Ay; there's the man, who loos'd from luft and

pelf,

Lefs to the prætor owes, than to himself.
But write him down a flave, who, humbly proud,
With presents begs preferments from the crowd
That early fuppliant who falutes the tribes,
And fets the mob to scramble for his bribes :
That fome old dotard, fitting in the fun,
On holidays may tell, that such a feat was done:
In future times this will be counted rare.

Thy fuperftition too may claim a share : When flow'rs are frew'd, and lamps in order plac'd,

And windows with illuminations grac'd,

On Herod's day; when sparkling bowls go round,
And tunny's tails in favoury fauce are drown'd,
Thou mutter'ft pray'rs obfcene; nor doft refuse
The fafts and fabbaths of the curtail'd Jews.
Then a crack'd egg-fhell thy fick fancy frights,
Befides the childish fear of walking sprights.
Of o'ergrown gelding priests thou art afraid;
The timbrel, and the fquintifego maid.
Of Ifis, awe thee: left the Gods for fin,
Should, with a fwelling dropfy, stuff thy skin:
Unless three garlick heads the curse avert,
Eaten each morn, devoutly, next thy heart.

Preach this among the brawny guards, fay'st

thou,

And fee if they thy doctrine will allow :
The dull fat captain, with a hound's deep throat,
Would bellow out a laugh, in a base note;
And prize a hundred Zeno's just as much
As a clipt fixpence, or a schilling Dutch,

THE

SIXTH SATIRE

O F

PERSIUS.

This fixth fatire treats an admirable common-place of moral philofophy; of the true use of riches. They are certainly intended by the Power who beflows them, as inftruments and helps of living commodiously ourselves; and of adminiftring to the wants of others, who are oppreffed by fortune. There are two extremes in the opinions of men concerning them. One error, tho on the right band, yet a great one, is, that they are no helps to a virtuous life; the other places all our happinefs in the acquifition and possession of them; and this is, undoubtedly, the worse extream. The mean betwixt thefe, is the opinion of the Stoicks; which is, that riches may be useful to the leading a virtuous life; in cafe we rightly understand how to give according to right reafon;

ceive what is given us by others.

and how to re

The virtue of

giving well, is called liberality: and it is of this

virtue that Perfius writes in this fatire; wherein he not only fhews the lawful ufe of riches, but also Sharply inveighs against the vices which are oppofed to it; and especially of those, which confift in the defects of giving or spending; or in the abuse of riches. He writes to Cafus Baffus his friend, and a poet also. Enquires first of his health and ftudies; and afterwards informs him of his own, and where he is now refident. He gives an account of himself, that he is endeavouring by little and little to wear off bis vices; and particularly, that he is combating ambition, and the defire of wealth. He dwells upon the latter vice and being fenfible that few men either defire or ufe riches as they ought, he endeavours to convince them of their folly; which is the main defign of the whole fatire.

THE

SIXTH

SATIRE.

TO CESIUS BASSUS, a Lyric Foet.

HAS

AS winter caus'd thee, friend, to change thy feat,

And feek in Sabine air a warm retreat?

Say, do'st thou yet the Roman harp command?

Do the ftrings answer to thy noble hand ?

Great mafter of the mufe, infpir'd to fing
The beauties of the first created spring;
The pedigree of nature to rehearse,

And found the Maker's work, in equal verse.
Now sporting on thy lyre the loves of youth.
Now virtuous age, and venerable truth;
Expreffing juftly Sappho's wanton art
Of odes, and Pindar's more majestic part.
For me, my warmer conftitution wants
More cold, than our Ligurian winter grants;
And therefore to my native fhoars retir'd,
I view the coaft old Ennius once admir'd;
Where clifts on either fides their points dif-
play;

And, after, opening in an ampler way,
Afford the pleafing profpect of the bay.

The

"Tis worth your while, O Romans, to regard
port of Luna fays our learned bard;
Who in a drunken dream beheld his foul
The fifth within the tranfmigrating roll;
Which first a peacock, then Euphorbus was,
Then Homer next, and next Pythagoras;
And laft of all the line did into Ennius pass.
Secure and free from bufinefs of the ftate;
And more fecure of what the vulgar prate,

Here