Sylvæ, or, The second part of Poetical miscellanies

Horat. Ode 3. Lib. 1. Inscrib'd to the Earl of Roscomon, on his intended Voyage to IRELAND.

SO may th'auspitious Queen of Love, And the twin Stars, (the Seed of Iove,) And he, who rules the rageing wind To thee, O sacred Ship, be kind, And gentle Breezes fill thy Sails, Supplying soft Etesian Gales, As thou to whom the Muse commends, The best of Poets and of Friends, Dost thy committed Pledge restore: And land him safely on the shore:

And save the better part of me, From perishing with him at Sea. Sure he, who first the passage try'd, In harden'd Oak his heart did hide, And ribs of Iron arm'd his side! Or his at least, in hollow wood, Who tempted first the briny Floud: Nor fear'd the winds contending roar, Nor billows beating on the shore; Nor Hyades portending Rain; Nor all the Tyrants of the Main. What form of death cou'd him affright, Who unconcern'd with stedfast sight, Cou'd veiw the Surges mounting steep, And monsters rolling in the deep? Cou'd thro' the ranks of ruin go, With Storms above, and Rocks below!

In vain did Natures wise command, Divide the Waters from the Land, If daring Ships, and Men prophane, Invade th' inviolable Main: Th' eternal Fences over leap; And pass at will the boundless deep. No toyl, no hardship can restrain Ambitious Man inur'd to pain; The more confin'd, the more he tries, And at forbidden quarry flies. Thus bold Prometheus did aspire, And stole from heaven the seed of Fire: A train of Ills, a ghastly crew, The Robbers blazing track persue; Fierce Famine, with her Meagre face, And Feavours of the fiery Race, In swarms th' offending Wretch surround, All brooding on the blasted ground:

And limping Death, lash'd on by Fate, Comes up to shorten half our date. This made not Dedalus beware, With borrow'd wings to sail in Air: To Hell Aloides forc'd his way, ••lung'd thro' the Lake, and snatch'd the Prey. Nay scarce the Gods, or heav'nly Climes Are safe from our audacious Crimes; We reach at Iove's Imperial Crown, And pull the unwilling thunder down.