BAGATELLE is a doggerel, or familiar rhyme, INTROD. written in, or transferred into good Auguftan Latin.

Walter de Mapes, the facetious Arch-deacon of Oxford in the time of Harry the Second, and Golias, were great manufacturers of Burlefque Latin. The following is by Mapes, and is found in Camden's "Remains" (4to, London, 1614):

BACCHANALIAN ODE.

Mihi eft propofitum in tabernum mori,
Vinum fit appofitum morientis ori,
Ut dicant cum venerint angelorum chori
"Deus fit propitius huic potatori!"

Poculis accenditur animi lucerna,
Cor imbutum nectare volat ad fuperna;
Mihi fapit dulcius vinum in taberna,
Quam quod aqua miscuit Præfulis pincerna.
Suum cuique proprium dat natura munus,
Ego nunquam potui scribere jejunus,
Me jejunum vincere poffet puer unus;
Sitim et jejunium odi tanquam funus.

Tales verfus facio quale vinum bibo,
Non poffum fcribere nifi fumpto cibo;
Nihil valet penitus quod jejunus fcribo,
Nafonem poft calices facile præibo.

Mihi nunquam fpiritus propheticè datur,
Nifi cum fuerit, venter bene fatur ;
Cum in arce cerebri Bacchus dominatur,
In me Phoebus irruit, ac miranda fatur.

FREE

INTROD.

FREE TRANSLATION.

Let me die at the vinter's, I pray ;

And die not till drunk up's the bowl;
The worst that of me they can say,
Is "Alas! for his tippling foul.";

"Tis by wine that the foul is enlightened;
By wine it is lifted on high;

And tenfold its pleasures are heightened
When no furly cynic is nigh.

Each man to his way; give me mine,
And that is, to eat, drink, and jest,
Write I ne'er could, while lacking good wine;
But merry, I'll rhyme with the best.

Choice my wine, or else poor are my ftrains;
Not worth, were it weaker, a groat;
As long, then, as fancy there reigns,
Let no one poor Mapes call a fot.

Not prophecy's felf could inspire me,
Till once my poor belly's well lined.
When Ceres and Bacchus once fired me,
Kind Phoebus stays feldom behind.

There is an amufing burlesque of the old Monkish Latin legends, introduced into Whistlecraft's (Hon. J. H. Frere's) National Work, which as a fpecimen of rhymed Latin (on which fubject there was a valuable work published by Sir A. Croke, about forty years ago) is ex

cellent :

Erant rumores et timores varii;
Dies horroris et confufionis

Evenit in Calendis Januarii.
Gigantes, femen maledictionis,
Noftri potentes impii adversarii,
Irafcebantur campanarum fonis,
Horâ fecundâ centum tres gigantes
Venerunt ante januam ululantes.
At fratres pleni defolationis,
Stabant ad neceffarium præfidium,
Perterriti pro vitis et pro bonis,
Et perduravit hoc crudele obfidium,
Noftri claustralis pauperis Sionis,
Ad primum diem proximorum Iduum;
Tunc in triumpho fracto tintinnabulo,
Gigantes ibant alibi pro pabulo.

Sed frater Ifodorus decumbebat
In lecto per tres menfas brachio fracto,
Nam lapides Mangonellus jaciebat,
Et fregit tintinnabulum lapide jacto;
Et omne vicinagium destruebat,
Et nihil relinquebat de intacto,
Ardens molinos, cafas, meffuagia,
Et alia multa damna atque outragia.

Lovers of rare and quaint volumes, and frequenters of booksellers' stalls, are familiar with a nomadic production of the year 1622, "Drunken Barnaby's Journal of Four Journeys to the North of England." In 1723, one Braithwait republishes it, with fome engravings and an English translation; saying of the performance on the title-page, that it is "Wittily and Merrily (though an hundred years ago) compofed, found

INTROD.

INTROD. found among fome old and musty books, that had lain a long time by in a corner, and now at laft made publick." It is preceded by two dedications, and a fort of pre-L'Envoi, as follows:

AD VIATOREM.

Opida dum peragras, peragrando Poemata spectes,
Spectando titubes, Barnabe, nomen habes.

AD TRANSLATOREM.

Peffimus eft Cerdo, qui tranfulit ordine calvo,
Non res fed voces percutiendo leves,

Aft hic Tranflator corii peramabilis Actor,
Quirythmo pollens fit ratione fatur.

INDEX OPERIS.

Mulciber, Uva, Tenus, redolens ampulla, Silenus,

Effigiem titulis explicuere fuis.

Sic me Parnaffi deferta per ardua dulcis

Raptat amor.

Which feems all to be fuch good fenfe as to bear translating :

TO THE TRAVELLER.

Towns while thou walk'ft, and fee'st this Poetry,
And seeing, stumblest, THOU ART BARNABY.

TO THE TRANSLATOR.

That paltry patcher is a bold translator,

Whofe awl bores at the words, but not the matter;
But this tranflator makes good use of leather

By stitching rhyme and reason both together.

THE

THE INDEX OF THIS WORK.

Vulcan, Grape, Venus, Bottle, Silen's hook,
Have all explained the title of this book;
Thus through vaft deserts, promontories wild,
Parnaffus' Love draws Bacchus' only child.

The poem is written in doggerel Latin, and
partakes of the character of all burlesques of
the period, in being coarse and loud in its de-
tails and expreffions, but it is curious and well
worth preserving neverthefs. Some of its ftan-

Veni Oxon, cui comes

Eft Minerva, fons Platonis ;
Unde scatent peramœne
Aganippe, Hippocrene;
Totum fit Athenienfe,
Imo Cornu Reginenfe.

Inde Godfton, cum Amicis,
Vidi Tumbam Meretricis ;
Rofamundam tegit humus,
Pulvis & umbra corpore fumus;
Sic qui teget, quæ tegetur,
Ordine certo fepelietur.

Veni Gotham, ubi multos
Si non omnes vidi ftultos
Nam fcrutanto reperiunam
Salientem contra Lunam,
Alteram nitidum puellam
Offerentem porco fellam.

Occafionally, too, there occur fuch alliter-

INTROD.