Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis ?

▾ Infanire putas folennia me, neque rides,

W

Nec medici credis, nec curatoris egere

A praetore dati; rerum * tutela mearum

Cum fis, et prave fectum ftomacheris ob unguem,

De te pendentis, te refpicientis amici.

Ad fummam, fapiens uno minor eft Jove, dives,

с

* Liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regum ;

Praecipue fanus, nifi cum pituita molefta eft.

I plant, root up; 1 build, and then confound;
Turn round to square, and fquare again to round;
▾ You never change one muscle of your face,
You think this Madness but a common case,
Nor once to Chanc'ry, nor to Hale apply;
Yet hang your lip, to fee a Seam awry!
Careless how ill I with myself agree,

Kind to my drefs, my figure, not to Me.

171

175

Is this my Guide, Philosopher, and Friend?
This, he who loves me, and who ought to mend?
Who ought to make me (what he can, or none,)
That Man divine whom Wisdom calls her own; 180
Great without Title, without Fortune blefs'd;
Richev'n when plunder'd, honour'd while op-

prefs'd;

b

Lov'd without youth, and follow'd without pow'r;
At home, tho' exil'd; free, tho' in the Tower;
In short, that reas'ning, high, immortal Thing, 185
Juft lefs than Jove, and much above a King,

с

Nay, half in heav'n- except (what's mighty odd) A Fit of Vapours clouds this Demy-God.

* H

EPISTOLA

VI.

IL admirari, prope res eft una, Numici,

NIL

Solaque quae poffit facere et fervare beatum.

Hunc folem, et ftellas, et decedentia certis Tempora momentis, funt qui formidine nulla Imbuti fpectent.quid cenfes, munera terrae ? Quid, maris extremos Arabas • ditantis et Indos?

NOTES.

VER. 3. Dear MURRAY] This piece is the moft finished of all his imitations, and executed in that high manner the Italian Painters call con amore. By which they mean, the exertion of that principle, which puts the faculties on the stretch, and produces the fupreme degree of excellence. For the Poet had all the warmth of affection for the great Lawyer to whom it is addressed, and indeed no man ever more deferved to have a Poet for his friend. In the obtaining of which as neither vanity, party, or fear had any share, fo he fupported his title to it by all the offices of true friendship,

VER. 4. Creech)] From whose translation of Horace the two firft lines are taken. P.

VER. 8. trust the Ruler with the fkies, To bim commit the hour,] Our Author, in these imitations, has been all along careful to correct the loofe morals, and absurd divinity of his Original.