THE FIRST SATIRE OF PERSIUS. ARGUMENT OF THE PROLOGUE TO THE FIRST SATIRE. The defign of the author was to conceal his name and quality. He lived in the dangerous times of the tyrant Nero; and aims particularly at him in moft of his fatires. For which reafon, though he was a Roman knight, and of a plentiful fortune, he would appear in this prologue but a beggarly poet, who writes for bread. After this, he breaks into the business of the firft satire; which is chiefly to decry the poetry then in fashion, and the impudence of those who were endeavouring to pass their fluff upon the world. PROLOGUE TO THE FIRST SATIRE. I Never did on cleft Parnaffus dream, Heedlefs of verfe, and hopeless of the crown, Scarce half a wit, and more than half a clown, 10 Before the fhrine I lay my rugged numbers down. Ver. 1. Parnaffus and Helicon, were hills confecrated to the Mufes; and the fuppofed place of their abode. Parnaffus was forked on the top; and from Helicon ran a ftream, the spring of which was called the Mufes' well. Ver. 5. Pyrene] A fountain in Corinth; confe crated alfo to the Mufes. Ver. 7. Statues, &c.] The ftatues of the poets were crowned with ivy about their brows. Ver. 11. Before the fhrine] That is, before the fhrine of Apollo, in his temple at Rome, called the Palatine. 407 Who taught the parrot human notes to try, Or with a voice endu'd the chatt'ring pye? 'Twas witty want, fierce hunger to appease: Want taught their mafters, and their mafters thefe. 15 Let gain, that gilded bait, be hung on high,. ARGUMENT OF THE FIRST SATIRE. I need not repeat, that the chief aim of the author is against bad poets in this fatire. But I must add, that he includes alfo bad orators, who began at that time (as Petronius in the beginning of his book tells us) to enervate manly eloquence, by tropes and figures, ill placed, and worse applied. Amongst the poets, Perfius covertly ftrikes ́at Nero; fome of whofe verfes he recites with fcorn and indignation. He also takes notice of the noblemen and their abominable poetry, who, in the luxury of their fortune, fet up for wits and judges. The fatire is in dialogue, betwixt the author and his friend or monitor; who diffuades him from this dangerous attempt of expofing great men. But Perfus, who is of a free fpirit, and has not forgotten that Rome was once a commonwealth, breaks through all thofe difficulties, and boldly arraigns the falfe judgment of the age in which he lives.The reader may observe that our poet was a Stoick philofopher; and that all his moral fentences, both here and in all the rest of his fatires, are drawn from the dogmas of that fect. THE FIRST SATIRE. IN DIALOGUE BETWIXT THE POET AND HIS FRIEND OR MONITOR. PERSIUS. HOW anxious are our cares, and yet how vain The bent of our defires! FRIEND. Thy spleen contain: For none will read thy fatires. PERSIUS. This to me? 5 FRIEND. None; or, what's next to none, but two or three. "Tis hard, I grant. PERSIUS. "Tis nothing; I can bear That paltry fcriblers have the public ear : That this vaft univerfal fool, the Town, Should cry up Labeo's stuff, and cry me down. 10 Ver. 1. How anxious] None of my author's hard metaphors or forced expreffions, fays Dryden, are in my translation. Dr. J. WARTON. Ver. 11. Labeo's fluff] Nothing is remaining of Atticus Labeo, (fo he is called by the learned Cafaubon) nor is |