HORAT. LIB. 2. SAT. 6... HORAT. CARM. LIB. 3. OD 29.

I answer, "I will trie:" he vrgeth still.
"I know you can performe it, if you will."
Seu'n yeeres are fled, the eighth is almost gone,
Since first Mecanas tooke me for his owne,
That I with him might in his chariot sit,
And onely then would to my trust commit
Such toyes as these: What is the time of day?
The Thracian is the Syrian's match in play.
Now carelesse men are nipt with morning cold:
And words which open eares may safely hold.
In all this space for eu'ry day and houre
1 grew more subiect to pale Enuie's pow'r.
This sonne of Fortune to the stage resorts,
And with the fau'rite in the field disports.
Fame from the pulpits runnes thro' eu'ry streete,
And I am strictly askt by all I meete:
"Good sir, (you needes must know, for you are
Vnto the gods) doe you no tidings heare
Concerning Dacian troubles?"" Nothing I."
"You alwayes loue your friends with scoffes to try."
"If I can tell, the gods my life confound."
"But where will Cæsar giue his souldiers ground,
In Italie, or the Trinacrian ile?"

[neare

I sweare I know not: they admire the while,
And thinke me full of silence, graue and deepe,
The onely man that should high secrets keepe;
For these respects (poore wretch) I lose the light,
And longing thus repine: "When shall my sight
Againe bee happy in beholding thee,
My countrey farme? or when shall I be free
To reade in bookes what ancient writers speake,
To rest in sleepe, which others may not breake,
To taste (in houres secure from courtly strife)
The soft obliuion of a carefull life?

O when shall beanes vpon my boord appeare,
Which wise Pythagoras esteem'd so deare?
Or when shall fatnesse of the lard anoint
The herbes, which for my table I appoint?
O suppers of the gods! O nights diuine!
When I before our Lar might feast with mine,
And feede my prating slaues with tasted meate,
As eu'ry one should haue desire to eate."
The frolike guest, not bound with heauy lawes,
The liquor from vnequall measures drawes:
Some, being strong, delight in larger draughts,
Some call for lesser cups to clecre their thoughts.
Of others house and lands no speaches grow,
Nor whether Lepos danceth well or no.
We talke of things which to our selues pertaine,
Which not to know would be a sinfull staine.
Are men by riches or by vertue blest?
Of friendship's ends is vse or right the best?
Of good what is the nature, what excells?
My neighbour Ceruius old wines fables tells :
When any one Arellius' wealth admires,
And little knowes what troubles it requires,
He thus beginnes: "Long since a countrey mouse
Receau'd into his low and homely house
A citty mouse, his friend and guest before;
The host was sharpe and sparing of his store,
Yet much to hospitality inclin'd:
For such occasions could dilate his mind.
He chiches giues for winter layd aside,
Nor are the long and slender otes deny'd:
Dry grapes he in his lib'rall mouth doth beare,
And bits of bacon, which halfe eaten were:
With various meates to please the stranger's pride,
Whose dainty teeth through all the dishes slide.
The father of the family in straw

Lies stretcht along, disdaigning not to gnaw

Base corne or darnell, and reserues the best,
To make a perfect banquet for his guest.

To him at last the citizen thus spake :

19

My friend, I muse what pleasure thou canst take,
Or how thou canst endure to spend thy time
In shady groues and vp steepe hills to clime.
In sauage forrests build no more thy den:
Goe to the city, there to dwell with men.
Begin this happy iourney; trust to me,
I will thee guide, thou shalt my fellow be.
Since earthly things are ty'd to mortall liues,
And eu'ry great and little creature striues,
In vaine, the certaine stroke of death to flie,
Stay not till moinents past thy ioyes denie.
Liue in rich plenty and perpetuall sport:
Liue euer mindfull, that thine age is short.'
The rauisht field mouse holds these words so sweet,
That from his home he leapes with nimble feet.
They to the citie trauaile with delight,
And vnderneath the walles they creepe at night.
Now darknesse had possest Heau'u's middle space,
When these two friends their weary steps did place
Within a wealthy palace, where was spred
A scarlet cou'ring on an iu'ry bed:
The baskets (set farre off aside) contain'd
The meates, which after plenteous meales remain'd:
The citie mouse with courtly phrase intreates
His country friend to rest in purple seates;
With ready care the master of the feast
Runnes vp and downe to see the store increast:
He all the duties of a seruant showes,
And tastes of eu'ry dish that he bestowes.
The poore plaine mouse, exalted thus in state,
Glad of the change, his former life doth hate,
And striues in lookes and gesture to declare
With what contentment he receiues this fare.
But straight the sudden creaking of a doore
Shakes both these mice from beds into the floore.
They runne about the roome halfe dead with feare,
Through all the house the noise of dogs they heare.
The stranger now counts not the place so good,
He bids farewell, and saith, The silent wood
Shall me hereafter from these dangers saue,
Well pleas'd with simple vetches in my caue.""

HORAT. CARM. LIB. III. OD. XXIX.

MECENAS, (sprung from Tuscan kings) for thee
Milde wine in vessels, neuer toucht, I keepe,
Here roses, and sweete odours be,
Whose dew thy haire shall steepe:

O stay not! let moyst Tibur be disdain'd,
And Æsulae's declining fields and hills,
Where once Telegonus remain'd,

Whose hand his father kills;

Forsake that height where lothsome plenty cloyes,
And towres, which to the lofty clouds aspire,
The smoke of Rome, her wealth and noyse,
Thou wilt not here admire.

In pleasing change the rich man takes delight,
And frugall meales in homely seates allowes,
Where hangings want, and purple bright,
He cleares his carefull browes.

Now Cepheus plainely shewes his hidden fire,
The Dog-starre now his furious beate displayes,
The Lion spreads his raging ire,

The Sunne brings parching dayes.

He happy is, who, farre from busie sounds,
(As ancient mortals dwelt)

With his owne oxen tills his father's grounds,
And debts bath neuer felt.

No warre disturbes his rest with fierce alarines,
Nor angry seas offend :

He shannes the law, and those ambitious charmes,
Which great men's doores attend.

The lofty poplers with delight he weds

To vines that grow apace,

And with his hooke vnfruitfull branches shreds,
More happy sprouts to place,

Or else beholds, how lowing heards astray,
In narrow valleys creepe,

Or in cleane pots doth pleasant hony lay,
Or sheares his feeble shoepe.

All from the temple are not apt to take
Soft lowly sounds, and open vowes to make.
The gifts of minde, fame, faith, he vtters cleare,
That strangers may farre off his wishes heare:
But this he mumbles vnderneath his tongue :
“O that mine vnkle's death, expected long,
Would bring a fun'rall which no cost shall lacke!
O that a pot of siluer once would cracke
Beneath my harrow, by Alcides sent!
Or that I could the orphan's hopes preuent,
To whom I am next heire, and must succeed!
(Since swelling humours in his body breed,
Which threaten oft the shortnesse of his life.)
How blest is Nerius, thrice to change his wife!"
Those are the holy pray'rs for which thy head
(When first the morning bath her mantle spred)
Is dipt so many times in Tiber's streames,
Where running waters purge the nightly dreames.
I thus demand in answer be not slow,
It is not much that I desire to know:

Of loue what think'st thou? if thy judgement can
Esteeme him juster than a mortall man?
Than Staius? doubt'st thou which of these is best,
To judge aright the fatherlesse opprest?
The speech with which thine impious wishes dare
Prophane loue's eares, to Staius now declare:
"O loue! O good Ione!" he will straight ex-
claime,

And shall not Ioue crie out on his owne name?
For pardon canst thou hope, because the oke
Is sooner by the sacred brimstone broke,

The left side of thy brest will dropping sweate,
And full of ioy thy trembling heart will beate.
Hence comes it, that with gold in triumph borne,
Thou do'st the faces of the gods adorne :
Among the brazen brethren they that send
Those dreames, where euill humours least extend,
The highest place in men's affections hold,
And for their care receiue a beard of gold:
The glorious name of gold hath put away
The vse of Saturne's brasse, and Numae's clay.
This glitt'ring pride to richer substance turnes
The Tuscan earthen pots and vestall vrnes.
O crooked soules, declining to the earth,
Whose empty thoughts forget their heau'nly birth:
What end, what profit, haue we, when we strive
Our manners to the temples to deriue?
Can we suppose, that to the gods we bring
Some pleasing good for this corrupted spring?
This flesh, which casia doth dissolue and spoyle,
And with that mixture taints the natiue oyle:
This boyles the fish with purple liquor full,
And staines the whitenesse of Calabrian wooll.
This from the shell scrapes out the pearle, and
straines

From raw rude earth the feruent metal's veines.
This sinnes, it sinnes, yet makes some vse of vice:
But tell me, ye great flamins, can the price
Raise gold to more account in holy things,
Than babies, which the maide to Venus brings?
Nay, rather let vs yeeld the gods such gifts,
As great Messallae's off-spring neuer lifts,

When thunder teares the ayre, than thou and thine, In costly chargers stretcht to ample space,
Because thou ly'st not, as a dismall signe
In woods, while entrailes, and Ergennae's art,
Bid all from thy sad carkase to depart,
Will therefore Ioue his foolish beard extend,
For thee to pull? What treasure canst thou spend
To make the eares of gods by purchase thine?
Can lights and bowels bribe the pow'rs diuine?
Some grandame, or religious aunt, whose ioy
Is from the cradle to take out the boy,
In lustrall spittle her long finger dips,
And expiates his forehead and bis lips.
Her cunning from bewitching eyes defends,
Then in her armes she dandles him, and sends
Her slender hope, which humble vowes propound
To Crassus' house, or to Licinius' ground.
Let kings and queenes wish him their sonne in law;
Let all the wenches him in pieces draw;
May eu'ry stalke of grasse on which he goes,
Be soone transform'd into a fragrant rose.
No such request to nurses I allow :
Ioue, (though she pray in white) refuse her vow.
Thou would'st firme sinewes haue, a body strong,
Which may in age continue able long;

Because degen'rate from his noble race:

A soule, where iust and pious thoughts are chain'd;
A mind, whose secret corners are vnstain'd;
A brest, in which all gen'rous vertues lie,
And paint it with a neuer-fading die.
Thus to the temples let me come with zeale,
The gods will heare me, though I offer meale.

AVSON. IDYLL. XVT.