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(7) Shades, that to BACON could retreat afford, Become the portion of a booby lord;

176

And Hemfley, once proud Buckingham's delight, Slides to a Scriv'ner or a City-knight.

(m) Let lands and houses have what lords they will, Let us be fix'd, and our own masters still.

180

[1] Nunc ager Umbreni fub nomine, nuper Ofelli Dictus erat: nulli proprius; fed cedit in usum Nunc mihi, nunc alii. quocirca [m] vivete fortes, Fortiaque adverfis opponite pectora rebus.

NOTES.

Ver. 177. proud Buckingham's, &c.] Villiers Duke of Buckingham.

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THE FIRST

EPIST LE

Of the FIRST BOOK of

HORA CE.

EPISTLE I.

To L. BOLINGBROKE.

T JOHN, whofe love indulg'd my labours paft, Matures my present, and shall 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

t

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 applaufe,

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

10

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

"And never gallop Pegafus to death;

15

"Let stiff, and stately, 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) versus, et cetera ludicra pono:

NOTES.

Ver. 10. ev'n in Brunswick's caufe.] In the former edi. tions it was Britain's caufe. But the terms are fynonimous. Ver. 16. You limp, like Blackmore, on a Lord Mayor's horfe.] The fame of this heavy poet, however problematical elsewhere, 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

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What (i) right, what true, what fit we juftly call, Let this be all my care---for this is all:

To lay this (4) harvest up, and hoard with hafte What ev'ry day will want, and most, the last. But afk not to what (1) doctors I apply? Sworn to no master, of no fect am I:

20

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 omnis in hoc fum:

(*) Condo, et compono, quæ mox depromere poffim. Ac ne 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 boufe with Montagne now, and now with Locke,] i. e. Chufe either an active or contemplative life, as is moft fitted to the feafon and circumstances.-.-.--For he regarded thefe writers as the best schools 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

[q] 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 brisk 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 business to a future day: That [s] tafk, which as we follow, or defpife, The eldest is a fool, the youngest wise:

40

Which done, the poorest can no wants endure; 45
And which not done, the richest must be poor.
[] Late as it is, I put my felf 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.

[9] Ut nox longa, quibus metitur amica: diefque 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 Eque pauperibus prodeft, locupletibus æque, Æque neglectum pueris fenibufque nocebit. [t] Reftat, ut his ego me ipfe regam [u] folerque elementis:

Omnis Aristippum decuit color, et ftatus et res.

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