The light and joy of fleeting life.
Daughters of heaven's eternal king,
Urged by your high command, I sing, 40
Ye Themites, the glorious strife,
Which Hercules at Pelops' ancient shrine
Ordain'd, when from unwilling Augeas' hand,
That he the promised guerdon might demand,
Neptune's proud sons he slew, who scorn'd his might divine. 45
Within Cleonæ's thickest wood
Alcides in dark ambush lay,
When blameless Cteatus pursued
With Eurytus his deadly way.
Thus was avenged his brave Tirynthian host, 50
By Molion's haughty race in pass of Elis lost. [1] 42
Ere long the fraudulent Epean king
Saw potent fire and the devouring blade
Destruction to his rich dominions bring,
Deep in the lowest gulf of misery laid. 55
'Tis hard a mightier foe's assault to quell.
Thus the devoted Augeas, seized at last
By vengeful fate, bereft of counsel, fell,
And death atoned for all his treachery past. 50
His whole array the warlike son of Jove 60
On Pisa's plain assembling with the spoil, [2]
Raised to his mighty father Altis' grove,
And fenced from tread profane the hallow'd soil.
- ↑ This story is related at great length to Patroclus by old Nestor, (Il., xi. 670, et seq.,) whose unseasonable garrulity on the occasion is justly reprehended by Pope.
- ↑ An early instance of the consecration of a tenth part of the spoils taken in battle to the service of the gods is given by Xenophon, (Anab., v., 3.;) και την δεκατην, ἡν τῳ Απολλωνι εξειλον και τῃ Εφεσιᾳ Αρτεμιδι, διελαβον οἱ στρατηγοι, το μερος εκαστας, φυλαττειν τοις θεοις· at the end of the chapter the planting of a large grove
scholiast says: αἱ Θεμιτες, ηγουν αἱ νομοθεσιαι του Διος, αἱ κατα νομους συνηθειαι.
