Grotius, his arguments for the truth of Christian religion rendred into plain English verse.

Virgil's Fourth ECLOGUE faithfully translated.

SIcilian Muse! let's take a nobler flight;* 1.1 Shrubs and low Sylvan Scenes can't all delight; Yet if a Grove our Verses celebrate, That shall become worthy a Consul's State: Time, i'th'appointed round, presents that Age, Which the Cumaean Sybil did presage. The Virgin now visits the Earth again, And peaceful Saturn brings his happy Reign; While a-new Offspring comes down from above: May chast Lucina but propiti'ous prove, And with a gentle hand forward that Birth, Which is to purge the Iron from the Earth, No Metal to allay pure Gold be'ing known: This is the time Apollo mounts the Throne.

This Pollio! shall thy Consulship adorn, This Age's Grace shall during that be born: Hence shall the joyful Epocha begin, While thou presidest is the fall of Sin; No tracts of former Guilt shall stay behind, Nor shall it longer terrify Mankind. He shall ascend unto a Life Divine, Where mingled with the Gods the Hero's shine; Himself conspicuous above the rest: The Universe shall under him be blest, And find the Father in the Son exprest. The unforc'd Earth shall ready Tribute bring, At the Nativity of thee its King; The blushing Berry with green Ivy twin'd, Th' Egypti'an Bean, with Herbs of sov'raign kind: The Pails with fatning Goat's Milk shall run o're, Nor shall the Herds fear when the Lions roar.

All sorts of new-sprung Flowers thy Cradle strew,

Courting thy Infant Tears before the Morning Dew. Serpents shall die, the Poison's force decay, And wild Assyrian Roses cloath the way. But when the Hero's Praises, and the Deeds, Th'enlightned Youth of his dread Father reads, And knows the grounds from whence true Fame proceeds; Corn shall enrich the Field where none did sow, And chearing Grapes on common Bushes grow, From the hard Oak shall roscid Hony flow. Yet there some remnants of old Fraud shall be, Which shall again provoke to try the Sea, A num'rous Neighbourhood with Walls t'enclose, And vex the passive Earth with fur'wing Ploughs: Of a new Tiphys Stories shall be told, Another Argos shall cull'd Hero's hold; Fresh Wars shall be begun, another Troy Shall an Archilles feel sent to destroy.

But when thou shalt in Years become mature, The Sailer shall no more rough Seas endure; No Ships shall coast about for Foreign Ware, All things within it self each Realm shall bear, Plough-shares no more shall tear the fertile ground, No Pruning-hooks the bleeding Vines shall wound; The lab'ring Ox shall from the Yoak be free; Nor shall we Wool dy'd with false Colours see; A nat'ral Purple, or becoming Red Shall, as he stalks along, the Ram bespread; Lambs a more orient Red shall sweetly stain. Such times as these the steady Fates ordain, Working th'agreeing Links of the sure Chain. Enjoy thy sacred Honours now in peace, Thou darling Son o'th'Gods! Jove's great en∣crease! See! how the tott'ring World expects thy hand, Made to support the Heav'ns, the Sea, and Land.

Nature, behold! puts on a chearful Face, Finding thy Season rowling on apace. Oh! that my Life and Spirit might suffice, To praise the Glories to which thou shalt rise: While full of thee I should not fear to vie With Orpheus, were the Muse his Mother by; Nor Linus, tho Appollo did inspire His raptur'd Son with all his holy Fire. Should Pan, ev'n in his own Arcadia sing, Arcadia should to me the Lawrel bring. By Smiles the knowledg of thy Mother gain, Thou perfect Recompence of all her Pain! Learn by the Smiles: where Parents don't rejoyce, No God, or Goddess made that House their choice.

SIcilides Musae! paulo major a canamus. Non omnes arbusta juvant, humiles{que} myricae. Si canimus sylvas, sylvae sint Consule dignae. Ʋltima Cumaei venit jam carminis aetas; Magnus ab integro saeclorum vertitur ordo. Jam redit & Virgo, redeunt Saturnia Regna: Jam nova Progenies Coele dimittitur alto. Tu modo nascenti puero, quo ferrea primum Desinet, ac toto surget gens aurea Mundo, Casta fave Lucina: tuus jam regnat Apollo.

Te{que} adeo decus hoc aevi, te Consule, inibit Pollio, & incipient magni procedere menses. Te duce, siqua manent sceleris vestigia nostri, Irrita perpetuâ solvent formidine terras. Ille Deûm vitam accipiet, Divis{que} videbit Permistos Heroas, & ipse videbitur illis; Pacatum{que} reget Patriis Virtutibus Orbem; At tibi prima, puer, nùllo munuscuba cultu, Errantes heder as pàssim cum baccare tellus, Mista{que} ridenti colocusia fundet acantho. Ipsae lacte domum referent distenta Capellae Ʋbera: nec magnos metuent arment a Leones.

Ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula flores: Occidet & Serpens & fallax herba veneni Occidet: Assyrium vulgo nascetur amomum. At simul Heroum laudes & facta parentis Jam legere, & quae sit poteris cognoscere virtus; Molli paulatim flavescet campus aristâ, Incultis{que} rubens pendebit sentibus uvae, Ep durae quercus sudabunt roscida mella. Pauca tamen suberunt veteris vestigia fraudis, Quae tentare Thetin ratibus, quae cingere muris Oppida, quae jubeant telluri infindere sulcos: Alter erit tum Tiphys, & altera quae vehat Argo Delectos Heroas: erunt etiam altera bella, At{que} iterum ad Trojam magnus mittetur Achilles.

Hinc ubi jam firmata virum te fecerit aetas, Cedet & ipse mari vector, nec nautica pinus Mutabit merces: omnis feret omnia tellus. Non rastros patietur humus, non vinea falcem: Robustus quo{que} jam tauris juga solvet arator; Nec varios discet mentiri lana colores: Ipse sed in pratis aries jam suave rubenti Maurice, jam croceo mutabit vellera luto; Sponte suà sandyx pascentes vestiet agnos. Talia saecla suis dixerunt currite fusis, Concordes stabili fatorum numine Parcae. Aggredere ô magnos (aderit jam tempus) honores, Chara Deûm soboles, magnum Jovis incrementum. Aspice, concexo nutantem pondere mundum, Terras{que} tractus{que} maris, Coelum{que} profundum.

Aspice, venturo laetentur ut omnia seclo. O mihi tam longae maneat pars ultima vitae, Spiritus & quantum sat erit tua dicere facta. Non me carminibus vincet nec Thracius Orpheus, Nec linus: huic mater quamvis at{que} huic pater adsit: Orphei Calliopea, Lino formosus Apollo: Pan Deus Arcadiâ mecum si judice certet, Pan etiam Arcadiâ dicet se judice victum. Incipe parve puer risu cognoscere matrem: Matri longa decem tulerant fastidia menses. Incipe, parve puer, qui non risere parentes, Nec Deus hunc mensâ, Dea nec dignata cubili est.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vid. Grot. lib. 4. Sect. 9.