No Courts he faw, no fuits would ever try, 400 O grant me, thus to live, and thus to die! 404 Who fprung from Kings fhall know less joy than I. Me, let the tender office long engage, To rock the cradle of repofing Age, With lenient arts extend a Mother's breath, 410 Make Languor fimile, and smooth the bed of Death, >Explore the thought, explain the asking eye, And keep a while one parent from the sky! On cares like these if length of days attend, May Heav'n, to bless those days, preserve my friend, And just as rich as when he serv'd a QUEEN. Thus far was right, the reft belongs to Heav'n. After VER. 405. MS.. And of myself, too, fomething must I say? Take then this verfe, the trifle of a day. And if it live, it lives but to commend The man whole heart has ne'er forgot a friend, 416 THE Advertisement. HE occafion of publishing these Imitations was the Clamour rais'd on fome of my Epiftles. An Answer from Horace was both more full, and of more Dignity, than any I could have made in my own perfon; and the Example of much greater Freedom in fo eminent a Divine as Dr Donne, feem'd a proof with what indignation and contempt a Chriftian may treat Vice or Folly, in ever fo low, or ever fo high a Station. Both thefe Authors were acceptable to the Princes and Minifters under whom thay lived. The Satires of Dr Donne I verfified, at the defire of the Earl of Oxford while he was Lord Treasurer, and of the Duke of Shrewsbury, who had been Secretary of State; neither of whom look'd upon a Satire on Vicious Courts as any Reflection on those they ferv'd in. And indeed there is not in the world a greater error, than that which Fools are fo apt to fall into, and Knaves with good reafon, to encourage the mistaking a Satirift for a Libeller; whereas to a true Satirist nothing is fo odious as a Libeller, for the fame reafon as to a man truly virtuous nothing is fo hateful as a Hypocrite. Uni acquus Virtuti atque ejus Amicis. P. THE Firft Satire of the Second Book O F HORACE IMITATED. WHOEVER expects a Paraphrafe of Horace, or a faithful Copy of his genius, or manner of writing, in thefe IMITATIONS, will be much disappointed. Our Author ufes the Roman Poet for little more than his canvas: And if the old design or colouring chance to fuit his purpose, it is well: if not, : he employs his own, without fcruple or ceremony. Hence it is, he is fo frequently ferious where Horace is in jeft; and at eafe where Horace is disturbed. In a word, he regulates his movements no further on his Original, than was neceffary for his concurrence, in promoting their common plan of Reformation of manners. Had it been his purpofe merely to paraphrase an ancient Satirift, he had hardly made choice of Horace; with whom, as a Poet, he held little in common, befides a comprehenfive knowledge of life and manners, and a certain curious felicity of expref fion, which confifts in ufing the fimpleft language with dignity, and the most ornamented, with eafe. For the reft; his harmony and ftrength of numbers, his force and fplendor of colouring, his gravity and fublimity of fentiment, would have rather led him to another model. Nor was his temper less unlike that of Horace, than his talents. What Horace would only fimile at, Mr Pope would treat with the grave feverity of Perfius: and what Mr Pope would ftrike with the caustic lightning of Juvenal, Horace would content himself in turning into ridicule. If it be asked then, why he took any body at all. to imitate, he has informed us in his Advertisement. To which we may add, that this fort of Imitations, which are of the nature of Parodies, adds reflected grace and fplendor on original wit. Befides, he deemed it more modest to give the name of Imitations to his Satires, than, like Defpreaux, to give the name of Satires to Imitations. |