Nor can you Add, that you still abhor to be alone, make one vacant Hour your own; In Discontent you roam from Place to Place, And seek by Wine or Sleep your Cares to chase : In vain ; for Care pursues with swifter Wing. HORACE. DAVUS. Swords, Arrows bring ? DAVUS. HOR A CE. N O T E S. 1 Davus, according to Strabo, is the same as Dacus. The Romans took many Slaves from among the Getes and Dacians. Hence in their Comic Writers a Slave is commonly called Geta, or Davus. 2 Ut vitale putes.) The Ancients considered it as a Symptom of short Life, when a Person was very accomplished in Youth: And we still say, He has too much Wit to be long-lived. Thus Cestius in Seneca, speaking of Alfius Flavius, Tam immaturè magnum ingenium non eft vitale. “ So great a Genius premature, will drop early," And Shakespeare, So wise, so young, they say do ne'er live long. And : And again, RICHARD III. 3 Libertate Decembri utere -] Slaves, during the Feasts of Saturn, wore their Masters Habits, and were allowed to say what they pleased. Eor a farther Account of these Feasts, see the Notes on Satire III. of this Book. lava Priscus inani.] Priscus was either a Senator, or a Knight. Rings, at first, were looked upon as a Mark of Etfeminacy, and therefore worn on the Fingers of the Left Hand, that they might be the less conspicuous. The Character of the Duke of Whartol, admirably drawn by Mr. Pope, seems to liave bad á great Resemblance to that of this noble Roman. See his Epistie to Lord Cobham, ver. 182 to 209. 5 Jufta chiragra.] Horace applies this Epithet to the Gout, to intimate, that it was the Reward of Volanerius's Debaucheries. 6 Dum, quæ Crispini docuit me janitor, edo.] While I declare what I bave learned from the Porter of Crispinus. I suppose, that these Words refer to the solemn moral Precepts he is going to utter, which are worthy the Mouth of the wisest Philosopher; and that Davus would thus apologise for the Sinattering of Philosophy he has acquired. Sanadon understands them in a different Sense. He thinks Davus means, that the Porter of Crispinus had told him Horace was guilty of those Vices with which he here upbraids hiin. But Davis himself was probably better acquainted with these than Crijpinus's Porter. However, it is submitted to the Reader's own Judgment, which of these is the true Conitruction. 7 Prodis ex judice Dama -] i. e. You quit the Robes of a Judg”, to take the * Habit of a Slave.' Auguflus 6 Augufius had granted to Horace the Privilege of wearing the Robe called Angufticlavium, which was embroi. dered with small Studs of Purple, and the Ring, belonging to the Order of Knights. By this he was incorporäted with that Order, who fat as Judges in some particular Causes, both civil and criminal; and were diitinguislied by the Name of Commissaries. On this Account Davus calls him a Judge. DACIER. 16. As Horace was innocent of the Crime with which Datus here charges him, it is thought, that the Satire was levelled at fome Person in High Life, whom he could jot venture to attack in a more open Manner. 8 Duceris ut nervis alienis mobile fignum.] Horace borrowed this Similé from the Stoics, with whom it was familiar; and they took it from Socrates. An Athenian, in the first Book of Plato's Commonwealth, jays, That the Parlions have the same Effect on our Bodies as those Wires have on the Puppets : They 'move all our Limbs, and produce contrary Motions ' with thwarting Powers.' The Emperor Marcus Antoninus also frequently makes use of this Similé. See the sixth and tenth Books of his Meditations; the latter, towards the Conclusion. In seipso totus teres atque rotundus. ] In feipfo totus; teres atque rotundus The spherical Figure is the most perfect and durable, and the fittelt to relist all external Impressions. On this Account Plato says, in his Timæus, . That “God has inade the World round, that it inight be eter nal, and that nothing should be able to destroy it, but " the Will of him who created it.' And thus Marcus Antoninus speaks to himself: "Thou mayit pass thy Life without Trouble, if thou canst re• semble the Sphere of Empedocles, which, having no Inle "equalities, but being perfectly round, revolves for ever on its own Axis, untir:d.' Blediiations, Xll. 3. 6 6 quinque talenta.] About five hundred Pounds. Horace here alludes to the firft Scene of the first Act of Terence's Eunuch. Et acres subje£lat lalla ftimulos.] The late Dr. Young, in his Centaur not fubulous, has happily made use of the fame Image which Horare here einploys : Men given to Pleasure (whom he calls Centaurs, as being parily human, partly brutal) are doily rid, and forely galied, ly the domineering intolence of their infamed Mistress.' P. 276. And, in another Place, he quotes this pithy Arabian Proverb : • Let him that would be safe avoid seven • 1 bings, nainely, Wasps, Spiders, Hyænas, Crocodiles, • Effs, Adders, and fine Woinen.' 12 Vel cum Panficâ torpes tabellá.] Pausias was an excellent Flower-Painter of Sicyone, "contemporary with Apelles. There is a Passage in Cicero, parallel with this in Horace: "You stand fixed, and gazing at a Picture of • Echion, or a Statue of Polycletus, as if you had lost your Senses. When I behold you struck with Wonder, • and hear you crying out in Rapture, “ Admirable ! “ Marvellous," &c. I cannot help thinking, that you . are the Slave of every Trifle. “ But are not these Things beautiful ?" you will say, • Undoubtedly. But they are fitter to be the Toys of * Children, than the objects of Man's Dotage.' 6 The SAME SATIRE Imitated. SIR, SERVANT. POET. SERVANT. Sir, 'tis I; POET SERVANT. , Some |
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