4 But Cereris ferram The Poet bere speaks of the Fedival in Eituted in HɔFour of Gerer, at Eedi, a fual Town of Anna, near Attems. The Greeks hat no Ceremony, where a profound Silence was lo religiocfy onferved: For not only trole who pubbed the Myteries of it, but fuch as Itened to, or beard them, were parifted with Death. It was therefore red 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. TH O DE III. By Mr J. DUNCOMBE. HE Man refolv'd, and firmly just, Adheres, unfhaken, to his Trust, Though loudly rage his factious Foes, And though a Tyrant's Threats oppose ; Though Mountain-high the Billows roll, And Lightnings flafh 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, Thus Juno spoke, and pleas'd the Gods: • Adulterous Umpire, laid in Duft The Trojan Towers, condemn'd by Me, "And Wifdom's injur❜d Deity, • What time their impious + 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 • O'erpower the Greeks, by Hector's Might: My Hatred ends; I yield to Mars That Son, whom, on the Latian Shore, • Of Trojan Race, a Royal Priestess bore. These shining Mansions let him gain, Nectareous Goblets let him drain, And, in the Realms of endless Reft, • Share all the Pleasures of the Bleft. • O'er any Region, uncontroul'd, Thefe Exiles may Dominion hold, • 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 • Her Name, to Earth's Extremity, • Europe Europe from Africa divides, And where the Nile o'erflows with fruitful Tides. 7 With Truth, and untaught Virtue bold; • And sleep, unranfack'd, in the Mine. Let ev'n the World's remotest Bound • Re-echo with their Trumpets Sound, • Where endless Summers parch the Plain, • Or where the Clouds o'erflow with endless Rain. But on thefe Terms alone, their Claim I grant to univerfal Fame; That never, with too pious Care, • Troy's ancient Ruins they repair : For Troy, rebuilt with Omens dire, Again hall blaze in hoftile Fire, While I, Jove's Wife and Sifter, lead The conquering Bands, and urge the glorious Deed. Though thrice fhould rife the brazen Wall, By Phoebus built, it thrice fhould fall By Grecian Force; and thrice a Son. Or Husband flain, the Wives bemoan'- NOTES. NOTES. This is, undoubtedly, one of the nobleft Odes in Ho race. 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 eafy Turn, and all the Beauty of its Figures. But the real Meaning 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 Hiftory, that, after Troy had been entirely destroyed by C. Timbria, Silla'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_re. move 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 Eneas. 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 Conftantinople, ruined the Old. As therefore Auguflus 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 chose 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 Contracta pifces æquora fentiunt.] The Luxury of the Romans, and the prodigious Expence they were at, to build Villas, or Houfes of Pleasure, in the Sea, is taxed by Horace in other Places, as well as in this; particularly in the 18th Ode of the fecond Book: Marifque Baiis obftrepentis urges Summovere littora, Parum locuples continente ripa. This is also taken Notice of by other Authors: Petron. in Satyr. Suetonius, in the Life of Caligula, obferves, That, in erecting Pretoria and Villas, he regarded no Profufion of Coft, affecting to perform nothing fo much as what feemed impoffible to be done. Accordingly he raised Moles in a boisterous and deep Sea, cut through Rocks of the hardest Flint, and, with huge Mounds, made Fields equal to Mountains, and levelled the Tops of 'Mountains with the Plain; all which was executed with incredible Celerity, Delays being punished with 'Death.' 12 Sidere clarior.] Dacier thinks, that, by fidere, the Sun must be here understood. 13 Cur valle permutem Sabina Divitias operofiores?] Horace feems to have had a Mind rightly turned for Happiness: He appears every where full of Gratitude to his great Benefactor, Macenas, and entirely fatisfied with his Condition. In another Place he expreffes himfelf thus, on the fame Subject with this : Nibil fupra Deos laceffo nec potentem amicum Largiora flagito, Satis beatus unicis Sabinis. Book ii. Ode 18. There are more fublime Odes in this, and in the fourth Book, than in the two former, or in the fifth Book, commonly called the Epodes. Most of thefe were written by Horace when he was far advanced in Life. Accordingly we find, that they abound more with Precepts of Morality, which is commonly the Style of Age. The Reader will not be difpleafed to fee the Characters which the celebrated Critic Scaliger gives fome of them. Tertii libri Ode prima magnifico dicendi genere fructa eft: Se |