“Antilochus, though young in years thou art, Yet Jove and Neptune love thee, and have well Instructed thee in horsemanship; of me Thou need’st no counsel; skill’d around the goal To whirl the chariot; but thou hast, of all, The slowest horses: whence I augur ill. But though their horses have the speed of thine, In skill not one of them surpasses thee. Then thou, dear boy, exert thine ev’ry art, That so thou mayst not fail to gain a prize. By skill, far more than strength, the woodman fells The sturdy oak; by skill the steersman guides His flying ship across the dark-blue sea, Though shatter’d by the blast; ’twixt charioteer And charioteer ’tis skill that draws the line. One, vainly trusting to his coursers’ speed, Drives reckless here and there; o’er all the course, His horses, unrestrain’d, at random run. Another, with inferior horses far, But better skill’d, still fixing on the goal His eye, turns closely round, nor overlooks The moment when to draw the rein; but holds His steady course, and on the leader waits. A mark I give thee now, thou canst not miss: There stands a wither’d trunk, some six feet high, Of oak, or pine, unrotted by the rain; On either side have two white stones been plac’d, Where meet two roads; and all around there lies A smooth and level course; here stood perchance The tomb of one who died long years ago; Or former generations here have plac’d, As now Achilles hath decreed, a goal. There drive, as only not to graze the post; And leaning o’er the wicker body, leave Close on the left the stones; thine offside horse Then urge with voice and whip, and slack his rein, And let the nearside horse so closely graze, As that thy nave may seem to touch, the goal: But yet beware, lest, striking on the stone, Thy steeds thou injure, and thy chariot break, A source of triumph to thy rivals all, Of shame to thee; but thou sage caution use; For, following, if thou make the turn the first, Not one of all shall pass thee, or o’ertake; Not though Arion’s self were in the car, Adrastus’ flying steed, of heav’nly race, Nor those which here Laomedon possess’d.”