When next the morning warms the purple eaft,
Convoke the peerage, and the Gods attest;
The forrows of your inmoft foul relate;
And form fure plans to fave the finking state,
Should fecond love a pleafing flame inspire,
And the chafte queen connubial rites require;
Difmifs'd with honour, let her hence repair
To great Icarius, whose paternal care
Will guide her paffion, and reward the choice
With wealthy dower, and bridal gifts of price.
Then let this dictate of my love prevail :
İnftant, to foreign realms prepare to fail,
To learn your father's fortunes: Fame may prove,
Or omen'd voice, (the meffenger of Jove)
Propitious to the fearch. Direct your toil
Through the wide ocean firft to fandy Pyle;
Of Neftor, hoary fage, his doom demand:
Thence speed your voyage to the Spartan strand;
For young Atrides to th' Achaian coast
Arriv'd the laft of all the victor hoft.
If yet Ulyffes views the light; forbear,
Till the fleet hours restore the circling year.
But if his foul hath wing'd the destin'd flight,
Inhabitant of deep difaftrous night:
Homeward with pious speed repass the main,
To the pale fhade funereal rites ordain,
Plant the fair column o'er the vacant grave,
A hero's honours let the hero have.
With decent grief the royal dead deplor'd,
For the chaste queen felect an equal lord.
Then let revenge your daring mind employ,
By fraud or force the fuitor-train destroy,
And, starting into manhood, fcorn the boy.
Haft thou not heard how young Oreftes, fir'd
With great revenge, immortal praise acquir'd?
His virgin-fword, gyfthus' veins imbrued;
The murderer fell, and blood aton'd for blood.
O greatly blefs'd with every blooming grace!
With equal steps the paths of glory trace;
Join to that royal youth's your rival name,
And shine eternal in the sphere of Fame.-
But my affociates now my ftay deplore,
Impatient on the hoarfe-refounding fhore.
Thou, heedful of advice, fecure proceed;
My praise the precept is, be thine the deed.
The counfel of my friend (the youth rejoin'd)
Imprints conviction on my grateful mind.
So fathers fpeak (perfuafive fpeech and mild)
Their fage experience to the favourite child.
But, fince to part, for fweet refection due
The genial viands let my train renew:
And the rich pledge of plighted faith receive,
Worthy the heir of Ithaca to give.
Defer the promis'd boon, (the Goddess cries, Celestial azure brightening in her eyes)
And let me now regain the Reithrian port:
From Temesé return'd, your royal court
I fhall revifit; and that pledge receive;
And gifts, memorial of our friendship, leave.
Abrupt, with eagle-speed fhe cut the sky;
Inftant invifible to mortal eye.
Then first he recogniz'd th' ætherial guest ;
Wonder and joy alternate fire his breast:
Heroic thoughts, infus'd, his heart dilate;
Revolving much his father's doubtful fate,
At length, compos'd, he join'd the fuitor-throng;
Hush'd in attention to the warbled fong.
His tender theme the charming lyrist chofe,
Minerva's anger, and the direful woes
Which voyaging from Troy the victors bore,
While ftorms vindictive intercept the shore.
The fhrilling airs the vaulted roof rebounds,
Reflecting to the queen the filver founds.
With grief renew'd the weeping fair defcends
Their fovereign's step a virgin train attends:
A veil, of richest texture wrought, the wears,
And filent to the joyous hall repairs.
There from the portal, with her mild command,
Thus gently checks the minstrel's tuneful hand:
Phemius! let acts of gods, and heroes old,
What ancient bards in hall and bower have told,
Attemper'd to the lyre, your voice employ ;
Such the pleas'd ear will drink with filent joy.
But, oh! forbear that dear difaftrous name,
To forrow facred, and fecure of fame:
My bleeding bosom fickens at the found,
And every piercing note inflicts a wound.
Why, dearest object of my duteous love,
(Reply'd the prince) will you the bard reprove?
Oft, Jove's æthereal rays (refiftless fire)
The chanter's foul and raptur'd fong infpire;
Inftinct divine! nor blame fevere his choice,
Warbling the Grecian woes with harp and voice:
For novel lays attract our ravish'd ears;
But old, the mind with inattention hears;
Patient permit the fadly pleasing strain;
Familiar now with grief, your tears refrain,
And in the public woe forget your own;
You weep not for a perifh'd lord, alone.
What Greeks, now wandering in the Stygian gloom, With your Ulyffes fhar'd an equal doom!
Your widow'd hours, apart, with female toil
And various labours of the loon, beguile;
There rule, from palace-cares remote and free;
That care to man belongs, and inoft to me.
Mature beyond his years the queen admires
His fage reply, and with her train retires.
Then swelling forrows burst their former bounds,
With echoing grief afresh the dome refounds;
Till Pallas, piteous of her plaintive cries,
In flumber clos'd her filver-ftreaming eyes.
Meantime, rekindled at the royal charms,
Tumultuous love each beating bofom warms ;
Intemperate rage a wordy war began ;-
But bold Telemachus affum'd the man.
Instant (he cry'd) your female difcord end,
Ye deedlefs boafters! and the fong attend;
Obey that fweet compulfion, nor profane
With diffonance the smooth melodious ftrain.
Pacific now prolong the jovial feast ;
But when the dawn reveals the rofy east,
I, to the peers affembled, fhall propose
The firm refolve, I here in few disclose :
No longer live the cankers of my court;
All to your several states with speed resort ;
Waste in wild riot what your land allows,
There ply the early feast, and late carouse.
But if, to honour loft, 'tis ftill decreed
For you my bowl shall flow, my flock shall bleed;
Judge, and revenge my right, impartial Jove!-
By him and all th' immortal thrones above,
(A facred oath) each proud oppreffor, flain,
Shall with inglorious gore this marble stain.
Aw'd by the prince, thus haughty, bold, and young, Rage gnaw'd the lip, and wonder chain'd the tongue. Silence at length the gay Antinoüs broke,
Constrain'd a smile, and thus ambiguous spoke : 490
What God to your untutor'd youth affords
This headlong torrent of amazing words?
May Jove delay thy reign, and cumber late
So bright a genius with the toils of state!
Those toils (Telemachus ferene replies)
Have charms, with all their weight, t'allure the wise.
Faft by the throne obfequious Fame resides,
And wealth inceffant rolls her golden tides.
Nor let Antinous rage, if strong defire
Of wealth and fame a youthful bosom fire:
Elect by Jove his delegate of fway,
With joyous pride the fummons I 'd obey.
Whene'er Ulyffes roams the realm of night,
Should factious power difpute my lineal right,
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