THE SIXTH SATIRE OF JUVENAL. THE ARGUMENT. This fatire, of almost double length to any of the reft, is a bitter invective against the fair fex. 'Tis indeed, a common-place, from whence all the moderns have notoriously ftolen their sharpest railleries. In his other fatires, the poet has only glanced on fome particular women, and generally fcourged the men. But this be referved wholly for the ladies. How they had offended him I know not: but upon the whole matter he is not to be excufed for imputing to all, the vices of fome few amongst them. Neither was it generously done of him, to attack the weakest as well as the fairest part of the creation: neither do I know what moral he could reasonably draw from it. It could not be to avoid the whole fex, if all had been true which he alledges against them: for that had been to put an end to human kind. And to bid us be ware of their artifices, is a kind of filent acknowledgment, that they have more wit than men : which turns the fatire upon us, and particularly upon the poet; who thereby makes a compliment, where he meant a libel. If he intended only to exercife his wit, he has forfeited his judgment, by making the one half of his readers his mortal enemies and amongst the men, all the happy lovers, by their own experience, will disprove his accufations. The whole world must allow this to be the wittiest of his fatires; and truly he had need of all his parts, to maintain with fo much violence, fo unjust a charge. I am satisfied he will bring but few over to his opinion: and on that confideration chiefly I ventured to tranflate bim. Tho there wanted not another reafon, which was, that no one else would undertake it: at least, Sir C. S. who could have done more right to the author, after a long delay, at length abfolutely refused fo ungrateful an employment: and every one will grant, that the work must have been imperfect and lame, if it had appeared without one of the principal members belonging to it. Let the poet therefore bear the blame of his own invention; and let me fatisfy the world, that I am not of his opinion. Whatever his Roman ladies were, the English are free from all his imputations. They will read with wonder and abber rence the vices of an age, famous of any on record. which was the most in They will bless them felves when they behold thofe examples, related of Domitian's time: they will give back to antiquity thofe monsters it produced: and believe with reafon, that the fpecies of those women is extinguished; or at least, that they were never here propagated. I may fifely therefore proceed to the argument of a fatire, which is no way relating to them: and first obferve, that my author makes their luft the most beroic of their vices: the rest are in a manner but digreffion. He fkims them over; but he dwells on this: when he feems to have taken his last leave of it, on the fudden he returns to it: 'is one branch of it in Hippia, another in Meffalina, but luft is the main body of the tree. He begins with this text in the first line, and takes it up with intermifons to the end of the chapter. Every vice is a loader, but that's a ten. The fillers, or intermediate parts, are their revenge; their contrivances of fecret crimes; their arts to hide them; their wit to excuse them; and their impudence to own them, when they can no longer be kept secret. Then the perfons to whom they are most addicted; and on whom they commonly bestow the last favours? as ftage-players, fidlers, finging-boys, and fencers. Those who pass for chaste amongst them, are not really fo; but only for their vaft dowries, are rather fuffered, than loved by their own husbands. That they are imperious, domineering, Scolding wives: fet up for learning and criticism in poetry; but are falfe judges. Love to speak Greek (which was then the fashionable tongue, as French is now with us.) That they plead caufes at the bar, and play prizes at the bear-garden. That they are goffips and news-mongers: wrangle with their neighbours abroad, and beat their servants at home. That they lie-in for new faces once a month, are fluttish with their kufbands in private; and paint and dress in public for their lovers. That they deal with few, diviners, and fortune-tellers: learn the arts of mifcarrying, and barrenness. Buy children, and produce them for their own. Murder their husbands fons, if they stand in their way to his cftate; and make their adulterers bis heirs. From hence the poet proceeds to shew the occafions of all thefe vices, their original, and how they were introduced in Rome, by peace, wealth, and luxury. In conclufion, if we will take the word of our malicious author, bad women are the ge neral standing rule; and the good, but some few exceptions to it. N Saturn's reign, at Nature's early birth, I There was that thing call'd chastity on earth; When in a narrow cave, their common fhade, The sheep, the shepherds, and their Gods were laid: When reeds and leaves, and hides of beafts were fpread By mountain-housewives for their homely bed, And moffy pillows rais'd, for the rude husband's head. Unlike the nicenefs of our modern dames, |