grievous is it to be lockt within A walled Town and yet scarce safe therein For in my Youth all war I did detest And never handled weapons but in jest Now in my hands a sword and shield I bear And on my gray hairs I a Helmet wear For when the watchman standing in his place Doth give some sign then all do arme apace The enemy with his poysoned shafts and bow On their proud Steeds abou the walls do go And as the Wolf doth bare a sheep away Into the woods which from the fold did stray So those that once are strayed beyond the Gate The foe comes on them and doth take them straight Then like a captive they his neck do chain Or else with poyson'd Arrows he is slain In this place I a Dweller am become Alass my time of life too slow doth run Yet to my verse I do return again My friendly Muse doth me in grief sustain Yet there is none to whom I may recite My verse or hear the Latin which I write But to my self I do both write and read And then to Judge my self I do proceed Oft I have said why do I take this vein Or shall the Getes delight in Ovids name Oft while I write my eyes to weeping ser And every letter with my tears is wet And then my heart renews her grief again While on my bosome showers of tears do rain When as my former state comes in my thought Thinking to what my fortune hath me brought Oft my mad hand even angry with my veine Hath cast my verses into the quick flame Then since of many these few do remain Who eâ—re thou art with pardon read the same And Rome do thou take in good part each line Though each verse be no better than my time ELEGIE II. He grieves that the could not present be At the triumph of conquer'd Germany NOw haughty Germany as the world hath done May kneel to Caesar being overcome Now the high palaces are with garlands dight And smoaking incense turns the day to night Now the white sacrifice by the Axe is slain And with his purple bloud the earth doth stain And both the conquering Caesars do prepare To give the Gods those gifts which promis'd were And all the young men born under his name Do pray that still his progeny may raign And Livia since the Gods her son did save Presents those gifts which they deserve to have The Matrons and those free from bad desire Who living Virgins keep the vestal fire The people and the Senate too ate glad And Gentry ' mongst whom once a name I had These publick joyes tome here are unknown And but a weak report doth hither come But on these triumphs may the people look And read what towns were by such Captains took While as the captive Kings to encrease the show Before the plumed horses chained go With countenances to their fortune chain'd Owe terrible now from themselves estrang'd While some desire their cause and names to know One knowing little thus describes the show He that in yonder purple robe doth shine Was Captain of the war and next to him He whose sad eyes fixt on the ground appear Bore not that look when he his arms did bear That cruel man whose eyes still burning are By counsel did incite them unto war This fellow did false ambushments provide Whose shaggy hair his ugly face doth hide This fellow kill'd the Captives which he took A though the Gods such offerings did not brook These Mountains Rivers Castles which you see Were fill'd with bloud of men which slaughtered be Here Drusus did his honour first obtain Being worthy of that house from whence he came Here Rhene with bloud of men was colour'd over While no green reeds his winding banks did cover Behold how Germany with her long hair spread Sits at his feet who hath her conquered And to the Roman axe her neck doth yield Her hands being chain'd which once did bear a shield And above these greaâ— Caesar thou art carryed Through all the people in thy conquering chariot Thy subjects by loud shouts their love do shew While all the way with sweetest flowers they strew Thy temples crowned with Phoehean Bayes The souldiers singeth Io to thy praise While thy four Chariot-horses by the way Heated with noise do often flop and stay Then to the Tower and Temples favouring thee Thou goest where gifts to Jove shall offered be These things I can within my mind review For it hath power an absent place to shew Through spacious lands it can most freely stray And unto Heaven find the ready way By holp whereof the City I do see That of this Rood I may partaker be It shews the Ivory Chariots which do shine So I shall be at home even for a time The happy people shall behold this sight And for to see their Captain take delight But I mud see it by imagination My cars shall taste the fruit of the relation For being banisht to a Foraign Land To tell me of it here is none at hand Yet he that this late triumph tells to me When e're I hear him I shall joyful be And on that day no sorrow I will show For publick joy exceeds a private woe ELEGIE III. Ovid seemeth to speak here To the constellations of the Bear YOu great and lesser Beasts whereof the one Guides Graecian ships the other Sydonian Which from your poles view all things which you please And never set beneath the Western Seas And while that you encompass in the skie Your circle from the earth is seen on high Look on these walls o're which as they report Remus leapt over in his merry sport And look with shining beams upon my Wife And tell me if she lead a constant life Alas why doubt I in a matter clear Why do I waver between hope and fear Believe as thou desirest that all is well Perswade thy self she doth in faith excel And what the fixed star's cannot unfold Tell to thy self and be thou thus resolv'd That as thou thinkest on her so she again Doth think on thee and with her keeps thy name And in her mind thy Countenance doth review And while she lives that she her love will shew When thy griev'd mind doth on thy sorrow light Doth gentle sleep forsake thy bosome quite Doth thy cold bed renew thy cares afresh And make thee think on me in my distress Does night seem long while sorrows inward burn Do thy sides ake while thou dost often turn Yet I believe that now thou dost no less And that thy sorrow doth thy love express Thou griev'st no less than did that Theban Wife To see brave Hectors body void of life Drawn by Thessalian horses yet I cannot tell What passion in thy mind I wish to dwell If thou art sad then I am griev'd for thee That of thy sorrow I the cause should be Yet gentle wife do thou lament thy losses And use the time to think upon
thy crosses Weep for my fall to weep is some relief For chat doth case and carry out our grief And would thou couldst lament my death not life That so by death I might have left my Wife Then in my Country I had died and dead Thy tears upon my Corps had then been shed And thou hadst clos'd my eyes up with thy hand While looking unto Heaven they did stand In an ancient Tomb my ashes had been spread And had been buried where I first was bred Lastly I then had died without blame But now my banishment is to me a shame Yet wretched am I if thou blushest then When thou art call'd wife to a banisht man Wretched am I if thou that name decline Wretched am I if thou sham'st to be mine Where is that tâ—…e wherein thou took'st a pride In Ovids Name and to be Ovids bride Where is that time wherein these words you spake That you in being mine did pleasure take Like a good wife in me you did delight And love encreas'd my value in your sight And unto you so precious was I then That you preferred me before all men Then think it no disgrace that thou art nam'd My wife for which thou maist be griev'd not sham'd When rash Capaneus the wart did fall Evadne blusht not at his fault at all Though Jupiter did fire with fire suppress Yet Phaeton was beloved ne're the less And Semele did not lose old Cadmus love Because she perish'd by her sure to Jove Then since that I am strucken with Joves flame Let not a crimson blush thy fair check stain But with fresh courage rather mc defend That for a good wife I may thee commend Shew now thy vertue in adversity The way to glory through hard waies doth lie Who would talk of Hector had Troy happy been For vertue in adversity is seen Typhis Are fails when no waves are seen In health Apollo's are hath no esteem That vertus which before time lay conceal'd In trouble doth appear and is reveal'd My fortune gives thee scope to raise thy fame And by thy vertue to advance thy name Then use the time for these unhappy daies Do open a fair way for to get praise ELEGIE IV. We writes to his friend in his distress Whose name by signs he doth express O Friend though thou a Gentleman art born Yet thou by vertue dost thy birth adorn Thy Fathers courtesie shineth in thy mind And yet this courtesie is with courage joyn'd In thee thy Fathers Eloquence doth dwell Whom none could in the Roman Court excel Then since by signes I am enforc'd to name thee I hope for praising you you will hot blame me 'T is not my fault your gifts do it proclaim Be what you seem and I deserve no blame Besides my love in verse exprest I trust Shall not harme thee since Caesar is most just Our Countries Father and so mild that he Suffers his name within my verse to be Nor can he now forbid it if he would Caesar it publick and a common good Jupiter sometimes lets the Poets praise His acts that so their wits his deeds may raise Thy case by two examples good doth seem The one believ'd a God the other seen Or else I 'le take the fault and to it stand To say my Letter was not in thy hand Nor thus by writing have I newly err'd With whom by words I often have conferr'd Then friend lest thou be blam'd thou need'st not fear For it is I that must the envy bear For if you 'l not dissemble a known truth I lov'd your Father even from my youth And you know how he did approve my wit More than in my own judgement I thought fit And oftentimes he would speak of my verse And grace them while he did the same rehearse Nor do I give these fair words unto thee But to thy Father who first loved me Nor do I flatter since my lives acts past I can defend except it be the last And yet my fault no wicked crime can be If that my griefs be not unknown to thee It was an errour brought me to this state Then suffer me now to forget my fare Break not my wounds which yet scarce dosed are Since rest it self can hardly help my care And though to suffer justly lam thought There was no wicked purpose in my fault Which Caesar knowing suffer'd me to live Nor to another my goods did be give And this same banishment perhaps shall cease When length of time his anger shall appease And now I pray he would me hence remove If this request would not immodest prove To some more quiet banishment where I Might live far from the cruel enemy Ana such is Caesars clemency that he Would grant it if some askt this boon for me The shores of th' Euxine Sea do me contain Which heretofore the Axine they did name The seas are tossed with a blustring wind Nor can strange ships any safe harbour find And round about bloud-eating men do live Thus sea and land do equal terrour give Not far off stands that cursed Altar where All strangers to Diana offered were These bloudy kingdoms once King Thoas had Not envi'd nor desir'd they were so bad Here the fair Epigenia did devise To please her Goddess with this sacrifice Whither as soon as mad Orestes came Tormented with his own distracted brain And Phoceus with him his companion Who two in body were in mind but one To this sad Altar they were bound which stood Before a pair of gates imbru'd with bloud Yet in themselves no fear of death they had But one friend for the others death was sad The Priest with Faulthion drawn stood ready there With a course fillet bound about his hair But when she knew her Brothers voice she came And did embrace him that should have been slain And being glad she left the place and then She chang'd the rites which Dian did contemn Unto this farthest region I am come Which even Gods and men do likewise shun These barbarous rites near my country are maintain'd If a barbarous country may be Ovid's Land May those winds bear me back which took Orestes hence When Caesar is appeas'd for my offence ELEGIE V. His grief to his friend he doth reveal Whose name he on purpose doth conceal O Chiefest friend ' mongst those were lov'd of me The only sanctuary to my misery By whose sweet speech my soul reviv'd again As oyle pour'd in revives the watching flame Who didst not fear a faithful port to open And refuge to my ship with Thunder broken With whose revenues I supply'd should be If Caesar had took my own goods from me While violence of the time doth carry me Thy name 's almost slipt out of memory Yet thou dost know'r and touched with the flame Of praise dost wish thou mightst thy self proclaim If thou wouldst suffer it I thy name would give And make them that they should thy fame believe I fear my grateful verse should
be you now admonish'd by my fate To please that man who equals gods in state ELEGIE IX Here he doth admonish one That he proceed not to do him Wrong SInce thou art content I will conceal thy name And drench thy deeds in Lethean waves again And thy late tears our mercy shall o're-come So thou repent of that which thou hast done But if hatred of us still thy bosome warmes My unhappy grief must take up forced arms Though I am banisht to the farthest lands My anger may from thence reach out her hands All right of laws great Caesar did me grant My punishment is my Country for to want And if he live we may hope our return The Oake looks green which lightning once did burn If I had no power to revenge at length The Muses then would lend me help and strength Though in the Scythian coasts I here do lie Whereas the starry signes are ever dry Yet through large spacious lands my praise shall go And all the world my sad complaint shall know What we speak in the West unto the East shall fly And the East shall hear my Western harmony Beyond both lands and Seas they shall hear me In a loud voice shall my lamenting be Nor shall the present age thee only blame But of posterity thou shalt be the shame I am now dispos'd to fight though I have not blown The trumpet and I with no cause were known Though the Circk cease the Bull doth cast aloof The sand and beats the earth with his hard hoof And now my Muse sound the retreat again While that he may dissemble his own name ELEGIE X. In this sweet Elegie at last Ovid shews his life that 's past Describes his birth and doth rehearse How he took delight in verse POsterity receive me with delight For it is I that once of Love did write Sulmo my country is where cold springs rise And fifteen miles it from the City lies Here was I born and as you know right well When both the Consuls by like fortune fell Besides I was heir to my Grand-father by right Not made a gentle man by fortunes might After my Brother I was born at last When twelve months from his birth were fully past And both of us were born upon one day On which two wafer cakes we us'd to pay Of those five feasts to Pallas memory This is the first which bloudy us'd to be Forth-with we being young by our Fathers care Did go to men in Art that famous were My Brother in sweet eloquence did delight Being born in wrangling wars of Court to fight But I diviner poesy did favour And my Muse did entice me to her labour My Father said why art thou thus enclin'd Homer himself did leave no wealth-behind Mov'd with his words I left the Muses well And unto writing prose I straight-way fell But then my lines would into numbers run And what I writ would straight a verse become In the mean time years in silence going on I and my brother took the freer gown The purple robes our shoulders now did cloathe And in our first studies we delighted both At twenty years my brother di'd and then To want part of my self I first began The honours due to youth we both did take And of the three men I a part did make Being forc'd into the Senate at the length That burden it was greater than my strength My mind nor body could no pains abide And I did always shun ambitious pride The Aonian sisters bid me seek safe leisure Wherein indeed I always took great pleasure I lov'd and cherish'd Poets of that time For I did think the Poets were divine Old Macer read to me in verse of Birds What hearbs are hurtful and what hels affords Often Propertius did his love recite Joyn'd unto me even by acquaintance right Ponticus in Heroicks Ballus in Iambicks rare These to my sweet companions always were And Horaces numbers did my ear delight While he smooth verse unto the Harp doth strike Virgil I only saw and covetous fates Tibullus from my friendship hence translates He was Gallus successour Propertius followed him In course of time I was the fourth came in As I my elders my youngers me renown And my Thalia soon abroad was known Twice was my beard cut when I did rehearse Unto the people first my youthful verse One call'd Corinna by a feigned name In praising her did exercise my vein Much did I write but what I faulty deem'd I gave them to the fire for to amend And when I fled I burnt some things I lov'd For with my verse and study I was mov'd A light occasion would move my soft heart Which soon would be o'recome by Cupid's Dart. Yet with loves fire being quickly set on flame There was no scandal went under my name To me a boy an unthtifty wife they assign Who was married to me but a little time My next wife though she were without all blame Yet in my bed she did not long remain My last abides these latter years and can Endure to be wife to a banish'd man My second Daughter did two husbands take And twice a grand-father of me did make My Father now his life even finisht had While nine times four years he to mine did add I wept for him as he would have done for me And then my Mother dyed presently Happy and timely to the grave they went Because they di'd before my banishment And I am happy since while they did live They had no cause at all for me to grieve If ought remain unto the dead but names And the thin Ghost do scape the Funeral flames If you my Parents hear some sad report And that my faults are in the Stygian Court Know then whom to deceive is not my intent Errour nor wickedness caus'd my banishment Thus much to the dead to you I now return That the actions of my life would fain discern Now whiteness when my best years spended were Came on and mingl'd with my ancient haire The ho se-man with Pisaean Olive crown'd Hath since my birth got ten prizes renown'd When as the Emperors wrath doth me command To Tomos which by Euxine Sea doth stand I need not shew the cause of my sad fall Which is already too well known to all What shall I shew the treacherous intent Of friends and servants bad as banishment Yet my mind scorn'd to yield to grief at length And shew'd her self invincible in strength And forgetting of my quiet life I than To take arms in my unwonted hand began In more perils I By sea and land have been Than stars between the shining Poles are seen At last I arrived at the Getick coast Joyn'd to Sarmatia being with errors tost Though noise of wars do round about me rage Yet by my verse I did my grief asswage Though there be none that can my words receive Yet thus I do the day alone deceive In that I live and labour still between And
offended Caesars Majesty ELEGIE XI To his wise ' cause some did her defame And call her wife to a banish'd man THy Letter which thou sendst me doth complain That some one call'd thee wise to a banisht man I griev'd not that my life is ill spoke by Who now have us'd to suffer valiantly But that I am a cause of shame to thee And I think thou blushest at my misery Endure thou hast suffered more even for my sake When the Princes wrath me from thee first did take He 's deceiv'd who calleth me a banish'd man My fault a gentler punishment did attain Our ship though broke is not o'rewhelm'd or drown'd It bears up still though it no Port hath found My life my wealth my right he doth not take Which I deserv'd to lose for my faults sake To offend him was a punishment far more I wish my funeral hour had gone before But because no wickedness was in my fault To banish me he only fittest thought As to those whose numbers cannot reckon'd be So Caesar's Majesty was milde to me Therefore my verses by right as they may O Caesar do sing forth thy praise alway I beseech the Gods to shut up Heavens Gate And let thee be a God on earth in state But thou that call'st me thus a banisht man Encrease not my sorrow with a feigned name ELEGIE XII To his friend who wish'd him to delight Himself while he did verses write THou writ'st that I should pass the time away With study lest my mind with rust decay 'T is hard my friend verse is a merry taske And it a quiet mind doth always aske Our fate is droven by an adverse wind No chance more sad than mine can be assign'd Thou wouldst have Priam at his sons death jest And Niobe dance as it were at a feast Ought I to study or else to lament That alone unto the farthest Getes am sent Give me a breast with so much strength sustain'd Such as Anytus had as it is fam'd So great a weight would sink his wit at length Joves anger is above all human strength That old man which Apollo wise did call In such a case would not have wit at all Though I forget my Country and my self And have no sense at all of my lost wealth To do my office fear doth me forbid Being compass'd in with foes on every side Besides my vein grows dull being rusted o're And now it is far lesser than before The field if that it be not daily till'd Will nothing else but thornes and knot-grass yield The Horse having long stood still will badly run And be last of those that from the Lists do come The boat that hath long out of water been Grows rotten and the chinks thereof are seen Then hope not I that had an humble vein Can e're return like to my self again My wit by my long suffering is decay'd And part of my former vigour now doth fade Sometimes my Tables in my hand I take And I my words to run in feet would make I can write no verses but such as you see Fitting the place and their Authours misery And lastly glory gives strength to a strain And love of praise doth make a fruitful vein I was allur'd with hope of fame before While as a prosperous wind my sails out bore But now in glory I take not delight I had rather be unknown if that I might Because that some my verse at first did like Would'st thou have me therefore proceed to write May I speak it with your leave you sisters nine You chiefly caus'd this banishment of mine As the maker of the Bull in it did smart So I am also punish'd by my Art And now with verse I ought for to have done And being shipwrack'd I the sea should shun Suppose that study I should again assay This place is unfit for verses any way Here are no books nor none to lend an ear Nor none can understand me if they hear All places here both rude and wilde are found And filled with the fearful Getick sound I have forgot in Latine for to speak And I have learnt the language of the Gete Yet to speak truth I cannot so restrain My Muse but sometime she a verse will frame I write and then I burn those books again And thus my study endeth in a flame I cannot make a verse nor do desire Which makes me put my labour in the fire No part of my invention to you came But that which was stole or snatch'd from the flame And would that Art too had been burnt for me Which brought the Authour unto misery ELEGIE XIII Here he doth accuse his friend Because he did no letters send FRom the Gettick Land thy Ovid sends thee heath If one can send what he doth want himself For my mind from my body infected is Lest my part of me should torment miss A pain in my side me many days doth hold Which I had gotten by the winters cold If thou art well then we in part are well For thou didst under-prop me when I fell Thou gav'st me many pledges of thy heart And did'st defend me still in every part 'T is thy fault that Letters thou dost seldome send Thou performed'st deeds deny'st words to thy friend Pray mend this fault which if you shall correct In thee alone there will be no defect I would accuse thee more but it may be Thy Letter being sent came not to me May this complaint of mine seem rash and hot May I falsely think that thou hast me forgot Which as I pray for I am sure to find For I can ne're believe thou hast chang'd thy mind Gray worm-wood shall in the cold sea be scant And Sycilian Hybla shall sweet hony want E're thou in remembring of thy friend grow slack The threds sure of my fate are not so black And that thou may'st avoid so foule a crime What thou art not beware thou do not seem And as we were wont to pass the time away With some discourse till we had spent the day Let Letters carry and fetch back our words While hands and paper tongues to us affords But lest I seem too distrustful for to be And that these few lines may admonish thee Take my Farewel which word doth Letters end And may fortune better fates unto the send ELEGIE XIV Ovid shews his wife that she Shall by his books immortal be WHat a memorial my books give to thee Thou Wife more dearer than my self mai'st see Though fortune from their Authour do detract Yet by my wit thy fame shall be exact While I am read thy fame shall too be read Which cannot in the funeral fire lie dead And though thou seem'st unhappy by my fate Yet some shall wish to be in thy estate Who ' cause thou bearst part of my misery May call thee happy and may envie thee By giving riches thou no more hadst got Since the rich-mans ghost from hence doth carry nought But I have given thee fame that still shall last The greatest gift that I could give thou hast And ' cause thou dost defend me in my trouble This maketh honour come upon the double For that my voice doth ever mention thee Thy husbands love may still thy glory be And lest some call thee rash abide to the end Both me and thy faith see that thou defend For while we stood thou only didst maintain Thy goodness free from any fault or blame Which is not ruin'd by this fault of mine Thy vertue now may make thy works to shine 'T is easie to be good when we remove All occasions that may make wives not to love But in thunder if the shower she do not shun Such affection doth true marriage-love become Rare is that love which fortune doth not guide But when she flies away doth firm abide If vertue a reward to any be Shewing most courage in adversity Thy vertue in no age shall be conceal'd But through the world admired and reveal'd Thou seest Penelope doth still retain For constancy an unextinguish'd name Admetus and brave Hectors wife are sung And Hiphias wife that into fire did run The Phylacean wife by fame new life hath found Whose husband first set foot on Trojan ground I do not need thy death shew love to me And thence thou shalt get fame most easily Nor think I exhort thee cause that thou dost fail Though the ship go with oares we put on sail He that exhorts doth praise what thou dost do And by exhorting doth his liking show FINIS