Thou art not form'd of lifeless Mould, Can a fond Nurse one Bleffing more And a poetic eafy Vein? By Hope infpir'd, depreft by Fear, Such are the Maxims I embrace, And here, in fleek and joyous Cafe, You'll find for Laughter fitly bred, An Hog by Epicurus fed *. * Lib. i. Ep. 4. FRANCIS. Monf. Dacier + obferves, that this Epiftle is all ironical; for Tibullus, according to him, having exhaufted his Fortune by Extravagance, had now retired to the Country, to recruit his Finances, and avoid the Importunity of his Creditors. To find out these Things from the Epißtle before quoted, required a strange Obliquity of Understanding; as to fupport them, demanded fome Learning :however, it must be confeffed, that the French Editor of Horace, is not the firft Author who maintained this extraordinary Opinion. An old Grammarian *, whofe Comment on Horace, Cafpar Barthius owns he perufed, but to whom Dacier was willing to fink his Obligations though he also must have feen him, has out-done the French Critic in what he writes of Tibullus. Fuit hic Albius (fays this uncommon Genius) eques Romanus, qui primus in amatorio carmine habetur : eum per ironiam irridet Horatius, quafi rem bene gefferit, cum in juventa omnia prodegerit, et poftea verfibus vi&tum quafiverit. Ergo ubi eum laudat, fe innuit Horatius; ubi vituperat fe, & Epicurum nominat, Abium intelligit, quem ridendum ait quod prodegerit omnia, jam nihil habens, quo, ut fo † Voyez fes Notes fur l'Horace, lib. i. ep. 4. *Cafp. Barth. Adversar, lib. xxxvii. cap. 19. lebat, lebat, cutem curare poffet: quod vero ait Di tibi divitias dederint, &c.. manifefta ironia eft, nam Epicuri non credentes deos ka bere curam rerum humanarum, omnia prodigunt; quod poftquam factum eft omnibus funt ridiculi.. Whence this femi-prifcus Grammaticus (for so Broekhufius calls him), drew thefe Particulars relating to our Poet, is not known:. but that Dacier should adopt. them, is Matter of Wonder; as, in all Probability, the Frenchman had read Tibullus's Panegyric *, which plainly fhews that the Diminution of his Fortune was. not owing to his own Intemperance. And if the. Grammarian had perufed his Elegies † with ever fo little Attention, he would have feen, that Tibullus. was rather religious than otherwise, and by no means. an Epicurean, at least in Belief. But, fay fome Critics, who have too thoughtlefly: embraced this Opinion, does not Horace confirm it,, quamvis Fortuna, ut mos eft illi, me adverfa fatiget.. And fome Lines lower, nam cura novatur, Quum memor anteacos femper dolor admovet annos.. + Book i. El. 1, 3, 8, 11. a..5 Lin. 1906 where where he tells us, that his Father warned him, when a young Man, from pursuing extravagant Courses, by fetting before his Eyes the Infamy and miferable Life. of Albius, Nonne vides Albi ut male vivat filius ? To make this Objection decifive, the Critics muft firft prove, that there were no other Albiuffes in Rome than the Father of Tibullus; which, by the is way, false and then they muft fhew, that this infamous and indigent Son of Albius's was our Poet; which cannot be done, especially as we know, that he died a Knight, and of Course, was worth upwards of three thousand Pounds Sterling. There are also innumer. able Paffages in his Elegies *, which prove, that he was by no means in diftreffed Circumstances, though less wealthy than his Ancestors. Again, is it to be imagined, that the rich and generous Meffala would have fuffered fo fine a Genius, and one whom he regarded fo much, to have been diftreffed by his Creditors ? And, to crown all, as Tibullus was confeffedly fome Years younger than Horace, with what Propriety could Horace's Father propofe Tibullus as an Example not to be followed by his Son? * See the Notes on the firft Elegy of the first Book, and on the first and third Elegy of the second. 2. When When fuch were the Friends of Tibullus, and his poetical Abilities had long fince obtained him univerfal Applaufe, he could have found no Difficulty in geting Admiffion to the learned Court of Auguftus:how then, ask the Commentators, has it come to pass, that he never once mentions either that Emperor, or Mæcenas, both whom his brother Poets celebrated with fuch a Lavishness of Praife? And yet, add they, there are many Parts of his Writings, where thofe Patrons of Genius might have been introduced with uncommon Propriety? True to the Principles of the Republic, and a real Friend to the Liberties of the People, Tibullus never could prevail upon himself to flatter thofe, whatever Affection they expreffed for the Mufes, whom his Principles taught him to deteft as the Enflavers of his Country. This, as Pope emphatically expreffes it, "kept "him facred from the Great," who doubtlefs perceived with fecret Difpleafure (for Auguftus and Macenas well knew the Importance of having the Poets on their Side) that no Lofs of Fortune, and no Allurement of Ambition could induce Tibullus to join in the general Chorus of their Praife. Although, both the Emperor and his Favourite muft in their a 6 Hearts |