The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Publisher's Notice
• Hero and Leander.
• To the Right-worshipful Sir Thomas Walsingham, Knight
• Hero and Leander.
• The First Sestiad.
• The Second Sestiad.
• The Epistle Dedicatory
• The Third Sestiad.
• The Fourth Sestiad.
• The Fifth Sestiad.
• The Sixth Sestiad.
• Ovid's Elegies.
• P. Ovidii Nasonis 'amorum Liber Primus
• Elegia I. Quemadmodum a Cupidine, Pro Bellis Amores Scribere Coactus Sit.
• Elegia II. Quod Primo Amore Correptus, In Triumphum Duci Se a Cupidine Patiatur.
• Elegia III. Ad Amicam.
• Elegia IV. Amicam, Qua Arte Quibusque Nutibus In Cæna, Presente Viro, Uti Debeat, Admonet.
• Elegia V. Corinnæ Concubitus.
• Elegia VI. Ad Janitorem, Ut Fores Sibi Aperiat.
• Elegia VII. Ad Pacandam Amicam, Quam Verberaverat.
• Elegia VIII. Execratur Lenam Quæ Puellam Suam Meretricis Arte Instituebat.
• Elegia Ix Ad Atticum, Amantem Non Oportere Desidiosum Esse, Sicuti Nec Militem.
• Elegia X Ad Puellam, Ne Pro Amore Præmia Poscat.
• Elegia XI. Napen Alloqutur, Ut Paratas Tabellas Ad Cornnam Perferat.
• Elegia XII. Tabellas Quas Miserat Execratur Quod Amica Noctem Negabat.
• Elegia XIII. Ad Auroram Ne Properet.
• Elegia XIV. Puellam Consolatur Cui Præ Nimia Cura Comæ Deciderant.
• Elegia XV. Ad Invidos, Quod Fama Poetarum Sit Perennis.
• P. Ovidii Nasonis Amorum. Liber Secundus .
• Elegia I. Quod Pro Gigantomachia Amores Scribere Sit Coactus.
• Elegia II. Ad Bagoum, Ut Custodiam Puellæ Sibi Commissæ Laxiorem Habeat
• Elegia III. Ad Eunuchum Servantem Dominam.
• Elegia IV. Quod Amet Mulieres, Cujuscunque Formæ Sint.
• Elegia V. Ad Amicam Corruptam.
• Elegia VI. In Mortem Psittaci.
• Elegia VII. Amicæ Se Purgat, Quod Ancillam Non Amet.
• Elegia VIII. Ad Cypassim Ancillam Corinnæ.
• Elegia IX. Ad Cupidinem.
• Elegia X. Ad Græcinum Quod Eodem Tempore Duas Amet.
• Elegia XI. Ad Amicam Navigantem.
• Elegia XII. Exultat, Quod Amica Potitus Sit.
• Elegia XIII. Ad Isidem, Ut Parientem Corinnam Servet
• Elegia XIV. In Amicam, Quod Abortivum Ipsa Fecerit.
• Elegia XV. Ad Annulum, Quem Dono Amicæ Dedit.
• Elegia XVI. Ad Amicam, Ut Ad Rura Sua Veniat.
• Elegia XVII. Quod Corinnæ Soli Sit Serviturus.
• Elegia XVIII. Ad Macrum, Quod De Amoribus Scribat,
• Elegia XIX. Ad Rivalem Cut Nxor Curæ Non Erat.
• P. Ovidii Masonis Amorum. Liber Tertius .
• Elegia I. Deliberatio Poetæ, Utrum Elegos Pergat Scribere an Potius Tragoedias.
• Elegia II. Ad Amicam Cursum Equorum Spectantem.
• Elegia III. De Amica Quæ Perjuraverat.
• Elegia IV. Ad Virum Servantem Conjugem.
• Elegia VI. Ad Amnem Dum Iter Faceret Ad Amicam.
• Elegia VII. Quod Ab Amica Receptus, Cum Ea Coire Non Potuit Conqueritur.
• Elegia VIII. Quod Ab Amica Non Recipiatur, Dolet.
• Elegia IX. Tibulli Mortem Deflet.
• Elegia X. Ad Cererem, Conquerens Quod Ejus Sacris Cum Amica Concumbere Non Permittatur.
• Elegia XI. Ad Amicam a Cujus Amore Discedere Non Potest.
• Elegia XII. Dolet Amicam Suam Ita Suis Carminibus Innotuisse Ut Rivales Multos Sibi Pararit.
• Elegia XIII. De Junonis Festo.
• Elegia XIV. Ad Amicam, Si Peccatura Est, Ut Occulte Peccet.
• Elegia XV. Ad Venerem, Quod Elegis Finem Imponat.
• Epigrams By J[ohn] D[avies].
• Ad Musam. I.
• Of a Gull. II.
• In Refum. III.
• In Quintum. IV.
• In Plurimos. V.
• In Titum. VI.
• In Faustum. VII.
• In Katam. VIII.
• In Librum. IX.
• In Medontem. X
• In Gellam. XI.
• In Quintum. XII.
• In Severum. XIII.
• In Leucam. XIV.
• In Macrum. XV.
• In Faustum. XVI.
• In Cosmum. XVII.
• In Flaccum. XVIII.
• In Cineam. XIX.
• In Gerontem. XX.
• In Marcum. XXI.
• In Cyprium. XXII.
• In Cineam. XXIII.
• In Gallum. XXIV.
• In Decium. XXV.
• In Gellam. XXVI.
• In Syllam. XXVII.
• In Syllam. XXVIII.
• In Heywodum. XXIX.
• In Dacum. XXX.
• In Priscum. XXXI.
• In Brunum. XXXII.
• In Francum. XXXIII.
• In Castorem. XXXIV.
• In Septimium. XXXV.
• Of Tobacco. XXXVI.
• In Crassum. Xxxvii
• In Philonem. XXXVIII.
• In Fuscum. XXXIX.
• In Afrum. Xl.
• In Paulum. Xli.
• In Lycum. Xlii.
• In Publium. Xliii.
• In Syllam. Xliv.
• In Dacum. Xlv.
• In Marcum. Xlvi.
• Meditations of a Gull. Xlvii.
• Ad Musam. Xlviii.
• Ignoto.
• The First Book of Lucan.
• To His Kind and True Friend, Edward Blunt.
• The First Book of Lucan.
• The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.
• Fragment.
• Dialogue In Verse.
• Appendices.
• No. 1. the Atheist’s Tragedie.
• No. II.
• No. III. a Note
• No. IV.: The Death of Marlowe.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.

Elegia I.
Quemadmodum a Cupidine, pro bellis amores scribere coactus sit.

• We which were Ovid's five books, now are three,
• For these before the rest preferreth he:
• If reading five thou plain'st of tediousness,
• Two ta'en away, thy1 labour will be less;

• With Muse prepared,2 I meant to sing of arms,
• Choosing a subject fit for fierce alarms:
• Both verses were alike till Love (men say)
• Began to smile and took one foot away.
• Rash boy, who gave thee power to change a line?
• We are the Muses' prophets, none of thine.
• What, if thy mother take Diana's1 bow,
• Shall Dian fan when love begins to glow?
• In woody groves is't meet that Ceres reign,
• And quiver-bearing Dian till the plain?

  10

• Who'll set the fair-tressed Sun in battle-ray
• While Mars doth take the Aonian harp to play?
• Great are thy kingdoms, over-strong and large,
• Ambitious imp, why seek'st thou further charge?
• Are all things thine? the Muses' Tempe thine?
• Then scarce can Phœbus say, “This harp is mine.”
• When2 in this work's first verse I trod aloft,
• Love slaked my muse, and made my numbers soft:
• I have no mistress nor no favourite,
• Being fittest matter for a wanton wit.

  20

• Thus I complained, but Love unlocked his quiver,
• Took out the shaft, ordained my heart to shiver,
• And bent his sinewy bow upon his knee,
• Saying, “Poet, here's a work beseeming thee.”
• O, woe is me! he never shoots but hits,
• I burn, love in my idle bosom sits:
• Let my first verse be six, my last five feet:
• Farewell stern war, for blunter poets meet!
• Elegian muse, that warblest amorous lays,
• Girt my shine3 brow with seabank myrtle sprays.4

  30

[1]So the Isham copy. Ed. A “the.”

[2]Isham copy and ed. A “vpreard, I meane.”

[1]The original has—

• “Quid? si præripiat flavæ Venus arma Minervæ Ventilet accensas flavæ Minerva comas.”

[2]“Cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo, Attenuat nervos proximus ille meos.”

[3]Sheen.

[4]Dyce's correction for “praise” of the old eds.