EPISTOLA I.

PRIMA dicte mihi, fumma dicende camena,

Spectatum fatis, et donatum jam rude, quaeris,

Maecenas, iterum antiquo me includere ludo.

Non eadem eft actas, non mens. Veianius, armis

Herculis ad poftem fixis, latet abditus agro;

Ne populum extrema toties exoret arena.

f Eft mihi purgatam crebro qui perfonet aurem ;

Solve & fenefcentem mature fanus equum, ne

Peccet ad extremum ridendus, et ilia ducat.

C

NOTES.

VER. 3. Sabbath of my days?] i. e. The 49th year,

of the Author.

the age

VER, 8. Hang their old Trophies o'er the Garden gates,] An

EPISTLE I.

To L. BOLINGBROKE.

T. JOHN, whofe love indulg'd my labours paft, Matures my present, and shall bound my last! Why will you break the Sabbath of my days? b Now fick alike of Envy and of Praise. Public too long, ah let me hide my Age! See Modest Cibber now has left the Stage: Our Gen'rals now, retir'd to their Estates, Hang their old Trophies o'er the Garden gates, In Life's cool Ev'ning fatiate of Applause, Nore fond of bleeding, ev'n inBRUNSWICK's caufe. f A voice there is, that whispers in my ear, ("Tis Reason's voice, which sometimes one can hear) "Friend Pope! be prudent, let your & Muse take "breath,

I I

"And never gallop Pegafus to death;

5.

NOTES.

occafional ftroke of Satire on ill-placed ornaments. He has more openly ridiculed them in his Epiftle on Tafte.

"Load fome vain Church with old theatric ftate,
"Turn Arcs of Triumph to a garden gate.

VER. 10. ev'n in Brunfwick's caufe.] In the former Editions it was, Britain's caufe. But the terms are fynonymous.

h

Nunc itaque et 1 verfus, et caetera ludicra

m

pono:

i

Quid verum atque decens, curo et rogo, et omnis

in hoc fum:

* Condo, et compono, quae mox depromere poffim.

Ac ne forte roges, 'quo me duce, quo

Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri,

Quo me cunque rapit tempeftas, deferor hofpes.

Nunc agilis fio, et merfor " civilibus undis,

Virtutis verae cuftos, ° rigidufque fatelles:

Lare tuter:

NOTES.

VER. 16. You limp, like Blackmore on a Lord Mayor's horse,] The fame of this heavy Poet, however problematical elsewhere, was univerfally received in the City of London. His verfification is here exactly defcribed: ftiff, and not strong; stately and yet dull, like the fober and flow-paced Animal generally employed to mount the Lord Mayor: and therefore here humouroufly oppofed to Pegasus.. P.

VER. 26. And houfe with Montagne now, and now with Locke,] i. e. Chufe either an active or a contemplative life, as is