EPISTOLA II. FLORE, bono claroque fidelis amice Neroni, Quin etiam canet indoctum, fed dulce bibenti. "Multa fidem promiffa levant; ubi plenius æquo Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, merces. "Res urget me nulla: meo fum pauper in ære "Nemo hoc mangonum faceret tibi: non temere a me 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 Firft, translated Davila into English. The fecond line of this Imitation, "You love," &c. is feeble and ufelefs. Horace, without preface, enters at once in his fecond line on the ftory, " Si quis forte," &c. "Si quis forte," &c. And the fifteenth line, "But, Sir, to you," is uncommonly languid and profaic. VER. 4. This Lad, Sir, is of Blois :] A Town in Beauce, where the French tongue is spoken in great purity. W. VER. 20. It is, to fteal.] The fault of the Slave-feller's Boy is only his having run away; but the young Frenchman has been EPISTLE II. DEAR Col'nel, COBHAM's and your country's Friend! You love a Verse, take fuch as I can fend. 6 A Frenchman comes, prefents you with his Boy, Bows and begins" This Lad, Sir, is of Blois : "Observe his shape how clean! his locks how curl'd! "My only fon, I'd have him fee the world: "His French is pure; his voice too-you shall hear. "Sir, he's your flave, for twenty pound a year. "Mere wax as yet, you fashion him with ease, "Your Barber, Cook, Upholst'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; II "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 fhall reveal, "(Could you o'erlook but that,) it is, to fteal." 20 If, NOTES. guilty of stealing; 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. с Ille ferat pretium, pœnæ fecurus, opinor. Prudens emifti vitiofum: dicta tibi eft lex. Infequeris tamen hunc, et lite moraris iniqua. Quid tum profeci, mecum facientia jura Si tamen attentas? quereris fuper hoc etiam, quod Erumnis, laffus dum noctu ftertit, ad affem 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 Juftice of Peace, who decided much in the manner of Sancho Pancha. Sir Godfrey Kneller, P. W. 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 verfes; that it was impoffible to gratify the different tastes of readers; that it was alfo impoffible to write amidst the noise and bustle 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 ftudies and pursuits, and fix his whole attention on morals and the duties of life. 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. W. Marlborough is placed here to anfwer Lucullus in the Original. The character of the latter is fo well and elegantly drawn by Mid. dleton in the first volume of the Life of Tully, as to make it one of the most pleasing parts of that celebrated work. If, after this, you took the graceless lad, Could you complain, my Friend, he prov'd so bad? I think Sir Godfrey should decide the suit ; d • 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 Had dearly earn'd a little purfe of gold: Tir'd with a tedious march, one lucklefs night, 35 NOTES. 40 Next VER. 37. This put the man, &c.] Much below the Original, "Poft hoc vehemens lupus, et fibi et hofti "Iratus pariter, jejunis dentibus acer.” The last words are particularly elegant and humorous. W. VER. 43. Gave him much praife, and fome reward befide.] For the fake of a ftroke of Satire, he has here weakened that circumstance, on which the turn of the story depends. Horace avoided |