THE

ΕΙΕΤΗ SATIRE

PER SI U S.

A R GUM E N T..

THE judicious Cafaubon, in his proem to this fatire, tells us, that Ariftophanes the grammarian being afked, what poem of Archilochus's Iambics he preferred before the reft; anfwered, the longest. His answer may juftly be applied to this fifth fatire; which, being of a greater length than any of the reft, is alfo, by far, the most inftructive: for this reafon I have felected it from all the others, and inscribed it to my learned mafter, Doctor Bulby; to whom I am not only obliged myself for the best part of my own education, and that of my two sons ; but have alfo received from him the first and trueft taste of Perfius. May he be pleased to find in this translation, the gratitude, or at least fome small acknowledgment of his unworthy scholar, at the

diftance of twenty-four years, from the time when I departed from under his tuition.

This fatire confists of two distinct parts: the first contains the praises of the ftoick philofopher Cornutus, mafter and tutor to our Perfius. It alfo declares the love and piety of Perfius, to his well-deferving mafter; and the mutual friendship which continued betwixt them, after Perfius was now grown a man. As alfo his exhortation to young noblemen, that they would enter themfelves into his inftitution. From whence he makes an artful transition into the fecond part of his subject: wherein he first complains of the floth of scholars, and afterwards perfuades them to the purfuit of their true liberty: Here our author excellently treats that paradox of the Stoicks, which affirms, that only the wife or virtuous man is free; and that all vicious men are naturally flaves. And, in the illuftration of this dogma, he takes up the remaining part of this inimitable fatire.

Ο

Fancient ufe to poets it belongs,

To with themfelves an hundred mouths and
tongues :

Whether to the well lung'd tragedian's rage
They recommend the labours of the stage,
Or fing the Parthian, when transfix'd he lies,
Wrenching the Roman javelin from his thighs."

CORNUTUS.

And why would'ft thou thefe mighty morfels chufe,

Of words unchew'd, and fit to choak the Mufe?

Let fuftian poets, with their stuff, be gone,

And fuck the mifts that hang o'er Helicon;
When Progne or Thyeftes' feaft they write;
And, for the mouthing actor, verfe indite.
Thou neither, like a bellows, fwell'ft thy face,
As if thou wert to blow the burning mafs
Of melting ore; nor canft thou ftrain thy throat,
Or murmur in an undistinguish'd note,

Like rolling thunder till it breaks the cloud,
And rattling nonfenfe is discharg'd aloud.
Soft elocution does thy style renown,
And the fweet accents of the peaceful gown :

Gentle

Gentle or fharp, according to thy choice,
To laugh at follies, or to lafh at vice.

Hence draw thy theme, and to the stage permit
Raw-head and bloody-bones, and hands and feet,
Ragouts for Tereus or Thyeftes dreft;

'Tis task enough for thee t' expose a Roman feast.
PERSIUS.

'Tis not, indeed, my talent to engage
In lofty trifles, or to fwell my page
With wind and noife; but freely to impart,
As to a friend, the fecrets of my heart;
And, in familiar fpeech, to let thee know
How much I love thee, and how much I owe.
Knock on my heart: for thou hast skill to find
If it found folid, or be fill'd with wind;

•}

And, through the veil of words, thou view'ft the

naked mind.

For this a hundred voices I defire,

To tell thee what a hundred tongues would tire;
Yet never could be worthily exprest,

How deeply thou art feated in my breast.
When firft my childish robe refign'd the charge,
And left me, unconfin'd, to live at large;
"When now my golden bulla (hung on high
To houshold Gods) declar'd me past a boy;
And my white fhield proclaim'd my liberty:
When with my wild companions, I could roll
From ftreet to ftreet, and fin without control;
Juft at that age, when manhood fet me free,
I then depos'd myself, and left the reins to thee.

}

On

On thy wife bofom I repos'd my head,
And by my better Socrates was bred.
Then thy ftreight rule fet virtue in my fight,
The crooked line reforming by the right.
My reafon took the bent of thy command,
Was form'd and polish'd by thy skilful hand :
Long fummer-days thy precepts I rehearse;
And winter-nights were fhort in our converse :
One was our labour, one was our repose,
One frugal fupper did our studies close.

Sure on our birth fome friendly planet fhone;
And, as our fouls, our horoscope was one :
Whether the mounting Twins did heaven adorn,
Or with the rifing Balance we were born;
Both have the fame impreffions from above;
And both have Saturn's rage, repell'd by Jove.
What ftar I know not, but some star I find,
Has given thee an afcendant o'er my mind.
CORNUTU S.

Nature is ever various in her frame:
Each has a different will; and few the fame:
The greedy merchants, led by lucre, run
To the parch'd Indies, and the rifing fun;
From thence hot pepper and rich drugs they bear,
Bartering, for fpices, their Italian ware;
The lazy glutton fafe at home will keep,
Indulge his floth, and batten with his fleep:
One bribes for high preferments in the state;
A fecond shakes the box, and fits up late:

Another