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SIR WILLIAM JONES.

Persian, at the request of the King of Denmark, After making another tour, he gave up his tutorship, and, in September, 1770, entered himself a student of the Temple, for the purpose of studying for the bar. He took this step in compliance with the earnest solicitations of his friends. "Their advice," he says, in a letter to his friend Reviczki,

only road to the highest stations in this country, is that of the law; and I need not add how ambitious and laborious I am." The mode in which he occupied himself in chambers is best described by his own pen, in a letter to his friend, Dr. Bennett ;

WILLIAM JONES, the son of an eminent mathe- | matician, was born in London, in the year 1746. Losing his father, when only three years of age, he was left to the entire care of his mother, a woman of strong mind and good sense, and from whom he imbibed an early taste for literature. In 1753, he was sent to Harrow School, where he soon attracted the attention of the masters, and the admiration" was conformable to my own inclinations; for the of his associates, by his extraordinary diligence and superior talents. Among his school fellows were Dr. Parr, and Bennett, afterwards Bishop of Cloyne, who, in speaking of young Jones, at the age eight or nine, says, he was even then "an uncommon boy." Describing his subsequent progress at Harrow, he says, "great abilities, great particularity of thinking, fondness for writing verses and plays of various kinds, and a degree of integrity and manly courage, distinguished him even at that period. I loved him and revered him, and, though one or two years older than he was, was always instructed by him from my earliest age." Such was his devotion to study, that he used to pass whole nights over his books, until his eyesight became affected; and Dr. Thackeray, the master of Harrow, said, "so active was the mind of Jones, that if he were left, naked and friendless, on Salisbury Plain, he would, nevertheless, find the road to fame and riches."

"I have learned so much," he says, “seen so much, written so much, said so much, and thought so much, since I conversed with you, that were I to attempt to tell half what I have learned, seen, writ, said, and thought, my letter would have no end. I spend the whole winter in attending the public speeches of our greatest lawyers and senators, and in studying our own admirable laws. I give up my leisure hours to a Political Treatise on the Turks, from which I expect some reputation; and I have several objects of ambition which I cannot trust to letter, but will impart to you when we meet." In the midst of all these engagements he found time to attend Dr. William Hunter's lectures on anatomy, and to read Newton's Principia : and in 1772, he published a collection of poems, consisting, principally, of translations from the Asiatic languages. In the same year he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society; and, in 1774, appeared his celebrated commentaries De Poesi Asiatica, which procured him great reputation both at home and abroad.

In 1764, he was entered at University College, Oxford, in opposition to the wishes of his friends, who advised his mother to place him under the superintendence of some special pleader, as at that early age he had made such a voluntary progress in legal acquirements, as to be able to put cases from an abridgement of Coke's Institutes. At the university, instead of confining himself to the Being now called to the bar, he suspended all usual discipline, he continued the course of classi-literary pursuits, and devoted himself, with intense cal reading which he had commenced at Harrow, earnestness, to the study of his profession. In and devoted a considerable portion of his time to 1775, he became a regular attendant at Westminthe study of the oriental languages. During his ster Hall, and went the circuit and sessions at vacations, which he generally spent in London, he Oxford; and in the following year he was, without learnt riding and fencing; and at home he occu- solicitation, made a commissioner of bankrupt, by pied himself in the perusal of the best Italian, Lord-chancellor Bathurst. It would seem, from the Spanish, French, and Portuguese authors. In 1765, correspondence of our author, that soon after his he became private tutor to Lord Althorp, the son of call to the bar, he acquired considerable practice, Earl Spencer; and shortly afterwards he was elect- as he says, in a letter to Mr. Schultens, dated July, ed fellow on the foundation of Sir Simon Bennett. 1777, "My law employments, attendance in the In 1767, he accompanied the Spencer family to courts, incessant studies, the arrangement of pleadGermany; and whilst at Spa, he learnt dancing, ings, trials of causes, and opinions to clients, the broad-sword exercise, music, besides the art of scarcely allow me a few moments for eating and playing on the Welsh harp; "thus," to transcribe sleeping." In 1778, he published his translation an observation of his own, " with the fortune of of the Orations of Isæus, with a Prefatory Disa peasant, giving himself the education of a course, Notes, and Commentary, which displayed prince." On his return, he resided with his pupil profound critical and historical research, and exat Harrow, and, during his abode there, he trans-cited much admiration. In March 1780, he publated into French the life of Nadir Shah from the lished a Latin Ode in favour of American freedom;

for me; and if the whole legislature of Britain were to offer me a station different from that I now fill, I should most gratefully and respectfully decline it." He continued, with indefatigable zeal, his compilation of the Hindoo and Mahometan Digest; on the completion of which he was to have followed his wife to England, who had proceeded thither, for the recovery of her health, in the December of 1793. This intention, however, he did not live to carry into effect, being shortly afterwards attacked with an inflammation of the liver, which terminated his existence on the 27th of April, 1794. His epitaph, written by himself, is equally admirable for its truth and its elegance. Here was deposited

and, shortly afterwards, on the resignation of Sir | want no addition to my fortune, which is enough Roger Newdigate, he was induced to become a candidate for the representation of the University of Oxford; but the liberality of his political principles rendering his success hopeless, he declined a poll. The tumults of this year induced him to write a pamphlet, entitled, An Inquiry into the Legal Mode of suppressing Riots, with a Constitutional Plan of Future Defence; and about the same period he published his celebrated essay on the Law of Bailments, in which he treated his subject, says Mr. Roscoe, with an accuracy of method hitherto seldom exhibited by our legal writers. In 1782, he spoke at a public meeting in favour of parliamentary reform, and also became a member of the Society for Contitutional Reformation. In a letter to the Dean of St. Asaph, this year, he says it is "his wish to become as great a lawyer as Sulpicius ;" and hints at giving up politics, to the resignation of which he was the more inclined in consequence of a bill of indictment being preferred against the divine abovementioned, for publishing a tract, composed by Jones, entitled, A Dialogue between a Farmer and a Country Gentleman, on the Principles of Government. Of this our author immediately avowed himself the writer, by a letter addressed to Lord Kenyon, in which he defended his positions, and contended that they were conformable to the laws of England.

the mortal part of a man who feared God, but not death; and maintained independence, but sought not riches; who thought none below him but the base and unjust;

none above him but the wise and virtuous; who loved his parents, kindred, friends, and country; and having devoted his life to their service, and the improvement of his mind,

resigned it calmly, giving glory to his Creator, wishing peace on earth,

and good will to all his creatures.

His character was, indeed, truly estimable in every respect. To exquisite taste and learning quite unparalleled," says Dr. Parr, "Sir William Jones is known to have united the most benevolent temper, and the purest morals." His whole life was one unceasing struggle for the interests of his fellow creatures, and, unconnected with this object, he knew no ambition. He was a sincere and pious Christian; and in one of his latest discourses to the Asiatic Society, he has done more to give validity to the Mosaic account of the creation, than the researches of any contemporary writers. His acquirements as a linguist were absolutely wonderful: he understood, critically, English, Latin, French, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Persian, and Sanscrit; he could translate, with the aid of a dictionary, the Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ru nic, Hebrew, Bengalee, Hindoo, and Turkish; and he had bestowed considerable attention on the Russian, Swedish, Coptic, Welsh, Chinese, Dutch, Syriac, and several other languages. In addition to his vast stock of literary information, he possessed extensive legal knowledge; and, as far as we may judge from his translations, had sufficient capacity and taste for a first-rate original poet. His indefatigable application and industry have, perhaps, never been equalled; even when in illhealth he rose at three in the morning, and what were called his hours of relaxation, were devoted to studies, which would have appalled the most vigorous minds. In 1799, his widow published a splendid edition of his works, in six volumes, folio, and placed, at her own expense, a marble statue of him, executed by Flaxman, in the anti-chamber of University College, Oxford; and, among other public testimonies of respect to his memory, the directors of the East India Company voted him a monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, and a statue in

His political principles had for some time prevented him obtaining the grand object of his ambition, an Indian judge-ship; but he was at length, in March, 1783, appointed judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Bengal, through the influence of Lord Ashburton. Previous to his departure he received the honour of knighthood, and married Miss Shipley, daughter to the Bishop of St. Asaph, with whom he arrived in Calcutta, in September, and entered upon his judicial functions in the following December. Law, literature, and philosophy, now engrossed his attention to such a degree, that his health, on which the climate also had a prejudicial influence, was quickly impaired. In a letter to Dr. Patrick Russell, dated March, 1784, he says, "I do not expect, as long as I stay in India, to be free from a bad digestion, the morbus literatorum, for which there is hardly any remedy but abstinence from too much food, literary and culinary. I rise before the sun, and bathe after a gentle ride; my diet is light and sparing, and I go early to rest; yet the activity of my mind is too strong for my constitution, though naturally not infirm, and I must be satisfied with a valetudinarian state of health." Soon after his arrival he projected the scheme of the Asiatic Society, of which he became the first president, and contributed many papers to its memoirs. With a view to rendering himself a proficient in the science of Sanscrit and Hindoo laws, he studied the Sanscrit and Arabic languages with great ardour; and whilst on a tour through the district of Benares, for the recovery of his health, he composed a tale, in verse, called The Enchanted Fruit, and A Treatise on the Gods of Greece, Italy, and India. In 1790, he appears to have received an offer of some augmentation of his salary, as, in a letter of that year to Sir James Macpherson, he says, "Really I| Bengal.

CAISSA:

OR, THE GAME OF CHESS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE first idea of the following piece was taken from a Latin poem of Vida, entitled Scacchia Ludus, which was translated into Italian by Marino, and inserted in the fifteenth canto of his Adonis: the author thought it fair to make an acknowledgment, in the notes, for the pas sages which he borrowed from those two poets; but he must also do them the justice to declare, that most of the descriptions, and the whole story of Caissa, which is written in imitation of Ovid, are his own; and their faults must be imputed to him only. The characters in the poem are no less imaginary than those in the episode;

in which the invention of chess is poetically ascribed to
Mars, though it is certain that the game was originally
brought from India.

OF armies on the chequer'd field array'd,*
And guiltless war in pleasing form display'd;
When two bold kings contend with vain alarms,
In ivory this, and that in ebon arms;
Sing, sportive maids, that haunt the sacred hill
Of Pindus, and the famed Pierian rill.
+ Thou, joy of all below, and all above,
Mild Venus, queen of laughter, queen of love:
Leave thy bright island, where on many a rose
And many a pink thy blooming train repose;
Assist me, goddess! since a lovely pair
Command my song, like thee divinely fair.

Then Delia thus: "Or rather, since we meet
By chance, assembled in this cool retreat,
In artful contest let our warlike train
Move, well-directed, o'er the colour'd plain;
Daphnis, who taught us first, the play shall guide;
Explain its laws, and o'er the field preside:
No prize we need, our ardour to inflame;
We fight with pleasure, if we fight for fame."
The nymph consents: the maids and youths

prepare

To view the combat, and the sport to share;
But Daphnis most approved the bold design,
Whom love instructed, and the tuneful Nine.
He rose, and on the cedar table placed
Squares eight times eight in equal order lie ;*
A polish'd board, with different colours graced;
These bright as snow, those dark with sable dye;
Like the broad target by the tortoise borne,
Or like the hide by spotted panthers worn.
Then from a chest, with harmless heroes stored,
O'er the smooth plain two well-wrought hosts he
pour'd;

The champions burn'd their rivals to assail,
Twice eight in black, twice eight in milk-white
mail;t

In shape and station different, as in name,
Their motions various, nor their power the same.
Say, muse! (for Jove has naught from thee
conceal'd,)

Who form'd the legions on the level field?
High in the midst the reverend kings appear,

Near yon cool stream, whose living waters play, And o'er the rest their pearly sceptres rear:
And rise translucent, in the solar ray;
Beneath the covert of a fragrant bower,
Where Spring's soft influence purpled every flower;
Two smiling nymphs reclined in calm retreat,
And envying blossoms crowded round their seat;
Here, Delia was enthroned, and by her side
The sweet Sirena; both in beauty's pride:
Thus shine two roses, fresh with early bloom,
That from their native stalk dispense perfume;
Their leaves unfolding to the dawning day,
Gems of the glowing mead, and eyes of May.
A band of youths and damsels sat around,
Their flowing locks with braided myrtle bound;
Agatis, in the graceful dance admired,
And gentle Thyrsis, by the muse inspired;
With Sylvia, fairest of the mirthful train;
And Daphnis, doom'd to love, yet love in vain.
Now, whilst a purer blush o'erspreads her cheeks,
With soothing accents thus Sirena speaks:

One solemn step, majestically slow,

If e'er they call, the watchful subjects spring,
They gravely move, and shun the dangerous foe;
And die with rapture, if they save their king;
On him the glory of the day depends.
He, once imprison'd, all the conflict ends.

“The meads and lawns are tinged with beamy
light,

And wakeful larks begin their vocal flight;
Whilst on each bank the dew-drops sweetly smile;
What sport, my Delia, shall the hours beguile?
Shall heavenly notes, prolong'd with various art,
Charm the fond ear, and warm the rapturous heart?
At distance shall we view the sylvan chase;
Or catch with silken lines the finny race?"

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The queens exulting near their consorts stand;
Each bears a deadly falchion in her hand;
Now here, now there, they bound with furious pride,
And thin the trembling ranks from side to side;
Swift as Camilla flying o'er the main,
Or lightly skimming o'er the dewy plain :
Fierce as they seem, some bold plebeian spear
May pierce their shield, or stop their full career.

The valiant guards, their minds on havoc bent,
Fill the next squares, and watch the royal tent;
Though weak their spears, though dwarfish be their
height,

Compact they move, the bulwark of the fight.‡

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To right and left the martial wings display
Their shining arms, and stand in close array.
Behold! four archers, eager to advance,
Send the light reed, and rush with sidelong glance;
Through angles, ever, they assault the foes,
True to the colour, which at first they chose.
Then four bold knights,for courage famed and speed,
Each knight exalted on a prancing steed:
Their arching course no vulgar limit knows,*
Transverse they leap, and aim insidious blows,
Nor friends, nor foes, their rapid force restrain,
By one quick bound two changing squares they
gain;

From varying hues renew the fierce attack,
And rush from black to white, from white to black.
Four solemn elephants the sides defend;
Beneath the load of ponderous towers they bend :
In one unalter'd line they tempt the fight;
Now crush the left, and now o'erwhelm the right.
Bright in the front the dauntless soldiers raise
Their polish'd spears; their steely helmets blaze:
Prepared they stand the daring foe to strike,
Direct their progress, but their wounds oblique.
Now swell th' embattled troops with hostile rage,
And clang their shields, impatient to engage ;
When Daphnis thus: "A varied plain behold,
Where fairy kings their mimic tents unfold,
As Oberon, and Mab, his wayward queen,
Lead forth their armies on the daisied green.
No mortal had the wondrous sport contrived,
By gods invented, and from gods derived;
From them the British nymphs received the game,(†)
And play each morn beneath the crystal Thame;
Hear then the tale, which they to Colin sung,
As idling o'er the lucid wave he hung :-

"A lovely Dryad ranged the Thracian wild,
Her air enchanting and her aspect mild;
To chase the bounding hart was all her joy
Averse from Hymen, and the Cyprian boy;
O'er hills and valleys was her beauty famed,
And fair Caïssa was the damsel named.
Mars saw the maid; with deep surprise he gazed,
Admired her shape, and every gesture praised:
His golden bow the child of Venus bent,

And through his breast a piercing arrow sent:
The reed was Hope; the feathers, keen Desire;
The point, her eyes; the barbs, ethereal fire.
Soon to the nymph he pour'd his tender strain;
The haughty Dryad scorn'd his amorous pain: .
He told his woes, where'er the maid he found,
And still he press'd, yet still Caïssa frown'd;

on which the success of the game in great measure depends, though it seems to be omitted by the very accu.

rate Vida.

IMITATIONS.

⚫ Il cavallo leggier per dritta lista,
Come gli altri, parringo unqua non fende,
Ma la lizza attraversa, e fiero in vista
Curvo in giro, e lunato il salto stende,
E sempre nel saltar due case acquista,
Quel colore abbandona, e questo prende.

Marino, Adone. 15.

† Quæ quondam sub aquis gaudent spectacla tueri Nereides, vastique omnis gens accola ponti; Siquando placidum mare, et humida regna quierunt.

Vida

But e'en her frowns (ah, what might smiles have done!)

Fired all his soul, and all his senses won.
He left his car, by raging tigers drawn,
And lonely wander'd o'er the dusky lawn;
Then lay desponding near a murmuring stream,
And fair Caissa was his plaintive theme.
A Naiad heard him from her mossy bed,
And through the crystal raised her placid head
Then mildly spake: "O thou whom love inspires,
Thy tears will nourish, not allay thy fires.
The smiling blossoms drink the pearly dew;
And ripening fruit the feather'd race pursue;
The scaly shoals devour the silken weeds!
Love on our sighs, and on our sorrow feeds.
Then weep no more; but, ere thou canst obtain
Balm for thy wounds and solace to thy pain,
With gentle art thy martial look beguile;
Be mild, and teach thy rugged brow to smile.
Canst thou no play, no soothing game devise,
To make thee lovely in the damsel's eyes?
So may thy prayers assuage the scornful dame,
And ev'n Caïssa own a mutual flame."

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46

"To whom the maid replied with smiling mien:
Above the palace of the Paphian queen

| Love's brother dwells, a boy of graceful port,
By gods named Euphron, and by mortals Sport;
Seek him; to faithful ears unfold thy grief,
And hope, ere morn return, a sweet relief.
His temple hangs below the azure skies;
Seest thou yon argent cloud? "Tis there it lies."
This said, she sunk beneath the liquid plain,
And sought the mansion of her blue-hair'd train.
"Meantime the god, elate with heart-felt joy,
Had reach'd the temple of the sportful boy;
He told Caïssa's charms, his kindred fire,
The Naiad's counsel, and his warm desire.

66

Be swift, (he added) give my passion aid;
A god requests."—He spake, and Sport obey'd.
He framed a tablet of celestial mould,
Inlaid with squares of silver and of gold;
Then of two metals form'd the warlike band,
That here, compact, in show of battle stand;
He taught the rules that guide the pensive game,
And call'd it Cassa from the Dryad's name :
(Whence Albion's sons, who most its praise con-
fess,

Approved the play, and named it thoughtful Chess.)
The god, delighted, thank'd indulgent Sport;
Then grasp'd the board, and left his airy court.
With radiant feet he pierced the clouds; nor stay'd,
Till in the woods he saw the beauteous maid.
Tired with the chase the damsel sat reclined,
Her girdle loose, her bosom unconfined.
He took the figure of a wanton faun,
And stood before her on the flowery lawn;

Ecco d'astuto ingegno, e pronta mano Garzon, che sempre scherza, e vola ratto, Gioco s'apella, ed e d'amor germano. Marino, Adone. 15.

Then show'd his tablet; pleased, the nymph survey'd

The lifeless troops, in glittering ranks display'd;
She ask'd the wily sylvan to explain
The various motions of the splendid train;
With eager heart she caught the winning lore,
And thought e'en Mars less hateful than before:
"What spell (said she) deceived my careless mind?
The god was fair, and I was most unkind."
She spoke, and saw the changing faun assume
A milder aspect, and a fairer bloom;
His wreathing horns, that from his temples grew,
Flow'd down in curls of bright celestial hue;
The dappled hairs, that veil'd his loveless face,
Blazed into beams, and show'd a heavenly grace;
The shaggy hide, that mantled o'er his breast,
Was soften'd to a smooth transparent vest,
That through its folds his vigorous bosom show'd,
And nervous limbs, where youthful ardour glow'd:
(Had Venus view'd him in those blooming charms
Not Vulcan's net had forced her from his arms.)
With goatlike feet no more he mark'd the ground,
But braided flowers his silken sandals bound.
The Dryad blush'd; and, as he press'd her, smiled,
Whilst all his cares one tender glance beguiled."
He ends: To arms, the maids and striplings cry;
To arms, the groves and sounding vales reply.
Sirena led to war the swarthy crew,
And Delia those that bore the lily's hue.
Who first, O muse, began the bold attack;
The white refulgent, or the mournful black?
Fair Delia first, as favouring lots ordain,
Moves her pale legions toward the sable train :
From thought to thought her lively fancy flies,
Whilst o'er the board she darts her sparkling eyes.
At length the warrior moves with haughty

strides ;

Who from the plain the snowy king divides;
With equal haste his swarthy rival bounds;
His quiver rattles, and his buckler sounds:
Ah! hapless youths, with fatal warmth you burn;
Laws, ever fix'd, forbid you to return.
Then from the wing a short-lived spearman flies,
Unsafely bold, and see! he dies, he dies:
The dark-brow'd hero, with one vengeful blow,
Of life and place deprives his ivory foe.
Now rush both armies o'er the burnish'd field,
Hurl the swift dart, and rend the bursting shield.
Here furious knights on fiery coursers prance,
Here archers spring, and lofty towers advance.
But see the white-robed Amazon beholds
Where the dark host its opening van unfolds:
Soon as her eye discerns the hostile maid,
By ebon shield, and ebon helm betray'd:
Seven squares she passes with majestic mien,
And stands triumphant o'er the falling queen,
Perplex'd, and sorrowing at his consort's fate,
The monarch burn'd with rage, despair, and hate;
Swift from his zone th' avenging blade he drew,
And, mad with ire, the proud virago slew.
Meanwhile, sweet smiling Delia's wary king
Retired from fight behind his circling wing.

Long time the war in equal balance hung;
Till, unforeseen, an ivory courser sprung,
And, wildly prancing, in an evil hour,
Attack'd at once the monarch and the tower:
Sirena blush'd, for, as the rules required,
Her injured sovereign to his tent retired;

Whilst her lost castle leaves his threatening height,
And adds new glory to th' exulting knight.

At this, pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid,
And on her cheek the rose began to fade:
A crystal tear, that stood prepared to fall,
She wiped in silence, and conceal'd from all;
From all but Daphnis: he remark'd her pain,
And saw the weakness of her ebon train;
Then gently spoke : "Let me your loss supply,
And either nobly win, or nobly die;
Me oft has fortune crown'd with fair success,
And led to triumph in the fields of chess."
He said the willing nymph her place resign'd,
And sat at distance on the bank reclined.
Thus, when Minerva call'd her chief to arms,
And Troy's high turret shook with dire alarms,
The Cyprian goddess, wounded, left the plain,
And Mars engaged a mightier force in vain.

Straight Daphnis leads his squadron to the field;
(To Delia's arms 'tis e'en a joy to yield.)
Each guileful snare and subtle art he tries,
But finds his art less powerful than her eyes;
Wisdom and strength superior charms obey:
And beauty, beauty, wins the long-fought day.
By this a hoary chief, on slaughter bent,
Approach'd the gloomy king's unguarded tent:
Where, late, his consort spread dismay around,
Now her dark corse lies bleeding on the ground.
Hail, happy youth! thy glories not unsung
Shall live eternal on the poet's tongue;
For thou shalt soon receive a splendid change,
And o'er the plain with nobler fury range.
The swarthy leaders saw the storm impend,
And strove in vain their sovereign to defend :
Th' invader waved his silver lance in air,
And flew like lightning to the fatal square;
His limbs, dilated, in a moment grew
To stately height, and widen'd to the view;
More fierce his look, more lion-like his mien,
Sublime he moved, and seem'd a warrior queen.
As when the sage on some unfolding plant
Has caught a wondering fly, or frugal ant,
His hand the microscopic frame applies,
And lo! a bright-hair'd monster meets his eyes;
He sees new plumes in slender cases roll'd
Here stain'd with azure, there bedropp'd with gold;
Thus, on the alter'd chief both armies gaze,
And both the kings are fix'd with deep amaze.
The sword, which arm'd the snow-white maid

before,

He now assumes, and hurls the spear no more;
Then springs indignant on the dark-robed band,
And knights and archers feel his deadly hand.
Now flies the monarch of the sable shield,
His legions vanquish'd, o'er the lonely field.
So when the morn, by rosy coursers drawn,*
With pearls and rubies sows the verdant lawn,
Whilst each pale star from heaven's blue vault
retires,

Still Venus gleams, and last of all expires.

IMITATIONS.

-Medio rex æquore inermis Constitit amissis sociis: velut æthere in alto Expulit ardentes flammas ubi lutea bigis Luciferis Aurora, tuus pulcherrimus ignis Lucet adhuc, Venus, et cœlo inox ultimus exit. Vida, ver. 604.

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