P. Each mortal has his pleasure: none deny.
Scarfdale his bottle, Darty his ham-pye;
Ridotta fips and dances, till fhe fee

The doubling luftres dance as faft as fhe;
F-loves the fenate, Hockleyhole his brother,
Like in all elfe, as one egg to another.
I love to pour out all myself, as plain

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50

As downright SHIPPEN, or as old Montagne *:
In them, as certain to be lov'd as seen,

The foul ftood forth, nor kept a thought within;
In me what spots (for spots I have) appear,
Will prove at least the medium must be clear.
In this impartial glass, my Muse attends
Fair to expose myself, my foes, my friends;
Publish the prefent age; but where my text

Is vice too high, reserve it for the next:
My foes fhall wish my life a longer date,
And ev'ry friend the lefs lament my fate.

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60

My head and heart thus flowing thro' my quill,
Verfeman or Profeman, term me which you will,
Papift or Proteftant, or both between,
Like good Erafmus in an honeft mean,
In moderation placing all my glory,

While Tories call me Whig, and Whigs a Tory.
Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet
To run a-muck, and tilt at all I meet;
I only wear it in a land of hectors,

Thieves, fupercargoes, fharpers and directors.
Save but our army! and let Jove incruft

Swords, pikes, and guns, with everlasting ruft!

*

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They had this, indeed, in common, to use great liberties of speech, and to profefs faying what they thought. Montagne had many qualities, that had gained him the love and esteem of his readers: the other had one, which always gained him the favourable attention of his hearers. For as a celebrated Roman orator observes, “ Maledicit INERUDITUS apertius et fæpius, ‹ cum periculo etiam fuo. Affert et ista res OPINIONEM, quia libentiffime "homines audiunt ea quæ dicere ipfi noluiffent." †The names, at that time, ufually bestowed on those whom the trading companies fent with their ships, and entrusted with their concerns abroad.

Peace

Peace is my dear delight—not FLEURY's more:
But touch me, and no minifter fo fore.
Whoe'er offends, at fome unlucky time
Slides into verfe, and hitches in a rhyme,
Sacred to ridicule his whole life long,
And the fad burthen of fome merry fong.
Slander or poifon dread from Delia's rage,
Hard words or hanging, if your judge be Page.
From furious Sappho scarce a milder fate,
P-x'd by her love, or libell'd by her hate.
Its proper pow'r to hurt, each creature feels;
Bulls aim their horns, and affes lift their heels;
'Tis a bear's talent not to kick, but hug;
And no man wonders he's not ftung by pug.
So drink with Walters, or with Chartres eat,
They'll never poilon you, they'll only cheat.

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Then, learned Sir! (to cut the matter short)
Whate'er my fate, or well or ill at Court,
Whether old age, with faint but chearful ray,
Attends to gild the ev'ning 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,
Ór 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.

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

Plums and directors, Shylock and his wife,

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

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85

90

95

ICO.

P. What? arm'd for virtue when I point the pen, 105 Brand the bold front of fhameless guilty men:

Dash the proud gamefter in his gilded car ;
Bare the mean heart that lurks beneath a far;
Can there be wanting, to defend her cause,
Lights of the church, or guardians of the laws?
Could penfion'd Boileau lafh in honeft ftrain
Flatt'rers and bigots ev'n in Louis' reign ?-

110

Could

Could Laureate Dryden * Pimp and Fry'r engage,
Yet neither Charles nor James be in a rage?
And I not strip the gilding off a knave,

115

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 'scape the laws.
Yes, while I live, no rich or noble knave

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

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To VIRTUE ONLY and HER FRIENDS A FRIEND.
The world befide may murmur, or commend.
Know, all the diftant din that world can keep,
Rolls o'er my grotto, and but fooths my fleep.
There, my retreat the best companions grace,
Chiefs out of war and statesmen out of place.
There ST. JOHN mingles with my friendly bowl
The feaft of reafon, and the flow of foul :

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And HE, whofe lightning pierc'd th' Iberian lines, § Now forms my quincunx, and now ranks my vines, 130 Or tames the genius of the stubborn plain,

Almoft as quickly as he conquer'd Spain.

Envy muft 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,

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Fond to fpread friendfhips, 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.

140

It was Horace's purpose to compliment the former times, and there. fore he gives the virtuous examples of Scipio and Lælius; it was Mr. Pope's to fatirize the prefent, and therefore he gives the vicious examples of Louis, Charles and James. Either way the instances are equally pertinent; but in the latter, they have rather greater force. Only the line,

Uni æquus virtuti atque ejus amicis,

lofes fomething of its spirit in the imitation; for the amici, referred to, were Scipio and Lælius.

§ Charles Mordaunt, earl of Peterborow, who in the year 1705 took Barcelona, and in the winter following, with only 280 horfe and 900 foot, enterprized and accomplished the conqueft of Valentia,

This

This is my plea, on this I reft my cause-
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 ftands on record, that in Richard's times,
A man was hang'd* for very honeft rhymes;
Confult the statute, quart. I think it is,
Edvardi fext. or prim, et quint. Eliz.
See Libels, Satires-here you have it—read.

P. Libels and Satires! lawless things indeed!
But grave Epiftles, 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 hiss'd,
My lords the judges laugh, and you're dismiss'd,

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* A great French lawyer explains this matter very truly. "L'Ariftocra"tie eft le Gouvernement qui profcrit les plus les Ouvrages fatiriques. Les Magistrats y font de petits fouverains, qui ne font pas affez grands pour meprifer les injures. Si dans la Monarchie quelque trait va contre le Monarque, il eft fi haut que le trait n'arrive point jufqu' à lui; un Seigneur Aristocratique en eft percé de part en part. Auffi les Decemvirs, qui formoient une Ariftocratie punirent-ils de mort les Ecrits Satiriques." De L'Efprit des Loix, L. xii. c. 13.

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Some critics tell us, it is want of taste to put this line in the mouth of Trebatius. But our poet confutes this cenfure, by fhewing how well the fenfe of it agrees to his friend's character.. The lawyer is cautious and fearful; but as foon as Sir ROBERT, the patron both of law and gospel, is named as approving them, he changes his note, and, in the language of old Plouden, owns, the cafe is altered. Now was it not as natural, when Horace had given a hint that Auguftus himself supported him, for Trebatius, a court advocate, who had been long a client to him and his uncle, to confess the cafe was altered.

SA

THE

SECOND SATIRE of the SECOND BOOK

O F

HOR A CE.

SATIRE II.

To Mr. BE THE L.

WHAT, and how great the virtue and the art

To live on little with a chearful heart;

(A doctrine fage, but truly none of mine)
Let's talk, my friends, but talk before we dine.

Not when a guilt buffet's reflected pride

5

Turns you from found philosophy afide;

Not when from plate to plate your eye-balls roll,
And the brain dances to the mantling bowl.

*

Hear BETHEL's fermon, one not vers'd in schools, But ftrong in fenfe, and wife without the rules.

Go work, hunt, exercife! (he thus began)
Then scorn a homely dinner, if you can.
Your wine lock'd up, your butler ftroll❜d abroad,
Or fish deny'd (the river yet unthaw'd)

If then plain bread and milk will do the feat,
The pleasure lies in you, and not the meat.
Preach as I please, I doubt our curious men
Will chufe a pheasant still before a hen;

* The fame to whom several of Mr. Pope's Letters are addressed. VOL. II.

E

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