He, deeply sighing, said: To tell my woe,
Is but to mention what too well you know.
From Thebè, sacred to Apollo's name,
(Aëtion's realm,) our conquering army came,
With treasure loaded and triumphant spoils,
Whose just division crown'd the soldier's toils;
But bright Chryseïs, heavenly prize! was led,
By vote selected, to the general's bed.
The priest of Phoebus sought by gifts to gain
His beauteous daughter from the victor's chain;
The fleet he reach'd, and lowly bending down,
Held forth the sceptre and the laurel crown,
Entreating all but chief implored for grace,
The brother-kings of Atreus' royal race:
The generous Greeks their joint consent declare,
The priest to reverence, and release the fair.
Not so Atrides: he, with wonted pride,
The sire insulted, and his gifts denied.
The insulted sire (his god's peculiar care)

[Why have I born thee with a mother's throes, To fates averse, and nursed for future woes? So short a space the light of heaven to view! So short a space! and fill'd with sorrow too! 480 O might a parent's careful wish prevail,

550

Far, far from Ilion should thy vessels sail!
And thou, from camps remote, the danger shun,
Which now, alas! too nearly threats my son.
Yet (what I can) to move thy suit I'll go
To great Olympus crown'd with fleecy snow.
Meantime, secure within thy ships, from far
Behold the field, nor mingle in the war.
The sire of gods and all the ethereal train,
On the warm limits of the farthest main,
490 Now mix with mortals, nor disdain to grace
The feasts of Ethiopia's blameless race;
Twelve days the powers indulge the genial rite,
Returning with the twelfth revolving light.
Then will I mount the brazen dome, and move 560
The high tribunal of immortal Jove.

500

510

To Phobus pray'd, and Phœbus heard the prayer:
A dreadful plague ensues; the avenging darts
Incessant fly, and pierce the Grecian hearts.
A prophet then, inspired by heaven, arose,
And points the crime, and thence derives the woes.
Myself the first the assembled chiefs incline
To avert the vengeance of the power divine;
Then rising in his wrath, the monarch storm'd;
Incensed he threaten'd, and his threats perform'd:
The fair Chryseïs to her sire was sent,
With offer'd gifts to make the god relent;
But now he seized Briseïs' heavenly charms,
And of my valour's prize defrauds my arms,
Defrauds the votes of all the Grecian train;
And service, faith, and justice, plead in vain.
But, goddess! thou thy suppliant son attend,
To high Olympus' shining court ascend,
Urge all the ties to former service owed,
And sue for vengeance to the thundering god.
Oft hast thou triumph'd in the glorious boast,
That thou stood'st forth of all the ethereal host,
When bold rebellion shook the realms above,
The undaunted guard of cloud-compelling Jove.
When the bright partner of his awful reign,
The warlike maid, and monarch of the main,
The traitor-gods, by mad ambition driven,
Durst threat with chains the Omnipotence of heaven,
Then call'd by thee, the monster Titan came
(Whom gods Briareus, men Ægeon name,)
Through wondering skies, enormous stalk'd along ;
Not he that shakes the solid earth so strong:*
With giant-pride at Jove's high throne he stands,
And brandish'd round him all his hundred hands;
The affrighted gods confess'd their awful lord,
They dropp'd the fetters, trembled, and adored.
This, goddess, this to his remembrance call,
Embrace his knees, at his tribunal fall;
Conjure him far to drive the Grecian train,
To hurl them headlong to their fleet and main,
To heap the shores with copious death, and bring
The Greeks to know the curse of such a king:
Let Agamemnon lift his haughty head
O'er all his wide dominion of the dead,
And mourn in blood, that e'er he durst disgrace
The boldest warrior of the Grecian race.
Unhappy son! (fair Thetis thus replies,
While tears celestial trickle from her eyes)

* Neptune.

520

In Chrysa's port now sage Ulysses rode;
Beneath the deck the destined victims stow'd;
The sails they furl'd, they lash'd the mast aside,
And dropp'd their anchors, and the pinnace tied.
Next on the shore their hecatomb they land,
Chryseïs last descending on the strand.
Her, thus returning from the furrow'd main,
Ulysses led to Phoebus' sacred fane;
Where at his solemn altar, as the maid
He gave to Chryses, thus the hero said:
Hail, reverend priest! To Phoebus' awful dome
A suppliant I from great Atrides come :
Unransom'd here receive the spotless fair;
Accept the hecatomb the Greeks prepare;
And may thy god who scatters darts around,
Atoned by sacrifice, desist to wound.

At this, the sire embraced the maid again,
So sadly lost, so lately sought in vain.
Then near the altar of the darting king,
Disposed in rank, their hecatomb they bring:
With water purify their hands, and take
The sacred offering of the salted cake;
While thus with arms devoutly raised in air,
And solemn voice, the priest directs his prayer:
God of the silver bow, thy ear incline,
Whose power encircles Cilla the divine;
Whose sacred eye thy Tenedos surveys,
And gilds fair Chrysa with distinguish'd rays!
If, fired to vengeance at thy priest's request,
Thy direful darts inflict the raging pest;
530 Once more attend! avert the wasteful woe,
And smile propitious, and unbend thy bow.

So Chryses pray'd. Apollo heard his prayer:
And now the Greeks their hecatomb prepare;
Between their horns the salted barley threw,
And with their heads to heaven the victims slew:
The limbs they sever from the enclosing hide;
The thighs, selected to the gods, divide:
On these, in double cauls involved with art,
The choicest morsels lay from every part.
540 The priest himself before his altar stands,

And burns the offering with his holy hands,
Pours the black wine, and sees the flames aspire,
The youths with instruments surround the fire:

570

580

590

600

610 | But part in peace, secure thy prayer is sped:
Witness the sacred honours of our head,
The nod that ratifies the will divine,
The faithful, fix'd, irrevocable sign;
This seals thy suit, and this fulfils thy vows-
He spoke, and awful bends his sable orows;
Shakes his ambrosial curls, and gives the nod;
The stamp of fate, and sanction of the god:
High heaven with trembling the dread signal took,
And all Olympus to the centre shook.

The thighs thus sacrificed, and entrails dress'd,
The assistants part, transfix, and roast the rest:
Then spread the tables, the repast prepare,
Each takes his seat, and each receives his share.
When now the rage of hunger was repress'd,
With pure libations they conclude the feast;
The youths with wine the copious goblets crown'd,
And pleas'd dispense the flowing bowls around.
With hymns divine the joyous banquet ends,
The Peans lengthen'd till the sun descends;
The Greeks, restored, the grateful notes prolong; 620
Apollo listens, and approves the song.

"Twas night; the chiefs beside their vessel lie,
Till wosy morn had purpled o'er the sky:
Then launch, and hoist the mast; indulgent gales,
Supplied by Phoebus, fill the swelling sails;
The milk-white canvass bellying as they blow,
The parted ocean foams and roars below:
Above the bounding billows swift they flew,
Till now the Grecian camp appear'd in view.
Far on the beach they haul their bark to land,
(The crooked keel divides the yellow sand ;)
Then part, where stretch'd along the winding bay
The ships and tents in winding prospect lay.

690

Swift to the seas profound the goddess flies,
Jove to his starry mansion in the skies.
The shining synod of the immortals wait
The coming god, and from their thrones of state
Arising silent, rapt in holy fear,
Before the majesty of heaven appear.
Trembling they stand, while Jove assumes the throne,
All, but the god's imperious queen alone:
Late had she view'd the silver-footed dame,
And all her passions kindled into flame.
630 Say, artful manager of heaven (she cries,)
Who now partakes the secrets of the skies?
Thy Juno knows not the decrces of fate,
In vain the partner of imperial state.
What favourite goddess then those cares divides,
Which Jove in prudence from his consort hides?

639

But raging still, amidst his navy sat
The stern Achilles, steadfast in his hate;
Nor mix'd in combat, nor in council join'd;
But wasting cares lay heavy on his mind:
In his black thoughts revenge and slaughter roll,
And scenes of blood rise dreadful in his soul.
Twelve days were past, and now the dawning light
The gods had summon'd to the Olympian height:
Jove first ascending from the watery bowers,
Leads the long order of ethereal powers.
When like the morning mist in early day,
Rose from the flood the daughter of the sea;
And to the seats divine her flight address'd.
There, far apart, and high above the rest,
The Thunderer sat; where old Olympus shrouds
His hundred heads in heaven, and props the clouds.
Suppliant the goddess stood: one hand she placed 650
Beneath his beard, and one his knees embraced.
If e'er, O father of the gods! (she said,)
My words could please thee, or my actions aid;
Some marks of honour on my son bestow,
And pay in glory what in life you owe.
Fame is at least by heavenly promise due
To life so short, and now dishonour'd too.
Avenge this wrong, oh ever just and wise!
Let Greece be humbled, and the Trojans rise;
Till the proud king, and all the Achaian race,
Shall heap with honours him they now disgrace.

700

700

Full on the sire the goddess of the skies
Roll'd the large orbs of her majestic eyes,
And thus return'd: Austere Saturnius, say,
From whence this wrath, or who controuls thy sway?
Thy boundless will, for me, remains in force,
And all thy counsels take the destined course.
But 'tis for Greece I fear: for late was seen
In close consult the silver-footed queen.
Jove to his Thetis nothing could deny,
Nor was the signal vain that shook the sky.
What fatal favour has the goddess won,
To grace her fierce inexorable son?
Perhaps in Grecian blood to drench the plain,
And glut his vengeance with my people slain.
Then thus the god: Oh restless fate of pride,
That strives to learn what heaven resolves to hide!
660 Vain is the search, presumptuous and abhorr'd,
Anxious to thee, and odious to thy lord.
Let this suffice, the immutable decree
No force can shake: what is, that ought to be.
Goddess, submit, nor dare our will withstand,
But dread the power of this avenging hand:
The united strength of all the gods above
In vain resist the omnipotence of Jove.

Thus Thetis spoke: but Jove in silence held,
The sacred counsels of his breast conceal'd.
Not so repulsed, the goddess closer press'd,
Still grasp'd his knees, and urged the dear request.
O sire of gods and men! thy suppliant hear;
Refuse, or grant: for what has Jove to fear!
Or, oh! declare, of all the powers above,
Is wretched Thetis least the care of Jove?
She said: and sighing thus the god replies,
Who rolls the thunder o'er the vaulted skies:
What hast thou ask'd? Ah why should Jove engage
Ia foreign contests, and domestic rage,
The gods' complaints, and Juno's fierce alarms,
While I, too partial, aid the Trojan arms?
Go, lest the haughty partner of my sway
With jealous eyes thy close access survey:

730

740

The Thunderer spoke, nor durst the queen reply;
A reverend horror silenced all the sky.
670 The feast disturb'd, with sorrow Vulcan saw
His mother menaced, and the gods in awe;
Peace at his heart, and pleasure his design,
Thus interposed the architect divine:
The wretched quarrels of the mortal state
Are far unworthy, gods! of your debate ·
Let men their days in senseless strife employ;
We, in eternal peace, and constant joy.

Thou, goddess-mother, with our sire comply,
Nor break the sacred union of the sky;
Lest, roused to rage, he shake the blest abodes,
Launch the red lightning, and dethrone the gods.
If you submit, the Thunderer stands appeased;
The gracious power is willing to be pleased.

750

Thus Vulcan spoke; and rising with a bound,
The double bowl with sparkling nectar crown'd,
Which held to Juno in a cheerful way,
Goddess (he cried) be patient and obey:
Dear as you are, if Jove his arm extend,
I can but grieve, unable to defend.
What god so daring in your aid to move,
Or lift his hand against the force of Jove?
Once in your cause I felt his matchless might,
Hurl'd headlong downward from the ethereal height;
Toss'd all the day in rapid circles round;
Nor till the sun descended, touch'd the ground:
Breathless I fell, in giddy motion lost;

The Sinthians raised me on the Lemnian coast.
He said, and to her hands the goblet heaved,
Which, with a smile, the white-arm'd queen re-
ceived.

Then to the rest he fill'd; and in his turn,
Each to his lips applied the nectar'd urn.
Vulcan with awkward grace his office plies,
And undistinguish'd laughter shakes the skies.
Thus the blest gods the genial day prolong,
In feasts ambrosial, and celestial song.
Apollo tuned the lyre; the Muses round
With voice alternate aid the silver sound.
Meantime the radiant sun, to mortal sight
Descending swift, roll'd down the rapid light.
Then to their starry domes the gods depart,
The shining monuments of Vulcan's art:
Jove on his couch reclined his awful head,
And Juno slumber'd on the golden bed.

760

770

BOOK II.

Now pleasing sleep had seal'd each mortal eye,
Stretch'd in the tents the Grecian leaders lie,
The immortals slumber'd on their thrones above;
All, but the ever-wakeful eyes of Jove.
To honour Thetis' son he bends his care,
And plunge the Greeks in all the woes of war:
Then bids an empty phantom rise to sight,
And thus commands the vision of the night:

Fly hence, deluding dream! and light as air,
To Agamemnon's ample tent repair.

10

20

30

Bid him in arms draw forth the embattled train, Lead all his Grecians to the dusty plain. Declare, e'en now 'tis given him to destroy For now no more the gods with fate contend, The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy. At Juno's suit the heavenly factions end. Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall, And nodding Ilion waits the impending fall. Swift as the word the vain illusion fled, Descends, and hovers o'er Atrides' head; Clothed in the figure of the Pylian sage, Renown'd for wisdom, and revered for age; Around his temples spreads his golden wing, And thus the flattering dream deceives the king: Canst thou, with all a monarch's cares oppress'd, Oh Atreus' son! canst thou indulge thy rest? Ill fits a chief who mighty nations guides, Directs in council, and in war presides, To whom its safety a whole people owes, To waste long nights in indolent repose. Monarch, awake! 'tis Jove's command I bear, Thou, and thy glory, claim his heavenly care. In just array draw forth the embattled train, Lead all thy Grecians to the dusty plain; E'en now, O king! 'tis given thee to destroy The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy. For now no more the gods with fate contend, At Juno's suit the heavenly factions end. Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall, And nodding Ilion waits th' impending fall. Awake, but waking, this advice approve, The Trial of the Army, and Catalogue of the Forces. And trust the vision that descends from Jove. Jupiter in pursuance of the request of Thetis, sends a Resolves to air, and mixes with the night. The phantom said; then vanish'd from his sight, deceitful vision to Agamemnon, persuading him to A thousand schemes the monarch's mind employ; leal the army to battle; in order to make the Greeks seusible of their want of Achilles. The general who Elate in thought, he sacks untaken Troy : is deluded with the hopes of taking Troy without his Vain as he was, and to the future blind; assistance, but fears the army was discouraged by his Nor saw what Jove and secret fate design'd; absence and the late plague, as well as by the length | What mighty toils to either host remain, of time, contrives to make trial of their disposition by What scenes of grief, and numbers of the slain! a stratagem. He first communicates his design to the Eager he rises, and in fancy hears princes in council, that he would propose a return to The voice celestial murmuring in his ears. the soldiers, and that they should put a stop to them First on his limbs a slender vest he drew, if the proposal was embraced. Then he assembles the

BOOK II.

ARGUMENT.

780

whole host, and upon moving for a return to Greece, Around him next the regal mantle threw,
they unanimously agree to it, and run to prepare the The embroider'd sandals on his feet were tied:
ships. They are detained by the management of Ulys. The starry faulchion glitter'd at his side;
ses, who chastises the insolence of Thersites. The And last his arm the massy sceptre loads,
assembly is recalled, several speeches made on the oc- Unstain'd, immortal, and the gift of gods.
casion, and at length the advice of Nestor followed. Now rosy morn ascends the court of Jove,
which was to make a general muster of the troops, Lifts up her light, and opens day above.
and to divide them into their several nations, before The king despatch'd his heralds with commands
they proceeded to battle. This gives occasion to the
poet to enuinerate all the forces of the Greeks and
To range the camp and summon all the bands:
Trojans, in a large catalogue.
The gathering hosts the monarch's word obey;
While to the fleet Atrides bends his way.
In his black ship the Pylian prince he found;
There calls a senate of the peers around:

The time employed in this book consists not entirely of
one day. The scene lies in the Grecian camp, and upon
the sea-shore; toward the end, it removes to Troy.

40

50

60

The assembly placed, the king of men express'd
The counsels labouring in his artful breast.

Friends and confederates! with attentive ear
Receive my words, and credit what you hear.
Late as I slumber'd in the shades of night,
A dream divine appear'd before my sight,
Whose visionary form like Nestor came,
The same in habit, and in mien the same.
The heavenly phanton, hover'd o'er my head,
And, dost thou sleep, oh Atreus' son? (he said;)
Ill fits a chief who mighty nations guides,
Directs in council, and in war presides,
To whom its safety a whole people owes,
To waste long nights in indolent repose.
Monarch, awake! 'tis Jove's command I bear,
Thou and thy glory claim his heavenly care.
In just array draw forth the embattled train,
And lead the Grecians to the dusty plain;
E'en now, O king! 'tis given thee to destroy
The lofty towers of wide-extended Troy.
For now no more the gods with fate contend,
At Juno's suit the heavenly factions end.
Destruction hangs o'er yon devoted wall,
And nodding Ilion waits the impending fall.
This hear observant, and the gods obey!
The vision spoke, and pass'd in air away.
Now, valiant chiefs! since heaven itself alarms,
Unite, and rouse the sons of Greece to arms.
But first with caution try what yet they dare,
Worn with nine years of unsuccessful war
To move the troops to measure back the main,
Be mine; and yours the province to detain.

He spoke, and sat; when Nestor rising said
(Nestor, whom Pylos' sandy realms obey'd:)
Princes of Greece, your faithful ears incline,
Nor doubt the vision of the powers divine;
Sent by great Jove to him who rules the host,-
Forbid it heaven! this warning should be lost!
Then let us haste, obey the god's alarms,
And join to rouse the sons of Greece to arms.

Thus spoke the sage. The kings without delay
Dissolve the council, and their chief obey:
The sceptred rulers lead: the following host,

And now the mark of Agamemnon's reign
Subjects all Argos and controuls the main.

On this bright sceptre now the king reclined,
70 And artful thus pronounced the speech design'd:
Ye sons of Mars! partake your leader's care,
Heroes of Greece, and brothers of the war!
Of partial Jove with justice I complain,
And heavenly oracles believed in vain.
A safe return was promised to our tolls,
Renown'd, triumphant, and enrich'd with spoils;
Now shameful flight alone can save the host,
Our blood, our treasure, and our glory lost.
So Jove decrees, resistless lord of all!

80 At whose command whole empires rise or fall:
He shakes the feeble props of human trust.
And towns and armies humbles to the dust.
What shame to Greece a fruitless war to wage,
Oh lasting shame in every future age!
Once great in arms, the common scorn we grow,
Repulsed and baffled by a feeble foe.

So small their number, that if wars were ceased,
And Greece triumphant held a general feast,
All rank'd by tens; whole decads when they dine
90 Must want a Trojan slave to pour the wine.
But other forces have our hopes o'erthrown,
And Troy prevails by armies not her own.
Now nine long years of mighty Jove are run,
Since first the labours of this war begun.
Our cordage torn, decay'd our vessels lie,
And scarce insure the wretched power to fly.
Haste then, for ever leave the Trojan wall!
Our weeping wives, our tender children call:
Love, duty, safety, summon us away,
100'Tis nature's voice, and nature we obey.

Our shatter'd barks may yet transport us o'er,
Safe and inglorious, to our native shore.
Fly, Grecians, fly, your sails and oars employ
And dream no more of heaven-defended Troy.

140

130

160

170

His deep design unknown, the hosts approve
Atrides' speech. The mighty numbers move.
So roll the billows to the learian shore,
From east and south where winds begin to roar,
Burst their dark mansions in the clouds and sweep

Pour'd forth by thousands, darkens all the coast. 110 The whitening surface of the ruffled deep.

121

As from some rocky cliff the shepherd sees
Clustering in heaps on heaps the driving bees,
Rolling, and blackening, swarms succeeding swarms,
With deeper murmurs and more hoarse alarms;
Dusky they spread, a close embodied crowd,
And o'er the vale descends the living cloud.
So, from the tents and ships, a lengthening train
Spreads all the beach, and wide o'ershades the plain:
Along the region runs a deafening sound:
Beneath their footsteps groans the trembling ground:
Fame flies before, the messenger of Jove,
And shining soars, and claps her wings above.
Nine sacred heralds now, proclaiming loud
The monarch's will, suspend the listening crowd.
Soon as the throngs in order ranged appear,
And fainter murmurs died upon the ear,
The king of kings his awful figure raised;
High in his hand the golden sceptre blazed:
The golden sceptre, of celestial frame,
By Vulcan form'd, from Jove to Hermes came:
To Pelops he the immortal gift resign'd;
The immortal gift great Pelops left behind,
In Atreus' hand, which not with Atreus ends,
To rich Thyestes next the prize descends;

180

And as on corn when western gusts descend,
Before the blast the lofty harvests bend ;
Thus o'er the field the moving host appears,
With nodding plumes and groves of waving spears.
The gathering murmur spreads, their trampling feet
Beat the loose sands, and thicken to the fleet.
With long-resounding cries they urge the train
To fit the ships, and launch into the main.
They toil, they sweat, thick clouds of dust arise,
The doubling clamours echo to the skies.
E'en then the Greeks had left the hostile plain,
And fate decreed the fall of Troy in vain;
But Jove's imperial queen their flight survey'd,
And sighing thus bespoke the blue-eyed maid:

190

Shall then the Grecians fly? O dire disgrace!
And leave unpunish'd this perfidious race?
Shall Troy, shall Priam, and the adulterous spouse,
In peace enjoy the fruits of broken vows?
And bravest chiefs, in Helen's quarrel slain,
130 Lie unrevenged on yon detested plain?

No: let my Greeks, unmoved by vain alarms,
Once more refulgent shine in brazen arms.
Haste, goddess, haste! the flying host detain,
Nor let one sail be hoisted on the main

200

Pallas obeys, and from Olympus' height,
Swift to the ships precipitates her flight :
Ulysses, first in public cares, she found,
For prudent council like the gods renown'd:
Oppress'd with generous grief the hero stood,
Nor drew his sable vessels to the flood:
And is it thus, divine Laertes' son!
Thus fly the Greeks (the martial maid begun)
Thus te their country bear their own disgrace,
And fame eternal leave to Priam's race?
Shall beauteous Helen still remain unfreed?
Still unrevenged a thousand heroes bleed?
Haste, generous Ithacus prevent the shame,
Recall your armies, and your chiefs reclaim.
Your own resistless eloquence employ,
And to the immortals trust the fall of Troy.

Long had he lived the scorn of every Greek,
Vext when he spoke, yet still they heard him speak
Sharp was his voice; which, in the shrillest tone
Thus with injurious taunts attack'd the throne:

Amidst the glories of so bright a reign,
What moves the great Atrides to complain?
'Tis thine whate'er the warrior's breast inflames,
210 The golden spoil, and thine the lovely dames.
With all the wealth our wars and blood bestow
Thy tents are crowded, and thy chests o'erflow. 280
Thus at full ease in heaps of riches roll'd,
What grieves the monarch? Is it thirst for gold?
Say, shall we march with our unconquer'd powers
(The Greeks and I,) to Ilion's hostile towers,

And bring the race of royal bastards here

For Troy to ransom at a price too dear?
But safer plunder thy own host supplies:

290

220 Say, wouldst thou seize some valiant leader's prize?
Or, if thy heart to generous love be led,
Some captive fair, to bless thy kingly bed?
Whate'er our master craves, submit we must,
Plagued with his pride, or punish'd for his lust.
Oh women of Achaia! men no more!
Hence let us fly, and let him waste his store
In loves and pleasures on the Phrygian shore.
We may be wanted on some busy day,

The voice divine confess'd the warlike maid,
Ulysses heard, nor uninspired obey'd:
Then meeting first Atrides, from his hand
Received the imperial sceptre of command.
Thus graced, attention and respect to gain,
He runs, he flies through all the Grecian train,
Each prince of name, or chief in arms approved,
He fired with praise, or with persuasion moved.
Warriors like you, with strength and wisdom blest,
By brave examples should confirm the rest.
The monarch's will not yet reveal'd appears;
He tries our courage, but resents our fears.
The unwary Greeks his fury may provoke ;
Not thus the king in secret council spoke.
Jove loves our chief, from Jove his honour springs;
Beware! for dreadful is the wrath of kings.

But if a clamorous vile plebeian rose,

When Hector comes: so great Achilles may:
230 From him he forced the prize we jointly gave,

From him the fierce, the fearless, and the brave:
And durst he, as he ought, resent that wrong,
This mighty tyrant were no tyrant long.

Fierce from his seat at this Ulysses springs,
In generous vengeance of the king of kings.
With indignation sparkling in his eyes,
He views the wretch, and sternly thus replies:

Peace, factious monster, born to vex the state, With wrangling talents form'd for foul debate: 240 Curb that impetuous tongue, nor rashly vain

Him with reproof he check'd, or tamed with blows.
Be still, thou slave, and to thy betters yield!
Unknown alike in council and in field!
Ye gods, what dastards would our host command?
Swept to the war, the lumber of a land.
be silent, wretch, and think not here allow'd
That worst of tyrants, an usurping crowd.
To one sole monarch Jove commits the sway;
His are the laws, and him let all obey.

With words like these the troops Ulysses rul'd;
The loudest silenced, and the fiercest cool'd.
Back to the assembly roll the thronging train,
Desert the ships, and pour upon the plain.
Murmuring they move, as when old Ocean roars,
And heaves huge surges to the trembling shores: 250
The groaning banks are burst with bellowing sound,
The rocks remurmer and the deeps rebound.
At length the tumult sinks, the noises cease,
And a still silence lulls the camp to peace.
Thersites only clamour'd in the throng,
Loquacious, loud, and turbulent of tongue :
Awed by no shame, by no respect controll'd,
In scandal busy, in reproaches bold:
With witty malice studious to defame:
Scorn all his joy, and laughter all his aim.
But chief he gloried with licentious style,
To lash the great, and monarchs to revile.
His figure such as might his soul proclaim;
One

300

And singly mad, asperse the sovereign reign.
Have we not known thee, slave! of all our host, 316
The man who acts the least, upbraids the most?
Think not the Greeks to shameful flight to bring,
Nor let those lips profane the name of king.
For our return we trust the heavenly powers;
Be that their care; to fight like men be ours.
But

grant the host with wealth the general load,
Except detraction, what hast thou bestow'd?
Suppose some hero should his spoils resign,
Art thou that hero? could those spoils be thine?
Gods! let me perish on this hateful shore,
And let these eyes behold my son no more,
If, on thy next offence, this hand forbear
To strip those arms thou ill deservest to wear,
Expel the council where our princes meet,
And send thee scourged and howling through the

fleet.

320

330

He said, and cowering as the dastard bends;
The weighty sceptre on his back descends:
On the round bunch the bloody tumours rise;
The tears spring starting from his haggard eyes:
Trembling he sat, and shrunk in abject fears,
From his vile visage wiped the scalding tears.
While to his neighbour each express'd his thought:
Ye gods! what wonders has Ulysses wrought!
What fruits his conduct and his courage yield;
Great in the council, glorious in the field!
Generous he rises in the crown's defence,
270 To curb the factious tongue of insolence.

eye was blinking, and one leg was lame :
His mountain-shoulders half his breast o'erspread,
Thin hairs bestrew'd his long mis-shapen head.
Spleen to mankind his envious heart possess'd,
And much he hated all, but most the best.
Ulysses or Achilles still his theme:
But royal scandal his delight supreme.