Vis confili expers mole ruit fuâ : Vim temperatam Dî quoque provehunt 65 In majus idem odere vires Omne nefas animo moventes. Teftis mearum centimanus Gyas Virgineâ domitus fagittâ. 70 75 80 CARMEN tion of Character between his Terrors in War, and his Diverfions in Peace. 65. Vis confili expers.] This moral Strophe it happily introduced after the bold, animated Defcription of the laft Lines. It recalls the Reader to the general Defign of the Ode, which he might have loft fight of in fo long a Poem. SAN. 67. Odere vires.] Vires is here used for homines viribus præftantes; a manner of Expreffion too hardy for a Tranflation. In the ninth Ode of the fourth Book we fhall find another Inftance of this Kind; Eft animus tibi, Conful non unius anni, which Torrentius, Mr. Dacier, and Mr. Le Fevre, condemn as too bold, even for Lyric Poetry. Dr. Bentley, for the Honour of Horace, cujus bonos nobis eft cordi, hath amaffed a Number of Quotations, in which Ill-counfell'd Force, by its own native Weight, On her own Monsters hurl'd with hideous Weight, Nor Fire can force its Way through Ætna unconsum❜d. With Rage ungorg'd, while Pluto ftern detains which the Mind is reprefented as a Perfon. Animus Rex, Carnifex, Profcriptor, Speculator, Cenfor, Rector, Dominus, &c. Since Mr. Dacier did not difapprove of the first of thefe Expreffions, he ought not to have condemned the fecond. 78. Nequitiæ additus cuftos.] Nequitia may fignify Impudence or Immodefty. Tandem nequitia pone modum tuæ. At length put an End to this infamous Life. The Poet ufes additus for adfixus, and cuftos for tortor. Additus Tityo cuftos propter nequitiam. SAN 79. Amatorem trecenta Pirithoum.] The Word amatorem forms the whole Beauty of this Strophe, and contains the whole Story of Pirithous. DAC ODE CARMEN V. AUGUSTI LAUDES. NOELO tonantem credidimus Jovem Co Regnare præfens Divus habebitur Auguftus, adjectis Britannis Imperio, gravibufque Perfis. Milefne Craffi conjuge barbarâ 5 (Proh When our Poet fpeaks in fuch pompous Terms of the Reduction of Britain and Parthia, it is by no means the Language of Flattery. To difarm his Enemies without attacking them, is to be more an Hero, than the Conqueror, who fpreads Carnage and Defolation round him. These two Victories of Auguftus are joined together by the Poet, for their Refemblance in Kind, although there were fix or feven Years between them. But he only mentions the Conqueft of Britain, and dwells particularly upon the Reduction of Parthia, for the Joy that it occafioned through the whole Roman People, who now faw themselves revenged for the shameful Defeat of Craffus, the Dishonour of which had continued three and thirty. Years. Auguftus returned to Rome from his Eastern Expedition in October 735, when probably this Ode was written. SAN. Verf. 1. Celo tonantem.] The Beauty of this Comparison confifts in raising the Character of Auguftus without leffening that of Jupiter. When the Poet fays credidimus in fpeaking of Jupiter, and babebitur in fpeaking of Auguftus, his Expreffion is perfectly exact. The firft was an ancient Deity, the other fhall be worfhipped as a God by future Ages. Mr. Sanadon thinks that præJens does not fignify prefent or visible, but favourable or propitious, and that it is not put in Oppofition to cœlo, but tonantem. We find præfentes Divos in Virgil, and præfentia Numina in Horace. Habebitur.] The great Difficulty of this Paffage confifts in the Time babebitur, for it is certain that the Romans had paid divine Honours to Auguftus before his Voyage to Britain. Whence is it then that Horace fays, He fhall be worshipped as a God after having fubdued the Parthians and Britons? ODE V. THE PRAISES OF AUGUSTUS. D READ Jove inThunder fpeaks his juft Domain ; On Earth a prefent God fhall Cæfar reign, Since World-divided Britain owns his Sway, And Parthia's haughty Sons his high Behefts obey. O Name of Country, once how facred deem'd! O fad Reverse of Manners, once esteem'd! While Auguftus would not permit any Temples to be raised to him in Rome, nor even in the Provinces, but upon Condition, that Rome fhould fhare thofe Honours with him. In nulla provincia nifi communi fui Romaque nomine templa recepit. SUETON. This is confirmed by an ancient Medal, ftruck by the Cities of Afia. On one Side is the Head of Auguftus; on the other a Temple with this Infcription upon the Frontispiece, ROMÆ & AUG. Horace therefore seems to allude to this Modefty of the Emperor, as if he had faid; Auguftus will not yet allow us to acknowledge Him a God in Rome, but, fince he hath added the Parthians and Britons to his Empire, it shall be no longer in his Power to hinder us. His Divinity shall be univerfally confeffed. Temples fhall be raised to Him in Rome as in the Provinces, and the Roman People shall foon pay those divine Honours in public, which they now render to him in private. DAC. 3. Adjectis Britannis.] We have already spoken in the ninth Ode of the fecond Book of the Expedition of Auguftus against the Parthians. Strabo informs us, that the Princes of Britain gained his Friendship by their Embaffies and Submiffions. They carried their Presents into the Capitol, and made the Roman People Mafters of their whole Ifland. Thus, although the Romans never triumphed for the Conqueft of Britain, yet Auguftus was confidered as having fubdued it. 5. Milefne Craffi.] The Poet paints the Defeat of Craffus, and the Cowardice of the Romans in these vivid Colours, that he may raife the Glory of Auguftus, who, by fubduing the Parthians, had effaced that Ignominy, which fo many Years had covered the Ro man Name. DAC. 6. Conjuge barbarâ turpis maritus.] It was a double Infamy to a Roman Soldier to marry a foreign Woman, and by fuch an Alli ance (Proh Patria, inverfique mores !); Confenuit focerorum in armis Sub rege Medo, Maríus, & Appulus, Incolumi Jove, & urbe Româ ? Hoc caverat mens provida Reguli Fœdis, & exemplo trahenti 10 15 Perniciem veniens in ævum, Si ance to confound the Blood of Rome with that of her Enemies. Sequiturque, nefas! Egyptia conjux. Virg. We may remark here that the Phrafe is uncommon, Turpis conjuge barbarâ for maritus barbara conjugis. Cum is to be understood. SAN. 7. Patria.] A late Commentator hath taken this Reading from an ancient Manufcript, and the Expreffion is more ftrong as well as more natural than Curia. The Soldiers of Craffus, by yielding to the Parthians, had ftifled in their Hearts the Love of their Coun-try, that moft powerful Paffion in a truly Roman Soul. SAN. 8. Confenuit forcerorum in armis.] Since it cannot be proved by any Author, that the Soldiers of Craffus ever carried Arms in the Parthian Troops, according to the common Reading armis, Heinfius, and Faber propose a conjectural Correction Arvis, which has been received by Doctor Bentley, Mr. Cuningham, and Sanadon. We know, indeed, that the Ancients ufually employed their Prifoners, taken in War, in tending their Flocks or cultivating their. Lands, occidere noli`; Serviet utiliter: fine pafcat durus aretque. HOR. Epift. Kill not the Slave, who may fome Profit yield, Yet this negative Authority is not fufficient to alter the Text, in. Oppofition to all the Manufcripts, meerly because Hiftorians do not inform us, that these Prifoners fought in the Parthian Armies. Perhaps, it were equally difficult to prove their Alliance. with their Conquerors, and if we do not contradict the Poet in. this Fact, it seems more reafonable, that they should be the Soldiers, than continue the Slaves of their Fathers-in-Law. Nor is it easy to account for the Reproach of living fub rege Medo, under the |