Lento Samnites ad lumina prima duello. • Ridentur mala qui componunt carmina : ve rum Gaudent fcribentes, et fe venerantur, et ultro, Cum tabulis animum cenforis fumet honefti: NOTES. VER. 167. Command old words, that long have flept, to wake] The imagery is here very fublime. It turns the Poet to a Magician evoking the dead from their fepulchres, "Or, I'm content, allow me Dryden's ftrains, 145 150 • In vain, bad Rhimers all mankind reject, They treat themselves with most profound refpect; 'Tis to small purpose that you hold your tongue, 155 Each prais'd within, is happy all day long, But how feverely with themselves proceed The men, who write fuch Verse as we can read? 1 Their own ftrict Judges, not a word they spare That wants or force, or light, or weight, or care, 160 Howe'er unwillingly it quits its place, ; Nay tho' at Court (perhaps) it may find grace: NOTES. Et mugire folum, manifque exire fepulchris. Horace has not the fame force; Proferet in lucem Speciofa vocabula rerum. 165 Adfcifcet nova, quae genitor produxerit ufus : Dum mea delectent mala me, vel denique fallant, NOTES. VER. 170. For Ufe will father what's begot by Senfe] A very fine and happy improvement on the expreffion, it not on the thought, of his original. VER. 175. But how no mercy to an empty line ;] To fuch, our Poet was always inexorable. Unless it was once, when in the full blaze of his glory, he chofe to sacrifice to envy, in that devoted and execrable line, in one of the beft tranflated books of the Odyffey, "Close to the Cliff with both his hands he clung, The small critics could never have fupported themselves without the confolation of such a verse; to which indeed ever fince the whole tribe of Scriblers with both their hands have clung, And fuck adherent, and fufpended hung. Or bid the new be English, ages hence, (For Use will father what's begot by Senfe) 170 Then polish all, with so much life and ease, If fuch the plague and pains to write by rule, 180 NOTES. But there is a fet of still lower Creatures than these, at the tail of which is one EDWARDS, who can make shift to fubfift even on a Printer's blunder. The late Editor of Shakespear gave order to the corrector of the press, that all Mr. Pope's notes fhould be printed in their places. In one of these there was mention made, as they fay, of fome Italian novels (I forget whofe) in which Dec. and Nov. were printed thus contractedly. But the printers of the late edition lengthen'd them into December and November, and, in this condition, they are charged upon the Editor by this Edwards. Now, was the man such a Dunce to make his criticism with good faith, he is much to be pitied; was he fuch a Knave to make it without, he is much more to be pitied. * N In vacuo laetus feffor plauforque theatro: Caetera qui vitae fervaret munia recto More; bonus fane vicinus, amabilis hofpes, Comis in uxorem; posset qui ignofcere servis, Poffet qui rupem, et puteum vitare patentem. • Nimirum fapere eft abjectis utile nugis, Et tempeftivum pueris concedere ludum ; NOTES. VER. 184. There liv'd in primo Georgii, etc.] The imitation of this ftory of the Madman is as much fuperior to his original, in the fine and easy manner of telling, as that of Lucullus's Soldier comes fhort of it. It is true the turn |