He steer'd fecurely, and difcover'd far,
Led by the light of the Mæonian Star.
Poets, a race long unconfin'd, and free,
Still fond and proud of favage liberty,

650

Receiv'd his laws; and flood convinc'd 'twas fit,
Who conquer'd Nature, fhould prefide o'er Wit.
Horace ftill charms with graceful negligence,
And without method talks us into sense,
Will, like a friend, familiarly convey
The trueft notions in the eafieft

way.

655

659

He, who fupreme in judgment, as in wit,
Might boldly cenfure, as he boldly writ,
Yet judg'd with coolness, tho' he sung with fire;
His Precepts teach but what his works inspire.
Our Critics take a contrary extreme,
They judge with fury, but they write with fle'me:
Nor fuffers Horace more in wrong Translations
By Wits, than Critics in as wrong Quotations. 665

VER 653. Who conquer'd Nature, fhould prefide o'er Wit.] By this is not meant phyfical Nature, but moral. The force of the obfervation confifts in our understanding it in this fente. For the Poet not only uses the word Naturė for human nature, throughout this poem; but alfo, where, in the beginning of it, he lays down the princi ples of the arts he treats of, he makes the knowledge of human nature the foundation of all Criticism and Poetry. Nor is the obfervation lefs true than appofite. For, AriStotle's natural enquiries were fuperficial, and ill-made, tho' extenfive: But his logical and moral works are incomparable. In theie he has unfolded the human mind, and laid open all the receffes of the heart and understanding; and by his Categories, not only conquer'd Nature, but kept her in tenfold chains: Not as Dulness kept the Mufes, in the Dunciad, to filence them; but as Ariftans held Proteus in Virgil, to deliver Oracles.

See Dionyfius Homer's thoughts refine, And call new beauties forth from ev'ry line! Fancy and art in gay Petronius please,

The scholar's learning, with the courtier's eafe.
In grave Quintilian's copious work, we find 670
The jufteft rules, and cleareft method join'd:
Thus useful arms in magazines we place,
All rang'd in order, and difpos'd with grace,
But lefs to please the eye, than arm the hand,
Still fit for ufe, and ready at command.

675

Thee, bold Longinus! all the Nine inspire, And bless their Critic with a Poet's fire. An ardent Judge, who zealous in his trust, With warmth gives fentence, yet is always juft; Whofe own example ftrengthens all his laws; 680 And is himself that great Sublime he draws.

684

Thus long fucceeding Critics justly reign'd, Licence reprefs'd, and ufeful laws ordain'd. Learning and Rome alike in empire grew; And Arts ftill follow'd where her Eagles flew; From the fame foes, at laft, both felt their doom, And the fame age faw Learning fall, and Rome: With Tyranny, then Superftition join'd, As that the body, this enflav'd the mind; Much was believ'd, but little understood, And to be dull was conftru'd to be good;

VER. 666. See Dionyfius] Of Halicarnaffus.
VARIATIONS.

1

690

A fecond

P.

Between ver. 691 and 692, the author omitted thefe

two,

Vain Wits and Critics were no more allow'd,

When none but Saints had licence to be proud. P.

A fecond deluge Learning thus o'er-run,
And the Monks finifh'd what the Goths begun.

At length Erafmus, that great injur’d name,
(The glory of the Priesthood, and the shame!)
Stem'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age,
And drove those holy Vandals off the stage.

696

But fee! each Mufe, in LEO's golden days, Starts from her trance, and trims her wither'd bays, Rome's ancient Genius, o'er its ruins fpread, 700 Shakes off the duft, and rears his rev'rend head. Then Sculpture and her fifter-arts revive;

Stones leap'd to form, and rocks began to live;
With sweeter notes each rifing Temple rung;
A Raphael painted, and a Vida fung.

705

Immortal Vida: on whofe honour'd brow
The Poet's bays and Critic's ivy grow:
Cremona now fhall ever boaft thy name,
As next in place to Mantua, next in fame!

709

But

VER. 69. The glory of the Priesthood and the forme,] Our author elsewhere lets us know what he eft ems to be the glory of the Priesthood as well as of a Chriftian in general, where, comparing himself to Erafmus, he fays,

In MODERATION placing all my glory,

and confequently, what he efteems to be the fame of it. The whole of this character belong'd most eminently and almo folely to Erafmus: For the other Reformers, fuch as Luther, Calvin, and their followers, understood fo little in what true Chriflian Liberty confifted, that they carried with them, into the reformed Churches, that very fpirit of perfecution, which had driven them from the

church of Rome.

VER. 708. As next in place to Mantua,] Alluding to
Mantua væ miferæ nimium vicina Cremone. Virg.

But foon by impious arms from Latium chas'd,
Their ancient bounds the banish'd Mufes pafs'd;
Thence Arts o'er all the northern world advance,
But Critic-learning flourish'd most in France :
The rules a nation, born to ferve, obeys;
And Boileau ftill in right of Horace fways.
But we, brave Britons, foreign laws defpis'd,
And kept unconquer'd, and unciviliz'd;
Fierce for the liberties of wit, and bold,

We still defy'd the Romans, as of old,

Yet fome there were, among the founder few

715

Of those who lefs prefum'd, and better knew, 721
Who durft affert the jufter ancient caufe,
And here reftor'd Wit's fundamental laws,
Such was the Muse, whose rules and practice tell,
"Nature's chief Mafter-piece is writing well." 725
Such

VER 724. Such was the Mufe-] Effay on Poetry by Essay the Duke of Buckingham. Our Poet is not the only one of his time who complimented this Eay, and its noble Author. Mr. Dryden had done it very largely in the Dedication to his tranflation of the Eneid; and Dr. Garth in the firft Edition of his Difpenfary fays,

The Tyber now no courtly Gallus fees,
But fmiling Thames enjoys his Normanbys.

Tho' afterwards omitted, when parties were carried fo high in the reign of Queen Anne, as to allow no commendation to an oppofite in Politics. The Duke was all his life a fteady adherent to the Church of England Party, yet an enemy to the extravagant measures of the Court in the reign of Charles II. On which account after having ftrongly patronized Mr. Dryden, a coolnefs fucceeded between them on that poet's abfolute attachment to the Court, which carried him fome lengths beyond what the Duke could approve of. This Nobleman's

true

Such was Rofcommon, not more learn'd than good, With manners gen'rous as his noble blood;

To him the wit of Greece and Rome was known,
And ev'ry author's merit, but his own.

Such late was Walsh-the Muse's judge and friend,
Who juftly knew to blame or to commend;
To failings mild, but zealous for defert;

The clearest head, and the fincereft heart.

731

This humble praise, lamented shade! receive,
This praise at least a grateful Muse may give: 735
The Mufe, whose early voice you taught to fing,
Prefcrib'd her heights, and prun'd her tender wing,
(Her guide now loft) no more attempts to rife,
But in low numbers fhort excurfions tries:
Content, if hence th' unlearn'd their wants may view,
The learn'd reflect on what before they knew:
Careless of cenfure, nor too fond of fame;
Still pleas'd to praife, yet not afraid to blame;
Averfe alike to flatter, or offend;

Not free from faults, nor yet too vain to mend.

739

744

true character had been very well marked by Mr. Dryden before,

the Mufe's friend,

Himself a Mufe. In Sanadrin's debate

True to his prince, but not a flave of state.

Abf, and Achit.

Our Author was more happy, he was honour'd very young with his friendship, and it continued till his death m all the circumstances of a familiar esteem,