And chalk is in his crippled fingers found; As well he for an afs a harp might string, Rots like a doddard oak, and piecemeal falls to Which is against the reafon of the thing; ground; Then his lewd follies he would late repent ; But thou art pale, in nightly studies, grown, truth. From thee both old and young, with profit, learn Unhappy he who does this work adjourn, PERSIUS. But is one day of eafe too much to borrow? : CORNUTUS. }| For reafon still is whispering in your ear, Unfkill'd in hellebore, if thou fhould'st try To take the pilot's rudder in his hand, The gods would leave him to the waves and wind, Tell me, my friend, from whence hadft thon So nicely to diftinguish good from ill? When to be bountiful, and when to spare, Yes, fure for yesterday was once to-morrow. What can we farther from our caps receive, Hear me with patience while thy mind I free } } How's this? Not wag thy finger, he replies? In spite of this, my freedom ftill remains. CORNUTUS. Free! what, and fetter'd with fo many chains? Than him that freed thee by the prætor's wand? now, With a harsh voice, and fupercilious brow, When thou would't take a lazy morning's nap; At his command th' unwilling fluggard wakes; What must I do? he cries: What? fays his lord: With thy own hands, from the tir'd camel's And with post-hafte thy running markets make.. Swear, fool, or ftarve; for the dilemma's even : Cubb'd in a cabbin, on a mattress laid, On a brown george, with lowfy fwobbers fed, A name, a nothing but an old wife's tale. Speak; wilt thou Avarice, or Pleasure, chufe To be thy lord? Take one, and one refufe. But both, by turns, the rule of thee will have; And thou, betwixt them both, wilt be a flave. Nor think, when once thou haft refifted one, That all thy marks of fervitude are gone : The struggling greyhound gnaws his leafh in vain; If, when 'tis broken, ftill he drags the chain. She knows her man, and, when you rant and fwear, Can draw you to her, with a fingle hair. Ay; there's the man, who, loos'd from luft and pelf, Lefs to the prætor owes, than to himself. Thy fuperftition too may claim a fhare: When flowers are firew'd, and lamps in order plac'd, And windows with illuminations grac'd, THE SIXTH SATIRE OF PER SIU S. THE ARGUMENT. This fixth satire treats an admirable common-place of moral philofophy; of the true use of richer. They certainly are intended, by the power who befemi them, as inftruments and belps of living commodity ourfelves; and of adminiftering to the wants of otueri, who are oppreffed by fortune. There are two t tremes in the opinions of men concerning them. One error, though on the right hand, yet a great one, is, that they are no helps to a virtuous life; the other places all our happiness in the acquifition and pogoha of them: and this is, undoubtedly, the worf extrem The mean betwixt thefe, is the opinion of the Stout which is, that riches may be useful to the leading a virtuous life; in cof: we rightly underfland bora to give according to right reafon, and how to receive what is given us by others. The virtue of giving well, is called liberality : and it is of this in minds and manners twins oppos'd we see wirtue that Perfius writes in this jutire; wherein in the fame syn, almost the fame degree : be not only feti's the lawful use of riobes, but also | One, frugal, on his birth day fears to dine ; foarply iti veigbs agains the vices which are opp fed Does at a penny's cost in herhs repine, to it; and afpecially of those, which consif in the And horjiy dares to dip his fingers in the brine. defeeis of giving or Jpending ; or in the abuse of | Prepar'd as priest of his own rites to stand, riches. He writes to Cafius Baffors bis friend, and He sprinkles pepper with a sparing hand. e poel also. Enquires forf of bis bealth and Hadies ; | His jolly brother, oppofitc in fenfe, and afterwards informs bin of his own, and wbere Laughs at his thrist; and, lavish of expence, be is not resident. He gives an account of bimself, Quaffs, crams, and gurtles, in his own defence. tbot be is endeavouring, by little and little, to wear For me, I'll use my own ; and take my share; off his vices ; and particularly, that he is combating Yet will not turbots for my flaves prepare ; ambition, and tbe desire of wealth. He dwells upon Nor be so nice in taste myself to know the latter vice : and, being sensible ibat few men If what I swallow be a thrush, or no, either defire or use riebes as ibey ought, be endenvours Live on thy annual income; spend thy store ; to convince them of their folly ; wbich is the main And freely grind, from thy full threshing.floor; design of tbe whole sulire. Next harvell promises as much, or more. And ofices of kindness, hold my hand : His riches in th' Ionian main are lost; Where, deftreute of help, forlorn and bare, HAS winter causid thee, friend, to change thy He wearies the deaf Guds with fruitless prayer. fear, Their images, the relias of the wreck, And feck in Sabine air a warm retreat ? Torn from the naked poop, are tided back Say, doft chou yet the Roman harp command? By the wild waves, ansel, rudely thrown amore, Do the ttrings answer to thy noble hand ? Lie impotent; nor can themselves restore. Great mafter of the Mufi, inpir'd to fing The vere! Ilicks, and shews her open'd fide, The beauties of the first-created spring; And on her fhaiter'd naft the newsin triumphride. The pedigree of Nature to rehearse, From thy new hope, and from thy growing store, And found the Maker's work, in equal verse. Now lend alliance, and relieve the poor. A pittance of thy land will let him free. Let him not bear the badges of a wreck, Nor beg with a blue table on his back; 'Tis mine that wcalth thou squander's thus away; And therefore, to my native flores retir'd, What is 'i to chce, if he neglect thy urn, I view the coait old Ennius once admir'd ; Or withou: spices lets thy boriy burn? Where clifts on either sides their points display: 7 If odours to thiyames he refute, Or buys corrupted cafia from the Jews? Th' effeminated Grecians brought it o'er : Now toys and trifles from their Athens come; Which first a peacock, then Euphorbus was, And dates and pepper have unfinew'd Romc. Then Homer next, and next Pythagoras; Our sweating lind their failads, now, detile, Secure and free from business of the state, But to thy furtune be not thou a slave : For what haft thou to fear beyond the grave ? Here I enjoy my private thoughts; nor care And thou who gap'il for my ellate, draw near; M'hat rots for sheep the fouthern winds prepare : For I would whilper somewhat in thy ear. Survey the neighbouring fields, and not repine, Hear'ít thou the news, my friend ? th' express is When I behold a larger crop than mine : To see a beggar's brat in riches flow, With laurel'd letters from the camıp to Rome : Adds not a wrinkle to my eyen brow; Cæsar salutes the queen and fenate thus : Nor, envious at the fight, will I forbear My arms are on the Rhine victorious. My plenteous bowl, nor bate my bountcous cheer. From mourning alrars sweep the dust away : Nor yet unscal the dregs of wine that itink Cease fasting, and proclaim a fat thanksgiving-day, Of calk; nor in a nasty flaggon drink ; The goodly empress, jollily ioclin’d, Eet others ftuff their guts with homely fare ; ? i Is to the welcome bearer wondrous kind : For And, , Though born perhaps bencath onc common star. prepares for all the pageantry of pride. VOL. III. 3 Q conie The captive Germans, of gigantic size, Of oil and pipes, to make the people dine : 1 can but guefs beyond the fourth degree. Were fons of earth, like him, or fons of whores. Yet, why would'st thou, old covetous wretch, afpire To be my heir who might'st have been my fire? Thy moderate fortune from my gift receive; Nor tell me, in a dying father's tone, Go, nifer, go; for lucre fell thy foul; Truck wares for wares, and trudge from pole to pole: That hien may fay, when thou art dead and gone, S foon as it was made known that your Lordship was not difpleased with this its fuccefs; I was touched with a vanity I had not before been acquainted with, and began to dream of nothing lefs than the immortality of my Work. And I had fufficiently fhewn this vanity in inferibing this Play to your Lordship, did I only confider you as one to whom fo many admirable pieces, to whom the Praifes of Italy, and the best Latin poem fince the Eneid, that on the peace of Ryfwick, are confecrated. But it had been intolerable prefumption to have addreffed it to you, my Lord, who are the nicest judge of poetry, were you not alfo the greatest encourager of it; to you who excel all the prefent age as a poet, did you not surpass all the preceding ones as a patron. For in the times when the Mufes were molt encouraged, the best writers were countenanced, but never advanced; they were admitted to the acquaintance of the greatest men, but that was all they were to expect. The bounty of the patron is no where to be read of but in the works of the Poets, whereas your Lordship's will fill thofe of the hiftorians. For what tranfactions can they write of, which have not been managed by fome who were recommended by your Lordship? 'Tis by your Lordship's means, that the univerfities have been real nurferies for the ftate; that the courts abroad are charmed by the wit and learning, as well as the fagacity, of our minifters; that Germany, Switzerland, Mufcovy, and even Turkey itself, begins to relifh the politeness of the English; that the poets at home adorn that court which they formerly ufed only to divert; that abroad they travel, in a manner very unlike their predeceffor Homer, and with an equipage he could not beftow, even on the heroes he defigned to immortalize. And this, my Lord, fhews your knowledge of men as well as writings, and your judgment no lefs than your generofity. You have diftinguished between those who by their inclinations or abilities were qualified for the pleasure only, and those that were |