DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9260#0216
PHOSEON Lib. VI. PHOSES Book VI. 181
Mater equi volucris: fenfit Delphina Me- And, in a Dolphin's fifty Form, fubdu'd
lantho 120 MLeUntho fweet beneath the oozy Flood.
\ . r . All thefe the Maid with lively Features drew,
Omnibus his faciemque Juam, faciemque to- And open'd proper Landskips to the View.
corum There Phoebus , roving like a Country Swain ,
Reddidit, eft iliic agrefiis imagine Phoebus, Tunes his melodious Pipe along the Plain;
»rA j • ■ • . *. . . For lovely I/7i?'s fake in Shepherd's Weeds,
I//»»* wodo accipitris pennas , /Tzodo ftrra _ ' 1 • 1 1 r r\ i i_ V j
* . r r <=> O er Paitures green his bleating FJock he reeds.
LeoniS There, Bacchus fair Erigone receives,
Gejferit: ut pajior Macare'ida luferit IJfen. Who, like a cluft'ring Grape, the Maid deceives;
Liber ut Erigonen falfa deceperit uva: 12$ And tnere °^ Saturn, Rung with youthful Heat,
Ut Saturnus equo remmum Chirona crearit ^orm'd like a Stallion mines to the Feat.
. . / • • 7 /• / Frefti Flowers with clalpincr ivy intertwine,
Ultima pars telae, tenui circumdata limbo, whkh> mzh a runnmg po}iag^ clofc the neat
Nexilibus Jlores hederis habet intertextos. Defign.
Non illud Pallas , non illud carpere li<vor Pallas o'ercome, with Secret Envy mov'd,
Poffit opus, doluit fucceffu ftava virago: IOO The ffu!tlefs Piece> disdainfully approv'd.
rJJ . . M in-'- n Piqu'd that a Mortal durlt her thus enrage,
Et rupit pittas, coelefiia cnmina, defies. H £ fretdng Soul boil>d wkh Cocleftial&jfage .
Utque Cytoriaco radium de monte tenebat; No longer She the galling Vict'ry bears,
*Ter quater Idmoniae frontem percujfit A- But ftraight the Source of her Reproach She tears;
rachnes ^or was c enougn Her keen Revenge to cjuell,
, . n /. . T'erTace the Work She coud not paralell;
Non tulit rnfelix : laqueoque ammoja ligavit ^ ,gamft Her ^ fo enrag,d ^ grcw ?
Cuttura. pendent em Pallas miferata leva- she at her Head , Her vancjuilh'd Shutde
vit >• I^y threw.
At que it a, Vive quidem, pende tamen,im- Impatient of th' Infult, th' Idmonian Maid,
P ob dixit • Repining that Her Glory's thus repaid,
-* 3' r r Goddefs' fierce Reientment firft deplor'd;
Lex que eadem poenae, ne ps Jecura futuri, xhen to Her Neck apply'd the fatal Cord.
DiEta tuo generi, jerisque nepotibus ejlo. Touch'd with the Sight, Pallas at laft relents,
Toft ea difcedens fuccis Hecateidos herbae And the defpairing Maid from Death prevents:
Sparnt. & extemplo tnfti medicamine Live, daring Wretch, She faid, but for thy Doom
* <=> * J Forever hanging thus, puriue thy Loom j
tdftac ^ I40 That all thy Race, to utmoft Date of Time,
Defuxere comae : cumque his naris & May feel the Vengeance, and deteft the Crime.
auris. Then, going off, me rprinkled her with Juice,
Fitque caput minimum, totoque in corpore ^L^T f ^ pr^UCC* ^
1 n Touch d with the pois nous Drug,her Mowing Hair
parva ejt. Fell to the Ground, and left her Temples bare;
In latere exiles digiti pro cruribus haerent. Her ufual Features vanifh'd from their Place,
Cetera venter habet. de quo tamen ilia re- Her Body lelTen'd all, but moft her Face.
•^.y Her (lender Fingers, hanging on each Side
_ . With many joints, the ufe of Leers fupply'd:
Stamens antiquas exercet aranea te- The reft her Belly made, from winch ihe gives
las. 145 Her Thread, and ftill in conilantWeaving lives.
EXPLICATION OF THE I, II, III, and IV. FABLES.
I. 'T^He Fable of Arachne , who challenged Mi- hanging in its own Work, has, probably given oc-
I nerva , is one of thofe ingenious Fiftions, cafion to the Metamorphofis j unlefs we would, with
which fhews us that fhe was the ableft Artift more reafon, attribute it to the Refemblance of her
of her Time at working in Silk and Wool. Pliny (1) Name to the Hebrew Word Arag , fignifying to
fays that Arachne, the Daughter of Idmon, a Lydian Spin , which the Holy Scripture makes uk of in
by Birth, and of mean Extraction, invented the Art fpeaking of the Spiders and their Webs,
of making Linnen Cloth and Nets ; which was alfo II. Ihe Hiftory of that Tryal of Skill between Mi-
attributed to Minerva This Competition is , with- nerva and Arachne gives Ovid an Opportunity of
out doubt, the Foundation of the Challenge which vending feveral Fables, which he feigns to have been
our Poet fpeaks of: It being a very natural way of reprelented in their Works : The moft considerable
exprefling our felves, when we excell in any thing, of which is the Dispute between Neptune and Mi-
to fay, we defy another to furpafs us. Neverthelefs nerva , about giving a Name to the City of Athens.
as Arachne hanged herfelf in Defpair , according to St. Auguftin(2), following Varro, fays that Cecrops,in
theTeftimony of the fame Author, ftie muft have had building the Walls of Athens , found an Olive-Tree
fome Caufe of Discontent, which we are ignorant of. and a Fountain j that the Oracle at "Delphos, being con-
The Conformity of her Name, and her Employment fulted upon this Accident, anfwered that both Minerva
with that of the Spider , which is almoft continually and
(2) Dt Chit. Dei, Lib. XVIII. Cap. I.
(0 Lib. XI. Cap. XXIV. X 3
Mater equi volucris: fenfit Delphina Me- And, in a Dolphin's fifty Form, fubdu'd
lantho 120 MLeUntho fweet beneath the oozy Flood.
\ . r . All thefe the Maid with lively Features drew,
Omnibus his faciemque Juam, faciemque to- And open'd proper Landskips to the View.
corum There Phoebus , roving like a Country Swain ,
Reddidit, eft iliic agrefiis imagine Phoebus, Tunes his melodious Pipe along the Plain;
»rA j • ■ • . *. . . For lovely I/7i?'s fake in Shepherd's Weeds,
I//»»* wodo accipitris pennas , /Tzodo ftrra _ ' 1 • 1 1 r r\ i i_ V j
* . r r <=> O er Paitures green his bleating FJock he reeds.
LeoniS There, Bacchus fair Erigone receives,
Gejferit: ut pajior Macare'ida luferit IJfen. Who, like a cluft'ring Grape, the Maid deceives;
Liber ut Erigonen falfa deceperit uva: 12$ And tnere °^ Saturn, Rung with youthful Heat,
Ut Saturnus equo remmum Chirona crearit ^orm'd like a Stallion mines to the Feat.
. . / • • 7 /• / Frefti Flowers with clalpincr ivy intertwine,
Ultima pars telae, tenui circumdata limbo, whkh> mzh a runnmg po}iag^ clofc the neat
Nexilibus Jlores hederis habet intertextos. Defign.
Non illud Pallas , non illud carpere li<vor Pallas o'ercome, with Secret Envy mov'd,
Poffit opus, doluit fucceffu ftava virago: IOO The ffu!tlefs Piece> disdainfully approv'd.
rJJ . . M in-'- n Piqu'd that a Mortal durlt her thus enrage,
Et rupit pittas, coelefiia cnmina, defies. H £ fretdng Soul boil>d wkh Cocleftial&jfage .
Utque Cytoriaco radium de monte tenebat; No longer She the galling Vict'ry bears,
*Ter quater Idmoniae frontem percujfit A- But ftraight the Source of her Reproach She tears;
rachnes ^or was c enougn Her keen Revenge to cjuell,
, . n /. . T'erTace the Work She coud not paralell;
Non tulit rnfelix : laqueoque ammoja ligavit ^ ,gamft Her ^ fo enrag,d ^ grcw ?
Cuttura. pendent em Pallas miferata leva- she at her Head , Her vancjuilh'd Shutde
vit >• I^y threw.
At que it a, Vive quidem, pende tamen,im- Impatient of th' Infult, th' Idmonian Maid,
P ob dixit • Repining that Her Glory's thus repaid,
-* 3' r r Goddefs' fierce Reientment firft deplor'd;
Lex que eadem poenae, ne ps Jecura futuri, xhen to Her Neck apply'd the fatal Cord.
DiEta tuo generi, jerisque nepotibus ejlo. Touch'd with the Sight, Pallas at laft relents,
Toft ea difcedens fuccis Hecateidos herbae And the defpairing Maid from Death prevents:
Sparnt. & extemplo tnfti medicamine Live, daring Wretch, She faid, but for thy Doom
* <=> * J Forever hanging thus, puriue thy Loom j
tdftac ^ I40 That all thy Race, to utmoft Date of Time,
Defuxere comae : cumque his naris & May feel the Vengeance, and deteft the Crime.
auris. Then, going off, me rprinkled her with Juice,
Fitque caput minimum, totoque in corpore ^L^T f ^ pr^UCC* ^
1 n Touch d with the pois nous Drug,her Mowing Hair
parva ejt. Fell to the Ground, and left her Temples bare;
In latere exiles digiti pro cruribus haerent. Her ufual Features vanifh'd from their Place,
Cetera venter habet. de quo tamen ilia re- Her Body lelTen'd all, but moft her Face.
•^.y Her (lender Fingers, hanging on each Side
_ . With many joints, the ufe of Leers fupply'd:
Stamens antiquas exercet aranea te- The reft her Belly made, from winch ihe gives
las. 145 Her Thread, and ftill in conilantWeaving lives.
EXPLICATION OF THE I, II, III, and IV. FABLES.
I. 'T^He Fable of Arachne , who challenged Mi- hanging in its own Work, has, probably given oc-
I nerva , is one of thofe ingenious Fiftions, cafion to the Metamorphofis j unlefs we would, with
which fhews us that fhe was the ableft Artift more reafon, attribute it to the Refemblance of her
of her Time at working in Silk and Wool. Pliny (1) Name to the Hebrew Word Arag , fignifying to
fays that Arachne, the Daughter of Idmon, a Lydian Spin , which the Holy Scripture makes uk of in
by Birth, and of mean Extraction, invented the Art fpeaking of the Spiders and their Webs,
of making Linnen Cloth and Nets ; which was alfo II. Ihe Hiftory of that Tryal of Skill between Mi-
attributed to Minerva This Competition is , with- nerva and Arachne gives Ovid an Opportunity of
out doubt, the Foundation of the Challenge which vending feveral Fables, which he feigns to have been
our Poet fpeaks of: It being a very natural way of reprelented in their Works : The moft considerable
exprefling our felves, when we excell in any thing, of which is the Dispute between Neptune and Mi-
to fay, we defy another to furpafs us. Neverthelefs nerva , about giving a Name to the City of Athens.
as Arachne hanged herfelf in Defpair , according to St. Auguftin(2), following Varro, fays that Cecrops,in
theTeftimony of the fame Author, ftie muft have had building the Walls of Athens , found an Olive-Tree
fome Caufe of Discontent, which we are ignorant of. and a Fountain j that the Oracle at "Delphos, being con-
The Conformity of her Name, and her Employment fulted upon this Accident, anfwered that both Minerva
with that of the Spider , which is almoft continually and
(2) Dt Chit. Dei, Lib. XVIII. Cap. I.
(0 Lib. XI. Cap. XXIV. X 3