Now here, now there, the carcafes they tore : A field deep-furrow'd, next, the God defign'd, 625 630 The master meets them with his goblet crown'd; The hearty draught rewards, renews their toil, Then back the turning plough-shares cleave the foil : Behind, the rifing earth in ridges roll'd; 635 And fable look'd, though form'd of molten gold. With bended fickles ftand the reaper-train : Here, ftretch'd in ranks, the level'd fwarths are found, With sweeping stroke the mowers ftrow the lands; And last the children, in whose arms are borne (Too fhort to gripe them) the brown fheaves of corn. The ruftic monarch of the field defcries, 645 With filent glee, the heaps around him rife. ९ A ready banquet on the turf is laid, Next, ripe in yellow gold, a vineyard shines, 650 A deeper 655 A deeper dye the dangling clufters fhow, Here, herds of oxen march, erect and bold, 660 665 670 The dogs (oft chear'd in vain) desert the prey, 675 Next this, the eye the art of Vulcan leads A figur'd dance fucceeds: fuch once was seen 680 Form'd 685 Form'd by Dædalean art: a comely band Now forth at once, too swift for fight, they spring, So whirls a wheel, in giddy circle toft, And rapid as it runs, the fingle spokes are loft. 690 695 7000 Thus the broad fhield complete the artist crown'd And beat the buckler's verge, and bound the whole. She, as a falcon, cuts th' aerial way, "Swift from Olympus' fnowy fummit flies, 730 And bears the blazing prefent through the skies. 1 ARGUMENT. The Reconciliation of Achilles and Agamemnon. THETIS brings to her fon the armour made by Vulcan. She preferves the body of his friend from corruption, and commands him to affemble the army, to declare his refentment at an end. Agamemnon and Achilles are folemnly reconciled: the fpeeches, prefents, and ceremonies, on that occafion. Achilles is with great difficulty perfuaded to refrain from the battle till the troops have refreshed themselves, by the advice of Ulyffes. The prefents are conveyed to the tent of Achilles; where Brifeïs laments over the body of Patroclus. The hero obftinately refufes all repaft, and gives himself up to lamentations for his friend. Minerva defcends to ftrengthen him, by the order of Jupiter. He arms for the fight: his appearance defcribed. He addreffes himself to his horses, and reproaches them with the death of Patroclus. One of them is miraculoufiy endued with voice, and infpired to prophefy his fate; but the hero, not aftonished by that prodigy, rufhes with fury to the combat. The thirtieth day. The fcene is on the fea-fhore. |