Like a declining Statesman, left forlorn
To his Friends Pity, and Pursuers Scorn,
With Shame remembers, while himself was one
Of the fame Herd, himself the fame had done.
Thence to the Coverts, and the Confcious Groves,
The Scenes of his paft Triumphs, and his Loves;
Sadly surveying where he rang'd alone

Prince of the Soyl, and all the Herd his own;
And like a bold Knight-Errant did proclaim
Combat to all, and bore away the Dame;
And taught the Woods to Eccho to the Stream
His dreadful Challenge, and his clashing Beam.
Yet faintly now declines the fatal Strife;
So much his Love was dearer than his Life.
Now ev'ry Leaf, and ev'ry moving Breath
Presents a Foe, and ev'ry Foe a Death.
Weary'd, forfaken, and purfu'd, at last
All Safety in defpair of Safety plac'd,
Courage he thence resumes, resolv'd to bear
All their Affaults, fince 'tis in vain to fear.
And now too late he wishes for the Fight
That Strength he wasted in ignoble Flight:
But when he fees the eager Chafe renew'd,
Himself by Dogs, the Dogs by Men purfu'd:
He ftraight revokes his bold Refolve, and more.
Repents his Courage, than his Fear before;
Finds that uncertain Ways unfafest are,
And Doubt a greater Mischief than Despair.
Then to the Stream,when neither Friends, nor Force,
Nor Speed, nor Art avail, he shapes his Course;

Thinks not their Rage fo defperate t' affay
An Ele nent more merciless than they.

But fearless they pursue, nor can the Flood
Quench their dire Thirft; alas, they thirst for Blood.,
So tow'rds a Ship the Oar-fin'd Gallies ply,
Which wanting sea to ride, or Wind to fly,
Stands but to fall reveng'd on those that dare
Tempt the last Fury of extream Despair.
So fares the Stag, among th' enraged Hounds,
Repels their Force,and Wounds returns for Wounds.
And as a Hero, whom his bafer Foes

In Troops furround, now these affails, now thofe,
Though prodigal of Life, difdains to die
By common Hands; but if he can descry]
Some nobler Foe approach, to him he calls,
And begs his Fate, and then contented falls.
So when the King a mortal Shaft lets flie
From his unerring Hand, then glad to die,
Proud of the Wound, to it refigus his Blood,
And ftains the Crystal with a Purple Flood.
This a more innocent, and happy Chase,
Than when of old, but in the self-fame place,
Fair Liberty pursu'd, * and meant a Prey
To lawless Power, here turn'd, and stood at bay.
When in that Remedy all Hope was plac'd
Which was, or should have been at least, the laft.
Here was that Charter feal'd, wherein the Crown
All Marks of Arbitrary Pow'r lays down:

Runny Mead, where that great Charter was firft fealed.

↑ Magna Charta.

Tyrant and Slave, thofe Names of Hate and Fear,
The happier Stile of King and Subject bear:
Happy, when both to the fame Center move,
When Kings give Liberty, and Subjects Love.
Therefore not long in force this Charter flood;
Wanting that Seal, it must be feal'd in Blood.
The Subjects arm'd, the more their Princes gave,
Th' Advantage only took, the more to crave:
Till Kings by giving, give themselves away,
And ev❜n that Pow'r, that fhould deny, betray.
"Who gives constrain'd, but his own Fear reviles,
"Not thank'd, but fcorn'd; nor are they Gifts,
but Spoils.

Thus Kings, by grafping more than they could hold,
First made their Subjects, by Oppreffion, bold:
And popular Sway, by forcing Kings to give
More than was fit for Subjects to receive,
Ran to the fame Extreams; and one Excefs
Made both, by ftriving to be greater, lefs.
When a calm River rais'd with fudden Rains,
Or Snows diffolv'd, o'erflows th'adjoining Plains,
The Husbandmen with high-rais'd Banks secure
Their greedy Hopes, and this he can endure.
But if with Bays and Dams they strive to force
His Channel to a new, or narrow Course;
No longer then within his Banks he dwells,
First to a Torrent, then a Deluge (wells:
Stronger and fiercer by Restraint he roars,
And knows no Bound, but makes his Pow'r his
Shoars.

PREFACE

TO THE

Deftruction of TROT, &c.

Terve Praife, that I (carce ever (aw any. HERE are fo few Tranflations which dewhich deferv'd Pardon; those who travel in that kind being for the most part so unhappy, as to rob others, without enriching themselves, pulling down the Fame of good Authors, without raising their own: Neither hath any Author been more hardly dealt withal than this our Mafter; and the Reafon is evident, for, what is most excellent, is most inimitable; and if even the worst Authors are yet made worse by their Tranflators, how impoffible is it not to do great Injury to the beft? And therefore I have not the Vanity to think my Copy equal to the Original, nor (confequently) my felf altogether guiltless of what I accufe others; but if I can do Virgil lefs Injury than others have done, it will be, in fome degree, to do him right; and indeed, the hope of doing him more right, is the only Scope of this Effay, by opening this new Way of tranflating this Author, to those whom Youth, Leifure,

and better Fortune make fitter for fuch Undertakings.

4

I conceive it is a vulgar Error in tranflating Poets, to affect being Fidus Interpres; let that Care be with them who deal in Matters of Fact,, or Matters of Faith: but whosoever aims at it in Poetry, as he attempts what is not required, fo he fhall never perform what he attempts; for it is not his Business alone to tranflate Language into Language, but Poefie into Poefie; and Poefte is of fo fubtile a Spirit, that in the pouring out of one Language into another, it will all evaporate; and if anew Spirit be not added in the Transfufion, there will remain nothing but a Caput mortuum, there being certain Graces and Happineffes peculiar to every Language, which give Life and Energy to the Words; and whosoever offers at verbal Translation, fhall have the Misfortune of that young Traveller, who lost his own Language abroad, and brought home no other instead of it: for the Grace of the Latin will be left by being turned into Englifh Words; and the Grace of the English, by being turned into the Latin Phrafe. And as Speech is the Apparel of our Thoughts, fo are there certain Garbs and Modes of speaking, which vary with the Times; the Fashion of our Clothes being not more Subject to Alteration, than that of our Speech: and this I think Tacitus means, by that which he calls Sermonem temporis iftius auribus accommodatum; the Delight of Change being as due to the Curiofity of the Ear, as of the Eye; and therefore if Virgil must needs speak English, ir