Soon when thou couldst stand upright and walk with firm step thy sire forbade thee enervating sloth, luxurious ease, time-wasting slumbers. He strengthened thy young limbs with hard toils and rude was the training wherewith he exercised thy tender powers. Thou wert taught to bear winter’s cruel cold, to shrink not before storm and tempest, to face the heat of summer, to swim across loud-roaring torrents, to * * * * * Page 274 planitiem cursu, valles et concava saltu, nec non in clipeo vigiles producere noctes, in galea potare nives, nunc spicula cornu tendere, nunc glandes Baleari spargere funda. 50 quoque magis nimium pugnae inflammaret amorem, facta tui numerabat avi, quem litus adustae horrescit Libyae ratibusque impervia Thule: ille leves Mauros nec falso nomine Pictos edomuit Scottumque vago mucrone secutus 55 fregit Hyperboreas remis audacibus undas et geminis fulgens utroque sub axe tropaeis Tethyos alternae refluas calcavit harenas. hos tibi virtutum stimulos, haec semina laudum, haec exempla dabat. non ocius hausit Achilles 60 semiferi praecepta senis, seu cuspidis artes sive lyrae cantus medicas seu disceret herbas. Interea turbata fides. civilia rursus bella tonant dubiumque quatit discordia mundum. pro crimen superum, longi pro dedecus aevi: 65 barbarus Hesperias exul possederat urbes sceptraque deiecto dederat Romana clienti. iam princeps molitur iter gentesque remotas colligit Aurorae, tumidus quascumque pererrat 69 Euphrates, quas lustrat Halys, quas ditat Orontes; turiferos Arabes saltus, vada Caspia Medi, Armenii Phasin, Parthi liquere Niphaten. Quae tibi tuna Martis rabies quantusque sequendi ardor erat? quanto flagrabant pectora voto * * * * * Page 275