Ovidius Naso, Publius; Banier, Antoine [Comm.]; Picart, Bernard [Ill.]: Ovid's Metamorphoses In Latin And English: [Two Volumes] (Band 1) (Amsterdam, 1732)

8 P.OVIDII METAMOR-

P. OVID'S METAMOR-

F a b. IV. 2. The Silver Age. %.7be Brazen Age. ^.The Iron Age.

THE ARGUMENT.

In the Silver Age Men begin to be neither fo Juft, nor confequently
fo happy as in the Golden Age. In the Brazen Age which fucceeds them?
they become yet more wicked; but their Wickednefs does not fully disco-
ver it felf, untill the Iron Age, when it appears in its utmoft Malignity.

POfiquam, Saturno tenebrofa in Tartar a
mijfoy

Sub Jove mundus erat > fubiit argentea -proles ,
Aura deterior, fulvo pretiofior aere. I1
Juppiter antiqui contraxit tempora verts :
Per que hi erne s, acflusque, & inae quale s au-
tumnos,

Et breve ver , jpatiis exegit quatuor annum.
Turn primum ficcis a'er fervoribus uflus
Canduit: & ventis glacies adjlntfa pepen-

dit. 120
Turn- primum fubiere domos. domus antra

juerunt,

Et denfi frutices, & vinBae cortice virgae.
Semina turn primum longis Cerealia julcis
Obruta funt, prejfique jugo gemuere juvenci.
Teniapofi illas juceejfit aenea proles, 12 5
Saevior ingeniis, & ad horridapromtior arma;

Nec

BUt when Good Saturn , banifh'd from Above,
Was driv'n to Hell, the World was under
Jove.

Succeeding Times a Silver Age behold,

Excelling Brafs , but more excell'd by Gold.

Then Summer, Autumn, Winter did appear:

And Spring was but a Seafon of the Year.

The Sun his Annual Courfe obliquely made,

Good Days contracted, and enlarg'd the bad.

Then Air with fultry Heats began to glow;

TheWings of Winds were clogg'd withlce and Snow,

And ftiivering Mortals, into Houfes driv'n,

Sought ftielter from th' Inclemency of Heav'n.

Thofe Houfes, then, were Caves, or homely Sheds;

With twining Oziers fenc'd ^ and Mofs dieir Beds.

Then Ploughs, for Seed, the fruitful Furrows broke

And Oxen labour'd firft, beneath the Yoke.

To this came next in courfe, die Brazen Age:

A Warlike Offspring, prompt to Bloody Rage,

Not