THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
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"ll<br />
•11,<br />
FABULA V.<br />
AIIENEA .ETAS, ET FERREA.<br />
The Brazen age is distinguished for the rise of various arts and inventions<br />
and for the incipient deterioration of morals. In the Iron age, corruption<br />
reaches its hei rht, the peaceful virtues retire, and ambition and avarice<br />
succeed, tdl the whole earth is full of violence and blood.<br />
EXPLICATIO.<br />
In the Bible, we find that the rise of the different arts, and the corrup<br />
tion of morals, took place at the same time. " Tubal-Cain, an instructor of<br />
every artificer in brass and iron," was a son of that Lamech, who, by in<br />
troducing polygamy, poisoned the stream of life at its fountain-head, and<br />
laid the foundation of that degeneracy which was consummated, when<br />
the " sons of God," (the descendants of pious Seth), intermarried with<br />
" the daughters of men" (the progeny of Cain), who, like him that " went<br />
out from the presence of the Lord," were equally godless and wicked.<br />
The flourishing state of the arts ministered, not only to the necessities of<br />
man, but gave rise to wealth, luxury, and pride; polygamy gave Joose<br />
rein to licentiousness; and thus avarice, ambition, and lust, held joint<br />
empire over the world. Nothing can be more consistent with reason and<br />
sound philosophy than the account of man's degeneracy, presented in<br />
the book of Genesis.<br />
The mythology of many nations makes allusion to these things, in an<br />
obscure manner. In the mythology of the Goths, which in many<br />
respects agrees with the Bible, it is expressly stated, that women corrupted<br />
the purity of the early ages of perfection. Although our poet makes no<br />
mention of women, in causing the degeneracy of the brazen and irou<br />
ages, yet the account which he gives is consistent with the Scriptural<br />
relation, both in regard to the time, and many of the circumstances.<br />
The ambition, the impiety, the corruption, the public treachery, the pri<br />
vate fraud, the violence and blood, are the same in both. t The departure<br />
from earth, of the goddess of Justice, because of the prevailing wicked<br />
ness, may be a confused traditional recollection of the translation of the<br />
patriarch Enoch. That they had some knowledge of him, is evident<br />
from Suidas, who appears, however, to confound his actions with those of<br />
Enos, and the preaching of Noah : " Nannac (Enoch), a king before<br />
Deucalion (Noah), congregated all the people in temples, and besought<br />
them relative to the flood which took phtce." Upon the whole, it may be<br />
safely stated, t-hat the account given in this fable is a traditional history<br />
of the antediluvian degeneracy mentioned in the sacred volume.<br />
48<br />
ERTIA pest illas successit ahenea proles, 1<br />
Saevior ingeniis, et ad horridu prornptior arma;<br />
Nee scelerata tr.men. De duro est ultima ferro.<br />
Protinus irrupt vena1 pejoris in arum<br />
NOTjE.<br />
1. Post illof; after these, a third ngc, the firazen, suc<br />
ceeded.<br />
2. Stctior ingeniif: more cruel in temper. Where She<br />
disposition the heart, is cruel, deeds of cruelty will not be<br />
long wanting.<br />
For out of the henrt proceed evil thoughts, murders, nilul-<br />
tenes, iorniealions, ihelis, false witness, blasphemies. MAT<br />
<strong>THE</strong>W iv. 19.<br />
2. Froniptior: more inclined to horrid arms.<br />
And he whose skill, with life-preserving core,<br />
r-'or stubborn eorth formed priming-hook end spenr,<br />
Preferred to forge the morion ond the shield,<br />
And svord and spear, to strew with dead the battle-field.<br />
JllSTOBYC* IIIBClIUHC».<br />
2. Iforridaarma; horrid arms.<br />
Jn the Thebaid, tlic arts of forcing brass unit gold being in<br />
vented, arms were made, with \\hich, by slnymg wild beasts,<br />
and tilling the eurtli, they might render it more frumul. Dto-<br />
DORUS SlCULLS.<br />
Anno ontiqua, monus, ungues dentesque fuerunt,<br />
Et Inpides. ct item silvorum frogmina rami. LUCHBTIUB.<br />
Perque horrida castra secuta est. VIHGIL.<br />
3. jVec .tcrlerata: nor yet villanous.<br />
4. Irrupit: burst upon; rushed in like a deluge.<br />
4. Venn- prjoris: of worse vein; by metonymy, to<br />
signify worse metal. Metals arc generally disseminated<br />
in veins through the earth.<br />
49