wholly yours from the first moment when I had the happinefs and honour of being known to you. Be pleased therefore to accept the Rudiments of Virgil's Poetry : coarfely tranflated, I confess, but which yet retains fome beauties of the author which neither the barbarity of our language, nor my unskilfulness, could fo much fully, but that they sometimes appear in the dim mirror which I hold before you. The fubject is not unfuitable to your youth, which allows you yet to love, and is proper to your present scene of life. Rural recreations abroad, and books at home,are the innocent pleasures of a man who is early wife; and gives fortune no more hold of him, than of neceffity he must. It is good, on fome occafions, to think beforehand as little as we can; to enjoy as much of the present as will not endanger our futurity, and to provide ourfelves with the Virtuofo's faddle, which will be fure to amble, when the world is upon the hardest trot. What I humbly offer to your lordship, is of this nature. I wish it pleasant, and am fure it is innocent. May you ever continue your esteem for Virgil; and not leffen it, for the faults of his translator; who is, with all manner of respect and sense of gratitude, My Lord, Your lordship's moft humble and moft obedient fervant, JOHN DRYDEN. THE The occafion of the firft Paftoral was this. When Augustus had settled himself in the Roman empire, that he might reward his veteran troops for their past service, he diftributed among them all the lands that lay about Cremona and Mantua : turning out the right owners for having fided with his enemies. Virgil was a fufferer among the reft; who afterwards recovered his estate by Mecenas's interceffion, and as an instance of his gratitude composed the following Paftoral; where he fets out his own good fortune in the perfon of Tityrus, and the calamities of his Mantuan neighbours in the character of Me-libœus. MELIBOEUS BENEATH the fhade which beechen boughs diffufe,You, Tityrus, entertain your fylyan Muse : C 3 Round: Round the wide world in banishment we roam, TIT. These bleffings, friend, a Deity bestow'd : He gave my kine to graze the flowery plain ; MEL. I envy not your fortune, but admire, TIT. Fool that I was, I thought imperial Rome Like Mantua, where on market-days we come, 30 And thither drive our tender lambs from home. 5 10 15 20 25 .So So kids and whelps their fires and dams exprefs : 35 MEL. What great occafion call'd you hence to Rome! TIT. Freedom, which came at length, though flow to come: Nor did my fearch of liberty begin, Till my black hairs were chang'd upon my chin.⠀ Till then a helplefs, hopeless, homely fwain, And still return'd as empty as I went. 40 45 MEL. We ftood amaz'd to see your mistress mourn; Unknowing that the pin'd for your return : We wonder'd why she kept her fruit fo long, For whom fo late th' ungather'd apples hung But now the wonder ceafes, fince I fee She kept them only, Tityrus, for thee. 50 For thee the bubbling springs appear'd to mourn, chain'd, No glimpse of god-like liberty remain'd; 55 There There firft the youth of heav'nly birth I view'd, My grounds to be reftor'd, my former flocks to feed. 65 60 } Though rushes overspread the neighbouring plains. Your teeming ewes fhall no strange meadows try, Behold yon bordering fence of fallow trees 70 Is fraught with flowers, the flowers are fraught with bees : The bufy bees with a foft murmuring strain While from the neighbouring rock, with rural fongs75 80 TIT. Th' inhabitants of feas and skies fhall change, And fish on fhore, and ftags in air shall range, The banish'd Parthian dwell on Arar's brink, And the blue German shall the Tigris drink : Ere I, forfaking gratitude and truth, Forget the figure of that godlike youth. MEL. But we must beg our bread in clime s unknown, Beneath the fcorching or the freezing zone. And fome to far Oaxis fhall be fold; Or try the Libyan heat, or Scythian cold. The |