PROLOGUE. I FIRST adventure', with fool-hardy might, To claw the back of him that beastly lives, Ordain'd of old on looser life to sue: The world's eye bleared with those shameless lyes, Go, daring Muse, on with thy thanklesse taske, And do the ugly face of vice unmaske : And if thou canst not thine high flight remit, Let lowly Satyres rise aloft to thee: Truth be thy speed, and truth thy patron bee. I first adventure-Book ii. Sat. 7, our author implies the previous existence of other Satirists. -Thou brain-sick tale Of old astrology: where didst thou vaile Thy cursed head thus long, that so it mist The black bronds of SOME SHARPER SATYRIST? That he introduced Genuine Satire among us, may be readily granted; but not that he was the First Satirist. E. It appears, however, from his Postscript, that he had seen no English Satires; and only those of Ariosto and "one base French Sa tire," of modern writers. * Pranck-Dress out. SATIRES. BOOK I. SATIRE I'. NOR ladie's wanton love, nor wand'ring knight, To paint some Blowesse with a borrow'd grace+; 1 From this Satire we learn what kind of pieces were then most in fashion, and in what manner they were written. They seem to have been Tales of Love and Chivalry, Amatorial Sonnets, Tragedies, Comedies, and Pastorals. W. 2 Legend-To write fabulously. 3 Of mightie Mahound, and great Termagaunt. Warton, in his commentary on the Fairy Queen, was persuaded that our author had here a passage of that poem in view— The whiles the carle did fret And fume in his disdainful mind the more, And oftentimes by TERMAGAUNT and MAHOUND swore. F. Q. B. vi. C. 7. St. 47. These were, however, common Saracen oaths; and introduced in many parts of the Fairy Queen. E. See Todd's Spenser, vol. vii. p. 27. To paint some Blowesse with a borrow'd grace. In modern ballads, Blousilinda, or Blousibella. Johnson interprets Blowze, a ruddy fat-faced wench. W. Hungrie-Perhaps the true reading is angrie; that is, impassioned. W. • Avayle-Advantage. 7 Such hunger-starven, trencher-poetry. Poetry written by hirelings for bread. W. Nor under every bank and every tree, As mought the Graces move my mirth to praise. SATIRE II 13. WHILOME1 the Sisters Nine were vestall maides, And held their temple in the secret shades Trumpet, and reeds, and socks, and buskins fine, I them bequeath: whose statues wand'ring twine Of yvy, mixt with bayes, circlen around Their living temples likewise laurell-bound. A beautiful imitation of the Prologue to Persius's Satires Heliconidasque pallidamque Pyrenen Illis remitto, quorum imagines lambunt I them bequeath-The Oxford Editor refers this to the Earl of Surrey, Wyat, Sidney, Dyer, &c. 9 Whose statues wand'ring twine &c. Whose statues th' wand'ring twine &c. W. circlen-encircle. 10 They haunt the tyded Thames and salt Medway, Ere since the fame of their late bridall day : Alluding to Spenser's beautiful episode, in the Fairy Queen, B. iv. Canto 11, on the marriage of the Thames and Medway. E. 11 -Willow-shaded shore. Willows, the types of desertion. W. See the close of Sat. 4. of this Book. 12 forlore-forlorn. 13 In this Satire our author poetically laments that the Nine Muses are no longer Vestal Virgins. W. 14 Whilome-formerly. Of faire Parnassus, that two-headed hill, Whose auncient fame the southern world did fill: Was the coole streame, that tooke his endles name, Defloured were: And, ever since, disdaining sacred shame, Done ought that might their heav'nly stock defame And on bay-stocks the wauton myrtle grewes; From common trulls and loathsom brothelry! SATIRE III. WITH Some pot-fury, ravisht from their wit, -fault-blame. 16 Pyrene-Two syllables. E. J7 18 19 -stole-garment. -woxen-become. —apple-squire.—A cant term, formerly in use to denote a pimp. "Of her gentleman-usher I became her Apple-Squire, to hold the door, and keep centinel at taverns." Nabbe's Microcosmus, quoted by Mason in his Supplement to Johnson. |