With foft Hermogenes these Rhimes deplore Hafte, Boy, transcribe me this one Satire more. fame menacing Tone, with which he began it. He opens with a Confirmation of what he had faid in the fourth Satire against Lucilius, and he ends with a Declaration that he perfifts in the fame Opinion. We may look upon thefe two Pieces, as upon two Inftruments in a Procefs at Law. The firft is a kind of Accufation, libellus, prefented againft this ancient Satirift; the second is a Subfcription, fubfcribe, which ratifies that Accufation. For thefe Reafons Mr. Sanadon thinks the Poet never intended it should be placed at the End of his first Book of Satires, but should follow that which he had written on the fame Subject. End of the Firft Book of SATIRES. THE Q. HORATII FLACCI SATIRAR UM LIBER SECUNDUS. SUN UNT quibus in fatirâ videor nimis acer, & ultra Legem tendere opus: fine nervis altera quidquid Compofui pars effe putat, fimilefque meorum Mille die verfus deduci poffe. Trebatî, Quid faciam? præscribe. In his firft Book of Satires our Poet oppofes the Vices of Mankind; in this he refutes the false Opinions of the Philofophers. Such a Defign requires more Force and more Erudition than the former. The Reader may therefore expect to find this Book better fupported with Reasoning and Learning than the firft. In the prefent Satire there is one continued Vein of Raillery under an Appearance of much Seriousness and Solemnity. Horace, finding that a Number of People were provoked and alarmed by the Liberty of his Writings, even while they feemed to defpife the low, profaic Style, in which they were written, applies, with a State of his Cafe, to a venerable and able Lawyer for his Advice. The Lawyer affumes the Tone of a Legiflator, and forbids him ever to write again. The Poet maintains his Party with the best Reasons he can, and under Pretence of pleading his Cause indulges his natural Genius of Satire and Ridicule with hls ufual Freedom. At laft they part, as People, who ask and who give Advice, generally do; both confirmed in their own Opinions. Mr. Sanadon fixes the Date of this Satire in 733, fince it mentions the Defeat of the Gauls in 727, and the Departure of Auguftus THE SECOND BOOK OF THE SATIRES of HORACE. T SAT. I. HORACE. TREBATIUS. HORACE. HERE are to whom too poignant I appear; TREBATIUS. Write no more. HORACE. guftus for the Eaft in 732, with a Defign of recovering the Roman Eagles from the Parthians. Verf. 1. Ultra legem.] Satire hath its Laws, and ought to have more than any other kind of Writing. It is the Intereft of Mankind, that a Satirift should not abandon himself to an Excefs of Ill-humour against all, who have the Misfortune to displease him. The Laws of the twelve Tables punished these poetical Slanderers with Death; but they were grown obfolete, and had loft great Part of their Vigour when they were renewed by Auguftus DAC, SAN. 4. Deduci ] They, who were unwilling to confefs that Horace was too fevere in his Satires for fear of being fufpected of dreading them, took another Method to abuse their Author. They faid his Verses were feeble and languishing, and that a thousand of the fame Kind might be fpun in a Day. Deduci is a metaphorical Expreffion taken from fpinning Wool, and drawing down the Thread. 7. Quiefcas.] When Horace makes ufe of the Word præfcribe to Trebatius, we might imagine he was determined to follow his Advice; Tranfnanto Tiberim, fomno quibus eft opus alto; Præmia laturus. HORATIUS. Cupidum, pater optime, vires Deficiunt: neque enim quivis horrentia pilis Agmina, neu fractâ pereuntes cufpide Gallos, Aut labentis equo defcribat vulnera Parthi. 15 TREBA Advice; but the very next Word, when he makes him change his Language of a Lawyer for that of a Phyfician, fhews that he was laughing at the venerable Counsellor. The gocd Man believes his Disorder was a real one, and prefcribes with much Solemnity. The fingle Words aio, nego, quiefcas, are pronounced with an Air of Im portance, and add greatly to the pleasant Gravity of the Scene. TORR. DAC. 8. Tranfnanto Tiberim.] Mr. Dacier hath happily remarked, that Trebatius, like an honest, good-natured Phyfician, prescribes for Horace two Things, which he himself loved beft, swimming and drinking. Cicero calls him, ftudiofiffimus bomo natandi, and in another Letter to him mentions his Pleafantry over his Wine, and talks of their having drunk a little too largely. 12. Pater optime.] A Term of Refpect to a Master from his Scholar, who is afterwards called puer. These Verses are of a more elevated Style, for an Idea of Auguftus and his military Glories hath infpired our Poet's Imagination. Surely these were not of the Number of fuch as are abused at the Beginning of the Satire. SAN 13.-Hor HORACE. What! Give the dear Delight of Scribling o'er? Yes. TREBATIUS. HORACE. Let me die but your Advice were best. Swim o'er the Tiber, if you want to sleep, HORACE. Oh! were I equal to the glorious Theme, TREBA 13. Horrentia pilis.] The Tranflator would not have ventured this Expreffion, bristled with Spears, although it be an exact Translation of his Author, were he not fupported by the Authority of the great Milton; Briftled with upright Beams innumerable of rigid Spears. Virgil often ufes this Image, Horrefcit ftrictis feges enfibus. Strictifque feges mucronibus borret Ferrea. 14. Neu fractâ cufpide.] The Romans made ufe of Arrows, invented by Marius, whofe Points broke off when they entered the human Body. Thus they were rendered useless to an Enemy, and with greater Difficulty were drawn out of the Wound. DAC. Gallos.] The Gauls of Aquitain having rebelled in 726, Octavius fent Meffala, with the Title of Governor of the Province, to reduce them to his Obedience. He conquered them the Year following, and had the Honour of a Triumph the twenty-fifth of September. SAN. 17. Sci |