The Spoils of conquer'd Giants crown the God, 6 And all Things tremble at his fovereign Nod! To bribe, and win the People's Hearts: That, throng'd with Clients, claims the Prize: But Death fhall level All; for each Man's Name Is rolling in the Urn's capacious Frame. The Wretch who views, with confcious Dread, A Sword hang threatening o'er his Head, Starves, tho' Sicilian Banquets crown the Board, Nor foftest Strains can balmy Sleep afford; Yet will not balmy Sleep difdain 8 The Cottage of the humble Swain; Nor the cool Grove; nor Tempé's happy Vales, II Confining ev'n the finny Shoals To narrower Bounds; for, fee the crowded Shore By Builders feiz'd, where Waves were heard to roar. The The Lord, difdainful of the Land, Bids the wild Billows leave the Strand; Nor quits th' applauded Conful's gilded Car, No Balm to heal a wounded Heart; My Vale, where Flocks and Heifers range, And quit my rural Eafe, and 13 Sabine Seat, For the more cumb'rous Riches of the Great? 1720. NOTES. The Design of this Ode is to show, that Wealth and Honours cannot make Men happy; but that they may be fo with a fmall Fortune, by contracting their Defires, and possessing the inestimable Treasure of a quiet and contented Mind. 1 Virginibus puerifque canto.] Youths and Virgins, whofe Minds are yet tender and pliant, are more likely to be improved by Leffons of Morality, than those advanced in Years, who are too often hardened and confirmed in Vice, 2 Mufarum facerdos.] The Muses had their Temples and Altars, where Sacrifices were offered to them. 3 Carmina non prius audita.] Horace was the first Roman, who imitated the Lyric Poets of the Greeks. 4 Regum timendorum, in PROPRIOS GREGES.] Thus Homer ftyles a King, Пopeva nawv, The Shepherd of his People, Iliad i. v. 263. Thus alfo the Author of the 78th Pfalm, speaking of the Redemption GOD wrought for the Ifraelites by David, fays, He chofe David alfo his Servant, and took him from the Sheep folds: From following the Ewes great with Young, he brought him to feed Jacob his People, and Ifrael his Inheritance. This Image gives a very juft Idea of the Office of a King, who ought to defend and protect his People with the fame Care and Tenderness, as a Shepherd guards his Flock. 5 Clari Giganteo triumpho.] The Giants, whom Jupiter conquered with the Affiftance of Hercules, Pallas, Apollo, &c. See the 12th Ode of the fecond Book, and the 4th Ode of this Book. 6 Cuneta fupercilio moventis.] Horace feems here to have had in View thofe celebrated Lines of Homer, "H, xai xvarenow, &c. Iliad i. v. 528-530. 7 Non Sicula dapes, &c.] Horace here alludes to - the Story of Damocles, a Flatterer of the Tyrant Dionyfius, which is thus recorded by Cicero, in the 5th Book of his Tufculan Difputations, Chap. 21. Damocles having, in a Speech, applauded the Riches and Magnificence of Dionyfius, and pronounced him the happiest Man in the World, Dionyfius was refolved to give him a Tafte of his Happinefs; and therefore ordered, that he fhould be placed upon a golden Bed covered with magnificent Tapetry; that all his rich Veffels, curioufly emboffed with Gold and Silver, fhould be dif• played before him; and that he fhould be served by Boys of exquifite Beauty, ready to fly at his • Nod. Neither Wreaths, nor fragrant Oils, were • wanting. Perfumes were burnt; and the Tables were piled piled with the most exquifite Banquet. Damocles now thought bimfelf perfectly happy. In the Height of all this Pomp, Dionyfius ordered a naked Sword to be hung from the Roof, by a Horfe's Hair, directly over his Head. As foon as Damocles obferved it, he couldno longer admire the beautiful Boys, nor the delicate Figures engraved on the Plate: He could not retch. out his Hand to the Table; but trembled with Fear, and the Wreaths fell from his Head. To conclude, he humbly befought the King, that he might have leave to depart; for now he would be no longer happy, quod jam beatus nollet esse.' Mr. Cowley has imitated these beautiful Lines very prettily, in his Manner; that is, with the Addition of feveral witty Turns from his own luxuriant Fancy. Sleep is a God too proud to wait on Palaces, The meanest Country Cottages: This Poppy grows among the Corn. The Halcyon, Sleep, will never build his Neft 'Tis not enough, that he does find Clouds and Darkness in their Mind; "Tis not enough, he must find Quiet too. 9 Non favus ArЯuri cadentis Impetus.] Arcturus is a Constellation of fourteen Stars, which follows the Bear: It is alfo called Bootes. The Rifing of this Constellation is very dangerous; but its Setting is ftill more fo. It rifes, according to the Ancients, about the Middle of September, and Jets at the Beginning of October. DACIER. 10 Aut orientis Hadi.] The Goats are two Stars on the left Hand of the Charioteer: They rife towards the End of September, and caufe Rain and Tempests. On which Account Virgil calls them pluviales, rainy. DACIER. 11 -- Contracta pifces æquora fentiunt.] The Luxury of the Romans, and the prodigious Expence they were at, to build Villas, or Houfes of Pleafure, in the Sea, is taxed by Horace in other Places, as well as in this; particularly in the 18th Ode of the fecond Book: Marifque Baiis obftrepentis urges Summovere littora, Parum locuples continente ripa. This is also taken Notice of by other Authors: Petron. in Satyr. Suetonius, in the Life of Caligula, obferves, That, in erecting Pretoria and Villas, he regarded no Profufion of Coft, affecting to perform nothing fo much as what feemed impoffible to be done. Accordingly he raised Moles in a boisterous and deep Sea, cut through Rocks' of the hardest Flint, and, with huge Mounds, made Fields equal to Mountains, and levelled the Tops of Mountains with the Plain; all which was executed with incredible Celerity, Delays being punished with • Death.' 12 Sidere clarior.] Dacier thinks, that, by fidere, the Sun must be here understood. 13 Cur valle permutem Sabina Divitias operofiores?] Horace feems to have had a Mind rightly turned for Happiness: He appears every where full of Gratitude to his great Benefactor, Macenas, and entirely satisfied with his Condition. In another Place he expreffes himfelf thus, on the fame Subject with this: Nibil fupra Deos laceffo: nec potentem amicum Satis beatus unicis Sabinis. Book ii. Ode 18. There are more fublime Odes in this, and in the fourth Book, than in the two former, or in the fifth Book, commonly called the Epodes. Most of thefe were written by Horace when he was far advanced in Life. Accordingly we find, that they abound more with Precepts of Morality, which is commonly the Style of Age. The Reader will not be difpleafed to fee the Characters which the celebrated Critic Scaliger gives some of them. Tertii libri Ode prima magnifico dicendi genere fructa eft: Se |