Te N Epistles Ovid, Translaled Into English Verse

TEN EPIST LES‘

OVID,

Translaled into English Verse,

B Y THE L ATE ‘

fi n which are giuh fninzh,

THEm m s OF HERO TO L EANDER, AND L EANDER TO HERO, BY

A DIFFERENT HAND ; THAT QF SAPPHO TO PHAON BY

POPE; AND OF D IDO TO ENEAS BY DRY DEN.

iLDnD

rmm n FOR c . AND R . BAL DW IN, BRIDGE- STREET,B L ACKFRIARS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

IT was Mr . Fitz thomas’

s intention to have

presented the public with an entire foersion i of the

Ep istles cy" Ov id, ( including the Hero to L eander,

and Leander to Hero, presented to hint by a f riend

together withPope’

s Sappho to Phaon, andDryden’

s

D ido to Eneas, which he deemed it presumptuous totranslate anew) but Death prev ented the completion

suflicient apology f or such inaccuracies, at least, as

the want of the author’

s superintendance of the

haverendered almost unavoidable.

INTRODU CTION.

Ti mTranslatorof these epistle s thinks‘

he may ,

w i thou t apology , prefix the exce llent pre face

w ritten b y Dryden, f or a translationfl

b y sev eral

hands,

g

printed in 1680, to any remarks w h ich,

he m ay hav e to make on the l i f e, genius, andw ritings o f Ov id ; espe c ially as the opiniono f

“

that great‘

poe t and critic does no t in every ih;stance agree w ith h is ow n

0

The L ite o f Ov id b e ing already written in

our language ,“

b e fore the translation o f h is Me ta

morphose s, Iw ill'

not pre sume So f ar upo n myself ,

to th ink I can add‘

any th ing to Mr. Sandys h is

undertak ing . The English reader may there be

sat isfied, that he flourished in the re ign o f Augustu s Caesar that he was extrac ted f rom an anc ientf amily o f Roman Knights ; that he w as born to

the inheritance o f a splendid f ortune ; that he

was designed to the study o f the law , andhadmade considerab le progress in it, b e fo f e he qu ittedthat prof ession f or th is of poe try, to wh ich he wasmore naturally f ormed.

The cause of h is b anishment is unknown,

21

11 INTRODUCT IQK .

b ecause he was h imse lf unw ilhng f u rther to pro .

v oke the Emperor, by ascrib ing‘

it to any o ther

reason than w hat w as pre tended by Augu stu s,w h ich w as the , lasc iv iou sness o f his ELEG I ES , andh is AR T OF L OVE . It is true they are no t to b e

excu sed 1n the sev erity o f manners, as b e ing ab le

to corrupt a larger empire , if the re w ere any , than

that o f Rome ; ye t this may be said in behalf o f

Ov id, that no man has ev e r treated the passion o f

love wi th so much del1cacy o f though t; and o f

expression, or searched in to the nature o f it more

ph ilosophically than he .

‘And the Emperor w ho

condemned h im, had as little reason as another

m an to punish that f au lt w ith so much sev erity ,

i f at least he w ere the au thor o f a certa in epigra‘

m

w h ich 13 ascrib ed to h im,re lating to the cause o f

the first c iv il w ar b e tw ixt h imself and‘Mark

Antony the Triumv ir, w hich is more f ulsome

that any passage I hav e me t w ith in our poe t . To

pass by the nak ed f am iliarity o f h is expressions to

Horace , w h ich are cited in that au th0 1’

5 lif e , I

need only mention one no torious ac t of h is, in

tak ing Liv ia to h is b ed, w hen she w asno t onlymarried, b u t w ith child b y her husb and, then

liv ing . But deeds, it seems, may b e justified byarb i trary power, w hen w ords are questioned m a

poe t .

T here is anotherguesso f the grammarians, as

i nr non u crron . iii

far f rom tru th as the first f rom reason they willhav e h im b an ished f or some f av ours, w h ich theys ay he rece ived f rom Ju lia, th e dau gh ter o f

Augustus, w hom they think he ce leb rates under

the name o f Corinna in h is Elegie s. But he who

w ill ob serv e the v erses w h ich are made to

that mistress, may gather f rom the whole con

texture o f them ,that Corinna w as no t a w oman o f

the h ighest quality . If Julia we re then married to

Agrippa, w hy should our poet make h is pe titionto Isis, f or her saf e deliv ery , and af te rw ards condoleher m iscarriage ; w hich f or o ugh t he knew m igh tb e b y her own husb and ? or inde ed how - du rst he

b e so hold to make the least discov ery o f such a

crime, wh ich w asno less than capital , e spec ially

comm itted against a person on rippa’

s rank or

if it w ere b e f ore herm arriage , he w ou ld‘

sure ly hav e

b een more discree t, than to h av e pub lished an

acc ident, w h ich mu st haVe b een f atal to themb o th . Bu t what most confirms me against th isopinion is, that Ov id h imse lf complains that the

true pe rson o f Corinna w as f ound ou t b y the f ame

o f h is‘v erse s to her : w hich i f it had b een Julia ,

he durst not hav e ow ned 5 and b eside , an” imme

d iate punishmen t must hav e f ollow ed .

He seems h imsel f more tru ly to hav e tou ch

ed at the cause o f his exile in those ob scure

VCI'SCS

IV1

h

ru rnonu c'rron .

Cur aligniil v idi ? cur noxia lumina f er-

ii ?

x

Cur imprudenti cégni ta culpa mihi est

Inscius Ac taeon v idit sine veste Diana’

m,

Prceda f u it canibus non minus i lle su is.

Namely , that he had e ither see n o rwas consciousTo somew hat, w h ich had procured h im h is disgrace .

Bu t ne ither am I satisfied that th is w as the incesto f the Emperor w ith h is own daughter; f or

Augu stus w as o f a nature too vmdjcative to hav e

contented h imse lf w ith so small a revenge, or so

unsaf e to h imsel f , as that o f simple b anishment,

and w ou ld certainly hav e secured h is emmes -f rom

pub lick no tice b y the d eath o f him w hd Was

w itness to them. Ne ither hav e h istories giv en

u s any sigh t—into such an ac tion o f th is Emperor ?

nor w ould he , ( the greatest politic ian of h is t ime , )1n all prob ab ility, hav emanag ed h is crlmes wi th so

l ittle secrecy , as no t to shun the,ob serv ation o f any

man: It seemsmore prob ab le , that Ov id w as e itherthe confident o f some otherpassion? or that he had

stumb led by some inadv ertency upon the privac ieso f L 1v 1a, and seep her in a b ath :

“

f or the w ords

sine v este Dianam,agree b e tte r w ith L

‘iv ta who

h ad the f ame o f chastity , than w ith e ither o f the

Ju lius, w ho w ere bo th no ted o f incontinency .

- The

first v erses w hich w ere made b y h im ‘ in h is.

you th , _and re c ited pub lickly , according to

”

the

c u stom , w ere , as he himse lf assures u s‘

,to Corinna

h is ban ishment h appened not until the age of fi f ty

INTR ODUCTION. V

f rom w h ich it may b e deduced, w i th prob ab ilityenough, that the lov e o f Corinna did not occasionit : nay he tells u s plainly , that h is o f f ence w as

that o f errou r only , no t o f w ickedness ; and in the

same paper o f v e rses also, that the cau se w as noto

riously known at Rome , though it b e le f t so

ob scure to af terages.

But to leav e conjec ture s on a subjec t so incertain, and to w rite somew hat more authentick o f

this poe t . That he f requen ted the court o f

Augustu s, and w as w e ll rece iv ed in i t, is most

undoub ted : all h is poems b ear the charac ter o f

a cou rt. and appear to b e w ritten, as the Frenc hcall it, cavalierement. Add to th is, that the titles

o f many o f h is e legies, and more o f h is le tters in

h is b anishment, are addre ssed to personsw e ll knownto n s, e v en at t his distance, to hav e b een con

siderab le in that court .

Norw as h is acquaintance le ss w ith the f amou s

poe ts o f h is age , than w ith the nob lemen and

ladies. He te lls you h imse l f in a partic ular account

of his own lif e , thatMacer, Horace , Tibu llus, Pro

pertius, and many o thers o f t hem, wereh isfifami

liar f riends, and that some of them communicated

th e ir wri tings to h im : b u t that he had ehly seen

Virgil .If the imi tation o f nature b e the b usiness of a

poet, I know no au thorwho can j ustly be compar

a 3

v i INTR O DUCTION.

e d w ith ours, espemally in the descnption o f the

passions. And t o prov e th is, I sha ll need no other

judges t han the generality o f h is readers; f or all

passions b eing inb orn w ith u s, we are almost

e qually j udges, w hen‘

w e are concerned in the re

presentation o f them . Now I ’

w ill appeal to anyman“

w ho has read th is poet , w hethe r he finds not th e

natural emo tion o f the'

same passion in h imsel f,

w hich the poe t describ es in h is f e igned persons ?

H is though ts, w hich are the pictures and results o fthose passions, are generally su ch as naturally arise

f rom those d isorderly mot ions of our spirits . Y e t,

no t to speak too partial ly in h is b ehalf ,“ I w ill con

f ess that the copiousne ss o f h is w it was such , thath e o f ten w rit too po intedly f or h is subjec t,andm ade his pe rsons _

speak more e loquently than N the

v iolence of the lr passion“

would admit : So that t he

is f requently w itty ou t o f season leav ing the

imitation o f nature and the cooler dic tates of hisj udgme nt , f or the f alse applause o f f ancy .

‘

Y e t he

s eems to hav e f ound ou t th is 1mperf ec tion in h is.

super age for why else should he complain thath is Me tamorpho ses was le f t unfin i shed

‘

Nothing

s ure can b e added to the w it of that p oem, or o f

the rest : b ut many th ings ough t to hav e b een

re trenched w hich I suppose w ou ld hav e b ee n

the b u sine ss o f h is age , i f h is misf ortunes had not

came to e 'f ast upon h im . But take him uncorrect

INTRODUCTION;

ed as he is transmitted to u s, and it mu st b e ac

know ledged, in Spite o f h isDu tch f riends, the1com

menta tors, even o f Jul ius Sc aliger himself , that

Seneca’

s censure w ill stand go od against h im ;

nesci'oit quad bene cessit relinquere he nev er knew

how to give ov er w hen‘

he had done w ell ; b u t

c ontinually Vary ing the same sense an hundred

w ays, and taking Up in another place what he had

more than enough inculcated be f ore , he some~

times clOys h is readers, insteado f satisfy ing themandgiv es oc casion to his translators, w ho dare not

c ov er. h im‘

, to b lush at the nakedne ss of the irf ather.

5‘Th is the n is the allay of Ov id’

s w riting,w hich is su ffi c iently recompensed by

: h is o ther

excellenc ies : nay th is v ery f ault is not w ithout

i ts beau ties ; fo r, the most sev ere censor

‘

canno t

b ut b e pleased w ith the prodigality o f h is w it,

though at the same t ime he c ould~

hav e w ishedthat the master o f i t had b een a b e tter manager.

Ev ery th ing w h ich he does, b ecome s h im and . if

some times he appears to o gay , ye t there is a secret

grace fu lness o f you th , w h ich ac companies h is

w ritings, though thestaidness and sob rie ty'

of agehe wanting. In the most material part, w h ich is

the conduc t, it is certain that he seldom has mis

c arried for if h is‘e legies b e compared w ith those

o f Tib ullus - and Prope rtiu s, h is contemporaries,

O i .

V111 I NTR ODUCT ION .

i t w ill b e f ound that those poe ts se ldom designed

be f ore they w rit -

5 and though the language o f

Tib u llus b e more polished, ,and the learning o f

Propertius, espec ially in h is f ourth b ook , more set

ou t to ostentation, yet the ir common prac tice w as

to look no f urther b e fore them than the next line ;w hence it w ill ine v itab ly f ollow ,

that they can driv e

to no'certain point, b u t ramb le f rom one s ubjec t

to another, and conclude with so mewhat w h ich is

no t o f a piece w ith the ir b egtnmngPurpztreus lu té qu i splendeat, anus ct a lter

Assm'

tw‘paymus,

asHorace says; though the verses are golden,t hey are b u t patched into the garment . Bu t our

poe t has alw ays the goal in h is eye , wh ich direc ts

h im in h is race ; some b eautif ul de31gn, w h ich he

first estab lishes, and then contriv es the means

w h ich w ill naturally conduct h im to h is end. Th is

w ill b e e v iden t to judic ious readers in th is work

of h is Epistles, o f w h ich somewhat, at least in

general, w ill b e expec ted.

The title o f them in our late editions 18 EPrs

TOL JEHER OIDUM, the Le tters o f the HER O INES .

Bu t He insius has j udged more truly , that the ih

scr1ption o f our au thor w as b arely , Epistles w h ich

he concludes from h is c ited verses, w here Ov id as

serts this w ork as h is ow n 1nv ention , and no t b or

rowed f rom the Greeks, whom, as the masters of

IN TRODUCT ION . ix

the ir learning, theRomans usually did imitate . Bu t

it appears not f rom the ir w riters, that any o f the

Grecian s ever touched upon th is w ay, w h ich our

poe t the re f ore j ustly has v indicated to h imse lf . _

I

q uarrel not at the w ord”

Heroidum,b ecause it is

u sed b y Ov id in h is Art of‘Lov e

Jupi ter ad veteres supplace Heroidas iba t.

But sure he couldmothe gu ilty o f such an ov ersigh t,to call h is w ork by the name of Hero ines, w h en

there are divers men or heroe s, as namely Paris,

Leander and Acontius, jo ined in itL —Ex‘

cept

Sab inu s, w ho w rit some answ ers to Ov id’

s Le tters .

(Quam celer e tote redii t mews orbe Sab inas,)

I rememb er no t any o f the Romans who have

treated on th is su bjec t, saveonly _Propertiu s, and

that b u t once , in h is epistle o f Are thu sa to L ycotas,w h ich 1s w ritten so near the style o f Ov id, that

it seems to b e b u t an im itation, and there f oreought no t to de f raud our poe t of the glory o f h is

inv ention .

Concerning th is w ork o f the Epistles, I shallcontent myself to ob serv e these f ew part icu lars.

First, that they are gene rally granted to b e the

most perf ec t pie ce o f Ov id, and that the style o f

them is tenderly passionate and courtly 5 two

properties w ell agree ing w ith the persons, w h ich

w ere heroines, and lovers. Y e t w here the cha

rac te rs were lower, as in (Enone , and Hero, he

x rnrh onu c'rron .

has kept close to nature , in drawmg his imagesaf ter a country lif e ; though perhaps he has

romaniz ed h is Grecian dames too much , and made

them speak some times as if they had - b een b orn in

the city of Rome,and u nder the empire o f

Augustus. There seems to b e no great v arie tyin the part icu lar subjects wh ich he has chosen ;

most o f the Epistles b e ing w ritten f rom ladies who

were f orsaken by the ir lovers w h ich is t he reason

that many o f the same though ts come b acki

upon

usin divers Le tters. Bu t o f the general charac ter

o f w omen, w h ich is modesty, he has taken amost

b ecoming care ; f or h is amorous expres'sions go

no f urther than v irtu e may allow ,

“

and the re f ore

may b e read, as he intended them, by matron'

s

w i thou t a b lu sh “

.

Thus much concermng the poe t; w hom you

find translated b y div ers hands, that you may at

least hav e that v arie ty in the English, wh ich the

subjec t denied to the au thor o f . the Latin —Itremains that I should say some th ing o f poe tical

t ranslations in general, and giv e my opinion (w ith

submlssion to b e tter j udgments) w h ich w ay of

version‘seems to me most proper.

All translation, I suppose , may b e reduced to

these three heads

First, that o f me taphrase, or tur111ngan au thor

word by word, and line by line, f rom one language

8

INTR O DUCTION“ X i

into ano ther; Thus, or near this manner, was

Horace h is“

Art o f Poe try translated by Ben

Jonson . The second way is that of par/

aphrase ,

or translation w ith latitude , w here the author 15

kept 1n V1ew by the transiator, so as nev er to b e

lo st 5“

b u t h is w ords are no t so stric tly f ollow ed as

h is sense , and that too‘

is admi tted to b e amplified,b ut no t altered. Such is Mr f Waller

’

s translat ion

o f Virgil’

s f ourth jEneid. T he,th ird way is that

o f im itation,w here the translator ( if now h e has

no t lost that name ) assumes the l ib erty not only tov ary f rom the w ords and sense , b u t to f orsak

’

e'

them b oth, as he sees occasion a nd tak ing o nlysome general h ints f rom the original, to run

‘

div i

sion‘on the ground

-Work , as he pleases Such is

Mr. Cow ley's prac tice

~ in turning two odes of

Pindar, and one o f Horace , into EnglishConcerning the

[

first o f these“

me thods, our

ntasterHorace has g1ven u s th is cau tionNec v erbum v erbo curabis reddere,fidus

, Norword forw ord too faith fully translate

as the Earl o f Roscommon

'

has excellently rendered

it ..To o f aithf ully is indeed -

‘pedantically s it is a

f aith like that w h ich proceeds f rom superstition,b lind and z ealous. Take it in the expression o f

Sir—

John Denham, to Sir Richard Fanshaw, on h is

v ersion of the PA STOR FIDO

xii INTR O DUCTION.

That serv ile path thou nob ly dosti

decline

b f tracing word b y w ord, and line b y line .

A new and nob lerway th ou dost pursu e,To make translations and translators too

Th ey b u t preserv e th e ash es, thou th e flame,True to h is sense, b u t truer to h is f ame .

It i s almost impossib le to translate v erb ally ,

andw ell, at the same t ime‘

f or the Latin, a most

sev ere and compendiou s language , o f ten expresses

that in one w ord, Wh ich e ither the b arb arity or

the narrow ness o f m odern tongues cannot supply

ln It is f requent also that the conce it is

couched in some expression, w h ich w ill be lost in

Atque u dem v entr v ehzfi demqu ef erent.

W hat poet if ou r nation is so happy as to express

this thought literally in English , and to strike w itor almost sense ou t o f i t ?

In short,the v erb al cop1er IS e ncumb ered

w i th so many di ffi cu lties at once, that he can ne v er

disentangle h imself f rom all. He is to considerat the same time the though t o f h is author, and

h is w ords, and to fi nd ou t the counterpart to each

in ano ther language ; and b esides this, he is to

confine h imself to the compass o f numb ers, and the

slavery o f rhyme . It is much l ike danc ing on

ropesi

w ith f e ttered legs aman may shun a f all by

using cau tiOn, b ut the grace f u lness o f mo tion is

not to b e expected : and when we have said the

xiv INTRODUCT ION.

to each o ther, and there f ore the ir reasons f or it are

l ittle diff erent, though the prac t ice o f one is much

moremode rate ; I take imitation o f an au thor, in

th e ir“

sense, to b e an‘

endeav ou r o f a later poe t to

write like one w ho has w rit ten b e f ore h im , on the

same su bje c t that is, no t to translate h is words,

or to b e confined’

to h is sense , b u t only to se t h im

as a pattern and. to w rite , as he s uppose s that

au th or w ou ld hav e done , had he liv ed in our age ,

and inour count ry . Y e t I dare not say that e ithero f them hav e carried th is lib ertine w ay o f rendering

au thours (as Mr. Cowley calls it) so far as-

my

definition reaches f or in the Pindaric Odes the

c ustoms and ceremonies o f anc ient Greece are still

preserv ed Bu t I know no t w ha t mischie f maya 11se hereaf ter f rom the example o f su ch an inno

v at1on w hen w ri ters o f unequalpents to him shall

imitate so b old an undertak ing .

‘

To add and‘

to

dim inish w hat we please , w h ich is the w ay av ow edb y h im, ought only to b e granted to Mr. Cow ley ,and that too only m h is translation o f Pindar

,

b ecause he alone w as ab le to make him amends,

by g iv 1ng him be tter o f h is o w n, w henev er he

re f used h is au thor’s though ts . Pindar

‘ is generallyknow n to b e a dark w riter, to w ant

‘

connec tion,

(I mean as to our understanding ,) to soar ou t o f

sigh t, and leav e h is reader at a gaz e . So w ild andengovernab le a poe t cannot b e translated literally ,

l NTROD fi CT IO‘N. X V

h is g"

e nius - is too strong to b ear a chain, and

S ampson- like he shake s i t b fi

'

. A genius so

e le vated and unconfined as w as b ut:

nec essary t o mak e Pindar speak—

Eng lish ,and

t ha t was to b e perf ormed by no o the r w ay than

imitation . Bu t if Virgil, o r Ov id, or any regular

intelligib le authors b e thu s u sed, it is no longer to

b e called the irWork ,w he n ne ither the though ts not

“

w ords are draw n f rom the or1g1nal, b u t instead

o f them there is some th ing new produced, w h ich

i s almos t the creation o f ano therh and . By th is way,

it is true , somewhat that is e xce llen t may be inv ents

ed , perhapsmore e xc ellent than the first de sign ,

though Virgil must b e st ill e xcep ted, w hen tha t

perhaps takes place : ye t he w ho is inqu isitiv e to

know an au thor’

s tho ughts, w ill b e disappointed

in his expec tation ; and it is no t always that a

man w ill b e c on tented to ha v e a present madeh im, when h e expects the payment of a deb t .

To state it f airly, imitation o f an au thor is“

the

m ost adv antageous w ay f or a translator to shew

h imse lf , b u t the greatest w rong w h ich can bedone

to the memory and repu tat ion o f the dead. Sir

J ohnl

Denham,w ho adv ised more lib erty t han he

t ook h imself , giv es this reason f or h is innov ation ,

in h is admirab le pre f ace b e fore the tra nslation o f

the second fEne id poe try is o f so su b tile a

5pi1'it

,. that in pouring ou t of one language into

b 2

INTR ODUCTION.

ano ther, it w ill all ev aporate ; and if a new spiri tb e no t added in th e transfusion, there w ill remain

no thing b u t a caput mortuum I con f ess th is

argument holds good against a literal translation ;

b u t w ho def ends it P Imi tation and v erb al v ersion

are m my opinion t he tw o extremes, w h ich ough t

to be av o ided ; and there f ore w hen I hav e propo sedthe mean b e tw ixt them,

it w ill b e seen how”

f ar h is

argument w ill reach

Noman is capab le of translating poe try , w hob esides a geniu s to that art,

‘is no t a master

’

b o th

o f h is au tho r’

s language ,» and o f h is ow n . Nor

mu st weu nderstand the language only o f the poe t,

b u t h is particu lar turn o f though ts and expression ,

wh ich‘

are t he characters that distinguish, and as

it w ere 1ndiv iduate , h im f rom all o ther w riters.

W hen w e are c ome thus f ar, it is t1me to look into

ourselv e s ; to con form ou rgen ius to h is, to g iv eh is though t e ither the same

”

turn ,if our tongue

w ill b earit,'

or if no t, to v ary bu t the dress, no t to

al ter or destroy the sub stance r The like care

m ust b e‘taken o f the more ou tw ard o rnamen ts,

the w ords ; w hen they appear (w h ich is b u t seldom)l iterally grace f u l, it w ere an inj ury to

“

the au thor

that they shou ld b e changed. Bu t since e v ery

language is so f ull o f its ow n proprie tie s, that w hat

1s b eautif u l in one , is o f ten b arb arous, nay some

times nonsense 1n ano ther, it would b e u nreason

t u rno u t ) cr i orh xv u

ab le to limit a - translator to the narrow compass o f

h is au thor’

s w ords : it is eno ugh if he choose ou t

some expression‘

w h ich doe s not v itiate the sense.

“

Is

suppo se‘

h e ru ay stre tc h his c hain to such a

l a titude ; b u t by innov ation o f though ts, meth inks,h e b reaks it . By thi s means the spirit o f an author

m ay be transf used and ye t no t lost ; and thus it

is plain, that t he r eason alleged b y Sir John

Denham has no f art her f orce than to expre ssiof or though t, if it. b e translate d truly ,

- c an‘

not be

lost in another language ; but th e”

w ords that

conv ey it to‘

o ur apprehensmn , w h ish are the

image and ornament o f-

that thought, may b e so

ill cho sen , as to make it appear in an unhandsome

dress, and rob it o f i ts native lustre . There is

there f ore a lib e rtv to b e allow ed'

f or th e expression ;

n e ither is it necessary t hat w ords and lines shou ld

b e confined to the measure of the ir o riginal . The

sense o f an au thor,"

generally speak ing, is to besaered

‘

and inv iolab le . If the f ancy of Ov id b e

l uxurian t, it is~ h is c harac ter t o h e so ; and if I

re trench it , he is no longe r Ov id. It w ill he

replied, that h e rec e iv es adv antage b y th is loppmgof his

'

superfluous b ranches b u t I rejo in, that a

t ranslator has no su ch righ t . W hen a p ainterc opies f rom the lif e , I suppo se he has no privileget o alter f eatures, and lineaments, under pre tence

t hat his pic ture w ill look b e tter : perhaps the f ace

I) 3

INT RODUCT ION.

w h ich b e b as draw n w ould b e more e xac t, if the

eyes or nose’

w e re alte red ; b u t it is h is b u sme ss

to make it re semb le the original .‘

In tw o cases

only vthere‘

may a seeming diffi culty arise ; that is,

i f the though t b e notoriou sly triv ial or dishone st ;

b u t the same answ e r w ill serve f or b o th , - that

then they ough t no t to b e translated

at once_

J

Despm'es tractata m tescereposse, relmquas .

Th us I hav e v entured to give my opinion onth is su bjec t, against the au thority o f tw o great

men,b u t I hope w itho u t o ff e nce to either o f the ir

m emories ; f or I b o th lov ed them liv ing, and

re v e rence them now they are dead . But if af ter

w hat I have urged, it b e"

th ough t b y b e tter judgesthat the praise o f a translation c onsists in adding

new b eau ties to the pie ce ,”

thereby to recompense

the loss w h ich it su stains by change o f language , Ishall b e w illing to b e taugh t b e tte r, and to

i

recan t.

In“

the meantime it seems to me , that the true

reason w hy w e hav e so f ew v ersions w h ich are

tole rab le , is not f rom the too c lose pursumg o f the

a u thor’

s se nse , b u t b ecau se there are so f ew w ho

hav e all the talen ts w h ich are requisite f or transla t ion ; aud

i

that there is so little praise and so

small encouragemen t f or°

Lso considerab le a part

o f learning .

”

INT R ODUCT I ON. X IX

It w ill no t, it is hoped, b e deemed presumptuou sto make some ob serv atio ns upon the pre ceding

Pre f ace o f Dryden and fi rst w ith regard to the

b anishment o f Ov id. Ev ery c ircumstance re lat

ing to distmgu ished geniu s is i ntere sting, and

those in w hich poe ts are concerned, b ec ome ln

fi nitely more so , w hen they hav e giv en rise to any

th ing o f uncommon exce lle nce in the ir w ritings.

Perhaps there is no th ing in the w ritings o f any

poe t, more exqu isite , than the elegy upon the

n igh t o f h is b anishment . The Tristia , vu lgarly

regarded ( from h is ow n poe tical apology) as ia

f erior to the rest o f h is w orks, are ev idently the

produce o f that calamity . In them are f ound the

a ff e c ting v e rses to h is w if e and h is daugh ter,

(R1. 3 . L ib . 4 . and RI. 7. L ib . 3 , and that

deligh tf ul accou nt“

o f h is b irth , h 1s quality , h iseducation for the b ar, h is paren ts, h is marriages ;

and h is l1sp1ng , as Mr. Pope happily imitates it,in numb e rs, that so captiv ates our b oyhood, and

o ur you th and does no t cease to charm our old

age, and aw aken every compassionate and ingenu

ous sentiment,o f w h ich that cold period o f l if e i s

suscept ib le .

Dr. Sumner o f Harrow , in su ch matters a

'

v ery

h igh au thority, w as w ont to say , that he w ould

rather hav e b een the au thor o f tw o elegies w ritten

by Ov id, v iz . that upon the nigh t o f h is b anish

xi ' m rn onu cr ro u .

meri t, and that upon the death o f Tibu llus, than

o f any o ther o f the compositions o f the anc ients .

O f the tw o supposed'

causes o f h is b anishment,

one , it has b een we ll ob se rv ed, ( the immode st ten

deney o f h is v erses) w as mere ly ostensib le , the

o ther know n to h is contemporaries, cannot now

b e discov ered 5,

indeed he has h imself told u s, that

he w ou ld net rev eal it

Caus‘

a mece cunctz'

sn imz'

um quoqu e nota m ince

Non est indicio testg'

fi canda meo .

”

Masson has acu tely remarke d that it cou ld f f

not

h av e b een the acc idental priv ity to any concealed

impu rit1es o f“

Augustu s ; for, in that case , Ov id

w ould no t so o f ten, how e v er ob sc urely, have

glanced at it. If , as Mr. Dryden says, his v erses

w ere su ffi c ien t to corrupt a larger empire , if

the re w e re any larger, than that o f Rome ; eventh e ostensib le cau se mi gh t b e a plau sib le one f or

h is b anishment, prov ided Rome w ere not already

c orrupted, an d he the first o f her sons w ho had

pub lished any th ing mJuri ous to he rmorals. But

the ab andoned indulgence o f ev ery v ic e w as at

fthat t ime so licen sed at Rome, and apparently so

i ncorrigib le , that it seems not only cruel and un

j ust , b u t improb ab le, that the lasc iv iousness o f his

poeuy should hav e b een the real cause o f h is m is

f ort une . As to any reasoning that may b e drawn

I NT RODU CT ION.

Tristia, and indeed the w hole first elegy o f the

second book is a def ence , not only o f h imse lf, but

o f o thers who had w ritte n loose v erses, although

they had e scaped punishmen t, and ev en ob tainedh igh rewards and repu tation f or the ir pe rf orm

ances. The approb ation b estow ed upon the w ri

ters f or the theatre, af f ord u s no very h igh idea o f

the delicacy o f a Roman audience . The f our f ol

low ing v erses, f rom the same e legy, seem“

to com

prehend all that c an b e conjec tured of the causes

o f the b an ishment of"

Ov id.

Perdiderin t cum me drip crimina carmen ct error ;

Alterius f a cti cu lpa siienda mihi.Nam mmsum t ani i,wt renov em tua v u lner

‘a, Caesar;

Quem nimr'

o plus est indolu isse semel .

Tw o sourcesmy redoub led m iseryknow s

,

O ne was my v erse ; and, wrapt in dread repose

For ev ermay the aw f ul secret rest ,

Tha t Wo unded, C aesar, thy immortal b reas t !

Aiasi on‘

e pang—th a t one i b ade th ee f eel

Ne’

er shall th e cause th e b ab b ling mu se rev eal .

In th is ant i - cav alie r roundhead age , it is impossib le no t to smile at the species o f commendation

b estowed upon Ov id by Dryden All h is poem s,

says he , appear to b e w ritten, as the French call

it,cavalierement it w as the f ash ion o f those days

t o praise e v ery thing f orb e ing cavalier and th is

descended to the m iddle o f the last centu ry 5 so

that a man was not only said to w alk, ride,b ow ,

INTR O D UCT ION.

and dance 5 to spe ak in parliament,to plead, and

to preach genteely b ut spee ches, pleadings, and

ev en'se rmons, as w ell as poems, w e re said

,wh en

the b ean s o f that t ime mean t to ex tol them, to b e

genteel . Perhaps it w as th is suppo sed gentility

that recommended the v olume , to w h ich the

pre f ace he re 1n troduced and comm ented upon ,is

prefixed ,to t he notice o f the ladies and gen tlemen

o f that d ay , f or it ran through e igh t editions

andPope’

s Sappho to Phaon w as in the last editiononly , pub lished so late as 1712 ; and b u t tw o

o f the epistles, the Canace to'

Macareus , and the

Dido to E neas, w h ich is here giv en ,

”

are by Dry

den . W ith the Sappho to Phaon o f Pope , the

present translator has, he hope s innoc ent ly , f enriched

“

h is l ittle v o lume Th ere w ill at least b e

one good th ing in it .

Mr. Dryden speaks also w ith singu lar compla

cency not only o f the f riendship cultiv ated b y

Ov id w ith the great poe ts o f the age , b u t o f h is

acquaintance w ith the nob les, and the ladies of

the cou rt o f Augustus. Indeed th is has b een the

good f ortune o f most‘

of ourgreat poe ts, the great» ,

est excepted. Chauce r, Spencer,Milton, Dryden,Pope , Sw i f t, Prior, Row e , Addison, Gay, Gray,

and Mason, as w ell as Horace , kept w hat, in themodern phrase , (as w ell as in the antient one o f

Optimates and Ap‘O'TGt) is called good company,

xxiv rs rn on‘

u crro s .

although some o f them were no t so proud o f it as

Horace . Su ch men, as Surry, _Rale igh , Rochester, .

Roscommon, Buc k ingham , and“W aller, w ere

thein se lves poe ts, and certainly o f no mean attainments . In the imitation o f nature , Dryden th inksO v id incomparab le 5 as he certainlymust b e eon

sidere d did no other proo f o f it exist than the

v olume b e f ore us. The 'Penelope‘

to Ulysses; the

Medea,

to Jason , the Laodamia to Pro tesilaus, andthe Sappho to Phaon are strong proof s o f

i

it 5 b u t

h efl

had o th er exce llenc ies no t no ticed by Dryden .

No poe t w as ev er, Homer excepted , more senten

Iious than Ov id 5 how ev er in cho ice o f expre ss1ou,

in modu lation o f numb ers, in design and exec u

t ion, inf erior. In v arie ty o f moral sent imen ts, he

is more Homeric than V irgil, more f ertile than

Horace . No poe t, no t ev en these great men,

excelled h im in that art, f or w h ich ou r ow n

Dryden and Prior were also f amou s,—the art 0 .

narration ; so b rilliantly exhib ited in the w hole

t issue \

o f the Me tamorphoses ; and the Fasti,

perhaps the most correc t o f h is perf ormances,

ab ound w ith interspersed narrative . One admir‘ab le spec imen is here presented

-

f rom the de arte

amandi, in a new translation ; no t b ecau se it pre

tends to b e b e tter, b u t b ecause it is more f aithf ul

than that o f Dryden.

Ixr nonucr ro u , m y

THE RAPE OF THE SAB INE 1WOMEN.

As b usy an ts, that hear th-

e b oarded gra in,Incountless tr00ps, along the sandy plain;A s b ees th rough fm nt meads, in summer

’

s prime,Skim ligh tly o

’

er th e flowe rs ‘and y ielding thyme ;

So wh en , to"

gra ce the hero’

s f uneral rite,Or pomp triumphal, theatres inv ite,Th ither th e h igh ly decorated fair,Eager to see , and to b e seen, repair ;In fatuate , idv c the fata l regions most,

That the rich spo il o f v irgin honor b oast ;And all on pleasure and th emselv es in tent,Are of ten conqu er

’d wh en on conquest b ent.

O ft , wh ile th e flu ttering th rong th eir ch arms display’

d,Distrac ting b eau ty h as

‘

my ch oice delay’

d.

S in‘ce first, 0 Romulus, the Sab ine dames

Y ourh ardy soldiers seiz’

d, at crowded games,

Each crowde d spec tacle , the f air by youW ere taugh t, w ith sof t solic itude , to View.

No marb le th ea tres had then b een rais’

d,Nor on the curtain’

d stage the people gaz’

dThe neighbouring wood supplied its lea fy shade;Suspended b oughs th e simple scenery made ;On seats o f turf the mult itude were plac

’

d,A b ranch from any tree th eir temples grac

’

d,Wh ile to the Tuscan pipes unme llow

’

d sound,Th e clumsy dancer shook th e lev ell

’

d ground,And all w ere

’

b‘usied in applause ; applause

W as simple then, and follow’

d na ture’

s lavvs.

Around th eir amorous eyes t h e Warriors throw ,Mark each h is b ride , and for th e s ignal glow ;Th e promis

’

d signal soon“

the king display’

dLAnd shouts the intended v iolenc e b‘etray

’

d ;C

xxvj

i m'

r a o n e crrea ;

S udden they rise , and in th e w ild dismay,Th e b ru tal spo iler seiz

’

d h is destinf d prey .

As tremb ling dov es th e eagle’

s grasping claw s,

As tender lamb s th e w olf’

s dev ou ring jaw s,Th us did th ey dread th e ru fi ian

’

s rude emb rac e ;L if eless and pale , wasev ery v irgin f ace ;Senseless onesits, ano th er tears h erh air,

And fear in all its v arious forms w as th ere

S ilent W ith grie f is one u nh appy maid ;

And on e in v ain implores a mo th er’

s aid;

O th ers w ith f ran tic sh rieks aloud compla in ,These s triv e to f ly , astonish

’

d those remain .

On to th e gen ial cou ch th e v ic tors led,

New ch arms o’

e r rav ish’

d beauty b lush es spread ;

W here b loom’

d no b eau ty , to th e tearful facé‘

,Reluc tan t modesty imparts a grace .

Did-

one too stub b ornly resist h er f ate ,

Clasp’

d to th e glow ing b osom o f h ermate ,

In th ese , o r words like th ese , h e soo th’

d h er fears,

Ah , ,

wh y th ose lov ely eyes deform w ith tears P

Th ink what your f ather to you r mo th er prov’

d

And learn f rom th em to lov e , and to b e lov’

d.

”

Nomonarch b e t ter crown’

d th e soldier’

s to ils,

Than th ou , O Romu lu s, w ith b eau ty’

s spoils.

Slav e as I am to indolence and ease,

I’

d b e a so‘dier f or rew ards l ike th ese .

Hence th e proud games th at now th e fair de tain,

And snares f or b eau ty th eatres remain .

’

Of the alloy , (according to Dryden) o f the

w ritings o f Ov id ; the pro f usion of h 1s w it, the

e xub erance o f h i s f ancy , and the intemperate indul

gence o f it w e may ob se rv e , that where the re IS

no excess in such things, there is of ten a scarcity ;

t xx’

v'

notw ithstanding some gre at exceptions, as Virgil}Horace and Pope . Bu t Dryden objec ts w ith an

ill grace to that, w h ich is so f requently f ound in h isow n poe try ; and he adds, w ith a sort

'

o f con

sc iou s generosity , that the most sev ere censor

c anno t b dt b e pleased w ith the prodigality o f the

w it o f Ov id, though at the same time he m igh t

h av e w ished that he h ad b een more sparing o f it :Ov id how ev er, any more than Dryden, cannot b e

v indicated upon th is ground, b u tx they_

may b o th

b e commended f or o ther merits, Which raise

them to a v ery high rank among poe ts .

_

Theymuch resemb le

.

each o ther, and although ,Dryden,

in one o f h is pre f aces, fi at ters h imse lf that he has

caugh t the manner o f V irgil, he 13 an general

more like to Ov id ; indeed almost all our great

writers o f rhyme in s ome degree f ollow h im .

There is a certain turn and spirit, as w e ll as fl ow ,

in h is hexame ter and pe n tame ter, wh ich se em to

b e transm itted into ou r Englislu couple t : the

epigrammatic f orce o f POpe , and the luxuriance

o f Dryden, are v e ry Ov idian and the gallantry

and so f tness o f W aller partakeo f the same origin .

Milton certainly adm ired O'

v id, and plainly imi

tared h im m h is own Lat in poe try . Johnson h as

said that Pope introduced Ov idian b eau ties into h is

Homer. Dryden, though desirous o f praising

O v id, takes no no tice’

o f the neatness o f h is

c 2

x'

xv iii m 'r

‘

a o o o crre n .

accidental satire : a strik ing instance o f wh ichpresen ts itse lf in these lines in theArt o f Lo v e :

Sum? {amen et doctce rari'ssima turbo , pa ella

S ent quoque non doctw, sed tam en ease v olunt .”

Some learned maids there are, b u t f ew ,I deem 5

Oth ers not learned, who would learned seem .

Again o f Helen

Quidj a cint .9 air alert, et eldest tron rusticus hospes,

Et timet in v a cuo sola cubare tore .

W hat should she do her own dear lord is gone ;She w ith a gallan t Stranger le f t alone ,

Besides, a f emale h eart it fills w ith dread,To sh iv er in a solitary b ed 2

”

i

When the fl ights o f his fancy , unehecked b y the

dic tates -

o f h is cooler judgment, are mentioned, thepre tty story, wh ich Senecahasre latedof h im should

b e c ited : it is as f ollow s : (Senec . Controv . L . 2 :

p. He (Ov id) w as no t unconsc ious, b u t

enamoured, o f h is poe tical f aults ; f ora request b eingmade to

“

h im b y three o f h is f riends that he w ou ld

b lot three certain v erses wh ich they shou ld po int

out, he readily consented ;"

prov ided they w ould

How-

h im to o retain an equal numb er, notw ith

standing the ir obj ec tions. Th1s was’

though t f air.

T/zey w ro te down those that they w ished to

expunge : fie those wh ich he was disposed to preserv e .

“

The sev e ral papers w ere opened,-

and the

same passages found in b o th . The first, (as Ai

xxx m ra o b u crro s .

‘Mure tus, non sordidus auctor,’

no mean“

ao ~

thority , (o f Whom He insrus'

says, that no one

since the restoration o f le tters w ro te‘

jwith less

af f ec tation or more so admired Ov id,

that he considered one w ho de trac ted f rom h imas

/

a prodigy , and a fi t subjec t f or lustration . It is

superfluous - to repeat the praise s o f Mu re tns, o f

Juliu s, and Jo seph Scaliger, c ited b y He insius;

Danie l He insius says, Omnes Oe idirzs trancenc

dig”

and he does indeed exce l all otherpoe ts in

those things for w h ich -

that learned personi has

praised h im w hose praises are as

'_

de licate in the ir

expression as the subjec ts o f them . They appear

i n the pre f ace to He insius’

s Ov id.

For the general commendation of ourpos t, the“

readermay be re f erred to Dryden, w ho had , no

doub t , explored e v ery source o f ir—b u t it may b e

f airly ob se rv ed, that his translators hav e reason

to b lush at the ir ow n nukcdness, rather than tha t

o f the ir f ather,”

as Dryden calls h im ; and seldom

mo 1e, than w hen they endeav our to cat ’er h im, as

is”

generally done, w ith sein e“

tawdry trapping .

But w h ile Dr

yden extolsOv id, as the Scaligers

and the s Hemsn hav e done , there appears to be

no ground f or,

the censure cast by him upon

Tib u llus and Propert ius w hose common prac tice

he asserts it Was,“to look no f arther than the

line b e fore them, to ramb le f rom one subject t o

INTRODUCTION.

ano ther, and~

to conclude w ith some th ing, w h ich“

isnot of a piece w ith the/

beginning . In them

the purpureus late qai splendeat anus ef alter assui»

tur permi ts—though the v erses are golden, they

are b u t patched into the garment ; bu t our poet

has always the goal in his eye , w h ic h directs h imin h is c raee .

”

This how ev er is no t the ground

upon w h ich h is asserted superiori ty ough t to b e

placed ; it sh ou ld b e argued f rom the deeper knowledge displayed by h im,

the more extended field

that he has laid o pen o f human nature , and the

greater v arie ty- w ith wh ich he has describ ed

the w orking o f human passi ons. He‘

w ro te

poems; f rom'

Tib'

u llus and Propertius w e hav e

only e legies, andf

epistles f b u t that Ov id, any ,

more than those tw o-

poe ts, had- always, as Dryden

say s, a goal in h is eye , w h ich he first e stab lished, and then contriv ed the means (if at tain ing,

”

does not perhaps always appear. It is true the

w hole bo ok o f epistles f orm a design ; b u t ev erysingle epistle m igh t b e composed as loosely , af ter

the gene ral idea w as f ormed (and w ithou t a

general i dea no composition w as perhaps e v er

b egun) as any o f the single elegies of Tib ullus

or

i

Propertius. The Me tamorphoses indeed, the

Fa’

sti, and The Art o f Love , must necessarily hav ehad a detailed plan ; b u t one , as sy stematic as is

required to the conduc t of a tragedy or an epic

30 0 0 ! INTR O DUCTION."

poem, would not perhaps add to the b eau ty o f

de tached poe try ; f or mu ch o f fl i t seems to arise

f rom the e f f ort o f momentary impulse and passion ,

w hich m igh t b e lost in m ore exac t regu larity o f

arrangement .

TheAre thusa to L ycotas Of Propertiu s, Drydenthinks ‘5 w ri tten so near the style o f O v id, that

it seems to b e b u t an im itation of h im, and there

f ore (says he ) ought no t to de f raud o il r‘au thor o f

any part o f the glory o f h is inv ent ion; Here

indeed - Ov id and Prop‘

ertius m igh t seem f airly to‘

contend, did the subjec ts o f , th is epist le in any

degree resemb le those o f that poet . But the

epistles o f Ov id are all drawn f rom f ab le ; the scene

o f that o f Propertius,w hether fictitiou s orgno t, islaid in real lif e ; it is supposed to b e w ritten to

a Roman soldier b y h is wife, w hox

no more resem

b les the hero ine s of Ov id, than the Asteria o f

Horace does the Hypermnestra or Eu ropa o f that ,

poet.

No tw ith standing,how ev er, these au thorities inf avor of Ov id

,there are those b y w hom Tib ullus

JS greatly pre f erred to him; and this pre f erence

i s'

u su ally j ust ified f rom Qu intilian . T ib u llus,

( say s that great -c ritic ) is in i my op in ion the most

t erse and elegant w ri ter o f the Greek e legy .

Bu t b ecau se one poet is more correc t, or polished,o r elegant than another, and that in one spec ieso f

INTR ODU CTION.

composition only , does it f ollow that he i s m all

respe c ts, or ingeneral, superior to him -Mayno t Mason

'

b e said to 'b e more terse t han Dryden ?

is he there f ore a greaterpoe t? The Caractacus

andElf rida are more terse than Samson Agonistesdo they theref ore excel that sub lime and af f ec ting

poem ? Qu in tilian allow s Horace to be more

terse than Luc ilius, b ut disapprov es the censure

cast by h im on h is prede cessor, and seems rather

inc lined to adm it the distingu ished excellence '

o f

b o th these great men, t han to dec ide in f avor o fe i ther; as the admirers o f L ucilius had pronounced

that poe t to b e superior to all others. W e may.

ob serv e also that Qu intilian o f ten c i ted Ov i d, and

b ut once w i th disapprob at ion, and that he has b u t

once mentioned Tib ullus, though indeed it is to.

commend h im : nor does he , c ite him, as he f re

quently does Ov id, to exempl if y th e“

powers o f

eloquence, as Seneca has done to illustrate t hesubje c ts o f morals and o f natural ph ilosophy w ho

has dist ingu ished him, ev en in the\

m idst, o f objections to h is f a ilings asthe most ingenious of poe ts,( poetaram ing eniosissimus, ) by w h ich he seems

“

.

to h av e meant, the most f ertile and inv entive, not,as the w ord is some times u sed, the most w itty o f

poe ts.

The disc ussion o f the meri ts o f great poets iso f ten ingenious, amusing, and instruc tiv e the,

X xxiv

dec i sion upon them commonly ab surd. W hy are

we no t perm itted separate ly

‘

td adm ire the so f tne ss

and e legance o f T ib ullus, and the f ertility o f O v id,

the sw ee tness o f h is numb ers, the v arie ty and apt

ness o f h is expressions, w h ich speak w ith such

delicate distinc tion to the understanding, w i thsuch irresistib le tenderness to the heart Bu t the

b ittere st enemy of Ov id seems to b e the Jesu itS trada in h is prolu

’

s‘ions ; one o f wh ich f urnishes

three v ery pre tty papers in the Guardian ; w here It

seems to b e decided, that O v id h igh ly de serv ed

the‘

name o f a witty man , b u t that hi s language

w as Vulgar and triv ial, and o f the nature‘o f those

th ings w h ich cost no lab or in the inv ent ion, b utare ready f ound ou t to a man

’

s

"

hand.

”The

retailer o f S trada’

s censure was no t aware that

such an objec tion w ou ld one day b e brough t

against the Spec tator, Tatler, and Gu ardian h imself that a t ime w ou ld come , w hen to w rite

naturally w ou ld b e thought to w rite meanly ;

w hent

too it w ould b e held, that there is n o art

w here no lab our appears that the e f forts o f an

au thor shou ld onall occasions b e manife sted

5; Doub le, doub le , toil and troub le

If th is remark o f Strada upon the expre ssion o f

Ov id, b e a j ust one , the objec tion i s w e igh ty ; f or

it is certainly v ery j ustly said b yDryden in h is pre

INT RODUCT ION . xxxv

f ace to Virgil , that w e ough t upon no account to

u se low or f amiliar language in seriou s’

v erse , b u t

i t IS a rule against w h ich , as has b een b e fore

ob served, no man has m o re f requen tly o f f ended

than Dryden, although no one more excels ln'

h igh- w rough t and f orcib le expression . O f that

o f‘

the antients perhaps it may‘

b e humb ly con

tended, (w hate v er w e may f ancy to b e , our

profic iency in the ir language s) that w e are no t

always compe tent j udges and th is may1 b e in

some degree at least, conce iv ed, f rom the idea o f

low ness and f am iliarity w hich the French o f ten

attach to some phrase s o f Sh akspeare , w ith w h ich ,

no Englishman, not bred in a f ore ign school, or

not tainted w ith f ore ign prejudices, w as e v er

o f f ended . Ne ither Qu intilian ,nor S eneca, has

censured the style o f Ov id as low o r f amiliar” Bu t

grant that those w ho h av e condemned it, are

prope rly Qualified to dec ide u pon th is matter”

yet it mu st b e allow ed, that Ov id’

s subjec ts areo f ten taken f rom ordin lif e , and

’

common

w ordsmu st o f necessity bgrequ ently employed in .

the management o f"

su ch subjec ts. It is remark - g

ab le how e v e r that Danie l He insius has commend

ed h im f or th is v ery thing—f or hav ing displayed

su ch e xtraordinary pow ers in the language o f

ordinary discourse ; idquep erbis et oratione eul

INTRODU CTION:

gari ; Lord Roscommon’

s authori ty is perhaps

equal to Strada’

s, and he thus charac teri ses Ov idFamiliar Ov id, tender th ough ts 1nspir

I

e's,And na ture seconds all h is sof t desires?

But where exalted passion, or b eau ti f ul descr1pt ion is introduced, Ov id certainly w ants ne itherdignity nor e legance in treating them . W ith regard

to h is Her0 1c ep1stles, ( f or so w e may call them, o f

wh ich w e w ou ld now speak, b y w ay o f d istinc tionf rom h is o ther, epistles, ) they are clearly dramatic ,and

‘

w ou ld lose a great deal of their b eau ty , if lo f tylanguage only w ere employed . A consideration ,

w hich r it is hoped, w ill also supply an excuse f or

that used b y the translator, if it sink no t into

meanness or v u lgarity . If our ow n language

is enriched, o ur poe try is not improv ed in f orce,

in pathos,or real e legance, b y modern refinement ,

- unless to Dryden and Pope , w e pre f er Darw in

and his imitators w ho hav e extended the pow er

o f expresswn far b eyond its just b oundarie s, and

used comb inations, and invented w ords, w h ich

ne ither can b e justifi ed by analogy , nor so f tened

by u se ; and w h ich f requently o ff end agamst the

princ iples o f grammar, andsound sense . ANeologyhas in consequence arisen, w h ich in the latter end

o f the preceding, and the middle o f the‘

last cen

tury, the age o f Pope and Sw i f t, would'

hardly

X X XVI“ INT RODUCTEQN'.

No hoise , says He insius, hardly c an human ima = ~

ginationk eep pace with Sueh l

rapidity n It must

b e owned that the speed o f the horse , (unless itb e thew inged horse

i

Pegasu'

s) is b ut a tame illue~

tratién o f that of the poet"

; wh ich Sho uld be u’

Ocy or cerv is, et agente nimbos,

c or Euro .

Flee ter than Does th at on th emountains leap;

OrEurusfly ing o’

er th e stormy dee p.

Th e poet’seye , in a fine f renz y rolling,

‘

Do th glance from h eav’

n to earth , f rOm earth to h eaven .

SHAKSPEABE.

Ov id ab ounds in pic tures : b u t the re is a'

strik

ing one in the Fasti—w h ich perhaps cou ld not

b e giv en, in an equal“

nu 1n b er o f w ords, in any

o ther language

Pauper, seal munder sedu litdtis, anus .

Though poor and old, a neat industrious- dame .

The subjec t has b een taken b y great paintersb u t comp1ehends so much—the dress, the dwel

ling, m ind, manners, and hab its,- th at no penc il

c an f ully portray it .- Il$[unda iedulitas is- an_ expres

510 11 o f equal nea tness, aand equally untranslatab le ,

w i th the simpler munditiis of Horace .

Dryden objec ts strongly to the title o f Hero idesb e ing giv en to these epistles o f Ov id, ev idently todistingu ish them f rom his o ther‘

epistles,b ecause

‘

i nr u on o cm om. xxxix

he says, that Ov id could ne ver b e gu i lty o f such

an ove rsigh t as to call these the epis‘des o f hero

me sy w'

hen there are div ers m en , as Paris, Leande r,and Acontius, joinedwas them : Bu t the trans

lator dou b ts if any o f those epistles be really f rom

the pen o f O‘vid

,w ho has no W here mentioned

them as making part o t h is Works ; nei ther 1n~the

Art o f Lov e , nor in h is Epistle : to Macer : to

Whom he seems to a ttrib u te the Paris to Helen,

and the Helen to Paris 5 in the no te s .upon w h ich

some reasons are gi ve n f or th ink ing the f ormer,

a t least, no t h is o wn . Mr. Dryde n‘

has no t

po inted ou t in W hat re spe c t O v id: has rémam’

zed

his Grec ian dames, although he has objec ted th isto h im . It is e v ident th at in W hatev e r h e has

taken f rom Homer or the Gre ek tragedians, he'

h as f ai th f u lly giv en all"

that w as to b e f ou nd to his

purpose in those great au thorities . Ne ithe r 15 it

true that most o f the thoughts c ome b ac k upon

u s in div ers le tte rs ; yet it must b e adm itted,

that repe titio ns, bo th o f thoughts and f ac ts, are

some time s f ou nd in the same epistle;'

as in the

De ianira to He rcu le s, and the Medea to Jason,

and o the rs; b u t,What is the most d iffi cu lt to b e

perfo rmed,”

th e charac ters o f the hero ines are

d istinc t f rom each o ther. They‘

do no t resemb le

a‘

ce rtam pl c ture o f a great political e v en t,in

w hich the noses of all t he persons represented are

d 2

x1 1: i s 'ra o o u c'rro s .

of : the same f ashion, and that b orrowed f rom

the hero o f the piece : f or w hat resemb lance is

there in the‘

De 1an1ra andMedea, Hypsipyle and

Ariadne, Phyllis and Dido, Canace and Phaedra,

Sappho and (Enone , L aodarma and Penelope ,

B rise is and He rm ione ? The f emale charac ters o f

S’

hakspeare“

h imself , the most e xcellent , rather

than f as has b eenl

ab surdly said, the w eake st part

o f h is w orks, are not b e tter marked or more f aith

fullyt

preser’

v ed, than those in the epistles o f Ov id.

Dryden’

s account of the three diff erent modes

o f translation next demands our particular. atten

t ion , Bu t o f me taphrase , or literal translation,

rt 1s presumed to speak more large ly“

; and e spe c i

ally as

”

the .present v ers1ons‘

_may by some b e

deemed too literal. Concerning th is, says he,

our master Horace has given u s th is cau tion

Nec v erbum v erbo curabz’

s redderefi dus

I/gterpres.

”

NorWord for word too faith fully translate

as the 132111 of Ro scommon has excelle ntly render

ed it . Bu t no tw ithstanding the f requent, and tri

umphan t c itation o f th is line and a w ord, w h ich

hav e been affi xed to almost ev ery loose transla

t ion e v er pub lished, and w h ich seem to b e con

sidered as a Justification f or any dev iation, how

ev er l ice ntiou s, i t om original au tho rs, it is indispu tab le

/

that Horace was no t here giv ing dicections

INTR OD YJCTION .

to translato rs, b u t to dramatic w riters, to w homhe recommended tak ing subjec ts f rom the Iliad :

and in so do ing , says b e , you w ill- f ollow a w iser

c ourse than b y,y enturing to form an entirely new

f ab le ; and W hat is open to all, w ill thus b ecome

e xclu sively your ovvn, if yo u manage , it w i thd ignity , norlab our, like af aithf ul interpreter, to

g iv e Word f or w ord, —nor place you rse lf in a

situanon,f rom vvh ich the re v e renc e f or your origi

- ( f or so i t 15 conceiv ed, th at pudor in this

place , may b e , and ought to b e understood, ) and the

r ule you hav e prescrib ed to yourse lf , f orb id you

to advance a step . Take the W hole passage f rom

Horace , and h is admirab le translator Coleman

Dyficilq est proprie comfmmia dicere, tuq‘ue

Rectius Iliacum carmen dedut is in ( lotus,

m Isi pref ezres ignota indzc taq uepriinus.

Pub lica ma terias pn v a tz j a ms erit , siNee Circa uilem pa tuLumque mora beris erl em,

Nee v erl um v erl o camel s re'ddeze fi dus

M a ples , nee desil ies imi ta tor’

in are tzsm,

Unde pedemprof erre pudor v eta t atque nperis Zest“

.

Y et hard th e task to tou ch on

‘

un triedf a cts

Safer the Iliad to re duce to a cts,

Th an b e th e first new region s to explore ,‘

And dwell on th emes u nknow n , un told b e fore .

Qu it b u t th e v ulgar b road and b eaten round ,

Th e pub lic field b ecomes you r priv ate ground

Nor: word f or word too f ad /f u lly transla te,

Nor leap at once in to a narrow s trait

INTRODUCTION.

«A Copy ist so close, th at rule and h urt

Curb yourf ree march , and all your. steps confine .

Iti

appears that‘

this great and e legant poe t intendedrather to commend, than to reprob ate , the f aith

f ul translator had it b ee n h is design to ridic u le

h is lab ors,h e wou ld hardly hav e applied t o”

h im

ther

vvord fi dus w hen sereus w as ready f or h is

p urpose , wh ich he has used w ith so mu ch grace

and f orce/inano therplace

0 Imitatores screampecus I”

The translator 18‘happy to fi nd on h is side

Bentley ,w ho has censu red Jerom f or apply ing the

admonition, as Dryden and o thers w ithou t num

b er have done , to translators if it contain in

general good adv ice , the au thority o f Horace

should not b e pressed into the serv ice to give

f orce to its as if it w ere a positiv e and pa1 ticu lar

ddmgig i f rom h is pen , for here certainly b e w as

spoeaking o f the drama.

- Terence w e know , f or

h e h imself has told u s,translated literally f rom

Menander f or the stage y v erbum (Ie rerbo extulit

and at him Horace migh t glance , and praise h is

fidelity , although he did no t recommend his exam

ple . Ben Jonson seems to b e the only person

w ho has, in our language , o ff ended against th isr‘u le o f Horace . In h is Catiline, he has l iterally

re ndered the first Cati linarian oration f rom C icero ,

INTRODUCTION. xi iii

and the speech o f Cat iline,from Sallust 5 w h ich

is the,

more reprehensib le b ecause the origi~nals a re prose . No th ing c an b e more st i f f and

ungrace f ul th an,the Quis multa g ra c ilis; 8 m.

of Milton and the‘

attempts o f Ben Jonson ‘l n

the Art o f Poetry, and ~

o f Ho lyday to t trans~

late Juve nal in an equal numb er o f lines, w ere

as ab su rd as Dryden has represented them to b e ,

here , and in h is pre f ace to the v ersion that he

pu b lished’

(w ould it had b een all Ihis own of

Juv enal ; ye t Pope h imself/ condescended to num

b er his"

lines, and'W ished it no t to escape his

readers that h is 17th b ook o f the Iliad cont ained

only 65 v erses 'more‘than the original: Bu t if

the se nse , the w hole sense , and noth ing b u t the

sense o f an au thor can b e g1v en 1n translation,

Wi th sp irit , ease ,‘and perspic u ity , a nd Wi thout

v iolence to the language , into w h ich he is tran

slated , the greater the resemblance is, e v e n in

w ords, to thel o riginal, su rely the be tter ; at least

such closeness. canno t be ju stly censured . Tran

sla tors themselvesfi nd, that, in many instances,

they succee d ,by a nearer approach to the ir eu

thors, w here a w ider_ de v iation‘

f rom them has

f ailed ; ye t they f requen tly rej ec t a rendering

that -

o ccurs merely be cause it appears li teral ,though , in fac t, sorrie times pre f erab le, fo r e legance ,

as we ll as fidelity, to the , lab oured paraphrase

aliv INTRODUCTION .

watch the y adopt. Bu t wha tev er faults may be

imputed, and jus tly , to literal translation, , the

i nost ample p ro o f m igh t b e produced, that the

Widest paraph rases are o f te n as de fi c ien t in ease

and spirit, as the most serv ile renderings"

o f tho se ,

who w ould most pertinac iously adhere to the

Words, syllab le s, and even le tters, (w e re that

possib le ) , o f the ir orig inals ; and that to b e at

o nce stiff , and d ull, it is no t ne cessary to be

i iteral or f aith ful , o r ev en to unde rstand the

language f rom wh ich the ve rsron 15 Lord

Bescommon,* in h is gpre f ace to h is t ranslation

,o f

‘l

the 'epietle u to th e Pisos, applies the rule of

Horace to translators, happily re ndered,

NorWord f orw ord too faith f ully translate ;’

tandfi says; in a short pre f ace, c ertainly no t con

s idering the con text, (any more than Dryden )

t hat Ho race has declared h imse lf an“enemy to

l iters! translation , b u t he also says that he has

”kept a s close as he c ould to the wo rds of Horace ;

a nd t he re , canno t be a be t ter au thori ty, u nless

i t b e th at of Mr. Pope . It is c ertain, says

e tha t (great man in h is pref ace to Homer, tha t no

literal translation can

'

b e just to an excellent

Orig inal in a“

supe rior language ; but it is agreat

m istake to imagine , as many have done, that a

«rash paraphrase canmake amends for th is general

1 NT IsOB oUUTI b N.

If the concert was no t w orthy to b e preserved in

“

the f ormer instance, it was‘

equally u'

ndeserv ingof labor . in t he

-

lat ter : nor is there a greater

clash ing of sail s, w inds, and f aith, in the s econd

line of th e first , than of sh ips, and anchors, and

W racts, in the first of the sec ond couple t . Af ter

all, there - is‘

noth ing amora l f orced in tu rb an the

c ommon poet ic ide a of pe rjur’

d~

v ow s be ing dis

sipated by the w inds, e xh ib ited w ith the play o f

words so common in Ov id, wh ich h is translator

inust m time s indulge , or he cannot do o h im

j ust ice . The’

doub le application’

of the w ord f ero

to d i ff erent objects, is found also in Horace :

Ut tu f ortunam, szc nos te Celsef eréfims.

”

Nor did the‘

ancie nts reject many o f those turns

o f e xpre ssion ,wh ich we so f astidiously condemn .

Horace w as no t b ound to translate Homer f aith

f u lly, b ecause it‘

was to h is pu rpose to c i te the

modest opening o f the Odyssey ; o therwise it

sure ly w as no t difficu lt to introduce the long i:

errors/ms ac t‘

us 5 nor w as the re~

any apparent neces

sity f or contracting the three lines into tw o ;

no t how ev er the szgf erz’

ngs, (as Dryden says.)

(w h ich are no t mentioned ih - the three first lines

o f the Odyssey: ) b u t the wanderings o f Ulysses arethere omitted, w h ich Horace migh t th ink includ

ed in the mores bominum multaram vidif , cf urbcs

INTROiD iTCT ION. xlv ii

who saw

'

the cities and cu stoms’

o f many people .

Pope also, prob ab ly fiollowmgDryden has agcuseds

Horace o f omitting th e saf eriwgs Qf Ulysses, inno t hav ing translated :th e same wordsfl -

a- f95 few

wo‘AM aw n/x97). In another place ( the

"

epist le,

to r

Lo llius) Pope ob sa'v es that he has plainly had

regard so th ese c ircemstances

Qu i dami tar Trqjaemu ltaram prov idas url esEt mores hommam impeaet, 1111t permanor,

ormany c ities (Troy’

s proud realmssubdued,)Themen and manners who exploring v iew

’

d

And b rav’

d th e perils o f th e b oundlessmam,

W i th steady course h is nativ e land to gain

To th e irs h is lost cornpanions to reseore ,

Vainly he tell’d for many toilshe bate),

Indeed it seems prob able , that“

b oth Dryden and:

Pope, m isled by the,srrn ilarity of sound in t he .

Latin and Greek w ords malq , ( th ough of impori se

w idely difi'

erentJ and by the e xpression, cefi ainly,’

not the intended translat ion of Horaee, ( asperw

multa'

pertulit) totally'rmsapprehended the passage,

and there f ore render it,Mala multaperpessasestj in;stead of the plain

”

and just v ersioe e f t he L atin trans

lators—qu i valde et multum errav it . Bu t n e itherPope norDryden se em suf fi ciently t o hav e refl ected,

that Horace was not tramlating b ut ci ting Homer

rx'ru

‘

onu crron.

f or a particular purpose, wh ich w as suffi c ientlyansw ered by the tw o lines as they stand, that are

the subjec ts o f the ir critic ism . If the absurd

endeavours o f Ben Jonson and Holyday to render

Horace and Juv enal in Engl ish v erses exac tly the

same in numb er as those o f the Latin originals

w as like dancmg upon ropes w i th f e ttered

legs, a loose paraphrase o f a fine anc ient au thormay, w i th the samej u st ice , b e compared to singing

a beau tif u l b allad w ithou t‘

enounc ing'

the w ords 5

a prac tice equally disgust ing to those w ho can

f ee l language and sentiment as w ell as mu sic ,

and so enchantingly contrasted by the melodiou s

tones and dist inct articulation o f Mrs. J ordan .

There is,

an instance , no t a solitary one , of the e ff ec to f loose translat ion in Pope

’

s first b ook o f Homer ;

where the speeches o f AgamemnonandAch illes, Scc .

are perhaps the most exqu isite spec1mens of tran

elat ion in o ur own,or any o ther language .

Homer says, that Nestor:

u vapwa‘f,

sprang up,

old and infirm as he w as, to compose the strif e

hetween fl he contending princes, as H orace has

well represented it :

Componere lites

Inter Feliden f estina t et inter Atriden.

Mr. Pope’

s v ersion is Uprising slow the Pyliau

sage a rendering particularly f aulty, as Nestor

l NTRODUCTION. xlix

is described exerting V1gor, and e v en celeri ty, uponmore «than one occasion less interesting than the

present, and req umng greater agility ; h is—

infirm ity

appears rather in h is garrulity than w ant of

force . But in the 24th b ook , the aged and

wretched Priam is describ ed as swif tly spring ing

into h is car, when he se t cd’

upon h is me lancholyv isi t to Ach illes a

'a'epxoyw svo; 75pm £50 7 8 577 26470337 0

Jlgops 5 where the haste and anxie ty o f Priam is- ih

deed expressed, b u t no th ing like agi lity . His haste

was the haste o f an old man, impe lled perhapsby the f ear o f b e ing retarda i b y any f arther

remonstrances ; in th isMr. Pope hardly did Ho .

mer justice ; f or had he h imself been w riting an

original poem he w ould not so have described

Priam in the same c ircumstances .

The re st o f Mr. Dryden’

s Pre f ace t o the Hem icEpistles of Ov id, upon w h ich the translator has

pre sumed to comment, de se rve s the attention o f

tho se w ho read, or endeav ourto produce , transla

t ions 5 b u t the latte r must W iedge , w ith a

sigh, the j ustice of that ob serv ationj o f h is, that

the true reason w hy w e hav e so f ew v e rsionsw hich are tolerab le , is, no t the too close pursu ingthe au thor

’

s sense, b u t b ecause there are-

so f ew

t hat hav e talents requ isite f or translation,’

or, he

migh t hav e added, w iil Subm it to the lab our

necessary to that undertaking—a tru th that might

e

xx‘

r ttoDUCT ION.

hav e b een w ell’

argued f rom h is ow n edi tion o f the

h ero ic epistles o f Ov id b y y ar1ons hands}the pre

f ace to w h ich he close s w ith so handsome , b u t ill

me rited, a compl iment to those w ho’

contribu ted

to i t amongst whom w ere men certain ly no t

defic ient 1n ab ility, f or She ffi eld and Otw ay w ere

o f then numb er. But Cow ley , W aller, Den

h am , Milton , and Ben Jonson, had b een transla

tors, and they w ere succeeded b y Dryden , Pope ,

Add1son, and Congre v e . Mr. Pope’

s Sappho to

Phaon w as not in the early edit ions o f the tran

slated epistles, perhaps only in the las t ; ye t they

ran through e igh t ; so that the complaint, that b ut

l ittle encouragement w as giv en to so considerab le

a part o f learning, was unjust . From the Sp'

ecta-s

tor» also , w ho has spoken o f them, at least w ith

ou t censure , w e fi nd that they were g enerally

read ; and W ill Honeycomb , w ho talks o f Ov id,is accu sed o f know ing h im only f rom the ir repre

sentation”

. W he n D1 vden speaks o f imitationh e does not inc lude that sort o f im itation, employcd, if not inv ented, b y jP

ope, in reproduc ing the

satires and epistles o f Ho race w here the/

Satire

and painting : o f the or1g1nals are so

'

marv ellously

preserv ed and applied‘

to modern times and Charge .

ters inwhich he w as f ollowed w ith so great ab ilityb y Johnson 1n the London, and Vanity o f Human

W ishes, . f rom Juvenal ; ye t Johnson has h imsel f

rx'rnonu c

'rrox . li

‘

depreciated th is spec ies o f composition, in h is

Lif e o f Pope . Mr. W est certainly made Pindat

Speak w ith grace and harmony in a’

translation

b ut w e mu st nut pass unnoticed the fi ne expres

sion o f Dryden, ( that happy b oldness, in w h ic h

he excels b oth in v erse and prose , ) that the

Theb an b ard cannot b ear a cha m, and Samson

like , he throw s it o f f .

’

I

Equally indignant migh t any g reat poe t feel at

the attempt of a puny translator to tow er ab ov e

the head of h is au thor, w hen prob ab ly he is

unab le to reach his shoulders : an idea o nly fi t

f or the v ani ty o f a Frenchman to encourage . A

translator, f or acknow ledged reasons, must gene

rally b e“ inf erior to h is original, though he may

now and then have the happiness to excel h’

im

nor is b e less like ly to do so in f aith f ul v ersion,

than a

‘

loose paraphrase ; and although Dr. John

son has said that he should not be perpe tu allystruggling w ith h is author

, there seems to b e no

good reason f or the proh ib ition : i t is h is du tyto e xert all h is p ow ers in the contest, how ev er

unsu ccessf u l they may prov e .

The le tters th at passed b etw een Sw i f t and theAb bey Fontaine, the translator o f Gu lliv er, are

e xtreme ly c uriou s ; the po lite and de licate , b u t

mortif y ing irony o f Sw if t ltas exposed in h is

happiest manner the lib e rtie s of ten assumed b y

e 2

iii m'rnonu c'rron .

translators, espec ially French, and the pretences

upon w hich they are no t only jus tified, b u t gloriedin : i f Fontaine understood Sw i f t b etter in h is

own character than in that of Gulliv er, . the cor

respondence must hav e covered him w i th con

f usion . Thoughts, as w elL as expressions, may ,

some times occur in an anc ient or a f ore ign au thor,

w h ich, if exac tly given, w ould not only b e non~

sense, as Dryden says, b u t low and degrading ;and it IS certainly f air to elevate such -massages,( prov ided it" b e chastely and cau tiously done)to t he standard of modem, not always fash ionab le .

expression . Some times the”

transi tion may b e

easy in the original, wh ich w ou ld'

b e ab rupt, if

indulged in. the tran’

slationA—there certain ly inse r

t ions may b e made , w here they are necessary, to .

perspicu ity .—Some times the author, apparently

f or the sake o f h is metre , or f or o ther reasons,

has ab ridged h is thoughts : somet imes the tran

slator, f or the improv ement o f h is v erse , may.

f airly ext end them ,if it can b e done W 1thou t

weakening the ir. f orce or destroy ing the ir simpl ic ity, w here it em b e presew ed. Thus Virgilhas some times made three or f our out o f tw o

lines o f Homer : b ut noth ing shou ld b e curtailed

or changed, no t ev en an epithe t, if it adds, as all

epi the ts should ‘do , to the b eau ty or strength o f

the passage by any other power than that o f

liv I NTRODUCTION .

even in 1t hands o f great'

men, and great‘

scho

him,is pre tty w e ll unde rstood. Translate us ,

’

w e m igh t exclaim, 1n the language o f'

Gray upon

another occasion, in to a

‘

loose flow ing para

phrase , the first chapter o f Genesis, the h isto ryo f . Joseph, certain portions o f Deu te ronomy ,Numb ers

-

Isaiah , Job , and the Psalms !’

How

f ortunate w as it, ~

that these were done int o Eng lishby fire learned clerks of those times ; that: the Jew ishlawgiv ers chroniclers, p rophe ts, and apostles,w ere made to Speak, as they

i

re ally'did speak ,

rather, than as it m igh t hav e b ecir supposed,

they w ould have spoken, had they liv ed in

our hay s ! yen/ th e English translators

'

o f the

Bib le , disc laimed tv ing themselv es to an uni for

m i ty o f phrase and identity of w ords, pro f e ssing

not to b e in b ondage where they m ight b e f re e ,

not to u se’

one w ord precisely, w here ano ther

m igh t‘

b e u sed , no less fi t , as commodiously , b u t

also to'

b e espec ially care f ul no t— to v ary f rom the

seme

'

o f what they rendered, mak ing a conv enienceo f the ir duty . Most o f the collec ts in our Liturgyare l iterally rendered f rom the Roman Brev iariesand Missals, and w hat can b e more sub lime ?

It w as once the f ortune o f the person w ho .

thus endeav ours to de fend f ai thf ul translation , to

b e pre sent at

’

tb e serv ice of a dissenting chape l,

wh ere G ilb ert W akefield’

st ranslation of the New

INTR ODUC TION; 11 .

Te stament was introduced . The parab le o f'

the

Pharisee and the Pub lican w as selec ted f or the

edifi cation o f the polite congregation, of w h ich a

noble duke made a conspicuous part . Bu t whatis so striking

‘

in the gospel o f o ur reprob ated

Li turgy , appeared so tame and , fl at ia - its new

c loath ing

'

and arrangement , that no t‘the f our

e v ange lists seemed“

to speak, b u t the f our ge ntlemen who w ro te the gospe ls ; according to the

ridicu lous language o f the person w ho u sed to .

shew the ch ape l o f Trinity College , Oxford, ,

Wh e re there are f our v ery fi ne figures in wo od

intended to repre sent the gospe l h istorians w i tht heir emb lems. In Mr. W akefi eldfs v ersion, the

f req uen t sub stitu tion o f the tax -

ga therer f or?

the pub lican had an e f f ec t quite contrary to

that w h ich w as apparently intended, th e ra isingo f the style . The parab le w as inconceivab lydeb ased b y the aw kward repe tition o f th is

unw ieldy compound. Perhaps it may b e said thatthe fidel ity u sed in rendering the scriptures w as

religiously exac ted, and there fore no t to b e urged

or f o llow ed as an example ; b u t ou t o f th at fi de

l ity , those chains,'as modern translators m igh t

call them ,wh at b oldne ss and f reedom o f expres

sion hav e arisen ! Had the v ersion, instead o f

b e ing so dignified, and adapted to the purposes o f

public devot ion, b een mean and weak, as well as

lv i INTRODUGTION.

literal, to 1ts literalit'y , prob ab ly w ould the degsne

racy o f it hav e b een imputed; No poe t ical au thority can b e h igh er than that o f sev eral parts . o f

the Jew isb,

'

nor is there any more beautiful and

f orc ib le expression than‘

is found b o th in the

Heb rew , and Greek scriptures, ln the Engl ishtranslation .

It is not, how ev er, contended that fidelity can

justify mean langu age , or fl at v erses . The por

trait ev en o f‘

a plain person shou ld no t b e ab ad

pic tu re , much less o f one that‘

is b eautif ul . It is

a vulgar error, to'

urge 1n”

1ts de f ence”

that it is l ike

to the orig inal . - Thus says Lord Roscommon o f

the French prose translators o f Horace ; and the

same .may~ b e true o f

‘

unsuccesful attempts in

Degrading prose explains his meaning ill,

And sh ews th e stu f f w ithout th e workman’

s skill.

But if a copy b ear no resemb lance , or a f aint andindistinc t one, to its original, it ceases to b e a

representat ion o f it ; and here lie s the diffi culty of

t ranslators, and particularly o f poe try : no small

one , if w e may j udge f rom the v arie ty of instances1n

~w hich they hav e f ailed. Some part o f the irdu ty ,

at least is f ulfilled, if their lab ors willassist a

‘

school - b oy , please and inf orm a-

sensib lewoman, or a man unacquainted w ith the language

rnr

h

non u crron . lv i i

c ut o f wh ich the v ers1on 15made , and not disgust

a scholar. Mr. Pope carried all thesepo in ts, and

besides enriched our’

lan‘

guage w ith a splendidpoem .

But f ew translators hav e b een equally f ortunat e .

Mr. So theby , howe v er, as a translator, has clearly

excelled all h is masters and compe t itors in histranslat ion o f the G eorgics o f Virgil . He 18 o f ten

abov e , never b elow ,Dryden and no, humb le

degree o f praise is due to h im, ( nostrw non landis

egénti) as a poe t .

If t he present candidate in the list o f .metrical

translators,» has, to prof essed fidelity , added any,

portion of spirit, he , ,hopes hise ndeavpurs w ill b erece iv ed w ith candor and good humor, when it is

considered that he has attempted that w h ich such

men as She ffi eld and‘Otway execu ted e indifi erently

at b est ; ( to say noth ing;

o f those who appear w iththem,w ho nobiles srignobz

'

lesnulggtsman) that w hich

Drydenperf ormed carele ssly ;Pope andSotheby only ,e xqu isitely ; and indeed no one w ell b esides

,except

the gentleman w ho has consented to the reprint

ing o f the Hero to Leander and Leander to Hero,

in th is v olume ; of wh ich the translator o f the first

ten epistles may say w i th tru th , (as Dryde n did

o f - h is coadju tors, if sincerely , certainly w i th more

k indness than j udgment,) that he

‘

l

dou b ts no t

b ut the ir merits w ill make ample satisfac tion f or h iserrors.

”He know s o f no o ther modern » transla

tor o f Ov id’

s Epistles b ut Barre t, a schoolmaster

lv i ii

at sh f ord in Kent, w ho in 1759 pub lished an

entire v ersion o f them . But- he pro f essed no t to

lab our the‘

verses ; and to w rite his notes b yw ay of lec ture s to h is scho lars.

‘He translated the

Sapphoto Phaonaf ter Pope—His successor ‘

mayshare h is ob liv ion, b u t has deriv ed no assistance

f rom h is lab ours; In w hat he‘i

has here presumedto say of f aith f ul translation, he earnestly depre‘

cates the stale censure , of hav ing layed down

rules, and exemplified them by h is ownf ailures.

H e wou ld rather b e though t stupid than- arro

gant ; it w ill s

not'

, he hopes, appear that he 15 b o th ;

nor that he deserv es to b e numb ered w ith those

Whom Congreve so w ittily exposes

Well do they play the careful critic’

s part,

Instructing doub ly b y th eirmatch less art

Rules for good v erse th ey first w ith pams 1nditc ,

Then shew us what are b ad, b y wh at th ey write .

"Ml Frequent mention lza'v z'ng been made, in the

f oregoing pages, of the Elegy upon tlce dear/z

of Tibullus , and cy‘the epistle f rom Ov id to his

wif e ,'

in tile Tristia, they are both lzere gweh, it

is lzoped, wit/ran v ery unpardonable intrw ioa f ortlzem,

as well as j or Izis Epistles, ( those f romPenelope to Ulysses, and f rom E none to

‘

Paris,excepted, which were begun a t colleg

e ) tlze tran

slatar may plead tlze samerexc use as lzis master

ra rh on‘u cr rox , list

Ov id did f or 156 incorrect state ofl

tb e - Tristia,Urey were began as a relief , and continued tli roug lztlze interv als of extreme pa in,

Mens int'enta su is ne f oret usque malis.

A v ery f air it , may be said,

, f orwriting ,

bu t no ing , tbe product ionsof such unhappy Ci rcumstances : to wizicli tbe translatar v entures to reply , that lzowev er inadequate

d,

no attempts more successf ulhav e y et

LEGY ONTHE DEATH orTIBUL LUS.

A goddess w ept wh enMemnon’

s spirit fl ed

A parent goddess wept Ach illes dead.

S tern f ate unmov’

d regards the h eav en - b orn fair,And human sorrows Jov e, thy daugh ters share .

Thou ,”

mourn f u l Muse, f or lost Tib u llus griev e ;Thy locks, indignant, b id th e w inds rece t ve .

No ligh ter v erse,“

0 Elegy , thy name

Shall h ere u surp, b u t genu ine sorrow claimW h ose pol ish

’

d strain thy gen tlest graces form’

dW hose b reast thy tenderest inspiration warm

’

d,Thy b ard, ,

thy fame who b ore f rom distan t skies,A lifeless corse , thy lov

’

d Tib u llus, liesL ov e

’

s deep despair h is flagging pin ions sh ew ,

Rev ers’

d h is qu iv er, and uns'

trung h is bow ;Rev er

‘

s’

d h is torch , extingu ish’

d are its firesNormore h e plumes h is shaf ts w ith gay desires.

His b osom b are, h is h ands unpity ing w ound ;And loud th e boy

’

s convulsive sob s resound.

3 ;

1X I nirrionu c rro rr.

His locks, which streams o f tears descend ing lave ,In w ild disorder o

’

er h is sh ou lders w av e .

Thus, o f thy s1re f Eneas when b ere f t,Thy dome , th e god, 0 f air Iil ius, le f t ;And on the poe t shed as fond a tear,As o

’

er a monarch’

s or a b roth er’

s b ier.

So f orTi bu llus C itharea mourn

And forAdonis all her woes re turn .

But poets, greatand sacred is th eir name !

Are h eav en’

s h igh care ; inspir’

d b y h alléw’

d flame.

Th ere are, wh o dech i,enraptu r’

d o f the art ,To b ards div in ity th e gods impart .

L o, death pro f anes th e sh rine in wh ich we trust,And the f air f ab ric crumb les into dust .

on all h er sab le hands th e Spec tre lays,And man be lov

’

d, or ch ild o f h eav en ob eys.

By Thracian hags, Ismarian Orpheus, ren t,

Ah ! what av ail’

d to th ee thy h igh descen t?

Thee, nor th e parent muse, that could inspire, ,

Nor fath er sav ’

d ; th e father o f th e lyre

Deaf to the vo ice th at sooth’

dfl th e savage b rood,“

Relen tless f uries plung’

d th ee’

in th e flood.

Emb ower’

d in Sy lv an sh ades your bommen sire,

For L inus,“

wak’

d, in v ain;“

the mournf ul l yre,Th ese Homer f ollow

’

d to th e in f ernal gate,

L ike these inspir’

d, l ike thee th e sport of fate .

O’

er h is pale corse thy deeps, Av ernus, close,

His—from wh ose l ips , (as wh ere perennial f lows

The muses’

f ountain) the poe tic - trib e,

In copious draugh ts, Pierian streams imb ibe .

His y erse alone eludes the f uneral flame,

And prou’

dly challenges immortal fame.

Thy su ff erings, Troy , and h oary Priam slain,

His slaugh ter’

d sons, and captive dames remain.

Forev er dures th e w eb , th at faith f ul lov e

At dawn rcsum’

d, b y sleepless nigh ts unwov e.

INTR O DUCTI ON.

Wh at are my woes to th ee ?’

th e fair repl ied,Me w ith

"

h is failing hand h e press’

d and died.

’

Y e t if ,_

dissolv’

d the poet’

s mortal frame,Ough t sh all remain b u t v isionary f ame ,

Th ou like thy v erse shalt scape ob liv ious hell,And in Elysium

’

s v ale Tibullus dw ell .Haste , lear

‘

n’

d Catullus, to th e h allow’

d seat ,

Thy b rows w ith iv y b ound, th e you th to greet.

L et Calv us still upon thy steps attend ;

And th ine much - injured Gallus, th ith er b end ;Falsely , if v iolated friendsh ip

’

s b lame

Brand, w ith a‘traitor’

s gu ilt, ,th e poet

’

s name

O prodigal o f life. and b ath’

d in b lood,

Too dear to fl ow b ut f or thy country’

s good !

E’

en now ,if waf ted to th e immortal plain,

Their sh adowy forms departed b ards re tam ,

Deligh ted th ese hav e hail’

d th eirpolish’

d guest ;

T ib ullus, th ou art m ingled w ith th e b lest .

0 may inv iolate thy b ones repose,

And th e t urf ligh tly o’

er thy ash es close !

OVID’

S TRISTIA.—El : iii. l . 4.

Celestial gu ides, one o’

er th e Grec ian main ,

And one o’

erw ealthy Sidon’

s seas, wh o reign ,

Th eueth erial summ it c irc ling gild, nor lav e

Y our b laz ing glories in th e w esternwav e ,One b eam on those now tow ering b u lwarks sh edThat h apless Remus once o

’

erleap’

d, and b led

f h erI lov e, 0 penetra te th e h eart !

it faith ful b eat to me , impart.

Ah why th e stars inv oke thy doub ts to clear,

W hysinks th e heart w i th dread, ,

th at hope should‘

cheer 3

All thou desir’

st b eliev e thy faith f ul maid ;

80 shall she prov e ; thy faith by faith repaid

IN TRODUCT ION . lxiii

And what, from Stars tha t gem th e f reez ing pole,

O r those that round h is radian t axis roll,

C an ne’

er to th ee, ( fond gaz ing man !) b e known,Thou to

'thyself rev eal ; and gratef ul own,

That sh e , who now employs thy tenderest cares ,

Thy deepest woes, thy fondest passion shares ;

Thy v oice for ever sounding in her ear,

Th en to her raptur’

d eye for ev er near,

Dwells on thy looks, as present to her v iew ;And each loy

’

d feature memory b ids renew .

Say too how thence renew’

d th y sorrows fl ow

From scenes o f former joys redoub led woe .

Alas 3 I doub t not b u t w ith grie f opprdst

And gentle Slumb er b an ish’

d from thy b reast,

Th e walls, the w idow’

d b ed’

s deserted space,

Th e f ond rememb rance o f thy husb and trace .

Then f ev erish heat, th en come b ew ildering dreams,And th e slow wasting n igh t e ternal seems.

Too true th e symptoms of th y faith f ul lov e,

For all a ch aste and ardent passion prov e .

Thy limbs disorder’

d o’

er th e b ed are tost;

And pains unsooth’

d thy restless frame exh aust .Nor less thy anguish f or thy h usb and torn

From thy fond b osom to th e b arb arous b ourne,

Than th e fairTh eb an , b y th e Pth ian wh eels

Dragg’

d in h er sigh t, for goary Hector f eels.

How h ardmy w ayward w ish es to define,Or

‘speak the feelings, th at I would w ere th ine

Myself , the source, indignan t Ide test;

Forme if sorrow pierce thy gu iltless b reast ;

If none ; th ee tears I deemmay well b ecome,

Thy h usb and b an ish’

d f rom imperial Rome .

Th ou then; O swe etest partnero f my cares !

W eep thy own woe , wh ile mine thy pity shares.

S teal a sad momen t to indulge thy grief ;

L e t thy tears fl ow , for tears afi'ord relief ;

lxiv INTaonv crt sn.

A secret pleasure to t h e wre tehed b ring,And from th e heart o

’

ereharg’d i ts b urden fling.

O, on my early tomb had th ine b een shed,

And rath er thus th an liv ing, mourn’

d me dead 3.

My f leeting spirit to thy gentlest careResign

’

d, h ad v anish’

d in it’

s nativ e air ;Thy pious h ands h ad v eil

’

d thy h usband’

s eyes,In death uplif ted to their native sk ies

Inurn’

d my ashes with my site’

s- repos’

d,

Th e ground, t h at first I press’d, my eorsei nclos ’d.

Pure as my dy ing ,‘wete my l iv ing fame,

Alas . now b randed w ith a culprit’

s name.

More wretched still, if sharingmy disgrace,Thou too av erting h ide thy b lu sh ing faec

W ife o f an exile to b e cali’

d disdain,

And deem thy nuptial bond with me a stain.

Ah happy days, (is now th eirmemory lost ?)W h en thy loy

’

d h usb andwas thy proudest b oast 5For ev er dwelt upon thy lipsmy name,Notwh isper

’

d th en w ith h esitat ing Sherrie !

Th en , I rememb erwell,’

twas joy to th ee ,Mine to b e though t, and mine indeed to be !In all I pleased ; as in amatron

’

s eyes,

A husb and’

s graces should superiorrise ;And all th e l ittle graces I possest,L ov e 1n th y eyes display

’

d, and feign’d the rest.

(The earth contain’

d not in thy part ial eye,

Such did I seem !) one b orn with me to v ie.

Ah'b lush not now to h ear thy husband

’

s name!Great 1s th y plea for sorrow , none o f sh ame .

W h en th e red b olt o f Jov e’s insulted power,Huri

’

d th e rash leader from th e Theb an tower,

W ho o f thy Capaneus, Ev adne, h ears,

And deems that shame was b lended w ith thy tears

Or, Phaeton, th at Phoeb us th ee disown’

d,

His fond indulgence though the god b emoan’

d,

INTR ODUCTION.

When from the b lazmg chariot o f thy sire

Jov e dash ’d thee down, and fire repres’

t w ith fi re ?

Nor less for Semele did Cadmus griev e,

In f atuate, Jov e 1n thunder to rece iv e,

Death though her own presumptuous v ows implor’

d,On mortal eyes immortal radiance pour

’

d.

Thou too forme th y lov e, thy pity prov e,

Struck w ith the thunder of ofi'ended Jov e .

St ill let no pang of consc ious shame b espeakTh e b lush that crimsons o

’

er thy changing cheek.But w ith new ardor glow to serv e thy lord ;A proud example to thy sex afl

’ord.

Forall th y v irtues sad occasion calls,

Th e path of glory, that th e weak appals.

Vain h ad thy art, ingenious Tiphys, prov ’dHad Ocean slumb er

’

d, b y th e‘

w inds unmov’

d.

Phoeb us, in v ain did’

st thou thy h ealing art,

If nev erman implor’

d thy aid, impart .

Troy lull’

dm peace, wh oe’

er had Hector known .

In pub lic grief , is private v alor sh ewn

Erec t, and nob ly prov’

d, wh en Fortune fails ;Dormant and sluggish in her flattering gak s.

For thee , if to thy ab sent husb a nd j ust,My fallen f ortunes, and thy guardian trust,

Thy fond fidelity shall grav e a name,

High in th e ev erduring roll of f ame ;Noro f the profi

‘er

’

d palm - th e glory yield

L o ! for thy proud careera spacious field

lxv

C ONTENT S .

Penelope to’

Ulysses

an

Briseis to Acizilles.

G nome to Paris

Dewnira to Hercules .

Medea to Jason

L aodamia to Protesz'

laus

Fan s to Helen .

Helen to Paris

L eander to Hera

Hero i c L eander

Dido to Eneas

Notes. O ’ C o o o o o o o o o c o o o o o o o o o o

PENEL OPE TO UL Y SSES .

THU S , wh ile he‘

lingers upo n fore ign shores,

His own Penelope her Lord implores.

S tay n o t, 0 tardy wanderer, to reply ,

Bu t to her f a ith f u l arms, Ulysses, fl y .

Bane , to the Grec ian ma id, o f ev ery j oy ,L ow in the dust is la id de tested Troy ,Troy , and old Priam and h is conqu ered host,Scarce worth th e lab ou rs and th e tears they cost.

0 had the adul terer in the deep b een la id,Ere his proud flee t f or L acedernonmade !

Mine had no t prov’

d a co ld f o rsaken bed,Nor had I tedious days in sorrow led ;

Hauc tua Penelope lento tib i mittit, Ulysse .

~

Nil mih i rescribas a t tamen : ipse v eni .

Troja j acet ce rte Dana i s inv isa pu ellis :

Vix Priamus tanti, to taque Troja , f ui t.O u tinam tune, cum L acedee inona classe peteb at,

Ob ru tus insanis esse t adu lter aqu is !

Nu n ego deserto j acuissem frigida lecto ,Nee quererer ta rdos ire relic ta dies

B 2

4 PENELOPE ro’

U LY S SES .

Nor, wh ile I sought to waste the night unb lest ,The pendent web my w1dow

’d hands opprest.

Howo f tmy f ears b eyond the truth would rov e !

So f ull 'o f f ond solicitude is lov e !Thee still t hey fe ign’d the fiercest Trojan

’s aim,

And pale I t‘

uru’

d a t He‘

ctor’

s hatedmame;

When f amereports Ant ilochus had b led,Th ine,in the Youth ’s untimely f a te, I dread;When fell Patroc lus, armi

’

d in b orrow'dma il,Fast flowedmy tears that stratag e in should f ail ;The Lyc ian spear

”

Tlepolemus b ed'

ew’d,Thy death , Tlepolem

’

us;my grief renew’

d'

:

Ti ll every Grec ian in the b attle slain‘nC hill

i

d my f ond b osom as the icy plain

Nee mih i qu a‘

erenti spatiosam fallere noc tem,

L assarat v iduas‘pendu la tela manus.Quando ego non timu i gravrora pericula v eris ?R es est solliciti plena timorisamor.

In te fingeb at v iolentos Troas ituros :Nomine in Hec toreo pallida semper eram .

S iv e qu i sAntilochumnarrab at ab Hec tore v ic tum;

Antilochus nostri causa timoris erat .5iv e Menoeti aden falsis cecidisse sub armis,Fleb amsuccessu posse carere dolos.

Sangu ine Tlepolemus L yc iam tepe fecerat‘hastam f,

T lepo lemi le‘

tho cura novata mea est.

PENE L OPE TO U L Y s sns . 5

But to chaste lov e some god pro tec tion giv es,Troy lies in a she

’

s, and my h usb and liv es.

The'

Greeks re turn, a t b laz ing altars b end,

Barb aric spo ils to Grec ian gods suspend ;The b ride presents her gif t, w ith gra te f u l j oy ,The b ridegroom singsthe conquer

’

d Fates o f Troy ;Old men adm ire , and tremb ling girls grow pale ,Wh i le the f ond w i f e de v ours the hu sb and’s tale .

One , on the tab le , draws the b attle’

s line ,And Troy , all Troy descri bes in drops o f w ine .

Here Simo i s fl ow’

d, Sigeum

’

s land was here,

Here , its proud head did Priam’

s palace rear.

B enique , - qu isqu is era t castris j ugulatus Achiv is,Frigidius glac ie pec tus amaut is erat.

Sed b ene consu lu it castoDeus aequusamori :Versa est in c inerem sospite Troja v iro .

Argolic i rediére duces : al te ria f umantPonitur ad patrios b arb ara preeda Deos.

Gra ta fe runt nymphae pro salv‘is dona man ti s

Illi v ic ta su is Troia f a ta canu nt .

Miranturj u stique se nes trepidze que puellm

Narrantis co nju x pende t ab ore v iri .Atque aliqu is

i

positamo nstrat f era preelia mensfi 3Pingit ex iguo Pergama to ta mero .

Hac ihat Simois, h ie est S igei'

a tellus,

Hie ste terat Priami regia celsa senis.B 3

6 part n ers To ULY SSES .

This was the ground the wise Ulysses chose,

Thy proud pavilion there ,~

Ach illes, rose ;

I here , an uncu rb’

d, the fiery coursers drew

The mangled Hec to r, tremb ling

i

as they

°

fiew ;’

For all from Nestor did you r son rela te,

When‘

sent, in v a in, to learn h is father’s fa te

Of Rhesus and o f Dolon proud to tell,fl ow One 1n ~sleepy

wdeceiv’

d the o ther, f ell ;

Rash man , regardless o f each tender itie , r

Who the horrors o f that night de fy}The -Thrac ian campwi th Diorned inv ade ,So many sla

‘

ughter’

d, w i th a-

single aid !

Cautio us till now too li ttle you had dar’

d,

You r li fe , f or me,-

'

perch'

ance too'

fondly

’

spar’d !

0 howI tremb led t ill the b oy had said,0

Through f riendly hosts the fatal steedsw’

ere

‘

led l

Illic E ac ide s, illic tendeb a t Ulysses,Hie racer adml ssos terru it Hec to r equos.

Omnia namque tuo sen i or, te quaerere mi sso,

Re tulera t na to Nestor : at ille-

mih i .Re tu lit ferro Rhesumque Dp lonaque cmsos

t ue sit hic somno proditus, i lle dolo .

Ansus cs,‘

6 niminm nimiumque o b li te tuorum,Thrac ia noc turno tangere castra dolo ;

To tque simu l mac ta'

re v iros, a

'

dj u tus ab i lno !

A t bene cantus er’

as, memor antemei.

r en am esTQ v L Y SSESE; 7

But what av ails to me that Ilii m f alls,

Or the deep soil where stood the towering walls,Where w ith the captl v e ox the v ic tors plough ?For o thers, no t for me , its glories b ow .

Still, as when proud it fl ourish’

d, I remain,And for my ab sent husb and sigh i n v a in .

Now where Troy stood the f arrow’

d field appears,

And rich w i th Phrygian b lood the harv est b ears,O

’

ermen’

s half buried b ones-

the ploughi

share g oes,

On mouldering ru ins the rank herbage grows ;My conque ror comes no t , and .

’

I seek in v a inWha t cau se delays him, orwhat shores detain.

Usque'me tu micu éresinu s ; dum v ic tor amicum

Dic tu s es Ismariis isse per agmen equis;Sed mihi qu id prodest v estris disj

‘

ecta lacertis

Illio‘

n ; murus quod fu it ante, solum

Si maneo ,

“

qualis Trojadurante maneb am

Virque mih i dempto fine earendus abe st ?

D iru ta sunt aliis, uni mih i Pergama restant ;

Incola captiv e quae b o ve v ic tor arat .

Jam- soges est, u b i Troja f u i t, resecandaque wfalce;

L uxu ria t I’ hrygio sangu ine pinguis humus;Semisepu lta v irfim curv is f erl untur ara tris

Ossa : ru inosa s occu lit herb a domos.Vic tor ab es j nec sc ire m ih i , quae causal moran

Ant in quo l‘

a teas‘ferrens orbe, licet .

3 PENE L OPE To c L Y s'

sns.

Whatev er stranger h ither b ends his prow,I ask

i

h im rcountless quest ions e re he go ,Then giv e f or thee , if f o und in f ore ign lands,

Wi th solemn charge, a le tter to his hands

To Pylos, hoa ry Nestor’

s na tiv e pla in,To

’

Sparta’

s shores, I sen t ; b u t sent inv a in ;The t ru th none know , u ncertain rumours tell

Where late you wander’

d, orwhere now you dwell.

Better if standing the Phoeb ean wallFi'ckle , my v ows I hate tha t doom’

d its f all,

Then, wh ere you f ought I certainly had known,Nor, wept the common chanc e o f war

, alone .

Not know ing wha t to f ear, now all I dread,A spac ious field o f W oes b e fore me spread !

Qu isqms ad haec v ertit peregrinam l ittora puppim,

Ille mih i de te mu lta ‘

rogatus ab i t .Quamque t ib i reddat, Si te modo v iderit u squam,

Traditur hu ic digitis charta"

no ta ta me is .

Nos Pylon , ant m Ne leia Nestoris ad

rv a,

Misirnu s : incerta est f ama remissa Py lo .

Misiniu s Sparten .

‘

Spart'

e quoque nesc ia v eri ,Quas hab i tas terras, au t u b i lentus ab es.

Utilius starent e tlarn nunc mccu in Phce b i.

l rasco r v o tis heu le v is ipsa me is !

Sc irem, u b i‘pugna res ; tanthm b ella timerem;

‘

E—t mea cum multis Junc ta quere la forera

19 PENEL OPE T o p e r ssns :

f

Proud o f the name,Ulysses, w i f e to thee ,

Th ine , only th ine , Penelope shall b e .

Bu t h im my du ty and my constant lo v e ,

And my chaste prayers h is generous b osom mov e

On me th e su i tors, a luxur1ou s crofi

ud,

Ru sh f rom Dulichium, and Zacynthu s proud,

And Samos, tyrants, here whom all ob ey ,

Who on thy treasurid wealth; my V itals, preyWhy on the ir hate ful t itles shou ld I

'

dwell,

Pisander, Polybus and Madh u fell ?

Wi th these Euryma chus rapac i ou s j o ins,His greedy h ands

:Ant inou s comb ines ;A dastard troop, whose v ile insat iate needs,Earn

’

d by thy pre c io us b lood thy sub stance f eeds ;

Penelope conjux semper Ulyssis e ro .

Ille tamen pie tate meé, prec ib usque pu‘

dic—is,Frangitu r, v ires tempera t Ypse suas.

Du lichii, Samiique , quos tuli t alta Zacynthos,Turb a , ruun t in me

,lu xu ri osa , preci

Iuque ms regnant, nu llis proh ib entib u s, au la;

Viscera nostra , tuae dilaniantur opes.

Qu id t ib i Pisandrum,Polyb umque ,

‘

Medontaque

dirum,

‘

Eu rymach iqu e a v idas Antinorqu e manus,

Atque alios re feram ; quos omnes turpiter ab sens

Ipse tuo partis -

sanguine reb us alis ?

PENEL O PE‘TO U L YS SES . It

The b eggar Irus,'

and pu rveyor b ase,

Melan tius, c rown t he spo il and the disgraceWe are b u t three and weak, a woman one

,

La'

ertes old, and, ye t a boy , : your son

Him too had nearly seiz’

d the insidious foe ,As hence to ~Pylo s he prepar

’

d to go ;

The gods, I pray , 1n fate’

s due order giv e ,To close his parents

’

ey es our ch ild may live;Fo r t his the trusty khepe r o f the sw ine,The ir v ows

—

the anc ient nurse and herdsman join.

Unfit f o r arms Laertes - needs rcpose ,

And ho lds a f ee b le sway b ese t w i th foes ;To firmer years Telemaehus aspires,Bu t now his you th a f a ther

’

s a id requ 1res.

Irus egens, pecorisqu e Melanth iu s ac tor edendi,

Ultimus accedunt in tua damna pudor.

Tres sumus imb elles numero ; sine v irib u s uxor,

L a‘

értesque senex , Telemaehu squ e pu er.

I lle per' insidias paene est-

mih i nuper ademptus,Dum parat inv itis omnib u s ire Pylon .

Di pre cor hoe j ub eant, u t, euntib u s ordine fat is,Ille meos oeulos comprlmat , ille tuosc

Hoe faeiunt custosque b oiim, longaav aq ue nu tris ;Thrtius, immundae e ura fidelis harae .

Sed neque La'

ertes, u t qur Si t inu tilis armis,Hostib us in medus r

‘

egna tenere v ale t.

ghz rnnnnor n TO ULY S SES .

No r can I driv e the spoilerfrom thy home;

Our refuge th ou , our sanc tuary come !’Tis time: thy son his f a ther

’

s v irtues learn,Preserve himheay en t ill thou in peace return !

Th ink on L aértes, haste to c lose his eyes,

Its last fa int gleam the lamp o f l i fe supplies ;

I , though my v ows th is moment speed you here,

I, whom a girl you le f t , shallo ld appear.

Telemacho v enie t ( v iv atm odo) f ortior tetas

Nunc erat auXilii s illa tu‘enda patris.

Nee mihi sunt v ires 1n1m1eos pellere tec tis.

Tu citius v enias portus ara tu is.5

Est t ib i , sitque precor, natus qui mollib us aunit

In patrias artes erudiendus erat .

RespiceLe'

erten, u t j am sua lumma condas~ lilx tr

‘

emam f at i su stinet i lle diem.

Certe ego , qua f ueram, te discedente ,‘

puella,fProtinusu t redeas facts -

v idebor anus.

PH Y L L I S

DEMOPH

ARGUMENT“

DEJIOPHOON,

”

the son of Theseus and Phaedra,in his return f rom the Troj an war, was driv en

upon the coasts of Thrdce, and receiv ed by Phyllis

the queen of the country , whom he married, but

upon the death of Mnesthens who had conquered

Theseus and usurped the g ov ernment, of Athens,he went thither, promising Phy llis to return in

one month af ter y‘bur had elapsed, she thus ado

dresses, him

PHY L L IS TO DEMOPHOON.

FR OM Thrac ia’

s once t oo hospitab le sh ores

Th is fond compla int deserted,Phyllis pours ;

Fori

ere- one moon her lab ors should complete)

Here did'Demophoon v ow to moor h is flee t

Four times the sickly moon ha s cousc 1ous w‘

an’

d,

Four times the splendor o f her orb rege ln’

d,

Nor,’

h ither'

b orne upon the swelling tide,In

i

Thrac ia’

s ports the Athenian v essels ride .

Count, as a lov er coun t, each passing day ,No r th ink too soon

“

a lo v er ch ides thy stay ;

Hospi ta, Demgphoon , tua'

te Rhodo’

pe‘i a Phyllis

- Ultra promi ssum tempu s ab esse queror.

Cornua cum ~L una3 pleno semel orbe ce issent,~L ittorib u snostris auchora pac ta tua est.

L una qua ter latuit ; to to qua ter orb e reere v it ;

Nee vehit Ac tae as Sithonis‘

unda ra tes.

Tempora si numere s, b ene quae numeramusamantes

Non v eni t ante su um nostra querela diem .

Spe s quoque lenta f ui t ; tarde, qua: credi talmdunt,Credimus : ii f v itfi nunc e t amante nocent .

16°

~ PHY LLIS TO nnmo rnoon .

Hope, still thé wretch’s and the lov er’s careTha t f ondly sooths, forbade me to despair;Ungrate f ril tru ths we tardi ly receive ,

And I, who lov e , unw illing now b eliev e ;T

’

was lov e inspir’d the v a in, b u t generous thought,

That ev ery w ind thy‘

sails propi tious b rought,Now c with rash v ows o f Theseus I compla in,Nor thee

, perehanc e, did Theseu s e’

er detain ;

Now- f or thy b ark the shoals o f Heb rus dread5

Thy b ark (alas) ~to Heb ru s, nev er sped !

Tra i tor, fo r thee the godsI o f t implore ,And incense , suppliant, on the ir

'

altalrs‘pour;

When f av ouring gales f rom storms the ocean clear,

These , i f he l iv es, I Cry , w ill wa f t h imhere :

Swpe f ui mendax pro to m ih i : swpe pu tav i

Alb a pro‘eelloso s v ela . re f erre no te s.

Thessa dev ov 1, qu la ‘te dimittere nollet

Nee

l

tenu it cu rsu s f orsitan ille tuos.Interdum t imu i, na, dum v ada te ndis ad <Heb ri,

Mersa f ore t can‘an

'

au f raga puppis aqua.

Seepe Deo s supplex, u t tu , scelera te , v ale res,

Sum pre ce thuricremis dev enerata f oc is .

Saspe widens v entos eoelo pelagoque f av entes,

Ipsa m ih i d1x1 ; Si v alet, ille v eni t .B enique fidu s amor, quicqu idprope rantihusob stat,Pinxit ; et ad causas ingeniosa f ui.

ru rnrsrsfl ro Demop h o on ,

The promis’

d Hy men’

s torch , whose ldsting fireShould ligh t our years,

“

and b u t w i th.

li fe expire ?By the dread sea , you s wore , whose v enge f ul wa v e

Of t’

you had plough’

d, and then prepar’

d to b rav e ;

Him too , yourgrandsire whomperchance you f eign,Him you inv ok

’

d, who stills the trou b led main ;

Venus, and Cupid’

s fiery sha f ts and bo w ,

Weapons, whose force, alas ! * too well I know fHer

, o’

er the genial b ed whose power‘

presides,And her, whose torch the mystic orgies gu idesShould each insu lted de i ty demandThe

’

v engeanee du e to his immortal lhand,

Scarce Would thy f orf e i t li fe the ir rage su ffi ce,

Ij ev oted v ic tim of thy pe rj u ries ;

Per ma re , quod to tum v entis agitatur et undis ;Perq uod seepe

'iéras, per quod‘

iturus - e ras

Pe rqux

e tu um mih i j urasti'

(nisi fic tus ’

e t ille x est)Conci ta qu i v ent is aequora malcat, av um

PerVenerem, nimifimque ,

mihi facientia tela ,

Alte ra tela arcus, altera tela faces :

Ju'

nonemque , toris quae praeside t» alma maritis,Et pe r tardiferm mystice sac ra

'Dew .

Si dy

e to t laasis sua numina qu isque ‘Deorum

Vindice t ; m pmnas non sa tis‘

unus eris.

At laceras e tiam puppes f uriosa re feeli

Ut, quadesererer, firms. carina foretn

PH Y L L I S TO nnu orn oou f" 19

In fatuate whydid I you r sa ils repa ir,Your sha tter

’

d b ark refit w ith foolish care,

Launch on th e b illows, f rom my sight that here ,

And giv e , alas the wo und that I deploreFondly , w hy all your f lat tering wordsb eliev e ?And wo rds you nev er wanted to dece ive ;Blindly I trus ted to your h igh descent,My easy f a ith to sounding ti tles lent ;Were thy tears fa lse i thy tea

‘

rs, dissemb ler, know

Like thee to fe ign, to z thee ob edient f low .

‘Well had thy wanton perjuries b een spar’

d,

My simple heart , had half thy v ows ensna r’

d

ProudI ren ew the cares em

Thee, and thy v essels, from the stormy—

away

Remigiumq ue dedi, q uo me fugiturus ab ires.

Hen put ie r telis v ulne ra facta me isl .

Cr‘

edidimus b land is, quorum ti b i ’

copia, v erb is

Credidimus generi , nomini lsu squ e tn

Credidimus lacrymis ; an e t hm simu lat e dooen tur?

Hm quoque habe nt arte s, quéqu e j uhentur, cunt ?Dis quoque eredidimus ;=quojeam tot pig nora nob is ?Parte sa tis po tu i qudlib e t inde capi .

Nev

e mo v eor, qu’

od te ju v i portu que ; locoque ;Deb u it hoe merit i s umma f u isse me i.

Turpiter hospi tium lec to cumulasse j ugaliPoenitet, .e t lateri conseru isse latus.

90 PHy L L t s TO nm o p fi oos.

Wi th b i tter pangs recal l, and b lush to tram

Lost, .in . thy _f aithless a rms, my v irgin fame ;

Of

e re that fa tal nigh t the tda‘y had c los’

d,

Had Phyllis,i nno cent in death repos

’

d'Fondly I hop

’

d, whowell deserv’d,success

-

z

Hope, that f rommerit springs, the gods shouldb less,Th ine is not sure a triumph hardly w on,

A poor fond maid i deluded and undone ;

To pi ty,whose simpl ic i ty migh tA generous bosom, though

'

d ev‘

o id o f lov e .

Be th is the env ied summit o f thy f ame ,For th is a statue in mid Athens c laim,

Rang’

d wi th the Egidae le t Demophoon stand,

And prOudly«

riv al the .

” i llustriou s band; A

Qua: fu i t ante illam ,mallem suprenia f a isset

Nox m ih i ; dum potu i Phy llis honesta mori ySperav i me lius, qu ia me meru isse pu tav i ;

Quaecumqu e ex merito spes ’

v enit, ze q ua veni tf

Fallere credentem non est operosa puellam

Gloria ; s‘implieitas digna fav o re f u i t‘.Sum dec epta tu is e t amans et foemina v erb is a

Di fac ianty'laudis summa sit ista 'tuae :

lnterlje t l flilgidas media sta tu aris in urb e ;

Magnifi cu s titu lis stet pater an te su is;camf ueri t Scyron lec tus, tory u sque Procrustesf,Et Sinis, e t tauri mistaque f orma -v iri;

PHY LLIS Toznnmorn onn . 2 1

F irst ‘

le t thy sire h is f orm majest ic rear,

And all his glories on the b ase appear;

There shou ld the Mino tau r su bdued be read,

Scyron , Procrustes, and his f atal b ed

Sinis, and Theb es, the Centau r’

s speed, that fail'd},

And trembl ing Plu to’

s dark domain assail’

d

Thy triumph then the marb le shall re cord,

Oer the fond ma id, who thee , her guest ador’d.

Of all the deeds by godlike Theseus done ,

Que only please?»his aspiring son

Prone, wha t excuse demande d, to a dmire,He ir to ’

the perj uries, tha t sham’

d h is sire 3

His genius culls it f rom the sacred store ,

The Cretan ma id dese rted on the sho re

He r, whom I envy no t, sub lime,i n air

Ma tch’

d w ith a god, the b ridled tygers b ear.

Et‘domi tse hello The b ze, f usique b imembres,Et pulsa ta n igri regia ca ca De i

Ho e tua post illum t itulo signe tur imageHic est , cujus amam b ospz

'

ta capta dole est .

De tanta rerum turba, f ac tisqu e paren t is,Sedi t in ingenio Cressa relic ta tuo .

Quod‘solum ex cesat, so lum miraris in illo .

Haaredem patriae, perfide, f raudis agis;Illa (nee inv ideo ) . f ru itur me lio re mari to ;Inque,

capistratis tigribus alta sede t.

‘22 PHY L LIS To Demornomv .

My w idow’

d b ed t he slighted Thracmns spun ) ,From

t me, who lov

’

d a stranger, proudly turn.

To Athens now i nsult ing b id me go ,

And warlike Thrace ano ther leaderknow .

We ll, they excla im,

her w o es h er w isdom pro v e,And well rewards her cho ice a f ore ign lo v e

Ill may . the‘

wre tch in ev ery w isha su cceed,

Who , f r.orn‘

the e v ent - condemns a

"

generou s deed !

Whit e let the se b illows w ith thy oars a ppear,

W ise were the cho ice , thatg av e thee empire here ;Bu t ne

’

er thy oars shall b lanch the‘

T—hracian wav e,

Thy weary limb s -Bistonian waters‘

lav e .

Still‘thy lo v’

d f orm I v iew upon”

the shore ,

Wh ile in g1ny ~

ports thy parting ships u iimoo‘

r.

At mea rdespec ti f ugiunt connu b ia Thraces,

Quod f erar e x ternum xprmposu isse me is.

Atque aliq’

u is,Doctasj am nunc ea t , inquit, Athen'

as

Armf eram Thracem, qui regat, a lter crit .

Exitus acta probat ; careat su ccessib u s opto ,

Qu isqu is ab e v entu f ac ta no tanda pu tat .

At si nostra tuo spumescant aequora remo ,

Jam m ih i , j am dicar consulu isse me is.

Sed nequ e consu lu i : nec te mea regia tangi t,Fessaqu e B istoniamemb ra lavab is aqua .

Illa meis oculis spec ies ab euntis inhaere t,Chm premeret portus classis i turameos.

PH Y LLI S Toznnmorno ou‘

;

Thee my ; fond arms rece1v’

d,

“

me th ine emb rac’

d,

’

Thy lips , p ro longing k isses to-

the last,”

Dar'd, as our tears toge ther mingled fl ow ,

To b lame the w inds, t hat to thy w ishes b lowPhyllis expec t, norx lost Demophoon mOurn ,

We re thy last words f or soon shall he re tu rn .

Expec t thee ! gone«f or e v er f rom my sigh t,

Whose sa ils no mo re the Thrac ian seas inv ite .

S till I expec t , thee ; 0 retu rnand prov e ,Of ‘time regardless,

‘tru e a t last to lov e .

Va in hope ! °

ano ther holds thee”

in her cha ins,Scarce , w h ile the wanton t ritimphs in my pa ins,

Ausnse s ample c ti colloqu e in fusus , amantis3

Oscula~per longas j ungere pressa moras

Cumqu e tu i‘s l'

acrymis, lacrymas conf undere nostras

Quodqu e foret v elis a ura secunda ,~ qu eri‘

Et mih i discedens, supreme dicere v oce ;

P/z‘ylli, f ace expectes Demopbobn ta twum.

Expec tem; qu i me nunquam v isurus ab isti ;

Expectem pelago v ela negate meo 2

Et tamen expec to , redeas mode serus ama’

nti‘

Ut tua sit solo tempore lapsa fides.

Qu id precor infelix ? j am te tenet altera conjux w

Forsitan, et no b is qui male fav it, amor.

t ue tib i exc idimus, nu llam, pu to , Phyllida mosti .Hei mihi ! si, quae sim Phyllis, e t unde, rogas.

24 rm rL u svro‘

Demons some

The long forgotten Phyllis w i lt thou own

Thus to Demophoon Phyllismay . b e known

The sea b ea t wanderer, she , whose po rts receiv’

d,

Whose generous friendsh ip, wornl

w ith to ils reliev ’d ;Rich gi f ts on whom her lav ish b ounty pour

’

d,

For whom, a k ingdom’s treasures f ondly stor’

d

Realms byLycu rgu s rui’

d who b ade thee sway,

TooJarge a f emale sc eptre to obey

From Rhodope"

w ith snows e ternal'

b ound, s

W i th wav ing woods t to shady Haemus crown’

d,

Whose mossy f eet th e-

sacred“

Hebrus lav es;Andpours through v erdant v ales his rapid waves.

Gave to thy t reacherou s arms her v irgin flower.

Qum t ib i, Demophoon, longis errorib us ac toThrei

'

cios po rtus, hospitiumque dedi .Cujus Ope s auxere mea : cu i div es egenti

Munera mu lta dedi , multa datura ‘f ui.Quae tib i subj ec i latissima regna L ycurgi

Nomine f eemineo v ix sat is' apta regiQuapate t umb rosumRhodope glacialis adHaemun’i ,Et sacer admisses exigit Heb rus aquas.

Cui mea v irginitas av ibus lib ata sinistris,

Castaqu e fallac i aona rec inc ta menu .

PronubaTisiphone thalamis u lulav it in illis,Et cec init moestum dev ia carmen av is

Q6 PHY L LIS To nnmorn’

oo

‘

iv .

By f ai th f ul handma i'ds to the, beach pursu’

d,

Who b ear me li feless from the w helmmg fi ee d.

O f t , by despa i r inv i ted, I surv eyTheroc ky limi ts o f : a wind ing bay,And thence resolve , nor sha ll the threa t b e vain,S till if thou ’

rt f alse ,‘

to leap into the“

ma in.

My fl oa ting bo dy on thy shores shall land,

Thy eyes b ehold me tomb lessonk

thee strand ;‘

The v iew at least - t o pi ty may incl ine a

A: heart more hard than Adamant , or th ine .

No t thus the pa t ching w ind, and shipless sea,”

Then w ilt thou say , should Phyllisb ear to me .

’

Then, w ith v ain sorrow , and repentance late,

Thou’

lt own I su f fer an unworthy’

f ate .f

For pe l so n now a raging th irst I feel,Now pants my b osom f or the reek ing steel .

Est sinus adduc tos modice falca tus in arcus,

Ultima praerupta cornua mole rigent .

Hinc mih i suppositas imml ttere corpus l n undas

Mens f uit ; quoniam f allere pergis, erir.Ad tua me fl uc tus proj ec t

-

em li ttore portent,Odcu rramqu e oculis intumu lata tu is.

“Duritia f e rrum u t superes , adamantaque , teque ;Non t ib i sic,

l

e’z’

ces, P/zyI/i, sequendus cram.

Seepe v encnornm s1t1s est mih i seepe c ruenta

Traj ec tam gladio morte perire j u v a t .

PH Y L L I S TO DEMOPHO ON.

Now w i th the f a tal n oose my neck I b ind,Too o f t by thy pe rfidiou s arms entwin

’

d !

Be f orf e it li fe f or w o unded honor paid,Nor, b y the cho ice o f death, b e dea th delay

’

d !

Li ve on my tomb the au thor o f my woe ,

The nmy lov’d guest ; for there the v erse shall fl ow ;

The cause Demophoon’

s cruelty Supplied ;By her own hands deserted Phyllis died.

”

C olla quoque, infidis qu ia se nec tenda laéertis

Praeb u erunt, laqueis implicuisse lib et.Stat nece maturé tenerum pensare pudorem

In necis electu parv a f u tura mora

Inscrib‘ere

‘

meo c ausa inv idio sa sepu lcro

Ant hoc , ant simili carmine'

no tus erisPhy llida Demophoon Zeta dediz

‘, kospes amdntem

Ille a f ez’

caummpm‘

b zzit , ipsa manuin.

ARGUMENT.

THE Greeks commenced their opera tions against

Troy by conquering the neighbouring countrirs

under its dominion . The Cilic ian, Theban, and

L yrneszan territories were invaded by Achilles .

in the latter, in the town of Chrynesium, he j b und

mo rei‘y beautif u laomen, Astrynome the daughter

of Chrysis the pri est of Apollo , and H ippodamia

of Brisa—‘a‘ho fwere af terwards called Chryseis,

and Briseis, f rom the names (30their sereral

parents. Chryseis he presented to Agamemnon,

and reserv ed Briseis f or himse lf . But when the

king was obliged to restore Chryseis to her

f ather, to preserv e the Greeks f rom the plague

sent by Apollo, i n resentment to,Achilles who

had urged him to resign her, he threatened, and

af terwards put t he threat in execut ion,“

to f orceBreseis f rom her conqueror

—who retired in dis

gust f rom the war, and could not be induced to

return to the assistance of the Grecians by any

intrea ties, rej ecting eren Breseis herself , al

though of ered to him with presents of grea t v alue.

She theref ore th is addresses him, in hopes of per

suading him to day aside his ang er, to resume

his arms against the Troj ans, and receiv e her

f rom Agamemnon, who Qf ered to restore her to

his possession.

BRISEIS TO ACHIL L ES .

r

FIIES E barb arous charac ters thy eyes tha tmeet,'l he lost Brise is speeds, h er L o rd to gl ee t .

Scarce can the G reek my untaugh t fingers trace ,

While the rude marks my falling. tears e f face .

See how the lines they b lo t, where’

er they fl ow ;

Tears ye t can speak , and tell the tale o f woe 1

Nor le t th e fond complaint b e pou r’

d in ra in,Of my lov

’

d Lo rd,i

o f thee , if I~cornplain

No t by thy f au lt the ,tyrant

’

s capti v e made,

S till w as th e tyrant’

s power too soon obey’d

For scarce Brise is do the heralds name,

Scarce the irproud Lord’

s imperious w ill procla im ;

Quam legis, a raptaBrise lde littera v eni t,Vix b ene b arb aricaGraeca nota ta manu .

Quascunque asprcres, lacryma f ecére , lituras ;

Sed tamon e t lacryma pondera voe is hab ent sSi mih i pauca qu eri de te dominoque v iroqu e

Fas est ; de domino pau ca v iroqne querar

Non , ego poscenti quod sum c it?) tradi ta reg!,i

Culpa tua est : quamyishoc quoque culpa tua est .,

32 B R ISEIS TO A enI L L Es .

Thy stern resolv es‘

ere I dev o ted hear,And the sad partner o f their way a ppear.

Talthy b ius, and Eu ryb ates am‘

az’

d,

The ir charge accept ing on each o the r gaz’d

Bu t wrapt in‘

pensiv e silence wh ile they stand,

Thei r eyes the tokens o f thy lov e demand.

Some little respit e migh t their ha ste have stay’

d,

And sooth’

d the cruel sentence it delay’d.

No k i'nd emb race (alas!) did i rece i ve

Blest had I b een one parting k iss to giv eMy f ru itle ss tears I giv e , my tresses tear,Doom’

d a new Lord’s insulting cha ins to wear.A Co

'

nquerdr’

s prey , ag ain I seem to mourn

A Captiv e’s fa te, and all my woes re turn.

Of t f rom my guards I meditate my flight,‘

Then fear the Trojans, and approaching nigh t

Nam simu l Eurybates me Talthyb iusqu e v ocaruntjEuryb ati data sum Talthyb ioque comes.

Alter inv

alterius jac tante s lumina v u ltum,

Quasreb ant tac iti , noster ub i esset amor.

Differri po tn i paenae mora grata fu isset.

Hei-

mih i ! diseedens oscula nulla dedi .At lacrymas sine fine dedi , rupique capillosInfelix i terum sum mih i v isa rapi .

Saepe ego decepto v olu i custode revertiSed , me qui timidam prenderet, hostis erat.

34 3 11 153 18 TO A CHI LLES .

In v ain the son o f Telamo n was sent,

In v ain Amynto r’s u rg

’

d,the e to rele nt ;

Thy rugged soul no t ies o f b lo od.can mov e,Dea f to the v oice o f f riendsh ip, a nd o f lov e .

Nor w ise Ulysses, nor h is arts pre vai l,

And humb le prayers , and costly presents f ail :

Fori

twice ten v ases thy acceptanc e sough t ,

Rich in re fu lgent o re , and h ighly Wrought ;Se ven tripods added, whe re the Artist f spride,For worth and b eau ty , w ith

”

the me tal v ie ’dTen talents of pure gold the o ff ering grace ,Twelv e eoursers ev er f oremost in the race ;

Wi th themaCapt iv e tra in o f L esb ian f air(To thee superfluous gi f t !) o f b eau ty rare ;

Superfluous pro f fer, o f a royal BrideSprung from the Kingo f Kings, to grace thy side !

L aertaque satu s : per quos comitata redirem

Auxerunt b landm grandia don'

a preces :

Viginti f ulv os operoso ex aere leb e tas ;

Et tripodas septem, pondere arte pares.

Addi ta sunt illis auri b is qu inque talenta :Bis sex assuet i v incere semper equ i .

Quodque superv acu um,f o rmal praestante pue llae

L esb ides, e v crsa co rpo ra capta domo .

Cumque to t his(sednon opusest tib i conj ugo) conj uxEx Agamemno

i

niis una puelia trib us.

3mm TO A CH I LLES . 35

Do ’st thou then scorn, Ach illes, to recei v e

Me , and the ransom tha t thy lo v e should give.

If , to redeem me f rom h is hated hand,

Gi fts grea t as these Atrides shou ld demand it

Say o f what c rime thy once lov’

d maid accus’

d,

C liasid f rom thy b osom weeps her dower re fus’d ?

Wh ithe r so soon thy fickle passion flown,Vi le in thy eyes or why Brise is grown ?Does fa te relentless still the w re tched press,

My hopes no gale of pity ing Fortune bless ?I saw thy Bi yrmidoas , repell

’

d in v ai n,

The Mysian c itties le veli

w ith the plain

I saw my cou ntry ravag’

d by her foes,

And de eply mou rn’

d, who largely shar

’

d her wo es.

Three v aliant You ths (one Mother gav e a s b irth)Slaugh ter

’

d I saw be strew the ir na tive earth ;

Si t ib i ab Atridapre tio redime nda f u isse rn,

Quae dare deb ueras, ac c ipere i lla negas

Quamerni culpa fieri t ib i v i lis, Ach ille ?Qud le v is a- nob is tam c i to f ugi t amo r ?

An miseros tristis fortuna tenac iter u rget ?

Nee v eni t inceptis mollior aura me isD iruta Marte tuo L yrnessia moenia v idiEt f ueram patriae pars ego magna meae.

Vidi consortes pari ter genorisque nec isque

Tres cecidissc : trib us, quaemih i , mater

86 B R ISEI S TO A CH I L L Es.

Destin’

d{

one common origin to share ,One common f a te was the ir’s, the fa te o f war.

I saw my v aliant Husb and b leeding lie ,While h lS go r

ld b osomheav

’

d the indignant sigh .

In thee alone , these tender ties restor’

d,

In thee I v iew’d, a Bro ther, Husb and, L ord

Then by you r parent Goddess o f the main,More b lest,you swo re, though capt iv e,Ishouldre ign;Now, coldly b id me with my dov

ier

ire turn,

-Me , and the Grec i ans’

costly presents Spurn .

Fame too reports that f rom the shore are

-

drawn

Thy sh ips unmoor’

d, and ere to - morrow’

s dawn

Oer eastern clifi’

s it’

s .orient lu stre shed,Thy

JSails to f arming b reez es w ill be spread

Vidi , quantus erat ,i

f usum tellure cruenta,Pec tora j ac tantem sangu inolenta v irum.

To t tamon amissis te compensav imu s u num

Tu dominus, tu v ir, tu m ih i f ra ter eras.

Tu 'mih i, j u ra tus per numina matris aquosze ,Utile diceb as ipse f u isse capi .

Sc ilic e t u t, quamquis v eniam do tata , repolles ;

Et mecum,f ugias, quae tib i dentu r, opes.

Qu in e tiam fama est , cum c rastina f u lserit Eos,

Te dare nub iferis linea v ela no tis.

Quod‘scelus u t pav idas miserze m ihi contigit aures,

Sangu ims atque amnn pec tus inane f u i t.

38> aa rsms TO ACH I L L Es .

To thee t b ehed, in wealthismrd b eauty

is pridg ’

Of all Achaiai

s fair the fairest b ride ;Of . Pe leus “(fi lthy and

- the stoclso f Jo ve,

And whom thy Grandsire Nereus may approve;

Su bmissiv e - I’

ll my da ily task - absolv e,

Unload the di stafi , and my w oes re vo lv e”

;

Stil l see not her,“

who shares thy e naied b ed,

De spo il the cherish’

d honors o f rx myg head ;

Wi th insults harass me, or hard commandsFavor (falas I hope no t f romher hands !Nor to her j ealous f ury. thou resign, 3And coldly say, that I‘too once was thiae l

Y es le t,

th e Tyrant drive me to despa ir;"

And in thy;

presence rend my fiowing h air,

Ere thou, for ever f rom my eyes r b e tom

O ' leav e, me not de ser

‘ted

i

here to mou rn l

Inter Acha iadas.longepulcherrima metres

In thalamyos,

coniux ib it (eatque ) tu es .

D igna ungus socero, Jov is ZEg inmue

Gu ique senex,

Nereus prosoeer esse v alit ;

Nos humiles famu lge que tuae data pensa trahemusx;

Et minu ent plenas stamina no stra po les.

Exagite t ne me tantt‘nn

'tua de precor uxor,

Quae mihi nesc io quo‘no}; erit mqua mgodo ,

Neve meos coram s‘c insdi pa tiare ,

capillos

Et lev i ter dicas, Hcrc quoque swarm,fl fit

B RI SEI S TO AC H IEL ES .

That worst o f - fears my'to rtuar

’d osoul forb ode

‘s,

That b itterest -pang niy—tremb ling b osom goads.

But nev er Will”

thy st‘ub bo rfi heart re lent ?

Behold Atrides o f h isw ra th repent !

L o Greece, the v ic tim o f thy

,

proud retreat,

Imploring l ies, and prostrate a t thy f ee t .

0 migh ty v icto r, n ow “thy self . sub due

Shall Hec tor ba th’

d in b lood the Greeks, pursue

Me and thy a rms, 0 Goddess bo rn, resume

And drive the tremb ling Phrygians to the tomb .

L e t me thy Wrath-

appease , for whom it glows,

The storm o f grief L ra is’d, le t me cotnpose ;

Nor to my f ond intrea ti es b lush to y ield,Nor at a Woman

’

s call, thy arms to w ield.

Vel pa tiare lic e t ; dum ne contempta re linquar.

Hic m ih i v ae miserae concu tit ossa me tus.

Quid tamen expec tas ? Agame mnona poenite t irae,Et j ace t ante tuos Greec ia mmsta pedes.

Vince animos iramqu e tu am, qu i ca tera v inc is.Qu id lacerat Dehaas impige r xHec tor opes

Arma cape , f Eacida , sed me tamemante re cepté

Et preme turb a tos Marte f ay ente v iro s.

Propter me mo ta est, propter me desina t ira

Simque ego tristitiaa cau sa modusque tuae.

Nec tib i tu rpe pu ta pre c ib us succumb ere nostris ;

Conj ugis CEnides v ersus in arma prece est.

r. 2

40 3 11 1 5131 5 To .ACH ILLES.

Thus Meleager sough t the emb attled plain,Nor was the prayer o f Atalan ta v a in .

The tale records, a tale to thee well known,Althea

’

s rage on her dev o ted son.

For slaugh ter’

d Bro thers, how 3. Mo ther’

s hate,

Huil’d the dread v engeance o f impending fate .

T’

was war, his aid ln v a in his country seeksHer chie fs he sperms, as thouthe prostrate Greeks.HIS w i fe cou ld b end the hero

’

s haugh ty soul,

Vam are my words, thy fu ry'

to controul .

Nor tha t ’

o ff ends me ; o f ten was I ledA lowly handma id to a Master

’

s b ed

Ne’er of a Wi f e the honors did I c la im,

Af fec t the emp1re , or u surp the name :

Mistress when call d f orb ear,w ith t itles v ain,

To load,

" I cried, a;

f ellow Capt‘iv e’

s’

cha in .

”

Res audi ta mihi, no ta est t ib i . Fratrib us orb a.

Devov it nati spernq ue capu tque parens .

Bellum era t : ille f erox positis secessit ab armis,Et pa triae rigidame

’

nte negav it opem.

So la‘

virum c onj ux fl ex it : f e lic ior illa !A t me a pro nullo pondere v e rb a cadunt.

Nec tamen indignor nee me pro conj uge gessi ,Saepius ln domini serv a v oc a ta torum.

Me quaedam (memini) domin'

am capt iv a v ocab at

Sem itic, dixi, nominis addis onus.

42 Ba rsm s TO ACH ILLES .

Wh ile Greece b e liev es her hero rage disarms,The w illing Yo u th a y ielding

“

fa ir one charms.

Be tter w ith he r on downy pu rple rest,

And touch the lv re , and sink upo n her b reast,

Than the b road sh ield or cumb rous lance to b ear,

Or w ith the helme t h ide his flow ing hair.

Arms and the b a ttle tire ; luxu riou s nigh t,Mu s1c , and Venu s

, y ield secu re delight .

Bu t glory once , no t sa f ety , Was thy a im,

And swee t to thee o f Warlike deeds the fame .

Say , wh en her spo il my‘

wre tched coun try gav e ,And me a Capt iv e , only w er’t thou bra v eOir i f thy .v alour w1th L y rnessa f alls,

Thy Fame entomb’

d b enea th her smok ing walls ?

Et si qu is quaera t , quare pugnare'recu ses

Pugna no ce t : c itharas nox qu e Venusque j u v ant .

Tutiu s e st j acu isse t to ro ,tenu isse pu e llam,

Threic iam~ digitis inc rcpu isse lyram

Quam'

manib us c lypeos, e t acu tae cuspidis hastam,

Et galeam‘

pressa sustinu isse c oma.

Sed t ib i pro tu tis insignia f ac ta placeb ant‘

Pa rtaque b ellando glo ria du lc is e ra t.

An tanthm,dum me caperes, f e ra b e lla prob ab asB

r

C umq ue meapatria lau s tu a v ie ta jacot ?Di me lius : v a lidoque , pre cor, v ib ra ta lacertoTranseat Hec toreum Pelias hasta latus.

B R I SEI S TO ACH I LLES . 43

Fo rb id i t Heav en ! and, spu rn’

d inglorious rest,Deep sink the Felian spea r in He c tor

’

s b reast - l

Send me y’

e iGreeks, b id me my L o rd intrea t,

I’

ll b lend persuasion so f t w ith kisses sw ee t .

Phoemx no r Ajax , pleading, can pre v a il,Thy honied w o rds, O

‘W ls

'

é Uly sses , fail ;

Bu t 1n o re”'m y c irc ling arms, .my ,

ey e , sh all mov e ,

And wake the fond rememb rance o f h is love .

Nor, fi e rce r - than thy

Shal’

t thou my tears, thoughpou r’

d in silence , b rav e .

Now too w ith pity v iew the tremb ling maid,O~ grea t Achilles, who 1mplores thy aid

Think on Brise is, nor to ml se ry doom,

Wh ile lingering hou rs o f long delay consume .

Mittite me, Dana 1 ; doin inum legat a rogab o

Multaqu e manda tis o sc ula mista fe ram .

Plhs ego quamPhoen lx ,plus quam f acundusUlysses,Plus ego quam .Teu c ri (credite ) f rater agam.

Est aliqu id co llum so litis te tigisse lacertis,

Praesentisque ocu lu s admonu isse su i .

Sis li cet im'

mitis, matrisque f ero c ior u ndis ;Ut tac eam , lac rymis comminuere me isp

Nunc quoque (sic omnesPe le uspa terimplea tannos,Sic ea t au spic iis Pyrrhu s

'

in arma tu is)Respice so llic itam Briseida , f ort is Ach ille,Nee miseram lenta f errens u re mora.

44 Rai sers,To A CH IL LES .

’

so his f ull cou rse o f , years may Peleus run,

Thou v iew in arms renown’

d thy inf ant son .

If to past lo v e indi ff erence cold succeed,

Bid her, you b anish f rom you r bosom, bleed .

”Tis done ; already worn w i th wasting pa ins,A single hope my s hadowy ferm susta insOf that depriv

’fd,I’

ll seek my slaughter’

d_

L ol'd,

And my three Brothers, as my Gods ador’

d.

Bu t‘thou reflec t what glmy shall awa it‘

The stern command, that urg’d a Woman

’

s fate“

.

Pierce then thyself my bosom wi th thy“

s rd,

And in thy sigh t my reek ing b lood bepour’

d

The stream, that still my b ursting”

heart reta ins,Shall f reely issuef rom my langu id v eins,Search

’

d by thy sword,wh ich, hadno tPallasstay’

d,

L ow in the dust had great Atrides .lay’

d .

Aut, si versus amor tuusest in taedia nostri ,Quam sme te cogis v iv ere, coge mori .

t ue fac is, coges, a b iit corpu sque c olorqu e

Sustinet hoe animae spe s tamemuna tu i.Qua si destituor, repe tem f ratresque v 1rumque

Nee t ib i magnifi c um foemina Ju ssaf mo ri .

Cur au tem j ub eas stric to pe te corpora f erro .

Est mih i , _qui f osso pec tore sangu is eat .Me pe tat i lle tuns, qui , s1 Dea passa fu isset,

Ensis in Atridae ipectus iturus erat.

ARGUMENT.

THESEUS , tire-

son of Egeus, boning killed tb c’

Minotaur,’

escapcd'

w2°

tb Ariadne -

tire daug lcter ofM57203 king of ,

Crete ( to whom, inreturn f or tbsassistance size b ad qfiorded b zm,

be bad promised

marrwge) and b er sister Phaedra : b ut being

adhionisbed by Bacchus, be lg’l

°

A1 2°

adne a t

Naxos, or as otlzcrs say a t Cb ios, and wedded

Pbaedra—zbbo b is absence f ell b wlent ly

lov e with Hippolz/tus b is son by Hippoly te the

Amaz on—to rrl wm absorbed tbe okoee, and

neg lecting all her advances, size addresses this

Pare n t“ . TO H IPPOL YTUS .

Thrice did my palsied to‘

ngue it’

s aid deny ,

Thrice ‘

on my lips the sounds 1mperfec t‘die .

Our so f t con fessions blu shes‘shiauld W al t

And mingled shame a gu iltless passion tellSpi te o f my b lushes, I my lo v e o b ey

Lov e b idsme w rite wha t shame forb ad to say .

Lev e awes th e immo rtal tenants o f wes k ie s,Nor sa fe, to spu i

én the powe r who Jo ve defi es .

While fear and doub t my lab ouring b esom rend ,

Wri te,

’sa id the god,‘the stu b b orn y outh w ill- b end

Now let h im f av or ; w i th re51stles’

s fire

Mine w h ile he fills , thy glowing v e inS ~iarspiee

1 b ands to b urst , my 1mp10 us~

aim

i Enquire , and spo tle ss thou sha i’

t findmy f ame .Bu t lov e , that spar

’

d my you thf ul sighs and tears,

Now re igns the ty rant of my riper“

yea rs 3

Que lice t, e t sedurtur, pudor est miscendus amori

D icere qu aepuduit, scrib‘

ere ji

ussit Amer .

‘Quidqu idAme r j u

‘

ssit, non e st contemnere tu tum

Regnat , e t in dominos j us hab et ille Deos.

Ille m ihi primo dub i tan ti scrib ere , d ix i t,Scribe debit oictas f erreus ille mantis.

Adsi t, e t , a t nostras av ido fo v e t igne medullas,Pigat 510 ammos in mea v o ta tues .

Non ego nequ itifi so bialia faedera rumpam

Fani a (v elim q uaeres) crimine nostra vacat .

ra a na a To m e ro t rrns. 5r

And, later as my conqu er’

d f sou l o beys,

With pangs'more keen, and fiercer passion sways.

I bum,I b urn, and in my th rob b ing heart,A deeper. wound

’

iafl icts the b u ried dart"

Thu s to the y oke unw illing steers submi t,And the young steed impa tient Champs the bi t.My tortur

’

d b reast thu s new bo rn passions goad,And, yet untam

’

d, it struggles w ith .the load

Lov e trains f rom tender years the prac tis’

d heart,

La te when he points, wi th fury w ings the dart ;Thou o f my f railty the, first fru it receiv e,To me o f th ine the v irgin o f fering giv e

For thee the fond lib a tion l prepareConsent thy portion o f th e gu ilt to share .

Venit Amor grav ins, quc‘) seriifi s ; u rimur intus,

Urimur ; e t cmcum pe c tore. v ulnus hab ent .

Sc ilice t u t tene ro s laedunt juga prima j uv encos;Fraenaque _Vzix patitu r de grege captu s equus

S ic male v ixque sub it primos rude pectus amores :

Sarc inaque haec ammo non Sede t apta meo. ,

Ars fi t, ub i a tene ris crimen condisc itur annis

Quae v eni t exacto tempore , pejus ama t .

Tu no v a serv atre capie s lib amina f amae ;

Et pariter nostrum fi e t u terqu e nocens.

Est aliqu id, plenis pomaria carpere .ramis,Et tenui primam de ligere ungue rosaln .

F 2

52 PHE DRA TO n rrromrru s.

Blest am I, still who b oast a spotless name ,

If new disgraceI

must'

b rand my tre'

as

i

u r’

d f ame,

Tha t you , O lov e liest you th , the c rime 1nsp1re ,

No b ase adulterer f ans the’

unhallow’

d fi re

Mo re than the c r1me , the wretchedma idwho strays,To shame a b ase adu lterer b e trays.

To me w ould Juno y ield the Thunderer’s lov e,Thee I

’

d pre fer, _

Hippoly tus, to Jov‘e .

Scarce t hou ’

lt b eliev e what new pursuits engage ;War w ith the sav age b roodI _th irst to wageTo qu iv er

’

d D ian now myr

v ows I po ur,Bu t thee I f ollow, wh ile I her adore ;Now w ith my to ils the th icke t I su rround,Now o

’

er the mountams u rge the fl eetest'hound

Si tamen ille pri or, quo me sme cr1m1ne gessi,Candor ab insolita lab e notandus e ra t ;

At b ene successit,‘

digno quod adurimu r igniPejus adulterio turpisadu lter

-

ab est .

Si mih i concedat Juno f ra tremque v irumque

Hippo ly tum v 1deo r praépositura Jov i .Jam quoque (vix c rede s) igno tasmu tor in artes

Est mih i per szev as impe tu s ire feras.

Jam mih i prima Dea est,arcu pree sigriis adunco

Delia . Judic ium su b sequ or ipsa tuum.

In ncmus ire lib e t , pressisque in re tia cerv is,

Hortan celeres per j uga summa canes

54 P II JEDR A 'TO HIPPO L YTUS .

’

Thus w i th thy ‘

b lood thy fires, Europa ,”b lend,

Th ine on thy'ch ild, Pasiphae , descend.

A milk wh i te b ull the f o rm o f .lo v e b elied;And b ore Eu rOpa

‘

s thro uglb the f oaming t ide.

The God'

the f a th er o f“

our race b ecame ,

The parted world rece iv’

d the V irgin’

s name”

The low ing husb and o f the,

j ealou s herd,Wi th passion b lind ,

“

Pasiphae‘

pre f er’

d.

A monster issu’

d f rom th e f oul emb raée ,

Load to her womb , and to her kind disgrace .

I'

n v a in my sire with w ily art had‘wémnd

The tortu ou s prison that ZEgides f ound.

The rmaz e o f dea th thy clue , fond maid, explores,For h im who le av es thee upo n desert

’

shore5s

I , lest f rom Mino s I degenera te prov e ,C lo se the sad story o f incestuou s lov e .

J upi ter Eu ropeu (prima es t ea gentis origo )Dilexit, tauro dissimu lante Deum .

Pasiphae ma ter decepto sub dita tauro ,

Bo is a est u tero crimen onu sque . suo .

Perfidus ZEgides, ducent ia fi la sec u tus,

Cu rv a meae f ugit tec ta sororis ope .

Ril/

ego nunc , ne fo rte parum Minoia credar, ,

In soc ias leges u lt ima gent is eo .

l- lo c quoque f a tale est : placu it domus una duab us;

Me ma forma capi t, capta parente soror.

Pn a nna TO H i eronv r us. 55

Sure’

twas o rdain’

d, and f a tal are the fires

,

In k indred b osoms tha t thy race 1nsp1res.

Rich w i th our spo‘

i l the do ub le trophy rear,

Theseu s; and sono f These us, triumph here .

My sister pro v’

d thy f a the r’

s plighted tru th,

I f or thy b eauty b u rn , O lov ely you th

S till peace , pe rchance , had in my b osom reign’

d,

Had then the Cre tan shores my steps detain’

d,

Wha t time to Ceres holds he r hallow’

d ri tes,And th i ther pro ud Eleu sis thee inv i tes.

Then nor t ill then unknown, the su b t le flame

Pierc (1 ev ery limi t o f my y ielding f rameWhite was thy rob e , ,

and flowers adorn’

d thy head,

O’

er thy young cheeks ingenu ous b lushes spread.

Thesides Theseusque duas rapuére sorores .

Ponite de nostra b ina tropaea domo .

Tempore , q uo v ob is ini ta est Cerealis Eleusin,

Gnosia me v ollem de tinu isse t humu s.

Tunc mih i praecipue (nec non tamen ante. pla

ceb as)Acer in e xtremi s ossib u s hmsit amor.

Candida v est is era t, praec inc ti fl ore capilh

Fl av a v erecundu s tinxera t o ra rub or.

Quemque v ocant alim v ultum . rigidumque true

cemque ,

Pro rigido, Phaedraj udice, fortis erat.

56 ra mp a rt TO H IPPOLYTUS .

Harsh that to o thers seem’

d and fi erce the look ,To partial Phaedra fo rtitude ‘

b espoke .

Begone . ye you ths, who pla it your scented ha ir,Whose dress, l ike w oman

’

s, is you r only care .

Such a rts by manly b eau ty shou ld b e. scorn’

d,

Best by a manly negligence adorn’

d.

Thee‘

b est becomes thy stern b u t polish’

d b row,

L ocks that unhee ded lie , where’

er theyf fl ow

‘

And, ligh tly s'

ca t ter’

d o’

er thy glow ing-

face;Dust, to thy downy cheek

‘

that adds a grace .

With raptures then‘

upon thyg

form‘

I’

gaz e ,"

Whenthe fierce steed thy sk ilful handf'

ob eys

His struggling neck wh ile b ending tothe re in,In narrower o rb s, b e treads the measurf d pla in.

When f rom your robe. your v aliant arm you b are ,And hu rl the jav elin t h rough the parting air,

Sint proc ul a nob is j ovenes, u t foemina, compti ;Fine col i modico f orma v iri lis amat .

Te tuu s iste rigor, posmque sine a rte capilli,Et le vi s egregio pu lv is in ore dece t .

Siv e f erocis equ i luc tantia colla recurvas

Exiguo fl exo s“

mirror in -

orb e

Seu lentum v alido torques hastile lacerto‘

;

Ora f erox in se v ersa la'

certus liab e t .

S iv e tenes lato v enab ula cornea f erro :

Denique, nostraj u vat lumina, qu icqu id agas.

5& ram “ ro a rm-on s e ts.»

Y e t no t a chnrl the Wi se Aurora fl ed,

Who l e f t f or his, an agedh usb and’

s b ed

Of t undernea th the conscio us oak re clin’

ei,

In f ond emb races, Cithere a j oin’

d

With C inyra’

s son, nor sho a’

d th e grassy b ed

Tha t chance , to so ft repose inv iting, spread.

A pledge to lo v e and Atalanta due,The Arcadian monsterMeleager slew .

Our names w ith these le t Venu s pleas’d record

Woods , w ithou t Venus, sav age j oys af ford.

L e t me attend thee ; nor the roc ky height ,Me, nor the b oar

’

s tremendou s tasks, a ff right.The narrowing coast where parting ocean bounds,

And'

either sea’

s opposmg wave reso unds,

Seepe su b il ic ib u s Venerem, Cinyraque creatum,

Su stinu it posi tos quaelib et herb a duos.Arsi t et (Enides l n a alia AtalantaIlla feree spolium p1gnus amoris hab et .

Nos qu oque j am primhm tu rbanumeremur in ista;Si Venerem tollas, rustica silv a tua est .

Ipsa comes v eniam . nec me saleb rosa mov eb unt

Saxa , nec o b liquo dente timendus aper.

JEquora b ina'

su is oppugnant fl uc tibus Isthmon,

Et tennis tellus audi t u trumq ue mare .

Hic tecum Troez ena colam Pittheia regna

Jamnunc est patriagratior illa mea.

PHE DR '

A T O H I PPoL Y ru s. 59

Realms, that thy Grandson Pi ttheu s rul’d o f y ore,

To me more g ra te fu l than my na ti v e shore ,.Troeze n

‘a ; the re with thee 0 let me retgn !

Theseu s isab sent; ab sent w ill rema in .

He to hisd ear Pirithou s‘ is gone,For The seus lov es Piri thous alone,

M i a no more ; too pla in the proo fs appear;To him,

no“

more Hippoly tus is dear.

Nor ligh tly inj ur’

d thouno r I , compla in,Great are

“

the woes f rom h im that be th susta inAmurder’d b rother s till must I deplore ;A Sister le f t upon a desert

_

shore :

The first in v al o r o f thearmed f a irBore t hee , and well a son like thee migh t b ear.

T'

empore a b est, ab e ritqu e diu , Neptunius herosIllum Pin thoi de t inet ora su i.

Praeposu it Theseus (nisi si mani festa negamu s)Pirithoiim Phaedra , Piritho iimque tib i.

“

Se la nec hm no b is 1nJuria v eni t ab illo .

In magh is lx si reb us u terque’

sumus.

Ossa - me 1 fratris clavaperf rac ta trinodi'

Sparsit humi soror est praed a re lic ta .f eris.

Prima securige ras inter v irtu te pue llasTe peperit, hat i digna v igore parens.

Si quaeras, u b i sit ; Theseus latus ense peregit

Nee tanto mater pignore tuta f u i t.

60 Pna n a a TO IIIPPOL Y Tfl S

Her f a te enqu ire , and know by h im she died,Know w i th h is sword he'

pierc’

d thy parents side .

Nor cou ld the tenderest'

pledge thy mo ther Sav e,

Nor the due righ ts o f marriage Theseu s gav eWhy ? b u t lest thou , suCCEeding

'

to h is f ame ,

He ir o f hisv alor, _ shou ld’st his empire cla im.

I b rough t thee b roth ers, b u t’

twas he who rear’

ds

O, ere the hatef ul progeny appear’

d,

Fa irest o f th ings, to rob thee o f thy righ t,In the same ho ur tha t u sher

’

d it to light;i

l tent b y the throes‘

that gav e my’ ”

of fspring b reath,Oh , had I found in them,

the pangs o f dea th !

Go now re v ere a f ather’

s sacred b ed,

Bid—

me a hu sb and’sguard,

"

f rom mine who fl ed !

Norle t v ain names o f Stepdame and o f son,

Teach thee w ith ho rror my emb race to shun.

At nec nupta qu idem,taedéqu e accepta j ugali .

Cu r, nisi ne caperes regna pa terna no thu s ?

Addidit e t f ra tre s ex me t ib i :_quos tamemo innes

Non ego tollendi (Sau sa , sed ille f u it .O u t inam nocitu ra t ib i, pu lcherrime rerum

,

In medio nisu v iscera rupta f orent !

I nunc , i , merit i lec tum re v erere parentisQuem f ugit, e t f ac tis a bdica t ille su is.

Nee, qu ia priv igno v idea r co itura nov erca,

Terruerint animos nomina v ana tuos.

6 2 numb e rs To. a rnrim if r u s .

Blest underne ath one roof we still‘m ay live ,

Freely the k is s rece iv e , and free ly giv e .

Praise shall attend thee to uny .ch emberrl ed,Nor ce nsu re follow to -a Mothe r

’

s bed

And Lov e , ,my .t hfirnless way1

To prayers, thy ihumb le su itor,fI dese end ;

Long w i th t he gui lty fl ame inesolv ’d li e trov e ,(Ah w hat av a i l tou r

’

best rese lv‘

es inf lo v e i)

A lov e r'

heedsnor dignity zrror place

B ego ne m y scruples; mo desty . re t1res

Nor h oldsthe?contest w ith unb

‘lushing

ifires.

Tu tuserl s mecum, laudemquem e rebere culpa.

Tu licet in lec to conspic ia re meo .

Tolle moras tantum , propera ta qu e fmdera j urrge.

Qu i m ih i nunc seav ir, sic ztib ip arCatA mor.

Non ego dedignorsupplex liu‘

milisque preca ri !Hen ! u b i nunc fastus

‘

; altaqu e v erb a jacent ?Et pugnare diu , nec me submittere c ulpae,

Certa f u i‘ : certi si quid hab e re t Amor.Viota pi ecor, genib u sque tu is regalia tendoBracb ia : Qu id de cea t, non v ide t nllus amans .

Depudn it pro f ugusque pudor sua signa relinqu it .

Da v eniam fassae, duraque corda doma .

PHiEDB A To ). a w ronr

'ru s ;

Forgive the b old confession,they ex tort.

Bend thy,toughh eart, nor

'

wi th my pa ssion Sport.

Minos my. sire , what-

b oo ts thy splendid lo t,Lord o f . the seas, that Joy e

- thy sire b ego t ?Or b e my;graadsii e , whese re fu lge nt ray

,

Beams en his front, and lights the ge nia l dayi

L ow lies.my . b irth by tyran t love opprest ;

L e t that'

awake compassw n in thy breast

Repr'

oae h and sc orn let wretched t dra share ,

Her b lameless ancesto rs, thymercy spare

The ir gi f ts ae cepzt . I th rew them at thy f eet ;

Be thom'

Hippoly tus, the L ard o f Cre te'

Hear me,by Venus he ar, w hom I adore ,

80 her who 5q thee ne’

er mayh thou implore !

Quomih i , cluedgeni tor, qui po sside tmquo‘

ra ,Minos ?Quod v eniant proav i f ulm ina torta

‘

manu

Quod sit av us, radiis f ron tém'

v alla tu s ac u tis,

Purpureo tepidum q ui mov e t axe diem

No b ilitas su b amo re j ace t . Miserere priorumEt , mih i si non v is parcere , parc e meis.

Est mih i“

do talis tellus Jov is msula Cre te .

Serv ia t Hippo ly to regia to ta me o .

Flee te f e ro s animos. f Po tuit co rrumpere taurum

Ma ter : eris .auro saexior ipse truc i ?

Pe rVenerem parcas o ro , quae plurnna mecum e st

Sic nu nquam, quae te spernc re possit, ames.

G 2

64 r fl mnn a T o H IPI'OIJY TUS .

So to thy v ows may nimb le D ian tru e,Gi ve the lov ’d prey thy ceaseless to ils pursueSo , while the mountam Pans, a nd Satyrs aid,

The b leeding b oar upon the ground b e la id'So , when you thirst, though all the fair you spurn,

May smiling nymphs present the flow ing u rn !My sighs, my tears I add to abjec t prayer,Th ink that y ou see them fall, and t dra spare .

Sic tib i secre tis agilis Dea saltibus adsit,Silva que perdendas praeb ea t alta f eras.

Sic fav eant Saty ri , montanaque numina PanesEt cada t adv e

‘

rsa c uspide f ossusaper.

Sic t ib i dent Nymphae (quamv is odisse puellasDic eris) arentem

- quae le v e t unda sitim.

Addimus‘

h is lacrymas precib us quoque : v erba

precantis

Perlegis,‘

e t lac rymas tinge v idere meas.

‘

(ENONE TO PARIS.

SA Y.

dos’t tho u read ; or doesthy j ealousbride

Frowning f orb id ? ah'

read ! though Helen ch ide !No le tter speeded by lo f fended kingsHere proud defianc e, f rom Mycenae b rings ;From w rong

’

d ( Enone fl ow these ‘

mournf u l strains,A nymph renown

’

d on Phrygia’

s f ertile pla ins,To h er own Pari s ; if to c all th ee mineStill thou permi t ; ala s ! I once was th ine !Wha t cruel god my fondest v ows has crost ?

Thee , b y what crime , hav e I‘

for e v er lost ?

Pat ience the woes we merit should susta in,Bu t inj u r

’

d innoc ence may we ll complaln.

Perlegis .PAn conjuxprohib et no v a

'

?-

perlege : non est

Ista My cenaea li tte ra f ac ta manu .

’

Pegasis (Enone , Phryg ns cele b errima sylv is,Laesa q ueror de

‘

te‘

,si Sims 1pse ,

’

meo .

Qu is Deus opposuit nostris‘

su a numina v otis ?

Ne tua permaneam,qu o

‘

d mihi crimen o b est ?

L eni ter, ex meri to quicqu id p’

a tiare ,

"

f erendum est

Quae v enit indignae poena, dolenda v eni t.’

Nondum tantus eras; cum, te contenta marito,Edita de magno fl umine Nympha fui.

68 (ENONE To PA‘

R IS .

No t then so great , the sono f Priam now,

A sla ve you Were, When l ( the truthr'avdw)

Deign’d, though a n ymj h and f rom the immortalwav e

Oi mighty X anth tis sprtmg; to wed a'slav e .

t under trees amid ou r flocks when laid,Of mmgled leav es andg rass our b ed w e smade

Of t on the fragrant hay' in slumbers' lost,

The h umb le cot has s creen’

d u s f rom the'

f rost .

Who shew’

d yo u th ickets fit test f or the ch ace

Tocraggy dea

ns the say age b rood to trace

O f t b y you r S lde your ineéh‘

y to ils Is rear’

d,

Of t o’

er the mountain toPS 'your dogs I cheer’

d.

Qui nunc Priamides (adsit reverentia Vere )Servu s eras. Servo nub ere Ny

'

mpha tuli .Smpe greges inter reqmevnnus arb ore tec ti,

Mistaqu e c um f oliis prmb u it ‘herb a torum.

Seepe super stremen foeno que Jacentib u s alto~

De fense, est humili cane pru ina casa.

Qu is t ib i monstraba t’

saltus v enatib us aptos,

Et tegere t catu los qua f era-

rupe suos

Retia smpe comes macul is distincta tetendig .

Sa pe citos egi per juga longa canes :

Incisae servent a te mea nomine fagiEt legor (Enone falce no tata tua.

Et quantum trunc i, tantt‘im mea nomine. crescunt

’

70 cantons“

ea arms .

“

Juno‘

and Venus, and inl naked charms

Mmerva came , _more graceful deck’

d wi th arms.

My b osom shudder’

d, and, wi th horror celd,My limb s all tremb led as the tale yen told.

"

Then f or adv ic e , nor moderate ‘

was my f ear,The wrinkled hag I sought, and aged seer ;

The wrinkled b ag and aged seen agree

My fears w ere Just , all e b eded ill to me .

Theilo f ty Pme descends, the b eams are’

cleav’d,

And on i the a dult s"

wav es your sh ips receiv ’dY ou wept at parting, do no t tha t deny ,

Your present lov e your cheeks mightlleepér dye

Illa dies fatum misermmih i dix i t : ab illa

Pessima mu tati coepit amoris hyemsQua Venus e t Juno , sumptisque dec entiora rmis

Venit in"

arb itrium nu‘da Minerva tuum.

Attonit i mlcuere smus,~

gelidusque- cucurri>t,

‘

Ut mih i /narrfi s ti, dura per ossa tremon

Consulu i (neque enim modica terre b ar) anasque,L ongmv osque sen

’

es constit it esse ne fas

Ceasa ab ies, se‘

c tmque trab'

es“

,e t, classe parata,

‘

Caeru la cera tes acc ipi t unda rates.

Flest i d iscedens : ‘hoc saltem parce‘negare .

'

Praeterito inagis est iste pu de ndus amor.

Et flesti, e t nostros v idisti fl entis o cellos

Miscuimus lacrymas moestus u terque suas.

T i emNQVNE ZTO EP‘Afi f fi .

“

7L

Y es you sdifl fweep,~

nor did '

you Weep'aleue ,

Our tears we mmgledy f o r ou r igrie f was one

To .the lo v’de lmne

’

eri b ster c lang stil e v ine ,Than

‘

didi hy c ircl ing arms my neck

The sailors smilv’d, f how o f t did y ou de clare

The w ind de tain’d you , b u t'

the w ind was t air.

How o f t recall me , fe lgmng-

to dism iss,

How of t,receiv e , - and g1ve , the parting k iss

S till in my fond l emb racesas you h ung,

How faintly c ried farewe ll’

your falteringtongue !Your canv as, fl agging . f rom the lo f ty

finest,

Rose , by thegently sprmgmg gale, emb rac’

d

The main resounded w i th t he dash ing oar,

Whose f requent stroke , ,upturn"

d the b illows b oar ;Far as they can, my straining eyes pursue

Y ourt parting se l ls"

,my tears the sands be‘

dew .

Non i /sic appositisv incitu r v itibu s ulmus,

Ut tua ’

sunt ce llo b rach ia nexa‘

meo .

Ah quo ties, cum te v ento que rerere te‘

neri,Riserunt

i

comzites ! f ille t secundus erat . “

O scu la dimissaaq uo tieswepe tita dedisti

Quam s

v ix'

mustinu it dic ere lingua , ValeAu ra lev is rigi

'

do pendentia lintea maloSu sc itat ; et remis erut’a canet aqua .

Prosequor infelix oculis ab euntia vela,

Qua lice t ; e t lacrymis h'

ume t arena meis.

(ENON E TO PAR IS .

I woo the’

Nere ids soon to b ring you home ,And, to my sorrow , b u t toosoon

‘

you come

My v ows hav e b rough t thee , b u t'

ano ther charms,

My cares preserv’

d thee fo r a h’

arlo t’

s arms.

A mountam r1scs near, whose craggy b row

Surv eys, and awes, the unfathom’

d main b elow ;Here

‘fi rst your sai ls I knew ;’

w ith rapt11re seen,

Andlongf

d to rush through wav es that roll’

d b e tween.

When 10 , no t worn by y ou ; the pmple dye

Flam’

d from the- ”

prow upon my daz zled eye .

Nearer and nearer to the land you drew ;

A woman's f eatures now I tremb ling v iew ;

t ue‘celer v emas, v irides Néreldas oro

_Sc ilicet u t v emas In mea damna celer;

Votis«ergo meis,alii rediture , redisti

Hei mihi , pro dirapellice b landa fu iAspicit immensum mo les nat iv a pro f undumMons f u it : aequoreis illa resistit a quis.

H1nc ego vela tuae cognov 1 puma carinaeEt mih1 per fl uc tus impe tus ire f u i t.

Dnm moror, in summa f ulsit mih i purpura prora.Pertimu i cultus non erat ille tuns. v 1

Fit proplor, terrasque c i ta ratis attigit auraF‘

cemineas v idi corde tremente genasNon satis id f uerat tqu id emm fu riosamorab ar ? )Haereb at gremio tu rp1s amica tuo .

74 a n o nn rro PA R I S

Me w i th no rapture s wealth o r power inspire ;Nor swe lls my b o som w ith the va in des1re ,

O f‘

Priam’

s many daugh te rsfito b e one , _

A‘daugh ter wedded to a

“

hundredth son

No t tha t my b lood wo u ld Priam’

s lineage sta in,Or j ustly Hec u ba a nymph disda in .

Consc i ouso f inb orn w orth I dare w 1th 1 pride

The w ish a v ow to re ign a royal b ride .

My charms may we ll a prince’

s

”

v ows”repay ;

My hand, w ith grace , the armed Sceptre sway .

Nor tho u despi se me , tha t, o f ' h igh degree ,

1 de ign’

d thy humb le f ortunes share-Wi th,

thee ;

Though o f t o u r c ouch the beechy f o liage spread,More fi t am [ to press a: royal bed

Can you w ith Helen as W1th me repose

Secure f rom flee ts, tha t b ear av enging foes P

Nor1 tamen 11t Priamu sNymph'

ae socen esse recuse t

Au t Hec ub ae f uerim dissi tnu landa nurus.

D igna qu e,sum,

e t cupio fi e ri matrona po tentis ;

Sunti

mihi, quas possint sceptre decere , manus;

Nee me , faginea quod tecum f rond-

e j aceb am,

De spice purpureo sum magis apta 'toro .

B eniqu e , tu tu s amor meus est tib i z~

nulla pat entar

Bella , nec a ltrices adv ehit unda‘

ra tes.

Tyndaris infestis f ugitwa-

reposc itur armisHac veni t in thalamos do te superb a tue s.

Qt

mu on s TO Pa n t s . 7

Sought by the th irsty swords o f inj ur’

d k ings,This is th e portion she in triumph brings ;Whom if youmu st no t ye t

’

re store’

,enqu ire

Of all your b ro thers, and you r ag ed m e ;

Of Priam’

s self though partia l to y our yo u th ;

The b rav e Dei’

phobu s shall own the truth

Counsel rece i v e a t v aliant Hec to r’

s hand,

Or o f the sage Polydamas demand ;

Learn what the grave Ai

ntenor may adv ise ,Wh om, age has taugh t, expe rienc e .render

’

d w 1se.

Base to b e tray your c o untry’

s cause fo r lust ,

Your’s is a shame fu l plea , the hu sb and’

s, j ust ;Nor fo ndly deem tha t she , so qu ickly won,

The y ielding Helen, w i ll b e thine alone .

As now Atrides by his guest b e tray’

d

Loudly compla ins o f h is dishonou r d bed,

Quae si sit Dana l s reddenda , v el Hec tore f ra trem,

Ve l c um Deipho b e Polydamanta roga .

Qu idgrav is A 11teno r, , Pria‘

1nus qu id sua de a t ipse,

Consu le ; queis ze tas lo ngaimagistra f u it.

Turpe rudimentum pa triee prcepo nere raptam :

Causa pudenda tua est ; j u sta v ir a rma mo v e t.

Nee t 1hi, si sap1as, fidam promitte L acoenam,

Qua: sit in amplexu s tam c ito v e rsa tuos.

Ut minor Atrides teme ra ti foede ra lec t1

Clama t, e t ex terno laesu s amore do le t

n 2

a n on}; TO Pa n t s.

Loudly shalt thou compla in ; nor art, nor’

. cost ,

Can e’

e r restore a woman’s honou r lost :She b urns f or thee ; Atride s whom she lov

’

d,

(Good easy man!) the widow’

d h usb and pre v’

d.

Il ec tor’

s example sho u ld hav e fi r’

d thy b reast,

(Enone,like Andromache

, b een b lest .

Ligh ter art thou than leav es the ground that Strow,The sapless leav es, when w inds autumnal b low 5More we igh t than thou the chatty ear re tains

,

Dried b y perpe tual suns in parching iplains .

Thus did thy f rant ic sister, wh ile her ha irS tream

’

d to thew inds, my wretched f ate dec lare

Tu quoque clamab is. Nulla reparab ilis arte

Lassa pudicitia est : deperit illa semel.Arde t amore tu i ? SIC e t Menelaon amav it.

Nunc j ace t 111 v iduo'

c redu lu s ille toro .

Felix fi ndromache , c erto b ene nupta ma ritoUxor ad exemplum f ratris hab enda f ui .

Tn lev ie r f oliis, tunc , cum, sine pondere su cc i,\Mob ilib us v e ntis arida f acta cadunt .

Et minus est in te quam summapondus arista,Qu ee le v is assidu is solib us usta t ige t.

Hoc tua (nam recolo) quondam germane caneba t,

Sic mih i difi ll sis v a tic inata c omisQuid j acis, CEnone quid a rena: semina mantles ?

Non prof ecturis‘

littora bubus aras.

7S\ can on s TO PA R IS .

Her too a certa in Theseus (easy prey i)(Theseus if righ t I name him,) b ore away .

Grant tha t an amorous you th w i th scorn repa id,Resign

’

d inv iola te a b looming ma idForce though she plead, and thus would b lame

escape ,

SheQ- who so o ft is wrav ish’

d, cou rts the rape .

Whence all th is knowledge , how these tru ths Iprore ,

Ask, and I answer in a word, I lo v e f ‘

Tru e , though b e tray’

d, (Enone still remains,Thy base example , fa ith less you th , disda insMe the lewd herd o f sa tyrs swif t

i

pu rsue ,

Los t in the w oods I v anish f rom their s v iew ;

Ndn -wi th the spiral pine on Ida crown’

d

Has t . thou more f a v or,horned Faunus, fo und.

A Ja v ene e t c upido c redatu r reddita Virgo .

Unde hoe compererim tam b ene , quaeris ? amo .

Vim’

licet appe llesL e t c ulpam nomine v e les 5

Qu ae to ties rapta est, praeb u it ipsa rapt .

At mane t (Enone fallenti casta mari toEt po te ras f alli legib us ipse tu is.

Me Satyri co lore s (sylv is ego te c ta la te bam)Qua-asiérunt rapido tu rb a pro terva pede :

Cornigerumque capu t pinu praecinc tus a cu taFaunu s, in immensis qua tumet Ida j ugis.

mu on z TO PAR IS. 79

_

He , f romTWho se hands prou d Ilion’

s b ulwarks ro se,

L o v’d me and f o rc

’

d, my fierce res istance knows;My po inted nails h is radian t tresses tore ,The marks his v isage o f my f ury b o re .

Gold to a tone the,

w rong my sou l ab horr’

d

Ingenu ou s beau ty spu rns a b ase reward.

The god inspi res me w i th h is healing arts,

Gra te ful the ir f unctio ns to my hands impartsAll he rb s o f po wer to so f ten human woe ,

All the w ide world af fo rds f or cure , " I knowAh that no herb expels a lo v er

’

s pain !

For my own aid my b oa sted skill is v a lu

Me tide c onspicu us Troj ae mu nitor amav it

l lle meae spo lium y trgmita tis hab e t,Id q uoque lac tand o ; rupi tamen ungu e capillosOraque sunt digit is aspe ra fac ta me is.

Nee pre t ium stupri gemmas au rumve pepo sc i.

Turpite r ing enu um mune ra co rpus emunt .

Ipse , ratus d ignam, medicas mihi tradidi t artes ;Admisit qu e meas ad sua do na manus .

Quascunq ue u herb a po tens ad opem, radixque

me dendi

Ut ilis in to to nasc itur orb e , mea es t.

Me s mise ram , quod amor non e st medicab ilis

he rb is !

Dcficror prudens artis ab’

arte mea.

30 mnox a TO PAR I S .

No t him, to m an the'

h ealing art who gavq t

From crue l lo v e“

h is o wn inv entions sav e .

From me the shepherd o f Phe rean plainsRece iv ed the wound in h is immortal v e insNo r genial earth , nor all the herbs tha t growTh ick on her f ru i tf ul b osom, can b estow ,

N0 , no r the god:

o f health’

s restoring ha nd,

Impart the medic ine , tha t my woes demandThou only can

’

st f hav e’

pi ty on“

the ma id,Who l ost implores , and j u stly

[

cla ims thy and.

I b ring no h osti le armies f rom a far,“

Nor stir the avenging Greeks to cruel war

S t ill am I th ine , w ith thee l f ondly pastMy childish day s, w ith thee wou ld brea the my la st.

Ipse repertor Opis v acéasp av isse Phermas‘

_I’ertu r, e t e nostro sau c ius igne f u i t .

Quod n equ e graminib us tellus f oecunda creandis,

Nec Deus aux i lium, tu mihi f erre po tes.

Et po tes, e t meru i. Dignae miserere puellaa.

Non ego c um Danai'

s arma c ruenta f ero .

S ed tua sum, tecumque fui puerilib us armisEt tua, quod superest temporis, esse precor.

ARGUMENT.

DEIANIRA was the daughter of E neus hing ofCalydon, and the wf e cy

c Hercules While she

was closing a letter, reproaching him with his in

f idelity to her ( and particularly with the loss of

a ll his g lory in the arms of Iole, who had g a i ned

entire dominion ov er him,cyfter he had sla in her

f ather, and c onquered the hingdom of Qi'cho lia)

the news arriv ed that he was expiring inagonies

upon mount E ta , f rom the ef ect of pozson con

v ey ed in a‘

robe senth im by Deianira,‘

dippe_d in

the blood Qf Nessas the Centaur ; who thus inge

niously contriv ed to rev eng e himself uponHercules.

For, knowing that his was wounded by a dart im

pregnatedw ith the v enom of the Hydra , and beingwell acquainted with the [ amorous disposition ofhis conqueror, he persuaded Deianira to preserve

some of his b lood ; assuring her tha t it contained

a charm of inf a llib le power to restore the af ec~

t i ons of a husband,’

howev er they might wonder.

Driven to despair by the discov ery of her f ata l

error, she then . endeav oured to v indica te the ih

nocence ot'her intentions ; but determzned to put

an end to her lif e f or becoming , though involuntarily , the cause of her husband

’

s death .

DEIANIRA TO HERCULES.

VVH I L E y ields Gi cb alia’

s ty rant to thy arms,

And Tho u a c aptiv e to the daugh te r’

s ch arms ;

-With j oy I hail the f ame thy triumphs reap,

The c onquero r, v anqu ish’

d by the co nqu er’

d, we ep.

The tale through all the Grec ian c ities fl ies,And the grea t deeds o f He rc ules b elies,

Tha t He f rom Io le rec eiv es the yoke ,

Whose mind no to ils impos’

d b y Juno b roke .

Pleas’

dmay Eurystheus, and the Thunderér’

swi fe ,Thy

‘

Stepdame , hear b f thy inglorious li f e ;

Gra tu lor (Echaliam ti tulis ac cedere v estris

Vic torem v ie tae su c c ub u isse que ro r.

Fama Pl

elasgiadas su b i to pervenit in u rb es

Dec olor, e t f ac tis infi cianda tuis}Quem nunquam Juno , se riesque immensa lab orumFregerit ; hu ic Iolen imposu tsse Jugum .

Hoe v e lit Eu rystheus, v elit hoc germana Tonantis;

L mtaq ue sit v i tre lab e nov erca tuae.

At non i lle v elit , c u i nox (si creditu r) una

Non tanti , u t tantus conc iperere, f ui t .

S4 b aram aa r

‘

o‘

H a a e o‘mt s.

No t so thy sire , who b anish ’d env ious light,Treb ling, to giv e thee b irth , the hou rs o f n ight .By Ju no

’

s b a ffl ed arts thy v alor tried,

S till rose triumphant, and her rage de fy’

d

b l ore f ell, encha ins-

thee upon flow ery b eds,And on thy ne ck exu lt ing Venu s treads.

L o by thy powers”

the av enged o rb a t peace ,

Tha t az ure Neptune girds w i th amb ient seas ;To thee the guarded land it

’

s qu ie t owesThe ma in pro tec ted b y thy v alor fl ewsl;

By thee the mansions o f the sun are b lest,

Where b eams the o rient god, or sinks to rest ;

The stars, when Atlas f ail’

d, Alc ides b ore ,Those he av ens,where men h is godhead shall adore

C los’

d are these glories, and no tori ou s shame ,His only portion now ,

su cceeds to fame

Plus t ib i, quam Ju no , nocu it Venus.I lla premendoSu stulit : hasc h umili su b pede co lla tene t .

Resplce v 1ndic ib us pacatum v iribUS ‘orbem,

Qua la tam Nereus cmrulus amb i t.

humum.

Se tib i pax terras, tibi se tu ta aequora debent

Implésti meritis Solis u tramque domum.

Quod te laturum est, coelum prior ipse tulistiHercule supposi to sidera f u lsit Atlas.

‘

Qu id n isi no titia est misero quaesita pudori,Si maculas turpi _facta priora nota?

86 9 1 mm “ To H ERCUL Eé.

My heav en- b orn husb and still deligh ts to roam,

(The guest more frequent than the host at home

Engag’

d’

w ith monste rs, wh ile a w idow’

d wifeThe gods I weary, tremb ling fo r his li fe .

Me serpents, b ristly b oars, and lions gau nt,And

‘dogs w i th triple jaws dev ouring haunt ;Me reek ing e n tra ils, gha stly f orms, a ff righ t,S talk ing in v isions o f the mu rky nigh t.Sport o f all rumoq Fame uncertatn speeds,

Hope expels fear, and f ear to hope succeeds.

Thy absent mo ther weeps the hour she won

The sov ere ign god, or b ore to Jov e‘

a son.

Banish’

d Amph i tryon ; stranger to my eyes

Hyllus, —thy loss no smiling b a b e supplies

Ipsa domo v idua, v o tis opera ta pudic js,Torqueor ; infesto ne v ir ab hoste

i

cadat .

l nter'

s

’

erpentes, apro squé, av idosque leoniesJac tor, e t esu ro s

‘terna per o ra c anes.

Me pec udum fib res , simu la’

craque inania somni,Ominaqu e arcana noc te pe ti ta mov ent .

Au c upor infelix incertae murmura famae

Spequ e timor

i

du b ia, spesque timore cadi t.

Ma ter ab est queri turqu‘

e Deo placu isse‘

po tenti;

Nec pater Amphy trion, nec pu er Hyllus adest .

Arb ite r Eurystheus iraa Junonis iniquaa'

S e ntitur no b is, iraque longa Deae.

BEIANIRA'

TO fl at wo rms; 871

The wra th o f Juno f or her inj ur’

d b ed

Eurystheus pours on my de v o ted head

Her rage so f ar the ty rant’

s sway ex tends

So low the o ff ended queen o f hea v en descends !

Y ou to these ho rro rs add yo ur fore ign lo v es,

By whom a mo ther ev ery harlo t prov es .

Nor nymphO rmenian 3 in th’

Arcadian v ale

Nor v iola te d maid shall swell the tale

That pic tur’

d throng , not one o f‘

whom you spare,

To urge theThespian sisters I forbear,By new adulteries and new crimes b etray

’

d,

The stepdame now o f Lydian Lamus made .

Of t the same realms the god who wandering lav esAnd to his b osom w inds the refl uent, wav es,

Hae cmihi ferre parum est : pe regrinos addisamoresEt mater de te quee lib e t e sse po test .

Non ego Parthemis temera tam v allib us Auge r!,

Nee re fe ram partus, Ormeni nympha , tuos.

Non ti b i crimen crunt Theu trantia turb a sorores

Quarum de popu lo nu lla reliera t ib i .

Una recons crimen praef ertur‘adul tera nob is

Uncle ego sum L ydo fac ta no v erca Lamo .

Meandros, to t ies qu i terris e rra t 1n isdem,

Qui lapsas in se saspe re to rqu e t aquasV idi t in Herculeo suspensa monilia collo

l ilo , cui coelum sarc ina parva f u i t .I 2

83 nrra u‘m a TO a n t ennas.

Méeander, saw“

that neck in jewels dress’d,On which unb ent Jov e

's starry mansion press

’

d.

O‘

shame,'

to b race t hose sinewy arms w ith gold,With gems those solid muscles to infold !Then, whose fi erce, gripe Nemea

’

s plague subdu’

d,

Hisr ski‘

n a trophy ,ou thy shoulders v iew.

’

d

Those b ristly lo cks the Lydian m itre b ound 3.

Bet ter pale poplar had Alcides crown’

d

Proud, as a wanton“

g1rl,who sees‘

h is waistThe z one surround, nor deems it thus disgrac

’

d.

The wre tch h is steeds w i th human flesh who f ed,And

‘

fierce Bu siris b y thy arms who b led,L ivmg no greater triumph had desir

’

d,

Bu t b lush’

d to see the ir conqueror so . attir’

d

Non puduit fortes auro cohib ere lac ertos,

Et solidis gemmas apposu isse toris.

Nempe sub his animam pest is Nemeeea la'

cért1s

Edidit s unde hume rus tegminai

laev us hab e t.

Ausus’

es h irsu tos mars redimire capilloAptior Hercu leae populus alb a comae .

Ne e te Maeonié, lasc iv ae more puellae,

Inc ingi zona dedec uisse pu tat ?Non t i b i su ccu rrit c rudi Diomedis imago,Ef ferus humand qu i dape pav i t equas

Si te v idisset cultu Bus iris in isto ;ll uic v ic tor v ie to nempe pudendua eras.

n ErAN'

rR A TO rrnri c u zzas.

And dar’

st thou bu sied thus thy‘

lab ors name,

From k ind ob li v ion drag thy w ounded fame iThe serpents strangled by thy infant hands ;

The b oar, that rav ag’

d the Arcadian lands,

Now loads the earth Where late he gav e the wou nd,Whom Erymanthu s b red w i th Cyprus crown

’

d

The head tha t on the Thrac1an po rtals glare s

Wi th flesh o f slaughter’

d men the fa tten’

d mates

The triple Cerb erus“

arm’

d w i th -

snaky c re st ;

_

With herds and fl ocks the triple Geryon b lest ;FellHydra

’

sheads, that strow’

d the po ison’

dground,

Then sprang redou b led f rom the fertiley

wound ;

Scilice t immanes clisi'

s fa ucib us hydros

Infantem cunis inv oluisse manum ?

Ut Tegeaeu s aper cupressif ero Eryman tb o1

Incub e t,e t v asto pondere laudat humum

Non't ib i Threl ciisa ffix

'

a pena tib us ora ,

Q

Non hominum -

pingues caede tacentur equae ?" Prodigiumque triplex , arment i d1ves Iberi

G eryones ; qu amv is in trib us unus e rat ?

Iuque canes to t idem trunco digestus ab uno

Ce rb eru s, implic itis angue minante comis ?Quaequ

eredundabat foecundo v u lnere

i

serpens

Fe rtilis, e t damn is div es a b ipsa su is ?iq ue i nter lae vumq ue latus laevumque lacertum

Pn egrav e compressa fauce pependit onus

nh ra n ra a TO HER CUL ES . 91

And himg wh'

om stifled in y our arms you fo il,And cru

’

sh suspended from h is parent so i l“

;

Expell’

d from Thessaly th’

amb iguous b reed

Of Centau rs, v ainly trusting in the ir speed,

Can’

st thou on these expa t1ate , nor thy dress,

Thy so f t Sidonlan rob es, thy tongue repress ?

Then, wh ile a woman’

s garb Alc ides wears,Drest in her - turnlike thee the nymph appears

Assumes the spear, l S girdedwith the sword,And o f his troph ies rob s b er capt iv e lord .

Nowproudly b oast ; thy -wondero‘

us f ea ts retrace

Her’

s is the hero’

s meed, and th ine , disgrace .

To her thy glories in the tented field,.Or fo rest gain

’

d, O mighty - conqu eror, y ield 1

Et malé confisum pedib us formdque b imemb riPolsum Thessalicis agmen equestre j ugis ?Haec tu S idon‘io po tes insignitus amic tuD ice re ? ndn c ultu lingu a re tenta silet ?

Se quoque Nympha tu is ornav it lardanis armis,Et tulit é c apto no ta tropaea viro .

‘

I nunc to lle amimos,-

e t'

fortia gesta recense .

Qubd tu no

'

n esses ju re , v ir i lla f u it .Qtzfi tantt

‘) minor es

, quantd te , max ime rerum,

Qu inn quos v ic isti , v incere majus erat .l lli procedit rerum mensura tua f um .

Cede bonis haeres landis amica tua .

Q2 D EIA'NI R A TO B e aco n s.

Thy c la im resign ; to h er transmi tted b endThyliv ing honors, on her head descend.

Y e t b lush to dot? the v anquish’

d‘

lion’

s pride ,On her sof t limb s to hang h is shaggy ~h ide

Nore rr the t rophy when she proudlyb ears, .

’Tis no t the lion

’

s spo il, b ut thine she wea rs .

By thee the tyrant Of the‘f orest bdeeds,

Anzd she the-

haughty vic to r captiv e, leads ;

A woman , one , whose fee b le h ands w ith painThe loaded d istad‘, and the wool susta in,Spo rts w ith the b ow and arrows, madly b old,

Black with L erne an po iso n, dares to'

b old.

Or grasps the c lu b , tha t monsters f ell sub due s

And then h er figure _ih the m i rror - Views.

Pf o pudor‘

h h irsu ti costas exu ta leonis,Aspera texe runt v ellera

‘

molle la tusi ‘l

Falleris, e t nesc is : non sunt spolia ista leonis,Sed tua tuque feri v ic tor es, i lla tui

Foamina te la tul i t L iarnaeis a tra v eneurs,

Ferre gravem lana v ix satis ap'

ta colum

Instruxitque manum clava domitrice f erarum

Vidit e t in specu lo CODJlln arma su i .‘

Haze ta men audiéram : licu it no n c redere fumm.

En v enit ad sensus mollis ab aure dolor.

Ante m‘eos o culos adduc itur adv ena

‘

pellex

Nee mihi , quae pa tior, dissimulare lice t .

9+ nam‘

n ra a TO B na c uL as.

The o lian ma tron“

b ear an ex ile ’s name,A w i fe ’

s the (Echalian harlo t proudly elaim.

The wanton pa ir inglorious b ands '

entw ine ,

Her fa tes, O doating Hercules, w ith th ine !Themonstrous thoughtmy shuddering f rame appals,My senses f a il ; my hand enerv ate f alls.

Blush no t to own it, nor regret the t ime ,When“

th e you lov’

d, and lov’

d w i thou t a crime ;Nor only lov

’

d b u t, li f ted in my 'aid,

It’

s v alor twice the Herc ulean arm display’

d.

Spo il’

d o f his honors Achelou s mourns,

Whose watery mansions h ide h is mangled horns.

Nor strength , n or speed dev o tedNessus sav e ,

His b lood, Ev enus, dyes thy poison’

d wave .

Eury tidosque Ioles, atque insan i AlcidmTurpia f amosus co rpora junge t Hymen.

Mens f ugit admonitu , f rigus‘

qu e peramb u lat artus,

Et j ace t in gremio langu ida fac ta manus.

Me quoque cum mu lt is, sedme sine'crimine améstiNe pigeat, pugnac b is tib i causa f ui .

Cornua‘

fl ens'

legi t ripis Acheloiis in udis,Truncaqu e limosfi '

tempora mersit aqué.

Semiv ir occub u it in le tifero tEv eno

Nessus ; e t infec it‘sanguis equ inus aquas.

Sed qu id ego haze re f ei

ro scrib enti nunc ia v enitFama, v irum tuni‘cae tab e perire mea) .

mamm a l To in‘

nn‘

e uL Es.

But what av a il to me the deeds are past

Wrapt in my ro b e my husb and b reathes his last .

VVba t hast thou done“

, ah wh i ther, luckless ma id,Thy franttc fi

st eps has j ea lous lo v e b e tray’

d

‘So u rce o f such i lls shalt thou the ve ngeance

Due to a deed like th ine, nor dare to die ?

On (Eta to rtur’

d shall thy lord expire ,Deianira shun the f uneral pyre

f ’

Thy sister thére , O Mele age r o’

wn

There le t thew i fe o f Hercules be ’known

There la id fu lfil the last co nnubi

al tie

Wre tch that thou art, why hesita te to die

Hei mihi ! qu id f ec i ? quome furor ogi t amantemzImpia qu id dub itas De lanlra mor1

An tuu s inmedia conj ux lacerab ittir (Eta?

Tu,

sceleris tant i causasuperstes eris ?Si q uid adhuc hab eo fac t i , cur Herculis

,uxor

Credar ; conjugii mors mih i p1gnu s erit;Tu quoqu e cognosces in me , Me leagre , sororemr

Impia qu id dub itas Deianira mo ri ?Hen dev o ta domus sol io sede t Agrios alto(Enea desertum nuda senec tapremit u

Exula t igno tis zTydeus germanu s in oris.Alter fatali v iv us in igne fu it .

"

Exegit f errum sua pe r praecordia materImpia qu id dub itas De ianira mori

96 DEIAN I RA TO'IIERCUL iZS .

Devoted race ! the u surper Agrius re igns,

(R hens o f age , and mfaithless f riend'

s, compla insMy b ro ther Tydeus, stain

’

d with kindred gore ,Wanders an ex ile on a f ore ign shore

Ano the r peris‘h’

d (0 capric ious fate !)To fi re a v ic timf and a mo ther

’

s hate ;

That mo ther pierc’

d her bo som w i th a sword

Die impious wre tch the murd’ress / o f t hy lord !

Y e t f rom“

one c rim’

e ab solv e my‘

guilty head

By the dear hallow’

d ri tes that b les—

s’

d'

b ur bed

I swear ; and - O b elie ve my la test b reath !Tha t ne

’

er my sou l c onsented to thy death

Nessus, when wounded by the poison’

d dart,

Bade the preserv e what issu’

d f romhis heartMy b lood,

'

said he , a powerf ul charmw ill proveTo fix ,

“

0 treasu re it ! a husb and’

s lo v e .

The fe igned spell on thee I dar’d to try !

De iamra , l I‘IlplOll S Wor

’

nan, die !

Deprecor hoc unum, per j ura sacerrima lec ti

Ne v idear fatis insidiata tu is.

Nessus, -u t est av idum percussus arundine pectus,Hic , dixi t , v ires sangu is amoris habe t.

Illita Nesseo’

misi tib i tex ta v eneno .

Impia qu id dub itas De iani ra mori PJamque v ale , seniorque pa ter, germanaque Gorge,

Et patria, e t patriae f rater adempte tuas.

ARGUMENT.

JASON when - he came - to Colchos fl in quest of the

golden fl eece, was recei ved, Pro tected, and be

loved by Medea, the daughter of Hecate and

E eta king 9”Galchos : * she was said

.

to be a

grea t sorceress probably a learned Zady who

studied physio.

This epistle is supposed to be written by fif edea to

Jason upon his marriage with Creusa the daughter

of Creon king of Corinth.

See the

i

Medea of Euripides, Ov id’

sMetamorphoses,BookVI. andVII. and the Argonautics (if Apollonius Rhodius.

102 MEDEA TO J A SON.‘

My capt ive heart those go lden tresses se ize ,

Those feigned words, tha t grace f ul figu re please PElse

, when these shores thy untried b ark had

made,

Thou and thy b oldw

companion s dar’

d i nv ade ,

Fire b rea th ing b ulls unpit ied had ye b rav’

d,

.hli son

’

s rash progeny no charm had sa v’

d

Quick f rom the seed upsprung the a rmed f oe ,

Had-

lay’

d the daring hand that c ast it‘low .

What f raud w i th theehad perish'd had ’

stthou b led,Wha t ills re serv

’

d f or my de v o ted head !

Still on ingratitude reproach to heap“

Is pleasure , all from thee I hope to reap.

C ur mih i ph‘rsm

‘quo‘

fl av i placuére capilliEt deco r, et linguae grat ia fi c ta tuae

Ant (seme l'

in nostras quomarn no v a puppisarenas

Vene rat , audaces a t tu lera tque v iros)Isse t anh elatos non preemedicatus in ignesImmemor ZEsonides, oraque

‘

adunca b ofim.

Semina Jemsset to tide‘

m sensisset e t hostes,

Ut cade rel

t c u ltu cul tor ab ipse suo .

Quantum perfi'

diae tecum, scelerate , perisset !

Dempta f o rent capiti q uam mala multa meo

Est a liqua ingra to meri tum expro b rare voluptas.

Hac f ruar : haec de te gaudia sola feram.

MEDEA TO J A SON . 103

Happy my country ere thy new form’

d prow

The L o lc h ianwa v e , presumptuous, dar’

d toplough !

There I , Me dea , rul’

d, as he re the b ride ;In wealth w ith her

’

s my royal f a ther v iedHer

’

s o v er sea - div ided Ephyre re igns,Pont

‘

us by , Sc y t liia b ounded, minef

restrains.

Thee and thy train h is royal dome ' ieceiv e s,‘

Thy to ils, and the ir’

s, his generou s care reliev es.

The Grec ian you ths the emb roider’

d couches press,[Eeta

’

s hospi tab le b oard confess

Then first I saw thee , then began to know ,

Then first my ru in’

d pea‘

ce receiv’

d t he b lew .

I gaz’

d,I died, as on the sacred shrine

Dev ou r’

d by sudden fires, the b laz ing pine .

Jnssu s inexpertam Co lchos adv erte re puppim,

Intrasti pe trim regna beata mea .

Hoc illio Medea fu i, no v a nupta quod hic est.

Quam pater est illi, tam mih i div es era t. ,

Hic Ephyren b imarem Scy th’ia tenus i lle niv osé

Omne tene t , Pon ti quaplaga laev a jacet .Acc ipi t hospitio j u v

’

enes ZE'

éta Pe lasgos,

Et premitis pic tos co rpo ra Gra ia to ros.Tune ego te v idi tunc coepi sc ire qu id esses.

Illa f u it mentis prima ruina mew .

Ut v idi , u t perii ! nec no t is ignib us arsiArde t u t ad magnos

'

pinea ta—zda Deos.

MEDEA r’

o J AS ON.

Lo v ely thou we’

rt, and me my f a te impell’

d

Wh ile th ine alone my rav ish’

d eyes b eheld ;

Tra itor thou knew ’

st, for lov e who ,well conceals ?

The b ursting flame the smo the r’

d fire re v eals .

Mean time your de‘

stin’

d lab oursare display’

d ;

Tha t on the u ntam’

d b ulls the yoke be laid,

The-

b ulls o f Mars, w ith ho rns that menace death ,

And fi re , tremendous prodigy , the ir b reath .

Brass were the ir f ee t, theirnostrilsarmed w i th b rass,Black w i th the flames that o’er

’

the me tal pass.

Nex t, that y ou sow the men -

produ c ing seed,

Men a ll in arms to b id - the sewer b leed .

Et formosus eras, et me mea fata trahebant

Ab stnlerant oculi lumina nostra tui .

Pe rfide , sensisti : qu is e nim b ene eelat amorem ?

Emine t in‘dic i o prodita'i

fl amma suo .

Dic itur interea tib i lex u t dura ferorum

I'nsoli to premeres v omere co lla b ofim.

[Mart is erant tau ri plus, quam per cornua, saev iQuorum

‘

terrib ilis Spiritus ignis erat .!JEre pedes solidi , praetentaque naribus mra

Nigra per a ffl atus haec quoque f ac ta suos.

Semina praeterea populos geni tura j u b eris ,

Sparge re dev o ta la ta per arva manu ,

Qu i pe terent secum na tis tua corpora telis.

Illa est agricolae messrs unqua suo .

MEDEA TO JA SON.

Now fear, now lov e prevails, and now f rom f ear

L ov e ga ins new f orce . Whenmorning’

s rays ap

pear,

My’

sister comes,/Ip ress my av erted face ,

Dissolv’d in tears, and shunn ingher emb race .

She hOp’d my aid her ch ildren m igh t rece ive ,

The b oon she craves to Jason’

s prayer I give .

Deep in a"

grove wh ich oak jand pine o’ershade

So th ick, that scarc e can ‘Phoebns pierce the glade,Long. stood, and still D iana’s

—

shrine m‘

mains,

.There in b arb aric gold the Goddess reigns .

With me perhaps thea

place you have forgo t,Bu t there we . met, and in that sacred spo t

Manee rat, e t thalamo Chara recepta soror ;

Disj ectamque comas av ersaque'

in ora j ac entem

Inv enit; e t lacrymis omnia plename is.Orat opemMinyis pe t it altera , e t altera hab eb it .‘fEsonio j uv eni, qu od roga t illa , damus.

Est nemus e t pice is e t frondibu s'

ilicis a trum

Vix illuc radi is solis adire l ice t .Sunt in eo , fuerantque diu , delu b ra D ianaeAurea b arb arica stat Dea f ac ta manu .

Nesc io an exciderint mecum loca . Venimu s illfic .

Orsu s es infido'

sic prior o re loq u1 :

Jus‘ti b i e t arb i trium nostrae Fortuna salutis

Tradidit : inque tuav itaque morsque’

manu .

MEDEA TO J A SON: 1

Thus did you speak , O arb itress o f - fate , .

On whom my tremb ling days su spended”

wai t

Enough the po wer, if power to kill b e j oy ,Bu t no b ler

’

tis to sav e , than to destroy ;

By all my su f ferings, wh ich thy hand can ease ,

Thy grandsire’

s orb , the subjec t world who sees,

By triple D ian’

s mysteries re v er’

d,

Or o ther gods"

in th is thy co untry fea r’

d,

O in thy v rrgm he art le t pity pleadFor me , and those condemn

’

d w ith me to b leedThen, o

’

er my days to thee de v oted, re ign ;Haply a Grecian husb and thou

’

lt disda inElse , ( b u t to hope presumptuou s should I dare

Vanish my spiri t into‘fl ee ting air !

Perde re po sse sa t est, si quem j uvet ipsa po testas.

Sed tib i serv atus gloria'

major ero .

Permala nostra precor, quorumpo tes esse lev amen ;

Per genus e t numen cuneta v identis av i ;

Per triplicis vultu s arcana que sacra Dianee ;

Et si f orte alios gens hab e t ista Deo s

O V irgo , miserere mei miserere meo rum !

Efl‘ice me meritis tempu s in omne tuum.

Quod si f orte v irum non dedignare Pelasgum,

(Sed mih i tam fac iles unde meosque DeosSpiritus antemeus tenuesv anescat in auras,

Quam thalamo, nisi tu, nupta sit u lla meo.

MEDEA TO J A SON.

If o ther b ride than thou , by Jason ledShall e

’

er ascend wj th him the genial b edHear Juno , queen o f nuptial ri tes, andi hou

To whom w ithin'

thy marb le fane we how .

”

This (andhow lit tle “

th is o f all you sa id

Was sure enough to mov e a simple maid.

Then your right hand, w ith solemn form, to m ine ,Pledge o f the tru th o f these your words, you jo in.Your tears I mark’d did they. too fe igned fl ow ?Soon my young heart gav e all it could b estow

The fiery b u lls you .

yoke u nhurt, and wound ,Gu iding the fatal share , the so lid ground.

For seed w ith charmed tee th then sow the fie ld

Upst arts the warrior,w ith the sword and sh ield

Conscia sit Juno , sacris praefec ta maritis

Et Dea, marmorea cuju s in mde sumus.

Haec animum (e t quota pars hmc sunt ?) movere

puellm

Simplicis ; e t dex tra dextera j unc ta mcae.

Vidi—e tiam lacrymas : an pars est fraudls in l lllS

Sic c i to sum v erb is capta puella tu is.

Jungis e t aeripedes inadu sto co rpore tau ros,

Et solidam j u sso v omere findis humum .

Arva v enenatis pro semine dentibus imples

Nasc itur, e t gladios scu taqu e miles ha b et.Ipsa ego , quae dederam medicamina, pallida sedi ;

1 10 man na TO J A so x .

A sister’s lov e despis’

d, amo ther

’

s power

A f ore ign spo iler cropt my v irgin flower !

My b rother, 0 my b rother here the tale

Of wrongs, o f sorrows, and o f crimes must fa il.The deed it dar

’

d to do , dares no t record

My tremb ling hand, b u t well the av enging sword

My limb s, l ike h is, had sca tter’

d m the dust,

And thine , O traitor had the gods been j ust .

My woman’

s heart-

“

no gu ilty f ears restrain,Already steel

’

d in crimes I tempt the"

ma in ”

;

Now le t the wav es‘dispense the j ustice d ueTo me

,f or folly , and f or f raud, to you.

0 had the sister rocks conspir’

d to joinO

’

er Thrac ia’

s stra its, my limb s be en c rush’

d -

w ith ,

th ine ;

Optima c um caramatre relic ta soror.

At non te f ugiens sme me , germane , reliqu i.

Defic i t hoc uno l i tera nostra loco .

Quod facere ausamea est f non aude t scrib ere dex tra .

J Sic ego , sed tecum, dilaceranda f ui.

Nec tamen ext imm (qu id enim post illa timerem ? )Credere me pelago foemma , j amque nocens.

Numen u bi est ? u b i Di ? merl tas su beamus in alto,

Tu f raudis poenas , credulita tis ego .

C ompressos u t inam Symplegades eh sissent .

Nostraque adhaererent ossibus ossa tu is !

MEDEA TO 3 A S ON.

We .to, the hungry pack o f Scylla tost ;

Or in thy wh irling gu lph ,'

Charyb dis, lost !

Bu t sa fe the v ic tor to his nat iv e shore ,

From rocks and seas, propi tious gales restore ;151

"

he ssalia n c i ties the proud pomp b ehold,The crowded f ane rece iv es the fleec e o f gold.

Wha t b oo ts it n ow o f Pelias’ fate to tell,Vic tim o f fi lial pie ty who f ell,By f ond deluded d augh ter doom

’

d to b leed

Who e’

er condemns, still thou should’

st praise the

d eed,

Th ou the sole au tho r o f my crimes abhorr’d,Thou , whomm y hand obey

’

d, my sou l ador’

d

What words can grie f o r rage indignant findFor the j ust sorrows cf my wounded mmd ?

Au t nos Scylla rapax c anibu s m i smse t edendos !

Deb u it ibgra tis Scy lla nocere v iris.

Queeque v omi t fl uc tus to t idem, totidemque resorb e t,

Nos quoque Trinac riae supposu isse t aquas.Sospes ad Haemonlas v 1c torqu e rev erteris u rb es

Ponitur ad pa trios aurea lana Deos.

Qu id re ferem Pelias na tas pie ta te nocentes,

Caesaqu e v irgineamemb ra paterna manu ?

Ut c ulpent alii, tib i me laudare neces‘

se est

Pro q uo sum to tie s esse coac ta nocens’

.

Ansus es 6 (j usto desunt sua v erba dolori )L 2

u anna’

ro J a son .

l -Iow speak the heav ings o f my b ursting h ea rt,“

When thou can’

st bid me from thy doors depart ?

I go , my chi ldren share the stern,dec ree ,

And still pu rsues my steps the lov e o f thee .

Soon as the song o f Hymen meets my ears,

And wav ’d on h igh his b la z ing. torch appears,

To you his pipe wh ich no tes o f j oy resounds,

Me,like the trumpet

’

s'b last f unereal, wounds

I start w i th horror, cold my b osom grows,

Nor the pang doom’

d to pierce it deepest knows.On rush the crowd, and Hymen they repeat,

At ev’

ry shou t my tremb ling pulses b eat ;

Ansus’

es, E sonid, dicere, cedé

’

domoJassa domo cessi,

'

riatis’

cemita ta du obus ;”

E t, q u i me isequ i tu’

r sempe r, amore tu i.

Ut sub itr‘) nostras Hymen cantatus ad aures

Veni t, e t accenso lampades igne micant,Tib iaque e f f undit socialia carmina v obis,At .rhihi f unesta f leb iliora t

'

ubé.

Pertimui nec adhuc tantum scelus esse pu tab am

Sed tumen in to to pecto re f rigus erat .Turb a ruunt , e t , Hymen, c lamant Hymc ncee, f re

queu tant .

Quo propio r v ox haec , ho c mih i pej us era t .D i v e rsi f ic hant se rv i, lacrymasque tegebant .

Qu is v ellet tanti nunci us esse mali t"

1 14 MED EA Tuv

j a so tr.

O inj u r’

d si re ! if that thy pangs may ease,

If that , thy manes, b ro the r, can appease ,

And you , if any shall my woes rela te ,

Deserted Colch ians, triumph in my f ate ;Of f riends, my c ountry , o f a throne depriv

’

d,

And scorn’

d by h im for whom a lone I liv ’d.

O’

erfiery b ulls, and serpents I prev a il,One man

’

s unconquer’

d heart in v a in assail. ‘

I , who w ith charms repe l inc hanted fi re ,

Now , slav e to passion, in my own expire .

Va in are my mu tter’

d spells, in v a in I v owNew ri tes to Heca te , or to D ian b ow .

To me no day shall e’

er seem sweet-

or fair,’

No nigh t w ith gentle slumb ers soo th”

my care

Lease pater, gaude : Colch i gaude te relic ti.In ferias umb rm f rat i is b ab e te me i.

Dese ror (amissis regno patriaque domoque)Co nj uge , qu i nob is omnia so lus e ra t .

Se rpentes igitu r po tni , taurosque f urentes ;Unum non po tni pe rdomu isse v irum i‘

Qumque f eros pepu li doc tis medicatibus ignes,

Non v a lco fl ammas e ff ugere ipsa meas .

Ips i me cantus, herb aequ e arte sque relinquunt .P

Nil Dea , m l Heca tes sacra po tentis agunt .P

Non m ih i gi ata D ies noc tes v igilantur amarae

Nee tene r in misero pec tore somnus adest.

MEDEA To Jason . 1 15

Y e t I to sleep the wa tch fu l dragon laidrTo me alone my a rts re fuse the ir aid

”

;

A harlo t reaps the fru it o f‘

all my to ils,And proudly

'

riots in my kmgdom’s SpoIlS .

The limb s I sav’d, and nerv’

d w ith potent charms,Nowlie infolded in a harlo t’s arms.

O f t'

to your ideo t b ride, w i th triumph , gay ,

Your,w it perchance and prowess you display ;

My f ea tures and my manners may deride ,And soo th _

w i th my de fects a riv al’s pride ;Pleas

’

d le t her laugh , on‘

downy purple sleep,

C onsum’

d w i th w asting fires she soon'

shall weep ;

Rev enge wh ile fi re , or steel , ‘or po ison gi v es,

No f oe unpunish’

d of Medea liv es.

Quae‘

me non possum, po tn i sopipe draconem.

Utilior cuiv is, quam mih i, cura mea est.

Qu os ego serv av i, pellex amplec titur artus

Et nostri f ruc tus illa lab oris habe t .Forsitan e t , stu ltae dum te j ac tare maritm

Queeris, e t inj ustis au rib us apta lo qui,In f ac iem mo resque meos no v a cr1m1na fingas.Ridea t, e t v itiis lasta sit illa me is

Rideat , e t Ty I‘lO j acea t su b limis m ostro ,

Fleb it : e t ardores v 1nce t adusta meos.

Dum f errum fl ammaeque aderunt,‘

su ccusque veneni ;HostisMedea: nullus inultus erit.

1 16 MEDEA TO JA SON.

Bu t o , if prayer thy stony heart'

may b end,

Rece iv e the sui t to wh ich I now descend ;I , who that mercy now intrea t from thee ,

Which , prostra te o f t hast tho u implor’d o f me ;

Though me thou sco rn, ou r o f fspring y e t regard,

Pro tec t my ch ildren f rom a stepdame hard

Image o f thee to o true , my tea rs they mov e ,

And wake the f ond rememb rance o f‘

our lov e .

By the j ust gods, thy grandsire’

s genial ray s,Ou r sons, and meri tso f my f ormer days,Restore the righ ts“

f or wh ich w i th thee I fl ed,Thy aid, thy pligh ted tru th , the genial

‘

b ed

Qadd si f orte preces praec'

ordia f errea‘

tangunt

Nunc animis audi v erb a minora me is.

Tam t ibi sum supplex , qu hm’

tu mih i ssepe fuisti

Nec moror ante tuo s pro cu b u isse pedes.

Si t ib i sum v i lis ; communes .respic e na tos.

Saev ie t in partu s dira no v erca meos .

Et nimihm similes tib i sunt : e t imagine tangor st, qu o ties v ideo , lum ina nostra madent .

Per superos o ro , per av itze lumina fl ammae ,Per meri tum,

e t na tos pignora nostra duos

Redde torum : pro quo to t res insana reliqm .

Adde fidem dic tis ; auxiliumque re fer.

Non ego te imploro contra tauro sque v irosque ;

t ue tu ft serpens v ieta qu iescat ope :

MEDE A TO J A SON.

My gi f t thy v aunted b ride o f royal l ine ,To prov e ungrate f ul tha t thou liv

’

st, is mineLiv e on b u t where fore shouldmy tongue impartThe deep rev enge I treasu re in my heartMy rage I follow ; i f remorse ensue ,

What, than a tra itor sav’

d,

- shall more I rue ?The dire ful l ssue le t the god Controu l,Who stirs this confl ic t in my troub led sou l

For some dire deedf my b rooding. mind concei ves ;

With horrors ye t unknown my b osomh‘

eav es .

Attine t ingentes parturit ira minasQu t‘) f ere t ira, sequar. Fac ti furtasse pige bi t

Et pige t‘

infido bonsulu isse v iro .

Viderit ista Deus, qu i n u nc mea pec tora v ersat,

Nesc io qu id‘

certemeus mea majus agit.

L AODAMIA

PR O

ARGUMENT.

J

i’ROTESIL AUS, prince, led

ships to Troy he was thefi rst mem who le aped

upon the Troyan shore, and was killed by Hector.

Vide Iliad VI . L aodamia, upon hearing”

this, i s

said to have put herself to death ; also . to have

expired,in the

‘

arms (f the ghost of her husband,which at her desire appeared to her. While the

Grecian fl eet is - deta ined at Aalis she thus ad

1 2 2 LAO'DAMIA TO PROTES I L A US .

The w ind tha t ~wa1ts you r spreading sails is fa ir,Joy .to the mariners, to me de spa ir ;No lov er’s wind ! the sailors’ thoughtless race ’

It su its, and tears me f rom thy l ov’

d emb race ;

Words on my qu i v ering l ips unfinish’

d hung,

Scarce u tters one farewell my faltering tongueYour sails distending Boreas sternly b lows,

”

And f ar f rom me Prbtesilaus goes ;Long as they can,my husb and b ent to View ,

Th ine to the last my streaming eyes pu rsue ;

When- thee I lose , the lessen ing sa ils rema in ,The le ssening sails my

i

w earied sigh t de tain

Raptuse s hinc praeceps : e t, qu i tu a v ela v ocare t,

Quem c uperent nau tae , non ego , v entus erat .

Ventus-

e rat nau tis aptusj

,non aptus amant i .

Solv or ab amplexu ,Pro tesila

'

e, tuo ;

L inguaqu e manda ntis v erb a imperf ec ta relinq uit.

Vix -

‘

illudpo tni dice re triste , Vale .

Incub u itB oreas, ab reptaque yela te tendit ;

Jamque meu s longePro tesilaiis erat .

Dum po tni spec ta re v irum , spe c tare j uy ab at

Sumque tuos oculo s usque secu ta me is.

Ut te non po teram, po teram tua v ela y idere

Vela diu v u ltu s de tinuére meos .

At postquam nec te , nec v ela f ugacia v idi ;Et quod spec tarem,

nil,nisi pontus, erat ;

L AODAMIA TO P R OTES I LAU S . 123

When tho u no longer, nor thy sails appear,Nor ought b e tw ix t h igh heav en and

”

o cean drear,

With thee too v anish’

d e very ray o f ligh t ;Senseless I sink into ob liv ious nigh t .

Scarce can Iphiclus and Acastus hoar,

With piou s aid, my li felessi

f rame resto re

Scarce the fann’

d b ree z es o f re f re sh ing air,

Or w a ter sprinkled b y a mo the r’

s care ,

(Kind thankless care ch ildrev i v e ,Indignant, thus to b e c ompe ll

’

d to liv e .

Then w i th my senses all my woe re turns,

Stung w i th chaste lov e my fa ith ful bosom burnsTo b ind my flow ing tresses I

“

re f use ,

Or gems or golden ornaments to u se ;

L ux quoque tecum ab i’

i t ,‘teneb ris exangms ob ortis

Succ iduo dicor proch b uisse genu .

Vix socer Iphiclus, v ix me grandasv us Acastus,

Vix mater gelidamoesta re f ec it aqua.Offic ium—f e cére pium, sed inu t ile no b is.

Indignor m iseree non licu 1sse mori .Ut rediit animu s, pariter rediére dolores

Pe c tora legitimu s casta momordi't amor.

Nec mih i pec tendos c ura est praeb ere capillosNee lib e t 'au ra ta corpora v este tegi.

Ut quas pampinea te tigisse Bicornig er hastéCreditur, huc illuc , quo f uror egit , co .

M 2

LA ODAM’IA TO PROTES I LAU S .

Bu t

—

like the z oneless b acchanal appear,Whom the god tou ches w ith h ismaddening spear.

Then thus the assemb led matrons so o th my care,

Thy royal rob es Laodamia wear.

’

My robes shall I then glare in Tyrian dye ?Benea th proud Ilion

’

s walls my h usb and lie 2

He toil in arms : array’

d in gorgeous dress

I wrea th my temples : his the he lme t press

No , t ill war cease , I’ll wear thei '

weeds rof woe ,

Thy su ff erings imi tate , nor pleasure know.

Pari s, »1n arms thy fatal b eau ty drest,

Prov e a weak foe, as erst a fai thless. guest !

0 had th e Spartan b ride“

thy f eatures b lam’d,

Or thou despis’

d her charms so loudly f ain"d

Conv eniunt matres Phylle ides, e t mihi c lamant,

Indue regales, L aodamz’

a,sinus.

Sc ilice t ipsa geram saturatas mu rice v estes,

Be lla su b Iliac is moenib u s ille gera t EIpsa comas pec tar, galefi capu t ille prematur iIpsa nov as v estes du ra v ir arma fere t ?

Quapossum, squalore tuos imi ta ta lab oresDicar : e t haec b e lli tempo ra tristis agam .

Dun! Pari Priamide , damno formos

'

e tuorum,

Tam SIS hostis iners, quem malushospes eras.

Aut te Teenarize fac iem culpasse maritze ,

Au t illi v ollem displicuisse tuam.

L AODAMIA TO PROTES I L AUS L

Proud sh ips, andm en attending on th e ir lordD isplay the powers o f war h is realms a ff ordThese, I su spec t, migh t, Helen, thee su b due,

And these , I th ink, th e Gree lan host may r ue.

Hec torI f ear, f or Hec tor, Pari s said,The b lood o f foes in war relentlessshed

Me if thou lov e , of Hec tor then b ewa re,(His name recordedm in thy memory b ean)Nor o f h im only , s till when you engage,

Think many Hec tors i n the b attle rage ;And when preparing to a ttack the

“

foe ,To me , reflect, I b ade thee , mercy

‘

show .

i f b y the Grec ian soldie r Troy must fall,Be thou

‘

unhurt, and sink the accursedwall !

His‘ego te v ic tam, c onso rs L edaea gemellis,’

Suspicor : haecDanai s posse no'

cere pu to .

Hectora nesc io quem timeo . Paris Hec tora dix itFerrea sangu inea b ella mov ere manu .

B ec te ra, qu isqu is is est , si sum t ib i c‘

ara , c av e to.

Signa tum memoriipec tore nomen hab e .

Hunc u b i v itfiris, alios v itare memento

Et multos illic Hee toras esse pu ta ;

'

Et fae i to dic as, quo ties pugnare parab is,Parcere me j ussz

'

t L aodamz'

a sibi.

Si cadere Argolico fas est sub milite Troj amTe quoque non ullum v ulnus habente cade t .

LAO DAMIA TO PR OTES I LAUS . 127

L et Menelaus, if w ith Helenpleas’

d,

Th e dame. from Paris f orc e , that Paris seiz ’d

Bush on, . the‘

f oremost e v er in the fight,

Approv’

d inarms superior,_as in right

Y ou only combat to “

return-

w ith lif eTo the f ond . b osom o f a fai thful w i fe .

Trojans f rommany spare th is single foe ,Lest from the wounded you th my b lood shou ldfl ow.

He is no t f orm’

d the naked sword to wield,Oi; f ace oppos mg h eroe s in the field

His prowess Cupid’

s b anners b etter prov e, ‘

L et o the rs figh ty Pro tesilau s lov e .

Pugnet, e t adv ersostendat'

Me‘

nélrhiis inhostes

Ut rapi at Paris ante sib l . ’

Irruat ; e t cau sa _quem v incit, v inca t’

e t armis.Ho stib us e mediis

'

nuptape tenda v iro est.“

Causa tua est dispa r. Tu tantum viv ere pugna,Iuqu e pios dominze posse redire sinus .

Farc ite , Dardanidae, de to t (precor) hostibus uni .Ne meus ex illo corpore sangu is eat .

Non est,“

quem deceat nudo concurrere f erro,

Saevaque in oppositos pectora f erre yiros.

Fortins ille po test, multo quum pugnat amoreBella gerant ali i P ro te silaiis ame t .

Nunc fateor : v olu i rev ocare ; animusque ferebat

Sub stitit auspiciio lingua timore mali.

LAOD AMIA TO Pa ore sim u s ;

Scarce f rom recalling‘you I once refra in

’

d'

,

Fear o f ill omens then my tongue restrain’

d

Your foot‘the . threshold struck , on war'

when b ent.

Forth f rom the mansron of you r sires you'

went i

I ni ark’d and praf d, in secret doom’d to mourn,

Be that the - toke n of my lord’

s retu rn

Thus wh ile I write ‘

you r rashness to restra in,»0 may the w inds

’

di-

Sperse my b oding‘

vam’

Him tooh is wre tched w idow shall“

deplore ,

The Greek, who first shall press the Trojan shore

(Such~

they report the stern decree‘of f fate

‘

gfi 5

0 b e not f orward then , b e more thanl ate !

O f all the thou sand th ine the thousandth b ark,L ast

‘

le t thy keel .the w ean ed wa ters,ma th

Cum forib us v elles 'ad Troj am ex ire paternis,~

Pesv tuu s o f f ense l imine signa dedit .i

Ut ‘v idi, ingemu i ; tac itoqu e in pec tore dix iS igna rev ersuri sint precor ista e iriz

Haec

‘

t ib i nunc re f ero , ne sis ammosu s in - armisFac meus in v entos hic timor omnis eat .

sors quoque nesc io quem fato designat iniquo ,Qui primus Danafim Troada tanga t humum.

Infelix , quae prima v irum lugeb it ademptum!Di f ac iant, ne tu strenu us esse v elis

Inter mille rates tua sit millesima puppis,Jamque fatigates ultima v erset aquas.

130 LAO DAMIA TO PR OTESI LAU S

From sleep I start, the powers o f n igh t adore ,On e v ery

'

s moking altar incense pou r ;

Then add a tear that b laz es on the sh rine ,As when the flame ascends f romof fer

’

d w ine .

When shall my longing arms my lord inclose ,I ev ery sense disso lv

’

d in pleasu re lose ;

Whenhear thee , lock’

d w i th in thy lov’

d emb race,

Recount thy prowess and .thy dangers trace ?

Wha t j oy to liste n to‘

thy v aliant de eds;Wh ile o f t the mu tual k iss the

-

tale impedesWith happy

“

pause while

’

words f or k isses stay,Then fl ow more ready from the sweet delay

”

!

But when o f Troy I th ink , then s eas and storms

Cloud the b righ t hope that thus my b osomwarms :

Thura damu s, lacrymamdue super; quasparse re

luce t,

Ut sole t adf uso surgere‘fl amma mero .

Quando ego , te reducem cupidis amplexa la

c ertis,

L anguida lastitia solv er ab ipsa med 3

Quando e rir, u t leete mecum b ene j unc tus in uno

Militias re fe ras splendida fac ta was ?

Quae mihi dumreferes ; quamv is audire j uv ab it,‘Multa tamen capies o scu la , multa da b is .

Semper in h is apte narrant ia v erb a resistunt.‘

Promptior est dulci lingua re ferre mo ra.

L a oua mra TO PR OTES I L A US . 13 1

Th is too alarms me , that your hostile c ou rse ,

Spi te -o f opposing w inds and wav es, yo u f orce .

0

Who thu swould homewardsteer ?Withadv erse w indY o u sa il, and leav e your na t iv e land b eh ind.

To h is own c ity Neptune b ars the road,

Return, 0 Gre c ians, each to you r ab ode .

Ah lwhither rush'

ye ?”

hark , the w inds f orb idNor chance your f ury , b u t the god, has ch id.

Say what to Troy assemb led nations dravsis

Return ; a v ile adul teress is the cause ;

Far b e the omen ! why do I'

recall ?

B low prospe rou s, gales, and b id the b illows f all

Sed cumTroj a sub i t, sub eunt v entique f retumque ;Spes b ona sollic i to v ic ta t imo re cadit .

Hoe quoque , quod v enti proh ib en t ex’

1re carinas,

Me mov e t : inv iti s ire paratis aqu is

Quis v elit 1n patriam v ento prohib ente revert i .7‘

A patria pelago v ela v e tante da t is.

Ipse su am non praebe t i ter Neptunus ad u rb em

Quo ru itis v estras qu isque redite domo’

s.

Que ru itis, Danai ! v entos audite v e tantes,

Non sub it i casus, numinis ista mora est .

Qu id petitur tanto , n isi turpis adultera , belloDum lice t, Inachias v ertite v ela rates.

Sed qu id ego revoco haec ? omen rev ocantis abesto,

Blandaque compositas aura secundet aquas”

.

132 LA ODAMIA TO PR OTES ILAUS .

The lo t I env y o f the Trojan ma id,Though on the shore she dwe ll that foes inv ade

And spect acle !) hers laUgh ter’

d f riends ;Y e t the f ond bride upon her lord attends ;

She b inds the casque upon his warrior b row,

“

And prints a k iss t o b attle ere he go

Then sof tly wh ispers, prompted by’

her lov e ,

Re turn and'

dedica te thy'

arms tO/

JOVC .

’

Cau t ious he we ighs the inj unctio n in h is mind,And figh t ing th inks

”

on her he l e f t b eh indThe helmet

‘she unclasps, w ithdraws thesh ield,

Her arms recei v e him wearied ‘f rom the fi eld.

Troasm inv ideo , qu ae si lacrymosa snorum

Fi mera conspic ient, nec proenl hostis.

crit ;

Ipsa suis ~manib us forti nov a nupta marito

h

Inipone t galeam , b arb araque arma dah i t.Arma dab it z dumque arma dah it, simu l oscu la

sume t,“Ho e genus o ffi cn du lce

'

duob us cri t.Produce tqu e

‘

v irum ; dah it e t mandata rev ert iEt dicer, R ef eras ista fl ice arma J oni .

Ille,f erens doininaé mandata recentia secum,

Pugnab it cau te, respic ie tque domum.

Exue t haec reduc i clypeum, galeamque'

resolve t,

Exc ipietque suo pec tora lassa sinu .

Nos sumus incertae : nos anxius omnia cogit,

L AOL’

DA’MIA‘ T.O I ’R OTES tl -L AU S .

By thy’i

dear head,that

’

on : thy nat iv e ground.

S till may I v iew , w ith hoary honours crown’

d

Thy fates I f ollow , if'

to li fe they lead, “

Or, (Oh my f ears"

they destine thee - to eb leed.

Hear then my last , nor long, b ut earnest prayer,

Thy l i fe preserve , if m ine be wo rth thy care .

Quod tecum possis . ipse re fer'

re, capu t

Me t ib i v enturam comitem, quoc u i ique v ocaris ,

S iv e (qu od heu t imeo siv e superstes eri s.

Ultima manda to claude tur'epi stola parv o;S i tib i cura mei , Si t t ib i cu i‘a tui.

PARI S TonEL EN.

Now my tongu e speaks the language o f my heart,

Read,[

nor thy f rowns upon the paper dart ;

With looks b en ign the b old confe ssi on trace ,

Such as thy b eau ty‘

su i t, and b est may grace .

Thrice happy paper’

tothy b osom‘

s‘

ped

0 cou ld I followwhere my le tter led

Au spi‘

cw u s omen nor de lusi v e prov e

The r b lessings p romis’

d by the”

queen o f Jov e !

By her inspi r’

d I h i ther W ing’

d my way

Despise no t thou the goddess I obeyAmigh ty de ity no r wa rn

’

d of f end

B ut t e her w ill rev ealf d submisswe b end.3

Great‘ is the boonu l hope ; b u t . justly Su e

Parce , precor, f asso ,~

nee v ultu cmtera dnro

Perlege , sed f o rmae co nve ni ente .tuae,

Jamdudumgra tumest, quod episto la nostra recepta

Spe ind

f ac it, _li oc rec 1p1 me quo que posse mode .

nec te f rustrapr‘

omiserit, opto ,

qu ae su asit mater Amori s iter.

fNamqu e ego div ino ,monitu , ne nesc ia pecces,

Adv ehor : e t coepto non le v e numen adest .

Praein ia inagiia qu idem,

‘

sed non indeb i ta , posco ,Pol licita est thalamo te Cytherea meo .

Hac du ce Sigaso dub ias a littore f ec iL onga Pherecleaper f re ta

'

puppe was.

r am s TO HEL EN .3139

She, when f rom Troy my dub ious course I steer’

d,’

Smdo th’

dt he long strait i my gu iding star appear’

d.

She f ann’

d the gentle and propitiou s - b reez e ,

The lo v ely empress o f her nat iv e seasShe,a s the

‘

wav es,_

shall smooth -my troub led b reast,And in her port deligh ted b idme rest .Not here I f ound, bu t to the Spartdn

‘

shor‘e

The k indle d flame from distant Phrygi a bore .

Hither no‘

adv erse winds; no error drov e

Th is - was the port I sough t, my pilo t Lov eNo t as a

‘

merchant toincrease my store,

(Enough is mine , I_

ask ~ the gods no more

Nor as a trav eller allu r’d by f ame,

Cu rious.

to v iew theGrec ian arts, _I came .

Illa dedi t f ac iles au ras, v entosqu’

e secunde s'

.

In mare nimirum JUS h ab et orta mari .

Perstet e t, u t pelagi , SIC pec toris adj uve t aestum

De ferat in portus e ti

mea v o ta suos.

Attu limu s fl aminas, nonl

hic inv enimus, - illas.Hae m ih i tam longee causa f uere v im.

Nam neque tristis hye ins, neque no‘

s huc/

appulit

error

Tmnaris est classi terra pe tita ni eae.

Nec me

'

crede f retum merces portante carina”

Findere : qu as habeo, Di tueantur, Opes.

Nee venio Graias veluti spectator ad urb es.

440 m ars ToH a t/nu .

More

-

wealth I lef t uponmy nat iv e plainsThat: in the proudest of you r c ities

‘re igns.

Thee Venus gave, _ I ask fo’

r .thee‘

alone ,

Dearobject o f my l ove wh ile ye t unknown .

Ere my eyes v iew’

d, my m ind t hy f orm concei v’

d,

And fame , the herald o f thy charms, b elie v’

d.

Nor wande r that the distant powero I know ,

Pierc’

d by the missiv e sha f ts o f Cupid’

s b ow “

So f ate ordain’

d, ob edient thoutox

fa te,

With rev e rence hear what -I w ith“

. tru th nelate .

Wh ile in my mother’s womb I lay inclos

’

d,

A b u rd en now mature to be depe‘sfd ;

Oppida s’

unt regni - div itiora mei;

Te pe to quam lec to pepigit'Venu s ati rounostro .

Te prius optav i'

, quam‘

mih i no ta‘fores.

Ante/moi; animo'

vidi, quaraa

Prima fu it-

v ultus nunc ia f ama'

tu i .

Nec tamen est mirum, 81, 810111: oport eat, urcu

Missilihus telis eminu s, ic tu s amo .

Sic placu it 'fa‘

tis qum ne conv e lle re tentes,

Accipe cum v era dic ta ,r

’

elata fide :

Matris adhu c u tero,partu remorante , teneb ar ;

Jamgrav idué ju sto po nde re v e'

nter era t .

Illa sib i ingentem Vi sa‘

est sub imagi ne som‘

niFlamin iferam pleno reddere v entre faceni .

Territa consurgit ; metuendaq ue noctis opacaei

,PAR I$S TO TH E L EN.

Deligh ted, Troy’

s proud palaces to v iev’

v,

While o’

er the s tra it my longing eyes I threw,

Suddenl the tremb ling earth appe ar’

(1 to heav e

(The tru ths I _u tterscarce w ilt thou b elieive )Borne on sw i f t pim‘

ons from

The son o f Ma ia wav es his t wand o f gold !

Wha t powers immortal to my eyes rev eal.‘

Soon the three g oddesses de séerrdiiug trod

Wi th so f t‘and printless f ee t, the v erdant sods

Venus wi th June and Minerva c ame

Erec t my ha ir, and lif eless was my frame 3

Tby fears dismiss the winged Hermes cries,

Vera loguar, v e la‘

v ix habitum :fidem.

Constitit ante oculps, zac tus v eloc ibus alis,Atlantis magn

‘

i Pleio nesque nepos‘

.

Pas v idisse f ui t fas sit mih i v isa re ferre

Inque Dei{

digitis aure a v 1rga f ui t .

Tresque simu l Divm, Venu s, e t’

cu ra Pallade JunoGraminib us teneros,

imposuére pedes.;

Ob stupu i gelidusque comas erexerat horrOr.

Ch inmihi , Bone metam, nunc iu s ales ait .- Arbz

°

ter es f ormer certamz’

na sists Dednam

Vincere qumf ormal dig na sit una dud s.

Neve reCusarem, v erb is Jov is imperat : et so

Psam s TO? H E‘

L EN . 143

In b eauty which aex cels thy v oice deCIde,

Thy sen tence ab ide ;Nor thou re fuse, for Jov e

’

s cominands I hearHe spoke , and mounting ClOVe th e y ielding air.Cheer-id by his words

i no longeri I dec lineiTo mark-

the vf éatures o f : each lmaid f div ine a

Blush ing . tha t each t sh‘

euld'

sue , b ut

F ai l i so well deserved to gain.

Y e t one already pleas’

d ab ov e the ~re“

st,

Of lov e tha mo'

ther'

and‘the soume f oonfes

’

t.

Such thii‘st foric b nquest

i -inzee ch i bosom,

reigns}Wi th - spleatlid o f fers'each to court me

‘

deigns .

S ceptres and ethrones . displays the w i fe o f"

Jov e ;

Minerv a b idsm e W ise and : v aliant prove

Pro tinu s - mthn‘ié‘r tollit in

’

a str‘

a v ia.

Me ns mesa convalu it, sub itéque audac ia veni tNec timui '

vu ltu quam que’

no tare meo .

Vincere'

erane- omn esd ignw : Judexq ue v erebar‘

Non omnes causam v ince re posse su am .

Sed tamen ex illis j am tune: magis una pl'

a

'

ceb at

Hanc esse u t sc ires, unde mov e tur amor.

Tantaque v incendi‘

cu ra est ingentib usfi rdeh t

Judic ium donis so llic ita‘

re meum .

Regna Jov is co njux , v irtu tem fi lia jac ta t .‘

Ipse po tens . du b ito , fortis an , esse v elim.

DulceVenus risit, Nec k , Parir munem tangent

rai ns TO H ELEN .

Bu t wh ile my throb bing breast amb itio n wrung,And w isdom’

s pra ise , and‘

warlike glo ry sttmg

L e t no t,‘

0 Paris, "

these my heart b egu i le ,Brigh t

'

Venu s said, and conquer’

d w i th a smile ;Glory and power, if gain

’

d, O lo ve ly b oy ,

Are pig with anxious c are s, and b anish JoyI romme , the b oon thy youth must sure approv e ,Receiv e the triumphs and the spo i ls of lov e .

I’

ll giv e fair L eda s daughter t o thy ;arms,Fa irer

“

than Leda in her Vi rgin charms.

”

Shetspoke confi rm

’

d triumphant beau ty’

s“

sway ,

Arid then to ~he’

av en v ic torio us wing’d h ériway .‘

Meant ime the f a tes,’

if e v er fates re lent ,

Propi t ious seem’

d to smile ; and heralds‘sent

Report my person and aspiring m ind,That speak my b irth , though in a l owly h indMy tokens own, my royal state pro claim ,

And to my na tiv e walls a prince I came .

Utraque suspensz'

plena timorz'

s , ait .

Nos dabimus quad ames et pulcizrre fi lia L eda:

Ibit in amplexus,'

pulclirzor zpsa , taos.

D ixi t : e t exe equo don is fo rmaque prob ate,Vic torem coelo re tulit illa pedem.

’

~Interea (credo , v er51s ad prospera fatis)Regius agnoscor per ra ta signa

‘

pu er.

L mta domus nato per tempo ra longa recepto ;

146 PAR IS TO H ELEN .

Impatient hope no longer b rook? d delay ,And o

’

er the azure wa te rs u rgfd my way ;The Phrygiangro v es to Trojan axes b end ,

Soon to the sea the lo f ty pines descend ;

Fell’d are the wedds'

that Gargarafs fhe igh ts adorn,“

And‘

long and ponderous beams f rom Ida borne

The sturdy oak, that b est‘

the wave a b ides,

Is curv’

d in ke e ls, and rib s the v esse l’

s sides ;The mast upre ar

’

d rec e 1ve s the pendent sa il,

O’

er mme , fa ir Venus and her son preside,‘

The powers ador’

d, that g iv e theei

fi

o r,

my bride .

The fleet equipp’

d I long the sea to b rav e ,And launch my b ark on the ZEgean wav e ;

Qumque erat aequo reis u tilis arb or aqu is

Ardua pro ceris spol iantur Gargara sylv isInnumerasqu e mih i longa da t Idatrabes.

Funda tura c itas fiect untu r rob ora na v es

TeXitu r e t, costi s panda carina su is.

Addimas antennas , _e t v e la sequentia males

Acc ipi t e t pic tos puppis adunc a Deos.

Qua”

tamen ipse v ehor, comita ta Cupidine parvo ,Sponsor Conj ugii

'stat Dea pic ta su i .

Imposita'

est'

f ac tee postq uam manus u ltima c lassi

Protinus [Egmis ire lu be b a t e qu is.

Et patsi et gene tri'x inh i bent mea v o ta rogando ;

PAR I S TO HELEN .

Fa in Wi th intreaties w ould my sire ede lay ,

My~mo ther

’

s te ars re tard my dest in’

a wa‘

y .

Her‘

tresses w ildly to the w inds display’

d,

Frantic , as e’

verhthen Cassandra stray

’

d

On the"

throng’

d shore , and wh ile prepar’

d to sa ilOur sh ips impatient court the rising gale ,

Whither, ah wh i ther art thou b o rne ?” exc la ims,

Thy b ark re turni ng b rings de vo u ring flames

Nor f rom these wa v es, tha t ne w inv i ting fl ow ,

Kh ow’

st th ou wh a t ve nge fu l fi res'

are doem’

d to

glow .

”

Truewere her words, i own the presc ient power,And now the flames o f lo v e my sou l devou r.

Far f rom ou r own propi tious b reez es he re ,And plac

’

d”

u se, Helen, on thy nat i v e shore ;

Prepositumque pia v oce morantur i ter.

Et soro r e lf usis, u t era t, C assandra capillis,

Cum v ellent nostrm j am dare v ela rates ;

ub m is ? exc lama t’

: ref eres_

inéendia tecum

Quantaper has nescis fl amina petatur aquas.

Vera f uit v ates ; dictos inv enimu s ignes

Et f erus inmolli pec tore fl agrat amor.

Po rtub u s egredio r ; v entisque f erentibus u sus“A pplicor in terras, (Eb ali Nympha, tuasExc ipit hOSpitio v ir me tuus : h oe quoque factumNon sine consi lio numinib uéque Defim.

o 2

_

P AR IS TO H ELEN.

No r j ealous vie ws thy lo rd ou r numerous train,Bu t kind inv i tes u s, so the gods o rdainAll wo rthy no te displays, o b sequ lo

’

us host !

All that hisfipa lacerand h is c i ty boast ;

All though I pra ise , and fa in w ou ld,

seem to pri z e ,

Thou’

art no t the re ! I v iew,w ith

,v acant eyes.

Y ou come wi th pangs u nk11ow11, .and wild amaze,

Pierc’

d to the i nmost sou l I standfland gaze

Such were her looksg'

so f orm’(1 the goddess seem

’

d,

First on my daz z led eyeswhen Venus beem’

d

Had’

st thou Contended, dub ious had remain’dThe xpalm o f b eau ty Cy therea gain

’

d

I lle qu idem ostendit,qu idquid L acedaemone to te.

Ostendi dignum conspicuumque f u i t.S ed mih i laudatam empienti cernere s formam,

Lumine , nil aliud, quo caperentur, erat .

Ut v idi , ob stupu i ; praeco 1diaque intima sensi

Attonitus curis intumu isse no v 1s

His sim1les v u ltus, quantum remnn sco r, h ab e b at,

Venit 111 axb it i ium cum Cy the 1ea meum.

S i tu v e nisses par1ter ce rtamen in iliad ;In du b ium Veneris palma f u tu1a f ui t .Magna quidem

~de te rumor prmeonia f ec i t,N

’

ullaq ue de fac ie nesc ia terra tua est}

Nc c t ib i par u s 111a 111 Phrygia , nec so lis ab ortu

Intt u to nn osas alte l a nomen hab ete

1150 PAR IS TO H ELEN.

Sooner th is head, that you th f ul honors deck,The sword should sev e r f rom my b leeding neck,Than thou my b ride , (O thither wert thou ledBedragg

’

d unw illing f rom the gemal b ed.

Thee, had these arms, till mo tionle ss, releas’d,Thee,th is fond bosom ,

ere to b reathe it ceas’

d 2

At least some trophy in my b reast ,should l iv e ,

Worth all the joys that v u lgar beau t ies give .

Some prec ious b liss my short possessmrrpro ve ,

If no t the last, and dearest pledge o f lov e .

Grant b u t my su it , and Paris thou shaltf knovv

Constant, t ill death shall deal the fa tal b lo w.

Know that he cherishes the sac red fi re ,

Whose sub tle flame shall f eed the f uneral pyre .

Wi th thrones and sceptres though the w i fe o f Jo v e ,With f ame to b ribe me though Minerva strov e ;

Te - ne‘m

‘

anus unquam ne strm dimittere v ellent ?

Te - no meo paterer v ivu s ab ire sinuSi reddendaf ores, aliqu id tamen ante tu lissem

Nee Venus, ex ~ to to nost'

ra f uisse t imers.

Vel mih i. v irginitas esset li bata ; v el illud,Quod .po tera t

fsalva v 1rg1nita te rapt .

Da modo te ; quae sit Paridi constantia , hoscos.

Flamma rogil fl ammas finie t una meas.

Praeposu i regnis ego te ; quae max ima quondant

Pollicita est nob is nupta sororque Jov is.

PAR IS TO H EL EN . 151

Th ine I pre ferr’

d to glory’

s‘

daz z l ing charms,

To w ealth and power, to press thee in'

my arms.

Proud that my v o ice to b eau ty ga v e the pri z e ,

St ill thee pre fer; and still their gif ts despi se .

Crown b u t my hopes, nor thou my lab ors foil,0 wo rthiest obj ec t o f sev erest to il !Nor to a low b orn mate suppose you b end, .

From Ple ias I, from Jov e h imself , descend

Successi v e kings to numb er I re f ra in,Links o f o ur race that form the lengthen

’

d chain.

Through tracts immense ex tend

fi

my sires doma ins,

On Asia’

s shores no ne b oast more fert ile plains ;

Duinqu e tuo possem c ircumdare b rach ia collo ,

Contempta est v irtus, Pallade dan te , mih i .Nec pige t ; aut u nqu am stulte legisse v ideb or

Permane t in v o to meus mea - fi rma su o .

Spem modc‘) ne nostram fi e rr patiare

-

caduca m,

Te precor, 6 tanto digna lab ore pe ti.

Non ego conjugium generosa degener'

opto ,

Nec mea (crede mih i) turpiter p xo r ‘e ris ;Pliada,

’

si qumras, in nostra gente Jov emque

Inv enies : medios u t taceamus av os.

Sceptra parens Asias, qua nulla beatior or’

a,

F1n1b us immensis v ix ob eunda tenet .

Innumeras urb es a tque aurea tec ta v ideb is

Quaeque suos dicas templa decere Deos.

152 PAR I S TO HELEN.

There, c ountless c ities‘

shall thy ey es b ehold,

Fanes worthy gods, and ro o fs that glowwith go ldProud Ilion’

s towe ry walls f rom sounds that rose ,

Sounds, tha t the lyre o f Phoeb us o nly knows.

Scarce can the so il o f Troy h er sons c ontain,The , swarms tha t fi ll the c i ty and the pla in

"

.

Prostrate to thee the Trojan dame s shall b end,Thy ent rance greet, a nd on thy steps attend.

Wh ile crowds o f matrons a t the—

portal wa it,By

'

crowds exc luded,

f rom the rooms o f state .

Mo re wea lth displays ( thou’

lt own in wonder lo st)One Trojan ro o f , than Grec ian c i ties b oast.Not tha t thy Sparta _

e’

er can move my sco rn,

B ich is the land to me where thou w ert b orn ;

Ilion aSpicieSy fi rma taq ue tu rribu s alt isMoenia, Phoebem struc

‘

ta canore lyrze .

Qu id tib i de turba’

narrem numeroqu e v irorum ?

Vix ~

popu lum te llu s sustine t i lla suum.

Occurrent‘

d enso t ib i Troades agmina matres

Nec capient Phrygias atria nostra nurus .

O qu oties dic e s, Qudmpauper Aclza'

zfd nostra -

est‘!

Una domu s qUasv is urb is‘

habeb it opes.

Nec mih i fas f uerit Spartenfi contemnere v estram.

In qua tu nata es, te rra beata mihi est.Parca sed est Sparte : tu cu ltu div ite digna es.

Adi

talem formam - non fac i t iste lo cus.

1154 P A R I S TO H ELEN.

Thy steps , Anch ises, would destzendin'

g trace ;

Immortal arms a—

Phrygian ypu th embrace .

Compare ou r pe rsons, and o ur years c ompare ,

And‘

fo r Atrides can thy heart declare

With me I , b ring no stepsire’

s f o u l disgrace ,

Whose f ood o bscur’

d the sun’

s unfinish’

d race

For ne’

er did Phoeb us shrink f rom ‘

Prram’

s'

deeds,Nor f rom h is b anqu e t turn“ the tremb ling

'

steeds.

Nor slewmy sire the f ather o f -

,

his b ride,

Nor w ith his crime sme ‘E gea u waters idy’

df

Nor f rom our race the‘

tortur’

d culprit sprang,O

’

er whom in v ain the l oaded b rancheshang.

The flow ing streama round‘

who v iews ac curst,Condemn

’

d to parchi

with nev er

Nec , pu to , collatis f ormaMenelaus'

et arm i s,

Judice te , nob is ante f ere ndus eritNon da b imus certe soc erum t ib i c lara f ugantem,

Lumina ; qu i trepidos a dape v erta t equ os .

Nee“ pa te r e st Priamo so ce ri de - caede c ruentus ;

Et 'qu i My rtoas c rimine s1gne t aquas .

Nec proav o Stygianostro captanturi n u nda

Poma , ne c in mediis quaeri tu r humor aqu is.

Quid tamen hoe re fe rt, si te tene t o rths ab illisCogitur hu ic domu i Jupi te r esse suce r.

Heu f acipu s’. to tis indignus no c tib us ille

Te tene t ; alnplexu perfruiturque tua.

“

P lan t s TO H ELEN. 155

O f t he se the son , if He le n he possess,

C alls Jore 'his w e ; and l o v e his hous’

e must b less.

Whole nights~sh all he , unworthy o f thy charms,

Ho ld thee inh is, and riot in thy a rms 2

Nor till the b anqe e t comes you b less my sigh t,Nor b ring , w i th pa in unmix

’

d,this sh ort delight .

Be joys l ike mine the portion o f my‘

foes,

Soon'

as W i th wine the golden go b le t glows

For then the mons ter, vo id o f e ve ry grace,

Dares in my s ight thy snowy neck emb rac e .

I b u rst with e nvy, nor is envy all ,

Wh en o’

er thy limbs his spreading garments fall5

Ve il w i th my icap, o r cast upon the ground

My eye s whe n kisses from you r lips re sou nd .

At m ihi conspiceris pos ita v ix de niqu e mensa ;

Mu ltaqae , qu aelmdant , ho ci

quoqu e tempushab et .

Hostib us ev eniant conv iv ia ta lia nostris,

Experior posi to qua lia seepe mero .

Poenite t hospi tii, cum , ru e spectante , lacertos

Imposu i t collo rusticu s iste tuo .

Rumpor, e t 1-nv ideo (qu id e nim t amen omnia nar n

rem .P)

Memb ra s uperj ec ta cum tua v este fov e t.

Osc u la cum v e ro coram non dura dare tis

Ante o culos posu i pocula sumpta meos

Lamina demitto , cum te tene t arc t iu s i lle

PAR I S TO HELEN

And fondly while his arm su rrounds thy waist,The loathed v iands pall my sicken

’d taste .

Of t t do l sigh, and mark your wanton eyesY ou laugh , and seem to triumph in my sighs.

In v a in reclin’

dS

I'

shun the gallingy iew ,

Soon my f ond eyes, though wounded, turn to you.

D istracted whe re fore do I gaz ing stay .

i

Know fi ercer pangs I fe e l from thee away .

To w ine ‘

I fly , bu t wine , that should inspire

Mirth to allay, still fanns the b laz ing fi re.

0 bou ld I curb my p assmn’

s f uriou s sway

spi te o f all art , will lov e itse lf b etray.

My tru th ~ b eliev e , my tender su f ferings ownAnd b e my grie f s to thee , unknown

Cresc it et inv ito ‘lentus in ore cib us .

Sm dedi gemit'

us i e t te , ~lasc iv a , no tav iIn gemitu ris‘um nontenuisse meo .

Seepe mero v olu i dammam e ompescere : at illaCrevit

'

; e t eb rie tas ln m 1gne fui t.Mu ltaqu e no v ideam, v erse cerv ice recumb o

Sed re vocas o cu los pro tmus ipsa meos.

Qu id fa’

c iam dub ito ; do lor est meus‘illa

l

v idere ;

Sed do lor a fac ie majo r ab esse tua.

Qua lice t et possum, luc tori

celare furorem

Sed tamen appare t dissimula tu s amor.

Nec t1hi v erb a damus.sentis me a v u lne ra, sentis

PA R I S TO HELEN.

No’

r fa irer hues, norbrigh te r radiance shed,

Great JOv e‘desCending to thy

My rapt attention wh ile the VISIOD calls,

Down frommy tremb ling hand the go b let falls.

Y ou to you r daughterg av e a mo ther’5

(

kiss;Warm f rom her. lips I se lz ’d a lov er

’

s b liss

Then, as o’ercharg

’

d w i th w ine , supinely laid,"L ov e in so f t songs, or secret signs conv

’

ey’

d.

With humb lest 's'uit your h‘

andma ids I address;Ethra z

and Cli'

mene fwith f ro‘

wnsrepres'

s

Al arm’d -

‘

they‘only

”b id me to b eware,i

Thenflying“

leav e ; and b earb u t half‘ziny prayer.

0 would the gods dev o’

te thee to - b e‘led,

The priz e of b attle to the Vic tor’

s b ed

Tortilis eldigitis exc idit“

ansa meis.

‘

Oscula si'

natae dederas ego protinu s i llaHermiones tonero laatus ab ore tu li .

Et cantab amf v e teres resuplnus amores

Et’

modo per nu tum signa tegende dab am.

Et c omitum primas Clymenen [Ethramqu e tuarumAnsus cum b landis nuper adire sonis.

Qua: niihi non aliud, quam f ormidare , l‘

ocu tae ,

Orantis medias deseruere preces.

Di facererit, magni pre tium certaminis"

esses‘

;

Teque suo v ictor posse t hab ere toro .

Ut tulit Hippo'

menes Schoeneida prmmia cursus,

PAR I S TO H E L EN : 159

sAs sw i f t Hippomenes o u tran the maid,

The Phrygian’

s skill Hippodamia paid ;

De ianira as Alc ides b ore ,

O mangled Ac helou‘s from thy shore ;

To these in v alor equal would I prov e,’And reap the palm o f glory , and o f love

é

’

IZhy pi ty only can I now i ntreat ;\

1 le t me then implore it at thy f ee tq

O thou , thy tw in celestial b ro ther’s pride;

Jov e’

s o f f spring, e lse o f Jo v e a worthy ,b ride !

Wi th thee , ‘my prize , I’

ll galn my na t iv e land,Or fall an exile on the Spartan strand.

Venit u t in Phrygios Hippodamia sinu s ;Ut f eru s Alc ides Acheloia cornua fregit,Dum pe t i t amplexu s, Deianira , toos ;

Nostra per has leges audac ia forti ter isse tTeque mei sc ires esse lab ori s opu s.

Nunc rriihinil superest, nisi te , f ormosa, precarl ;Amplec t ique tu os, si patiare , pedes .

O decus, a praesens gem ino rum gloria f ratrumO Jo v e digna v iro , ni Jo v e nata f ores

’

!

Au t eg o Sigeos repe tam te conj uge portus

Au t ego Tasnaria contegar exul humo .

‘

Non mea sunt summa le v iter distric ta sagi ttaPec tora : descendi t v ulnus ad ossa meum.

Hoc mihi (nam repe to) f ore u t a cceleste sagittaP 2

“160 P

’

A a rs TO H ELEN.

No shallow wound th is b leeding b osom f ends ;

Deep'in my heart the search ing shaf t desc ends.

Cassandra now thy b oding I b eliev e ,And now the threaten

’

d dart f romh e av en rece ive.

Nor Spurn , 0 Helen,wha t the gods ordain,

So f rora the gods shalt~tli0u thy v ows ob tain .

More in thy

l

ear, and 0 w i th what de light !

Best may b e‘

wh isper’

d f in the silent night .Say do

’

st thou'

b lusl‘

i’

to v iolate , and dreadThe sacred v ows tha t

‘

guard the marriage b ed

0 simple Helen, weak unpractis’

d darne .

Think’

st thou that formwasmade forspotless fameBeau ty and modesty are mortal foes,

Destroy thy b eau ty o r to lov e compose,

Figar, erat v erax vaticin‘

a ta soror.

Parse datu’

m fa tis, He lene , conte‘

mne re amorem,

S ic hab eas faciles In tua v ota Deos.

Mu lta quidem sub eunt : sed coram u t plura loqua~

mu r;

Exc ipe me lec to noc te silente tu o .

An pudot, e t me tuis Vene rem temerare ma rit u m,

Castaque legitimi f allere Ju l a to ri ?Ah nimifim Slmplex , Helene , ne rust ica dicam,

Ha nc fac iem c ulpa posse ca re re pu tas !

Au t‘f ac iem nio tes, au t sis non

"du ra , ne cesse est .

L isest cum formamagna p‘udic i tia3.

r am s TO HEL”

aIs . _

Say , can he priz e the b lessmgs you bestow,Th is senselessoo lt the worth

'

o f b eau ty know ?

He knows it not ; o r knowing, would he dare

Commit his treasure”

to a stranger’

s care

Thy passion, though my love , nor words‘

exc i te,His own conv enient ab sence must inv i te .

Blind as himself , or b linder lov ers thoseWho could such sa f e, such dear occasion lose -2

Almost he ,b rings t hy su itor in his hand,

And fthoure cei v e h ima t thy lordis~

commandi

Iv it, e t Idcrz'

manila , tibi, dix it iturus,‘

Curam pro nobis fiospz’

tis, miror, agas .

Negligis ab sentis (test orl mandata marl tlCura t i b i non. est hospitis u lla tui.

’

Hunccme tu spores hominems inep ec to re dotes

Posse satis f ormm, Tyndari, nosse s tu ze ?

Falleris ignorat : nec , si-b ona magna pu tare t

'

Quae tene t, externo c rederet illa v iro .

Ut te nunc mea v ox , nec_

te meus Incrte t ardor“

;

Cogimur ipsius commoditate f ru i‘

.

Aut erimu s st’

ulti, sic u t superemus‘et ipsum,

Si tam securum tempus e b ib i t iners.

Paene su is ad to manib us deducit amantem.

Utere non v afri simplic itate v 1r1.

Sola jaces v idno tam longanocte cub iliIn v iduo : jacce solus et ipse

'

toro .

PARI S To HEL EN; 163

For thee a w ife the widow’

dcou ch is spread,

The l iv e - long night I p ress“

my lonely b ed ;

L e t mu tual'

j oys ourm u tual wishes jo inHow

'

would tha t nigh t the b rightest day outshine !

By any god I’

ll swear ; thyself shalt choose ,

Thyse lf the oath impose , «nor I - refuse ;

Then, if not v a in the hope that points the w ay,

Thee to my nat i ve realms my queen conv ey .

If fear or shame to fo llow me forb id,Mine b e the crinre , nor gu iltless Helen chid.

That crime , l ike me , the Son o f JEgeus dar’

d;

That crime w i th me thy heav en - b orn b rothers‘

sha‘

r’

d

The ir sister, Theseus, f rom the Spartan shore,

They , his tw in,

daughters from Leuc ippus tore .

Te mihi,meque t ibi c orhmunia gau dia j ungant ;. Candidiormedio nox ori t illa die .

Tunc ego j urab oi

'

quaev is t ib i - numina ; mequeAdstringem v erb is in Sacra jura tu is.

Tunc“

ego , si non'est fallax fiducia nos tri,

Eflic iam prtesens, u t mea‘

regna'

petas .

Si pude t ; e t me tuis, n'

e me v ide are secu ta

Ipse reu s sine te cr1m1nis rhujus agar.

Nam seque r JEgidae fac tum, f ratrumqu e tuorum ;

Exemplo tangi non propiore po tes.

Te rapu it Theseus geminas L e ucippidas illiQuartus in exemplis enumerab or ego .

PA R IS TO 'HEIJEN6‘

The , fourth proud rav 1sher in me. b ehold”

No t in the list'o f v ulgarn ames fi

enroll’

d .

My flee t prepar’

d expec ts t he fav ouri ng gale

To ply the o ar, andt

'

hoist the pendent sa il, ‘

To Troy to waf t us ;where thy b eau tj shewn f

Crowds sha ll ado re, and thee_ a'

goddessf

own,

Thy incens’d steps the f ragrant flames surround,

And slaugh ter?

d v ic tims load the purple ground.

Their sons, my sisters, and all Troy shall heed.

"

Scarce can/chy“

relate ,

The wealth and pomp, that thy / arrival wa it .

Or Greece assemb led. am}it

’

sx

powg rs for y ou

Tr0 1a c lassis adest, armi s mstructa‘

v irisq ue

Jam f ac ient celeres remus e t aura w as

Ibis Dardanl as mgens r egina per urb es

Tequ e no v am oc rede t v u lgus adesse B eam.

Quaque feres gressus, ado leb unt c innama fl ammee ,

Caesaque sanguineam v ic tima plange t humum.

Dona pater f ratresque , e t cum genetri‘cesorores,

J

Iliadesque omnes, to taque Troja , dabu nt

Hei mih i ! parsi ame v ix dic itur u lla f u turi .

Plura f eres, quam qu ze litera

Nec tu rapta- b ella sequantur

Con ci'tet et v ires Graecia

_

magna suas.

166 PARIS TO 'B ELER .

.Asia, though Gree ce c no, \

may Greece wi th

ystand,

Asia, where men and horses crowd~

the land.

In lov e alone shall .I be daring found

Know that my sword i s sharp, my speancanwound.

In arms shall Paristo Atridesy ield

In lov e the conqueror, v anquish’

d .in , the field

When ye t a you th, nor ye t inspl r’

d by you ,

Our h erds I r‘escued, and the rob b ers slew .

Triumphant song s the v aliant deed proclaim’

d,

Me grate ful shepherds the ir de fender nam’

d

My b rothers, and the nob lest ,

you th b f i Troy ,In youth f ul games I conquer

’

d, yet a boy .

In close , or distant fight Ipress the fee,And to the ir aim my.

fatal arrows go

Nee minor est Asiaa, quam vestraa cxop1a terrze

Illa v iris div es, div es‘

ab undat equ is.

Nec plus iAtrides animi-

Menelaiis hab eb it,

Quam Pan s au t armis ante ferendus erit .Pain e puer cassis ab duc ta armenta recepi

Hostib us e t cau sam nomlms inde tuli .Paene puer varlo Juv enes certamine v ic iIn q u ibus l lioneus, Dei

'

phob usque f u i t .Neye pu tes, non me nisi ~cominus esse timendum

Figitur in j usso nostra sagi tta loco.

PAR IS TO H EL EN. 167

Y ou to Atrides now these gi f ts convey,Bid h im my skill in sport, or war xdisplay :

Could yo u the bo on bestow ,'or he re ce i ve ,

Y e t can youHecto r f or a b rother‘

gi‘

v e

A countless host itsel f is Hec t'

or’

s name;

And na tio ns tremb ling hear‘

o f Hec tor’

s fame .

My powers you rate, my . v alor; far ti

low a;

Nor o f y our dest in’

d lord the v irtues know .

These in your bosom ev ery dou b t should quell ;No Greeks w ill

.

arm, or these the Greeks repel .

Not that thy charms a c au se unworthy seem,

Or thee a priz e o f war too,

ligh t I deem ;

Thy fame , if arm’

d for thee the world co ntend,

To latest t imes - immortal shall “

de scend.

Num po tes hasc i lli prima dare fac ta j uv entae ?Instrue re Atriden num pot es arte mea ?

Omnia si dederis nunqu id dab isHec toi

ra f ratrem ?

Unu s is innumeri militis instar hab et.Quid v aleam, nesc is : et temea rob ora fallunt

Ignoras cu i sis nupta f atura°

v 1ro.

Au t igi tu r nu llo b elli repe tere tumul tu ;Au t cede nt Mart i Dorica castra me o .

Nec tamen indigner pro tanta sumere ferrumConj uge : certamen praemia magna mov ent .

Tu quoque , si de te totus contenderit orb is,Nomen ab aeternfi posteritate feres.

168 PAR IS TO HELEN“

.

Thy fears‘

then banish , and propit ious galesShall fi ll, and gods propitious guide, our sails ;And proudly wa f t thee to my native Troy,All my f ond Vows hav e proml s

’

d t o enjoy .

Spe m odonon tlmldé , Dis h ine egressa secundis,

Exige cum plenfi munera pacta fide.

ARGUMENT.

HEL EN”first rej ects, as if siloclced at, the illicit

addresses of Paris ; but in the course of [16 1° let

ter, y ields with becommg decency and precaution

sometimes repulsing and sometimes encouraging ,

till at last sire ref ers [aim to her two coryidants"

E tbra and Climene.

HEL EN TO PARIS.

W e EN once my v iola ted eyes ha v e read

The shamele ss lines, your treacherous arts con

v ey’

d,

Vain were the scorn to answe r shou ld re fuse,

Nor u rge the sacred rights you da re ab use

Y ou , who solic i t, w i th u nhallow’

d v ows,

A ma tron’

s fa i th , your ho st’

s entrusted spouse l

For th is did Sparta, f rom the stormy wav e ,

Moor’

d in her ports, y our sha tter’

d v essels“

save 2

For th is a stranger, serv’

d w i th royal care ,

.Lodge in our palace, and the b anque t share ?

Nunc eculos tua chm v iolarit epistol a nostros

Non rescrib endi gloria v lsa le v is.

Au su s‘

es hospitii teme ra tl s adv ena sac ris

Legi timam nuptae sollic itare fidem ?

S c ilice t idc irco v entosa per aequora v ec tum

Excepit portu Teenaris o ra suo ?

Nee tib i div ersa quamv 1s e gente v enires,Oppositas hab u it regia nostra fores ;

Q 2

172 H E L EN ro m a t s.

The generous deed should inj ury repay

And, like a f oe , h is host a guest b e tray ?

Uncou th, _pe rchance , and in your polish’d ears

A simple tale , my ju st complaint appea rs.

Still may I'

simple prov e , b u t f ree from b lame ,

And rude my speech ,“

b ut spotless b e my f ame'

If no f eign’

d dowhcast lo‘oks demure I wear,

Nor stern assume a superc ilio us air,

“Mysti

av ors-

no adu lterer ye t c ould b oast,

Nor

’

b ase ly triumph in my honor lost.”

What deed o f mme thy va in presumption'

fed’?

Wha t ihope , b y me insplr’

d, to sha re my bed ?

If once , compe ll’

d, I f ollow ’

d E thra’

s son,

M’

u‘

st tlre 'same cou rse w ith thee again be run

Esset u t ofli c ii merces myurra tantiQui sic ‘intrabas, hospes an hostis eras

Nee du b ito , qum haec , cum sit 'tam j usta , v oce turRu stica , Jl ldlClO, nostra quere la tuo .

Rust i ca 51m sane : dum non o b lita pudoris

Dumq ue tenor v i tae s1t sme lab e mere .

Si non est fic to v u l tus mih i trlst l s 111 o re ;Ne c sede o du ris to rv a snpermliis ;

Fama tamen c la’

ra est : e t adhuc sine cr1m1ne lusiEt laudem de me nu llu s adu lte r hab e t .

Quomagis ad1m ror, qu ae s it nduma cmpto ;

Spemque tori dederit qum t ib i causa mei.

1745; h uman TO PA R I S .

Theseus repen ted ; and lest\Holen’

s name

In silence rest, shall Pa ris spreads 2 her fame ?

No r thy warmvows o ff ended do f l hear

Wha t woman h a ths a lo v er, i f s1ncere ? ‘

There lies the do u b t tha t fills me

'

w ith alarms,

Not that'I hear unco nsc ious o f my charms .

B ut f ond credul ity t he ma id b e trays ,And man w ith fai th less v ows the trus t x

'

repays.

I f matrons rare ly to the ir lo rds a re true ;

Why sho uld no t I b e nu in b er’

d w ith the fe w ?

My mother’

s f au lt yo u u rge ; f allac ious plea !

Va in the excuse he r f ra ilty y ie lds to me

L eda descending Jove a b ird b e lie v’

d,

Oer- s

‘

hadowi ng plumage and the god de ce iv’

d .

Nee tamen irasco r (qu is enim succense t aman ti

Si modo, quem prae f ers, no n simu la to r amor.

Ho c qu oque enimdu b ito : non quod fi du c ia desit,Au t mea sit fac 1es non

‘

b ene no ta mih iSed q u 1a c redu litas damno solet esse puellis ;

Verb aque dicuntu'

r v estra ca re re fide .

‘

A ti -

pe cc ant a lim; ma tronaque ra ra pudica est .

Qu id pro lri'

b e t raris nomen me sse meum ?

Nam mea q uod visa est t ib i mate r ido ne a ,‘ cuj usExemplofi ec ti me q uoq ue posse pu te s ;

Ma tris in adm isso f a lsa su b imagine lusar

Error inest : pluma tectu s adulter era t.

H E L EN TO ra n t s . 175

Wi th th ee ofie nding, c an her daugh ter prov‘

e

Oar- sha dow ing plumage , and de scending Jov e ?From kings yo u tra ce , and gods, yo ur race di v ine

,

This hou se can b oast as long , as pro ud a‘

line .

Did Tyndarus nor Tantalus ou r race ,

No r Jo v e thyvances try , Atrides, grace ,

Leda made Jov e my sire , f or Leda pre st,D

‘

e ceiv’

d , the ’w inged trai tor t o her b reast .O f Phrygia

’

s noble stem n ow b oast aloud ;

Of Priam ,a nd L aomedon b e proud ;

Names I w i th you re v e re ; b u t fif th you prove

From Jo ve desce nded , I the first f rom Jo ve .

Nil ego , si peC’

cem , possim nescisse : nec u llus

Error, qu i er1t .

Illa be ne ‘

e rrav it , v itiumque auc tore redemit

Fe lix m cu lpa q uo Jove dic ar ego .

P

Quod genu s e t pro av os, e t regia nomina jac tasC lara sa tis domus haec nob ilitate sua .

J upite r u t so ce ri proav u s taeea tu r, e t“

omne

Tantalidm Pe lo'

pis Tyndare ique de cu s ;D a t mihi L eda Jo v em

’

cycno decepta parentem ;

Quee f alsam gremio credu la f o v it a v em.

I nu nc , e t Phrygim la te pritnordia ge ntis ,

C umq ue su o Priamum~ L aomedo n te re fe r.

Q uo s ego suspic io ; sed, qu i t ib i glo ria magna est

,

Qu intus, is a nostro nomine primus erit.

178 HEL EN TO ru ns.

Now my short wh ispers b reathe, - O shamelesl

you th 1”

Now longermurmurs ; and they b reathe the tru th.

Now tra c’

d in w ine upon the board I readHelen, and He len find I love

”succeed.

To th is my downcast eyes assent re f use“

,

Alas ! su ch language hav e I learn’

d to use

A so fter heart than”

m1ne thy‘

artsmay b end,And mine , c ould I an e ar to fl a ttery lend.I own thy grac es, and some happier fa ir,The joy s I da re n o t

.m a y b e Fr a nc}to share

Her’

s bethe pleasure f ree f rom gu ilty pain,Wh ile I unb lest, and innocent remain

Orb e q uoque in mensre >legi sub nomine nostro ,

Quod deduc ta me ro li ttera fec i t, AMO .

Credere me tume n hoc oc ulo renuente nega v i .Hei mih i ! jam d idic i sic quoque posse loqui.

His ego b landitiis, 51 pec catura f uissem

Flec terer : his po terant pec tora nostra capi .Est quoque (confi teor) fac ies

“

tib i “

rara : po test

Velle sub amplexus ire puella tuo s .

Altera v el po tins felix sine c rimine fiat,

Quam cade t ex terno noster amo re pudor.

Disce meo exemplo , formosis posse carere .

“

Est v irtus placitis ab stinuisse b onis.

J 86 HE L EN TO em s.

Then le t thy fi'ords my ac h ingb osom spare ,

And her; thy lov e pu rsu es, to wound f orbe ar

There le t her rest , h er lo t where fortu ne plac’

d,

Nor with her ru in’

d fame b e thou disgrac’

d.

Shall theni

the promises o f Venus f air?

Fo r 101 4 to thee , appear’

d, in I_da’

s vale ,

Three Halted goddesses and k ingdoms one,

Ano therprofier’d faéme by v alorw on

The th ird, and. she the env ied prize ob tain’

d,

To giv e a the .wi£e o f Mene'

la i is -de ign’d !Hard to b eliev e ; to the e the ir charms reyeal’d,To thy award‘ce le st ial fo rms appeal

’d

More, that'the v ic tress promis

’

d to t hy armsThe poor

:possession o f

"

my lit tle charms!

Desine nio lle , precor, v erb is co'

nv ellere'

pec tns'

.Nev e m ih i, quam te dic is amare ,

‘

noce .

Sed sine , q u ani trib u it so rtem Fo rtuna , tueri :Nee spolium nostri turpe pudo ris ha be .

.

At Venu s hoc pac ta est : . e t in a ltar v allibus Ida?

Tres tib i se nudas exhibu ére fDemz i

Ub aque cum regnum, b e lli dare t altera laudem

Tyndaridos-‘Conj uwn tertia : dix i t; era

'

s.

C redere v ix equ ide tn coelestia corporaa

possurm

Arb itrio formam supposu isse ttuow

t ue sit'ho e . v erum certe pars altera fic ta est,

Judicii pre tium quadata dicor ego;r

H ELEN‘

Pa nrs . 177

Nor‘

such my b eau ty fondly do I‘dcem,

“Io rthy a go dde ss tha t the b o on shou ld se em.

Enough f or me if mortal eyos appro v e

I ask no'pra rses

'f rom the Queen‘

o f . lov e i

Nor slight herfav ors, no r h er gif ts decline ,What my he art fl a tters why sh ould I restgn ?And thou forgi ve that slowly I b elie v e,For slow assen t impo rtant tru ths rece iv e .

I glory n ew tha t Ve nus l shonld propo se

Me - for : hisrhigh reward t hat‘

Paris cho se fi

For Helenwealth and k ingdom s, Juno’

ss b oast,

Fo r He len,f ame by Pallas v aunted, lost

Non est tanta mih i fiducra corpori s, u t me

Max ima , teste Dea, dona f uisse l pu tem.

Contenta est oc u lis hominummea f orma prob ari

L audatrix Venus est invrdiosa mih i .Sed nih il infi c ior : fav ee quo/ que laudib u s istisNam mea v ox quare , q u od c upit , esse nege t ?

Nec tu s uc c’

e n‘

se nimihm mihixc re ditus ea‘

gre

Ta’

rda sole t magnisf reb us f inesse fides.

Prima mea est igitu r Vene ri plac u isse v o luptas

Prox ima , me v isam pra—amia summa ti b i

Neg te Palladios, nec te Jnaomis honores A

Auditis Helenae praeposu isse b onis .

Ergo ego sum v irtus ? ego sum t ib i nob ile regnum ?

Fe rrea sim, si non hoc ego pec tus amem.

R

H ELEN TO PA R I S .

I then to thee am wea lth , andpo wer and fame 3”

Lo v e f rom a heart o f stone such o ff erings c laim .

A f ru itless passion to indu lge a fra id,O f stone , be lie ve me, He len is no t made .

Why . f eed a hope b u t v a inly to deplore,Sowon the sands, and p lough the watery shore h

In amo rous f raud unskill’

d, b y h imi ador

’

d,

I ne ’er—ti ll now deceiv fd my lord,These f urtiv e lines my tremb ling fingers jtrace ,

’

“New to the w ork , and c onscious o f disgrace .

Happy the maid experienc’

d in the art !

I find the gu ilty no t an easy part ;

My f ears'

are tortu re , _

and all ey es, b u t th ine ,Ab ash

’

d I mee t, and th ink them fix’

d'

on mine .

Ferrea , c rede mihi , non sum : sedamare repugno

l llum, quem fi e ri v ix pu to posse“

me um.

Qu id b ib ulum ‘

curv o pre sc indere littu s ara tro ,Spemqu e sequ i concr, quam locus ipse nege t

?

Sum-

rudis ad Vene ris f urtum nullaque z fidclem

(Di mih i sunt testes) lu'

simus arte v irum .

Nunc quoque , quod tac ito mando mea v erba lib ello ,Fungitu r o ffi c io li te ra nostra nov o .

"

Felices, qu ib us usus adcst ! ego nesc ia rerum

Difiic ilem cu lpae suspicor esse v iam .

Ipse malo metus est : j am nunc conf undor, e t omnes

Innostris oculus v ultibus esse reor.

180. H EL EN TO ram s .

While smother’

d laugh ter strain’d my b lush ing

cheek ;He shall,

’was all my qu i v ering lips c ouldspeak .

Thanks to the prosperou s gale to Cre te he ’

sgone ,

Bu t th ink no t theref ore I am now t hy t own

Ab sent, h is w ife , and rights he ,can de f end

For f ar, you know , a monarch’

s be nds ex tend.

His f ears thy loud enc omiums j ustly ra ise,O fatal be au ty , and more f a tal praise

‘3

Feign w ou ld - L now resign my proudest claim,

And cheat the bu sy tongu e o f b ab b ling f ame. ‘

No r tha t he lea v esme here w ith thee adm ire,My lif e and ma nners c onfidence i nsanre ;

Vix tenu i rt sum qu em dum c ompesee re kreter,

Nil illi po tni dic ere , praeter, Brit ;

Vela qu idem Cre ten v en tis dedit ille accundis ;Sed t u non ideo cu neta l icere puta .

Sic meus h inc v ir ab est, a t me custodiat ab sens.

An nescis longasregib us esse manus PFama quoq ue est oneri ; nam quo constantit

‘ts ore

L audamu r v estro , j ustius ille t ime t.Qum j uv at , u t nunc est, eadem mih i gloria damno

est

Et melius famsa v erba dedisse f oret . .

Nee , quod ab est, h ic me tecum mirarei

relictam

Merib us et v i tae credidit ille 1116 33.

H ELEN TO ra n t s . 1 8 1

His f ear, . if ‘fear his generous b osom knows,No t f ro m my conduct, b u t my b eau ty flows.

Y ou u rge the pre cious moments tha t we lose ,

The b oon, my own conv enient spouse, b estowsDe sire and doub t my lab

'o uring b osom rend,

Willing to yield, ye t fearf ul to o f fend

My ab sen t h usb and leav es my unguarded side ;The nigh ts are long, you press no b looming b ridesBeau ty in b o th , by b o th admir

’

d,incites

The mu tu a l flame ,- to mu tua l joys

“

inv ites :Benea th one roo f we liv e

, and so f t . desire ,(Fo r still o u r talk is lo v e ) thy words inspireAll tha t can tempt to e rime my steps b e trays

And f e ar,-

a las ! and only fea r delays

De f aeie me tu it ,'

v itae c onfi dit : e t illum

Secu rum prob i ta'

s,f orma t imere facit .

Tempora me pere ant u ltro data prmc ipis u tque

Simplic is u tamur commodita te v iri .Et lib e t, e t t imeo : nee adhuc exac ta v oluntas

Est sa tis; in dub io pec tora nostra la b ant .

Ri v ir ab est no b is ; e t tu sine conj uga do rmisInqu e v icem tua me

, te mea f orma capit

Et longae noc tes ; e t j am sermone co imu s

Et tu (me m iseram b landus ; e t u na domus.

Et pe ream, si no n inv itant omnia culpam

Nesc io quo tardor sed tamen ipsa metu .

n 3

3852 H ELEN TO Pa n t s"

.

No r

a

th ink , rash yeu th , by fo rce to conq uer fear,

And thus o’

erwhelm the do ub t s—

you canno t rc lear

Tho ugh some the ir w ishes e

ga ln - . b y f o rce possess’

d,

And I perchan ce b y v io lenc e were b lestThe ihfan t passio n b e tter now to tame ;1

A little w a ter

i

che cks th e ki ndling f lame .

A stranger’

s

”

fickle lo v e no laW‘

o be ys

And to new regions l ike the wanderer strays

When f ondest h ope upon h is fa ith relies"

;

Spreads his ligh t Wings andma moment fl ies .

”

Thus wert - thou lef t t hy nwidow’

d b ed to‘weep,Be tray

’

d Hypsipile ; . f rom b almy sleep3

Th e!

Cre ta n’

s dau gh te r wak ing,thus deple te s(Ah wre tched pa ir !) he r f ate on de sart s horesw

Quod male persuades , u tinam b ene eogere possis

Vi mea ru stici tas excu tienda f u it .

U tili s i nterdum e st ipsis inj uria passis

S ic c erte felix e sse c one ta v e lim .

Dum no v u s est ,‘

pa tins ccepto pugnemu s amoriFlamin a recens pa rva s

‘

parsa resedit aqua.

Certu s in hospi t i bus non est amor erra t, ut ipsiChmq ue n ihi l spares fi rmius esse , fu it .

’

~