Discharg'd by Common-Shoars from all the Town;
No fecret Paffage was to him unknown;
In every noifom Sink the Serpent flept,
And thro' dark Vaults oft to Suburra crept.

One word to Virro now, if he can bear,
And 'tis a Truth, which he's not us'd to hear;
No Man expects, (tor who fo much a Sot,
Who has the Times he lives in fo forgot?)
What Seneca, what Pifo us'd to fend,
To raife, or to fupport a finking Friend.
Thofe Godlike Men, to wanting Virtue kind,
Bounty well plac'd preferr'd, and well defign'd,
To all their Titles, all that height of Pow'r,
Which turns the Brains of Fools, and Fools alone adore.
When your poor Client is condemn'd t’attend,
'Tis all we ask, receive him like a Friend,

At least, let him be easie if you can,

Let him be treated like a Free-born Man,
Defcend to this, and then we ask no more,
Rich to your felf, to all befide be poor.

Near him is plac'd the Liver of a Goose,
That part alone which Luxury wou'd chufe,
A Boor entire, and worthy of the Sword
Of 17 Meleager, fmoaks upon the Board.
Next Mushrooms, larger when the Clouds defcend
In fruitful Show'rs, and defir'd 18 Thunders rend
The Vernal Air. No more plough up the Ground
Of Lybia, where fuch Mushrooms can be found,
Aledius 20 cries, but furnish us with store

Of Mushrooms, and import thy Corn no more!

17 The Story of the Caledonian Boar, flain by Meleager, is to be found, Metamor. Lib. 8.

18 Rainy and thundring Springs produce abundance of Mushrooms, and were therefore defixed. Pliny, Lib, 19.

19 Rome was fupply'd with great Quantities of Corn from Africa, and of Mushrooms too seems.

it

20 The Name of a Glutton or Parafite,

Mean

Mean while thy Indignation yet to raise,
The Carver dancing round each Dish, surveys
With flying Knife; and as his Art directs,
With proper Geftures ev'ry Fowl diffects.
A thing of fo great moment to their Tate,
That one false flip had furely marr'd the Feast.
If thou dare murmur, if thou dare complain
With Freedom, like a Roman Gentleman,
Thou'rt feiz'd immediately by his Commands,.
And dragg'd like 21 Cacus by Herculean Hands
Out from his Prefence. When does haughty he
Defcend to take a Glafs once touch'd by thee?
That Wretch were loft, who fhou'd presume to think
He might be free, who durft fay, Come, Sir, drink :
Will any Freedom here from you be born

Whofe Cloaths are threadbare, and whose Cloaks are torn?
Wou'd any God, or Godlike Man below,
Four hundred thousand 22 Sefterces bestow!
How mightily wou'd Trebius be improv❜d,
How much a Friend to Virro, how belov'd!
Will Trebius eat of this? What Sot attends
My Brother? Who carves to my best of Friends?
O Sefterces, this Honour's done to you!
You are his Friends, and you his Brethren too.
Wouldst thou become his Patron and his Lord;
Wouldst thou be in thy turn by him ador'd?
No young 23 Eneas in thy Hall must play,
Nor fweeter Daughter lead thy Heart aftray.

at The Name of a famous Thief, who stole the Oxen of Hercules and drew them into his Den backwards; but was lain by Hercules, and dragg'd out by the Heels. Æneid. 8.

22 The Cenfus Equestris, about 3125 . English Rofcius Otho made a Law. that where

as before Roman Gentlemen and Commens fat promiscu oufly in the Theatres, there fhou'd be fourteen Seats or Benches apart, for those who were worth that Sum."

23 An Allufion to that of Dido, Si quis mihi parvulus aula Luderet Eneas, The meaning

is

O how a barren Wife does recommend!
How dear, how pleafant is a Childless Friend!
But if thy Mycale, thy Teeming Wife
Pour out three Boys, the Comfort of thy Life;
He 24 too will in the pratling Neft rejoice,
Farthings and Nuts provide, and various Toys,
For the young fmiling Parafites, the wanton Boys.
He viler Friends with doubtful Mushrooms treats,
Secure for you, himself Champignons eats;
Such Claudius lov'd, of the fame fort and tafte,
Till 25 Agrippina kindly gave the last.

To him are order'd, and thofe happy few
Whom Fate has rais'd above contempt

and you,

Moft fragrant Fruits, such in 26 Pheacian Gardens grew;
Where a perpetual Autumn ever smil'd,

And Golden Apples loaded Branches fill'd.
By fuch fwift Atalanta was betray'd,

The vegetable Gold foon ftopt the flying Maid.
To you fuch feabb'd harsh Fruit is giv❜n, as raw
Young Soldiers at their Exercifings gnaw,
Who trembling learn to throw the fatal Dart,
And under Rods of rough Centurions smart.

Thou tak ft all this as done to fave Expence;
No! 'tis on purpose done to give Offence:
What Comedy, what Farce can more delight,
Than grinning Hunger, and the pleasing fight
Of your bilk'd Hopes? No! He's refolv'd t'extort
Tears from your Eyes: 'Tis barb'rous jest and sport:
Thou think't thy felf Companion of the Great,
Art free and happy in thy own Conceit.

is, thou must have no Child | Satyr of Seneca, Claudii Apoco-
to defeat his hopes of becom-locynto fis
ing thy Heir.

24

Tronically

26 The Gardens of Alais, King of the Phaacians, are re

25 His Wife Agrippina gavenown'd in Homer and all Anhim a poifon'd one, of which tiquity.

he died. See that ingenious.

Не

He thinks thou'rt tempted by th' attractive Smell
Of his warm Kitchen, and he judges well.
For 27 who fo naked, in whofe empty Veins
One fingle Drop of Noble Blood remains;
What Freeborn Man, who, tho' of Mungrel ftrain,
Wou'd twice fupport the Scorn and proud Disdain,
With which those Idols you adore, the Great,
Their wretched Vaffals and Dependants treat?
O Slaves most abject! you still gaping fit,
Devouring with your Eyes each pleafing Bit;
Now fure we Parafites at last shall share

That Boar, and now that Wild-fowl, or that Hare;
Thus you expecting gaze, with your Teeth fet;
With your Bread ready, and your Knives well whet;
Demure and filent; but, alas! in vain;

He mocks your Hunger, and derides your Pain.
If you can bear all this, and think him kind,
You well deferve the Treatment which you find.
At last thou wilt beneath the 28 Burthen bow;
And, glad, receive the 19 manumitting Blow
On thy fhav'd flavish Head; mean while attend,
Worthy of fuch a Treat, and fuch a Friend.

27 In the following Lines, 29 I know the Commentathere is in the Original Refe-tors give another Sense of dence to the Cuftom of Ro-thefe laft Lines; but I take man Children, wearing for them to allude to the manner diftinction of their Quality, of the Manumiffion of Slaves, the Bulla aurea, or Corfacca. I which was done by giving have translated them according them a touch or blow on the to the intent and fenfe of the Head, by their Lord, or the Poet, without allufion to thofe Prætor, with the Wand call'd Cuftoms; which being un-Vindica; and thus the meaknown to meer English Rea ning will be, that Trebius, ders, wou'd have only made weary'd at laft, will be glad the Tranflation as obfcure as to be discharg'd from the Slathe Original. very of attending, where he 28 Of fo many Indignities. finds fuch ufage.