is not only the most obfcure, but the moft obfcene of all his Works: I understood it; but for that Reafon turn'd it over. In defence of his boisterous. Metaphors, he quotes Longinus, who accounts them as Inftruments of the Sublime; fit to move and ftir up the Affections, particularly in Narration. To which it may be reply'd, That where the Trope is far fetch'd and hard, 'tis fit for nothing but to puzzle the Understanding; and may be reckon'd amongst thofe things of Demonfthenes which Æfchines call'd para not ra, that is Prodigies, not Words. It must be granted to Cafaubon, that the Knowledge of many things is loft in our Modern Ages which were of familiar notice to the Ancients; and that Satyr is a Poem of a difficult Nature in it self, and is not written to vulgar Readers. And through the Relation which it has to Comedy, the frequent Change of Perfons makes the Senfe perplex'd; when we can but divine who it is that speaks: Whether Perfius himself, or his Friend and Monitor; or, in fome Places, a third Perfon. But Cafaubon comes back always to himfelf, and concludes, that if Perfius had not been obfcure, there had been no need of him for an Interpreter. Yet when he had once enjoin'd himself so hard a Task, he then confider'd the Greek Proverb, that he must eháves çayûr û μn qaYer either eat the whole Snail, or let it quite alone; and fo he went through with his laborious Task, as I have done with my difficult Translation.

Thus far, my Lord, you fee it has gone very hard with Perfius: I think he cannot be allow'd to stand in competition, either with Juvenal or Horace. Yet for once, I will venture to be fo vain, as to affirm, That none of his hard Metaphors, or forc'd Expreffions, are in my. Tranflation: But more of this in its proper Place,. where I fhall fay fomewhat in particular, of our general Performance, in making these two Authors English. the mean time, I think my felf oblig'd to give Perfius

his undoubted Due, and to acquaint the World, with Cafaubon, in what he has equall'd, and in what excell'd his two Competitors.

A Man who is refolv'd to praise an Author, with any appearance of Juftice, must be fure to take him on the ftrongest fide, and where he is leaft liable to Exceptions. He is therefore oblig'd to chufe his Mediums accordingly; Cafaubon, who faw that Perfius cou'd not laugh with a becoming Grace, that he was not made for Jefting, and that a merry Conceit was not his Talent, turn'd his Feather, like an Indian, to another Light, that he might give it the better Glofs. Moral Doctrine, fays he, and Urbanity, or well-manner'd Wit, are the two Things which conftitute the Roman Satyr. But of the two, that which is most effential to this Poem, and is, as it were, the very Soul which ainmates it, is the Scourging of Vice, and Exhortation to Virtue. Thus Wit, for a good Reafon, is already almoft out of Doors; and allow'd only for an Inftrument, a kind of Tool, or a Weapon, as he calls it, of which the Satyrift makes ufe, in the compaffing of his Defign. The End and Aim of our Three Rivals, is confequently the fame. By what Methods they have profecuted their Intention, is farther to be confider'd. Satyr is of the nature of Moral Philofophy, as being inftructive: He, therefore, who inftructs moft ufefully, witl carry the Palm from his two Antagonifls, The Philofophy in which Perfius was Educated, and which he profeffes through his whole Book, is the Stoick: The most Noble, moit Generous, moft Beneficial to Human Kind, amongst all the Sects, who have given us the Rules of Ethiques, thereby to form a 'fevere Virtue in the Soul; to raise in us an undaunted Courage, againft the Affaults of Fortune'; to efteem as nothing the Things that are 'without us, because they are not in our Power; not to value Riches, Beauty, Honours, Fame, or Health, any farther than as Conveniencies, and fo many Helps to liv

ing as we ought, and doing good in our Generation. In fhort, to be any way's happy, while we poffefs our Minds, with a good Confcience, are free from the Slavery of Vices, and conform our Actions and Converfation to the Rules of right Reason. See here, my Lord, an Epitome of Epictetus; the Doctrine of Zeno, and the Education of our Perfius. And this he exprefs'd, not only in all his Satyrs, but in the Manner of his Life. I will not leffen this Commendation of the Stoick Philofophy, by giving you an Account of fome Abfurdities in their Doctrine, and fome perhaps Impieties, if we confider them by the Standard of Chriftian Faith: Perfius has fallen into none of them ; and therefore is free from thofe Imputations. What he teaches, might be taught from Pulpits, with more Profit to the Audience, than all the nice Speculations of Divinity, and Controverfies concerning Faith; which are more for the Profit of the Shepherd, than for the Edification of the Flock. Paffion, Intereft, Ambition, and all their bloody Confequences of Difcord, and of War, are banish'd from this Doctrine. Here is nothing propos'd but the Quiet and Tranquility of the Mind; Virtue lodg'd at home, and afterwards diffus'd in her general Effects, to the Improvement and Good of Human Kind. And therefore I wonder not that the prefent Bishop of Salisbury has recommended this our Author, and the Tenth Satyr of Juvenal, in his Paftoral Letter, to the serious Perufal and Practice of the Divines in his Diocefs, as the best Common-Places for their Sermons, as the Store-houses and Magazines of Moral Virtues, from whence they may draw out, as they have occafion, all manner of Affillance for the Accomplishment of a Virtuous Life, which the Stoicks have affign'd for the great End and. Perfection of Mankind. Herein then it is, that Perfius has excell'd both Juvenal and Horace. He fticks to his own Philofophy: He fhifis not Sides, like Horace, who is fometimes an Epicurean, fometimes a Stoick, fometimes

an Eclectrick; as his prefent Humour leads him; nor declaims like Juvenal against Vices, more like an Orator, than a Philofopher. Perfus is every where the fame; true to the Dogma's of his Mafter. What he has learnt, he teaches vehemently; and what he teaches, that he practifes himself. There is a Spirit of Sincerity in all he fays: You may easily discern that he is in earnest, and is perfuaded of that Truth which he inculcates. In this I am of Opinion, that he excels Horace, who is commonly in jeft, and laughs while he inftructs: And is equal to Juvenal, who was as honest and ferious as Perfius, and more he could not be.

Hitherto I have follow'd Cafaubon, and enlarg'd upon him; because I am fatisfy'd that he fays no more than Truth; the reft is almost all frivolous. For he fays that Horace being the Son of a Tax-gatherer, or a Collector, as we call it, fmells every where of the Meannels of his Birth and Education: His Conceits are vulgar, like the Subjects of his Satyrs; that he does Plebeium fapere; and writes not with that Elevation, which becomes a Satyrift: That Perfius being Nobly born, and of an opulent Family, had likewife the advantage of a better Mafler; Cornutus being the most Learned of his Time, a. Man of the most Holy Life, the Chief of the Stoick Sect at Rome; and not only a great Philofopher, but a Poet himself; and in probability a Coadjutor of Perfius. That, as for Juvenal, he was long a Declaimer, came late to Poetry, and has not been much converfant in Philofophy.

'Tis granted that the Father of Horace was Libertinus, that is, one Degree remov'd from his Grandfather, who had been once a Slave: But Horace, fpeaking of him, gives him the best Character of a Father, which I ever read in history; and I wish a witty Friend of mine now living had fuch another. He bred him in the best School, and with the best Company of young Noblemen.. And Horace by his Gratitude to his Memory,

gives a certain Teftimony that his Education was ingenuous. After this, he form'd himself abroad, by the Converfation of Great Men. Brutus found him at Athens, and was fo pleas'd with him, that he took him thence into the army, and made him Tribunus Militum, a Colonel in a Legion, which was the Preferment of an Old Soldier. All this was before his Acquaintance with Mecenas, and his introduction into the Court of Auguftus, and the Familiarity of that Great Emperor; which, had he not been well-bred before, had been enough to civilize his Conversation, and render him accomplish'd and knowing in all the Arts of Complacency and good Behaviour; and, in fhort, an agreeable Companion for the retir'd Hours and Privacies of a Favourite, who was Firft Minister. So that, upon the whole Matter, Perfius may be acknowledg'd to be equal with him, in those Respects, tho' better born, and Juvenal inferior to both. If the Advantage be any where, 'tis on the Side of Horace; as much as the Court of Auguftus Cæfar was fuperior to that of Nero. As for the Subjects which they treated, it will appear hereafter, that Horace writ not vulgarly on vulgar Subjects, nor always chose them. His Style is conftantly accommodated to his Subject, either high or low: If his Fault be too much Lowness, that of Perfius is the Fault of the Hardness of his Metaphors, and Obfcurity: And so they are equal in the Failings of their Style; where Juvenal manifeftly triumphs over both of them.

The Comparifon betwixt Horace and Juvenal is more difficult; because their Forces were more equal: A Difpute has always been, and ever will continue, betwixt the Favourers of the two Poets. Non noftrum eft tantas componere lites. I fhall only venture to give my Opinion, and leave it for better Judges to determine. If it be only argu'd in general, which of them was the better Poet; the Victory is already gain'd on the fide of Horace Virgil himself muft yield to him in the Deli

cacy