"Res antiquæ laudis & artis Ingredior, fan&tos aufus recludere fontes." VOL. LVII. I VIRG. Georg. ii. ΤΟ THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM PITT, Esq. Paymaster-General of his Majesty's Forces, One of his Majesty's moft Honourable Privy Council; And to the HONOURABLE SIR GEORGE LYTTELTON, Bart. One of the Lords Commiffioners of the Treasury; THESE POEMS Are inscribed by the Author; Who is defirous that the Friendship, With which they have for many Years honoured him, Wherever the Publication of the enfuing Pieces GILBERT WEST. I 2 PREFACE. OF all the great Writers of Antiquity, no one was ever more honoured and admired while living, as few have obtained a larger and fairer portion of fame after death, than Pindar. Paufanias tells us, that the character of Poet was really and truly confecrated in his perfon, by the God of Poets himself, who was pleafed by an exprefs oracle to order the inhabitants of Delphi to fet apart for Pindar one half of the first-fruit offerings brought by the religious to his fhrine; and to allow him a place in his temple; where in an iron chair he was used to fit and fing his hymns, in honour of that God. This chair was remaining in the time of † Paufanias (feveral hundred years after) to whom it was fhewn as a relick not unworthy the fanctity and magnificence of that holy place. Pan ‡ likewise, another Musical Divinity, is reported to have skipped and jumped for joy, while the Nymphs were dancing in honour of the birth of this Prince of Lyrick Poetry; and to have been afterwards fo much delighted with his compofitions, as to have fung his Odes in the hearing even of the Poet himself §. Unhappily for us, and indeed for Pindar, thofe parts of his works, which procured him thefe extraordinary teftimonies from the Gods (or from Mortals rather, who by the invention + Pauf. in Phoc. § Plut. in Numa. *Pauf. in Boot. |