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I'm rich enough, and have to fpare
Pafs but away my prefent care!

Nor much inclined to heap and hoard;

Nor melt my fubítance like a lord.

To this poetical verfion are added the following critical ob Tervations.

A few Obfervations.

The character of this piece arifes from the flow of fincere affection Horace expreffes in it to Mæcenas; which is therefore kept in fight all along; and renewed again at the close. Many editions, amazing as it is, open this Ode without the interrogation; particularly the Cambridge Editors, who do not allow it a place, even among various readings; to whom I am forry to add Monf. Dacier. Nevertheless, whoever difplace it, plainly deftroy all the grace and spirit of Horace's Addrefs. One might tafely appeal for the difference between

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Mecenas, you will go,

As Monf. Dacier bluntly renders it; and

Will my friend go?

as Horace certainly wrote it. Here is likewife another inaccuracy. Horace fays, Will my friend go and then, at the next step, gives us the name, in contrast to that of Cæfar. M. Dacier immediately brings forward the name; while others join it to the appellative Amice: and none are sufficiently aware of Horace's matchless ikill, and exactnefs upon all occafions. Further;

"The diftributors of the Odes according to chronology, after Ibis Liburnis place Quando, ó, repoftum? but they have not difcovered, any one of them, that the latter piece is one continued ftrain of irony! worked up by Horace to an amazing pitch; and letting us into the fecret-How very freely the prime-minifter, and the fecretary of the Muses, treated the mighty emperor in private and betwixt themselves. This is little understood, but a good deal might be faid upon it.

"The report of what Maecenas intended, is given above as the title to the piece: and the fecret aim of it throughout, I think, is to diffuade him from embarking. This I would clear; but in few words as I can contrive.

"Mecenas certainly knew Horace's manner of fhading. Mæcenas certainly knew the meaning of that much-mistaken line,

make

Docte fermones utriufque linguæ.

Dacier, and Bentley and Sanadon talk upon it with a gravity would you fplit: while all that Horace intends by it is, "You are "ufed to my covert envelopes; you are well-read in my fecond tenfes, "Docte fermones utriufque lingue," and upon another occation he calls himself Canufinus bilinguis. With this light upon the piece we are confidering, it is plain Mecenas understands Horace, as faying to him, "Pray, Sir, what is this fray to you? In the name of "fortune let him go by himfelt. Anthony aims at him, and Rome "can better fpare Cæfar than Mæcenas. Indeed it little concerns "either you or me, Sir, which of these two worthies is to be our mafter." Hence the fober word juffi becomes obfervable. Horace was earnest, to be fure, to go abroad this fleet; but unluckily was under orders to stay at home,

66

VOL. VI.

3 D

"A word

"A word more upon the line, twice recited above. It is taken from as fportive an Ode as any in all Horace; but the occafion of that Ode is its chief curiofity. Horace had kept fome anniversary or other among his old Friends, the Pompejans, and what does he do? Why he informs the governor of the city of the matter; and makes him his confident and confeffor upon the occafion; but Ho race knew, that Mecenas alfo was a Pompeian, as the hostler said, Maifter is a Yorkshire man too.

Such is the Spirit of Horace, and without it he is a dead letter. For the translation above, I would obferve, it contains but four lines more than the original; and that it comprehends all Horace's particulars, or fome equivalent for them; and-but fee, what you can find upon this piece, among the Commentators by profeffion.

Why truly our profeffional criticks have not entered fo profoundly into the depths of conjectural criticifin as hath this writer. Moft of them have been fatisfied with fuppofing that the poet only meant to compliment his friends and himself, with being good Latin and Greek scholars: they did not conceive them fo deep in the double entendre as is here curiously conjectured. Our fcholiaft's defying reference to other Commentators is, however, by no means confiftent with the modefty of his poftfcript; in which he tells us, after the example of the poet, nos hac novimus effe nihil; or, as he himself expreffes it," the preceding papers are, in my efteem, hay and Aubble; amufements to fill up our space; and permitted by the bleffed Being to finooth our paffage."-To make our own ufe of them, in the way of filling up a vacant fpace, and at the fame time amufe our readers, we fhall with permiffion of the bleffed being, give an inftance or two more of the writer's poetical skill as an interpreter and his conjectural fagacity, as a critic.

Upon Pollio's retiring from Public Affairs.

The Second Epope.

Happy the man, who at his eafe,
Like the plain folk of Alfred's days,
Works his own team, and herriot-land;
Sufficient cash at his command;
Not early stirr'd by fife and drum,
Nor fhipp'd the Baltic deep to roam;
Keeps from the noify hall away,
And never crowds a levee-day.

Better employ'd to tend his vine;
The tangled branches to untwine;
Remove a fickly shoot, and lead
A kindlier bearing in its stead,
-Or fauntering down his floping mead,
Walks round the cattle, as they feed,
Officiates, when the honey's jarr'd;
Seeks a hurt ewe, and fees her tarr'd';

Cr

Or when the rows are streak'd with red,
And Autumn lifts his golden head,

Unloads, with glee, the peach, and plum;
And fends his lower neighbours fome:
Offering, in mind, his chofen fruit
To Providence, who guards his plott.
Now too, he longs his limbs to lay
Under the plantain all the day:
Lull'd by the chirper's numerofe call;
Or liftening to a waterfall,

Not fo, when early frofts and rain,
And Winter defolate the plain;
Then he hunts down the ftricken deer;
Then roufes up the dangerous bear;
Opens his woodcock-road on high;
Vifits the wild-ducks, and decoy:
While pleasure sparkles in his eyes,
If he can make the heath-polt prize.
Indifferent he, or quite above
The pangs of mifchief-making love.
But if he plight his wedded faith,
And take-tho' fcarce a Wife of Bath-
A partner of his joys and cares,
Who minds the family-affairs;
As Emma true, or Geraldine,
And not a bit too good to spin:
Looks how the fervant folks go on,
The cattle pen'd, the milking done:
Bufy, while he fatigues abroad;
And meets him coming on the road;
Stirs up a blaze, and springs to fine
Her lateft cafk of clary wine:
And with a frugal fkill improves
The favoury meat, fhe knows he loves.
Not early falmon from the Weft,
Not turtle at a Creole's feast,
Nor fturgeon, when the tempefts bring,
The city's offering to their king,
My fimple hunger can appease,
Like beet, or cooling water-crefs;
Or a fpring-lamb, when lambs abound;
Or faun, half-worried by a hound.

How pleafing thus to feaft, and view
The cattle fcampering to the mow!
Others with heavy tread draw near,
Trailing the inverted plough and share:
And then the folk in clean attire,
Settled, or fwarming o'er the fire.

All this-and more, the other day I overheard a fcrivener fay; 3 D 2

Determ

Determin'd now, and quite a-fire
To turn at once a country-fquire.
-But ftept to Loyd's, to take a look.
There chang'd his fola-bills for ftock;
And fold, before he left the house,

For three per cents his Putney close.

It is remarkable, I think, that no one hitherto hoth enquired, What it was, that gave occafion to the fecond epode? The interpreters, moft of them, fuppofe Horace gravely fitting down to indite

Laudes vita ruftica,

according to their moft Gothic title; which even Mr. Cunningham has retained. Monf. Dacier takes the four laft lines for his guide through the piece; whom Pere Sanadpn follows, blindfold: while Mr. Cowley finks thofe lines intirely. I can imagine an ordinary occurence in publick life to have fet Horace's fine pen a flowing. Some Roman of eminence, (I believe it was Pollio) retiring from business; quitting the courts, and the fenate, and the palace; leaving the ins and the outs to breathe calmly in the country. From fuch an incident to raise fo fine a fcenery; enriching it with a fucceffion of the moft pleafing images, and finishing his piece with an unexpected ftroke of gaiety-this was worthy Horace; and this he has executed."

In our Scholiaft's third paper, which he entitles Vive la Bagatelle, we have tranflations of the Odes to Lalage and Af terie; both, according to this critic, the bofom friends of this amiable poet. But for thefe we muft refer the claffical reader to the pamphlet itself; taking our leave of it with the author's concluding advice to the public; viz. "to remind them, with great deference, that of all the works of our days, and upon all accounts, The death of Abel, the Meffiah, and Noah, with Pamela, Clariffa, and Sir Charles Grandfon, beft deferve the public's attention and higheft efteem."-The bleffed Being defend us! What, are three German poems and three English Romances, to be held, upon all accounts, in higher efteem, than all the works of all the philofophers, politicians and divines of the age?--If this be the cafe-but, hold, as the foregoing papers are, in the author's efteem, mere bay and stubble, he probably intended his poftfcript to go with them as paper and packthread.

THEATRICAL

ARTICLE.

The novelties, that have made their appearance on the ftage this month, being beneath criticifin; we fhall, in compliance with feveral letters from our correfpondents, refume the fubject of Mr. Henderson: a performer, of whom, notwithstanding his prefent deficiency of vocal powers, we may fay that, take him for all and all, we may not foon look on his like again. His great merit, indeed, as well as his great misfortune, is that he afpires perhaps too much to univerfality in his profeffion. This ambition,

ambition, however laudable or properly fupported by ingenuity and induftry, will every excite envy among his affociates, and be the cause of invidious comparifons among their protectors, Whatever execilence he may difplay, therefore, in the various walks of other actors, he muft of courfe fail of fuccefs in proportion to the prejudices and pre-poffeffions of the publick, in favour of his rivals. And yet, in the path of emulation, true genius always quickens its pace: the danger lies in its being accelerated by encouragement, to its own precipitation. The gale of popular applaufe has often been fo brifk as to overset many a noble veffel. Two things appear neceffary (we do not know they are wanting) to eftablish Mr. Henderson's reputation, and confirm his merit as an actor. The one is a strict attention to temperance of diet; by which his health and conftitution may be preferved and improved; and of course his acting powers increased; the other is, as religious a regard to that mental felf-denial, by which perfonal vanity is prevented from making a facrifice, of the moft promifing talents, at the dirty altar of vulgar incenfe. How often do we fee haftilyrifing fame as fuddenly depreffed! talents, as Richard fays of the blood of Lancafter, which we thought would have mounted, trickling in the duft and trodden under foot, But fo it is; the mere folly of mankind frequently flows fo ftrong as to bear the floating body fuddenly to a height; from which it requires the utmoft difcretion and dexterity, in the fwimmer, to prevent his as-fuddenly finking, or being left, with the return of the tide, faft floundering in the inud. Sans metaphor, Mr. Henderson, may, with the exercife of due difcretion, become a moft capital actor; but, if he conceives himself already at his zenith, he most certainly is fo. To view him in the moft advantageous light, will be to confider him in the character of Sir John Falstaff; in which he ftands at prefent without a rival: and inferiour as are his powers to a Quin, he here triumphs over the greater powers of a Garrick. This praife, however, is due to Mr. Garrick (and we would recommend the example to Mr. Hender(on) he was wife enough in this inftance to remember Horace's advice, Quid valeant humeri. Our profeffed play-house Critics are yet divided in their opinions of Mr. H's merit in this part: as they have done us publickly the honour alio of acknowledging we know fomething of the matter, we shall speak our fentiments freely on the tubject. It were needleis to obferve that Mr. H. as well as Mr. G. wants figure for the part. But Mr. G. was fagacious enough to know that, though bulk of body might be fupplied by a stuffed doublet, there are other properties utually attendant on real corpulenky, fuch as large lungs, hollow cheft, and a reverpation, if we may venture fo to

speak,

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