Sed fua tractatu facilis provincia cuique eft,
Si non, quæ pulchre fciat, ut vulgaria, temnat.

Naturam fequere imprimis, atque illius æquâ
Judicium ex normâ fingas, quæ nescia flecti :
Illa etenim, fine labe micans, ab origine divâ,
Clarâ, constanti, luftrantique omnia luce,
Vitamque, fpeciemque, & vires omnibus addat,
Et fons, & finis fimul, atque criterion artis.
Quærit opes ex hoc thefauro ars, & fine pompâ
Præfidet, & nullas turbas facit inter agendum.
Talis vivida vis formofo in corpore mentis,
Lætitiam toti infpirans & robora massæ,
Ordinat & motus, & nervos fuftinet omnes,
Inter opus varium tamen ipfa abfcondita fallit.
Sæpe is, cui magnum ingenium Deus addidit, idem
Indigus eft majoris, ut hoc benè calleat uti;
Ingenium nam judicio velut uxor habendum est
Atque viro, cui fas ut pareat, ufque repugnat.
Mufæ quadrupedem labor eft inhibere capistro,
Præcipites regere, at non irritare volatus.
Pegafos, inftar equi generofi, grandior ardet
Cum fentit retinacula, nobiliorque tuetur.

Regula quæque vetus tantum obfervata peritis Non inventa fuit criticis, debetque profectò Naturæ afcribi, fed enim quam lima polivit ;

G

Nature, like monarchy, is but restrain'd
By the fame laws, which first herself ordain'd.

Hear how learn'd Greece her useful rules indites,
When to fupprefs, and when indulge our flights!
High on Parnaffus' top her fons fhe show'd,
And pointed out those arduous paths they trod,
Held from afar, aloft, th' immortal prize,
And urg'd the rest by equal steps to rise.
Juft + precepts thus from great examples giv'n,
She drew from them what they deriv'd from heav'n.
The generous critic fann'd the poet's fire,
And taught the world with reason to admire.
Then Criticism the Mufe's handmaid prov'd,
To dress her charms, and make her more belov'd:
But following wits from that intention stray'd :
Who could not win the mistress woo'd the maid :
Against the poets their own arms they turn'd,
Sure to hate moft the men from whom they learn'd.
So modern 'pothecaries taught the art,

By doctor's bills to play the doctor's part,
Bold in the practice of mistaken rules,
Prescribe, apply, and call their masters fools.
Some on the leaves of ancient authors prey,
Nor time, nor moths e'er spoil'd so much as they.

+ Nec enim artibus editis factum est ut argumenta inveniremus, fed dicta funt omnia antequam preciperentur, mox ea fcriptores obfervata & collecta QUINTIL.

ediderunt.

Nullas naturæ divina monarchia leges,
Exceptis folum quas fanxerit ipfa, veretur.

Qualibus, audiftin' refonat celeberrima normis
Græcia, feu doctum premit, indulgetve furorem ?
Illa fuos fiftit Parnaffi in vertice natos,
Et, quibus afcendêre docet, falebrosa viarum,
Sublimique manu dona immortalia monstrat,
Atque æquis reliquos procedere paffibus urget.
Sic magnis doctrinâ ex exemplaribus haustâ,
Sumit ab hisce, quod hæc duxerunt ab Jove summo.
Ingenuus judex mufarum ventilat ignes,
Et fretus ratione docet præcepta placendi.

Ars critica officiofa Camœnæ fervit, & ornat
Egregias veneres, pluresque irretit amantes.
Nunc vero docti longè diverfa fequentes,
Contempti dominæ, vilem petiêre miniftram
Propriaque in miferos verterunt tela poetas,
Difcipulique fuos pro more odêre magistros.
Haud aliter fanè noftrates pharmacopolæ
Ex medicûm crevit quibus ars plagiaria chartis,
Audaces errorum adhibent fine mente medelas,
Et veræ Hippocratis jactant convicia proli.
Hi veterum authorum fcriptis vefcuntur, & ipfos
Vermiculos, & tempus edax vicêre vorando.

G 2

;

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Stul

Some dryly plain, without invention's aid,
Write dull receipts how poems should be made
These lose the sense their learning to display,
And those explain the meaning quite away.

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I 20

You then whose judgment the right course wou'd steer,
Know well each Ancient's proper character,
His fable, fubject, fcope of ev'ry page,
Religion, country, genius of his age:
Without all these at once before your eyes,
Cavil you may, but never criticize
Be Homer's works your study and delight,
Read him by day and meditate by night.

+ When first young Maro fung of kings and wars,
Ere warning Phoebus touch'd his trembling ears,
Perhaps he feem'd above the critic's law,
And but from nature's fountains fcorn'd to draw;
But when t'examine every part he came,
Nature and Homer were, he found, the fame;
Convinc'd, amaz'd, he checks the bold design,
And rules as strict his labour'd work confine,
As if the Stagyrite o'erlook'd each line.

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Thence form your judgment, thence your notions bring,
And trace the Mufes upward to their spring.
Still with itself compar'd, his text peruse;
Or let your comment be the Mantuan mufe.

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† Cum canerem Reges & Prælia, Cynthius aurem vellit---VIRG. Ecl. 6.

Learn

Stultitiâ fimplex ille, & fine divite venà,
Carmina quo fiant pacto miserabilè narrat.
Doctrinam oftentans, mentem alter perdidit omnem,
Atque alter nodis vafer implicat enodando.

Tu quicunque cupis judex procedere rectè,
Fac veteris cujufque ftylus difcatur ad unguem ;
Fabula, materies, quo tendat pagina quævis;
Patria, religio quæ fint, queis moribus ævum :
Si non intuitu cuncta hæc complecteris uno,
Scurra, cavilator----criticus mihi non eris unquam.
Ilias efto tibi ftudium, tibi fola voluptas,
Perque diem lege, per noctes meditare serenas;
Hinc tibi judicium, hinc' ortum fententia ducat,
Mufarumque undas fontem bibe lætus ad ipsum.
Ipfe fuorum operum fit commentator, & author,
Mæonidifve legas interprete fcripta Marone.

Cum caneret primum parvus Maro bella virofque,
Nec monitor Phoebus tremulas jam velleret aures,
Legibus immunem criticis fe fortè putabat,
Nil nifi naturam archetypam dignatus adire:
Sed fimul ac cautè mentem per fingula volvit,
Naturam invenit, quacunque invenit Homerum.
Victus, & attonitus, malefani definit aufi,
Jamque laboratum in numerum vigil omnia cogit,
Cultaque Ariftotelis metitur carmina normâ.

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