Demands their lives by whom his monster fell,
And dooms a dreadful facrifice to hell.
Bleft be thy duft, and let eternal fame
Attend thy Manes, and preferve thy name,
Undaunted hero! who divinely brave,
In fuch a caufe disdain'd thy life to save;
But view'd the fhrine with a fuperior look,
And its upbraided Godhead thus bespoke :
With piety, the foul's fecureft guard,
And confcious virtue, ftill its own reward,
Willing I come, unknowing how to fear;
Nor fhalt thou, Fhæbus, find a fuppliant here. 760
Thy monster's death to me was ow'd alone,
And 'tis a deed too glorious to difown.
Behold him here, for whom, fo many days,
Impervious clouds conceal'd thy fullen rays;
For whom, as Man no longer claim'd thy care,
Such numbers fell by peftilential air!
Idem autor Pæan rurfus jubet ire cruento
Inferias monftro juvenes, qui caede potiti.
Fortunate animi, longumque in faecula digne Promeriture diem! non tu pia degener arma Occulis, aut certae trepidas occurrere morti. Cominus ora ferens, Cyrrhaei in limine templi Conftitit, et facras ita vocibus afperat iras:
Non miffus, Thymbraee, tuos fupplexve penates Advenio mea me pietas, et confcia virtus Has egere vias. ego fum qui caede fubegi, Phoebe, tuum mortale nefas; quem nubibus atris, Et fquallente die, nigra quem tabe finiftri Quacris, inique, poli. quod fi monftra effera magnis Cara adeo Superis, jacturaque vilior orbis,
But if th'abandon'd race of human kind
From Gods above no more compaffion find;
If fuch inclemency in Heav'n can dwell,
Yet why muft unoffending Argos feel
The vengeance due to this unlucky fteel?
On me, on me, let all thy fury fall,
Nor err from me, fince I deferve it all:
Unless our defert cities please thy fight,
Or fun'ral flames reflect a grateful light.
Discharge thy fhafts, this ready bofom rend,
And to the fhades a ghoft triumphant fend;
But for my country let my fate atone,
Be mine the vengeance, as the crime my own.
Merit diftrefs'd, impartial Heav'n relieves:
Unwelcome life relenting Phoebus gives;
For not the vengeful pow'r that glow`d with rage,
With fuch amazing virtue durft engage.
Mors hominum, et faevo tanta inclementia coelo eft;
Quid meruere Argi? me, me, divûm optime, folum
Objeciffe caput fatis praeftabit. an illud
Lene magis cordi, quod defolata domorum
Tecla vides? ignique datis cultoribus omnis
Lucet ager? fed quid fando tua tela manufque
Demoror expectant matres, fupremaque fundunt
Vota mihi. fatis eft: merui, ne parcere velles.
Proinde move pharetras, arcufque intende fonoros,
Infignemque animam leto demitte: fed illum
Pallidus Inachiis qui defuper imminet Argis,
Dum morior, depelle globum. Fors aequa merentes
Refpicit. ardentem tenuit reverentia caedis
Latoïden, triftemque viro fummiffus honorem
Largitur vitae, nostro mala nubila coelo
The clouds difpers'd, Apollo's wrath expir'd,
And from the wond'ring God th' unwilling youth re
Thence we these altars in his temple raife,
And offer annual honours, feafts, and praise;
Thefe folemn feafts propitious Phœbus please:
Thefe honours, ftill renew'd, his ancient wrath appeafe.
But fay, illuftrious gueft (adjoin'd the King)
What name you bear, from what high race you spring?
The noble Tydeus ftands confefs'd, and known
Cur neighbour Prince, and heir of Calydon.
Relate your fortunes, while the friendly night
And filent hours to various talk invite.
The Theban bends on earth his gloomy eyes,
Confus'd, and fadly thus at length replies:
Eefore thefe altars how fhall I proclaim
(Oh gen'rous prince) my nation, or my name,
Or thro' what veins our ancient blood has roll'd? 800 Let the fad tale for ever reft untold!
Diffugiunt, ac tu ftupefacli a limine Phoebi
Excratus abis. inde haec ftata facra quotannis
Solemnes recolunt epulae, Phoebeiaque placat
Templa novatus honos. has forte invifitis aras.
Vos quae progenies? quanquam Calydonius Oeneus
Et Parthaoniae (dudum fi certus ad aures
Clamor iit) tibi jura domûs: tu pande quis Argos
Advenias quando haec variis fermonibus hora eft.
Dejecit moeftos extemplo Ifmenius heros
In terram vultus, taciteque ad Tydea laefum
Obliquare oculos. tum longa filentia movit :
Non fuper hos divûm tibi fum quaerendus honores
Unde genus, quae terra mihi: quis defluat ordo
Sanguinis antiqui, piget inter facra fateri.
Yet if, propitious to a wretch unknown,
You feek to fhare in forrows not your own;
Know then, from Cadmus I derive my race,
Jocafta's fon, and Thebes my native place.
To whom the King (who felt his gen'rous breast
Touch'd with concern for his unhappy gueft)
Replies:- Ah why forbears the fon to name
His wretched father, known too well by fame?
Fame, that delights around the world to ftray,
Scorns not to take our Argos in her way.
Ev'n thofe who dwell where funs at diftance roll,
In northern wilds, and freeze beneath the pole;
And those who tread the burning Libyan lands,
The faithless Syrtes, and the moving fands;
Who view the western fea's extremeft bounds,
Or drink of Ganges in their eaftern grounds;
All these the woes of Oedipus have known,
Your fates, your furies, and your haunted town.
If on the fons the parents crimes descend,"
What Prince from those his lineage can defend?
Sed fi praecipitant miferum cognofcere curae,
Cadmus origo patrum, tellus Mavortia Thebae,
Et genetrix Jocasta mihi. tum motus Adraftus
Hofpitiis (agnovit enim.) quid nota recondis?
Scimus, ait; nec fic averfum fama Mycenis
Volvit iter. regnum, et furias, oculofque pendentes
Novit, et Arctos fi quis de folibus horret,
Quique bibit Gangen, aut nigrum occafibus intrat
Oceanum, et fi quos incerto littore Syrtes
Deftituunt: ne perge queri, casusque priorum
Annumerare tibi. noftro quoque fanguine multum
Erravit pietas; nec culpa nepotibus obftat.
Ee this thy comfort, that 'tis thine t'efface
With virtuous acts thy ancestor's disgrace,
And be thyself the honour of thy race.
But fee! the ftars begin to steal away,
And thine more faintly at approaching day.
Now pour the wine; and in your tuneful lays
Once more refound the great Apollo's praife.
Oh father Phoebus! whether Lycia's coaft
And fnowy mountains, thy bright presence boast; 830
Whether to sweet Caftalia thou repair,
And bathe in filver dews thy yellow hair;
Or pleas'd to find fair Delos float no more,
Delight in Cynthus, and the fhady fhore;
Or chufe thy feat in Ilion's proud abodes,
The shining structures rais'd by lab'ring Gods:
By thee the bow and mortal shafts are born;
Eternal charms thy blooming youth adorn:
Tu modo diffimilis rebus mereare fecundis
Excufare tuos. Sed jam temone fupino
Languet Hyperboreae glacialis portitor urfae.
Fundite vina focis, fervatoremque parentum
Latoïden votis iterumque iterumque canamus.
Phoebe parens, feu te Lyciae Pataraea nivofis
Exercent dumeta jugis, feu rore pudico
Caftaliae flavos amor eft tibi mergere crines;
Seu Trojam Thymbraeus habes, ubi fama volentem
Ingratis Phrygios humeris fubiiffe molares:
Seu juvat Aegaeum feriens Latonius umbrâ
Cynthus, et affiduam pelago non quaerere Delon : 835
Tela tibi, longeque feros lentandus in hoftes
Arcus, et aetherii dono ceffere parentes
Aeternum florere genas. tu doctus iniquas
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