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The rigid texture of their rougher frame
The dangerous glories of the field inflame;
To wage with fure fuccefs the bloody fight,
Their favorite care, and war their fole delight.
Victors, or vanquil h'd, by the example taught,
They found new paths to conqueft as they fought.
Triumphant CARTHAGE vaunts her powers in vain,
And claims the exclufive empire of the main;
ROME to the fea her ductile Genius turns,
And from her foe the means of Victory learns;
Repairs with wiser toil the ruin'd fleet,
And gains fuperior art from each defeat,
Her naval care with perfeverance plies,
Till, by the courfe of long experience wise,
The watery war her perfect gallies dare,
And LIBYA's ancient fplendor melts to air.
In vain to check thefe unremitting foes
Their ftudied Tactics GRECIA's fons oppose,
Whofe force compelling countless hofts to yield,
With PERSIA'S bleeding Myriads ftrew'd the field:
The Legions active, disciplin'd, and fierce,
With varied fhock the clofe wedg'd Phalanx
pierce,

And Freedom's nobleft fons are doom'd by fate
The fervile fubjects of a foreign state.

Their country vanquifh'd, ftill the arts remain,
Still learned ATHENS boafts her polish'd train;
The flowery garlands there they weave to bind
In pleasures rofeate wreaths the Roman mind,
The joys of Peace the haughty Victors learn,
And Greece exulting triumphs in her turn.
Though firft they view with undiscerning eyes
Sculpture's fair grace, and Painting's glowing
dyes,

Though Confuls by the piece the marble rate,
And the wrought brafs is valu'd by the weight;
Yet foon their hearts the Mufes' fway confefs'd,
And powerful numbers footb'd the warlike breaft,

Each

Each swelling bofom caught the generous fire,
And ROMAN fingers ftruck the GRECIAN lyre:
Not with that fierce delight, that fudden glow,
Which from the genuine beams of Nature flow,
That burst of Harmony, which pour'd along
The full luxuriance of the Epic fong!
Matur'd by time their ripening Genius rofe,
From the harsh lines of ENNIUs's meafur'd profe
To strains, on which the Mufe enamour'd hung,
And drank each dulcet note from MARO's tongue.

But ne'er fhall Imitation's loveliest charm
Like native Grace the raptur'd bofom warm,
This bright and awful as the beam of day,
That like the paler moon's reflected ray.
By no fallacious hues does Nature please,
But boldly gives the manners that the fees,
Not Truth in Fiction's fplendid garb arrays,
But with free ftroke the living form portrays,
Her Bards divine the real actions fing
Of the ftern Hero, or the warrior King,
Or paint the life, the amorous Shepherd leads,
In the rich verdure of SICILIAN meads,
While with the verse their heated Fancy weaves
Each facred tale Mythology believes :

But Imitation with correcter hand

Fills but the outline that Invention plann'd,
With care retrenches each fuperfluous part,
Or adds the tinfel ornaments of art,

Defcribes the manners that she never knew,
And faintly copies what her Mistress drew:
Hence with affiduous step the LATIAN Muse
The march fublime of elder GREECE pursues,
Content to glean with unremitting toil
The scatter'd produce of her happier foil.

And now the jimproving fons of Rome behold The feenes of ATTIC elegance unfold,

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Pyl

Admire the fame by fculptur'd Nature graced,
And catch from every glance congenial taste:
The Capitol by conquering Confuls trod
Receiyes with friendly rite each marble God,
In bend majestic swells the PARIAN arch,
Through which in folemn pomp the Victors march;
ROME with delight the pleafing toil pursues,
And emulates the beauties that I he views,
Exults in arts and artists of her own,

Bids the warm canvaís breathe, and animates the
ftone.

Happy, had ROME, adorn'd by spoils like these,
Been fatisfied, with GRECIAN arts to please!
But ASIA's fubject regions now disclose
The fatal fources of unnumber'd woes.
Each delegated chief, who us'd of yore
To guide the thundering battle's furious roar,
Bind the green laurel round his conquering brow,
And then return contented to the plow,

Now proudly ftretches with rapacious hand
O'er plunder'd provinces his harsh command;
Loaded with wealth the ftern Proconfuls come,
And eaftern fplendor dazzles wondering ROME,
Caught with the luftre of the fhining ore,.
The charms of Poverty can please no more;
The ancient fame of frugal heroes dies,
And venal hopes, and venal paffions rise;
The honeft boast of Democratic pride
Is drown'd in dark Corruption's fwelling tide,
And Freedom's awful rights are bafely fold
For the vile barter of barbaric gold.
No more ROME's venerable Senate flings
Difmay and terror o'er ufurping kings;
No more the injur'd Nations grateful fee
Oppreffion tremble at her just decree;
No more her fword is drawn in Glory's cause
For rights betray'd, or violated laws;

The Tyrant buys impunity for. vice, .

And

And every public outrage has it's price;
Avarice can fix a giddy people's choice,
And fervile legions arm at Faction's voice.
In vain a few with fteady courage stood,
To ftem the torrent of the whelming flood;
The felfish paffions with infidious force
Of patriot worth had poifon'd every fource;
Still lawless power uprear'd her hydra head;
And freedom was no more, though CAESAR bled,

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Pyl

Opits.

gen,

O pik.

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(S. von ihm oben, E. 40. Auch in der Lehrvoeße gab er in Deutschland zuerst den Ton an; und nicht darum bloß, sondern auch ihres innern, reichhaltigen Werths we find seine Lehrgedichte noch jezt der dankbarsten Aufmerksamkeit würdig. - Das, woraus die erste folgender Stellen genommen ist, hat die Aufschrift: Zlatna, oder von Ruhe des Gemüths, und macht dem Herzen des Dichters eben so viel Ehre, als seiner so richtig geleiteten Urtheils kraft. Zlatna, oder Zalatna, hieß ein Flecken in Siebens bürgen, nicht weit von Weissenburg, wo damals Opitz lebte. Auch der beschreibende Theil dieses Gedichts hat viel wahre Poefie.

Das Gedicht, Vielgut, woraus die zweite Probe ge nommen ist, hat seine Aufschrift von einem so benannten Luftschloffe des Herzogs Heinrich Wenzels von Münsterberg in Schlesien erhalten; und der Dichter nahm, wie es scheint, von diesem Namen felbft Gelegenheit, die Frage vom höch; ften Gute zum Inhalt dieses, in seiner Art sehr schågbaren, Lehrgedichts zu machen, und hernach von diesen allgemeinen Betrachtungen zur Beschreibung jenes angenehmen Lands ges überzugehen.)

Aus dem Gedichte: Von Ruhe des
Gemüths.

D! wohl demselben, wohl, der so kann einsam

leben,

Und seine ganze Zeit den Feldern hat gegeben,
Liebt nicht der Städte Luft, und ihren falschen Schein,
Da oft zwar pflegt mehr Geld, doch auch mehr Schuld

zu sein!

Er darf sein Hütlein nicht stets in der Hand behalten,
Bann er nach Hofe kömmt, und vor der Thür erkak

ten,

Ch

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