THE

THIRD SATIRE

OF

PERSIUS.

THE ARGUMENT.

Our author has made two fatires concerning ftudy; the firft and the third: the firft related to men; this to young ftudents, whom he defired to be educated in the Stoick philofophy: he himself fuftains the perfon of the mafter, or præceptor, in this admirable fatire, where he upbraids the youth of floth, and negligence in learning. Yet he begins with one fcholar reproaching his fellow ftudents with late rifing to their books. After which he takes upon him the other part, of the teacher.And addreffing himself particularly to young noblemen, tells them, that, by reafon of their high birth, and the great poffeffions of their fathers, they are careless of adorning their minds with precepts of moral philofophy: and withal, inculcates to them the miferies which will attend them

in the whole courfe of their life, if they do not apply themselves betimes to the knowledge of virtue, and the end of their creation, which he pathetically infinuates to them. The title of this fatire, in fome ancient manufcripts, was The Reproach of Idlenefs; though in others of the fcholiafts it is infcribed, Against the Luxury and Vices of the Rich. In both of which the intention of the poet is purfued; but principally in the former.

I remember I tranflated this fatire, when I was a King's fcholar at Westminster-school, for a Thurfday-night's Exercife; and believe that it, and many other of my Exercifes of this nature, in English verfe, are ftill in the hands of my learned mafter, the Reverend Doctor Busby.

Is this thy daily courfe? The glaring fun
Breaks in at every chink: the cattle run
To fhades, and noon-tide rays of fummer

fhun,

Yet plung'd in floth we lie; and fnore fupine, As fill'd with fumes of undigested wine.

5

This grave advice fome fober ftudent bears; And loudly rings it in his fellow's ears. The yawning youth, scarce half awake, essays His lazy limbs and dozy head to raise: Then rubs his gummy eyes, and fcrubs his

pate;

10

And cries, I thought it had not been fo late : My cloaths; make hafte: why when! if none

be near,

He mutters first, and then begins to swear:

And brays aloud, with a more clamorous note, Than an Arcadian afs can ftretch his throat. 15

With much ado, his book before him laid, And parchment with the fmoother fide difplay'd;

pen:

He takes the papers; lays 'em down agen;
And, with unwilling fingers, tries the
Some peevish quarrel ftreight he strives to pick;
His quill writes double, or his ink's too thick ;
Infufe more water; now 'tis grown fo thin,
It finks, nor can the character be seen.

O wretch, and still more wretched every day!
Are mortals born to fleep their lives away?
Go back to what thy infancy began,

Thou who wert never meant to be a man:

25

Eat pap and spoon-meat; for thy gugaws cry: Be fullen, and refuse the lullaby.

No more accufe thy pen; but charge the

crime

On native floth, and negligence of time.

30

Think'st thou thy mafter, or thy friends, to cheat?

Fool, 'tis thyfelf, and that's a worse deceit.

Ver. 17. And parchment &c.] The ftudents used to write their notes on parchments; the infide, on which they wrote, was white; the other fide was hairy, and commonly yellow. Quintilian reproves this cuftom, and advifes rather table-books, lined with wax, and a ftile, like that we ufe in our vellum table-books, as more easy,

Beware the public laughter of the town;
Thou spring'st a leak already in thy crown. 35
A flaw is in thy ill-bak'd veffel found;
'Tis hollow, and returns a jarring found.

Yet, thy moift clay is pliant to command; Unwrought, and easy to the potter's hand: Now take the mold; now bend thy mind to

feel

The first sharp motions of the forming wheel. But thou haft land; a country-feat, fecure By a juft title; coftly furniture;

40

A fuming-pan thy Lares to appease :
What need of learning when a man's at ease?
If this be not enough to fwell thy foul,
Then please thy pride, and fearch the herald's

roll,

Where thou shalt find thy famous pedigree Drawn from the root of fome old Tufcan tree; And thou, a thousand off, a fool of long de

gree.

50

Who, clad in purple, can'ft thy cenfor greet; And, loudly, call him coufin, in the street.

46

Ver. 44. A fuming-pan &e.] Before eating, it was customary, to cut off fome part of the meat, which was first put into a pan, or little difh; then into the fire; as an offering to the household gods; this they called a libation.

Ver. 49. Drawn from the root &c.] The Thufcans were accounted of moft ancient nobility. Horace obferves this, in moft of his compliments to Mecenas; who was derived from the old kings of Tuscany, now the dominion of the great duke.

Ver. 51. Who, clad in purple, &c] The Roman knights, at

Such pageantry be to the people shown; There boaft thy horfe's trappings, and thy

own:

I know thee to thy bottom; from within
Thy shallow center, to thy outmost skin :
Doft thou not blush to live fo like a beaft,
So trim, fo diffolute, fo loosely dreft?

55

But 'tis in vain: the wretch is drench'd too deep;

60

His foul is ftupid, and his heart asleep;
Fatten'd in vice; fo callous, and fo grofs,
He fins, and fees not; fenfelefs of his lofs.
Down goes the wretch at once, unfkill'd to
fwim,

Hopeless to bubble up, and reach the water's

brim.

Great father of the gods, when, for our

crimes,

65

Thou fend'ft fome heavy judgment on the

times;

Some tyrant-king, the terror of his age,
The type, and true vicegerent of thy rage;
Thus punish him: Set virtue in his fight,
With all her charms adorn'd, with all her
graces bright:

70

tired in the robe called Trabea, were fummoned by the cenfor to appear before him; and to falute him, in paffing by, as their names were called over. They led their horfes in their hand. See more of this, in Pompey's life, written by Plutarch.