cover his health by the affiftance of a divinity. Then -addreffing himself to Dinomenes, the son of Hiero, whom that prince intended to make king of Ætna, he enters into an account of the colony, which Hiero had fettled in that city: the people of this colony being orignally defcended from Sparta, were, at their own request, governed by the laws of that famous commonwealth. To this account Pindar fubjoins a prayer to Jupiter, imploring him to grant that both the king and people of Ætna may, by answerable deeds, maintain the glory and fplendor of their race; and that Hiero, and his fon Diomenes, taught to govern by the precepts of his father, may be able to dispose their minds to peace and unity. For this purpose, continues he, do thou, O Jupiter, prevent the Carthaginians and the Tufcans from invading Sicily any more, by recalling to their minds the great loffes they had lately fuftained from the valour of Hiero and his brothers; into a more particular detail of whofe courage and virtue, Pindar infinuates he would gladly enter, was he not afraid of being too prolix and tedious; a fault which is apt to breed in the reader fatiety and difguft; and though, continues he, exceffive fame produces often the fame effects in envious minds, yet do not thou, O Hiero! upon that confideration, omit doing any great or good action; it being far better to be envied than to be pitied. With this, and fome cepts ufeful to all kings in general, and others more peculiarly adapted to the temple of Hiero, whom, as

pre

he

She was somewhat inclined to avarice, he encou rages to acts of generofity and munificence, from the confideration of the fame accruing to the princes of that character, and the infamy-redounding to tyrants, he concludes; winding up all with obferving, that the first of all human bleffings consists in being virtuous; the fecond in being praised; and that he, who has the happiness to enjoy both these at the fame time, is arrived at the highest point of earthly felicity.

DE CA DE I.

HAIL,
AIL, golden lyre! whofe heaven-invented ftring
To Phoebus and the black-hair'd Nine belongs
Who in fweet chorus round their tuneful king
Mix with thy founding chords their facred fongs.
The dance, gay queen of pleasure, thee attends;
Thy jocund ftrains her liftening feet inspire:
And each melodious tongue, its voice fufpends

Till thou, great leader of the heavenly quire,
With wanton art preluding giv'st the sign
Swells the full concert then with harmony divine.

DECA D.E II.

Then, of their streaming lightnings all difarm'd,
The fmouldering thunderbolts of Jove expire:
Then, by the musick of thy Numbers charm'd,
The birds' fierce monarch-drops his vengeful ire;
Perch'd

* The eagle.

Perch'd on the fceptre of th' Olympian king, The thrilling darts of harmony he feels; And indolently hangs his rapid wing,

While gentle fleep his clofing eyelid seals; And o'er his heaving limbs in loose array To every balmy gale the ruffling feathers play.

DE CA DE III.

Even Mars, ftern god of violence and war,

Soothes with thy lulling ftrains his furious breaft,
And, driving from his heart each bloody care,
His pointed lancé configns to peaceful reft.
Nor lefs enraptur'd each immortal mind

Owns the foft influence of inchanting fong,
When, in melodious fymphony combin'd,

Thy fon, Latona, and the tuneful throng
Of Mufes, fkill'd in wisdom's deepest lore,
The fubtle powers of verfe and harmony explore.

But they, on earth, or the devouring main, Whom righteous Jove with deteftation views, With envious horror hear the heavenly strain, Exil'd from praife, from virtue, and the Muse. Such is Typhoeus, impious foe of gods,

Whofe hundred-headed form Cilicia's cave Once foster'd in her infamous abodes;

Till daring with prefumptuous arms to brave The might of thundering Jove, fubdued he fell, Plung'd in the horrid dungeons of profoundest hell. .DE ADE

DECADE V.

Now under fulphurous Cuma's fea-bound coast,
And vaft Sicilia lies his fhaggy breaft;

By fnowy Etna, nurfe of endless froft,

The pillar'd prop of heaven, for ever prefs'd : Forth from whose nitrous caverns iffuing rife Pure liquid fountains of tempeftuous fire, And veil in ruddy mifts the noon-day skies,

While wrapt in smoke the eddying flames aspire, Or gleaming through the night with hideous roar Far o'er the reddening main huge rocky fragments pour.

DECADE VI.

But he, Vulcanian Monster, to the clouds The fierceft, hotteft inundations throws, While, with the burthen of incumbent woods And Ætna's gloomy cliffs o'erwhelm'd, he glows. There on his flinty bed out-ftretch'd he lies, Whofe pointed rock his toffing carcafe wounds: There with difmay he strikes beholding eyes, Or frights the diftant ear with horrid founds. O fave us from thy wrath, Sicilian Jove! Thou, that here reign'st, ador'd in Ætna's facred grove!

Etna, fair forehead of this fruitful land!
Whole borrow'd name adorns the royal town,
Rais'd by illustrious Hiero's generous hand,
And render'd glorious with his high renown.

.By Pythian heralds were her praises fung,
When Hiero triumph'd in the dusty courfe,
When fweet Caftalia with applauses rung,

And glorious laurels crown'd the conquering horfe.
The happy city for her future days
Prefages hence increase of victory and praise.

DECADE VIII.

Thus when the mariners to profperous winds,
The port forfaking, spread their swelling fails;;
The fair departure chears their jocund minds
With pleafing hopes of favourable gales,
While o'er the dangerous defarts of the main,

way.

་

To their lov'd country they pursue their
Ev'n fo, Apollo, thou, whom Lycia's plain,
Whom Delus, and Caftalia's springs obey,
Thefe hopes regard, and Ætna's glory raise'
With valiant fons, triumphant fteeds, and heavenly lays!
DE.CA DE IX.

For human virtue from the gods proceeds;
They the wife mind beftow'd, and. fmooth'd the

tongue

With elocution, and for mighty deeds

The nervous arm with manly vigour ftrung.

All these are Hiero's: thefe to rival lays

Call forth the Bard: arife then, Mufe, and speed
To this contention; ftrive in Hiero's praife,
Nor fear thy efforts shall his worth exceed;
Within the lines of truth fecure to throw,

Thy dart shall still furpass each vain attempting foc.

DECADE