EPISTOLA II. FLORE, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, b Si quis forte velit puerum tibi vendere natum Tibure vel Gabiis, et tecum fic agat: "Hic et Candidus, et talos a vertice pulcher ad imos, "Fiet eritque tuus nummorum millibus octo; "Verna ministeriis ad nutus aptus heriles; "Literulis Græcis imbutus, idoneus arti "Cuilibet: argilla quidvis imitaberis uda: Quin etiam canet indoctum, fed dulce bibenti. “Multa fidem promissa levant, ubi plenius æquo “Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, merces. "Res urget me nulla: meo fum pauper "Nemo hoc mangonum faceret tibi: non temere a me in ære Quivis ferret idem: femel hic ceffavit, et (ut fit) "In fcalis latuit metuens pendentis habenæ : "Des nummos, excepta nihil te fi fuga lædit." NOTES. Ille VER. 1. Dear Col'nel,] Addreffed to Colonel Cotterell of Roufham near Oxford, the defcendant of Sir Charles Cotterell, who, at the defire of Charles the First, translated Davila into English. The fecond line of this Imitation, “You love," &c. is feeble and useless. Horace, without preface, enters at once in his fecond line on the story, "Si quis forte," &c. And the fifteenth line, "But, Sir, to you," is uncommonly languid and profaic. WARTON. VER. 4. This Lad, Sir, is of Blois :] A Town in Beauce, where the French tongue is spoken in great purity. VER. 20. it is, to steal.] The fault of the Slave-feller's Boy is only his having run away; but the young Frenchman has been guilty www b DEA EPISTLE II. EAR Col'nel, COBHAM's and your country's You love a Verse, take such as I can send. A Frenchman comes, prefents you with his Boy, Bows and begins-" This Lad, Sir, is of Blois : "Obferve his fhape how clean! his locks how curl'd! My only fon, I'd have him fee the world: 6 "His French is pure; his Voice too-you fhall hear. "Sir, he's your flave, for twenty pound a year. Mere wax as yet, you fashion him with ease, "Your Barber, Cook, Upholft'rer, what you please: "A perfect genius at an Op'ra-fong "To fay too much, might do my honour wrong. "Take him with all his virtues, on my word; "His whole ambition was to ferve a Lord; I I But, Sir, to you, with what would I not part? 15 "Tho' faith, I fear, 'twill break his Mother's heart. "Once (and but once) I caught him in a lie, "And then, unwhipp'd, he had the grace to cry : "The fault he has I fairly shall reveal, 35 (Could you o'erlook but that,) it is, to fteal." 20 NOTES. If, guilty of ftealing; this makes his behaviour more unpardonable, and lefs likely to be overlooked by the purchaser: a circumstance that alters the nature of the allufion, and the probability of the bargain. WARTON. VOL. IV. • Ille ferat pretium, pœnæ fecurus, opinor. Prudens emifti vitiofum: dicta tibi eft lex: Infequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniquâ. d Dixi me pigrum proficifcenti tibi; dixi Talibus officiis propè mancum : ne mea fævus Quid tum profeci, mecum facientia jura Si tamen attentas? quereris fuper hoc etiam, quod Exfpectata tibi non mittam carmina mendax. Luculli miles collecta viatica multis Erumnis, laffus dum noctu ftertit, ad affem Perdiderat poft hoc vehemens lupus, et fibi et hofti Iratus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer, Præfidium regale loco dejecit, ut aiunt, Summe munito, et multarum divite rerum. NOTES. Clarus VER. 24. I think Sir Godfrey] An eminent Justice of Peace, who decided much in the manner of Sancho Pancha. Sir Godfrey Kneller. POPE. WARBURTON. VER. 27. Confider then,] Horace offers feven reafons by way of apology for not fending an epiftle to his friend Florus; that he told him he was naturally indolent; that no man in his fenfes would write verses, if not compelled by neceffity; that he was now too old to be writing verses; that it was impoffible to gratify the different taftes of readers; that it was also impoffible to write amidst the noife and buftle of Rome; that the profeffion of a poet is fubject to many inconveniences, arifing from envy, jealousy, and flattery; that it is time to leave off trifling studies and purfuits, and fix his whole attention on morals and the duties of life. WARTON. VER. 33. In ANNA's Wars, &c.] Many parts of this story are well told; but, on the whole, it is much inferior to the Original. WARBURTON. Marlborough is placed here to answer Lucullus in the Original. The character of the latter is fo well and elegantly drawn by Mid dleton If, after this, you took the graceless lad, I think Sir Godfrey should decide the fuit ; * Confider then, and judge me in this light; I told you when I went, I could not write; You faid the fame; and are you discontent 25 With Laws, to which you gave your own affent? 30 Nay worse, to ask for Verse at such a time! D'ye think me good for nothing but to rhyme? In ANNA'S Wars, a Soldier poor and old Had dearly earn'd a little purfe of gold: } Tir'd with a tedious march, one lucklefs night, 35 t NOTES. 40 Next dleton in the first volume of the Life of Tully, as to make it one of the most pleasing parts of that celebrated work. WARTON. VER. 37. This put the man, Sc.] Much below the Original, "Poft hoc vehemens lupus, et fibi et hofti "Iratus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer." The laft words are particularly elegant and humorous. WARBURTON. Clarus ob id factum, donis ornatur honestis, f 66 Romæ nutriri mihi contigit, atque doceri, Iratus Graiis quantum nocuiffet Achilles. Adjecêre bonæ paulo plus artis Athenæ : Scilicet ut poffem curvo dignofcere rectum, NOTES. Atque VER. 43. Gave him much praife, and some reward befide.] For the fake of a ftroke of Satire, he has here weakened that circumftance, on which the turn of the flory depends. Horace avoided it, though the avaricious character of Lucullus was a tempting occafion to indulge his raillery. WARBURTON. As alfo is verfe VER. 45. Its name] An idle, expletive line. 49, below, Don't you remember; evidently taken from Dacier; ne favez vous l'hiftoire du foldat de Lucullus? WARTON. VE ER. 51." Let him take caflles who has neʼer a groat.”] This has neither the force nor the juftnefs of the Original. Horace makes his Soldier fay, 66 Ibit, "Ibit eo, quo vis, qui zonam perdidit ;" dan. for it was not his poverty, but his lofs, that pushed him upon ger; many being fufficient to poverty, who cannot bear the fudden change of condition occafioned by loffes. What betrayed our Poet into this inaccuracy of expreffion was, its fuiting better with the application. But, in a great Writer, we pardon nothing. And fuch should not forget, that the expreffion is not perfect, but when the ideas it conveys fit both the tale and the application: for then they reflect mutual light upon one another. WARBURTON. VER. 53. To read in Greek the wrath of Peleus' fon.] This circumstance has a happier application in the Imitation than in the Original; and properly introduces the 68th verfe. WARTON. |