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

94 P.OVIDn METAMOR-

'Tela fecunda vacant Superi. tapit ilia ,* do-
mumque

Intrat Agenoream. corpus mortale tumultus
JSfon tulit aetherios 3' donisque jugalibus arfit*
Imperfettus adhuc infans genetricis ab al-

<vo 3IO

Eripitur ipatrioque tener (fi credere dignum)
Infuitur femori >• maternaque tempora com*

plet.

Turtim ilium primis Ino matertera cunis
Educat. inde datum Nymphae Nife'ides antris
Occuluerefuis >• lattisque aliment a dedere. g I y
Dumque ea per'terras fat alt lege geruntur >•
Tutaque bis geniti funt incunabula Baccbi;
Forte Jovem memorant 3 diffufum netfare,
curas

Sepofmffe graves, <vacuaque agitajfe remijfos
Cum Junone jocos: &, Major veflra pro-

fetto ejl, 320
Quam quae contingat maribus , dixijfe , vo-

luptas.

Ilia negat. placuit, quae fit fententia doffi,
Quaerere, Tirefiae. Venus huic erat utraque
nota.

Nam duo magnorum viridi coeuntia Jiha
Corpora ferpentum baculi violaverat ittu: 3 25
Deque <viro fattus (mirabile ) femina, fep-
tern

Egerat autumnos. oBavo rurfus eosdem
Vtdit: Efl vejlrae fi tanta potentia plagae,
Dixit, ut auttoris fortem in contraria mutet:
Nunc quoque vos feriam. percuffis anguibus

isdem 330
Eorma prior rediit ,geniticuaque rurfus imago.
Arbiter hie igitur fumtus de lite jocofa,
DiBa Jovis firmat. gravius Saturnia juflo ,
JSfec pro materia fertur doluiffe: fuique
Judicis aeterna damnavit lumina notte. gg^
At pater omnipotens (neque enim licet irrita

cuiquam

FaBa Dei feciffe Deo ) pro lumine ademto
Scire futura dedit: poenamque levavit ho-

nore.

P.OVID'S METAMOR-

Thus dreadfully adorn'd, with Horror bright,
Th' illuftriousGod, defending from his Height, >
Came rufliing on her in a Storm of Light. ^

The mortal Dame, too feeble to engage
The Lightnings Flafhes, and the Thunder's Rage*
Confum'd amidft the Glories flie defir'd,
And in the Terrible Embrace expir'd.

But, to preferve his Offspring from the Tomb,
Jove took him fmoaking from die blaftedWomb^
And, if on ancient Tales we may rely,
Inclos'd th' abortive Infant in his Thigh.
Here when the Babe had all his Time fulfill'd ,
Ino firft took him for her Fofter-Child j
Then the Nifeans 3 in their dark Abode,
Nurs'd fecretly with Milk the thriving God.

'Twas now,while thefe Tranfa&ions paft on Earth*
And Bacchus thus procur'd a fecond Birth,
When Jove3 difpos'd to lay afide the Weight
Of Publick Empire and the Cares of State,
As to his Queen in Nectar Bowls he quaff'd,
In troth, fays he, and as he {poke he laughd,
The Senfe of Pleafure in the Male is far
More dull and dead, than what you Females mare.
Juno the Truth of what was faid deny'd; -
Tirejias therefore muft the Caufe decide, >
For he the Pleafure of each Sex had try'd. ^

It happen'd once, within a fhady Wood,
Two twitted Snakes he in Conjunction view'd,
When with his Staff their flimy Folds he broke,
And loft his Manhood at the fatal Stroke.
But, after Sev'n revolving Years he view'd
The felf-fame Serpents in the {elf-fame Wood;
And if, fays he, filch Virtue in you lye,
That he who dares your flimy Folds untie >
Muft change his Kind,a fecond Stroke I'll try. ^
Again he ftruck the Snakes, and flood again
New-Sex'd, and ftrak recover'd into Man.
Him therefore both the Deities create
The Sov'raign Umpire, in their grand Debate j
And he declar'd for Jove: When Juno fir'd,
More than fb trivial an Affair requir'd,
Depriv'd him, in her Fury, of his Sight,
And left him groping round in fudden Night.
But Jove (for fo it is in Heav'n decreed,
That no one God repeal Another's Deed)
Irradiates all his Soul with inward Light,
And with the Prophet's Art relieves the want of Sight.

33

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33

EXPLICATION OF THE FIFTH FABLE.

THis Reprefentation, made after the Ideas of the
Poets and My thologifts, needs no further Explica-
tion after what 1 have jult faid. For tho' the Ancients
agree that Jupiter, having vifited Semele with his Thun-
der in his Handjconfumed her and her Palace to Aihes,

yet we do not find any ancient Monument that repre-
sents this Event. We only fee on a Vafe, publiflied
by Mr. Spon, Mercury giving the little Bacchus, juft
born, to a Nymph whom that Author believes to be
Leucothoe.

Fab. VI.