Rais'd on a thousand pillars, wreath'd around
With laurel foliage, and with eagles crown'd:
Of bright transparent beryl were the walls,
The friezes gold, and gold the capitals:
As heav'n with stárs, tire roof with jewels

glows,
And ever-living lamps depend in rows.
Full in the passage of each spacious gate,
The sage Historians in white garments wait ;
Gray'd o'er their seats the form of Time was

found, His scythe revers’d, and both his pinions bound: Within stood Heroes, who, through loud alarms, In bloody fields pursu'd renown in arms. High on a throne, with trophies charg'd, I

view'd

The Youth that all things but himself subdu'd:
His feet on sceptres and tiaras trod,
And his horn'd head bely'd the Lybian God.
There CÆSAR, grac'd with both Minervas,

shone; CÆSAR, the world's great master, and his own;

Unmov'd, superior still, in ev'ry state,
And scarce detested in his country's fate.
But chief were those who not for empire fought,
But with their toils their people's safety bought.
High o'er the rest EPAMINONDAS stood;
TIMOLEON, glorious in his brother's blood;
Bold SCIPIO, saviour of the Roman state,
Great in his triumphs, in retirement great;
And wise Aurelius, in whose well-taught

mind With boundless pow'r unbounded virtue join'd, His own strict judge, and patron of man

kind.

Much-suff'ring Heroes next their honours claim, Those of less noisy and less guilty fame, Fair Virtue's silent train: supreme of these, llere ever shines the godlike SOCRATES; He whom ungrateful Athens could expel, At all times just, but when he sign’d the shell : Here his abode the martyr'd PHOcion claims, With Agis, not the last of Spartan names :

Unconquer'd Caro shows the wound he tore; And BRUTUS his ill genius meets no more,

But in the centre of the hallow'd choir, Six

pompous columns o’er the rest aspire; Around the shrine itself of FAME they stand, Hold the chief honours, and the fane command. High on the first the mighty Homer shone, Eternal adamant compos'd his throne ; Father of verse! in holy fillets drest, His silver beard wav'd gently o'er his breast; Though blind, a boldness in his looks appears; In years he seem’d, but not impair'd by years. The Wars of Troy were round the pillar seen: Here fierce TYDIDES wounds the Cyprian

Queen; Here Hector glorious from PATROCLUS' fall, Here dragg'd in triumph round the Trojan wall. Motion and life did ev'ry part inspire, Bold was the work, and prov'd the master's fire; A strong expression most he seem'd t' affect, And here and there disclos'd a brave neglect,

A golden column next in rank appear'd, On which a shrine of purest gold was rear'd; Finish'd the whole, and labour'd ev'ry part, With patient touches of unwearied art: The MANTUAN there in sober triumph sates Compos'd his posture, and his look sedate; On HOMER still he fix'd a rev'rent eye, Great without pride, in modest majesty. In living sculpture on the sides were spread The, LATIAN Wars, and haughty TURNUS

dead; Eliza stretch'd upon the fun'ral pyrë; Æneas bending with his aged Sire : Troy flam'd in burning gold; and o'er the

throne Arms and the Man in golden cyphers shone.

Four swans sustain a car of silver bright, With heads advanc'd, and pinions stretch'd for

flight: Ilere, like some furious prophet, PINDAR rode, And seem'd to labour with th' inspiring God.

Across the harp a careless hand he flings,
And boldly sinks into the sounding strings.
The figur'd Games of GREECE the column

grace; NEPTUNE and Jove survey the rapid race. The youths hang o'er their chariots as they run, The fiery steeds seem starting from the stone ; The champions, in distorted posture, threat; And all appear’d irregularly great.

Here happy HORACE tun'd th’ Ausonian

lyre To sweeter sounds, and temper'd PINDAR'S

fire:

Pleas'd with Alcæus'.manly rage ť infuse
The softer spirit of the Sapphic Muse,
The polish'd pillar diff'rent sculptures grace;
A work outlasting monumental brass.
Here smiling Loves and Bacchanals appear,
The JULIAN Star, and great Augustus here:
The Doves that round the infant Poet spread
Myrtles and bays, hang hov'ring o'er his head.