knew The Dear Companion of my tender Hours My Goods my self my very Soul was yours How blest I was when Rome first showed me you Brought us acquainted made me think you true Has your repeated Oaths no force to bind All general and common as the Wind Sure Rome the great good Place I leave Cou'd ne'r nurse you no Monsters she can have Rather some Rock within the Scythian Sea Damn'd for a thousand Murders e'ery day Where Female Tygers Nurst you at their Breast Found you a Man but Chang'd you to a Beast But still there 's one way left and only one Freely to own the Injuri's you 'ave done By this tho' late you may oblige me so I may commend you as I blame you now ELEGY VIII To his Friend He shows him the Levity of the Vulgar how meanly they attend upon Fortune and withdraw their Services in Affliction He takes Occasion to Commend his Friend for several Qualifications and concludes the Elegy with an Instance of his Friendship MAy you live long my Friend and always well Know nothing of the Ills the wretched Feel And tho' my Pray'rs for me the Gods despise The same for you may Mount a Sacrifice While Fortune 's yours a Croud will hov'ring be Fondly Commending all they hear and see No sooner do's the Fickle Goddess Frown But all your Parasites my Friend are gone As Doves for new built Houses do prepare While Ruin'd Towers all neglected are As gath'ring Ants to crouded Barns do come So do's the Vulgar to the Richest Run As in the Sun your Sha dow do's Attend And Walks and Turns and Cringes as you Bend But when a Cloud appears the Part 's no more Tho' it seem'd more than half of you before So vulgar Souls will Dance to Fortune's Light A Cloud once spread they Vanish out of sight Heav'n knows my Soul I very often sigh And passionately Pray the Gods for Thee That these may all my Friend seem false to you Tho' I by sad Experience find 'em True While I was Prosperous as others great What Crouds for Favours wou'd my House beset The Building struck the Wary People Fly By one consent avoiding what was nigh Nor do I Wonder that they Thunder Fear Whose fi'ry Bolts the strongest eas'ly Tear Yet Caesar in adversity has said That Man 's the best that by his Friend has stay'd When good Orestes Worth fierce Thoas knew He Prais'd the Love in Pylades he saw Hector he often Patroclus approv'd Tho' he his Enemy Achilles lov'd When Theseus waited on his Friend in Death Pluto cou'd scarce believe so great a Truth Convinc'd he Mourn'd and pitty'd him that Fell Crying himself to see them love so well Alas how Few my just Complaints do move How few in Rome like those of old that Love So vast my Grief so very much my Fears So Boundless are my ever falling Tears That did not you the mighty Torrent stay The Gath'ring Flood wou'd Threaten like a Sea You that have Courage to be Good that Dare In greatest Dangers for your Friend appear Not meanly mov'd as sordid Spirits are Nor is your Judgment than your Courage less Your Eloquence as well as Virtues Please When you Defend the Nicest must Applaud Your Cause your Words your Thoughts so very good Eas'ly I can your Growing Fortune Read Some Greatness yet as I have often sayd No superstitious Omens tell me this Tokens that fond mistaken Zealots please My Reason's all the Augury I know By this no other Prodigy I go By this instructed Happiness I give Joy of the Present and the Future Goods you 'll have The small Pretence I early had to Wit Ruin'd my Fortunes when I came to Write Your better Arts not like my Trifling Skill Has rais'd your Honour and must raise it still But yet you know I ne'er was ill inclin'd My Thoughts were Salli's of a youthful Mind My Manners were not like my Verses loose And Love I only for Diversion Choose Then since you can excuse me justly too Defend me still as I have heard you do ELEGY IX In Praise of his Ship with some short Account of his Voyage JUstly I Praise my Ship so good so fine She bears Minerva's Name as well as mine So apt to sail she moves with any Wind And hasty leaves deserted Shores behind Proudly she scorns but just to overcome But reaches those that long have been from Home Defy's the strongest Billows when they Beat And Foaming all their wonted Force repeat I Boarded her when I to Corinth came And long without a Change I kept the same Thro' many Dangers I have safely steer'd Always entreating Pallas when I feard And now I hope to Make the distant Land The Getick Coast Augustus do's command She bore me once through boyst'rous troubled Seas A long and mighty dang'rous Way to Pass When standing to the Left we shunn'd before With much adoe we made the Imbrian shore Then with a gentle Wind and calmer Sea She eas'ly Touch'd at Samos in her Way O' th' other hand there stands a lofty Wood Fam'd for its Growth and for it's neighb'ring Flood Here I the wide Bistonian Fields survey Walking a Foot while she puts off to Sea From Hellespont Dardania she Gain'd And Lampsacus for her Priapus Fam'd Then to the Seas the same Leander Crosst When Beauteous Hero urg'd him to be Lost From hence she had Fair Cyzicon in view So famous for the Arts her People knew Thence to Byzantium she Bore away Where we behold two Seas within one Bay And now Minerva grant that she may Pass Those Moving Isles that lye upon the Seas Next let her reach the Thynnian Bay and Fall 'Till she comes near Anchialus high Wall Then she Mesembria and Odesus must Make And view some Towers for their Bacchus sake And those Alcathous when Wandring Made With all the Houshold Gods he had So to Miletus where 's the Place I 'm sent To end a weary Life in Banishment And if I safely tread th' expected shore I 'll Sacrifice a Lamb to Pallas Pow'r Heav'n knows we cann't at this time Compass more And you two Brothers you this Island Prays Conduct us in our double diff'rent ways Let one the Euxine make with happy Gales While the other to Bistonia sails Let Winds Convey us to the Place we wou'd Tho' diff'rent both yet both have very good ELEGY X. This is an Apology for the fore-going Elegies the whole Book being made during the Fatigue of his Travels which he urges in Excuse THere 's not a Letter Reader but I writ Unhappily pursuing my ill Fate I writ it most in cold December's Frost While the Adriatick with her Billows Tosst The rest I Finish'd when the Isthmus passt We all took Ship again and sail'd in haste So odd a Thought amaz'd the Cyclades To see a Poet writing on the Seas I Wonder'd too the Patience of my Muse That in a Storm she shou'd not then Refuse The Waves alas had never been her use
to a better place Their Princes safe they must not Captives be This early show'd a Right to Liberty I sha'n't here name the sad unhappy Fault That lost my Freedom and Misfortunes brought But those of which my Enemies accuse I never thought how loose so e're my Muse With these they 've often vext your Royal Breast Provok'd your Anger and destroy'd my Rest And all they said you thought severely true Nor do I wonder you believ'd 'em so Since Gods have been deceiv'd as well as you When Jove looks down to see the World below Condemn approve and know the things we do His leisure won't admit the nicest View So you like him tho' looking round about Some things a single look can ne'er find out Who can imagine States neglected lye The thoughts of Empire left for Poetry Easy the Weight must on your Shoulders sit Had you your self consider'd what I Writ The bold Panonia your strength defy's Nor is Illyrium in perfect Peace They on the Rhine their utmost Force prepare And Thracia still employs you in a War Armenia parleys when the Parthians show Their Spreading Colours as a Warlike Foe Germania flys before your Bolder Son Early made Brave by Victories you won No Head but yours cou'd so much Bus'ness do With so much Ease such mighty Order too Your thoughts to travel all your Empire o're And you Unruffl'd manage such a Pow'r No Part but Govern'd by your proper Care Yet none to Want what 's necessary there Shows that your Soul had a peculiar Mould Form'd by some Gods and made to rule the World Your Laws all Wise and so severely Good Your Life still stricter than the Laws you made Thus in a long Fatigue of Bus'ness seen That you shou'd think of any thing of mine I own my Verses loose unworthy far To reach the pious nice Augustus Ear Besides these Lines the whole Design declare You that with Fillets bind your Hair be gone Nor let the Matron with my Book be seen I only sing of youthful stolen Joys And such Gay Thoughts their Formal Wills displease Yet nothing Guards a Mind that will be Bad Precisest Matrons when they please are Lewd And tho' they never heard or saw my Book Some will be Whores and sin in e'ery Look One she reads Annals there perhaps she 'll find How Ilia a Vestal was enclin'd When dreaming Mars comprest the lovely Maid And Blest her with the Double Birth she had Let her but look the well writ Aeneids o're She wishes sighs and thinks on Venus Power Pity 's poor Dido when Aeneas sails And VVonders that the Queen no more Prevails There 's nothing tho' the purest of the Kind That mayn't Corrupt a Heart that 's ill inclin'd But this is not enough to Damn a Book Because ill meaning has the Reader Took Shall we prohibit Fire our common Use Because Incendiari's Burn with this The Traveller and Thief VVear Swords alike Because one Robs shall t' other take a Stick Or shall we pious ancient Cloysters Curse Because Maids talk of Sweet Hearts or of worse One in the very Temple as she Prays to Jove Is thinking of the Stories of his Love Thinking how many Mothers he might make Wishing her self a Beauty for his sake Another she at Juno's Altar Prays And thinks how Fair Europa Crost the Seas Pity 's poor Juno by her Jove betray'd The God so often Changing as he did But VVishes still she 'd bin the Charming Maid Shou'd she Minerva's awful Statue see So Good so Tall so full of Majesty Some Story still her strong desire wou'd sind How Erictihon was born a'fore his Time Because the Goddess hid him as they say And sure if Goddesses such Pranks will play Inferiour Nymphs their waiting Women may All things a Person eas'ly turns to ill Whose chiefest Law 's the Dictates of his Will The gravest Matrons have beheld in paint The lewdest Forms the Artist cou'd invent The Vestals have beheld th' Intreague of Stews The various ways those Proftitutes abuse And yet the Painter if the Piece was good Receiv'd the Praises that an Artist shou'd But why Oh why did I unhappy write Fond o' th' Fantastick Character a Wit My wanton Genius hurrying me along And never resting 'till I was undone Why did not I like other Poets move Thunder out Battels Wars not whine out Love Troy had engag'd me in a Noble Strain And inoffensive too my Thoughts had bin Here I had told the Grecian Policy And Troy's unfo rtunate Security Or had this bin an antiquated Theme I might have sung as well of greater Rome This had been pious and a Subject's part Duty excus'd the Nicety of Art Tho' Caesar had not been oblig'd by this His Worth so much exceeding all my Praise He must have pardon'd an officious Muse As Phoebus darting Rays affect our Eyes So Caesar's Glories in the View surprize When with a Naked Eye we see each Light 'T is troublesome and takes away our sight These were my thoughts and this believe it true Is all the Reason that I plead or knew As when a Man within a little Boat Safely in shallow Rivers rows about But shou'd he launch into the Swelling Main His Boat wou'd be too small his Art in vain So tho' I 've writ with Reputation too Of trivial Subjects Stories that I knew Shou'd I for this a greater Thought have had Have writ Jove's Thunder and the Wars he made Or Caesar's Wars but little less than those Next Jove's the Victory as good the Cause Awkward my weaker Numbers must have bin And Jove and Caesar suffer'd in the Strain Once I begun the mighty Task and Try'd I sung of Wars as other Poets did But still my Hero so surpast the rest I must have VVrit the worst if not the best Then I resolv'd to tell some amorous Tale With melting Words oblige the Longing Girl While frequent Blushes with Repeated Sighs Engaging Looks the Language of the Eyes Show how she loves and loving how she Dyes Curse o' this Thought why did I learn to Read Why did my Tutor teach me as he did And yet I suffer thro' Mistake as tho' Unlawful Ways of Love I did pursue As tho' I 'ad sought t' abuse the Nuptial Rites And gratifie my self with vile Delights This I Profess and Heaven knows it true Lawful are all the ways of Love I know No Man by me 's a Doubtful Father made I never wrong'd the meanest Person 's Bed My Life and Verse have always differ'd far Pleasant my Muse my Manners more severe Accius was Fierce Terence was soft and smooth 'Fore Tragedies preferring Plays less Rough. Nor yet am I the first that writ another way Anacreon's Applauded to this day For writing of a harmless Love like me Sappho had never reach'd an Excellence Had not she writ of Love without Offence The good Menander when he made his Plays Menander that diverts so many Ways He never Writ but Love was still his Theme Bewitching
fear So different a Mould from his is mine I 've often shrunk at what I 've only seen Instead of War my Books my Care have been While Jove he breaks his Thunder on my Head Had I more Friends in vain wou'd be their Aid A Goddess Guarded him with nicest care Snatch'd him from all the Dangers that were near And since he 's less that Governs in the Seas Than he that Governs in the highest Skie's Much better was his Fate my Friend than mine Jove ruins me while Neptune threatn'd him But then think how the greatest part is made Only suppos'd the half he never had My Griefs are all too certain much too plain No Fable do's embellish ought that 's mine Besides At last he reach'd his Houshold Gods Pray'd his Penates in their old Abodes But I can never hope Vlysses Place Till Caesar smiles and Heaven thunders less ELEGY V. He writes to his Wife and takes Occasion to Commend the Constancy of her Affection Compares her with the best of her Sex but excuses his Inability in Writing while he is still Wrack'd by his Misfortunes APollo Lydia lov'd but not as I My Dearest Wife have always Child lov'd thee Philetus tho' his Nymph and Song Divine Lov'd not his Battis with a Love like mine You so entirely have each part of me That my Affection a'most merits thee But ah my Injuries and yet I find You smile my Dear tho' all the World 's unkind Your Prudence guards me from severest Foes That think my Freedom e'nt enough to lose Men that wou'd Rob me of my Life Estate And all the Goods I ever valu'd yet As a Devouring Wolf by Hunger Led Ranges the Field and eager thirsts for Blood When he espies Ungarded from afar Some Sheep that have escap'd their Shepherd ' care He takes his Prey nor will the weakest spare Or as a Vulture Hovering to feize Some wretched Carkass that unbury'd lies So did these strive by Force to ruin me While guarded still on e'ry side by Thee Hector's Andromache of Old so Fam'd Must not be mention'd Dear when you are nam'd She wept her Hector whom Achilles slew Paid the accustom'd Rites that Widdows do But living never cou'd oblige like You. Good Laodamia they so much Boast Was never known till she her Husband lost Had you been Homer's Wife so good a Theme Had made his Lines tho' strong more perfect seem Penelope her self much less had own'd She at the most had been but second found Whether indulgent Nature gave you this Fond to Compose fo great exact a piece Or if a less than Heaven we admit Some Pious Matron made you so compleat I cannot tell so very great 's your share My wrongs are fewer than your Virtues are Alas my Verse is all too weak too small my Skill To paint the thousand Graces I wou'd tell Was but my Mind as undisturb'd and free Easie my Dear as you have known it be Generous I 'd give you then the highest Place Set you with Heroins of the nicest Race And make the wondring World at once confess The greatest and the best of them much less And tho' my Verse this lustre cannot give Yet in my Numbers you shall Ages live ELEGY VI. To his Friends that us'd to wear his Picture engraven upon Golden Plates YOu that my Picture fondly us'd to wear That Instance of your Friendship you may spare However take the Ornaments away The Ivy that I wore is much too gay Such a Poetick Airy Garb as that Becomes the Happy only and the Great Whose better Stars still guard 'em from ill Fate Not such as I that sink beneath the weight Methinks I see some Friend concern'dly stand Viewing the Golden Image in his Hand And often crying as he walks along Heavens how far my Dear Companion 's gone 'T is kind but such their Ovid better see When they behold him in his Poetry The lively'st Image that the Wretched know This paints themselves and their Misfortunes too Read my chang'd shapes tho' there is scarce a thought Good as design'd and finisht as it ought No sooner was the fatal Sentence Read But all my Art was with my Freedom fled Imperfect thus what I 'ad with pains begun I burnt the scatter'd Papers that I 'ad done As Thestius is said to burn her Son And yet methoughts 't was very hard that they Shou'd feel the flames that cou'd not disobey But so it was partly indeed in spite To the first Muse that flatter'd me to write Till by Degrees the Tribe my Ruin prove Falsly perswading me to write of Love And partly ' cause they rude and naked lay Artless and nothing what they were to be But since they 've stole the Press may they succeed Admonish and Delight my Friends that Read Tho' Criticks they may damn 'em by a Law They shou'd be tender that the Reason know As when an Artist wants the last best Stroak Tho' he with Pains may have abundance struck His great Design must yet unhappy look Thus all my Lines the latest Pencil want Still to refine before abroad they 're sent But place these Verses with the Foremost Line And these will show they 're born a'fore their time Be kind and gentle whosoe'r thou art Don't you too nicely view an Orphan's Part Snatch't from his Parent 's Funeral in hast Kickt into th' World unlick't by much too Fast What tho' we Judgment want we 've Innocence And this in Infants is a good Defence The Poet's Muse in better Times may smile And he your Kindness own and you his Skill ELEGY VII He Complains of an Acquaintance that after a long Familiarity had given him some reason to suspect his Friendship BAck from the Seas shall Rolling Waters run And visit Fountains where they first begun The Char'oteer shall drive an unknown way Rise in the West and change the present day The Earth admit of Stars all spangl'd be And Ploughs shall make deep Furrows in the Sky The Elements shall change their wonted state Water shall burn and Fire like Water wet All this tho' strange I Prophesie since you Prove false I 've known so long and thought so true Lord That a Man cou'd so regardless stand Foolishly Fearful to assist his Friend Nay not so much as decently to sigh Or show the common Signs of Sympathy Was such a strange unheard Stupidity That you the Sacred Name of Friend shou'd hate And all the Offices of Kindness quit What if you had a well-bred Visit paid And lookt and talkt as other Courtiers did Offer'd some Reasons to allay my Grief This had seem'd kind and that is some Relief Tho' your sincerity cou'd give no Tears You might have Flatter'd with affected Pray'rs However at the least you might have say'd Farewell I 'm sorry as the People did Some that were Strangers and no ways alli'd Did more than this affectionately cry'd Then how much more might I expect from you That call'd me Friend and all my Secrets
The World may call it Madness what they please But this I know my Verses gave me ease Tho' Threatning Signs they dreadfully appear'd And Waters in Disorder show'd they Fear'd Sometimes the Ship seem'd Bury'd in the Sea Still I writ on the very Lines you see When Boreas with all his Force prevails Stretches our Cables Ruffling all our Sails While Waters parting by the Storm 's command Roll into Hills like highest Heaps of Sand Or rather Taller Mountains on the Land The Pilot ' ffrighted thoughtless of his Art Begins to Pray a very awkard Part With much a doe half words he stammering said And Promis'd all the Gods he wou'd be good The Gods regardless wou'd not take his Word Nor any Comfort for his Pray'rs afford All things lookt Ghastly that I heard and saw While still Death's Image kept within my view When various Thoughts were strugling in my Mind I Pray'd I Fear'd my Fears my Pray'rs inclin'd One while I 'd Pray to make the distant Land Then I 'de in haste recall that Pray'r again Tho' Heaven knows I fear'd the Winds and See Yet still the Land seem'd fiercer much than they At Home where Tempests only make a Noise There ah there at Rome I ' ad Enemies What must I then in unknown Nations find Monsters in Nature rude il-bred unkind These Terms too mild and favourably run For Creatures only in their Likeness Men Whose chiefest Art 's a barbarous Delight Some knowledge in the Battels that they Fight Besides to these with Disrepute I go Banish'd by Caesar so at Home a Foe These Thoughts a Storm within my Breast had made The other might this never cou'd be laid Now Reader if you 're generous and good If you can Pardon as a Reader shou'd My Faults in this Disorder you will Pass Think on the Time each Circumstance of Place Think too that I have more Correctly Writ When safe on Land in Arbours I have sate My Body ne'er was us'd to Frosts like these Nor was I e'er in Winter on the Seas And now I 'm there by much to soon I find But grant ye Gods you Gods that once were Kind The Winds and Frost may with my Verses end The End of the First Book The Second BOOK OF Ovid de Tristibus IMITATED To Augustus Caesar URg'd by my Fate I write again I Try As tho' the Muses had not Ruin'd me 'T was they Perswaded Caesar what you Read And thought my Life was like my Verses lewd Had I been Wise I ' ad Hated 'em at first The Learned Sisters as the Poets boast A Rhiming Crew their smiles like a Disease Quickly Confound their very Votary's This I have often known and yet possest To these I fly of these alone seek Rest So beaten Fencers Challenges repeat And give their Mangl'd Bodies to be hit So Shipwrack't Vessels plough the swelling Main And dare the very self-same Rocks again Less may my Dangers be rather like him He that was heal'd and wounded with the same My Muse that mov'd the great Augustus so May she the same Augustus soften now The Gods they say in numbers soonest hear And always answer first a Poet's Pray'r So Caesar made the Italian Matâ—ons bow In Numbers offer what their Opis knew So Phoebus was address'd in aptest Plays Nor did Apollo scorn the Poet's Bays By these Examples Caesar may you go If it 's too much to pardon milder grow Should I deny your Justice I shou'd sin And impudently move your Wrath again But had not I offending urg'd you so You then had wanted to forgive me now Shou'd Jove as often thunder as we sin Unarm'd the God a thousand times had bin No when his Thunder 's gone the Noise no more The Air is purer than it was before By this he 's Father of the Gods and Men By this he lives a Long and Happy Reign Caesar like him is Pater Patriae Caesar commands and thunders too as he Then like him too be absolutely good Pardon your Ovid as the God he wou'd Nor yet less good than great do's Caesar live So many Instances of both we have Often the Parthians have own'd you kind So God-like is the Temper of your Mind You Pardon'd tho' again the People sinn'd Riches and Honours I have known you give To Enemies that wou'd not have you live You scorn the Methods Meaner Princes know By better Arts you can Oblige us so That all must Love as well as Fear you too That day that War has threatned all before That very day your Anger has been o're Both Sides to th' Temple have their Offerings brought The Conquer'd pleas'd so brave the Victor fought And as your Souldier 's fond to overcome Others by yours are Proud to be out-done My Case is better than a Foe 's appears I make no Plots nor cause you open Wars I Swear by Heav'n and every Blest Abode By Caesar's dearest self a Present God My Soul do's such Obedience afford Intirely yours it knows no other Lord I 've wisht that you might late to Heaven Go When Life through Age grew Troublesome below When you were weary of an Empire here The Gods for your Reception might Prepare And Place Augustus in an Empire there As often as my Gifts the Altars had Witness ye Gods this was the Pray'r I made My Books tho' one of them became my Crime They most nay That do's often Caesar Name By this I my Obedience gave Not that you Lustre from my Lines cou'd have To such a Height no Poet e're cou'd Fly Yet all that Write have liberty to try Jove can't be greater nor his Acts more good Yet Praise in Verse has often pleas'd the God He lov'd the Song and own'd the Story true How Gyants Pelion on Ossa threw Such Beauty in the Thought so strong the Sense Poets have had a Privilege e're since The Gods a thousand Bullocks they have had All bleeding fresh upon their Altars laid And yet tho' us'd to Plenty when a Lamb A single Offering to their Temple came The Gods wou'd smile and take the Sacrifice For this alone they 'd Bless their Votary's Unlucky Chance or rather damn'd Design Who e're he was at first was so unkind To read my Verses to so chast an Ear Good as the yet unthinking Virgins are That don't so much as Tremble in a Dream Or Grasp the Image of the Youth they 've seen My looser Lines have such Impressions made You think the Present as the other Bad Some jealous Favorite invented this Thus to undoe me by an Artifice Methinks I hear how spitefully he read What envious Comments on my Words he made How he wou'd blush as Counterfeits they faint Good Lord a Man shou'd be so impudent This is not strange since e'ery one approves The happy Man the great Augustus loves But surely damns unheard a Person 's Crime Augustus disapproving thinks a Sin Nay I can hate my very self and do To think I shou'd deserve a Frown from you