• called a Wargon: and indeed that account of it agrees beft with what PAUSANIAS fays, who obferves, that the

race of the Apené could pretend to neither antiquity, · nor beauty; and that mules were held in fuch abomina< tion by the ELEANS, that they permitted none of those 6 animals to be bred in their country.'

Ver. 13. In this thrice-honor'd flate by fortune placed—} The originial is

Ἴσω γὰρ ἐν τέτῳ πεδία

λῳ δαιμόνιον πόδ ̓ ἔχων.

To stand in a perfon's fhoes, is a well-known ENGLISH proverbial expreffion. This is a ftriking inftance of the dif ferent genius of languages; what is fublime in the GREEK, would be the height of ridicule in ENGLISH.

Ver. 21. ADRASTUS with no flattering tongue

On AMPHIARAUS, facred Seer! beftow'd.]

ADRASTUS, fon of TALAUS, was King of the ARGIVES: POLYNICES, fon of OEDIPUS, married his daughter; who being killed, ADRASTUS made war with the THE BANS in behalf of his fon THERSANDER; where he lost a battle before each of the feven gates of the city; and being unable to recover the dead bodies of his foldiers, he applied to THESEUS, who prevailed on the THEBANS to permit him to erect a funeral pile before each gate. AMPHIARAUS, fon of OICLEUS, was a celebrated Augur, that accompanied him, and was swallowed up by the earth, at the command of JUPITER.

ὁ δ ̓ ̓Αμφιάρη

Σκίσεν κεραυνῳ παμβία

Ζεὺς, τὰν βαθύτερνον χθόνα.

Κρύψεν δ ̓ ἅμ ἵπποις. Nem. ix. 57.

Ver. 29. O boru I languish to behold

The braveft of my warrior train.]

In the original it is,

Ποθέω τρατιᾶς
Οφθαλμὸν ἐμᾶς

So PINDAR, fpeaking of the ancestors of THERON, fays,

Ver. 39. Come then, O PHINTIS], Doricè for is, anima. I have chofen to keep the GREEK word as a proper name. SUDORIUS does the fame in the LATIN verfion, only he puts PHILTIS.

Junge fed promptos mihi jam jugales

Philtis.

Ver. 54.virgin throes.] In the original, wapterian ὠδῖνα. The Scholiaft fays, Παρθένιοι δὲ λέγονται παῖδες, οἱ κρύφα τικτόμενοι τῶν νομιζόμενων παρθένων εἶναι. Thofe fecretly produced by reputed Virgins, are called Maiden Children. Ver. 72. Her zone with purple texture graced

Befide the filver urn EVADNE placed-]

I am obliged to Mr. BURNABY GREENE for an explanation of this paffage, which he obligingly communicated to me through my Bookfeller, and which he has inferted in the Appendix to his tranflation of PINDAR. I will give it in his own words, as I have the emendation of the verse, as nearly as the measure of my Stanza would admit. The

zone according to Dr. POTTER, was not only worn by Virgins, but by Women after marriage, as a fecurity < against the infults of men; and this zone was untied in child-birth.' Potter's Grec. Antiq. Vol. II. p. 292. No fooner was the child brought into the world, than it was • washed with water. Ibid. p. 325. It must therefore be • concluded,

ន

• concluded, that a woman in child-birth was always pre'pared with an Urn, or Veffel, which contained the water appropriated to the foregoing purpose.'

The paraphrafe of this paffage in the OXFORD PINDAR is as follows: Atque interim illa, folutâ virgineâ zonâ, parturiendo prævias prænunciafque aquas, & fanguinem cum fœtu fundens,' &c.-Another Commentator says, Eft autem verecunda partûs Defcriptio, pluрéce nás, Argentea Amphora, eft aqua factum præcurrens, zona Covinonpoxos eft fanguineus humor, & involucrum in fœtus uterum maternum egreditur.' I am at a lofs which to admire moft, the Ingenuity or the Decency of thefe

remarks.

quo

Ve. 100. And from his fragrant couch the heavenly infant named.]

Ver. 159. The long-borne Adage of Difgrace

Which ancient Malice has employ'd

To ftigmatize BOEOTIA' race.]

Bowríav iv, a BOEOTIAN Hog, the expreflion in the original, was a proverbial phrafe throughout GREECE, ridiculing the national dulnefs of the BOEOTIANS.

THE

THE EIGHTH

OLYMPIC O D E.

To ALCIMEDON, on his OLYMPIC Victory; TIMOSTHENES, on his NEMEAN Victory; and MELESIAS, their Preceptor.

ARGUMENT.
RGU

Though this is called an OLYMPIC Ode, the Poet does not confine himself to ALCIMEDON, who won the Prize in thofe Games, but celebrates his Brother TIMOSTHENES, for his fuccefs at NEMEA, and MELESIAS, their Inftructor. The Ode opens with an invocation to the place where the Games were held. PINDAR then, after praifing TIMOSTHE NES for his early victory in the NEMEAN Games, mentions ALCIMEDON, and extols him for his dexterity and ftrength, his beauty, and his country EGINA; which he celebrates for it's hofpitality, and for it's being under the government of the DORIANS after the death of EACUS; on whom he has a long digreffion, giving an account of his affifting the Gods in the building of TROY. Then

returning

returning to his fubject, he mentions MELESIAS as fkilled himself in the ATHLETIC Exercifes, and therefore proper to inftruct others; and, enumerating his Triumphs, congratulates him on the fuccefs of his Pupil ALCIMEDON; which, he fays, will not only give fatisfaction to his living Relations, but will delight the Ghosts of thofe deceafed. The Poet then concludes with a wish for the profperity of him and his family.

The Augurs fearch the high behefts of Jove:

Thence try to know on whom he'll deign to

fmile

5

Of those, who, by the means of glorious toil,

Seek on the dusty cirque with generous pain, Virtue's immortal meed, and honor'd reft to gain.