Prudentius, Contra Symmachum

Mercurius, Maia genitus; nunc magnus habetur

Mercury, born of Maia; now he is held a great

ille deus, cuius dedit experientia fures,

god, he whose expertise gave [the world] thieves;

necnon Thessalicae doctissimus ille magiae

and that same one, most learned in Thessalian magic,

traditur extinctas sumptae moderamine virgae

is said, by the control of the wand he took up, to have recalled extinguished

in lucem revocasse animas, Cocytia leti

souls into the light, and the Cocytean laws of death

iura resignasse sursum revolantibus umbris,

to have unsealed, as the shades flew back upward,

ast alias damnasse neci penitusque latenti

but to have condemned others to death, and deep into hidden

inmersisse chao. facit hoc ad utrumque peritus

chaos to have plunged them. So it comes about that he was skilled at both

ut fuerit geminoque armarit crimine vitam;

and had armed his life with a twofold crime;

murmure nam magico tenues excire figuras

for to call up thin shapes with magic murmur,

atque sepulcrales scite incantare favillas,

and skilfully to enchant the ashes of the tomb,

vita itidem spoliare alios ars noxia novit,

and likewise to rob others of life, his harmful art knew [how].

artificem scelerum simplex mirata vetustas

Simple antiquity, marvelling at this craftsman of crimes,

supra hominem coluit, simulans per nubila ferri

worshipped him as more than human, imagining him borne through the clouds

aligerisque leves pedibus transcurrere ventos.

and running across the light winds on winged feet.

ecce deum in numero formatus et aeneus adstat

Look! formed among the number of the gods, and in bronze, there stands

Graius homo augustaque Numae praefulget in arce.

a Greek man, and he gleams in Numa's august citadel.

prima viae facies inculta, subhorrida, tristis,

The first face of the road is rough, bristling, gloomy,

difficilis, sed fine sui pulcherrima et amplis

difficult, but at its end most beautiful, and endowed

praedita divitiis et abundans luce perenni,

with ample riches, and abounding in everlasting light,

et quae praeteritos possit pensare labores,

and such as can repay the labours that are past.

multiplici dux daemon adest, qui parte sinistra

On the manifold [way] a demon is at hand as guide, who on the left side

centifidum confundit iter; trahit inde sophistas

confounds a hundred-forked path; he drags from there sophists,

barbatos, trahit hinc opibus vel honore potentes;

bearded ones; he drags from here men mighty in wealth or office;

inlicit et volucrum linguis et haruspice fallit,

he lures with the tongues of birds and cheats with the haruspex,

instigat bacchantis anus ambage Sibyllae,

he goads with the riddling of the raving old Sibyl,

involvit mathesi, magicas inpellit in artes,

he entangles in astrology, drives into the magic arts,

omine sollicitat, capit augure, territat extis.

tempts with omens, catches with the augur, terrifies with entrails.

cernis ut una via est multis anfractibus errans,

You see how it is one road, straying with many windings,

talem passa ducem qui non sinat ire salutis

having submitted to such a guide as would not let [men] go by [the way] of salvation