In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • An English Version of Horace's Odes, Satires, and Epistles by William Popple (1700-1764)
  • Stuart Gillespie
Stuart Gillespie
University of Glasgow
  • The Satires, Epistles, and Art of Poetry of Horace in English VersePreface

Footnotes

1. Virgil, Aeneid IV, 23.

2. I.e. Pope's Essay on Man, first published 1733.

1. Horace, Ars poetica, 126-7; 'keep to one plan from beginning to end'.

1. Horace, Ep. II.2, 128. Pope had substituted for one who took pleasure in a theatre of his own imagination the figure of a member of the House of Lords.

2. Two following paragraphs defining 'manner' are omitted in the present text.

7. eating] So in ms, but possibly a scribal error for 'beating'.

14. Hirpin] No hills bearing this name seem to be on record. Perhaps rather 'hairpin', i.e. steep hills, though this sense is not recognized for hairpin by OED.

1617. These names must be those of Leonard Welsted, Samuel Foote, and Christopher Smart. 'Hilliad Smart' is a reference to Smart's mock epic The Hilliad (1753). For Welsted and Smart see also lines 114-15, below.

40. To judge by Popple's targets elsewhere in this poem, G** might be Glover (see line 85, below) and S* might be Smart (see line 18, above). Popple is not averse to repeating such names within a single imitation.

57. Rouillé] Antoine-Louis Rouillé, Comte de Jouy (1689-1761). It was he, together with the Cardinal de Bernis, who signed the Treaty with Maria Theresa of Austria at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. These lines very probably allude to the text of this treaty, which was published.

63. Fox] Henry Fox, first Baron Holland (1705-1774), Paymaster of the Forces from 1757 to 1765.

806. This passage concerns 'classicizing' poets and playwrights. Richard Glover's poem Leonidas was first published in 1737. For 'Y*' we could read William Young, who with Fielding penned a version of Aristophanes in 1742; for 'M**', Thomas Morell, whose Hecuba (from Euripides) was printed in 1749.

91. Hoadly] John Hoadly (1711-1776), a writer of farces as well as other plays and poems.

112. Hammond] James Hammond (1710-1742), whose posthumously published Love Elegies of 1742 could for a time be thought of as representing a high point of the genre.

11415. For 'W**' see the similar charge against Welsted at line 17, above. Christopher Smart won the Seatonian prize in 1750; we know of Popple's interest in his satires including The Hilliad from references in the same passage above as well as elsewhere.

1313. Pope, Imitations of Horace, Ep. II.1, 35-8:

134. Pope's 'versified' versions of Donne's satires were published in his Works, 1736.

142. Quoting Pope's Horace Ep. II.1, 236: 'Verse prays for Peace, or sings down Pope and Turk'.

144. Adapting Pope's Horace Ep. II.1, 110 (on the 'Mob of Gentlemen who wrote with Ease'): 'Like twinckling Stars the Miscellanies o'er'.

148. 'Who pays more regard to number (of lines) than to their worth'. By the preceding line Popple has switched target from Pope specifically to the faults of poets at large.

151. G*] Unidentified.

177. Quin] James Quin, the Shakespearean actor (1693-1766), a member of Rich's Covent Garden company until his retirement in 1751.

187. I*] Perhaps 'John', for the Hon. John Fitwilliam, the dedicatee of Popple's translation of Horace's Epistle I.18, described in that imitation as a friend sincere enough 'not to taint with flatt'rys sound the ear' (ms fc 104/1, p. 511). Horace at this point names his friends and his desired audience.

193. Brewster] Unidentified.

Title: Inscribed to his Friends] The initials supplied for these friends in this imitation (A*, B**, S**, I*, W**) do not permit secure identifications, but it is likely some of their owners are among the Popple dedicatees listed at the end of the present article.

55. Honours] Here, feathers.

93. More-game] grouse.

98. Egypt's Plague] the locust.

2278. Cannons, near Edgware, was remodelled by James Gibbs in 1716-20 for James Brydges, Duke of Chandos. Gibbs created spectacular baroque façades and opulently furnished...

pdf

Share