Cum recte tractent alii, laudare maligne: 1 Ut magus ; et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. Verum age, et his, qui fe lectori credere malunt, Quam fpectatoris faftidia ferre fuperbi, 2.15 Curam impende brevem: fi munus Apolline dig num Vis complere libris; et vatibus addere calcar, COMMENTARY. But, after a general encomium on the office itfelf, he confines his defence to the writers for the stage only. In conclufion then, he was conftrained, by the very purpose of his address, to say a word or two in behalf of the remainder of this neglected family; of those, who, as the poet expreffes it, had rather trust to the equity of the clofet, than fubject themselves to the caprice and infolence of the theatre. Y Now, as before, in afferting the honour of the fage-poets he every where fuppofes the emperor's difguft to have fprung from the wrong conduct of the poets themselves, and then extenuates the blame of fuch conduct, by confidering, still further, the causes which gave rise to it; fo he prudently obferves the like method here. The politeness of his addrefs concedes to Auguftus, the juft offence he had taken to his brother poets; whofe honour, however, he contrives to fave by foftening the occafions of it. This is the drift of what follows [from y 214 to 229] where he Multa quidem nobis facimus mala faepe poëtae,' COMMENTARYJEISTÄ (UB) 225 AU he pleasantly recounts the feveral foibles and indifcretions of the mufe; but in a way, that could only difpofe the emperor to fmile at, or at most, to pity her infirmities, not provoke his ferious cenfure and difefteem. They amount, on the whole, but to certain idleneffes of vanity, the almoft infeparable attendant of wit, as well as beauty; and may be forgiven in each, as implying a strong defire of pleafing, or rather as qualifying both to please. One of the most exceptionable of these vanities was a fond perfuafion, too readily taken up by men of parts and genius, that preferment is the conflant pay of merit; and that, from the moment their talents become known to the public, diftinction and advancement are sure to follow. They believed, in fhort, they had only to convince the world of their fuperior abilities, to deserve the favour and countenance of their prince. But fond and prefumptuous as these hopes are (continues the poet [from 229 to 244] with all the infinuation of a courtier, and yet with a becoming fenfe of the dignity of his own character) it may deserve a serious confideration, what poets are fit to be entrusted with the glory of princes; what minifters are worth retain Cum fperamus eo rem venturam, ut, fimul atque COMMENTARY. 230 ing in the fervice of an illuftrious VIRTUE, whose honours demand to be folemnized with a religious reverence, and fhould not be left to the profanation of vile, unhallowed hands. And, to fupport the au thority of this remonftrance, he alledges the example of a great Monarch, who had dishonoured himself by a neglect of this care; of ALEXANDER THE GREAT,. who, when mafter of the world, as Auguftus now was, perceived, indeed, the importance of gaining a poes to his fervice; but unluckily chose fo ill, that his encomiums (as must ever be the cafe with a vile panegyrift) but tarnished the native fplendor of thofe virtues, which his office required him to prefent, in their fulleft and faireft glory, to the admiration of the world. In his appointment of artists, whofe fkill is, alfo, highly ferviceable to the fame of princes, he shewed a truer judgment. For he suffered none but an APELLES and a LYSIPPUs to counterfeit the form and fashion of his perfon. But his taste, which was thus exact and even fubtile in what concerned the mechanic execution of the fine arts, took up with a CHOERILUS, to tranfmit an image of his mind to future ages; fo grofly undifcerning was he in works of poetry, and the liberal offerings of the mufe! And Choerilos, incultis qui verfibus et male natis Rettulit acceptos, regale nomifma, Philippose Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt235 Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine foedor mé Splendida facta linunt. idem rex ille, poëma T Qui tam ridiculum tam care prodigus emit,q> 240 Ad libros et ad haec Mufarum dona vocares; IN Boeotum in craffo jurares aëre natum. At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque 245 COMMENTARY." And thus the poet makes a double use of the ill judgment of this imperial critic. For nothing could better demonftrate the importance of poetry to the honour of greatness, than that this illuftrious conqueror, without any particular knowledge or difcernment in the art itself, fhould think himself concerned to court its affiftance. And, then, what could be more likely to engage the emperor's further protection and love of poetry, than the infinuation (which is made with infinite addrefs) that, as he honoured it equally, fo he Enderftood its merits much better? For [from 245 to 248, where, by a beautiful concurrence, the flattery of his prince falls in with the honester purpose of doing juftice to the memory of his friends] it was not the fame unintelligent liberality, which had cherished Choerilus, that poured the full ftream of Caefar's bounty Munera, quae multa dantis cum laude tulerunt, COMMENTARY. bounty on fuch perfons, as VARIUS and VIRGIL. And, as if the spirit of thefe inimitable poets had, at once, seized him, he breaks away in a bolder run of verfe [from 248 to 250] to fing the triumphs of an art, which expreffed the manners and the mind in fuller and more durable relief, than painting or even fculpture had ever been able to give to the external figure: And [from y 250 to the end] apologizes for himself in adopting the humbler epiftolary species, when a warmth of inclination and the unrivaled glories of his prince were continually urging him on to the nobler, encomiaftic poetry. His excufe, in brief, is taken from the confcious inferiority of his genius, and a tenderness for the fame of the emperor, which is never more differved than by the of ficious fedulity of bad poets to do it honour. And with this apology, one while condefcending to the un feigned |