were buried in a wide-spread lake.
"Wondring at this, and weeping at the doom
"Their hapless neighbours suffer'd; lo! they see
"Their mouldering cot, e'en for the pair too small,
"Change to a temple; pillars rear on high,
"In place of crotchets; yellow turns the straw,
"The roof seems gilded; sculptur'd shine the gates;
"And marble pavement covers all the floor.
"Then Saturn's son, in these benignant words
"The pair address'd;--O, ancient man, most just!
"And thou, O woman! worthy of thy spouse,
"Declare your wishes.--Baucis spoke awhile
"With old Philemon; then their joint desire
"The latter to the deities declar'd.--
"To be your ministers, your sacred fane
"To keep we ask: and as our equal years
"In concord we have pass'd, let the same hour
"Remove us hence: may I her tomb not see,
"Nor be by her interr'd.--The gods comply;
"These guard the temple through succeeding life.
"Fill'd now with years, as on the temple's steps
"They stood, conversing on the wondrous change,
"Baucis beheld Philemon shoot in leaves,
"And leaves Philemon saw from Baucis sprout;
"And from their heads o'er either's face they grew.
"Still while they could with mutual words they spoke;
"At once exclaim'd,--O, dearest spouse, farewell!--
"At once the bark, their lips thus speaking, clos'd.
"Ev'n yet a Tyanaean shews two trees
"Of neighbouring growth, form'd from the alter'd pair.
"Nor dotard credulous, nor lying tongue
"The fact to me related. On the boughs
"Myself have seen the votive garlands hung;
"And whilst I offered fresher, have I said--
"Heaven guards the good with care; and those who give
"The gods due honors, honors claim themselves."

He ceas'd: the deed and author all admire,
But Theseus most; whom anxious still to hear
More wondrous actions of the mighty gods,
The stream of Calydon, as on his arm
Reclin'd, he rested, in these words address'd:--
"There are, O, valiant youth! of those once chang'd,
"Still in the new-form'd figures who remain:
"Others there are whose power more wide extends
"To many shapes to alter.--Proteus, thou
"Art one; thou 'habitant of those wide waves
"Which earth begird: now thou a youth appear'st;
"And now a lion; then a furious boar;
"A serpent next we tremble to approach;
"And then with threatening horns thou seem'st a bull.
"Oft as a stone thou ly'st; oft stand'st a tree:
"Sometimes thy counten