The valleys though unplowed gave many fruits the fields though not renewed white glistened with the heavy bearded wheat: rivers flowed milk and nectar, and the trees, the very oak trees, then gave honey of themselves. Eternal Spring! Soft breathing zephyrs soothed and warmly cherished buds and blooms, produced without a seed. And man content with given food, and none compelling, gathered arbute fruits and wild strawberries on the mountain sides, and ripe blackberries clinging to the bush, and corners and sweet acorns on the ground, down fallen from the spreading tree of Jove. The harrow touched her not, nor did the plowshare wound her fields. Then of her own accord the earth produced a store of every fruit. There was no thought of martial pomp - secure a happy multitude enjoyed repose. The towns were not entrenched for time of war they had no brazen trumpets, straight, nor horns of curving brass, nor helmets, shields nor swords. Descended not the steeps, shorn from its height, the lofty pine, cleaving the trackless waves of alien shores, nor distant realms were known to wandering men. No suppliant multitude the countenance of Justice feared, averting, for they dwelt without a judge in peace. No harsh decrees were fixed on brazen plates. Punishment and fear of penalties existed not. Avengers were not seen, for laws unframed were all unknown and needless.

Then rectitude spontaneous in the heart prevailed, and faith. Such heat consumes the middle zone that none may dwell therein and two extremes are covered with deep snow and two are placed betwixt the hot and cold, which mixed together give a temperate clime and over all the atmosphere suspends with weight proportioned to the fiery sky, exactly as the weight of earth compares with weight of water.

And as the heavens are intersected on the right by two broad zones, by two that cut the left, and by a fifth consumed with ardent heat, with such a number did the careful God mark off the compassed weight, and thus the earth received as many climes.

At His command the boundless plains extend, the valleys are depressed, the woods are clothed in green, the stony mountains rise. Thus received amid the wide expanse of uncontrolled waves, they beat the shores instead of crooked banks. he also added fountains, pools and lakes, and bound with shelving banks the slanting streams, which partly are absorbed and partly join the boundless ocean. Then poured He forth the deeps and gave command that they should billow in the rapid winds, that they should compass every shore of earth. В§ 1.32 And when this God - which one is yet unknown - had carved asunder that discordant mass, had thus reduced it to its elements, that every part should equally combine, when time began He rounded out the earth and moulded it to form a mighty globe.

Ovid metamorphoses cliff notes