to an understanding of the classics: for on the theology of the most ancient Greeks, which is the subject of the following poem, much of succeeding authors depends. Few are the writers, either Greek or Roman, who have not made use of the fables of antiquity; historians have frequent allusions to them; and they are sometimes the very soul of poetry. For these reasons, let me admonish you to become soon familiar with Homer and Hesiod, by translations of them: you will perceive the advantage in your future studies; nor will you repent of it when you read the great originals. I have, in my notes, spared no pains to let you into the nature of the Theogony, and to explain the allegories to you; and, indeed, I have been more elaborate for your sake than I should otherwise have been. While I am paying my respect to your Lordship, I would not be thought forgetful of your brother; directing what I have here said, at the same time, to him. Go on, my Lord, to answer the great expectations which your friends have from you; and be your chief ambition to deserve the praise of all wise and good men.-I am, my Lord, with the greatest respect, and most sincere affection, Your most obedient

and most humble Servant,

THOMAS Cooke.

THE

THEOGONY;

OR,

THE GENERATION OF THE GODS.

The Argument,

After the proposition and invocation, the poet begins the generation of the gods. This poem, besides the genealogy of the deities and heroes, contains the story of Heaven, and the conspiracy of his wife and sons against him, the story of Styx and her offsprings, of Saturn and his sons, and of Prometheus and Pandóra: hence the poet proceeds to relate the war of the gods, which is the subject of above three hundred verses. The reader is often relieved, from the narrative part of the Theogony, with several beautiful descriptions, and other poetical embellishments,

BEGIN, my song, with the melodious Nine
Of Helicon the spacious and divine:
The Muses there, a lovely choir, advance
With tender feet to form the skilful dance,
Now round the sable font in order move,
Now round the altar of Saturnian Jove:
Or if the cooling streams to bathe invite,
In thee, Permessus, they a while delight;
Or now to Hippocrene resort the fair,
Or, Olmius, to thy sacred spring repair.
Veil'd in thick air, they all the night prolong,
In praise of ægis-bearing Jove, the song:

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And thou, O Argive Juno! golden shod,
Art join'd in praises with thy consoft god:
Thee, goddess, with the azure eyes, they sing,
Minerva, daughter of the heavenly king;
The sisters to Apollo tune their voice,
And Artemis, to thee whom darts rejoice;
And Neptune in the pious hymn they sound,
Who girts the earth, and shakes the solid ground;
A tribute thee to Themis chaste allow,

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And Venus charming with the bending brow;
Nor Hebe, crown'd with gold, forget to praise,
Nor fair Dione, in their holy lays;

Nor thou, Aurora, nor the day's great light,
Remain unsung, nor the fair lamp of night;
To thee, Latona, next the numbers range;
Täpetus, and Saturn wont to change,

They chant; thee, Ocean, with an ample breast,
They sing, and Earth, and Night in sable dress'd:
Nor cease the virgins here the strain divine; 31
They celebrate the whole immortal line.
Erewhile as they the shepherd swain behold
Feeding, beneath the sacred mount, his fold,
With love of charming song his breast they fired;
There me the heavenly Muses first inspired;
There, when the maids of Jove the silence broke,
To Hesiod thus, the shepherd swain, they spoke

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Shepherds, attend, your happiness who place In gluttony alone, the swain's disgrace; Strict to your duty in the field you keep, There vigilant by night to watch your sheep: Attend, ye swains, on whom the Muses call, Regard the honour not bestow'd on all; "Tis ours to speak the truth in language plain, Or give the face of truth to what we feign.'

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So spoke the maids of Jove, the sacred Nine, And pluck'd a sceptre from the tree divine; To me the branch they gave, with look serene, The laurel ensign, never fading green: I took the gift, with holy raptures fired, My words flow sweeter, and my soul's inspired; Before my eyes appears the various scene Of all that is to come, and what has been. Me have the Muses chose, their bard to grace, To celebrate the bless'd immortal race; To them the honours of my verse belong: To them I first and last devote the song: But where, O where, enchanted do I rove, Or o'er the rocks, or through the vocal grove! 60 Now with the' harmonious Nine begin, whose voice

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Makes their great sire, Olympian Jove, rejoice;
The present, future, and the past, they sing,
Join'd in sweet concert to delight their king;
Melodious and untired their voices flow;
Olympus echoes, ever crown'd with snow,
The heavenly songsters fill the' etherial round;
Jove's palace laughs, and all the courts resound:
Soft warbling endless with their voice divine,
They celebrate the whole immortal line:
From earth and heaven, great parents, first they
The progeny of gods, a bounteous race; [trace
And then to Jove again returns the song,
Of all in empire, and command, most strong;
Whose praises first and last their bosom fire,
Of mortals, and immortal gods, the sire:
Nor to the sons of men deny their praise,
To such as merit of their heavenly lays;
They sing the giants of puissant arm,

And with the wondrous tale their father charm.

Mnemosyne, in the Pierian grove,
The scene of her intrigue with mighty Jove,
The empress of Eleuther, fertile earth,

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Brought to Olympian Jove the Muses forth; Bless'd offsprings, happy maids, whose powerful

art

Can banish cares, and ease the painful heart. Absent from heaven, to quench his amorous flame Nine nights the god of gods compress'd the dame. Now thrice three times the moon concludes her

race,

And shows the produce of the god's embrace, 90
Fair daughters, pledges of immortal Jove,
In number equal to the nights of love;
Bless'd maids, by harmony of temper join'd;
And verse, their only care, employs their mind.
The virgin songsters first beheld the light

Near where Olympus rears his snowy height;
Where to the maids fair stately domes ascend,
Whose steps a constant beauteous choir attend.
Not far from hence the Graces keep their court,
And with the god of love in banquets sport, 100
Meanwhile the Nine their heavenly voices raise
To the immortal powers the song of praise;
They tune their voices in a sacred cause,
Their theme the manners of the gods, and laws:
When to Olympus they pursue their way,
Sweet warbling, as they go, the deathless lay,
Measuring to Jove, with gentle steps, the ground,
The sable earth returns the joyful sound.

Great Jove, their sire, who rules the' etherial plains,
Confirm'd in power, of gods the monarch reigns;
His father Saturn hurl'd from his command, 111
He grasps the thunder with his conquering hand,