316 



Epigrams, Fragments, ^c.frem the Greek. [Nov. 1, 



garland of fweet-Cnielling flowers, in a 

 ■fair perfumed clofet .delicately let out; 

 and alter a potion or two of good drink 

 which he adminifttred, he brought in a 

 beautiful young wench that could play 

 upon a lute, fing, dance," &c. 



The amazing influence of the courie- 

 fans of Greece over tht wifeft and greaieft 

 men among i hem is ftiikingly exemplified 

 in the well-known (lories i-f Lai's and 

 Phryne,. and. other celebrated women of 

 that deicription. It is well exprtffid in 

 the fol'owing verfes on the firft of them. 



Greece, once the nurfe of generuus hearts, 



Miftrel's of nations, queen of arts, 



No longer great, no longer free. 



Yields to a willing fljvery. 



A Girl of Corinth holds the chain 



Which circled once th' Ionian Main. 



There are feveral epigrams refpefling 

 this extraordinary woman in the Antholo- 

 gia. I cannot avoid mentionmg one more, 

 as it has given rife to two very well 

 known epigrams ot Aulbnius, and to liie 

 flill more Ipiritcd imitation of our Eiiglilh 

 Prior. 



Venus, take my votive ghfs ; 



Since I am not what 1 was, 



What from this day 1 i}iaU be, 



Venus, let me never lee. 

 The original is, more literally, as fol- 

 lows : 



'H o-Ooapov J/t^a^■«5■a xa9"EX>iaJa. 

 I who, erewhile, in fame and beauty proud. 

 Before my lattice drew an amorous crowd, 

 Lais the fair ! my hateful glais refign, 

 An ofi'ring, heav'nly Venus ! at thy ihrine. 

 For what 1 am 'tis piteous to behold. 

 And Time has ruin'J what I was of old. 



Some of thcfe courtefans have given il- 

 liiihiuus examples of afteftion an.l con- 

 ftancy. Sucii was Myrine the Samian, 

 ■tvho remained fai'hful to Demetrius (the 

 }a(t of Alexander's fuectflbrs in the throne 

 of Syria) through every change of for- 

 tune til! dcaih. Tilt- mirtrefs of Alcibi- 

 ades accompanied him .into baiiilhmenf, 

 followed him i.i his petiloi.s fligh;, re- 

 venged his unhappy, fate, and with her 

 own hands erected for him a mpnunient in 

 the foreign and hoftile country where he 

 prrilhed. Ltxna, the worthy companion 

 of Harmodms, being put to the torture by 

 Hippias to make her difcover what (he 

 I; new of the coi.fpiic.icy, .expired on the 

 jack without once opening htr moutii. 



Gnathsna is highly ctlcbiiited by 

 Aibenseus ftr the livclinefs of ner wit and 

 the kitnneis of htr latire. Atnong a 



number of anecdotes coUefted by him, 

 the humour of which has evaporated or 

 become unintelligible to us through age, 

 a few are told which leem to luppor^ the 

 chara6\er he afligns her. Diphylus, the 

 comic poet, having behaved himlcif inde- 

 coroufly at loine public feltival, wa» huC- 

 ileJ out of the aU'ernbly and carried off hit 

 legs by the crowd. From thence he re- 

 pawed to the hou'e of thi» lady, his mif- 

 trels, and theie (according to the Athe- 

 nian cuftom) ilked for water to wa(h his 

 Jeet ; on wiiich (he (aid, with a well-af- 

 fe<5lcd altonilhment, " You did not come 

 here oa your feet ; how then can they 

 want wafliing?" An avaricious lover of 

 hers once brought her a very Iniall calk 

 of wine, the virtues of which he loudly 

 praifed, particularly its great age: •/ I 

 iee It mult be very old (lays (he) for it is 

 almolt dwindled to nothing." 



The (liortneCs of life is an argument 

 continually in the mouths of the ancient 

 poets for the purpo;e of recommending 

 the. enjoyment ut it while it lalt*. It has 

 been the theme for many ol tne molt allur- 

 rin^ and many of the nr^rt affeding pro- 

 ductions of tiieMole, equally ludulged by 

 the gay and the fcrious, by tile voluptu- 

 ous Anacrton and by the tenoef and mo- 

 ral Horace. It was adopied by the phi- 

 lofophers as well as poets o( antiquity, 

 and the melancholy (trains of Mimnermus 

 were tu.t more dift^ted by a poe'ical fancy 

 than by the operatior.s of refleilion and 

 real'un on the previiling opinions of the 

 time. 



Drink and rejoice ! wh.it comes to-morrow. 



Or what the future can bcftow 

 Of pain or pleafure, joy or lorrow. 



Men are not wife enough to know. 



O bid farewel to care and labour. 

 Enjoy your life while yet you may. 



Impart your bleflings to your neighbour. 

 And give your hours to frolic play. 



Life is not life, if free from paiTion, 



From the loft tranfports love can give : 



Indulge your amorous inclination ; 

 Then life is worth the pains to live. 



But, if you pafs the Ihort-liv'd pleafure, 

 And leave the lufcious draught unknown. 



Another claims your flighted treafure, 

 .'\nd jou have nothing of your own. 



fterodoius gives a iiiemorable praftical 

 example ot the dofirine to which I am al- 

 luding in Mycerinus, King of Egypt, 

 wiio being warned by an oracle that he 

 had but a fiiort time to live, immediately 

 ordered his pal.^ce to be illuminated from 

 top to bottom witi) the blaze of torches, 

 4. and 



