His feet on fceptres and tiara's trod,

And his horn'd head bely'd the Libyan God. There Cæfar, grac'd with both Minerva's, shone; Cæfar, the world's great master, and his own; 156 Unmov'd, fuperior still in ev'ry state,

And scarce detefted in his Country's fate.

But chief were those, who not for empire fought,
But with their toils their people's fafety bought: 160
High o'er the rest Epaminondas stood;
Timoleon, glorious in his brother's blood;
Bold Scipio, faviour of the Roman state;
Great in his triumphs, in retirement great; 165
And wife Aurelius, in whose well-taught mind
With boundless pow'r unbounded virtue join'd,
His own strict judge, and patron of mankind.
Much-fuff'ring heroes next their honours claim,
Those of lefs noify, and lefs guilty fame,
Fair Virtue's filent train: fupreme of these 170
Here ever shines the godlike Socrates:

NOTES.

VER. 162. Timoleon, glorious in his brother's blood;] Timoleon had faved the life of his brother Timophanes in the battle between the Argives and Corinthians; but afterwards killed him when he affected the tyranny, preferring his duty to his country to all the obligations of blood. P.

He whom ungrateful Athens could expell,
At all times juft, but when he fign'd the Shell:
Here his abode the martyr'd Phocion claims,
With Agis, not the last of Spartan names: 175
Unconquer'd Cato fhews the wound he tore,
And Brutus his ill Genius meets no more.

But in the centre of the hallow'd choir,
Six pompous columns o'er the reft afpire;

NOTES.

VER. 172. He whom ungrateful Athens, etc.] Ariftides, who for his great integrity was distinguished by the appellation of the fuft. When his countrymen would have banished him by the Oftracism, where it was the custom for every man to fign the name of the perfon he voted to exile in an Oysterfhell; a peasant, who could not write, came to Aristides to do it for him, who readily figned his own name. P.

VER. 178. But in the centre of the hallow'd choir, etc.] In the midst of the temple, neareft the throne of Fame, are placed the greatest names in learning of all antiquity. These are described in fuch attitudes as exprefs their different characters the columns on which they are raised are adorned with fculptures, taken from the most striking fubjects of their works; which fculpture bears a refemblance, in its manner and character, to the manner and character of their writings. P.

IMITATIONS.

VER. 179. Six pompous columns, etc.

From the dees many a pillere,

Of metal that fhone not full clere, etc.
Upon a pillere faw I stonde

That was of lede and iron fine,

Him of the Sect Saturnine,

The Ebraicke Jofephus the old, etc.

Upon an iron piller ftrong,

That painted was all endlong,

Around the fhrine itself of Fame they ftand, 180 Hold the chief honours, and the fane command. High on the first, the mighty Homer shone; Eternal adamant compos'd his throne;

Father of verse! in holy fillets drest,

His filver beard wav'd gently o'er his breast; 185 Tho' blind, a boldness in his looks appears;

In years
he feem'd, but not impair'd by years.
The wars of Troy were round the Pillar feen:
Here fierce Tydides wounds the Cyprian Queen;
Here Hector glorious from Patroclus' fall, 190
Here dragg'd in triumph round the Trojan wall:
Motion and life did ev'ry part inspire,

Bold was the work, and prov'd the master's fire;
A ftrong expreffion moft he seem'd t'affect,
And here and there disclos'd a brave neglect. 195
A golden column next in rank appear'd,
On which a shrine of pureft gold was rear'd;

IMITATIONS.

With tigers' blood in every place,

The Tholofan that hight Stace,

That bare of Thebes up the name, etc. P.

VER. 182.]

Full wonder hye on a pillere

Of iron, he the great Omer,

And with him Dares and Titus, &c. P.

VER. 196, etc.]

There faw I ftand on a pillere

That was of tinned iron cleere,

Finish'd the whole, and labour'd ev'ry part,
With patient touches of unweary'd art:
The Mantuan there in fober triumph fate, 200
Compos'd his posture, and his looks fedate;
On Homer still he fix'd a rev'rend eye,
Great without pride, in modest majesty.

In living sculpture on the fides were spread
The Latian Wars, and haughty Turnus dead; 205
Eliza ftretch'd the fun'ral pyre,

upon

Æneas bending with his aged fire:
Troy flam'd in burning gold, and o'er the throne
ARMS AND THE MAN in golden cyphers shone.
Four swans fuftain a car of filver bright, 210
With heads advanc'd, and pinions ftretch'd for
flight:

NOTES:

VER. 21C. Four fwans fuftain, etc.] Pindar being feated in a chariot, alludes to the chariot-races he celebrated in the Grecian games. The fwans are emblems of Poetry, their foaring posture intimates the fublimity and activity of his genius. Neptune prefided over the Ifthmian, and Jupiter over the Olympian games.

Here, like fome furious prophet, Pindar rode,
And feem'd to labour with th' infpiring God.
Across the harp a careless hand he flings,
And boldly finks into the founding ftrings. 215
The figur'd games of Greece the column grace,
Neptune and Jove furvey the rapid race.

The youths hang o'er their chariots as they run;
The fiery steeds seem starting from the stone;
The champions in distorted postures threat; 220
And all appear'd irregularly great.

Here happy Horace tun'd th' Ausonian lyre To sweeter founds, and temper'd Pindar's fire: Pleas'd with Alcæus' manly rage t' infuse The softer spirit of the Sapphic Muse.

IMITATIONS.

The great Poet Dan Lucan,
That on his fhoulders bore up then
As hye as that I might fee,
The fame of Julius and Pompee.

And next him on a pillere ftode

Of fulphur, like as he were wode,

Dan Claudian, fothe for to tell,

That bare up all the fame of hell, etc. P. VER. 224. Pleas'd with Alcaus' many rage t' infufe The fofter fpirit of the Sapphic Muse.]

225

This expreffes the mix'd character of the odes of Horace 1 the second of thefe verfes alludes to that line of his,

Spiritum Graiæ tenuem camœnæ.

As another which follows, to

Exegi monumentum ære perennius.