Acted on the Theatre, but Read. He preferv'd the Ground-work of their Pleafantry, their Venom, and their Raillery on particular Perfons, and general Vices: And by this means, avoiding the Danger of any ill Succefs, in a Publick Representation, he hop'd to be as well receiv'd in the Cabinet, as Andronicus had been upon the Stage. The Event was anfwerable to his Expectation. He made Difcourfes in feveral Sorts of Verfe, vary'd often in the fame Paper; retaining ftill in the Title, their original Name of Satyr. Both in relation to the Subjects, and the variety of Matters contain'd in them, the Satyrs of Horace are entirely like them; only Ennius, as I faid, confines not himfelf to one fort of Verfe, as Horace does; but taking Example from the Greeks, and even from Homer himself, in his Margites, which is a kind of Satyr, as Scaliger obferves, gives himself the License, when one fort of Numbers comes not easily, to run into another, as his Fancy dictates. For he makes no Difficulty to mingle Hexameters with I ambique Trimeters; or with Trochaique Tetrameters; as appears by thofe Fragments which are yet remaining of him: Horace has thought him worthy to be Copy'd; inferting many things of his into his own Satyrs, as Virgil has done into his Æneid.

Here we have Dacier making out that Ennius was the first Satyrift in that way of Writing, which was of his Invention; that is, Satyr abftracted from the Stage, and new modell'd into Papers of Verses, on feveral Subjects. But he will have Ennius take the Ground-work of Satyr from the first Farces of the Romans; rather than from the formed Plays of Livius Andronicus, which were copy'd from the Grecian Comedies. It may poffibly be

fo;

fo; but Dacier knows no more of it than I do And it seems to me the more probable Opinion' that he rather imitated the fine Railleries of the Greeks, which he faw in the Pieces of Andronicus, than the Courfenefs of his old Country-men, in their clownish exteinporary way of jeering.

But befides this, 'tis univerfally granted, that Ennius, tho' an Italian, was excellently learn'd in the Greek Language. His Verfes were ftuff'd with Fragments of it, even to a Fault: And he himself believ'd, according to the Pythagorean Opinion, that the Soul of Homer was transfus'd into him: Which Perfius obferves, in his Sixth Satyr. Poftquam deftertuit effe Mæonides. But this being only the private Opinion of fo inconfiderable a Man as I am, I leave it to the farther Difquifition of the Criticks, if they think it worth their Notice. Moft evident it is, that whether he imitated the Roman Farce, or the Greek Comedies, he is to be acknowledg'd for the firft Author of Roman Satyr, as it is properly fo called; and diftinguished from any fort of Stage-Play.

Of Pacuvius, who fucceeded him, there is little to be faid, because there is fo little remaining of him: Only that he is taken to be the Nephew of Ennius, his Sifter's Son; that in probability he was inftru&ted by his Uncle, in his way of Satyr, which we are told he has copy'd; but what Advances he made we know not.

Lucilius came into the World, when Pacuvius flourish'd moft; he also made Satyrs after the manner of Ennius, but he gave them a more graceful turn; and endeavour'd to imitate more closely the vetus Comedia of the Greeks: Of the which the old original Roman Satyr had no idea, 'till the time of Livius Andronicus. And tho' Horace feems

to have made Lucilius the first Author of Satyr in Verfe amongst the Romans, in thefe Words, Quid cum eft Lucilius aufus Primus in hunc operis componere carmina morem: He is only thus to be underftood, that Lucilius had given a more graceful turn to the Satyr of Ennius and Pacuvius; not that he invented a new Satyr of his own: And Quintilian feems to explain this Paffage of Horace in thefe Words: Satira quidem tota noftra eft, in qua primus infignem laudem adeptus eft Lucilius.

Thus, both Horace and Quintilian give a kind of Primacy of Honour to Lucilius, amongst the Latin Satyrifts. For as the Roman Language grew more refin'd, fo much more capable it was of receiving the Grecian Beauties in his time: Horace and Quintilian could mean no more, than that Lucilius writ better than Ennius and Pacuvius: And on the fame account we prefer Horace to Lucilius: Both of them imitated the old Greek Comedy; and fo did Ennius and Pacuvius before them. The polishing of the Latin Tongue, in the Succeffion of Times, made the only Difference. And Horace himself, in two of his Satyrs, written purpofely on this Subject, thinks the Romans of his Age were too partial in their Commendations of Lucilius; who writ not only loofely, and muddily, with little Art, and much lefs Care, but also in a time when the Latin Tongue was not yet fuffici ently purg'd from the Dregs of Barbarifm; and many fignificant and founding Words, which the Romans wanted, were not admitted even in the Times of Lucretius and Cicero; of which both complain.

But to proceed, Dacier justly taxes Cafaubon, faying, that the Satyrs of Lucilius were wholly different in Specie, from thofe of Ennius and Pa

cuvins.

envius. Cafaubon was led into that Mittake by Diomedes the Grammarian, who in effect fays this: Satyr among the Romans, but not among the Greeks, was a biting invective Poem, made after the Model of the ancient Comedy; for the Reprehenfion of Vices: Such as were the Poems of Lucilius, of Horace, and of Perfius. But in former Times, the Name of Satyr was given to Poems, which were compos'd of several forts of Verses; fuch as were made by Ennius and Pacuvius; more fully expreffing the Etymology of the Word Satyr, from Satura, which we have obferv'd Here 'tis manifeft, that Diomedes makes a Specifical Diftinction betwixt the Satyrs of Ennius and thofe of Lucilius. But this, as we fay in English, is only a Diftinction without a Difference; for the Reafon of it is ridiculous, and abfolutely falfe. This was that which cozen'd honeft Cafaubon, who relying on Diomedes, had not fufficiently examin'd the Origin and Nature of thofe two Satyrs; which were entirely the fame, both in the Matter and the Form. For all that Lucilius perform'd beyond his Predeceffors, Ennius and Pacuvius, was only the adding of more Politenefs, and more Salt; without any Change in the Subftance of the Poem: And tho' Lucilius put not together in the fame Satyr feveral forts of Verfes, as Ennius did; yet he compos'd feveral Satyrs, of feveral forts of Verfes; and mingl'd them with Greek Verses: One Poem confifted only of Hexameters; and another was entirely of Iambiques; a third of Trochaiques; as is vifible by the Fragments yet remaining of his Works. In fhort, if the Satyrs of Lucilius are therefore faid to be wholly different from those of Ennius, because he added much more of Beauty and Polifning to his own Poems, than are to be

b 4

found

found in thofe before him; it will follow from hence, that the Satyrs of Horace are wholly different from thofe of Lucilius, becaufe Horace has not lefs furpafs'd Lucilius in the Elegancy of his Writing, than Lucilius furpafs'd Ennius in the Turn and Ornament of his. This Paffage of Diomedes has alfo drawn Doufa, the Son, into the fame Error of Cafaubon, which I fay, not to expofe the little Failings of thofe judicious Men, but only to make it appear, with how much Diffidence and Caution we are to read their Works; when they treat a Subject of fo much Obfcurity, and fo very ancient, as is this of Satyr.

Having thus brought down the History of Satyr from its Original to the Times of Horace, and fhewn the feveral Changes of it; I fhould here difcover fome of thofe Graces which Horace added to it, but that I think it will be more proper to defer that Undertaking, 'till I make the Comparison betwixt him and Juvenal. In the mean while, following the Order of Time, it will be neceffary to fay fomewhat of another kind of Satyr, which alfo was defcended from the Ancients: 'Tis that which we call the Varronian Satyr, but which Varro himself calls the Menippean; because Varro, the moft learned of the Romans, was the firft Author of it, who imitated, in his Works, the Manners of Menippus the Gadarenian, who profefs'd the Philosophy of the Cyniques.

This fort of Satyr was not only compos'd of feveral forts of Verfe, like, thofe of Ennius, but was alfo mix'd with Profe; and Greek was fprinkJed amongst the Latin. Quintilian, after he had fpoken of the Satyr of Lucilius, adds what follow; There is another and former kind of Satyr, compos'd by Terentius Varro, the most Learned of the

Romans: