Carmen majeftas recipit tua: nec meus audet COMMENTARY. 265 unfeigned humility of a perfon, fenfible of the kind and measure of his abilities, and then, again, sustaining itself by a freedom, and even familiarity, which real merit knows, on certain occafions, to take without offence, the epiftle concludes. If the general opinion may be trufted, this, which was one of the last, is also among the nobleft, of the great poet's compofitions. Perhaps, the reader, who confiders it in the plain and fimple order, to which the foregoing analysis hath reduced it, may fatisfy himfelf, that this praise hath not been undeservedly bestowed. NOTES E PISTOLA AD AUGUSTUM.] The epiftle to AUGUSTUS is an apology for the Roman poets. The epiftle to the Pisos, à criticism on their poetry. This to Auguftus may be therefore confidered as a fequel of that to the Pifos; and which could not well be omitted; for the author's defign of forwarding the ftudy and improvement of the art of poetry required him to bespeak the public favour to its profeffors. But as, there, in correcting the abuses of their poetry, he mixes, occafionally, fome encomiums on poets; fo, here, in pleading the cause of the poets, we find him interweaving instructions on poetry. Which was but according to the writer's occafions in each work. For the freedom of his cenfure on the art of poetry was to be foftened by fome expreffions of his good-will towards the poets; and this apology for their fame had been too direct and unmanaged, but for the qualify ing appearance of its intending the further benefit of the art. The coincidence, then, of the fame general method, as well as defign, in the two epiftles, made it not improper to give them together, and on the fame footing, to the public, Though both the fubject and method of this laft are fo clear as to make a continued commentary upon it much lefs wanted. 4. SI LONGO SERMONE MORER TUA TEMPORA, CAESAR.] The poet is thought to begin with apologizing for the shortness of this epifle. And yet it is one of the longest he ever wrote. How is this inconfiftency to be reconciled?" Horace parle pêut être ainfi pour ne pas "rebuter Augufte, et pour lui faire connôitre, x6 qu'il auroit fait une lettre, beaucoup plus "longue, s'il avoit fuivi fon inclination." This is the best account of the matter we have, hitherto, been able to come at. But the familiar civility of fuch a compliment, as M. Dacier fuppofes, though it might be well enough to an equal, or, if dressed up in spruce phrases, might make a figure in the lettres familieres et galantes of his own nation; yet is furely of a caft entirely foreign to the Roman gravity, more especially in an address to the emperor of the world. Mr. Pope, perceiving the abfurdity of the common inrerpretation, feems to have read the lines interro |