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SCIENTIA
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1796
THE
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ILIAD
OF
HOME R.
TRANSLATED BY
ALEXANDER POPE, Esq.
English
Galloway
011-15-302
26962
THE
TWENTY-SECOND BOOK
OF THE
I
L
I A
D.
VOL. VI.
B
2
THE ARGUMENT.
THE DEATH OF HECTOR.
THE Trojans being fafe within the walls, Hector only
Rays to oppofe Achilles. Priam is ftruck at his
approach, and tries to perfuade his fon to re-enter the town.
Hecuba joins her intreaties, but in vain. Heltor confults
within himſelf what meaſures to take; but at the advance of
Achilles, his refolution fails him, and he flies; Achilles
purfues him thrice round the walls of Troy. The Gods
debate concerning the fate of Hector; at length Minerva
defcends to the aid of Achilles. She deludes Hector in the
Shape of Deiphobus; he stands the combat and is flain.
Achilles drags the dead body at his chariot in the fight of
Priam and Hecuba. Their lamentations, tears and deſpair.
Their cries reach the ears of Andromache, who, ignorant
of this, was retired into the inner part of the palace: fhe
mounts up to the walls, and beholds her dead huſband.
She fwoons at the spectacle. Her excess of grief and
lamentation.
The thirtieth day still continues. The fcene lies under
the walls, and on the battlements of Troy.
P.
B 2
NOTE PRELIMINARY.
T is impoffible but the whole attention of the reader muſt be
IT
awakened in this book: the heroes of the two armies are now to
encounter; all the foregoing battles have been but fo many preludes
and under-actions, in order to this great event, wherein the whole
fate of Greece and Troy is to be decided by the fword of Achilles
and Hector.
This is the book, which of the whole Iliad appears to me the
moft charming. It affembles in it all that can be imagined of great
and important on the one hand, and of tender and melancholy
on the other: Terrour and Pity are here wrought up in perfection;
and if the reader is not fenfible of both in a high degree,
either he is utterly void of all tafte, or the tranflator of all ſkill,
in poetry.
P.
1
THE
TWENTY-SECOND BOOK
OF THE
ILIA
D.
HUS to their bulwarks, fmit with panick fear,
THUS to their
fmit with panicke
LA
5
The herded Ilians ruſh like driven deer;
There fafe, they wipe the briny drops away,
And drown in bowls the labours of the day.
Cloſe to the walls, advancing o'er the fields
Beneath one roof of well-compacted fhields,
March, bending on, the Greeks embody'd pow'rs,
Far-ſtretching in the ſhade of Trojan tow'rs.
Great Hector fingly ſtaid; chain'd down by fate,
There fixt he ſtood before the Scæan gate;
IQ
Ver. 4.] A pictureſque circumſtance of his original is omitted :
Againſt the polish'd battlements reclin'd.
Ver. 5.] There are four elegant verſes, but fpun from his author
with unuſual amplification; of whom the following is a commenfurate
reſemblance:
but the Greeks
Came near the walls, their ſhoulders ſpread with fhields.
Ver. 9.] Thus Ogilby:
But Hector, inftigated by his fate,
Expecting food, without the Scaan gate,
B 3
6
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Still his bold arms determin'd to employ,
The guardian ſtill of long-defended Troy,
Apollo now to tir'd Achilles turns;
(The Pow'r confeſt in all his glory burns)
And what (he cries) has Peleus' fon in view, 15
With mortal ſpeed a Godhead to purſue?
For not to thee to know the Gods is giv❜n,
Unfkill'd to trace the latent marks of heav'n.
What boots thee now, that Troy forfook the plain?
Vain thy paſt labour, and thy preſent vain:
Safe in their walls are now her troops beſtow'd,
While here thy frantick rage attacks a God.
20
The chief incens'd-Too partial God of day!
To check my conqueſts in the middle way:
How few in Ilion elſe had refuge found?
What gaſping numbers now had bit the ground?
II
25
Ver. 11.] This whole couplet is a fuperfluous addition of the
tranflator.
Ver. 14.] This verfe alfo is mere interpolation; for which
Chapman might fupply a hint:
Achilles ftill made way
At Phœbus; who, his bright head turn'd; and aſkt—.
Homer fays merely,
But then Apollo Peleus' fon befpeaks,
Ver. 17.] This couplet entirely miſrepreſents his author, who
may be thus fimply ſtated :
nor yet thou feem'ft to know
My godhead; reſtlefs rage fo drives thee on!
Ver. 22.] More accurately thus:
Whilft aims thy frenzy at a deathless god.
BOOK XXII.
7
HOMER's ILIAD.
Thou robb'ft me of a glory juftly mine,
Pow'rful of godhead, and of fraud divine:
Mean fame, alas! for one of heav'nly ftrain,
To cheat a mortal who repines in vain.
Then to the city terrible and ſtrong,
With high and haughty ſteps he tow'r'd along.
So the proud courfer, victor of the prize,
To the near gaol with double ardour flies.
Him, as he blazing fhot acroſs the field,
The careful eyes of Priam firſt beheld.
Not half fo dreadful riſes to the fight
30
35
Thro' the thick gloom of fome tempeſtuous night
Ver. 27.] This verfion is elegant and dextrous, but not strictly
faithful, nor with the force of his original; which the reader may
wiſh to ſee in a literal tranſlation:
Thou of great fame haft robb'd me, and fav'd them
With eaſe, of future puniſhment fecure:
Had I but power, my vengeance ſhouldst thou feel.
Ver. 32.] Thus, agreeably to the original:
The haughty chief, impetuous, ruſhi along.
Ver. 33.] The following verfion is exact:
Juft as the fteed, victorious, in the car
Stretches with eaſy fleetneſs o'er the plain;
So nimbly plies the prince his knees and feet.
Ver. 35. This incomparable verfe muſt diſcharge it's obligation
to Chapman :
and ſhot, along the field his raies.
Ver 37. Not half fo dreadful rifes, &c.] With how much
dreadful pomp is Achilles here introduced! How noble, and in
what bold colours hath he drawn the blazing of his arms, the
rapidity of his advance, the terrour of his appearance, the defolation
round him; but above all, the certain death attending all his
motions and his very looks; what a croud of terrible ideas in this
one fimile!
B 4
8
BOOK XXII,
HOMER'S ILIAD.
40
Orion's dog (the year when Autumn weighs)
And o'er the feebler ftars exerts his rays;
Terrifick glory! for his burning breath
Taints the red air with fevers, plagues, and death.
So flam'd his fiery mail. Then wept the ſage;
He ſtrikes his rev'rend head now white with age:
He lifts his wither'd arms; obtefts the ſkies; 45
He calls his much-lov'd fon with feeble cries;
The fon, refolv'd Achilles' force to dare,
Full at the Scaan gates expects the war;
While the fad father on the rampart ſtands,
And thus abjures him with extended hands. 50
But immediately after this, follows the moving image of the
two aged parents, trembling, weeping, and imploring their
fon: that is fucceeded again by the dreadful gloomy picture of
Hector, all on fire, obftinately bent on death, and expecting Achilles;
admirably painted in the fimile of the fnake rolled up in his den,
and collecting his poiſons and indeed, through the whole book,
this wonderful contraft, and oppofition of the Moving and of the
Terrible, is perpetually kept up, each heightening the other; I
cannot find words to exprefs how ſo great beauties affect me, P.
Ver, 40.] Thus, more cloſely to his author :
And dims the hoſt of ſtars with streaming rays,
Ver. 43.] He ſhould have written rather,
then groan'd, (or briekt,) the fage;
as Chapman, by whom our poet has profited ;
Out flew his tender voice in ſprieks ; and with raifde hands he ſmit
His reverend head:
but our tranflator might follow Ogilby, who is right and wrong at
the fame time:
aloud old Priam cryes,
Beating his breaft, tears trickling from his eyes:
and fo Barbin the older French tranſlator; "Il appelloit ſon fils,
$6
ayant les larmes aux yeux.”
BOOK XXII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
9
Ah ſtay not, ftay not! guardleſs and alone;
Hector! my lov'd, my
my deareſt braveſt ſon !
Methinks already I behold thee ſlain,
And ſtretch'd beneath that fury of the plain.
Implacable Achilles ! might'ft thou be
To all the gods no dearer than to me!
55
Thee, vultures wild fhould fcatter round the ſhore,
And bloody dogs grow fiercer from thy gore.
How many valiant ſons I late enjoy'd,
Valiant in vain! by thy curft arm deſtroy'd: 60
Ver. 51. The fpeech of Priam to Hector.] The poet has enter-
tained us all along with various fcenes of flaughter and horrour: he
now changes to the pathetick, and fills the mind of the reader with
tender forrows. Euftathius obferves that Priam preludes to his
words by actions expreffive of mifery: the unhappy orator intro-
duces his fpeech to Hector with groans and tears, and rending
his hoary hair. The father and the king plead with Hector to
preſerve his life and his country. He reprefents his own age,
and the lofs of many of his children, and adds, that if Hector falls,
he ſhould then be inconfolable, and the empire of Troy at an end.
It is a piece of great judgment in Homer, to make the fall of
Troy to depend upon the death of Hector: the poet does not openly
tell us, that Troy was taken by the Greeks; but that the reader
might not be unacquainted with what happened after the period of
his poem, he gives us to underſtand in this ſpeech, that the city was
taken, and that Priam, his wives, his fons, and daughters, were
either killed or made flaves.
Ver. 56.] The verſe appeared thus in the first edition :
To all th' immortals hateful as to me ;
P.
but there is much more bitterneſs and energy in the negative form of
the wiſh.
Ver. 58.] He might have collected the remaining fentiment of
his author into a triplet :
Nor my
breaft feel this weight of forrows more.
Ver. 59.] The two verfes of his author our tranflator would
10
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
1
Or, worſe than flaughter'd, fold in diſtant iſles
To ſhameful bondage and unworthy toils.
Two, while I ſpeak, my eyes in vain explore,
Two from one mother ſprung, my Polydore,
And lov'd Lycaon; now perhaps no more! 65
Oh! if in yonder hoftile camp they live,
What heaps of gold, what treaſures would I give?
(Their grandfire's wealth, by right of birth their
own,
Confign'd his daughter with Lelegia's throne)
But if (which heav'n forbid) already loft, 70
All pale they wander on the Stygian coaſt;
What forrows then muſt their fad mother know,
What anguiſh I? unutterable woe!
Yet lefs that anguiſh, lefs to her, to me,
Leſs to all Troy, if not depriv'd of thee.
Yet fhun Achilles ! enter yet the wall;
And ſpare thyſelf, thy father, ſpare us all!
75
have found no difficulty in concentrating in a fingle couplet, not to
mention the defective rhymes in the latter of the prefent two. Thus?
Me of what fons have reft thoſe murderous hands!
Or flain, or captive fold in foreign lands.
Dr. Johnſon indeed calls the word reft obfolete; but fine havoc will
be made with the copioufneſs of a language, if true Engliſh expref-
fions, in every view unexceptionable, and fanctioned by our nobleft
and pureft writers, are to be profcribed by fuch hafty and capricious
fentence. I ſhould much prefer the revival of ſterling phrafeology
from our earlier writers to the latinifing pedantry and pompous.
verbofity of fome modern artiſts.
Ver. 70.] The rhymes may be thus amended:
But if, already loft, each hapless ghoſt,
All pale! be wandering on the Stygian coaft-.
Ver. 76. Enter yet the wall; And Spare, &c.] The argument
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
80
Save thy dear life; or if a foul ſo brave
Neglect that thought, thy dearer glory fave.
Pity, while yet I live, theſe filver hairs;
While yet thy father feels the woes he bears,
Yet curft with fenfe! a wretch, whom in his rage
(All trembling on the verge of helpleſs age)
Great Jove has plac'd, fad ſpectacle of pain!
The bitter dregs of fortune's cup to drain:
To fill with ſcenes of death his clofing eyes,
And number all his days by miſeries!
My heroes flain, my bridal bed o’erturn'd,
My daughters raviſh'd, and my city burn'd,
My bleeding infants daſh'd againſt the floor; 90
Theſe I have yet to ſee, perhaps yet more!
85
that Priam ufes (fays Euftathius) to induce Hector to ſecure himſelf
in Troy is remarkable: he draws it not from Hector's fears, nor
does he tell him that he is to fave his own life; but he infifts upon
ftronger motives: he tells him he may preferve his fellow-citizens,
his country, and his father; and farther perfuades him not to add
glory to his mortal enemy by his fall.
P.
Ver. 88.] Our tranflator is not fcrupulouſly attentive to his
author, who may be thus exhibited with faithfulneſs and fim-
plicity:
My fons deſtroy'd, my daughters rudely torn,
Their bridal chambers ravag'd, and their babes,
In heat of carnage, on the pavement daſh'd,
And matrons dragg'd by the fell hands of Greeks.
Ver, 90. My bleeding infants dafb'd against the floor.] Cruelties
which the Barbarians ufually exercifed in the facking of towns.
Thus Ifaiah foretells to Babylon that her children fhall be daſhed in
pieces before her eyes by the Medes. Infantes eorum allidentur in
oculis eorum, xii. 16. And David fays to the fame city, Happy
fball he be that taketh and dafbeth thy little ones against the ftones.
12
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
95
Perhaps ev'n I, referv'd by angry Fate
The laſt fad relick of my ruin'd ſtate,
(Dire pomp of fov'reign wretchedneſs!) muſt fall,
And ftain the pavement of my regal hall;
Where famifh'd dogs, late guardians of my door,
Shall lick their mangled maſter's fpatter'd gore,
Yet for my fons I thank ye gods! 'twas well;
Well have they periſh'd, for in fight they fell.
Who dies in youth, and vigour, dies the best, 100
Struck thro' with wounds, all honeft on the breaſt.
But when the Fates, in fulneſs of their
Spurn the hoar head of unrefifting age,
rage,
Pfal. cxxxvii, 9. And in the prophet Hofea, xiii. 16. Their infants
fhall be dafbed in pieces. Dacier,
Ver. 96.] Or, more conformably to Homer's language,
Where raving dogs;
P.
for Euftathius on the paffage mentions a conceit of the ancients,
that houſehold dogs fell into madneſs from feeding on human fleſh,
Ver. 98.] This conclufion of the ſpeech is not executed with
fidelity. Let the reader accept the following refemblance of the
original :
no youth it mifbecomes,
In battle flain and gor'd with pointed ſteel
To lie all forms, each circumftance of death
To him is comely: but, when dogs deform
The hoary head and hoary beard of age,
And riot on his carcafe uncontroll'd-;
This beggars all the woes of woful man !
Ver. 102.
But when the Fates, &c.] Nothing can be more
moving than the image which Homer gives here, in comparing the
different effects produced by the view of a young man, and that of
an old one, both bleeding, and extended on the duft. The old man,
BOOK XXII.
13
HOMER's ILIAD.
In duft the rev'rend lineaments deform,
104
And pour to dogs the life-blood fcarcely warm;
This, this is mifery! the laſt, the worſt,
That man can feel; man, fated to be curft!
He ſaid, and acting what no words could fay,
Rent from his head the filver locks away.
With him the mournful mother bears a part; 110
Yet all their forrows turn not Hector's heart:
The zone unbrac'd, her boſom ſhe diſplay'd;
And thus, faft-falling the falt tears, fhe faid.
Have mercy on me, O my fon! revere
The words of age; attend a parent's pray'r! 115
it;
it is certain, touches us moft, and feveral reafons may be given for
the principal is, that the young man defended himſelf, and his
death is glorious; whereas an old man has no defence but his weak-
neſs, prayers, and tears. They muſt be very inſenſible of what is
dreadful, and have no tafte in poetry, who omit this paffage in a
tranflation, and fubftitute things of a trivial and infipid nature.
Dacier.
P.
Ver. 113.] This verfe, I think, does not equal the beauty of
it's affociates, and might be improved in a variety of ways; for
example :
And thus, while ſtream'd her eyes with tears, ſhe ſaid.
Ver. 114. The Speech of Hecuba.] The fpeech of Hecuba opens
with as much tendernefs as that of Priam: the circumſtance in
particular of her fhewing that breaſt to her fon which had fuftained
his infancy, is highly moving: it is a filent kind of oratory, and
prepares the heart to liften, by prepoffeffing the eye in favour of the
ſpeaker.
Euftathius takes notice of the difference between the fpeeches of
Priam and Hecuba: Priam diffuades him from the combat, by
enumerating not only the lofs of his own family, but of his whole
14
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ÍLIAD.
If ever thee in theſe fond arms I preft,
Or ftill'd thy infant clamours at this breaft;
Ah do not thus our helpleſs years forego,
But by our walls fecur'd, repel the foe.
Againſt his rage if fingly thou proceed,
Should'ſt thou (but heav'n avert it) ſhould'ſt
thou bleed,
120
Nor muſt thy corpfe lie honour'd on the bier,
Nor ſpouſe, nor mother, grace thee with a tear;
Far from our pious rites, thoſe dear remains
Muſt feaſt the vultures on the naked plains. 125
country: Hecuba dwells entirely upon his fingle death; this is a
great beauty in the poet, to make Priain a father to his whole
country; but to defcribe the fondnefs of the mother as prevailing
over all other confiderations, and to mention that only which
chiefly affects her.
This puts me in mind of a judicious ftroke in Milton, with
regard to the ſeveral characters of Adam and Eve. When the Angel
is driving them both out of Paradiſe, Adam grieves that he muſt
leave a place where he had converfed with God and his angels ;
but Eve laments that ſhe ſhall never more behold the flowers of Eden.
Here Adam mourns like a man, and Eve like a woman.
More faithfully thus :
Hector, my fon, this awful fight revere!
With pity listen to a mother's prayer :
the rhymes, however, are not unexceptionably correct.
P.
Ver. 117.] Or, more conformably to the language of his
author,
Or lull'd to fleep thy forrows at this breaſt :
but our tranſlator might take his direction from Chapman :
-if ever the, had quieted his exclaime,
He would ceaffe hers.
Ver. 125.] The word plains furniſht an eaſy rhyme, and thence
BOOK XXII.
15
HOMER's ILIAD.
So they, while down their cheeks the torrents
roll
;
But fix'd remains the purpoſe of his foul:
Reſolv'd he ſtands, and with a fiery glance
Expects the hero's terrible advance.
So roll'd up in his den, the ſwelling ſnake 130
Beholds the traveller approach the brake;
the vultures of the tranflator for the dogs of Homer. Thus? more
exactly:
In Græcian fhips, thy funeral rites unpaid,
A helpleſs prey to dogs voracious, laid!
Dacier, according to her practice, includes both animals: "Et
"tu ferviras de pâture aux chiens et aux oifeaux près des navires des
"Grecs."
Ver. 130.] Thus, more cloſely:
So rolls before his den the fwelling fnake,
Soon as he fees the fwain approach the brake:
for the lingering enunciation of the word traveller in three fyllables
is void, I think, of fuitable vivacity. But his predeceffors might
mifguide our poet; for thus Chapman :
Wraps all her caverne in her folds :
and thus Ogilby :
Coyľ'd up before his manfion's narrow gates
and, laftly, Hobbes :
And as a fnake roll'd up before his den.
And fo, I fee, Mr. Cowper; very erroneouſly, and in a ſtile but
little fuited to the reſtleſs impatience of this enraged and alarmed
animal. I know not if Dacier faw the force and beauty of her
author's expreffion: "Faifant plufieurs circles de fon énorme corps.
Ver. 131.] Thus Dryden, at the parallel paffage of Virgil,
Æn. ii. 641:
So fhines, renew'd in youth, the crefted fuake,
Who flept the winter in a thorny brake.
16
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
When fed with noxious herbs his turgid veins
Have gather'd half the poiſons of the plains;
He burns, he ftiffens with collected ire,
And his red eye-balls glare with living fire. 135
Beneath a turret, on his fhield reclin'd,
He ſtood, and queſtion'd thus his mighty mind.
Where lies my way? To enter in the wall?
Honour and ſhame th'ungen 'rous thought recall:
Ver. 138. The foliloquy of Hector.] There is much greatneſs in
the fentiments of this whole foliloquy. Hector prefers death to an
ignominious life: he knows how to die with glory, but not how
to live with difhonour. The reproach of Polydamas affects him;
the ſcandals of the meaneft people have an influence on his
thoughts.
It is remarkable that he does not fay, he fears the infults of the
brave Trojans, but of the moſt worthleſs only. Men of merit are
always the moſt candid; but others are ever for bringing all men
to a level with themſelves. They cannot bear that any one ſhould
be fo bold as to excel, and are ready to pull him down to them,
upon the leaſt miſcarriage. This fentiment is perfectly fine, and
agreeable to the way of thinking, natural to a great and fenfible
mind.
There is a very beautiful break in the middle of this fpeech.
Hector's mind fluctuates every way, he is calling a council in his
own breaſt, and confulting what method to purfue: he doubts if
he ſhould not propofe terms of peace to Achilles, and grants him
very large conceffions; but of a fudden he checks himfelf, and
leaves the fentence unfiniſhed. The paragraph runs thus; "If, fays
"Hector, I ſhould offer him the largeſt conditions, give all that
Troy contains"-There he ftops, and immediately fubjoins,
"But why do I delude myfelf, &c."
st
It is evident from this fpeech that the power of making peace
was in Hector's hands: for unleſs Priam had transferred it to him,
he could not have made theſe propofitions. So that it was Hector
who broke the treaty in the third book (where the very fame
conditions were propofed by Agamemnon.) It is Hector therefore
•
BOOK XXII.
17
HOMER's ILIAD.
140
Shall proud Polydamas before the gate
Proclaim, his counfels are obey'd too late,
Which timely follow'd but the former night,
What numbers had been fav'd by Hector's flight?
That wife advice rejected with diſdain,
I feel my folly in my people flain.
Methinks my fuff'ring country's voice I hear,
But most, her worthleſs fons infult my ear,
On my raſh courage charge the chance of war,
And blame thofe virtues which they cannot fhare.
No If I e'er return, return I muſt
Glorious, my country's terrour laid in duſt:
145
150
that is guilty, he is blameable in continuing the war, and involving
the Greeks and Trojans in blood. This conduct in Homer was
neceffary: he obſerves a poetical juftice, and fhews that Hector is
a criminal, before he brings him to death. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 140. Shall proud Polydamas, &c.] Hector alludes to the
counſel given him by Polydamas in the eighteenth book, which he
then neglected to follow; it was, to withdraw to the city, and
fortify themſelves there, before Achilles returned to the battle. P.
Ver. 142.] In the next twelve lines our tranflator gives a very
indiſtinct and general reſemblance of his author; of which the
reader may judge from the following cloſe verſion:
Who bade me lead the Trojans to the town,
That dreadful night, when fierce Achilles roſe :
But this far better counſel I difdain'd.
The people thus my folly's victims made,
Our Trojans and their wives I dread to meet ;
Leſt ſome, inferiour to myſelf, ſhould ſay,
"This headſtrong chief brought ruin on our men!"
Thus they, reproachful. Sure 'twere better far,
Or to return with flain Achilles' ſpoils,
Or in the face of Troy with glory fall.
YOL. VI.
C
18
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Or if I periſh, let her fee me fall
In field at leaſt, and fighting for her wall.
And yet ſuppoſe theſe meaſures I forego,
Approach unarm'd, and parley with the foe, 155
The warriour-fhield, the helm, and lance lay
down,
And treat on terms of peace to fave the town:
The wife with-held, the treaſure ill-detain❜d,
(Cauſe of the war, and grievance of the land)
With honourable juſtice to reſtore ;
160
And add half Ilion's yet remaining ſtore,
Which Troy fhall, fworn, produce; that injur'd
Greece
May ſhare our wealth, and leave our walls in peace.
But why this thought? Unarm'd if I ſhould go,
What hope of mercy from this vengeful foe, 165
But woman-like to fall, and fall without a blow?
We greet not here, as man converfing man,
Met at an oak, or journeying o'er a plain ;
Ver. 158.] More properly,
The wife with-holden, treafures ill-detain'd;
but ftill the rhymes are inaccurate, and at ver. 160, none.
Ver. 167. We greet not here, as man converſing man,
Met at an oak, or journeying o'er the plain, &c.]
The words literally are thefe, "There is no talking with Achilles,
¿ñò quòç ið άñò ñérpns, from an oak or from a rock, [or about an oak.
or a rock] as a young man and a maiden talk together. It is thought
an obfcure paffage, though I confefs I am either too fond of my
own explication in the above cited verfes, or they make it a very
BOOK XXII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
19
No feafon now for calm familiar talk,
Like youths and maidens in an evʼning walk: 170
War is our buſineſs, but to whom is giv'n
To die, or triumph, that, determine Heav'n!
clear one.
"There is no converfing with this implacable enemy in
"the rage of battle; as when fauntering people talk at leiſure to
"one another on the road, or when young men and women meet in
a field." I think the expofition of Euftathius more far-fetched,
though it be ingenious; and therefore I muſt do him the juſtice not
to ſuppreſs it. It was a common practice, fays he, with the hea-
thens, to expofe fuch children as they either could not, or would
not educate the places where they depofited them, were uſually in
the cavities of rocks, or the hollow of oaks: theſe children being
frequently found and preferved by ftrangers, were faid to be the
offspring of thoſe oaks or rocks where there were found. This
gave occafion to the poet to feign that men were born of oaks, and
there was a famous fable too of Deucalion and Pyrrha's repairing
mankind by caſting ſtones behind them: it grew at laſt into a
proverb, to fignify idle tales; fo that in the prefent paſſage it
imports, that Achilles will not listen to fuch idle tales as may pafs
with filly maids and fond lovers. For fables and ftories (and parti-
cularly fuch ſtories as the preſervation, ftrange fortune, and adven-
tures of expoſed children) are the ufual converſation of young men
and maidens. Euftathius's explanation may be corroborated by a
parallel place in the Odyffey, where the poet fays,
Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ δρυὸς ἔσσι παλαιφάτε, ἐδ᾽ ἀπὸ πέτρης.
The meaning of which paffage is plainly this, Tell me of what race
you are, for undoubtedly you had a father and mother; you are not,
according to the old story, defcended from an oak or a rock. Where
the word waa¶árs fhews that this was become an ancient proverb
even in Homer's day.
P.
Chapman is neat and concife; nor has he neglected the pleaſing
repetition of his author:
To men of oke and rocke, no words; virgins and youths talk
thus;
Virgins and youths, that love, and wooe; there's other warre
with us.
€ 2
20
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Thus pond'ring like a god the Greek drew nigh;
His dreadful plumage nodded from on high;
The Pelian jav'lin in his better hand,
175
Shot trembling rays that glitter'd o'er the land;
And on his breaſt the beamy ſplendours fhone
Like Jove's own light'ning, or the rifing fun.
As Hector fees, unufual terrours rife,
Struck by fome god, he fears, recedes, and flies.
Ver. 173.] Thus, more accurately expreffive of his author:
Thus waits he pondering, whilft the Greek drew nigh;
Like Mars, his creft nods dreadful from on high.
179
Ver. 176.] This is unauthoriſed by the original, and wants
diverfity, by anticipating the fubfequent image. Thus? more
éxactly :
Pois'd from the fhoulder, as his fteps advance,
More and more horrid, thakes the Pelian lance:
From his broad breaft-plate vivid fplendors blaze,
Like flashing fire, or Titan's rifing rays:
for the rhymes of the fecond couplet are not fufficiently precife, and
were found in Ogilby:
his arms like lightning fhone,
Like blazing fire, or like the rifing fun.
Ver. 179.] There is interpolation here, and fimilar rhymes
occur too foon. I can only give an accurate literal tranſlation
Hector beholds, and trembles; nor dares ftay:
The gates he leaves, and frighted flies: the foe
Springs after, truſting to his nimble feet.
Ver. 180. Struck by fome god, he fears, recedes, and flies.] {
doubt not moſt readers are fhocked at the flight of Hector: it is
indeed a high exaltation of Achilles (which was the poet's chief
hero) that fo brave a man, as Hector durft not ſtand him. While
Achilles was at a diſtance he had fortified his heart with noble refolu-
tions, but at his approach they all vaniſh, and he flies, This (as
BOOK XXII.
21
HOMER'S ILIAD.
He leaves the gates, he leaves the walls behind;
Achilles follows like the winged wind.
exceptionable as fome may think it) may yet be allowed to be a trúe
portrait of human nature; for diſtance, as it leffens all objects, fo
it does our fears; but where inevitable danger approaches, the ftouteſt
hearts will feel fome apprehenfions at certain fate. It was the faying
of one of the braveft men in this age, to one who told him he feared
nothing, Shew me but a certain danger, and I shall be as much afraid
as any of you. I do not abfolutely pretend to juftify this paffage in
every point, but only to have thus much granted me, that Hector
was in this defperate circumftance.
Firſt. It will not be found in the whole Iliad, that Hector ever
thought himſelf a match for Achilles. Homer (to keep this in our
minds) had juſt now made Priam tell him, as a thing known (for
certainly Priam would not infult him at that time) that there was
no compariſon between his own ſtrength, and that of his antagoniſt :
ἐπεις πολύ φέρτερός εσιν.
Secondly, We may obferve with. Dacier, the degrees by which
Homer prepares this incident. In the eighteenth book the mere
fight and voice of Achilles unarmed, has terrified and put the whole
Trojan army into diforder, In the nineteenth the very found of
the celestial arms given him by Vulcan, has affrighted his own
Myrmidons as they ftand about him. In the twentieth, he has
been upon the point of killing Æneas, and Hector himſelf was not
faved from him but by Apollo's interpofing. In that and the
following book, he makes an incredible flaughter of all that oppofe
him, he overtakes moſt of thofe that fly from him, and Priam him-
felf opens the gates of Troy to receive the reft.
Thirdly, Hector ftays, not that he hopes to overcome Achilles,
but becauſe fhame and the dread of reproach forbid him to re-enter
the city; a fhame (fays Euftathius) which was a fault that betrayed
him out of his life, and ruined his country. Nay, Homer adds
further, that he only ftaid by the immediate will of heaven,
intoxicated and irrefiftibly bound down by fate:
Εκτορα δ' αὐτὸ μεῖναι ὀλοὴ μοῖρ᾽ ἐπέδησεν.
Fourthly, He had juft been reflecting on the injuftice of the war
he maintained; his fpirits are depreffed by heaven, he expects
certain death, he perceives himfelf abandoned by the gods, (as he
C 3
22.
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
Thus at the panting dove a falcon flies,
(The ſwifteſt racer of the liquid ſkies)
184
directly fays in ver. 300, &c. of the Greek, and 384 of the tranfla-
tion) fo that he might ſay to Achilles what Turnus does to Eneas,
" Dii me terrent, & Jupiter hoftis."
This indeed is the ſtrongeſt reaſon that can be offered for the flight
of Hector. He flies not from Achilles as a mortal hero, but from
one whom he fees clad in impenetrable armour, feconded by
Minerva, and one who had put to flight the inferiour gods them-
felves. This is not cowardice, according to the conftant principles.
of Homer, who thought it no part of a hero's character to be
impious, or to fancy himſelf independent on the Supreme Being.
Indeed it had been a grievous fault, had our author fuffered the
courage of Hector entirely to forfake him even in this extremity :
a brave man's foul is ftill capable of roufing itſelf, and acting
honourably in the laft ftruggles. Accordingly Hector, though
delivered over to his deftiny, abandoned by the Gods, and certain
of death, yet ftops and attacks Achilles; when he lofes his fpear,
he draws his fword: it was impoffible he fhould conquer, it was
only in his power to fall gloriously; this he did, and it was all
that man could do.
If the reader, after all, cannot bring himſelf to like this paffage,
for his own particular; yet to induce him to fufpend his abfolute
cenfure, he may confider that Virgil had an uncommon eſteem for
it, as he has teſtified in transferring it almoſt entirely to the death
of Turnus; where there was no neceffity of making uſe of the like
incidents; but doubtless he was touched with this epiſode, as with
one of thoſe which intereſt us moſt of the whole Iliad, by a ſpectacle
at once ſo terrible, and ſo deplorable. I muſt alſo add the fuffrage
of Ariftotle, who was fo far from looking upon this paffage as
ridiculous or blameable, that he eſteemed it marvellous and admi-
rable. "The wonderful, fays he, ought to have place in tragedy,
"but ſtill more in epick poetry, which proceeds in this point even
"to the unreaſonable for as in epick poems one fees not
"the perfons acting, fo whatever paffes the bounds of reafon is
proper to produce the admirable and the marvellous. For
"example, what Homer fays of Hector purfued by Achilles,
"would appear ridiculous on the ſtage; for the ſpectators could
:
BOOK XXII. HOMER's ILIAD.
23
Juſt when he holds or thinks he holds his prey,
Obliquely wheeling thro' th' aerial way;
With open beak and ſhrilling cries he ſprings,
And aims his claws, and ſhoots upon his wings:
No leſs fore-right the rapid chace they held,
One urg'd by fury, one by fear impell'd;
Now circling round the walls their courſe main-
tain,
190
Where the high watch-tow'r overlooks the plain;
Now where the fig-trees ſpread their umbrage
broad,
(A wider compaſs) ſmoke along the road.
"not forbear laughing to fee on one fide the Greeks ftanding
"without any motion, and on the other Achilles purſuing Hector,
"and making figns to the troops not to dart at him. But all this
"does not appear when we read the poem: for what is wonderful
"is always agreeable, and as a proof of it, we find that they who
"relate any thing, ufually add ſomething to the truth, that it may
"the better pleaſe thoſe who hear it.”
66
The fame great critick vindicates this paffage in the chapter
following. "A poet, fays he, is inexcufable if he introduces fuch
things as are impoffible according to the rules of poetry: but
"this ceaſes to be a fault, if by thofe means he attains to the end
propoſed; for he has then brought about what he intended for
example, if he renders by it any part of his poem more aſtoniſh-
ing or admirable. Such is the place of the Iliad; where Achilles
purſues Hector." Arift. Poet. chap. xxv, xxvi.
CC
:
P.
The perfon alluded to in the former part of our tranſlator's note,
and whofe reply is there quoted, is faid to have been the Earl of
Peterborough, by writers of anecdotes.
Ver. 189.] The following couplet is accurately correfpondent
to the original :
Thus he ſhot eager : trembling Hector flees
Beneath Troy wall, and plies his nimble knees.
C 4
2:4
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Next by Scamander's double fource they bound, 195
Where two fam'd fountains burſt the parted
ground;
This hot thro' fcorching clefts is feen to rife,
With exhalations fteaming to the ſkies;
That the green banks in fummer's heat o'erflows,
Like cryſtal clear, and cold as winter fnows. 200
Strabo blames
Ver. 196. Where two fam'd fountains.]
Homer for faying that one of the fources of Scamander was a warm
fountain; whereas (fays he) there is but one fpring, and that cold;
neither is this in the place where Homer fixes it, but in the moun-
tain. It is obferved by Euftathius, that though this was not true in
Strabo's time, yet it might in Homer's, greater changes having
happened in leſs time than that which paffed between those two
authors. Sandys, who was both a geographer and critick of great
accuracy, as well as a traveller of great veracity, affirms as an eye-
witneſs, that there are yet ſome hot water fprings in that part of the
country, oppofite to Tenedos. I cannot but think that gentleman
muſt have been particularly diligent and curious in his enquiries
into the remains of a place fo celebrated in poetry; as he was not
only perhaps the moſt learned, but one of the beſt poets of his time:
I am glad of this occafion to do his memory fo much juftice as to ſay,
the English verfification owes much of its improvement to his
Tranflations, and efpecially that admirable one of Job. What
chiefly pleaſes me in this place, is to fee the exact Landfcape of old.
Troy, we have a clear idea of the town itſelf, and of the roads and
country about it; the river, the fig-trees, and every part is fet before
our eyes.
Ver. 200.] His original preſcribes,
Cold, as or hail, or ice, or winter fnows:
and fo, I perceive, Hobbes renders very faithfully:
As cold as is the hail, or ice, or ſnow.
Our tranflator feems to have followed Ogilby:
The other in the fummer folftice would
Be more than fnow, than hail or chrystal cold
P.
BOOK XXII.
25
HOMER's ILIAD.
Each gufhing fount a marble ciſtern fills,
Whoſe poliſh'd bed receives the falling rills;
Where Trojan dames (e'er yet alarm'd by Greece)
Wafl'd their fair garments in the days of peace.
By theſe they paft, one chafing, one in flight, 205
(The mighty fled, purfu'd by ſtronger might)
Swift was the courfe; no vulgar prize they play,
No vulgar victim muſt reward the day,
(Such as in races crown the fpeedy ftrife).
The prize contended was great Hector's life. 210
As when fome hero's fun'rals are decreed
In grateful honour of the mighty dead;
Where high rewards the vig'rous youth inflame,
(Some golden tripod, or fome lovely dame)
The panting courfers ſwiftly turn the goal, 215
And with them turns the rais'd fpectator's foul.
who might be mifled by Chapman :
And when the funne, made ardent fommer glow,
There waters concrete cristall fhin'd.
Ver. 209.] Theſe are the rhymes of Ogilby alfo :
For no mean prize they ftrove or fporting ftrife,
A princes blood the palme, and Hector's life:
and in nearly the fame words at the parallel paffage of Virgil,
Æn. xii. where Dryden's couplet is this, verfe 1109:
No trivial prize is play'd: for on the life
Or death of Turnus, now depends the ftrife.
+
Ver. 211.] Thefe rhymes are by no means allowable: and the
fame may be faid of verſe 2
219.
Ver. 216.] This verfe is interpolated by the tranflator.
26
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Thus three times round the Trojan wall they
fly;
The gazing Gods lean forward from the ſky:
To whom, while eager on the chace they look,
The Sire of mortals and immortals fpoke. 220
Unworthy fight! the man, belov'd of heav'n,
Behold, inglorious round yon' city driv'n!
My heart partakes the gen'rous Hector's pain;
Hector, whofe zeal whole hecatombs has flain,
Ver. 218. The gazing Gods lean forward from the sky.] We
have here an inftance of the great judgment of Homer. The death
of Hector being the chief action of the poem; he affembles the Gods,
and calls a Council in heaven concerning it: it is for the fame
reaſon that he repreſents Jupiter with the greateſt folemnity weighing
in his fcales the fates of the two heroes: I have before obferved at
large upon the laſt circumſtance in a preceding note, ſo that there is
no occafion to repeat it.
I wonder that none of the commentators have taken notice of
this beauty; in my opinion it is a very neceffary obfervation, and
ſhews the art and judgment of the poet, that he has made the
greateſt and finiſhing action of the poem of fuch importance that it
engages the Gods in debates.
Our poet has the fame beautiful image in his St. Cecilia:
And angels lean from heaven to hear :
P.
and fo his maſter Dryden, as I find him quoted in Johnſon's
Dictionary:
The gods came downward to behold the wars,
Sharp'ning their fights, and leaning from their ſtars.
Ver. 219.] A very defective rhyme. Thus?
Then, as attentive fat the heavenly quire,
Of mortals and immortals pake the fire.
BOOK XXII.
27
HOMER's ILIAD.
Whoſe grateful fumes the Gods receiv'd with joy,
From Ida's fummits, and the tow'rs of Troy: 226
Now fee him flying! to his fears refign'd,
And Fate, and fierce Achilles, cloſe behind.
Confult, ye Pow'rs! (tis worthy your debate)
Whether to fnatch him from impending fate, 230
Or let him bear, by ſtern Pelides ſlain,
(Good as he is) the lot impos'd on man?
Then Pallas thus: Shall he whoſe vengeance
forms
The forky bolt, and blackens heav'n with ſtorms,
Ver. 225.] More poetically, perhaps, thus, and with leſs
appearance of fuperfluous fentiment:
Whoſe coftly fumes the gods inhal'd with joy.
Ver. 226. From Ida's fummits-] It was the cuſtom of the
Pagans to facrifice to the Gods upon the hills and mountains, in
fcripture language upon the high places, for they were perfuaded
that the Gods in a particular manner inhabited fuch eminences:
wherefore God ordered his people to deſtroy all thofe high places,
which the nations had prophaned by their idolatry. You shall
utterly deftroy all the places wherein the nations which you ſhall poſſeſs
ferved their Gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and
under every green tree. Deut. xii. 2. It is for this reaſon that fo
many kings are reproached in ſcripture for not taking away the high
places. Dacier.
P.
Ver. 228.] The words And Fate are an animated and ſublime
addition of the tranſlator.
Ver. 229.] I fhould propofe the reduction of theſe four verfes
to two, not only becauſe the original may be well expreſſed in a leſs
compaſs, but from the imperfection of the rhyme in the Second
couplet; as follows:
Yield we the chief to death, ye Gods, declare,
Achilles' victim; or his virtues fpare?
28
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
:
Shall he prolong one Trojan's forfeit breath! 235
A man, a mortal, pre-ordain'd to death!
And will no murmurs fill the courts above?
No Gods indignant blame their partial Jove?
Go then (return'd the Sire) without delay,
Exert thy will: I give the Fates their way. 240
Swift at the mandate pleas'd Tritonia flies,
And ſtoops impetuous from the cleaving ſkies.
As thro' the foreft, o'er the vale and lawn
The well-breath'd beagle drives the flying fawn;
In vain he tries the covert of the brakes,
245
Or deep beneath the trembling thicket ſhakes;
Ver. 242.] Confiftency and his author both fuggefted,
And darts impetuous
Ogilby is not amifs, and is faithful to the language of his
original :
She, prompt before, this ſaid, glides ſwiftly down
From tow'ry fpires, which ſteep Olympus crown :
but Pope was more attentive, in this inftance, to Chapman's verfion :
Then ſtoopt ſhe from the ſkit,
To this great combat,
Ver. 243.] Thus, more accurately :
The well breath'd beagle thus, o'er hill and lawn
Drives, from her covert rous'd, the flying fawn:
In vain he tries the ſhelter of the brakes
Ver. 246.] Had our poet written,
Or, Squat beneath the trembling thicket, ſhakes;
he would have exhibited the full force of the original térm
natangas: fee my note on the Hercules furens of Euripides, ver.
976, and 977: and the term in queſtion is dignified by the uſe of
Milton, Dryden, and our author himſelf,
1
BOOK XXII.
29
HOMER's ILIAD.
Sure of the vapour in the tainted dews,
The certain hound his various maze purſues.
Thus ſtep by ſtep, where'er the Trojan wheel'd,
There fwift Achilles compafs'd round the field. 250
Oft' as to reach the Dardan gates he bends,
And hopes th'affiftance of his pitying friends,
(Whoſe ſhow'ring arrows, as he cours❜d below,
From the high turrets might oppreſs the foe)
So oft' Achilles turns him to the plain:
He eyes the city, but he eyes in vain.
As men in flumbers feem with ſpeedy pace
One to purſue, and one to lead the chace,
255
Ver. 247. This verſe is interpolated by our tranſlator: and
much in the ſame ſtrain Ogilby :
He hunts clofe on the foot, fenting the trace.
Ver. 249. Thus ftep by step, &c.] There is fome difficulty in
this paffage, and it feems ftrange that Achilles could not overtake
Hector, whom he excelled fo much in fwiftnefs, efpecially when
the poet defcribes him as running in a narrower circle than Hector.
Euftathius gives us many folutions from the ancients; Homer has
already told us that they run for the life of Hector; and confe-
quently Hector would exert his utmoſt ſpeed, whereas Achilles might
only endeavour to keep him from entering the city: befides,
Achilles could not directly purſue him, becauſe he frequently made
efforts to ſhelter himſelf under the wall, and he being obliged to
turn him from it, he might be forced to take more ſteps than
Hector. But the poet, to take away all grounds of an objection,
tells us afterwards, that Apollo gave him a fupernatural fwiftnefs. P.
Ver. 255. Thus Ogilby:
Achilles turns him to the open plain.
Ver. 257. As men in fiumbers.] This beautiful compariſon has
been condemned by fome of the ancients, even fo far as to judge
30
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
260
Their finking limbs the fancy'd courfe forfake,
Nor this can fly, nor that can overtake:
No leſs the lab'ring heroes pant and ſtrain;
While that but flies, and this purſues, in vain.
What God, O Mufe! affifted Hector's force,
With Fate itſelf fo long to hold the courſe?
it unworthy of having a place in the Iliad: they fay the diction is
mean, and the fimilitude itſelf abfurd, becauſe it compares the
ſwiftneſs of the heroes to men afleep, who are in a ſtate of reſt and
inactivity. But there cannot be a more groundleſs criticiſm : the
poet is fo far from drawing his compariſon from the repoſe of men
afleep, that he alludes only to their dreams: it is a race in fancy
that he deſcribes; and furely the imagination is nimble enough to
illuftrate the greateſt degree of fwiftneſs: befides the verſes them-
felves run with the utmoſt rapidity, and imitate the ſwiftneſs they
defcribe. Euftathius.
What fufficiently proves thefe verfes to be genuine, is, that
Virgil has imitated them, Æn. xii:
"Ac veluti in fomnis”.
P.
Ogilby aims well; and fome correction would make his efforts
cloſe and elegant. I fhall quote him as he is :
As in his fleep one dreams purfuit he makes,
Who flys not ſcapes, nor who purſues o'ertakes;
So nor could Hector from Achilles go,
Nor yet Achilles reach the flying foe.
But our poet would have written, I think, more properly, thus:
As men in flumbers feem with ſtruggling pace—.
And the rhymes are thofe of Chapman juſt after :
So, nor Achilles chace could reach, the flight of Hector's pace ;
Nor Hector's flight enlarge itfelfe, of fwift Achilles chace.
Ver. 259.
Æn. xii. 1315:
Thus Dryden in the parallel paffage of Virgil,
Our finking limbs forfake us in the courfe.
BOOK XXII. HOMER's ILIAD.
31
265
Phoebus it was; who, in his lateſt hour,
Endu'd his knees with ftrength, his nerves with
pow'r:
And great Achilles, left fome Greeks advance
Should ſnatch the glory from the lifted lance,
Sign'd to the troops, to yield his foe the way,
And leave untouch'd the honours of the day. 270
Jove lifts the golden balances, that ſhow
The fates of mortal men, and things below:
Here each contending hero's lot he tries,
And weighs, with equal hand, their deſtinies.
Ver. 269. Sign'd to the troops, &c.] The difference which
Homer here makes between Hector and Achilles deferves to be
taken notice of; Hector is running away towards the walls, to the
end that the Trojans who are upon them may overwhelm Achilles
with their darts; and Achilles in turning Hector towards the plain,
makes a fign to his troops not to attack him. This fhews the great
courage of Achilles. Yet this action which
Yet this action which appears fo generous
has been very much condemned by the ancients; Plutarch in the
life of Pompey gives us to underftand, that it was looked upon as
the action of a fool too greedy of glory. Indeed this is not a fingle
combat of Achilles againſt Hector, (for in that cafe Achilles
would have done very ill not to hinder his troops from aſſaulting
him) this was a rencounter in a battle, and fo Achilles might, and
ought to take all advantage to rid himſelf, the readieft and the
ſureſt way, of an enemy whoſe death would procure an entire
victory to his party. Wherefore does he leave this victory to
chance? Why expofe himſelf to the hazard of lofing it? Why
does he prefer his private glory to the publick weal, and the ſafety
of all the Greeks, which he puts to the venture by delaying to
conquer, and endangering his own perfon? I grant it is a fault, but
it muſt be owned to be the fault of a hero. Euftathius Dacier. P.
Ver. 270.] After this verfe, our tranflator flips by one of his
author, which the reader ſhall have from Chapman :
But when they reacht, the fourth time, the two founts.
32
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
Low finks the fcale furcharg'd with Hector's fate;
Heavy with death it finks, and hell receives the
weight.
276
Then Phoebus left him. Fierce Minerva flies
To ftern Pelides, and triumphing, cries:
Oh lov'd of Jove! this day our labours ceaſe,
And conqueft blazes with full beams on Greece.
Great Hector falls; that Hector fam'd fo far, 281
Drunk with renown, inſatiable of war,
Falls by thy hand, and mine! nor force, nor flight
Shall more avail him, nor his God of light.
Ver. 277. Then Phabus left him-] This is a very beautiful
and poetical manner of defcribing a plain circumftance: the hour of
Hector's death was now come, and the poet expreffes it by ſaying
that Apollo, or Deſtiny, forfakes him: that is, the Fates no
longer protect him. Euftathius.
P.
Verſe id. Fierce Minerva flies Toftern Pelides, &c.] The
poet may ſeem to diminish the glory of Achilles, by afcribing the
victory over Hector to the affiftance of Pallas; whereas in truth he
fell by the hand only of Achilles: but poetry loves to raiſe every
thing into a wonder; it ſteps out of the common road of narration,
andaims to furprize; and the poet would farther infinuate that it is a
greater glory to Achilles to be beloved by the Gods, than to be
only excellent in valour: for many men have valour, but few the
favour of heaven. Euftathius.
Ver. 279.] His original fays literally,
Now we, I truft, fhall bear, chief lov'd' by Jove!
Back to the fhips great glory to our Greeks:
P.
but Pope feems to have regulated the turn of his verſion by his
predeceffor Ogilby:
Now, now the Greeks great honour ſhall acquire,.
And flaught'ring Hector by thy hand expire,.
BOOK XXII.
33
HOMER's ILIAD.
See, where in vain he fupplicates above,
Roll'd at the feet of unrelenting Jove!
Reft here: my ſelf will lead the Trojan on,
And urge to meet the fate he cannot fhun.
28-5
Her voice divine the chief with joyful mind
Obey'd; and reſted, on his lance reclin'd. 290
While like Deïphobus the martial Dame
(Her face, her gefture, and her arms the fame)
Ver. 285.] His author fuggefts the following alteration :
E'en though, à fuppliant in the courts above—.
Ver. 287.] The rhymes are not allowable, Ogilby's couplet
on this occafion is altogether fuperiour, in my opinion, both for
elegance and fidelity:
But ſtay and breathe, 'till Hector I engage
To ftand thy charge, and meet thy fatal rage.
Ver. 289.] The phraſe joyful mind has fomething in it not
fufficiently poetical, and a glimpfe of a botching afpect.
The chief obeys with joy the voice divine:
Prop'd on his lance, his wearied limbs recline:
for we cannot admit in the verſes of ſuch an artiſt as Pope,
That one for fenfe, and one for rhyme,
Is quite fufficient at one time.
Thus?
Ver. 290. Qbey'd; and refted.] The whole paffage where Pallas
deceives Hector is evidently an allegory: Achilles perceiving that
he cannot overtake Hector, pretends to be quite ſpent and wearied
in the purſuit; the ftratagem takes effect, and recalls his enemy:
this the poet expreffès by ſaying that Pallas, or Wiſdom, came to
affift Achilles. Hector obſerving his enemy ſtay to reft, concludes
that he is quite fatigued, and immediately takes courage and
advances upon him; he thinks he has him at an advantage, but at
laft finds himself deceived; thus making a wrong judgment, he is
betrayed into his death; fo that his own falfe judgment is the
treacherous Pallas that deceives him. Euftathius.
P..
VOL. VI. ·
Ꭰ
34.
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
In fhow an aid, by hapless Hector's fide
Approach'd, and greets him thus with voice
bely'd.
Too long, O Hector! have I borne the fight
Of this diftrefs, and forrow'd in thy flight: 296
It fits us now a noble ftand to make,
And here, as brothers, equal fates partake.
300
Then he. O prince! ally'd in blood and fame,
Dearer than all that own a brother's name;
Of all that Hecuba to Priam bore,
Long try'd, long lov'd; much lov'd, but honour'd
more!
Since you of all our numʼrous race, alone
Defend my life, regardleſs of your own.
304
Again the Goddeſs. Much my father's pray'ı,
And much my mother's, preft me to forbear:
My friends embrac'd my knees, adjur'd my ſtay,
But ſtronger love impell'd, and I obey.
Come then, the glorious conflict let us try,
Let the ſteel ſparkle, and the javelin fly; 310
Ver. 301.] Thus Ogilby:
Deiphobus, faid he, I love thee more
Than all my brothers; us one mother bore.
Ver. 303.] Or, more cloſely to the words of his author:
Since you, of all, the towers forfake, alone
To field my life.
Ver. 308.] After this, there is an omiffion of Homer's fenfe
to the following purport:
Stung by thy woes; whilft all with terror quake.
!
BOOK XXII.
35
HOMER's ILIAD.
Or let us ſtretch Achilles on the field,
Or to his arm our bloody trophies yield.
Fraudful fhe faid; then ſwiftly march'd before;
The Dardan hero fhuns his foe no more.
Sternly they met. The filence Hector broke; 315
His dreadful plumage nodded as he ſpoke.
Enough, O fon of Peleus! Troy has view'd
Her walls thrice circled, and her chief purſu’d.
But now fome God within me bids me try
Thine, or my fate: I kill thee, or I die.
320
Ver. 317. The Speeches of Hector and of Achilles.] There is an
oppofition between theſe ſpeeches excellently adapted to the characters
of both the heroes. That of Hector is full of courage, but mixed
with humanity; that of Achilles of refentment and arrogance.
We fee the great Hector difpofing of his own remains; and that
thirst of glory which has made him live with honour, now bids
him provide, as Euftathius obferves, that what once was Hector
may not be diſhonoured. Thus we ſee a fedate, calm courage,
with a contempt of death, in the fpeech of Hector: but in that
of Achilles there is a fiertè, and an infolent air of fuperiority.
His magnanimity makes him fcorn to fteal a victory; he bids him
prepare to defend himſelf with all his forces: and that valour and
refentment which made him defirous that he might revenge himſelf
upon Hector with his own hand, and forbade the Greeks to inter-
pofe, now directs him not to take any advantage over a brave
enemy. I think both their characters are admirably ſuſtained, and
though Achilles be drawn with a great violence of features, yet the
picture is undoubtedly like him; and it had been the utmoſt
abfurdity to have foftened one line upon this occafion, when the foul
of Achilles was all on fire to revenge the death of his friend
Patroclus. I muſt defire the reader to carry this obfervation in his
memory, and particularly in that place, where Achilles fays he could
eat the very fleſh of Hector; though I have a little foftened it in
the tranſlation, ver. 437.
P.
P 2
36
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Yet on the verge of battle let us ſtay,
And for a moment's ſpace fufpend the day;
Let heav'n's high pow'rs be call'd to arbitrate
The juſt conditions of this ſtern debate.
(Eternal witneffes of all below,
325
And faithful guardians of the treaſur'd vow!)
To them I ſwear; if victor in the ftrife,
Jove by theſe hands fhall fhed thy noble life,
No vile difhonour ſhall thy corpfe purſue;
Stript of its arms alone (the conqu'ror's due) 330
The reſt to Greece uninjur'd I'll reſtore:
Now plight thy mutual oath, I aſk no more.
Talk not of oaths (the dreadful chief replies,
While anger flaſh'd from his diſdainful eyes)
Deteſted as thou art, and ought to be,
Nor oath nor pact Achilles plights with thee:
Such pacts, as lambs and rabid wolves combine,
Such leagues, as men and furious lions join,
Ver. 319.] The words of Homer preſcribe rather,
But now my foul courageous bids me try-.
Ver. 323.] By the following alteration of this verſe,
Yet first call we the Gods to arbitrate;
the preceding couplet is rendered wholly fuperfluous.
335
Ver. 331.] I fhould banish this colloquial and undignified-
contraction altogether, and write fimply, in the prefent form for
the future, as ſignificant of a firm and fettled purpoſe,
The reft to Greece uninjur'd I reftore.
-Ver. 337.] The rhymes are, not correct. The following
attempt is literally expreffive of Homer's language:
1
?
BOOK XXII.
37
HOMER's ILIAD.
To fuch I call the Gods! one conſtant ſtate
Of laſting rancour and eternal hate:
340
No thought but rage, and never-ceaſing ſtrife,
'Till death extinguiſh rage, and thought, and life.
Rouſe then thy forces, this important hour,
Collect thy foul, and call forth all thy pow'r.
No farther fubterfuge, no farther chance;
'Tis Pallas, Pallas gives thee to my lance.
Each Grecian ghoſt by thee depriv'd of breath,
Now hovers round, and calls thee to thy death.
Lo
-:
345
i
::
As men and lions in no leagues combine,
Nor wolves and ſheep to friendly thoughts incline;
But with fell rancour wars eternal rage;
So muft our fouls nor love nor oaths engage.
No room for kindneſs here! cr thou fhalt die,
Or I to Mars a bleeding victim lie ;
of which attempt the concluding line is borrowed from Ogilby.
Ver. 345.] Thus Ogilby;
Müfter thy power :
for their original runs thus:
Shew all thy manhood; it becomes thee moſt
To be a warriour now, expert and bold.
Hobbes is deftitute of elevation, but well exhibits the meaning of
his author
It now behoves you all your pow'r to ſhow,
And be an able man of war indeed.
Ver. 346.] Dryden's pathetic conclufion of the Eneis was
probably prefent to our tranflator's memory on this occafion :
'Tis Pallas, Pallas, gives the deadly blow.
Ver. 348.] This is very fublime, and happily imagined. His
original fays only,
1
P 3
38
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
:
He ſpoke, and lanch'd his javelin at the foe;
But Hector fhun'd the meditated blow:
350
He ſtoop'd, while o'er his head the flying ſpear
Sung innocent, and ſpent its force in air.
Minerva watch'd it falling on the land,
Then drew, and
gave to great Achilles' hand,
now the numerous ills thou ru’ſt
Of my aſſociates, flain by thy mad ſpear.
There is a very magnificent paffage in Valerius Flaccus, iv. 258.
ennobled by imagery, like this of our tranflator, where the ghoſts
of thofe flain by Amycus requeſt of Pluto permiffion to be ſpecta-
tors of the combat between that favage king and Pollux :
Et pater orantes cæforum Tartarus umbras.
Nube cavâ tandem ad meritæ fpectacula pugnæ
Emittit: fummi nigrefcunt culmina mentis.
The flaughter'd ghofts grim Pluto grants to view,
By their entreaties won, th' approaching fight,
Due to their proweſs, in a hollow cloud :
The mountain-tops grow black with fudden gloom.
Statius has happily imitated this paffage in his Thebaid, xi. 420.
when he is preparing his reader for the fingle combat between
Eteoclus and Polynices:
Ipfe quoque Ogygios monftra ad gentilia manes
Tartareus rector portâ jubet ire recluſâ :
Montibus infidunt patriis, triftique coronâ
Infecere diem.
Th' infernal monarch bids the Theban ghoſts
View the ſad ſpectacle of kindred guilt,
And opes his portals. On their native hills
The black affemblage fit, and blot the day.
Ver. 350.] More accurately, thus:
But Hector, watchful fhuns the threaten'd blow,
Ver. 352.] This metaphor is not from his author, but Chapman :
This faid, he brandifhed
His long lance; and away it fung.
BOOK XXII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
39
355
Unſeen of Hector, who, elate with joy,
Now ſhakes his lance, and braves the dread of Troy.
The life you boaſted to that javelin giv❜n,
Prince! you have mift. My fate depends on
heav'n.
To thee, preſumptuous as thou art, unknown
Or what muſt prove my fortune, or thy own. 360
Boaſting is but an art, our fears to blind,
And with falfe terrours fink another's mind.
But know, whatever fate I am to try,
By no diſhoneſt wound fhall Hector die;
I ſhall not fall a fugitive at leaſt,
365
My ſoul ſhall bravely iffue from my breaſt.
But first, try thou my arm; and may this dart
End all my country's woes, deep buried in thy
heart!
Ver. 355.] So Chapman :
Athenia, drew it, and gave her friend,
Unfeene of Hector.
Ver. 357.] This tranflation is beautiful: but there is more
fidelity in the following clofer adjuſtment of the paffage :
The life you boaſted to that javelin given,
Prince! you have mist; nor knew the will of heaven.
An artful vaunter thou, with fears to blind,
And damp the wonted vigour of my mind.
Ver. 363.] This verſe appears to me miferably profaic. Thus?
But know, by Fate whate'er the death decreed,
By no diſgraceful wound fhall Hector bleed.
If flain by thee, no fugitive at leaſt,
Ver. 367.] Our poet curtails the fenfe of his author in a paffage
D 4
40
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
The weapon flew, its courfe unerring held;
Unerring, but the heav'nly fhield repell'd 370
The mortal dart; reſulting with a bound
From off the ringing orb, it ſtruck the ground,
Hector beheld his javelin fall in vain,
Nor other lance, nor other hope remain ;
He calls Deïphobus, demands a fpear,
In vain, for no Deïphobus was there.
375
All comfortleſs he ftands; then, with a ſigh,
'Tis fo- Heav'n wills it, and my hour is nigh!
I deem'd Deïphobus had heard my call,
But he fecures lies guarded in the wall.
380
too pathetic to endure abbreviation. The following attempt gives
no unfaithful reprefentation of Homer's ſenſe:
Now of mine arm beware: but may this dart
Drink deep the vital current of thy heart!
Then Troy fome refpite from her ills may know :
Thy death will lighten half her load of woe.
Ver. 369.] This paffage is not executed either with fidelity,
In the next couplet
or the cuſtomary fkill of our tranflator.
CC
refulting with a bound," and " from off the orb," are redundant
and feeble phrafes. I feel prefumption enough to attempt a greater
degree of accuracy in the fubjoined effort:
The brandiſh'd fpear it's courfe unerring held
To the fhield's centre; but the ſhield repell❜d.
Sent by his arm in vain wide flew the dart;
His fruftrate effort fadden'd Hector's heart.
All motionlefs, a fpectacle of woe he ſtands;
No fecond javelin arms his helplefs hands.
Ver. 377.] More conformably to Homer's language, and in
compliance alfo with the variations above fuggefted, I would
write
Then heav'd the conscious chief a boding figh.
Tis fo
BOOK XXII. HOMER's ILIAD.
41
A God deceiv'd me; Pallas, 'twas thy deed,
Death, and black Fate approach! 'tis I muſt
bleed.
No refuge now, no fuccour from above,
Great Jove deſerts me, and the ſon of Jove,
Propitious once, and kind! Then welcome fate!
'Tis true I perish, yet I periſh great:
Yet in a mighty deed I ſhall expire,
Let future ages hear it, and admire !
386
Fierce, at the word, his weighty fword he
drew,
And, all collected, on Achilles flew.
390
So Jove's bold bird, high balanc'd in the air,
Stoops from the clouds to trufs the quiv'ring hare.
Ver. 387.] Thus Ogilby :
•
Not coward-like, but fo will I expire,
That my laſt act all ages ſhall admire.
I cannot think the conclufion of this ſpeech executed by any means
in the beſt ftile of our tranflator.
Ver. 391. So Jove's bold bird, &c.] The poet takes up fome
time in defcribing the two great heroes before they cloſe in fight:
the verſes are pompous and magnificent, and he illuftrates his
defcription with two beautiful fimiles: he makes a double uſe of
this conduct, which not only raiſes our imagination to attend to fo
momentous an action, but by lengthening his narration keeps the
mind in a pleaſing fufpenfe, and divides it between hopes and fears
for the fate of Hector or Achilles.
P.
Ver. 391.] Thus Dryden, at the parallel paſſage of Virgil, Æn.
ix. 761:
Thus on fome filver ſwan, or timorous hare
Jove's bird comes foufing down from upper air.
}
42
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
Nor lefs Achilles his fierce foul prepares
Before his breaſt the flaming ſhield he bears,
Refulgent orb! Above his fourfold cone
The gilded horſe-hair ſparkled in the ſun,
Nodding at ev'ry ftep: (Vulcanian frame!)
And as he mov'd, his figure feem'd on flame.
As radiant Hefper fhines with keener light,
Far-beaming o'er the filver host of night,
When all the ſtarry train emblaze the ſphere:
So fhone the point of great Achilles' fpear.
The fimile in Homer may be literally reprefented thus:
thus an eagle, foaring high,
Darts to the plain through a black veil of clouds,
To feize, or tender lamb, or ſkulking hare.
395
400
Ogilby gives a much more faithful likeneſs of his author, though
modern ears will not acquiefce in the ſecond rhymes :
This faid, his fword he draws, and at him flyes:
As a ſwift eagle ſtooping cuts the ſkies,
To feize a tim'rous hare or tender lamb ;
So Hector brandifhing his falchion came.
Ver. 394.] Our tranſlator dwells too much throughout the
paffage upon one idea. I would infert a different epithet, in correſ-
pondence with his original into this verfe:
Before his breaft the high-wrought thield he bears.
And yet the rhymes are not fufficiently diverfified from thofe of the
preceding couplet, as the following couplet is vicious in this article,
and may be adjuſted by this alteration of the ſecond verſe :
The hair of gold in wavy ſparkles fhone.
Ver. 398.] This line is interpolated by the tranflator.
Ver. 399.1 Chapman gives the compariſon very briefly, but
with the vivacity of genius :
and when he raifde his lance,
Up Hefperus rofe, 'mongſt th' evening ſtarres.
BOOK XXII.
43
HOMER'S ILIAD.
•
In his right hand he waves the weapon round,
Eyes the whole man, and meditates the wound:
But the rich mail Patroclus lately wore,
Securely cas'd the warriour's body o'er.
405
One place at length he ſpies, to let in fate,
Where 'twixt the neck and throat the jointed plate
Gave ent❜rance: thro' that penetrable part
Furious he drove the well-directed dart:
Nor pierc'd the wind-pipe yet, nor took the
pow'r
Of ſpeech, unhappy! from thy dying hour.
Prone on the field the bleeding warriour lies,
While thus triumphing, ſtern Achilles cries.
410
At laſt is Hector ftretch'd upon the plain, 415
Who fear'd no vengeance for Patroclus flain:
Ver. 409. Thro' that penetrable part Furious he drove, &c.] It
was neceffary that the poet ſhould be very particular in this point,
becauſe the arms that Hector wore, were the arms of Achilles,
that were taken from Patroclus; and confequently as they were the
work of Vulcan, they would preferve Hector from the poffibility
of a wound: the poet therefore to give an air of probability to his
ſtory, tells us that they were Patroclus's arms, and as they were not
made for Hector, they might not exactly fit his body: ſo that it is
not improbable but there might be fome place about the neck of
Hector ſo open, as to admit the ſpear of Achilles. Euftathius. P.
Ver. 412.] This form of addrefs is the tranflator's own, and
proves his fympathy with the cataſtrophe of the Trojan prince.
Ver. 415.] With an exception of fome defect in one or two of
the rhymes, this ſpeech is tranflated in a ſtile of uncommon excel
lence, but with no fuperftitious obfervance of the original order of
expreffion, as the fubjoined literal verfion may prove :
44
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
Then, prince! you ſhould have fear'd, what
now you feel;
Achilles abfent, was Achilles ftill.
Yet a ſhort ſpace the great avenger ſtay'd, 419
Then low in duſt thy ſtrength and glory laid.
Peaceful he fleeps, with all our rites adorn'd,
For ever honour'd, and for ever mourn'd:
While caft to all the rage of hoftile pow'r,
Thee, birds fhall mangle, and the dogs devour.
Then Hector fainting at th'approach of death.425
By thy own foul! by thofe who gave thee breath!
By all the facred prevalence of pray'r;
Ah, leave me not for Grecian dogs to tear!
Hector, you doubtleſs thought, Patroclus ſlain,
Regardleſs of me abfent, to be ſafe.
Fool! an avenger, diftant but more brave,
Still in the fleet, e'en. I, was left behind;
Who now thy powers relax. While dogs and fowls
Thee vilely tear, him will the Greeks entomb.
Ver. 422.] Thus Dryden, in his Abfolom and Achitophel:
His eldeſt hope, with every grace adorn'd,
By me, fo heav'n will have it, always mourn'd,
And always honour'd.
?
A fimilar contraft may be ſeen at our poet's Eloifa, verſe 9. and in
my note there the paffage of Virgil, which the lines of Dryden,
quoted above, clofely imitate. See alfo Odyffey, x. 495. of this
verfion.
Ver. 427.] This beautiful line is due to the tranflator: at leaſt
it was wrought from one word of his author, whofe verſe runs
thus:
Thee by thy life, thy parents' knees, I beg.
>
BOOK XXII.
45
HOMER's ILIAD.
The common rites of fepulture beſtow,
To foothe a father's and a mother's woe;
Let their large gifts procure an urn at leaſt,
And Hector's afhes in his country reſt.
430
No, wretch accurſt! relentleſs he replies,
(Flames, as he ſpoke, ſhot flaſhing from his eyes)
Not thoſe who gave me breath fhou'd bid me fpare,
Nor all the facred prevalence of pray'r.
Could I myſelf the bloody banquet join!
No-to the dogs that carcafe I refign.
436
Should Troy, to bribe me, bring forth all her ſtore,
And giving thouſands offer thouſands more; 440
Ver. 437. Could I myfelf the bloody banquet join!] I have before
hinted that there is ſomething very fierce and violent in this paffage ;
but I fancy that what I there obferved will juſtify Homer in his
relation, though not Achilles in his favage fentiments: yet the poet
foftens the expreffion by making Achilles only wish that his heart
would permit him to devour him: this is much more tolerable than a
paffage in the Thebais of Statius, where Tydeus in the very pangs of
death is reprefented as gnawing the head of his enemy.
P.
The rhymes, as I have frequently obſerved in fimilar circum-
ftances, and frequently avoided to obſerve from a confideration of
the reader's patience, are defective. The original may be accurately
given thus:
Oh! that my raging foul myſelf impell'd
To gnaw thee now in flices, for thy deeds!
So far the reſcue of thy head from dogs.
Ver 439. Should Troy, to bribe me, &c.] Such refolutions
as Achilles here makes, are very natural to men in anger; he
tells Hector that no motives fhall ever prevail with him to fuffer his
body to be ranſomed; yet when time had cooled his heat, and he
had ſomewhat fatisfied his revenge by infulting his remains, he
reftores them to Priam. This perfectly agrees with his conduct
46
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Should Dardan Priam, and his weeping dame,
Drain their whole realm to buy one fun❜ral flame:
Their Hector on the pile they fhould not fee,
Nor rob the vultures of one limb of thee.
Then thus the chief his dying accents drew;
Thy rage, implacable! too well I knew:
446
The Furies that relentleſs breaſt have ſteel'd,
And curft thee with a heart that cannot yield.
in the ninth book, where at firſt he gives a rough denial, and after-
wards ſoftens into an eafier temper. And this is very agreeable to
the nature of Achilles; his anger abates very flowly; it is ſtubborn,
yet ftill it remits: had the poet drawn him never to be pacified, he
had outraged nature, and not reprefented his hero as a man, but as a
monſter. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 441.] His author dictates, as might have been learned from
Hobbes and Dacier, the following amendment :
Should Priam offer, and the weeping dame,
Thy weight in gold to buy one funeral flame.
I will venture on a verfification of the paffage, which will be found
exact to the original :
Would Dardan Priam bring thy weight in gold;
Nor then thy wailing mother ſhould enfold
Thy lifelefs limbs, nor funeral couch fhould bear ;
But dogs and vultures every morfel tear.
Ver. 447.] See the note on book ix. verfe 749. Thus our
great dramatic genius in Richard ii. v. 2 :
'That had not God, for fome ftrong purpoſe, ſteel'd
The hearts of men, they must perforce have melted,
And barbariſm itſelf have pitied him.
Homer fays only, for the materials of this couplet,
for fure thy mind is ſteel within.
BOOK XXII,
47.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Yet think, a day will come, when Fate's decree
And angry Gods, ſhall wreak this wrong on thee;
Phœbus and Paris fhall avenge my fate,
45I
And ſtretch thee here, before this Scæan gate.
He ceas'd. The Fates fuppreft his lab'ring
breath,
And his eyes ſtiffen'd at the hand of death;
To the dark realm the ſpirit wings its way, 455
(The manly body left a load of clay)
And plaintive glides along the dreary coaft,
A naked, wand'ring, melancholy ghoſt!
Achilles, mufing as he roll'd his eyes
O'er the dead hero, thus (unheard) replies. 460
Ver. 449. A day will come.] Hector prophefies at his death that
Achilles fhall fall by the hand of Paris. This confirms an obſer-
vation made in a former note, that the words of dying men were
looked upon as prophecies; but whether fuch conjectures are true
or falſe, it appears from hence, that fuch opinions have prevailed in
the world above three thouſand years.
Ver. 454.] This image is from Chapman :
the original is,
Thus, Deaths hand cloſde his eyes:
Him, as he ſpoke, o'erveil'd the cloſe of death.
P.
Ver. 455. This paffage has occurred before, book xvi. verfe
1032.
Ver. 459.] There is much addition here from the fancy of our
tranflator. Thus his author:
Divine Achilles him, though dead, addreſt:
Die thou; I then my death will greet, whene’er
Jove fhall appoint it, and the reft of heaven.
48
BOOK XXI. :
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Die thou the first! When Jove and heav'nordain,
I follow thee-He ſaid, and ſtripp'd the flain.
Then forcing backward from the gaping wound
The reeking javelin, caft it on the ground.
The throngingGreeks behold with wond'ring eyes
His manly beauty, and fuperiour ſize:
While wounds ungen'rous, or with taunts difgrace.
With fome ignobler, the great dead deface
466
"How chang'd that Hector! who like Jove of late,
66
Sent light'ning on our fleets, and ſcatter'd fate?"
Ver. 467. The great dead deface With wounds, &c.] Euftathius
tells us that Homer introduces the foldiers wounding the dead body
of Hector, in order to mitigate the cruelties which Achilles
exerciſes upon it. For if every common foldier takes a pride in
giving him a wound, what infults may we not expect from the
inexorable, inflamed Achilles? But I must confefs myſelf unable to
vindicate the poet in giving us fuch an idea of his countrymen.
I think the former courage of their enemy ſhould have been ſo far
from moving them to revenge, that it fhould have recommended
him to their efteem: what Achilles afterwards acts is fuitable to
his character, and confequently the poet is juftified; but furely all
the Greeks are not of his temper? Patroclus was not fo
dear to them all, as he was to Achilles. It is true,
the poet reprefents Achilles (as Euftathius obferves) enumerating
the many ills they had fuffered from Hector; and feems to endea-
vour to infect the whole army with his refentment. Had Hector
been living, they had been acted by a generous indignation againſt
him but theſe men feem as if they only dared approach him dead;
in ſhort, what they ſay over his body is a mean infult, and the ftabs
they give it are cowardly and barbarous.
P.
:
舞
​Ver. 469.] Ogilby corrected gives a good refemblance of the
turn and language of his author:
;
Strange! or we Hector now more gentle meet,
Than when with hoftile flames he fir'd'our fleet.
BOOK XXII.
49
HOMER'S ILIAD.
High o'er the flain the great Achilles ſtands, 471
Begirt with heroes, and furrounding bands;
And thus aloud, while all the hoſt attends.
Princes and leaders! countrymen and friends!
Since now at length the pow'rful will of heav'n
The dire deſtroyer to our arm has giv'n,
Is not Troy fall'n already? Haſte ye pow'rs!
See, if already their deſerted tow'rs
476
Are left unmann'd; or if they yet retain
The fouls of heroes, their great Hector flain? 480
Ver. 472.] Surrounding is a feeble and redundant word.
Ver. 474. The Speech of Achilles.] We have a very fine obferva-
tion of Euftathius on this place, that the judgment and addrefs of
Homer here is extremely worthy of remark: he knew, and had
often faid, that the gods and fate had not granted Achilles the
glory of taking Troy: there was then no reaſon to make him march
againſt the town after the death of Hector, fince all his efforts muft
have been ineffectual. What has the poet done in this conjuncture?
It was but reaſonable that the first thought of Achilles ſhould be to
march directly to Troy, and to profit himſelf of the general confter-
nation into which the death of Hector had thrown the Trojans.
We here fee he knows the duty, and does not want the ability, of
a great General; but after this on a fudden he changes his defign,
and derives a plaufible pretence from the impatience he has to pay
the laft devoirs to his friend. The manners of Achilles, and what
he has already done for Patroclus, make this very natural. At the
fame time, this turning off to the tender and pathetick has a fine
effect; the reader in the very fury of the hero's vengeance, perceives,
that Achilles is ftill a man, and capable of fofter paffions.
P.
Ver. 477.] The paffage feems to hobble. I know not, that I can
ſuggeſt a real improvement, but propofe the following alterations:
Hafte, and aſſault the city: fee, ye powers!
If Troy, defpairing, her deferted towers
VOL. V.
E
!
50
BOOX XX11.
HOMER's ILIAD.
485
But what is Troy, or glory what to me ?
Or why reflects my mind on ought but thee,
Divine Patroclus! Death has feal'd his eyes;
Unwept, unhonour'd, uninterr'd he lies!
Can his dear image from my foul depart,
Long as the vital ſpirit moves my heart?
If, in the melancholy fhades below,
The flames of friends and lovers ceafe to glow,
Yet mine fhall facred laft; mine undecay'd,
Burn on thro' death, and animate my ſhade.
Meanwhile, ye
fons of Greece, in triumph bring
The corpfe of Hector, and your Pæans fing.
Be this the ſong, flow-moving tow'rd the ſhore,
"Hector is dead, and Ilion is no more."
Have left unmann'd; or, if she yet retain
The fouls of heroes, her great Hector flain.
490
Ver. 481.] This couplet correfponds to a fingle line of Homer,
whoſe purport may be properly reprefented thus:
But why delay, fond foul! debating thus ?
fo that our tranflator evidently profited from Chapman's verſion:
But why uſe I a word
Of any act, but what concernes my friend?
Ver. 486.] More exactly to the language of his author, thus :
While nerves my limbs, or blood ſhall move my heart.
Ver. 487.] Theſe four verſes are a beautiful amplification upon
the following diftich of his original:
E'en in the grave, where black Oblivion broods,
Shall dear Patroclus in my memory live.
Ver. 494.
"Hector is dead, and Ilion is no more."] I have
followed the opinion of Euftathius, who thought that what Achilles
BOOK XXII.
51
HOMER's ILIAD.
Then his fell foul a thought of vengeance bred,
(Unworthy of himſelf, and of the dead)
496
fays here was the chorus or burthen of a fong of triumph, in which
his troops bear a part with him, as he returns from this glorious
combat. Dacier obferves that this is very correfpondent to the
manners of thoſe times; and inſtances in that paffage of the book of
Kings, when David returned from the conqueft of Goliah: the
women there go out to meet him from all the cities of Ifrael, and
fing a triumphal fong, the chorus whereof is, Saul has killed his
thousands, and David his ten thousands.
Accurately thus:
Our's is the praiſe: great Hector we have flain;
To whom Troy paid, as to a God, her vows.
P.
This inhu
Ver. 496. Unworthy of himself, and of the dead.]
manity of Achilles in dragging the dead body of Hector, has been
ſeverely (and I think indeed not without fome juftice) cenfured by
feveral, both ancients and moderns. Plato in his third book de
Republica, fpeaks of it with deteftation: but methinks it is a great
injuſtice to Homer, to reflect upon the morals of the author himſelf,
for things which he only paints as the manners of a vicious hero.
It may juftly be obſerved in general of all Plato's objections
againſt Homer, that they are ftill in a view to morality, conftantly
blaming him for reprefenting ill and immoral things as the opinions
or actions of his perfons. To every one of thefe, one general
anfwer will ferve, which is, that Homer as often deſcribes ill things,
in order to make us avoid them, as good, to induce us to follow
them, (which is the cafe with all writers whatever.) But what is
extremely remarkable, and evidently fhews the injuftice of Plato's
cenfure is, that many of thofe very actions for which he blames
him are exprefly characteriſed and marked by Homer himſelf as evil
and deteftable, by previous expreffions or cautions. Thus in the
prefent place, before he defcribes this barbarity of Achilles, he
tells us it was a moſt unworthy action :
καὶ Ἕκτορα δίον αεικέα μήδεια έργα.
When Achilles facrifices the twelve young Trojans in lib. xxiii. he
E 2
52
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
The nervous ancles bor'd, his feet he bound
With thongs inſerted thro' the double wound;
Theſe fix'd up high behind the rolling wain,
His graceful head was trail'd along the plain.
Proud on his car the infulting victor ſtood, 501
And bore aloft his arms, diſtilling blood.
He ſmites the ſteeds; the rapid chariot flies;
The fudden clouds of circling duſt ariſe.
Now loft is all that formidable air;
The face divine, and long-deſcending hair,
Purple the ground, and ftreak the fable fand;
Deform'd, difhonour'd, in his native land!
505
repeats the fame words. When Pandarus broke the truce in lib. iv.
he told us it was a mad, unjuſt deed;
And fo of the reſt.
τῷ δὲ φρένας άφρονι πεῖθεν.
P.
Ver. 502.] The latter claufe is added by the tranflator, as
commodious for a rhyme.
Ver. 506. The face divine, and long-defcending hair.] It is
impoffible to read the actions of great men without having our
curioſity raiſed to know the leaſt circumftance that relates to them.
Homer, to fatisfy it, has taken care in the proceſs of his poem to
give us the ſhape of his heroes, and the very colour of their hair;
thus he has told us that Achilles's locks were yellow, and here the
epithet Kváva. fhews us that thoſe of Hector were of a darker colour:
as to his perfon, he told us a little above, that it was fo handfome,
that all the Greeks were ſurpriſed to fee it. Plutarch recites a
remarkable ſtory of the beauty of Hector: it was reported in
Lacedæmon, that a handfome youth who very much reſembled
Hector was arrived there; immediately the whole city run in fuch
numbers to behold him, that he was trampled to death by the
croud. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 507.] The former circumftance reprefents no expreffi on
BOOK XXII.
53
HOMER's ILIAD.
Giv'n to the rage of an infulting throng!
And, in his parent's fight, now dragg'd along! 510
The mother firſt beheld with ſad ſurvey;
She rent her treffes venerably grey,
And caft, far off, the regal veils away.
With piercing fhrieks his bitter fate ſhe moans,
While the fad father anfwers groans with groans,
Tears after tears his mournful cheeks o'erflow, 516
And the whole city wears one face of woe:
No lefs, than if the rage of hoſtile fires,
From her foundations curling to her ſpires,
of his author, but feems derived from Dacier: "Et fa tête,
emportée par la rapidité du char, enfanglante le fable.”
CC
Ver. 510.] This line is interpolated by our countryman, and
feems amplified from Chapman:
in his owne land, and by his parents feene.
Ver. 516.] Homer makes no mention of the tears of Priam;
and I have noted more than once this unfeaſonable and inaccurate
verfion of the Greek word www: fo unfit on occations too big
with calamity for tears in the leading ſufferers. Yet thus Mr.
Cowper, whofe accuracy in general is exemplary :
-His father wept aloud :
and the former French tranſlator: "L' infortuné Priam eftoit baigné
"des larmes." The other tranflators are unexceptionable in this
particular, more by accident, perhaps, than defign. I would
propoſe this alteration in the paffage before us:
Tears o'er the cheeks of each Spectator flow.
See, however, verſe 550, below, where the Greek word is
xλawv, weeping: fo that, unleſs it be reaſonable to fuppofe the
agony of forrow to have relieved itſelf by this termination, part of
my remark will be invalidated.
* 3
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
54
O'er the proud citadel at length ſhould riſe, 520
And the laſt blaze fend Ilion to the ſkies.
The wretched monarch of the falling ſtate,
Diſtracted, preſſes to the Dardan gate.
Scarce the whole people ftop his defp'rate courfe,
While ſtrong affliction gives the feeble force: 525
Grief tears his heart, and drives him to and fro,
In all the raging impotence of woe.
At length he roll'd in duft, and thus begun:
Imploring all, and naming one by one.
Ah! let me, let me go where forrow calls; 530
I, only I, will iffue from your walls,
Guide or companion, friends! I aſk
ye none)
And bow before the murd❜rer of my fon.
My grief perhaps his pity may engage;
Perhaps at leaſt he may reſpect my age.
He has a father too; a man like me,
One, not exempt from age and mifery,
535
(Vig'rous no more, as when his young embrace
Begot this peft of me, and all my race.)
Ver. 525.] This verſe is from the tranſlator.
Ver. 529.] The rhyme is intolerable, and recurs too foon.
Thus Ogilby:
Kneeling in duft, requeſting one by one.
Ver. 532.] Somewhat better, perhaps, thus, as more exactly :
Myſelf will fupplicate, my-felf alone,
This ruthleſs, furious murderer of my fon.
BOOK XXII.
55
HOMER's ILIAD.
How many valiant fons in early bloom,
540
Has that curft hand fent headlong to the tomb?
Thee, Hector! laft: thy lofs (divinely brave)
Sinks my
fad foul with ſorrow to the grave.
Oh had thy gentle ſpirit paſt in peace,
The fon expiring in the fire's embrace,
While both thy parents wept thy fatal hour,
And bending o'er thee, mix'd the tender ſhow'r!
Some comfort that had been, fome fad relief,
To melt in full fatiety of grief!
545
Thus wail'd the father, grov'ling on the ground,
And all the eyes of Ilion ftream'd around.
Amidſt her matrons Hecuba appears,
(A mourning princeſs, and a train in tears)
551
Ver. 543. Sinks my fad foul with forrow to the grave.] It is in
the Greek,
Οὗ μ' ἄχος ὀξὺ καλοίσεται ἄΐδος εἴσω.
It is needleſs to obferve to the reader with what a beautiful pathos
the wretched father laments his fon Hector: it is impoffible not to
join with Priam in his forrows. But what I would chiefly point
out to my reader, is the beauty of this line, which is particularly
tender, and almoft word for word the fame with that of the
Patriarch Jacob; who upon a like occafion breaks out in the fame
complaint, and tells his children, that if they deprive him of his
fon Benjamin, they will bring down his grey hairs with forrow to the
grave..
·
P.
Ver. 545.] The rhyme is not correct: and, in general, our
tranflator, in my judgement, has not rifen to the fullness of his
proper excellence in his exhibition of this tender paffage.
Ver. 548.] So in his Eloifa, verfe 49:
Then ſhare thy pain; allow that fad relief.
£ 4
56
BOOK XXII,
HOMER'S ILIAD.
7
555
Ah why has heaven prolong'd this hated breath,
Patient of horrours, to behold thy death?
O Hector! late thy parents pride and joy,
The boaſt of nations! the defence of Troy!
To whom her ſafety and her fame ſhe ow'd;
Her chief, her hero, and almoſt her God!
O fatal change! become in one fad day
A fenfeleſs corfe! inanimated clay!
560
But not as yet the fatal news had ſpread
To fair Andromache, of Hector dead;
As yet no meffenger had told his fate,
Nor ev'n his ſtay without the Scæan gate. 565
Far in the cloſe receffes of the dome,
Penfive fhe ply'd the melancholy loom;
Ver. 556.] Or thus ? more accurately :
My Hector! night and day thy mother's joy ;
The pride and bulwark of thy native Troy.
And theſe rhymes are employed alfo by Ogilby:
Thou fountain of all joy,
And honour both to me and thoſe in Troy!
Ver. 563, &c.] The grief of Andromache, which is painted
in the following part, is far beyond all the praiſes that can be given
it; but I must take notice of one particular which fhews the great
art of the poet. In order to make the wife of Hector appear yet
more afflicted than his parents, he has taken care to encreaſe her
affliction by ſurpriſe: it is finely prepared by the circumſtances of
her being retired to her inmoft apartment, of her employment in
weaving a robe for her huſband (as may be conjectured from what
the fays afterwards, ver. 657.) and of her maids preparing the
bath for his return: all which (as the criticks have obſerved)
augment the ſurpriſe, and render this reverſe of fortune much more
dreadful and afflicting.
P..
BOOK XXII.
57
HOMER's ILIAD.
A growing work employ'd her fecret hours,
Confus'dly gay with intermingled flow'rs.
Her fair-hair'd handmaids heat the brazen urn,
The bath preparing for her lord's return:
571
In vain alas! her lord returns no more!
Unbath'd he lies, and bleeds along the fhore!
Now from the walls the clamours reach her ear,
And all her members ſhake with fudden fear; 575
Forth from her iv'ry hand the ſhuttle falls,
As thus, aſtoniſh'd, to her maids fhe calls.
Ah follow me! (fhe cry'd) what plaintivenoiſe
Invades my ear? 'Tis fure my mother's voice.
Ver. 568.] Thus Ogilby :
In private ſhe beguil'd the tedious hours,
Working a curious web with gaudy flow'rs.
Ver. 572.] A very elegant couplet, but not equal to his
original in fimplicity; which may be thus exhibited :
Ah! much deceiv'd! far, from the bath he lay,
Through Pallas flaughter'd by Achilles' hand:
Some of thefe pathetic apoftrophes Milton had in memory at
that exquifite paffage of Paradife Loft, ix. 404:
O much deceiv'd, much failing, hapleſs Eve,
Of thy prefum'd return! event perverſe!
Thou never from that hour in Paradiſe
Found'ft either ſweet repaft, or found repofe.
Ver. 577.] An old word, which wants revival, would be more
forcible, I think, on this occafion:
As thus, aftounded, to her maids fhe calls.
Ver. 578.] Vicious rhymes! not worſe, perhaps, thus:
Ah! follow me! What plaints invade mine ear?
(She cry'd) 'Tis fure my mother's voice I hear :
except the too quick recurrence of theſe founds.
58
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
My falt'ring knees their trembling frame defert, 580
A pulſe unuſual flutters at my heart;
Some ſtrange difafter, fome reverſe of fate
(Ye Gods avert it) threats the Trojan ſtate.
Far be the omen which my thoughts fuggeft!
But much I fear my Hector's dauntless breaſt 585
Confronts Achilles; chas'd along the plain,
Shut from our walls! I fear, I fear him flain!
Safe in the croud he ever fcorn'd to wait,
And fought for glory in the jaws of fate:
Perhaps that noble heat has coft his breath, 590
Now quench'd for ever in the arms of death.
She ſpoke; and furious, with diftracted pace,
Fears in her heart, and anguiſh in her face;
Flies thro' the dome, (the maids her ſteps purfue)
And mounts the walls, and fends around her view.
Ver. 580.] Nor are theſe rhymes to be endured. The fubfe-
quent ſubſtitution is correctly repreſentative of Homer's language:
With palpitations wild my bofom heaves;
My knees ſtiff horrour of their ftrength bereaves.
Ver. 586.] Thus Ogilby:
And chas'd from Troy about the fpacious plain
Where he (too daring) may, woe's me! be ſlain.
Ver. 590.] In the fame language Chapman :
and now the curious heate
Of his ſtill defperate ſpirit is cool'd:
and Addiſon in the Campaign:
O fatal love of fame! O glorious heat!
Ver. 592.] Thus Ogilby:
This faid, like one diſtracted, out ſhe flew.
BOOK XXII.
59
HOMER's ILIAD.
Too foon her eyes the killing object found,
596
The god-like Hector dragg'd along the ground,
A fudden darkneſs ſhades her ſwimming eyes:
She faints, fhe falls; her breath, her colour
flies.
Her hair's fair ornaments, the braids that bound,
The net that held them, and the wreath that
crown'd,
The veil and diadem, flew far away;
(The gift of Venus on her bridal day.)
601
Ver. 596.] Better, perhaps, with a repetition of the words:
Her view too ſoon the killing object found :
on account of the return of eyes in the next couplet.
Ver. 600. Her hair's fair ornaments.] Euftathius remarks, that
in fpeaking of Andromache and Hecuba, Homer expatiates upon
the ornaments of dreſs in Andromache, becauſe ſhe was a beautiful
young princefs; but is very conciſe about that of Hecuba, becauſe
ſhe was old, and wore a dreſs rather ſuitable to her age and gravity,
than to her ſtate, birth, and condition. I cannot paſs over a matter of
fuch importance as a Lady's dreſs, without endeavouring to explain
what fort of heads were worn above three thouſand years ago.
It is difficult to deſcribe particularly every ornament mentioned
by the poet, but I fhall lay before my female readers the Bishop's
explanation. The Αμπυξ was ufed, τὸ τὰς ἐμπροσθίας τρίχας ἀναδεῖν,
that is, to tie backwards the hair that grew on the fore-part of the
head: KɛxpúQuλ was a veil of net-work that covered the hair when
it was fo tied : ᾿Αναδέσμη was an ornament ufed κύκλῳ περὶ τὰς
xporáQ8g ávaden, to tie backwards the hair that grew on the temples;
and the Kpúderov was a fillet, perhaps embroidered with gold, (from
the expreffion of xpurn 'Apodin) that bound the whole, and com-
pleated the dreſs.
The Ladies cannot but be pleafed to fee fo much learning and
Greek upon this important fubject.
60
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
605.
Around a train of weeping fifters ftands,
To raiſe her finking with aſſiſtant hands.
Scarce from the verge of death recall'd, again
She faints, or but recovers to complain.
O wretched huſband of a wretched wife!
Born with one fate, to one unhappy life!
For fure one ſtar its baneful beam diſplay'd 610
On Priam's roof, and Hippoplacia's ſhade.
From diff'rent parents, diff'rent climes we
came,
At diff'rent periods, yet our fate the ſame!
Why was my birth to great Aëtion ow'd,
And why was all that tender care beftow'd? 615
Homer is in nothing more excellent than in that diftinction of
characters which he maintains through his whole poem: what
Andromache here fays, cannot be fpoken properly by any but
Andromache: there is nothing general in his forrows, nothing that
can be transferred to another character: the mother laments the fon,
and the wife weeps over the huſband.
P.
Ver. 604.] Here fome circumſtances are paffed over by our
tranflator, which appear thus in Ogilby:
When Hector in renowned Etion's houfe
Her with an ample dowry did eſpouſe :
and may be exhibited with more poliſh in the following drefs:
When from Eetion's hall in that bleſs'd hour
The chief convey'd her with an ample dower.
Ver. 610.] This notion of the ftar is from the tranſlator only,
in imitation of Ogilby:
Us two, ah! Hector, one diſaſtrous ſtar,
Mark'd at our birth like miferies to fhare :
or Dacier: Helas fous quel aftre fommes-nous nés tous deux ?
BOOK XXII.
61
HOMER's ILIAD.
Would I had never been!-O thou, the ghoſt
Of my dead huſband! miſerably loft!
Thou to the diſmal realms for ever gone!
And I abandon'd, deſolate, alone!
620
An only child, once comfort of my pains,
Sad product now of hapless love, remains!
No more to ſmile upon his fire! no friend
To help him now! no father to defend!
For fhould he'ſcape the fword, the common doom!
What wrongs attend him, and what griefs to come?
Ev'n from his own paternal roof expell'd, 626
Some ſtranger ploughs his patrimonial field.
The day, that to the ſhades the father fends,
Robs the fad orphan of his father's friends :
Ver. 618.] Thus Ogilby :
Since thou to Pluto's fhady court art gone,
Thy wife a woful widow left alone.
And I muſt obſerve, that our poet's verfion does not appear excellent
in this place and, in general, he keeps pace with his author more
in the majeſty of defcription and fublimity of fentiment, where mag-
nificence of diction is required; than in the fimplicity of pathos.
Indeed, what is more difficult than an unaffected repreſentation of
natural paffion; which admits no tumid exaggerations, and but few
embelliſhments of poetical phrafeology?
Ver. 622.]
faithful:
Ogilby, corrected, is not amifs, bur plain and
Thy child, an orphan! Thou no more shalt be
A help to him, nor he a help to thee!
Hobbes has a good and pathetic line in this place; fee ver. 629.
A child that is an orphan has no friend.
The following
Ver. 628. The day, that to the ſhades, &c.]
verſes, which ſo finely defcribe the condition of an orphan,
62
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXII.
He, wretched outcaſt of mankind! appears 630
For ever fad, for ever bath'd in tears;
Amongſt the happy, unregarded he,
Hangs on the robe, or trembles at the knee,
While thoſe his father's former bounty fed,
Nor reach the goblet, nor divide the bread: 635
F
have been rejected by fome ancient criticks: it is a proof
there were always criticks of no manner of tafte; it being
impoffible any where to meet with a more exquifite paffage.
I will venture to fay, there are not in all Homer any lines more
worthy of him: the beauty of this tender and compaffionate image
is fuch, that it even makes amends for the many cruel ones, with
which the Iliad is too much ſtained. Theſe cenfurers imagined
this deſcription to be of too abject and mean a nature for one of the
quality of Aftyanax : but had they confidered (fays Euftathius) that
thefe are the words of a fond mother, who feared every thing for
her fon; that women are by nature timorous, and think all misfor-
tunes will happen, becauſe there is a poffibility that they may; that
Andromache is in the very height of her forrows, in the inftant fhe
is fpeaking; I fancy they would have altered their opinions.
It is undoubtedly an aggravation to our misfortunes when they
fink us in a moment from the higheft flow of profperity to the
loweſt adverfity: the poet judiciouſly makes uſe of this circumftance,
the more to excite our pity, and introduces the mother with the
utmoſt tenderneſs, lamenting this reverſe of fortune in her fon;
changed all at once into a ſlave, a beggar, an orphan! Have we not
examples in our own times of unhappy Princes, whofe condition
renders this of Aftyanax but too probable?
P.
Ver. 634.] His author fays only his father's affociates:"
but our poet might be thinking of the mafter performance of his
preceptor, the Feaft of Alexander:
Deſerted in his utmoſt need
By thofe his former bounty fed.
BOOK XXII.
63
HOMER'S ILIAD.
:
The kindeft but his prefent wants allay,
To leave him wretched the fucceeding day.
Frugal compaffion! Heedleſs they who boaſt
Both parents ftill, nor feel what he has loft,
Shall cry, "Be gone! thy father feaſts not here:
The wretch obeys, retiring with a tear.
Thus wretched, thus retiring all in tears,
To my fad foul Aſtyanax appears!
Forc'd by repeated infults to return,
641
And to his widow'd mother vainly mourn. 645
He, who with tender delicacy bred,
With princes fported, and on dainties fed,
Ver. 636.] Chapman is more literal :
Of all his favourers
If one the cup gives, tis not long; the wine he finds in it,
Scarce moifts his palate.
But, whoever wiſhes to form any notion of the moſt exquifite
fimplicity of Homer through this fpeech, he muft by all means have
recourſe to Mr. Cowper's verfion. Ogilby gives no contemptible
view of the thought before us :
Some one will from his goblet let him fip
No more, perhaps, than wets his parched lip.
Ver. 647. On dainties fed.] It is in the Greek, "Who upon
"his father's knees, uſed to eat marrow and the fat of fheep."
This would feem grofs if it were literally tranflated, but it is a
figurative expreffion; in the ftile of the Orientals, marrow and fatnefs
are taken for whatever is beſt, tendereſt, and moſt delicious. Thus
in Job xxi. 24. Viſcera ejus. plena funt adipe,& medullis oſſa ejus
irrigantur. And xxxvi. 16. Requies autem menfæ tuæ erit plena
pinguedine. In Jer. xxxi. 14. God fays, that he will fatiate the
foul of the prieſt with fatnefs. Inebriabo animam facerdotum pin-
guedine. Dacier.
P.
64
BOOK XXII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
And when ſtill ev'ning gave him up to reſt,
Sunk foft in down upon the nurfe's breaſt,
Muft-ah what muſt he not? Whom Ilion calls
Aftyanax, from her well-guarded walls, 651
Is now that name no more, unhappy boy!
Since now no more the father guards his
Troy.
But thou, my Hector, ly'ft expos'd in air,
Far from thy parent's and thy confort's care, 655
The former claufe is an interpolation from the tranflator. I
would fupplant it by the fentiment of his author, thus:
From his fond father's knee on dainties fed.
The difcarded thought might have been fuggefted by Chapman :
He that late fed on his father's knee,
To whom all knees bow'd:
who is full of theſe conceited and punning antithefes.
With refpect to Dacier's remark, quoted by our poet, we may
obferve from the following fpecimen, that Hobbes was not troubled
by the ſenſations of a delicate tranſlator :
That uſed was by his father to be fed
With mutton fat and marrow on his knee.
Ver. 648.] An agreeable image of his original ſhould have been
preferved here, which I cannot exhibit with adequate felicity:
And, when with playful humours tir'd to reft-:
or thus:
And, when the froward wanton fank to reſt,
Repos'd in down-.
Ver. 655.] So Chapman, who is very exact to his author:
-yet at fleete, thy naked corfe muſt fill
Vile wormes, when dogs are fatiate: farre from thy parents
care.
BOOK XXII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
65
Whofe hand in vain, directed by her love,
The martial ſcarf and robe of triumph wove.
Now to devouring flames be theſe a prey,
Uſeleſs to thee, from this accurfed day!
Yet let the facrifice at leaſt be paid,
An honour to the living, not the dead!
660
So fpake the mournful dame: her matrons
hear,
Sigh back her figh, and anſwer tear with tear.
Ver. 656.] Our tranflator indulges his fancy. Ogilby, with
correction, becomes accurate, and not contemptible:
But thofe rich veſtments, by our damfels made
For thee, and choicely in our wardrobes laid-
Ver. 657. The martial ſcarf and robe of triumph wove.] This
idea very naturally offers itſelf to a woman, who reprefents. to
herſelf the body of her huſband dafhed to pieces, and all his limbs
dragged upon the ground uncovered; and nothing is more proper
to excite pity. It is well known, that it was anciently the cuſtom
among princeffes and great ladies to have large quantities of ſtuffs
and moveables. This provifion was the more neceffary in thoſe times
than now, becauſe of the great confumption made of them on thoſe
occafions of mourning. Dacier.
I am of opinion that Homer had a farther view in expatiating
thus largely on the death of Hector. Every word that Hecuba,
Priam, and Andromache fpeak, fhews us the importance of Hector
every word adds a weight to the concluding action of the poem, and
at the fame time repreſents the fad effects of the anger of Achilles,
which is the ſubject of it.
Ver. 660.] This is Chapman's language :
Thy facrifice they ſhall be made :
to which nothing in Homer exactly correſponds.
Ver. 663.] Homer fays,
VOL. VI.
F
P.
66
BOOK XXII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
She wept; her women anſwered her with groans :
But Chapman thus:
}
Thus fpake thee weeping; all the dames endeavouring to
cheare,
Her defert ftate; (fearing their owne) wept with her teare
for teare.
THE
TWENTY-THIRD BOOK
OF THE
I LI A D.
F 2
THE ARGUMENT.
A
CHILLES and the Myrmidons do honours to the
body of Patroclus. After the funeral feaſt he retires
to the fea-fhore, where falling asleep, the ghost of his friend
appears to him, and demands the rites of burial; the next
morning the foldiers are fent with mules and waggons to
fetch wood for the pyre. The funeral proceffion, and the
offering their hair to the dead. Achilles facrifices feveral
animals, and lastly twelve Trojan captives at the pile, then
fets fire to it. He pays libations to the winds, which (at
the inftance of Iris) rife, and raise the flames. When
the pile has burned all night, they gather the bones, place
them in an urn of gold, and raise the tomb. Achilles
inftitutes the funeral games: the chariot-race, the fight of
the Cæftus, the wrestling, the foot-race, the fingle combat,
the Difcus, the fhooting with arrows, the darting the javelin:
the various defcriptions of which, and the various fuccefs
of the feveral antagoniſts, make the greateſt part of the book.
In this book ends the thirtieth day. The night follow-
ing, the ghost of Patroclus appears to Achilles: the one
and thirtieth day is employed in felling the timber for the
file; the two and thirtieth in burning it; and the three and
thirtieth in the games. The fcene is generally on the fea-
Shore.
P.
F 3
TH
NOTE PRELIMINARY.
HIS, and the following book, which contain the deſcription
of the funeral of Patroclus, and other matters relating to
Hector, are undoubtedly fuperadded to the grand cataſtrophe of the
poem; for the ftory is compleatly finiſhed with the death of that
hero in the twenty-ſecond book. Many judicious criticks have been
of opinion, that Homer is blameable for protracting it. Virgil cloſes
the whole ſcene of action with the death of Turnus, and leaves the
reſt to be imagined by the mind of the reader; he does not draw the
picture at full length, but delineates it fo far, that we cannot fail of
imagining the whole draught. There is however one thing to be
faid in favour of Homer, which may perhaps juſtify him in his
method, that what he undertook to paint was the anger of Achilles :
and as that anger does not die with Hector, but perfecutes his very
remains, fo the poet ftill keeps up to his ſubject; nay, it ſeems to
require that he ſhould carry down the relation of that refentment,
which is the foundation of his poem, till it is fully fatisfied: and as
this furvives Hector, and gives the poet an opportunity of ſtill ſhew-
ing many fad effects of Achilles's anger, the two following books
may be thought not to be excrefcences, but effential to the poem.
Virgil had been inexcuſeable had he trod in Homer's footſteps;
for it is evident that the fall of Turnus, by giving Æneas a full
power over Italy, anſwers the whole defign and intention of the
poem; had he gone farther, he had overfhot his mark: and though
Homer proceeds after Hector's death, yet the ſubject is ftill the anger
of Achilles.
We are now past the war and violence of the Ilias, the ſcenes
of blood are clofed during the reft of the poem; we may look
back with a pleafing kind of horrour upon the anger of Achilles,
and fee what dire effects it has wrought in the compaſs of nineteen
days: Troy and Greece are both in mourning for it, heaven and
earth, gods and men, have fuffered in the conflict. The reader feems
landed upon the ſhore after a violent ſtorm; and has leiſure to ſurvey
the confequences of the tempeft, and the wreck occafioned by the
former commotions, Troy weeping for Hector, and Greece for
Patroclus. Our paffions have been in an agitation fince the opening
of the poem; wherefore the poet, like fome great maſter in muſick,
foftens his notes, and melts his readers into tenderneſs and pity.
P.
1
THE
TWENTY-THIRD BOOK
OF THE
ILIA
D.
TH
HUS humbled in the duft, the penfive train
Thro' the fad city mourn'd her hero flain.
The body foil'd with duft, and black with
bumbled the hero flain.
gore,
Lies on broad Hellespont's refounding ſhore:
The Grecians feek their fhips, and clear the
ftrand,
5
All but the martial Myrmidonian band:
Thefe yet aſſembled great Achilles holds,
And the ftern purpoſe of his mind unfolds.
Not yet (my brave companions of the war)
Releaſe your ſmoking courfers from the car; 10
Ver. 1.] There is uncommon amplification here. The three
firft verfes of his author run thus:
Thus they in Troy lamented: but the Greeks,
When to their fleet and Hellefpont they came,
Each to his fhip, difperfing, bent his way:
which correſpond to the five introductory lines of the tranflation.
F 4
72
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
But, with his chariot each in order led,
Perform due honours to Patroclus dead.
E'er yet from reſt or food we ſeek relief,
Some rites remain, to glut our rage of grief.
The troops obey'd; and thrice in order led 15
(Achilles firſt) their courfers round the dead;
And thrice their forrows and laments renew;
Tears bathe their arms, and tears the fands bedew.
Ver. 12.
Or, more accurately:
His only folace! wail Patroclus dead,
Thus Chapman :
-and mourne about the corfe:
'Tis proper honour to the dead.
Ver. 15.] Dryden, at the parallel paffage of the Æneid, xi. 290:
Thrice horfe and foot about the fires are led,
And thrice with loud laments they hail the dead.
Ver. 18. Tears bathe their arms, and tears the fands bedew,
Thetis aids their woe.
e.]
It is not eafy to give a reafon why Thetis fhould be faid to excite
the grief of the Myrmidons and of Achilles; it had feemed more
natural for the mother to have compofed the forrows of the fon,
and reſtored his troubled mind to tranquillity.
But fuch a procedure would have outraged the character of
Achilles, who is all along defcribed to be of ſuch a violence of
temper, that he is not eaſy to be pacified at any time, much lefs
upon fo great an incident as the death of his friend Patroclus.
Perhaps the poet made ufe of this fiction in honour of Achilles; he
makes every paffion of his hero confiderable, his forrow as well as
anger is important, and he cannot grieve but a Goddeſs attends him
and a whole army weeps.
*
Some commentators fancy that Homer animates the very fands of
the feas, and the arms of the Myrmidons, and makes them ſenſible
of the lofs of Patroclus; the preceding words feem to ftrengthen
that opinion, becauſe the poet introduces a Goddeſs to raiſe the
BOOK XXIII.
73
HOMER's ILIAD.
{
For fuch a warriour Thetis aids their woe,
Melts their ſtrong hearts, and bids their eyes
to flow.
20
But chief, Pelides: thick-fucceeding fighs
Burft from his heart, and torrents from his eyes
His flaught 'ring hands, yet red with blood, he laid
On his dead friend's cold breaſt, and thus he ſaid.
forrow of the army. But Euftathius feems not to give into this
conjecture, and I think very judiciouſly; for what relation is there
between the fands of the ſhores, and the arms of the Myrmidons?
It would have been more poetical to have faid, the fands and the
rocks, than the fands and the arms; but it is very natural to ſay,
that the foldiers wept fo bitterly, that their armour and the very
fands were wet with their tears. I believe this remark will appear
very juft by reading the verfe, with a comma after rózsa, thus:
Δεύοντο ψάμαθοι, δεύοντο δὲ τεύχεα, φωτῶν
Δάκρυσι.
Then the conſtruction will be natural and eaſy, period will anſwer
period in the Greek, and the ſenſe in Engliſh will be, the fands were
wet, and the arms were wet, with the tears of the mourners.
But however this be, there is a very remarkable beauty in the
run of theſe verſes in Homer, every word has a melancholy cadence,
and the poet has not only made the fands and the arms, but even his
very verſe, to lament with Achilles.
This verſe in the first edition ftood thus:
Tears drop the fands, and tears their arms bedew.
P.
And the verbal criticiſm of our tranflator, where-ever he found
it, is trivial and unneceſſary. Tevxea Qwtwv of Homer is the arma
Τεύχεα φωτων
virûm of the Roman: and a reader of the leaft attention or ſkill
will naturally connect the fubftantive danguo with the verb in both
claufes.
Ver. 23. His flaught'ring hands, yet red with blood, he laid
On his dead friend's cold breaft—]
I could not paſs by this paffage without obferving to my reader the
great beauty of this epithet, avopopóves. An ordinary poet would
74
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
}
All hail, Patroclus! let thy honour'd ghoft 25
Hear, and rejoice on Pluto's dreary coaſt;
Behold! Achilles' promife is compleat;
The bloody Hector ſtretch'd before thy feet.
Lo! to the dogs his carcafe I refign;
And twelve fad victims, of the Trojan line, 30
Sacred to vengeance, inftant, ſhall expire;
Their lives effus'd around thy funʼral pyre.
Gloomy he faid, and (horrible to view)
Before the bier the bleeding Hector threw,
have contented himſelf with ſaying, he laid his hand upon the
breaft of Patroclus; but Homer knows how to raiſe the moſt trivial
circumftance, and by adding this one word, he laid his deadly
hands, or his murderous hands, he fills our minds with great ideas,
and by a fingle epithet recalls to our thoughts all the noble
atchievements of Achilles through the Iliad.
P.
Our tranſlator has indeed given, in my opinion, a very happy
and proper turn to the xapas ardpoors of his author in this place;
the beauty of which I had long ago myfelf remarked. Compare
verfe 51. The older French tranſlator Barbin is the only one befides
himfelf, who has attended to this propriety. "Enfuite mettant
fes deux mains enfanglantèes fur fon amy-,
Ver. 25. All hail, Patroclus, &c.] There is in this apostrophe
of Achilles to the ghoſt of Patroclus, a fort of favageneſs, and a
mixture of foftneſs and atrocity, which are highly conformable to
his character.
Dacier.
P.
Ver. 31.] He has taken thefe improper rhymes from Ogilby,
as on a former occafion :
-and at thy pyre
Twelve Trojans to thy manes fhall expire.
Doubtless, fire would be well ſubſtituted here for pyre.
Ver. 34.] Thus Ogilby :
This faid, before the herfe he Hector threw.
BOOK XXIII.
75
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Prone on the duft.
The Myrmidons around
35
Unbrac'd their armour, and the fteeds unbound.
All to Achilles' fable fhip repair,
40
Frequent and full, the genial feaft to fhare.
Now from the well-fed fwine black ſmokes aſpire,
The briſtly victims hiffing o'er the fire:
The huge ox bellowing falls; with feebler cries
Expires the goat; the fheep in filence dies.
Around the hero's proftrate body flow'd
In one promifcuous ftream, the reeking blood.
Ver. 38.] Thus Milton, Par. Loft, i. 797:
In clofe recefs and fecret conclave fat
A thouſand demigods on golden feats,
Frequent and full.
Ver. 39.]
Thefe variations from his author betray more
ingenuity, perhaps, than ſtrict correfpondence to truth and nature.
The English reader will wish to fee a plain tranflation of the
paffage:
Many white oxen, ftruggling round the ſteel,
Were flaughter'd: many fheep and bleating goats;
And many white-tooth'd ſwine were ſtretch'd to roaſt,
With fat luxuriant, round Vulcanian fire.
Chapman's verfion might fet him forwards:
Oxen in heapes lay bellowing, preparing food for men
Bleating of ſheepe, and goates, fild aire:
or Dacier: "Tout retentit du mugiſſement des taureaux, et des cris
"des brebis."
Ver. 40.] Much in the fame ftile Chapman :
-numbers of white-tooth'd fwine,
(Swimming in fat) lay findging there.
Ver. 43.] The rhyme is not admiffible. The true power of the
original expreſſion the learned reader will allow to be preſerved in
the following couplet :
•6
BOOK XXIII,
HOMER's ILIAD.
55
No drop ſhall touch me, by almighty Jove!
The firſt and greateſt of the Gods above!
'Till on the pyre I place thee; 'till I rear
The graffy mound, and clip thy facred hair.
And now a band of Argive monarchs brings
The glorious victor to the King of kings. 46
From his dead friend the penſive warriour went,
With ſteps unwilling, to the regal tent.
Th' attending heralds, as by office bound,
With kindled flames the tripod-vafe furround; 50
Tocleanfe his conquʼringhands from hoſtile gore,
They urg'd in vain; the chief refus'd, and fwore.
On all fides round the proftrate carcafe ftood
In frequent pools the reeking victims' blood.
Ver. 51. To cleanſe his conqu'ring hands
The chief refus'd—]
This is conformable to the cuftom of the Orientals: Achilles will
not be induced to waſh, and afterwards retires to the fea-fhore, and
fleeps on the ground. It is juft thus that David mourns in the
Scriptures; he refuſes to waſh, or to take any repaſt, but retires
from company, and lies upon the earth.
This is from Chapman :
to cleanfe the blood fok't in
About his conquering hands.
P.
Ver. 56.] Achilles intended to clip his own hair, as an oblation,
not that of Patroclus; agreeably to many other paſſages in theſe
poems, and other ancient authors. What could lead our poet into
this error, when ſo many of his predeceſſors are right, I know not,
except the ambiguity of the Latin interpretation, totonderoque
comam, and of Chapman's verfion :
not a drop fhall touch me till I put
BOOK XXIII.
77
HOMER's ILIAD.
Some eaſe at leaſt thoſe pious rites may give,
And foothe my forrows, while I bear to live.
Howe'er, reluctant as I am, I ſtay,
59
64
And ſhare your feaft; but, with the dawn of day,
(O king of men!) it claims thy royal care,
That Greece the warriour's funeral pile prepare,
And bid the foreſts fall: (ſuch rites are paid
To heroes flumb'ring in eternal fhade)
Then, when his earthly part ſhall mount in fire,
Let the leagu'd fquadrons to their pofts retire.
He ſpoke ; they hear him, and the word obey
The
rage of hunger and of thirſt allay,
Then eaſe in ſleep the labours of the day.
Patroclus in the funerall pile; before theſe carles be cut;
His tombe erected.
And the vicious rhymes are from Ogilby:
Till I my friend lay on pyre, then rear
His obelisk, preſenting him my hair.
Perhaps, the following change would mend the couplet:
'Till on the pyre I place thee; 'till I rear
The mound, and clip my locks to grace thy bier :
or thus:
'Till the fire feize thee; 'till the mound I rear,
And from my head it's curling honours fheer.
Ver. 57.] There is no reſemblance to Homer here: nor can
I think what could occafion fuch deviation in this inftance. His
author runs thus:
whilft with the living I converſe,
No fecond woe like this will reach my heart:
or, in rhyme :
No forrow, whilft I traverſe life's dull round,
Will on my heart inflict ſo deep a wound,
78
*
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
But great Pelides, ftretch'd along the fhore, 70°
Where daſh'd on rocks the broken billows roar,
Lies inly groaning; while on either hand
The martial Myrmidons confus'dly ſtand.
Along the grafs his languid members fall,
Tir'd with his chafe around the Trojan wall; 75
Huſh'd by the murmurs of the rolling deep,
At length he finks in the foft arms of ſleep.
Ver. 71.] This repreſentation of the paffage is very improper,
and inconfiftent with his original; and all the other tranflators had
a wrong or inadequate conception of their author's intention in this
defcription, except Chapman only, whofe verfion is this:
the friend, the fhores maritimall
Sought for his bed, and found a place, faire, and upon which
plaide
The murmuring billows.
Homer's language is moft obviouſly intended to defcribe a fhore of
gentle declivity, free from inequalities and unbroken by rocks,
gently wafhen by the fea. The following tranſlation appears to me
perfectly deſcriptive of the original, in poetical expreffion :
In a fmooth place, where lav'd an eaſy ſhore
The kiffing billows.
A verfe in the fine epithalamium of Thetis and Peleus, by Catullus,
will illuftrate that before us:
Omnia quæ toto delapfa è corpore paffim
Ipfius ante pedes fluctus falis alludebant.
Our poet's verfion, therefore, might be thus accommodated to
the intention of his maſter:
On the fmooth ftrand the great Pelides laid,
Where the tir'd billows gently murmuring play'd.
Ver. 74.] Rather in fome fuch tenour as the following :
At their full length his languid members fall.
Ver. 76.] I would propofe, as below, with a view to fidelity:
BOOK XXIII.
79
HOMER's ILIAD.
80
When lo! the fhade, before his clofing eyes,
Of fad Patroclus rofe, or feem'd to rife;
In the ſame robe he living wore, he came,
In ftature, voice, and pleaſing look, the fame.
The form familiar hover'd o'er his head,
And fleeps Achilles, (thus the phantom ſaid)
Sleeps my Achilles, his Patroclus dead?
Living, I feem'd his deareft, tend'reft care, 85
But now forgot, I wander in the air.
Let my pale corfe the rites of burial know,
And give me ent'rance in the realms below:
There the foft murmurs of the daſhing deep
Soon lull'd bis forrows in the arms of fleep.
Ver. 78. The ghoſt of Patroclus.] Homer has introduced into
the former parts of the poem the perfonages of gods and goddeffes
from heaven, and of furies from hell: he has embelliſhed it with
ornaments from earth, fea, and air; and he here opens a new fcene,
and brings to the view a ghost, the ſhade of the departed friend.
By theſe methods he diverfifies his poem with new and ſurpriſing
circumſtance, and awakens the attention of the reader; at the fame
he very poetically adapts his language to the circumftances of this
imaginary Patroclus, and teaches us the opinions that prevailed in
his time, concerning the ftate of feparate fouls.
P.
Ver. 79.] This hefitating exception is very feafonable and
beautiful in his Eloifa, under a ſyſtem of religion, which admitted
fuch a doubt:
EC
Come, fifter! come:" it faid, or feem'd to fay:
but is improper on this occafion, and unauthoriſed by his author.
We may thus correct the paſſage :
When lo! before the warriour's clofing eyes
The ſhade of fad Patroclus feem'd to rife.
80
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's. ILIAD.
"Till then, the ſpirit finds no refting place,
But here and there th'unbody'd ſpectres chafe
The vagrant dead around the dark abode,
Forbid to croſs th' irremeable flood.
90
Ver. 91.] The rhymes are not unexceptionable. The follow-
ing fubftitution is no lefs expreffive of his original:
Round Pluto's fpacious dome my vagrant ghoft;
Nor must th' irremeable flood be cross'd.
Ver. 92. Forbid to cross th' irremeable flood.] It was the com-
mon opinion of the ancients, that the fouls of the departed were
not admitted into the number of the happy till their bodies had
received the funeral rites; they fuppofed thofe that wanted them
wandered an hundred years before they were wafted over the
infernal river; Virgil perhaps had this paffage of Homer in his
view in the fixth Æneis, at least he coincides with his fentiments
concerning the ſtate of the departed fouls:
"Hæc omnis, quam cernis inops inhumataque turba eft ;
"Nec ripas datur horrendas, nec rauca fluenta
66
Tranfportare priùs, quam fedibus offa quierunt;
" Centum errant annos, volitantque hæc littora circum;
Tum demum admiffi ftagna exoptata revifunt."
It was during this interval between death and the rites of funeral,
that they ſuppoſed the only time allowed for feparate fpirits to
appear to men; therefore Patroclus here tells his friend,
To the farther ſhore
When once we pafs, the foul returns no more.
For the fuller underſtanding of Homer, it is neceſſary to be
acquainted with his notion of the ftate of the foul after death: he
followed the philofophy of the Ægyptians, who fuppofed man to be
compounded of three parts, an intelligent mind, a vehicle for that
mind, and a body; the mind they call pv, or Yox, the vehicle
&dwhov, image or foul, and the grofs body rawa. The foul, in
which the mind was lodged, was fuppofed exactly to refemble the
body in fhape, magnitude, and features; for this being in the
body, as the ftatue in its mold, ſo ſoon as it goes forth is properly
the image of that body in which it was encloſed: this it was that
appeared to Achilles, with the full refemblance of his friend Patro-
clus. Vid. Dacier's Life of Pythagoras, p. 71.
P.
BOOK XXIII.
81
HOMER'S ILIAD..
95
Now give thy hand; for to the farther ſhore
When once we paſs, the foul returns no more:
When once the laft funereal flames afcend,
No more fhall meet Achilles and his friend;
No more our thoughts to thofe we lov'd make
known,
Or quit the deareſt, to converſe alone.
101
Me fate has fèver'd from the fons of earth,
The fate fore-doom'd that waited from my birth:
Thee too it waits; before the Trojan wall
Ev'n great and god-like thou art doom'd to fall,
Hear then; and as in fate and love we join,
Ah fuffer that my bones may reſt with thine!
Ver. 98.] The fentiment in the former part of this verfe is
chargeable, I think, with affectation and obfcurity, and receives
no countenance from his author. I would prefume on this correc-
tion, which is conformable to the fpirit of Homer's language:
Nor in fweet converſe counfel take alone.
Ver. 103.] Our poet here much abbreviates his author, whofe
detail I fhall give, for the fake of variety, from Chapman :
and the quotation, which follows, is that part of the original
repreſented in Pope's tranflation by the remainder of the ſpeech,
except the concluding couplet :
O then, I charge thee now take care
That our bones part not but as life, combinde in equall fare,
Our loving beings; fo let death. When from Opunta's towres,
My father brought me, to your roofes, (fince 'gainſt my will,
my powres
Incenft, and indifcreet, at dice, flue faire Amphidamas)
Then Peleus entertained me well; then in thy charge I was
By his injunction, and thy love: and therein, let me ftill
Receive protection.
Ver. 104. Ab fuffer that my bones may reft with thine.] There
G
VOL. VI.
82
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Together have we liv'd, together bred,
One houſe receiv'd us, and one table fed;
That golden urn, thy goddeſs-mother gave,
May mix our aſhes in one common grave.
105
And is it thou? (he anſwers) to my fight 109
Once more return'ft thou from the realms of night?
Oh more than brother! Think each office paid,
Whate'er can reft a diſcontented ſhade:
But grant one laſt embrace, unhappy boy!
Afford at leaſt that melancholy joy.
is fomething very pathetical in this whole fpeech of Patroclus; he
begins it with kind reproaches, and blames Achilles with a friendly
tendernefs; he recounts to him the infeparable affection that had
been between them in their lives, and makes it his laſt requeſt, that
they may not be parted even in death, but that their bones may reſt
in the fame urn. The fpeech itfelf is of a due length; it ought not
to be very fhort, becauſe this apparition is an incident entirely
different from any other in the whole poem, and conſequently the
reader would not have been ſatisfied with a curfory mention of it ;
neither ought it to be long, becauſe this would have been contrary
to the nature of fuch apparitions, whofe ftay upon earth has ever
been deſcribed as very fhort, and confequently they cannot be
fuppofed to uſe many words.
The circumſtance of being buried in the fame urn, is entirely
conformable to the eaſtern cuſtom: there are innumerable inſtances
in the fcriptures of great perfonages being buried with their
fathers: fo Jofeph would not fuffer his bones to reſt in Ægypt, but
commands his brethren to carry them into Canaan, to the burying-
place of his father Jacob.
Ver. 107.] Thus Ogilby :
Ah! in that golden urn our reliques fave,
Which thee thy goddefs mother Thetis gave.
P.
Ver. 113.] If we confider, that Patroclus was older than
Achilles, we ſhall deem, perhaps, the phraſe unhappy boy as more
BOOK XXIII.
83
HOMER'S ILIAD.
He ſaid, and with his longing arms eſſay'd 115
In vain to graſp the viſionary ſhade;
Like a thin ſmoke he fees the ſpirit fly,
And hears a feeble, lamentable cry.
Confus'd he wakes; amazement breaks the
bands
Of golden fleep, and ſtarting from the fands, 120
Penfive he mufes with uplifted hands.
'Tis true, 'tis certain; man, tho' dead, retains
Part of himself; th' immortal mind remains:
The form ſubſiſts, without the body's aid,
Aërial femblance, and an empty fhade!
125
fubfervient to the convenience of rhyme, than the purport of his
author. The fubfequent attempt is faithful to the original beyond
the prefent couplet :
But in one laſt embrace, a fad relief!
Oh! let us fate awhile our rage of grief.
Ogilby is not contemptible:
All ſhall be done: but ſtay a little ſpace
To make grief pleaſant by our ſweet embrace.
Ver. 119.] Thus Chapman a little above:
Sleepe caft his fodaine bond
Over his fenfe, and lofde his care.
"
Ver. 121.] This tranſlation exhibits much too fedate a picture
for the occafion; neither agreeable to Nature nor her fcribe, his
original. The verfe may be thus accommodated to Homer's
language:
In wild furprize, he clafps his eager hands.
And the following note is chiefly taken from Dacier.
Ver. 124. The form fubfifts without the body's aid,
Aerial femblance, and an empty ſhade.]
G 2
84
BOOK XXIIZ
HOMER'S ILIAD.
This night my friend, fo late in battle loft,
Stood at my fide, a penfive, plaintive ghoſt;
The words of Homer are,
Ατὰρ φρένες ἐκ ἔνι πάμπαν.
In which there ſeems to be a great difficulty; it being not eaſy to
explain how Achilles can ſay that the Ghoſt of his friend had no
underſtanding, when it had but juft made fuch a rational and moving
fpeech; efpecially when the poet introduces the apparition with the
very ſhape, air, and voice of Patroclus.
But this paffage will be clearly understood, by explaining the
notion which the ancients entertained of the fouls of the departed,
according to the fore-cited triple divifion of mind, image, and body.
They imagined that the foul was not only feparated from the body
at the hour of the death, but that there was a farther ſeparation of
the Opv, or understanding, from its sidov, or vehicle; fo that
while the dwar, or image of the body, was in hell, the gv, or
underſtanding might be in heaven: and that this is a true explica-
tion, is evident from a paffage in the Odyſſey, book xi. verſe 600 :
Τὸν δὲ μετ', εἰσενόησα βίην Ηρακληείην,
Εἴδωλον· αὐτὸς δὲ μετ᾽ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι
Τέρπεται ἐν βαλέης, καὶ ἔχει καλλίσφυρον Ήβην.
Now I the ftrength of Hercules behold,
A tow'ring ſpectre of gigantick mold;
A ſhadowy form! for high in heav'n's abodes
Himſelf refides, a God among the Gods:
There in the bright affemblies of the ſkies
He Nectar quaffs, and Hebe crowns his joys.
By this it appears that Homer was of opinion that Hercules was in
heaven, while his dwaev, or image was in hell: fo that when this
ſecond ſeparation is made, the image or vehicle becomes a mere
thoughtless form.
We have this whole doctrine very diſtinctly delivered by Plutarch
in theſe words: "Man is a compound fubject; but not of two
"parts, as is commonly believed, becauſe the understanding is
ડ generally accounted a part of the foul; whereas indeed it as far
"exceeds the foul, as the foul is diviner than the body. Now the
*ſoul, when compounded with the underſtanding, makes reaſon :
"
BOOK XXIII.
85
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
Ev'n now familiar, as in life, he came,
Alas! how diff'rent! yet how like the fame!
Thus while he ſpoke, each eye grew big with
tears:
130
And now the rofy-finger'd Morn appears,
Shews ev'ry mournful face with tears o'erfpread,
And glares on the pale viſage of the dead.
·But Agamemnon, as the rites demand,
With mules and waggons fends a chofen band 135
To load the timber, and the pile to rear;
A charge confign'd to Merion's faithful care.
"and when compounded with the body, paffion: whereof the one
"is the fource or principle of pleaſure or pain, the other of vice or
"virtue. Man therefore properly dies two deaths; the firſt makes
"him two of three, and the fecond makes him one of two."-
Plutarch, of the face in the moon.
Ver. 128.] So Dunciad, iii. 41.
Bland and familiar, as in life, begun
Thus the great father to the greater ſon,
Ver. 129.] Homer fays merely,
reſemblance great he bore :
P.
ſo that our tranflator ſeems to have had in mind a celebrated paffage
of Ovid, metam. ii. 13:
facies non omnibus una,
Nec diverfa tamèn, qualem decet effe fororum :
thus imitated by Dr. Young in his tragedy of the Brothers;
The days of life are fifters; all alike,
None juſt the fame.
Ver. 130.] The greater part of thefe four verſes are interpolated,
or but unfaithful to their original. The following couplet more
fully expreffes the fenfe of Homer:
Then round the dead they wail; 'till on their woes
The rofy-finger'd Morn at length aroſe.
G 3
86
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
2
V
With proper inſtruments they take the road,
Axes to cut, and ropes to fling the load.
Firſt march the heavy mules, fecurely flow, 146
O'er hills, o'er dales, o'er crags, o'er rocks they
go:
Ver. 141. O'er hills, o'er dales, o'er crags, o'er rocks they go-
On all fides round the Foreft hurls her oaks Headlong-]
The numbers in the original of this whole paffage are admirably
adapted to the images the verfes convey to us. Every ear muft
have felt the propriety of found in this Line,
Πολλὰ δ᾽ ἄναντα, κάταντα, πάραντά τε, δόχμιά τ᾽ ἦλθον.
The other in its kind is no leſs exact,
Τάμνον επειγόμενοι, ταὶ δὲ μεγάλα κλυπέεσαι.
Πίπτον
Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus has collected many inftances of theſe
forts of beauties in Homer. This defcription of felling the forefts,
fo excellent as it is, is comprehended in a few lines, which has left
room for a larger and more particular one in Statius, one of the beſt
(I think) in that author:
CC
1
Cadit ardua fagus,
"Chaoniumque nemus, brumæque illæfa cupreffus ;
"Procumbunt piceæ, flammis alimenta fupremis,
"Ornique, iliceæque trabes, metuandaque fulco
" Taxus, & infandos belli potura cruores
"Fraxinus, atque fitu non expugnabile robur :
"Hinc audax abies, & odoro vulnere pinus
"Scinditur, acclinant intonfa cacumina terræ
"Alnus amica fretis, nec inhoſpita vitibus ulmus, &c.”
I the rather cite this fine paffage, becauſe I find it copied by two of
the greateſt poets of our own nation, Chaucer and Spenfer. The
firft in the Affembly of Fowls, the fecond in his Fairy Queen, lib. i:
The failing pine, the cedar proud and tall,
1
The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,
The builder oak, fole king of foreſts all,
The afpin good for ftaves, the cypreſs funeral,
BOOK XXIII.
87
HOMER's ILIAD.
Jumping, high o'er the fhrubs of the rough ground,
Rattle the clatt'ring cars, and the fhockt axles
bound.
But when arriv'd at Ida's ſpreading woods,
(Fair Ida, water'd with deſcending floods) 145
Loud founds the ax, redoubling ftrokes on ftrokes;
On all fides round the Foreft hurls her oaks
A
The laurel, meed of mighty conquerors,
And poets fage: the fir that weepeth ftill,
The willow, worn of forlorn paramours,
The yew obedient to the bender's will,
The birch for fhafts, the fallow for the mill,
The myrrh, fweet-bleeding in the bitter wound,
The warlike beech, the aſh for nothing ill,
The fruitful olive, and the plantane round,
The carver holme, the maple feldom inward found.
P.
Ver. 142.] My decifion is but of ſmall importance, but I cannot
let this paffage go by, without expreffing my diſapprobation of
imitative verſe carried to this excefs, whether in Homer or in Pope.
The preceding verfe, as lefs extravagant, and happily enough
deſcriptive of length and labour, may be approved; and reſembles
a paffage in Milton, which might prefent itſelf to the tranflator's
memory: Par, loft, ii. 620:
O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp,
Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and fhades of death.
Ver. 143.] It ſeems unneceffary to inform us that jumping
axles bound and clattering cars rattle. I would fubftitute as follows:
Rattle th' unbalanc'd cars, and the ſhock'd axles found,
Ver. 145.] Better, perhaps,
Fair Ida, parent of defcending floods.
Ver. 146.]. As the tenour of the original demands no fuch
ſtudied mimickry of the circumſtances in the founds and cadence of
G4
88
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Headlong. Deep-echoing groan the thickets
brown;
;
Then ruſtling, crackling, craſhing, thunder down.
The wood the Grecians cleave, prepar'd to burn;
And the flow mules the fame rough road return. 151
The ſturdy woodman equal burdens bore
(Such charge was giv'n 'em) to the fandy ſhore;
There on the ſpot which great Achilles ſhow'd,
They eas'd their fhoulders, and difpos'd the
load;
155
Circling around the place, where times to come
Shall view Patroclus' and Achilles' tomb.
the verfe, I would venture to propoſe the following alterations,
which bring the paffage to a cloſer reſemblance of it's model ;
The well-edg'd ax, redoubling ſtrokes on ſtrokes,
Spreads thro' the Foreſt her aërial oaks :
The men with ſpeed their eager labours ply;
Flat, with loud crafh, th' umbrageous ruins lie.
Ver. 152.] Thus Ogilby:
And as their captain bade, the drivers bore,
And laid the trunks in order on the shore.
Ver. 153. I fee no reafon for not adhering to. the very words
of his author, thus:
(So Merion dictates) to the fandy fhore,
Ver. 154.] Our poet fhould have included the ſenſe of his
author in one couplet; and would eafily have poured forth one more
elegant, but not more faithful, than the following:
(So Merion charg'd) and rang'd them on the fhore,
Where one huge tomb the hero's thoughts intend,
Soon to encloſe himſelf, and now his friend.
BOOK XXIII.
89
HOMER's ILIAD.
The hero bids his martial troops appear
High on their cars in all the pomp
of war;
160
Each in refulgent arms his limbs attires,
All mount their chariots, Combatants and Squires.
The chariots firſt proceed, a fhining train;
'Then clouds of foot that ſmoke along the plain;
Next theſe the melancholy band appear,
>
165
Amidſt, lay dead Patroclus on the bier:
O'er all the corfe their ſcatter'd locks they throw;
Achilles next, oppreft with mighty woe,
Ver. 158.] The two verſes of his author in this place are very
partially repreſented in the preceding couplet, and may be feen more.
.diftinctly in the following attempt:
When thus in order lay the piles of wood,
Clofe round the fpot the croud expectant ſtood.
The defect of rhyme, if neceffary, may be thus redreſſed:
The hero bids, each in his lofty car,
His troops appear, in all the pomp of war.
Ver. 160. Each in refulgent arms, &c.] It is not to be fuppofed
that this was a general cuftom ufed at all funerals; but Patroclus
being a warriour, he is buried like a foldier, with military
honours. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 163.] The heated imagination of our poet ſeems to have
Smoaked along much fafter than that of his author, who was thinking
only of a flow and folemn funereal proceffion. Thus ?
Then clouds of foot move flowly round the plain.
Ver. 166. O'er all the corfe their ſcatter'd locks they throw.] The
ceremony of cutting off the hair in honour of the dead, was practiſed
not only among the Greeks, but alſo among other nations; thus
Statius, Thebaid VI:
Tergoque & pectore fufam
"Cæfariem ferro minuit, fectifque jacentis
"Obnubit tenuia ora comis."
This cuftom is taken notice of in holy fcripture: Ezekiel defcribing
a great lamentation, fays, They shall make themselves utterly bald for
90
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Supporting with his hands the hero's head,
Bends o'er th' extended body of the dead.
thee, ch. xxvii. verfe 31. I believe it was done not only in token
of forrow, but perhaps had a concealed meaning, that as the hair
was cut from the head, and was never more to be joined to it, fo
was the dead for ever cut off from the living, never more to return.
I muſt obſerve that this ceremony of cutting off the hair was
not always in token of forrow; Lycophron in his Caffandra,
ver. 976. defcribing a general lamentation, fays,
Κρατὸς δ᾽ ἄκερος νῶτα καλλύνει φόβη.
A length of unfhorn hair adorn'd their backs.
And that the ancients fometimes had their hair cut off in token of
joy, is evident from Juvenal, Sat. xii. ver. 82 :
<<
Gaudent ibi vertice rafo
"Garrula fecuri narrare pericula nautæ."
This feeming contradiction will be folved by having refpect to the
different practices of different nations. If it was the general cuſtom
of any country to wear long hair, then the cutting it off was a token
of forrow; but if it was the cuſtom to wear ſhort hair, then the
letting it grow long and neglecting it, fhewed that fuch people were
mourners.
P.
Ver. 168. Supporting with his hands the hero's head.] Achilles
follows the corpfe as chief mourner, and fuftains the head of his
friend this laſt circumſtance feems to be general; thus Euripides in
the funeral of Rhefus, ver. 886:
:
Τίς ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς θεὸς, ὦ Βασιλεῦ,
Τὸν νεόδμητον ἐν χεροίν
Φοράδην πέμπει;
What God, O king, with his hands fupports the head of the deceased? P.
or,
Ver. 169.] More agreeable to his original, thus :
The hero, now conducted to the dead!
The much lov'd hero, mingled with the dead!
Next to him marcht his friend
Chapman is not unfuccefsful:
Embracing his cold necke, all fad ; fince now he was to fend,
His deareft, to his endleſſe home.
BOOK XXIII.
91
HOMER's ILIAD.
170
Patroclus decent on the appointed ground
They place, and heap the filvan pile around.
But great Achilles ftands apart in pray'r,
And from his head divides the yellow hair;
Thoſe curling locks which from his youth he
vow'd,
And facred grew, to Sperchius' honour'd flood:
174
Ver. 170.] To prevent the repetition of a word from the preced-
ing verſe, this was altered from the first edition; which ſtood thus:
The body decent-.
Ver. 172.] This pray'r is a miſerable botch for convenience;
and the rhymes of the next couplet are exceptionable. Thus, more
correctly:
Then from the pyre Achilles ſteps afide :
The lock, long cheriſh'd, there his hands divide,--
That yellow lock to lov❜d Patroclus gave,
Once vow'd, Sperchius! to thy honour'd wave.
Ver. 175. And facred grew, to Sperchius' honour'd flood.] It was
the cuftom of the ancients not only to offer their own hair, but
likewiſe to confecrate that of their children to the river-gods of
their country. This is what Paufanias ſhews in his Atticks: Before
you pass the Cephifa (fays he) you find the tomb of Theodorus wiso was
the moſt excellent actor of his time for tragedy; and on the banks you
fee two ftatues, one of Mnefimachus, and the other of his fon, who cut
off his hair in honour of the rivers; for that this was in all ages the
custom of the Greeks, may be inferred from Homer's poetry, where
Peleus promifes by a folemn vow to confecrate to the river Sperchius the
hair of his fon, if he returns fafe from the Trojan war.
This cuftom
was likewife in Egypt, where Philoftratus tells us, that Memnon
confecrated his hair to the Nile. This practice of Achilles was
imitated by Alexander at the funeral of Hephæftion. Spondanus. P.
The vicious accent he might take from Chapman :
Long kept for Sperchius, the flood:
or from Ogilby, who is not worthy of quotation. Hobbes is
correct in this particular:
And ſpeaking to Sperchius river faid.
92
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
:
1
Then fighing, to the deep his looks he caſt,
And roll'd his eyes around the wat'ry waſte,
Sperchius! whoſe waves in mazy errours loſt
Delightful roll along my native coaſt!
To whom we vainly vow'd, at our return, 180
Theſe locks to fall, and hecatombs to burn:
Full fifty rams to bleed in facrifice,
Where to the day thy filver fountains riſe,
And where in ſhade of confecrated bow'rs
Thy altars ſtand, perfum'd with native flow'rs!
So vow'd my father, but he vow'd in vain; 186
No more Achilles fees his native plain;
Ver. 176.] Though not authoriſed by a precife expreffion of
his model, inſtead of this redundancy, an explanatory interpolation
would not have been unfeaſonable; to define the purport of this
direction of his countenance:
Then homeward, with a figh, his looks he caft.
Ver. 178.] This couplet is a mere fancy of our tranflator's; nor
are the rhymes beyond the reach of cenfure. A trivial alteration
would render this interpolation ufelefs, upon our poet's plan:
Sperchius! to thee we vow'd at our return
Thefe locks in vain, and hecatombs to burn :
but I ſhould prefer a more accurate and circumftantial verſion :
To thee, Sperchius! Peleus vow'd in vain,
When his dear fon in fafety ſaw again
His native land, whole hecatombs to flay,
And from my head to cut this curl away.
Ver. 185.] The perfume, or fcent, intended by Homer, is not
that of flowers,, but that of incenfe, or animal vapours, from the
altar: which did not fall in fo readily with the convenience of our
tranflator.
A
BOOK XXIII.
93**
HOMER's ILIAD.
In that vain hope theſe hairs no longer grow,
Patroclus bears them to the fhades below.
Thus o'er Patroclus while the hero pray'd,
On his cold hand the facred lock he laid.
Once more afreſh the Grecian forrows flow:
And now the Sun had fet upon
their woe;
But to the king of men thus ſpoke the chief.
Enough, Atrides! give the troops relief:
Permit the mourning legions to retire,
And let the chiefs alone attend the pyre:
The pious care be ours, the dead to burn-
He ſaid: the people to their ſhips return:
191
195
Ver. 189.] Our tranflator feems to have profited by Chapman :
-and fince, I never more
Shall fee my lov'd foyle, my friends hands, fhall to the Stygian
Shore
Convey these treffes:
for their original may be literally given thus:
Since I return not to my much-lov'd home,
I give Patroclus now this lock to bear.
Ver. 190.] Another miſerable ſupplement: fee the note on
verfe 172. We might fubftitute here, perhaps not amifs, the
following alteration:
The hero pake; then turning to the shade,
On it's cold hand the fever'd lock he laid.
Thus Ogilby:
He in Patroclus hands his treffes laid.
Ver. 196.] Theſe are the rhymes of Ogilby, whofe verfion is
generally faithful:
1
Command, great king! (fince thou art beft obey'd,
And they have wept enough) all to retire
To their repait, whilft we attend the pyre.
94
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
કી
200
205
While thofe deputed to interr the flain:
Heap with a rifing pyramid the plain.
A hundred foot in length, a hundred wide,
The growing ſtructure fpreads on ev'ry fide;
High on the top the manly corſe they lay,
And well-fed ſheep, and fable oxen flay:
Achilles cover'd with their fat the dead,
And the pil❜d victims round the body ſpread;
Then jars of honey, and of fragrant oil,
Sufpends around, low-bending o'er the pile.
Four ſprightly courfers, with a deadly groan 210
Pour forth their lives, and on the pyre are thrown.
Of nine large dogs, domeſtick at his board,
Fall two, felected to attend their lord.
Ver. 200.] Interr feems an ineligible word in this place, and
one of a more general nature, equivalent to attend or manage, had
been better.
Ver. 204.] More agreeably to his author, thus:
High on the top, with fighs, the corſe they lay.
Ver. 208.] The imperfect rhymes of this couplet are from
Chapman.
Ver. 210.] Our tranflator here miſrepreſents his author. The
verfion may be rendered correct by the following fubftitution:
Four ſtately courfers his attendants flew :
Thefe on the pyre the chief, deep-groaning, threw.
Ver. 212.] A thouſand proofs will occur to the intelligent reader
of the unimproved ſtate of fociety in Homer's days, and proportionate
prefumptions of the great antiquity of this poem. It is not
improbable, that this paffage might fuggeft to his tranflator that
BOOK XXIII.
95
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
Then laft of all, and horrible to tell,
215
Sad facrifice! twelve Trojan captives fell.
On theſe the rage of fire victorious preys,
Involves and joins them in one common blaze.
Smear'd with the bloody rites, he ſtands on high,
And calls the ſpirit with a dreadful cry.
All hail, Patroclus! let thy vengeful ghoſt 220
Hear, and exult on Pluto's dreary coaſt.
Behold, Achilles' promiſe fully paid,
Twelve Trojan heroes offer'd to thy ſhade;
But heavier fates on Hector's corfe attend
Sav'd from the flames, for hungry dogs to rend.
So ſpake he, threat'ning: but the Gods made
vain
226
His threat, and guard inviolate the flain:
Celeſtial Venus hover'd o'er his head,
And roſeate unguents, heav'nly fragrance! fhed:
circumftance in his noble defcription of the Indian's character, in
the Effay on Man, i. 111:
But thinks, admitted to that equal ſky
His faithful dog ſhall bear him company.
Ver. 218.] This verfe is a fupplement from the tranflator.
Ver. 226.] A circumftance of his original, omitted by our
poet, might be thus included:
So threats the chief: his threat the gods make vain,
And keep, tho' dragg'd, inviolate the flain.
Ver. 228. Celestial Venus, &c.] Homer has here introduced a
Leries of allegories in the compafs of a few lines: the body of
Hector may be ſuppoſed to continue beautiful even after he was
96
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
She watch'd him all the night, and all the day,
And drove the bloodhounds from their deftin'd
prey.
231
Nor facred Phoebus lefs employ'd his care;
He pour'd around a veil of gather'd air,
And kept the nerves undry'd, the fleſh entire,
Againſt the ſolar beam and Sirian fire.
235
Nor yet the pile where dead Patroclus lies,
Smokes, nor as yet the fullen flames arife;
ſlain; and Venus being the prefident of beauty, the poet by a
natural fiction tells us it was preferved by that goddefs.
:
Apollo's covering the body with a cloud is a very natural
allegory for the fun (fays Euftathius) has a double quality which
produces contrary effects; the heat of it caufes a drynefs, but at
the fame time it exhales the vapours of the earth, from whence the
clouds of heaven are formed. This allegory may be founded upon
truth; there might happen to be a cool feafon while Hector lay
unburied, and Apollo, or the fun, raifing clouds which intercept
the heat of his beams, by a very eaſy fiction in poetry may be
introduced in perfon to preferve the body of Hector.
Ver. 233.] More accurately, thus:
Pour'd round the place from heaven a veil of air.
P.
Ver. 235.] This Sirian fire is unauthoriſed by his author, and
may probably be unintelligible to many readers. I fhould prefer
fome amendment to the following purport:
or,
From the fierce influence of the folar fire:
Safe from the fcorching touch of folar fire :
compare my note on the Trachiniæ of Sophocles, verfe 685.
Ver. 236.] As the rhymes of this couplet foon recur, an
introduction of fome variety would improve the paffage. Thus?
Nor yet Patroclus' pyre the breezes raiſe,
Nor
yet the fullen wood begins to blaze.
BOOK XXIII. HOMER's ILIAÐ.
97
240
But, faſt befide, Achilles ftood in pray'r,
Invok'd the Gods whofe fpirit moves the air,
And victims promis'd, and libations caſt,
To gentler Zephyr and the Boreal blaſt:
He call'd th' aërial pow'rs, along the ſkies
To breathe, and whiſper to the fires to rife.
The winged Iris heard the hero's call,
And inſtant haften'd to their airy hall,
Where, in old Zephyr's open courts on high,
Sat all the bluft'ring brethren of the fky.
She ſhone amidſt them, on her painted bow;
The rocky pavement glitter'd with the ſhow.
All from the banquet rife, and each invites 250
The various Goddeſs to partake the rites.
Not fo, (the dame reply'd) I haſte to go
To facred Ocean, and the floods below:
245
Ver. 243.] There is a want of elegance in a too cloſe repetition
of theſe little words, which a correct poet will ftudy to avoid.
Thus ?
and, whispering, bid the fires to rife.
Ver. 248.] Here we are indebted to the fancy of the tranſlator:
his author fays only,
Iris ran, and ftood
On the ſtone threſhold.
Ver. 250.] The fpirit of the original is better preferved by
Ogilby:
--all rofe as in the came;
Offering their feats to the celeftial dame.
VOL. VI.
H
98
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
254
Ev'n now our folemn hecatombs attend,
And heav'n is feafting, on the world's green end,
With righteous Æthiops (uncorrupted train!)
Far on th' extremeft limits of the main.
But Peleus' fon intreats, with facrifice,
The Weſtern Spirit, and the North to riſe;
Let on Patroclus' pile your blaſt be driv❜n, 260
And bear the blazing honours high to heav'n.
Swift as the word fhe vaniſh'd from their view
Swift as the word the winds tumultuous flew;
Ver. 258.] Our poet is not faithful to his author. Thus?
But Peleus' fon implores your winds to rife
From North and Weft, (and vows a facrifice)
To roufe that pile, which dead Patroclus bears,
Which Greece affembled waſh with fhowers of tears.
Ver. 263. The allegory of the winds.] A poet ought to expreſs
nothing vulgarly; and fure no poèt ever treſpaſſed leſs againſt this
rule than Homer, the fruitfulneſs of his invention is continually
raiſing incidents new and furpriſing. Take this paffage out of its
poetical drefs, and it will be no more than this: a ſtrong gale of
wind blew, and fo increafed the flame that it foon confumed the
pile. But Homer introduces the gods of the winds in perfon: and
Iris, or the rainbow, being (as Euftathius obferves) a fign not
only of ſhowers, but of winds; he makes them come at her
fummons.
Every circumftance is well adapted. As foon as the winds fee
Iris, they rife; that is, when the rainbow appears, the wind riſes :
ſhe refuſes to fit, and immediately returns; that is, the rainbow is
never feen long at one time, but ſoon appears, and ſoon vaniſhes:
ſhe returns over the ocean; that is, the bow is compoſed of waters,
and it would have been an unnatural fiction to have defcribed her as
paffing by land.
The winds are all together in the cave of Zephyrus, which may
imply that they were there as at their general rendezvous; or that
;
!
BOOK XXIII.
99
HOMER's ILIAD.
Forth burſt the ſtormy band with thund'ring roar,
And heaps on heaps the clouds are toft before. 265
To the wide main then ftooping from the ſkies,
The heaving deeps in wat'ry mountains rife:
the nature of all the winds is the fame; or that the weſtern wind is
in that country the moſt conſtant, and confequently it may be faid
that at ſuch ſeafons all the winds are affembled in one corner, or
rendezvous with Zephyrus.
Iris will not enter the cave: it is the nature of the rainbow to
be ſtretched entirely upon the furface, and therefore this fiction is
agreeable to reafon.
When Iris fays that the gods are partaking hecatombs in
Æthiopia, it is to be remembered that the gods are repreſented there
in the first book, before the fcenes of war were opened: and now
they are cloſed, they return thither. Euftathius.
Thus Homer makes the anger of his hero fo important, that it
roufed heaven to arms, and now when it is almoſt appeaſed, Achilles
as it were gives peace to the gods.
Ver. 265.] I ſhould like better,
the clouds are roll'd before;
but our tranſlator feems to have trodden in Chapman's fteps :
out ruſht, with an unmeafur'd rore,
Thoſe two winds, tumbling clouds in heapes.
Ver. 266.] Or thus?
Then, the frill blaft defcending from the ſkies-.
P.
Ver. 267.] Ogilby thought himſelf very fublime on this occa-
fion, and may ferve to relax the rifible organs of the reader:
Vaft billows ploughing up, whofe briny fpry
Lather'd with froathie fuds the fpangled fky.
This fpecimen, I think, comes very little ſhort of one much more
memorable in the annals of the Bathos:
To glaze the lakes, to bridle up the floods,
And periwig with ſnow the bald-pate woods.
H 2
100
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Troy feels the blaſt along her ſhaking walls,
"Till on the pile the gather'd tempeſt falls.
The ſtructure crackles in the roaring fires, 270
And all the night the plenteous flame afpires.
All night, Achilles hails Patroclus' foul,
With large libation from the golden bowl.
As a poor father, helpleſs and undone,
Mourns o'er the aſhes of an only fon,
Takes a fad pleaſure the laſt bones to burn,
And pour in tears, e'er yet they cloſe the urn :
So ſtay'd Achilles, circling round the ſhore,
So watch'd the flames, 'till now they flame no
more.
275
279
Ver. 270.] Thus Ogilby:
Thund'ring they charge the pile; then crackling fire
All night, and clouds of curled fmoak afpire.
Ver. 272.] This is graceful, but falls fhort of the tender fim..
plicity of his author; who may be thus literally repreſented:
and all night great Peleus' fon
From a gold goblet in a well-turn'd cup
Drew wine, and with libations bath'd the ground,
The foul invoking of his hapless friend.
Ver. 274.] Our poet, after Chapman and Ogilby, paffes over
the moſt important circumflance of the fimile, which may be thus
tranflated:
As wails a father, whilft he burns the bones
Of his dear fon to years of marriage grown,
When death a parent wounds with keeneſt woe.
Ver. 278.] Rather, perhaps, as more expreffive of the author's
language:
So moan'd Achilles, lingering round the fire;
So wept Patroclus, 'till the flames expire.
BOOK XXIII.
ΙΟΙ
HOMER's ILIAD.
'Twas when, emerging thro' the ſhades of night,
The morning planet told th' approach of light;
And faft behind, Aurora's warmer ray
O'er the broad ocean pour'd the golden day:
Then funk the blaze, the pile no longer burn'd,
And to their caves the whiſtling winds return'd: 285
Acroſs the Thracian feas their courſe they bore;
The ruffled feas beneath their paffage roar.
Then parting from the pile he ceas'd to weep,
And funk to quiet in th' embrace of ſleep,
I like Chapman's efforts at this place:
Still creeping neare and neare the heape; ftill fighing, weep-
ing ftill:
But when the day ſtarre look't abrode, and promift from his
hill
Light, which the faffron morne made good, and fprinkled
on the feas
Then languifht the great pile; then funke, the flames.
Ver. 281.] Or thus ? more exactly :
The star of morn unnounc'd approaching light;
And faffron-rob❜d Aurora's warmer ray
O'er ocean's wave prepar'd to ſcatter day.
Ver. 285.] More neatly, perhaps, with this trivial alteration :
Each to his cave, the whiſtling winds return'd.
Ver. 287.] More poetically, perhaps,
The Thracian feas, brush'd by their pinions, roar :
and I found afterwards, that Chapman had anticipated this image:
The Thracian billow ring's
Their high retreate; rufl'd with cuffes, of their triumphant
wings.
1
н 3
102
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
295
Exhauſted with his grief: meanwhile the croud
Of thronging Grecians round Achilles ſtood; 291
The tumult wak'd him: from his eyes he ſhook
Unwilling ſlumber, and the chiefs beſpoke.
Ye kings and princes of the Achaian name!
Firſt let us quench the yet remaining flame
With fable wine; then, (as the rites direct,)
The hero's bones with careful view felect:
(Apart, and eaſy to be known they lie,
Amidſt the heap, and obvious to the eye:
The reſt around the margins will be ſeen
Promiscuous, fteeds, and immolated men)
Theſe wrapt in double cawls of fat, prepare;
And in the golden vaſe diſpoſe with care;
There let them reft with decent honour laid,
"Till I fhall follow to th' infernal ſhade.
Meantime erect the tomb with pious hands,
A common ftructure on the humble fands: ;
300
305
Ver. 290.] His, original requires fome fubftitution like the
following:
meanwhile a throng,
On Agamemnon waiting, marcht along.
Ver. 292.] The rhymes cannot be allowed. Thus, more faith-
fully :
The tumult rous'd him: off his eye-lids ſhake
Their bands; he rofe; and thus the chief befpake.
Ver. 294.] More accurately,
O king! and princes
Ver. 307.] Rather, perhaps,
A tomb of humble ſtructure on the fands.
{
1
BOOK XXIII.
103
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Hereafter Greece fome nobler work may raiſe,
And late poſterity record our praiſe.
309
The Greeks obey; where yet the embers glow,
Wide o'er the pile the fable wine they throw,
And deep fubfides the aſhy heap below.
Next the white bones his fad companions place
With tears collected, in the golden vafe.
The facred relicks to the tent they bore;
The urn a veil of linen cover'd o'er.
That done, they bid the fepulchre aſpire,
And caft the deep foundations round the pyre;
High in the midſt they heap the ſwelling bed
Of rifing earth, memorial of the dead.
315
32Q
Ver. 308. Hereafter Greece a nobler pile ſhall raife.] We fee
how Achilles confults his own glory; the defire of it prevails over
his tenderneſs for Patroclus, and he will not permit any man, not
even his beloved Patroclus, to ſhare an equality of honour with him-
felf, even in the grave. Euftathius.
Thus his author, more clofely reprefented ;
in after-times the Greeks
May raife one, broad and lofty; they, that ſtay
Here in the fhips, when my thort race is run,
Ver. 311.] Thus Chapman :
heape,
P.
firft they quencht, with fable wine, the
As farre as it had fed the flame. The afh fell wondrous
deepe.
Ver. 320.] The latter claufe is from the invention of our
tranflator but, to avoid tautology, I would propofe,
Of Sacred earth, memorial of the dead.
H 4
104
BOOK XXIII.
HOME'R's ILIAD.
The ſwarming populace the chief detains,
And leads amidſt a wide extent of plains;
There plac'd 'em round: then from the ſhips
proceeds
A train of oxen, mules, and ftately ſteeds,
Vafes and Tripods, for the fun'ral games, 325
Refplendent braſs, and more refplendent dames.
Ver. 321. The games for Patroclus.] The conduct of Homer
in inlarging upon the games at the funeral of Patroclus is very judi-
cious: there had undoubtedly been fuch honours paid to feveral
heroes during the wars as appears from a paffage in the ninth book,
where Agamemnon to enhance the value of the horfes which he
offers Achilles, fays, that any perſon would be rich that had trea-
fures equal to the value of the prizes they had won; which races
muſt have been run during the fiege; for had they been before it,
the horfes would now have been too old to be of any value, this
being the tenth year of the war. But the poet paffes all thofe games
over in filence, and referves them for this ſeaſon; not only in
honour of Patroclus, but alſo of his hero Achilles; who exhibits
games to a whole army'; great generals are candidates for the prizes,
and he himſelf fits the judge and arbitrator: thus in peace as well as
war the poet maintains the fuperiority of the character of Achilles.
But there is another reaſon why the poet deferred to relate any
games that were exhibited at any preceding funerals: the death of
Patroclus was the moſt eminent period; and confequently the moſt
proper time for fuch games.
It is farther obfervable, that he chufes this peculiar time with
great judgment. When the fury of the war raged, the army could
not well have found leifure for the games, and they might have
met with interruption from the enemy: but Hector being dead,
all 'Troy was in confufion; they are in too great a confternation to
make any attempts, and therefore the poet could not poffibly have
choſen a more happy opportunity. Euftathius.
Ver. 326.] Homer ſays,
Females in graceful vefts, and iron bright :
but our tranflator found his prettinefs in Chapman :
P.
BOOK XXIlI.
105
HOMER'S ILIAD.
R
1
Firſt ſtood the prizes to reward the force
Of rapid racers in the dufty courfe:
A woman for the firſt, in beauty's bloom,
Skill'd in the needle, and the labʼring loom; 330
And a large vafe, where two bright handles rife,
Of twenty meaſures its capacious fize.
The ſecond victor claims a mare unbroke,
Big with a mule, unknowing of the yoke;
The third, a charger yet untouch'd by flame; 335
Four ample meaſures held the fhining frame:
Two golden talents for the fourth were plac'd;
An ample double bowl contents the laſt.
Employing them to fetch from fleete, rich tripods for his
games,
Caldrons, horfe, mules, brode-headed beeves, bright ficele,
and brighter dames.
Ver. 329.] His original has aμvava yvvama, a goodly woman;
but Chapman calls her faire and young; and Dacier “
une belle
captive:" and in verfe 332 our poet did not find the two and twenty
meaſures of his author convenient for his numbers.
Ver. 333.] The reader muſt admire the delicacy of Ogilby's
efforts on this paffage :
Next an unbroken mare, of fix years old;
Who, cover'd by an affe, had yet not foal'd :
to whom Chapman is not much inferiour; but a ſingle ſpecimen of
this beauty in compofition may fuffice.
Ver. 335.
I would render rather a caldron with Chapman and
Ogilby, or even a kettle with Hobbes.
Ver. 338.] So Chapman :
a great new ſtanding boule:
105
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
Theſe in fair order rang'd upon the plain,
The hero, rifing, thus addreft the train.
340
Behold the prizes, valiant Greeks! decreed
To the brave rulers of the racing fteed;
Prizes which none beſide ourſelf could gain,
Should our immortal courfers take the plain;
(A race unrivall'd, which from Ocean's God 345
Peleus receiv'd, and on his fon beſtow'd.)
But this no time our vigour to diſplay;
Nor fuit, with them, the games of this fad day:
Loft is Patroclus now, that wont to deck 349
Their flowing manes, and fleek their gloffy neck.
and I ſhould prefer, as the prefent word feems utterly inapplicable
to a future event,
An ample double bowl rewards the laſt:`
or rather" a a ſpacious double bowl," for the fake of a more varied
found.
Ver. 345.] The rhymes of this couplet will not endure the
rod of criticiſm. Thus ?
A gift to Peleus from the God of ſea;
And Peleus gave th' unrival'd pair to mẹ.
Ver. 349. Loft is Patroclus now, &c.] I am not ignorant that
Homer has frequently been blamed for fuch little digreffions as theſe ;
in this paffage he gives us the genealogy of his horfes, which he has
frequently told us in the preceding part of the poem. But
Euftathius juftifies his conduct, and fays that it was very proper to
commend the virtue of theſe horfes upon this occafion, when horfes
were to contend for victory at the fame time he takes an oppor-
tunity to make an honourable mention of his friend Patroclus, in
whofe honour theſe games were exhibited.
It
may be added as a farther juſtification of Homer, that this laſt
circumſtance is very natural; Achilles, while he commends his
BOOK XXIII.
107
HOMER'S ILIAD,
Sad, as they ſhar'd in human grief, they ſtand,
And trail thofe graceful honours on the fand!
Let others for the noble taſk prepare,
Who truſt the courfer, and the flying car.
355
Fir'd at his word, the rival racers rife;
But far the firſt, Eumelus hopes the prize,
Fam'd thro' Pieria for the fleeteſt breed,
And ſkill'd to manage the high-bounding ſteed.
horfes, remembers how careful Patroclus had been of them: his
love for his friend is ſo great, that the minuteſt circumſtance recalls
him to his mind; and fuch little digreffions, fuch avocations of
thought as thefe, very naturally proceed from the overflows of love
and forrow.
P.
Ver. 350.] Our tranflator ſeems to have had his eye on Chap-
man, who is more circumftantially faithful to his author:
that ufde with humorous oyle, to flick their loftie
manes ;
Cleare water having cleanfd them firſt.
Ver. 351.] There ſeems to be no grammatical propriety in this
conſtruction of a ſentence. We may thus correct:
Sad, as if sharing human grief, they ſtand:
or, if we wiſh more fidelity to the original, thus:
With heads declin'd and forrowing hearts, they ftand.
Ver. 353. Ogilby wants a little poliſh, but is more correct in his
rhymes, than Pope :
You who in fleeter fteeds confide, and dare
Venture your char'ots, ftraight yourſelves prepare.
Ver. 355.] He follows Chapman :
this fir'd all.
Ver. 357.] Pieria is not mentioned by Homer, but it was a
diftrict of Theffaly, the country of Eumelus.
108
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
359
With equal ardour bold Tydides fwell'd,
The ſteeds of Tros beneath his yoke compell❜d,
(Which late obey'd the Dardan chief's com-
mand,
When ſcarce a God redeem'd him from his hand.)
Then Menelaüs his Podargus brings,
And the fam'd courfer of the King of kings:
Whom rich Echepolus, (more rich than brave)
To 'ſcape the wars, to Agamemnon gave,
366
Ver. 363.] The attention of our poet to his pattern may be
diſcovered from the following exact tranſlation :
Then rofe the Spartan king with golden hair,
Illuftrious, and the rapid courfers yoakt;
His own Podargus and his brother's mare,
Ethe, to him by Echepolus given,
To ſcape attendance on the Trojan war,
And ſtay at home in joy. Jove gave to him
Great wealth; in ample Sicyon dwelt the chief,
Her, all on fire to run, Atrides yoaks.
Next, harneſt his fleek fteeds Antilochus,
Fam'd fon of Neftor, noble-minded king,
Whofe fire was Neleus: fteeds, in Pylos bred,
Whirl'd his fwift car the ſenior ſtanding by,
His fon, not elfe unapt, thus kindly warns.
Ver. 365. Whom rich Echepolus, &c.] One would think that
Agamemnon might be accuſed of avarice, in difpenfing with a man
from going to the war for the fake of a horſe; but Ariſtotle very
well obferves, that this prince is praife-worthy for having preferred
a horſe to a perfon fo cowardly, and fo uncapable of fervice. It
may be alſo conjectured from this paffage, that even in thofe elder
times it was the cuſtom, that thoſe who were willing to be excuſed
from the war, ſhould give either a horſe or man, and often both.
Thus Scipio going to Africa, ordered the Sicilians either to attend
him, or to give him horfes or men: and Agefilaus being at Ephefus
and wanting cavalry, made a proclamation, that the rich men who
BOOK XXIII.
109
HOMER's ILIAD.
!
(Æthe her name) at home to end his days;
Baſe wealth preferring to eternal praiſe.
Next him Antilochus demands the courſe,
With beating heart, and chears his Pylian
horſe.
Experienc'd Neftor gives his fon the reins,
Directs his judgment, and his heat reſtrains;
Nor idly warns the hoary fire, nor hears
The prudent fon with unattending ears.
370
!
would not ſerve in the war ſhould be diſpenſed with, provided they
furniſhed a man and a horſe in their ſtead; in which, fays Plutarch,
he wifely followed the example of king Agamemnon, who excufed a
very rich coward from ferving in perfon, for a preſent of a good
mare. Euftathius. Dacier.
P.
Ver. 371. Experienc'd Neftor, &c.] The poet omits no oppor-
tunity of paying honour to his old favourite Neftor, and I think he
is no where more particularly complimented than in this book. His
age had diſabled him from bearing any ſhare in the games; and yet
he artfully introduces him not as a mere fpectator, but as an actor in
the ſports. Thus he as it were wins the prize for Antilochus;
Antilochus wins not by the fwiftneſs of his horſes, but by the
wiſdom of Neſtor.
This fatherly tenderneſs is wonderfully natural; we ſee him in all
imaginable inquietude and concern for his fon; he comes to the
barrier, ftands befide the chariot, animates his fon by his praiſes, and
directs him by his leffons: you think the old man's foul mounts on
the chariot with his Antilochus, to partake the fame dangers, and
run the fame career.
Nothing can be better adapted to the character than this fpeech;
he expatiates upon the advantages of wiſdom over ftrength, which
is a tacit compliment to himſelf: and had there been a prize for
wiſdom, undoubtedly the old man would have claimed it as his
right. Euftathius.
si
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
My fon! tho' youthful ardour fire thy breaſt, 375
The gods have lov'd thee, and with arts have
bleft.
Neptune and Jove on thee conferr'd the ſkill,
Swift round the goal to turn the flying wheel.
To guide thy conduct, little precept needs;
But flow, and paſt their vigour, are my ſteeds.
feeds. 380
Fear not thy rivals, tho' for fwiftnefs known;
Compare thofe rivals judgment, and thy own:
It is not ſtrength, but art, obtains the prize,
And to be ſwift is lefs than to be wife.
'Tis more by art, than force of num'rous ſtrokes,
The dext❜rous woodman ſhapes the ſtubborn oaks;
384
་
Ver. 375.]
This couplet mifreprefents the meaning of his
author, and the rhymes of the next are vicious. Thus? fimply,
but correctly:
My fon! thy lot has been, though young, to fhare
Of Jove and Neptune the peculiar care:
They taught in feats of horfemen to excell;
Nor needs he counſel, who performs ſo well:
Thou know'ft, as whirls the glowing chariot round,
With nice dexterity to fhun the bound.
Yet, tho' thy ſkill fo little precept needs—.
Ver. 385.] Our poet does but follow his predeceffors in this
acceptation of the paffage; but he ſhould have written in my opinion,
Far lefs avails a woodman's ſturdy ftroke,
Than dextrous art, to fell the ſtubborn oak:
and the epithet dextrous is incongruous in this contraft of art and
Strength, when the word art had been employed in the preceding
line.Mr. Cowper, I perceive, with his ufual accuracy of tafte, has
feen the paffage in it's true point of view.
BOOK XXIII.
III
HOMER's ILIAD.
By art, the pilot thro' the boiling deep
And howling tempeft fteers the fearleſs fhip;
And 'tis the artiſt wins the glorious courſe,
Not thofe, who truft in chariots, and in horfe. 390
In vain; unſkilful, to the goal they ſtrive,
And ſhort, or wide, th' ungovern'd courfer drive:
While with ſure ſkill, tho' with inferiour ſteeds,
The knowing racer to his end proceeds;
Fix'd on the goal his eye fore-runs the courfe, 395
His hand unerring fteers the ſteady horſe,
And now contracts, or now extends the rein,
Obferving ſtill the foremoſt on the plain.
Mark then the goal, 'tis eaſy to be found;
Yon' aged trunk, a cubit from the ground; 400
Of fome once ſtately oak the laft remains,
Or hardy fir, unperiſh'd with the rains:
Inclos'd with ſtones, confpicuous from afar;
And round, a circle for the wheeling car. 404
(Some tomb perhaps of old, the dead to grace;
Or then, as now, the limit of a race)
Ver. 387.] The rhymes are truly infamous, and indicate
inexcufable hafte and careleffneſs. Thus?
By art the pilot, when the tempeſt raves,
Steers his ſwift veffel thro' the toffing waves.
Ver. 395.] Ogilby alfo has thefe rhymes; but they are by no
means correct, and have occurred not far above.
Ver. 400.] So Chapman:
Here ftands a drie ftub of fome tree, a cubite from the ground.
112
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Bear cloſe to this, and warily proceed,
A little bending to the left hand ſteed;
But urge the right, and give him all the reins; 409
While thy ſtrict hand his fellow's head reſtrains,
And turns him fhort; 'till, doubling as they roll,
The wheel's round nave appear to bruſh the goal.
Yet (not to break the car, or lame the horſe)
Clear of the ftony heap direct the courſe;
Left thro' incaution failing, thou may'ſt be 415
A joy to others, a reproach to me.
Ver. 411.] This unaccountable idea of "doubling as they roll,"
which Ogilby thus exhibits:
untill thou joyne
The nave and wheel's circumf'rence in a line:
and Mr. Cowper thus ;
that the nave
And felly of thy wheel may feem to meet :
this inexplicable idea, I fay, which has puzzled fcholiafts and
commentators arofe from a grofs mifconception of the moſt perfpicuous
paffage imaginable. The words xuxas TomToo in the original are in
connection with the ſubſtantive ¤λnʊn, and not with the words
expor incoba. Homer, in fhort, means no more than what Horace
'very elegantly expreffes in his firft ode:
Evitata rotis:
metaque fervidis
the whole force of which fentence refides in the participle; juft
eſcaped, and no more: becauſe, in proportion to it's approach to the
goal, the circle of the chariot would be contracted, and an
advantage gained, well understood by the practitioners of our days
alfo.
Ver. 416.] Another proof of great careleffneſs, in a neglect
of his author for the convenience of the rhyme. Chapman is
1
exact:
BOOK XXIII,
113
HOMER'S ILIAD.
So fhalt thou pafs the goal, fecure of mind,
And leave unfkilful fwiftnefs far behind:
420
Tho' thy fierce rival drove the matchleſs ſteed ·
Which bore Adraftus, of celeſtial breed;
Or the fam'd race, thro' all the regions known,
That whirl'd the car of proud Laomedon.
:
Thus, (nought unfaid) the much-advifing fage
Concludes; then fat, ftiff with unwieldy age.
Next bold Meriones was feen to rife,
The laſt, but not leaſt ardent for the prize.
425
that will breed
Others delight, and thee a shame.
More conformity to his original may be fuperinduced thus:
Left, failing thus, to others thou mayft be
A joy, diſgraceful to thyself and me.
Ver. 417.] The phrafe fecure of mind may be pronounced, I
think, truly villainous, as here employed: nor is the author's
meaning defcried through the medium of our poet's verfion. The
following attempt is literally faithful:
But, my dear boy! be cautious and diſcreet :
If at the turn thou ſwiftly paſs with ſkill
Thy peers, no bounding rival beats thee then;
Tho' at thy back Adraſtus' flying ſteed
He drive, Arion, breed of Gods! or thine,
Laomedon; brave courfers! nurs'd in Troy.
Ver. 419.] Our poet has poliſh'd Ogilby :
No, fhould he drive Adraftus' fi'ry ſteed,
Renown'd Areion, of celeftial feed.
Ver. 424.] The latter part of this verfe is a mere interpolation,
and, as it appears to me, a clumfy interpolation, of the tranflator.
I will propoſe a ſubſtitution, with the help of Ogilby's rhymes :
Thus to his fon the myſteries of the race
Unfolded Neſtor, and reſum'd his place.
VOL. VI.
I
:
114
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
They mount their feats; the lots their place
diſpoſe;
(Roll'd in his helmet, theſe Achilles throws.)
Young Neftor leads the race: Eumeles then;
And next, the brother of the king of men: 430
Thy lot, Meriones, the fourth was caft;
And far the braveft, Diomed, was laſt.
They ſtand in order, an impatient train;
Pelides points the barrier on the plain,
Ver. 427. The lots their place difpofe.] According to theſe lots
the charioteers took their places; but to know whether they ſtood
all in an equal front, or one behind another, is a difficulty:
Euftathius fays the ancients were of opinion that they did not ſtand
in one front; becauſe it is evident that he who had the firft lot, had
a great advantage of the other charioteers: if he had not, why
fhould Achilles caft lots? Madam Dacier is of opinion that they
all ſtood a-breaft at the barrier, and that the firft would ftill have a
fufficient advantage, as he was nearer the bound, and ſtood within
the reft; whereas the others muſt take a larger circle, and
confequently were forced to run a greater compafs of ground.
Phoenix was placed as an inſpector of the race, that is, fays
Euftathius, he was to make report whether they had obferved the
laws of the race in their feveral turnings.
Sophocles obferves the fame method with Homer in relation to
the lots and inſpectors, in his Electra :
Οἱ τέτα μένοι βραβεῖς
Κλήροις ἔπηλαν καὶ κατέτησαν δίφρον.
The conftituted judges affigned the places according to the lots.
The ancients fay that the charioteers ftarted at the Sigæum, where
the ſhips of Achilles lay,
ſhips towards the fhores.
and ran towards the Rhæteum, from the
But Ariftarchus affirmed that they run
in the compaſs of ground thoſe five tadia, which lay between the
wall and the tents toward the fhore. Euftathius.
P.
BOOK XXIII.
115
HOMER's ILIAD.
And fends before old Phoenix to the place, 435
To mark the racers, and to judge the race,
At once the courfers from the barrier bound;
The lifted ſcourges all at once reſound;
Their heart, their eyes, their voice, they fend
before;
439
And up the champaign thunder from the fhore:
Thick, where they drive, the duſty clouds ariſe,
And the loft courfer in the whirlwind flies;
Loofe on their fhoulders the long manes reclin'd,
Float in their ſpeed, and dance upon the wind:
The ſmoking chariots, rapid as they bound, 445
Now ſeem to touch the ſky, and now the ground.
Ver. 435.] Chapman is circumftantial and exact:
-In which he fet
Renowned Phoenix, that in grace, of Peleus was fo great,
To ſee the race, and give a truth, of all their paſſages.
Ver. 444.] Dryden, at the end of Æneid vii :
- and, behind,
Her Lycian quiver dances in the wind.
Ver. 446.] This appears to me extravagantly hyperbolical, but
our tranflator followed Dryden, at Virg. Geo. iii. 172, the parallel
paffage:
And now a-low, and now aloft they fly,
As borne through aire, and ſeem to touch the sky.
But, independently of this hypertragical humour, the couplet, in
my judgement, is not ikilfully conducted, and would be excelled by
fomething after the following turn of thought:
The fmoaking chariots, now with rapid bound
Rife into air, now fkim along the ground.
I 2
116
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
•
While hot for fame, and conqueft all their care,
(Each o'er his flying courfer hung in air)
Erect with ardour, pois'd upon the rein,
They pant, they ſtretch, they ſhout along the
plain.
450
455
Now, (the laſt compaſs fetch'd around the goal)
At the near prize each gathers all his foul,
Each burns with double hope, with double pain,
Tears up the fhore, and thunders tow'rd the main.
Firſt flew Eumelus on Pheretian fteeds;
With thoſe of Tros, bold Diomed fucceeds:
Cloſe on Eumelus' back they puff the wind,
And ſeem juſt mounting on his car behind;
Full on his neck he feels the fultry breeze,
And hov'ring o'er, their ftretching fhadows fees.
Ver. 453.] Thus, more conformably to his original :
Each burns with double hope; the courfers ftrain
With growing Speed, and thunder tow'rd the main..
Still, however, an exception lies againſt the rhymes, for too early a
repetition of them.
Ver. 458. And feem just mounting on his car behind.] A more
natural image than this could not be thought of. The poet makes
us fpectators of the race, we fee Diomed preffing upon Eumelus fo
clofely, that his chariot ſeems to climb the chariot of Eumelus. P..
The expreffion of the verfe is uncommonly happy, and perfectly
correſpondent to it's original.
Ver. 460.] This image our tranflator did not find in Homer,
but in Ovid; fee my note on his Windfor-Foreft, verfe 191.
The following is a literal verfion of Homer's diſtich:
Eumelus' back and ſhoulders with their breath
Grew warm their heads hung o'er him, as they flew.
BOOK XXIII.
117
HOMER's ILIAD.
Then had he loft, or left a doubtful prize; 461
But angry Phœbus to Tydides flies,
Strikes from his hand the fcourge, and renders
vain
His matchleſs horfes labour on the plain.
Rage fills his eye with anguiſh, to furvey 465
Snatch'd from his hope the glories of the day.
Ver. 461.] His author preſcribes this adjuſtment of the couplet;
Then had Tydides doubtful left the prize,
Or gain'd, when angry Phoebus to him flies,
Ver. 465. Rage fills his eye with anguiſh, to ſurvey, &c.] We
have feen Diomed furrounded with innumerable dangers, acting in
the moſt perilous fcenes of blood and death, yet never ſhed one
tear and now he weeps on a ſmall occafion for a mere trifle. This
muſt be ascribed to the nature of mankind, who are often tranfported
with trifles; and there are certain unguarded moments in every
man's life; fo that he who could meet the greateſt dangers with
intrepidity, may through anger be betrayed into an indecency.
Euftathius.
The reafon why Apollo is angry at Diomed, according to
Euftathius, is becauſe he was intereſted for Eumelus, whofe mares
he had fed, when he ferved Admetus; but I fancy he is under a
miſtake; this indeed is a reaſon why he ſhould favour Eumelus, but
not why he ſhould be angry at Diomed. I rather think that the
quarrel of Apollo with Diomed was perfonal; becauſe he offered
him a violence in the fifth book, and Apollo ftill refents it.
The fiction of Minerva's affifting Diomed is grounded upon
his being fo wife as to take a couple of whips to prevent any
mifchance: fo that Wiſdom, or Pallas, may be faid to lend him
one. Euftathius.
Our
P.
poet
is too concife with his author. Thus, more exactly :
Tears of vexation gufh in ftreams, to fee
His rival's courfers more and more outstrip
His own, unfcourg'd, impeded in the race,
1 3
118
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
The fraud celeftial Pallas fees with pain,
´Springs to her knight, and gives the ſcourge again,
And fills his ſteeds with vigour. At a ſtroke,
She breaks his rivals chariot from the yoke; 470
No more their way the ftartled horfes held;
The car revers'd came rattling on the field;
Shot headlong from his feat, beſide the wheel,
Prone on the duſt th' unhappy maſter fell;
His batter'd face and elbows ftrike the ground;
Nofe, mouth and front, one undiſtinguiſh'd
wound:
474
Grief ſtops his voice, a torrent drowns his eyes;
Before him far the glad Tydides flies;
Minerva's ſpirit drives his matchleſs pace,
And crowns him victor of the labour'd race. 489
The next, tho' diftant, Menelas fucceeds;
While thus young Neftor animates his ſteeds.
Now, now, my gen'rous pair, exert your force;
Not that we hope to match Tydides' horſe,
Ver. 469.] More fully to his author, thus ;
With vigour fills his ſteeds; an angry ftroke
Then breaks-:
but the rhymes of the preceding couplet return too foen, and thoſe
of the two following are not fufficiently exact.
Ver. 477.] Thus Ogilby:
His elbow and his forehead hurt, his eyes
Brim-full with tears: Tydides all out-flyes.
Ver. 483. The Speech of Antilochus to his horfes.] I fear Anti-
lochus his fpeech to his horfes is blameable; Euftathius himſelf
BOOK XXIII.
119
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Since great
Minerva wings their rapid way, 485
And gives their lord the honours of the day.
But reach Atrides! Shall his mare out-go
Your ſwiftneſs? vanquiſh'd by a female foe?
Thro' your neglect, if lagging on the plain
The laſt ignoble gift be all we gain;
No more fhall Neftor's hand food fupply,
The old man's fury riſes, and ye die.
Haſte then; yon' narrow road before our fight
Preſents th' occafion, could we uſe it right. 494
your
490
Thus he. The courfers at their maſter's threat
With quicker ſteps the founding champain beat.
And now Antilochus with nice furvey,
Obferves the compaſs of the hollow way,
The
ſeems to think it a fault that he ſhould ſpeak fo much in the very
heat of the race. He commands and foothes, counfels and
threatens his horfes, as if they were reaſonable creatures,
fubfequent ſpeech of Menelaus is more excufable as it is more ſhort,
but both of them are ſpoken in a paffion, and anger we know makes
us fpeak to every thing, and we difcharge it upon the moft fenfeleſs
objects.
Ver. 485.] So Chapman :
Athenia wings his horfe, and him, renownes :
for their original is,
Pallas now to them
Has fleetneſs given, and to their maſter praiſe.
Ver. 488.] Chapman has the fame repetition;
To femall Ethe.
to yeeld, in ſwiftneſſe to a mare♣
P.
1 4
120
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
5.00
505
"Twas where by force of wint'ry torrents torn,
Faſt by the road a precipice was worn:
Here, where but one could pafs, to fhun the throng
The Spartan hero's chariot ſmok'd along.
Clofe up the vent'rous youth refolves to keep,
Still edging near, and bears him tow'rd the ſteep.
Atrides, trembling cafts his eye below,
And wonders at the raſhneſs of his foe.
Hold, ftay your ſteeds-What madneſs thus to ride
This narrow way? Take larger field (he cry'd)
Or both muſt fall-Atrides cry'd in vain;
He flies more faft, and throws up all the rein. 510
Far as an able arm the diſk can fend,
When youthful rivals their full force extend,
So far, Antilochus! thy chariot flew
Before the king: he, cautious, backward drew
His horfe compell'd; foreboding in his fears
The rattling ruin of the claſhing cars,
515
Ver. 503.] He had recourfe to Chapman, but varied one rhym-
ing word:
cleaving deepe
All that neare paffage to the lifts. This Neftor's fonne would keepe,
And left the rode way, being about: Atrides fear'd, and cride :
Antilochus! thy courfe is mad; containe thy horſe; we ride
A way most dangerous.
Ver. 510.] More clearly and correctly, thus:
The youth, regardleſs, goads, and gives the rein
Ver. 515.] The rhymes are not to be commended for correct-
nefs. I will propoſe a ſubſtitution, which is more obſervant of the
language of the author:
BOOK XXIII.
121
HOMER'S A
ILIAD.
The flound'ring courfers rolling on the plain,
And conqueft loft thro' frantick hafte to gain.
But thus upbraids his rival as he flies;
Go, furious youth! ungen'rous and unwife! 520
Go, but expect not I'll the prize reſign;
Add perjury to fraud, and make it thine.-
Then to his fteeds with all his force he cries;
Be fwift, be vig'rous, and regain the prize!
Your rivals, deftitute of youthful force,
With fainting knees fhall labour in the courſe,
And yield the glory yours-The ſteeds obey ;
Already at their heels they wing their way,
And ſeem already to retrieve the day.
525
530
Meantime the Grecians in a ring beheld
The courfers bounding o'er the dufty field.
The firſt who mark'd them was the Cretan king;
High on a rifing ground, above the ring,
The monarch fat: from whence with fure furvey
He well obferv'd the chief who led the way,
And heard from far his animating cries,
And faw the foremoſt ſteed with ſharpen'd eyes;
He, cautious, backward drew
The yielding courfers; whilft his fears forebode
Their chariots claſhing in the ftraighten'd road.
536
Ver. 528.] We may thus remedy the ambiguity of this verſe:
Cloſe at their rivals' heels they wing their way.
Ver. 534.]
removed:
The impropriety of this line may be readily
The mon arch fat; and thence with fure furvey.
+
122
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
On whofe broad front, a blaze of fhining white
Like the full moon, ftood obvious to the fight.
He faw; and rifing, to the Greeks begun. 540
Are yonder horfe difcern'd by me alone?
Or can ye, all, another chief furvey,
And other ſteeds, than lately led the way?
Thofe, tho' the fwifteft, by fome god with-
held,
Lie fure difabled in the middle field:
545
For fince the goal they doubled, round the plain
I fearch to find them, but I fearch in vain.
Perchance the reins forfook the driver's hand,
And, turn'd too fhort, he tumbled on the ſtrand,
Shot from the chariot; while his courfers ftray
With frantick fury from the deftin'd way.
Rife then fome other, and inform my fight,
(For thefe dim eyes, perhaps, difcern not right)
Ver. 538.] The rhymes of this couplet are in Chapinan.
551
Ver. 540.] Unpardonable rhymes: and I know not, if the
following attempt be fufficiently elevated even for fimple dialogue :
He faw; and, rifing ſaid: Ye Greeks am I
The first of all theſe horſes to defcry?
Ver. 544.] Thefe vicious rhymes occurred not long ago; and
they are repeated here with the aggravation of a grammatical offence,
with-held for with-holden.
Ver. 550.] Tautology may be avoided, and fidelity fecured,
by a fimple alteration; thus:
From his crab'd chariot.
BOOK XXIII.
123
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Yet ſure he ſeems, (to judge by ſhape and air,)
The great Ætolian chief, renown'd in war. 555
Old man! (Oïleus rafhly thus replies)
Thy tongue too haftily confers the prize,
Of thoſe who view the courſe, not ſharpeſt ey'd,
Nor youngeſt, yet the readieſt to decide.
Eumelus' ſteeds high-bounding in the chace, 560
Still, as at firſt, unrivall'd lead the race:
I well difcern him, as he ſhakes the rein,
And hear his ſhouts victorious o'er the plain.
Thus he. Idomeneus incens'd rejoin'd.
Barb'rous of words! and arrogant of mind! 565
Contentious prince, of all the Greeks befide
The laſt in merit, as the firſt in pride:
Ver. 554.] The rhymes are bad. The following fubftitution is,
perhaps, only preferable as more expreffive of the original :
An Argive king, his ſhape and fize declare,
Th' Ætolian Diomed, brave Tydeus' heir.
Ver. 556.] Various inaccuracies are found in our poet's verfion
of theſe ſpeeches; but the reader would not thank me for a fcrupu-
lous enumeration of trivial deviations in paffages, not fufceptible of
poetical embelliſhment, and on which our attentions cannot " linger
with delight." Mr. Cowper will gratify fuch as wiſh the moſt exact
fidelity to the language and fentiments of the author.
Ver, 562.] Thus Ogilby;
Thoſe are Eumelus fteeds who fcoure the plaines,
And that himſelf fo fteady guides the reins.
Ver. 563.] This line is interpolated by the tranflator.
Ver. 565. The difpute between Idomeneus and Ajax.] Nothing
124
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIÍI.
To vile reproach what anſwer can we make?
A goblet or a tripod let us ftake,
2
569
And be the king the judge. The moſt unwiſe
Will learn their raſhneſs, when they pay the price.
could be more naturally imagined than this contention at a horſe-
race the leaders were divided into parties, and each was intereſted
for his friend: the poet had a two-fold defign, not only to embel-
liſh and diverfify his poem by fuch natural circumftances, but alfo
to fhew us, as Euftathius obferves, from the conduct of Ajax, that
paffionate men betray themſelves into follies, and are themſelves
guilty of the faults of which they accuſe others.
It is with a particular decency that Homer makes Achilles the
arbitrator between Idomeneus and Ajax: Agamemnon was his
fuperiour in the army, but as Achilles exhibited the fhows, he was
the proper judge of any difference that ſhould ariſe about them,
Had the conteft been between Ajax and Idomeneus, confidered as
foldiers, the cauſe muſt have been brought before Agamemnon;
but as they are to be confidered as fpectators of the games, they
ought to be determined by Achilles.
It may not be unneceffary juft to obferve to the reader the judi-
ciouſneſs of Homer's conduct in making Achilles exhibit the games,
and not Agamemnon: Achilles is the hero of the poem, and confe-
quently muſt be the chief actor in all the great fcenes of it; he had
remained inactive during a great part of the poem, yet the poet
makes his very inactivity contribute to the carrying on the defign of
his Ilias; and to fupply his abſence from many of the bufy fcenes
of the preceding parts of it, he now in the concluſion makes him
almoſt the fole agent: by theſe means he leaves a noble idea of his
hero upon the mind of his reader; as he raiſed our expectations
when he brought him upon the ftage of action, fo he makes him go.
off with the utmoſt pomp and applauſe.
So Chapman ::
Barbarous languag'd:
Thou beft, in fpeeches worft;
but Pope's rhymes are incorrect.
P.
Ver. 568.] Ogilby renders,
BOOK XXIII.
125
HOMER's ILIAD.
He faid: and Ajax by mad paffion borne,
Stern had reply'd; fierce fcorn enhancing fcorn
To fell extremes. But Thetis' god-like ſon,
Awful, amidſt them rofe, and thus begun. 575
Forbear, ye chiefs! reproachful to contend;
Much would ye blame,fhould others thus offend:
And lo! th'approaching ſteeds your conteſt end..
No fooner had he ſpoke, but thund'ring near,
Drives, thro' a ftream of duft, the charioteer. 580
High o'er his head the circling lafſh he wields;
His bounding horſes ſcarcely touch the fields:
A tripod or a charger I dare flake,
(And let us Agamemnon umpire make).
Ver, 576.] Our poet much abbreviates, and mifreprefents his
author. I will give a correction of Ogilby to the reader, with one
verſe from Pope :
Ye chiefs! it mifbecomes you to contend;
Much would ye blame, fhould others thus offend.
Sit ſtill, expectant who ſhall gain the palm ;
Soon their arrival mußt your paffions calm ;
Their hopes will give them wings: ye then will fee,
Whofe horſes foremoft, and whofe fecond be.
Ver. 579.] Our tranflator feems to have had his eye on Hobbes:
This faid, they faw Tydides very near
Plying his whip; his horfes feem'd to fly;
And cover'd was with duft the charretier;
And hard it was the track o' th' wheels to ſpy.
And our poet's criticism on verfe 581, wherever he found ît,
ſeems erroneous: compare Il. O. 352.
Ver. 581. High o'er his head the circling lash he wields.] I am
perfuaded that the common tranſlation of the word Kalwador, in
126
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
His car amidſt the dufty whirlwind roll'd,
Bright with the mingled blaze of tin and gold,
Refulgent thro' the cloud: no eye can find 585
The track his flying wheels had left behind:
And the fierce courfers urg'd their rapid pace
So ſwift, it ſeem'd a flight, and not a race.
Now victor at the goal Tydides ftands,
Quits his bright car, and ſprings upon the fands;
+
589
the original of this verfe, is faulty: it is rendered, he lashed the
borfes continually over the shoulders; whereas I fancy it ſhould be
tranflated thus, affidué (equos) agitabat fcutica ab humero ducta.
This naturally expreſſes the very action, and whirl of the whip over
the driver's fhoulder, in the act of lafhing the horfes, and agrees
with the uſe of the fame word in the 431ft line of this book in the
original, where sa dioxs xalaμadioso muſt be tranflated jactus diſci
ab humero vibrati.
Perfpicuity abfolutely requires us to correct,
High o'er his head the laſh Tydides wields.
P.
Ver. 585.] This is a ftretch beyond his author, who may be
faithfully reprefented thus:
nor diftinct
Appear'd the pathway of the wheels behind
In the fine duft: fo rapidly they flew.
But our tranſlator ſeems to have made uſe of both his predeceffors:
for thus Chapman :
mould
no wheele feene, nor wheeles print in the
Impreft behind them. Theſe horſe flew, a flight; not
ranne a race.
And thus Ogilby, in no defpicable ſtrains
So fwiftly ran his courfers, that their heels
Made no impreffion, nor his chariot wheels.
BOOK XXIII.
127
HOMER's ILIAD.
From the hot ſteeds the fweaty torrents ſtream;
The well-ply'd whip is hung athwart the beam:
With joy brave Sthenelus receives the prize,
The tripod-vafe, and dame with radiant eyes:
Theſe to the ſhips his train triumphant leads, 595
The chief himſelf unyokes the panting ſteeds.
Young Neftor follows (who by art, not
force,
600
O'er-paſt Atrides) ſecond in the courſe.
Behind, Atrides urg'd the race, more near
Than to the courfer in his ſwift career
The following car, juft touching with his heel
And bruſhing with his tail the whirling wheel:
Such, and fo narrow now the ſpace between
The rivals, late ſo diſtant on the green;
So foon fwift the her loft ground regain'd, 605
One length, one moment, had the race obtain❜d.
Merion purſu'd, at greater diſtance ſtill,
With tardier courfers, and inferiour ſkill.
Laſt came, Admetus! thy unhappy fon; 609
Slow dragg'd the ſteeds his batter'd chariot on:
Achilles faw, and pitying thus begun.
Behold! the man whoſe matchleſs art ſurpaſt
The fons of Greece! the ableft, yet the laſt!
Ver. 601.] Thus Ogilby:
Who yet him reach't fo far as monarchs zubeels
Scowring fuft downes purfue the horfes heels.
128
BOOK XXHI.
HOMER's ILIADA
Fortune denies, but juſtice bids us pay
(Since great Tydides bears the firſt away) 615
To him the ſecond honours of the day.
The Greeks confent with loud applauding
cries,
620
And then Eumelus had receiv'd the prize,
But youthful Neftor, jealous of his fame,
Th' award oppoſes, and afferts his claim.
Think not (he cries) I tamely will refign
O Peleus' fon! the mare fo justly mine.
What if the Gods, the fkilful to confound,
Have thrown the horſe and horfeman to the
ground?
Ver. 614. Fortune denies, but juftice, &c.] Achilles here intends.
to ſhew, that it is not just, fortune ſhould rule over virtue, but that
a brave man who had performed his duty, and who did not bring
upon himſelf his misfortune, ought to have the recompence he has
deferved and this principle is juft, provided we do not reward him
at the expence of another's right: Eumelus is a Theffalian, and it is
probable Achilles has a partiality to his countryman. Dacier. P.
Ver. 617.]. Of the latter part of this verſe there are no traces in
his author, or any of his predeceffors; it was introduced for the
fake of the rhyme only. Thus? more accurately:
All to this fentence of the chief agreed :
And Straight Eumelus had receiv'd the feed.
Ver, 621.] Our tranſlator is but inattentive to his author in the
prefent paffage. The following attempt is literally exact:
Achilles, much refentment fhall I feel
At this: you mean to take away my prize,
For this difafter to his car and ſteeds ;
1
They ſwift, he ſkilfull: but he ſhould have pray'd
To Heaven; nor furely then had been the laſt.
BOOK XXIII.
129
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Perhaps he fought not heav'n by facrifice, 625
And vows omitted forfeited the prize.
If yet (diſtinction to thy friend to ſhow,
And pleaſe a foul defirous to beſtow,)
Some gift muſt grace Eumelus; view thy ſtore
Of beauteous handmaids, fteeds, and fhining ore,
An ample prefent let him thence receive,
And Greece fhall praiſe thy gen'rous thirſt to
give.
631
But this, my prize, I never ſhall forego;
This, who but touches, warriours! is my foe.
Ver. 629.] Literally thus:
Thy will incline, thy tents in plenty hold
Steeds, ſheep, and captive women, brafs and gold.
] There
he ſpeaks with
Ver. 633. But this, my prize, I never ſhall forego.-
is an air of bravery in this diſcourſe of Antilochus
the generofity of a gallant foldier, and prefers his honour to his
intereft; he tells Achilles if he pleaſes he may make Eumelus a
richer preſent than his prize; he is not concerned for the value of it;
but as it was the reward of victory, he would not refign it, becauſe
that would be an acknowledgment that Eumelus deſerved it.
The character of Antilochus is admirably fuftained through
this whole epiſode; he is a very fenfible man, but tranſported with
youthful heat, and ambitious of glory: his rafhnefs in. driving fo
furiously against Menelaus muft be imputed to this; but his paffions
being gratified by the conqueft in the race, his reaſon again returns,
he owns his error, and is full of refignation to Menelaus.
P.
Ver. 634.] Or, as Chapman expreffes his author more
diſtinctly :
His hand and mine muft change fome blowes.
K
VOL. VI.
130
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Thus fpake the youth, nor did his words offend;
Pleas'd with the well-turn'd flatt'ry of a friend, 636
Achilles fmil'd: The gift propos'd (he cry'd)
Antilochus! we ſhall ourſelf provide.
With plates of brafs the corfelet cover'd o'er,
(The fame renown'd Afteropaeus wore)
Whoſe glitt'ring margins rais'd with filver ſhine;
(No vulgar gift) Eumelus, ſhall be thine.
640.
He faid: Automedon at his command
The corfelet brought, and gave it to his hand.
Diſtinguiſh'd by his friend, his bofom glows 645
With gen'rous joy: then Menelaüs roſe;
The herald plac'd the fceptre in his hands,
And ſtill'd the clamour of the ſhouting bands.
Not without caufe incens'd at Neftor's fon,
And inly grieving, thus the King begun:
650
The praiſe of wiſdom, in thy youth obtain'd,
An act ſo raſh (Antilochus) has ftain'd.
Robb'd of my glory and my juft reward,
To you, O Grecians! be my wrong declar'd;
Ver. 636.] He might eafily have exhibited his author with
more fimplicity, as follows:
Pleas'd with th' ingenuous frankness of his friend,
Ver. 651.] They, who wish for rigid accuracy (and rigid
accuracy is the firſt merit of a tranſlator) muſt have recourfe to Mr.
Cowper's verfion of this fpeech: but the minutiae of variation,
fcrupulouſly ſtated, in paffages of this complexion, might weary
and difguft the reader.
་
BOOK XXIII.
131
HOMER's ILIAD.
So not a leader fhall our conduct blame,
Or judge me envious of a rival's fame.
655
But fhall not we, ourſelves, the truth maintain ?
What needs appealing in a fact fo plain?
What Greek fhall blame me, if I bid thee
rife,
And vindicate by oath th' ill-gotten prize? 660
Rife if thou dar'ft, before thy chariot ſtand,
The driving fcourge high-lifted in thy hand;
And touch thy ſteeds, and fwear, thy whole intent
Was but to conquer, not to circumvent.
Swear by that God whofe liquid arms furround 665
The globe, and whofe dread earthquakes heave
the ground.
The prudent chief with calm attention heard;
Then mildly thus: Excufe, if youth have err'd;
Superiour as thou art, forgive th' offence,
Nor I thy equal, or in years, or fenfe.
670
It is evident,
Ver. 663. And touch thy fteeds, and fwear -]
fays Euftathius, from hence, that all fraud was forbid in this chariot
race; but it is not very plain what unlawful deceit Antilochus uſed
againſt Menelaus: perhaps Antilochus in his hafte had declined
from the race-ground, and avoided fome of the uneven places of it,
and confequently took an unfair advantage of his adverfary; or per-
haps his driving fo furiouſly againſt Menelaus, as to endanger both
their chariots and their lives, might be reckoned foul play; and
therefore Antilochus refuſes to take the oath.¸
P.
K 2
132
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Thou know'ft the errors of unripen'd age,
Weak are its counfels, headlong is its rage.
The prize I quit, if thou thy wrath refign;
The mare, or aught thou aſk'ſt, be freely thine:
E'er I become (from thy dear friendſhip torn) 675
Hateful to thee, and to the Gods forfworn.
So fpoke Antilochus; and at the word
The mare contefted to the king reftor'd.
Joy fwells his foul: as when the vernal grain
Lifts the green ear above the ſpringing plain, 680
The fields their vegetable life renew,
And laugh and glitter with the morning dew;
Ver. 671.] Ogilby is not to be deſpiſed :
Thou know'it what follies head-ftrong youth poffefs;
Their fancy quicker, but their judgment lefs.
Ver. 679. Joy fwells his foul: as when the vernal grain, &c.]
Euftathius is very large in the explication of this fimilitude, which
at the firſt view feems obfcure his words are theſe,
As the dew raifes the blades of corn, that are for want of it
weak and depreſſed, and by pervading the pores of the corn animates
and makes it flourish, fo did the behaviour of Antilochus raiſe the
dejected mind of Menelaus, exalt his fpirits, and reſtore him to a full
fatisfaction.
I have given the reader his interpretation, and tranflated it with
the liberty of poetry: it is very much in the language of Scripture,
and in the ſpirit of the Orientals.
P.
This repreſentation of the fimile is not, I think, exact. The fol
lowing effort is literal and commenfurate with the original:
and on his mind
Refreſhment came, as dew on 'earing corn,
When ripening harveſts briſtle through the fields.
Ver. 682.] So Chapman :
That as corn-eares fine with the dew :
BOOK XXIII.
133
HOMER's ILIAD.
686
Such joy the Spartan's fhining face o'erfpread
And lifted his gay heart, while thus he ſaid.
Still may our fouls, O gen'rous youth! agree,
'Tis now Atrides' turn to yield to thee.
Raſh heat perhaps a moment might controul,
Not break the fettled temper of thy foul.
Not but (my friend) 'tis ſtill the wiſer way
To wave contention with ſuperiour fway; 690
For ah! how few, who fhould like thee offend,
Like thee, have talents to regain the friend?
To plead indulgence, and thy fault atone,
Suffice thy father's merit and thy own:
!
and Milton, Par. Loft, iv. 644:
Glift' ring with dew.
-on herb, tree, fruit, and flower,
Nor has Ogilby aimed amiſs:
As dew inammells with its pearly drops
Fields ranck with corn, and cheers the drooping tops-.
Ver. 683.] Literally,
So, Menelaus! was thy mind refreſh'd ;
And thus in winged words the monarch ſpake.
Ver. 685.] The purport of this verfe is not found in Homer;
but our tranflator feems to have followed Ogilby:
We now are friends, Antilochus! I find
That youth's ambition did thy judginent blind.
Ver. 693.] With more fidelity, thus:
But plead indulgence and thy fault atone
Thy father's, brother's merits, and thine own.
And the rhymes of the next couplet are too fimilar to thefe; and
thofe, that follow, have too lately occurred: otherwife, this reply
is executed with uncommon tafte and ſpirit.
K 3
134
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Gen'rous alike, for me, the fire and fon
695
Have greatly fuffer'd, and have greatly done.
I yield; that all may know, my foul can bend,
Nor is my pride preferr'd before
700
my friend.
He faid; and pleas'd his paffion to command,
Refign'd the courfer to Noëmon's hand,
Friend of the youthful chief: himſelf content,
The ſhining charger to his veffel ſent.
The golden talents Merion next obtain❜d;
The fifth reward, the double bowl, remain'd.
Achilles this to rev'rend Neftor bears,
And thus the purpoſe of his gift declares.
Accept thou this, O facred fire! (he faid)
In dear memorial of Patroclus dead;
705
Ver. 702.] Rather the caldron, as Chapman and Hobbes have
rendered; but our poet followed Ogilby:
And the bright charger then himſelf receives;
a word particularly unhappy in this place.
y
Ver. 707. Accept thou this, O facred fire!] The poet in my
opinion preferves a great deal of decency towards this old hero and
venerable counſellor: he gives him an honorary reward for his fupe-
riour wisdom, and therefore calls it so, and not dapox, a prize,
and not a preſent. The moral of Homer is, that princes ought no
lefs to honour and recompenfe thofe who excel in wifdom and
counſel, than thofe who are capable of actual fervice.
Achilles, perhaps, had a double view in paying him this reſpect,
not only out of deference to his age, and wiſdom, but alſo becauſe
he had in a manner won the prize by the advice he gave his fon; fo
that Neftor may be faid to have conquered in the perfon of Antilo-
chus. Euftathius.
More correctly to the language of his original, thus:
Accept, and treafure up, O! fire (he faid)
This dear memorial of Patroclus dead,
· P.
BOOK XXIII.
135
HOMER'S ILIAD.
710
Dead, and for ever loft Patroclus lies,
For ever ſnatch'd from our defiring eyes!
Take thou this token of a grateful heart,
Tho' 'tis not thine to hurl the diſtant dart,
The quoit to tofs, the pond'rous mace to wield,
Or urge
the race, or wreſtle on the field.
Thy prefent vigour age has overthrown,
But left the glory of the paft thy own.
He faid, and plac'd the goblet at his fide;
With joy, the venerable king reply'd.
715
Wifely and well, my fon, thy words have prov'd
A fenior honour'd, and a friend belov'd!
720
Ver. 713.] What our poet means by his mace, I know no more
than my Lord-Mayor: I fuppofe the word is intended as a ſubſtitute
for the whirlbats of our old tranflators. Thus, exactly:
To tofs the javelin, or the ceffus wield.
Ver. 715.] This couplet reprefents the following fentence only
of his author:
-for
age lies heavy on thee now.
Ver. 719. Neftor's Speech to Achilles.] This fpeech is admirably
well adapted to the character of Neftor: he aggrandizes, with an
infirmity peculiar to age, his own exploits; and one would think
Horace had him in his eye,
tr
“Se puero"
Laudator temporis acti
Neither is it any blemiſh to the character of Neftor thus to be a
little talkative about his own atchievements: to have defcribed him
otherwiſe, would have been an outrage to human nature, in as much
as the wiſeſt man living is not free from the infirmities of man; and
as every ſtage of life has fome imperfection peculiar to itſelf.
- Ο μὲν ἔμπεδον ηνιόχευεν.
Εμπεδον ηνιόχευ.
* 4
136
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
1
Too true it is, deferted of my ſtrength,
Theſe wither'd arms and limbs have fail'd at
length.
Oh! had I now that force I felt of yore,
Known thro' Buprafium and the Pylian fhore!
The reader may obferve that the old man takes abundance of
pains to give reafons how his rivals came to be victors in the chariot-
race: he is very follicitous to make it appear that it was not through
any want of ſkill or power in himſelf: and in my opinion Neftor is
never more vain-glorious, than in this recital of his own diſappoint-
ment.
It is for the fame reafon he repeats the words I have cited above:
he obtrudes (by that repetition) the difadvantages under which he
laboured, upon the obfervation of the reader, for fear he fhould
impute the lofs of the victory to his want of ſkill.
Neftor fays that thefe Moliones overpowered him by their number.
The criticks, as Euftathius remarks, have laboured hard to explain
this difficulty; they tell us a formal ftory, that when Neftor was
ready to enter the lifts against thefe brothers, he objected againſt
them as unfair adverſaries, (for it muſt be remembered that they
were monſters that grew together, and confequently had four hands
to Neftor's two) but the judges would not allow his plea, bụt
determined, that as they grew together, fo they ought to be
confidered as one mạn.
Others tell us that they brought ſeveral chariots into the lifts,
whoſe charioteers combined together in favour of Eurytus and
Creatus, thefe brother-monfters.
Others fay, that the multitude of the fpectators confpired to dif-
appoint Neftor.
I thought it neceſſary to give my reader theſe ſeveral conjectures
that he might underſtand why Neftor fays he was overpowered by
Пandet, or numbers; and alfo, becauſe it confirms my former obfer-
vation, that Neftor is very careful to draw his own picture in the
ftrongeſt colours, and to fhew it in the faireft light.
Ver. 721.] His original is very lively and expreffive.:
No more, dear youth! my limbs and feet are firm ;
Nor from each fhoulder play my pliant hands.
P.
BOOK XXIII.
137
HOMER'S ILIAD.
725
Victorious then in ev'ry folemn game,
Ordain'd to Amarynces' mighty name;
The brave Epeians gave my glory way,
Ætolians, Pylians, all refign the day.
I quell'd Clytomedes in fights of hand,
And backward hurl'd Ancæus on the fand, 730
Surpaft Iphyclus in the fwift career,
Pyleus and Polydorus, with the ſpear.
The fons of Actor won the prize of horſe,
But won by numbers, not by art or force:
For the fam'd twins, impatient to furvey 735
Prize after prize by Neftor borne away,
Sprung to their car; and with united pains
One laſh'd the courfers, while one rul'd the reins.
Ver. 729.] Thus, more exactly to the original, and with a
happy riddance of a vile accent, contrary to the example of his
predeceffors in tranſlation :
I Clytomedes quell'd in fights of hand,
And, wrestling, threw Ancæus on the fand.
Ver. 731.] I prefer Ogilby, thus corrected:
Iphiclus I outran: my javelin bore
The prize from Pyleus and from Polydore.
Ver. 737.] The fignificant word of his original may be thus
preferved:
·Before me foot; while, with united pains-.
Ogilby has an elegant turn at this paffage, conformably to his
author:
Thefe brothers twins; one well the rains did guide,
Guide well the rains, the whip the other ply'd :
the numbers of which might be thus ſmoothed and cemented ;
Twin-brothers they : one well the reins could guide,
Guide well the reins; his whip the fecond ply'd.
Compare the note on Iliad xxii. 167. xx. 421.
}
138
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
740
Such once I was! Now to theſe taſks fucceeds
A younger race, that emulate our deeds:
I yield alas! (to age who must not yield?)
Tho' once the foremoſt hero of the field.
Go thou, my fon! by gen'rous friendſhip led,
With martial honours decorate the dead;
While pleas'd I take the gift thy hands prefent,
(Pledge of benevolence, and kind intent) 746
Rejoic'd, of all the num'rous Greeks, to fee
Not one but honours facred
age and me:
Thofe due diftinctions thou fo well can'ft
May the juſt Gods return another day.
pay,
750
Proud of the gift, thus fpake the Full of Days:
Achilles heard him, prouder of the praiſe.
755
The prizes next are order'd to the field,
For the bold champions who the cæftus wield.
A ſtately mule, as yet by toils unbroke,
Of fix years age, unconſcious of the yoke,
Is to the Circus led, and firmly bound;
Next ſtands a goblet, maffy, large and round.
Ver. 751.] This couplet has but little refemblance to it's
original, and the rhymes are almoft the fame with the preceding.
Thus ?
He heard this praife attentive, and again,
When Neftor ended, join'd th' expectant train.
Our tranflator, I prefume, had in mind a verfe of Dryden, at
En. v.
632:
The champion then, before Æneas came;
Proud of his prize, but prouder of his fame.
BOOK XXIII.
139
HOMER's ILIAD.
760
Achilles rifing, thus: Let Greece excite
Two heroes equal to this hardy fight;
Who dare the foe with lifted arms provoke,
And ruſh beneath the long-deſcending ſtroke.
On whom Apollo fhall the palm beſtow,
And whom the Greeks fupreme by conqueſt
know,
This mule his dauntleſs labours fhall repay; 765
The vanquish'd bear the maffy bowl away.
This dreadful combat great Epëus choſe ;
High o'er the croud, enormous bulk! he roſe,
And feiz'd the beaft, and thus began to fay:
Stand forth fome man, to bear the bowl away! 770
(Price of his ruin :) for who dares deny
This mule my right? th' undoubted victor I.
Others, 'tis own'd, in fields of battle fhine,
But the firſt honours of this fight are mine;
For who excels in all? Then let my foe
Draw near, but firſt his certain fortune know,
Secure, this hand fhall his whole frame confound,
Maſh all his bones, and all his body pound:
So let his friends be nigh, a needful train
To heave the batter'd carcafe off the plain. 780
775
7
Ver. 761.] This couplet is lengthened out from a portion of
his author, thus fully exhibited in Chapman's verfion:
who beft can ſtrike, with high contracted fiſts.
140
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
The Giant ſpoke; and in a ſtupid gaze
The hoſt beheld him, filent with amaze!
'Twas thou, Euryalus! who durft afpire
To meet his might, and emulate thy fire,
The great Meciftheus; who in days of yore 785
In Theban games the nobleft trophy bore,
(The games ordain'd dead Oedipus to grace)
And fingly vanquiſh'd the Cadmæan race.
Him great Tydides urges to contend,
Warm with the hopes of conqueſt for his friend;
Officious with the cincture girds him round; 791
And to his wriſt the gloves of death are bound.
Amid the circle now each champion ſtands,
And poifes high in air his iron hands;
With claſhing gauntlets now they fiercely cloſe,
Their crackling jaws re-echo to the blows, 796
And painful ſweat from all their members flows.
Ver. 792.] This periphrafis is from Dryden, Æn. v. 537:
With fear and wonder feiz'd, the crowd beholds
The gloves of death.
Ver. 795.] Dryden, ver. 569, of the fame book:
With clashing gauntlets then provoke the war :
who found it in Lauderdale's ſpirited attempt :
And clashing gauntlets flake their fifts with fire.
Ver. 796.] Dryden, ver. 582:
oft the gauntlet draws
A ſweeping ftroke, along the crackling jaws.
And Ogilby has the thymes of our tranſlator:
On ratling cheeks they ballance blows with blows,
Till fweat their limbs in trickling ftream o'er-flows.
BOOK XXIII.
141
HOMER's ILIAD.
At length Epëus dealt a weighty blow,
Full on the cheek of his unwary foe;
Beneath that pond'rous arm's refiftlefs fway 800
Down dropt he, nerveleſs and extended lay.
As a large fiſh, when winds and waters roar,
By fome huge billow daſh'd againſt the ſhore,
Lies panting: not leſs batter'd with his wound,
The bleeding hero pants upon the ground. 805
To rear his fallen foe, the victor lends
Scornful, his hand; and gives him to his friends;
Ver. 802.] No comparifon could poffibly be deviſed more
accurate and lively, or more truly defcriptive of that inftantaneous
fpring upwards, frequently occafioned by a blow upon the temples;
but the purpoſe and language of the maſter poet are moſt miſerably
miſconceived by Dacier, Cowper, and our tranflator; leſs ſo by
Chapman and Ogilby, but properly underſtood by Hobbes alone;
whofe verfion is this:
As when the fea is curl'd by Zephyrus,
A little fish leaps up and falls agen;
So ſtarted at the ftroak Euryalus,
And fainted.
I fhall endeavour to communicate, but with fome diffufion, for
the fake of clearness, a more exact reſemblance of the great poet's
phrafeology in the drefs of a blank verfion :
As, by the weedy fhore, beneath the curl
Of ſhivering Boreas, fprings a fiſh in air,
And in the black wave difappears at once :
Thus from the blow the champion ſprang aloft.
This ſportive humour of fiſh in a gentle breeze is well known to
thoſe who have frequented the banks of rivers; and takes place
probably in the jea alfo, if it be neceffary to underftand the original
paffage as reſpecting the ſea in particular.
Ver. 805.] There is nothing of this in Homer, but the tran
flator annexed it to round his exhibition of the fimile.
142
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Whoſe arms ſupport him, reeling thro' the throng,
And dragging his diſabled legs along;
Nodding, his head hangs down his ſhoulder
o'er ;
810
His mouth and noftrils pour the clotted gore;
Wrapt round in mifts he lies, and loft to thought;
His friends receive the bowl, too dearly bought :
815
The third bold game Achilles next demands,
And calls the wrestlers to the level fands:
A maffy tripod for the victor lies,
Of twice fix oxen its reputed price;
And next, the lofer's fpirits to reſtore,
A female captive, valu'd but at four.
Ver. 811.] Thus Dryden, Æn. v. 625:
His mouth and noftrils pour'd a purple flood;
And pounded teeth came ruſhing with his blood.
Faintly he ftagger'd through the hiffing throng,
And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along.
Ver. 817.] The rhyme. is beyond all mortal fufferance. The
following attempt may be fomething better:
At twice fix oxen Greece efteem'd the prize.
Ver. 819. A female captive, valu'd but at four.] I cannot in
civility neglect a remark upon this paffage by Madam Dacier, who
highly reſents the affront put upon her fex by the ancients, who fet
(it ſeems) thrice the value upon a tripod as upon a beautiful female
flave: nay, fhe is afraid the value of women is not raifed even in
our days; for the fays there are curious perfons now living, who
had rather have a true antique kettle, than the fineſt woman alive :
I confess I entirely agree with the lady, and muft impute fuch.
opinions of the fair fex to want of tafte in both ancients and
moderns the reader may remember that theſe tripods were of no-
:
BOOK XXIII.
143
HOMER's ILIAD.
j
821
Scarce did the chief the vig'rous ftrife propoſe,
When tow'r-like Ajax and Ulyffes roſe.
Amid the ring each nervous rival ſtands,
Embracing rigid with implicit hands:
Clofe lock'd above, their heads and arms are mixt;
Below, their planted feet, at diftance fixt: 825
ufe, but made entirely for fhow; and confequently the moft faty-
rical critick could only fay, the woman and tripod ought to have
borne an equal value.
P.
Ver. 820.] The tranflator abridges his original, who may be
literally given thus:
He ſtood erect, and thus addreft the Greeks:
Rife ye, who this game alſo will attempt.
He ſaid: great 'Telamonian Ajax roſe,
And fage Ulyffes, in all fleights expert.
Ver. 822.] More accurately,
Amid the ring, equipp'd, each rival ſtands.
Ver. 823.] Milton had preceded our poet in his ufe of this
word in it's primitive and claffical acceptation: Par. Loft. vii. 323:
And bush with frizzled hair implicit.
Pope feems too to have caft his eye on Hobbes :
And one another with twin'd arms enbrace.
But the whole paffage is ftrangely mifreprefented and difguifed
by our tranflator, as the reader will diſcover from the following
literal attempt:
Their hands with fturdy gripe each other ſeiz'd;
Compact, as beams of fome tall dome, conjoin'd
By ſkilful artifs, fedulous to ward
The piercing winds. Their backs, with vigour wrench'd,
Creakt in their hands; the watery fweat ftream'd down:
Wheals, o'er their fides and ſhoulders, frequent ſprang,
Purpled with blood; whilft each inceffant ftrives,
Of conqueft eager, for the well-wrought vaſe:
which carries us down to verſe 834 of our tranflator.
144
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
Like two ſtrong rafters which the builder forms
Proof to the wint'ry wind and howling ftorms,
Their tops connected, but at wider ſpace
Fixt on the center ftands their folid baſe.
Now to the grafp each manly body bends; 830
The humid fweat from every pore defcends;
Their bones refound with blows: fides, fhoul-
ders, thighs,
Swell to each gripe, and bloody tumours rife.
Nor could Ulyffes, for his art renown'd,
O'erturn the ſtrength of Ajax on the ground; 835
Nor could the ſtrength of Ajax overthrow
The watchful caution of his artful foe.
While the long ftrife ev'n tir'd the lookers on,
Thus to Ulyffes fpoke great Telamon.
Or let me lift thee, chief, or lift thou me:
Prove we our force, and Jove the reſt decree.
840
Ver. 826. Like two ſtrong rafters, &c.] I will give the reader
the words of Euftathius upon this fimilitude, which very happily
repreſents the wrestlers in the poſture of wrestling. Their heads
leaned one againſt the other, like the rafters that fupport the roof
of a houſe; at the foot they are disjointed, and ſtand at a greater
diſtance, which naturally paints the attitude of body in theſe two
wrestlers, while they contend for victory.
'P.
Ver. 837.] Thus, with more fidelity to the language of his
author:
The firm reſiſtance of his ſturdy foe.
Ver. 839.] Rather,
Thus fpake the mighty fon of Telamon.
{
BOOK XXIII.
145
HOMER's ILIAD.
He faid; and ftraining, heav'd him off the
ground
With matchleſs ſtrength; that time Ulyffes found
The ftrength t' evade, and where the nerves
combine
His ankle ftruck: the giant fell fupine: 845
Ulyffes following, on his bofom lies ;
Shouts of applaufe run rattling thro' the ſkies.
Ajax to lift, Ulyffes next eſſays,
He barely ſtirr'd him, but he could not raiſe:
Ver. 844.] To avoid this ungraceful elifion, I ſhould correct :
To foil his foe; and where
Ver. 845.] He ſhould have rendered, I apprehend, the ham
or hip, with the other tranflators, rather than the ancle.
Ver. 847.] Homer fays only,
the people with amazement gaz'd ;
but our poet might be led by Ogilby :
volly'd shouts refound;
or by Dacier: "Les troupes, ravies d'admiration, pouffent de
grands cris, et élevent jufqu' aux cieux le fils de Laërte.'
Ver. 849. He barely firr'd him, but he could not raife.] The
poet by this circumftance excellently maintains the character of
Ajax, who has all along been deſcribed as a ſtrong, unwieldy war-
riour: he is ſo heavy, that Ulyffes can ſcarce lift him. The words
that follow will bear a different meaning, either that Ajax locked
his leg within that of Ulyffes, or that Ulyffes did it. Euftathius
obferves, that if Ajax gave Ulyffes this fhock, then he may be
allowed to have fome appearance of an equality in the conteft; but
if Ulyffes gave it, then Ajax must be acknowledged to have been.
foiled: but (continues he) it appeared to be otherwife to Achilles,
who was the judge of the field, and therefore he gives them an equal
prize, becauſe they were equal in the conteft.
VOL. VI.
L
146
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
His knee lock'd faft, the foe's attempt deny 'd; 850
And grappling cloſe, they tumble fide by fide.
Defil'd with honourable duſt, they roll,
Still breathing ftrife, and unfubdu'd of foul:
Again they rage, again to combat riſe;
When great Achilles thus divides the prize. 855
Your nobler vigour, oh my friends, reſtrain;
Nor weary out your gen'rous ftrength in vain.
Ye both have won: let others who excel,
Now prove that prowess you have prov❜d fo
well.
The hero's words the willing chiefs obey, 860
From their tir'd bodies wipe the duſt away,
And, cloth'danew, the following games furvey.
Madam Dacier miſrepreſents Euftathius on this place, in faying
he thinks it was Ulyffes who gave the ſecond ſtroke to Ajax,
whereas it appears by the foregoing note that he rather determines
otherwiſe in confent with the judgment given by Achilles.
P.
Ver. 850.] I fee no ambiguity in the original. The ſecond
ftroke was given by Ulyffes.
Ver. 856.] Chapman diſplays confiderable dexterity in a cloſe
and faithful verfion of this fhort addrefs:
No more tug one another thus, nor moyle yourſelves; receive
Prize equall; conqueft crownes ye both; the lifts to others
leave.
Ver. 861.] Thus Hobbes :
And from their bodies wipt the duft away.
But I ſhould banish the concluding line of the triplet, which is
partly interpolated, by this fubftitution in the prefent verfe:
Their vefts put on, and wipe the duſt away.
BOOK XXIII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
147
865
And now fucceed the gifts, ordain'd to grace
The youths contending in the rapid race.
A filver urn that full fix meaſures held,
By none in weight or workmanſhip excell❜d :
Sidonian artiſts taught the frame to ſhine,
Elaborate, with artifice divine;
Whence Tyrian failors did the prize tranſport,
And gave to Thoas at the Lemnian port:
From him defcended good Eunæus heir'd
The glorious gift; and, for Lycaon fpar'd,
To brave Patroclus gave the rich reward.
Now, the fame hero's funeral rites to grace,
It ſtands the prize of ſwiftneſs in the race. 875
A well-fed ox was for the fecond plac'd ;
And half a talent muſt content the laſt.
870
Ver. 866.] His original preſcribes,
By none in curious workmanſhip excell'd:
but our tranflator took his fupplement from Chapman, who more
fully exhibits the emphatical language of his author:
a boule, beyond compariſon
(Both for the fize and workmanship) paft all the boules of
earth:
and his rhymes from Ogilby :
Next gifts he plac'd for runners who excel'd,
A filver goblet which fix gallons held.
Ver. 870.] The Lemnian port is engrafted on his original from
Dacier: "Elle avoit êté apportée fur les vaiffeaux des Pheniciens,
"qui étant abordés à Lemnos, en avoient fait préfent au roi
"Thoas."
Ver. 876.] Infufferable rhymes! from Ogilby:
L 2
148
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
1
Achilles rifing then beſpoke the train:
Who hope the palm of ſwiftneſs to obtain, 879
Stand forth, and bear thefe prizes from the plain.
The hero faid, and ſtarting from his place,
Oïlean Ajax riſes to the race;
Ulyffes next; and he whoſe ſpeed ſurpaſt
His youthful equals, Neftor's fon the laſt.
Rang'd in a line the ready racers ftand;
Pelides points the barrier with his hand;
All ſtart at once; Oïleus led the race;
The next Ulyffes, meaf'ring pace with pace;
Behind him, diligently clofe, he fped,
885
As cloſely following as the running thread 890
This for the firft; then for the ſecond plac'
A ſteer, and half a talent for the laſt:
Thus, perhaps; not lefs exactly:
An ox the fecond gains, of ample fize;
Half a gold-talent for the hindmoft lies.
Ver. 881.] Ogilby juſt below :
each one takes his place ;
Achilles marks the period for the race.
Ver. 890.] Ogilby's tranflation appears to me very laudable,
and is in length correſpondent to his author:
Near as the ſhuttle to a woman's breaft,
When in her loom fhe weaves fome curious ftuff,
Swift intermingling with her warp the woofe:
by which the reader will fee, that nothing could be eaſily ſuppoſed
more diffimilar to his author, than Pope's tranflation; but he ſeems
to have caught his conception of the paffage from Chapman, who is
moft luxuriantly diffuſe:
BOOK XXIII.
149
HOMER'S ILIAD.
The ſpindle follows, and diſplays the charms
Of the fair ſpinſter's breaſt, and moving arms:
Graceful in motion thus, his foe he plies,
And treads each footſtep e'er the duſt can riſe :
His glowing breath upon his fhoulders plays; 895
Th' admiring Greeks loud acclamations raiſe,
And as a ladie at her loome, being young and beauteous,
Her filke-fhittle cloſe to her breaft (with grace that doth
inflame,
And her white hand) lifts quicke, and oft, in drawing from
her frame
Her gentle thread; which the unwinds, with ever at her breft,
Gracing her faire hand.
Ver. 893.] Ogilby is much more juſt ;
So near Ulyffes after Ajax flyes,
His ſteps reprinting e'er the duft could rife:
for this fancy of graceful motion is altogether foreign to his author
and the ſubject. The original runs exactly thus:
fo near Ulyffes ran, and preſt
His foofteps, e'er the duft was fcatter'd round;
but our poet ſtill ſticks to Chapman :
Et conferre gradum:
for thus that tranflator:
juvat ufque morari
So cloſe ſtill, and with fuch intereft
In all mens likings, Ithacus, unwound, and ſpent the race
By him before; tooke out his fteps, with putting in their
place,
Promptly and gracefully his owne; fprinkl'd the duft before.
Ver. 896.] The fenfe of Homer, which correſponds to theſe
three verſes, may be thus exhibited ;
the Greeks with loud acclaim
His thirft of victory prompt, and urge his fpeed,
L 3
150
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
900
To him they give their wifhes, hearts, and eyes,
And fend their fouls before him as he flies.
Now three times turn'd in proſpect of the goal,
The panting chief to Pallas lifts his foul:
Affift, O goddeſs! (thus in thought he pray'd)
And preſent at his thought, defcends the Maid.
Buoy'd by her heav'nly force, he ſeems to ſwim,
And feels a pinion lifting ev'ry limb.
All fierce, and ready now the prize to gain, 905
Unhappy Ajax ſtumbles on the plain;
(O'erturn'd by Pallas) where the flipp'ry ſhore
Was clogg'd with flimy dung, and mingled gore.
Ver. 898.] This verſe is modelled from one of Dryden's,
Æn. v. 857:
He fent his voice before him as he flew :
compare the note on book xiv. verſe 172.
Ver. 899.] Where our poet found his ſpecific number of three
times, I have not been able to difcover.
Ver. 901. Affift, O goddeſs! (thus in thought he pray'd.)] Nothing
could be better adapted to the prefent circumftance of Ulyffes than
this prayer: it is ſhort, and ought to be fo, becauſe the time would
not allow him to make a longer; nay he prefers this petition
mentally, öv xarà Duµòv; all his faculties are fo bent upon the race,
that he does not call off his attention from it, even to ſpeak ſo ſhort
a petition as feven words, which comprehend the whole of it: fuch
paffages as theſe are inftances of great judgment in the poet. P.
Ver. 903.] This fine couplet has occurred in nearly the fame
words before, book xix. verfe 418.
Ver. 907.] Ogilby's couplet is preferable in point of adherence
to the language of his author. I ſhall give it to the reader with
flight correction :
BOOK XXIII.
151
HOMER's ILIAD.
<
(The ſelf-fame place befide Patroclus' pyre,
Where late the flaughter'd victims fed the fire) 910
Befmear'd with filth, and blotted o'er with clay,
Obſcene to fight, the rueful racer lay ;
The well-fed bull (the ſecond prize) he ſhar'd,
And left the urn Ulyffes' rich reward.
Then, grafping by the horn the mighty beaſt, 915
The baffled hero thus the Greeks addreft.
Accurfed fate! the conqueſt I forego ;
A mortal I, a goddeſs was my foe:
She urg'd her fav'rite on the rapid way,
And Pallas, not Ulyffes, won the day.
Where flaughter'd oxen's blood had dy'd the plain,
Patroclus' victims by Achilles flain.
Ver. 911.] Thus Dryden, Æn. v. 433:
He fell, befmear'd with filth and holy gore:
920
where an attentive reader will diſcover one of thoſe oblique ſtrokes
of fatire on the priesthood, which this great poet omitted no occafion
to indulge," in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon ;" though, in this inſtance,
it was ready to his hands in Lauderdale. But there is ſomething in
Pope's couplet neither eaſy nor accurate. Thus?
Obfcene to fight, his noftrils and his eyes
With ordure fill'd, the ruthful racer lies.
Ver. 912.] This epithet is very happy, but was fuggefted by
Chapman :
and left his lips, nofe, eyes,
Ruthfully fmer'd.
Ver. 916.] Or, conformably to hïs original:
And, Sputtering filth, he thus the Greeks addreſt:
but our poet, I fee, has introduced the thought after the ſpeech.
L 4
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BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Thus fourly wail'd he, fputt'ring dirt and gore,
A burſt of laughter echo'd thro' the ſhore.
Antilochus, more hum'rous than the reft,
'Takes the laſt prize, and takes it with a jeſt.
Why with our wifer elders fhould we ſtrive? 925
The Gods ſtill love them, and they always thrive.
Ye fee, to Ajax I muſt yield the prize:
He to Ulyffes, ftill more aged and wife;
(A green old age unconſcious of decays,
That proves the hero born in better days!) 930
Behold his vigour in this active race!
Achilles only boaſts a ſwifter
pace:
Ver. 924. And takes it with a jeft.] Antilochus comes off very
well, and wittily prevents raillery; by attributing the victory of his
rivals to the protection which the Gods gave to age. By this he
infinuates, that he has fomething to comfort himſelf with; (for
youth is better than the prize) and that he may pretend hereafter to
the fame protection, fince it is a privilege of feniority. Dacier. P.
Ver. 925.] This fpeech is but looſely rendered. Let the
reader accept a literal repreſentation of it; in what appears to me
it's proper fpirit:
Friends! I but tell you what ye know; that ſtill
Th' immortals honour men of riper years.
Ajax is fomewhat older than myfclf;
But he belongs to generations paſt,
A vigorous gray-beard! all allow; and hard
To beat in racing, but by Peleus' fon.
Ver. 929.] The former claufe is the prccife expreffion of his
author, which Virgil is known to have adopted. Dryden's tranfla-
tion at the place alluded to, Æn. vi. 420. is excellent :
were feen
He look'd in years; yet in his years were
A youthful vigour, and autumnal green.
BOOK XXIII. HOMER'S ILIAD.
153
For who can match Achilles? He who can,
Muft yet be more than hero, more than man.
Th'effect fucceeds the ſpeech. Pelides cries, 935
Thy artful praiſe deſerves a better prize.
Nor Greece in vain ſhall hear thy friend extoll'd;
Receive a talent of the pureſt gold.
The youth departs content. The hoft admire
The ſon of Neftor, worthy of his fire.
940
Next thefe a buckler, fpear and helm, he brings;
Caſt on the plain, the brazen burthen rings:
Arms, which of late divine Sarpedon wore,
And great Patroclus in ſhort triumph bore.
Ver. 933. For who can match Achilles ?] There is great art in
theſe tranſient compliments to Achilles: that hero could not poſſibly
fhew his own fuperiority in theſe games by contending for any of
the prizes, becauſe he was the exhibiter of the ſports: but Homer
has found out a way to give him the victory in two of them. In the
chariot-race Achilles is reprefented as being able to conquer every
opponent, and though he ſpeaks it himſelf, the poet brings it in fo
happily, that he ſpeaks it without any indecency: and in this place.
Antilochus with a very good grace tells Achilles, that in the foot-
race no one can diſpute the prize with him. Thus though Diomed
and Ulyffes conquer in the chariot and foot-race, it is only becauſe
Achilles is not their antagonist.
P.
Ver. 938.] Our poet lofes fight of his author in the three lines
before us, as may be feen from Ogilby's verfion, which is faithful:
Take half a talent more. And as he ſpeaks
The gold prefents him, which he gladly takes.
Ver. 942.] The latter part of this verfe is fuperfluous interpola-
tion by the tranſlator, for his own convenience. Ogilby is good :
This done, Achilles brought into the field
A wond'rous javelin, cafk and glittering fhield.
154
BOOK XXIII,
HOMER's ILIAD.
་་
Stand forth the braveſt of our hoſt! (hecries) 945
Whoever dares deſerve ſo rich a prize!
Now grace the lifts before our army's fight,
And fheath'd in fteel, provoke his foe to fight.
Who firſt the jointed armour ſhall explore,
And ſtain his rival's mail with iffuing gore; 959
The fword, Afteropeus poffeft of old,
(A Thracian blade, diſtinct with ſtuds of gold)
Shall pay the ſtroke, and grace the ftriker's fide:
Theſe arms in common let the chiefs divide:
For each brave champion, when the combat ends,
A ſumptuous banquet at our tent attends.
956
Fierce at the word, uprofe great Tydeus' fon,
And the huge bulk of Ajax Telamon.
Ver. 949. Who firft the jointed armour ſhall explore.] Some of
the ancients have been ſhocked at this combat, thinking it a barbarity
that men in ſport ſhould thus contend for their lives; and therefore
Ariftophanes the grammarian made this alteration in the verſes;
Οππότερός κεν πρῶτο ἐπιγράψας χρόα καλόν
Φθήν ἐπευξάμενος διὰ δ᾽ ἔντεα, &c.
But it is evident that they entirely miftook the meaning and intention
of Achilles; for he that gave the firſt wound was to be accounted
the victor. How could Achilles promife to entertain them both in
his tent after the combat, if he intended that one of them ſhould
fall in it? This duel therefore was only a trial of ſkill, and as fuch
fingle combats were frequent in the wars of thofe ages againſt adver-
faries, fo this was propofed only to fhew the dexterity of the
combatants in that exercife. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 951.] The proper enunciation of the name might have
been preferved by writing thus:
The ſword Afteropæus own'd of old:
but the phraſe of old is a botch for the rhyme's fake; as he had taken
the armour from Afteropæus but the day before.
1
BOOK XXIII.
155
HOMER's ILIAD.
Clad in refulgent ſteel, on either hand,
The dreadful chiefs amid the circle ftand: 960
Low'ring they meet, tremendous to the fight;
Each Argive bofom beats with fierce delight.
Oppos'd in arms not long they idly ſtood,
But thrice they clos'd, and thrice the charge
renew'd.
965
A furious paſs the ſpear of Ajax made
Thro' the broad ſhield, but at the corflet ſtay'd:
Not thus the foe: his javelin aim'd above
The buckler's margin, at the neck he drove.
Ver. 967.] Mr. Cowper thus tranſlates :
Then Tydeus' fon, ſheer o'er the ample diſk
Of Ajax, thruſt a lance home to his neck
which is wholly contrary to the intention of Homer, who ſhould
be reprefented thus:
In turn, Tydides o'er the fpacious fhield
His lance was aiming ever at the neck :
or, with more emphatical delineation, to exhibit the unvarying and
repeated efforts of the combatant to effect that vital ſtroke, whoſe
perſeverance at ſuch a dangerous attempt alarmed the Greeks, we
may thus model the couplet :
But his ſharp lance Tydides o'er the ſhield
Was aiming ftill, and aiming, at the neck:
in humble imitation of the two fineft verfes that ever were written :
Effay on Man, iv. 341:
CC
For him alone, Hope leads from goal to goal,
And opens ftill, and opens, on the foul.
Diomed made no ſtroke, as Dacier alfo miſtakenly fuppofed, and
carried the misconception to a ftill greater length: "Diomede
prenant habilement fon tems porte fon coup par-deffus le bouclier
“d' Ajax avec tant de jufteffe, que du bout de fa pique il lụi
“effleure le cou:" when the original expreffions are fo perfectly
clear as to forbid a moment's doubt upon the ſubject.
156
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIII.
}
:
But Greece now trembling for her hero's life,
Bade ſhare the honours, and furceaſe the ftrife.
Yet ſtill the victor's due Tydides gains,
With him the fword and ftudded belt remains.
971
Then hurl'd the hero, thund'ring on the ground
A mafs of iron, (an enormous round)
Whoſe weight and fize the circling Greeks
admire,
975
Rude from the furnace, and but ſhap'd by fire,
Ogilby is right:
When Diomed chafing, aim'd ftill at his neck;
and Hobbes :
But ftill at Ajax neck Tydides aim'd,
Above his ſhield ftill puſhing with his ſpear.
Our poet's couplet may be thus more accurately adjuſted :
His javelin ftill Tydides aim'd above
The buckler's rim; ftill at the neck he drove.
Ver. 971. Yet ftill the victor's due Tydides gains.] Achilles in
this place acts the part of a very juſt arbitrator: though the combat
did not proceed to a full iffue, yet Diomed had evidently the
advantage, and confequently ought to be rewarded as victor,
becauſe he would have been victorious, had not the Greeks
interpofed.
I could have wiſhed that the poet had given Ajax the prize in
fome of theſe contefts. He undoubtedly was a very gallant foldier,
and has been deſcribed as repulfing a whole army: yet in all theſe
fports he is foiled. But perhaps the poet had a double view in this
repreſentation, not only to fhew, that ftrength without conduct is
ufually unſucceſsful, but alſo his deſign might be to compliment the
Greeks his countrymen; by fhewing that this Ajax, who had
repelled a whole army of Trojans, was not able to conquer any one
of the Grecian worthies: for we find him overpowered in three of
theſe exerciſes.
Ver. 975.] This line is an addition from the tranſlator.
P.
BOOK XXIII.
157.
HOMER's ILIAD.
This mighty quoit Aëtion wont to rear,
980
And from his whirling arm difmifs in air:
The giant by Achilles flain, he ftow'd
Among his ſpoils this memorable load.
For this, he bids thoſe nervous artiſts vie,
That teach the diſk to found along the ſky.
Let him whoſe might can hurl this bowl, ariſe,
Who fartheft hurls it, take it as his prize:
If he be one, enrich'd with large domain 985
Of downs for flocks, and arable for grain,
Small ſtock of iron needs that man provide;
His hinds and fwains whole years fhall be
ſupply'd
From hence: nor aſk the neighb'ring city's aid,
For ploughſhares, wheels, and all the rural trade.
Ver. 985. If he be one, enrich'd, &c.] The poet in this place
fpeaks in the fimplicity of ancient times: the prodigious weight and
fize of the quoit is defcribed with a noble plainnefs, peculiar to the
Oriental way, and agreeable to the manners of thoſe heroick ages.
He does not fet down the quantity of this enormous piece of iron,
neither as to its bignefs nor weight, but as to the uſe it will be of
to him who fhall gain it. We fee from hence, that the ancients in
the prizes they propofed, had in view not only the honourable, but
the ufeful; a captive for work, a bull for tillage, a quoit for the
provifion of iron. Befides, it muſt be remembered, that in thoſe
times iron was very ſcarce; and a fure fign of this ſcarcity, is, that
their arms were braſs. Euftathius. Dacier.
P.
Ver. 990.] Homer makes no enumeration of particulars: theſe
our poet found in Chapman :
-and fo needs for his carre,
His plow, or other tooles of thrift, much iron.
158
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Stern Polypœtes ſtept before the throng, 991
And
great Leonteus, more than mortal ſtrong;
Whoſe force with rival forces to oppoſe,
Uprofe great Ajax; up Epëus rofe.
Each ſtood in order: firſt Epëus threw ;
995
High o'er the wond'ring crouds the whirling
circle flew.
Leonteus next a little ſpace ſurpaſt,
1000
And third, the ftrength of god-like Ajax caft.
O'er both their marks it flew ; 'till fiercely flung
From Polypœtes' arm, the difcus fung:
Far, as a fwain his whirling ſheephook throws,
That diſtant falls among the grazing cows,
So paſt them all the rapid circle flies:
His friends (while loud applauſes ſhake the ſkies)
With force conjoin'd heave off the weighty prize.
Ver. 996.] Thus Ogilby:
All wonder:
but the words of his author dictate,
High o'er the laughing crowds;
at the awkwardneſs of the man's appearance probably, from immo-
derate ſtraining at the weight. So Chapman judiciouſly :
-Up it went; and up he toft it ſo,
That laughter tooke up all the field.
Dacier makes an unſucceſsful attempt at an union of both ideas:
"Les Grecs jettent des cris de joie qui marquent leur admiration."
Ver. 997.] Our poet goes beyond his author, who ſays no more
than Ogilby has given :
-next him ſtrong Leontius throwes :
but Dacier guided Pope: "Leontée la lance après lui et le paſſe."
BOOK XXIII.
159
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Thoſe, who in ſkilful archery contend, 1006
He next invites the twanging bow to bend:
And twice ten axes cafts amidſt the round,
(Ten double-edg'd, and ten that fingly wound.)
The maſt, which late a firſt-rate galley bore,
The hero fixes in the fandy ſhore:
ΙΟΙΙ
To the tall top a milk-white dove they tie,
The trembling mark at which their arrows fly.
Whoſe weapon ſtrikes yon' flutt'ring bird, ſhall
bear
1015
Theſe two-edg'd axes, terrible in war;
The fingle, he, whofe fhaft divides the cord.
He faid: experienc'd Merion took the word;
And ſkilful Teucer: in the helm they threw
Their lots infcrib'd, and forth the latter flew.
Swift from the ſtring the founding arrow flies;
But flies unbleft! No grateful facrifice,
1021
Ver. 1006.] Mr. Cowper's verfion perfpicuouſly repreſents the
paffage :
The archer's prize Achilles next propofed,
Ten double and ten fingle axes, form'd
Of steel convertible to arrow-points.
Ver. 1012.] Thus Dryden, Æn. v. 650:
A fluttering dove upon the top they tie,
The living mark at which their arrows fly :
which is taken from Lauderdale, one word alone excepted.
Ver. 1015.] The words terrible in war are interpolated by the
tranſlator, to gain a rhyme, which is itſelf not tolerable. Thus?
Who ftrikes the fluttering bird, fhall win the day,
And the beſt axes to his tent convey.
160
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD.
No firſtling lambs, unheedful! didft thou vow
To Phoebus, patron of the ſhaft and bow.
For this, thy well-aim'd arrow, turn afide,
Err'd from the dove, yet cut the cord thatty'd: 1025
A-down the main-maſt, fell the parted ſtring,
And the free bird to heav'n diſplays her wing:
Seas, ſhores, and ſkies with loud applaufe refound,
And Merion eager meditates the wound:
He takes the bow, directs the fhaft above, 1030
And following with his eye the foaring dove,
Ver. 1024.] Thus, more expreffive of his author:
Thy shaft, by his diſpleaſure turn'd aſide-.
Ver, 1028.] His author fays, rather,
With loud applaufes fhout the Græcians round
but our tranflator was on every occafion eager to exaggerate, and
catching at the marvellous. Ogilby led the way:
Sheering the knot: ſhe foars; down drops the ſtring,
And with loud clamour heavens vaft archering.
Ver. 1029.] The following tranſlation, I apprehend, gives a
juft view of this difficult paffage:
Merion in hafte fnatcht from his hand the bow
S
His ſhaft long fince prepar'd, whilft Teucer aim'd.
Dacier alone gives the truth, but not the whole truth: " Merion
r qui tenoit fa flêche toute prête, ne perd point de tems, il faifit
"l'arc de Teucer."
Ver. 1030. He takes the bow.]
There having been many
editions of Homer, that of Marſeilles reprefents theſe two rivals in
archery as ufing two bows in the conteft; and reads the verfes thus :
Σπερχόμενα δι' άρα Μηριόνης ἐπέθη κατ' οϊσὸν
Τόξὼ ἐν γὰρ χερσὶν ἔχε πάλα, ως ἴθυνεν.
s
Our common editions follow the better alteration of Antimachus,
with this only difference, that he reads it
BOOK XXIII.
161
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Implores the god to ſpeed it thro' the ſkies,
With vows of firſtling lambs, and grateful fa-
crifice.
1035
The dove, in airy circles as ſhe wheels,
Amid the clouds the piercing arrow feels;
Quite thro' and thro' the point its paffage found,
And at his feet fell bloody to the ground.
The wounded bird, e'er yet ſhe breath'd her laſt,
With flagging wings alighted on the maſt,
A moment hung, and ſpread her pinions there,
Then fudden dropt, and left her life in air. 1041
*
Ἐξείευσε τεύκρο τόξον. And they, Εξείρυσε χειρὸς τόξον.
It is evident that theſe archers had but one bow, as they that
threw the quoit had but one quoit; by theſe means the one had
no advantage over the other, becauſe both of them ſhot with the
fame bow. So that the common reading is undoubtedly the beft,
where the lines ftand thus:
Σπερχόμενο δ' άρα Μηριόνης ἐξείρυσε χειρὸς of Τεύκος
Τόξον, αὐτὰρ δὴ οἴςον ἔχει πάλαι ὡς ἔθυνεν. Euftathius.
This Teucer is the moſt eminent man for archery of any through
the whole Iliad, yet he is here excelled by Meriones: and the poet
aſcribes his miſcarriages to the neglect of invoking Apollo, the god
of archery; whereas Meriones, who invokes him, is crowned with
fuccefs. There is an excellent moral in this paffage, and the poet
would teach us, that without addreſſing to heaven we cannot fuc-
ceed: Meriones does not conquer becauſe he is the better archer,
but becauſe he is the better man.
P.
Ver. 1031.] This much reſembles the verfion of Barbin :
“ Mais Merione regardoit le vol de l'oiſeau, et il le pourſuivoit.”
Ver. 1041.] His original fays,
Then diftant dropt
but our poet has given an exact verſion of a line in Virgil, Geo.
iii. 547.
VOL. VI.
M
162
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
From the pleas'd croud new peals of thunder
rife,
1045
And to the ſhips brave Merion bears the prize.
To cloſe the fun'ral games, Achilles laſt
A maffy ſpear amid the circle plac'd,
And ample charger of unfullied frame,
With flow'rs high-wrought, not blacken'd yet
by flame.
For theſe he bids the heroes prove their art,
Whoſe dext'rous fkill directs the flying dart.
Here too great Merion hopes the noble prize; 1050
Nor here difdain'd the king of men to riſe.
et illæ
Præcipites altâ vitam fub nube relinquunt.
Ver. 1042.] Thus, more fully and accurately,
While gaz'd the concourſe with admiring eyes,
He takes the firft, his foe the ſecond prize.
Ver. 1051.
Nor here difdain'd the king of men to rife.] There
is an admirable conduct in this paffage; Agamemnon never contended
for
any of the former prizes, though of much greater value; ſo that
he is a candidate for this, only to honour Patroclus and Achilles.
The decency which the poet ufes both in the choice of the game,
in which Agamemnon is about to contend, and the giving him the
prize without a conteſt, is very remarkable: the game was`a warlike
exerciſe, fit for the general of an army; the giving him the prize
without a conteſt is a decency judiciouſly obſerved, becauſe no one
ought to be ſuppoſed to excel the general in any military art;
Agamemnon does juftice to his own character, for whereas he had
been reprefented by Achilles in the opening of the poem as a
covetous perſon, he now puts in for the prize that is of the leaſt
value, and generouſly gives even that to Talthybius. Euftathius.
As to this laſt particular, of Agamemnon's prefenting the charger
to Talthybius, I cannot but be of a different opinion. It had been
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ILIAD. · 163
With joy Pelides faw the honour paid,
Rofe to the monarch, and reſpectful faid.
Thee firſt in virtue, as in pow'r ſupreme,
O king of nations! all thy Greeks proclaim; 1055
In every martial game thy worth atteſt,
And know thee both their greateft, and their
beft.
፡
Take then the prize, but let brave Merion bear,
This beamy javelin in thy brother's war.
an affront to Achilles not to have accepted of his preſent on this
occafion, and I believe the words of Homer :
Ταλθυβίῳ κήρυκι δίδες περικαλλές άεθλον.
mean no more, than that he put it into the hands of this herald to
carry it to his fhips; Talthybius being by his office an attendant
upon Agamemnon.
P.
Euftathius is miſrepreſented on this occafion. He only ſpeaks
of the interpretation in queftion, as adopted by fome, without
fignifying his own approbation of it; which ſo good a judge of his
author's language was not likely to confer on fuch a groundleſs
imagination.
Ver. 1055.] We may correct the rhyme by this ſubſtitution :
all thy Græcians deem.
Ver. 1056.] His original fays merely,
All in this martial game
but he ſeems to have followed Dacier, who is equally general:
"Il n'y a perfonne ici qui ne fçache que vous n'êtes pas moins
"au-deffus de tous les généraux de l'armée, par votre force et par
"votre adreffe, que par votre puiffance."
Ver. 1058.] Thus his author, literally :
Thou to the navy with this prize retire;
But to bold Merion let us give the ſpear.
Thus I preſcribe, but not without thy will :
M 2
164
BOOK XXIII.
HOMER's ´ILIAD.
1
Pleas'd from the hero's lips his praiſe to hear,
The king to Merion gives the brazen fpear: 1061
But, fet apart for facred ufe, commands
The glittʼring charger to Talthybius' hands.
it is plain, therefore, that Dacier's tranflation fuggeſted, though
indirectly, the fanciful interpolation of our poet: "Et fi vous le
"voulez bien, nous donnerons à Merion cette lance, qu'il teindra
"bientot du fang de vos ennemis."
Ver. 1062.] This intervening claufe is interpolated by the
tranflator.
A
COMPARISON
BETWEEN THE GAMES
OF
IT
HOMER AND VIRGIL.
will be expected I fhould here fay fomething
tending to a compariſon between the games of
Homer and thofe of Virgil. If I may own my
private opinion, there is in general more variety of
natural incidents," and a more lively picture of natural
paffions, in the games and perfons of Homer. On
the other hand, there feems to me more art, con-
trivance, gradation, and a greater pomp of verſe in
thoſe of Virgil. The chariot-race is that which
Homer has moft laboured, of which Virgil being
fenfible, he judiciouſly avoided the imitation of what
he could not improve, and ſubſtituted in its place
the naval-courſe, or fhip-race. It is in this the Roman
poet has employed all his force, as if fet on purpoſe
to rival his great maſter; but it is extremely obſerv-
able how conſtantly he keeps Homer in his eye,
and is afraid to depart from his very track, even
when he had varied the fubject itſelf. Accordingly
M 3
166
A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE
the accidents of the naval courfe have a ftrange
refemblance with thofe of Homer's chariot-race.
He could not forbear at the very beginning to draw
a part of that defcription into a fimile. Do not we
fee he has Homer's chariots in his head, by theſe
lines;
"Non tam præcipites bijugo certamine campum
66
Corripuere, ruuntque effufi carcere curras.
"Nec fic immiffis auriga undantia lora
"Concuffere jugis, pronique in verbera pendent."
En. v. ver. 144.
What is the encounter of Cloanthus and Gyas in the
ftrait between the rocks, but the fame with that
of Menelaus and Antilochus in the hollow way?
Had the galley of Sergeftus been broken, if the
chariot of Eumelus had not been demoliſhed? Or
Mneſtheus been caft from the helm, had not the
other been thrown from his feat? Does not Mneſtheus
exhort his rowers in the very words Antilochus had
uſed to his horfes?
"Non jam prima peto Mneftheus, neque vincere certo.
"Quamquam O! fed fuperent quibus hoc Neptune dedifti ;
"Extremos pudeat rediiffe! hoc vincite, cives,
"Et prohibete nefas"—
Εμβήλον, καὶ (φῶν τι]αίνετον ὅτι τάχισα.
Ἤ τοι μὲν κείνοισιν ἐριζέμεν ἔτι κελεύω
"H
Τυδείδεω ἵπποισι δαίφρονος, οἷσιν ᾿Αθήνη
Νῦν ώρεξε τάχος
Ιππος δ' Αρείδαο κιχάνετε, μηδὲ λίπησθον,
Καρπαλίμως, μὴ φῶιν ἐλεγχέτην καταχεύη
Αἴθη θῆλυς ἔσσα
GAMES OF HOMER AND VIRGIL,
167
Upon the whole, the defcription of the fea-race I
think has the more poetry and majefty, that of the
chariots more nature, and lively incidents. There is
nothing in Virgil fo picturefque, fo animated, or
which fo much marks the characters, as the epifodes
of Antilochus and Menelaus, Ajax and Idomeneus,
with that beautiful interpofition of old Neftor, (fo
naturally introduced into an affair where one fo little
expects him.) On the other fide, in Virgil the
deſcription itſelf is nobler; it has fomething more
oftentatiouſly grand, and feems a ſpectacle more
worthy the preſence of princes and great perfons.
In three other games we find the Roman poet con-
tending openly with the Grecian. That of the Cæftus
is in great part a verbal tranſlation: but it muſt be
owned in favour of Virgil, that he has varied from
Homer in the event of the combat with admirable
judgment and with an improvement of the moral.
Epëus and Dares are deſcribed by both poets as vaín
boaſters; but Virgil with more poetical juſtice
puniſhes Dares for his arrogance, whereas the pre-
ſumption and pride of Epëus is rewarded by Homer.
On the contrary, in the foot-race, I am of opinion
that Homer has fhewn more judgment and morality
than Virgil, Nifus in the latter is unjuſt to his
adverſary in favour of his friend Euryalus; fo that
Euryalus wins the race by a palpable fraud, and yet
the poet gives him the firft prize; whereas Homer
makes Ulyſſes victorious, purely through the mif-
M 4
168
A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE
chance of Ajax, and his own piety in invoking
Minerva.
The booting is alfo a direct copy, but with the
addition of two circumſtances which make a beautiful
gradation. In Homer the firſt archer cuts the ftring
that held the bird, and the other fhoots him as he is
mounting. In Virgil the firſt only hits the maſt
which the bird was fixed upon, the fecond cuts the
ftring, the third fhoots him, and the fourth to vaunt
the ſtrength of his arm directs his arrow up to heaven,
where it kindles into a flame, and makes a prodigy.
This laft is certainly fuperior to Homer in what they
call the wonderful: but what is the intent or effect of
this prodigy, or whether a reader is not at leaſt as
much ſurpriſed at it, as at the moſt unreaſonable parts
in Homer, I leave to thofe criticks who are more
inclined to find faults than I am: nor fhall I obferve
upon the many literal imitations in the Roman poet,
to object againſt which were to derogate from the
merit of thoſe fine paffages, which Virgil was fo very
fenfible of, that he was refolved to take them, at any
rate, to himſelf.
There remain in Homer three games untouched
by Virgil; the wrestling, the single combat, and the
Difcus. In Virgil there is only the Lufus Troja
added, which is purely his own, and muſt be confeſt
to be inimitable; I do not know whether I may be
allowed to fay, it is worth all thoſe three of Homer?
GAMES OF HOMER AND VIRGIL.
169
I could not forgive myſelf if I omitted to mention
in this place the funeral games in the fixth Thebaid
of Statius; it is by much the moſt beautiful book
of that poem. It is very remarkable, that he has
followed Homer through the whole courſe of his
games: there is the chariot-race, the foot-race, the
Difcus, the Caftus, the wrestling, the fingle combat
(which is put off in the fame manner as in Homer)
and the fhooting; which laft ends (as in Virgil) with
a prodigy: yet in the particular deſcriptions of each
of theſe games this poet has not borrowed from
either of his predeceffors, and his poem is fo much
the worſe for it.
P.
THE
TWENTY-FOURTH BOOK
OF THE
LIA D.
I L
THE ARGUMENT.
THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY OF HECTOR.
THE Gods deliberate about the redemption of Hector's
body. Jupiter fends Thetis to Achilles to difpofe him
for the restoring it, and Iris to Priam, to encourage him to
go in perfon, and treat for it. The old king, notwith-
Standing the remonftrances of his queen, makes ready for
the journey, to which he is encouraged by an omen from
Jupiter. He fets forth in his chariot, with a waggon
loaded with prefents under the charge of Idaus the herald.
Mercury defcends in the ſhape of a young man, and conducts
him to the pavilion of Achilles. Their converfation on the
way. Priam finds Achilles at his table, cafts himſelf at
his feet, and begs for the body of his fon; Achilles,
moved with compaffion, grants his request, detains him one
night in his tent, and the next morning fends him home
with the body: the Trojans run out to meet him. The
lamentations of Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen, with
the folemnities of the funeral.
The time of twelve days is employed in this book, while the
body of Hector lies in the tent of Achilles. And as many
more are spent in the truce allowed for his interment. The
fcene is partly in Achilles's camp, and partly in Troy. P.
THE
TWENTY-FOURTH BOOK
OF THE
ILIA D.
Now
OW from the finiſh'd games the Grecian
band.
Seek their black ſhips, and clear the crouded
ftrand:
5
All ſtretch'd at eaſe the genial banquet fhare,
•And pleaſing flumbers quiet all their care.
Not fo Achilles: he, to grief refign'd,
His friend's dear image preſent to his mind,
Takes his fad couch, more unobſerv'd to weep;
Nor taſtes the gifts of all-compofing fleep.
Ver. 5.] Little more than three verfes of his author are here
expanded by the tranſlator into eight. Let the reader accept a
literal tranſlation:
but Achilles ftill
Thought of his friend, and wept: all-conquering fleep
Subdu'd not him, whilft here and there he toft ;
Regretting dear Patroclus' gentle worth.
174
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
10
Reſtleſs he roll❜d around his weary bed,
And all his foul on his Patroclus fed:
The form ſo pleaſing, and the heart ſo kind,
That youthful vigour, and that manly mind,
What toils they ſhar'd, what martial works they
wrought,
What ſeas they meaſur'd, and what fields they
fought;
15
All paſt before him in remembʼrance dear,
Thought follows thought, and tear fucceeds
to tear.
Ver. 14. What feas they meafur'd, &c.] There is fomething
very noble in theſe ſentiments of Achilles : he does not recollect anỳ
foft moments, any tenderneſs that had paffed between him and
Patroclus, but he revolves the many difficulties, the toils by land,
and the dangers by fea, in which they had been companions: thus
the poet, on all occafions, admirably fuftains the character of
Achilles; when he played upon the harp in the ninth book, he fung
the atchievements of kings; and in this place there is an air of
greatnefs in his very forrows: Achilles is as much a hero when he
weeps, as when he fights.
This paffage in Homer has not eſcaped the cenfure of Plato,
who thought it a diminution in his character to be thus tranfported
with grief; but the objection will vaniſh, if we remember that all
the paffions of Achilles are in the extreme; his nature is violent,
and it would have been an outrage to his general character to have
repreſented him as mourning moderately for his friend. Plato ſpoke
more like a philofopher than a critick when he blamed the behaviour
of Achilles as unmanly: theſe tears would have ill become Plato,
but they are graceful in Achilles.
Befides, there is fomething very inftructive in this whole repre-
ſentation, it ſhews us the power of a fincere friendſhip, and foftens
and recommends the character of Achilles; the violence he uſed
towards his enemy is alleviated by the fincerity he expreffes towards
his friend; he is a terrible enemy, but amiable friend.`
P.
BOOK XXIV.
175
HOMER's ILIAD.
And now ſupine, now prone, the hero lay,
Now ſhifts his fide, impatient for the day:
Then ſtarting up, diſconſolate he goes
Wide on the lonely beach to vent his woes. zo
There as the folitary mourner raves,
The ruddy morning riſes o'er the waves:
Soon as it rofe, his furious ſteeds he join'd;
The chariot flies, and Hector trails behind.
And thrice, Patroclus! round thy monument 25
Was Hector dragg'd, then hurry'd to the tent.
There ſleep at laſt o'ercomes the hero's eyes;
While foul in duft th' unhonour'd carcafe lies,
But not deferted by the pitying fkies.
Ver. 21.] The term raves is not common in this ufe, but may
be approved, I think, on this occafion, as emphatically fignificant
of that outrageous and diftracting forrow, which the lofs of his
friend had excited in Achilles. It ſeems, however, as if Chapman's
verfion had fuggeſted the expreffion :
-he faw the morne
Shew ſea and ſhore his extafie.
Ver. 22.] The older French tranflator is the only one of our
poet's predeceffors, that has at all preferved the force and propriety
of the original in this place. I would propoſe the following
alterations :.
The rays of morn, advancing o'er the waves,
To yoke his furious fteeds the chief remind-
Ogilby at this place makes an unufual exertion, nor altogether
unfuccefsfully, to attain poetic elegance:
Soon as Aurora with a tender ray
Spread filver bloffoms of the budding day,
He joyns his ſteeds.
Ver. 27.] This mifreprefents his author, who only fays that
Achilles refted himself. Our poet might be mifled by Chapman :
176
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
For Phoebus watch'd it with fuperiour care, 30
Preferv'd from gaping wounds, and tainting air;
And ignominious as it fwept the field,
Spread o'er the facred corfe his golden fhield.
All heav'n was mov'd, and Hermes will'd to go
By ſtealth to ſnatch him from the inſulting foe:
But Neptune this, and Pallas this denies,
And th' unrelenting Emprefs of the ſkies:
>
Reft feiz'd him.
All this paft, in his pavilion
36
Ver. 30. For Phœbus watch'd it, &c.] Euftathius fays, that
by this fhield of Apollo, are meant the clouds that are drawn up
by the beams of the fun, which cooling and qualifying the fultri-
neſs of the air, preferved the body from decay: but perhaps the
poet had fomething farther in his eye when he introduced Apollo
upon this occafion: Apollo is a phyfician and the God of medica-
ments: if therefore Achilles uſed any arts to preſerve Hector
from decay, that he might be able the longer to infult his remains,
Apollo may properly be faid to protect it with his Ægis.
Ver. 32.] Thus Ogilby:
The corps protecting with his golden field
From ſcratches batter'd thus about the field.
P.
- Ver. 36. But Neptune this, and Pallas this denies.] It is with
excellent art that the poet carries on this part of the poem he
fhews that he could have contrived another way to recover the body
of Hector, but as a God is never to be introduced but when human
means fail, he rejects the interpofition of Mercury, makes ufe of
ordinary methods, and Priam redeems his fon : this gives an air of
probability to the relation, at the fame time that it advances the
glory of Achilles; for the greateſt of his enemies labours to
purchaſe his favour, the Gods hold a confultation, and a king
becomes a fuppliant. Euftathius.
Thole feven lines, from Κλέψαι δ' ωτρύνεσκον τo Μαχλοσύνην αλεγεινήν,
have been thought fpurious by fome of the ancients: they judged it
as an indecency that the Goddeſs of Wiſdom and Achilles fhould
BOOK XXIV. HOMER's ILIAD.
177
E'er fince that day implacable to Troy,
What time young Paris, fimple ſhepherd boy,
Won by deſtructive luſt (reward obſcene)
The charms rejected for the Cyprian queen.
40
be equally inexorable; and that it was below the majefty of the
gods to be faid to ſteal. Befides, fay they, had Homer been
acquainted with the judgment of Paris, he would undoubtedly have
mentioned it before this time in his poem, and confequently that
ftory was of a later invention: and Ariftarchus affirms that
Maxλorúva is a more modern word, and never known before the
time of Hefiod, who ufes it when he fpeaks of the daughters of
Prætus; and adds, that it is appropriated to fignify the incontinence
of women, and cannot be at all applied to men: therefore others
read the laſt verſe,
Η οἱ κεχαρισμένα δῶς ὀνόμην.
'Theſe objections are entirely gathered from Euftathius: to which
we may add, that Macrobius feems to have been one of thoſe who
rejected theſe verſes, fince he affirms that our author never mentions
the judgment of Paris. It may be anſwered, that the filence of
Homer in the foregoing part of the poem, as to the judgment of
Paris, is no argument that he was ignorant of that ſtory: perhaps he
might think it moſt proper to unfold the cauſe of the deſtruction of
Troy in the conclufion of the Ilias: that the reader feeing the
wrong done, the puniſhment of that wrong immediately following,
might acknowledge the juſtice of it,
The ſame reaſon will be an anſwer to the objection relating to
the anger of Pallas: Wiſdom cannot be fatisfied without Juftice,
and confequently Pallas ought not to ceafe from refentment, till
Troy has fuffered the deſerts of her crimes,
I cannot think that the objection about the word Maxλocúra is of
any weight; the date of words is utterly uncertain, and as no one
has been able to determine the ages of Homer and Hefiod, ſo neither
can any perfon be affured that fuch words were not in ufe in Homer's
days.
Ver. 39.] Ogilby is more accurate and conciſe :
When they and Venus to his cottage came,
For luft-rewards prefer'd the Cyprian dame.
VOL. VI.
N
P.
178
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
But when the tenth celeftial morning broke;
To heav'n affembled, thus Apollo ſpoke.
Unpitying pow'rs! how oft each holy fane
Has Hector ting'd with blood of victims
flain?
45
so
And can ye ftill his cold remains purfue?
Still grudge his body to the Trojans view?
Deny to confort, mother, fon, and fire,
The laft fad honours of a fun'ral fire?
Is then the dire Achilles all your care?
That iron heart, inflexibly fevere;
A lion, not a man, who flaughters wide
In ſtrength of rage and impotence of pride;
Who haſtes to murder with a ſavage joy,
Invades around, and breathes but to deftroy. 55
Ver. 52. A lion, not a man, &c.] This is a very formal con-
demnation of the morals of Achilles, which Homer puts into the
mouth of a god. One may fee from this alone that he was far from
defigning his hero à virtuous character; yet the poet artfully intro-
duces Apollo in the midft of his reproaches, intermingling the hero's
praiſes with his blemiſhes : Brave tho' he be, &c. Thus what is the
real merit of Achilles is diftinguiſhed from what is blameable in his
character, and we fee Apollo or the God of Wiſdom, is no lefs
impartial than juft in his repreſentation of Achilles.
P.
Ver. 53.] A fmall obligation feems due to Chapman :
but lion-like; uplandiſh, and neere wilde;
Slave to his pride.
Ver. 55.] Fidelity may be promoted by a trivial correction:
Invades the fold, and breathes but to deſtroy.
BOOK XXIV.
179
HOMER's ILIAD.
60
Shame is not of his foul, nor underſtood;
The greateſt evil and the greateſt good.
Still for one lofs he rages unrefign'd,
Repugnant to the lot of all mankind;
To lofe a friend, a brother, or a fon,
Heav'n dooms each mortal, and its will is done :
A while they forrow, then diſmiſs their care;
Fate gives the wound, and man is born to bear.
But this infatiate the commiffion giv'n
By fate, exceeds; and tempts the wrath of heav'n:
Lo how his rage diſhoneſt drags along
Hector's dead earth infenfible of wrong!
Brave tho' he be, yet by no reaſon aw'd,
He violates the laws of man and God.
If equal honours by the partial ſkies
Are doom❜d both heroes, (Juno thus replies)
If Thetis' fon muſt no diſtinction know,
Then hear, ye gods! the patron of the bow.
Ver. 57.] More perfpicuouſly, I think, and correctly, thus :
Their greateſt evil, or their greateſt good.
66
70
Ver. 58.] Thus ? more cloſely to the original, and more con-
cifely:
A nearer lofs may prove ſome other's doom;
A brother's, or a fon's, untimely tomb:
But foon in tears that forrow finds relief.
Fate gives mankind a foul to fuffer grief.
Ver. 68.] The rhymes are vicious. May we thus correct ?
Brave tho' he be, no rules of right confine;
No human feeling, and no law divine.
Ń 2
180
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
75
But Hector only boaſts a mortal claim,
His birth deriving from a mortal dame:
Achilles of your own æthereal race
Springs from a goddeſs, by a man's embrace;
(A goddeſs by ourſelf to Peleus giv'n,
A man divine, and chofen friend of heav'n.)
Tograce thoſe nuptials, from the bright abode 80
Yourſelves were prefent; where this minftrel-god
(Well pleas'd to ſhare the feaſt,) amid the quire
Stood proud to hymn, and tune his youthful lyre.
Then thus the Thund'rer checks th’imperial
84
dame:
Let not thy wrath the court of heav'n inflame;
Their merits, not their honours, are the fame.
But mine, and ev'ry god's peculiar grace
Hector deferves, of all the Trojan race:
Still on our ſhrines his graceful off'rings lay,
(The only honours men to gods can pay)
Nor ever from our ſmoking altar ceaft
The pure libation, and the holy feaſt.
90
Ver. 78.] More accurately, thus:
A goddeſs, fondly nurs'd by me, and giv'n
A bride to Peleus, chofen friend of heav'n.
Ver. 82.] Thus, with more fidelity:
Unfriendly! faithleſs ſtill! amid the quire
(Well-pleas'd to ſhare the banquet) tun'd his lyre.
Ver, 92.] A moft graceful and melodious line!
BOOK XXIV.
181
HOMER's ILIAD.
95
Howe'er by ſtealth to fnatch the corſe away,
We will not: Thetis guards it night and day.
But hafte, and ſummon to our courts above
The azure Queen; let her perfuafion move
Her furious fon from Priam to receive
The proffer'd ranſom, and the corſe to leave.
He added not: and Iris from the fkies,
Swift as a whirlwind, on the meffage flies, 100
Meteorous the face of Ocean ſweeps,
Refulgent gliding o'er the fable deeps.
Between where Samos wide his forefts fpreads,
And rocky Imbrus lifts its pointed heads,
Down plung'd the maid; (the parted waves
refound)
105
She plung'd, and inſtant ſhot the dark profound.
Ver. 93.] Our tranſlator follows Chapman and Ogilby in an
omiffion here. The original runs thus :
By ſtealth avoid we (nor could ſtealth eſcape
Achilles) Hector to redeem : ſo guards
His mother ceafelefs, prefent night and day.
Ver. 100.] Our poetry might bear, perhaps, an exact tranfla-
tion of the original :
With feet of tempefts, on the meſſage flies.
Ver. 101.] This is the language of Milton, Par. Loſt, xii. 629:
on the ground
Gliding meteorous, as evening miſt
Ris'n from a river o'er the mariſh glides.
Ver. 103.] Homer gives Samos no epithet here, but the iſland
is called woody in the beginning of the thirteenth Iliad.
Ver. 106.] Thus Milton, Par. Loft, ii. 438:
N 3
182
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
110
As bearing death in the fallacious bait,
From the bent angle finks the leaden weight;
So paſt the goddeſs thro' the cloſing wave,
Where Thetis forrow'd in her fecret cave:
There plac'd amidſt her melancholy train
(The blue-hair'd fifters of the facred main)
Penfive ſhe fat, revolving fates to come,
And wept her god-like fon's approaching doom.
Then thus the goddeſs of the painted bow. 115
Ariſe! O Thetis, from thy feats below.
Of uneffential night :
the inane profundum of Lucretius.
the void profound
Ver. 114. And wept her god-like fon's approaching doom.] Thefe
words are very artfully inferted by the poet. The poem could not
proceed to the death of Achilles without breaking the action; and
therefore to fatisfy the curiofity of the reader concerning the fate of
this great man, he takes care to inform us that his life draws to a
period, and as it were celebrates his funeral before his death.
Such circumſtances as theſe greatly raiſe the character of Achilles ;
he is fo truly valiant, that though he knows he muft fall before
Troy, yet he does not abstain from the war, but courageouſly
meets his death: and here I think it proper to infert an obfervation
that ought to have been made before, which is, that Achilles did not
know that Hector was to fall by his hand; if he had known it,
where would have been the mighty courage in engaging him in a
fingle combat, in which he was fure to conquer? the contrary of
this is evident from the words of Achilles to Hector juft before the
combat,
/
Πριν γ' ἡ ἕτερόν γε πισόντα
Αἵματος ἆσαι ώρησε, &c.
I will make no compacts with thee, fays Achilles, but one of us shall
fall.
P.
An additional couplet, with the rhymes of Ogilby, may be added
with great advantage to fidelity:
BOOK XXIV.
183
HOMER'S ILIAD.
129
'Tis Jove that calls. And why (the dame replies)
Calls Jove his Thetis to the hated ſkies?
Sad object as I am for heav'nly fight!
Ah may my forrows ever ſhun the light!
Howe'er, be heav'n's almighty Sire obey'd―
She ſpake, and veil'd her head in fable ſhade,
Which, flowing long, her graceful perſon clad ;
And forth fhe pac'd, majeſtically ſad.
Then thro' the world of waters, they repair 125
(The way fair Iris led) to upper air.
The deeps dividing, o'er the coaſt they riſe,
And touch with momentary flight the ſkies.
There in the light'nings blaze the Sire they
found,
And all the gods in ſhining ſynod round.
Thetis approach'd with anguiſh in her face,
(Minerva rifing, gave the mourner place)
130
Too foon approaching! now at hand his fall,
Far from his country, at the Trojan wall.
Ver. 122.] Chapman expreffes his author more fully:
She faid, and tooke a fable vaile; a blacker never wore
A heavenly ſhoulder.
Ver. 124.] The two laft words are from the tranſlator only,
but in harmony with the ſpirit of the context.
Ver. 131.] More diſtinctly thus :
She by Jove's fide, with anguiſh in her face,
Sat down: Minerva gave the mourner place.
N4
184
BOOX XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Ev'n Juno fought her forrows to confole,
And offer'd from her hand the nectar bowl:
She taſted, and refign'd it: then began
The facred Sire of Gods and mortal man:
135
Thou com'ft, fair Thetis, but with grief
o'ercaft;
Maternal forrows, long, ah long to laſt!
Suffice, we know and we partake thy cares:
But yield to Fate, and hear what Jove declares.
Nine days are paft, fince all the court above 141
In Hector's caufe have mov'd the ear of Jove;
Ver. 141. Nine days are paft, fince all the court above, &c.] It
may be thought that fo many interpofitions of the Gods, fuch
meffages from heaven to earth, and down to the feas, are needlefs
machines: and it may be imagined that it is an offence againſt
probability that fo many Deities fhould be employed to pacify
Achilles: but I am of opinion that the poet conducts this whole affair
with admirable judgment. The poem is now almoſt at the conclu-
fion, and Achilles is to paſs from a ſtate of an almoſt inexorable
refentment to a ſtate of perfect tranquillity; fuch a change could
not be brought about by human means; Achilles is too ftubborn to
obey any thing lefs than a God: this is evident from his rejecting
the perfuafion of the whole Grecian army to return to the battle:
fo that it appears that this machinery was neceffary, and con-
fequently a beauty to the poem.
It may be farther added, that theſe ſeveral incidents proceed
from Jupiter it is by his appointment that fo many Gods are em-
ployed to attend Achilles. By thefe means Jupiter fulfils the pro-
miſe mentioned in the first book, of honouring the fon of Thetis,
and Homer excellently fuftains his character by repreſenting the
inexorable Achilles as not parting with the body of his mortal
enemy, but by the immediate command of Jupiter.
If the poet had conducted theſe incidents merely by human
BOOK XXIV.
185
HOMER's ILIAD.
'Twas voted, Hermes from his god-like foe
145
By ſtealth ſhould bear him, but we will'd not ſo:
We will thy fon himſelf the corſe reſtore,
And to his conqueſt add this glory more.
Then hie thee to him, and our mandate bear;
Tell him he tempts the wrath of heav'n too far:
Nor let him more (our anger if he dread)
Vent his mad vengeance on the facred dead: 150
But yield to ranſom and the father's pray'r.
The mournful father, Iris fhall prepare,
With gifts to fue; and offer to his hands
Whate'er his honour aſks, or heart demands.
:
means, or fuppofed Achilles to reſtore the body of Hector entirely
out of compaffion, the draught had been unnatural, becauſe unlike
Achilles fuch a violence of temper was not to be pacified by
ordinary methods. Befides, he has made ufe of the propereft per-
fonages to carry on the affair; for who could be fuppoſed to have
ſo great an influence upon Achilles as his own mother, who is a god-
defs!
P.
Ver. 142.] The following verfe is more conformable to his
original :
In jars for Hector and Achilles ftrove.
Ver. 145.] An elegant couplet, but without fidelity. Thus
his author:
I to thy fon this praiſe attach, and thus
Secure henceforth thy réverence and thy love.
Ver. 147.] The rhymes are of the moſt vicious character.
Thus ? unexceptionably in that refpect, and more clofely to the
language of Homer:
Then hie thee to him, and our mandate bring:
Too far he tempts th' immortals, and their king.
186
BOOK XXIV
HOMER's ILIAD.
His word the filver-footed queen attends, 155
And from Olympus' fnowy tops defcends.
Arriv'd, fhe heard the voice of loud lament,
And echoing groans that ſhook the lofty tent.
His friends prepare the victim, and diſpoſe
Repaſt unheeded, while he vents his woes;
The Goddeſs ſeats her by her penſive ſon,
She preſt his hand, and tender thus begun.
160
How long, unhappy! ſhall thy forrows flow
And thy heart waſte with life-confuming woe?
Ver. 156.]
Thus, with a more accurate adherence to the
force of his author's language:
And down Olympus with a ſpring defcends.
Ver. 157.] As Milton, Par. Loft, viii. 244:
But long ere our approaching heard within
Noiſe, other than the found of dance or fong,
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
Ver. 159.] Or rather, if exact fidelity be preferable,
His friends the victim haften, and difpofe -
Ver. 162.] Our poet follows Ogilby in a wrong formation of
the verb, (as in numerous other inſtances not mentioned by me, to
avoid an imputation of pedantic and minute difcuffion) for the
convenience of the rhyme:
Then the fad mother by her wecping fon
Sate down, and him bemoaning thus begun.
Ver. 164. And thy heart waste with life-confuming woe.] This
expreffion in the original is very particular. Were it to be tranflated
literally, it muſt be rendered, how long wilt thou eat, or prey upon
thy own heart by theſe forrows? And it ſeems that it was a common
way of expreffing a deep forrow; and Pythagoras ufes it in this
fenſe, un sobie nagdav, that is, grieve not exceffively, let not forrow
make too great an impreffion upon thy heart. Euftathius.
P.
It were eafy to preferve the fignificant expreffion of his author:
And thy life wafte with heart-devouring woe.
BOOK XXIV.
187
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Mindlefs of food, or Love whoſe pleaſing reign 165
Soothes weary life, and foftens human pain.
O fnatch the moments, yet within thy pow'r;
Not long to live, indulge the am'rous hour!
Ver. 165.] A very delicate and happy turn is here given to the
undiſguiſed fimplicity of his original.
Ver. 168. Indulge the am'rous hour!] The ancients (fays
Euftathius) rejected theſe verſes becauſe of the indecent idea they
convey: the goddeſs in plain terms adviſes Achilles to go to bed to
his miſtreſs, and tells him a woman will be a comfort. The good
biſhop is of opinion, that they ought to be rejected, but the reaſon he
gives is as extraordinary as that of Thetis: Soldiers, fays he, have
more occafion for fomething to ſtrengthen themſelves with, than for
women: and this is the reafon, continues he, why wrestlers are
forbid all commerce with that fex during the whole time of
their exercife.
Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus endeavours to juſtify Homer by
obferving, that this advice of Thetis was not given him to induce
him to any wantonnefs, but was intended to indulge a nobler
paffion, his defire of glory : ſhe adviſes him to go to that captive who
was reſtored to him in a publick manner to fatisfy his honour to
that captive, the detention of whom had been fo great a puniſhment
to the whole Grecian army. And therefore Thetis ufes a very
proper motive to comfort her fon, by advifing him to gratify at
once both his love and his glory.
Plutarch has likewife laboured in Homer's juftification; he
obferves that the poet has ſet the picture of Achilles in this place in
a very fair and ftrong point of light: though Achilles had fo lately.
received his beloved Brifeïs from the hands of Agamemnon;
though he knew that his own life drew to a certain period; yet the
hero prevails over the lover, and he does not hafte to indulge his
love: he does not lament Patroclus like a common man by neglect-
ing the duties of life, but he abſtains from all pleaſure by an exceſs
of forrow, and the love of his miſtreſs is loft in that of his friend.
This obfervation excellently juftifies Achilles, in not indulging
himſelf with the company of his miſtreſs: the hero indeed prevails
188
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
Lo! Jove himſelf (for Jove's command I bear)
Forbids to tempt the wrath of heav'n too far.
fo much over the lover, that Thetis thinks herſelf obliged to recall
Brifeïs to his memory. Yet ftill the indecency remains. All that
can be faid in favour of Thetis is, that ſhe was mother to Achilles,
and confequently might take the greater freedom with her fon.
Madam Dacier diſapproves of both the former obfervations:
ſhe has recourſe to the lawfulneſs of fuch a practice between Achilles
and Brifeïs; and becauſe ſuch commerces in thoſe times were reputed
honeſt, therefore the thinks the advice was decent: the married
ladies are obliged to her for this obfervation, and I hope all tender
mothers, when their fons are afflicted, will adviſe them to comfort
themſelves in this manner.
In fhoit, I am of opinion that this paffage outrages decency; and
it is a fign of fome weakneſs to have fo much occafion of juſtification.
Indeed the whole paffage is capable of a ſerious conftruction, and of
fuch a fenfe as a mother might exprefs to a fon with decency: and
then it will run thus, Why art thou, my fon, thus afflicted? Why
"thus refigned to forrow? Can neither ſleep nor love divert you?
"Short is thy date of life, fpend it not all in weeping, but allow
" ſome part of it to love and pleaſure!" But ftill the indecency
lies in the manner of the expreffion, which must be allowed
to be almoft obfcene, (for fuch is the word íoſeσ0' mifceri) all
that can be faid in defence of it is, that as we are not competent
judges of what ideas words might carry in Homer's time, ſo we
ought not entirely to condemn him, becauſe it is poffible the expreffion
might not found fo indecently in ancient, as in modern ears. P.
Our poet forfeits here by an unneceffary repetition his title to
the commendation lately given. Thus, with entire fidelity to
Homer's language:
Thy joys cuts fhort thy tranfitory date :
Death now ftands by thee, and refiftlefs Fate.
And with reſpect to the fubject of our poet's copious animadver-
fions on the paffage, I would obſerve, that Homer, as a poet, was
bound to exhibit human nature in her proper colours, and to delineate
a character of his hero conformable to the real manners of the times
in which he lived, without confidering the delicacy and refinements
of ſociety in more advanced periods: which indeed might have
required an actual union of prophetical gifts with his poetical.
1
BOOK XXIV, HOMER's ILIAD.
189
171
No longer then (his fury if thou dread)
Detain the relicks of great Hector dead;
Nor vent on fenfeleſs earth thy vengeance vain;
But yield to ranfom, and reſtore the flain.
To whom Achilles: Be the ranſom giv'n, 175
And we fubmit, fince fuch the will of heav'n.
While thus they commun'd, from th' Olympian
bow'rs
Jove orders Iris to the Trojan tow'rs.
Hafte, winged Goddeſs! to the facred town,
And urge her monarch to redeem her ſon: 180
Alone, the Ilian ramparts let him leave,
And bear what ftern Achilles may receive;
Alone, for fo we will: no Trojan near;
Except to place the dead with decent care,
Some aged herald, who with gentle hand, 185
May the flow mules and fun'ral car command.
Nor let him death, nor let him danger dread,
Safe thro' the foe by our protection led:
Him Hermes to Achilles fhall convey,
Guard of his life, and partner of his way. 190
Ver. 170.] See the note on verfe 147, and a fimilar correction
may be fubftituted for the vicious rhymes in this place alſo.
Ver. 183.] The accuracy of rhyme may be confulted by this
alteration:
Alone; no Trojan muſt attend him there.
Ver. 189. Him Hermes to Achilles fhall convey.] The inter-
vention of Mercury was very neceflary at this time, and by it the
190
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Fierce as he is, Achilles' ſelf ſhall ſpare
His age, nor touch one venerable hair;
poet not only gives an air of probability to the relation, but alſo
pays a compliment to his countrymen the Grecians: they kept fo
ftrict a guard that nothing but a God could pafs unobſerved; this
highly recommends their military diſcipline; and Priam not being
able to carry the ranſom without a chariot, it would have been an
offence againft probability to have fuppofed him able to have paffed
all the guards of the army in his chariot, without the affiftance of
fome deity: Horace had this paffage in his view, Ode the xth of
the first book,
Iniqua Troja caftra fefellit."
P.
Theſe monotonous terminations are not elegant. Better, perhaps,
Him Hermes to the hero fhall convey.
The next verfe is very fine indeed, and ſweetly melodious.
Ver. 191.
Achilles' felf fhall Spare
His age, nor touch one venerable hair, &c.]
It is obfervable that every word here is a negative, ἄφρων, άσκοπος,
; Achilles is ftill fo angry that Jupiter cannot fay he is
wiſe, judicious, and merciful; he only commends him negatively,
and barely fays he is not a madman, nor perverfely wicked.
·
It is the obſervation of the ancients, fays Euftathius, that all the
caufes of the fins of man are included in thoſe three words : man
offends either out of ignorance, and then he is pav´; or through
inadvertency, then he is doxoes; or wilfully and maliciouſly, and
then he is it. So that this deſcription agrees very well with
the preſent difpofition of Achilles; he is not apav, becauſe his
refentment begins to abate; he is not doxoros, becauſe his mother
has given him inftructions; nor ¿author, becauſe he will not offend
againſt the injunctions of Jupiter.
Thus, more faithfully:
Soon as the car fhall reach Achilles' tent,.
Himfelf will fpare, and others' rage prevent.
Not fenfeleſs he, to virtuous feeling loft,
But prone to venerate a ſuppliant hoft.
Nor will Ogilby, flightly chaftifed, difguft the reader :
P.
BOOK XXIV.
191
HOMER's ILIAD.
Some thought there muſt be, in a ſoul ſo brave,
Some ſenſe of duty, fome deſire to ſave.
194
Then down her bow the winged Iris drives,
And fwift at Priam's mournful court arrives:
There once arriv'd, Achilles will protect
From murderous hands, and treat with due reſpect.
Raſh he is not, nor fell; but prone to spare,
When humble fuitors for his grace repair.
Ver. 195. The winged Iris drives, &c.] Monf. Rapin has been
very free upon this paffage, where fo many machines are made uſe of,
to cauſe Priam to obtain the body of Hector from Achilles." This
“father (fay's he) who has ſo much tenderneſs for his fon, who is
"fo fuperftitious in obferving the funeral ceremonies, and faving
"thoſe precious remains from the dogs and vultures; ought he not
"to have thought of doing this himſelf, without being thus exprefsly
"commanded by the Gods? Was there need of a machine to
"make him remember that he was a father?" But this critick
entirely forgets what rendered fuch a conduct of abfolute neceflity;
namely, the extreme danger and (in all probability) imminent ruin
both of the king and ftate, upon Priam's putting himſelf into the
power
of his moft inveterate enemy. There was no other method
of recovering Hector, and of diſcharging his funeral rites (which
were looked upon by the ancients of fo high importance) and there-
fore the meffage from Jupiter to encourage Priam, with the affiftance.
of Mercury to conduct him, and to prepare Achilles to receive him
with favour, was far from impertinent: it was dignus vindice nodus,
as Horace expreſſes it.
Ogilby is very exact, and might eafily be made poetical:
This faid, to Troy with ſpeed the goddeſs flies :
Entring the court, which rung with diftant cries.
P.
Our tranſlator might poffibly be led to his fancy by Chapman's
verfion :
This faid, the rainbow to her feet, tied whirlwinds, and the
place
Reacht inftantly.
192
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Where the fad fons befide their father's throne
Sat bath'd in tears, and anfwer'd groan with groan.
And all amidſt them lay the hoary fire,
200
(Sad ſcene of woe!) his face, his wrapt attire
Conceal'd from fight; with frantick hands he
fpread
A fhow'r of aſhes o'er his neck and head.
From room to room his penfive daughters roam;
Whoſe ſhrieks and clamours fill the vaulted dome;
Ver. 200. His face, his wrapt attire Conceal'd from fight.] The
poet has obſerved a great decency in this place; he was not able to
expreſs the grief of his royal mourner, and fo covers what he could
not repreſent. From this paffage Semanthes the Sicyonian painter
borrowed his defign in the facrifice of Iphigenia, and reprefents his
Agamemnon, as Homer does his Priam: Æfchylus has likewife
imitated this place, and draws his Niobe exactly after the manner
of Homer. Euftathius.
P.
The fignificance of Homer's phrafeology may be preſerved; but
I know not, how far the repreſentation would accord with the taſte
of an English reader. Thus, however, the whole paffage may be
given with confiderable improvement of fidelity:
The fons with tears, befide the father's throne,
Their vefts bedew'd, and anfwer'd groan for groan.
'Midft the fad concourfe lay the hoary fire,
Dire Spectacle of woe! His wrapt attire
Expreft each limb: with frantic hands he ſhed
A fhow'r of afhes o'er his neck and head.
Ver. 203.] This couplet is wrought from a fingle verſe, to the
following purport:
Through the wide manfion all his daughters wail.
Our tranflator might take a hint from Ogilby :
Whil'ft female cries refound from golden roofs:
Or from Dacier: Les princeffes fes filles et fes belles-filles fai-
66
foient retentir tout le palais de leurs cris et de leurs gémiſſemens.”
BOOK XXIV.
193
HOMER's ILIAD.
Mindful of thoſe, who, late their pride and joy,
Lie pale and breathlefs round the fields of Troy!
Before the king Jove's meffenger appears,
And thus in whiſpers greets his trembling ears.
Fear not, oh father! no ill news I bear; 209
From Jove I come, Jove makes thee ftill his care:
For Hector's fake thefe walls he bids thee leave,
And bear what ſtern Achilles
may receive:
Alone, for fo he wills: no Trojan near,
Except to place the dead with decent care,
Some aged herald, who with gentle hand 215
May the flow mules and fun'ral car command.
Norfhalt thou death, nor fhalt thou danger dread;
Safe thro' the foe by his protection led:
Thee Hermes to Pelides ſhall convey,
Guard of thy life, and partner of thy way. 220
Fierce as he is, Achilles felf ſhall ſpare
Thy age, nor touch one venerable hair;
Some thought there muſt be, in a foul ſo brave,
Some ſenſe of duty, fome defire to fave.
She ſpoke, and vaniſh'd. Priam bids prepare
His gentle mules, and harneſs to the car.
Ver. 209.] Similar rhymes recur too foon. Thus ?
Fear not, O monarch! from th' immortal king,
Thy gracious guardian, no ill news I bring.
Ver. 225.] Homer ſays,
Swift-footed Iris fpake, and went away :
VOL. VI.
O
226
194
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
There, for the gifts, a poliſh'd caſket lay:
His pious fons the king's command obey.
Then paſt the monarch to his bridal-room,
Where cedar-beams the lofty roofs perfume, 230
And where the treaſures of his empire lay;
Then call'd his queen, and thus began to fay.
Unhappy confort of a king diſtreſt!
Partake the troubles of thy huſband's breaſt:
I ſaw defcend the meffenger of Jove,
Who bids me try Achilles' mind to move;
Forfake theſe ramparts, and with gifts obtain
The corpſe of Hector, at yon' navy, ſlain.
Tell me thy thought: my heart impels to go
Thro' hoftile camps, and bears me to the foe. 240
235
The hoary monarch thus. Her piercing cries
Sad Hecuba renews, and then replies.
Ah! whither wanders thy distemper'd mind?
And where the prudence now, that aw'd mankind;
but Ogilby renders,
This faid, the vaniſbeth like fleeting wind.
Ver. 227.] Theſe rhymes foon return.
greater variety, I would propofe as follows:
With a view to
There, for the gifts, a poliſh'd caſket ſtands :
His pious fons obey the king's commands.
Ver. 233.] This introductory couplet was fupplied by the
invention of the tranflator.
Ver. 241.] Thus, more faithfully :
The hoary monarch Spake. With piercing cries
The queen his purpose hears, and thus replies.
BOOK XXIV.
195
HOMER's ILIA D.
Thro' Phrygia once, and foreign regions known;
Now all confus'd, diftracted, overthrown! 246
Singly to paſs thro' hofts of foes! to face
(Oh heart of ſteel!) the murdʼrer of thy race!
To view that deathful eye, and wander o'er
Thoſe hands yet red with Hector's noble gore! 250
Alas! my lord! he knows not how to fpare,
And what his mercy, thy flain fons declare;
So brave! fo many fall'n! To calm his rage
Vain were thy dignity, and vain thy age.
No-pent in this fad palace, let us give
To grief the wretched days we have to live.
Still, ftill for Hector let our forrows flow,
Born to his own, and to his parents woe!
Doom'd from the hour his lucklefs life begun,
To dogs, to vultures, and to Peleus' fon!
255
260
Ver. 246.] A mere expletive verfe, deftitute both of elegance
and fpirit. The paffage is altogether too much expanded; and the
full fenfe of the original, as conveyed in this and the three preceding
lines, may be well compriſed in a fingle couplet:
Ah! whither then that wife confiderate mind?
To Trojans known, and fam'd thro' all mankind.
Ver. 247.] Thus his author, literally repreſented:
What? wilt thou feek the Græcian fhips, alone
And face that man, the murderer of thy fons,
Numerous and brave? Thy heart is furely fteel.
Ver. 250.] This circumftance is not from his author, but from
Dacier's tranflation: "Vous le trouverez encore couvert du fang
d'Hector."
Ver. 259.] Or thus, with more attention to fidelity and grammar;
02
រ
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
196
Oh! in his deareſt blood might I allay
My rage, and theſe barbarities repay!
For ah! could Hector merit thus ? whofe breath
Expir'd not meanly, in unactive death:
He pour'd his lateſt blood in manly fight, 265
And fell a hero in his country's right.
Doom'd from that hour his lucklefs life began,
To glut the dogs and this relentless man.
But our poet followed Dacier: "Les chiens et les vauteurs.”
Ver. 261.] His original prefcribes,
O! in his liver might my teeth allay
Their rage
but our poet wiſht to ſoften the horrors of his author, partly after
the manner of Dacier: "Que ne puis je étancher ma foif dans le fang
❝ de ce barbare, et lui dévorer le cœur ?"
Ver. 263.] His author fays only,
no coward wretch he flew:
fo that our tranſlator turned the paffage from Dacier, and treads
cloſely in her ſteps: "Mon fils n'a pas mérité ces indignités; il n'a
point été tué comme un lâche, mais en defendant juſqu'à la der-
"niere goutte de fon fang les Troyens et les Troyennes."
Ver. 265. He pour'd his latest blood in manly fight,
And fell a hero
This whole difcourfe of Hecuba is exceedingly natural, fhe aggra-
vates the features of Achilles, and foftens thofe of Hector: her
anger blinds her fo much, that ſhe can fee nothing great in Achilles,
and her fondneſs ſo much, that ſhe can diſcern no defects in Hector.
Thus the draws Achilles in the fierceft colours, like a barbarian,
and calls him wµnsis: but at the fame time forgets that Hector ever
fled from Achilles, and in the original directly tells us, that he
knew not how to fear, or how to fly. Euftathius.
Ogilby is faithful:
Who for the Trojans and their wives did fight,
Scorning bafe fear and ignominious flight.
P.
1
BOOK XXIV.
197
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Seek not to ſtay me, nor my
foul affright
271
With words of omen, like a bird of night;
(Reply'd unmov'd the venerable man)
'Tis heav'n commands me, and you urge in vain.
Had any mortal voice th' injunction laid,
Nor augur, prieſt, or feer had been obey'd.
A preſent goddeſs brought the high command,
I ſaw, I heard her, and the word ſhall ſtand.
I go, ye
Gods! obedient to your call:
If in yon' camp your pow'rs have doom'd my fall,
Content-By the fame hand let me expire!
Add to the flaughter'd fon the wretched fire!
One cold embrace at leaſt may be allow'd,
And my laſt tears flow mingled with his blood! 280
From forth his open'd ftores, this faid, he drew
Twelve coftly carpets of refulgent hue,
As many vefts, as many mantles told,
275
And twelve fair veils and garments ſtiff with gold.
Ver. 269.] To correct the vicious rhymes, we might fubftitute:
The reverend monarch fpake, unmov'd, again.
Ver. 276.] Thefe four verfes correfpond to two of his author,
who is more faithfully reprefented by Ogilby. I fhall give his
couplet corrected:
Let him, when theſe fad eyes have wept their fill,
The father in the fon's embraces kill.
Ver. 279.] The rhymes of this couplet are inadmiſſible.
Ver. 284.] This latter circumftance is not from Homer, but
Virgil, En. i. 649 :
03
198
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
Two tripods next, and twice two chargers ſhine, 285
With ten pure talents from the richeſt mine;
And laſt a large well-labour'd bowl had place,
(The pledge of treaties once with friendly Thrace)
Seem'd all too mean the ftores he could employ,
For one laſt look to buy him back to Troy! 290
Lo! the fad father, frantick with his pain,
Around him furious drives his menial train:
pallam fignis auroque rigentem
a robe with figures ftiff and gold.
Ver. 289.] Thus his author, literally :
not e'en this treaſure of his houſe
The fenior fpar'd: fo anxious was his mind
His fon to ranfom!
but our tranflator had his eye on Chapman
The old king, nothing held too deare, to reſcue from
difgrace,
His gracious Hector,
Ver. 291. Lo! the fad father, &c.] This behaviour of Priam
is very natural to a perfon in his circumftances: the lofs of his
favourite fon makes fo deep an impreffion upon his fpirits, that he
is incapable of confolation; he is diſpleaſed with every body; he is
angry he knows not why; the diſorder and hurry of his ſpirits make
him break out into paffionate expreffions, and thofe expreffions are
contained in ſhort periods, very natural to men in anger, who give
not themſelves leifure to exprefs their fentiments at full length: it
is from the fame paffion that Priam, in the ſecond ſpeech, treats all
his fons with the utmoft indignity, calls them gluttons, dancers and
flatterers. Euftathius very jufily remarks, that he had Paris parti-
cularly in his eye; but his anger makes him transfer that character
to the rest of his children, not being calm enough to make a diſtinc-
tion between the innocent and guilty.
That paffage where he runs into the praiſes of Hector is parti
cularly natural: his concern and fondneſs make him as extravagant
1
BOOK XXIV.
199
HOMER'S ILIAD.
In vain each flave with duteous care attends,
Each office hurts him, and each face offends.
What make ye here? officious crouds! (he cries)
Hence ! nor obtrude your anguiſh on my eyes. 296
Have ye no griefs at home, to fix
Am I the only object of defpair?
ye there;
in the commendation of him, as in the difparagement of his other
fons: they are lefs than mortals, he more than man. Rapin has
cenfured this anger of Priam as a breach of the manners, and ſays
he might have fhewn himſelf a father, otherwife than by this ufage
of his children. But whoever confiders his circumſtances, will judge
after another manner. Priam, after having been the most wealthy,
moſt powerful and formidable monarch of Afia, becomes all at once
the moſt miſerable of men; he loſes in lefs than eight days the beſt of
his army, and a great number of virtuous fons; he lofes the braveſt
of them all, his glory and his defence, the gallant Hector. This
laft blow finks him quite, and changes him fo much, that he is no
longer the fame: he becomes impatient, frantick, unreaſonable!
the terrible effect of ill-fortune! Whoever has the leaft infight into
nature, muſt admire fo fine a picture of the force of adverſity on
an unhappy old man.
P.
Our poet amplifies much on his author, but with great ingenuity,
and in a kindred spirit. The following portion of Homer corref
punds to this and the three next verſes :
he the Trojans all
Drave from the porch, and thus reproachful chid.
Ver. 295.] Thefe five verſes repreſent two of his author, which
are faithfully enough exhibited by Ogilby :
Have you not forrows of your own at home,
That thus to torture me you hither come?
Ver. 297.] I have noticed before this highly injudicious and
improper ufe of the pronoun ye in the fourth cafe. A fingular
fpecimen of this ungrammatical inelegance occurs in Creech's tran-
flation of Virgil's fecond Eclogue :
04
200
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Am I become my people's common ſhow,
Set up by Jove your ſpectacle of woe? 300
No, you
you muſt feel him too; yourſelves muſt fall;
The fame ftern God to ruin gives you
all:
Nor is great Hector loſt by me alone;
Your fole defence, your guardian pow'r is gone!
I ſee your blood the fields of Phrygia drown, 305
I fee the ruins of your ſmoking town!
Oh fend me, Gods! e'er that fad day ſhall come,
A willing ghoſt to Pluto's dreary dome!
He faid, and feebly drives his friends away:
The forrowing friends his frantick rage obey. 310
Next on his fons his erring fury falls,
Polites, Paris, Agathon, he calls,
And whilft I trace thy ſteps in every tree
And every buſh, poor infects figh with we:
unleſs it be an error of the prefs for me.
Ver. 299.] Theſe ideas, which fo much occupy the tranflation
of this fpeech, are not found in his author, and were probably
derived from his predeceffors. Thus Chapman :
and thus Ogilby:
what come ye here to view?
And thus incens'd the idle gazers rates,
Ver, 303.] The following attempt is more cloſe and faithful;
Ye too, iny Hector dead, the loſs will know;
And fall to Greece an unrefifting foe.
Me, e'er our city fack'd theſe eyes behold
And laid in duft, may Pluto's fhades infold!
Ver. 311.] Or thus:
Next on his fons his wayward fury falls.
BOOK XXIV.
201
HOMER's ILIAD,
His threats Deïphobus and Dius hear,
Hippothoüs, Pammon, Helenus the feer,
And gen'rous Antiphon: for yet theſe nine 315
Surviv'd, fad relicks of his num'rous line.
Inglorious fons of an unhappy fire!
320
Why did not all in Hector's cauſe expire?
Wretch that I am! my braveft offspring flain,
You, the difgrace of Priam's houſe, remain !
Meſtor the brave, renown'd in ranks of war,
With Troilus, dreadful on his rufhing car,
And laſt great Hector, more than man divine,
For fure he ſeem'd not of terreſtrial line!
All thoſe relentleſs Mars untimely flew,
And left me theſe, a foft and fervile crew,
Whoſe days the feaſt and wanton dance employ,
Gluttons and flatt'rers, the contempt of Troy!
325
Ver. 313. Deiphobus and Dius.] It has been a diſpute whether
Años or 'Aſavòs, in ver. 251 of the Greek, was a proper name; but
Pherecydes (fays Euftathius) determines it, and affures us that
Dios was a fpurious ſon of Priam.
P.
Ver. 315.] All but the name and number, in this couplet is
invented by the tranſlator.
Ver 318.] He ſhould have written:
:
in Hector's stead expire :
and fo all his predeceffors, except the older French tranflator,
Barbin Retirez-vous, leur dit-il, lâches que vous eftes de
"n'avoir ofé fortir pour aller au fecours d'Hector voftre frere: il
"falloit perir avec lui.”
Ver. 328.] Rather, as more conformable to Homer's language:
All, public fpoilers, the contempt of Troy.
202
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
Why teach ye not my rapid wheels to run,
And ſpeed my journey to redeem my fon? 330
The fons their father's wretched age revere,
Forgive his anger, and produce the car.
High on the feat the cabinet they bind:
The new-made car with folid beauty fhin'd;
Box was the yoke, emboft with coftly pains, 335
And hung with ringlets to receive the reins;
Nine cubits long, the traces ſwept the ground;
Thefe to the chariot's polifh'd pole they bound,
Then fixt a ring the running reins to guide,
And cloſe beneath the gather'd ends were ty'd. 340
Next with the gifts (the price of Hector flain)
The fad attendants load the groaning wain:
Ver. 329.] For this lively ftroke our poet feems indebted to
Chapman :
Will ye not get my chariot ? command it quickly; flie:
though a correfpondent acceptation cffends against the punctuation.
of that tranſlation, which is very looſe and indeterminate.
Ver. 331.] The rhymes are most unpardonable, and the fenfe
but little confonant to the words of his author. The following
effort has at leaſt the recommendation of fidelity:
Hc fpake: the fons with awe their parent-king
Obey, and forth the well-wheel'd carriage bring.
Ver. 341.] Ogilby is exact, and not contemptible:
Then with rich prefents they the chariot fraught,
Their brother's ranfom, from the wardrobe brought.
Ver. 342. The fad attendants load the groaning wain.] It is
neceffary to obferve to the reader, to avoid confufion, that two
cars are here prepared; the one drawn by mules, to carry the
prefents, and to bring back the body of Hector; the other drawn
by horfes, in which the herald and Priam rode. Euftathius. P.
BOOK XXIV.
203
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Laſt to the yoke the well-match'd mules they
bring,
345
(The gift of Myfia to the Trojan king.)
But the fair horfes, long his darling care,
Himfelf receiv'd, and harnefs'd to his car:
Griev'd as he was, he not this taik deny'd;
The hoary herald help'd him, at his ſide.
While careful theſe the gentle courfers join'd,
Sad Hecuba approach'd with anxious mind; 350
A golden bowl that foam'd with fragrant wine,
(Libation deſtin❜d to the pow'r divine)
Held in her right, before the ſteeds ſhe ſtands,
And thus configns it to the monarch's hands.
Take this, and pour to Jove; that ſafe from harms,
His grace reſtore thee to our roof, and arms. 356
Since victor of thy fears, and flighting mine,
Heav'n, or thy foul, inſpire this bold deſign:
Ver. 345.] The rhymes are in every view exceptionable. Thus?
with more attention to Homer's diction, than in the prefent couplet :
Thoſe ſteeds, the reverend king with care had bred
At poliſh'd mangers, to the yoak they led :
Theſe in the lofty dome the fenior ty`d;
The prudent herald
Ver. 349.] A correct reader will diſapprove the rhymes. I
would venture the following adjustment of the paffage :
The queen approach'd: a golden bowl of wine
(Libation deftin'd to the pow'r divine)
Her right fuftains: before the ſteeds fhe ftands;
And, forrowing, gives it to the monarch's hands.
Ver. 358.] Homer fays only,
204
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
360
Pray to that God, who high on Ida's brow
Surveys thy defolated realms below,
His winged meffenger to fend from high,
And lead thy way with heav'nly augury :
Let the ſtrong fov'reign of the plumy race
Tow'r on the right of yon' æthereal ſpace. 364
That fign beheld, and ſtrengthen'd from above,
Boldly purſue the journey mark'd by Jove;
fince thy mind excites
This paffage to the fhips, againſt my will:
fo that our poet might be thinking of Virgil's Æneid, ix. 184:
Dîne hunc ardorem mentibus addunt,
Euryale? an fua cuique deus fit dira cupido?
thus rendered by Dryden:
or do the gods inſpire
This warmth, or make we gods of our defire?
Ver. 360.] A moſt noble verſe, and happily deſcriptive of the
Speaker's temper, which was inclined to contemplate every object
through the gloom of diſſatisfaction and deſpondency. His original
fays only:
who furveys all Troy :
but the prior obligation of the reader is to Chapman :
All Troy, and all her miferies.
Idæan Jove, that viewes
Ver. 362.] If my memory fail me not, this is the third verfe
only, that has yet occurred, terminating in a word of three fylla-
bles, ending with a y, proper names excepted, a termination, fo
frequent with former verfifiers: and one of theſe verſes was
borrowed.
Ver. 365.] The proper participle is beholden. Thus ? more
faithfully:
Go, if thou view th' aufpicious fign above;
Nor fear to truft the favʼrite bird of Jove.
BOOK XXIV,
205
HOMER's ILIAD.
But if the God his augury denies,
Supprefs thy impulfe, nor reject advice.
'Tis juft (faid Priam) to the Sire above
To raiſe our hands; for who ſo good as Jove? 370
He ſpoke, and bade th'attendant handmaid bring
The pureft water of the living ſpring:
(Her ready hands the ewer and baſon held)
Then took the golden cup his queen had fill'd;
On the mid pavement pours the rofy wine, 375
Uplifts his eyes, and calls the pow'r divine.
Oh firſt, and greateft! heav'n's imperial Lord!
On lofty Ida's holy hill ador'd!
Ver. 367.] A wretched couplet, in my opinion, if the rhymes
had been faultlefs. Thus?
But to the Græcian fhips forbear to go,
Save his own meffenger the god beftow.
Ver. 369.] Thus his original, in a fimple dreſs:
Her godlike Priam, anſwering, thus befpake:
Wife! this advice I flight not: good it is
With hands up-rais'd Jove's pity to entreat.
Ver. 373.] Who can approve thefe rhymes? I will propoſe a
fubſtitution :
(The veſſels fit her ready hands had brought)
Then from his queen he took the cup full-fraught.
Ver. 377. Oh first, and greatest! &c.] Euftathius obferves,
that there is not one inftance in the whole Ilias of any prayer that
was juftly preferred, that failed of fuccefs. This proceeding of
Homer's is very judicious, and anſwers exactly to the true end of
poetry, which is to pleaſe and inftruct. Thus Priam prays that
Achilles may ceaſe his wrath, and compaffionate his miſeries; and
Jupiter grants his requeſt: the unfortunate king obtains compaffion,
and in his moſt inveterate enemy finds a friend.
P.
:
206
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD..
=
To ftern Achilles now direct my ways,
And teach him mercy when a father prays. 380
If fuch thy will, difpatch from yonder fky
Thy facred bird, celeſtial Augury!
Let the ftrong fov'reign of the plumy race
Tow'r on the right of yon' æthereal ſpace:
So ſhall thy ſuppliant, ſtrengthen'd from above,
Fearleſs purſue the journey mark'd by Jove. 386
Jove heard his pray'r, and from the throne on
high
Diſpatch'd his bird, celeſtial Augury!
The fwift-wing'd chaſer of the feather'd game,
And known to Gods by Percnos' lofty name. 390
Wide, as appears fome palace-gate diſplay'd,
So broad, his pinions ftretch'd their ample
fhade,
As ſtooping dexter with refounding wings
Th' imperial bird deſcends in airy rings.
A dawn of joy in ev'ry face
The mourning matron dries her timʼrous tears:
appears;
395
Ver. 379.] This verſe has not only little reſemblance to it's
original, but ways in the plural is a wretched botch for the ſake of
the rhyme. There is more fidelity in the following attempt:
Grant that Achilles, when his grace I fue,
May greet with friendſhip, and with pity view.
Ver. 396.] This verfe is interpolated by the tranflator, and was
ſuggeſted, perhaps, by Dacier: "A cette vuë Priam, Hecube, et les
princes fentent renaître dans leur cœur une joye et une eſpérance
"qu'ils ne connoiffoient prefque plus."
CC
BOOK XXIV.
207
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Swift on his car th' impatient monarch ſprung;
The brazen portal in his paffage rung:
The mules preceding draw the loaded wain,
Charg'd with the gifts: Idæus holds the rein: 400
The king himſelf his gentle ſteeds controlls,
And thro' furrounding friends the chariot rolls.
On his flow wheels the following people wait,
Mourn at each ſtep, and give him up to Fate;
With hands uplifted, eye him as he paſt,
And gaze upon him as they gaz'd their laſt.
Now forward fares the Father on his way,
Thro' the lone fields, and back to Ilion they.
Great Jove beheld him as he croft the plain,
And felt the woes of miferable man.
405
410
Then thus to Hermes. Thou whofe conftant cares
Still fuccour mortals, and attend their pray'rs ;
Behold an object to thy charge confign'd:
If ever pity touch'd thee for mankind,
Ver. 403.] Thefe four verfes are excellent, but greatly amplified
from the original, one verfe and a half only, fully repreſented thus
by Chapman :
His friends all follow'd him, and mourned; as if he went
to die.
Ver. 409.] The rhymes of this couplet are faulty, and the fenti-
ment is more general than that of his author. Thus ?
Jove views the pair, as o'er the plain they go,
And feels compaffion for the monarch's woe.
Ver. 413.] This preferves the fpirit of the original with but
little alteration to the phrafeology, and fhews the hand of a true
genius. The following verfion is literal:
208
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
:
Go, guard the fire; th' obferving foe prevent, 415
And fafe conduct him to Achilles' tent.
The God obeys, his golden pinions binds,
And mounts incumbent on the wings of winds,
Go then, and Priam to th' Achaian fleet,
So, that no other Greek may fee, conduct;
No other know, 'till come to Peleus' fon.
Ver. 415.] Thus Ogilby :
Lead Priam to the fleet, that none prevent
Or fee him till he reach Pelides' tent.
Ver. 417. The defcription of Mercury.] A man muſt have no
taſte for poetry that does not admire this fublime deſcription : Virgil
has tranflated it almoſt verbatim in the ivth book of the Æneis,
verfe 240:
66
..
Ille patris magni parere parabat
Imperio, & primùm pedibus talaria nectit
Aurea, quæ fublimem alis, five æquora fupra,
"Seu terram, rapido pariter cum flamine portant.
"Tum virgam capit, hâc animas ille evocat orco
"Pallentes, alias fub triftia tartara mittit;
"Dat fomnos, adimitque, & lumina morte refignat."
It is hard to determine which is more excellent, the copy, or the
original: Mercury appears in both pictures with equal majeſty;
and the Roman dreſs becomes him as well as the Grecian. Virgil
has added the latter part of the fifth, and the whole fixth line, to
Homer, which makes it ftill more full and majeſtical.
Give me leave to produce a paffage out of Milton of near affinity
with the lines above, which is not inferiour to Homer or Virgil: it
is the deſcription of the deſcent of an angel:
Down thither, prone in flight
He ſpeeds, and thro' the vaſt æthereal ſky
Sails between worlds and worlds, with ſteady wing:
Now on the polar winds; then with quick force
Winnows the buxom air
Of beaming funny rays a golden tiar
BOOK XXIV.
209
HOMER's ILIAD.
That high, thro' fields of air, his flight ſuſtain,
O'er the wide earth, and o'er the boundleſs
main:
420
Then grafps the wand that cauſes ſleep to fly,
Or in foft flumbers feals the wakeful eye;
Thus arm'd, ſwift Hermes ſteers his airy way,
And ſtoops on Hellefpont's refounding fea.
A beauteous youth, majeſtick and divine,
He feem'd; fair offspring of fome princely line!
425
Circled his head; nor lefs his locks behind
Illuftrious, on his fhoulders fledg'd with wings,
Lay waving round,
&c.
P.
It may be doubted, whether the following couplet, as more
faithful, be not as good:
The god his deathless golden fandals binds,
And mounts, obedient, on the wings of winds.
Hobbes has the fame rhymes, but our poet followed his maſter's
verfion of the parallel paffage in Virgil, Æn. iv. 350.
Hermes obeys; with golden pinions binds.
His flying feet, and mounts the weſtern winds.
Ver. 424.] The rhymes are vicious. Thus ? more fully :
Thus arm'd, his airy way ſwift Hermes fteers,
And ſtraight at Hellefpont and Troy appears.
With refpect to the metaphor, enough of that may be ſeen in the
commentators on Æneid vi. 19. but thus Dryden alfo in the paffage
referred to above:
Like thefe, the steerage of his wings he plies.
Ver. 425.] Thus his original, more exactly :
Onwards he went, like one of princely birth,
With downy chin; fweet prime of lovelieft youth!
YOL. VI.
P
210
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
C
Now twilight veil'd the glaring face of day,
And clad the duſky fields in fober gray;
What-time the herald and the hoary king,
Their chariots ſtopping at the filver ſpring,
That circling Ilus' ancient marble flows,
Allow'd their mules and ſteeds a ſhort repoſe.
Thro' the dim fhade the herald firſt efpies
A man's approach, and thus to Priam cries.
430
:
Ver. 427. Now twilight veil'd the glaring face of day.] The
poet by fuch intimations as thefe recalls to our minds the exact time
which Priam takes up in his journey to Achilles he fet out in the
evening; and by the time that he had reached the tomb of Ilus, it
was grown fomewhat dark, which fhews that this tomb ftood at
ſome diſtance from the city: here Mercury meets him, and when
it was quite dark, guides him into the prefence of Achilles. By
theſe methods we may diſcover how exactly the poet preferves the
unities of time and place; and that he allots ſpace fufficient for the
actions which he defcribes, and yet does not croud more incidents
into any interval of time than may be executed in as much as hẹ
allows thus it being improbable that fo ftubborn a man as
Achilles ſhould relent in a few moments, the poet allows a whole
night for this affair; ſo that Priam has leiſure enough to go and
return, and time enough remaining to perfuade Achilles.
P.
This beautiful couplet is wrought from the following words of
Homer:
for twilight now o'erfpred the land:
not without an eye to Milton, Par. Loft, iv. 598:
Now came ftill evening on, and Twilight gray
Had in her ſober livery all things clad.
Nor was it with no reaſon, that Gray fo much admired thofe lines
of his friend Mr. Maſon :
While through the weft, where finks the crimfon day,
Meek Twilight ſlowly fails, and waves his banners grey.
BOOK XXIV.
211
HOMER's ILIA D.
I mark ſome foe's advance: O king! beware; 435
This hard adventure claims thy utmoſt care:
For much I fear, Deſtruction hovers nigh:
Our ſtate aſks counfel; is it beft to fly?
Or, old and helpleſs, at his feet to fall,
(Two wretched fuppliants) and for mercy call?
440
Th' afflicted monarch fhiver'd with defpair;
Pale grew his face, and upright ftood his hair;
Sunk was his heart; his colour went and came;
A fudden trembling fhook his aged frame:
When Hermes greeting, touch'd his royal hand,
And gentle, thus accoſts with kind demand. 446
Say whither, father! when each mortal fight
Is feal'd in fleep, thou wander'ſt thro' the night ?
Ver. 435.] Our tranflator follows Chapman throughout this
fpeech :
Beware Dardanides,
Our ſtates afke counſell: I difcerne, the dangerous acceſſe
Of fome man neare us; now I feare, we perish. Is it beft
To flie? or kiffe his knees, and afke, his ruth of men diftreft?
Ver. 441.] Our poet enlarges and exaggerates, as on all theſe
eccafions. The following attempt is literal :
He fpake; confufion feiz'd, and dire alarm,
The fenior briftled o'er his limbs his hair :
:
Amaz'd he ſtood.
Ver. 447, &c. The fpeech of Mercury to Priam.] I fhall not trouble
the reader with the dreams of Euftathius, who tells us that this
fiction of Mercury, is partly true and partly falfe: it is true that
his father is old; for Jupiter is king of the whole univerſe, was
from eternity, and created both men and Gods: in like manner,
P 2
212
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Why roam thy mules and ſteeds the plains
along,
Thro' Grecian foes, fo num'rous and fo ftrong? 450
when Mercury fays he is the feventh child of his father, Euftathius
affirms, that he meant that there were fix planets befides Mercury.
Sure it requires great pains and thought to be fo learnedly abfurd;
the fuppofition which he makes afterwards is far more natural.
Priam, fays he, might by chance meet with one of the Myrmidons,
who might conduct him unobſerved through the camp into the
prefence of Achilles: and as the execution of any wife defign is
aſcribed to Pallas, fo may this clandeftine enterprize be faid to be
managed by the guidance of Mercury.
But perhaps this whole paffage may be better explained by having
recourſe to the Pagan theology: it was an opinion that obtained in
thofe early days, that Jupiter frequently ſent ſome friendly meſſen-
gers to protect the innocent, fo that Homer might intend to give
his readers a lecture of morality, by telling us that this unhappy
king was under the protection of the Gods.
Madam Dacier carries it farther. Homer (fays fhe) inftructed
by tradition, knew that God fends his angels to the fuccour of the
afflicted. The fcripture is full of examples of this truth. The
ftory of Tobit has a wonderful relation with this of Homer:
Tobit fent his fon to Rages, a city of Media, to receive a confider-
able fum; Tobias did not know the way; he found at his door a
young man cloathed with a majeſtick glory, which attracted admir-
ation; it was an angel under the form of a man. This angel being
aſked who he was, anſwered (as Mercury does here) by a fiction; he
ſaid that he was of the children of Ifrael, that his name was Azarias,
and that he was fon of Ananias. This angel conducted Tobias in
fafety; he gave him inftructions; and when he was to receive the
recompence which the father and fon offered him, he declared that
he was the angel of the Lord, took his flight toward heaven, and
diſappeared. Here is a great conformity in the ideas and in the
ftyle; and the example of our author fo long before Tobit, proves,
that this opinion of God's fending his angels to the aid of man was
very common, and much ſpread amongſt the Pagans in thoſe former
times. Dacier.
`P.
BOOK XXIV.
213
HOMER's ILIAD.
What could'ſt thou hope, ſhould theſe thy trea-
fures view;
Theſe, who with endleſs hate thy race purſue?
For what defence, alas! could'ft thou provide;
Thyſelf not young, a weak old man thy guide?
Yet fuffer not thy foul to fink with dread
From me no harm fhall touch thy rev'rend head;
From Greece I'll guard thee too; for in thofe lines
The living image of my father ſhines.
; 455
Thy words, that fpeak benevolence of mind
Are true, my fon! (the god-like fire rejoin'd) 460
Ver. 450.] Rather,
Thro' Grecian foes, fo rancorous and fo ftrong?
Ver. 451.] More accurately, thus:
What wouldft thou think, fuch ſtores of wealth convey'd!
Thy courſe diſcover'd through the gloomy ſhade?
Ver. 458.] The original runs thus :
I hold thee like my fire:
which might mean, that he would regard him with the fame kind-
nefs as he would regard his father: and fo Chapman, Ogilby, and
the older French tranflator understood the paffage: but Hobbes,
as our poet :
So like, methinks, you to my father are:
and Dacier: "Car vous rappellez en moi l'image de mon pere:"
and fo Mr. Cowper:
thou reſembleſt ſo my fire:
whoſe judgement is on this, and most other occafions of doubt
through the poem, coincident with my own.
Ver. 459.] The rhymes are bad, and the fentiment not cor-
refpondent to the tenour of his author; not to mention, that fimilar
rhymes recur within too ſhort a ſpace. Thus ?
P 3
214
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
hazards; but the Gods furvey
Great are my hazards
My ſteps, and fend thee, guardian of my way.
Hail, and be bleft! For ſcarce of mortal kind
Appear thy form, thy feature, and thy mind.
466
Nor true are all thy words, nor erring wide;
(The facred meffenger of heav'n reply'd)
But ſay, convey'ſt thou thro' the lonely plains
What yet moſt precious of thy ſtore remains,
To lodge in fafety with ſome friendly hand?
Prepar'd, perchance, to leave thy native land.
Then godlike Priam: True thy words are found,
Dear fon! and great the dangers that ſurround.
Nor should this form of expreffion, which is truly claffical, be
eſteemed a mere accommodation to the rhymer; fee in my com-
mentary on St. Matthew, i. 18.. the note on the word vpeon.
Ver. 463.] To thofe, who diſapprove the couplet juft propoſed,
for the fake of variation in the rhyme, the following fubftitution
may be recommended here:
Thy graceful form, and lineaments divine,
And wiſdom, ſpeak a more than mortal line.
Chapman has the rhymes of our poet :
all anſwer'd with a mind
So knowing that it cannot be, but of fome bleffed kind
Thou art defcended.
Ver. 465.] This tranſlation contradicts his author. Chapman,
I fuppofe, haftily infpected, betrayed our poet into this error:
Not untrue (faid Hermes) thy conceipt
In all this holds; but further truth, relate.
May I propofe the following fubftitution:
Thy words, O! fire, a juſt diſcernment prove
(Replied the facred meffenger of Jove.)
Ver. 470.] This line is interpolated by the tranflator, and
BOOK XXIV.
215
HOMER's ILIAD.
Or fly'ft thou now?-What hopes can Troy
retain?
471
Thy matchleſs fon, her guard and glory flain!
The king, alarm'd. Say what, and whence
thou art,
Who fearch the forrows of a parent's heart,
And know fo well how god-like Hector dy'd. 475
Thus Priam fpoke, and Hermes thus reply'd.
You tempt me, father, and with pity touch:
On this fad fubject you enquire too much.
Oft' have theſe eyes that god-like Hector
view'd
In glorious fight, with Grecian blood embru'd: 480
what follows is not accurate. Ogilby, trivially corrected, will con-
vey a more juſt refemblance of his original :
Doft thou this wealth to foreign bands tranfmit,
For fafety there; or all your city quit?
Since Hector thou, thy valiant fon, haft loſt,
To none inferiour of the Grecian hoſt.
Ver. 473.] Our tranflator feems to have thrown a falfe colour
on the paffage. Chapman's verfion is accurately reprefentative of
his author:
O what art thou (faid he)
Moft worthy youth? of what race borne ? that thus recountſt
to me,
My wretched fonnes death with ſuch truth?
Ver. 477.] Thus? more conformably to Homer's fentiment
and language:
You mean to try me, venerable fire!
When thus of godlike Hector you enquire.
P 4
216
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
485
I faw him, when, like Jove, his flames he toſt
On thouſand ſhips, and wither'd half a hoſt:
I faw, but help'd not: ftern Achilles' ire
Forbade affiſtance, and enjoy'd the fire.
For him I ferve, of Myrmidonian race;
One ſhip convey'd us from our native place ;
Polyctor is my fire, an honour'd name,
Old like thyſelf, and not unknown to fame;
Of fev❜n his fons, by whom the lot was caſt
To ſerve our prince; it fell on me, the laſt. 490
To watch this quarter, my adventure falls:
For with the morn the Greeks attack your
your walls;
Sleepleſs they fit, impatient to engage,
And ſcarce their rulers check their martial
rage.
If then thou art of ftern Pelides' train,
(The mournful monarch thus rejoin'd again)
495
Ver. 481.] The magnificence of this couplet is wrought by the
fancy of the tranflator from theſe plain materials of his model :
when to the ſhips he drove the Greeks
With flaughtering havoc of his pointed fteel.
Chapman, I prefume, led the way to this enormous exaggeration :
but I am one, that oft have feene him beare
His perfon like a god, in field.
Ver. 487.] The fubjoined couplet better expreffes the words of
Homer:
My honour'd fire the name Polyctor bears;
Fam'd for his wealth, and like thyſelf in years.
BOOK XXIV.
217
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Ah tell me truly, where, oh! where are laid
My fon's dear relicks? what befalls him dead?
Have dogs difmember'd on the naked plains,
Or yet unmangled reſt, his cold remains ?
500
O favour'd of the ſkies! (Thus anſwered then
The Pow'r that mediates between Gods and
men)
Nor dogs nor vultures have thy Hector rent,
But whole he lies, neglected in the tent:
This the twelfth ev'ning fince he reſted there, 505
Untouch'd by worms, untainted by the air.
Still as Aurora's ruddy beam is ſpread,
Round his friend's tomb Achilles drags the dead :
Yet undisfigur'd, or in limb or face,
510
All freſh he lies, with ev'ry living grace,
Majeſtical in death! no ſtains are found
O'er all the corſe, and clos'd is ev'ry wound;
Ver. 497.] To this vicious rhyme, the following fubftitution,
perhaps, were preferable :
My fon's dear relicks?
oh where are ſpread
Ver. 505.] Ogilby is profaic and undignified, but fully expref-
five of his author:
Twelve dayes intire and ſweet he there hath lain,
From vermine free, that breed in bodies flain.
Ver. 509.] The original may be exhibited with accuracy, thus:
Unmaim'd (thyself wouldft view him with furprife)
All freſh, with every living grace, he lies.
and that lively apoftrophe ſhould be preferved, by all means, in a
tranflat ion.
+
218
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Tho' many a wound they gave. Some heav'nly
care,
Some hand divine, preferves him ever fair:
Or all the hoft of heav'n, to whom he led
A life ſo grateful, ftill regard him dead.
Thus fpoke to Priam the celeftial guide,
And joyful thus the royal fire reply'd.
Bleft is the man who pays the Gods above
The conſtant tribute of reſpect and love!
Thoſe who inhabit the Olympian bow'r
My fon forgot not, in exalted pow'r;
And heav'n, that ev'ry virtue bears in mind,
Ev'n to the aſhes of the juſt, is kind.
515
5,20
Ver. 519. Bleft is the man, &c.] Homer now begins, after a
beautiful and long fable, to give the moral of it, and difplay his
poetical juſtice in rewards and puniſhments: thus Hector fought in
a bad cauſe, and therefore fuffers in the defence of it; but becauſe
he was a good man, and obedient to the Gods in other reſpects,
his very remains become the care of heaven.
I think it neceffary to take notice to the reader, that nothing is
more admirable than the conduct of Homer throughout his whole
poem, in reſpect to morality. He juftifies the character of Horace,
"Quid pulchrum, quid turpe, quid utile, quid non
"Plenius & melius Chryfippo & Crantore dicit."
If the reader does not obſerve the morality of the Ilias, he lofes
half, and the nobler part of its beauty: he reads it as a common
romance, and miſtakes the chief aim of it, which is to inftruct. P.
Ver. 521.] A more deſpicable verfe I never read in the writings
of our poet : it might rank among the mediocrities of even Ogilby.
Thus?
My fon forgat not thofe exalted Powers,
The bless'd poffeffors of th' Olympian bowers.
BOOK XXIV.
219
HOMER'S ILIAD.
But thou, oh gen'rous youth! this goblet take,525
A pledge of gratitude for Hector's fake;
And while the fav'ring Gods our ſteps furvey,
Safe to Pelides' tent conduct my way.
530
To whom the latent God. O king forbear
To tempt my youth, for apt is youth to err:
But can I, abfent from my prince's fight,
Take gifts in fecret, that muſt ſhun the light?
What from our maſter's int'reft thus we draw,
Is but a licens❜d theft that 'ſcapes the law.
Reſpecting him, my foul abjures th' offence; 535
And as the crime, I dread the confequence.
Ver. 526.] This line has no reprefentative in Homer, and
feems to have been derived, either from Ogilby,
CC
Now take this cup I gratefully preſent:
or from Dacier : "Mais mon fils, recevez de ma main cette coupe
que je vous offre pour vous marquer au moins le reffentiment
que j'ai de votre generofité."
Ver. 529.] A correct tafte will not approve the rhymes; nor
is the ſenſe agreeable to his author. Thus ?
O! king, (replies the latent god again)
To tempt my youth is thy perfuafion vain.
Ver. 531. But can I, abfent, &c.] In the original of this place
(which I have paraphrafed a little) the word Zvλ is remarkable.
Priam offers Mercury (whom he looks upon as a foldier of Achilles)
a preſent, which he refufes becauſe his prince is ignorant of it:
this preſent he calls a direct theft or robbery; which may ſhew us
how ftrict the notions of juſtice were in the days of Homer, when
if a prince's fervant received any preſent without the knowledge of
his maſter, he was efteemed a thief and a robber. Euftathius, P.
Ver. 532.] The fame thought of ſecrecy ſeems inſiſted upon too
much in this verfion. Better, perhaps, thus:
Accept a prefent, that muft fhun the light?
220
BOOK XXIV;
HOMER'S ILIAD.
convey;
Thee,far as Argos, pleas'd I could
Guard of thy life, and partner of thy way:
On thee attend, thy fafety to maintain,
O'er pathlefs forefts, or the roaring main.
540
He faid, then took the chariot at a bound,
And fnatch'd the reins, and whirl'd the laſh
around:
Before th' infpiring God that urg'd them on,
544
The courfers fly, with fpirit not their own.
And now they reach'd the naval walls, and found
The guards repafting, while the bowls
go round;
On theſe the virtue of his wand he tries,
And pours deep flumber on their watchful eyes:
Then heav'd the maffy gates, remov'd the bars,
And o'er the trenches led the rolling cars.
550
and the next couplet is a preceptive inference, for which we are
indebted to the tranflator only.
Ver. 537.] The verfion of this paffage is very elegant and
poetical, but the following effay is more exact:
Thee, e'en to far-fam'd Argos would I guide,
On land, a fure affociate by thy fide;
Or pleas'd partake, thy fafety to maintain
With care unblam'd, the dangers of the main.
Ver. 541.] Later editions give " at the bound;" which is
undoubtedly erroneous. I have reſtored the reading of the firſt
edition.
Ver. 543.] A fine couplet: but is the rhyme unexceptionable?
I ſhall propoſe, at my own peril, a fubſtitution :
Freſh with the vigour of fupernal power,
The mules and courfers o'er the champaign fcour.
Ver. 550.] Our tranflator, as appears from this paffage, plainly
fuppofed that Priam went with a carriage for the prefents, befides
BOOK XXIV.
221
HOMER's ILIAD.
Unſeen, thro' all the hoſtile camp they went,
And now approach'd Pelides' lofty tent.
On firs the roof was rais'd, and cover'd o'er
With reeds collected from the marſhy ſhore;
the chariot, in which he rode. The original is by no means expli-
cit with reſpect to this circumftance; but on a review and careful
confideration of the whole ftory, I incline to this opinion. Thus
Hobbes :
And with the char and waggon in he came.
I had written this remark, before I read our tranſlator's extracts
from Euftathius in verſe 342, to which I remand the reader.
Ver. 551.] Thus Ogilby :
And through with Priam and his riches went.
But when they reach'd Achilles royal tent-.
Ver. 553. On firs the roof was rais'd.] I have in the courfe
of thefe obfervations defcribed the method of encamping uſed by
the Grecians: the reader has here a full and exact deſcription of
the tent of Achilles: this royal pavilion was built with long pali-
fadoes made of fir: the top of it covered with reeds, and the inſide
was divided into feveral apartments: thus Achilles had his airin
an, or large hall, and behind it were lodging rooms. So in
the ninth book Phoenix has a bed prepared for him in one apart-
ment, Patroclus has another for himſelf and his captive Iphis, and
Achilles has a third for himſelf and his miſtreſs Diomeda.
But we muſt not imagine that the other Myrmidons had tents
of the like dimenfions: they were, as Euftathius obferves, inferiour
to this royal one of Achilles: which indeed is no better than an
hovel, yet agrees very well with the duties of a foldier, and the
fimplicity of thoſe early times.
I am of opinion that fuch fixed tents were not uſed by the
Grecians in their common marches, but only during the time of
fieges, when their long ftay in one place made it neceffary to build
fuch tents as are here defcribed; at other times they lay like Diomed
in the tenth book, in the open air, their fpears ftanding upright,
to be ready upon any alarm; and with the hides of beaſts ſpread on
the ground, inftead of a bed.
222
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
:
And, fenc'd with pallifades, a hall of ftate, 555
(The work of foldiers) where the hero fat.
Large was the door, whoſe well compacted
ftrength
A folid pine-tree barr'd, of wond'rous length;
Scarce three ſtrong Greeks could lift its mighty
weight,
560
But great Achilles fingly clos'd the gate.
This Hermes (fuch the pow'r of Gods) fet wide;
Then ſwift alighted the celeſtial guide,
And thus, reveal'd-Hear, Prince! and under-
ftand
Thou ow'ft thy guidance to no mortal hand:
Hermes I am, defcended from above,
The King of arts, the meffenger of Jove.
565
It is worthy obfervation, that Homer even upon fo trivial an
occafion as the deſcribing the tent of Achilles, takes an opportunity
to ſhew the fuperiour ſtrength of his hero; and tells us that three men
could ſcarce open the door of his pavilion, but Achilles could open
it alone.
Ver. 555] So Chapman :
Of ftate they made their king in it:
and from him Ogilby :
And on fupporters rais'd a hall of fate.
a hall
P.
Ver. 559.] The affertion is made in Homer without any quali-
fication; but our poet follows Dacier in this particular: “ Que
"trois hommes levoient et baiſſoient avec peine :" which fuited that
exaggerating propenfity, but too predominant in our countryman.
Thus then, in exact conformity to his author :
Three Greeks were wont to lift it's mighty weight.
!
BOOK XXIV.
223
HOMER'S ILIAD.
!
f
Farewell to fhun Achilles fight I fly;
Uncommon are fuch favours of the ſky,
Nor ſtand confeſt to frail mortality.
Now fearleſs enter, and prefer thy pray'rs; 570
Adjure him by his father's filver hairs,
Ver. 568.] His original rather dictates,
It miſbeſeems th' immortals of the ſky
To ſtand confefs'd to frail mortality.
Ver. 569. Nor ftand confeft to frail mortality.] Euftathius thinks
it was from this maxim, that the princes of the eaſt aſſumed that air
of majesty which feparates them from the fight of their ſubjects;
but I fhould rather believe that Homer copied this after the
originals, from fome kings of his time: it not being unlikely that
this policy is very ancient. Dacier.
Ver. 570.] Chapman's verfion is full, accurate, and good:
enter thou, embrace Achilles' knee;
P.
And by his fire, fonne, mother pray, his ruth, and grace to
thee.
P.
Ver. 571. Adjure him by his father, &c.] Euftathius obferves
that Priam does not entirely follow the inftructions of Mercury,
but only calls to his remembrance his aged father Peleus: and this
was judiciouſly done by Priam: for what motive to compaffion
could arife from the mention of Thetis, who was a Goddeſs, and
incapable of misfortune? Or how could Neoptolemus be any induce-
ment to make Achilles pity Priam, when at the fame time he
flouriſhed in the greateſt profperity? Therefore Priam only mentions
his father Peleus, who, like him, ftood upon the very brink of the
grave, and was liable to the fame misfortunes he ſuffered. Theſe
are the remarks of Euftathius; but how then ſhall we juſtify Mer-
cury, who gave him fuch improper inftructions with relation to
Thetis ? All that can be faid in defence of the poet is, that Thetis
though a Goddeſs, has through the whole courfe of the Ilias been
deſcribed as a partner in all the afflictions of Achilles, and confe-
quently might be made ufe of as an inducement to raiſe the paffion
of Achilles. Priam might have faid, I conjure thee by the love.
thou beareft to thy mother, take pity on me! For if the who is a
224
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
His fon, his mother! urge him to beſtow
Whatever pity that ſtern heart can know.
Thus having faid, he vaniſh'd from his eyes,
And in a moment ſhot into the ſkies:
575
The king, confirm'd from heav'n, alighted there,
And left his aged herald on the car.
580
With folemn pace thro' various rooms he went,
And found Achilles in his inner tent:
There fat the hero; Alcimus the brave,
And great Automedon, attendance gave:
Thefe ferv'd his perſon at the royal feaſt;
Around, at awful diſtance, ſtood the reſt.
Goddeſs would grieve for the lofs of her beloved fon, how greatly
muft the lofs of Hector afflict the unfortunate Hecuba and
Priam ?
P.
Ver. 577.] I would propoſe this ſubſtitution for vicious rhymes,
and to confult fidelity:
And left the feeds and mules Idæus' care.
Ver. 578.] Thus Homer literally reprefented:
ftraight to the room the fenior went,
Where fate Achilles, lov'd by Jove: within
He found him:
but our poet trod in the fteps of Congreve :
alone he went
With folemn pace, into Achilles' tent:
Heedlefs, he pafs'd through various rooms of ſtate,
Until approaching where the heroe fate;
who might find his rhymes in Ogilby :
thence on he went,
And found Achilles fitting in his tent.
Ver. 582.] Our poet mifreprefents and mutilates his author,
after Congreve :
BOOK XXIV.
225
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Unſeen by theſe, the king his entry made;
And proftrate now before Achilles laid,
Sudden, (a venerable fight!) appears ;
585
Embrac'd his knees, and bath'd his hands in
tears;
Thoſe direful hands his kiffes prefs'd, embru'd
Ev'n with the beſt, the deareſt of his blood!
As when a wretch, (who confcious of his crime,
Purfu'd for murder, flies his native clime)
591
There, at a feaft, the good old Priam found
Jove's beſt belov❜d :
who follows Chapman :
where, with his princes fate
Fove lov'd Achilles, at their feaft.
Ogilby is undignified, but exact :
Others apart; the prince attended on
By Alcimus and ftout Automedon,
Who had fo late himſelf refreſh'd with food,
That fill the board with diſhes cover'd food.
Ver. 584.] Thus Congreve :
Priam, unfeen by thefe, his entrance made,
And at Achilles' feet his aged body laid.
Ver. 586. Sudden, (a venerable fight!) appears.] I fancy this
interview between Priam and Achilles would furniſh an admirable
fubject for a painter, in the furprife of Achilles, and the other
fpectators, the attitude of Priam, and the forrows in the countenance
of this unfortunate king.
:
That circumſtance of Priam's kiffing the hands of Achilles is
inimitably fine he kiffed, fays Homer, the hands of Achilles;
thofe terrible, murderous hands that had robbed him of fo many
fons: by theſe two words the poet recalls to our mind all the noble
actions performed by Achilles in the whole Ilias; and at the fame
VOL. VI.
е
226
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Juft gains fome frontier, breathleſs, pale, amaz'd!
All gaze, all wonder thus Achilles gaz'd:
Thus ſtood th' attendants ſtupid with ſurpriſe;
All mute, yet feem'd to queſtion with their
eyes:
Each look'd on other, none the filence broke, 596
'Till thus at laſt the kingly fuppliant ſpoke.
Ah think, thou favour'd of the pow'rs divine!
Think of thy father's age, and pity mine!
time ſtrikes us with the utmoſt compaffion for this unhappy king,
who is reduced fo low, as to be obliged to kifs thofe hands that had
flain his fubjects, and ruined his kingdom and family.
Ver. 592.] Thus his author dictates:
Some wealthy manfion enters, while amaz'd
All view the fuppliant; thus Achilles gaz'd.
P.
Ver. 594.] There is much amplification here: Homer had
faid only,
The reft each other with amazement view'd;
When thus the fupplicating king began :
but our poet has adopted the verſion of Congreve:
All on each other gaz'd, all in furprize,
And mute, yet ſeem'd to question with their
'Till he at length the folemn filence broke;
And thus the venerable fuppliant Spoke.
eyes:
Ver. 598. The Speech of Priam to Achilles.] The curiofity of
the reader muft needs be awakened to know how Achilles would
behave to this unfortunate king; it requires all the art of the poet to
fuſtain the violent character of Achilles, and yet at the fame time to
foften him into compaffion. To this end the poet ufes no preamble,
but breaks directly into that circumſtance which is moſt likely to
mollify him, and the two firft words he utters are, μñσaι Пarpos,
fee thy father, O Achilles, in me! Nothing could be more happily
imagined than this entrance into his fpeech; Achilles has every
where been deſcribed as bearing a great affection to his father, and
BOOK XXIV.
227.
HOMER's ILIAD.
In me, that father's reverend image trace,
Thoſe filver hairs, that venerable face;
600
His trembling limbs, his helpleſs perſon, ſee!
In all my equal, but in miſery!
Yet now, perhaps, fome turn of human Fate
Expels him helpleſs from his peaceful ſtate; 605
by two words the poet recalls all the tenderneſs, that love and duty
can ſuggeſt to an affectionate fon.
Priam tells Achilles, that Hector fell in the defence of his
country: I am far from thinking that this was inferted accidentally ;
it could not fail of having a very good effect upon Achilles, not
only as one brave man naturally loves another, but as it implies that
Hector had no particular enmity againſt Achilles, but that though
he fought against him, it was in defence of his country.
The reader will obſerve that Priam repeats the beginning of his
fpeech, and recalls his father to his memory in the conclufion of it.
This is done with great judgment; the poet takes care to enforce
his petition with the ſtrongeſt motive, and leaves it freſh upon his
memory; and poffibly Priam might perceive that the mention of his
father had made a deeper impreffion upon Achilles than any other
part of his petition, therefore while the mind of Achilles dwells
upon it, he again fets him before his imagination by this repetition,
and foftens him into compaffion.
P.
Theſe fix verſes are drawn out from two of his author, which
may be literally rendered,
Thy father call to memory, godlike prince!
On the laſt verge, like me, of hapleſs age:
but our poet was fafcinated to one point by Congreve's verfion:
Think on your father, and then look on me;
His hoary age and helpleſs perſon ſee:
So furrow'd are his checks, ſo white his hairs,
Such and fo many his declining years;
Could you imagine (but that cannot be)
Could you imagine fuch his mifery!
Ver. 604.] There is but little attention here to his author.
Accept an exact tranſlation :
Q2
228
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
Think, from fome pow'rful foe thou fee'ft him fly,
And beg protection with a feeble cry.
Yet ftill one comfort in his foul
610
may riſe;
He hears his fon ftill lives to glad his eyes;
And hearing, ſtill may hope a better day
May ſend him thee, to chaſe that foe away.
No comfort to my griefs, no hopes remain,
The beſt, the braveſt of my fons are ſlain !
Yet what a race! e'er Greece to Ilion came,
The pledge of many a lov'd, and loving dame: 615
Nineteen one mother bore-Dead, all are dead!
How oft', alas! has wretched Priam bled?
Still one was left, their lofs to recompenſe;
His father's hope, his country's laſt defence.
Perhaps, the neighbours round infeft him now,
Without one friend to ward deftruction off.
But he, on hearing that his fon furvives,
Sweet tranſport feels, and hopes the live-long day
To fee his darling foon return from Troy.
Ver. 606.] Thus Congreve:
Nay, at this time perhaps fome powerful foe,
Who will no mercy, no compaffion fhow,
Entering his palace, fees him feebly fly,
And feek protection, where no help is nigh.
Ver. 613.] Thus his original :
Full fifty goodly youths, my fons, are flain,
Of prime defert; e'er Greece-
Ver. 618.] Literally thus :
One only left, Troy and her fons' defence,
Hector, thou lately in his country's caufe
Haft flain:
BOOK XXIV.
229
HOMER's ILIAD.
Him too thy rage has flain! beneath thy fteel 620
Unhappy in his country's caufe he fell!
For him, thro' hoftile camps I bent my way;
For him thus proftrate at thy feet I lay;
Large gifts proportion'd to thy wrath I bear;
Oh hear the wretched, and the Gods revere! 625
Think of thy father, and this face behold!
See him in me, as helpleſs and as old!
Tho' not fo wretched: there he yields to me,
The firſt of men in fov'reign miſery!
but Congreve feduced our poet to this luxuriance of expanſion :
Still one was left in whom was all my hope,
My age's comfort, and his country's prop;
Hector, my darling, and my last defence,
Whofe life alone their deaths could recompenſe.
Ver. 621.] More faithfully:
How lately in his country's cauſe he fell!
Ver. 623.] Lay for lie is a grofs impropriety, and a provincial
barbarifm. The whole verfe indeed is an interpolation; otherwiſe,
the couplet may be adjuſted thus with more fidelity:
For him I ventur'd to this hoftile fleet;
For him I lie thus proftrate at thy feet.
Ver. 629.] So above, verſe 603:
In all my equal, but in mifery:
and Congreve here,
alone in this,
I can no equal have in miſeries :
Homer fays merely,
but I more wretched am,
93
230
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
Thus forc'd to kneel, thus grov'ling to embrace 630
The fcourge and ruin of my realm and race:
Suppliant my children's murd'rer to implore,
And kiſs thofe hands yet reeking with their gore!
Theſe words foft pity in the chief inſpire,
Touch'd with the dear remembrance of his fire. 635
Then with his hand (as proftrate ſtill he lay)
The old man's cheek he gently turn'd away.
Now each by turns indulg'd the guſh of woe;
And now the mingled tides together flow:
Ver. 630.] He might have included his original in a
na com-
menfurate compafs, by a fingle couplet. Thus?
I bear to kifs, what never mortal bore!
Thoſe hands yet reeking with my children's gore.
Ver. 631.] Thus Congreve :
:
to court mine and my country's bane.
Ver. 634. Theſe words foft pity, &c.] We are now come almoſt
to the end of the poem, and confequently to the end of the anger
of Achilles and Homer has defcribed the abatement of it with
excellent judgment. We may here obferve how neceffary the con-
duct of Homer was, in fending Thetis to prepare her fon to uſe
Priam with civility: it would have been ill fuited with the violent
temper of Achilles to have uſed Priam with tenderneſs without fuch
pre-admonition; nay, the unexpected fight of his enemy might
probably have carried him into violence and rage: but Homer has
avoided theſe abfurdities; for Achilles being already prepared for
a reconciliation, the mifery of this venerable prince naturally melts
him into compaffion.
P.
Ver. 636.] Congreve, as follows:
Then gently with his hand he put away
Old Priam's face, but he fill proftrate lay.
Ver. 638.] Our luxuriant tranſlator expands four verſes of his
model into nine. Thus? more faithfully :
·BOOK XXIV.
231
HOMER's ILIAD.
This low on earth, that gently bending o'er, 640
A father one, and one a fon deplore:
But great Achilles diff'rent paffions rend,
And now his fire he mourns, and now his
friend.
Th' infectious foftnefs thro' the heroes ran;
One univerſal folemn ſhow'r began;
They bore as heroes, but they felt as man.
645
Satiate at length with unavailing woes,
From the high throne divine Achilles rofe;
The rev'rend monarch by the hand he rais'd;
On his white beard and form majeſtick gaz'd, 650
Not unrelenting: then ferene began
With words to foothe the miferable man.
Alas! what weight of anguish haft thou known?
Unhappy prince! thus guardlefs and alone
Sighs for his Hector Priam's bofom rend,
Roll'd at Achilles' feet: now for his friend,
Now for his fire, Achilles' forrows flow:
Sounds through the room the mingled ftrife of woe!
Satiate at length with unavailing tears,
From the high throne his form Achilles rears.
Ver. 646.] Beattie's Hermit :
He thought as a fage, but he felt as a man.
Ver. 653. Achilles' Speech to Priam.] There is not a more beau-
tiful paſſage in the whole Ilias than this before us: Homer to fhew
that Achilles was not a mere foldier, here draws him as a perſon of
excellent fenfe and found reafon : Plato himſelf (who condemns this
paffage, could not ſpeak more like a true philofopher: and it was a
Q4
232
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
feel.
To paſs thro' foès, and thus undaunted face 655
The man whoſe fury has deſtroy'd thy race?
Heav'n fure has arm'd thee with a heart of ſteel,
A ftrength proportion'd to the woes you
Riſe then: let reafon mitigate our care:
To mourn, avails not; man is born to bear. 660
Such is, alas! the Gods fevere decree :
They, only they are bleft, and only free.
Two urns by Jove's high throne have ever ſtood,
The fource of evil one, and one of good;
piece of great judgment thus to defcribe him; for the reader would
have retained but à very indifferent opinion of the hero of a poem,
that had no qualification but mere ſtrength: it alſo fhews the art of
the poet thus to defer this part of his character to the very conclufion
of the poem by theſe means he fixes an idea of his greatneſs upon
our minds, and makes his hero go off the ftage with applauſe.
Neither does he here afcribe more wiſdom to Achilles than he
might really be mafter of; for as Euftathius obferves, he had Chiron
and Phoenix for his tutors, and a Goddefs for his mother.
Ver. 661.] Ogilby is above contempt:
Th' immortal gods have fo decreed, that we
Muft live in woe, themfelves from forrow free..
P.
Ver. 663. Two Urns by Jove's high throne, &c.] This is an
admirable allegory, and very beautifully imagined by the poet.
Plato has accuſed it as an impiety to fay that God gives evil: but
it ſeems borrowed from the eaftern way of ſpeaking, and bears a
great reſemblance to ſeveral expreffions in fcripture: thus in the
Pfalms, In the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and he poureth out of
the fame; as for the dregs thereof, all the ungodly of the earth fhall
drink them.
It was the cuſtom of the Jews to give condemned perfons, juft
before execution, οἶνον ἐσμυρνισμένον, wine mixed with myrrh to
BOOK XXIV.
233
HOMER's ILIAD.
From thence the cup of mortal man he fills, 665
Bleffings to theſe, to thoſe diſtributes ills;
To moft, he mingles both the wretch decreed
To taſte the bad, unmix'd, is curft indeed;
Purfu'd by wrongs, by meager famine driv❜n,
He wanders, outcaſt both of earth and heav'n. 670
The happieſt, taſte not happineſs fincere;
But find the cordial draught is daſh'd with care.
Who more than Peleus fhone in wealth and pow'r?
What ſtars concurring bleft his natal hour!
make him leſs fenfible of pain: thus Proverbs xxi. 6. Give ſtrong
drink to him that is ready to perish. This cuftom was fo frequent
among the Jews, that the cup which was given him before execution,
came to denote death itſelf, as in that paffage, Father let this cup
pass from me.
Some have ſuppoſed that there were three urns, one of good, and
two of evil; thus Pindar,
Ἕν γὰρ ἐσθλὸν, πήματα σύνδυο
Δαίονται βροτοῖς ἀθάνατοι.
But, as Euftathius obferves, the word er
fhews that there were
but two, for that word is never ufed when more than two are
intended.
This note may be almoſt read entire in Dacier and Ogilby.
P.
Ver. 665.] This verfion, to become accurate muft undergo
correction:
For whom a mingled cup the Thunderer fills,
Now bleffings raiſe, now prefs alternate ills
His fluctuating life: the wretch decreed
Ver. 671.] An interpolated couplet; dictated, it ſhould ſeem,
by Dacier's tranflation: "Jamais Jupiter me donne de fes biens
aux hommes qu'avec ce mélange affreux, qui les empoifonne."
Ver. 673.] This part of the ſpeech is executed with aſtoniſhing
ability.
234
HOMER's ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
A realm, a goddeſs, to his wiſhes giv'n;
675
680
Grac'd by the Gods with all the gifts of heav'n.
One evil, yet, o'ertakes his lateſt day:
No race fucceeding to imperial fway;
An only fon; and he (alas!) ordain'd
To fall untimely in a foreign land.
See him, in Troy, the pious care decline
Of his weak age, to live the curſe of thine!
Thou too, old man, haft happier days beheld;
In riches once, in children once excell'd;
Extended Phrygia own'd thy ample reign, 685
And all fair Lefbos' blifsful feats contain,
And all wide Hellefpont's unmeaſur'd main.
Ver. 679.] More faithfully thus:
One only fon and ſee him, lingering, wait,
Far from his country, an untimely fate!
Ver. 683.] There is neither grammer nor conſtruction in this
couplet. The following correction is equally juft to the original:
Thou too wert happy once! thine ample reign
Was all fair Lefbos' bliſsfull feats contain,
Phrygia, and Hellefpont's unmeafur'd main.
Ver. 685. Extended Phrygia, &c.] Homer here gives us a piece
of geography, and fhews us the full extent of Priam's kingdom.
Leſbos bounded it on the fouth, Phrygia on the eaſt, and the
"Hellefpont on the north. This kingdom, according to Strabo in the
thirteenth book, was divided into nine dynaſties, who all depended
upon Priam as their king: ſo that what Homer here relates of Priam's
power is literally true, and confirmed by hiſtory. Euftathius. P.
Ver. 686.] So Chapman :
what Lefbos doth containe,
(In times paft being a bleft man's feate :) what th' unmeafur'd
maine
Of Hellefpontus, Phrygia holds.
BOOK XXIV.
235
HOMER's ILIAD.
But fince the God his hand has pleas'd to turn,
And fill thy meaſure from his bitter urn,
What fees the fun, but hapleſs heroes falls? 690
War, and the blood of men, furround thy walls!
What must be, muſt be.
Theſe unavailing forrows
Bear thy lot,
Bear thy lot, nor ſhed
o'er the dead;
Thou canst not call him from the Stygian ſhore,
But thou, alas! may'ft live to fuffer more! 695
To whom the king. Oh favour'd of the ſkies!
Here let me grow to earth! fince Hector lies
On the bare beach depriv'd of obfequies.
Oh give me Hector! to my eyes reſtore
His corfe, and take the gifts: I afk no more. 700
Thou, as thou may 'ft, theſe boundleſs ſtores enjoy;
Safe may'ſt thou fail, and turn thy wrath from
Troy;
Ver. 687.] Here a couplet fhould have followed, to this purport:
Such was thy wealth o'er land and ocean round ;
A blooming race thy happy manfion crown'd.
Ver. 690.] There is a ftrange aukwardnefs, with too much
harſhneſs and hiffing here. Thus ?
What fees the fun, but hapless heroes fall;
But wars and carnage round thy city wall?
Our tranflator feems, however, to have profited by Chapman :
but when the gods did turne
Thy bleft ſtate to partake with bane; warre, and the bloods
of men,
Circl❜d thy citie.
And by Ogilby:
And bloody battels ftill furround thy walls.
Ver. 701.] His original ftands thus :
236
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
So fhall thy pity and forbearance give
A weak old man to fee the light and live!
Move me no more (Achilles thus replies, 705
While kindling anger fparkled in his eyes)
mayft thou enjoy them, and arrive
At thy paternal land:
fo that our tranflator follows Chapman in one particular :
accept what I have brought,
And turne to Phthia:
and in others Ogilby:
ah mayft thou them injoy
In thy own-country, far from haplefs Troy.
Ver. 706. While kindling anger Sparkled in his eyes.] I believe
every reader muſt be ſurpriſed, as I confefs I was, to fee Achilles
fly out into fo fudden a paffion, without any apparent reafon for it.
It can fcarce be imagined that the name of Hector (as Euftathius
thinks) could throw him into fo much violence, when he had heard
it mentioned with patience by Priam in this very conference:
efpecially if we remember that Achilles had actually determined to
reſtore the body of Hector to Priam. I was therefore very well
pleafed to find that the words in the original would bear another.
interpretation, and fuch a one as naturally folves the difficulty. The
meaning of the paffage I fancy may be this: Priam perceiving that
his addreſs had mollified the heart of Achilles, takes this opportunity
to perfuade him to give over the war, and return home; eſpecially
fince his anger was fufficiently ſatisfied by the fall of Hector. Im-
mediately Achilles takes fire at this propofal, and anfwers, "Is it
"not enough that I have determined to restore thy fon? Afk no
more, left I retract that refolution." In this view we fee a
natural reaſon for the fudden paffion of Achilles.
What may perhaps ftrengthen this conjecture is the word
prov; and then the fenſe will run thus; fince I have found fo
much favour in thy fight, as firft to permit me to live, O would'ft
thou ftill enlarge my happineſs, and return home to thy own
country! &c.
This opinion may be farther eſtabliſhed from what follows, in
the latter end of this interview, where Achilles afks Priam how
}
BOOK XXIV.
237
HOMER's ILIAD.
Nor feek by tears my ſteady foul to bend;
To yield thy Hector I myſelf intend:
many days he would requeſt for the interment of Hector? Achilles
had refuſed to give over the war, but yet conſents to intermit it a
few days; and then the ſenſe will be this: "I will not conſent to
"return home, but aſk a time for a ceffation, and it ſhall be
"granted." And what moſt ſtrongly ſpeaks for this interpretation
is the anſwer of Priam; I afk, fays he, eleven days to bury my fon,
and then let the war commence again, ſince it muſt be ſo, ¿ñeg úváyxn;
fince you neceffitate me to it; or fince you will not be perſuaded to
leave theſe ſhores.
Ver. id. While kindling anger Sparkled in his eyes.] The reader
may be pleaſed to obferve that this is the laſt fally of the refentment
of Achilles; and the poet judiciouſly defcribes him moderating it by
his own reflection: fo that his reafon now prevails over his anger,
and the deſign of the poem is fully executed.
P.
With refpect to theſe remarks of our poet, I muſt obſerve, that
his tranſlation is much too ftrong in it's language for the occafion;
and that the paſſion of Achilles was raiſed by the impatient impor-
tunity of Priam; who conducted himſelf like one, that had con-
cluded a bargain of equality, rather than as a ſuppliant to a fuperiour
for a favour of no common magnitude.
When I had written this remark, I found in Mr. Cowper fome
animadverfions on the paffage, which are too valuable to be with-
holden from the reader:
"Mortified to fee his generofity, after fo much kindneſs fhewn
“to Priam, ſtill diſtruſted, and that the impatience of the old king
"threatened to deprive him of all opportunity to do gracefully what
❝ he could not be expected to do willingly."
Ver. 707.] This fentiment occurs in the fequel of the fpeech,
and is unfeaſonably anticipated here, without authority from the
original. The following couplet is more accurately repreſentative
of Homer's language:
Achilles frowning: Importune no more:
My felf intends thy Hector to restore.
238
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
For know, from Jove my goddefs-mother came,
(Old Ocean's daughter, filver-footed dame) 710
Nor com'ft thou but by heav'n; nor com'ſt alone,
Some God impels with courage not thy own:
No human hand the weighty gates unbarr'd,
Nor could the boldeſt of our youths have dar'd
To paſs our out-works, or elude the guard. 715
Ceaſe; leſt neglectful of high Jove's command
I ſhow thee, king! thou tread'ſt on hoſtile land;
Releaſe my knees, thy fuppliant arts give o’er,
And ſhake the purpoſe of my foul no more.
Ver. 709, 710. For know, from Jove my Goddess-mother came.]
The injuftice of La Motte's criticifm, (who blames Homer for
repreſenting Achilles fo mercenary, as to enquire into the price
offered for Hector's body before he would reftore it) will appear
plainly from this paffage, where he makes Achilles exprefsly fay,
it is not for any other reaſon that he delivers the body, but that
heaven had directly commanded it. The words are very full :
-Διόθεν δέ μοι άγγελο ἦλθε
Μήτηρ ἢ μὲ ἔτεκεν, θυράτης ἁλίοιο γέροντος,
Καὶ δέ σε γινώσκω Πριάμε φρεσίν, εδέ με λήθεις,
ક
Οττι Θεῶν τις ἦγε θοὰς ἐπὶ νηας Αχαιών.
Ver. 713.] Thus Ogilby:
None, were he young, durft venture through our guard,
And open gates fo fortify'd and barr'd.
The rhyming word of the next verſe is incorrect, as fuch.
P.
Ver. 717.] This fentiment mifreprefents his author. The
following fubftitution is congenial with the fpirit of the paffage:
Moleft me not, nor roufe my dormant woe,
Left my refentment Jove's high will forego:
Thy fuppliant fortune, and thy reverend age,
E'en in this tent may feel my vengeful rage.
BOOK XXIV.
239
HOMER'S ILIAD.
The fire obey'd him, trembling and o'er-aw'd.
Achilles, like a lion, ruſh'd abroad;
Automedon and Alcimus attend,
721
725
(Whom moſt he honour'd, fince he loft his friend;)
Theſe to unyoke the mules and horſes went,
And led the hoary herald to the tent;
Next heap'd on high the num'rous preſents bear
(Great Hector's ranfom) from the poliſh'd car.
Two fplendid mantles, and a carpet ſpread,
They leave; to cover, and inwrap the dead.
Then call the handmaids, with affiftant toil
To waſh the body and anoint with oil,
Apart from Priam; left th' unhappy fire
Provok'd to paffion, once more rouſe to ire
The ftern Pelides; and nor facred age,
Nor Jove's command, fhould check the rifing
rage.
730
735
This done, the garments o'er the corfe they
ſpread;
Achilles lifts it to the fun'ral bed:
Ver. 733.] The expreffion is not happy in this correction.
Better, I think,
His grief indulging, once more roufe to ire:
but he might take in part, without heſitation, what he found in
Ogilby, who may be read without difguft:
Left Priam difcompoſed at the fight
Should, by his paſſion maſter'd, ſo excite
Achilles fatal wrath, that he Jove's will
Should diſobey, and him, though fuppliant, kill.
240
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Then, while the body on the car they laid,
He groans, and calls on lov'd Patroclus' fhade.
If, in that gloom which never light muft
740
know,
The deeds of mortals touch the ghoſts below:
O friend! forgive me, that I thus fulfill
(Reftoring Hector) heav'n's unqueſtion'd will.
The gifts the father gave, be ever thine,
To grace thy manes, and adorn thy fhrine.
745
He ſaid, and ent'ring, took his feat of ſtate,
Where full before him rev'rend Priam fat:
To whom, compos'd, the god-like chief begun.
Lo! to thy pray'r reftor'd, thy breathlefs fon;
Extended on the fun'ral couch he lies;
And foon as morning paints the eaſtern ſkies,
The fight is granted to thy longing eyes.
Ver. 744.] Conformably to the original, thus:
A portion of this ranfom fhall be thine.
750
Ver. 745.] This verfe is interpolated by the tranflator, and
partly from Dacier: "Je ne manquerai pas de t'appeller au partage
"de ces préfens pour appaifer tes Manes."
Ver. 751.] This open vowel is very ungrateful to our ears.
Thus ?
paints yon eaſtern ſkies.
Our tranflator, moreover, profited by Ogilby:
be lies
Upon thy couch when morning guilds the ſkies
To Ilium drive:
for Homer had faid merely, " When morn appears.”
>
BOOK XXIV.
241
HOMER's ILIAD.
But now the peaceful hours of facred night
Demand refection, and to reft invite:
Nor thou, O father! thus confum'd with woe, 755
The common cares that nouriſh life, forego.
Not thus did Niobe, of form divine,
A parent once, whofe forrows equall'd thine:
Six youthful fons, as many blooming maids,
In one fad day beheld the Stygian fhades; 760
Thoſe by Apollo's filver bow were flain,
Thefe, Cynthia's arrows ftretch'd upon the
plain :
So was her pride chaſtis'd by wrath divine,
Who match'd her own with bright Latona's line;
But two the goddeſs, twelve the queen enjoy'd; 765
Thoſe boaſted twelve th' avenging two deſtroy'd.
Ver. 753.] Theſe four elegant verſes are conftructed from as
many words of his original :
and let us now on fupper think.
But the whole fpeech is executed with admirable taſte and ſkill.
Ver. 757. Not thus did Niobe, &c.] Achilles, to comfort Priam,
tells him a known hiftory; which was very proper to work this
effect. Niobe had loft all her children, Priam had ſome remaining.
Niobe's had been nine days extended on the earth, drowned in
their blood, in the fight of their people, without any one preſent-
ing himſelf to inter them: Hector has likewife been twelve days,
but in the midft of his enemies; therefore it is no wonder that no
one has paid him the laft duties. The Gods at laſt interred Niobe's
children, and the Gods likewife are concerned to procure honour-
able funeral for Hector.
VOL. VI.
Euftathius.
R
P.
242
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
!
Steep'd in their blood, and in the duſt outſpread,
Nine days, neglected, lay expos'd the dead;
None by to weep them, to inhume them none;
(For Jove had turn'd the nation all to ſtone:) 770
The Gods themſelves at length relenting, gave
Th'unhappy race the honours of a grave.
Herſelf a rock, (for fuch was heav'n's high will)
Thro' deferts wild now pours a weeping rill;
Where round the bed whence Acheloüs fprings,
The wat'ry fairies dance in mazy rings,
776
Ver. 772.] After this line, our poet has paffed over a verſe of
his mafter, to the following purport:
But fhe took food, when wearied out with tears.
Let the reader excufe my prefumption for attempting to intrude a
couplet into a paffage, fo replete with poetical embelliſhment,
Et ftellis nebulam fpargere candidis.
Thus then I would interpolate :
Nor e'en this hapless queen, when fwelling grief
Had ebb'd in tears, from food diſdain’d relief.
Ver. 774.] The tranflator had an eye on Chapman :
the beares
and now with rockes; and wilde hils mixt
(In Sypilus) the Gods wrath ftill; in that place, where tis
faid,
The goddeffe Fairies uſe to dance, about the funerall bed
Of Achelous:
and on Dacier: "Monument éternel de la vengeance des dieux, ele
46
fond encore en larmes.”
A literal verfion will fhew the amplification of our poet :
Now on the rocks and folitary hills,
At Sipylus, where goddefs-nymphs refide
In Achelous' beds, and weave the dance
She, though a ftone, her woes from heaven digefts.
BOOK XXIV.`
243
HOMER's ILIAD.
There high on Sipylus's fhaggy brow,
She ſtands her own fad monument of woe;
The rock for ever lafts, the tears for ever flow.
Such griefs, O king! have other parents
known;
Remember theirs, and mitigate thy own.
780
The care of heav'n thy Hector has appear'd,
Nor fhall he lie unwept, and uninterr'd;
Soon may thy aged cheeks in tears be drown'd,
And all the eyes of Ilion ſtream around.
785
He faid, and rifing, chofe the victim ewe
With filver fleece, which his attendants flew.
The limbs they ſever from the reeking hide,
With ſkill prepare them, and in parts divide:
Each on the coals the fep'rate morfels lays, 790
And haſty, ſnatches from the rifing blaze.
Ver. 780.] Theſe fix verſes correfpond to two of Homer:
for our tranflator omits, and amplifies immoderately. The follow-
ing correction of Ogilby is a faithful exhibition of the original :
Our flagging fpirits now let food revive;
And, when at Troy the corfe and thou arrive,
There, reverend father! let thy forrows flow;
A fon, like this, claims all a parent's woe.
Ver. 784.] Thus Ogilby:
Then for thy fon let tears thy cheeks bedew.
Ver. 787.] So Chapman :
And caus'd a filver-fleec't ſheepe, kill'd-
R 2
244
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
The wond'ring hero
With bread the glitt'ring caniſters they load,
Which round the board Automedon beftow'd:
The chief himſelf to each his portion plac'd,
And each indulging fhar'd in ſweet repaſt. 795
When now the rage of hunger was repreſt,
eyes his royal gueſt:
No lefs the royal gueſt the hero eyes,
His god-like aſpect and majeſtick fize;
Here, youthful grace and noble fire
grace and noble fire engage; 800
And there, the mild benevolence of
age.
Thus gazing long, the filence neither broke,
(A folemn ſcene!) at length the father ſpoke.
Permit me now, belov'd of Jove! to ſteep
My careful temples in the dew of ſleep:
805
Ver. 798. The royal gueft the hero eyes, &c.] The poet omits
no opportunity of praifing his hero Achilles, and it is obfervable
that he now commends him for his more amiable qualities: he
foftens the terrible idea we have conceived of him, as a warriour,
with ſeveral virtues of humanity; and the angry, vindictive ſoldier
is become calm and compaffionate. In this place he makes his very
enemy admire his perfonage, and be aſtoniſhed at his manly beauty.
So that though courage be his moft diftinguishing character, yet
Achilles is admirable both for the endowments of mind and
body.
Ver. 801.] Somewhat more faithfully, thus:
The wisdom here, and fanctity of age.
Hobbes is accurate, and may gratify the reader :
But when of food they had no more defire,
Priam admir'd Achilles form and face;
Achilles Priam did no lefs admire;
In his aſpect and fpeech there was fuch grace.
P.
BOOK XXIV.
245
HOMER's ILIAD.
For, ſince the day that number'd with the dead
My hapless fon, the duft has been my bed;
Soft fleep, a ſtranger to my weeping eyes;
My only food, my forrows and my fighs!
'Till now, encourag'd by the grace you give, 810
I ſhare thy banquet, and confent to live.
With that, Achilles bade prepare the bed,
With purple ſoft, and ſhaggy carpets ſpread;
Forth, by the flaming lights, they bend their way,
And place the couches, and the cov'rings lay. 815
Then he: Now father fleep, but ſleep not here.
Confult thy fafety, and forgive my fear,
Ver. 806.] His author preſcribes, more pointedly,
For fince the day thou numbredt with the dead---.
Ver. 809.] This thought is not Homer, but in Chapman
above; after mentioning the mutual admiration of Priam and
Achilles :
With this food feafted too
Old Priam fpake thus :
and in Pfalm xlii. 3. "My tears have been my meat day and night:"
and elſewhere.
Ver. 812.] Our poet follows Ogilby in brevity and expreffion :
This faid, Achilles bids them make a bed,
And purple o'er and royal tap'ſtry Spread.
Thus, exactly to the author's language:
He faid: Achilles bade his men and maids
Beneath the portico to drefs the beds,
Above ſpread tap'ftry, purple quilts below;
The topmoft covering, mantles fhagg'd with nap.
Ver. 816.] 'Expropśw. The ſenſe of this word differs in this place
R 3
1
246
BOOX XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
A
820
Left any Argive (at this hour awake,
To aſk our counſel, or our orders take)
Approaching fudden to our open'd tent,
Perchance behold thee, and our grace prevent.
Should fuch report thy honour'd perſon here,
The king of men the ranſom might defer.
But ſay with ſpeed, if ought of thy defire
Remains unafk'd; what time the rites require
T'inter thy Hector? For, fo long we ſtay
Our flaught'ring arm, and bid the hoſts obey.
If then thy will permit (the monarch faid)
To finiſh all due honours to the dead,
826
from that it ufually bears ; it does not imply τραχύτητα ὑβρισικήν, any
reproachful aſperity of language, but eionſnow ↓eudes Þó68, the raiſing
of a falſe fear in the old man, that he might not be concerned at
his being lodged in the outermoft part of the tent; and by this
method he gives Priam an opportunity of going away in the morn-
ing without obfervation. Euftathius.
P.
Ver. 819. To ask our counsel, or our orders take.] The poet here
fhews the importance of Achilles in the army; though Agamemnon
be the general, yet all the chief commanders apply to him for
advice: and thus he promiſes Priam a ceffation of arms for ſeveral
days, purely by his own authority. The method that Achilles
took to confirm the truth of the ceffation, agrees with the cuſtom
which we uſe at this day, he gave him his hand upon it :
χεῖρα γέροντα
Ελλαβε δεξιτερήν.
Euftathius.
Ver. 822.] The rhymes are not unexceptionable. Thus ?
For were theſe tidings to our king convey'd,
Then may thy fon's redemption be delay'd.
Ver. 826.] I would baniſh this elifion thus:
Thy Hector to entomb? So long we ſtay-.
P.
BOOK XXIV.
247
HOMER's ILIAD.
1
This, of thy grace, accord: to thee are known
The fears of Ilion, clos'd within her town; 831
And at what diſtance from our walls aſpire
The hills of Ide, and forefts for the fire.
Nine days to vent our forrows I requeſt,
The tenth fhall fee the fun'ral and the feaft; 835
The next, to raiſe his monument be giv'n;
The twelfth we war, if war be doom'd by heav'n!
This thy requeſt (reply'd the chief) enjoy:
'Till then, our arms fufpend the fall of Troy.
Then gave his hand at parting, to prevent 840
The old man's fears, and turn'd within the tent;
Where fair Briſeïs, bright in blooming charms,
Expects her hero with defiring arms.
But in the porch, the king and herald reſt;
".
Sad dreams of care yet wand'ring in their breaſt.
Now gods and men the gifts of fleep partake; 846
Induſtrious Hermes only was awake,
Ver. 834.] Inaccurate rhymes. Thus? more exactly :
Nine days within ſhall we indulge our woes;
The tenth the fun'ral and the feaſt ſhall cloſe.
Ver. 845.] His original fays,
The king and herald with fage counſels ſtor'd;
and where our tranſlator found this fancy, I cannot diſcover: the
older French verfion paraphrafes the fentiment at large; but in a
manner, that bears no reſemblance to the turn given to the original
by Pope.
Ver. 846.] Thus Dryden, at Æneid, iv. 767:
R 4.
248
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
1
The king's return revolving in his mind,
To pafs the ramparts, and the watch to blind.
The Pow'r deſcending hover'd o'er his head: 850
And fleep'ft thou, father! (thus the vifion faid)
Now doft thou ſleep, when Hector is reſtor❜d?
Nor fear the Grecian foes, nor Grecian lord?
Thy prefence here fhou'd ſtern Atrides fee,
Thy ftill-furviving fons may fue for thee,
May offer all thy treaſures yet contain,
To ſpare thy age; and offer all in vain.
855
Wak'd with the word, the trembling fire aroſe,
And rais'd his friend: the God before him goes,
He joins the mules, directs them with his hand,
And moves in filence thro' the hoftile land. 861.
When now to Xanthus 'yellow ftream they drove,
(Xanthus, immortal progeny of Jove)
All elfe of Nature's common gift partake;
Unhappy Dido was alone awake.
Ver. 851.] So Chapman :
O father, fleepft thou fo fecure?
The original runs thus:
And thus, old man! fufpecteft thou no ill,
Midft foes, aſleep; becauſe Achilles fpar'd?
Ver. 857.] The concluding claufe is tranfplanted from Dacier:
"Vos fils offront pour vous une rançon vingt fois plus forte, et
"l'offront peut-être inutilement."
Ver. 861.] He fhould have written, with the difference of
one letter," the hoftile band;" conformably to his author and all
his predeceffors.
Ver. 862.] This verſe is alike deftitute of grammar and legiti-
BOOK XXIV.
249
HOMER's ILIAD.
The winged deity forfook their view,
And in a moment to Olympus flew.
Now ſhed Aurora round her ſaffron ray,
865
Sprung thro' the gates of light, and gave the day:
Charg'd with their mournful load, to Ilion go
The fage and king, majeſtically flow.
mate conftruction, without fuitable correfpondence to his author.
Thus ?
When now they came, where gulphy Xanthus guides,
Son of immortal Jove! his ſwelling tides.
Ver. 865.] So Chapman, who gives no inaccurate view of his
original :
but when they drew
To gulphy Xanthus bright-wav'd ſtreame, up to Olympus flew
Induſtrious Mercury.
Homer fays exactly thus:
To high Olympus ftraight went Mercury.
Ver. 866.] Our poet follows Congreve in beginning a freſh
paragraph with thefe lines, more cloſely connected in their original
with the preceding:
Now did the faffron Morn her beams diſplay,
Gilding the face of univerfal day.
Our tranflator's is the more poetical couplet; but the fecond line
is foreign to his author. Thus?
for it
Aurora now, in faffron robe bedight,
Shed o'er the ſpacious earth her ſtream of light:
may well be allowed rhyming poetry to relieve her penury by
the revival of genuine Engliſh diction, upon the authority of our
older writers.
Ver. 868.] The colour of this couplet was derived from
Congreve's moſt woeful verfion :
When mourning Priam to the town return'd;
Slowly his chariot mov'd, as that had mourn'd:
The mules beneath the mangled body go,
As bearing, (now) unuſual weight of woe:
250
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Caffandra firſt beholds, from Ilion's fpire, 870
The fad proceffion of her hoary fire;
Then, as the penfive pomp advanc'd more near,
(Her breathleſs brother ſtretch'd upon the bier)
A fhow'r of tears o'erflows her beauteous eyes,
Alarming thus all Ilion with her cries.
Turn here your ſteps, and here your eyes
If e'er
employ,
875
Ye wretched daughters, and ye fons of Troy!
ye rufh'd in crouds, with vaſt delight
To hail your hero glorious from the fight; 879
Now meet him dead, and let your forrows flow!
Your common triumph, and your common woe.
though our poet's tafte was too correct for the adoption alfo of
thefe frigid and contemptible conceits. Thus? with fidelity:
Their mules the carcafe bear; loud fhrieks of woe
Sound from the car, as tow'rd the gates they go.
Ver. 871.] So Congreve,
Thence, the afar the fad proceffion ſpies.
Ver. 874.] No tears flow in Homer: either Hobbes or Dacier
furniſht our poet with this addition. Thus the former :
And weeping to the people cri'd and ſaid
1
and the latter thus: "A cette vuë elle fe met à pleurer et à crier
"fur la ville."
Ver. 877.] From Congreve:
Hither, ye wretched Trojans, hither all!
Ver. 878.] Thus Dryden, Æn. vii. 1107:
Devour her o'er and o'er with vast delight.
Ver. 881.] The latter clauſe, unknown to the original, is
from Congreve :
What once was all your joy, now all your miſery!
W
ว
:
BOOK XXIV.
251
HOMER's ILIAD.
In thronging crouds they iffue to the plains,
Nor man, nor woman, in the walls remains.
In ev'ry face the ſelf-ſame grief is ſhown;
And Troy fends forth one univerfal groan. 885
At Scæa's gates they meet the mourning wain,
Hang on the wheels, and grovel round the ſlain.
The wife and mother, frantick with deſpair,
Kiſs his pale cheek, and rend their ſcatter'd hair:
Thus wildly wailing, at the gates they lay; 890
And there had figh'd and forrow'd out the day;
But god-like Priam from the chariot rofe:
Forbear (he cry'd) this violence of woes,
Ver. 883.] So Congreve:
Nor man nor woman in the city ſtaid.
Ver. 886.] This couplet is conftructed from the following
disjointed portions of his author:
The king and corſe cloſe by the gates they meet:
the croud ftood weeping round.
One thought was derived by our tranſlator from Congreve :
There ftrove the rolling wheels to hold-.
Ver. 888.] Ogilby, with flender correction, is poetical and
exact :
Firft to the chariot, frantic, rush and tear
His wife and mother their diſhevel'd hair;
Run in, and fondly clasp his honour'd head :
The thronging concourſe tears in torrents ſhed.
Ver. 890.] So Congreve :
But wildly wailing, to the chariot flew.
The expreffion is happy, and could not elude the difcernment
of our moſt elegant tranflator.
Ver. 892.] This alſo is from Congreve's verſion :
1252
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Firſt to the palace let the car proceed,
Then pour your boundleſs forrows o'er the dead.
The waves of people at his word divide, 896
Slow rolls the chariot thro' the following tide;
Ev'n to the palace the fad pomp they wait:
They weep, and place him on the bed of ſtate.
A melancholy choir attend around,
900
With plaintive fighs, and mufick's folemn found:
But Priam from his chariot rofe, and fpake:
for their original ftands thus:
The fenior from his car the croud addreft.
Ver. 894.] The rhyme may be rectified thus:
Firſt to the palace let the car be led—.
Ver. 896.] Take a literal reprefentation of the original from
Chapman :
Way to the chariot:
Then cleft the preaffe; and gave
but our tranflator borrowed his beautiful metaphor from Congreve :
At this the croud gave way,
Op'ning a pafs, like waves of a divided fea.
Ver. 900. A melancholy choir, &c.] This was a cuſtom generally
received, and which paffed from the Hebrews, to the Greeks,
Romans, and Afiaticks. There were weepers by profeffion, of
both ſexes, who fung doleful tunes round the dead. Ecclefiafticus,
chap. xii. ver. 5. When a man shall go into the houſe of his eternity,
there fhall encompass him Weepers. It appears from St. Matthew,
xi. 17.
that children were likewiſe employed in this office. Dacier. P.
The three following couplets are a fine effufion of genuine poetry,
but without reſemblance to their original; which may be literally
reprefented in the following commenfurate tranflation:
A choir of mourners round
Their wailings led: theſe chaunt the funeral dirge;
The female chorus with their groans replied.
1
BOOK XXIV,
253
HOMER'S ILIAD,
Alternately they fing, alternate flow
Th' obedient tears, melodious in their woe.
While deeper forrows groan from each full heart;
And Nature ſpeaks at ev'ry pauſe of Art.
905
Firſt to the corſe the weeping confort flew;
Around his neck her milk-white arms fhe threw,
But I cannot deny my readers the lefs fcrupulous, but moſt
elegant, execution of Mr. Cowper:
And fingers placed befide him, who ſhould chaunt
The ftrain funereal: they with many a groan
The dirge began; and ftill, at every cloſe,
The female train with many a groan replied.
Our poet did not properly apprehend the paffage; of which the
reader may learn a juft conception from my note on the Alceftis of
Euripides, ver. 430, and the references there.
Ver. 903.] This ſeems to be improved from Congreve :
All in a chorus did agree
Of univerfal, mournful harmony.
Ver. 906, &c. The lamentations over Hector.] The poet judi-
ciouſly makes Priam to be filent in this general lamentation; he has
already borne a fufficient fhare in theſe forrows, in the tent of
Achilles, and faid what grief can dictate to a father and a king
upon fuch a melancholy fubject. But he introduces three women
as chief mourners, and fpeaks only in general of the lamentation of
the men of Troy, an excess of forrow being unmanly: whereas
thefe women might with decency indulge themſelves in all the
lamentation that fondneſs and grief could ſuggeſt. The wife, the
mother of Hector, and Helen, are the three perfons introduced;
and though they all mourn upon the fame occafion, yet their lamen-
tations are ſo different, that not a ſentence that is ſpoken by the
one, could be made ufe of by the other: Andromache ſpeaks like a
tender wife, Hecuba like a fond mother, and Helen mourns with
forrow rifing from felf-accufation: Andromache commends his
bravery, Hecuba his manly beauty, and Helen his gentlenefs and
humanity.
254
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
And oh my Hector! Oh my lord! ſhe cries,
Snatch'd in thy bloom from theſe defiring eyes!
Thou to the difmal realms for ever gone!
And I abandon'd, defolate, alone!
910
915
An only fon, once comfort of our pains,
Sad product now of hapless love, remains!
Never to manly age that ſon ſhall riſe,
Or with encreaſing graces glad my eyes:
For Ilion now (her great defender flain)
Shall fink a fmoking ruin on the plain.,
Who now protects her wives with guardian care?
Who faves her infants from the rage of war?
Homer is very conciſe in deſcribing the funeral of Hector,
which was but a neceffary piece of conduct, after he had been fo
full in that of Patroclus.
Ver. 907.] Homer fays,
The warriour's head ſuſtaining in her hands:
but Chapman feems to have fuggefted the variation to our poet:
ſhe on the necke, of ſlaughterd Hector fell.
P.
Ver. 908.] The first eight lines of this fpeech repreſent the
following portion of his original :
O! huſband, loft art thou to life in youth,
Me left at home a widow, and thy fon
An infant hapless parents! helpleſs child!
Ne'er to attain his prime!
Ver. 918.] This turn of the paffage is from Congreve, as well
as the vicious rhymes:
Who is there now, that can protection give,
Since he, who was her ftrength, no more doth live?
Who of her rev'rend matrons will have care?
Who fave her children from the rage of war?
BOOK XXIV.
255
HOMER'S ILIAD.
925
Now hoſtile fleets muft waft thofe infants o'er, 920
(Thoſe wives muſt wait 'em) to a foreign fhore!
Thou too my fon! to barb'rous climes fhalt go,
The fad companion of thy mother's woe;
Driv'n hence a flave before the victor's fword;
Condemn'd to toil for fome inhuman lord:
Or elſe fome Greek whoſe father preſt the plain,
Or fon, or brother, by great Hector flain;
In Hector's blood his vengeance fhall enjoy,
And hurl thee headlong from the tow'rs of Troy.
For thy ftern father never fpar'd a foe:
Thence all theſe tears, and all this ſcene of woe!
Thence, many evils his fad parents bore,
His parents many, but his confort more.
Ver. 920.] More accurately thus:
The foe muft waft thofe wives and infants o'er,
(Myfelf amongst them) to a foreign fhore.
Ver. 925.] Thus Congreve :
And he to fome inhumane lord a flave.
930
Ver. 928.] This line is formed from one of his author, in
imitation of Congreve's verfion :
And with his blood his thirsty grief affwage.
Ver. 930.] Our tranſlator is too concife. Thus? much more
faithfully :
Wide did thy father's hand deal flaughter round,
And many a Greek, expiring, bit the ground.
In fight his fury never ſpar'd a fʊe—.
Ver. 932.] The paſt tenſe ſpoils the whole paffage, and perverts
it's meaning. Thus?
This load of evils thence his parents' life
Sink down, but moft fink down his wretched wife.
1.
256
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
Why gav'ſt thou not to me thy dying hand?
And why receiv'd not I thy laſt command? 935
Some word thou would'ſt have ſpoke, which
fadly dear,
My foul might keep, or utter with a tear;
Which never, never could be loft in air,
Fix'd in my heart, and oft' repeated there!
Ver. 934. Why gav'st thou not to me thy dying hand?
And why receiv'd not I thy last command?]
기
​I have taken theſe two lines from Mr. Congreve, whofe tranfla-
tion of this part was one of his firſt eſſays in poetry. He has very
juftly rendered the fenfe of luxivè exos, dictum prudens, which is
meant of the words of a dying man, or one in fome dangerous
exigence; at which times what is ſpoken is uſually fomething of
the utmoſt importance, and delivered with the utmoſt care: which
is the true fignification of the epithet Пuxor in this place.
Thefe are lines of Congreve, as Pope himſelf confefſes :
Why held he not to me his dying hand?
And why receiv'd not I his laft command?
Thus Ogilby:
That thou expiring reach'd not forth thy hand,
Impofing fo on me thy laft command?
Tibullus fays, with incomparable pathos, eleg. i. 1. 59:
'Te fpectem, fuprema mihi cùm venerit hora;
Te teneam moriens deficiente manu.
My clofing eyes fhall gaze thofe angel charms;
That lovely form fhall fill my dying arms!
P.
Ver. 935.] The remainder of this addrefs reprefents but one
diftich of his original :
Nor one fond word didſt ſpeak, on which with tears
Had ever dwell'd Remembrance, night and day.
Ver. 938.] A miferable couplet, in my opinion; nor the better
for the fimilarity of it's rhyme to the preceding. Thus ?
Theſe, my fond memory at the dawn of light
Had feiz'd, and cheriſh'd 'till returning night.
BOOK XXIV.
257
HOMER's ILIAD.
Thus to her weeping maids fhe makes her
moan;
940
part.
Her weeping handmaids echo groan for groan.
The mournful mother next ſuſtains her
Oh thou, the beſt, the deareſt to my heart!
Of all my race thou moſt by heav'n approv'd,
And by th' immortals evʼn in death belov❜d! 945.
While all my other fons in barb'rous bands
Achilles bound, and fold to foreign lands,
This felt no chains, but went a glorious ghoſt,
Free and a hero, to the Stygian coaſt.
Sentenc'd, 'tis true, by his inhuman doom, 950
Thy noble corfe was dragg'd around the tomb,
Ver. 941.] The uniformity of repetition was neceſſary to the
perfection of the paffage, as follows:
Her weeping maids re-echo groan for groan:
an unexceptionable word, elſewhere employed by our poet.
Ver. 948.] This fine couplet is a mere addition of the tranſla-
tor. It might be banished altogether, and the verſion brought to
more correſpondence with it's original, by the following adjuſtment :
He, when his murderous hand had wrought thy doom,
Dragg'd thy dear reliques round Patroclus' tomb,
Slain by thine arm: an infult, vile and vain!
Nor thus Patroclus rofe to life again.
Ver. 950.] Thus Congreve:
Thou too wert ſentenc'd by his barb'rous doom,
And dragg'd, when dead, about Patroclus' tomb,
His lov'd Patroclus, whom thy hands had flain;
And yet that cruelty was urg'd in vain.
S
VOL. VI.
258
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER'S ILIAD.
:
(The tomb of him thy warlike arm had flain)
Ungen'rous infult, impotent and vain !
Yet glow'ft thou freſh with ev'ry living grace,
No mark of pain, or violence of face;
Rofy and fair! as Phœbus' filver bow
Difmifs'd thee gently to the ſhades below.
955
Thus ſpoke the dame, and melted into tears.
Sad Helen next in pomp of grief appears:
Ver. 954.] He is indebted, as ufual, to Congreve:
Now fresh and glowing, even in death, thou art.
Ver. 955.] I cannot admire this verfe: I am probably wrong
in my taſte; but I ſhould prefer fomething leſs ſluggiſh, like
the following attempt :
Thy limbs unblemiſh'd, nor deform'd thy face.
Ver. 956.] Thus Ogilby:
yet ſtill thou rosi'd art.
But I ſhould chooſe to correct the ambiguity of our tranflator's
language by the following fubftitution :
or,
Rofy and fair! as if Apollo's bow
Had fent thee
Had fent thee
as Phoebus' filver bow
Ver. 957.] His adverbial epithet was probably derived from
Dacier: "On diroit que c'eſt Apollon lui-même, qui a terminé tes
"jours avec fes plus douces fléches :" or rather from Hobbes:
As freſh and as well-colour'd as if by
Apollo's gentle ſhafts he had been ſlain.
Ver. 958.] Our poet indulges his fancy in theſe four verſes
enormouſly. The verfion below is literally faithful :
She ſpake, with tears; and rais'd exceſs of grief:
Then Helen, next, their lamentations led.
Ver. 959.] This fine expreffion might be fuggeſted by Chapman:
And next her, Hellen held that fate, of fpeech and paffion.
BOOK XXIV.
259
HOMER's ILIAD.
Faſt from the fhining fluices of her eyes
960
Fall the round cryftal drops, while thus fhe cries.
Ah dearest friend! in whom the Gods had
join'd
The mildeft manners with the braveft mind;
Now twice ten years (unhappy years) are o'er
Since Paris brought me to the Trojan fhore; 965
(Oh had I periſh'd, e'er that form divine
Seduc❜d this foft, this eafy heart of mine!)
Yet was it ne'er my fate, from thee to find
A deed ungentle, or a word unkind:
When others curft the auth'reſs of their woe, 970
Thy pity check'd my forrows in their flow:
If ſome proud brother ey'd me with diſdain,
Or fcornful fifter with her fweeping train;
Thy gentle accents foften'd all my pain.
Ver. 962.] The rhyme is incorrect, and the fenfe foreign to his
author. The propoſed ſubſtitution is more faithful:
Of brothers far moft dear! this tender name,
To me, kind Hector! from my Paris came.
Ver. 965.] Thus, to accord with the fubftitution juft propofed:
Since first brought me.
Ver. 969.] A little varied from Congreve:
Not one ungentle word, or look of fcorn.
Ver. 973.] Congreve has exhibited his author with more fulneſs
and fidelity; preferving a circumftance of affection, too beautifully
characteriſtic to be omitted:
If by my fifters, or the queen revil'd,
(For the good king, like you, was ever mild)
Your kindneſs ſtill has all my grief beguil'd.
:
5. 2
260
BOOK XXIV.
HOMER's ILIAD.
For thee I mourn; and mourn myſelf in thee;
The wretched fource of all this miſery!
976
The fate I caus'd, for ever I bemoan :;
Sad Helen has no friend, now thou art gone!
Thro' Troy's wide ſtreets abandon'd ſhall I roam!
In Troy deferted, as abhorr'd at home!
980
So fpoke the fair, with forrow-ſtreaming eye:
Diſtreſsful beauty melts each ſtander-by ;
On all around th' infectious forrow grows;
But Priam check'd the torrent as it rofe.
Perform, ye Trojans! what the rites require, 985
And fell the forefts for a fun'ral pyre;
Twelve days, nor foes, nor fecret ambuſh dread;
Achilles grants theſe honours to the dead.
He ſpoke; and at his word, the Trojan train":
Their mules and oxen harneſs to the wain, 990
Ver. 978.] The rhyme is incorrect. Thus ?
Sad Helen lives all friendleſs and alone!
for he ſhould have accommodated both the rhymes of Congreve to
his purpoſe, rather than deviate into exceptionable variation. Thus
that tranflator:
Ever in tears let me your lofs bemoan,
Who had no friend alive, but you alone.
Ver. 980.] The latter claufe is fuperadded for the verfification
only, without authority from his author.
Ver. 981.] Our poet, like a poftilion, flouriſhes away on his
Pegaſus at the conclufion of his journey. His original ſupplied no
more than the following plain materials for thefe very graceful and
pleafing couplets :
She weeping ſpake: the croud immenfe replied
With
groans: when Priam thus addreſt the train.
..
:
BOOK XXIV.
261.
HOMER's ILIAD.
Pour thro' the gates, and fell'd from Ida's crown,
Roll back the gather'd foreſts to the town.
Thefe toils continue nine fucceeding days,
And high in air a filvan ſtructure raiſe.
But when the tenth fair morn began to fhine, 995
Forth to the pile was borne the Man divine,
And plac'd aloft: while all, with ftreaming eyes,
Beheld the flames and rolling ſmokes ariſe.
Soon as Aurora, daughter of the dawn,
With rofy luſtre ſtreak'd the dewy lawn;
Again the mournful crouds furround the
pyre,
And quench with wine the yet remaining fire.
The fnowy bones his friends and brothers place
(With tears collected) in a golden vaſe;
1000
Ver. 991.] This fpecification of Mount Ida is neither in Homer,
nor any of his tranflators, but Barbin: "Priam parloit au peuple,
"et lui donnoit ordre d'aller à la foreſt du mont Ida,”
✔
Ver. 994. Our poet might have his eyes on Chapman :
cut;
and an unmeaſur'd pile, of filvane matter
Nine daies emploide in cariage; but when the tenth morne
binde
On wretched mortals-
Ver. 997.] Our tranflator condefcends to copy Congreve :
Then gave it fire; while all, with weeping eyes,
Bebeld the rolling flames, and fmoke arife.
Ver. 1000.] Or thus:
With Spangling luftre deckt the dewy lawn.
Ver. 1003.] So Congreve :
And gathering up his Snowy bones with care :
$ 3
262
HOMER'S ILIAD. BOOK XXIV.
t
The golden vafe in purple palls they roll'd, 1005
Of fofteſt texture, and inwrought with gold.
Laſt o'er the urn the facred earth they ſpread,
And rais'd the tomb, memorial of the dead.
(Strong guards and ſpies, 'till all the rites were
done,
Watch'd from the rifing to the fetting fun)
All Troy then moves to Priam's court again,
A folemn, filent, melancholy train :
but originally Chapman :
1010
His brothers then, and friends the fnowy bones.
Gatherd into an urne of gold.
Ver. 1006.] Palls inwrought with gold could not be of fofteſt
texture, but ſtiff and hard. In fhort, the word was convenient to
the tranflator, but in direct oppofition with his author's words.
*Thus ?
Then o'er the golden vafe foft palls they threw,
Of fineft texture, and of purple hue.
Congreve renders thus:
an urn of gold was brought,
Wrapt in foft parple palls, and richly wrought:
and thus Chapman :
Then wrapt they in foft purple veiles, the rich urne.
Ver. 1008.] His author dictates,
And pil'd with ftones, memorial of the dead.
Ver. 1009.] Congreve is very accurate :
Mean time, ftrong guards were plac'd, and careful ſpies,
To watch the Græcians, and prevent furprize :
but our tranflator had an eye alfo on Chapman :
guards were held, at all parts, days and nights.
Ver. 1012.] This verfe is added by the tranflator, and might
be formed upon Congreve :
BOOK XXIV.
263
HOMER's ILIAD.
Affembled there, from pious toil they reft,
And fadly fhar'd the laſt ſepulchral feaſt.
Such honours Ilion to her hero paid,
And peaceful flept the mighty Hector's fhade.
1015
The work once ended, all the vaſt reſort
Of mourning people went to Priam's court.
Ver. 1013.] Vicious rhymes. Thus ?
There, all affembled, ceafe their pious cares,
And each the last fepulchral banquet ſhares.
Ver. 1015.] A grand couplet, and a noble conclufion of a poem,
durable with the language and literature of Britain! His original
fays only,
Thus they brave Hector's funeral rites perform'd.
END OF THE ILIAD.
$ 4
[264]
;
..
WE have now part through the Iliad, and
feen the anger of Achilles, and the
terrible effects of it, at an end: as that only
was the ſubject of the poem, and the nature of
epick poetry would not permit our Author to
proceed to the event of the war, it may per-
haps be acceptable to the common reader to
give a ſhort account of what happened to Troy
and the chief actors in this poem, after the
conclufion of it.
ཀ
I need not mention that Troy was taken
foon after the death of Hector, by the ſtrata-
gem of the wooden horfe, the particulars of
which are deſcribed by Virgil in the fecond
book of the Æneis.
Achilles fell before Troy, by the hand of
Paris, by the ſhot of an arrow in his heel, as
Hector had prophefied at his death, lib. xxii.
The unfortunate Priam was killed by
Pyrrhus the ſon of Achilles.
Ajax, after the death of Achilles, had a
conteſt with Ulyffes for the armour of Vulcan,
but being defeated in his aim, he flew him-
felf through indignation.
[ 265 ]
Helen, after the death of Paris, married
Deïphobus his brother, and at the taking of
Troy betrayed him, in order to reconcile her-
felf to Menelaus her firft hufband, who
received her again into favour.
Agamemnon at his return was barbarouſly
murdered by Ægyíthus at the inſtigation of
Clytemnestra his wife, who in his abfence
had diſhonoured his bed with Ægyſthus.
Diomed after the fall of Troy was expelled
his own country, and fcarce efcaped with
life from his adulterous wife Ægiale; but at
laft was received by Daunus in Apulia, and
fhared his kingdom: it is uncertain how he
died.
Neftor lived in peace, with his children,
in Pylos his native country.
Ulyffes alſo after innumerable troubles by
fea and land, at laſt returned in fafety to
Ithaca, which is the fubject of Homer's
Odyffes.
I muſt end thefe notes by diſcharging
my duty to two of my friends, which is the
[266]
=
more an indifpenfable piece of juſtice, as the
one of them is fince dead: the merit of their
kindneſs to me will appear infinitely the
greater, as the taſk they undertook was in its
own nature, of much more labour, than either
pleaſure or reputation. The larger part of the
extracts from Euftathius, together with ſeveral
excellent obſervations were fent me by Mr.
Broome and the whole Effay upon Homer
was written, upon fuch memoirs as I had
collected, by the late Dr. Parnell, archdeacon
of Clogher in Ireland: how very much that
gentleman's friendſhip prevailed over his
genius, in detaining a writer of his fpirit in
the drudgery of removing the rubbiſh of paſt
pedants, will foon appear to the world, when
they ſhall ſee thoſe beautiful pieces of poetry,
the publication of which he left to my charge,
almoſt with his dying breath.
For what remains, I beg to be excuſed
from the ceremonies of taking leave at the
end of my work; and from embarraſſing
myſelf, or others, with any defences or apo-
logies about it. But inſtead of endeavouring
to raiſe a vain monument to myſelf, of the
merits or difficulties of it (which muſt be left
[267]
to the world, to truth and to pofterity) let me
leave behind me a memorial of my friendſhip,
with one of the moſt valuable men, as well as
fineft writers, of my age and country: one
who has tried, and knows by his own ex-
perience, how hard an undertaking it is to
do juſtice to Homer: and one, who (I am
fure) fincerely rejoices with me at the period
of my labours. To him therefore, having
brought this long work to a conclufion, I defire
to dedicate it; and to have the honour and
fatisfaction of placing together, in this man-
ner, the names of Mr. CONGREVE, and
of
March 25,
1720.
A. POPE.
Τῶν Θεῶν δὲ εὐποιΐα, τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον με προκόψαι ἐν Ποιητική
καὶ ἄλλοις ἐπιτηδεύμασι, ἐν οἷς ἴσως αν κατεσχέθην, εἰ ἠσθόμην ἐμαυτὸν
εὐόδως προϊόντα. M. AUREL. ANTON, de feipfo. 1. i. §. 14.
AN
INDEX
OF
PERSONS AND THINGS.
ACAMAS.
he kills Promachus
Achilles prays his mother to revenge his
injuries on the Greeks.
•
his ſpeech to the Greeks
his quarrel with Agamemnon
entertains Agamemnon's em-
BOOK
VER.
II 996
. II
XIV 559
. I 460
. I
79
I
155
297 386
baffadors
IX 265
anfwers Ulyffes
. IX
IX 406
anſwers Phoenix .
IX
713
anſwers Ajax
IX
757
his double fate
IX
532
ſeeing Machaon wounded fends
Patroclus to him
enquires of Patroclus the caufe
of his grief..
. XI
730
XVI
9
270
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VEK.
Achilles fends Patroclus to the battle and
gives him orders.
XVI
68
•
arms his Myrmidons
and animates them
XVI
190
XVI
239
Jove.
. his bowl.
offers a libation with prayers to
heard not of the death of
XVI
273
XVI 282
Patroclus
XVII 462
his horfes lament the death of
Patroclus
XVII 486
he grieves for the death of
Patroclus.
XVIII 25
367
. tells Thetis his grief.
a defcription of his field . .
is concerned left Patroclus's
body ſhould putrify
calls an affembly
•
. makes a ſpeech to the affembly
refuſes to take any food before
the battle
. . moans exceedingly for the death
XVIII 99
XVIII
551
XIX
28
XIX
44
XIX
•
57
XIX 197
of Patroclus.
he is armed
XIX 335
XIX
398
Agamemnon's prefents are deli-
vered to him.
XIX 243
. he and Agamemnon reconciled
XIX 57
his anſwer to Agamemnon .
XIX 143
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
271
Achilles diffuades Æneas from contending
with him.
contemns Æneas for flying from
him.
he kills Iphition .
BOOK
VER.
XX
214
xx 393
XX
439
Demoleon .
XX
457
Hippodamas
xx 463
Polydore
XX
•
471
and many others
•
addreffes the ſpirit of Patroclus XXIII
kills many Trojans in the
XX
525
25
river Xanthus
XXI
25
denies Lycaon his life
XXI
112
he purſues Hector
XXII
182
kills him.
XXII
453
declares the rites to be
obferved by his Myrmidons
XXIII
8
cuts off his hair devoted to
the river Sperchius
XXIII 173
he
prays to the winds
XXIII 238
inſtitutes funeral games .
XXIII 321
gives a cup to Neſtor
is deprived of ſleep
·
XXIII 704
XXIV
9
receives the petition of Priam XXIV 652
lays Hector's body on Priam's
chariot
Adraftus
taken by Menelaus
Eneas
XXIV 737
II 1007
VI
45
II
992
272
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VER.
Eneas feeks Pandarus
V
214
•
together affault Diomed
v
298
. he kills Crethon and Orfilochus
• v
670
he encounters with Achilles
XX
193
anfwers Achilles
XX
240
tells his lineage
XX
252
. the fight of Æneas and Achilles . xx
Ætolians
307.
II
779
Agamemnon
III 19
to Greece
reſtores Chryſeïs to her father
takes Brifeïs from Achilles
tells his dream in council .
his fpeech, adviſing a return
his prayer to Jupiter
orders Machaon to be called
I 406
I
423
II
69
II 139
. II
489
to affift Menelaus wounded.
. IV 230
IV 266
blames Diomed
laus
exhorts his foldiers.
... blames the indolent
fpeaks to Idomeneus
goes to the two Ajax's
goes to Neftor
blames Meneſtheus
his words to wounded Mene-
kills Deicoön .
v 650
IV
275
IV
292
.
IV 311
IV 334
· IV
390
IV 422
IV 186
v * 660
•
treats the generals
VII 385
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
273
Agamemnon his ſpeech to the generals
fwears he has not carnally
known Brifeïs
acknowledges his fault, and
makes large offers to fatisfy Achilles
fends ambaffadors to Achilles
plexity
and Menelaus in great per-
they deliberate together
.. he goes to Neſtor
BOOK
VER.
IX
23
. IX
172
Ix
148
Ix
192
3
4I
X
8 I
..he arms
. XI 21
fights bravely
XI 127
kills a great number
XI
281
..
is wounded. .
XI
325
goes out of the battle
XI
360
adviſes flight
XIV
71
· XIV
88
XIX
him
for which Ulyffes blames
. is reconciled to Achilles
he fwears he has not enjoyed
his ſpeech concerning the
Brifeïs
Goddeſs Diſcord
Achilles
Agenor deliberates if he fhall meet
meets him, and is faved by
Apollo
VOL. VI.
T
XIX 267
XIX.
81
XXI
649
XXI 686
274
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VER.
II 526
V
The Ægis of Jupiter
911
Agapenor
Ajax Oïleus's fon contends with Ulyffes
in the foot race
quarrels with Idomeneus
Ajax Telamon fights with Hector
XV 350
XXI 467
• II
XXIII
741
882
•
XXIII 556
VII
250
IX
735
XI
672
XIII
877
XIII 1022
his ſpeech to Achilles
.. his retreat nobly deſcribed
The two Ajax's fight together
Ajax Telamon challenges Hector
his fight over the dead
1
body of Alcathous
XIII 628
he wounds Hector
XIV
47I
.kills Archilochus
XIV
540
exhorts his men
XV
591
666 890
XV
814
defends the ſhips
is hard preffed
he ſpeaks to Menelaus.
kills Hippothous
he is in fear
adviſes Menelaus to fend
Antilochus to inform Achilles of
Patroclus's death..
contends with Ulyffes in
XVI 130
XVII 282
XVII 338
XVII 705
XVII 735
wreſtling
XXIII '820
fights with Diomed.
•
XXIII
958
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
275
Amphimachus..
Amphius
Antenor adviſes to reftore Helen
Andromache and Hector
ignorant of Hector's
death, runs to the tumult
BOOK
VER.
II 755
1060
II 1007
. VII 419
VI 490
XXII
562
her grief for his death
her lamentation .
XXII 592
XXIV 906
Antilochus kills-Echepolus
IV 522
kills Mydon
V 709
XV 692
-death
:
race
kills Menalippus
informs Achilles of Patroclus's
he chears up his horfes in the
yields the contefted.prize to
XVIII
21
XXIII 523
Menelaus
Antiphus.
XXIII 673
. II
827
1054
Apollo fends a plague among the Greeks . . 1
encourages the Trojans
reprimands Diomed. .
61
IV 585
..V 533
raiſes the phantom of Æneas to
deceive his enemies
excites Mars . .
drives Patroclus from the walls of
• v
546
V 553
Troy
XVI 863.
T 2
276
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VER.
Apollo overthrows Patroclus
XVI
954
informs Hector of the death of
Euphorbus
XVII
84
encourages Æneas
XVII
378
and Hector
XVII 658
:
incites Æneas to encounter
Achilles
forbids Hector to engage Achilles xx
faves Hector from Achilles.
refuſes to fight with Neptune
takes Agenor from Achilles
difcovers the deceit to Achilles
complains to the Gods of the
cruelties done to Hector's body
Archilochus
Afcalaphus and Jalmenus the fons of
Mars
Afcanius
Afius.
.... he is angry with Jupiter
Afpledon and Orchomenians
Aſteropæus meets Achilles and is killed.
Aftyanax
Athenians
Automedon and Alcimedon rule the horſes
of Achilles.
6
XX
[10
43
XX
513
XXI
✔
535
XXI
710
XXII 15
XXIV 44
. II
II 996
II 612
II 1050
II 1015
XII
184
· II 610
XXI 157
XXII 643
II 655
XVII 488
548
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS,
277
B.
BOOK
VER.
Bellerophon
VI
194
Bowl of Achilles
XVI
273
Brifeïs.
II
841
fhe is reftored to Achilles
grieves for Patroclus
XIX
254
XIX 303
Buprafians
II
747
·
C.
Calchas the prophet
Caftor and Pollux . .
he is blamed by Agamemnon
Cebrion, brother and charioteer to Hector
Chromis
Chryfes defires his daughter who was captive 1
I 91
I 131
III 302
XVI 895
II 1046
15
I
53
his prayers to Apollo
•
Coön
Ceftus of Venus
Cretans
Dardanus
Dead are buried.
D.
Deïphobus is ftricken by Merion, but not
wounded.
kills Hypfenor
.he aſks Æneas to afflift him in
attacking Idomeneus
XI 321
XIV 245
. II 785
XX
255
VII
495
XIII 213
XIII 509
XIII 575
T 3
278
1
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
Deïphobus kills Afcalaphus
BOOK
VER.
Diomed..
blames Sthenelus
XIII 655
683
II
IV 466
is wounded by Pandarus
V 130
invokes Minerva
V
146
kills Pandarus.
V
352
wounds Venus
V
417
. . is in fear of Hector .
V
732
wounds Mars
• v 1050
kills Dolon
exhorts Ulyffes to fuccour Neftor viii
he relieves Neftor.
his ſpeech to Agamemnon
going a ſpy to the enemy's camp,
chufes Ulyffes for his companion
prays to Minerva .
and Ulyffes furpriſe Dolon, whom
they take and examine .
kills the Thracians while fleeping
returns with Ulyffes to the fleet .
he ftrikes Hector
adviſes the wounded to go into
•
the army to encourage others
•
Dione comforts Venus
XIV 121
117
VIII
129
IX 43
x
283
x 335
. X 455.
. X 524
x
560
. x
624
XI 452
Dius.
Dolon a ſpy, taken
. is killed.
Dulichians
V
471
II 1043
447
.. X
.* 524
11 763
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
279
Elphenor
•
E
Ennomus the Augur
Epiſtrophus
BOOK VER.
· II
654
II 1047
II 1043
Erichthonius
Eumelus's mares
XX
260
• II
926
Euphemus
II 1026
Euphorbus wounds Patroclus
adviſes Menelaus to yield to him xvII
. . is killed by Menelaus
Euryalus
•
Eurypylus.
wounded, is cured by Patroclus. xI
G.
Ganymedes
Glaucus
accufes Hector of flight
and Diomed in the battle meet and
difcourfe together
interchange armour
his prayers to Apollo
.
corfe of Sarpedon.
Gods, an affembly of them.
exhorts the Trojans to defend the
engage, fome on one fide, and fome
on the other
•
XVI
978
14
XVII
. II
50
682
• II
893
982
XX
xx 278
II 1069
XVII 153
VI 150
VI 286
XVI 633
.
XVI 654
IV
2
The fight of the Gods
XX
91
XXI
450
1
T 4
280
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VEX.
I
Grecian facrifices.
599
II
502
... they retreat from Troy
II
173
prepare for war
II
470
go to battle
ΙΓ
522
.... their forces march
IV 484
... their flight
VIII
97
their watch..
IX 110
.... nine of them willing to accept
Hector's challenge
•
... build a wall round the fleet
buy wine
an affembly of their Generals
their fhips are burnt
Guneus.
H.
VII
196
VII
521
VII 567
XV 339
XVI
140
II
907
Hector fends out his forces to battle. . . . II
tells Paris's challenge to the Greeks 111
• retreats out of the battle into Troy
988
123
VI 296
exhorts the Trojans to fupplicate
Minerva .
VI 338
goes to the houſe of Paris
VI 389
goes to his wife Andromache.
his diſcourſe with her
challenges the Greeks to fingle
combat
exhorts his men
VII 79
VIII 210
VI 463
VI
510
encourages his horfes
VIII 226
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
281
Hector fends Dolon as a ſpy
.. his glory
he exhorts his forces, and ruſhes to
battle..
derides Polydamas's advice
BOOK
VER.
x 376
83
XI
forces open a gate of the Grecian wall x11
exhorts his men.
feeks for aid
rallies his forces, and attacks the
enemy.
anſwers Ajax
.. kills Amphimachus
wounded, retreats
is encouraged by Apollo .
goes again to battle.
.... kills Lycophron.
.... exhorts Melanippus
..... kills Peripotes
. XI
368
XII
267
537
XIII 205
XIII
967
XIII 991
XIII 1044
XIII
247
XIV 503
XV 288
XV 296
XV 500
xv 654
XV
770
takes a ſhip.
XV
854
.. is
XVI 440
is put to flight
XVI 797
. encounters with Patroclus .
· XVI
885
and kills him ..
excites his men
his ſpeech to his warlike friends
. he gives way to Ajax
anfwers Glaucus
puts on Achilles's armour.
XVII
XVII 219
XVI
987
XVII
260
XVII
•
205
XVII 140
187
282
INDEX OF PERSONS, AND THINGS.
BOOK
VER.
Hector, he purſues Achilles's horſes with
the affiftance of Æneas-
again endeavours to take the body
of Patroclus
XVIII
refolves to combat with Achilles . xx
XVII
550
187
XX
415-
affaults Achilles.
. xx
485
he deliberates with, himſelf .
XXII
138.
. he fights with Achilles.
XXII 317
his death.
XXII 45·3*
..... his funeral.
XXIV
989
Hecuba defires Hector would not fight
Achilles
renews her defires he would not
fight Achilles
mourns his death.
Helen goes to fee the combat between
Paris and Menelaus . . .
the Trojans admire her beauty
chides Paris....
fpeaks to Hector.
. . . . laments over Hector's body.
XXII
IIO
XXII
55·2-
XXIV
C
942
ILI
185
III
·
204
III
533
VI 432
XXIV 962
Helenus adviſes Hector and Æneas
{
VII 48
VI 95
Hippothoüs
II 1021-
I.
Idæus carries Paris's challenge to the Greeks vII
460
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
283
Idomeneus
BOOK
VER.
II
791
III
295
kills Othryoneus
Afius ..
Alcathoüs.
Iphidamas, his death finely defcribed
Iris orders the Trojans to arms.
tells Helen of the fingle combat of
Paris and Menelaus
is fent to Pallas and Juno with Jove's
orders
. admonishes Achilles to fuccour his
friends fighting for the body of Pa-
troclus
fummons the winds to raiſe the fire
XIII 457
XIII 483
XIII
. XI
537
283
. II
II 95.6
• III 165
VIII 488
of Patroclus's pile
Ithacans
Juno fends Minerva to hinder the Greeks
from retreating
her quarrel with Jupiter
•
XVIII
209.
XXIII
244
II 769
. II
191
IV
35
V
883
. V
942
VIII
242
• XIV
191
. XIV 225
XIV
266
. ſhe and Minerva prepare for fight
afk leave of Jupiter to go to battle. .
her ſpeech to Neptune.
dreffes herſelf to deceive Jupiter
. defires of Venus her girdle to deceive
Jupiter.
.. goes to the God of Sleep, to put
Jupiter into a fleep.
by large promiſes obtains her requeſt xiv
305
284
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
Juno goes to Jupiter
denies it was at her requeſt that
Neptune affifted the Greeks
goes to the rest of the Gods
tells the order of Jupiter to Apollo
and Iris
adviſes with the Gods concerning
Æneas's fighting with Achilles
fends Vulcan to oppofe Xanthus,
overcomes Diana
Jupiter promiſes Thetis to be revenged on
the Greeks
infpires Agamemnon with a dream
forbids the Gods to affift either
part
•
. his golden chain
defcends on Ida
fends Iris to order Juno and Minerva
to retreat from the battle
fends Eris amongſt the Greeks
... fends Iris to forbid Hector fome time
from perfonally engaging
infpires Sarpedon to affault the
Greek wall
•
is cauſed by Juno to ſleep
awaking from ſleep he is angry with
Juno
.. orders Juno to fend Iris and Apollo
to him.
BOOK VER,
XIV
331
XV
4I
XV
Xv .
84
XV
162
xx 146.
XXI 386
XXI
564
I
672
II
9
VIII
7
VIII
25
VIII 57.
VIII 488
XI 5
XI 241
XII
348
XIV 405
XV
5
XV
59
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
285
Jupiter fends Iris to order Neptune to defiſt
from fighting.
BOOK
VER.
XV 180
fends Apollo to encourage Hector xv
XV 258
encourages Hector himſelf.
.. is grieved for Sarpedon's death. . xvi
orders Apollo to take care of Sar-
pedon's funeral.
pities Hector
·
XV
722
530
XXI
811
XVII
227
examines Juno concerning the ex-
citing Achilles to engage in battle XVIII 417
fends Minerva to comfort Achilles XIX 364
gives the Gods leave to affift which
party they pleaſe
fends Thetis to Achilles, ordering
him to deliver Hector's body to
Priam
. fends Iris to adviſe Priam to go to
Achilles
orders Mercury to conduct Priam
to Achilles
XX
35
XXIV
137
XXIV
178
XXIV
411
Lacedæmonians
Locrians
L.
. II 704
II
630
Lycaon overcome by Achilles
begs his life in vain
XXI 41
XXI III
Machaon
cures Menelaus
M.
. 11 889
IV 250
286
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
Magne fians..
Mars is wounded by Diomed
expoftulates with Jupiter on that
account
.. reprehended by Jupiter for the fame
hearing of the death of his fon is
enraged .
Meges.
Meleager, the ſtory of him
.
BOOK VER,
↑
II 916
. II
• v 1050
· v 1068
.
v 1092
• XV 126
II
761
IX 653
Menelaus.
•
undertakes to fight with Paris.
is treacherouſly wounded by
Pandarus.
takes Adraftus .
.. would undertake to fight with
. II
710
III
137
IV
135
VI 45
Hector, but is hindered by Agamemnon VII 727
•
and Ajax affift Ulyffes
wounds Helenus
kills Pifander
exhorts Antilochus
deſpiſed by Euphorbus
kills Euphorbus
yields to Hector.
...exhorts the Generals
encouraged by Minerva . .
fends Antilochus to tell Achilles
of the death of Patroclus....
?
..... is angry with Antilochus
Meneftheus
XI 582
XIII
733
XIII
753
XV
680
XVII
12
XVII .50
•
XVII ΙΟΙ
XVII
294
XVII
626
XVII
775
XXIII 651
:
II 665
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
287
Meneftheus fends Thoös to the Ajaxes for
aid.
Mercury accompanies Priam .
conducts Priam to Achilles
admonishes Priam in his fleep
wounds Deïphobus
Merion
kills Harpalion
'Meſtles.
Minerva goes to Pandarus to induce him
:
to break the truce.
ftrengthens Diomed
forces Mars from the battle
derides Venus . .
prepares herſelf for the war.
afks leave of Jupiter to go to
'the war
ſpeaks to Diomed
encourages Diomed to affault
Mars.
.... her ſpeech to Jupiter.
reftrains Mars's anger
BOOK VER.
. XII 411
XXIV
447
XXIV
54I
XXIV
850
II
792
XIII
668
XMI
8.13
• II 1054
IV TI5
. V
'I
V
545
V
509
{
V
884
V
908
• V
v ·942
v 998
V 1020
VIII 39
knocks down Mars with a mighty
ſtone .
vanquishes Venus and her lover
in the ſhape of Deïphòbus, per-
fuades Hector to meet Achilles
Mycenians
XV 140
XXI 469
XXI ·498
XXH 291
II 686
288
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
Myrmidons .
Naftes.
• go to the fight .
N.
Neptune, his and Jupiter's difcourfe con-
cerning the Grecian wall ..
D
his diſcourſe with Idomeneus
brings help to the Greeks.
encourages the two Ajaxes
encourages the Greeks
is angry with Jupiter
BOOK VER.
• II
834
XVI 312
II 1062
VII 530
•
XIII
299
XIII
17
·
XIII
73
XIII 131
XV
206
adviſes about the prefervation
of Æneas
fury
•
preferves Æneas from Achilles's
comforts Achilles
urges Apollo to fight
Nereïds, the catalogue and names of
them.
Neftor endeavours to reconcile Achilles
and Agamemnon
praiſed by Agamemnon
his fpeech to the foldiers
his forces.
..... his fpeech to Agamemnon
. . . . . exhorts the foldiers
•
his ſpeech for burying the dead
and building a wall
. XX 341
XX
xx 367
XXI 332
XXI
507
XVIII
42
. I 330
. II 440
II 402
. II 716
IV
370
• VI 84
VII 392
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS..
189
Neftor blames the Greeks for not daring
to encounter Hector
BOOK
. VII
VER.
145
is in great danger.
VIII 102
flies with Diomed.
his advice for guards and refreſh-
VIII
190
ment
IX
86
for pacifying Achilles
IX
141
approves Diomed's fpeech to
Agamemnon
IX
73
goes by night to Ulyffes
. X
157
'x
180
་
encourages Diomed
adviſes to ſend ſpies into the enemy's
camp
recites what he did in his youth
: goes on an uproar to know the
caufe
prays to Jupiter
exhorts the Greeks to oppofe the
enemy
advifes his fon concerning the
. X 241
XI
817
XIV
xv 428
XV 796
XXIII 369
XXIV. 757
Nireus, the moft handfome Greek.
. II 817
O.
race
Niobe, her fable
Orcus, his helmet
Odius
VOL. VI.
V 1037
II 1043
U
296
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
P.
BOOK VEKO
Pandarus
treacherouſly wounds Menelaus
is killed by Diomed
• II 100%
•
IV
135
V 352
26
IM
44
HI
55
Paris boaſts at the beginning of the fight. III
cowardly flies
. blamed of Hector
undertakes a ſingle combat with
Menelaus
.. is armed
.... fights with Menelaus
. is taken from the combat by Venus
.... blamed by Helen
... reſcued from fight, is put to bed
with Helen.
refuſes to reftore. Helen
wounds Diomed .
• III IOE
•
• III
409
III
427
III 467
III 533
. III 555
VII 438
XI
482
wounds Machaon
. XI
XI
629
wounds Eurypylus
· XI 709
.kills Euchenor
XIII
827
Patroclus returns to Achilles
XV
xv
462
.. entreats Achilles to let him go to
aid the Greeks
XVI
3 F
. . is armed.
XVI
162
exhorts the Myrmidons
XVI 324
XVI 448
. and his men kill many of the
XVI 482
Trojans
XVI 847
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
291
Patroclus exhorts the two Ajaxes
kills Cebrion
is ftruck by Apollo
BOOK VER.
XVI
681
XVI 895
XVI 954
a fierce conteft about his body XVII 324
appears to Achilles in a dream xx
his funeral pile
his fepulchre
his funeral games
Phidippus
Phocians
Phoenix intreats Achilles to be reconciled
to Agamemnon
fits as one of the judges at the
race
Phorcis
Podalirius
Podarces
472 613
78
XXIII
198
XXIII 306
XXIII
323
II
827
. II
620
IX 562
XXIII
435
• II 1050
II 889
Polydamas adviſes to force the Greek
lines
interprets a prodigy, and gives
his advice
blames Hector
kills Prothenor
Polypotes
and Leontius.
Prayers and Injuftice, their influence on
the Gods
II 860
·
XII 67
XII
245
XIII
907
XIV
525
II · 904
XII
141
• IX 624
छ 2
292.
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
Priam enquires of Helen about the
Grecians which they faw
is called by an herald to agree to
a treaty
returns into the city
BOOK
VER
III 219.
III. 319
III
386
ſpeaks to the Trojans
VII 444
commands the foldiers to open the
gate
XXI 620
intreats Hector not to meet
Achilles.
XXII 51
bemoans the death of Hector
XXII 515
... tells his wife the commands of
Jupiter.
XXIV 233
takes the gifts to carry to
Achilles
XXIV
281
rebukes his fons
XXIV
311
Hecuba's council to him
XXIV 355
prays to Jupiter
•
XXIV
377
meets Achilles
XXIV 579
defires to fleep.
carries the body of Hector into
the city
Prodigies
of a dragon which devoured a
neft of birds and the dam
Protefilaüs
Prothous
1
XXIV 804
XXIV
882
S XI 70.
XII 233
• II
372
II 853
. II
916
İNDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGŠ.
293-
Pylæmenes
.. is flain
•
Pylians
Pyræchmes
BOOK VER.
. II 1034
V
705
II 715
II 1028
Rhefus.
. . is flain by Diomed
Rhodians.
Q
R.
X
505
X
576
II
795
Sarpedon.
S.
wounded by Tlepolemus, defires
. 11 1069
the affiſtance of Hector .
• v 842
exhorts Glaucus to fight
XII
371
breaks down a battlement of the
wall.
XII
483
.
XIII
359
Soldiers, the good and bad deſcribed
Sleep (the God of Sleep) at the inſtance
of Juno, puts Jupiter into a fleẹp
incites Neptune
Sthenelus
anfwers Agamemnon fharply
XIV 266
XIV
4II
II
683
.
IV 456
T.
Talthybius
Teucer from behind the fhield of Ajax,
2
kills many Trojans
. I 421
VIII 320
v 3
294
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK VER.
Teucer is wounded by Hector
VIII 387
kills Imbrius.
XIII 227
Thalpius
kills Clitus
his bow is broke by a divine power xv
Thamyris his ſtory
Themis preſents the nectar-bowl to Juno. xv
XV
522
544
II
755
II
721
96
Therfites, his loquacity.
Thetis, her words to Achilles
petition to Jove for her fon
•
. II
255
I
540
1
652
in great grief fpeaks to the Nereïds XVIII
enquires of Achilles
promiſes Achilles armour made by
Vulcan ..
goes to Vulcan
befeeches Vulcan to make Achilles's
armour
carries the armour made by Vulcan
69
XVIII 95
XVIII 172
XVIII
431
•
XXVII 527
to Achilles
XIX 13
Thoas.
. II
775
kills Pirus
IV
610
Titarefius, a river
II
910
Tlepolemus
II
793
fights with Sarpedon .
v 776
III
I
Trojans and Grecians march to battle
fign a treaty
and Greeks in battle .
many of them killed
• III 338
IV 508
VI
5
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
295
the Greeks fly before them
.. an affembly of them
BOOK VER.
Trojans watch.
VIII
686
march, attack the Greek trenches
SXII
95
XII
295
... fly.
XIV
596
make a great flaughter
XV 372
fight bravely at the Grecian fleet.
XV 842
XVII 676
XVIII 289
III 467
III
48 I
III
513
III
528
•
v 385
V 417
· v 465
V.
Venus conveys Paris from the fight
beſpeaks Helen .
. is angry with Helen
carries Helen to Paris
conveys Æneas out of the battle
is wounded by Diomed.
complains of her being wounded
to Dione.
is laughed at by Minerva .
with Apollo keeps the body of
Hector from putrifying
Ulyffes.
•
delivers Chryfeïs to her father
V 509
XXIII 226
SII 765
III 254
I
573
820
contends with Ajax in the courfe xx111
prevents the Greeks from re-
treating.
provokes Therfites
.. exhorts the foldiers to battle.
. II 224
II 305
. II
347
U 4
296
INDEX OF PERSONS AND THINGS.
BOOK
VEK.
Ulyffes anfwers Agamemnon
IV
402
his ſpeech to Achilles to reconcile
him and Agamemnon
IX
295
exhorts Diomed to battle
XI
408
. is furrounded by the enemy
·
XI
510
is wounded by Socus
XI
547
kills Socus
XI
561
adviſes to give the foldiers refreſh-
ment before the battle
XIX
153.
adviſes to Achilles to refreſh himſelf xIX
215
Vulcan admoniſhes Juno .
. I
746
remembers the benefits he has re-
ceived of Thetis
XVIII 461
enquires of Thetis the cauſe of
coming.
makes a fuit of armour for Achilles xvIII
. dries
up the river Xanthus
X.
XVIII
495
537
XXI 400
า
Xanthus, Achilles's horſe, forefhews the
deftruction of Achilles
the river, ſpeaks to Achilles.
rifes againſt Achilles
invokes Simoïs againſt Achilles
fupplicates Vulcan and Juno
•
XIX
452
XXI 232
XXI
258
XXI 358
XXI
418
432
A
POETICAL INDEX
ΤΟ
HOMER'S ILIA D.
The firſt number marks the book, the ſecond the verſe.
THE
FABL E.
HE great Moral of the Iliad, that Concord
among Governors is the prefervation of States, and
Difcord the ruin of them: pursued through the whole
Fable.
The Anger of Achilles breaks this union in the open-
ing of the poem, 7. i. He withdraws from the
body of the Greeks, which firft interrupts the
fuccefs of the common caufe, ibid.
The army
mutiny, ii. The Trojans break the truce, iv. A
great number of the Greeks flain, vii, 392. Forced
to build fortifications to guard their fleet, ibid.
In great diſtreſs, from the enemy, whoſe victory is
only ſtopt by the night, viii. Ready to quit their
deſign, and return with infamy, ix. Send to
Achilles to perfuade him to a re-union, in vain,
298
POETICAL INDEX.
FABLE.
ibid. The diftrefs continues; the General and all
the beſt warriours are wounded, xi. The for-
tification overthrown, and the fleet ſet on fire, xv.
Achilles himfelf fhares in the misfortunes he
brought upon the allies, by the loſs of his friend
Patroclus, xvi. Hereupon the Hero is reconciled
to the General, the victory over Troy is com-
pleat, and Hector flain by Achilles, xix, xx, xxi,
xxii, &c.
EPISODES or FABLES which are interwoven into the
Poem, but foreign to its defign.
The fable of the confpiracy of the Gods againſt
Jupiter, i, 516. Of Vulcan's fall from heaven on
the iſland of Lemnos, i, 761. The impriſonment
of Mars by Otus and Ephialtes, v, 475. The
ftory of Thamyris, ii, 721. The embaffy of
Tydeus to Thebes, iv, 430. The tale of Belle-
rophon, vi, 195. Of Lycurgus and the Bac-
chanals, vi, 161. The war of the Pylians and
Arcadians, vii, 165.
572. Of Meleager and
The ſtory of Phoenix, ix,
the wars of the Curetes
and Ætolians, ix, 653. The wars of Pyle and
Elis, xi, 818. The birth of Hercules, and labour
of Alcmena, xix, 103.
from heaven, xix, 93.
The expulfion of Ate
Vulcan's abode with
Thetis, and his employment there, xviii, 463.
6
POETICAL INDEX.
299
FABL E.
The family and hiſtory of Troy, xx, 255. The
transformation of Niobe, xxiv, 757.
Building
of the walls of Troy by Neptune, xxi, 518.
Allegorical FABLES.
Moral.] Prudence reſtraining Paffion, repreſented in
the machine of Minerva defcending to calm Achilles,
i, 261. Love alluring, and extinguiſhing Honour,
in Venus bringing Paris from the combat to the
arms of Helen, iii, 460, &c. True Courage over-
coming Paffion, in Diomed's conqueft of Mars
and Venus, by the affiſtance of Pallas, v, 1020, &c.
through that whole book. Prayers the daughters of
Jupiter, following Injuftice, and perſecuting her
at the throne of heaven, ix, 625. The Ceftus,
or girdle of Venus, xiv, 245. The allegory of
Sleep, xiv, 265. The allegory of Diſcord caft
out of heaven to earth, xix, 93. The allegory of
the two Urns of Pleaſure and Pain, xxiv, 663.
Phyfical or Phylofophical.] The combat of the elements
till the water fubfided, in the fable of the wars of
Juno or the Air, and Neptune or the Sea, with
Jupiter or the Æther, till Thetis put an end to
them, i, 516. Fire derived from heaven to
earth, imaged by the fall of Vulcan on Lemnos, i,
761. The gravitation of the Planets upon the Sun,
in the allegory of the golden chain of Jupiter,
300
POETICAL INDEX.
FA BL E.
viii, 25. The influence of the Æther upon the Air,
in the allegory of the congrefs of Jupiter and
Juno, xiv, 395. The Air fupplied by the vapours.
of the Ocean and Earth, in the ftory of Juno
nouriſhed by Oceanus and Tethys, xiv, 231. The
allegory of the Winds, xxiii, 242. The quality
of Salt preferving dead bodies from corruption, in
Thetis or the Sea preferving the body of Patroclus,
xix, 40.
For the rest of the Allegories, fee the Syſtem of the
Gods as acting in their allegorical characters, under the
article CHARACTERS,
Allegorical or Fictitious Perfons in HOMER.
The lying dream fent to Agamemnon by Jupiter, ii,
7. Fame the meffenger of Jove, ii, 121. Furies,
puniſhers of the wicked, iii, 351. Hebe, or
Youth, attending the banquets of the Gods, iv,
3. Flight and Terrour attendants upon Mars, iv,
500. Difcord defcribed, iv, 502. Bellona God-
defs of war, v, 726. The Hours, keepers of the
gates of heaven, v, 929. Nymphs of the moun-
tains, vi, 532. Night, a Goddeſs, vii, 342. Iris,
or the Rainbow, viii, 486. Prayers the daughters
of Jupiter, ix, 624. Eris or Difcord, xi, 5.
Ilythiæ, Goddeffes prefiding in women's labour, xi,
348. Terrour the fon of Mars, xiii, 386. Sleep,
xiv, 265. Night, xiv, 293. Death and Sleep,
POETICAL INDEX.
301
FABLE.
two twins, xvi, 831. Nereïds, or nymphs of the
fea; a catalogue of them, xviii, 45. Ate, or the
Goddeſs of Diſcord, xix, 92. Scamander the
River-God, xxi, 230. Fire and Water made
Perfons in the battle of Scamander and Vulcan,
xxi, 386. The Eaſt and Weſt Winds, ibid. Iris,
or the Rainbow, and the Winds, xxiii, 242.
The MARVELLOUS or fupernatural FICTIONS
in HOMER.
The miraculous rivers
Omen of the birds and ferpent, reprefenting the event
of the Trojan war, ii, 370.
Titarefius and Styx, ii, 910. The giant Typhon,
under the burning mountain Typhæus, ii, 952.
Battle of the cranes and pigmies, iii, 7. Prodigy
of a comet, iv, 101. Diomed's helmet ejecting fire,
v, 6. Horfes of celeftial breed, v, 327. Vaſt ſtone
heaved by Diomed, v, 370. And Hector, xii. 537.
And Minerva, xxi, 468. The miraculous chariot,
and arms of Pallas, v, 885, 908, &c. The Gor-
gon, helmet, and Ægis of Jupiter, ibid. The gates
of heaven, ibid. The leap of immortal horfes, v,
Stentor, v, 978.
960. Shout of
Roaring of
Mars, v, 1054.
Helmet of Orcus,
dered the wearer invifible, v, 1036.
which ren-
The blood
of the Gods, V, 422. The immediate healing
of their wounds, v, 1112. The chimæra, vi, 220.
302
POETICAL INDEX.
FABL E.
Deſtruction by Neptune of the Grecian rampart,
xii, 15. Wall puſhed down by Apollo, xv, 415.
The golden chain of Jupiter, viii, 25. Horfes
and chariot of Jupiter, viii, 49. His balances,
weighing the fates of men, viii, 88, xxii, 271.
Jupiter's affifting the Trojans by thunders, and
lightnings, and viſible declarations of his favour,
viii, 93, 161, &c. xvii, 670. Prodigy of an
eagle and fawn, viii, 297. Horfes of the Gods,
ſtables and chariots, pompously deſcribed, viii,
535, &c. Hector's lance of ten cubits, viii, 615.
Omen of an heron, x, 322. The defcent of Eris,
xi, 5.
A fhower of blood, xi, 70. xvi, 560.
Omen of an eagle and ſerpent, xii, 230. The
progrefs of Neptune through the feas, xiii, 42.
The chain of War and Diſcord ftretched over
the armies, xiii, 451. The loud voice of Nep-
tune, xiv, 173. Solemn oath of the Gods, xiv,
305, xv, 41. Minerva ſpreads a light over the
Jupiter involves the combatants
in thick darkneſs, xvi, 695. Horſes begot by
the wind on a harpy, xvi, 184. A fhower of
blood, xvi, 560. Miraculous tranſportation and
interment of Sarpedon by Apollo, Sleep and
Death, xvi, 810, &c. Prophecy at the hour of
death, xvi, 1026. xxii, 450. Achilles unarmed
puts the whole Trojan army to flight on his ap-
pearance, xviii, 235, &c. Moving tripods and
army, xv, 808.
POETICAL INDEX.
303
FABLE.
living ſtatues of Vulcan, xviii, 440, 487. The
horfe of Achilles fpeaks by a prodigy, xix, 450.
The battle of the Gods, xx, 63, &c. Horfes of a
miraculous extraction, the transformation of Boreas,
xx, 264. The wonderful battle of the Xanthus,
xxi, 230, &c. Hector's body preferved by Apollo
and Venus, xxiii, 226. The ghoſt of Patroclus,
xxiii, 78. The two Urns of Jupiter, xxiv, 663.
The vaft quoit of Aëtion, xxiii, 975. The trans-
formation of Niobe and her people into ftones,
xxiv, 757.
Under this head of the Marvellous may alſo be included
all the immediate machines and appearances of the
Gods in the Poem, and their transformations; the
miraculous birth of Heroes; the paffions in human
and vifible forms, and the reft.
CHARACTERS OR MANNERS.
Characters of the GODS of HOMER, as acting in the
Phyſical or Moral capacities of thoſe Deities.
JUPITER.
Alting and governing all, as the fupreme Being.] See
the article Theology in the next Index.
304
POETICAL INDEX.
"
CHARACTERS.
JUNO.
As the element of Air.] Her congrefs with Jupiter, or
the Æther, and production of vegetables, xiv, 390,
&c. Her loud fhout, the air being the cauſe of
found, v, 976. Nouriſhed by Oceanus and
Tethys, xiv, 231.
:
As Goddess of Empire and Honour.] Stops the Greeks
from flying ignominioufly, ii, 191. and in many
other places. Incites and commands Achilles to
revenge the death of his friend, xviii, 203, &c.
Inſpires into Helen a contempt of Paris, and fends
Iris to call her to behold the combat with Mene-
laus, iii, 165.
A POLL O.
As the Sun.] Caufes the plague in the heat of fum-
mer, i, 61.
Raiſes a phantom of clouds and
vapours, V, 545. Difcovers in the morning the
flaughter made the night before, x, 606. Reco-
vers Hector from fainting, and opens his eyes,
xv, 280. Dazzles the eyes of the Greeks, and
ſhakes his Ægis in their faces, xv, 362. Reftores
vigour to Glaucus, xvi, 647. Preſerves the body
of Sarpedon from corruption, xvi, 830. And
that of Hector, xxiii, 232.
Raiſes a cloud to
conceal Æneas, xx, 513.
As Destiny.] Saves Æneas from death, v, 429.
POETICAL INDEX.
305
CHARACTERS.
Hector, xx, 513. Saves Agenor, xxi, 705.
Deſerts Hector when his hour is come, xxii, 277.
As Wiſdom.] He and Minerva infpire Helenus to
keep off the general engagement by a fingle
combat, yii, 25. Adviſes Hector to fhun en-
countering Achilles, xx, 431.
MARS.
As mere martial courage without conduct.] Goes to
the fight without the orders of Jupiter, v, 726.
Again provoked to rebel againſt Jupiter by his
paſſion, xv, 126. Is vanquished by Minerva, or
Conduct, xxi, 480...
MINER V A.
As martial courage with Wisdom.] Joins with Juno
in reſtraining the Greeks from flight, and inſpires
Ulyffes to do it, ii, 210. Animates the army,
ii, 524. Defcribed as leading a hero fafe through
a battle, iv, 631. Affifts Diomed to overcome
Mars and Venus, v, 407, 1042. Overcomes
them herſelf, xxi, 480. Reftrains Mars from
rebellion againſt Jupiter, v, 45. XV, 140. Sub-
mits to Jupiter, viii, 40. Adviſes Ulyffes to
retire in time from the night expedition, x, 593-
Affifts him through that expedition, x, 351, &c.
Diſcovers the ambuſh laid againſt the Pylians by
VOL. I.
X.
ނތ
306
POETICAL INDEX.
CHARACTERS.
night, and cauſes them to fally, xi, 851. Affifts
Achilles to conquer Hector, xxii, 277, &c.
!
As Wisdom feparately confidered.] Suppreffes Achilles's
paffion, i, 261. Suppreffes her own anger againſt
Jupiter, iv, 31. Brings to paſs Jupiter's will in con-
triving the breach of the truce, iv, 95. Teaches
Diomed to difcern Gods from men, and to conquer
Venus, v, 154, &c. Called the beſt beloved of
Jupiter, viii, 48. Obtains leave of Jupiter, that
while the other Gods do not affift the Greeks, fhe
direct them with her counfels, viii, 45. Is
again checked by the command of Jupiter, and
:
may
ſubmits, viii, 560, 572. Is faid to affift, or ſave
any hero, in general through the poem, when
any act of prudence preferves him.
VENUS.
As the paffion of love.] Brings Paris from the fight to
the embraces of Helen, and inflames the lovers,
iii, 460, 529, &c. Is overcome by Minerva, or
Wiſdom, v, 407. And again, xxi, 596. Her
Ceftus, or girdle, and the effects of it, xiv, 245.
NEPTUN E.
As the fea.] Overturns the Grecian wall with his
waves, xii, 15. Affifts the Greeks at their fleet,
which was drawn up at the fea-fide, xiii, 67, &c.
Retreats at the order of Jupiter, xv, 245. Shakes
?
POETICAL INDEX.
307
CHARACTERS.
the whole field of battle and fea-fhore with earth-
quakes, xx, 77.
VULCA N.
Or the Element of Fire.] Falls from heaven to earth,
i, 761. Received in Lemnos, a place of fubterra-
neous fires, ibid. His operations of various kinds,
xviii, 440, 468, 537. Dries up the river Xan-
Affifted by the winds, xxi, 389.
thus, xxi, 398.
Characters of the HEROES.
N. B. The Speeches which depend upon, and flowe
from, thefe feveral Characters, are diftinguished by
an S.
ACHILLE S.
Furious paffionate, difdainful, and reproachful, lib.
i, ver. 155, S. 194, S. 297, S. ix, 405, S.
746, S. xxiv, 705.
Revengeful and implacable in the higheſt degree,
ix, 755, 765. xvi, 68, S. 122, S. xviii, 120,
125, S. xix, 211, S. xxii, 333, S. 437, S.
Cruel, xvi, 122. xix, 395. xxi, 112. xxii, 437,
S. 495, S. xxiii. 30. xxiv, 51.
Superiour to all men in valour, xx, 60, 437, &c.
21, 22, throughout.
Conftant and violent in friendſhip, ix, 730. xviii,
X 2
308
POETICAL INDEX.
CHARACTERS.
30,-371. xxiii, 54, 272. xxiv, 5. xvi, 9, S.
208, S. xviii, 100, S. 380, S. xix, 335, S.
XXII, 482, S. Achilles fcarce ever ſpeaks with-
out mention of his friend Patroclus.
ENEA S.
Pious to the Gods, v, 226, S. xx, 132, 290, 345.
Senfible and moral, xx, 242, 290, &c. S..
Valiant, not raſh, xx, 130, 240, S.
Tender to his friend, xiii, 590.
See his character in the notes on 1. v. ver. 212, and
on 1. xiiì, ver. 578.
AGAMEMNON.
Imperious and paffionate, i, 33, 129, S.
Sometimes cruel, vi. 79. ii, 140, S.
Artful and defigning, ii, 68, 95:
Valiant, and an excellent General, iv, 256, 265, &6-
xi, throughout.
Eminent for brotherly affection, iv, 183, &c. S.
vii, 121.
See his character in the notes on 1. xi. ver. 1.
. A JA X.
Of ſuperior ſtrength and fize, and fearlefs on that
account, xiii, 410. vii, 227, S. 274, S. xv, 666..
Indefatigable and patient, xi, 683, &c. xiii, 877.
.POETICAL INDEX.
309
CHARACTERS.
xv, throughout. xiv, 535, fhort in his fpeeches,
vii, 227. ix, 735. xv, 666, &c.
See his character in the notes on 1. vii. ver. 227.
DIOME D.
Daring and intrepid, v, throughout, and viii, 163,
181, S. ix, 65, 820. x, 260.
Proud and boaſting, vi, 152. xi, 500.
Vain of his birth, xiv, 124.
Generous, vi, 265.
Is guided by Pallas or Wiſdom, and chufes Ulyffes
to direct him, v, throughout, x, 287, 335.
See his character in the notes on l. v, ver. 1.
HECTOR.
A true lover of his country, viii, 621, S. xii, 284.
XV, 582, S.
Valiant in the higheſt degree, iii, 83. vii, 80. xii,
273, S. xviii, 333, S. &c.
Excellent in conduct, viii, 610, S. xi, 663.
Pious, vi, 140, 339, 605.
Tender to his parents, vi, 312.
. to his wife, vi, 457.
... to his child, vi, 605.
. to his friends, xx, 485, xxiv, 962.
See his character in the notes on 1. iii. ver. 53.
x 3
310
POETICAL INDEX.
CHARACTERS.
IDOMENE US.
An old foldier, xiii, 455, 648.
A lover of his foldiers, xiii, 280.
Talkative upon ſubjects of war, xiii, 341,-355,
&c. iv, 305, S.
Vain of his family, xiii, 563, &c.
Stately and infulting, xiii, 472, &c.
See his character in the notes on 1. xiii. ver. 278.
MENE LA US.
Valiant, iii, 35. xiii, 733. xvii, throughout.
Tender of the people, x, 31.
Gentle in his nature, x, 138. xxiii, 685.
But fired by a ſenſe of his wrongs, ii, 711. iii, 41.
vii, 109, S. xiii, 780. S. xvii, 640.
See his character in the notes on I. iii. ver. 278.
NESTO R.
Wife and experienced in council, i, 331, 340. ii.
441.
Skilful in the art of war, ii, 436, 670. iv, 331, &c.
S. vii, 393, S.
Brave, vii, 165. xi, 817. xv, 796, S.
Eloquent, i, 332, &c.
Vigilant, x, 88, 186, 624.
Pious, xv, 428.
POETICAL INDEX.
311
CHARACTERS.
Talkative through old age, iv, 370. vii. 145. xi,
801, xxiii, 373, 718. and in general through the
book.
See his character in the notes on 1. i. ver. 339, on ii.
402, &c.
PRIA M.
A tender father to Hector, xxii, 51, S. xxiv, 275.
to Paris, iii, 381. to Helen, iii, 212, S.
An eaſy prince of too yielding a temper, vii, 444.
Gentle and compaffionate, iii, 211, 382.
Pious, iv, 70. xxiv, 519, S.
See his character in the notes on 1. iii. ver. 211.
PARIS.
Effeminate in dreſs and perfon, iii, 27, 55, 80, 409.
Amorous, iii, 543.
Ingenious in arts, mufick, iii, 80. building, vi, 390.
Patient of reproof, iii, 86.
Naturally valiant, vi, 669. xiii, 986.
See his character in the notes on 1. iii. ver. 26, 37, 86.
PATROCL U S.
Compaffionate of the fufferings of his countrymen,
xi, 947. xvi, 4, 31, S.
Raſh, but valiant, xvi, 709.
Of a gentle nature, xix, 320. xvii, 755.
i
X 4
312
POETICAL INDEX.
CHARACTERS.
SARPEDON.
Valiant out of principle and honour, v, 575, S. xii,
371, S.
Eloquent, ibid.
Careful only of the common cauſe in his death, xvi,
605, S.
See his character in the notes on 1. xvi. ver. 512.
ULYSSES.
Prudent, iii, 261. x, 287. xix, 218.
Eloquent, iii, 283. ix, 295, S. &c.
Valiant in the field with caution, iv, 567. xi, 515,
&c.
Bold in the council with prudence, xiv, 90.
See his character in the notes on 1. ii. ver. 402. &
- Sparfim.
Characters of other HEROES.
Agenor, valiant and confiderate, xxi, 648.
Antenor, a prudent counſellor, vii, 419.
Ajax Oïleus, famous for ſwiftnefs, ii, 631. xiv, 618.
Antilochus, bold fpirited, but reaſonable; and artful,
iv, 522. xxiii, 503, 619, 667, S. xxiii, 9232
936.
Euphorbus, beautiful and valiant, xvi, 973. xvii,
II, 57.
POETICAL INDEX.
313
CHARACTERS.
Glaucus, pious to his friend, xvi, 660. xvii, 166,
180.
Helenus, a prophet and hero, vi, 91.
Meriones, dauntleſs and faithful, xiii, 325, &c.
Machaon, an excellent phyfician, ii, 890. xi, 630.
Phoenix, his friendſhip and tenderneſs for Achilles,
ix, 605.
Polydamas, prudent and eloquent.
See his Speeches,
xii, 69, 245. xiii, 907. xviii, 300.
Teucer, famous for archery, viii, 320. xv, 510, &c.
Thoas, famous for eloquence, xv, 322.
For other lefs diftinguished characters, fee the article,
Deſcriptions of the Paffions.
SPEECHES OR ORATIONS.
A TABLE of the moſt confiderable in the ILIAD.
In the exhortatory or deliberative kind.
The oration of Neftor to Agamemnon and Achilles,
perfuading a reconciliation, i, 339. The orations
of Neftor, Ulyffes, and Agamemnon, to perfuade
the army to ſtay, ii, 348, 402, 440. Of Sarpedon
to Hector, v, 575. Of Neftor to encourage the
314
POETICAL INDEX.
SPEECHES.
Greeks to accept the challenge of Hector, vii,
145. Of Hector to the Trojans, viii, 621. Of
Neftor to ſend to Achilles, ix, 127. Of Ulyffes,
Phoenix, and Ajax, to move Achilles to a recon-
ciliation ix, 295, 562, 743. Achilles's reply to
each, ibid. Sarpedon to Glaucus, xii, 371. Of
Neptune to the Greeks, to defend the fleet, xiii,
131. Of Ajax to the Greeks, xv, 666. Neſtor
to the fame, xv, 796. Of Ajax again, xv, 890.
Scamander to the river Simois, xxi, 357. Juno
to Vulcan, xxi, 386. Achilles to Patroclus, xvi,
68, &c.
In the vituperative kind.
The ſpeech of Therfites, ii, 275. That of Ulyffes
anfwering him, ii, 306. Of Hector to Paris,
iii, 55. Of Agamemnon to Diomed, iv, 422.
Of Hector to Paris, vi, 406. Of Diomed to
Agamemnon, ix, 43. Of Ulyffes to the fame,
xiv, 90. Sarpedon to Hector, v, 575. Glaucus
to Hector, xvii, 155.
In the narrative.
Achilles to Thetis, i, 476. Pandarus to Æneas, v,
230. Glaucus to Diomed, vi, 179. Phoenix to
Agamemnon to the
633.
Achilles, ix, 562, 633.
Greeks, xix, 81. Æneas to Achilles, xx, 240,
Of Neftor, vii, 163. xi, 801, and the fpeeches
of Neftor in general.
POETICAL INDEX.
315
SPEECHES.
In the pathetick.
Agamemnon on Menelaus wounded, iv, 186.
Andromache to Hector, and his anfwer, vi, 510, 570.
Patroclus and Achilles, xvi, 9, &c.
Jupiter on fight of Hector, xvii, 231.
Lamentation of Brifeïs for Patroclus, xix, 303.
of Achilles for Patroclus, xix, 335.
of Priam to Hector, xxii, 51, 530.
of Hecuba to the fame, xxii, 116, and
again, xxiv, 243, 943.
608.
of Andromache at Hector's death, xxii,
of Andromache at his funeral, xxiv, 908.
of Helena, xxiv, 962.
Lycaon to Achilles, xxi, 85.
Thetis to the Nereids, xviii, 70.
The ghoſt of Patroclus to Achilles, xxiii, 83.
Priam to Achilles, xxiv, 598.
In the irony, or farcafm.
The ſpeech of Pallas on Venus being wounded, v,
509. Ulyffes over Socus, xi, 566. Idomeneus
over Othryoneus, xiii, 472.
Four farcaftick fpeeches over the dead, xiv, 529,
550, 561, 587. Juno to Mars, concerning Afca-
laphus, xv, 120. Æneas to Meriones, xvi, 745.
316
POETICAL INDEX.
SPEECHES.
Patroclus on Cebriones, xvi, 903.
Hector on
Patroclus, xvi, 1003. Achilles to Otryntides,
xx, 449. to Lycaon, xxi, 105. to Hector, xxii,
415.
Speeches to Horſes.
Hector to his horfes, viii, 226.
Achilles to his horfes, xix, 440.
Jove to the horſes of Achilles, xvii, 504.
Antilochus, xxiii, 483.
Menelaus, xxiii, 524.
DESCRIPTIONS OF IMAGES.
A COLLECTION of the most remarkable throughout
the POEM,
DESCRIPTIONS OF PLACES.
Of the apartment of Juno, xiv, 191.
Of a burning mountain, ii, 950.
City in flames, xvii, 825.
Court of juſtice, xviii, 577-
Ends of the earth and fea, the refidence of Saturn and
Iapetus, viii, 597.
6
POETICAL INDEX.
317
DESCRIPTIONS.
Fountains of Scamander, xxii, 195.
Field, ploughed, xviii, 627.
Foreft, when timber is felled, xi, 119. xxiii, 144.
Heaven, the feat and pleaſures of the Gods, i, 589,
•
772. iv, I. The gates of heaven, v, 928. viii, 478.
The Gods affembled, xx, 9.
Ida, its forefts, temple, and profpect, viii. 57. xiv,
320..
Landſchapes of a fine country, ii, 830, 1036, 1040.
Of paſture-grounds and ſheep, xviii, 677.
Mount of Hercules near Troy, xx, 174.
Palace of Neptune, xiii. 34.
Palace of Priam deſcribed, vi, 304. Of Paris, vi,
389.
River Axius defcribed, ii, 1030.
River Titarefius and Peneus, ii, 910.
Sea, and iſlands rifing out of it, ii, 770.
Tempe deſcribed, ii, 920.
Tent of Achilles defcribed, xxiv, 553.
Troy, the country about, and roads, xxii, 191. xiii,
22. xiv, 260.
Tomb of Illus, xi, 477. Of Batiea, ii, 984. Of
Sarpedon, xvi, 820.
Vulcan, his palace, forge, &c. xviii, 431, &c.
A vineyard, xviii, 651.
Wall of the Grecians, vii, 521.
Winds, their court and manfion deſcribed, xxiii, 245.
318
POETICAL INDEX.
Defcriptions of PERSONS.
Achilles's dreadful appearance, xx, 59. xxii, 31, &c.
393.
Apollo's perfon, enfigns, and defcent to earth, i, 61.
Apollo's appearance in the war, xv, 348.
Ajax, his fullen retreat deſcribed, xi, 675, &c. to 696.
Brothers, two killed together, xx, 531.
A coward, deſcribed in Therfites, beaten, ii, 326.
A coward deſcribed throughout, xiii, 359. Again
in Theftor, xvi, 486. A coward ſurpriſed, x, 443.
Diana cuffed and buffeted, xxi, 566.
Gods, Homer's great ideas of them, in the defcrip-
tions of their armour, v. 907. Motion, xiii, 30.
XV, 90. v, 960. Battles, xv, 252. xx, 63, &c.
xxi, 450, &c.
Hours at the gates of heaven, v, 929.
Hector's horrible appearance in battle viii, 417. xii,
553. xiii, 1010. xv, 730. Hector's dead body
dragged at the chariot of Achilles, xxii, 500.
Jupiter in his glory, i, 647, 683. viii, 550, in his
chariot, viii, 49, 542, &c. in his terrours, xvii, 670.
Juno dreſt, xiv, 209.
Lycaon, his youth and unhappy death, xxi, 40, &c.
Mars and Bellona before Hector in battle, v, 726. Mars
in arms, vii, 252. xiii, 384. xv, 726. His mon-
ftrous fize, xxi, 473.
Mercury defcribed, xxiv, 417.
Neptune, his chariot and progrefs, xiii, 28, &c.
POETICAL INDEX.
319
DESCRIPTIONS.
Niobe turned into a rock, xxiv. 773.
Old man, a venerable one, i, 330. Old counſellors
of Troy converfing, iii, 191, &c. A miferable
old man in Priam, xxii, 80, &c.
Priam paffing through his people, in forrow, to go to
redeem Hector, xxiv, 402.
Priam weeping at
the feet of Achilles, xxiv, 636.
Pallas, her deſcent from heaven, iv, 99. Her armour,
fpear, and veil, v, 904. viii, 466.
Teucer, behind Ajax's fhield, viii, 321.
Youth, a beautiful one killed, iv, 542, xvii, 53, &c.
xx, 537. Interceding for mercy in vain, xxi, 75.
A young and old man flain in war, their pictures,
xxii, 100.
Defcriptions of THINGS.
Of an affembly gathering together, ii, 109.
Battle. [See the article Military Deſcriptions.]
Burning up of a field, xxi, 399. A bow, iv, 137.
Blood trickling from a wound, iv, 170, &c.
Brightneſs of a helmet, v, 5.
Burial of the dead, vii, 495.
A breach made in an attack, xii, 485.
Boiling water in a cauldron, xviii, 405. xxi, 424,
Beacon, xix, 405.
Beafts facrificed, xxiii, 41.
A bird fhot through, xxiii, 1034.
320
!
POETICAL INDEX.
DESCRIPTIONS.
Chariot of Jupiter, viii, 49, 542. Of Neptune, xiii,
40. Chariot defcribed at large, xxiv, 335, v. 889,
&c. A chariot-race, xxiii, 355, &c. Chariots
overturned, xvi, 445. Chariots crufhing the
bodies, xx, 577•
A child frightened at a helmet, vi, 595.
Golden chain of Jupiter, viii, 25.
A conflagration, xxi, 387, 400.
Cookery defcribed, ix, 277.
Ceftus, the game defcribed, xxiii, 766, &c.
Deformity, ii, 263.
Dancing, xviii, 681, &c.
Difcus, the game deſcribed, xxiii, 973, &c.
Diving, xxiv, 105.
Driving a chariot, xi, 360, 655.
.
Dreadful appearance of the Myrmidons, xvi, 192.
Of Achilles, xviii, 253.
Darkneſs, xvii, 422.
Death, xvi, 1032, xxii, 455.-The defcriptions of
different forts of deaths in Homer are innumerable,
and fcattered throughout the battles.
Ægis, or ſhield of Jupiter, ii, 526, v, 909. xv, 350.
xxi, 465.
An entrenchment, vii, 521.
Eagle, ftung by a ferpent, xii, 233. Eagle foaring,
xxiv, 391.
Furnace and forge deſcribed xviii, 540.
Fishes fcorched, xxi, 412.
POETICAL INDEX.
321
DESCRIPTIONS.
Flowers of various kinds, xiv, 396.
Famine, xix, 165, &c.
Fall of a warriour headlong into the deep fands, v,
715.
Fatigue in the day of battle, ii, 458. xvi, 132.
xvii, 445.
Fainting, v, 856. xi, 460. xiv, 487, 509.
Fires by night deſcribed, viii, 685, &c.
Recovery from fainting, xv, 271.
Fortification attacked, xii, 170, &c. 201, 304, 401.
Funeral of a warriour, xxiii, 156. Funeral pile de-
ſcribed, xxiii, 200.
Gates of a fortification broken, xii, 545.
Goblet deſcribed, xi, 774
Girdle of Venus, xiv, 245.
Horſes, the famous ones of Eumelus, ii, 926. Of
Hector, viii, 226. Of Achilles, xvi, 181. Of
Tros, v, 327. Of Ericthonius, xx, 262.
Horſe pampered and prancing, vi, 652. Horfe killed
by a dart, viii, 105.
Horfes afraid of leaping a
ditch, xii, 57. Horfes of Achilles mourning for
Patroclus, xvii, 490..
A feat of horfemanfhip, xv, 822.
Helmet of Jupiter, v, 918. Helmets nodding their
plumes, xiii, 947.
Hofpitable life of a good man, vi, 16.
Harveſt, xviii, 637.
VOL. I.
Y
322.
POETICAL INDEX.
DESCRIPTIONS.
1
Herds of oxen, xviii, 665.
Inundation, xii, 16. xvi, 465. Of Scamander
againſt Achilles, xxi, 258, &c. 348, &c.
Lightnings and Thunder, vii, 574. viii, 93, &c.
161, &c.
Light coming over a plain, xv, 810.
xvii, 430.
Light ftreaming from a beacon by night, xix, 405.
Majeſty of a prince, ii, 564. iii, 221.
}
Majeſtick march of Sarpedon, xii, 356. Of Juno,
xiv, 26.
Melancholy, vi, 245.
Moon and Stars defcribed, viii, 687.
Marriage-Pomp, xviii, 570.
Monument over the dead, xvii, 492.
Noife, a loud one, v, 1054. xiii, 1056. xiv, 172,
457. xvi, 767.
Night paft in inquietude by the foldiers, and their
feveral poſtures of taking reft, x, 82, 170.
41
Old age, iii, 149. The picture of its miferies in a
ſtate of war, xxii, 80.
Orphan, its mifery, xxii, 620, &c.
Proceffion deſcribed, vi, 368.
Peaceful life, ix, 520.
Poſture of a man receiving a dart on his ſhield lifted
up, xiii, 511. xx, 325, &c.
Panting deſcribed, xiii, 554, 720.
Perfumes, xiv, 198.
Plume of a helmet, xix, 410. xiii, 947.
POETICAL INDEX.
323
DESCRIPTIONS.
Ploughing, xviii, 627.
Rainbow, xi, 37. xxiv, 99. xvii, 616.
Reaping, xviii, 637.
Running away, xxi, 634.
Running round Troy,
Hector and Achilles, xxii, 250, &c. Seeming to
run in a dream, xxii, 257.
Rough way deſcribed, xxiii, 140.
A race deſcribed, xxiii, 881, &c.
Shield of Achilles defcribed at large, xviii, 551,
&c. Of Hector, vi, 143. Of Ajax, vii, 265.
Scales of Jupiter, xxii, 271.
Smoke cleared, and light returning, xvi, 350.
Sailing of a fhip, i, 624. Ship anchoring and coming
into port, i, 566.
The ſtately ſtalk of a hero, vii, 251. xv, 815.
A facrifice deſcribed, i, 600. vii, 381.
Sleep, ii, init. xiv, 265, &c.
A ſlaughter by night, x, 560.
Snow, xii, 331.
Soldiers, when off from duty, their amuſements, ii,
939.
Shooting with the bow, iv, 144 to 156. xxiii, 1006.
viii, 389.
Spear of Achilles, xix, 420. A fpear driven deep
into the earth, xxi, 187.
A ſtone whirling on the ground with vaſt force, xiii,
191. xiv, 475.
Y 2
324
POETICAL INDEX.
DESCRIPTIONS.
Stone thrown by a hero, v, 370. vii, 321. xii,
537. xiv, 472.
Swiftneſs of horſes, xx, 270.
Swooning, xvi, 955.
Vintage, xviii, 651.
Wall, overwhelmed by waters, vii, 553. xii, 23.
Woodman's dinner, xi, 120.
Woods felled down, xxiii, 144. xvi, 767.
War, its miferies, ix, 699.
Watch by night, x, 208.
Wreſtling deſcribed, xxiii, 821.
Wound of Venus defcribed, v, 417.
wounded, v. A wound healing, v, 1111.
Diomed
Water, troops plunging in, xxi, 9. A fight in the
water, xxi. A tree falling in the water, xxi, 269.
Water rolling down a hill in a current, xxi, 290.
Arms floating upon the water, xxi, 351.
Winds rifing, xxiii, 263.
Deſcriptions of TIMES and SEASONS.
Day-break, x, 295.
Morning, ii, 60. vii, 517. viii, 183. ix, 828.
xi, I. xỉ, II5. xix, I.
Sun-rifing, xi, 871.
Noon, xvi, 938.
Sun-fetting, i, 776. vii, 556. viii, 605.
Evening, xvi, 942.
POETICAL INDEX.
325
DESCRIPTIONS.
Night, ii, init. tenth book throughout. A ftarry night,
viii, 687.
Spring, xiv, 3, 5.
Summer, xviii, 637.
Autumn, xviii, 651. v, 1060. xxii, 39.
Winter, xii, 175, 331.
MILITARY Defcriptions.
An army defcending on the fhore, ii, 117. An army
marching, ii, 181, 247. The day of battle, ii,
458. A vaſt army on the plain, 534, &c. to 563.
An army going forth to battle, ii, 977. xiii, 61.
xvi, 255. xix, 378.
A chariot of war, v, 890, &c.
Confufion and noife of battle, xvi, 921.
A fingle combat, with all the ceremonial, iii, 123,
&c.
The combat between Paris and Menelaus, iii, 423.
of Hector and Ajax, vii, 250 to 335.
of Hector and Achilles, xxii.
Squadrons embattled, iv, 322. v, 637. viii, 260.
Firſt onſet of a battle, iv, 498 to 515.
A circle inclofing the foe, v, 772.
Stand of an army, vii, 75. Joining in battle, viii,
75, &c. xiii, 422. A rout, xi, 193. xiv, 166.
xvi, 440, &c. xxi, 720. A fortification attacked,
xii, 170, 201, 304. A breach made, xii, 485.
Y 3
326
POETICAL INDEX.
DESCRIPTIONS.
An obftinate clofe fight, xii, 507. xv,
army in cloſe order, xiii, 177 to 185.
An attack on the fea-fide, xiv, 452.
860. An
xvii, 406.
Levelling
21. Patro-
Siege of a
and paffing a trench, xv, 408. Attack of the
fleet, xv, 677, &c. 786, 855, &c. A hero
arming at all points, Agamemnon, xi,
clus, xvi, 162. Achilles, xix, 390.
town, xviii, 591, &c. Surpriſe of a convoy,
ibid. Skirmiſh, ibid. Battle of the Gods, xx,
63 to 90. Two heroes meeting in battle, xx, 192.
The rage, deftruction, and carnage of a battle,
XX, 574, &c,
Defcriptions of the INTERNAL PASSIONS,
or of their vifible EFFECTS.
Anxiety in Agamemnon, x, 13, &c. 100, &c.
Activity in Achilles, xix, 416.
Admiration, xxi, 62. xxiv, 800.
Affright, xvi, 968.
Amazement, xxiv, 599.
Ambition, xiii, 458.
Anger, i, 252.
Awe, i, 430.
Buffoonry in Therfites, ii, 255, &c.
Contentment, ix, 520.
Conjugal love, in Hector and Andromache, vi, 510,
&c.
Courage, xiii, 109, 366. xvii, 250.
POETICAL INDEX.
327
DESCRIPTION S.
Cowardice, xiii, 359. xvi, 488.
Curiofity in old men, iii, 191, &c.
Deſpair, xxii, 377.
Diffidence, iii, 280.
Diſtreſs, viii, 290. ix, 12, &c. x, 96.
Doubt, xiv, 21, &c. xxi, 651, &c. xxii, 138.
Fear x, 443. xxiv, 441.
Fear in Priam, xxi. 615. For his fon, xxii, 43, 51,
&c.
Fear of a child, vi, 596.
Fidelity, in Lycophron, fervant of Ajax, xv, 502,
Calefius, fervant of Axylus, vi, 23.
Grief in a fine woman, i, 450. iii, 185.
Grief of a fiſter for her dead brothers, iii, 301, &c.
Grief in two parents in tendernefs for their child, vi,
504.
Grief occafioned by love of our country, in Patroclus,
xvi. init.
Grief for a friend, in Achilles for Patroclus, xviii, 25,
100, &c. xix, 335. xxii, 481. xxiv, 5.
Furious grief, xviii, 367.
Frantick grief, xxiv, 291.
Grief of a father for his fon, in Priam, xxii, 522, &c.
xxiv, 200, 275, 291.
Grief of a wife for her huſband, xxii, 562, to the
end, the epiſode of Andromache, and again,
xxiv, 906.
14
328
POETICAL INDEX.
DESCRIPTIONS.
Grief out of gratitude, in Brifeïs, xix, 319. In
Helen, xxiv.
Hafte, expreffed in Hector, xv, 394, 402, &c.
Hate, in Achilles to Hector, xxii, 335, 433, &c.
Hardneſs of heart, ix, 750.
Infolence, in Tlepolemus, v, 783. In Epeus, xxiii, 767.
Joy, its vifible effects, xxiii, 679.
Love, in Helen and Paris, iii, 551, &c. In Jupiter
and Juno, xiv, 332, &c. 357.
Conjugal love, in Hector and Andromache, vi, &c.
Love of a mother to her fon, in Thetis to Achilles,
xviii, 70. xxiv, 117.
Brotherly love, in Agamemnon and Menelaus, iv, 183.
Filial love, in Harpalion, xiii, 805.
Lovers forrow at parting, in Achilles and Brifeïs, i,
450. In Hector and Andromachẹ, vi, 640. Effects
of beauty on old men, iii, 203.
Malice in Therfites, ii, 255.
Modefty, xiv, 373.
Pride, in Othryoneus, xiii, 457.
Pity, of a people for their Prince in mifery, xxiv, 403.
Repentance, in Helen, iii, 226, 493, vi, 432 to 450.
Raſhneſs, in Afius, xii, 125, &c.
Refentment, in Achilles, i, 635. xv, 71.
Revenge, in Menelaus, ii, 712. In Achilles, for Pa-
troclus, xviii, 125, &c, xix, 211, 394.
Revenge and glory, xvi, 122.
Refolution, xix, 466. In Hector, xxii, 47, 127.
}
POETICAL INDEX.
329
DESCRIPTIONS.
Shame, in Helen, iii, 185, &c. 521. In Juno, xiv,
373.
Spite, in Juno, xv, 110. In Menelaus, xvii, 640.
Tenderneſs, of parents for their child, in Hector and
Andromache, vi, 504, 598, 616.
Wiſh, of Hector to be immortal, xiii, 1046.
of Achilles, for a general deftruction, xvi, 122.
of Ajax, to die in the day-light, xvii, 727.
SIMILES.
FROM BEASTS.
The ſtatelineſs of a bull, to the port of Agamemnon,
ii, 566. Of a ram ſtalking before the flock, to
Ulyffes, iii, 259. A wanton ftallion breaking from
the paſtures and mares, to Paris iffuing from his
apartment, vi, 652. A hound following a lion,
to Hector following the Grecians, viii, 407. Dogs
watching the folds, to the guards by night,
X, 211. Hounds chafing a hare through thick
woods, to Diomed and Ulyffes purfuing an enemy
by night, x, 427. A hind flying from a lion, to
the Trojans flying from Agamemnon, xi, 153.
Beaſts flying from a lion, to the fame, xi, 227.
Hounds cheared by the hunter, to troops en-
330
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILE S.
couraged by the general, xi, 378. A hunted
boar, to Ajax, xi, 526. A wounded deer encom-
paffed with wolves, to Ulyffes furrounded by
enemies, xi, 595. An afs furrounded by boys, to
Ajax, xi, 683. A fawn carried off by two lions,
to the body of Imbrius carried by the Ajaxes,
xiii, 265. A boar enraged, to Idomeneus meeting
his enemy, xiii, 594. An ox rolling in the
pangs of death, to a dying warriour, xiii, 721.
Beafts retreating from hunters, to the Greeks re-
tiring, xv, 308. Oxen flying from lions, to the
Greeks flying from Apollo and Hector, xv, 366.
A hound faſtening on a roe, to a hero flying
on an enemy, xv, 697. A wild beaſt wounded
and retiring from a multitude, to Antilochus's
retreat, xv, 702. A hideous affembly of wolves,
to the fierce figure of the Myrmidons, xvi, 194.
Wolves invading the flocks, to the Greeks, xvi,
420. A bull torn by a lion, to Sarpedon killed
by Patroclus, xvi, 599. A bull facrificed, to
Aretus, xvii, 589. Hounds following a boar, to
the Trojans following Ajax, xvii, 811. Mules
dragging a beam, to heroes carrying a dead body,
xvii, 832. A panther hunted, to Agenor, xxi,
677.
A hound purſuing a fawn, to Achilles
purſuing Hector, xxii, 243.
POETICAL INDEX.
331
SIMILE S.
From LIONS.
A lion roufing at his prey, to Menelaus at fight of
Paris, iii, 37. A lion falling on the flocks, and
wounded by a fhepherd, to Diomed wounded,
v, 174. A lion among heifers, to the fame, v, 206.
Two young lions killed by hunters, to two young
warriours, verſe 581. A lion deftroying the
ſheep in their folds, to Ulyffes flaughtering the
Thracians afleep, x, 564. The four retreat of a
lion, to that of Ajax, xi, 675. A lion, or boar
hunted, to a hero diftreffed, xii, 47. A lion
rufhing on the flocks, to Sarpedon's march,
xii, 357. A lion killing a bull, to Hector killing
Periphas, xv, 760. A lion flain after he has
made a great ſlaughter, applied to Patroclus, xvi,
909. Two lions fighting, to Hector and Patroclus,
xvi, 915. A lion and boar at a ſpring, to the ſame,
xvi, 993. A lion putting a whole village to flight,
to Menelaus, xvii, 69. Retreat of a lion, to that
of Menelaus, xvii, 117. A lionefs defending
her young, to his defence of Patroclus, xvii,
146. Another retreat of a lion, to that of
Menelaus, xvii, 741. The rage and grief of a
lion for his young, to that of Achilles for
Patroclus, xviii, 371. A lion ruſhing on his foe,
to Achilles, xx, 199.
332
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILE S.
From BIRDS.
A flight of cranes or fwans, to a numerous army,
ii, 540. The noiſe of cranes to the fhouts of an
army, iii, 5. An eagle preferving and fighting
for her young,
Achilles protecting the
Grecians, ix, 424. A falcon flying at a quarry,
to Neptune's flight, xiii, 91. An eagle ftoop-
ing at a fwan, to Hector's attacking a fhip,
xv, 836.
Two vultures fighting, to Sarpedon
and Patroclus, xvi, 522. A vulture driving geefe,
to Automedon, ſcattering the Trojans, xvii, 528.
An eagle cafting his eyes on the quarry, to Mene-
laus looking through the ranks for Antilochus,
xvii, 761. Cranes afraid of falcons, to the Greeks
afraid of Hector and Æneas, xvii, 846. A dove
afraid of a falcon, to Diana afraid of Juno, xxi,
575. A falcon following a dove, to Achilles
purſuing Hector, xxii, 183. The broad wings
of an eagle extended, to palace-gates fet open,
xxiv, 391.
From SERPENTS.
A traveller retreating from a ferpent, to Paris afraid.
of Menelaus, iii, 47. A fnake rolled up in his
den, and collecting his anger, to Hector expect-
ing Achilles, xxii, 130.
POETICAL INDEX.
333
SIMILE S.
From INSECTS.
Bees fwarming to a numerous army iffuing out, ii,
III. Swarms of flies, to the fame, ii, 552. Graf-
hoppers chirping in the fun, to old men talking,
iii, 201. Wafps defending their neft, to the mul-
titude and violence of foldiers defending a battle-
ment, xii, 189. Wafps provoked by children
flying at the traveller, to troops violent in an
attack, xvi, 314. A hornet angry, to Menelaus
incenfed, xvii, 642. Locufts driven into a River,
to the Trojans in Scamander, xxi, 14.
From FIRES.
A foreſt in flames, to the luftre of armour, ii, 534.
The ſpreading of a conflagration, to the march of
an army, ii, 948. Trees finking in a conflagration,
to fquadrons falling in battle, xi, 201. The noife
of fire in a wood, to that of an army in confuſion,
xiv, 461. A conflagration to Hector, xv, 728.
The rumbling and rage of a fire, to the confufion
and roar of a routed army, xvii, 825. Fires on
the hills, and beacons to give fignals of diſtreſs, to
the blaze of Achilles's helmet, xviii, 245. A fire
running over fields and woods, to the progreſs and
devaſtations made by Achilles, xx, 569. Fire
boiling the waters, to Vulcan operating on Sca-
mander, xi, 424. A fire raging in a town, to
334
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILES.
Achilles in the battle, xxi, 607. A town on fire,
xxii, 518.
From ARTS.
ง
The ſtaining of ivory, to the blood running down the
thigh of Menelaus, iv, 170. An architect obferv-
ing the rule and line, to leaders preferving the line
of battle, xv, 474. An artiſt managing four horfes,
and leaping from one to another, compared to Ajax
ftriding from ſhip to fhip, xv, 822. A builder
cementing a wall, to a leader embodying his men,
xvi, 256. Curriers ftraining a hide, to foldiers
tugging for a dead body, xvii, 450. Bringing a
current to water a garden, to the purfuit of Sca-
mander after Achilles, xxi, 289. The placing of
rafters in a building, to the poſture of two wreft-
lers, xxiii, 826. The motions of a ſpinſter, the
fpindle and thread, to the fwiftneſs of a racer,
xxiii, 890. The finking of a plummet, to the
paffage of Iris, through the ſea, xxiv, 107.
From TREES.
The fall of a poplar, to that of Simoïfius, iv, 552.
Of a beautiful olive, to that of Euphorbus, xvii,
57. Two tall oaks on the mountains, to two
heroes, xii, 145. The fall of an afh, to that of
Imbrius, xiii, 241. Of a pine or oak ſtretched on
the ground, to Afius dead, xiii, 493. An oak
POETICAL INDEX.
335
SIMILES.
overturned by a thunderbolt, to Hector felled by
a ftone, xiv, 481. An oak, pine or poplar, fall-
ing, to Sarpedon, xvi, 591. The fhort duration
and quick fucceffion of leaves on trees, to the ge-
neration of men, vi, 181. xxi, 539.
From the SEA.
Rolling billows, to an army in motion, ii, 175. The
murmurs of waves, to the noiſe of a multitude,
ii, 249. Succeffion of waves, to the moving of
troops, iv, 478. A freſh gale to weary mariners,
like the coming of Hector to his troops, vii, 5.
The feas fettling themſelves, to thick troops com-
pofed in order and filence, vii, 71. The fea
agitated by different winds, to the army in doubt
and confufion, ix, 5. The waves rolling neither
way, till one wind fways them, to Neftor's doubt
and fudden refolution, xiv, 21. A rock breaking
the billows, to the body of the Greeks, refifting
the Trojans, xv, 746. The fea roaring at its
reception of a river into it, to the meeting of
armies at a charge, xvii, 310. A beacon to
mariners at fea, to the light of Achilles's fhield,
xix, 404. A dolphin purſuing the leffer fiſh, to
Achilles in Scamander, xxi, 30.
From the SUN, MOON, STARS.
The moon and ftars in glory, to the brightneſs and
336
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILE S.
number of the Trojan fires, viii, 687. A ftar
fometimes fhewing and fometimes hiding itſelf in
clouds, to Hector ſeen by fits through the batta-
lions, xi, 83. The fun in glory, to Achilles,
xix, 436. The evening ftar, to the point of his
ſpear, xxii, 399. The dog-ſtar rifing, to Dio-
med's dreadful appearance, v, 8. to Achilles,
xxii, 37.
The red rays of the dog-ftar, to
Achilles's helmet, xix, 412. The morning-ftar,
its beauty, to young Aftyanax, vi, 499.
From TORRENTS, STORMS, WINDS.
Torrents rufhing to the vallies, to armies meeting in
an engagement, iv, 516. Torrents drowning the
field, to the rage of a hero, v, 116. A torrent
ſtopping a fhepherd, to Hector ſtopping Diomed,
v, 734. The violence of a torrent, to Ajax, xi,
615. A ſtorm overwhelming a ſhip at ſea, to the
Trojans mounting a breach, xv, 440. An autum-
nal ſtorm and a deluge, to the ruin of a routed
army, xvi, 465. A ftorm roaring in a wood, to
armies fhouting, xvi, 923. The wind toffing the
clouds, to Hector driving the Greeks, xi, 396.
Different winds driving the duft, to different
paffions urging the combatants, xiii, 424. A
whirlwind on the waters, to the hurry of an army
in motion, xiii, 999. Winds roaring through
woods, or on the feas, to the noiſe of an army
POETICAL INDEX.
337
SIMILES.
xiv, 457. A tempeft and ſhipwreck, compared
to the rage of Hector and terrours of the
Greeks, xv, 752. The north wind drying a
garden, to Vulcan drying the field after an inunda-
tion, xxi, 402.
From heavenly appearances, THUNDER and LIGHT-
NING, COMETS, CLOUDS, &c.
A mountain fhaken by thunder, to the trampling of
an army, ii, 950. The blaze of a comet, to the
defcent of Pallas, iv, 101. The darkneſs of
troops, to the gathering of clouds, iv, 314. The
regular appearance of clouds on the mountain tops,
to a line of battle, v, 641. Peftilential vapours
afcending, to Mars flying to heaven, v, 1058.
The quick flaſhes of lightning, to the thick fighs
of Agamemnon, x, 5. Thick flakes of fnow, to
ſhowers of arrows, xii, 175. Snow covering the
earth, to heaps of ſtones hiding the fields, xii, 331.
The blaze of lightning, to the arms of Idomeneus,
xiii, 318. Clouds difperfed and the profpect
appearing, to the ſmokes being cleared from the
fhips, and the navy appearing, xvi, 354. A
cloud fhading the field as it rifes, to the rout of
the Trojans flying over the plain, xvi, 434. The
figure of a rainbow, to the appearance of Pallas,
xvii, 616. The luftre of fnow, to that of ar-
mour, xix, 380.
VOL. VI.
Ꮓ
338
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILE S.
From RURAL AFFAIRS.
Waving of corn in the field, to the motion of plumes
and ſpears, ii, 179. A fhepherd gathering his
flocks, to a general ranging his army, ii, 562. A
thick mift on the mountains, to the duft raiſed by
an army, iii, 15. The bleating of flocks, to the
noife of men, iv, 492. Chaff flying from the
barn-floor, to the duft, v, 611.
to an arrow bound-
Two bulls plough-
Corn falling in
ranks, to men flain in battle, xi, 89. The joy of
a fhepherd feeing his flock, to the joy of a general
furveying his army, xiii, 621. The corn bound-
ing from the threſhing floor,
ing from armour, xiii, 739.
ing, to two heroes labouring in a battle fide by
fide, xiii, 879. Felling of timber, to the fall of
heroes in battle, xvi, 767. Oxen trampling out
the corn, to horſes trampling on the flain, xx, 577.
The morning dew reviving the corn, to the exul-
tation of joy in a man's mind, xxiii, 679.
From LOW LIFE.
A mother defending her child from a waſp, to Mi-
nerva's fheltering Menelaus from an arrow, iv, 162.
An heifer ſtanding over her young one, to Mene-.
laus guarding the body of Patroclus, xvii, 5. Two
countrymen difputing about the limits of their
land, to two armies difputing a poſt, xii, 511.
A poor woman weighing wool, the fcales hanging
POETICAL INDEX.
339
SIMILE S.
uncertain, to the doubtful fates of two armies,
xii, 521. Boys building and deſtroying houſes of
fand, to Apollo's overturning the Grecian wall,
xv, 416. A child weeping to his mother, to
Patroclus's fupplications to Achilles, xvi, 11.
SIMILES exalting the characters of men by comparing
them to GODS.
Agamemnon compared to Jupiter, Mars, and Nep-
tune, ii, 568. Ajax to Mars, vii, 252. Meriones
to Mars ruſhing to the battle, xiii, 384. Hector,
to Mars deſtroying armies, xv, 726.
SIMILES difadvantageous to the CHARACTERS.
Paris running from Menelaus, to a traveller frighted
by a fnake, iii, 47. A gaudy, foppiſh ſoldier, to
a woman dreſſed out, ii, 1063. Teucer fkulking
behind Ajax's fhield, to a child, viii, 325. Theſtor
pulled from his chariot, to a fish drawn by an
angler, xvi, 494. Ajax to an afs, patient and
ſtubborn, xi, 683.
infant, xvi, II.
xxi, 904.
Patroclus weeping, to an
Cebriones tumbling, to a diver,
MISCELLANEOUS SIMILES..
Soft piercing words, to fnow, iii, 284. The clofing
of a wound, to milk turning to curd, v, 1112.
Z 2
340
POETICAL INDEX.
SIMILES.
The fall of a hero, to a tower, iv, 528. Indefa-
tigable courage, to an axe, iii, 89. Agamemnon
weeping, to a fountain, ix, 19. Juno flying, to
the mind paffing over diftant places, xv, 86.
Dancers, to a wheel turning round, xviii, 695. A
warriour breaking the fquadrons, to a mound
dividing the courſe of a river, xvii, 839. Men
feeming to run in a dream, to the courfe of Hec-
tor and Achilles, xxii, 257. A father mourning
at the funeral of his fon, to Achilles for Patroclus,
xxiii, 274. A fragment of a rock falling, to the
furious deſcent of Hector, xiii, 191. A poppy
bending the head, to Gorgythion dying, viii, 371.
The ſwift motion of the Gods, to the eye paffing
over a proſpect, v, 960. The ſmoothneſs of their
motion, to the flight of doves, V, 971.
VERSIFICATION.
Expreffing in the found the things defcribed.
Made abrupt (and without conjunctions) in expreff-
ing haſte, vii, 282. XV, 402.
Short, in earneſt and vehement entreaties, xxi, 418.
xxiii, 507.
Full of breaks, where difappointment is imaged, xviii,
101, 144. xxii, 378.
POETICAL INDEX.
341
Full of breaks, where rage and fury is expreffed, xviii,
137.
where grief is fcarce able to go on,
xviii, 101. xxii, 616, 650.
Broken and difordered in defcribing a ftormy ſea, xiii,
1005.
Straining, imaged in the found, xv, 544.
Trembling, imaged in the found, x, 444.
Panting, xiii, 721.
Relaxation of all the limbs in death, vii, 18, 22.
A confuſed noiſe, xii, 410.
A hard-fought ſpot of ground, xii, 513, &c.
Tumbling of a wall, vii, 554-
Bounding of a ſtone from a rock, xiii, 198.
A fudden ſtop, xiii, 199.
Stiffneſs and flownefs of old age, xiii, 649, 653.
xxiii, 424.
A fudden fall, xxiii, 147.
The ruftling and craſhing of trees falling, xxiii, 149.
The rattling and jumping of carts over rough and
rocky ways, xxiii, 142, 143.
A fudden ſhock of chariots ftopped, xvi, 445.
Leaping over a ditch, xvi, 460.
The quivering of feathers in the fun, xix, 415.
Supplanted by a ſtream, xxi, 266, 267.
The flaſhing of waters, xxi, 272.
Bounding and heaving on the waters, xxi, 349.
Out of breath, xxi, 419, &c.
Voice of different animals expiring, xxiii, 41, 42, &c.
Z3
INDEX
OF
ARTS AND SCIENCES.
The first number marks the book, the ſecond the verse.
ART MILITARY,
RAISE of art military, iv, 630.
PRA
Ambuſh eſteemed a venturous manner of fight-
ing, l. į, ver. 299, 1. xiii, ver. 355.
Ambuſcade deſcribed, xviii, 605.
Attack, xii, 95, &c. ibid. 171, ibid. 305, &c.
Arming, the policy of giving the beſt arms to the
ſtrongeſt, xiv, 431,
Befieging, xi, 61. xii, 170, 303, 534. viii, 262,
xxii, 5,
Single combat, iii, 123, &c. vii, 8ọ, &c.
Courts of Juſtice in the camp, xi, 938.
Councils of war, vii, 415. viii, 610. ix, 121, &c.
x, 146-232-357. xviii, 289,
Military exerciſe, vii, 289, &c.
Encamping, the manner of encampment of the Tro-
jans, x, 496, Of the Thracians in three lines,
their weapons on the ground before them, the
chariots as a fence, outward, x, 544.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
343
Fortification, walls with battlements, in the line,
towers upon thoſe walls, gates at proper diftances,
and trenches incloſed with paliſadoes, vii, 401,
527. The ftrong gates to a fortification, how
compofed, xii, 545.
Marſhalling armies, ii, 665, &c. Cantoning the
troops of each nation under their own leaders, ii,
432. Embodying in an orb, iv, 312. Difpofing
in order of battle, iv, 342, &c. Lines of battle
in exact order, v, 637, &c. Where to place the
worſt foldiers, iv, 344.
Another order of battle, xi, 62.
In an Orb, xvii,
411. Cloſe fight, xv, 860. In the Phalanx,
xiii, 177, &c. xv, 744. In the Teſtudo, xxii, 6.
Armies drawn up in two wings, with a centre, xiii,
396.
The ſtrength of the army placed in the centre, xiii,
401.
Marching an army in filence and difcipline, iii, 1I.
iv, 487.
Method of paffing a trench and palifadoes, xii, 65, &c.
Plunder and Pillage forbidden till the conqueft is
compleat, vi, 85.
Retreat. The manner of retreat prefcribed, v, 746.
That of Ajax, xi, 675. xvii, 837-
Soldiers taught to row in the gallies, ferving both as
foldiers and failors, ii, 876.
1
Scouts, x, 43-245. and at large in the ſtory of
Diomed, Ulyffes, and Dolon, in that book.
Za 4
344
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
*
Spies, xviii, 605.. -
Watch-towers, to obferve the motions of the foe, vi,
480. xxii, 192.
Watch, at ſet ſtations, vii, 455. Nightly watch by
fires, viii, 632. at the fortifications in regular
bodies under diftinct captains, ix, 117, &c.
Management of the army by night, under fears of
furprize, x, 63-226. The manner of the warriours
fleeping, x, 170. The pofture of the guards, x,
210. Better to truſt the guard to native troops,
than to foreigners, x, 490, &c.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ARTS.
Tillage. The manner of ploughing, x, 420. xviii,
627. Ploughing with oxen, xiii, 880. with mules,
X, 420. Uſual to plough the field three times
over, xviii, 628. Reaping, xi, 89. xviii, 627.
Treading out the corn by oxen inftead of threſh-
ing, xx, 580. Fanning the chaff, v, 611. xiii,
}
740.
Paſturage, xviii, 667. Meadow grounds with run-
ning water, ibid. Vintage, xviii, 651. Bringing
currents to water gardens, xxi, 290.
Fiſhing, by angling, xxiv, 107. by diving, xvi,
904.
Hunting, the boar, xvii, 814. xi, 526. Lion,
xi, 378. xvii, 743. The deer, xi, 595. xv,
697. The panther, xxi, 677. The hare, x, 427.
Shooting, flying, xxiii, 1030.
t
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
345
ARCHITECTURE.
Architecture, the gift of Minerva, v, 80.
Architecture of a palace upon arches, with apart-
ments round a court built entirely of marble, vi,
304.
Paris fkilful in architecture, brings together archi-
tects to erect his palace, vi, 392.
Rafters, how placed, xxiii, 826.
Building walls, xvi, 256.
The rule of line, xv, 477.
Architecture of a tent, with a fuit of apartments
within one another, xxiv, 555, &c.
ASTRONOMY.
In general, xviii, 560.
Orion and the Bear, xviii, 563.
8.
The rifing of the dog-ftar, v, 8.
A comet defcribed, iv, 101.
The rainbow, xi, 36.
Power of the ſtars in nativities, xxii, 610.
DIVINATION.
Divination by augury, ii, 376, &c. viii, 297, x,
321. xii, 231. xiii, 1039. xxiv, 361, &c.
Hector's opinion of augury, xii, 277.
By omens, thunder and lightnings, vii, 573. ix,
310. xi, 58. xiii, 318.
The rainbow, xi, 37. xvii, 616.
Comets, iv, 101.
3+6
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
Showers of blood, xi, 70. xvi, 560.
By Lots, vii, 219.:
By Dreams, i, 85. v, 191.
By Oracles, xvi, 54. xvi, 290. that of Dodona,
and the manner of it, &c.
GYMNASTICKS.
Dancing, xvi, 217. The different kinds for men
and women, xvii, 684. The circular, xviii, 693.
Mixed, xviii, 690.
practiſed by warriours, xvi, 746.
with fwords, xviii, 688.
Diving, xvi, 904.
Tumblers, xviii, 698.
Horfemanſhip.] Manage of the horfe, v, 279.
Precepts of horſemanſhip, and the art of racing,
xxiii, 391, &c.
Four horfes rid by one man at
once, xv, 822. Three thouſand breeding mares
at once in the ſtables of Ericthonius, xx, 262.
The Ceftus, xxiii, 753, &c.
The Quoit, or Difcus, xxiii, 973, &c.
Wreſtling, xxiii, 820, &c.
Racing, xxiii, 880, &c.
GEOGRAPHY.
A TABLE of thofe Places, whofe fituation, products,
people, or history, &c. are particularized by
HOMER.
Ætolia, and its royal family, ii, 779.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
347
Arcadia, and the genius of the inhabitants, iì, 740.
Aulis, its rocky fituation, ii, 590.
Imbrus and Tenedos, iſlands near Troy, xiii, 50.
Iftiæa, famous for vineyards, ii, 645.
Ithaca, and the neighbouring iſlands in proſpect, ii,
769, &c.
Lariffa, its fertility, ii, 1019.
Lectos, fituate on the top of mount Ida, xiv, 320.
Lemnos, traded in wines, vii, 561.
Mæander, the river, ii, 1056.
Mæonia, under the mountains of Tmolus, ii, 1052.
Meffe, a town of Sparta, abounding in doves, ii, 705.
Mycaleffus, its plain, ii, 593.
Anthedon, the laft town in Boeotia, ii, 607.
Arene, its plain, watered by the river Minyas, xi,
859-
Ariſba, on the river Selleis, ii, 1014.
Arne, celebrated for vines, ii, 606.
Æfepus, a Trojan river of black water, ii, 1000.
Argos, its fea-coaſt deſcribed, with the products of
that part of the country, ix, 195, &c.
Athens, and ſome cuſtoms of the Athenians, with men-
tion of the temple of Minerva, ii, 657, 663.
Alybe, famous anciently for filver mines, ii, 1045-
Axius, the river, defcribed, ii, 1030.
Boagrius, the river, and places adjacent, ii, 638.
Bobe, the lake and parts adjacent, ii, 865.
Calydon, its rocky fituation, ii, 776. ix, 653.
Cephiffus, the river and places upon its banks, ii,
622.
348
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCiences.
Cerinthus, fituate on the fea-fhore, ii, 648.
Cyllene, the Arcadian mountain, with the tomb of
Æpytus, ii, 731.
Crete, its hundred cities, ii, 790.
Carians, a barbarous mix'd people, ii, 1058.
Dodona, its fite, temple, grove, &c. xvi, 287. ii,
909.
Dorion, the place of Thamyris's death, the celebrated
muſician, ii, 721.
Elis, its exact boundaries, ii, 747, and the iſlands
oppofite to that continent, 760-774.
Ephyre, the ancient Name of Corinth, vi, 193.
Epidaurus, planted with vineyards, ii, 679.
Eteon, its hills, ii, 591.
Haliartus, paſture grounds, ii, 598.
Hellefpont, ii, 1024.
Helos, a maritime town, ii, 708.
Henetia, famous for its breed of mules, ii, 1035.
Hermion and Afine, feated on the bay, ii, 680.
Hippemolgians, their long life and nutriment, xiii, 9.
Hippoplacian woods, vi, 539. xxii, 611.
Hyla, its watry fituation and the genius of the inha-
bitants, v, 872.
Hyperia, its fountains, ii, 895.
Mount Ida, its fountains and foreſts, xiv, 320.
Catalogue of the rivers that run from mount Ida,
xii, 16.
Jardanus and Celadon, two rivers, vii, 163.
Mycenæ, and its maritime towns, ii, 686.
Oncheftus, the grove of Neptune, ii, 600,
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
349
Orchomenos, one of the principal cities for wealth in
Homer's time, ix, 499.
Parthenius, the river and places adjacent, ii, 1040.
Pedafus, feated on the river Satnio, vi, 41.
Peneus, the river running through Tempe, and mount
Pelion, defcribed, ii, 918.
Phthia, its fituation, i, 201. Famous for horfes, 202.
Phylace and Pyrrhafus, a beautiful country with groves
and flowery meadows, deſcribed, ii, 847.
Rhodes, its wealth, its plantation by Tlepolemus,
and divifion into three dynafties, ii, 808, &c.
Samothracia, the view from its mountains, xiii, 19,
Its confluence
Scamander, its two fprings, xxii.
with Simois, v, 965.
Scyros, the iſland, xix, 353.
Sidon, famous for works of ſculpture, xxiii, 867, and
embroidery, vi, 360.
Sipylus, its mountains, rocks, and defarts, xxiv, 777.
Sperchius, a river of Theffaly, xxiii, 175.
Styx, the river defcribed, ii, 915.
Theba, in Ægypt, anciently the richeſt city in the
world, with a hundred gates, defcribed, ix, 500.
Theffaly, its ancient divifion, and inhabitants, ii, 835.
Thiſbe, famous for doves, ii, 601.
Thrace, its hills and promontories, xiv, 260, &c.
Titarefius, the river, ii, 910.
Troy, its fituation and remarkable places about it, ii,
982. xi, 217,
Typhoeus, the burning mountain, ii, 953.
350
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
Xanthus, the river of Troy deſcribed, its banks, and
plants produced there, xxi, 407, &c.
Xanthus, the river of Lycia, ii, ver. ult.
Zelia, fituate at the foot of mount Ida, ii, 998.
HISTORY.
Hiſtory preferved by Homer.] Of the heroes before
the fiege of Troy, Centaurs, &c. i, 347-358.
Of Tlepolemus planting a Colony in Rhodes, ii,
808.
Of the expulfion of the Centaurs from
Greece, ii, 902. Of the wars of the Phrygians
and Amazons, iii, 245. Of the war of Thebes, and
embaffy of Tydeus, iv, 430. Of Bellerophon,
vi, 194. Of Eruthalion and Lycurgus, vii, 167.
Of the Curetes and Etolians, ix, 653. Of the
wars of the Pylians and Ætolians, xi, 818. Of the
race of Troy, xx, 255, &c. To this bead may be
referred the numerous Genealogies in our Author.
MUSICK.
Mufick practifed by princes, the ufe of the harp in
Achilles, ix, 247. In Paris, iii, 80.
The uſe of the pipe, x, 15, xviii, 609.
Vocal mufick accompanying the inſtruments, i, 775-
Chorufes at intervals, xxiv, 902.
Mufick uſed in the army, x, 15.
at funerals, xxiv, 900.
in the vintage, xviii, 661.
Trumpets in war, xviii, 259.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES."
351
MECHANICKS.
Archery, making a bow, and all its parts defcribed,
iv, 136, &c.
Chariot-making, a chariot deſcribed in all its parts,
v, 889, &c. xxiv, 334.
Poplar proper for wheels, iv, 552.
Sycamore fit for wheels, xxi, 44.
Clock-work, xviii, 441.
Enamelling, xviii, 635.
Ship-building, v, 80, xv, 474.
!
Pine, a proper wood for the maft of a ſhip, xvi, 592.
Smithery, iron-work, &c. The forge defcribed,
xviii, 435, 540. Bellows, 435, 482, 540. Ham-
mer, tongs, anvil, 547.
Mixing of metals, ibid.
Spinning, xxiii, 890.
Weaving, iii, 169. vi, 580.
Embroidery, vi, 361.
Armory and inſtruments of war.]
A compleat fuit,
Of Agamemnon,
that of Paris, iii, 410, &c.
xi, 22, &c.
Scale-armour, xv, 629.
Helmets, with four plumes, v, 919.
without any crefts, x, 303.
lined with wool, and ornamented with boars'
teeth, of a particular make, x, 311.
lined with fur, x, 397.
Bows, how made, iv, 137.
352
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
Battle-Ax deſcribed, xiii, 766.
Belts, croffing each other, to hang the fword and the
fhield, xiv, 468.
Corfelets, ornamented with ſculpture, xi, 33.
how lined, iv, 165.
Mace, or club, vii, 170. xv, 816.
Shields, fo large as to cover from the neck to the
ankles, vi, 145. How made and covered, vii,
267. Defcribed in every particular, xi, 43, &c.
Slings, xiii, 899.
Spears, with braſs points, viii, 617.
Afh fit to make them, xvi, 143, xix, 422.
How the wood was joined to the point, viii, 618.
Swords, how ornamented with ivory, gems, xix, 400.
ORATORY.
See the article Speeches in the POETICAL INDEX.
POLICY.
Kings.] Derive their honour from God, ii, 233.
i, 315. Their names to be honoured, ii, 313. One
fole monarch, ii, 243. Hereditary right of kings
repreſented by the fcepter of Agamemnon given
by Jove, ii, 129. Kings not to be difobeyed on
the one hand, nor to ſtretch too far their prerogative
on the other, i, 360, &c. Kings not abſolute in
council, ix, 133. Kings made fo, only for their
excelling others in virtue and valour, xii, 377.
Vigilance continually neceffary in princes, ii, 27.
x, 102. Againſt monarchs delighting in war, ix,
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
353
87, &c. xxiv, 55.
The true valour, that which
preferves not deftroys mankind, vi, 196. Kings
may do wrong, and are obliged to reparation, ix,
144. Character of a great prince in war and
peace, iii, 236.
Counfels.] The danger of a fubject's too bold advice,
i, 103. The advantage of wife counfels feconded
by a wife prince, ix, 101. The uſe of advice, ix,
137. The fingular bleffing to a nation and prince,
in a good and wife counſellor, xiii, 918. The de-
liberations of the council to be free, the prince
only to give a fanction to the beft, ix, 133.
Laws.] Derived from God, and legiflators his dele-
gates, i, 315. Committed to the care of kings, as
guardians of the laws of God, ix, 129.
Tribute paid to princes from towns, ix, 206.
Taxes upon fubjects to affift foreign allies, xvii, 266.
Ambaffadors, a facred character, i, 435. ix, 261.
Volunteers, lifted into fervice, xi, 904.
See the article Art Military.
PHYSICK.
The praiſe of a phyſician, xi, 637.
Chiron learned it from Æfculapius, iv, 251,
Machaon and Podalirius profeffors of it, ii, 890.
Botany.] Profeffed by ſkilful women; Agamede
famous for it, xi, 877.
VOL. VI.
A A
354
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
Anatomy.] Of the head, xvi, 415, &c.
The eye, xiv, 577.
Under the ear, a wound there mortal, xiii, 841.
The juncture of the head and nerves, xiv, 544.
The juncture of the neck and cheft, the collar-bone, and
its infertion, the disjointing of which renders the
arm uſeleſs, viii, 393, &c.
The Spinal marrow expreft by the vein that runs
along the chine; a wound there mortal, xiii, 692.
XX, 559.
The elbow, its tendons and ligaments, xx, 554.
Blood, a great effufion of it, by cutting off the arm,
the cauſe of immediate death, v, 105.
The heart and its fibres, xvi, 590.
The force of the muſcle of the heart, xiii, 554.
A wound in the bladder by piercing the Ifchiatick
joint, mortal, xiii, 813.
The infertion of the thigh-bone and its ligaments,
deſcribed, v, 375.
The wounds of the Abdomen mortal, and exceffively
painful, xiii, 718.
The tendons of the ankle, iv, 597.
Chirurgery.] Extraction of darts, iv, 228.
Sucking the blood from the wound, iv, 250.
Infuſion of balms into wounds, iv, 250. v, 1110.
Waſhing the wound with warm water, and the uſe of
lenitives, xi, 965.
Stanching the blood by the bitter root, xi, 983.
Ligatures of wool, xiii, 752.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
355
Ufe of baths for wounded men, xiv, 10.
Sprinkling water to recover from fainting, xiv, 509.
Pharmacy and Diureticks.] The ufe of wine forbid-
den, vi, 330.
Cordial potion of Neftor, xi, 782, &c.
Infection, feizing firſt on animals, then men, i, 69.
Nine days the crifis of diſeaſes, i, 71. Fevers and
plagues from the dog-ftar, v, 1058. xix, 412.
xxii, 41.
PAINTING, SCULPTURE, &c.
See the whole ſhield of Achilles, and the notes on
lib. xviii.
The CHARACTERS. Homer diftinguishes the
character in the figures of Gods fuperiour to thoſe
of men, xviii, 602.
Characters of majesty.] The majesty of Jupiter, from
whence Phidias copied his ftatue, i, 683. Of Mars
and Neptune, ii, 569.
The majeſty of a prince, in the figure of Agamemnon,
ii, 564, &c. Of a wife man in Ulyffes's aſpect, iii,
280. Of an old man, in Neftor and Priam, i, 330.
xxiv, 600. Of a young hero, in Achilles, xix, 390,
&c. All variouſly characteriſed by Homer.
Characters of beauty.]
Venus, xiv, 250.
Alluring beauty in the Goddeſs
Majeſtick beauty in Juno, xiv,
216. Beauty of a woman in Helen, iii, 205.
AA 2
356
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
Beauty of a young man in Paris, iii, 26. Euphor-
bus, xvii, 53, &c. Beauty of a fine infant in
Aftyanax, vi, 497.
Beauties of the parts of the body.]
jefty of the eyes in Juno's.
Largenefs and ma-
Blackneſs, in thoſe of
Chryfeïs. Blue, in Minerva's, &c. Eye-brows,
black, graceful, i, 683.
The beauty of the
cheeks, and the fairneſs of hair, in the epithets
of Helen. Whitenefs of the arms in thofe of
Juno. Fingers rather red than pale, in the
epithet of rofy-fingered, to Aurora. Whiteneſs
of the feet in that of filver-footed, to Thetis,
&c. Colour of the ſkin to be painted differ-
ently according to the condition of the perfon-
ages, applied to the whiteness of the thigh of
Menelaus, iv, 176.
Character of Deformity.] The oppofites to beauty in
the feveral parts, confidered in the figure of Ther-
fites, ii, 263, &c.
For pictures of particular things, ſee the article Images
in the POETICAL INDEX.
Hiftory, landſcape-painting, animals, &c. in the
buckler of Achilles, xviii. at large.
The defign of a goblet in fculpture, xi, 775.
Sculpture of a corſelet, xi, 33, &c. Of a bowl, xxiii,
Horfes carved on monuments, xvii, 495.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
357
Enamelling and Inlaying, in the buckler of Achilles,
xviii, 635, 655. and breaſt-plate of Agamemnon,
xi, 33.
Tapeſtry, or weaving hiftories, flowers, &c. iii, 171.
vi, 580. xxii, 567.
Embroidery of garments, vi, 360.
POETRY.
SEE THE INTIRE INDEX.
THEOLOGY.
A VIEW OF HOMER's THEOLOGY.
JUPITER, OR THE SUPREME BEING,
Superiour to all powers of heaven, vii, 241. viii, 10,
&c. Enjoying himſelf in the contemplation of his
glory and power, xi, 107. Self-fufficient, and
above all fecond caufes, or inferiour deities,
i, 647. The other deities refort to him as their
ſovereign appeal, v, 1065. xxi, 590. His will is
fate, viii, 10.
His fole will the cauſe of all human
events, i, 8.
His will takes certain and inftant
effect, i, 685.
His will immutable and always
juſt, i, 730. All-ſeeing, viii, 65. ii, 4. Supreme
above all, and fole-fufficient, xi, 107. The fole
governour and fate of all things, ii, 147. xvi, 845.
Diſpoſer of all the glories and fuccefs of men, xvii,
198. Foreſeeing all things, xvii, 228. The
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358
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
giver of victory, vii, 118.
affairs, ix, 32.
Difpofer of all human
His leaft regard, or thought,
reftores mankind, xv, 274. or turns the fate of
armies, xvii, 675. Difpenfer of all the good and
evil, that befalls mankind, xxiv, 663. His favour
fuperiour to all human means, ix, 152. His coun-
fels unfearchable, i, 705. Themis or Juftice is his
meffenger, xx, 5. God profpers thoſe who wor-
fhip him, i, 290. Conftantly puniſhes the wicked,
though late, iv, 194. The avenger of injuſtice,
iv, 202. Nothing fo terrible as his wrath, v, 227.
His divine juftice fometimes puniſhes whole
nations by general calamities, xvi, 468. Children
puniſhed for the fins of their parents, xi, 166.
xvi, 393.
The inferiour DEITIES.
Have different offices under God: fome prefide over
elements, xviii, 46. xxiii, 240.
Some over cities and countries, iv, 75.
Some over woods, fprings, &c. xx, 12.
They have a fubordinate power over one another.
Inferiour Deities or Angels fubject to pain, im-
priſonment, v, 475, 1090. Threatened by Jupiter
to be caſt into Tartarus, viii, 15. Are fuppofed
to converfe in a language different from that of
mortals, ii, 984. Subfift not by material food, v,
425. Compaffionate mankind, viii, 42. xxiv, 412.
INDEX OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.
359
Able to affiſt mortals at any diſtance, xvi. 633.
Regard and take care of thoſe who ſerve them,
even to their remains after death, xxiv, 520. No
refifting heavenly powers, v, 495. The meanneſs
and vileneſs of all earthly creatures in compariſon
of the divine natures, v, 535.
Prayer recommended on all enterprizes, throughout
the poem.
Prayers intercede at the throne of heaven, ix, 624.
Opinions of the ancients concerning bell, the place of
puniſhment for the wicked after death, viii, 15.
xix, 271.
Opinions of the ancients concerning the ftate of
ſeparate ſpirits, xxiii, 89, &c. 1205, &c.
FINI S.
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