gave this Name to certain Books, as Pefcennius Feftus, whose Hiftories were call'd Sature: From which Examples it is not hard to fuppofe, that these Works of Horace took the Name of Satura, because, as Porphiry fays, these Poems are full of a great many different Things. But it muft not be thought, fays Dacier, that it had its Name immediately from thence, for this Name had been used before for other Things, which bore a nearer Refemblance to the SATIRES of Horace, as appears by what follows.

The Romans having been near four hundred Years without any Scenical Plays, Chance and Wantonnefs made them find, at one of their Feafts, the Saturnian and Fefcennine Verfes, which for one hundred and twenty Years they had, inftead of Dramatick Pieces. But these Verfes were rude, and almost without Measure or Numbers, as being made extempore, and by a People as yet barbarous, who had lit tle other Skill than what flow'd from their Joy and the Fumes of Wine. They were filled with the groffeft Sort of Railleries, and attended with Gestures and Dances. To this Horace refers in the First Epistle of his Second Book;

Fefcennina per hunc inventa licentia morem,
Verfibus alternis opprobria ruftica fudit.

This Licentious Sort of Verfe was fucceeded by one more correct, fill'd with a pleasant Raillery, without the Mixture of any thing Scurrilous; and these obtain'd the Name of SATIRES, in which the Spectators and Actors were rallied without Diftinction.

In this Condition Livius Andronicus found the Stage, when he first undertook to make Comedies and Tragedies, in Imitation of the Greeks. This Diversion appearing more noble and perfect, it was frequented by great Crowds who neglected the Satires, till fome modell'd them fo as to be

The Fefcennine and Saturnian Verfes were the fame, for they were call'd Fefcennine from Fefcennina, a Town in Italy, where they were first practifed; and Saturnian, from their Ancientnefs, when Saturn reign'd in Italy.

acted

acted at the End of their Comedies, as we now act Farces. And then they altered their Name of Satires to that of Exodia.

About a Year after this Ennius was born, who growing up, and obferving with what Eagernefs and Satisfaction the Romans received the Satires, thought that Poems, tho' not adapted to the Theatre, yet preferving the Gall, Raillery, and Pleasantnefs, which made thefe Satires take, could not fail of being well received; he therefore composed several Difcourfes, to which he retain'd the Name of Satires, which were entirely like thofe of Horace, both for the Matter and Variety. The only effential Difference is, that Ennius, in Imitation of fome Greeks, and of Homer himself, took the Liberty of mixing feveral kinds of Verfes together, fuch as Hexameters, Iambics, Trimeters, with Tetrameters and Trothaics. After Ennius came Pacuvius, who also wrote Satires in Imitation of his Uncle Ennius. To Pacuvius fucceeded Lucilius, who alfo wrote Satires, but he embellifh'd them, and gave them quite a new Turn, which is what Horace means by thefe Words in the First Satire of the Second Book:

Quid, cum eft Lucilius aufus,

Primus in hunc operis componere carmina morem?

For Horace never intended by thefe Words to say there were no Satirits before Lucilius, as Ennius and Pacuvius were before him.

Having explain'd the Nature, Origin, and Progress of Satire, I fhall now fay a Word or two of Horace in particular.

1 here cannot be a more just Idea given of this Part of his Works, than in comparing them to the Statues of the Sileni, to which Alcibiades in the Banquet compares Socrates. They were Figures that without had nothing agreeable or beautiful, but if you open'd them, you found the Figures of all the Gods. In the Manner that Horace prefents himself to us in his SATIRES, we difcover nothing at firft that deferves our Attach

Attachment; but when we remove that which hides him from our Eyes, we find in him all the Deities together; that is to fay, all thofe Virtues which ought to be continually practised by such as seriously endeavour to forfake their Vices.

Thus Horace in his SATIRES would teach us, to conquer our Vices, to rule our Paffions, to follow Nature, to fet Bounds to our Defires, to diftinguifh Truth from Falfhood, to forfake Prejudices, to know the Principles and Motives of all our Actions, and to fhun the Folly of being bigotted to the Opinions we have imbibed under our Teachers, without examining whether they are well grounded. In a Word, Horace endeavours to make us happy for Curfelves, faithful and agreeable to our Friends, eafy, discreet, and honest to all with whom we live and converfe. So far this learned Critic.

Horace fhews more of his Skill in Criticism in his EPISTLES than he does in his SATIRES, especially in that Epiftle to the Pifo's which bears the Name of The Art of Poetry, and which is justly esteem'd one of the most precious Monuments in its Kind that Roman Antiquity has left us, as in it Horace gives us the best Rules of Poetry the Nature of an Epistle would admit ; and it is well it did not require our Author to be strictly methodical, or he could not have fo happily introduced that beautiful Description of the Excellency and Ulefulness of Poetry :

Silveftres homines facer interprefque Deorum
Cadibus & viðlu fædo deterruit Orpheus ;
Dictus ob hoc lenire tigres rapid fque leones:
Ditus & Amphion, Thebane conditor arcis,
Saxa movere fono teftudinis, & prece blanda
Ducere quò vellet. Fuit hæc fapientia quondam,
Publica privatis fecernere, facra profanis;
Concubitu probibere vago; dare jura maritis;
Oppida moliri; leges incidere ligno.
Sic honor & nomen divinis vatibus atque
Carminibus venit. Poft hos infignis Homerus,
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Tyrtaufque

Tyrtaufque mares animos in martia bella
Verfibus exacuit. Die per carmina fortes,
Et vita monftrata via eft; gratia regum
Pieriis tentata modis, ludufque repertus,
Et longorum operum finis: ne fortè pudori
Sit tibi Mufa lyre folers, & cantor Apollo.

Fame fays, infpired Orpheus firft began

To fing God's Laws, and make 'em known to Man;
Their Fierceness soften'd, show'd them wholfome Food,
And frighten'd All from lawless Luft and Blood:
And therefore Fame hath told, his charming Lute
Could tame a Lion, and correct a Brute.
Amphion too (as Story goes) cou'd call
Obedient Stones to make the Theban Wall;
He led them as he pleas'd, the Rocks obey'd,
And danc'd in Order to the Tunes he play'd:
'Twas then the Work of Verse to make Men wife.
To lead to Virtue, and to fright from Vice:
To make the Savage pious, kind, and juft;
To curb wild Rage, and bind unlawful Luft;
To build Societies, and Force confine;
This was the noble, this the first Design:
This was their Aim, for this they tun'd their Lute,
And hence the Poets got their first Repute.
Homer and Tyrtaus next did boldly dare

To whet brave Minds, and lead the Stout to War:
In Verse their Oracles the Gods did give;
In Verse we were inftructed how to live:
Verfe recommends us to the Ears of Kings,
And easeth Minds when clog'd with ferious Things:
And therefore, Sir, Verfe may deserve your Care,
Which Gods infpire, and Kings delight to hear.

But tho' Horace in his SATIRES and EPISTLES gives us the best Rules of Poetry, his chief Defign in both is to make us in Love with Virtue and hate Vice; and to that End he fhews us the Beauty of the one and the Deformity of the other:

How

How odious does he make the Slanderer appear in these expreffive Words!

Abfentem qui rodit amicum;

Qui non defendit, alio culpante; folutos
Qui captat rifus bominum, famamque dicacis;
Fingere qui non visa poteft; commissa tacere
Qui nequit, bic niger eft: bunc tu, Romane, caveto,

He that fhall rail against his abfent Friends,

Or hears them fcandaliz'd, and not defends,

Sports with their Fame, and fpeaks whate'er he can,
And only to be thought a witty Man,

Tells Tales, and brings his Friend in 'Difesteem,
That Man's a Knave, be fure beware of him.

How does he expose that Baseness of Temper too common in the World, where a Man pretends to have a great Value for another, and feems concern'd when he hears him ill spoken of, and yet makes a more cruel Reflection on his Conduct himself, than any he had heard:

mentio fi qua
De Capitolini furtis injecta Petilli

Te coram fuerit: defendas, ut tuus eft mos:
Me Capitolinus convitore ufus amicoque
A puero eft, caufâque meâ permulta rogatus
Fecit; & incolumis lætor quod vivit in urbe :
Sed tamen admiror, quo pacto judicium illud
Fugerit: Hic nigræ fuccus loliginis, bæc eft
Ærugo mera.

In common Talk, as we have often done,
If we discourse how Petil ftole the Crown,
And you, as you are wont, his Caufe defend,
"He hath a Kindness for me, he's my Friend,
"My Old Acquaintance he, he is indeed,
"And I am glad at Heart that he is freed;

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