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Yet in five Days, fo frugally content,

Had he a Million, it would all be spent.

All Night he drank, and then all Day would fnore:
No Mortal from himfelf could differ more.
Should it be faid, 'Are you from Vices free?'
No; Faults I have, but lefs, I hope, than He.
When 4 Manius Taunts on abfent Novius threw,
'Hold, hold,' fays one; I wish yourself you knew,
• Or knew our juft Opinion.' Well I know,'
He cry'd, but to myself Indulgence show.'

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This blind Self-Love, the Bane of Human-kind,
Ever denotes a mad or foolish Mind..

Why your own Errors do you spare, but spy
Thofe of your Friends with more than Eagle's Eye?
Th' Effect is this; your Friends, in just Return,
With like Minutenefs will your Faults difcern.
You fay, 5 He's peevish and ill-bred, nor fit
To hold Difcourfe with Men of Parts and Wit;
And all muft fure that awkward Garb deride,
His Beard ill-fhaven, and his Shoe too wide.'
Suppose we this, his Merit is approv'd;
NoWorthier breathes; by him you're truly lov'd;
And in th' unpolish'd Cafe which you defpife,
A matchlefs Gem, 6 a noble Genius, lies. [Care,
Search your own Heart; thofe Vices claim your
By 7 Nature or by Habit planted there;
For Brambles, fit alone the Flames to feed,
Will foon o'er-run th' uncultivated Mead.

The

The Lover in his Fair no Faults can find,
Or Faults feem Beauties to his partial Mind.
The Wen, that darkens his lov'd Hagne's Face,
Balbinus praifes and efteems a Grace.

Oh! were fuch kind Mistakes in Friendship known,
Virtue might well the generous Error own.
Let us, to every friendly Failing mild,
As gently treat it as a Sire his Child.
He calls a Leer what you a Squint would deem;
Does he, like 8 Sifyphus, a Pigmy seem?
"Twould glad your Heart to hear the Puppet prate:
Splay are his Feet? He buffles in his Gait.'
Thus, fhould your Friend be avaricious, fay,
'He lives, I grant it, in a frugal Way.'
Is he impertinent, and too verbose?
Say, he's a boon Companion, and jocofe.'
If proud, affirm, that he is free, fincere ;
If paffionate, that he's no Slave to Fear.
Thefe Arts, believe me, many a Friend will gain;
These Arts thofe Friends for ever will retain.

But we misconstrue every generous Aim,
And brand each Virtue with an odious Name.
He, who for Diffidence deferves our Praise,
We cry, A ftrange Stupidity difplays.'
And should another, with induftrious Care,
Of every knavish Artifice beware,
Fearing with Envy or Reproach to meet,
We style his Prudence Cunning and Deceit.

If one, to every polifh'd Grace unknown, (Such as to you, Mæcenas, I must own, Oft I appear) with Nonfenfe, in a Train Of Thought or Reading, fhould his Friend detain, We ftrait pronounce him an egregious Fool; Ourfelves condemning by the felf-fame Rule. The Seeds of Vice fpring up in every Breaft, And he, who is leaft faulty, is the best.

In equal Scales a Friend well-natur'd weighs (As fit) each Deed that merits Blame or Praife, And is to thefe, if thefe prevail, inclin'd, If he, belov'd, would like Indulgence find. 9 Be sure to spare the Freckles of your Friend, And, in Return, your Hump will ne'er offend. Juftice and Equity both loudly plead,

That all fhould Pardon give, who Pardon need.
Since Rage, and other Vices, in the Soul
Deep-fix'd, we never wholly can controul,
Let Reason then, proportion'd to th' Offence,
Impartially due Punishment dispense.

Suppofe your Slave, as he removes a Dith,
Should fip the Soup, or taste a broken Fish;
If you for this pronounce the Crofs his Due,
The wife will 10 Labeo think less mad than You,

But will not You more criminal be thought?
If, when your Friend commits fome venial Fault,
A gentle Treatment he should fail to find,
You cruel will appear to all Mankind :

Instead

Instead of that, you fhun him, and despise:
Thus the poor Debtor from ftern 11 Rufo flies,
And if, perchance, he should neglect to pay
The Loan with Intereft on th' appointed Day,
Arrested at the Plaintiff's Suit fevere,

The tedious Scroll with Patience he must hear.
'He ftain'd my Couch, when Wine had banish'd

Thought,

Or 12 broke a Beaker, by Evander wrought, Or, 13 hungry, fnatch'd aChicken from myPlate:" Does this deferve Refentment's utmoft Weight? If he should rob you, 14 cheat you, nor restore Th' entrufted Pledge, could you refent it more?

They, who th' Equality of Crimes fupport, Faulter, when try'd in Truth's impartial Court: Doctrines like this nor 15 Senfe nor Law allow, Nor public Good, 16 whence Right and Justice flow. When firft from Earth 17 crawl'd forth each Man

and Brute,

Mankind, like them as 18 wretched and as mute,
With 19 Nails and Fifts for Dens and Acorns fought,
And then withClubs and 20 Arms,byCuftom taught:
21 Till Names to Things were by Degrees affign'd,
And Language form'd, that Index of the Mind.
Then foon they learn'd from Rapine to refrain,
22 Cities to fortify, and Laws ordain,
Adulterers, Thieves, and Robbers to restrain. j

For think not, Helen's Beauty was the fift That with dire Wars contending Nations curs'd;

But

But they have died, unnotic'd and unknown,
Like favage Beafts, by ftronger Beafts o'erthrown:
Thus all the inferior Herd, fubmiffive, yield,
And the ftern Bull reigns Monarch of the Field.
Survey the World's old Records, and you'll find
23 That Fear of Wrong first civiliz’d Mankind;
Though, taught by Nature, Good and Ill we learn,,
ful and Unjuft we cannot fo difcern.

Your Sophiftry no Reason can affign

Why 24 he who robs by Night a facred Shrine,
No greater Crime commits, than he who breaks
His Neighbour's Fences, and a Cabbage takes.
Then let the Law our partial Rage restrain,
And punish Crimes with due proportion'd Pain ;.
And for the Slave, whofe lefs atrocious Fault
Deferves the Switch, let not theScourge be brought.
For on the Side of Mercy that you'll err
Can ne'er be fear'd; fince boldly you aver
That Theft and Sacrilege are equal Crimes;
And were you King, and could reform the Times,
Your equal Hook, as menacing you say,
Both great and fmaller Faults would prune away.

25 If your Wife Man is handfome, rich, a King, A Cobler too, in fhort, is every thing,

Why of your Wifh are these the Objects made?

STOIC.

You understand not what 26 Chryfippus faid.

HORACE.

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