Th' impenetrable darkness fet with stars.

The fix'd foundations thou haft lay'd beneath,
And the whole world's extremities are thine.
Thyself for ever flourishing, to thee

20.

Of things the rife and the decay belong,

The end and the beginning. With thy harp

25

Of various modulation thou the whole

Of nature harmonisest: the lowest string

Now sweetly touching, now in Dorian measure
Afcending to the highest : nature's tribes,

No less than nature, to thy harmony

Owe the variety and pleafing change

Of feafons; mix'd by thee in equal parts,
Summer and winter; on the highest string
This modulated, that the lowest claims,
While to a Dorian measure the sweet prime

Of lovely spring advances: mortals hence

30

35

Have call'd thee royal Pan, two-horned God,
The vivifying gales, thro' fyrinx fam'd

Emitting: wherefore thou the marking feal

Of the whole world poffeffeft. Hear bleft pow'r,

And with propitious voice thy

myftics fave.

40

fyftem is bounded by a thick and outer darkness, where are the fxt stars.

Ver. 22.] See Pfalm xix. 5, 6.

HE

IV.

The 35th HY M N.

To DIANA.

EAR me, oh queen, Jove's daughter, various-nam'd,
Bacchian and Titan, noble huntress queen,

Shining on all, torch-bearer, bright Dictynna,
O'er births prefiding, and thy ready aid
To all imparting in the pangs of birth,
Tho' unexperienc'd of those pangs thyfelf;
Diffolver of the zone, foother of care,
Fierce huntress in the course unweary'd still,
Delighting in the bow and fylvan sports,
Trav❜ling by night, aufpicious and renown'd,
Of manly form, erect and tow'ring, swift
T'affift, pure expiating pow'r, great nurse
Of mortals, earthly and celeftial, bleft
And rich, the woody hills poffeffing, bane
Of beasts, pursuer of the nimble stag.

5

10

15

Dread

Dread univerfal queen, who flourish fair

In youth perpetual, woods and dogs delight
Thy foul, Cydonian, multiform. Oh come
Benignant to thy myftics, faving pow'r,
Aufpicious, fend from earth the beauteous fruits,
Give us fair peace, and health with lovely locks,
And to the mountains drive disease and pain.

20

O

V.

The 31st HY M N.

To PALLAS.

NLY-begotten, noble race of Jove,

PALLAS, bleft Goddess, warlike martial maid,

Thou word ineffable, of mighty name,
Inhabiting the stars, o'er craggy rocks

And shady mountains paffing; thou in groves
Thy foul delighteft: with wild fury fixing
The minds of mortals, joying in bright armour.

5

Ver. 3.] Appar', av fnrn, Dicta indicta, Scaliger.-Hercules too is called Appar”.

Gymnastic

Ver. 4.] Aspodiairs, I read; it is an epithet of Pan alfo: fee the hymn to him.

Gymnaftic maid, with fierce and furious foul:
Virgin, dire Gorgon's bane, mother of arts,
Impetuous, violent: wisdom to the good,
And to the evil, madness: parent of war,

And counsel: thou art male and female too:
Multiform dragonefs, fam'd enthusiastic,

O'er. the Phlegræan giants with destruction

Thy courfers driving: fprung from head of Jove.
Purger of evils, all-victorious queen ;

Hear me, with fupplicating vows approaching
Both nights and days, and evʼn in my last hours :
Give us rich peace, faturity and health,
With profp'rous seasons, O thou blue-ey'd maid,
Of arts inventress, much implored queen.

Ver. 12.] Active and paffive in nature.

ΙΟ

15

20

VI.

D'

VI.

The 39th HY M N.

To CERES.

IO, fam'd Goddess, univerfal mother,

Giver of wealth, thou holy nurfing CERES,

Giver of riches, nourisher of corn,

Giver of all things, in the works of peace
Joying of feed, of harveft, threshing, fruits
Goddess, inhabiting Eleufis' feats

Holy, retir'd: delightful, lovely queen,
Supporter of all mortals; who first join'd
The ploughing oxen to the yoke, and blest
Man with the plenteous means of happy life;
In verdure ftill encreafing, high in honour,
Affeffor of great Bacchus : bearer of light
Pure, bright: rejoicing in the reaper's fickles,
Celestial and terrestrial, kind to all,

Fertile, thy daughter loving, holy nurse;

Thy pair of dragons yoking to thy car

Around thy throne in circling course thou'rt driven,

Singing the facred orgies: only-begotten,

Yet thou'rt of many mother, much rever'd.

3.

5

10

15

Thine