The Thunderer fpoke, nor durft the Queen | Once in your cause I felt his matchless might, reply:

740

A reverend horror filenc'd all the sky.
The feaft difturb'd, with forrow Vulcan faw
His mother menac'd, and the Gods in awe;
Peace at his heart, and pleasure his defign,
Thus interpos'd the Architect Divine:
The wretched quarrels of the mortal state
Are far unworthy, Gods! of your debate :
Let men their days in fenfeless ftrife employ,
We, in eternal peace and constant joy.
Thou Goddefs-mother, with our fire comply,
Nor break the facred union of the sky;
Leít, rouz'd to rage, he shake the bleft abodes,
Launch the red lightening, and dethrone the
Gods.

745

760

Hurl'd headlong downward from th' etherial

height;

Toft all the day in rapid circles round;

Nor, till the fun defcended, touch'd the ground:

Breathless I fell, in giddy motions loft ;

The Sinthians rais'd me on the Lemnian coaft. 765

He faid, and to her hands the goblet heav'd, Which with a fmile, the white-arm'd queen receiv'd.

Then to the reft he fill'd; and in his turn,
Each to his lips apply'd the nectar'd urn.
Vulcan with aukward grace his office plies, 770
And unextinguish'd laughter shakes the skies.
Thus the bleft Gods the genial day prolong,
In feafts ambrofial, and celeftial fong.
Apollo tun'd the lyre; the Mufes round
With voice alternate aid the filver found.
Mean time the radiant fun, to mortal fight
Defcending fwift, roll'd down the rapid light.
Then to their starry domes the Gods depart,
The fhining monuments of Vulcan's art :
Jove on his couch reclin'd his awful head,
And Juno flumber'd on the golden bed.

775

780

The Trial of the Army, and Catalogue of the Forces.

JUPITER, in pursuance of the request of Thetis, fends a deceitful wifion to

Agamemnon, perfuading him to lead the army to battle; in order to make the Greeks fenfible of their want of Achilles. The general, who is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his affiftance, but fears the army was difcouraged by his abfence and the late plague, as well as by the length of time, contrives to make trial of their difpofition by a fratagem. He first communicates his defign to the princes in council, that he would propofe a return to the foldiers, and that they should put a stop to them if the propofal was embraced. Then he affembles the whole hoft, and upon moving for a return to Greece, they unanimously agree to it, and run to prepare the ships. They are detained by the management of Ulyffes, who chaftifes

23

the infolence of Therfites. The affembly is recalled, feveral speeches made on the occafion, and at length the advice of Neftor followed, which was, to make a general mufier of the troops, and to divide them into their feveral nations, before they proceeded to battle. This gives occafion to the poet to enumerate all the forces of the Greeks and Trojans, and in a large catalogue.

The time employed in this book confifts not entirely of one day. The scene lies in the Grecian camp and upon the fea-fhore; toward the end it removes to Troy.

Now pleafing fleep had feal'd each mortal

Bid him in arms draw forth th' embattled train,
Lead all his Grecians to the dusty plain.
Declare, ev'n now 'tis given him to destroy
The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy.
For now no more the Gods with fate contend, 15
At Juno's fuit the heavenly factions end.
Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall,
And nodding Ilion waits th' impending fall.
Swift as the word the vain illufion fled,
Defcends, and hovers o'er Atrides' head;
Cloath'd in the figure of the Pylian sage,
Renown'd for wisdom, and rever'd for age;
Around his temples spreads his golden wing,
And thus the flattering dream deceives the king:
Can't thou, with all a monarch's cares op-
preft,

20

25

30

Oh, Atreus fon! can'ft thou indulge thy rest?
Ill fits a chief who mighty nations guides,
Directs in council, and in war prefides,
To whom its fafety a whole people owes,
To waste long nights in indolent repofe.
Monarch, awake! 'tis Jove's command I bear;
Thou, and thy glory, claim his heavenly care.
In just array draw forth th' embattled train,
Lead all thy Grecians to the dusty plain;
Ev'n now, O king! 'tis given thee to destroy 35
The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy.
For now no more the Gods with fate contend,
At Juno's fuit the heavenly factions end.
Deftruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall,
And nodding flion waits th' impending fall.
Awake, but waking this advice approve,
And trust the vision that descends from Jove.
The phantom faid; then vanifh'd from his fight,
Refolves to air, and mixes with the night.
A thoufand fchemes the monarch's mind employ;

40

Eager he rifes, and in fancy hears

The voice celeftial murmuring in his ears.
First on his limbs a flender veft he drew,
Around him next the regal mantle threw ;
Th' embroider'd fandals on his feet were tied ;

55

60

The ftarry faulchion glitter'd at his fide;
And laft his arm the maffy fceptre loads,
Unftain'd, immortal, and the gift of Gods.
Now rofy morn afcends the court of Jove,
Lifts up her light, and opens day above.
The king difpatch'd his heralds with commands
To range the camp, and fummon all the bands;
The gathering hofts the monarch's word obey;
While to the fleet Atrides bends his way.
In his black ship the Pylian prince he found; 65
There calls a fenate of the Peers around;
Th' affembly plac'd, the king of men expreft
The counfels labouring in his artful breast:

Friends and confederates! with attentive ear
Receive my words, and credit what you hear. 70
Late as flumber'd in the fhades of night,
A dream divine appear'd before my fight,
Whofe vifionary form like Nestor came,
The fame in habit, and in mien the faine.
The heavenly phantom hover'd o'er my head, 75
And, doft thou fleep, Oh, Atreus' fon? (he
faid)

Ill fits a chief who mighty nations guides,
Directs in council, and in war prefides,

To whom its fafety a whole people owes ;
To wafte long nights in indolent repofe.
Monarch, awake! 'tis Jove's command I bear,
Thou and thy glory claim his heavenly care.
In just array draw forth th' embattled train,
And lead the Grecians to the dusty plain;
Ev'n now, O king! 'tis given thee to destroy 85
The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy.
For now no more the Gods with fate contend;
At Juno's fuit the heavenly factions end.
Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall,
And nodding Ilion waits th' impending fall.
This hear obfervant, and the Gods obey!
The vifion fpoke, and past in air away.
Now, valiant chiefs! fince Heaven itfelf alarms;
Unite, and route the fons of Greece to arms.
But first, with caution try what yet they dare, 95
Worn with nine years of unfuccefsful war!
To move the troops to meafure back the main
Be mine; and your's the province to detain.

90

He fpoke, and fat; when Neftor rifing said,
(Neftor, whom Pylos' fandy realms obey'd) 100
Princes of Greece, your faithful ears incline;
Nor doubt the vifion of the power divine;

Your own refiftlefs eloquence employ,
And to the Immortals truft the fall of Troy.

220

The voice divine confefs'd the warlike maid,
Ulyffes heard, nor uninspir'd obey'd:
Then meeting first Atrides, from his hand
Receiv'd th' imperial fceptre of conimand.
Thus grac'd, attention and respect to gain,
He runs, he flies, through all the Grecian train, |
Each prince of name, or chief in armis approv'd,

225 He fir'd with praife, or with perfuafion mov'd. Warriours, like you, with strength and wifdom bleft,

By brave examples fhould confirm the rest.
The monarch's will not yet reveal'd appears;
He tries our courage, but refents our fears, 230
Th' unwary Greeks his fury may provoke ;
Not thus the king in fecret council fpoke.
Jove loves our chief, from Jove his honour
fprings,

235

Beware! for dreadful is the wrath of kings.
But if a clamorous vile plebeian rose,
Him with reproof he check'd, or tam'd with
blows.

Be ftill, thou flave, and to thy betters yield;
Unknown alike in council and in field!

Ye Gods, what daftards would our hoft com-
mand,

Swept to the war, the lumber of a land!

240

Be filent, wretch, and think not here allow'd
That worst of tyrants, an ufurping crowd:
To one fole monarch Jove commits the fway;
His are the laws, and him let all obey.

With words like these the troops Ulyffes rul'd,
245

The loudest filenc'd, and the fiercest cool'd.
Back to th' affembly roll'd the thronging train,
Defert the ships, and pour upon the plain.
Murmuring they move, as when old Ocean roars,
And heaves huge furges to the trembling fhores :
250

The groaning banks are burst with bellowing
1ound,

255

The rocks remurmur, and the deeps rebound.
At length the tumult finks, the noises ceafe,
And a still filence lulls the camp to peace,
Therfites only clamour'd in the throng,
Loquacious, loud, and turbulent of tongue:
Aw'd by no fhame, by no reípects control'd,
In fcandal bufy, in reproaches bold : *
With witty nialice ftudious to defame:
Scorn all his joy, and laughter all his aim;
But chief he glory'd, with licentious ftile,
To lafh the great, and monarchs to revile.
His figure fuch as might his foul proclaim;
One cye was blinking, and one leg was lame;
His mountain fhoulders half his breast o'erfpread,

Sharp was his voice, which, in the fhrilleft tone,
Thus with injurious taunts attack'd the throne:
Amidst the glories of fo bright a reign, 275
What moves the great Atrides to complain?
'Tis thine whate'er the war: iour's breaft in-
flames,

The golden fpoil, and thine the lovely dames.
With all the wealth our war and blood beftow,
Thy tents are crowded, and thy chefts o'erflow,
280
Thus at full eafe in heaps of riches roll'd,
What grieves the monarch? Is it thirst of gold?
Say, fhall we march with our unconquer'd

powers,

285

(The Greeks and I) to Ilion's hoftile towers,
And bring the race of royal bastards here,
For ro to raniom at a price too dear?
But fafer plunder thy own hoft fupplies;
Say, would't thou feize fome valiant leader's
prize?

230

Or, if thy heart to generous love be led,
Some captive fair, to bleis thy kingly bed?
Whate'er our mafter craves, fubmit we muft,
Plagued with his pride, or punith'd for his luft.
Oh women of Achaia! men no more!
Hence let us fly, and let him wafte his store
In loves and pleasures on the Phrygian shore.
295.

We may be wanted on fome bufy day,
When Vector comes: fo great Achilles may :
From him he forc'd the prize we jointly gave,
From him, the fierce, the fearless, and the brave:
And durit he, as he ought, refent that wrong,

The man who acts the least, upbraids the most ?
Think not the Greeks to fhameful flight to bring,
Nor let thofe lips profane the name of king.
For our return we truft the heavenly Powers;
Be that their care; to fight like men be ours. 313
But grant the host with wealth the general load,
260 Except detraction, what haft thou bestow'd ?
Suppofe fome hero fhould his spoils refign,
Art thou that hero, could thofe fpoils be thine ?
Gods! let me perifh on this hateful thore,
And let thefe eyes behold my fon no more;
If, on thy next offence, this hand forbear
To ftrip thofe arms thou ill deferv't to wear.
Expel the council where our princes meet,
And fend thee fcourg'd and howling thro' the
fleet.

265

270

Thin hairs beftrew'd his long mishapen head.
Spleen to mankind his envious heart poffeft,
And much he hated all, but most the best.
Ulyffes or Achilles ftill his theme;
But royal scandal his delight fupreme.
Long had he liv'd the fcorn of every Greek,
Vext when he spoke, yet still they heard him
speak.
YOL. VI.

320

325