their Patron. Horace here pleads the Caufe of his Contemporaries, first against the Taste of the Town, whofe 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 laftly against the Emperor himself, who had conceived them of little Ufe to the Government. He fhows (by a View of the Progress of Learning, and the Change of Tafte 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 those ancient Poets reftrained; 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 refpects useful to the State; and concludes, that it was upon them the Emperor himself must depend, for his fame with Pofterity. 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 EPISTLE I. WH TO AUGUSTU S. HILE you, great Patron of Mankind! 2 fuftain • Edward and Henry, now the Boast of Fame, 5 Clos'd EPISTOLA AD AUGUSTU M. UM tota fuftineas et tanta negotia folus, CUM I. Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes, Legibus emendes; in publica commoda peccem, Si longo fermone morer tua tempora, Caefar. 'd • Romulus, et Liber pater, et cum Caftore Pollux, Poft ingentia facta, & Deorum in templa recepti, Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, afpera bella Componunt, agros adfignant, oppida condunt; e Clos'd their long Glories with a figh, to find f Finds Envy never conquer'd, but by Death. 15 20 25 30 Juft * Ploravere fuis non refpondere favorem h Praefenti tibi maturos largimur honores, Te noftris ducibus, te Graiis anteferendo, Juft in one inftance, be it yet confest Your People, Sir, are partial in the reft: Foes to all living worth except your own, And Advocates for folly dead and gone. Authors, like coins, grow dear as they grow old; 35 It is the ruft we value, not the gold. 1 Chaucer's worst ribaldry is learn'd by rote, And beaftly Skelton heads of houses quote: One likes no language but the Faery Queen; A Scot will fight for Christ's Kirk o' the Green; 40 m He fwears the Mufes met him at the Devil. n Though justly Greece her eldest fons admires, Why fhould not we be wiser than our fires? Caetera nequaquam fimili ratione modoque n Si, quia Graiorum funt antiquiffima quaeque Scripta vel optima, Romani pensantur eadem Scriptores trutina; non eft quod multa loquamur: Nil intra est oleam, nil extra est in nuce duri. Venimus ad fummum fortunae: pingimus, atque In We build, we paint, we fing, we dance as well; If a Time improve our Wits as well as Wine, Say at what age a Poet grows divine ? Shall we, or fhall we not, account him fo, Suppose he wants a year, will you compound? At ninety-nine, a Modern and a Dunce? t "By courtesy of England, he may do." 45 50 55 60 Then, • Pfallimus, et P luctamur Achivis doctius unctis. Scire velim, chartis pretium quotus arroget annus. Viles atque novos? excludat jurgia finis. T Eft vetus atque probus, centum qui perficit annos. |