The fons of Dares first the combat fought,
A wealthy priest, but rich without a fault.

Conclufion of Book VIII. v. 687.

As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night,
O'er heaven's clear azure fpreads her facred light;
When not a breath disturbs the deep ferene,
And not a cloud o'ercafts the folemn fcene;
Around her throne the vivid planets roll,
And ftars unnumber'd gild the glowing pole:
O'er the dark trees a yellower verdure shed,
And tip with filver every mountain's head;
Then shine the vales-the rocks in profpect rife,
A flood of glory burfts from all the skies;
The conscious fwains, rejoicing in the fight,
Eye the blue vault, and blefs the useful light.
So many flames before proud Ilion blaze,
And lighten glimmering Xanthus with their rays;
The long reflexion of the diftant fires

Gleam on the walls, and tremble on the fpires;
A thousand piles the dusky horrors gild,
And shoot a fhady luftre o'er the field;
Full fifty guards each flaming pile attend,
Whofe umber'd arms by fits thick flashes send;
Loud neigh the courfers o'er their heaps of corn,
And ardent warriors wait the rising morn.

As when in ftillness of the filent night,
As when the moon in all her luftre bright,

As when the moon refulgent lamp of night,
O'er heaven's clear azure sheds her filver light;
pure fpreads facred

As ftill in air the trembling luftre ftood,
And o'er its golden border fhoots a flood;
When no loofe gale disturbs the deep ferene,
not a breath

And no dim cloud o'ercafts the folemn fcene;

not a

Around her filver throne the planets glow,
And ftars unnumber'd trembling beams bestow
Around her throne the vivid planets roll,
And ftars unnumber'd gild the glowing pole :
Clear gleams of light o'er the dark trees are feen,
o'er the dark trees a yellow fheds,
O'er the dark trees a yellower green they shed,

gleam verdure

And tip with filver all the mountain heads :

foreft

And tip with filver every mountain's head.
The vallies open, and the forefts rife,
The vales appear, the rocks in prospect rise,
Then thine the vales, the rocks in profpect rife,
All Nature ftands reveal'd before our eyes;
A flood of glory bursts from all the skies.
The confcious fhepherd, joyful at the fight,
Eyes the blue vault, and numbers every light.
The conscious fwains rejoicing at the fight,
fhepherds gazing with delight

Eye the blue vault, and blefs the vivid light,

glorious
ufeful

And lighten glimmering Xanthus with their rays,
Wide o'er the fields to Troy extend the gleams,
And tip the diftant fpires with fainter beams;

The

The long reflexions of the distant fires

Gild the high walls, and tremble on the spires,

Gleam on the walls, and tremble on the spires;

A thoufand fires at diftant ftations bright,

Gild the dark profpect, and difpel the night.

Of these specimens every man who has cultivated poetry, or who delights to trace the mind from the rudeness of its first conceptions to the elegance of its last, will naturally defire a greater number; but most other readers are already tired, and I am not writing only to poets and philosophers.

The Iliad was published volume by volume, as the translation proceeded; the first four books appeared in 1715. The expectation of this work was undoubtedly high, and every man who had connected his name with criticism, or poetry, was defirous of fuch intelligence as might enable him to talk upon the popular topick. Halifax, who, by having been first a poet, and then a patron of poetry, had acquired the right of being a judge, was willing to hear fome books while they were yet unpublished. Of this rehearsal Pope afterwards gave the following account *

*.

* Spence.

The

"The famous Lord Halifax was rather a

pretender to taste than really poffeffed of " it. When I had finished the two or three "first books of my tranflation of the Iliad, "that Lord defired to have the pleasure of hearing them read at his house.—Addison, Congreve, and Garth, were there at the reading. In four or five places, Lord "Halifax ftopt me very civilly, and with a fpeech each time, much of the fame kind, ‘I "beg your pardon, Mr. Pope; but there is fomething in that paffage that does not quite please me. Be so good as to mark the

place, and confider it a little at your leisure. " -I'm fure you can give it a little turn.' "I returned from Lord Halifax's with Dr.

Garth, in his chariot; and, as we were going along, was faying to the Doctor, that my Lord had laid me under a good deal "of difficulty by fuch loofe and general ob"fervations; that I had been thinking over "the paffages almost ever fince, and could "not guess at what it was that offended his Lordship in either of them. Garth laughed heartily at my embarraffment; faid, I had "not been long enough acquainted with Lord Halifax

"Halifax to know his way yet; that I need "not puzzle myself about looking thofe places

over and over, when I got home. All you "need do (fays he) is to leave them just as they are; call on Lord Halifax two or three " months hence, thank him for his kind ob" fervations on those paffages, and then read "them to him as altered. I have known him "much longer than you have, and will be "anfwerable for the event.' I followed his "advice; waited on Lord Halifax fome time "after; faid, I hoped he would find his objections to thofe paffages removed; read " them to him exactly as they were at first: "and his Lordship was extremely pleased "with them, and cried out, Ay, now they

are perfectly right; nothing can be better."

It is feldom that the great or the wife suspect that they are despised or cheated. Halifax, thinking this a lucky opportunity of fecuring immortality, made fome advances of favour and fome overtures of advantage to Pope, which he seems to have received with fullen coldness. All our knowledge of this tranfaction is derived from a fingle Letter (Dec. 1, 1714), in which Pope fays, "I am obliged to “you,