y toil successor: dying, he
"To me bequeath'd the waters;--nothing more:
"These only as paternal wealth I claim.
"But soon, disliking on the self-same rock
"To dwell, I learn'd the art to rule the track
"Plough'd by the keel, with skilful guiding hand;
"And learn'd th' Olenian sign, the showery goat;
"Taygete; and the Hyaedes; the Bear;
"The dwellings of the winds; and every port
"Where ships could shelter. Once for Delos bound,
"By chance, the shore of Chios' isle we near'd;
"And when our starboard oars the beach had touch'd,
"Lightly I leap'd, and rested on the land.
"Now, night expir'd, Aurora warmly glow'd,
"And rousing up from sleep, my men I bade
"Supplies of living waters bring; and shew'd
"What path the fountain led to. I meanwhile,
"A lofty hill ascending, careful mark'd
"The wish'd-for wind approaching;--loud I call'd
"My fellows, and with haste the vessel gain'd.
"Lo! cry'd Opheltes, chief of all my crew,--
"Lo! here we come;--and from the desart fields,
"(A prize obtain'd, he thought),--he dragg'd along
"A boy of virgin beauty tow'rd the sands:
"Staggering, the youth, with wine and sleep opprest,
"With difficulty follow'd. Closely I
"His dress, his countenance, and his gait remark;
"And all I see, displays no mortal man.
"Conscious, I speak my comrades thus:--Unknown
"To me, what deity before us stands,
"But sure I am, that form conceals a god.
"O thou! whoe'er thou art, assist us;--aid
"Our undertakings;--who have seiz'd thee, spare,
"Unknowing what they did. Bold Dictys cries,--
"Than whom none swifter gain'd the topmost yards,
"Nor on the cordage slid more agile down;--
"Prayers offer not for us. Him Lybis joins;
"And brown Melanthus, ruler of the helm;
"Alcimedon unites; Epopeus too,
"Who rul'd the rowers, and their restings mark'd;
"(Arduous they urg'd their sinews by his voice)--
"Nay all Opheltes join,--the lust of gain,
"So blinded all their judgments. Still I cry;--
"Ne'er will I yield my vessel to behold
"Burthen'd with such a sacrilegious load:
"Pre-eminent is here my right. I stand
"To those who strive to hoist him in, oppos'd.
"Bold and outrageous, far beyond the rest,
"Was Lycabas; from Tuscan shore exil'd
"For deeds of murderous violence: he grasp'd
"My throat with force athletic, as I stood,
"And in the waves had flung me; but sore stunn'd,
"A cable caught, and sav'd me. Loud