HORACE.

Thy Wife and Children with Impatience wait
Thy dying Breath. With univerfal Hate

Thy Neighbours, Friends, Acquaintance, all pursue thee,
And untaught Infants even with Horrour view thee.
What wonder, that they justly prove unkind,
When all thy Paffions are to Gold confin'd?
Nature, 'tis true, in each Relation gave
A Friend fincere; yet what you thus receive,
If you imagine, with an alien Heart,
And careless Manners to preserve, your Art
As well may teach an Afs to fcour the Plain,
And bend obedient to the forming Rein.

Yet fomewhere should your Views of Lucre cease,
Nor fhould your Fears of Poverty increase,
As does your Wealth; for fince you now poffefs
Your utmost Wish, your Labour should be less.
Ummidius once (the Tale is quickly told)
So wond'rous rich he measured out his Gold,
Yet never dreft him better than a Slave,
Afraid of starving ere he reach'd his Grave :
But a bold Wench, of right Virago Strain,
Cleft with an Axe the wretched Wight in twain.
MISER.

By your Advice what Party fhall I take? Like Mænius live a Prodigal, and Rake Like Nomentanus ?

HORACE,

IOI. Ut vivam Mænius, ac fic, ut Nomentanus.] We have the Hiftory of Mænius at length in the fifteenth Epiftle of the first Book. Lucilius informs us, that he fold his Houfe in the Forum, referving only a Balcony to fee the public Games. Manius columnam cum exciperet. The Name of this Nomentanian (fo called from Nomentum, the Town where he was born) was Lucius Caffius.

Pirgis

Frontibus adverfis componere. Non ego, avarum
Quum veto te fieri, vappam jubeo ac nebulonem.
Eft inter Tanaïn quiddam focerumque Vifelli.
Eft modus in rebus; funt certi denique fines,
Quos ultra, citraque nequit confiftere rectum.
Illuc, unde abii, redeo. Nemon' ut avarus
Se probet, ac potiùs laudet diverfa fequentes?
Quódque aliena capella gerat diftentius uber,
Tabefcat? neque fe meliori pauperiorum

105

Turbæ comparet? hunc atque hunc fuperare laboret ?
Sic feftinanti femper locupletior obftat :

Ut quùm carceribus miffos rapit ungula currus;
Inftat equis auriga fuos vincentibus, illum
Præteritum temnens extremos inter euntem.

115

Inde

Pergis pugnantia fecum.] The Mifer hitherto justifies his Avarice in the best Manner he can, but it does not appear, that he hath yet paft in Practice from one Excefs to the other. How then can Horace reproach him with fuch a Contradiction in his Character ? Certainly the Poet does not mean it. Pergis pugnantia fecum frontibus adverfis componere, must be understood, pergis te defen dere componendo pugnantia frontibus adverfis. The Mifer, by continuing to defend himself, runs into an Extreme directly oppofite to that, which he is advised to leave. SAN.

105. Tanaïn, focerumque Vifelli.] Thefe Perfons are wholly unknown to us, nor does it appear, whether the Poet fets them in oppofition for their moral Vices, or their perfonal Deformities. The ancient Commentator indeed informs us, that Tanais was a Freedman of Mæcenas, and that the Father-in-law of Vifellius had a Rupture. But we know not whence he got their History, and therefore cannot depend on it.

108. Illuc, unde abii, redeo.] Mr. Sanadon, not unjustly, blames our Poet for this Digreffion from his Subject; for indeed, fuch Wanderings are more allowable in Lyric Poetry, than in Poems of ferious and moral kind.

Nemon' ut avarus fe probet.] Horace now returns to his Subject, which he left in the twenty-third Line. The Mifer thinks himfelf the most miserable of Mankind, yet there is equal Wretched

nel;

With fuch Extremes, your Vices to defend?
The fordid Mifer when I juftly blame,
I would not have you prodigal of Fame,
Scoundrel or Rake; for fure fome Difference lies
Between the very Fool, and very Wife ;

Some certain Mean in all Things may be found,
To mark our Virtues, and our Vices bound.
But to return from whence we have digreft.
And is the Mifer, then, alone unbleft?
Does he alone applaud his Neighbour's Fate,
Or pine with Envy of his happier State?
To Crouds beneath him never turn his Eye,
Where in Distress the Sons of Virtue lie,
But, to outspeed the Wealthy, bend his Force,
As if they stop'd his own impetuous Courfe?
Thus, from the Goal when swift the Chariot flies,
The Charioteer the bending Lafh applies,
To overtake the foremoft on the Plain,
But looks on all behind him with Difdain.

From

Thus the Poet

nefs in all Profeffions, and Conditions of Life. would convince us, that Mankind are generally as unhappy by their Inconftancy, as their Avarice, which is the very Point he was obliged to prove. We may remark, with how much Art he returns from his Digreffion. Probare fe, and laudare fe, are synonimous Words to exprefs, He thinks himself happy.

111. Meliori turbæ] This Reading was recovered from an ancient Manuscript by Mr. Cuningham, and is received into the Text by Mr. Sanadon. It adds a new Thought to the Sentence, and the ufual Epithet, majori, is expreft in the Word turbæ. To look down to Crouds of valuable People in Diftrefs, would be a wife Method of making us enjoy our own Conditions of Life with Satisfaction. Yet Mankind, who were born to be happy, too frequently view their prefent Circumftances in that Point of Light alone, which renders them most difagreeable.

114. Ut quùm carceribus.] This Comparison equally fhews the Folly

Inde fit, ut rarò, qui fe vixiffe beatum
Dicat, & exacto contentus tempore, vitâ
Cedat uti conviva fatur, reperire queamus.
Jam fatis eft: ne me Crifpini fcrinia lippi
Compilaffe putes, verbum non ampliùs addam.

120

Folly and Ambition of Mankind. In the Chariot-race the Prize was given only to the foremoft; but Happiness is not given to the first in our urfuit of Riches. The Poet, apprehenfive that fo long a Difpute might grow tedious to his Readers, ends it with this beautiful Comparison, which he hath enlivened by the Language of the Sublime. Would to Heaven, fays Mr. Dacier, that Writers of our Times could imitate this Address.

118. Vitâ cedat, uti conviva fatur.] There are few People, fays Epicurus, who do not go out of Life, as if they were just come into it; from whence their Lives, as Lucretius expreffes it, are always

SAT. II. Ad MECENATEM.
MBUBAIARUM collegia, pharmacopolæ,

;

Mæftum

Our Poet looked upon Adultery with fo much Horror, that in the Odes he calls it the Source from whence all the Misfortunes, which afflicted Italy, arofe. The fecond Excefs, which Horace blames in this Satire, is the Vice of frequenting public Stews, and the Folly of being ruined by converfing with common Women. Thus far he may deferve our Praife, and the Satire may be not unufeful to the prefent Age. But while he would direct us in a virtuous Medium between thefe two Extremes, he unhappily falls into Crimes, which we ought to be ashamed to name. He juftly becomes an Object of his own Satire, and a Proof, that Fools (they who fuffer themfelves to be governed by irregular Paffions) while they avoid one Excefs, conftantly run into another. Such ever has been human Nature, fince it loft its original Purity, when left to the Guidance of Natural Religion. For whatever our prefent Race of young Philofophers may think; however perfect Natural Religion may appear in Theory, it never has been able, in Practice, to preferve its wifeft Votaries from Vices most abominable, and a Manner of Reasoning most infamous.

From hence, how few, like fated Guests, depart

From Life's full Banquet with a chearful Heart?
But let me ftop, left you fufpect I stole,

From blind Crifpinus, this eternal Scrowl.

imperfect. Perhaps our Poet had in View an Expression of Ariftole, We should go out of Life, as we ought to rife from a Banquet, neither thirsty nor full of Wine.

120. Crifpini lippi.] Crifpinus was a blear-eyed, impertinent Scribler non oculorum ratione, fed mentis, fays the Scholiaft, which Lord Rochester feems to have tranflated, Who Squints more in bis Judgment than bis Sight; although Mr. Dacier thinks it unworthy of Horace. However, it is not unpleasant, to find our Poet apprehenfive of being suspected of pillaging poor Crifpinus, especially after the last beautiful Comparison.

SAT. II. To MECENA S.

HE Tribes of Minstrels, ftroling Priefts and Players,
Perfumers, and Buffoons, are all in Tears,

THE

For

With Prefervatives of this Kind against the Poifon of the prefent Satire it may be tranflated, and not without Advantage to the prefent Age. Perhaps, as Mr. Dacier obferves, we imprudently endeavour to conceal thefe dangerous Paffages of ancient Authors from the Eyes of Youth, who might better be permitted to see them, under the Direction and Temper of their Teachers. Is it not waiting until the Storm of the Paffions is raifed, which drives them upon unknown Rocks, fo fatal to their Virtue; that might have been prudently pointed out to them in the calmer Hours of Life?

Verf. 1. Ambubaiarum Women who played on the Flute. It is derived from a Syrian Word, for the People of that Country ufually excelled on this Inftrument. Pharmacopola is a general Name for all who deal in Spices, Effences, and Perfumes. TOR.

2. Mendici, mima, balatrones.] The Priefts of Ifis and Cybele were Beggars by Profeffion, and under the Veil of Religion were often guilty of the most criminal Exceffes. Mine were Players of the most debauched and diffolute Kind; and balatrones in general fignifies all Scoundrels, Buffoons and Parafites, who had their Name,

accord