Q SAT. II. UE virtus & quanta, boni, fit vivere parvo, Rufticus, abnormis fapiens, craffâ que Minervâ) 5 Laffus The Praife of Temperance is a common Topic of Morality. Epictetus and Seneca, and others, educated in the School of Zeno, have given us a Number of Precepts on the Subject more ingenious than folid. Our Poet hath taken a Road, which leads more directly to Perfuafion. He fays, that a frugal Entertainment may fatisfy the Appetite, and that it yields befides the greatest Advantages both to Mind and Body. Thefe two Maxims, natural and fimple as they are, lay the Foundation of the following Piece, in which a meer Country Peafant, without any Tincture of Philofophy, but full of good Senfe; without going out of his Character, and without dogmatifing, gives us Reflexions worthy of the best Understanding, but with an Eafiness of Manner, which makes them perfectly amiable. Verf. 2. Nec meus bic fermo.] Horace, with much good Reason, avoids making himself an Orator for Temperance. He was a fpeculative Epicurean, but a practical Difciple of Ariftippus, and after giving us moft excellent Precepts of Frugality, would not unwillingly have left his Plate of Herbs for a more luxurious Entertainment. Befides, he would give Weight to his Maxims by the fober Exam. ple of the Speaker. DAC Quæ præcepit Ofellus.] This Reading has an Authority of Manufcripts and Editions. Sermonem præcipere is a Manner of Expreffion unknown to the Genius and Ufage of the Latin Tongue. Qua præcepit, as Torrentius obferves, gives Variety to the Sentence, and awakes an Attention in the Reader. 3. Abnormis SA T. II. WHAT, and how great the Virtue, Friends, to live On what the Gods with frugal Bounty give Purfue 3. Abnormis.] A Philofopher without Rules. Ofellus was an Epicurean without knowing it, but his Morality was in a Medium between the very rigid and very diffolute Followers of that Sect. DAC. Craffâque Minerva. Rude but natural; without Art or Difguife. A Kind of Mother-Wit, unimproved by Education and Study. Or as Minerva was the Goddefs of Spinning, this may, perhaps, have been a proverbial Expreffion, to fignify a coarfe, rude Understanding, of a thick, clumfy Thread. 6. Acclinus falfis animus.] When the Mind is contented to yield to Things, which deceive and feduce it. Acclinus being somewhat lefs known than acclinis, the Copyifts changed it in all but one Manufcript, although it makes a difagreeable Confonance with the next Word acclinis falfis. CUN. SAN. 9. Leporem feltatus.] The Pcet propofes to People of good Cheer three Methods of recovering an Appetite, grown weak and languid by Repletion; hunting, riding, and military Exercifes. The last of thefe is not directly mentioned, but being in the Poet's Intention fhould be understood in his Expreffion. Feras venare, equos agita, exerce te ad belli munia, fi vero tibi nec venatio arridet, nec equitatio, nec militaris difciplina, adfueto fcilicet belluari ac perpotari Græcorum more: pila vel difco lude. Such Remarks as these are neceffary, that we may fee the Juftnefs of the Poet's reafoning, although it were to be wished he had fpared us the Trouble of making them. . H 4 SAN. 11. Græcari. Laffus ab indomito; vel fi Romana fatigat 10 Militia adfuetum græcari: feu pila velox, Seu te difcus agit, pete cedentem aëra disco : Sperne cibum vilem: nifi Hymettia mella Falerno 15 Summa, fed in te ipfo eft. Tu pulmentaria quære 20 25 Quam laudas, plumâ ? coctove num adeft honor idem ? Carne tamen quamvis diftat nihil hac magis illa ; 11. Græcari.] To drink Ike a Greek, a frequent Expreffion among the Romans for drinking largely. 13. Agit. For trabit, delectat, allicit. TORR SAN. 17. Hyemat Mare] Winters the Sea. The Tranflator would not be thought fond of hazarding new Words. He was tempted here to follow his Author in an Expreffion of exceeding Boldness, though not yet ufed in English. Salluft has byemantibus aquis. 19 Ciro midore. This Epithet is extremely happy. The Flavour of the Meat raifes the Price of it, although it neither makes.it more nourishing, nor more wholesome. SANJ 22. Lagos.] We do not find this Word in any other Author. It was probably a foreign Bird, whofe Flesh tafted and looked like that of an Hare; a favourite Difh amongst the Romans. Oftrea is of two Syllables, as in Virgil, Bis patriæ cecidere manus: quin protenus omnia. 23. Pofito pavone.] Quintus Hortenfius was the first who gave the Romans a Tafte for Peacocks, and it foon became fo fashionable a Difh, as that all People of Fortune had it at their Tables, Pursue the Chace: th' unmanag'd Courfer rein: The Stomach's angry Roar with Bread and SaltWhence can this rife, you afk; from whence the Fault? In you confifts the Pleasure of the Treat, Not in the Price, or Flavour of the Meat. Let the ftrong Toil give Relish to the Dish, Cicero pleasantly fays, he had the Boldness to invite Hirtius to fup with him, even without a Peacock. Sed vide audaciam, etiam Hir tio cœnam dedi fine pavone. M. Aufidius Latro made a prodigicus Fortune by fattening them for Sale. 29. Carne tamen quamvis.] Nothing can be clearer than this Pasfage, which hath been perplexed only by the too much Learning of Commentators. Quamvis thould be conftrued in its ufual Senfe both with diftat and patet. Efte does not fignify a Point decided H 5 but Imparibus formis deceptum te patet: efto. Unde datum fentis, lupus hic, Tiberinus, an alto Oftia fub Tufci? Laudas, infane, trilibrem 30 Mullum, in fingula quem minuas pulmenta neceffe eft. Majorem Natura modum dedit, his breve pondus. 35 Vellem, ait Harpyiis gula digna rapacibus. At vos Præfentes. Auftri, coquite horum obfonia: quamquam 40 Putet aper rhombufque recens, mala copia quando Agrum folicitat ftomachum ; quum rapula plenus Atque but is rather a Term of Conceffion. Although there be no Difference. of Tafte between a Pullet and a Peacock; although it is plain you are deceived by outward Beauties only, yet I am willing to allow the Preference which you give to the Peacock. Concedo, permitto tibi, ut forma be decipiaris. BENT. SAN. 31. Une datum fentis.] Unde tibi concessum, ut fentias. Whe ther it were Fancy, or a real Delicacy of Tafte, a Pike, taken between the Bridges of the Tiber, was more èfteemed, than those caught at the Opening of the River or in the Sea. Horace tells thefe People of Luxury: When I allow the Preference you give to the Peacock for the Beauty of his Feathers, yet certainly you will not affert, that you have equal Right to prefer a Pike, which was caught in fome particular Part of the River, to any other, fince the Fish and the Form of it is always the fame. It is true, that this Fish, as well as all other Animals, although of the fame Shape and Species, may have many different Qualities according to the different Places where it has been fed. Eut Horace is talking to People who judge of Meat by their Eye, imparibus formis deceptum, ducit te Species, and would convince them, that Tafte alone can decide between Pikes of Rivers or the Sea. Thus the Poet recovers the Conceffion he had made, and artfully refutes what he seemed to ałłow. SAN. Lupus.] The Tranflator, after his beft Inquiries to find a Name in English for this Fish, is yet most unfatisfied. He has chofen the Pike, although a fresh Water Fish, as most like the Size and Voracioufness of the Lupus. 32 Captus biet.] Mr. Sanadon imagines, that Horace would hew the Voracioufnefs of this Fish by the Word biare; or intended, with a Playfulness of Words not unusual to him, to defcribe it, as |