DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9261#0051
PHOSEON Lib. IX.
"Admijfumque trahens fequitur: deprenfaque
dura
Cornuajigit humo; meque alt a jiernit arena.
Nec fat is idfuerat: rigidumfera dexter a cor-
nu 85
T>um tenet, infregit; truncaque afronte revelht.
Naides hoc, pomis & odoroflore repletum,
Sacrarunt ,* divesque meo bona Copia comu eji.
JDixerat: at Nymphe, ritu fuccinBa Dianae,
Una miniflrarum, fufis utrimque capillis, 90
Incejjtt, totumque tulit praedwite comu
Autumnum, & menfas,felicia poma,fecundas.
Lux fubit: &, primo jeriente cacumina Sole,
Difcedunt jwvenes. neque enim dum flumina
pacem, ,
Et placidos habeant lapfus , motaeque refi-
dant, 95
Opperiuntur, aquae. <vultus Acheldus agrejies,
Et lacerum cornumediis caput abdidit undis.
Hunc tamen ablati domuit jaclura decoris >•
Cetera fifpes erat. capitis quoque 3 fronde
faligna,
Aut Juper impojita celatur arundine dam-
num. ioo
»3
PHOSES. Book IX. 293
3> Then deep he ftruck my Horn into the Sand,
And fell'd my Bulk among the dufty Land.
Nor yet his Fury cool'd •, 'twixt Rage and Scorn,
From my maim'd Front he tore the ftubbornHorn:
This, heap'd with Flow'rs and Fruit, the Naiads
bear,
Sacred to Plenty, and the bounteous Year".
He ipoke; when lo, a beauteous Nymph appears,
Girt like Diana's Train, with flowing Hairs;
The Horn flie brings in which all Autumn's ftor'd,
And ruddy Apples for the fecond Board.
Now Morn begins to dawn, the Sun's bright Fire
Gilds the high Mountains and the Youths retire;
Nor ftay'd they, till the troubled Stream fublides,
And in it's Bounds with peaceful Current glides.
But Achelous in his oozy Bed
Deep hides his Brow deform'd,and ruftic Head:
No real Wound the Vi&or's Triumph Ihow'd,
But his loft Honours griev'd the watry God;
Yet ev'n that Lofs the Willow's Leaves o'erfpread,
And verdant Reeds, in Garlands, bind his Head.
EXPLICATION OF THE FIRST FABLE.
THe River Ach'eloiis, which runs between Acar»
nania and <i^Etolia , very often ruined the
Countries by it's Inundations j and confounding by
that means the Limits of thofe two Nations, ingaged
them in continual Wars. Hercules at laft railed
Banks to it, and made the Courfe of it fo uniform
-and ftraight, that he eftabliflied a perpetual Peace
between thofe People. The Authors who writ that
Event related it in a manner intirely fabulous. They
faid that he fought with the God of that River, who
immediatly changed himfelf into a Serpent, by which
Was meant the Windings and Turnings of his Cour-
fe ; and afterwards into a Bull, from whence we may
difcover it's rapid overflowing of it's Banks and the
frequent Ravages it thereby caufed in the Country
about it, which has the more likelyhood of Truth in
it, in as much as Rivers were often reprefented un-
der the Figure of a Bull , to mew the Havoc which
they made: Taurorum fpecie Jimulacra fluminum, id eft
cum cornibus, quod funt atrocia ut tauri (1). It was
(0 See Fejlus , JEIiaft, Acron upon Horace, and Strata.
faid that Hercules, at laft , overcame that Bull and
broke off one of his Horns > that is to fay that he
brought both the Branches of that River into one
Channel, as we read in Strabo, Sz that this Horn became
the Horn of Plenty in the Country; tho' by the Horn
ofPlenty was often underftood that of the Goat Amal-
thea that nurfed Jupiter. The Nymphs gave it to
Achelous, who afterwards exchanged it with Hercu-
les for that which he had torn from him. That Hero
is indeed reprefented with a Horn in his Hand, in an
Antic in the Cabinet of the Abby of St. Germain De
cPrez. Deianira, being the Recompenfe of the im-
portant Service which Hercules had juft rendered to
Oeneus King of Calydon > it was fabled that flie had
been promifed to Achelous who was vanquilhed by
his Rival; and this was the Foundation of that famous
Combat which our Poet defenbes. Hercules after ha-
ving ftaid fome time in his Father in Law's Court was
obliged to retire from thence, for killing the Son of
Architritilus who was Cup-bearer to that Prince.
FAB.
"Admijfumque trahens fequitur: deprenfaque
dura
Cornuajigit humo; meque alt a jiernit arena.
Nec fat is idfuerat: rigidumfera dexter a cor-
nu 85
T>um tenet, infregit; truncaque afronte revelht.
Naides hoc, pomis & odoroflore repletum,
Sacrarunt ,* divesque meo bona Copia comu eji.
JDixerat: at Nymphe, ritu fuccinBa Dianae,
Una miniflrarum, fufis utrimque capillis, 90
Incejjtt, totumque tulit praedwite comu
Autumnum, & menfas,felicia poma,fecundas.
Lux fubit: &, primo jeriente cacumina Sole,
Difcedunt jwvenes. neque enim dum flumina
pacem, ,
Et placidos habeant lapfus , motaeque refi-
dant, 95
Opperiuntur, aquae. <vultus Acheldus agrejies,
Et lacerum cornumediis caput abdidit undis.
Hunc tamen ablati domuit jaclura decoris >•
Cetera fifpes erat. capitis quoque 3 fronde
faligna,
Aut Juper impojita celatur arundine dam-
num. ioo
»3
PHOSES. Book IX. 293
3> Then deep he ftruck my Horn into the Sand,
And fell'd my Bulk among the dufty Land.
Nor yet his Fury cool'd •, 'twixt Rage and Scorn,
From my maim'd Front he tore the ftubbornHorn:
This, heap'd with Flow'rs and Fruit, the Naiads
bear,
Sacred to Plenty, and the bounteous Year".
He ipoke; when lo, a beauteous Nymph appears,
Girt like Diana's Train, with flowing Hairs;
The Horn flie brings in which all Autumn's ftor'd,
And ruddy Apples for the fecond Board.
Now Morn begins to dawn, the Sun's bright Fire
Gilds the high Mountains and the Youths retire;
Nor ftay'd they, till the troubled Stream fublides,
And in it's Bounds with peaceful Current glides.
But Achelous in his oozy Bed
Deep hides his Brow deform'd,and ruftic Head:
No real Wound the Vi&or's Triumph Ihow'd,
But his loft Honours griev'd the watry God;
Yet ev'n that Lofs the Willow's Leaves o'erfpread,
And verdant Reeds, in Garlands, bind his Head.
EXPLICATION OF THE FIRST FABLE.
THe River Ach'eloiis, which runs between Acar»
nania and <i^Etolia , very often ruined the
Countries by it's Inundations j and confounding by
that means the Limits of thofe two Nations, ingaged
them in continual Wars. Hercules at laft railed
Banks to it, and made the Courfe of it fo uniform
-and ftraight, that he eftabliflied a perpetual Peace
between thofe People. The Authors who writ that
Event related it in a manner intirely fabulous. They
faid that he fought with the God of that River, who
immediatly changed himfelf into a Serpent, by which
Was meant the Windings and Turnings of his Cour-
fe ; and afterwards into a Bull, from whence we may
difcover it's rapid overflowing of it's Banks and the
frequent Ravages it thereby caufed in the Country
about it, which has the more likelyhood of Truth in
it, in as much as Rivers were often reprefented un-
der the Figure of a Bull , to mew the Havoc which
they made: Taurorum fpecie Jimulacra fluminum, id eft
cum cornibus, quod funt atrocia ut tauri (1). It was
(0 See Fejlus , JEIiaft, Acron upon Horace, and Strata.
faid that Hercules, at laft , overcame that Bull and
broke off one of his Horns > that is to fay that he
brought both the Branches of that River into one
Channel, as we read in Strabo, Sz that this Horn became
the Horn of Plenty in the Country; tho' by the Horn
ofPlenty was often underftood that of the Goat Amal-
thea that nurfed Jupiter. The Nymphs gave it to
Achelous, who afterwards exchanged it with Hercu-
les for that which he had torn from him. That Hero
is indeed reprefented with a Horn in his Hand, in an
Antic in the Cabinet of the Abby of St. Germain De
cPrez. Deianira, being the Recompenfe of the im-
portant Service which Hercules had juft rendered to
Oeneus King of Calydon > it was fabled that flie had
been promifed to Achelous who was vanquilhed by
his Rival; and this was the Foundation of that famous
Combat which our Poet defenbes. Hercules after ha-
ving ftaid fome time in his Father in Law's Court was
obliged to retire from thence, for killing the Son of
Architritilus who was Cup-bearer to that Prince.
FAB.