NO SORROW PECULIAR TO THE SUFFERER.
THE lover, in melodious verses,
His singular distress rehearses,
Still closing with a rueful cry,
"Was ever such a wretch as I?"
Yes! thousands have endured before
All thy distress; some, haply more.
Unnumbered Corydons complain,
And Strephons, of the like disdain :
And if thy Chloe be of steel,
Too deaf to hear, too hard to feel;
Not her alone that censure fits,
Nor thou alone hast lost thy wits.
WITH two spurs, or one, and no great matter which,
Boots bought, or boots borrowed, a whip or a switch,
Five shillings or less for the hire of his beast,
Paid part into hand;-you must wait for the rest.
Thus equipt, Academicus climbs up his horse,
And out they both sally for better or worse;
His heart void of fear, and as light as a feather;
And in violent haste to go not knowing whither :
Through the fields and the towns (see !) he scampers along,
And is looked at and laughed at by old and by young.
Till at length overspent, and his sides smeared with blood,
Down tumbles his horse, man and all, in the mud.
In a waggon or chaise shall he finish his route?
Oh! scandalous fate! he must do it on foot.
Young gentlemen, hear !—I am older than you!
The advice that I give I have proved to be true:
Wherever your journey may be, never doubt it,
The faster you ride, you're the longer about it.
TRANSLATIONS FROM THE LATIN CLASSICS.
VIRGIL'S ENEID, BOOK VIII. LINE 18.
THUS Italy was moved ;-nor did the chief
Æneas in his mind less tumult feel.
On every side his anxious thought he turns,
Restless, unfixed, not knowing what to chuse.
And as a cistern that in brim of brass
Confines the crystal flood, if chance the sun
Smite on it, or the moon's resplendent orb,
The quivering light now flashes on the walls,
Now leaps uncertain to the vaulted roof:
Such were the wavering motions of his mind.
'Twas night-and weary Nature sunk to rest;
The birds, the bleating flocks, were heard no more.
At length, on the cold ground, beneath the damp
And dewy vault, fast by the river's brink,
The Father of this country sought repose.
When lo! among the spreading poplar boughs,
Forth from his pleasant stream, propitious rose
The god of Tiber: clear transparent gauze
Infolds his loins, his brows with reeds are crowned;
And these his gracious words to soothe his care:
"Heaven-born, who bring'st our kindred home again
"Rescued, and givest eternity to Troy,
Long have Laurentum and the Latian plains
Expected thee; behold thy fixed abode.
"Fear not the threats of war, the storm is passed,
"The gods appeased. For proof that what thou hearest "Is no vain forgery or delusive dream,
"Beneath the grove that borders my green bank,
A milk-white swine, with thirty milk-white young,
"Shall greet thy wondering eyes. Mark well the place; 30
"For 'tis thy place of rest, there end thy toils:
There, twice ten years elapsed, fair Alba's walls
"Shall rise, fair Alba, by Ascanius' hand.
"Thus shall it be;-now listen, while I teach
"The means to accomplish these events at hand. "The Arcadians here, a race from Pallas sprung, Following Evander's standard and his fate,
High on these mountains, a well-chosen spot, "Have built a city, for their grandsire's sake "Named Pallanteum. These perpetual war
Wage with the Latians: joined in faithful league
And arms confederate, add them to your camp.
Myself between my winding banks will speed
"Your well-oared barks to stem the opposing tide.
Rise, goddess-born, arise; and with the first
Declining stars, seek Juno in thy prayer,
"And vanquish all her wrath with suppliant vows.
"When conquest crowns thee, then remember Me.
'I am the Tiber, whose cærulean stream
"Heaven favours; I with copious flood divide
"These grassy banks, and cleave the fruitful meads ;
My mansion, this,—and lofty cities crown
My fountain head."-He spoke, and sought the deep, And plunged his form beneath the closing flood.
Æneas at the morning dawn awoke,
And, rising, with uplifted eye beheld
The orient sun, then dipped his palms, and scooped
The brimming stream, and thus addressed the skies:
"Ye nymphs, Laurentian nymphs, who feed the source
"Of many a stream, and thou, with thy blest flood,
"O Tiber! hear, accept me, and afford,
"At length afford, a shelter from my woes.
"Where'er in secret cavern under ground
"Thy waters sleep, where'er they spring to light,
"Since thou hast pity for a wretch like me,
My offerings and my vows shall wait thee still :
"Great horned Father of Hesperian floods,
"Be gracious now and ratify thy word!"
He said, and chose two galleys from his fleet,
Fits them with oars, and clothes the crew in arms.
When lo! astonishing and pleasing sight,
The milk-white dam, with her unspotted brood,
Lay stretched upon the bank, beneath the grove.
To thee, the pious prince, Juno, to thee
Devotes them all, all on thine altar bleed.
That livelong night old Tiber smoothed his flood,
And so restrained it that it seemed to stand
Motionless as a pool, or silent lake,
That not a billow might resist their oars.
With cheerful sound of exhortation soon
Their voyage they begin; the pitchy keel
Slides through the gentle deep; the quiet stream
Admires the unwonted burthen that it bears,
Well polished arms, and vessels painted gay.
Beneath the shade of various trees, between
The umbrageous branches of the spreading groves,
They cut their liquid way, nor day nor night
They slack their course, unwinding as they go
The long meanders of the peaceful tide.
The glowing sun was in meridian height,
When from afar they saw the humble walls
And the few scattered cottages, which now
The Roman power has equalled with the clouds;
But such was then Evander's scant domain.
They steer to shore, and hasten to the town.
It chanced the Arcadian monarch on that day,
Before the walls, beneath a shady grove,
Was celebrating high, in solemn feast,
Alcides and his tutelary gods.
Pallas, his son, was there, and there the chief
Of all his youth; with these, a worthy tribe,
His poor but venerable senate, burned
Sweet incense, and their altars smoked with blood.
Soon as they saw the towering masts approach,
Sliding between the trees, while the crew rest
Upon their silent oars, amazed they rose,
Not without fear, and all forsook the feast.
But Pallas, undismayed, his javelin seized,
Rushed to the bank, and from a rising ground
Forbade them to disturb the sacred rites.
"Ye stranger youth! what prompts you to explore "This untried way? and whither do ye steer?
"Whence, and who are ye? Bring ye peace or war?" Æneas from his lofty deck holds forth
The peaceful olive branch, and thus replies:
Trojans and enemies to the Latian state,
"Whom they with unprovoked hostilities
"Have driven away, thou seest. We seek Evander;
Say this, and say beside, the Trojan chiefs
"Are come, and seek his friendship and his aid."
Pallas with wonder heard that awful name,
And "Whosoe'er thou art," he cried, "come forth;
"Bear thine own tidings to my father's ear,
"And be a welcome guest beneath our roof,"
He said, and pressed the stranger to his breast;
Then led him from the river to the grove,
Where, courteous, thus Æneas greets the king:
"Best of the Grecian race, to whom I bow
(So wills my fortune) suppliant, and stretch forth
"In sign of amity this peaceful branch,
“I feared thee not, although I knew thee well
"A Grecian leader, born in Arcady,
"And kinsman of the Atridæ. Me my virtue,
"That means no wrong to thee,—the Óracles,
"Our kindred families allied of old,
And thy renown diffused through every land,
"Have all conspired to bind in friendship to thee,
"And send me not unwilling to thy shores.
"Dardanus, author of the Trojan state
"(So say the Greeks), was fair Electra's son ; "Electra boasted Atlas for her sire,
"Whose shoulders high sustain the æthereal orbs.
"Your sire is Mercury, who Maia bore,
"Sweet Maia, on Cyllene's hoary top.
"Her, if we credit aught tradition old,
"Atlas of yore, the selfsame Atlas, claimed
"His daughter. Thus united close in blood,
Thy race and ours one common sire confess. "With these credentials fraught, I would not send "Ambassadors with artful phrase to sound "And win thee by degrees, but came myself;
Me, therefore, me thou seest; my life the stake: "'Tis I, Æneas, who implore thine aid. "Should Daunia, that now aims the blow at thee, "Prevail o conquer us, nought then, they think, "Will hinder, but Hesperia must be theirs, "All theirs, from the upper to the nether sea. “Take then our friendship, and return us thine ! "We too have courage, we have noble minds, "And youth well tried and exercised in arms.
Thus spoke Æneas. He with fixed regard Surveyed him speaking, features, form and mien. Then briefly thus,- Thou noblest of thy name, "How gladly do I take thee to my heart, "How gladly thus confess thee for a friend! "In thee I trace Anchises; his thy speech,
"Thy voice, thy countenance. For I well remember "Many a day since, when Priam journeyed forth
To Salamis, to see the land where dwelt "Hesione, his sister, he pushed on "E'en to Arcadia's frozen bounds.
"The bloom of youth was glowing on my cheek;
"Much I admired the Trojan chiefs, and much
"Their king, the son of great Laomedon,
"But most Anchises, towering o'er them all.
"A youthful longing seized me to accost
"The hero, and embrace him; I drew near,
"And gladly led him to the walls of Pheneus.
Departing, he distinguished me with gifts, "A costly quiver stored with Lycian darts,
"A robe inwove with gold, with gold embossed
"Two bridles, those which Pallas uses now.
"The friendly league thou hast solicited
"I give thee therefore, and to-morrow all
My chosen youth shall wait on your return.
"Meanwhile, since thus in friendship ye are come,
Rejoice with us, and join to celebrate
"These annual rites, which may not be delayed,
"And be at once familiar at our board."
He said, and bade replace the feast removed;
Himself upon a grassy bank disposed
The crew; but for Æneas ordered forth
A couch spread with a lion's tawny shag,
And bade him share the honours of his throne,
The appointed youth with glad alacrity
Assist the labouring priest to load the board
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