A poet's beverage humbly cheap, (Should great Mecenas be my gueft) The vintage of the Sabine grape, But yet in fober cups fhall crown the feaft: Its rougher juice to melt away; With annual joy to mark the glorious day, Spread from the theatre around, Floating on thy own Tiber's stream, And Echo, playful nymph, return'd the found. FRANCIS. We here easily remark the intertexture of a happy compliment with an humble invitation; but certainly are less delighted than thofe, to whom the mention of the applaufe bestowed upon Mæcenas, gave occafion to recount the actions or words that produced it. Two lines which have exercised the ingenuity of modern criticks, may, I think, be reconciled to the judgment, by an eafy fuppofition: Horace thus addreffes Agrippa; Scriberis Vario fortis, et hoftium Shall brave Agrippa's conquests fing. That Varius fhould be called "A bird of Homeric "fong," appears fo harsh to modern ears, that an emendation of the text has been propofed: but furely the learning of the ancients had been long ago obliterated, had every man thought himself at liberty liberty to corrupt the lines which he did not underftand. If we imagine that Varius had been by any of his cotemporaries celebrated under the appellation of Mufarum Ales, the fwan of the Mufes, the language of Horace becomes graceful and familiar; and that fuch a compliment was at leaft poffible, we know from the transformation feigned by Horace of himself. The most elegant compliment that was paid to Addison, is of this obfcure and perishable kind; When panting Virtue her laft efforts made, These lines must please as long as they are understood; but can be underflood only by thofe that have obferved Addifon's fignatures in the Spec tator. The nicety of these minute allufions I shall exemplify by another inftance, which I take this occafion to mention, because, as I am told, the commentators have omitted it. Tibullus addreffes Cynthia in this manner: Te fpeciem, fuprema mihi cùm venerit hora, Before my clofing eyes, dear Cynthia ftand, Held weakly by my fainting trembling hand. To these lines Ovid thus refers in his elegy on the death of Tibullus: Cynthia decedens, felicius, inquit, amata Sum tibi; vixifti dum tuus ignis eram, Cui Nemefis, quid, ait, tibi funt mea damna dolori ? Me tenuit moriens deficiente manu. 3 Bleft Bleft was my reign, retiring Cynthia cry'd: The fainting trembling hand was mine alone. The beauty of this paffage, which confifts in the appropriation made by Nemefis of the line originally directed to Cynthia, had been wholly imperceptible to fucceeding ages, had chance, which has deftroyed fo many greater volumes, deprived us likewife of the poems of Tibullus. NUMB. 62. SATURDAY, June 9, 1753. O fortuna viris, invida fortibus Capricious Fortune ever joys, SENECA. } SIR, T To the ADVENTURER. Fleet, June 6. O the account of fuch of my companions as are imprifoned without being miferable, or are miserable without any claim to compaffion; promised to add the hiftories of those, whofe virtue has made them unhappy, or whofe misfortunes are at least without a crime. That this catalogue fhould be be very numerous, neither you nor your readers ought to expect; "rari quippe boni;" the good "are few." Virtue is uncommon in all the claffes of humanity; and I fuppofe it will scarcely be imagined more frequent in a prison than in other places. Yet in these gloomy regions is to be found the tenderness, the generofity, the philanthrophy of Serenus, who might have lived in competence and eafe, if he could have looked without emotion on the miseries of another. Serenus was one of those exalted minds, whom knowledge and fagacity could not make fufpicious; who poured out his foul in boundless intimacy, and thought community of poffeffions the law of friendship. The friend of Serenus was arrested for debt, and after many endeavours to foften his creditor, fent his wife to folicit that affiftance which never was refufed. The tears and importunity of female diftrefs were more than was neceffary to move the heart of Serenus; he hafted immediately away, and conferring a long time with his friend, found him confident that if the prefent preffure was taken off, he should foon be able to reestablish his affairs. Serenus, accustomed to believe, and afraid to aggravate diftrefs, did not attempt to detect the fallacies of hope, nor reflect that every. man overwhelmed with calamity believes, that if that was removed he fhall immediately be happy: he, therefore, with little hesitation offered himself as furety. In the first raptures of efcape all was joy, gratitude, and confidence; the friend of Serenus difplayed his profpects, and counted over the fums of which he fhould infallibly be mafter before the day of payment. Serenus in a fhort time began to find his danger, but could not prevail with himself to repent of beneficence; and therefore fuffered himself still to be amused with projects which he durft not confider, for fear of finding them impracticable. The debtor, after he had tried every method of raising money which art or indigence could prompt, wanted either fidelity or refolution to furrender himself to prifon, and left Serenus to take his place. Serenus has often proposed to the creditor, to pay him whatever he fhall appear to have loft by the flight of his friend; but however reasonable this propofal may be thought, avarice and brutality have been hitherto inexorable, and Serenus ftill continues to languish in prifon. In this place, however, where want makes almost every man selfish, or defperation gloomy, it is the good fortune of Serenus not to live without a friend : he paffes most of his hours in the converfation of Candidus, a man whom the fame virtuous ductility has, with fome difference of circumftances, made equally unhappy. Candidus, when he was young, helpless, and ignorant, found a patron that educated, protected, and fupported him: his patron being more vigilant for others than himself, left at his death an only fon, deftitute and friendlefs. Candidus was eager to repay the benefits he had received; and having maintained the youth for a few years at his own house, afterwards placed him with a merchant of eminence, and gave bonds to a great value as a fecurity for his conduct. VOL. III. N The |