صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

y But art thou one, whom new opinions fway, One who believes as Tindal leads the way,

Who Virtue and a Church alike difowns,

65

Thinks that but words, and this but brick and stones?

Fly z then, on all the wings of wild defire,

Admire whate'er the maddeft can admire :

Is wealth thy paffion? Hence! from Pole to Pole,
Where winds can carry, or where waves can roll,
For Indian fpices, for Peruvian Gold,
Prevent the greedy, or outbid the bold:

a Advance thy golden Mountain to the skies;
On the broad base of fifty thousand rife,

fcore

70

Add one round hundred, and (if that's not fair) 75
Add fifty more, and bring it to a square.
For, mark th' advantage; just so many
Will gain a b Wife with half as many more,
Procure her beauty, make that beauty chaste,
And then fuche Friends-as cannot fail to laft.
A Man of wealth is dubb'd a Man of worth,
Venus fhall give him Form, and Anstis Birth,

(Believe

virtutem verba putes, et

Lucum ligna z cave ne portus occupet alter;
Ne Cibyratica, ne Bithyna negotia perdas :

a Mille talenta rotundentur, totidem altera, porro et
Tertia fuccedant, et quae pars quadret acervum.
Scilicet b uxorem cum dote, fidemque, et amicos,
Et genus, et formam, regina d Pecunia donat;
Ac bene nummatum decorat Suadela, Venufque,

(Believe me, many a German Prince is worse,
Who, proud of Pedigree, is poor of Purse)
His Wealth brave f Timon gloriously confounds;
Ask'd for a groat, he gives a hundred pounds;
Or if three Ladies like a luckless Play,
Take the whole Houfe upon the Poet's day.
g Now, in fuch exigencies not to need,
Upon my word, you must be rich indeed;
A noble fuperfluity it craves,

Not for yourself, but for your Fools and Knaves;
Something, which for your Honour they may cheat,
And which it much becomes you to forget.

85

90

b If Wealth alone then make and keep us bleft, Still, ftill be getting, never, never reft.

95

i But if to Power and Place your passion lie,

If in the Pomp of Life confift the joy;

Then

Mancipiis locuples, eget aeris e Capadocum Rex:
Ne fueris hic tu. f chlamydes Lucullus, ut aiunt,
Si poffet centum fcenae praebere rogatus,

Qui poffum tot? ait: tamen et quaeram, et quot habebo

Mittam: poft paulo fcribit, fibi millia quinque

Efle domi chlamydum: partem, vel tolleret omnes.
g Exilis domus eft, ubi non et multa fuperfunt,
Et dominum fallunt, et profunt furibus. hergo,
Si res fola poteft facere et fervare beatum,
Hoc primus repetas opus, hoc poftremus omittas,
i Si fortunatum fpecies et gratia praeftat,

100

Then hire a Slave, or (if you will) a Lord,
To do the Honours, and to give the word;
Tell at your Levee, as the Crouds approach,
To whom I to nod, whom take into your Coach,
Whom honour with your hand to make remarks,
Whom rules in Cornwall, or who rules in Berks: 105
"This may be troublesome, is near the Chair:

"That makes three Members, this can chufe a Mayor." Inftructed thus, you bow, embrace, protest,

Adopt himn Son, or Coufin at the least,

[ocr errors]

Then turn about, and laugh at your own Jeft. 110

Or if your life be one continued Treat,

If p to live well means nothing but to eat;
Up, up! cries Gluttony, 'tis break of day,
Go drive the Deer, and drag the finny-prey;
With hounds and horns go hunt an Appetite-
So Ruffel did, but could not eat at night,
Call'd happy Dog! the Beggar at his door,
And envy'd Thirst and Hunger to the Poor.

k Mercemur fervum, qui dictet nomina, laevum
Qui fodicet latus, et cogat trans pondera dextram
Porrigere: m Hic multum in Fabia, ille Velina :
Cui libet, is fafces dabit; eripietque curule,
Cui volet, importunus eburn Frater, Pater, adde:
Ut cuique eft aetas, ita quemque facetus adopta.
Sip bene qui coenat, bene vivit; lucet: eamus
Quo ducit gula pifcemur, venemur, ut qolim
Gargilius: qui mane plagas, venabula, fervos,
Differtum tranfire forum populumque jubebat,
VOL. II.

P

1

115

Or

r

Or fhall we every Decency confound,

Through Taverns, Stews, and Bagnios take our round
Go dine with Chartres, in each Vice outdo
K-l's lewd Cargo, or Ty-y's Crew,

From Latian Syrens, French Circæan Feafts,
Return'd well travel'd, and transform'd to Beafts,
Or for a titled Punk, or foreign Flame,
Renounce our t Country, and degrade our Name?
If, after all, we must with " Wilmot own,
The Cordial Drop of Life is Love alone,
And Swift cry wifely, "Vive la Bagatelle !"

125

The Man that loves and laughs, muft fure do well. 130 w Adieu-if this advice appear the worst,

E'en take the Counsel which I

gave you firft: Or better Precepts if you can impart,

Why do, I'll follow them with all my heart.

Unus ut e multis populo fpectante referret.

г

Emtum mulus aprum. crudi, tumidique lavemur,
Quid deceat, quid non, obliti; Caerite cera

8

Digni; remigium vitiofum Ithacenfis Ulyffei;
Cui potior patria fuit interdiéta voluptas.

Sí, Mimnermus uti cenfet, fine amore jocifque
Nil eft jucundum; vivas in amore jocifque.
w Vive, vale. fi quid novisti rectius iftis,
Candidus imperti: fi non, his, utere mecum.

EPISTLE I.

To AUGUSTUS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE

HE Reflections of Horace, and the Judgments paft in his Epistle to Auguftus, feemed fo feafonable to the present Times, that I could not help applying them to the use of my own Country. The Author thought them confiderable enough to addrefs them to his Prince; whom he paints with all the great and good qualities of a Monarch, upon whom the Romans depended for the Increase of an abfolute Empire. But to make the Poem entirely English, I was willing to add one or two of those which contribute to the Happiness of a Free people, and are more confiftent with the Welfare of our Neighbours.

This Epiftle will show the learned World to have fallen into Two miftakes: one, that Auguftus was a Patron of Poets in general; whereas he not only prohibited all but the Beft Writers to name him, but recommended that Care even to the Civil Magistrate: "Admonebat Praetores, ne paterentur Nomen fuum ob"folefieri," &c. The other, that this Piece was only a general Discourse of Poetry; whereas it was an Apology for the Poets, in order to render Auguftus more

[blocks in formation]
« السابقةمتابعة »