Metamorphoses

Ovid's mythological epic; Pythagoras's speech in Book XV on the transmigration of souls is quoted in the Proemium.

Chapter II: On the Object and Breadth of Sacred Scripture — Lines from Pythagoras's speech quoted: "I myself, I remember, in the time of the Trojan war, / I was Euphorbus son of Panthous"
"I myself, I remember, in the time of the Trojan war, I was Euphorbus son of Panthous, in whose breast once The heavy spear of the younger son of Atreus lodged."

Verse 2: And the earth was without form and void — Quoted (Book I) on chaos as a rough and unformed mass
"One was the face of nature in the whole world, Which they called chaos, a rough and unformed mass; Nothing but inert weight, and heaped together in one The discordant seeds of things not well joined."
Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Quoted (Book I) on man's upright stature, bidden to gaze at heaven
""And while other animals look downward at the earth,He gave man a face raised high, and bade him gazeAt heaven, and lift his upturned eyes to the stars.""
Verse 29: Behold I Have Given You Every Herb for Food — Quoted (Book I) on the ancient fathers gathering wild fruits
""They gathered strawberries,And cornelian cherries, and blackberries clinging to thorny brambles,And acorns that had fallen from the broad tree of Jupiter.""
Verse 24: Let the Earth Bring Forth the Living Creature — Quoted (Book I) on man as a holier creature born to rule
""A holier creature than these, more capable of lofty mind,Was still lacking, one that could rule over all the rest:Man was born.""

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