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Meantime, the trembling troops, by Pompey led, Hafty to Phrygian Capua were fled. Resolving here to fix the moving war, He calls his fcatter'd legions from afar; Here he decrees the daring foe to wait, And prove at once the great event of fate; Where Apennine's delightful fhades arife,. And lift Hefperia lofty to the fkies. Between the higher and inferior fea, The long-extended mountain takes his way; Pifa and Ancon bound his floping fides, Wash'd by the Tyrrhene and Dalmatic tides; Rich in the treafure of his watery ftores, A thousand living fprings and ftreams he pours, And feeks the different seas by different fhores. From his left falls Cruftumium's rapid flood, And swift Metanrus red with Punic blood; There gentle Sapis with Ifaurus joins, And Sena there the Senones confines; Rough Aufidus the meeting ocean braves, And lashes on the lazy Adria's waves;

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Hence vaft Eridanus with matchlefs force,

Prince of the ftreams, directs his regal courfe;

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Proud with the spoils of fields and woods he flows,
And drains Hefperia's rivers as he goes.
His facred banks, in ancient tales renown'd,

Firft by the spreading poplar's fhade were crown'd;
When the fun s fiery fteeds forfook their way,
And downward drew to earth the burning day:
When every flood and ample lake was
The Po alone his channel could supply.

dry

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Hither

and 645

Hither rash Phaeton was headlong driven,⠀
And in these waters quench'd the flames of heaven. 640
Nor wealthy Nile a fuller ftream contains, ma somail o
Though wide he fpreads o'er Ægypt's flatter plains ;
Nor Ifter rolls a larger torrent down, dgrobni zjallid
Sought he the fea with waters all his own; Burd of
But meeting floods to him their homage pay,
And heave the blended river on his way, esdom.br A
These from the left; while from the fight, there come
The Rutuba and Tiber dear to Rome; or sibuld be A
Thence files Vulturnus" fwift-defcending flood, IL
And Sarnus hid beneath his mifty cloud; enou65ə
Thence Lyris, whom the Veftin fountains aid,
Winds to the fea through clofe Marica's fhade;on
Thence Siler through Salernian pastures falls,
And shallow Macra creeps by Luna's walls.
Bordering on Gaul the loftieft ridges rife, ye
And the low Alps from cloudy heights defpife;
Thence his long back the fruitful mountain bows,
Beneath the Umbrian and the Sabine plows;

The race primæval, natives all of old,

655

His woody rocks within their circuit hold;bach 1660..
Far as Hefperia's utmoft limits pafs,

The hilly father runs his mighty maís;
Where Juno rears her high Lacinian fane,
And Scylla's raging dogs moleft the main,

Once, farther yet ('tis faid) his v

way he took,
Till through his fide the feas confpiring broke;
And ftill we fee on fair Sicilia's fandst
Where, part of Apennine, Pelorus ftands.

665

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But Cæfar for deftruction eager burns, 1 ding medaily Free paffages and bloodless ways he scorns ;kodni.670 In fierce conflicting fields his arms delight,

He joys to be oppos'd, to prove his might,
Refiftless through the widening breach to go,
To burst the gate, to lay the bulwark low,
To burn the villages, to waste the plains,
And maffacre the poor laborious fwains.
Abhorring law, he choofes to offend,

And blushes to be thought his country's friend.
The Latian cities.now, with bufy care,

As various they inclin'd, for arms prepare.

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Though doom'd before the war's first rage to yield,
Trenches they dig, and ruin'd walls rebuild;
Huge ftone and darts their lofty towers supply,
And guarded bulwarks menace from on high.ů baA
To Pompey's part the proner people lean,

685

Though Cæfar's ftronger terrors ftand between. be
So when the blafts of founding Auster blow,
The waves obedient to his empire flow;

And though the ftormy god fierce Eurus frees,

And fends him rushing crofs the fwelling feas; 690
Spite of his force, the billows yet retain

Their former course, and that way roll the main;
The lighter clouds with Eurus driving sweep,

While Aufter still commands the watery deep.
Still fear too fure o'er vulgar minds prevails,695
And faith before fuccefsful fortune fails.

Etruria vainly trufts in Libo's aid,

And Umbria by Thermus is betray'd;

Sylla,

Sylla, unmindful of his father's fame,
Fled at the dreadful found of Cæfar's name.
Soon as the horfe near Auximon appear,
Retreating Varus owns his abject fear,
And with a coward's hafte neglects his rear;
On flight alone intent, without delay,

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Through rocks and devious woods he wings his way. 705
Th' Efculean fortrefs Lentulus forfakes,
A swift pursuit the speedy victor makes ;
All arts of threats and promises apply'd,
He wins the faithlefs cohorts to his fide.
The leader with his enfigns fled alone,
To Cæfar fell the foldier, and the town.

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Thou, Scipio, too doft for retreat prepare;

Thou leav'ft Luceria, trufted to thy care;

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Though troops well try'd attend on thy command,
(The Roman power can boast no braver band)
By wily arts of old from Cæfar rent,

Against the hardy Parthians were they fent ;
But their first chief the legion now obeys,
And Pompey thus the Gallic lofs repays;
Aid to his foe too freely he affords,

defies;

And lends his hoftile father Roman fwords.
But in Corfinium bold Domitius lies,
And from his walls th' advancing power
Secure of heart, for all events prepar'd,
He heads the troops once bloody Milo's guard.
Soon as he fees the cloudy duft arise,
And glittering arms reflect the funny fkies:
Away, companions of my arms! he cry'd,
And hafte to guard the river's fedgy fide:

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Break

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Break down the bridge. And thou that dwell'ft below,
Thou watery god, let all thy fountains go, ed an
And rushing bid thy foamy torrent flowed od 200
Swell to the utmost brink thy rapid stream, paino1733
Bear down the planks, and every floating beam; baA.
Upon thy banks the lingring war delay,saoic admifi
Here let the headlong chief be taught to stay ;."
'Tis victory to stop the victor's way. hol nestudio
He ceas'd; and, shooting swiftly cross the plain,
Drew down the foldier to the flood in vain, on HA
For Cæfar early from the neighbouring field, d 740
The purpose to obstruct his march beheld : nshaal st
Kindling to wrath, oh basest fear! (he cries)
To whom nor towers, nor fheltering walls fuffice.
Are thefe your coward ftratagems of war?

Hope you with brooks my conquering arms to bar? 745
Though Nile and Ifter should my way control,
Though fwelling Ganges fhould to guard you roll,
What ftreams, what floods foe'er athwart me fall,

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Who paft the Rubicon fhall pass them all.

Hafte to the paffage then, my friends. He faid; 750
Swift as a storm the nimble horfe obey'dead
Across the stream their deadly darts they throw, D
And from their station drive the yielding foe:

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The victors at their ease the ford explore, LA
And pafs the undefended river o'er. tuted to
The vanquish'd to Corfinium's ftrength retreat,
Where warlike engines round the ramparts threats.
Close to the wall the creeping vinea lies,

And mighty towers in dread approaches rife.

But fee the ftain of war! the foldier's fhame!

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And vile dishonour of the Latian name!

The

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