Satyr, that an inward Inclination to do an ill Thing is criminal; that a wicked Thought ftains the Mind with Guilt, and exposes the Offender to the Punishment of Heaven, tho'it never ripen into Action! A suitable Practice wou'd effectually crush the Serpent's Head; and banish a long and black Train of Mischiefs and Miferies out of the World. What a Scene of Horror does he difclofe, when in the fame Satyr P he opens to our View the Wounds and Gashes of a wicked Confcience! The guilty Reader is not only terrify'd at the dreadful Cracks and Flashes of the Heavens, but looks pale and trembles at the Thunder and Lightning of the Poet's awful Verfe. The Notion of true Fortitude cannot be better stated than 'tis in the eighth Satyr 9, where he preffingly exhorts his Reader always to prefer his Confcience and Princi o y. 208, &c. P Ý. 192, &c. 210, &c. ples ples before his Life; and not to be reftrain'd from doing his Duty, or be aw'd into Compliance with a villanous Propofal even by the Prefence and Command of a barbarous Tyrant, or the nearest Profpect of Death in all the Circumstances of Cruelty and Terror. Muft not a Professor of Chrifianity be afham'd of himself for harbouring uncharitable and bloody Refentments in his Breaft, when he reads and confiders that invaluable Paffage against Revenge in the abovemention'd thirteenth Satyr ? Where he argues against that fierce and fatal Paffion, from the Ignorance and Littleness of that Mind which is poffefs'd with it; from the Honour and Generofity of paffing by and forgiving Injuries; from the Example of thofe wife and mild Men Chryfippus and Thales, and especially that of Socra tès, that undaunted Champion and Martyr of Natural Religion: Who was fo great a Proficient in the best Philofophy, that he was affur'd his malicious Profecutors and Murderers cou'd do him no hurt; and had not himself the least Inclination or rifing. Wish to do them any. Who difcours'd with that chearful Gravity and graceful Compofure a few Moments before he was going to die, as if he had been going to take poffef fion of a Kingdom; and drank off the poyfonous Bowl as a Potion of Immortality. . Here I am aware, that upon this Commendation of Juvenal an Objection will be made against some faulry Paffages; which I am so far from being able to defend, that I think they are not fit to be mention'd. Whence we may learn, that the greatest Beauties in the Pagan Morals are mix'd with confiderable Blemishes; that they have no System fo pure, but fome Taint cleaves to it. Only Only the Chriftian Inftitution furnifhes a fufficient and perfect Scheme of Morality, in which there is not the leaft Mixture of Vice or Folly, not the least Spot or Blemish to foil its Purity. Seneca, Epictetus, Plutarch, Antonine, &c. deliver diviner Doctrines than the Moralifts before them, because they flourish'd in Times that afforded better Advantages for the Improvement of fuch Studies. The Morals of the Gospel had then enlightned and improv'd the World; the Philofophers had learn'd to speak in the Language of St. Peter and St. Paul; and Pagan Theology had drefs'd her felf in many of the Ornaments of Chriftianity. S. 9. The facred Books themfelves receive Illustration from the Claffics, which have numerous parallel Places; and enlarge upon many Customs and Practices to which they allude. The learned St. Paul was well ac quainted with Heathen as well as Jewish Authors; and has inferted into the holy Canon Quotations made from the Greek Poets, Epimenides, Menander and Aratus. Nay, many Paffages in this divine Author wou'd lose the Beauty and Vigour of their Senfe, and fome not be understood at all without the Explications of Pindar and Plato, or fome other good Writers; who give Accounts of the painful Exercises, long Preparations, and eager Engagements of the Combatants, the folemn Sentences of the Judges, the Proclamations of the Heralds, and the Prizes of the Victors at the Ifthmian and Olympic Games. Out of many fee the Places below, that manifeftly refer to thofe famous Games, and are not intelligible without the Knowledge of the Solemnities and Laws which were observ'd at the Celebration of them. f 1 Cor. ix. 24, &C. Heb. xii. 1, 2. Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14. But |