in forms exprefs 
 Bound to what foon may plunge me in diftrefs : 
 Next I've to pufh my paflage through the throng. 
 Elbow the flow, and irritate the ftrong. 
 Madman! cries one among the faucy rout. 
 What brought you here, and what are you about ? 
 With fuch officious zeal you rujh to greet 
 Maecenas, that you joftle all you meet! 
 This, I muft own, is mufic to my ear : 
 Reproach like this I feel a pride to hear. 
 
 Entering at laft Efquilia's fliady gloom. 
 Scarce am I uflier'd to the Levee-room,
 
 126 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 When — Oh, what fwarms of dull requefts invade. 
 
 Buzz at my ear and thicken round my head ! 
 
 Rofcius to morrow 'ere the hour of eight 
 
 Begs your attendance as his advocate. — 
 
 Tour brother clerks hope you'll return to day 
 
 On bufinefs which admits of no delay. — 
 
 Another brings me parchments: Sir, you'll pleafe 
 
 To let Macenas fix his feal to thefe. 
 
 Should one with hefitating air reply, 
 
 " Whate'er Sir, the refult may be, I'll try;" 
 
 Nay, he rejoins, enforcing his requeft. 
 
 Try but in earneft — none can doubt the reft. 
 
 Sev'n rolling years are nearly at an end 
 Since firft Maecenas bade me be his friend. 
 So far that on a journey or a ride 
 He'd place me in the chariot by his fide. 
 Join in light converfe, and politely chat 
 With air familiar about this and that : 
 As, What's the hour?— Which fencer fl:ows7noftfkill? 
 Without a cloak the mornings now bite chill : 
 And all fuch fmall-talk, as without much pother 
 Comes in at one ear and flies out at t'other. 
 Envy meanwhile grew louder every day. 
 And every hour beheld me more her prey. 
 Some folks, it feemsy are mighty friends of late ,• 
 Together at the ft^ows they're tete-a-tete y 
 Then at the Tennis-court, 'tis juft the fame : 
 Oh, he's the child of fortune! — all exclaim. 
 
 Is fome vague rumour whifpcr'd through the ftreet? 
 I'm ftopt and fifted by each fool I meet. 
 Good fir ! — for you who live fo much at court 
 Muft needs have heard, — what means this odd report 
 About the Dacians? — " Troth, fir," I reply.
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 127 
 
 " You're in the fecret juft as much as I." 
 
 Ah, how you love to banter ! would I knew 
 
 One half as much ! — " Nay, hang me if I do !" 
 
 Will Ceefar quarter, pray, his veteran bands 
 
 On the Sicilian or Italian lands ? 
 
 If I proteil my ignorance, I then 
 
 Pafs for the fhyell and moft clofe of men ! 
 
 'Mid fuch diftradlions doom'd to wafle the day. 
 How often, how devoutly do I pray — 
 Dear rural fhades, where peace and filence reign. 
 Ah, when fhall I behold you once again ? 
 When ftudious there the paths of fcience tread. 
 And hold high converfe with the mighty dead ? 
 Or, indolently funk in floth ferene. 
 Quaff fweet oblivion of the world's dull fcene ? 
 When fliall the beans, by Samian fage adored. 
 With favoury pork and pottage grace my board ? 
 O halcyon nights ! O feaib that never cloy ! — 
 Feafts, that the gods themfelves might tafte with joy ! 
 When I and mane befide my own loved hearth; 
 Seafoning our fimple meal with fober mirth. 
 Regale on viands plentiful though plain. 
 And leave the remnants to the iaucy train ! 
 There free from foolifh rules, the guefts at eafe 
 Caroufc from goblets of what lize they pleafe : 
 This fips the cup, and that without controul 
 Draws deep potations from the ampler bowl. 
 
 Nor is it long 'ere fubjefts of debate 
 Are ftarted — not of this or that eilate — 
 Not of the manfions where the great may dwell. 
 Nor whether Lepos dances ill or well ; — 
 But other topics of more near concern. 
 And things which it were mifcry not to learn : —
 
 128 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 As, whether wealth or virtue makes us bleft ; 
 If friendfhip fpring from love or intereft ; 
 In what the goods of human life confift ; 
 And what the fovereign good that tops the lift. 
 
 'Mid fuch debates friend Cervius oft lets fall 
 Some pithy tale in point that charms us all : 
 Thus, if one chanced to praife the dear bought blifs 
 Of rich Arellius, ftraight his tale was this : — 
 
 Once on a time (as ancient legends tell) 
 A field-moufe welcomed to his humble cell 
 A moufe from town, old cronies both. Our hoft. 
 Though of economy he made much boaft. 
 Yet, when occafion ofFer'd, could unbend. 
 And knew with open heart to greet a friend. 
 In one word muftering now his choiceft fare. 
 Wild oats he brought, with many a hoarded tare. 
 Scraps of half-nibbled pork, and raifins fweet ; 
 In hopes at leaft by varying thus the treat 
 To tempt the fqueamifh palate of the cit. 
 Who fneer'd contempt and fcarcely touch'd a bit. 
 Not fo the mafter of the manfion ; he, 
 Stretch'd on a ftubble couch, devour'd with glee 
 Coarfe chaff and darnel, leaving all the beft 
 With due politencfs to his daintier gueft. 
 
 At laft the cit, unable to refrain. 
 Broke forth, — " I vow, my friend, it gives me pain 
 " To fee you thus put up with vulgar food, 
 " Coop'd in the covert of a fhaggy wood. 
 " Do take my counfel ; quit this hideous den, 
 " Run up to Town with me, and live with men. 
 " And, fince in every creature upon earth 
 " Lurk feeds of diflblution from its birth, — 
 " Since foon or late, however great or fmall.
 
 s. VI. The Satires. 129 
 
 " Inexorable Death awaits us all, — 
 " Be wife, be happy ; revel while you may, 
 " And lengthen by enjoyment life's fliort day." 
 Such cogent reafoning who could long oppofe ? 
 Light bounding out of doors to Town he goes : 
 And fide by fide they trip, refolved to creep 
 Up the town-walls when all were faft afleep. 
 
 Now pitchy night had wrapt the world in gloom. 
 When chance conduds them to a lordly dome. 
 Where broider'd cufhions ftain'd with Tyrian dye 
 On ivory couches ftruck the dazzled eye, 
 And fragments of the feaft of yefterday 
 Piled up aloft in tempting bafkets lay. 
 Placing the peafant on a fumptuous feat, 
 Himfelf officiates and prolongs the treat; 
 With bufy fpeed from fifh to paftry fprings. 
 Brings all the beft, and taftes it 'ere he brings. 
 
 The clown exulting in his alter'd fate 
 Lolls like a prince upon his bed of ftate. 
 Thinks of his former fare with high difdain. 
 Roves o'er the feaft, and ftufFs and fwills again. 
 When fuddenly the doors with thundering noife 
 Burft open and at once difpel their joys : 
 Off in a trice each bounces from his chair. 
 And fcampers round the hall he fcarce knows where : 
 Anon, to add to their alarm, rulh in 
 Fierce hounds, the wide roof echoing to their din. 
 Then thus the ruftic : " Friend, excufe my hafte ; 
 " Farewell! this life may fuit a town-bred tafte: 
 " Remote from danger rather let me dwell 
 " Cheer'd with an acorn in my wild-wood cell !"
 
 130 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 SATIRE VII. 
 
 Dialogue between Horace aiid his Jlave Davus. 
 
 YOU, iir, with patient zeal I long have heard ; 
 And might a flave for once put in a word — 
 IT What honeft Davus ? IF Aye, fir, even fo, 
 A faithful drudge and frugal as times go : 
 Thrifty as you fhall meet, though (as they fay) 
 Not yet perhaps too good on earth to flay. 
 IF Well, take (fince thus our fathers have decreed) 
 The feafon's licenfe ; to thy tale, — proceed. 
 
 H Firm to their purpofe, fome perfift in fin. 
 Err boldly on, and end as they begin : 
 Others, ftill halting between right and wrong. 
 Are every thing by ftarts and nothing long : 
 They foar in virtue now ; — and in a trice. 
 The flaves of random whim, they fink in vice. 
 Dazzling each eye, one day with three rings on 
 Would Prifcus ftrut, — the next perhaps with none 
 Now for retirement, now for place and power. 
 His mind — his garb he fhifted every hour. 
 Tired of a palace, fudden he would hie. 
 And damning grandeur flink into a fty, — 
 Some alley-dungeon, filthy, dark and mean. 
 Where fcarce a decent freed-man would be feen. 
 A rhetorician fometimes he would roam 
 To Athens — fometimes ftay a rake at home. 
 Sure at his birth all the Vertumni fhcd 
 In wrath their changeful influence on his head.
 
 s. VII. The Satires. 131 
 
 How difFerent Volanerius ! when the gout 
 
 Had cramp'd each joint with many a hearty bout. 
 
 True to his plan and refolute in vice 
 
 He hired a drudge to pick and troll his dice. 
 
 Yet even he (for this one praife he had) 
 
 Was better, becaufe uniformly bad. 
 
 Than he who tightens now — now flacks his tether. 
 
 And knows not his own mind two hours together. 
 
 H Well, firrah ! where are thefe dull faws to end ? 
 IT Dear mafter I no offence, — to '^ou they tend. 
 IF How fo, thou faucy knave ? — H Your tongue iHll 
 
 chimes 
 The fimple manners of the good old times ; 
 Yet, if fome god fhould grant you what you chufe. 
 Sure as my name is Davus, you'd refufe; — 
 Either becaufe you feel not what you fay. 
 Or change your principles from day to day. 
 And vainly ftrive to loofe your tangled foot, 
 Refolving ftill and ftill irrefolute. 
 
 In Rome you praife the country; polling down 
 Into the country, there you praife the town. 
 Should no kind friend invite you as his gueft. 
 Why then, be fure, fnug privacy is bell: ; 
 And Oh thank Heaven — you cry, like fome reclufe 
 Whom nothing but main force could e'er induce 
 To ftir abroad — thank Heaven, I fup at home ! 
 Meanwhile fhould but Mscenas bid you come, 
 Gods ! what a buftlc ftraight enfues ! Here,Jlave, 
 Fetch me the oil ; run, fly — you ftamp and rave. 
 Milvius with all the fpunging crew retreat. 
 And muttering wifh — more than I dare repeat. 
 " I own (cries one) the kitchen-fteams impart 
 " Joy to my nofc and rapture to my heart :
 
 132 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 " I am a glutton, — I deny it not ; 
 
 " Add, if you will, a fluggard and a fot : 
 
 " And fome there are, it feems, as bad as I, 
 
 " Or worfe ; but then they're marvelloufly fly, 
 
 " And, while at others' faults they ftart and groan, 
 
 " Veil in a cloud of cafuiilry their own." — 
 
 Such is their talk : and what if the fame rule 
 
 Will prove that Horace is as mere a fool 
 
 As the poor flave he bought for fifty crowns ? — 
 
 Nay, check your hand, good fir ! and fpare your 
 
 frowns. 
 While I retail fome doftrines which of late 
 Crifpinus' porter taught me at his gate. 
 
 You court the matron ; Davus woos at moft 
 The trull : which beft deferves the whipping-poll ? 
 When paffion urges, Davus feeks the ftews : 
 No dread has he his credit there to lofe, — 
 No fear left one of greater wealth or charms 
 Should take the faithlefs fair-one to his arms. 
 When you intriguing go, to cheat the fight. 
 You drop the robe and ring, and dofi^ the Knight, — 
 With the coarfe cowl your perfumed trefles hide. 
 And lay the terrors of the judge afide. 
 You feign the flave ; and in good footh 'tis plain 
 You are the very charafter yo\x feign. 
 Admittance gain'd, impetuous pafllon burns 
 And trembling terror chills your heart by turns. 
 Then where's the difference, \vhether you engage. 
 Like the hired fencer on the public ftage. 
 To brave the ftinging lafli and galling blade, — 
 Or by my Lady's confidential maid. 
 When danger threatens, you be tamely preft 
 Heels over head within fome narrow cheft ?
 
 s. VII. The Satires. 133 
 
 Has the wrong'd hufband a juft right to kill 
 The wife? — O'er you he has a juller ftill. 
 She quits not home ; fhe wears no mean difguife ; 
 Nor, till encompafT'd by foft fnares, complies ; 
 And plays at laft, half trembling, half trepann'd. 
 The under-part, and fins but fecond-hand. 
 Go, be a Have then of your own accord; 
 Bow to the yoke, fwear fealty to your lord ; 
 And yield at once, without one blulh of fhame. 
 Life, perfon, fubllance, character, and fame ! 
 Have you efcaped? — Then, wifer than before. 
 You mean, no doubt, to play the fool no more. 
 Alas ! not fo : — The fame mad courfe you run. 
 Again to quake, again to be undone. 
 
 flave by choice ! what beaft, that breaks his chain 
 And quits his cage, returns to it again ? 
 
 I'm no adulterer, methinks you cry : 
 Perhaps you are not ; nor a thief am I, 
 When with a lidelong glance and ftifled wifh 
 
 1 pafs the lullre of fome lilver difh. 
 
 Place but the danger fomewhat out of view, 
 I were the thief, and the adulterer you : 
 Recoiling nature would ufurp the foul. 
 And like the' unbridled racer fpurn controul. 
 
 And mull I call joa mailer, — you, whom all 
 The tyrant pafTions thus by turns enthrall, — 
 Whom not the Prastor's wand, thrice o'er your head 
 Or four times waved could free from fervile dread ? 
 Though Scrub'' s the title which you great folks gave. 
 Who ferves a fervant is h\$ fellotu-JIave. 
 How ftands the cafe then 'twixt myfelf and you ? 
 I ferve my mailer — he ferves others too ; 
 And, like a wirc-work'd puppet, kicks or fprings.
 
 134 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Juft as the fovereign paffion pulls the ftrings. 
 
 Who then is free? — The man with wifdom fraught. 
 Lord of himfelf in aftion, word, and thought; 
 Whom neither duns nor dungeons can affright. 
 Nor death deter from following what is right ; 
 Who fpurns the trifles that vain fools admire. 
 And awes to filence every wild defire : 
 Colledled in himfelf, compaft and round. 
 All outward ills from his fmooth furface bound ; 
 Fortunes keen fhafts can find no entrance there. 
 But glance afide and fpend their force in air. 
 
 Say, can you claim the portrait as your own ? 
 Can you prefume to talk in this high tone ? 
 Your fair-one haply hints a fmall douceur ; 
 She aflcs five talents; — dare you to demur? 
 To cool your flame, kick'd fairly out of doors, 
 A plenteous fliower upon your head fhe pours. 
 Again fhe fummons you : now let us fee 
 If you can fpurn the yoke, and fay — Vm free! 
 'Tis vain ; for in your heart does ftill refide 
 A tjrant lord that will not be denied : 
 He rufhes on you, hurries you away. 
 And fpurs you forwards with refiftlefs fway. 
 
 When you fome piece of Paufias raptured view. 
 And dote o'er each bold ftroke his pencil drew. 
 Are you not mad as Davus, when he flays 
 Admiring * with a foolifh face of praife' 
 The combat of two fencers, quaintly plann'd 
 In chalk or charcoal by fome ruflic hand. 
 Where with flrain'd finews, as in aftual flrife. 
 They fccm to pufh and parry to the life ? 
 Yet he's the loitering vagabond, be fure ; — 
 You the nice judge, the' accomplifh'd connoifTeur !
 
 s. VII. The Satires. 135 
 
 Should Davus lick the marmalade or hafh. 
 Poor Davus rues his crime beneath the lafh : 
 While your magnanimous and lofty foul 
 Confronts the fumptuous board and fparkling bowl. 
 If I am caught, foon beaten to a jelly 
 My back atones the cravings of my belly : 
 Yes, and thofe coftly viands when you buy. 
 You meet your recompenfe as well as I : 
 Crude qualms opprefs and feverifh heats inflame. 
 And the legs fmk beneath the bloated frame. 
 The varlet, mercy on him ! ne'er efcapes. 
 Who fells a pilfer'd ilrigil for fome grapes : 
 And is the mafter wholly free, forfooth. 
 Who pawns his land to glut his dainty tooth ? 
 
 Befides, good fir ! you have not yet the power 
 To commune with yourfelf one iingle hour : 
 Unprofitable trifles wafte the day. 
 And all your time glides unimproved away : 
 Like fome bafe fugitive, you vainly try 
 With truant foot ev'n from yourfelf to fly ! 
 Seeking to drown in wine or foothe by reft 
 The torturing care that riots in your breaft : 
 But no — the gloomy fiend, go where you will. 
 Still haunts your footfteps and torments you llill. 
 IF Fetch me a ftone ! If How now ? IF a Hick ! 
 
 H Foregad, 
 The man is either rhyming or flark-mad. 
 H Silence, pert knave ! or know, thy doom is feal'd. 
 To drudge in fetters on my Sabine field.
 
 136 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 SATIRE VIII. 
 
 Dialogue between Horace and Fundanius. 
 
 I HOPE you liked the banquet, which they fay 
 The fplendid Rufus gave you yefterday. 
 For, when I wifh'd you to partake my fare, 
 I found you had been long caroufing there. 
 H Troth, never merrier in my life before. 
 IT What firft came on ? HA huge Lucanian boar. 
 Caught, as we heard the mailer oft declare. 
 What time the fouthern breeze blew frefli and fair. 
 Rapes, lettuce, radifhes were round it placed. 
 With fundry fauces pungent to the tafte. 
 And form'd the jaded appetite to teaze. 
 As fkirwort, pickled Iliad, and Coan lees. 
 
 This courfe withdrawn, a purple rug reflored 
 Its brilliant beauty to the maple board ; 
 Another flave fwept up the fcraps that fell. 
 That nothing might offend the fight or fmcU. 
 Advancing next with ftep demure and Ilaid, 
 Slow as at Ceres' rites the Attic maid. 
 The fwart Hydafpes bore Ca;cubian wine, — 
 Alcon pure Chian undebafed with brine. 
 
 Then thus our hoft befpoke his noble gueft : 
 " Are thefe the wines, my Lord, you relilh bell? 
 " If thofe of Alban or Falernian growth 
 " Pleafe more, pray fpeak the word — we have them 
 both." 
 
 H Poor pride of grandeur! but I long to hear
 
 s. VIII. The Satires. 137 
 
 Who elfe, Fundanius, fhared the lufcious cheer. 
 
 H Myfelf fat firll — Thurinus next — below 
 
 Varius, I think : at top, with Balatro 
 
 On this fide and Vibidius on that. 
 
 Both v&itx'^ 2.% friends^ friends, Maecenas fat. 
 
 Above the mailer Nomentanus graced 
 
 The couch, and Porcius was beneath him placed. 
 
 Oh, you'd have fmiled to fee the latter ftufF 
 
 Whole tarts as if he ne'er could have enough. 
 
 The tafk of Nomentanus was to point 
 
 And pafs encomiums upon every joint : 
 
 For we, poor fouls, were fed on fowl and fifli 
 
 So fine, we fcarcely knew a fingle difh. 
 
 Which fafts foon fhew'd me ; for he fent a pile 
 
 Of plaice and turbot cook'd in wondrous flyle : 
 
 Then told me honey-apples lofe their hue 
 
 Unlefs they're gather'd when the moon is new ; 
 
 But how their look afi'edls the tafte or fmell 
 
 Aflc him ; for troth 'tis more than I can tell. 
 
 Whifpering to Balatro Vibidius vow'd — 
 " By heaven we'll drink revenge " — then call'd aloud 
 For larger cups. A fudden palenefs fpoke 
 How heartily poor Rufus curfed the joke ; 
 Who hates thefe deep potations from his foul. 
 Since wit gains freedom from the flowing bowl. 
 And potent bumpers fwallow'd down in hafte 
 Blunt the fine organs and confound the tafte. 
 Anon by their example all combine 
 To drain with glee whole flagons-full of wine. 
 As for our hoft and his fupporters, they. 
 Poor fober fouls, did litde in that way. 
 
 But, while our goblets freely thus we crown 'd, 
 A lamprey comes with floating prawns around.
 
 138 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 Stretch'd on a charger of ftupendous fize. 
 
 " This iifli is full of fpawn," the mafter cries : 
 
 " Its flefh is therefore firm, I truft, and good. 
 
 " The fauce has all the ingredients which it fhould : 
 
 " Oil from Venafrian vats, rich fpanifli brine ; 
 
 " And, 'ere it boils, we mix old home-brew'd wine 
 
 " (For Chian after that is better far) ; 
 
 " White pepper too, and Lefbian vinegar. 
 
 " To pickle the green rocket, and to flew 
 
 " Sour Elicampane, I'm the firft who knew. 
 
 " But fage Curtillus found for fauce the juice 
 
 " Of cray-fifh far more fit than that in ufe." 
 
 Meanwhile the awning overhead gave way. 
 And brought down hideous ruin and difmay. 
 With duU in fuch a thick and pitchy train 
 As Boreas ne'er brufh'd from bleak Campania's plain. 
 Startled at firll, we fought anon to' explore 
 The caufe ; when finding all the danger o'er. 
 Our fears fubfided. Rufus hung the head. 
 And fobb'd as if his only child were dead. 
 Heav'n only knows what would have been the end. 
 If Nomentanus had not cheer'd his friend 
 With kind condoling fpeeches fuch as this : 
 " Ah cruel Fortune, foe to human blifs ! 
 " Invidious power, it feems thy fble delight 
 " All our enjoyments in the bud to blight." 
 
 Varius his laughter with a napkin fcarce 
 Repreff'd : when Balatro to this dull farce 
 Contrived a more burlefque efFc£l to give : 
 " Such are the terms, cried he, on which we live ! 
 " And thus the fair renown, which all your toils 
 " Had well-nigh won, this curft contingence fpoils. 
 " Here now are you for our delicious fare
 
 s. VIII. The Satires. 139 
 
 " Diftrafted with folicitude and care 
 
 " For fear of ill-baked bread, ill-feafon'd broth, 
 
 " An awkward footman, or a greafy cloth. 
 
 " Things will not fall out always as we wifh : 
 
 " A groom oft ftumbling cracks a lordly difh ; 
 
 " And times will happen, when, the deuce knows 
 
 how, 
 " Awnings will fall as they have fallen now. 
 " But then a hoft's, like a commander's, fkill, 
 " Obfcured by good fuccefs, fhines forth in ill." 
 Then Rufus — " Heaven fend all things to your 
 mind, 
 " So good a creature are you and fo kind !" 
 Then, calling for his flippers, forth he fled ; 
 While round each couch the titt'ring whifper fpread. 
 H Gods, what a glorious flght mull: this have been ! 
 But come, recount the fequel of the fcene. 
 
 II Vibidius, calling for more wine, in joke 
 Demanded if the flagons too were broke. 
 A thoufand fiftions all our mirth exprefl^d. 
 And Balatro ftill feconded the jeft. 
 
 When lo ! as bent by prudence to repair 
 
 III luck, comes Rufus back with alter'd air : 
 Hard by in a huge difli two footmen bore 
 
 A crane cut up and grill'd, well fprinkled o'er 
 
 With flour and fait : next, wondrous to the fight. 
 
 Livers of geefe fatten'd on figs and white : 
 
 The wings of hares pluck'd off and feparate drefl:. 
 
 As daintier far than eaten with the reft : 
 
 With black-birds roafted to a coal and plump. 
 
 And ring-doves fricafleed without the rump. 
 
 Nice things in truth, if our ofiicious hoft 
 
 Had leftured lefs on boil'd, ftew'd, fried, and roaft.
 
 140 The Satires. b. ii. 
 
 At laft we fled, our fole revenge to eat 
 
 Of fcarce one tit-bit that compofed the treat. 
 
 As if Canidia o'er the whole repaft 
 
 Had breathed infedlion with her viperous blall. 
 
 THE END OF THE SATIRES.
 
 THE EPISTLES. 
 
 BOOK I.
 
 THE EPISTLES. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 EPISTLE L 
 
 To Macenas. — Horace declares his rejolution to leave 
 the lighter purfuits of life for those of true philo- 
 fophy. 
 
 OTHOU, whom in her earlieft fong my mufe 
 Chofc for her theme, and in her laft Ihall chufe ! 
 DecHning as I am from life's bright noon, 
 Difcharged and gifted with the light batoon. 
 Why to its laft poor dregs my glory drain. 
 And drag your champion on the ftage again ? 
 I am not what I was : youth's generous flame 
 Burns dim, nor are my years nor thoughts the fame. 
 Veianius, now grown old, his Iword and fhield 
 Fix'd on Alcides' column, quits the field. 
 Left pufh'd for ever to its furtheft fand 
 He fue for quarter with imploring hand. 
 A voice there is which fays, or fccms to fay — 
 Loofe the bold courfer 'ere his powers decay. 
 Nor after viftories won and glories paft 
 Expofe him to defeat and fcorn at laft. 
 
 Henceforth adieu then to the toys of youth !
 
 144 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Adieu to wit's light fport, and welcome truth ! 
 To con the maxims of the good and wife. 
 To fearch where honour and where fitnefs lies. 
 Careful to ftore what after-life may need — 
 This be my tafk ; for this is wealth indeed ! 
 Afk you whofe fteps I trace in this career. 
 What feft adopt and by Avhat compafs fleer — 
 Bound to no dogmas, to no fchoolman fworn. 
 Where the ftorm drifts me, thither am I borne. 
 Now plunged in ftate-afFairs I ftoutly fight. 
 Virtue's bold champion and ftern fatellite : 
 Now back to Ariftippus' rules I Aide, 
 And win my way by yielding to the tide. 
 Subduing (as the mighty mailer fmgs) 
 Things to myl'elf and not myfelf to things. 
 
 Long as the day to thofe whofe work is due. 
 Or night to him whofe fair-one is untrue, — 
 Long as to wards opprell by dames fevere 
 Seems ev'ry hour of the lall ling'ring year, — 
 So drear and dull to me the moments flow 
 Which bid me ilill that needful tafk forego. 
 Which done can fweeten wealth or want afTuage, 
 And which not done embitters youth or age. 
 
 Meanwhile in thei'e rude elements I find 
 Somewhat to flay my fteps and fbothe my mind. 
 Though not a Lynceus, one may fure apply 
 The lenient falve to a dillemper'd eve ; 
 Nor would you fcorn from chalk-ilones to preferv'e 
 Joints that defpair of Glycon's lion nerve. 
 Though hopelefs to iurmount fair virtue's hill. 
 To climb a certain height is fomething ftill. 
 Say, does the thirft of gold your peace moleft, — 
 Does avarice wake wild throbbings in your breafl ?
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 145 
 
 Words may be found and fpells that fhall aiTuage 
 The fever's pain and well-nigh quench its rage. 
 Swell you with lull of glory ? 'twill fuffice 
 To travel o'er a kw plain pages thrice. 
 In which, if well digefted, you may find 
 Charms to difpel thefc tumours of the mind. 
 The heart with envy cold — with anger hot. 
 The libertine, the fltiggard and the fot — 
 No wretch fo favage, but, if he refign 
 His foul to culture, wifdom can refine. 
 
 "^'^ice to renounce is virtue's earlieft rule, 
 Wifdom's firft ftep to lay afide the fool. 
 Through fire and water to the pole you run. 
 Brook all difgrace and brave all toil, to fhun 
 Some fancied evil, fome factitious curfe, 
 A mob's rejeftion or a fcanty purfe. 
 Thefe torturing objefls of low care to fpurn. 
 Is this a lefibn worth no pains to learn ? 
 Who'd grudge a patient ear to wifdom's lore, 
 What he had craved in vain, to crave no more ? 
 What village-champion would the crown defpife. 
 If fure without the duft to win the prize ? 
 
 What fays the proverb ? — there methinks we're 
 told, 
 " Gold yields to worth as filver yields to gold." 
 What fays the world ? — " Let money firft be fought, 
 ** Virtue may follow as an after thought." 
 With this fage dodtrinc all the Forum rings ; 
 This each grey churl and fatchell'd fchool-boy fings. 
 In wit, worth, honour one in vain abounds ;— 
 If of the Knight's eftate he lack ten pounds. 
 He's low, d — d low^! — yet hear the boys at fchool, 
 Let hiniy fay they, whotn znrtue crowns, bear rule! 
 
 L
 
 146 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 And wifely fay. Be good, then, and be great ; 
 This be your tower of ftrength, your throne of ftate ; — 
 To keep your heart unconfcious of a fin. 
 And feel no goadings of remorfe within ! 
 Now prithee which is right and which is wrong. 
 The law of Otho or the fchool-boy's fong, — 
 That burden our brave grandfires ufed to fing. 
 Which fagely hails the virtuous man a king ? 
 Which of thefe two advifers claims our praife ? 
 Which counfel fhall we follow ? — that which fays. 
 Get wealth — ly honeft means, if times allow ; 
 If not, why — get but wealth, ne matter how, — 
 That placed a few rows nearer you may gaze. 
 With finger in each eye, at Pupius' plays, — 
 Or that which bids us fcorning power and place 
 Proudly defy pert Fortune to the face. 
 
 Should the Town afk me why, as we repair 
 To the fame mall and breathe one common air, 
 I fcruple to adopt its judgments too — 
 Shun what they loathe and love what they purfue. 
 Mine be the anfwer which fly Reynard gave 
 To the fick Lion : " Sire, I dread your cave, 
 " Well knowing, from the footfteps that remain, 
 " Many go in, but none come out again." 
 Befides, pray what fhould I purl'ue, or whom ? 
 How pleafe that many-headed hydra, Rome ? 
 Some farm the public works ; fome kindly bent 
 Accommodate their friends at cent-per-cent j 
 Some to rich widows pay obfequious court. 
 Or catch and keep old culls for future fport. 
 
 However, grant the world what it requires ; 
 Give each his own purfuits — his own defires : 
 But are there who perfifl one hour the fame.
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 147 
 
 Nor praife this moment what the next they blame ? 
 
 " No place like Baias," fhould the rich man fay, 
 
 " No fpot on earth can equal that fweet bay;" — 
 
 The lake and fea in half-form'd piers record 
 
 The fudden zeal of their enamour'd lord. 
 
 Caprice foon gives the word — his paffion cools. 
 
 And — " Off to-morrow, workmen, with your tools 
 
 ** To fnug Teanum !" — Has he woo'd a wife ? 
 
 Then — " Oh the pleafures of a fingle life ! " 
 
 Is he a ftranger to the genial bed ? 
 
 Then none, be fure, are wife but thofe that wed ! 
 
 Oh fay, what hand can grafp, what knot can bind 
 
 This ever-varying Proteus of the mind ? 
 
 Well, but the poor — does he too change his plan ? 
 
 Hear, and fupprefs your laughter if you can. 
 
 He fhifts his couch, his room five ftories high. 
 
 His barber and his bath — yet knows not why : 
 
 He hires a boat and feels the naufea rife 
 
 Soon as the man whofe yacht's proud ftreamer flies. 
 
 You fmile if peradventure on my hair 
 Some uncouth hand has tried its fkill : you flare 
 If but the gown fets ill in which I'm dreft. 
 Or a fmart coat half hides a threadbare veil. 
 But what if paffions in diforder roll. 
 If frantic whims diforganize the foul. 
 If inclination with itfelf at ftrife 
 Throws into one wild chaos all my life. 
 Now building up, now razing to the ground. 
 Now changing round for fquare or fquare for round. 
 Seeks what it fpurn'd — rejcdls what late it fought. 
 One everlafting ebb and flow of thought ? 
 'Tis but the fit, you think, that comes awhile 
 And goes — and fo you neither ftarc nor fmile :
 
 148 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 " No need," you fay, " to name truftees ; no need 
 " In fuch a common cafe to cup or bleed." 
 Is this my patron, guardian, guide, and friend ? 
 This he to whom I look, on whom depend ? 
 This he who at a tatter'd fleeve turns pale. 
 And cavils at the cutting of a nail? 
 
 To fum up all — the fage is every thing. 
 All but a god and ' every inch a king;' — 
 Gifted with honour, beauty, freedom, wealth. 
 And (pleafe the rheum to fpare him) fpecial health. 
 
 EPISTLE II. 
 
 To LoUius. Horace illujlrates his opinion that 
 
 Homer excels the Philofophers in his precepts, and 
 then a£ls the Mentor hirnfelf. 
 
 WHILE in the fchools at Rome, you, Lollius ! 
 plead, 
 I at Praenefte with new rapture read 
 The tale of Troy divine, whofe fafts declare 
 Where moral fitnefs lies — expedience where. 
 Better than all the logic of the fage. 
 Than Grantor's precepts or Chryfippus' page. 
 A(k you wherein our bard inftruds fo well ? 
 If time permit, give audience while I tell. 
 
 When he records the flow-confuming ftrife 
 That Greece encountcr'd for a treacherous wife. 
 His glowing pencil paints what mifchief fprings 
 From the mad broils of nations and of kings. 
 An tenor would the cause of war remove :
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 149 
 
 Fond Paris deems the world well loft for love. 
 
 Neftor in all the majefty of age 
 
 Steps forth by fapient counfel to affuage 
 
 The wrath that 'twixt the royal chieftains rofe. 
 
 Wrath better ihown againft their common foes ; — 
 
 In vain : — To pride and paffion each holds true ; 
 
 And while the monarchs rave, the people rue. 
 
 By envy, faftion, luft, and fraud they fin 
 
 Alike without Troy's bulwarks and within. 
 
 What a firm foul and valorous heart avail 
 Mark in the hero of his fecond tale, — 
 Who, when the Trojan towers in duft were laid. 
 Saw various realms and well their manners weigh'd, — • 
 And, toiling long his native fhore to gain, 
 Stem'd countlefs hardfhips on the ftormy main, — 
 Firm in adverfity, in peril brave, 
 And buoyant upon Fortune's rougheft wave. 
 You know the Sirens' fong and Circe's draught. 
 Which had he with his crew unguarded quafF'd, 
 A harlot's flave he had been doom'd to pine 
 Sunk in the fenfelefs hound or wallowing fwine. 
 See pidlured in the revelling fuitor-train 
 The fenfual, the voluptuous, and the vain ! 
 Mark the fpruce fribbles of Alcinous' court. 
 Soft fons of floth diffolved in amorous fport. 
 Who fnored till midnoon, and to melting airs 
 LuU'd in delicious trance life's anxious cares ! 
 How many ftill with thefc poor idlers vie. 
 Born but to eat and drink and fleep and die ! 
 
 Rogues watch by night the traveller to enthrall ; 
 And will not you awake to fave your all? 
 Who will not walk while healthy, will be fain 
 To run when dropfy fwells in every vein.
 
 150 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 And you, unlefs you will (while yet you may) 
 
 Call for a book and lamp 'ere break of day. 
 
 And calling drowfy lethargy behind 
 
 To high and heavenly ftudies gird your mind. 
 
 Shall confcience-ftung unwilling vigils keep 
 
 Or with heart-gnawing paffions watch and weep, — 
 
 Haunted with love, depreft with deep chagrin. 
 
 Or writhing in the agonies of fpleen. 
 
 How ftrange is this ! if ought the eye offends. 
 
 You ftraight remove it and the anguifh ends ; 
 
 If ought corrodes the mind, fome flight pretence 
 
 Serves to protraft the cure a twelve-month hence. 
 
 In virtue's race to ftart is half to win ; 
 
 Come then, be wife — take courage and begin ! 
 
 He that defers life's tafk from day to day. 
 
 Is like the fimple clown who thought to ftay 
 
 Till the full flream that flopt him fhould be gone : — 
 
 Alas ! the tide ftill rolls and ever will roll on ! 
 
 For gold to portion'd nymphs we plight the vow ; 
 For gold the woodlands fret beneath our plough. 
 Nathlefs who's rich, that is not fatisfied ? — 
 Who poor, but he whofe wants are unfupplied ? 
 Never did houfe, or land, or gold afford 
 An hour's fhort refpite to their fickening lord. 
 Soothe with foft balm the fever's throbbing fmart. 
 Or pluck one rooted forrow from the heart. 
 If health be wanting, riches quickly cloy ; 
 'Tis vain to hoard, unlefs we can enjoy. 
 Who frets or covets, wealth can pleafe no more 
 Than pifturesliim whofe eyes with rheum run o'er — 
 Than furs and flannels can the cripple cheer. 
 Or warbling mufic charm an aching ear. 
 Life's ever)' relifh lies beyond his power.
 
 E, II. The Epistles. 151 
 
 As in the tainted vefl'el all turns four. 
 
 Spurn empty pleafures ; little is the gain 
 
 Of luxury purchafed at the price of pain. 
 
 Draw fome fix'd line where your defires may reft : 
 
 Th' infatiate mifer ever is diftreff'd. 
 
 Pale envy fees a neighbour's happier plight. 
 
 Eyes it aflcance and fickens at the fight. 
 
 No torment could Sicilian tyrants find 
 
 To rack the frame as envy racks the mind. 
 
 He that takes fire at infults never meant 
 
 And gives the rein to wrath, will foon repent, 
 
 Curfmg in bitternefs of foul the blow 
 
 That burft in vengeance on his fancied foe. 
 
 Think what remorfe ungovern'd anger brews. 
 
 Grows by neglefl, and unfubdued fubdues. 
 
 'Tis a fhort madnefs : calm the rifmg fit ; 
 
 Curb it betimes, and tame it to your bit. 
 
 The mettled courfer under ftrift manege 
 
 Train'd while a colt to droop his haughty rage. 
 
 Is fchool'd by flow degrees man's will to know. 
 
 And goes the way his rider bids him go. 
 
 The ftag-hound, from what time at inftindl's call 
 
 He bay'd the buck-fkin in his matter's hall. 
 
 Learnt at the bugle's note to fcour the plain 
 
 And in the wild-wood ferved a long campaign. 
 
 Would you be wife, — imbibe in earlieft youth 
 
 Inftruftion's lore, and fuck the milk of truth. 
 
 Whatever juice the virgin calk imbue. 
 
 It keeps the favour which it drank while new. 
 
 Such are the rules which I would fain enforce; 
 By fuch, at leaft, I'll fteer my fteady courfe ; 
 Lag thofe behind who will, or take the lead — 
 I neither bide their floth, nor emulate their fpccd.
 
 152 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 EPISTLE III. 
 
 To Julius Florus then with Tiberius (afterwards 
 Emperor) in Syria. 
 
 TELL me, dear Florus ! in what coafts afar 
 Does Casfar's ftep-fon launch the bolts of war? 
 Tread ye the confines ftill of Thracian ground. 
 Where Hebrus halts in icy fetters bound? — • 
 Or fpan the ftreights that part the turrets twain. 
 Or cling to Afia's hills and rich champaign ? 
 Say, too, what works engage the letter'd corps ? 
 What bold adventurer 'mid the fons of lore 
 Records great Crefar's deeds in deathlefs page. 
 And hands his glories to a diftant age ? 
 What news of dear Septimius, fure 'erelong 
 To rife the theme of every Roman tongue, — 
 That bard who fcorning with indignant look 
 To fip the fhallow pool and vulgar brook. 
 Drank deep at once of the Pindaric well. 
 And fmote with Latian hand the Theban fhell ? 
 Is he in health ? and does he condefcend 
 To call fome thoughts upon his abfent friend ? 
 Does he prefer to pour the raptured rhime 
 Waking the flumbering lyre to themes fublime, — 
 Or fwell the gorgeous phrafe with Tragic art. 
 Till pity melt or horror thrill the heart ? 
 
 How fares my Celfus, whom again 'twere fit 
 We warn to fearch at home for native wit. 
 Nor with bold hand appropriate to himfelf
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 153 
 
 What once has deck'd Apollo's facred fhelf, 
 Lert, when the fowls their feveral plumes reclaim. 
 The jack-daw ftripp'd be put to open Ihame? 
 
 What banks of wild-thyme do ^ou flutter o'er ? 
 What new-found fweets on bufy wing explore ? 
 Yours is no vulgar genius ; yours a mind 
 By nature richly fraught — by art refined. 
 Whether you keenly urge a client's caufe 
 Or nicely folve fome riddle of the laws. 
 Or in bold numbers build the matchlefs fong. 
 To you the ivy's richeft wreaths belong. 
 And, could you leave the world's low cares behind, 
 Thofe balms corrofive that benumb the mind. 
 To Virtue's brighter crown you would eflay 
 And tread where heaven-born wifdom points the way. 
 This be our work — our early tafk and late, — 
 This the chief prize purfued by fmall and great. 
 If life's declining moments we would cheer, — 
 If to our country and ourfelves be dear ! 
 
 Inform me, likewife, if at length you view 
 Munatius with the kindnefs which is due 
 To his deferts ? or does foft friendfhip's band. 
 So rudely rent by frowning Difcord's hand, 
 Refufe to reunite, and, knit in vain. 
 On every flight fufpicion burfl: again ? 
 Whether ye err through the warm blood of youth 
 Or deafnefs to the facred voice of truth, — 
 Where'er ye dwell, too generous both and good 
 To break the hallow'd league of brotherhood. 
 And worthy both with nobler heats to burn, — 
 Know that a votive fl:eer awaits your wifli'd return.
 
 154 The Epistles, b. i. 
 
 EPISTLE IV. 
 
 To Alhius Tibullus, the Poet, at his villa near 
 Tit'oli. 
 
 ALBIUS, dear candid critic of my lays ! 
 How in your Pedian villa pafs your days ! 
 Labours your pen to match the bulky tomes 
 Of Tufcan Caffius ? or in filence roams 
 Your ftep o'er dewy lawn and breezy wood. 
 Muling on what befits the wife and good ? 
 You had, if memory fails me not, a mind 
 Fair as the frame in which it was enfhrined. 
 The gods have given you wealth, and (what is more) 
 Have given you wifdom to enjoy your ftore. 
 And could the fondeft nurfe imploring blifs 
 On her dear foilling, afk for more than this — 
 A mind with fterling fenfe by nature fraught. 
 And a free tongue to fpeak the inward thought. 
 Health, fame, and public favour, with a board 
 Decently plenteous and a purfe well-ftored ? 
 'Mid hopes and fears and paflion's ilormy ftrife 
 Think every day that dawns, the laft of life: 
 Thus fhall each hour that lengthens nature's treat. 
 By coming unexpefled, come more fweet. 
 Me, when you wilh to laugh away dull care. 
 You'll find, as ufual, blithe and debonair. 
 With fair round carcafe and mirth-beaming eye, 
 A genuine fwine of Epicurus' fty.
 
 E. V. The Epistles. 155 
 
 EPISTLE V. 
 
 To Torquatusy whom Horace invites to afeajl in honor 
 of the birthday of Augujlus. 
 
 IF, dear Torquatus ! you can reft your head 
 On couches fuch as homely Archias made. 
 Nor on a difh of fimple pot-herbs frown, 
 I Ihall expedl you as the fun goes down. 
 Wine you fhall quaff fuch as the grapes afford 
 Between Minturnae and Petrinum, ftored 
 In Taurus' fecond year. If to your fliare 
 Fall better, fend it; or — fupport the chair. 
 All things are fpruce and trim my gueft to greet. 
 The hearth well-burnifh'd and the fide-board neat. 
 A truce with carking care ! bid Mofchus' caufe 
 Wait for a feafon, and adjourn the laws. 
 To morrow, recoiled, the courts muft clofe ; 
 'Tis Caefar's birth-day, facred to repofe. 
 Without a fcruple till the morning's light 
 We'll wear in jocund chat the fummer night. 
 What boots that fortune whence no joy accrues ? 
 Or what's to me the wealth I muft not ufe? 
 'Tis little ftiort of madnefs fure, to fpare 
 And fcramble only to enrich one's heir. 
 Rather let's fcatter flowers and quaff at eafe. 
 And leave grave fools to cavil as they pleafe ! 
 What magic wonders cannot toping do ? 
 It drags the fmother'd fecret forth to view ; 
 Prefents fair hopes by glowing fancy fcal'd ;
 
 156 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Bids the poltroon rufh to th' embattled field ; 
 
 Takes from the drooping heart its load of pain ; 
 
 And with ftrange lore informs the blockhead's brain : 
 
 What tongue but flows with eloquence divine, — 
 
 What beggar but will fing, infpired by wine ? 
 Be mine the not unwelcome tafk to fee 
 
 That every couch and cloth from duft be free ; 
 
 That not a napkin's dirt the board difgrace ; 
 
 That every difli and cup refledl your face ; 
 
 That 'mid the well-aflbrted group be found 
 No fpy to blab the mirth that circles round ; 
 That all unite well-pleafed with one another. 
 And that each gueft behold in each a brother. 
 Good Butra and Septimius will be there; 
 Sabinus too, if no more tempting fair 
 Or feaft detain him. Room we can afford 
 For fome friends' friends ; but an o'ercrowded board 
 Offends nice nerves. How many is your fuite 
 You mean to bring, write back ; and (I repeat) 
 A truce with toil, give gloomy bufinefs o'er. 
 And balk your client at the poftern door. 
 
 EPISTLE VI. 
 
 To Numicius. — On the true four ce of happinefs. 
 
 TO look at nothing with admiring eyes, — 
 In this fliort precept, dear Numicius ! lies 
 The art of human happinefs comprefl"'d, — 
 The one fure way to make and keep us bleft.
 
 E. VI. The Epistles. 157 
 
 Yon moon and ftars that fhoot a trembling ray. 
 
 The glad viciffitudes of night and day, 
 
 The fun, the feafons true to nature's law — 
 
 There are who view untouch'd with wondering awe. 
 
 What deem you then of earth's inferior ftores. 
 
 Of ocean's treafures pour'd on Indian fhores. 
 
 Of place and pomp and Rome's applauding noife — 
 
 With what indifference fhould we view fuch toys ! 
 
 Who fears their oppofites, or who delires 
 The things themfelves, in either cafe admires. 
 Each fixing on vain fhow a vacant eye 
 Stares at he knows not what — he knows not why : 
 Whether we loathe or covet, laugh or mourn. 
 No matter, if, alike by paffion borne. 
 Each objeft that belies what fancy drew 
 Entrance the fenfes and arreft the view. 
 
 Ev'n virtue follow'd beyond reafon's rule 
 May ftamp the juft man knave — the fage a fool. 
 Hear this, ye vain ! then greet with fond applaufe 
 The fculptured filver or the Parian vafe : — 
 Pore on fome bronze antique with ravifh'd eye, 
 Or grafp the glittering gem and Tyrian dye : — 
 Rejoice that at the waving of your hand 
 With eager gaze a liftening rabble ftand : — 
 Off to the courts betimes at intereil's call. 
 Nor thence retire 'till evening's fhadows fall. 
 Left upllart Mutus (oh the foul difgrace !) 
 Eclipfe the glories of your nobler race, — 
 His dotal your paternal farms outdo. 
 And fo you crouch to him — not he to you. 
 
 All-changing time now darkens what was bright. 
 Now ufhers out of darknefs into light. 
 Flaunt in the mall and flutter as you may.
 
 158 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Or fcour with whirling wheel the Appian way, — 
 Known or obfcure, you mull with all your care 
 Defcend where Numa and old Ancus are. 
 
 If fharp diftemper riot in your reins. 
 You feek by med'cine's aid to foothe its pains. 
 Would you (who would not ?) live by reafon's laws 
 And gain true blifs ? — Firft afcertain the caufe. 
 Can Virtue only grant the wifh'd-for end, 
 Roufe and to her your manlieft efforts bend. 
 Is fhe but words which fools would ftrive to fix. 
 As hallow'd groves are after all but flicks ? 
 Be firfl to run to port, fpread all your fails, 
 Foreflall the market, watch your Phrygian bales ; 
 Add ufe to principal and fum to fum. 
 And toil 'till you have raifed a fair round plum : 
 Proceed to double this — nay flop not there ; 
 Triple it then — and then complete the fquare. 
 For why — a portion'd wife, fair fame, and friends. 
 Beauty and birth on fovereign Wealth attends. 
 Blefl is her vot'ry throned his bags among ! 
 Perfuafion's felf fits perch'd upon his tongue; 
 Love beams in every feature of his face. 
 And every geilure beams celeftial grace. 
 Avoid the Cappadocian monarch's curfe. 
 Who, rich in flaves, is pennilefs in purfe. 
 Lucullus once being afk'd (the flory goes) 
 For five-fcore cloaks of frize to grace the fhows, — 
 Five-fcore ! he cried ; you over-rate my powers : 
 But r II inquire ; and what I have, are yours. 
 Next day he writes — " there were within his call 
 " Five thoufand— they might take a part or all !" 
 No houfe is rich but that, where much o'erflows 
 Which varlets rifle and no mafler knows.
 
 E. VI. The Epistles. 159 
 
 If wealth, then, leads to pure and lading blifs. 
 This be your earlieft tafk — your latcft this ! 
 
 If influence and the people's favour claims 
 The prize, let's hire a flave to tell their names. 
 And prompt us when to bow and whom to greet 
 With ready fmile acrofs the crowded llreet : 
 " Thefe in the Fabian tribe fome votes command, 
 " Thofe in the Veline ; prithee ftretch your hand. 
 " This great man gives t]\tfiifces s that — beware — 
 " From whom he will with-holds the ivory chair." 
 Carefs them all : call one your friend ; another 
 WdLiX father, as his years may fuit, or brother. 
 
 If he alone lives well who is well fed. 
 See, morning dawns ; up, fluggard, from your bed ! 
 Forth to the fiiambles, fifli and flefh provide. 
 True blifs your aim and gluttony your guide ! 
 Hunt as Gargilius did, who through the throng 
 With nets and poles each morning pufli'd along. 
 That that fame throng might fee the long-drawn train 
 With one poor purchafed boar fneak back again. 
 Then bathe replete with undigefted food. 
 Deaf to the cenfure of the wife and good. 
 Forfeit your franchife : Let Ulyfles' crew. 
 Who fcorn'd their home for luxury, yield to you. 
 
 If without love and dalliance life can give 
 (As fings Mimnermus) no delight, why — live 
 In love and dalliance. In a word, whate'er 
 Can make life happieft, point your efforts here. 
 Farewell ! and if my dodlrine feem amifs. 
 With candour fet me right : — if not, take this !
 
 i6o The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 EPISTLE VII. 
 
 To Macenas. — On the wifdom of Conte?itment. 
 
 PLEDGED in the country but five nights to ftay — 
 Augull: is paft, and lo ! I ftill delay, 
 Falle to my word. But if, dear fir, you care 
 To fee me in good plight and debonair. 
 That licenfe which you grant me fick, I know 
 You'll not deny me fearing to be fo, — 
 Now that pale Autumn marfhals forth again 
 The undertaker with his rueful train, — 
 While each fond mother with diftradlion wild 
 Hangs o'er the pillow of her fickening child, — 
 While levees throng'd and law-courts never ftill 
 Let loofe the fever and unfeal the will. 
 But when autumnal drought to winter yields 
 And drifting fnows have bleach'd th' Albanian fields, 
 Down to the fea your poet will retire 
 To read in comfort couch'd befide the fire ; 
 Anon, when zephyrs breathe and fvvallows fing, 
 To greet his patron with returning fpring. 
 
 Your kindnefs, fir, to me, is really kind ; — 
 Not like the boons of fome Calabrian hind 
 With fulfome zeal that will not be reprelT'd 
 Forcing his pears upon his fated gucft. 
 Come, eat them, pray! — " I've eaten all I would." 
 Then pocket what you pleafe. — " You're very good." 
 Tour infant tribe would deem them no bad fore. 
 " I'm as obliged as if I took a fcore."
 
 E. VII. The Epistles. i6i 
 
 Well, pleafe jourfelf ; but knozv, what jou decline 
 Will fall ''ere night a portion to the Jwine. 
 The fpendthrift and the fool are fo polite. 
 They give to others what they hate or flight ; 
 And where love's feed is fown with hand fo rude. 
 No wonder if the crop's ingratitude. 
 The good and wife, though anxious to uphold 
 True worth, yet wot that lupines are not gold. 
 For me, I ever fhall be proud to raife 
 My worth in juftice to my patron's praife : 
 But, would you have me never quit your flde, 
 Firft give me back thofe locks whofe jetty pride 
 Once clufter'd o'er my brow in gallant trim ; — 
 Give back the well-ftrung nerve and vigorous limb ; — 
 With that gay converfe and thofe fpirits light 
 That o'er the bowl deplored coy Cynara's flight. 
 
 A Fox's whelp one day half-famifli'd Hole 
 Into a corn-bin through a narrow hole ; 
 Where having gorged his fill, he flrove in vain 
 To fqueeze his bloated carcafe out again : 
 Friend, cried a weazel near, firft mend your ftpape ; 
 You enter'' d lean, and lean you muft efcape. 
 Should Fortune ever, on this footing, call 
 Her favours back, I could refign them all ; 
 Nor, capon-fed, with hypocritic air 
 Would I preach up the peafant's frugal fare ; 
 Nor fliould the wealth of all Arabia pleafe, 
 Tax'd with the lofs of liberty and eafe. 
 
 Oft have you praifed me as of modeft views. 
 More prompt to laud your bounty than abufe ; 
 Oft in your prefence, nor lefs oft away. 
 As my liege-lord I've hail'd your gentle fway. 
 Try me — and (though with thanks received) vou'll find 
 
 M
 
 i62 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Your gifts can be with cheerfulnefs refign'd. 
 
 Well did UlyfTes' fon, as poets Ting, 
 
 Thank for his profFer'd fteeds the Spartan king : — 
 
 " The rocky ifland whence I drew my birth, 
 
 " Albeit to me the lovelieft fpot on earth, 
 
 " Nor ftretch'd in plains nor rich in grafly food 
 
 " Is ill-adapted for the equine brood : 
 
 " Wherefore I would renounce, if you permit, 
 
 " Thofe boons, good monarch ! for yourfelf more fit." 
 
 Small things become the fmall : for me Rome's noife 
 
 And pomp imperial now prefent no joys. 
 
 Far more difpofed to dream away the hours 
 
 In Tibur's peaceful fhades or foft Tarentum's bowers. 
 
 Philippus, for his pleadings famed afar. 
 Alert and bold, returning from the Bar 
 About the hour of two one fultry day. 
 And now complaining that the length of way 
 Grew for his years too much, efpied ('tis faid) 
 A fmug-faced cit beneath a barber's fhed 
 Paring his nails with eafy unconcern ; — 
 Then call'd his lackey — " Boy, ftep in and learn 
 " Who this may be — his family — his fame — 
 " Where he rehdes — and what's his patron's name." 
 The lad (by name Demetrius) lack'd not flcill 
 Or promptnefs to difpatch his mafter's will. 
 He flies — returns — informs him in a trice, 
 'Twas one Vulteius Mena, pure from vice. 
 Of humble means, by trade an auftioneer. 
 Who buftled to and fro to raife the gear. 
 Lounged when his daily toils were at an end. 
 Was fain to get, but not afraid to fpend ; — 
 Mix'd with acquaintance of his own degree. 
 Had a fix'd dwelling, and enjoy 'd with glee
 
 E. VII. The Epistles. 163 
 
 The public fhows ; or, when his work was done. 
 
 In Mars's field at Tennis would make one. 
 
 " Troth, I Ihould like to know the wight ; go, fay 
 
 ** I fhould be glad he'd dine with me to-day." 
 
 Mena, the meffage heard, in mute furprife 
 
 Stares, and can fcarce believe his ears and eyes ; 
 
 Begs his devout acknowledgments, — in fum 
 
 Feels flatter'd and obliged, but cannot come. 
 
 *' How ! does the wretch then flight me ? " — Ev£7i Jo, 
 
 And through contempt or Jh^nefs anfwers, ?io. 
 
 Next morning, as Philippus ftrolls along. 
 
 He 'fpies Vulteius to a tunic'd throng 
 
 Vending cheap wares, and, having croff'd the llreet. 
 
 Makes toward his client and is firil to greet. 
 
 He, humbly bowing, pleads the ties of trade 
 
 And bulinefs, that he had not early paid 
 
 His compliments ; ev'n now, in toils immerfed. 
 
 Is Ihock'd to think he had not hail'd him firft. 
 
 *' On one condition be your pleas allow'd — ■ 
 
 " Dine with me to-day." — Sir, I Jhall be proud. 
 
 " Enough — you'll come at the ninth hour; 'till which 
 
 " Go, ply your trade and labour to be rich." 
 
 The hour arrives — he goes — and, having faid 
 
 Some wifdom and fome foolery, hies to bed. 
 
 Day after day when thus he kindly took 
 
 The flattering bait and nibbled round the hook, 
 
 A morning dangler now and conftant gueft ; 
 
 What time the Latian feftival gives reft 
 
 To wrangling law-courts, he's invited down 
 
 To fee his patron's feat not far from town, 
 
 Perch'd in the chaife, he lauds in terms moft high 
 
 The golden crops, green lawns, and Sabine flcy. 
 
 Philippus, much diverted all the while.
 
 164 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Sees his fcheme work and fees it with a fmile, 
 Refolved with all chance paftime care to drown. 
 In fhort, feven thoufand fefterces paid down. 
 With feven more proffer'd at an eafy rate. 
 Tempt him to buy and farm a fnug eftate. 
 'Tis bought ; and (not to fpin my ftory out) 
 The fmart cit drops into the ruftic lout; — 
 He prattles of his tilth and vines — prepares 
 His elms — and launches in a fea of cares. 
 Stung to the quick with gain's delufive itch 
 And pining with the thirft of waxing rich. 
 Soon after (mark the change !) night-plunderers feize 
 His Iambs ; his (he goats perifh with difeafe ; 
 Now blighted harveib mock his hopes ; and now 
 The jaded ox drops dead beneath his plough. 
 Teafed with his lofles, curfing fortune's fpite. 
 Snatching his nag at the mid hour of night. 
 Half-frantic to his patron's feat he goes, 
 Unfliorn, with fqualid garb that fpeaks his woes. 
 " Hownow!" Phihppus cries, "Your looks arefuch, 
 " I fear you drudge too hard and toil too much." 
 Troth, patron I to this fnerit Fve 710 claim i 
 Wretched I am, and that's my proper name. 
 Then oh ! by all the ties of faith and love. 
 By all your boons, and by the powers above. 
 Kind fir ! I do conjure you and implore. 
 Replace me in my priftine ftate once more. 
 
 The moral of my tale is briefly this : 
 Let him who finds that he has changed amifs. 
 And that his promifcd joy turns out but pain. 
 With all convenient fpeed change back again ! 
 'Tis a found, rule that each man has his pleafure. 
 And each fliould mete himfelf by his own meafurc.
 
 E. VIII. The Epistles. 165 
 
 EPISTLE VIII. 
 
 To CelJ'us Albinovanus. 
 
 GO, Mufe ! to Nero's fcribe my heart exprcfs. 
 And wifh my Celfus health and happinefs. 
 If of my own concerns he alk, reply 
 That never wretch was more forlorn than I, — 
 Who, hourly framing projefts fair and good. 
 Yet live nor as I ought nor as I would : 
 Not that my olive-groves or vineyards fail 
 Pinch'd by the drought or Ihatter'd by the hail ; 
 Nor that my herds in diftant paftures fed. 
 Seized with the murrain, droop the dying head ; 
 But that, devour'd with morbid fpleen, I find 
 My body far lefs fickly than my mind, — 
 And worfe than all corporeal aches endure. 
 Yet proudly fcorn to learn the means of cure ! — 
 Rave at the kind phyficians of my foul 
 Whofe med'cine might reftore me found and whole ; 
 And curfe the friends who eagerly advance 
 To wake and roufe me from this deadly trance ; — 
 That, ftill irrefolute and ftill perverfe, 
 I loathe the better and embrace the worfe ; 
 At Rome for Tibur pine, — then polling down 
 To Tibur, change my mind and pine for Town. 
 
 Thus much, my Mufe ! in piteous accents tell : 
 Then Ihift the theme, and afk if he be well, — • 
 If profpcrous ; — above all, if he remain 
 In favour with the Prince and with his train.
 
 i66 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 If to his wifh, fay firft that I rejoice : 
 Then whifper in his ear with gentle voice 
 This fober counfel : — Celfus, have a care ; 
 " We fhall bear you, as you your fortune bear." 
 
 EPISTLE IX. 
 
 To Tiberius, (afterwards Emperor) to whom Horace 
 recommends his friend Septimius. 
 
 '^~¥~^IS ftrange Septimius, fir ! alone fhould feem 
 X. To know the rank I hold in your efteem : 
 For when he teafes me with urgent prayer 
 To recommend him to brave Nero's care. 
 As worthy of a place beneath that roof 
 Where all but merit ever ftands aloof; — 
 When he affigns fuch weight to my good word. 
 As of a favourite that muft needs be heard; — 
 My friend, I muft confefs, both fees and knows 
 More than myfelf, how far my influence goes. 
 Much in excufe I urged and long held out : 
 At length a fear occurr'd which clofed my doubt, — 
 The fear left I might feem through mere fineife 
 To under-rate the influence I poflefs. 
 Feigning a power ftill lefs than was my own 
 From a mean wifli to ferve myfelf alone. 
 
 Thus, to fliake off a heavier charge, I now 
 To courtly arrogance compofe my brow. 
 Yet, fir! if your indulgence can commend 
 This little breach of fliame to ferve a friend. 
 That friend enroll among your chofen few 
 And truft him for a good man and a true !
 
 E. X. The Epistles. 167 
 
 EPISTLE X. 
 
 To Fufcus Ariftius, a Poet and Orator zvho preferred 
 a Town life, Horace writes in praife of the Country. 
 
 HEALTH to my Fufcus in the town fo bleft — 
 Health from his friend who loves the country 
 In this one point of widely different creed, [beft ! 
 In others no twin-brethren more agreed ; 
 Of kindred tafte, like fond old turtle doves. 
 Whatever either likes, the other loves. 
 You keep the neft ; — I praife the rural fhade. 
 The mofs-grown rock, clear brook, and woodland 
 In fhort, I live — I reign — when I retire [glade : 
 
 From all that you town-lovers fo admire ; 
 And, like fome flave from the prielVs fervice fled, 
 Cloy'd with rich cakes, I long for wholefome bread. 
 
 If to conform to Nature's rules be right. 
 Then — for a dwelling would you chufe a fite — 
 Where can a fitter lovelier fpot be found 
 Than in the fields where plenty fmiles around ? 
 Where blows the wintry blaft lefs frore ? or where 
 Do frefher breezes fan the fultry air. 
 What time the Dog-flar glows with maddening ire 
 And the chafed Lion fets the world on fire ? 
 Where do malignant pafTions lefs moleft 
 And chafe foft flumber from the care-worn breaft ? 
 Does the green turf lefs charm the fmell or fight 
 Than gaudy floors with Libyan marbles pight ? 
 Is water, which through lead from itreet to llrcet
 
 i68 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Heaves fullenly and flow, more pure or fvveet 
 Than that which gurgling from the fountain-head 
 Sports in meanders o'er its pebbly bed ? 
 
 Their airy height where ftreaky columns rear. 
 The flirub is taught to wave its foliage near ; 
 And praife awaits the dome whofe front commands 
 An ample view of lawns and cultured lands. 
 Thus, chafe her out of doors — do what you will — 
 Nature renews the charge and triumphs ftill ; 
 Spurns the weak barriers which caprice would lay 
 Athwart her courfe, and boldly burfts her way. 
 
 Not to the merchant, whofe unpradlifed eye 
 Knows not Aquinum's from the Tyrian dye. 
 More galling croffes or more fure enfue. 
 Than to the man who takes falfe joys for true. 
 Who prizes fortune at too high a rate. 
 Will ftirink with horror at an alter'd ftate. 
 What's grafp'd with ecftafy, is loft with pain : 
 View then the pomp of grandeur with difdain. 
 The ftraw-roof'd fhed more comfort may beftow 
 Than monarchs or their minions e'er can know. 
 
 It chanced that after many a well-fought bout 
 The Stag contrived to put the Horfe to rout ; 
 'Till, from his pafture driven, the foe thought fit 
 To afk the aid of man and took the bit. 
 He conquer'd ; but, his triumph o'er, began 
 To find he could fliake off nor bit nor man. 
 Such is the fate of him who, if he plcafe. 
 Might reft in humble competence and eafc. 
 Yet through the dread of penury has fold 
 That independence which furpaffes gold. 
 Henceforth he'll ferve a tyrant for his pains. 
 And ftand or budge as avarice pulls the reins.
 
 £. X. The Epistles. 169 
 
 Whene'er our wants fquare ill with our eftatc. 
 Be it or very fmall or very great, 
 'Tis like an ill-made fhoe which gives a fall 
 If 'tis too large, and pinches if too fmall. 
 Be then, my Fufcus ! wife : enjoy your ftore; 
 But check the ever-reftlefs wifh for more. 
 Prize what you have — difdain what you have not. 
 And live contented with your deftined lot. 
 Me too reprove, whene'er I feem in queft 
 Of more than is enough, and know no reft: 
 That lucre, fmce it muft be Have or lord. 
 May rather bear, than pull, the fervile cord. 
 
 This near Vacuna's mouldering fhrine I penn'd, 
 Well-pleafed, and wanting nothing — fave my friend. 
 
 EPISTLE XI. 
 
 To Bullatius, luho was travelling to dijfipatc ennui. 
 
 HOW fares my friend Bullatius ? has the fliore 
 Of Chios or famed Lefbos charm'd him more ? 
 Does Samos, lovely ille, his fancy meet, — 
 Or Sardis, once the Lydian monarch's feat ? 
 Is Smyrna more, or Colophon, his care ! 
 Belie they, or furpafs, the fame they bear ? 
 Or muft they all for fober luxury yield 
 To Tiber's wave and Mars's funny field ? 
 Of thofe fair towns has he feleded one 
 Where Attalus in eaftern fplcndour flione ? 
 Or, tired of rocky feas and rugged ways. 
 Does he thus chaunt of Lcbedos the praifc ?
 
 I/O The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 " You know lone Lebedos, — more calm and flill 
 
 " Than Gabii or Fidenae ; yet my will 
 
 " Tempts me to fettle in that peaceful fpot, 
 
 " My friends forgetting — by my friends forgot, 
 
 *' Where fafe on fhore I may behold afar 
 
 " The howling furge and elemental war." 
 
 Yet he that polls through mire and rain to Rome 
 From Capua, will not make an inn his home ; 
 Nor, if one bathe perchance to cure a cold. 
 Will he forthwith the ftove and bagnio hold 
 Of human blifs the one fure recipe: 
 Neither, if toft by a rude fquall at fea. 
 Should you your fhip acrofs the ^gean fell. 
 Truft me, my friend, to him that's found and well 
 Delicious Rhodes and Mitylene fair 
 Like furs in June or filks in winter are, — 
 Tiber to fwimmers during froft and fog, 
 Or in mid Autumn's drought the blazing log. 
 Spend then, while fortune fmiles, at Rome your days ; 
 There, if you will, Rhodes, Chios, Samos praife. 
 Accept with grateful heart each joyous hour 
 Which bounteous heaven fhall place within your 
 
 po^ver ; 
 Live while you may ; fcize pleafure while 'tis near ; 
 Nor put enjoyment off from year to year ; 
 That you may fay, where'er your lot be caft. 
 My life according to my wifh has paft. 
 For if 'tis wifdom gives content and eafe — 
 Not a fair profpeft of expanded feas. 
 Who roam abroad from Ihore to fhore, fhall find 
 They change the climate only, not the mind. 
 Idly alert we traverfe fea and land 
 In queft of happinefs that lies at hand.
 
 E. XI. The Epistles. 171 
 
 Let but good fenfe each fretful whim controul 
 And tranquillize the tumults of the foul, 
 'Tis here — 'tis anywhere : you cannot mifs ; 
 And Ulubra; may prove the feat of blifs. — 
 
 EPISTLE Xn. 
 
 To his friend Iccius — a letter of advice. 
 
 ICCIUS ! the fruits of fair Sicilia's lands 
 Placed by Agrippa in your trufty hands 
 If you enjoy aright, not Jove's own power 
 Could in your bofom greater affluence fhower. 
 Hufh then vain murmurs — throw complaint afide ! 
 He ne'er is poor, whofe wants are well fupplied. 
 PoffefT'd of health and food and raiment, know 
 Arabia's treafures can no more beftow. 
 If, with the choiceft viands on your board. 
 Wild herbs and roots your homely fare afford. 
 That fare were Hill the fame, though fortune roll'd 
 Into your lap a flood of liquid gold. 
 Or becaufe nature fhifts not at the call 
 Of wealth, or virtue forms you all in all. 
 That fwine confumed Democritus's corn 
 While far on fancy's wing his foul was borne. 
 Seems now no longer ftrange, — when ^ou retain. 
 Plunged in the murrain and mid pert of gain. 
 Your old purfuits ; and, fpurning earth's low clime. 
 Can foar to fpeculate on themes fublime : 
 As, — What dark caufe confines the fwelling tides ; — 
 What in their courfe the varying feafons guides ; —
 
 172 The Epistles, b. i. 
 
 Whether yon ftars in heaven's wide concave roll 
 Drifted by chance or urged by ftrong controul ; — • 
 What myftic influence bids the queen of night 
 Now veil her orb and now difclofe her light ; — 
 What that difcordant union which appears 
 To link the world and regulate the fpheres ; — 
 Whofe fyftein beft with nature's truth agrees, — 
 Which halts, Stertinius or Empedocles. 
 
 However this may be — whether your wifli 
 Tend more to flice the leek or flay the fifli, — 
 Admit Pompeius Grofphus to your heart. 
 And what he afks with willing zeal impart. 
 Grofphus will put no bafe or mean requeft ; 
 And friendfliip's a cheap market, when the beft 
 Are overlook'd. — But now, to let you know 
 How matters of more public intereft go, — • 
 Agrippa has fubdued Cantabria's fields ; 
 To Claudius Nero's fword Armenia yields ; 
 Low on his knees Phraates has implored 
 The grace of Ca;far as his rightful lord ; 
 Fled from Italian plains is Famine grim. 
 And Plenty pours her horn replenifli'd to the brim.
 
 E. XIII. The Epistles. 173 
 
 EPISTLE XIII. 
 
 To his friend Fifiius, zuhotn he inftruBs as to the 
 mode in which he wijhed his Poems to be prefented 
 to Augujlus. 
 
 THIS volume, Vinius ! muft (as I before 
 Expreffly charged thee and repeat once more), 
 Seal'd as it is, be placed in Caefar's hands ; 
 Provided firft (obferve my ftridl commands) 
 He be in health — if cheerful be his look — 
 Or if in fhort he alTc thee for the book ; 
 Nor, over-zealous to fulfil thy truft. 
 Let pert officioufnefs create difguft. 
 
 If chance my papers, an unwieldy load. 
 Prove galling, rather leave them on the road. 
 Than, when arrived whither thy fteps are bound. 
 Bolt them with eager rudenefs on the ground ; 
 Left faucy punfters on thy name refine 
 And fwear Afella is right afinine. 
 
 Go, plod thy weary way o'er hill and moor ; 
 And, when thou flialt have reach'd the deftined door. 
 Heave not thy bundle with an awkward air, 
 Juft as a clown beneath his arm would bear 
 A lambkin, — or as Pyrrhia, maudlin fool. 
 Bears on the ftage her pilfer'd pack of wool, — 
 Or burgefs at my lord's with fheepifh look 
 His hat and fandals, — bear not fo my book. 
 
 Though much entreated, halt not by the way: 
 Nor to each curious knave, that fifts thee, fav —
 
 174 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 That on thy back a precious burthen lies 
 Worthy to charm great Casfar's ears and eyes. 
 
 Go — fare thee well ! but hark'ye — have a care 
 Of Humbles, left thou mar thy fragile ware ! 
 
 EPISTLE XIV. 
 
 To his Steward, whom Horace gently ridicules for 
 his ficklenejs in becoming tired of the country, for 
 which he had fo lately longed. 
 
 DEAR Bailiff of the woody wild domain 
 Whofe peace reftores me to myfelf again, — 
 (A fprightlier fcene it feems, thy tafte requires. 
 To Varia though it fend five fturdy fires 
 The lords of five good houfeholds) — let us fee 
 If I from thorns and briars can better free 
 My mind, or thou my farm ; and which is found 
 In fairer culture, Horace or his ground. 
 
 Me though my Lamia's deep and tender grief 
 (Mourning with anguifti'd heart that fcorns relief 
 A brother loft — a brother fnatch'd away 
 In manhood's prime) tempts to prolong my ftay ; 
 My reftlefs foul ftill thither cafts from Rome 
 A wiftful look, as to her proper home ; 
 And, like the racer, pants for her difcharge 
 To burft the barrier and to roam at large. 
 A country-life's the haven of my reft ; 
 To thee no mortal but in town feems bleft. 
 No wonder, when another's lot alone 
 Attrafts our wifties, if we loath our own. 
 Differing in tafte, our folly is the fame.
 
 E. XIV. The Epistles. 175 
 
 While each abfurdly thinks the place to blame. 
 Nor fees the fault all in the mind to lie — 
 The mind which never from itfelf can fly. 
 
 Erewhile a city-drudge, thy filent prayer 
 Was all for country quiet — country air : 
 A Bailiff now, thy tafte more fqueamifh grows. 
 And pants for town, the bagnios and the fliows. 
 For me, thou know'ft that free from vain caprice, 
 Confillent with myfelf, and of a piece. 
 Whene'er for Rome curft bufinefs bids me ftart, 
 I quit the country with a heavy heart. 
 
 Fancy, methinks, has tinged with various dyes 
 Things to our view, and here the difference lies. 
 What thou abhor'il as dreary tracklefs dells, 
 I hail as fliades where tranquil ftlence dwells, — 
 And deprecate the life which thou would'ft chufe : 
 The greafy cook-fliop, and the fteaming flews 
 Give thee (I fee) a yearning wifh for town. 
 And make thee view with a faftidious frown 
 That little nook of mine, which would produce 
 Sooner, perhaps, than the grape's lufcious juice. 
 Pepper or frankincenfe ; — no tavern nigh 
 Which may with brimming can thy thirfl fupply, — 
 No minflrcl-wench to whofe foft rebeck's found 
 Thou may'fl with lumping footftep beat the ground. 
 And yet thou'rt fain to ply thy ruftic toil, — 
 To turn with bufy fpade the' unbroken foil. 
 Or tend the fleer unharneflT'd from the plough. 
 And feaft with leaves frefh-gather'd from the bough. 
 Oft, fwoln with rain, the brook augments thy care. 
 Which mounds muft teach the funny mead to fpare. 
 
 Now learn how much we differ : — I who dreft 
 So fmart with perfumed locks and filken vcfl, — 
 I who (thou know'rt) the venal jilt could plcafe
 
 176 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 And Cynara's favours won without the fees, — 
 I who from midnoon with convivial fouls 
 Would fit caroufing o'er Falernian bowls, — 
 Now praife the frugal meal and fober glafs. 
 With (lumbers near a fountain on the grafs. 
 Nor think, I blufh, now that the blood runs cool. 
 At follies pail, but ftill to play the fool. 
 There none my privacy with rancour fpy. 
 Nor fcan my comforts with malignant eye : 
 The neighbours do but fmile and archly nod 
 To fee me turn the ftone or bruife the clod. 
 
 Among the city-flaves thou figh'ft to gnaw 
 Their {tinted meal — that way thy wifhes draw : 
 Meanwhile the town-drudge envies thee the ufe 
 Of what thofe gardens, groves, and herds produce. 
 Thus the flow ox, it feems, in earneft now 
 Would wear the faddle, and the pack-horfe plough. 
 My counfel is that each contented fit. 
 And ply in peace the craft for which he's fit. 
 
 EPISTLE XV. 
 
 To Numonius Vala — of whom Horace makes various 
 inquiries regarding the climate and mode of Ufe at 
 Velia and Salernum, whither he had been reco?n- 
 mended to go for his health. 
 
 HOW blows the wintry breeze on Velia's coall. 
 What balmy fky Salernum has to boaft. 
 What race of mortals in thofe regions dwell. 
 And what the roads, — all this, my Vala ! tell.
 
 E. XV. The Epistles. 177 
 
 For know, Antonius, deep in medicine's lore. 
 Warns me to court the Baian nymphs no more : 
 Indeed their favour I have well-nigh loft, 
 Ufmg the cold-bath in mid winter's froft ; 
 Nor is the village pleafed with one that roves 
 In fearch of health from her fair myrtle-groves 
 And fpring fulphureous, which (we're told) contains 
 Virtue to chafe fharp humours from the veins. 
 To Gabii's cooler bowers, and dares to lave 
 His head and breaft in Clufmm's gelid wave. 
 Perforce then I muft change my route, and learn 
 To pufh my nag beyond th' accuftom'd turn : 
 " So ho there ! not to Cumae is our courfe 
 " Or Baia; now." — Thus haply to his horfe, 
 (Whofe ear, you know, in his curb'd muzzle lies) 
 Twitching the left-hand rein, the rider cries. 
 
 But to return — which traft grows finer flour; — 
 Whether they drink the ciftern-treafured fliower. 
 Or draw pure water from the bubbling well; — 
 (For of that country's vintage, truth to tell, 
 I reck not much : when on my own loved fpot, 
 I fip my fober glafs and care not what ; 
 But, when to the fea-fide I hie me down, 
 I afk a mellower draught my cares to drown. 
 Something that may a genial hope infpire. 
 Bid my veins tingle, fet my foul on fire. 
 Glow on my tongue, and grace me with the air 
 Of youth to flirt with the Lucanian fair) — 
 In fine — which coaft with choicer fifli is ftored ;— 
 Which can more lev'rets — which more boars aftbrd; 
 That thence I may in fleek Phsacian plight 
 Return ; — 'tis mine to credit, yours to write. 
 
 When Maenius had at one fell fwoop got quit 
 
 N
 
 178 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Of his paternal wealth, and turn'd a wit ; 
 A vagrant zany prowling to and fro. 
 One that fharp-fet difcern'd not friend from foe, — 
 With foul-mouth'd ribaldry befpattering all. 
 The peft — gulph — quagmire of each butcher's flail ; 
 Whatever tit-bit he made fhift to draw 
 Within his toils, he gave to his huge maw. 
 But if from neither thofe that fear'd the finner 
 Nor thofe that favour'd, he could fqueeze a dinner. 
 Sheep's-head or tripe, at home, plate after plate — 
 Enough to furfeit three ftarved bears — he ate ; 
 And, Beftius-like, of thrift the champion ftaunch. 
 Swore Luxury fhould be branded in the paunch. 
 But if he pounced upon fome goodlier prey. 
 When all foon turn'd to duft and afhes lay, 
 " By heaven ! " he'd cry, " I marvel not if men 
 " Have gormandized their fubllance now and then ; 
 " Since the world's wealth is nothing-worth befide 
 " A plump thrufh roafted and fow's-udder fried," 
 Such is your friend: — When coftlier viands fail, 
 I praife contentment and at grandeur rail ; 
 Anon, if peradventure to my fliare 
 Fall fome Haut-gout — fome more than meagre fare. 
 Then — who fo bleft as they whofe wealth abounds 
 In glittering feats and princely pleafure-grounds 1
 
 E. XVI. The Epistles. 179 
 
 EPISTLE XVI. 
 
 To ^intius, — A dejcriptmi of the Sabine Farm, 
 followed by moral reflexions. 
 
 LEST, Quintius ! you inquire if my domain 
 Feall me with olives or enrich with grain. 
 Or boall its orchard, vine-clad elm, or lawn, — 
 With prattling pencil fee the landfcape drawn. 
 Hills lift their heads in one unbroken chain. 
 Save where difparted by a fombre glen. 
 Yet fo that this fide greets the morning ray 
 While on its left eve's dewy funbeams play. 
 The air would charm you. What if round me grow 
 On many a bufh the cornel and the floe — 
 If oak and ilex lavifhly afford 
 Food to my flocks and flielter to their lord? 
 You'd fwear 'twas but Tarentum brought more near 
 To fpread her fliades and wave her foliage here. 
 A fpring that to a river might give name. 
 Such that not Hebrus fliiines in Thracian fame 
 More cool or pure, here gently bubbling frees 
 Weak heads and fickly ftomachs from difeafe. 
 Thefe fav'rite (let me add, thefe fair) retreats 
 Secure me hale in mid September's heats. 
 
 You live, my friend ! full well, if 'tis your care 
 To realize the charafter you bear ; 
 Whom we at Rome with one confent commend 
 As bleft in full. But much I apprehend 
 Leil on this ticklifli fubjedl you be prone
 
 i8o The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 To truft all judgments rather than your own : 
 
 I fear the faft be not yet underftood 
 
 That none are happy fave the wife and good : 
 
 I fear left, if the world but hail you found. 
 
 You'd fain difguife the fever, when around 
 
 Rich diflies fmoke, 'till fudden death appal 
 
 And from your palfied grafp the goblet fall. 
 
 A falfe and foolifh fhame will often hide 
 
 The feilering fore, when balms fliould be applied. 
 
 Should one your viftories chaunt by fea and land. 
 
 Your fond ear greeting with thefe accents bland ; — 
 
 " Whether the people more your fafety will 
 
 " Or you the people's, Jove keep doubtful ftill, 
 
 " Whofe watchful eye protects both them and you ! " — 
 
 Such praifcs, as to Caefar only due. 
 
 You doubtlefs would difclaim. When to the fkies 
 
 Extoll'd, as of confummate worth and wife. 
 
 Does confcience recognife this airy claim. 
 
 As if you anfwer'd to your proper name ? 
 
 " To fhine," you fay, " for wifdom and for worth 
 
 " Charms you and me and every foul on earth." 
 
 Yet think — who proffer their good word to day. 
 
 Will, if they lift, to morrow take away : 
 
 Juft as the Fafccs, for the flighteft caufe. 
 
 The fame authority, which gave, withdraws. 
 
 Down with your Mace ! fay they ; 'tis our defire : 
 
 I lay it down, look foolifh, and retire. 
 
 Yet, fliould that people brand me with the name 
 
 Of thief, denounce me pathic loft to ftiame. 
 
 Or fwear I had my father ftrangled — fay. 
 
 Shall I turn pale and fliudder with difmay ? 
 
 Whom but the worthlefs fliould falfe honour charm ? 
 
 Whom but the cheat fliould falfe reproach alarm r
 
 E. XVI. The Epistles. i8i 
 
 Your upright man is one, who curb'd by awe 
 Marks well the llatute's text, and lleers by law ; 
 Whofe balanced judgment many a jury guides ; 
 Whofe bail fecures ; whofe evidence decides. 
 Yet him friends, neighbours, kindred fee the while 
 Without all varnifli and within all guile. 
 
 Suppofe my flave with flippant pertnefs fay — • 
 / never robh'd you. Sir ! nor ran away : 
 " Good" — I reply ; " and, if your tale be true, 
 " What then? — you are not uhipp'd ; you have your 
 
 due." 
 I'm not a murd'rer. " Tut — nor one of thofe 
 " Deftined to grace a crofs and feaft the crows." 
 Vm dutiful and thrifty. Here occurs 
 A doubt ; the wary Sabine here demurs : 
 " For why — fly wolves the pitfall fliun with care, 
 ** Pikes the fufpefted hook, and hawks the fnare. 
 " The good hate vice, for virtue's fake ; but you, 
 " For fear left pains and penalties enfue. 
 " Set thefe a little out of fight — 'tis plain 
 " You'd ftraight confound things facred with profane. 
 " What tho' amid a thoufand pecks of beans 
 " You fl;eal but one — the damage by thefe means 
 " Is lighter, not the guilt." Thus he, whom all 
 Hail jufl:, of every court and judgment-hall 
 The gaze and pride, if he would win the ear 
 Of heav'n by facrifice of fwine or fleer. 
 Hails thee aloud, Apollo ! — with much fliow 
 Hails, Janus ! thee ;— then adds in whifpcr low : 
 " Grant, fair Laverna ! the impofing guifc 
 " Of fandlity ; throw durt in the world's eyes ; 
 " Grant me to feem the thing that I am not ; 
 " In darknefs veil each vice — in clouds each plot!"
 
 i82 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 How he, that burns with covetous defire 
 And for a farthing loft would rake the mire. 
 Stands in the fcale of freedom one degree 
 Above the humbleft flave, I cannot fee. 
 For he, that craves, will fear too ; and whom fears 
 Enthrall, no freeman to my mind appears. 
 The arms of Virtue he has thrown away 
 And left her fentry-poft, who night and day 
 Toils in amaffing wealth. But hold ! 'tis well ; — 
 Forbear to kill the captive you can fell. 
 He'll do the public drudgery ! let him keep 
 The kine, and plough the foil, and tend the fhecp : 
 Let him bear fardels, and on fhip-board brave 
 The rougheft terrors of the wintry wave. 
 He'll ferve to keep the markets down, to drain 
 Home-produce and import the foreign grain. 
 
 Not fo the wife and good man ; — He will fay 
 What Bacchus does to Pentheus in the play :— 
 " On thy poor prif'ner, king ! what penal woes, 
 " What torments undeferved wouldll thou impofe?" 
 riljirip thee of thy goods. " What goods ? my plate 
 " My houfe, my couches, cattle, and eftate .'' 
 " Take them." Bound hand and foot III keep thee 
 
 fill 
 In durance vile. " My god, whene'er I will, 
 " Himfclf fhall loofe me." Meaning Death, I trow — 
 Death — the lall term of human weal and woe."
 
 E. XVII. The Epistles. 183 
 
 EPISTLE XVII. 
 
 To Scava. — On the art of a T lace-hunter. 
 
 THO' with the great to deal, my Scasva ! well 
 You wot, and need no monitor to tell. 
 Take fome poor hints from one who mull in turn 
 Frankly acknowledge he has much to learn ; 
 As if the blind fhould point the road. Yet fee 
 If fomething worth your thought fall ev'n from me. 
 
 If after dawn one hour of calm repofe. 
 With fnug retirement, pleafe — if taverns, fhows, 
 And dull and brawls and rumbling carts offend — 
 No more — to quiet Terentinum bend 
 Your fteps ; there fix the haven of your reft ; 
 For not Ambition's fons alone are bleft ; 
 Nor fares he ill, who making peace his own. 
 Steals from the cradle to the grave unknown. 
 
 But, would you ferve your kindred — would }'ou 
 fhare 
 Yourfelf a fomewhat more indulgent fare. 
 Go, feek fome lordly board without delay ! 
 ' To fupper with what appetite you may ! ' 
 When one, who hated courtiers from his heart, 
 GrowI'd out — " If Ariftippus knew the art 
 " To dine content on potherbs, he would fpurn 
 " To court the great" — " Aye," quoth the fagc in 
 
 turn ; 
 " And he, who knew the great man's fmile to gain, 
 " By my advice your potherbs would difdain."
 
 184 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Declare now, which of thefe contending fchools 
 You favour : or (compliant with the rules 
 Of elderfhip) hear, tried by reafon's teft. 
 Why Ariftippus' fyftem likes me beft. 
 For thus with keen retort, as hiftory fhows. 
 He parried ofF the fnarling Cynic's blows : 
 " I a£l the zany fairly with a view 
 " To ferve myfelf — to pleafe the rabble you. 
 " I pay my court — (what's nobler ?) — that a fteed 
 " May bear me, purple clothe, and monarchs feed. 
 " You beg fcant ofFal, fmaller than the fmall, 
 " Then brag forfooth you have no wants at all !" 
 All ftates of life the fupple fage became ; 
 All hues of fortune found him ftill the fame: 
 On higher things his eye was moftly bent ; 
 With prefent things his heart was ilill content. 
 Not fo the churl, whom hardihood of limb 
 In mantle of coarfe drugget wraps: on him, 
 'Twere marvel, if, for fufFerance only fit, 
 A change of circumftance with eafe could fit. 
 The one ne'er tarries for his fine-fpun vefl ; 
 But, in whatever garb chance offers drefl. 
 Saunters among the throng, and boafls the art 
 In either charadler to top his part. 
 Cloth of Milefian texture t'other flies 
 As a mad dog or afp. He l^arves — he dies — 
 If you reftore him not his rug. Reftore, 
 And let him live the fool he was before ! 
 If to dired: the helm of ftate, and fhow 
 To fliouting multitudes the captive foe. 
 Above all earthly majclly raifcd high. 
 Soars to the throne of Jove and tempts the fky; 
 Of chiefs and flatefmen, fure, to win the grace
 
 E. XVII. The Epistles. 185 
 
 Holds not in glory's fcale the lowefl: place. 
 
 To make the port of Corinth, we are told. 
 
 Falls to the lot of none except the bold. 
 
 IVho doubts his pozu^r, had befi fit flill : — Agreed ; 
 
 But what of thofe more vent'rous who fucceed I 
 
 Lies there not gallant iirmnefs at the root? — 
 
 Why here, or nowhere, hangs the point we moot. 
 
 This dreads an enterprife which, he conceives. 
 
 Mocks his poor ilrength ; that dares it, and achieves. 
 
 Unlefs all virtue be an empty name. 
 
 The palm of honour is the' advent'rer's claim. 
 
 They, who their own diftrefs forbear to din 
 In their rich patron's ear, more favour win 
 Than the importunate. It differs much 
 To grafp the prize, and modeftly to touch 
 The prefent. Yet here lies the fource — the end. 
 From which our efforts fpring — to which they tend. 
 The teafing fool, who clamours every hour — 
 " My mother ilarves ; my filler lacks a dower ; 
 " My fields, alas ! are little worth to fell, 
 " Yet infulficient to maintain me well" — 
 Says in effedl, Pleafe, gentlefolks ! to fiow 
 CompaJJion on the poor ! your alms beftow I 
 Then chimes fome other to the felf-iame tune — 
 Oh pity me ! let me too f>are the boon ! 
 Had but the crow in filence deign'd to eat. 
 His rivals had been lefs and more his meat. 
 
 Whoe'er, when kindly fummon'd on a ride 
 Forth to Brundufium by his patron's fide 
 Or fair Surrentum, all the way complains 
 Of rugged roads, fharp winds, and pelting rains, — 
 Or (which is worfe) deplores beyond due meafure 
 His ranfack'd baggage and his rifled treafure, —
 
 i86 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Apes the fly jilt, who ever and anon 
 Sobs for her necklace loft, her bracelet gone ; 
 Until, the trick grown ftalc, her genuine grief 
 And real loffes gain but fmall belief. 
 None care, when they have once found out the cheat. 
 To lift the canting cripple from the ftreet : 
 Tho' many an unfeign'd tear his eyes let fall — 
 By great Ofiris let him fwear, and bawl — 
 Help, cruel neighbours, help ! Uis truth I tell : 
 " Seek elfewhere, knave ! " cry they ; " We know 
 thee well." 
 
 EPISTLE XVIII. 
 
 To Lollius. — On the art of a Courtier. 
 
 IF I have fcann'd that liberal fpirit well 
 In which I know my Lollius to excel. 
 His honeft candour never will defcend 
 To play the flatterer and profefs the friend : 
 Two characters that ftand diftinguifli'd more 
 Than the ftaid matron from the flaunting whore. 
 Not but there is an error, the reverfe 
 Of mean fervilit}', perhaps ftill worfe : 
 A rude and uncouth booriflinefs, that fliocks 
 All eyes with dirty teeth and unkempt locks. 
 And thinks this rough exterior fliall appear 
 Plain-dealing probity and worth fincere. 
 Folly, as ufual, in extremes is feen. 
 While Virtue nicely hits the happy mean. 
 The one, all complaifance, who fquats at eve
 
 E. XVIII. The Epistles. 187 
 
 On the third couch and chuckles in his fleeve, 
 Watches each nod and wink of his dear lord. 
 Repeats his jokes and picks up every word : 
 You'd fwear you heard fome fchool-boy con by heart 
 His tafk or prompted play'r rehearfe his part. 
 
 T'other will have it that goat's hair is wool. 
 No theme (o trivial but the wrangling fool 
 Is up in arms : " Who doubts," quoth he " my word ? 
 " Who fays my voice is not to be firft heard ? 
 ** Marry, come up ! to blurt in accents bold 
 " Each thought, for twenty lives were dearly fold." 
 Now what's the weighty point that mars his reft ? — 
 If Dolichos or Caftor fences beft : — 
 Which route lies fairer for Brundufium's bay. 
 That by the Appian or Minucian way. 
 
 The man who waftes his all in recklefs vice. 
 Given to loofe gallantry or defperate dice ; — 
 Whom afFedation lures from humbler fcenes 
 To drefs, perfume, and fare beyond his means ; — 
 Whom reftlefs thirft and hunger after gold. 
 Or fhame and dread of want, in thraldom hold ; — 
 Him his rich friend, tho' haply ten times worfc. 
 Regards with look contemptuous and averfe : 
 Or, if he eyes not with difdainful fcorn. 
 Yet takes upon himfelf to fcold and warn ; 
 And, like a tender mother, fain would fee 
 The minion wife whate'er the mafter be : 
 " My ample funds," he fays (and 'faith fays true), 
 " Allow fuch freaks ; but 'tis not fo with you : 
 " A plain garb fuits the poor, the rich a fine ; 
 " Go, mimic ! vie not with a purfe like mine ! " 
 Volumnius, on fome coxcomb's ruin bent, 
 Array'd him fpruccly to his heart's content :
 
 i88 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 For now, thought he, his wifhes foaring higher. 
 He'll take new counfels with his new attire : 
 He'll fnore till noon — for fome gay punk forget 
 All fober buf'nefs — and run deep in debt ; 
 Anon perhaps the fencing-ftage he'll tread. 
 Or drive a gard'ner's barrow for his bread. 
 
 Be not too meddling, nor with curious eye 
 Into your patron's fecrets aim to pry : 
 But thofe confided keep, and from your breaft. 
 The' plied with wine and threats, let nothing wreft. 
 
 Let not a friend's purfuits your cenfure feel. 
 Nor eulogize your own with pedant zeal : 
 Nor, when he's bent o'er hill and dale to roam. 
 Do you hang back to fcribble verfe at home. 
 Thus w.ith Amphion once the facred yoke 
 Of brotherly afFeftion Zethus broke ; 
 Till awed by the feverer ftripling's ire 
 At length in filence flept the unwelcome lyre. 
 He to a brother's idle whim gave way ; 
 Brook you a benefaftor's nobler fway ; 
 And when he fummons forth the full-mouth'd pack 
 And mules with nets ^tolian on each back. 
 Truce with the moping and unfocial mufe 
 Nor fullenly the generous fport refufe, — 
 Sure with your comrade, from the chafe return'd. 
 To fhare the feaft your labours jointly earn'd. 
 'Twas ever Rome's choice paftime, free from blame. 
 Good for the health and bracing to the frame. 
 Robuft in youthful vigour, you exceed 
 Almoft the boar in llrength — the hound in fpeed : 
 And few can wield (which aggravates the cafe) 
 The arms of manhood with more dextrous grace : 
 The Field of Mars in joufts has fecn you long
 
 E. XVIII. The Epistles. 189 
 
 The pride and wonder of the circling throng : 
 Your boyhood ferved fome Iharp campaigns : in brief. 
 You've feen Cantabrian wars beneath that chief 
 Who bore from Parthian fhrines our ftandards home 
 And bids each lurking rebel kneel to Rome. 
 
 To leave no fhadow of excufe behind, 
 Tho' all you fay and do is ftill confined 
 Within juft bounds, we know you counterfeit 
 A fea-fight fometimes at your father's feat. 
 A lake there ferves the Adrian gulf to fliow ; 
 Your brother heads the fquadron of the foe ; 
 Boats form in adverfe lines ; you lead the ftrife ; 
 And a few boys paint Aftium to the life. 
 The fleets engage, and after fome fmall pother 
 One party flies and viftory crowns the other. 
 To each his paftime : — Join but his ; he'll burn 
 With heart and hand to fecond yours in turn. 
 
 But with our fage monitions to proceed. 
 If peradventure fuch advice you need — 
 When of men's charafters you fpeak, beware 
 Of whom, to whom, and what thofe fpeeches are ! 
 Shun the inquifitive : pert fools will prate ; 
 And words once utter'd are rccall'd too late. 
 Let no fair youth or maid, that forms a part 
 Of your rich patron's houfehold, wound your heart: 
 Left by vouchfafing you a boon lo fmall 
 He pay you off, or by refufing gall. 
 
 To introduce another ftrongly prefl''d. 
 Look to it well if he can ftand the teft : 
 Elfe deftined foon to fliare refledlcd blame. 
 Faults not your own may tinge your cheek with fliame. 
 But fliould you err (as wifeft men have err'd) 
 And on the worthlcfs lavifli your good word.
 
 igo The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 Him, whom his own demerits fink, give o'er, 
 And once miftaken plead his caufe no more ; 
 That thofe, whom you can faf'ely warrant jull. 
 In your proteftion placing all their truft. 
 With full effeft, when evil tongues aflail. 
 You may defend thro' flander's blackeft tale. 
 For, fuch when her envenomed fhafts purfue. 
 Be fure the danger is not far from you. 
 He that efpies a neighbour's roof on fire 
 And calmly fees the flames to heaven afpire. 
 Will find them gather ftrength, till let alone 
 They with his neighbour's houfe burn down his own. 
 
 Sweet is the courtfhip of the great to thofe 
 Who have not tried it ; death to him that knows. 
 You, while your bark yet fees the tempeil fleep 
 And fkims the bofom of the tranquil deep, 
 Ufe every effort, ply both fail and oar. 
 Left the gale fhift and bear you back to fhore. 
 The fad hate mirth, low fpirits the jocofe. 
 The fprightly phlegm, good-humour the morofe. 
 Sots, that whole nights in deep potations pafs. 
 The milkfop hate that flinches at his glafs, 
 Tho' ftoutly urging in excufe his dread 
 Of midnight vapours and an aching head. 
 Clear up the cloud that overcafts your brow. 
 And fhare their mirth ; fince modefty 'ere now 
 Has oft been known, mifconftrued, to afTume 
 The air of dark defign, — referve, of gloom. 
 
 To fum up all — Confult and con the wife 
 In what the art of true contentment lies : 
 How fear and hope, that rack the human will. 
 Are but vain dreams of things nor good nor ill ; 
 Inquire if Virtue fpring from head or heart.
 
 E. XVIII. The Epistles. 191 
 
 Nature's free boon or the flow growth of art : 
 What lulls mad care, holds paffion in controul. 
 Sheds a ferene complacence o'er the foul. 
 And tunes the mind to concord with itfelt — 
 The pride of influence, the fweets of pelf. 
 Place, honour, profit — or, beyond all thefe. 
 The calm ftill vale of privacy and eafe. 
 
 For me, whene'er my foot that bank regains 
 Whofe gelid waters lave Mandela's plains, — 
 Dear fpot, tho' flirivell'd by the parching air, — 
 What, think you, forms the fummit of my prayer ? 
 'Tis this : May I retain what I poflefs — ■ 
 Nay, if fate wills it, fee that little lefs — 
 Only (fl\ould heav'n a longer period give) 
 Live to myfelf the days I have to live ! 
 Of Books may I enjoy a decent llore. 
 Of grain enough to laft a year or more, — 
 Nor, fearful lell the fickle fky fliould lower. 
 Hang trembling on the hope of each chance hour! 
 But here I paufe.— Suffice it if we pray 
 To Jove for what Jove gives and takes away : — 
 Life, health, and plenty — thefe let Heav'n aflign ! 
 A firm and even foul — .I'll warrant mine.
 
 192 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 EPISTLE XIX. 
 
 To Maecenas. — u4 defence of his own poetry from the 
 ridicule which had attached onfome of his imitators. 
 
 IF, dear Maecenas, verfed in claffic lore. 
 To what Cratinus taught in days of yore 
 Your credence yield, the water-drinker's fong. 
 Cold as his heart, can never flourifh long. 
 From that time forth when Bacchus of his grace 
 Amid the Fauns and Satyrs deign'd to place 
 True poets as poffell, the dulcet Nine 
 Have every morn, 'tis whifper'd, fmelt of wine. 
 The praife, which father Homer oft bellows 
 On brimming goblets, proves he loved his dofe. 
 Ennius ne'er pour'd the war-fong, till his foul 
 Had fuck'd infpiring rapture from the bowl. 
 " That fober folks turn poets, Heav'n forefend ! 
 " Such to the Courts and Libo's Font I fend." 
 This edift.paft, our wits without delay 
 Tope wine by night and breathe its fumes by dav. 
 
 Strange notion ! what — if barefoot, with grimfrown 
 And the coarfe texture of a fcanty gown. 
 One ape old Cato, would he body forth 
 All Cato's probity and patriot worth ? 
 The Moor, who toil'd in rival repartees 
 To match in pow'rs of tongue Timagenes, 
 At laft, a vidlim to defeated pride, 
 Burfting with fuUcn envy droop'd and died. 
 So, if I look but pale, fome ape fliall feek
 
 E. XIX. The Epistles. 193 
 
 With cummin-dole to bleach his rofy cheek. 
 Models miflead, when copiers fix their view 
 On faults alone. How oft, ye fervile crew 
 Of mimics, when your buftling pranks I've feen. 
 Have ye provoked my fmiles — how oft my fpleen ! 
 
 Peace to all fuch ! a vacant walk I found, 
 A bold advent'rer in unbeaten ground. 
 Let cowards lag behind ! The brave explore 
 New paths, and rufh where foot ne'er trod before. 
 I firft held forth to Latium's fond regard 
 The ftern Iambics of the Parian bard. 
 Copying his verfe — his fpirit, not each thought 
 And phrafe with death to poor Lycambes fraught. 
 Nor thou with fcantier wreath my brows array. 
 As loath to change the ftrufture of his lay : 
 A verfe in which warm Sappho urged her fuit. 
 To which Alcaeus tuned his warbling lute, — 
 Albeit, diftindl in matter and in Ityle, 
 In tart lampoons he ftudies to revile 
 No perjured fire-in-law — with keen abufe 
 Weaves for no falfe betroth'd the fatal noofe. 
 His fong to Roman ears by me alone — 
 By me the Latian minftrcl — was made known ; 
 Proud that thofe lays are conn'd (unfeen before) 
 By liberal eyes, by liberal hands turn'd o'er. 
 
 Aflc you, why fome at home my page applaud. 
 Yet cry it down ungracioufly abroad ? 
 I coax no fickle rabble for their votes 
 With bribes of tempting treats and caft off coats : 
 I brook to hear no noble bards rehearfe. 
 That they in turn may deign to hear my verfe : 
 I court no deflc — no pedant-tribes carefs : 
 And hence — hence flow thofe tears of bitterncfs !
 
 194 The Epistles. b. i. 
 
 If I aver my fhame, with modeft look, 
 
 To fpout in crowded theatres a book 
 
 Whofe claim to notice is fo poor, and fwear 
 
 I blufh to publifh trifles light as air ; 
 
 Their anfwer is, — " Pfhaw, Horace ! now you jeer 
 
 " And keep thofe dainties back for Jove's own ear, 
 
 " Vainly convinced (if truth be told) that few 
 
 " Can pour fuch iieftar'd ftreams of fong as you." 
 
 At this to fneer outright my courage fails ; 
 
 So, rather than encounter defperate nails, 
 
 " Let's waive that tender topic!" I exclaim 
 
 And crave a truce : For oft has this mock-game 
 
 To dudgeon led and bickering broils, and they 
 
 To furious conflift and the bloody fray. — 
 
 EPISTLE XX. 
 To his Book. — A farewell addrefs on its publication. 
 
 SO then, to Janus and Vertumnus, Book I 
 Thou feem'ft at length to throw a willtul look ; 
 Where trick'd and varnifh'd by the Sofian hand 
 High on the venal fhelf thou long'ft to Hand. 
 Yes, yes — I fee, thy fhy referve is fled ; 
 Avcrfe to locks and bolts thou would'fl; be read : 
 And, flighting all my counfel, bidll adieu 
 To private ears, to court the public view. 
 
 Well, have thy will, and go thy way ! but learn. 
 When once difmifl"'d, thou never canft return. 
 Fool that I was ! methinks I hear thee cry, 
 When fome failidious critic flings thee by. 
 Or fome admirer fatiate of thv charms
 
 E. XX. The Epistles. 195 
 
 'Fhrufts thee all torn and rumpled from his arms. 
 But, if I read thy dellinies aright 
 Nor mifts of felf-love dim the prophet's fight. 
 While novelty and youth's attra6live bloom 
 Endure, thou fhalt be much careff'd at Rome. 
 But, when the vulgar touch thy beauty foils. 
 The filent moth fhall batten on thy fpoils ; 
 Or to far Afric's coall: thou fhalt be fent 
 Or Spain, fall bound in odious banifliment. 
 Then he, whofe warning voice thou would'ft not hear. 
 Shall flight thy fufFerings and deride thy fear, — 
 Like him who once, his reftive afs to mock. 
 Threw up the reins and drove him on the rock. 
 Nor is this all : — For, when the prime is paft, 
 Old-age with lifping accents Ihall at laft 
 Surprife thee teaching fchool-boys to repeat 
 Their daily talk in every dirty ftrcet. 
 
 Thou then, what time the fun's intenfer ra) 
 Summons around thee many a liftener, fay — 
 That, tho' a freedman's fon, in fortune's fpite 
 I imp'd my pinions for a prouder flight. 
 And foar'd aloof. Thus, what I lack in birth. 
 To make amends, fliall fwell the fcore of worth. 
 Say too that by the great — by men confefl; 
 Supreme in peace and war — I was carefl"'d. 
 Add that I loved to balk in fummer fkics. 
 Was grey betimes, in ftature under-fize. 
 And quick to wrath ; yet that my bittercft rage 
 Ne'er rankled. Tell them, if they afk my age, 
 Lollius and Lepidus the ftate controul'd 
 When four and forty funs had o'er me roU'd. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST DOOK.
 
 THE EPISTLES. 
 
 BOOK II.
 
 
 THE EPISTLES. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 EPISTLE I. 
 
 To Auguftus Ca-far. — A panegyric on A ugi/Jl us, fol- 
 lowed by criticifms on the various fiyles and oljeBs 
 of Foe try. 
 
 C^SAR ! while you fuftain a nation's weight, 
 Immerfed in toils fo various and fo great, — 
 While you the Roman realm in arms defend. 
 Call back to virtue, and with laws amend, — 
 He that with prolix pen fuch hours fhould fteal 
 Might feem to trefpafs on the public weal. 
 
 The worthies who atchieved high deeds of old. 
 Since for thofe deeds among the Gods enroll'd, 
 Rome's founder, Bacchus, Leda's twin-born pride. 
 While yet alive their generous toils they plied — 
 To tame wild hordes, put lawlefs rebels down, 
 Mark the new fettlement, and rear the town — 
 Mourn'd that the world, ilill blind to merit new, 
 With-held the guerdon to their exploits due. 
 Ev'n he who crufh'd the far-famed Hydra's rage 
 And dared fo long a fateful war to wage 
 With monfters dire, thofe monfters all o'crthrown.
 
 200 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Found Envy could be quell'd by Death alone. 
 For why — each weak afpirant's twinkling rays 
 Fade in thefe greater luminaries' blaze ; 
 But, foon as death has quench'd their fcorching beam. 
 Rivals turn friends and thofc that rail'd efteem. 
 
 But 'jour deferts maturer honours claim. 
 And fhrines already confecrate your name, — 
 All prompt to own, 'ere yet you mount the flcies. 
 That nothing fuch has rif'n nor e'er fhall rife. 
 And yet your people (wifely thus and well 
 On this one point agreed, that you excel, 
 Whofe name they juftly rank while yet on earth 
 Above all Greek — above all Roman worth) 
 In books methinks far other tafte difplay 
 And frame their judgments in a coarfer way. 
 Each loaths with fcorn \vhatever wears the bloom 
 Of novelty and fmells not of the tomb; 
 Each of departed worth the praifes rings : 
 Name the Decemv'ral code — fome league our kings 
 With Gabii or rude Sabines fcal'd oi yore — 
 The Pontiffs' books — the Sibyl's mufty lore — 
 Their rapture knows no bound : The facred Nine 
 On Alba's hill, fay they, infpired each line ! 
 
 But if, becaufe in Greece, with genius bleft 
 So long, the earliell bards are held the bell. 
 In the fame fcale we Roman talent weigh 
 Where bards and books are things of yeilerday, 
 I fay no more — fuch fophifts may as well 
 Swear olives have no kernel, nuts no fhell ! 
 Confummate mafters in each branch of art. 
 We fons of wit forfooth have topp'd our part ; 
 And polifh'd Athens bows to Roman fkill 
 In pidlure, mufic, wrellling — what you will !
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 201 
 
 If verfe, like wine, improve by ripening age. 
 What period, pray, llamps value on the page ? 
 To end all parley draw your landmark clear : 
 A bard, fuppofe, has reach'd his hundredth year ; — ■ 
 I fain would learn if praife be deem'd his due 
 As ancient, or contempt as vile and new. 
 " He o'er whofe grave one hundred funs have roll'd 
 " May be pronounced a claffic good and old." 
 But Ihould he want a month or year perhaps, — 
 Muft he maintain his ftation or relapfe, — 
 TowV mid the faultlefs wits of other days. 
 Or mix'd with modern trafh renounce all praife ? 
 " For one fhort month he forfeits not his place ; 
 " Come, grant him, ifyou will, a twelvemonth's grace." 
 To take the licenfe giv'n I Ihall not fail ; 
 And, like the hairs which from the horfe's tail. 
 Though fmgly pull'd, yet all at laft decay. 
 So I thofe years pluck one by one away, 
 'Till my opponent, by fair logic beat. 
 Shall find the ground fmk fall beneath his feet. 
 Who runs to dates, weighs genius by the year. 
 And hails no worth 'till fandlion'd by the bier. 
 
 Ennius, in precept fage, in fpirit bold. 
 That fecond Homer, as our critics hold. 
 Seems oft methinks his promife to neglcft. 
 And brings his Samian dreams to fmall efFeft. 
 Nasvius (fo much is time the foul of verfe !) 
 None read, but all can frefh by heart rehearfe. 
 In balancing their worth if qucflions rife 
 Which yields to which, Pacuvius bears the prize 
 Of ftudious art — Accius of loftinefs ; 
 Afranius well, it feems, in Roman drcfs 
 Hits off Menandcr ; Plautus more, they fay.
 
 202 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 In Epicharmus the Sicilian's way 
 
 Pours with bold, negligence his rapid lines ; 
 
 Terence in fkill, in force Caecilius fhines. 
 
 Thcfe bards great Rome commits to memory ; thcfe 
 
 In crowded pits her ravifh'd audience plcale : 
 
 Thefe are her ftandard fav'rites on the ftage 
 
 From elder Livius to the prefent age. 
 
 The people's voice is fometimes juft and true ; 
 And times occur when it can blunder too. 
 If it pronounce with hyperbolic praife 
 That nothing can furpafs thofe antique lays — 
 Nothing come near their worth, 'tis clearly wrong. 
 But if it candidly admit their fong 
 Charged with old-fafhion'd rudenefs, coarfe in grain. 
 Uncouth in parts, and flov'nly in the main, 
 'Tis clearly right ; its voice accords with mine ; 
 And Jove's own grace fhall on the verdift fhine. 
 
 Not that I would at all thofe veterans flout. 
 Or wifli old Livius wholly blotted out. 
 Whom, I remember well, with iron rule 
 Orbilius taught me to repeat at fchool : 
 But, when I hear them call'd to the lall touch 
 Corre6l and exquifitc, I marvel much : 
 In whom if haply ftarts me here and there 
 Some well-turn'd phrafe — fome line of fmoothnefs 
 It covers flaws unnumber'd, drags along [rare. 
 
 Whole pages, and accredits all the fong. 
 I hate to hear a work aflail'd with blame 
 Not for its own dull thoughts or texture tame. 
 But for its ncwnefs ; and for ancient bards 
 Not pardon claim'd, but honour and rewards. 
 Should I of Atta's piece a doubt obtrude 
 Whether it tread the boards all flow'r-beftrew'd.
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 203 
 
 With foot ereft fome frowning fenior fays 
 That loft to ftiame are thefe degenerate days. 
 When fcenes, that grave -^fopus ufed to aft 
 Or artful Rofcius, are with fneers attack'd ! 
 Is it that felf-love dims their eye, which fees 
 No worth but what has chanced themfelves to pleafe? 
 Or that they cannot brook the foul difgrace 
 Of borrowing counfel from a riling race, — 
 And, ftiff in prepoffeffion, proudly fpurn 
 In age their childhood's lefTons to unlearn ? 
 Go to — the Salian hymn that Numa wrote 
 Who praifes, and affefts to know and quote 
 What neither he nor I can comprehend. 
 Seeks not departed genius to befriend, , 
 Nor burns with zeal for bards of cent'ries paft ; 
 But us depreciates — us and ours would blail. 
 Yet had the Greeks thus fcrupled to allow 
 Ought that was new, what had been ancient now ? 
 Or whence had public ufe derived this ftore 
 Of volumes to be thumb'd and tumbled o'er ? 
 When, refting from her deeds of arms, fair Greece 
 Voluptuous revell'd in the lap of peace. 
 Soon wanton wax'd, fhe now would take the lead 
 In feats gymnaftic, now would train the fteed ; 
 In ivory, ftone, or brafs fhe loved to trace 
 The fculptured form and mould the living grace ; 
 On on the colour'd canvafs boldly fought 
 To rivet each enraptured eye and thought; — 
 Now to the Comic pipe gave eager ear ; 
 Now fhed o'er Tragic fcenes foft pity's tear. 
 As frifking round his nurfe fome infant boy 
 With wayward humour fhifts the various toy. 
 So every art in turn with wiftful eye
 
 204 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 She vievv'd — then flung the fhort-lived bauble by. 
 
 What moves our love — or what our hate — fo much. 
 
 But foon it veers at fafhion's magic touch ! 
 
 Thus throve variety — thus feldom fails 
 
 To thrive — with gentle peace and profp'rous gales ! 
 
 In Rome 'twas long our fathers' joy and pride 
 At early dawn with portals open'd wide 
 On knotty points to clear each client's doubt ; 
 And great the care to put their money out 
 With all due forms fecured : experienced age 
 Would teach, and youth imbibe, in precepts fage. 
 The ways and means to make their funds increafe 
 By honell thrift, and bid vain lux'ry ceafe. 
 The fickle public now has changed its tone. 
 Stung with the luft of fcribbling verfe alone. 
 Crown'd at the fellive board with bays, grave fires 
 And ftriplings didlate what the mufe infpires. 
 Ev'n I, who pen no rhyme as I've averr'd. 
 Prove falfer than the Parthian to my word. 
 And, 'ere the fun is riPn, awake and bawl 
 For parchment, pens, and ink, in hafte to fcrawl. 
 
 None fteer the (hip but thofe in fteerage verfed ; 
 Thofe who would praftife med'cine, learn it firft : 
 And few will, 'ere the art is underftood. 
 Mix for the fick a dofe of fouthern-wood : 
 Smiths ply the fmithy ; and the proverb rules 
 None but adepts fhould meddle with edged tools : 
 Verfe is the only art each thinks he knows ; 
 And, learned or illiterate, all compofe ! 
 
 Yet that this flight obliquity of brain — 
 This minor mania — carries in its train 
 Some fcatter'd virtues too, muft be confeft: : 
 Av'rice can fcarce infedl the poet's breaft :
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 205 
 
 'Tis verfe he covets — verfe alone requires ; 
 With this he laughs at lolTes, thefts, and fires. 
 No plots he hatches, nor fupplants by fraud 
 An unfufpefting friend or infant ward. 
 Coarfe bread and herbs demand fmall length of purfc; 
 He afks no better fare, he fears no worfe : 
 Though weak in war, ftill ufeful to the ftate 
 Grant but that fmall concerns may profit great : 
 He trains to fpeech the infant's faltering tongue. 
 And childhood learns to lifp what bards have fung. 
 Ev'n at thofe years he turns the' untainted eyes 
 From ribald trafh to lefTons found and wife : 
 Anon he forms the heart in riper age. 
 Reproves low fpite and tempers brutal rage ; — 
 Perpetuates worth, records each generous deed. 
 And binds round Virtue's brow fair honour's meed ; — 
 Points out to view examples high, and fires 
 The fons to emulate their patriot fires ; — 
 Bids anguifh fmile that never fmiled before, 
 Afl'uages ficknefs, and confoles the poor, 
 Unlefs the mufe had giv'n the bard, fay how 
 Had youths and maids preferr'd the fuppliant vow ? 
 The Chorus waits — he lends his helping hand. 
 And Heav'n is won to hear their accents bland. 
 He calls to earth the fliow'r refrefhing, frees 
 From threat'ning peril, and averts difeafc ; 
 Let but the poet touch the plaintive firing— 
 See peace returning fpreads her downy wing. 
 And years with plenty at his bidding flow ! 
 Verfe foothes the Gods above and Ghofb below ! 
 
 Our priftine peafants, men of rullic mould. 
 Content with little, hardy, rough and bold. 
 After their corn was houled, in feilive play
 
 2o6 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Were wont to pafs a harmlefs holiday. 
 Cheer'd through long toil by profpefts of its clofe, 
 Their hands — nay hearts — they gave to glad repofe. 
 Each fcated with his good-wife at his fide 
 And chubby brats, the little houfehold's pride. 
 With milk Silvanus — with a pig boon Earth — 
 Genius, the myftic pow'r that guards our birth. 
 With flow'rs and wine — they labour'd to appeafe. 
 Mindful of life's fliort date. From rites like thefe 
 The rude Fefcennine farce in procefs grew. 
 Where ruftic flouts in verfe alternate flew. 
 The pleafing licenfe long uncurb'd by laws 
 Gambol'd from year to year, and gain'd applaufe : 
 Till into open outrage waxing fail: 
 The foul-mouth'd jibe grew ferious, and at lail 
 Through noble roofs the ribald flander rang : 
 He that was gall'd by fcandal's venom'd fang 
 Erelong took umbrage ; he too that was not. 
 Still felt fome interell for the common lot. 
 A law now pail: appointing heavy pains 
 To him that fhould revile in wicked fl:rains. 
 They changed their note, and dread of drubbing foon 
 Taught them fair words and wit without lampoon. 
 Tamed Greece to tame her viftrcls now began. 
 And with her arts fair Latium over-ran : 
 Whence that Saturnian doggrel was confign'd 
 To due difgrace, and rudeneis grew refined. 
 Yet traces of the ancient uncouth vein 
 Remain'd for many an age, and itill remain. 
 For late it was ere Rome, her arms flung by, 
 Turn'd to the Grecian page a ftudious eye ; 
 Nor, till her v.-ars with Carthage now well o"er 
 Gave leifure and repolc unknown before.
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 207 
 
 Began fhe to inquire if Sophocles, 
 
 Thefpis, and ^fchylus had ought to pleafe. 
 
 Fired with thofe fcenes, to copy next fhe tried. 
 
 And to tranflation's tafk her hand applied ; 
 
 And, form'd with heart to feel and tongue to drefs 
 
 Thoughts high and grand, Ihe faii'd not of fuccefs. 
 
 For not of tragic fpirit lacks fhe ftore, — 
 
 Nay happily can dare and boldly foar : 
 
 But here her weaknefs lies, that to efface 
 
 What once is penn'd, fhe deems a foul difgrace. 
 
 To Comedy fome hold lefs pains and thought 
 Due, fince her themes from common life are fought. 
 But common themes in fiftion's garb to drefs — 
 The tafk grows harder as the' indulgence lefs. 
 Mark with how fmall confiflency or truth 
 Plautus delineates the enamour'd youth. 
 Sly pimp, and griping churl ! Obferve, I pray. 
 How old Doffennus in his rambling way 
 With fpunging parafites ekes out his page. 
 And with how lax a fock he fweeps the flage ! 
 For why — His aim is pelf; with purfe well cramm'd 
 He recks not if his piece be clapp'd or damn'd. 
 Now look to him whom in her airy car 
 Vain-glory leads to the dramatic war ! 
 His heart with fpleen a lukewarm audience kills, 
 A liftening pit with pert complacence fills. 
 To thofe who flart for fame, fo light — fo fmall 
 That chance which bids their fpirits mount or fall ! 
 Adieu the ftage, if, as the palm is mine 
 Or from my grafp with-held, I thrive or pine ! 
 
 Another grievance, which might well deter 
 The rtouteft-heartcd bard, will oft occur : 
 For of the crowd that portion which, though lower
 
 2o8 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 In rank and tafte, are far in numbers more. 
 
 The ftupid vulgar (prompt with many a fift 
 
 To 'enforce their judgment, fhould the knights refill) 
 
 In the mid adion claim with deaf'ning bawl 
 
 The Boxers or the Bear, their all-in-all. 
 
 Nay ev'n the knight feems now no joy to know 
 
 But gorgeous pageantry and raree-lhow ; 
 
 His fpring of pleafure from the ear and brain 
 
 Pail: to the flickering eye and optics vain. 
 
 Four hours or more uncurtain'd ftands the ftage. 
 
 While troops of horfe and foot fierce battle wage ; 
 
 Cars, coaches, chariots, fhips, aftound the eye. 
 
 And here kings ftalk in chains, there fquadrons fly : 
 
 Corinthian vafes plunder'd from the foe. 
 
 And ivory ftatues in long order go. 
 
 Oh could the laughing fage revilit earth. 
 
 How would our flaring audience move his mirth. 
 
 When fome white elephant their fond regard 
 
 Attrads, or beaft half-camel and half-pard ! 
 
 The people fure would his main intereil fhare. 
 
 And prove far more amufing than the play'r. 
 
 The bard (God help him !) well with him might pafs 
 
 For one that tells his tale to a deaf afs. 
 
 For where can hiftrionic lungs be found 
 
 To ftcm the clam'rous din our pits refound ? 
 
 Loud as the billows lafli the Tufcan fliore 
 
 Or Gargan forelb to the tempeft roar. 
 
 Their fliouts falute the pomp with carvings rich. 
 
 And gems, and foreign frippery, frounced in which 
 
 No fooner ftalks the play'r, than peals are heard 
 
 On peals! — But has he fpoken ? — Not a word. — 
 
 Why then this coil ? — Yon tawdry fluff they view, 
 
 Whofc dye Tarentine mocks the violet's hue.
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 209 
 
 But, left you think that hopelefs to excel 
 Mylelf, I flight what others handle well. 
 Know that to me that poet feems poffeft 
 Of pow'rs portentous, who can rack my breaft 
 With vifionary woe, bid pity fill. 
 Soothe, ftir to wrath, with fancied horrors thrill. 
 And, like a forcerer, whifk me through the air 
 To Thebes — to Athens — when he will and \vhere ! 
 
 But fome there are, who loathe to truft their piece 
 To an affembled public's proud caprice. 
 Write to be read. To thefe afpirants too, 
 Methinks, fome portion of your care is due. 
 If you would fill that facred pile you rear 
 With poems worthy great Apollo's ear, — 
 Or fire our bards with zeal, and fpur them on 
 To climb the verdant heights of Helicon. 
 
 Oft to ourfelves, indeed, we fons of fong 
 (To own the painful truth) work mickle wrong: 
 When on your ear, for inftance, at a time 
 Of buf'nefs or fatigue, we force our rhyme ; — 
 When we refent the freedom of a friend 
 Who dares this line or that to reprehend ; — 
 When, in reciting, each choice phrafe we meet. 
 We haften, uninvited, to repeat ; — 
 When we lament that few have fenfe to trace 
 Our poem's fubtle thread and fine-fpun grace ; — 
 When we think furely that our fcribbling vein 
 No fooner fhall tranfpire, than you will deign 
 To fmile upon our lays, carefs, invite. 
 Load us with boons, and urge us on to write. 
 
 Yet 'tis worth while to mark with wary eyes 
 What fort of Sacri/Ians the mufe fupplies 
 Meet for the flirinc, and competent to tell 
 p
 
 210 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 That worth in peace, in war, approved fo well, — 
 Worth, which 'twere facrilege to trull, I deem. 
 In hands unequal to fo proud a theme. 
 
 Well had it been for Philip's warlike fon 
 If Choerilus had ne'er his favour won. 
 Nor to the conqueror of the world had fold 
 His doggrel lines for Macedonian gold. 
 For homely verfe the pureft fame will fpot. 
 Sure as ink handled leaves behind a blot. 
 But he, in choice of bards fo little nice. 
 Who fuch a poem bought at fuch a price, — 
 This very king, we're told, ordain'd by law 
 None but Apelles ftiould his femblance draw. 
 And that Lyfippus' hand fhould mould alone 
 Great Alexander's fhape in brafs or Hone. 
 Thus the fame mind, which Nature had endued 
 With tafte for works of art fo nice and flirewd. 
 When fummon'd to pronounce on books and bards 
 And thofe fair tributes which the mufe awards. 
 Forgot its Ikill, and any one might fwear 
 He drew, when young, Boeotia's foggy air. 
 
 But, fir ! the favour'd bards, on whom is placed 
 Your patronage, difcredit not your tafte ; — 
 But fpeak the fine difcernment which feleds 
 And the boon hand which hail'd by all protefts 
 Virgil and Varius. Here the public voice 
 Echoes the verdift and approves the choice. 
 Nor breathes the form with portraiture more juft 
 On the fmooth tablet ftamp'd or brazen buft. 
 Than of great worthies by the pen \ve find 
 Sketch'd to the life the manners and the mind. 
 Nor would I ftill my humble efibrts bound 
 To this colloquial verfe that creeps aground.
 
 E. I. The Epistles. 211 
 
 But rather launch in Epic's bold career. 
 
 To ling the' embattled hoft and briftling fpear. 
 
 Record the fields which Csfar's arms have won. 
 
 The rivers forded and the realms o'er-run. 
 
 Hills crown'd with forts to curb each barb'rous horde. 
 
 And a wide world compell'd to own its lord. 
 
 While Janus clofed fpeaks peace reftored anew 
 
 And Parthia bows her neck to Rome and You— 
 
 All this and more my ample page fhould fill, 
 
 Were but my genius equal to my will. 
 
 But fo it is : Your dignity demands 
 
 No flimfy treatment at the poet's hands ; 
 
 And fhame forbids this feeble pen to dare 
 
 A theme my mufe lacks energy to bear : 
 
 Since too officious zeal has oft pull'd down 
 
 To its own level him it ftrove to crown ; 
 
 But never more than when that zeal difplays 
 
 Its fulfome raptures in poetic lays. 
 
 For fooner caught and Headier to abide 
 
 On memory's tablet that which we deride. 
 
 Than what revere. For me, had I fuch claim. 
 
 Well could I fpare the zeal which mars my fame. 
 
 I wifh not to Hand forth to public view 
 
 In wax with features coarfer than the true, — 
 
 Still lefs to hear feme bungling bard rehearfe 
 
 My praifes traveftied in flov'nly verfe j 
 
 Left at a tribute fo uncouthly paid 
 
 I Hand abafh'd ; and with my author laid 
 
 In the broad bottom of fome open cheft. 
 
 Budge to the fhopman's counter to invert 
 
 Pies, perfumes, pepper, frankinccnfe, or ought 
 
 That wrapp'd in reams of nonfcnfe there is bought.
 
 212 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 EPISTLE II. 
 
 To 'Julius Florus. — PraBical obfervations on life. 
 
 FLORUS, firm friend to Nero good and brave ! 
 Suppofe feme chapman ofF'ring you a flave 
 At Gabii born or Tibur, thus propounds 
 His terms : — " This lad is yours for three-fcore pounds ; 
 " Fair and of comely fliape from top to toe — 
 " Quick at his mailer's beck to come and go — 
 " Apt for all arts — in Greek has fome fmall flcill — 
 " Plaftic as clay you'll mould him to your will ; 
 " His voice too, though untutor'd, may afford 
 " Strains not unwelcome at the genial board. 
 " Praife in excefs the vender's faith impairs, 
 " As if he puff'd, but to put off, his wares : 
 " Pinch'd by no need, beneath no debts I groan ; 
 " My flock, though fmall, is yet (thank Heaven) my 
 
 own. 
 " You'll find the trade in candour far from fuch ; 
 " Ev'n I to all would hardly blab as much. 
 " Once he proved truant, and (you know their way) 
 ** Scared at the rod in pickle flculking lay 
 " Beneath the Hairs. If this one fpeck of vice 
 " Prove no impediment, you know the price: — " 
 This honed dealer fure might take the fum. 
 The bargain clofc, and fmile at fuits to come. 
 For why — " the rifk was yours," he'd fay ; ** you 
 
 knew 
 " His failing ; all was fair ; what ground to fue ?"
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 213 
 
 Such is my cafe : I warn'd you, when you went. 
 That I was funk in floth, half impotent 
 For fuch attentions. Thus, methought, your blame 
 Would be difarm'd, if chance no letter came. 
 Alas, vain cautions thefe, if you that plea 
 In aggravation urge, which makes for me ! 
 But lo ! you tax me with negleft ftill worfe ; 
 Falfe to my word, it feems, I promifed verfe. 
 And forfeit now my pledge. — Nay, ceafe to rail ; 
 Truce with apologies, and hear a tale. 
 
 A foldier of Lucullus, who, they fay. 
 With much ado had faved his hard-earn'd pay. 
 Tempted one night by a forced march to fnore. 
 Loft to the utmoft doit his treafured ftore. 
 Anon he rofe, and fierce as wolf fharp-fet, 
 Curfing the foe, himfelf, and all he met. 
 Took fword-in-hand a royal hold fupplied 
 With ample ftores and ftoutly fortified. 
 Praifed for the gallant feat he reap'd its fruit 
 In many a badge of honour, and to-boot 
 Got twice ten thoufand pieces for his fhare. 
 Soon after this his chief — no matter where — 
 Much wanting to reduce fome other fort. 
 Sends for the fellow, and begins to' exhort 
 In terms that might have quicken'd the moft flow : 
 " Go, my brave lad, where glory fummons, go ! 
 " Once more your fteps may fav'ring fortune fpeed, 
 " And vift'ry's laurel crown the gallant deed ! 
 " Behold yon fortrefs : — Storm it, and command 
 " A rich reward. — Why, how now, zooks, you ftand !" 
 Troth, general, no offence — in accents cool 
 Replies the clown, but, though a clown, no fool — 
 Such deeds of arms, no knger fuit my plan :
 
 214 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 He that has lojl his kriapfack, he's jour man ! 
 
 'Twas mine at Rome in boyhood to be taught 
 What woes Achilles' wrath to Greece had wrought. 
 Athens 'erelong imparted fomething more. 
 And led my youthful fteps to graver lore. 
 She clear'd my mental vifion to obferve 
 Duty's ftraight path 'mid error's tortuous curve ; 
 To wifdom's page fhe bade me give my hours. 
 And woo fair Truth in Academus' bow'rs. 
 But ah ! tempeftuous times cut Ihort my ftay ; 
 And, borne by civil broil's ftrong tide away. 
 To arms, all rude of camps, I had recourfe, — 
 Arms ill prepared to cope with Casfar's force. 
 Soon as Philippi's field my wings had clipp'd 
 And laid my pride in duft, creft-fallen, ftripp'd 
 Of houfe and land paternal, in lorn plight, — 
 At length bold want impell'd my pen to write. 
 But now, times alter'd, I muft labour fure 
 With frenzy that no hellebore can cure. 
 Should I not chufe, with well-replenifh'd purfe. 
 Rather to fleep in peace than fcribble verfe. 
 Our joys Ileal from us, as the years roll on ; 
 Mirth, mufic, love, and wine are well-nigh gone : 
 And poefy, 'ere many a fun be paft, — 
 Sweet poefy muft be refign'd at laft. 
 
 But what to write? — For various are the kinds 
 Of verfe, and readers of as various minds. 
 By one Iambics, odes by you preferr'd. 
 Sly wit and jeers Bionian charm a third. 
 'Twere as three gucfts around my table fat. 
 And one chofe this — another long'd for that : 
 What fhould, what fhould not, on the board be placed? 
 What cook fliall cater for each fundry tafte ?
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 215 
 
 Thefe relifh moft what moft difpleafcs you. 
 And what you praife difguils the other two. 
 
 Think you, befides, the cares and toils that throng 
 Around my path, leave room for mufmg fong ? 
 One afks me to ftand furety; one invites 
 To hear, all bufinefs waved, what he recites. 
 One friend lies Tick abed on mount Quirine, 
 Another on the furtheft Aventine, — 
 Both to be call'd upon without delay ; 
 A pleafant dillance this to plod one's ^vay ! 
 
 But (you objedl) the paths are clear and ftill. 
 That one may faunter on and mufe at will. 
 Here fpeeds fome bufy builder through the ftreets 
 With mules and porters joftling all he meets : 
 There mounts a ftone heaved by the creaking crane. 
 Or pond'rous timbers groan beneath the chain. 
 Here difmal creeps a hearfe ; a thundering dray 
 Or loaded wain there ftands and blocks the way. 
 Now a mad dog flies foaming paft ; and now 
 Forth rufhes from the jakes a miry fow. 
 Commend me this for a fit place and time 
 To woo the mufe and con melodious rhyme ! 
 Know to a man we choir of poets love 
 To flee the town and feek the filent grove. 
 True votaries of that Bacchus who is faid 
 To court foft flumbers in the woodland fliade. 
 Stun'd with this din and uproar night and day 
 Yet would you have me troll the dulcet lay. 
 And from the throng abflradling all regards 
 Purfue the narrow track of peerlefs bards ! 
 The genius that in Athens' calm has fpent 
 Seven years, on ftudies and on books intent, 
 With Iparned toil grown wan and haggard, fee.
 
 2i6 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 At laft fteps forth abforb'd in reverie. 
 
 And fpecchlefs as a ftatue ilalks along. 
 
 While tittering laughter fliakes the fancy throng. 
 
 Can I then here, teafed with the world's dull llrife. 
 
 And toft in the mid ftorms of civil life. 
 
 To modulate mellifluous verfe afpire 
 
 And ftanzas meet to wake the warbling lyre ? 
 
 Time was when Rome a certain pleader faw 
 Sworn brother to one learned in the law ; 
 Confed'rate compliments by turns were flung. 
 And each the other's unmix'd praifes rung ; 
 For eloquence, for fhrewdnefs, tit-for-tat, 
 A very Gracchus this, a Mucins that. 
 Are not we bards infefted with the fame 
 Strange whim, to trumpet forth each other's fame ? 
 I pen foft odes, he elegies, admired 
 By all the world — by all the Nine infpired. 
 Firft mark with what a felf-complacent air 
 And looks that fay — " My works too ftiall be there," 
 We caft our glance around the facred dome 
 Thrown open to the rifing wits of Rome ! 
 Then prithee follow, and, if time allow. 
 Give ear how each makes good his claim, and how 
 By each the wreath for his dear felf is twined ! 
 Like Samnites ftaunch in tardy fray combined 
 Till ev'ning's clofe, we give and take the blow. 
 Smiting by turns and fmitten by the foe. 
 One votes me an Alcx'us — tempting lure ! 
 I him a — what ? — Callimachus, be fure. 
 If this be deem'd too low, he mounts yet higher. 
 And ftruts Mimnermus to his heart's defire. 
 To foothe this neft of hornets much I bear, — 
 And, loath of praife to forfeit my poor fhare.
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 217 
 
 Beat up for votes when in my fcribbling fits. 
 But cool'd and having well regain'd my wits, 
 I change my note, and fmiling at their fpite 
 Bar my deaf ears to all that they recite. 
 
 " Dull bards (you'll fay) are laugh'd at." True ; 
 but then 
 With what complacent glee they ply the pen, 
 Doat on themfelves, and of their own vile lays 
 (Leave them alone) burit out in rapturous praife ! 
 Where error leads to luxury fuch as this, 
 'Twere cruel to difturb their dream of blifs. 
 
 But is there one whofe bofom burns to frame 
 A poem juftly worthy of the name. 
 His own performance he will dare to view 
 With a ftern Cenfor's eye fevere and true : 
 Such words as fail in luftre, weight, and ftrength. 
 Or cumbroufly drag on their liltlefs length. 
 Albeit with fore reludlance they refign 
 Their poll and ftill lie fcreen'd in Vefta's fhrine. 
 From their proud place depofmg he cafhiers : 
 Others long fhrouded in the night of years. 
 Words which, of pregnant force, now heard no more. 
 Our Catos and Cethegi fpake of yore, 
 Deform'd with vet'ran rull and cancrous ilain. 
 He ufhcrs forth to light and life again. 
 Words newly coin'd at times he will produce, 
 Stamp'd by the parent of all language, ufe ; — 
 And like fome river's current clear and ftrong 
 The banks enriching as it tides along. 
 Will pour his treafures with a lavifli hand 
 And fcatter wealth and plenty o'er the land; — 
 The exuberant he will prune, the rough refine. 
 Blot out the bafe and nerve the lagging line :
 
 2i8 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 In fhort, he'll rack his wits a thoufand ways. 
 Like one whofe pantomimic fkill difplays 
 The Satyr or rude Cyclops, and yet wear 
 With eafy negligence a fportive air. 
 
 Troth at this rate (fays one), I'd rather pafs 
 Ev'n for a driv'ling dolt— a dotard afs, 
 (So I might relifh or in footh forget 
 My own dear failures) than be wile and fret. 
 Once of good note at Argos lived a wight 
 Who all life's common fundlions ferved aright. 
 Kind and good-humour'd to his fpoufe as moft, 
 A friendly neighbour and a faithful hoft, — 
 Could wink at a flave's faults, and if his wine 
 Show'd a ftaved cork, would rave within the line ; — 
 One that without a keeper's aid could tell 
 Where frown'd a precipice — where yawn'd a well : 
 In brief the man was otherwife not mad, — 
 Save that one whim, and that moft ftrange, he had. 
 Oft in an empty theatre he'd fit 
 Fancying for hours he heard a world of wit: 
 In his mind's eye ftalk'd matchlefs play'rs, while he 
 Sat clapping and applauding with much glee. 
 In lapfe of time, by care of kind relations. 
 With handfome fees and learned confultations. 
 The fharp-dofed hellebore its end attains 
 And routs the morbid humour from his veins. 
 Reftored to reafon, " Curfe on that fame pill!" 
 He cries — " Why this is not to cure but kill. 
 " What have you done, my friends ? Your zeal has 
 
 broke 
 " My trance of blifs. Oh that I ne'er had woke 
 *' From thofe delicious dreams ! or could again 
 " Call back the dear illufion of the brain I "
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 219 
 
 In fum, the hour is come when I mufl: fink 
 The boy, and leaving baubles learn to think ; 
 No more mete words and fyllables, or fuit 
 Soft-warbling numbers to the Latian lute. 
 But modulate my life, my duties fcan. 
 And tune the nobler harmonies of man. 
 Oft-times then, calling life's low cares away. 
 Alone and penfive to myfelf I fay — 
 " Of water if no draught your thirft could chafe, 
 *' You'd call the doflor in and ftate your cafe : 
 *' Why, when — the more you get — the more you 
 " Not alk advice your moral health to fave ? [crave, 
 " Had you been told fome herb or root fupplied 
 " A fov'reign cure — and if, its virtues tried, 
 " It tended only to inflame the fore, 
 " You'd feek the bootlefs herb or root no more. 
 " When fome, who boaft to ftudy the foul's health, 
 " Tell you that wifdom ever waits on wealth, 
 " And wealthier grown you're not a whit more wife, 
 " Still will you follow friends who thus advife ? 
 " Nay, but if wealth in fadl could wit infpire 
 " And foothe each racking fear and fond defire, 
 " You'd blufh with juftice if the world could view 
 " One churl alive more covetous than you. 
 " If goods and chattels, as the fcale goes down, 
 " Value receiv'd, become a mortal's own ; 
 " So alfo ufe-and-wont, if we believ^e 
 *' The lawyers, fometimes can a title give. 
 ** Now mark the inference which this rule fecures : — 
 " The acres, which fupply you food, are yours ; 
 " And Orbius' bailiff, when he ploughs the plain 
 " Dcrtined 'crewhile to furnifli you with grain, 
 '' Owns you his lord. You pay the price — you dine
 
 220 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 " On the bought eggs, grapes, pullets, flafk of wine : 
 
 " Thus piece-meal, for three thoufand pounds of pelf 
 
 " Or more perhaps, you buy the land itfelf. 
 
 " For, if 'tis paid for, what imports it how — 
 
 " At once or by degrees — of old or now ? 
 
 " He that has whilome bought a huge eftate 
 
 " Near Veil or Aricia, piles his plate [foil, — 
 
 " With pur chafed kale though cull'd from his own 
 
 " At dewy night-fall makes his cauldron boil 
 
 " With, pur chafed logs ; — yet fondly deems the ground 
 
 " His own, which rows of waving poplars bound : 
 
 " As if that fief were in a mortal's pow'r, 
 
 " Which at the turn of every fleeting hour, 
 
 " By gift or fale, by force or death's command, 
 
 " Changes its lord and fhifts from hand to hand. 
 
 " Since nature then fo frail a tenure gave 
 
 " To all — and heir to heir, as wave to wave, 
 
 " Succeeds — I fain would learn what fruit it yields 
 
 " To join Lucanian to Calabrian fields, 
 
 " And burll your barns ; when Death at laftfweeps all, 
 
 " And, deaf to gold, mows down both great and fmall. 
 
 " Gems, piftures, ilatues, vafes richly chafed, 
 
 " The Tufcan cameo and the Tyrian veil — ■ 
 
 " There are who thefe grave toys poflefs not : yes — 
 
 " And there is one who cares not to poflefs. 
 
 " Why of twin-brethren, this, anointed o'er 
 " With nard, prefers his bottle, dice, and whore 
 " To all the palm-groves Herod's realms contain ; 
 " While that, as richer — thirftier ftill for gain, 
 " From early dawn to twilight eve fliall toil 
 " With fire and axe to tame the woodland foil; — 
 " He only knows whole influence at our birth 
 " O'er-rules each mortal's planet upon earth.
 
 E. II. The Epistles. 221 
 
 " The' attendant Genius, temper-moulding pow'r, 
 
 " That ftamps the colour of man's natal hour. 
 
 " For me — when reafon calls, whate'er enfues, 
 
 " I'll dip into my moderate hoard and ufe; 
 
 " Regardlefs what my heir fome future day, 
 
 " Chagrin'd to find fo little left, fhall fay. 
 
 " Yet would I mark what diff'rence lurks between 
 
 " The wifely frugal and the bafely mean, — 
 
 " What fhades the fpend thrift's wild profufion part 
 
 " From the boon freedom of a liberal heart. 
 
 " For why — 'tis one thing fure at folly's call 
 
 " With ralh extravagance to wafte your all — 
 
 " Another freely now and then to fpend, 
 
 " And, fick of hoarding without ufe or end, 
 
 " To fnatch, as juft let loofe from fchool the boy, 
 
 " Of life's Ihort holiday the tranfient joy. 
 
 " Enough ! let haggard begg'ry from my door 
 " But ftand aloof — no matter, rich or poor ! 
 " Whether in light canoe or ftately barge 
 " Embark'd, I ftill am borne the felf-fame charge. 
 " 'Tis well : and if no brifk impelling gale 
 " Sets in the bofom of my fwelling fail, 
 " At leaft I buffet not in flormy ftrife 
 " The eddying blaft and adverfe tide of life ; 
 *' In health, rank, genius, virtue, fortune clafp'd, 
 " Though not the foremoft, yet before the laft. 
 
 " You're not a mifer. Good — but prithee fay, 
 " Is every vice with avarice flown away ? 
 " Burns not your bofom with ambition's fire, 
 " Nor chill'd with fears of death, nor chafed with ire; 
 " Does Superftition ne'er your heart affail 
 ** Nor bid your foul with fancied horrors quail ? 
 " Or can you fmile at magic's llrange alarms.
 
 222 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 " Dreams, witchcraft, ghofts, ThefTalian fpells and 
 
 charms ? 
 " Count you each birth-day with a grateful mind ? 
 " To a friend's foibles are you nobly blind ? 
 *' Wax you more wife with each revolving year, 
 " Milder and mellower as your end draws near ? 
 " What boots it this or that excefs to fhun, 
 " And of ten thoufand thorns to pluck out one ? 
 " If to live well and follow reafon's plan 
 " You know not, yet make way for thofe that can ! 
 " Go to — you've toy'd, laugh'd, quafF'd your fill : 
 
 give place 
 " To thofe who'll frolic with a better grace. 
 " Off, off! nor linger 'till a fprightlier age 
 •' Mock the grey loon and thruft him from the ftage ! " 
 
 EPISTLE III. 
 
 Addrejffedto Lucius Calpurnius Pifo and his two fons, 
 and co?nmonly entitled the Art of Poetry. 
 
 SUPPOSE fome painter for the whim fhould trace 
 A horfe's neck \vith human head and face. 
 And limbs from various animals exprefl"'d 
 In plumage of as various hues invert. 
 So that the fame fantaftic piece may fhow 
 A fair maid upwards— a foul filh below, — 
 Were you admitted to the motley fight, 
 Methinks you'd laugh, my friends, and well you might. 
 Yet not lefs ftrange, my Pifos, to the ear 
 Of fober fcnfe that poem mull appear.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 223 
 
 Which deals in fhapes extravagant and vain. 
 Wild as the phantoms of a feverifh brain. 
 Where, no tw^o members to one whole referr'd. 
 All is grotefque, incongruous, and abfurd. 
 
 " Painters (you'll fay) and bards, the world agrees, 
 " Are privileged to dare what flights they pleafe." 
 We own that much is due for licenfe' fake. 
 And give it freely as we freely take. 
 But let them flop where nature Hops at leaft. 
 Nor couple tame with favage, bird with beaft. 
 Poems of high attempt and promife vaft 
 Oft dwindle to a dreary void at laft. 
 With here and there a purple remnant found 
 Tagg'd on to throw a tawdry glare around. 
 Diana's fhrine, embower'd in tufted fliades. 
 With ftreamlets trickling through the verdant glades — 
 The ftately Rhine — the Bow that fpans the fky — 
 By turns, like tinfel trappings, catch the eye. 
 Not that fuch themes well-timed are void of grace : 
 They are not bad ; but they are out of place. 
 Say 'tis your knack to draw a Cyprefs-tree : — - 
 What then ? you're hired to paint a ftorm at fea 
 For fome wreck'd failor. If the wheel begin 
 A vafe, why ftarts me up a nipperkin ? 
 In fhort, to mark this maxim never ceafe — 
 Let all you write be one and of a piece. 
 
 Dear fire, and offspring worthy of your fire ! 
 We bards are dupes to what ourfelves admire. 
 Would I be brief — I grow confufed and coarfc ; 
 Who aims at fmoothnefs, fails in fire and force ; 
 In him who foars aloft, bombail is found ; 
 Who fears to face the tcmpcfi, crawls aground. 
 Who courts variety and fain would ring
 
 224 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 A thoufand changes on the felf-fame ftring, 
 Will paint, as 't\vere in fancy's wildell: mood. 
 Boars in the wave and dolphins in the wood. 
 Thus even error, fhun'd without addrefs. 
 Breeds error, diff'rent in its kind, not lefs. 
 
 The meanell hand at fculpture fhall not fail 
 To hit the waving hair or mould a nail. 
 Yet mars the tout-enfeinble, fince his foul 
 Lacks energy to grafp a perfeft whole. 
 Genius thus circumfcribed, fhould I afpire 
 To works of tafte, I would no more defire 
 Than fhock with hideous nofe each paffer by, 
 Praifed for my jetty hair and floe-black eye. 
 
 Firil:, ye that write, mark well your proper field ; 
 Let each feledl fome theme which he can wield ; 
 And, 'ere he tax his flioulders, weigh with care 
 What freight they can and what they cannot bear. 
 His pen fhall words a ready hoft attend. 
 And method light him to his journey's end. 
 
 Of method this I deem the pride and grace — ■ 
 Whate'er is faid, to fay it in due place. 
 Much to referve 'till apt occafion call. 
 Take this, leave that, and fitly time it all. 
 
 In choice of diftion would you be admired, 
 Nice care and fhrewd adroitnefs is required. 
 Sometimes a dextrous phrafe fhall cheat the view. 
 And lend to well-known words the air of new. 
 But if need be abftrufer thoughts to drefs 
 And in new terms new notions to exprefs, 
 We'll grant you now and then to frame a word 
 Which the high-girt Cethegi never heard : 
 Nor fhall fuch freedoms, if difcreetly ufed 
 And taken with referve, be e'er refufed.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 225 
 
 But thofe leaft Ihock the ear, which trace their courfe 
 
 With flight deflexion from a Grecian fource. 
 
 For fay, fliall Rome from prefent bards with-hold 
 
 A grace fo largely lavifh'd on the old ? 
 
 Shall Virgil or fhall Varius be forbid 
 
 To do what Plautus or Caecilius did ? 
 
 If, when a Cato fpake or Ennius fung. 
 
 They gifted with frefli ftores their native tongue, 
 
 Muft I a modern, with the pow'r, forbear 
 
 To fwell the public ftock with my poor fhare? 
 
 The poet's right none did — none dare — deny 
 
 To put forth words impreif'd with recent die. 
 
 As Autumn fweeps the grove's green pride away. 
 The new leaves budding as the old decay. 
 So words which flaunt their time in vernal bloom 
 Muft fall, and frefh ones flourifli in their room. 
 Alas, proud man ! thyfelf and all that's thine 
 Soon flied their tranfient glories and decline. 
 The labour'd pier that breaks the baffled tide 
 And opes a bay where anchor'd navies ride ; — 
 The moor and watery wafte reclaim'd, where now 
 The flow ox drags the fertilizing plough ; — 
 The river taught to fpare the ripening grain 
 And by a fafer route to join the main ; — 
 Such are thy nobleft works, and fuch decay : 
 And fliall the fliadowy tribes of language ftay ? 
 Shall Speech alone rcfift Time's envious tooth. 
 And live and flourifli in perennial youth ? 
 Full many a word, now loll, again fliall rife. 
 And many a word fliall droop which now we prize, 
 As fliifting Fafliion ftamps the doom of each. 
 Sole umpire, arbitrefs and guide of fpeech. 
 
 What numbers fuit the daring bard who fings 
 Q.
 
 226 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Embattled hofts and kings encountering kings. 
 Homer has fhown. In couplets fhort and long 
 Firft penfive forrow pour'd her plaintive fong : 
 In after-times, altho' the wifli were gain'd 
 And tears gave place to fmiles, the verie remain'd : 
 But Elegy's foft lay who firft ftruck out. 
 Critics ftill argue and the court's in doubt. 
 Rage gave Archilochus a loftier tone. 
 And arm'd him with Iambics all his own. 
 Thefe did the Sock and thefe the Bufkin'd mufe. 
 As fuited to difcourfe alternate, chufe, 
 A meafure for life's buftling aftion fit 
 And towering o'er the thunder of the pit. 
 To the bold lyre the fav'ring mufe has given 
 To chaunt the powers and progeny of Heaven, 
 The champion crown'd, the conquering courfer's line. 
 Love's tender cares and joys of generous wine. 
 To give each piece its mark'd fpecific hue, 
 Hit the nice fhades and keep the colouring true. 
 If niggard nature feels a talk too hard. 
 Why am I honour'd with the name of Bard ? 
 Why blufh to learn if ignorant, and prefer. 
 Rather than mend my error, ftill to err ? 
 The comic fcene revolts at being told 
 In verfe of tragic texture ftrong and bold ; 
 Nor lefs Thyeftes' horrid feaft difdains 
 The Sock's light chit-chat and colloquial ftrains. 
 Let but each ftyle enjoy its proper place. 
 Each fhall appear with dignity and grace. 
 Yet comedy at times her voice can raife. 
 And wrathful Chremes rails in fwelling phrafe. 
 The tragic hero too, fubdued by woes. 
 Stoops from his height to wail in homely profe :
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 227 
 
 Peleus and Telephus, forlorn and poor. 
 
 Spout their loud fuftian and big words no more. 
 
 Would they one throb of fympathy impart 
 
 And touch with kindred pangs the hearer's heart. 
 
 'Tis not enough that poetry combine 
 
 All fancy's charms in every founding line : 
 
 Empaffion'd let her be, and melt at will 
 
 The foul to pity or with horror thrill. 
 
 From face to face as fmiles contagious creep. 
 
 So weeps the according eye with thofe that weep. 
 
 Who claims my tears, muft firft difplay his own ; 
 
 Then fhall I catch his pangs and fhare his moan. 
 
 But if ye rant as if no grief were nigh. 
 
 If in your fpeech your fuiferings ye belie. 
 
 Ye exiled heroes ! maugre all your woes, 
 
 'Tis ten to one I either laugh or dofe. 
 
 Sad words befit the brow with grief o'erhung : 
 
 Anger that fires the eye-ball, bids the tongue 
 
 Breathe proud defiance ; fportive jeft and jeer 
 
 Become the gay ; grave maxims the fevere. 
 
 For nature working in our nice machine 
 
 Firft moulds the pafTions to life's fitful fcene. 
 
 Gladdens, or goads to wrath, or fraught with care 
 
 Drags down to earth and wings us with defpair ; 
 
 Anon a herald in the tongue fhe finds 
 
 Prompt to proclaim each movement of our minds. 
 
 But if the aftor play not to the life. 
 
 If with his words his fortunes feem at ftrife, 
 
 Him knights and commons, horfe and foot, fliall feoff. 
 
 And tittering thoufands hoot the blunderer oft". 
 
 Each fpeaker let his fpeech charafterize : 
 For fure a broad and glaring difference lies. 
 Whether a God or Hero mount the llage ; —
 
 228 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 The briik young fpark or man mature in age ; — 
 The dame of rank or nurfe of prattling vein; — 
 The wandering feaman or the peaceful fwain ; — 
 One that AfTyria or that Colchis fed ; — 
 He that at Argos or at Thebes was bred. 
 
 In painting charadlers, or follow fame. 
 Or keep your fancy piece throughout the fame. 
 If haply to the ftage you fummon back 
 Great Peleus' fon, adhere to Homer's track : 
 Proud, ftern, relentlefs, brave, the hero draw. 
 His title conqueft and the fword his law. 
 Fierce be Medea and untamed by ill ; 
 Ixion treacherous and ungrateful ftill ; 
 Ino a mourner o'er her flaughter'd child ; 
 lo an outcaft ; and Oreftes wild. 
 
 But if you dare to launch upon the ftage 
 Originals that ne'er graced poet's page. 
 Let them one tenor to the laft purfue, 
 Confift throughout and to themfelves be true. 
 With truth's difcriminating traits to fill 
 A general outline, afks no vulgar fkill : 
 And fafer fhall the bard his pen employ. 
 With yore, to dramatize the Tale of Troy, 
 Than, venturing tracklefs regions to explore. 
 Delineate characters untouch'd before. 
 Yet here and there the public ground fhall yield 
 Of private property an ample field. 
 If neither in the trite routine you plod. 
 There only treading where the reft have trod. 
 Nor word for word with fervile care tranflate. 
 Nor clofely copying leap into a ftrait 
 Whence fear of fhame and your own rule to-boot 
 Forbid you to releafc your tangled foot.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 229 
 
 Profefs not with the Cyclic bard to fing 
 
 * Of Ilium's far-famed war and haplefs king.' 
 What are this boafter's proud pretenfions worth? — 
 The mountain teems, and gives a tit-moufe birth ! 
 Mark with what fimple majefty the llrain 
 
 Of biw begins who never vaunts in vain — 
 ' Sing, Mufe ! the man who, when Troy's bulwarks 
 fell, 
 
 * Trod various realms and mark'd their manners well.' 
 With him no tranfient blaze in fmoke expires ; 
 
 But from the fmoke burft forth abiding fires. 
 From which, as fancy works, new wonders rife 
 To flafh amazement on the ravifh'd eyes, — 
 Antiphates, Charybdis' howling wave. 
 The dogs of Scylla, and the Cyclops' cave. 
 Nor does he run his fubjeft out of breath 
 In dry detail from Meleager's death 
 To Diomed's return ; nor yet begins 
 The Trojan war from Leda and her twins : 
 But porting onwards, brooking no delay. 
 To the mid theme he boldly burfts his way : 
 Much he anticipates as if 'twere known ; 
 Much that, he feels would tire, he lets alone ; 
 And fo adroitly mingles falfe with true. 
 So with his fair illufions cheats the view. 
 That all the parts — beginning, middle, end — 
 In one harmonious compound fweetly blend. 
 
 Hear now what I and all the town demands. 
 If you would have your audience clap their hands. 
 In patience fcated 'till the curtain draws 
 And the laft fpeaker bows and begs applaufe, 
 Mark in each ftage of life how nature veers. 
 The temper varying with the varying years.
 
 230 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 What time the tongue has mailer'd every found 
 And Readier fbotfteps learn to print the ground. 
 Behold the fchoolboy frolicfome and gay 
 Scampering to join his comrades at their play, 
 Vex'd for a llravv, but footh'd as foon as vex'd. 
 In tears this moment and in fmiles the next. 
 The beardlefs youth, his freedom proud to gain. 
 Loves horfes, hounds, and Mars's funny plain : 
 Dudile as wax to vice his yielding foul. 
 Deaf to the warning voice of dull controul, 
 Profufe of purfe, impatient of delay. 
 Taking no thought but for the prefent day. 
 Of lofty fpirit, of afFeftions ftrong, 
 Pleafed with what's new — but pleafed with nothing 
 Shifting his views, fee riper manhood crave [long- 
 Place, power, and patronage, ambition's flave, — 
 Wary betimes each overfight to fhun. 
 And flow to do what he may wifli undone. 
 A thoufand ills declining age attend. 
 Still brooding o'er its bags — ftill loath to fpend. 
 In counfel cold and tardy to decide. 
 In thrifty forecall placing all its pride. 
 Full of profpedive blifs and prefent pain, 
 Sufpicious and iplcnetic, fretful, vain. 
 Loud in the praifes of the good old times. 
 And croaking Hern rebuke on modern crimes. 
 Thus, as life's feafons in fucceflion flow, 
 Oru tempers change, our paflions come and go. 
 Beware then in youth's portrait to employ 
 The tints of age, nor mingle man with boy : 
 To every period with precifion give 
 Its proper call, and bid your piflure live. 
 All fads which in the Fable have a fhare
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 231 
 
 Pafs on the ftage or are recorded there. 
 
 Thofe which a tale fhall through the ear impart 
 
 With fainter charafters imprefs the heart. 
 
 Than thofe which fubjeft to the eye's broad gaze 
 
 The pleafed fpedlator to himfelf conveys. 
 
 Yet drag not on the ftage each horrid fcene. 
 
 Nor fhock the fight with what fhould pafs within. 
 
 This let defcription's milder medium fhow. 
 
 And leave to eloquence her tale of woe. 
 
 Let not the cruel Colchian mother flay 
 
 Her fmiling infants in the face of day ; 
 
 Nor Atreus crown the board with impious food. 
 
 And feaft a brother with congenial blood ; 
 
 Nor Procne's form the rifing plumage take. 
 
 Nor Cadmus fink into a flimy fnake. 
 
 Much that were only paffing ftrange if heard. 
 
 When feen, revolted fenfe declares abfurd. 
 
 To five adls lengthen'd be the piece, not more. 
 That afks the long applaufe and loud encore : 
 Nor in the unrav'ling be a god difplay'd. 
 Save where the knot difdains all humbler aid : 
 Nor in diftrafting dialogue engage 
 At once four fpeakers on the crowded ftage. 
 
 The Chorus fliould an aftor's part fuftain. 
 Join in the bufy fcene nor join in vain ; 
 Nor chaunt between the afts what does not tend 
 To aid the theme and with the aftion blend. 
 A ready patron ftill on Virtue's fide. 
 With friendly lore her votaries let it guide — 
 Greet thofe who fear to fvverve from duty's path. 
 And curb with bold rebuke revenge and wrath : 
 Let it the tribute of its praife afibrd 
 To fober diet and the fimplc board —
 
 232 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Efpoufe fair juftice the fupport of Hates, 
 
 Law's righteous fword, and peace with open gates — 
 
 Hold faft the fecret trufted to its care — 
 
 And to the Gods put up a fervent prayer 
 
 That fickle Fortune may at their beheft 
 
 Turn from the' opprefTor to relieve the' oppreft. 
 
 The pipe in days of yore not brazen-bound. 
 As now, nor rivalling the trumpet's found. 
 But of few Hops and flender compafs, ftill 
 Served to fupport the Chorus, and to fill 
 A narrow line of feats that with no crowd 
 Of countlefs hearers hitherto o'erflow'd ; — 
 Seats, where a people thin in numbers yet. 
 Decent and chafte and plain and frugal, met. 
 But, when by war the realm was wider grown 
 And walls of ampler circuit girt the town, — 
 When on a day of revels to begin 
 The feaft from noontide was no more a fin, 
 A larger licenfe and a fcope lefs rude 
 Both to the mufic and the verfe accrued. 
 For what fliould that mix'd audience have of tafte. 
 Clown group'd with cit and boors by nobles placed ? 
 Thus did the piper fuperadd erelong 
 The charms of gefture to the powers of fong, — 
 With pantomimic grace his fenfe exprcft. 
 And trail'd along the boards the floating veft. 
 Thus too, its tones incrcafed, the lyre fev^ere 
 Pour'd richer warblings on the ravifh'd ear ; 
 The mufe in loftier numbers learn'd to foar, 
 Imp'd her bold plume for flights untried before. 
 And fraught with fire prophetic bade each line 
 Rival the raptures of the Delphian fhrine. 
 
 He that in tragic lay late llrain'd his throat
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 233 
 
 To win the paltry prize — a fhaggy goat. 
 
 Soon bared upon the llage a fylvan crew 
 
 And brought the wanton Satyrs forth to view ; — 
 
 The folemn tone not wholly laid afide. 
 
 To humour and burlefque his hand applied; — 
 
 And fought by grateful novelty of fong 
 
 To riv^et to their feats a boofy throng 
 
 From feftive rites and revels jull fet free. 
 
 Ripe for loofe pranks and full of tipfy glee. 
 
 Yet fo to fhift from grave to gay 'twere fit, — 
 
 So temper the light Satyrs' faucy wit. 
 
 That not each God, each Hero, that of late 
 
 Stalk'd forth in purple robes and royal ftate. 
 
 Anon fhould all his pomp of fpeech let down 
 
 To the low flang and gabble of a clown. 
 
 Or fleering heaven-wards his flight too faft 
 
 Grafp empty clouds and foar into bombaft. 
 
 The tragic mufe, with baflifulnefs fevere, 
 
 Difdaining the bafe gibe and trivial jeer. 
 
 Will, like a matron whom the prieft perchance 
 
 Calls at fome folemn feftival to dance. 
 
 Amid the llcittifh Satyrs iHll be feen 
 
 Dillinguifh'd by her ftaid and fober mien. 
 
 Were I, my friends, to \vrite Satyric plays. 
 
 Not wholly to low terms and homely phrafe 
 
 Would I reftrift my pen ; nor fo refufe 
 
 The richer colouring of the Tragic mufe. 
 
 As that no difference fhould be mark'd between 
 
 What waggifh Davus in the comic fcene 
 
 Or Pythias prates, when in her knavery bold 
 
 She bubbles fimple Simo of his gold, — 
 
 And what Silenus, when he Heps abroad 
 
 The fofler guardian of the nurfling god.
 
 234 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Some well-known legend fhould fupport my theme ; 
 
 This with fuch art I'd trace, that each fhould deem 
 
 He too could match the verfe, — then talk his brain. 
 
 And toiling long confefs his efforts vain. 
 
 Such merit is to plan and ftrufture due ! 
 
 To vulgar themes fuch glory may accrue ! 
 
 But let the Fauns flill mindful what they are, 
 
 Fetch'd from the v/oods, by my advice beware 
 
 (As if at Rome they all their life had led. 
 
 Born in our flreets and in our Forum bred) 
 
 They tattle in a languid love-fick flyle. 
 
 Or bolt unfeemly jefts and ribald vile. 
 
 For each that boafls birth, rank, and confequence 
 
 At fuch low trafh is apt to take offence. 
 
 Nor all with patience hears or deigns to crown 
 
 That with the nut-and-grey-peafe tribe goes down. 
 
 Two fyllables, firft fhort, then long, combine 
 To frame the light Iambus ; whence the line. 
 Though to the ear fix feveral beats it bears. 
 Was furnamed Trimeter and fcann'd bv pairs. 
 This meafure, as its priftine form was caft, 
 Flow'd uniformly on from firft to lafl. 
 But after no long time, to greet the ear 
 With more majcftic grace and weight fevere. 
 The foot, its birth-right waived, gen'rous and free. 
 Took in joint partnerfhip the grave Spondee, 
 One fpecial privilege referving ilill — 
 That every even place itfelf fhould fill. 
 " Not fo (fays one) march the bold trimeters 
 " Of Accius — Ennius; There it fcarce occurs." 
 Yet, maugre fuch high names, that author's page 
 Who thus with ponderous cadence loads the flage. 
 Speaks either grofs negledl and flovenly hafte.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 235 
 
 Or ignorance of his art and want of tafte. 
 
 Not every reader, it is true, has fkill 
 
 To judge if verfe be modulated ill ; 
 
 And too indulgent Rome has fondly nurfed 
 
 This laxnefs in her poets from the firft. 
 
 But what of that ? If readers will be fools. 
 
 Mull I run riot and defpife all rules. 
 
 Safe in that fault forfooth which, ev'n if feen 
 
 By all the world, long ufe perhaps fhall fcreen ? 
 
 Poor boaft, to fay, " I have efcaped from blame, 
 
 " But after all to praife can urge no claim ! " 
 
 Tour ftandard then be Greece ! Her models bright 
 
 By day perufe, and re-perufe by night ! 
 
 Our forefathers, goodnatured eafy folks, 
 
 Extoll'd the numbers and enjoy'd the jokes 
 
 Of Plautus, prompt both thefe and thofe to hear 
 
 With tolerant — not to fay, with taftelefs — ear : 
 
 At leafl if you and I with fenfe are bleft 
 
 To tell a clownifh from a courtly jefl. 
 
 Or, by the finger's aid and ear's to-boot. 
 
 Can take juft meafure of a verfe and foot. 
 
 Thefpis, we're told, the tragic fong ftruck out. 
 And in rude waggons hawk'd his plays about : 
 His corps dramatic, every brow with lees 
 Of wine befmear'd, there fung and afted thefe. 
 Next -^fchylus brought on the trailing pall 
 And vifor, rear'd a ftage on platform fmall. 
 To ftrut in bufkin'd pride his aftors taught. 
 And gave big utterance to the manly thought. 
 The antique Comedy was next begun. 
 Nor light applaufe her frolic freedom won; — 
 But, into flanderous outrage waxing fall, 
 Call'd for the curb of law ; — that law was part ;— ■
 
 236 The Epistles. b. ri. 
 
 And thus, its right of wronging quickly o'er. 
 Her chorus lank abafli'd to rife no more. 
 Nought have our vent'rous poets left untried : 
 Nor is it in the wreath which crowns their pride 
 The meaneft plume, that many a Roman bard 
 Spurning the Grecian track, has boldly dared 
 To chaunt domeilic themes, — alike, I trow. 
 In border'd robe or plain, high life or low. 
 Nor would the name of Latium ftand renown'd 
 On martial more than on Parnaffian ground. 
 Were not our every bard fo loathe the while 
 To brook the paufe and labour of the file. 
 Praife you no piece, my noble friends, but what 
 Has been through many an hour and many a blot 
 Corrected, ten times poifed in judgment's fcale. 
 And fmooth'd like fculpture to the critic nail ! 
 
 Becaufe Democritus thinks fit to call 
 Art nothing-worth and genius all-in-all. 
 And fternly bids each fober mufe's fon 
 Renounce the verdant heights of Helicon, 
 There are in whom a wondrous whim prevails 
 Neither to trim their beard nor pare their nails; 
 Where crowded baths invite, they come not nigh. 
 But to lone caves and filent deferts fly. 
 For oh ! he fhines a bard confeft, be fure, 
 Whofe poll (which three Anticyras could not cure) 
 To barber Licinus was ne'er confign'd ! 
 Fool that I am, who, though to verfe inclined. 
 Purge every fpring the wit-infpiring bile ! 
 How matchlefs, but for this, had been my ftyle ! 
 No matter : mine be like the whct-ftone's aid. 
 Which, blunt itfelf, lends fharpnefs to the blade. 
 While others pradife, precept I'll impart.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 
 
 '61 
 
 And, though no artift, prove a friend to art. 
 Whence all the bard's refources flow, I'll teach ; — 
 What his juft functions, and how far they reach ; 
 What kindles and what fans the facred fire ? 
 What courfe mufl train him, and what themes inlpire ; 
 What breeds the foul, and what the fair befriends ; 
 And whither fitnefs, whither failure tends. 
 
 In the philofophy of man to' excel 
 Is the prime root and fpring of writing well. 
 Matter the page Socratic beft can fhow ; 
 That once provided, words will freely flow. 
 When Lore has open'd to the poet's view 
 To country what and what to friends is due; — 
 In what juft portion man beneath the names 
 Of parent, brother, hoft, afFeftion claims; — 
 To what the fenator, the judge, is bound. 
 Or chief pavilion'd high on tented ground; — 
 Doubt not but he each charafter ftiall fcan 
 And fhrewdly fit the manners to the man. 
 Befides — to copy nature to the life — 
 Go, mark the world, explore its bufy ftrife. 
 To living fcenes for truth's expreffion look ; 
 There dip your pen and make mankind your book. 
 Oft has the play wherein thefe virtues dwell. 
 Set off with fentiment and manner'' d well, — 
 Though elfe uncouth and rude in every part. 
 Devoid of ftrength, wit, elegance, or art, — [prifed. 
 More charm'd an audience — more their hearts fiir- 
 Than faithlefs grace and nonfenfe harmonized. 
 
 Genius to Greece, to Greece the pride of phrafe 
 Heaven gave, of nothing covetous but praife. 
 Not fo our youth, who cramp'd by hopeful drilling 
 Learn into fifty parts to fplit one fliilling.
 
 238 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Let young Albinus folve the problem fought; 
 Take one from five-pence ; what refults ? — A groat. 
 Good ! you're the boy to thrive ! But come, explain. 
 If added, what? — A teller. — Good again! — 
 Where hearts thus train'd to petty pelf we find. 
 And ruft like this has canker'd o'er the mind. 
 Who'd look for finilh'd poems, wrought with toil. 
 Worthy the cyprefs cafe and cedar oil ? 
 
 To teach — to pleafe — comprife the poet's views. 
 Or elfe at once to profit and amufe. 
 In precept be concife : what thus is told 
 The mind lliall grafp with eafe, with firmnefs hold : 
 While all, that's heap'd fuperfluous, ftiocks the tafte. 
 From memory's tablet fades, and runs to wafte. 
 Let fancy's wild creation, though defign'd 
 Lefs to improve than to amufe the mind. 
 Copied at leaft from nature's fcene appear. 
 And to a femblance of the truth adhere, — 
 Nor tax the reader's faith too far, or draw 
 The breathing infant from the goblin's maw. 
 Greybeards will damn what fails in ufeful truth ; 
 Dry common-place will pall on buxom youth : 
 But he who precept with amufement blends. 
 And charms the fancy while the heart he mends. 
 Wins every fuffrage. Rarely Ihall he mifs 
 To' enrich the Sofii with a piece like this : 
 Seas fhall it traverfe, and the writer's page 
 Hand down his glories to a diftant age. 
 
 Yet there occur in almoft every book 
 Specks which the niceft talle mull overlook. 
 For neither always will the minftrel's lyre 
 Give back the note his ear and hand require ; 
 He alks a grave, the chord a fharp remits :
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 239 
 
 The archer aims — the bow not always hits. 
 
 If then a poem charm me in the main. 
 
 Slight faults I'll not too rigidly arraign. 
 
 Which frail humanity has here and there 
 
 Let fall from overfight or want of care. 
 
 To draw the line, then, thus our cafe will Hand : 
 
 As that tranfcriber who with pen in hand. 
 
 Though warn'd of lapfes pall, repeats the fame. 
 
 With no fair plea can parry off the blame ; — • 
 
 As all would flout the lyrilt who fliould ring 
 
 Harfli difcord always on the felf-fame llring ; — 
 
 Such is to me the ever-blundering bard. 
 
 He finks a Chcerilus in my regard. 
 
 In whom perceiving haply once a-while 
 
 Some cafual gleams of wit I Hart and fmile ; 
 
 Vex'd, on the other hand, if now and then 
 
 Short fits of flumber creep on Homer's pen : 
 
 Howbeit at times the nobleft bard, I think. 
 
 In works of long attempt may fairly wink. 
 
 For poems are like pidlures : fome appear 
 
 Bcft in the diftance, others ftanding near ; 
 
 This loves the fhade ; while that the light endures. 
 
 Nor fliuns the niceft ken of connoifleurs : 
 
 This charms for once, and then the charm is o'er ; 
 
 While that, the more furvey'd. Hill charms the more. 
 
 Hear, elder youth ! and mark my maxim well : 
 Though by a father's lefTons you excel 
 In judgment found, and all his tafte inherit ; — 
 A middling worth, a modicum of merit 
 To certain arts the world may well concede. 
 In court or chamber, this, perhaps, fhall plead. 
 Short of McfTala's fkill, his client's caufc — 
 That, fhort of Aulas' depth, expound the laws :
 
 240 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 Yet each of ufe, each in requeft may be : 
 
 Retain'd — confulted — each may earn his fee. 
 
 But of poetic worth a ?noderate fhare 
 
 Not Men — not Gods — not Bookfellers can bear. 
 
 As mufic out of tune at feilive board. 
 
 Seed-cakes of honey from Sardinia ftored. 
 
 Or unguents void of fcent, each gueft difpleafe, 
 
 Becaufe the feaft might well difpenfe with thefe ; — 
 
 So verfe, whofe office and efTential end 
 
 Is to delight the foul, — unlefs it tend 
 
 To aid, not mar, the purpofe of its birth, — 
 
 Fails in the balance and is nothing-worth, — 
 
 He that ne'er join'd the lifts in Mars's field. 
 
 Forbears to take up arms he cannot wield ; 
 
 He that ne'er pitch'd the quoit nor toft the ball 
 
 Nor whirl'd the troque, ftiuns to contend at all. 
 
 Fearing the titter of the crowded ring : — 
 
 Yet he fings verfe, who never learn'd to fing. 
 
 " Why not" — fays one — " of Knight's eftate fecure, 
 
 " Of liberal birth, fair fame, and morals pure?" 
 
 Nought e'er will jou, I'm fare, in nature's fpite, 
 
 (Such is your fenfe and prudence) fpeak or write. 
 
 But, if at fome chance hour you ought compofe. 
 
 See 'tis corredl 'ere to the world it goes ; 
 
 Submit it firft to Tarpa's critic ears. 
 
 Your fire's, and mine ; and keep your piece nine years. 
 
 What is not publifh'd, you can blot or burn ; 
 
 But words, once utter'd, never can return. 
 
 Orpheus of old. Heaven's prophet and high-prieft. 
 Drew from their butcherous coil and \vild-wood feaft 
 Barbarian hordes, hence fabled to affuage 
 The tiger's ravin and gaunt lion's rage. 
 Amphion too, who rear'd the Theban towers.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 241 
 
 Was faid by his foft fhell's perfuafive powers 
 
 To heave the marble fragment from its bafe 
 
 And witch the {tones at pleafure to their place. 
 
 For in thofe olden times the fage's art 
 
 Was but to circumfcribe men's rights, and part 
 
 Public from private — facred from profane, 
 
 Proteft juft wedlock, vagrant lull reftrain. 
 
 Build rampired towns, engrave their laws on wood. 
 
 And knit the bands of focial brotherhood. 
 
 Thus verfe feem'd Heaven's own gift in times fo rude. 
 
 And thus high reverence to the bard accrued. 
 
 Next Homer rofe in Epic glory bright ; 
 
 And bold Tyrtaeus roufed to martial fight 
 
 Embattled hofts : In verfe were now made known 
 
 Fate's high behefts, in verfe life's duties fhown : 
 
 By tuneful flatteries every mufe's fon 
 
 The fmile of mighty monarchs fought and won : 
 
 And verfe fupplied, at labour's welcome clofe, 
 
 A cheering paftime and a fweet repofe. 
 
 Thus much, left haply by a blufh you wrong 
 
 The choir Pierian and the God of fong. 
 
 'Tis aflc'd, if this fame knack its rife muft owe 
 To plodding art, or from boon nature flow. 
 To me nor art without rich gifts of mind. 
 Nor yet mere genius rude and unrefined. 
 Seems equal to the tafk. They each require 
 The aid of each, and muft as friends confpire. 
 He, who to Pifa's goal would foremoft run, 
 Much from his youth has fuffer'd — much has done ; 
 Has fweated — fliiver'd, patient to refign 
 The foul-enfeebling joys of love and wine. 
 The Pythian piper has been fain to plod 
 The weary talk, and flirunk beneath the rod.
 
 242 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 But in this art, forfooth, one needs but fay — 
 " I'm born a poet ; Blockheads, clear the way ! 
 " Plague take the hindmoft ! Genius fcorns to own 
 " Dull precept's aid, or what's unlearnt unknown." 
 
 As Ibme fly mountebank with trumpet loud 
 To buy his wares invites a gaping crowd. 
 So would-be poets, rich in purfe and land. 
 Tempt with fine penny-worths the flattering band. 
 Is there a fcribbler who can well afford 
 With lufcious cates to crown a fmoking board — 
 Can bail the wretch whofe credit flags, and draw 
 The foot of beggary from the noofe of law — 
 'Twere pafTmg flrange if fuch a coxcomb knew 
 The difference 'twixt a falfe friend and a true. 
 Be then advifed ; and — does the varlet live 
 To whom you ought have given or mean to give. 
 Brimful of gratitude for favours pall. 
 With hopes thofe favours fhall not prove the laft — 
 Him, when to friends you would fbme piece rehearfe, 
 Afk not to fit in judgment on your verfe. 
 For Good ! Rare! Charming! will be all his crv. 
 While tears of tranfport trickle from his eye : 
 Anon enraptured from his feat he'll bound. 
 Change colour, clap his hands, and ftamp the ground. 
 As with hired mummers in a funeral train. 
 Who feel the grief rant lefs dian thofe who feign ; 
 So will the laugher-in-his-fleeve appear 
 More moved than one whofe praifes are fincere. 
 Wife kings, 'tis faid, who prudently intend 
 To prove the courtier 'ere they call him friend. 
 Ply him with copious bumpers, till the bowl 
 Has gently wrung each fecret from the foul. 
 Bards ! watch your critics, left a borrow'd fkin 
 With fpccious covering maik the fox within.
 
 E. III. The Epistles. 243 
 
 If to Quintilius you recited ought, 
 " Pray change," he'd fay, " this word ; retouch that 
 If you protefted that the paffage penn'd [thought." 
 You twice or thrice had toil'd in vain to mend, 
 " Blot out then," he'd reply, " the ill-wrought ftrain ! 
 " Back to the anvil with this trafti again ! " 
 If you chofe rather to difpute his tafte 
 Than mend your piece, no further would he wafte 
 Or time or pains, but leave you to admire 
 Yourfelf and dogg'rel to your heart's defire. 
 
 The genuine critic will with honeft zeal. 
 Feigning no raptures which he does not feel. 
 Trim all redundant ornament away. 
 On the obfcure let in a lucid ray. 
 Blot the ambiguous, blame the loofely penn'd. 
 And prove the Ariftarchus in the friend. 
 Nor will he fay — " Why rudely fhould I teafe 
 " The friend I love for trifles fuch as thefe?" 
 For know, thefe trifles, while you lack the will 
 To fpeak plain truth, oft lead to ferious ill : 
 As to his coft that friend 'erelong fliall own. 
 When made the butt and by-word of the town. 
 
 As the lorn wretch whom leprous fcabs devour 
 Or jaundice gilds — one by Diana's pow'r 
 Moon-llricken, or by Pan convulfed with fits — 
 Such is the poet who has loft his wits. 
 The wife all fliun him, while a heedlefs throng 
 Hoot at his heels where'er he prowls along. 
 Bellowing his verfe with head uprear'd, his eye 
 ' Rolling in frenfy fine' from earth to fky. 
 If (like a fowler on his feather'd prey 
 Intent) he chance to' encounter in his way 
 Some ditch or pit, he long enough may fhout 
 Help, neighbours, ho! — for none wilt haul him out.
 
 244 The Epistles. b. ii. 
 
 But, were there fome whom pity moved to fetch 
 
 A rope and drag to life the crack-brain'd wretch, 
 
 " Hold, firs ! " I'd cry ; " For ought that you can tell, 
 
 " The mad-cap plunged on purpofe in this well, 
 
 " And wifhes not to live," — Anon the fate 
 
 Of Sicily's famed poet I'd relate : 
 
 " Empedocles with lore celeftial fraught, 
 
 " A deathlefs god afpiring to be thought, 
 
 " Leap'd into fiery ^tna in cold blood. 
 
 " Thefe bards are licenfed (be it undern;ood) 
 
 " To perifh as they liil:. Againft his will 
 
 •* To fave a foul were barbarous as to kill. 
 
 " Nor is it his firft freak : and, were it croll 
 
 " By your kind zeal, 'twere fi;ill but labour loll : 
 
 " He'd foon relapfe, ioon play the fame mad game, 
 
 " And by felf-flaughter feek a deathlefs name. 
 
 " Nor is it altogether clear, why firft 
 
 " His bofom with this fcribbling itch was curft : 
 
 " Who knows but vengeance bade him thus atone 
 
 " Sins of deep dye ? who knows but he has thrown 
 
 " Some dread Bidental from its hallow'd bafe, 
 
 " Or to a father's aflies done difgrace ? 
 
 " One thing is plain : — he has his fits of rage, 
 
 " And then, as if fome bear had burft its cage, 
 
 " With loathfome recitation puts to flight 
 
 " Learned and fimple. Woe betides the wight, 
 
 " Who meets his clutch at that unlucky time : 
 
 " Him will he read to death and ftun with rhyme ; 
 
 " A very, leech that drains our vital flood, 
 
 " Nor quits his ruthlefs hold 'till gorged with blood !"
 
 NOTES,
 
 NOTES. 
 
 THE EPODES. 
 
 Epode II. p. 4. 
 *' More pleafed arou7id tall poplars to efpoufe" 
 
 THURSDAY, Oa. 14, 1779. Faffed be- 
 tween very pleafant vineyards and gardens to 
 the bottom of St. Nicola, the higheft mountain in the 
 ifland {oi Ifchia). The vines both here and in Procida 
 are very high and fupported chiefly by poplars." Dr. 
 S. Neville's Journal of his Tour to Italy, penes me. 
 " Monday, Nov. 8, 1779. Road to Caferta pleaf- 
 ant, much like that to Ferfa and Capua. Olivi e 
 Pioppi con Vigne on each fide, and under them the land 
 cultivated with various herbs and roots." Ibid. From 
 which lafl: extraft I conclude that in land lit for gen- 
 eral cultivation, the poplar was .preferred by good 
 managers to the elm for training their vines, as lefs 
 overfhadowing the ground and hindering vegetation 
 beneath. But ne futor. Sec.
 
 248 Notes to 
 
 Epode V. p. 9. 
 
 " The for eerie s of Ctinidia." 
 
 Dr. Jofeph Warton, in his EfTay on Pope, pointing 
 out the dramatic turn of fomc of Horace's Odes, 
 obferves : — " Of this kind is the whole of the fifth 
 Epode It fuddenly breaks out with a beau- 
 tiful and forcible abruptnefs : At O Deorum .... 
 truces ? It is a boy that utters thefe words, who 
 beholds himfelf furrounded by a horrible band of 
 witches, with Canidia at their head ; who inftantly 
 feize and ftrip him, in order to make a love-potion of 
 his body [liver]. He proceeds to deprecate their un- 
 deferved rage by moving fupplications, and fuch as 
 are adapted to his age and fituation : Per liberos te 
 .... ferro bellua. The poet goes on to enumerate, 
 with due folemnity, the ingredients of the charm . . . 
 Canidia, having placed the viftim in a pit, where he 
 was gradually to be ftarved to death, begins to fpeak 
 in the following awful and ftriking manner : O rebus 
 meis . . . numen vertite, ifjc. But fhe fuddenly flops, 
 furprifed to fee the incantation fail : i^/V accidit . . . 
 Mede^e valent ? In a few lines more, flie difcovers the 
 reafon wherefore her charms are inefficacious : Ah 
 ah felutus, l^ c. She refolves, therefore, to double 
 them : Majus parabo .... poculum ; and concludes 
 with this fpirited threat : Priufque ccelum . . . ignibus. 
 The boy, on hearing his fate thus cruelly determined, 
 no longer endeavours to fue for mercy, but breaks 
 out into thofe bitter and natural execrations, mixed
 
 THE EpODES. 249 
 
 with a tender mention of his parents, which reach to 
 the end of the ode. 
 
 If we confider how naturally the fear of the boy 
 is exprefled in the firil fpeech, and how the dreadful 
 character of Canidia is fupported in the fecond, and 
 the various turns of paffion with which fhe is agita- 
 ted, — and if we add to thefe the concluding impre- 
 cations, we mull own that this affords a noble fpeci- 
 men of the dramatic powers of Horace." 
 
 Epode VI. p. 12. 
 
 " Not Parian barTs lampoon, 15 c." 
 
 To underftand the force of the allufions, the reader 
 may confult Lempriere's Claffical Diftionary, under 
 the articles Lycambes and Hipponax. 
 
 Epode XIV. p. 19. 
 
 " But, if a fairer flame beleaguer' d not 
 Trofs towers," i^c. 
 
 " In the original it is, Tou yourfelf are inflamed. 
 And if no brighter fire conjumed Troy, iffc. This 
 appears to be a falfe comparifon ; for in the firft in- 
 ftance the flame is metaphorical, in the laft it is real. 
 The excellent Dr. Bernard, of Eton, whofe facetious 
 turn was his leaft accomplifliment, ufed fometimes to 
 entrap his fcholars by quoting the well-known lines 
 of Waller:— 
 
 Such Helen was ; and who can blame the boy 
 That in fo bright a flame confumed his Troy ?
 
 250 Notes to 
 
 And then afking them if there was anywhere fo 
 falfe a thought in the works of the ancients ? On their 
 imrhediately anfwering in the negative, he cited thefe 
 lines of Horace, from which Waller's are evidently 
 copied." — BoscAWEN. 
 
 I have inferted the above note, as well on account 
 of the juftice of the criticifm in general, as for the fake 
 of the interefting anecdote appended. The original 
 however, might have been more ftriftly rendered — 
 You yourfelf burn [with love;] but, if a fairer flame 
 fired not befieged Troy, iffc. The word ignis, like 
 our flame, is frequently ufed to exprefs the objed: of 
 one's love ; (as meus ignis Amyntas, in Virg. Eel. iii. 
 66.) Indeed this application of the words is fo com- 
 mon, that the metaphor involved in it is fcarcely per- 
 ceived. Blair, who is fomewhat faftidious in fuch 
 matters, in noticing the mixed metaphor of Horace's 
 lines — ^tanta laboras in Chary bdi, Digne puer me- 
 liore flamma ! — adds : " Flame is, indeed, become 
 almoft a literal word for the pafTion of love ; but, as 
 it ftill retains in fome degree its figurative power, it 
 Ihould never have been ufed as fynonymous with 
 tvater, and mixed with it in the fame metaphor." — 
 Moreover, it is a trite figure of fpeech to reprefent 
 that as the doer of a thing, which is in truth only the 
 inducement or occafion of its being done. Helen is 
 faid by Euripides (Hec. 266) to have flain Achilles 
 and brought hjm to Troy. The gold depofited in 
 the care of Polymellor is faid (ibid. 1188) to have 
 murdered Polydorus. And Virgil (^n. xii. 948) 
 makes his hero, in giving the death-blow to Turnus, 
 exclaim, Pallas te hoc vulnere, Pallas immolat. Con-
 
 THE EpODES. 251 
 
 fidering all this, I am inclined to think that the falfe 
 comparifon here noticed by Mr. Bofcawen, though 
 certainly indefenfible in itfelf, is rather to be viewed 
 as a cafual overfight, than as a ftudied conceit. Our 
 Waller's offence, whether copied from Horace or not, 
 fcarcely admits even this apology. 
 
 Epode XV. p. 20. 
 
 " And I deride thy plaints in turn /" 
 
 This is the only inftance of a Dimeter Iambic verfe 
 in Horace beginning with a Daflyl — JJl ego. That 
 accurate fcholar. Dr. Charles Burney, ufed to tell his 
 pupils, that JJ} was probably a glofs, and that the 
 author wrote Ego vicijffim rifero, which at the fame 
 time feems more pointed. In contrafting two things 
 very ftrongly, the Roman writers were accuftomed to 
 omit all conjunflions. Horace furnifhes an example 
 in his firft Book of Odes, Ode 25, v. ult. Probably 
 the Dodlor did not confider Epod. III. 8 and V. 48 
 juft exceptions, as reading in both thofe places Canid- 
 ja / like Principjum, Conjiljum, Najtdjenus, Vindem- 
 jator, Abjete, Parjete, l£ c. where the letter j is to 
 be pronounced in the Italian manner, or as our _y. 
 
 Epode XVII. p. 28. 
 " And rack by proxy whom I hate — " 
 See the 8th Satire of B. i.
 
 252 Notes to 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Bafied by fuch a worm as thee" 
 
 This laft line is borrowed from Alexander Brome, 
 2nd edition, 1 67 1. 
 
 THE SECULAR ODE. 
 P. 31. 
 
 " Bright gems of ether ! grant the fult preferred 
 At this fix' d hour" iffc. 
 
 MR. Gr. Penn (Illuft. of Virgil's fourth Ed. pp. 
 167 — 181) Ihows that Auguftus had already 
 celebrated thefe Rites in the year 715, reckoning from 
 the fourth celebration in 605, the prefcribed period of 
 22 Luftra or 1 10 years having clapfed from that time. 
 But the Quindecimviral college having on a clofer 
 infpeftion of the Sibylline books, difcovered that the 
 whole feries of Feftivals had been kept irregularly, 
 and that the end of 737 was the proper time for the 
 fifth celebration to fall, and upon which it would 
 have fallen, had the rule been punflually obferved 
 from the firft, Auguftus celebrated thefe Rites again 
 in all ftridlnefs and with increafed fplendour. On 
 this ground Mr. Penn defends the reading tempore 
 prifco in v. 5, which Baxter with Gefner has adopted 
 from the old Scholiaft. It alludes, he thinks, to the
 
 THE Secular Ode. 253 
 
 reformation of the Feftival in 737, when the order of 
 the Games was reftored to the prilline rule. " Grant," 
 fays the poet, " what we 7iow afk in that originally 
 injlitutedfeafon, in which the Sibylline verfes enjoined 
 us to repeat the Hymn." 
 
 Ibid. p. 33. 
 
 " 'Nor lefs will She fo long on jiventine'" 
 
 " Vifited the Chiefa della Santa Sabina, formerly 
 the temple of Diana At'entina, the form of which is 
 preferved. Twent)'-two fluted Corinthian columns 
 of Grecian marble fupport the nef in their original 
 pofitions, avec bafes anciennes, rien de reftore, in the 
 words of my old guide Orlandi. The ancient />or/^ 
 d'' entree ftill remains at the lower end ; the Frieze 
 and Cornice extremely fine." Dr. S. Neville's Private 
 Journal, /^//^j me. Date, Rome, July 20, 1778. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Lijls and approves, with all the Hoft above, 
 Thefe choral lays" 
 
 Every reader probably knows, from Francis's tranf- 
 lation, the lingular piece of fancy patchwork of Pere 
 Sanadon, in which by prefixing to this other Odes 
 and Fragments of Odes picked out of the four books, 
 and dividing all between choirs of Boys and Virgins, 
 who occafionally join in full chorus, he has contrived 
 to get up a fort oi Heathen Oratorio. No one needs 
 to be told, that all this is a mere " bafelefs vifion." But 
 the following anecdote, derived from the MS. Jour-
 
 254 Notes to 
 
 nal already more than once cited, willperhaps be as 
 new and amufing to the reader, as it was to me. 
 
 " Monday, April 13th, 1782. — Went this even- 
 ing to hear the Carmen Sreculare of Horace, as fet 
 to mufic by Mons. Philidor, the famous chefs-player, 
 and no inconfiderable compofer of mufic, as his fuc- 
 cefs in this fingular attempt fufficiently tellifies. In 
 many pafTages this performance was fublime, in others 
 pleafingly folemn, and throughout expreffive of the 
 facred rites which thefe fongs were originally com- 
 pofed to celebrate. Mons. Salomon, of whofe fame 
 I have heard much fince his arrival in this country, 
 led the band, and played a long Concerto after the 
 performance. I do not think him equal to Cramer, 
 though it muft be confefled his execution is confid- 
 erable, and his manner bold. Both feem to me de- 
 ficient in fweetnefs of tone. Florio played the firll 
 flute, and Mr. Parke (a capital performer,) the oboe. 
 The vocal parts by Manzoletto, ReynhoU, and La 
 Signora Giorgi Banti, whom I had not heard before. 
 The chorus were in the orcheftra, all the other per- 
 formers a parterre. The gefticulation of Philidor, 
 beating time to his own mufic, with great anxiety, 
 was a true pidlure of the feelings of a thorough mu- 
 fician."
 
 THE Satires. 255 
 
 THE SATIRES. BOOK I. 
 
 Satire I. p. 37. 
 
 THIS Satire has, by Lord Karnes and others, 
 been cried down as defukory and void of con- 
 nexion. The charge is not altogether groundlefs, be- 
 caufe the lines of tranfition (it muft be confefTed) are 
 fomewhat too faintly marked. But to an attentive rea- 
 der the general train of thought will be tolerably evi- 
 dent. The poet fets out with remarking the fpirit of 
 envy and felf-love, which induces every man to fancy 
 fome other perfon's lot in life happier than his own. 
 And yet (he goes on to fay) if a mutual interchange 
 were miraculoufly placed within their reach, they 
 would to a man refufe ; and why ? — becaufe the fame 
 principle of envy, operating on a larger fcale, makes 
 each eager to furpafs his neighbour in wealth. Thus the 
 poet (ut fuus ejl ?nos) Aides into his main fubjeft, 
 which is, the abfurdity of coveting more than the fim- 
 ple wants of nature require. He then anticipates 
 various objeftions and excufes on the part of the ava- 
 ricious, and having anfwered each of them in detail, 
 reverts (v. 108) to his original view of the fubjeft, 
 namely, that it is envy at the lot of others which con- 
 ftitutes the main fource of this fame vice of covct- 
 oufnefs.
 
 256 Notes to 
 
 Satire I. p. 38. 
 
 " What hinders but that "Jove, with burly f cowl" 
 
 " Black-brow'd and bluff, like Homer's Jupiter." — 
 Dryden, in his defcription of King Buzzard (alias 
 Bifhop Burnet) in the Hind and the Panther, Part 3. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " This tap/ler-like retailer of the laws" 
 
 To the Englilh reader the tranflation here will fuffi- 
 ciently explain itfelf. The words of the original, Per- 
 fidus hie caupo, have given rife to much difcuffion and 
 conjedlure. Some have imagined that a new char- 
 after is introduced, that of vintner, in lieu of the 
 chamber-counfellor. But the ufe of hie — ille, with 
 the exaft re-enumeration of the other charafters, viz. 
 the merchant, the foldier, and the farmer, forbid this 
 interpretation to be tolerated for an inllant. Mark- 
 land's half-jocular, half-ferious, conje£lure of Cauji- 
 dicus vafer hie, waiving all other objeftions, would be 
 fcarcely tenable, on the ground that x)[\c pleader and 
 xhtjuris-eonfult, though doubtlefs often united in the 
 fame perfon, were by no means neceflarily or univer- 
 fally identified. To Bifhop Lowth's (or rather Dr. 
 Cockman's) far more plaufible conjedlure of cautor 
 for caupo, the infuperable objeftion is, that it would 
 apply the epithet oi perfdus (a cheat) to a charafter 
 of the higheft dignity and refpeftability. See Mid- 
 dleton's Life of Cicero for a defcription of the office 
 oiijuris-confultus in thofe times, however much after-
 
 THE Satires. 257 
 
 wards degraded in Rome by a departure from the gra- 
 tuitous fyftem. To be fhort, the words of Horace 
 may be thus paraphrafed : — " Hie juris-confultus, 
 cui mos eft, quemadmodum perfidus caupo emptoribus 
 proniit vina, fic (Hor. Epift. II. i. 104) mane domo 
 vigilare, clienti promere jura" The wit is of that 
 fpecies which confifts in coupHng the great with the 
 mean. The epithet perfidus muft be taken as defcrip- 
 tive, not of the lawyer, but of the vintner with whom 
 he is compared, or rather (after Horace's ufual man- 
 ner) identified. The vintners of Italy were proverb- 
 ially cheats : our author in his Journey to Brundu- 
 fium terms them maligni ; and Martial (xii. 48) ufes 
 the very fame epithet with Horace in the pafl'age be- 
 fore us, — " Et Vaticani perfida vappa cadi." 
 
 Satire I. p. 39. 
 
 " And you by Aufidus be fzvept away'''' 
 
 This allufion to the river Aufidus in the diftrift of 
 Appulia, where Horace was born, fufficiently Ihows 
 that this whole Satire is to be confidered as one of 
 thofe fe If- colloquies which he occafionally (illudebat 
 chartis) penned down in fportive rhyme. See Sat. I. 
 iv. 137 — 9, and Epift. II. ii. 145 to the end. 
 
 Satire I. p. 41. 
 
 " At laft a ivefich of true Tyndarid vein" 
 
 For this abridged form of the patronymic, I muft 
 fupport myfclf on the authority of Spenfer : 
 s
 
 258 Notes to 
 
 When Paris brought his famous prize 
 
 The fair Tyndarid lals 
 
 F. Q^, B. IV. Cant. xi. Stan. 19. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Much iis they differ, Tanais I admire''^ 
 
 The allufion here is, and ever mufl remain, uncer- 
 tain. The attempt of the old fcholiall to explain it 
 bears a very fufpicious appearance, as if it were a mere 
 invention of his own to cloak his ignorance. How 
 hard the requifitions were upon the grammatici of 
 later times, who undertook to explain the poets of the 
 Auguftan age in their fchools, we learn from Juvenal ; 
 and the temptation to invent fuch explanations prob- 
 ably grew as time advanced. 
 
 Satire I. p. 42. 
 
 " All view their own condition as the worjl ;" 
 
 The conftruftion here, which has been fometimes 
 mifapprehended, is, " Utne nemo, avarus, fe probet, 
 &c. ! " So Ter. Phorm. Ad. II. Sc. i . Egon illam 
 cum illo ut patiar nuptam unum diem ! 
 
 Satire III. p. 45. 
 
 " Look o'er thine own paft follies.^'' — " So I do^"" 
 Retorts the wag, " and overlook them too." 
 
 In the original there is a pun, which turns upon 
 the different acceptations of the verb ignofco and its
 
 THE Satires. 259 
 
 participle ignotus. In what profefles to be a bon-mot 
 fome fimilar play upon words became neceflary, and 
 I have only to regret that I could not do more juftice 
 to Msenius's jeft, fuch as it is. 
 
 It would, methinks, be a fit penalty for all punfters, 
 to be compelled to tranflate their own puns into fome 
 other language, and fo (like Perillus) arte perire fua. 
 
 Satire III. p. 46. 
 
 *' As parents in their offspring, fo pould -we 
 Seek to extenuate ev^n the fault we fee." 
 
 This tendency to extenuate the perfonal defefts of 
 thofe whom we love, is touched upon by Plato (Rep. 
 V. p. 466), by Lucretius (IV. 1154 fq-)> by Ovid 
 (A. A. II. 657); and of the moderns, by Moliere 
 (Mifant. Aft II. Sc. 5), and by Ign. Sancho (Lett. 
 29), though with fome difference in the application. 
 I would here obferve, that nothing is more eafy than 
 to make a difplay by collecfting /itf r^?//^/ paffages, which 
 (by the way), as I have feen it wittily remarked, are 
 often rather worthy to be called perpendiculars than 
 parallels. I claim my readers' thanks for being fpar- 
 ing in this particular. . 
 
 Satire III. p. 47. 
 
 " The blundering booby fure wants com?non-fenfe" 
 
 Communis fenfus ftriftly means a promptncfs to 
 enter into the feelings of others, or what we callyr/- 
 loiu-feeliug. But in a tranflation fuch nice diflinc-
 
 26o Notes to 
 
 tions may be difpenfed with. Still in a note the 
 difference Teemed worth noticing. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Ctm neer be rooted from the'' untutor'd breaji" 
 
 In the original _/?«////, which adjeftive (be it once 
 for all obferved) perpetually defignates thofe who are 
 undifciplined by philofophy. Such was the cant of 
 the times. 
 
 Satire III. p. 48. 
 
 " And with fame long citation reads him dead." 
 
 " Odavius Rufo (fays the fcholiaft) is reported to 
 have been both a rigid money-lender, and alfo a wri- 
 ter of hiftories. It is therefore here intimated, that 
 he employed his influence over his debtors to compel 
 their attendance at his recitations." — Is this credible? 
 Certainly the habits and characters of an ufurer and 
 of an hiftoriographer feem to ordinary apprehenfions 
 not very congenial. Perhaps the Scholium is only 
 one of thofe fhifts of ignorance noticed in a remark 
 on the firft Satire. I fufpeft my author of another 
 play upon words : the Greek word fyngraphe figni- 
 fies either hijloria, or cautio, i. e. a bond of fecurity 
 or legal form of obligation figned and fealed by the 
 borrower of money j which bond I believe it to have 
 been requifitefor the creditor to read over to his debtor 
 in the prefence of witneffes, before he could regu- 
 larly proceed to fue for nonpayment of the intereft
 
 THE Satires. 261 
 
 or principal. Compare Juvenal XIII. 136 — 9. Si 
 decies leftis, &c. 
 
 Satire IV. p. 54. 
 
 " When D if cord brake the ponderous bar 
 And oped the adamantine gates of War : " 
 
 A line from Ennius, part of which Virgil has bor- 
 rowed, Mn. vii. 622. 
 
 Satire IV. p. 56. 
 
 " And if perchance I ftniling fay , if^c." 
 
 The original here contains a line which occurs in 
 the fecond Satire of this Book. Horace more than 
 once quotes from himfelf 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Now hear the cenfor of the\ envenom' d page ! 
 Now fee hi?n glow with friendfhips* generous rage !" 
 
 This couplet has nothing ftriftly anfwering to it in 
 the original. It was inferted, to fmooth the abrupt- 
 nefs of the tranfition, at the fuggeftion, many years 
 ago, of a friend fmce departed — (one whofe memory 
 I {hall ever hold dear, dum memoripfe mei) — the Rev. 
 Jofeph Coltman, late Vicar of Beverley. It feems to 
 me to fall within the limits of thofe additamenta 
 allowed by Lord Woodhoufelee in his Effay on Tranf- 
 lation.
 
 262 Notes to 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Petillius was my very worthy friend ;" 
 
 The Englifli reader fhould be informed, that in the 
 original this gentleman is twice called Capitolinus. 
 No tranflation can convey the irony of this term. 
 The Romans were accuftomed to annex to the names 
 of thofe oi their countrymen, who had conquered a 
 formidable enemy or performed any other fignal fer- 
 vice, a titular name (if wt may fo call it) to com- 
 memorate fuch exploits. Thus each of the Scipios 
 bore that of Africanus ; others were called Dacicus, 
 Germanicus, Numantinus, &c. And Kence the famous 
 Manlius, who defended the Roman Capitol from the 
 midnight attack of the Gauls, was furnamed Capito- 
 linus ; which fame agnomen was confequently in de- 
 rifion applied to Petillius, who ftole the golden crown 
 of Jupiter's ftatue from his temple in the Capitol. 
 Baron Stolberg in his Travels obferves : " The Ro- 
 mans delighted in thele burlefque agnomina. Thus 
 Caracalla, \vho had murdered his brother Geta and 
 caufed all the infcriptions bearing his name to be de- 
 faced, was farcaftically nicknamed Geticus, as if he 
 had conquered the Getce." The fcholiaft fays that 
 the jury (judices) acquitted Petillius, when tried for 
 the facrilegious theft, * to gratify Auguftus whofe 
 friend he was.' It feems far more likely that he bribed 
 them with the profits of his crime.
 
 THE Satires. 263 
 
 Satire V. p. 58. 
 
 Cowper has tranflated this Satire. From his ver- 
 fion, inferted in Duncombe's Horace and in his own 
 works, I have borrowed a few fragments of lines. 
 Thofe who wifh to trace the topography of Horace's 
 journey, may confult Gibbon's Mifcellaneous Works 
 or Cramer's Italy. Much, probably, of the relilh 
 of this Satire is loft to us, by our not being able to 
 compare it with a fimilar one of Lucilius, of which 
 there is fome room to fufpedl this to have been a pa- 
 rody. The 87 th verfe, according to the old fcholiaft, 
 was clearly an imitation of one of Lucilius ; and in 
 the firft Satire of the fecond Book, vv. 34 — 39 are 
 manifeftly written in mimicry of his rambling verbi- 
 age, without which interpretation they would form 
 a moft infipid digreffion, quite foreign from our au- 
 thor's cuftomary Ilyle of writing. 
 
 Satire V. p. 59. 
 
 * * * * " and with a fallow club 
 Cut from the pore" * * « * 
 
 This circumftance of its being cut from the Jhore, 
 is Cowper's own infertion. * It is not in the bond.' 
 But, being quite in the courfe of nature, I have not 
 fcrupled to adopt it. 
 
 Satire V. p. 62. 
 " To a fmall tozvn, whofe unpoetic name" 
 Equo-tuticum, or fimply Tuticum. See Wefleling.
 
 264 Notes to 
 
 ad Itin. Antonin. p. 105. He imitates here (fays the 
 fcholiaft) Lucilius, who in his feventh Satire had faid 
 of the Satur7iaUa, 
 
 Servorum eft fcftu' dies hie, 
 
 Quem plane hexametro verfu non dicere poflis. 
 
 Satire VI. p. 64. 
 
 " If but their blood in gentle current Jlows :" 
 
 Literally, if he be but ingenuus — free-born, i. e. 
 whofe parents were both of them free at the time of 
 his birth. Thofe who underftand the word here to 
 mean one of gentlemanlike mind and manners, err 
 toto ccelo. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " When menial Tullius was advanced to power" 
 
 For an account of Servius Tullius, one of the old 
 kings of Rome, as alfo of Valerius Poplicola, Decius 
 and Appius, fee Lempriere or any Roman Hiftory. 
 Of the Tullius (or Tillius, as Bentley fpells it, on the 
 authority of many MSS., with the approbation of 
 Zeune) mentioned v. 24, we muft be contented with 
 the old fcholiaft's account, that " he was turned out 
 of the fenate by J. Caefar, as a partifan of Pompey, 
 but after the affaffination of J. Caefar, refumed the 
 Laticlave and was appointed Military Tribune." 
 
 Satire VI. p. 65. 
 " To watch the people's interefi, i^c." 
 The engagements here mentioned conftituted the 
 form of a fenator's oath.
 
 THE Satires. 265 
 
 Satire VI. p. (>"]. 
 
 " Poor as he was, fc ant as his acres were,^' 
 
 Qui, macro pauper agello, noluit, &c. Not becaufe, 
 but although, he was poor ; as the old fcholiaft pro- 
 perly explains it. The conftruftion is by no means 
 uncommon ; but, for want of difcerning it, fome 
 clever critics have gone aftray. See the article on 
 Mr. Canon Tate's Horatius Refiitutus in the Quar- 
 terly Review, an article well worthy of perufal in all 
 other refpefls, and which does credit to its reputed 
 author, Mr. Milman. 
 
 Satire VI. p. 68. 
 
 " His rider galls him in the ribs before.^'' 
 
 Some of the commentators fuppofe Horace here to 
 fmile at his own bad horfemanlhip. If fo, Virgil alfo 
 mull ridicule the bad horfemanlhip of the young war- 
 rior Marcellus, when he fays of him — " Seu fpumantis 
 equi foderet calcaribus armos." The faft is that when 
 a houling-cloth alone was ufed inftead of a faddle, as 
 was the cafe with the Romans of old, the rider was 
 naturally thrown more forward, fo that his legs would 
 chafe the fhoulders of his beaft in riding to any con- 
 liderable diftance. 
 
 Satire VI. p. 69. 
 
 " Thus man^ a comfort I enjoy, which you. 
 Great fir ! and thoufands of the great ne'er knew" 
 
 There is an awkward ambiguity here in the con-
 
 266 Notes to 
 
 ftruftion of the original. I have followed Creech, 
 Buncombe, and Francis, Mr. Bofcawen's tranfla- 
 tion, flightly altered to adapt it to my metre, will 
 reprefent the other conftruftion : 
 
 In thefe, than you, great Senator ! — in thefe 
 And numbprlefs refpedts, Trrt^jnore at eafe. ' 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Around the lying Circus carekfs Jiray" 
 
 Fallacem, abounding in fortune-tellers, divinis. 
 So Sat. I, ix. 30, divina urna, \\&r prophetic urn ; and 
 in Greek, Se/av 'EKavou ■<\>uy^civ, Eur. Hec. 85. Jf- 
 fiftoy I flop to liften to, &c. as Tac. Annal. II. 13, 
 ajfijiit tabernaculis. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " To vifit Marfyas, who with looks of /corn" 
 
 Lord Orrery, in his Letters from Italy, fays : — 
 *' Among the ilatues (in the gallery at Florence) fcarce- 
 ly any one has ftruck me more than the figure, or 
 rather the face, of Marfyas flayed by Apollo and tied 
 to a tree. It is a mafter-piece of its kind. Rage, 
 pain, and difappointment appear moft ftrongly in the 
 countenance ; and poor Marfyas feems to anfwer the 
 defcription of the damned, by weeping, wailing, and 
 gnafhing his teeth. "Note : A print of this ftatue, 
 engraved by Boitard, is jnfcrted as an ornamental 
 piece in Mr. Spence's Polymetis, p. 301." Dr. 
 -Neville, in his MS. Journal, Apr. 1779, mentions.
 
 THE Satires. 267 
 
 among the choice antique' ftatues and bas-reliefs in the 
 Galleria delta villa Medici at Rome, " Marfyas fcor- 
 ticato da Apollo e ligato ad un albore ; fcultura Greca 
 della pill grande maniera; ma il foggetto e diguftante." 
 Many of the choicell works of art had been removed 
 at this period from the Florentine gallery to the villa 
 Medici. 
 
 The learned reader may compare Martial. II. 64, 
 and Sidon. Apoll. carm. XIII. 
 
 Ibid. ■ ■ 
 
 " ^ Till ten I lie ; then ramble forth i or write," 
 
 " While refiding at Rome (fays Dunlop fpeaking 
 of Horace, Aug. Age, vol. 3, p. 204) he did not rife 
 till ten o'clock of the forenoon, though he frequently 
 compofed and wrote before he got up." This is 
 founded in a miftake. The poet is fpeaking here, not 
 of his bed, but of his couch or fofa for ftudy. The 
 Romians were very early rifers. He tells us indeed 
 that he was not obliged to quit his bed at break of 
 day to attend the law-courts : but this does not im- 
 ply that he lay a-bed till ten. 
 
 Satire VII. ^. 70. 
 
 *' With Jiang fo glib as left on wings 0' tF wind" 
 
 Orig. With white horfes. But wherefore W/6//^.? 
 Some fay, becaufe white horfes are imagined to be the 
 fwifteft ; others, with more probability, becaufe they 
 were ufed by kings or fuch as affeded to ride in kingly 
 ftate, by conquerors in triumphal procefliona, &c. A
 
 268 Notes to 
 
 learned friend refers to Ulpian on Demofthenes in 
 Mid. p. 565, § 43, D. Edit. Buttmann. I mull own 
 myfelf not quite fatisfied. One would expedl an ab- 
 lative cafe, exprefling what grammarians call the mea- 
 fure ofexcefs, like Ariftophanes's TTAeJV ij ataSnv Xoc- 
 Xitrnpos, " a greater twaddler by a ftadium's length" 
 — and that fragment of Eupolis fpeaking of Pericles 
 — 'ila-irsp dyaSoi ^^a^eig ''E.v.hy.a, ifoScvy jjpei Xsywv 
 rov; prjTopas, " Like nimbleft runners in a race, he 
 beat All other fpeakers by full fixteen feet." 
 
 Satire VII. p. 71. 
 
 " ^j whtlome Glaucus did to Diomed^^ 
 
 See the ftory of their unequal change of armour, 
 Horn. II. Z. 1 19 — 236, from which laft verfe •)(^p\)- 
 creoc p^aXxeJwv pafl'ed into a proverbial expreffion, 
 which occurs in Cicero's Epiftles to his friends and 
 elfewhere. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Speak — Jirikc — redrefs, and trounce this worjl of 
 kings!" 
 
 See Shakfp. J. Csf. Aft II, Sc. i. 
 
 Satire VIII. p. 72. 
 
 For a few lines or portions of lines in this Satire I 
 am indebted to a tranflation by a Mr. Stafford, prin- 
 ted in Jacob Tonfon's " Odes and Satyrs of Horace 
 done into Englifh by the moll eminent hands," 1730, 
 p. 158.
 
 THE Satires. 269 
 
 Satire VIII. p. 74. 
 
 " Why need I add how, while the ghofts difcourfe 
 With Sagana, Jhrill tones encounter hoarfe?'''' 
 
 Shakfpeare talks of the ' fqueaking and gibbering' 
 of the ghofts which haunted the ftreets of Rome — 
 " Which two emphatic and fingularly felicitous ex- 
 preffions (fays Sir W. Scott in his Biographical Notice 
 of Mrs. Clara Reeve) he has left as charafteriftic of 
 the language of the dead." — Homer however led the 
 way by his rsr^iyuicci in the Necyomantia y and Vir- 
 gil has * inceptus clamor fruftratur hiantes.' 
 
 Satire IX. p. 74. 
 
 In tranflating this Satire, I have borrowed pretty 
 freely from Cowper's verfion or rather imitation of it. 
 
 Satire IX. p. jS. 
 
 " Which once was told me by a gojjip-feer : " 
 
 This fuppofed recolleftion of an old prophecy feems 
 to be in imitation of Homer. See his Odyjfey, ix. 
 507 — 14 Cowper's Tranfl. 594—600); alfo Od. 
 xiii. 172 — 8 (Cowp. Tr. 202 — 10). Much of our 
 author's humour confifts in parody, which has often 
 efcaped the notice of his commentators. 
 
 Satire IX. p. jj. 
 " But might I ajk you jufi to ftep ajide?" 
 Orig. adejje, the technical term meaning ' to ap-
 
 270 ' Notes to 
 
 pear, in a law-court in favour of any one,' and that, 
 not merely by taking part in the proceedings, but by 
 lending him one's countenance fo as to influence the 
 votes of the JuMces or jury. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 *****"/;/ all fuch cafes Vm the man 
 To work !ny way /"***** 
 
 Baxter (whom Gefner and Zeune tacitly approve) 
 makes the claufe '* Nemo dexterius fortuna eft ufus," 
 a continuation of Horace's fpeech concerning Mae- 
 cenas, fubjoining this note : Fortunam modo dicit 
 magnam five ingentes divitias. Wieland follows in 
 the fame track, and tranflates it : Noch niemand 
 wuffte ein grofles gliick fo gut wie er zu tragen ; i. e. 
 " But nobody ever knew how to bear a high fortune 
 fo well as he." But furely this fenfe would require 
 Fortunam ferre (as Hor. Epift. I. viii. v. ult.) rather 
 than Fortuna uti, which feems to be nearly equivalent 
 to the Greek expreffionTTpayixacrt y^^ritx^aiifce. Lucian 
 de M. Peregr.), ' to turn all occurrences to the beft 
 account for one's own advantage.' I therefore make 
 it a part of the Impertinent's anfwer, in commenda- 
 tion of himfclf. " No one (fays he) has played his 
 cards in life better than I have done. You would 
 have a powerful affiftant in me, to aft a fecondary 
 part, if you would but introduce {trader e, Gr. 7ta§a- 
 ti^Eyoci) me to your patron. May I perifh if you 
 would not turn all their nofes out of joint !" — Such, 
 in vulgar phrafeology, feems to be the fpirit of the 
 paflage.
 
 THE Satires. 271 
 
 Satire IX. p. 79. 
 " A^e, that I will, quoth I, and turfi^d my ear." 
 
 That is, to be pinch 'd : which was the regular form 
 of confentihg to be bound over to appear as witnefs. 
 
 Satire X. p. 81. 
 
 " Rome^s founder, at the hour when dreams are true, 
 Rofe in a vijion to my wondering view ;" 
 
 This feems to be meant as a fort of parody on 
 Ennius's vifion — " In fomneis mihi vifus Homerus 
 adeffe poeta." 
 
 Ibid. 
 " Breathes grace and elegance in Virgil's ft rain." 
 Alluding to his Bucolics. 
 
 Satire X. p. 82. 
 " Than that rude bard'' * * * 
 Ennius.
 
 272 Notes to 
 
 THE SATIRES. BOOK II. 
 
 Satire I. p. 88. 
 " CaJJius the jot and Manlius the buffoon;'''' 
 HIS line is taken from B. I. Sat. 8. 
 
 T 
 
 Satire I. p. 88, 89. 
 
 " Call me what you pleafe, — 
 Half of Lucanian, half Apulian grozvth," 
 
 In this defignation of himfclf Horace feems to be 
 giving his readers a playful imitation of the rambling 
 manner of Lucilius. 
 
 Satire II. p. 92, 
 
 " While pleafurc fzveetly fmooths the brozv of toil" 
 
 So Shakfpeare in his Tempeft, A. III. Sc. i. 
 
 There be iome fporf^ are painful ; but their labour 
 Delight in them lets oft'. 
 
 Satire II. p. 97. 
 
 " The Jiurdy fzvain is feen with hoary locks" 
 
 In the original, Mercede colonum, ' a cultivator of 
 the land for hire.' It feems to have been cuftomar}', 
 in the cafe of the metati agri — the lands taken by con-
 
 THE Satires. 273 
 
 fifcation from the former poflefTors to be diftributed 
 in meafured compartments to the veteran foldiers of 
 Rome, to fuffer the former occupiers to fuperintend 
 and affifl in the cultivation, and render an account of 
 the net proceeds to the new proprietors ; and this 
 fome hold to be the origin of the feodal fyftem, while 
 others (perhaps with more reafon) afcribe it to the 
 national Comites and Principes among the Germans ; 
 concerning which fee Tac. de Mor. Genu. The con- 
 ftruftion o{ the original may be illuftrated by Hor. L. 
 II. Sat. vii. 17. mercede diurna conduBum pavit, and 
 Juv. Sat. IV. 33. (if the reading be right) Fender e 
 ?nunictpes pa£la mercede Jiluros. 
 
 Satire III. p. 98. 
 
 " In vain you curfe the pen, and in a rage 
 Pour your rej'entment on the lucklcfs page." 
 
 In the original, paries, which Zeune feems to take 
 here for a dejk, adding in explanation ceratus. I fee 
 no reafon for departing from the common meaning of 
 the word, the wall of a houfe. Horace in a lit of 
 anger with his reed or pen, is fuppofed to dafh it full 
 of ink againll the wall. Befides, in ufmg waxed tab- 
 lets, not the Calafnus but the Stilus, was the inftru- 
 ment of writing. 
 
 Satire III. p. 99. 
 " Heap Plato'' s zvifdom on Menander''s zvit" 
 D. Heinfius thinks that Plato, the comic writer, is
 
 2 74 Notes to 
 
 here meant. Ernefti and Gcfner (in his Index noini- 
 num) underlland it of Plato the Philofopher. 
 
 Satire III. p. io8. 
 
 " Atid grim Bellona thunder' d round his head" 
 
 Alluding to the circumftance that Ambition fome- 
 times renders her votaries, as in the cafe of Agamem- 
 non, madly eager after military diftinftion. 
 
 Satire III. p. 113. 
 
 " Forthwith, regardlefs of your pigmy frame ;''"' 
 
 'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio, 
 How much I have difabled mine eftate. 
 By fomething fhowing a more fwelling port. 
 Than my frail means would grant continuance. 
 
 Shaksp. Merch. of Fen. I. i. 
 
 Satire IV. p. 116. 
 
 " Should clarify the mafs with pigeons' eggs. 
 Which in their fall precipitate the dregs." 
 
 In this couplet and perhaps in fome other parts of 
 thefe culinary precepts, I am under obligations to the 
 Duncombes. 
 
 Satire V, p. 121. 
 
 " Son of Laertes ! every word, by me 
 Foretold, is fur e to be — or not to be!" 
 
 Dr. Parr (fequel to a Printed Paper, p. 36) alters
 
 THE Satires. 275 
 
 Francis's tranflation thus : 
 
 O Son of great Laertes ! every thing 
 Will come to pafs, or not come, as I fing, 
 
 I believe, however, that Horace intended the fenfe 
 to be equivocal, thereby covertly ridiculing the am- 
 biguity of the oracular anfwers. The learned reader 
 may compare Xen. Cyri Expid. IV. 4, 1 5, and Eu- 
 rip. Helen. 929, Ed Beck. See alfo Malkin's EfTays, 
 p. 415. 
 
 Satire VI. p. 125. 
 
 " This, I mufi 0W71 is muftc to my ear : " 
 
 In the original — " This is delightful beyond mea- 
 fure, I will not deny it." The queftion occurs. 
 What is fo delightful? — Pujhing his way through the 
 throng, fays Baxter. Nay, returning to M^cenasy 
 fays Gefner. I prefer Duncombe's view of the paf- 
 fage, who renders it, " Thefe taunts, I own, my 
 breafl: with tranfport fill." 
 
 Satire VI. p. 127. 
 " And hold high converfe with the mighty dead?" 
 This line is borrowed from Thompfon's Winter. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Regale on viands plentiful though plain, 
 And leave the remnants to the fancy train f'' 
 
 I have tranflatcd this according to the common
 
 2/6 Notes to 
 
 interpretation. But I fufpedl that there fliould be a 
 comma after pafco in the original ; fo that lihatis dap- 
 ibi/s, meaning ' of which a fmall portion has firft been 
 offered to my houfehold gods,' is to be referred 
 equally to z'efcor and to pafco. So Tibullus Eleg. I. 
 Et quodcunque mihi pomum novus educat annus, 
 Libatum agricolas ponitur ante Deo. " Whatever 
 fruit the new feafon produces on my land, is ferved 
 up, after having previoufly been dipped into for an 
 offering to the God of hufbandry." — 
 
 In this way the paiTage is rendered more confonant 
 with the old-falhioned fimplicity of living, in which 
 our author here prides himfelf. Juvenal (VIII. 178) 
 has, Leftus non alius cuiquam, nee menfa remotior 
 ulli. And Seneca (Ep. 47) — Rideo iftos qui turpe 
 exiftimant cum fervo fuo efenare : Quare ? nifi quia 
 fuperbiffima confuetudo coenanti domino ftantium 
 fervorumturbam circumdedit. See alfothe 2nd Epode, 
 vv. 65, 66, 
 
 Satire VII. p. 130. 
 
 " Are every thing by ftarts and nothing long : " 
 
 This line is borrowed from Dryden's portrait of 
 Zimri (the Duke of Buckingham) in his Abfalom and 
 Achitophel. Strange as it may feem, I was not 
 aware of the theft, till a friend pointed it out.
 
 THE Satires. 277 
 
 Satire VII. p. 134. 
 
 " Tet he's the loitering vagabond, be Jure ; 
 
 You the nice judge, the'' accompUJh''d connoijjeur i" 
 
 Mr. R. O. Cambridge, in ' a Dialogue between a 
 Member of Parliament and his fervant,' written in 
 imitation of this Satire, (firft publifhed in 1752, and 
 reprinted in the Repofitory, 1783) has thefe two lines : 
 
 Yet I'm a loiterer, to be fure ; 
 You a great judge and connoifeur. 
 
 It might with good reafon be fufpefled from the 
 clofe refemblance, that I had plundered this couplet; 
 and yet I had written my tranflation many years be- 
 fore I faw Mr. Cambridge's fprightly poem. This is 
 not the only inftance in which I have had occalion 
 to experience the truth of Mr. Archdeacon Wrang- 
 ham's remark in the Preface to his * Lyrics of Horace,' 
 that " it does not always follow, in tranflations afFeft- 
 ing exaftnefs of rendering, that Qvery par allelifm (even 
 of expreflion and of rhymes) is neceffarily 2iplagiariffn.'" 
 
 Satire VIII. p. 137. 
 
 " Both ujher'd as friends' friends" 
 
 The beft equivalent I can think of for the original 
 Umbrae — Shadows, here and in B. I. Epift. V.
 
 2/8 Notes to 
 
 THE EPISTLES. BOOK I. 
 
 Epistle I. p. 144. 
 
 ' And zvin 7ny way by yielding to the tide.''* 
 
 HIS line is borrowed from Pope's Imitation 
 of this Epiftle, 
 
 T 
 
 Epistle I. p. 145. 
 
 " He^s low, d — d low ! — yet hear the boys at fchool ; 
 Let him (fay they), whom virtue crowns, hear rule /" 
 
 See Herod, in the early part of his hiftory, con- 
 cerning Cyrus and his play- fellows. 
 
 Epistle I. p. 148. 
 
 *' Gifted with honour, beauty, freedom, wealth. 
 And (pleafe the rheum tofpare him) fpecial health." 
 
 ' He alludes (fays Dr. Jof. Warton) to the difor- 
 der of his eyes, which Celfus alfo calls Pituita.' See 
 Sat. I. V. 49 ; where we find Horace and Virgil re- 
 tiring to enjoy zfiefia, the game of tennis (to which 
 Maecenas applied himfelf) being ill-fuited to the weak 
 eyes of the former or the indigcftion of the latter.
 
 THE Epistles. 279 
 
 Epistle IV. p. 154. 
 
 " Your Jlep o'er dewy lawn and breezy wood, 
 Mujing on what befits the wife and good" 
 
 An taciturn filvas .... bonoque eft ? — Pope has 
 imitated thefe lines in his Windfor-Foreft, v. 249. 
 " Or wandering thoughtful in the filent wood. At- 
 tends the duties of the wife and good ;" as Wakefield 
 has obferved in his edition oi Pope, firrt and only 
 vol. p. 83. 
 
 Epistle IX. p. 166. 
 
 " And trufi him for a good man and a true /" 
 
 This laft line is borrowed from Prior's Imitation 
 of this Epiftle. — The Reader will alfo do well to look 
 to a free profe tranflation, accompanied with fome 
 judicious remarks in the Spectator, No. 493. 
 
 Epistle XI. p. 171. 
 
 ** And Vlubra may prove the feat of blifs." 
 
 Perhaps Bullatius had a country-houfe near that 
 little town. It was fituated in the diftrift of Velitrae 
 (now Velletri) near the Palus Pomptina, whence Ci- 
 cero (Ep. Fam. VII. 18) calls the inhabitants //■^'^j.
 
 28o Notes to 
 
 Epistle XII. p. 172. 
 
 " Fled frotn Italia'' s plains is Famine grim. 
 
 And Plenty pours her horn replenijh'd to the brim." 
 
 This might probably be a very ufeful piece of in- 
 telligence to Iccius in his then commiffion. The 
 words yHis amicorum eft annona, &c. probably allude 
 to the fame. Xenophon in his Mem. Soc. at the 
 clofe of B. 2. has a fimilar figure, where Socrates fays : 
 " Prudent managers tell us it is advifable to purchafe 
 when the market-price is low ; and at prefent (he 
 adds), on account of the public troubles, good friends 
 may be had a pennyworth" — Ivocv^roi.i'oi. 
 
 Epistle XIV. p. 175. 
 
 " Jnd then thou'rt fain to ply thy ruflic toil" 
 
 The conftruftion here is fomewhat ambiguous. 
 Without entering upon a critical difcufhon, it may be 
 fufficient here to fay that the general fenfe may per- 
 haps be more juftly given thus : — * Nay more — 
 thou'rt forced to ply thy ruftic toil.' On the phrafe 
 Et tamen fee the following note. 
 
 Epistle XV. p. 177. 
 
 " Indeed their favour I have well-nigh lofl," 
 
 Et tamen illis me facit invifum, &c. " And in- 
 deed he makes me out of favour with them, &c." 
 The phrafe et tamen is often ufed (as in Greek alfo
 
 THE Epistles. 281 
 
 Kcc) i^YiV or KO.) fiavToi) where a weaker preceding 
 reafon is fuperfeded by a more conclufive one follow- 
 ing, or where a fufpicion is confirmed by matter of 
 fad:. I have amafled a multitude of examples, which 
 would be out of place here. But the learned reader 
 may fatisfy himfelf of the truth of this remark, if he 
 will only take the trouble of examining the context 
 in Cicero's Cato Major, c. 6, where the following 
 claufes occur : — Et tamen ipfius Appii extat oratio , . . 
 Et tamen fic a patribus accepimus. Ovid, Hyperm. 
 Lynceo, v. 36, has 
 
 Circum me gemitus morientum audire videbarj 
 Et tamen audibam, quodque verebar erat. 
 
 Neque tarnen occurs in the fame manner in Cic. 
 Ep. Fam. IV. 12. Ab Athenienfibus locam fepul- 
 turs intra urbem ut darent impetrare non potui, quod 
 religione fe impediri dicerent, neque tamen id antea 
 cuiquam concefTerant. — In Soph. ^Ed. T. oJ(J£ \jAv 
 rors Xa5a Karaxoiixxa-si, there is no ground with 
 Elmfley to alter the text, which in Latin would be 
 rendered " Neque tamen unquam oblivio fopitura 
 ell." — iEfch. Prom. 468, xa,) tj,yjv d^t^[jAjv — i^s'j^oy, 
 where (from an imperfeft apprehenfion of the force 
 of the particles xa) [j^r^v) Mr. G. Burges is led on no 
 adequate grounds to fufpedl a lacuna. In Xen. Cyri 
 Difcipl. vii. 3, ult. the proper reading feems to be 
 KC/A u^r^v xat rl (/.vrjacx. (■'^sx^l tou vvv rctv EvvOv^wv 
 •Kiyjj)(T'^7A Xiyarai.
 
 282 Notes to 
 
 Epistle XV. p. 178. 
 
 " And, Bejlius-like, of thrift the champion fautich, 
 Swore Luxury Jhould be branded in the paunch T 
 
 Scilicet ut ventris lamna candente nepotum Di- 
 ceret urendos, corredlor Beftius. But why (aiks 
 Lambinus) fhould fpendthrifts be branded in the 
 belly, rather than in any other part ? This queftion 
 Dacier well anfwers, by citing a pafl'age from Galen 
 (de Placit. Hippocr. et Platon. Lib. VI.), who fays 
 that even in his time (the latter part of the fecond 
 century) it was the cuftom of mailers to chaftife 
 their refraflory flaves by branding with a hot iron, 
 Icarifying and flogging them — if runaways, in the 
 fhins — if pilferers, in the hands — if gluttons, in the 
 belly — and if babblers, in the tongue. 
 
 There is a paflage in Xenophon's Mem. Socr. 
 which I beg leave here to quote in the original, be- 
 caufe I fufpeft a flight error in the text. Speaking 
 of the manner in which mailers were in the habit of 
 correfting their flaves, he fays (II. i. 16) 'Aca oJriJy 
 \x\v Xa-yvslixv auricv r J X«^J (TU}(p§ovi^ou(n ; — Sturz 
 in his Lex. Xenoph. has this glofs : " Aayvsia, im- 
 modica libido, lafcivia, falacitas. Scd Mem. II. i. 16. 
 videtur pau/o latius accipiendum de omni lafcivia." — 
 This fliows that he was not quite fatisficd with the 
 application of the word here in its ordinary fenfe. I 
 conjeflure that, inftead of Xayve/av Lezvdnefi, the 
 original reading was Xiy^vslav, liquorijhnefs. There 
 could not be a more appropriate method of corredl- 
 ing the lick-difh flave, than to put him for a time on 
 fliort commons.'
 
 THE Epistles. 283 
 
 Having been thus led to the notice of this delight- 
 ful work of Xenophon, perhaps I may be allowed to 
 mention another flight correction of a paflage, beyond 
 all doubt corrupt, in the fame performance. At the 
 beginning of B. i. c. 4. for dg read off. The paff- 
 age then will fland thus: oTj ^viOi ypd^ovcri rs xcc) 
 'Xsyoutri TTef ( aurov r£Ki/.ixipdi^Evoi. The conftruftion 
 is clear from a paflage in the fame Treatife, II. vi. 
 6. ov i'o~i Xoyoi; avtMV reH[xai§6[jisvoi. The fylla- 
 bles ois and cvg are often confounded : as in Eurip. 
 Iph. Aul. 309. aXXoig diJ^iXXw ravr , d(pss 8s Trjv$' 
 Ipo) ; and in Soph. Eledl. 1278, where if for dXXoi- 
 ci we read dXXcvg crs, the fenfe and the conftruftion 
 are at once made clear. 
 
 But (to return to Horace) the reading correHor is 
 eftabliflaed by Bentley beyond all difpute. There 
 fliould, however, be a comma after urendos as Bentley 
 has it in his note, though not in his text. Horace is 
 remarkable for omitting the particle of comparifon, 
 and thus identifying the thing compared with that to 
 which it is compared. Ex. gr. fee Epiil:. I. ii. 34 
 and 42 ; iii. 19 ; vi. 40 ; II. ii. 28 ; and Epod. xvii. 
 35, where by mentally fupplying_//r/// before officina^ 
 all difficulty is removed. On this ground I prefer 
 the reading of the Cod. Harl. in Eurip. Hec. 78. oV 
 ju,o voj oi'xwv dyKU§ at 'fjU-iuv. Another MS. has s<rt', 
 a reading obvioufly derived from the fame fource. 
 The claffical reader will, I truft, not be difpleafed 
 with this little excurfion (as the Germans call it), 
 though he may not perhaps yield his aflent to it in 
 every particular.
 
 284 Notes to 
 
 Epistle XVI. p. 182. 
 
 " What Bacchus does to Pcntheus in the pLiy :''" 
 
 See the Baccha: of Euripides, in Potter's tranflation, 
 V. 531—537; in Woodhull's, Ed. 1809, vol, 2. p. 
 367 — 8. The preceding comparifon of the covetous 
 man, exemplified (as ufual) by the large Farmer and 
 the trading Merchant, to the flave in a private houfe- 
 hold who is employed in tilling the land or bearing 
 burdens, appears to me eminently happy. 
 
 Epistle XIX. p. 192. 
 
 " That fober folks turn poets, Heazi^nforefend! 
 Such to the Courts and Libo' s Font I fend." 
 
 This diftich is, doubtlefs, taken from Ennius. The 
 \vord e dixit (which fome would change into edixt — 
 others into edixti) refers to Ennius mentioned juft 
 before, and means only " he declared with authority." 
 The Putcal or Font-lid, ereded by Suibonius Libo, 
 feems to have given its name to that part of the Forum 
 where the Bankers and Money-lenders tranfafted 
 bufinefs. 
 
 THE EPISTLES. BOOK II. 
 
 Epistle I. p. 201. 
 
 " Naz'ius (fo much is time the foul of verfe ! ) 
 None read, but all can frefh by heart rehearfe." 
 
 T^ROM feeing his Plays a£led on the ftage. Bent- 
 ley's notes on the leviter curare videtur, and on
 
 THE Epistles. 285 
 
 in manibus non ejl, are ingenious, but to my mind not 
 convincing. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " * * * * Pacuvius bears the prize 
 Offiudious art * * * * " 
 
 DoCli — fenis. In tranflating this verfe, as likewife 
 in the Charadlers here given of Terence and Caecilius, 
 and of the aftors vEfopus and Rofcius, I have paid 
 attention to Hurd's admirably judicious notes on vv. 
 56 and 59, at the fame time recommending them to 
 the perufal of the reader. 
 
 Epistle II. p. 212. 
 
 " My ftock, though fmall, is yet (thank Heaven) my 
 ozun." 
 
 " It is a poor thing, but mine own," fays Touch- 
 llone in Shakefpear's Js you like it. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " Scared at the rod in pickle fiulking lay 
 Beneath the flair s.^^ 
 
 The rod ufed to be hung up on the ftaircafe, bc- 
 caufe flaves about to fuffcr flagellation were tied to 
 the ftairs. See Ariftoph. Ran. 631. Jacobf. ad Ru- 
 fin. Epig. 27.
 
 286 Notes to 
 
 Epistle II. p. 214. 
 
 " Tzvas mine at Rome in boyhood to be taught 
 What woes Achilles' wrath to Greece had wrought" 
 
 Homer was the firft Greek book read in the higher 
 clafles of the Schools at Rome, as may be feen in 
 Plin. Ep. II. 14, and Quintil. Inft. I. 17. There is 
 a Greek Epigram fuppofed to be written by a poor 
 Ichoohnafter, which may be rendered thus : 
 
 Achilles' -wrath has proved indeed to me 
 
 The direful j'pring of pedant poverty. 
 
 Better that wrath had in the battle-field 
 
 Cruih'd me, than Grammar's flow ftarvation kill'd ! 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 " She clear d my mental vijion to obferve 
 
 Duty^s Jiraight path 'mid error'' s tortuous curves'^ 
 
 Mr. Canon Tate, in the firft edition of his Hor. 
 Reft, had, with Dacier and Gefner, interpreted v. 44 
 as alluding to the ftudy of Geometry, but in the fecond 
 edition judicioufly retrafls that opinion, and, with 
 Baxter and Zeune, refers it to the ftudy o^ tnoral phi- 
 lofophy. Befide the reafons which he afligns (which 
 reft chiefly on Perfms, IV. 10, Redlum difcernis ubi 
 inter Curva fubit, and III. 52, Curvos . . . mores), 
 would not Horace, if he had intended here to allude 
 to mathematics, have ufed the Feminine forms, curva 
 . . redlam ? The words yf a(x^^ in Greek and Linea 
 in Latin, being both Feminine, occafion o'fSij and
 
 THE Epistles. 287 
 
 re^a to be applied elliptically to denote a right line ; 
 and the fame reafon holds for a crooked or curve line. 
 
 Epistle III. p. 223. 
 " Thej are not bad ; but they are out of place" 
 This line is borrowed from Pope's Eflay on Cri- 
 ticifm. 
 
 Epistle III. p. 228. 
 
 " Andfafer Jhall the bard his pen employ. 
 With you, to dramatize the Tale of Troy," 
 
 From the word deducts, as here ufed, it feems not 
 improbable that the elder of the young Pifos had 
 compofed, or was meditating to compofe, a Tragedy 
 framed upon fome fcene in Homer's Iliad. Had 
 there been no fpecific reference of this kind, furely, 
 inftead oi carmen deducis, the expreffion would rather 
 have been deduces carmen. 
 
 Epistle III. p. 234. 
 
 " Nor all with patience hears or deigns to crown 
 That with the nut-and-grey-peafe tribe goes down." 
 
 From the Tatler for April 30, 1709, it appears 
 that at that period it was cuftomary in London to 
 hear cried about the ftreets in an Evening, " Grey 
 peafe warm," 
 
 Epistle III. p. 235. 
 
 " At leaf if you and I with fenfe are blejl 
 To tell a clownijh from a courtly jef." 
 
 For this couplet I am indebted to Francis.
 
 288 Notes to the Epistles. 
 
 Epistle III. p. 237. 
 
 " And, though 710 artift, prove a friefid to art." 
 
 This verfe, if I rightly remember, is borrowed 
 from Hayley. 
 
 Epistle III. p. 240. 
 
 " But of poetic worth a ?noderate jhare 
 
 Not Men — not Gods — not Bookfellers can bear" 
 
 Rubric-pofts is Colman's very happy rendering of 
 Cdlumnee. " It is not many years, fince two Book- 
 fellers refided there (in Little-Britain), who were ufed 
 to fport their Rubric-pofts clofe to each other, as 
 Tom Davies once did in RufTel-ftreet. Perhaps 
 Sewell in Cornhill was the laft who exhibited the 
 leading authors in his fliop in that way. How few 
 people now remember when it was no uncommon 
 thing to do fo ! " Nichols's Lit. Anecd. Vol 3, p. 405, 
 note. When I fay, a happy rendering, I refer to the 
 time in which Colman's tranflation of this Epiftle of 
 Horace firft appeared, 1783. Atprefent the Rubric- 
 pofs are almoft as obfolete as the Column ce of Horace. 
 
 Ibid. 
 
 *' What is not publijhed, you can blot or burn y 
 But words, once utter* d, never can return" 
 
 This couplet is borrowed from Cohnan, for the 
 beft poffible reafon — becaufe I could not render it 
 better. I wifh the fame to be underftood in all other 
 cafes where I have made free with the labours of 
 others.
 
 
 *
 
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