has excelled him in his performance. Juvenal has railed more
wittily than Horace has rallied. Horace means to make his reader
laugh, but he is not sure of his experiment. Juvenal always intends
to move your indignation, and he always brings about his purpose.
Horace, for aught I know, might have tickled the people of his age,
but amongst the moderns he is not so successful. They who say he
entertains so pleasantly, may perhaps value themselves on the
quickness of their own understandings, that they can see a jest
farther off than other men; they may find occasion of laughter in
the wit-battle of the two buffoons Sarmentus and Cicerrus, and hold
their sides for fear of bursting when Rupilius and Persius are
scolding. For my own part, I can only like the characters of all
four, which are judiciously given; but for my heart I cannot so much
as smile at their insipid raillery. I see not why Persius should
call upon Brutus to revenge him on his adversary; and that because
he had killed Julius Caesar for endeavouring to be a king, therefore
he should be desired to murder Rupilius, only because his name was
Mr. King. A miserable clench, in my opinion, for Horace to record;
I have heard honest Mr. Swan make many a better, and yet have had
the grace to hold my countenance. But it may be puns were then in
fashion, as they were wit in the sermons of the last age, and in the
court of King Charles the Second. I am sorry to say it, for the
sake of Horace; but certain it is, he has no fine palate who can
feed so heartily on garbage.

But I have already wearied myself, and doubt not but I have tired
your lordship's patience, with this long, rambling, and, I fear,
trivial discourse. Upon the one-half of the merits, that is,
pleasure, I cannot but conclude that Juvenal was the better
satirist. They who will descend into his particular praises may