16. The First Satire of the Second Book of Horace Imitated

Chapter 16 begins by locating The First Satire of the Second Book of Horace Imitated as the first of Pope’s seven Imitations of Horace’s satires and epistles. It then restates from the Introduction the importance of respecting the layout of the original printings of these poems (Latin text on the verso, English version on the recto) for a full appreciation of how the parallel texts affect our reading. (For the non-Latinist, a good modern translation of Horace’s poems will serve.) Pope’s choice of William Fortescue as his eighteenth-century equivalent of Horace’s interlocutor is also discussed. The main body of the chapter examines in detail seven significant extracts to show how Pope’s Imitation addresses the complex moral, political and social questions involved in the writing of satires. What constitutes ethically responsible action? How should it adapt to the changing public circumstances within which it has to operate? Pope’s investigation is searching, yet humorous in much of its tone; but it does not flinch from asserting the role of poetry (and printing) as a force for good.