Cæfars of Julian the Emperor. Amongst the moderns we may reckon the Encomium Morie of Erafmus, Barclay's Euphormio, and a volume of German authors, which my ingenious friend Mr. Charles Killigrew once lent me. In the English I remember none, which are mixed with profe, as Varro's were: but of the fame kind is Mother Hubbard's Tale in Spenfer; and (if it be not too vain to mention any thing of my own) the poems of Abfalom and Mac Flecno.

This is what I have to fay in general of fatire: only, as Dacier has obferved before me, we may take notice, that the word Satire is of a more general fignification in Latin, than in French, or English. For amongst the Romans it was not only used for thofe difcourfes which decried vice, or expofed folly; but for others alfo, where virtue was recommended. But in our modern languages we apply it only to the invective poems, where the very name of fatire is formidable to thofe perfons, who would appear to the world, what they are not in themfelves. For in Englifh, to fay fatire, is to mean reflection, as we use that word in the worst sense; or as the French call it, more properly, Medifance. In the criticism of spelling, it ought to be with i, and not with y, to dif tinguish its true derivation from fatura, not from Satyrus. And if this be fo, then it is falfe fpelled throughout this book; for here it is written fatyr. Which having not confidered at the first, I thought it not worth correcting afterwards. But the French are more nice, and never fpell it any other way than fatire.

I am now arrived at the most difficult part of my undertaking, which is, to compare Horace with Juvenal and Perfius. It is obferved by Rigaltius, in his preface before Juvenal, written to Thuanus, that these three poets have all their particular partisans, and favourers: every commentator, as he has taken pains with any of them, thinks himself obliged to prefer his author to the other two: to find out their fail ́ings, and decry them, that he may make room for his own darling. Such is the partiality of mankind, to fet up that intereft which they have once espoused, though it be to the prejudice of truth, morality, and common juftice: and especially in the productions of the brain. As authors generally think themselves the best poets, because they cannot go out of themselves to judge fincerely of their betters; fo it is with critics, who, having first taken a liking to one of these poets, proceed to comment on him, and to illuftrate him : after which, they fall in love with their own labours, to that degree of blind fondness, that at length they defend and exalt their author, not fo much for his fake as for their own. It is a folly of the fame nature, with that of the Romans themselves, in their games of the Circus; the fpectators were divided in their factions, betwixt the Veneti and the Prafini: fome were for the charioteer in blue, and fome for him in green. The colours themfelves were but a fancy; but when once a man had taken pains to set out thofe of his party, and had been at the trouble of procuring voices for them, the cafe was altered: he

was

was concerned for his own labour; and that fo earnestly, that disputes and quarrels, animofities, commotions, and bloodshed, often happened: and in the declension of the Grecian empire, the very fovereigns. themselves engaged in it, even when the Barbarians were at their doors; and stickled for the preference of colours, when the fafety of their people was in question. I am now myself on the brink of the fame precipice; I have spent some time on the translation of Juvenal and Perfius; and it behoves me to be wary, left, for that reafon, I fhould be partial to them, or take a prejudice againft Horace. Yet, on the other fide, I would not be like fome of our judges, who would give the caufe for a poor man, right or wrong for though that be an error on the better hand, yet it is ftill a partiality: and a rich man unheard, cannot be concluded an oppreffor. I remember a faying of King Charles II. on Sir Matthew Hales, (who was doubtless an uncorrupt and upright man) That his fervants were fure to be caft on a trial, which was heard before him: not that he thought the judge was poffible to be bribed; but that his integrity might be too fcrupulous; and that the causes of the crown were always fufpicious, when the privileges of fubjects were concerned.

It had been much fairer, if the modern critics, who have embarked in the quarrels of their favourite authors, had rather given to each his proper due, without taking from another's heap, to raise their own. There is praise enough for each of them in

particular, without encroaching on his fellows, and detra&ting from them, or enriching themselves witin the fpoils of others. But to come to particulars : Heinfius and Dacier are the most principal of those, who raife Horace above Juvenal and Perfius. Scaliger the father, Rigaltius, and many others, debase Horace, that they may fet up Juvenal: and Cafaubon, who is almoft fingle, throws dirt on Juvenal and Horace, that he may exalt Perfius, whom he understood particularly well, and better than any of the former commentators; even Stelluti, who fucceeded him. E. will begin with him, who, in my opinion, defends. the weakeft caufe, which is that of Perfius; and labouring, as Tacitus profeffes of his own writings, to diveft myself of partiality, or prejudice, confider Perfius, not as a poet whom I have wholly tranflated, and who has coft me more labour and time than Juvenal; but according to what I judge to be his own. merit; which I think not equal, in the main, to that of Juvenal or Horace, and yet, in fome things, to be preferred to both of them.

First, then, for the verfe, neither Cafaubon himself nor any for him, can defend either his numbers, or the purity of his Latin. Cafaubon gives this point for loft; and pretends not to justify either the measures, or the words of Períus: he is evidently beneath Horace and Juvenal, in both.

Then, as his verfe is fcabrous, and hobbling, and his words not every where well chofen, the purity of Latin being more corrupted than in the time of Ju

xenal,

venal, and confequently of Horace, who writ when the language was in the height of its perfection; fo his diction is hard; his figures are generally too bold and daring; and his tropes, particularly his metaphors, insufferably trained.

In the third place, notwithstanding all the diligence of Cafaubon, Stelluti, and a Scotch gentleman (whom I have heard extremely commended for his illustrations of him); yet he is ftill obfcure: whether he affected not to be understood, but with difficulty; or whether the fear of his fafety under Nero, compelled him to this darkness in fome places; or, that it was occafioned by his clofe way of thinking, and the brevity of his ftyle, and crowding of his figures; or, laftly, whether, after fo long a time, many of his words have been corrupted, and many cuftoms, and ftories relating to them, loft to us; whether fome of thefe reafons, or all, concurred to render him fo cloudy; we may be bold to affirm, that the beft of commentators can but guess at his meaning, in many passages: and none can be certain that he has divined rightly.

After all, he was a young man, like his friend and contemporary Lucan: both of them men of extraordinary parts, and great acquired knowledge, confidering their youth. But neither of them had arrived to that maturity of judgment, which is neceffary to the accomplishing of a formed poet. And this confideration, as on the one hand it lays fome imperfections to their charge: fo on the other fide, it is a sandid excufe for thofe failings, which are incident to