The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Page 5

a swallow. Pandion, hearing of these wondrous events
dies of grief. Erectheus succeeds him, whose daughter, Orithyia, is
ravished by Boreas, and by him is the mother of Calais and Zethes,
who are of the number of the Argonauts on the following occasion.
BOOK VII.
Jason, by the aid of Medea, having conquered the bulls that breathe
forth flames, having sowed the teeth of a serpent, from which armed
men are produced, and having lulled the dragon to sleep, recovers the
Golden Fleece. Medea, accompanying Jason to Greece, restores Æson
to youth by the aid of drugs; and promising the same to Pelias, having
first, as a specimen, changed a ram into a lamb, by stratagem she kills
him. Passing through many places made remarkable by various
transformations, and having slain her children, she marries Ægeus,
when Theseus returns home, and narrowly escapes being poisoned by
her magic potions. Minos interrupts the joy of Ægeus on the return of

his son, and wages war against him; having collected troops from all
parts, even from Paros, where Arne has been changed into a jackdaw.
Minos endeavours to gain the alliance of Æacus, who, however, refuses
it, and sends the Myrmidons, (who have been changed into ants from
men after a severe pestilence), under the command of Cephalus to
assist Ægeus. Cephalus relates to Phocus, the son of Æacus, how, being
carried off by Aurora and assuming another shape, he had induced his
wife Procris to prove faithless; and how he had received from her a dog
and a javelin, the former of which, together with a fox, was changed
into stone; while the latter, by inadvertence, caused the death of his
wife.

INTRODUCTION.
[By Edward Brooks, Jr., from McKay edition.]
P. Ovidius Naso--commonly known as Ovid--was born at Sulmo, about,
ninety miles from Rome, in the year 43 B.C. His father belonged to an
old equestrian family, and at an early age brought his son to Rome,
where he was educated under the most distinguished masters. Very
little is known of the poet's life, except that which is gathered from his
own writings. After finishing his education at home he visited Athens,
in company with the poet Macer, for the purpose of completing his
studies, and before returning visited the magnificent cities of Asia
Minor and spent nearly a year in Sicily.
Although as a young man Ovid showed a natural taste and inclination
for poetical composition, he was by no means encouraged to indulge in
this pursuit. His father thought that the profession of law was much
more apt to lead to distinction and political eminence than the vocation
of a poet. He therefore dissuaded his son from writing poetry and urged
him to devote himself to the legal profession. Compliance with his
father's wishes led him to spend much time in the forum, and for a
while poetry was abandoned. Upon attaining his majority, he held
several minor offices of state; but neither his health nor his inclinations
would permit him to perform the duties of public life. Poetry was his

love, and in spite of the strong objections of his father, he resolved to
abandon the law courts and devote himself to a more congenial
occupation. He sought the society of the most distinguished poets of the
day, and his admiration for them amounted almost to reverence. He
numbered among his intimate friends the poets Macer, Propertius,
Ponticus and Bassus, while Æmilius Macer, Virgil's contemporary,
used to read his compositions to him, and even the fastidious Horace, it
is said, occasionally delighted the young man's ear with the charm of
his verse.
Ovid was married three times. His first wife he married when little
more than a boy, and the union does not seem to have been a happy one,
though it was probably due to no fault of the wife. His second wife
seems also to have been of blameless character, but his love for her was
of short duration. His third wife was a lady of the great Fabian house
and a friend of the Empress Livia. She appears to have been a woman
in every way worthy of the great and lasting love which the poet
lavished upon her to the day of his death.
Up to the age of fifty Ovid had lived a life of prosperity and happiness.
Though not a wealthy man, his means were such as to permit him to
indulge in the luxuries of refined life, and his attainments as a poet had
surrounded him with a circle of most desirable friends and admirers. He
had even obtained the favor and patronage of the royal family. About
the year 8 A.D. he, however, incurred the great displeasure of Augustus,
and was ordered by him to withdraw from Rome and dwell in