S EE the wild Waste of all-devouring years! How Rome her own fad Sepulchre appears, With nodding arches, broken temples spread! The very Tombs now vanifh'd like their dead! NOTES. THIS was originally | written in the year 1715, when Mr Addison intended to publish his book of medals; it was fome time before he was Secretary of State; but not published till Mr Tickell's Edition of his works; at which time the verfes on Mr Craggs, which conclude the poem, were added, viz. in 1720. P. EPIST. V.] As the third Epiftle treated of the ex Imperial wonders rais'd on Nations spoil'd, 5 Where mix'd with Slaves the groaning Martyr toil'd: Huge Theatres, that now unpeopled Woods, NOTES. the fourth. 10 tremes of Avarice and Pro- | is, therefore, a corollary to VER. 6. Where mix'd Barbarian blindness, Christian zeal conspire, For the Slaves mentioned ruin what those were so in- VER. 9. Fanes, which admiring Gods with pride. Some felt the filent stroke of mould'ring age, 15 Perhaps, by its own ruins fav'd from flame, Ambition figh'd: She found it vain to trust The faithlefs Column and the crumbling Buft: 20 Huge moles, whofe fhadow ftretch'd from fhore to fhore, Their ruins perifh'd, and their place no more! NOTES. furvey,] Thefe Gods were | the then Tyrants of Rome, to whom the Empire raised Temples. The epithet, admiring, conveys a strong ri dicule; that paffion, in the opinion of Philofophy, always conveying the ideas of ignorance and mifery: Nil admirari prope res eft una, Numici, Admiration implying our | A fine infinuation of the en ignorance of other things; pride, our ignorance of our felves. VER. 18. And give to Titus old Vefpafian's due.] tire want of Tafte in Antiquaries; whofe ignorance of Characters misleads them, (fupported only by a name) againft Reafon and Hiftory. Convinc'd, the now contracts her vast design, And little Eagles wave their wings in gold. 25 The Medal, faithful to its charge of fame, Thro' climes and ages bears each form and name : In one short view fubjected to our eye Gods, Emp'rors, Heroes, Sages, Beauties, lie. With sharpen'd fight pale Antiquaries pore, Th' infcription value, but the ruft adore. VER. 25. NOTES. A narrow 30 35 VER. 35. With fharpen'd fight pale Antiquaries pore,] Microscopic glaffes, invent Orb each crowded Conqueft keeps,] A ridicule on the pompous title of Orbis Ro-ed by philofophers to difmanus, which the Romans gave to their empire. VER. 27. the proud Arch] i. e. The triumphal Arch, which was generally an enormous mass of build-dals. ing. cover the beauties in the minuter works of nature, ridiculously applied by Antiquaries, to detect the cheats of counterfeit me This the blue varnish, that the green endears, Sighs for an Otho, and neglects his bride. 40 45 Theirs is the Vanity, the Learning thine: Touch'd by thy hand, again Rome's glories fhine; Her Gods, and god-like Heroes rife to view, And all her faded garlands bloom a-new. Nor blush, these studies thy regard engage; These pleas'd the Fathers of poetic rage; NOTES. VER. 37. This the blue | varnish, that the green endears,] i. e. This a collector of filver; That, of brass coins. VER. 41. Poor Vadius] See his hiftory, and that of his Shield, in the Memoirs of Scriblerus. VER. 49. Nor blush, thefe Studies thy regard engage ;] A fenfelefs affectation which 50 fome writers of eminence have betrayed; who when fortune, or their talents, have raised them to a condition to do without those arts, for which only they gained our esteem, have pretended to think letters below their Character. This falfe fhame M. Voltaire has very well, and with proper indignation, expofed in his |