Idcircòne vager, fcribamque licenter? ut omnes
Vifuros peccata putem mea; tutus et intra
Spem venia cautus? vitavi denique culpam,
Non laudem merui.

266

Vos exemplaria Græca

Nocturnâ verfate manu, verfate diurnâ.
At veftri proavi Plautinos et numeros, et
Laudavere fales; niminum patienter utrumque
(Ne dicam ftultè) mirati: fi modo ego et vos
Scimus inurbanum lepido feponere dicto,
Legitimumque fonum digitis callemus et aure,

270

Ignotum tragicæ genus inveniffe Camcena 275 Dicitur, ét plauftris vexiffe poëmata Thefpis Quæ canerent agerentque, pèruncti fæcibus ora. Poft hunc perfonæ pallæque repertor honestæ Æfchylus et modicis inftavit pulpita tignis,

Et

Shall I then all regard, all labour flight,

390

Break loofe at once, and all at random write?

Or fhall I fear that all my faults descry,

Viewing my errors with an Eagle eye,
And thence correctness make my only aim,

Pleas'd to be safe, and fure of 'scaping blame? 395
Thus I from faults indeed may guard my lays;
But neither they, nor I, can merit praise.

Pifos! be Græcian models your delight! Night and day read them, read them day and night! "Well! but our fathers Plautus lov'd to praife, 400 "Admir'd his humour, and approv❜d his lays.” Yes; they faw both with a too partial eye, Fond e'en to folly fure, if you and I Know ribaldry from humour, chafte and terfe, Or can but fcan, and have an ear for verse.

405

A kind of Tragick Ode unknown before, THESPIS, 'tis faid, invented first, and bore Cart-loads of verfe about; and with him went A troop begrim'd, to fing and reprefent.

Next, ÆSCHYLUS, a Mask to shroud the face, 410 A Robe devis'd, to give the person grace;

On

Et docuit magnumque loqui, nitique cothurno. 280
Succeffit Vetus his Comoedia, non fine multâ
Laude: fed in vitium libertas excidit, et vim
Dignam lege regi: lex eft accepta; Chorusque
Turpiter obticuit, fublato jure nocendi,

285

290

Nil intentatum noftri liquere poëtæ : Nec nimium meruere decus, veftigia Græca Aufi deferere, et celebrare domestica facta, Vel qui Prætextas, vel qui docuere Togatas : Nec virtute foret clarifve potentius armis, Quam linguâ, Latium; fi non offenderet unumQuemque poëtarum limæ labor et mora. Vos ô Pompilius fanguis, carmen reprehendite, quod non Multa dies et multa litura coërcuit, atque Præfectum decies non caftigavit ad unguem.

Ingenium

On humble rafters rais'd a Stage, and taught
The bufkin'd actor, with his spirit fraught,

To breathe with dignity the lofty thought.

To thefe fucceeded, with no little praise

415

The good OLD COMEDY of antient days;
'Till Liberty, grown rank and run to feed,
Call'd for tho hand of Law to pluck the weed:
The Statute paft; the fland'rous Chorus, drown'd
In shameful filence, loft the pow'r to wound. 420

Nothing have Roman Poets left untried, Nor added little to their Country's pride; Daring their Græcian Mafters to forfake, And for their themes Domestick Glories take; Whether the Gown prefcrib'd an air more mean, 425 Or the Inwoven Purple rais'd the scene: Nor would the fplendour of the Latian name From arms, than Letters, boast a brighter fame, Had they not, fcorning the laborious file,a Grudg'd time, to mellow and refine their ftyle. 43° But you, bright hopes of the Pompilian Blood, Never the verse approve and hold as good, 'Till many a day, and many a blot has wrought The polish'd work, and chaften'd ev'ry thought, By tenfold labour to perfection brought !

Becaufe

Ingenium miferâ quia fortunatius arte

Credit, et excludit fanos Helicone poetas

Democritus; bona pars non ungues ponere curat,
Non barbam, fecreta petit loca, balnea vitat;
Nancifcetur enim pretium nomenque poëtæ,

295

Si tribus Anticyris caput infanabile numquam 300
Tonfori Licino commiferit, O ego lævus,

Qui purgor bilem fub verni temporis horam!
Non alius faceret meliora poëmata: verum

Nil tanti eft: ergo fungar vice cotis, acutum
Reddere quæ ferrum valet, exfors ipfa fecandi. 305
Munus et officium, nil fcribens ipfe, docebo:
Unde parentur opes; quid alat formetque poëtam;
Quid deceat, quid non; quò virtus, quò ferat error.

Scribendi rectè, fapere eft et principium et fons; Rem tibi Socraticæ poterunt oftendere charta; 310 Verbaque provifam rem non invita fequentur.