from whence they may draw out, as they have o cafion, all manner of affiftance for the accomplishment of a virtuous life, which the Stoicks have affigned for the great end and perfection of mankind. Herein then it is, that Perfius has excelled both Juvenal and Horace. He fticks to his own philofophy: he fhifts not fides, like Horace, who is fometimes an Epicurean, fometimes a Stoick, fometimes an Eclectick, as his prefent humour leads him; nor declaims like Juvenal againft vices, more like an orator, than a philofopher. Perfius is every where the fame; true to the dogmas of his mafter. What he has learnt, he teaches vehemently; and what he teaches, that he practifes himself. There is a fpirit of fincerity in all he fays: you may eafily difcern 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 honeft and ferious as Perfius, and more he could not be.

Hitherto I have followed Cafaubon, and enlarged upon him; because I am fatisfied that he fays no more than truth; the reft is almost all frivolous. For he fays that Horace, being the fon of a taxgatherer, or a collector, as we call it, fmells every where of the meanness of his birth and education; his conceits are vulgar, like the fubjects of his fatires; that he does plebeium fapere; and writes not with that elevation, which becomes a fatirift: that Perfius being nobly born, and of an opulent family, had likewife the advantage of a better mafter; Cornutus being the most learned of his time, a man of the most holy life, the chief of the ftoick fect 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.

It is granted that the father of Horace was Libertinus, that is, one degree removed from his grand

father,

father, who had been once a flave: 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 formed himself abroad, by the converfation of great men. Brutus found him at Athens, and was fo pleafed 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 foldier. All this was before his acquaintance with Mecanas, 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 accomplished and knowing in all the arts of complacency and good behaviour; and, in fhort, an agreeable companion for the retired hours and privacies of a favourite, who was firft minifter. So that, upon the whole matter, Perfius may be acknowledged to be equal with him, in those respects, though better born, and Juvenal inferior to both. If the advantage be any where, it is on the fide of Horace; as much as the court of Auguftus Cæfar was fuperior to that of Nero. As for the fubjects which they treated, it will appear hereafter, that Horace writ not vulgarly on vulgar fubjects, nor always chofe them. His ftile is conftantly accommodated to his fubject, 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 fo they are equal in the failings of their ftile; where Juvenal manifeftly triumphs over both of them.

The comparison betwixt Horace and Juvenal is more difficult; becaufe their forces were more equal: a difpute has always been, and ever will continue, betwixt the favourers of the two poets. Non noftrum

eft

A tantas componere lites. I fhall only venture to give my opinion, and leave it for better judges to determine. If it be only argued in general, which of them was the better poet, the victory is already gained on the fide of Horace. Virgil himself must yield to him in the delicacy of his turns, his choice of words, and perhaps the purity of his Latin. He who fays that Pindar is inimitable, is himself inimitable in his odes. But the contention betwixt these two great mafters, is for the prize of fatire: in which controversy, all the odes and epodes of Horace are to ftand excluded. I fay this, because Horace has written many of them fatirically, against his private enemies: yet thefe, if juftly confidered, are fomewhat of the nature of the Greek filli, which were invectives against particular fects and perfons. But Horace has purged himself of this choler, before he entered on thofe difcourfes, which are more properly called the Roman fatire: he has not now to do with a Lyce, a Canidia, a Caffius Severus, or a Menas; but is to correct the vices and the follies of his time, and to give the rules of a happy and virtuous life, In a word, that former fort of fatire, which is known in England by the name of lampoon, is a dangerous fort of weapon, and for the most part unlawful. We have no moral right on the reputation of other men, It is taking from them what we cannot restore to them. There are only two reafons, for which we may be permitted to write lampoons; and I will not promife that they can always juftify us the firft is revenge, when we have been affronted in the fame nature, or have been any ways notoriously abused, and can make ourfelves no other reparation. And yet we know, that, in chriftian charity, all offences are to be forgiven, as we expect the like pardon for those which we daily. commit against Almighty God. And this confideration has often made me tremble when I was saying our Saviour's prayer; for the plain condition of the forgiveness which we beg, is the pardoning of others the offences which they have done to us: for which reafon

reason I have many times avoided the commiffion of that fault, even when I have been notoriously provoked. Let not this, my lord, pafs for vanity in me; for it is truth. More libels have been written against me, than almoft any man now living and I had reafon on my fide, to have defended my own innocence: I speak not on my poetry, which I have wholly given up to the criticks; let them ufe it as they pleafe; pofterity, perhaps, may be more favourable to me: for intereft and paffion will lie buried in another age; and partiality and prejudice be forgotten. I fpeak of my morals, which have been fufficiently afperfed; that any fort of reputation ought to be dear to every honeft man, and is to me. But let the world witnefs for me, that I have been often wanting to myfelf in that particular; I have feldom anfwered any fcurrilous lampoon, when it was in my power to have expofed my enemies and being naturally vindicative, have fuffered in filence, and poffeffed my foul in quiet.

Any thing, though never fo little, which a man speaks of himself, in my opinion, is ftill too much; and therefore I will wave this fubject, and proceed to give the fecond reafon, which may juftify a poet, when he writes against a particular perfon: and that is, when he is become a publick nuifance. And thofe, whom Horace in his fatires, and Perfius and Juvenal have mentioned in theirs, with a brand of infamy, are wholly fuch. It is an action of virtue to make examples of vicious men. They may and ought to be upbraided with their crimes and follies: both for their own amendment, if they are not yet incorrigible, and for the terror of others, to hinder them from falling into thofe enormities, which they fee are fo feverely punished, in the perfons of others. The first reafon was only an excufe for revenge; but this fecond is abfolutely of a poet's office to perform: but how few lampooners are there now living, who are capable of this duty! When they come in my way, it is impoffible fometimes to

avoid reading them. But, good God! how remote they are in common juftice, from the choice of fuch perfons as are the proper fubjects of fatire! And how little wit they bring, for the fupport of their injuftice! The weaker fex is their moft ordinary theme; and the beft and faireft are fure to be the moft feverely handled. Amongst men, those who are profperously unjuft, are intitled to panegyric; but afflicted virtue is infolently stabbed with all manner of reproaches; no decency is confidered, no fulfomeness omitted; no venom is wanting, as far as dulnefs can fupply it: for there is a perpetual dearth of wit; a barrenness of good fenfe and entertainment. The neglect of the readers, will soon put an end to this fort of fcribbling. There can be no pleafantry where there is no wit: no impreffion can be made, where there is no truth for the foundation. To conclude, they are like the fruits of the earth in this unnatural feafon: the corn which held up its head, is fpoiled with ranknefs; but the greater part of the harvest is laid along, and little of good income and wholfome nourishment is received into the barns. This is almost a digreffion, I confess to your lordship; but a juft indignation forced it from me. Now I have removed this rubbish, I will return to the comparifon of Juvenal and Horace.

I would willingly divide the palm betwixt them, upon the two heads of profit and delight, which are the two ends of poetry in general. It must be granted by the favourers of Juvenal, that Horace is the more copious and profitable in his inftructions of human life; but in my particular opinion, which I fet not up for a standard to better judgments, Juvenal is the more delightful author. I am profited by both, I am pleafed with both; but I owe more to Horace, for my inftruction; and more to Juvenal, for my pleasure. This, as I faid, is my particular tafte of these two authors: they who will have either of them to excel the other in both qualities, can fcarce give better reasons for their opinion, than I for mine:

but