So drink with Walters, or with Chartres eat,
They'll never poifon you, they'll only cheat.

↳ Then, learned Sir! (to cut the matter short)
Whate'er my fate, or well or ill at Court,
Whether Old age, with faint but clearful ray,
Attends to gild the Evening of my day,
Or Death's black wing already be display'd,
To wrap me in the univerfal fhade;

Whether the darken'd room to mufe invite,
Or whiten❜d wall provoke the skew'r to write:
In durance exile, Bedlam, or the Mint,

• Like Lee or Budgell, I will rhyme and print.

90

95

100

F. Alas young man! your days can ne'er be long, In flow'r of age you perish for a fong!

Plums and Directors, Shylock and his Wife,

Will club their Testers, now, to take your life!

P. What? arm'd for Virtue when I point the pen, Brand the bold front of fhameless guilty men ; 106

Imperet hoc Natura potens, fic collige mecum.
Dente lupus, cornu taurus petit ; unde, nifi intus
Monftratum! a Scaevae vivacem crede nepoti
Matrem ; nil faciet fceleris pia dextra (mirum ?
Ut neque calce lupus quemquam, neque dente petit bos)
Sed mala tollet anum vitiato melle cicuta.

Ne longum faciam: feu me tranquilla fenectus
Expectat, feu mors atris circumvolat alis,
Dives, inops; Romae, feu fors ita jufferit, exful;
Quifquis erit vitae, fcribam, color.

T. O Puer, ut fis

Vitalis metuo; et majorum ne quis amicus

Frigore te feriat.

H. e Quid? cum eft Lucilius aufus

Dash the proud Gamester in his gilded Car;

Bare the mean Heart that lurks beneath a Star;
Can there be wanting, to defend Her cause,
Lights of the Church, or Guardians of the Laws?
Could penfion'd Boileau lafh in honest strain
Flatt'rers and Bigots ev'n in Louis' reign?
Could Laureate Dryden Pimp and Fry'r engage,
Yet neither Charles nor James be in a rage?
And I not f ftrip the gilding off a Knave,
Unplac'd, unpenfion'd, no man's heir, or flave?
I will, or perish in the gen'rous cause:

Hear this, and tremble! you who 'fcape the Laws.
Yes, while I live, no rich or noble knave

115

I 20

Shall walk the World, in credit, to his grave.

TO VIRTUE ONLY and HER FRIENDS A FRIEND,

The World befide may murmur, or commend.
Know, all the distant din that world can keep,
Rolls o'er my Grotto, and but fooths my fleep.
There, my retreat the best Companions grace, 125
Chiefs out of war, and Statesmen out of place.

Primus in hunc operis componere carmina morem,
f Detrahere et pellem, nitidus qua quifque per ora
Cederet, introrfum turpis; num Lælius, et qui
Duxit ab oppreffa meritum Carthagine nomen,
Ingenio offenli? aut laefo doluere Metello,
Famofifque Lupo cooperto verfibus? atqui
Primores populi arripuit populumque tribution;
Scilicet & UNI EQUUS VIRTUTI ATQUE EJUS AMICIS.
h Quin ubi fe a vulgo et fcena in fecreta remôrant
Virtus Scipiadae et mitis fapientia Laeli,

Nugare cum illo, et difcincti ludere, donec

There St JOHN mingles with my friendly bowl
The Feaft of Reafon and the Flow of foul:

And He, whofe lightning pierc'd th' Iberian Lines,
Now forms my Quincunx, and now ranks my Vines,
Or tames the Genius of the stubborn plain,
Almoft as quickly as he conquer'd Spain.

131

i Envy must own, I live among the Great,
No Pimp of pleasure, and no Spy of state,
With eyes that pry not, tongue that ne'er repeats, 135
Fond to fpread friendships, but to cover heats;

To help who want, to forward who excel;
This, all who know me, know; who love me, tell;
And who unknown defame me, let them be,
Scriblers or Peers, alike are Mob to me.

This is my Plea, on this I rest my caufe

k What faith my Council, learned in the laws!
F. Your Plea is good; but ftill I fay, beware!
Laws are explain'd by men-so have a care.
It stands on record, that in Richard's times
A man was hang'd for very honeft rhymes;

Decoqueretur olus, foliti.

Quidquid fum ego, quamvis
Infra Lucili cenfum, ingeniumque; tamen me
i Cum magnis vixiffe invita fatebitur ufque
Invidia; et fragili quaerens illidere dentem,
Offendet folido:

Diffentis.

knifi quid tu, docte Trebati,

T. Equidem nihil hinc diffingere poffum Sed tamen ut monitus caveas, ne forte negotî Incutiat tibi quid fanctarum infcitia legum:

140

145

m Confult the Statute, quart. I think, it is, Edwardi fext. or prim. et quint. Eliz.

See Libels, Satires-here you have it-read.

n

P. Libels and Satires! lawless things indeed! 150 But grave Epifiles, bringing Vice to light,

Such as a King might read, a Bishop write,

Such as Sir ROBERT Would

approve

F. Indeed?

The Cafe is alter'd-you may then proceed;
In fuch a cause the Plaintiff will be hifs'd,
My Lords the Judges laugh, and you're dismiss'd.

155

m« Si mala condiderit in quem quis carmina, jus eft "Judiciumque."

H. Efto, fiquis mala. fed bona fi quis Judice condiderit laudatus CESARE? fi quis Opprobriis dignum laceraverit, integer ipfe? T. Solventur rifu tabulæ : tu miffus abibis.

THE

Second Satire of the Second Book

O F

HORA CE

To Mr BETHEL.

a

WHAT, and how great, the Virtue and the

Art

To live on little with a chearful heart;

b

(A doctrine fage, but truly none of mine)

Let's talk, my Friends, but talk before we dine.
• Not When a gilt Buffet's reflected pride
Turns you from found Philofophy afide:

QUAE virtus & quanta, boni, fit vivere parvo, (Nec meus hic fermo: fed quae praecepit Ofellus, Rufticus, abnormis Sapiens, craffaque Minerva) Difcite, non inter lances menfafque nitentes; Cum ftupet infanis acies fulgoribus, et cum Acclinis falfis animus meliora recufat!

e Verum hic impranfi mecum difquirite. Cur hoc? Dicam fi potero. male verum examinat omnis