guage, and the baftiness of my Perfomance wou'd allow. I may feem fometimes to have varied from his Senfe; but I think the greatest Variations may be fairly deduc'd from him; and where I leave his Com mentators, it may be I understand him better: At leaft I Writ without confulting them in many places. But two particular Lines in Mezentius and Laufus I cannot fo easily excufe; they are indeed remotely ally'd to Virgil's Senfe; but they are too like the trifling tenderness of Ŏvid, and were Printed before I had confider'd them enough to alter them: The first of them I have forgotten, and cannot easily retrieve, because the Copy is at the Prefs: The fecond is this

When Laufus dy'd, I was already slain.

This appears pretty enough at first fight, but I am convinc'd for many reafons, that the Expreffion is too bold, that Virgil wou'd not have faid it, though Ovid wou'd. The Reader may pardon it, if he pleafe, for the freeness of the confeffion; and instead of that, and the former, admit these two Lines which are more according to the Author,

Nor ask I Life, nor fought with that design;
As I had us'd my Fortune, use thou thine.

Having with much ado got clear of Virgil, Ihave in the next place to confider the Genius of Lucretius, whom I have Tranflated more happily in thofe parts of him which I undertook. If he was not of the best Age of Roman Poetry, he was at least

of

of that which preceded it; and he himself refin'd it to that degree of Perfection, both in the Language and the Thoughts, that he left an eafie Task to Virgil; who as he fucceeded him in time, fo he Copy'd his Excellencies; for the method of the Georgicks is plainly deriv'd from him. Lucretius had chofen a Subject naturally crabbed; he therefore adorn'd it with Poetical Defcriptions, and Precepts of Morality, in the beginning and ending of his Books. Which you fee Virgil has imitated with great Succefs, in thofe Four Books, which in my Opinion are more perfect in their kind, than even his Divine Eneids, The turn of his Verfes he has likewife follow'd, in those places which Lucretius has most labour'd, and fome of his very Lines he has transplanted into his own Works, without much Variation. If I am not miftaken, the diftinguishing Character of Lucretius, (I mean of his Soul and Genius) is a certain kind of noble Pride, and pofitive Affertion of his Opinions. He is every where confident of his own Reafon, and affuming an abfolute Command not only over his vulgar Reader, but even his Patron Memmius. For he is always bidding him attend, as if he had the Rod over him; and using a Magifterial Authority, while he inftructs him. From his Time to ours, I know none fo like him, as our Poet and Philofopher of Malmsbury. This is that perpetual DictatorShip, which is exercis'd by Lucretius; who though often in the wrong, yet feems to deal bonâ fide with his Reader, and tells him nothing but what he thinks; in which plain fincerity, I believe he differs from our Hobbs, who could not but be convinc'd,

or

or at least doubt of fome Eternal Truths which he has oppos'd. But for Lucretius, he feems to difdain all manner of Replies, and is fo confident of his Caufe,that he is before hand with his Antagonists: Urging for them, whatever he imagin'd they could fay, and leaving them, as he fuppofes,without an Objection for the future. All this too, with fo much Scorn and Indignation, as if he were affur'd of the Triumph, before he enter'd into the Lifts. From this fublime and daring Genius of his, it must of neceffity come to pafs, that his Thoughts must be Masculine, full of Argumentation, and that fufficiently warm. From the Same fiery Temper proceeds the Loftiness of his Expreffions, and the perpetual Torrent of his Verfe, where the barrenness of his Subject does not too much conftrain the quickness of his Fancy. For there is no doubt to be made, but that he could have been every where as Poetical, as he is in his Defcriptions, and in the Moral part of his Philofophy, if he had not aim'd more to inftruct in his Syfteme of Nature, than to delight. But he was bent upon making Memmius a Materialift, and teaching him to defie an invifible Power: In short, he was fo much an Atheist, that he forgot fometimes to be a Poet. These are the Confiderations which I had of that Author, before I attempted to tranflate fome parts of him. And accordingly I lay'd by my natural Diffidence and Scepticifm for a while, to take up that Dogmatical way of his, which, as I faid, is fo much his Character, as to make him that individual Poet. As for his Opinions concerning the Mortality of the Soul, they are fo abfurd, that I cannot, if I would, believe

them.

them. I think a future State demonftrable even by natural Arguments; at least to take away Rewards and Punishments, is only a pleafing profpect to a Man, who refolves before hand not to live morally. But on the other fide, the thought of being nothing after Death is a burden unsupportable to a virtuous Man, even though a Heathen. We naturally aim at Happinefs, and cannot bear to have it confin'd to the shortnefs of our prefent Being, especially when we confider that Virtue is generally unhappy in this World, and Vice fortunate. So that 'tis hope of Futurity alone, that makes this Life tolerable, in expectation of a better. Who wou'd not commit all the Exceffes to which he is prompted by his natural Inclinations, if he may do them with fecurity while he is alive, and be uncapable of punishment after he is dead? If he be cunning and fecret enough to avoid the Laws, there is no band of Morality to reftrain him: For Fame and Reputation are weak ties; many men have not the leaft fenfe of them: Powerful men are only aw'd by them, as they conduce to their Intereft, and that not always when a Paffion is predominant ; and no Man will be contain'd within the bounds of duty, when he may fafely tranfgrefs them. These are my Thoughts abftractedly, and without entring into the Notions of our Chriftian Faith, which is the proper bufinefs of Divines.

But there are other Arguments in this Poem (which I have turn'd into English,) not belonging to the Mortality of the Soul, which are strong enough to a reasonable Man, to make him lefs in love with Life, and confequently in lefs apprehenfions of Death.

Such

Such as are the natural Satiety, proceeding from a perpetual enjoyment of the fame things; the inconve niences of old age, which make him uncapable of corporeal pleasures; the decay of understanding and memory, which render him contemptible and useless to others; these and many other reasons fo pathetically urg'd, fo beautifully exprefs'd, fo adorn'd with examples, and fo admirably rais'd by the Profopopeia

Nature, who is brought in speaking to her Children, with fo much authority and vigour, deferve the pains I have taken with them, which I hope have not been unsuccessful, or unworthy of my Author. At least I must take the liberty to own, that I was pleas'd with my own Endeavours, which but rarely happens to me, and that I am not diffatisfied upon the review of any thing I have done in this Author.

'Tis true, there is fomething, and that of fome moment, to be objected against my Englishing the Nature of Love, from the Fourth Book of Lucretius: And I can lefs easily answer why I Tranflated it, than why I thus Tranflated it. The Objection arifes from the Obscenity of the Subject ; which is aggravated by the too lively, and alluring delicacy of the Verses. In the first place, without the leaft Formality of an Excufe, I own it pleas'd me: and let my Enemies make the worst they can of this Confeffion; I am not yet fo fecure from that passion, but that I want my Author's Antidotes against it. He has given the trueft and moft Philofophical account both of the Difeafe and Remedy, which I ever found in any Author: For which Reasons ITranflated