She with diftracting fear and anguish stung, Forth from her fickly couch impatient sprung; Her cumberous robe regardlefs off the threw, And to protect her child with fondeft ardour flew. E PODE III.

A

But, with her fhrill, distressful cries alarm'd,
In rush'd each bold Cadmean Lord,
In brafs refulgent, as to battle arm'd;

With them Amphitryon, whofe tumultuous breaft
A croud of various cares infeft:
High brandishing his gleaming fword
With eager, anxious ftep he came ;
A wound fo near his heart

Shook with difmay his inmoft frame,

And rouz'd the active spirits in every part.

To our own forrows ferious heed we give;
But for another's woe foon ceafe to grieve.

STROPHE IV.

Amaz'd the trembling father stood,

While doubtful pleasure, mix'd with wild furprize,
Drove from his troubled heart the vital flood:
His fon's ftupendous deed with wondering eyes
He view'd, and how the gracious will
Of Heaven to joy had chang'd his fear
And falfify'd the meffengers of ill.

Then ftrait he calls th' unerring feer,
Divine Tirefias, whofe prophetick tongue
Jove's facred mandates from the Tripod fung;
Who then to all th' attentive throng explain'd
What fate th' immortal Gods for Hercules ordain'd.

ANTIS TROPHE IV.

What fell defpoilers of the land

The Prophet told, what monfters of the Main
Should feel the vengeance of his righteous hand:
What favage, proud, pernicious tyrant flain

To Hercules fhould bow his head,
Hurl'd from his arbitrary throne,

Whofe glittering pomp his curs'd ambition fed,
And made indignant nations groan.

Laft, when the giant fons of earth shall dare
To wage against the gods rebellious war,
Pierc'd by his rapid fhafts on Phlegra's plain
With duft their radiant locks the haughty foe hall
ftain.

EPO DE IV.

Then fhall his generous toils for ever ceafe,
With fame, with endless life repaid;
With pure tranquillity and heavenly peace:
Then led in triumph to his starry dome,
To grace his spousal bed shall come,
In Beauty's glowing bloom array'd,
Immortal Hebe, ever young.
In Jove's auguft abodes

Then shall he hear the bridal song;

Then, in the bleft fociety of Gods,

The nuptial banquet fhare, and, rapt in praise

And wonder, round the glittering manfion gaze.

THE

THE ELEVENTH NEMEAN ODE.

This ode is infcribed to Ariftagoras, upon occafion of his entering on his office of Prefident or Governor of the inland of Tenedos; fo that, although it is placed among the Nemean Odes, it has no fort of relation to thofe games, and is indeed properly an Inauguration-Ode, compofed to be fung by a Chorus at the Sacrifices and the Feast made by Ariftagoras and his collegues, in the Town-hall, at the time of their being invefted with the Magiftracy, as is evident from many expreffions in the first Strophe and Antiftrophe.

A R G U ME N T.

Pindar opens this Ode with an invocation to Vefta (the Goddess who prefided over the Courts of Justice, and whofe ftatue and altar were for that reafon placed in the Town-halls, or Prytanæums, as the Greeks called them); befeeching her to receive favourably Ariftagoras and his collegues, who were then coming to offer facrifices to her, upon their entering on their office of Prytans or Magiftrates of Tenedos; which office continuing for a year, he begs the Goddefs to take Ariftagoras under her protection during that time, and to conduct him to the end of it without trouble or difgrace. From Ariftagoras Pindar turns himself, in the next place, to his father Arcefilas, whom he pronounces happy, as well upon

his

account of his fon's merit and honour, as upon own great endowments, and good fortune; fuch as beauty, ftrength, courage, riches, and glory refulting from his many victories in the games. But, left he should be too much puffed-up with these praises, he reminds him at the fame time of his mortality, and tells him that his cloathing of flesh is perishable, and that he muft ere long be cloathed with earth, the end of all things; and yet, continues he, it is but juftice to praise and celebrate the worthy and deferving, who from good citizens ought to receive all kinds of honour and commendation; as Ariftagoras, for inftance, who haih rendered both himself and his country illuftrious by the many victories he hath obtained, to the number of fixteen, over the neighbouring youth, in the games exhibited in and about his own country. From whence, fays the Poet, I conclude he would have come off victorious even in the Pythian and Olympick games, had he not been reftrained from engaging in those famous lifts by the too timid and cautious love of his parents; upon which he falls into a moral reflection upon the vanity of mens hopes and fears, by the former of which they are oftentimes excited to attempts beyond their strength, which accordingly iffue in their disgrace; as, on the other hand, they are frequently restrained by unreasonable and ill-grounded fears, from enterprizes, in which they would, in all prohability, have come off with honour. This reflection he applies to Ariftagoras, by faying it was very

2.

eafy

eafy to foresee what fuccefs he was like to meet with, who both by father and mother was descended from a long train of great and valiant men. But here again, with a very artful turn of flattery to his father Arcefilas, whom he had before reprefented as strong and valiant, and famous for his victories in the games, he obferves, that every generation, even of a great and glorious family, is not equally illuftrious, any more than the fields and trees are every year equally fruitful; that the gods had not given mortals any certain tokens, by which they might foreknow when the rich years of virtue fhould fucceed; whence it comes to pass that men, out of felf-conceit and prefumption, are perpetually laying fchemes, and forming enterprizes, without previously confulting Prudence or Wisdom, whose streams, fays he, lye remote, and out of the common road. From all which he infers, that it is better to moderate our defires, and fet bounds to our avarice and ambition; with which moral precept he concludes the Ode.

STROPHE I.

DAUGHTER of Rhea! thou, whofe holy fire

Before the awful feat of Juftice flames!

Sifter of Heaven's Almighty Sire!

Sister of Juno, who co-equal claims
With Jove to fhare the empire of the gods!
O Virgin Vesta! To thy dread abodes,
Lo! Ariftagoras directs his pace!

Receive, and near thy facred feepter place
P 2

Him,