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But Noble Scriblers are with Flatt'ry fed;

For none dare find their Faults, who eat their Bread.
To pass the Poets of Patrician Blood,

What is't the common Reader takes for good?
The Verfe in fashion is, when Numbers flow,
Soft without Sense, and without Spirit flow:
So fmooth and equal, that no fight can find
The River, where the polish'd Piece was join'd.
So even all, with such a steady View,
As if he shut one Eye to level true.
Whether the Vulgar Vice his Satyr ftings,
The People's Riots, or the Rage of Kings;
The gentle Poet is alike in all;

His Reader hopes no Rife, and fears no Fall.

Friend. Hourly we fee, fome raw pin-feather'd thing
Attempt to mount, and Fights and Heroes fing;
Who for falfe quantities was whipt at School
But t'other day, and breaking Grammar-Rule.
Whofe trivial Art was never try'd, above
The bare description of a Native Grove:

Who knows not how to praise the Country Store,
The Feafts, the Baskets, nor the fatted Boar;

Nor paint the flow'ry Fields, that paint themselves before.
Where 7 Romulus was Bred, and Quintius Born,
Whofe fhining Plough-fhare was in Furrows worn,
Met by his trembling Wife, returning home,
And Ruftically joy'd, as Chief of Rome:

7 Where Romulus, &c. He fpeaks of the Country in the foregoing Verfes; the Praifes of which, are the moft eafy Theme for Poets; but which a bad Poet cannot naturally defcribe: Then he makes a

digreffion to Romulus the first King of Rome, who had a Ruftical Education; and enlarges upon Quintius Cincinnatus, & Roman Senator, who was call'd from the Plough to be Dictator of Rome.

She

She wip'd the Sweat from the Dictator's Brow;
And o'er his Back his Robe did rudely throw;
The Lictors bore, in State, their Lord's triumphant Plough.
Some love to hear the Fuftian Poet roar;
And fome on Antiquated Authors pore:
Rummage for Sense; and think thofe only good
Who labour most, and leaft are understood.
When thou shalt fee the blear-ey'd Fathers teach
Their Sons, this harsh and mouldy fort of Speech;
Or others new affected ways to try,

Of wanton Smoothness, Female Poetry;
One wou'd enquire from whence this motley Style
Did firft our Roman Purity defile:

For our old Dotards cannot keep their Seat;
But leap and catch at all that's obfolete.

Others, by foolish Oftentation led,

When call'd before the Bar, to fave their Head,
Bring trifling Tropes, instead of folid Sense:
And mind their Figures more than their Defence,
Are pleas'd to hear their thick-fcull'd Judges cry
Well mov'd, oh finely faid, and decently!
Theft (fays th' Accufer) to thy Charge I lay,
O Pedius: What does gentle Pedris fay?
Studious to please the Genius of the Times,

With 8 Periods, Points, and Tropes he flurs his Crimes: "He Robb'd not, but he Borrow'd from the Poor;

"And took but with Intention to restore.

He lards with Flourishes his long Harangue;
'Tis fine, fay'ft thou; what, to be prais'd, and hang?
Effeminate Roman, fhall fuch Stuff prevail

To tickle thee, and make thee wag thy Tail?

8 With Periods, &c. Ferfins here I place are meant for Rhetorical names Antithefes, or feeming Flourishes, as I think, with Contradictions; which in this Cafaubon.

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Say, fhou'd a Shipwreck'd Sailor fing his Woe,
Wou'dft thou be mov'd to Pity, or bestow
An Alms? What's more prepoft'rous than to fee
A merry Beggar? Mirth in Mifery?

Perfius. He feems a Trap, for Charity, to lay:
And cons by Night, his Leffon for the Day.

Friend. But to raw Numbers, and unfinish'd Verse, Sweet Sound is added now, to make it Terse: "'Tis tagg'd with Rhime, like 9 Berecynthian Atys, "The mid part chimes with Art, which never flat is, "The Dolphin brave, that cut the liquid Wave,

Or he who in his Line, can chine the long-ribb'd Appennine. Perfius. All this is Dogrel ftuff.

Friend. What if I bring A Nobler Verfe? 10 Arms and the Man I fing,

Perfius. Why Name you Virgil with fuch Fops as these? He's truly great; and must for ever please;

Not fierce, but awful, is his Manly Page;
Bold is his Strength, but fober is his Rage.

Friend. What Poems think you soft? and to be read With languishing Regards, and bending Head?

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Perfius. Their crooked Horns the Mimallonian Crew With Blafts infpir'd; and Baffaris who flew

"The fcornful Calf, with Sword advanc'd on high, Made from his Neck his haughty Head to fly.

"And Manas, when with Ivy-bridles bound,

"She led the Spotted Lynx, then Evion rung around; "Evion from Woods and Floods repairing Echo's Sound.

Berecynthian Atys, or Attin, &c. Foolish Verses of Nero, which the Poet repeats; and which cannot be tranflated properly into English.

10 Arms and the Man, &c. The fift Line of Virgil'sÆneid.

11 Their crooked Horns, &c. Other Verfes of Nero, that were meer Bombaft. I only note, That the Repetition of thefe and the former Verfes of Nero, might juftly give the Poet a caution to conceal his Name.

Cou'd

Cou'd fuch rude Lines a Roman Mouth become,
Were any Manly Greatness left in Rome?
Menas 12 and Atys in the Mouth were bred;
And never hatch'd within the lab'ring Head:
No Blood from bitten Nails, thofe Poems drew;
But churn'd, like Spittle, from the Lips they flew.
Friend. 'Tis Fuftian all; 'tis execrably bad:
But if they will be Fools, muft you be mad?
Your Satyrs, let me tell you, are too fierce;
The Great will never bear fo blunt a Verse.
Their Doors are barr'd against a bitter flout:
Snarl, if you pleafe, but you fhall snarl without.
Expect fuch Pay as railing Rhimes deserve,
Y'are in a very hopeful way to starve.

:

Perfius. Rather than fo, uncenfur'd let 'em be;
All, all is admirably well, for me.

My harmless Rhime fhall 'scape the dire Difgrace
Of Common-fhoars, and ev'ry Piffing-place,
Two 13 painted Serpents fhall, on high, appear;
'Tis Holy Ground; you must not Urine here;
This fhall be writ to fright the Fry away,
Who draw their little Bawbles, when they play.
14 Yet old Lacilius never fear'd the Times,

But lafh'd the City, and diffected Crimes.
Mutius and Lupus both by Name he brought;
He mouth'd 'em, and betwixt his Grinders caught,

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12 Manas and Atys, Poems ↑ Two Snakes twin'd with each ́ on the Manades, who were other, were painted on the Priefteffes of Bacchus; and of Walls, by the Ancients, to fhew Atys, who made himself an the Place was Holy. Eunuch to attend on the Sacrifices of Cybele, call'd Berecynthia by the Poets; she was Mother of the Gods.

13 Two painted Serpents, &c.

13 Tet old Lucilius, &c. Lucilius wrote long before Horace z who imitates his manner of Satyr, but far excels him in the Defign,

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Unlike in Method, with conceal'd Design,

Did crafty Horace his low Numbers join:
And, with a fly infinuating Grace,

Laugh'd at his Friend, and look'd him in the Face:
Wou'd raise a Blufh, where fecret Vice he found;
And tickle, while he gently prob'd the Wound.
With feeming Innocence the Crowd beguil'd;
But made the defperate Paffes, when he fmil'd.

Cou'd he do this, and is my Mufe controll'd
By fervile Awe? Born free, and not be bold?
At least, I'll dig a Hole within the Ground;
And to the trufty Earth commit the Sound:
The Reeds fhall tell you what the Poet fears,
King 15 Midas has a Snout, and Affes Ears.
This mean Conceit, this darling Mystery,

Which thou think'ft nothing, Friend, thou fhalt not buy,
Nor will I change for all the flashy Wit,
That flatt'ring Labeo in his Iliads writ,

16 Thou, if there be a Thou in this bafe Town,
Who dares, with angry Eupolis, to frown;
He, who, with bold Cratinus, is infpir'd
With Zeal, and equal Indignation fir'd:
Who, at enormous Villany, turns pale,
And fteers againft it with a full-blown Sail,

Is King Midas, &c. The was Marthy; and when the Story is vulgar, that Midas Reeds grew up, they repeated King of Phrygia was made the Words which were spoken Judge betwixt Apollo and Pan, by the Barber. By Midas the who was the beft Mufician: Poet meant Nero. He gave the Prize to Pan; and Apollo in revenge gave him Affes Ears. He wore his Hair long to hide them; but his Barber difcovering them, and not daring to divulge the Secret, dug a hole in the Ground, and whisper'd into it: The place

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16 Eupolis and Cratinus, as alfo Ariftophanes mention'd àfterwards, were all Athenian Poets; who wrote that fort of Comedy, which was call'd the old Comedy, where the People were Nam'd, who were Satiriz'd by thofe Authors.

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