THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

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FABULA V.
AIIENEA .ETAS, ET FERREA.
The Brazen age is distinguished for the rise of various arts and inventions
and for the incipient deterioration of morals. In the Iron age, corruption
reaches its hei rht, the peaceful virtues retire, and ambition and avarice
succeed, tdl the whole earth is full of violence and blood.
EXPLICATIO.
In the Bible, we find that the rise of the different arts, and the corrup
tion of morals, took place at the same time. " Tubal-Cain, an instructor of
every artificer in brass and iron," was a son of that Lamech, who, by in
troducing polygamy, poisoned the stream of life at its fountain-head, and
laid the foundation of that degeneracy which was consummated, when
the " sons of God," (the descendants of pious Seth), intermarried with
" the daughters of men" (the progeny of Cain), who, like him that " went
out from the presence of the Lord," were equally godless and wicked.
The flourishing state of the arts ministered, not only to the necessities of
man, but gave rise to wealth, luxury, and pride; polygamy gave Joose
rein to licentiousness; and thus avarice, ambition, and lust, held joint
empire over the world. Nothing can be more consistent with reason and
sound philosophy than the account of man's degeneracy, presented in
the book of Genesis.
The mythology of many nations makes allusion to these things, in an
obscure manner. In the mythology of the Goths, which in many
respects agrees with the Bible, it is expressly stated, that women corrupted
the purity of the early ages of perfection. Although our poet makes no
mention of women, in causing the degeneracy of the brazen and irou
ages, yet the account which he gives is consistent with the Scriptural
relation, both in regard to the time, and many of the circumstances.
The ambition, the impiety, the corruption, the public treachery, the pri
vate fraud, the violence and blood, are the same in both. t The departure
from earth, of the goddess of Justice, because of the prevailing wicked
ness, may be a confused traditional recollection of the translation of the
patriarch Enoch. That they had some knowledge of him, is evident
from Suidas, who appears, however, to confound his actions with those of
Enos, and the preaching of Noah : " Nannac (Enoch), a king before
Deucalion (Noah), congregated all the people in temples, and besought
them relative to the flood which took phtce." Upon the whole, it may be
safely stated, t-hat the account given in this fable is a traditional history
of the antediluvian degeneracy mentioned in the sacred volume.
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ERTIA pest illas successit ahenea proles, 1
Saevior ingeniis, et ad horridu prornptior arma;
Nee scelerata tr.men. De duro est ultima ferro.
Protinus irrupt vena1 pejoris in arum
NOTjE.
1. Post illof; after these, a third ngc, the firazen, suc
ceeded.
2. Stctior ingeniif: more cruel in temper. Where She
disposition the heart, is cruel, deeds of cruelty will not be
long wanting.
For out of the henrt proceed evil thoughts, murders, nilul-
tenes, iorniealions, ihelis, false witness, blasphemies. MAT
THEW iv. 19.
2. Froniptior: more inclined to horrid arms.
And he whose skill, with life-preserving core,
r-'or stubborn eorth formed priming-hook end spenr,
Preferred to forge the morion ond the shield,
And svord and spear, to strew with dead the battle-field.
JllSTOBYC* IIIBClIUHC».
2. Iforridaarma; horrid arms.
Jn the Thebaid, tlic arts of forcing brass unit gold being in
vented, arms were made, with \\hich, by slnymg wild beasts,
and tilling the eurtli, they might render it more frumul. Dto-
DORUS SlCULLS.
Anno ontiqua, monus, ungues dentesque fuerunt,
Et Inpides. ct item silvorum frogmina rami. LUCHBTIUB.
Perque horrida castra secuta est. VIHGIL.
3. jVec .tcrlerata: nor yet villanous.
4. Irrupit: burst upon; rushed in like a deluge.
4. Venn- prjoris: of worse vein; by metonymy, to
signify worse metal. Metals arc generally disseminated
in veins through the earth.
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