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Of o'ergrown gelding priests thou art afraid:
The timbrel, and the fquintifego maid
Of Ifis, awe thee: left the gods for fin,
Should, with a fwelling dropfy, ftuff thy skin:
Unless three garlick heads the curse avert,
Eaten each morn, devoutly, next thy heart. 275
Preach this among the brawny guards, fay'st
thou,

And fee if they thy doctrine will allow ;

The dull fat captain, with a hound's deep throat,
Would bellow out a laugh, in a base note;
And prize a hundred Zeno's juft as much 280
As a clipt fixpence, or a schilling Dutch,

fhould make use of it in bewitching us, or failing over the fea in it if it were whole. The reft, of the priests of Ifis, and her one-eyed or fquinting prieftefs, is more largely treated in the Sixth Satire of Juvenal, where the fuperftitions of women are related,

THE

SIXTH SATIRE

OF

PERSIUS.

THE ARGUMENT.

This firth fatire treats an admirable common-place of Moral Philofophy; Of the true Ufe of Riches. They are certainly intended, by the Power who beftows them, as inftruments and helps of living commodiously ourselves, and of administering to the wants of others who are oppressed by fortune. There are two extremes in the opinions of men concerning them. One error, though on the right hand, yet a great one, is, That they are no helps to a virtuous life; The other places all our happinefs in the acquifition and poffeffion of them; and this is, undoubtedly, the worfe extreme. The mean betwixt thefe, is the opinion of the Stoicks; which is, That riches may be useful to the leading a virtuous life; in case we rightly understand how to give according to right reafon; ceive what is given us by others.

and how to re

The virtue of

giving well, is called Liberality; and it is of this

virtue that Perfius writes in this fatire; wherein he not only fhews the lawful ufe of riches, but also Sharply inveighs against the vices which are oppofed to it; and especially of those, which confift in the defects of giving or spending, or in the abufe of riches. He writes to Cafus Baffus, his friend, and a poet also. Enquires first of his health and ftudies; and afterwards informs him of his own, and where he is now refident. He gives an account of himself, that he is endeavouring by little and little to wear off his vices; and particularly, that he is combating ambition, and the defire of wealth. He dwells upon the latter vice; and being fenfible that few men either defire or ufe riches as they ought, he endeavours to convince them of their folly; which is the main defign of the whole fatire.

And feek, in Sabine air, a warm retreat?
Say, doft thou yet the Roman harp command?
Do the ftrings anfwer to thy noble hand?
Great mafter of the mufe, infpir'd to fing
The beauties of the firft created fpring;
The pedigree of nature to rehearse,
And found the Maker's work, in equal verfe.

5

Ver. 2. And feek, in Sabine air, &c.] All the studious, and particularly the poets, about the end of Auguft, began to fet themfelves on work, refraining from writing during the heats of the fummer. They wrote by night, and fate up the greatest part of it; for which reafon, the product of their studies was called their Elucubrations, or nightly labours. They who had country-feats retired to them while they ftudied; as Perfius did to his, which was near the Port of the Moon in Etruria; and Baffus to his, which was in the country of the Sabines, neareș Rome.