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,
Who 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 Cousin at the least,

Then turn about, and o 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: 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 9 olim
Gargilius: qui mane plagas, venabula, fervos,
Differtum tranfire forum populumque jubebat,
VOL. II.

P

115

Or

Or fhall we every Decency confound,

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

From Latian Syrens, French Circæan Feasts,
Return'd well travel'd, and transform'd to Beafts,

Or for a titled Punk, or foreign Flame,
Renounce our 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 first :

Or better Precepts if you can impart,

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

Unus ut e multis populo spectante referret.
Emtum mulus aprum. r crudi, tumidique lavemur,
Quid deceat, quid non, obliti; Caerite cera
Digni; remigium vitiofum Ithacenfis Ulyffei;
Cui potior patria fuit interdicta voluptas.

t

u Si, Mimnermus uti cenfet, fine amore jocifque Nil eft jucundum; vivas in amore jocisque.

Vive, vale. fi quid novifti rectius iftis, Candidus imperti: finon, his utere mecum.

ÉPISTLE

To AUGUSTUS.

I.

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 Best 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 Augustus more

their Patron. Horace here pleads the Cause of his Contemporaries, first against the Taste of the Town, whose humour it was to magnify the Authors of the preceding Age; fecondly against the Court and Nobility, who encouraged only the Writers for the Theatre; and lastly against the Emperor himself, who had conceived them of little Ufe to the Government. He fhews (by a View of the Progrefs of Learning, and the Change of Taste among the Romans) that the Introduction of the Polite Arts of Greece had given the Writers of his Time great advantages over their Predeceffors; that their Morals were much improved, and the licence of thofe ancient Poets restrained that Satire and Comedy were become more just and useful; that whatever extravagances were left on the Stage, were owing to the Ill Taste of the Nobility; that Poets, under due Regulations, were in many respects useful to the State; and concludes, that it was upon them the Emperor himself muft depend, for his fame with Posterity.

We may farther learn from this Epistle, that Horace made his Court to this Great Prince, by writing with a decent Freedom towards him, with a juft Contempt of his low Flatterers, and with a manly Regard to his own Character.

EPISTLE

W

EPISTLE I.

To AUGUSTUS.

HILE you, great Patron of Mankind! a fuftain
The balanc'd World, and open all the Main;
Your Country, chief, in Arms abroad defend;
At Home, with Morals, Arts, and Laws amend;
b How fhall the Muse, from such a Monarch, steal
An hour, and not defraud the Public Weal?

Edward and Henry, now the Boast of Fame,
And virtuous Alfred, a more d facred Name,
After a Life of generous toils endur'd,
The Gaul fubdued, or Property fecur'd,
Ambition humbled, mighty cities storm'd,
Or Laws establish'd, and the world reform'd;

5

10

Clos'd

EPISTOLA I.

Ad AUGUSTUM.

CUM tot a fuftineas et tanta negotia folus,

Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes,

Legibus emendes; in publica commoda, peccem,
Si longo fermone morer tua tempora, Caefar.

• Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Castore Pollux, Post ingentia facta, & Deorum in templa recepti, Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, afpera bella Componunt, agros adfignant, oppida condunt;