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Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis ?

* Insanire putas solennia me, neque rides,

Nec medici credis, nec curatoris egere

A praetore dati; rerum* tutela mearum

Cum sis, et prave sectum stomacheris ob unguem,

De te pendentis, te refpicientis amici.

L

Ad summam, sapiens uno minor est Jove, dives,

Liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum;

Praecipue fanus, nifi cum pituita molesta est.

I plant, root up; 1 build, and then confound;
Turn round to square, and square again to round;
* You never change one muscle of your face,
You think this Madness but a common case,
Norw once to Chanc'ry, nor to Hale apply;

171

Yet hang your lip, to see a Seam awry!
Careless how ill I with myself agree,

175

Kind to my dress, my figure, not to Me.
Is this my x Guide, Philosopher, and Friend?
This, he who loves me, and who ought to mend?

Who ought to make me (what he can, or none,) That Man divine whom Wisdom calls her own; 180 Great without Title, without Fortune bless'd;

Richy ev'n when plunder'd, honour'd while op

press'd;

Lov'da without youth, and follow'd without pow'r;
At home, tho' exil'd; b free, tho' in the Tower;
In short, that reas'ning, high, immortal Thing, 185
Just less than Jove, and a much above a King,
Nay, half in heav'n- except (what's mighty odd)
A Fit of Vapours clouds this Demy-God.

e

THE

SIXTH EPISTLE

OF THЕ

FIRST BOOK

OF

HORACE.

3

EPISTOLA VI.

NIL

IL admirari, prope res est una, Numici,

Solaque quae poffit facere et servare beatum.

Hunc folem, et stellas, et decedentia certis

Tempora momentis, funt qui formidine nulla
Imbuti spectent. d quid censes, munera terrae ?

Quid, maris extremos Arabas ditantis et Indos?

NOTES.

VER. 3. Dear MURRAY] This piece is the most finished of all his imitations, and executed in that high manner the Italian Painters call con amore. By which they mean, the exertion of that principle, which puts the faculties on the stretch, and produces the fupreme degree of excellence. For the Poet had all the warmth of affection for the great Lawyer to whom it is addressed, and indeed no man ever more deserved to have a Poet for his friend. In the obtaining of which as neither vanity, party, or fear had any share, so he supported his title to it by all the offices of true friendship,

VER. 4. Creech)] From whose tranflation of Horace the two first lines are taken. P

VER. 8. trust the Ruler with the skies, To him commit the hour,] Our Author, in these imitations, has been all along careful to correct the loofe morals, and absurd divinity of his Original.

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