Oh fhame! in vain through nations far and wide, 'Thou call' the crowding monarchs to thy fide, Fall'n Pompey! while thy legions here betray Thy cheap-bought life, and treat thy fame away.'

He ended fierce. The foldier's rage returns, Hi. blood flies upward, and his bofom barns.

So, haply tam'd, the tiger bears his bauds, Lefsgrimly growls, and licks his keeper's hands; But if by chance he taftes forbidden gore, He yells amain, and makes his dungeon roar. He glares, he foams, he aims a defperate bound, And his pale mafter flies the dangerous ground. Now deeds are done, which man might charge aright

On ftubborn fate, or undifcerning night,

Had not their guilt the lawless foldiers known,
And made the whole malignity their own.
The beds, the plenteous tables, float with gore,
And b eafts are ftabb'd, that were em rac'd before.
Pity awhile their hands from flaughter kept,
Inward they groan'd, and, as they drew, they

O goddefs, fing. Full many a hero's ghost
Was driven untimely to th' infernal coaft,
While in promifcuous heaps their bodies lay,
A feat for dogs, and every bird of prey.
So did the fire of gods and men fulfil
His fledfaft purpofe, and almighty will;
What time the haughty chiefs their jars begun,
Atrides, king of men, and Pelus' godlike fon.
What god in ftrife the princes did engage
?
Apollo burning with vindictive rage
Against the fcornful king, whofe impious pride
His prieft difhonour'd, and his power defy'd.
Hence fwift contagion, by the god's commands,
Swept thro' the camp, and thinn'd the Grecian
bands.

For, wealth immenfe the holy Chryfes bore,
(His daughter's ranfom) to the tented shore :
His fceptre ftretching forth, the golden rød,
Hung round with hallow'd garlands of his god,
Of all the hoft, of every princely chief,
But firft of Atreus' fons he begg'd relief:
'Great Atreus' fons and warlike Greeks attend..
So may th' immortal gods your caufe befriend.
So may you Priam's lofty bulwarks burn,
And rich in gather'd spoils to Greece return,

As for these gifts my daughter you bestow, And reverence due to great Apollo show, Jove's favourite offspring, terrible in war, Who fends his thafts unerring from afar.'

Throughout the hoft confenting murmurs rife, The prieft to reverence, and give back the prize; When the grea king, incens d, his filence broke In words reproachful, and thus fternly spoke :

Hence, dotard, from my fight. Nor ever more Approach, I warn thee, this forbidde fhore; Left thou stretch forth,myfury to restrain, The wreaths and fceptre of thy god, in vain. The captive maid I never will refign, Tillage o'ertakes her, I have vow'd her mine. To diftant Argos fhall the fair be led : She fhall; to ply the loom, and grace my bed. Begone, ere evil intercept thy way. Hence on thy life: nor urge me by thy fray.' He ended frowning. Speechlefs and difmay'd, The aged fire his ftern command obey'd. Silent he pafs'd, amid the deafening roar Of tumbling billows, on the lonely thore; Far from the camp he pais'd: then fuppliant stood, And thus the hoary prieft invok'd his god:

Dread warrior with the filver bow, give ear, Patron of Chryfa and of Cilla, hear. To thee the guard of Tenedos belongs Propitious Smintheus! Oh! redress my wrongs. If e'er within thy fane, wita wreaths adorn'd, The fat of bulls and well-f d goats I burn'd, O! hear my prayer: Let Greece thy fury know, And with thy fhafts avenge thy fervant's woe.' Apollo heard his injured fuppliant's cry. Down rush'd the vengeful warrior from the fky; Acrofs his breaft the glittering bow he flung, And at his back the well-ftor d quiver hung. (His arrows rattled, as he urg'd his flight.) In clouds he flew, conceal'd from mortal fight: 1 hen took his stand, the well-aim'd shaft to throw: Fierce fprung the ftring, and twang'd the filver

bow.

The dogs and mules his first keen arrow flew ;
Amid the ranks the next more fatal flew,
A deathful dart. The funeral piles around
For ever blaz'd on the devoted ground. 1

Nine days entire he vex'd th' embattled host, The tenth, Achilles through the winding coaft Summon'd a council, by the queen's command Who wields heaven's fceptre in her fuowy hand: She mourn'd her favourite Greeks, who now inclofe

The hero, fwiftly fpeaking as he rose:

What now, O Atreus fon, remains in view, But o'er the deep our wanderings to renew, Doom'd to deftruction, while our wafted powers The fword and peftilence at once devours? Why hafte we not fome prophet's skill to prove, Or feek by dreams? (for dreams defcend from Jove.)

What moves Apollo's rage let him explain, What vow withheld, what hecatomb unflain : And if the blood of lambs and goats can pay The price for guilt, and turn this curfe away? Thus he. And next the reverend Calchas rofe, Their guide to Ilion whom the Grecians chote; 0 24

The

6

To Phthia now, for I fhall fight no more,
My hips their crooked prows fhall turn from
fhore.

When lam fcorn'd, I think I well forefee

What spoils and pillage will be won by thee.'
'Hence, cried the monarch, hence without
delay:

Think not, vain man! my voice fhall urge thy
ftay.

Others thou leav't to the great caufe inclin'd,

A league of kings thou leav'ft, and Jove behind.
Of all the chiefs doft thou oppofe me most :
Outrage and uproar are thy only boaft.
Dikord and jars thy joy. But learn to know,
If thou art ftrong, 'tis Jove hath made thee fo.
Co, at thy pleafure. None will ftop thy way.
Go, bid thy bafe born Myrmidons obey.
Thou, not thy rage, fhail my refolves fubdue;
Ifix my purpose, and my threats renew.

Since 'tis decreed I muft the maid reftore,

A fhip fhall waft her to th' offended power;
But fair Brifeis, thy allotted prize,

Myfulf will feize, and feize before thy eyes:
that thou and each audacious man may fee,

How vain the rafh attempts to cope with me' Stung to the foul, tumultuous thoughts began This way and that to rend the godlike man. To force a palage with his falchion drawn, And hurl th imperial boafter from his throne, He nov refolves: and now refolves again To quell his fury, and his arm reftrain. While thus by turns his rage and reafon fway'd, And half unheath'd he held the glittering blade; That moment, Juno, whofe impartial eye Watch'd o'er them both, fent Pallas from the sky: She flew, and caught his yellow hair behind, (To him alone the radiant goddess shin'd.) Sudden he turn'd, and fearted with furprize; Rage and revenge fah'd dreadful in his eyes. Then thus with hafty words: 'O! heavenly born, Com'it thou to fee proud Agamemnon's fcorn? But thou shalt fee (my fword fhall make it good) This glutted fand fmoke with the tyrant's bl›od.'

Te footh thy foul, the blue-ey'd maid replies, (If thou obey my voice) I left the fkies. Heaven's queen, who favours both, gave this command!

Supprefs thy wrath, and stay thy vengeful hand.
Be all thy rage in tauntful words expreft;
But guiltless let the thirsty falchion reft.
Mark what I fpeak. An hour is on its way,
When gifts tenfold for this affront shall pay.
Supprefs thy wrath, and heaven and me obey."
Then he yield; though with reluctant

mind.

'Who yields to heaven fhall heaven propitious find.'
The filver hilt clofe grafping, at the word,
Deep in the fheath he punged his mighty fword,
The goddess, turning darted from his fight,
And reach'd Olympus in a moment's flight.

But fierce Achilles, in a thundering tone, Throws out his wrath, and goes impetuous on. Valiant with wine, and furious from the bowl! Thou fierce-look'd talker with a coward foul!

War's glorious peril ever flow to fhare:
Aloof thou view'ft the field; for death is there,
Tis greater far this peaceful camp to fway,
And peel the Greeks, at will, who difobey:
A tyrant lord o'er flaves to earth debas'd;
For, had they fouls, this outrage were thy laft.
But, thou, my fix'd my final purpose hear.
By this dread fceptre folemnly I fwear:
By this (which, once from out the foreft torn,
Ner leaf nor fhade fhall ever more adorn;
Which never more its verdure must renew,
Lopp'd from the vital ftem, whence first it grew:
But given by Jove the fons of men to awe,
Now fways the nations, and confirms the law)
A day fhall come, when for this hour's difdain
The Greeks fhall with for me, and with in vain;
Nor thou, thou griev d, the wanted aid afford,
When heaps on heaps fhall fall by Hector's
fword:

Too late with anguifh fhall thy heart he torn,
That the firft Greek was made the public fcorn.

He faid. And, mounting with a furious bound He dall'd his ftudded sceptre on the ground; Then fat Atrides, eager to reply, On the fierce champion glanc'd a vengeful eye.

'Twas then, the madding monarchs to compofe, The Pylian price, the fmooth-fpeech d Neftor

rofe.

His tongue dropp'd honey. Full of days was he;
Two ages paft, he liv'd the third to fee:
And, his first race of fubjects long decay'd,
O'er their fons' fons a peaceful fceptre fway'd.

Alas for Greece! he cries, and with what joy
Shail Priam hear, and every fon of Troy!
That you, the firft in wildom as in wars,
Waste your great fouls in poor ignoble jars!
Go to you both are young. Yet oft rever'd
Greater than you have the wife Neftor heard.
Their equals never fhall thefe eyes behold:
Creneus the juft, Pirithous the bold,

Exadius, Dryas, born to high command,
Shepherds of men, and rulers of the land,
Thefeus unrival'd in his fire`s abodes,

And mighty Polypheme, a match for gods.
They, greatest names that ancient ftory knows,
In mortal conflict met, as dreadful foes:
Fearless through rocks and wilds their prey pur-
fued,

And the huge double Centaur race fubdued.
With them my early youth was pleas d to roam
Through region, far from my fweetnative home;
They call'd me to the wars. No living hand
Could match their valour, or their .ftrength
withftand;

Yet wont they oft my fage advice to hear.
Then liften both, with an attentive ear.
Seize not thou king of men, the beauteous flave,
Th' allotted prize the Grecian voices give.

Nor thou, Pelides, in a threatening tone

Urge him to wrath, who fills that facred throne, The king of forty kings, and honour'd more,.

By mighty Jove, than e'er was king before.

Brave though thou art, and of a race diving,

Thou must obey a power more great than thine. And

And thou, O king forbear. Myself will fue Great Thesis fon his vengeance to subdue: Great Thetis' valiant fon, our country's boast, The fhield and bulwark of the Grecian hoft." Wife are thy words, O fire, the king began, But what can fatiate this afpiring man? Unbounded power he claims o'er human kind, And hopes for flaves I trust he ne'er fhall find. Shall we, because the gods have form'd him ftrong,

Bear the rude language of his lawless tongue!' If aw'd by thee, the Greeks might well despise My name,' the prince, precipitate, replies. In vain thou nodd'ft from thy imperial throne. Thy vaffals feek elfewhere: for I am none. Butbreak we here. The fair, though justly mine, With fword undrawn I purpose to refign. On aught betide, I once for all command, Lay not, I charge thee, thy prefumptuous hand. • Come not within my reach. Nor dare advance, Or thy heart's blood fhall reek upon my lance,' Thus both in foul debate prolong'd the day. The council broke, each takes his feparate way. Achilles feeks his tent with reftlefs mind; Patroclus and his train move flow behind.

Meantime, a bark was haul'd along the fand, Twice ten felected Greeks, a brawny band. Tug the tough oars, at the great king's com

mand.

The gift, the hecatomb, the captive fair,
Are all intrufted to Ulyffes' care.
They mount the deck. The veel takes its flight,
Bounds o'er the furge, and leffens to the fight.

Next he ordains along the winding coaft
By hallow'd rites to purif the host.
A herd of chofen victims they provide,
And caft their offals on the briny tide.
Fat bulls and goats to great Apello die.
In clouds the favory fteam afcends the sky.
The Greeks to heaven their folemn vows ad-

dreft;

But dire revenge rol 'd in the monarch's breast. Obfequious at his call two heralds stand:

To them in frowns he gives this harsh command. Ye heralds, to Achilles tent repair:

Thence quick the female flave Brifeis bear. With arms, if difobey'd, myself will come. Bid him refign her, or he tempts his doom.' The heralds, though unwillingly, obey. Along the fea-beat faore they speed their way: And, now the Myrmidonian quarter past, At his tent-door they find the hero plac d. Disturb d the alemu meffengers he faw: They too ftood filent, with refpe&ful awe, Before he royal youth, they neither spoke. He guefs'd their message, and the silence broke:

Ye minifters of gods and men draw near, Not you, but him whofe heralds ye appear, Robb'd of my right I blame Patroclus, bring The damfel forth for this difdainful king. But ye, my wrongs. O heralds, bear in mind, And clear me to the gods and all mankind, "Evn to your thoughtless king; if ever more My aid be wanted on the hoftile fhore. Thoughtlefs he is, nor knows his certain doom, Blind to the past, nor fees the woes to come,

'His best defence thus rafhly to forega, And leave a naked army to the foe.'

He ceafed. Patroclus his dear friend obcy'd, And ufher'd in the lovely weeping maid. Sore figh'd the, as the heralds took her hand, And oft look'd back flow-moving o'er the ftrand.

The widow'd hero, when the fair was gone, Far fron: his friends fat bath'd in tears alone. On the cold beach he fat, and fix'd his eyes Where black with storms the curling billows rife, And as the fea wide-rolling he furvey'd, With out-firetch'd arms to hisfond mother pray'd:

Since to fhort life thy hapless fon was born, Great Jove ftands bound by promise to adorn His finted courfe, with an immortal name. Is this the great amends? the promis'd fame? The fon of Atreus, proud of lawless fway, Demands, poffeffes, and enjoys my prey.' Near her old fire enthron d, fhe heard him weep From the low filent caverns of the deep: Then in a morning mist her head fhe rears, Sits by her fon, and mingles tears with tears; Clofe grafps her darling's hand. My fon, she crie, Why heaves thy heart? and why o'erflow thy eyes?

Oh tell me, tell thy mother all thy care,
That both may know it, and that both may here."

Oh! goddefs!' cry'd he, with an inward gro 5, Thou know'ft it all: to thee are all things known,

Eëtian Thebes we fack'd, their tanfack'd towers,

The plunder of a people, all was ours.
We flood agreed the booty to divide.
Chryfeis tofy-cheek'd, and gloffy-ty'd,
Fell to the king, but holy Chryfes bore
Vaft gifts of ranfom, to the tente fhore:
His fceptre ftretching forth (the golden rod
Hung round with hallow'd garlands of his god)
Of all the hoft, of every princely chief,

• But firk of Atreus' fons, he begg'd relief. Throughout the hot confenting murmurs ran, To yield her to the venerable man ;

But the harsh king deny'd to do him right,
And drove the trembling prophet from hisfight
Apol'o heard his injur'd fuppliant s cry,
And dealt his arrows through th' infected fky;
The fwift contagion, fent by his commands.
Swept thro' the camp, and thinn'd the Grecian
bands

The guilty caufe a facred augur fhow'd,
And I first mov'd to mitigate the god.
At this the tyrant ftorm d. and vengeance vow'
And now too foon hath made his threatnings
good.

Chryfeis firft with gifts to Chryfa fent,
His heralds came this moment to my tent,
And bore Brifeis thence, my beauteous flave,
Th' allotted prize, which the leagu' Grecians
gave.

Thou goddefs, then, and thou, I know, haft power,
For thine own fon the mighty Jove implore.
Oft in my father's houfe I've heard thee tell,
When fudden fears on heaven's great monarch