Ister to thee, and Tanais fleet,And Nile that will not tell his birth,To thee the monstrous seas that beatOn Britain's coast, the end of earth,To thee the proud Iberians bow,And Gauls, that scorn from death to flee;The fierce Sygambrian bends his brow,And drops his arms to worship thee.Of battles fought I fain had told,And conquer'd towns, when Phoebus smoteHis harp-string: “Sooth, 'twere over-bold.To tempt wide seas in that frail boat.”Thy age, great Caesar, has restoredTo squalid fields the plenteous grain,Given back to Rome's almighty LordOur standards, torn from Parthian fane,Has closed Quirinian Janus' gate,Wild passion's erring walk controll'd,Heal'd the foul plague-spot of the state,And brought again the life of old,