JUVENAL.

THE

THIRTEENTH SATYR.

By Mr. THOMAS CREECH, Fellow of All-Souls-College in Oxford.

The ARGUMEN T.

Corvinus bad trusted one of his old Friends and Ac quaintance with a Bag of Mony; this Friend denies the Trust, and forfwears it too: Corvinus is very much disturb'd at this Cheat, ftorms and rages, accufes Providence, and is ready to conclude that God takes no Care of Things below, because fome fudden and remarkable Vengeance did not fall upon this perjur'd falfe Wretch. Juvenal hearing of Corvinus's Lofs, and unmanly Behaviour, writes this Satyr to him, both to comfort him after his Lofs, and inftruct him how to bear it; and thence takes occafion to speak of the Vileness and Villany of his Times. He begins with the Condition of the wicked Man; and tells him, i. That the Sinaer must needs hate himself; and, ii. That he

will be bated by all Mankind. iii. He puts Cor vinus in mind that he hath a good Eftate, and that this Lofs will not break him. iv. and v. Tha a great many have fuffer'd the like Misfortunes. That Cheats were common, bis Lofs but little and therefore not to be refented with fo violent a Paffion. Hence, vi. He expatiates on the Vileness of the Times; and, vii. compares his Age with the Golden one, which he tediously defcribes. viii. He continues his Reflections on the general Wickedness of the Times. ix. Makes fome Ob fervations on the Confidence of Some Sinners: And, x. endeavours to give fome account of this: He obferves that fome are Atheifts; xi. Others believe a God, but fancy the Money they get by their Perjury, will do them more good than the Punishment he inflicts will do them barm: At least, xii. that God is Merciful, they may Pardon'd, or 'Scape in the Crowd of Sinners; fince Some are forgiven, and all do not meet with Punishments equal to their Deferts. xiii. He cor rects his Friend for his Atheistical Paffion, and rude Accufations of Providence; And, xiv. advifes him to be more cool; and confider, That, xv. fuch Cheats are common, and he bath Suffer'd no more than other Men; And, xvi. that every day he may meet with greater Crimes, which require his Concernment. That, xvii. his Paffion is idle and fruitless; because Revenge, which is the only end of Paffion, will do him no good, it will not retrieve his Lofs; and befides is an Argument of a bafe Mind and mean Temper. Then coming clofer to bis Point, he tells him, xviii. The Wicked are feverely punish'd by their own Confciences; xix. Vengeance waits upon them: And, xx. defcribes the miferable Life and terrible Death of the wick

be

ed

ed Man. And, xxi. clofes all with observing, that few Men ftop at their firft Sin, but go on till their Crimes provoke Providence: And therefore, xxii. Corvinus need not fear but this perjur'd Friend of his would do fo too, and then he should fee fome remarkable Judgment fall upon him.

HE

I.

E that commits a Sin, fhall quickly find The preffing Guilt lie heavy on his Mind; Tho' Bribes or Favour fhall affert his Cause, Pronounce him Guiltless, and elude the Laws: None quits himself; his own impartial Thought Will damn, and Confcience will record the Fault.

II.

This first the Wicked feels: Then publick Hate
Purfues the Cheat, and proves the Villain's Fate.
III.

But more, Corvinus; thy Estate can bear
A greater Lofs, and not implore thy Care;
Thy Stock's fufficient, and thy Wealth too great
To feel the Damage of a Petty Cheat.

IV.

Nor are fuch Loffes to the World unknown,
A rare Example, and thy Chance alone;

Most feel them, and in Fortune's Lottery lies
A heap of Blanks, like this, for one small Prize.

V.

Abate thy Paffion, nor too much complain;
Grief fhou'd be forc'd, and it becomesa Man
To let it rife no higher than his Pain:

But you, too weak the flighteft Lofs to bear,
Too delicate the common Fate to share,
Are on the Fret of Paffion, Boil and Rage,
Because, in fo debauch'd and vile an Age,

1 Some read, Extemplo quodcumque malum, &c.

Thy Friend and Old Acquaintance dares difown
The Gold you lent him, and forfwear the Loan.
What, start at this! When fixty Years have spread
Their gray Experience o'er thy hoary Head!
Is this the All obferving Age cou'd gain,
Or haft thou known the World fo long in vain?
Let Stoicks Ethicks haughty Rules advance,
To combat Fortune, and to conquer Chance ;
Yet Happy thofe, tho' not fo Learn'd, are thought,
Whom Life inftructs, who by Experience taught,
For new to come, from paft Misfortunes look;
Nor shake the Yoak, which galls the more 'tis fhook,
VI.

What Day's fo Sacred, but its Reft's profan'd
By violent Robbers, or by Murders ftain'd?
Here hir'd Affaffins for their Gain invade,
And treacherous Poys'ners urge their Fatal Trade.
Good Men are scarce, the Juft are thinly fown,
They thrive but ill, nor can they last when grown;
And thou'd we count them, and our Store compile,
Yet 2 Thebes more Gates wou'd fhew, more Mouths the Nile.
Worfe than the Iron Age, and wretched Times
Roul on; and Use hath fo improv'd our Crimes,
That baffled Nature knows not how to frame
A Metal bafe enough to give the Age a Name:
Yet you
exclaim, as loud as thofe that Praife,
For Scraps and Coach-hire, a Young Noble's Plays;
You thunder, and, as Paffion rouls along,
Call Heav'n and Earth to witness to your Wrong.
Gray-headed Infant! and in vain grown Old!

Art thou to learn that in Another's Gold
Lie Charms refiftlefs? That all laugh to find
Unthinking Plainnefs fo o'er-fpread thy Mind,

2 Thebes had but seven Gates, and the River Nile but feven Mouths.

That

That thou could't feriously perfwade the Crowd
To keep their Oaths, and to believe a God?

VII.

This They cou'd do whilst Saturn fill'd the Throne, Ere Juno burnish'd, or Young Jove was grown; Ere private He left Ida's close Retreat,

Or made Rebellion by Example great:

And whilft his Hoary Sire to Latium fled,
Ufurp'd his Empire, and defil'd his Bed.
Whilft Gods din'd fingly, and few Feasts above,
No beauteous Hebe mixt the Wine with Love;
No Phrygian Boy: But Vulcan ftain'd the Pole
With footy Hands, and fill'd the sparing Bowl.
Ere Gods grew num'rous, and the Heav'nly Crowd
Preft wretched Atlas with a lighter Load:
Ere Chance unenvy'd Neptune's Lot confin'd
To rule the Ocean, and oppose the Wind:
Ere Proferpine with Pluto fhar'd the Throne,
Ere Furies lafht, or Ghosts had learn'd to groan:
But free from Punishment as free from Sin,
The Shades liv'd jolly, and without a King.
Then Vice was rare; e'en Rudeness kept in awe
Felt all the rigour of avenging Law;

And had not Men the Hoary Heads rever'd,
Or Boys paid Reverence when a Man appear'd,
Both must have dy'd, tho' 3 Richer Skins they wore,
And faw more heaps of Acorns in their store:
Four years Advance did fuch Respect engage,
And Youth was Reverenc'd then like facred Age.

VIII.

Now if one Honeft Man I chance to view, Contemning Int'reft, and to Virtue true;

3 That is, were of better Quality, and had more Wealth: Skins and Acorns being the

primitive Cloaths and Food, according to the Poets.