Retriev'd the Britons from unruly fate, And overthrew the Phaetons of state! These wife exploits thro' Gallia's nation ran, The aged counsellors without furprise 150 Found wit and prudence sparkling in his eyes; 155 Wisdom that was not gain'd in course of years, Or rev'rence owing to his hoary hairs, But ftruck by force of genius, fuch as drove The goddess Pallas from the brain of Jove. When he to Paris came and Fontainbleau, And still the more they gaz'd the more admir'd. 165 By common pomp or ceremonious train The Gallick king, in age and counsels wife, 170 175 As Hermes from the throne of Jove descends With grateful errand to Heav'n's choicest friends, As Iris from the bed of Juno flies 185 To bear her queen's commands thro' yielding skies, 'That deal their wounds alike on either fide, No limits fet to their ambitious ends, For who bounds them no longer can be friends; And fome admir'd while others trembling fear'd; 195 2CO Not from the tropes of formal eloquence, 206 210 Oh! all ye Nymphs! whilst time and youth allow Prepare the rose and lily for his brow. Much he has done, but ftill has more in view, 115 To Anna's int'reft and his country true. Such truths would make another mortal vain. 219 An Apologue tranflated from the original of Æsop, written two thousand Years fince, and now rendered in familiar Verfe by H. G. L. Mag. T GooD precepts and true gold are more valuable for their antiquity; and here I prefent my good reader with one delivered by the first founder of mythology, Afop himself. Maximus Planudes takes notice of it as a very excellent part of his production; and Phædrus, Camerarius, and others, seem to agree that his Eagle, and five others not yet tranflated, are equal to any of his that are handed down to us. Though Mr. Ogleby and Sir Roger L'Estrange had the unhappinefs to be unacquainted with them, yet I had the good fortune to discover them by the removal of my old library, which has made me amends for the trouble of getting to where I now teach. They were written, or dictated at least, by Æfop in the fifty-fourth Olympiad ; and though I defigned them chiefly for the ufe of myfchool, (this being tranflated by a youth defigned for a Greek profeffor) yet no man is fo wife as not to need instruction, ay, and by the way of fable too, ince the Holy Scriptures themselves, the best instructers, teach us by way of parable, fymbol, image, and figure: and David was more moved with Nathan's "Thou art the man," than all the most rigid lectures in the world would have done. Whoever will be at the trouble of comparing this version with the original, let them begin at the tenth line, and they will find it metaphrastically done verbum verbo, as the best way of justice to the author. Those that are mere adorers of in noyo will not be angry that it is in this fort of metre, for which I gave leave, the lad having a turn to this fort of measure, which is pleasant and agreeable, though not lofty. For my own part, I concur with my mafter Ariftotle that ρυθμὸς καὶ ἁρμονία are very far from being unnecessary or unpleasant. May this be of use to thee, and it will please thine in all good wishes, HORAT. GRAM. |