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That vagrant Herds, in Days of Yore, fhould eat
The Sage's Harveft, while without its Weight
His Spirit rov'd abroad, fhall n'er be told
As wonderful; fince, not debas'd by Gold,
And its Infection, Iccius bravely wife,

Spurns this vile Earth, and foars into the Skies.
Curious you fearch what bounds old Ocean's Tides ;
That through the various Year the Seafons guides:
Whether the Stars by their own proper Force,
Or foreign Power, pursue their vagrant Course :
Why Shadows darken the pale Queen of Night:
Whence the renews her Orb, and spreads her Light:
What Nature's jarring Sympathy can mean,
And who, among the Wife, their Syftems beft maintain.
But whether flaughter'd Onions crown your Board,
Or murder'd Fish an impious Feast afford,
Receive Pompeius Grofphus to your Heart,
And, ere he asks, your willing Aid impart;
He ne'er fhall make a bold, unjuft Request,
And Friendship's cheap, when good Men are diftreft.
Now condescend to hear the public News:
Agrippa's War the Sons of Spain fubdues.

The

20. Empedocleum.] Mr. Cuningham and Mr. Sanadon are perfuaded, that this was the original Reading. It makes the Conftruction more correct and uniform. Some Abbrevation of the Copyifts probably produced Empedocles.

21. Seu pifces, feu porrum, &c.] Entertainments of Fish were moft delicate and expenfive among the Romans, but Iccius had a Table more frugal. Trucidas can be probably applied only to the Murder of Men. But Horace ufes it to ridicule the Doctrine of Pythagoras, that the Souls of human Kind paffed fucceffively into the Bodies of Men, Animals and Plants.

25. Ne tamen ignores.] Though Tccius is engaged in amaffing Money, and in philofophical Enquiries into the Secrets of Nature, yet he fhould not be infenfible to the good News of his Country.

Armenius cecidit: jus imperiumque Phraates
Cæfaris accepit, genibus minor: aurea fruges
Italiæ pleno defundit Copia cornu.

28, Genibus minor.] The Poet only means, that Phraates was reduced to the lowest Submiffions to purchase the Protection of Augustus against his own Subjects. Mr. Dacier understands the Words literally, and that Cæfaris means Tiberius, from whose Hand the Parthian

EPIST. XIII. Ad VINIUM ASELLAM.

T proficifcentem docui te fæpe diuque,

UT

Augufto reddes fignata volumina, Vini,
Si validus, fi lætus erit, fi denique pofcet;
Ne ftudio noftri pecces, odiumque libellis
Sedulus importes, operâ vehemente minister.
Si te fortè meæ gravis uret farcina chartæ ;
Abjicito potiùs, quàm, quo perferre juberis,
Clitellas ferus impingas, Afinæque paternum
Cognomen vertas in rifum, & fabula fias.
Viribus utêris per clivos, flumina lamas.
Victor propofiti fimul ac perveneris illuc,

5

ΤΟ

Sic

In the few Lines carelessly thrown together in this Epiftle, we perceive the Hand of a great Mafter, who knows how to trifle with Spirit, and to enliven the moft inconfiderable Subjects with fomewhat agreeable. The Character of Vinius is drawn with a very pleafing Simplicity, and the Praifes of Auguftus are delicate, and artful.

SAN.

Verfe 2. Signata volumina.] Our Poet fent Auguftus not only the Letter addreffed to him (the firft of the fecond Book) but alfo the He calls these Pieces laft Odes, and laft Epiftles he had written.

volumina, because they were feparately rolled up, and he defires Vinius to prefent them fealed, that they might not be expofed to RODEL the impertinent Curiosity of the Court.

The fierce Armenian Nero's Virtue feels:

Short by the Knees the haughty Parthian kneels:
Again the Monarch is by Cæsar crown'd,

And golden Plenty pours her Bleffings round.

Parthian Monarch received his Crown. But is it not aftonishing, that Velleius Paterculus, always difpofed to flatter Tiberius, hath forgotten a Circumftance fo glorious to him, and that we have not the leaft Marks of it in any other Historian ?

SAN.

EPIST. XIII. To VINIUS ASELLA.

INIUS, I oft defir'd you, ere you went,
Well feal'd my rhiming Volumes to prefent,
If Cæfar's high in Health, in Spirits gay,
Or if he ask'd to read th' unoffer'd Lay,
Left you offend with too officious Zeal,
And my poor Works his juft Refentment feel.
Throw down the Burden, if it gall your Back,
Nor at the Palace fiercely break the Pack,
Left my dear Afs become the laughing Sport,
The quibling Fable of the Wits at Court.

Through Rivers, Steeps, and Fens, exert your Force, Nor, when you're Victor of the destin'd Course,

Under

6. Si te fortè mea.] Auguftus had rallied Horace for the Shortnefs of his Epiftles, vereri mihi videris ne majores libelli tui fint quam ipfe es; You feem afraid, that your Letters fhould be longer than You are. The Poet therefore fends a Number of them together, that he might make up in Weight what he wanted in Length.

8. Afinaque.] The Pleafantry of the Epiftle rifes from the Poet's quibling on the Name of his Meffenger, Afella, or the Afs. He was probably one of our Author's Neighbours in the Country. The Family became confiderable under the following Emperors, for we find the Name in Tacitus, in Suetonius, in Medals and In criptions,

Sic pofitum fervabis onus, ne fortè sub alâ
Fafciculum portes librorum, ut rufticus agnum;
Ut vinofa glomus furtive Pyrrhia lanæ ;
Ut cum pileolo foleas conviva tribulis.
Neu vulgo narres te fudaviffe ferendo

Carmina, quæ poffint oculos aurefque morari
Cæfaris. Oratus multâ prece, nitere. Porro
Vade, vale; cave ne titubes, mandataque frangas.

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12. Ne fortè fub alâ.] Mr. Dacier imagines there is much Delicacy in the Poet's defiring Vinius not to carry the Pacquet under his Arm, and that it is not difficult to guess the Reason of it.

14. Glomus] Is of four Manufcripts and as many of our best Editions.

15. Conviva tribulis.] Athenæus tells us, That People of the fame Tribe had Entertainments, called caena thiafa (probably not unlike our modern Clubs) which were regulated by Laws. The Guefts carried their Bonnets, to preferve them from the Weather; and Slippers, to put on when they went into the House of the Mafter of the Feaft.

EPIST. XIV. Ad VILLICUM SUUM.

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ILLICE fylvarum & mihi me reddentis agelli, Quem tu faftidis, habitatum quinque focis, & Quinque bonos folitum Variam dimittere Patres; Certemus, fpinas animone ego fortiùs, an tu Evellas agro, & melior fit Horatius, an res.

Me

The Subject of this Epiftle has nothing confiderable, but the Poet has raised it by Reflections moft interefting, and a Variety of Images extremely agreeable. It must have been one of his latest Works, fince he boasts of a Conftancy, which was by no means the Virtue of his Youth.

SAN.

Verf. 3. Quinque bonos folitum, &c.] Our Poet's Eftate was within the Jurifdiction of Varia, to which the most confiderable Commoners

Under your Arm the letter'd Bundle bear,

As Ruftics do their Lambs, with aukward Air ;
As Pyrrhia, reeling from the drunken Bowl,
Conveys away the Ball of Wool fhe stole;
Or in his Pride, a Tribe-invited Guest
Carries his Cap and Slippers to a Feast;

Nor loud proclaim, with how much Toil you bear
Such Verfe, as may detain even Cæfar's Ear.
Farewel, make hafte; and special Caution take,
Left you should stumble, and my Orders break.

15. Nec vulgo narres.] It is dangerous to attempt to prejudice the Public in favour of a Work. If it has Beauties, perhaps the Reader would be better pleased to have had the Liberty of discovering them himself. If it has not, he cannot be long deceived, and we fhall only be rewarded with fome of the Reproach due to the AuSAN.

thor.

EPIST. XIV. To His STEWARD in the

T

Country.

HOU Steward of the Woods and Country-Seat, That give me to myself: whose small Estate, Which you defpife, five worthy Fathers fent, One from each House, to Varia's Parliament: Let us enquire, if You, with happier Toil, Root out the Thorns and Thiftles of the Soil, Than Horace tears his Follies from his Breast; Whether my Farm or I be cultur'd best.

Though

Commoners of each District, under its Dependance, went at particular Times to deliberate upon public Affairs.

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