The dart, diverted from its destin'd course,

His shoulder graz'd, and spent in air its force. 770
A fate so near him chills his soul with dread;
At once his fortitude and vigour fled:

No more he dares prolong th' unequal fight,
But even sickens at the hero's sight.

780

Thus, when some hunter's spear has drawn the gore
From the tough forehead of a bristled boar,
But lightly raz'd the skin, nor reach'd the brain;
The daunted savage wheels around with pain,
Grinding his tusks, or stands aloof thro' fear,
Nor tempts again the fury of his spear.
Long had brave Prothous with unerring hand
Deait out his shafts, and gall'd the Grecian band:
This Tydeus saw, and rushing at the foe
And his gay courser, aim'd a double blow.
On him, as prone he tumbles on the plains,
Falls the pierc'd steed, and, while he seeks the reins,
Stamps on the helm, till by his feet comprest
On his lord's face, it crush'd his shielded breast;
Then spouting out amidst a purple tide
The bit, expir'd recumbent at his side.
Thus often on the eloud-supporting crown

790

801

810

Of Gaurus, vine and elm are both o'erthrown, A double damage to the swain: but most Th' uxorious elm bewails his consort lost; Nor groans so much for his own hapless fate, As for the grapes he presses with his weight. Chorobus, comrade of the nine, forsook His native mount, and the Castalian brook; Though oft Urania from th' inspected stars Forewarn'd his death, and bade him shun the wars: Heedless he mixes with the daring throng, And, while he meditates the future song, Becomes himself a theme of public praise; The sisters weep, forgetful of their lays. Swoll'n with ambitious hopes, young Atys came From Phocian Cyrrha to the field of fame, To fair Ismena from his tender age Espous'd; nor did her father's impious rage, Or the neglected beauties of her face, The idol fair one in his eyes disgrace. Nor in her turn the damsel disapproves His faultless person; mutual were their loves. But war forbids their nuptials; hence arose The champion's hatred to his Argive foes. He shines the foremost in the deathful scene, Aud, lab'ring to be notic'd by his queen, Now wars on foot, and now with loosen'd reins, And foaming horses pours along the plains. His doating mother deck'd his am'rous breast And graceful shoulders with a purple vest. His arms and trappings were emboss'd with gold, Lest he should seem less glorious to behold Than his fair spouse.-On these the chief rely'd, And the stern Greeks to single fight defy'd; The weakest of his enemies subdu'd, And none attack'd, who were not first pursu'd. Trembling he bears their trophies to his train, And with his troops, inglorious, herds again.

820

827. He bears their trophies] This passage, gives us an insight into the ancient method of fighting. We see the leaders advancing before their troops, and making an excursion, and as soon as they had obtained the spoils of the vanquished, returning to them again. If this passage is attended to, it will clear up many things in Homer, and his imitators, which would otherwise seem very absurd.Atys would have made a good hero

830

Thus the young lion in the Caspian shade,
(No length of mane terrific yet display'd)
Yet innocent of slaughter'd bull or ram,
If chance he lights upon a straggling lamb
Without the fold, in absence of the swain,
Riots in blood, and glories in the slain.
On Tydeus then unknown he casts his eyes,
And measuring his valour by his size,
Proudly presumes to make an easy prey
Of the slain chief, and bear his arms away.
He now had levell'd many a distant blow,
Ere the brave prince perceiv'd his puny foe: 840
At length contemptuously he view'd the man,
And forinidably smiling, thus began :
"I see, vain fop, too prodigal of breath,
Thou seekest honour from a glorious death."
He paus'd; nor deigning to discharge a blow
With sword or spear on such a worthless foe,
His arm scarcee rais'd, a slender javelin threw,
With fatal certainty the weapon flew ;
And, as if driven with his utmost force,
Deep in his groin infix'd, there stopp'd its course.
The chief of life thus seemingly bereft,
The gen'rous victor passes on, and left
His arms untouch'd, and thus jocosely said,
"These suit not Mars, nor thee, O fav'ring maid:
What man of courage would not blush to wear
Such gaudy trifles?-Nay, I scarce would dare
Present them, by my consort to be borne,
Lest she reject them with indignant scorn."
Thus spake Oenides, fir'd with lust of fame,
And sallies forth in quest of nobler game.
Thus, when the lion roams, where heifers feed,
And lowing beeves expatiate o'er the mead,
The royal savage traversing the plain
In sullen majesty, and sour disdain,

849

860

in a romance. He was one of those gentlemen who go to war only to please the ladies, and mix the beau with the hero, two characters the most inconsistent in nature, though often united in practice. Whilst, however, we are pitying the rash and ill-timed gallantry of this young man, we cannot but applaud the rough soldier-like behaviour of Tydeus, and the blunt wit he shows on this occasion. I shall only observe farther, that this character is admirably well supported, and is a sufficient proof of our author's vein for satire. The former part of this note belongs to Barthius.

861. Thus, when the lion] In order to obviate any objection that may arise to the frequent repetition of similes drawn from the same object, I shall transcribe Mr. Pope's defence of Homer on that point. "Is it not more reasonable to compare the same man always to the same animal, than to see him sometimes a sun, sometimes a tree, and sometimes a river? Though Homer speaks of the same creature, he so diversifies the circumstances and accidents of the comparison, 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 each other than one and the same animal is to himself in two different actions. And those who, in reading Homer, are shocked that 'tis always a lion, may as well be angry that it is always a man." See Essay on Homer's Battles.

Spares the weak herd, and culling out their head,
Some lordly bull, arrests and lays him dead.
Menæceus, list'ning to the dying cries,
Of Atys, swiftly to his rescue flies;
And lest his steeds should flag, deserts his car,
And bounds impetuous thro' the ranks of war. 870
Th' Arcadian youths advanc'd to strip the slain;
Nor did the Thebans labour to restrain,

Till brave Menæceus thus :-" O foul disgrace
To boasted Cadmus! O degen'rate race!
Shall foreign Atys gain deserv'd applause
By nobly bleeding in another's cause,
While we decline the danger of the day,
And children, wives, and all that's dear betray?"
Fach tender care reviv'd, the troops arise,
Shame in their breasts, and anger in their eyes. 880
Meanwhile the Theban princesses, a pair
Alike in manners, and supremely fair,
Retiring to their chambers, give a vent
To mutual grief, and mutual discontent:
Nor do they weep the present ills of fate,
But from the earliest æra of their state
Seek matter of complaint; one mourns her sire,
And one the mother-queen's incestuous fire;
This weeps her absent brother's baneful stars,
The monarch that, but both detest the wars. 890
Their vows suspended by an equal love,
They fondly pity whom they can't approve,
And doubt, whom they had rather have prevail:
At length the favour'd exile sinks the scale.
Thus Pandionian birds, when they regain
Their native clime in winter's dreary reign,
Perch'd on their nests, in plaintive accents tell,
And hear what various accidents befel

them.

Nigra velut magnas domini cum divitis ædes
Pervolat, et pennis alta atria lustrat hirundo,
Pabula parva legens, nidisque loquacibus escas:
Et nunc porticibus vacuis, nunc humida circum
Stagna sonat.
Lib. 12. ver. 473.

900

...

9:201

Each other absent, and by turns rejoice In notes that emulate the human voice. Tears making way, the chaste Ismene broke Her silence first, and thus, exclaiming, spoke: "O sister! what deluding errours blind And mock the easy faith of human kind!hi When images, in dreams returning, play Before our eyes, distinct as in the day; And sleep is mark'd by care; for yesternight My fancy labour'd with the sudden sight Of nuptials, which in peace were never sought, Nor enter'd in my most unguarded thought. 910 The bridegroom too among the rest was shown, Scarce known in person; once indeed I own I saw him, when my marriage was propos'd, At court-But soon the glitt'ring scene was clos'd. The fires extinguish'd suddenly I view'd, And omens and prognostics dire ensu❜d. My mother follow'd then, with fury fir'd, And Atys at my hands with shouts requir'd... What mean these dark portents of death obscured I fear not, while our house is thus secure, While the foe stands aloof, and hope remains, Fraternal concord may reward our pains." While thus each other's sorrows they report, IA A sudden tumult fills the spacious court; -- »»» Ju And Atys enters (moving scene of woe) (4) pdf By toil and sweat recover'd from the foe. 5 l Life's ebbing stream ran trickling on the ground, One feeble hand reclin'd upon the wound, rit And his loose hairs his bloodless face conceal'd, His languid neck dependent on the shield.a Jocasta first the killing object ey'd," And trembling call'd his fair intended bride. » This he requests, that with his dying voice And last farewell he may confirm his choice. Her name alone, a pleasing sound, lotig bang On his pale lips, and trembling on his tongue. The servants shriek, the virgin with her hands ??! Conceals her blushes: modesty commands.”* 1/*! The queen, indulgent to th' entreating chief,!! * Constrains her to impart this last relief. Thrice at her name he lifts his drooping head," And thrice sinks back, his vital spirits fled. On her, the light of Heav'n no more enjoy'd He feasts his eyes, admiring and uncloy'd. No parents near to rear the sacred pyre, Nor frantic mother, or desponding sire;* To her th' ungrateful office they assign, To tend his obsequies and rites divine. There, no one, present, o'er the corse she sighs Closes each wound, and seals her lover's eyes, 950 Meanwhile Bellona wak'd anew the fray, And turn'd the doubtful fortune of the day: She chang'd her torch, and other serpents wore Heap'd slain on slain, and swell'd thestream of gore, As if the toil of fight was scarce begun, Much work of death remaining to be done.

940

L

distress of the two lovers is beyond all the enco 923. While thus] This description of the Ismene on this occasion is not so outrageous, as miums that can be given it; though the grief of if she had not been prepared for it by a previous dream. The dying warrior is very artfully intro duced, his condition and appearances are very picturesque, and the effects of his violent passion finely imagined, though at the same time very natural.

For the pierc'd hero, now no longer steel'd
Against the growing anguish, loos'd his shield,
And bent beneath the wound. This seen, the
Greeks

Rush to his aid with groans, nor manly shrieks:
The sons of Cadmus, smiling at their grief, 1051
With shouts triumphant intercept relief.
The chief, inspecting close the adverse side,
The marksman, lurking in the crowd, espy'd,
Collects his whole remains of life and strength,
And throws a weapon of enormous length,
Which neighb'ring Hopleusgave, nor gave in vain:
Forth spouts the blood, extorted by the strain.
By force his sad companions drag him thence,
(While yet unconscious of his impotence)
Then bear him to the margin of the field,
His sides supported in a double shield;
And promise, he shall quickly re-engage,
When strength shall second his undaunted rage.
But he himself perceives his failing breath,
And shudd'ring the chilling hand of death,
Reclines on earth, and cries,-" I die in peace;
But pity me, O sons of fertile Greece!

1060

I ask you not these relics to convey
To Argos, or the seat of regal sway,
Regardless of my body's future doom,
Nor anxious for the honours of the tomb.
Curst are the brittle limbs, which thus desert
The soul, when most their strength they should
All I solicit farther is the head

[exert.

1100

While he remarks the restless balls of sight,
That sought and shunn'd alternately the light.
Contented now, his wrath began to cease,
And the fierce warrior had expir'd in peace;
But the fell fiend a thought of vengeance bred,
Unworthy of himself, and of the dead.
Mean while, her sire unmov'd, Tritonia came,
To crown her hero with immortal fame;
But, when she saw his jaws besprinkled o'er
With spatter'd brains, and ting'd with living gore;
Whilst his imploring friends attempt in vain
To calm his fury, and his rage restrain:
Again, recoiling from the loathsome view,
The sculptur'd target o'er her face she threw;
And, her affection chang'd to sudden hate,
Resign'd Oenides to the will of fate:
But, ere she join'd the senate of the skies,
Purg'd in llyssos her unhallow'd eyes.

BOOK IX.

THE ARGUMENT.

1118

Of Menalippus; for my jav'li sped,
And stretch'd, I trust, the dastard on the plains:
Then haste, Hippomedon, if aught remains
Of Argive blood; and thou, Arcadian youth,
In praise of whom fame e'en detracts from truth
Go, valiant Capaneus, thy country's boast, 1081
And now the greatest of th' Argolic host."
All mov'd; but Capaneus arrives the first,
Where breathing yet he lay, deform'd with dust,
And took him on his shoulders. Down his back
Flows the warm blood, and leaves a crimson track,
Such look'd Aicides, when in times of yore
He enter'd Argos with the captive boar.
O'ercome with joy and anger, Tydeus tries
To rais himself, and meets with eager eye 1090
The deathful object, pleas'd as he survey'd
His own condition in his foe's pourtray'd.
The sever'd head impatient he demands,
And grasps with fervour in his trembling hands,

1062. His sides] The ancients were wont to carry their generals who fell in battle on a shield; as we learn from Virgil, book 10.

-At socii multo gemitu, lacrymisque,
Impositum scuto referunt Pallanta frequentes.
Again, book 10.

At Lausum socii exanimum super arma ferebant.
The losing a shield in combat was looked upon as
the greatest disgrace that could befall a man:
Tecum Philippos et celerem fugam
Sensi, relictâ non bene parmulâ,

says Horace hence the famous saying of the Spartan lady, when she gave her son a shield; Aut cum illo, aut in illo; i. e. "Either return with it, or upon it."-Part of this note belongs to Bernartius.

1093. The sever'd head] We are now come to

First, With respect to the fact taken absolutely, and in itself, the poet does not recite it as worthy of imitation, or praise his hero for the perpetra tion of it; but expresses his abhorrence of it, and informs us, that Tisiphone suggested it to Tydens, and that Pallas herself, his stanch patroness, was so disgusted as utterly to desert him: these are circumstances that sufficiently absolve the poet from the censure of making his favourite character so monstrously brutish and inhuman.

Secondly, If we consider it comparatively, we must observe, that the will and intention, which only render moral actions culpable, were the same both in Achilles and Tydeus. The former wishes he could eat his enemy's flesh, the latter does it; so that the only difference is, that Ty deus had a better appetite, and less aversion to human flesh than Achilles.

Lastly, If it is really a fault, the commission of it was owing to the extravagant veneration that Statius had for Homer, as it is evidently imitated from the above-mentioned passage the Iliad so that the original thought will stil be chargeable on that great author.

邊

1112. Ilyssos] Is a river of Elysium, which the poet terms guiltless, because it makes guiltless, i. e. purifies, It is opposed to Styx, 1 stream of Hell; and called in Greek H from Avis, that is to say, solution, because salis, after the solution of their corporeal bonds, der scend to those fields,