THE ILIAD OF HOMER:

Translated by Mr. POPE.

VOL. II.

Quis Martem tunica tectum adamantina
Digne scripserit? aut pulvere Troïco
Nigrum Merionen? aut ope Palladis
Tydiden Superis parem?
HORAT.

LONDON: Printed by W. BOWYER, for BERNARD LINTOT between the Temple-Gates. 1716.

AN ESSAY ON HOMER's Battels.

PERHAPS it may be necessary in this Place at the Opening of Homer's Battels, to premise some Obser­vations upon them in general. I shall first endeavour to shew the Conduct of the Poet herein, and next collect some Antiquities, that tend to a more distinct under­standing of those Descriptions which make so large a Part of the Poem.

One may very well apply to Homer himself what he says of his Heroes at the end of the fourth Book, that whosoever should be guided thro' their Battels by Minerva, and pointed to every Scene of them, would see nothing through the whole but Subjects of Surprize and Applause. When the Reader re­flects that no less than the Compass of twelve Books is taken up in these, he will have Reason to wonder by what Methods our Author could prevent Descriptions of such a length from being tedious. It is not enough to say, that tho' the Subject itself be the same, the Actions are always different; That we have now distinct Combates, now promiscuous Fights, now single Duels, now general Engagements: Or that the Scenes are perpetually vary'd; we are now in the Fields, now at the Fortification of the Greeks, now at the Ships, now at the Gates [Page 2] of Troy, now at the River Scamander: But we must look far­ther into the Art of the Poet to find the Reasons of this asto­nishing Variety.

We may first observe that Diversity in the Deaths of his Warriors, which he has supply'd by the vastest Fertility of Invention that ever was. These he distinguishes several ways: Sometimes by the Characters of the Men, their Age, Office, Profession, Nation, Family, &c. One is a blooming Youth, whose Father dissuaded him from the War; one is a Priest whose Piety could not save him; one is a Sportsman whom Diana taught in vain; one is the Native of a far-distant Coun­try who is never to return; one is descended from a Noble Line which ends in his Death; one is made remarkable by his Boasting; another by his Beseeching; and another who is distinguish'd no way else is mark'd by his Habit and the Sin­gularity of his Armor.

Sometimes he varies these Deaths by the several Postures in which his Heroes are represented either fighting or falling. Some of these are so exceedingly exact, that one may guess from the very Position of the Combatant, whereabouts the Wound will light: Others so very peculiar and uncommon, that they could only be the Effect of an Imagination which had search'd thro' all the Ideas of Nature. Such is that Pi­cture of Mydon in the fifth Book, whose Arm being numb'd by a blow on the Elbow, drops the Reins that trail on the Ground; and then being suddenly struck on the Temples falls headlong from the Chariot in a soft and deep Place; where he sinks up to the Shoulders in the Sands, and continues a while fix'd by the Weight of his Armor, with his Legs quivering in the Air, 'till he is trampled down by his Horses.

Another Cause of this Variety is the Difference of the Wounds that are given in the Ilaid: They are by no means like the Wounds described by most other Poets, which are commonly made in the self-same obvious Places: The Heart and Head serve for all those in general who under­stand no Anatomy, and sometimes for Variety they kill Men by Wounds that are no where mortal but in their Poems. As the whole human Body is the Subject of these, so no­thing is more necessary to him who would describe them [Page 3] well, than a thorough Knowledge of its Structure; even tho' the Poet is not professedly to write of them as an Anatomist; in the same manner as an exact Skill in Anatomy is necessary to those Painters that would excel in drawing the Naked, tho' they are not to make every Muscle as visible as in a Book of Chirurgery. It appears from so many Passages in Homer that he was perfectly Master of this Science, that it would be need­less to cite any in particular. One may only observe, that if we thoroughly examine all the Wounds he has described, tho' so infinite in Number, and so many ways diversify'd, we shall hardly find one which will contradict this Observation.

I must just add a Remark, that the various Periphrases and Circumlocutions by which Homer expresses the single Act of Dying, have supply'd Virgil and the succeeding Poets with all their manners of phrasing it. Indeed he repeats the same Verse on that Occasion more often than they— [...], &c. But tho' it must be owned he had more frequent Occasions for a Line of this Kind than any Poet, as no other has describ'd half so many Deaths, yet one cannot ascribe this to any Sterility of Expres­sion, but to the Genius of his Times, that delighted in those reiterated Verses. We find Repetitions of the same sort affe­cted by the sacred Writers, such as He was gathered to his People; He slept with his Fathers, and the like. And upon the whole they have a certain antiquated Harmony not unlike the Burthen of a Song, which the Ear is willing to suffer, and as it were rests upon.

As the perpetual Horror of Combates, and a Succession of Images of Death, could not but keep the Imagination very much on the stretch; Homer has been careful to contrive such Reliefs and Pauses as might divert the Mind to some other Scene, without losing Sight of his prin­cipal Object. His Comparisons are the more frequent on this Account; for a Comparison serves this End the most effectually of any thing, as it is at once correspondent to, and differing from the Subject. Those Criticks who fancy that the Use of Comparisons distracts the Attention, and draws it from the first Image which should most employ it (as that we lose the Idea of the Battel itself, while we are led by a Si­mile [Page 4] to that of a Deluge or a Storm:) Those, I say, may as well imagine we lose the Thought of the Sun, when we see his Reflection in the Water; where he appears more distinct­ly, and is contemplated more at ease than if we gaz'd direct­ly at his Beams. For 'tis with the Eye of the Imagination as with our corporeal Eye, it must sometimes be taken off from the Object in order to see in the better. The same Criticks that are displeased to have their Fancy distracted (as they call it) are yet so inconsistent with themselves as to object to Ho­mer that his Similes are too much alike, and are too often derived from the same Animal. But is it not more reasona­ble (according to their own Notion) to compare the same Man always to the same Animal, than to see him sometimes a Sun, sometimes a Tree, and sometimes a River? Tho' Ho­mer speaks of the same Creature, he so diversifies the Cir­cumstances and Accidents of the Comparisons, that they al­ways appear quite different. And to say Truth, it is not so much the Animal or the Thing, as the Action or Posture of them, that employs our Imagination: Two different Animals in the same Action are more like to each other, than one and the same Animal is to himself, in two different Actions. And those who in reading Homer are shock'd that 'tis always a Lion, may as well be angry that 'tis always a Man.

What may seem more exceptionable is his inserting the same Comparisons in the same Words at length upon different Occa­sions, by which Management he makes one single Image afford many Ornaments to several Parts of the Poem. But may not one say Homer is in this like a skilful Improver, who pla­ces a beautiful Statue in a well-disposed Garden so as to answer several Vistas, and by that Artifice one single Figure seems multiply'd into as many Objects as there are Openings from whence it may be viewed?

What farther relieves and softens these Descriptions of Bat­tels, is the Poet's wonderful Art of introducing many pathetick Circumstances about the Deaths of the Heroes, which raise a different Movement in the Mind from what those Images na­turally inspire, I mean Compassion and Pity; when he causes us to look back upon the lost Riches, Possessions, and Hopes of those who die: When he transports us to their Native [Page 5] Countries and Paternal Seats, to see the Griefs of their aged Fathers, the Despair and Tears of their Widows, or the aban­don'd Condition of their Orphans. Thus when Protesilaus falls, we are made to reflect on the lofty Palaces he left half finish'd; when the Sons of Phenops are killed, we behold the mortifying Distress of their wealthy Father, who saw his E­state divided before his Eyes, and taken in Trust for Strangers. When Axylus dies, we are taught to compassionate the hard Fate of that generous and hospitable Man, whose House was the House of all Men, and who deserv'd that glorious Elogy of, The Friend of Human-kind.

It is worth taking Notice too, what Use Homer every where makes of each little Accident or Circumstance that can natu­rally happen in a Battel, thereby to cast a Variety over his Action; as well as of every Turn of Mind or Emotion a He­ro can possibly feel, such as Resentment, Revenge, Concern, Confusion, &c. The former of these makes his Work re­semble a large History-Piece, where even the less important Figures and Actions have yet some convenient Place or Cor­ner to be shewn in; and the latter gives it all the Advanta­ges of Tragedy in those various Turns of Passion that animate the Speeches of his Heroes, and render his whole Poem the most Dramatick of any Epick whatsoever.

It must also be observ'd that the constant Machines of the Gods conduce very greatly to vary these long Battels, by a continual Change of the Scene from Earth to Heaven. Ho­mer perceiv'd them too necessary for this Purpose to abstain from the Use of them, even after Jupiter had enjoin'd the Deities not to Act on either side. It is remarkable how many Methods he has found to draw them into every Book; where if they dare not assist the Warriors, at least they are very helpful to the Poet.

But there is nothing that more contributes to the Variety, Surprize, and Eclat of Homer's Battels, or is more perfectly admirable in itself, than that artful Manner of taking Mea­sure, or (as one may say) Gaging his Heroes by each other, and thereby elevating the Character of one Person by the Opposition of it to that of some other whom he is made to excell. So that he many times describes one only to image [Page 6] another, and raises one only to raise another. I cannot bet­ter exemplify this Remark, than by giving an Instance in the Character of Diomed that lies before me. Let us observe by what a Scale of Oppositions he elevates this Hero, in the fifth Book, first to excell all human Valour, and after to rival the Gods themselves. He distinguishes him first from the Gre­cian Captains in general, each of whom he represents con­quering a single Trojan, while Diomed constantly encounters two at once; and while they are engag'd each in his distinct Post, he only is drawn fighting in every quarter, and slaugh­tering on every side. Next he opposes him to Pandarus, next to Aeneas, and then to Hector. So of the Gods he shews him first against Venus, then Apollo, then Mars, and lastly in the eighth Book against Jupiter himself in the midst of his Thunders. The same Conduct is observable more or less in regard to every Personage of his Work.

This Subordination of the Heroes is one of the Causes that make each of his Battels rise above the other in Greatness, Terror, and Importance, to the end of the Poem. If Dio­med has perform'd all these Wonders in the first Combates, it is but to raise Hector, at whose Appearance he begins to fear. If in the next Battels Hector triumphs not only over Diomed, but over Ajax and Patroclus, sets fire to the Fleet, wins the Armor of Achilles, and singly eclipses all the Heroes; in the midst of all this Glory, Achilles appears, Hector flies, and is slain.

The Manner in which his Gods are made to act, no less advances the Gradation we are speaking of. In the first Bat­tels they are seen only in short and separate Excursions: Ve­nus assists Paris, Minerva Diomed, or Mars Hector. In the next a clear Stage is left for Jupiter, to display his Omnipo­tence and turn the Fate of Armies alone. In the last, all the Powers of Heaven are let down and banded into regular Parties, Gods encountring Gods, Jove encouraging them with his Thunders, Neptune raising his Tempests, Heaven flaming, Earth trembling, and Pluto himself starting from the Throne of Hell.

[Page 7] I AM now to take Notice of some Customs of Antiquity, relating to the Arms and Art Military of those Times, which are proper to be known in order to form a right Notion of our Author's Descriptions of War.

That Homer copied the Manners and Customs of the Age he writ of, rather than of that he lived in, has been obser­ved in some Instances. As that he no where represents Ca­valry or Trumpets to have been used in the Trojan Wars, tho' they apparently were in his own Time. It is not therefore im­possible but there may be found in his Works some Deficiencies in the Art of War, which are not to be imputed to his Ig­norance, but to his Judgment.

Horses had not been brought into Greece long before the Siege of Troy. They were originally Eastern Animals, and if we find at that very Period so great a Number of them reckon'd up in the Wars of the Israelites, it is the less a won­der considering they came from Asia. The Practice of riding them was so little known in Greece a few Years before, that they look'd upon the Centaurs who first used it, as Monsters compounded of Men and Horses. Nestor in the first Iliad says he had seen these Centaurs in his Youth, and Polypaetes in the second is said to have been born on the Day that his Father expelled them from Pelion to the Desarts of Aethica. They had no other Use of Horses than to draw their Chari­ots in Battel, so that whenever Homer speaks of fighting from an Horse, taming an Horse, or the like, it is constantly to be understood of fighting from a Chariot, or taming Horses to that Service. This (as we have said) was a piece of Deco­rum in the Poet; for in his own Time they were arrived to such a Perfection in Horsemanship, that in the fifteenth Iliad ℣. 680. we have a Simile taken from an extraordinary Feat of Activity, where one Man manages four Horses at once, and leaps from the Back of one to another at full Speed.

If we consider in what high Esteem among Warriors these noble Animals must have been at their first coming into Greece, we shall the less wonder at the frequent Occasions Homer has taken to describe and celebrate them. It is not so strange to find them set almost upon a level with Men, at [Page 8] the time when a Horse in the Prizes was of equal Value with a Captive.

The Chariots were in all Probability very low. For we fre­quently find in the Iliad, that a Person who stands erect on a Chariot is killed (and sometimes by a Stroke on the Head) by a Foot-Soldier with a Sword. This may farther appear from the Ease and Readiness with which they alight or mount on every Occasion, to facilitate which, the Chariots were made open behind. That the Wheels were but small, may be guest from a Custom they had of taking them off and setting them on, as they were laid by, or made use of. Hebe in the fifth Book puts on the Wheels of Juno's Chariot when she calls for it in haste. And it seems to be with Allusion to the same Practice that it is said in Exodus Ch. 14. The Lord took off their Chariot Wheels, so that they drove them heavily. The Sides were also low; for whoever is killed in his Chariot throughout the Poem, constantly falls to the Ground as having nothing to support him. That the whole Machine was very small and light, is evident from a Passage in the tenth Iliad, where Diomed having taken a Chariot, debates whether he shall draw it out of the way, or carry it on his Shoulders to a Place of Safety. All these Particulars agree with the Representations of the Chariots on the most ancient Greek Coins; where the Tops of them reach not so high as the Backs of the Horses, the Wheels are yet lower, and the Heroes who stand in them are seen from the Knee upwards. *This may serve to shew those Criticks are under a Mistake, who blame Homer for making his Warriors some­times retire behind their Chariots, as if it were a Piece of Cowardice: which was as little disgraceful then, as it is now to alight from one's Horse in a Battel on any necessary Emergency.

There were generally two Persons in each Chariot, one of whom was wholly employ'd in guiding the Horses. They used indifferently two, three, or four Horses: From hence it happens, that sometimes when a Horse is killed, the Hero continues the Fight with the two or more that remain; and [Page 9] at other times a Warrior retreats upon the Loss of one; not that he has less Courage than the other, but that he has fewer Horses.

Their Swords were all broad cutting Swords, for we find they never stab but with their Spears. The Spears were used two ways, either to push with, or to cast from them, like the missive Javelins. It seems surprizing that a Man should throw a Dart or Spear with such Force as to pierce thro' both sides of the Armor and the Body (as is often described in Homer.) For if the Strength of the Men was Gigantick, the Armor must have been strong in Proportion. Some Solution might be given for this, if we imagin'd the Armor was ge­nerally Brass, and the Weapons pointed with Iron; and if we could fancy that Homer call'd the Spears and Swords Brazen in the same manner that he calls the Reins of a Bridle Ivo­ry, only from the Ornaments about them. But there are Passages where the Point of the Spear is expressly said to be of Brass, as in the Description of that of Hector in Iliad 6. ℣. 320. Pausanias in Laconicis takes it for granted, that the Arms, as well offensive as defensive, were Brass. He says the Spear of Achilles was kept in his Time in the Temple of Mi­nerva, the Top and Point of which were of Brass; and the Sword of Meriones, in that of Aesculapius among the Nicome­dians, was entirely of the same Metal. But be it as it will, there are Examples even at this Day of such a prodigious Force in casting Darts, as almost exceeds Credibility. The Turks and Arabs will pierce thro' thick Planks with Darts of harden'd Wood; which can only be attributed to their being bred (as the Ancients were) to that Exercise, and to the Strength and Agility acquir'd by a constant Practice of it.

We may ascribe to the same Cause their Power of casting Stones of a vast Weight, which appears a common Practice in these Battels. Those are in a great Error, who imagine this to be only a fictitious Embellishment of the Poet, which was one of the Exercises of War among the ancient Greeks and Orientals. *St. Jerome tells us, it was an old Custom in [Page 10] Palestine, and in Use in his own Time, to have round Stones of a great Weight kept in the Castles and Villages for the Youth to try their Strength with. And the Custom is yet ex­tant in some Parts of Scotland, where Stones for the same Purpose are laid at the Gates of great Houses, which they call Putting-Stones.

Another Consideration which will account for many things that may seem uncouth in Homer, is the Reflection that be­fore the Use of Fire-Arms there was infinitely more Scope for personal Valor than in the modern Battels. Now whensoe­ver the personal Strength of the Combatants happen'd to be unequal, the declining a single Combate could not be so dis­honourable as it is in this Age, when the Arms we make use of put all Men on a level. For a Soldier of far inferior Strength may manage a Rapier or Fire-Arms so expertly as to be an Overmatch to his Adversary. This may appear a sufficient Excuse for what in the modern Construction might seem Cow­ardice in Homer's Heroes, when they avoid engaging with o­thers whose bodily Strength exceeds their own. The Maxims of Valor in all Times were founded upon Reason, and the Cowardice ought rather in this Case to be imputed to him who braves his Inferior. There was also more Leisure in their Battels before the Knowledge of Fire-Arms; and this in a good Degree accounts for those Harangues his Heroes make to each other in the Time of Combate.

There was another Practice frequently used by these ancient Warriors, which was to spoil an Enemy of his Arms after they had slain him; and this Custom we see them frequently pursuing with such Eagerness as if they look'd on their Victory not complete 'till this Point was gain'd. Some modern Criticks have accused them of Avarice on ac­count of this Practice, which might probably arise from the great Value and Scarceness of Armor in that early Time and Infancy of War. It afterwards became a Point of Honour like gaining a Standard from the Enemy. Moses and David speak of the Pleasure of obtaining many Spoils. They preserv'd them as Monuments of Victory, and even Religion at last be­came interested herein, when those Spoils were consecrated in the Temples of the Tutelar Deities of the Conqueror.

[Page 11] The Reader may easily see I set down these Heads just as they occur to my Memory, and only as Hints to farther Observa­tions; which any one who is conversant in Homer can not fail to make, if he will but think a little in the same Track.

It is no Part of my Design to enquire what Progress had been made in the Art of War at this early Period: The bare Perusal of the Iliad will best inform us of it. But what I think tends more immediately to the better Comprehension of these Descriptions, is to give a short View of the Scene of War, the Situation of Troy, and those Places which Homer mentions, with the proper Field of each Battel: Putting to­gether for this Purpose those Passages in my Author that give any Light to this Matter.

The ancient City of Troy stood at a greater Distance from the Sea than those Ruins which have since been shewn for it. This may be gather'd from Iliad 5. ℣. (of the Original) 791. where it is said that the Trojans never durst sally out of the Walls of their Town 'till the Retirement of Achilles, but af­terwards combated the Grecians at their very Ships, far from the City. For had Troy stood (as Strabo observes) so nigh the Sea-shore, it had been Madness in the Greeks not to have built any Fortification before their Fleet till the tenth Year of the Siege, when the Enemy was so near them: And on the o­ther hand, it had been Cowardice in the Trojans not to have attempted any thing all that time, against an Army that lay unfortify'd and unintrench'd. Besides the intermediate Space had been too small to afford a Field for so many various Ad­ventures and Actions of War. The Places about Troy parti­cularly mentioned by Homer lie in this Order.

  • 1. The Scaean Gate: This open'd to the Field of Battel, and was that thro' which the Trojans made their Excursions. Close to this stood the Beech-Tree sacred to Jupiter, which Homer generally mentions with it.
  • 2. The Hill of wild Fig-trees. It join'd to the Walls of Troy on one side, and extended to the High-way on the o­ther. The first appears from what Andromache says in Iliad 6. ℣. 432. that the Walls were in danger of being scaled from this Hill; and the last from Il. 22. ℣. 145. &c.
  • [Page 12] 3. The two Springs of Scamander. These were a little higher on the same High-way. ( Ibid.)
  • 4. Callicolone, the Name of a pleasant Hill, that lay near the River Simois, on the other side of the Town. Il. 20. ℣. 53.
  • 5. Bateia, or the Sepulchre of Myrinne, stood a little be­fore the City in the Plain. Il. 2. ℣. 318. of the Catal.
  • 6. The Monument of Ilus: Near the middle of the Plain. Il. 11. ℣. 166.
  • 7. The Tomb of Aesyetes, commanded the Prospect of the Fleet, and that Part of the Sea-coast. Il. 2. ℣. 301. of the Catalogue.

IT seems, by the 465 th Verse of the second Iliad, that the Grecian Army was drawn up under the several Leaders by the Banks of Scamander on that side toward the Ships: In the mean time that of Troy and the Auxiliaries was rang'd in Order at Myrinne's Sepulchre. Ibid. ℣. 320 of the Catal. The Place of the First Battel where Diomed performs his Exploits, was near the joining of Simois and Scamander; for Juno and Pallas coming to him, alight at the Confluence of those Ri­vers. Il. 5. ℣. 776. and that the Greeks had not yet past the Stream, but fought on that side next the Fleet, appears from ℣. 791 of the same Book, where Juno says the Trojans now brave them at their very Ships. But in the beginning of the sixth Book, the Place of Battel is specify'd to be between the Rivers of Simois and Scamander; so that the Greeks (tho' Homer does not particularize when, or in what manner) had then cross'd the Stream toward Troy.

The Engagement in the eighth Book is evidently close to the Grecian Fortification on the Shore. That Night Hector lay at Ilus's Tomb in the Field, as Dolon tells us Lib. 10. ℣. 415. And in the eleventh Book the Battel is chiefly about Ilus's Tomb.

In the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth, about the Fortifi­cation of the Greeks, and in the fifteenth at the Ships.

In the sixteenth, the Trojans being repulsed by Patroclus, they engage between the Fleet, the River, and the Grecian Wall: See ℣. 396. Patroclus still advancing they fight at the Gates of Troy ℣. 700. In the seventeenth the Fight about the [Page 13] Body of Patroclus is under the Trojan Wall ℣. 403. His Body being carried off, Hector and Aeneas pursue the Greeks to the Fortification ℣. 760. And in the eighteenth, upon Achilles's appearing, they retire and encamp without the Fortification.

In the twentieth, the Fight is still on that side next the Sea; for the Trojans being pursued by Achilles, pass over the Scamander as they run toward Troy: See the beginning of Book 21. The following Battels are either in the River itself, or between that and the City, under whose Walls Hector is kill'd in the twenty second Book, which puts an end to the Battels of the Iliad.

THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

The ARGUMENT.
The Acts of Diomed.

DIOMED, assisted by Pallas, performs Wonders in this Day's Battel. Pandarus wounds him with an Arrow, but the Goddess cures him, enables him to discern Gods from Mortals, and prohibits him from contending with any of the former, excepting Venus. Aeneas joins Pandarus to oppose him, Pandarus is killed, and Aeneas in great danger but for the Assistance of Venus; who, as she is removing her Son from the Fight, is wounded on the Hand by Diomed. Apollo seconds her in his Rescue, and at length carries off Aeneas to Troy, where he is heal'd in the Temple of Pergamus. Mars rallies the Trojans, and assists Hector to make a Stand. In the mean time Aeneas is restor'd to the Field, and they overthrow several of the Greeks; among the rest Tlepolemus is slain by Sarpedon. Juno and Minerva descend to resist Mars; the latter incites Dio­med to go against that God; he wounds him, and sends him groaning to Heaven.

The first Battel continues thro' this Book. The Scene is the same as in the former.

THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

BUT Pallas now Tydides Soul inspires,
Fills with her Force, and warms with all her Fires,
Above the Greeks his deathless Fame to raise,
And crown her Hero with distinguish'd Praise.
High on his Helm Celestial Lightnings play,
His beamy Shield emits a living Ray;
Th' unweary'd Blaze incessant Streams supplies,
Like the red Star that fires th' Autumnal Skies,
When fresh he rears his radiant Orb to Sight,
And bath'd in Ocean, shoots a keener Light.
Such Glories Pallas on the Chief bestow'd,
Such, from his Arms, the fierce Effulgence flow'd:
[Page 18] Onward she drives him, furious to engage,
Where the Fight burns, and where the thickest rage.
The Sons of Dares first the Combate sought,
A wealthy Priest, but rich without a Fault;
In Vulcan's Fane the Father's Days were led,
The Sons to Toils of glorious Battel bred;
These singled from their Troops the Fight maintain,
These from their Steeds, Tydides on the Plain.
Fierce for Renown the Brother Chiefs draw near,
And first bold Phegeus cast his sounding Spear,
Which o'er the Warrior's Shoulder took its Course,
And spent in empty Air its erring Force.
Not so, Tydides, flew thy Lance in vain,
But pierc'd his Breast, and stretch'd him on the Plain.
Seiz'd with unusual Fear Idaeus fled,
Left the rich Chariot, and his Brother dead;
And had not Vulcan lent Celestial Aid,
He too had sunk to Death's Eternal Shade;
But in a smoaky Cloud the God of Fire
Preserv'd the Son, in Pity to the Sire.
The Steeds and Chariot, to the Navy led,
Encreas'd the Spoils of gallant Diomed.
Struck with Amaze, and Shame, the Trojan Crew
Or slain, or fled, the Sons of Dares view:
When by the blood-stain'd Hand Minerva prest
The God of Battels, and this Speech addrest.
Stern Pow'r of War! by whom the Mighty fall,
Who bath'st in Blood, and shak'st the lofty Wall!
Let the brave Chiefs their glorious Toils divide;
And whose the Conquest, mighty Jove decide:
While we from interdicted Fields retire,
Nor tempt the Wrath of Heav'ns avenging Sire.
Her Words allay th' impetuous Warrior's Heat,
The God of Arms and Martial Maid retreat;
Remov'd from Fight, on Xanthus-flow'ry Bounds
They sate, and listen'd to the dying Sounds.
Meantime the Greeks the Trojan Race pursue,
And some bold Chieftain ev'ry Leader slew:
First Odius falls, and bites the bloody Sand,
His Death ennobled by Atrides' Hand;
As he to Flight his wheeling Car addrest,
The speedy Javelin drove from Back to Breast.
In Dust the mighty Halizonian lay,
His Arms resound, the Spirit wings its way.
Thy Fate was next, O Phaestus! doom'd to feel
The great Idomeneus' protended Steel;
Whom Borus sent (his Son and only Joy)
From fruitful Tarne to the Fields of Troy.
The Cretan Javelin reach'd him from afar,
And pierc'd his Shoulder as he mounts his Car;
Back from the Car he tumbles to the Ground,
And everlasting Shades his Eyes surround.
Then dy'd Scamandrius, expert in the Chace,
In Woods and Wilds to wound the Savage Race;
Diana taught him all her Sylvan Arts,
To bend the Bow and aim unerring Darts:
But vainly here Diana's Arts he tries,
The fatal Lance arrests him as he flies;
From Menelaus' Arm the Weapon sent,
Thro' his broad Back and heaving Bosom went:
Down sinks the Warrior with a thundring Sound,
His Brazen Armor rings against the Ground.
Next artful Phereclus untimely fell;
Bold Merion sent him to the Realms of Hell.
Thy Father's Skill, O Phereclus, was thine,
The graceful Fabrick and the fair Design;
[Page 21] For lov'd by Pallas, Pallas did impart
To him the Shipwright's and the Builder's Art.
Beneath his Hand the Fleet of Paris rose,
The fatal Cause of all his Country's Woes,
But he, the mystick Will of Heav'n unknown,
Nor saw his Country's Peril, nor his own.
The hapless Artist, while confus'd he fled,
The Spear of Merion mingled with the Dead.
Thro' his right Hip with forceful Fury cast,
Between the Bladder and the Bone it past:
Prone on his Knees he falls with fruitless Cries,
And Death in lasting Slumber seals his Eyes.
From Meges' Force the swift Pedaeus fled,
Antenor's Offspring from a foreign Bed,
Whose gen'rous Spouse, Theano, heav'nly Fair,
Nurs'd the young Stranger with a Mother's Care.
How vain those Cares! when Meges in the Rear
Full in his Nape infix'd the fatal Spear;
Swift thro' his crackling Jaws the Weapon glides,
And the cold Tongue and grinning Teeth divides.
Then dy'd Hypsenor, gen'rous and divine,
Sprung from the brave Dolopion's mighty Line,
[Page 22] Who near ador'd Scamander made Abode,
Priest of the Stream, and honour'd as a God.
On him, amidst the flying Numbers found,
Eurypilus inflicts a deadly Wound;
On his broad Shoulder fell the forceful Brand,
Thence glancing downward lopp'd his Holy Hand,
Which stain'd with sacred Blood the blushing Sand.
Down sunk the Priest: the Purple Hand of Death
Clos'd his dim Eye, and Fate suppress'd his Breath.
Thus toil'd the Chiefs in diff'rent Parts engag'd,
In ev'ry Quarter fierce Tydides rag'd,
Amid the Greek, amid the Trojan Train,
Rapt thro' the Ranks he thunders o'er the Plain,
Now here, now there, he darts from Place to Place,
Pours on the Rear, or lightens in their Face.
Thus from high Hills the Torrents swift and strong
Deluge whole Fields, and sweep the Trees along,
Thro' ruin'd Moles the rushing Wave resounds,
O'erwhelms the Bridge, and bursts the lofty Bounds;
The yellow Harvests of the ripen'd Year,
And flatted Vineyards, one sad Waste appear;
[Page 23] While Jove descends in sluicy Sheets of Rain,
And all the Labours of Mankind are vain.
So rag'd Tydides, boundless in his Ire,
Drove Armies back, and made all Troy retire.
With Grief the
Panda­rus.
Leader of the Lycian Band
Saw the wide Waste of his destructive Hand:
His bended Bow against the Chief he drew;
Swift to the Mark the thirsty Arrow flew,
Whose forky Point the hollow Breastplate tore,
Deep in his Shoulder pierc'd, and drank the Gore:
The rushing Stream his Brazen Armor dy'd,
While the proud Archer thus exulting cry'd.
Hither ye Trojans, hither drive your Steeds!
Lo! by our Hand the bravest Grecian bleeds.
Not long the deathful Dart he can sustain;
Or Phaebus urg'd me to these Fields in vain.
So spoke he, boastful; but the winged Dart
Stopt short of Life, and mock'd the Shooter's Art.
The wounded Chief behind his Car retir'd,
The helping Hand of Sthenelus requir'd;
Swift from his Seat he leap'd upon the Ground,
And tugg'd the Weapon from the gushing Wound;
[Page 24] When thus the King his Guardian Pow'r addrest,
The purple Current wand'ring o'er his Vest.
O Progeny of Jove! unconquer'd Maid!
If e'er my Godlike Sire deserv'd thy Aid,
If e'er I felt thee in the fighting Field;
Now, Goddess, now, thy sacred Succour yield.
Oh give my Lance to reach the Trojan Knight,
Whose Arrow wounds the Chief thou guard'st in Fight;
And lay the Boaster grov'ling on the Shore,
That vaunts these Eyes shall view the Light no more.
Thus pray'd Tydides, and Minerva heard,
His Nerves confirm'd, his languid Spirits chear'd;
He feels each Limb with wonted Vigor light;
His beating Bosom claims the promis'd Fight.
Be bold (she cry'd) in ev'ry Combate shine,
War be thy Province, thy Protection mine;
Rush to the Fight, and ev'ry Foe controul;
Wake each Paternal Virtue in thy Soul:
Strength swells thy boiling Breast, infus'd by me,
And all thy Godlike Father breathes in thee!
Yet more, from mortal Mists I purge thy Eyes,
And set to View the warring Deities.
[Page 25] These see thou shun, thro' all th' embattled Plain,
Nor rashly strive where human Force is vain.
If Venus mingle in the martial Band,
Her shalt thou wound: So Pallas gives Command.
With that, the blue-ey'd Virgin wing'd her Flight;
The Hero rush'd impetuous to the Fight;
With tenfold Ardor now invades the Plain,
Wild with Delay, and more enrag'd by Pain.
As on the fleecy Flocks, when Hunger calls,
Amidst the Field a brindled Lyon falls;
If chance some Shepherd with a distant Dart
The Savage wound, he rowzes at the Smart,
He foams, he roars; The Shepherd dares not stay,
But trembling leaves the scatt'ring Flocks a Prey.
Heaps fall on Heaps; he bathes with Blood the Ground,
Then leaps victorious o'er the lofty Mound.
Not with less Fury stern Tydides flew,
And two brave Leaders at an Instant slew;
Astynous breathless fell, and by his side
His People's Pastor, good Hypenor, dy'd;
Astynous' Breast the deadly Lance receives,
Hypenor's Shoulder his broad Faulchion cleaves.
[Page 26] Those slain he left; and sprung with noble Rage
Abas, and Polyidus to engage;
Sons of Eurydamas, who wise and old,
Could Fates foresee, and mystic Dreams unfold;
The Youths return'd not from the doubtful Plain,
And the sad Father try'd his Arts in vain;
No mystic Dream could make their Fates appear,
Tho' now determin'd by Tydides' Spear.
Young Xanthus next and Thoon felt his Rage,
The Joy and Hope of Phoenops feeble Age,
Vast was his Wealth, and these the only Heirs
Of all his Labours, and a Life of Cares;
Cold Death o'ertakes them in their blooming Years,
And leaves the Father unavailing Tears:
To Strangers now descends his heapy Store,
The Race forgotten, and the Name no more.
Two Sons of Priam in one Chariot ride,
Glitt'ring in Arms, and combate Side by Side.
As when the lordly Lyon seeks his Food
Where grazing Heifers range the lonely Wood,
He leaps amidst them with a furious Bound,
Bends their strong Necks, and tears them to the Ground.
[Page 27] So from their Seats the Brother-Chiefs are torn,
Their Steeds and Chariot to the Navy born.
With deep Concern divine Aeneas view'd
The Foe prevailing, and his Friends pursu'd,
Thro' the thick Storm of singing Spears he flies,
Exploring Pandarus with careful Eyes.
At length he found Lycaon's mighty Son;
To whom the Chief of Venus' Race begun.
Where, Pandarus, are all thy Honours now,
Thy winged Arrows and unerring Bow,
Thy matchless Skill, thy yet-unrival'd Fame,
And boasted Glory of the Lycian Name?
Oh pierce that Mortal, if we Mortal call
That wondrous Force by which whole Armies fall,
Or God incens'd, who quits the distant Skies
To punish Troy for slighted Sacrifice;
(Which oh avert from our unhappy State!
For what so dreadful as Celestial Hate?)
Whoe'er he be, propitiate Jove with Pray'r;
If Man, destroy; if God, entreat to spare.
To him the Lycian. Whom your Eyes behold,
If right I judge, is Diomed the bold.
[Page 28] Such Coursers whirl him o'er the dusty Field,
So tow'rs his Helmet, and so flames his Shield.
If 'tis a God, he wears that Chief's Disguise;
Or if that Chief, some Guardian of the Skies
Involv'd in Clouds, protects him in the Fray,
And turns unseen the frustrate Dart away.
I wing'd an Arrow, which not idly fell,
The Stroke had fix'd him to the Gates of Hell,
And, but some God, some angry God withstands,
His Fate was due to these unerring Hands.
Skill'd in the Bow, on Foot I sought the War,
Nor join'd swift Horses to the rapid Car.
Ten polish'd Chariots I possess'd at home,
And still they grace Lycaon's Princely Dome:
There veil'd in spacious Coverlets they stand;
And twice ten Coursers wait their Lord's Command.
The good old Warrior bade me trust to these,
When first for Troy I sail'd the sacred Seas,
In Fields, aloft, the whirling Car to guide,
And thro' the Ranks of Death triumphant ride.
But vain with Youth, and yet to Thrift inclin'd,
I heard his Counsels with unheedful Mind,
[Page 29] And thought the Steeds (your large Supplies unknown)
Might fail of Forage in the straiten'd Town:
So took my Bow and pointed Darts in hand,
And left the Chariots in my Native Land.
Too late, O Friend! my Rashness I deplore;
These Shafts, once fatal, carry Death no more.
Tydeus' and Atreus' Sons their Points have found,
And undissembled Gore pursu'd the Wound.
In vain they bled: This unavailing Bow
Serves not to slaughter, but provoke the Foe.
In evil Hour these bended Horns I strung,
And seiz'd the Quiver where it idly hung.
Curs'd be the Fate that sent me to the Field,
Without a Warrior's Arms, the Spear and Shield!
If e'er with Life I quit the Trojan Plain,
If e'er I see my Spouse and Sire again,
This Bow, unfaithful to my glorious Aims,
Broke by my Hand, shall feed the blazing Flames.
To whom the Leader of the Dardan Race:
Be calm, nor Phoebus' honour'd Gift disgrace.
The distant Dart be prais'd, tho' here we need
The rushing Chariot, and the bounding Steed.
[Page 30] Against yon' Hero let us bend our Course,
And, Hand to Hand, encounter Force with Force.
Now haste, ascend my Seat, and from the Car
Observe my Father's Steeds, renown'd in War,
Practis'd alike to turn, to stop, to chace,
To dare the Shock, or urge the rapid Race:
Secure with these, thro' fighting Fields we go,
Or safe to Troy, if Jove assist the Foe.
Haste, seize the Whip, and snatch the guiding Rein;
The Warrior's Fury let this Arm sustain;
Or if to Combate thy bold Heart incline,
Take thou the Spear, the Chariot's Care be mine.
O Prince! ( Lycaon's valiant Son reply'd)
As thine the Steeds, be thine the Task to guide.
The Horses practis'd to their Lord's Command,
Shall hear the Rein, and answer to thy Hand.
But if unhappy, we desert the Fight,
Thy Voice alone can animate their Flight:
Else shall our Fates be number'd with the Dead,
And these, the Victor's Prize, in Triumph led.
Thine be the Guidance then: With Spear and Shield
My self will charge this Terror of the Field.
And now both Heroes mount the glitt'ring Car;
The bounding Coursers rush amidst the War.
Their fierce Approach bold Sthenelus espy'd,
Who thus, alarm'd, to great Tydides cry'd.
O Friend! two Chiefs of Force immense I see,
Dreadful they come, and bend their Rage on thee:
Lo the brave Heir of old Lycaon's Line,
And great Aeneas, sprung from Race Divine!
Enough is giv'n to Fame. Ascend thy Car;
And save a Life, the Bulwark of our War.
At this the Hero cast a gloomy Look,
Fix'd on the Chief with Scorn, and thus he spoke.
Me dost thou bid to shun the coming Fight,
Me would'st thou move to base inglorious Flight?
Know, 'tis not honest in my Soul to fear,
Nor was Tydides born to tremble here.
I loath in lazy Fights to press the Car,
At distance wound, or wage a flying War;
But while my Nerves are strung, my Force entire,
Thus front the Foe, and emulate my Sire.
Nor shall yon' Steeds that fierce to Fight convey
Those threatning Heroes, bear them both away;
[Page 32] One Chief at least beneath this Arm shall die;
So Pallas tells me, and forbids to fly.
But if she dooms, and if no God withstand,
That both shall fall by one victorious Hand;
Then heed my Words: My Horses here detain,
Fix'd to the Chariot by the straiten'd Rein;
Swift to Aeneas' empty Seat proceed,
And seize the Coursers of Aetherial Breed.
The Race of those which once the thund'ring God
For ravish'd Ganymede on Tros bestow'd,
The best that e'er on Earth's broad Surface run,
Beneath the rising or the setting Sun.
Hence great Anchises stole a Breed unknown
By mortal Mares, from fierce Laomedon.
Four of this Race his ample Stalls contain,
And two transport Aeneas o'er the Plain.
These, were the rich immortal Prize our own,
Thro' the wide World should make our Glory known.
Thus while they spoke, the Foe came furious on,
And stern Lycaon's warlike Race begun.
Prince, thou art met. Tho' late in vain assail'd,
The Spear may enter where the Arrow fail'd.
He said, then shook the pondrous Lance and flung,
On his broad Shield the sounding Weapon rung,
Pierc'd the tough Orb, and in his Cuirass hung.
He bleeds! The Pride of Greece! (the Boaster cries)
Our Triumph now, the mighty Warrior lies!
Mistaken Vaunter! Diomed reply'd;
Thy Dart has err'd, and now my Spear be try'd:
Ye scape not both; One, headlong from his Car,
With hostile Blood shall glut the God of War.
He spoke, and rising hurl'd his forceful Dart,
Which driv'n by Pallas, pierc'd a vital Part;
Full in his Face it enter'd, and betwixt
The Nose and Eye-ball the proud Lycian fixt;
Crash'd all his Jaws, and cleft the Tongue within,
'Till the bright Point look'd out beneath the Chin.
Headlong he falls, his Helmet knocks the Ground;
Earth groans beneath him, and his Arms resound;
The starting Coursers tremble with Affright;
The Soul indignant seeks the Realms of Night.
To guard his slaughter'd Friend, Aeneas flies,
His Spear extending where the Carcass lies;
[Page 34] Watchful he wheels, protects it ev'ry way,
As the grim Lyon stalks around his Prey.
O'er the fall'n Trunk his ample Shield display'd,
He hides the Hero with his mighty Shade.
And threats aloud: The Greeks with longing Eyes
Behold at distance, but forbear the Prize.
Then fierce Tydides stoops; and from the Fields
Heav'd with vast Force, a Rocky Fragment wields.
Not two strong Men th' enormous Weight could raise,
Such Men as live in these degen'rate Days.
He swung it round; and gath'ring Strength to throw,
Discharg'd the pond'rous Ruin at the Foe.
Where to the Hip th' inserted Thigh unites,
Full on the Bone the pointed Marble lights;
Thro' both the Tendons broke the rugged Stone,
And stripp'd the Skin, and crack'd the solid Bone.
Sunk on his Knees and stagg'ring with his Pains,
His falling Bulk his bended Arm sustains;
Lost in a dizzy Mist the Warrior lies;
A sudden Cloud comes swimming o'er his Eyes.
There the brave Chief who mighty Numbers sway'd
Oppress'd had sunk to Death's Eternal Shade,
[Page 35] But Heav'nly Venus, mindful of the Love
She bore Anchises in th' Idaean Grove,
His Danger views with Anguish and Despair,
And guards her Offspring with a Mother's Care.
About her much-lov'd Son her Arms she throws,
Her Arms whose Whiteness match'd the falling Snows.
Screen'd from the Foe behind her shining Veil,
The Swords wave harmless, and the Javelins fail:
Safe thro' the rushing Horse and feather'd Flight
Of sounding Shafts, she bears him from the Fight.
Nor Sthenelus, with unassisting Hands,
Remain'd unheedful of his Lord's Commands:
His panting Steeds, remov'd from out the War,
He fix'd with straiten'd Traces to the Car.
Next rushing to the Dardan Spoil, detains
The heav'nly Coursers with the flowing Manes.
These in proud Triumph to the Fleet convey'd,
No longer now a Trojan Lord obey'd.
That Charge to bold Deipylus he gave,
(Whom most he lov'd, as brave Men love the Brave)
Then mounting on his Car, resum'd the Rein,
And follow'd where Tydides swept the Plain.
Meanwhile (his Conquest ravish'd from his Eyes)
The raging Chief in chace of Venus flies:
No Goddess She, commission'd to the Field,
Like Pallas dreadful with her sable Shield,
Or fierce Bellona thund'ring at the Wall,
While Flames ascend, and mighty Ruins fall.
He knew soft Combates suit the tender Dame,
New to the Field, and still a Foe to Fame.
Thro' breaking Ranks his furious Course he bends,
And at the Goddess his broad Lance extends;
Thro' her bright Veil the daring Weapon drove
Th' Ambrosial Veil which all the Graces wove:
Her snowie Hand the razing Steel profan'd,
And the transparent Skin with Crimson stain'd.
From the clear Vein a Stream immortal flow'd,
Such Stream as issues from a wounded God;
Pure Emanation! uncorrupted Flood;
Unlike our gross, diseas'd, terrestrial Blood:
(For not the Bread of Man their Life sustains,
No Wine's inflaming Juice supplies their Veins.)
With tender Shrieks the Goddess fill'd the Place,
And dropt her Offspring from her weak Embrace.
[Page 37] Him Phaebus took: He casts a Cloud around
The fainting Chief, and wards the mortal Wound.
Then with a Voice that shook the vaulted Skies,
The King insults the Goddess as she flies.
Ill with Jove's Daughter bloody Fights agree,
The Field of Combate is no Scene for thee:
Go, let thy own soft Sex employ thy Care,
Go lull the Coward, or delude the Fair.
Taught by this Stroke, renounce the War's Alarms,
And learn to tremble at the Name of Arms.
Tydides thus. The Goddess, seiz'd with Dread,
Confus'd, distracted, from the Conflict fled.
To aid her, swift the winged Iris flew,
Wrapt in a Mist above the warring Crew.
The Queen of Love with faded Charms she found,
Pale was her Cheek, and livid look'd the Wound.
To Mars, who sate remote, they bent their way;
Far on the left, with Clouds involv'd, he lay;
Beside him stood his Lance, distain'd with Gore,
And, rein'd with Gold, his foaming Steeds before.
Low at his Knee, she begg'd, with streaming Eyes,
Her Brother's Car, to mount the distant Skies,
[Page 38] And shew'd the Wound by fierce Tydides giv'n,
A mortal Man, who dares encounter Heav'n.
Stern Mars attentive hears the Queen complain,
And to her Hand commits the golden Rein:
She mounts the Seat oppress'd with silent Woe,
Driv'n by the Goddess of the painted Bow.
The Lash resounds, the rapid Chariot flies,
And in a Moment scales the lofty Skies.
There stopp'd the Car, and there the Coursers stood,
Fed by fair Iris with Ambrosial Food.
Before her Mother Love's bright Queen appears,
O'erwhelm'd with Anguish and dissolv'd in Tears;
She rais'd her in her Arms, beheld her bleed,
And ask'd, what God had wrought this guilty Deed?
Then she: This Insult from no God I found,
An impious Mortal gave the daring Wound!
Behold the Deed of haughty Diomed!
'Twas in the Son's Defence the Mother bled.
The War with Troy no more the Grecians wage;
But with the Gods (th' immortal Gods) engage.
Dione then. Thy Wrongs with Patience bear,
And share those Griefs inferior Pow'rs must share;
[Page 39] Unnumber'd Woes Mankind from us sustain,
And Men with Woes afflict the Gods again.
The mighty Mars in mortal Fetters bound,
And lodg'd in Brazen Dungeons under Ground,
Full thirteen Moons imprison'd roar'd in vain;
Otus and Ephialtes held the Chain:
Perhaps had perish'd; had not Hermes' Care
Restor'd the groaning God to upper Air.
Great Juno's self has born her Weight of Pain,
Th' imperial Partner of the heav'nly Reign;
Amphitryon's Son infix'd the deadly Dart,
And fill'd with Anguish her immortal Heart.
Ev'n Hell's grim King Alcides' Pow'r confest,
The Shaft found Entrance in his Iron Breast,
To Jove's high Palace for a Cure he fled,
Pierc'd in his own Dominions of the Dead;
Where Paeon sprinkling heav'nly Balm around,
Asswag'd the glowing Pangs, and clos'd the Wound.
Rash, impious Man! to stain the blest Abodes,
And drench his Arrows in the Blood of Gods!
But thou (tho' Pallas urg'd thy frantic Deed)
Whose Spear ill-fated makes a Goddess bleed,
[Page 40] Know thou, whoe'er with heav'nly Pow'r contends,
Short is his Date, and soon his Glory ends;
From Fields of Death when late he shall retire,
No Infant on his Knees shall call him Sire.
Strong as thou art, some God may yet be found,
To stretch thee pale and gasping on the Ground;
Thy distant Wife, Aegiale the Fair,
Starting from Sleep with a distracted Air,
Shall rowze thy Slaves, and her lost Lord deplore,
The brave, the great, the glorious, now no more!
This said, she wip'd from Venus' wounded Palm
The sacred Ichor, and infus'd the Balm.
Juno and Pallas with a Smile survey'd,
And thus to Jove began the blue-ey'd Maid.
Permit thy Daughter, gracious Jove! to tell
How this Mischance the Cyprian Queen befell.
As late she try'd with Passion to inflame
The tender Bosome of a Grecian Dame,
Allur'd the Fair with moving Thoughts of Joy,
To quit her Country for some Youth of Troy;
The clasping Zone, with golden Buckles bound,
Raz'd her soft Hand with this lamented Wound.
The Sire of Gods and Men superior smil'd,
And, calling Venus, thus addrest his Child.
Not these, O Daughter, are thy proper Cares,
Thee milder Arts befit, and softer Wars;
Sweet Smiles are thine and kind endearing Charms,
To Mars and Pallas leave the Deeds of Arms.
Thus they in Heav'n: While on the Plain below
The fierce Tydides charg'd his Dardan Foe:
Flush'd with Celestial Blood pursu'd his way,
And fearless dar'd the threatning God of Day;
Already in his Hopes he saw him kill'd,
Tho' screen'd behind Apollo's mighty Shield.
Thrice rushing furious, at the Chief he strook;
His blazing Buckler thrice Apollo shook:
He try'd the fourth: When breaking from the Cloud,
A more than mortal Voice was heard aloud.
O Son of Tydeus, cease! be wise and see
How vast the Diff'rence of the Gods and Thee;
Distance immense! between the Pow'rs that shine
Above, Eternal, Deathless, and Divine,
And mortal Man! a Wretch of humble Birth,
A short-liv'd Reptile in the Dust of Earth.
So spoke the God who darts Celestial Fires;
He dreads his Fury, and some Steps retires.
Then Phoebus bore the Chief of Venus' Race
To Troy's high Fane, and to his Holy Place;
Latona there and Phoebe heal'd the Wound,
With Vigor arm'd him, and with Glory crown'd.
This done, the Patron of the Silver Bow
A Phantom rais'd, the same in Shape and Show
With great Aeneas; such the Form he bore,
And such in Fight the radiant Arms he wore.
Around the Spectre bloody Wars are wag'd,
And Greece and Troy with clashing Shields engag'd.
Meantime on Ilion's Tow'r Apollo stood,
And calling Mars, thus urg'd the raging God.
Stern Pow'r of Arms! by whom the Mighty fall,
Who bathe in Blood, and shake th' embattel'd Wall!
Rise in thy Wrath! To Hell's abhorr'd Abodes
Dispatch yon' Greek, and vindicate the Gods.
First rosie Venus felt his brutal Rage;
Me next he charg'd, and dares all Heav'n engage:
The Wretch would brave high Heav'ns immortal Sire,
His triple Thunder, and his Bolts of Fire.
The God of Battel issues on the Plain,
Stirs all the Ranks, and fires the Trojan Train;
In Form like Acamas, the Thracian Guide,
Enrag'd, to Troy's retiring Chiefs he cry'd.
How long, ye Sons of Priam! will ye fly,
And unreveng'd see Priam's People die?
Still unresisted shall the Foe destroy,
And stretch the Slaughter to the Gates of Troy?
Lo brave Aeneas sinks beneath his Wound,
Not Godlike Hector more in Arms renown'd:
Haste all, and take the gen'rous Warrior's Part.
He said; new Courage swell'd each Hero's Heart.
Sarpedon first his ardent Soul express'd,
And, turn'd to Hector, these bold Words address'd.
Say, Chief, is all thy ancient Valor lost,
Where are thy Threats, and where thy glorious Boast,
That propt alone by Priam's Race should stand
Troy's sacred Walls, nor need a foreign Hand?
Now, now thy Country calls her wanted Friends,
And the proud Vaunt in just Derision ends.
Remote they stand, while Alien Troops engage,
Like trembling Hounds before the Lion's Rage.
[Page 44] Far distant hence I held my wide Command,
Where foaming Xanthus laves the Lycian Land,
With ample Wealth (the Wish of Mortals) blest,
A beauteous Wife, and Infant at her Breast;
With those I left whatever dear could be;
Greece, if she conquers, nothing wins from me.
Yet first in Fight my Lycian Bands I chear,
And long to meet this mighty Man ye fear.
While Hector idle stands, nor bids the Brave
Their Wives, their Infants, and their Altars save.
Haste, Warrior, haste! preserve thy threaten'd State;
Or one vast Burst of all-involving Fate
Full o'er your Tow'rs shall fall, and sweep away
Sons, Sires, and Wives, an undistinguish'd Prey.
Rowze all thy Trojans, urge thy Aids to fight;
These claim thy Thoughts by Day, thy Watch by Night:
With Force incessant the brave Greeks oppose;
Such Cares thy Friends deserve, and such thy Foes.
Stung to the Heart the gen'rous Hector hears,
But just Reproof with decent Silence bears.
From his proud Car the Prince impetuous springs;
On Earth he leaps; his Brazen Armor rings.
[Page 45] Two shining Spears are brandish'd in his Hands;
Thus arm'd, he animates his drooping Bands,
Revives their Ardor, turns their Steps from Flight,
And wakes anew the dying Flames of Fight.
They turn, they stand: The Greeks their Fury dare,
Condense their Pow'rs, and wait the growing War.
As when on Ceres' sacred Floor the Swain
Spreads the wide Fan to clear the golden Grain,
And the light Chaff, before the Breezes born,
Ascends in Clouds from off the heapy Corn;
The grey Dust, rising with collected Winds,
Drives o'er the Barn, and whitens all the Hinds.
So white with Dust the Grecian Host appears,
From trampling Steeds, and thundring Charioteers,
The dusky Clouds from labour'd Earth arise,
And roll in smoaking Volumes to the Skies.
Mars hovers o'er them with his sable Shield,
And adds new Horrors to the darken'd Field;
Pleas'd with his Charge, and ardent to fulfill
In Troy's Defence Apollo's heav'nly Will:
Soon as from Fight the blue-ey'd Maid retires,
Each Trojan Bosom with new Warmth he fires.
[Page 46] And now the God, from forth his sacred Fane,
Produc'd Aeneas to the shouting Train;
Alive, unharm'd, with all his Peers around,
Erect he stood, and vig'rous from his Wound:
Enquiries none they made; the dreadful Day
No Pause of Words admits, no dull Delay;
Fierce Discord storms, Apollo loud exclaims,
Fame calls, Mars thunders, and the Field's in Flames.
Stern Diomed with either Ajax stood,
And great Ulysses, bath'd in hostile Blood.
Embodied close, the lab'ring Grecian Train
The fiercest Shock of charging Hosts sustain;
Unmov'd and silent, the whole War they wait,
Serenely dreadful, and as fix'd as Fate.
So when th' embattel'd Clouds in dark Array
Along the Skies their gloomy Lines display,
When now the North his boist'rous Rage has spent,
And peaceful sleeps the liquid Element,
The low-hung Vapors, motionless and still,
Rest on the Summits of the shaded Hill;
'Till the Mass scatters as the Winds arise,
Dispers'd and kroken thro' the ruffled Skies.
Nor was the Gen'ral wanting to his Train,
From Troop to Troop he toils thro' all the Plain.
Ye Greeks be Men! the Charge of Battel bear;
Your brave Associates, and Your-selves revere!
Let glorious Acts more glorious Acts inspire,
And catch from Breast to Breast the noble Fire!
On Valor's side the Odds of Combate lie,
The Brave live glorious, or lamented die;
The Wretch who trembles in the Field of Fame,
Meets Death, and worse than Death, Eternal Shame.
These Words he seconds with his flying Lance,
To meet whose Point was strong Deicoon's Chance;
Aeneas' Friend, and in his native Place
Honour'd and lov'd like Priam's Royal Race:
Long had he fought the foremost in the Field;
But now the Monarch's Lance transpierc'd his Shield,
His Shield too weak the furious Dart to stay,
Thro' his broad Belt the Weapon forc'd its way;
The grizly Wound dismiss'd his Soul to Hell,
His Arms around him rattled as he fell.
Then fierce Aeneas brandishing his Blade,
In Dust Orsilochus and Crethon laid,
[Page 48] Whose Sire Diöcleus, wealthy, brave and great,
In well-built Pherae held his lofty Seat:
Sprung from Alpheus, plenteous Stream! that yields
Encrease of Harvests to the Pylian Fields:
He got Orsilochus, Diöcleus He,
And these descended in the third Degree.
Too early expert in the martial Toil,
In sable Ships they left their native Soil,
T'avenge Atrides: Now, untimely slain,
They fell with Glory on the Phrygian Plain.
So two young Mountain Lions, nurs'd with Blood
In deep Recesses of the gloomy Wood,
Rush fearless to the Plains, and uncontroul'd
Depopulate the Stalls and waste the Fold;
'Till pierc'd at distance from their native Den,
O'erpow'r'd they fall beneath the Force of Men.
Prostrate on Earth their beauteous Bodies lay,
Like Mountain Firs, as tall and strait as they.
Great Menelaus views with pitying Eyes,
Lifts his bright Lance, and at the Victor flies;
Mars urg'd him on; yet, ruthless in his Hate,
The God but urg'd him to provoke his Fate.
[Page 49] He thus advancing, Nestor's valiant Son
Shakes for his Danger, and neglects his own;
Struck with the Thought, should Helen's Lord be slain,
And all his Country's glorious Labours vain.
Already met the threat'ning Heroes stand;
The Spears already tremble in their Hand;
In rush'd Antilochus, his Aid to bring,
And fall or conquer by the Spartan King.
These seen, the Dardan backward turn'd his Course,
Brave as he was, and shunn'd unequal Force.
The breathless Bodies to the Greeks they drew;
Then mix in Combate and their Toils renew.
First Pylaemenes, great in Battel, bled,
Who sheath'd in Brass the Paphlagonians led.
Atrides mark'd him where sublime he stood;
Fix'd in his Throat, the Javelin drank his Blood.
The faithful Mydon as he turn'd from Fight
His flying Coursers, sunk to endless Night:
A broken Rock by Nestor's Son was thrown,
His bended Arm receiv'd the falling Stone,
From his numb'd Hand the Iv'ry-studded Reins
Dropt in the Dust are trail'd along the Plains.
[Page 50] Meanwhile his Temples feel a deadly Wound;
He groans in Death, and pondrous sinks to Ground:
Deep drove his Helmet in the Sands, and there
The Head stood fix'd, the quiv'ring Legs in Air:
'Till trampled flat beneath the Courser's Feet,
The youthful Victor mounts his empty Seat,
And bears the Prize in Triumph to the Fleet.
Great Hector saw, and raging at the View
Pours on the Greeks: The Trojan Troops pursue:
He fires his Host with animating Cries,
And brings along the Furies of the Skies.
Mars, stern Destroyer! and Bellona dread,
Flame in the Front, and thunder at their Head:
This swells the Tumult and the Rage of Fight;
That shakes a Spear that casts a dreadful Light;
Where Hector march'd, the God of Battels shin'd,
Now storm'd before him, and now rag'd behind.
Tydides paus'd amidst his full Carrier;
Then first the Hero's manly Breast knew Fear.
As when some simple Swain his Cot forsakes,
And wide thro' Fens an unknown Journey takes;
[Page 51] If chance a swelling Brook his Passage stay,
And foam impervious cross the Wand'rer's way,
Confus'd he stops, a Length of Country past,
Eyes the rough Waves, and tir'd returns at last.
Amaz'd no less the great Tydides stands;
He stay'd, and turning, thus address'd his Bands.
No wonder, Greeks! that all to Hector yield,
Secure of fav'ring Gods, he takes the Field;
His Strokes they second, and avert our Spears:
Behold where Mars in mortal Arms appears!
Retire then Warriors, but sedate and slow;
Retire, but with your Faces to the Foe.
Trust not too much your unavailing Might;
'Tis not with Troy, but with the Gods ye fight.
Now near the Greeks the black Battalions drew,
And first two Leaders valiant Hector slew,
His Force Anchialus and Mnesthes found,
In ev'ry Art of glorious War renown'd;
In the same Car the Chiefs to Combate ride,
And fought united, and united dy'd.
Struck at the Sight, the mighty Ajax glows
With Thirst of Vengeance, and assaults the Foes.
[Page 52] His massy Spear with matchless Fury sent
Thro' Amphius' Belt and heaving Belly went:
Amphius Apaesus' happy Soil possess'd,
With Herds abounding, and with Treasure bless'd;
But Fate resistless from his Country led
The Chief, to perish at his People's Head.
Shook with his Fall his Brazen Armor rung,
And fierce, to seize it, conqu'ring Ajax sprung:
Around his Head an Iron Tempest rain'd;
A Wood of Spears his ample Shield sustain'd;
Beneath one Foot the yet-warm Corps he prest,
And drew his Javelin from the bleeding Breast:
He could no more; The show'ring Darts deny'd
To spoil his glitt'ring Arms, and Plumy Pride.
Now Foes on Foes came pouring on the Fields,
With bristling Lances, and compacted Shields;
'Till in the Steely Circle straiten'd round,
Forc'd he gives way, and sternly quits the Ground.
While thus they strive, Tlepolemus the great,
Urg'd by the Force of unresisted Fate,
Burns with Desire Sarpedon's Strength to prove;
Alcides' Offspring meets the Son of Jove.
[Page 53] Sheath'd in bright Arms each adverse Chief came on,
Jove's great Descendent, and his greater Son.
Prepar'd for Combate, e're the Lance he tost,
The daring Rhodian vents his haughty Boast.
What brings this Lycian Counsellor so far,
To tremble at our Arms, not mix in War?
Know thy vain self, nor let their Flatt'ry move
Who style thee Son of Cloud-compelling Jove.
How far unlike those Chiefs of Race divine,
How vast the Diff'rence of their Deeds and thine?
Jove got such Heroes as my Sire, whose Soul
No Fear could daunt, nor Earth, nor Hell controul.
Troy felt his Arm, and yon' proud Ramparts stand
Rais'd on the Ruins of his vengeful Hand:
With six small Ships, and but a slender Train,
He left the Town a wide, deserted Plain.
But what art thou? who deedless look'st around,
While unreveng'd thy Lycians bite the Ground:
Small Aid to Troy thy feeble Force can be,
But wert thou greater, thou must yield to me.
Pierc'd by my Spear to endless Darkness go!
I make this Present to the Shades below.
The Son of Hercules, the Rhodian Guide,
Thus haughty spoke. The Lycian King reply'd.
Thy Sire, O Prince! o'erturn'd the Trojan State,
Whose perjur'd Monarch well deserv'd his Fate;
Those heav'nly Steeds the Hero sought so far,
False he detain'd, the just Reward of War:
Nor so content, the gen'rous Chief defy'd,
With base Reproaches and unmanly Pride.
But you, unworthy the high Race you boast,
Shall raise my Glory when thy own is lost:
Now meet thy Fate, and by Sarpedon slain
Add one more Ghost to Pluto's gloomy Reign.
He said: Both Javelins at an Instant flew:
Both strook, both wounded, but Sarpedon's slew:
Full in the Boaster's Neck the Weapon stood,
Transfix'd his Throat, and drank the vital Blood;
The Soul disdainful seeks the Caves of Night,
And his seal'd Eyes for ever lose the Light.
Yet not in vain, Tlepolemus, was thrown
Thy angry Lance; which piercing to the Bone
Sarpedon's Thigh, had robb'd the Chief of Breath;
But Jove was present, and forbad the Death.
[Page 55] Born from the Conflict by his Lycian Throng,
The wounded Hero dragg'd the Lance along.
(His Friends, each busy'd in his sev'ral Part,
Thro' Haste, or Danger, had not drawn the Dart)
The Greeks with slain Tlepolemus retir'd;
Whose Fall Ulysses view'd, with Fury fir'd;
Doubtful if Jove's great Son he should pursue,
Or pour his Vengeance on the Lycian Crew.
But Heav'n and Fate the first Design withstand,
Nor this great Death must grace Ulysses' Hand.
Minerva drives him on the Lycian Train;
Alastor, Chromius, Halius strow'd the Plain,
Alcander, Prytanis, Noëmon fell,
And Numbers more his Sword had sent to Hell:
But Hector saw; and furious at the Sight,
Rush'd terrible amidst the Ranks of Fight.
With Joy Sarpedon view'd the wish'd Relief,
And faint, lamenting, thus implor'd the Chief.
Oh suffer not the Foe to bear away
My helpless Corps, an unassisted Prey.
If I, unblest, must see my Son no more,
My much-lov'd Consort, and my native Shore,
[Page 56] Yet let me die in Ilion's sacred Wall;
Troy, in whose Cause I fell, shall mourn my Fall.
He said, nor Hector to the Chief replies,
But shakes his Plume, and fierce to Combate flies,
Swift as a Whirlwind drives the scatt'ring Foes,
And dyes the Ground in Purple as he goes.
Beneath a Beech, Jove's consecrated Shade,
His mournful Friends divine Sarpedon laid:
Brave Pelagon, his fav'rite Chief, was nigh,
Who wrench'd the Javelin from his sinewy Thigh.
The fainting Soul stood ready wing'd for Flight,
And o'er his Eye-balls swum the Shades of Night.
But Boreas rising fresh, with gentle Breath,
Recall'd his Spirit from the Gates of Death.
The gen'rous Greeks recede with tardy Pace,
Tho Mars and Hector thunder in their Face;
None turn their Backs to mean ignoble Flight,
Slow they retreat, and ev'n retreating fight.
Who first, who last, by Mars and Hector's Hand
Stretch'd in their Blood lay gasping on the Sand?
Teuthras the great, Orestes the renown'd
For manag'd Steeds, and Trechus press'd the Ground;
[Page 57] Next Oenomaus, and Oenops' Offspring dy'd;
Oresbius last fell groaning at their side:
Oresbius, in his painted Mitre gay,
In fat Boeotia held his wealthy Sway,
Where Lakes surround low Hylè's watry Plain;
A Prince and People studious of their Gain.
The Carnage Juno from the Skies survey'd,
And touch'd with Grief bespoke the blue-ey'd Maid.
Oh Sight accurst! Shall faithless Troy prevail,
And shall our Promise to our People fail?
How vain the Word to Menelaus giv'n
By Jove's great Daughter and the Queen of Heav'n,
Beneath his Arms that Priam's Tow'rs should fall;
If warring Gods for ever guard the Wall?
Mars, red with Slaughter, aids our hated Foes:
Haste, let us arm, and Force with Force oppose!
She spoke; Minerva burns to meet the War:
And now Heav'ns Empress calls her blazing Car.
At her Command rush forth the Steeds Divine;
Rich with immortal Gold their Trappings shine.
Bright Hebè waits; by Hebè, ever young,
The whirling Wheels are to the Chariot hung.
[Page 58] On the bright Axle turns the bidden Wheel,
Of sounding Brass; the polish'd Axle Steel.
Eight brazen Spokes in radiant Order flame;
The Circles Gold, of uncorrupted Frame,
Such as the Heav'ns produce: and round the Gold
Two brazen Rings of Work divine were roll'd.
The bossie Naves of solid Silver shone;
Braces of Gold suspend the moving Throne:
The Car behind an arching Figure bore;
The bending Concave form'd an Arch before.
Silver the Beam, th' extended Yoke was Gold,
And golden Reins th' immortal Coursers hold.
Herself, impatient, to the ready Car
The Coursers joins, and breathes Revenge and War.
Pallas disrobes; Her radiant Veil unty'd,
With Flow'rs adorn'd, with Art diversify'd,
(The labour'd Veil her heav'nly Fingers wove)
Flows on the Pavement of the Court of Jove.
Now Heav'ns dread Arms her mighty Limbs invest,
Jove's Cuirass blazes on her ample Breast;
Deck'd in sad Triumph for the mournful Field,
O'er her broad Shoulders hangs his horrid Shield,
[Page 59] Dire, black, tremendous! Round the Margin roll'd,
A Fringe of Serpents hissing guards the Gold:
Here all the Terrors of grim War appear,
Here rages Force, here tremble Flight and Fear,
Here storm'd Contention, and here Fury frown'd;
And the dire Orb Portentous Gorgon crown'd.
The massy golden Helm she next assumes,
That dreadful nods with four o'ershading Plumes;
So vast, the broad Circumference contains
A hundred Armies on a hundred Plains.
The Goddess thus th' imperial Car ascends;
Shook by her Arm the mighty Javelin bends,
Pond'rous and huge; that when her Fury burns,
Proud Tyrants humbles, and whole Hosts o'erturns.
Swift at the Scourge th' Ethereal Coursers fly,
While the smooth Chariot cuts the liquid Sky.
Heav'n Gates spontaneous open to the Pow'rs,
Heav'ns golden Gates, kept by the winged Hours;
Commission'd in alternate Watch to stand,
The Sun's bright Portals and the Skies command,
Involve in Clouds th' Eternal Gates of Day,
Or the dark Barrier roll with Ease away.
[Page 60] The sounding Hinges ring: On either side
The gloomy Volumes, pierc'd with Light, divide.
The Chariot mounts, where deep in ambient Skies,
Confus'd, Olympus' hundred Heads arise;
Where far apart the Thund'rer fills his Throne,
O'er all the Gods, superior and alone.
There with her snowy Hand the Queen restrains
The fiery Steeds, and thus to Jove complains.
O Sire! can no Resentment touch thy Soul?
Can Mars rebel, and does no Thunder roll?
What lawless Rage on yon' forbidden Plain,
What rash Destruction! and what Heroes slain?
Venus, and Phoebus with the dreadful Bow,
Smile on the Slaughter, and enjoy my Woe.
Mad, furious Pow'r! whose unrelenting Mind
No God can govern, and no Justice bind.
Say, mighty Father! Shall we scourge his Pride,
And drive from Fight th' impetuous Homicide?
To whom assenting, thus the Thund'rer said:
Go! and the great Minerva be thy Aid.
To tame the Monster-God Minerva knows,
And oft' afflicts his Brutal Breast with Woes.
He said; Saturnia, ardent to obey,
Lash'd her white Steeds along th' Aerial Way.
Swift down the Steep of Heav'n the Chariot rolls,
Between th' expanded Earth and starry Poles.
Far as a Shepherd, from some Point on high,
O'er the wide Main extends his boundless Eye,
Thro' such a Space of Air, with thund'ring Sound,
At ev'ry Leap th' Immortal Coursers bound.
Troy now they reach'd, and touch'd those Banks Divine
Where Silver Simois and Scamander join.
There Juno stop'd, and (her fair Steeds unloos'd)
Of Air condens'd a Vapor circumfus'd:
For these, impregnate with Celestial Dew
On Simois' Brink Ambrosial Herbage grew.
Thence, to relieve the fainting Argive Throng,
Smooth as the sailing Doves they glide along.
The best and bravest of the Grecian Band
(A warlike Circle) round Tydides stand:
Such was their Look as Lions bath'd in Blood,
Or foaming Boars, the Terror of the Wood.
Heav'ns Empress mingles with the mortal Crowd,
And shouts, in Stentor's sounding Voice, aloud:
[Page 62] Stentor the strong, endu'd with Brazen Lungs,
Whose Throat surpass'd the Force of fifty Tongues.
Inglorious Argives! to your Race a Shame,
And only Men in Figure and in Name!
Once from their Walls your tim'rous Foes engag'd,
While fierce in War divine Achilles rag'd;
Now issuing fearless they possess the Plain,
Now win the Shores, and scarce the Seas remain.
Her Speech new Fury to their Hearts convey'd;
While near Tydides stood th' Athenian Maid:
The King beside his panting Steeds she found,
O'erspent with Toil, reposing on the Ground;
To cool his glowing Wound he sate apart,
(The Wound inflicted by the Lycian Dart)
Large Drops of Sweat from all his Limbs descend,
Beneath his pond'rous Shield his Sinews bend,
Whose ample Belt that o'er his Shoulder lay,
He eas'd; and wash'd the clotted Gore away.
The Goddess leaning o'er the bending Yoke,
Beside his Coursers, thus her Silence broke.
Degen'rate Prince! and not of Tydeus' Kind,
Whose little Body lodg'd a mighty Mind.
[Page 63] Foremost he press'd, in glorious Toils to share,
And scarce refrain'd when I forbad the War.
Alone, unguarded, once he dar'd to go,
And feast encircled by the Theban Foe;
There brav'd, and vanquish'd, many a hardy Knight;
Such Nerves I gave him, and such Force in Fight.
Thou too no less hast been my constant Care;
Thy Hands I arm'd, and sent thee forth to War:
But Thee or Fear deterrs, or Sloth detains;
No Drop of all thy Father warms thy Veins.
The Chief thus answer'd mild. Immortal Maid!
I own thy Presence, and confess thy Aid.
Not Fear, thou know'st, withholds me from the Plains,
Nor Sloth hath seiz'd me, but thy Word restrains:
From warring Gods thou bad'st me turn my Spear,
And Venus only found Resistance here.
Hence, Goddess! heedful of thy high Commands,
Loth I gave way, and warn'd our Argive Bands:
For Mars, the Homicide, these Eyes beheld,
With Slaughter red, and raging round the Field.
Then thus Minerva. Brave Tydides hear!
Not Mars himself, nor ought Immortal fear.
[Page 64] Full on the God impell thy foaming Horse:
Pallas commands, and Pallas lends thee Force.
Rash, furious, blind, from these to those he flies,
And ev'ry side of wav'ring Combate tries;
Large Promise makes, and breaks the Promise made;
Now gives the Grecians, now the Trojans Aid.
She said, and to the Steeds approaching near,
Drew from his Seat the martial Charioteer.
The vig'rous Pow'r the trembling Car ascends,
Fierce for Revenge; and Diomed attends.
The groaning Axle bent beneath the Load;
So great a Hero, and so great a God.
She snatch'd the Reins, she lash'd with all her Force,
And full on Mars impell'd the foaming Horse:
But first, to hide her Heav'nly Visage, spread
Black Orcus' Helmet o'er her radiant Head.
Just then Gigantic Periphas lay slain,
The strongest Warrior of th' Aetolian Train;
The God who slew him, leaves his prostrate Prize
Stretch'd where he fell, and at Tydides flies.
Now rushing fierce, in equal Arms appear,
The daring Greek; the dreadful God of War!
[Page 65] Full at the Chief, above his Courser's Head,
From Mars his Arm th' enormous Weapon fled:
Pallas oppos'd her Hand, and caus'd to glance
Far from the Car, the strong immortal Lance.
Then threw the Force of Tydeus' warlike Son;
The Javelin hiss'd; the Goddess urg'd it on:
Where the broad Cincture girt his Armor round,
It pierc'd the God: His Groin receiv'd the Wound.
From the rent Skin the Warrior tuggs again
The smoaking Steel. Mars bellows with the Pain:
Loud, as the Roar encountring Armies yield,
When shouting Millions shake the thund'ring Field.
Both Armies start, and trembling gaze around;
And Earth and Heav'n rebellow to the Sound.
As Vapors blown by Auster's sultry Breath,
Pregnant with Plagues, and shedding Seeds of Death,
Beneath the Rage of burning Sirius rise,
Choak the parch'd Earth, and blacken all the Skies;
In such a Cloud the God from Combate driv'n,
High o'er the dusty Whirlwind scales the Heav'n.
Wild with his Pain, he sought the bright Abodes,
There sullen sate beneath the Sire of Gods,
[Page 66] Show'd the Celestial Blood, and with a Groan
Thus pour'd his Plaints before th' immortal Throne.
Can Jove, supine, flagitious Facts survey,
And brook the Furies of this daring Day?
For mortal Men Celestial Pow'rs engage,
And Gods on Gods exert Eternal Rage.
From thee, O Father! all these Ills we bear,
And thy fell Daughter with the Shield and Spear:
Thou gav'st that Fury to the Realms of Light,
Pernicious, wild, regardless of the Right.
All Heav'n beside revere thy Sov'reign Sway,
Thy Voice we hear, and thy Behests obey:
'Tis hers t'offend; and ev'n offending share
Thy Breast, thy Counsels, thy distinguish'd Care:
So boundless she, and thou so partial grown,
Well may we deem the wond'rous Birth thy own.
Now frantic Diomed, at her Command,
Against th' Immortals lifts his raging Hand:
The heav'nly Venus first his Fury found,
Me next encount'ring, me he dar'd to wound;
Vanquish'd I fled: Ev'n I, the God of Fight,
From mortal Madness scarce was sav'd by Flight.
[Page 67] Else had'st thou seen me sink on yonder Plain,
Heap'd round, and heaving under Loads of slain;
Or pierc'd with Grecian Darts, for Ages lie,
Condemn'd to Pain, tho' fated not to die.
Him thus upbraiding, with a wrathful Look
The Lord of Thunders view'd, and stern bespoke.
To me, Perfidious! this lamenting Strain?
Of lawless Force shall lawless Mars complain?
Of all the Gods who tread the spangled Skies,
Thou most unjust, most odious in our Eyes!
Inhuman Discord is thy dire Delight,
The Waste of Slaughter, and the Rage of Fight.
No Bound, no Law thy fiery Temper quells,
And all thy Mother in thy Soul rebells.
In vain our Threats, in vain our Pow'r we use;
She gives th' Example, and her Son pursues.
Yet long th' inflicted Pangs thou shalt not mourn,
Sprung since thou art from Jove, and Heav'nly born.
Else, sing'd with Light'ning, had'st thou hence been thrown,
Where chain'd on burning Rocks the Titans groan.
Thus He who shakes Olympus with his Nod;
Then gave to Poeon's Care the bleeding God.
With gentle Hand the Balm he pour'd around,
And heal'd th' immortal Flesh, and clos'd the Wound
As when the Fig's prest Juice, infus'd in Cream,
To Curds coagulates the liquid Stream,
Sudden the Fluids fix, the Parts combin'd;
Such, and so soon, th' Aetherial Texture join'd.
Cleans'd from the Dust and Gore, fair Hebè drest
His mighty Limbs in an immortal Vest.
Glorious he sate, in Majesty restor'd,
Fast by the Throne of Heav'ns superior Lord.
Juno and Pallas mount the blest Abodes,
Their Task perform'd, and mix among the Gods.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE Fifth Book.
[Page 71]OBSERVATIONS ON THE FIFTH BOOK.

I.

‘VERSE 1. BUT Pallas now, &c.]’ As in every just History Picture there is one principal Figure, to which all the rest refer and are subservient; so in each Battel of the Iliad there is one principal Person, that may properly be call'd the Hero of that Day or Action. This Conduct preserves the Unity of the Piece, and keeps the Imagination from being distra­cted and confused with a wild Number of independent Figures, which have no Subordination to each other. To make this pro­bable, Homer supposes these extraordinary Measures of Courage to be the immediate Gift of the Gods; who bestow them some­times upon one, and sometimes upon another, as they think fit to make them the Instruments of their Designs; an Opi­nion conformable to true Theology. Whoever reflects upon this, will not blame our Author for representing the same Heroes brave at one time, and dispirited at another; just as the Gods assist, or abandon them on different Occasions.

II.

‘VERSE 1. Tydides.]’ That we may enter into the Spirit and Beauty of this Book, it will be proper to settle the true Character of Diomed who is the Hero of it. Achilles is no [Page 72] sooner retired, but Homer raises his other Greeks to supply his Absence; like Stars that shine each in his due Revolution, till the principal Hero rises again, and eclipses all others. As Diomed is the first in this Office, he seems to have more of the Character of Achilles than any besides. He has naturally an Excess of Boldness and too much Fury in his Temper, for­ward and intrepid like the other, and running after Gods or Men promiscuously as they offer themselves. But what differences his Character is, that he is soon reclaim'd by Advice, hears those that are more experienced, and in a word, obeys Minerva in all things. He is assisted by the Patroness of Wisdom and Arms, as he is eminent both for Prudence and Valor. That which characterizes his Prudence is a quick Sagacity and Presence of Mind in all Emergencies, and an undisturb'd Readiness in the very Article of Danger. And what is particular in his Valor is agreeable to these Qualities; his Actions being al­ways performed with remarkable Dexterity, Activity, and Dispatch. As the gentle and manageable Turn of his Mind seems drawn with an Opposition to the boisterous Temper of Achilles, so his bodily Excellencies seem design'd as in Con­traste to those of Ajax, who appears with great Strength, but heavy and unwieldy. As he is forward to act in the Field, so is he ready to speak in the Council: But 'tis observable that his Counsels still incline to War, and are byass'd rather on the side of Bravery than Caution. Thus he advises to reject the Proposals of the Trojans in the seventh Book, and not to accept of Helen her self, tho' Paris should offer her. In the ninth, he opposes Agamemnon's Proposition to return to Greece, in so strong a manner, as to declare he will stay and continue the Siege himself, if the General should de­part. And thus he hears without Concern Achilles's Re­fusal of a Reconciliation, and doubts not to be able to carry on the War without him. As for his private Character, he appears a gallant Lover of Hospitality in his Behaviour to Glaucus in the sixth Book; a Lover of Wisdom in his Assist­ance of Nestor in the eighth, and his Choice of Ulysses to ac­company him in the tenth; upon the whole, an open sin­cere Friend, and a generous Enemy.

[Page 73] The wonderful Actions he performs in this Battel, seem to be the Effect of a noble Resentment at the Reproach he had receiv'd from Agamemnon in the foregoing Book, to which these Deeds are the Answer. He becomes immediately the second Hero of Greece, and dreaded equally with Achilles by the Trojans. At the first Sight of him his Enemies make a Question, Whether he is a Man or a God? Aeneas and Pandarus go against him, whose Approach terrifies Sthenelus, and the Apprehension of so great a Warrior marvellously exalts the Intrepidity of Diomed. Aeneas himself is not sav'd but by the interposing of a Deity: He pursues and wounds that Deity, and Aeneas again escapes only by the Help of a stronger Power, Apollo. He attempts Apollo too, retreats not till the God threatens him in his own Voice, and even then retreats but a few Steps. When he sees Hector and Mars himself in open Arms against him, he had not retir'd tho' he was wounded, but in Obedience to Minerva, and then retires with his Face toward them. But as soon as she permits him to engage with that God, he conquers, and sends him groaning to Heaven. What Invention and what Conduct appears in this whole Episode? What Boldness in raising a Character to such a Pitch, and what Judgment in raising it by such De­grees? While the most daring Flights of Poetry are employ'd to move our Admiration, and at the same time the justest and closest Allegory, to reconcile those Flights to moral Truth and Probability? It may be farther remark'd, that the high Degree to which Homer elevates this Character, en­ters into the principal Design of his whole Poem; which is to shew, that the greatest Personal Qualities and Forces are of no Effect when Union is wanting among the chief Rulers, and that nothing can avail till they are reconciled so as to act in Concert.

III.

‘VERSE 5. High on his Helm Celestial Light'nings play.]’ This beautiful Passage gave occasion to Zoilus for an insipid Piece of Raillery, who ask'd how it happen'd that the Hero escap'd burning by these Fires that continually broke from [Page 74] his Armor? Eustathius answers, that there are several Exam­ples in History, of Fires being seen to break forth from hu­man Bodies as Presages of Greatness and Glory. Among the rest, Plutarch in the Life of Alexander describes his Helmet much in this manner. This is enough to warrant the Ficti­on, and were there no such Example, the same Author says very well that the Imagination of a Poet is not to be confi­ned to strict Physical Truths. But all Objections may easily be removed, if we consider it as done by Minerva, who had determined this Day to raise Diomed above all the Heroes, and caused this Apparition to render him formidable. The Power of a God makes it not only allowable but highly no­ble, and greatly imagined by Homer; as well as correspon­dent to a Miracle in holy Scripture, where Moses is described with a Glory shining on his Face at his Descent from Mount Sinai, a Parallel which Spondanus has taken notice of.

Virgil was too sensible of the Beauty of this Passage not to imitate it, and it must be owned he has surpassed his Original.

Ardet apex capiti, cristisque ac vertice flamma
Funditur, & vastos umbo vomit aureus ignes.
Non secus ac liquida si quando nocte Cometae
Sanguinei lugubre rubent: aut Sirius ardor,
Ille sitim morbosque ferens mortalibus aegris,
Nascitur, & laevo contristat lumine caelum.

In Homer's Comparison there is no other Circumstance allu­ded to but that of a remarkable Brightness: Whereas Virgil's Comparison, beside this, seems to foretel the immense Slaughter his Hero was to make, by comparing him first to a Comet, which is vulgarly imagin'd a Prognostick, if not the real Cause of much Misery to Mankind; and again to the Dog-star, which appearing with the greatest Brightness in the latter end of Summer, is suppos'd the Occasion of all the Distempers of that sickly Season. And methinks the Ob­jection of Macrobius to this Place is not just, who thinks the Simile unseasonably apply'd by Virgil to Aeneas, because he was yet on his Ship, and had not begun the Battel. One may answer, that this miraculous Appearance could never be [Page 75] more proper than at the first Sight of the Hero, to strike Terror into the Enemy, and to prognosticate his approach­ing Victory.

IV.

‘VERSE 27. Idaeus fled, Left the rich Chariot.]’ It is finely said by M. Dacier, that Homer appears perhaps greater by the Criticisms that have been past upon him, than by the Praises which have been given him. Zoilus had a Cavil at this Place; he thought it ridiculous in Idaeus to descend from his Chariot to fly, which he might have done faster by the help of his Horses. Three things are said in answer to this; first, that Idaeus knowing the Passion which Diomed had for Horses, might hope the Pleasure of seizing these would re­tard him from pursuing him. Next, that Homer might de­sign to represent in this Action of Idaeus the common Effect of Fear, which disturbs the Understanding to such a degree, as to make Men abandon the surest means to save themselves. And then, that Idaeus might have some Advantage of Diomed in Swiftness, which he had reason to confide in. But I fancy one may add another Solution which will better account for this Passage. Homer's word is [...], which I believe would be better translated non perseveravit, than non sustinuit defen­dere fratrem interfectum: and then the Sense will be clear, that Idaeus made an Effort to save his Brother's Body, which proving impracticable, he was obliged to fly with the utmost Precipitation. One may add, that his alighting from his Chariot was not that he could run faster on foot, but that he could sooner escape by mixing with the Crowd of com­mon Soldiers. There is a Particular exactly of the same Na­ture in the Book of Judges, Ch. 4. ℣. 15. where Sisera a­lights to fly in the same manner.

V.

‘VERSE 40. Who bathe in Blood.]’ It may seem something unnatural, that Pallas at a time when she is endeavouring to work upon Mars under the Appearance of Benevolence and Kindness, should make use of Terms which seem so full of [Page 76] bitter Reproaches; but these will appear very properly applied to this warlike Deity. For Persons of this mar­tial Character, who scorning Equity and Reason, carry all things by Force, are better pleas'd to be celebrated for their Power than their Virtue. Statues are rais'd to the Conquerors, that is, the Destroyers of Nations, who are com­plemented for excelling in the Arts of Ruine. Demetrius the Son of Antigonus was celebrated by his Flatterers with the Ti­tle of Poliorcetes, a Term equivalent to one here made use of.

VI.

‘VERSE 46. The God of Arms and martial Maid retreat.]’ The Retreat of Mars from the Trojans intimates that Cou­rage forsook them: It may be said then, that Minerva's Ab­sence from the Greeks will signify that Wisdom deserted them also. It is true she does desert them, but it is at a time when there was more occasion for gallant Actions than for wise Counsels. Eustathius.

VII.

‘VERSE 48. The Greeks the Trojan Race pursue.]’ Homer always appears very zealous for the Honour of Greece, which alone might be a Proof of his being of that Country, against the Opinion of those who would have him of other Nations.

It is observable thro' the whole Ilaid, that he endeavours every where to represent the Greeks as superior to the Tro­jans in Valor and the Art of War. In the beginning of the third Book he describes the Trojans rushing on to the Battel in a barbarous and confus'd manner, with loud Shouts and Cries, while the Greeks advance in the most profound Silence and exact Order. And in the latter Part of the fourth Book, where the two Armies march to the Engagement, the Greeks are animated by Pallas, while Mars instigates the Tro­jans, the Poet attributing by this plain Allegory to the for­mer a well-conducted Valor, to the latter rash Strength and brutal Force: So that the Abilities of each Nation are di­stinguish'd by the Characters of the Deities who assist them. [Page 77] But in this Place, as Eustathius observes, the Poet being wil­ling to shew how much the Greeks excell'd their Enemies when they engag'd only with their proper Force, and when each side was alike destitute of divine Assistance, takes occa­sion to remove the Gods out of the Battel, and then each Grecian Chief gives signal Instances of Valor superior to the Trojans.

A modern Critick observes that this constant Superiority of the Greeks in the Art of War, Valor, and Number, is contradictory to the main Design of the Poem, which is to make the Return of Achilles appear necessary for the Preser­vation of the Greeks; but this Contradiction vanishes when we reflect that the Affront given Achilles was the occasion of Jupiter's interposing in favour of the Trojans. Wherefore the Anger of Achilles was not pernicious to the Greeks purely because it kept him inactive, but because it occasion'd Jupiter to afflict them in such a manner, as made it necessary to appease Achilles in order to render Jupiter propitious.

VIII.

‘VERSE 63. Back from the Car he tumbles.]’ It is in Poetry as in Painting, the Postures and Attitudes of each Figure ought to be different: Homer takes care not to draw two Per­sons in the same Posture; one is tumbled from his Chariot, another is slain as he ascends it, a third as he endeavours to escape on Foot, a Conduct which is every where observed by the Poet. Eustathius.

IX.

‘VERSE 75. Next artful Phereclus.]’ This Character of Phe­reclus is finely imagined, and presents a noble Moral in an un­common manner. There ran a Report, that the Trojans had formerly receiv'd an Oracle, commanding them to fol­low Husbandry, and not apply themselves to Navigation. Homer from hence takes occasion to feign, that the Ship­wright who presumed to build the Fleet of Paris when he took his fatal Voyage to Greece, was overtaken by the di­vine [Page 78] Vengeance so long after as in this Battel. One may take notice too in this, as in many other Places, of the re­markable Disposition Homer shews to Mechanicks; he never omits an Opportunity either of describing a Piece of Work­manship, or of celebrating an Artist.

X.

VERSE 92.
Antenor 's Offspring from a foreign Bed,
Whose gen'rous Spouse Theano heav'nly Fair,
Nurs'd the young Stranger with a Mother's Care.

Homer in this remarkable Passage commends the fair Theano for breeding up a Bastard of her Husband's with the same Tenderness as her own Children. This Lady was a Wo­man of the first Quality, and (as it appears in the sixth Iliad) the high Priestess of Minerva: So that one cannot imagine the Education of this Child was imposed upon her by the Au­thority or Power of Antenor; Homer himself takes care to remove any such derogatory Notion, by particularizing the Motive of this unusual Piece of Humanity to have been to please her Husband, [...]. Nor ought we to lessen this Commendation by thinking the Wives of those Times in general were more complaisant than those of our own. The Stories of Phoenix, Clytemnestra, Medea, and ma­ny others, are plain Instances how highly the keeping of Mi­stresses was resented by the married Ladies. But there was indeed a difference between the Greeks and Asiaticks as to their Notions of Marriage: For it is certain the latter al­lowed Plurality of Wives; Priam had many lawful ones, and some of them Princesses who brought great Dowries. Theano was an Asiatick, and that is the most we can grant; for the Son she nurs'd so carefully was apparently not by a Wife, but by a Mistress; and her Passions were naturally the same with those of the Grecian Women. As to the Degree of Regard then shewn to the Bastards, they were carefully enough educated, tho' not (like this of Ante­nor) as the lawful Issue, nor admitted to an equal share of Inheritance. Megapenthes and Nicostratus were excluded from the Inheritance of Sparta, because they were born of Bond-Women, [Page 79] as Pausanias says. But Neoptolemus, a natural Son of Achilles by Deidamia, succeeded in his Father's Kingdom, per­haps with respect to his Mother's Quality who was a Princess. Upon the whole, however that Matter stood, Homer was very favourable to Bastards, and has paid them more Complements than one in his Works. If I am not mistaken Ulysses reckons himself one in the Odysseis. Agamemnon in the eighth Iliad plainly accounts it no Disgrace, when charm'd with the no­ble Exploits of young Teucer, and praising him in the Rap­ture of his Heart, he just then takes occasion to mention his Illegitimacy as a kind of Panegyrick upon him. The Reader may consult the Passage, ℣. 284 of the Original and ℣. 333 of the Translation. From all this I should not be averse to believe that Homer himself was a Bastard, as Virgil was, of which I think this Observation a better Proof, than what is said for it in the common Lives of him.

XI.

VERSE 100.
—Hypsenor, gen'rous and divine,
Sprung from the brave Dolopion 's mighty Line;
Who near ador'd Scamander made Abode;
Priest of the Stream, and honour'd as a God.

From the Number of Circumstances put together here, and in many other Passages, of the Parentage, Place of Abode, Profession, and Quality of the Persons our Author mentions; I think it is plain he composed his Poem from some Records or Traditions of the Actions of the Times preceding, and complied with the Truth of History. Otherwise these parti­cular Descriptions of Genealogies and other minute Circum­stances would have been an Affectation extremely needless and unreasonable. This Consideration will account for several things that seem odd or tedious, not to add that one may naturally believe he took these Occasions of paying a Com­plement to many great Men and Families of his Patrons, both in Greece and Asia.

XII.

‘VERSE 108. Down sinks the Priest.]’ Homer makes him die upon the cutting off his Arm, which is an Instance of his Skill; for the great Flux of Blood that must follow such a Wound, would be the immediate Cause of Death.

XIII.

‘VERSE 116. Thus Torrents swift and strong.]’ This whole Passage (says Eustathius) is extremely beautiful. It de­scribes the Hero carry'd by an Enthusiastick Valor into the midst of his Enemies, and so mingled with their Ranks as if himself were a Trojan. And the Simile wonderfully il­lustrates this Fury proceeding from an uncommon Infusion of Courage from Heaven, in resembling it not to a constant River, but a Torrent rising from an extraordinary Burst of Rain. This Simile is one of those that draws along with it some foreign Circumstances: We must not often ex­pect from Homer those minute Resemblances in every Branch of a Comparison, which are the Pride of modern Similes. If that which one may call the main Action of it, or the prin­cipal Point of Likeness, be preserved; he affects, as to the rest, rather to present the Mind with a great Image, than to fix it down to an exact one. He is sure to make a fine Pi­cture in the whole, without drudging on the under Parts; like those free Painters who (one would think) had only made here and there a few very significant Strokes, that give Form and Spirit to all the Piece. For the present Comparison, Virgil in the second Aeneid has inserted an Imitation of it, which I cannot think equal to this, tho' Scaliger prefers Vir­gil's to all our Author's Similitudes from Rivers put together.

Non sic aggeribus ruptis cum spumeus amnis
Exiit, oppositasque evicit gurgite moles,
Fertur in arva furens cumulo, camposque per omnes
Cum stabulis armenta trahit—

[Page 81]
Not with so fierce a Rage, the foaming Flood
Roars, when he finds his rapid Course withstood;
Bears down the Dams with unresisted Sway,
And sweeps the Cattel and the Cotts away.
Dryden.

XIV.

‘VERSE 139. The Dart stopt short of Life.]’ Homer says it did not kill him, and I am at a Loss why M. Dacier translates it, The Wound was slight; when just after the Arrow is said to have pierc'd quite thro', and she herself there turns it, Perçoit l'espaule d'outre en outre. Had it been so slight, he would not have needed the immediate Assistance of Minerva to restore his usual Vigor, and enable him to continue the Fight.

XV.

‘VERSE 164. From mortal Mists I purge thy Eyes.]’ This Fiction of Homer (says M. Dacier) is founded upon an im­portant Truth of Religion, not unknown to the Pagans, that God only can open the Eyes of Men, and enable them to see what they cannot discover by their own Capacity. There are frequent Examples of this in the Old Testament. God opens the Eyes of Hagar that she might see the Fountain, in Genes. 21. ℣. 14. So Numbers 22. ℣. 31. The Lord open'd the Eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in his way, and his Sword drawn in his Hand. A Passage much resembling this of our Author. Venus in Virgil's se­cond Aeneid performs the same Office to Aeneas, and shews him the Gods who were engag'd in the Destruction of Troy.

Aspice; namque omnem quae nunc obducta tuenti
Mortales hebetat visus tibi, & humida circum
Caligat, nubem eripiam—
Apparent dirae facies, inimicaque Trojae
Numina magna Deûm.—

Milton seems likewise to have imitated this where he makes [Page 82] Michael open Adam's Eyes to see the future Revolutions of the World, and Fortunes of his Posterity, Book 11.

—He purg'd with Euphrasie and Rue
The visual Nerve, for he had much to see,
And from the Well of Life three Drops distill'd.

This distinguishing Sight of Diomed was given him only for the present Occasion and Service in which he was employ'd by Pallas. For we find in the sixth Book that upon meeting Glaucus, he is ignorant whether that Hero be a Man or a God.

XVI.

‘VERSE 194. No mystic Dream.]’ This Line in the Origi­nal, [...], contains as puz­zling a Passage for the Construction as I have met with in Homer. Most Interpreters join the negative Particle [...] with the Verb [...], which may receive three different Mean­ings: That Eurydamas had not interpreted the Dreams of his Children when they went to the Wars, or that he had fore­told them by their Dreams they should never return from the Wars, or that he should now no more have the Satisfaction to interpret their Dreams at their Return. After all, this Construction seems forced, and no way agreeable to the ge­neral Idiom of the Greek Language, or to Homer's simple Di­ction in particular. If we join [...] with [...], I think the most obvious Sense will be this; Diomed attacks the two Sons of Eurydamas an old Interpreter of Dreams; his Children not returning, the Prophet sought by his Dreams to know their Fate; however they fall by the Hands of Diomed. This Interpretation seems natural and poetical, and tends to move Compassion, which is almost constantly the Design of the Poet in his frequent short Digressions concerning the Circumstances and Relations of dying Persons.

XVII.

‘VERSE 202. To Strangers now descends his wealthy Store.]’ [Page 83] This is a Circumstance than which nothing could be imagi­ned more tragical, considering the Character of the Father. Homer says the Trustees of the remote collateral Relations seiz'd the Estate before his Eyes (according to a Custom of those Times) which to a covetous old Man must be the greatest of Miseries.

XVIII.

‘VERSE 212. Divine Aeneas.]’ It is here Aeneas begins to act, and if we take a View of the whole Episode of this Hero in Homer, where he makes but an Under-part, it will ap­pear that Virgil has kept him perfectly in the same Chara­cter in his Poem, where he shines as the first Hero. His Piety and his Valor, tho' not drawn at so full a length, are mark'd no less in the Original than in the Copy. It is the manner of Homer to express very strongly the Character of each Person in the first Speech he is made to utter in the Poem. In this of Aeneas, there is a great Air of Piety in those Strokes, Is he some God who punishes Troy for having neglected his Sacrifices? And then that Sentence, The Anger of Heaven is terrible. When he is in Danger afterwards, he is saved by the heavenly Assistance of two Deities at once, and his Wounds cured in the holy Temple of Pergamus by Latona and Diana. As to his Valor, he is second only to Hector, and in personal Bravery as great in the Greek Author as in the Roman. He is made to exert himself on Emergen­cies of the first Importance and Hazard, rather than on com­mon Occasions: he checks Diomed here in the midst of his Fury; in the thirteenth Book defends his Friend Deiphobus before it was his Turn to fight, being placed in one of the hind­most Ranks (which Homer, to take off all Objection to his Valor, tells us happen'd because Priam had an Animosity to him, tho' he was one of the bravest of the Army.) He is one of those who rescue Hector when he is overthrown by Ajax in the fourteenth Book. And what alone were suffici­ent to establish him a first-rate Hero, he is the first that dares resist Achilles himself at his Return to the Fight in all his Rage for the Loss of Patroclus. He indeed avoids encoun­tering [Page 84] two at once, in the present Book; and shews upon the whole a sedate and deliberate Courage, which if not so glaring as that of some others, is yet more just. It is worth considering how thoroughly Virgil penetrated into all this, and saw into the very Idea of Homer; so as to extend and call forth the whole Figure in its full Dimensions and Colours from the slightest Hints and Sketches which were but casually touch'd by Homer, and even in some Points too where they were rather left to be understood, than express'd. And this, by the way, ought to be consider'd by those Criticks who object to Virgil's Hero the want of that sort of Courage which strikes us so much in Homer's Achilles. Aeneas was not the Crea­ture of Virgil's Imagination, but one whom the World was already acquainted with, and expected to see continued in the same Character; and one who perhaps was chosen for the Hero of the Latin Poem, not only as he was the Foun­der of the Roman Empire, but as this more calm and regu­lar Character better agreed with the Temper and Genius of the Poet himself.

XIX.

‘VERSE 242. Skill'd in the Bow, &c.]’ We see thro' this whole Discourse of Pandarus the Character of a vain-glorious passionate Prince, who being skill'd in the Use of the Bow, was highly valued by himself and others for this Excellence; but having been successless in two different Trials of his Skill, he is rais'd into an outragious Passion, which vents itself in vain Threats on his guiltless Bow. Eustathius on this Pas­sage relates a Story of a Paphlagonian famous like him for his Archery, who having miss'd his Aim at repeated Trials, was so transported by Rage, that breaking his Bow and Ar­rows, he executed a more fatal Vengeance by hanging him­self.

XX.

‘VERSE 244. Ten polish'd Chariots.]’ Among the many Pi­ctures Homer gives us of the Simplicity of the Heroic Ages, he mingles from time to time some Hints of an extraordina­ry [Page 85] Magnificence. We have here a Prince who has all these Chariots for Pleasure at one time, with their particular Sets of Horses to each, and the most sumptuous Coverings in their Stables. But we must remember that he speaks of an Asiatic Prince, those Barbarians living in great Luxury. Dacier.

XXI.

‘VERSE 252. Yet to Thrift inclin'd.]’ 'Tis Eustathius his Re­mark, that Pandarus did this out of Avarice, to save the Ex­pence of his Horses. I like this Conjecture, because nothing seems more judicious, than to give a Man of a perfidious Character a strong Tincture of Avarice.

XXII.

‘VERSE 261. And undissembled Gore pursu'd the Wound.]’ The Greek is [...]. He says he is sure it was real Blood that follow'd his Arrow; because it was anciently a Custom, particularly among the Spartans, to have Ornaments and Figures of a purple Colour on their Breast-Plates, that the Blood they lost might not be seen by the Soldiers, and tend to their Discouragement. Plutarch in his Instit. Lacon. takes notice of this Point of Antiquity, and I wonder it escap'd Madam Dacier in her Translation.

XXIII.

‘VERSE 273. Nor Phoebus' honour'd Gift disgrace.]’ For Ho­mer tells us in the second Book, ℣. 334 of the Catalogue, that the Bow and Shafts of Pandarus were given him by Apollo.

XXIV.

‘VERSE 284. Haste, seize the Whip, &c.]’ Homer means not here, that one of the Heroes should alight or descend from the Chariot, but only that he should quit the Reins to the Management of the other, and stand on Foot upon the Chariot to fight from thence. As one might use the Expres­sion, [Page 86] to descend from the Ship, to signify to quit the Helm or Oar, in order to take up Arms. This is the Note of Eu­stathius, by which it appears that most of the Translators are mistaken in the Sense of this Passage, and among the rest Mr. Hobbes.

XXV.

‘VERSE 320. One Chief at least beneath this Arm shall die.]’ It is the manner of our Author to make his Persons have some Intimation from within, either of prosperous or adverse Fortune, before it happens to them. In the present Instance, we have seen Aeneas, astonish'd at the great Exploits of Dio­med, proposing to himself the Means of his Escape by the Swiftness of his Horses, before he advances to encounter him. On the other hand, Diomed is so filled with Assurance, that he gives Orders here to Sthenelus to seize those Horses, before they come up to him. The Opposition of these two (as Mad. Dacier has remark'd) is very observable.

XXVI.

‘VERSE 327. The Coursers of Aethereal Breed.]’ We have already observed the great Delight Homer takes in Horses. He makes some Horses, as well as Heroes, of celestial Race: and if he has been thought too fond of the Genealogies of some of his Warriors, in relating them even in a Battel; we find him here as willing to trace that of his Horses in the same Circumstance. These were of that Breed which Jupiter bestow'd upon Tros, and far superior to the common Strain of Trojan Horses. So that (according to Eustathius's Opini­on) the Translators are mistaken who turn [...], the Trojan Horses, in ℣. 222 of the Original, where Aeneas ex­tolls their Qualities to Pandarus. The same Author takes notice, that Frauds in the Case of Horses have been thought excusable in all Times, and commends Anchises for this Piece of Theft. Virgil was so well pleas'd with it as to imi­tate this Passage in the seventh Aeneid.

[Page 87]
Absenti Aeneae currum, geminosque jugales
Semine ab aethereo, spirantes naribus ignem,
Illorum de gente, patri quos daedala Circe
Supposita de matre nothos furata creavit.

XXVII.

‘VERSE 353. Full in his Face it enter'd.]’ It has been ask'd, how Diomed being on Foot, could naturally be suppos'd to give such a Wound as is describ'd here. Were it never so improbable, the express mention that Minerva conducted the Javelin to that Part, would render this Passage unexceptiona­ble. But without having recourse to a Miracle, such a Wound might be receiv'd by Pandarus either if he stoop'd; or if his Enemy took the Advantage of a rising Ground, by which means he might not impossibly stand higher, tho' the other were in a Chariot. This is the Solution given by the anci­ent Scholia, which is confirm'd by the Lowness of the Cha­riots, observed in the Essay on Homer's Battels.

XXVIII.

‘VERSE 361. To guard his slaughter'd Friend Aeneas flies.]’ This protecting of the dead Body was not only an Office of Piety agreeable to the Character of Aeneas in particular, but look'd upon as a Matter of great Importance in those Times. It was believ'd that the very Soul of the deceas'd suffer'd by the Body's remaining destitute of the Rites of Se­pulture, as not being else admitted to pass the Waters of Styx.

Haec omnis, quam cernis, inops inhumataque turba est;
Portitor ille, Charon; hi, quos vehit unda, sepulti.
Nec ripas datur horrendas & rauca fluenta
Transportare prius, quam sedibus ossa quierunt.
Centum errant annos, volitantque haec litora circum.
Virg. Aen. 6.

[Page 88] Whoever considers this, will not be surprized at those long and obstinate Combates for the Bodies of the Heroes, so frequent in the Iliad. Homer thought it of such Weight, that he has put this Circumstance of want of Burial into the Propo­sition at the beginning of his Poem, as one of the chief Mis­fortunes that befel the Greeks.

XXIX.

‘VERSE 371. Not two strong Men.]’ This Opinion of a Degeneracy of human Size and Strength in the Process of Ages, has been very general. Lucretius, Lib. 2.

Jamque adeo fracta est aetas, effoetaque tellus
Vix animalia parva creat, quae cuncta creavit
Saecla, deditque ferarum ingentia corpora partu.

The active Life and Temperance of the first Men, before their native Powers were prejudiced by Luxury, may be sup­posed to have given them this Advantage. Celsus in his first Book observes, that Homer mentions no sort of Diseases in the old Heroic Times but what were immediately inflicted by Heaven, as if their Temperance and Exercise preserved them from all besides. Virgil imitates this Passage, with a farther Allowance of the Decay in Proportion to the Distance of his Time from that of Homer. For he says it was an Attempt that exceeded the Strength of twelve Men, instead of two.

—Saxum circumspicit ingens—
Vix illud lecti bis sex cervice subirent.
Qualia nunc hominum producit corpora tellus.

Juvenal has made an agreeable Use of this Thought in his fourteenth Satyr.

Nam genus hoc vivo jam decrescebat Homero,
Terra malos homines nunc educat, atque pusillos.

XXX.

‘VERSE 391. Hid from the Foe behind her shining Veil.]’ Homer says, she spread her Veil that it might be a Defence against the Darts. How comes it then afterwards to be pierc'd thro', when Venus is wounded? It is manifest the Veil was not impenetrable, and is said here to be a Defence only as it render'd Aeneas invisible, by being interposed. This is the Observation of Eustathius, and was thought too material to be neglected in the Translation.

XXXI.

‘VERSE 403. To bold Deipylus —Whom most he lov'd.]’ Sthe­nelus (says M. Dacier) loved Deipylus, parce qu'il avoit la mesme humeur que luy, la mesme sagesse. The Words in the Original are [...]. Because his Mind was e­qual and consentaneous to his own; which I should rather translate, with regard to the Character of Sthenelus, that he had the same Bravery, than the same Wisdom. For that Sthenelus was not remarkable for Wisdom appears from ma­ny Passages, and particularly from his Speech to Agamemnon in the fourth Book, upon which see Plutarch's Remark, Note 28.

XXXII.

‘VERSE 408. The Chief in chace of Venus flies.]’ We have seen with what Ease Venus takes Paris out of the Battel in the third Book, when his Life was in danger from Menelaus; but here when she has a Charge of more Importance and nearer Concern, she is not able to preserve her self or her Son from the Fury of Diomed. The difference of Success in two Attempts so like each other, is occasion'd by that Pene­tration of Sight with which Pallas had endu'd her Favorite. For the Gods in their Intercourse with Men are not ordina­rily seen but when they please to render themselves visible; wherefore Venus might think her self and her Son secure from the Insolence of this daring Mortal; but was in this de­ceiv'd, [Page 90] being ignorant of that Faculty, wherewith the Hero was enabled to distinguish Gods as well as Men.

XXXIII.

‘VERSE 419. Her snowie Hand the razing Steel profan'd.]’ Plutarch in his Symposiacks l. 9. tells us, that Maximus the Rhetorician propos'd this far-fetch'd Question at a Banquet, On which of her Hands Venus was wounded? and that Zopy­rion answer'd it by asking, On which of his Legs Philip was lame? But Maximus reply'd it was a different Case: For De­mosthenes left no Foundation to guess at the one, whereas Homer gives a Solution of the other, in saying that Diomed throwing his Spear across, wounded her Wrist: so that it was her right Hand he hurt, her left being opposite to his right. He adds another humorous Reason from Pallas's reproaching her afterwards, as having got this Wound while she was stro­king and solliciting some Grecian Lady, and unbuckling her Zone; An Action (says this Philosopher) in which no one would make use of the left Hand.

XXXIV.

‘VERSE 422. Such Stream as issues from a wounded God.]’ This is one of those Passages in Homer which have given oc­casion to that famous Censure of Tully and Longinus, That he makes Gods of his Heroes, and Mortals of his Gods. These, taken in a general Sense, appear'd the highest Impiety to Plato and Pythagoras; one of whom has banish'd Homer from his Commonwealth, and the other said he was tortured in Hell, for Fictions of this Nature. But if a due Distinction be made of a difference among Beings superior to Mankind, which both the Pagans and Christians have allowed, these Fables may be easily accounted for. Wounds inflicted on the Dragon, Bruising of the Serpent's Head, and other such me­taphorical Images are consecrated in holy Writ, and apply'd to Angelical and incorporeal Natures. But in our Author's Days they had a Notion of Gods that were corporeal, to whom they ascribed Bodies, tho' of a more subtil Kind than [Page 91] those of Mortals. So in this very Place he supposes them to have Blood, but Blood of a finer and superior Nature. Not­withstanding the foregoing Censures, Milton has not scrupled to imitate and apply this to Angels in the Christian System, when Satan is wounded by Michael in his sixth Book.

—Then Satan first knew Pain,
And writh'd him to and fro convolv'd; so sore
The griding Sword with discontinuous Wound
Pass'd thro' him; but th' Aetherial Substance clos'd,
Not long divisible, and from the gash
A Stream of Nectarous Humour issuing flow'd,
Sanguin, such as Celestial Spirits may bleed—
Yet soon he heal'd, for Spirits that live throughout,
Vital in ev'ry Part, not as frail Man
In Entrails, Head or Heart, Liver or Reins,
Cannot but by annihilating die.

Aristotle, Cap. 26. Art. Poet. excuses Homer for following Fame and common Opinion in his Account of the Gods, tho' no way agreeable to Truth. The Religion of those Times taught no other Notions of the Deity, than that the Gods were Beings of human Forms and Passions; so that a­ny but a real Anthropomorphite would probably have past among the ancient Greeks for an impious Heretick: They thought their Religion, which worshipped the Gods in Ima­ges of human Shape, was much more refin'd and rational than that of Aegypt and other Nations, who ador'd them in animal or monstrous Forms. And certainly Gods of human Shape cannot justly be esteemed or described otherwise, than as a celestial Race, superior only to mortal Men by greater Abili­ties, and a more extensive Degree of Wisdom and Strength, subject however to the necessary Inconveniencies consequent to corporeal Beings. Cicero in his Book de Nat. Deor. ur­ges this Consequence strongly against the Epicureans, who tho' they depos'd the Gods from any Power in creating or governing the World, yet maintain'd their Existence in human Forms. ‘ Non enim sentitis quam multa vobis suscipienda sunt si impetraveritis ut concedamus eandem esse hominum & deorum [Page 92] figuram; omnis cultus & curatio corporis erit eadem adhibenda Deo quae adhibetur homini, ingressus, cursus, accubatio, inclinatio, sessio, comprehensio, ad extremum etiam sermo & oratio. Nam quod & mares Deos & faeminas esse dicitis, quid sequatur videtis.’

This Particular of the wounding of Venus seems to be a Fiction of Homer's own Brain, naturally deducible from the Doctrine of corporeal Gods above-mentioned; and consider­ed as Poetry, no way shocking. Yet our Author as if he had foreseen some Objection, has very artfully inserted a Ju­stification of this bold Stroke, in the Speech Dione soon af­ter makes to Venus. For as it was natural to comfort her Daughter, by putting her in mind that many other Deities had receiv'd as ill Treatment from Mortals by the Permission of Jupiter; so it was of great Use to the Poet, to enume­rate those ancient Fables to the same Purpose, which being then generally assented to might obtain Credit for his own. This fine Remark belongs to Eustathius.

XXXV.

‘VERSE 424. Unlike our gross, diseas'd, terrestrial Blood, &c.]’ The Opinion of the Incorruptibility of Celestial Matter seems to have been receiv'd in the Time of Homer. For he makes the Immortality of the Gods to depend upon the incorrupti­ble Nature of the Nutriment by which they are sustained: As the Mortality of Men to proceed from the corruptible Ma­terials of which they are made, and by which they are nou­rished. We have several Instances in him from whence this may be inferred, as when Diomed questions Glaucus if he be a God or a Mortal, he adds, One who is sustained by the Fruits of the Earth. Lib. 6. ℣. 142.

XXXVI.

‘VERSE 449. Low at his Knee she begg'd.]’ All the former English Translators make it, she fell on her Knees, an Over­sight occasion'd by the want of a competent Knowledge in Antiquities (without which no Man can tolerably understand this Author.) For the Custom of praying on the Knees was [Page 93] unknown to the Greeks, and in use only among the Hebrews.

XXXVII.

‘VERSE 472. And share those Griefs inferior Pow'rs must share.]’ The word Inferior is added by the Translator, to o­pen the Distinction Homer makes between the Divinity itself, which he represents impassible, and the subordinate celestial Beings or Spirits.

XXXVIII.

‘VERSE 475. The mighty Mars, &c.]’ Homer in these Fa­bles, as upon many other Occasions, makes a great Show of his Theological Learning, which was the manner of all the Greeks who had travell'd into Aegypt. Those who would see these Allegories explained at large, may consult Eustathius on this Place. Virgil speaks much in the same Figure when he describes the happy Peace with which Augustus had blest the World,

—Furor impius intus
Saeva sedens super arma, & centum vinctus aënis
Post tergum nodis, fremit horridus ore cruento.

XXXIX.

‘VERSE 479. Perhaps had perish'd.]’ Some of Homer's Cen­surers have inferr'd from this Passage, that the Poet represents his Gods subject to Death, when nothing but great Misery is here described. It is a common way of Speech to use Perdi­tion and Destruction for Misfortune. The Language of Scri­pture calls eternal Punishment perishing everlastingly. There is a remarkable Passage to this Purpose in Tacitus, An. 6. which very lively represents the miserable State of a distract­ed Tyrant: It is the beginning of a Letter from Tiberius to the Senate, ‘ Quid scribam vobis, P. C. aut quomodo scribam, aut quid omnino non scribam hoc tempore, Dii me deaeque pe­jus perdant quam perire quotidie sentio, si scio.’

XL.

‘VERSE 498. No Infant on his Knees shall call him Sire.]’ This is Homer's manner of foretelling that he shall perish un­fortunately in Battel, which is infinitely a more artful way of conveying that Thought than by a direct Expression. He does not simply say, he shall never return from the War, but intimates as much by describing the Loss of the most sensible and affecting Pleasure that a Warrior can receive at his Re­turn. Of the like Nature is the Prophecy at the end of this Speech of the Hero's Death, by representing it in a Dream of his Wife's. There are many fine Strokes of this kind in the Prophetical Parts of the Old Testament. Nothing is more natural than Dione's forming these Images of Revenge upon Diomed, the Hope of which Vengeance was so proper a Topick of Consolation to Venus.

XLI.

‘VERSE 500. To stretch thee pale, &c.]’ Virgil has taken notice of this threatning Denunciation of Vengeance, tho' fulfill'd in a different manner, where Diomed in his Answer to the Embassador of K. Latinus enumerates his Misfortunes, and imputes the Cause of them to this impious Attempt upon Venus. Aeneid, Lib. 11.

Invidisse Deos patriis ut redditus oris
Conjugium optatum & pulchram Calydona viderem?
Nunc etiam horribili visu portenta sequuntur:
Et socii amissi petierunt Aequora pennis:
Fluminibusque vagantur aves (heu dira meorum
Supplicia!) & scopulos, lachrymosis vocibus implent.
Haec adeo ex illo mihi jam speranda fuerunt
Tempore, cum ferro caelestia corpora demens
Appetii, & Veneris violavi vulnere dextram.

XLII.

‘VERSE 501. Thy distant Wife.]’ The Poet seems here to complement the Fair Sex at the Expence of Truth, by con­cealing the Character of Aegiale, whom he has describ'd with the Disposition of a faithful Wife; tho' the History of those Times represents her as an abandon'd Prostitute, who gave up her own Person and her Husband's Crown to her Lover. So that Diomed at his Return from Troy, when he expected to be receiv'd with all the Tenderness of a loving Spouse, found his Bed and Throne possess'd by an Adulterer, was forc'd to fly his Country, and seek Refuge and Subsistence in foreign Lands. Thus the offended Goddess executed her Vengeance by the proper Effects of her own Power, by in­volving the Hero in a Series of Misfortunes proceeding from the Incontinence of his Wife.

XLIII.

‘VERSE 517. The Sire of Gods and Men superior smil'd.]’ One may observe the Decorum and Decency our Author con­stantly preserves on this Occasion: Jupiter only smiles, the other Gods laugh out. That Homer was no Enemy to Mirth may appear from several Places of his Poem; which so seri­ous as it is, is interspers'd with many Gayeties, indeed more than he has been follow'd in by the succeeding Epic Poets. Milton, who was perhaps fonder of him than the rest, has given most into the ludicrous; of which his Paradise of Fools in the third Book, and his Jesting Angels in the sixth, are extraordinary Instances. Upon the Confusion of Babel, he says there was great Laughter in Heaven: as Homer calls the Laughter of the Gods in the first Book [...], an in­extinguishable Laugh: But the Scripture might perhaps em­bolden the English Poet, which says, The Lord shall laugh them to Scorn, and the like. Plato is very angry at Homer for making the Deities laugh, as a high Indecency and Of­fence to Gravity. He says the Gods in our Author repre­sent Magistrates and Persons in Authority, and are design­ed [Page 96] as Examples to such: On this Supposition, he blames him for proposing immoderate Laughter as a thing de­cent in great Men. I forgot to take notice in its proper Place, that the Epither inextinguishable is not to be taken li­terally for dissolute or ceasless Mirth, but was only a Phrase of that time to signify Chearfulness and seasonable Gayety; in the same manner as we may now say, to die with Laughter, without being understood to be in danger of dying with it. The Place, Time, and Occasion were all agreeable to Mirth: It was at a Banquet; and Plato himself relates several things that past at the Banquet of Agathon, which had not been either decent or rational at any other Season. The same may be said of the present Passage: Raillery could never be more natural than when two of the Female Sex had an Opportu­nity of triumphing over another whom they hated. Homer makes Wisdom her self not able, even in the Presence of Jupiter, to resist the Temptation. She breaks into a ludi­crous Speech, and the supreme Being himself vouchsafes a Smile at it. But this (as Eustathius remarks) is not introdu­duced without Judgment and Precaution. For we see he makes Minerva first beg Jupiter's Permission for this Piece of Freedom, Permit thy Daughter, gracious Jove; in which he asks the Reader's leave to enliven his Narration with this Piece of Gayety.

XLIV.

‘VERSE 540. He dreads his Fury, and some Steps retires.]’ Diomed still maintains his intrepid Character; he retires but a Step or two even from Apollo. The Conduct of Homer is remarkably just and rational here. He gives Diomed no sort of Advantage over Apollo, because he would not feign what was entirely incredible, and what no Allegory could justify. He wounds Venus and Mars, as it is morally possible to o­vercome the irregular Passions which are represented by those Deities. But it is impossible to vanquish Apollo, in whatsoe­ver Capacity he is considered, either as the Sun, or as Desti­ny: One may shoot at the Sun but not hurt him, and one may strive against Destiny but not surmount it. Eustathius.

XLV.

‘VERSE 546. A Phantome rais'd.]’ The Fiction of a God's placing a Phantome instead of the Hero, to delude the E­nemy and continue the Engagement, means no more than that the Enemy thought he was in the Battel. This is the Language of Poetry, which prefers a marvellous Fiction to a plain and simple Truth, the Recital whereof would be cold and unaffecting. Thus Minerva's guiding a Javelin, signifies only that it was thrown with Art and Dexterity; Mars taking upon him the Shape of Acamas, that the Cou­rage of Acamas incited him to do so, and in like manner of the rest. The present Passage is copied by Virgil in the tenth Aeneid, where the Spectre of Aeneas is raised by Juno or the Air, as it is here by Apollo or the Sun; both equally proper to be employ'd in forming an Apparition. Whoever will compare the two Authors on this Subject, will observe with what admirable Art, and what exquisite Ornaments, the latter has improved and beautify'd his Original. Scaliger in comparing these Places, has absurdly censured the Phantome of Homer for its Inactivity; whereas it was only form'd to represent the Hero lying on the Ground, without any Ap­pearance of Life or Motion. Spencer in the eighth Canto of the third Book seems to have improved this Imagination, in the Creation of his false Florimel, who performs all the Functions of Life, and gives occasion for many Adventures.

XLVI.

‘VERSE 575. The Speech of Sarpedon to Hector.]’ It will be hard to find a Speech more warm and spirited than this of Sarpedon, or which comprehends so much in so few Words. Nothing could be more artfully thought upon to pique He­ctor, who was so jealous of his Country's Glory, than to tell him he had formerly conceiv'd too great a Notion of the Trojan Valor; and to exalt the Auxiliaries above his Coun­trymen. The Description Sarpedon gives of the little Con­cern or Interest himself had in the War, in Opposition to the [Page 98] Necessity and imminent Danger of the Trojans, greatly strengthens this Preference, and lays the Charge very home upon their Honour. In the latter Part, which prescribes Hector his Duty, there is a particular Reprimand in telling him how much it behoves him to animate and encourage the Auxiliaries; for this is to say in other Words, You should ex­hort them, and they are forc'd on the contrary to exhort you.

XLVII.

‘VERSE 611. Ceres' sacred Floor.]’ Homer calls the Thresh­ing Floor sacred (says Eustathius) not only as it was conse­crated to Ceres, but in regard of its great Use and Advantage to human Kind; in which Sense also he frequently gives the same Epithet to Cities, &c. This Simile is of an exquisite Beauty.

XLVIII.

‘VERSE 641. So when th' embattel'd Clouds.]’ This Simile contains as proper a Comparison, and as fine a Picture of Nature as any in Homer: Yet however it is to be fear'd the Beauty and Propriety of it will not be very obvious to many Readers, because it is the Description of a natural Appearance which they have not had an Opportunity to remark, and which can be observed only in a mountainous Country. It happens frequently in very calm Weather, that the Atmosphere is charg'd with thick Vapors, whose Gravity is such, that they neither rise nor fall, but remain poiz'd in the Air at a certain Height, where they continue frequently for several Days together. In a plain Country this occasions no other visible Appearance, but of an uniform clouded Sky; but in a Hilly Region these Vapors are to be seen covering the Tops and stretch'd along the Sides of the Mountains, the clouded Parts above being terminated and distinguish'd from the clear Parts below by a strait Line running parallel to the Horizon, as far as the Mountains extend. The whole Compass of Nature cannot afford a nobler and more exact Representa­tion of a numerous Army, drawn up in Line of Battel, and expecting the Charge. The long-extended even front, the [Page 99] Closeness of the Ranks; the Firmness, Order, and Silence of the whole, are all drawn with great Resemblance in this one Comparison. The Poet adds, that this Appearance is while Boreas and the other boisterous Winds which disperse and break the Clouds, are laid asleep. This is as exact as it is Poetical; for when the Winds arise, this regular Order is soon dissolv'd. This Circumstance is added to the Descrip­tion, as an ominous Anticipation of the Flight and Dissipa­tion of the Greeks, which soon ensued when Mars and He­ctor broke in upon them.

XLIX.

‘VERSE 651. Ye Greeks be Men, &c.]’ If Homer in the longer Speeches of the Iliad, says all that could be said by Eloquence, in the shorter he says all that can be said with Judgment. Whatever some few modern Criticks have thought, it will be found upon due Reflection, that the Length or Brevity of his Speeches is determined as the Oc­casions either allow Leisure or demand Haste. This concise Oration of Agamemnon is a Masterpiece in the Laconic way. The Exigence required he should say something very power­ful, and no Time was to be lost. He therefore warms the Brave and the Timorous by one and the same Exhortation, which at once moves by the Love of Glory, and the Fear of Death. It is short and full, like that of the brave Scotch General under Gustavus, who upon Sight of the Enemy, said only this; See ye those Lads? Either fell them or they'll fell you.

L.

‘VERSE 652. Your brave Associates and your selves revere.]’ This noble Exhortation of Agamemnon is correspondent to the wise Scheme of Nestor in the second Book: where he ad­vised to rank the Soldiers of the same Nation together, that being known to each other, all might be incited either by a generous Emulation or a decent Shame. Spondanus.

LI.

‘VERSE 691. Mars urg'd him on.]’ This is another Instance of what has been in general observ'd in the Discourse on the Battels of Homer, his artful manner of making us measure one Hero by another. We have here an exact Scale of the Valor of Aeneas and of Menelaus; how much the former outweighs the latter, appears by what is said of Mars in these Lines, and by the Necessity of Antilochus's assisting Menelaus: as afterwards what Over-balance that Assistance gave him, by Aeneas's retreating from them both. How very nicely are these Degrees mark'd on either Hand? This Knowledge of the Difference which Nature itself sets between one Man and another, makes our Author neither blame these two Heroes for going against one, who was superior to each of them in Strength; nor that one for retiring from both, when their Conjunction made them an Overmatch to him. There is great Judgment in all this.

LII.

‘VERSE 696. And all his Country's glorious Labours vain.]’ For (as Agamemnon said in the fourth Book upon Menelaus's being wounded) if he were slain, the War would be at an end, and the Greeks think only of returning to their Coun­try. Spondanus.

LIII.

‘VERSE 726. Mars, stern Destroyer, &c.]’ There is a great Nobleness in this Passage. With what Pomp is Hector introduced into the Battel, where Mars and Bellona are his Attendants? The Retreat of Diomed is no less beautiful; Minerva had remov'd the Mist from his Eyes, and he imme­diately discovers Mars assisting Hector. His Surprize on this Occasion is finely imag'd by that of the Traveller on the sudden Sight of the River.

LIV.

‘VERSE 784. What brings this Lycian Counsellor so far?]’ There is a particular Sarcasm in Tlepolemus's calling Sarpedon in this Place [...], Lycian Counsellor, one better skill'd in Oratory than War; as he was the Governor of a People who had long been in Peace, and probably (if we may guess from his Character in Homer) remarkable for his Speeches. This is rightly observed by Spondanus, tho' not taken notice of by M. Dacier.

LV.

‘VERSE 792. Troy felt his Arm.]’ He alludes to the Hi­story of the first Destruction of Troy by Hercules, occasion'd by Laomedon's refusing that Hero the Horses, which were the Reward promis'd him for the Delivery of his Daughter Hesione.

LVI.

‘VERSE 809. With base Reproaches and unmanly Pride.]’ Methinks these Words [...] include the chief Sting of Sarpedon's Answer to Tlepolemus, which no Com­mentator that I remember has remark'd. He tells him Lao­medon deserv'd his Misfortune, not only for his Perfidy, but for injuring a brave Man with unmanly and scandalous Re­proaches; alluding to those which Tlepolemus had just before cast upon him.

LVII.

‘VERSE 848. Nor Hector to the Chief replies.]’ Homer is in nothing more admirable than in the excellent Use he makes of the Silence of the Persons he introduces. It would be end­less to collect all the Instances of this Truth throughout his Poem; yet I cannot but put together those that have already occurr'd in the Course of this Work, and leave to the Reader the Pleasure of observing it in what remains. The Silence of [Page 102] the two Heralds when they were to take Briseis from Achilles in Lib. 1. of which see Note 39. In the third Book, when Iris tells Helen the two Rivals were to fight in her Quarrel, and that all Troy were standing Spectators; that guilty Prin­cess makes no Answer, but casts a Veil over her Face and drops a Tear; and when she comes just after into the Pre­sence of Priam, she speaks not, till after he has in a particu­lar manner encourag'd and commanded her. Paris and Me­nelaus being just upon the Point to encounter, the latter de­clares his Wishes and Hopes of Conquest to Heaven, the for­mer being engag'd in an unjust Cause, says not a word. In the fourth Book, when Jupiter has express'd his Desire to fa­vour Troy, Juno declaims against him, but the Goddess of Wisdom, tho' much concern'd, holds her Peace. When A­gamemnon too rashly reproves Diomed, that Hero remains silent, and in the true Character of a rough Warrior, leaves it to his Actions to speak for him. In the present Book when Sarpedon has reproach'd Hector in an open and generous manner, Hector preserving the same warlike Character, re­turns no Answer, but immediately hastens to the Business of the Field; as he also does in this Place, where he instantly brings off Sarpedon, without so much as telling him he will endeavour his Rescue. Chapman was not sensible of the Beauty of this, when he imagined Hector's Silence here pro­ceeded from the Pique he had conceiv'd at Sarpedon for his late Reproof of him. That Translator has not scrupled to insert this Opinion of his in a groundless Interpolation alto­gether foreign to the Author. But indeed it is a Liberty he frequently takes, to draw any Passage to some new, far-fetch'd Conceit of his Invention; insomuch, that very often before he translates any Speech, to the Sense or Design of which he gives some fanciful Turn of his own; he prepares it by seve­ral additional Lines purposely to prepossess the Reader of that Meaning. Those who will take the Trouble may see Ex­amples of this in what he sets before the Speeches of Hector, Paris, and Helena in the sixth Book, and innumerable other Places.

LVIII.

‘VERSE 858. But Boreas rising fresh.]’ Sarpedon's fainting at the Extraction of the Dart, and reviving by the free Air, shews the great Judgment of our Author in these Matters. But how Poetically has he told this Truth in raising the God Boreas to his Hero's Assistance, and making a little Machine of but one Line? This manner of representing common Things in Figure and Person, was perhaps the Effect of Ho­mer's Aegyptian Education.

LIX.

‘VERSE 860. The gen'rous Greeks, &c.]’ This slow and or­derly Retreat of the Greeks with their Front constantly turn'd to the Enemy, is a fine Encomium both of their Courage and Discipline. This manner of Retreat was in use among the ancient Lacedaemonians, as were many other martial Customs describ'd by Homer. This Practice took its Rise among that brave People from the Apprehensions of being slain with a Wound receiv'd in their Back. Such a Misfortune was not only attended with the highest Infamy, but they had found a way to punish them who suffer'd thus even after their Death, by denying them (as Eustathius informs us) the Rites of Burial.

LX.

VERSE 864.
Who first, who last, by Mars and Hector 's Hand
Stretch'd in their Blood, lay gasping on the Sand?]

This manner of breaking out into an Interrogation, amidst the Description of a Battel, is what serves very much to awa­ken the Reader. It is here an Invocation to the Muse that prepares us for something uncommon; and the Muse is sup­pos'd immediately to answer, Teuthras the great, &c. Vir­gil, I think, has improved the Strength of this Figure by addressing the Apostrophe to the Person whose Exploits he is celebrating, as to Camilla in the eleventh Book.

[Page 104]
Quem telo primum, quem postremum, aspera virgo,
Dejicis? aut quot humi morientia corpora fundis?

LXI.

‘VERSE 885. And now Heav'ns Empress calls her blazing Car, &c.]’ Homer seems never more delighted than when he has some Occasion of displaying his Skill in Mechanicks. The Detail he gives us of this Chariot is a beautiful Example of it, where he takes occasion to describe every different Part with a Happiness rarely to be found in Descriptions of this Nature.

LXII.

‘VERSE 904. Pallas disrobes.]’ This Fiction of Pallas array­ing herself with the Arms of Jupiter, finely intimates (says Eustathius) that she is nothing else but the Wisdom of the Almighty. The same Author tells us, that the Ancients mark'd this Place with a Star, to distinguish it as one of those that were perfectly admirable. Indeed there is a Greatness and Sublimity in the whole Passage, which is astonishing and superior to any Imagination but that of Homer, nor is there any that might better give occasion for that celebrated Say­ing, That he was the only Man who had seen the Forms of the Gods, or the only Man who had shewn them. With what Nobleness he describes the Chariot of Juno, the Armor of Minerva, the Aegis of Jupiter, fill'd with the Figures of Hor­ror, Affright, Discord, and all the Terrors of War, the Ef­fects of his Wrath against Men; and that Spear with which his Power and Wisdom overturns whole Armies, and humbles the Pride of the Kings who offend him? But we shall not wonder at the unusual Majesty of all these Ideas, if we con­sider that they have a near Resemblance to some Descripti­ons of the same Kind in the sacred Writings, where the Almighty is represented arm'd with Terror, and descen­ding in Majesty to be aveng'd on his Enemies: The Chariot, the Bow, and the Shield of God are Expressions frequent in the Psalms.

LXIII.

‘VERSE 913. A Fringe of Serpents.]’ Our Author does not particularly describe this Fringe of the Aegis, as consisting of Serpents; but that it did so, may be learn'd from Herodotus in his fourth Book. ‘"The Greeks (says he) borrowed the Vest and Shield of Minerva from the Lybians, only with this Difference, that the Lybian Shield was fringed with Thongs of Leather, the Grecian with Serpents."’ And Virgil's Description of the same Aegis agrees with this, Aen. 8. ℣. 435.

Aegidaque horriferam, turbatae Palladis arma,
Certatim squamis serpentum, auroque polibant,
Connexosque angues—

This Note is taken from Spondanus, as is also Ogilby's on this Place, but he has translated the Passage of Herodotus wrong, and made the Lybian Shield have the Serpents which were peculiar to the Grecian. By the way I must observe, that Ogilby's Notes are for the most part a Transcription of Spon­danus's.

LXIV.

‘VERSE 920. So vast, the wide Circumference contains A hundred Armies.]’ The Words in the Original are [...], which are capable of two Meanings; either that this Helmet of Jupiter was sufficient to have co­vered the Armies of an hundred Cities, or that the Armies of an hundred Cities were engraved upon it. It is here tran­slated in such a manner that it may be taken either way, tho' the Learned are most inclined to the former Sense, as that Idea is greater and more extraordinary, indeed more agreeable to Homer's bold manner; and not extravagant if we call in the Allegory to our Assistance, and imagine it (with M. Dacier) an Allusion to the Providence of God that extends over all the Universe.

LXV.

‘VERSE 928. Heav'n Gates spontaneous open'd.]’ This mar­vellous Circumstance of the Gates of Heaven opening them­selves of their own accord to the Divinities that past thro' them, is copied by Milton, Lib. 5.

—At the Gate
Of Heav'n arriv'd, the Gate self-open'd wide
On golden Hinges turning, as by Work
Divine the Sov'reign Architect had fram'd.

And again in the seventh Book,

—Heav'n open'd wide
Her everduring Gates, Harmonious Sound,
On golden Hinges moving—

As the Fiction that the Hours are the Guards of those Gates, gave him the Hint of that beautiful Passage in the beginning of his sixth,

—The Morn
Wak'd by the circling Hours, with rosie Hand
Unbarr'd the Gates of Light, &c.

This Expression of the Gates of Heaven is in the Eastern manner, where they said the Gates of Heaven, or of Earth, for the Entrance or Extremities of Heaven or Earth; a Phrase usual in the Scriptures, as is observ'd by Dacier.

LXVI.

‘VERSE 929. Heav'ns golden Gates, kept by the winged Hours.]’ By the Hours here are meant the Seasons; and so Hobbes translates it, but spoils the Sense by what he adds,

Tho' to the Seasons Jove the Power gave
Alone to judge of early and of late,

[Page 107] Which is utterly unintelligible, and nothing like Homer's Thought. Natalis Comes explains it thus, Lib. 4. c. 5. ‘ Homerus libro quinto Iliadis non solum has, Portas coeli ser­vare, sed etiam nubes inducere & serenum facere, cum libue­rit; quippe cum apertum coelum, serenum nominent Poetae, at clausum, tectum nubibus.’

LXVII.

‘VERSE 954. To tame the Monster-God Minerva knows.]’ For it is only Wisdom that can master Strength. It is worth while here to observe the Conduct of Homer. He makes Mi­nerva, and not Juno, to fight with Mars; because a Com­bate between Mars and Juno could not be supported by any Allegory to have authorized the Fable: whereas the Allego­ry of a Battel between Mars and Minerva is very open and intelligible. Eustathius.

LXVIII.

‘VERSE 960. Far as a Shepherd, &c.]’ Longinus citing these Verses as a noble Instance of the Sublime, speaks to this Effect. ‘"In what a wonderful manner does Homer ex­alt his Deities; measuring the Leaps of their very Horses by the whole Breadth of the Horizon? Who is there that considering the Magnificence of this Hyperbole, would not cry out with Reason, that if these heavenly Steeds were to make a second Leap, the World would want room for a third?"’ This puts me in mind of that Passage in Hesiod's Theogony, where he describes the Height of the Hea­vens, by saying a Smith's Anvil would be nine Days in falling from thence to Earth.

LXIX.

‘VERSE 971. Smooth as the gliding Doves.]’ This Simile is intended to express the Lightness and Smoothness of the Motion of these Goddesses. The Doves to which Homer compares them, are said by the ancient Scholiast to leave no [Page 108] Impression of their Steps. The Word [...] in the Original may be render'd ascenderunt as well as incesserunt; so may imply (as M. Dacier translates it) moving without touching the Earth, which Milton finely calls smooth-gliding without Step. Virgil describes the gliding of one of these Birds by an Image parallel to that in this Verse.

—Mox aere lapsa quieto,
Radit iter liquidum, celeres neque commovet alas.

This kind of Movement was appropriated to the Gods by the Egyptians, as we see in Heliodorus, Lib. 3. Homer might possibly have taken this Notion from them. And Virgil in that Passage where Aeneas discovers Venus by her Gate, Et vera incessu patuit Dea, seems to allude to some manner of moving that distinguish'd Divinities from Mortals. This O­pinion is likewise hinted at by him in the fifth Aeneid, where he so beautifully and briefly enumerates the distinguishing Marks of a Deity,

—Divini signa decoris,
Ardentesque notate oculos: qui spiritus illi,
Qui vultus, vocisque sonus, vel gressus eunti!

This Passage likewise strengthens what is said in the thirtieth Note on the first Book.

LXX.

‘VERSE 978. Stentor the strong, endu'd with Brazen Lungs.]’ There was a Necessity for Cryers whose Voices were stronger than ordinary, in those ancient Times, before the Use of Trumpets was known in their Armies. And that they were in Esteem afterwards may be seen from Herodotus, where he takes notice that Darius had in his Train an Egyptian, whose Voice was louder and stronger than any Man's of his Age. There is a farther Propriety in Homer's attributing this Voice to Juno; because Juno is no other than the Air, and because the Air is the Cause of Sound. Eustathius. Spondanus.

LXXI.

‘VERSE 998. Degen'rate Prince, &c.]’ This Speech of Mi­nerva to Diomed derives its whole Force and Efficacy from the offensive Comparison she makes between Tydeus and his Son. Tydeus when he was single in the City of his Enemy, fought and overcame the Thebans even tho' Minerva forbade him; Diomed in the midst of his Army, and with Enemies inferior in Number, declines the Fight, tho' Minerva com­mands him. Tydeus disobeys her, to engage in the Battel; Diomed disobeys her to avoid engaging; and that too after he had upon many Occasions experienced the Assistance of the Goddess. Madam Dacier should have acknowledged this Remark to belong to Eustathius.

LXXII.

‘VERSE 1024. Rash, furious, blind, from these to those he flies.]’ Minerva in this Place very well paints the Manners of Mars, whose Business was always to fortify the weaker side, in order to keep up the Broil. I think the Passage includes a fine Allegory of the Nature of War. Mars is called in­constant, and a Breaker of his Promises, because the Chance of War is wavering, and uncertain Victory is perpetually changing sides. This latent Meaning of the Epithet [...] is taken notice of by Eustathius.

LXXIII.

‘VERSE 1033. So great a God.]’ The Translation has ventured to call a Goddess so; in Imitation of the Greek, which uses the word [...] promiscuously for either Gender. Some of the Latin Poets have not scrupled to do the same. Statius, Thebaid 4. (speaking of Diana)

Nec caret umbra Deo.

And Virgil, Aeneid 2. where Aeneas is conducted by Venus thro' the Dangers of the Fire and the Enemy.

[Page 110]
Descendo, ac ducente Deo, flammam inter & hostes
Expedior—

LXXIV.

‘VERSE 1037. Black Orcus' Helmet.]’ As every thing that goes into the dark Empire of Pluto, or Orcus, disappears and is seen no more; the Greeks from thence borrow'd this figu­rative Expression, to put on Pluto 's Helmet, that is to say, to become invisible. Plato uses this Proverb in the tenth Book of his Republick, and Aristophanes in Acharnens. Eustathius.

LXXV.

‘VERSE 1054. Loud as the Roar encountring Armies yield.]’ This Hyperbole to express the roaring of Mars, so strong as it is, yet is not extravagant. It wants not a qualifying Cir­cumstance or two; the Voice is not Human, but that of a Deity, and the Comparison being taken from an Army, ren­ders it more natural with respect to the God of War. It is less daring to say that a God could send forth a Voice as loud as the Shout of two Armies, than that Camilla, a Latian Nymph, could run so swiftly over the Corn as not to bend an Ear of it. Or, to alledge a nearer Instance, that Poly­phemus a meer Mortal, shook all the Island of Sicily, and made the deepest Caverns of Aetna roar with his Cries. Yet Virgil generally escapes the Censure of those Moderns who are shock'd with the bold Flights of Homer. It is usual with those who are Slaves to common Opinion to overlook or praise the same Things in one, that they blame in another. They think to depreciate Homer in extolling the Judgment of Virgil, who never shew'd it more than when he followed him in these Boldnesses. And indeed they who would take Boldness from Poetry, must leave Dulness in the room of it.

LXXVI.

‘VERSE 1058. As Vapors blown, &c.]’ Mars after a sharp [Page 111] Engagement amidst the Rout of the Trojans, wrapt in a Whirlwind of Dust which was rais'd by so many thousand Combatants, flies toward Olympus. Homer compares him in this Estate, to those black Clouds, which during a scorching Southern Wind in the Dog-days, are sometimes born towards Heaven; for the Wind at that time gathering the Dust to­gether, forms a dark Cloud of it. The Heat of the Fight, the Precipitation of the Trojans, together with the Clouds of Dust that flew above the Army and took Mars from the Sight of his Enemy, supply'd Homer with this noble Image. Dacier.

LXXVII.

‘VERSE 1074. Thou gav'st that Fury to the Realms of Light, Pernicious, wild, &c.]’ It is very artful in Homer, to make Mars accuse Minerva of all those Faults and Enormities he was himself so eminently guilty of. Those People who are the most unjust and violent accuse others, even the best, of the same Crimes: Every irrational Man is a distorted Rule, tries every thing by that wrong Measure, and forms his Judg­ment accordingly. Eustathius.

LXXVIII.

‘VERSE 1091. Condemn'd to Pain, tho' fated not to die.]’ Those are mistaken who imagine our Author represents his Gods as mortal. He only represents the inferior or corporeal Deities as capable of Pains and Punishments, during the Will of Jupiter, which is not inconsistent with true Theology. If Mars is said in Dione's Speech to Venus to have been near perishing by Otus and Ephialtes, it means no more than last­ing Misery, such as Jupiter threatens him with when he speaks of precipitating him into Tartarus. Homer takes care to tell us both of this God and of Pluto when Paeon cured them, that they were not mortal.

[...]

LXXIX.

‘VERSE 1096. Of all the Gods—Thou most unjust, most odious, &c.]’ Jupiter's Reprimand of Mars is worthy the Ju­stice and Goodness of the great Governor of the World, and seems to be no more than was necessary in this Place. Ho­mer hereby admirably distinguishes between Minerva and Mars, that is to say, between Wisdom and ungovern'd Fury; the former is produced from Jupiter without a Mother, to show that it proceeds from God alone; (and Homer's allu­ding to that Fable in the preceding Speech shows that he was not unacquainted with this Opinion.) The latter is born of Jupiter and Juno, because, as Plato explains it, whatever is created by the Ministry of second Causes, and the Concur­rence of Matter, partakes of that Original Spirit of Division which reigned in the Chaos, and is of a corrupt and rebelli­ous Nature. The Reader will find this Allegory pursued with great Beauty in these two Speeches; especially where Jupiter concludes with saying he will not destroy Mars, be­cause he comes from himself; God will not annihilate Pas­sion, which he created to be of use to Reason: ‘"Wisdom (says Eustathius upon this Place) has occasion for Passion, in the same manner as Princes have need of Guards. Therefore Reason and Wisdom correct and keep Passion in Subjection, but do not entirely destroy and ruin it.’

LXXX.

‘VERSE 1101. And all thy Mother in thy Soul rebels, &c.]’ Jupiter says of Juno, that she has a Temper which is insup­portable, and knows not how to submit, tho' he is perpetually chastising her with his Reproofs. Homer says no more than this, but M. Dacier adds, Si je ne la retenois par la severitè des mes loix, il n'est rien qu'elle ne bouleversast dans l'Olympe & sous l'Olympe. Upon which she makes a Remark to this effect, ‘"that if it were not for the Laws of Providence, the whole World would be nothing but Confusion."’ This Practice of refining and adding to Homer's Thought in the [Page 113] Text, and then applauding the Author for it in the Notes, is pretty usual with the more florid modern Translators. In the third Iliad in Helen's Speech to Priam, ℣. 175. she wishes she had rather dy'd than follow'd Paris to Troy. To this is added in the French, Mais je n'eus ni assez de Courage ni as­sez de vertu, for which there is not the least Hint in Homer. I mention this particular Instance in pure Justice, because in the Treatise de la Corruption du Gout Exam. de Liv. 3. She triumphs over M. de la Motte as if he had omitted the Sense and Moral of Homer in that Place, when in Truth he only left out her own Interpolation.

LXXXI.

‘VERSE 1113. As when the Fig's prest Juice, &c.]’ The sudden Operation of the Remedy administer'd by Paeon, is well express'd by this Similitude. It is necessary just to take notice, that they anciently made use of the Juice or Sap of a green Fig for Runnet, to cause their Milk to coagulate. It may not be amiss to observe, that Homer is not very delicate in the Choice of his Allusions. He often borrowed his Si­miles from low Life, and provided they illustrated his Thoughts in a just and lively manner, it was all he had regard to.

THE Allegory of this whole Book lies so open, is carry'd on with such Closeness, and wound up with so much Fulness and Strength, that it is a wonder how it could enter into the Imagination of any Critick, that these Actions of Diomed were only a daring and extravagant Fiction in Homer, as if he af­fected the Marvellous at any rate. The great Moral of it is, that a brave Man should not contend against Heaven, but re­sist only Venus and Mars, Incontinence and ungovern'd Fury. Diomed is propos'd as an Example of a great and enterprizing Nature, which would perpetually be venturing too far, and committing Extravagancies or Impieties, did it not suffer it­self to be check'd and guided by Minerva or Prudence: For it is this Wisdom (as we are told in the very first Lines of the Book) that raises a Hero above all others. Nothing is more observable than the particular Care Homer has taken to shew [Page 114] he designed this Moral. He never omits any Occasion throughout the Book, to put it in express Terms into the Mouths of the Gods or Persons of the greatest Weight. Mi­nerva, at the beginning of the Battel, is made to give this Precept to Diomed; Fight not against the Gods, but give way to them, and resist only Venus. The same Goddess opens his Eyes, and enlightens him so far as to perceive when it is Heaven that acts immediately against him, or when it is Man only that opposes him. The Hero himself, as soon as he has perform'd her Dictates in driving away Venus, cries out, not as to the Goddess, but as to the Passion, Thou hast no Business with Warriors, is it not enough that thou deceiv'st weak Women? Even the Mother of Venus while she comforts her Daughter, bears Testimony to the Moral: That Man (says she) is not long-liv'd who contends with the Gods. And when Diomed, transported by his Nature, proceeds but a Step too far, Apollo discovers himself in the most solemn manner, and declares this Truth in his own Voice, as it were by direct Revelation: Mortal, forbear! consider, and know the vast difference there is between the Gods and Thee. They are im­mortal and divine, but Man a miserable Reptile of the Dust.

THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

The ARGUMENT.
The Episodes of Glaucus and Diomed, and of Hector and Andromache.

THE Gods having left the Field, the Grecians prevail. Helenus, the chief Augur of Troy, commands Hector to return to the City in order to appoint a solemn Pro­cession of the Queen and the Trojan Matrons to the Temple of Minerva, to entreat her to remove Diomed from the Fight. The Battel relaxing during the Absence of Hector, Glaucus and Diomed have an Interview between the two Armies; where coming to the Knowledge of the Friendship and Hospitality past between their Ancestors, they make exchange of their Arms. Hector having performed the Orders of Helenus, prevail'd up­on Paris to return to the Battel, and taken a tender Leave of his Wife Andromache, hastens again to the Field.

The Scene is first in the Field of Battel, between the Rivers Simois and Scamander, and then changes to Troy.

THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

NOW Heav'n forsakes the Fight: Th'Immor­tals yield
To human Force and human Skill, the Field:
Dark Show'rs of Javelins fly from Foes to Foes;
Now here, now there, the Tyde of Combate flows;
While Troy's fam'd Streams that bound the deathful Plain
Scaman­der and Simois.
On either side run purple to the Main.
Great Ajax first to Conquest led the way,
Broke the thick Ranks, and turn'd the doubtful Day.
The Thracian Acamas his Faulchion found,
That hew'd th' enormous Giant to the Ground;
His thundring Arm a deadly Stroke imprest
Where the black Horse-hair nodded o'er his Crest:
[Page 118] Fix'd in his Front the brazen Weapon lies,
And seals in endless Shades his swimming Eyes.
Next Teuthras' Son distain'd the Sands with Blood,
Axylus, hospitable, rich and good:
In fair Arisba's Walls (his native Place)
He held his Seat; a Friend to Human Race.
Fast by the Road, his ever-open Door
Oblig'd the Wealthy, and reliev'd the Poor.
To stern Tydides now he falls a Prey,
No Friend to guard him in the dreadful Day!
Breathless the good Man fell, and by his side
His faithful Servant, old Calesius dy'd.
By great Euryalus was Dresus slain,
And next he lay'd Opheltius on the Plain.
Two Twins were near, bold beautiful and young,
From a fair Naiad and Bucolion sprung:
( Laomedon's white Flocks Bucolion fed,
That Monarch's First-born by a foreign Bed;
In secret Woods he won the Naiad's Grace,
And two fair Infants crown'd his strong Embrace.)
Here dead they lay in all their youthful Charms;
The ruthless Victor stripp'd their shining Arms.
Astyalus by Polypaetes fell;
Ulysses' Spear Pidytes sent to Hell;
By Teuter's Shaft brave Arctaon bled,
And Nestor's Son laid stern Ablerus dead.
Great Agamemnon, Leader of the Brave,
The mortal Wound of rich Elatus gave,
Who held in Pedasus his proud Abode,
And till'd the Banks where silver Satnio flow'd.
Melanthius by Eurypylus was slain;
And Phylacus from Leitus flies in vain.
Unblest Adrastus next at Mercy lies
Beneath the Spartan Spear, a living Prize.
Scar'd with the Din and Tumult of the Fight,
His headlong Steeds, precipitate in Flight,
Rush'd on a Tamarisk's strong Trunk, and broke
The shatter'd Chariot from the crooked Yoke:
Wide o'er the Field, resistless as the Wind,
For Troy they fly, and leave their Lord behind.
Prone on his Face he sinks beside the Wheel;
Atrides o'er him shakes his vengeful Steel;
The fallen Chief in suppliant Posture press'd
The Victor's Knees, and thus his Pray'r address'd.
Oh spare my Youth, and for the Life I owe
Large Gifts of Price my Father shall bestow;
When Fame shall tell, that not in Battel slain
Thy hollow Ships his Captive Son detain,
Rich Heaps of Brass shall in thy Tent be told;
And Steel well-temper'd, and persuasive Gold.
He said: Compassion touch'd the Hero's Heart,
He stood suspended with the lifted Dart:
As Pity pleaded for his vanquish'd Prize,
Stern Agamemnon swift to Vengeance flies,
And furious, thus. Oh impotent of Mind!
Shall these, shall these Atrides' Mercy find?
Well hast thou known proud Troy's perfidious Land,
And well her Natives merit at thy Hand!
Not one of all the Race, not Sex, nor Age,
Shall save a Trojan from our boundless Rage:
Ilion shall perish whole, and bury All;
Her Babes, her Infants at the Breast, shall fall.
A dreadful Lesson of exampled Fate,
To warn the Nations, and to curb the Great!
The Monarch spoke: the Words with Warmth addrest
To rigid Justice steel'd his Brother's Breast.
[Page 121] Fierce from his Knees the hapless Chief he thrust;
The Monarch's Javelin stretch'd him in the Dust.
Then pressing with his Foot his panting Heart,
Forth from the slain he tugg'd the reeking Dart.
Old Nestor saw, and rowz'd the Warrior's Rage;
Thus, Heroes! thus the vig'rous Combate wage!
No Son of Mars descend, for servile Gains,
To touch the Booty, while a Foe remains.
Behold yon' glitt'ring Host, your future Spoil!
First gain the Conquest, then reward the Toil.
And now had Greece Eternal Fame acquir'd.
And frighted Troy within her Walls retir'd;
Had not sage Helenus her State redrest,
Taught by the Gods that mov'd his sacred Breast:
Where Hector stood, with great Aeneas join'd,
The Seer reveal'd the Counsels of his Mind.
Ye gen'rous Chiefs! on whom th' Immortals lay
The Cares and Glories of this doubtful Day,
On whom your Aid's, your Country's Hopes depend,
Wise to consult, and active to defend!
Here, at our Gates, your brave Efforts unite,
Turn back the Routed, and forbid the Flight;
[...] [...]
[Page 122] E're yet their Wives soft Arms the Cowards gain,
The Sport and Insult of the Hostile Train.
When your Commands have hearten'd ev'ry Band,
Our selves, here fix'd, will make the dang'rous Stand:
Press'd as we are, and sore of former Fight,
These Straits demand our last Remains of Might.
Meanwhile, thou Hector to the Town retire,
And teach our Mother what the Gods require:
Direct the Queen to lead th' assembled Train
Of Troy's chief Matrons to Minerva's Fane;
Unbar the sacred Gates; and seek the Pow'r
With offer'd Vows, in Ilion's topmost Tow'r.
The largest Mantle her rich Wardrobes hold,
Most priz'd for Art, and labour'd o'er with Gold,
Before the Goddess' honour'd Knees be spread;
And twelve young Heifers to her Altars led.
If so the Pow'r, atton'd by fervent Pray'r,
Our Wives, our Infants, and our City spare,
And far avert Tydides' wastful Ire,
That mows whole Troops, and makes all Troy retire.
Not thus Achilles taught our Hosts to dread,
Sprung tho' he was from more than mortal Bed;
[Page 123] Not thus resistless rul'd the Stream of Fight,
In Rage unbounded, and unmatch'd in Might.
Hector obedient heard; and, with a Bound,
Leap'd from his trembling Chariot to the Ground;
Thro' all his Host, inspiring Force he flies,
And bids the Thunder of the Battel rise.
With Rage recruited the bold Trojans glow;
And turn the Tyde of Conflict on the Foe:
Fierce in the Front he shakes two dazling Spears;
All Greece recedes, and 'midst her Triumph fears.
Some God, they thought, who rul'd the Fate of Wars,
Shot down avenging, from the Vault of Stars.
Then thus, aloud. Ye dauntless Dardans hear!
And you whom distant Nations send to War!
Be mindful of the Strength your Fathers bore;
Be still your selves, and Hector asks no more.
One Hour demands me in the Trojan Wall,
To bid our Altars flame, and Victims fall:
Nor shall, I trust, the Matron's holy Train
And rev'rend Elders, seek the Gods in vain.
This said, with ample Strides the Hero past;
The Shield's large Orb behind his Shoulder cast,
[Page 124] His Neck o'ershading, to his Ancle hung;
And as he march'd, the brazen Buckler rung.
Now paus'd the Battel, (Godlike Hector gone)
When daring Glaucus and great Tydeus' Son
Between both Armies met: The Chiefs from far
Observ'd each other, and had mark'd for War.
Near as they drew, Tydides thus began.
What art thou, boldest of the Race of Man?
Our Eyes, till now, that Aspect ne'er beheld,
Where Fame is reap'd amid th' embattel'd Field;
Yet far before the Troops thou dar'st appear,
And meet a Lance the fiercest Heroes fear.
Unhappy they, and born of luckless Sires,
Who tempt our Fury when Minerva fires!
But if from Heav'n, Celestial thou descend;
Know, with Immortals we no more contend.
Not long Lycurgus view'd the Golden Light,
That daring Man who mix'd with Gods in Fight;
Bacchus, and Bacchus' Votaries he drove
With brandish'd Steel from Nyssa's sacred Grove,
Their consecrated Spears lay scatter'd round,
With curling Vines and twisted Ivy bound;
[Page 125] While Bacchus headlong sought the briny Flood,
And Thetis' Arms receiv'd the trembling God.
Nor fail'd the Crime th' Immortals Wrath to move,
(Th' Immortals blest with endless Ease above)
Depriv'd of Sight by their avenging Doom,
Chearless he breath'd, and wander'd in the Gloom,
Then sunk unpity'd to the dire Abodes,
A Wretch accurst, and hated by the Gods!
I brave not Heav'n: But if the Fruits of Earth
Sustain thy Life, and Human be thy Birth;
Bold as thou art, too prodigal of Breath,
Approach, and enter the dark Gates of Death.
What, or from whence I am, or who my Sire,
(Reply'd the Chief) can Tydeus' Son enquire?
Like Leaves on Trees the Race of Man is found,
Now green in Youth, now with'ring on the Ground,
Another Race the following Spring supplies,
They fall successive, and successive rise;
So Generations in their Course decay,
So flourish these, when those are past away.
But if thou still persist to search my Birth,
Then hear a Tale that fills the spacious Earth.
A City stands on Argos' utmost Bound,
( Argos the fair for warlike Steeds renown'd)
Aeolian Sysiphus, with Wisdom blest,
In ancient Time the happy Walls possest,
Then call'd Ephyre: Glaucus was his Son;
Great Glaucus Father of Bellerophon,
Who o'er the Sons of Men in Beauty shin'd,
Lov'd for that Valour which preserves Mankind.
Then mighty Praetus Argos' Sceptres sway'd,
Whose hard Commands Bellerophon obey'd.
With direful Jealousy the Monarch rag'd,
And the brave Prince in num'rous Toils engag'd.
For him, Antaea burn'd with lawless Flame,
And strove to tempt him from the Paths of Fame:
In vain she tempted the relentless Youth,
Endu'd with Wisdom, sacred Fear, and Truth.
Fir'd at his Scorn the Queen to Praetus fled,
And beg'd Revenge for her insulted Bed:
Incens'd he heard, resolving on his Fate;
But Hospitable Laws restrain'd his Hate:
To Lycia the devoted Youth he sent,
With Tablets seal'd, that told his dire Intent.
[Page 127] Now blest by ev'ry Pow'r who guards the Good,
The Chief arriv'd at Xanthus' silver Flood:
There Lycia's Monarch paid him Honours due;
Nine Days he feasted, and nine Bulls he slew.
But when the tenth bright Morning Orient glow'd,
The faithful Youth his Monarch's Mandate show'd:
The fatal Tablets, till that Instant seal'd,
The deathful Secret to the King reveal'd.
First, dire Chymaera's Conquest was enjoin'd;
A mingled Monster, of no mortal Kind;
Behind, a Dragon's fiery Tail was spread;
A Goat's rough Body bore a Lion's Head;
Her pitchy Nostrils flaky Flames expire;
Her gaping Throat emits infernal Fire.
This Pest he slaughter'd (for he read the Skies,
And trusted Heav'ns informing Prodigies)
Then met in Arms the Solymaean Crew,
(Fiercest of Men) and those the Warrior slew.
Next the bold Amazon's whole Force defy'd;
And conquer'd still, for Heav'n was on his side.
Nor ended here his Toils: His Lycian Foes
At his Return, a treach'rous Ambush, rose,
[Page 128] With levell'd Spears along the winding Shore;
There fell they breathless, and return'd no more.
At length the Monarch with repentant Grief
Confess'd the Gods, and God-descended Chief;
His Daughter gave, the Stranger to detain,
With half the Honours of his ample Reign.
The Lycians grant a chosen Space of Ground,
With Woods, with Vineyards, and with Harvests crown'd.
There long the Chief his happy Lot possess'd,
With two brave Sons and one fair Daughter bless'd;
(Fair ev'n in heav'nly Eyes; her fruitful Love
Crown'd with Sarpedon's Birth th' Embrace of Jove)
But when at last, distracted in his Mind,
Forsook by Heav'n, forsaking Human-kind,
Wide o'er th' Aleian Field he chose to stray,
A long, forlorn, uncomfortable Way!
Woes heap'd on Woes oppress'd his wasted Heart;
His beauteous Daughter fell by Phoebè's Dart;
His Eldest-born by raging Mars was slain,
In Combate on the Solymaean Plain.
[Page 129] Hippolochus surviv'd; from him I came,
The honour'd Author of my Birth and Name;
By his Decree I sought the Trojan Town,
By his Instructions learn to win Renown,
To stand the first in Worth as in Command,
To add new Honours to my native Land,
Before my Eyes my mighty Sires to place,
And emulate the Glories of our Race.
He spoke, and Transport fill'd Tydides' Heart;
In Earth the gen'rous Warrior fix'd his Dart,
Then friendly, thus, the Lycian Prince addrest.
Welcome, my brave Hereditary Guest!
Thus ever let us meet, with kind Embrace,
Nor stain the sacred Friendship of our Race.
Know, Chief, our Grandsires have been Guests of old;
Oeneus the strong, Bellerophon the bold:
Our ancient Seat his honour'd Presence grac'd,
Where twenty Days in Genial Rites he pass'd.
The parting Heroes mutual Presents left;
A golden Goblet was thy Grandsire's Gift;
Oeneus a Belt of matchless Work bestow'd,
That rich with Tyrian Dye refulgent glow'd.
[Page 130] (This from his Pledge I learn'd, which safely stor'd
Among my Treasures, still adorns my Board:
For Tydeus left me young, when Thebè's Wall
Beheld the Sons of Greece untimely fall.)
Mindful of this, in Friendship let us join;
If Heav'n our Steps to foreign Lands incline,
My Guest in Argos thou, and I in Lycia thine.
Enough of Trojans to this Lance shall yield,
In the full Harvest of yon' ample Field;
Enough of Greeks shall die thy Spear with Gore;
But Thou and Diomed be Foes no more.
Now change we Arms, and prove to either Host
We guard the Friendship of the Line we boast.
Thus having said, the gallant Chiefs alight,
Their Hands they join, their mutual Faith they plight,
Brave Glaucus then each narrow Thought resign'd,
( Jove warm'd his Bosom and enlarg'd his Mind)
For Diomed's Brass Arms, of mean Device,
For which nine Oxen paid (a vulgar Price)
He gave his own, of Gold divinely wrought,
A hundred Beeves the shining Purchase bought.
Meantime the Guardian of the Trojan State,
Great Hector enter'd at the Scaean Gate.
Beneath the Beech-Tree's consecrated Shades,
The Trojan Matrons and the Trojan Maids
Around him flock'd, all press'd with pious Care
For Husbands, Brothers, Sons, engag'd in War.
He bids the Train in long Procession go,
And seek the Gods, t' avert th' impending Woe.
And now to Priam's stately Courts he came,
Rais'd on arch'd Columns of stupendous Frame;
O'er these a Range of Marble Structure runs,
The rich Pavillions of his fifty Sons,
In fifty Chambers lodg'd; and Rooms of State
Oppos'd to those, where Priam's Daughters sate:
Twelve Domes for them and their lov'd Spouses shone,
Of equal Beauty, and of polish'd Stone.
Hither great Hector pass'd, nor pass'd unseen
Of Royal Hecuba, his Mother Queen.
(With her Laodicè, whose beauteous Face
Surpass'd the Nymphs of Troy's illustrious Race)
Long in a strict Embrace she held her Son,
And press'd his Hand, and tender thus begun.
O Hector! say, what great Occasion calls
My Son from Fight, when Greece surrounds our Walls?
Com'st thou to supplicate th' Almighty Pow'r,
With lifted Hands from Ilion's lofty Tow'r?
Stay, till I bring the Cup with Bacchus crown'd,
In Jove's high Name to sprinkle on the Ground,
And pay due Vows to all the Gods around.
Then with a plenteous Draught refresh thy Soul,
And draw new Spirits from the gen'rous Bowl;
Spent as thou art with long laborious Fight,
The brave Defender of thy Country's Right.
Far hence be Bacchus' Gifts (the Chief rejoin'd)
Inflaming Wine, pernicious to Mankind,
Unnerves the Limbs, and dulls the noble Mind.
Let Chiefs abstain, and spare the sacred Juice
To sprinkle to the Gods, its better Use.
By me that holy Office were prophan'd;
Ill fits it me, with human Gore distain'd,
To the pure Skies these horrid Hands to raise,
Or offer Heav'n's great Sire polluted Praise.
You, with your Matrons, go! a spotless Train,
And burn rich Odors in Minerva's Fane.
[Page 133] The largest Mantle your full Wardrobes hold,
Most priz'd for Art, and labour'd o'er with Gold,
Before the Goddess' honour'd Knees be spread,
And twelve young Heifers to her Altar led.
So may the Pow'r, atton'd by fervent Pray'r,
Our Wives, our Infants, and our City spare,
And far avert Tydides' wastful Ire,
Who mows whole Troops and makes all Troy retire.
Be this, O Mother, your religious Care;
I go to rowze soft Paris to the War;
If yet not lost to all the Sense of Shame,
The recreant Warrior hear the Voice of Fame.
Oh would kind Earth the hateful Wretch embrace,
That Pest of Troy, that Ruin of our Race!
Deep to the dark Abyss might he descend,
Troy yet should flourish, and my Sorrows end.
This heard, she gave Command; and summon'd came
Each noble Matron, and illustrious Dame.
The Phrygian Queen to her rich Wardrobe went,
Where treasur'd Odors breath'd a costly Scent.
There lay the Vestures, of no vulgar Art,
Sidonian Maids embroider'd ev'ry Part,
[Page 134] Whom from soft Sidon youthful Paris bore,
With Helen touching on the Tyrian Shore.
Here as the Queen revolv'd with careful Eyes
The various Textures and the various Dies,
She chose a Veil that shone superior far,
And glow'd refulgent as the Morning Star.
Herself with this the long Procession leads;
The Train majestically slow proceeds.
Soon as to Ilion's topmost Tow'r they come,
And awful reach the high Palladian Dome,
Antenor's Consort, fair Theano, waits
As Pallas' Priestess, and unbars the Gates.
With Hands uplifted and imploring Eyes,
They fill the Dome with supplicating Cries.
The Priestess then the shining Veil displays,
Plac'd on Minerva's Knees, and thus she prays.
Oh awful Goddess! ever-dreadful Maid,
Troy's strong Defence, unconquer'd Pallas, aid!
Break thou Tydides' Spear, and let him fall
Prone on the Dust before the Trojan Wall.
So twelve young Heifers, guiltless of the Yoke,
Shall fill thy Temple with a grateful Smoke.
[Page 135] But thou, atton'd by Penitence and Pray'r,
Our selves, our Infants, and our City spare!
So pray'd the Priestess in her holy Fane;
So vow'd the Matrons, but they vow'd in vain.
While these appear before the Pow'r with Pray'rs,
Hector to Paris' lofty Dome repairs.
Himself the Mansion rais'd, from ev'ry Part
Assembling Architects of matchless Art.
Near Priam's Court and Hector's Palace stands
The pompous Structure, and the Town commands.
A Spear the Hero bore of wondrous Strength,
Of full ten Cubits was the Lance's Length,
The steely Point with golden Ringlets join'd,
Before him brandish'd, at each Motion shin'd.
Thus entring in the glitt'ring Rooms, he found
His Brother-Chief, whose useless Arms lay round,
His Eyes delighting with their splendid Show,
Bright'ning the Shield, and polishing the Bow.
Beside him, Helen with her Virgins stands,
Guides their rich Labours, and instructs their Hands.
Him thus unactive, with an ardent Look
The Prince beheld, and high-resenting spoke.
[Page 136] Thy Hate to Troy, is this the Time to show?
(Oh Wretch ill-fated, and thy Country's Foe!)
Paris and Greece against us both conspire;
Thy close Resentment, and their vengeful Ire.
For thee great Ilion's Guardian Heroes fall,
Till Heaps of Dead alone defend her Wall;
For thee the Soldier bleeds, the Matron mourns,
And wastful War in all its Fury burns.
Ungrateful Man! deserves not this thy Care,
Our Troops to hearten, and our Toils to share?
Rise, or behold the conqu'ring Flames ascend,
And all the Phrygian Glories at an end.
Brother, 'tis just (reply'd the beauteous Youth)
Thy free Remonstrance proves thy Worth and Truth:
Yet charge my Absence less, oh gen'rous Chief!
On Hate to Troy, than conscious Shame and Grief:
Here, hid from human Eyes, thy Brother sate,
And mourn'd in secret, his, and Ilion's Fate.
'Tis now enough: now Glory spreads her Charms,
And beauteous Helen calls her Chief to Arms.
Conquest to Day my happier Sword may bless,
'Tis Man's to fight, but Heav'ns to give Success.
[Page 137] But while I arm, contain thy ardent Mind;
Or go, and Paris shall not lag behind.
He said, nor answer'd Priam's warlike Son;
When Helen thus with lowly Grace begun.
Oh gen'rous Brother! if the guilty Dame
That caus'd these Woes, deserve a Sister's Name!
Would Heav'n, e're all these dreadful Deeds were done,
The Day, that show'd me to the golden Sun,
Had seen my Death! Why did not Whirlwinds bear
The fatal Infant to the Fowls of Air?
Why sunk I not beneath the whelming Tyde,
And 'midst the Roarings of the Waters dy'd?
Heav'n fill'd up all my Ills, and I accurst
Bore all, and Paris of those Ills the worst.
Helen at least a braver Spouse might claim,
Warm'd with some Virtue, some Regard of Fame!
Now tir'd with Toils, thy fainting Limbs recline,
With Toils, sustain'd for Paris' sake and mine:
The Gods have link'd our miserable Doom,
Our present Woe, and Infamy to come:
Wide shall it spread, and last thro' Ages long,
Example sad! and Theme of future Song.
The Chief reply'd: This Time forbids to rest:
The Trojan Bands by hostile Fury prest.
Demand their Hector, and his Arm require;
The Combate urges, and my Soul's on fire.
Urge thou thy Knight to march where Glory calls,
And timely join me, e're I leave the Walls.
E're yet I mingle in the direful Fray,
My Wife, my Infant, claim a Moment's Stay;
This Day (perhaps the last that sees me here)
Demands a parting Word, a tender Tear:
This Day, some God who hates our Trojan Land
May vanquish Hector by a Grecian Hand.
He said, and past with sad presaging Heart
To seek his Spouse, his Soul's far dearer Part;
At home he sought her, but he sought in vain;
She, with one Maid of all her Menial Train,
Had thence retir'd; and with her second Joy,
The young Astyanax, the Hope of Troy.
Pensive she stood on Ilion's Tow'ry Height,
Beheld the War, and sicken'd at the Sight;
There her sad Eyes in vain her Lord explore,
Or weep the Wounds her bleeding Country bore.
But he who found not whom his Soul desir'd,
Whose Virtue charm'd him as her Beauty fir'd,
Stood in the Gates, and ask'd what way she bent
Her parting Step? If to the Fane she went,
Where late the mourning Matrons made Resort;
Or sought her Sisters in the Trojan Court?
Not to the Court (reply'd th' Attendant Train)
Nor mix'd with Matrons to Minerva's Fane:
To Ilion's steepy Tow'r she bent her way,
To mark the Fortunes of the doubtful Day.
Troy fled, she heard, before the Grecian Sword;
She heard, and trembled for her absent Lord:
Distracted with Surprize, she seem'd to fly,
Fear on her Cheek, and Sorrow in her Eye.
The Nurse attended with her Infant Boy,
The young Astyanax, the Hope of Troy.
Hector, this heard, return'd without Delay;
Swift thro' the Town he trod his former way,
Thro' Streets of Palaces and Walks of State;
And met the Mourner at the Scaean Gate.
With haste to meet him sprung the joyful Fair,
His blameless Wife, Aëtion's wealthy Heir:
[Page 140] ( Cilician Thebè great Aëtion sway'd,
And Hippoplacus' wide-extended Shade)
The Nurse stood near, in whose Embraces prest
His only Hope hung smiling at her Breast,
Whom each soft Charm and early Grace adorn,
Fair as the new-born Star that gilds the Morn.
To this lov'd Infant Hector gave the Name
Scamandrius, from Scamander's honour'd Stream;
Astyanax the Trojans call'd the Boy,
From his great Father, the Defence of Troy.
Silent the Warrior smil'd, and pleas'd resign'd
To tender Passions all his mighty Mind:
His beauteous Princess cast a mournful Look,
Hung on his Hand, and then dejected spoke;
Her Bosom labour'd with a boding Sigh,
And the big Tear stood trembling in her Eye.
Too daring Prince! ah whither dost thou run?
Ah too forgetful of thy Wife and Son!
And think'st thou not how wretched we shall be,
A Widow I, an helpless Orphan He!
For sure such Courage Length of Life denies,
And thou must fall, thy Virtue's Sacrifice.
[Page 141] Greece in her single Heroes strove in vain;
Now Hosts oppose thee, and thou must be slain!
Oh grant me Gods! e're Hector meets his Doom,
All I can ask of Heav'n, an early Tomb!
So shall my Days in one sad Tenor run,
And end with Sorrows as they first begun.
No Parent now remains, my Griefs to share,
No Father's Aid, no Mother's tender Care.
The fierce Achilles wrapt our Walls in Fire,
Lay'd Thebè waste, and slew my warlike Sire!
His Fate Compassion in the Victor bred;
Stern as he was, he yet rever'd the Dead,
His radiant Arms preserv'd from hostile Spoil,
And lay'd him decent on the Fun'ral Pyle;
Then rais'd a Mountain where his Bones were burn'd,
The Mountain Nymphs the rural Tomb adorn'd,
Jove's Sylvan Daughters bade their Elms bestow
A barren Shade, and in his Honour grow.
By the same Arm my sev'n brave Brothers fell,
In one sad Day beheld the Gates of Hell;
While the fat Herds and snowie Flocks they fed,
Amid their Fields the hapless Heroes bled!
[Page 142] My Mother liv'd to bear the Victor's Bands,
The Queen of Hippoplacia's Sylvan Lands:
Redeem'd too late, she scarce beheld again
Her pleasing Empire and her native Plain,
When ah! opprest by Life-consuming Woe,
She fell a Victim to Diana's Bow.
Yet while my Hector still survives, I see
My Father, Mother, Brethren, all, in thee.
Alas! my Parents, Brothers, Kindred, all,
Once more will perish if my Hector fall.
Thy Wife, thy Infant, in thy Danger share:
Oh prove a Husband's and a Father's Care!
That Quarter most the skillful Greeks annoy,
Where yon' wild Fig-Trees join the Wall of Troy:
Thou, from this Tow'r defend th' important Post;
There Agamemnon points his dreadful Host,
That Pass Tydides, Ajax strive to gain,
And there the vengeful Spartan fires his Train.
Thrice our bold Foes the fierce Attack have giv'n,
Or led by Hopes, or dictated from Heav'n.
Let others in the Field their Arms employ,
But stay my Hector here, and guard his Troy.
The Chief reply'd: That Post shall be my Care,
Nor that alone, but all the Works of War.
How would the Sons of Troy, in Arms renown'd,
And Troy's proud Dames whose Garments sweep the Ground,
Attaint the Lustre of my former Name,
Should Hector basely quit the Field of Fame?
My early Youth was bred to martial Pains,
My Soul impells me to th' embattel'd Plains;
Let me be foremost to defend the Throne,
And guard my Father's Glories, and my own.
Yet come it will, the Day decreed by Fates;
(How my Heart trembles while my Tongue relates!)
The Day when thou, Imperial Troy! must bend,
And see thy Warriors fall, thy Glories end.
And yet no dire Prefage so wounds my Mind,
My Mother's Death, the Ruin of my Kind,
Not Priam's hoary Hairs defil'd with Gore,
Not all my Brothers gasping on the Shore;
As thine, Andromache! thy Griefs I dread;
I see thee trembling, weeping, Captive led!
[Page 144] In Argive Looms our Battels to design,
And Woes, of which so large a Part was thine!
To bear the Victor's hard Commands, or bring
The Weight of Waters from Hyperia's Spring.
There, while you groan beneath the Load of Life,
They cry, Behold the mighty Hector's Wife!
Some haughty Greek who lives thy Tears to see,
Embitters all thy Woes, by naming me.
The Thoughts of Glory past, and present Shame,
A thousand Griefs shall waken at the Name!
May I lie cold before that dreadful Day,
Press'd with a Load of Monumental Clay!
Thy Hector wrapt in everlasting Sleep,
Shall neither hear thee sigh, nor see thee weep.
Thus having spoke, th' illustrious Chief of Troy
Stretch'd his fond Arms to clasp the lovely Boy.
The Babe clung crying to his Nurse's Breast,
Scar'd at the dazling Helm, and nodding Crest.
With secret Pleasure each fond Parent smil'd,
And Hector hasted to relieve his Child,
The glitt'ring Terrors from his Brows unbound,
And plac'd the beaming Helmet on the Ground.
[Page 145] Then kist the Child, and lifting high in Air,
Thus to the Gods prefer'd a Father's Pray'r.
O Thou! whose Glory fills th' Aetherial Throne,
And all ye deathless Pow'rs! protect my Son!
Grant him, like me, to purchase just Renown,
To guard the Trojans, to defend the Crown,
Against his Country's Foes the War to wage,
And rise the Hector of the future Age!
So when triumphant from successful Toils,
Of Heroes slain he bears the reeking Spoils,
Whole Hosts may hail him with deserv'd Acclaim,
And say, This Chief transcends his Father's Fame:
While pleas'd amidst the gen'ral Shouts of Troy,
His Mother's conscious Heart o'erflows with Joy.
He spoke, and fondly gazing on her Charms
Restor'd the pleasing Burden to her Arms;
Soft on her fragrant Breast the Babe she laid,
Hush'd to Repose, and with a Smile survey'd.
The troubled Pleasure soon chastis'd by Fear,
She mingled with the Smile a tender Tear.
The soften'd Chief with kind Compassion view'd,
And dry'd the falling Drops, and thus pursu'd.
Andromache! my Soul's far better Part,
Why with untimely Sorrows heaves thy Heart?
No hostile Hand can antedate my Doom,
Till Fate condemns me to the silent Tomb.
Fix'd is the Term to all the Race of Earth,
And such the hard Condition of our Birth.
No Force can then resist, no Flight can save,
All sink alike, the Fearful and the Brave.
No more—but hasten to thy Tasks at home,
There guide the Spindle, and direct the Loom:
Me Glory summons to the martial Scene,
The Field of Combate is the Sphere for Men.
Where Heroes war, the foremost Place I claim,
The first in Danger as the first in Fame.
Thus having said, the glorious Chief resumes
His Tow'ry Helmet, black with shading Plumes.
His Princess parts with a prophetick Sigh,
Unwilling parts, and oft' reverts her Eye
That stream'd at ev'ry Look: then, moving slow,
Sought her own Palace, and indulg'd her Woe.
There, while her Tears deplor'd the Godlike Man,
Thro' all her Train the soft Infection ran,
[Page 147] The pious Maids their mingled Sorrows shed,
And mourn the living Hector, as the dead.
But now, no longer deaf to Honour's Call,
Forth issues Paris from the Palace Wall.
In Brazen Arms that cast a gleamy Ray,
Swift thro' the Town the Warrior bends his way.
The wanton Courser thus, with Reins unbound,
Breaks from his Stall, and beats the trembling Ground;
Pamper'd and proud, he seeks the wonted Tides,
And laves, in Height of Blood, his shining Sides;
His Head now freed, he tosses to the Skies;
His Mane dishevel'd o'er his Shoulders flies;
He snuffs the Females in the distant Plain,
And springs, exulting, to his Fields again.
With equal Triumph, sprightly, bold and gay,
In Arms refulgent as the God of Day,
The Son of Priam, glorying in his Might,
Rush'd forth with Hector to the Fields of Fight.
And now the Warriors passing on the way,
The graceful Paris first excus'd his Stay.
To whom the noble Hector thus reply'd:
O Chief! in Blood, and now in Arms, ally'd!
[Page 148] Thy Pow'r in War with Justice none contest;
Known is thy Courage, and thy Strength confest.
What Pity, Sloath should seize a Soul so brave,
Or Godlike Paris live a Woman's Slave!
My Heart weeps Blood at what the Trojans say,
And hopes, thy Deeds shall wipe the Stain away.
Haste then, in all their glorious Labours share;
For much they suffer, for thy sake, in War.
These Ills shall cease, whene'er by Jove's Decree
We crown the Bowl to Heav'n and Liberty:
While the proud Foe his frustrate Triumphs mourns,
And Greece indignant thro' her Seas returns.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE Sixth Book.
[Page 151]OBSERVATIONS ON THE SIXTH BOOK.

I.

‘VERSE 7. FIRST Ajax.]’ Ajax performs his Ex­ploits immediately upon the Departure of the Gods from the Battel. It is ob­serv'd that this Hero is never assisted by the Deities, as most of the rest are: See his Character in the Notes on the seventh Book. The Expression of the Greek is, that he brought Light to his Troops, which M. Dacier takes to be metaphorical: I do not see but it may be literal; he broke the thick Squadrons of the Enemy, and open'd a Passage for the Light.

II.

‘VERSE 9. The Thracian Acamas.]’ This Thracian Prince is the same in whose Likeness Mars appears in the preceding Book, rallying the Trojans and forcing the Greeks to retire. In the present Description of his Strength and Size, we see with what Propriety this Personage was selected by the Poet as fit to be assumed by the God of War.

III.

‘VERSE 16. Axylus, Hospitable.]’ This beautiful Character of Axylus has not been able to escape the Misunderstanding of [Page 152] some of the Commentators, who thought Homer design'd it as a Reproof of an undistinguish'd Generosity. It is evident­ly a Panegyrick on that Virtue, and not improbably on the Memory of some excellent, but unfortunate Man in that Coun­try, whom the Poet honours with the noble Title of A Friend to Mankind. It is indeed a severe Reproof of the Ingratitude of Men, and a kind of Satyr on human Race, while he repre­sents this Lover of his Species miserably perishing without Assistance from any of those Numbers he had obliged. This Death is very moving, and the Circumstance of a faithful Servant's dying by his side, well imagined, and natural to such a Character. His manner of keeping House near a fre­quented Highway, and relieving all Travellers, is agreeable to that ancient Hospitality which we now only read of. There is Abundance of this Spirit every where in the Odysseis. The Patriarchs in the Old Testament sit at their Gates to see those who pass by, and entreat them to enter into their Houses: This cordial manner of Invitation is particularly described in the 18 th and 19 th Chapters of Genesis. The Eastern Nati­ons seem to have had a peculiar Disposition to these Exercises of Humanity, which continues in a great measure to this Day. It is yet a Piece of Charity frequent with the Turks, to erect Caravanserahs, or Inns for the Reception of Travellers. Since I am upon this Head, I must mention one or two extraordi­nary Examples of ancient Hospitality. Diodorus Siculus writes of Gallias of Agrigentum, that having built severall Inns for the Relief of Strangers, he appointed Persons at the Gates to invite all who travell'd to make use of them; and that this Example was followed by many others who were inclined af­ter the ancient manner to live in a human and beneficent Correspondence with Mankind. That this Gallias entertain'd and cloathed at one time no less than five hundred Horse­men; and that there were in his Cellars three hundred Ves­sels, each of which contain'd an hundred Hogsheads of Wine. The same Author tells us of another Agrigentine, that at the Marriage of his Daughter feasted all the People of his City, who at that time were above twenty thousand.

Herodotus in his seventh Book has a Story of this kind, which is prodigious, being of a private Man so immensely [Page 153] rich as to entertain Xerxes and his whole Army. I shall transcribe the Passage as I find it translated to my Hands.

" Pythius the Son of Atys, a Lydian, then residing in Celaene, entertain'd the King and all his Army with great Magnificence, and offer'd him his Treasures towards the Expence of the War: which Liberality Xerxes communi­cating to the Persians about him, and asking who this Pythius was, and what Riches he might have to enable him to make such an Offer? Receiv'd this Answer; Py­thius, said they, is the Person who presented your Father Darius with a Plane-Tree and Vine of Gold: and after you, is the richest Man we know in the World. Xerxes surpriz'd with these last Words, ask'd him to what Sum his Treasures might amount. I shall conceal nothing from you, said Pythius; nor pretend to be ignorant of my own Wealth; but being perfectly inform'd of the State of my Accompts, shall tell you the Truth with Sincerity. When I heard you was ready to begin the March towards the Grecian Sea, I resolv'd to present you with a Sum of Mo­ney towards the Charge of the War; and to that end having taken an Account of my Riches, I found by Com­putation that I had two thousand Talents of Silver, and three Millions nine hundred ninety three thousand Pieces of Gold, bearing the Stamp of Darius. These Treasures I freely give you, because I shall be sufficiently furnish'd with whatever is necessary to Life by the Labour of my Servants and Husbandmen.

" Xerxes heard these Words with Pleasure, and in answer to Pythius, said; My Lydian Host, since I parted from Susa I have not found a Man besides your self, who has offer'd to entertain my Army, or voluntarily to contribute his Treasures to promote the present Expedition. You a­lone have treated my Army magnificently, and readily of­fer'd me immense Riches: Therefore, in Return of your Kindness, I make you my Host; and that you may be Master of the intire Sum of four Millions in Gold, I will give you seven thousand Darian Pieces out of my own Treasure. Keep then all the Riches you now possess; and [Page 154] if you know how to continue always in the same good Disposition, you shall never have reason to repent of your Affection to me, either now or in future time.

The Sum here offer'd by Pythius amounts by Brerewood's Computation to three Millions three hundred seventy five thou­sand Pounds Sterling, according to the lesser Valuation of Ta­lents. I make no Apology for inserting so remarkable a Passage at length, but shall only add, that it was at last the Fate of this Pythius (like our Axylus) to experience the Ingratitude of Man; his eldest Son being afterwards cut in Pieces by the same Xerxes.

IV.

‘VERSE 57. Oh spare my Youth, &c.]’ This Passage, where Agamemnon takes away that Trojan's Life whom Menelaus had pardoned, and is not blamed by Homer for so doing, must be ascribed to the uncivilized Manners of those Times, when Mankind was not united by the Bonds of a rational Society, and is not therefore to be imputed to the Poet, who followed Nature as it was in his Days. The Historical Books of the Old Testament abound in Instances of the like Cruelty to conquer'd Enemies.

Virgil had this Part of Homer in his View when he descri­bed the Death of Magus in the tenth Aeneid. Those Lines of his Prayer where he offers a Ransome are translated from this of Adrastus, but both the Prayer and the Answer Aeneas makes when he refuses him Mercy, are very much heighten'd and improved. They also receive a great Addition of Beauty and Propriety from the Occasion on which he inserts them: Young Pallas is just kill'd, and Aeneas seeking to be reveng'd upon Turnus, meets this Magus. Nothing can be a more artful Piece of Address than the first Lines of that Supplica­tion, if we consider the Character of Aeneas to whom it is made.

Per patrios manes, per spes surgentis Jüli,
Te precor, hanc animam serves natoque, Patrique!

[Page 155] And what can exceed the Closeness and Fullness of that Re­ply to it?

—Belli commercia Turnus
Sustulit ista prior, jam tum Pallante perempto.
Hoc patris Anchisae manes, hoc sentit Jülus.

This removes the Imputation of Cruelty from Aeneas, which had less agreed with his Character than it does with Aga­memnon's; whose Reproof to Menelaus in this Place is not un­like that of Samuel to Saul for not killing Agag.

V.

‘VERSE 74. Her Infants at the Breast shall fall.]’ Or, her Infants yet in the Womb, for it will bear either Sense. But I think Madam Dacier in the right, in her Affirmation that the Greeks were not arrived to that Pitch of Cruelty to rip up the Wombs of Women with Child. Homer (says she) to remove all equivocal Meaning from this Phrase, adds the Words [...], juvenem puerulum existentem, which would be ridiculous were it said of a Child yet unborn. Besides, he would never have represented one of his first Heroes capable of so barbarous a Crime, or at least would not have commen­ded him (as he does just after) for such a wicked Exhortation.

VI.

‘VERSE 88. First gain the Conquest, then divide the Spoil.]’ This important Maxim of War is very naturally introduced, upon Nestor's having seen Menelaus ready to spare an Enemy for the sake of a Ransome. It was for such Lessons as these (says M. Dacier) that Alexander so much esteem'd Homer and study'd his Poem. He made his Use of this Precept in the Battel of Arbela, when Parmenio being in danger of weakening the main Body to defend the Baggage, he sent this Message to him. Leave the Baggage there, for if we carry the Victory, we shall not only recover what is our [Page 156] own, but be Masters of all that is the Enemy's. Histories ancient and modern are fill'd with Examples of Enterprizes that have miscarry'd, and Battels that have been lost, by the Greediness of Soldiers for Pillage.

VII.

‘VERSE 98. Wise to consult, and active to defend.]’ This is a twofold Branch of Praise, expressing the Excellence of these Princes both in Council and in Battel. I think Madam Da­cier's Translation does not come up to the Sense of the Original. Les plus hardis & les plus experimentez des nos Capitains.

VIII.

‘VERSE 107. Thou Hector to the Town.]’ It has been a mo­dern Objection to Homer's Conduct, that Hector upon whom the whole Fate of the Day depended, is made to retire from the Battel, only to carry a Message to Troy concerning a Sacrifice, which might have been done as well by any o­ther. They think it absurd in Helenus to advise this, and in Hector to comply with it. What occasion'd this false Criti­cism was that they imagin'd it to be a Piece of Advice, and not a Command. Helenus was a Priest and Augur of the highest Rank, he enjoins it as a Point of Religion, and Hector obeys him as one inspired from Heaven. The Trojan Army was in the utmost Distress, occasion'd by the prodigious Slaughter made by Diomed: There was therefore more Reason and Ne­cessity to propitiate Minerva who assisted that Hero; which He­lenus might know, tho' Hector would have chosen to have stay'd and trusted to the Arm of Flesh. Here is nothing but what may agree with each of their Characters. Hector goes as he was obliged in Religion, but not before he has animated the Troops, re-established the Combate, repulsed the Greeks to some distance, received a Promise from Helenus that they would make a stand at the Gates, and given one himself to the Army that he would soon return to the Fight: All which Homer has been careful to specify, to save the Honour and preserve the Character of this Hero. As to Helenus his [Page 157] Part, he saw the Straits his Countrymen were reduced to, he knew his Authority as a Priest, and design'd to revive the Courage of the Troops by a Promise of divine Assistance. Nothing adds more Courage to the Minds of Men than Su­perstition, and perhaps it was the only Expedient then left; much like a modern Practice in the Army, to enjoin a Fast when they wanted Provision. Helenus could no way have made his Promise more credible, than by sending a­way Hector; which look'd like an Assurance that nothing could prejudice them during his Absence on such a religious Account. No Leader of less Authority than Hector could so properly have enjoin'd this solemn Act of Religion; and lastly, no other whose Valour was less known than his, could have left the Army in this Juncture without a Taint upon his Honour. Homer makes this Piety succeed; Paris is brought back to the Fight, the Trojans afterwards prevail, and Jupi­ter appears openly in their favour, l. 8. Tho' after all, I can­not dissemble my Opinion, that the Poet's chief Intention in this, was to introduce that fine Episode of the Parting of Hector and Andromache. This Change of the Scene to Troy furnishes him with a great Number of Beauties. By this means (says Eustathius) his Poem is for a time divested of the Fierceness and Violence of Battels, and being as it were wash'd from Slaughter and Blood, becomes calm and smiling by the Beauty of these various Episodes.

IX.

‘VERSE 117. If so the Pow'r atton'd.]’ The Poet here plainly supposes Helenus, by his Skill in Augury or some other divine Inspiration, well inform'd that the Might of Diomed which wrought such great Destruction among the Trojans, was the Gift of Pallas incens'd against them. The Prophet therefore directs Prayers, Offerings, and Sacrifices to be made to appease the Anger of this offended Goddess; not to in­voke the Mercy of any propitious Deity. This is conform­able to the whole System of Pagan Superstition, the Worship whereof being grounded not on Love but Fear, seems dire­cted rather to avert the Malice and Anger of a wrathful and [Page 158] mischievous Daemon, than to implore the Assistance and Pro­tection of a benevolent Being. In this Strain of Religion this same Prophet is introduced by Virgil in the third Aeneid, giving particular Direction to Aeneas to appease the Indigna­tion of Juno, as the only means which could bring his Labours to a prosperous End.

Unum illud tibi, nate Dea, praeque omnibus unum
Praedicam, & repetens iterumque iterumque monebo.
Junonis magnae primum prece numen adora:
Junoni cane vota libens, dominamque potentem
Supplicibus supera donis:—

X.

‘VERSE 147. The Interview of Glaucus and Diomed.]’ No Passage in our Author has been the Subject of more severe and groundless Criticisms than this, where these two Heroes enter into a long Conversation (as they will have it) in the Heat of a Battel. Monsieur Dacier's Answer in Defence of Homer is so full, that I cannot do better than to translate it from his Remarks on the 26 th Chapter of Aristotle's Poetic. There can be nothing more unjust than the Criticisms past upon things that are the Effect of Custom. It was usual in ancient Times for Soldiers to talk together be­fore they encounter'd. Homer is full of Examples of this sort, and he very well deserves we should be so just as to believe, he had never done it so often, but that it was agreeable to the Manners of his Age. But this is not only a thing of Custom, but founded in Reason itself. The Ties of Hospitality in those Times were held more sacred than those of Blood; and it is on that Account Diomed gives so long an Audience to Glaucus, whom he acknowledges to be his Guest, with whom it was not lawful to engage in Com­bate. Homer makes an admirable Use of this Conjuncture, to introduce an entertaining History after so many Battels as he has been describing, and to unbend the Mind of his Rea­der by a Recital of so much Variety as the Story of the Family of Sisyphus. It may be farther observ'd, with what [Page 159] Address and Management he places this long Conversation; it is not during the Heat of an obstinate Battel, which had been too unseasonable to be excused by any Custom what­ever; but he brings it in after he has made Hector re­tire into Troy, when the Absence of so powerful an Enemy had given Diomed that Leisure which he could not have had otherwise. One need only read the judicious Remark of Eu­stathius upon this Place. The Poet (says he) after having caus'd Hector to go out of the Fight, interrupts the Violence of Wars, and gives some Relaxation to the Reader, in causing him to pass from the Confusion and Disorder of the Action to the Tranquillity and Security of an Historical Narration. For by means of the happy Episode of Glaucus, he casts a thousand pleasing Wonders into his Poem; as Fables, that include beau­tiful Allegories, Histories, Genealogies, Sentences, ancient Cu­stoms, and several other Graces that tend to the diversifying of his Work, and which by breaking (as one may say) the Mono­tomy of it, agreeably instruct the Reader. Let us observe, in how fine a manner Homer has hereby praised both Diomed and Hector. For he makes us know, that as long as Hector is in the Field, the Greeks have not the least Leisure to take breath; and that as soon as he quits it, all the Trojans, how­ever they had regain'd all their Advantages, were not able to employ Diomed so far as to prevent his entertaining him­self with Glaucus without any danger to his Party. Some may think after all, that tho' we may justify Homer, we cannot excuse the Manners of his Time; it not being natu­ral for Men with Swords in their Hands to dialogue together in cold Blood just before they engage. But not to alledge, that these very Manners yet remain in those Countries, which have not been corrupted by the Commerce of other Nati­ons, (which is a great Sign of their being natural) what Rea­son can be offer'd that it is more natural to fall on at first Sight with Rage and Fierceness, than to speak to an E­nemy before the Encounter? Thus far Monsieur Dacier, and St. Evremont asks humourously, if it might not be as pro­per in that Country for Men to harangue before they fought, as it is in England to make Speeches before they are hanged.

[Page 160] That Homer is not in general apt to make unseasonable Harangues (as these Censurers would represent) may appear from that remarkable Care he has shewn in many Places to avoid them: As when in the fifth Book Aeneas being cured on a sudden in the middle of the Fight, is seen with Sur­prize by his Soldiers; he specifies with particular Caution, that they asked him no Questions how he became cured, in a time of so much Business and Action. Again, when there is a Necessity in the same Book that Minerva should have a Con­ference with Diomed, in order to engage him against Mars (after her Prohibition to him to fight with the Gods) Homer chuses a time for that Speech, just when the Hero is retir'd behind his Chariot to take Breath, which was the only Mo­ment that could be spared during the Hurry of that whole Engagement. One might produce many Instances of the same kind.

The Discourse of Glaucus to Diomed is severely censured, not only on Account of the Circumstance of Time and Place, but likewise on the Score of the Subject, which is taxed as improper, and foreign to the End and Design of the Poem. But the Criticks who have made this Objection, seem neither to comprehend the Design of the Poet in general, nor the particular Aim of this Discourse. Many Passages in the best ancient Poets appear unaffecting at present, which probably gave the greatest Delight to their first Readers, because they were nearly interested in what was there related. It is very plain that Homer designed this Poem as a Monument to the Honour of the Greeks, who, tho' consisting of several inde­pendent Societies, were yet very national in Point of Glory, being strongly affected with every thing that seem'd to ad­vance the Honour of their common Country, and resentful of any Indignity offer'd to it. This Disposition was the Ground of that grand Alliance which is the Subject of this Poem. To Men so fond of their Country's Glory, what could be more agreeable than to read a History fill'd with Wonders of a noble Family transplanted from Greece into Asia? They might here learn with Pleasure that the Grecian Virtues did not degenerate by removing into distant Climes: but especial­ly they must be affected with uncommon Delight to find that [Page 161] Sarpedon and Glaucus, the bravest of the Trojan Auxiliaries, were originally Greeks.

Tasso in this manner has introduced an agreeable Episode, which shews Clorinda the Offspring of Christian Parents, tho' engag'd in the Service of the Infidels, Cant. 12.

XI.

‘VERSE 149. Between both Armies met, &c.]’ It is usual with Homer before he introduces a Hero, to make as it were a Halt, to render him the more remarkable. Nothing could more prepare the Attention and Expectation of the Reader, than this Circumstance at the first meeting of Diomed and Glaucus. Just at the Time when the Mind begins to be weary with the Battel, it is diverted with the Prospect of a single Combate, which of a sudden turns to an Interview of Friend­ship and an unexpected Scene of sociable Virtue. The whole Air of the Conversation between these two Heroes has some­thing heroically solemn in it.

XII.

‘VERSE 159. But if from Heav'n, &c.]’ A quick change of Mind from the greatest Impiety to as great Superstition, is frequently observable in Men who having been guilty of the most heinous Crimes without any Remorse, on the sudden are fill'd with Doubts and Scruples about the most lawful or in­different Actions. This seems the present Case of Diomed, who having knowingly wounded and insulted the Deities, is now afraid to engage the first Man he meets, lest perhaps a God might be conceal'd in that Shape. This Disposition of Diomed produces the Question he puts to Glaucus, which without this Consideration will appear impertinent, and so naturally occasions that agreeable Episode of Bellerophon which Glaucus relates in answer to Diomed.

XIII.

‘VERSE 161. Not long Lycurgus, &c.]’ What Diomed [Page 162] here says is the Effect of Remorse, as if he had ex­ceeded the Commission of Pallas in encountring with the Gods, and dreaded the Consequences of proceeding too far. At least he had no such Commission now, and besides, was no longer capable of distinguishing them from Men (a Fa­culty she had given him in the foregoing Book:) He there­fore mentions this Story of Lycurgus as an Example that suf­ficed to terrify him from so rash an Undertaking. The Ground of the Fable they say is this, Lycurgus caused most of the Vines of his Country to be rooted up, so that his Sub­jects were obliged to mix it with Water when it was less plen­tiful: Hence it was feign'd that Thetis receiv'd Bacchus into her Bosom.

XIV.

‘VERSE 170. Immortals blest with endless Ease.]’ Tho' Da­cier's and most of the Versions take no Notice of the Epithet used in this Place, [...], Dii facilè seu beatè viven­tes; the Translator thought it a Beauty which he could not but endeavour to preserve.

XV.

‘VERSE 178. Approach, and enter the dark Gates of Death.]’ This haughty Air which Homer gives his Heroes was doubt­less a Copy of the Manners and hyperbolical Speeches of those Times. Thus Goliah to David, Sam. 1. Ch. 17. Approach, and I will give thy Flesh to the Fowls of the Air and the Beasts of the Field. The Orientals speak the same Language to this Day.

XVI.

‘VERSE 181. Like Leaves on Trees.]’ There is a noble Gra­vity in the beginning of this Speech of Glaucus, according to the true Style of Antiquity, Few and evil are our Days. This beautiful Thought of our Author whereby the Race of Men are compared to the Leaves of Trees, is celebrated by [Page 163] Simonides in a fine Fragment extant in Stobaeus. The same Thought may be found in Ecclesiasticus, Ch. 14. ℣. 18. al­most in the same Words; As of the green Leaves on a thick Tree, some fall, and some grow; so is the Generation of Flesh and Blood, one cometh to an end, and another is born.

The Reader who has seen so many Passages imitated from Homer by succeeding Poets, will no doubt be pleased to see one of an ancient Poet which Homer has here imitated; this is a Fragment of Musaeus preserv'd by Clemens Alexandrinus in his Stromata, Lib. 6.

[...]
[...]
[...]

Tho' this Comparison be justly admir'd for its Beauty in this obvious Application to the Mortality and Succession of human Life, it seems however design'd by the Poet in this Place as a proper Emblem of the transitory State not of Men but of Fa­milies, which being by their Misfortunes or Follies fallen and decay'd, do again in a happier Season revive and flourish in the Fame and Virtues of their Posterity: In this Sense it is a direct Answer to what Diomed had ask'd, as well as a pro­per Preface to what Glaucus relates of his own Family, which having been extinct in Corinth, had recover'd new Life in Lycia.

XVII.

‘VERSE 193. Then call'd Ephyre.]’ It was the same which was afterwards called Corinth, and had that Name in Homer's Time, as appears from this Catalogue, ℣. 77.

XVIII.

‘VERSE 196. Lov'd for that Valour which preserves Man­kind.]’ This Distinction of true Valour which has the Good of Mankind for its End, in Opposition to the Valour of Ty­rants or Oppressors, is beautifully hinted by Homer in the E­pithet [Page 164] [...], amiable Valour. Such as was that of Bellero­phon who freed the Land from Monsters, and Creatures de­structive to his Species. It is apply'd to this young Hero with particular Judgment and Propriety, if we consider the Innocence and Gentleness of his Manners appearing from the following Story, which every one will observe has a great Re­semblance with that of Joseph in the Scriptures.

XIX.

‘VERSE 216. The faithful Youth his Monarch's Mandate show'd.]’ Plutarch much commends the Virtue of Bellerophon, who faithfully carry'd those Letters he might so justly suspect of ill Consequence to him: The Passage is in his Discourse of Curiosity, and worth transcribing. ‘"A Man of Curiosity is void of all Faith, and it is better to trust Letters or any important Secrets to Servants, than to Friends and Fami­liars of an inquisitive Temper. Bellerophon when he car­ry'd Letters that order'd his own Destruction, did not un­seal them, but forbore touching the King's Dispatches with the same Continence, as he had refrain'd from injuring his Bed: For Curiosity is an Incontinence as well as Adultery.’

XX.

‘VERSE 219. First dire Chimaera.]’ Chimaera was feign'd to have the Head of a Lion breathing Flames, the Body of a Goat, and the Tail of a Dragon; because the Mountain of that Name in Lycia had a Vulcano on its top, and nourish'd Lions, the middle Part afforded Pasture for Goats, and the bottom was infested with Serpents. Bellerophon destroying these, and rendring the Mountain habitable, was said to have conquer'd Chimaera. He calls this Monster [...], in the manner of the Hebrews, who gave to any thing vast or extraordinary the Appellative of Divine. So the Psalmist says, The Mountains of God, &c.

XXI.

‘VERSE 227. The Solymaean Crew.]’ These Solymi were an ancient Nation inhabiting the mountainous Parts of Asia Mi­nor between Lycia and Pisidia. Pliny mentions them as an Instance of a People so entirely destroy'd, that no Footsteps of them remain'd in his Time. Some Authors both ancient and modern, from a Resemblance in sound to the Latin Name of Jerusalem, have confounded them with the Jews. Tacitus; speaking of the various Opinions concerning the Origin of the Jewish Nation, has these Words, Clara alii tradunt Ju­daeorum initia, Solymos carminibus Homeri celebratum gentem, conditae urbi Hierosolymam nomen è suo fecisse. Hist. Lib. 6.

XXII.

‘VERSE 239. The Lycians grant a chosen Space of Ground.]’ It was usual in the ancient Times, upon any signal Piece of Service perform'd by the Kings or great Men, to have a Por­tion of Land decreed by the Publick as a Reward to them. Thus when Sarpedon in the twelfth Book incites Glaucus to behave himself valiantly, he puts him in mind of these Pos­sessions granted by his Countrymen.

[...]—&c.
[...]
[...]

In the same manner in the ninth Book of Virgil, Nisus is promised by Ascanius the Fields which were possess'd by Lati­nus, as a Reward for the Service he undertook.

—Campi quod rex habet ipse Latinus.

Chapman has an Interpolation in this Place, to tell us that this Field was afterwards called by the Lycians, The Field of Wandrings, from the Wandrings and Distraction of Bel­lerophon in the latter Part of his Life. But they were not [Page 166] these Fields that were call'd [...], but those upon which he fell from the Horse Pegasus, when he endeavour'd (as the Fable has it) to mount to Heaven.

XXIII.

‘VERSE 245. But when at last, &c.]’ The same Criticks who have taxed Homer for being too tedious in this Story of Bellerophon, have censured him for omitting to relate the particular Offence which had rais'd the Anger of the Gods against a Man formerly so highly favour'd by them: But this Relation coming from the Mouth of his Grandson, it is with great Decorum and Propriety he passes over in Si­lence those Crimes of his Ancestor, which had provok'd the divine Vengeance against him. Milton has interwoven this Story with what Homer here relates of Bellerophon.

Lest from this flying Steed unrein'd (as once
Bellerophon, though from a lower Clime)
Dismounted on the Aleian Field I fall,
Erroneous there to wander and forlorn.
Parad. lost. B. 7.

Tully in his third Book of Tusculane Questions, having ob­serv'd that Persons oppress'd with Woe naturally seek Soli­tude, instances this Example of Bellerophon, and gives us his Translation of two of these Lines.

Qui miser in campos moerens errabat Aleis,
Ipse suum cor edens, hominum vestigia vitans.

XXIV.

‘VERSE 267. Our Grandsires have been Guests of old.]’ The Laws of Hospitality were anciently held in great Vene­ration. The Friendship contracted hereby was so sacred, that they prefer'd it to all the Bands of Consanguinity and Alliance, and accounted it obligatory even to the third and fourth Generation. We have seen in the foregoing Story of [Page 167] Bellerophon, that Proetus, a Prince under the Supposition of being injur'd in the highest degree, is yet afraid to re­venge himself upon the Criminal on this Account: He is forced to send him into Lycia rather than be guilty of a Breach of this Law in his own Country. And the King of Lycia having entertain'd the Stranger before he unseal'd the Letters, puts him upon Expeditions abroad, in which he might be destroy'd, rather than at his Court. We here see Diomed and Glaucus agreeing not to be Enemies du­ring the whole Course of a War, only because their Grand­fathers had been mutual Guests. And we afterwards find Tea [...]er engaged with the Greeks on this Account against the Trojans, tho' he was himself of Trojan Extraction, the Ne­phew of Priam by the Mother's side, and Cousin German of Hector, whose Life he pursues with the utmost Violence. They preserved in their Families the Presents which had been made on these Occasions, as obliged to transmit to their Children the Memorials of this Right of Hospitality. Eustathius.

XXV.

‘VERSE 291. Jove warm'd his Bosom and enlarg'd his Mind.]’ The Words in the Original are [...], which may e­qually be interpreted, he took away his Sense, or he elevated his Mind. The former being a Reflection upon Glaucus's Prudence, for making so unequal an Exchange, the latter a Praise of the Magnanimity and Generosity which induced him to it. Porphyry contends for its being understood in this last way, and Eustathius, Monsieur and Madam Dacier are of the same Opinion. Notwithstanding it is certain that Homer uses the same Words in the contrary Sense in the seventeenth Iliad, ℣. 470. and in the nineteenth, ℣. 137. And it is an obvi­ous Remark, that the Interpretation of Porphyry as much dishonours Diomed who proposed this Exchange, as it does Honour to Glaucus for consenting to it. However I have followed it, if not as the juster, as the most heroic Sense, and as it has the nobler Air in Poetry.

XXVI.

‘VERSE 295. A hundred Beeves.]’ I wonder the Curious have not remark'd from this Place, that the Proportion of the Va­lue of Gold to Brass in the Time of the Trojan War, was but as an hundred to nine; allowing these Armours of equal Weight; which as they belong'd to Men of equal Strength, is a reasonable Supposition. As to this manner of compu­ting the Value of the Armour by Beeves or Oxen, it might be either because the Money was anciently stamp'd with those Figures, or (which is most probable in this Place) because in those Times they generally purchased by Exchange of Commodities, as we see by a Passage near the end of the se­venth Book.

XXVII.

‘VERSE 329. Far hence be Bacchus' Gifts—Enflaming Wine.]’ This Maxim of Hector's concerning Wine, has a great deal of Truth in it. It is a vulgar Mistake to imagine the Use of Wine either raises the Spirits, or encreases Strength. The best Physicians agree with Homer in the Point; whate­ver our modern Soldiers may object to this old heroic Re­gimen. One may take notice that Sampson as well as He­ctor was a Water-drinker; for he was a Nazarite by Vow, and as such was forbid the Use of Wine. To which Milton alludes in his Sampson Agonistes.

Where-ever Fountain or fresh Current flow'd
Against the Eastern Ray, translucent, pure,
With touch Aethereal of Heav'ns fiery Rod,
I drank, from the clear milky Juice allaying
Thirst, and refresh'd; nor envy'd them the Grape,
Whose Heads that turbulent Liquor fills with Fumes.

XXVIII.

‘VERSE 335. Ill fits it me, with human Gore distain'd, &c.]’ [Page 169] The Custom which prohibits Persons polluted with Blood to perform any Offices of divine Worship before they were puri­fied, is so ancient and universal, that it may in some sort be esteem'd a Precept of natural Religion, tending to inspire an uncommon Dread and religious Horror of Bloodshed. There is a fine Passage in Euripides where Iphigenia argues how im­possible it is that human Sacrifices should be acceptable to the Gods, since they do not permit any defil'd with Blood, or even polluted with the Touch of a dead Body, to come near their Altars. Iphig. in Tauris. ℣. 380. Virgil makes his Aeneas say the same thing Hector does here.

Me bello è tanto digressum & caede recenti
Attrectare nefas, donec me flumine vivo
Abluero.—

XXIX.

‘VERSE 361. Sidonian Maids.]’ Dictys Cretensis, lib. 1. ac­quaints us that Paris return'd not directly to Troy after the Rape of Helen, but fetch'd a Compass, probably to avoid Pursuit. He touch'd at Sidon, where he surprized the King of Phoenicia by Night, and carry'd off many of his Treasures and Captives, among which probably were these Sidonian Women. The Author of the ancient Poem of the Cypriacks says, he sailed from Sparta to Troy in the Space of three Days: from which Passage Herodotus concludes that Poem was not Homer's. We find in the Scriptures, that Tyre and Sidon were famous for Works in Gold, Embroidery, &c. and for whatever regarded Magnificence and Luxury.

XXX.

‘VERSE 374. With Hands uplifted.]’ The only Gesture de­scrib'd by Homer as used by the Ancients in the Invocation of the Gods, is the lifting up their Hands to Heaven. Vir­gil frequently alludes to this Practice; particularly in the se­cond Book there is a Passage, the Beauty of which is much rais'd by this Consideration.

[Page 170]
Ecce trahebatur passis Priameia virgo
Crinibus, a Templo, Cassandra, adytisque Minervae,
Ad caelum tendens ardentia lumina frustra,
Lumina! nam teneras arcebant vincula palmas.

XXXI.

‘VERSE 378. Oh awful Goddess, &c.]’ This Procession of the Trojan Matrons to the Temple of Minerva, with their Offering, and the Ceremonies; tho' it be a Passage some Mo­derns have criticis'd upon, seems to have particularly pleas'd Virgil. For he has not only introduced it among the Figures in the Picture at Carthage,

Interea ad templum non aequae Palladis ibant
Crinibus Iliades passis, peplumque ferebant
Suppliciter tristes; & tunsis pectora palmis.
Diva solo fixos oculos aversa tenebat.

But he has again copied it in the eleventh Book, where the Latian Dames make the same Procession upon the Approach of Aeneas to their City. The Prayer to the Goddess is tran­slated almost word for word:

Armipotens praeses belli, Tritonia virgo,
Frange manu telum Phrygii praedonis, & ipsum
Pronum sterne solo portisque effunde sub altis.

This Prayer in the Latin Poet seems introduced with less Pro­priety, since Pallas appears no where interested in the Con­duct of Affairs thro' the whole Aeneid. The first Line of the Greek here is translated more literally than the former Versions; [...]. I take the first Epithet to al­lude to Minerva's being the particular Protectress of Troy by means of the Palladium, and not (as Mr. Hobbes understands it) the Protectress of all Cities in general.

XXXII.

‘VERSE 387. But they vow'd in vain.]’ For Helenus only ordered that Prayers should be made to Minerva to drive Diomed from before the Walls. But Theano prays that Dio­med may perish, and perish flying, which is included in his falling forward. Madam Dacier is so free as to observe here, that Women are seldom moderate in the Prayers they make against their Enemies, and therefore are seldom heard.

XXXIII.

‘VERSE 390. Himself the Mansion rais'd.]’ I must own my self not so great an Enemy to Paris as some of the Commen­tators. His blind Passion is the unfortunate Occasion of the Ruine of his Country, and he has the ill Fate to have all his fine Qualities swallowed up in that. And indeed I can­not say he endeavours much to be a better Man than his Nature made him. But as to his Parts and Turn of Mind, I see nothing that is either weak, or wicked, the general Manners of those Times considered. On the contrary, a gentle Soul, patient of good Advice, tho' indolent enough to forget it; and liable only to that Frailty of Love which methinks might in his Case as well as Helen's be charged up­on the Stars, and the Gods. So very amorous a Constitu­tion, and so incomparable a Beauty to provoke it, might be Temptation enough even to a wise Man, and in some degree make him deserve Compassion, if not Pardon. It is remar­kable, that Homer does not paint him and Helen (as some other Poets would have done) like Monsters, odious to Gods and Men, but allows their Characters such esteemable Quali­fications as could consist, and in Truth generally do, with tender Frailties. He gives Paris several polite Accomplish­ments, and in particular a Turn to those Sciences that are the Result of a fine Imagination. He makes him have a Taste and Addiction to curious Works of all sorts, which caus'd him to transport Sidonian Artists to Troy, and employ himself at home in adorning and finishing his Armour: And now we [Page 172] are told that he assembled the most skilful Builders from all Parts of the Country, to render his Palace a compleat Piece of Architecture. This, together with what Homer has said elsewhere of his Skill in the Harp, which in those Days in­cluded both Musick and Poetry, may I think establish him a Bel-Esprit and a fine Genius.

XXXIV.

‘VERSE 406. Thy Hate to Troy, &c.]’ All the Commen­tators observe this Speech of Hector to be a Piece of Artifice; he seems to imagine that the Retirement of Paris proceeds only from his Resentment against the Trojans, and not from his Indolence, Luxury, or any other Cause. Plutarch thus discourses upon it. ‘"As a discreet Physician rather chuses to cure his Patient by Diet or Rest, than by Castoreum or Scammony, so a good Friend, a good Master, or a good Father, are always better pleased to make use of Commen­dation than Reproof, for the Reformation of Manners: For nothing so much assists a Man who reprehends with Frankness and Liberty, nothing renders him less offensive, or better promotes his good Design, than to reprove with Calmness, Affection, and Temper. He ought not therefore to urge them too severely if they deny the Fact, nor forestall their Justification of themselves, but rather try to help them out, and furnish them artificially with honest and colourable Pretences to excuse them; and tho' he sees that their Fault proceeded from a more shameful Cause, he should yet impute it to something less criminal. Thus He­ctor deals with Paris, when he tells him, This is not the time to manifest your Anger against the Trojans: As if his Retreat from the Battel had not been absolutely a Flight, but merely the Effect of Resentment and Indignation.’ Plut. Of knowing a Flatterer from a Friend, juxta fin.

XXXV.

‘VERSE 418. Brother, 'tis just, &c.]’ Paris readily lays hold of the Pretext Hector had furnish'd him with, and confesses [Page 173] he has partly touch'd upon the true Reason of his Retreat, but that it was also partly occasion'd by the Concern he felt at the Victory of his Rival. Next he professes his Readiness for the Fight; but nothing can be a finer Trait (if we con­sider his Character) than what Homer puts into his Mouth just in this Place, that he is now exhorted to it by Helen: which shews that not the Danger of his Country and Parents, neither private Shame, nor publick Hatred, could so much prevail upon him, as the Commands of his Mistress, to go and recover his Honour.

XXXVI.

‘VERSE 432. Helen 's Speech.]’ The Repentance of Helena (which we have before observed Homer never loses an Oppor­tunity of manifesting) is finely touch'd again here. Upon the whole we see the Gods are always concern'd in what be­falls an unfortunate Beauty: Her Stars foredoom'd all the Mischief, and Heaven was to blame in suffering her to live: Then she fairly gets quit of the Infamy of her Lover, and shews she has higher Sentiments of Honour than he. How very natural is all this in the like Characters to this Day?

XXXVII.

‘VERSE 462. The Episode of Hector and Andromache.]’ Homer undoubtedly shines most upon the great Subjects, in raising our Admiration or Terror: Pity, and the softer Pas­sions, are not so much of the Nature of his Poem, which is formed upon Anger and the Violence of Ambition. But we have cause to think his Genius was no less capable of touch­ing the Heart with Tenderness, than of firing it with Glory, from the few Sketches he has left us of his Excellency that way too. In the present Episode of the Parting of Hector and Andromache, he assembled all that Love, Grief, and Compassion could inspire. The greatest Censurers of Homer have acknowledg'd themselves charm'd with this Part, even Monsieur Perault translated it into French Verse as a kind of [Page 174] Penitential Sacrifice for the Sacrileges he had committed a­gainst this Author.

This Episode tends very much to raise the Character of Hector and endear him to every Reader. This Hero, tho' doubtful if he should ever see Troy again, yet goes not to his Wife and Child, till after he has taken care for the Sacri­fice, exhorted Paris to the Fight, and discharg'd every Duty to the Gods, and to his Country; his Love of which, as we formerly remark'd, makes his chief Character. What a beau­tiful Contraste has Homer made between the Manners of Pa­ris and those of Hector, as he here shews them one after the other in this domestic Light, and in their Regards to the Fair Sex? What a Difference between the Characters and Behaviour of Helen and of Andromache? And what an a­miable Picture of conjugal Love, oppos'd to that of un­lawful Passion?

I must not forget, that Mr. Dryden has formerly translated this admirable Episode, and with so much Success, as to leave me at least no hopes of improving or equalling it. The ut­most I can pretend is to have avoided a few modern Phrases and Deviations from the Original, which have escaped that great Man. I am unwilling to remark upon an Author to whom every English Poet owes so much; and shall therefore only take notice of a Criticism of his which I must be obli­ged to answer in its Place, as it is an Accusation of Homer himself.

XXXVIII.

‘VERSE 468. Pensive she stood on Ilion 's Tow'ry Height.]’ It is a fine Imagination to represent the Tenderness of Andro­mache for Hector, by her standing upon the Tower of Troy, and watching all his Motions in the Field; even the religious Office of the Procession to Minerva's Temple could not draw her from this Place, at a time when she thought her Hus­band in danger.

XXXIX.

‘VERSE 473. Whose Virtue charm'd him, &c.]’ Homer in [Page 175] this Verse particularizes the Virtue of Andromache in the E­pithet [...], blameless, or without a Fault. I have used it literally in another Part of this Episode.

XL.

‘VERSE 487. Hector, this heard, return'd.]’ Hector does not stay to seek his Wife on the Tower of Ilion, but hastens where the Business of the Field calls him. Homer is never wanting in Point of Honour and Decency, and while he con­stantly obeys the strictest Rules, finds a way to make them contribute to the Beauty of his Poem. Here for instance he has managed it so, that this Observance of Hector's is the Cause of a very pleasing Surprize to the Reader; for at first he is not a little disappointed to find that Hector does not meet Andromache, and is no less pleased afterwards to see them encounter by chance, which gives him a Satisfaction he thought he had lost. Dacier.

XLI.

‘VERSE 501. Scamandrius, from Scamander 's honour'd Stream, &c.]’ This manner of giving proper Names to Children derived from any Place, Accident, or Quality be­longing to them or their Parents, is very ancient, and was customary among the Hebrews. The Trojans call'd the Son of Hector, Astyanax, because (as it is said here and at the end of the twenty second Book) his Father defended the City. There are many Instances of the same kind in the thirtieth Chapter of Genesis, where the Names given to Jacob's Chil­dren, and the Reasons of those Names, are enumerated.

XLII.

‘VERSE 524. The fierce Achilles, &c.]’ Mr. Dryden in the Pre­face to the third Volume of Miscellany Poems has past a Judgment upon Part of this Speech which is altogether unworthy of him. ‘" Andromache (says he) in the midst of her Concernment and Fright for Hector, runs off her Biass, to tell him a Story [Page 176] of her Pedigree, and of the lamentable Death of her Fa­ther, her Mother, and her seven Brothers. The Devil was in Hector, if he knew not all this Matter, as well as she who told it him; for she had been his Bedfellow for many Years together: and if he knew it, then it must be confess'd, that Homer in this long Digression, has rather given us his own Character, than that of the fair Lady whom he paints. His dear Friends the Commentators, who never fail him at a Pinch, will needs excuse him, by making the present Sorrow of Andromache, to occasion the Remembrance of all the past: But others think that she had enough to do with that Grief which now oppress'd her, without running for Assistance to her Family."’ But may not it be answer'd, that nothing was more natural in Andromache, than to recollect her past Calamities in order to represent her present Distress to Hector in a stronger Light, and shew her utter Desertion if he should perish. What could more effectually work upon a generous and tender Mind like that of Hector? What could therefore be more proper to each of their Characters? If Hector be induced to refrain from the Field, it proceeds from Compassion to Andromache: If Andromache endeavour to persuade him, it proceeds from her Fear for the Life of Hector. Homer had yet a farther View in this Recapitulation; it tends to raise his chief Hero Achil­les, and acquaints us with those great Atchievements of his which preceded the Opening of the Poem. Since there was a Necessity that this Hero should be absent from the Action during a great Part of the Iliad, the Poet has shewn his Art in nothing more, than the Methods he takes from time to time to keep up our great Idea of him, and to awaken our Expectation of what he is to perform in the Progress of the Work. His greatest Enemies cannot upbraid or complain of him, but at the same time they confess his Glory and de­scribe his Victories. When Apollo encourages the Trojans to fight, it is by telling them Achilles fights no more. When Juno animates the Greeks, it is by putting them in mind that they have to do with Enemies who durst not appear out of their Walls while Achilles engaged. When Andromache trem­bles for Hector, it is with Remembrance of the resistless Force [Page 177] of Achilles. And when Agamemnon would bribe him to a Re­conciliation, it is partly with those very Treasures and Spoils which had been won by Achilles himself.

XLIII.

‘VERSE 528. His Arms preserv'd from hostile Spoil.]’ This Circumstance of Aetion's being burned with his Arms will not appear trivial in this Relation, when we reflect with what eager Passion these ancient Heroes fought to spoil and carry off the Armour of a vanquish'd Enemy; and therefore this Action of Achilles is mention'd as an Instance of uncommon Favour and Generosity. Thus Aeneas in Virgil having slain Lausus, and being mov'd with Compassion for this unhappy Youth, gives him a Promise of the like Favour.

Arma, quibus laetatus, habe tua: teque parentum
Manibus, & cineri, si qua est ea cura, remitto.

XLIV.

‘VERSE 532. Joves 's Sylvan Daughters bade their Elms bestow A barren Shade, &c.]’ It was the Custom to plant about Tombs only such Trees as Elms, Alders, &c. that bear no Fruit, as being most suitable to the Dead. This Passage al­ludes to that Piece of Antiquity.

XLV.

‘VERSE 543. A Victim to Diana 's Bow.]’ The Greeks ascri­bed all sudden Deaths of Women to Diana. So Ulysses in Odyss. 11. asks Antyclia among the Shades if she died by the Darts of Diana? And in the present Book Laodame the Daughter of Bellerophon, is said to have perish'd young by the Arrows of this Goddess. Or perhaps it may allude to some Disease fatal to Women, such as Macrobius speaks of Sat. 1. 17. ‘ Foeminas certis afflictas morbis [...] vocant.’

XLVI.

‘VERSE 550. That Quarter most—Where yon' wild Fig­trees.]’ The Artifice Andromache here uses to detain Hector in Troy is very beautifully imagined. She takes occasion from the three Attacks that had been made by the Enemy upon this Place, to give him an honourable Pretence for staying at that Rampart to defend it. If we consider that those At­tempts must have been known to all in the City, we shall not think she talks like a Soldier, but like a Woman, who naturally enough makes use of any Incident that offers, to persuade her Lover to what she desires. The Ignorance too which she expresses, of the Reasons that mov'd the Greeks to attack this particular Place, was what I doubt not Homer in­tended, to reconcile it the more to a Female Character.

XLVII.

‘VERSE 583. Hyperia 's Spring.]’ Drawing Water was the Office of the meanest Slaves. This appears by the holy Scri­pture, where the Gibeonites who had deceiv'd Josuah are made Slaves and subjected to draw Water. Josuah pronounces the Curse against them in these Words: ‘ Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being Bond­men, and Hewers of Wood, and Drawers of Water.’ Josh. Ch. 9. V. 23. Dacier.

XLVIII.

‘VERSE 595. Stretch'd his fond Arms.]’ There never was a finer Piece of Painting than this. Hector extends his Arms to embrace his Child; the Child affrighted at the glittering of his Helmet and the shaking of the Plume, shrinks backward to the Breast of his Nurse; Hector unbraces his Helmet, lays it on the Ground, takes the Infant in his Arms, lifts him towards Heaven, and offers a Prayer for him to the Gods: then returns him to the Mother Andromache, who receives him with a Smile of Pleasure, but at the same [Page 179] instant the Fears for her Husband make her burst into Tears. All these are but small Circumstances, but so artfully chosen, that every Reader immediately feels the force of them, and represents the whole in the utmost Liveliness to his Imagina­tion. This alone might be a Confutation of that false Cri­ticism some have fallen into, who affirm that a Poet ought only to collect the great and noble Particulars in his Paint­ings. But it is in the Images of Things as in the Characters of Persons; where a small Action, or even a small Circum­stance of an Action, lets us more into the Knowledge and Comprehension of them, than the material and principal Parts themselves. As we find this in a History, so we do in a Picture, where sometimes a small Motion or Turning of a Finger will express the Character and Action of the Figure more than all the other Parts of the Design. Longinus in­deed blames an Author's insisting too much on trivial Cir­cumstances; but in the same Place extols Homer as ‘"the Poet who best knew how to make use of important and beautiful Circumstances, and to avoid the mean and superfluous ones."’ There is a vast difference betwixt a small Circumstance and a trivial one, and the smallest become important if they are well chosen, and not confused.

XLIX.

‘VERSE 604. Hector 's Prayer for his Son.]’ It may be asked how Hector's Prayer, that his Son might protect the Trojans, could be consistent with what he had said just before, that he certainly knew Troy and his Parents would perish. We ought to reflect that this is only a Prayer: Hector in the Excess of a tender Emotion for his Son, entreats the Gods to preserve Troy, and permit Astyanax to rule there. It is at all times allowable to beseech Heaven to appease its Anger, and change its Decrees; and we are taught that Prayers can alter Desti­ny. Dacier. Besides it cannot be infer'd from hence, that Hector had any divine Foreknowledge of his own Fate and the approaching Ruine of his Country; since in many fol­lowing Passages we find him possess'd with strong Hopes and firm Assurances to raise the Siege by the Flight or Destructi­on [Page 180] of the Greeks. So that these Forebodings of his Fate were only the Apprehensions and Misgivings of a Soul de­jected with Sorrow and Compassion, by considering the great Dangers to which he saw all that was dear to him expos'd.

L.

‘VERSE 612. Transcends his Father's Fame.]’ The Commen­dation Hector here gives himself, is not only agreeable to the Openness of a brave Man, but very becoming on such a so­lemn Occasion; and a natural Effect from the Testimony of his own Heart to his Honour; at this time especially, when he knew not but he was speaking his last Words. Virgil has not scrupled it, in what he makes Aeneas say to Ascanius at his Parting for the Battel.

Et pater Aeneas & avunculus excitet Hector.
Disce puer virtutem ex me, verumque laborem,
Fortunam ex aliis—
Aen. 12.

I believe he had this of Homer in his Eye, tho' the pathetical mention of Fortune in the last Line seems an Imitation of that Prayer of Sophocles, copied also from hence, where Ajax wishes his Son may be like him in all things but in his Mis­fortunes.

LI.

‘VERSE 615. His Mother's conscious Heart.]’ Tho' the chief Beauty of this Prayer consists in the paternal Piety shewn by Hector, yet it wants not a fine Stroake at the end, to con­tinue him in the Character of a tender Lover of his Wife, when he makes one of the Motives of his Wish, to be the Joy she shall receive on hearing her Son applauded.

LII.

‘VERSE 628. Fix'd is the Term.]’ The Reason which Hector here urges to allay the Affliction of his Wife, is grounded on [Page 181] a very ancient and common Opinion, that the fatal Period of Life is appointed to all Men at the time of their Birth; which as no Precaution can avoid, so no Danger can hasten. This Sentiment is as proper to give Comfort to the distress'd, as to inspire Courage to the desponding; since nothing is so fit to quiet and strengthen our Minds in Times of Difficulty, as a firm Assurance that our Lives are expos'd to no real Ha­zards, in the greatest Appearances of Danger.

LIII.

‘VERSE 649. Forth issues Paris.]’ Paris stung by the Re­proaches of Hector, goes to the Battel. 'Tis a just Remark of Eustathius, that all the Reproofs and Remonstrances made in Homer have constantly their Effect. The Poet by this shews the great Use of Reprehensions when properly apply'd, and finely intimates that every worthy Mind will be the better for them.

LIV.

‘VERSE 652. The wanton Courser thus, &c.]’ This beauti­ful Comparison being translated by Virgil in the eleventh Aeneid; I shall transcribe the Originals that the Reader may have the Pleasure of comparing them.

[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[...]

Qualis ubi abruptis fugit praesepia vinclis
Tandem liber equus, campoque potitus aperto,
Aut ille in pastus armentaque tendit equarum:
Aut assuetus aquae perfundi flumine noto
Emicat, arrectisque fremit cervicibus alte
Luxurians; luduntque jubae per colla, per armos.

[Page 182] Tho' nothing can be translated better than this is by Virgil, yet in Homer the Simile seems more perfect, and the Place more proper. Paris had been indulging his Ease within the Walls of his Palace, as the Horse in his Stable, which was not the Case of Turnus. The Beauty and Wantonness of the Steed agrees more exactly with the Character of Paris than with the other: And the Insinuation of his Love of the Mares has yet a nearer Resemblance. The languishing Flow of that Verse,

[...]

finely corresponds with the Ease and Luxuriancy of the pamper'd Courser bathing in the Flood; a Beauty which Scaliger did not consider, when he criticis'd particularly upon that Line. Tasso has also imitated this Simile, Cant. 9.

Come destrier, che da la regie stalle
Ove a l'uso de l'arme si reserba,
Fugge, e libero alfin per largo calle
Và trâ gl'armenti, ò al fiume usato, ò a l'erba;
Scherzau sù 'l collo i crini, e sù le spalle,
Si scote la cervice alta, e superba;
Suonano i piè nel corso, e par, ch'auvampi,
Di sonori nitriti empiendo i campi.

LV.

‘VERSE 665. Paris excus'd his Stay.]’ Here, in the Original, is a short Speech of Paris containing only these Words; Bro­ther, I have detained you too long, and should have come sooner as you desired me. This and some few others of the same Nature in the Iliad, the Translator has ventured to omit, ex­pressing only the Sense of them. A living Author (whom future Times will quote, and therefore I shall not scruple to do it) says that these short Speeches, tho' they may be natu­ral in other Languages, can't appear so well in ours, which is much more stubborn and unpliant, and therefore are but as [Page 183] so many Rubs in the Story that are still turning the Narra­tion out of its proper Course.

LVI.

‘VERSE 669. Known is thy Courage, &c.]’ Hector here confesses the natural Valour of Paris, but observes it to be overcome by the Indolence of his Temper and the Love of Pleasure. An ingenious French Writer very well remarks, that the true Character of this Hero has a great Resemblance with that of Marc Anthony. See the 4 th and 11 th Notes on the third Book.

LVII.

‘VERSE 677. We crown the Bowl to Heav'n and Liberty.]’ The Greek is, [...], the free Bowl, in which they made Libations to Jupiter after the Recovery of their Li­berty. The Expression is observed by M. Dacier to resemble those of the Hebrews; The Cup of Salvation, the Cup of Sor­row, the Cup of Benediction, &c. Athenaeus mentions those Cups which the Greeks call'd [...], and were consecrated to the Gods in Memory of some Success. He gives us the Inscription of one of this sort, which was, [...].

THE SEVENTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

The ARGUMENT.
The single Combate of Hector and Ajax.

THE Battel renewing with double Ardour upon the Re­turn of Hector, Minerva is under Apprehensions for the Greeks. Apollo seeing her descend from Olym­pus, joins her near the Scaean Gate. They agree to put off the general Engagement for that Day, and incite Hector to challenge the Greeks to a single Combate. Nine of the Princes accepting the Challenge, the Lot is cast, and falls upon Ajax. These Heroes, after several Attacks, are parted by the Night. The Trojans calling a Council, Antenor proposes the Delivery of Helen to the Greeks, to which Paris will not consent, but of­fers to restore them her Riches. Priam sends a Herald to make this Offer, and to demand a Truce for burning the Dead, the last of which only is agreed to by Agamemnon. When the Fu­nerals are performed, the Greeks, pursuant to the Advice of Nestor, erect a Fortification to protect their Fleet and Camp, flank'd with Towers, and defended by a Ditch and Palisades. Neptune testifies his Jealousy at this Work, but is pacified by a Promise from Jupiter. Both Armies pass the Night in Feast­ing, but Jupiter disheartens the Trojans with Thunder and other Signs of his Wrath.

The three and twentieth Day ends with the Duel of Hector and Ajax: The next Day the Truce is agreed: Another is taken up in the Funeral Rites of the Slain; and one more in building the Fortification before the Ships: So that somewhat above three Days is employed in this Book. The Scene lies wholly in the Field.

THE SEVENTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

SO spoke the Guardian of the Trojan State,
Then rush'd impetuous thro' the Scaean Gate.
Him Paris follow'd to the dire Alarms;
Both breathing Slaughter, both resolv'd in Arms.
As when to Sailors lab'ring thro' the Main,
That long had heav'd the weary Oar in vain,
Jove bids at length th' expected Gales arise;
The Gales blow grateful, and the Vessel flies:
So welcome these to Troy's desiring Train;
The Bands are chear'd, the War awakes again.
Bold Paris first the Work of Death begun,
On great Menesthius, Areïthous' Son;
[Page 188] Sprung from the fair Philomeda's Embrace,
The pleasing Arnè was his native Place.
Then sunk Eioneus to the Shades below,
Beneath his steely Casque he felt the Blow
Full on his Neck, from Hector's weighty Hand;
And roll'd, with Limbs relax'd, along the Land.
By Glaucus' Spear the bold Iphinous bleeds,
Fix'd in the Shoulder as he mounts his Steeds;
Headlong he tumbles: His slack Nerves unbound
Drop the cold useless Members on the Ground.
When now Minerva saw her Argives slain,
From vast Olympus to the gleaming Plain
Fierce she descends: Apollo mark'd her Flight,
Nor shot less swift from Ilion's Tow'ry Height:
Radiant they met, beneath the Beechen Shade;
When thus Apollo to the blue-ey'd Maid.
What cause, O Daughter of Almighty Jove!
Thus wings thy Progress from the Realms above?
Once more impetuous dost thou bend thy way,
To give to Greece the long-divided Day?
Too much has Troy already felt thy Hate,
Now breathe thy Rage, and hush the stern Debate:
[Page 189] This Day, the Business of the Field suspend;
War soon shall kindle, and great Ilion bend;
Since vengeful Goddesses confed'rate join
To raze her Walls, tho' built by Hands Divine.
To whom the Progeny of Jove replies.
I left, for this, the Council of the Skies:
But who shall bid conflicting Hosts forbear,
What Art shall calm the furious Sons of War?
To her the God: Great Hector's Soul incite
To dare the boldest Greek to single Fight,
Till Greece, provok'd, from all her Numbers show
A Warrior worthy to be Hector's Foe.
At this agreed, the Heav'nly Pow'rs withdrew;
Sage Helenus their secret Counsels knew:
Hector inspir'd he sought: To him addrest,
Thus told the Dictates of his sacred Breast.
O Son of Priam! let thy faithful Ear
Receive my Words; thy Friend and Brother hear!
Go forth persuasive, and a while engage
The warring Nations to suspend their Rage;
Then dare the boldest of the hostile Train
To mortal Combate on the listed Plain.
[Page 190] For not this Day shall end thy glorious Date;
The Gods have spoke it, and their Voice is Fate.
He said: The Warrior heard the Word with Joy.
Then with his Spear restrain'd the Youth of Troy,
Held by the midst athwart. On either Hand
The Squadrons part; th' expecting Trojans stand.
Great Agamemnon bids the Greeks forbear;
They breathe, and hush the Tumult of the War.
Th' Athenian Maid, and glorious God of Day,
With silent Joy the settling Hosts survey:
In Form like Vulturs, on the Beeche's Height
They sit conceal'd, and wait the future Fight.
The thronging Troops obscure the dusky Fields,
Horrid with bristling Spears, and gleaming Shields.
As when a gen'ral Darkness veils the Main,
(Soft Zephyr curling the wide wat'ry Plain)
The Waves scarce heave, the Face of Ocean sleeps,
And a still Horror saddens all the Deeps:
Thus in thick Orders settling wide around,
At length compos'd they sit, and shade the Ground.
Great Hector first amidst both Armies broke
The solemn Silence, and their Pow'rs bespoke.
Hear all ye Trojan, all ye Grecian Bands,
What my Soul prompts, and what some God commands.
Great Jove averse our Warfare to compose,
O'erwhelms the Nations with new Toils and Woes;
War with a fiercer Tide once more returns,
Till Ilion falls, or till yon' Navy burns.
You then, O Princes of the Greeks! appear,
'Tis Hector speaks, and calls the Gods to hear:
From all your Troops select the boldest Knight,
And him, the boldest, Hector dares to Fight.
Here if I fall, by chance of Battel slain,
Be his my Spoil, and his these Arms remain;
But let my Body, to my Friends return'd,
By Trojan Hands and Trojan Flames be burn'd.
And if Apollo, in whose Aid I trust,
Shall stretch your daring Champion in the Dust;
If mine the Glory to despoil the Foe;
On Phoebus' Temple I'll his Arms bestow:
The breathless Carcase to your Navy sent,
Greece on the Shore shall raise a Monument;
Which when some future Mariner surveys,
Wash'd by broad Hellespont's resounding Seas,
[Page 192] Thus shall he say. "A valiant Greek lies there,
"By Hector slain, the mighty Man of War.
The Stone shall tell your vanquish'd Hero's Name,
And distant Ages learn the Victor's Fame.
This fierce Defiance Greece astonish'd heard,
Blush'd to refuse, and to accept it fear'd.
Stern Menelaus first the Silence broke,
And inly groaning, thus opprobrious spoke.
Women of Greece! Oh Scandal of your Race,
Whose Coward Souls your manly Form disgrace.
How great the Shame, when ev'ry Age shall know
That not a Grecian met this noble Foe!
Go then! resolve to Earth from whence ye grew,
A heartless, spiritless, inglorious Crew:
Be what ye seem, unanimated Clay!
My self will dare the Danger of the Day.
'Tis Man's bold Task the gen'rous Strife to try,
But in the Hands of God is Victory.
These Words scarce spoke, with gen'rous Ardour prest,
His manly Limbs in Azure Arms he drest:
That Day, Atrides! a superior Hand
Had stretch'd thee breathless on the hostile Strand;
[Page 193] But all at once, thy Fury to compose,
The Kings of Greece, an awful Band, arose:
Ev'n He their Chief, great Agamemnon press'd
Thy daring Hand, and this Advice address'd.
Whither, O Menelaus! would'st thou run,
And tempt a Fate which Prudence bids thee shun?
Griev'd tho' thou art, forbear the rash Design;
Great Hector's Arm is mightier far than thine.
Ev'n fierce Achilles learn'd its Force to fear,
And trembling met this dreadful Son of War.
Sit thou secure amidst thy social Band;
Greece in our Cause shall arm some pow'rful Hand.
The mightiest Warrior of th' Achaian Name,
Tho' bold, and burning with Desire of Fame,
Content, the doubtful Honour might foregoe,
So great the Danger, and so brave the Foe.
He said, and turn'd his Brother's vengeful Mind,
He stoop'd to Reason, and his Rage resign'd.
No longer bent to rush on certain Harms,
His joyful Friends unbrace his Azure Arms.
He, from whose Lips divine Persuasion flows,
Grave Nestor, then, in graceful Act arose.
[Page 194] Thus to the Kings he spoke. What Grief, what Shame
Attend on Greece, and all the Grecian Name?
How shall, alas! her hoary Heroes mourn,
Their Sons degen'rate, and their Race a Scorn?
What Tears shall down thy silver Beard be roll'd,
Oh Peleus, old in Arms, in Wisdom old!
Once with what Joy the gen'rous Prince would hear
Of ev'ry Chief who sought this glorious War,
Participate their Fame, and pleas'd enquire
Each Name, each Action, and each Hero's Sire?
Gods! should he see our Warriors trembling stand,
And trembling all before one hostile Hand;
How would he lift his aged Arms on high,
Lament inglorious Greece, and beg to die!
Oh would to all th' immortal Pow'rs above,
Minerva, Phoebus, and Almighty Jove!
Years might again roll back, my Youth renew,
And give this Arm the Spring which once it knew:
When fierce in War, where Jardan's Waters fall,
I led my Troops to Phea's trembling Wall,
And with th' Arcadian Spears my Prowess try'd,
Where Celadon rolls down his rapid Tide.
[Page 195] There Ereuthalion brav'd us in the Field,
Proud, Areithous' dreadful Arms to wield;
Great Areithous, known from Shore to Shore
By the huge, knotted Iron-Mace he bore;
No Lance he shook, nor bent the twanging Bow,
But broke, with this, the Battel of the Foe.
Him not by manly Force Lycurgus slew,
Whose guileful Javelin from the Thicket flew,
Deep in a winding Way his Breast assail'd,
Nor ought the Warrior's thund'ring Mace avail'd.
Supine he fell: Those Arms which Mars before
Had giv'n the Vanquish'd, now the Victor bore.
But when old Age had dim'd Lycurgus Eyes,
To Ereuthalion he consign'd the Prize.
Furious with this, he crush'd our levell'd Bands,
And dar'd the Trial of the strongest Hands;
Nor cou'd the strongest Hands his Fury stay;
All saw, and fear'd, his huge, tempestuous Sway.
Till I, the youngest of the Host, appear'd,
And youngest, met whom all our Army fear'd.
I fought the Chief: my Arms Minerva crown'd:
Prone fell the Giant o'er a Length of Ground.
[Page 196] What then I was, Oh were your Nestor now!
Not Hector's self should want an equal Foe.
But Warriors, you, that youthful Vigour boast,
The Flow'r of Greece, th' Examples of our Host,
Sprung from such Fathers, who such Numbers sway;
Can you stand trembling, and desert the Day?
His warm Reproofs the list'ning Kings inflame,
And nine, the noblest of the Grecian Name,
Up-started fierce: But far before the rest
The King of Men advanc'd his dauntless Breast:
Then bold Tydides, great in Arms, appear'd;
And next his Bulk gigantic Ajax rear'd:
Oileus follow'd, Idomen was there,
And Merion, dreadful as the God of War:
With these Eurypylus and Thoas stand,
And wise Ulysses clos'd the daring Band.
All these, alike inspir'd with noble Rage,
Demand the Fight. To whom the Pylian Sage:
Lest Thirst of Glory your brave Souls divide,
What Chief shall combate, let the Lots decide.
Whom Heav'n shall chuse, be his the Chance to raise
His Country's Fame, his own immortal Praise.
The Lots produc'd, each Hero signs his own,
Then in the Gen'rals Helm the Fates are thrown.
The People pray with lifted Eyes and Hands,
And Vows like these ascend from all the Bands.
Grant thou Almighty! in whose Hand is Fate,
A worthy Champion for the Grecian State.
This Task let Ajax or Tydides prove,
Or He, the King of Kings, belov'd by Jove.
Old Nestor shook the Casque. By Heav'n inspir'd,
Leap'd forth the Lot of ev'ry Greek desir'd.
This from the Right to Left the Herald bears,
Held out in Order to the Grecian Peers.
Each to his Rival yields the Mark unknown,
Till Godlike Ajax finds the Lot his own;
Surveys th' Inscription with rejoicing Eyes,
Then casts before him, and with Transport cries:
Warriors! I claim the Lot, and arm with Joy;
Be mine the Conquest of this Chief of Troy.
Now, while my brightest Arms my Limbs invest,
To Saturn's Son be all your Vows addrest:
But pray in secret, lest the Foes should hear,
And deem your Pray'rs the mean Effect of Fear.
[Page 198] Said I in secret? No, your Vows declare,
In such a Voice as fills the Earth and Air.
Lives there a Chief whom Ajax ought to dread,
Ajax, in all the Toils of Battel bred?
From warlike Salamis I drew my Birth,
And born to Combates, fear no Force of Earth.
He said. The Troops with elevated Eyes,
Implore the God whose Thunder rends the Skies.
O Father of Mankind, Superior Lord!
On lofty Ida's holy Hill ador'd;
Who in the highest Heav'n hast fix'd thy Throne,
Supreme of Gods! unbounded, and alone:
Grant thou, that Telamon may bear away
The Praise and Conquest of this doubtful Day.
Or if illustrious Hector be thy Care,
That both may claim 'em, and that both may share.
Now Ajax brac'd his dazling Armour on;
Sheath'd in bright Steel the Giant-Warrior shone:
He moves to Combate with majestic Pace;
So stalks in Arms the grizly God of Thrace,
When Jove to punish faithless Men prepares,
And gives whole Nations to the Waste of Wars.
[Page 199] Thus march'd the Chief, tremendous as a God;
Grimly he smil'd; Earth trembled as he strode:
His massy Javelin quiv'ring in his Hand,
He stood, the Bulwark of the Grecian Band.
Thro' ev'ry Argive Heart new Transport ran,
All Troy stood trembling at the mighty Man.
Ev'n Hector paus'd, and with new Doubt opprest
Felt his great Heart suspended in his Breast:
'Twas vain to seek Retreat, and vain to fear;
Himself had challeng'd, and the Foe drew near.
Stern Telamon behind his ample Shield
As from a Brazen Tow'r, o'erlook'd the Field.
Huge was its Orb, with sev'n thick Folds o'ercast,
Of tough Bull-hides; of solid Brass the last.
(The Work of Tychius, who in Hylè dwell'd,
And All in Arts of Armoury excell'd.)
This Ajax bore before his manly Breast,
And threat'ning, thus his adverse Chief addrest.
Hector! approach my Arm, and singly know
What Strength thou hast, and what the Grecian Foe.
Achilles shuns the Fight; yet some there are
Not void of Soul, and not unskill'd in War:
[Page 200] Let him, unactive on the Sea-beat Shore,
Indulge his Wrath, and aid our Arms no more;
Whole Troops of Heroes, Greece has yet to boast,
And sends thee One, a Sample of her Host.
Such as I am, I come to prove thy Might;
No more—be sudden, and begin the Fight.
O Son of Telamon, thy Country's Pride!
(To Ajax thus the Trojan Prince reply'd)
Me, as a Boy or Woman would'st thou fright,
New to the Field, and trembling at the Fight?
Thou meet'st a Chief deserving of thy Arms,
To Combate born, and bred amidst Alarms:
I know to shift my Ground, remount the Car,
Turn, charge, and answer ev'ry Call of War,
To right, to left, the dext'rous Lance I wield,
And bear thick Battel on my sounding Shield.
But open be our Fight, and bold each Blow;
I steal no Conquest from a noble Foe.
He said, and rising, high above the Field
Whirl'd the long Lance against the sev'nfold Shield.
Full on the Brass descending from above
Thro' six Bull-hides the furious Weapon drove,
[Page 201] Till in the sev'nth it fix'd. Then Ajax threw,
Thro' Hector's Shield the forceful Javelin flew,
His Corslet enters, and his Garment rends,
And glancing downwards near his Flank descends.
The wary Trojan shrinks, and bending low
Beneath his Buckler, disappoints the Blow.
From their bor'd Shields the Chiefs the Javelins drew,
Then close impetuous, and the Charge renew:
Fierce as the Mountain-Lions bath'd in Blood,
Or foaming Boars, the Terror of the Wood.
At Ajax Hector his long Lance extends;
The blunted Point against the Buckler bends.
But Ajax watchful as his Foe drew near,
Drove thro' the Trojan Targe the knotty Spear;
It reach'd his Neck, with matchless Strength impell'd;
Spouts the black Gore, and dimms his shining Shield.
Yet ceas'd not Hector thus; but, stooping down,
In his strong Hand up-heav'd a flinty Stone,
Black, craggy, vast: To this his Force he bends;
Full on the Brazen Boss the Stone descends;
The hollow Brass resounded with the Shock.
Then Ajax seiz'd the Fragment of a Rock,
[Page 202] Apply'd each Nerve, and swinging round on high,
With Force tempestuous let the Ruin fly:
The huge Stone thund'ring thro' his Buckler broke;
His slacken'd Knees receiv'd the numbing Stroke;
Great Hector falls extended on the Field,
His Bulk supporting on the shatter'd Shield.
Nor wanted heav'nly Aid: Apollo's Might
Confirm'd his Sinews, and restor'd to Fight.
And now both Heroes their broad Faulchions drew,
In flaming Circles round their Heads they flew,
But then by Heralds Voice the Word was giv'n,
The sacred Ministers of Earth and Heav'n:
Divine Talthybius whom the Greeks employ,
And sage Idaeus on the Part of Troy,
Between the Swords their peaceful Sceptres rear'd;
When thus Idaeus' awful Voice was heard.
Forbear, my Sons! your farther Force to prove,
Both dear to Men, and both belov'd of Jove.
To either Host your matchless Worth is known,
Each sounds your Praise, and War is all your own.
But now the Night extends her awful Shade;
The Goddess parts you: Be the Night obey'd.
To whom great Ajax his high Soul express'd.
O Sage! to Hector be these Words address'd.
Let him, who first provok'd our Chiefs to fight,
Let him demand the Sanction of the Night:
If first he ask it, I content obey,
And cease the Strife when Hector shows the way.
Oh first of Greeks! (his noble Foe rejoin'd)
Whom Heav'n adorns, superior to thy Kind,
With Strength of Body, and with Worth of Mind!
Now Martial Law commands us to forbear,
Hereafter we shall meet in glorious War,
Some future Day shall lengthen out the Strife,
And let the Gods decide of Death or Life!
Since then the Night extends her gloomy Shade,
And Heav'n enjoins it, be the Night obey'd.
Return, brave Ajax, to thy Grecian Friends,
And joy the Nations whom thy Arm defends;
As I shall glad each Chief, and Trojan Wife,
Who wearies Heav'n with Vows for Hector's Life.
But let us, on this memorable Day,
Exchange some Gift; that Greece and Troy may say,
[Page 204] "Not Hate, but Glory, made these Chiefs contend;
"And each brave Foe was in his Soul a Friend.
With that, a Sword with Stars of Silver grac'd,
The Baldric studded, and the Sheath enchas'd,
He gave the Greek. The gen'rous Greek bestow'd
A radiant Belt that rich with Purple glow'd.
Then with majestic Grace they quit the Plain;
This seeks the Grecian, that the Phrygian Train.
The Trojan Bands returning Hector wait,
And hail with Joy the Champion of their State:
Escap'd great Ajax, they survey'd him round,
Alive, unharm'd, and vig'rous from his Wound.
To Troy's high Gates the God-like Chief they bear,
Their present Triumph, as their late Despair.
But Ajax, glorying in his hardy Deed,
The well-arm'd Greeks to Agamemnon lead.
A Steer for Sacrifice the King design'd,
Of full five Years, and of the nobler Kind.
The Victim falls, they strip the smoaking Hide,
The Beast they quarter, and the Joints divide,
Then spread the Tables, the Repast prepare,
Each takes his Seat, and each receives his Share.
[Page 205] The King himself (an Honorary Sign)
Before great Ajax plac'd the mighty Chine.
When now the Rage of Hunger was remov'd;
Nestor, in each persuasive Art approv'd,
The Sage whose Counsels long had sway'd the rest,
In Words like these his prudent Thought exprest.
How dear, O Kings! this fatal Day has cost,
What Greeks are perish'd! what a People lost!
What Tides of Blood have drench'd Scamander's Shore?
What Crowds of Heroes sunk, to rise no more?
Then hear me, Chief! nor let the Morrow's Light
Awake thy Squadrons to new Toils of Fight.
Some Space at least permit the War to breathe,
While we to Flames our slaughter'd Friends bequeathe,
From the red Field their scatter'd Bodies bear,
And nigh the Fleet a Fun'ral Structure rear:
So decent Urns their snowy Bones may keep,
And pious Children o'er their Ashes weep.
Here, where on one promiscuous Pile they blaz'd,
High o'er them all a gen'ral Tomb be rais'd.
Next, to secure our Camp, and Naval Pow'rs,
Raise an embattel'd Wall, with lofty Tow'rs;
[Page 206] From Space to Space be ample Gates around,
For passing Chariots, and a Trench profound.
So Greece to Combate shall in Safety go,
Nor fear the fierce Incursions of the Foe.
'Twas thus the Sage his wholsome Counsel mov'd;
The sceptred Kings of Greece his Words approv'd.
Meanwhile, conven'd at Priam's Palace Gate,
The Trojan Peers in nightly Council sate:
A Senate void of Union as of Choice,
Their Hearts were fearful, and confus'd their Voice.
Antenor rising, thus demands their Ear:
Ye Trojans, Dardans, and Auxiliars hear!
'Tis Heav'n the Counsel of my Breast inspires,
And I but move what ev'ry God requires,
Let Sparta's Treasures be this Hour restor'd,
And Argive Helen own her ancient Lord.
The Ties of Faith, the sworn Alliance broke,
Our impious Battels the just Gods provoke.
As this Advice ye practise, or reject,
So hope Success, or dread the dire Effect.
The Senior spoke, and sate. To whom reply'd
The graceful Husband of the Spartan Bride.
[Page 207] Cold Counsels, Trojan, may become thy Years,
But sound ungrateful in a Warrior's Ears:
Old Man, if void of Fallacy or Art
Thy Words express the Purpose of thy Heart,
Thou, in thy Time, more sound Advice hast giv'n;
But Wisdom has its Date, assign'd by Heav'n.
Then hear me, Princes of the Trojan Name!
Their Treasures I'll restore, but not the Dame;
My Treasures too, for Peace, I will resign;
But be this bright Possession ever mine.
'Twas then, the growing Discord to compose,
Slow from his Seat the rev'rend Priam rose.
His God-like Aspect deep Attention drew:
He paus'd, and these pacific Words ensue.
Ye Trojans, Dardans, and Auxiliar Bands!
Now take Refreshment as the Hour demands:
Guard well the Walls, relieve the Watch of Night,
Till the new Sun restores the chearful Light:
Then shall our Herald to th' Atrides sent,
Before their Ships, proclaim my Son's Intent:
Next let a Truce be ask'd, that Troy may burn
Her slaughter'd Heroes, and their Bones in-urn.
[Page 208] That done, once more the Fate of War be try'd,
And whose the Conquest, mighty Jove decide!
The Monarch spoke: the Warriors snatch'd with haste
(Each at his Post in Arms) a short Repaste.
Soon as the rosy Morn had wak'd the Day,
To the black Ships Idaeus bent his way:
There, to the Sons of Mars, in Council found,
He rais'd his Voice: The Hosts stood list'ning round.
Ye Sons of Atreus, and ye Greeks, give ear!
The Words of Troy, and Troy's great Monarch hear.
Pleas'd may ye hear (so Heav'n succeed my Pray'rs)
What Paris, Author of the War, declares.
The Spoils and Treasures he to Ilion bore,
(Oh had he perish'd e'er they touch'd our Shore)
He proffers injur'd Greece; with large Encrease
Of added Trojan Wealth to buy the Peace.
But to restore the beauteous Bride again,
This Greece demands, and Troy requests in vain.
Next, O ye Chiefs! we ask a Truce to burn
Our slaughter'd Heroes, and their Bones in-urn.
That done, once more the Fate of War be try'd,
And whose the Conquest, mighty Jove decide!
The Greeks gave ear, but none the Silence broke,
At length Tydides rose, and rising spoke.
Oh take not, Friends! defrauded of your Fame;
Their proffer'd Wealth, nor ev'n the Spartan Dame.
Let Conquest make them ours: Fate shakes their Wall,
And Troy already totters to her Fall.
Th' admiring Chiefs, and all the Grecian Name,
With gen'ral Shouts return'd him loud Acclaim.
Then thus the King of Kings rejects the Peace:
Herald! in him thou hear'st the Voice of Greece.
For what remains; let Fun'ral Flames be fed
With Heroes Corps: I war not with the Dead:
Go search your slaughter'd Chiefs on yonder Plain,
And gratify the Manes of the slain.
Be witness, Jove! whose Thunder rolls on high.
He said, and rear'd his Sceptre to the Sky.
To sacred Troy, where all her Princes lay
To wait th' Event, the Herald bent his way.
He came, and standing in the midst, explain'd
The Peace rejected, but the Truce obtain'd.
Strait to their sev'ral Cares the Trojans move,
Some search the Plain, some fell the sounding Grove:
[Page 210] Nor less the Greeks, descending on the Shore,
Hew'd the green Forests, and the Bodies bore.
And now from forth the Chambers of the Main,
To shed his sacred Light on Earth again,
Arose the golden Chariot of the Day,
And tipt the Mountains with a purple Ray.
In mingled Throngs, the Greek and Trojan Train
Thro' Heaps of Carnage search'd the mournful Plain.
Scarce could the Friend his slaughter'd Friend explore,
With Dust dishonour'd, and deform'd with Gore.
The Wounds they wash'd, their pious Tears they shed,
And, lay'd along their Cars, deplor'd the dead.
Sage Priam check'd their Grief: With silent Haste
The Bodies decent on the Piles were plac'd:
With melting Hearts the cold Remains they burn'd;
And sadly slow, to sacred Troy return'd.
Nor less the Greeks their pious Sorrows shed,
And decent on the Pile dispose the dead;
The cold Remains consume with equal Care;
And slowly, sadly, to their Fleet repair.
Now, e're the Morn had streak'd with red'ning Light
The doubtful Confines of the Day and Night;
[Page 211] About the dying Flames the Greeks appear'd,
And round the Pile a gen'ral Tomb they rear'd.
Then, to secure the Camp and Naval Pow'rs,
They rais'd embattel'd Walls with lofty Tow'rs:
From Space to Space were ample Gates around,
For passing Chariots; and a Trench profound,
Of large Extent, and deep in Earth below
Strong Piles infix'd stood adverse to the Foe.
So toil'd the Greeks: Meanwhile the Gods above
In shining Circle round their Father Jove,
Amaz'd beheld the wondrous Works of Man:
Then * He, whose Trident shakes the Earth, began.
What Mortals henceforth shall our Pow'r adore,
Our Fanes frequent, our Oracles implore,
If the proud Grecians thus successful boast
Their rising Bulwarks on the Sea-beat Coast?
See the long Walls extending to the Main,
No God consulted, and no Victim slain!
Their Fame shall fill the World's remotest Ends,
Wide, as the Morn her golden Beam extends.
While old Laömedon's divine Abodes,
Those radiant Structures rais'd by lab'ring Gods,
[Page 212] Shall, raz'd and lost, in long Oblivion sleep.
Thus spoke the hoary Monarch of the Deep.
Th' Almighty Thund'rer with a Frown replies,
That clouds the World, and blackens half the Skies.
Strong God of Ocean! Thou, whose Rage can make
The solid Earth's eternal Basis shake!
What Cause of Fear from mortal Works, cou'd move
The meanest Subject of our Realms above?
Where-e'er the Sun's refulgent Rays are cast,
Thy Pow'r is honour'd, and thy Fame shall last.
But yon' proud Work no future Age shall view,
No Trace remain where once the Glory grew.
The sapp'd Foundations by thy Force shall fall,
And whelm'd beneath thy Waves, drop the huge Wall:
Vast Drifts of Sand shall change the former Shore;
The Ruin vanish'd, and the Name no more.
Thus they in Heav'n: while, o'er the Grecian Train,
The rolling Sun descending to the Main
Beheld the finish'd Work. Their Bulls they slew;
Black from the Tents the sav'ry Vapors flew.
And now the Fleet, arriv'd from Lemnos' Strands,
With Bacchus' Blessings chear'd the gen'rous Bands.
[Page 213] Of fragrant Wines the rich Eunaeus sent
A thousand Measures to the Royal Tent.
( Eunaeus, whom Hypsipyle of yore
To Jason, Shepherd of his People, bore)
The rest they purchas'd at their proper Cost,
And well the plenteous Freight supply'd the Host:
Each, in exchange, proportion'd Treasures gave;
Some Brass or Iron, some an Oxe, or Slave.
All Night they feast, the Greek and Trojan Pow'rs;
Those on the Fields, and these within their Tow'rs.
But Jove averse the Signs of Wrath display'd,
And shot red Light'nings thro' the gloomy Shade:
Humbled they stood; pale Horror seiz'd on all,
While the deep Thunder shook th' Aerial Hall.
Each pour'd to Jove before the Bowl was crown'd,
And large Libations drench'd the thirsty Ground;
Then late refresh'd with Sleep from Toils of Fight,
Enjoy'd the balmy Blessings of the Night.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE Seventh Book.
[Page 217]OBSERVATIONS ON THE SEVENTH BOOK.

I.

‘VERSE 2. THRO' the Scaean Gate.]’ This Gate is not here particularized by Homer, but it appears by the 393d Verse of the sixth Book that it could be no other. Eustathius takes notice of the Difference of the Words [...] and [...], the one apply'd to Hector, the other to Paris: by which the Motion of the former is described as an impetuous sallying forth, agreeable to the Violence of a Warrior; and that of the latter as a calmer Movement, correspondent to the gentler Character of a Lover. But perhaps this Remark is too refined, since Homer plainly gives Paris a Character of Bravery in what immediately precedes and follows this Verse.

II.

‘VERSE 5. As when to Sailors, &c.]’ This Simile makes it plain that the Battel had relax'd during the Absence of Hector in Troy; and consequently that the Conversation of Diomed and Glaucus in the former Book, was not (as Ho­mer's Censurers would have it) in the Heat of the Engage­ment.

III.

‘VERSE 23. When now Minerva, &c.]’ This Machine of the two Deities meeting to part the Armies is very noble. Eustathius tells us it is an allegorical Minerva and Apollo: Minerva represents the prudent Valour of the Greeks, and Apollo who stood for the Trojans, the Power of Destiny: So that the Meaning of the Allegory may be, that the Valour and Wisdom of the Greeks had now conquer'd Troy, had not Destiny withstood. Minerva therefore complies with Apollo, an Intimation that Wisdom can never oppose Fate. But if you take them in the literal Sense as a real God and Goddess, it may be ask'd what Necessity there was for the Introduction of two such Deities? To this Eustathius answers, that the last Book was the only one in which both Armies were destitute of the Aid of the Gods: In Consequence of which there is no gallant Action atchiev'd, nothing extraordinary done, e­specially after the Retreat of Hector; but here the Gods are again introduced to usher in a new Scene of great Actions. The same Author offers this other Solution: Hector finding the Trojan Army overpower'd, considers how to stop the Fu­ry of rhe present Battel; this he thinks may best be done by the Proposal of a single Combate: Thus Minerva by a very easy and natural Fiction may signify that Wisdom or Courage (she being the Goddess of both) which suggests the Necessity of diverting the War; and Apollo, that seasonable Stratagem by which he effected it.

IV.

‘VERSE 37. Vengesul Goddesses.]’ [...] in this Place must signify Minerva and Juno, the Word being of the femi­nine Gender. Eustathius.

V.

‘VERSE 48. Sage Helenus their sacred Counsels knew.]’ He­lenus was the Priest of Apollo, and might therefore be sup­pos'd [Page 219] to be informed of this by his God, or taught by an O­racle that such was his Will. Or else being an Augur, he might learn it from the Flight of those Birds, into which the Deities are here feigned to transform themselves, (perhaps for that Reason, as it would be a very Poetical manner of expressing it.) The Fiction of these Divinities sitting on the Beech-Tree in the Shape of Vulturs, is imitated by Milton in the fourth Book of Paradise Lost, where Satan leaping over the Boundaries of Eden sits in the Form of a Cormorant up­on the Tree of Life.

VI.

‘VERSE 57. For not this Day shall end thy glorious Date.]’ Eustathius justly observes that Homer here takes from the Great­ness of Hector's Intrepidity, by making him foreknow that he should not fall in this Combate; whereas Ajax encounters him without any such Encouragement. It may perhaps be difficult to give a Reason for this Management of the Poet, unless we ascribe it to that commendable Prejudice, and ho­nourable Partiality he bears his Countrymen, which makes him give a Superiority of Courage to the Heroes of his own Nation.

VII.

‘VERSE 60. Then with his Spear restrain'd the Youth of Troy, Held by the midst athwart.—]’ The Remark of Eustathius here is observable: He tells us that the Warriors of those Times (having no Trumpets, and because the Voice of the loudest Herald would be drown'd in the Noise of a Battel) address'd themselves to the Eyes, and that grasping the middle of the Spear denoted a Request that the Fight might a while be suspended; the holding the Spear in that Position not being the Posture of a Warrior; and thus Agamemnon understands it without any farther Explication. But however it be, we have a lively Pi­cture of a General who stretches his Spear across, and presses back the most advanced Soldiers of his Army.

VIII.

‘VERSE 71. As when a gen'ral Darkness, &c.]’ The thick Ranks of the Troops composing themselves, in order to sit and hear what Hector was about to propose, are compared to the Waves of the Sea that are just stirr'd by the West Wind; the Simile partly consisting in the Darkness and Stillness. This is plainly different from those Images of the Sea, given us on other Occasions, where the Armies in their Engagement and Confusion are compared to the Waves in their Agitation and Tumult: And that the contrary is the Drift of this Si­mile appears particularly from Homer's using the Word [...], sedebant, twice in the Application of it. All the other Ver­sions seem to be mistaken here: What caused the Difficulty was the Expression [...], which may signify the West Wind blowing on a sudden, as well as first rising. But the Design of Homer was to convey an Image both of the gentle Motion that arose over the Field from the Helmets and Spears before their Armies were quite settled; and of the Repose and Awe which ensued, when Hector began to speak.

IX.

‘VERSE 79. Hear all ye Trojan, all ye Grecian Bands.]’ The Appearance of Hector, his formal Challenge, and the Affright of the Greeks upon it, have a near Resemblance to the Description of the Challenge of Goliah in the first Book of Samuel, Ch. 17. ‘ And he stood and cried to the Armies of Israel —Chuse you a Man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your Servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our Servants.—When Saul and all Israel heard the Words of the Philistinc, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid, &c.’

There is a fine Air of Gallantry and Bravery in this Chal­lenge of Hector. If he seems to speak too vainly, we should consider him under the Character of a Challenger, whose Bu­siness it is to defy the Enemy. Yet at the same time we [Page 221] find a decent Modesty in his manner of expressing the Con­ditions of the Combate: He says simply, If my Enemy kills me; but of himself, If Apollo grant me Victory. It was an Imagination equally agreeable to a Man of Ge­nerosity and a Lover of Glory, to mention the Monument to be erected over his vanquish'd Enemy; tho' we see he considers it not so much an Honour paid to the Conquer'd as a Trophie to the Conqueror. It was natural too to dwell most upon the Thought that pleas'd him best, for he takes no notice of any Monument that should be raised over him­self if he should fall unfortunately. He no sooner allows him­self to expatiate, but the Prospect of Glory carries him away thus far beyond his first Intention, which was only to allow the Enemy liberty to inter their Champion with Decency.

X.

‘VERSE 96. On Phoebus' Temple I'll his Arms bestow.]’ It was the Manner of the Ancients to dedicate Trophies of this kind to the Temples of the Gods. The particular Reason for consecrating the Arms in this Place to Apollo, is not on­ly as he was the constant Protector of Troy, but as this Thought of the Challenge was inspired by him.

XI.

‘VERSE 98. Greece on the Shore shall raise a Monument.]’ Homer took the Hint of this from several Tombs of the an­cient Heroes who had fought at Troy, remaining in his time upon the Shore of the Hellespont. He gives that Sea the E­pithet broad, to distinguish the particular Place of those Tombs, which was on the Rhoetean or Sigaean Coast, where the Hellespont (which in other Parts is narrow) opens itself to the Aegean Sea. Strabo gives an Account of the Monu­ment of Ajax near Rhoeteum, and of Achilles at the Promon­tory of Sigaeum. This is one among a thousand Proofs of our Author's exact Knowledge in Geography and Antiquities. Time (says Eustathius) has destroy'd those Tombs which were to have preserv'd Hector's Glory, but Homer's Poetry more [Page 222] lasting than Monuments and Proof against Ages, will for e­ver support and convey it to the latest Posterity.

XII.

‘VERSE 105. All Greece astonish'd heard.]’ It seems natural to enquire, why the Greeks, before they accepted Hector's Challenge, did not demand Reparation for the former Trea­chery of Pandarus, and insist upon delivering up the Author of it; which had been the shortest way for the Trojans to have wip'd off that Stain: It was very reasonable for the Greeks to reply to this Challenge, that they could not ven­ture a second single Combate for fear of such another insidi­ous Attempt upon their Champion. And indeed I wonder that Nestor did not think of this Excuse for his Countrymen, when they were so backward to engage. One may make some sort of answer to this, if we consider the Clearness of Hector's Character, and his Words at the beginning of the foregoing Speech, where he first complains of the Revival of the War as a Misfortune common to them both (which is at once very artful and decent) and lays the blame of it upon Jupiter. Tho', by the way, his charging the Trojans Breach of Faith upon the Deity looks a little like the reasoning of some modern Saints in the Doctrine of absolute Reprobation, making God the Author of Sin, and may serve for some In­stance of the Antiquity of that false Tenet.

XIII.

‘VERSE 109. Women of Greece! &c.]’ There is a great deal of Fire in this Speech of Menelaus, which very well agrees with his Character and Circumstances. Methinks while he speaks one sees him in a Posture of Emotion, pointing with Contempt at the Commanders about him. He up­braids their Cowardice, and wishes they may become (accor­ding to the literal Words) Earth and Water: that is, be re­solved into those Principles they sprung from, or die. Thus Eustathius explains it very exactly from a Verse he cites of Zenophanes.

[Page 223]
[...]

XIV.

‘VERSE 131. Ev'n fierce Achilles learn'd his Force to fear.]’ The Poet every where takes occasion to set the brotherly Love of Agamemnon toward Menelaus in the most agreeable Light: When Menelaus is wounded, Agamemnon is more concern'd than He; and here dissuades him from a Dan­ger, which he offers immediately after to undertake him­self. He makes use of Hector's superior Courage to bring him to a Compliance; and tells him that even Achilles dares not engage with Hector. This (says Eustathius) is not true, but only the Affection for his Brother thus breaks out into a kind Extravagance. Agamemnon likewise consults the Honour of Menelaus, for it will be no Disgrace to him to decline encountering a Man whom Achilles himself is a­fraid of. Thus he artfully provides for his Safety and Ho­nour at the same time.

XV.

‘VERSE 135. The mightiest Warrior, &c.]’ It cannot with Certainty be concluded from the Words of Homer, who is the Person to whom Agamemnon applies the last Lines of this Speech; the Interpreters leave it as undetermin'd in their Translations as it is in the Original. Some would have it understood of Hector, that the Greeks would send such an Antagonist against him, from whose Hands Hector might be glad to escape. But this Interpretation seems contrary to the plain Design of Agamemnon's Discourse, which only aims to deter his Brother from so rash an Undertaking as engaging with Hector. So that instead of dropping any Expression which might depreciate the Power or Courage of this Hero, he endeavours rather to represent him as the most formida­ble of Men, and dreadful even to Achilles. This Passage therefore will be most consistent with Agamemnon's Design, if it be consider'd as an Argument offer'd to Menelaus, at once [Page 224] to dissuade him from the Engagement, and to comfort him under the Appearance of so great a Disgrace as refusing the Challenge; by telling him that any Warrior, how bold and intrepid soever, might be content to sit still and rejoice that he is not expos'd to so hazardous an Engagement. The Words [...], signify not to escape out of the Combate (as the Translators take it) but to avoid entring into it.

The Phrase of [...], which is literally to bend the Knee, means (according to Eustathius) to rest, to sit down, [...], and is used so by Aeschylus in Prometheo. Those Interpreters were greatly mistaken who imagin'd it signify'd to kneel down, to thank the Gods for escaping from such a Combate; whereas the Custom of kneeling in Prayer (as we before observ'd) was not in use among these Nations.

XVI.

‘VERSE 145. The Speech of Nestor.]’ This Speech, if we consider the Occasion of it, could be made by no Person but Nestor. No young Warrior could with Decency exhort others to undertake a Combate which himself declin'd. Nothing could be more in his Character than to represent to the Greeks how much they would suffer in the Opinion of another old Man like himself. In naming Peleus he sets before their Eyes the Expectations of all their Fathers, and the Shame that must afflict them in their old Age if their Sons behaved themselves unworthily. The Account he gives of the Con­versations he had formerly held with that King, and his Jea­lousy for the Glory of Greece, is a very natural Picture of the warm Dialogues of two old Warriors upon the Commence­ment of a new War. Upon the whole, Nestor never more displays his Oratory than in this Place: You see him rising with a Sigh, expressing a pathetick Sorrow, and wishing again for his Youth that he might wipe away this Disgrace from his Country. The Humour of Story-telling, so natural to old Men, is almost always mark'd by Homer in the Speeches of Nestor. The Apprehension that their Age makes them con­temptible, puts them upon repeating the brave Deeds of their [Page 225] Youth. Plutarch justifies the Praises Nestor here gives him­self, and the Vaunts of his Valour, which on this Occasion were only Exhortations to those he address'd them to: By these he restores Courage to the Greeks who were astonish'd at the bold Challenge of Hector, and causes nine of the Prin­ces to rise and accept it. If any Man had a right to com­mend himself, it was this venerable Prince, who in relating his own Actions did no more than propose Examples of Vir­tue to the Young. Virgil, without any such softening Qua­lification, makes his Hero say of himself,

Sum pius Aeneas, fama super aethera notus.

And comfort a dying Warrior with these Words,

Aeneae magni dextra cadis.—

The same Author also imitates the Wish of Nestor for a Re­turn of his Youth, where Evander cries out,

O mihi praeteritos referat si Jupiter annos!
Qualis eram, cum primam aciem Praeneste sub ipsa
Stravi, scutorumque incendi Victor acervos,
Et regem hac Herilum dextra sub Tartara misi!

As for the Narration of the Arcadian War introduced here, it is a Part of the true History of those Times, as we are in­form'd by Pausanias.

XVII.

‘VERSE 177. Those Arms which Mars before Had giv'n.]’ Homer has the peculiar Happiness of being able to raise the obscurest Circumstance into the strongest Point of Light. Areithous had taken these Arms in Battel, and this gives oc­casion to our Author to say they were the Present of Mars. Eustathius.

XVIII.

‘VERSE 188. Prone fell the Giant o'er a Length of Ground.]’ Nestor's insisting upon this Circumstance of the Fall of Ereu­thalion, which paints his vast Body lying extended on the Earth, has a particular Beauty in it, and recalls into the old Man's Mind the Joy he felt on the Sight of his Enemy after he was slain. These are the fine and natural Strokes that give Life to the Descriptions of Poetry.

XIX.

‘VERSE 195. And nine, the noblest, &c.]’ In this Catalogue of the nine Warriors, who offer themselves as Champions for Greece, one may take notice of the first and the last who ri­ses up. Agamemnon advanced foremost, as it best became the General, and Ulysses with his usual Caution took time to deliberate till seven more had offer'd themselves. Homer gives a great Encomium of the Eloquence of Nestor in making it produce so sudden an Effect; especially when Agamemnon, who did not proffer himself before, even to save his Brother, is now the first that steps forth: One would fancy this par­ticular Circumstance was contrived to shew, that Eloquence has a greater Power than even Nature itself.

XX.

‘VERSE 207. Let the Lots decide.]’ This was a very pru­dent Piece of Conduct in Nestor: he does not chuse any of these nine himself, but leaves the Determination entirely to Chance. Had he named the Hero, the rest might have been griev'd to have seen another prefer'd before them; and he well knew that the Lot could not fall upon a wrong Person, where all were valiant. Eustathius.

XXI.

VERSE 208.
Whom Heav'n shall chuse, be his the Chance to raise
His Country's Fame, his own immortal Praise.]

The Original of this Passage is somewhat confused; the In­terpreters [Page 227] render it thus: Cast the Lots, and he who shall be chosen, if he escapes from this dangerous Combate, will do an eminent Service to the Greeks, and also have cause to be greatly satisfied himself. But the Sense will appear more di­stinct and rational if the Words [...] and [...] be not under­stood of the same Person: and the Meaning of Nestor will then be, he who is chosen for the Engagement by the Lot, will do his Country great Service, and he likewise who is not, will have reason to rejoice for escaping so dangerous a Com­bate. The Expression [...], is the same Homer uses in ℣. 118, 119. of this Book, which we ex­plain'd in the same Sense in Note 15.

XXII.

‘VERSE 212. The People pray.]’ Homer who supposes every thing on Earth to proceed from the immediate Disposition of Heaven, allows not even the Lots to come up by Chance, but places them in the Hands of God. The People pray to him for the Disposal of them, and beg that Ajax, Diomed, or A­gamemnon may be the Person. In which the Poet seems to make the Army give his own Sentiments, concerning the Pre­ference of Valour in his Heroes, to avoid an odious Comparison in downright Terms, which might have been inconsistent with his Design of complementing the Grecian Families. They afterwards offer up their Prayers again, just as the Combate is beginning, that if Ajax does not conquer, at least he may divide the Glory with Hector; in which the Commentators observe Homer prepares the Readers for what is to happen in the Sequel.

XXIII.

‘VERSE 224. Surveys th' Inscription.]’ There is no Necessity to suppose that they put any Letters upon these Lots, at least not their Names, because the Herald could not tell to whom the Lot of Ajax belong'd, till he claim'd it himself. It is more probable that they made some private Mark or Signet each upon his own Lot. The Lot was only a Piece of Wood, a Shell, or any thing that lay at hand. Eustathius.

XXIV.

‘VERSE 226. Warriors! I claim the Lot.]’ This is the first Speech of Ajax in the Iliad. He is no Orator, but always expresses himself in short, generally bragging, or threatning, and very positive. The Appellation of [...], the Bul­wark of the Greeks, which Homer almost constantly gives him, is extremely proper to the Bulk, Strength, and Immobility of this heavy Hero, who on all Occasions is made to stand to the Business, and support the Brunt. These Qualificati­ons are given him, that he may last out, when the rest of the chief Heroes are wounded. This makes him of excellent Use in Iliad 13, &c. He there puts a Stop to the whole Force of the Enemy, and a long time prevents the firing of the Ships. It is particularly observable that he is never as­sisted by any Deity as the others are. Yet one would think Mars had been no improper Patron for him, there being some Resemblance in the boisterous Character of that God and this Hero. However it be, this Consideration may part­ly account for a Particular which else might very well raise a Question: Why Ajax, who is in this Book superior in Strength to Hector, should afterward in the Iliad shun to meet him, and appear his Inferior? We see the Gods make this diffe­rence: Hector is not only assisted by them in his own Per­son, but his Men second him, whereas those of Ajax are di­spirited by Heaven: To which one may add another which is a natural Reason, Hector in this Book expresly tells Ajax he will now make use of no Skill or Art in Fighting with him. The Greek in bare brutal Strength prov'd too hard for Hector, and therefore he might be suppos'd afterwards to have exerted his Dexterity against him.

XXV.

‘VERSE 250. He moves to Combate, &c.]’ This Description is full of the sublime Imagery so peculiar to our Author. The Grecian Champion is drawn in all that terrible Glory with which he equals his Heroes to the Gods: He is no less dread­ful [Page 229] than Mars moving to Battel to execute the Decrees of Jove upon Mankind, and determine the Fate of Nations. His March, his Posture, his Countenance, his Bulk, his Tow'r-like Shield, in a word, his whole Figure strikes our Eyes in all the strongest Colours of Poetry. We look upon him as a Deity, and are not astonish'd at those Emotions which Hector feels at the Sight of him.

XXVI.

‘VERSE 269. The Work of Tychius.]’ I shall ask leave to transcribe here the Story of this Tychius, as we have it in the ancient Life of Homer attributed to Herodotus. ‘" Homer falling into Poverty, determined to go to Cuma, and as he past thro' the Plain of Hermus, came to a Place called The New Wall, which was a Colony of the Cumaeans. Here ( after he had recited five Verses in Celebration of Cuma) he was received by a Leather-dresser, whose Name was Ty­chius, into his House, where he shew'd to his Host and his Company, a Poem on the Expedition of Amphiaraus, and his Hymns. The Admiration he there obtain'd procur'd him a present Subsistance. They shew to this Day with great Veneration the Place where he sate when he recited his Verses, and a Poplar which they affirm to have grown there in his Time."’ If there be any thing in this Story, we have reason to be pleas'd with the grateful Temper of our Poet, who took this Occasion of immortalizing the Name of an ordinary Tradesman, who had obliged him. The same Account of his Life takes notice of several other Instances of his Gratitude in the same kind.

XXVII.

‘VERSE 270. In Arts of Armoury.]’ I have called Tychius an Armourer rather than a Leather-dresser or Currier; his making the Shield of Ajax authorizes one Expression as well as the other; and tho' that which Homer uses had no Low­ness or Vulgarity in the Greek, it was not to be admitted in­to English heroic Verse.

XXVIII.

‘VERSE 273. Hector, approach my Arm, &c.]’ I think it needless to observe how exactly this Speech of Ajax corres­ponds with his blunt and Soldier-like Character. The same Propriety, in regard to this Hero, is maintained throughout the Iliad. The Business he is about is all that employs his Head, and he speaks of nothing but Fighting. The last Line is an Image of his Mind at all times,

No more—be sudden, and begin the Fight.

XXIX.

‘VERSE 285. Me, as a Boy or Woman, would'st thou fright?]’ This Reply of Hector seems rather to allude to some Acti­on Ajax had used in his Approach to him, as shaking his Spear, or the like, than to any thing he had said in his Speech. For what he had told him amounts to no more than that there were several in the Grecian Army who had courted the Honour of this Combate as well as himself. I think one must observe many things of this kind in Homer, that allude to the particular Attitude or Action in which the Author supposes the Person to be in at that time.

XXX.

‘VERSE 290. Turn, charge, and answer ev'ry Call of War.]’ The Greek is, To move my Feet to the Sound of Mars, which seems to shew that those military Dances were in Use even in Homer's Time, which were afterwards practised in Greece.

XXXI.

‘VERSE 305. From their bor'd Shields the Chiefs their Jave­lins drew.]’ Homer in this Combate makes his Heroes perform all their Exercises with all sorts of Weapons; first darting Lan­ces at distance, then advancing closer, and pushing with Spears, [Page 231] then casting Stones, and lastly attacking with Swords; in e­very one of which the Poet gives the Superiority to his Coun­tryman. It is farther observable (as Eustathius remarks) that Ajax allows Hector an Advantage in throwing the first Spear.

XXXII.

‘VERSE 328. Apollo 's Might.]’ In the beginning of this Book we left Apollo perch'd upon a Tree, in the Shape of a Vultur, to behold the Combate: He comes now very oppor­tunely to save his Favourite Hector. Eustathius says that A­pollo is the same with Destiny, so that when Homer says A­pollo sav'd him, he means no more than that it was not his Fate yet to die, as Helenus had foretold him.

XXXIII.

‘VERSE 332. Heralds, the sacred Ministers, &c.]’ The Heralds of old were sacred Persons, accounted the Delegates of Mercury, and inviolable by the Law of Nations. The an­cient Histories have many Examples of the Severity exercised against those who committed any Outrage upon them. Their Office was to assist in the Sacrifices and Councils, to proclaim War or Peace, to command Silence at Ceremonies or single Combates, to part the Combatants, and to declare the Conqueror, &c.

XXXIV.

‘VERSE 334. Divine Talthybius, &c.]’ This Interposition of the two Heralds to part the Combatants, on the Approach of the Night, is apply'd by Tasso to the single Combate of Tan­cred and Argantes in the sixth Book of his Jerusalem. The Herald's Speech, and particularly that remarkable Injunction to Obey the Night, are translated literally by that Author. The Combatants there also part not without a Promise of meeting again in Battel, on some more favourable Opportunity.

XXXV.

‘VERSE 337. And first Idaeus.]’ Homer observes a just De­corum in making Idaeus the Trojan Herald speak first, to end the Combate wherein Hector had the Disadvantage. Ajax is very sensible of this Difference, when in his Reply he re­quires that Hector should first ask for a Cessation, as he was the Challenger. Eustathius.

XXXVI.

‘VERSE 350. O first of Greeks, &c.]’ Hector, how hardly soever he is prest by his present Circumstance, says nothing to obtain a Truce that is not strictly consistent with his Ho­nour. When he praises Ajax, it lessens his own Disadvantage, and he is careful to extol him only above the Greeks, with­out acknowledging him more valiant than himself or the Tro­jans: Hector is always jealous of the Honour of his Coun­try. In what follows we see he keeps himself on a level with his Adversary; Hereafter we shall meet.—Go thou, and give the same Joy to thy Grecians for thy Escape, as I shall to my Trojans. The Point of Honour in all this is very nicely preserved.

XXXVII.

‘VERSE 362. Who wearies Heav'n with Vows for Hector 's Life.]’ Eustathius gives many Solutions of the Difficulty in these Words, [...]: They mean either that the Trojan Ladies will pray to the Gods for him ( [...], or certatim) with the utmost Zeal and Transport; or that they will go in Procession to the Temples for him ( [...], coetum Deorum;) or that they will pray to him as to a God, [...].

XXXVIII.

‘VERSE 364. Exchange some Gift.]’ There is nothing that gives us a greater Pleasure in reading an heroic Poem, than [Page 233] the Generosity, which one brave Enemy shews to another. The Proposal made here by Hector, and so readily embraced by Ajax, makes the Parting of these two Heroes more glori­ous to them than the Continuance of the Combate had been. A French Critick is shock'd at Hector's making Proposals to Ajax with an Air of Equality; he says a Man that is van­quish'd, instead of talking of Presents, ought to retire with Shame from his Conqueror. But that Hector was vanquish'd is by no means to be allowed; Homer had told us that his Strength was restored by Apollo, and that the two Comba­tants were engaging again upon equal Terms with their Swords. So that this Criticism falls to nothing. For the rest, 'tis said that this Exchange of Presents between Hector and Ajax gave Birth to a Proverb, that the Presents of Ene­mies are generally fatal. For Ajax with this Sword after­wards killed himself, and Hector was dragg'd by this Belt at the Chariot of Achilles.

XXXIX.

‘VERSE 387. Before great Ajax plac'd the mighty Chine.]’ This is one of those Passages that will naturally fall under the Ridicule of a true modern Critick. But what Agamem­non here bestows on Ajax was in former Times a great Mark of Respect and Honour: Not only as it was customary to distinguish the Quality of their Guests by the Largeness of the Portions assigned them at their Tables, but as this Part of the Victim peculiarly belong'd to the King himself. It is worth remarking on this Occasion, that the Simplicity of those Times allowed the eating of no other Flesh but Beef, Mutton, or Kid. This is the Food of the Heroes of Homer, and the Patriarchs and Warriors of the Old Testament. Fishing and Fowling were the Arts of more luxurious Nations, and came much later into Greece and Israel.

One cannot read this Passage without being pleased with the wonderful Simplicity of the old heroic Ages. We have here a gallant Warrior returning victorious (for that he thought himself so, appears from those Words [...]) from a single Combate with the bravest of his Enemies; and he is [Page 234] no otherwise rewarded than with a larger Portion of the Sa­crifice at Supper. Thus an upper Seat or a more capacious Bowl was a Recompence for the greatest Actions; and thus the only Reward in the Olympic Games was a Pine-Branch, or a Chaplet of Parsley or wild Olive. The latter Part of this Note belongs to Eustathius.

XL.

‘VERSE 399. While we to Flames, &c.]’ There is a great deal of Artifice in this Counsel of Nestor of burning the Dead and raising a Fortification; for tho' Piety was the specious Pretext, their Security was the real Aim of the Truce, which they made use of to finish their Works. Their doing this at the same time they erected the Funeral Piles, made the Im­position easy upon the Enemy, who might naturally mistake one Work for the other. And this also obviates a plain Ob­jection, viz. Why the Trojans did not interrupt them in this Work? The Truce determined no exact Time, but as much as was needful for discharging the Rites of the Dead.

I fancy it may not be unwelcome to the Reader to enlarge a little upon the way of disposing the Dead among the Anci­ents. It may be proved from innumerable Instances that the Hebrews interred their Dead; thus Abraham's Burying-place is frequently mentioned in Scripture: And that the Aegyptians did the same is plain from their embalming them. Some have been of Opinion that the Usage of Burning the Dead was originally to prevent any Outrage to the Bodies from their Enemies; which Imagination is render'd not improba­ble by that Passage in the first Book of Samuel, where the Israelites burn the Bodies of Saul and his Sons after they had been misused by the Philistines, even tho' their common Cu­stom was to bury their Dead. And so Sylla among the Ro­mans was the first of his Family who order'd his Body to be burnt, for fear the Barbarities he had exercised on that of Ma­rius might be retaliated upon his own. Tully de legibus, lib. 2. ‘ Proculdubio cremandi ritus a Graecis venit, nam sepul­tum legimus Numam ad Anienis fontem; totique genti Corneliae [Page 235] solenne fuisse sepulcrum, usque ad Syllam, qui primus ex ea gente crematus est.’ The Greeks used both ways of interring and burning; Patroclus was burned, and Ajax lay'd in the Ground, as appears from Sophocles's Ajax, lin. 1185.

[...]
[...]—

‘ Hasten (says the Chorus) to prepare a hollow Hole, a Grave for this Man.’

Thucidydes in his second Book mentions [...]: Coffins or Chests made of Cypress Wood, in which the Athenians kept the Bones of their Friends that dy'd in the Wars.

The Romans derived from the Greeks both these Customs of burning and burying: In Urbe neve SEPELITO neve URITO, says the Law of the Twelve Tables. The Place where they burn'd the Dead was set apart for this religious Use, and cal­led Glebe; from which Practice the Name is yet apply'd to all the Grounds belonging to the Church.

Plutarch observes that Homer is the first who mentions one general Tomb for a Number of dead Persons. Here is a Tumulus built round the Pyre, not to bury their Bodies, for they were to be burn'd; nor to receive the Bones, for those were to be carry'd to Greece; but perhaps to inter their Ashes, (which Custom may be gather'd from a Passage in Iliad 23. ℣. 255.) or it might be only a Cenotaph in Remembrance of the Dead.

XLI.

‘VERSE 415. The Trojan Peers in nightly Council sate.]’ There is a great Beauty in the two Epithets Homer gives to this Council, [...], [...], timida, turbulenta. The unjust side is always fearful and discordant. I think M. Dacier has not entirely done Justice to this Thought in her Translation. Horace seems to have accounted this an useful and necessary Part, that contain'd the great Moral of the Iliad, as may be seen from his selecting it in particular from the rest, in his Epistle to Lollius.

[Page 236]
Fabula, qua Paridis propter narratur amorem,
Graecia Barbariae lento collisa duello,
Stultorum Regum & populorum continet aestus.
Antenor censet belli praecidere causam.
Quid Paris? Ut salvus regnet, vivatque beatus,
Cogi posse negat.—

XLII.

‘VERSE 441. The rev'rend Priam rose.]’ Priam rejects the wholsome Advice of Antenor, and complies with his Son. This is indeed extremely natural to the indulgent Character and easy Nature of the old King, of which the whole Trojan War is a Proof; but I could wish Homer had not just in this Place celebrated his Wisdom in calling him [...]. Spondanus refers this Blindness of Priam to the Power of Fate, the Time now approaching when Troy was to be pu­nish'd for its Injustice. Something like this weak Fondness of a Father is described in the Scripture in the Story of Da­vid and Absalom.

XLIII.

‘VERSE 450. Next let a Truce be ask'd.]’ The Conduct of Homer in this Place is remarkable: He makes Priam pro­pose in Council to send to the Greeks to ask a Truce to bury the Dead. This the Greeks themselves had before determined to propose: But it being more honourable to his Country, the Poet makes the Trojan Herald prevent any Proposition that could be made by the Greeks. Thus they are requested to do what they themselves were about to request, and have the Honour to comply with a Proposal which they themselves would otherwise have taken as a Favour. Eustathius.

XLIV.

‘VERSE 455. Each at his Post in Arms.]’ We have here the manner of the Trojans taking their Repast: Not pro­miscuously, [Page 237] but each at his Post. Homer was sensible that military Men ought not to remit their Guard, even while they refresh themselves, but in every Action display the Sol­dier. Eustathius.

XLV.

‘VERSE 460. The Speech of Idaeus.]’ The Proposition of re­storing the Treasures, and not Helen, is sent as from Paris only; in which his Father seems to permit him to treat by himself as a Sovereign Prince, and the sole Author of the War. But the Herald seems to exceed his Commission in what he tells the Greeks. Paris only offer'd to restore the Treasures he took from Greece, not including those he brought from Sidon and other Coasts, where he touch'd in his Voyage: But Idaeus here proffers all that he brought to Troy. He adds, as from himself, a Wish that Paris had perish'd in that Voyage. Some ancient Expositors suppose those Words to be spoken a­side, or in a low Voice, as it is usual in Dramatic Poetry. But without that Salvo, a generous Love for the Welfare of his Country might transport Idaeus into some warm Expressions against the Author of its Woes. He lays aside the Herald to act the Patriot, and speaks with a noble Indignation against Paris, that he may Influence the Grecian Captains to give a favourable Answer. Eustathius.

XLVI.

‘VERSE 474. The Greeks gave ear, but none the Silence broke.]’ This Silence of the Greeks might naturally proceed from their Opinion that however desirous they were to put an end to this long War, Menelaus would never consent to relinquish Helen, which was the thing insisted upon by Paris. Eustathius accounts for it in another manner, and it is from him M. Dacier has taken her Remark. The Princes (says he) were silent, because it was the Part of Agamemnon to de­termine in Matters of this Nature; and Agamemnon is silent, being willing to hear the Inclinations of the Princes. By this means he avoided the Imputation of exposing the Greeks [Page 238] to Dangers for his Advantage and Glory; since he only gives the Answer which is put into his Mouth by the Princes, with the general Applause of the Army.

XLVII.

‘VERSE 476. Oh take not, Greeks! &c.]’ There is a pecu­liar Decorum in making Diomed the Author of this Advice, to reject even Helen herself if she were offer'd; this had not agreed with an amorous Husband like Menelaus, nor with a cunning Politician like Ulysses, nor with a wise old Man like Nestor. But it is proper to Diomed, not only as a young fearless Warrior, but as he is in particular an Enemy to the Interests of Venus.

XLVIII.

‘VERSE 507. And lay'd along the Cars.]’ These probably were not Chariots, but Carriages; for Homer makes Nestor say in ℣. 332. that this was to be done with Mules and Oxen, which were not commonly join'd to Chariots, and the word [...] there, may be apply'd to any Vehicle that runs on Wheels. [...] signifies indifferently Plaustrum or Currus; and our English word Car implies either. But if they did use Chariots in bearing their Dead, it is at least evident, that those Chariots were drawn by Mules and Oxen at Funeral So­lemnities. Homer's using the word [...] and not [...], confirms this Opinion.

XLIX.

‘VERSE 520. Then, to secure the Camp, &c.]’ Homer has been accus'd of an Offence against Probability, in causing this Fortification to be made so late as in the last Year of the War. Mad. Dacier answers to this Objection, that the Greeks had no Occasion for it till the Departure of Achilles: He alone was a greater Defence to them; and Homer had told the Rea­der in a preceding Book, that the Trojans never durst venture out of the Walls of Troy while Achilles fought: These In­trenchments [Page 239] therefore serve to raise the Glory of his principal Hero, since they become necessary as soon as he withdraws his Aid. She might have added, that Achilles himself says all this, and makes Homer's Apology in the ninth Book, ℣. 349. The same Author, speaking of this Fortification, seems to doubt whether the Use of intrenching Camps was known in the Trojan War, and is rather inclined to think Homer borrowed it from what was practised in his own Time. But I believe if we consider the Caution with which he has been observed, in some Instances already given, to preserve the Manners of the Age he writes of, in Contradistinction to what was practised in his own; we may reasonably conclude the Art of Fortification was in use even so long before him, and in the Degree of Perfection that he here describes it. If it was not, and if Homer was fond of describing an Improve­ment in this Art made in his own Days, nothing could be better contrived than his feigning Nestor to be the Author of it, whose Wisdom and Experience in War render'd it probable that he might carry his Projects farther than the rest of his Contemporaries. We have here a Fortification as perfect as any in the modern Times. A strong Wall is thrown up, Towers are built upon it from Space to Space, Gates are made to is­sue out at, and a Ditch sunk, deep, wide and long: to all which Palisades are added to compleat it.

L.

‘VERSE 526. Meanwhile the Gods.]’ The Fiction of this Wall raised by the Greeks, has given no little Advantage to Homer's Poem, in furnishing him with an Opportunity of changing the Scene, and in a great degree the Subject and Accidents of his Battels; so that the following Descriptions of War are totally different from all the foregoing. He takes care at the first mention of it to fix in us a great Idea of this Work, by making the Gods immediately concern'd about it. We see Neptune jealous lest the Glory of his own Work, the Walls of Troy, should be effaced by it; and Jupiter comfor­ting him with a Prophecy that it shall be totally destroy'd in a short time. Homer was sensible that as this was a Building [Page 240] of his Imagination only, and not founded (like many other of his Descriptions) upon some Antiquities or Traditions of the Country, so Posterity might convict him of a Falsity when no Remains of any such Wall should be seen on the Coast. Therefore (as Aristotle observes) he has found this way to elude the Censure of an improbable Fiction: The Word of Jove was fulfilled, the Hands of the Gods, the Force of the Rivers, and the Waves of the Sea demolish'd it. In the twelfth Book he digresses from the Subject of his Po­em to describe the Execution of this Prophecy. The Verses there are very noble, and have given the Hint to Milton for those in which he accounts, after the same Poetical manner, for the Vanishing of the Terrestrial Paradise.

—All Fountains of the Deep
Broke up, shall heave the Ocean to usurp
Beyond all bounds, till Inundation rise
Above the highest Hills: Then shall this Mount
Of Paradise by Might of Waves be mov'd
Out of its place, push'd by the horned Flood,
With all its Verdure spoil'd, and Trees adrift,
Down the great River to the opening Gulf,
And there take root an Island salt and bare,
The Haunt of Seals and Orcs, and Sea-mews clang.

LI.

‘VERSE 560. And now the Fleet, &c.]’ The Verses from hence to the end of the Book afford us the Knowledge of some Points of History and Antiquity. As that Jason had a Son by Hypsipyle, who succeeded his Mother in the Kingdom of Lemnos. That the Isle of Lemnos was anciently famous for its Wines, and drove a Traffick in them; and that coin­ed Money was not in use in the Time of the Trojan War, but the Trade of Countries carry'd on by Exchange in gross, Brass, Oxen, Slaves, &c. I must not forget the particular Term used here for Slave, [...], which is literally the same with our modern word Footman.

LII.

‘VERSE 572. But Jove averse, &c.]’ The Signs by which Jupiter here shews his Wrath against the Grecians, are a Pre­lude to those more open Declarations of his Anger which fol­low in the next Book, and prepare the Mind of the Reader for that Machine, which might otherwise seem too bold and violent.

THE EIGHTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

The ARGUMENT.
The second Battel, and the Distress of the Greeks.

JUPITER assembles a Council of the Deities, and threatens them with the Pains of Tartarus if they assist either side: Minerva only obtains of him that she may direct the Greeks by her Counsels. The Armies join Battel; Jupiter on Mount Ida weighs in his Balances the Fates of both, and affrights the Greeks with his Thunders and Lightnings. Nestor alone con­tinues in the Field in great Danger; Diomed relieves him; whose Exploits, and those of Hector, are excellently described. Juno endeavours to animate Neptune to the Assistance of the Greeks, but in vain. The Acts of Teucer, who is at length wounded by Hector and carry'd off. Juno and Minerva pre­pare to aid the Grecians, but are restrained by Iris, sent from Jupiter. The Night puts an end to the Battel. Hector keeps the Field (the Greeks being driven to their Fortification before the Ships) and gives Orders to keep the Watch all Night in the Camp, to prevent the Enemy from reimbarking and escaping by Flight. They kindle Fires through all the Field, and pass the Night under Arms.

The Time of seven and twenty Days is employed from the Opening of the Poem to the End of this Book. The Scene here (except of the Celestial Machines) lies in the Field toward the Sea Shore.

THE EIGHTH BOOK OF THE ILIAD.

AURORA now, fair Daughter of the Dawn,
Sprinkled with rosy Light the dewy Lawn.
When Jove conven'd the Senate of the Skies,
Where high Olympus' cloudy Tops arise.
The Sire of Gods his awful Silence broke;
The Heav'ns attentive trembled as he spoke.
Celestial States, Immortal Gods! give ear,
Hear our Decree, and rev'rence what ye hear;
The fix'd Decree which not all Heav'n can move;
Thou Fate! fulfill it; and ye Pow'rs! approve.
What God but enters yon' forbidden Field,
Who yields Assistance, or but wills to yield;
[Page 246] Back to the Skies with Shame he shall be driv'n,
Gash'd with dishonest Wounds, the Scorn of Heav'n:
Or far, oh far from steep Olympus thrown,
Low in the dark, Tartarean Gulf shall groan,
With burning Chains fix'd to the Brazen Floors,
And lock'd by Hell's inexorable Doors;
As deep beneath th' Infernal Centre hurl'd,
As from that Centre to th' Aethereal World.
Let him who tempts me, dread those dire Abodes;
And know, th' Almighty is the God of Gods.
League all your Forces then, ye Pow'rs above,
Join all, and try th' Omnipotence of Jove:
Let down our golden everlasting Chain,
Whose strong Embrace holds Heav'n, and Earth, and Main:
Strive all, of mortal and immortal Birth,
To drag, by this, the Thund'rer down to Earth:
Ye strive in vain! If I but stretch this Hand,
I heave the Gods, the Ocean, and the Land,
I fix the Chain to great Olympus' Height,
And the vast World hangs trembling in my Sight!
[Page 247] For such I reign, unbounded and above;
And such are Men, and Gods, compar'd to Jove,
Th' Almighty spoke, nor durst the Pow'rs reply,
A rev'rend Horror silenc'd all the Sky;
Trembling they stood before their Sov'reign's Look;
At length his Best-belov'd, the Pow'r of Wisdom, spoke.
Oh First and Greatest! God by Gods ador'd!
We own thy Might, our Father and our Lord!
But ah! permit to pity human State;
If not to help, at least lament their Fate.
From Fields forbidden we submiss refrain,
With Arms unaiding mourn our Argives slain;
Yet grant my Counsels still their Breasts may move,
Or all must perish in the Wrath of Jove.
The Cloud-compelling God her Suit approv'd,
And smil'd superior on his Best-belov'd.
Then call'd his Coursers, and his Chariot took;
The stedfast Firmament beneath them shook:
Rapt by th' Aethereal Steeds the Chariot roll'd;
Brass were their Hoofs, their curling Manes of Gold.
Of Heav'ns undrossy Gold the God's Array
Refulgent, flash'd intolerable Day.
[Page 248] High on the Throne he shines: His Coursers fly,
Between th' extended Earth and starry Sky.
But when to Ida's topmost Height he came,
(Fair Nurse of Fountains, and of Savage Game)
Where o'er her pointed Summits proudly rais'd,
His Fane breath'd Odours, and his Altar blaz'd:
There, from his radiant Car, the sacred Sire
Of Gods and Men releas'd the Steeds of Fire:
Blue ambient Mists th' immortal Steeds embrac'd;
High on the cloudy Point his Seat he plac'd.
Thence his broad Eye the subject World surveys,
The Town, the Tents, and navigable Seas.
Now had the Grecians snatch'd a short Repaste,
And buckled on their shining Arms with Haste.
Troy rowz'd as soon; for on this dreadful Day
The Fate of Fathers, Wives, and Infants lay.
The Gates unfolding pour forth all their Train;
Squadrons on Squadrons cloud the dusky Plain:
Men, Steeds, and Chariots shake the trembling Ground;
The Tumult thickens, and the Skies resound.
And now with Shouts the shocking Armies clos'd,
To Lances, Lances, Shields to Shields oppos'd,
[Page 249] Host against Host with shadowy Legions drew,
The sounding Darts in Iron Tempests flew,
Victors and Vanquish'd join promiscuous Cries,
Triumphant Shouts and dying Groans arise;
With streaming Blood the slipp'ry Fields are dy'd,
And slaughter'd Heroes swell the dreadful Tide.
Long as the Morning Beams encreasing bright,
O'er Heav'ns clear Azure spread the sacred Light;
Commutual Death the Fate of War confounds,
Each adverse Battel goar'd with equal Wounds.
But when the Sun the Height of Heav'n ascends;
The Sire of Gods his golden Scales suspends,
With equal Hand: In these explor'd the Fate
Of Greece and Troy, and pois'd the mighty Weight.
Press'd with its Load the Grecian Balance lies
Low sunk on Earth, the Trojan strikes the Skies.
Then Jove from Ida's Top his Horrors spreads;
The Clouds burst dreadful o'er the Grecian Heads;
Thick Light'nings flash; the mutt'ring Thunder rolls;
Their Strength he withers, and unmans their Souls.
Before his Wrath the trembling Host retire;
The God in Terrors, and the Skies on fire.
[Page 250] Nor great Idomeneus that Sight could bear,
Nor each stern Ajax, Thunderbolts of War:
Nor He, the King of Men, th'Alarm sustain'd;
Nestor alone amidst the Storm remain'd.
Unwilling he remain'd, for Paris' Dart
Had pierc'd his Courser in a mortal Part;
Fix'd in the Forehead where the springing Mane
Curl'd o'er the Brow, it stung him to the Brain;
Mad with his Anguish, he begins to rear,
Paw with his Hoofs aloft, and lash the Air.
Scarce had his Falchion cut the Reins, and freed
Th' incumber'd Chariot from the dying Steed,
When dreadful Hector, thund'ring thro' the War,
Pour'd to the Tumult on his whirling Car.
That Day had stretch'd beneath his matchless Hand
The hoary Monarch of the Pylian Band,
But Diomed beheld; from forth the Crowd
He rush'd, and on Ulysses call'd aloud.
Whither, oh whither does Ulysses run?
Oh Flight unworthy great Laertes' Son!
Mix'd with the Vulgar shall thy Fate be found,
Pierc'd in the Back, a vile, dishonest Wound?
[Page 251] Oh turn and save from Hector's direful Rage
The Glory of the Greeks, the Pylian Sage.
His fruitless Words are lost unheard in Air;
Ulysses seeks the Ships, and shelters there.
But bold Tydides to the Rescue goes,
A single Warrior 'midst a Host of Foes;
Before the Coursers with a sudden Spring
He leap'd, and anxious thus bespoke the King.
Great Perils, Father! wait th' unequal Fight;
These younger Champions will oppress thy Might.
Thy Veins no more with ancient Vigour glow,
Weak is thy Servant, and thy Coursers slow.
Then haste, ascend my Seat, and from the Car
Observe the Steeds of Tros, renown'd in War,
Practis'd alike to turn, to stop, to chace,
To dare the Fight, or urge the rapid Race;
These late obey'd Aeneas' guiding Rein;
Leave thou thy Chariot to our faithful Train:
With these against yon' Trojans will we go,
Nor shall great Hector want an equal Foe;
Fierce as he is, ev'n He may learn to fear
The thirsty Fury of my flying Spear.
Thus said the Chief; and Nestor, skill'd in War,
Approves his Counsel, and ascends the Car:
The Steeds he left, their trusty Servants hold;
Eurymedon and Sthenelus the bold.
The rev'rend Charioteer directs the Course,
And strains his aged Arm to lash the Horse.
Hector they face; unknowing how to fear,
Fierce he drove on; Tydides whirl'd his Spear.
The Spear with erring Haste mistook its way,
But plung'd in Eniopeus' Bosom lay.
His opening Hand in Death forsakes the Rein;
The Steeds fly back: He falls, and spurns the Plain.
Great Hector sorrows for his Servant kill'd,
Yet unreveng'd permits to press the Field;
Till to supply his Place and rule the Car,
Rose Archeptolemus, the fierce in War.
And now had Death and Horror cover'd all;
Like tim'rous Flocks the Trojans in their Wall
Inclos'd had bled: but Jove with awful Sound
Roll'd the big Thunder o'er the vast Profound:
Full in Tydides' Face the Light'ning flew;
The Ground before him flam'd with Sulphur blew;
[Page 253] The quiv'ring Steeds fell prostrate at the Sight;
And Nestor's trembling Hand confess'd his Fright.
He drop'd the Reins; and shook with sacred Dread,
Thus, turning, warn'd th' intrepid Diomed.
O Chief! too daring in thy Friend's Defence,
Retire advis'd, and urge the Chariot hence.
This Day, averse, the Sov'reign of the Skies
Assists great Hector, and our Palm denies.
Some other Sun may see the happier Hour,
When Greece shall conquer by his heav'nly Pow'r.
'Tis not in Man his fix'd Decree to move:
The Great will glory to submit to Jove.
O rev'rend Prince! ( Tydides thus replies)
Thy Years are awful, and thy Words are wise.
But ah! what Grief? should haughty Hector boast,
I fled inglorious to the guarded Coast.
Before that dire Disgrace shall blast my Fame,
O'erwhelm me Earth! and hide a Warrior's Shame.
To whom Gerenian Nestor thus reply'd,
Gods! can thy Courage fear the Phrygian's Pride?
[Page 254] Hector may vaunt, but who shall heed the Boast?
Not those who felt thy Arm, the Dardan Host,
Nor Troy, yet bleeding in her Heroes lost;
Not ev'n a Phrygian Dame, who dreads the Sword
That lay'd in Dust her lov'd, lamented Lord.
He said; and hasty, o'er the gasping Throng
Drives the swift Steeds; the Chariot smoaks along.
The Shouts of Trojans thicken in the Wind;
The Storm of hissing Javelins pours behind.
Then with a Voice that shakes the solid Skies,
Pleas'd Hector braves the Warrior as he flies.
Go, mighty Hero! grac'd above the rest
In Seats of Council and the sumptuous Feast:
Now hope no more those Honours from thy Train;
Go, less than Woman in the Form of Man!
To scale our Walls, to wrap our Tow'rs in Flames
To lead in Exile the fair Phrygian Dames,
Thy once-proud Hopes, presumptuous Prince! are fled;
This Arm shall reach thy Heart, and stretch thee dead.
Now Fears dissuade him, and now Hopes invite,
To stop his Coursers, and to stand the Fight;
[Page 255] Thrice turn'd the Chief, and thrice imperial Jove
On Ida's Summits thunder'd from above.
Great Hector heard; he saw the flashing Light,
(The Sign of Conquest) and thus urg'd the Fight.
Hear ev'ry Trojan, Lycian, Dardan Band,
All fam'd in War, and dreadful hand to hand.
Be mindful of the Wreaths your Arms have won,
Your great Forefathers Glories, and your own.
Heard ye the Voice of Jove? Success and Fame
Await on Troy, on Greece eternal Shame.
In vain they skulk behind their boasted Wall,
Weak Bulwarks! destin'd by this Arm to fall.
High o'er their slighted Trench our Steeds shall bound,
And pass victorious o'er the levell'd Mound.
Soon as before yon' hollow Ships we stand,
Fight each with Flames, and toss the blazing Brand;
Till their proud Navy wrapt in Smoak and Fires,
All Greece, encompass'd, in one Blaze expires.
Furious he said; then, bending o'er the Yoke,
Encourag'd his proud Steeds, while thus he spoke.
Now Xanthus, Aethon, Lampus! urge the Chace,
And thou, Podargus! prove thy gen'rous Race:
[Page 256] Be fleet, be fearless, this important Day,
And all your Masters well-spent Care repay.
For this, high fed in plenteous Stalls ye stand,
Serv'd with pure Wheat, and by a Princess' Hand;
For this my Spouse of great Aetion's Line
So oft' has steep'd the strength'ning Grain in Wine.
Now swift pursue, now thunder uncontroll'd;
Give me to seize rich Nestor's Shield of Gold;
From Tydeus' Shoulders strip the costly Load,
Vulcanian Arms, the Labour of a God:
These if we gain, then Victory, ye Pow'rs!
This Night, this glorious Night, the Fleet is ours.
That heard, deep Anguish stung Saturnia's Soul;
She shook her Throne that shook the starry Pole:
And thus to Neptune: Thou! whose Force can make
The stedfast Earth from her Foundations shake,
See'st thou the Greeks by Fates unjust opprest,
Nor swells thy Heart in that immortal Breast?
Yet Aegae, Helicè, thy Pow'r obey,
And Gifts unceasing on thine Altars lay.
Would all the Deities of Greece combine,
In vain the gloomy Thund'rer might repine:
[Page 257] Sole should he sit, with scarce a God to Friend,
And see his Trojans to the Shades descend.
Such be the Scene from his Idaean Bow'r;
Ungrateful Prospect to the sullen Pow'r!
Neptune with Wrath rejects the rash Design:
What Rage, what Madness, furious Queen! is thine?
I war not with the Highest. All above
Submit and tremble at the Hand of Jove.
Now Godlike Hector, to whose matchless Might
Jove gave the Glory of the destin'd Fight,
Squadrons on Squadrons drives, and fills the Fields
With close-rang'd Chariots, and with thicken'd Shields.
Where the deep Trench in Length extended lay,
Compacted Troops stand wedg'd in firm Array,
A dreadful Front! they shake the Bands, and threat
With long-destroying Flames, the hostile Fleet.
The King of Men, by Juno's self inspir'd,
Toil'd thro' the Tents, and all his Army fir'd,
Swift as he mov'd he lifted in his Hand
His Purple Robe, bright Ensign of Command.
High on the midmost Bark the King appear'd;
There, from Ulysses' Deck, his Voice was heard.
[Page 258] To Ajax and Achilles reach'd the Sound,
Whose distant Ships the guarded Navy bound.
Oh Argives! Shame of human Race; he cry'd,
(The hollow Vessels to his Voice reply'd)
Where now are all our glorious Boasts of yore,
Our hasty Triumphs on the Lemnian Shore?
Each fearless Hero dares an hundred Foes,
While the Feast lasts, and while the Goblet flows;
But who to meet one martial Man is found,
When the Fight rages, and the Flames surround?
Oh mighty Jove! oh Sire of the distress'd!
Was ever King like me, like me oppress'd?
With Pow'r immense, with Justice arm'd in vain;
My Glory ravish'd, and my People slain!
To thee my Vows were breath'd from ev'ry Shore;
What Altar smoak'd not with our Victims Gore?
With Fat of Bulls I fed the constant Flame,
And ask'd Destruction to the Trojan Name.
Now, gracious God! far humbler our Demand;
Give these at least to 'scape from Hector's Hand,
And save the Reliques of the Grecian Land!
Thus pray'd the King, and Heav'ns great Father heard
His Vows, in Bitterness of Soul preferr'd;
The Wrath appeas'd, by happy Signs declares,
And gives the People to their Monarch's Pray'rs.
His Eagle, sacred Bird of Heav'n! he sent,
A Fawn his Talons truss'd (divine Portent)
High o'er the wond'ring Hosts he soar'd above,
Who paid their Vows to Panomphaean Jove;
Then let the Prey before his Altar fall;
The Greeks beheld, and Transport seiz'd on all:
Encourag'd by the Sign, the Troops revive,
And fierce on Troy with doubled Fury drive.
Tydides first, of all the Grecian Force,
O'er the broad Ditch impell'd his foaming Horse;
Pierc'd the deep Ranks; their strongest Battel tore;
And dy'd his Javelin red with Trojan Gore.
Young Ageläus ( Phradmon was his Sire)
With flying Coursers shun'd his dreadful Ire:
Strook thro' the Back the Phrygian fell opprest;
The Dart drove on, and issu'd at his Breast:
Headlong he quits the Car; his Arms resound;
His pond'rous Buckler thunders on the Ground.
[Page 260] Forth rush a Tide of Greeks, the Passage freed;
th' Atridae first, th' Ajaces next succeed:
Meriones, like Mars in Arms renown'd,
And Godlike Idomen, now pass the Mound;
Euaemon's Son next issues to the Foe,
And last young Teucer with his bended Bow.
Secure behind the Telamonian Shield
The skilful Archer wide survey'd the Field,
With ev'ry Shaft some hostile Victim slew,
Then close beneath the sev'nfold Orb withdrew.
The conscious Infant so, when Fear alarms,
Retires for Safety to the Mother's Arms.
Thus Ajax guards his Brother in the Field,
Moves as he moves, and turns the shining Shield.
Who first by Teucer's mortal Arrows bled?
Orsilochus; then fell Ormenus dead:
The Godlike Lycophon next press'd the Plain,
With Chromius, Daetor, Ophelestes slain:
Bold Hamopäon breathless sunk to Ground;
The bloody Pile great Melanippus crown'd.
Heaps fell on Heaps, sad Trophies of his Art,
A Trojan Ghost attending ev'ry Dart.
[Page 261] Great Agamemnon views with joyful Eye
The Ranks grow thinner as his Arrows fly,
Oh Youth for ever dear! (the Monarch cry'd)
Thus, always thus, thy early Worth be try'd.
Thy brave Example shall retrieve our Host,
Thy Country's Saviour, and thy Father's Boast!
Sprung from an Alien's Bed thy Sire to grace,
The vig'rous Offspring of a stol'n Embrace,
Proud of his Boy, he own'd the gen'rous Flame,
And the brave Son repays his Cares with Fame.
Now hear a Monarchs Vow: If Heav'ns high Pow'rs
Give me to raze Troy's long-defended Tow'rs;
Whatever Treasures Greece for me design,
The next rich Honorary Gift be thine:
Some golden Tripod, or distinguish'd Car,
With Coursers dreadful in the Ranks of War;
Or some fair Captive whom thy Eyes approve
Shall recompence the Warrior's Toils with Love.
To this the Chief: With Praise the rest inspire,
Nor urge a Soul already fill'd with fire.
What Strength I have, be now in Battel try'd,
Till ev'ry Shaft in Phrygian Blood be dy'd.
[Page 262] Since rallying from our Wall we forc'd the Foe,
Still aim'd at Hector have I bent my Bow;
Eight forky Arrows from this Hand have fled,
And eight bold Heroes by their Points lie dead:
But sure some God denies me to destroy
This Fury of the Field, this Dog of Troy.
He said, and twang'd the String. The Weapon flies
At Hector's Breast, and sings along the Skies:
He miss'd the Mark; but pierc'd Gorgythio's Heart,
And drench'd in Royal Blood the thirsty Dart.
(Fair Castianira, Nymph of Form Divine,
This Offspring added to King Priam's Line)
As full blown Poppies overcharg'd with Rain
Decline the Head, and drooping kiss the Plain;
So sinks the Youth: his beauteous Head, depress'd
Beneath his Helmet, drops upon his Breast.
Another Shaft the raging Archer drew;
That other Shaft with erring Fury flew,
(From Hector Phoebus turn'd the flying Wound)
Yet fell not dry, or guiltless to the Ground:
Thy Breast, brave Archeptolemus! it tore,
And dipp'd its Feathers in no vulgar Gore.
[Page 263] Headlong he falls; his sudden Fall alarms
The Steeds that startle at his sounding Arms.
Hector with Grief his Charioteer beheld,
And ey'd him breathless on the sanguin Field.
Then bids Cebriones direct the Rein,
Quits his bright Car, and issues on the Plain.
Dreadful he shouts: from Earth a Stone he took,
And rush'd on Teucer with the lifted Rock.
The Youth already strain'd the forceful Yew;
The Shaft already to his Shoulder drew;
The Feather in his Hand, just wing'd for flight,
Touch'd where the Neck and hollow Chest unite:
There, where the Juncture knits the Channel Bone,
The furious Chief discharg'd the craggy Stone.
The Tendon burst beneath the pondrous Blow,
And his numb'd Hand dismiss'd his useless Bow.
He fell: But Ajax his broad Shield display'd,
And screen'd his Brother with the mighty Shade;
Till great Alastor, and Mecistheus, bore
The batter'd Archer groaning to the Shore.
Troy yet found Grace before th' Olympian Sire,
He arm'd their Hands, and fill'd their Breasts with Fire.
[Page 264] The Greeks, repuls'd, retreat behind their Wall,
Or in the Trench on Heaps confus'dly fall.
First of the Foe great Hector march'd along,
With Terror cloath'd, and more than mortal strong.
As the bold Hound that gives the Lion chace,
With beating Bosom, and with eager Pace,
Hangs on his Haunch, or fastens on his Heels,
Guards as he turns, and circles as he wheels:
Thus oft' the Grecians turn'd, but still they flew;
Thus following Hector still the hindmost slew.
When flying they had pass'd the Trench profound,
And many a Chief lay gasping on the Ground;
Before the Ships a desp'rate Stand they made,
And fir'd the Troops, and call'd the Gods to aid.
Fierce on his ratt'ling Chariot Hector came;
His Eyes like Gorgon shot a sanguin Flame
That wither'd all their Host: Like Mars he stood,
Dire as the Monster, dreadful as the God!
Their strong Distress the Wife of Jove survey'd;
Then pensive thus, to War's triumphant Maid.
Oh Daughter of that God, whose Arm can wield
Th' avenging Bolt, and shake the sable Shield!
[Page 265] Now, in this Moment of her last Despair,
Shall wretched Greece no more confess our Care,
Condemn'd to suffer the full Force of Fate,
And drain the Dregs of Heav'ns relentless Hate?
Gods! shall one raging Hand thus level All?
What Numbers fell! what Numbers yet shall fall!
What Pow'r Divine shall Hector's Wrath asswage?
Still swells the Slaughter, and still grows the Rage!
So spoke th' imperial Regent of the Skies;
To whom the Goddess with the Azure Eyes.
Long since had Hector stain'd these Fields with Gore,
Stretch'd by some Argive on his native Shore:
But He above, the Sire of Heav'n withstands,
Mocks our Attempts, and slights our just Demands.
The stubborn God, inflexible and hard,
Forgets my Service and deserv'd Reward.
Sav'd I, for this, his Fav'rite
Hercu­les
Son distress'd,
By stern Eurystheus with long Labours prefs'd?
He begg'd, with Tears he begg'd, in deep Dismay;
I shot from Heav'n, and gave his Arm the Day.
Oh had my Wisdom known this dire Event,
When to grim Pluto's gloomy Gates he went;
[Page 260] The Triple Dog had never felt his Chain,
Nor Styx been cross'd, nor Hell explor'd in vain.
Averse to me of all his Heav'n of Gods;
At Thetis' Suit the partial Thund'rer nods.
To grace her gloomy, fierce, resenting Son,
My Hopes are frustrate, and my Greeks undone.
Some future Day, perhaps he may be mov'd
To call his blue-ey'd Maid his Best-belov'd.
Haste, launch thy Chariot, thro' yon' Ranks to ride;
My self will arm, and thunder at thy side.
Then Goddess! say, shall Hector glory then,
(That Terror of the Greeks, that Man of Men)
When Juno's self, and Pallas shall appear,
All dreadful in the crimson Walks of War?
What mighty Trojan then, on yonder Shore,
Expiring, pale, and terrible no more,
Shall feast the Fowls, and glut the Dogs with Gore?
She ceas'd, and Juno rein'd her Steeds with Care;
Heav'ns awful Empress, Saturn's other Heir)
Pallas, meanwhile, her various Veil unbound,
With Flow'rs adorn'd, with Art immortal crown'd;
[Page 257] The radiant Robe her sacred Fingers wove,
Floats in rich Waves, and spreads the Court of Jove.
Her Father's Arms her mighty Limbs invest,
His Cuirass blazes on her ample Breast.
The vig'rous Pow'r the trembling Car ascends;
Shook by her Arm, the massy Javelin bends;
Huge, pond'rous, strong! that when her Fury burns,
Proud Tyrants humbles, and whole Hosts o'erturns.
Saturnia lends the Lash; the Coursers fly;
Smooth glides the Chariot thro' the liquid Sky.
Heav'n-Gates spontaneous open to the Pow'rs,
Heav'ns golden Gates, kept by the winged Hours,
Commission'd in alternate Watch to stand,
The Sun's bright Portals and the Skies command;
Close, or unfold, th' Eternal Gates of Day;
Bar Heav'n with Clouds, or roll those Clouds away.
The sounding Hinges ring, the Clouds divide;
Pronedown the Steep of Heav'n their Course they guide.
But Jove incens'd from Ida's Top survey'd,
And thus enjoin'd the many-colour'd Maid.
Thaumantia! mount the Winds, and stop their Car;
Against the Highest who shall wage the War?
[Page 268] If furious yet they dare the vain Debate,
Thus have I spoke, and what I spake is Fate.
Their Coursers crush'd beneath the Wheels shall lie,
Their Car in Fragments scatter'd o'er the Sky;
My Light'ning these Rebellious shall confound,
And hurl them flaming, headlong to the Ground,
Condemn'd for ten revolving Years to weep
The Wounds impress'd by burning Thunder deep.
So shall Minerva learn to sear our Ire,
Nor dare to combate her's and Natures Sire.
For Juno, headstrong and imperious still,
She claims some Title to transgress our Will.
Swift as the Wind, the various-colour'd Maid
From Ida's Top her golden Wings display'd;
To great Olympus' shining Gates she flies,
There meets the Chariot rushing down the Skies,
Restrains their Progress from the bright Abodes,
And speaks the Mandate of the Sire of Gods.
What Frenzy, Goddesses! what Rage can move
Celestial Minds to tempt the Wrath of Jove?
Desist, obedient to his high Command;
This is his Word; and know his Word shall stand.
[Page 269] His Light'ning your Rebellion shall confound,
And hurl ye headlong, flaming to the Ground:
Your Horses crush'd beneath the Wheels shall lie
Your Car in Fragments scatter'd o'er the Sky;
Your selves condemn'd ten rolling Years to weep
The Wounds impress'd by burning Thunder deep.
So shall Minerva learn to fear his Ire,
Nor dare to combate her's and Nature's Sire.
For Juno, headstrong and imperious still,
She claims some Title to transgress his Will:
But Thee what desp'rate Insolence has driv'n,
To lift thy Lance against the Sire of Heav'n?
Then mounting on the Pinions of the Wind,
She flew; and Juno thus her Rage resign'd.
O Daughter of that God, whose Arm can wield
Th'avenging Bolt, and shake the dreadful Shield!
No more let Beings of superior Birth
Contend with Jove for this low Race of Earth:
Triumphant now, now miserably slain,
They breathe or perish, as the Fates ordain.
But Jove's high Counsels full Effect shall find,
And ever constant, ever rule Mankind.
She spoke, and backward turn'd her Steeds of Light,
Adorn'd with Manes of Gold, and Heav'nly bright.
The Hours unloos'd them, panting as they stood,
And heap'd their Mangers with Ambrosial Food.
There ty'd, they rest in high Celestial Stalls;
The Chariot propt against the Crystal Walls.
The pensive Goddesses, abash'd, controul'd,
Mix with the Gods, and fill their Seats of Gold.
And now the Thund'rer meditates his Flight
From Ida's Summits to th' Olympian Height.
Swifter than Thought the Wheels instinctive fly,
Flame thro' the Vast of Air, and reach the Sky.
'Twas Neptune's Charge his Coursers to unbrace,
And fix the Car on its immortal Base;
There stood the Chariot beaming forth its Rays,
Till with a snowy Veil he screen'd the Blaze.
He, whose all-conscious Eyes the World behold,
Th' Eternal Thunderer, sate thron'd in Gold.
High Heav'n the Footstool of his Feet he makes,
And wide beneath him, all Olympus shakes.
Trembling afar th' offending Pow'rs appear'd,
Confus'd and silent, for his Frown they fear'd.
[Page 271] He saw their Soul, and thus his Word imparts.
Pallas and Juno! say, why heave your Hearts?
Soon was your Battel o'er: Proud Troy retir'd
Before your Face, and in your Wrath expir'd.
But know, whoe'er Almighty Pow'r withstand!
Unmatch'd our Force, unconquer'd is our Hand:
Who shall the Sov'reign of the Skies controul?
Not all the Gods that crown the starry Pole.
Your Hearts shall tremble, if our Arms we take,
And each immortal Nerve with Horror shake.
For thus I speak, and what I speak shall stand;
What Pow'r soe'er provokes our lifted Hand,
On this our Hill no more shall hold his Place,
Cut off, and exil'd from th'Aethereal Race.
Juno and Pallas grieving hear the Doom,
But feast their Souls on Ilion's Woes to come.
Tho' secret Anger swell'd Minerva's Breast,
The prudent Goddess yet her Wrath represt,
But Juno, impotent of Rage, replies.
What hast thou said, Oh Tyrant of the Skies!
Strength and Omnipotence invest thy Throne;
'Tis thine to punish; ours to grieve alone.
[Page 272] For Greece we grieve, abandon'd by her Fate
To drink the Dregs of thy unmeasur'd Hate:
From Fields forbidden we submiss refrain,
With Arms unaiding see our Argives slain;
Yet grant our Counsels still their Breasts may move,
Lest all should perish in the Rage of Jove.
The Goddess thus: and thus the God replies
Who swells the Clouds, and blackens all the Skies.
The Morning Sun, awak'd by loud Alarms,
Shall see th' Almighty Thunderer in Arms.
What Heaps of Argives then shall load the Plain,
These radiant Eyes shall view, and view in vain.
Nor shall great Hector cease the Rage of Fight,
The Navy flaming, and thy Greeks in Flight,
Ev'n till the Day, when certain Fates ordain
That stern Achilles (his Patroclus slain)
Shall rise in Vengeance, and lay waste the Plain.
For such is Fate, nor can'st thou turn its Course
With all thy Rage, with all thy Rebel Force.
Fly, if thou wilt, to Earth's remotest Bound,
Where on her utmost Verge the Seas resound;
[Page 273] Where curs'd Iäpetus and Saturn dwell,
Fast by the Brink, within the Steams of Hell;
No Sun e'er gilds the gloomy Horrors there,
No chearful Gales refresh the lazy Air:
There arm once more the bold Titanian Band;
And arm in vain: For what I will, shall stand.
Now deep in Ocean sunk the Lamp of Light,
And drew behind the cloudy Veil of Night:
The conqu'ring Trojans mourn his Beams decay'd;
The Greeks rejoicing bless the friendly Shade.
The Victors keep the Field; and Hector calls
A martial Council near the Navy-Walls:
These to Scamander's Bank apart he led,
Where thinly scatter'd lay the Heaps of Dead.
Th' assembled Chiefs, descending on the Ground,
Attend his Order, and their Prince surround.
A massy Spear he bore of mighty Strength,
Of full ten Cubits was the Lance's Length;
The Point was Steel, refulgent to behold,
Fix'd to the Wood with circling Rings of Gold:
The noble Hector on this Lance reclin'd,
And bending forward, thus reveal'd his Mind.
Ye valiant Trojans, with Attention hear!
Ye Dardan Bands, and gen'rous Aids give ear!
This Day, we hop'd, would wrap in conq'ring Flame
Greece with her Ships, and crown our Toils with Fame:
But Darkness now, to save the Cowards, falls,
And guards them trembling in their wooden Walls.
Obey the Night, and use her peaceful Hours
Our Steeds to forage, and refresh our Pow'rs.
Strait from the Town be Sheep and Oxen sought,
And strength'ning Bread, and gen'rous Wine be brought.
Wide o'er the Field, high-blazing to the Sky,
Let num'rous Fires the absent Sun supply;
The flaming Piles with plenteous Fuel raise,
Till the bright Morn her purple Beam displays:
Lest in the Silence and the Shades of Night,
Greece on her sable Ships attempt her Flight.
Not unmolested let the Wretches gain
Their lofty Decks, and safely cleave the Main;
Some hostile Wound let ev'ry Dart bestow,
Some lasting Token of the Phrygian Foe,
Wounds, that long hence may ask their Spouses Care,
And warn their Children from a Trojan War.
[Page 275] Now thro' the Circuit of our Ilian Wall,
Let sacred Heralds sound the solemn Call;
To bid the Sires with hoary Honours crown'd,
And beardless Youths, the Battlements surround.
Firm be the Guard, while distant lie our Pow'rs,
And let the Matrons hang with Lights the Tow'rs:
Lest under Covert of the Midnight Shade,
Th' insidious Foe the naked Town invade.
Suffice, to Night, these Orders to obey;
A nobler Charge shall rowze the dawning Day.
The Gods, I trust, shall give to Hector's Hand,
From these detested Foes to free the Land,
Who plow'd, with Fates averse, the wat'ry way;
For Trojan Vulturs a predestin'd Prey.
Our common Safety must be now the Care;
But soon as Morning paints the Fields of Air,
Sheath'd in bright Arms let ev'ry Troop engage,
And the fir'd Fleet behold the Battel rage.
Then, then shall Hector and Tydides prove,
Whose Fates are heaviest in the Scale of Jove.
To Morrow's Light (oh haste the glorious Morn!)
Shall see his bloody Spoils in Triumph born,
[Page 276] With this keen Javelin shall his Breast be gor'd,
And prostrate Heroes bleed around their Lord.
Certain as this, oh might my Days endure,
From Age inglorious and black Death secure;
So might my Life and Glory know no bound,
Like Pallas worship'd, like the Sun renown'd;
As the next Dawn, the last they shall enjoy,
Shall crush the Greeks, and end the Woes of Troy.
The Leader spoke. From all his Hosts around
Shouts of Applause along the Shores resound.
Each from the Yoke the smoaking Steeds unty'd,
And fix'd their Headstalls to his Chariot-side.
Fat Sheep and Oxen from the Town are led,
With gen'rous Wine, and all-sustaining Bread.
Full Hecatombs lay burning on the Shore;
The Winds to Heav'n the curling Vapours bore.
Ungrateful Off'ring to th' immortal Pow'rs,
Whose Wrath hung heavy o'er the Trojan Tow'rs;
Nor Priam, nor his Sons obtain'd their Grace;
Proud Troy they hated, and her guilty Race.
The Troops exulting sate in order round,
And beaming Fires illumin'd all the Ground.
[Page 277] As when the Moon, refulgent Lamp of Night!
O'er Heav'ns clear Azure sheds her sacred Light,
When not a Breath disturbs the deep Serene;
And not a Cloud o'ercasts the solemn Scene;
Around her Throne the vivid Planets roll,
And Stars unnumber'd gild the glowing Pole,
O'er the dark Trees a yellower Verdure shed,
And tip with Silver ev'ry Mountain's Head;
Then shine the Vales, the Rocks in Prospect rise,
A Flood of Glory bursts from all the Skies:
The conscious Swains, rejoicing in the Sight,
Eye the blue Vault, and bless the useful Light.
So many Flames before proud Ilion blaze,
And lighten glimm'ring Xanthus with their Rays.
The long Reflections of the distant Fires
Gleam on the Walls, and tremble on the Spires.
A thousand Piles the dusky Horrors gild,
And shoot a shady Lustre o'er the Field.
Full fifty Guards each flaming Pile attend,
Whose umber'd Arms, by fits, thick Flashes send.
Loud neigh the Coursers o'er their Heaps of Corn,
And ardent Warriors wait the rising Morn.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE Eighth Book.
[Page 281]OBSERVATIONS ON THE EIGHTH BOOK.

I.

HOMER, like most of the Greeks, is thought to have travell'd into Aegypt, and brought from the Priests there not only their Learning, but their manner of conveying it in Fables and Hiero­glyphicks. This is necessary to be consider'd by those who would thoroughly penetrate into the Beauty and De­sign of many Parts of this Author. For whoever reflects that this was the Mode of Learning in those Times, will make no doubt but there are several Mysteries both of Natural and Moral Philosophy involv'd in his Ficti­ons, which otherwise in the literal Meaning appear too tri­vial or irrational; and it is but just, when these are not plain or immediately intelligible, to imagine that something of this kind may be hid under them. Nevertheless, as Homer tra­vell'd not with a direct View of writing Philosophy or Theo­logy, so he might often use these Hieroglyphical Fables and Traditions as Embellishments of his Poetry only, without taking the Pains to open their mystical Meaning to his Rea­ders, and perhaps without diving very deeply into it himself.

II.

‘VERSE 25. Let down our golden everlasting Chain.]’ The various Opinions of the Ancients concerning this Passage are [Page 282] collected by Eustathius. Jupiter says, If he holds this Chain of Gold, the Force of all the Gods is unable to draw him down, but that he can draw up them, the Seas, and the Earth, and cause the whole Universe to hang unactive. Some think that Jupiter signifies the Aether, the golden Chain the Sun: If the Aether did not temper the Rays of the Sun as they pass thro' it, his Beams would not only drink up and exhale the Ocean in Vapours, but also exhale the Moisture from the Veins of the Earth, which is the Cement that holds it toge­ther; by which means the whole Creation would become un­active, and all its Powers be suspended.

Others affirm, that by this golden Chain may be meant the Days of the World's Duration, [...], which are as it were painted by the Lustre of the Sun, and follow one another in a successive Chain till they arrive at their final Pe­riod: While Jupiter or the Aether (which the Ancients call'd the Soul of all Things) still remains unchanged.

Plato in his Theaetetus says that by this golden Chain is meant the Sun, whose Rays enliven all Nature and cement the Parts of the Universe.

The Stoicks will have it that by Jupiter is implied Desti­ny, which over-rules every thing both upon, and above the Earth.

Others (delighted with their own Conceits) imagine that Homer intended to represent the Excellence of Monarchy; that the Sceptre ought to be sway'd by one Hand, and that all the Wheels of Government should be put in Motion by one Person.

But I fancy a much better Interpretation may be found for this, if we allow (as there is great Reason to believe) that the Aegyptians understood the true System of the World, and that Pythagoras first learn'd it from them. They held that the Planets were kept in their Orbits by Gravitation upon the Sun, which was therefore called Jovis carcer; and sometimes by the Sun (as Macrobius informs us) is meant Jupiter him­self: We see too that the most prevailing Opinion of Anti­quity fixes it to the Sun; so that I think it will be no strained Interpretation to say, that by the Inability of the Gods to pull Jupiter out of his Place with this Catena, may be un­derstood [Page 283] the superior attractive Force of the Sun, whereby he continues unmoved, and draws all the rest of the Planets toward him.

III.

‘VERSE 16. Low in the dark Tartarean Gulf, &c.]’ This Opinion of Tartarus, the Place of Torture for the Impious after Death, might also be taken from the Aegyptians: for it seems not improbable, as some Writers have observed, that some Tradition might then be spread in the Eastern Parts of the World, of the Fall of the Angels, the Punishment of the Damned, and other sacred Truths which were afterwards more fully explain'd and taught by the Prophets and Apostles. These Homer seems to allude to in this and other Passages; as where Vulcan is said to be precipitated from Heaven in the first Book, where Jupiter threatens Mars with Tartarus in the fifth, and where the Daemon of Discord is cast out of Heaven in the nineteenth. Virgil has translated a part of these Lines into the sixth Aeneid.

—Tum Tartarus ipse
Bis patet in praeceps tantum, tenditque sub umbras,
Quantus ad aethereum coeli suspectus Olympum.

And Milton in his first Book,

As far remov'd from God and Light of Heav'n,
As from the Centre thrice to th' utmost Pole.

It may not be unpleasing just to observe the Gradation in these three great Poets, as if they had vied with each other, in extending this Idea of the Depth of Hell. Homer says as far, Virgil twice as far, Milton thrice.

IV.

‘VERSE 35. Th' Almighty spoke.]’ Homer in this whole Pas­sage plainly shews his Belief of one supreme, omnipotent [Page 284] God, whom he introduces with a Majesty and Superiority worthy the great Ruler of the Universe. Accordingly Justin Martyr cites it as a Proof of our Author's attributing the Power and Government of all things to one First God, whose Divinity is so far superior to all other Deities, that if compared to him they may be rank'd among Mortals. Ad­mon. ad Gentes. Upon this Account, and with the Autho­rity of that learned Father, I have ventur'd to apply to Ju­piter in this Place such Appellatives as are suitable to the su­preme Deity: a Practice I would be cautious of using in ma­ny others where the Notions and Descriptions of our Author must be own'd to be unworthy of the Divinity.

V.

‘VERSE 39. O first and greatest! &c.]’ Homer is not only to be admir'd for keeping up the Characters of his Heroes, but for adapting his Speeches to the Characters of his Gods. Had Juno here given the Reply, she would have begun with some Mark of Resentment, but Pallas is all Submission; Ju­no would probably have contradicted him, but Pallas only begs leave to be sorry for those whom she must not assist; Juno would have spoken with the Prerogative of a Wife, but Pallas makes her Address with the Obsequiousness of a pru­dent Daughter. Eustathius.

VI.

‘VERSE 70. For on this dreadful Day The Fate of Fathers, Wives, and Infants lay.]’ It may be necessary to explain why the Trojans thought themselves obliged to fight in order to defend their Wives and Children. One would think they might have kept within their Walls, the Grecians made no Attempt to batter them, neither were they invested; and the Country was open on all sides except towards the Sea, to give them Provisions. The most natural thought is, that they and their Auxiliaries being very numerous, could not sub­sist but from a large Country about them; and perhaps not [Page 285] without the Sea, and the Rivers, where the Greeks encamp'd: That in time the Greeks would have surrounded them, and block'd up every Avenue to their Town: That they thought themselves obliged to defend the Country with all the Inha­bitants of it; and that indeed at first this was rather a War between two Nations, and became not properly a Siege till afterwards.

VII.

‘VERSE 71. The Gates unfolding, &c.]’ There is a wonder­ful Sublimity in these Lines; one sees in the Description the Gates of a warlike City thrown open, and an Army pouring forth; and one hears the Trampling of Men and Horses rushing to the Battel.

These Verses are, as Eustathius observes, only a Repetition of a former Passage, which shews that the Poet was particu­larly pleas'd with them, and that he was not ashamed of a Repetition when he could not express the same Image more happily than he had already done.

VIII.

‘VERSE 84. The sacred Light.]’ Homer describing the Ad­vance of the Day from Morning till Noon, calls it [...], or sacred, says Eustathius, who gives this Reason for it, because that Part of the Day was allotted to Sacrifice and religious Worship.

IX.

‘VERSE 88. The Sire of Gods his golden Scales suspends.]’ This Figure representing God as weighing the Destinies of Men in his Balances, was first made use of in holy Writ. In the Book of Job, which is acknowledg'd to be one of the most ancient of all the Scriptures, he prays to be weighed in an even Balance, that God may know his Integrity. Daniel de­clares from God to Belshazzar, thou art weighed in the Ba­lances, and sound light. And Proverbs, Ch. 16. ℣. 11. A just [Page 286] Weight and Balance are the Lord's. Our Author has it again in the twenty second Iliad, and it appear'd so beautiful to suc­ceeding Poets, that Aeschylus (as we are told by Plutarch de aud. Poetis) writ a whole Tragedy upon this Foundation, which he called Psychostasia, or the weighing of Souls. In this he introduced Thetis and Aurora standing on either side of Jupiter's Scales, and praying each for her Son while the Heroes fought.

[...]
[...]
[...]

It has been copied by Virgil in the last Aeneid.

Jupiter ipse duas aequato examine lances
Sustinet, & fata imponit diversa duorum:
Quem damnet labor, & quo vergat pondere lethum.

I cannot agree with Madam Dacier that these Verses are in­ferior to Homer's; but Macrobius observes with some Colour, that the Application of them is not so just as in our Author; for Virgil had made Juno say before, that Turnus would cer­tainly perish.

Nunc Juvenem imparibus video concurrere Fatis,
Parcarumque dies & vis inimica propinquat.

So that there was less reason for weighing his Fate with that of Aeneas after that Declaration. Scaliger trifles miserably when he says Juno might have learn'd this from the Fates, tho' Jupiter did not know it, before he consulted them by weighing the Scales. But Macrobius's Excuse in behalf of Vir­gil is much better worth regard: I shall transcribe it entire, as it is perhaps the finest Period in all that Author. ‘ Haec & alia ignoscenda Virgilio, qui studii circa Homerum nimietate excedit modum. Et revera non poterat non in aliquibus minor videri, qui per omnem poësim suam hoc uno est praecipue usus Archetypo. Acriter enim in Homerum oculos intendit, ut aemu­laretur [Page 287] ejus non modo magnitudinem sed & simplicitatem, & praesentiam orationis, & tacitam majestatem. Hinc diversarum inter Heroas suos personarum varia magnificatio, hinc Deorum interpositio, hinc autoritas fabulosa, hinc affectuum naturalium expressio, hinc monumentorum persecutio, hinc parabolarum ex­aggeratio, hinc torrentis orationis sonitus, hinc rerum singula­rum cum splendore fastigium.’ Sat. l. 5. c. 13.

As to the Ascent or Descent of the Scales, Eustathius ex­plains it in this manner. The Descent of the Scale toward Earth signifies Unhappiness and Death, the Earth being the Place of Misfortune and Mortality; the Mounting of it sig­nifies Prosperity and Life, the superior Regions being the Seats of Felicity and Immortality.

Milton has admirably improved upon this fine Fiction, and with an Alteration agreeable to a Christian Poet. He feigns that the Almighty weighed Satan in such Scales, but judici­ously makes this difference, that the Mounting of his Scale denoted ill Success; whereas the same Circumstance in Homer points the Victory. His Reason was, because Satan was im­mortal, and therefore the sinking of his Scale could not sig­nify Death, but the mounting of it did his Lightness, con­formable to the Expression we just now cited from Daniel.

Th' Eternal to prevent such horrid Fray
Hung forth in Heav'n his golden Scales, yet seen
Between Astraea and the Scorpion Sign:
Wherein all things created first he weigh'd,
The pendulous round Earth, with balanc'd Air,
In counterpoise; now ponders all Events,
Battels and Realms: In these he put two Weights,
The Sequel each of Parting and of Fight;
The latter quick up-flew, and kick'd the Beam.

I believe upon the whole this may with Justice be preferr'd both to Homer's and Virgil's, on account of the beautiful Al­lusion to the Sign of Libra in the Heavens, and that noble Imagination of the Maker's weighing the whole World at the Creation, and all the Events of it since; so correspondent at once to Philosophy, and to the Style of the Scriptures.

X.

‘VERSE 93. Then Jove from Ida 's Top, &c.]’ This Distress of the Greeks being suppos'd, Jupiter's Presence was abso­lutely necessary to bring them into it: for the inferior Gods that were friendly to Greece were rather more in Number and superior in Force to those that favour'd Troy; and the Poet had shew'd before, when both Armies were left to themselves, that the Greeks could overcome the Trojans; besides it would have been an indelible Reflection upon his Countrymen to have been vanquish'd by a smaller Number. Therefore no­thing less than the immediate Interposition of Jupiter was re­quisite, which shews the wonderful Address of the Poet in his Machinery. Virgil makes Turnus say in the last Aeneid,

—Dii me terrent & Jupiter hostis.

And indeed this Defeat of the Greeks seems more to their Glory than all their Victories, since even Jupiter's Omnipo­tence could with difficulty effect it.

XI.

‘VERSE 95. Thick Light'nings flash.]’ This Notion of Ju­piter's declaring against the Greeks by Thunder and Lightning, is drawn (says Dacier) from Truth itself. Sam. 1. Ch. 7. ‘ And as Samuel was offering up the Burnt-offering, the Phili­stines drew near to Battel against Israel: But the Lord thun­der'd with a great Thunder on that Day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them, and they were smitten before Israel.’ To which may be added that in the 18 th Psalm. ‘ The Lord thunder'd in the Heavens, and the Highest gave his Voice; Hailstones and Coals of Fire. Yea, he sent out his Arrows and scatter'd them; he shot out Lightnings and discomfited them.’

Upon occasion of the various Successes given by Jupiter, now to Grecians, now to Trojans, whom he suffers to perish interchangeably; some have fancy'd this Supposition injurious [Page 289] to the Nature of the Sovereign Being, as representing him variable or inconstant in his Rewards and Punishments. It may be answer'd, that as God makes use of some People to chastise others, and none are totally void of Crimes, he often decrees to punish those very Persons for lesser Sins, whom he makes his Instruments to punish others for greater: so pur­ging them from their own Iniquities before they become wor­thy to be Chastisers of other Men's. This is the Case of the Greeks here, whom Jupiter permits to suffer many ways, tho' he had destin'd them to revenge the Rape of Helen upon Troy. There is a History in the Bible just of this Nature. In the 20 th Chapter of Judges, the Israelites are commanded to make War against the Tribe of Benjamin, to punish a Rape on the Wife of a Levite committed in the City of Gibeah: When they have laid Siege to the Place, the Benjamites sal­ly upon them with so much Vigour, that a great Number of the Besiegers are destroy'd; they are astonish'd at these De­feats, as having undertaken the Siege in Obedience to the Command of God: But they are still order'd to persist, till at length they burn the City, and almost extinguish the Race of Benjamin. There are many Instances in Scripture, where Heaven is represented to change its Decrees according to the Repentance or Relapses of Men: Hezechias is order'd to pre­pare for Death, and afterwards fifteen Years are added to his Life: It is foretold to Achab that he shall perish miserably, and then upon his Humiliation God defers the Punishment till the Reign of his Successor, &c.

I must confess, that in comparing Passages of the sacred Books with our Author one ought to use a great deal of Cau­tion and Respect. If there are some Places in Scripture that in Compliance to human Understanding represent the Deity as acting by Motives like those of Men; there are infinitely more that shew him as he is, all Perfection, Justice, and Be­neficence; whereas in Homer the general Tenor of the Po­em represents Jupiter as a Being subject to Passion, Inequa­lity, and Imperfection. I think M. Dacier has carry'd these Comparisons too far, and is too zealous to defend him upon every occasion in the Points of Theology and Doctrine.

XII.

‘VERSE 115. But Diomed beheld.]’ The whole following Story of Nestor and Diomed is admirably contriv'd to raise the Character of the latter. He maintains his Intrepidity, and ventures singly to bring off the old Hero, notwithstan­ding the general Consternation. The Art of Homer will ap­pear wonderful to any one who considers all the Circumstan­ces of this Part, and by what degrees he reconciles this Flight of Diomed to that undaunted Character. The Thunderbolt falls just before him; that is not enough; Nestor advises him to submit to Heaven; this does not prevail, he cannot bear the Thoughts of Flight: Nestor drives back the Chariot with­out his Consent; he is again inclined to go on till Jupiter again declares against him. These two Heroes are very art­fully placed together, because none but a Person of Nestor's Authority and Wisdom could have prevailed upon Diomed to retreat: A younger Warrior could not so well in Honour have given him such Counsel, and from no other would he have taken it. To cause Diomed to fly, required both the Counsel of Nestor, and the Thunder of Jupiter.

XIII.

‘VERSE 121. Oh turn and save, &c.]’ There is a Decorum in making Diomed call Ulysses to the Assistance of his Bro­ther Sage; for who better knew the Importance of Nestor, than Ulysses? But the Question is, whether Ulysses did not drop Nestor as one great Minister would do another, and fan­cy'd He should be the wise Man when the other was gone? Eustathius indeed is of Opinion that Homer meant not to cast any Aspersion on Ulysses, nor would have given him so many noble Appellations when in the same Breath he reflected up­on his Courage. But perhaps the contrary Opinion may not be ill grounded if we observe the manner of Homer's Expres­sion. Diomed call'd Ulysses, but Ulysses was deaf, he did not hear; and whereas the Poet says of the rest, that they had [Page 291] not the Hardiness to stay, Ulysses is not only said to fly, but [...], to make violent Haste towards the Navy.

Ovid at least understood it thus, for he puts an Objection in Ajax's Mouth, Metam. 13. drawn from this Passage, which would have been improper had not Ulysses made more speed than he ought; since Ajax on the same occasion retreated as well as he.

XIV.

‘VERSE 142. The thirsty Fury of my flying Spear.]’ Homer has Figures of that Boldness which it is impossible to pre­serve in another Language. The Words in the Original are [...], Hector shall see if my Spear is mad in my Hands. The Translation pretends only to have taken some Shadow of this, in animating the Spear, giving it Fury, and strength­ning the Figure with the Epithet thirsty.

XV.

‘VERSE 159. And now had Death, &c.]’ Eustathius observes how wonderfully Homer still advances the Character of Diomed: when all the Leaders of Greece were retreated, the Poet says that had not Jupiter interposed, Diomed alone had driven the whole Army of Troy to their Walls, and with his single Hand have vanquish'd an Army.

XVI.

‘VERSE 164. The Ground before him flam'd.]’ Here is a Battel describ'd with so much Fire, that the warmest Imagi­nation of an able Painter cannot add a Circumstance to heigh­ten the Surprize or Horror of the Picture. Here is what they call the Fracas, or Hurry and Tumult of the Action in the utmost Strength of Colouring, upon the Foreground; and the Repose or Solemnity at a distance, with great Propriety and Judgment. First, in the Eloignement, we behold Jupi­ter in golden Armour, surrounded with Glory, upon the Sum­mit [Page 292] of Mount Ida; his Chariot and Horses by him, wrapt in dark Clouds. In the next Place below the Horizon, ap­pear the Clouds rolling and opening, thro' which the Light­ning flashes in the Face of the Greeks, who are flying on all sides; Agamemnon and the rest of the Commanders in the Rear, in Postures of Astonishment. Towards the middle of the Piece, we see Nestor in the utmost Distress, one of his Horses having a deadly Wound in the Forehead with a Dart, which makes him rear and writhe, and disorder the rest. Nestor is cutting the Harness with his Sword, while Hector advances driving full speed. Diomed interposes, in an Action of the utmost Fierceness and Intrepidity: These two Heroes make the principal Figures and Subject of the Picture. A burning Thunderbolt falls just before the Feet of Diomed's Horses, from whence a horrid Flame of Sulphur arises.

This is only a Specimen of a single Picture design'd by Ho­mer out of the many with which he has beautified the Iliad. And indeed every thing is so natural and so lively, that the History-Painter would generally have no more to do but to delincate the Forms, and copy the Circumstances just as he finds them described by this great Master. We cannot there­fore wonder at what has been so often said of Homer's furnish­ing Ideas to the most famous Painters of Antiquity.

XVII.

‘VERSE 194. The solid Skies.]’ Homer sometimes calls the Heavens Brazen, [...], and Jupiter's Palace, [...]. One might think from hence that the Notion of the Solidity of the Heavens, which is indeed very ancient, had been generally receiv'd. The Scripture uses Expressions a­greeable to it, A Heaven of Brass, and the Firmament.

XVIII.

‘VERSE 214. Heard ye the Voice of Jove?]’ It was a noble and effectual manner of encouraging the Troops, by telling them that God was surely on their side: This, it seems, has been an ancient Practice, as it has been used in modern Times by those who never read Homer.

XIX.

‘VERSE 226. Now Xanthus, Aethon, &c.]’ There have been those who blame this manner introduced by Homer and copied by Virgil, of making a Hero address his Discourse to his Horses. Virgil has given human Sentiments to the Horse of Pallas, and made him weep for the Death of his Master. In the tenth Aeneid Mezentius speaks to his Horse in the same manner as Hector does here. Nay; he makes Turnus utter a Speech to his Spear, and invoke it as a Divinity. All this is agreeable to the Art of Oratory, which makes it a Precept to speak to every thing, and make every thing speak; of which there are innumerable applauded Instances in the most celebrated Orators. Nothing can be more spirited and affecting than this Enthusiasm of Hector, who, in the Trans­port of his Joy at the Sight of Diomed flying before him, breaks out into this Apostrophe to his Horses, as he is pur­suing. And indeed the Air of this whole Speech is agreeable to a Man drunk with the Hopes of Success, and promising himself a Series of Conquests. He has in Imagination alrea­dy forced the Grecian Retrenchments, set the Fleet in Flames, and destroyed the whole Army.

XX.

‘VERSE 231. For this my Spouse.]’ There is (says M. Da­cier) a secret Beauty in this Passage, which perhaps will on­ly be perceiv'd by those who are particularly vers'd in Homer. He describes a Princess so tender in her Love to her Husband, that she takes care constantly to go and meet him at his Re­turn from every Battel, and in the Joy of seeing him again, runs to his Horses, and gives them Bread and Wine as a Te­stimony of her Acknowledgment to them for bringing him back. Notwithstanding the Raillery that may be past upon this Remark, I take a Lady to be the best Judge to what Actions a Woman may be carry'd by Fondness to her Husband. Homer does not expresly mention Bread, but Wheat; and the Commentators are not agreed whether she gave them [Page 294] Wine to drink, or steep'd the Grain in it. Hobbes translates it as I do.

XXI.

‘VERSE 237. Vulcanian Arms, the Labour of a God.]’ These were the Arms that Diomed had received from Glaucus, and a Prize worthy Hector, being (as we were told in the sixth Book) entirely of Gold. I do not remember any other Place where the Shield of Nestor is celebrated by Homer.

XXII.

‘VERSE 245. Yet Aegae, Helice.]’ These were two Cities of Greece in which Neptune was particularly honoured, and in each of which there was a Temple and Statue of him.

XXIII.

‘VERSE 262. Where the deep Trench.]’ That is to say, the Space betwixt the Ditch and the Wall was filled with the Men and Chariots of the Greeks. Hector not having yet past the Ditch. Eustathius.

XXIV.

‘VERSE 269. His Purple Robe.]’ Agamemnon here addresses himself to the Eyes of the Army; his Voice might have been lost in the Confusion of a Retreat, but the Motion of this purple Robe could not fail of attracting the Regards of the Soldiers. His Speech also is very remarkable; he first endea­vours to shame them into Courage, and then begs of Jupiter to give that Courage Success; at least so far as not to suffer the whole Army to be destroyed. Eustathius.

XXV.

‘VERSE 270. High on the midmost Bark, &c.]’ We learn from hence the Situation of the Ships of Ulysses, Achilles, and [Page 295] Ajax. The two latter being the strongest Heroes of the Ar­my, were placed to defend either end of the Fleet as most obnoxious to the Incursions or Surprizes of the Enemy; and Ulysses being the ablest Head, was allotted the middle Place, as more safe and convenient for the Council, and that he might be the nearer if any Emergency required his Advice. Eustathius, Spondanus.

XXVI.

‘VERSE 293. Thus pray'd the King, and Heav'ns great Fa­ther heard.]’ It is to be observ'd in general, that Homer hard­ly ever makes his Heroes succeed, unless they have first of­fer'd a Prayer to Heaven. Whether they engage in War, go upon an Embassy, undertake a Voyage; in a word, whatever they enterprize, they almost always supplicate some God; and whenever we find this omitted, we may expect some Adver­sity to befall them in the Course of the Story.

XXVII.

‘VERSE 297. The Eagle, sacred Bird!]’ Jupiter upon the Prayers of Agamemnon sends an Omen to encourage the Greeks. The Application of it is obvious: The Eagle signified Hector, the Fawn denoted the Fear and Flight of the Greeks, and be­ing drop'd at the Altar of Jupiter, shew'd that they would be saved by the Protection of that God. The word [...] (says Eustathius) has a great Significancy in this Place. The Greeks having just received this happy Omen from Jupiter, were offering Oblations to him under the Title of the Father of Oracles. There may also be a natural Reason for this Ap­pellation, as Jupiter signified the Aether, which is the Vehi­cle of all Sounds.

Virgil has a fine Imitation of this Passage, but diversify'd with many more Circumstances, where he make Juturna shew a Prodigy of the like Nature to encourage the Latins, Aen. 12.

Namque volans rubrâ sulvus Jovis ales in aethrâ,
Litoreas agitabat aves, turbamque sonantem
[Page 296] Agminis aligeri: subito cum lapsus ad undas
Cycnum excellentem pedibus rapit improbus uncis.
Arrexere animos Itali: cunctaeque volucres
Convertunt clamore fugam (mirabile visu)
Aetheraque obscurant pennis, hostemque per auras
Factâ nube premunt: donec vi victus & ipso
Pondere defecit, praedamque ex unguibus ales
Projecit fluvio, penitusque in nubila fugit.

XXVIII.

‘VERSE 305. Tydides first.]’ Diomed, as we have before seen, was the last that retreated from the Thunder of Jupi­ter; he is now the first that returns to the Battel. It is worth while to observe the Behaviour of the Hero upon this Occa­sion: He retreats with the utmost Reluctancy, and advances with the greatest Ardour, he flies with greater Impatience to meet danger, than he could before to put himself in Safety. Eustathius.

XXIX.

‘VERSE 320. Secure behind the Telamonian Shield.]’ Eusta­thius observes that Teucer being an excellent Archer, and using only the Bow, could not wear any Arms which would incum­ber him, and render him less expedite in his Archery. Ho­mer to secure him from the Enemy, represents him as stand­ing behind Ajax's Shield, and shooting from thence. Thus the Poet gives us a new Circumstance of a Battel, and tho' Ajax atchieves nothing himself, he maintains a Superiority over Teucer: Ajax may be said to kill these Trojans with the Arrows of Teucer.

There is also a wonderful Tenderness in the Simile with which he illustrates the Retreat of Teucer behind the Shield of Ajax: Such tender Circumstances soften the Horrors of a Battel, and diffuse a Dawn of Serenity over the Soul of the Reader.

XXX.

‘VERSE 336. Great Agamemnon views.]’ Eustathius observes that Homer would here teach the Duty of a General in a Bat­tel. He must observe the Behaviour of his Soldiers: He must honour the Hero, reproach the Coward, reduce the disor­derly; and for the Encouragement of the deserving, he must promise Rewards, that Desert in Arms may not only be paid with Glory.

XXXI.

‘VERSE 342. Sprung from an Alien's Bed.]’ Agamemnon here in the Height of his Commendations of Teucer, tells him of his spurious Birth: This (says Eustathius) was reckon'd no Disgrace among the Ancients; nothing being more common than for Heroes of old to take their Female Captives to their Beds; and as such Captives were then given for a Reward of Valour, and as a Matter of Glory, it could be no Reproach to be descended from them. Thus Teucer (says Eustathius) was descended from Telamon, and Hesione the Sister of Priam, a Female Captive.

XXXII.

‘VERSE 363. This Dog of Troy.]’ This is literal from the Greek, and I have ventured it as no improper Expression of the Rage of Teucer for having been so often disappointed in his Aim, and of his Passion against that Enemy who had so long prevented all the Hopes of the Grecians. Milton was not scrupulous of imitating even these, which the modern Refiners call unmannerly Strokes of our Author (who knew to what Extreams human Passions might proceed, and was not ashamed to copy them.) He has put this very Expression in­to the Mouth of God himself, who upon beholding the Ha­vock which Sin and Death made in the World, is moved in his Indignation to cry out,

See with what Heat these Dogs of Hell advance!

XXXIII.

‘VERSE 365. He miss'd the Mark.]’ These Words, says Eu­stathius, are very artfully inserted; the Reader might won­der why so skilful an Archer should so often miss his Mark, and it was necessary that Teucer should miss Hector because Homer could not falsify the History: This Difficulty he re­moves by the Intervention of Apollo, who wafts the Arrow aside from him: The Poet does not tell us that this was done by the Hand of a God, till the Arrow of Teucer came so near Hector as to kill his Charioteer, which made some such Con­trivance necessary.

XXXIV.

‘VERSE 370. As full-blown Poppies.]’ This Simile is very beautiful, and exactly represents the manner of Gorgythion's Death: There is such a Sweetness in the Comparison, that it makes us pity the Youth's Fall, and almost feel his Wound. Virgil has apply'd it to the Death of Euryalus.

—Inque humeros cervix collapsa recumbit:
Purpureus veluti cum flos succisus aratro
Languescit moriens; lassove papavera collo
Demisere caput, pluvia cum forte gravantur.

This is finely improved by the Roman Author with the Par­ticulars of succisus aratro, and lasso collo. But it may on the other hand be observ'd in the favour of Homer, that the Cir­cumstance of the Head being oppressed and weigh'd down by the Helmet is so remarkably just, that it is a wonder Virgil omitted it, and the rather because he had particularly taken notice before that it was the Helmet of Euryalus which occa­sion'd the Discovery and unfortunate Death of this young He­ro and his Friend.

One may make a general Observation, that Homer in those Comparisons that breath an Air of Tenderness, is very ex­act, and adapts them in every Point to the Subject which he [Page 299] is to illustrate: But in other Comparisons, where he is to in­spire the Soul with sublime Sentiments, he gives a Loose to his Fancy, and does not regard whether the Images exactly correspond. I take the Reason of it to be this: In the first, the Copy must be like the Original to cause it to affect us; the Glass needs only to return the real Image to make it beau­tiful; whereas in the other, a Succession of noble Ideas will cause the like Sentiments in the Soul, and tho' the Glass should enlarge the Image, it only strikes us with such Thoughts as the Poet intended to raise, sublime and great.

XXXV.

‘VERSE 393. There, where the Juncture knits the Channel Bone.]’ Hector struck Teucer (it seems) just about the Articu­lation of the Arm, with the Shoulder; which cut the Ten­don or wounded it so, that the Arm lost its Force: This is a true Description of the Effect of such a Blow.

XXXVI.

‘VERSE 406. As the bold Hound that gives the Lion chace.]’ This Simile is the justest imaginable; and gives the most lively Picture of the manner in which the Grecians fled, and Hector pursued them, still slaughtering the hindmost. Gra­tius and Oppian have given us particular Descriptions of those sort of Dogs, of prodigious Strength and Size, which were employ'd to hunt and tear down wild Beasts. To one of these fierce Animals he compares Hector, and one cannot but observe his Care not to disgrace his Grecian Countrymen by an unworthy Comparison: Tho' he is obliged to represent them flying, he makes them fly like Lions, and as they fly, turn frequently back upon their Pursuer; so that it is hard to say if they, or he, be in the greater Danger. On the contra­ry, when any of the Grecian Heroes pursue the Trojans, it is He that is the Lion, and the Flyers are but Sheep or trem­bling Deer.

XXXVII.

‘VERSE 438. The stubborn God, inflexible and hard.]’ It must be owned that this Speech of Minerva against Jupiter, shocks the Allegory more than perhaps any in the Poem. Unless the Deities may sometimes be thought to mean no more than Beings that presided over those Parts of Nature, or those Passions and Faculties of the Mind. Thus as Venus suggests unlawful as well as lawful Desires, so Minerva may be described as the Goddess not only of Wisdom but of Craft, that is, both of true and false Wisdom. So the Moral of Minerva's speaking rashly of Jupiter may be, that the wisest of finite Beings is liable to Passion and Indiscretion, as the Commentators have already observ'd.

XXXVIII.

‘VERSE 460. What mighty Trojan then, on yonder Shore.]’ She means Hector, whose Death the Poet makes her foresee is such a lively manner as if the Image of the Hero lay bleed­ing before her. This Picture is noble, and agreeable to the Observation we formerly made of Homer's Method of Pro­phecying in the Spirit of Poetry.

XXXIX.

‘VERSE 468. Floats in rich Waves.]’ The Greek word is [...], pours the Veil on the Pavement. I must just take Notice that here is a Repetition of the same beautiful Verses which the Author had used in the fifth Book.

XL.

‘VERSE 477. Smooth glides the Chariot, &c.]’ One would almost think Homer made his Gods and Goddesses descend from Olympus, only to mount again, and mount only to de­scend again, he is so remarkably delighted with the Descri­ptions [Page 301] of their Horses, and their manner of Flight. We have no less than three of these in the present Book.

XLI.

‘VERSE 500. For Juno headstrong and imperious still, She claims, &c.]’ Eustathius observes here, if a good Man does us a Wrong, we are justly angry at it, but if it proceeds from a bad one, it is no more than we expected, we are not at all surprized, and we bear it with Patience.

There are many such Passages as these in Homer which glance obliquely at the Fair Sex, and Jupiter is here forced to take upon himself the severe Husband, to teach Juno the Duty of a Wife.

XLII.

‘VERSE 522. But thee what desp'rate Insolence.]’ It is ob­servable that Homer generally makes his Messengers, divine as well as human, very punctual in delivering their Messages in the very Words of the Persons who commission'd them. Iris however in the Close of her Speech has ventur'd to go beyond her Instructions and all Rules of Decorum, by adding these Expressions of bitter Reproach to a Goddess of superior Rank. The Words of the Original, [...], are too gross to be literally translated.

XLIII.

‘VERSE 524. Juno her Rage resign'd.]’ Homer never in­tended to give us the Picture of a good Wife in the Descrip­tion of Juno: She obeys Jupiter, but it is a forced Obedi­ence: She submits rather to the Governor than to the Hus­band, and is more afraid of his Lightning than his Commands.

Her Behaviour in this Place is very natural to a Person un­der a Disappointment: She had set her Heart upon preferring the Greeks, but failing in that Point, she assumes an Air of Indifference, and says, whether they live or die, she is uncon­cern'd.

XLIV.

‘VERSE 530. They breathe or perish as the Fates ordain.]’ The Translator has turn'd this Line in Compliance to an old Observation upon Homer, which Macrobius has written, and several others have since fallen into: They say he was so great a Fatalist, as not so much as to name the word Fortune in all his Works, but constantly Fate instead of it. This Re­mark seems curious enough, and indeed does agree with the general Tenor and Doctrine of this Poet; but unluckily it is not true, the Word which they have proscribed being im­ply'd in the Original of this ℣. 430. [...].

XLV.

‘VERSE 545. And fix the Car on its immortal Base.]’ It is remark'd by Eustathius that the word [...] signifies not only Altars, but Pedestals or Bases, of Statues, &c. I think our Language will bear this literally, tho' M. Dacier durst not venture it in the French. The Solemnity with which this Chariot of Jupiter is set up, by the Hands of a God, and co­ver'd with a fine Veil, makes it easy enough to imagine that this Distinction also might be shewn it.

XLVI.

‘VERSE 569. Juno and Pallas.]’ In the beginning of this Book Juno was silent, and Minerva reply'd: Here, says Eu­stathius, Homer makes Juno reply with great Propriety to both their Characters. Minerva resents the Usage of Jupiter, but the Reverence she bears to her Father, and her King, keeps her silent; she has not less Anger than Ju­no, but more Reason. Minerva there spoke with all the Submission and Deference that was owing from a Child to a Father, or from a Subject to a King; but Juno is more free with her Husband, she is angry, and lets him know it by the first word she utters.

Juno here repeats the same Words which had been us'd by [Page 303] Minerva to Jupiter near the beginning of this Book. What is there utter'd by Wisdom herself, and approv'd by him, is here spoken by a Goddess who (as Homer tells us at this very time) imprudently manifested her Passion, and whom Jupiter answers with Anger. To deal fairly, I cannot de­fend this in my Author, any more than some other of his Repetitions; as when Ajax in the fifteenth Iliad, ℣. 561. uses the same Speech word for word to encourage the Greeks, which Agamemnon had made in the fifth, ℣. 529. I think it equally an Extreme, to vindicate all the Repetitions of Homer, and to excuse none. However Eustathius very ingeniously excuses this, by saying that the same Speeches become entirely dif­ferent by the different manner of introducing them. Mi­nerva address'd herself to Jupiter with Words full of Respect, but Juno with Terms of Resentment. This, says he, shews the Effect of opening our Speeches with Art: It prejudices the Audience in our favour, and makes us speak to Friends: whereas the Auditor naturally denies that Favour, which the Orator does not seem to ask; so that what he delivers, tho' it has equal Merit, labours under this Disadvantage, that his Judges are his Enemies.

XLVII.

‘VERSE 590. Nor shall great Hector cease, &c.]’ Here, says Eustathius, the Poet prepares the Reader for what is to succeed: he gives us the Outlines of his Piece, which he is to fill up in the Progress of the Poem. This is so far from cloying the Reader's Appetite, that it raises it, and makes him desirous to see the Picture drawn in its full length.

XLVIII.

‘VERSE 620. Ye valiant Trojans, &c.]’ Eustathius observes that Hector here speaks like a Soldier: He bears a Spear, not a Sceptre in his Hand; he harangues like a Warrior, but like a Victor; he seems to be too much pleased with himself, and in this Vein of Self-flattery, he promises a compleat Conquest over the Greeks.

XLIX.

‘VERSE 647. And let the Matrons.]’ I have been more ob­servant of the Decorum in this Line than my Author himself. He calls the Women [...], an Epithet of scandalous Im­port, upon which Porphyry and the Greek Scholiast have said but too much. I know no Man that has yet had the Impu­dence to translate that Remark, in regard of which it is Po­liteness to imitate the Barbarians, and say, Graecum est, non legitur. For my part, I leave it as a Motive to some very cu­rious Persons of both Sexes to study the Greek Language.

L.

‘VERSE 679. Full Hecatombs, &c.]’ The six Lines that fol­low being a Translation of four in the Original, are added from the Authority of Plato in Mr. Barnes his Edition: That Author cites them in his second Alcibiades. There is no doubt of their being genuine, but the Question is only whether they are rightly placed here? I shall not pretend to decide upon a Point which will doubtless be the Speculation of future Criticks.

LI.

‘VERSE 687. As when the Moon, &c.]’ This Comparison is inferior to none in Homer. It is the most beautiful Night­piece that can be found in Poetry. He presents you with a Prospect of the Heavens, the Seas, and the Earth: The Stars shine, the Air is serene, the World enlighten'd, and the Moon mounted in Glory. Eustathius remarks that [...] does not signify the Moon at full, for then the Light of the Stars is diminish'd or lost in the greater Brightness of the Moon. And others correct the word [...], to [...], for [...], but this Criticism is forced, and I see no Necessity why the Moon may not be said to be bright, tho' it is not in the full. A Poet is not obliged to speak with the Exactness of Philosophy, but with the Liberty of Poetry.

LII.

‘VERSE 702. A thousand Piles.]’ Homer in his Catalogue of the Grecian Ships, tho' he does not recount expresly the Number of the Greeks, has given some Hints from whence the Sum of their Army may be collected. But in the same Book where he gives an Account of the Trojan Army, and relates the Names of the Leaders and Nations of the Auxili­aries, he says nothing by which we may infer the Number of the Army of the besieged. To supply therefore that Omis­sion, he has taken occasion by this Piece of Poetical Arith­metick, to inform his Reader, that the Trojan Army amounted to fifty thousand. That the Assistant Nations are to be inclu­ded herein, appears from what Dolon says in l. 10. that the Auxiliaries were encamped that Night with the Trojans.

This Passage gives me occasion to animadvert upon a Mistake of a modern Writer, and another of my own. The Abbè Terasson in a late Treatise against Homer, is under a grievous Error, in saying that all the Forces of Troy and the Auxiliaries cannot be reasonably suppos'd from Homer to be above ten thousand Men. He had entirely overlook'd this Place, which says there were a thousand Fires, and fifty Men at each of them. See my Observation on the second Book, where these Fires by a slip of my Memory are called Funeral Piles: I should be glad it were the greatest Error I have com­mitted in these Notes.

LIII.

‘VERSE 706. The Coursers o'er their Heaps of Corn.]’ I durst not take the same Liberty with M. Dacier, who has omitted this Circumstance, and does not mention the Horses at all. In the following Line, the last of the Book, Homer has gi­ven to the Morning the Epithet fair-haired, or bright-throned, [...]. I have already taken notice in the Preface of the Method of translating the Epithets of Homer, and must add here, that it is often only the Uncertainty the Mo­derns lie under, of the true genuine Signification of an [Page 306] ancient word, which causes the many various Constructions of it. So that it is probable the Author's own Words, at the time he used them, never meant half so many things as we translate them into. Madam Dacier generally observes one Practice as to these throughout her Version: She ren­ders almost every such Epithet in Greek by two or three in French, from a fear of losing the least part of its Signifi­cance. This perhaps may be excusable in Prose; tho' at best it makes the whole much more verbose and tedious, and is rather like writing a Dictionary than rendring an Author: But in Verse, every Reader knows such a Redoubling of Epi­thets would not be tolerable. A Poet has therefore only to chuse that, which most agrees with the Tenor and main In­tent of the particular Passage, or with the Genius of Poetry itself.

It is plain that too scrupulous an Adherence to many of these, gives the Translation an exotic, pedantic, and whimsical Air, which it is not to be imagined the Original ever had. To call a Hero the great Artificer of Flight, the swift of Foot, or the Horse-tamer, these give us Ideas of little Pecu­liarities, when in the Author's Time they were Epithets used only in general to signify Alacrity, Agility, and Vigor. A common Reader would imagine from these servile Versions, that Diomed and Achilles were Foot-Racers, and Hector a Horse-Courser, rather than that any of them were Heroes. A Man shall be call'd a faithful Translator for rendring [...] in English, swift-footed; but laugh'd at if he should translate our English word dext'rous into any other Language, right-handed.

ERRATA.

  • PREFACE.] Pag. 4. line 18. for supply this Characters, read supply his Characters. Pag. 8. line 25. for self-considering Valour, read self-confiding. Pag. 28. line 5. for praise the Superstructure, read raise the Superstructure. Pag. 25. line 10. for with read with.
  • Essay.] Pag. 15. line 34. for brings him, read brings it. Pag. 17. in the Refe­rences at bottom, for [...], read [...]. Pag. 36. in the Citation from Horace at the bottom, for Argue read Arguet.
  • Book 1.] Verse 517. for The undaunted, read Th' undaunted.
  • Observations on Book 1.] Obs. 35. line 10. instead of Centaurs fell out fifty five or sixty Years, read fifty five or fifty six Years. And the third line after, instead of It was then fifty five or sixty five, read It was then sixty five or sixty six. This Error totally destroys the Sense.
  • Book 2.] Verse 77. for Ill suits a Chief, read Ill fits a Chief. ℣. 666. for mar­tial Armies, read marshal Armies.
  • Observations on Book 2.] Obs. 9. toward the end, for a thousand funeral Piles, read a thousand Fires. Obs. 23. toward the end, for another Criticism upon the 290th Verse of this Book, read another Criticism upon the 290th Verse of the Ca­talogue. Obs. 32. in the last lines, place the Stops thus; the Description of her Preparation for Death and her Behaviour in it, can never be enough admired.
  • Book 3.] Verse 43. for high Chariot, read proud Chariot. ℣. 444. read the whole Line thus: Eludes the Death and disappoints his Foe. ℣. the last but one of the Book, for just Applauses, read loud Applauses.
  • Observations on Book 3.] Obs. 7. at the end, for Nireus's Prophecy, read Ne­reus's Prophecy.
  • Observations on Book 4.] Obs. 36. the last line but two, for Conclusion, read Confusion.

NOTE, Wherever there are References in the Observations, to any particular Verses cited from Homer, it is constantly to be understood of the Number of that Verse in the Original, and not in the English.

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