his

Own

Labour; and that fo earnestly, that Difputes

and Quarrels, Animofities, Commotions, and Bloodshed, often happen'd: And in the Declenfion of the Grecian Empire, the very Sovereigns themselves engag'd in it, even when the Barbarians were at their Doors; and ftickl'd for the Preference of Colours, when the Safety of their People was in queftion. I am now, my self, on the Brink of the fame Precipice; I have spent some time on the Tranflation of Juvenal and Perfius; and it behoves me to be wary, left, for that Reason, I fhou'd be partial to them, or take a Prejudice againft Horace. Yet, on the other Side, I wou'd not be like some of our Judges, who wou'd give the Caufe for a poor Man, right or wrong: For tho' that be an Error on the better Hand, yet it is fill a Partiality: And a Rich Man unheard, cannot be concluded an Oppreffor. I remember a Saying of King Charles II. on Sir Matthew Hales, (who was doubtless an Uncorrupt and Upright Man) That his Servants were fure to be caft on a Tryal, which was heard before him: Not that he thought the Judge was poffible to be brib'd; but that his Integrity might be too fcrupulous: And that the Caufes of the Crown were always fufpicious, when the Priviledges of Subjects were concern'd.

It had been much fairer, if the modern Criticks, who have embark'd in the Quarrels of their Favourite Authors, had rather given to each his proper Due; without taking from another's Heap, to raile their own. There is Praise enough for each of them in particular, without encroaching on his Fellows, and detracting from them, or enriching themfelves with the Spoils of others. But to come to Particulars: Heinfius and Dacier are the most principal of those, who raile Horace, above Juvenal and Perfius. Scaliger the Father, Rigaltius, and many others, debafe Horace, that they may set up Juvenal: And Cafaubon, who is almoft fingle, throws Dirt on

Juvenal

any

Juvenal and Horace, that he may exalt Perfius, whom he understood particularly well, and better than of the former Commentators; even Stelluti, who fucceeded him. I will begin with him, who, in my Opinion, defends the weakest Caufe, which is that of Perfius; and labouring, as Tacitus profeffes of his own Writings, to diveft my self of Partiality, or Prejudice, confider Perfius, not as a Poet whom I have wholly tranflated, and who has coft me more Labour and Time than Juvenal; but according to what I judge to be his own Merit; which I think not equal, in the main, to that of Juvenal oṛ Horace; and yet in fome things to be preferred to both of them.

Firft, then, for the Verfe, neither Cafaubon himself nor any for him, can defend either his Numbers, or the Purity of his Latin. Cafaubon gives this Point for loft; and pretends not to justify either the Measures, or the Words of Perfius: He is evidently beneath Horace and Juvenal, in both.

Then, as his Verse is scabrous, and hobbling, and his Words not every where well chofen, the Purity of Latin: being more corrupted, than in the Time of Juvenal, and confequently of Horace, who writ when the Language was in the Height of its Perfection; fo his Diction is hard; his Figures are generally too bold and daring; and his Tropes, particularly his Metaphors, infufferably ftrain'd.

In the third Place, notwithstanding all the Diligence of Cafaubon, Stelluti, and a Scotch Gentleman (whom I have heard extreamly commended for his Illuftrations of him ;) yet he is ftill obfcure: Whether he affected not to be understood, but with Difficulty; or whether the Fear of his Safety under Nero, compell'd him to this Darkness in fome places; or that it was occafioned by his clofe way of Thinking, and the Brevity of his Style, and Crowding of his Figures; or laftly, whether after fo

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long a Time, many of his Words have been corrupted, and many Customs, and Stories relating to them, loft to us; whether fome of thefe Reasons, or all, concur'd to render him fo cloudy; we may be bold to Affirm, that the best of Commentators can but guess at his Meaning, in many Paffages: And none can be certain that he has divin'd rightly.

After all, he was a young Man, like his Friend and Contemporary Lucan: Both of them Men of extraordinary Parts, and great acquir'd Knowledge, confidering their Youth. But neither of them had arriv'd to that Maturity of Judgment, which is neceffary to the accomplifhing of a form'd Poet. And this Confideration, as on the one hand it lays fome Imperfections to their Charge: fo on the other fide, 'tis a candid Excufe for thofe Failings, which are incident to Youth and Inexperience; and we have more reafon to wonder, how they, who died before the Thirtieth year of their Age, cou'd write fo well, and think fo ftrongly; than to accufe them of thofe Faults, from which Human Nature, and more especially in Youth, can never poflibly be exempted;

To confider Perfius yet more clofely: He rather infulted over Vice and Folly, than expos'd them, likę Juvenal and Horace. And as chafte and modeft as he is esteem'd, it cannot be deny'd, but that in fome Place he is broad and fulfom, as the latter Verfes of the Fourth Satyr, and of the Sixth, fufficiently witnefs'd. And 'tis to be believe'd that he who commits the fame Crime often, and without Neceffity, cannot but do it with fome kind of Pleasure.

To come to a Conclufion, he is manifeftly below Horace; because he borrows moft of his greatest Beauties from him: And Cafaubon is so far from denying this, that he has written a Treatife purpofely concerning it wherein he shews a multitude of his Tranflations from

Horace

Horace, and his Imitations of him, for the Credit of his Author, which he call's Imitatio Horatiana.

To thefe Defects, which I cafually obferv'd, while I was Tranflating this Author, Scaliger has added others: He calls him, in plain Terms, a filly Writer, and a Trifler; full of Ollentation of Learning; and after all, unworthy to come into Competition with Juvenal and Horace

After such terrible Accufations, 'tis time to hear what' his Patron Cafaubon can alledge in his Defence. Instead of answering, he excufes for the most part; and when he cannot, accufes others of the fame Crimes. He deals' with Scaliger, as a modeft Scholar with a Master. He Compliments him with fo much Reverence, that one wou'd fwear he fear'd him as much at least as he respected him. Scaliger will not allow Perfius to have any Wit :' Cafaubon interprets this in the mildest Senfe; and confeffes his Author was not good at turning things into a pleasant Ridicule; or other words, that he was not a laughable Writer. That he was ineptus, indeed, but that' was non aptiffimus ad jocandum. But that he was oftentatious of his Learning, that, by Scaliger's good Favour, he denies. Perfius thew'd his Learning, but was no Boafter of it, he did oftendere, but not oftentare; and fo, he fays did Scaliger: Where, methinks Cafaubon turns it handsomely upon that fupercilious Critick, and filently infinuates that he himself was fufficiently Vainglorious, and a Boafter of his own Knowledge. All the Writings of this Venerable Cenfor, continues Cafanbon, which are χρυσό χρυσότερα, more golden than Gold it felf are every where smelling of Thyme, which like a Bee, he has gather'd from ancient Authors: But far be Oftentation and Vain-glory from a Gentleman, fo well Born, and fo nobly Educated as Scaliger But, fays Scaliger, he is fo obfcure, that he has got himself the Name of Scotinus, a dark Writer: Now, fays Cafaubon

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'tis a wonder to me that any thing cou'd be obfcure to the Divine Wit of Scaliger; from which nothing cou'd be hidden. This is indeed a strong Compliment, but no Defence. And Cafaubon, who cou'd not but be fenfible of his Author's blind fide, thinks it time to abandon a Poft that was untenable. He acknowledges that Perfus is obfcure in fome Places: but fo is Plato, fo is Thucydides, so are Pindar, Theocritus and Arifophanes, amongst the Greek Poets; and even Horace and Juvenal, he might have added, amongst the Romans The Truth is, Perfus is not fometimes, but generally obscure; and therefore Cafaubon, at last, is forc'd to excufe him, by alledging, that it was fe defendendo, for fear of Nero; and that he was commanded to write fo cloudily by Cornutus, in virtue of holy Obedience to his Mafter. I cannot help my own Opinion;. I think Cornutus needed not to have read many Lectures to him on that Subject. Perfius was an apt Scholar; and when he was bidden to be obfcure in. fome Places, where his Life and Safety were in question, took the fame Counfel for all his Books; and never af terwards wrote ten Lines together clearly. Cafaubon;. being upon this Chapter, has not fail'd, we may be fure of making a Compliment to his own dear Comment. If Perfius, fays he, be in himself obfcure, yet my Interpretation has made him intelligible. There is no questions but he deserves that Praise, which he has given to himfelf: But the Nature of the Thing, as Lucretius lays,. will not admit of a perfect Explanation. Befides many Examples which I cou'd urge, the very last Verse of his laft Satyr, upon which he particularly values himself. in his Preface, is not yet fufficiently explicated. 'Tis true, Holiday has endeavour'd to juftifie his Construction; but Stelluti is against it: And, for my part, I can have but a very dark Notion of it. As for the Chastity of his Thoughts, Cafaubon denies not but that one particular Paffage, in the Fourth Satyr, At fi unctus ceffes, &C..

is