Curæque carmen femper antidotos modis
Mentem relaxet involutam Lydiis;
Oh! fim perenni emancipatus carmini,
Quod tentet ufque ad intimum cor emicans,
Aurefque gratis detinens ambagibus
Pedibus legatis fuaviter nectat moras,
Dum liquida vox, labyrinthus ut, deflectitur
Dolo perita et negligenti induftriâ,
Variàque cæcos arte nodos explicat,
Animam latentem qui coercent mufices;
Adeo ut quiete expergefactus aureà.
Toros relinquat ipfe Thrax amaranthinos,
Medioque tales captet Elyfio fonos,
Quales avaram fuadeant Proferpinam
Nullâ obligatam lege fponfam reddere..
His fi redundes gaudiis, prudentis eft,
Lætitia, tecum velle vitam degere,.

A

A

VOY A GE

TO THE

PLANET S.

Tranflated by the Rev. Mr. FAWKES, A. M.

UNDE labor novus hic menti? Quæ cura quietam

Sollicitat, rapienfque extra confinia terræ,
Cœleftes fine more jubet volitare per ignes?
Scilicet impatiens angufto hoc orbe teneri,
Fontinelle, tuos audax imitarier aufus

Geftio, & infolitas fpirant præcordia flammas.

Fallor, an ipfe venit? Delapfus ab æthere fummo Pegafon urget eques, laterique flagellifer inftat: Me vocat ; & duris defifte laboribus, inquit,

46

Me duce, carpe viam facilem, tibi fingula clarè Expediam, tibi cernere erit, quos fidera nôrunt, Indigenas cultufque virûm, morefque docebo." Nec mora, pennipedem confcendo jussus, ovansque (Quanquam animus fecum volvens exempla priorum Bellerophonteæ pallet difpendia famæ)

Poft equitem fedeo, liquidumque per aëra labor. -Mercurium petimus primum: Dux talibus infit; Afpicias vanæ malefana negotia gentis,

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+86

Quam mens deftituit Titane exuft- propinquo.
Stramineis viden'? Hic velatus tempora fertis
Emicat, & folos reges crepat atque tetrarchas.

Ille

SAY, what uncommon cares disturb my rest,

And kindle raptures foreign to my breaft?
From earth's low confines lift my mind on high,
To trace new worlds revolving in the sky?
Yes-I'm impatient of this orb of clay,
And boldly dare to meditate my way,
Where Fontinelle firft faw the planets roll,
And all the God tumultuous shakes my foul.

'Tis He! He comes! and thro' the fun-bright kies Drives foaming Pegafus, and thus he cries:

Ceafe, ceafe, dear youth, too ftudiously employ'd, "And wing with me the unrefifting void; ""Tis thine with me round other worlds to foar, "And vifit kingdoms never known before; "While I fuccinctly fhew each various race, "The manners and the genius of the place." I (tho' my mind with lively horror fraught, Thinks on Bellerophon, and fhudders at the thought) Mount quick the winged fteed; he fprings, he flies, Shoots thro' the yielding air, and cleaves the liquid fkies! -Firft, fwift Cyllenius, circling round the fun, We reach, when thus my friendly guide begun : Mark well the genius of this fiery place, "The wild amusements of the brainfick race, "Whofe minds the beams of Titan, too intenfe, "Affect with frenzy, and distract the sense. "A monarch here gives fubject princes law,

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A mighty monarch, with a crown of straw.

"There