gions, they were commemorated under a notion of the arrival of Da-naus, or Danaus. It is fuppofed to have been a perfon, who fled from his brother Egyptus, and came over in a facred fhip given him by Minerva. This fhip, like the Argo, is faid to have been the first ship confructed; and he was aflitted in the building of it by the fame Deity, Divine Wisdom. Both histories relate to the fame event. Danaus, upon his arrival, built a temple, called Argus, to lona, or Juno; of which he made his daughters priefteffes. The people of the place had an obfcure tradition of a deluge, in which moft perished, fome few only cicaping. The principal of these was Deucalion, who took refuge in the acropolis, or temple. Those who fettled in Theffaly, carried with them the fame memorials concerning Deucalion, and his deliverance; which they appropriated to their own country. They must have had traditions of this great event strongly impreffed upon their minds; as every place, to which they gave name, had fome reference to that history. In procefs of time, thefe impreffions grew more and more faint, and their emblematical worship became very obfcure and unintelligible. Hence they confined the hiftory of this event to their own country; and the Argo was fuppofed to have been built, where it was originally enshrined. As it was reverenced under the symbol of the moon, talled Man or Mon, the people from this circum:fance named their country Ai-mona, in after times rendered Aimonia. This extract from the ingenious and learned mythologist, will enable the reader to form fome idea of his fentiments on this fubject. But whatever difguft the grave hiftorian may have conceived at this unfightly mixture of the marvellous and the probable, the poet needs not be offended at it. Fiction is his province. He may be allowed to expatiate in the regions of fancy without controul, and to introduce his fiery bulls and fleepless dragons without the dread of tenlure. The Argonautic expedition has been the admired fubje&t of the Greek and Roman poets from Orpheus, or rather from Onomacritus, who lived in the times of Pififtratus, to those of our author's imitators, who lived in the decline of the Roman empire. To weigh the merits of thefe ancient poets in the juft fcale of criticism, and to appropriate to each his due share of praife, is a talk too arduous and affuming for an humble editor to engage in. Yet fuch is the partiality of tranflators and editors to their favourite poets, that they with either to find them feated above their rivals and contemporaries, on the fummits of Parnaffus, or, if poffible, to fix them there. Bat vain are thefe wishes, unless the teftimonies of the first writers of antiquity concur to gratify them. The reputation of Apollonius can neither be impaired nor enhanced by the ftrictures of Scaliger and Rapin: the judgment of Quintilian and Longinus may, indeed, more materially affect it. They have delivered their opinions on our aucher in the following words: Επείτοι γε καὶ απίωτος ὁ ̓Απολλώνιος, ὁ τῶν Agyeveutixäv wointùs de' Jv “Oungos ův μɑàλ » 'Amoλλávos idédois yeviata. Sect. xxxii. Longin. de Sublim. Non contemnendum edidit opus æquali quandam mediocritate. Quintil. Infl. Orat. l. x c. I. Unfortunately, as it should feem, for the Rhodian, thefe celebrated ftri&tures wear the double face of approbation and cenfure. The praife that is conveyed under the term axlaros, that he no where finks, is loft in the implication, that he is no where elevated. The expreffion non contemnendum opus, apparently a flattering meiofis, is limited to its loweft fenfe by the fubfequent obfervation, aquali quadam, mediocritate. But we muft not defert our poet even in this extremity; for if imitation implies efteem and admi.ation, Apollonius's nobleft eulogy will be found in the writings of Virgil. Thofe applauded paffages in this poet, which are confeffedly imitated from our author, may ferve as a counterpoife to the sentence of the critics. Apollonius was Virgil's favourite author. He has incorporated into his neid his fimiles and his epifodes; and has fhown the fuperiority of his judgment by his just application and arrangement of them. But it is not the Mantuan poet only, who has fetched from this ftorehouse the most precious ma terials. Valerius Flaccus, who has made choice of the fame subject with the Rhodian, has difcovered through every part of his work a fingular predilection for him. He is allowed to have imitated the style of Virgil with tolerable fuccefs; but he is indebted for the conduct of his poem chiefly to Apollonius. It is remarkable, that Quintillian, who has objected mediocrity to our author, has men tioned this his clofeft imitator in terms of the highest respect. Yet muft it be confeffed that the genius of Flaccus feldom foars fo high, as when it is invigorated and enlightened by the muse of Apollonius. But the admiration in which this writer has been held by the Roman poets, did not expire with them. The rage of imitation, far from ceafing, has caught congenial fpirits in every fucceeding period; and the moft approved paffages in this elegant poem have been diffufed through the works of the most admired moderus. It were needlefs to mention any other than Milton and Camoens. Milton's imita tions of Apollonius are, many of them, specified in the notes inferted in Bishop Newton's valuable edition of all that writer's poetical works. Camoens, who has hitherto been known to the English reader only through the obfcure and crude verfion of Fanfhaw, has appeared of late greatly to advantage in the very animated tranflation of Mr. Mickle. That the refined tafte of Camoens was formed on the model of the Greek and Roman poets, is evident throughout the Lufiad; which abounds in allufions to the pagan mythology, and is enriched with a profufion of graces drawn from the ancient claffics. In the number of thefe it can be no difparagement to his poem to reckon Apollonius Rhodius; to the merit of whofe work Camoens, if I misjudge not. was no firanger. The fubject of the Portuguese poem bears a ftriking refemblance to that which our author has chofen. For the heroes both of Portugal and Greece traversed unknown feas, in purfuit of the wealth with which an unknown country was expected to fupply them. Camoens not only alJudes to Argo and her demigods, but feems par ticularly fond of drawing a comparifon betwixt the heroes of his country and those of Theffaly. Here view thine Argonauts, in feas unknown, &c. With fuch bold rage the youth of Mynia glow'd, And foon after; B. iv. p. 172 While each prefag'd that great as Argo's fame, there is a paffage in the third book of Apollonius, to which the defcription of the apparition at the Cape bears a striking resemblance: I mean the appearance of the ghost of Sthenelus, ftanding on his tomb, and furveying the Argonauts as they fail befide him. The defcription of Camoens is indeed heightened by many additional circumstances, and enriched with a profufion of the boldeft images. The colouring is his own; but the first defi, and outlines of the piece appear to be taken from our poet. But it is time to quit the imitators of Apollonius, and to give fome account of his tranflators. Dr. Broome, well known in the literary world for the part he took in the tranflation of the Odyssey, and for his notes annexed to it, has given an elegant verfion of the Loves of Jafon and Medea, and of the ftory of Talaus; which are published with his original poems. Mr. Weft, who has transfufed into his verfion of the Odes of Pindar, much of the fpirit of his fublime original, has presented us, in an English drefs, with one or two detached pieces from our author. Mr. Ekins has tranflated the third book, and about two hundred lines of the fourth Had this gentleman undertaken a version of the whole poem, Mr. Fawkes, I am confident, would have defifted from the attempt. The public has long been in poffeffion of several tranflations of this latter writer. Thofe of Anacreon Apollonius has admitted into his first book, on a and Theocritus are acknowledged to have confifimilar occafion, most of the abovementioned par-derable merit. The work before us was underticulars, and many others equally interefting. The taken at the request of Mr. Fawkes's particular prayer of Jafon, and the facrifices previous to their friends; and the increasing number of his fubfcribembarkation, are circumftantially related. The la- ers encouraged him to perfevere in his defign; mentations of Aicimeda at the lofs of her fon, the but the completion of it was prevented by the prefilent grief of Æfon his father, and the tears of his mature ftroke of fate. What part the editor has friends, contribute to make this parting fcene the taken in this work, is a matter of too small impormost pathetic imaginable. Through the whole of tance to need an explanation. But lett his mo this affeAing interview, Camoens feems not to have tive fhould be muftaken, and vanity fhould be fuploft fight of Apollonius. Put, left it fhould be faid. pofed to have inftigated what friendship only fugthat a fimilarity of fituations naturally produces a gefted, he begs leave to add, as the best apology fimilarity of fentiments, and that we ought not he can offer for engaging in this work, that with To interpret a refemblance like this, which might no other ambition than to afflift his friend, did he be casual only, to be the effect of ftudied imita- comply with his folicitations to become his coadtion; another paffage may be selected from the Lu-jutor; and with no other motive does he now apfiad, which is univerfally admired for its genuine Tublimity, and is affirmed to be the happiest effort of unaffifted genius. "The apparition, which in night hovers athwart the Cape of Good Hope, is the grandeft fiction in human compofition; the Invention his own!" See the Differtation prefix. ed to Mr. Mickle's Tranflation of the Luftad. pear as his editor, than to enable the widow to avail herself of thofe generous fubfcriptions, for which the takes occafion here to make her thankful acknowledgments. March 27. 1780. THE ARGONAUTICS. IN FOUR BOOKS. BOOK I. 17 THE ARGUMENT. This book commences with the lift and character of the Argonauts. Before they embark, two of the chiefs quarrel, but are pacified by the harmony of Orpheus. They fet fail, and land at Lemnos, an ifland inhabited by female warriors; who, though they had flain their hufbands, and turned Amazons, are fo charmed with thefe heroes, that they admit them to their beds Thence they fail to the country of the Dolions, and are kindly received by their king Cyzicus. Loofing from thence in the night, and being driven back by contrary winds, they are mistaken for Pelafgians, with whom the Dolions were then at war.. A battle ensues, in which ́Cyzicus and many of his men are. fain. The morning difcovers the unhappy mistake. Thence they fail to Myfia. Hercules breaks his oar; and while he is gone into a wood to make a new one, Hylas is ftolen by a nymph, as he is ftooping for water at a fountain. Hercules and Polyphemus go in fearch of him. Meanwhile the Argonauts leave them behind, and fail to Bithynia. INSPIR'D by thee, O Phœbus, I refound 'Whom he, before the altar of his god, 'Shall view in public with one fandal fhod.' ΙΟ What time adventurous Jafon, brave and bold, T 30. And all their great atchievements to rehearse: By Chiron's art to Jafon's intereft gain'd. His winding waters through the fertile meads; 40 The fon of Elatus, of deathlefs fame, From fair Lariffa, Polyphemus came. 50 Long fince, when in the vigour of his might, Against the Centaurs; now his ftrength reclin'd Great Jafon's uncle; pleas'd he join'd his aid, Left Alope, with golden harvests crown'd; 70 Coronus came, from Gyrton's wealthy town, Oileus join'd these heroes, fam'd afar For ftratagems and fortitude in war; Well kill'd the hoftile fquadrons to fubdue, 80 90 Bold in attack, and ardent to pursue. 100 And challeng'd Phoebus with a rival's pride. 110 No fon, fave this, e'er blefs'd the hoary fage, Baotian Tiphys came, experienc'd well cell'd 240 The nobleft fhips by oar or fail impell'd. 150 160 179 Unafk'd the ftern Mycenian king's confent, Etolian Leda fent from Sparta's fhore: Both at one birth in Tyndarus house she bore. Lynceus and Idas, from Arene's wall, 291 200 210 Heard fame's loud fummons, and obey'd her call: 220 230 240 His uncle too, well-skill'd the dart to throw, Whom Orithy ïa bore in wintry Thrace, Heard fame's loud fummons, and obey'd the call Whom dancing with her mates rude Boreas tole, Such the compeers of Jafon highly fam'd; 280 When all was furnish'd by the busy band Which veffels deftin'd for the main demand; 29● The heroes from lölcos bent their way To the fam'd port, the Pagafæan bay, And deep-environ'd with thick gathering crowds, They fhone like ftars refplendent through the clouds. Then thus among the rout, with wondering look,, Some fwain furvey'd the bright-arm'd chiefs and fpoke: Say what can Pelias, mighty Jove, intend, 'woe.' Thus, when he faw the delegated bands, |