ARGUMENT. Edipus king of Thebes having, by mistake, slain his father Laius, and married bis mother Jocasta, put out his own eyes, and resigned his realm to his sons Eteocles and Polynices. Being neglected by them, he makes his prayer to the fury Tisiphone to sow debate betwixt the brothers. They agree at last to reign singly, each a year by turns, and the first lot is obtained by Eteocles. Jupiter, in a council of the gods, declares his resolution of punishing the Thebans, and Argives also, by means of a marriage betwixt Polynices and one of the daughters of Adrastus king of Argos. Juno opposes, but to no effect; and Mercury is sent on a message to the shades, to the ghost of Laius, who is to appear to Eteocles, and provoke him to break the agreement. Polynices, in the mean time, departs from Thebes by night, is overtaken by a storm, and arrives at Argos; where he meets with Tydeus, who had fled from Calydon, having killed his brother. Adrastus entertains them, having received an oracle from Apollo that his daughters should be married to a boar and a lion, which he understands to be meant of these strangers, by whom the hides of those beasts were worn, and who arrived at the time when he kept an annual feast in honour of that god. The rise of this solemnity. He relates to his guests the loves of Phoebus and Psamathe, and the story of Choroebus: he inquires, and is made acquainted with their descent and quality. The sacrifice is renewed, and the book concludes with a hymn to Apollo. FRATERNAL rage the guilty Thebes alarms, The' alternate reign destroy'd by impious arms Demand our song; a sacred fury fires My ravish'd breast, and all the Muse inspires. O goddess! say, shall I deduce my rhymes From the dire nation in its early times, Europa's rape, Agenor's stern decree, And Cadmus searching round the spacious sea? How with the serpent's teeth he sow'd the soil, And reap'd an iron harvest of his toil? Or how from joining stones the city sprung, While to his harp divine Amphion sung? Or shall I Juno's hate to Thebes resound, Whose fatal rage the' unhappy monarch found? The sire against the son his arrows drew; O'er the wide fields the furious mother flew, And while her arms a second hope contain, Sprung from the rocks, and plung'd into the main. But wave whate'er to Cadmus may belong, And fix, O Muse! the barrier of thy song At Edipus-from his disasters trace The long confusions of his guilty race: Nor yet attempt to stretch thy bolder wing, And mighty Cæsar's conquering eagles sing; How twice he tam'd proud Ister's rapid flood, While Dacian mountains stream'd with barbarous blood; Twice taught the Rhine beneath his laws to roll, And stretch'd his empire to the frozen pole; Or, long before, with early valour strove In youthful arms to assert the cause of Jove. And thou, great heir of all thy father's fame, Increase of glory to the Latian name! O! bless thy Rome with an eternal reign, Nor let desiring worlds entreat in vain. What tho' the stars contract their heavenly space, And crowd their shining ranks to yield thee place; Though all the skies, ambitious of thy sway, Conspire to court thee from our world away; Though Phoebus longs to mix his rays with thine, And in thy glories more serenely shine; Though Jove himself no less content would be To part his throne, and share his heav'n with thee? Yet stay, great Cæsar! and vouchsafe to reign O'er the wide earth, and o'er the watery main; Resign to Jove his empire of the skies, And people heav'n with Roman deities. The time will come when a diviner flame When Dirce's fountain blush'd with Grecian blood, "Ye gods! that o'er the gloomy regions reign, If you receiv'd me from Jocasta's womb, To Cyrrha's temple, on that fatal day With monstrous mixture stain'd my mother's bed, And sleeps thy thunder in the realms above? } Soon shalt thou find, if thou but arm their hands, But at the summons roll'd her eyes around, And snatch'd the starting serpents from the ground. Not half so swiftly shoots along in air The gliding lightning or descending star. Thro' crowds of airy shades she wing'd her flight, And dark dominions of the silent night; Swift as she pass'd the flitting ghosts withdrew, There spreads her dusky pinions to the skies. Trembled, and shook the heav'ns and gods he bore. Aloft she sprung, and steer'd to Thebes her flight; Blood stain'd her cheeks, and from her mouth there came Blue steaming poisons, and a length of flame. |