1808.] 
To creeping age love’s feelings are deny’d, 
“Nor suit his blandishments with locks of 
‘ gray. 
Then let us bow at laughing Venus’ shrine, 
“Let fun and frolic, j=st'and joke abound! 
A soldier brave in these soft wars J shines ; 
Ye trumpets, ensigns, quit this peaceful 
ground! 
The wounds in honour’s cause, to others bear, 
The splendid meed ‘let Others too enjoy ; 
In humble competence I smile at care, 
And wealth despise, and penury defy. 
‘ Seen eee 
TRANSLATIONS FROM THE SIXTH BOOK 
OF THE ZNEID. 
IV. Tortures of the Damned. 
Now on the left, beneath a: mountain’s 
shade, 
The prince a spacious citadel survey’d, 
_ Girt with a triple wall, where, all around, 
A flaming river foamed with thundering 
sound, 
Tartarean Phlegethon, and roaring wile 
Rolled mighty rocks in its tremendous tide. 
A massy gate across the stream appear’d, 
On solid adamantine columes rear’d, 
Which all the world combin’d, and ‘these that 
reign 
In heay’n’s high mansions, would assault in 
vain. 
Where high an iron tow’r ascends in state, 
There; night and day, before the enormoys 
ate, 
In bloody robe, with eyes that never sleep, 
_ The fury sits, eternal watch to keep. 
_ Deep, dismal, groans, the fatal sound con- 
tains, 
The savage echdings of inflicted pains 5 ; 
The crush of steel; and heavy clank of 
/ chains. 
The infernal noise with horror filled his 
breast, 
While thus the Trojan prince his guide ad- 
drest, 
‘© What micerable crimes, oh holy seer, 
*¢ What dreadful tortures strike upon mine 
ear? 
What mean those groans, and that appal- 
; ling cry ?” 
Then, thus she said, ** Illustrious chief of 
Troy, 
«© No holy sou! can o’er this threshold go, 
* Nor vee the abhorred land of sin and woe ; 
_ € But when the God that rules the night * 
above 
'. First made me priestess of the Avernian 
grove, 
€ She taut me all the modes of torture, 
shed 
By nears’ 8 high vengeance on the guilty 
ead 
* Crete’s Rhadamanthus. fills the gloomy 
throne 
* Of these dire realms, unenvied, and alone. 
Orig ginal Poetry. + 
43 
** Qn treason’s hateful front to him ‘tis given 
** To guide the thunders of offended heaven. 
«© Whoe’er on earth hath rioted secure 
In sin, here feels that vengeance, late, but 
sure, 
*€ Which Jove, insulted, but defers, to shew 
‘© Th’ omniscient power that governs all bee 
low. 
‘‘ Armed with immortal wrath, the Fury 
shakes 
‘¢ For ever from her hair th’ avenging snakesy. 
« And calls the savage sister-band, to share 
‘© With her the torturing scourge, and office 
pf despair.” 
Now, with tremendous sound, the sacred gate 
Slow on its hinges turned its massy weight. 
s* See, what a spectre sits, the porch before, 
‘What form infernal guards the dreadful 
door ?” 
** Fierce Hydra lies within those gloomy 
caves, 
(‘© And opens wide her fifty yawning graves, ) 
S¢ Those caves, whose-depth beneath the’ 
world above 
“Is twice the distance from that world. to 
Jove. 
€* The Giant-race, whch Earth to Titan 
bore,, 
“ The ancient race which scaled high heaven 
of yore, 
*« Hurled by celestial thunders from on high, 
*¢ There, rolling in the deepest cavern, lie. 
‘© Neptune’s enormous sons I saw, who 
strove 
*¢ From his yast throne to drive immortal 
Jove. 
© Tsaw Salmoneus, writhing with his pains, 
“ Who, monarch once of Elis” fruitful plains, 
‘* Prophan’d the Olympian thunders, and the 
fire, 
(«In impious madness) of heaven's awful 
Sire. 
‘¢ Borne by four steeds, rejoicing in his might, 
s¢ Thro’ Elis’ streets he flashed his torches’ 
light, 
** And, with resounding triumph as he rode, 
6¢ Claim’d the high hanoyrs of th’ insulted 
God. 
‘ Madman ! with brass and sounding steeds 
who strove 
*€ To mock the thundering clouds that 
crash above, 
‘¢ And the inimitable fires of Jove ! 
‘« But, vailed in night’s impenetrable shrowd, 
‘© The almighty Father thundered from his 
cloud 5 
"No flaming torch or glittering brass he sent, 
«© But the fierce lightnings of the firmament. 
*¢ Strack by his bolt, the self-erected God 
‘¢ Fell from his lofty saat to Pluto’s deep abode. 
*« Tityus I saw, whom earth’s all-fostering 
womb 
«* Brought forth, there fixed by fute’s relen& 
less doom, 
66 Over b 
