PROLOGUS AD SATIRAM I. ARGUMENT. "The design of the author was to conceal his name and quality. He lived in the dangerous times of Nero, and aims particularly at him in most of his Satires: for which reason, though he was of equestrian dignity, and of a plentiful fortune, he would appear, in this Prologue, NEC fonte labra prolui Caballino : Line 1. Caballine fountain.] A fountain near Helicon, a hill in Boeotia, sacred to the Muses and Apollo, which the horse Pegasus is said to have opened with his hoof: therefore sometimes called Hip pocrene, from the Gr. irtos, an horse, and кρŋŋ, a fountain. The poet in derision calls it caballinus, from caballus, which is a name for a sorry horse, a jade, a packhorse, and the like. The poets feigned, that drinking of this sacred fountain inspired, as it were, poetic fancy, imagination, and abilities. Thus VIRG. Æn. vii. 641; and Æn. x. 163. Pandite nunc Helicona, Dea, cantusque movete. Persius means to ridicule this notion. 2. Have dreamed, &c.] Parnassus is a mountain of Phocis, in Achaia, in which is the Castalian spring, and temple of Apollo. It was a notion, that whosoever ascended this hill, and stayed there for any time, immediately became a poet. It hath two tops, Cyrrha and Nisa, or, as others, Helicon and Cytheron, the former sacred to Apollo and the Muses, the latter to Bacchus. Hence our poet says -bicipiti Parnasso. He is supposed to allude to the poet Ennius, who is said to have dreamed that, he was on mount Parnassus, and that the soul of Homer entered into him. 3. Suddenly.] i. e. All on a sudden— without any pains or study-by immediate inspiration, as it were. PROLOGUE ΤΟ SATIRE I. ARGUMENT. but a beggarly poet, who writes for bread. After this he breaks into the business of the first Satire, which is chiefly to decry the poetry then in fashion, and the impudence of those who were endeavouring to pass their stuff upon the world." DRYDEN. I HAVE neither moistened my lips with the Caballine fountain, Nor to have dreamed in two-headed Parnassus, Do I remember, that thus I should suddenly come forth a poet. Both the Heliconides, and pale Pirene, I leave to those, whose images the pliant ivy-boughs 4. Heliconides.] The Muses, so called from Helicon. See l. 1, note. -Pirene.] Pirene was another fountain near Corinth, sacred to the Muses; so called from Pirene, the daughter of Achelous, who is fabled to have wept forth from her eyes the fountain called by her name. The epithet pale may refer to the complexion of Pirene pale with grief: or, as some think, is to be understood figuratively, to denote the paleness of those poets who studied and laboured hard to make their verses. See sat i. 1. 124, and note. 5. Those, whose images, &c.] The poet feigns himself to be an untutored rustic, and to write merely from his own rude genius, without those assistances which others have derived from the Muses and 5 the sacred fountains: these, says he, I leave to such great men as have their images set up in the temple of the Muses, and crowned with ivy, in token of honour. Me doctarum hederæ præmia frontium HOR. ode i. lib. i. 1. 29, 30. -The pliant ivy.] The ivy bends, and entwines whatever it is planted against, and may be said to follow the form and bent thereof: hence the epithet sequaces. So, when gathered and made into chaplets, it follows exactly the circular form of the head on which it is placed, easily bending and entwining it. Some think that sequaces here intimates its following distinguished poets as their reward. Hederæ sequaces. Ipse semipaganus 6. Touch softly.] Lambo properly signifies to lick with the tongue-hence, to touch gently or softly. -I, half a clown.] See above, note on 1. 5. 7. Consecrated repositories, &c.] i. e. The temple of Apollo and the Muses built by Augustus on mount Palatine, where the works of the poets were kept and recited. See Juv. sat. i. l. 1, note. 8. Who has expedited, &c.] Expedivit-lit. hastened. q. d. Who has made a parrot so ready at speaking the word Xaîpe. This, like salve, ave, or the like, was a salutation among the ancients at meeting or parting: this they taught their parrots, or magpies, who used to utter them, as ours are frequently taught to speak some similar common word. See MART. lib. xiv. ep. 73-6. 10 9. Taught magpies, &c.] The magpie, as we daily see, is another bird which is often taught to speak. 11. The belly.] i. e. Hunger, which is the teacher of this, as of many other arts-the giver of genius and capacity— skilful and cunning to follow after the most difficult attainments from which it can hope for relief to its cravings. -Cunning.] Artifex-icis. adj. See AINSW. -Denied words.] This hunger is a great artist in this way, of teaching birds to utter human language, which naturally is denied them. The birds are, in a manner, starved into this kind of erudition, the masters of them keeping them very sharp, and rewarding them with a bit of food, when they shew a compliance with their endeavours, from time to time. On this Touch softly. I, half a clown, Bring my verse to the consecrated repositories of the poets. Who has expedited to a parrot his xaîpe? And taught magpies to attempt our words? A master of art, and a liberal bestower of genius, But if the hope of deceitful money should glitter, You may imagine to sing Pegaseian melody. principle we have, in our day, seen wonderful things, quite foreign to the nature of the animals, taught to horses, dogs, and even to swine. The poet means, that as parrots and magpies are starved into learning to speak, which by nature is denied them, so the scribblers, which he here intends to satirize, are driven into writing verses, by their poverty and necessity, without any natural genius or talents whatso ever. 12. If the hope, &c.] These poor poets, who are without all natural genius, and would therefore never think of writing; yet, such is their poverty, that if they can once encourage themselves to hope for a little money by writing, they will instantly set about it. 12. Deceitful money.] Money may, on many accounts, deserve the epithet here 10 given it. But here, in particular, it is so called from its deceiving these scribblers into doing what they are not fit for, and by doing of which they expose themselves to the utmost contempt and derision. 13. Raven-poets, &c.] Once let the gilded bait come in view, you will hear such a recital of poetry, as would make you think that ravens and magpies were turned poets and poetesses, and had been taught to receive their performances. 14. Pegaseian melody.] They would do this with so much effrontery, that instead of the wretched stuff which they produced, you would think they were reciting something really poetical and sublime, as if they had drunk of Hippocrene itself, (see above, note on 1. 1.) or had mounted and soared aloft on the winged Pegasus. SATIRA I. ARGUMENT. This Satire opens in form of a dialogue between Persius and a friend. We may suppose Persius to be just seated in his study, and beginning to vent his indignation in satire. An acquaintance comes in, and, on hearing the first line, dissuades the poet from an undertaking so dangerous; advising him, if he must write, to accommodate his vein to the taste of the times, and to write like other people. Persius acknowledges, that this would be the means of gaining applause; but adds, that the approbation of such patrons as this compliance would recommend him to was a thing not to be desired. PERSIUS. MONITOR. P. O CURAS hominum! o quantum est in rebus inane! M. Vel duo, vel nemo; turpe et miserabile. P. Quare? Prætulerint? nugæ !—Non, si quid turbida Roma Line 1. O the cares, &c.] Persius is supposed to be reading this line, the first of the Satire which he had composed, when his friend is entering and overhears it. Comp. Eccl. i. 2-14. 2. Who will read these?] Says his friend to him-i. e. Who, as the present taste at Rome is, will trouble themselves to read a work which begins with such serious reflections? Your very first line will disgust them-they like nothing but trifles. -Do you say that, &c.] Do you say that to me and my writings? -Nobody.] Yes I do, and aver that you will not have a single reader; nay, I will swear it by Hercules-an usual oath among the Romans. 5 --Nobody?] Says Persius-Do you literally mean what you say? 3. Perhaps two, &c.] It may be, replies the friend, that here and there a few readers may be found; but I rather think that even this will not be the case: I grant this to be very hard, after the pains which you have bestowed, and very shameful. Wherefore?] Wherefore do you call it a miserable, or a shameful thing, not to have my writings read? Are you afraid that I should be uneasy at seeing my performances thrown aside, and those of a vile scribbler preferred? 4. Polydamus and the Troiads,&c.] The |