it to the ground. 
    There Caesar walks! of Celtic laurels proud. 
    Nor feels himself in sensual bondage bow’d: 
    He treads the flowery path, nor sees the snare
    Laid for his honour by the Egyptian fair. 
    Here Love his triumph shows, and leads along
    The world’s great owner in the captive throng;
    And o’er the master of unscepter’d kings
    Exulting soars, and claps his purple wings. 
    See his adopted son! he knew her guile,
    And nobly scorn’d the siren of the Nile;
    Yet fell by Roman charms and from her spouse
    The pregnant consort bore, regardless of her vows
    There, cruel Nero feels his iron heart
    Lanced by imperious Love’s resistless dart;
    Replete with rage, and scorning human ties,
    He falls the victim of two conquering eyes;
    Deep ambush’d there in philosophic spoils,
    The little tyrant tries his artful wiles: 
    E’en in that hallow’d breast, where, deep enshrined,
    Lay all the varied treasures of the mind,
    He lodged his venom’d shaft.  The hoary sage,
    Like meaner mortals, felt the passion rage
    In boundless fury for a strumpet’s charms,
    And clasp’d the shining mischief in his arms.—­
    See Dionysius link’d with Pherae’s lord,
    Pale doubt and dread on either front abhorr’d. 
    Scowl terrible! yet Love assign’d their doom;
    A wife and mistress mark’d them for the tomb!—­
    The next is he that on Antandros’ coast
    His fair Creusa mourn’d, for ever lost;
    Yet cut the bonds of Love on Tyber’s shore,
    And bought a bride with young Evander’s gore. 
    Here droop’d the victim of a lawless flame: 
    The amorous frenzy of the Cretan dame
    He fled abhorrent, and contemn’d her tears,
    And to the dire suggestion closed his ears. 
    But nought, alas! his purity avail’d—­
    Fate in his flight the hapless youth assail’d,
    By interdicted Love to Vengeance fired;
    And by his father’s curse the son expired. 
    The stepdame shared his fate, and dearly paid
    A spouse, a sister, and a son betray’d: 
    Her conscience, by the false impeachment stung,
    Upon herself return’d the deadly wrong;
    And he, that broke before his plighted vows,
    Met his deserts in an adulterous spouse. 
    See! where he droops between the sister dames,
    And fondly melts—­the other scorns his flames,—­
    The mighty slave of Omphale behind
    Is seen, and he whom Love and fraud combined
    Sent to the shades of everlasting night;
    And still he seems to weep his wretched plight.—­
    There, Phyllis mourns Demophoon’s broken vows,
    And fell Medea there pursues her spouse;
    With impious boast, and shrill upbraiding cries,
    She tells him how she broke the holy ties
    Of kindred for his sake; the guilty shore
    That from her poignard drank