Where clifts on either fides their points display;
And, after, opening in an ampler way,
Afford the pleafing profpect of the bay.
'Tis worth your while, O Romans, to regard
The port of Luna fays our learned bard;
Who in 3 a drunken dream beheld his foul
The fifth within the tranfmigrating roll;
Which firft a peacock, then Euphorbus was,
Then Homer next, and next Pythagoras;
And laft of all the line did into Ennius pafs.
Secure and free from bufinefs of the ftate;
And more fecure of what the vulgar prate,
Here I enjoy my private thoughts; nor care
What rots for fheep the fouthern winds
prepare:
Survey the neighb'ring fields, and not repine,
When I behold a larger crop than mine:
To fee a beggar's brat in riches flow,
Adds not a wrinkle to my even brow;
Nor, envious at the fight, will I forbear
My plenteous bowl, nor bate my bounteous cheer.
Nor yet unfeal the dregs of wine that stink
Of cafk; nor in a nasty flaggon drink;
Let others ftuff their guts with homely fare;
For men of diff'rent inclinations are;
Tho' born perhaps beneath one common star.

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3 Who in a drunken dream, &c. I call it a drunken dream of Ennius; not that my author in this place gives me any encouragement for the epithet; but because Horace, and all who mention Ennius, fay he was an exceffive drinker of wine. In a dream, or vifion, call you it which you please, he thought it was revealed to him, that the foul of Pythagoras was tranfmigrated into him: As Pythagoras, before him believed, that himself had been Euphorbus in the wars of Troy, commentators differ in placing the order of this foul, and who had it first. I have here given it to the peacock, because it looks more according to the order of nature, that it should lodge in a creature of an inferior fpecies; and fo by gradation rife to the informing of a man. And Perfius favours me, by faying, that Ennius was the fifth from the Pythagorean peacock.

4

In

In minds and manners twins oppos'd we fee
In the fame fign, almost the same degree:
One, frugal, on his birth-day fears to dine;
Does at a penny's coft in herbs repine,

And hardly dares to dip his fingers in the brine.
Prepar'd as prieft of his own rites to ftand,
He sprinkles pepper with a sparing hand.
His jolly brother, oppofite in fense,

Laughs at his thrift; and lavish of expence,
Quaffs, crams, and guttles, in his own defence.
For me, I'll use my own; and take my share;
Yet will not turbots for my flaves prepare ;
Nor be fo nice in tafte myself to know
If what I fwallow be a thrush, or no.

Live on thy annual income; spend thy ftore;
And freely grind, from thy full threshing-floor;
Next harvest promises as much, or more.
Thus I would live: but friendship's holy band,
And offices of kindness hold my hand:

My 4 friend is fhipwreck'd on the Brutian ftrand,

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4 My friend is fhipwreck'd, &c. Perhaps this is only a fine transition of the poet, to introduce the business of the fatire; and not, that any fuch accident had happened to one of the friends of Perfius. But, however, this is the most poetical defcription of any in our author: And fince he and Lucan were fo great friends, I know not but Lucan might help him, in two or three of thefe verfes, which feem to be written in his ftyle; certain it is, that befides this defcription of a fhipwreck, and two lines more, which are at the end of the fecond fatire, our poet has written nothing elegantly. I will therefore tranfcribe both the paffages to juftify my opinion. The following are the last verses faving one of the fecond fatire.

Compofitum jus, fafque animi; fanctofque receffus
Mentis, & incoctum generofo pectus bonefto:

The others are thofe in this prefent fatire, which are subjoined:
-Trabe rupta, Bruttia Saxa

Prendit Amicus inops: Remque omnem, furdaque vota,

Condidit Iorio! Facet ipfe in Littore; & una

Ingentes de puppe Dei: Jamque obvia Mergis

Cofta ratis lacera..

His riches in th' Ionian main are loft;
And he himself stands shiv'ring on the coaft;
Where, deftitute of help, forlorn and bare,
He wearies the deaf Gods with fruitless pray❜r.
Their images, the relicks of the wrack,
Torn from the naked poop, are tided back
By the wild waves, and rudely thrown ashore,
Lie impotent; nor can themselves restore.
The veffel flicks, and fhews her open'd fide,
And on her shatter'd maft the mews in triumph ride.
From 5 thy new hope, and from thy growing ftore,
Now lend affiftance, and relieve the poor.
Come; do a noble act of charity;

A pittance of thy land will fet him free.
Let him not bear the badges of a wreck,
Nor 6 beg with a blue table on his back:
Nor tell me that thy frowning heir will fay,
'Tis mine that wealth thou fquander'ft thus away;
What is't to thee, if he neglect thy urn,

Or 7 without spices let thy body burn?

5 From thy new hope, &c. The Latin is, Nunc & de Cefpite, vivo, frange aliquid. Cafaubon only oppofes the Cefpes vivus, which, word for word, is the living turf, to the harveft or annual income: I fuppofe the poet rather means, fell a piece of land already sown, and give the money of it to my friend who has loft all by fhipwreck: that is, do not ftay until thou haft reaped; but help him immediately as his wants require.

6 Nor beg with a blue table, &c. Holiday tranflates it a green table: The fenfe is the fame; for the table was painted of the seacolour; which the fhipwrecked perfon carried on his back, expreffing his loffes thereby, to excite the charity of the fpectators.

7 Or without fpices, &c. The bodies of the rich before they were burnt, were embalmed with fpices: or rather spices were put into the urn, with the relicks of the ashes. Our author here names Cinnamon and Caffia, which Caffia was sophisticated with Cherry-gum: And probably enough by the Jews, who adulterate all things which they fell. But whether the ancients were acquainted with the spices of the Molucca islands, Ceylon and other parts of the Indies; or whether their Pepper and Cinnamon, &c. were the fame with ours, is another queftion. As for Nutmegs and Mace, it is plain, that the Latin names of them are modern,

If

If odours to thy afhes he refuse,
Or buys corrupted caffia from the Jews?
All thefe, the wifer Beftius will reply,
Are empty pomp, and dead-men's luxury :
We never knew this vain expence, before
Th' effeminated Grecians brought it o'er :
Now toys and trifles from their Athens come;
And dates and pepper have unfinew'd Rome.
Our sweating hinds their fallads, now, defile,
Infecting homely herbs with fragrant oil.
But, to thy fortune be not thou a slave:
For what haft thou to fear beyond the grave?
And thou who gap'ft for my eftate, draw near;
For I would whisper fomewhat in thy ear.

Hear'st thou the news, my friend? th' express is come
With laurell'd letters from the camp to Rome:
Cæfar 8 falutes the queen and fenate thus:
My arms are on the Rhine victorious.
From mourning altars fweep the duft away:
Ceafe fafting, and proclaim a fat thanksgiving day.
The 9 goodly emprefs, jollily inclin'd,
Is to the welcome bearer wond'rous kind:
And, fetting her good housewifry afide,
Prepares for all the pageantry of pride.

8 Cæfar falutes, &c. The Cæfar here mentioned is Caius Caligula, who affected to triumph over the Germans, whom he never con→ quered, as he did over the Britains; and accordingly fent letters wrapt about with laurels, to the fenate, and the emprefs Cafonia, whom I here call queen; though I know that name was not used amongst the Romans: But the word emprefs would not ftand in that verfe; for which reafon I adjourned it to another. The duft which was to be fwept away from the altars, was either the afhes which were left there, after the last sacrifice for victory; or might perhaps mean the duft or afhes, which were left on the altars, fince fome former defeat of the Romans, by the Germans: After which overthrow, the altars had been neglected.

9 Cafonia, wife to Caius Caligula, who afterwards, in the reign of Claudius, was propofed, but ineffectually, to be married to him after he had executed Meffalina for adultery.

The captive Germans of gigantic fize,

Are rank'd in order, and are clad in frize:

The fpoils of kings, and conquer'd camps we boaft,
Their arms in trophies hang on the triumphal poft.
Now, for fo many glorious actions done
In foreign parts, and mighty battles won:
For peace at home, and for the public wealth,
I mean to crown a bowl to Cæfar's health:
Befides, in gratitude for fuch high matters,
Know 2 I have vow'd two hundred gladiators.
Say, wouldst thou hinder me from this expence ?
I difinherit thee, if thou dar'ft take offence.
Yet more, a public largefs I defign

Of oil and pies, to make the people dine :
Controul me not, for fear I change my will.
And yet methinks I hear thee grumbling still,
You give as if you were the Perfian king:
Your land does not fo large revenues bring.
Well; on my terms thou wilt not be my heir?
If thou car'ft little, lefs fhall be my care:
Where none of all my
father's fifters left:
Nay, were I of my mother's kin bereft :
None by an uncle's or a grandame's fide,
Yet I could fome adopted heir provide.
I need but take my journey half a day
From haughty Rome, and at Aricia ftay,
Where fortune throws poor Manius in my way.
Him will I choofe: What him, of humble birth,
Obfcure, a foundling, and a fon of earth?

1 The captive Germans, &c. He means only fuch as were to pafs for Germans in the triumph: Large-bodied men, as they are ftill; whom the emprefs cloathed new, with coarse garments, for the greater oftentation of the victory.

2 Know, I have vow'd two hundred gladiators. A hundred pair of gladiators, were beyond the purfe of any private man to give: Therefore this is only a threatening to his heir, that he could do what he pleafed with his estate.

Obfcure