by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] Concerning a Will. YOU write me Word, that Sabina, who left us her Heirs, no where appears to have given her Servant Modestus his Freedom; yet has put him down a Legacy in these Terms, To Modestus whom I have made free. Do you ask what I think of it? I have advis"d with Council, and they all agree, that Liberty is not his Right, because it is not granted him, nor yet the Legacy, because it is bequeath"d to her Servant. But it seems to me a plain Mistake, and therefore I think we must proceed, as if Sabina and left in Writing a Grant of Freedom, which she imagin"d she had left. I am confident, that you will come into my Notion, since it is your Practice to observe the Wills of the Dead in the most Religious manner; the very Understanding of which, to good and honest Heirs, has the Force of Law. For Honesty carries an equal Power over us, as Necessity does over others. Let him therefore remain in Freedom by our Allowance and Permission; let him enjoy his Legacy as fully, as if all the most nice Precautions had been taken by her. For she has done that sufficiently by her Choice of just Heirs.
Farewell.
Epistle XI. To Minutian.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On the Exile of Licinia.n.u.s. HAVE you heard that Valerius Licinia.n.u.s is a Master of a Rhetorical School in Sicily? I fancy you have not yet met with the Information; for it is very fresh News. He was lately of the Prtorian Character, and esteem"d one of the most eloquent Pleaders at the Bar; and is now fallen so low, as from a Senator to become a Fugitive, from a Pleader, a Schoolmaster. And hence it was, that he himself, in the Preamble to a Declamation said, with a Mixture of Vehemence and Sorrow, aO Fortune, what Diversion dost thou create thy self? For of Professors thou makest Senators, and of Senators, Professors!a In which Sentence there is so much Gall, so much Bitterness, that I imagine he set up for a Master purely to speak it. This same Man, when he enter"d the School in his Grcian Cloke, (for they who are out-law"d, have no Right to wear the Roman Gown) after he had compos"d himself, and survey"d his Habit, said, I am to declaim in Latin. You will affirm, perhaps, it was all sad and wretched; but that he deserv"d this Fate, for blemishing these very Studies, with the Crime of Incest: Indeed, he confess"d the Incest, but then it is uncertain, whether he own"d it, because it was true, or because he was afraid of worse Consequences, had he deny"d it. For Domitian was full of Indignation, and grown desperate; as conscious that he was an Object of publick Hatred. For, when he was desirous to bury alive Cornelia, the Eldest of the Vestal Virgins, as thinking, that his Fame would become renown"d by such an Example, he conven"d the other Pontiffs, not in the Palace, but his Country-Seat near Alba, by the Right of supreme Pontiff; or rather, with the Extravagance of a Tyrant, and the Licentiousness of an Absolute Lord. And he pa.s.s"d a Condemnation upon her for Incest, tho" absent and unheard, with a Wickedness equal to that he seem"d to punish, when he himself had not only been guilty of Incest, but Murther too, on his Brother"s Daughter. For she dy"d in her Widow"d State, of Abortion. The Pontiffs were immediately sent to take Care of her Burial and Execution. She, lifting up her Hands, sometimes to Vesta, and sometimes to the other G.o.ds, spoke several Things aloud, but this most frequently; CSAR thinks me to be Incestuous, who perform"d the Sacred Rites, when he Overcame and Triumph"d. Whether she said this in a Compliment of Derision to him, from a Confidence in her self, or a Contempt of that Prince, is doubtful. She spoke on till she was led to Punishment; whether Innocent, I know not; yet certainly, as Guilty. Then, when she was let down into that subterraneous Cell, and her Robe was hinder"d in her Descent, she turn"d and recompos"d it; and when the Executioner would have lent her his Hand, she refus"d it, and started back; and would not allow the least unhallow"d Touch to approach her Chast and unpolluted Body with the utmost Sanct.i.ty of a dying Martyr, and (as Euripides says of Polybia in his Hecuba) Great was her Care to fall with Decency.
Besides, Celer, a Roman Knight, who was accus"d of the Fact with Cornelia, when he was scourg"d in the Place of popular a.s.sembly, persisted in this Cry, What have I done? I have done nothing. So that Domitian was fir"d at the Infamy, both of Cruelty and Injustice. He orders Licia.n.u.s to be seiz"d, for concealing the Freed Women of Cornelia in his Country House. He was forewarn"d by his Friends, to betake himself to Confession, in order to a Pardon if he would not suffer the Rods, and a publick Hearing. In his Absence, Herennius Senecio said something for him, like that of Homer.
Greek line Patroclus now is fallen; the Cause is finished. For he express"d himself thus, >From an Advocate, I am become a Messenger of News, Licinia.n.u.s is withdrawn. This was grateful to Domitian; so far, indeed, that he betray"d himself by his Joy, and said, Licinia.n.u.s has clear"d us. He added likewise, That his Shame ought not to be press"d upon; but allow"d him to take away all his Goods that he could before they were exposed to Sale, and appointed him an easy Banishment, as a kind of Reward. From whence he was afterwards remov"d by the Clemency of Nerva, (of immortal Memory) into Sicily, where now he professes Rhetorick, and takes his Revenge upon Fortune by Declamations. You see how obsequious I am to you; in writing carefully to you, not only the Affairs of the Town, but Foreign Occurrences, so as to trace them much higher than usual; and indeed, I imagin"d that you had heard nothing more of Licinia.n.u.s, but that he was banish"d for Incest, because at that Time you were abroad. For common Fame tells only the Sum, not the Order of Things. I have a Right, on the Merit of this, to hear reciprocally from you what is doing in your Town and Neighbourhood; for something Remarkable commonly happens. In short, write whatever you please, so that you equal the Length of mine; and be a.s.sur"d, I shall not only compute the Pages, but even the Lines and Syllables.
Farewell.
Epistle XII. To Arrian.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On a laudable Action of Marcellinus. YOU are a Lover of Egnatius Marcellinus, and often commend him to me; but you will love and commend him still more, when you are acquainted with a late Action, done by him. When he went abroad as a Provincial Qustor, and lost his Secretary (who was allotted to him) before the lawful Time of discharging his Salary, he was of Opinion, and resolv"d, that what he receiv"d in order to pay him, ought not to be sunk in his own Hands. Therefore, at his Return, he consulted Csar, and afterwards the Senate, at the Instance of Csar, how he should dispose of the Salary. The Question was small, yet a Question still it was. The Heirs of the Secretary claim"d for themselves, the Officers of the Treasury, for the People; the Cause went on; the Advocate for the Heirs pleaded first, then the People"s Advocate, and both very pertinently. Ccilius Strabo thought it should be confiscated; Bbius Macer was for giving it to the Heirs; Strabo carry"d it. Do you applaud Marcellinus as I did, immediately; for tho" it is Satisfaction enough to him to be approv"d both by the Prince and the Senate; yet he will be extremely pleas"d with your Praise. Since, all, who are mov"d by a Sense of Fame and Glory, are wonderfully delighted with the Approbation, even of Inferiors. Now Marcellinus has that Reverence for you, as to put a great Stress upon your Judgment; and it will be an Addition to this, that if he knows the Step he has taken has reach"d so far, he must necessarily rejoyce at the Extent, the Progress, and the Advance of his Reputation. For I cannot tell how it is, but a diffusive Name is more agreeable to Men, than one that is even great in the Cause and Degree of it.
Farewell.
Epistle XIII. To Cornelius Tacitus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On the erecting of a Publick School. I Give you Joy of your safe Arrival in Town, which to me was never so much wanted or desired. As for my self, I shall stay a few Days longer at Tuscula.n.u.s, to compleat the Work that is in my Hands. For I am afraid, that if I break off this Application of mine, now towards the Close of the Affair, I shall find a Difficulty in taking it up again. In the mean Time, that I may let nothing fall by my too eager Haste, which I design to ask of you at present, I desire it here by a kind of preliminary Letter; but first you must be told the Occasion of my Request, and then the Subject of it.
When I was last in my own Country, a Townsman"s Son, who had almost newly put on his Pretexta, came to pay his Respects to me, I ask"d him, Whether he pursu"d any Study? He reply"d, He did: Where? At Milan: Why not here? To this his Father (for he was with him, and indeed brought the boy himself to me) answer"d, Because we have no Masters here. Why have you none? For it would be very much the Interest of you Fathers (and it happen"d luckily, that several Persons were present) to have your Children instructed at Home. For where can then live more pleasantly than in their Native Country; or be more virtuously govern"d than under the Eye of their Parents, or, be kept at a lesser Expence than at Home? Therefore how small a Matter would it be to keep Masters in Pay, by a contributed Stock of Cash, and throw what you spend at present on your Houses, Travelling Charges, or buying of Goods abroad (as all are bought) in a superfluous Manner, into Salaries? And so I, who as yet have no Children, am ready to give a third Part of what you shall be pleas"d to contribute for the Benefit of our little Commonwealth, as for a Daughter, or a Parent. I should willingly engage the whole, if I did not apprehend, that my Benefaction might sometime be corrupted by the Ambition of those that might sollicit for it: as I observe it happens in a Variety of Places, where Masters are publickly supported. One Remedy might obviate this Fault, if the Right of Choice and Payment was vested only in the Parents; and they were put under a scrupulous Obligation of Judging aright, by the Necessity of the Contribution. For they who, perhaps, would be careless of another"s Money, would certainly be mindful of their own; and use their Endeavours, that none by a worthy Person shall receive it from me, when he is likewise to receive it from them at the same Time. Therefore agree, concur in the Matter, and take the better Spirit from mine, who am desirous that my Part of the Collection should be far the largest. You can do no greater Justice to your Children, or Pleasure to your Country. Let those who are born here, be here educated; and accustom"d, from their earliest Infancy to love and be familiar with their Native Soil; and I wish you may contract with Masters so famous, that Learning and Study may be here courted by the Neighbouring Towns: And as your Children now are sent to other Places, so Foreigners may speedily flock hither. I thought it necessary to carry these Arguments very high, and, as it were, to the Fountain head, to give you the clearest Sense, how acceptable it wou"d be to me, if you would undertake what I enjoin you. Now I enjoin and implore you, from the Importance of the Thing, to look about for Masters, whom we may sollicit, among the great Number of studious Men that resort to you, in Admiration of your Genius; yet under this Condition, that I may not oblige my self by Promise to any of them. For I preserve every Thing free to the Parents. Let them judge; Let them chuse; I only require the Care and the Expence for my Part of the Management. Therefore, if you meet with any one that confides in his Wit and Abilities, let him repair hither on this Article, that he brings nothing from these Offers that is certain, but his own Confidence.
Epistle XIV. To Paternus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On some Poems that he sends him YOU, perhaps, as your Manner is, both covet and expect one of my Orations; but I produce to you my gayer Writings, as it were from some foreign and select Merchandize. You will receive with this Letter my Phaleucic Verses, with which I amuse my leisure Time, in my Chariot, in the Bath, and at Supper. In these I express my Pleasantry, my Mirth, my Love, my Sorrow, my Complaint, my Anger. I describe something or other, sometimes more humbly, and at other times more loftily; and endeavour to bring it about by the Variety it self, that several Things may oblige different Tastes, and some possibly may please all. If any among them appear to you a little too petulant, it will become your Learning to consider, that the greatest and wisest Men, who have written in that Vein, have sometimes not only fallen into a certain Wantonness of Matter, but even a Nakedness of Expression. Which I have declin"d; not that I am more grave and severe, for how is that possible? But because I am more timorous. Besides we all know that to be the justest Rule of these lower and petty Compositions, which Catullus has express"d.
Nam castum esse decet pium Poetam Ipsum, versiculos nihil necesse est; Qui tunc denique habent salem & leporem, Si sunt molliculi, & parum pudici.
The Poet should be chaste, the Poem free, That gives the air of Wit and Gaiety.
You may form an Estimate by this, how much I value your Judgment, that I had rather all was exactly weigh"d by you, than some chosen Parts applauded. And indeed the finest things cease to appear so, when they once begin to be march"d with others. Besides, a judicious and discerning Reader ought not to compare different Things with different, but to examine every Particular, and not to have the worse Opinion of any that is perfect in its kind. But why need I enlarge? For to excuse or recommend a few Trifles by a longer Preface, is the greatest of Trifles. One thing only seems requisite to be previously hinted, that I think to give these Toys of mine the t.i.tle of Hendecasyllables; a Word that is confin"d only to the Law of the Number. Therefore whether you prefer the Name of Epigrams, or Idylls, or Eclogues, or Poems, or any other, term them what you please, I offer you only Hendecasyllable Verses; and I desire you to be so plain with me, as to tell me, what you will express to others, in relation to my Book. Nor is this a difficult Request; for if this small Essay of mine was the princ.i.p.al of the only Work I had ever Penn"d, perhaps it might seem harsh to say, Look out for some other Employment, but it is soft and humane to say, You have a proper Study of employ you.
Farewell.
Epistle XV. To Funda.n.u.s.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] He sollicits him in Favour of a Young Gentleman. I Certainly act one Thing, (if any at all) with Judgment, in bearing a singular Respect to Asinius Rufus. He is an extraordinary Person, and a very great Lover of good and worthy Men. He has likewise cultivated a very near Acquaintance with Cornelius Tacitus; whom you well know. Therefore if we are both agreeable to you, Rufus must be equally so; since a Resemblance of Manners is the strictest Tie of Friendship. He has a large Family of Children, for he has discharg"d the Part of a good Citizen in this Article of a numerous Offspring, in an Age, when the Advantages of having none, make even one Son a Burthen to the greatest Part of the World. But these he has over-look"d so far, as to arrive at the Name of a Grand-Father. This he is by Saturius Firmus; whom you will value as I do, when you come to as thorough a Knowledge of him. All this tends to inform you, how well-Peopled a House you may oblige by one Act of Kindness: To entreat which of you, we are led first by our Wishes, and then by an auspicious Omen. For our Hopes and Presages join to place you in the next Year"s Consulate: Your own Virtues, and the Judgment of your Prince, gives a Foundation for it. It would be agreeable, that Asinius Ba.s.sus, the eldest Son of Rufus, should be Qustor the same Year; a young Gentleman (I don"t know whether I ought to speak out, what the Father is fond I should both think and say, tho" the Modesty of the Son would forbid it) that even excels the Father. You may find it difficult to believe what I aver of an absent Person, tho" it is your Practice to believe me in every thing, that there is as much Industry, Probity, Learning, Wit, Study, Memory, in him, as you shall ever experience in any. I wish we had an Age so fruitful in good Arts and Talents, that you could prefer another to Ba.s.sus. In that Cafe, I should be the first, that would remind and perswade you, to look about and consider a long Time, who should be the princ.i.p.al Object of your Choice. But now; --However, I will say nothing more arrogantly of my Friend; this I only affirm, That the Merit of the Youth would ent.i.tle him to be adopted as a Son by you, after the Custom of our Ancestors. Now Men of your Sagacity should receive such for Sons, as it were from the Commonwealth, as we usually wish to receive from Nature. It will be an Honour to you to have a Qustor, whose Father is of Prtorian Rank; and whose near Relations are Consular Men. To whom he, tho" as yet very Young, is in his Turn a reciprocal Ornament, in their own Opinion. Therefore indulge this Pet.i.tion of mine, and at the same Time comply with my Advice; and above all, if I seem to be over hasty, excuse me, first, Because it is the usual Property of Love to run before its own Wishes; and further, Because in that City, where all is in a manner transacted by Antic.i.p.ation, these Things that wait their due Time, are not properly ripen"d, but are of later Growth: In short, Since it is delightful to lay hold on what we desire, beforehand, let Ba.s.sus now reverence you as a Consul; have you a Kindness for him as your Qustor; and let us, who are unquestioned Friends to both of you, enjoy a double Satisfaction. For since we have entertain"d that Value both for you and for Ba.s.sus, that we should be ready to a.s.sist him, whose Qustor soever he might be; and your Qustor, whoever he may be, in his pursuit of Advancement, with all possible Respect and Application, it will be highly pleasing to me, if the Power of my Friendship, or of your Consular Office shall concur to bestow what I desire on this same young Gentleman; if in short, you shall be the most forward to second my Wishes, whose Authority carries the largest Sway, as your Testimony has the utmost Weight in the Senate.
Farewell.
Epistle XVI. To Valerius Paulinus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On Speaking before the Centumvirate. REjoyce for my Sake, your own, and that of the Publick: Letter"d Studies have yet their Honour paid to them. When it was last my Province to speak before the Centumviri, I had no Room to approach, except at the Tribunal, thro" the very Judges themselves; all the other Places were so crowded. Besides, a certain well-dress"d Youth kept his Stand, cover"d only with his Gown, after the rest of his Clothes were torn, as is usual in a Throng, during the s.p.a.ce of seven Hours. For I spoke all that Time with great Labour, but greater Advantage. Let us therefore Study, and not make the Sloth of others, a Pretence in Favour of our own. There are some that hear, some that read; Let us employ our selves now on what is proper for an Auditor; and anon, on what is fit for a Reader.
Epistle XVII. To Gallus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On the Cause of Corellia. YOU admonish and importune me at once to undertake the Cause of absent Corellia, against Caius Ccilius, who is design"d Consul. For Your Admonition I give you Thanks, but I take it ill to be importun"d about it. For I ought to be inform"d in order to know it, but shou"d not be sollicited to do, what it would be extremely dishonourable to neglect. Should I make any Scruple to defend the Daughter of Corellus? Indeed, there is no close Acquaintance, but still there is a Friendly Understanding between me and the Person against whom you would set me at work. Another Consideration, is the Worth of the Man, and that very Honour to which he is appointed; which I ought to reverence the more, since I have already pa.s.s"d it. For it is natural to desire, what has been our own Interest, should stand in the greatest Credit and Esteem. But all these Arguments are cold and vain, when I think I am to a.s.sist the Daughter of Corellus. This turns my View on that Great Man, equal to the wisest, the most approv"d, and sagacious in our Age. From admiring, I came to love him, and (the reverse of what is usual) I still admir"d him more, after I perfectly knew him. For indeed I knew him entirely; he conceal"d nothing from me, whether pleasant or serious; melancholy, or joyful. I was then very Young, and even then he did me Honour; and (I will take Leave to say it) paid me a Respect as his Equal. His Aid and Vote in every Compet.i.tion for Places were at my Service: He was my Introductor and Companion, when I enter"d on any Office; my Councellor and Director, in the Management of it; and in short, in every Charge I went through, tho" weak and advanc"d in Years, appear"d to be Vigorous and Youthful. What Credit has he given me at Home, in Publick, and even with the Emperor? For when, on an accidental Occasion, a Talk arose about Promising young Men at the Emperor Nerva"s, and most of the Company were pleas"d to commend me, he was silent for a Time, which gave him the more Weight; then with that Gravity you know, he said, I am oblig"d to be the more sparing in my Praise of Secundus, because he does nothing but by my Advice. An Expression that implied, (what it would have been an Extravagance in me to have presum"d) I acted every Thing well, since I acted by the Counsel of the most judicious Man alive. On his Death-bed too, he told his Daughter (as she commonly reports it) I have indeed procur"d you a Number of Friends, in a longer course of Life than ordinary, but the Chief are Ccilius and Cornutus. When I reflect on this, I bethink my self that I ought to take Care, not in any part to fail the Trust of so provident a Friend. Therefore I will readily serve Corellia, and not be afraid to give a Distaste by it. Tho" I flatter my self, that I shall not only have the Pardon but the Applause of that very Person, who, you tell me, sets the Cause on Foot, (perhaps new, since it is against a Woman) if I shall happen, either for my own Excuse or Recommendation, to use these same Expressions, in the Pleading, more largely and copiously, than the narrow Bounds of a Letter, permit me.
Farewell.
Epistle XVIII. To Antoninus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley.] On his Epigrams. HOW can I better shew you my Approbation of your Greek Epigrams, than by my own Essays to imitate and represent some of them in Latin. Yet this has fallen to a Disadvantage; first by the Weakness of my own Genius; and then by the Barrenness, or rather, as Lucretius Stiles it, the Poverty of our Native Tongue. If these, which are Latin, and my own, seem to you to have any Grace at all, what Beauty do you think they have, which are perform"d by you in the Greek Language?
Epistle XIX. To Hispulla, his Wife"s Aunt.
by John Hughes, Esq; Upon Conjugal Affection. AS I remember that great Affection which was between you and your excellent Brother, and know you love his Daughter as your own, so as not only to express the Tenderness of the best of Aunts, but even to supply that of the best of Fathers; I am sure it will be a Pleasure to you to hear that she proves worthy of her Father, worthy of you, and of your and her Ancestors. Her Ingenuity is admirable, her Frugality extraordinary. She loves me, the surest Pledge of her Virtue, and adds to this a wonderful Disposition to Learning, which she has acquir"d from her Affection to me. She reads my Writings, Studies them, and even gets them by Heart. You would smile to see the Concern she is in when I have a Cause to plead, and the Joy she shows when it is over. She finds Means to have the first News brought her of the Success I meet with in Court, how I am heard, and what Decree is made. If I recite any thing in Publick, she cannot refrain from placing herself privately in some Corner to hear, where, with the utmost Delight she feasts on my Applauses. Sometimes she sings my Verses, and accompanies them with the Lute, without any Master except Love, the best of Instructors. >From these Instances I take the most certain Omens of our Perpetual and increasing Happiness; since her Affection is not founded on my Youth and Person, which must gradually decay, but she is in Love with the immutable Part of me, my Glory and Reputation. Nor, indeed, could less be expected from one, who had the Happiness to receive her Education from you, who, in your House, was accustomed to every thing that was Vertuous and Decent, and even began to love me by your Recommendation. For, as you had always the greatest Respect for my Mother, you were pleas"d from my Infancy to form me, to commend me, and kindly to presage, I should be one Day what my Wife fancies I am. Accept therefore our united Thanks; mine, that you have bestow"d her on me, and hers that you have given me to her, as a mutual Grant of Joy and Felicity.
Epistle XX. To Maximus.
by Mr. Henley On his Books. I Told you my Opinion of each Book of yours in particular, as I read it; you may now take my Judgment of all in general. The Work is beautiful, strong, lively, sublime, various, elegant, clean, happily figur"d, ample, and much to your Praise, extensive. You have been carried to a large Compa.s.s by the Force, both of your Wit and Sorrow in it; and each has given Height and Magnificence to your Grief, and that has imparted a Spirit and a Poignancy to your Wit.
Epistle XXI. To Velius Cerelis.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On the Death of Two Sisters in Child-Bed. I Deplore the sad and unhappy Fate of the Sisters of Helvidius! Both expir"d, just after the Delivery of a Daughter. I am touch"d with a sensible, tho" not an extravagant Sorrow at it; and think it a severe Lot, that two young Ladies of great Honour and Character, are taken away by the Fruitfulness of Nature in the Bloom of Years. I am in Pain at the Infelicity of the Children (Orphans from their Nativity) as well as that of their very worthy Husbands, and much likewise in a private Concern at it. For I preserve a constant Value, even for the Memory of their deceas"d Father, as my Pleading and Books have testified. One only of his Children now survives; the sole Prop of a Family, that lately rested upon more Supports. Yet my Uneasiness will be extreamly softned, if Fortune shall keep him at least healthful and Secure; and equal to such Ancestors. I am the more anxious for his Safety and Conduct, since he is left alone: You know the Tenderness of my Soul in Point of Affection, and the Power of my Fears, so that you will be less surpriz"d, that I have the greatest Alarms, where my Hopes are the most sanguine.
Epistle XXII. To Semp.r.o.nius.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On the hearing of a Cause before the Emperor. I Was in Council lately, at a Hearing before His Imperial Majesty; a stated Prize was play"d at Vienne, by the Will of a certain Person. Trebonius Rufinus, a Man of great Merit, and my Friend, abolish"d it in his Diumvirate. It was deny"d, that he did it by Publick Authority. He sollicited his Cause himself, with a Success equal to his Eloquence. It recommended his Plea, that he spoke in a seasonable and weighty Manner, like a true Roman and a worthy Citizen. When the Votes were gather"d, Junius Mauricus (as steady and true a Man as any living) spoke to this Effect, That the Game was not to be restor"d to the Viennois; he added, I wish it could be remov"d at Rome likewise. Boldly you"ll say, and with Courage. Right; but this is no new Thing with Mauricus. He express"d himself with the same Spirit before the Emperor Nerva. Nerva was at Supper with a few Intimates. Vejento lay the nearest to him; (I say all in naming the Man;) There happen"d a Conversation about Catullus Messalinus; who, depriv"d as he was of his Eye-sight, added all the Ills of Blindness to the Cruelty of his Temper. Fear, Shame, Mercy were Strangers to him; he was often flung, like a Dart, (which is cast, it self void of Sight and Direction) at any Person of Consequence. All in general talk"d at Suppertime of his Villany, and b.l.o.o.d.y Measures; then the Emperor himself put the Question, What do you think he would suffer if he had been alive? Mauricus reply"d, He would Sup with us. I have made a Digression too far; yet with a good Will. It was thought proper, that the Game should be abolish"d, which infected the Manners of the Viennois, as our Sport of the same kind taints the Manners of all. For the Faults of the Viennois are confin"d to themselves, ours are diffus"d far and wide. And as in the Body Natural, so in the Political, that Disease is the most fatal, that is sent abroad from the Head.
Epistle XXIII. To Pomponius Ba.s.sus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On his Manner of Living. IT was a great Satisfaction to me, to hear from our Common Friends, that you, as it becomes your good Sense, employ your Leisure and bear it, live very delightfully, make Use of Exercise, by Land or Water, converse, hear, and read very much; and tho" you are very knowing, yet you daily learn. Thus the Man should grow old, who has gone thro" the greatest Offices, has commanded Armies, and given himself up entirely, as far as it was fit for him, to the Common-wealth. For we ought to sacrifice the First and the Middle Times of Life to our Country, the last to our selves; as the very Laws admonish us, which restore a Man, that is past his LXth Year, to his private Repose. When shall I have that Liberty? When shall my Age make it reputable for me to Copy after this Pattern of honourable Ease? When shall my Retreat have the Name, not of Supineness, but of Tranquility?
Epistle XXIV. To Valens.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On a Cause before the Centumviri. WHEN I spoke last before the Centumvirate, in an a.s.sembly of the four Courts, I recollected, that I perform"d the same when I was Young. My Memory went further, as it usually does; I began to think, who were the Partners of my Labour in this, and the other Process. I was alone in both; such Changes are occasioned by frail Mortality, or doubtful Fortune. Some, that were then at the Bar, are since deceas"d; others are banish"d; some are silenc"d by Age and ill Health; others enjoy an agreeable Quiet: One is a Commander in the Army, another is exempted from Civil Offices by the Favour of the Emperor. Even about my self, what Turns have befell? I have advanc"d by my Studies, and again have advanc"d in them. The Friendship of Good Men has serv"d and disserv"d me; and again serves me. If you compute the Years, "tis a small Time, if the Chances of Things, you would think it an Age. Which may be a Lesson to despair of Nothing, to confide in Nothing, since we find so many Variations are brought about in so changeable a Circle. Now it is familiar with me to communicate every Thought of mine to you, and to instruct you by the same Precepts and Examples, by which I instruct my self; which was the Occasion of this Letter.
Farewell.
Epistle XXV. To Messius Maximus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On Conceal"d Votes. I Sent you my Opinion, that it was to be fear"d, some ill Consequence should arise from a clandestine way of Voting. So it has happen"d. In the last a.s.sembly of the People, many of the Voting Tables were mere Buffoonry, and many too vile to be openly express"d; and in one, the Names of the Voters were found, instead of the Candidates. The Senate was highly displeas"d at it, and denounc"d the Indignation of the Emperor against the Writer with a loud Clamour: Yet he deceiv"d them; did not appear; and, perhaps, was among those that appear"d to be angry. What may it be imagin"d, is his Conduct at Home, who plays upon so important a Matter as a Time so serious, with this Scurrility? The Confidence of a Man"s asking himself, who shall know it? makes a corrupt Mind so licentious. He demanded the Tables, took the Pencil, hung down his Head; fears no Body, despises himself. Hence is all this Ridicule, fit only for the Theatre or a Stage. Whither can you turn your self? What Remedies can you seek? The Cure is every where too weak for the Disease. But these Affairs, that are above our Sphere, will be the Care of some other Hand, whose daily Vigilance and Labour encreases by this idle, and yet ungovern"d Petulancy of ours.
Farewell.
Epistle XXVI. To Nepos.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On the Correcting his own Books. YOU desire me to review and amend my Books, which you have very carefully Collected. I will do it. For what can I more agreeably take in Hand, especially at your Order. When You, a Person of the most solid Judgment, of the utmost Learning, Eloquence, and Experience in these Matters, who are to preside over so large a Province, set that Value on my Writings, as to carry them about with you: How watchful ought I to be, that this Part of your Equipage do not offend you, as superfluous? My first Endeavour then shall be, to make these Companions as easy to you as I can, and then, that you may meet with others, fit to add to them, at your Return. For as you are my Reader, you are not the least Motive to new Performances.
Epistle XXVII. To Falco.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On a Rehearsal of Poems. I Heard Sentius Augustinus Rehea.r.s.e t"other Day, with great Pleasure, nay, with Admiration. He calls his Works a sort of lesser Poems; there is a great deal in the Familiar, the sublime, the florid, the tender, the smooth, and the satyrical Vein. I believe, nothing of the Kind has been more compleatly penn"d for some Years, unless my Partiality for him, or his Praise of me, deceives me. For his Theme was this, that I sometimes amuse my self with versifying; so I will make you a Judge of my Taste, if I can remember the second Verse from the Theme it self; for I have the rest already, and have explain"d them.
In lesser Numbers Verses I indite, As my Catullus, and the Antients write.
Yet these I cooly pa.s.s regardless o"er, Pliny alone has all the Antient Store; He courts the Muses, and declines the Bar, To Love, and to be lov"d, employs his Care.
Pliny is all; the Cato"s I despise, And every dull Pretender to be Wise.
You remark, How poignant, how apt, how expressive, is every Part of them! I engage the whole Piece to you, after the same Taste; and will give you a View of it as soon as he has publish"d it. In the mean time, be kind to this young Author, and congratulate our Age on the Production of such a Wit, which he further sets off by his Manners. He lives with Spurinna, he lives with Antony: He is related to one; and a House Companion to both of them. You may hence conjecture, how compleat a Youth he is, when he is caress"d to this Degree by Men in Years of the most solid Character. For it is very true, (what is p.r.o.nounc"d by the Greek Poet:) The Guest and Entertainer are the same.
Farewell.
Epistle XXVIII. To Severus.
by the Same. [Mr. Henley] On Two Pictures to be drawn. HErennius Severus, a Person of consummate Learning, reckons much upon setting the Pictures of your Townsmen, Cornelius Nepos, and t.i.tus Ca.s.sius, in his Library, and desires me, if they be in your Town, as it is probably they are, to send them, in order to have them copy"d and painted for him. I rather enjoin you this Trouble; chiefly because you are so friendly as to be very obliging to my Desires; and then you have the utmost Regard for Letters, and for the Studious; and in the last Place, you have a great Veneration and Love for your Country, and for all that have advanc"d the Glory of it, in an equal Degree. I would beg of you to pitch upon the best Hand you can; for, as it is hard to express a Likeness from the Life, so to Copy after a Copy, is the greatest Difficulty of all. And I would desire you, not to permit the Workmen you shall employ, to deviate from it, tho" it were for the better.
Farewell.
Epistle XXIX. To Roma.n.u.s.