Every Reader, however, may ftill find in Pindar fomething to make amends for the lofs of thofe beauties, which have been fet at too great a distance, and in fome places worn off and obliterated by time; namely, a great deal of good fenfe, many wife reflections, and many moral fentences, together with a due regard to religion; and from hence he may be able to form to himself fome idea of Pindar as a Man, though he fhould be obliged to take his character as a Poet from others.

But that he may not for this rely altogether upon my opinion, I shall here produce the teftimonies of two great Poets, whofe excellent writings are fufficient evidences both of their taste and judgment. The first was long and univerfally admired, and is ftill as much regretted, by the prefent age: the latter, who wrote about feventeen hundred years ago, was the delight and ornament of the politeft and moft learned age of Rome. And though even to him, Pindar, who lived fome centuries before him, must have appeared under fome of the difadvantages above-mentioned, yet be had the opportunity of feeing all his works which were extant in his time, and of which he hath given a fort of catalogue, together with their several characters: an advantage which the former wanted, who must therefore be understood to speak only of those Odes which are now remaining. And indeed he alludes to those only, in the following paffage of his "Temple of Fame." Pope's Works, finall Edit. Vol. III. p. 17. ver. 210.

"Four

"Four Swans fuftain a car of filver bright, “With heads advanc'd, and pinions ftretch'd for flight: "Here, like fome furious prophet, Pindar rode, “And seem'd to labour with th' inspiring God. "Across the harp a careless hand he flings, “And boldly finks into the founding ftrings. "The figur'd Games of Greece the column grace, "Neptune and Jove survey the rapid race:

"The youths hang o'er their chariots as they run; « The fiery steeds seem starting from the stone:

The champions in diftorted postures threat; "And all appear'd irregularly great.”

The other Passage is from Horace, lib. IV. Ode ii. .

viz.

"Pindarum quisquis ftudet æmulari, &c.” ́

which, for the benefit of the English Reader, I have thus tranflated:

He, who afpires to reach the towering height
Of matchless Pindar's heaven-afcending strain,
Shall fink, unequal to the arduous flight,
Like him, who falling nam'd th' Icarian main;

Pre

Four Swans fuftain, &c.] Pindar, being seated in a Chariot, alludes to the Horfe-races he celebrated in the Grecian Games. The fwans are emblems of poetry; their foaring pofture intimates the sublimity and activity of his genius. Neptune prefided over the Ifthmian, and Jupiter over the Olympian Games. This note is of the fame Author.

Presumptuous youth! to tempt forbidden skies!
And hope above the clouds on waxen plumes to rife!
Pindar, like fome fierce torrent fwoln with fhowers,
'Or fudden cataracts of melting fnow,

Which from the Alps its headlong deluge pours,
And foams and thunders o'er the vales below,
With defultory fury borne along,

Rolls his impetuous, vaft, unfathomable fong.
The Delphick laurel ever fure to gain;
Whether with lawless Dithyrambick rage
Wild and tumultuous flows the founding strain;
.Or-in more order'd verfe fublimely fage

To Gods and Sons of Gods his lyre he ftrings,
And of fierce Centaurs flain, and dire Chimera fings.
Or whether Pifa's Victors be his theme,
The valiant champion and the rapid steed;
Who from the banks of Alpheus, facred ftream,
Triumphant bear Olympia's olive meed;

And from their Bard receive the tuneful boon,
Richer than fculptur'd brafs, or imitating ftone.

Or whether with the widow'd mourner's tear,
He mingles foft his Elegiac fong;

With Dorian ftrains to deck th' untimely bier
Of fome difaftrous bridegroom fair and young;
Whofe virtues, in his deifying lays,

Through the black gloom of death with ftar-like

radiance blaze,

When

When to the clouds, along th' æthereal plain,
His airy way the Theban Swan pursues,

Strong rapid gales his founding plumes sustain :
While, wondering at his flight, my timorous Muse
In fhort excurfions tires her feeble wings,

And in fequefter'd shades and flowery gardens fings.
There, like the bee, that, from each odorous bloom,
Each fragrant offspring of the dewy field,

With painful art, extracts the rich perfume,
Solicitous her honied dome to build,

Exerting all her industry and care,

She toils with humble fweets her meaner verfe to rear.

The remainder of this Ode has no relation to the prefent fubject, and is therefore omitted.

The following Collection of Poems (to borrow the metaphor made ufe of by Horace) confifts wholly of fweets, drawn from the rich and flowery fields of Greece. And if in thefe Tranflations any of the native spirit and fragrancy of the Originals fhall appear to be transfufed, I fhall content myself with the humble merit of the little laborious infect above-mentioned. But I must not here omit acquainting the Reader, that among thefe, immediately after the Odes of Pindar, is inferted a translation of an Ode * of Horace, done by a Gen

This Ode, in full conformity to Mr. Weft's intention, is ftill (though reftored to its proper writer) preferved in the prefent volume. See above p. 75. N.

a Gentleman, the peculiar excellence of whofe genius hath often revealed what his modefty would have kept a fecret. And to this I might have trusted to inform the world, that the Tranflation I am now speaking of, though inserted amongst mine, was not done by me, were I not defirous of teftifying the pride and pleafure I take in feeing, in this and fome other inftances, his admirable pieces blended and joined with mine, an evidence and emblem at the fame time of that friendship, which hath long fubfifted between us, and which I fhall always esteem a fingular felicity and honour to myself.

The Authors, from whom the other pieces are tranflated, are fo well known, that I need fay nothing of them in this place; neither fhall I detain the Reader with any farther account of the tranflations themfelves, than only to acquaint him, that I tranflated the Dramatic Poem of Lucian upon the Gout, when I was myself under an attack of that incurable diftemper, which I mention by way of excufe; and that all the other pieces, excepting only the Hymn of Cleanthes,were. written many years ago, at a time when I read and wrote, like most other people, for amufement only. If the Reader finds they give any to him, I fhall be very glad of it; for it is doing fome fervice to human fociety, to amufe innocently; and they know very little of human nature, who think it can bear to be always employed either in the exercife of its duties, or in high and important meditations.