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Quid placet, aut odio eft, quod non mutabile credas?

Hoc paces habuere bonae, ventique fecundi.

e Romae dulce diu fuit et folemne, reclusa

Mane domo vigilare, clienti promere jura;

Scriptos 3 nominibus rectis expendere nummos;
* Majores audire, minori dicere, per quae
Crefcere res poffet, minui damnofa libido.

Mutavit mentem populus levis, het calet uno
Scribendi ftudio: puerique patrefque feveri

Fronde comas vincti coenant, et carmina dictant.

NOTES.

VER. 158. Now all for Pleasure, now for Church and State ;] The first half of Charles the Second's Reign was paffed in an abandoned diffolutenefs of manners; the other half, in factious disputes about popish plots and French prerogative.

VER. 160. Effects unhappy! from a Noble Caufe.] i. e. The love of Liberty.-Mr. Voltaire, while in England, writes thus to a friend in Paris-❝ I had a mind at first to print our poor "Henry at my own expences in London; but the lofs of my "money is a fad ftop to my defign. I question if I fhall try the "way of Subfcriptions by the favour of the Court. I am weary "of Courts. All that is King or belongs to a King frights my "republican Philofophy. I wont drink the leaft draught of

Slavery in the Land of Liberty. I have written freely to

Now Whig, now Tory, what we lov'd we hate; Now all for Pleasure, now for Church and State; Now for Prerogative, and now for Laws;

Effects unhappy! from a Noble Cause.

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160

e Time was, a fober Englishman wou'd knock His fervants up, and rife by five o'clock, Inftruct his Family in ev'ry rule,

165

And fend his Wife to church, his Son to school.
To f worship like his Fathers, was his care;
To teach their frugal Virtues to his Heir;
Το prove, that Luxury could never hold;
And place, on good Security, his Gold.

h

Now times are chang'd, and one " Poetic Itch
Has feiz'd the Court and City, poor and rich: 170
Sons, Sires, and Grandfires, all will wear the bays,
Our Wives read Milton, and our Daughters Plays,

NOTES.

" and I will always do fo, having no reason to lay myself under "any reftraint. I fear, I hope nothing from your Country: all “that I wish for, is to fee you one day here. I am entertain"ing myself with this pleafant hope. If it is but a dream le

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me enjoy it don't undeceive me: let me believe I shall have "the pleasure to fee you in London, drawing up the strong spi"rit of this unaccountable Nation. You will tranflate their "thoughts better when you live amongst them. You will fee "a Nation fond of their Liberty, learned, witty, defpifing Life "and Death, a nation of Philofophers. Not but that there "are fome fools in England. Every Country has its madmen. It may be, French folly is pleafanter than English madness,

Ipfe ego, qui nullos me affirmo fcribere verfus,

Invenior Parthis mendacior; et prius orto

Sole vigil, calamum et chartas et fcrinia posco.

Navem agere ignarus navis timet: abrotonum aegro Non audet, nifi qui didicit, dare: quod medicorum eft,

Promittunt medici: tractant fabrilia fabri:

m Scribimus indocti doctique poemata paffim.

NOTES.

"but by-English wisdom and English honefty is above yours.” MS. Eng. Let. Oct. 15, 1726.

VER. 180. to fhew our Wit.] The force of this consists in the ambiguity. To fhew how conftant we are to our refolutionsor, to fhew what fine verfes we can make.

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VER. 181. He ferv'd etc.] To the fimple elegance of the original, the Poet has here added great spirit and vivacity, without departing from the fidelity of a translation.

VER. 182. Ward] A famous Empiric, whofe Pill and Drop had several surprizing effects, and were one of the principal subjects of writing and conversation at this time. P.

Ibid. Ward try'd on Puppies, and the Poor, his Drop ;] It was the Poet's purpose to do Mr. Ward honour in affigning to

To Theatres, and to Rehearsals throng,

And all our Grace at table is a Song.
I, who so oft renounce the Mufes, i lye,

Not's felf e'er tells more Fibs than I;

When fick of Mufe, our follies we deplore,

175

And promise our best Friends to rhyme no more;
We wake next morning in a raging fit,
And call for pen and ink to show our Wit. 180
k He serv'd a 'Prenticeship, who sets up shop;
Ward try'd on Puppies, and the Poor, his Drop;
Ev'n'Radcliff's Doctors travel firft to France,
Nor dare to practise till they've learn'd to dance.
Who builds a Bridge that never drove a pile? 185
(Should Ripley venture, all the world would smile)
But those who cannot write, and those who can,

m

All rhyme, and fcrawl, and scribble, to a man.

NOTES.

him that medical Aphorifm of regular practice,

periculum faciamus in corpore vili.

SCRIBL.

VER. 183. Ev'n Radcliff's Doctors travel first to France, Nor dare to practife till they've learn'd to dance.] By no means an infinuation as if these travelling Doctors had mispent their time. Radcliff had fent them on a medicinal miffion, to examine the produce of each Country, and fee in what it might be made fubfervient to the art of healing. The native commodity of France is DANCING. Mercurialis gives the Gymnaflics, of which this is part, a neceflary place amongst the non-naturals (by which term the Phyficians mean air, exercife, diet, etc. as if the natural way of living in health was by phyfic) and the

n Hic error tamen et levis haec infania, quantas

Virtutes habeat, fic collige : vatis ° avarus

Non temere eft animus: P verfus amat, hoc ftudet

unum ;

Detrimenta, fugas fervorum, incendia ridet;

Non fraudem focio, puerove incogitat ullam

Pupillo; vivit filiquis, et pane fecundo;

+ Militiae quanquam piger et malus, utilis urbi;

Si das hoc, parvis quoque rebus magna juvari.

▾ Os tenerum pueri balbumque poeta figurat:

NOTES.

dignity and eminence of this part of the Gymnastics is learnedly and elaborately explained in that curious Differtation on dancing, in the 13th chap. of the 2d Vol. of the Life of King David. SCRIBL.

VER. 201. Of little ufe, etc.] There is a poignancy in the following verfes, which the original did not aim at, nor affect. VER. 204. And (tho' no Soldier)] Horace had not acquitted himself much to his credit in this capacity (non bene relicta parmula) in the battle of Philippi. It is manifeft he alludes to

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