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THE SIXTH EPISTLE OF THE FIRST BOOK OF HORACE
By Mr. POPE.
DUBLIN: Printed by and for J. Jones in Clarendon-Sreet, oppoſite to Coppinger's-Lane, 1738. (Price 2d.)
Q. HORATII FLACCI EPIST. VI. LIB. I. AD NUMICIUM.
[2]NIL Admirari, prope res eſt una, Numici!
Solaque, quae poſſit facere & ſervare beatum.
2 Hunc Solem, & Stellas, & decedentia certis
Tempora momentis, ſunt qui 3 formidine nulla
Imbuti, ſpectent.—
[4] —4 Quid cenſes munera Terrae?
Quid Maris, extermos Arabas 5 ditantis, & Indos?
Ludicra quid, 6 plauſus, & amici dona Quiritis,
Quo ſpectanda modo, 7 quo ſenſu credis, & ore?
8 Qui timet his adverſa, fere miratur eodem
Quo cupiens pacto; pavor eſt utrique moleſtus;
Improviſa ſimul ſpecies exterret utrumque.
9 Gaudeat, an doleat, cupiat, metuatne, quid ad rem?
Si, quicquid vidit melius, pejuſve ſua ſpe,
Defixis oculis, animoque & corpore torpet?
10 Inſani ſapiens nomen ferat, aequus iniqui,
Ultra quam ſatis eſt, virtutem ſi petat ipſam.
11 I nunc, argen um & marmor 12 vetus, aeraque & artes
[6] Suſpice; cum gemmis 13 Tyrios mirare colores:
Gaude, quod ſpectant oculi te mille loquentem:
Gnavus 15 mane forum, & veſpertinus pete tectum:
16 Ne plus frumenti dotalibus emetat agris
Mucius. Indignum, quod ſit pejoribus ortus!
17 Hic tibi ſit potius, quam tu mirabilis illi?
18 Quicquid ſub terra eſt, in apricum proferet AEtas,
Defodiet, condetque nitentia. 19 Quum bene notum
Porticus Agrippae, & via te conſpexerit Appi,
Ire tamen reſtat Numa 20 duo devenit & Ancus.
[8] 21 Si latus, aut renes morbo tententur acuto,
Quaere fugam morbi—
—22 Vis recte vivere? quis non?
Si Virtus hoc una poteſt dare, fortis omiſſis
Hoc age deliciis—
—23 Virtutem verba putas, ut
Lucum ligna? 24 cave ne portus occupet alter,
Ne Cybiratica, ne Bityhina negotia perdas.
25 Mille talenta rotundentur, totidem altera: porro
Tertia ſuccedant, & quae pars quadret acervum.
[10] Scilicet 26 Uxorem cum dote fidemque, & 27 Amicas,
Et genus & formam regina 28 Pecunia donat:
Ac bene nummatum decorat Suadela, Venuſque.
Mancipiis locuples, eget aeris 29 Cappadocum rex;
Ne fueris hic tu—
—30 Chlamydes Lucullus (ut aiunt)
Si poſſet centum Scenae praebere rogatus,
Qui poſſum tot? ait: tamen & quaeram, & quot habebs
Mittam. Poſt paulo ſcribit, ſibi millia quinque
Eſſe domi chlamydum: partem, vel tolleret omnes.
31 Exilis domus eſt, ubi non & multa ſuperſunt,
Et dominum fallunt, & proſunt furibus. 32 Ergo,
Si res ſola poteſt facere & ſervare beatum,
Hoc primus repetas opus, hoc poſtremus omittas.
[12] 33 Si Fortunatum ſpecies & gratia praeſtat,
34 Mercemur ſervum, qui dictet nomina, laevum
Qui fodiat latus, & cogat trans pondera dextram
Porrigere, 36 Hic multum in Fabia valet, ille Velina:
Cuilibet hic faſces dabit, eripietque curule
Cui volet importunus ebur. 37 Frater, Pater, adde:
Ut cuique eſt aetas, ita quemque 38 facetus adopta.
Si, 39 bene qui caenat, bene vivit; "lucet, eamus
" Quo ducit gula: piſcemur, venemur:" ut 40 olim
Gargilius, qui mane plagas, venabula, ſervos,
Differtum tranſire forum populumque jubebat,
Unus ut e multis populo ſpectante referret
Emptum mulus aprum—
[14] —41 Crudi, tumidique lavemur,
Quid deccat, quid non, obliti: Cerite cera
Digni, 42 remigium vitioſum Ithacenſis Ulyſſei,
Cui potior 43 patria fuit interdicta voluptas.
44 Si (Mimnermus uti cenſet) ſine amore, jociſque,
Nil eſt jucundum; vivas in amore, jociſque.
45 Vive, vale! ſi quid noviſti rectius iſtis,
Candidus imperti: ſi non, his utere mecum.
FINIS.
THE SIXTH EPISTLE OF THE FIRST BOOK OF HORACE.
[3]" NOT to Admire, is all the Art I know,
" To make men happy, and to keep them ſo.
[Plain Truth, dear MURRAY, need no flow'rs of ſpeech,
So take it in the very words of Creech.]
2 This Vault of Air, this congregated Ball,
Self-centred Sun, and Stars that riſe and fall,
There are, my Friend! whoſe philoſophic eyes
Look thro', and truſt the Ruler with his Skies,
To him commit the hour, the day, the year,
And view 3 this dreadful All without a fear.
[5] Admire we then what 4 Earth's low entrails hold,
Arabian ſhores, or Indian ſeas infold?
All the mad trade of 5 Fools and Slaves for Gold?
Or 6 Popularity, or Stars and Strings?
The Mob's applauſes, or the gifts of King's?
Say with what 7 eyes we ought at Courts to gaze,
And pay the Great our homage of Amaze?
If weak the 8 pleaſure that from theſe can ſpring,
The fear to want them is as weak a thing:
Whether we dread, or whether we deſire,
In either caſe, believe me, we admire;
Whether we 9 joy or grieve, the ſame the curſe,
Surpriz'd at better, or ſurpriz'd at worſe.
Thus good, or bad, to one extreme betray
Th' unbalanc'd Mind, and ſnatch the Man away;
For 10 Vertue's ſelf may too much Zeal be had:
The worſt of Madmen is a Saint run mad.
11 Go then, and if you can, admire the ſtate
Of beaming diamonds, and reflected plate;
Procure a Taſte to double the ſurprize,
And gaze on 12 Parian Charms with learned eyes:
[7] Be ſtruck with bright 13 Brocade, or Tyrian Dye,
Our Birth-day Nobles ſplendid Livery:
If not ſo pleas'd, at 14 Council-board rejoyce,
To ſee their Judgments hang upon thy Voice;
From 15 morn to night, at Senate, Rolls, and Hall,
Plead much, read more, dine late, or not at all.
But wherefore all this labour, all this ſtrife?
For 16 Fame, for Riches, for a noble Wife?
Shall 17 One whom Nature, Learning, Birth conſpir'd
To form, not to admire, but be admir'd,
Sigh, while his Chloë, blind to Wit and Worth,
Weds the rich Dulneſs of ſome Son of earth?
Yet 18 Time ennobles, or degrades each Line;
It brighten'd CRAGS'S, and may darken thine:
And what is Fame? the Meaneſt have their day,
The Greateſt can but blaze, and paſs away,
Grac'd as thou art, 19 with all the Power of Words,
So known, ſo honour'd, at the Houſe of Lords;
Conſpicuous Scene! another yet is nigh,
(More ſilent far) where Kings and Poets lye;
Where MURRAY (long enough his Country's pride).
Shall be no more than TULLY, or than HYDE!
[9] 21 Rack'd with Sciatics, martyr'd with the Stone,
Will any mortal let himſelf alone?
Rather than ſo, ſee Ward invited over,
And deſp'rate Miſery lays hold on Dover.
The caſe is eaſier in the Mind's diſeaſe;
There, all Men may be cur'd, whene'er they pleaſe.
Would ye be 22 bleſt? deſpiſe low Joys, low Gains;
Diſdain whatever CORNBURY diſdains;
Be Virtuous, and be happy for your pains.
23 But art thou one, whom new opinions ſway,
One, who believes as Tindal leads the way,
Who Virtue and a Church alike diſowns,
Thinks that but words, and this but brick and ſtones?
Fly 24 then, on all the wings of wild deſire!
Admire whate'er the maddeſt can admire.
Is wealth thy paſſion? Hence! from Pole to Pole,
Where winds can carry, or where waves can roll,
For Indian ſpices, for Peruvian gold,
Prevent the greedy, and outbid the bold:
25 Advance thy golden Mountain to the ſkies;
On the broad baſe of fifty thouſand riſe,
[11] Add one round hundred, and (if that's not fair)
Add fifty more, and bring it to a ſquare.
For, mark th' advantage; juſt ſo many ſcore
Will gain a 26 Wife with half as many more,
Procure her beauty, make that beauty chaſte,
And then ſuch 27 Friends—as cannot fail to laſt.
A 28 Man of wealth is dubb'd a Man of worth,
Venus ſhall give him Form, and Anſtis Birth.
(Believe me, many a 29 German Prince is worſe,
Who proud of Pedigree, is poor of Purſe)
His Wealth brave 30 Timon gloriouſly confounds;
Aſk'd for a great, he gives a hundred pounds;
Or if three Ladies like a luckleſs Play,
Takes the whole Houſe upon the Poet's day.
31 Now, in ſuch exigencies not to need,
Upon my word, you muſt be rich indeed;
A noble ſuperfluity it craves,
Not for your ſelf, but for your Fools and Knaves;
Something, which for your Honour they may cheat,
And which it much becomes you to forget.
32 If Wealth alone then make and keep us bleſt,
Still, ſtill be getting, never, never reſt.
[13] 33 But if to Pow'r and Place your Paſſion lye,
If in the Pomp of Life conſiſt the Joy:
Then 34 hire a Slave, or (if you will, a Lord)
To do the Honours, and to give the Word;
Tell at your Levee, as the Crouds approach,
To whom 35 to nod, whom take into your Coach,
Whom honour with your hand: to make remarks,
Who 36 rules in Cornwall, or who rules in Berks;
" This may be troubleſome, is near the Chair;
" That makes three Members, This can chuſe a May'r."
Inſtructed thus, you bow, embrace, proteſt,
Adopt him 37 Son, or Cozen at the leaſt,
Then turn about, and 38 laugh at your own Jeſt.
Or if our life be one continu'd Treat,
If 39 to live well means nothing but to eat;
Up, up! cries Gluttony, 'tis break of day,
Go drive the Deer, and drag the finny-prey;
With hounds and horns go hunt an Appetite—
So 40 Ruſſel did, but could not eat at night,
Call'd happy Dog! the Beggar at his door,
And envy'd Thirſt and Hunger to th [...] Poor.
[15] Or ſhall we 41 ev'ry Decency confound,
Thro' Taverns, Stews, and Bagnio's take our round,
Go dine with Charters, in each Vice out-do
42 K [...]'s lewd Cargo, or Ty [...]y's Crew,
From Latian Syrens, French Circaean Feaſts,
Return well travell'd and transform'd to Beaſts,
Or for a Titled Punk, or Foreign Flame,
Renounce our 43 Country, and degrade our Name?
If, after all, we muſt with 44 Wilmot own,
The Cordial Drop of Life is Love alone,
And Swift cry wiſely, "Vive la Bagatelle!"
The Man that love and laughs, muſt ſure do well.
45 Adieu—if this advice appear the worſt,
E'en take the Counſel which I gave you firſt:
Or better Precepts if you can impart,
Why do, I'll follow them with all my heart.
FINIS.
- Zitationsvorschlag für dieses Objekt
- TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3493 The sixth epistle of the first book of Horace by Mr Pope. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5B4B-B