weep his much lov'd Ovid gone And softly whispering to avoid a Crime Wish that his Caesar wou'd forgive the sin Who e're he is we wish him happy too That seems to feel the ills the wretched know To all he asks may Heav'n indulgent be May Caesar's Face again Look Liberty And grant the Privilege at Home to dye Whilst my Commands my Book thou dost relate The World will damn thee ' cause unfortunate Exiles are never Witty Good or Great A Judge must weigh the Business and the Time What Vertue was may be esteem'd a Crime The Muse ne're smiles but when the Poet does And who can smile with Clouds upon his Brows In blest Security and Ease I write My Thoughts were free my Verses smooth and sweet But since Fates Storms have tost me to and fro Nor at this Instant do they cease to blow My Mind 's as rough as troubled Waters flow While I was safe I eager sought for Fame To Wealth preferr'd the Purchase of a Name But now my Book in silence softly go Thy Master's Fame is like his Fortunes low If any one shou'd find it 's mine and say This Book is to be Burnt or Thrown away The Title show tell him I write no more Of Love the Subject of my Books before Tell him I 'ave dearly suffer'd for th' Offence Lost my Estate as well as Innocence But thou perhaps wilt look for th' highest Place Expect that Caesar shou'd Applaud thy Verse That thou shou'dst have the Privilege o' th' Court And be Caresst by all that there resort O no! let but those Palaces forgive Those Gods Propitious be that in them live No longer Thunder from the Sacred Roof The Bolts I 've felt are of their Power Proof I 've known 'em Gentle and Forgiving too Their Goodness like their Power diffusive flow But very lately 't is they Punisht me The sad remembrance often makes me sigh The fearful Dove once struck she always fears The stronger Hawk when e're the Bird appears The Lamb from the Devouring Wolf once free For ever after Dreads to be his Prey Cou'd the lost Phaeton but live again He willingly wou'd own his Pride a Sin So having felt the Mighty's fiercest Flame I own my Fault and fear to sin again The Pilots that the Grecian Navy bore Will always dread the Danger o' th' Eubaean shoar The Boat that Ovid and his Fortunes had Their Navy like o' th' fatal Place's afraid Where angry storms a dreadful Shipwrack made Beware regard the Instances I 've told Rather be timerous my Book than bold What if thy Verse before the People lies The Mean may Pity when the Great despise While Icarus with Wings to fly assay'd He purchas'd this his Folly nam'd the Flood How to advise thee well is hard but go Time Place and e'ry Circumstance must show If a clear Stage thou seest and all things shine Like Caesar's Face before his Ovid's Sin Yet let your Air be grave and grave your Mien Or if a Favourite shou'd take you as you stand And kindly give you to his Caesar's hand He that first gave the wound that caus'd the pain May like Achilles Spear relieve the same But while you 'de help be carefull lest you Kill By daring Thunder that 's at present still My Hope 's but small my Fears are greater far Lest you Offend and so Augment my Care When to my Study thou shalt come thou 'lt see Some Books that had their Characters from me With harmless Titles most you 'll find appear Written before their Authour Guilty were But in a Corner dark and fit for them Three Books will lurking in a Hole be seen Fly these as soon as e're their Form you view Tell 'em unhappy Oedipus his Father slew And if thy Ovid's words have power to move Hate 'em be sure tho' they pretend to Love Next you 'll behold upon a Shelf my Book Some kindred Leaves that various Forms have took With these I 'de have you talk and in your talk Tell 'em how different from the Man I was I walk When Fortune smil'd and all my Thoughts were Gay When she seem'd fond to heap her Goods on me Tell 'em I 'm Chang'd and look like some of them Am wrinkled old deform'd and ugly seen I have more Cautions more I am afraid These very dangerous times my Book you 'll need But shou'dst thou carry all that crouded ly The Thousand Fears that trouble me thou 'dst swell the strongest cou'd not carry Thee ELEGY II. Ovid Prays the Gods wou'd deliver him from the Dangers of a Shipwrack and in the Elegy describes the Tempest YE Gods whose Power the roughest Torrent finds Conduct our Ship half Ruin'd by the Winds Why shou'd your Wrath with Caesar's be encreas'd One God has Frown'd another has been pleas'd Mars hated Troy Apollo kind was found Venus protected Pallas wou'd have Drown'd Aencas strength in Juno's rage had fail'd Had not another Deity prevail'd Neptune persu'd Vlysses with his Hate While good Minerva snatch'd him from his Fate And tho' we 're less than these in Birth and Skill Much less why mayn't some God be tender still And while one Frowns another please to Smile My words like Common Air confusedly Fly The Winds all hope of being heard deny And Waves scarce grant the Privilege to sigh In vain I all my Pray'rs to Heav'n direct The Gods can't hear not hearing won't protect Ah me the swelling Seas their Surges throw You 'd think they 'd reach the Stats so high they go And parting a'most show the Shades below All the vast space I see is Air and Floods Tost by the Waves and Threatn'd by the Clouds While different Winds in Murmurs make their Way The Sea is doubtful which he should Obey Eurus his Forces Marshals from the East When Zephyrus soon Threatens from the West Fierce Boreas from his Northern Quarter blows While Notus Charges Fighting as he goes Our Pilot in so dangerous a Case So odd so terrible a Storm as this Is yet uncertain what to make what fly Such strange Variety of Dangers nigh Now while I speak a Proud Insulting Wave Shows me Death waiting for the Life I have My Pious Wife so long my Joy and Care Knows nothing of the Threatning Storms I fear Believes my Banishment the only Grief I know Thoughtless at present what I undergo Did she but see me Riding in the Deep The Disproportion that the Surges keep Her Care wou'd double every pointed Ill And I for her two Deaths at least shou'd feel This Flash wou'd be a Death so long the Flame I plainly saw the Place from when it came The Treasury where God's their Lightning lay To burn the World when all shall disobey Death I do'nt sear let but the Tempest cease Dismiss the Winds and strike me where you please Happy to me the Man that Sickness knows Or falls by th' Sword and sinks beneath his Foes The Earth to such will kindly give a Grave The Decent
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