Τοῖς ἰχθύσι τὸ νηκτον, Τοῖς ὀρνέοις πέταπαι, Τοῖς ἀνδράσι φρόνημα. Τί εν δίδωσι; Κάλλο Νικᾷ ἢ καὶ σίδηρον, Καὶ πῦρ, Καλή τις σα. 5 10 ΩΔΗ Lion is an Animal remarkable for his wide Throat. See Bochart, Ιεροζωϊκ. L. III. C. II. VER. 10. Courage to Man's Imperial Race.] The Word φρόνημα, which I have render'd Courage, Stephens, and many fubfequent Commentators, tranflate Prudence. The Fautors of their Opinion object, that Courage is nct peculiar to Man, many Beafts being his Superiors in that Quality. But tho' it's allow'd that Lions often overcome Men, yet there's a great Diftinction between Strength and Courage; Strength is a Superiority of the Bones and Muscles only, and common to the animal as well as to the rational Creation; but by Courage, when apply'd to Man, is properly meant that Superiority of Spirit which is Man's peculiar Characteristick and Charter of Dominion. Neither can the Oppofition between Beauty and Prudence be juft, unless we deprive Woman of the latter, which is too criminal a Partiality for any Author of good Sense or good Manners. But to combat too long with an evident Error, is to be guilty of one; the Poet explicitly determines his own Meaning. Αν Fins to the Scaly Kind fhe gave, 10 15 ODE Tho' arm'd with Fire, and cloath'd with Steel. Αν ̓ ἀσπίδων πασῶν, Ανθ ̓ ἐγχέων ἁπάντων. No Shield like Beauty's found, No Spear can fix so deep a Wound. Spears and Shields are the Arms of Courage, not those of Prudence. VER. 11. No Arms for Woman now remain'd.] The Text is Γυναιξὶν ἐκ ἔτ ̓ εχεν. She had nothing to bestow on Women from thence; meaning, from her Magazine of Arms, which was all exhaufted by her former Bounty. Not as Stephens and others interpret it, who confine the Reference of the Particle thence to genua, which, as I have before obferv'd, they maliciously tranflate Prudence, and fo endeavour to face the poor Ladies out of their Discretion by Poetical Authority. Phocylides feems to have copy'd this Ode in his Admonitory Poem.. Ω Δ Η Γ'. Εἰς Ερωτα. Μεσονυκτίοις ποθ' ώρας, Στρέφει ὅτ' Αρκ Θ. ἤδη Κατὰ χειρα * Βοώτε, Μερόπων ἢ φύλα πάρα Κέα Ὅπλον ἑκάστῳ να με Θεὸς φύσιν ἠερόφοιτον Each various Creature's arm'd by bounteous Jove, With threatning Horns the Bull provokes the Fight: And Reafon's Shield imperial Man defends. VER. 2. Bootes urg'd the Northern Bear.] Bootes, otherwife call'd Aretophylax, or the Bear-Keeper, was the Son of Jupiter, and Callifte the Daughter of Lycaon King of Arcadia. His Mother was an Attendant on Diana, who, to punish her violated Virginity, turn'd her into a Bear, in which Shape fhe was deliver'd of her Son Arcas, or Botes. But Ovid affures us, that her Trans NE Midnight, when around her Sphere, And balmy Sleep had charm'd to reft Each weary Limb, and anxious Breast; Cupid Transformation was owing to the Refentment of Juno, and that Arcas meeting his Mother as he was hunting, and being about to kill her thro' Ignorance, Jupiter, to prevent fo fatal a Catastrophe, took them both into Heaven: But that Tethys the Nurfe of Juno, at her Requeft, deny'd them Admiffion into the Sea; which was fabled from the Ancients obferving that the Bear never fet; for, when a Star fet, it was faid to descend into the Sea. Aratus, in his Phænomena, has a Paffage which very much resembles Anacreon in this Place. Εξόπιθεν δ' Ελίκης φέρεται ἐλάοντι ἐοικώς Αρκτοφύλαξ, τόν ῥ ̓ ἄνδρες ἐπικλείεσι Βοώτην, Behind, and feeming to urge on the Bear, VER. 5. Κέα, κόπῳ δαμύτα, Τίς, ἔφω, θύρας αρέσει, Ανὰ δ ̓ εὐθὺ λύχνον άψας 5 ΙΟ 15 20 VE R. 5. Cupid.] The Ancients were divided in their Opinions concerning the Birth of Cupid. Hefiod fays he was born of Chaos and the Earth. Arcefilas of Night and the Air. Lucian of Mars and Venus. Seneca of Vulcan and Venus. And Sappho, the Cotemporary of |