With wind and noife; but freely to impart,
As to a friend, the fecrets of my heart;
And, in familiar fpeech, to let thee know
How much I love thee, and how much I owe.
Knock on my heart: for thou haft fkill to find
If it found folid, or be fill'd with wind;
And, through the veil of words, thou view'ft
the naked mind.

For this a hundred voices I defire,

35

30

To tell thee what a hundred tongues would

tire;

Yet never could be worthily expreft,

How deeply thou art feated in my

breaft.

When first my childish robe refign'd the charge,

40

And left me, unconfin'd, to live at large ;
When now my golden Bulla (hung on high
To houfhold gods) declar'd me past a boy;
And my white shield proclaim'd my liberty;
When with my wild companions, I could roll 45
From ftreet to street, and fin without controul;
Juft at that age, when manhood fet me free,
I then depos'd myself, and left the reins to thee.

Ver. 40. By the childish robe is meant the Prætexta, or first gowns which the Roman children of quality wore: these were welted with purple, and on thofe welts were faftened the Bullæ, or little bells, which, when they came to the age of puberty, were hung up, and confecrated to the Lares, or household gods.

Ver. 44. The first shields which the Roman youths wore were white, and without any imprefs or device on them, to fhew they had yet atchieved nothing in the wars.

50

On thy wife bofom I repos'd my head,
And by my better Socrates was bred.
Then thy ftraight rule fet virtue in my fight,
The crooked line reforming by the right.
My reafon took the bent of thy command,
Was form'd and polish'd by thy skilful hand:
Long fummer-days thy precepts I rehearse; 55
And winter-nights were fhort in our converse:
One was our labour, one was our repofe,
One frugal fupper did our ftudies clofe.

60

Sure on our birth fome friendly planet fhone; And, as our fouls, our horofcope was one: Whether the mounting Twins did heaven adorn, Or, with the rifing Balance we were born; Both have the fame impreffions from above; And both have Saturn's rage, repell'd by Jove. What ftar I know not, but fome star I find, Has given thee an ascendant o'er my mind.

65

Ver. 50. Socrates by the Oracle was declared to be the wifeft of mankind he inftructed many of the Athenian young noblemen in morality, and amongft the reft Alcibiades.

Ver. 60. Aftrologers divide the heaven into twelve parts, according to the number of the twelve figns of the zodiack: the fign or conftellation which rifes in the eaft, at the birth of any man, is called the afcendant: Perfius, therefore, judges that Cornutus and he had the fame, or a like nativity.

Ver. 61. The fign of Gemini.

Ver. 62. The fign of Libra.

Ver. 64. Aftrologers have an axiom, that whatfoever Saturn ties is loofed by Jupiter: they account Saturn to be a planet of a malevolent nature, and Jupiter of a propitious influence.

CORNUTUS.

Nature is ever various in her frame:

Each has a different will, and few the fame:
The greedy merchants, led by lucre, run

To the parch'd Indies, and the rifing fun; 70 From thence hot pepper, and rich drugs they

bear,

Bartering for fpices their Italian ware ;
The lazy glutton safe at home will keep,
Indulge his floth, and batten with his fleep:
One bribes for high preferments in the state; 75
A fecond shakes the box, and fits up late:
Another shakes the bed, diffolving there,
Till knots upon his gouty joints appear,
And chalk is in his crippled fingers found; ;
Rots like a dodderd oak, and piecemeal falls to
ground;

Then his lewd follies he would late repent;
And his past years, that in a mist were spent.

PERSIUS.

80

But thou art pale, in nightly ftudies, grown, To make the Stoick inftitutes thy own; Thou long, with ftudious care, haft till'd our youth,

85

And fown our well-purg'd ears with wholesome truth.

Ver. 84. Zeno was the great mafter of the Stoick philofophy, and Cleanthes was fecond to him in reputation. Cornutus, who was mafter or tutor to Perfius, was of the fame school.

From thee both old and young, with profit,

learn

The bounds of good and evil to discern.

CORNUTUS.

Unhappy he who does this work adjourn, And to to-morrow would the fearch delay : 90 His lazy morrow will be like to-day.

PERSIUS.

But is one day of eafe too much to borrow?

CORNUTUS.

Yes, fure: for yesterday was once to-morrow.
That yesterday is gone, and nothing gain'd:
And all thy fruitlefs days will thus be drain'd; 95
For thou haft more to-morrows yet to ask,
And wilt be ever to begin thy task;

Who, like the hindmoft chariot-wheels, art curft,
Still to be near, but ne'er to reach the first.

O freedom! firft delight of human kind! 100 Not that which bondmen from their mafters find,

The privilege of doles: not yet to infcribe
Their names in this or t'other Roman tribe:

Ver. 102. When a flave was made free, he had the privilege of a Roman born, which was to have a fhare in the donatives or doles of bread, &c. which were diftributed by the magiftrates. amongst the people.

Ver. 103. The Roman people was diftributed into feveral tribes: he who was made free was enrolled into fome one of them, and thereupon enjoyed the common privileges of a Roman citizen.

E

110

That falfe enfranchisement with eafe is found:
Slaves are made citizens by turning round. 105
How, replies one, can any be more free?
Here's Dama, once a groom of low degree,
Not worth a farthing, and a fot beside ;
So true a rogue, for lying's fake he ly'd:
But, with a turn, a freeman he became ;
Now Marcus Dama is his worship's name.
Good gods! who would refuse to lend a fum,
If wealthy Marcus furety will become!
Marcus is made a judge, and for a proof
Of certain truth, He faid it, is enough.
A will is to be prov'd; put in your claim;
"Tis clear, if Marcus has fubfcrib'd his name.
This is true liberty, as I believe ;

115

What can we farther from our caps receive,
Than as we please without controul to live?
Not more to noble Brutus could belong.
Hold, fays the Stoick, your affumption's wrong:

121

Ver. 105. The master, who intended to infranchise a slave, carried him before the city prætor, and turned him round, using thefe words, "I will that this man be free."

Ver. 111. Slaves had only one name before their freedom; after it they were admitted to a Prænomen, like our christened names; fo Dama is now called Marcus Dama.

Ver. 117. At the proof of a teftament, the magiftrates were to fubfcribe their names, as allowing the legality of the will.

Ver. 118. Slaves, when they were fet free, had a cap given them, in fign of their liberty.

Ver. 121. Brutus freed the Roman people from the tyranny of the Tarquins, and changed the form of the government into a glorious commonwealth.