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THE

TENTH BOOK

O F

LUCA N'S PHAR SALIA,

TRANSLATE D.

THE ARGUMENT AND CONNECTION OF THE STORY WITH THE FOREGOING BOOKS.

Pompey, flying to Egypt, after his defeat at Pharfalia, was, by the king's confent, bafely murdered by Pothinus, and his head prefented to Cæfar, as he approached the Ægyptian coaft, in pursuit of his enemy. The poet having represented this catastrophe in the two former books; the argument of the tenth book is as follows:

Cæfar lands in Ægypt. He goes to Alexandria; visits the temple, and the fepulchre of the kings, in which Alexander the Great was buried. The poet, in a beautiful digreffion, declaims against the ambition of that monarch. Ptolemy, the young king of Ægypt, meets Cæfar at his arrival, and receives him into his palace. His fifter Cleopatra, who had been kept a prisoner in Pharos, makes her escape, and privately getting admittance to Cæfar, implores his protection. By his means fhe is reconciled to her brother; after which she entertains Cæfar at a feast.

The

The fupper being ended, Cæfar requests of Achoreus, the priest, an account of the antiquities of Ægypt, particularly of the river Nile. Achoreus's reply. The course of that river described, with an enumeration of the various opinions concerning its fpring, and the causes of its overflowing. Pothinus plots the death of Cæfar. His message to Achillas to invite him to join in this attempt. Achillas marches against Alexandria with an army composed of Ægyptians and Romans, and befieges Cæfar in the palace, who feizes Ptolemy as a pledge for his own fecurity. A herald, fent from the king to inquire the cause of this tumult, is flain. An attack being made, Cæfar defends himself, burns the Ægyptian fhips in the harbour, and poffeffes himfelf of Pharos, where he puts Pothinus to death. Arfinoe, younger fifter of Ptolemy, by the aid of Ganimede, her governor, arriving in the camp, caufes Achillas to be flain. Ganimede renews the attack against Cæfar, who is blocked up in Pharos, and reduced to the greatest extremity.

HEN conquering Cæfar follow'd to the land His rival's head, and trod the barbarous itrand, His fortune ftrove with guilty Egypt's fate In doubtful fight, and this the dire debate ; Shall Roman arms great Lagus' realm enthrall? Or fhall the victor, like the vanquish'd, fall By Egypt's fword? Pompey, thy ghost withstood Th' impending blow, and fav'd the general's blood,

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Left Rome, too happy after lofs 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 faw his entry, while, before,
Advancing guards the rods of empire bore,
In murmur'd founds their jealous rage disclos'd,
At Roman rites and foreign law impos'd.

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Obferving Cæfar foon his error spy'd,

That not for him his mighty rival dy'd,

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

Then with intrepid mien he took his way,

The city walls and temples to furvey,

Works which thy ancient power, great Macedon, difplay.

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He view'd the fplendid fanes with careless eyes,
Shrines rich with gold and facred myfteries,
Nor fix'd his fight, but, eager in his pace,
Defcends the vault, which holds the royal race.
Philip's mad fon, the profperous robber, bound
In Fate's eternal chains, here fleeps profound,
Whom death forbad his rapines to pursue,
And in the world's revenge the monster slew.
His impious bones, which, through each climate toft,

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The fport of winds, or in the ocean loft,

Had met a jufter fate, this tomb obtain❜d,

And facred, to that kingdom's end, remain’d.

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0!

O! fhould aufpicious years roll round again,
And godlike Liberty resume her reign,
Preferv'd to fcorn the reliques would be shown
Of the bold chief, whofe boundless pride alone
This curft example to Ambition gave,
How many realms one mortal can enflave!

Difdaining what his father won before,
Afpiring ftill, and restless after more,

He left his home; while Fortune smooth'd his way,
And o'er the fruitful Eaft enlarg'd his sway.
Red Slaughter mark'd his progrefs, as he paft;
The guilty fword laid human nature waste,
Difcolour'd Ganges' and Euphrates' flood,
With Perfian this, and that with Indian blood.
He feem'd in terror to the nations fent,
The wrath of Heaven, a ftar of dire portent,
And fhook, like thunder, all the continent !

Nor yet content, a navy he provides,
To feas remote his triumphs now he guides,
Nor winds nor waves his progress could withstand;
Nor Libya's fcorching heat, and defart land,
Nor rolling mountains of collected fand.

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Had Heaven but giv'n him line, he had outrun
The fartheft journey of the setting fun,

March'd round the poles, and drank discover❜d Nile 60 At his fpring-head-But winged fate the while Comes on with speed, the funeral hour draws near; Death only could arrest his mad career,

Who

Who to his grave the world's fole empire bore,
With the fame envy 'twas acquir'd before;
And, wanting a fucceffor to his reign,
Left all to fuffer conqueft once again.

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

ours,

Th' unconquer'd East defies our feeble powers,

So fatal once to Rome's great Craffi known,
A province now to Pella's puny town.

Now from Pelufium, where expanding wide
Nile pours into the fea his ample tide,
Came the boy-king; his presence foon appeas'd
The people's rage, and giddy tumult ceas'd.
In Ægypt's palace, Cæfar fleeps fecure;
This princely hoftage does awhile enfure
His terms of peace; when lo! the fister-queen,
In a small boat conceal'd, fecurely 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 foft incendiary charms

Provok'd the Grecian and the Trojan arms,

-No lefs did Cleopatra's eyes infpire
Italian flames, and fpread the kindled fire.

VOL. XXXL

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