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THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

WILLIAM PIT T, Esq.

Paymaster-General of his Majesty's Forces,

One of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council;

And to the HONOURABLE

SIR GEORGE LYTTELTON, BART. One of the Lords Commiffioners of the Treasury;

THESE POEMS

Are infcribed by the Author;

Who is defirous that the Friendship,

With which they have for many Years honoured him
And the fincere Affection and high Esteem,
Which he hath conceived for them,
From a long and intimate Knowledge
of their Worth and Virtue,

May be known

Wherever the Publication of the enfuing Pieces

Shall make known the Name of

GILBERT WEST.

P R E FACE.

А с Е.

OP all the great Writers of Antiquity, no one was

ever more honoured and admired while living, as few liave obtained a larger and fairer portion of fame after death, than Pindar. Pausanias tells us, that the character of Poet was really and truly consecrated in his perfon, by the God of Poets himself *, who was pleased by an express oracle to order the inhabitants of Delphi to set apart for Pindar one half of the first-fruit offerings brought by the religious to his frine; and to allow' him a place in his temple; where in an iron chair hé was used to sit and fing his hymns, in honour of that God. This chair was remairing in the time of t Paufanias (several hundred years after) to whom it was shewn as a relick not unworthy the sanctity and magnificence of that holy place. Pan I likewise, another Musical Divinity, is reported to have skipped and jumped for joy, while the Nymphs were dancing in honour of the birth of this Prince of Lyrick Poctry ; and to have been afterwards to much delighted with his compositions, as to have sung his Odes in the learing cven of the Poct himself §. Unhappily for us, and indeed for Pindar, those parts of his works, which procured him these extraordinary testimonies from the Gods (or from Mortals rather, who by the invention

I

of * Paus. in Bæot.

+ Pauf. in Phoc. | Philostratus in Icon. $ Piur. in Numa.

of these fables meant only to exprefs the high opinion they entertained of this great Poet) are all loft: I mean his Hymns to the feveral Deities of the Heathen World. And even of those writings, to which his lefs extravagant, but more ferious and more lafting glory is owing, only the leaft, and, according to fome people, the worst part is now remaining. These are his Odes infcribed to the Conquerors in the Four facred Games of Greece. By thefe Odes therefore are we now left to judge of the merit of Pindar, as they are the only living evidences of his character.

Among the moderns *those men of learning of the truest taste and judgment, who have read and confidered the writings of this Author in their original language, have all agreed to confirm the great character given of him by the Ancients. And to fuch who are still able to examine Pindar himfelf, I fhall leave him to ítand or fall by his own merit; only befpeaking their eandour in my own behalf, if they should think it worth their while to perufe the following translations of fome of his Odes: which I here offer chiefly to the English reader, to whom alone I defire to address a few confiderations, in order to prepare him to form a right judgment, and indeed to have any relish of the Compofitions of this great Lyrick Poet, who notwithstand

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