FROGS

OF THE

AND MICE.

BOOK I.

O fill my rifing fong with facred fire,

Tof

Ye tuneful Nine, ye fweet celeftial quire! From Helicon's imbow'ring height repair, Attend my labours, and reward my pray❜r. The dreadful toils of raging Mars I write, The springs of contest, and the fields of fight; How threat'ning Mice advanc'd with warlike grace, And wag'd dire combats with the croaking race. Not louder tumults fhook Olympus' tow'rs, When earth-born giants dar'd immortal pow'rs. Thofe equal acts in equal glory claim, And thus the Muse records the tale of fame.

Once on a time, fatigu'd and out of breath, And just escap'd the stretching claws of death, A gentle Moufe, whom Cats purfu'd in vain, Fled fwift-of-foot across the neighb'ring plain, Hung o'er a brink, his eager thirst to cool, And dipt his whiskers in the standing pool;

When near a courteous Frog advanc'd his head;
And from the waters, hoarfe-refounding faid:

What art thou, stranger? what the line
you boast?
What chance has caft thee panting on our coast?
With ftricteft truth let all thy words agree,
Nor let me find a faithless Mouse in thee.
If worthy friendship, proffer'd friendship take,
And ent'ring view the pleasurable lake:
Range o'er my palace, in my bounty share,
And glad return from hofpitable fare.
This filver realm extends beneath my fway,
And me, their monarch, all its Frogs obey.
Great Phyfignathus I, from Peleus' race,
Begot in fair Hydromede's embrace,

Where by the nuptial bank that paints his fide,
The swift Eridanus delights to glide.

Thee too, thy form, thy ftrength, and port proclaim
A fcepter'd king; a fon of martial fame;

Then trace thy line, and aid my gueffing eyes.

Thus ceas'd the Frog, and thus the Moufe replies.
Known to the Gods, the men, the birds that fly

Thro' wild expanfes of the midway sky,
My name refounds; and if unknown to thee,
The foul of great Pfycarpax lives in me,
Of brave Troxartas' line, whose sleeky down
In love comprefs'd Lychomile the brown.
My mother fhe, and princefs of the plains
Where-e'er her father Pternotroctas reigns:

Born where a cabin lifts its airy fhed,
With figs, with nuts, with vary'd dainties fed.
But fince our natures nought in common know,
From what foundation can a friendship grow?
These curling waters o'er thy palace roll;
But man's high food fupports my princely foul.
In vain the circled loaves attempt to lye
Conceal'd in flaskets from my curious eye,
In vain the tripe that boasts the whiteft hue,
In vain the gilded bacon fhuns my view,
In vain the cheeses, offspring of the paile,
Or honey'd cakes, which Gods themselves regale.
And as in arts I fhine, in arms I fight,

Mix'd with the bravest, and unknown to flight.
Tho' large to mine the human form

appear, Not Man himself can fmite my foul with fear. Sly to the bed with filent steps I go,

Attempt his finger, or attack his toe,

And fix indented wounds with dextrous skill;
Sleeping he feels, and only feems to feel.

Yet have we foes which direful dangers cause,
Grim Owls with talons arm'd, aud Cats with claws,
And that falfe trap, the den of filent fate,

Where Death his ambush plants around the bait;
All-dreaded these, and dreadful o'er the rest
The potent warriours of the tabby veft;
If to the dark we fly, the dark they trace,
And rend our heroes of the nibbling race.

But me, nor stalks, nor watrish herbs delight,
Nor can the crimson radish charm my fight,
The lake-refounding Frogs felected fare,
Which not a Mouse of any taste can bear.

As thus the downy prince his mind exprest,
His answer thus the croakng king addrest.

Thy words luxuriant on thy dainties rove, And, ftranger, we can boast of bounteous Jove : We sport in water, or we dance on land, And born amphibious, food from both command. But trust thyself where wonders ask thy view, And fafely tempt those feas, I'll bear thee thro': Afcend my shoulders, firmly keep thy feat, And reach my marshy court, and feast in state.

He said, and bent his back; with nimble bound
Leaps the light mouse, and clasps his arms around,
Then wond'ring floats, and fees with glad furvey
The winding banks resembling ports at fea.
But when aloft the curling water rides,

And wets with azure wave his downy fides,
His thoughts grow confcious of approaching woe,
His idle tears with vain repentance flow,
His locks he rends, his trembling feet he rears,
Thick beats his heart with unaccustom'd fears;
His fighs, and chill'd with danger, longs for fhore:
His tail extended forms a fruitless oar.
Half-drench'd in liquid death his pray'rs he spake,
And thus bemoan'd him from the dreadful lake,

So pafs'd Europa thro' the rapid fea,
Trembling and fainting all the vent'rous way;
With oary feet the bull triumphant rode,
And fafe in Crete depos'd his lovely load.
Ah fafe at last! may thus the Frog support
My trembling limbs to reach his ample court.

As thus he forrows, death ambiguous grows,
Lo! from the deep a water-Hydra rose;
He rolls his fanguin'd eyes, his bofom heaves,
And darts with active rage along the waves.
Confus'd, the monarch fees his hiffing foe,
And dives, to fhun the fable fates, below.
Forgetful Frog! the friend thy fhoulders bore,
Unskill'd in swimming, floats remote from shore.
He grafps with fruitless hands to find relief,
Supinely falls, and grinds his teeth with grief,
Plunging he finks, and struggling mounts`again,
And finks, and strives, but strives with fate in vain.
The weighty moisture clogs his hairy veit,

And thus the Prince his dying rage exprest.

Nor thou, that fling'ft me flound'ring from thy back, As from hard rocks rebounds the shatt'ring wrack, Nor thou fhalt 'scape thy due, perfidious king! Purfu'd by vengeance on the swifteft wing: At land thy strength could never equal mine,` At fea to conquer, and by craft, was thine; But heav'n has Gods, and Gods have searching eyes: Ye Mice, ye Mice, my great avengers rise !