Her eloquence was sweeter than her fong,
Soft as her heart, and as her reason strong;
Her form each beauty of her mind exprefs'd,
Her mind was Virtue by the Graces drefs'd.

HORACE. BOOK IV. O DE IV.

As

Written at Oxford 1725 *.

Qualem miniftrum fulminis alitem, &c."

I.

S the wing'd minifter of thundering Jove,

To whom he gave his dreadful bolts to bear,

Faithful affiftant of his mafter's love,

King of the wandering nations of the air,

II.

When balmy breezes fann'd the vernal sky,
On doubtful pinions left his parent nest,
In flight effays his growing force to try,
While inborn courage fir'd his generous breast;

III. Then

*First printed with Mr.Weft's tranflation of Pindar. See the Preface to that gentleman's Poems.

In the rape of Ganymede, who was carried up to Jupiter by an eagle, according to the Poetical History.

III.

Then, darting with impetuous fury down,
The flocks he flaughter'd, an unpractis'd foe;;
Now his ripe valour to perfection grown.
The fealy fnake and crefted dragon know:

IV..

Or, as a lion's youthful progeny,

Wean'd from his favage dam and milky food, The grazing kid beholds with fearful eye, Doom'd first to stain his tender fangs in blood:

V.

Such Drufus, young in arms, his foes beheld,
The Alpine Rhæti, long unmatch'd in fight:
So were their hearts with abject terror quell'd;,
So funk their haughty spirit at the fight..

VI.

Tam'd by a boy, the fierce Barbarians find

How guardian Prudence guides the youthful flame,, And how great Cæfar's fond paternal mind Each generous Nero forms to early fame;

VII..

A valiant fon fprings from a valiant fire:

Their race by mettle sprightly courfers prove ; ;

Nor can the warlike eagle's active fire

Degenerate to form the timorous dove..
VIII.

But education can the genius raise,
And wife inftructions native virtue aid;,
Nobility without them is difgrace,

And Honour is by vice to fhame betray'd.

IX. Let

IX.

Let red Metaurus, ftain'd with Punic blood,
Let mighty Afdrubal fubdued, confefs
How much of empire and of fame is ow'd
By thee, O Rome, to the Neronian race.
X.

Of this be witnefs that aufpicious day,

Which, after a long, black, tempeftuous night,. Firat fimil'd on Latium with a milder ray,

And chear'd our drooping hearts with dawning light, XI.

Since the dire African with wafteful ire

Rode, o'er the ravag`d towns of Italy;

As through the pine-trees flies. the raging fire,
Or Eurus o'er the vext Sicilian fea.

XII.

From this bright era, from this profperous field,
The Roman glory dates her rifing power;

From hence 'twas given her conquering fword to wield,
Raife her fall'n gods, and ruin'd fhrines restore.
XIII.

Thus Hannibal at length defpairing spoke:
"Like ftags to ravenous wolves an easy prey,
"Our feeble arms a valiant foe provoke,
"Whom to elude and 'fcape were victory;
XIV.

"A dauntless nation, that from Trojan fires,

"Hoftile Aufonia, to thy deftin'd fhore "Her gods, her infant fons, and aged fires, Throwgh angry feas and adverfe tempefts bore:

XV. " As

III.

Then, darting with impetuous fury down,
The flocks he flaughter'd, an unpractis'd foe ;;
Now his ripe valour to perfection grown.
The foaly fnake and crested dragon know:

IV..

Or, as a lion's youthful progeny,

Wean'd from his favage dam and milky food,. The grazing kid beholds with fearful eye,

Doom'd first to ftain his tender fangs in blood:

ས.

Such Drufus, young in arms, his foes beheld,
The Alpine Rhæti, long unmatch'd in fight:
So were their hearts with abject terror quell'd;,
So funk their haughty spirit at the fight..

How guardian Prudence guides the youthful flame,,

And how great Cæfar's fond paternal mind
Each generous Nero forms to early fame;

VII...

A valiant fon fprings from a valiant fire:

Their race by mettle sprightly courfers prove ;;

Nor can the warlike eagle's active fire

Degenerate to form the timorous dove..
VIII.

But education can the genius raise,
And wife inftructions native virtue aid;,
Nobility without them is disgrace,

And Honour is by vice to shame betray'd.'

IX. Let

IX.

Let red Metaurus, ftain'd with Punic blood,

· Let mighty Afdrubal fubdued, confefs

How much of empire and of fame is ow'd
By thee, O Rome, to the Neronian race.
X.

Of this be witness that aufpicious day,

Which, after a long, black, tempeftuous night,, First fimil'd on Latium with a milder ray,

And chear'd our drooping hearts with dawning light, XI.

Since the dire African with wafteful ire

Rode, o'er the ravag`d towns of Italy;
As through the pine-trees flies. the raging fire,
Or Eurus o'er the vext Sicilian fea.

XII.

From this bright æra, from this profperous field,
The Roman glory dates her rifing power;

From hence 'twas given her conquering fword to wield,
Raife her fall'n gods, and ruin'd fhrines reftore.
XIII.

Thus Hannibal at length despairing spoke :
"Like ftags to ravenous wolves an easy prey,

"Our feeble arms a valiant foe provoke,
"Whom to elude and 'fcape were victory;
XIV.

"A dauntlefs. nation, that from Trojan fires,
"Hoftile Aufonia, to thy destin'd shore

Her gods, her infant fons, and aged fires,