III Let him alone, with what he made, The winds by his Commission blow; V Secure those golden early joyes, That Youth unsowr'd with sorrow bears, And then the Calm returns, and all is This is the time to be possest; 30 The laugh that guides thee to the mark, When the kind Nymph wou'd coyness feign, And hides but to be found again; These, these are joyes the Gods for Youth ordain. THE TWENTY-NINTH ODE OF THE THIRD BOOK OF HORACE; PARAPHRASED IN PINDARICK VERSE, AND INSCRIBED TO THE RIGHT HON. LAURENCE EARL OF ROCHESTER. THE SECOND EPODE OF HORACE. How happy in his low degree, Nor drums disturb his morning Sleep, Nor knows he Merchants gainful care, Nor fears the dangers of the deep. The clamours of contentious Law, And Court and state, he wisely shuns, Nor brib'd with hopes, nor dar'd awe, To servile Salutations runs ; But either to the clasping Vine with Does the supporting Poplar Wed, He views his Herds in Vales afar, 20 When bounteous Autumn rears his head, He joyes to pull the ripen'd Pear, 30 And clustring Grapes with purple spread. The fairest of his fruit he serves, Priapus thy rewards: Sylvanus too his part deserves, Whose care the fences guards. Sometimes beneath an ancient Oak, Or on the matted grass he lies: No God of Sleep he need invoke ; But when the blast of Winter blows, Or spreads his subtile Nets from sight No anxious care invades his health, His Children and his Family, And then produce her Dairy store, Which Phasis, or Ionia yields, 50 60 70 80 90 CHRYSES, Priest of Apollo, brings Presents to the Grecian Princes, to ransom his Daughter Chryscis, who was Prisoner in the Fleet. Agamemnon, the General, whose Captive and Mistress the young Lady was, refuses to deliver her, threatens the Venerable Old Man, and dismisses him with Contumely.-The Priest craves Vengeance of his God; who sends a Plague among the Greeks: which occasions Achilles, their Great Champion, to summon a Council of the Chief Officers: He encourages Calchas, the High Priest and Prophet, to tell the Reason, why the Gods were so much incensed against them.-Calchas is fearful of provoking Agamemnon, till Achilles engages to protect him: Then, embolden'd by the Heroe, he accuses the General as the Cause of all, by detaining the Fair Captive, and refusing the Presents offer'd for her Ransom. By this Proceeding, Agamemnon is oblig'd, against his Will, to restore Chryseis, with Gifts, that he might appease the Wrath of Phoebus; but at the same time, to revenge himself on Achilles, sends to seize his Slave Briseis. Achilles, thus affronted, complains to his Mother Thetis; and begs her to revenge his Injury, not only on the General, but on all the Army, by giving Victory to the Trojans, till the ungrateful King became sensible of his Injustice. At the same time, he retires from the Camp into his Ships, and withdraws THE FIRST BOOK OF HOMER'S ILIAS. The text from the original edition of 1700. The text is given with fair accuracy in most editions. In the original there are some obvious misprints and some false stops. his aid from his Countrymen. Thetis prefers her Son's Petition to Jupiter, who grants her Sute. Juno suspects her Errand, and quarrels with her Husband, for his Grant; till Vulcan reconciles his Parents with a Bowl of Nectar, and sends them peaceably to Bed. THE wrath of Peleus Son, O Muse, resound; Whose dire Effects the Grecian Army found: And many a Heroe, King, and hardy Knight, Were sent, in early Youth, to Shades of Night: Their Limbs a Prey to Dogs and Vultures made; So was the Sov'reign Will of Jove obey'd: From that ill-omen'd Ilour when Strife begun, Betwixt Atrides Great, and Thetis God-like Son. What Pow'r provok'd, and for what Cause, relate, Sow'd, in their Breasts, the Seeds of stern Bare was his hoary Head; one holy Hand 21 Held forth his Laurel Crown, and one his Sceptre of Command. His Suit was common; but above the rest, To both the Brother-Princes thus address'd: Ye Sons of Atreus, and ye Grecian Pow'rs, So may the Gods who dwell in Heav'nly Bow'rs Succeed your Siege, accord the Vows you make, And give you Troys Imperial Town to take; So, by their happy Conduct, may you come With Conquest back to your sweet Native Home; 30 As you receive the Ransom which I bring, (Respecting Jove, and the far-shooting King,) And break my Daughters Bonds, at my desire; And glad with her Return her grieving Sire. With Shouts of loud Acclaim the Greeks decree To take the Gifts, to set the Damsel free. Hence, Holy Dotard, and avoid my Sight, 40 The God nine Days the Greeks at Rovers kill'd, Nine Days the Camp with Fun'ral Fires was fill'd; The tenth, Achilles, by the Queens Command, Who bears Heav'ns awful Sceptre in her Hand, 80 A Council summon'd: for the Goddess griev'd Her favour'd Hoast shou'd perish unreliev'd. The Kings assembled, soon their Chief inclose; Then from his Seat the Goddess-born arose, And thus undaunted spoke: What now remains, But that once more we tempt the watry Plains, And wandring homeward, seek our Safety hence, In Flight at least if we can find Defence? |