Page:The Remains of Hesiod the Ascraean, including the Shield of Hercules - Elton (1815).djvu/171

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DAYS.
89
Ne'er with unseemly deeds the fountains stain,
Or limpid rivers flowing to the main.
Do thus: and still with all thy dint of mind
Avoid that evil rumour of mankind;
Easy the burthen at the first to bear,
And light when lifted as impassive air;
But scarce can human strength the load convey,
Or shake th' intolerable weight away.
Swift rumour hastes nor ever wholly dies,
But borne on nations' tongues a very goddess flies.





DAYS.



Thy household teach a decent heed to pay,
And well observe each Jove-appointed day.
The thirtieth of the moon[1] inspect with care
Thy servants' tasks and all their rations share;
What time the people to the courts repair.

  1. The thirtieth of the moon.] That is, the last day of each month; for the most ancient Greeks, as well as the Orientals, employed lunar months of thirty days. Le Clerc.
    The Greek month was divided into τρια δεκημερα, three decades