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Sæcula profpexit noftrum venerantia nomen;
Prudentûm ô vivas Tu Prudentiffime, dixit;
Nil oriturum aliàs, nihil ortum tale fatemur,

O Vitii fæcunda parens, ô peftis Honesti Suadela artificis linguæ! tua femina dira, Tempeftate parùm faufta dextraque nefanda, Luxuriante folo Virtutis fparfa, repentè Viribus exauctis culta inter fplendida furgunt, Et teneros urunt campi ridentis honores.

Intereà cruciata animos fine honore Caterva,
Scrutanti mihi muta, ferens ad fydera laudes.
Altius infonuit. Quo Res è fonte fluebant,
Aut qui fic extant, ultrò nefcire fatetur,
Plurima qui novit; fed cernunt temporis omnes
Scilicet occulti fatum, eventufque futuros.

Jamque adeo dirimunt Vates, victique Sophiftæ
Commiffas verborum acies & inania bella,
At non Rabbini, Logici non cedere nôrunt;
Ufque recedentes certant; campoque relicto
Inviti admittunt ingrata Silentia pacis,

De

Forefaw my Name by future Age ador'd.
O Live, faid He, thou Wifeft of the Wife!
As None has equall'd, None shall ever rise
Excelling Thee

Parent of wicked, Bane of honeft Deeds, Pernicious Flatt'ry! Thy malignant Seeds In an ill Hour, and by a fatal Hand Sadly diffus'd o'er Virtue's Gleby Land, With rifing Pride amidst the Corn appear, And choak the Hopes and Harveft of the Year.

And now the whole perplex'd ignoble Crowd Mute to my Questions, in my Praises loud, Echo'd the Word: whence Things arofe, or how They thus exift, the Apteft nothing know: What yet is not, but is ordain'd to be, All Veil of Doubt apart, the Dulleft fee.

My Prophets, and my Sophifts finish'd here Their Civil Efforts of the Verbal War: Not fo my Rabbins, and Logicians yield: Retiring ftill they combat: from the Field

Of open Arms unwilling they depart,

Dedecorique Artis cupiunt obducere nubem.
Diverfis eadem linguis narrare laborant;
Per longas verborum ambages cognita rerum
Exponunt; vanas leges præceptaque fingunt,
Artifices voces, & diffona verba Scholarum;
Dogmata fucatis malè fulta coloribus artis,
Argutofque Sales Rationi opponere certant.

Nec mora, quin fefe ftudia in contraria fcindit Difcors turba Senum: quod fortiter afferit Ille, Hic negat; hoftili lingua fibi quifque viciffim Appetit alterius raptam de fronte coronam.

Ut premit humanos Caligo miferrima Senfus! Quifque novus falfa Specie prætexitur Error, Palantefque incerta eludit lucis imago.

Gens hominum infelix! veftri ex quo fanguinis Autor Opprobrio petiit connexis frondibus umbram;

Ut labem primi foboles imitata Parentis
Ejufdem repetit veteris veftigia culpæ !
Turpe patet nimiùm nudatæ infamia Mentis;
Cur ita diffufum quærens celare pudorem
Eloquii tibi vela paras, pictofque colores?

Blan

And sculk behind the Subterfuge of Art.
To speak one Thing mix'd Dialects they join;
Divide the Simple, and the Plain define;
Fix fancy'd Laws, and form imagin'd Rules,
Terms of their Art, and Jargon of their Schools,
Ill-grounded Maxims by false Glofs enlarg'd,
And captious Science against Reason charg'd.

Soon their crude Notions with each other fought: The adverse Sect deny'd, what This had taught; And He at length the ampleft Triumph gain'd, Who contradicted what the last maintain'd.

O wretched Impotence of human Mind!
We erring ftill Excufe for Error find;
And darkling grope, not knowing We are blind.

Vain Man! fince first the blushing Sire effay'd
His Folly with connected Leaves to shade;
How does the Crime of thy resembling Race
With like Attempt that pristine Error trace?
Too plain thy Nakedness of Soul efpy'd,
Why doft Thou ftrive the confcious Shame to hide
By Masks of Eloquence, and Veils of Pride?

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Blandifluis verbis arridens ore fereno,
Ægrum dixi animum placido fermone levari;
Aft iterum tacitæ converfus in intima mentis,
Anxius, hæc imo necquicquam corde revolvi.
Multùm exploranti fruftrà Labor ufque recurrit;
Quæfivi tandem, plus ponderis intus haberet
Lux noftri an Caligo animi; ftant lancibus æquis:
Tollitur hæc fursùm, defle&titur illa deorsùm.

Confcia jam demùm Ratio me agnofcere cogit, Nos bene fcire nihil, dum plurima fcire videmur. Heu! fequimur nubes, & tundimus aera; menti Accumulat curas pacis malefana cupido.

Materiæ finefne datur tranfcendere Menti?

Quifve mihi quid fit Spatium, quid Tempora, dicat?
Necquicquam ad cæcos afpirant Lumina tractus,
Quos DEUS æterna juffit caligine volvi:
Scrutator petit ufque; fed effugit ufque petitum.
Pars ifta exilis, quam nifu addifcimus ægro,
Ulteriora fequi fuadet, fallitque fequentem,
Quodque latet, fruftra Mens indagare laborat.
Convulfum lacerat Sententia multa cerebrum:
Mutantur mentes; tamen ufque revertitur Error;
Cura animum gravior, meditantem plura, fatigat.

Quam

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