From their just lords the Christian lands to wreft! Poffefs the treasures where Cynifio flows; And all secure, behold their harvests smile Each noble paffion from thy breast erased, In c What impious luft of empire fteels thy breaft.—The French translator very cordially agrees with the Portuguese poet in the ftrictures upon Germany, England, and Italy. But when his own country is touched upon, "Malgré « l'estime, says he, que j'ai pour mon auteur, je ne craindrai pas de dire qu'il tombe ❝ici dans une grande injuftice: For all the regard I have for my author, I will "not hesitate to say, that here he has committed an enormous injustice." All Europe befides however will witness the truth of the affertion, which ftigmatizes the French politics with the luft of extending their monarchy. d where Cynifio flows- -A river in Africa. e Ob! Italy, how fallen, boru low, how left!—However these severe reflections on modern Italy may displease the admirers of Italian manners, the picture on the whole is too just to admit of confutation. Never did the history of any court afford fuch inftances of villany and all the baseness of intrigue, as that of the popes. The faith and honour of gentlemen banished from the politics of the Vatican, every public virtue must of consequence decline among the higher ranks; while the lower, broken by oppreffion, fink into the deepest poverty, and its attendant vices of meanness and pusillanimity. That this view of the lower ranks in the pope's dominions is juft, we have the indubitable teftimony of an Addison, confirmed by the miferable depopulation of a province, which was once the finest and most populous of the Roman empire. It has long been the policy of the court of Spain, to encourage the luxury and effeminate diffipation of the Neapo In vain to thee the call of glory founds, Thy sword alone thy own soft bofom wounds. Ah, litan nobility; and those of modern Venice resemble their warlike ancestors only in name. That Italy can boast many individuals of a different character, will by no means overthrow thefe general obfervations founded on the testimony of the most authentic writers. Our poet is befides justifiable, in his cenfures, for he only follows the fevere reflections of the greatest of the Italian poets. It were easy to give fifty instances; two or three however fhall fuffice. Dante in his fixth Canto, del Purg. Abi, ferva Italia, di dolore oftello, Non donna di provincie, ma bordello "Ah, flavish Italy, the inn of dolour, a fhip without a pilot in a horrid "tempeft, not the mistress of provinces, but a brothel.” Ariofto, Canto 17. O d'ogni vitio fetida fentina Dormi Italia inebriac "O inebriated Italy, thou sleepest the fink of every filthy vice." And Petrarch; Del' empia Babilonia, ond' è fuggita Son fuggit' io per allungar la vita. "From the impious Babylon (the papal court) from whence all fhame and "all good are fled, the inn of dolour, the mother of errors, have I haftened "away to prolong my life." A much admired Sonnet from the fame author fhall close these citations. SONNETTO. La gola, e'l fonno, e l'otiofo piume Che vuol fur d'Helicona nafcer fiume K 3 Qual Ah, Europe's fons, ye brother-powers, in you The fables old of Cadmus now are f true: Fierce Qual vaghezza di lauro, qual di mirto? Povera e nuda vai Filifofia, Dice la turba al vil guadagno intesa. Non laffar la magnanima tua impresa. Though this elegant little poem is general, yet as the author and the friend to whom he addreffes it were Italians, it must be acknowledged that he had a particular regard to the state of their own country. His friend, it is fuppofed, was engaged on some great literary work, but was discouraged by the view of the diffipation and profligacy of his age. I have thus attempted it in English: SONNE T. Ah! how, my friend, has foul-gorged luxurie, And flaved the age to custom's tyrannie! The bleffed lights so loft in darkness be, Thofe lights by heaven to guide our minds bestown, Philosophy, ah! thou art cold and poor, Ah, gentle fpirit, labour on unspent, Crown thy fair toils, and win the smile of God. f The fables old of Cadmus.- -Cadmus having flain the dragon which guarded the fountain of Dirce in Boeotia, fowed the teeth of the monster. A number of armed men immediately sprung up, and furrounded Cadmus, in order to kill him. By the counsel of Minerva he threw a precious stone among them, in striving for which they flew one another. Only five furvived, who afterwards affifted him to build the city of Thebes. Vid. Ovid. Met. iv. The Fierce rofe the brothers from the dragon teeth, From every land to blot the Chriftian name. There boaftful wealth displays her radiant ftore; The foundation of this fable appears to be thus: Cadmus having slain a famous freebooter, who infested Boeotia, a number of his banditti, not improperly called his teeth, attempted to revenge his death, but quarrelling about the presents which Cadmus fent them to diftribute among themselves, they fell by the swords of each other. Terrigenæ pereunt per mutua vulnera fratres. 8 So fall the braveft of the Chriftian name, Imitated from this fine passage in Lucan: Quis furor, O Cives! quæ tanta licentia ferri, Hoc, quem civiles hauserunt, fanguine, dextræ! Rowl their long way; but not for you they flow; And Afric's fons their deepest mines unfold i h To h Beyond the Wolgian lake The Cafpian fea, fo called from the large river Volga or Wolga, which empties itself into it. i Their faireft offspring from their bosoms torn, By this barbarous policy the tyranny of the Ottomans has been long sustained. The troops of the Turkish infantry and cavalry, known by the name of Janizaries and Spahis, are thus fupported, and the fcribes in office called Mufti, fays Sandys, "are the fons of Chriftians (and those the most com"pletely furnished by nature) taken in their childhood from their miserable 66 parents by a levy made every five years, or oftener or feldomer, as.occa"fion requireth." |