THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES TRANSLATIONS FROM LUCIAN'S DIALOGUES. Bv A. M. W. MDCCCLVI. I'HINTKD BY JOHN B. KU.iili, I. II I l I. QUBBM BTKBI i PR 5 24-tL Ml? A 17 /9S6 TRANSLATIONS. TOION. T. Jove ! lightning-flashing ! thunderer ! and avenger Of deeds that violate the sacred hearth ! Jove ! cloud-compeller ! guardian of the stranger ! — Or by whatever title, in a dearth Of thought, moon- stricken Poets thee rehearse, To prop the structure of a falling verse, — Why sleeps thy thunderbolt P so candent once, In ire destructive, and in sound terrific: It scarce retains a sparkle " for the nonce," When impious men require its use specific : Nor fear they, from the menaced stroke recoiling, Audit but the scattered soot, their garments soiling. 853932 TIM ON. Jl was not so, at first: thy fervent hand Bade lightnings frequent flash, and thunders rattle Hail fell Like rocks, and earthquakes shook the land. And perjured men expected instant battle : Nay, in a deluge they had perished all — But that a boat preserved a remnant small, — Preserved for more flagitiousness, it seems ; For who regard thee ? — or with gifts adore thee ? Unless some victor at Olympia deems It decent to display his wreaths before thee : E'en there, thy curls were lately shorn away, While thy ten-cubit bolt in thy dull right-hand lay . Salmoneus, hence — bold from thy inattention, — Prompt to all ill the man, (so less the wonder,) Boasting to equal thee by his invention, Thundered against thee with his mimic thunder ; And oaths, extortions, perjuries without number, Fail to disturb thy mandragorean slumber. But public grievances, for private, leaving — Sec what Athenians, by my kindness gifted With affluence — all who asked of me receiving — And from a mean estate to power uplifted : In fact, so prodigal was I of pelf, T<> all I gave, till 1 had none myself. TIMON. And now these men, — who on my ateps attended, With flattery and with reverence wont to greet me, As if their life were on my nod suspended, — All onward pass, if they by chance should meet me, As by the sepulchre of one long dead, The pillar fallen and the name unread. So, a hired labourer in this desert spot, My dress the shaggy covering of a beast, I dig, content that here I witness not Those have most honours who deserve the least ; And, with my mattock, in this solitude, Wisdom I woo, as ne'er before I wooed. Now, son of Saturn and of Ehea! waking — Longer than Epimenides thou sleepest — Thyself to Etna strenuously betaking, Re-light the brands that half-extinct thou keepesl : Unless, indeed, what Cretans say be true — And they thy sepulchre expose to view ! Jove. Hermes ! who is this person, at the base Of Mount Hymettus, thus so loudly railing ? The rocky ground he digs, with downward face, A general squalor in his mien prevailing : Some Sophist he must be, pert and loquacious — None but your Sophisi would be thus audacious. (*) TIMON. H. Why, father ! you are surely not forgetting Timon, the son of Echecratides, Who, perfect hecatombs before us setting, Honoured so oft your high solemnities. J. This lie ? — the slipperiness of high position ! But what reduced him to this mean condition ? IT. 'TVas charity — philanthropy — civility, That pushed him down from his exalted station ; Or rather, an unreasoning facility That gave to all, without discrimination ; Till, fleeced, and flayed, and robbed of all his store, Those he enriched, his very name ignore. J. Well, this is not a man to be neglected: Justly his case as cruel were regarded, And we, of like ingratitude suspected, Were his past sacrifices unrewarded. What fat of bulls and goats ! whilst I am speaking The odour yel seems in my nostrils reeking ! But, on philosophy the declamations From Attica ascending, and, o'er all, The war of words, and endless altercations About a something which they " virtue " call, Forced me to stop my ears while these proceeded And thus the case of Timon passed unheeded. TIMON. 7 But summon Plutus hither, with his treasures, And bid him take to Timon all his stores; Nor leave him, though he seem, by foolish measures Resolved again to turn him out of doors. The traitors, to his charity indebted, Shad feel my anger, when my bolt is whetted. Two of its longest rays are blunt, or broken : At Anaxagoras I meant to aim it. For bold discourse against our godship spoken — Denying it to all of us who claim ii : But Pericles, his arm aloft extending, "With band outstretched the Sophist's head defending, Turned it aside — and winged by all my ire, Full on the Anakeion* down it clattered With erring force, — and setting that on fire Itself against the marble nearly shattered: However, Timon's new-regained prosperity Will sting these men, meanwhile, with some severit\ //. Now what a thing it is, to boldly call, And force attention by vociferous braying ! Nor in the courts, alone, where pleaders bawl ; How useful too, to mortals when they're praying ! Timon might long that rock with mattock hammer, But that he forced Jove's notice by his clamour. * The Anakeion was the Temple of Jupiter's two s..ns, Castor and Pollux, S TTMON. Enter Plutus. P. But, Jupiter, to Timon I'm not going. J. Why not, best Plutus, when Jove bids thee go? P. Because, my treasures out of windows throwing, As burning coal men from their fingers throw, And almost as by pitchfork me expelling — His father's friend, he drove me from his dwelling. J. Experience has to better manners brought him, And from his mattock he had learned full well — Had not his aching reins the lesson taught him — How riches squalid indigence excel : Fear not, henceforward, aught from him, of perdous, But, surely, Plutus ! you are somewhat querulous. Timon you blame, that, neither strict nor jealous, With open doors he left you free to roam ; Yet others you accuse as over-zealous, Who lock you up and make you stay at home ; Windows and doors secure for ever keeping, With scarce a glimpse of daylight through them peeping. And want of exercise, and want of air, Produces, you complain, your aspect squalid ; Throws o'er your brow its look of anxious care, And sicklies over your complexion pallid ; And state yourself, by force or by evasion. Resolved to fly them on the first occasion. TIM ON. <) Absurd you term those who, from dread of danger, Watch by the locks that guard you, night and day, Useless to them, as to the dog in the manger. From which the hoi*se he drove, its corn and hay. Now, these complaints accustomed to rehearse, Timon you blame for doing the reverse. P. Jove, from this criticism, truth would save me ; And you, if on these cases you reflect, Deem that the liberty which Timon gave me Was not benevolence, but sheer neglect ; And those men wicked, who in darkness bind me. Merely that they may fat and bulkier find me. Aud to what purpose do these cares conduce, Those cruel chains, from which they never free me ? Of my society they make no use, Content, it seems, that no one else can see me ; Forgetting, as by day and night they watch me, That from their helpless grasp Death soonwill snatchme. -/. Fret not about them : both, as is their due, Endure a punishment their folly matching. Those, like Phineus, ravenous Harpies view E'en from their very mouths their viands snatching ; And these, like Tantalus, their existence waste In bending o'er a good they never taste. 10 TIMON. P. "Will he desist, then, from his vessels pouring My treasures out, Paster than in they flow ? Like one a passage for them hastily boring, In fear of drowning by their overflow. J. He will ; or, if to waste them still he please. He'll find his mattock lying on the lees. But hesitate no longer — hasten thither — And, Hermes, on returning, don't forget From Etna's forge to bring the Cyclops hither, To mend my thunder and its lightnings whet : There 's work enough on hand, for it to do, Soon as its blunted rays are ground anew. IF. Come, Plutus, let's be off;— but what is this? Illustrious one ! art lame, as well as blind ? /'. Not always ; but, I know not how it is, Such tardiness of foot I mostly find When wealth to take to some one, I am told, That, ere I reach him with it, he grows old ; But you may see me my departure taking Winged like a bird, and fleeter far than any. //. This is not true : the statement you are making I can, myself, confute ; and show you many, hi car by snow-white coursers drawn, elated, Begemmed with rings, with purple robes inflal TIMON. 11 Who never in their lives possessed an ass, Nor obolus, yesterday, to buy a halter ; Today, so splendid as along they pass, That, in their new magnificence, they falter, Scarce trusting in themselves, and doubtful seeming "Whether they are awake, or only dreaming. P. But, Hermes, that was one thing, this, another ; To such men on my feet I never go ; Nor does Jove send me to them, but his brother Pluto, who reigns o'er all the Dead below : From house to house when I'm to be transmitted, Wrapped up in vellum folds, with seals well fitted, My lord defunct in dusky corner lying Leaving, a linen cloth upon him thrown, I'm carried to a group my advent eyeing, And doubtful whom I next as lord shall own ; While, open-mouthed, they all my movements follow, As watch, her gaping young, the hovering swallow. Now, broken seal and severed string revealing Me, and his name to whom I am consigned. Away he whips me, with a victor's feeling, Defeat and mourning left to those behind ; And Tibius, late, or Dromo, all surprises By stalking ' Megacles ' or ' Megabysus.' 12 TIM (>\ Brute to his slaves, coarse to the free-born man. Beset by sycophants with shameless faces, He wastes his riches on some courtesan, Or training horses for the Olympic races ; And straightway melt, a thousand ways ejected, The treasures rapine, perjury, craft collected. II. Things are much as you say ; but when you go On your own feet, by Jove to some one sent He worthy deems of wealth, how can you know, Being blind, that you have found the person meant P P. What ! think you that I go where he designed me ? IF. By Jove ! I do not ; for you oft, I mind me, To Callias go, and men of like condition, A rid pass — nor notice him — an Aristides : But tell me bow you execute your mission. /'. All I can do, to grope from side to side is ; And up and down and round me as I fumble, I'm seized by him on whom I chance to stumble. //. Jove is deceived, then, when he tbinks you going At his command, to dwell with men of worth. /'. And well deserves it! since, my darkness knowing, If' bids me seel the rarest thing on earth, And so retiring in its whereabout, Lyncens, even, scarce would find it out. TJMON. 13 And as the bad are many, and abound in Your cities, grasping at, and getting all, Of course, I run against them, and am found in Their sweep-nets, into which I, rambling, fall. //. But, lame, how 'scape you, ever, with impunity P P. Both eyes and feet grow brisk with opportunity. H. Explain me this ; how you — it seems amazing — Wan, blinking, clumsy-shanked (you must confess it), Such crazed admirers have ! intently gazing To catch your smile — o'erjoy'd when they possess it — While some, who win it not, for nought else caring, In the vast ocean plunge, and die despairing. P. Think you, then, Hermes, that to them I seem Wan, sallow, limping, and what not besides ? U. What else should I suppose ? unless I deem That blindness, like your own, their sight betides. P. Blind they are not, — but ignorance blindfolds them, And error in a foggy twilight holds them. But, not to look so altogether frightful, A many-coloured vesture I assume, And gilded, jewelled mask, of air delightful ; Which, seeing, they mistake for native bloom : Could they once view me, these cosmetics under, Their admiration they would own a blunder 14 TIMON. H. But when familiarly together living. Are they not soon aware of the deception ? P. Auxiliaries I have, assistance giving, That nullifies the danger of detection. He who at first within his doors admits me, Receives a train, unseen, that never quits me, — Indolence, error, folly, and audacity ; AVho so bewitch my host, he thinks to bind Things fugitive, that mock his vain tenacity, And worthless things seem precious to his mind, Till, such his dotage, he would readier be His head to part with, than to part with me. H. Plutus, how smooth you are ! with the lubricity Of snake, or eel, you through the fingers glide ; While Want is viscid, — with a multiplicity Of catching hooks, thick-set on every side, That cling so fast to such as may come near, Scarce from the contact can they struggle clear. But whilst we trifle, here is Attic land; — Hold by my cloak, until I find the way To Timon. P. Hermes, take me by the hand, Or else I may be lost, or go astray, Wandering, unless securely you lead me on, To a Hyperbolus, or to a Cleon. TIMON. 15 I5ui whai can this noise be? 'tis like the ringing Of iron, from some substance hard rebounding. //. Tis Tiinon, to the rock his mattock bringing; And what a crowd is there, the man surrounding ! There's Poverty, and Wisdom, — the whole set, Tod, Manhood, Fortitude, together met, Under the flag of Poverty enlisted ; A better body-guard than yours, by far. /'. 1 Fermes, let us begone : if we persisted, Nought memorable could we do in such a war, Where, of allies like these are, van and rear, full. PL. Jove does not deem so ; we must not be fearful. Poverty. Whom art thou leading hither, Argicide ? JI. I, sent by Jove, to Timon, Plutus bring. Pov. Plutus to Timon! would you me deride? Timon ! whom I received a useless thing, Ignoble, stolid, and, by luxuries sated, Worn to a shred, mean and debilitated ! To Wisdom and to Labour I assigned him, And they restored him vigour, strength, and health, And now, that I to virtue have inclined him, Shall he go back to all the snares of wealth P And what he was before, shall Plutus make him ? H. Jove so commands, O Poverty! Pov. Then take him. 1<) TIMON. I go ; you, Wisdom, and you, Labour, follow, With all the rest of you. He soon will find What he has lost in me ; — no friendship hollow, But in all efforts an associate kind ; And that his life, whilst under my protection, Was manly and serene, and fair in retrospection. July 25, 1856. 17 CHARON AND HERMES. " Ridentem dicere verum Quid vetat?" — Horace. ' Seize upon truth where'er 'tis found, — Among your friends, among your foes, On l';\gan and on Christian ground: The flower's divine where'er it grows; Neglect the prickles, and assume the rose." Watts. II . Now, Charon, we have leisure for computing, If so you please, to what your debts amount. C. Agreed : 'twill save, in future, all disputing, And trouble, now, by shortening the account. IT. First, for the anchor, then, you bade me buy, I paid five drachmae. C. Five ! the price is high ! II. By Pluto, 'twas five drachmae I expended ; Two oboli for a thong the oar to fix ; Four for the needle with which sails are mended. C. Add them together. H. Four and two make six. Then nails, a rope, and wax the chinks to smear, For these, two drachma 1 . C. Well, these were not dear. B Is CHARON AND HEEMES. H. This is the whole, if nothing I've omitted In slimming up : now pay me what you owe. C. I cannot now ; since war the earth has quitted, Few men, comparatively, come below. Should war or pestilence send them in a hurry, So many fares, false-reckoned in their flurry, Profit might yield. H. Must I then wish the increase Of human ills, that you may pay your debt ? C. Hermes, it can't be helped ; you see, 'tis Peace — H. And better so, though I be paid not yet. But, Charon, what a change in men we see, From the bold mortals of antiquity ! Their sanguine bodies manly health denoted ; [humid ; Spear-pierced they mostly came, their wound still But now they come with frames by luxury bloated, Their faces palhd, and their ankles tumid ; Mean-spirited they seem — unlike the others ; And some come poisoned by wives, sons, or brothers. The greatest number, too, for riches eager, Seek them by force, or fraud and ambuscade ; And while with snares each other they beleaguer, Sink in the pitfalls for their neighbours made. C. Well, gold has many charms, and who can shun them? //. Then debtors must not fret, if creditoore shall dun them. 19 CHARON. HERMES, AND PASSENGEES. C. You see how 'tis with us : the skiff is small, And leaky : a slight matter would capsize us ; I cannot say 'tis safe to take you all Thus heavy laden. P. What woidd you advise us, Charon, that safely we be ferried o'er? C. Leave your superfluous luggage on the shore, And naked, each of you, my wherry enter ; E'en thus you '11 almost fill it to the brim : Your goods, I fear, might cause some misadventure Chiefly to such of you as cannot swim. Stand by the ladder, Hermes, and attend That all undress, ere they the boat ascend. JI.I will: but who comes first? M. I am .Mrni)>|>Hs My staff and scrip into the lake I fling, You see ; and, since the order is to strip us, 'Tis fortunate my cloak I did not bring. H. Thou best one ! by the pilot take thy station. And watch all comers from that elevation. 20 CHARON, HERMES, Whom have we next, — all purple, gold, and pride ? L. Lampichus I, and among monarchs numbered. H. But since all covering must be laid aside, Why cam'st thou hither with such fardels cumbered ? L. Beseems a monarch, Hermes, such undress P H. A monarch, perhaps not ; a dead man, yes. L. Lo ! there the riches go, that I have stored ! H. And now send after them your pride and pomp ; For these, if but allowed to step on board, Are of themselves enough the boat to swamp. L. Let me my crown retain, and upper vest. H. By no means : these must follow all the rest. L. So be it ; and what now ? At your desire All I have laid aside, as you may see. H. There still remain your insolence and ire, Cruelty, folly, and ferocity : These put away. L. Behold me ! I am stark, O Hermes ! H. That is well ; ascend the bark. And who art thou, so muscular and stout ? D. Damasias, the Athletes. H. Thee I know, In the Palaistra seeing thee. D. No doubt ; And since I 'm naked, I on board may go. ][. Naked ! with all those folds of flesh surrounded ! Set but one foot on deck, and we are grounded ! AND PASSENGERS. 21 So put it off, and throw those wreaths away, And proclamations that thy feats attest. T>. Behold me, as thy orders I ohey Now bare indeed ! nor heavier than the rest. H. Tis best to be unburthened : mount the boat. Bring no sepulchral honours, to denote, Crato, thy wealth, thy luxuries delicate, Thy pride of ancestry, and taste refined ; And any title given thee by the State With cry of herald, leave that, too, behind. These things but mentioned would the boat depress ! C. 'Tis done! (unwillingly) — but what redress? H. And who art thou, equipped from head to heel In armour ? and what trophy that, thou savest ? W. A warrior I ; and by these arms of steel The State proclaims me as her best and bravest. H. Set down upon the shore thy trophy vaunted ; Peace reigns below, and there no arms are wanted. And he, whose very garments gravely flow, With meditative air, and eyebrow lifted ? Men. 'Tis some philosopher, — the cheats I know ; Off with his cloak ! let its contents be sifted ! Much wilt thou find beneath, to move thy laughter. H. Put down thy cloak first ; what thou carriest, after. ■2'2 CHARON, HE11MES, O Jupiter ! what ignorance and pretension ! What self-conceit, beneath thy mantle lurking ! Disputes on subjects past all comprehension, And strenuous trifling under show of working ! What thorny themes, on questions of no worth ! What grave inquiries, of no use on earth ! Nor does, by Jove ! thy luxury elude me, Thy self-indulgence, and thy love of gold. What, of those things unless thou straight denude thee. Fifty-oared galley would the cargo hold ? Ph. All I depose — to thy behest obedient ; M. Hermes, his beard to shorten were expedient ; See ! what a length of thick and matted hair ! H. Thou art right ; Philosopher, 'tis time to lop it. Ph. But who will shave me P H. On the ladder-stair Menippus with his shipwright's axe will chop it. M. Hermes, not so ; but, more to laugh and scoff, Suppose I take a saw, and saw it off? H. The axe suffices. Really, by this clipping Thou gainst a more humane and decent air. M. And shall his eyebrows have a little snipping ? II. By all means ; — how they rise and seem to stare ! At what, I sec not. But how now ? dost cry P Thou dastard outcast ! art afraid to die ? AND PASSENGERS. 23 M. But, Hermes, the far heaviest bale of all Under his arm yet lies in occultation. H. What is it ? M. That from which no harvest small, Philosophers obtain, — 'tis adulation : This in the world he turned to fine account. II. Throw it away, and then the ladder mount. Ph. And thou, Menippus, put off thy loquacity, Thy words free-spoken, and derisive jest : Shalt thou alone, in careless, gay vivacity, Amuse thyself, and mock at all the rest P II. Nay, keep them all, — they never crowd the boat ; Besides, their lightness helps to make it float. And thou too, put away, O Rhetorician ! Antitheses and wide-spread declamation, And sentences in equal apposition, And all the arts that ballast thine oration. E. 'Tis done. H. Then weigh the anchor — spread the sail. Pilot ! the helm ! — Now for a favouring gale ! How now, Philosopher ? what means this drivelling ? PI . Hermes, I thought the soul would deathless be. .1/. Believe not, Hermes, 'tis for this he 's snivelling, — He mourns his feasts and nightly revelry, Whence you might see him — with the day emerging — Wisdom for gold propound, and youth to temperance urging. 24 (II AEON, HEEMES, AND PASSENGEES. H. The lake is passed ; descend ye all ; the road, Kept right ahead, the judgnient-seat will shew you. Charon and I go for another load. M. Hermes, farewell ! a pleasant voyage to you ! And now, companions, to our onward way : Judged we must be, — and wherefore then delay? Severe, 'tis said, the penalties inflicted ; — The rock, rebounding, Sisyphus still scaring ; Ixion on the whirling wheel constricted ; And ravenous vultures Tityus ever tearing ! The lives of all of us will be inspected, And not an act forgotten or neglected. 25 COUNCIL OF THE GODS. Jove, Hermes, and Momus. J. Henceforth, ye Gods, from muttered words abstaining — "Whispering together, huddled into corners — Boldly expose the cause of your complaining. Hermes, proclaim free speech to all reformers. They say the influx of so many strangers The ease and comfort of our feast endangers. R. Sdence ! and listen all ! This council meets, Ye perfect Gods,* for free investigation Anent the conscript Gods who take their seats Among you, not by birth, but invitation. M. Jove, may I speak, whatever the suggestion ? J. Hermes you heard ; what need, then, of the question P IS. Well, then, since leave is given to speak my mind, My mind I'll speak, let who will be offended : Godships, among us, new enrolled we find, WTio come, by all their followers attended, And thus create of nectar such a dearth "We scarce can buy it now at twice its worth. &(o\ t4\(ioi, the twelve greater Deities. 20 COUNCIL OF THE GODS. J. ATomus, at random wanders now your lecture ; But speak it openly without enigma ; Its object differently all conjecture, — Some take, and some on others fix, the stigma. Without disguise be those you aim at named, A free debater should not be ashamed. M. "Well spoken, Jove ! this license is magnific And monarch-like : for names you shall not wait. There's Bacchus first — I need not be specific — You all observe his dizzy air and gait ! And mitre feminine his head adorning ! And scent of wine unmixed at early morning ! Among us next — his choral train enhancing — Are Satyrs, Pan, Silenus, straight enrolled, Half men, half goats, addicted much to dancing ; Long-bearded and flat-nosed, the Lydian* old : These, with their horns, and pointed ears erected, (And all have tails,) Bacchus himself selected. When outrage such to decency is shown, Can you expect the nations to adore us ? Or, as fit objects for their worship, own The forms grotesque of all this Phrygian chorus ? And will those wanton fooleries disgust not ? — Yet more you have to hear. J. Momus, you must not * Silenus. COUNCIL OF THE GODS. 27 Say aught — I see to what your speech is drifting, — Against Asclepius and Hercules ; The first, to health the prostrate sick uplifting, The second, toiling ever, scorning ease, Won the distinguished thrones on which they sit- M . These, for your sake, Jove, will I pretermit ; Though having much to say ; and, were it licit, More of yourself could tell you to your face. J. Against me, chiefly, may you be explicit : Would you dispute my right, too, to my place ? M. Nay, this is done in Crete, and worse, — for there They call you dead, and show your sepulchre. But these I don't believe ; nor, further, those Of Greeks who treat you as supposititious. But from yourself the adulterate mixture rose, That tarnishes our race with lineage vicious : For mortal woman your own form forsaking, And, sometimes this shape, then another, taking, You, as a bull, now place yourself in danger, For sacrifice, of being caught and sold ; And now, a goldsmith, to your rank a stranger, May innocently work you up in gold, — And for our Jove, the while, we here are fearing To get a necklace, bracelet, or an car-ring. 28 COUNCIL OP THE OODS. I can't say otherwise, for such the fact is ; And since the door you've opened to these morals, Not only Gods all imitate your practice, But Goddesses have mortal loves and quarrels ! Of Aphrodite's and Aurora's Minion Who does not know ? and Dian has Endymion. That Median Mithres, too — will you allege him A God, who cannot even our language speak ? So, in a cup of nectar if you pledge him, He makes no answer, for he knows no Greek. This seeing, Scythians set us at defiance, And claim for whom they will, divine alliance. Dog-faced Anubis, thou in linen stole, Dost thou declare thy Godship by thy barking ? And stands around that Memphian bull, a shoal, His bellowed oracles devoutly harking. In truth, I blush to mention what the tribe is That Egypt brings us — he-goat, ape, and ibis. J. Absurd the Egyptian matters you've related ; But some involve a secret history, Discerned alone by the initiated, Nor should the ignorant mock the mystery. M. Truly some key we want, to learn the odds, Jove, between Cynocephali and Gods. COUNCIL OF TIIE GODS. 29 And how dost thou thyself endure the measure That set the horns of Aries on thy brow ? J. Egyptian matters leave, I say : at leisure They shall be looked into : but forward now. M. You, then, Apollo, may put off your state Of prophet, — stones will now vaticinate, If but enwreathcd with flowers, and oil-anointed. And since our numbers swell to such amount, And altars are at every turn appointed, We're held, proportionately, of no account. Perjury and sacrilege grow day by day, And men look down on us — as well they may. But, Jupiter, what most excites my mirth (Enough I've said of conscript Gods who throng us) Are the new names invented upon earth Of things nor heard nor even known among us. Where in the world is that famed " virtue" found, Or " nature," " fortune," " fate"?— All empty sound ; Dreams of Philosophers, to fools recited. And yet on these such influence they obtain, No sacrificial offerings now are lighted ; For hecatombs, men say, would nothing gain, Since Fortune cannot change, if Fate be spinning Things as they must be, from their first beginning. * Jupiter Ammon was worshipped in Libya, under the for f a ram. 30 COUNCIL OF THE GODS. Therefore, I gladly from yourself would know If " fate" or " virtue" you have ever seen ? Their names, iu disputations from below, Have reached you oft — unless you deaf have been. But now 'twere best to stop : against my speeches Hisses I hear, from those their taxing reaches. October, 1856. 31 SONNET. "Dum mane novum, dum gramina canent, Et ros in tenera pecori gratissimus herba, est." — Virgil. Yet reigns tlie stillness of the summer dawn, And from the linden's pensile blossoms slight Fragrance, renewed and steeped in dews of ni. Blends with the sweet scent of the new -mown lawn: Shadowy the grove's recesses, deep-withdrawn, Where the high trees their arching spray unite ; While through their massive shafts the level light Plays on the glittering grass and quivering awn. The milk-white kine on the green pastures he ; The birds faint-twitter, and with slumberous sound Murmurs the dove amid the leaves obscure: Awakening day, of strife and labour nigh, As yet scarce conscious seems, — and all around Kecalls life's morn, serene, fresh, calm, and pure. August 1, 1856. 32 SONNET. " Segetes altse carapique natantes Lpiiihus horrescnnt flabris." — Virgil. Lone, and for thought too languid, yet with eye And ear attent, I watch each summer charm, Until my heart, with quick emotion warm, Their Author blesses. Swallows, circling high, Sun-flecked, disport beneath the azure sky, Ere shortening days to parting flight alarm ; And through the trees, white-gleaming, to the farm Slow wend the heifers at the herdsman's cry. A glowing sea, yon fields of russet-gold Stand, for the sickle ripe ; and to the air Now yielding, and in lengthened surges rolled, Their greener depths reveal. — Oh ! Earth is fair ! Nor aught more beautiful could Hope unfold, Might those we love its beauty deathless share. August 7, 185G. SONNET. "Salvete, . . . animreque umbraeque pat erase ! "— Virgil. In silent thought has passed the summer day, With none its course to quicken or to know, Until the fervour of the sunset glow Behind the wood shows every branch and spray In burnished splendour. This, too, fades away ; And as the tints cerulean deeper grow, Long streams of moonlight bathe the lawn below, And white magnol en in the ray. Now. with tbe shades that dim the azure dome. Ye come ! who taught my childhood to revere These sacred hours ; and, though among the Dead 1 ,< >ng numbered, sure ye live ! who from my home With presence felt dispel its stillness drear And o'er my heart a hallowed calmness shed. August 10, 1856. 34 SOCKET. " Sidera cuncta notat tacito labentia coelo." — Yiry.l. Autumnal stars ! that gem the orient sky, And in whose golden characters I read The record of my years, — ye see them speed, In aspect pale, with oft reverted eye In the far- fading distance to descry Fair flowing streams their fertile waters lead By waving wood and flower-enamelled mead, While arid wastes around and onward he. Yet, though no kindred voice the silence breaks,— And the long vacant hours, when day retires. My languid pulse depress, — your bright return A mingled sense of sad delight awakes, As lone I watch your still memorial fires In the blue depths with solemn splendour bum September 21, 1856. 35 THE TABLET. TRANSLATED FEOil CEBES. " Cebes, a philosopher of Thebes, and a disciple of Socrates, is supposed to be the author of a beautiful allegorical piece, entitled ' The Tablet,' representing a picture of human life. In its moral spirit and character this piece is truly Socratic, but it contains some sen- timents which seem to have been borrowed from the Pythagorean school. Professor Meiners, in a ' Memoir ' published in the fifth volume of the ' Transactions of the Royal Society of Gottingen,' urges several objections against the authenticity of this 'Tablet.' It savours more, he says, of the Stoical than of the Socratic school. He considers it, indeed, as a noble composition, pure in style, as well as in precept ; anterior, also, to the de- cline of Grecian eloquence, and infinitely superior to all the other productions that have been falsely at- tributed to the early writers of the Socratic school ; nevertheless, he is induced to pronounce that it was composed long after the time of Cebes. The author of this fable considers poetry, music, rhetoric, and all the 36 THE TABLET. branches of mathematical science, as a fallacious phi- losophy, which has no tendency to render mankind wiser or better; an opinion which does not seem to be consistent with the tenets of the Socratic school. The learned Brucker, in his account of Cebes, has made several observations, which, if they do not entirely remove the objections, at least considerably diminish their force. Some interpolations have been supposed by the learned to have got into the text, perhaps from marginal notes in the manuscript ; and the passage, from which Professor Meiners deduces his first and most important objection, has, with no small appear- ance of evidence, been considered by Fabricius as corrupt and suppositious. All the learned ancients, with one voice, attribute this philosophical fable to Cebes ; and certainly, both with respect to beauty of composition and excellence of matter, it is worthy of the most flourishing period of Athenian philosophy and literature." — Rees's Cyclopaedia. THE TABLET. TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK OF CEBE3. I. Before the fane of Chronos, as we stood Viewing the votive offerings there exposed, One tablet held us long in doubtful mood ; Nor pictured camp, nor city it disclosed— Though an enclosure vast, and in its bound Two more, the one within the other traced : The first, a portal had, and pressing round For entrance, was a crowd ; within it placed Were female forms ; and warning like a guide Those who went in, an old man stood the gate beside. •I s THE TABLET. II. And while we mused, uncertain what it meant, An Elder thus addressed us : — " iNot alone, Strangers, to you seems hidden the intent Of yonder tablet ; nor to all 'tis known E'en of the dwellers here. In years gone by A certain guest came hither — one of mind To wisdom dedicate, and purpose high ; This fane he raised — these emblems, too, designed. His life he seemed to order by the ride Or of Parmenides, or of the Samian school." III. " Didst thou then see, and know him ? " I inquired. " I did," he said, " and heard him oft discourse On subjects deep and various ; and admired That one, then young, should reason with such force. These emblems, too, I heard him oft unfold." " By Jove, I then adjure thee," I replied ; " Grant our desire to have the fable told, Unless by business, leisure be denied." " Stranger, the time I grudge not, but beware ! Some danger still attends the knowledge ye would share.'' THE TABLET. 3l» IV. " What is the danger ? " " This : if ye shall hood, And understand the lesson it conveys, Ye will be wise and happy ; but the rede Misconstrued, wretchedness attends your days. The Sphinx's riddle thus his fate involved Who heard — two issues waited on his breath ; Life was for him who her enigma solved ; And for the dull or inattentive, death. Now Ignorance is like a sphinx to man ; And if these emblems all forthshadowing in their plan " The ill, and good — the neither good nor ill — He understand not, he becomes her prey : Yet not at once doth she her victims kill — In sufferings slow she wears their life away. But if he hear aright, then she must die, And he shall fortunate and happy live Throughout his term of days : not carelessly Listen ye, therefore, but attention give." " O Hercules ! thou kindlest our desires To hear, and with the care the penalty inspires." 40 THE TABLET. VI. Then said the Elder, pointing with a wand, " That first enclosure is of life the space ; The crowd ye see before the portal stand, Go to assume in it their future place. The old man who a scroll in one hand bears, And with the other seems the path to show, Is called of life the Genius, and declares To all who enter whither they should go And what to do, if they would good obtain." " Where is, and what the way, by which they this may gain P " VII. " Observe beside the portal, on yon seat, A woman — painted, and whose blandishments And artful mien attest her name — Deceit. A cup she has, which she to all presents With look persuasive, ere they pass the gate." " What does it hold ? " " Error, and ignorance : All drink — and more or less inebriate With her delusions, they in life advance. Within the gate, those female figures see, Of aspect light and vain, in all varietv — THE TABLET. 41 VIII. "These are Opinions, Pleasures, and Desires, Who spring to meet, and clasp the entering throng : Each seizes one, who, as her will requires, In pleased captivity is led along." " But whither are they led ? " " To safety, some — And some to ruin. All these guides profess Men to conduct, who at their bidding come, In the true path that leads to happiness ; While these, bewildered by the potion strong Deceit has given, obey, unknowing right from wrong." IX. " Who is that woman on the circled stone Standing ? she seems both sightless and distract." " Fortune — nor sightless, nor distract alone Is she, but deaf." " What part is hers, to act ? " " She wanders, restless ever, up and down, And gives to these the gifts she takes from those ; Then straight resumes them, and her smile or frown, Random and transient, no distinction knows : And by the sphere she stands on, is designed Her foot's uncertain stay, and her inconstant mind." 42 THE TABLET. X. •• Who are the persons that around her crowd, And different passions in their looks express ? Some seem enraptured, some with sorrow bowed, And some, with hands outstretched, implore redress." " The Inconsiderate, eager to obtain The gifts she scatters — and, while these they clasp, They call her good — but evil, when again What she had given she snatches from their grasp." " What are her gifts ? " " The things that most men deem Good, such as riches, offspring, empire, rank, esteem." XL " And are they not ? " " We will deliberate On this, hereafter — to the fable now. The women ye perceive within the gate Are, as their vesture and their air avow, Intemperance, Flattery, Luxury, and Desire. They watch for those whom Fortune has endowed, Spring to embrace them, fondle and admire, And promise unmixed joy in their abode, Where reigns, they say, Voluptuousness alone, And all the forms of care and labour are unknown. THE TABLET. 13 XII. " He who shall follow, to their voice inclined, Eevels inebriate, while by them caressed ; Till coming to himself, himself he find Them not possessing, but by them possessed : For, all that he received from Fortune's hand Exhausted, by these women is he held In shameless bondage, and at their command To rob, deceive, defraud, betray, compelled ; And when their purpose he can serve no more, To Punishment condign and dread they give him o'er. XIII. " Through yonder opening, in a caverned lair, Sordid and vile, observe those women three. Anguish is she who wildly tears her hair, And Sorrow leans her head upon her knee. The third is Punishment, who holds a scourge ; And near her, Grief and blank Despair you see : All these with torture, first their victim urge, Then drive him to the den of Misery, In various wretchedness his days to wear, Unless by happy chance Repentance find him there." I 1 THE TABLET. XIV. •' What then ensues ? " " Eepentance by his side Other opinions and desires will place, Who to True Discipline his feet will guide And to the False. If he the first embrace, Saved by her care, and from pollution freed, Content and fortunate shall be his life ; If not, the second will his steps mislead." " O Hercules ! what perils still are rife ! " " False Discipline, beside yon second gate Standing, you see, in aspect splendid and ornate. XV. " Her, for True Discipline the thoughtless take, And, when escaped from Misery, hither come, Deeming that progress towards the True they make." " Is there no other road ? " " There is — for some." " Who are the men who in that circuit stay ? " " False Discipline's fond lovers, who the True Believing her, here rest." " And what are they ? " " Poets and rhetoricians here you view — Critics, arithmeticians, those who strike The lyre, geometers, logicians, and the like." THE TABLET. 45 XVI. " The women — who resemble those you name Intemperance and her troop, in the first round — With the men walking, who are they ? " " The same." "The same! found here!" "By Jove! they here are found — Though seldom in this circuit they intrude ; Here Folly, too, and Ignorance you will meet ; For all the men you see are yet imbued With the strong potion given them by Deceit : Nor in the studies here pursued they find Aught from pernicious ills to purify the mind." XVII. " Where is the road to Discipline the True? " " fp yonder slope, scarce trod and desolate, See you a rugged track, pursued by few, Tend to an opening like a narrow gate, And this beyond, up to a craggy steep Laboriously still the pathway rise, And here and there, those precipices deep ? That is the road." "It terrifies the eyes." " On that high rock abrupt, two women stand, Fair, and robust in form, outstretching either hand ; 16 THE TABLET. XVIII. " These Self-Control and Perseverance are, Who earnestly their hands to those extend That on the rugged road have toiled thus far ; And up the rock assist them to ascend. The eminence surmounted, these they soothe "With rest — and strength and confidence inspire ; And show them the remaining path how smooth And level, to the goal of their desire : How pleasant — and from obstacles how clear." " By Jove ! as thou describest, such doth it appear." XIX. " Mark the third circle, on that meadow green And bloomy, near the grove." " I mark it well." " There light diffusive sheds a day serene, And Happiness and all the Virtues dwell. Upon a solid square, outside the gate, A female form you see, of age mature ; Her face is beautiful — her air sedate — And decent flows her vesture, plain and pure. Her name is Discipline ; — on either hand Two, who her daughters are, Truth and Persuasion stand." TIIF. TABLET. 47 XX. " But wherefore stands slie on that quadrate stone?" " To indicate how certain is the road For those who her approach ; and thus is shown How sure the benefits by her bestowed. For strength and confidence their spirit fill, Assured the life they will thenceforward share Shall never be assailed by direful ill." " O Hercules ! the gifts, in truth, are fair ! But why stands Discipline without the gate ? " " Those who go in with potion pure to defecate." XXI. " Why does she this ? " " 'Tis that they still retain Dregs of the liquor given them by Deceit ; And Discipline must cleanse their every stain Ere they the Virtues be prepared to meet. From all remains of arrogance and ire, Folly and error, ignorance and pride, Intemperance, and inordinate desire, And such like soil, they must be purified. Observe, within the gate that bevy fair Of women unadorned, artless in dress and air — '18 THE TABLET. XXII. " These are the Virtues — foremost of the band Stands Science — Justice then, and Fortitude ; Modesty, Order, Freedom, Self-Command, And Temperance, and Meekness self-subdued." " O fair assemblage ! and our hope how great ! " " 'Twill be fulfilled — if wisely ye attend, And into habit weave what I relate." " This we will do." " Then safe will be your end." " Now whither lead they him? " "Up yonder mound, Like an Acropolis, centering the circuits round. XXIII. " There sits a beauteous woman on a throne — In rich adornment, but without excess ; Around her brow a wreath of flowers new-blown : That is their mother — she is Happiness. Him, with her power they crown — as those returned From conquest with the victor's wreath are crowned." " But by what conflict is this chaplet earned? " " The greatest — by a conflict that has bound The foes to whom he subject was before, And avarice, woe, intemperance, ne'er shall rule him more." THE TABLET. •'•• XXIV. " O conflict great ! and victory greater yet ! But tell me of what power does he partake Upon whose brow that coronal is set P " " The power his own felicity to make — Thenceforward underived from outward source." " How beautiful the victory you portray ! " " The Virtues make him then retrace his course To view the wretched men, who, driven astray By pride, intemperance, avarice, glory vain, Still struggle to get free, but cannot break their chain. XXV. " Disastrous and disordei'ed thus are spent Their days in servitude, and useless strife, Because no heed they to the Genius lent Who showed the path to Happiness, in life." " So it appears — but why should he return To whence he came ? " " 'Tis that when dwelling there Nor right nor wrong, he clearly could discern, Nor foid, beheld as foul, nor fair, as fair : — But all with clear distinction now descried. Sis way he sees how good, and theirs from good how wide." 50 THE TABLET. XXVI. " These things contemplated, where goes he then? " " Where'er he list — secure where'er he be — And welcomed, as physicians by the men Who health recover from their ministry." " And fears he not that now those women fell As beasts of prey, his quiet will molest? " •' ZS^o ! for as those who vipers take, can quell The poison, of an antidote possest, So is lie guarded safe from every snare Intemperance who subjects, and Avarice, Grief, and Care." XXVII. " 'Tis well explained — but who are they that come Down from the hill ? some crowned, whose looks express Gladness — downcast and as rejected some, \Yhoni certain women follow and distress." " The crowned, are those who straight the path pursued, And Discipline the wreath for which they strove Gave them ; rejected some, and some subdued By indolence, turn back, and aimless rove. The women who beset them and embrace, Dejection are, and Grief, and Ignorance, and Disgrace. THE TABLET. 51 XXVIII. " And when these men the first enclosure reach Where dwell Voluptuousness and gross Excess — jNot for their failure they themselves impeach, But Discipline — and scoffing words address To votaries who towards her turn their face — And call them miserable who leave behind The joys luxurious of their former place, Toil and obstructions on their way to find." " "What are the joys ? " " Such — briefly to explain — As those of herds stall-fed, or grazing on the plain." XXIX. " The other women tripping down the hill With cheerful countenances — who are they? " " These are Opinions — who the office fill Of guides to Discipline — and lead the way Sanctioned by her, to where the Virtues dwell : The mission ended, they, with smiling air Others to aid, descend ; and loudly tell How fortunate are such as enter there." " Enter not they in that society ? " •' No — for where Science is, Opinions cannot bo. 52 THE TABLET. XXX. " These come and go like ships, that, the first charge Delivered, turn to bring another freight." " The tablet has been now explained at large, But what the Genius at the outward gate Says to the entering crowd, thou hast not told." " That which to you I say — ' be firm in mind ' — What yet remains, I also will unfold — He bids them in that woman, seeming blind, Named Fortune — standing on the rounded stone — Trust not, nor deem of aught she gives them as their own. XXXI. " He tells them that as all she may bestow Is given at random, without thought or choice, None, who her folly and caprices know Give she, or take, should sorrow or rejoice, Resembling men who gold in trust receive, Then as their own regard it, and compelled To yield it to its lawful owner, grieve, Forgetting it was but a loan they held — But take her gifts as what they will be found — And onward haste to seek a good more sure and sound." THE TABLET. XXXII. 53 " And this is what from Discipline they gain, Who safely reach her — knowledge of true good : A gift assured — that they shall still retain Immutable amid vicissitude : Therefore the Genius bids them onward press To reach her, and, imlistening, from their way To spurn Intemperance and Voluptuousness : But with False Discipline awhde delay — And taking from her whatsoe'er may tend To help them on, their course straight towards the True to bend." XXXIII. "But what has she that can to this conduce?" "Letters — and other studies — these supplied To youth, of curb and bridle have the use, To lead, nor let their steps be drawn aside." " But must all those who Discipline would reach, Stop, as they pass, these studies to obtain ? " " No ! for though useful be the things they teach To make us better men, their power is vain." " What ! am I thus to understand it, then, That these contribute naught to make us better men ? " 54 THE TABLET. XXXIV. "Naught — for without them goodness we may earn — Yet useless they are not — Interpreters Help you the doubtful meaning to discern Of him who in a foreign tongue confers ; But for yourself, that tongue you may acquire, Nor need their aid, and goodness may attain, Although unlearned." " Stand they, then, no higher In goodness, who the fame of learning gain ? " " How should they — when you see them fettered still By vice, like common men, unknowing good from ill. XXXV. " Naught Mm preserves who Letters may possess, And he with all such studies deep imbued, From treachery, injustice, and excess, Avarice or any other turpitude." " So it would seem — but why should it be so ? " " Tis that they in the second circuit stay As Discipline there dwelt — but others go Straight from the first, where all the vices sway, And hasting to the third their goal attain, "While far behind the seeming wise and learned remain. THE TABLET. 55 XXXVI. " Were there no other cause why these are foiled, This were sufficient — they themselves persuade They here have gained the end for which they toiled, And thinking thus, no progress hence is made. Opinions, too, as with the crowd below, Here mixing free with learned men you find ; Nor will these better than the unlearned grow, Unless they shall be taught by change of mind, That in False Discipline they have believed As in the True, nor safe can be while thus deceived. XXXVII. " And ye, O Strangers ! let my words descend Deep in your memories — let them fill your heart, Until by easy habit they shall blend "With all your acts, and be of life a part. This to achieve, the lesson oft recall — Dwell on the subject — meditate the theme — And all tilings else, whatever may befall, Compared with these, of no importance deem. If thus ye do, ye happiness shall gain, If not, the tale is told, and you have heard, in vain. June, 1857. SONNE T. Thou earnest day by day with aspect bright, And year by year, to sit my hearth beside, — Else silent — careless if in vernal pride Earth smiled, or death-like slept in snow-shroud white, Till mortal ailments held thee ; but their blight Reached not thy mind, whose cheerful strength defied The ravages that rest and sleep denied, Yet failed to quench its clear, unwavering fight. Then, through slow months — her tendance to relieve — On Sabbath nights thy hand-maid duly brought, By thee devised, some words of import small — Years have revolved — but on the sacred eve To the sad past borne in unquestioned thought, I seem to wait again her wonted footstep's fall. December 2Ut, 1856. 57 SONNET. " Parcaj meliora benigna Pensa mauu ducant hilares, et staminis alba.' Ye sisters three ! whose awful shrines, of yore, With cedrine fires of sacrifice were spread, And who in fleece enwreathed around your head Sleep-breathing flower, the fair Narcissus wore — The pictured emblem in poetic lore Of life dependent on your fine-spun thread, And of the sleep profound that wrapped the Dead When your revolving spindle turned no more — A dusky tint, dimming each brighter hue, From first your distaff gave me, till, like night, Like starless night, the dreary line ye twined ; But now — the little left, in smoother clue, Though pale and rayless as your chaplet white, With gentler brow ye draw, and hand more kind. December 2Uh, 1856. 58 SONNE T. To W. Bowman, Esq., F.R.S., &c, on lending him my father's letters. Novissima in luce Desideravere aliquid oculi tui. Tacitus. These cherished records of a father's care — In kindliest words on every page confest — And of the love that warms a husband's breast, Bowman, mcthought, thy sympathy might share: For thus wouldst thou forewarn of hidden snare Youth's heedless step, with careless pride imprest On dangerous paths, and the weak heart to rest On higher aid than earth can yield, prepare. And thou, as he, tender, and wise, and pure, But happier — nor in absence doomed to fear That those thou lovcst be to ills exposed, "Wilt feel — while these around thee smile, secure — For him, whose dying eyes some aspect dear Sought, but in vain, and were by strangers closed. December 27th, 1856. 59 SONNET. Dubiae — crepuscula lucis. Ovid. Quod viileant oculi, nil, nisi littus, habent. Ovid. Their vests of sun-bright tissue laid aside, — Wont on the eye in varying ray to glance — In sober stole I mark the Hours advance The parting year attending : mute they glide, While leafless tree, and mead, and sether wide Darken — and faint as in a slumbrous trance The red-breast's notes the pensive charm enhance Of doubtful shades that eve from night divide. And in this cold repose such calm I find, As feels the mariner on desert shore — The conflict passed, that heart and strength subdued- When lulled the turbulence of wave and wind, And the now distant storm resounds no more In the sad stillness of his solitude. December '31st, 1856. 60 SONNET. Lord ! let me know mine end, and the measure of my days ; that I may know how frail I am. Psalm xxxix. Such were the words that — with the organ's sound Full-pealing — met thee, to the hallowed shrine O'er-awed, approaching pale : were thoughts, tlnn thine, — Rendering thy young emotion more profound — Of the foreboding shadows gathered round, Dim stealing o'er thy prospect's waning shine, And warning thee, reluctant ! to resign Hopes soon to rest beneath thy grassy mound ! I know not — pitying eyes beheld thy brow Of ashy hue, and pitying lips portrayed Thy numbered days fast tending to their verge : I heard, indifferent — but, ever, now — Though passed a life — these solemn words upbraid, Like mournful echoes from thy early dirge. Ft bruary 1st, 1857. 01 SONNE T. On reading an Address to the Students of King's College Hospital. By W. Bowman, Esq., F.R.S. IfjTpo? 7'tp iiviip iioWtJav uVT(if*oc ciWwf, 'low r'iindfAveiv, kni j'tiiria (papuana 7ra