Accessit numerisque modisque licentia major.
Indoctus quid enim saperet, liberque laborum,
Rusticus urbano confusus, turpis honesto?
Sic priscæ motumque, et luxuriam addidit arti
Tibicen, traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem.
Sic etiam fidibus voces crevêre severis,
Et tulit eloquium insolitum facundia præceps.
Utiliumque sagar rerum, et divina futuri
Sortilegis non descrepuit sententia Delphis.
Ignotum Tragicæ genus invenisse Camænæ
Dicitur, et plaustris verisse poëmata Thespis,
Quæ canerent agerentque peruncti facibus ora.
Post hunc persona pallæque repertor honestæ
Eschylus, et modicis instravit pulpita tignis,
Et docuit magnumque loqui nitique cothurno.
Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum,
Mor etiam agrestes satyros nudavit, et asper
Incolumi gravitate jocum tentavit: eò quòd
Illecebris erat, et gratâ novitate morandus
Spectator, functusque sacris, et potus, et exlor.
Verùm ita risores, ita commendare dicaces
Convenient satyros, ità vertere seria ludo:
Ne, quicunque deus, quicunque adhibebitur heros,
Regali conspectus in auro nuper, et ostro,
Migret in obscuras humili sermone tabernas;
Both in their tunes the license greater grew,
And in their numbers; for alas, what knew
The idiot, keeping holiday, or drudge,
Clown, townsman, base and noble mixt, to judge?
Thus to his ancient art the piper lent
Gesture and Riot, whilst he swooping went
In his train'd gown about the stage: so grew
In time to tragedy, a music new.
The rash and headlong eloquence brought forth
Unwonted language: and that sense of worth
That found out profit, and foretold each thing
Now differed not from Delphic riddling.
Thespis is said to be the first found out
The Tragedy, and carried it about,
Till then unknown, in carts, wherein did ride
Those that did sing, and act: their faces dy'd
With lees of wine. Next Eschylus, more late
Brought in the visor, and the robe of state,
Built a small timber'd stage, and taught them
talk
Lofty and grave, and in the buskin stalk.
He too, that did in tragic verse contend
For the vile goat, soon after forth did send
The rough rude satyrs naked, and would try,
Though sour, with safety of his gravity,
How he could jest, because he mark'd and saw
The free spectators subject to no law,
Having well eat and drunk, the rites being done,
Were to be staid with softnesses, and won
With something that was acceptably new.
Yet so the scoffing satyrs to men's view,
And so their prating to present was best,
And so to turn all earnest into jest,
As neither any god were brought in there,
Or semi-god, that late was seen to wear
A royal crown and purple, be made hop
With poor base terms through every baser shop:
Aut, dum vitat humum, nubes, et inania captet.
Effutire leves indigna tragœdia versus :
Ut festis matrona moveri jussa diebus,
Intererit satyris paulum pudibunda protervis.
Non ego inornata, et dominantia nomina solum,
Verbaque, Pisones, satyrorum scriptor amabo:
Nec sic enitar tragico differre colori
Ut nihil intersit, Davusne loquatur, an audax
Pythias emuncto lucrata Simone talentum ;
An custos, famulusque dei Silenus alumni.
Ex noto fictum carmen sequar, ut sibi quivis
Speret idem: sudet multùm frustraque laboret
Ausus idem: tantum series juncturaque pollet:
Tantum de medio sumptis accedit honoris.
Silvis deducti caveant, me judice, Fauni,
Ne velut innati triviis, ac penè forenses,
Aut nimium teneris juvenentur versibus unquam,
Aut immunda crepent, ignominiosaque dicta.
Offenduntur enim, quibus est equus, et pater, et res :
Nec, si quid fricti ciceris probat, et nucis emptor,
Equis accipiunt animis, donantve corona.
Successit vetus his Comœdia non sine multâ Laude, sed in vitium libertas excidit, et vim
Or whilst he shuns the earth, to catch at air
And empty clouds. For tragedy is fair,
And far unworthy to blurt out light rhymes;
But as a matron drawn at solemn times
To dance, so she should shamefac'd differ far
From what th' obscene and petulant satyrs are.
Nor I, when I write satyrs, will so love
Plain phrase, my Pisos, as alone t'approve
Mere reigning words: nor will I labour so
Quite from all face of tragedy to go,
As not make difference, whether Davus speak,
And the bold Pythias, having cheated weak
Simo, and of a talent wip'd his purse;
Or old Silenus, Bacchus' guard and nurse.
I can out of known geer a fable frame,
And so as every man may hope the same;
Yet he that offers at it may sweat much,
And toil in vain: the excellence is such
Of order and connexion; so much grace
There comes sometimes to things of meanest
But let the Fauns, drawn from their groves,,
Be I their judge, they do at no time dare,
Like men street-born, and near the hall rehearse
Their youthful tricks in over-wanton verse;
Or crack out bawdy speeches, and unclean.
The Roman gentry, men of birth and mean,
Will take offence at this: nor though it strike
Him that buys chiches blanch'd, or chance to like
The nut-crackers throughout, will they therefore
Receive or give it an applause the more.
To these succeeded the old comedy,
And not without much praise, till liberty
Fell into fault so far, as now they saw
Her license fit to be restrain'd by law:
I
Dignam lege regi. Lex est accepta, chorusque
Turpiter obticuit, sublato jure nocendi.
Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur Iambus,
Pes citus: unde etiam trimetris accrescere jussit
Nomen Iambeis, cum senos redderet ictus,
Primus ad extremum similis sibi: non ita pridem
Tardior ut paulo graviorque veniret ad aures,
Spondæos stabiles in jura paterna recepit
Commodus, et patiens: non ut de sede secunda
Cederet, aut quarta socialiter: hic et in Acci
Nobilibus trimetris apparet rarus, et Enní.
In scænam missos magno cum pondere versus,
Aut operæ celeris nimium, curaque carentis,
Aut ignorata premit artis crimine turpi.
Non quivis videt immodulata poëmata judex :
Et data Romanis venia est indigna poëtis,
Idcircòne vager, scribamque licenter? an omnes
Visuros peccata putem mea? tutus, et intra
Spem veniæ cautus? vitavi denique culpam,
Non laudem merui. Vos exemplaria Græca
Nocturna versate manu, versate diurná.
At nostri proavi Plautinos, et numeros, et Laudavere sales: nimium patienter utrumque, Ne dicam stultè, mirati; si modò ego, et vos Scimus inurbanum lepido seponere dicto, Legitimumque sonum digitis callemus, et aure.
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