Yet this is change, but the by changing thrives,
Like moons new born, and in her cradle ftrives
To fill her infant-horns; an hour shall come
When the round world shall be contain'd in Rome,
For thus old faws foretel, and Helenus
Anchifes' drooping fon enliven'd thus,
When Ilium now was in a finking ftate,
And he was doubtful of his future fate:
O Goddess born, with thy hard fortune strive,
Troy never can be loft, and thou alive.

Thy paffage thou shalt free thro fire and fword,
And Troy in foreign lands fhall be restor'd.
In happier fields a rifing town I fee,

Greater than what e'er was, or is, or e'er fhall be: And heav'n yet owes the world a race deriv'd from thee.

Sages and chiefs, of other lineage born,
The city shall extend, extended shall adorn :
But from Iulus he muft draw his birth,

By whom thy Rome shall rule the conquer'd earth:
Whom heav'n will lend mankind on earth to reign,
And late require the precious pledge again.
This Helenus to great Æneas told,

Which I retain, e'er fince in other mold

My foul was cloth'd; and now rejoice to view
My country walls rebuilt, and Troy reviv'd anew,
Rais'd by the fall: decreed by lofs to gain;
Enflav'd but to be free, and conquer'd but to
reign.

'Tis time my hard-mouth'd courfers to control,
Apt to run riot, and tranfgrefs the goal:
And therefore I conclude, whatever lies
In earth, or flits in air, or fills the skies,
All fuffer change, and we, that are of foul
And body mix'd, are members of the whole.
Then when our fires, or grandfires fhall forfake
The forms of men, and brutal figures take,
Thus hous'd, fecurely let their spirits reft,
Nor violate thy father in the beast,
Thy friend, thy brother, any of thy kin;
If none of thefe, yet there's a man within:
O fpare to make a Thyeftean meal,
T'inclose his body, and his foul expel.

Ill cuftoms by degrees to habits rise,

Ill habits foon become exalted vice:
What more advance can mortals make in fin
So near perfection, who with blood begin?
Deaf to the calf that lies beneath the knife,
Looks up, and from her butcher begs her life:

Deaf to the harmless kid, that ere he dies,
All methods to procure thy mercy tries,

And imitates in vain thy children's cries.

Where will he stop, who feeds with houshold bread,

Then eats the poultry which before he fed? Let plough thy steers; that when they lose their breath,

To Nature, not to thee, they may impute their death.

Let

goats

for food their loaded udders lend, And sheep from winter-cold thy fides defend; But neither fprindges, nets, nor fnares employ, And be no more ingenious to deftroy.

Free as in air, let birds on earth remain,
Nor let infidious glue their wings constrain;
Nor opening hounds the trembling ftag affright,
Nor purple feathers intercept his flight:
Nor hooks conceal'd in baits for fifh prepare,
Nor lines to heave 'em twinkling up in air.
Take not away the life you cannot give:
For all things have an equal right to live.
Kill noxious creatures, where 'tis fin to fave;
This only just prerogative we have:

But nourish life with vegetable food,
And shun the facrilegious taste of blood.

These precepts by the Samian fage were taught,
Which godlike Numa to the Sabines brought,
And thence transferr'd to Rome, by gift his own:
A willing people, and an offer'd throne.
O happy monarch, sent by heav'n to bless
A favage nation with soft arts of peace,
To teach religion, rapine to restrain,
Give laws to luft, and facrifice ordain :
Himself a faint, a Goddess was his bride,
And all the Muses o'er his acts preside.

TRANSLATIONS

FROM

OVID'S EPISTLE S.