Book II V

Felix nimium prior aetasContenta fidelibus aruisNec inerti perdita luxu,Facili quae sera solebatIeiunia soluere glande.Non Bacchica munera norantLiquido confundere melleNec lucida uellera SerumTyrio miscere ueneno.Somnos dabat herba salubres,Potum quoque lubricus amnis,Vmbras altissima pinus.Nondum maris alta secabatNec mercibus undique lectisNoua litora uiderat hospes.Tunc classica saeua tacebant,Odiis neque fusus acerbisCruor horrida tinxerat arua.Quid enim furor hosticus ullaVellet prior arma mouere,Cum uulnera saeua uiderentNec praemia sanguinis ulla?Vtinam modo nostra redirentIn mores tempora priscos!Sed saeuior ignibus AetnaeFeruens amor ardet habendi.Heu primus quis fuit illeAuri qui pondera tectiGemmasque latere uolentesPretiosa pericula fodit?

Too much the former age was blest,When fields their pleaséd owners failéd not,Who, with no slothful lust opprest,Broke their long fasts with acorns eas'ly got.No wine with honey mixéd was,Nor did they silk in purple colours steep;They slept upon the wholesome grass,And their cool drink did fetch from rivers deep.The pines did hide them with their shade,No merchants through the dangerous billows went,Nor with desire of gainful tradeTheir traffic into foreign countries sent.Then no shrill trumpets did amateThe minds of soldiers with their daunting sounds,Nor weapons were with deadly hateDyed with the dreadful blood of gaping wounds.For how could any fury drawThe mind of man to stir up war in vain,When nothing but fierce wounds he saw,And for his blood no recompense should gain?O that the ancient manners wouldIn these our latter hapless times return!Now the desire of having goldDoth like the flaming fires of Aetna burn.Ah, who was he that first did showThe heaps of treasure which the earth did hide,And jewels which lay close below,By which he costly dangers did provide?