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HESIOD;

OR THE RISE OF WOMAN.

BY PARNELL.

"In days of yore, no matter where or when, 'Twas e'er the low creation swarm'd with men, That one Prometheus, sprung of heavenly birth (Our author's song can witness) lived on earth He carved the turf to mould a manly frame, And stole from Jove his animating flame; The sly contrivance o'er Olympus ranWhen thus the mornarch of the stars began."

Parnell with much address points out that his story is entirely fabulous, by leaving the time and place of the action undetermined-this he does by saying, no matter where nor when.

'Twas e'er the low creation swarm'd with men.

That is, before men were createde'er, and erst, mean before—

Prometheus sprung from heavenly birth.

Prometheus

was fabled (said in fables) to be the son of Iapetus and Clymene. The story of Prometheus having formed a man of clay, and having stolen fire from the chariot of the sun to give life to the figure which he formed, and also the fable of Pandora, are told in Hesiod.

This fable was also chosen by Æschylus, the father of tragedy, on his first attempt upon the Athenian stage. -He wrote three tragedies on this subject-the first which related the story which is the subject of Parnell's poem is lost; the second, which relates the punishment of Prometheus is still pre

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served; the third, representing his deliverance from this punishment is lost.*

The account of what Prometheus had done was quickly reported among the gods on Olympus.

The monarch of the stars-The stars here mean the heavens in general— Jupiter is called in Homer the cloudcollecting Jupiter. I do not recollect that he is any where in Homer called the monarch of the stars.

* The Prometheus of Eschylus which still remains is beautifully translated by Potter, to whom the female sex are highly indebted for his having opened to their eyes the rich treasures of ancient tragic poetry. To them we most strongly recommend the perusal of these tragedies, and in particular we wish that the preface to Potter's Eschylus should be read, when the subject of Prometheus is the lesson of the day.

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“Oh! versed in arts, whose daring thoughts as

pire,

To kindle clay with never dying fire.”

Jupiter is here supposed to be speaking to Prometheus-versed in arts-acquainted with arts.

Never dying fire. The fire of life which continues to animate mankind.

"Enjoy thy glory past, that gift be thine! The next thy creature meets be fairly mine."

That gift, means the gift of life.
The next gift, means woman.

"But such a gift, a vengeance so designed
As suits the wisdom of a God to find,
A pleasing bosom cheat, a specious ill,
Which felt they curse, yet covet still to feel.”

Specious ill-Specious ill, means what has at first a tempting appear

ance, but what afterwards is found to be hurtful.

"He said-and Vulcan straight the Sire commands

To temper mortar with ethereal hands,
In such a shape to mould a rising fair,
As virgin goddesses are proud to wear.
To make her eyes with diamond water shine,
And form her organs for a voice divine."

In the first line the word Vulcan is so placed as to appear at first sight to be the nominative case; but in fact the sire (father) or Jupiter is the nominative case.

Mortar-clay; ethereal heavenly. Diamond water-the lustre or shining of a diamond is called its water.-Thus a valuable jewel of this sort is called a diamond of the first water.

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