But truth and upright confidence prevail 15
O'er my bold tongue to speak its pleasing tale.
Sons of Aletes! vainly would you hide [1]
The native valour stamp'd upon the mind.
To you full often in triumphant pride
Victory's high palm the blooming hours assign'd; 20
And oft they bade your skilful art explore
The secret mysteries of ancient lore. 24
But all the glorious action's fame
Illustrates the inventor's name.
Who taught, save Corinth's noble race, 25
The Dithyrambic hymn to grace,
In festal pride the bull to lead,
Or curb with reins the generous steed?
Or on the temples with expanded wing [2]
Placed the twin semblance of the feather'd king? 30
Them the sweet-breathing muse inspires,
While Mars in his sublime career,
Their youth with thirst of glory fires,
And gives to hurl the deadly spear. 33
Supreme, wide-ruling Jove, whose sway 35
Olympia glories to obey,
Through every age with guardian arm
Shielding this happy race from harm,
Conducted by thy prosperous gale,
- ↑ The Corinthians are so called, as being descended from King Aletes, who came into the Peloponnesus with the Heraclidæ, and obtained the empire of Corinth.
- ↑ There is some obscurity in this passage. It is doubted by the commentators whether the double eagle were sculptured on the pediment, (aëtoma,) or placed inside of the temple. Green is of the latter opinion, but supports it by rather a singular argument, viz., that the word in the original is ενθηκ᾽; whereas it is evident that the corresponding line in the second epode requires εθηκ᾽ in the first, which is the common and doubtless the true reading. Pausanias, in his description of the temple of Minerva Εργανη,
