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
TWO BOOKS OF ELEGIES In Imitation of The Two First Books of Ovid de Tristibus with part of the Third To which is added VERSES upon several Occasions with some Translations out of the Latin and Greek Poets By THOMAS BALL M. A. of St. John's Colledge in Cambridge Turba Poetarum Nasonem novit audet Non fastiditis annumerare viris Ovid. LONDON Printed for Richard Cumberland at the Angel in St. Paul's Churth yard 1697. THE Epistle Dedicatory TO JOHN HARVEY Of Thurly in Bedford-shire Esq SIR WEre Patrons bound to Defend Books they never saw as Seconds are to Fight Men they never heard of I shou'd not have Presum'd to have made You a Dedication for I am Oblig'd to tell the World of my Misfortune You never saw one Line of these Elegies and so are absolutely disengag'd from all Inadvertencies Faults and Follys of what Nature soever And tho' Men are generally as fond of the Issues of their Brain as those of their Body and partially give it for themselves without Fault I am not so Conceited of mine as to think I have writ without Mistakes tho' there is none that I know of You may remember in July last when I made you a Visit about Peterborough I told you I had some Papers of this Nature in some Friends Hands in Town and wish'd I had had em then to have taken your Thoughts Not long after I received them and had no reason to alter my Design of Publishing 'em at one time or another Then I show'd them to some of my Acquaintance in the Countrey and several Persons agreeing in the same Opinion I took up this still desperate Resolution of Printing It has been a Humour in all Ages but I believe never so Vniversal as now for Men to think it a Detraction from their own Character to give another Man his and when Homer has been Burlesqu'd Virgil Travestied Waller Criticis'd on and Cowley Condemn'd no Body must take it ill Cowley was a Man of Admirable Wit and his Writings will Challenge a Respect 'till our Poets are inspir'd Waller indeed writ with more Art and was the first of our Countrey-men that Affected that agreeable Smoothness which with his large Share of Wit makes his Poems perpetually Entertaining But those that Rail for no other Design than to be thought Critiques are fond of a Character they are not able to maintain And tho' they are a great part of Mankind they are of so different a Complexion from the better part of Mankind that they have as little Respect as Modesty and it 's no Reflection to be out of their Favour When I first began these Elegies the only Motive to me was my Diversion and to Persue the Design of Entertaining my self I Choose this way of Imitation which admits of more Liberty And tho' the Alterations are not great nor many yet they are too many for a strict Translation Besides this I had another Reason which Prevail d with me more than my Ease and that was Ovid s extream Sense of his Misfortunes in a hundred places of his Elegies He is so Melted with his Sorrows that his Complaints discover a Weakness which is better hid Ovid's was indeed a very hard Case as could be and it 's no Wonder if the Affection he had for his own Countrey the passionate Tenderness for his Wife and Family together with the dreadful Apprehensions of the barbarous People he was going to if all these shockt his Resolution and made him write his Fears and it is rather to be wish'd he had done it seldomer than to be wonder'd he did it at all The true Occasion of his Banishment as far as I can learn has been a lasting Secret and men of his own time could but Guess the most probable Conjecture to me is that he suffer'd not so much for his own Fault as Caesar's that he was Conscious of something that made Caesar uneasie I don't think it was any Familiarity with Livia or Julia that gave him Augustus's Displeasure and those Verses Cur aliquid vidi cur noxia lumina feci Cur imprudenti cognita culpa mihi est signify no more than that he was unfortunately Privy to some dishonourable Action of Caesar's and he durst not trust him at home Had his Crime been of so high a Nature as to have wrong'd him in his Wife or Daughter Banishment had not been Punishment enough And had it been Livia he durst not so much as have mention'd her but we find him in the second Book of his Elegies which he writes to Augustus particularly commending his Livia Livia sic tecum sociales impleat annos Quae nisi te nullo conjuge digna fuit Quae si non esset caelebs te vita deceret Nullaque cui posses esse maritus erat But this is still Conjecture and all the Proofs that can be Amass'd of either side amount to no more and therefore I shall leave the Reader to his Liberty without pretending to determine from any of ' em But whatever was the Occasion of his Banishment he was Treated with great Respect by those of his own time and his Writings have been judg'd very Fortunate by those of several Ages since The two Seneca's Marcus and Lucius Velleius Paterculus Quintillian Cornelius Tacitus Martial Statius Pampinius Angelus Politianus Erasmus Julius Scaliger these and a great many more have all interested themselves in the Commendations of Ovid and are more than Common Authoritys And now SIR if you can find any thing in the following sheets that may Divert you when Tired with or Indisposed for better Studies I shall have the greatest part of my Design and only want your Pardon for this Freedom SIR Your most Obliged and very humble Servant T. Ball. The First ELEGY OF Ovid de Tristibus He applies himself to his Book that it shou'd go to Rome and admonishes what 's to be done GO to fam'd Rome my Book thy Verses show A Privilege thy Master had 'till now Go but Undrest Forlorn Unhappy go No Crown adorns a wretched Exile's Brow No Garb's allow'd but what his Sorrows show Vermillion Purple that are Fine and Gay With these while others Titles flourisht be Your Page my Book must want the Liberty These are the Ensigns only of the Great You must reflect your Master and his Fate Nor be asham'd of Blots for all that read Will know my Flowing Tears the Blots have made Go in my Words and Name Salute the Town The much lov'd Place that I so long have known If you shou'd meet a Man shou'd ask of me Tell him I live not from Misfortunes free If he asks more be silent let him read Lest you should say what 's better much unsaid The Reader may my Crimes perhaps repeat And say 't is just he suffer'd as he ought Be sure you don't defend tho' you cou'd wound A Cause that 's ill Protected ill is found If you shou'd find a Friend that shou'd Bemoan And often
Rites of Burial they have Their Friends expecting what they wou'd have done Are nigh and ready to perform the same The Wat'ry People that inhabit Seas Can claim no Priviledge at all of these Believe me Heav'n worthy such a Fate Besides 't is I that am unfortunate Why shou'd these suffer that are hither sent Not for their Crimes they 're innocent 'T is I not they deserv'd the Banishment Ye Gods whose Voices calm or swell the Flood Too long an Instance of your Power you 've show'd Your Thunder stop that I may safely tread The Distant Shoar that Caesar has decreed Shou'd you resolve to take away my Breath Caesar he judg'd my Crime was less than Death He cou'd have kill'd without your Leave or Pow'r When e're he speaks the Criminal's no more And tho' before his Throne I guilty stand I never did ye Gods your Heav'n offend Nay shou'd you snatch me from the Waves I fear ' My Ruin still is much ah much too near My Doom is Banishment to Lands unseen Where I must live an Exile for my Sin The Hopes of Wealth ne're tempted me to this Those little Thoughts I always cou'd despise Nor yet a Rambling Humour that once sway'd And carry'd me to Athens when unbread No Curiosity to see the Towns That Asia from the Neighb'ring Quarter Bounds Nor does my Vanity to Aegypt lead To see how Nilus seven Streams are sed I rather wish the Winds wou'd guide the Ship Conduct us safely thro' the troubl'd Deep And tho' I see Augustus Face no more Banisht the Court Despis'd Forlorn and Poor I 'm Shipwrackt yet a second Punishment Deny'd the very place of Banishment Too great a Favour to be safely sent If any part of Ovid Gods you love My Pray'rs your Goodness one wou'd think shou'd move Your later Orders shou'd the storm appease Confine the Winds and plain the swelling Seas Caesar tho' angry he expected this When to the Pontick Land he order'd me He little thought I in a storm shou'd dye The first severe my Crime I don't defend At most I dare but lessen what he has condem'd The Gods they know what Princes cannot plead No wicked meaning in my Fault I had Blind Error led me thro' untrodden Ways And Folly lost me in the wondrous Maze But if Augustus House I always lov'd Next Heaven Augustus Power approv'd If I have offer'd in Augustus Name If I have pray'd a Long and Happy Reign Let my Obedience mitigate my Sin The Seas grow calm the Air serene Or if I ask too much and fondly pray May I expect my Death without Delay Enough my Pray'rs already reach the Skies And mount a Welcome Happy Sacrifice The Clouds are by the stronger Powers chas'd The Winds allay'd the Seas already pleas'd The Gods I pray'd by me were ne're deceiv'd Or e're provok'd but always were believ'd And being unprovok'd they 've all reliev'd ELEGY III. How he went from Rome The Concern he left his Wife in and how his Friends and Family lamented his Departure SAd was the Night but blacker far my Fears My Wife my Children Servants all in Tears To think the Morrow 's too too hasty Light Must snatch a Husband Father Master from their sight My Eyes tho' I had wept so much before Kept time with theirs and greedily run o're And yet no mind I had to think that I Must leave not only them but Italy All Preparations for the way delay'd As Caesar had forgiv'n and I had staid Servants nor yet Companions did I choose Nor Gold nor Cloaths of necessary Use Amaz'd I stood like one by Thunder struck That lives but never can forget the stroke When some faint Dawning of my Sense appear'd My Griefs look'd less tho' still they show'd I fear'd ' I call'd my Friends the very few that staid Sighing at last Farewell my Friends I said Friends in misfortunes are so rarely known I rather wonder'd of the many I had one My Wife she lockt me in a close Embrace Fixt her swoln Eyes and prest me to her Face My Daughter that to Affrica I sent Knew nothing of her Father's Banishment Too many they alas at Home that staid And wept as tho' some Funeral they had If great Examples humble Sorrows take Such was the Groans when ancient Troy was sack'd 'T was then when Night her deepest mourning had All things but us so silent they seem'd dead I fixt my Eye upon the lofty Capitol Joyn'd to my House that 's like that Building tall Ye Gods that love this Fair frequented Place And Temples where your Votary I was I was but never more must be and yet Hear me ye Gods from Heav'n your other Seat Tho' I too late my wounded Body guard Torn by the Sentence that I lately heard Let Banishment if not attone suffice To reconcile me to the People's Voice Tell Caesar tho' I sinn'd 't was Ignorance Design ne're prompted to the great Offence This you can witness and can witness true Tell Caesar this he must believe from you Thus I implor'd while still my Wife she prays With Tears repeated for the God's delays Till Sobs cut off the Priviledge of Words And Wild Disorders no Relief affords Her Breath return'd she panting lies along Prays our Penates as she 'd often done But they as deaf as common Statues stood Made by some Vulgar Artist of the meanest Wood. While day advances with a hasty Pace The last that I in Italy must Pass Uncertain what to do so much I lov'd My Family so much my Country mov'd How often did I say to those that prest That I wou'd use the little Time I 'd left Why do you urge me whither shou'd I go Where do but tell me what you 'd have me do How often did I drive th' uneasy thoughts away E'ne to the utmost minute of my stay Thrice I the Threshold touch'd and try'd to go My mind unwilling thrice my Foot withdrew Often the kind sad Word Farewell I 'd give And often gone repeated Kisses leave O how my Eyes were fastn'd on my Wife My mind obedient giving all my Life How much we lov'd while Dear Delights surprize How we improv'd each Night with lasting Joys Why shou'd I go I said to Scythia Leave much lov'd Rome and try the Faithless Sea Ah cruel Sentence that must absence give For Love a faint remembrance only leave 'T was very hard to snatch me from my better part And wound my Wife by breaking of my Heart To banish me my Friends that nearest stood Like Theseus Valiant and like Theseus Good Thus while I talkt the Fleeting Minutes past Half Words imperfectly my Thoughts exprest I Kist and Sigh'd and sadly lookt the Rest When Day broke through the Windows of the East Stars disappear'd but Lucifer encreast So strangely so unmann'd I lifeless stood Nor thinking speaking looking as I shou'd No more my Brains their ancient Uses know Than Legs cut off without the Body go So Priam griev'd when he too late
beheld The Grecian Horse with chosen Soldiers fill'd Like Trojans then tho' much in number less My Family their Griefs in Cries express My Wife while standing leaning on my Neck Mixt with her Tears her last dear Words she spoke We must not part I 'll know thy latest Care Shall Ovid suffer and his Wife not share A Passenger i' th' very Ship I 'll go The same far Land shall both our Sorrows know Love forces me and Caesar's Anger you Thus did she talk and sigh despair and groan Repeat again what just before she'ad done Till at the last with Hair disorder'd all Wild as my Griefs my Face a Funeral With much adoe I spoke the last Farewell They say for now no more her Form I saw Half dead she fell when I resolv'd to go With all the Instances of Horror seen Dissolv'd in Tears careless deform'd unclean Her Limbs the Gods with such Exactness made Like common Blood upon the Ground were laid Limbs that the Gods had often stood to view Form'd by their own and as exactly true Thus tho' distracted still she often pray'd Again she wou'd recall the Words she said Weep her Penates with her Husband fled Then as she 'd seen me Tears run down so fast Spread on a Pile and breathing out my last One while her Death she fondly wou'd expect Again she 'd live but only in respect She 'd live to serve her Ovid in his Cares And may she live live long to ease my Fears Now the Ionian Sea all rough we plough Not as the Merchants but as Strangers do Men that are forc'd unwillingly to go Bless me what boyst'rous strange unheard of Winds Blackens the Sea and shakes the quicker Sands A Daring Wave that undistinguisht flys Profane assaults the very Deities As tho' because upon our Ship they 're made The Gods no other place had ever had No never thunder'd from their blest Abode The Pilot's Horror in his face we view No hopes of gaining any Port he knew As when a resty Horse a weak man rides With care a while the Pamper'd Beast he guides But when he can no more his mouth command He throws the Rains and rides him to a stand Just so our Pilot did our Vessel guide 'Till all too little for the Waves and Tide Then like the Horseman let 's her drive apace Without the Rains with which she guided was And if the God that Thunders from his Den Had not chain'd up an Awkward Wind again Much worse we'ad far'd for back we went Half to the Place from whence Augustus sent Which made me Pray with earnest Accents too The Gods wou'd hear me that Augustus knew Heare me I cry for once forgive my Crime One Jove's enough to Thunder at a time Snatch my Departing Life from Gaping Death Give me the Priviledge a while to Breath And if your Power can reverse my Doom Let Caesar smile and I again see Rome ELEGY IV. To his Friend that had been serviceable to him in his Misfortunes Towards the latter end of the Elegy he compares his Sufferings with Ulysses's but makes 'em much greater MY better self whose Friendships run so high My very Life 's a Debt my Friend to thee Well I remember the sad time when you Officious in the Service you cou'd do Advis'd me kindly and would often Sigh And argue still when I resolv'd to dye You know to whom I speak I need not name This Sign implies as much as Letters can Here in the close Recesses of my Soul I keep each Circumstance entirely whole And when Pale Death shall summon me away The latest Instance of the Time I stay I 'll breath your Praise and his commands obey For so much kindness may the Gods bestow More than you ask all that the Happy'st know My Fortune still be proud to serve you well Dispence her best nothing of what I feel But had not Winds detain'd me on the Sea Then I 'ad known less much less perhaps of thee Fam'd Pirithous ne'r knew his Theseus Faith Till his last Act had hurry'd him to Death When Theseus do's to deepest shades descend And dares the Furies that detain his Friend Nor had great Pylades his Friendships shown Had his Orestes never Dangers known Had not the Rutili Eury'lus slain No Story of his Nisus wou'd remain As Gold refin'd by Fire is purer far So Friends by being try'd more certain are While Fortune drops her use of Wings and stays Always appearing in an easie Dress Airy yet constant when less free still good While thus her Fav'rite's lifted by the Croud Happy he lives the general Applause All is admired that he says or does Friends are so many that he only fears He shall be less his own and too much theirs When Fortune jealous of her Constancy Assumes her Wings and shows that she can fly Vain were his Fears of all the flatt'ring Crew Not one my Friend that stays or loves like you Regardless as a Man unknown he goes And he that cring'd but yesterday scarce bows This from th' Unfortunate I early drew But little thought that I shou'd prove it true Not four I 'ad left that wou'd my Dangers share Th' other not mine they Fortune's were Let this ye Pious few Compassion move Assist nor be afraid my Friends to love No angry Being will believe you sin Or from his Heav'n curse your good Design Caesar he lov'd in Enemies a Soul like this Nor can it please him in his Subjects less My Case is better too no Plots I 've laid My Folly only has my ease betray'd Then Pray those Guardians that our Earth attend They'd Punish less when we their Pow'r offend If any one wou'd know my present Grief It 's so Prodigious it is past Belief The Stars are than my Wrongs in number less Nor can the Attoms that i' th' Sun encrease Distinctly all the wond'rous Tale express So strange so terrible the thousands seem They 're more than e're the Melancholy Dream Part tho' uppermost are yet supprest And never must go farther than my Breast Ye Poets that Vlysses wrongs recite Instead of his your Ovid's Suff'rings write 'T is true he spent a certain Term of Years And wandring bent beneath some Cares Between Dulichium and Troy he steer'd This was no Distance to be so much fear'd But we in widest Seas so far from Home Must fail where Stars are seen before unknown He always had a faithful certain Band A happy number at his sole Command So much I differ from Vlysses here That of the many I han't one so near An Exile from a pleasant Country sent Had it been Ithaca I 'd been content Dulichium had scarce been Punishment But Rome from Rome is more than Banishment From seven Hills she views remotest Lands Awful with so much Majesty the stands That highest Gods have made her their Retreat And Rome next Heaven sure 's the sweetest Seat Vlysses Body long inur'd to war Knew nothing of the Ills the weaker
liv'd but liv'd with Ease But if the Thread of Life the Sisters spun Was but design'd till now and 's a'most done It had bin kind to let me stay'd at Home And there ye Gods expected till it Run Then I 'ad a Grave within my Country had And all my Friends the decent Rites had paid Secure I 'ad slept without Reflection layd Now in a distant Land remote from all Living and dying I unpity'd Fall No tender Friend to do the last kind Work To Close my Eyes for ever after Dark When you receive these Lines my Dearest Wife Let not my cares too much encrease your Grief Inur'd to Sorrows you know better things You know too much Concern a Weakness bring Long you have learnt the Melancholy Trade Read all the Mystery's it ever had Besides Child Death it self's no Punishment You lost your Husband in his Banishment The worst of Deaths the Gods con'd e'er invent A Death with infamy to th' Vilest sent And now if Heav'n wou'd pardon what is past This Pray'r I 'de make and breath it with my last May no Remains of me but all entire Stretcht on the Pile in fiercest Flames expire For shou'd what sond Pythagoras says be true That after Death our Souls a Being know More Wretched still to dye in such a Place Unknown the Way I shou'd be Doom'd to this Converse with Ghosts that Devils liv'd That never cou'd on Earth be once believ'd This makes me Charge those Servants that I have To see all Burnt some Ashes only save And these enclos'd within a well made Urn To Italy with haste I wou'd have Born And thus tho' dead my Dear I shall return And who can blame your pious care in this 'T is all inhumane if it shou'd displease The Theban dead his Corps were stole away And bury'd too in spite of a Decree Let well-chose Sweets be scatter'd o're my Grave And let my Marble this Inscription have Here in this Melancholly Vault below Lyes injur'd Ovid all that 's Ovid now Vndone and ruin'd while he he strove to move By telling Stories of endearing Love Now whosoe'er thou art that passest by Pray Heav'n that Ovid may securely lye Since thou thy self hast lov'd as well as he This is enough to signifie the Man The rest my Books will do they speak my Fame Louder and better than Inscriptions can Much more I have to say much more cou'd find Cou'd I with strength deliver all my Mind Take then unfinish'd what your Husband gives May you enjoy and long the World he leaves May you of Blessings have so vast a store 'Till Heav'n can give or you can ask no more The last good thing your Ovid he presents He gives you Health the Blessing that he wants ELEGY IV. To his Friend Advising him to shun the dangerous Conversation of the Great recommending a Private Life with the Advantages of a Retirement TAke this my Friend in Dangers often known That durst in worst of Times a Friendship own Live to self always avoid a show The Private do the truest Pleasures know Value thy self on Nature's better Care Prefer her Gifts before his Lordship's Ear Despise the Gaudy Titles that he has The Mouldy instances of former Praise Believe me for I know it very true None live so happy as the Private do A small convenient little House I 'd choose With some few Friends try'd by the nicest Laws This I 'd Prefer by much before a Court With all the Powder'd Fops that there Resort Scarce in appearance Men so Antick drest Yet when they Talk their Garb's by much the best To live with such as these is Hell to Wiser Men That love their Ease and Studys more than Gain When Jove in anger Throws his Thunder round He levels taller Buildings with the Ground While Humble Cottages untouch'd are found The naked Sail-yard all Attempts defys Fearless of all the force of Waves and Skies While swelling Sails are drove thro' dangerous ways Russl'd by Winds that trouble widest Seas O had I took what here I now advise You ' ad known me still at Rome in perfect Peace He who by Chance comes down upon a Plain Falls without danger and may rise again Why was Fam'd Daedalus found safe when he With Wings as well as Icarus did Fly This was the Difference and only this One kept the Ground the other Made the Skys When Daedalus fell he rose again with ease But t'other falling from a Praecipice Dy'd i' th' Attempt and dying Nam'd the Seas Believe me Friend and take my very Soul The Truths I tell are good and study'd all Quit not Retirement for Noise and Show Or Pompous Titles as the Great Ones do Happy the good Unknown who in a Middle State Contented lives more Vertuous than Great He answers all the Ends the Gods enjoyn No time but 's very well employ'd by him What e'er he says is all severely true He do's not talk as Parasites in Courts must do He 's always just to what he do's pretend And is where e'er he promises a Friend Friendship admits of no dissembling Arts But boasts of pure entire and perfect parts Allows no more of nauseous Flattery Than pious Laws approve of Treachery But all her Rules so well you understand You can in loftyer Strains than I commend You praise it too by practising the Good And living Perfect as the Better shou'd Often I think with what a kind sad look When I left Rome your last Farewell you took With what affection you return'd my Kiss How much concern you show'd in the Surprize What Floods of Tears descended from your Eyes This was Compassionate and very Kind But this is but a part of what 's behind When e'er the Rabble fond of Misery Breath'd out my Name with Infamy You like a Guardian Angel still stood firm And for my Sake oppos'd the loudest Storm For this the World shall pay eternal Praise And read your Name in never dying Verse My Person 's Banish'd but my Name 's still free And boasts a great and glorious Liberty ELEGY V. To his Friend Whom he calls by a Feign'd Name Charus WHen the last Morn's unwelcome Light came on When I must leave my Wife my Friends and Rome Well I remember then how kindly you Profess'd a Friendship ever since prov'd true Nor had I long my Friend the Blessing known Which made it dearer than it wou'd have bin That you while I undone neglected stood Shou'd then an early Friendship too make good Was such a generous and noble thought It reach'd the highest Pitch that Friendship ought Nor yet do's Absence alter your Design But still my Charus you continue Mine Often you dare to take a Sufferer's Part And none than Charus boasts a nicer Art Your Eloquence with so much force can move Severest Judges a'most partial prove What can you do then when a sort of Right Pleads for your Friend and you my Friend Plead it This is my Case in this use all
Stars scarce giving any Light Mov'd by so sad a Tale I hasty ran And struck a Light and let the Traveller in Amaz'd I saw a Youth all Arm'd appear A Quiver Bow and Pointed Arrows Bear He hasted to the Fire his Form scarce seen 'Till I drew near and Warm'd his Hands with mine The Cold by th' Heatexpell'd he Pertly spoke Let us go take my Bow my Friend and look If all is Right for if it 's spoyl'd I 'm Broke He drew his Bow and by a Wonderous Slight Through all my Flesh my very Heart he Hit A Frenzy siez'd me and I Feel it yet ODE 12. Anac The Swallow SAy thou damn'd Disturber of my Rest Thou Pratling Swallow worst of all thy Nest How shall I Punish thee for I 'll no more Endure thy Early Noise as heretofore What if I Clipt thy Wings or Cut thy Tongue As Tereus Philomela serv'd when Young For when Bathillus Moves with softest Charms And I all Melting Lye within his Arms The Boy I loose by your Confounded Note So often Eccho'd through your Squeaking Throat ODE 15. Anac I Value not great Gyges Wealth not I Nor all the Gold the Richest Kings enjoy Give me Refreshing Oyntments that are Fine And Oyl to make my Beard and Temples shine Let sweetest Roses Grace each Curling Hair And thus Adorn'd than they I 'm greater far To Day I 'll live and make it all my Own For who can tell the Curse to Morrow may bring on Then take great Bacchus all my Sacrifice Let some invidious Damn'd Disease Shou'd think I ' ad Drunk enough and bid me Cease ODE 26. AS Bacchus with his Fiery Face is seen So I when Drunk a Hero look like him Richer than Craesus too I seem to be And thinking so at least am full as Rich as he I Laugh and Sing as happy Mortals do And when the Ivy Chaplets Deck my Brow I scorn whatever else is found Below A Noise of War makes some in Haste get up When they take their Arms I take my Cup For I have often in my Drinking said I ' ad rather far be very Drunk than Dead ODE 40. WHile Cupid snatcht some Roses from a Tree Thoughtless of Harm an envious spiteful Bee Fixes her Sting and Draws his Tender Blood The Boy Affrighted Shrieks and Crys aloud And Runs and Flys to tell his Wretched Fate More sad by much than ever happen'd yet Venus receives him with a Parent 's Care But still his Wound Torments him with new Fear I Dye I Dye I Dye I 'm Kill'd he sayd This Moment Mother you will see me Dead A little Prickly Serpent such as Fly I think the People say it is a Bee Assaulted me and stung me as you see Venus smil'd and Kist her Son and said The Danger 's not so great as you 're affraid If little Bees can sting with so much Force Your Pointed Darts my Dear must needs be Worse ODE 52. The Rose I Sing the Happy Product of the Spring The Rose the Sweetest Dearest Offering It 's Fragant Smell like that of Heav'n above Commands at once our Wonder and our Love The Graces choose it in their Amorous Play When finest Drest with this alone they 're Gay The Prickly Arms that Nature has bestow'd Proves thee much more her Care and not less Good For if with these the Gatherer you hurt A full Amends your Odors make him sor't When Prest the softest Bosom may Admit And tho' 't was Fine before 't is still more Sweet Bacchus invites thee as a Welcome Guest When e'er the Deity prepares a Feast Aurora when she Rises views thy Form And Grants thy Beauties Finer than her own The Nymphs with Roses all Adorn their Bed And Cyprian Venus by the Poets too is said To Blush with such or scarce so good a Red Thou art a Med'cine to the Fainting Sick When Nature sinks thou Fetchest back the Weak Or if they Dye thou keep'st their Bodies sweet In spite of Time and all the Injuries of it When Poets prove thy first and mighty Birth They bring thy Origin from Heav'n not Earth To spring with Venus when the Foaming Sea Gave Venus Birth her Sweets they say gave Thee ODE 28. To a Painter PAint me Great Artist my Clarinda's Face Her Shape and all the Beauty's that she has And if your Colours will admit a Gum Draw her with all the Odors that Perfume Or give her Breath and there 's no need of them Paint her with Eyes that wou'd a Hermit Move And make him leave his Cell and Own his Love Minerva's never Darted such a Flame Nor was Great Venus greater Power like them Make her Endearing Cheeks with lovely Red Like Virgin Blushes in the Marri'ge Bed Her Pleasing Lips with Extasie of Bliss A Prince wou'd give a Kingdom for a Kiss Paint her when strongest Passions Heave her Breast And leave a Deep Impression to be Ghest Cou'd Pulses in your Colours Dance like Hers The World wou'd quickly Turn Idolaters The Painter's Skill exceed the Poet's Thought And all Mankind would Wonder at your Art But Draw her Good as all her Actions are In such a Garb as Vestal Virgins Wear Yet if you can let some small part be seen To tell the many Thousand Charms within Enough Her Form is fixt within my Eye I 'll Draw her thus and all the World shall see The nicest Piece that e'er a Painter Drew Clarinda Looking Thinking Speaking too The Second Idyll of Bion. A Youth a shooting in a Wood With eager Hast his Game pursu'd VVhere sporting Cupid soon appear'd The Boy of Cupid ne'er had heard But pleas'd to see a Bird tho' high So Tame as if it cou'd not Fly His Arrows Fixt his Bow he Drew But all his Arrows awkward Flew VVhile Cupid leap'd from Bough to Bough His Arrows spent away he ran VVhere soon he met an Older Man And told him all and Cupid show'd The God still Perching in the VVood The Old Man smil'd and told the Boy No Arrows cou'd that Game destroy Be gone he said your Sport give o'er To Kill that Bird 's in no Man's Pow'r When Prompting Nature speaks you Fit The Bird that now will not be Hit Will then upon your Shoulders fit The Third Idyll of Bion. WHen happy Dreams which make the Wretched Blest Had Banish'd Cares and Charm'd my Soul to Rest Amaz'd methoughts I saw a Goddess stand Holding a little Wanton by the Hand My Head I Mov'd my Weary Body Bow'd Thinking the Airy Phantom wou'd have Fled When Venus told me she had Cupid brought To learn to Sing an Art I some times Taught This said The Goddess smil'd and left her Son Fond of my Charge I Pastorals begun I show'd how Pan with happy Strains was Mov'd What Sounds Apollo and Minerva lov'd But sporting Cupid still Untaught Remain'd Laugh'd at my Method and my Skill disdain'd A thousand little Wanton Songs begun And told me Stories what the Gods had done Who lov'd his Mother who her Favour Won While I pleas'd with th' endearing Thought Knew what he said but what I did Forgot Anacreon ODE 50. BAcchus Descends and leavs his Heaven above To Teach us how to drink and how to love He makes us in our Cups all Great and Wise And scorn the Threatning Dangers that Arise The strongest Wine the soonest do's inspire And gives a double Portion of Love's Fire Ensur'd by Wine no Tedious Disease Disturbs our Mirth or Dares our Body sieze Our Spirits are Sublime Refin'd and Free And like our Notions Airy Brisk and Gay Our Pleasing Joys are Constant too and long For when the Vintage and the Season's done A kind succeeding Vintage still comes on ODE 56. MY Hoary Temples speak me very Old And all my Crown once Cover'd now all Bald Youth hath withdrawn her Image from my Face And made my Mouth the Force of Time Confess The small Remains of Life are a most spent And VVeakn'd Nature staggers and I Faint To think the lonesom Melancholy Road The Journey to the Shades the Dead all Tread The Stygean God's Infernal Seat's so Deep So Pitchy Dark as well as Wonderous Steep Secure he keeps the Passengers Below And none Return to tell us what they do A DREAM I Dreamt and in my Dream methoughts I saw The Good Anacreon he call'd me too I Ran with hast and soon Embrac'd the Bard Wonder'd to see Anacreon but not Scar'd His Visage spoke him Old but Fair and Clear Comely and Merry as he always Were His Lips were Colour'd and his Breath as Fine As when alive Perfum'd with Richest Wine Young Cupid Waited on him as a Friend And when he Reel'd he held him by the Hand The Poet Kindly gave me as I Stood A well Chose Garland Rich and very Good I Fondly Fixt the Present to my Head Proud of a Gift the Great Anacreon made And ever since the Fatal Time I knew I Thirst like him and Burn as Lovers do FINIS