JUVENAL

THE

THIRTEENTH SATYR.

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

The ARGUMENT.

Corvinus bad trufted one of his old Friends and Acquaintance with a Bag of Mony; this Friend denies the Truft, and ferfwears it too: Corvinus is very much difturb'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 andremarkable Vengeance did not fall upon this perjur'd falfe Wretch. Juvenal bearing 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 Villainy of his Times. He begins with the Condition of the wicked Man and tells him, i. That the Sinner must needs hate himself; and, ii. That he

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

ed Man. And, xxi.clofes all with obferving that few Men ftop at their first 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.

I.

E that commits a Sin, fhall quickly find The preffing Guilt lie heavy on his Minds Tho' Bribes or Favour fhall affert his Caufe, 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
Pursues the Cheat, and proves the Villain's Fate.
III.

But more, Corvinus; thy Eftate 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; Moft 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 becomes a Man
To let it rife no higher than his Pain:
But you, too weak the slightest Lofs to bear,
Too delicate the common Fate to fhare,
Are on the Fret of Paffion, Boil and Rage,
Because, in fo debauch'd and vile an Age,

■ Some read, Extemplo quodcunque malum, &c,

-}

Thy

I rank him with the Prodigies of Fame,

With Plough'd-up Fishes, and with Icy Flame;
With Things which start from Nature's common Rules,
With Bearded Infants, and with Teeming Mules:
As much amaz'd at the prodigious Sign,

As if I faw Bees cluster'd on a Shrine;

A Show'r of Stones, or Rivers chang'd to Blood
Rowl wond'rous Waves, or urge a Milky Flood.
IX.

A little Sum you Mourn, while Most have met
With twice the Lofs, and by as Vile a Cheat:
By treacherous Friends, and fecret Trust betray'd,
Some are undone; nor are the Gods our Aid.
Thofe Confcious Powers we can with Ease contemn,
If hid from Men, we truft our Crimes with them.

Obferve the Wretch who hath his Faith forfook,
How clear his voice, and how affur'd his Look!
Like Innocence, and as ferenely bold
As Truth, how loudly He forfwears thy Gold!
By Neptune's Trident, by the Bolts of Jove,
And all the Magazine of Wrath above.
Nay, more, in Curfes he goes boldly on,
He damns himself, and thus devotes his Son:
If I'm forfworn, you injur'd Gods renew
Thyeftes' Feaft, and prove the Fable true.

X.

Some think that Chance rules all, that Nature fteers The moving Seafons, and turns round the Years. These ran to ev'ry Shrine, thefe boldly fwear, And keep no Faith, because they know no Fear.

XI.

Another doubts, but as his Doubts decline,
He dreads just Vengeance, and he starts at Sin;

4 If a Swarm of Bees pitch'd upon a Temple, it was look'd upon as an Omen of fome very

great Mischief.

S Thyeftes was treated with a Hath made of his own Son.

He

He owns a God: And yet the Wretch forfwears;
And thus he Reasons, to relieve his Fears:

Let

Ifis rage, fo I fecurely hold

The Coin forfworn, and keep the ravish'd Gold;
Let Blindness, Lameness come; are Legs and Eyes
Of equal Value to fo great a Prize?

7

Wou'd ftarving Ladas, had he leave to chuse,

And were not frantick, the Rich Gout refufe?
For can the Glory of the swifteft Pace

Procure him Food? Or can he feast on Praise ?

XII.

The Gods take Aim before they strike their Blow, Tho' fure their Vengeance, yet the Stroke is flow; And thou'd at ev'ry Sin their Thunder fly,

I'm yet fecure, nor is my Danger nigh:

But they are Gracious, but their Hands are free,
And who can tell but they may reach to Me?
Some they forgive, and ev'ry Age relates
That equal Crimes have met unequal Fates ;
That Sins alike, unlike Rewards have found,
And whilft This Villain's Crucify'd, The other's Crown'd.
The Man that shiver'd on the Brink of Sin,
Thus fteel'd and hard'ned, ventures boldly in;
Dare him to Swear, he with a chearful Face
Flies to the Shrine, and bids Thee mend thy Pace;
He urges, goes before Thee, fhews the Way,
Nay, pulls Thee on, and chides Thy dull Delay;
For Confidence in Sin, when mixt with Zeal,
Seems Innocence, and looks to most as well.
XIII.

Thus like the waggish Slave in-Play,
He spreads the Net, and takes the easie Prey.

6 fis. An Egyptian Goddefs, fuppos'd to be much concern'd in inflicting Diseases and Maladies on Mankind.

7 Ladas. An excellent Footman, who won the Prize in the Olympian Games,