,,translations ,,from ,,lucretius ,by the same ,author4 ,,the ,,foolishness ,,of ,,solomon #cs4 #f;d4 ,,lucretius ,,on ,,death #bs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,pterodamozels #bs4 ,,the ,,new ,,parsifal #cs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,bride ,,of ,,dionysus #cs4 #f;d4 ,,sisyphus #es4 ,,polyphemus #gs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,parsival #cs4 #f;d4 ,,cecilia ,,gonzaga #bs4 #f;d4 ,,mallow ,,and ,,asphodel #bs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,ajax ,,of ,,sophocles #bs4 ,,translations ,,from ,,lucretius ,,by ,r4 ,c4 ,,trevelyan ,,london3 ,,george ,,allen ,,unwin ,,ltd4 ,,ruskin ,,house #dj ,,museum ,,street1 ,w4,c4 #a ,first published in #aibj4 ,all rights reserved4 ,,to ,g4 ,,lowes ,,dickinson ,,translations ,,from ,,lucretius ,,book ,i1 lines #a-cbh ,thou mother of the ,aenead race1 delight ,of men and deities1 bountiful ,venus1 thou ,who under the sky's gliding constellations ,fillest ship-carrying ocean with thy presence ,and the corn-bearing lands1 since through thy power ,each kind of living creature is conceived ,then riseth and beholdeth the sun's light3 ,before thee and thine advent the winds and clouds ,of heaven take flight1 ,o goddess3 daedal earth ,puts forth sweet-scented flowers beneath thy feet3 ,beholding thee the smooth deep laughs1 the sky ,grows calm and shines with wide-outspreading light4 ,for soon as the day's vernal countenance ,has been revealed1 and fresh from wintry bonds ,blows the birth-giving breeze of the ,west wind1 ,first do the birds of air give sign of thee1 ,goddess1 and thine approach1 as through their hearts ,thine influence smites4 ,next the wild herds of beasts ,bound over the rich pastures and swim through ,the rapid streams1 as captured by thy charm ,each one with eager longing follows thee ,whithersoever thou wouldst lure them on4 ,and thus through seas1 mountains and rushing rivers1 ,through the birds' leafy homes and the green plains1 ,striking bland love into the hearts of all1 ,thou art the cause that following his lust ,each should renew his race after his kind4 ,therefore since thou alone art nature's mistress1 ,and since without thine aid naught can rise forth ,into the glorious regions of the light1 ,nor aught grow to be gladsome and delectable1 ,thee would ,i win to help me while ,i write ,these verses1 wherein ,i labour to describe ,the nature of things in honour of my friend ,this scion of the ,memmian house1 whom thou ,hast willed to be found peerless all his days ,in every grace4 ,therefore the more1 great deity1 ,grant to my words eternal loveliness3 ,cause meanwhile that the savage works of warfare ,over all seas and lands sink hushed to rest4 ,for thou alone hast power to bless mankind ,with tranquil peace2 since of war's savage works ,mavors mighty in battle hath control1 ,who oft flings himself back upon thy lap1 ,quite vanquished by love's never-healing wound2 ,and so with upturned face and shapely neck ,thrown backward1 feeds with love his hungry looks1 ,gazing on thee1 goddess1 while thus he lies ,supine1 and on thy lips his spirit hangs4 ,o'er him thus couched upon thy holy body ,do thou bend down to enfold him1 and from thy lips ,pour tender speech1 petitioning calm peace1 ,o glorious divinity1 for thy ,romans4 ,for nor can we in our country's hour of trouble ,toil with a mind untroubled at our task1 ,nor yet may the famed child of ,memmius ,be spared from public service in such times4 ,for the rest1,a leisured ears and a keen mind ,withdrawn from cares1 lend to true reasoning1 ,lest my gifts1 which with loving diligence ,i set out for you1 ere they be understood ,you should reject disdainfully4 ,for now ,about the most high theory of the heavens ,and of the deities1 ,i will undertake ,to tell you in my discourse1 and will reveal ,the first beginnings of existing things1 ,out of which nature gives birth and increase ,and nourishment to all things2 into which ,nature likewise1 when they have been destroyed1 ,resolves them back in turn4 ,these we are wont1 ,in setting forth our argument1 to call ,matter1 or else begetting particles1 ,or to name them the seeds of things3 again ,as primal atoms we shall speak of them1 ,because from them first everything is formed4 ,when prostrate upon earth lay human life ,visibly trampled down and foully crushed ,beneath religion's cruelty1 who meanwhile ,forth from the regions of the heavens above ,showed forth her face1 lowering down on men ,with horrible aspect1 first did a man of ,greece,b ,dare to lift up his mortal eyes against her2 ,the first was he to stand up and defy her4 ,him neither stories of the gods1 nor lightnings1 ,nor heaven with muttering menaces could quell1 ,but all the more did they arouse his soul's ,keen valour1 till he longed to be the first ,to break through the fast-bolted doors of nature4 ,therefore his fervent energy of mind ,prevailed1 and he passed onward1 voyaging far ,beyond the flaming ramparts of the world1 ,ranging in mind and spirit far and wide ,throughout the unmeasured universe2 and thence ,a conqueror he returns to us1 bringing back ,knowledge both of what can and what cannot ,rise into being1 teaching us in fine ,upon what principle each thing has its powers ,limited1 and its deep-set boundary stone4 ,therefore now has religion been cast down ,beneath men's feet1 and trampled on in turn3 ,ourselves heaven-high his victory exalts4 ,herein this fear assails me1 lest perchance ,you should suppose ,i would initiate you ,into a school of reasoning unholy1 ,and set your feet upon a path of sin3 ,whereas in truth often has this religion ,given birth to sinful and unholy deeds4 ,so once at ,aulis did those chosen chiefs ,of ,hellas1 those most eminent among heros1 ,foully defile the ,trivian ,virgin's altar ,with ,iphianassa's lifeblood4 ,for so soon ,as the fillet wreathed around her maiden locks ,streamed down in equal lengths from either cheek1 ,and soon as she was aware of her father standing ,sorrowful by the altar1 and at his side ,the priestly ministers hiding the knife1 ,and the folk shedding tears at sight of her1 ,speechless in terror1 dropping on her knees ,to the earth she sank down4 ,nor in that hour ,of anguish might it avail her that she first ,had given the name of father to the king2 ,for by the hands of men lifted on high ,shuddering to the altar she was borne1 ,not that1 when the due ceremonial rites ,had been accomplished1 she might be escorted ,by the clear-sounding hymenaeal song1 ,but that a stainless maiden foully stained1 ,in the very season of marriage she might fall ,a sorrowful victim by a father's stroke1 ,that so there might be granted to the fleet ,a happy and hallowed sailing4 ,such the crimes ,whereto religion has had power to prompt4 ,yet there may come a time when you yourself1 ,surrendering to the terror-breathing tales ,of seers and bards1 will seek to abandon us4 ,ay verily1 how many dreams even now ,may they be forging for you1 which might well ,overturn your philosophy of life1 ,and trouble all your happiness with fear6 ,and with good cause3 for if men could perceive ,that there was a fixed limit to their sorrows1 ,by some means they would find strength to withstand ,the hallowed lies and threatenings of these seers4 ,but as it is1 men have no means1 no power ,to make a stand1 since everlasting seem ,the penalties that they must fear in death4 ,for none knows what is the nature of the soul1 ,whether 'tis born1 or on the contrary ,enters into our bodies at their birth3 ,whether1 when torn from us by death1 it perishes ,together with us1 or thereafter goes ,to visit ,orcus' glooms and the vast chasms2 ,or penetrates by ordinance divine ,into brutes in man's stead1 as sang our own ,ennius1 who first from pleasant ,helicon ,brought down a garland of unfading leaf1 ,destined among ,italian tribes of men ,to win bright glory4 ,and yet in spite of this ,ennius sets forth in immortal verse ,that none the less there does exist a realm ,of ,acheron1 though neither do our souls ,nor bodies penetrate thither1 but a kind ,of phantom images1 pale in wondrous wise3 ,and thence it was1 so he relates1 that once ,the ghost of ever-living ,homer rose ,before him1 shedding salt tears1 and began ,to unfold in discourse the nature of things4 ,therefore not only must we grasp the truth ,concerning things on high1 what principle ,controls the courses of the sun and moon1 ,and by what force all that takes place on earth ,is governed1 but above all by keen thought ,we must investigate whereof consists ,the soul and the mind's nature1 and what it is ,that comes before us when we wake1 if then ,we are preyed on by disease1 or when we lie ,buried in sleep1 and terrifies our minds1 ,so that we seem face to face to behold ,and hear those speaking to us who are dead1 ,whose bones the earth now holds in its embrace4 ,nor am ,i unaware how hard my task ,in ,latin verses to set clearly forth ,the obscure truths discovered by the ,greeks1 ,chiefly because so much will need new terms ,to deal with it1 owing to our poverty ,of language1 and the novelty of the themes4 ,nevertheless your worth and the delight ,of your sweet friendship1 which ,i hope to win1 ,prompt me to bear the burden of any toil1 ,and lead me on to watch the calm nights through1 ,seeking by means of what words and what measures ,i may attain my end1 and shed so clear ,a light upon your spirit1 that thereby ,your gaze may search the depths of hidden things4 ,this terror1 then1 and darkness of the mind ,must needs be scattered not by the sun's beams ,and day's bright arrows1 but by contemplation ,of nature's aspect and her inward law4 ,and this first principle of her design ,shall be our starting point3 nothing is ever ,by divine will begotten out of nothing4 ,in truth the reason fear so dominates ,all mortals1 is that they behold on earth ,and in the sky many things happening1 ,yet of these operations by no means ,can they perceive the causes1 and so fancy ,that they must come to pass by power divine4 ,therefore when we have understood that nothing ,can be born out of nothing1 we shall then ,win juster knowledge of the truth we seek1 ,both from what elements each thing can be formed1 ,and in what way all things can come to pass ,without the intervention of the gods4 ,for if things came from nothing1 any kind ,might be born out of anything2 naught then ,would require seed4 ,thus men might rise from ocean ,the scaly race out of the land1 while birds ,might suddenly be hatched forth from the sky3 ,cattle and other herds and every kind ,of wild beast1 bred by no fixed law of birth1 ,would roam o'er tilth and wilderness alike4 ,no fruit would remain constant to its tree1 ,but would change2 every tree would bear all kinds4 ,for if there were not for each thing its own ,begetting particles1 how could they have ,a fixed unvarying mother8 ,but in fact ,since all are formed from fixed seeds1 each is born ,and issues into the borders of the light ,from that alone wherein resides its substance ,and its first bodies4 ,and for this cause all things ,cannot be generated out of all1 ,since in each dwells its own particular power4 ,again why do we see in spring the rose1 ,corn in the summer's heat1 vines bursting forth ,when autumn summons them1 if not because ,when in their own time the fixed seeds of things ,have flowed together1 there is then revealed ,whatever has been born1 while the due seasons ,are present1 and the quickened earth brings forth ,safely into the borders of the light ,its tender nurslings8 ,but if they were formed ,from nothing1 they would suddenly spring up ,at unfixed periods and hostile times1 ,since there would then be no fixed particles ,to be kept from a begetting union ,by the unpropitious season of the year4 ,nor yet after the meeting of the seed ,would lapse of time be needed for their increase1 ,if they could grow from nothing4 ,suddenly ,small babes would become youths2 trees would arise ,shooting up in a moment from the ground4 ,but nothing of the kind1 'tis plain1 takes place1 ,seeing that all things grow little by little1 ,as befits1 from determined seed1 and growing ,preserve their kind3 so that you may perceive ,that all things become greater and are nourished ,out of their own material4 ,furthermore ,without fixed annual seasons for the rain ,earth could not put her gladdening produce forth1 ,nor yet1 if kept apart from nourishment1 ,could living creatures propagate their kind ,or sustain life3 so that with greater reason ,you may think many things have many atoms ,in common1 as we see that different words ,have common letters1 than that anything ,can come to being without first elements4 ,again1 why could not nature have produced ,men of such mighty bulk1 that they could wade ,through the deep places of the sea1 or rend ,huge mountains with their hands1 or in one life ,overpass many living generations1 ,if not because there has been set apart ,a changeless substance for begetting things1 ,and what can thence arise is predetermined8 ,therefore we must confess this truth1 that nothing ,can come from nothing1 since seed is required ,for each thing1 out of which it may be born ,and lift itself into the air's soft breezes4 ,lastly1 since it is evident that tilled lands ,excel the untilled1 and yield to labouring hands ,a richer harvest1 we may thence infer ,that in the earth there must be primal atoms1 ,and these1 labouring its soil1 we stimulate ,to rise1 when with the coulter we turn up ,the fertile clods4 ,but if none such existed1 ,we should see all things without toil of ours ,spring forth far richer of their own accord4 ,furthermore nature dissolves each form back ,into its own first particles1 nor ever ,annihilates things4 ,for if aught could be mortal ,in all its parts1 then it might from our eyes ,be snatched away to perish suddenly4 ,for there would be no need of any force ,to cause disruption of its parts1 and loosen ,their fastenings4 ,but in fact each is composed ,of everlasting seeds2 so till some force ,arrives that with a blow can shatter things ,to pieces1 or can penetrate within ,their empty spaces1 and so break them up1 ,nature will not permit the dissolution ,of anything to be seen4 ,again1 if time ,utterly destroys1 consuming all the substance ,of whatsoever it removes from sight ,through lapse of ages1 out of what does ,venus ,bring back into the light of life the race ,of living creatures each after its kind8 ,or1 once brought back1 whence does the daedal earth ,feed and increase them1 giving nourishment ,to each after its kind8 ,whence do its own ,fountains and far-drawn rivers from without ,keep full the sea8 ,whence does the ether feed ,the stars8 ,for infinite time and lapse of days ,surely must long since have devoured all things ,formed of a body that must die4 ,but if ,throughout that period of time long past ,those atoms have existed out of which ,this universe of things has been composed ,and recomposed1 'tis plain they are possessed ,of an immortal nature3 none of them ,therefore can turn to nothing4 ,then again ,the same force and the same cause would destroy ,all things without distinction1 were it not ,that an eternal substance held them fast1 ,a substance interwoven part with part ,by bonds more or less close4 ,for without doubt ,a mere touch would be cause enough for death1 ,seeing that any least amount of force ,must needs dissolve the texture of such things1 ,no one of which had an eternal body4 ,but in fact since the mutual fastenings ,between first elements are dissimilar1 ,and their substance eternal1 things endure ,with body uninjured1 till some force arrives ,strong enough to dissolve the texture of each4 ,therefore no single thing ever returns ,to nothing1 but at their disruption all ,pass back into the elements of matter4 ,lastly the rain showers perish1 when the sky father ,has flung them into the lap of mother earth4 ,but then bright crops spring up luxuriantly2 ,boughs on the trees are green2 the trees themselves ,grow1 and with fruits are laden3 from this source ,moreover both our own race and the race ,of beasts are nourished2 for this cause we see ,glad towns teeming with children1 leafy woods ,with young birds' voices singing on all sides2 ,for this cause cattle about the fertile meadows ,wearied with fatness lay their bodies down1 ,and from their swollen udders oozing falls ,the white milk stream2 for this cause a new brood ,bounds on weak limbs over the soft grass1 frisking ,and gamboling1 their young hearts with pure milk thrilled4 ,none therefore of those things that seem to perish ,utterly perishes1 since nature forms ,one thing out of another1 and permits ,nothing to be begotten1 unless first ,she has been recruited by another's death4 ,now listen3 since ,i have proved to you that things ,cannot be formed from nothing1 lest you yet ,should tend in any way to doubt my words1 ,because the primal particles of things ,can never be distinguished by the eyes1 ,i will proceed to give you instances ,of bodies which yourself you must admit ,are real things1 yet cannot be perceived4 ,first the wind's wakened force scourges the sea1 ,whelming huge ships and scattering the clouds2 ,and sometimes with impetuous hurricane ,scouring the plains1 it strews them with great trees1 ,and ravages with forest-rending blasts ,the mountain-tops3 with such rude savagery ,does the wind howl and bluster and wreak its rage ,with menacing uproar4 ,therefore past all doubt ,winds must be formed of unseen particles ,that sweep the seas1 the lands1 the clouds of heaven1 ,ravaging and dishevelling them all ,with fitful hurricane gusts4 ,onward they stream ,multiplying destruction1 just as when ,the soft nature of water suddenly ,swoops forward in one overwhelming flood ,swelled with abundant rains by a mighty spate ,of water rushing down from the high hills1 ,hurtling together broken forest boughs ,and entire trees3 nor can the sturdy bridges ,sustain the oncoming water's sudden force3 ,in such wise turbulent with much rain the river ,flings its whole mighty strength against the piles4 ,with a loud crashing roar it then deals havoc1 ,and rolls the huge stones on beneath its waves1 ,sweeping before it all that stems its flood4 ,in this way then wind-blasts must likewise move2 ,and when like a strong stream they have hurled themselves ,towards any quarter1 they thrust things along ,and with repeated onslaughts overwhelm them1 ,often in writhing eddy seizing them ,to bear them away in swiftly circling swirl4 ,therefore beyond all doubt winds are composed ,of unseen atoms1 since in their works and ways ,we find that they resemble mighty rivers ,which are of visible substance4 ,then again ,we can perceive the various scents of things1 ,yet never see them coming to our nostrils3 ,heat too we see not1 nor can we observe ,cold with our eyes1 nor ever behold words3 ,yet must all these be of a bodily nature1 ,since they are able to act upon our senses4 ,for naught can touch or be touched except body4 ,clothes also1 hung up on a shore where waves ,are breaking1 become moist1 and then grow dry ,if spread out in the sun4 ,yet in what way ,the water's moisture has soaked into them1 ,has not been seen1 nor again in what way ,the heat has driven it out4 ,the moisture therefore ,is dispersed into tiny particles1 ,which our eyes have no power to see at all4 ,furthermore after many revolutions ,of the sun's year1 a finger-ring is thinned ,on the under side by being worn3 the fall ,of dripping eave-drops hollows out a stone3 ,the bent ploughshare of iron insensibly ,grows smaller in the fields2 and we behold ,the paving stones of roads worn down at length ,by the footsteps of the people4 ,then again ,the brazen statues at the city gates ,show right hands wearing thinner by the touch ,of those who greet them ever as they pass by4 ,thus we perceive that all such things grow less ,because they have been worn down3 and yet what atoms ,are leaving them each moment1 that the jealous ,nature of vision has quite shut us out ,from seeing4 ,finally whatever time ,and nature gradually add to things1 ,obliging them to grow in due proportion1 ,no effort of our eyesight can behold4 ,so too whenever things grow old by age ,or through corruption1 and wherever rocks ,that overhang the sea are gnawed away ,by the corroding brine1 you cannot discern ,what they are losing at any single moment4 ,thus nature operates by unseen atoms4 ,,book ,,ii1 lines #iia-aagd ,moreover we are sprung1 all we that live1 ,from heavenly seed3 there is1 for all1 that same ,one father,c2 from whom when the bounteous ,earth1 ,our mother1 has drunk in the liquid drops ,of moisture1 then by him impregnated ,she bears bright crops and glad trees and the race ,of men1 bears every species of wild beast1 ,furnishing food with which all feed their bodies1 ,and lead a pleasant life1 and propagate ,their offspring4 ,wherefore justly she has won ,the name of mother4 ,also that which once ,came from the earth1 sinks back into the earth1 ,and what was sent down from the coasts of aether1 ,returning thither1 is received once more ,into the mansions of the sky4 ,so death ,does not demolish things in such a way ,as to destroy the particles of matter1 ,but only dissipates their union1 ,then recombines one element with another1 ,and so brings it to pass that all things change ,their shapes1 alter their colours1 and receive ,sensations1 then in a moment yield them up4 ,thus you may learn how greatly it signifies ,both with what others and in what positions ,the same primordial atoms are held bound2 ,also what motions they are mutually ,imparting and receiving3 and thus too ,you need no more suppose that what we see ,hovering upon the surfaces of things1 ,or now being born1 then suddenly perishing1,d ,can be inherent qualities in atoms ,that are eternal4 ,nay1 in my verses even ,it is of moment with what other letters ,and in what order each one has been placed4 ,if not all1 yet by far the greater part ,are similar letters3 but as their position ,varies1 so do the words sound different4 ,thus too with actual things1 whenever change ,takes place in the collisions motions order ,shape and position of their material atoms1 ,then also must the things themselves be changed4 ,now to true reasoning turn your mind1 ,i pray2 ,for a new theme is struggling urgently ,to reach your ears1 a new aspect of things ,would now reveal itself4 ,but there is naught ,so easy1 that at first it will not seem ,difficult of belief1 and likewise naught ,so mighty1 naught so wondrous1 but that all ,little by little abate their wonder at it4 ,consider first the colour of the heavens1 ,so bright and pure1 and all that they contain1 ,the stars wandering everywhere1 the moon ,and the surpassing radiance of the sun2 ,if all these sights were now for the first time ,to be revealed to mortals suddenly ,and without warning1 what could have been described ,that would have seemed more marvellous than such things1 ,or that humanity could less have dared ,beforehand to believe might come to pass8 ,nothing1 ,i think3 so wonderful had been ,this spectacle4 ,yet think how no one now1 ,wearied to satiety at the sight1 ,deigns to look up at the sky's shining quarters4 ,cease therefore to cast reason from your mind ,terrified by mere novelty1 but rather ,weigh facts with eager judgment2 and if then ,they appear true1 surrender2 if they seem ,a falsehood1 gird yourself to prove them so4 ,for since the sum of space outside1 beyond ,this world's walls1 must be infinite1 the mind seeks ,to reason as to what may else exist ,yonder in regions whither the intellect ,is constantly desiring to prospect1 ,and whither the projection of our thought ,reaches in free flight of its own accord4 ,now first of all we find that everywhere ,in all directions1 horizontally1 ,below and above throughout the universe ,there is no limit1 as ,i have demonstrated4 ,indeed the facts themselves proclaim the truth1 ,and the deep void reveals its nature clearly4 ,since then on all sides vacant space extends ,illimitably1 and seeds in countless number ,and sum immeasurable flit to and fro ,eternally driven on in manifold modes ,of motion1 we must deem it in no wise ,probable that this single globe of earth ,and this one heaven alone have been created1 ,while outside all those particles of matter ,are doing nothing3 the more so that this world ,was formed by nature1 as the seeds of things1 ,casually colliding of their own ,spontaneous motion1 flocked in manifold ways ,together1 vainly1 without aim or result1 ,until at last such particles combined ,as1 suddenly thrown together1 might become ,from time to time the rudiments of great things1 ,earth1 sea1 sky1 and the race of living creatures4 ,therefore beyond all question we are bound ,to admit that elsewhere other aggregates ,of matter must exist1 resembling this ,which in its greedy embrace our aether holds4 ,moreover1 when much matter is at hand1 ,and space is there1 nor any obstacle ,nor cause of hindrance1 then you may be sure ,things must be forming and dissolving there4 ,now if there be so vast a store of seeds ,that the whole lifetime of all conscious beings ,would fail to count them1 and if likewise nature ,abides the same1 and so can throw together ,the seeds of things each into its own place1 ,in the same manner as they were thrown together ,into our world1 then you must needs admit ,that in other regions there are other earths1 ,and diverse stocks of men and kinds of beasts4 ,besides in the whole universe there exists ,no one thing that is born unique1 and grows ,unique and sole2 but it must needs belong ,to one class1 and there must be many others ,of the same kind4 ,consider first of all ,live creatures3 you will find that thus are born ,the mountain-ranging breeds of savage beasts1 ,thus the human race1 thus also the dumb shoals ,of scaly fish and every flying fowl4 ,therefore by a like reasoning you must grant ,that sky and earth and sun1 moon1 sea and all ,that else exists1 are not unique1 but rather ,of number innumerable2 since life's deep-fixed ,boundary stone as surely awaits these1 ,and they are of a body that has birth ,as much as any species here on earth ,abounding in examples of its kind4 ,if you learn well and keep these truths in mind1 ,nature1 forthwith enfranchised and released ,from her proud lords1 is seen then to be acting ,in all things of herself spontaneously ,without the interference of the gods4 ,for by the holy breasts of those divinities1 ,who in calm peace are passing tranquil days ,of life untroubled1 who1 ,i ask1 has power ,to rule the sum of space immeasurable8 ,or who to hold in his controlling hand ,the strong reins of the deep8 ,who can at once ,make all those various firmaments revolve ,and with the fires of aether warm each one ,of all those fruitful earths1 or at all times ,be present in all places1 so to cause ,darkness by clouds1 and shake the calms of heaven ,with thunder1 to hurl lightnings1 and ofttimes ,shatter down his own temples1 or withdraw ,to desert regions1 there to spend his fury ,and exercise his bolt1 which often indeed ,passes the guilty by1 and strikes with death ,the unoffending who deserve it least4 ,now since the birth-time of the world1 since sea ,and earth's first natal day and the sun's origin1 ,many atoms have been added from without1 ,many seeds from all round1 which1 shooting them ,hither and thither1 the great universe ,has brought together3 and by means of these ,sea and land have been able to increase2 ,thus too the mansion of the sky has gained ,new spaciousness1 and lifted its high roof ,far above earth1 and the air has risen with it4 ,for to each thing its own appropriate atoms ,are all distributed by blows from all ,regions of space1 so that they separate ,into their proper elements4 ,moisture joins ,with moisture3 earth from earthy substance grows2 ,fires generate fire1 and ether ether1 ,till ,nature1 the creatress1 consummating ,her labour1 has brought all things to their last ,limit of growth2 as happens1 when at length ,that which is entering the veins of life ,is now no more than what is flowing away ,and ebbing thence4 ,in all things at this point ,the age of growth must halt3 at this point nature ,curbs increase by her powers4 ,for all such things ,as you may see waxing with joyous growth1 ,and climbing step by step to matured age ,receive into themselves more particles ,than they discharge1 so long as food is passing ,easily into all their veins1 and while ,they are not so widely spread as to throw off ,too many atoms and to cause more waste ,than what their life requires for nourishment4 ,for we must surely grant that many atoms ,are flowing away from things and leaving them3 ,but still more must be added1 till at length ,they have attained the highest pitch of growth4 ,then age little by little breaks their powers ,and their mature strength1 as it wastes away ,on the worse side of life4 ,and out of doubt ,the bulkier and the wider a thing is1 ,once its growth ceases1 the more particles ,does it now shed around it and discharge ,on all sides3 nor is food distributed ,easily into all its veins1 nor yet ,in quantity sufficient that therefrom ,a supply may continually rise up ,to compensate the copious emanations ,which it exhales4 ,for there is need of food ,to preserve all things by renewing them3 ,food must uphold1 food sustain everything3 ,yet all is to no purpose1 since the veins ,fail to convey what should suffice1 nor yet ,does nature furnish all that is required4 ,there is good reason therefore why all forms ,should perish1 when they are rarefied by flux ,of atoms1 and succumb to external blows1 ,since food must fail advanced age in the end1 ,and atoms cease not ever from outside ,to buffet each thing till they wear it out ,and overpower it by beleaguering blows4 ,in this way then it is that the walls too ,of the great world from all sides shall be stormed ,and so collapsing crumble away to ruins4 ,and even now already this world's age ,is broken1 and the worn-out earth can scarce ,create the tiniest animals1 she who once ,created every kind1 and brought to birth ,the huge shapes of wild beasts4 ,for1 as ,i think1 ,neither did any golden rope let down ,the tribes of mortal creatures from the heights ,of heaven on to the fields1 nor did the sea ,nor its waves beating on the rocks create them1 ,but the same earth gave birth to them1 which now ,feeds them from her own breast4 ,at first moreover ,herself spontaneously did she create ,flourishing crops and rich vines for mankind1 ,herself gave them sweet fruits and joyous pastures2 ,which now1 though aided by our toil1 scarce grow ,to any size4 ,thus we wear out our oxen ,and the strength of our peasants3 we use up ,our iron tools2 yet hardly do we win ,a sustenance from the fields1 so niggardly ,they grudge their produce and increase our toil4 ,and now shaking his head the aged ploughman ,sighs ever and anon1 when he beholds ,the labours of his hands all spent in vain2 ,and when with times past he compares the present1 ,he praises often the fortune of his sire1 ,harping upon that ancient race of men ,who rich in piety supported life ,upon their narrow plots contentedly1 ,seeing the land allotted to each man ,was far less in those days than now4 ,so too ,the planter of the worn-out shrivelled vine ,disconsolately inveighs against the march ,of time1 wearying heaven with complaints1 ,and understands not how all things are wasting ,little by little1 and passing to the grave ,tired out by lengthening age and lapse of days4 ,,book ,,iii1 lines #a-afj ,thou1 who from out such darkness first could'st lift ,a torch so bright1 illumining thereby ,the benefits of life1 thee do ,i follow1 ,o thou bright glory of the ,grecian race1 ,and in thy deepset footprints firmly now ,i plant my steps1 not so much through desire ,to rival thee1 rather because ,i love ,and therefore long to imitate thee3 for how ,should a mere swallow strive with swans2 or what ,might kids with tottering limbs1 matched in a race1 ,achieve against a horse's stalwart strength8 ,thou1 father1 art discoverer of truth2 ,thou dost enrich us with a father's precepts2 ,and from thy pages1 glorious sage1 as bees ,in flowery glades sip from all plants1 so we ,feed likewise upon all thy golden words1 ,golden words1 ever worthy of endless life4 ,for soon as1 issuing from thy godlike mind1 ,thy doctrine has begun to voice abroad ,the nature of things1 straightway the soul's terrors ,take flight2 the world's walls open2 ,i behold ,things being formed and changed throughout all space4 ,revealed is the divinity of the gods1 ,and their serene abodes1 which neither winds ,buffet1 nor clouds drench them with showers1 nor snow ,congealed by sharp frost1 falling in white flakes1 ,violates1 but an ever-cloudless sky ,invests them1 laughing with wide-spreading light4 ,moreover all their wants nature provides1 ,and there is nothing that at any time ,can minish their tranquillity of soul4 ,but on the other hand nowhere are visible ,the ,acherusian quarters2 and yet earth ,in no wise can obstruct our contemplation ,of all those operations that take place ,beneath our feet throughout the nether void4 ,at such thoughts there comes over me a kind ,of godlike pleasure mixed with thrilling awe1 ,that nature by thy power should be thus clearly ,made manifest and unveiled on every side4 ,now since ,i have demonstrated of what kind ,are the beginnings of all things1 and how ,varying are the divers shapes wherein ,they are flying onward of their own free will1 ,driven in eternal motion1 and in what way ,out of these can be formed each several thing1 ,after these themes it would seem best that now ,the nature of the mind and of the soul ,should be elucidated in my verses1 ,and fear of ,acheron driven headlong forth1 ,that dread which troubles from its lowest depths ,the life of man1 and brooding over all ,with the blackness of death1 will not allow ,any pleasure to be unalloyed and pure4 ,for though men often tell us that diseases ,and a life of public shame are to be feared ,far more than ,tartarus1 the house of death1 ,and that they know the nature of the soul ,to be of blood1 or even perhaps of wind1 ,if such should be their fancy1 and that so ,they have no need of our philosophy1 ,yet from the following proof you may perceive ,that all these boasts are uttered to win praise ,rather than from conviction of the truth4 ,these same men1 exiled from their fatherland1 ,and banished far from human sight1 disgraced ,by foul crime1 and beset by every kind ,of wretchedness1 none the less still live on1 ,and to whatever place they bear their misery1 ,in spite of all make offerings to the dead1 ,slaughter black sheep1 and to the nether powers ,do sacrifice1 and in their bitter plight ,turn their thoughts to religion far more zealously4 ,thus you can better judge a man in stress ,of peril1 and amidst adversities ,discover what he is2 for then at last ,the language of sincerity and truth ,is wrung forth from the bottom of his heart2 ,the mask is torn off2 what is real remains4 ,moreover avarice and blinding lust ,for honours1 which compel unhappy men ,to overpass the bounds of right1 and sometimes1 ,as partners and accomplices of crime1 ,to struggle with vast effort night and day ,till they emerge upon the heights of power-- ,these sores of life are in no small degree ,fostered by fear of death4 ,for foul contempt ,and biting penury are mostly thought ,to be quite different from a pleasurable ,and secure life3 rather they seem to be ,already but a kind of lingering ,before the gates of death4 ,and so while men1 ,urged by an unreal terror1 long to escape ,far from these ills and drive them far away1 ,they pile up wealth by shedding civil blood1 ,doubling their riches greedily1 while they heap ,massacre upon massacre1 rejoice ,ruthlessly in the sad death of a brother1 ,and shun their kinsmen's board in hate and dread4 ,often likewise owing to this same fear ,they pine with envy because some other man ,in the world's eyes is powerful1 some other ,is gazed at1 as he walks robed in bright honours1 ,while they complain that they themselves are wallowing ,in darkness and in filth4 ,some sink their lives ,in ruin to win statues and a name1 ,and often with such force1 through dread of death1 ,does hatred of life and of the sight of day ,seize upon mortals1 that with anguished heart ,they will destroy themselves1 forgetting quite ,how this fear is the well-spring of their cares1 ,this it is that enfeebles honour1 this ,that bursts the bonds of friendship1 and in fine ,prompts them to cast all duty to the ground4 ,since often ere now men have betrayed their country ,and beloved parents1 seeking so to shun ,the realms of ,acheron4 ,for just as children ,in the blind darkness tremble and are afraid ,of all things1 so we sometimes in the light ,fear things that are no whit more to be dreaded ,than those which children shudder at in the dark ,imagining that they will come to pass4 ,this terror1 then1 and darkness of the mind ,must needs be scattered not by the sun's beams ,and day's bright arrows1 but by contemplation ,of nature's aspect and her inward law4 ,first then the mind1 which we shall often call ,the intellect1 wherein is placed the council ,and government of life1 ,i assert to be ,no less a part of man than feet and hands ,and eyes are part of the whole living creature4 ,yet some would have it that the sense of the mind ,resides in no fixed part1 but deem it rather ,a kind of vital habit of the body1 ,which by the ,greeks is called a harmony1 ,something that causes us to live with sense1 ,although the intellect is in no one part4 ,just as good health is often spoken of ,as though belonging to the body1 and yet ,it is no one part of a healthy man4 ,thus they refuse to place the sense of the mind ,in one fixed part3 and here to me they seem ,to wander far indeed astray from truth4 ,for often the body1 which is visible1 ,is sick1 while in some other hidden part ,we experience pleasure2 and ofttimes again ,the contrary will happen1 when a man ,who is distressed in mind1 through his whole body ,feels pleasure3 in the same way as the foot ,of a sick man may suffer pain1 and yet ,his head meanwhile is in no pain at all4 ,moreover when the limbs are given up ,to soft sleep1 and the wearied body lies ,diffused without sensation1 there is yet ,something else in us which at that same time ,is stirred in many ways1 and into itself ,receives all the emotions of delight1 ,and all the empty troubles of the heart4 ,now1 that the soul too dwells within the limbs1 ,and that it is no harmony whereby ,the body is wont to feel1 this main proof shows4 ,when from the body much has been removed1 ,yet often life still lingers in our limbs3 ,whereas1 when a few particles of heat ,have been dispersed1 and through the mouth some air ,has been forced out1 suddenly that same life ,deserts the arteries and quits the bones3 ,whence you may learn that not all particles ,have functions of like moment1 nor alike ,support existence2 but that rather those ,which are the seeds of wind and warming heat ,are the cause that life stays within the limbs4 ,therefore this vital heat and wind1 residing ,within the body itself1 is that which quits ,our dying frame4 ,so now that we have found ,the nature of the mind and of the soul ,to be a part in some sense of the man1 ,let us give up the name of harmony1 ,which was brought down from lofty ,helicon ,to the musicians1 or else they themselves1 ,taking it from some other source1 transferred it ,to what was then without a name of its own4 ,however that may be1 why1 let them keep it4 ,do you give heed to the rest of my discourse4 ,now ,i maintain that mind and soul are bound ,in union with each other1 forming so ,a single substance1 but that the lord that rules ,throughout the body is the reasoning power ,which we call mind and intellect4 ,its seat ,is fixed in the middle region of the breast4 ,for here it is that fear and panic throb3 ,around these parts dwell joys that soothe4 ,here then ,is the intellect or mind4 ,the rest of the soul ,dispersed through the whole body1 obeys and moves ,at the will and propulsion of the mind1 ,which for itself and by itself alone ,has knowledge and rejoices for itself1 ,when nothing at that time moves soul or body4 ,and just as1 when we are attacked by pain ,in head or eye1 we do not feel distress ,through our whole body too1 so often the mind ,suffers pain by itself1 or is envigoured ,by happiness1 when all the rest of the soul ,throughout the limbs and frame remains unstirred ,by any new sensation4 ,but when the mind ,has been perturbed by some more vehement fear1 ,we see the whole soul feel with it in unison ,through all the limbs2 sweating and paleness then ,spread over the whole body2 the tongue halts1 ,speech dies away1 the eyes grow dark with mist1 ,the ears ring and the limbs sink under us4 ,and indeed often we see men drop down ,from terror of mind4 ,hence easily we may learn ,that the soul is united with the mind2 ,for when it has been struck by the mind's force1 ,straightway it pushes and propels the body4 ,,book ,,iii1 lines #hcj-ajid ,death then is nothing to us1 nor one jot ,does it concern us1 since the nature of mind ,is thus proved mortal4 ,and as in times long past ,we felt no unhappiness when from every side ,gathering for conflict came the ,punic hosts1 ,and all that was beneath the height of heaven1 ,shaken by the tumult and dismay of war1 ,shuddered and quaked1 and mortals were in doubt ,to whose empire all human things would fall ,by land and sea1 so when we are no more1 ,when body and soul1 whereof we were composed ,into one being shall have been divorced1 ',tis plain nothing whatever shall have power ,to trouble us1 who then shall be no more1 ,or stir our senses1 no1 not if earth with sea ,in ruin shall be mingled1 and sea with sky4 ,and even though the powers of mind and soul ,after they have been severed from the body ,were still to feel1 yet that to us is nothing1 ,who by the binding marriage tie between ,body and soul are formed into one being4 ,nor if ,time should collect our scattered atoms ,after our death1 and should restore them back ,to where they now are placed1 and if once more ,the light of light were given us1 not even that ,would in the least concern us1 once the chain ,of self-awareness had been snapped asunder4 ,so too now what we may have been before ,concerns us not1 nor causes us distress4 ,for when you look back on the whole past course ,of infinite time1 and think how manifold ,must be the modes of matter's flux1 then easily ,may you believe this too1 that these same atoms ,of which we now are formed1 have often before ,been placed in the same order as they are now4 ,yet this can no remembrance bring us back4 ,for a break in life has since been interposed1 ,and all our atoms wandering dispersed ,have strayed far from that former consciousness4 ,for if a man be destined to endure ,misery and suffering1 he must first exist ,in his own person at that very time ,when evil should befall him4 ,but since death ,precludes this1 and forbids him to exist ,who was to endure distress1 we may be sure ,that in death there is nothing we need dread1 ,that he who exists not cannot become miserable1 ,and that it makes no difference at all ,whether he shall already have been born ,in some past time1 when once he has been robbed ,by death that dies not of his life that dies4 ,therefore if you should chance to hear some man ,pitying his own lot1 that after death ,either his body must decay in the earth1 ,or be consumed by flames or jaws of beasts1 ,then may you know that his words ring not true1 ,that in his heart there lurks some secret sting1 ,though he himself deny that he believes ,any sense will remain with him in death4 ,for in fact he grants not all that he professes1 ,nor by the roots does he expel and thrust ,self forth from life1 but all unwittingly ,assumes that of self something will survive4 ,for when a living man forbodes that birds ,and beasts may rend his body after death1 ,then does he pity himself1 nor can he quite ,separate and withdraw from the outcast body1 ,but fancying that that other is himself1 ,with his own sense imagines it endued4 ,so he complains because he was born mortal1 ,nor sees that there will be in real death ,no other self which living can lament ,that he has perished1 none that will stand by ,and grieve over his burnt and mangled corpse4 ,for if it be an evil after death ,to be mauled by teeth of beasts1 why should it seem ,less cruel to be laid out on a pyre ,and scorched with hot flames1 or to be embalmed ,in stifling honey1 or to lie stiff and cold ,couched on the cool slab of a chilly stone1 ,or to be crushed down under a weight of earth8 8,now no more shall thy home1 nor thy chaste wife ,receive thee in gladness1 nor shall thy sweet children ,run forth to meet thee and snatch kisses from thee1 ,and touch thee to the heart with silent joy4 ,no more canst thou be prosperous in thy doings1 ,a bulwark to thy friends4 ,poor wretch60 men cry1 8,how wretchedly has one disastrous day ,stript thee of all life's many benefits60 ,yet this withal they add not3 8,nor henceforth ,does craving for these things beset thee more40 ,this truth1 could men but grasp it once in thought ,and follow thought with words1 would forthwith set ,their spirits free from a huge ache and dread4 8,thou1 as thou art1 sunk in the sleep of death1 ,shalt so continue through all time to come1 ,delivered from all feverish miseries3 ,but we who watched thee on thy dreadful pyre ,change into ashes1 we insatiably ,bewept thee2 nor shall any lapse of days ,remove that lifelong sorrow from our hearts40 ,of him who spoke thus1 well might we inquire1 ,what grief so exceeding bitter is there here1 ,if in the end all comes to sleep and rest1 ,that one should therefore pine with lifelong misery4 ,this too is oft men's wont1 when they lie feasting ,wine-cup in hand with garland-shaded brows3 ,thus from the heart they speak3 8,brief is life's joy ,for poor frail men4 ,soon will it be no more1 ,nor ever afterwards may it be called back40 ,as though a foremost evil to be feared ,after their death were this1 that parching thirst ,would burn and scorch them in their misery1 ,or craving for aught else would then beset them4 ,no1 for none feels the want of self and life1 ,when mind and body are sunk in sleep together4 ,for all we care1 such sleep might be eternal3 ,no craving for ourselves moves us at all4 ,and yet1 when starting up from sleep a man ,collects himself1 then the atoms of his soul ,throughout his frame cannot be wandering far ,from their sense-stirring motions4 ,therefore death ,must needs be thought far less to us than sleep1 ,if less can be than what we see is nothing4 ,for the dispersion of the crowded atoms1 ,that comes with death1 is greater2 nor has ever ,anyone yet awakened1 upon whom ,has once fallen the chill arrest of death4 ,furthermore1 if ,nature suddenly found voice1 ,and thus in person upbraided one of us3 8,what is it1 mortal1 can afflict thee so1 ,that thou to such exceeding bitter grief ,shouldst yield8 ,why thus bemoan and bewail death8 ,for if the life thou hast lived hitherto ,was pleasant to thee1 and not all thy blessings1 ,as though poured into a perforated jar1 ,have flowed through and gone thanklessly to waste1 ,why not then1 like a guest replete with life1 ,take thy departure1 and resignedly ,enter1 thou fool1 upon secure repose8 ,but if all that thou hast enjoyed has perished ,squandered away1 and life is a mere grievance1 ,why seek to add thereto1 what in its turn ,must all come to destruction and be lost ,unprofitably8 ,why both of life and travail ,dost thou not rather make an end at once8 ,for there is nothing more ,i can contrive ,or find to please thee4 ,all things are the same ,at all times4 ,though thy body be not yet ,decayed with years1 nor have thy worn-out limbs ,grown feeble1 yet all things remain the same2 ,though thou shouldst overlive all generations1 ,nay1 even more if thou shouldst never die40 ,what could we answer1 save that ,nature's claim ,was just1 and her indictment a true plea8 ,but if some other more advanced in years ,should miserably complain and lament death ,beyond all reason1 would she not yet more justly ,lift up her voice and chide him with sharp speech8 8,hence with thy tears1 buffoon4 ,cease thy complaints4 ,after thou hast enjoyed all life's best gifts ,thou now decayest4 ,but because thou hast yearned ,always for what was absent1 and despised ,that which was present1 life has glided from thee ,incomplete and unprofitable4 ,so now ,ere thou didst look for it1 at thy pillow ,death ,has taken his stand1 before thou canst depart ,satisfied with existence and replete4 ,but now resign all vanities that so ill ,befit thine age3 come then1 with a good grace ,rise and make room for others2 for thou must40 ,justly1 ,i think1 would she so plead with him1 ,justly reproach and chide3 for things grown old ,yield place and are supplanted evermore ,by new1 and each thing out of something else ,must be replenished2 nor to the black pit ,of ,tartarus was yet any man consigned4 ,matter is needed1 that therefrom may grow ,succeeding generations3 which yet all1 ,when they have lived their life1 shall follow thee4 ,thus it is all have perished in past times ,no less than thou1 and shall hereafter perish4 ,so one thing out of another shall not cease ,for ever to arise2 and life is given ,to none in fee1 to all in usufruct4 ,consider likewise how eternal ,time's ,bygone antiquity before our birth ,was nothing to us4 ,in such wise does ,nature ,show us the time to come after our death ,as in a mirror4 ,is aught visible ,therein so appalling8 aught that seems like gloom8 ,is it not more secure than any sleep8 ,moreover all those things which people say ,are found in ,acheron's gulf1 assuredly ,exist for us in life4 ,no wretched ,tantalus1 ,numbed by vain terror1 quakes1 as the tale tells1 ,beneath a huge rock hanging in the air2 ,but in life rather an empty fear of gods ,oppresses mortals2 and the fall they dread ,is fortune's fall1 which chance may bring to each4 ,nor verily entering the large breast of ,tityos1 ,as he lies stretched in ,acheron1 do vultures ,find food there for their beaks perpetually4 ,how vast soever his body's bulk extends1 ,though not nine acres merely with outspread limbs ,he cover1 but the round of the whole earth1 ,yet would he not be able to endure ,eternal pain1 nor out of his whole body ,for ever provide food4 ,but here for us ,he is a ,tityos1 whom1 while he lies ,in bonds of love1 fretful anxieties ,devour like rending birds of prey1 or cares1 ,sprung from some other craving1 lacerate4 ,a living ,sisyphus also we behold ,in him who from the people fain would beg ,the rods and cruel axes1 and each time ,defeated and disconsolate must retire4 ,for to beg power1 which1 empty as it is1 ,is never given1 and in pursuit thereof ,to endure grievous toil continually1 ,is but to thrust uphill mightily straining ,a stone1 which from the summit after all ,rolls bounding back down to the level plain4 ,moreover to be feeding evermore ,the thankless nature of the mind1 yet never ,to fill it full and sate it with good things1 ,as do the seasons for us1 when each year ,they return bringing fruits and varied charms1 ,yet never are we filled with life's delights1 ,this surely is what is told of those young brides1 ,who must pour water into a punctured vessel1 ,though they can have no hope to fill it full4 ,cerberus and the ,furies in like manner ,are fables1 and that world deprived of day ,where from its throat ,tartarus belches forth ,horrible flames3 which things in truth are not1 ,nor can be anywhere4 ,but there is in life ,a dread of punishment for things ill done1 ,terrible as the deeds are terrible2 ,and to expiate men's guilt there is the dungeon1 ,the awful hurling downward from the rock1 ,scourgings1 mutilations and impalings1 ,the pitch1 the torches and the metal plate4 ,and even if these be wanting1 yet the mind ,conscious of guilt torments itself with goads ,and scorching whips1 nor in its boding fear ,perceives what end of misery there can be1 ,nor what limit at length to punishment1 ,nay fears lest these same evils after death ,should prove more grievous4 ,thus does the life of fools ,become at last an ,acheron here on earth4 ,this too thou may'st say sometimes to thyself3 8,even the good king ,ancus closed his eyes ,to the light of day1 who was so many times ,worthier than thou1 unconscionable man4 ,and since then many others who bore rule ,o'er mighty nations1 princes and potentates1 ,have perished3 and he too1 even he1 who once ,across the great sea paved a path whereby ,his legions might pass over1 bidding them ,cross dry-shod the salt deeps1 and to show scorn ,trampled upon the roarings of the waves ,with horses1 even he1 bereft of light1 ,forth from his dying body gasped his soul4 ,the ,scipios' offspring1 thunderbolt of war1 ,terror of ,carthage1 gave his bones to the earth1 ,as though he were the meanest household slave4 ,consider too the inventors of wise thoughts ,and arts that charm1 consider the companions ,of the ,heliconian ,maidens1 among whom ,homer still bears the sceptre without peer2 ,yet he now sleeps the same sleep as they all4 ,likewise ,democritus1 when a ripe old age ,had warned him that the memory-stirring motions ,were waning in his mind1 by his own act ,willingly offered up his head to death4 ,even ,epicurus died1 when his life's light ,had run its course1 he who in intellect ,surpassed the race of men1 quenching the glory ,of all else1 as the sun in heaven arising ,quenches the stars4 ,then wilt thou hesitate ,and feel aggrieved to die8 thou for whom life ,is well nigh dead1 whilst yet thou art alive ,and lookest on the light2 thou who dost waste ,most of thy time in sleep1 and waking snorest1 ,nor ceasest to see dreams2 who hast a mind ,troubled with empty terror1 and ofttimes ,canst not discover what it is that ails thee1 ,when1 poor besotted wretch1 from every side ,cares crowd upon thee1 and thou goest astray ,drifting in blind perplexity of soul40 ,if men not only were to feel this load ,that weighs upon their mind and wears them out1 ,but might have knowledge also of its cause ,and whence comes this great pile of misery ,crushing their breasts1 they would not spend their lives1 ,as now so oft we see them1 ignorant ,each of his life's true ends1 and seeking ever ,by change of place to lay his burden down4 ,often1 issuing forth from his great mansion1 he ,who is weary of home will suddenly return ,perceiving that abroad he is none the happier4 ,he posts to his villa galloping his ponies1 ,as though hurrying with help to a house on fire1 ,yawns on the very threshold1 nay sinks down ,heavily into sleep to seek oblivion1 ,or even perhaps starts headlong back to town4 ,in this way each man flies from his own self1 ,yet from that self in fact he has no power ,to escape4 ,he clings to it in his own despite1 ,although he loathes it1 seeing that he is sick1 ,yet perceives not the cause of his disease3 ,which if he could but comprehend aright1 ,relinquishing all else1 each man would study ,to learn the ,nature of ,reality1 ,since 'tis our state during eternal time1 ,not for one hour merely1 that is in doubt1 ,that state wherein mortals must pass the whole ,of what may still await them after death4 ,and in conclusion1 what base lust of life ,is this1 that can so potently compel us ,in dubious perils to feel such dismay8 ,for indeed certain is the end of life ,that awaits mortals1 nor can death be shunned4 ,meet it we must4 ,furthermore in the same ,pursuits and actions do we pass our days ,for ever1 nor may we by living on ,forge for ourselves any new form of pleasure4 ,but what we crave1 while it is absent1 seems ,to excel all things else2 then1 when 'tis ours1 ,we crave some other thing1 gaping wide-mouthed1 ,always possessed by the same thirst of life4 ,what fortune future time may bring1 we know not1 ,nor what chance has in store for us1 nor yet ,what end awaits us4 ,by prolonging life ,no least jot may we take from death's duration2 ,nought may we steal away therefrom1 that so ,haply a less long while we may be dead4 ,therefore as many ages as you please ,add to your life's account1 yet none the less ,will that eternal death be waiting for you4 ,and not less long will that man be no more1 ,who from to-day has ceased to live1 than he ,who has died many months and years ago4 ,,book ,,iv1 lines #ifb-abhg ,and generally to what pursuits soever ,each of us is attached and closely tied1 ,or on whatever tasks we have been used ,to spend much time1 so that therein the mind ,has borne unwonted strain1 in those same tasks ,we mostly seem in sleep to be engaged4 ,lawyers imagine they are pleading causes1 ,or drafting deeds2 generals that they are fighting ,in some pitched battle2 mariners that they still ,are waging with the winds their lifelong war2 ,and we that we are toiling at our task1 ,questioning ever the nature of all things1 ,and setting our discoveries forth in books ,written in our native tongue4 ,and thus in general ,do all other pursuits and arts appear ,to fill men's minds and mock them during sleep4 ,and with those who for many days together ,have watched stage shows with unremitting zeal1 ,we generally find that when they have ceased ,to apprehend them with their senses1 yet ,passages remain open in the mind ,through which the same images of things may enter4 ,thus the same sights for many days keep passing ,before their eyes1 so that even when awake ,they seem to be beholding figures dancing ,and moving supple limbs2 also their ears ,seem to be listening clear-toned melodies ,of the lyre's eloquent strings1 while they behold ,in fancy the same audience1 the stage too1 ,glowing with all its varied scenery4 ,so great the influence of zeal and pleasure1 ,and of those tasks whereon not only men ,are wont to spend their energies1 but even ,all living animals4 ,thus you will see ,strong horses1 when their limbs are lying at rest1 ,nevertheless in slumber sweat and pant ,continually1 and as though to win some prize ,strain their strength to the utmost1 or else struggle ,to start1 as if the barriers were thrown open4 ,and often hunters' dogs while softly slumbering ,will yet suddenly toss their legs about ,and utter hurried yelps1 sniffing the air ,again and again1 as though following the trail ,of wild beasts they have scented3 and roused from sleep ,they often chase the empty images ,of stags1 as if they saw them in full flight1 ,till having shaken their delusions off ,they come back to themselves4 ,but the tame brood ,of dogs reared in the house1 will shake themselves ,and start up from the ground1 as if they saw ,unknown figures and faces3 and the more savage ,each breed is1 the more fierce must be its dreams4 ,and in the night-time birds of various kinds1 ,suddenly taking flight1 trouble with their wings ,the groves of deities1 when in gentle sleep ,hawks have appeared threatening them with havoc ,of battle1 flying after them in pursuit4 ,again the minds of men1 which greatly labouring ,achieve great aims1 will often during sleep ,act and perform the same4 ,kings take by storm1 ,are made captive1 join battle1 cry aloud ,as though assassinated then and there4 ,many men struggle and utter groans in pain1 ,and as though mangled by a panther's fangs ,or savage lion's1 fill the whole neighbourhood ,with vehement clamourings4 ,many in their sleep ,discourse of great affairs1 and often so ,have revealed their own guilt4 ,many meet death3 ,many1 as though falling with all their weight ,from high cliffs to the ground1 are scared with terror1 ,and like men reft of reason1 hardly from sleep ,come to themselves again1 being quite distraught ,by the body's tumult4 ,likewise a man will sit ,thirsting beside a river or pleasant spring ,and gulp almost the whole stream down his throat4 ,innocent children also1 slumber-bound1 ,often believe they are lifting up their dress ,by a tank or broken vessel1 and so pour ,the liquid1 drained from their whole body1 forth1 ,soaking the gorgeous-hued magnificence ,of ,babylonian coverlets4 ,then too ,to those into the currents of whose age ,for the first time seed is entering1 when the ripe ,fulness of time has formed it in their limbs1 ,from without there come images emanating ,from some chance body1 announcing a glorious face ,and beautiful colouring1 that excites and stirs ,those parts that have grown turgid with much seed1 ,so that1 as if all things had been performed1 ,the full tide overflows and stains their vesture4 ,this seed whereof we spoke is stirred in us ,when first ripening age confirms our frame4 ,for different causes move and stimulate ,different things4 ,from man the influence ,of man alone rouses forth human seed4 ,so soon as1 thus dislodged1 it has retired ,from its abodes throughout the limbs and frame1 ,it withdraws from the whole body1 and assembling ,at certain places in the system1 straightway ,rouses at last the body's genital parts4 ,these places1 irritated1 swell with seed2 ,and so the wish arises to eject it ,towards that whereto the fell desire tends2 ,while the body seeks that by which the mind ,is smitten by love4 ,for all men generally ,fall towards the wound1 and the blood glistens forth ,in that direction whence the stroke was dealt us4 ,and if he is at close quarters1 the red drops ,sprinkle the foe4 ,thus he who has been struck ,by the missiles of ,venus1 whether a boy ,with womanish limbs launches the shaft1 or else ,some woman darting love from her whole body1 ,yearns towards that whereby he has been wounded1 ,and longs to unite with it1 and shoot the stream ,drawn from the one into the other body4 ,for dumb desire gives presage of the pleasure4 ,this desire we call ,venus3 from it came ,the ,latin name for love,e2 and from this source ,there trickled first into the heart that drop ,of ,venus' honeyed sweetness1 followed soon ,by chilling care4 ,for though that which you love ,be absent1 yet are images of it present1 ,and its sweet name still haunts within your ears4 ,but it is wise to shun such images1 ,and scare off from you all that feeds your love1 ,turning your mind elsewhere1 and vent instead ,your gathering humours on some other body1 ,rather than hold them back1 set once for all ,upon the love of one1 and so lay up ,care and unfailing anguish for yourself4 ,for the wound gathers strength and grows inveterate ,by feeding1 while the madness day by day ,increases1 and the misery becomes heavier1 ,unless you heal the first wounds by new blows1 ,and roving in the steps of vagrant ,venus ,so cure them while yet fresh1 or can divert ,to something else the movements of your mind4 ,nor does the man who shuns love go without ,the fruits of ,venus2 rather he makes choice ,of joys that bring no after-pain3 for surely ,the pleasure of intercourse must be more pure ,for those that are heart-whole than for the love-sick4 ,for in the very moment of possession ,the passion of lovers fluctuates to and fro1 ,wandering undecidedly1 nor know they ,what first they would enjoy with eyes and hands4 ,what they have sought1 they tightly press1 and cause ,pain to the body1 and often print their teeth ,upon the lips1 and kiss with bruising mouths1 ,because the pleasure is not unalloyed1 ,and there are secret stings which stimulate ,to hurt that very thing1 whate'er it be1 ,from which those germs of madness emanate4 ,but easily1 while love lasts1 ,venus allays ,such pains2 and soft delight1 mingled therein1 ,bridles their bites4 ,for in this there is hope ,that from that very body whence proceeds ,their burning lust1 the flame may in turn be quenched1 ,although ,nature protests the opposite ,must happen1 since this is the one sole thing ,whereof the more we have1 so much the more ,must the heart be consumed by fell desire4 ,for food and drink are taken within the body2 ,and since they are wont to settle in fixed parts1 ,in this way the desire for water and bread ,is easily satisfied3 but from the face ,and beautiful colouring of a man there enters ,nothing into the body to enjoy ,save tenuous images1 a love-sick hope ,often snatched off by the wind4 ,as when in sleep ,a thirsty man seeks to drink1 and no liquid ,is given to quench the burning in his limbs1 ,yet he pursues the images of water1 ,toiling in vain1 and still thirsts1 though he drink ,in a rushing river's midst2 even so in love ,venus deludes lovers with images3 ,for neither1 gaze intently as they may1 ,can bodies satiate them1 nor with their hands ,can they pluck anything off from the soft limbs1 ,aimlessly wandering over the whole body4 ,and when at last with limbs knit they enjoy ,the flower of their age1 when now the body ,presages rapture1 and ,venus is in act ,to sow the fields of woman1 eagerly ,they clasp bodies and join moist mouth to mouth ,with panted breath1 imprinting lips with teeth2 ,in vain1 for naught thence can they pluck away1 ,nor each with the whole body entering pass ,into the other's body2 for at times ,they seem to wish and struggle so to do4 ,so greedily do they hug the bonds of ,venus1 ,while their limbs melt1 enfeebled by the might ,of pleasure4 ,finally1 when the gathered lust ,has burst forth from the frame1 awhile there comes ,a brief pause in their passion's violent heat4 ,then returns the same madness3 the old frenzy ,revisits them1 when they would fain discover ,what verily they desire to attain2 ,yet never can they find out what device ,may conquer their disease3 in such blind doubt ,they waste away1 pined by a secret wound4 ,consider too how they consume their strength ,and are worn out with toiling2 and consider ,how at another's beck their life is passed4 ,meantime their substance vanishes and is changed ,to ,babylonian stuffs2 their duties languish2 ,their reputation totters and grows sick4 ,while at her lover's cost she anoints herself ,with precious unguents1 and upon her feet ,beautiful ,sicyonian slippers laugh4 ,then doubtless she has set for her in gold ,big green-lit emeralds2 and the sea-purple dress1 ,worn out by constant use1 imbibes the sweat ,of love's encounters4 ,the wealth which their fathers ,had nobly gathered1 becomes hair-ribbons ,and head-dresses1 or else may be is turned ,into a long ,greek gown1 or stuffs of ,alinda ,and ,ceos4 ,feasts with goodly broideries ,and viands are prepared1 games1 numerous cups1 ,unguents1 crowns and festoons2 but all in vain2 ,since from the well-spring of delights some touch ,of bitter rises1 to give pain amidst ,the very flowers2 either when the mind ,perchance grows conscience-stricken1 and remorse ,gnaws it1 thus to be spending a life of sloth1 ,and ruining itself in wanton haunts2 ,or else because she has launched forth some word ,and left its sense in doubt1 some word that clings ,to the hungry heart1 and quickens there like fire2 ,or that he fancies she is casting round ,her eyes too freely1 or looks upon some other1 ,and on her face sees traces of a smile4 ,when love is permanent and fully prosperous1 ,these evils are experienced2 but if love ,be crossed and hopeless1 there are evils such ,that you might apprehend them with closed eyes1 ,beyond numbering2 so that it is wiser1 ,as ,i have taught you1 to be vigilant ,beforehand1 and watch well lest you be snared4 ,for to avoid being tripped up in love's toils ,is not so difficult as1 once you are caught1 ,to issue from the nets and to break through ,the strong meshes of ,venus4 ,none the less ,even when you are tangled and involved1 ,you may escape the peril1 unless you stand ,in your own way1 and always overlook ,every defect whether of mind or body ,in her whom you pursue and long to win4 ,for this is how men generally behave ,blinded by lust1 and assign to those they love ,good qualities which are not truly theirs4 ,so we see women in various ways misformed ,and ugly1 to be fondly loved and held ,in highest favour4 ,and a man will mock ,his fellows1 urging them to placate ,venus1 ,because they are troubled by a degrading love1 ,yet often the poor fool will have no eyes ,for his own far worse plight4 ,the tawny is called ,a honey brown2 the filthy and unclean1 ,reckless of order2 the green-eyed1 a ,pallas2 ,the sinewy and angular1 a gazelle2 ,the tiny and dwarfish is a very ,grace1 ,nothing but sparkle2 the monstrous and ungainly1 ,a marvel1 and composed of majesty4 ,she stammers1 cannot talk1 why then she lisps2 ,the mute is bashful2 but the fiery-tongued ,malicious gossip becomes a brilliant torch4 ,one is a slender darling1 when she scarce ,can live for lack of flesh2 and one half dead ,with cough1 is merely frail and delicate4 ,then the fat and full-bosomed is ,ceres' self ,suckling ,iacchus2 the snub-nosed1 a female ,silenus1 or a ,satyress2 the thick-lipped1 ,a kiss incarnate4 ,but more of this sort ,it were a tedious labour to recite4 ,yet be she noble of feature as you will1 ,and let the might of ,venus emanate ,from every limb2 still there are others too2 ,still we have lived without her until now2 ,still she does1 and we know she does1 the same ,in all things as the ugly1 and1 poor wretch1 ,perfumes herself with evil-smelling scents1 ,while her maids run and hide to giggle in secret4 ,but the excluded lover many a time ,with flowers and garlands covers tearfully ,the threshold1 and anoints the haughty posts ,with oil of marjoram1 and imprints1 poor man1 ,kisses upon the doors4 ,yet when at last ,he has been admitted1 if but a single breath ,should meet him as he enters1 he would seek ,specious excuses to be gone1 and so ,the long-studied1 deep-drawn complaint would fall ,to the ground1 and he would then convict himself ,of folly1 now he sees he had attributed ,more to her than is right to grant a mortal4 ,nor to our ,venuses is this unknown3 ,wherefore the more are they at pains to hide ,all that takes place behind the scenes of life ,from those they would keep fettered in love's chains ,but all in vain1 since in imagination ,you yet may draw forth all these things to light1 ,discovering every cause for ridicule3 ,and if she be of a mind that still can charm1 ,and not malicious1 you may in your turn ,overlook faults and pardon human frailty4 ,nor always with feigned love does the woman sigh1 ,when with her own uniting the man's body ,she holds him clasped1 with moistened kisses sucking ,his lips into her lips4 ,nay1 from the heart ,she often does it1 and seeking mutual joys ,woos him to run to the utmost goal of love4 ,and nowise else could birds1 cattle1 wild beasts1 ,and sheep and mares submit to males1 except ,that their exuberant nature is in heat1 ,and burning draws towards them joyously ,the lust of the covering mates4 ,see you not also ,that those whom mutual pleasure has enchained ,are often tormented in their common chains8 ,how often on the highroads dogs desiring ,to separate1 will strain in opposite ways ,eagerly with all their might1 yet the whole time ,they are held fast in the strong bonds of ,venus6 ,thus they would never act1 unless they had ,experience of mutual joys1 enough ,to thrust them into the snare and hold them bound4 ,therefore ,i assert1 the pleasure must be common4 ,often when1 mingling her seed with the man's1 ,the woman with sudden force has overwhelmed ,and mastered the man's force1 then children are borne ,like to the mother from the mother's seed1 ,as from the father's seed like to the father4 ,but those whom you see sharing the form of both1 ,mingling their parents' features side by side1 ,grow from the father's body and mother's blood1 ,when mutual ardour has conspired to fling ,the seeds together1 roused by the goads of ,venus ,throughout the frame1 and neither of the two ,has gained the mastery nor yet been mastered4 ,moreover sometimes children may be born ,like their grandparents1 and will often recall ,the forms of their remoter ancestors1 ,because the parents often hold concealed ,within their bodies many primal atoms ,mingled in many ways1 which1 handed down ,from the first stock1 father transmits to father4 ,and out of these ,venus produces forms ,with ever-varying chances1 and recalls ,the look and voice and hair of ancestors3 ,since truly these things are no more derived ,from a determined seed1 than are our faces ,bodies and limbs4 ,also the female sex ,may spring from a father's seed1 and males come forth ,formed from a mother's body3 for the birth ,is always fashioned out of the two seeds4 ,whichever of the two that which is born ,is most like1 of that parent it will have ,more than an equal share2 as you may observe1 ,whether it be a male or female offspring4 ,nor do divine powers thwart in any man ,a fruitful sowing1 so that he may never ,receive from sweet children the name of father1 ,but in sterile wedlock must live out his days2 ,as men in general fancy1 and so sprinkle ,the altars sorrowfully with much blood1 ,and heap the shrine-tables with offerings1 ,to make their wives pregnant with copious seed4 ,but vainly they importune the divinity ,and sortilege of the gods4 ,for they are sterile ,sometimes from too great thickness of the seed1 ,or else it is unduly thin and fluid4 ,because the thin cannot adhere and cleave ,to the right spots1 it forthwith flows away ,defeated1 and departs abortively4 ,others again discharge a seed too thick1 ,more solid than is suitable1 which either ,does not shoot forth with so far-flung a stroke1 ,or cannot so well penetrate where it should1 ,or having penetrated1 does not easily ,mix with the woman's seed4 ,for harmonies ,seem to be most important in love's rites4 ,and some men will more readily fertilise ,some women1 and other women will conceive ,more readily and grow pregnant from other men4 ,and many women1 sterile hitherto ,in several marriages1 have yet at last ,found mates from whom they could conceive children1 ,and so become enriched with a sweet offspring4 ,and even for those to whom their household wives1 ,however fruitful1 had failed so far to bear1 ,a well-matched nature has been often found ,that they might fortify their age with children4 ,so important is it1 if seeds are to agree ,and blend with seeds for purposes of birth1 ,whether the thick encounters with the fluid1 ,and the fluid with the thick4 ,also herein ,it is of moment on what diet life ,is nourished2 for the seed within the limbs ,by some foods is made solid1 and by others ,is thinned and dwindled4 ,also in what modes ,love's bland delight is dealt with1 that likewise ,is of the highest moment4 ,for in general ,women are thought more readily to conceive ,after the manner of wild beasts and quadrupeds1 ,since so the seeds can find the proper spots1 ,the breasts being bent downward1 the loins raised4 ,nor have wives the least need of wanton movements4 ,for a woman thwarts conception and frustrates it1 ,if with her loins she joyously lures on ,the man's love1 and1 with her whole bosom relaxed ,and limp1 provokes lust's tide to overflow4 ,for then she thrusts the furrow from the share's ,direct path1 turning the seed's stroke aside ,from its right goal4 ,and thus for their own ends ,harlots are wont to move1 because they wish ,not to conceive nor lie in childbed often1 ,likewise that ,venus may give men more pleasure4 ,but of this surely our wives should have no need4 ,sometimes1 by no divine interposition ,nor through the shafts of ,venus1 a plain woman1 ,though of inferior beauty1 may be loved4 ,for sometimes she herself by her behaviour1 ,her gentle ways and personal daintiness ,will easily accustom you to spend ,your whole life with her4 ,and indeed 'tis custom ,that harmonises love4 ,for what is struck ,however lightly by repeated blows1 ,yet after a long lapse of time is conquered ,and must dissolve4 ,do you not likewise see ,that drops of water falling upon stones ,after long lapse of time will pierce them through8 ,,book ,v ,who is there that by energy of mind ,could build a poem worthy of our theme's ,majesty and of these discoveries8 ,or who has such a mastery of words ,as to devise praises proportionate ,to his deserts1 who to us has bequeathed ,such prizes1 earned by his own intellect8 ,no man1 ,i think1 formed of a mortal body4 ,for if we are to speak as the acknowledged ,majesty of our theme demands1 a god ,was he1 most noble ,memmius1 a god1 ,who first found out that discipline of life ,which now is called philosophy1 and whose skill ,from such great billows and a gloom so dark ,delivered life1 and steered it into a calm ,so peaceful and beneath so bright a light4 ,for compare the divine discoveries ,of others in old times4 ',tis told that ,ceres ,first revealed corn to men1 ,liber the juice ,of grape-born wine2 though life without these things ,might well have been sustained2 and even now ',tis said there are some people that live so4 ,but to live happily was not possible ,without a serene mind4 ,therefore more justly ,is this man deemed by us a god1 from whom ,came those sweet solaces of life1 which now ,already through great nations spread abroad ,have power to soothe men's minds4 ,should you suppose ,moreover that the deeds of ,hercules ,surpass his1 then yet further will you drift ,out of true reason's course4 ,for what harm now ,would those great gaping jaws of ,nemea's lion ,do to us1 and the bristly ,arcadian boar8 ,what could the bull of ,crete1 or ,lerna's pest ,the ,hydra fenced around with venomous snakes1 ,and threefold ,gerion's triple-breasted might1 ,or those brazen-plumed birds inhabiting ,stymphalian swamps1 what injury so great ,could they inflict upon us1 or the steeds ,of ,thracian ,diomede1 with fire-breathing nostrils ,ranging ,bistonia's wilds and ,ismarus8 ,also the serpent1 guardian of the bright ,gold-gleaming apples of the ,hesperides1 ,fierce and grim-glancing1 with huge body coiled ,round the tree's stem1 how were it possible ,he could molest us by the ,atlantic shore ,and those lone seas1 where none of us sets foot1 ,and no barbarian ventures to draw near8 ,and all those other monsters which likewise ,have been destroyed1 if they had not been vanquished1 ,what harm1 pray1 could they do1 though now alive8 ,none1 ,i presume3 for the earth even now abounds ,with wild beasts to repletion1 and is filled ,with shuddering terror throughout its woods1 great mountains ,and deep forests1 regions which we have power ,for the most part to avoid4 ,but if the heart ,has not been purged1 what tumults then1 what dangers ,must needs invade us in our own despite6 ,what fierce anxieties1 offspring of desire1 ,rend the distracted man1 what mastering fears6 ,pride also1 sordid avarice1 and violence1 ,of what calamities are not they the cause6 ,luxury too1 and slothfulness6 ,he therefore ,who could subdue all these1 and banish them ,out of our minds by force of words1 not arms1 ,is it not right we should deem such a man ,worthy to be numbered among the gods8 ,the more that he was wont in beautiful ,and godlike speech to utter many truths ,about the immortal gods themselves1 and set ,the whole nature of things in clear words forth4 ,i1 in his footsteps treading1 follow out ,his reasonings and expound in my discourse ,by what law all things are created1 how ,they are compelled to abide within that law1 ,without power to annul the immutable ,decrees of time2 and first above all else ,the mind's nature was found to be composed ,of a body that had birth1 without the power ,to endure through a long period unscathed3 ,for it was found to be mere images ,that are wont to deceive the mind in sleep1 ,whenever we appear to behold one ,whom life has abandoned4 ,now1 for what remains1 ,the order of my argument has brought me ,to the point where ,i must show both how the world ,is composed of a body which must die1 ,also that it was born2 and in what way ,matter once congregating and uniting ,established earth sky sea1 the stars1 the sun1 ,and the moon's globe3 also what living creatures ,rose from the earth1 and which were those that never ,at any time were born3 next in what way ,mankind began to employ varied speech ,one with another by giving names to things3 ,then for what causes that fear of the gods ,entered their breasts1 and now through the whole world ,gives sanctity to shrines1 lakes and groves1 ,altars and images of gods4 ,moreover ,i will make plain by what force and control ,nature pilots the courses of the sun ,and the wanderings of the moon1 lest we perchance ,deem that they traverse of their own free will ,their yearly orbits between heaven and earth1 ,obsequiously furthering the increase ,of crops and living things1 or should suppose ,that they roll onwards by the gods' design4 ,for those who have learnt rightly that the gods ,lead a life free from care1 if yet they wonder ,by what means all things can be carried on1 ,such above all as are perceived to happen ,in the ethereal regions overhead1 ,they are borne back again into their old ,religious fears1 and adopt pitiless lords1 ,whom in their misery they believe to be ,almighty2 for they are ignorant of what can ,and what cannot exist2 in fine they know not ,upon what principle each thing has its powers ,limited1 and its deep-set boundary stone4 ,but now1 lest ,i detain you with more promises1 ,in the first place consider1 ,memmius1 ,the seas1 the land1 the sky1 whose threefold nature1 ,three bodies1 three forms so dissimilar1 ,and three such wondrous textures1 a single day ,shall give to destruction1 and the world's vast mass ,and fabric1 for so many years upheld1 ,shall fall to ruin4 ,nor am ,i unaware ,how novel and strange1 when first it strikes the mind1 ,must appear this destruction of earth and heaven ,that is to be1 and for myself how difficult ,it will prove to convince you by mere words1 ,as happens when one brings to a man's ears ,some notion unfamiliar hitherto1 ,if yet one cannot thrust it visibly ,beneath his eyes1 or place it in his hands2 ,for the paved highway of belief through touch ,and sight leads straightest into the human heart ,and the precincts of the mind4 ,yet none the less ,i will speak out4 ,reality itself ,it may be will bring credence to my words1 ,and in a little while you will behold ,the earth terribly quaking1 and all things ,shattered to ruins4 ,but may pilot fortune ,steer far from us such disaster1 and may reason ,convince us rather than reality ,that the whole universe may well collapse1 ,tumbling together with a dread crash and roar4 ,but before ,i attempt concerning this ,to announce fate's oracles in more holy wise1 ,and with assurance far more rational ,than doth the ,pythoness1 when from the tripod ,and laurel wreath of ,phoebus her voice sounds1 ,many consolatories will ,i first ,expound to you in learned words1 lest haply ,curbed by religion's bit you should suppose ,that earth and sun and sky1 sea1 stars and moon1 ,their substance being divine1 must needs abide ,eternally1 and should therefore think it just ,that all1 after the manner of the giants1 ,should suffer penance for their monstrous guilt ,who by their reasoning shake the world's firm walls1 ,and fain would quench the glorious sun in heaven1 ,shaming with mortal speech immortal things2 ,though in fact such objects are so far removed ,from any share in divine energy1 ,and so unworthy to be accounted gods1 ,that they may be considered with more reason ,to afford us the conception of what is quite ,devoid of vital motion and of sense4 ,for truly by no means can we suppose ,that the nature and judgment of the mind ,can exist linked with every kind of body1 ,even as in the sky trees cannot exist1 ,nor clouds in the salt waters1 nor can fish ,live in the fields1 neither can blood be found ,in wood1 nor sap in stones3 but where each thing ,can dwell and grow1 is determined and ordained4 ,even so the nature of mind cannot be born ,alone without a body1 nor exist ,separated from sinews and from blood4 ,but if 7for this is likelier by far7 ,the mind's force might reside within the head ,or shoulders1 or be born down in the heels1 ,or in any part you will1 it would at least ,inhabit the same man and the same vessel4 ,but since even in our body it is seen ,to be determined and ordained where soul ,and mind can separately dwell and grow1 ,all the more must it be denied that mind ,cannot have being quite outside a body ,and a living form1 in crumbling clods of earth1 ,in the sun's fire1 or water1 or aloft ,in the domains of ether4 ,such things therefore ,are not endowed with divine consciousness1 ,because they cannot be quickened into life4 ,this too you cannot possibly believe1 ,that there are holy abodes of deities ,anywhere in the world4 ,for so tenuous ,is the nature of gods1 and from our senses ,so far withdrawn1 that hardly can the mind ,imagine it4 ,and seeing that hitherto ,it has eluded touch or blow of hands1 ,it must touch nothing which for us is tangible3 ,for naught can touch that may not itself be touched4 ,so even their abodes must be unlike ,our own1 tenuous as their bodies are4 ,all this hereafter ,i will prove to you ,by plentiful argument4 ,further1 to say ,that for the sake of mankind the gods willed ,to frame the wondrous nature of the world1 ,and that on this account we ought to extol ,their handiwork as worthy of all praise1 ,and to believe that it will prove eternal ,and indestructible1 and to think it sin ,ever by any effort to disturb ,what by the ancient wisdom of the gods ,has been established everlastingly ,for mankind's benefit1 or by argument ,to assail and overthrow it utterly ,from top to bottom1 and to invent besides ,other such errors--all this1 ,memmius1 ,is folly4 ,for what advantage could our thanks ,bestow upon immortal and blessed beings ,that for our sakes they should bestir themselves ,to perform any task8 ,or what new fact ,could have induced them1 tranquil hitherto1 ,after so long to change their former life8 ,for it seems fitting he should take delight ,in a new state of things1 to whom the old ,was painful3 but for him whom in past times1 ,while he was living in felicity1 ,no evil had befallen1 for such a one ,what could have kindled a desire for change8 ,must we imagine that their life lay prostrate ,in darkness and in misery1 till the birth ,and origin of things first dawned upon them8 ,besides1 what evil had it been to us ,not to have been created8 ,for whoever ,has once been born1 must wish to abide in life ,so long as luring pleasure bids him stay3 ,but one who has never tasted the love of life1 ,nor even been numbered in life's ranks1 what harm ,were it for him not to have been created8 ,again whence first was implanted in the gods ,a pattern for begetting things8 ,whence too ,the preconception of what men should be1 ,so that they knew and imaged in their minds ,what they desired to make8 ,and by what means ,could they have ever ascertained the energy ,latent in primal atoms1 or what forms ,might be produced by changes in their order1 ,unless ,nature herself had given them first ,a sample of creation8 ,for indeed ,these primal atoms in such multitudes ,and in so many ways1 through infinite time ,impelled by blows and moved by their own weight1 ,have been borne onward so incessantly1 ,uniting in every way and making trial ,of every shape they could combine to form1 ,that 'tis not strange if they have also fallen ,into such grouping1 and acquired such motions ,as those whereby the present sum of things ,is carried on and ceaselessly renewed4 ,but even were ,i ignorant how things ,were formed of primal elements1 yet this ,would ,i have ventured to affirm1 and prove ,not only from the system of the heavens1 ,but from much other evidence1 that nature ,has by no means been fashioned for our benefit ,by divine power2 so great are the defects ,which are its bane4 ,first1 of the whole space ,covered by the enormous reach of heaven1 ,a greedy portion mountains occupy ,and forests of wild beasts2 rocks and waste swamps ,possess it1 or the wide land-sundering sea4 ,besides1 well nigh two-thirds are stolen from men ,by burning heat and frost ceaselessly falling4 ,all that is left for husbandry1 even that ,the force of ,nature soon would overspread ,with thorns1 unless resisted by man's force1 ,ever wont for his livelihood to groan ,over the strong hoe1 and with down-pressed plough ,to cleave the earth4 ,for if we do not turn ,the fertile clods with coulters1 and subduing ,the soil of earth1 summon the crops to birth1 ,they could not of their own accord spring up ,into the bright air4 ,even then sometimes1 ,when answering our long toil throughout the land ,every bud puts forth its leaves and flowers1 ,either the sun in heaven scorches them ,with too much heat1 or sudden gusts of rain ,or nipping frosts destroy them1 or wind-storms ,shatter them with impetuous whirling blasts4 ,furthermore why does ,nature multiply ,and nourish terrible tribes of savage beasts ,by land and sea1 dangerous to mankind8 ,why does untimely death range to and fro8 ,then again1 like a mariner cast ashore ,by raging waves1 the human infant lies ,naked upon the ground1 speechless1 in want ,of every help needful for life1 when first ,nature by birth-throes from his mother's womb ,thrusts him into the borders of the light1 ,so that he fills the room with piteous wailing1 ,as well he may1 whose fate in life will be ,to pass through so much misery4 ,but flocks ,and herds of divers kind1 and the wild beasts1 ,these1 as they grow up1 have no need of rattles3 ,to none of them a foster-nurse must utter ,fond broken speech3 they seek not different dresses ,to suit each season3 no1 nor do they need ,weapons nor lofty walls whereby to guard ,what is their own1 since all things for them all ,the ,earth herself brings forth abundantly1 ,and ,nature1 the creatress manifold4 ,first of all1 since the substance of the earth1 ,moisture1 and the light breathings of the air1 ,and burning heats1 of which this sum of things ,is seen to be composed1 have all been formed ,of a body that was born and that will die1 ,of such a body must we likewise deem ,that the whole nature of the world was made4 ,for things whose parts and members we see formed ,of a body that had birth and shapes that die1 ,these we perceive are themselves always mortal1 ,and likewise have been born4 ,since then we see ,that the chief parts and members of the world ,decay and are reborn1 it is no less certain ,that once for heaven and earth there was a time ,of origin1 and will be of destruction4 ,herein lest you should think that without proof ,i have seized this vantage1 in that ,i have assumed ,earth and fire to be mortal1 and have not doubted ,that moisture and air perish1 but maintained ,that these too are reborn and grow afresh1 ,consider first how no small part of the earth ,ceaselessly baked by the sun's rays and trampled ,by innumerable feet1 gives off a mist ,and flying clouds of dust1 which the strong winds ,disperse through the whole atmosphere4 ,part too ,of the earth's soil is turned to swamp by rains1 ,while scouring rivers gnaw their banks away4 ,furthermore whatsoever goes to augment ,some other thing1 is in its turn restored2 ,and since beyond all doubt the all-mother ,earth ,is seen to be no less the general tomb1 ,you thus may see how she is ever lessened1 ,yet with new growth increases evermore4 ,next1 that the sea1 the rivers and the springs ,are always amply fed by new supplies ,of moisture oozing up perennially1 ,it needs no words to explain4 ,the vast down-flow ,of waters from all sides is proof of this4 ,but as the water that is uppermost ,is always taken away1 it comes to pass ,that on the whole there is no overflow2 ,partly because strong winds1 sweeping the seas1 ,diminish them1 and the sun in heaven unweaves ,their fabric with his rays2 partly because ,the water is distributed below ,throughout all lands4 ,for the salt is strained off1 ,and the pure fluid matter1 oozing back1 ,gathers together at the river-heads1 ,thence in fresh current streams over the land1 ,wherever it finds a channel ready scooped ,to carry down its waves with liquid foot4 ,now must ,i speak of air1 which every hour ,is changed through its whole body in countless ways4 ,for always whatsoever flows from things ,is all borne into the vast sea of air3 ,and if it were not in its turn to give ,particles back to things1 recruiting them ,as they dissolve1 all would have been long since ,disintegrated1 and so changed to air4 ,therefore it never ceases to be born ,out of things1 and to pass back into things1 ,since1 as we know1 all are in constant flux4 ,likewise that bounteous fountain of clear light1 ,the sun in heaven1 ceaselessly floods the sky ,with fresh brightness1 and momently supplies ,the place of light with new light3 for each former ,emission of his radiance perishes1 ,on whatsoever spot it falls4 ,this truth ,you may thus learn4 ,so soon as clouds begin ,to pass below the sun1 and as it were ,to break off the light's rays1 their lower part ,forthwith perishes wholly1 and the earth ,is shadow-swept1 wherever the clouds move4 ,thus you may know that things have ever need ,of fresh illumination1 and that each ,former discharge of radiance perishes1 ,nor in any other way could things be seen ,in sunlight1 if the fountain-head itself ,did not send forth a perpetual supply4 ,also those lights we use here upon earth ,at night-time1 hanging lamps1 and torches bright ,with darting beams1 rich with abundant smoke1 ,are in haste in like fashion to supply ,new radiance with ministering fire2 ,the very flames seem eager1 eager to flicker2 ,nor does the still unbroken stream of light ,one instant quit the spots whereon it played1 ,so suddenly is its perishing concealed ,by the swift birth of flame from all these fires4 ,it is thus then you must think sun moon and stars ,shoot forth their light from ever fresh supplies1 ,and that they always lose whatever beams ,come foremost2 lest perchance you should believe ,their energy to be indestructible4 ,again1 is it not seen that even stones ,by time are vanquished1 that tall towers fall ,and rocks crumble away1 that shrines and idols ,of gods grow worn out and dilapidate1 ,nor may the indwelling holiness prolong ,the bounds of destiny1 or strive against ,the laws of ,nature8 ,then do we not see ,the monuments of men1 fallen to ruin1 ,ask for themselves whether you would believe ,that they also grow old8,f ,see we not rocks ,split off from mountain heights fall crashing down ,unable more to endure the powerful stress ,of finite years8 ,surely they would not fall ,thus suddenly split off1 if through the lapse ,of infinite past years they had withstood ,all the assaults of time1 without being shattered4 ,now contemplate that which around and above ,compasses the whole earth with its embrace4 ,if it begets all things out of itself1 ,as some have told us1 and receives them back ,when they have perished1 then the whole sky is made ,of a body that had birth and that must die4 ,for whatsoever nourishes and augments ,other things from itself1 must needs be minished1 ,and be replenished1 when it receives them back4 ,moreover1 if there never was a time ,of origin when earth and heaven were born1 ,if they have always been from everlasting1 ,why then before the ,theban war and ,troy's ,destruction1 have not other poets sung ,of other deeds as well8 ,whither have vanished ,so many exploits of so many men8 ,why are they nowhere blossoming engrafted ,on the eternal monuments of fame8 ,but in truth1 as ,i think1 this sum of things ,is in its youth3 the nature of the world ,is recent1 and began not long ago4 ,wherefore even now some arts are being wrought ,to their last polish1 some are still in growth4 ,of late many improvements have been made ,in navigation1 and musicians too ,have given birth to new melodious sounds4 ,also this theory of the nature of things ,has been discovered lately1 and ,i myself ,have only now been found the very first ,able to turn it into our native words4 ,nevertheless1 if you perchance believe ,that long ago these things were just the same1 ,but that the generations of mankind ,perished by scorching heat1 or that their cities ,fell in some great convulsion of the world1 ,or else that flooded by incessant rains ,devouring rivers broke forth over the earth ,and swallowed up whole towns1 so much the more ,must you admit that there will come to pass ,a like destruction of earth and heaven too4 ,for when things were assailed by such great maladies ,and dangers1 if some yet more fatal cause ,had whelmed them1 they would then have been dissolved ,in havoc and vast ruin far and wide4 ,and in no other way do we perceive ,that we are mortal1 save that we all alike ,in turn fall sick of the same maladies ,as those whom ,nature has withdrawn from life4 ,again1 whatever things abide eternally1 ,must either1 because they are of solid body1 ,repulse assaults1 nor suffer anything ,to penetrate them1 which might have the power ,to disunite the close-locked parts within3 7,such are those bodies whereof matter is made1 ,whose nature we have shown before37 or else ,they must be able to endure throughout ,all time1 because they are exempt from blows1 ,as void is1 which abides untouched1 nor suffers ,one whit from any stroke3 or else because ,there is no further space surrounding them1 ,into which things might as it were depart ,and be dissolved2 even as the sum of sums ,is eternal1 nor is there any space ,outside it1 into which its particles ,might spring asunder1 nor are there other bodies ,that could strike and dissolve them with strong blows4 ,but neither1 as ,i have shown1 is this world's nature ,solid1 since there is void mixed up in things2 ,nor yet is it like void2 nor verily ,are atoms lacking that might well collect ,out of the infinite1 and overwhelm ,this sum of things with violent hurricane1 ,or threaten it with some other form of ruin2 ,nor further is there any want of room ,and of deep space1 into which the world's walls ,might be dispersed abroad2 or they may perish ,shattered by any other force you will4 ,therefore the gates of death are never closed ,against sky1 sun or earth1 or the deep seas2 ,but they stand open1 awaiting them with huge ,vast-gaping jaws4 ,so you must needs admit ,that all these likewise once were born3 for things ,of mortal body could not until now ,through infinite past ages have defied ,the strong powers of immeasurable time4 ,again1 since the chief members of the world ,so mightily contend together1 stirred ,by unhallowed civil warfare1 see you not ,that some end may be set to their long strife8 ,it may be when the sun and every kind ,of heat shall have drunk all the moisture up1 ,and gained the mastery they were struggling for1 ,though they have failed as yet to achieve their aim3 ,so vast are the supplies the rivers bring1 ,threatening in turn to deluge every land ,from out the deep abysses of the ocean2 ,all in vain1 since the winds1 sweeping the seas1 ,diminish them1 and the sun in heaven unweaves ,their fabric with his rays2 and 'tis their boast ,that they are able to dry all things up1 ,before moisture can achieve its end4 ,so terrible a war do they breathe out ,on equal terms1 striving one with another ,for mighty issues3 though indeed fire once ,obtained the mastery1 so the fable tells1 ,and water once reigned supreme in the fields4 ,for fire prevailing licked up and consumed ,many things1 when the ungovernable might ,of the ,sun's horses1 swerving from their course1 ,through the whole sky and over every land ,whirled ,phathon4 ,but then the almighty ,father1 ,stirred to fierce wrath1 with sudden thunder-stroke ,dashed great-souled ,phathon from his team to the earth1 ,and as he fell the ,sun-god meeting him ,caught from him the world's everlasting lamp1 ,and brought back tamed and trembling to the yoke ,the scattered steeds2 then on their wonted course ,guiding them1 unto all things gave fresh life4 ,thus verily the old ,greek poets sang1 ,though straying from true reason all too far4 ,for fire can only gain the mastery ,when an excess of fiery particles ,have flocked together out of infinite space2 ,and then its strength fails1 vanquished in some way1 ,or else things perish1 utterly consumed ,by scorching gusts4 ,likewise moisture once ,gathering together1 as the story tells1 ,strove for the mastery1 when it overwhelmed ,many cities of mankind4 ,but afterwards1 ,when all that force1 which out of infinite space ,had gathered itself up1 was by some means ,diverted and withdrew1 the rains ceased then1 ,and the violence of the rivers was abated4 ,but in what ways matter converging once ,established earth and heaven and the sea's deeps1 ,the sun's course and the moon's1 ,i will set forth ,in order4 ,for in truth not by design ,did the primordial particles of things ,arrange themselves each in its own right place ,with provident mind1 nor verily have they bargained ,what motions each should follow2 but because ,these primal atoms in such multitudes ,and in so many ways through infinite time ,impelled by blows and moved by their own weight1 ,have been borne onward so incessantly1 ,uniting in every way and making trial ,of every shape they could combine to form1 ,therefore it is that after wandering wide ,through vast periods1 attempting every kind ,of union and of motion1 they at last ,collect into such groups as1 suddenly ,flocking together1 oftentimes become ,the rudiments of mighty things1 of earth1 ,sea and sky1 and the race of living creatures4 ,at that time neither could the disk of the sun ,be seen flying aloft with bounteous light1 ,nor the stars of great heaven1 nor sea1 nor sky1 ,nor yet earth nor the air1 nor anything ,resembling those things which we now behold1 ,but only a sort of strange tempest1 a mass ,gathered together out of primal atoms ,of all kinds1 which discordantly waged war ,disordering so their interspaces1 paths1 ,connections1 weights1 collisions1 meetings1 motions1 ,since with their unlike forms and varied shapes1 ,they could not therefore all remain united1 ,nor move among themselves harmoniously4 ,thereupon parts began to fly asunder1 ,and like things to unite with like1 and so ,to separate off the world1 and to divide ,its members1 portioning out its mighty parts2 ,that is1 to mark off the high heaven from earth1 ,and the sea by itself1 that it might spread ,with unmixed waters1 and likewise the fires ,of aether by themselves1 pure and unmixed4 ,now first the several particles of earth1 ,since they were heavy and close-packed1 all met ,together in the middle1 and took up ,the lowest places3 and the more they met ,in close-packed throngs1 the more did they squeeze out ,those particles which were to form sea1 stars1 ,sun and moon1 and the walls of the great world4 ,for all these are of smoother rounder seeds1 ,and of much smaller elements than earth4 ,so first through porous openings in the soil ,the fire-laden aether here and there ,bursting forth rose and lightly carried off ,many fires with it1 much in the same way ,as often we may see when first the beams ,of the radiant sun with golden morning light ,blush through the grasses gemmed with dew1 and lakes ,and ever-flowing rivers exhale mist1 ,while earth itself is sometimes seen to smoke2 ,and when floating aloft these vapours all ,unite on high1 then taking bodily shape ,as clouds1 they weave a veil beneath the heavens4 ,thus then the light diffusive aether once ,took bodily shape1 and1 arched round on all sides1 ,far into every quarter spreading out1 ,so with its greedy embrace hemmed in all else4 ,next came the rudiments of sun and moon1 ,whose globes turn in the air midway between ,aether and earth2 for neither did the earth ,nor the great aether claim them for itself1 ,since they were not so heavy as to sink ,and settle down1 nor so light as to glide ,along the topmost borders3 yet their course ,between the two is such1 that as they roll ,their lifelike bodies onward1 they are still ,parts of the whole world2 even as with us ,some of our members may remain at rest1 ,while at the same time others may be in motion4 ,so when these things had been withdrawn1 the earth1 ,where now the ocean's vast blue region spreads1 ,sank suddenly down1 and flooded with salt surge ,its hollow parts4 ,and day by day the more ,the encircling aether's heats and the sun's rays ,compressed the earth into a closer mass ,by constant blows upon its outer surface ,from every side1 so that thus beaten upon ,it shrank and drew together round its centre1 ,the more did the salt sweat squeezed from its body ,increase by its oozings the sea's floating plains1 ,and the more did those many particles ,of heat and air escaping fly abroad1 ,and far away from the earth condensing1 form ,the lofty glittering mansions of the sky4 ,the plains sank lower1 the high mountains grew ,yet steeper2 for the rocks could not sink down1 ,nor could all parts subside to one same level4 ,thus then the earth's ponderous mass was formed ,with close-packed body1 and all the slime of the world ,slid to the lowest plane by its own weight1 ,and at the bottom settled down like dregs4 ,then the sea1 then the air1 then the fire-laden ,aether itself1 all these were now left pure ,with liquid bodies4 ,some indeed are lighter ,than others1 and most liquid and light of all ,over the airy currents aether floats1 ,not blending with the turbulent atmosphere ,its liquid substance4 ,all below1 it suffers ,to be embroiled by violent hurricanes1 ,suffers all to be tossed with wayward storms1 ,while itself gliding on with changeless sweep ,bears its own fires along4 ,for1 that the aether ,may stream on steadily with one impulse1 ,the ,pontos demonstrates1 that sea which streams ,with an unchanging tide1 unceasingly ,preserving as it glides one constant pace4 ,now let us sing what cause could set the stars ,in motion4 ,first1 if the great globe of heaven ,revolves1 then we must needs maintain that air ,presses upon the axis at each end1 ,and holds it from outside1 closing it in ,at both poles2 also that there streams above ,another current1 moving the same way1 ,in which the stars of the eternal world ,roll glittering onward2 or else that beneath ,there is another stream1 that drives the sphere ,upwards the opposite way1 just as we see ,rivers turn mill-wheels with their water-scoops4 ,it likewise may well be that the whole sky ,remains at rest1 yet that the shining signs ,are carried onwards2 either because within them ,are shut swift tides of aether1 that whirl round ,seeking a way out1 and so roll their fires ,on all sides through the sky's nocturnal mansions2 ,or else that from some other source outside ,an air-stream whirls and drives the fires along2 ,or else they may be gliding of themselves1 ,moving whithersoever the food of each ,calls and invites them1 nourishing everywhere ,their flaming bodies throughout the whole sky4 ,for it is hard to affirm with certainty ,which of these causes operates in this world3 ,but what throughout the universe both can ,and does take place in various worlds1 created ,on various plans1 this ,i teach1 and proceed ,to expound what divers causes may exist ,through the universe for the motion of the stars3 ,and one of these in our world too must be ,the cause which to the heavenly signs imparts ,their motive vigour3 but dogmatically ,to assert which this may be1 is in no wise ,the function of those advancing step by step4 ,now in order that the earth should be at rest ,in the world's midst1 it would seem probable ,that its weight gradually diminishing ,should disappear1 and that the earth should have ,another nature underneath1 conjoined ,and blent in union from its earliest age ,with those aerial portions of the world ,wherein it lives embodied4 ,for this cause ,it is no burden1 nor weighs down the air1 ,just as to a man his own limbs are no weight1 ,nor is the head a burden to the neck1 ,nor do we feel that the whole body's weight ,rests on the feet3 yet a much smaller burden ,laid on us from outside1 will often hurt us4 ,of such great moment is it what each thing's ,function may be4 ,thus then the earth is not ,an alien body intruded suddenly1 ,nor thrust from elsewhere into an alien air1 ,but was conceived together with the world ,at its first birth as a fixed portion of it1 ,just as our limbs are seen to be of us4 ,moreover the earth1 when shaken suddenly ,with violent thunder1 by its trembling shakes ,all that is over it2 which in no wise ,could happen1 if it were not closely bound ,with the world's airy parts1 and with the sky4 ,for they all1 as though by common roots1 cohere ,one with another1 from their earliest age ,conjoined and blent in union4 ,see you not too ,that heavy as our body's weight may be1 ,yet the soul's force1 though subtle exceedingly1 ,sustains it1 being so closely joined and blent ,in union with it8 ,also what has power ,to lift the body with a nimble leap1 ,except the mind's force that controls the limbs8 ,do you not now perceive how great the power ,may be of a subtle nature1 when 'tis joined ,with a heavy body1 even as with the earth ,the air is joined1 and the mind's force with us8 ,also the sun's disk cannot be much larger1 ,nor its heat be much less1 than to our sense ,they appear to be4 ,for from whatever distance ,fires can fling light1 and breathe upon our limbs ,their warming heat1 these intervening spaces ,take away nothing from the body of flame2 ,the fire is not shrunken visibly4 ,so since the sun's heat and the light it sheds ,both reach our senses and caress our limbs1 ,the form also and contour of the sun ,must needs be seen from the earth in their true scale1 ,with neither addition nor diminishment4 ,also the moon1 whether it moves along ,illuminating earth with borrowed light1 ,or throws out its own rays from its own body1 ,howe'er that be1 moves with a shape no larger ,than seems that shape which our eyes contemplate4 ,for all things which we look at from far off ,through much air1 seem to our vision to grow dim ,before their contours lessen4 ,therefore the moon1 ,seeing that it presents a clear aspect ,and definite shape1 must needs by us on earth ,be seen on high in its defining outline ,just as it is1 and of its actual size4 ,lastly consider all those fires of aether ,you see from the earth4 ,since fires1 which here below ,we observe1 for so long as their flickering ,remains distinct1 and their heat is perceived1 ,are sometimes seen to change their size to less ,or greater to some very slight extent ,according to their distance1 you may thence ,know that the fires of aether can be smaller ,only by infinitesimal degrees1 ,or larger by the tiniest minute fraction4 ,this also is not wonderful1 how the sun ,small as it is1 can shed so great a light1 ,as with its flood to fill all seas and lands ,and sky1 with warm heat bathing everything4 ,for from this spot perhaps a single well ,for the whole world may open and gush out1 ,shooting forth an abundant stream of light1 ,because from everywhere throughout the world ,in such wise do the particles of heat ,gather together1 and their united mass ,converges in such wise1 that blazing fire ,streams forth here from a single fountain-head4 ,see you not too how wide a meadow-land ,one little spring of water sometimes floods1 ,overflowing whole fields8 ,it may be also ,that from the sun's flame1 though it be not great1 ,heat pervades the whole air with scorching fires1 ,should the air chance to be susceptible ,and ready to be kindled1 when it is struck ,by tiny heat-rays4 ,then we sometimes see ,a wide-spread conflagration from one spark ,catch fields of corn or stubble4 ,perhaps too ,the sun shining on high with ruddy torch ,may be surrounded by much fire and heats ,invisible1 fire which no radiance ,reveals1 but laden with heat it does no more ,than reinforce the stroke of the sun's rays4 ,nor is there any single theory1 ,certain and obvious1 of how the sun ,out of his summer stations passing forth ,approaches the midwinter turning-point ,of ,capricorn1 and how coming back thence ,he bends his course to the solstitial goal ,of ,cancer2 then too how the moon is seen ,to traverse every month that space1 whereon ,the journeying sun spends a year's period4 ,for these events1 ,i say1 no single cause ,can be assigned4 ,it seems most probable ,that the august opinion of ,democritus ,should be the truth2 the nearer to the earth ,the several constellations move1 the less ,can they be borne on with the whirl of heaven3 ,for in the lower portions of this whirl ,he says its speed and energy diminish ,and disappear2 so that little by little ,the sun is outstripped by the signs that follow1 ,since he is far beneath the burning stars4 ,and the moon1 so he says1 more than the sun4 ,the lower and the further from the sky ,her course is1 and the nearer to the earth1 ,the less can she keep even with the signs4 ,for the more languid is the whirl whereby ,she is borne along1 being lower than the sun1 ,the more do all the signs around her path ,overtake and pass by her4 ,thus it is ,that she seems to move backward to each sign ,more quickly1 because the signs come up to her4 ,it may be also that two streams of air ,cross the sun's path at fixed times1 each in turn ,flowing from opposite quarters of the world1 ,whereof the first may thrust the sun away ,out of the summer signs1 until he comes ,to his winter turning-point and the icy frost2 ,while the other from the freezing shades of cold ,sweeps him right back to the heat-laden regions ,and the torrid constellations4 ,and just so ,we must suppose that the moon and the planets1 ,which roll in their huge orbits through huge years1 ,may move on streams of air alternately ,from opposite quarters4 ,do you not also see ,how clouds are shifted by opposing winds1 ,the lower in directions contrary ,to those above8 ,why should not yonder stars ,be likewise carried by opposing currents ,upon their mighty orbits through the sky8 ,but night covers the earth with vast darkness ,either when after his long course the sun ,has entered on the uttermost parts of heaven1 ,and now grown languid has breathed forth his fires1 ,exhausted by their journey1 and worn out ,by traversing much air2 or else because ,that same force which has borne his orb along ,above the earth1 compels him now to turn ,backward his course and pass beneath the earth4 ,likewise at a fixed time ,matuta spreads ,the rosy dawn abroad through the sky's borders1 ,and opens out her light2 either because ,the same sun1 travelling back below the earth1 ,seizes the sky beforehand1 and is fain ,to kindle it with his rays2 or else because ,fires meet together1 and many seeds of heat ,are wont at a fixed time to stream together ,causing new sunlight each day to be born4 ,even so 'tis told that from the mountain heights ,of ,ida at daybreak scattered fires are seen2 ,these then unite as if into one globe ,and make up the sun's orb4 ,nor yet herein ,should it cause wonder that these seeds of fire ,can stream together at a time so fixed1 ,repairing thus the radiance of the sun4 ,for everywhere we see many events ,happening at fixed times4 ,thus trees both flower ,and shed their blossoms at fixed times2 and age ,at a time no less fixed bids the teeth drop1 ,and the boy clothe his features with the down ,of puberty1 and let a soft beard fall ,from either cheek4 ,lastly lightning and snow1 ,rains1 clouds and winds happen at more or less ,regular yearly seasons4 ,for where causes ,from the beginning have remained the same1 ,and things from the first origin of the world ,have so fallen out1 they still repeat themselves ,in regular sequence after a fixed order4 ,the cause too why days lengthen and nights wane1 ,while daylight shortens as the nights increase1 ,may either be because the same sun1 journeying ,underneath and above the earth in curves ,of unlike length1 parts the celestial regions ,and into unequal halves divides his orbit3 ,whatever he has subtracted from one half1 ,just so much does he add1 when he comes round1 ,on to the other half1 till he has reached ,that sign of heaven where the year's node makes ,the night's shade equal to the light of day4 ,for in the sun's mid course between the blasts ,of south wind and of north1 the heaven holds ,his turning-points apart at distances ,now equalised1 since such is the position ,of the whole starry circle1 to glide through which ,the sun takes up the period of a year1 ,lighting the earth and sky with slanting rays1 ,as is shown by the arguments of those ,who have mapped out all the quarters of the sky1 ,adorned with their twelve signs spaced out in order4 ,or else because the air in certain parts ,is thicker1 therefore the trembling lamp of fire ,is hindered in its course beneath the earth1 ,and cannot easily force a passage through ,and emerge at the place where it should rise4 ,so in winter-time the nights are long and lingering1 ,ere the day's radiant oriflamme comes forth4 ,or else again those fires which cause the sun ,to rise from a fixed point1 for a like reason ,are wont to stream together slower or quicker ,in alternating periods of the year4 ,so those would seem to speak the truth who hold ,that every morning a new sun is born4 ,it may be the moon shines because she is struck ,by the sun's rays1 and turns towards our eyes ,a larger portion of this light each day1 ,the further she recedes from the sun's orb1 ,until over against him with full light ,she has shone forth1 and as she rises up ,has looked upon his setting from on high4 ,thereafter in her gradual backward course ,in the same manner she must hide her light1 ,the nearer she now glides to the sun's fire ,travelling through the circle of the signs ,from an opposite direction3 as those hold ,who fancy that the moon is like a ball1 ,and moves along a course below the sun4 ,it is also possible that she revolves ,with her own light1 and yet shows varying ,phases of brightness3 for there may well be ,another body which glides on beside her1 ,obstructing and occulting her continually1 ,and yet cannot be seen1 because it moves ,without light4 ,or perhaps she may turn round ,like a ball1 let us say1 whose sphere is tinged ,with glowing light over one-half its surface2 ,and as she turns her sphere1 she may present ,varying phases1 till she has turned that side ,which glows with fire towards our gazing eyes2 ,then she twists gradually back once more ,and hides the luminous half of her round ball3 ,as the ,chaldean sages seek to prove1 ,refuting with their ,babylonian doctrine ,the opposing science of the astronomers2 ,just as though what each sect is fighting for ,might not be true1 or there were any reason ,why you should risk embracing the one creed ,less than the other4 ,again why every time ,there should not be created a fresh moon1 ,with fixed succession of phases and fixed shapes1 ,so that each day this new-created moon ,would perish1 and another in its stead ,be reproduced1 this were no easy task ,to prove by argument convincingly1 ,since there can be so many things created ,in fixed succession4 ,thus ,spring goes its way1 ,and ,venus1 and the wingd harbinger ,of ,venus leads them on2 while treading close ,on ,zephyr's footsteps1 mother ,flora strews ,the path before them1 covering it all over ,with every loveliest colour and rich scent4 ,next in procession follows parching heat1 ,with dusty ,ceres in its company1 ,and the ,etesian blasts of the ,north winds4 ,after these ,autumn comes1 and by its side ,advances ,euhius ,euan1,g following whom ,the other ,seasons with their winds appear1 ,volturnus thundering on high1 and ,auster ,terrible with its lightnings4 ,then at length ,december brings snow and renews numb frost4 ,winter follows with teeth chattering for cold4 ,wherefore it seems less wonderful that the moon ,should be begotten and destroyed again ,at fixed times1 seeing that so many things ,can come to pass at times so surely fixed4 ,likewise the occultations of the sun ,and the moon's vanishings you must suppose ,may be produced by many different causes4 ,for why should the moon be able to shut out ,the earth from the sun's light1 and lift her head ,on high to obstruct him from the earthward side1 ,blocking his fiery beams with her dark orb1 ,and yet at the same time some other body ,gliding on without light continually ,should be supposed unable to do this8 ,why too should not the sun at a fixed time ,grow faint and lose his fires1 and then again ,revive his light1 when he has had to pass ,through tracts of air so hostile to his flames ,that awhile his fires are quenched by them and perish8 ,and why should the earth have power in turn to rob ,the moon of light1 and likewise keep the sun ,suppressed1 while in her monthly course the moon ,glides through the clear-cut shadows of the cone1 ,and yet at the same time some other body ,should not have power to pass under the moon1 ,or glide above the sun's orb1 breaking off ,the beams of light he sheds8 ,and furthermore1 ,if the moon shines with her own radiance1 ,why in a certain region of the world ,might she not grow faint1 while she makes her way ,through tracts that are unfriendly to her light8 ,now since ,i have demonstrated how each thing ,might come to pass throughout the azure spaces ,of the great heaven1 how we may know what force ,can cause the varying motions of the sun1 ,and wanderings of the moon1 and in what way ,their light being intercepted they might vanish ,covering with darkness the astonished earth1 ,when as it were they close their eye of light1 ,and opening it again1 survey all places ,radiant with shining brightness1--therefore now ,i will go back to the world's infancy ,and the tender age of the world's fields1 and show ,what in their first fecundity they resolved ,to raise into the borders of the light ,and give in charge unto the wayward winds4 ,in the beginning the ,earth brought forth all kinds ,of plants and growing verdure on hillsides ,and over all the plains3 the flowering meadows ,shone with green colour3 next to the various trees ,was given a mighty emulous impulse ,to shoot up into the air with unchecked growth4 ,as feathers1 hairs and bristles first are born ,on limbs of quadrupeds and on the bodies ,of winged fowl1 so the new ,earth then put forth ,grasses and brushwood first1 and afterwards ,gave birth to all the breeds of mortal things1 ,that sprang up many in number1 in many modes ,and divers fashions4 ,for no animals ,can have dropped from the sky1 nor can land-creatures ,have issued from the salt pools4 ,hence it is ,that with good reason the ,earth has won the name ,of ,mother1 since from the ,earth all things are born4 ,and many living creatures even now ,rise from the soil1 formed by rains1 and the sun's ,fierce heat4 ,therefore the less strange it appears ,if then they arose more numerous and more large ,fostered by a new earth and atmosphere4 ,so first of all the varied families ,and tribes of birds would leave their eggs1 hatched out ,in the spring season1 as now the cicadas ,in summer-time leave of their own accord ,their filmy skins in search of food and life4 ,then was the time when first the ,earth produced ,the race of mortal men4 ,for in the fields ,plenteous heat and moisture would abound1 ,so that wherever a fit place occurred1 ,wombs would grow1 fastened to the earth by roots3 ,and when the warmth of the infants in due time1 ,avoiding moisture and demanding air1 ,had broken these wombs open1 then would ,nature ,turn to that place the porous ducts of the ,earth1 ,compelling it to exude through open veins ,a milk-like liquid1 just as nowadays ,after child-bearing every woman is filled ,with sweet milk2 for with her too the whole flow ,of nutriment sets streaming towards her breasts4 ,earth to these children furnished food1 the heat ,clothing1 the grass a bed1 well lined with rich ,luxuriance of soft down4 ,moreover then ,the world in its fresh newness would give rise ,neither to rigorous cold nor extreme heat1 ,nor violent storms of wind1 for in a like ,proportion all things grow and gather strength4 ,therefore again and yet again ,i say ,that with good reason the ,earth has won and keeps ,the name of ,mother1 since she of herself ,gave birth to humankind1 and at a period ,well nigh determined shed forth every beast ,that roams o'er the great mountains far and wide1 ,likewise the birds of air1 many in shape4 ,but because she must have some limit set ,to her time of bearing1 she ceased1 like a woman ,worn out by lapse of years4 ,for ,time transforms ,the whole world's nature1 and all things must pass ,from one condition to another3 nothing ,continues like itself4 ,all is in flux3 ,nature is ever changing and compelling ,all that exists to alter4 ,for one thing ,moulders and wastes away grown weak with age1 ,and then another comes forth into light1 ,issuing from obscurity4 ,so thus ,time ,changes the whole world's nature1 and the ,earth ,passes from one condition to another3 ,so that what once it bore it can no longer1 ,and now can bear what it did not before4 ,and many monsters too did the ,earth essay ,to produce in those days1 creatures arising ,with marvellous face and limbs1 the ,hermaphrodite1 ,a thing of neither sex1 between the two1 ,differing from both3 some things deprived of feet2 ,others again with no hands2 others dumb ,without mouths1 or else blind for lack of eyes1 ,or bound by limbs that everywhere adhered ,fast to their bodies1 so that they could perform ,no function1 nor go anywhere1 nor shun ,danger1 nor take what their need might require4 ,many such monstrous prodigies did ,earth ,produce1 in vain1 since ,nature banned their increase1 ,nor could they reach the coveted flower of age1 ,nor find food1 nor be joined in bonds of love4 ,for we see numerous conditions first ,must meet together1 before living things ,can beget and perpetuate their kind4 ,first they must have food1 then a means by which ,the seeds of birth may stream throughout the frame ,from the relaxed limbs2 also that the male ,and female may unite1 they must have that ,whereby each may exchange mutual joys4 ,and many breeds of creatures in those days ,must have died out1 being powerless to beget ,and perpetuate their kind4 ,for those which now ,you see breathing the breath of life1 'tis craft1 ,or courage1 or else speed1 that from its origin ,must have protected and preserved each race4 ,moreover many by their usefulness ,commended to us1 continue to exist ,favoured by our protection4 ,the fierce breed ,of lions first1 and the other savage beasts1 ,their courage has preserved1 foxes their craft1 ,stags their swift flight4 ,but the light-slumbering hearts ,of faithful dogs1 and the whole family ,born from the seed of burden-bearing beasts1 ,also the woolly flocks and horned herds1 ,all these by man's protection are preserved4 ,for their desire has always been to shun ,wild beasts and to live peaceably1 supplied ,without toil of their own with food in plenty1 ,which to reward their services we give them4 ,but those whom ,nature has not thus endowed ,with power either to live by their own means ,or else to render us such useful service ,that in return we allow their race to feed ,and dwell in safety beneath our guardianship1 ,all these1 'tis plain1 would lie exposed a prey ,to others1 trammelled in their own fatal bonds1 ,till ,nature had extinguished that whole kind4 ,but ,centaurs there have never been1 nor yet ,ever can things exist of twofold nature ,and double body moulded into one ,from limbs of alien kind1 whose faculties ,and functions cannot be on either side ,sufficiently alike4 ,that this is so1 ,the dullest intellect may be thus convinced4 ,consider first that a horse after three years ,is in his flower of vigour1 but a boy ,by no means so3 for often in sleep even then ,will he seek milk still from his mother's breasts ,afterwards1 when the horse's lusty strength ,fails him in old age1 and his limbs grow languid ,as life ebbs1 then first for a boy begins ,the flowering time of youth1 and clothes his cheeks ,with soft down4 ,do not then believe that ever ,from man's and burden-bearing horse's seed ,centaurs can be compounded and have being2 ,nor yet ,scyllas with half-fish bodies girdled ,with raging dogs1 and other suchlike things1 ,whose limbs we see discordant with themselves1 ,since neither do they reach their flower together1 ,nor acquire bodily strength1 nor in old age ,lose it at the same time3 dissimilar ,in each the love that burns them1 and their modes ,of life incongruous3 nor do the same things give ,their bodies pleasure4 ,thus we may often see ,bearded goats thrive on hemlock1 which for man ,is virulent poison4 ,since moreover flame ,is wont to scorch and burn the tawny bodies ,of lions no less than every other kind ,of flesh and blood on earth1 how could it be ,that one1 yet with a triple body1 in front ,a lion1 behind a serpent1 in the midst ,its goat's self1 a ,chimaera should breathe forth ,from such a body fierce flame at the mouth8 ,therefore he who can fable that when earth ,was new and the sky young1 such animals ,could have been propagated1 resting alone ,upon this vain term1 newness1 he no doubt ,will babble out many follies in like fashion1 ,will say that rivers then throughout the earth ,commonly flowed with gold1 that trees were wont ,to bloom with jewels1 or that man was born ,of such huge bulk and force that he could wade ,with giant strides across deep seas and turn ,the whole heaven round about him with his hands4 ,for the fact that there were many seeds of things ,within the earth at that time when it first ,shed living creatures forth1 is yet no proof ,that beasts could have been born of mingled kinds1 ,or limbs of different animals joined together2 ,because the various families of plants1 ,the crops and thriving trees1 which even now ,teem upward from the soil luxuriantly1 ,can yet never be born woven together2 ,but each thing has its own process of growth3 ,all must preserve their mutual differences1 ,governed by ,nature's irreversible law4 ,but that first race of men in the open fields ,was hardier far1 7small wonder1 since hard ,earth ,had brought it forth17 built too around a frame ,of bones more large and solid1 knit together ,by powerful sinews2 nor was it easily ,impaired by heat or cold1 nor by strange foods1 ,nor yet by any bodily disease4 ,and during many revolving periods ,of the sun through the sky1 they lived their lives ,after the roving habit of wild beasts4 ,no one was then the bent plough's stalwart guide1 ,none yet had knowledge how to till the fields ,with iron1 or plant young saplings in the soil1 ,nor how to lop old boughs from the tall trees ,with pruning-hooks4 ,what suns and rains had given1 ,what of her own free will ,earth had brought forth1 ,was enough bounty to content their hearts4 ',neath acorn-bearing oak-trees their wont was ,to alleviate their hunger2 and those berries ,which now upon the arbutus you see ,ripening to scarlet hues in winter-time1 ,the ,earth then bore more plentifully and larger ,than in these days4 ,moreover then the world's ,luxuriant youth gave birth to many kinds ,of coarse food1 ample enough for wretched men4 ,but to allay their thirst rivers and springs ,invited1 as now waters1 tumbling down ,from the great mountains with clear-sounding plash1 ,summon from far the thirsting tribes of beasts4 ,furthermore in their roamings they would visit ,those renowned silvan precincts of the ,nymphs1 ,caverns wherefrom they knew that copious streams1 ,gushing forth smoothly1 bathed the dripping rocks1 7,the dripping rocks1 o'er green moss trickling down17 ,or sometimes welled up over the level plain4 ,as yet they knew not how to employ fire1 ,or to make use of skins1 and clothe their bodies ,with spoils of wild beasts2 but inhabiting ,woods1 mountains1 caves and forests1 they would shelter ,their squalid limbs in thickets1 when compelled ,to shun the buffeting of winds and rains4 ,no regard could they have to a general good1 ,nor did they know how to make use in common ,of any laws or customs4 ,whatsoever ,fortune might set before him1 that would each ,take as his prize1 cunning to thrive and live ,as best might please him1 each one for himself4 ,and in the woods ,venus would join the bodies ,of lovers1 whether a mutual desire1 ,or the man's violence and vehement lust ,had won the woman over1 or a bribe ,of acorns1 arbute-berries or choice pears4 ,endowed with marvellous strength of hands and feet ,they chased the forest-roaming tribes of beasts2 ,and many with flung stones and ponderous club ,they overcame1 some few they would avoid ,in hiding-places4 ,and like bristly swine ,just as they were they flung their savage limbs ,naked upon the ground1 when night o'ertook them1 ,enveloping themselves with leaves and boughs4 ,nor did they call for daylight and the sun ,wandering terror-stricken about the fields ,with loud wails through the shadows of the night1 ,but silently1 buried in sleep they lay ,waiting until the sun with rosy torch ,brought light into the sky4 ,for since from childhood ,they had been wont to see darkness and light ,alternately begotten without fail1 ,never could they feel wonder or misgiving ,lest night eternal should possess the earth ,and the sun's light for ever be withdrawn4 ,but 'twas a worse anxiety that wild beasts ,often made sleep unsafe for these poor wretches4 ,for driven from their homes in sheltering rocks ,they fled at the entrance of a foaming boar ,or strong lion1 yielding up at dead of night ,their leaf-strewn beds in panic to fierce guests4 ,yet no more often in those days than now ,would mortal men leave the sweet light of life ,with lamentation4 ,each one by himself ,would doubtless be more likely then than now ,to be seized and devoured by wild beasts' teeth1 ,a living food1 and with his groans would fill ,mountains and forests1 while he saw his own ,live flesh in a live monument entombed4 ,but those whom flight had saved with mangled body1 ,from that time forth would hold their trembling hands ,over their noisome scars1 with dreadful cries ,invoking death1 till agonising throes ,rid them of life1 with none to give them aid1 ,ignorant of what wounds required4 ,but then ,a single day did not consign to death ,thousands on thousands1 marshalled beneath standards1 ,nor did the turbulent waters of the deep ,shatter upon the rocks both ships and men4 ,at that time vainly1 without aim or result ,the sea would often rise up and turmoil2 ,nor could the winsome wiles of the calm deep ,lure men on treacherously with laughing waves1 ,while reckless seamanship was yet unknown4 ,moreover lack of food would then consign ,their fainting limbs to death3 now rather plenty ,sinks men to ruin4 ,often for themselves ,would they pour poison out unwittingly3 ,to others now with subtler skill they give it4 ,afterwards1 when they had learnt the use of huts1 ,and skins1 and fire2 when woman1 joined with man ,in wedlock1 dwelt apart in one abode1 ,and they saw offspring born out of themselves1 ,then first the human race began to soften4 ,for fire made their chilly bodies now ,less able to endure the cold beneath ,the roof of heaven3 ,venus impaired their strength3 ,and children easily by their blandishments ,broke down the haughty temper of their parents4 ,then too neighbours began to join in bonds ,of friendship1 wishing neither to inflict ,nor suffer violence3 and for womankind ,and children they would claim kind treatment1 pleading ,with cries and gestures inarticulately ,that all men ought to have pity on the weak4 ,and though harmony could not everywhere ,be established1 yet the most part faithfully ,observed their covenants1 or man's whole race ,would even then have perished1 nor till now ,could propagation have preserved their kind4 ,but it was ,nature that constrained their tongues ,to utter various sounds2 and need struck out ,the names of things1 in the same way almost ,as impotence of tongue is itself seen ,to teach gesture to infants1 prompting them ,to point at things around them4 ,for all creatures ,divine by instinct how far they can use ,their natural powers4 ,thus before horns are born ,and stand out on the forehead of a calf1 ,when he is angry1 he butts and charges with it4 ,then panther cubs and lion whelps will fight ,with claws and feet and teeth1 even at a time ,when teeth and claws have hardly yet been formed4 ,also we see how the whole race of birds ,trusting their wings1 will seek a fluttering succour ,from new-fledged pinions4 ,therefore to suppose ,that somebody once apportioned names to things1 ,and that from him men learnt to use words first1 ,is mere folly4 ,for why should this one man ,be able to denote all things by words ,and with his tongue form varied sounds1 yet others ,at the same time be deemed incapable ,to have done the like8 ,besides1 if others too ,had not made use of words among themselves1 ,whence was the preconception of their usefulness ,implanted in this man1 and whence was given him ,the primal power to know and comprehend ,what he desired to do8 ,again1 one man ,could not subdue by force the wills of many ,and compel them to learn the names of things4 ,it is no easy labour to convince ,deaf men1 and teach them what they ought to do2 ,since not for long would they endure his voice1 ,nor suffer unintelligible sounds ,fruitlessly to be dinned into their ears4 ,lastly what should there be to wonder at ,so much in this1 that mankind1 when their voice ,and tongue were in full vigour1 should name things ,by different sounds as different feelings bade them1 ,since dumb cattle1 and even the wild beasts1 ,are wont to emit distinct and varied sounds1 ,when they feel fear or pain1 or when joy moves them4 ,this indeed may be learnt from manifest facts4 ,when the large soft mouths of ,molossian dogs ,begin to growl1 angrily laying bare ,their hard teeth1 then far different is the tone ,in which they threaten1 savagely thus drawn back1 ,from the clear sound which1 when they bark outright1 ,fills the whole neighbourhood4 ,and when they essay ,in gentle mood to lick their cubs1 or when ,they toss them with their paws1 and snapping at them ,tenderly make as though they would devour them ,with half-closed teeth1 thus fondling them they yelp ,with a quite different sound from their deep bay ,when left alone in houses1 or from the whimper ,with which crouching they shrink away from blows4 ,furthermore does not a young stallion's neigh ,seem different1 when he rages among the mares ,pierced in his flower of age by winged love's goads1 ,from when with wide-stretched nostrils he snorts out ,the battle signal1 or when at other times ,perchance he whinnies trembling in all his limbs8 ,lastly the race of fowl and varied birds1 ,hawks and ospreys and gulls that seek their living ,in the salt waters of the ocean waves1 ,utter at different times quite different cries ,from those they make when they fight over food1 ,or struggle with their prey4 ,and some will change ,their harsh notes in accordance with the weather1 ,as do the long-lived tribes of crows1 and flocks ,of rooks1 when they are said to call for rain1 ,or sometimes to be summoning wind-storms4 ,since therefore various feelings can compel ,animals1 speechless though they be1 to utter ,such varying sounds1 how much more natural ,is it that in those days men could denote ,dissimilar things by many different sounds6 ,in answer to your silent questioning here1 ,i say it was the lightning first brought fire ,down to the earth for men2 and from that flame ,all other flames have spread4 ,thus we behold ,many things blaze forth1 lit by fire from heaven1 ,when the sky's stroke has charged them with its heat4 ,yet when a branching tree1 tossed by the wind1 ,chafing the branches of another tree1 ,sways to and fro1 then fire may be forced out ,by violent stress of friction2 and at times ,hot flames are kindled and flash forth from boughs ,and stems rubbing together4 ,of these two chances ,either may first have given fire to men4 ,next the sun taught them to cook food1 heating ,and softening it with flame2 since they would note ,many things mellowing about the fields ,smitten and conquered by his scorching rays4 ,and more and more each day men who excelled ,in subtlety and power of mind1 would show them ,how by new methods and by using fire ,to improve their former means of livelihood4 ,kings began to found cities and build forts ,as refuges and strongholds for themselves1 ,dividing cattle and lands1 and portioning ,to each his share according to his beauty1 ,his strength and intellect2 for comeliness ,was much esteemed1 and strength was paramount4 ,afterwards property was devised1 and gold ,discovered1 which with ease robbed both the strong ,and beautiful of their honours3 for most men1 ,however brave and beautiful by birth1 ,follow the fortunes of the richer man4 ,but whosoever by true reason's rule ,governs his days1 for him plain frugal living ,and a contented spirit is mighty wealth2 ,for of a little never is there lack4 ,yet men wished to become renowned and powerful1 ,that so their fortunes on a stable base ,might rest1 and they1 being wealthy1 might have power ,to lead a tranquil life3 in vain6 ,for while ,they strove to mount to the highest pitch of honour ,their path was perilous3 and even although ,they have reached the summit1 envy will sometimes ,strike like a thunderbolt and hurl men down ,contemptuously to noisome ,tartarus3 ,since highest things1 lifted above all else1 ,are most wont as by lightning to be blasted ,by envy2 so that quietly to obey ,is better than to crave sovereign power ,and lordship over realms4 ,therefore let men ,sweat drops of blood1 wearying themselves in vain1 ,struggling along ambition's narrow road2 ,since from the mouths of others comes their wisdom1 ,and 'tis from hearsay rather than their own ,authentic feelings1 they pursue such aims3 ,nor does this happen now1 nor will it happen ,hereafter any more than once it did4 ,kings therefore being slain1 the ancient majesty ,of thrones and haughty sceptres was laid low4 ,the glorious symbol of the sovereign head1 ,trodden bloodstained beneath the people's feet1 ,mourned its proud honour lost2 for that is greedily ,trampled down which before was too much feared4 ,thus to the very lees of anarchy ,the whole state was reduced1 while each man grasped ,at lordship and dominion for himself4 ,then some among them taught how to create ,magistrates1 and established codes1 that all ,might learn to obey laws4 ,for now mankind1 ,utterly wearied of a violent life1 ,lay languishing by reason of its feuds4 ,therefore the sooner of its own free will ,did it submit to laws and stringent codes4 ,for seeing that each1 when anger prompted him1 ,strove more severely to avenge himself ,than just laws now permit1 for this cause men ,grew tired of a life of violence4 ,thenceforward fear of punishment infects ,the enjoyment of life's prizes3 for the nets ,of violence and wrong entangle all those ,who inflict them1 and most often they recoil ,on such as used them first3 nor is it easy ,for him to pass a quiet and peaceful life1 ,whose deeds transgress the bonds of public peace4 ,for though he should elude both gods and men1 ,yet he must needs mistrust whether his guilt ,will remain veiled for ever1 since 'tis said ,that many often by talking in their dreams1 ,or in delirious sickness have betrayed ,their secrets1 and revealed long-hidden crimes4 ,now what may be the cause that has spread wide ,the cult of deities over mighty nations1 ,and filled cities with altars1 and prescribed ,the observance of such sacred rites as now ,at solemn times and places are performed1 ,whence even now is implanted in men's minds ,religious awe1 that over the whole earth ,raises new temples to the gods1 and prompts ,worshippers to frequent them on feast-days-- ,why this should be1 'tis easy to explain4 ,for in those early times mortals would see ,with waking mind the glorious images ,of deities and behold them in their sleep ,of size yet more gigantic4 ,to these then ,they would attribute sense1 because they seemed ,to move their limbs and utter stately speech ,worthy of their noble aspect and great powers4 ,also they deemed eternal life was theirs1 ,because their images continually ,would reappear1 and their form did not change1 ,but most because they could not well conceive ,how beings who seemed gifted with such powers ,could lightly be subdued by any force4 ,and they believed that their felicity ,must be beyond compare1 since none of them ,was ever troubled by the fear of death1 ,because moreover in sleep they beheld them ,performing without effort many miracles4 ,again they saw how the orderings of heaven ,and the year's varying seasons would return ,according to fixed law1 yet could they not ,discover from what causes this took place4 ,therefore they found a refuge from such doubts ,in handing all things over to the deities ,and deeming all to be guided by their nod4 ,the abodes of their divinities they placed ,in heaven1 because they saw night and the moon ,progressing through the sky1 moon day and night1 ,the severe constellations of the night1 ,the sky's night-wandering meteors and gliding fires1 ,clouds sun and snow1 lightning and winds and hail1 ,thunder's swift crash and mightily threatening murmurs4 ,o unhappy race of men1 that could assign ,such functions to the deities1 and thereto ,add cruel wrath6 ,what groans then for themselves ,did they beget1 what wounds for us1 what tears ,for our children's children6 ',tis no piety ,to be seen often with veiled head to turn ,towards a stone1 visiting every altar1 ,nor to fall grovelling with outspread palms ,prostrate before the temples of the gods1 ,nor sprinkling altars with much blood of beasts ,to add to votive offering votive offering2 ,but this rather is piety1 to have power ,to survey all things with a tranquil mind4 ,for when we lift our eyes to the celestial ,temples of the great universe1 and the aether ,studded with glittering stars1 and contemplate ,the paths of sun and moon1 then in our breasts1 ,burdened with other evils1 this fear too ,begins to lift its reawakened head1 ,lest perchance it be true that with the gods ,resides a boundless power1 which can move ,upon their various courses the bright stars4 ,for ignorance of cause troubles the mind1 ,so that it doubts whether there ever was ,a birth-time and beginning for the world1 ,and likewise whether there shall be an end2 ,how far the world's walls can endure this strain ,of restless motion1 or whether by the gods ,with eternal stability endowed ,they may glide on through endless lapse of time1 ,defying the strong powers of infinite age4 ,again whose mind shrinks not with awe of gods1 ,whose limbs creep not for terror1 when beneath ,the appalling stroke of thunder the parched earth ,shudders1 and mutterings run through the vast sky8 ,do not the peoples and the nations quake1 ,and proud kings1 stricken with religious dread ,sit quailing1 lest for any wicked deed ,or overweening word1 the heavy time ,of reckoning and punishment be ripe8 ,also when the full violence of a wind ,raging across the sea1 sweeps o'er the waves ,the high commander of a fleet1 with all ,his powerful legions and his elephants1 ,does he not supplicate the gods with vows ,for mercy1 and with craven prayers entreat them ,to lull the storm and grant propitious gales8 ,but all in vain2 since often none the less1 ,seized by the violent hurricane1 he is whirled ,onto the shoals of death4 ,thus evermore ,some hidden power treads human grandeur down1 ,and seems to make its sport of the proud rods ,and cruel axes1 crushed beneath its heel4 ,lastly1 when the whole earth rocks under them1 ,and cities tumble with the shock1 or stand ,in doubt1 threatening to fall1 what wonder is it ,that mortal creatures should abase themselves1 ,assigning vast dominion to the gods1 ,and wondrous powers to govern all below8 ,now must be told how copper gold and iron1 ,and weighty silver also1 and solid lead ,were first discovered when on the great hills ,fire had consumed huge forests with its heat1 ,kindled either by lightning from the sky1 ,or because men waging some forest war ,had carried fire among their enemies ,for terror's sake2 or else because1 drawn on ,by the soil's goodness1 they would wish to clear ,fat lands and turn them unto pasturage1 ,or to kill beasts and grow rich with the spoils4 ,for hunting with the pitfall and with fire ,came into use before woods were enclosed ,with nets or drawn by dogs4 ,howe'er that be1 ,from whatsoever cause the heat of flame ,with terrible crackling had devoured whole forests ,down to their deepest roots1 and throughly baked ,the soil with fire1 forth from the burning veins ,there would ooze and collect in cavities ,streams of silver and gold1 of copper too1 ,and lead4 ,when afterwards men found these metals ,cooled into masses glittering on the ground ,with brilliant colours1 they would pick them up1 ,attracted by their bright smooth loveliness2 ,and they would then observe how each was formed ,into a shape similar to the imprint ,of the hole where it lay4 ,next it would strike them ,that1 melted down by heat1 these could be made ,to run into any form and mould they pleased1 ,and further could by hammering be wrought ,into points tapering as sharp and fine ,as they might need1 so furnishing themselves ,with tools wherewith to cut down woods1 hew timber ,and plane planks smooth1 to drill and pierce and bore4 ,and this they would attempt with silver and gold ,no less than with stout copper's mighty strength4 ,but in vain1 since their yielding force would fail1 ,being proved less fit to endure toil and strain4 ,in those days copper was more highly esteemed2 ,gold lay despised as useless with its dull ,and blunted edge3 now copper lies neglected1 ,whereas gold has attained the pitch of honour4 ,thus ,time as it revolves is ever changing ,the seasons of things4 ,what was once esteemed ,becomes at length of no repute2 whereon ,some other thing1 issuing from contempt1 ,mounts up and daily is coveted more and more1 ,and1 once discovered1 blossoms out in praises1 ,rising to wondrous honour among men4 ,now1 ,memmius1 you will easily of yourself ,understand in what way were first discovered ,the properties of iron4 ,man's earliest weapons ,were hands nails teeth and stones1 and boughs torn off ,from forest trees1 and flame and fire1 as each ,became known4 ,afterwards the force of iron ,and copper was discovered4 ,and the use ,of copper was known earlier than of iron1 ,since it was easier to be worked1 and found ,more copiously4 ,with copper they would till ,the soil of earth1 with copper they stirred up ,the waves of war1 and dealt wide-gaping wounds1 ,and seized on lands and cattle3 for all else1 ,being naked and unarmed1 would yield to those ,who carried weapons4 ,then by slow degrees ,the sword of iron made progress1 while the type ,of the copper sickle came to be despised4 ,with iron they began to cleave the soil1 ,and through its use wavering war's conflicts ,were rendered equal4 ,earlier was the custom ,of mounting armed upon a horse's back ,and guiding it with reins1 and dealing blows ,with the right arm1 long before men dared tempt ,the risks of battle in the two-horsed car4 ,and they would learn the art to yoke two steeds ,earlier than to yoke four1 or to mount armed ,upon scythed chariots4 ,next the ,poeni taught ,the uncouth ,lucanian kine1,h with towered backs ,and snake-like hands1 to endure the wounds of war1 ,and rout great troops of martial chivalry4 ,thus miserable discord brought to birth ,one thing after another1 to appal ,mankind's embattled nations1 every day ,making addition to war's frightfulness4 ,also in warfare they made trial of bulls1 ,and sought to drive fierce boars against the foe4 ,and some sent mighty lions in their van ,with armed trainers and savage guardians ,to govern them and hold them in with chains2 ,in vain1 for heated with promiscuous carnage ,they put to flight whole squadrons in their rage ,without distinction1 tossing on every side ,their terrible crests2 nor could the horsemen calm ,their horses1 panic-stricken by the roaring1 ,or turn them by the bridle against their foes4 ,the she-lions would spring fiercely on all sides ,right in the faces of their adversaries1 ,or from behind seizing them off their guard ,would clasp and tear them wounded down to the earth1 ,gripping them with their strong teeth and hooked claws4 ,the bulls would toss and trample underfoot ,their own friends1 goring the horses from beneath ,in belly and flank1 tearing the soil up savagely4 ,fierce boars would rend their allies with strong tusks4 ,staining the broken weapons with their blood1 ,and put to rout both horse and foot together4 ,the steeds1 to escape from the tusk's cruel push1 ,would swerve aside or rearing paw the air1 ,in vain1 for with severed tendons they would crash ,heavily down to the earth and lie stretched out4 ,beasts1 by the keepers deemed to have been tamed ,sufficiently at home1 they now would see ,heated to madness in the hour of battle1 ,by wounds and shouts1 flight panic and uproar4 ,no portion of all the different kinds of beasts1 ,once scattered in wild flight1 could they recall4 ,so often nowadays the ,lucanian kine1 ,gashed cruelly with the steel1 will fly dispersed1 ,inflicting ruinous havoc on their friends4 ,thus might these men have acted3 yet ,i scarce ,can think they were not able to foresee ,and calculate how horrible a disaster ,was certain to befall both sides alike4 ,but men chose to act thus1 not in the hope ,of victory so much1 as from the wish1 ,though they themselves perished1 to give their foes ,cause to lament1 being desperate through mistrust ,of their own numbers1 or through lack of arms4 ,the plaited garment came before the dress ,of woven stuff4 ,weaving comes after iron1 ,since weaving tools need iron to fashion them4 ,by no means else can such smooth things be made ,as heddles1 spindles1 shuttles and clattering yarn-beams4 ,men before womankind did ,nature prompt ,to work wool2 for in general the male sex ,is by far the more skilful and ingenious3 ,till the rough peasants chided them so sternly ,that at length they consented to resign ,such lighter tasks into the hands of women1 ,and themselves took their share in heavier toils1 ,hardening with hard labour limbs and hands4 ,but ,nature1 the creatress1 herself first ,taught men to sow and prompted them to graft4 ,for berries and acorns dropping from the trees ,would put forth in due season underneath ,swarms of seedlings3 and hence the fancy came ,to insert grafts upon the boughs1 and plant ,young saplings in the soil about the fields4 ,next they would try another and yet another ,method of tilling their loved piece of land1 ,and so could watch how kindly fostering culture ,helped the earth to improve its own wild fruits4 ,and they would force the forests day by day ,to retreat higher up the mountain-sides ,and yield the ground below to husbandry1 ,that so meadows and ponds1 rivulets1 crops1 ,and glad vineyards might cover hill and plain1 ,while grey-green boundary strips of olive trees ,might run between the fields1 stretching far out ,o'er hillock1 valley and plain2 as now we see ,whole countrysides glowing with varied beauty1 ,adorned with rows of sweet fruit-bearing trees1 ,and enclosed round about with joyous groves4 ,but the art of imitating with their mouths ,the liquid notes of birds1 came long before ,men could delight their ears by singing words ,to smooth tunes2 and the whistlings of the zephyr ,in hollow reeds first taught the husbandman ,to blow through hollow stalks4 ,then by degrees ,they learnt those sweet sad ditties1 which the pipe1 ,touched by the fingers of the melodist1 ,pours forth1 such as are heard 'mid pathless woods1 ,forests and glades1 or in the lonely haunts ,of shepherds1 and the abodes of magic calm4 ,thus would they soothe and gratify their minds1 ,when satiate with food2 for all such things ,give pleasure then4 ,so often1 couched together ,on the soft grass1 beside a waterbrook ,beneath a tall tree's boughs1 at no great cost ,they would regale their bodies joyously1 ,at those times chiefly when the weather smiled1 ,and the year's seasons painted the green herbage ,with flowers4 ,then went round the jest1 the tale1 ,the merry laugh1 for then the rustic muse ,was in full force3 then frolick jollity ,would prompt them to enwreathe their heads and shoulders ,with plaited garlands woven of flowers and leaves1 ,or dancing out of measure to move their limbs ,clumsily1 and with clumsy foot to beat ,their mother earth2 whence smiles and jovial laughter ,would rise2 since the more novel then and strange ,all such sports seemed1 the more they were admired4 ,and they would find a salve for wakefulness ,in giving voice to many varied tones ,of winding melody1 running with curved lip ,over the reed-pipes3 and from them this custom ,is handed down to watchmen nowadays1 ,who1 though they have better learnt to observe time1 ,yet not one whit more pleasure do they enjoy ,than once that silvan race of earth-born men4 ,for what is present1 if we have never known ,anything more delightful1 gives us pleasure ,beyond all else1 and seems to be the best2 ,but if some better thing be afterwards ,discovered1 this will often spoil for us all ,that pleased us once1 and change our feelings towards it4 ,thus it was acorns came to be disliked3 ,thus were abandoned those beds of strewn grass ,and heaped leaves3 the dress too of wild beast's skin ,fell thus into contempt4 ,yet ,i suppose ,that when it was invented it would rouse ,such envy1 that the man who wore it first ,would be waylaid and slain3 yet after all ,it would be torn to pieces among the thieves ,and with much bloodshed utterly destroyed1 ,so that it never could be turned to use4 ,therefore skins then1 now gold and purple vex ,men's lives with cares and wear them out with war4 ,and here1 ,i think1 the greater guilt is ours2 ,for the cold would torment these earth-born men ,naked without their skins2 but us no harm ,whatever can it cause to go without ,a purple robe broidered with large designs ,in gold thread1 so we have but on our backs ,a plain plebeian cloak to keep us warm4 ,therefore mankind is always toiling vainly1 ,fruitlessly wasting life in empty cares1 ,doubtless because they will not recognise ,the limits of possession1 nor the bounds ,beyond which no true pleasure can increase4 ,and so by slow degrees this ignorance ,has carried life out into the deep seas1 ,and from the bottom stirred up war's huge waves4 ,but those vigilant watchers1 sun and moon1 ,that circling round illumine with their light ,the vast revolving temple of the sky1 ,taught mankind how the seasons of the year ,return1 and how all things are brought to pass ,according to fixed system and fixed law4 ,and now men dwelt securely fenced about ,by strong towers1 and the land was portioned out ,and marked off to be tilled4 ,already now ,the sea was white with flitting sails1 and towns ,were joined in league of friendship and alliance4 ,then first poets made record in their songs ,of men's deeds3 for not long before this time ,letters had been invented4 ,for which cause ,our age cannot look backward to things past1 ,save where reason reveals some evidence4 ,shipping and agriculture1 city-walls1 ,laws1 arms1 roads1 robes and other suchlike things1 ,moreover all life's prizes and refinements1 ,poems and pictures1 and the chiselling ,of fine-wrought statues1 every one of these ,long practice and the untiring mind's experience ,taught men by slow degrees1 as they progressed ,step after step4 ,thus time little by little ,brings forth each several thing1 and reason lifts it ,into the borders of the light2 for first ,one thing and then another must in turn ,rise from obscurity1 until each art ,attains its highest pitch of excellence4 ,,book ,,vi1 lines #a-ie ,in ancient days ,athens of glorious name ,was first to spread abroad corn-bearing crops ,among unhappy mortals1 and to frame ,their lives in a new mould and give them laws4 ,she also first bestowed a kindly solace ,for life1 when she gave birth to one endowed ,with so great intellect1 that man who once ,poured forth all wisdom from truth-telling lips2 ,whose glory1 even when his light was quenched1 ,because of his divine discoveries ,undimmed by time was noised abroad1 and now ,is lifted high as heaven4 ,for when he saw ,that well nigh all those things which need demands ,for man's subsistence had been now provided1 ,and that so far as it seemed possible ,life was established in security1 ,that men through wealth and honours and renown ,had attained power and affluence1 and grown proud ,in their children's good name1 yet that not one ,at home possessed a heart the less care-stricken1 ,but ceaselessly despite his wiser mind ,tormenting all his days1 could not refrain ,from petulant rage and wearisome complaint2 ,then did he understand it was the vessel ,itself that was the cause of imperfection1 ,and by its imperfection all those things ,that came within it1 gathered from outside1 ,though ne'er so excellent1 were spoiled therein2 ,in part because he saw that there were holes ,through which it leaked1 so that by no means ever ,might it be filled full2 partly that he perceived ,how as with a foul savour it defiled ,all things within it which had entered there4 ,and so with truthful words he purged men's hearts1 ,and fixed a limit to desire and fear2 ,then setting forth what was the highest good ,which we all strive to attain1 he pointed out ,the path along which by a slender track ,we might in a straight course arrive at it2 ,likewise he showed what evils there must be ,in mortal affairs on every side1 arising ,and flying this way and that1 whether it were ,by natural chance or force1 since it was ,nature ,which has ordained it so2 and by what gates ,to meet each evil men must sally forth3 ,also he proved how mostly without cause ,mankind set darkly tossing in their hearts ,the sad billows of care4 ,for just as children ,in the blind darkness tremble and are afraid ,of all things1 so we sometimes in the light ,fear things that are no whit more to be dreaded ,than those which children shudder at in the dark1 ,imagining that they will come to pass4 ,this terror then and darkness of the mind ,must needs be scattered not by the sun's beams ,and day's bright arrows1 but by contemplation ,of ,nature's aspect and her inward laws4 ,and now that ,i have shown you how the sky's ,mansions are mortal1 and that heaven is formed ,of a body that had birth1 and since of all ,that takes place and must needs take place therein ,i have unravelled most1 give further heed ,to what remains4 ,since once ,i have made bold ,to mount the glorious chariot of the ,muses1,i ,i will now tell how in the upper air ,tempests of wind arise2 how all sinks down ,to rest once more3 the turmoil that has been ,vanishes1 when its fury is appeased4 ,and ,i will explain all else that mortals see ,coming to pass on earth and in the sky1 ,such sights as often hold them in terrified ,suspense of mind1 humiliating themselves ,with fear of gods1 and bow them grovelling ,down to the ground1 because they are compelled ,through ignorance of the causes to assign ,all such things to the empire of the gods1 ,acknowledging their power to be supreme4 ,for those who have learnt rightly that the gods ,lead a life free from care1 if yet they wonder ,by what means all things can be carried on1 ,such above all as are perceived to happen ,in the ethereal regions overhead1 ,they are borne back again into their old ,religious fears1 and adopt pitiless lords1 ,whom in their misery they believe to be ,almighty2 for they are ignorant of what can ,and what cannot exist2 in fine they know not ,upon what principle each thing has its powers ,limited1 and its deep-set boundary stone4 ,and therefore all the more they are led astray ,by blind reasoning4 ,so that if you cannot ,fling from your mind and banish far away ,all such belief in falsehoods that degrade ,the deities1 and consist not with their peace1 ,then1 thus by you disparaged and profaned1 ,oft will their holy godheads do you hurt2 ,not that their sovereign power can be impaired1 ,so that in anger they should stoop to exact ,fierce penalties1 but because you yourself ,will fancy that those placid beings throned ,in serene peace1 can verily be tossed ,by great billows of wrath3 nor will you enter ,with a calm breast the temples of the gods1 ,nor yet will you be able to receive ,in tranquil peace of spirit those images ,which from their holy bodies1 heralding ,their divine beauty1 float into men's minds4 ,and to what kind of life these errors lead ,may be imagined4 ,such credulity ,the most veracious reasoning alone ,can drive far from us4 ,and though to that end ,i have set forth much already1 yet more still ,remains for me to adorn in polished verses4 ,the inward law and aspect of the heavens ,must now be grasped3 tempests and vivid lightnings1 ,their action and what cause sets them in motion1 ,must be described2 lest1 when you have mapped the sky ,into augural divisions1 you should then ,quake in dismay1 beholding from what quarter ,the flash sped in its flight1 or on which side ,it vanished2 in what manner it pierced through ,into walled places1 and how1 having played ,the tyrant there1 it leapt forth and was gone4 ,yet of these operations by no means ,can men perceive the causes1 and so fancy ,that they must come to pass by power divine4 ,o ,muse of knowledge1 solace of mankind ,and the delight of gods1 ,calliope1 ,point the track out before me as ,i speed ,towards the white line of my final goal1 ,that so with thee to guide me ,i may win ,the glorious crown of victory and its praise4 ,,printed ,,in ,,great ,,britain ,,by ,,neill ,,and ,,co41 ,,ltd41 ,,edinburgh4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,maeterlinck ,,essays ,crown #hvo1 #es4 net each4 ,pocket edition3 ,cloth1 #cs4 #f;d4 net each3 ,special binding1 #ds4 #f;d4 net each3 ,leather 7if1 and when procurable7 #es4 #f;d4 net4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,bee4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,the ,,treasure ,,of ,,the ,,humble4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,wisdom ,,and ,,destiny4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,the ,,buried ,,temple4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,the ,,double ,,garden4 ,translated by ,alexander ,teixeira de ,mattos4 ,,life ,,and ,,flowers4 ,translated by ,alexander ,teixeira de ,mattos4 ,,plays ,globe #hvo1 #cs4 #f;d4 net each4 ,pocket edition3 ,cloth #cs4 #f;d4 net each2 ,leather1 #ds4 #f;d4 net each4 ,,monna ,,vanna4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,aglavaine ,,and ,,selysette4 ,translated by ,alfred ,sutro4 ,,joyzelle4 ,translated by ,alexander ,teixeira de ,mattos4 ,,sister ,,beatrice1 ,,and ,,ardiane ,,and ,,barbe ,,bleue4 ,translated by ,bernard ,miall4 ,,pelleas ,,and ,,melisanda ,,and ,,the ,,sightless4 ,translated by ,laurence ,alma ,tadema4 ,,my ,,dog3 ,illustrated in colour by ,cecil ,aldin4 ,pott #dto1 #ds4 #f;d4 net4 ,illustrated in colour by ,g4 ,vernon ,stokes4 ,imp4 #afmo4 ,new edition1 #cs4 #f;d4 net4 ,,old-,,fashioned ,,flowers3 ,illustrated in colour by ,g4 ,s4 ,elgood4 ,imp4 #afmo4 ,new edition1 #cs4 #f;d4 net4 ,,the ,,massacre ,,of ,,the ,,innocents4 ,demy #hvo4 ,cloth1 #as4 net4 ,paper1 #f;d4 net4 ,,thoughts ,,from ,m,,terlinck3 ,chosen and arranged by ,e4 ,s4 ,s4 ,f'cap4 #hvo1 #cs4 #f;d4 net4 ,,editions ,,de ,,luxe ,illustrated in colour by ,e4 ,j4 ,detmold4 ,demy #dto1 #bas4 net each4 ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,bee ,,hours ,,of ,,gladness ,,gilbert ,,murray',s ,translations of the ,plays of ,,euripides1 ,,aristophanes and ,,sophocles ,translated into ,english ,rhyming ,verse1 with ,commentaries and ,explanatory ,notes4 ,cr4 #hvo4 ,cloth1 #bs4 #f;d4 net each4 ,paper1 #as4 #f;d4 net each4 ,,euripides ,,alcestis ,i ,,bacch ,,ii ,,electra ,i ,,hippolytus ,,ii ,,iphigenia ,,in ,,tauris ,,ii ,,medea ,,rhesus ,i ,,trojan ,,women ,,aristophanes ,,frogs ,,sophocles ,,dipus1 ,,king ,,of ,,thebes ,six of the plays of ,euripides are also issued in #b volumes4 ,cr4 #hvo4 ,cloth1 #fs4 net per volume4 ,vol4 ,i43 ,hippolytus1 ,trojan ,women and ,bacch ,vol4 ,,ii43 ,medea1 ,iphigenia in ,tauris1 and ,electra4 ,,footnotes3 ,a ,a few lines seem to have been lost here4 ,b ,epicurus4 ,c ,the aether4 ,d ,colour1 sensation1 etc4 ,e ,cupido4 ,f ,the text is corrupt and the meaning obscure4 ,g ,bacchus4 ,h ,elephants4 ,i ,the text is here corrupt1 and several lines are probably lost4