Then traverfing the hills, whofe jutting base
Indents Arcadia's meads,

To where the virgin goddess of the chace
Impells her foaming steeds,

To Scythian Ifter he directs his way,
Doom'd by his father to obey
The rigid pleasures of Mycena's king,
And thence the rapid hind to bring,
Whom, facred present for the Orthian maid,
With horns of branching gold, Täygeta array'd.

There as the longfome chace the chief pursued,
The fpacious Scythian plains he view'd;
A land beyond the chilling blaft

And northern caves of Boreas cast:

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There too the groves of olive he survey'd,

And gaz'd with rapture on the pleasing shade,
Thence by the wondering hero borne

The goals of Elis to adorn.

And now to Theron's facred feaft

With Leda's twins he comes, propitious guest !

III.

ANTIS TROPHE

To Leda's twins (when heaven's divine abodes
He fought, and mingled with the gods)
He gave th' illuftrious Games to hold,

And crown the fwift, the ftrong, and bold.
Then, Mufe, to Theron and his houfe proclaim
The joyous tidings of fuccefs and fame,
By Leda's twins bestow'd to grace,
Emmenides, thy pious race,

Who, mindful of heaven's high behests,
With stricteft zeal observe their holy feasts.

E PODE III.

As water's vital ftreams all things furpass,
As gold's all-worship'd ore
Holds amid fortune's ftores the highest class;
So to that distant shore,

To where the pillars of Alcides rise,
Fame's utmoft boundaries,
Theron, purfuing his fuccefsful way,

Hath deck'd with glory's brightest ray

His lineal virtues.-Farther to attain,

Wife, and unwife, with me defpair: th' attempt were

vain.

THE

THE FIFTH OLYMPICK ODE.

THIS Ode is infcribed to Pfaumis of Camarina (a town in Sicily, who, in the eighty-fecond Olympiad, obtained three victories; one in the race of chariots drawn by four horfes; a fecond in the race of the Apené, or chariot drawn by mules, and a third in the race of single horses.

Some people (it seems) have doubted, whether this

Ode be Pindar's, for certain reasons, which, together with the arguments on the other fide, the learned reader may find in the Oxford edition and others of this author; where it is clearly proved to be genuine. But, befides the reasons there given for doubting if this Ode be Pindar's, there is another (though not mentioned, as I know of, by any one) which may have helped to biafs people in their judgment upon this question. I fhall therefore beg leave to confider it a little, because what I fhall fay upon that head, will tend to illuftrate both the meaning and the method of Pindar in this Ode. In the Greek editions of this Author there are two Odes (of which this is the second) inscribed to the fame Pfaumis, and dated both in the fame Olympiad. But they differ from each other in several particulars, as well in the matter as the manner. In the fecond Ode, notice is taken of three victories obtained by Pfaumis; in the firft, of only one, viz. that obtained

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tained by him in the race of chariots drawn by four horfes in the fecond, not only the city of Camarina, but the lake of the fame name, many rivers adjoining to it, and fome circumstances relating to the prefent state, and the rebuilding of that city (which had been deftroyed by the Syracufians fome years before) are mentioned; whereas in the firft, Camarina is barely named, as the country of the conqueror, and as it were out of form: from all which I conclude, that these two Odes were composed to be fung at different times, and in different places; the firft at Olympia, immediately upon Pfaumis's being proclaimed conqueror in the chariot-race, and before he obtained his other two victories. This may with great probability be inferred, as well from no mention being there made of those two victories, as from the prayer which the poet fubjoins immediately to his account of the first, viz. that heaven would in like manner be favourable to the rest of the victor's wishes; which prayer, though it be in general words, and one frequently used by Pindar in other of his Odes, yet has a peculiar beauty and propriety, if taken to relate to the other two exercifes, in which Pfaumis was ftill to contend; and in which he afterwards came off victorious. That it was the custom for a conqueror, at the time of his being proclaimed, to be attended by a chorus, who fung a fong of triumph in honour of his victory, I have observed in the Differtation prefixed to

thefe

thefe Odes*. In the fecond, there are fo many marks of its having been made to be fung at the triumphal entry of Pfaumis into his own country, and those fo evident, that, after this hint given, the reader cannot help observing them as he goes through the Ode. I fhall therefore fay nothing more of them in this place; but that they tend, by fhewing for what occafion this Ode was calculated, to confirm what I said relating to the other; and jointly with that to prove, that there is no reason to conclude from there being two Odes infcribed to the fame perfon, and dated in the fame Olympiad, that the latter is not Pindar's, efpecally as it appears, both in the ftyle and spirit, altogether worthy of him.

ARGU M E N T.

THE Poet begins with addreffing himself to Camarina, a fea nymph, from whom the city and lake. were both named, to bespeak a favourable reception of his Ode, a prefent which he tells her was made to her by Pfaumis, who rendered her city illuftrious at the Olympick Games; where having obtained three victories, he confecrated his fame to Camarina, by ordering the herald, when he proclaimed him conqueror, to ftyle him of that city. This he did at Olympia; but now, continues Pindar, upon his coming home, he is more particular, and inferts in

See Mr. Weft's Preface, p. 126.
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his