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In the first Book of his Annals, he gives the following: Account of it, in thefe Words: Primus Auguftus cognitionem de famofis libellis fpecie legis ejus, tractavit; commotus Caffii Severi libidine, qua viros fœminafque inluftres, procacibus fcriptis diffamaverat. Thus in English: Auguftus was the first, who under the Colour of that Law took Cognifance of Lampoons; being provok'd to it, by the Petulancy of Caffius Severus, who had defam'd ma⚫ny illuftrious Perfons of both Sexes, in his Writings. The Law to which Tacitus refers, was Lex læfæ Majeftatis; commonly call'd, for the fake of Brevity, Majeftas; or, as we fay, High Treafon : He means not that this Law had not been Enactedformerly: For it had been made by the Decemviri, and was infcrib'd amongst the rest in the Twelve Tables; to prevent the Afperfion of the Roman Majelly, either of the People themselves, or their Religion, or their Magiftrates and the Infringement of it was Capital; that is, the Offender was whipt to Death, with the Fafces, which were born before their chief Officers of Rome. But Augustus · was the first, who reftor'd that intermitted Law; By the Words, Under Colour of that Law, he infinuates that Auguftus caus'd it to be executed, on pretence of thofe Libels, which were written by Caffius Severus, against the Nobility: But, in truth, to fave himself from fuch defamatory Verfes. Suetonius likewife makes mention of it thus: Sparfos de fe in Curia famofos libellos, nec expavit, magna curâ redarguit. Ac ne requifitis quidem Auctoribus, id modo cenfuit, cognofcendum poft hac, de iis qui libellos aut carmina adinfamiam cujufpiam sub alieno nomine edant. Auguftus was not afraid of Li bels, fays that Author: Yet he took all care ima❤ginable to have them anfwer'd; and then decreed,

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that for the time to come, the Authors of them fhou'd be punifh'd. But Aurelius makes it yet more clear, according to my Senfe, that this Emperor for his own fake durft not permit them: Fecit id Auguftus in fpeciem, & quafi gratificaretur Populo Romano, & Primoribus urbis ; fed revera ut fibi confideret: Nam habuit in animo, comprimere nimiam quorundam procacitatem in loquendo, à quâ nec ipfe exemptus fuit. Nam fuo nomine compefcere erat invidiofum, fub alieno facile & utile. Ergò fpecie legis tractavit, quafi Populi Romani Majeftas infamaretur. This, I think, is a fufficient Comment on that Paffage of Tacitus; I will add only by the way, that the whole Family of the Cafars, and all their Relations, were included in the Law; because the Majefty of the Romans in the time of the Empire was wholly in that Houfe: Omnia Cæfar erat: They were all accounted facred who belong'd to him. As for Caffius Severus, he was contempora ry with Horace; and was the fame Poet against whom he writes in his Epodes, under this Title, In Caffium Severum Maledicum Poetam; Perhaps intending to kill two Crows, according to our Proverb, with one Stone; and revenge both himself and his Emperor together.

From hence I may reafonably conclude, That Auguftus, who was not altogether fo good as he was wife, had fome By-refped in the enacting of this Law: For to do any thing for nothing, was not his Maxim. Horace, as he was a Courtier, comply'd with the Intereft of his Mafter; and a voiding the lashing of greater Crimes, confin'd himfelf to the ridiculing of petty Vices and common Follies; excepting only fome referv'd Cafes, in his Odes and Epodes, of his own particular Quar Fels, which either with Permiffion of the Magi

ftrate,

ftrate, or without it, every Man will revenge tho' I fay not that he should; for prior left, is a good Excufe in the Civil Law, if Christianity had not taught us to forgive. However, he was not the proper Man to arraign great Vices, at least if the Stories which we hear of him are true, that he practised some, which I will not here mention, out of Honour to him. It was not for a Clodius to accuse Adulterers, efpecially when Auguftus was of that Number: So that tho' his Age was not exempted from the worst of Villainies, there was no Freedom left to reprehend them, by. reafon of the Edict. And our Poet was not fit to reprefent them in an odious Character, because himself was dipt in the fame A&tions. Upon this Account, without farther infifting on the different Tempers of Juvenal and Horace, I conclude, that the Subjects which Horace chofe for Satyr, are of a lower Nature than thofe of which Juvenal has written.

Thus I have treated in a new Method, the Comparison betwixt Horace, Juvenal, and Perfius; fomewhat of their particular Manner belonging to all of them is yet remaining to be confidered. Perfius was Grave, and particularly opposed his Gravity to Lewdness, which was the predominant Vice in Nero's Court, at the time when he publifh'd his Satyrs, which was before that Em peror fell into the Excefs of Cruelty. Horace was a mild Admonisher, a Court-Satyrift, fit for the gentle Times of Auguftus, and more fit, for the Reasons which I have already given. Juvenal was as proper for his Times, as they for theirs: His was an Age that deferv'd a more fevere Chaftifement; Vices were more grofs and open, more flagitious, more encourag'd by the Example of a Ty

rant,

rant, and more protected by his Authority. There fore, wherefoever Juvenal mentions Nero, he means Domitian, whom he dares not attack in his own Perfon, but fcourges him by Proxy. Heinfius urges in praife of Horace, that according to the ancient Art and Law of Satyr, it fhou'd be nearer to Comedy than Tragedy; not declaiming against Vice, but only laughing at it. Neither Perfius nor Juvenal were ignorant of this, for they had both ftudied Horace. And the thing it felf is plainly true. But as they had read Horace, they had likewife read Lucilius, of whom Perfius fays, Secuit Urbem; && genuinum fregit in illis; mean. ing Mutius and Lupus: And Juvenal allo mentions him in these Words: Enfe velut ftricto, quoties Lucilius ardens Infremuit, &c. So that they thought the Imitation of Lucilius was more proper to their purpose than that of Horace. They chang ed Satyr, fays Holiday; but they chang❜d it for the better For the Bufinefs being to reform great Vices, Chastisement goes farther than Admonition; whereas a perpetual Grinn, like that of Horace, does rather anger than amend a Man.

Thus far that Learned Critick, Barten Holiday, whofe Interpretation and Illuftrations of Juvenal are as excellent, as the Verfe of his Tranflation and his English are lame and pitiful. For 'tis not enough to give us the Meaning of a Poet, which I acknowledge him to have performed most faithfully; but he must also imitate his Genius, and his Numbers, as far as the English will come up to the Elegance of the Original. In few Words, 'tis only for a Poet to tranflate a Poet. Holiday and Stapylton had not enough confidered this, when they attempted Juvenal: But I forbear Reflections; only I beg leave to take notice of this Sentence,

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where Holiday fays, A perpetual Grinn, like that of Horace, rather angers than amends a Man. I cannot give him up the Manner of Horace in low Satyr fo eafily: Let the Chastisements of Juvenal be never fo neceffary for his new Kind of Satyr; let him declaim as wittily and fharply as he pleafes, yet ftill the nicest and most delicate Touches of Satyr confift in fine Raillery. This, my Lord, is your particular Talent, to which even Juvenal could not arrive. 'Tis not Reading, 'tis not Imitation of an Author, which can produce his Fineness: It muft be inborn, it must proceed from a Genius, and particular way of Thinking, which is not to be taught; and therefore not to be imitated by him who has it not from Nature: How eafie it is to call Rogue and Villain, and that wittily! But how hard to make a Man appear a Fool, a Blockhead, or a Knave, without ufing any of thofe opprobrious Terms! To fpare the Groffness of the Names, and to do the thing yet more feverely, is to draw a full Face, and to make the Nofe and Cheeks ftand out, and yet not to employ any Depth of Shadowing. This is the Mystery of that Noble Trade; which yet no Mafter can teach to his Apprentice: He may give the Rules, but the Scholar is never the nearer in his Practice. Neither is it true, that this Finenefs of Raillery is offenfive. A witty Man is tickled while he is hurt in this Manner; and a Fool feels it not. The Occasion of an Offence may poffibly be given, but he cannot take it. If it be granted, that in Effect this way does more Mischief; that a Man is fecretly wounded, and tho' he be not fenfible himfelf, yet the malicious World will find it for him: Yet there is still a vaft difference betwixt the flovenly Butchering of a Man, and the Fineness of a Stroke that feparates

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