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Of god-born heroes, thee the Muse extols :

And what the fings, if prefcient ought, fhall prove
Not unacceptable to future times.

HAIL, and increase of virtue ask of Jove!

Ver. 163. Thee the Mufe, &c.] Thefe old poets feldom entertained any flender opinions of themselves; they were not wanting in pronot wanting in pronouncing their own merits, and prophefying their own fame. Our poet gave us a fpecimen at the beginning, which I have put into as modeft terms as was allowable; but this laft is a bolder strain, and you fee the poet was no falfe prophet: Ovid's boaft at the end of his Metamorphofes is well known, as is that of his bro

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ther Horace, both of which defied their God and all his malice, to deftroy their works, and the monuments more durable than brass, which they erected to their own honour and immortality. Though this may give us no unfavourable idea of the excellence of those works which have indeed fo defied the anger and power of their Jupiter; nay, and even outlived him; yet I am afraid it will never afford us any very favourable one of the humility of the authors.

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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

HAT these hymns were written by the antient poet and lawgiver Orpheus, is believed, I fuppofe, by no man of any reading: but, that they are extremely antient (if not the most antient remains of Greece) is on the other hand doubted, I imagine, by no man of learning. They fhew us moft clearly, what the idolatry of the heathens was, and in the most satisfactory manner, demonftrate that the Deities they worshipped, were no other than the powers and parts of nature: I have fubjoined these fix, as corroborating evidences of the general remarks made in the foregoing notes: and these notes, together with a general key given, will be a fufficient explanation of them. I had prepared large remarks upon them for the prefs, but upon obfervation that my work was already fwelled beyond the determined number of sheets, I found myself obliged to withdraw them: It would give me no fmall fatisfaction to fee any man of learning and genius attempt a full explanation of these moft curious pieces, a work which must reflect honour upon the performer, though it would require no small abilities to accomplish. I can recommend to the reader no better method of acquiring a complete understanding of these hymns, which I have given, than to compare them with fome others of the fame author, particularly those to Protogonus, or the first-born, the Sun, Nature, Pan, Hercules, Proferpine, Bacchus, and Vulcan: which are each of them extremely curious: there are very large affiftances to be had from Macrobius, Voffius, Bochart, &c. but from none more than from Turner and Phurnutus, the latter of which deserves every scholar's attention, as he seems to have understood and explained the heathen creed in the clearest manner. If the reader should refer to his 3d chapter concerning Juno, I cannot help remarking in juftice to the author, that DOES (1. 7. Gale's edit.) should undoubtedly be read sos. "And they are both, fays he, namely, Jupiter and Juno, produced from the fame fubftance. For the fubftance flowing into thinnefs, gue yag His RETTOTTA ǹ Ovσia. produces both the fire (the pure plaftic fire, Jupiter) and the air, Juno." Many excellent and ufeful hints will alfo be found in the Letters on Mythology, the author of which, p. 409. fpeaks thus, "You have in the general plan of mythology, firft the grand key, that the powers producing, and parts compofing the universe, were the greatest Gods." Nor muft I omit to advertife the reader, that as many hints towards a compleat understanding of Orpheus are to be found in Holloway's Originals, as in any of the before-mentioned writers. Concerning Orpheus himself and the editions of his works a full account will be found in the Bibliotheca Græca of Fabritius, vol. 1. p. 117. The edition I have ufed is that of Eschenbach; in which the hymns are translated into Latin verfe by Scaliger, the work only of five days, as he tells us at the end; a mark of prodigious and uncommon learning. As this is a work not for the many, where the graces and beauties of diction and poetry are not to be sought, I would hope the lovers of truth will use it with candor, and if pleasure or profit arife to any one from it in the leaft degree, let him be affured, that it hath anfwered the tranflator's defign.

The

I.

The 14th H Y M N of ORPHEUS.

TO JUPITER.

O V E, ever honour'd, everlasting king,

J this of

Accept this witness of thy fervant's love,

Due facrifice and praise. Great pow'r, thro' thee
All things, that are, exist: earth, mountains, sea,

And all within the mighty sphere of heav'n.
Saturnian Jove, dread monarch of the sky,
In thunders loud and terrible descending :

All things producing, as of all the end

So the beginning, author of encrease,

Omnipotent, pow'r creative, purifier,

Whofe arm rolls thunder, and the forky blaze

Of lightning darts! whofe glorious word can shake
Earth's deep foundation! Oh accept my prayer,
Multiform deity, and give us health,

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Fair peace, and riches with pure virtue crown'd.

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II.

II.

The 15th HY M N.

To JUNO.

LAC'D in the azure bofom of the sky,

PLAC is our govtom of

Airy-form JuNo, of Jove's heav'nly bed
Happy partaker, thou with gentle gales
Life-giving, quicken'st all terrestrial things.
Of clouds, of rain and winds the nourisher ;
All things producing, for the breath of life

Without thee nothing knows: fince thou, with all
Thyself in wond'rous fort communicating,

Art mix'd with all. Thou, fov'reign, too obtain'st

An univerfal empire, borne along

In airy torrents with refounding murmurs.

Goddess, whofe names are num'rous, all-ador'd,

Propitious come with lovely fmiling face.

D d

5

ΙΟ

III.

B

III.

The 33d HY M N.

To APOLLO.

LEST Pæan come, Lycorian PHOEBUS, foe

Of daring Tityus, honour'd Memphian God,
Giver of health, of riches: golden-lyr'd;
From thee the feed, the field its rich encrease

Receives prolific, Grunian, Smynthian, bane
Of deadly Python, hallow'd Delphian prophet,
Rural, light-bearer, lovely noble youth:
Head of the Mufes, leader of the choir,

Far-darting God, with bow and quiver arm'd,
Bacchian and twofold, whofe dread pow'r extends
Afar, diffused wide; whose courfe oblique

Is fhap'd; pure; Delian king, whose lucid eye
Light-giving all things views whofe locks are gold,
Who oracles and words of omen good

:

Revealeft. Hear me with benignant mind
Entreating for the people for thou view'st

This boundless æther all, this plenteous earth,

And ev'n beneath thro' the dark womb of things,

In night's still, gloomy regions, and beyond

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ΤΟ

15

Th'

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