THE FIRST

EPISTLE

Of the FIRST BOOK of

HORA C E.

EPISTLE I.

To L. BOLINGBROKE.

T JOHN, whofe love indulg'd my labours paft, Matures my prefent, and fhall bound my laft! Why (b) will you break the Sabbath of my days? Now fick alike of envy and of praise.

Public too long, ah let me hide my age!
See modeft (c) Cibber now has left the stage:

PRIM

EPISTOLA I.

5

RIMA dicte mihi, fumma dicende camena,
(b) Spectatum fatis, et donatum jam rude,
quæris,

Mæcenas, iterum antiquo me includere ludo.

Non eadem eft ætas, non mens. (c) Veianius, armis

NOTES.

Ver. 3. Sabbath of my days?] i. e. the 49th year, the age of the author.

Our

Our gen'rals now, (d) retir'd to their eftates,
Hang their old trophies o'er the garden-gates,
In Life's cool ev'ning fatiate of applause,

Nor (e) fond of bleeding, ev'n in BRUNSWICK'S caufe.

ΙΟ

(f) A voice there is, that whifpers in my ear, ('Tis Reason's voice, which fometimes one can hear), Friend Pope! be prudent, let your (g) Mufe "take breath,

15

"And never gallop Pegafus to death; "Let ftiff, and ftately, void of fire or force, "You limp, like Blackmore, on a Lord Mayor's "horfe."

Farewell then (b) verfe, and love, and ev'ry toy, The rhymes and rattles of the man or boy;

(d) Herculis ad poftem fixis, latet abditus agro; Ne populum (e) extrema toties exoret arena.

(f) Eft mihi purgatam crebro qui perfonet aurem; Solve (g) fenefcentem mature fanus equum, ne Peccet ad extremum ridendus, et ilia ducat. Nunc itaque et (b) yerfus, et cetera ludicra

NOTES.

pono:

Ver. 10. ev'n in Brunswick's caufe ] In the former editions it was Britain's caufe. But the terms are fynonimous. Ver. 16. You limp, like Blackmore, on a Lord Mayor's borfe.] The fame of this heavy poet, however problematical elie where, was univerfally received in the city of London. His verfification is here exactly defcribed: Stiff, and not ftrong; ftately, and yet dull, like the fober and flow-paced animal generally employed to mount the Lord Mayor: and therefore here humorously opposed to Pegasus.

H 4

What

20

What (i) right, what true, what fit we justly call,
Let this be all my care---for this is all:
To lay this (k) harvest up, and hoard with hafte
What ev'ry day will want, and most, the last.
But ask not to what (/) doctors I apply?
Sworn to no mafter, of no fect am I:

As drives the (m) ftorm, at any door I knock: 25
And houfe with Montagne now, or now with
Locke,

Sometimes a [n] patriot active in debate,
Mix with the world, and battle for the ftate,
Free as young Lyttleton, her cause pursue,
Still true to Virtue, [o] and as warm as true: 30
Sometimes with Ariftippus, or St Paul,
Indulge my candour, and grow all to all;

Quid (i) verum atque decens, curo et rogo, et om-. nis in hoc fum:

(k) Condo, et compono, quæ mox depromere poffim. Ac he forte roges, (1) quo me duce, quo Lare tuter: Nullius addictus jurare in verba magiftri,

(m) Quo me cunque rapit tempeftas, deferor hofpes. Nunc agilis fio, et merfor [n] civilibus undis, Virtutis veræ cuftos, [o] rigidufque fatelles:

NOTES.

Ver. 26. And houfe with Montagne now, and now with Locke,] i. e. Chufe either an active or contemplative life, as is most fitted to the feafon and circumftances.----For he regarded thefe writers as the beft fchools to form a man for the world; or to give him a knowledge of himfelf: Montagne excelling in his obfervations on focial and civil life; and Locke, in developing the faculties, and explaining the operations of the human mind.

Back

Back to my [p] native moderation flide,
And win my way by yielding to the tide.

34

[9] Long, as to him who works for debt the day, Long as the night to her whofe love's away, Long as the year's dull circle seems to run, When the brifk minor pants for twenty-one : So flow th' unprofitable [r] moments roll, That lock up all the functions of my foul; That keep me from myself, and still delay Life's inftant butinefs to a future day: That [s] task, which as we follow, or defpife, The eldest is a fool, the youngest wise:

40

Which done, the pooreft can no wants endure; 45
And which not done, the richest must be poor.
[t] Late as it is, I put myself to school,
And feel fome [u] comfort, not to be a fool.
Weak tho' I am of limb, and short of fight,
Far from a lynx, and not a giant quite;

50

Nunc in Aristippi [p] furtim præcepta relabor, Et mihi res, non me rebus, fubjungere conor.

[q] Ut nox longa, quibus metitur amica: diesque Lenta videtur opus debentibus ut piger annus Pupillis, quos dura premit cuftodia matrum: Sic mihi tarda [r] fluunt ingrataque tempora, quæ fpem

Confiliumque morantur agendi gnaviter [s] id, quod Aque pauperibus prodeft, locupletibus æque,

que neglectum pueris fenibufque nocebit.

[t] Reftat, ut his ego me ipfe regam [u] folerque elementis:

* Omnis Aristippum decuit color, et ftatus et res.

I'll do what Mead and Chefelden advise,
To keep these limbs, [x] and to preserve these eyes.
Not to [y] go back, is somewhat to advance,
And men must walk at leait before they dance.

Say, does thy [x] blood rebel, thy bofom move With wretched av'rice, or as wretched love? 56 Know, there are word sand fpells, which can control [a] Between the fits this fever of the foul:

Know there are rhymes, which [b] fresh and fresh apply'd,

Will cure the arrant'ft puppy of his pride. Be [c] furious, envious, ilothful, mad, or drunk, [d] Slave to a wife, or vaffal to a punk,

60

[x] Non poilis oculo quantum contendere Lynceus;
Non tamen idcirco contemnas lippus inungi:
Nec, quia defperes invicti membra Glyconis,
Nodofa corpus nolis prohibere chiragra.

Est quadam prodire [y] tenus, fi non datur ultra.
[] Fervet avaritia, miferoque cupidine pectus?
Sunt verba et voces, quibus hunc lenire dolorem
Poffis, et [a] magnam morbi deponere partem.
Laudis amore tumes? funt [b] certa piacula, quæ te
Ter pure lecto poterunt recreare libello.

[c] Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinofus, [d] amator;

NOTES.

Ver. 51. I'll do what Mead---] Mr Pope highly esteemed and loved this worthy man, whofe unaffected humanity and Benevolence have ftifled much of that envy which his -eminence in his profeffion would otherwife have drawn out. Speaking of his obligations to this great physician and others of the faculty, in a letter to Mr Allen, about a month before his death, he fays, "There is no end of my kind treatment from the faculty; they are in general the most amiable companions, and the best friends, as well as the moft learned men I know."

Α