THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

i
292 P. OVIDII NASONIS LlBEE I?.
Mox tamen Acrisium, tanta est prossentia veri,
Tarn violasse deum, quam non agnosse nepotem 10
Pcenitet: impositus jam coelo est alter; at alter,
Viperei referens spolium memorabile monstri,
Aera carpebat tenerum stridentibus alis.
Cumque super Libycas victor penderet arenas ;
Gorgonei capitis guttae cecidere cruentse: 15
duas humus exceptas varies animavit in angues ;
Unde frequens ilia est infestaque terra colubris.
Inde per immensum ventis discordibus actus,
Nunc hue, nunc illuc, exemplo nubis aquosae
Fertur: et ex alto seductas sethere longe 20
Despectat terras ; totumque supervolat orbem.
Ter gelidas Arctos, ter Cancri brachia vidit:
Ssepe sub occasus, ssepe est ablatus in ortus.
Jamque cadente die, veritus se credere nocti,
Constitit Hesperio'regnis Atlantis in orbe;
Exiguamque petit requiem, dum Lucifer ignes
Evocet Aurora : currus Aurora, diurnos.
Hie hominum cunctos ingenti corpore praestans
lapetionides Atlas fuit. Ultima tellus
Rege sub hoc, et pontus erat, qui Solis anhelis 30
jEquora subdit equis, et fessos excipit axes.
Mille greges illi, totidemque armenta per herbas
NOTjE.
25
96 Dum Lucifer
evocct ignes Aurora,
et Aurora currua di
urnos.
diamonds, ho killed Medusa, and cut off 13. Alii: with wings, viz. the talana,
her head. After this he slew a sea-mon which he had borrowed from Mercury.
ster, which was about to devour Andro 16. Animavit. This fiction arises from
meda, and married that bcauliful princess. the abundance of serpents in these regions,
After several other exploits, he engaged in and is copied from Apollonius Rhodius:
the public games at Larissa, and unwit For when breve Perseufc (this her godlike son
tingly slew his grandfather with a quoit. His mother oftener named Eurymedon,)
8. Danae. 1 he daughter of Acrisius, O'er Lfljya flew, Hie Gorgon's head to bring.
and mother of Perseus.
Fresh-slain and dripping, to th' expecting king,
From every drop, that dyed the soil with blood,
8. Pluvio auro: in showery gold; in a A serpent sprung, and thus increased the brood.
shower of gold.
ARGOKAUTICS, Lib. iv.
9. Acrisium. Acrisius was the son of 22. Aretes. The Bears, a northern con
Abas, king of Argoa. He was the twin stellation. See note on page 134.
brother of Pratus, with whom he disputed 22. Cancri. Cancer, the Crab is the
the right of succession to the throne of fourth sign of the zodiac. The Tropic of
Argos. After a pilched battle, in which Cancer, the boundary of the sun's declina
neither had the advantage, they made a tion towards the north, is 23 , 28', or 1630
treaty, which secured the crown of Argos miles, from the Equator. See note on
to Acrisius, and that of Tirynthus to Proe- page 131.
tus. Having learned from an oracle, that 24. Cadente die: day declining; at the
his grandson would cause his death, he close of day.
confined his daughter Danae in a tower, to 27. Ignes evocet Aurora: calls forth the
prevent her having offspring. Perseus, fires of Aurora.
however, was born of Dannc, and after 29. lapetionides. Atlas, the son of lamany
wonderful exploits, accidentally kill petus, and the king of Mauritania,
ed an old man with a quoit, at Larissa, lapetus the ocean damsel led
who proved to be his grandfather Acrisius. Light-footed Clymene, and shared her couch.
11. Alter: the one, viz. Bacchus. She bare to him a son, magnanimous
11. Alter: the other, viz. Perseus. Atlas. HESIOD'S THEOGOXY.
12. Spolium monstri. The head of Me 29. Atlas. Atlas was a king of Mauri
dusa, one of the Gorgons, whose hair con tania, who had a great many flocks of
sisted, of serpents.
sheep, and also the beautiful gardens which
PABULA VI. METAMORPHOSE ON. 293
Errabant; et humum vicinia nulla premebant.
Arboreae frondes, auro radiante nitentes,
Ex auro rnmos, ex auro poma tegebant. 35
Hospes, ait Perseus illi, seu gloria tangit
Te generis magni; generis mihi Jupiter auctor:
Sive es mirator rerum ; mirabere nostras.
Hospitium requiemque peto. Mcmor ille vetustse
Sortis erat: Themis hanc dederat Parnassia sortem, 40
Tempus, Atla, veniet, tua quo spoliabitur auro
Arbor: et hunc prsedae titulum Jove natus habebit.
Id metuens, solidis pomaria clauserat Atlas
Moenibus, et vasto dederat servanda draconi;
NOTjE.
43. Atlas rnetuenfl
id, clauserat pomaria
solidis mcenibus, et
contained the golden apples. These gar A Hon;s shaggy skin, besmeared with gore,
dens were guarded by a watchful dragon Wide o'er his shoulders spread the monster
wore.
that never slept. Informed by an oracle On his slout staff his fearless step relied,
that he would be dethroned by a son of And by his deadly dnrt the serpent died.
Jupiter, he refused hospitality to Perseus,
ARGONAUTICS, Lib. iv.
and was changed into a moumain.
44. Vasto draconi : by a great dragon.
35. Ex auro poma: apples of gold. This fiction, doubtless, owes its origin to
Ambrosial trees their buds and fruils unfold the history o( the serpent that tempted
In silver flowers and vegetable gold.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
Eve.
Nor wandered they in vain ; but soon explored
38. Serum: of exploits. Perseus sets Tlie socred spot with golden apples slored,
forth his claims to consideration, and In Atlas' realm : the serpent's wakeful eyeg
boasts not only royal and celestial descent, Watched till but yesterday, the golden pri?e ;
but royal deeds.
The fair Ilesperides with kind survey
Tended the serpent, as they tuned their lay.
40. Themis Parnassia. The Scholiast
ABOONAIITICS OF ATOLL. RHOD.
on Lycophron, v. 129, describes Themis
The dreadful snake, that, couched
as the daughter of the sun. She is the In the dark earth's abyss, his wide domain,
same as Themas, or Thaurnas, the rain Holds o'er the golden apples wakeful guard.
bow of the Deluge, and is called Parnaasia,
HESIOD'S 1 HEOGOVT.
because the ark is fabled to have rested on Eratosthenes, in speaking of the con
Parnassus, which, according to a very nn- stellation of the Serpent, evidently refers
cient writer, was at first called Larnassus, to the Garden of Eden, to Eve, the temp
from Larnax, the ark of Deucalion (Noah): tation by the serpent, and ihe crushing of
Tlapviaaoi' iKofcTro il irptiTEftov Aapvaaoos iia rd the serpent's head by the Saviour, for Her
rriv AcmraXiuvo; hapvOKa avr&i ir/wrcvexSrii'ai. cules is expressly said by Philosiratus
STEPH. BYZANT. As Thaumas, or The (Vita Apoll. Tyan. Lib. viii. c. 9) to be
mis, the rainbow, was a sign of the end
, the Saviour of men :
of the Deluge, it became oracular under According to Pherecydes, when all the gods
the name of the goddess Themis. The offered presents to Juno upon her nuptials with
dove, in like manner, became oracular. At Jupiter, the Earth also brought golden apples.
Dodona, doves, which Euripides says Juno, admiring tftfir beauty, commanded them
came from Thebai (the ark), were fabled to
to he planted in the garden of the gods; and find
ing that they were continually plucked by the
give oracles. The Argo (Ark) is also de daughters of Atlas, she appointed a vast ser
scribed as giving oracles:
pent to guard them. Hercules overcame and
The Argo was Ibe first ship that ever was slew the monster. Accordingly, in this con
built: it was moreover built in the most early stellation the serpent is depicted rearing aloft
times, or at the very beginning i and was an ora its head, while Hercules, placed above it with
cular vessel. ERATOSTHENES, CATAST. C. zzzv. one knee bent, tramples with his fotit upon its
head, and brandishes his club in his right hand.
Trima deum magnis canimus freta pervia
nautia.
CATAST. Cop. iii. and iv.
Fatiiticamque ratem.—VALERIAS FIJICCUS, Lib. t. But none of the ancients so evidently
42. Jove natus: a son of Jupiter. He describes the Serpent of Paradise as Lu
refers to Hercules, who slew ihe serpent, cretius, as if God would establish his truth
ns related by Apollonius Rhodius: out of the mouih of atheism itself. The
very nttiiude of the serpent, as usually dc-
Hither some lawless plunderer came of lale,
"Who will re\ erse the color of your fate.
picied, is given with minuteness :
Yon beast lie slew, for whom we sorrow now, Aureaque llcsperidum nervans fnlgentia mala
And lore the golden apples from tlieir hongli. Asper, acerba tnens, immani corpore serpens,
Hut yesterday the desperate pent came; Arboris amolezus slirpem.
From his black eyebrows flashed the livid flame:
UE NATURA RBR Lib. v.KJ.
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