This fatire confifts of two diftinct parts: the first contains the praises of the Stoick philofopher Cornutus, mafter and tutor to our Perfius. It also declares the love and piety of Perfus, to his welldeferving mafter; and the mutual friendship which continued betwixt them, after Perfius was now grown a man. As alfo his exhortation to young noblemen, that they would enter themselves into his inftitution. From hence he makes an artful tranfition into the second part of his fubject: wherein he first complains of the floth of scholars, and afterwards perfuades them to the pursuit of their true liberty: here our author excellently treats that paradox of the Stoicks, which affirms, that the wife or virtuous man is only free, and that all vicious men are naturally flaves. And, in the illuftration of this dogma, he takes up the remaining part of this inimitable fatire.

THE

FIFTH SATIRE.

INSCRIBED TO THE

REVEREND DR. BUSBY.

THE SPEAKERS

PERSIUS AND CORNUTUS.

PERSIUS.

OF ancient use to poets it belongs,
To with themselves an hundred mouths and

tongues :

Whether to the well-lung'd tragedian's rage
They recommend the labours of the stage,
Or fing the Parthian, when transfix'd he lies, 5
Wrenching the Roman javelin from his thighs.

CORNUTUS.

And why wouldst thou these mighty morfels chufe,

Of words unchew'd, and fit to choak the mufe?

Let fuftian poets with their ftuff be gone,
And fuck the mifts that hang o'er Helicon; 10
When Progne or Thyeftes' feast they write;
And, for the mouthing actor, verse indite.
Thou neither, like a bellows, fwell'ft thy face,
As if thou wert to blow the burning mass
Of melting ore; nor canft thou strain thy throat,
Or murmur in an undistinguish'd note,
Like rolling thunder, till it breaks the cloud,
And rattling nonsense is discharg'd aloud.
Soft elocution does thy ftile renown,

16

And the sweet accents of the peaceful gown: 20
Gentle or sharp, according to thy choice,
To laugh at follies, or to lafh at vice.

Hence draw thy theme, and to the stage permit Raw-head and Bloody-bones, and hands and feet,

Ragoufts for Tereus or Thyeftes dreft;

25

'Tis tafk enough for thee to expofe a Roman feaft.

PERSIUS.

'Tis not, indeed, my talent to engage In lofty trifles, or to fwell my page

Ver. 11. Progne was wife to Tereus, king of Thracia: Tereus fell in love with Philomela, fifter to Progne, ravished her, and cut out her tongue in revenge of which, Progue killed Itys, her own fon by Tereus, and ferved him up at a feast, to be eaten by his father.

Ibid. Thyeftes and Atreus were brothers, both kings: Atreus to revenge himfelf of his unnatural brother, killed the fons of Thyeftes, and invited him to eat them.

With wind and noise; but freely to impart,
As to a friend, the fecrets of my heart;
And, in familiar fpeech, to let thee know
How much I love thee, and how much I owe.
Knock on my heart: for thou haft skill to find.
If it found folid, or be fill'd with wind;
And, through the veil of words, thou view'ft
the naked mind.

For this a hundred voices I defire,

35

30

To tell thee what a hundred tongues would

tire;

Yet never could be worthily exprest,

How deeply thou art feated in my breaft. When firft my childish robe refign'd the

charge,

40

And left me, unconfin'd, to live at large;
When now my golden Bulla (hung on high
To houfhold gods) declar'd me past a boy ;
And my white shield proclaim'd my liberty;
When with my wild companions, I could roll 45
From ftreet to street, and fin without controul;
Juft at that age, when manhood fet me free,
I then depos'd myself, and left the reins to thee.

Ver. 40. By the childish robe is meant the Prætexta, or firft gowns which the Roman children of quality wore: these were welted with purple, and on thofe welts were fastened the Bullæ, or little bells, which, when they came to the age of puberty, were hung up, and confecrated to the Lares, or household gods.

Ver. 44. The first shields which the Roman youths wore were white, and without any imprefs or device on them, to fhew they had yet atchieved nothing in the wars.

50

On thy wife bofom I repos'd my head,
And by my better Socrates was bred.
Then thy ftraight rule fet virtue in my fight,
The crooked line reforming by the right.
My reason took the bent of thy command,
Was form'd and polish'd by thy skilful hand:
Long fummer-days thy precepts I rehearse; 55
And winter-nights were fhort in our converse :
One was our labour, one was our repose,
One frugal fupper did our ftudies close.

60

Sure on our birth fome friendly planet shone ; And, as our fouls, our horofcope was one: Whether the mounting Twins did heaven adorn, Or, with the rifing Balance we were born; Both have the fame impreffions from above; And both have Saturn's rage, repell'd by Jove. What ftar I know not, but some star I find, Has given thee an afcendant o'er my mind.

65

Ver. 50. Socrates by the Oracle was declared to be the wifeft of mankind: he inftructed many of the Athenian young noblemen in morality, and amongst the reft Alcibiades.

Ver. 60. Aftrologers divide the heaven into twelve parts, according to the number of the twelve figns of the zodiack: the fign or conftellation which rifes in the eaft, at the birth of any man, is called the afcendant: Perfius, therefore, judges that Cornutus and he had the fame, or a like nativity.

Ver. 61. The fign of Gemini.

Ver. 62. The fign of Libra.

Ver. 64. Aftrologers have an axiom, that whatsoever Saturn ties is loofed by Jupiter: they account Saturn to be a planet of a malevolent nature, and Jupiter of a propitious influence.