4 Qui Cereris facrum Vulgarit arcana. The Poet here speaks of the Feftival inftituted in Honour of Ceres, at Eleufis, a fmall Town of Attica, near Athens. The Greeks had no Ceremony, where a profound Silence was fo religioufly obferved: For not only thofe who published the Mysteries of it, but fuch as liftened to, or heard them, were punished with Death. It was therefore held criminal to have any Commerce with him, who had once profaned them. No one would lodge, or fail in the fame Ship, with a Man who was known to be guilty of this Crime. DACIER. T ODE III. By Mr J. DUNCOMBE. AHE Man refolv'd, and firmly juft, Adheres, unfhaken, to his Truft, Though loudly rage his factious Foes, And though a Tyrant's Threats oppose; Though Mountain-high the Billows roll, And Lightnings flash from Pole to Pole; Nor would the Wreck his Mind appall, Should the whole World to swift Deftruction fall. To Heaven, by Virtues great as these, Fam'd Pollux rofe, and Hercules; Amidft whofe Feafts, with 2 rofy Lips, The nectar'd Bowl Auguftus fips. Thus too rofe Bacchus, in his Car By Tygers drawn, untaught to bear The Yoke; and thus, on Mars's Steeds, Our Romulus efcap'd the Stygian Meads: Then, Then, in Olympus' high Abodes, • The Trojan Towers, condemn'd by Me, • What time their impious 4 Monarch dar'd " Deny two Gods their promis'd due Reward. No longer,deck'd with every Grace, Shines Helen's fhameless 5 Gueft; the Race • Of Priam now no more in Fight O'erpower the Greeks, by Hector's Might : 6 While Ocean fevers Troy from Rome: 'While Herds fhall browze on perjur'dParis'Tomb, Or, there, wild Beafts their Young fhall hide, So long the Capitolian Pride Shall laft; and warlike Rome impofe Laws on her conquer'd Parthian Foes. • Her Name, to Earth's Extremity, Dreadful fhall found; both where the Sea • Europe from Africa divides, And where the Nile o'erflows with fruitful Tides. 6 7 With Truth, and untaught Virtue bold; Upright to fcorn the Charms of Gold, And fleep, unranfack'd, in the Mine. Let ev'n the World's remoteft Bound • Re-echo with their Trumpets Sound, • Where endless Summers parch the Plain, • Or where the Clouds o'erflow with endless Rain. • But on these Terms alone, their Claim I grant to universal Fame; That never, with too pious Care, • While I, Jove's Wife and Sister, lead Though thrice fhould rife the brazen Wall, By Phoebus built, it thrice fhould fall 6 By Grecian Force; and thrice a Son. • Or Husband flain, the Wives bemoan 10 This Strain ill fuits my lighter String; Ceafe, daring Muse! forbear to fing The Words of Gods; nor dare to wrong This lofty Theme by thy unequal Song ! NOTES. race. NOTES. This is, undoubtedly, one of the noblest Odes in Ho It is not, indeed, inferior to any, if we justly confider the true Sublime with which it is animated, the natural Sweetness of the Compofition, its easy Turn, and all the Beauty of its Figures. But the real Mean. ing of it, and Horace's artful Addrefs, were not underftood, till difcovered and explained by Monfieur Le Fevre, in one of his Latin Epistles, fixteen hundred Years after it was written. This, in fhort, is his Interpreta tion of it. We learn from History, that, after Troy had been entirely destroyed by C. Timbria, Slla's Lieutenant, it was, foon after, not only rebuilt by the Romans, but also exempted from all Taxes; that it was in a flourishing Condition in Horace's Time, and even under Tiberius, and the other Roman Emperors. When Julius Cafar was flain, a Report prevailed at Rome, that he had defigned to exhauft Italy of Men and Money, and to remove the Seat of the Empire to Alexandria, or to Troy. This is exprefsly mentioned by Suetonius, in his Life of that Emperor, Chapter 79. And it was not doubted but he would prefer Troy to Alexandria, on account of the Origin of the Cafars, who affected to be thought the Defcendants of Æneas. Nothing was more dreaded at Rome than fuch a Change, which must have caufed the Ruin of the Empire; as we find it actually did under Conftantine; for New Rome, or Confantinople, ruined the Old. As therefore Auguftus was declared the Heir of Julius Cæfar, and as Heirs commonly purfue the Defigns of the Teftator, there feemed to be fome Probability, that Auguftus might adopt his Uncle's Plan. The Apprehenfion of this kept the Romans in continual Terror, and gave Horace Occafion to write this Ode, in hopes of diverting the Mind of Auguftus from fo fatal a Refolution. But as it is always dangerous to penetrate the Secrets of Princes, he was afraid to explain himself, and rather chofe to leave his Ode imperfect, than to give Auguftus Reafon to cenfure him for having faid too much. This Conjecture of Monfieur Le Fevre is one of the most happy in this Sort of Criticism. DACIER. Sanadon Sanadon fixes the Date of this Ode to the Year of Rome 733, or 734, when Auguftus was in the Eaft; that is to fay, at Samos in Bithynia, or in Syria, and confequently at no great Distance from Troy, and more capable than ever to execute the Defign, which the Poet here labours to prevent. The Reasons he gives to fupport this Opinion are too long to be here recited. Horace was then about 45 Years old. 1 Horace places Auguftus with Hercules, Pollux, and Bacchus. Quintus Curtius, in like manner, fpeaking of Alexander, to whom his Flatterers gave the Title of a God, fays, Hi tum cælum illi aperiebant, Herculemque, et cum Polluce Caftorem, novo numini ceffuros effe jactabant. They then opened Heaven to him, and boasted that Hercules, with Caflor and Pollux, would give Place to the new God.' 2 Purpureo bibit ore nectar.] Horace hereby intimates, that the Statue of Auguftus was already placed with those of Hercules, Bacchus, &c. and the Cheeks and Lips of it painted with Vermillion, as their Images used to be painted. 3 In this Circumftance confifs the chief Addrefs of Horace; for, by introducing Romulus, he gives Juno an Occafion to declare, that he will not consent to his Admiffion into Heaven, but upon Condition that Troy fhall never be rebuilt: And hereby he artfully infinuates to Auguftus, that if he fhould purfue the Plan of Cafar, he would awaken the Wrath of that Goddess; which had already been fo feverely felt by the Romans. 4 The Ancients write, that Neptune and Apollo affifted in building the Walls of Troy, for a Reward ftipulated to be paid by Laomedon; which, when the Work was done, he refufed to give. The Truth couched under the Fable feems to be this: Laomedon wanting Mo. ney to finish the Walls which he had begun, took the Treasure out of the Temples of Neptune and Apollo, and applied it to that Purpofe, engaging himself by Vow to reftore it; which he afterwards neglected to perform. 5 Jam nec Lacænæ fplendet adulteræ Famofus hofpes.] Paris, who was chofen Umpire by the three Goddesses, when they contended for the golden Apple. Juno forbears to name him, out of Contempt. DACIER. 6 Exules.] |