Millia. ¶ me pedibus dele&at claudere verba, Ille velut fidis arcana fodalibus olim Credebat libris; neque, fi male gefferat, ufquam NOTES. Vita A poet, like Lucilius, ought to have been named, not a politician. In the original, Horace calls Lucilius, fenis; not because he was an old man, but because he was of an ancient equestrian family, and was great uncle of Pompey the Great. Lucilius, among other inaccuracies of style, sometimes ftrangely disjoined words, as in cere comminuit brum, for cerebrum. VER. 52. As downright SHIPPEN,] The nobleft teftimony to the character of Shippen, was given by Sir Robert Walpole, when he declared, which he repeatedly did, "that he would not fay who was corrupted, but he would say who was NOT CORRU PTIBLE; that man was Shippen." Coxe's Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole. He was consistent in conduct, open and frank in his oppofition to the existing government, and of inflexible honefty and integrity; but he was known to be difaffected to the Proteftant fucceffion, and indeed never hesitated to avow his fentiments. This may account for Pope's panegyric, but it makes Sir Robert Walpole's teftimony to his character more manly. A more particular account of him from Coxe's Memoirs may not be unacceptable: “ He was born 1671, and was educated at Stockport school. He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1707 for Bramber in Suffex; and in 1714 he was elected for Newton in Lancashire, which place he represented till his death. His paternal estate was not more than 400l. per annum ; but he obtained a large fortune, 7c,cc0 pounds, by his wife, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Richard Stote, Knight, of Northumberland, by whom he left no children: his mode of living was fimple and frugal. He kept up a conflant I love to pour out all myself, as plain As downright SHIPPEN, or as old Montagne : The foul ftood forth, nor kept a thought within; NOTES. 55 60 My a conftant correfpondence with Atterbury, during his exile; and William Morrice mentions him in one of his letters, as a perfon who continued fixed to his principles, or, as he expreffes himfelf, as honeft as ever. He feems to have had no country refidence, except a hired house on Richmond-Hill, but made excurfions in fummer to his wife's relations in Northumberland His ufual place of abode was London, in the latter period of his life, in Norfolk Street, and his houfe was the rendezvous for perfons of rank, learning, and abilities; his manner was pleafing and dignified, and his converfation was replete with vivacity and wit. "Shippen and Sir Robert Walpole had always a perfonal regard for each other. He was frequently heard to fay, Robin and I are two honest men. He is for King George, and I for King James, but thofe men with long cravats (meaning Sandys, Sir John Rufhout, Gibbon, and others) only defire places, either under King George or King James. "By the accounts of those who had heard him in the House of Commons, his manner was highly energetic and fpirited, as to sentiment and expreffion; but he generally fpoke in a low tone of voice, with too great rapidity, and held his glove before his mouth. His fpeeches ufually contained fome pointed period, which peculiarly applied to the subject in debate, and which he uttered with great animation." VOL. IV. Coxe's Memoirs of Sir R. Walpole, vol. iii. p. 206. G t Vita fenis. fequor hunc, Lucanus an Appulus, an ceps: [Nam Venufinus arat finem fub utrumque colonus, Tutus ab infeftis latronibus?" O pater et rex Jupiter, ut pereat pofitum rubigine telum, NOTES. Nec VER. 63. My head and heart thus flowing through my quill,] In ferior to the Original: "Ille velut fidis arcana fodalibus olim Credebat libris," &c. Perfius alluded to this idea, when he said, “Vidi, vidi ipfe, Libelle !" &c. WARBURTON. VER. 64. Verfe-man or Profe-man,] The original, Ver. 35. Nam Venufinus arat, down to Ver. 39. and to the words, incuteret violenta, which are improperly printed in a parenthesis, have been thought an awkward and a monkish interpolation, but were undoubtedly intended by Horace to reprefent the loofe, incoherent, and verbofe manner of Lucilius, who compofed haftily and carelessly, ducentos ante cibum verfus ; and who loaded his Satires with many useless and impertinent thoughts, very offenfive to the chafte and correct taste of Horace. WARTON. VER. 66. Like good Erafmus] The violence and haughtiness of Luther disgusted the mild and moderate Erafmus, and alienated him from pursuing the plan of reformation which at first he seemed to encourage and engage in. Luther reprefented him as an Arian and a time-ferver. "I thought," faid Erafmus, "Luther's marriage would have foftened him a little. It is hard for a man of my moderation and of my years to be obliged to write against a savage beast and a furious wild boar." But great revolutions and great reformations are not effected by calm and fober reafon, My foes fhall wish my life a longer date, And ev'ry friend the lefs lament my fate. My head and heart thus flowing through my quill, I Verfe-man or Profe-man, term me which you will, Papist or Protestant, or both between, Like good Erafmus in an honest Mean, In moderation placing all my glory, While Tories call me Whig, and Whigs a Tory. Thieves, Supercargoes, Sharpers, and Directors. NOTES. 65 70 Peace reason, nor without fuch violence and enthufiafın as Luther poffeffed. When Voltaire was lamenting that Locke and Newton had few difciples in comparison of the numerous followers of Luther and Calvin, it was replied to him, "that, without a Luther and Calvin, we should never have had a Locke or Newton." WARTON. VER. 70. To run a muck,] The expreffion is from Dryden: "Frontless and satire-proof, he scours the streets, And runs an Indian muck at all he meets." And it alludes to a practice among the Malayans, who are great gamefters; which is, that when a man has lost all his property, he intoxicates himself with opium, works himself up to a fit of phrenzy, rushes into the ftreets, and attacks and murders all he WARTON. meets. VER. 71. I only wear it in a land of Hectors, &c.] Superior to "tutus ab infeftis latronibus," which only carries on the metaphor in "enfis Vagina tectus ;" G 2 whereas W Nec quifquam noceat cupido mihi pacis! at ille, Qui me commôrit (melius non tangere, clamo,) X ' Cervius iratus leges minitatur et urnam; Canidia Albuti, quibus eft inimica, venenum; Grande malum Turius, fi quid fe judice certes, * Ut, quo quifque valet, fufpectos terreat, utque Imperet hoc Natura potens, fic collige mecum. Dente lupus, cornu taurus petit; unde, nifi intus Monftratum? Scævæ vivacem crede nepoti a NOTES. Matrem ; whereas the imitation does more; for, along with the metaphor, it conveys the image of the fubject, by prefenting the reader with the feveral objects of fatire. WARBURTON. VER. 73. Save but our Army! Sc.] "Une maladie nouvelle,” fays the admirable Author de L'efprit de Loix, "s'eft répandue en Europe; elle a faifi nos Princes, et leur fait entretenir un nombre defordonné de Troupes. Elle a fes redoublemens, et elle devient uccessairement contagieufe. Car fi tot qu'un Etat augmente ce qu'il appelle fes Troupes, les autres foudain augmentent les leurs, de façon qu'on ne gagne rien par-là que la Ruïne commune. Chaque Monarque tient fur pied toutes les Armées qu'il pourroit avoir, fi fes Peuples etoient en danger d'étre exterminés; et on NOMME PAIX, CET ETAT D'EFFORT DE TOUS CONTRE TOUS. Auffi l'Europe eft elle fi ruinée, que les particuliers, qui feroient dans la fituation où font les trois Puiffances de cette partie du monde les plus opulentes, n'auroient pas de quoi vivre. Nous fommes pauvres avec les richeffes et le commerce de tout l'univers ; et bientôt, à force d'avoir des foldats, nous n'aurons plus que des foldats, et nous ferons comme des Tartares." WARBURTON. VER. 78. Slides into verfe,] Clofely copied from Boileau ; WARTON. VER. 81. Delia's rage] A Mifs Mackenzie died about this time, and was fuppofed to have been poifoned from jealousy. A hint of this kind was fufficient for Pope. The person alluded to was Lady D ne. |