He, who his fubject happily can chufe,
Wins to his favour the benignant Mufe;
For him fhall Eloquence her ftores difplay,
And beauteous Order trace and clear his way.

Order, I trust, may boaft, nor boast in vain,
Thefe Virtues and thefe Graces in her train.
What on the inftant fhould be faid, to fay;
Things, beft referv'd at prefent, to delay;
Guiding the bard, thro' his continu'd verse,
What to reject, and when; and what rehearse.

To words establish'd by long usage, true,
With innovations, or adoptions, few,
Happy your art, if by a cunning phrase
To a new meaning a known word you raise :
If calling from the dark abyfs of time,
"Things unattempted yet in profe or rhime,"
Oft ftern neceffity exacts fome word,
By the ftrait-lac'd Cethegi never heard;

60

65

70

Take without blame, yet take with coynefs too,
The licence to your arduous subject due.

New, or but recent, words fhall have their courfe,

If drawn difcreetly from the Grecian source.

80

What Plautus and Cecilius fafely claim,

Shall Rome in Virgil, and in Varius, blame?

Or

60

Si poffum, invideor; cùm lingua Catonis et Ennî
Sermonem patrium ditaverit, et nova rerum
Nomina protulerit? Licuit, femperque licebit
Signatum præfente notâ procudere nomen.
Ut filvæ foliis pronos mutantur in annos ;
Prima cadunt: ita verborum vetus interit ætas,
Et juvenum ritu florent modò nata vigentque.
Debemur morti nos, noftraque; five receptus
Terrâ Neptunus, claffes Aquilonibus arcet,
Regis opus; fterilifve diu palus, aptaque remis, 65
Vicinas urbes alit, et grave fentit aratrum :
Seu curfum mutavit iniquum frugibus amnis,
Doctus iter melius: mortalia facta peribunt,
Nedum fermonum ftet honos, et gratia vivax.
Multa renafcentur, quæ jam cecidêre; cadentque 7o
Quæ nunc funt in honore vocabula,

Or if myself should fome few words explore,
Shall I be envied for my little ftore?
Cato, and Ennius, while our ftyle was young,
With many a fterling phrafe enrich'd our tongue;
And We, our Sires, and Sons, without a crime;
May stamp on words the coinage of the time.

As branching woods let fall, and change their leaves,

Our language too a change of words receives:
Year after year drop off the ancient race,

While young ones bud and flourish in their place.
Nor we, nor all we do, can death withstand;
Whether the Sea, imprison'd in the land,

A work imperial! takes a harbour's form,
Where navies ride fecure, and mock the storm;
Whether the Marfh, within whofe horrid fhore
Barrennefs dwelt, and boatmen plied the oar,

Now furrow'd by the plough, a laughing plain, 100 Feeds all the cities round with fertile grain;

Or if the River, by a prudent force,

The corn once flooding, learns a better course.
The works of mortal man fhall all decay;

And words are grac'd and honour'd but a day: 105
Many shall wake reviv'd, that now lie dead;
Many fhall fade, and all their glories fhed;

4

Cuftom

fi volet ufus,

Quem penés arbitrium eft, et jus, et norma loquendi.

Res geftæ regumque ducumque et triftia bella, Quo fcribi poffent numero, monftravit Homerus.

Verfibus impariter junctis querimonia primúm, 75 Pòft etiam inclufa eft voti fententia compos. Quis tamen exiguos elegos emiferit auctor, Grammatici certant, et adhuc fub judice lis eft.

Archilochum proprio rabies armavit iambo. Hunc focci cepêre pedem, grandefque cothurni, 80 Alternis aptum fermonibus, et populares Vincentem ftrepitus, et natum rebus agendis.

Custom alone their rank and date can teach,
Custom, the fov'reign, law, and rule of speech.

For deeds of kings and chiefs, and battles fought, What numbers are most fitting, Homer taught:

Couplets unequal were at firft confin'd
To speak in broken verfe the mourner's mind.
Profperity at length, and free content,
In the fame numbers gave their raptures vent;
But who first fram'd the Elegy's fmall fong,
Grammarians fquabble, and will squabble long.

Archilochus, refentment's bitter rage

Arm'd with his own Iambicks to engage:

With these the humble Sock, and Bufkin proud, 120 Shap'd dialogue; and still'd the noisy croud; Embrac'd the measure, prov'd its eafe and force, And found it apt for business or difcourfe.

Gods, and the fons of Gods, in Odes to fing, The Muse attunes her Lyre, and ftrikes the ftring; 125 Victorious Boxers, Racers, mark the line, The cares of youthful love, and joys of wine.

The various outline of each work to fill, If nature gives no pow'r, and art no fkill;

VOL. III.

D

If