truth; weary of common and obvious beauties, they must needs hunt for remote and artificial decorations. Thus was it that the age of Demetrius Phalerëus succeeded that of Demosthenes, and the false relish of Tiberius's court the chaste one of Augustus. Warton. It is not perhaps to be inferred, that because Pope undertook to translate some portions of Statius and Ovid, he therefore preferred their writings to those of Virgil and Horace, and the other great poets of the Augustan age. They appear to have been selected by him with no other view than as exercises, on which he wished to try the extent of his powers, and by which he might accustom himself to greater ease and facility of expression. That this object is likely to be more effectually accomplished by translations than by original composition, is apparent from the consideration, that in the former the writer is compelled to discover a mode of expression which shall precisely convey the sentiment of the original, whilst in the latter he can modify or change the sentiment to adapt it to the mode of expression. It was probably by his Translations of the Roman Poets, that Pope so eminently qualified himself for his great task-the translation of the Iliad. ARGUMENT. OEDIPUS King of Thebes having by mistake slain his father Laius, and married his mother Jocasta, put out his own eyes, and resigned his realm to his sons, Eteocles and Polynices. Being neglected by them, he makes his prayer to the Fury Tisiphone, to sow debate betwixt the brothers. They agree at last to reign singly, each a year by turns, and the first lot is obtained by Eteocles. Jupiter, in a council of the Gods, declares his resolution of punishing the Thebans, and Argives also, by means of a marriage betwixt Polynices and one of the daughters of Adrastus king of Argos. Juno opposes, but to no effect, and Mercury is sent on a message to the Shades, to the ghost of Laius, who is to appear to Eteocles, and provoke him to break the agreement. Polynices in the mean time departs from Thebes by night, is overtaken by a storm, and arrives at Argos; where he meets with Tydeus, who had fled from Calydon, having killed his brother. Adrastus entertains them, having received an oracle from Apollo that his daughters should be married to a Boar and a Lion, which he understands to be meant of these strangers, by whom the hides of these beasts were worn, and who arrived at the time when he kept an annual feast in honour of that God. The rise of this solemnity he relates to his guests, the loves of Phoebus and Psamathe, and the story of Chorobus. He inquires, and is made acquainted with their descent and quality: The sacrifice is renewed, and the book concludes with a Hymn to Apollo. The Translator hopes he need not apologize for his choice of this piece, which was made almost in his childhood. But finding the version better than he expected, he gave it some correction a few years afterwards. He was but fourteen years old. P. Warton. P. STATII THEBAIDOS LIBER PRIMUS. FRATERNAS acies, alternaque regna profanis Atque adeo jam nunc gemitus, et prospera Cadmi 10 20 THE FIRST BOOK OF STATIUS'S THEBAIS. FRATERNAL rage, the guilty Thebes alarms, And Cadmus searching round the spacious sea? 5 10 Or how from joining stones the city sprung, But wave whate'er to Cadmus may belong, NOTES. 15 20 Ver. 19. But wave whate'er.] It is plain that Pope was not blind to the faults of Statius; many of which he points out with judgment 30 Edipodæ confusa domus: quando Itala nondum |