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THE

FIRST EPISTLE

OF THE

FIRST BOOK

OF

HORACE.

EPISTLES

OF

HORACE.

BOOK I.

EPISTLE I,

T. JOHN, whofe love indulg'd my labours paft,
Matures my prefent, and fhall bound my laft!
Why 2 will you break the Sabbath of my days?
Now fick alike of Envy and of Praise,
Publick too long, ah let me hide my Age!
See Modeft 3 Cibber now has left the Stage:

RIMA dicte mihi, fummâ dicende Camenâ!

PR

2 Spectatum fatis, & donatum jam rude, quæris (Macenas) iterum antiquo me includere ludo? Non eadem eft atas, non mens. 3 Vejanius Armis 4 Herculis ad poftem fixis, latet abditus agro,

B4

5

Our

Our Gen'rals now, 4 retir'd to their Eftates, Hang their old Trophies o'er the Garden gates, In Life's cool Evening fatiate of Applaufe, Nor 5 fond of bleeding, ev'n in BRUNSWICK's cause. 6 A Voice there is, that whispers in my ear, ('Tis Reafon's voice, which fometimes one can hear) "Friend Pope! be prudent, let your 7 Muse take breath, "And never gallop Pegasus to death;

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"Left ftiff, and ftately, void of fire or force,
"You limp, like Blackmore, on a Lord Mayor's horse."
Farewell then 8 Verfe, and Love, and ev'ry Toy,

The Rhymes and Rattles of the Man or Boy,
What 9 right, what true, what fit we juftly call,
Let this be all my care

To lay this

for this is All:

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What ev'ry day will want,

and most, the last.

But afk not, to what 11 Doctors I apply? Sworn to no Mafter, of no Sect am I :

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As drives the 12 ftorm, at any door I knock,
And houfe with Montagne now, or now with Locke.

Ne populum 5 extremâ, toties, exoret arenâ,

6 Eft mihi, purgatam crebro qui personet aurem ; "Salve 7 fenefcentem mature fanus equum, ne "Peccet ad extremum ridendus, & ilia ducat." Nunc itaque, & 8 verfus, & cætera ludicra pono, Quid 9 verum atque decens, curo & rogo, & omnis in boc fum.

10 Condo & compono quæ mox depromere poffim. Acne forte roges, i quo me duce, quo Lare tuter? Nullius additus jurare in verba Magiftri,

12 Quo me cunque rapit tempeftas, deferor Hofpes.

Some

Sometimes a 13 Patriot, active in debate,
Mix with the World, and battle for the State,
Free as young Lyttelton, her Cause pursue,
Still true to Virtue, 14 and as warm as true:
Sometimes, with Ariftippus, or St. Paul,
Indulge my candor, and grow all to all;
Back to my 15 native Moderation flide,
And win my way by yielding to the tyde.

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16 Long, as to him who works for debt, the Day, Long as the Night to her whofe Love's away,

Long as the Year's dull circle feems to run,
When the brisk Minor pants for twenty-one;
So flow th' 17 unprofitable moments roll,
That lock up
all the Functions of my foul ;
That keep me from myfelf; and ftill delay
Life's inftant business to a future day:

That 18 tafk, which as we follow, or despise,
The eldeft is a fool, the youngeft wife,

Nunc agilis fio, & mer for 13 civilibus undis,
Virtutis vera cuftos, 14 rigidufque fatelles.
Nunc in Arifippi 15 furtim præcepta velabor,
Et mibi res, non me rebus, fubmittere conor.

*

16 Ut nox longa quibus mentitur amica, diefque Longa videtur opus debentibus, ut piger annus Pupillis, quos dura premit cuftodia matrum: Sic mibi tarda 17 fluunt ingrataque tempora, que fpem Confilium morantur agendi gnaviter 18 id, quod

36

40

Which

Omnis Ariftippum decuit color, & ftatus, & rcs.

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