Inglorious hadst thou spent thy vigorous bloom;
Had not fedition's civil broils

Expell'd thee from thy native Crete,

And driven thee with more glorious toils
Th' Olympiack crown in Pifa's plain to meet..
With olive now, with Pythian laurels grac'd,
And the dark chaplets of the Ifthmian pine,
In Himera's adopted city plac'd,

To all, Ergoteles, thy honours fhine,
And raise her luftre by imparting thine."

THE

THE FOURTEENTH OLYMPICK ODE.

This Ode is infcribed to Afophicus, the Son of Cleodemus of Orchomenus; who, in the Seventy-fixth Olympiad, gained the victory in the fimple Foot-Race, and in the Clafs of Boys.

ORCHOMEN US, a city of Boeotia, and the country of the victor Asophicus, being under the protection of the Graces, her tutelary deities, to them Pindar addreffes this Ode; which was probably fung in the very temple of thofe goddesses, at a facrifice offered by Afophicus on occafion of his victory. The Poet begins this invocation with stiling the Graces queens of Orchomenus, and guardians of the children of Minyas, the first king of that city; whofe fertile territories, he fays, were by lot affigned to their protection. Then, after describing in general the properties and operations of these deities, both in earth and heaven, he proceeds to call upon each of them by name to affist at the finging of this Ode; which was made, he tells them, to celebrate the victory of Afophicus, in the glory of which Orchomenus had her share. Then addreffing himself to Echo, a nymph that formerly refided on the banks of Cephifus, a river of that country,

country, he charges her to repair to the mansion of Proferpine, and impart to Cleodemus, the father of Afophicus (who from hence appears to have been dead at that time) the happy news of his fon's victory; and fo concludes.

MONOS TROP HAICK.

STROHPE I.

YE powers, o'er all the flowery meads,

Where deep Cephisus rolls his lucid tide,

Allotted to prefide,

And haunt the plains renown'd for beauteous fteeds, Queens of Orchomenus the fair,

And facred guardians of the ancient line

Of Minyas divine,

Hear, O ye Graces, and regard my prayer!
All that 's fweet and pleafing here
Mortals from your hands receive:
Splendor ye and fame confer,

Genius, wit, and beauty give.
Nor, without your fhining train,
Ever on th' æthereal plain

In harmonious meafures move
The celestial choirs above;
When the figur'd dance they lead,
Or the nectar'd banquet spread.
But with thrones immortal grac'd,
And by Pythian Phoebus plac'd,

Ordering

Ordering through the bleft abodes
All the splendid works of gods,
Sit the fifters in a ring,

- Round the golden-shafted king :
And with reverential love

Worshiping th' Olympian throne,

The majestick brow of Jove
With unfading honours crown.

STROPHE II.

Aglaia, graceful virgin, hear!
And thou, Euphrofyna, whose ear
Delighted liftens to the warbled ftrain!
Bright daughters of Olympian Jove,
The beft, the greatest power above;
With your illuftrious prefence deign
To graće our choral fong!
Whofe notes to victory's glad found
In wanton meáfures lightly bound.
Thalia, come along!

Come, tuneful maid! for, lo! my ftring
With meditated skill prepares

In foftly foothing Lydian airs
Afopichus to fing;

Afopichus, whofe fpeed by thee fuftain'd
The wreath for his Orchomenus obtain'd.

Go then, sportive Echo, go,

To the fable dome below,

Proferpine's

Proferpine's black dome, repair,
There to Cleodemus bear

Tidings of immortal fame :

Tell, how in the rapid game
O'er Pifa's vale his fon victorious Aed;
Tell, for thou faw'ft him bear away

The winged honours of the day;

And deck'd with wreaths of fame his youthful head,

THE