Me if you meet with Hair uncouthly cut,
You scarce refrain from Laughing. A coarse Vest
Threadbare is feen beneath my finer Coat,

Ill-forted: From my Shoulders hangs my Cloak
Unequal to the Ground. You fmile-But now
If my Opinions difagree, and jar

Among Themselves; If my ftill-thwarting Paffions
And oppofite Defires, now crave for This,

Now hate it: What but juft before they wish'd,
Faftidious ftrait reject: What they refus'd

But the last Hour, now long for, while my Mind
Wars with itself inceffantly: Here builds,

And There pulls down again: That Square must now
Be chang'd into a Round; That narrow Room
Enlarg'd; That low-pitch'd Cieling higher rais'd.
This is a fober Madness; common This,

You deem, to All. You neither fmile, nor fend
Me to a Guardian, or the Doctor's Care.

Thus You, who quarrel with his ill-par'd Nails,
Neglect the real Vices, and o'erlook

The Follies of your Friend, who yet depends

To

To be advis'd by You, by You controul'd.

To fum up All: The Wife Man is above
The World; Second to none but Jove; Rich, Free,
Great, Honourable, Fair----In short, a King

Of Kings! Always in vigorous Health, but when
Too thoughtful Hours betray him to the SPLEEN.

15 Octob. 1698.

C 2

HO

Book

HORACE, BOOK I. Epift. 2.

To LOLLIUS.

The ARGUMENT.

HORACE having read over in the Country the Iliad and Odyffey of Homer, while Young Lollius was bufily employed in pleading at Rome, he takes occafion from thence to lay before him in This Epistle the Moral Inftruction to be drawn from That Noble Author; and fhows the pernicious Effects of Civil Difcord, Envy, Avarice, Luft, Debauchery and Paffion.

He concludes with pointing out in few Words, of how great Importance it is to the Whole Courfe of Life to have the Principles of Virtue carefully inftill'd in Youth, and while the Mind is tender and plyant.

HILE You, my learned Friend, declaim at Rome,

WH

I, in Prænefte's cool Retirement, read

The Writer of the Trojan War, who seems,

All that is Fair or Good, or Right or Wrong,

More fully and exactly to define,

Than CRANTOR OF CHRYSIPPUS. Why I thus

Believe, (if you are now at leifure) Hear.

The

The Fable of the Iliad, in which

The Ten Years tedious War of Greece with Troy
T'avenge a lewd inhofpitable Crime

Is told, contains the Quarrels and the Heats
Of foolish People and their foolish Kings.
ANTENOR Counfels to remove the Caufe,
And end the War. To this th' Adulterer
Denies to be compell'd. Sage NESTOR ftrives
To footh ACHILLES' Rage, and reconcile
The fatal Strife 'twixt Him and AGAMEMNON.
One, Love; Anger alike enflames 'em Both.
Th' Effects of their Disputes the Grecians feel,
And rue the Follies of their doating Chiefs.
Revenge, Sedition, Treachery, Anger, Lust,
Reign uncontroul'd both in the Camp and City.
But then what Virtue and good Senfe can do,
And long Experience, taught by hard Affays,
Is in th' Example of ULYSSES fhown,
Who, Conqueror of Troy, with deep Regard
Confiderate, faw and weigh'd the different Manners
And different Governments of Men. And while

Careful,

Careful, he meditates his own Return

And his Companions, many a threat'ning Storm
He bore; tho' plung'd in Fortune's adverse Waves,
With greater Luftre rifing: nor the Charms
Of CIRCE, nor the SIRENS fweeter Voice
Could change his Refolution: Had he drunk
Intemperate, with his fottish Company,
The Magic Cup, a Slave he must have Serv'd
To an Imperious Whore; Senfelefs and Brute
Had liv'd a Dog Impure, or Filthy Swine.

We only stand as Cyphers on th' Account
Of Humankind, to fill the Number ; born
Merely to Eat and Drink, and Eat again
In a continual Round. We are the Knaves,
PENELOPE'S Suitors, and ALCINOUS' Court;
Th' Unmanly Youth, on Luxury of Dress
Laboriously intent; our Only Joy

To fleep till Noon, and with the warbling Harp

And flowing Bowl footh every anxious Care.

To cut your Throat, Thieves will at Midnight rife: And will you not Awake to fave your Life?