Daphnis and Chloe. Longus

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СКАЧАТЬ and vaulted within, but round without. The Statues, or Images of the Nymphs were cut out most curiously in stone, barefooted, and bare-legg'd; their arms naked up to the shoulders; all their hair loose and playing carelessly, their eyes and lips smiting the Mœdiama, the proper sweetnesse of the Nymphs; their vests, and lawnie-petticoats tied, and tuckt up at the waste. The whole presence made a figure as of a divine ammusing Dance, or Masque. The mouth, and sieling of the Cave reacht the midst of that great rock. And from below out of the Chasme, gusht a strong Chrystal Fountain into a fair current or brook, and made before the holy Cave, a fresh green, and flowery Mead. There were hanged up, and consecrated there, the milking-pailes of fair Maids; Shepherds-pipes, ho-boyes, whistles, and reeds, the Gifts and Anathema's of the ancient Shepherds. To this Cave the often gadding of an Ewe, made the Shepherd often think, that she undoubtedly was lost. Desiring therefore to correct the straggler, and reduce her to her rule; of a green With, he made a snare, and lookt to catch her in the Cave. But when he came there, he saw things he never dreamed of. For he saw her giving suck from her duggs in a very humane manner; and an Infant, without crying, greedily to lay, first to one dugge, then the t'other, a most neat and fair mouth: for when the Child had suckt enough, the careful Nurse lickt it still, and trimmed it up. That Infant was a Girle, and in such manner as before, was trickt and harnessed out with fine and rich advertisements of her origin and Extraction: on her head she wore a Mitre embroider'd with Gold; her shoes were Gilded; her blankets and Mantle cloth of Gold. Wherefore Dryas thinking with himself that this could not come about without the providence of the Gods, and learning mercy from the Sheep, takes her up into his arms, puts her Monuments into his Scrip, and prayes to the Nymphs he may happily preserve, and bring up, their Suppliant, and Votary. Now therefore when it was time to drive home his flocks, he comes to his Cottage, and tells all, that he had seen, to his Wife; shews her what he had found; bids her think she is her daughter; and however, nurse her up, though uncertain, though unknown. Nape, that was her name, began presently to be a Mother, and with a kind of Jealousie would appear to love the Child, lest that Ewe should get more praise; and all in haste gives her the pastoral Name of Chloe, to assure us, it's their own. These Infants, grew up apace, and still their beauty appeared too excellent to suit with rusticks, or derive at all from Clowns. And Daphnis now is fifteen, and Chloe younger two years. Upon a night Lamo and Dryas had their visions in their sleep. They thought they saw those Nymphs, the Goddesses of the Cave, out of which the Fountain gusht out into a stream; and where Dryas found Chloe; That they delivered Daphnis and Chloe to a certain young boy, very disdainfull, very fair; one that had wings at his shoulders, wore a bowe, and little darts; and that this boy did touch them both with the very self-same dart; and commanded it from thenceforth, one should feed his flock of Goats; the other keep her flock of sheep. This dream being dreamed by both, they could not but conceive grief, to think that Daphnis and Chloe should be nothing but Goat-herds like themselves, when they had read them better fortune from their Infant Swaddling cloaths; and for that cause, had both allowed them bolted bread, with a finer sort of meat, and bin at charge to teach them to read a ballad in the Lesbian Tongue; and whatsoever things were passing brave, among the rurall Swains and Girls. Yet neverthelesse it seemed fit, that the Mandats of the Gods concerning them, who by their providence were saved, should be attended, and obeyed. And having told their dreams to one another, and sacrificed in the cave of the Nymphs to that winged boy (for his name they knew not yet:) They set them out Shepherds with their flocks; and to every thing instructed: how to feed before high- noon, and when the scorching Glare declined; when to drive their flocks to water; when to bring them to the folds; what cattell was disciplin'd with the Crook; what commanded by the Voice. And now this pretty pair of young Shepherds, are as jocund in themselves as if they had got some great Empire, while they sit looking over their goodly flocks; and with more than usual kindnesse, treated both the Sheep and Goats. For Chloe thankfully referred her preservation to a Sheep: and Daphnis had not forgot to acknowledge his to a Goat.

      It was the beginning of Spring, and all the flowers of the Launs, Meadowes, Valleyes, and Hills, were now blowing; all was fresh, and green, and odorous. The Bee's humming from the flowers, the Bird's warbling from the groves, the Lamb's skipping on the hills, were pleasant to the ear, and eye. And now when such a fragrancy had filled those blest and happy fields, both the old men and the young, would imitate the pleasant things they heard, and saw; and hearing how the birds did chant it, they began to carroll too; and seeing how the Lambs skipt, tript their light and nimble measures; then to emulate the Bees, they fall to cull the fairest flowers. Some of which in toysome sport they cast in one anothers bosoms, and of some plaited Garlands for the Nymphs. And always keeping near together, had, and did all things in common: for Daphnis often gathered in the straggling sheep; and Chloe often drove the bolder ventrous Goats from the crags, and precipices; and sometimes to one of them, the care of both the flocks was left, while the other did intend some pretty knack, or Toysome play. For all their sport, were sports of children, and of Shepherds. Chloe scudding up and down, and here and there picking up the windlestrawes; would make in plats, a Trap to catch a Grasshopper; and be so wholly bent on that, that she was carelesse of her flocks. Daphnis on the other side, having cut the slender reeds, and bored the quils, or intervals between the joynts, and with his soft wax joyned and fitted one to another; took no care but to practise, or devise some tune, even from morning, to the twilight. Their wine, and their milk, and whatever was brought from home to the fields, they had still in common. And a man might sooner see all the Cattel separate from one another, then he should Chloe and Daphnis, asunder. But while they are thus playing away their time, to sweeten pleasure, afterwards Love procures them these Cares: A Wolf that had a kennel of whelps, came often ravenous upon the fields, and bore away many cattel, because she needed much prey, to keep her self and those cubs. The Villagers therefore meet together, and in the night they dig a ditch of a propor-tinall Length, and Depth, and Breadth; the earth flung up they scatter all abroad at a good distance, by handfulls; and laying over-crosse the Chasm, long, dry, and rotten sticks, they strow them over with that earth which did remain: that if a Hare did but offer to run there, she could not choose but break those rods, that were as brittle as the stubble; and then would easily make it known, that that indeed was not true, but only Counterfeited Soil. Many such Trap-ditches were digg'd in the Mountains, and the fields; yet they could not take this Wolf, (for she could perceive the Sophi-stick, and commentitious ground:) but many of the Sheep and Goats were there destroyed; and there wanted but a little, that Daphnis too was not slain; and it was on this chance: Two he-goats were exasperated to fight, and the shock was furious. One of them, by the violence of the very first Butt, had one of his horns broke; upon the pain and grief of that, all in a fret and mighty chase, he betakes himself to flight: but the victor pursuing him close, would not let him take breath. Daphnis was vext to see the horn broke, and that kind of malepertnesse of the Goat; up he catches his club and pursues the pursuer. But, as it frequently happens when one hastes away as fast as possibly he can, and the other with ardency pursues; there was no certain prospect of the things before them, but into the Trapditch both fall, first the Goat, then Daphnis. And indeed it was only this that served to save poor Daphnis, that he flunder'd down to the bottome of the ditch a cock- horse on the rough Goat. There in a lamentable case he lay, waiting, if perchance it might be some body to draw him out. Chloe seeing the accident, away she flyes to weep over Daphnis his grave, and found he was alive, though buried there, and calls for help to a herdsman of the adjoyning fields. When he was come, he bustled about for a long Cord: but finding none, Chloe in a tearing haste, pulls off her hair- lace and her fillet, gives him them to let down; and standing on the pit brim, both began to draw and hale; and Daphnis holding fast by it, nimbly followed Chloe's line, and so ascended to the Top. They drew up too the wretched Goat, which now had both his horns broke (so fiercely did the revenge of the victor pursue him,) and they gave him to the herdsman as a reward of the rescue, and redemption of their lives. And if any body mist him at home, they would say it was the Invasion of the Wolf: and so returned to their Sheep and Goats. And when they had found that all were feeding orderly, according to the precepts of Lamo and Dryas; sitting down upon the Trunk of an Oak, they began curiously to search, whether he had hurt any limb in that terrible fall; but nothing was hurt, nothing bloodied; onely his head, his bosome, and some other parts, were durtied by the soil which covered over, and hid the Trap. And therefore they thought it best before the accident was made known to Lamo and Myrtale, that he should wash himself in the Cave of the Nymphs. And coming three together with Chloe, he gives her his Scrip, his Jacket, and his Shirt СКАЧАТЬ