140

Now from beneath Malea's airy height
Aloft she sprung, and steer'd to Thebes her flight;
With eager speed the well-known journey took,
Nor here regrets the hell fhe late forfook.
A hundred fnakes her gloomy visage fhade,
A hundred ferpents guard her horrid head,
In her funk eye-balls dreadful meteors glow:
Such rays from Phoebe's bloody circle flow,
When lab'ring with ftrong charms, the shoots from
high

A fiery gleam, and reddens all the sky.

145

Blood ftain'd her cheeks, and from her mouth there came

150

Blue fteaming poifons, and a length of flame.
From ev'ry blast of her contagious breath,
Famine and drought proceed, and plagues, and
death.

A robe obscene was o'er her shoulders thrown,
A drefs by Fates and Furies worn alone.

155

140

Arripit extemplo Malex de valle refurgens
Notum iter ad Thebas: neque enim velocior ullas
Itque reditque vias, cognataque tartaro mavult.
Centum illi ftantes umbrabant ora cerastæ, 145
Turba minor diri capitis: fedet intus abactis
Ferrea lux oculis; qualis per nubila Phœbes
Atracea rubet arte labor: fuffufa veneno
Tenditur, ac fanie glifcit cutis: igneus atro
Ore vapor, quo longa fitis, morbique famefque,
Et populis mors una venit. riget horrida tergo
Palla, et cœrulei redeunt in pectore nodi.
Atropos hos, atque ipfa novat Proferpina cultus.

VOL. II.

B

154

She

She tofs'd her meagre arms; her better hand
In waving circles whirl'd a fun’ral brand:
A ferpent from her left was seen to rear
His flaming creft, and lash the yielding air.
But when the Fury took her stand on high; 160
Where vaft Citharon's top falutes the sky,
A hifs from all the fnaky tire went round:
The dreadful fignal all the rocks rebound,
And through th' Achaian cities fend the found.
Oete, with high Parnaffus, heard the voice; 165
Eurota's banks remurmur'd to the noise;
Again Leucothoe shook at these alarms,
And prefs'd Palamon closer in her arms.
Headlong from thence the glowing fury fprings,
And o'er the Theban palace spreads her wings,
Once more invades the guilty dome, and shrouds
Its bright pavilions in a veil of clouds
172

Tum geminas quatit illa manus: hæc igne rogali
Fulgurat, hæc vivo manus aera verberat hydro.
Ut ftetit, abrupta qua plurimus arce Citharon 160
Occurrit cœlo, fera fibila crine virenti
Congeminat, fignum terris, unde omnis Achæi
Ora maris late, Pelopeiaque regna refultant.
Audiit et medius cœli Parnaffus, et afper 165
Eurotas, dubiamque jugo fragor impulit Oeten
In latus, et geminis vix fluctibus obftitit Ifthmos.
Ipfa fuum genitrix, curvo delphine vagantem
Arripuit frenis, gremioque Palæmona preffit.
Atque ea Cadmæo præceps ubi limine primum 170
Conftitit, affuetaque infecit nube penates,
Protinus attoniti fratrum fub pectore motus,

Straight

Straight with the rage of all their race poffeft,
Stung to the foul, the brothers ftart from reft,
And all their Furies wake within their breast.
Their tortur'd minds repining Envy tears,
And Hate, engender'd by fufpicious fears;
And facred thirst of sway; and all the ties
Of nature broke; and royal perjuries;
And impotent defire to reign alone,
That fcorns the dull reverfion of a throne;
Each would the fweets of fov'reign rule devour,
While Discord waits upon divided pow'r.

180

?

185

As stubborn steers by brawny ploughmen broke, And join'd reluctant to the galling yoke, Alike difdain with fervile necks to bear Th' unwonted weight, or drag the crooked share, But rend the reins, and bound a diff'rent way, And all the furrows in confufion lay:

Gentilifque animos fubiit furor, ægraque lætis
Invidia, atque parens odii metus: inde regendi
Sævus amor: ruptæque vices, jurisque fecundi
Ambitus impatiens, et fummo dulcius unum
Stare loco, fociifque comes difcordia regnis. 18.
Sic ubi delectos per torva armenta juvencos
Agricola impofito fociare affectat aratro:
Illi indignantes quis nondum vomere multo
Ardua nodofos cervix defcendit in armos,
In diversa trahunt, atque æquis vincula laxant
Viribus, et vario confundunt limite fulcos:

NOTE.

Ver. 173. Gentilifque animos fubiit furer, seems to me a better reading than gentilefque. B 2

Such

190

Such was the discord of the royal pair,
Whom fury drove precipitate to war.
In vain the chiefs contriv'd a fpecious way,
To govern Thebes by their alternate sway :
Unjuft decree! while this enjoys the itate,
That mourns in exile his unequal fate,
And the fhort monarch of a hafty year
Forefees with anguish his returning heir.
Thus did the league their impious arms reftrain,
But fcarce fubfifted to the second reign.

195

Yet then, no proud afpiring piles were rais'd, No fretted 100fs with polifh'd metals blaz'd; 201 No labour'd columns in long order plac'd, No Grecian ftone the pompous arches grac'd; No nightly bands in glitt'ring armour wait Before the fleepless tyrant's guarded gate; No chargers then were wrought in burnish'd gold, Nor filver vafes took the forming mold;

205

Haud fecus indomitos præceps difcordia fratres 190
Afperat. alterni placuit fub legibus anni
Exilio mutare ducem. fic jure maligno
Fortunam tranfire jubent, ut iceptra tenentem
Fœdere præcipiti femper novus angeret heres. 195
Hæc inter fratres pietas erat: hac mora pugnæ
Sola, nec in regem perduratura fecundum.

Et nondum craffo laquearia fulta metallo,
Montibus aut alte Graiis effulta nitebant
Atria, congeftos fatis explicitura clientes.
Non impacatis regum advigilantia fomnis
Pila, nec alterna ferri ftatione gementes
Excubi, nec cura mero committere gemmas,
Atque aurum violare cibis. fed nuda poteitas
Armavit fratres: pugna eft de paupere regna.

200

205

Nor

211

Nor gems on bowls emboss'd were seen to shine,
Blaze on the brims, and sparkle in the wine----
Say, wretched rivals! what provokes your rage!
Say, to what end your impious arms engage?
Not all bright Phoebus views in early morn,
Or when his ev'ning-beams the west adorn,
When the fouth glows with his meridian
And the cold north receives a fainter day;
For crimes like these, not all thofe realms fuffice,
Were all those realms the guilty victor's prize!

ray,

215

219

But Fortune now (the lots of empire thrown) Decrees to proud Eteocles the crown: What joys, oh tyrant! fwell'd thy foul that day, When all were flaves thou couldst around survey, Pleas'd to behold unbounded pow'r thy own, And fingly fill a fear'd and envy'd throne!

Dumque uter angufte fquallentia jugera Dirces
Verteret, aut Tyrii folio non altus ovaret
Exulis, ambigitur; periit jus, fasque, bonumque,
Et vitæ, mortifque pudor. Quo tenditis iras, 210
Ah miferi? quid fi peteretur crimine tanto
Limes uterque poii, quem Sol emiffus Eoo
Cardine, quem porta vergens prospectat Ibera?
Quafque procul terras obliquo fidere tangit
Avius, aut Borea gelidas, madidive tepentes 215
Igne Noti? quid fi Tyria Phrygiæve fub unum
Convectentur opes? loca dira, arcefque nefandæ
Suffecere odio, furtifque immanibus emptum eft
Oedipodæ fediffe loco. Jam forte carebat
Dilatus Polynicis honos, quis tum tibi, fæve, 220
Quis fuit ille dies? vacua cum folus in aula
Refpiceres jus omne tuum, cunctofque minores,
B 3

But