She knows her man, and, when you rant and swear,
Can draw you to her, with a fingle hair.

But fhall I not return? Now, when the fues!
Shall I my own, and her defires refuse?
Sir, take your courfe: but my advice is plain :
Once freed, 'tis madness to resume your chain.

Ay; there's the man, who, loos'd from luft and pelf, Lefs to the prætor owes, than to himself.

But write him down a flave, who, humbly proud,
With presents begs preferments from the crowd;

That early fuppliant, who falutes the tribes,
And fets the mob to fcramble for his bribes:
That some old dotard, fitting in the sun,

On holidays may tell, that fuch a feat was done :
In future times this will be counted rare.

Thy fuperftition too may claim a share :

When flowers are ftrew'd, and lamps in order plac'd,
And windows with illuminations grac❜d,
On Herod's day; when fparkling bowls go round,
And tunnies tails in favoury fauce are drown'd,
Thou mutter'ft prayers obfcene; nor dost refuse
The fafts and fabbaths of the curtail'd Jews.
Then a crack'd egg-fhell thy fick fancy frights,
Befides the childish fear of walking fprights.
Of o'ergrown gelding priests thou art afraid;
The timbrel, and the squintifego maid
Of Ifis, awe thee: left the Gods, for fin,
Should, with a fwelling dropfy, stuff thy skin:
Unless three garlick-heads the curse avert,
Eaten och morn, devoutly, next thy heart.

Preach

Preach this among the brawny guards, fay'st thou, And fee if they thy doctrine will allow : The dull fat captain, with a hound's deep throat, Would bellow out a laugh, in a base note; And prize a hundred Zeno's just as much As a clipt fixpence, or a fchilling Dutch.

2001

THIS fixth fatire treats an admirable common-place of moral philofophy; of the true ufe of riches. They certainly are intended, by the power who beftows them, as inftruments and helps of living commodiously ourselves; and of adminiftering to the wants of others, who are oppreffed by fortune. There are two extremes in the opinions of men concerning them. One error, though on the right hand, yet a great one, is, that they are no helps to a virtuous life; the other places all our happinefs in the acquifition and poffeffion of them; and this is, undoubtedly, the worfe extreme. The mean betwixt thefe, is the opinion of the Stoicks; which is, that riches may be useful to the leading

a virtuous life; in cafe we rightly understand how to give according to right reason; and how to receive what is given us by others. The virtue of giving well, is called liberality: and it is of this virtue that Perfius writes in this fatire; wherein he not only shews the lawful use of riches, but also` fharply inveighs against the vices which are oppofed to it; and especially of those, which confift in the defects of giving or fpending; or in the abuse of riches. He writes to Cæfius Baffus his friend, and a poet alfo. Enquires firft of his health and ftudies; and afterwards informs him of his own, and where he is now refident. He gives an account of himself, that he is endeavouring, by little and little, to wear off his vices; and particularly, that he is combating ambition, and the defire of wealth. He dwells upon the latter vice and, being fenfible that few men either defire or ufe riches as they ought, he endeavours to convince them of their folly; which is the main defign of the whole fatire.

THE SIXTH SATIR E.

TO CESIUS BASSUS, A LYRIC POET.

HA

AS winter caus'd thee, friend, to change thy feat,
And feek in Sabine air a warm retreat?

Say, doft thou yet the Roman harp command?
Do the ftrings anfwer to thy noble hand?

Great master of the Muse, inspir'd to fing
The beauties of the first-created spring;
The pedigree of Nature to rehearse,

And found the Maker's work, in equal verfe.
Now sporting on thy lyre the loves of youth,
Now virtuous age, and venerable truth;
Expreffing justly Sappho's wanton art
Of odes, and Pindar's more majestic part.
For me, my warmer conftitution wants
More cold, than our Ligurian winter grants;
And therefore, to my native shores retir'd,
I view the coaft old Ennius once admir'd;
Where clifts on either fides their points display ;
And, after, opening in an ampler way,
Afford the pleafing profpect of the bay.

'Tis worth your while, O Romans, to regard
The port of Luna fays our learned Bard;
Who in a drunken dream beheld his foul-
The fifth within the transmigrating roll;
Which firft a peacock, then Euphorbus was,
Then Homer next, and next Pythagoras ;
And laft of all the line did into Ennius pafs.
Secure and free from bufinefs of the ftate,
And more fecure of what the vulgar pratę,
Here I enjoy my private thoughts; nor care
What rots for sheep the fouthern winds prepare:
Survey the neighbouring fields, and not repine,
When I behold a larger crop than mine :
To fee a beggar's brat in riches flow,
Adds not a wrinkle to my even brow;

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