Part of the heaving lungs is no where found, And thinner films the fever'd entrails bound; 1060 No ufual motion ftirs the panting heart; The chinky veffels ouze on every part; The cawl, where wrapt the clofe inteftines lie, 1065 1070 The ills we fear command us to be dumb; Yet fomewhat worse than what we fear fhall come. 1080 But may the gods be gracious from on high, Fibres may err, and augury may lye; Arts may be falfe, by which our fires divin'd, 1085 And Tages taught them, to abuse mankind. And riddling fung the double-dealing priest. But But Figulus exclaims (to fcience bred, Well could he judge the labours of the sphere, 1090 The stars (he cries) are in confusion hurl'd, 1095 And wandering error quite misguides the world; Some swift deftruction now the Fates ordain. 1100 1105 Comes it from heaven, from earth, from feas, or air? The lives of many to a period haste, And thousands fhall together breathe their last. If Saturn's fullen beams were lifted high, Wide o'er the world confuming fires might roll, 1115 } With With potent wrath around thy influence streams, 1120 And the whole monfter kindles at thy beams; While Jupiter's more gentle rays decline, And Mercury with Venus faintly shine; The wandering lights are darken'd all and gone, Refulgent glitters by his dreadful fide. War comes, and falvage flaughter muft abound, The heartless vulgar to the fage give heed, And chant Lyæus in their frantic fong: And thus her voice the Delphic god confeft: Where doft thou fnatch me, Pæan! wherefore bear 1145 Say, Phoebus, wherefore does this fury rife? I fee the Roman battles croud the plain ! Where Nile's Ægyptian waters take their way: The hero's headless trunk befmear'd with gore. She faid; the weary rage began to cease, LUCAN'S LUCAN'S PHARSALIA. BOOK II. THE ARGUMENT. Amidft the general confternation that fore-ran the Civil War, the poet introduces an old man giving an account of the miferies that attended on that of Marius and Sylla; and comparing their prefent cir cumftances to thofe in which the commonwealth was when that former war broke out. Brutus confults with Cato, whether it were the duty of a private man to concern himself in the public troubles; to which Cato replies in the affirmative: Then follows his receiving Marcia again from the tomb of Hortenfius. While Pompey goes to Capua, 'Cæfar makes himself mafter of the greatest part of Italy, and among the rest of Corfinium, where Domitius, the governor for Pompey, is feized by his garrifon, and delivered to Cæfar, who pardons and difmiffes him. Pompey in an oration to his army makes a trial of their difpofition to a general battle; but not finding it to answer his expectation, he fends his fon to folicit the affiftance of his friends and allies; then marches himself to Brundufium, where he is like to be fhut up by Cæfar, and escapes at length with much difficulty. Now appear'd, Imanifeft the wrath divine And dire events in all her works bespoke, Thou |