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For, since her soul's ally'd to human kind,
Not to her house alone her store's confin'd;
But, passing on, its own full banks o'erflows,
Enlarg'd, and deals forth plenty as it goes.
Through some fair garden thus a river leads
Its watery wealth, and first th' enclosure feeds,
Visits each plant, and every flower supplies;
Or, taught in sportive fountains to arise,

Casts sprinkled showers o'er every figur'd green;
Or in canals walks round the beauteous scene,
Yet stops not there, but its free course maintains,
And spreads gay verdure thro' the adjacent plains;
The labouring hinds with pleasure see it flow,
And bless those streams by which their pastures
grow.

O generous use of power! O virtuous pride!
Ne'er may the means be to such souls deny'd,
Executors of Heaven's all-bounteous will,
Who well the great First-giver's ends fulfil,
Who from superior heights still looking down
On glittering heaps, which scarce they think their
Despise the empty show of useless state,
And only would, by doing good, be great!

[own,

Now pause awhile, my Muse, and then renew The pleasing task, and take a second view!

A train of virtues yet undrawn appear;
Here just Economy, strict Prudence there;
Near Liberality they ever stand;

This guides her judgment, that directs her hand.
By these see wild Profusion chas'd away,
And wanton Luxury, like birds of prey.
Whilst meek Humility, with charms serene,
Forbids vain Pomp t' approach the hallow'd scene;
Yet through her veil the more attracts the sight,
And on her sister virtues casts a light.

But wherefore starts the Painter-Muse, and why,
The piece unfinish'd, throws the pencil by?
"Methinks," she says, " Humility I hear,
With gentle voice, reproving, cry-' Forbear!
Forbear, rash Muse! nor longer now commend,
Lest whom thou would'st praise, thou should'st
And in her breast a painful glowing raise, [offend,
Who, conscious of the merit, shuns the praise."

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improvement, the latter part, which attempts a short view of the Heavens according to the modern philosophy, is entirely original, and notfounded on any thing in the Latin author.

I LEAVE Mortality's low sphere.

Ye Winds and Clouds, come, lift me high,
And on your airy pinions bear
Swift through the regions of the sky.
What lofty mountains downward fly!
And, lo! how wide a space of air
Extends new prospects to my eye!
The gilded fanes, reflecting light,
And royal palaces, as bright,

(The rich abodes

Of heavenly and of earthly gods)
Retire apace; whole cities too
Decrease beneath my rising view.
And now, far off, the rolling globe appears;
Its scatter'd nations I survey,

And all the mass of earth and sea;

Oh, object well deserving tears!

Capricious state of things below,

That, changeful from their birth, no fix'd duration know!

Here new-built towns, aspiring high,
Ascend, with lofty turrets crown'd;
There others fall, and mouldering lie,
Obscure, or only by their ruins found.
Palmyra's far-extended waste I spy,

(Once Tadmor, ancient in renown)
Her marble heaps, by the wild Arab shown,
Still load with useless pomp the ground.
But where is lordly Babylon? where now
Lifts she to Heaven her giant brow?
Where does the wealth of Nineveh abound?
Or where's the pride of Afric's shore?
Is Rome's great rival then no more?

In Rome herself behold th' extremes of fate,
Her ancient greatness sunk, her modern boasted
See her luxurious palaces arise,

[state!

With broken arches mixt between!
And here what splendid domes possess the skies!
And there old temples, open to the day,

Their walls, o'ergrown with moss, display;
And columns, awful in decay,

Rear up their roofless heads to form the various

scene.

Around the space of Earth I turn my eye;

But where's the region free from woe? Where shall the Muse one little spot descry The seat of Happiness below?

Here Peace would all its joys dispense, The vines and olives unmolested grow, But, lo! a purple pestilence Unpeoples cities, sweeps the plains, Whilst vainly through deserted fields Her unreap'd harvests Ceres yields, And at the noon of day a midnight silence reigns. There milder heat the healthful climate warms, But, slaves to arbitrary power, And pleas'd each other to devour, The mad possessors rush to arms. I see, I see them from afar,

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I view distinct the mingled war
I see the charging squadrons prest
Hand to hand, and breast to breast.

· Destruction, like a vulture, hovers nigh;

Lur'd with the hope of human blood, She hangs upon the wing, uncertain where to fly,

I pass cerulean gulphs, and now behold
New solid globes their weight, self-balanc'd, bear,
Unpropp'd, amidst the fluid air,

[roll'd.

But licks her drowthy jaws, and waits the promis'd | And all, around the central Sun, in circling eddies food.

Here cruel Discord takes a wider scene,
To exercise more unrelenting rage;

Appointed fleets their numerous powers engage,
With scarce a space of sea between.
Hark! what a brazen burst of thunder
Rends the elements asunder!
Affrighted Ocean flies the roar,

And drives the billows to the distant shore;
The distant shore,

That such a storm ne'er felt before,
Transmits it to the rocks around;

Unequal in their course, see they advance,

And form the planetary dance!

Here the pale Moon, whom the same laws ordain
Tobey the Earth, and rule the Main;

Here spots no more in shadowy streaks appear;
But lakes instead, and groves of trees,
The wondering Muse transported sees,
And their tall heads discover'd mountains rear.
And now once more I downward cast my sight,
When, lo! the Earth, a larger moon, displays
Far off, amidst the Heavens, her silver face,
And to her sister moon by turns gives light!

The rocks and hollow creeks prolong the rolling Her scas are shadowy spots, her land a milky white.

sound.

Still greater horrours strike my eyes.
Behold, convulsive earthquakes there,
And shatter'd land in pieces tear,

And ancient cities sink, and sudden mountains rise!
Thro' opening mines th' astonish'd wretches go,
Hurry'd to unknown depths below.
The bury'd ruin sleeps; and nought remains
But dust above and desert plains,
Unless some stone this sad inscription wear,
Rais'd by some future traveller :

"The prince, his people, and his kingdom, here, One common tomb contains."

[tide.

Again, behold where seas, disdaining bound, O'er the firm land usurping ride, And bury spacious towns beneath their sweeping Dash'd with the sudden flood the vaulted temples sound.

Waves roll'd on waves, deep burying deep, lift high

A watery monument, in which profound
The courts and cottages together lie.

Ev'n now the floating wreck I spy,
And the wide surface far around
With spoils of plunder'd countries crown'd.
Such, Belgia, was the ravage and affright,
When late thou saw'st thy ancient foe
Swell o'er thy digues, oppos'd in vain,
With deadly rage, and, rising in its might,
Pour down swift ruin on thy plains below.
Thus Fire, and Air, and Earth, and Main,
A never-ceasing fight maintain,
While man on every side is sure to lose ;
And Fate has furnish'd out the stage of life
With War, Misfortune, and with Strife;

Till Death the curtain drops, and shuts the scene

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And where remoter Jove o'er his four moons presides?
And now I urge my way more bold,
Unpierc'd by Saturn's chilling cold,

And pass his planetary guards, and his bright ring behold.

Here the Sun's beams so faintly play,
The mingled shades almost extinguish day.
His rays reverted hence, the fire withdraws,
For here his wide dominions end;
And other suns, that rule by other laws,
Hither their bordering realms extend.

And now far off, through the blue vacant borne,
I reach at last the milky road,

Once thought to lead to Jove's supreme abode, Where stars, profuse in heaps, Heaven's glittering heights adorn,

Lost in each other's neighbouring rays,

They undistinguish'd shine in one promiscuous blaze
So thick the lucid gems are strown,
As if th' Almighty Builder here
Laid up his stores for many a sphere
In destin'd worlds, as yet unknown.
Hither the nightly-wakeful swain,
That guards his folds upon the plain,

Oft turns his gazing eyes,

Yet marks no stars, but o'er his head
Beholds the streamy twilight spread,
Like distant morning in the skies;

And wonders from what source its dawning splen dours rise.

But, lo!-what's this I see appear?

It seems, far off, a pointed flaine;

From earth-wards too the shining meteor came. How swift it climbs th' aërial space!

And now it traverses cach sphere,

Aud seems some living guest, familiar to the place.. 'Tis he-as I approach more near,

The great Columbus of the skies I know! 'Tis Newton's soul, that daily travels here In search of knowledge for mankind below. O stay, thou happy spirit, stay, And lead me on thro' all th' unbeaten wilds of day; As when the Sibyl did Rome's father guide Safe through the downward roads of night, And in Elysium blest his sight

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With views, till then, to mortal eyes deny'd.
Here let me, thy companion, stray
From orb to orb, and now behold
Unnumber'd suns, all seas of molten gold;
And trace each Comet's wandering way,
And now descry light's fountain-head,
And measure its descending speed;
Or learn how sun-born colours rise
In rays distinct, and in the skies,
Blended in yellow radiance, flow,

Or stain the fleecy cloud, or streak the watery bow;
Or, now diffus'd, their beauteous tinctures shed
On every planet's rising hills, and every verdant
mead.

Thus, rais'd sublime on Contemplation's wings,
Fresh wonders I would still explore,
Still the great Maker's power adore,
Lost in the thought-nor ever more
Return to Earth, and earthly things;

But here, with native freedom, take my flight,
An inmate of the Heavens, adopted into light!
So for a while the royal Eagle's brood

In his low nest securely lies,
Amid the darkness of the sheltering wood,
Yet there, with in-born vigour, hopes the skies:
Till, fledg'd with wings full-grown, and bold to
The bird of Heaven to Heaven aspires, [rise,
Soars 'midst the meteors and celestial fires,
With generous pride his humbler birth disdains,
And bears the thunder thro' the ethereal plains.

THE TENTH BOOK OF
LUCAN'S PHARSALIA.

TRANSLATED.

Achillas marches to join in this attempt. against Alexandria with an army composed of Egyptians and Romans, and besieges Cæsar in the palace, who seizes Ptolemy as a pledge for his own security. A herald, sent from the king to inquire the cause of this tumult, is slain. An attack being made, Cæsar defends himself, burns the Egyptian ships in the harbour, and possesses himself of Pharos, where he puts Pothinus to death. Arsinoe, younger sister of Ptolemy, by the aid of Ganimede, her governor, arriving in the camp, causes Achillas to be slain. Ganimede renews the attack against Cæsar, who is blocked up in Pharos, and reduced to the greatest extremity.

WHEN Conquering Cæsar follow'd to the land
His rival's head, and trod the barbarous strand,
His fortune strove with guilty Egypt's fate
In doubtful fight, and this the dire debate;
Shall Roman arms great Lagus' realm enthrall?
Or shall the victor, like the vanquish'd, fall
By Egypt's sword? Pompey, thy ghost withstood
Th' impending blow, and sav'd the general's blood,
Lest Rome, too happy after loss of thee,
Should rule the Nile, herself from bondage free.

Secure, and with this barbarous pledge content,
To Alexandria now the conqueror went.
The crowd that saw his entry, while, before,
Advancing guards the rods of empire bore,
In murmur'd sounds their jealous rage disclos'd,
At Roman rites and foreign law impos'd.
Observing Cæsar soon his errour spy'd,
That not for him his mighty rival dy'd,

Yet smooth'd his brow, all marks of fear suppress'd,
And hid his cares, deep bury'd in his breast.

Then with intrepid mien he took his way,

THE ARGUMENT AND CONNECTION OF THE STORY WITH The city walls and temples to survey,

THE FOREGOING BOOKS.

Pompey, flying to Egypt, after his defeat at Pharsalia, was by the king's consent, basely murdered by Pothinus, and his head presented to Cæsar as he approached the Egyptian coast, in pursuit of his enemy. The poet having represented this catastrophe in the two former books; the argu

ment of the tenth book is as follows:

Cæsar lands in Egypt. He goes to Alexandria; visits the temple, and the sepulchre of the kings,

in which Alexander the Great was buried. The

Works which thy ancient power, great Macedon,

display.

He view'd the splendid fanes with careless eyes,
Shrines rich with gold and sacred mysteries,
Nor fix'd his sight, but, eager in his pace,
Descends the vault, which holds the royal race.
Philip's mad son, the prosperous robber, bound
In Fate's eternal chains, here sleeps profound,
Whom Death forbade his rapines to pursue,
And in the world's revenge the monster slew.
His impious bones, which, through each climate tost,
The sport of winds, or in the ocean lost,
Had met a juster fate, this tomb obtain'd,
And sacred, to that kingdom's end, remain'd.
O! should auspicious years roll round again,
And godlike Liberty resume her reign,
Preserv'd to scorn the reliques would be shown
Of the bold chief, whose boundless pride alone
This curst example to ambition gave,
How many realms one mortal can enslave!
Disdaining what his father won before,

poet, in a beautiful digression, declaims against
the ambition of that monarch. Ptolemy, the
young king of Egypt, meets Cæsar at his ar-
rival, and receives him into his palace. His
sister Cleopatra, who had been kept a prisoner
in Pharos, makes her escape, and privately
getting admittance to Cæsar, implores his pro-
tection. By his means she is reconciled to her
brother;
after which she entertains Cæsar at a
feast. The supper being ended, Cesar requests
of Achoreus, the priest, an account of the anti-Aspiring still, and restless after more,
quities of Egypt, particularly of the river Nile.
Achoreus's reply. The course of that river de-
scribed, with an enumeration of the various
opinions concerning its spring, and the causes
of its overflowing. Pothinus plots the death of
Casar. His message to Achillas to invite him

He left his home; while Fortune smooth'd his way,
And o'er the fruitful East enlarg'd his sway.
Red Slaughter mark'd his progress, as he past;
The guilty sword laid human nature waste,
Discolour'd Ganges' and Euphrates' flood,
With Persian this, and that with Indian blood

He seem'd in terrour to the nations sent,
The wrath of Heaven, a star of dire portent,
And shook, like thunder, all the continent!

Nor yet content, a navy he provides.
To seas remote his triumphs now he guides,
Nor winds nor waves his progress could withstand;
Nor Libya's scorching heat, and desert land,
Nor rolling mountains of collected sand.
Had Heaven but giv'n him line, he had outrun
The farthest journey of the setting Sun,
March'd round the poles, and drank discover'd Nile
At his spring-head-But winged Fate the while
Comes on with speed, the funeral hour draws near:
Death only could arrest his mad career,
Who to his grave the world's sole empire bore,
With the same envy 'twas acquir'd before;
And, wanting a successor to his reign,
Left all to suffer conquest once again.

Yet Babylon first yielded to his arms,
And Parthia trembled at his proud alarms.
Oh shame to tell! could haughty Parthia fear
The Grecian dart, and not the Roman spear?
What though the North, and South, and West,

are ours,

Th' unconquer'd East defies our feeble powers,
So fatal once to Rome's great Crassi known,
A province now to Pella's puny town.

Now from Pelusium, where expanding wide
Nile pours into the sea his ample tide,
Came the boy-king; his presence soon appeas'd
The people's rage, and giddy tumult ceas'd.
In Egypt's palace, Cæsar sleeps secure;
This princely hostage does awhile ensure
His terms of peace; when lo! the sister-queen,
In a small boat conceal'd, securely mean,
With gold corrupts the keeper of the port,

And undiscover'd lands, and lurks within the
court.

The royal whore, her country's worst disgrace,
The fate and fury of the Roman race!
As Helen's soft incendiary charms
Provok'd the Grecian and the Trojan arms,
No less did Cleopatra's eyes inspire
Italian games, and spread the kindled fire.
A rabble rout, a vile enervate band
Presum'd th' imperial eagles to withstand;
Canopus march'd, a woman at their head,
And then, if ever, Rome knew aught of dread,
Een mighty Rome with terrour heard the jar
Of clatter'd cymbals tinkling to the war,

And shook her lofty towers, and trembled from
afar.

What triumphs had proud Alexandria seen,
Had great Octavius then a captive been,
When hovering Victory, at Leucate's bay,
Hung on her wings, and 'twas a strife that day,
If the lost world a distaff should obey.
From that curst night this daring hope arose,
That shameful night, the source of future woes,
Which first commenc'd polluted loves between
A Roman general and Egyptian queen.

who can Anthony's wild passion blame?
Ev'n Cæsar's flinty heart confess'd the softening
flame!

The foul adulterer, reeking with the stains
Of impions slaughter on Thessalian plains,
Uawash'd from blood, amidst the rage of war,
In joys obscene forgets his cruel care.

Though Pompey's ghost yet haunt those barbarous
walls,

And, howling in his ears, for vengeance calls,
Secure in guilt, he bugs a harlot's charms,
And mingles lawless love with lawless arms,
Nor mindful of his chaster progeny,
A bastard-brother, Julia, gives to thee.
His rallying foes on Libyan plains rejoin;
Luxurious Cæsar, shamefully supine,
Foregoes his gains, and for a kiss or smile
Sells the dear purchase of his martial toil.

Him Cleopatra sought t' espouse her care;
Presuming of her chartns, the mournful fair
In wild disorder loos'd her lovely hair,
And, with a face inviting sure relief,
In tender accents thus disclos'd her grief:

"Great Cæsar, look! of Lagus' royal race,
So thou restore me to my rightful place,
I kneel a queen. Expell'd my father's throne,
My hope of succour is in you alone.
You rise a prosperous star to Egypt's aid;
O shine propitious on an injur'd maid!
My sex has oft the Pharian sceptre sway'd,
For so the laws admit. Let Cæsar read
Our parent's will; my brother's crown and bed
Are mine to share, and were the youth but free
From saucy tutors, he would marry me.
But by Pothinus' nod his passions move,
Pothinus wields his sword, and manages his love.
Forbid that crime; I freely quit my claim,
But save from such reproach our house and name.
Rescue the royal boy from mean command,
Restore the sceptre to his trembling hand,
This vile domestic's lawless pride restrain,
Remove the traitor-guard, and teach the king to

reign.

Th' imperious slave, who kill'd great Caesar's foe,
Inur'd to blood, would murder Cæsar too,
But far, far hence, ye gods, avert the threaten'd
blow!

Let Pompey's head suffice Pothinus' fame,
Nor let a nobler death increase our shame!"

Here paus'd the queen, and spoke in looks the

rest:

Not words alone could move his savage breast;
Her eyes enforce her prayers, soft beauty pleads,
And brib'd the judge; a night of guilt succeeds.
Then soon for peace th' affrighted brother sought,
And with rich gifts his reconcilement bought.

Affairs united thus, the court ordains
A solemn feast, where joy tumultuous reigns.
Here Cleopatra's genius first was shown,
And arts till then to frugal Rome unknown.
The hall a temple seem'd; corrupter days
Scarce to the gods would such a structure raise
Rich was the fretted roof, and cover'd o'er
With ponderous gold; all onyx was the floor.
Nor marble plates alone the walls incas'd,
Beauteous to sight, and all th' apartment grac'd;
But solid pillars of thick agate stood,
And ebony supply'd for common wood.
Ivory the doors, with Indian tortoise seen
Inlaid, and studded emerald between.
The beds too shone, profuse of gems, on high,
The coverings Tyrian silk, of double dye,
Embroider'd part with gold, with scarlet part,
A curious mixture of Egyptian art.

And now the crowd of menial slaves appears, Of various skin and size, and various years. Some swarthy Africans with frizzled hair; Black Ethiops these: and those, like Germans, fair, With yellow locks, which, Cæsar owns, outshine In colour ev'n the natives of the Rhine; Beside th' unhappy youth by steel unmann'd, And soften'd from their sex, a beardless band; An abler train was rang'd in adverse rows,

Yet scarce their cheeks did the first down disclose.

The princes took their seats; amid the rest
Sat lordly Cæsar, their superior guest.
Proud Cleopatra, not content alone

T" enjoy a brother spouse, and share his throne,
Had stain'd her cheeks, and arm'd with artful care
Her fatal eyes, new conquest to prepare;

Bright jewels grac'd her neck, and sparkled in her hair.

O'ercharg'd with spoils which the Red-Sea supply'd, Scarce can she move beneath the ponderous pride. Sidonian silk her snowy breasts array'd,

Which through the net-work veil a thousand charms display'd.

Here might be seen large oval tables, wrought
Of citron from Atlantic forests brought,
Their tressels ivory; not so rich a sort
Was Cæsar's prize in vanquish'd Juba's court.
Blind ostentatious madness! to display
Your wealth to whom ev'n civil war's a play,
And tempt an armed guest to seize the prey!
Grant riches not the purpose of his toil,
Nor with rapacious arms to hunt for spoil,
Think him a hero of that chaster time,
When poverty was praise, and gold a crime;
Suppose Fabricius present at the show,
Or the rough consul chosen from the plough,
Or virtuous Curius; each would wish to come
With such a triumph back to wondering Rome.

.

What earth and air, the sea and Nile afford, In golden vessels heaps the plenteous board; Whate'er ambitious Luxury could find

Through the search'd globe, and more than want enjoin'd;

Herds of Egyptian gods, and fowl of various kind.
In crystal ewers Nilus supplies around

His purest streams; vast glittering bowls abound
With wine from Meroe's isle, whose noble age,
Fermenting, sparkles with ungovern'd rage:
With twisted wreaths, which fragrant flowers com-
Delightful nard, and ever-blooming rose, [pose,
They crown their brows; and strow their oily hair
With spice from neighbouring fields, not yet expir'd

in air.

Here Cæsar learns the fruitful world to drain,
While conscious thoughts his secret soul arraign;
Blushing he inward inourns the dire debate
With his poor son, but mourns, alas! too late,
And longs for war with Egypt's wealthy state.

At length, the tumult of the banquet o'er,
When sated Luxury requir'd no inore,
Cæsar protracts the silent hours of night,
And, turning to Achoreus, cloth'd in white,
High on a lofty couch-" Say, holy seer!
Whose hoary age thy guardian gods revere,
Devoted to their rites! wilt thou relate
The rise and progress of the Pharian state?
Describe the land's extent, what humours sway

The people's minds, and to what powers you pray
What customs keep, and what devotion pay.
Whate'er your ancient monuments contain,
Produce to light, and willing gods explain.
If Plato once obtain'd a like request,

To whom your sires their mystic rites confest,
This let me boast, perhaps you have not here`
A meaner guest, or less judicious ear.
Fame of my rival led me first, 'tis true,
To Egypt's coast, yet join'd with fame of you.
I still had vacant hours amidst my wars,
To read the Heavens, and to review the stars;
Henceforth all calendars must yield to mine,
And ev❜n Eudoxus shall the palm resign.
But, more than all, the love of truth, which fires
My glowing breast, an ardent wish inspires
To learn, what numerous ages ne'er could know,
Your river's source, and causes of its flow.
Indulge my hope Nile's secret birth to view,
No more in arms I'll civil strife pursue."

He paus'd; when thus Achoreus made reply
"Ye reverend shades of our great ancestry!
While I to Cæsar Nature's works explain,
And open stores yet hid from eyes profane,
Be it no crime your secrets to reveal!
Let others hold it pious to conceal
Such mighty truths. I think the gods design'd
Works such as these to pass all human kind,
And teach the wondering world their laws and
heavenly mind.

"At Nature's birth, a various power was given To various stars, that cross the poles of Heaven, And slack the rolling sphere. With sovereign rays The Sun divides the months, the nights, the days; Fix'd in his orb, the wandering course restrains Of other stars, and the great dance ordains. The changeful Moon attends th' alternate tides, Saturn o'er ice and snowy zones presides; Mars rules the winds, and the wing'd thunder Jove's is a sky serene and temperate air; [guides; The seeds of life are Venus' kindly care. O'er spreading streams, Cyllenius, is thy reign: And when that part of Heaven thou dost attain, When Cancer with the Lion mingles rays, And Sirius all his fiery rage displays, Beneath whose hot survey, deep in his bed, Obscure from sight, old Nilus veils his head; When thou, from thence, in thy celestial course, Ruler of floods, dost strike the river's source, The conscious streams break out, and flowing soon Obey thy call, as Ocean does the Moon; Nor check their tide, till night has from the Sun Regain'd those hours th' advancing Summer won.

"Vain was the faith of old, that melted snow From Ethiopian hills produce this flow; For let the native's sun-burnt skins declare, That no bleak North breathes wintry tempests there,

But vapours from the South possess the parching
Besides, such torrents as by snows increase, [air.
Begin to swell when Spring does first release
Those wintery stores; Nile ne'er provokes his
streams,

Till the hot Dog-star shoot his angry beams;
Nor then resumes his banks, till Libra weighs
In equal scale the measur'd nights and days.
Hence he the laws of other streams declines,
Nor flows in winter, when at distance shines

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