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 M.DCC. XXXVII.
 
 THE 
 
 C7SL 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 TO illuftrate the following poem, to vin- 
 dicate the fubje& from the cenfure of 
 improbability, and to (hew by the 
 concurring evidence of the beft hiftorians, that 
 fuch difinterefted public virtue did once exift, I 
 have thought, it would not be improper to 
 prefix the flibfequent narration. 
 
 While Darius, the father of Xerxes, was 
 yet on the throne of Perfia, Cleomenes and 
 Demaratus were kings in Lacedasmon, both 
 defcended from Hercules. Demaratus was un- 
 fortunately expos'd by an uncertain rumour, 
 which render 'd his legitimacy fufpedted, to the 
 
 A malice 
 
 ££66231
 
 11 
 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 malice and treachery of his colleague, who had 
 conceiv'd a perfonal refentment againft him ; 
 for Cleomenes taking advantage of this report, 
 perfuaded the Spartans to examine into the 
 birth of Demaratus, and refer the difficulty to 
 the oracle of Delphi ; and was affifted in his 
 perfidious defigns by a near relation of Dema- 
 ratus, nam'd Leotychides, who afpir'd to fuc- 
 ceed him in his dignity. Cleomenes found means 
 to corrupt the prieftefs of Delphi, who declared 
 Demaratus not legitimate. Thus by the bafe 
 practices of his colleague Cleomenes, and his 
 kinfman Leotychides, Demaratus was expell'd 
 from his office of kmg in the commonwealth, 
 after having frequently fignaliz'd his valour in 
 its fervice. He went into voluntary baniih- 
 ment, and retiring to Afia was there protected 
 by Darius ; while Leotychides fucceeded to the 
 regal authority in Sparta. Upon the death of 
 Cleomenes Leonidas was made king, who rul'd 
 in conjunction with this Leotychides, when 
 Xerxes, the fon of Darius, invaded Greece. The 
 •f number
 
 THE PkJEFACE. 
 
 111 
 
 number of land and naval forces, which accom- 
 panied that monarch, together with the fervants, 
 women, and other ufual attendants on the army 
 of an eaftern prince, amounted to upwards of 
 five millions, as reported by Herodotus, who 
 wrote within a few years after the event, and pub- 
 licly recited his hiftory at the Olympic games. 
 In this general aflembly not only from Greece 
 itfelf, but from every part of the world, where- 
 ever a colony of Grecians was planted, had he 
 greatly exceeded the truth, he muft certainly 
 have been detected, and cenfur'd by fome a- 
 mong fo great a multitude, and fuch a vo- 
 luntary falfhood muft have entirely deftroy'd 
 that merit and authority, which have procured 
 to Herodotus the veneration of all pofterity, 
 with the appellation of the father of hiftory, 
 On the firft news of this attempt upon their li- 
 berty a convention was immediately held at the 
 Ifthmus of Corinth, composed of deputies from 
 the feveral ftates of Greece, to confuit on proper 
 meafures for the public fafety. The Spartans 
 
 A 2 alfo
 
 iv THE PREFACE. 
 
 alfo fent mdfengers to enquire of the oracle at 
 Delphi into the event of the war, who return'd 
 with an anfwer from the prieftefs of Apollo,, 
 that either a king defcended from Hercules 
 mult die, or Lacedaemon would be entirely de- 
 ftroy'ch Leonidas immediately offer'd to fa- 
 crifice his life for the fafety of Lacedaemon, and 
 marching to Thermopylae poflefs'd himfelf of 
 that important pafs with three hundred of his 
 countrymen \ who with the forces offomeo- 
 ther cities in the Peloponnefus, together with 
 the Thebans, Thefpians, and the troops of 
 thofe ftates, which adjoin'd to Thermopylae, 
 compos'd an army of near eight thoufand 
 men. 
 
 Xerxes was now advanc'd as far, as 
 ThelTalia ; when hearing, that a fmall body of 
 Grecians was aflembled at Thermopylae, with 
 ibme Lacedaemonians at their head, and among 
 the reft Leonidas, a defendant of Hercules, 
 he difpatch'd a fingle horfeman before to ob- 
 
 ferve
 
 THE PREFACE. v 
 
 ferve their numbers, and difcover their defigns. 
 When this horfeman approach'd, he could not 
 take a view of the whole camp, which lay con- 
 ceal'd behind a rampart formerly rais'd by the 
 Phocians at the entrance of Thermopylae j fo 
 that his whole attention was employed on thofe, 
 who were on guard before the wall, and who 
 at that inftant chanc'd to be the Lacedaemo- 
 nians. Their manner and geftures greatly af- 
 toniih'd the Perfian } fome were amufing them- 
 felves in gymnaftic exercifes j others were comb- 
 ing their hair ; and all difcover'd a total difregard 
 of him, whom they fuffer'd to depart without 
 moleftation, and report to Xerxes, what he had 
 feen: which appearing to that prince quite ri- 
 diculous, he fent for Demaratus, who was 
 with him in the camp, and required him to ex- 
 plain this ftrange behaviour of his countrymen. 
 Demaratus informed him, that it was a cuftom 
 among the Spartans to comb down and ad- 
 juft their hair, when they were determin'd to 
 fight till the laft extremity. Xerxes notwith- 
 
 {landing;
 
 vi THE PREFACE. 
 
 Handing in the confidence of his power fent am- 
 bafladors to the Grecians to demand their arms, 
 to bid them difperfe, and become his friends and 
 allies ; which propofals being received with difc 
 dain, lie commanded the Medes and Saces to 
 feize on the Grecians, and bring them alive into 
 his prefence. Thefe nations immediately at- 
 tacked the Grecians, and were foon repuls'd 
 with great (laughter j frelh troops ftill fucceed- 
 ed, but with no better fortune than the firft, 
 being oppos'd to an enemy not only fuperiour 
 in valour and refolution, but who had the ad- 
 vantage of difcipline, and were furnilh'd with 
 better arms both offenfive and defenfive. 
 
 Plutarch in his Laconic apothegms re- 
 ports, that the Perfian king offer'd to inveft 
 JLeonidas with the fovereignty of all Greece, 
 provided he would join his arms to thofeof Per- 
 lia. This offer was too considerable a conde- 
 fcenfion to have been made before a tryal of their 
 force, and muft therefore have been proposed by 
 
 Xerxes,
 
 THE PREFACE. vii 
 
 Xerxes, after fuch a feries of ill fucceft, as 
 might probably have deprefs'd the infolence of 
 his temper j and it may be eafily fuppos'd, that 
 the virtue of Leonidas was proof againft any 
 temptations of that nature. Whether this be a 
 fact, or not, thus much is certain, that Xerxes 
 was reduc'd to extreme difficulties by this refo- 
 lute defence of Thermopylae ; till he was extri- 
 cated from his diftrefs by a Malian nam'd Epi- 
 altes, who conducted twenty thoufand of the 
 Perfian army into Greece through a pafs, which 
 lay higher up the country among the mountains 
 of Oeta : whereas the paflage at Thermopylae 
 was fituated on the fea-fhore between the end of 
 thofe mountains and the Malian bay. The de- 
 fence of the upper pafs had been committed to 
 a thoufand Phocians, who upon the firft fight 
 of the enemy inconfiderately abandoned their 
 ftation, and put themfelves in array upon a 
 neighbouring eminence , but the Perfians wifely 
 avoided an engagement, and with the utmoft 
 expedition march'd to Thermopylae. Leonidas 
 
 no
 
 viii THE PREFACE. 
 
 no fooner received information, that the Barba- 
 rians had pafs'd the mountains, but he command- 
 ed the allies to retreat, referving the three hundred 
 Spartans, and four hundred Thebans, whom, 
 as they followed him with relu&ance at firft, 
 he no^compeil'd to ftay. But the Thefpians, 
 whofe number amounted to feven hundred, 
 would not be perfuaded by Leonidas to forfake 
 him. Their commander was Demophilus, and 
 the moft eminent amongft them for his va- 
 lour was Dithyrambus. Among the Spartans 
 the moft confpicuous next to Leonidas was Di- 
 eneces, who being told, that the multitude of 
 Perfian arrows would obfcure the fun, replied, 
 the battle would then be in the fhade. Two bro- 
 thers named Alpheus and Maron are alfo record- 
 ed for their valour, and were Lacedaemonians. 
 Megiftias a prieft, by birth an Acarnanian, re- 
 fused to defert Leonidas, though intreated by 
 him to confult his fafety, and retire ; but fent 
 away his only fon, and remain'd himfelf be- 
 hind to die with the Lacedaemonians. Amono 
 
 the
 
 THE PREFACE. ix 
 
 the three hundred Spartans were two calPd 
 Eurytus and Ariftodemus, who being almoft 
 blind were difmifs'd by Leonidas. Of thefe 
 Ariftodemus return 'd home ; but Eurytus wait- 
 ed, till the Perfians defcended from the hills, 
 and then commanding his flave to lead him a- 
 mong the combatants was (lain with the reft 
 of his countrymen. 
 
 Herodotus relates, that Leonidas drew 
 up his men in the broadeft part of Thermopy- 
 lae 5 where, being furrounded by the Perfians, 
 they fell with great numbers of their ene- 
 mies : but Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, and o- 
 thers affirm, that the Grecians attacked the ve- 
 ry camp of Xerxes in the night. The a£tion 
 is thus defcrib'd by Diodorus. cc The Grecians 
 u having now reje&ed all thoughts of fafety, 
 a preferring glory to life, unanimoufly call'd 
 cc on their general to lead them againft the Per- 
 u fians, before they could be apprised, that 
 a their friends had pafs'd round the mountains. 
 
 a a Leonidas
 
 X 
 
 THE PRE FACE. 
 
 " Leonidas embraced the occafion, which the 
 u ready zeal of his foldiers afforded, and com- 
 cc manded them forthwith to dine, as men, who 
 €C were to fup in Elyfium. Himfelf in confe- 
 " quence of this command took a repaft, 
 ** as the means to furnilh ftrength for a long 
 11 continuance, and to give perfeverance in 
 " danger. After a ftiort refrefhment the Gre- 
 u cians were now prepared, and receiv'd orders 
 u to affail the enemies camp, to put all, they 
 u met, to the fword, and force a paffage to 
 u the royal pavilion j when, form'd into one 
 cc compact body with Leonidas himfelf at their 
 u head, they march 'd againfi the Perfians, and 
 iC entered their camp at the dead of night. The 
 u Barbarians wholly unprepar'd, and blindly 
 u conjecturing, that their friends were defeat- 
 u ed, and themfelves attacked by the united 
 cc power of Greece, hurry together from their 
 u tents with the utmoft diforder and confterna- 
 cc tion. Many were flain by Leonidas and his 
 iQ party, but much greater multitudes by their 
 
 •j* a own
 
 THE PREFACE. xi 
 
 u own troops, to whom in the midft of this 
 u blind confufion they were not diftinguiihable 
 u from enemies : for as night took away the 
 " power of difcerning truely, and the tumult 
 cc was fpread univerfally over the camp, a pro- 
 u digious (laughter muft naturally enfue. The 
 u want of command, of a watch- word, and of 
 " confidence in themfelves reduc'd the Perfians 
 " to fuch a ftate of confufion, that they de- 
 4C ftroy'd each other without diftincHon. Had 
 " Xerxes continued in the royal pavilion, the 
 u Grecians without difficulty might have 
 u brought the war to a fpeedy conclufion by 
 " his death ; but he at the beginning of the 
 u tumult betook himfelf to flight with the ut- 
 cc moft precipitation 5 when the Grecians rulh- 
 " ing into the tent, put to the fword moft of 
 " thofe, who were left behind : then, while 
 " night lafted, they rang'd through the whole 
 u camp in diligent fearch of the tyrant. When 
 " morning appear 'd, the Perfians perceiving 
 u the true ftate of things, held the inconfiderable 
 
 a 2 u number
 
 Xll 
 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 " number of their enemies in contempt j yet 
 " were fo terrified at their valour, that they 
 " avoided a near engagement; but inclofing the 
 " Grecians on every fide {hower'd their darts and 
 " arrows upon them at a diftance, and in the end 
 u deftroy 'd their whole body. Such was the pe- 
 a riod of their lives, who under the conduct 
 " of Leonidas defended the pafs of Thermopy- 
 " ke. Who can refrain from admiring the 
 u virtue of thefe men, who with one confent 
 maintaining the poft allotted by their country 
 chearfully renounced their lives for the com- 
 cc mon fafety of Greece, and efteem'd a glori- 
 " ous death more eligible than to live with dif- 
 " honour? Nor is the confternation of the 
 " Perfians incredible. Who among thofe Bar- 
 a barians could have conje&ur'd iuch an event ? 
 a who could have expected, that five hundred 
 " men would have dar'd to attack a million? 
 " Wherefore lhall not all pofterity from that 
 u day reflect on the virtue of thefe men as the 
 " obje& of imitation, who, though the lofs of 
 
 " their 

 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 xm 
 
 their lives was the neceflary confequence of 
 their undertaking, were yet unconquer'd in 
 their fpirit ; and among all the great names 
 deliver'd down to remembrance are the only 
 heroes, who obtain'd more glory in their fall 
 than others from the brighteft victories? 
 With juftice may they be deem'd the pre- 
 fervers of the Grecian liberty, even prefer- 
 ably to thofe, who were conquerors in the 
 battles fought afterwards with Xerxes 5 for 
 the memory of their valour, who fell at 
 Thermopylae, for ever deje£ted the Barbarians, 
 while the Greeks were fir'd with emulation 
 to equal fuch a pitch of magnanimity. Upon 
 the whole there never were any before thefe, 
 who attained to immortality through the 
 meer excefs of virtue , whence the praife of 
 their fortitude has not been recorded by hi- 
 ftorians only, but has been celebrated by 
 numbers of poets, among others by Simoni- 
 des the lyric." 
 
 Pausanias
 
 XIV T HE PREFACE. 
 
 Pausanias in his Laconics confiders the 
 defence of Thermopylae, as an action fuperior 
 to any atchiev'd by their cotemporaries, and to 
 all the exploits of preceding ages. " Never 
 " (fays he) had Xerxes beheld Greece, or laid 
 " in alhes the city of Athens, had not his forces 
 a under Hydarnes been conducted through a 
 u path over Oeta, and by that means incom- 
 u paffing the Greeks overcome and flain Leo- 
 a nidas." Nor is it improbable, that Leonidas 
 (hould have maintained his poft in fo narrow a 
 pafs, till the whole army of Xerxes had pe- 
 rilled by famine. At the fame time the Per- 
 fran navy had been miferably ihatter'd by a 
 ftorm, and worfted in an engagement with the 
 Athenians at Artemifium. 
 
 T o conclude, the fall of Leonidas and his 
 brave companions, fo meritorious to their coun- 
 try, and fo glorious to themfelves, has obtain'd 
 fuch an high degree of veneration and applaufe 
 
 from
 
 THE PREFACE. xv 
 
 from paft ages, that few among the antient 
 compilers of hiftory have been filent on this 
 amazing inftance of magnanimity and zeal for 
 liberty ; and many are the epigrams and in- 
 fcriptions now extant, fome on the whole body, 
 others on particulars, who died at Thermopy- 
 lae, ftill preferving their memory in every na- 
 tion converfant with learning, and at this dif- 
 tance of time ftill rendring their virtue the ob- 
 ject of admiration and praife. 
 
 I shall now detain the reader no longer^ 
 than to take this public occafion of expreffing 
 my fincere regard for the Lord Viscount 
 Cobham, and the fenfe of my obligations for 
 the early honour of his friendlhip. To him I 
 infcribe the following poem ; and herein might I 
 be juftified, independent of all perfonal motives, 
 from his Lordihip's public conduct fo highly 
 diftinguifh'd by his difinterefted zeal, and unlha- 
 ken fidelity to his country, not left in civil life 
 
 than
 
 xm THE PREFACE. 
 
 than in the field: and to whom a poem found- 
 ed on a character eminent for military glory, 
 and love of liberty is due from the nature of 
 the fubjecl:. 
 
 R. Glover.
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 O O K I. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 JCerxes king of Perjia having drawn together the whole force of his 
 empire, and pajs'd over the Helle/pont i?ito Thrace with a dejign to 
 conquer Greece ; the deputies from the fever -a I flat l es of that country, 
 who hadjbme time before afembled them/elves at the IJihmus of Corinth 
 to deliberate on proper meafures for refifiing the invader, were nofooner 
 appris d of his march into Thrace, than they determiii d without further 
 delay to di/pute his pa f age at the Jlr aits of Thermopylae, the mojl accefjible 
 part of Greece on the fide Gf Thrace and Thefj'aly. Alpheus, one of 
 the deputies from Sparta, repairs to that city, and communicates this 
 refolution to his countrymen ; who chanced that day to be ajfembled in 
 expectation of receiv'uig an anfwer from Apollo, to whom they had 
 fent a mejjenger to confult about the event of the war. Leotychides, 
 one of their two kings, counfels the people to advance no further, than 
 the Ijlhmus of Corinth, which feparates the Peloponnefus, where 
 • Lacedcemon was filiated, from the reft of Greece ; but -Leonijiat, the 
 other king, dijfuades them from it, Agis, the mefenger^ who had 
 
 B been
 
 LEO NI DAS, BookL 
 
 been deputed to Delphi, and brother to the queen of Leonidas, returns 
 with the oracle j which denounces ruin to the Laceda?nonia?is, unlefs 
 one of their kings lays down his life for the publick., Leonidas offers 
 bimfelffor the victim. Three hundred Spartans are chojhi to accompany 
 him to Thermopylae, and Alpheus returns to the Ifthmus. Leo?iidas y 
 after an interview with his queen , departs from Lacedamon. At 
 the end of fix days, he encamps near the J/lhmus, when he is join d by 
 Alpheus ; who defer ibes the auxiliaries, that wait at the lflhmus* 
 thoje, who are already poff'ejsd of Thermopylae, as alfo the pafs itjelfi . 
 and concludes with a relation of the captivity of his brother Poly dor us 
 in Perfia. 
 
 RE H E A R S E, O Miife, the deeds and glorious death 
 Of that fam'd Spartan, who withftood the pow'r 
 Of Xerxes near Thermopylae, and fell 
 To fave his country. When from Alia's coaft 
 With half the nations of the peopled globe 5 
 
 The Perlian king the Hellefpont had pafs'd, 
 And now in Thrace his boundlefs camp was fpread ^ 
 Soon to the Ifthmus, where th'afTembled chiefs - 
 Of Greece in anxious council long had fat, 
 How bed their menae'd liberties to guard 5 10 
 
 The.
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. 3 
 
 The dreadful tidings reach'd. The near approach 
 
 Of Afia's lord determines their refolves. 
 
 Thefe they convey to all the Grecian ftates. 
 
 Back to Eurotas' fhores, where Sparta rofe, 
 
 Laconian Alpheus fpeeds: in council there iz- 
 
 He finds the Spartan people with their kings ; 
 
 Their kings, who boaft an origin divine, 
 
 From Hercules defcended. They the fons 
 
 Of Lacedasmon had conven'd to learn 
 
 The facred mandates of th* immortal Gods, 20 
 
 That morn expected from the Delphian dome ; 
 
 But in their prefence Alpheus firft appear'd, 
 
 And thus addrefs'd them. For immediate war 
 
 Prepare, O Spartans. Xerxes' num'rous pow'rs 
 
 Already fill the trembling bounds of Thrace. 2 c 
 
 The Ifthmian council hath decreed to guard 
 
 The ftrait and rocky entrance into Greece, 
 
 B 2 Ther-
 
 4 LEONIDAS. Book I. 
 
 Thermopylae ; where ev n a flender force 
 May (tern the torrent of unnumher'd foes,, 
 
 He feid, when Leotychides, who fhar'd ,o 
 
 The rule with great Leonidas, befpake 
 The Spartans thus. My countrymen give ear, 
 Why from her hofom mould Laconia fend 
 Her valiant fons to wage a diftant war 
 For others' fafety; wliy exhauft her ftrength 35 
 
 And thin her numbers in defence of thofe, 
 Who far remote from Lacedamion dwell 
 Beyond the Ifthmus? there. the Gods have plac'd 
 Our native ramparts, there our empire's bound ; 
 And there alone our country claims our iwords. 40 
 
 He ceas'd. The people with aflenting fhouts 
 Replied, when thus Leonidas began. 
 
 O
 
 BookL LEON I DAS. 5 
 
 O m ost uogen'rous counfel ! moft unjuft, 
 And bafe defertion of the Grecian weal ! 
 What ! fliall th' Athenians, whofe affidtious fleets 45 
 
 Undaunted watch th' innumerable foes,- 
 Where'er they menace our affrighted mores, 
 And truft th' impending dangers of the held 
 To Sparta's well-known valour; mail they hear,* 
 That we, difbw-ning thus the gen'ral caufe, 50 
 
 Maintain the Ifthmus only, and expofe 
 The reft of Greece, ev'n Athens, while flie guards- 
 Our naked coafts, to all the wafte of war, 1 
 Her walls to ruin, and her fields to flames, . 
 Her fons, her matrons, and her hoary fires 5 5 
 
 To violation, fervitude, and fhame ? 
 O fliould they hear fuch counfels guide our ftate, 
 Would they not court the iirft propitious gale 
 
 To
 
 6 L E O N I D A S. Book I. 
 
 To waft them far from fuch perfidious friends, 
 And raife new feats in other climes remote, 60 
 
 Safe from infulting foes, and falfe allies ? 
 Then fhould we foon behold the proud array 
 Of Xerxes' navy with their hoftile beaks 
 Affront our fhores, and deluge all our fields 
 With inexhaufted numbers. Half the Greeks, 65 
 
 Bv us betray 'd to bondage, would fupport 
 The Perfian king, and lift th' avenging fpear 
 For our deftruclion. But my friends reject 
 Such mean and dang'rous counfels, which will blaft 
 Your long eftablifn'd glories, and afTift 70 
 
 The proud invader. O eternal king 
 Of Gods and mortals elevate our minds ! 
 Each low and partial paffion thence difpel! 
 Till this great truth in ev'ry heart be known, 
 That none, but thofe, who aid the publick caufe, 75 
 
 Can
 
 Book I. LEONIDAS. 7 
 
 Can fhield their countries, or themfelves from chains. 
 
 He faid, by fhame fupprefs'd each clam'rous voice 
 Was loft in f Hence ; till a gen'ral fhout 
 Proclaim'd th' approach of Agis from the fane, 
 Where, taught by Phoebus on the Delphic hill, 8b 
 
 The Pythian maid his oracles reveal'd. 
 He came; but difcontent and grief o'ercaft 
 His anxious brow. Reluctant he advanc'd, 
 And now prepared to {peak. Th' impatient throng 
 Was gather'd round him; motionlefs they flood 85 
 
 With expectation; not a whifper told 
 The filent fear, but all on Agis gaze ; 
 And ftill as death attend the folemn tale. 
 As o'er the weftern waves, when ev'ry ftorm 
 Is hufli'd within its cavern, and a breeze oq 
 
 Soft-breathing lightly with its wings along 
 
 2 The
 
 8 LEON I DAS. Book I. 
 
 The flacken'd cordage glides, the failor's ear 
 
 Perceives no found throughout the vaft expanfe ; 
 
 None, but the murmurs of the Aiding prowe, 
 
 Which ilowly parts the fmooth and yielding main: 95 
 
 So through the wide and liftning croud no found, 
 
 No voice, but thine, O Agis, broke the air, 
 
 Declaring thus the oracle divine. 
 
 I went to Delphi ; I enquir'd what fate 
 Was doom'd to Sparta from th'impending war; 100 
 
 When thus th' all-feeing deity replied. 
 " Inhabitants of Sparta, Perlia's arms 
 " Shall lay your proud and ancient feat in duft ; 
 " Unlefs a king from Hercules derived 
 u Caufe Laceda^mon for his death to mourn." 105 
 
 As, when the hand of Perfeus had difclos'd 
 
 The makes of dire Medufa - y all, who view'd 
 
 The
 
 Book I. LEONIDAS. 9 
 
 The Gorgon features, were congeal'd to ftone, 
 
 With ghaftly eye-balls on the hero bent, 
 
 And horrour living in their marble form : no 
 
 Thus with amazement rooted, where they flood, 
 
 And froze with Ipeechlefs terrour, on their kings 
 
 The Spartans gaz'd: but foon their anxious looks 
 
 All on the great Leonidas unite, 
 
 Long known his country's refuge. He "alone 115 
 
 Remains unfhaken. Riling, he difplays 
 
 His godlike prefence. Dignity and grace 
 
 Adorn his frame, and manly i>eauty join'd 
 
 With ftrength Herculean. On hia afpect ihines 
 
 Sublimed virtue, and defire of fame, 1 20 
 
 Where juftice gives the laurel; in Jiis eye 
 
 The inextinguifliable fpark, which fires 
 
 The fouls of patriots : while his brow fupports 
 
 C Undaunted 
 
 1 r
 
 10 
 
 LEON I DAS: Book I. 
 
 Undaunted valour, and contempt of death. 
 
 Serene he rofe, and thus addrefs'd the throng. 1 25, 
 
 Why this aftonilhment on evYy face, 
 Ye men of Sparta ? Does the name of death 
 Create this fear and wonder? O my friends! 
 Why do we labour through the arduous paths, 
 Which lead to virtue ? Fruitless were the toil, 1 3c 
 
 Above the reach of human feet were plac'd 
 The diftant furnmit, if the fear of death 
 Could intercept our paffage. But in vain 
 His blackeft frowns and terrours he affumes 
 To fhakc the firmnefs of the mind, which knows, 135. 
 That wanting virtue life is pain and woe, 
 That wanting liberty ev'n virtue mourns, 
 And looks around for happinefs in vain. 
 Then fpeak, O Sparta, and demand my life ;
 
 BookL LEON I DAS. it 
 
 My heart exulting anfwers to thy call, 140 
 
 And fmiles on glorious fate. To live with fame 
 
 The Gods allow to many ; but to die 
 
 With equal luftre, is a bleffing, Heav'n 
 
 Selecls from all the choiceft boons of fate, 
 
 And with a iparing hand on few bellows. 145 
 
 He faid. New wonder fix'd the gazing throng. 
 In filence Joy and Admiration fat, 
 Sulpending praife. At length with high acclaim 
 The arch of heav n refounded, when amid 
 Th' afTembly flood Dieneces, and fpake. 150 
 
 So from Thermopylae may Sparta's fhouts 
 Affright the ear of Afia! Hafte, my friends, 
 To guard the gates of Greece, which open Hand 
 To Tyranny and Rapine. They with dread 
 
 C 2 Will
 
 i2 LEON I DAS. BookL 
 
 Will fhrink before your ftandards, and again 155 
 
 In fervile Perfia feek their native feats. 
 
 Your wives, your fons, your parents, general Greece 
 
 Forbid^Jelay ; and equal to the caufe 
 
 A chief behold: can Spartans ask for more? 
 
 H e ceas'd ; when Alpheus thus. It well becomes 1 6a 
 The Spartans held the chiefs of Greece, and fam'd 
 For dauntlefs courage, and unyielding hearts, 
 Which neither want, nor pain, nor death, can bend r 
 To lead the reft to battle. Then with fpeed 
 From all your number form a chofen band, 1 65 
 
 While I returning, will my feat relume 
 Among the Ifthmian council, and declare 
 Your inftant march. Our brave allies, I deem r 
 Now T on the Ifthmus wait the Spartan king ; 
 All but the Locrian and Boeotian force, 17c 
 
 Witt
 
 Book I. L E O N I D A S. 1 y 
 
 With Phocis' youth, appointed to fecure 
 Thermopylae. This faid, not long he paus'd, 
 But with unwearied fteps his courfe renews* 
 
 Now from th' affembly with majeftic fteps 
 Forth moves their godlike king, with confcious worth 175 
 His gen'rous bofom glowing ; like his fire, 
 Th' invincible Aleides, when he trod 
 With ardent fpeed to face in horrid war 
 The triple form of Geryon, or againft 
 The bulk of huge Antaeus match his ftrength. 180 
 
 Say, Mufe, who next prefent their dauntlefs breafts 
 To meet all danger in their country's caufe? 
 Dieneces advances fage, and brave, 
 And skuTd along the martial field to range 
 The order'd ranks of battle ; Maron next y 185 
 
 To
 
 i 4 LEO NI DAS. Book L 
 
 To Alpheus dear, his brother, and his friend. 
 Then rofe Megiftias with his blooming heir, 
 
 Joy of his age, and Menalippus calfd; 
 
 Megiftias, wife and venerable feer, 
 
 Whofe penetrating mind, as fame records, 19c 
 
 Could from the entrails of the vi&im flain 
 
 Before the altar, and the myftic flight 
 
 Of birds forefee the dark events of time. 
 
 Though fprung a ftranger on the diftant fhore 
 
 Of Acarnania, for his worth received, 195 
 
 And hofpitably cherim'd; he the wreath 
 
 Pontific bore amid the Spartan camp; 
 
 Serene in danger, nor his facred arm 
 
 From warlike toils fecluding, nor unskilfd 
 
 To wield the fword, or poize the weighty fpear. 200 
 
 Him Agis follow'd, brother to the queen 
 
 Of great Leonidasj his friend, in war 
 
 His
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. I5 
 
 His tried companion. Graceful were his fteps, 
 
 And gentle his demeanour. Still his foul 
 
 Preferv'd its rigid virtue, though refind 205 
 
 With arts unknown to Lacedaemon's race. 
 
 High was his office. He, when Sparta's weal 
 
 Their aid and counfel from the Gods requir'd, 
 
 Was fent the facred meflenger to learn 
 
 Their myftic will in oracles declar'd a 10 
 
 From rocky Delphi, and Dodona's fhade, 
 
 Or fea-incircled Delos, or the cell 
 
 Of dark Trophonius round Bceotia known, 
 
 Three hundred more compleat th 5 intrepid band 
 
 But to his home Leonidas retir'd. 215 
 
 There calm in fecret thought he thus exptor'd 
 His mighty foul, while nature to his breaft 
 A fhort-hVd terrour call'd. What ftfdden grief^ 
 
 What
 
 T 6 LEONIDAS, Book I. 
 
 What cold reluctance thus unmans my heart, 
 
 And whifpers, that I fear? Can death difmay 2 20 
 
 Leonidas, fo often feen and fcorn'd, 
 
 When clad moft dreadful in the battle's front ? 
 
 Or to relinquifli life in all its pride, 
 
 With all my honours blooming round my head, 
 
 Repines my foul ? or rather to forfake, .225 
 
 Eternally forfake my weeping wife, 
 
 My infant offspring, and my faithful friends ? — 
 
 Leonidas awake ! Shall thefe withftand 
 
 The public fafety? Lo! thy country calk 
 
 O facred voice, I hear thee! At that found 230 
 
 Returning virtue brightens in my heart; 
 
 Fear vanifhes before her; Death receive 
 
 My unreluclant hand, and lead me on. 
 
 Thou too, O Fame, attendant on my fall, 
 
 With
 
 ■Book I. LEON I DAS. i 7 
 
 With wings unwearied malt protect my tomb, 235 
 
 Nor Time himfelf mall violate my praife. 
 
 The hero thus confirmed his virtuous foul, 
 When Agis enter'd. If till now my tongue 
 (He thus began) O brother, has delay'd 
 To pay its grateful ofFring of the praife, 240 
 
 Thy merit claims, and only fill'd the cries 
 Of general applaufe, forgive thy friend ; 
 Since her diftrefles, hers, whom moft you love, 
 Detain'd me from thee. O unequall'd man! 
 Though Lacedaemon call thy firft regard, 
 Forget not her, who now for thee laments 
 In forrows, which fraternal love in vain 
 Hath ftrove to footh. Leonidas embrac'd 
 His gen'rous friend, and thus replied. Moft dear 
 And beftof men! conceive not, but my heart 250 
 
 D Muft
 
 i8 LEONIDAS. Book L 
 
 Muft ftill remember her, from whom my life 
 
 Its largeft fhare of happinefs derives. 
 
 Can I, who yield my breath, left others mourn, 
 
 Left thoufands mould be wretched ; when me pines. 
 
 More lov'd than any, though lefs dear than all, 255: 
 
 Can I neglect her griefs! In future days 
 
 If thou with grateful memory record 
 
 My name and fate, O Sparta, pais not this 
 
 Unheeded by. The life, I gave for thee, 
 
 Knew not a painful hour to tire my foul, 260 
 
 Nor were they common joys, I left behind. 
 
 So lpake the patriot, and his heart o'erflow'd 
 With fondeft paffion ; then in eager hafte 
 The faithful partner of his bed he fought. 
 Amid her weeping children fat the queen, 265 
 
 Immoveable and mute ; her fwimming eyes 
 
 Fix'd:
 
 Book I. LEO NI DAS. i 9 
 
 Fix'd on the earth. Her arms were folded o'er 
 
 Her lab'ring bofom blotted with her tears. 
 
 As, when a dusky mift involves the sky, 
 
 The moon through all the dreary vapours ipreads 270 
 
 The radiant vefture of its filver light 
 
 O'er the dull face of nature; fo her charms 
 
 Divinely graceful fhone upon her grief, 
 
 Bright'ning the cloud of woe. The chief approach'd. 
 
 Soon as in gentleft phrafe his well-known voice 275 
 
 Her drooping mind awaken'd, for a time 
 
 Its cares were hufh'd : me lifts her languid head, 
 
 And thus gives utt ranee to her tender thoughts. 
 
 O thou, whofe prefence is my only joy, 
 If thus, Leonidas, thy looks and voice 280 
 
 Can diflipate at once the fharpeft pangs, 
 How greatly am I wretched ; who no more 
 
 D 2 Muft
 
 20 
 
 LEON I DAS. Book I- 
 
 Muft hear that voice, which lulls my anguim thus, 
 Nor fee that face, which makes affliction fmile! 
 
 This faid, returning grief her breaft invades. 285; 
 Her orphan children, her devoted lord 
 Pale, bleeding, breathlefs on the field of death,. 
 Her ever-during folitude of woe,. 
 All rife in mingled horrour to her light; 
 When thus in bitt reft agony fhefpoke. 290 
 
 O whither art thou going from my arms ! 
 Shall I no more beheld thee! Oh! no more 
 In conqueft clad, and wrapt in glorious duft 
 Wilt thou return to greet thy native foil, 
 And make thy dwelling joyful! Yet, too brave,. 295 
 
 Why wouldfl: thou haften to the dreary gates 
 Of death, uncall'd ? Another might have fall'n, 
 
 Like-
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. 21 
 
 Like thee a vi&im of Alcides' race, 
 
 Lefs dear to all, and Sparta been fecure. 
 
 Now ev'ry eye with mine is drown'd in tears, 3 
 
 All with thefe babes lament their father loft. 
 
 But oh! how heavy is our lot of pain 1 1 
 
 Our fighs mull kit, . when ev'ry other breafi: 
 
 Exults with tranfport, and the public joy 
 
 Will but increaie ouranguifc. Yetunmov'd, 305 
 
 Thou didft not heed our forrows, didft not feek 
 
 A moment's paufe, to teach us liow to bear 
 
 Thy endlefs abfence, or like thee to die. 
 
 Unutterable forrow here confin'd \ 
 Her voice. Thefe words Leonidas return'd. 3 .1 o 
 
 I s ee, I feel thy anguifh, nor my foul 
 Has ever known the prevalence of love, 
 
 E'er prov'd a father's fondnefs, as this hour^r 
 
 r Nor
 
 aa LEONIDAS. Book L 
 
 Nor, when mofl ardent to affert my fame, 
 Was once my heart infeniible to thee. 315 
 
 How had it ftain'd the honours of my name 
 To hefitate a moment, and fufpend 
 My country's fate, till mameful life prefer'd 
 By my inglorious colleague left no choice, 
 But what in me were infamy to fhun, 320 
 
 Not virtue to accept ? Then deem no more, 
 That of thy love regardlefs, or thy tears, 
 I hafte uncall'd to death. The voice of Fate, 
 The Gods, my fame, my country bid me bleed. 
 — Oh! thou dear mourner! wherefore ftreams afrefh 325 
 That flood of woe? Why heaves with fighs renew'd 
 That tender breaft? Leonidas muft fall. 
 Alas! far heavier mifery impends 
 O'er thee and thefe, if foften'd by thy tears 
 I fhamefully refufe to yield that breath, 330 
 
 2 Which
 
 Book I. L E O N I D A S. 23 
 
 Which juftice, glory, liberty, and heav'n 
 
 Claim for my country, for my fons, and thee. 
 
 Think on my long unalter'd love. Reflect 
 
 On my paternal fondnefs. Has my heart 
 
 E'er known a paufe of love, or pious care ? 335 
 
 Now mail that care, that tendernefs be prov'd 
 
 Moft warm and faithful. When thy husband dies 
 
 For Lacedaemon's fafety, thou wilt mare, 
 
 Thou and thy children, the diffufive good. 
 
 Should I, thus fingled from the reft of men, 340 
 
 Alone intruded by th 'immortal Gods 
 
 With pow'r to fave a people, mould my foul 
 
 Defert that facred caufe, thee too I yield 
 
 To forrow, and to fhame ; for thou muft weep 
 
 With Lacedaemon, muft with her fuftain 345 
 
 Thy painful portion of oppreffion's weight. 
 
 Thy fons behold now worthy of their names^ 
 
 And
 
 a4 LEON I DAS. BookL 
 
 And Spartan birth. Their growing bloom muft pine 
 
 In fhame and bondage, and their youthful hearts 
 
 Beat at the found of liberty no more. 3 5° 
 
 On their own virtue, and their father's fame, 
 
 When he the Spartan freedom hath confirm'd, 
 
 Before the world illuftrious (hall they rife, 
 
 Their country s bulwark, and their mother's joy. 
 
 'Here paus[d the patriot. With religious awe 355 
 X}rief heard die .voice of Virtue. No complaint 
 The folemn filence broke. Tears ceas'd to flow: 
 Ceas'd for a moment ; foon again to ftream. 
 For now in arms before the palace rangd 
 His brave companions of the war demand 360 
 
 Their leader's prefence; then her griefs renew'd, 
 Too great for utt'rance, intercept her fighs, 
 A nd freeze each accent on her fait 'ring tongue. 
 2 
 
 1.U
 
 Book!. LEON I DAS. a 5 
 
 In fpeechlefs anguifh on the hero's breaft 
 She finks. On ev'ry fide his children prefs, 365 
 
 Hang on his knees, and kifs his honour'd hand. 
 His foul no longer struggles to confine 
 Its ftrong compunction. Down the hero's cheek, 
 Down flows the manly forrow. Great in woe 
 Amid his children, who inclofe him round, 370 
 
 He ftands indulging tendernefs and love 
 In graceful tears ; when thus with lifted eyes 
 Addrefs'd to heav'n: Thou ever-living pow'r 
 Look down propitious, fire of Gods and men ! 
 And to this faithful woman, whofe defert 375 
 
 May claim thy favour, grant the hours of peace. 
 And thou, my great forefather, fon of [ove, 
 O Hercules, neglect not thefe thy race! 
 But fince that fpirit, I from thee derive, 
 Now bears me from them to refiftlefs fate, 380 
 
 E Do
 
 26 LEO NI DAS. Book I. 
 
 Do thou fupport their virtue! be they taught, 
 Like thee, with glorious labour life to grace, 
 And from their father let them learn to die ! 
 
 S o faying, forth he iflues, and affumes 
 Before the band his ftation of command. 385 
 
 They now proceed. So mov'd the hoft of heav'n 
 Down from Olympus in majeftic march, 
 On Jove attendant to the flaming plains 
 Of Phlegra, there to face the giant fons 
 Of Earth and Titan: he before them tow Yd. 390 
 
 Thus through the ftreets of Lacedaemon pafs'd 
 Leonidas. Before his footfteps bow 
 The multitude exulting. On he treads 
 Rever'd and honour'd. Their inraptur'd fight 
 Purfues his graceful flature, and their tongues 395 
 
 Extol and hail him as their guardian God. * 
 
 t Firm
 
 Book 1. LEON I DAS. a 7 
 
 Firm in his nervous hand he grafps his fpear. 
 
 Down from his moulders to his ankles hangs 
 
 The maffy fnield, and o'er his burnifh'd helm 
 
 The purple plumage nods. Harmonious youths, 400 
 
 Around whofe brows entwining laurels play'd, 
 
 In lofty-founding {trains his praife record ; 
 
 While fnowy-flnger'd virgins all the ways 
 
 With od'rous garlands ftrew'd. His bofom now 
 
 Was all poffefs'd with glory, which difpell'd 405 
 
 Whatever of grief remain'd, or fond regret 
 
 For thofe, he left behind. The rev'rend train 
 
 Of Lacedaemon's fenate now approach'd 
 
 To give their folemn, laft farewel, and grace 
 
 Their hero's parting fteps. Around him flow'd 410 
 
 In civil pomp their venerable robes 
 
 Mix'd with the blaze of arms. The radiant troop 
 
 Of warriours prefs'd behind him. Maron here, 
 
 E 2 With
 
 28 LEONIDAS. Book I.. 
 
 With Menalippus warm in flow'ry prime, 
 
 And Agis there with manly grace advanc'd, 415 
 
 Dieneces, and Acarnania's feer, 
 
 Megiftias fage. The Spartan dames afcend 
 
 The loftieft domes, and thronging o'er the roofs 
 
 Gaze on their fons and husbands, as they march. 
 
 So parted Argo from th' Iolchian ftrand, 420 
 
 And ploughed the foaming furge. Theffalia's nymphs 
 
 Their hills forfaking, and their hallow'd groves, 
 
 Rang'd on the clifTs, which overfhade the deep* 
 
 Still on the diftant veffel fix'd their fight - y 
 
 Where Greece her chofen heroes had embark'd 425 
 
 To feek the dangers of the Cholchian fhore. 
 
 S w 1 f t on his courfe Leonidas proceeds. 
 Soon is Eurotas pafs'd, and Lerna s banks, 
 Where his unconqner'd anceftor fubdu'd 
 
 The
 
 Book I. L E O N I D A S. 
 
 29 
 
 The many-headed Hydra, and with fame 430 
 
 Immortaliz'd the lake. Th'unwearied bands 
 
 Next through the pines of Maenalus he led, 
 
 And down Parthenius urg'd the rapid toil. 
 
 Six days inceflant thus the Spartans march, 
 
 When now they hear the hoarfe-refounding tide 435 
 
 Beat on the Ifthmus. Here their tents they ipread. 
 
 Below the wide horizon then the fun 
 
 Had funk his beamy head. The queen of night 
 
 Gleam'd from the center of th'ethereal vault, 
 
 And o'er the dusky robe of darknefs fhed 440 
 
 Her filver light. Leonidas detains 
 
 Dieneces and Agis. Open ftands 
 
 The tall pavilion, and admits the moon. 
 
 As here they fat converting, from the hill, 
 
 Which rofe before them, one of noble port 445 
 
 Appears with fpeed defcending. Lightly down 
 
 The
 
 3 o LEON I DAS. Book I. 
 
 The Hope he treads, and calls aloud. They heard, 
 And knew the voice of Alpheus. From their feats 
 They rofe, and thus Leonidas began. 
 
 thou, whom heav'n with fwiftnefs hath endu'd 
 To match the ardour of thy daring foul, 45 J 
 What calls thee from the lfthmus? Do the Greeks 
 Negledl to arm, nor face the public foe? 
 
 1 come to meet thee (Alpheus thus return'd) 
 
 A merTenger, who gladfome tidings bears. 455 
 
 Through Greece the voice of liberty is heard, 
 
 And all unfold their banners in her caufe - y 
 
 The Thebans only with reludtant hands. 
 
 Arcadia's fons with morning fhalt thou join, 
 
 Who on the lfthmus wait thy great command. 460 
 
 With Diophantus Mantinea fends 
 
 Five hundred fpears; nor lefs from Tegea's walls 
 
 With
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. 31 
 
 With Hegefander move. A thoufand more, 
 
 Who in Orchomenus relide, who range 
 
 Along Parrhamis, and Cyllene's brow, 465 
 
 Or near the foot of Erymanthus dwell, 
 
 Or on Alpheus' banks, with various chiefs, 
 
 Attend thy call; but moft is Clonius fam'd 
 
 Of ftature huge : unfhaken as a rock, 
 
 His giant bulk the line of war fuftains. 470 
 
 Four hundred warriours brave Alcmaeon draws 
 
 From ftately Corinth's tow'rs. Two hundred march 
 
 From Phlius, whom Eupalamus commands. 
 
 An equal number of Mycenae's race 
 
 Ariftobulus heads. Through fear alone 475 
 
 Of thee, and threatning Greece the Thebans arm. 
 
 To thefe inglorious Greeks my felf repair'd 
 
 Their dying fenfe of honour to recal. 
 
 A few corrupted by the Periian gold, 
 
 Unjuft
 
 3 2 LEON I DAS. Book I. 
 
 Unjuft dominion have ufiirp'd in Thebes. 48c 
 
 Thefe in each bofom quell the gen'rous flame 
 
 Of liberty. The eloquent they bribe ; 
 
 With fpecious tales the multitude they cheat ; 
 
 And proftitute the name of public good 
 
 To veil oppreffion. Others are immers'd 485 
 
 In all the floth of riches, and unmov'd 
 
 In mameful eafe behold their country fall. 
 
 I firit implor'd their fenate's inftant aid. 
 
 But they with artful wiles demanding time 
 
 For confultation, I addrefs'd them thus. 490 
 
 The fhorteft moment may fuflice to know, 
 
 If to die free be better than to ferve ; 
 
 But if, deluding Greece by vain delays, 
 
 You mean to mew your friendfhip to the foe, 
 
 You cannot then deliberate too long, 495 
 
 How to withftand her fwift-avenging wrath, 
 
 Approaching
 
 Book I. LEONIDAS. 33 
 
 \pproaching with Leonidas. This heard, 
 
 Four hundred warriours they appoint to march, 
 
 Phe wily Anaxander is their chief. 
 
 With Leontiades. I fa w their march 500 
 
 Begun, then haften'd to furvey the ftraits, 
 
 Which thou fhalt render facred to renown. 
 
 Where, ever mingling with the crumbling foil, 
 
 Which moulders round the Malian bay, the fea 
 
 In flimy furges rolls; upon the rock, 5°5 
 
 Which forms the utmoft limit of the bay, 
 
 Thermopylae is ftretch'd. Where broadeft fpread, 
 
 It meafures threefcore paces, bounded here 
 
 By the deep ooze, which underneath prefents 
 
 Its dreary furface; there the lofty cliffs 51Q 
 
 Of woody Oeta overlook the pafs, 
 
 And far beyond o'er half the furge below 
 
 Their horrid umbrage caft. Acrofs the ftraits 
 
 F An
 
 34 LEON I DAS. Book I. 
 
 An ancient bulwark of the Phocians ftands, 
 
 A wall with turrets crown'd. In ftation here 5 £ 5 
 
 I found the Locrians, and from Thefpia's gates 
 
 Sev'n hundred more Demophilus hath led. 
 
 His brother's fon attends him to the camp, 
 
 Young Dithyrambus greatly fam'd in war, 
 
 But more for temperance of mind, renown'd; 520 
 
 Lov'd. by his country, and with honours gracd, 
 
 His early bloom with brighter!: glory ihines, 
 
 Nor wantons in the blaze. Here Agis {pake. 
 
 Well haft thou painted that illuftrious youth. 
 He was my hoft at Thefpia. Though adorn'd 5 25 
 
 With higheft deeds, by fame and fortune crown'd, 
 His gentle virtues take from envy's mouth 
 Its blafting venom, and. her baneful, face 
 
 2 Strives
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. 
 
 35 
 
 Strives on hia worth to fmile. In filence all 
 
 Again remain, and Alpheus thus purfues. 530 
 
 A chosen troop hath bold Plataea fent, 
 Small in its numbers, but unmatch'd in arms. 
 Above the reft Diomedon their chief 
 Excels in prowefs. Signal were his deeds 
 Upon that day of glory, when the fields 535 
 
 Of Marathon were hid with Perfian flam. 
 Thefe guard Thermopylae Among the hills 
 A winding path to ftranger's feet unknown 
 Affords another entrance into Greece: 
 This by a thoufand Phocians is fecur'd. 54.0 
 
 Here Alpheus paus'd. Leonidas embrac'd 
 The noble Spartan, and rejoin'd. Thou know'ft 
 What fate to me th' immortal Gods ordain. 
 
 F 2 Frame
 
 3 6 LEON I DAS. Book I. 
 
 Frame now thy choice. Accompany our march, 
 
 Or go to Lacedasmon, and relate, 545 
 
 How thy difoerning mind, and active limbs 
 
 Ha^e ferv'd thy country. From th' impatient mouth 
 
 Of Alpheus ftreight thefe fervent accents, broke^ 
 
 I have not meafur'd fuch a tradl of land; . 
 Not look'd unwearied on the fetting fun, 5.50 
 
 And through the fhade of midnight urg'd my fteps 
 To roufe the Greeks to battle, . that myfelf 
 Might be exempted from the glorious toil... 
 Return? Oh! no. A fecond time my feet. 
 Shall vilit thee, Thermopylae, and there 555 
 
 With great Leonidas fhall Alpheus find 
 An honourable. grave. And oh! amid 
 His country's danger if a Spartan breaft 
 May feel a private forrow, not alone 
 
 3 For
 
 Book!. LEONIDAS, 
 
 57 
 
 For injured Greece I haften to revenge, -6 
 
 But for a brother's wrongs. A younger hope 
 
 Than I, or Maron blefs'd our father's years, 
 
 Child of his age, and Polydorus nam'd. 
 
 His mind, while tender in its op'ning prime, 
 
 Was bent to rigid virtue. Gen'rous fcorn §6* 
 
 Of pain and danger taught his early ftrength 
 
 To ftruggle patient with fevereft toils. 
 
 Oft, when inclement winter chill'd the air> ., 
 
 And frozen iliow'rs had fwoln Eurotas' ftream, 
 
 Amid th' impetuous channel would he plunge, 570 
 
 And breaft the torrent. On a fatal day. 
 
 As in the fea.his active limbs he bath'd, 
 
 A fervile corfair of the Perfian king 
 
 My brother, naked and defencelels, bore 
 
 Evn in my fight to Afia, there to waile, 575 
 
 With all the promife of its growing worth, 
 
 His
 
 J 
 
 8 LEON I DAS, Book I. 
 
 His youth in bondage. Never can my tongue 
 
 My pains recount, much lefs my fathers woes, 
 
 The days he wept, the ileeplefs nights he beat 
 
 His aged bofom. And fhall Alpheus' fpear 580 
 
 Be abfent from Thermopylae, nor claim, 
 
 O Polydorus, vengeance for thy bonds 
 
 In that firft flaughter of the barb'rous foe ? 
 
 Here interpos'd Dieneces. The hands 
 Of Alpheus and Leonidas he grafp'd, $85 
 
 And joyful thus. Your glory wants no more, 
 Than that Lycurgus mould himfelf arife 
 To praife the virtue, which his laws infpire. 
 
 Thus pafs'd thefe heroes, till the dead of night, 
 The hours in friendly converfe, and enjoy 'd 590 
 
 Each other's virtue; happieft of men! 
 
 At
 
 Book I. LEON I DAS. 
 
 End of the Firfl Book, 
 
 39 
 
 At length with gentle heavinefs the hand 
 Of fleep invades their eyelids. On the ground, 
 Opprefs'd with {lumber, they extend their limbs ; 
 When, Aiding down the hemifphere, the moon 595 
 
 Now plung'd in midnight gloom her filver head. 
 
 LEONIDA&
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 .'Leonidas, on his approach to the IJlhmus, is met by the leaders of the 
 
 troops fent from other Grecian fates , and by the deputies ; who com- 
 
 pos'd the Ifhmian council. He harangues them, then proceeds in 
 
 conjunction with the other forces towards Thermopylae-, is join d by 
 
 Dithyrambus, and arrives at the f raits about noon on the fourth 
 
 day after his departure from the Jfthmus. He is receiv'd at 
 
 Thermopylae by the Thefpian commafider Demophilus, and by Anax- 
 
 ander the Theban treacheroufy recommending Epialtes a Mali an, 
 
 . hfeks by a pompous defer iption of the Perfian power to intimidate 
 
 the Grecian leaders, as they are viewing the enemies camp from the 
 
 'op of mount Oeta. He is anfwer'd by Dieneces and Diomedon. 
 
 Xerxes jends Tigranes and Phraortes to the Grecian camp, who are 
 
 difmijsd by Leonidas, and conduced back by Dithyrambus and 
 
 Diomedon j which la ft, incens'd with the injolence of Tigranes, treats 
 
 him with contempt and menaces. This occafions a challenge to fngle 
 
 tomb at between "Diomedon and Tigranes, Dithyrambus and Phraortes. 
 
 - ialtes, after a conference with Anaxander, declares his intention 
 
 .of returning to Xerxes. 
 
 AURORA
 
 Sookir, LEON I DAS. 4t 
 
 A 
 
 URORA ipread her purple beams around, 
 
 When mov'd the Spartans. Their approach is 
 The Ifthmian council, and the various chiefs, 
 Who led th' auxiliar bands, proceed to meet 
 Leonidas ; Eupalamus the ftrong, e 
 
 Alcmaeon, Clonius, Diophantus brave, 
 And Hegefander. At their head advanc'd 
 Ariftobulus, whom Mycenae's youth 
 Attend to war; Mycenae once elate 
 With pow'r and dazzling wealth, and vaunting ltill ro 
 The name of Agamemnon, who along 
 The feas of Alia open'd to the wind 
 Unnumber'd fails, and darken'd half the fhore 
 Of trembling Phrygia with the hoftile lhade. 
 Ariftobulus join d the Spartan king, 1 5 
 
 And thus began. Leonidas furvey 
 
 G Mycenae's
 
 4 2 LEON I DAS. BookIL 
 
 Mycenae's race. Should ev'ry other Greek 
 
 Be aw'd by Xerxes, and his Afian hoft, 
 
 Believe not, we can fear, deriv'd from thofe, 
 
 Who once conduced o'er the foaming furge 20 
 
 The ftrength of Greece, who defert left the fields 
 
 Of ravag'd Afia, and her proudeft walls 
 
 From their foundations humbled to the duft. 
 
 L e o n 1 d a s replied not, but addrefs'd 
 The chiefs around. Illuftrious warriours hail, 25 
 
 Who thus undaunted fignalize your faith, 
 And gen'rous ardour in the common caufe. 
 But you, whofe counfels prop the Grecian ftatc, 
 O venerable fynod, whofe decrees 
 
 Have calTd us forth, to vanquifh, or to die, 30 
 
 Thrice hail. Whate'er by valour we obtain 
 Your wifdom muft preferve. With piercing eyes 
 
 Each
 
 Book IL LEON I DAS. 43 
 
 Each Grecian ftate contemplate, and difcem 
 
 Their various tempers. Some with partial care 
 
 To guard their own neglect the publick weal, 35. 
 
 Cold and unmov'd are others, Terrour here, 
 
 And there corruption reigns, O fire the brave 
 
 With gen'rous zeal to quit their native walls, 
 
 And join their valour in the gen'ral cairfe; 
 
 Confirm the wav'ring ; animate the cold, 40 
 
 And watch the faithlefs : fome there are, betray 
 
 Themfelves and Greece ; their perfidy prevent, 
 
 Or call them back to honour. Let us all 
 
 Be link'd in facred union, and the Greeks 
 
 Shall ftand the world's whole multitude in arms. 45 
 
 If for the fpoil, which Paris bore to Troy, 
 
 A thoufand barks the Hellefpont o'erfpread ; 
 
 Shall not again confederated Greece 
 
 Be rous'd to battle, and to freedom give, 
 
 G 2 What
 
 44 LEON I DAS. Book IL 
 
 What once fhe gave to fame. Behold we hafte 50 
 
 To flop th' invading tyrant. Till we bleed, k , 
 
 He mall not pour his millions on your plains. 
 
 But as the Gods conceal, how long our flrength 
 
 May ftand unconquer'd, or how foon muft fall, 
 
 Wafte not a moment, till confenting Greece 55 
 
 Range all her free-born numbers in the held. 
 
 L e o n 1 d a s concludes, when awful ftepd 
 Before the fage aflembly one, whofe head 
 Was hoar with aged fnow, and thus replied. 
 
 Thy great example evry heart unites. 60 
 
 From thee her happieft omens Greece derives 
 Of concord, freedom, victory, and fame. 
 Go then, O firft of mortals, and imprefs 
 Amaze and terrour in the Perfians breaft ; 
 
 The
 
 Book II. LEON I DAS. 
 
 45 
 
 The free-born Greeks inftrudting life to deem 65 
 
 Lels dear than virtue, and their country's caufe. 
 
 This heard, Leonidas, thy fecret foul 
 Exulting tailed of the fweet reward 
 Due to thy name from endlefs time. His eyes 69 
 
 Once more he turn'd, and view'd in rapt'rous thought 
 His native land, which he alone can fave; 
 Then fummon'd all his majefty, and o'er 
 The Ifthmus trod. Behind the Grecians move 
 In deep arrangement. So th' imperial bark 
 With ftately bulk along the beating tide 8a 
 
 In military pomp conduces the pow'r 
 Of fome proud navy bounding from the port 
 To bear the vengeance of a mighty ftate 
 Againft a tyrant's walls. The Grecians march 
 Till noon, when halting, as they take repaft, 85 
 
 Upon
 
 46 LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 Upon the plain before them they defcry 
 
 A troop of Thefpians. One above the reft 
 
 In eminence precedes. His glitt 'ring fhield, 
 
 Whofesfpacious orb collects th' effulgent beams, 
 
 Which from his throne meridian Phoebus caft, 90 
 
 Flames like another fun. A fnowy plume 
 
 Falls o'er his dazzling cask. In wanton curls, 
 
 Which floated in the breathing air, around 
 
 The lofty creft it wavd. Approaching near 
 
 Beneath the honours of his radiant helm 95 
 
 The warriour now a countenance difplay'd, 
 
 Where youth in rofy prime with fweetnefs mix'd 
 
 Its manly beauty. With fuch modeft grace 
 
 RefpecTful near Leonidas he came, 
 
 As all ideas of his own defert too 
 
 Were loft in veneration. Phoebus thus 
 
 Appears before his everlafting fire, 
 
 1 When
 
 Book II. LEON I DAS. 47 
 
 When from his altar in th' imbow'ring grove 
 
 Of palmy Delos, or the hallow' d bound 
 
 OfTenedos, or Claros, where he hears 105 
 
 His hymns and praifes from the fons of men, 
 
 He reafcends the high Olympian feats; 
 
 Such reverential awe his brow invefts, 
 
 Diffufing o'er the glowing flow'r of youth 
 
 New lovelinefs and grace. The king receives 1 10 
 
 Th' illuftrious Thelpian, and began. My tongue 
 
 Would call thee Dithyrambus, for thou bear'ft 
 
 All in thy afpecl to become that name 
 
 For valour known and virtue. O reveal 
 
 Thy birth and charge; whoe'er thou art, my foul 115 
 
 Defires to know thee, and would call thee friend. 
 
 To whom the youth return'd. O firft of Greeks, 
 My name is Dithyrambus, which the lips 
 
 Of
 
 4 8 LEONIDAS. Book II. 
 
 Of fome benevolent and gen'rous friend 
 
 To thee have founded with a partial voice, 1 20 
 
 And thou haft heard with favourable ears. 
 
 I come deputed by the Thefpian chief, 
 
 The Theban, and the Locrian, and the brave 
 
 Diomedon, to haften thy approach. 
 
 Three days will bring the Perfian pow'rs in view. 125 
 
 H e ceas'd. At once the ftandards are uprear'd. 
 The hoft till ev'ning with impetuous pace 
 Their march continue. Through the earlieft dews 
 Of morning they proceed, and reach the pafs, 
 E'er the fourth fun attained the fult'ry noon. 130 
 
 To their impatient fight no fooner rofe 
 The rocks of Oeta, but with rapid feet, 
 And martial founds of joy they rufh'd along; 
 As if the prefent deity of Fame, 
 
 Her
 
 Book II. LEON I DAS. 
 
 49 
 
 Her temples with unfading laurels bound, 135 
 
 And in her hand her adamantine trump, 
 
 Had from the hills her radiant form difclos'd, 
 
 And bade their valour haften to the field; 
 
 That ihe their adls beholding might refound 
 
 Their name and glory o'er the earth and feas. 140 
 
 Before the van Leonidas advanc'd, 
 
 His eye confefs'd the ardour of his mind, 
 
 Which thus found utt'rance from his eager lips. 
 
 All hail ! Thermopylae, and you, the pow'rs, 
 Which here prefide. All hail! ye filvari Gods, 145 
 
 Ye fountain nymphs, who pour your lucid rills 
 In broken murmurs down the rugged fteep. 
 Receive us, O benignant, and fupport 
 The caufe of Greece. Conceal the fecret paths, - 
 Which o'er the crags and through the forefts wind, 150 
 
 H Untrod
 
 o LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 Untrod by human feet, and trac'd alone 
 
 By your immortal footfteps. O defend 
 
 Your own receffes, nor let impious war 
 
 Profane the folemn filence of your groves. 
 
 Thus on your bills your praifes mall you hear 155, 
 
 From thofe, whofe deeds fhall tell th' approving world, 
 
 That not to undefervers did you grant 
 
 Your high protection. You my valiant friends 
 
 Now roufe the gen'rous fpirit, which inflames 
 
 Your breafts ; now prove the vigour of your arms : 160 
 
 That your recorded actions may furvive 
 
 Within the breafts of all the brave and free. 
 
 And found delightful in the ear of Time, 
 
 As long as Neptune beats the Malian bay, 
 
 Or thofe tall cliffs erect their fhaggy tops 1 65 
 
 So near to heav n, your monuments of fame. 
 
 1 As
 
 Book II. LEON I DAS, S i 
 
 A s in fome torrid region, where the head 
 Of Ceres bends beneath its golden load, 
 If on the parching ground a fatal fpark 
 Fall from a burning brand; the fudden blaze 170 
 
 Increas'd and aided by tumultuous winds 
 In rapid torrents of involving flames 
 
 Sweeps o'er the crackling plain, and mounting high 
 
 In ruddy fpires illumines half the skies : 
 
 Not with lefs fwiftnefs through the glowing ranks 175 
 
 The words of great Leonidas diffus'd 
 
 A more than mortal fervour. Ev'ry heart 
 
 Diftends with great ideas, fuch as raife 
 
 The patriot's virtue, and the foldier's fire, 
 
 When danger in its moft tremendous form 180 
 
 Seems to their eyes moft lovely. In their thoughts . 
 
 Imagination pi&ures all the fcenes 
 
 IT 2 Of
 
 5 2, LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 Of war, the purple field, the heaps of death, 
 And glitt ring trophies pil'd with Perfian arms. 
 
 But now the Grecian leaders, who before 185 
 
 Were ftation'd near Thermopylae, accoft 
 The Spartan king. The Thefpian chief allied 
 To Dithyrambus firfl: the filence broke, 
 An ancient warriour. From behind his cafque r 
 Whofe crefted weight his aged temples prefs'd, 19a 
 
 His fiend er hairs, which time had filver'd o'er, 
 Flow'd venerable down. He thus began.. 
 
 Joy now iriall crown the period of my days, 
 
 And whether with my father's dun 1 I fleep, 
 
 Or flain by Perfia's fword I prefs the earth 195 
 
 Our common parent, be it as the Gods 
 
 Shall beft determine. For the prelent hour 
 
 I blefs their bounty > which has giv'n my age 
 
 2 To
 
 Booklf. LEO NI DAS. 
 
 53 
 
 To fee the great Leonidas, and bid 
 
 The hero welcome on this glorious fhore ; 200 
 
 Where he by heav'n felected from mankind 
 
 Shall fix the bafis of the Grecian weaL 
 
 Here too the wily Anaxander lpake. 
 Hail ! glorious chief. Of all the Theban race 
 We mall at leaft with gladfome bofoms meet 205 
 
 The great defender of the Grecian caufe. 
 O ! may oblivion o'er the fhame of Thebes. 
 Its darkeft wing extend, or they alone 
 Be curs'd by Fame, whofe impious counfels turn 
 Their countrymen from virtue. Thebes alas ! 2-1 © 
 
 Still had been buried in dimoneft floth r 
 Had not to wake her languor Alpheus come 
 The meffenger of freedom. O accept 
 Our grateful hearts; thou, Alpheus, art the caufe,. 
 
 That
 
 s4 LEON I DAS. Book IT. 
 
 That Anaxander from his native gates 215 
 
 Here hath not borne a folitary fpear, 
 
 Nor thefe inglorious in their walls remain'd. 
 
 But longer do we loiter? Hafte my friends 
 
 To yonder cliff, which points its /hade afar, 
 
 And view the Perfian camp. The morning fun 220 
 
 Beheld their numbers hide th' adjacent plains. 
 
 Lo! here a Malian, Epialtes nam'd, 
 
 Who with the foe from Thracias bounds hath march'd. 
 
 H e faid. His feeming virtue all deceiv'd. 
 The camp not long had Epialtes join'd, 225 
 
 By Tace a Malian. Eloquent his tongue, 
 But falfe his heart, and abject. He was skilFd 
 To grace perfidious counfels, and to cloath 
 In fwelling phrafe the bafenefs of his foul, 
 Foul nurfe of treafons. To the tents of Greece, 230 
 
 Himfelf
 
 Book if. LEON I DAS. 55 
 
 Himfelf a Greek, a faithlefs fpy he came. 
 
 Soon to the friends of Xerxes he repair'd, 
 
 The Theban chiefs, and nightly confult held, 
 
 How beft with confirmation to deject 
 
 The Spartan valour, or how beft betray. 235 
 
 With him the leaders climb the arduous hill, 
 
 From whence the dreadful profpecl they command, 
 
 Where endlefs plains by white pavilions hid 
 
 Spread, like the vaft Atlantic, when no more, 
 
 No rock or promontory flops the fight 240 
 
 Unbounded, as it wanders ; but the moon 
 
 Refplendent eye of night in fulleft orb 
 
 Throughout th' interminated furface throws 
 
 Its rays abroad, and decks in fnowy light 
 
 The dancing billows; fuch was Xerxes' camp: 245 
 
 A pow'r unrivall'd by the greateft king, 
 
 Or conqueror, that e'er with ruthlefs hands 
 
 Diffolving
 
 56 LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 Diffolving all the facred ties, which bind 
 
 The happinefs of nations, have alarm'd 
 
 The ileeping fury Difcord from her den. 250 
 
 Not from the hundred brazen gates of Thebes, 
 
 The tow'rs of Memphis, and the pregnant fields ' 
 
 By Nile's prolifick torrents delug'd o'er, 
 
 E'er flow'd fuch armies with th'iEgyptian lord 
 
 Renown' d Sefoftris; who with trophies fill'd 255 
 
 The vanquifh'd earth, and o'er the rapid foam 
 
 Of diftant Tanais, and the huge expanfe 
 
 Of trembling Ganges fpread his dreaded name : 
 
 Nor yet in Afia's far extended bounds 
 
 E'er met fuch numbers, not when Be lus drew 260 
 
 Th' Aflyrian bands to conqueft, or the pride 
 
 Of high- exalted Babylon furvey'd 
 
 The plains along Euphrates cover d wide 
 
 With armed myriads fwarming from her walls ; 
 
 When
 
 Book II. LEO NI DAS. S7 
 
 When at the rage of dire Semiramis 265 
 
 Peace fled affrighted from the ravag'd Eaft. 
 
 Yet all this hideous face of war difmays 
 
 No Grecian heart. Unterrified they flood. 
 
 Th' immeafurable camp with fearlefs eyes 
 
 They traverfe, while in meditation near 270 
 
 The treach'rous Malian waits, collecting all 
 
 His pomp of words to paint the hoftile pow'r; 
 
 Nor yet with falfliood arms his fraudful tongue 
 
 To feign a tale ofterrour: Truth herfelf 
 
 Beyond the reach of fiction to inhance 275 
 
 Now aids his treafon, and with cold difmay 
 
 Might pierce the boldeft breaft, unlefs fecur'd 
 
 By dauntlefs virtue, which difdains to live 
 
 From liberty divorc'd. Requefted now 
 
 By evVy voice the traitor fpake, and all 280 
 
 Attentive ears incline. Oh ! Greeks and friends ! 
 
 I Can 
 
 4
 
 5 8 LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 Can I behold my native Malian fields 
 
 Prefenting hoftile millions to your fight, 
 
 And not with grief fupprefs the horrid tale, 
 
 Which you exad from thefe ill- omen'd lips. 285 
 
 On Thracias fands I firft beheld the foe, 
 
 When, joining Europe with the Afian fhore, 
 
 A mighty bridge th' outragious waves reftrain'd, 
 
 And ftem'd th' impetuous current ; while in arms 
 
 The univerfal progeny of men 290 
 
 Seem'd all before me trampling o'er the fea 
 
 By thoufands and ten thoufands : Perfians, Mede& 
 
 AfTyrians, Saces, Indians, fwarthy files 
 
 From ^Ethiopia, Egypt's tawny fons, 
 
 Arabians, Baclrians, Parthians, all the ftrength 295 
 
 Of Libya and of Alia. Neptune groan'd 
 
 Beneath the burthen, and indignant heav'd 
 
 His neck againft th' incumbent weight. In vain 
 
 The
 
 Book II. L E O N I D A S. 
 
 59 
 
 The violence of Boreas and the Weft, 
 With rage combind, againft th' unfhak#n pile 300 
 
 Dafh'd half the Hellefpont. The eaftern world 
 Sev'n days and nights uninterrupted pafs, 
 And pour on Thracia's confines. They accept 
 The Perfian lord, and range their hardy race 
 Beneath his ftandards. Macedonia's youth 305 
 
 With all ThefTalia next, and ev'ry Greek, 
 Who dwells beyond Thermopylae, attend. 
 Thus not alone embodied Afia lifts 
 Her threatning lance, but Macedon and Thrace, 
 Whofe martial loins with daring warriours teem, 310 
 And faithlefs Greeks in multitudes untold 
 The Perfian Monarch aid. Celeftial pow'rs! 
 And thou, who reigneft over men and Gods, 
 Who in a moment by thy will fupreme 
 Canft quell the mighty in their proudeft hopes, 315 
 
 I 2 And
 
 6o LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 And raife the weak to fafety, thou impart 
 
 Thy inftant fuccour ; interpofe thy arm ; 
 
 With lightning blaft their legions : Oh ! confound 
 
 With triple-bolted thunder Perfia's camp, 
 
 Whence like an inundation with the morn 320 
 
 Shall millions rum, and overwhelm the Greeks. 
 
 Refiftance elfe were vain againft an hoft, 
 
 Which covers all Theffalia ; for beyond 
 
 The Malian plains thus widely ftretch'd below, 
 
 Beyond the utmoft meafure of the fight 325 
 
 Bent from the height of this afpiring clifT, 
 
 Lie yet more hideous numbers, which might drain 
 
 The ftreams of copious rivers with their thirft, 
 
 And with their arrows hide the mid-day fun. 
 
 Then ihall we join our battle in the made, 330 
 
 Dieneces replied. Not calmly thus 
 
 Diomedon.
 
 Book II. LEONIDAS. 61 
 
 Diomedon. On Xerxes' camp he bends 
 
 His low'ring brow, which frowns had furrow'd o'er, 
 
 And thus exclaim'd. Bellona turn and view 
 
 With joyful eyes that field, the fatal ftage, 335 
 
 Which regal madnefs hath for you prepar'd 
 
 To exercife your horrours. Thou, O Death, 
 
 Shalt riot here unceafing, when the rocks 
 
 Of yonder pafs with bleeding ranks are ftrew'd ; 
 
 And all, who fhun th' avenging fteel of Greece, 340 
 
 By peftilence and meager famine feiz'd, 
 
 Shall with variety of ruin feaft 
 
 Thy unabated hunger. Thus he fpake, 
 
 While on the hoft immenfe his gloomy eyes 
 
 He fix'd difdainful, and its ftrength defied. 34.5 
 
 Meantime within th' entrenchment of the Greeks 
 From Afia's monarch delegated came 
 
 Tigranes
 
 62 LEONIDAS. Book II. 
 
 Tigranes and Phraortes. From the hills 
 
 Leonidas conduces th' impatient chiefs. 
 
 Around the hero in his tent they throng, 350 
 
 When thus Tigranes their attention calls. 
 
 A 
 
 » 
 
 Ambassadors from Perfia's king we fland 
 Before you Grecians. To difplay the powV 
 Of our great matter, were a needlefs task. 
 The name of Xerxes, Afia's mighty lord, 355 
 
 Invincible, and feated on a throne 
 Surpaffing human luftre, muft have reach'd 
 Th' extremeft border of the earth, and taught 
 The hearts of men to own reiiftlefs force 
 With awe, and low fubmiffion. Yet I fwear 360 
 
 By yon refulgent orb, which flames above, 
 The glorious fymbol of th' eternal pow'r, 
 This military throng, this mew of war 
 
 2 Perfuade
 
 Book II. LE ONI DAS, 6 5 
 
 Perfuade me, you have never heard that name, 
 
 At whofe dread found the billows wide remote 365 
 
 Of Indus tremble, and the Cafpian wave, 
 
 Th' ^Egyptian tide, and Helleipontic furge 
 
 With hornage roll. O impotent and ram ! 
 
 Whom yet the large beneficence of heav'n, 
 
 And our great monarch merciful and kind 370 
 
 Deign to preferve. Refign your arms ; difperfe 
 
 Each to your cities ; there with humbleft hands 
 
 Before your lord beftrew the way with flow'rs* 
 
 A s through th' extenfive grove, whofe leafy boughs 
 Intwining crown fome eminence with fhade, 37c 
 
 The temnefts rufh fonorous, and between 
 The cradling branches roar; by fierce difdain 
 And indignation thus the Grecians mov'd 
 With clairfrous murmurs clofe the Perlian's foeech. 
 
 But
 
 64 LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 But Sparta's king ariiing, all is hufh'd 380 
 
 In Hidden lilence ; when he thus replied. 
 
 O Ee r s 1 a n, when to Xerxes thou return'!!:, 
 Say thou haft told the wonders of his pow'r ; 
 Then fay, thou faw'ft a flender band of Greece, 
 Which dares his boafted millions to the field. 385 
 
 The Spartan faid. Th'Ambaffadors retire. 
 Them o'er the limits of the Grecian lines 
 Diomedon and Thefpia's youth conduct. 
 With flow folemnity they all proceed 
 In fullen filence. But their looks denote 390 
 
 What fpeech would fhame and weaken. Wrath contracts 
 The forehead of Diomedon. His teeth 
 Gnafli with impatience for delay'd revenge. 
 Difdain, which fprung from confcious merit, flufh'd 
 
 The
 
 Book II, LEON IDAS, 6 5 
 
 The cheek of Dithyrambus. On the face 395 
 
 Of either Perfian infolence and pride 
 
 Incens'd by difappointment gloomy lowVd. 
 
 But when they reach'd the limits of the Araks, 
 
 Where Xerxes' camp began to open wide 
 
 Its deep, immenfe arrangement; then the heart 400 
 
 Of vain Tigranes, fwelling at the light, 
 
 Thus overflows in loud and haughty phrafe. 
 
 O Arimanius, origin of ill, 
 Have we demanded of thy ruthlels pow'r, 
 Thus with the curfe of madnefs to afflicl: 40 z 
 
 Thefe wretched men? But fince thy dreadful will 
 To irrefiftible perdition dooms 
 The fons of Greece, in vain fhould we oppofe. 
 Be thy dire will accompli fli'd, let them fall, 
 And fatten with their blood their native foil. 410 
 
 K Enrag'd
 
 66 LEON I DAS. Book II. 
 
 • E n r a c'd the ftern Diomedort replies r j 
 
 Thou fervile, bafe dependent on a king, 
 Inglorious ^mercenary, flave to thofe, 
 Whom moft We fcom, thou boafter, doft thou know, 
 That I beheld the Marathonian field ; 4 J 5 
 
 When, like the Libyan fands before the wind, 
 Your hoft was fcatter'd by th'unconquer'd Greeks ; 
 Where thou perhaps did ft turn before this arm 
 To ignominious flight thy fhiv Ving limbs? 
 O may I find thee in to morrow's fight! 439 
 
 Then on this rocky pavement fhalt thou lie 
 Beneath this arm to feaft the vulture's beaL 
 
 H e ended here, and thus the Perfian chief. 
 O thou, whpfe hand omnipotent protects 
 The throne of Xerxes, bend thy facred car! 425 
 
 1 -Tor
 
 Book II, LEONIDAS, 67 
 
 For lo! my frrft victorious fruits of war 
 To thee I here devote, the gory fpoils, 
 Which from this Grecian with the rifing dawn 
 In fis;Iit of either hoft my arm fhall rend. 
 
 Phraortes interrupting then began. 430 
 
 I too would find among the Grecian chiefs 
 One, who in battle dare abide my fpear. 
 
 T o him thus anfwer'd Thelpia's gallant youth. 
 Thou look'ft on me, O Perfian. Worthier far 
 Thou mightft indeed have fingled from our hoft, 435 
 But none more willing to effay thy force. 
 Yes, I will prove before the eye of Mars, 
 How far the valour of the meaneft Greek 
 Beyond thy vaunts deferves the palm of fame. 
 
 K 2 This
 
 68 LEON I DAS. Book I L 
 
 This faid, the Perfians to their king repair, 440 
 Back to their camp the Grecians. There they found 
 Each foldier poizing his extended fpear, 
 And his large buckler bracing on his arm, 
 For inftant war prepar'd. Through all the files 
 Each leader moves exulting, and with praife 445 
 
 And exhortations aids their native warmth. 
 Alone the Theban Anaxander pind, 
 Who thus apart addrefs'd his Malian friend. 
 
 What has thy lofty eloquence avail'd, 
 Alas! in vain attempting to confound 450 
 
 The Spartan valour ? With redoubled fires 
 See how their bofoms glow. They wifh to die, 
 And wait impatient for th' unequal fight, 
 
 2 Too
 
 Book II. LEON I DAS. 
 
 Too foon will come th' infuperable foes, 
 
 And in promifcuous ruin all be whelm'd ; 455 
 
 Nor fhall our merit to the Perflan lord 
 
 Be told, or known: for whofe advent'rous feet 
 
 To ferve the Thebans, through the guarded pafs, 
 
 The Grecian watch eluding, will approach 
 
 The tents of Alia, that the king may know, 46c 
 
 And fpare his friends amid the gen'ral wreck; 
 
 When his high-fwoln refentment, like a flood 
 
 Increas'd with ftormy fliow'rs, fhall cover Greece 
 
 With defolation? Epialtes here. 
 
 Whence, Anaxander, this unjuft deipair? 465 
 
 Is there a path on Oeta's hills unknown 
 To Epialtes? O'er the tracklefs rock, 
 And mazy grove fliall pafs my fecret fteps. 
 
 TH
 
 7 o LEON IDAS. Book II. 
 
 This night I part. Thy merit fliall be told 47$ 
 
 To Pcrfia's king. Thou only watch the hour, 
 Nor then be tardy, when he wants thy aid. 
 
 End of the Second Book. 
 
 LEO N I DAS.
 
 ;i 
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 ^figranes and Phraortes repair to Xerxes, whom they find feated on a 
 throne fur rounded by his fair aps in a magnificent pavilion, while the 
 Magi jland before him, andfing an hymn containing the religion of 
 Zoroajlres. Xerxes, notwithfianding the arguments of his brothers 
 Hyper ant hes and Abrocomes, gives no credit to the ambajfadors, 
 who report, that the Grecians are determined to maintain the pafs 
 againfl him-, but commands Demaratus an exil'd king of Sparta to 
 attend him, and afcends his chariot to take a view of the Grecians 
 himfelfi He paffes through the midfl of his army, confijli?ig of many 
 nations differing in arms, cujhms, and manners. He advances to 
 the entrance of the fir aits, and furpris 'd at the behaviour of the Spar- 
 ta ns demands the reafon of it from Demaratus-, which occafions a 
 converfation between them on the mercenary forces of Perfia, and the 
 militia of Greece. Demaratus weeping at the fight of his country- 
 men, is comforted by Hyper ant hes. Xerxes fill incredulous commands 
 Tigranes and Phraortes to bring the Grecians bound before him the 
 next day, and retires to his pavilion, 
 
 NOW
 
 7 i, LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 N 
 
 O W had Tigranes, and Phraortes gain'd 
 The fplendid tent of Xerxes. Him they found 
 
 Begirt with princes, and illuftrious chiefs, 
 
 The potentates of Alia. Near his fide 
 
 His valiant brothers flood, Abrocomes, 5 
 
 And Hyperanthes, then Pharnuchus brave, 
 
 Pandates, Intaphernes, might}' lords, 
 
 And numbers more in purple fplendour clad, 
 
 With homage all attending round the throne, 
 
 Whofe gorgeous feat erected high upbore *o 
 
 Their regal mailer. He above their heads 
 
 Look'd down imperious. So the flately tow'r 
 
 Of Bclu s, mingling its maieflick front 
 
 With heav n's bright azure, from on high furvey'd 
 
 The huge extent of Babylon, with . 15 
 
 Its fumptuous domes and palaces beneath*. 
 
 That
 
 Book III. LE ONI DAS. 7 
 
 -i 
 
 That day the monarch deem'd to enter Greece, 
 
 And hide her fields with war; but firft ordains, 
 
 That grateful hymns mould celebrate the name 
 
 Of Oromafdes : {o the Perflans call'd 20 
 
 The world's great author. By the king's decree 
 
 The Magi flood before th' unfolded tent. 
 
 Fire blaz'd befide them. Tow'rds the facred flame 
 
 They turn'd, and fent their tuneful praife to heav'n. 
 
 FroiM Zoroaftres was the fong deriv'd, 2$ 
 
 Who on the hills of Perfia from his cave 
 With flow'rs incircled, and with murm'ring founts^ 
 That chear'd the folemn manfion, had reveal'd, 
 How Oromafdes, radiant fource of good, 
 Original, immortal fram'd the globe 30 
 
 W T ith all its varied beauty: how with liars 
 By him the heav'ns were fpangled : how the fun, 
 
 L Refulgent
 
 74 LEONIDAS. Book III. 
 
 Refulgent Mithra, pureft fpring of light, 
 
 And genial warmth, whence fruitful Nature fmiles, 
 
 Burft from the eaft at his creating voice ; 3 5 
 
 When ftreight beyond the golden verge of day 
 
 Nicmt Qiew'd the honours of her diftant reign, 
 
 Whence black, and hateful Arimanius fprung, 
 
 The author foul of evil : he with fhades 
 
 From his dire manfion veil'd the earth and skies, 40 
 
 Or to deftru&ion chang'd the folar beam, 
 
 When parching fields deny the foodful grain, 
 
 And from their channels fly th' exhaling ftreams, 
 
 Whence peftilence, and famine: how the povv'r 
 
 Of Oromafdes in the human breaft 45 
 
 Benevolence, and equity infus'd, 
 
 Truth, temperance, and wifdom fprung from heav'n;. 
 
 When Arimanius blackend all the foul 
 
 With falfhood, and injuftice, with dcfires 
 
 Infatiable* 

 
 Book III. L E O N I D A S. 75 
 
 Infatiable, with violence, and rage, 50 
 
 Malignity, and folly. If the hand 
 
 Of Oromafdes on precarious life 
 
 Shed wealth, and pleafure, foon th' infernal God 
 
 With wild excefs, or av'rice blafts the joy. 
 
 Thou, Oromafdes, victory do/l give. 55 
 
 By thee with fame the regal head is crown'd. 
 
 Great Xerxes owns thy fuccour. When with ftorms 
 
 The hate of direful Arimanius fwell'd 
 
 The Hellefpont, thou o'er the angry furge 
 
 The deftind mafter of the world didft lead, 60 
 
 This day his promis'd glories to enjoy, 
 
 When Greece affrighted to his arm fhall bend; 
 
 Ev'n as at laft fhall Arimanius fall 
 
 Before thy might, and evil be no more. 
 
 The Magi ceas'd their harmony ; when now 65 
 
 L 2 Before
 
 7 6 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 " » Before the king with adoration bow'd 
 Tigranes and Phraortes. Prone they lay, 
 And o'er their foreheads fpread their abject hands, 
 As from a prefent deity too bright 
 
 For mortal virion to conceal their eyes. 7 a 
 
 At length in humble phjafe Tigranes thus. 
 
 O Xerxes, live for ever! Gracious lord! 
 Who doit permit thy fervants to approach 
 Thy awful light, and proftrate thus to own 
 Thy majefty and greatnefs. May the pow'r j$ 
 
 Of Oromafdes ftretch thy fcepter'd arm 
 O'er all the nations from the Indian fhores 3 
 Ev'n to the waters of the weftern main, 
 From northern Tanais to the fource of Nile ! 
 And ftill from thee may Arimanius turn 80 
 
 Agiiinft thy foes his malice to mankind! 
 
 By
 
 Book lit LEONIDAS. 77 
 
 By him, ev'n now with frenzy fmote, the Greeks 
 Reject thy proffered clemency. The morn 
 Shall fee them bleed the victims of thy wrath* 
 
 Here, to his brothers turning, Xerxes fpake. 8$ 
 
 Say, Hyperanthes? Does thy foul believe 
 Thefe tydings ? Sure thefe flaves have never dar'd 
 To face the Grecians, but delude our ear 
 With bafe impoftures, which their fears fuggeft. 
 
 To him this an fwer Hyperanthes forni'd. 9,0 
 
 from his fervants may the king avert 
 His indignation! Greece was fam'd of old 
 For martial virtue, and intrepid fons : 
 
 1 have effay'd their valour, and with mc 
 Abrocomes can witnefs. When our fire 9 5 
 The great Darius to. tlf Athenian more 
 
 With
 
 7 8 
 
 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 With Artaphernes, and with Datis fent 
 
 Our tender youth; at Marathon we found, 
 
 How vain the hopes, that numbers fhould difmay 
 
 A foe refolv'd on victory, or death. ioo ■ 
 
 Yet not as one contemptible, or bafe 
 
 Let me appear before thee : though the Greeks 
 
 With fuch unconquer'd fpirits be indu'd, 
 
 Soon as the king mail fummon me to war, 
 
 He mail behold me in the dang'rous van 105 
 
 Exalt my fpear, and pierce the hoftile ranks, 
 
 Or fink before them. Xerxes then return'd ; 
 
 Why over Afia, and the Libyan foil, 
 With all their nations does my potent arm 
 Extend its fcepter ■? Wherefore do I fweep no 
 
 Acrofs the globe with millions in my train? 
 Why fhade the Ocean with unnumber'd fails? 
 
 2 Whence 
 
 »
 
 Book III. LEO N I DAS. 
 
 79 
 
 Whence all this pow'r, unlefs th' eternal will 
 
 Had doom'd to giv r e one matter to the world, 
 
 And that the earth's extremity alone 115 
 
 Should bound my empire? He for this reduced 
 
 Revolted ^Egypt, and inlarg'd my fway 
 
 With fandy Libya, and the fultry clime 
 
 Of ^Ethiopia. He for this fubdu'd 
 
 The Hellefpontic rage, and taught the fea 120 
 
 Obedience to my pow'r. Then ceafe to think,. 
 
 That heav'n deferting now the caufe of kings 
 
 Thofe defpicable Grecians will infpire 
 
 With courage more than human, and expunge 
 
 The common fears of nature from their breafts. 125 
 
 He ceas'd, when thus Abrocomes began. 
 
 The king commands us to reveal our hearts:. 
 Then may die fun to lightning change his beams
 
 So LEON IDAS. Book III. 
 
 And bluft my head with ruin; may the king 
 
 Look on his fervant with a loathing eye, 130 
 
 If what I here affirm be falfe, or vain, 
 
 That yonder Grecians will oppofe our courfe. 
 
 The king arofe. No more: prepare my Car; 
 The Spartan exile Demaratus call : 
 We will our felv.es advance and view the foe. 135 
 
 The monarch wili'd; and fuddenly he hears 
 His trampling horfes. High on filver wheels 
 The iv'ry car with azure fapphirs fhone, 
 Caerulean beryls, and the jafper green, 
 The emerald, the ruby's glowing blufh, 140 
 
 The flaming topaz with its golden beam, 
 The pearl, th' impurpled amathyft, and all 
 The various gems, which India's mines afford 
 To deck the pomp of kings. In burnifh'd gold
 
 Book III. L&ONIDAS. 8r 
 
 A fculptur'd eagle from behind difplays 14c 
 
 Its ftately neck, and o'er the monarch's head 
 
 Extends its dazzling wings. Eight gen'rous fteeds, 
 
 Which on the fam'd Nyfaean plain were nurs'd 
 
 In wintry Media, drew the radiant car. 
 
 Not thofe of old to Hercules refus'd 150 
 
 By falfe Laomedon, nor they, which bore 
 
 The fon of Thetis through the fcatter'd rear 
 
 Of Troy's devoted race, might thefe furpafs 
 
 In ftrength, or beauty. With obedient pride 
 
 They heard their lord : exulting in the air 1^ 
 
 They tofs'd their foreheads, while the filver manes 
 
 Smote on their glitt'ring necks. The king afcends : 
 
 Befide his footftool Demaratus fat. 
 
 The charioteer now (hakes the golden reins, 
 
 Bold Patiramphes. At the iignal bound 160 
 
 Th' attentive fteeds ; the chariot flew ; behind 
 
 M Ten
 
 82 LEO NI DAS. Book III. 
 
 Ten thou&nd horfe in thunder fwept the field. 
 
 The eaftern bands (fo Xerxes had ordain'd) 
 
 Between the lea- beat margin, and the camp 
 
 All wait imbattled, all prepar'd to pafs 165 
 
 Thermopylae. To thefe with rapid wheels 
 
 Th' imperial car proceeds. Th' approaching king 
 
 Soon through the wide battalions is proclaim'd.. 
 
 He now draws nigh. Th' innumerable hoft 
 
 Roll back by nations, and admit their lord 170 
 
 With all his fatraps. From his cryftal dome 
 
 Rais'd on the bottom of the watry world 
 
 Thus when the potent *uler of the floods 
 
 With each caerulean deity afcends, 
 
 Thron'd on his pearly chariot ; all the deep 175. 
 
 Divides its bofom to th' emerging God. 
 
 So Xerxes rode between the Afian world 
 
 On either fide receding; when, as down 
 
 Th' immea-
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS. 83 
 
 TrT immeafurable ranks his fight was loft, 
 A momentary gloom o'ercaft his mind, t So 
 
 While this reflection fill'd his eyes with tears : 
 That foon, as Time an hundred years had told, 
 Not one of all thofe thoufands mould furvive. 
 Whence to obfcure thy pride arofe that cloud ? 
 Was it, that once humanity could touch 185 
 
 A tyrant's breaft? or rather did thy foul 
 Repine, O Xerxes, at the bitter thought, 
 That all thy pow'r was mortal ? But the veil 
 Of fadneis foon forfook his brightning eyes, 
 As with adoring homage millions bow'd, 190 
 
 And to his heart relentlefs pride recall'd. 
 Elate the mingled profped: he furveys 
 Of glitt'ring files unnumber'd, chariots fcyth'd 
 On thund'ring axles roll'd with haughty fteeds 
 In fumptuous trappings clad (Barbaric pomp) 195 
 
 M 2 Which
 
 g 4 LEONIDA S. Book HE 
 
 Which tore with ipurning hoofs the fandy beach ; 
 
 While ev'ry banner to the fun expands 
 
 Its gorgeous folds, that beam'd with gold, with fhields r 
 
 Tiaras, helms environd, and with fpears 
 
 In number equal to the bladed grafs, 200 
 
 Whofe living green in vernal beauty cloaths 
 
 Theffalia's vale. What pow'rs of founding verfe. 
 
 Can to the mind prefent th' amazing fcene ? 
 
 Not thee, whom Rumour's fabling voice delights, 
 
 Poetic Fancy, to my aid I call; 205 
 
 But thou, hiftoric Truth, fupport my fong, 
 
 Which fhall the various multitude difplay, 
 
 Their arms, their manners, and their native feats. 
 
 The Periians firft in fcaly corfelets fhone : 
 With colours varying on the gorgeous ileevesy 210) 
 
 ,\ gen'rous nation* From their infant age
 
 Book IK. LEON I DAS; g 5 
 
 Their tongues were praclic'd in the love of truth, 
 
 Their limbs inur'd to ev'ry manly toil, 
 
 To brace the bow, to rule th' impetuous fteed, 
 
 And dart the javelin ; worthy to enjoy 21 c 
 
 The liberty, their injur'd fathers loft, 
 
 Whofe arms for Cyrus overturn'd the ftrength; 
 
 Of Babylon and Sardis, and advane'd 
 
 The viclors head above his country's laws; 
 
 Such were the Perflans ; but untaught to form 220^ 
 
 The ranks of battle, with unequal force 
 
 Againft the phalanx of the Greeks they flood, 
 
 And to the maffy fhield, and weighty fpear 
 
 A target light, and flender lance oppos'd, 
 
 On ev'ry head tiaras rofe, like tow'rs, 22 r 
 
 Impenetrable. All with burnifh'd gold 
 
 Blaz'd their gay fandals, and the floating reins 
 
 Of each proud courfer. Daggers from their thighs^ 
 
 .ilk*-
 
 86 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 A well-ftor'd quiver from their moulders hung, 
 
 And ftrongeft bows of mighty fize they bore. 230 
 
 Next, with refembling arms the Medes are feen, 
 
 The Ciffians, and Hyrcanians. Media once 
 
 From her bleak mountains aw'd the fubject Eaft. 
 
 Her kings in cold Ecbatana were thron'd. 
 
 The Ciffians march'd from Sufa's regal walls, 835 
 
 From fultry fields o'erfpread with branching palms, 
 
 And white with lillies, water'd by the tides 
 
 Of fam'd Choafpes, whofe tranfparent waves 
 
 The golden goblet wafts to Perfia's kings. 
 
 No other ftream the royal lip bedews. 240 
 
 Hyrcania's race forfook their fruitful clime 
 
 Dark with the verdure of expanding oaks, 
 
 To Ceres dear and Bacchus. There the corn 
 
 Bent by its golden burthen fheds unreap'd 
 
 Its plenteous feed impregnating the foil
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS, 8 7 
 
 With future harvefts; while the bees reflde 
 
 Among th' intwining branches of the groves. 
 
 Where with their labours they enrich the leaves, 
 
 Which flow with fweetnefs. Next, Aflyria's fons 
 
 Their brazen helms difplay, th'unskilful work 250 
 
 Of rude Barbarians. Thick-wove flax defends 
 
 Their cheft and loins. A buckler guards their arm. 
 
 Girt with a falchion each a mace fuftains 
 
 O'erlaid with iron. On Euphrates' banks 
 
 In Babylon's flupendous walls they dwell, 255 
 
 And o'er the plains, where once with mightier tow'rs 
 
 Old Ninus rear'd its head, th' imperial feat 
 
 Of eldeft tyrants. Thefe Chaldasa joins, 
 
 The land of fhepherds. On the paftures wide 
 
 There Belus firfl: difcern'd the various courfe 260 
 
 Of heav'n's bright planets, and the cluft'ring ftars 
 
 With names diftinguifh'd, whence himfelf was deem'd 
 
 o The
 
 88 L E O N I D A S. Book III. 
 
 The chief of Gods. His hcav'n-afcending fane 
 
 In Babylon the proud AfYyrians rais'd. 
 
 Drawn from the fertile foil, which Ochus laves, 265 
 
 The Bactrians flood, like Perfia's bands attir'd, 
 
 Thougli lefs their javelins, and their bows of cane-; 
 
 The Paricanians next all rough with hides 
 
 Of fhaggy goats, with bows and daggers arm'd. 
 
 Alike in horrid garb the Cafpian train 270 
 
 From barren mountains, and the dreary coaft, 
 
 Winch bounds the ftormy lake, that bears their name, 
 
 With cany bows, and fcymetars were led. 
 
 The Indians then a threefold band appear d. 
 
 Part guide the horfe, and part the rapid car; 275 
 
 The reft on foot within the hending cane 
 
 For Slaughter held their iron-pointed reeds. 
 
 Thefe o'er the Indus from the diftant floods 
 
 Of Ganges pafs'd, and left a region Iov'd 
 
 2 By
 
 Book III. LEONIDAS. 89 
 
 By lavish Nature. There the plenteous year 280 
 
 Twice crown'd with harvefts fmiles. The honey 'd fhrub,, 
 The cinnamon, and fpikenard blefs their fields. 
 Array 'd in native wealth the warriours fhone. 
 Their ears were grae'd with pendants, and their hands 
 Incircled wore a bracelet ftarr'd with gems. 285 
 
 Thefe were the nations, who to Xerxes fent 
 Their mingled aids of infantry and horfe. 
 
 Now, Mufe, recount what numbers yet untold 
 On foot obfeur'd the furface of the more; 
 Or who in chariots, or on camels beat 290 
 
 The loofen'd fand. The Parthians firft advance, 
 Then weak in numbers o'er the Malian ftrand 
 Far from their lonely vales, and woody hills, 
 Not yet renown'd for warlike fteeds, they trod. 
 With them the Sogdians, Dadices arrang'd, 295 
 
 N Gandarians,
 
 9 o L E O N I D A S. Book III. 
 
 Gandarians, and Chorafmians, all attir'd f 
 
 Like Badlria's fons. To thefe the Saces join. 
 
 From cold Imaiis drawn, from Oxus' waves, 
 
 And Cyra built on Iaxartes' brink, 
 
 The bound of Perfia's Empire. Wild, untam'd, 300 
 
 And prone to rage, their defarts they forfook. 
 
 A bow, a falchion, and a pond'rous ax 
 
 The favage legions arm'd. A pointed cask 
 
 O'er each grim vifage rear'd its iron cone. 
 
 In arms, like Perfians, the Saranges flood. 305 
 
 High as the knee their buskins ftretch'd, and clung 
 
 Around their ham. With glowing colours dy'd 
 
 Gay fhone their varied garments. Next are feen 
 
 The Pa&yan, Mycian, and the Utian train 
 
 In skins of goats, all horrid. Bows they wield 310 
 
 Of fpringy reed, with poynards at their fides. 
 
 With fpotted hides of leopards all array 'd, 
 
 Or
 
 Book III. LEONIDAS. 91 
 
 Or with the ipoil from tawny lions torn, 
 In graceful range the ^Ethiopians ftand 
 Of equal ftature, and a beauteous frame ; 315 
 
 Though fcorching Phoebus had imbrown'd their face, 
 And curFd their crifped locks. In ancient fong 
 Renown'd for juftice, riches they difdain'd, 
 As foes to virtue. From their feat remote 
 On Nilus' verge above th' ^Egyptian bound, 320 
 
 Forc'd by their kings' malignity and pride 
 Thefe friends of hofpitality and peace, 
 Themfelves uninjur'd, wag'd reluctant war 
 Againft a land, whofe climate, and whofe name 
 To them were ftrange. With hardeft ftone they point 
 The rapid arrow. Bows of hideous length, 326 
 
 Torm'd with th'elaftic branches of the palm, 
 They bore, and lances arm'd with horns of goats, 
 And maces ftrong with iron. Now, O Mufe, 
 
 N 2 Recite
 
 p2 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 Recite the nations, who in helmets fram'd 330 
 
 Of various parts, and clofe-conne&ed joints, 
 With darts, and poynards, fhields, and lances weak, 
 A feeble train, attend their tyrant's will, 
 All vidtims deftin'd to imbrue with gore 
 The Grecian fpears ; the Paphlagonians firfl: 335 
 
 From where Carambis with projected brows 
 O'erlooks the dusky Euxine wrapt in mills, 
 And where through flow'rs, that paint its various banks, 
 Parthenius flows; the Mariandynians next, 
 The Matienian, and the Ligyan bands, 3 40 
 
 With them the Syrian multitudes, who dwell 
 Near Daphne's grove, who cultivate the glebe 
 Wide-water'd by Orontes, who along 
 Th' extended ridge of Libanus are nurs'd 
 Among the cedars, or with foodful dates 345 
 
 Pluckt from the palms, whofe fruitage grac'd the plains 
 
 Around
 
 Book III. LEONIDAS. 93 
 
 Around Damafcus: all, who bear the name 
 
 Of Cappadocians, fwell the Syrian hoft, 
 
 With thofe who gather from the fragrant fhrub 
 
 The aromatic balfam, and extract 350 
 
 Its milky juice along the lovely fide 
 
 Of winding Jordan, till immers'd it fleep 
 
 Beneath the pitchy furface, which obfcures 
 
 Th' Afphaltic lake. The Phrygians then advance. 
 
 To them their ancient colony is join'd, 3 55 
 
 Th' Armenian bands. Thefe fee the burfting fprings 
 
 Of ftrong Euphrates cleave the yielding earth, 
 
 And wide in lakes expanding hide the plain. 
 
 Thence with collected waters fierce and deep 
 
 Its paffage rending through diminifh'd rocks 360 
 
 To Babylon it foams. Not fo the wave 
 
 Of foft Araxes to the Cafpian glides. 
 
 But ftealing imperceptibly it laves 
 
 The
 
 94 LEON IDAS. Book III. 
 
 The fruitful herbage of Armenia's meads. 
 Next, ftrange to view, in fimilar attire, 365 
 
 Though far unlike in manners to the Greeks, 
 Appear the Lydians. Wantonnefs and fport 
 Were all their care. Befide Cayfters ftream, 
 Or fmooth Maeander winding filent by, 
 Or near Paclolus' wave among the vines 370 
 
 Of Tmolus riling, or the wealthy tide 
 Of golden-fanded Hermus they allure 
 The fight enchanted with the graceful dance, 
 Or with melodious fweetnefs charm the air, 
 And melt to fofteft languifhment the foul. 375 
 
 What to the battle's danger could incite 
 Thefe tender fons of luxury? The lafh 
 Of their ftern monarch urg'd their fhiv'ring limbs 
 Through all the tempers, which enrag'd the main, 
 And fhook beneath their trembling fteps the pile, 380 
 
 That
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS. 9S 
 
 That join'd the Afian and the weftern worlds. 
 
 To thefe Maeonia hot with lulph'rous mines 
 
 Unites her troops. No tree adorns their fields 
 
 Unblefs'd with verdure, and with afhes ftrewn. 
 
 Black are the rocks, and evry hill deform'd 385 
 
 With conflagration. Helmets prefad their brows. 
 
 Two darts they brandifh'd. Round their woolly veft 
 
 A fword was girt, and hairy hides compos'd 
 
 Their bucklers round and light. The Myfians left 
 
 Olympus wood-envelop'd, and the foil 3 go 
 
 Wafh'd by Caicus, and the baneful tide 
 
 OfLycus, nurfe of ferpents, Targets, helms, 
 
 And wooden javelins hardend in the flames 
 
 They bore. By thefe, imbattled next are feen 
 
 An ancient nation, who in early times, 395 
 
 By Trojan arms affail'd, their native land 
 
 Efteem'd lefs dear than freedom, and exchang'd 
 
 Their
 
 9 6 LEONIDA S. Book III. 
 
 Their feat on Strymon, where in Thrace it pours 
 
 Its freezing current, for the diftant fhores 
 
 Of hfhy Sangar. Thefe Bithynians nam'd 400 
 
 Their habitations to the facred feet 
 
 Of Dindymus extend. Yet there they groan d 
 
 Beneath oppreffion, and their freedom mourn'd 
 
 On Sangar now, as once on Strymon loft. 
 
 The ruddy skins of foxes form'd their cask ; 405 
 
 Their ftiields were fafhion'd like the horned moon ; 
 
 A dart, and flender poynard arm'd their hands; 
 
 A veft embrac'd their bodies, while abroad 
 
 Ting'd with unnumber'd hues a mantle flow'd. 
 
 But other Thracians, who their former name 410 
 
 Retain'd in Alia, flood with mining helms, 
 
 The horns of bulls in imitating brafs 
 
 Adorn'd the lofty creft. Phoenician cloth 
 
 Their legs infolds, with brighter!: purple ftain'd ; 
 
 1 And
 
 Book III. LEON IDAS. 97 
 
 And through the foreft wont to chafe the boar, 415 
 
 A hunter's fpear they .grafp. What nations ftill 
 
 On either fide of Xerxes, while he pafs'd, 
 
 Prefent their huge array, and fwell his foul 
 
 With more than mortal pride ? The num'rous train 
 
 Of Mofchians and Macronians now fucceed, 420 
 
 And Mofyncecians, who, with berries fed, 
 
 In wooden tow'rs along the Pontic fhore 
 
 Repofe their painted limbs ; the mirthful race 
 
 Of Tibarenians next, whofe wanton minds 
 
 Delight in fport, and laughter: all in casks 425 
 
 Of wood, with fhields, and lances fmall, whofe points 
 
 Beyond proportion lengthen. Then approach, 
 
 In- garments o'er their fpacious bofom clafp'd, 
 
 And part with javelins, part with Lycian bows, 
 
 A people deftin'd in eternal verfe, 430 
 
 Ev'n thine, fublime Maeonides, to live* 
 
 O Thefe
 
 9 8 LEONIDAS. Book III. 
 
 Thefe are the Milyans, Solymi their name 
 In thy celeftiai {trains, Pifidias hills 
 Their dwelling. Once a formidable train,. 
 They fac d the great Bellerophon in war, 44a 
 
 Now doonfd a more tremendous foe to meet, 
 Themfelves unnerv'd with bondage, and to leave 
 Their putrid bddies for the dogs of Greece.. 
 Next are the Marian legions furnifti'd all 
 With fhields of skins, with darts, and helmets wove 44.5 
 Of ftrongeft texture. Aria's hoft protend 
 The Ba&rian lance, and brace the Perfian bo\v, : 
 Drawn from a region horrid all with thorn, 
 One hideous wafte of fands, whkh mock the toil 
 Of patient culture; fave one favour'd fpot,. 450 
 
 Which, like an ifle, emerges from the wild, 
 la verdure clad, and interfpers'd with vines, 
 Whofe gen'rous cluftars. yield a juke,, that fcoras # 
 
 The
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS. 
 
 99 
 
 The injuries of Time. Yet Nature's hand 
 Had fown their rocks with coral, and enrich'd 455 
 
 Their defer t hills with veins of fapphirs blue, 
 And thofe, whofe azure fparks of gold adorn. 
 Thefe from the turbant flame. On ev'ry neck 
 The coral blufhes through the num'rous throng. 
 The Allarodians, and Safperian bands 460 
 
 Were arm'd with poniards, like the Cholchian hoft; 
 Their heads were guarded with a helm of wood. 
 Short were their fpears, of hides undrefs'd their fhields. 
 The Cholchians march'd from Phafis, and the mores, 
 Where once Medea fair enchantrefs flood, 465 
 
 And wondring view'd the firfl: advent'rous bark, 
 Tttat ftem'd the Pontic foam. From Argo's fide 
 The demigods defcended, and repair'd 
 To her fell fire's inhofpitable walls. 
 His blooming graces Jafbn there difplay'd. 470 
 
 O 2 With
 
 roo LEONIDAS. Book HI. 
 
 With ev'ry art of eloquence divine 
 
 He claim'd the golden fleece. The virgin heard, 
 
 She saz'd with fatal ravifhment, and lov'd. 
 
 Then to the hero fhe refigns her heart ; 
 
 Her magic tames the brazen- footed bulls; 475 
 
 She lulls the fleeplefs dragon, and to Greece 
 
 With faithlefs Jafon wafts the radiant prize. 
 
 The Cholchians then purfu'd their fteps with war, 
 
 And now with antient enmity inflani d, 
 
 Or elfe compell'd by Xerxes to recal 480 
 
 The long- forgotten wrong, they menace Greece 
 
 With defolation. Next in Periian guife 
 
 A croud advane'd, who left the various ifles 
 
 In Perfia's gulph, and round Arabia known. 
 
 Some in their native topaz were adorn'd, 485 
 
 From Ophiodes, and Topazos fprung - y 
 
 And fome with fhells of tortoifes, which brood 
 
 Around
 
 Book III. LEO NI DAS. 
 
 101 
 
 Around Cafitis' verge. To them were joind 
 
 Thofe, who refide, where Erythras intomb'd 
 
 Lies all befet with palms, a pow'rful king, ±g Q 
 
 Who nam'd of old the Erythraean main. 
 
 The Lybians next are plac'd. In chariots fcyth'd 
 
 They fat terrific, cloath'd in skins, with darts 
 
 Of wood well-temper'd in the hardning flames. 
 
 Not Libya's deferts from tyrannic fway 4.0 <- 
 
 Could hide her fons ; much lefs could freedom dwell 
 
 Amid the plenty of Arabia's fields : 
 
 Where fpicy caffia, and the fragrant reed, 
 
 And myrrh, and hallow'd frankincenfe perfume 
 
 The zephir's wing, A bow of largefl fize 500 
 
 Th' Arabians wield, and o'er their lucid veft 
 
 Loofe floats a mantle on their fhoulder clafp'd. 
 
 Of thefe two myriads on the lofty back 
 
 Of camek rode, that match'd the fwifteft horfe. 
 
 1 Such
 
 102 
 
 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 Such were the numbers, which from Afia led 505 
 Bow'd down with low proftration to the wheels 
 Of Xerxes' chariot. Yet what legions more 
 Expand their mighty range? What banners ftill 
 The Malian fands o'erfhadow? Forward rolls 
 The regal car through nations, which in arms, 510* 
 
 And order'd ranks unlike the eaftern throng 
 Upheld the fpear and buckler. Yet untaught 
 To bend the fervile knee ereft they flood; 
 Unlefs that mourning o'er the fhameful weight 
 Of their new bondage fome their brows deprefs'd, 5*5 
 And ftain'd their asms with forrow. Europe's race 
 Were thefe, whom Xerxes by reiiftlefs force 
 Had gather'd to his ftandards. Murm'ring here 
 The fons of Thrace, and Macedonia flood, 
 Here on his fteed the brave Theffalian frown'd. 520 
 
 3 There
 
 Booklir. LEON I DAS. 103 
 
 There pin'd reluctant multitudes, who bore 
 The name of Greeks, and peopled all the coaft 
 Between Byzantium, and the Malian bap 
 
 # 
 Through all the numbers, which ador'd his pride, 
 Or fear'd his pow'r, the monarch now was pafs'd ; 5 25 
 Nor yet among thofe myriads could be found 
 One, who with Xerxes' felf in tow'ring fize, 
 Or beauteous features might compare, O wretch! 
 Pofiefs'd of all, but virtue; doom'd to fhew, 
 How mean without her is unbounded pow'r, 530 
 
 The charm of beauty, and the blaze of ftate, 
 How iniecure of happinefs, how vain. 
 Thou, who couldft mourn the common lot, which heav'n 
 From none withholds; which oft to thoufands proves 
 Their only refuge from a tyrant's rage ; 53 5 
 
 And which by pining flcknels, age ? or pain
 
 j 04 L E O N I D A S. Book III. 
 
 Becomes at laft a foothing hope to all ; 
 
 Thou, who couldfk weep, that Nature's gentle hand 
 
 Should lay her wearied offspring in the tomb, 
 
 Yet couldft remorfelefs from their peaceful feats 5 40 
 
 Lead half the nations in a clime unknown 
 
 To fall the victims of thy ruthlefs pride ; 
 
 What didft thou merit from the injur'd world ? 
 
 What fufFrings to compenfate for the tears 
 
 Of Aria's mothers, for unpeopled realms, 54.5 
 
 And all this wafte of nature ? On his hoft 
 
 The king exulting bends his haughty fight, 
 
 When thus to Demaratus he began. 
 
 Now Demaratus to thy foul recal 
 My father great Darius, who received 550 
 
 Thy wandring fteps expell'd their native home. 
 Ill would it then become thee to beguile 
 
 ; 
 
 Thy
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS. 105 
 
 Thy benefa&ors, and the truth difguife, 
 
 Look back on all thofe thoufands, and declare, . 
 
 If yonder Grecians will oppofe their march. 555 
 
 The exile anfwer'd. Deem not mighty lord, 
 I will deceive thy goodnefs by a tale 
 Forg'd for their glory, whofe deluded minds 
 Perverfely hearkened to the fland'rer's tongue ; 
 Who forc'd me with unmerited difgrace 560 
 
 To tread the paths of banifhment and woe. 
 Nor be the king offended, while I fpeak 
 The words of truth. The Spartans never fly. 
 
 Here with contemptuous fmiles the king returned. 
 
 Wilt thou, who once wert Lacedaemon's chief, 565 
 
 Encounter twenty Perfians ? Yet thofe Greeks 
 
 With greater difproportion muft confront 
 
 Our hoft to-morrow. Demaratus thus. 
 
 P By
 
 io6 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 B y fingle combat were the tryal vain, 
 And vainer ftill by my unworthy fvvord, 570 
 
 To prove the merit of united force, 
 Which oft by military skill furmounts 
 The ftrength of numbers. Nor in fields of war 
 The Greeks excel by difcipline alone, 
 But from their manners. Grant thy ear, O king, 575 
 The diff'rence learn of Grecian bands, and thine. 
 The flow'r, the bulwark of thy powerful hofr. 
 Are mercenaries. Thefe are canton'd round 
 Thy provinces. No fertile field demands 
 Their painful hand to turn the fallow glebe. 580 
 
 Them to the noon-day toil no harveft calls. 
 , The ftubborn oak along the mountains brow 
 Sinks not beneath their ftroke. With careful eyes 
 Thev mark not how the flocks, or heifers feed. 
 
 To
 
 Book III. LEONIDAS. io 7 
 
 To them of wealth, and all poffeffions void 585 
 
 The name of country with an empty found 
 
 Flies o'er the ear, nor warms their joylefs hearts, 
 
 Who fhare no country. Needy, yet with fcorn 
 
 Reje&ing labour, wretched by their wants, 
 
 Yet profligate through indolence, with limbs 590 
 
 Soft and enervate, and with minds corrupt ; 
 
 From mifery, debauchery, and floth 
 
 Are thefe to battle drawn againft a foe 
 
 Inur'd to hardfliip, and the child of toil, 
 
 Wont through the freezing fhow'r, and wintry florm 595 
 
 O'er his own glebe the tardy ox to goad ; 
 
 Or in the fun's impetuous heat to glow 
 
 Beneath the burthen of the yellow fheaves: 
 
 Whence on himfelf, on her, whofe faithful arms 
 
 Infold him joyful, and a num'rous race, 600- 
 
 p 2 Which 
 
 4
 
 I0 8 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 Which glads his dwelling, plenty he beftows 
 With independence; and when call'd to war 
 
 For thefe his deareft comfort, and his care, 
 
 And for the harveft promis'd to his toil, 
 
 He lifts the fhield, nor fhuns unequal force. 605 
 
 Such are the pow'rs of ev'ry ftate in Greece 
 
 One only breeds a race more warlike ftill, 
 
 Ev'n thofe, who now defend that rocky pafs, 
 
 The fons of Lacedaemon. They untaught 
 
 To break the glebe, or bind the golden {heaves, 610 
 
 To far feverer labours are inur'd. 
 
 Alone for war, their fole delight, and care. 
 
 From infancy to manhood, are they form'd 
 
 To want, and danger, to th' unwholefome ground, 
 
 To winter watches, and inclement skies, 615 
 
 To plunge through torrents, brave the tusky boar, 
 
 .t 
 To arms, and wounds; an exercife of pain 
 
 So
 
 Book III. LEONIDAS. 109 
 
 So fierce and conftant, that to them a camp 
 
 With all its hardships is the feat of reft, 
 
 And war itfelf remiilion from their toils. 620 
 
 Thy words are folly, fcornful here replied 
 The Perfian monarch. Does not freedom dwell 
 Among the Grecians ? Therefore will they fhun 
 Superiour foes, for whofbe'er is free 
 Will fly from danger; while the Perfians know, 625 
 If from th' allotted ftation they retreat, 
 The fcourge awaits them, and my heavy wrath, 
 
 Conceive not, Xerxes, Sparta's chief retnrn'd, 
 The Grecians want an object, where to fix 
 Their eyes with revVence, and obedient dread. 630 
 
 To them more aweful than the name of king 
 To Afia's trembling millions is the law, 
 
 Whofe
 
 no LEON IDAS. Book I M. 
 
 Whofe facrcd voice injoins them Co confront 
 Unnumber'd foes, to vanquifh, or to die. 
 
 In lilence now the baniuYd king remaind. 635 
 
 While near the ftraits the chariot rolFd ; it chane'd, 
 The Spartans then were ftation'd out on guard. 
 Thefe in gymnaftic exercife employ'd, 
 Nor heed the monarch, nor his gaudy train ; 
 But tofs'd the fpear, and whirl'd the rapid dart, 640 
 
 Or met with adverfe fhields in Tingle war, 
 Or trooping fwiftly runYd on ev'ry fide 
 With ranks unbroken, and with equal feet : 
 While others calm beneath their polinYd helms 
 Drew down their hair, which - hung in fable curls, 645 
 And fpread their necks with terrour. Xerxes here 
 The exile queftions. What clo thefe intend, 
 Who thus with careful hands adjuft their hair? 
 
 To
 
 Book III. LEON I DAS. in 
 
 To whom the Spartan. O imperiallord. 
 Such is their cuftom, to adorn their heads, 650 
 
 When with determined valour they prefent 
 Their dauntlefs breads before the jaws of death. 
 Bring down thy myriads all in glitt'ring fteel, 
 Arm, if thou canft, the gen'ral race of man ; 
 All, who poffefs the regions unexplor'd 6.55 
 
 Eeyond the Ganges, all, whofe wand'ring fteps 
 Behind the Cafpian range the Scythian wild, 
 With thofe, who drink the fecret fount of Nile 5 
 Yet to the breafts of Sparta's fons mail fear 
 Be ffill a Mxanger. Thus with fervour fpake 660 
 
 The exilH king, when gufhing from his eyes 
 Reii.ir.lefs grief o'erflow'd his cheek. Aficle 
 His head he tnrn'd, and wept in copious ftreams. 
 The fad remembrance of his former ftate > 
 
 His
 
 112 
 
 LEON I DAS. Book III. 
 
 His dignity, his greatnefs, and the fight 665 
 
 Of thofe brave ranks, which thus unfhaken flood, 
 
 And fpread amazement through the world in arms, 
 
 Excite thofe forrows. Oft with eager eyes 
 
 He views the godlike warriours, who beneath 
 
 His ftandard once victorious fought, who call'd 670 
 
 Him once their king and leader. Then again 
 
 His head he bows with anguim, and bedews 
 
 His breaft with tears ; in agony bemoans 
 
 His faded honours, his illuftrious name 
 
 Forgotten now, his majefty defil'd 675 
 
 With exile and dependence. So obfcur'd 
 
 By creeping ivy, and by fordid mofs 
 
 Some lordly palace, or ftupendous fane, 
 
 Magnificent in ruin ftands; where time 
 
 Wide- wafting from the nodding roof hath mow'd 680 
 
 The column down, and cleft the pond rous dome. 
 
 1 Not
 
 Book III. LEO NI DAS. 
 
 ri 3 
 
 Not unobferv'd by Hyperanthes mourn'd 
 Th' unhappy Spartan. Kindly to his own 
 Th' exile's hand he joins, and thus humane. 
 ODemaratus, this thy grief confirms-, 6 g 5 
 
 How well the Greeks deferve thy gen'rous praife, 
 
 Who ftill repining doft their lofs deplore, 
 
 Though cherifh'd here with univerfal love. 
 
 But O let indignation in thy breaft 
 
 Revive thy wrongs ! then blefs th' aufpicious fate, 690 
 
 Which led thee far from calumny and fraud 
 
 To fhare the favour of the higheft king. 
 
 As Demaratus with a grateful mind 
 Addrefs'd himfelf to anfwer, Perfia's king 
 Thus interrupted. Soon, as morning fhines, 695 
 
 Q. Do
 
 1 14 LEONIDAS. Book III. 
 
 Do thou Tigranes and Phraortes head 
 
 The Medes and Saces. Bring thofe Grecians bound 
 
 This faid. The monarch to his tent returad. 
 
 End of the 'Third Book. 
 
 LEONIDAS.
 
 IX S 
 
 LEONIDAS. 
 
 BOOK IV. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 Leonidas rifing by break of day commands a body of Arcadians, with 
 the The/pi ans y and Plataans to be drawn out for battle in that part 
 of Thermopylae, which lay under the Phocian wall, from whence he 
 harangues them. The enemy approaches. Diomedon kills Tigranes 
 in fingle combat. Both armies join battle. Dithyr ambus kills 
 Phraortes. The Perfians,. entirely defeated, are purfued with great 
 flaughter by Diomedon and Dithyr ambus to the extremity of the pafs t 
 The Grecian commanders after the purfuit retire for refrejhmenf 
 to a cave in the fide of mount Oeta. Leonidas recals them to the 
 camp, and fends down frejh forces. Diomedon, and Dithyrambus, 
 with 'the Plataans are permitted to continue in the field. By the advice 
 of Diomedon the Grecians advance to the broadejl partofThermc* 
 pyla, where they form a line of thirty in depth, conjijling of the 
 Platceans, Mantineam, Tegaans, Thebans, Corinthians, Phliafians, 
 and Mycenaans. The attack is renewed with great violence by Hy- 
 per anthes, Abrocomes, and the principal Perfian leaders at the head 
 of feme chofen troops. 
 
 0.2 LA CO-
 
 u6 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 L 
 
 ACONIA's leader with the morning rofe, 
 When thus to Alpheus. From Arcadia's bands 
 Seledta thoufand fpears. To thefe unite 
 The Thefpians and Platasans. Range their lines 
 Before the wall, which fortifies the pafs: 5 
 
 There clofe-imbodied will their might repulfe 
 The num'rous foe. Obedient to his will 
 Th' appointed legions ifTuing from their tents 
 With deepening ranks Leonidas inclofe. 
 So round their monarch in his ftormy cave 10 
 
 The winds affemble, from his fable throne 
 When iEolus fends forth his dread command 
 To fwell the main, or heav'n with clouds deform> 
 Or bend the foreft from the mountain's brow. 
 The chief of Sparta from the rampart's height 1 5 
 
 Thus to the fight the lift'ning hoft inflames. 
 
 This
 
 Book IV. LEON IDAS. n 7 
 
 This day, O Grecians, countrymen, and friends, 
 Your wives, your offspring, your paternal feats, 
 Your fathers, country, liberty, and laws 
 Have fent you hither, from your infant age . 20 
 
 Vers'd in the various difcipline of Mars, . 
 Laborious, active, virtuous, brave, and free, 
 To match your valour with ignoble foes 
 In war unskilful, nature's bafeft drofi, 
 The foes of all utility and worth, 25 
 
 And thence a monarch's mercenary flaves y 
 With fpirits broke by fervitude and want, 
 With limbs relax'd by floth,, and wanton eafe, 
 With minds debauch'd by vices, uninfpir'd 
 By all th'indearing cares in free-born hearts, 30 
 
 Who cold and drooping fight without a caufe, 
 To whom defeat is neither grief, nor ihame, 
 
 Who
 
 1 1 8 LEONIDAS. Book IV. 
 
 Who feck no fruit from victory, but fpoil. 
 
 Thefe are the flow'r of Afias hoft. The reft, 
 
 Who fill their boafred numbers, are a croud 35 
 
 Forc'd from their dwellings to the bloody field, 
 
 From whom till now with jealous care their lord 
 
 Has ftill withheld the inftruments of war. 
 
 Thefe are the people taught with patient grief 
 
 To bear the rapine, cruelty, and fpurns 40 
 
 Of Xerxes' mercenary bands, and pine 
 
 In fervitude to flaves. With terrour founds 
 
 The trumpet's clangor in their trembling ears. 
 
 Unwonted loads, the buckler and the lance 
 
 Their hands fuftain incumber'd, and prefent 45 
 
 The mockery of war But ev'ry eye 
 
 Flames with impatient ardour, and your breads 
 Too long their fwelling fpirit have confin'd. 
 Go then, ye fons of Liberty, and fw.eep 
 
 3 Thefe
 
 Book IV. LEOKIDAS. 119 
 
 Thefe bondmen from the field. Refiftlefs rend 5 o 
 
 The glitt'ring ftandard from their fervile hands. 
 
 Hurl to the ground their ignominious heads 
 
 The warriour's helm profaning. Think the (hades 
 
 Of your forefathers rear their facred brows 
 
 Here to enjoy the glory of their fans* 5 5 
 
 He fpafce. Loud Paeans burft from all the hoft. 
 With fierce reply unnumber'd mouts afcend 
 From hoftile nations thronging down the pafs. 
 Such is the roar of JEtna, when her mouth 
 Difplodes comhuftion from her fulph'rous depths, 60 
 
 And blafts the fmiles of Nature. Dauntlefs flood 
 In deep array before the Phocian wall 
 The Greeks clofe-wedg'd with implicated fhields, 
 And fpears protended, like the graceful range 
 Of arduous elms, w r hofe interwoven boughs 65 
 
 Before
 
 iio LEONIDAS. Book IV. 
 
 »■ 
 
 Before fome rural palace wide expand 
 
 Their venerable umbrage to retard 
 
 The North's impetuous wing. As o'er the main 
 
 In lucid rows the rifing waves reflect 
 
 The fun's effulgence, fo the Grecian helms 70 
 
 Return'd his light, which o'er their convex pour'd, 
 
 And fcatter'd fplendour on the dancing plumes. 
 
 Down rufli'd the foe. Exulting in the van 
 
 Their haughty leader makes his threatning lance, 
 
 And frowns defiance. Burfting from his rank 75 
 
 Diomedon with inftant fury fac'd 
 
 Th' impending foes. Meantime he loudly calls 
 
 Their chief Tigranes, whom he thus defies. 
 
 Now thou art met, Barbarian. Wouldft thou prove 
 Thy actions equal to thy vaunts, command 80 
 
 Thy troops to halt, while thou and I engage. 
 
 Tigranes
 
 Book IV. LEO NI DAS. iai 
 
 Tigranes turning to the Perfians fpake. 
 My friends, and foldiers, check yonr ardent hafte, 
 While my ftrong lance yon Grecian's pride confounds. 
 
 He ceas'd. In dreadful oppofition now 85 
 
 Each combatant advanc'd. With finewy hand 
 They gripe their fpears high-brandim'd. Thrice they drove 
 With well- directed force the pointed fteel 
 At either's throat, and thrice their fhields repel 
 The deftin'd wound. At length the Eaftern chief 90 
 With all his pow'rs collected for the ftroke 
 His javelin rivets in the Grecian targe. 
 Afide Diomedon inclines, and fhuns 
 Approaching fate. Then all his martial skill 
 Undaunted fummons. His forfaken lance 95 
 
 Befide him caft, his falchion he unfheaths. 
 The blade defcending on Tigranes' arm, 
 
 R That
 
 122 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 That inftant ftruggling to redeem his fpear, 
 The fhiv'ring hand difTevers. Pale affright 
 Unmans the Perfian, while his active foe ioa 
 
 Full on his neck difcharg'd the rapid fword, 
 
 r 
 
 And open'3. wide the purple gates of life. 
 
 Low finks Tigranes in eternal iliade. 
 
 The conqueror beftrides the proftrate dead, 
 
 Then in the clotted ringlets of the hair 105 
 
 His hand intwining from the bleeding trunk 
 
 The head disjoin'd, and whirl'd with fudden rage 
 
 Amid the hoftile numbers. All with dread 
 
 Recoil, where'er the ghaftly vifage flew 
 
 In fanguine circles, and puriu'd its track 1 1 & 
 
 Of horrour through the air. Not iefs amaz'd 
 
 A barb'rous natron, whom the chearful dawn 
 
 Of fcience ne'er illumin'd, view 011 high 
 
 A meteor waving with portentous blaze;. 
 
 Where
 
 Book IV. LEO NI DAS. i- 
 
 Where oft, as fuperftition vainly dreams, nc 
 
 Some daemon fits amid the baneful fires, 
 
 Difperfing plagues and defolation round. 
 
 A while the ftern Diomedon remains 
 
 Triumphant o'er the dire difmay, which froze 
 
 The hearts of Perfia, then with haughty port, 120 
 
 And fullen joy among his gladfome friends 
 
 Renames his ftation. Still the Afian bands 
 
 With confternation motionlefs behold 
 
 Their foes with terrour, and fufpend the fight; 
 
 When thus Phraortes animates their breafts. 125 
 
 Heav'ns! can one leader's death appal this hoft, 
 Which counts a train of monarchs for its chiefs! 
 Behold Phraortes! from ImauY ridge 
 1 draw my fubjecl files. With hardy toil 
 I through the pathlefs foreft have explor'd 130 
 
 R 2 The
 
 I24 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 The tiger's cavern. This unconquer'd arm 
 
 Hath from the lion rent the maggy fpoil. 
 
 So through this field of daughter will I chafe 
 
 Yon vaunting Greek with ruin on his head 
 
 For great Tigranes flain. His words revive 135 
 
 The flame of valour through the drooping van, 
 
 Then on the rear he brandiflies his lance. 
 
 Before him fhrink th' affrighted croud, and roll 
 
 Their numbers headlong on the Grecian fteel 
 
 With loofe arrangement, and uncertain feet. 140 
 
 Thus with his trident Ocean's angry God 
 
 From its vaft bottom turns the hideous mafs 
 
 Of waters upward, and o'erwhelms the beach. 
 
 Terrific flood the fierce Plata^an chief 
 
 Amid the Grecian van. His ample targe, i« 
 
 Like a ftrong bulwark, prominent he rais'd 
 
 Before the line. There thunder'd all the ftorm 
 
 Of
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 125 
 
 Of darts and arrows. His undaunted train 
 
 With emulating ardour charge the foe. 
 
 Where'er they turn the formidable fpears, 150 
 
 Which drench'd the glebe of Marathon with gore, 
 
 The Perfians heap the plain. Diomedon 
 
 Leads on the Slaughter. From his nodding creft 
 
 The fable plumes fhook terrour. Aria's bands 
 
 All fhudder backward at the dreadful beams 155 
 
 Of that unconquerable fword, which falls 
 
 With ! ; ghtning's fwiftnefs o'er their trembling heads, 
 
 And reeking ftill with flain Tigranes' blood 
 
 Their matter'd ranks o'erturns. The furious chief 
 
 Incompafs'd round with carnage, and befmear'd 160 
 
 With fanguine drops, inflames his warlike friends. 
 
 O Dithyrambus! let thy deeds this day 
 Surmount their wonted luftre! Thou inarms, 
 
 Demophilus,
 
 I2 6 LEON I DAS. Book IV, 
 
 bemophilus, worn grey, thy youth recall 
 
 Behold thefe flaves without refiftance bleed. 165 
 
 Advance, my ancient friend. Propitious Fame 
 
 SmileSsCtt thy years, and gives thy aged hand 
 
 To pluck frefh laurels for thy honour'd brow. 
 
 As, when indu'd with Promethean heat, 
 The molten clay refpir'd; with fudden warmth 170 
 
 So glows the venerable Thefpian's age, 
 With new-born vigour ev'ry finew fwells. 
 His falchion thund 'ring on Cherafmes' helm 
 The forehead clove. Ecbatana to war 
 Sent forth Cherafmes. From her potent gates 175 
 
 He proud in hope her fwarming numbers led, 
 With Ariazus and Penceftes join'd, 
 His martial brothers. They attend his doom 
 By Dithyrambus foil'd. Their hoary fire 
 
 Shall
 
 Book IV. LEO NI DAS. 12? 
 
 Shall o'er his folitary palace roam > ! 3 
 
 Lamenting loud his childlefs years, and curfe 
 
 Ambition's fury, and the luft of war, 
 
 Then pining bow with anguifh to the grave. 
 
 Next by the fierce Plataean's matchlefs fword 
 
 Expires Damates, once the hoft and friend 1 85 
 
 Of fall'n Tigranes; him that day he join'd, 
 
 And left his native bands. Of Syrian birth 
 
 In Daphne he refided near the grove, 
 
 Whofe hospitable laurels in their fhade 
 
 Conceal'd the virgin fugitive, that fcorn'd joq 
 
 Th 1 embrace of Phoebus ; hither fhe repaired 
 
 Far from her parent ftaeam, in fables feigned 
 
 Herfelf a laurel to have rear'd her head 
 
 With verdant bloom in this retreat, the grove 
 
 Of Daphne call'd, the feat of rural blifs, joe 
 
 Fan'd by the wing of zephirs, and with rills 
 
 Of
 
 ijS L E O N I D AS. Book IV. 
 
 Of bubbling founts irriguous, Syria's boaft, 
 
 And happy rival of ThefTalia's vale; 
 
 Now hid for ever from Damates' eyes. 
 
 Nor with unactive fpears th' Arcadians flood. 200 
 
 o 
 
 Gigantic Clonius unreiifted prefs'd 
 
 The yielding Perfians, who before him funk, 
 
 Crufh'd like vile ftubble underneath the fteps 
 
 Of fome glad hind, who vifits o'er the plain 
 
 His new-ihorn harveft. With a fearlefs eye 205 
 
 Phraortes faw the gen'ral rout. He fprung 
 
 O'er hills of carnage to confront the Greeks, 
 
 Reproaching thus his own inglorious friends. 
 
 Fly then ye cowards, and defert your chief; 
 Yet fingle here my falchion fhall oppofe 210 
 
 The might of thoufands. Raging thus, he drove 
 The deathful fteel through Ariftander's breaft. 
 
 Him
 
 Book IV. LE ONI DAS. 129 
 
 Him Dithyrambus lov'd, a facred bard 
 
 Rever'd for juftice, for his verfe renown'd, 
 
 Which fung the deeds of heroes, thofe, who fell, 215 
 
 Or thofe, who conquer 'd in their country's caufe, 
 
 Th' inraptur'd foul inipiring with the thirft 
 
 Of glory won by virtue. His high ftrain 
 
 The Mufes favour'd from their neighb'ring groves, 
 
 And blefs'd with heav'nly melody his lyre. 220 
 
 No more from Thefpia mall his feet aicend 
 
 The fhady fteep of Helicon. No more 
 
 The ftreams divine of Aganippe's fount 
 
 His tuneful lip mall moiften, nor his hands 
 
 Prefent their ofFrings in the Mufes bow'r, 225 
 
 The proftrate fhield and unforfaken lance 
 
 Now feebly grafping, never more to fwell 
 
 His lofty numbers on the founding firing. 
 
 Lo! Dithyrambus weeps, Amid the rage 
 
 S Of
 
 i 3 o L E O N I D A S. Book IV. 
 
 Of war and conqueft a fwift- gufhing tear 230 
 
 Finds one fad moment's interval to fall 
 
 On his pale friend. But foon the vi(flor proves 
 
 His fierce revenge. Through fhield and corfelet plung'd, 
 
 His furious javelin tore the Persian's cheft. 235 
 
 Phraortes finks, nor yet expiring, fees 
 
 With indignation Perfia's myriads fly. 
 
 Swift through their broken legions, fide by fide, 
 
 Urg'd by the voice of Vidory and Fame, 
 
 Diomedon and Dithyrambus rang'd. 240 
 
 So, where Alpheus heard the rattling car, 
 
 And founding hoofs along his echoing banks, 
 
 Two gen rous courfers link'd in mutual reins 
 
 With equal fpeed and ardour beat the duft 
 
 To reach the glories of th' Olympic goaL 245 
 
 This.
 
 *3* 
 
 250 
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 
 
 This from his lofty chariot Xerxes faw. 
 He faw his numbers pouring from the ftraits 
 In crouded flight, then fpreading o'er the field, 
 All broke and fcatter'd ; as a river burfls 
 Impetuous from its fountain, then expands 
 Its limpid furface o'er the paftures broad. 
 Thrice ftarted from his feat th' aftonim'd king, 
 Shame, fear, and indignation rend his breaft; 
 As ruin irrefiftible were near 
 To overwhelm his millions. Hafte (he calls 
 To Hyperanthes) hafte and meet the Greeks; 
 Their daring rage and infolence repel, 
 And from difhonour vindicate our name. 
 
 The godlike Hyperanthes through the tents 
 Obedient moves. Deliberate and brave 260 
 
 S 2 Each 
 
 2 55
 
 i 3 2 LEONIDAS. Book IV, 
 
 Each active prince he fummons, and with care 
 Collects the hardieft troops. Around him foon 
 Innumerable javelins flame. His voice 
 Demands attention, when he thus began, 
 
 Now friends divide, and form two equal bands. 265 
 One with the great Abrocomes, with me, 
 With Intaphernes, and Hydarnes bold, 
 With Mindus and Pandates fhall advance, 
 And fnatch this fhort-liv'd victory from Greece.. 
 You Abradates with Pharnuchus join'd, 270- 
 
 Orontes, and Mazaeus, keep the reft 
 Imhattel'd ready to impart their aid, 
 Shou'd envious Fate exhauft our num'rous ranks; 
 For, O great Mithra, may thy radiant eye 
 Ne'er fee us, yielding to ignoble flight,. 275 
 
 The Perfian fame difhonour, and the praife 
 
 Of
 
 Book IV. LEONIDAS. ir 
 
 Of our renown'd progenitors, who led 
 
 By Cyrus gave a monarch to the world. 
 
 Think, O ye princes, flow'r of Aria's realms, 
 
 What endlefs infamy will blaft your names, 280 
 
 Should Greece, that narrow portion of the globe, 
 
 Your arms defy ; when Babylon hath low Yd 
 
 Its tow'ring head, when Lydia's pride is quell'd, 
 
 And from Ecbatana its empire torn, 
 
 Think too, ye warlike bands, our army's boaft, 285 
 
 What deeds are ask'd from your fuperiour fwords ; 
 
 You, who our monarch's large ft bounty (hare, 
 
 You, to whofe faith and valour he commits 
 
 Himfelf, his queens, his realms, and now his fame. 
 
 While Hyperanthes marihali'd thus his holt, 290 
 Far as th' extremeft limit of the pafs, 
 Diomedon and Dithvrambus hung 
 
 Upon
 
 134 L E O N 1 D A S. Book IV. 
 
 Upon the rear of Perila. Now they turn 
 
 Victorious, finding o'er th' impurpled heaps 
 
 Of arms, and mangled dead, themfelves with gore 295 
 
 Diftain'd ; like two grim tigers, who have forc'd 
 
 A nightly manfion on the defart rais'd 
 
 By fome lone-wandring traveller, and dy'd 
 
 With human {laughter through the foreft deep 
 
 Back to their covert's dreary gloom retire. 300 
 
 So pafs'd thefe heroes o'er the crimfon rock, 
 
 Approaching now, where gafping on his fhield 
 
 Phraortes lay recumbent. Thefpia's youth 
 
 Advancing, thus his gen'rous foul exprefs'd. 
 
 L i v ' s t thou, brave Perfian ? By propitious Jove, 
 From whom the pleafing fenfe of mercy flows 306 
 
 Through mortal bofoms, lefs my foul rejoic'd, 
 
 When
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 135 
 
 When Fortune gave the victory before 
 
 Than now to raife thee from this field of death. 
 
 The dying prince his languid fight unclos'd, 310 
 
 And thus with trembling lips. Vain man, forbear 
 To proffer me, what foon thyfelf muft crave. 
 The day is now extinguifh'd in thefe orbs, 
 Nor fhall my heart beat longer than to fcorn 
 Thy mercy, Grecian ; then refign to fate. 315 
 
 He ceas'd. The great, and haughty Ipirit fled. 
 Demophilus drew nigh. The hoary chief 
 Long o'er Phraortes' corfe his head inclin'd, 
 Poiz'd on his lance, and thus addrefs'd the flain. 
 
 Alas! how glorious were that bleeding breaft, 3 20 
 Had Juftice giv'n the buckler to thy arm, 
 
 And
 
 136 LE ONI DAS. Book IV. 
 
 And to prefers a people bade thee die! 
 
 Who now fliall mourn thee! Thy ungrateful king 
 
 Will foon forget thy worth. For thee no tears 
 
 Among thy native countrymen fliall tell <j 2 c 
 
 The public forrow ; what to them availed 
 
 Thy might and dauntlefs fpirit? Not' to guard 
 
 Their wives and offspring from the fpoil of war, 
 
 Not from their walls repel the hoftile blaze, 
 
 Nor defolation from their fruitful fields, 330 
 
 But to extend oppreflion didft thou fall; 
 
 Perhaps with inborn virtues in thy heart, 
 
 Which, but thy angry deffiny forbade, 
 
 By freedom cherifh'd might have blefs'd mankind. 
 
 All-bounteous Nature! thy impartial laws * 7 r 
 
 To no felecled race of men confine 
 
 The fenfe of glory, fortitude, and all 
 
 The nobler paffions, which infpire the mind, 
 
 And
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS, 
 
 *37 
 
 And render life illuftrious. Thefe thou plant'ft 
 
 In ev'ry foil. But freedom, like the fun, 34 o 
 
 Muft warm the gen'rous feeds. By her alone 
 
 They bloom and flourifh ; while oppreffion blafts 
 
 The tender virtues: hence a fpurious growth, 
 
 Falfe honour, favage valour taint the foul, 
 
 And wild ambition: hence rapacious pow'r 34.5 
 
 The ravag'd earth unpeoples, and the brave, 
 
 A feaft for dogs, beftrew th' infanguin'd plain. 
 
 He faid. Around the venerable man 
 The Grecians throng'd attentive. Conqueft hufh'd 
 Its joyful tranfports. O'er the horrid field, 350 
 
 Late the rude fcene of tumult, all was calm. 
 So, when the fong of Thracian Orpheus drew 
 To Hebrus' margin from their dreary feats 
 The favage race, which Haemus wrapt in clouds, 
 
 T Pangaeus
 
 138 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 Pangaeus cold, and Rhodopeian fnows 355 
 
 In blood and difcord nurs'd; the foothing ftrain 
 Flow'd with enchantment through their ravifh'd ears : 
 Their fiercenefs melted, and amaz'd they learn'd 
 The facred laws of juftice, which the bard 
 Mix'd with the mufick of his heav nly firing. 360 
 
 Not from the field of flaughter far remote 
 In Oeta's rugged fide had Nature clove 
 A rocky cavern. This with mofs fhe fpread, 
 And o'er the entrance downward from the roots 
 She hung the fhaggy trunks of branching firrs 365 
 
 To heav Vs hot ray impervious. From the fides 
 The vivid laurel fpread before the fun 
 
 Its broad and glitt 'ring foliage; and, above, 
 
 The hill was darkened with a folemn fhade 
 
 Caft from the fable cyprefs. This retreat 370 
 
 Cool
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 139 
 
 Cool, as the grot of Thetis, hid beneath 
 
 The vaulted ocean, with the murm ring found 
 
 Of waters trickling from the riven ftone 
 
 The Grecian leaders to its gloom invites. 
 
 Their helms they loolen, from their glowing cheeks. 375 
 
 Againft the rock their bucklers they repofe. 
 
 Propt on their fpears they flood, when Agis thus, 
 
 Sent by Leonidas, accofts the chiefs. 
 
 O Ever-worthy of undying names ! 
 Leonidas recals you from your toil, 380 
 
 Which has already fill'd our mouths with praife, 
 Our eyes with wonder, that from yonder tow 'r 
 On your unequall'd deeds incefiant gaz'd. 
 
 To whom the bold Diomedon return'd. 
 Go Agis, fay to Lacedaemon's king, 385 
 
 T 2 As
 
 M o LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 As yet untir'd my hand can poize the fpear. 
 
 Nor hangs the buckler heavy on my arm. 
 
 And fliall I then retire? And once again 
 
 Shall not the fun, before he fink, behold 
 
 The flaves of Xerxes tremble at my lance. 390 
 
 To him the Thefpian youth. My friend and guide 
 To noble a&ions, lince thy genrous mind 
 Intent on fame difdains to reft, O grant, 
 I too thy glorious labours may partake, 
 And learn once more to imitate thy deeds. 39^ 
 
 Thou, gentleft Agis, Sparta's chief intreat 
 Not to command us from the field of war. 
 
 Then interpos'd Demophilus. O friend, 
 
 And thou, lov'd offspring of the deareft man, 
 
 Who doft reftore my brother to my eyes, 400 
 
 My foul your magnanimity applauds. 
 
 But,
 
 Book IV. L E O N I D A S. 141 
 
 But, O reflect, that unabating toil 
 
 Subdues the mightieft. Valour then will figh, 
 
 When the weak hand obeys the heart no more. 
 
 Yet I declining with the weight of years 405 
 
 Will not afllgn a meafure to your ftrength; 
 
 If ftill you find your vigour undecay'd, 
 
 Stay and augment your glory. So, when time 
 
 Your heads {hall whiten, and your feeble arms 
 
 Round the high temple's peaceful vault have hung 410 
 
 Their confecrated fhields, your native land 
 
 Shall then with honours doubled on your age 
 
 Requite the gen'rous labours of your prime. 
 
 So fpake the Senior, and forfook the cave, 
 
 Now from the bubbling fpring Diomedon 415 
 
 Receives the waters in his concave helm; 
 And thus addrefs'd the genius of the flood* 
 
 Whoe'er
 
 I4 2 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 Whoe'er thou art, whofe deity prefides 
 O'er this fair fountain, bounteous are thy ftreams; 
 Though ill fhall I repay thee: for again 420 
 
 Will I this day pollute thy filver wave, 
 Which mix'd with gore fhall tinge the Malian furge. 
 
 S o faying from his brimming cask he quaff'd 
 The clear, refreshing moifture. Thus repairs 
 The fpotted panther to Hydafpes' fide, 425 
 
 Or eaftern Indus, feafted with the blood 
 Of fome torn deer, which nigh his cruel gralp 
 Had roam'd unheeding through the fecret grove : 
 Rapacious o'er the humid brink he ftoops, 
 And in the pure and fluid cryftal cools 430 
 
 His reeking jaws. The Thefpian warriour here. 
 
 1 See,
 
 x 43 
 
 435 
 
 Book IV. LEONI DAS. 
 
 See, valiant friend, Leonidas hath fuTd 
 The pafs with frem battalions. O furvey 
 Yon line of plumed helms, and glitt'ring fhields, 
 Which emulate the mid-day fun. What joy ! 
 What ardent hope enlightens ev'ry face! 
 O let us wait no longer, left they cry, 
 Our wearied limbs retard us. Let us arm, 
 And take our ftation in the glorious van. 
 
 Thus Dithyrambus. The Platsean chief 
 Approves the counfel, and refumes his arms. 
 Them as a fplendid recompenfe he bore 
 From grateful Athens, when his conqu 'ring fword 
 Her domes with great Miltiades redeem'd 
 From Afiatic flames. Th' infculptur'd helm 445 
 
 Now prefs'd his manly temples. From on high 
 
 440
 
 ■144 LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 A fourfold plumage nodded, and, beneath, 
 
 A golden dragon with effulgent fcales 
 
 The gorgeous creft illumin'd. On his arm 
 
 His fhield he brac'd. Gorgonian ferpents twin'd 450 
 
 ry " ■ 
 
 Around the fpacious verge. Within, the form 
 
 Of Pallas, martial goddefs, was imprefs'd. 
 
 Low, as her feet, the graceful tunic flow'd. 
 
 Betwixt two gryffins on her helmet fat 
 
 A fphinx with wings expanded, while the face 455 
 
 Of dire Medufa on her bofom frown'd. 
 
 One hand fupports her javelin,, which confounds 
 
 The pride of kings; the other leads along 
 
 A blooming virgin, Victory, whofe brows 
 
 A crown incircles; laurels fhe prefents; 460 
 
 But from her moulders all her plumes were fhorn, 
 
 With favour' d Athens ever now to reft. 
 
 This, Ada's terrour, on his mighty arm 
 
 Diomedoji
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 
 
 T A * 
 
 Diomedon uprear'd, then fnatch'd his lance, 
 
 And thus to Dithyrambus, Lo! my friend, 465 
 
 Alone of all the Grecians, who fuftain'd 
 
 The morning's battle, frill unwearied ftand 
 
 Plataea's fons, and well may keep the field, 
 
 They, who endur'd the Marathonian toil. 
 
 Then charge with us. Amid the foremoft rank 470 
 
 Thy valour mall be plac'd, and fhare, this day, 
 
 Command and honour with Platiea's chief. 
 
 The hero ceas'd, and tow'rd the Grecian van 
 Strides with impetuous fteps. Nor flow behind 
 The boaft of Thefpia, Dithyrambus mov'd; 475 
 
 Like blooming Hermes in celeftial arms, 
 When lightly graceful with his feather'd feet 
 Along Scamander's flow'ry verge he pafs'd, 
 To aid th' incens'd divinities of Greece 
 
 U Againft
 
 14.6 LEONI DAS. Book IV. 
 
 *r 
 
 AgainR the Phrygian tow'rs. With eager fpeed 480 
 The heroes foon th' imbattled Greeks attain'd, 
 To whom the brave Diomedon began. 
 
 N^cnr to contend, but vanquifh are you come, 
 And in the blood of fugitives to ftain 
 Your lances unoppos'd. My friends, behold, 485 
 
 Where furtheft from the Malian gulf remov'd 
 The crags of Oeta lefs confine the ftraits. 
 There let us bend extending wide our front. 
 There with more ample fcope may havoc range. 
 
 All with afient gave ear. The various bands 490 
 
 Move on fucceffive. The Platzeans firft 
 
 Againft the rock are ftationd. To their head 
 
 Is Dithyrambus brought. Exulting joy 
 
 Diftends their hearts, and flames in their eyes. 
 
 Thanks to the great Diomedon, they cry, 495 
 
 Who
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. 147 
 
 Who to our troop this godlike hero joins. 
 
 Hail! Dithyrambus. Hail! illuftrious chief. 
 
 Well doft thou merit to have reap'd renown 
 
 At Marathon. Amid the glorious front 
 
 With confcious gladnefs blufhing on his cheek 500 
 
 The youth his poft affumes. Around him croud 
 
 The hoary warriours their unnumber'd fears 
 
 Before his light prefenting, and recount 
 
 Their various dangers. He their wounds furveys 
 
 With veneration, nor difdains to hear 505 
 
 The oft-repeated tale. From Sparta's king 
 
 Returning, Agis here the chiefs addrefs'd, 
 
 Leonidas permits you ftill to brave 
 
 The hoftile numbers, with Platan's band, 
 
 If yet by toil unconquer'd. But I fee, 510 
 
 That all unwearied ask the promis'd fight. 
 
 Hail! glorious veterans. This fignal day 
 
 U 2 May
 
 148 LEONIDAS. Book IV. 
 
 May your victorious fwords augment the wreaths 
 
 Around your venerable brows, and make 
 
 Thermopylae, like Marathon, renown'd. 515 
 
 This faid, he haftens back. Meantime advanc'd 
 The Mantinean Diophantus brave, 
 And Hegefander, Tegea's dauntlefs chief, 
 With all their troops imbattled ; by their fide 
 The Thebans form* to them their native files 520 
 
 Alcmaeon and Eupalamus unite; 
 Laft on the margin of the Malian bay 
 Mycenae's youth Ariftobulus drew; 
 In one impenetrable phalanx ftretch'd 
 
 Acrofs the pafs. With clofe-connedled force 525 
 
 An hundred warriours form'd th' expanded ranks, 
 
 And thirty bucklers ev'ry file condens'd. 
 
 In ftrong referve Dieneces behind 
 
 Difpos'd
 
 Book IV. LEO NI DAS. i 49 
 
 Difpos'd the Spartans, and the Locrian line. 
 
 There too with Maron Alpheus dauntlefs flood, 530 
 
 And godlike Agis. There Megiftias plac'd 
 
 His blooming heir, and thus his valour fires*. 
 
 O Menalippus! born of foreign race, 
 Yet by thefe heroes not unworthy deem'd 
 With them to fight for Sparta! lo! the hour 535 
 
 Is come, my fon, to fliew thy gen'rous heart; 
 That not with thee the buckler and the fpear 
 Are ill intrufted to maintain a caufe 
 So great and facred. O remember well, 
 Leonidas on yonder bulwark ftands, 540 
 
 Who all the war contemplates, and difcerns 
 The bold and fearful. O propitious heav'n! 
 Grant me to hear Leonidas this day 
 Applaud my fon, and let Megiftias die! 
 
 While
 
 i 5 o LEON I DAS. Book IV. 
 
 While thus he fpake, the animated foul 5 4.5 
 
 Of Menalippus ftruggling in his breaft 
 Demands the fight. This favv the tender fire; 
 And thus with tears rejoin'd. Remember too! 
 Thy father fees thy danger. Oh! my child! 
 To me thy honour as to thee is dear ; 550 
 
 Yet court not death! By all thy filial love, 
 By all my cares and fondnefs I implore! 
 Amid the combat, or the warm purfuit, 
 Still by the wife Dieneces abide : 
 
 His prudent valour knows th' unerring paths 555 
 
 Of glory; he will guide thy youthful fteps. 
 This faid, to Sparta's leader he retires. 
 
 Now are the enemies defcried. The van 
 Abrocomes and Hyper anthes led, 
 
 3 With
 
 Book IV. LEON I DAS. !- r 
 
 With them Pandates, Intaphemes proud, r6o 
 
 Hydarnes, Mindus. Violent their march 
 
 With founding footfteps fwept the ftony way. 
 
 So, where th' unequal globe in mountains fwells, 
 
 A river pours its thund'ring furge, between 
 
 The fteep-ere&ed cliffs ; tumultuous roll $6$ 
 
 The torrents burfting o'er the pointed crags: 
 
 The mountains roar, the marble channel foams. 
 
 With obvious arms th" 1 intrepid Greeks withftand 
 
 The dire encounter. Soon th' impetuous mock 
 
 Of thoufands and of myriads makes the ground. 570 
 
 Stupendous fcene of terrour! Under hills, 
 
 Whofe nodding fummits vaulted o'er their heads, 
 
 In unextinguifliable fury join'd 
 
 The dreadful conflict. With inverted trunks 
 
 Obliquely bending from the magged ridge 575 
 
 The fylvan horrours overfhade the fight. 
 
 The
 
 152 LEON I DAS. Book IV 
 
 The fhrill-mouth'd trumpet, and the deep-tun'd horn, 
 Mix'd with the cram of intermingling fpears, 
 The clanging fhields, and war's difcordant fhouts 
 Awake the echoes through the neighb'ring groves; 580 
 
 r 
 
 And rocks and mores return the hideous found. 
 
 End of the Fourth Book, 
 
 LEON IDAS.
 
 t f* *< 
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK V. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 Hyperanthes difcont inning the fight, while he waits for reinforce- 
 ment s y Teribazus, a P erf an remarkable for his merit and learning, 
 and highly belovd by Hyperanthes, but unhappy in his paffton for 
 Ariana, a daughter of Darius, advances from the reft of the army 
 to the re/cue of a friend in di/lrfs, who lay wounded on the field of 
 battle. Teribazus, is attack' J by Diophantus, the Mantinean, whom he 
 overcomes, then engaging with Dithyrambus, is himfelf flain. Hype- 
 ranthes haft ens to his fuccour. A general battle enfues. Hyperanthes 
 and Abrocomes, partly by their own valour, and partly by the perfidy 
 of the Thebans, who defert the line, being on the point of forcing the 
 Grecians, are repuls'dby the Laceda?monians. Hyperanthes compofes 
 afelet~l body out of the Perftan ft ending forces, and making an im- 
 provement in their difcipline renews the attack ; upon which Leonidas 
 changes the difpofition of his army: Hyperanthes and the ableft 
 Perftan generals are driven out of the field, and fever al thoufands of 
 the Barbarians, circumvented in the pafs, are entirely deftrofd. 
 
 X AMID
 
 i 5 4 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 MID the van of Perfia was a youth 
 Nam'd Teribazus, not for golden ftores, 
 Not for wide paftures travers'd o'er with herds, 
 With bleating thoufands, or with bounding fteeds, 
 Nor yet for pow'r, nor fplcndid honours fam'd. 5 
 
 Rich was his mind in ev'ry art divine, 
 And through the paths of fcience had he walked 
 The votary of wifdom. In the years, 
 When tender down inverts the ruddy eheek, 
 He with the Magi turn d the hallow'd page 10 
 
 Of Zoroaftres ; then his tow'ring foul 
 High on the plumes of contemplation foar'd, 
 And from the lofty Babylonian fane 
 With learnd Chaidaeans trac'd the myftic fphere; 
 There number'd o'er the vivid fires, that gleam 1 5 
 
 Upon the dusky bofom of the night. 
 
 Nor
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. 155 
 
 Nor on the fends of Ganges were unheard 
 
 The Indian fages, from fequefler'd bow'rs 
 
 While, as attention wonder 'd, they difclos'd 
 
 The pow'rs of nature ; whether in the woods, 20 
 
 The fruitful glebe, or flow'r, or healing plant, 
 
 The limpid waters, or the ambient air, 
 
 Or in the purer element of fire. 
 
 The fertile plains, where great Sefoftris reign'd, 
 
 Myfterious ^Egypt next the youth furvey'd, 25 
 
 From Elephantis, where impetuous Nile 
 
 Precipitates his waters, to the fea, 
 
 Which far below receives the fev'nfold ftream. 
 
 Thence o'er th' Ionic coaft he ftray'd, nor pafs'd 
 
 Miletus by, which once inraptur'd heard 30 
 
 The tongue of Thales, nor Priene's walls, 
 
 Where Wifdom dwelt with Bias, nor the feat 
 
 Of Pittacus along the Lesbian more, 
 
 X 2 Here
 
 i S 6 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Here too melodious numbers charrrTd his ear, 
 Which flow'd from Orpheus, and Mufasus old, 35, 
 
 And thee, O father of immortal verfe, 
 Maeonides, vvhofe drains through ev'ry age 
 Time with his own eternal lip mall ring. 
 Back to his native Sufa then he turn'd 
 His wandring fteps. His merit foon was dear 4a 
 
 To Hyperanthes generous and good. 
 And Ariana from Darius fprung • 
 With Hyperanthes, of th r imperial race^ 
 Which rul'd th' extent of Alia, in difdain. 
 Of all her greatnefs oft an humble ear: 4.5-, 
 
 To him would bend, and liflen to his voice. 
 Her charms, her mind, her virtue he explor'd 
 Admiring. Soon was admiration changed! 
 To love, nor lov'd he fooner, than defpair'd. 
 But unrevcal'd and filent was his pain 5 50 
 
 Nor
 
 Book V. LEONIDAS. r 57 
 
 Nor yet in folitary fhades he roam'd, 
 
 Nor fhun'd refort: but o'er his forrows caft 
 
 A fickly dawn of gladnefs, and in fmiles 
 
 Conceal'd his anguifh.; while the fecret flame 
 
 Rag'd in his bofom, and its peace confum'd : 55 
 
 His heart ftill brooding o'er thefe mournful thoughts. 
 
 Can I, Q wifdom, feek relief from thee, 
 Who doft approve my paflion? From the pow'r 
 Of beauty only thou wouldft guard my heart. * 
 But here thyfelf art charrnd,. where foftnefs, grace, 60 
 And ev'ry virtue dignify defire; 
 Yet thus to love defpairing is to prove 
 The fharpeft forrow,, which relentlefs Fat© 
 Gan from her ftore.of woes inflict. on life;. 
 But doft not thou this moment warn my foul • 65 
 
 To fly the fatal charmer? Do I paufa? 
 
 Back
 
 i 5 8 LEO NI DAS. Book V. 
 
 Back to the wife Chaldeans will I go, 
 
 Or wander on the Ganges; where to heav'n 
 
 With thee my elevated foul fhall tow'r, 
 
 With thee the fecrets of the earth unveil. 7 o 
 
 There no tumultuous paffion fhall moleft 
 
 My tranquil hours, and ev'ry thought be calm. 
 
 O wretched Teribazus ! all confpires 
 
 Againft thy peace. Our mighty lord prepares 
 
 To overwhelm the Grecians. Ev'ry youth 
 
 Attends the war, and I, who late have poiz'd 
 
 With no inglorious arm the foldier's lance, 
 
 And near the fide of Hyperanthes fought, 
 
 Muft join the throng. How therefore can I fly 
 
 From Ariana! who with Aria's queens g c 
 
 The fplendid camp of Xerxes will adorn. 
 
 Then be it fo. Again I will adore 
 
 Her gentle virtue. Her delightful tongue, 
 
 ^ 3 Her
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. i 59 
 
 Her graceful fweetnefs mall again difFufe 
 
 Reflftlefs magic through my raviuYd heart; 8$ 
 
 And thus when love with double rage inflam'd 
 
 Swells to diftradtion in my tortur'd breaft, 
 
 Then — But in vain through darknefs do I fearch 
 
 My fate : defpair and fortune be my guides. 
 
 The hour arriv'd, when Xerxes firft ad vanc'd 90 
 His arms from Sulk's gates. The Perfian dames 
 (So were accuftom'd all the eaftern fair) 
 In fumptuous cars accompanied his march ; 
 And Ariana grac'd the beauteous train. 
 From morn till ev'ning Teribazus guards 95 
 
 Her paffing wheels ; his arm her weight fuftains 
 With trembling pleafure often, as fhe mounts 
 Th' imperial chariot; his affiduous hand 
 From each pure fountain wafts the living floods 
 
 Nor
 
 i6o LEONIDAS. Book V. 
 
 Nor feldom by the fair- one's foft command ioo 
 
 Would he repofe him at her feet reclin'd, 
 
 While o'er his lips her lovely forehead bow'd 
 
 Won with his grateful eloquence, that footh'd 
 
 With fvveet variety the tedious march, 
 
 Beguiling time. He too would then forget 105 
 
 His cares awhile, in raptures vain intranc'd, 
 
 Delufion all, and fleeting rays of joy 
 
 Soon overcaft with more intenfe delpair; 
 
 Like wintry clouds, which op'ning for a time 
 
 Tinge their black skirts with fcatter'd beams of day ; no 
 
 Then fwiftly clofing, on the brows of Morn 
 
 Condenfe their horrours, and in thickeft gloom 
 
 The ruddy beauty veil. Such woes opprefs'd 
 
 The Persian's heart, not foften'd ; for this day 
 
 His daring valour from the bleeding van 115 
 
 Oppos'd the frown of adamantine Mars. 
 
 With
 
 BookV. LEONIDAS. 161 
 
 With no tiara were his temples bound, 
 
 The flender lance of Afia he difdain'd, 
 
 And her light target. Eminent he mov'd 
 
 In Grecian arms the wonder of his foes. 120 
 
 Among th' Ionians had his ftrenuous limbs 
 
 In war been pracliic'd. A refplendent cask 
 
 Flam'd on his head. Before his face and cheft 
 
 Down to the knees his ample fhield was spread. 
 
 A pond'rous afh with skillful hands he graip'd. 12$ 
 
 Thus arm'd, tremendous in the front he flood. 
 
 Beneath his might two bold Phliafians died, 
 
 And three Tegeans, whofe indignant chief, 
 
 Brave Hegefander, vengeance breath'd in vain 
 
 With ftreaming wounds repuls'd. Thus far unmatch'd 
 
 His ftrength -prevail'd, when Hyperanthes' voice 131 
 
 Recall'd his fainting legions. Now each band 
 
 Their languid courage reinforc'd with reft. 
 
 Meantime
 
 ihi LEON! DAS. Book V. 
 
 Meantime with Teribazus thus confer'd 
 
 The godlike prince. Thou much- defer ving youth! 135 
 
 O had thy deeds with emulation warm'd 
 
 The frozen hearts of Perfia, Greece had wept 
 
 Her proftrate ranks, not triumph' d in our fhame. 
 
 Relaxing now the wearied fight I wait, 
 
 Till from the camp with Abradates flrong 14° 
 
 The brave Pharnuchus and Mazseus move, 
 
 And with frefh pow'rs renew the drooping war. 
 
 For fince furpafs'd in valour, we muft wafte 
 
 By endlefs numbers, and continual toil 
 
 The matchlefs ardour of our gallant foes. 1 45 
 
 He faid. Immers'd in fadnefs fcarce replied, 
 But to himfelf thus plaind the am'rous youth. 
 
 Still
 
 Book V. LEONIDA S. 163 
 
 Still do I languifli mourning o'er the fame, 
 My arm acquires. O wretched heart! thou feat 
 Of conftant forrow, what deceitful fmiles 150 
 
 Yet canft thou borrow from illufive hope 
 To flatter life. At Ariana's feet 
 What if with fupplicating knees I bow'd, 
 Implor'd her pity, and reveal'd my love ? 
 Wretch, canft thou climb to yon effulgent orb, 155 
 
 And fhare the fplendours which irradiate heav n? 
 Doft thou afpire to that exalted maid, 
 Great Xerxes' ftfter, rivalling the hopes 
 Of Afia's purpled potentates and kings ? 
 Unlefs within her bofom I infpir'd 1 60 
 
 A paffion fervent as my own, nay more, 
 Such as might diflipate each virgin fear, 
 And unreftrain'd difclofe its fond defire, 
 
 Y 2 My
 
 1 64 LEOKIDAS. Book V. 
 
 My hopes are fruitlefs. Plung'd in black deipair 
 He thus revolv'd, when fuddenly the cries j 65 
 
 Of Aribaeus fmote his penfive ear. 
 By mutual danger, and by friendship join'd, 
 They had been long companions in the toils 
 Of war. Together with victorious fteps 
 The fons of Nile they chas'd, when ^Egypt's pride 17c 
 Before the arms of Hyperanthes fell. 
 Stretch'd on the plain, and cover' d o'er with wounds, 
 By all abandon'd, Teribazus views 
 His gallant friend. His languid foul awakes, 
 And forth he iffues from the Perfian line. 175 
 
 The bleeding warriour in his ftrong embrace 
 Swift he conveys. By indignation fir'd 
 Fierce from the Grecians Diophantus rufli'd 
 With loud defiance. Teribazus leaves 
 His refcu'd friend. His mafly targe he rears, 180 
 
 Advances
 
 BookV. LEON IDAS. 165 
 
 Advances high his formidable fpear, 
 
 And turns intrepid on th' approaching foe. 
 
 Amazement followed. On he ftrode, : and fhook 
 
 The plumed honours of his mining creft. 
 
 Th' ill-fated Greek awaits th' unequal fight; 185 
 
 Pierc'd in the throat with founding arms he falls j 
 
 Through ev'ry band the Mantineans mourn. 
 
 Upon the ilain the victor fix'd his fight, 
 
 And thus reflected. By thy fplendid arms 
 
 Thou art a Greek of no ignoble rank, 190 
 
 And from thy fall perhaps am I adorn'd 
 
 With more confpicuous luftre. What if heav'n 
 
 Should add new victims, like thyfelf, to grace 
 
 My undeferving hand, who knows, but fhe 
 
 Might fmile upon my trophies. Oh! vain thought! 195 
 
 Difperfe ye fantome hopes ! Too long, my heart, 
 
 Haft thou in vain contended with thy woes ! 
 
 I
 
 t 66 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 I ftand this moment on the verge of life, 
 
 By fame invited, by defpair impell'd 
 
 To pafs th' irremeable bound. No more 200 
 
 Shall Teribazus backward turn his fteps, 
 
 But here decide his fate. Then beat no more, 
 
 Thou troubled heart, and evry grief be ftill 
 
 Now at trf approach of everlafting peace. 
 
 He ended, when a mighty foe drew nigh; 205 
 
 Not lefs than Dithyrambus. E'er they join'd, 
 The Perlian thus the Thefpian youth addrefs'd. 
 
 Say, art not thou th' unconquerable Greek, 
 Whofe dauntlefs valour mow'd our battle down, 
 And fcatter'd nations ? To attempt thy force 210 
 
 This day I purpos'd, when our chiefs from fight 
 Their hoft withdrew ? That now my fingle arm 
 
 1 Thou
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. 167 
 
 Thou deign'ft to meet, receive my thanks; and know, 
 
 The thought of conqueft lefs employs my mind, 
 
 Than that by thee I cannot fall with fhame. 215 
 
 He ceas'd. Thefe words the Thefpian chief return'd. 
 Of all die praifes from thy gen'rous mouth 
 The only fhare, which juftice bids me claim, 
 Is, that I here adventure to confront 
 Thy matchlefs ftrength. Believe not, that unmark'd 220 
 Were thy great deeds. From yon unbounded camp 
 None yet hath equall'd thy victorious hand. 
 But whence thy armour of the Grecian form ? 
 Whence thy tall fpear ? thy helmet ? whence the Weight 
 Of that ftrong fhield unlike thy eaftern friends? 225 
 
 O if thou be'ft fome fugitive, who, loft 
 To liberty and virtue, art become 
 A tyrant's vile ftipendiary; with grief 
 
 That
 
 168 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 That valour, thus triumphant, I behold, 
 
 Which after all its danger, and brave toil 230 
 
 Deferves no honour from the Gods, or men. 
 
 Here Teribazus with a figh return'cL 
 I am to Greece a ftranger, and a wretch 
 To thee unknown, who feek, this hour, to die ; 
 Though not ignobly, but in death to raife 235 
 
 My name from darknefs, while I end my woes. 
 
 The Grecian then. I view thee, and I mourn. 
 A dignity, which virtue only bears, 
 And refolution on thy brow enthron'd 
 (Though grief hath dim'd thy drooping eye) demand 
 
 My veneration ; and whatever be 241 
 
 The malice of thy fortune, what the cares, 
 Which thus infeft thy quiet, they create 
 
 Within
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. 169 
 
 Within my breaft the pity of a friend : 
 
 Why haft thou then compell'd me to oppofe 245 
 
 My arm againft thee, while thy might fupports 
 
 Th' unjuft ambition of malignant kings, 
 
 The foes to virtue, liberty, and peace ? 
 
 Yet free from rage, or enmity I lift 
 
 My adverfe javelin. Victory I ask, 250 
 
 Thy life may fate for happier hours referve. 
 
 This faid, their beaming lances they protend, 
 Of hoftile hate, or fury both devoid ; 
 As on the Ifthmian, or Olympic fand 
 For fame alone contending. Either hoft 255 
 
 Pois'd on their fpears in filent wonder gaz'd. 
 The fight begins, when foon the Grecian lance, 
 Which all the day in conftant battle worn 
 Unnumber'd fhields and corfelets had transnx'd, 
 
 Z Againft
 
 1 7 o LEONIDAS. Book V. 
 
 Againft the Perfian target, fhiv'ring breaks, 260 
 
 Its matter's hand difarming. Then began 
 The fenfe of honour, and the dread of fhame 
 To fvvell in Dithyrambus. Undifmay'd 
 He grapples with the foe, and inftant feiz'd 
 
 The threatning javelin, e'er th'uplifted arm 265 
 
 Could execute the meditated wound. 
 
 The weapon burft betwixt their ftruggling hands. 
 
 They loofe their grafp, and bare their fhining fwords.- 
 
 With equal fwiftnefs to defend, or charge, 
 
 Each active youth advances, or recedes. 270 
 
 On ev'ry fide they traverfe, now direct, 
 
 Obliquely now the wheeling blades defcend. 
 
 Still is the conflict dubious, when the Greek 
 
 Diffembling points his falchion to the earth, 
 
 His arm deprefs'd, as overcome with toil; 275 
 
 While with his buckler cautious lie repels 
 
 3 The
 
 BookV. LEO NI DAS. i 7 r 
 
 The blows repeated from th' exulting foe. 
 
 Greece trembles for her hero. Joy pervades 
 
 The Afian ranks, and Hyperanthes ftrides 
 
 Before the line, preparing to receive 2 80 
 
 His friend triumphant. Teribazus now 
 
 Prefs'd with redoubled efforts. Still the Greek 
 
 Suftains th' affault defensive, and at laft, 
 
 As with unguarded fury of his ftrokes 
 
 Th' unwary Perfian fideways fwung his targe, 265 
 
 The fatal moment Dithyrambus watch'd, 
 
 And darting forward with his feet outftretcrfd 
 
 His falchion buries in th' obnoxious fide. 
 
 Affection, grief, and terrour wing the fpeed 
 
 Of Hyperanthes. From his bleeding foe 290 
 
 The Greek retires, not diftant, and awaits 
 
 The eaftern prince. But he with wat'ry cheeks, 
 
 And dumb with forrow clafps his dying friend, 
 
 Z 2 From
 
 rya LE ONI DAS. Book VI 
 
 From whofe cold lip with interrupted phrafe 
 
 Thefe accents broke. O deareft, belt, of men! 293 
 
 My heart is fruitful with ten thoufand thoughts 
 
 Of gratitude and love to thee; but fate 
 
 Denies my voice the utt'rance. O my friend! 
 
 Hyperanthes! hear my tongue unfold 
 
 What thou fhouldft ne'er have known before this hour ; : 
 When, as I open all my fecret foul, 301 
 
 1 may at once retire, and veil my eyes 
 
 In endlefs night : nor thou prefumption deem 
 What with my dying breath I here divulge-; 
 I love thy fifter. With defpair I lov'd, 
 And thence perhaps untimely is my date ; 
 Though, witnefs heav'n, without regret I bleed 
 W T ith honour thus in Perfia's fight and thine, 
 
 3°5 
 
 H
 
 kV. LEON IDAS. 173 
 
 H e ceas'd r th' inexorable hand of Fate 
 Weigh'd down his eyelids, and the gloom of death 310 
 His fleeting fight eternally o'erfhades. 
 Him on Choafpes o'er the blooming verge 
 His frantic mother fhall bewail, and ftrew 
 Herfilver treffes in the cryftal tide; 
 
 While all the fhore re-echoes to the name 31 5. 
 
 Of Teribazus loft. Th' afflicted prince 
 The pallid corfe contemplating with tears, 
 Thus in the bitternefs of grief exclaims, 
 
 Oh! Teribazus. Oh! my friend, whofe lo& 
 I will deplore for ever. Oh! what pow'r 320 
 
 To me and thee.averfe thus clos'd thy breaft 
 To Hyperanthes with diftruft unkind^ 
 She mould, fhe muft liave lov'd thee. Now no more. 
 
 2
 
 i 7 4 LEON IDAS. Book V. 
 
 Thy friendly afpect fhall delight my eyes, 
 
 While in remembrance thy unequall'd worth 325 
 
 Will live for ever to remind my grief 
 
 Of what I loft. O Sufa, if again 
 
 Thee I revifitt from this hoftile land, 
 
 Far from the clamours of tumultuous war, 
 
 Then fhall my hours be vacant to complaint, 330 
 
 Whole years fhalt thou be witnefs, while I mourn, 
 
 And Ariana fhall alTift my woes, 
 
 Let fierceft vengeance now poffefs my foul. 
 
 H e faid, and ardent rufhes on the Greek, 
 Who, while his noble enemy expir'd, ^35 
 
 And Hyperanthes fnatch'd with tender arms 
 The laft embraces from his gaiping friend, 
 Stood near reclin'd in fadnefs o'er his fhield. 
 And in the pride of victory repki'd, 
 
 Nor
 
 BookV. LEO NI DAS. i 7s 
 
 Nor mark'd his threatning foe : when fwift approach'd 
 Diomedon. Before the Thefpian youth 34.1 
 
 Aloft he rais'd his targe, and loudly thus. 
 
 Hold thee, Barbarian, from a life more worth, 
 Than thee, and Xerxes, with his hoft of Haves. 
 
 His words he feconds with his rapid lance. 345, 
 
 Soon a tremendous conflict had enfu'd, 
 But Intaphernes, Mindus, and the half 
 Of Persia's leaders anxious for the life 
 Of Hyperanthes pour'd with all their bands 
 Betwixt th' encountring chiefs. With mutual wrath 350 
 They ftrove in vain the combat to renew, 
 So rage two bulls upon th' oppofing banks 
 Of fome deep flood, which parts the fruitful mead; 
 
 Defianca:
 
 1 76 LEON1DA S. Book V. 
 
 Defiance thunders from their angry mouths 
 
 In vain; in vain the furrow' d earth they rend: 355 
 
 Wide rolls the ftream, and intercepts the war. 
 
 The fierce Platasan fatiates his revenge 
 
 On vulgar lives. Before his dreaded arm 
 
 Whole ranks are icatter'd. But the Perfian prince 
 
 Borne down the ftrefs of battle gains the more, 360 
 
 Where then the brave Abrocomes advanc'd^ 
 
 With him Orontes and Pharnuchus flood, 
 
 Mazasus, Abradates fam'd in arms^ 
 
 And all the boldeft of the eaftern chiefs 
 
 Begirt with frefli battalions: here with fpeed 365 
 
 Abrocomes his brother thus befpake. 
 
 To Intaphernes is Pandates fent 
 With charge to harrafs in perpetual fight 
 The Grecians next the mountains. Thou with me 
 
 And
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. 1?7 
 
 And thefe unite thy valour. Here the flowV 370 
 
 Of all our army is together drawn, 
 
 Here all the weight of battle will impend. 
 
 He faid. The godlike Hyperanthes feeks 
 
 The dangrous van. He heads the fplendid throng 
 
 Offatraps, princes, and imperial pow'rs ; 375 
 
 Themfelves the lords of nations, who before 
 
 The throne of Xerxes tributary bow'd. 
 
 Nov/ mix'd the war. Th' inverted javelins gleam 
 
 From ev'ry part, and fell Bellona roars. 
 
 Who firft diftain'd with Perfian blood his fword ? 3 80 
 Eupalamus. Artembares he flew 
 And Derdas fierce, whom Caucafus had rear'd 
 On its tempeftuous brow, the favage fons 
 Of violence and rapine; but their doom 
 Great Hyperanthes marks: his angry lance 385 
 
 A a Arrefts
 
 I7 8 LEON I DAS. Book V, 
 
 Arrefts the vi&or in his haughty courfe. 
 
 Beneath the ftrong Abrocomes o'erwhelm'd, 
 
 Meliffus fwells the number of the dead. 
 
 None could Mycenae boaft of prouder birth 
 
 Than young MelifTus; blooming,, as the fon 39.0. 
 
 Of Maia, all in radiant arms he grae'd 
 
 The front of battle; he in Cirrha-s vale, 
 
 Where high Parnaffus from its double top 
 
 O'erfhades the Pythian games, the envied prize 
 
 Of fame obtain'd: low finks his laurell'd head 395 
 
 In death's cold night, and horrid gore deforms 
 
 His graceful locks. Impatient for revenge 
 
 Ariftobulus ftrides before the van. 
 
 A ftorm of fury darkens all his brow. 
 
 Around he rolls his gloomy eye, and marks 40° 
 
 Achaemenes for death, of regal blood 
 
 Deriv'd from Crcefus, once th' imperial lord 
 
 Of
 
 Book V. LEONI D AS. 1 79 
 
 Of nations; him the nymphs of Halys wept, 
 
 When with delufive oracles beguil'd 
 
 By Delphi's God, he pafs'd their fatal waves 405 
 
 A mighty empire to difTolve: nor knew 
 
 Th' ill-deftin'd king, that envious Fortune watch'd 
 
 That dreadful moment from his hand to wrefl: 
 
 The fcepter of his fathers. In the fhade 
 
 Of humble life his race on Tmolus' brow 410 
 
 Lay hid, 'till rous'd to battle here his breath 
 
 Achasmenes refigns. Then Lycis bled 
 
 For horrid war ill-chofen. He was skill'd 
 
 To tune the lulling flute, and melt the heart; 
 
 Or with his pipe's awak'ning ftrains invite 415 
 
 The lovely dames of Lydia to the dance: 
 
 They graceful o'er the verdant level mov'd 
 
 In varied meafures, while the cooling breeze 
 
 Beneath their fwelling garments wanton' d o'er 
 
 A a 2 Their
 
 180 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Their fnowy breads, and fmooth Cayfter's wave 420 
 
 Soft-gliding murmur'd by. His op'ning cheft 
 
 Pours forth his entrails, and fupine he falls. 
 
 Not long the Grecian triumphs. From the flain 
 
 In all trie" pride of conqueft as he rends 
 
 His reeking javelin, Hyperanthes' fteel 425 
 
 His knee invades, and burfts the fmewy cords. 
 
 The Mycenaeans with uplifted fhields, 
 
 Corinthians, and Phliafians gather round 
 
 The wounded Grecian. With redoubled rage 
 
 The conflict glows. Abrocomes incites 
 
 Each Perfian leader; all obey his voice 3 
 
 Here Abradates, there Mazasus prefs'd, 
 
 Orontes, and Hydarnes; none retire 
 
 From toil, or peril : urg'd on evVy fide 
 
 The Greeks at length th' abandon'd chief refio-n. 
 
 Defpairing, raging, deftitute he ftands 
 
 43o 
 
 435 
 
 Propt
 
 BookV. LE ONI DAS. 181 
 
 Propt on his fpear; his wound forbids retreat 
 
 None, but his brother Eumenes, abide 
 
 The dire extremity. His fhield defends 
 
 The fainting chief, till Hyperanthes' fword 440 
 
 Full on his arm its dreadful weight difcharg'd. 
 
 Down with the buckler drops the fever'd hand, 
 
 Nor quits its grafp. Now fink the wretched pair 
 
 Beneath the Persian's unreiifted fteel: 
 
 From both their breafls the vital currents flow, 44c 
 
 And mix their ftreams. Elate the Perfians roll 
 
 Their deepning legions on the foes difmay'd. 
 
 The Greeks their ftation painfully maintain. 
 
 This foon the faithlefi Anaxander faw, 
 
 When thus to Leontiades he fpake, 450 
 
 This is the time to aid our Perfian friends. 
 Behold the Greeks are prefs'd. Let Thebes retire, 
 
 And yield a bloodlefs conquest to the king. 
 
 The
 
 f 8a LEON I DAS, Book V. 
 
 The Thebans ftreight defert the broken line 
 Not with unpunifli'd treachery; the fpears 455 
 
 Of fierce Orontes, and Pharnuchus join'd 
 With Mindus gor'd their fhameful flight, and thind 
 Their bleeding files. Meantime, as he who rul'd 
 Than Jove more antient on the throne of heav'n, 
 When from the womb of Chaos dark the world 4.60 
 Emergd to birth, where'er he view'd the jar 
 
 Of atoms yet difcordant and unform'd, 
 
 Confufion thence with pow'rful voice difpelTd, 
 
 Till light and order univerfal reign d ; 
 
 So from the wall Leonidas explor'd 465 
 
 The various war. He faw the Theban rout, 
 
 That Corinth, Phlius, and Mycenas look'd 
 
 Affrighted backward ; inftantly he charg'd 
 
 The fons of Lacedgemon to repair 
 
 Tke
 
 Book V. L E O N I D A S. 183 
 
 The disunited phalanx. E'er they move 470 
 
 Dieneces infpires them. Fame, my friends. 
 
 Calls forth your valour in a fignal hour; 
 
 For you this glorious period fhe referv'd 
 
 To vindicate the Spartan name. He fpake. 
 
 On either fide fupported by the might 475 
 
 Of Agis and of Alpheus he conducts 
 
 His gen'rous troop, who riveting their fhields 
 
 In denfe array indiffolubly firm 
 
 Confront the Perflans, and with death repulfe 
 
 Their fcatter'd numbers; when with efforts vain 480 
 
 They oft renew' d the conteft, and recoil'd 
 
 As oft confounded with diminifh'd ranks, 
 
 Thus Hyperanthes counfell'd. Learn, O chiefs, 
 
 From whence alone fuccefs can grace our arms, 
 
 Thefe are a band fele&ed from the Greeks, 485 
 
 Unlike the others,- whom we lately chas'dy 
 
 Perhaps
 
 184 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Perhaps the Spartans, whom we oft have heard 
 
 By Demaratus prais'd. To break their line 
 
 Falfe is the hope, while unarray'd, and lax, 
 
 And wanting union fingly we affail 490 
 
 Their ftrength collected. Do not we prefide 
 
 O'er AnVs myriads, and our valour boaft, 
 
 And martial arts above the vulgar herd ? 
 
 Let us, ye chiefs, attempt in order'd ranks 
 
 To join our force, and emulate the foe. 495 
 
 They wait not dubious. Soon a dreadful line 
 From Oeta's mountain to the fhore extends, 
 Compos'd of all the leaders, Mindus bold, 
 Pharnuchus, and Mazasus, and the ftrength 
 Of fierce Abrocomes, with each, who bore 500 
 
 The hig-heft honours, and excelfd in war. 
 
 To thefe fucceed a chofen number drawn 
 
 From
 
 Book V. LEON I DAS. 185 
 
 From thofe, whom Afia boafts her braveft fons, 
 
 Who from their king perpetual ftipends (hare ; 
 
 And ftation'd round his provinces by arms 505 
 
 His tyranny fuftain. In ev'ry part 
 
 Is Hyperanthes feen with active care 
 
 To form the huge battalion. Soon they ftand 
 
 In juft array, when cautious, left their march 
 
 Might ftill relax their order, Perfla's prince 510 
 
 Amid the center of the foremoft rank 
 
 Orontes plac'd, committing to his hand 
 
 Th' imperial ftandard ; whofe expanded folds 
 
 Glow'd in the air, prefenting to the fun 
 
 The richeft dye of Tyre : the royal bird 515 
 
 Amid the gorgeous tinclure fhone expreft 
 
 In flaming gold. On this the eaftern chief 
 
 Commands each Perfian ftation'd in the front 
 
 To turn his eyes regardful, and to guide 
 
 Bb Hi*
 
 186 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 His flow and equal feet by this alone 5 20 
 
 Retiring, or advancing. Next he charg'd, 
 That ev'ry wafriour through the num'rous files, 
 Obferving none but thofe before him ranged, 
 Should watch their motions, and their fteps purfue. 
 Clofe by the ftandard then th' intrepid chief 5 25 
 
 His poft aflumes, and animates the band. 
 
 - 
 
 Illustrious warriours, whofe unconquer"d arms 
 Rebellious JEgypt, and the Libyan felt, 
 Think what the fplendour of your former deeds 
 From you demands; remember, from the great 530 
 
 Heroic actions are a debt to fame. 
 No middle courfe remains for them to tread, 
 Whom fhe hath once ennobled ; and this hour 
 Or with frefh trophies will enlarge your praife, 
 Or will forever with dishonour blaft. 53$
 
 BookV. LE ONI DAS, 187 
 
 The hero faid, and all to fight proceed. 
 As when tempeftuous Eurus ftems the weight 
 Of weftern Neptune ftruggling through the ftraits, 
 Which bound Alcides' labours ; here the ftorm 
 With rapid wing reverberates the tide, 54 .0 
 
 There the contending furge with furrow'd tops 
 To mountains fwells, and whelming o'er the beach 
 On either coaft inverts with hoary foam 
 The Mauritanian and Iberian ftrand: 
 Not with lefs rage in hideous onfet meet 545 
 
 The Grecians and Barbarians. Thefe preferve 
 Their foremoft ranks unbroken, where was drawn 
 The prime of Afia's warriours; and the croud, 
 Though ftill promifcuous pouring from behind, 
 Yet added preffure to th' imbattled chiefs 550 
 
 With endlefs numbers. Like the mural ftrength 
 
 Bb 2 Of
 
 188 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Of fome proud city bulwark'd round, and arm'd 
 
 With rifing tow'rs to guard her wealthy flores ^ 
 
 Immoveable, impenetrable ftood 
 
 The ferried phalanx of the Greeks. Behind, 555 
 
 Their country fpread, their fields with plenty crown'd,. 
 
 Their native walls and habitations lay 
 
 With each dear pledge of friendfhip and of love. 
 
 High in the Perfian van th' exalted lance 
 
 Of Hyperanthes flam'd. Befide him prefs'd. 56a 
 
 Abrocomes, Hydarnes, and the bulk 
 
 Of Abradates terrible in war. 
 
 And here the great Dieneces upheld' 
 
 His fhiekTs expanded furface, and alone. 
 
 Firm, as a Memphian pyramid, fuftain'd 565; 
 
 The ftrefs of thoufands. Alpheus here unmov'd, 
 
 And Agis there connect their fpacious orbs, 
 
 With Menalippus wife Megifthias' heir 
 
 In
 
 189 
 
 Book V.. LE ONI DAS. 
 
 In one impervious line. Long time the hofts 
 
 Maintain in ftrong and unrelax'd array 5 ~ 
 
 The conflicl undecided; nor could Greece 
 
 Repel the adverfe numbers, nor the force 
 
 Of Aria's myriads could remove the Greeks,. 
 
 But now from Sparta's king, who foon difcern'd 
 The Perfian's new arrangement, Medon haftes, 575; 
 
 Th' illuftrious chief of Locris, from the race 
 Of Ajax fprung in Trojan fields renown dc 
 To wife Dieneces he thus began* 
 
 Leon id as commands the Grecian line 
 To yield before the Perfians, and with fpeed ^ - ; 
 
 To meafure back fome paces. Soon, he deems, 
 The unexperienc'd foe in wild purfuit 
 Will break their order. Then the charge renew J;
 
 ipo LEO NI DAS. Book V. 
 
 Let Agis, join s d with Alpheus, from the line 
 
 Rufh with Laconia's troop imbattled deep, 585 
 
 And force a paffage through the Barb'rous hoft ; 
 
 Thou with a ftrong battalion from the fons 
 
 Of Locris drawn' mufi follow fvvift, and reach 
 
 The Spartans led by Agis ; with the reft 
 
 Of Locris' youth mall I advance to fill ^ 
 
 Your vacant ftation, and the line maintain; 
 
 While in the narrow entrance, where the pafs 
 
 Looks o'er the Malian plain on PernYs camp, 
 
 Do thou arrange to intercept the foe, 
 
 Should Afia pour frefh fuccours from her tents : 59 c 
 
 Then Xerxes foon the {laughter fhall deplore 
 
 Of all thefe thou&iids in the ftraits inclos'd 
 
 For fure deftruclion; and the Gods of Greere 
 
 Behold their temples, with profufion orac'd 
 
 Of
 
 BookV. LEO NX DAS. i 9r 
 
 Of fplendid off 'rings from Barbarian fpoils 600 
 
 Won by their free-born fupplicants this day. 
 
 This heard, Dieneces obedient gave 
 Through ev'ry band the fignal of retreat, 
 When all at once drew backward. Perfia ftop'd, 
 As with amazement rooted to the earth 605, 
 
 At unexpected conqueft; 'till the voice 
 Of fierce Abrocomes their minds awakes 
 With thefe triumphant accents. By the fun 
 They fly before us. My victorious friends, 
 Delay you then to enter Greece ? Away, 6t 
 
 Rum on undaunted. I already hear, 
 Our horfe and chariots thund'ring o'er their plains, 
 And view their towns involv'd in Perfian fires. 
 
 % He
 
 ! 9 2 L E O N I D A S. Book V. 
 
 H e faid. With hurried violence they roll 
 Tumultuous forward. All with headlong pace 615 
 
 Wide from their ranks expatiate in purfuit, 
 
 Disjoin their order, and the line diflblve. 
 
 This when the fage Dieneces defcries, 
 
 The Grecians halt returning to the charge 
 
 With fudden onfet. In a moment, piercd 620 
 
 By Lacedaemon s chief, Orontes falls, 
 
 And quits th' imperial banner; this the Greek 
 
 In triumph waves, and gives the dreadful fign. 
 
 At once with Agis tow'ring in the front, 
 
 And rapid Alpheus all Laconia's band 625 
 
 In deep arrangement burfting from the line 
 
 Bear down with irrefiftible career 
 
 The eaftern legions, fhatter'd and o'erturn'd 
 
 With all their ftandards trampled on the plain. 
 
 As
 
 Book V. LEONI DAS. 
 
 *93 
 
 As the fwift veffel, when a rifing gale 630 
 
 Diftends the canvafs, its refiftlefs courfe 
 
 Impells through millions of oppofing waves; 
 
 Through the Barbarian multitudes fo pierc'd 
 
 The Spartan wedge. Invincible o'er hills 
 
 Of arms, and mangled corfes they imprefs 635 
 
 Their crimfon footfteps. Perfia's braveft chiefs, 
 
 Ev'n Hyperanthes from the line is driv n ; 
 
 And flying thoufands through the pafs are fwept 
 
 Before the Spartans. With a Locrian troop 
 
 Of hideous depth Dieneces purfues 640 
 
 His conqu'ring friends, and hews his purple way 
 
 Through Aria's numbers, which again were clos'd 
 
 In vain: himfelf unconquerable leads 
 
 Deftruction on, and heaps the rock with death. 
 
 But on the broken foe what ruin falls 645 
 
 From Alpheus' fword? O'er all in fwift purfuit 
 
 Cc Was
 
 i 9 4 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Was he renown d. His rapid feet had match'd 
 
 The fon of Peleus in the dufty courfe, 
 
 Or had he run for Atalanta's love, 
 
 He had rejected Cytheraas aid; 650 
 
 Nor of lier fwiftnefs to beguile the fair 
 
 Before her fteps had thrown the golden balls. 
 
 But now the wrongs, the long-remember'd wrongs 
 
 Of Polydorus animate his ftrength 
 
 With tenfold vigour; guided by revenge 655 
 
 His falchion reddens with Barbarian blood j. 
 
 The gory drops befprinkled all his fhield, 
 
 Like crimfon poppies o'er the yellow plain. 
 
 As when with horrour wing'd a whirlwind rends 
 
 A mattered navy; from the ocean caft, 660 
 
 Th' enormous fragments hide the fandy beach: 
 
 Thus o'er the rock the Perfians lay beftrewn 
 
 By Alpheus raging in the fwift purfuit. 
 
 1 
 
 Not
 
 Book V. LEONIDAS, i 9s 
 
 Not with feverer pangs the bod of day 
 
 The Theban queen afflicted, when incens'd 665 
 
 With her proud vaunts he hurl'd her blooming race 
 
 From youth and beauty to the pale abodes; 
 
 Than now diftradted Hyperanthes' foul, 
 
 As round him, bleeding by the Spartan's lance, 
 
 His nobleft friends lay gafping. Oft he ftrove 670 
 
 To turn his flying legions, oft the fight 
 
 With Abradates and his brother's force 
 
 Renews, againft infuperable foes 
 
 In vain repugnant; till by all around 
 
 Deferted, mixing with the gen'ral rout 675 
 
 He yields to fortune, and the field forfakes* 
 
 So with relapfing waves the ebbing tide 
 
 Beats for a time againft the fhelving ftrand, 
 
 Still by degrees retiring, and at laft 
 Within the bofom of the main fubfides. 680 
 
 C c 2 Now
 
 j 9 6 LEO NI DAS. Book V. 
 
 Now at Thermopylae's extremeft bound 
 The Spartans check'd their progrefs. Soon approach'd 
 Dieneces, and thus began. Behold, 
 What numbers have we pafs'd of Perfia's fons. 
 Be fwift, my friends, and form. He faid, and fill'd 
 The narrow {traits with order'd files, a depth 686 
 
 Of fifty warriours; half on Afia's hoft, 
 Half tow'rd the pafs were turn'd, a double front, 
 Where ev'ry rank with twenty javelins flam'd. 
 The Locrian band to Agis is afiign'd, 690 
 
 Who ftands prepar'd to flop the flying foes ; 
 Dieneces himfelf to Perfia's camp 
 Prefents the terrours of the Spartan fteel, 
 
 Now, Mufe, the wondVous ftratagem difplay, 
 Which Sparta's hero, whofe prefiding care 695 
 
 Mark'd
 
 BookV. LE ONI DAS. i 97 
 
 Mark'd all the great viciffitudes of fight, 
 
 And rul'd the courfe of daughter, had conceiv'd 
 
 To whelm the num'rous, long- refilling foe 
 
 In hideous death, and fignalize the day 
 
 With horrours new to war. As o'er the wall, 700 
 
 His conftant ftation, darting through the ftraits 
 
 His watchful eye, e'er yet the battle clos'd, 
 
 He view'd the ho/rile myriads fwarming down, 
 
 And nations ftill fucceeding from the camp 
 
 Immenfe, exhauftlefs, by an horrid length 705 
 
 Of cluft'ring helms, and mields, and threatning fpears 
 
 Join'd to the Grecian van; the wary chief, 
 
 Left by the long-protracted fight his Greeks 
 
 Might yield o'erlabour'd, from the Locrians chofe 
 
 A thoufand warriours. Thefe by Maron led jio 
 
 Afcend the mountain, which o'erhung the pafs. 
 
 His charge he foon reveals. A thoufand hands 
 
 At
 
 i 9 8 LEONIDAS. Book V. 
 
 At once with reftlefs pains affemble ftones 
 
 Of hugeft bulk, and withered trunks uptorn 
 
 In elder times by whirlwinds from the grove. 715 
 
 Unwearied then they loofen from the rocks 
 
 Broad, craggy fragments; from the mountain hew'd 
 
 Its venerable firs, and aged oaks 
 
 Of wide circumference, and knotted itrength. 
 
 Which of their branches by the lightning bared, 720 
 
 Prefented ftill againft its blading flame 
 
 Their hoary pride unfhaken. Thefe the Greeks 
 
 Roll heavy on, with maffy leavers heave, 
 
 Or drag with ftrong-knit cables, till they reach, 
 
 Where o'er the Perfian multitudes inclind 72c 
 
 The mountain's edge; fo lofty, that the voice 
 
 Of war below there loft its deafninor r0 ar 
 
 And foften'd into murmurs. Still his poft, 
 
 Though Hyperanthes from the field was driv'n, 
 
 With
 
 BookV. LEON I DAS. 
 
 199 
 
 With thronging numbers Intaphernes bold 730 
 
 Beneath the made of this incumbent hill 
 
 Againft the fierce Diomedon maintained ; 
 
 Great Intaphernes, progeny of kings, 
 
 Whom o'er Damafcus, and the Syrian palms 
 
 Had Xerxes feated with defpotic fway 735 
 
 His fubftitute. This Maron from on high 
 
 Surveys, and gives the fignal- downward finks 
 
 The nodding pile, ftupendous heap of death ! 
 
 Trees roll'd on trees with mingled rock defcend, 
 
 Unintermitted ruin. Loud refound 740 
 
 The hollow trunks againft the mountain's fide, 
 
 Swift bounds each craggy mafs. The foes beneath 
 
 Look up aghaft, with horrour fhrink, and die ; 
 
 Whole legions crufh'd beneath the dreadful heaps 
 
 Lie hid and loft, as never they had known 745 
 
 A name, or being ; while around them grew 
 
 A
 
 200 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 A hill of ruin. Numbers frill furvive, 
 
 Who lhun deftruction with impetuous flight; 
 
 But Agis flops them : Intaphernes falls 
 
 Before his thund'ring arm. Again they turn 750 
 
 To meet refiftlefs ruin. From behind 
 
 With twice two hundred Locrians Agis pours. 
 
 Meantime the Grecian line (fo Sparta's king 
 Decreed) had left its ftation, and beyond 
 The heaps of dreadful carnage was advanc'd; 755 
 
 There, ftretch'd from Oeta to the Malian bay, 
 
 The Locrians led by Medon had difpos'd, 
 
 With Corinth, Phlius and Mycenae's train 
 
 Their hoftile phalanx o'er the lefs'ning pafs. 
 
 Along the mountain's flde Platasa's troop, 760 
 
 The Mantineans, and Tegaeans flood, 
 
 An
 
 V. kEGNIDAS. aoi 
 
 An horrid length of war. Th' unwearied fwords 
 
 Of Dithyrambus and Diomedon 
 
 Still blaz'd the terrour of the Barb'rous hoft. 
 
 Before them fled the Persians to the fhore, 765 
 
 All in a moment by the various bands 
 
 Of Greece furrounded. From the gulph profound 
 
 Perdition here inevitable frowns, 
 
 And there, incircled by a grove of ipears, 
 
 They ftand devoted hecatombs to Mars. 770 
 
 Now not a moment's interval delays 
 
 Their gen'ral doom, but down the Malian fteep 
 
 Prone are they hurried to th 5 expanded arms 
 
 Of Horrour rifing from the op'ning deep, 
 
 And grafping all their numbers, as they fall. jj§ 
 
 The dire confufion,. like a ftorm, invades 
 
 The chafing billows; loud refounds the fhore: 
 
 D d And
 
 102 LEON I DAS. BookV. 
 
 And o'er whole troops by fell Bellona rolTd 
 
 In one vaft ruin from the craggy ridge, 
 
 O'er all their arms and enfigns deep ingulph'd, 780 
 
 With hideous roar the furge for ever elos'd. 
 
 End of the Fifth Book. 
 
 LEONIDA&
 
 ao3 
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK VI. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 Night coming on, the Grecians retire to their tents. A guard is 
 placd on the Phocian wall under the command of Agis. He admits 
 into the camp a lady accompanied by afingle Jlave, and conducts the??i 
 to Leonidas-, when fie dijcovers herfelf to be Ariana, Jijler of Xerxes 
 and Hyper anthes, and files for the body ofTeribazus; which being 
 found among the fiain, fije kills herfelf upon it. The flave, who at- 
 tended her, proves to be Polydorus, brother of Alpheus and Mar on, 
 and who had been formerly carried into captivity by a Phoenician 
 pirate. He relates before an afembly of the chiefs a meffagefrom 
 Demaratus to the Spartans, which difclofes the treachery of the The- 
 bans, and of Epialtes, the Mali an, who had wider taken to lead part 
 of the Perfia?i army through a pafs among the mountains of O eta. 
 This information throws the council into a great tumult, which is 
 pacified by Leonidas, who fends Alpheus to obfirve the motions ofthefe 
 Perfians, and Dieneces with a party of hacedcemonia?is to fupport 
 the Phocians, with whom the defence of thefe pafiages in the hills had 
 been intrufied. In the ?nean time Agis fe?ids the bodies of Teribazus 
 and Ariana to the camp of Xerxes. 
 
 Dd 2 IN
 
 ao 4 LEONIDAS, Book VI. 
 
 N fable pomp with all her /tarry train 
 
 The night aflum'd -her throne. Recalfd from war 
 Her long-protracted labours Greece forgets, 
 Diffolv'd in filent /lumber^ all but thofe, 
 Who watch'd th' uncertain perils of the dark, 5 
 
 An hundred warriours: Agis was their chief. 
 High on the wall intent the hero fat, 
 As o'er the furface of the tranquil main 
 Along its undulating breaft the wind 
 The various din of Afia's hofl: convey 'd 10 
 
 In one deep murmur fwelling in his ear : 
 When by the found of footfteps down the pafs 
 Alarm' d he calls aloud. What feet are thofe, 
 Which beat the echoing pavement of the rock? 
 With fpeed reply, nor tempt your inftant fate. 15 
 
 He
 
 Book VI. LEONIDA & - 205 
 
 He faid, and thus return'd a voice unknown. 
 Not with the feet of enemies we come, 
 But crave admittance with a friendly tongue. 
 
 The Spartan anfwers. Through the midnight /hade 
 What purpofe draws your wandring fteps abroad? 20 
 
 To whom the ftranger. We are friends to Greece, 
 And to the prefence of the Spartan king 
 AdmifTion we implore. The cautious chief 
 Of Lacedasmon hefitates again. 
 
 When thus with accents mufically fweet 25 
 
 A tender voice his wondring ear allur'd. 
 
 O Gen' rous Grecian, liften to the pray'r 
 Of one diftrefs'd ! whom grief alone hath led 
 
 1 In
 
 io6 LEON I DAS, Book VI. 
 
 In this dark hour to thefe victorious tents, 
 
 A wretched woman innocent of fraud. 30 
 
 The Greek defcending through th unfolded gates 
 Upheld a flaming brand. One firft appeared 
 In fervile garb attir'd; but near his fide 
 A woman graceful and majeftic flood ; 
 Not with an afped: rivalling the power 3 r 
 
 Of fatal Hellen, or the wanton charms 
 Of Love's foft queen; but fuch as far excell'd, 
 Whate'er the lilly blending with the rofe 
 Paints on the cheek of beauty foon to fade ; 
 Such as exprefs'd a mind, which wifdom ruFd, 40 
 
 And fweetnefs temper'd, virtue's pureft light 
 Illumining the countenance divine, 
 Yet could not footh remorfelefs fate, nor teach 
 Malignant Fortune to revere the good, 
 
 Which
 
 Book VI. LE ONI DAS. 
 
 2,07 
 
 Which oft with anguifh rends the fpotlefs heart, ' 45 
 
 And oft affociates wifdom with despair. 
 
 In courteous phrafe began the chief humane. 
 
 Exalted fair, who thus adorn'ft the night, 
 Forbear to blame the vigilance of war, 
 And to the laws of rigid Mars impute, c 
 
 That I thus long unwilling have delay'd 
 Before the great Leonidas to place 
 This your apparent dignity and worth. 
 
 H e Ipake, and gently to the lofty tent 
 Of Sparta's king the lovely flranger guides. 55 
 
 At Agis' fummons with a mantle broad 
 His mighty limbs Leonidas infolds, 
 And quits his couch. In wonder he furveys 
 Tli illuftrious virgin, whom his prefence aw'd : 
 
 2 Her
 
 -o8 LEONIDA % Book VI. 
 
 Her eye fubmiffive to the ground inclin'd 60 
 
 With veneration of the godlike man. 
 But foon his voice her anxious dread difpelTd, 
 Benevolent and hofpitable thus. 
 
 Thy form alone, thus amiable and great. 
 Thy mind delineates,, and from all commands 65 
 
 Supreme regard. Relate, thou noble dame, 
 By what relentlefs deftiny compell'd, 
 Thy tender feet the paths of darknefs tread. 
 Rehearfe th' afflictions, whence thy virtue mourns. 
 
 On her wan cheek a fudden blufli arofe, 70 
 
 Like day's firft dawn upon the twilight pale, 
 And wrapt in grief thefe words a paffage broke. ' 
 
 If
 
 Book VI. L E O N I D A S. 209 
 
 If to be moft unhappy, and to know, 
 That hope is irrecoverably fled ; 
 
 If to be great and wretched may deferve 75 
 
 Commiferation from the good ; behold, 
 Thou glorious leader of unconquer'd bands, 
 Behold defcended from Darius' loins 
 Th' afflicted Ariana, and my pray'r 
 Accept with pity, nor my tears difdain! 80 
 
 Firft, that I lov'd the beft of human race, 
 By nature's hand with ev'ry virtue form'd, 
 Heroic, wife, adorn'd with ev'ry art; 
 Of fhame unconfcious does my heart reveal. 
 This day in Grecian arms confpicuous clad 85 
 
 He fought, he fell. A paffion long conceal'd 
 For me alas I within my brother's arms 
 His dying breath refigning, he difclos'd. 
 
 Ee Oh
 
 aio LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 Oh I will flay my forrows! will forbid 
 
 My eyes to ftream before thee, and my heart, 90 
 
 Thus full of anguifh, will from fighs reftrain! 
 
 For why mould thy humanity be griev'd 
 
 With my diftrefs, and learn from me to mourn 
 
 The lot of nature doom'd to care and pain! 
 
 Hear then, O king, and grant my fole requeft, 95 
 
 To feek his body in the heaps of flain. 
 
 Thus to the Spartan fu'd the regal maid 
 Refembling Ceres in majeftic woe, 
 When, fupplicant at Jove's refplendent throne, 
 From dreary Pluto, and th' infernal gloom 100 
 
 Her lov'd and loft Proferpina flie fought. 
 Fix'd on the weeping queen with ftedfaft eyes, 
 Laconia s chief thefe tender thoughts recall'd. 
 
 Such
 
 Book VI. L E O N I D A S. ZI i 
 
 Such are thy forrows, O for ever dear! 
 Who now at Lacedasmon doft deplore ioc 
 
 My everlafting abfence! then inclin'd 
 His head, and figh'd; nor yet forgot to charge 
 His friend, the gentle Agis, through the ftraits 
 The Perfian princefs to attend and aid. 
 With careful fteps they feek her lover's corfe. no 
 
 The Greeks remember'd, where by Fate reprefs'd 
 His arm firft ceas'd to mow their legions down, 
 And from beneath a mafs of Perfian llain 
 Soon drew the hero by his armour known. 
 To Agis' high pavilion they refort. 1 1 5 
 
 Now, Ariana, what tranfcending pangs 
 Thy foul involv'd? What horrour clafp'd thy heart? 
 But love grew mightieft, and her beauteous limbs 
 On the cold breaft of Teribazus threw 
 
 Ee 2 The
 
 iia LEON I DAS. BookVL 
 
 The grief-diftratfed maid. The clotted gore 120 
 
 Deform'd her fnowy bofom. O'er his wounds 
 Loofe flow'd her hair, and bubbling from her eyes 
 Impetuous forrow lav'd the purple clay. 
 When forth in groans her lamentations broke. 
 
 O torn for ever from my weeping eyes! 1 25 
 
 Thou, who defpairing to obtain her heart, 
 Who then moll lov'd thee, didft untimely yield 
 Thy life to Fate's inevitable dart 
 For her, who now in agony unfolds 
 Her tender bofom, and repeats her vows 130 
 
 To thy deaf ear, who fondly to her own 
 Now clafps thy breaft infenfible and cold. 
 Alas ! do thofe unmoving, ghaftly orbs 
 Perceive my guming anguilh! Does that heart, 
 Which Death's inanimating hand hath chili'd, 135 
 
 Share
 
 Book VI. LEONIDAS. 213 
 
 Share in my fufFrings, and return my fighs! 
 
 — Oh! bitter unfurmountable diftrefs! 
 
 Lo ! on thy breaft is Ariana bow'd, 
 
 Hangs o'er thy face, unites her cheek to thine 
 
 Not now to liften with enchanted ears 140 
 
 To thy perfuafive eloquence, no more 
 
 Charm'd with the wifdom of thy copious mind! 
 
 She could no more. Invincible defpair 
 Supprefs'd her utt'rance. As a marble form 
 Fix'd on the folemn fepulcher, unmov'd 145 
 
 O'er fome dead hero, whom his country lov'd, 
 Bends down the head with imitated woe: 
 So paus'd the princefs o'er the breathlefs clay, 
 Intranc'd in forrow. On the dreary wound, 
 Where Dithyrambus' fworc was -deepeft plung'd, 150 
 Mute for a fpace and motionlefs £he gaz'd* 
 
 Then
 
 ai 4 LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 Then with a look unchangd, nor trembling hand 
 
 Drew forth a poniard, which her garment veil'd, 
 
 And meathing in her heart th' abhorred fteel^ 
 
 On her flain lover, filent finks in death. 155 
 
 In vain the Spartan interven'd. With tears 
 
 He view'd the proflrate lovers, and exclaimed. 
 
 Oh! mod unhappy, heavy on your heads 
 Hath forrow fall'n, which o'er your pale remains 
 Commands this pity from a Granger's eye! 160 
 
 Illuftrious ruins, may the grave impart 
 That peace, which life denied! And now receive 
 
 This pious office from a hand unknown. 
 
 » 
 
 S o faying, from his fhoulders he unclafp'd 
 His ample robe, and ftrew'd the waving folds 165 
 
 O'er the pale dead. Then turning, he befpake 
 
 1 The
 
 Book VI. LEON I DAS. 2 i 5 
 
 The Have, who flood befide him. Thou, who ledft 
 
 Thy queen ill-deftin'd to the fatal tents 
 
 Of Lacedaemon, now returning bear 
 
 Her bleeding reliques to the Perfian lord; 170 
 
 Thou, and thefe captives, whom I free from bonds. 
 
 Art thou a Spartan (interrupts the flave) 
 And doft thou counfel me to feek again 
 A clime unblefs'd, where freedom never dwells? 
 No. Bear me to Leonidas. Alone 175 
 
 Shall he decide, if wretched, as I feem, 
 I may not claim protection from this camp. 
 
 Whoe'er thou art (amaz'd the chief replies) 
 Thou may 'ft indeed a better lot demand, 
 Than I, a ftranger to thy hidden worth, 180 
 
 Unconfcious offer'd. Thy ignoble garb 
 
 Conceal' df
 
 ai6 LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 Conceal'd a virtue, which I now revere. 
 
 And fince thy fuff'ring foul hath long indurd 
 
 The gloom of bondage, and the hated face 
 
 Of tyrants view'd, now change the horrid fcene; 185 
 
 Here freedom reigns, and juftice : come and feek 
 
 With me their great protector. Ending here, 
 
 Swift he conducts him to Laconia's king, 
 
 When Agis thus Leonidas addrefs'd. 
 
 Lo! far fuperiour to the name, which marks 190 
 
 His habit with difhonour, one, who fues 
 For thy protection ! Here the flave fubjoin'd. 
 I ftand thy fuppliant now. Thou foon fhalt learn, 
 If I deferve thy favour. I intreat 
 
 To fee th' afTembled leaders of your hoft, 195 
 
 For I am fraught with ty dings, which import 
 The weal of all the Grecians. Agis ftreight 
 
 Appointed
 
 Book VI. LEO NI DAS. 2x7 
 
 Appointed by Leonidas convenes 
 
 The various leaders. To the tent they tlifbn^, 
 
 Amidfl: them plac'd, the ftranger thus began. 200 
 
 O Alpheus! Maron ! hither turn your fight, 
 And know your brothers. From their feats they fiart. 
 From either burft, with tears of tranfport mix'd, 
 The name of Polydorus. On his breaft 
 Each fondly ftrives to rufh, but he withftands; 20 c 
 
 While down his cheek a ftream of anguifh pours 
 From his dejected eyes in torture bent 
 On that vile garb, which fham'd his free-born limbs. 
 At length thefe accents intermix'd with groans 
 Broke from his heart, while all flood wond'ring round. 
 
 You firft mall know, if this unhappy Have 21 r 
 
 Yet merits your embraces. Now approach'd 
 
 F f Leonidas.
 
 218 LEON I DAS. Book V. 
 
 Leonidas. Before him all recede, 
 
 Ev'n Alpheus' felf ; and yields his brother's hand, 
 
 Which in his own the gen'rous hero prefs'd : 215 
 
 Then with majeftic goodnefs thus befpake 
 
 Th' afflicted youth, and mitigates his pains. 
 
 Forbear to mourn, thou unexampled youth. 
 Thy friends', thy country, all on thee mall gaze 
 With veneration, whofe unfhaken mind 2 20 
 
 The chains of Alia never could debafe. 
 Lo! ev'ry breaft is open to thy worth, 
 Each tongue prepares to hail thee with applaule, 
 Who haft thy country honour'd ev'n in bonds. 
 
 He ceas'd, when Alpheus with an eager hand 225 
 Divefts his brother of his bafe attire, 
 And his own mantle o'er the ihoulders threw 
 
 Of
 
 Book VI. LEONIDAS. aro 
 
 Of Polydorus. Agis too advanc'd, 
 
 With friendly arms infolds him, and began. 
 
 Now, in thy native liberty fecure, 235 
 
 Smile on thy paft afflictions, and relate, 
 What chance reftor'd thy virtue to the Greeks. 
 
 Then Polydorus to the lifVning chiefs. 
 I was a Spartan. When my tender prime 
 On manhood border'd, from my native fhore 240 
 
 Snatch'd by Phoenician pirates, I was fold, 
 To Ariana, lifter to the king 
 And Hyperanthes. Fortune there was kind 
 My bonds committing to that gentle hand. 
 Yet was I ftill a captive, and eftrang'd 245 
 
 From Lacedaemon. Demaratus oft 
 With friendly forrows would my lot deplore, 
 
 Ff 2 Nor
 
 zzo LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 Nor lefs his own ill-fated virtue mourn'd 
 
 Loft to his country in a fervile court, 
 
 The center of corruption ; where in fmiles 250 
 
 Is envy painted, treachery,, and hate, 
 
 And rankling malice; where alone iincere 
 
 The diffolute feeks no difguife : where he 
 
 Who all pofTefTes, that a king can give, 
 
 Is far lefs happy than the meaneft fon 255 
 
 Of liberty, and groveling, as the flave, 
 
 Who ferves his cruel pride. Yet here the fun 
 
 Ten times his annual period hath renew'd, 
 
 Since Polydorus hath in bondage groan'd. 
 
 My bloom now part., or elfe by pining care 260 
 
 Untimely wither'd, I at laft return, 
 
 And to my native land the tydings bear 
 
 Of inftant defolation. Here in grief 
 
 He paus'd, when thus Leonidas. Proceed, 
 
 Though
 
 Book VI. LEON I DAS. 2 2r 
 
 Though from thy lips inevitable fate 26 - 
 
 To all be threaten'd, thou art heard by none, 
 
 Whofe dauntlefs fouls can entertain a thought, 
 
 But how to fall the nobleft. Thus the chief. 
 
 The reft in fpeechlefs expectation wait. 
 
 Such was the folemn filence, which o'erfpread 270 
 
 The fhrine of Amnion, or Dodona's fhades, 
 
 When anxious mortals from the mouth of Jove 
 
 Their doom explor'd. Nor Polydorus long 
 
 Sufpends the Grecians, but refumes his tale, 
 
 As I this night accompanied the fteps . 275 
 
 Of Ariana, e'er we reach'd the ftraits 
 Before our view then op'ning, one appear'd 
 With hafty feet now traverfmg the way, 
 Now fix d intenfely tow'rds the Grecian wall; 
 Then on a fudden ftarting would renew 280 
 
 His
 
 222 LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 His reftlefs pace. As nearer we approach'd, 
 
 He by the moon, which glimmer'd o'er our heads, 
 
 Defer ied us, when advancing he demands 
 
 Where bent our midnight courfe. I knew the voice 
 
 Of Demaratus. To my breaft I clafp'd 285 
 
 The venerable exile, and replied. 
 
 Our purpofe ask not. Sparta's camp we feek, 
 
 And oh! farewel for ever! He rejoin'd. 
 
 Thrice happy Polydorus! Thou again 
 
 Shalt vilit Sparta to thefe eyes denied. 290 
 
 Upon your paths may heav'n's protection fmile. 
 
 Soon as you mix with yon triumphant tents, 
 
 Say to the Spartans, whofe unconquer'd arms 
 
 Defend thofe rocks, you faw their exil'd king ; 
 
 Say, though their blind credulity depriv'd 295 
 
 The wretched Demaratus of his home, 
 
 From ev'ry joy fecluded, which awaits 
 
 The
 
 Book VI. LEON I DAS. 
 
 223 
 
 The parent and the husband, from his wife, 
 
 » 
 
 His offspring torn, his friends, and native gates, 
 
 Him from his virtue could they ne'er divide: 300 
 
 Say, that ev'n here, where all are kings, or flaves, 
 
 Amid the riot of flagitious courts 
 
 Not quite extincl: the Spartan fpirit glows 
 
 Within his bread, though grief hath dim'd its fires, 
 
 Remembring this to Lacedaemon's chief 30 5 
 
 Report, that newly to the Perfian hoft 
 
 Return'd a Malian, Epialtes nam'd, 
 
 Who as a fpy had fought the Grecian tents. 
 
 He to the tyrant magnified his art, 
 
 Which with delufive eloquence had wrought 310 
 
 The Greeks to fuch defpair, that Ada's king 
 
 Had been e'er now their fov'reign mafter own'd, 
 
 Had not the fpirit of their Angle chief, 
 
 By fear unconquer'd, and on death refolv'd, 
 
 Reftor'd
 
 -4 LEON1DA S. Book VI. 
 
 Reftor'd their valour: therefore would the king 315 
 
 Truft to his guidance a feledled band, 
 
 They foon fliould pierce th' unguarded bounds of Greece, 
 
 Led through a fecret paffage o'er the hills, 
 
 Where no Leonidas fliould bar their way. 
 
 Meantime by him the treach'rous Thebans fent 320 
 
 Affurance of their aid. Th' affenting king 
 
 At once decreed two myriads to advance 
 
 With Hyperanthes, with Abrocomes, 
 
 And bold Hydarnes. Ev'ry chief befides, 
 
 Whom youth, or valour, or ambition warms, 325 
 
 Rous' d by the traitor's eloquence, attends 
 
 From all the nations, fir'd with eager zeal 
 
 The firft to enter Greece. In filence now 
 
 The youth remains. Tremendous from his feat 
 
 Uprofe Plataea's chief. His eyes were flames, 330 
 
 And
 
 Book VI, LEO NI DAS. 225 
 
 And thus on trembling Anaxander burfl; 
 The furious accents from his livid lips. 
 
 Yet e'er we fall, O traitor, fhall this arm ' 
 To hell's avenging furies fink thy head. 
 
 All now is tumult, e v'ry bofom fwells 335 
 
 With rage untam'd, and vengeance. Half unfheath'd 
 Diomedon's impetuous falchion blaz'd. 
 But, as the Cholchian forcerefs renown'd 
 In fables old, or Circe, when they fram'd 
 A potent fpell from Erebus to wake 340 
 
 The dead in dark and fleeting forms to glide 
 Before the moon's dim twilight, with their charms 
 Smooth'd all the fea, and filenc'd each rude blaft; 
 Till not a billow heav'd againft the ihore, 
 Nor ev'n the wanton-winged zephir breath'd 345 
 
 G g The
 
 z^6 LEONIDAS. Book VI, 
 
 The lightelt whifper through the magic air :. 
 So, when thy voice, Leonidas, is heard, 
 Fell Difcord liftens; Rage with facred awe 
 Subiides in filence ; while Confufion flept. 
 
 Withhold this rafhnefs (interpos'd the king) 3 50 
 Before we punifh, let us find the guilt. 
 Not yet hath Perfia overturn'd our tents, 
 Not yet her Barb'rous fhouts our ears alarm. 
 We Hill have time for vengeance, and to know, 
 If yet our fwords deft-ruction may repel, 3 55 
 
 Or how to die mod glorious. Then arofe 
 Dieneces, and thus the Greeks befpake. 
 
 E'er yet they pafs our borders, Xerxes' hoft 
 Muft learn to conquer, and the Greeks to fly. 
 The fpears of Phocis guard the fecret pais,.. 360 
 
 Let
 
 Book VI. LEON I DAS. 227 
 
 Let inftant meffengers be thither fent 
 
 To know the Pedians progrefs. Alpheus here. 
 
 Leon id as, behold, my willing feet 
 Shall to the Phocians bear thy great commands, 
 Or climb the hills to mark th' approaching foe. 365 
 
 Thou active fon of valour (thus returns 
 The chief of Lacedaemon) in my thoughts 
 For ever prefent, when the public caufe 
 Demands the fwift, the vigilant, and bold! 
 Go and furmount the rocks aerial height. 370 
 
 And while, around, Dieneces conducts 
 An hundred Spartans to the Phocians aid, 
 Thou from the hills obferve the Perfians march. 
 
 Before the purple- winged morn the night 
 Retiring warn'd their conference to ceafe. 275 
 
 Gg 2 They
 
 a2 8 LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 They all difperfe. When haftning on his courfe, 
 And ready now to climb the lofty crags, 
 
 Polydorus, Alpheus thus exclaims, 
 Long loft and late recover'd! we mull part 
 
 Once more, and now for ever. Thou return, 380 
 
 And kifs the facred foil, which gave thee birth, 
 Which calls thee back to freedom ? Deareft youtfc 
 
 1 mould have tears to give thee— -but farewell 
 My country chides me loit 'ring in thy arms. 
 
 This faid, he quits his brother, and afcends, . 385 
 While Polydorus anfwers. Alpheus no. 
 I have the marks of bondage to erafe, 
 My blood muft warn the fhameful ftain away* 
 
 We have a father (Maron interpos'd) 
 Thy unexpected prefence will revive 390 
 
 ! His
 
 Book VI. LE ONI DAS. % %9 
 
 His heavy age, that childlefs elfe will mourn. 
 Here Polydorus with a gloomy fmile. 
 
 Ill fhould I comfort others. View thefe eyesj 
 Faint is their light, and vanifh'd is my bloom 
 Before its hour of ripenefs. In my breaft 39c 
 
 Grief as a native will for ever dwell, 
 Nor yield to time. Uncealing {hall my foul 
 Brood o'er the dire remembrance of my youth 
 In fervitude thus wafted. Life with me 
 Hath loft its favour. Then in iilent woe 400 
 
 He hangs his head. His brother pleads in vain. 
 He anfwers only with repeated groans. 
 Now in his view Dieneces advanc'd 
 With Sparta's band. On them his eyes are fix'd 
 Immoveable, and thus his mind revolves. 405
 
 
 LEON I DAS. BookVi. 
 
 Itoo, like thefe, in Lacedaemon fprung, 
 Inftructed once, like thefe, to poize the fpear, 
 And lift the pond'rous fhield. Ill- deftin'd wretch! 
 Thy arm is now enervate, and would fail 
 Beneath the buckler's weight. O cruel Heav'n! 41a 
 Who didft compel my free-born hand to change 
 The warriour's arms for ignominious bonds ; 
 Wouldft thou compenfate for my chains, my fliame, 
 My ten years forrows, and the black defpair, 
 Which on my youth has prey'd ; propitious once 415 
 Grant, I may bear my buckler to the field, 
 And known a Spartan feek the fhades below. 
 
 H e ceas'd, and fudden turn d his fteps afide 
 To find the tent of Agis; there the youth 
 
 With
 
 Book VI. LEONIDAS. *|* 
 
 With grateful forrow minifters his aid, 420 
 
 While with a kind and hofpitable hand 
 
 The gentle Agis by her lover's corfe 
 
 On one fad bier the pallid beauties laid 
 
 Of Ariana. He from fhackles frees 
 
 Two Perfian captives, whom his gen'rous arm 425 
 
 That day preferv'd from flaughter, then began. 
 
 T o you I give that freedom, which you fought 
 To fnatch from me. This recompenfe I ask, 
 And this alone. Tranfport to Aria's camp 
 Thefe bleeding reliques ; bid the Perfian king 430 
 
 Weep o'er this flow'r thus blafied in its pride ; 
 Then fay, th' all-judging Gods have thus ordain'd : 
 Thou, whofe ambition o'er the groaning earth 
 Leads defolation, o'er the nations fpreads 
 
 Calamity
 
 a 3 z LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 Calamity and tears, thou firft fhalt mourn, 435 
 
 And through thy houfe deftruction firft fliall range, 
 
 Thus charg'd, to Afia's hoft the captives bend. 
 They foon attain the Phocian wall, where now 
 Was Dithyrambus ftation'd. He perceives 
 The mournful bier approach. To him the fate 440 
 
 Of Ariana was already told. 
 He meets the captives, when, with weeping eyes 
 On Teribazus turn'd, he thus exclaims, 
 
 O! as thy arms prefent thee, hadft thou been 
 Indeed a Grecian! then thy gen'rous heart 445 
 
 Its valour ne'er had wafted to fupport 
 A king's injuftice; then a gentler fate, 
 Had blefs'd thy life, or bleeding thou hadft known, 
 
 How
 
 Book VI. LEON I DAS. z 3 
 
 ooo 
 
 How fweet is death for liberty. A Greek 
 
 This friendly wifli affords thee, though his head 450 
 
 Had loft the honours gather'd from thy fall; 
 
 When fortune favour'd, or propitious heav*n 
 
 SirnTd on the better caufe. Ill-fated pair! 
 
 Whom with this ftream of pity here I lave; 
 
 But that my hoftile hands imbru'd with gore 455 
 
 Mull be ungrateful to your loathing fhades, 
 
 From all the neighb'ring valleys would I cull 
 
 Their fairell growth, and ftrew your hearfe with flow'rs. 
 
 Yet O accept thefe tears and pious pray'rs! 
 
 May peace attend your allies! may your Aiades 460 
 
 Pafs o'er the filent pool to happier feats, 
 
 Where tyrants ne'er can enter to molell 
 
 The blifsful region ; but are far remov'd 
 
 H h To
 
 234 LEON I DAS. Book VI. 
 
 To realms of horrour, where from righteous heav'n 
 They bear thofe pains, they merit from mankind! 465 
 
 He ceas'd in tears. The captives leave the wall, 
 And flowly down Thermopylae proceed. 
 
 End of the Sixth Book. 
 
 LE ON IDAS.
 
 *35 
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK VII. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 The bodies of Teribazus and Ariana are brought into the prefence of 
 Xerxes, foon after a report had reach 'd the camp, that half his navy 
 was Jhipwreck'd. The Perfian monarch, quite difpirited, is perfuaded 
 by Argeftes, one of the fatraps, to fend an ambajfador to the Spartan 
 king. Argeftes himfelf is deputed, who, after revealing his ambaffy 
 to Leonidas infecret, is by him led before the whole army, and there 
 receives his anfwer. In the mean time Alpheus returns and declares, 
 that the enemies were poftefs y d of the paffages in the hills, and were 
 haftening to Thermopylae, upon which Leonidas offers to fend away all 
 the army except his three hundred Spartans-, but Diomedon, Demo- 
 philus, Dithyr ambus, and Megiftias refufe to depart: he then dif- 
 mifes Argeftes, informs the Grecians of his defign to attack the 
 Perfian camp in the night, and making all the neceffary difpofitions 
 retires to his pavilion. 
 
 Hh 2 BEFORE
 
 a 3 6 LEONIDAS. Book VII. 
 
 BEFORE the tent of Xerxes now arriv'd 
 The Perfian captives. On with folemn pace 
 And flow they move. The monarch from afar 
 Defcries their fad demeanour. They approach, 
 Nor he forbids. That morn had Rumour told 5 
 
 The lofs of half his nary dafh'd on rocks 
 By angry Mails, or buried in the furgc. 
 Thus, when his bleeding filler met Ills eyes, 
 Already funk in fadnefs, he had loft 
 
 His kingly pride, the parent of difdain, 1 o 
 
 And cold indifference for others woes; 
 
 Nor ev'n befide his lifter's nobler corfe 
 
 Her humble lover now his fcorn awak'd. 
 
 In tears the captive's mournful tale he heard, 
 
 And then ftrft knew companion; but e'er long 15 
 
 Thofe traces vaniin'd from the tyrant's breaft: 
 
 1 His
 
 Book VII. LEONIDAS. 237 
 
 His former gloom redoubles, for himfelf 
 
 His anxious bofom heaves, and now he fears, 
 
 Left he with all his numbers mould be caft 
 
 A prey to Fortune. Near the monarch flood 20 
 
 The Spartan exile, whom he thus befpake. 
 
 O De mar at us, what will fate ordain! 
 Lo! Fortune turns againft me! Who fhall know 
 How far her daring malice may extend, 
 Which rages now fo near me, and hath made 25 
 
 My home the feat of ruin? I have fent 
 From my unfhelter'd fide my braveft chiefs, 
 And choiceft troops to pafs the defart hill, 
 Led by this Malian; may not there the Greeks 
 With oppofition more tremendous ftill 30 
 
 And ruinous, than yefter fun beheld, 
 Refiftlefs hold their craggy poft-, renew 
 
 - Their
 
 238 LEONIDAS. Book VII. 
 
 Their ftony thunder with augmented rage, 
 
 And fend whole quarries down the rocky fteep 
 
 Again to crufh my legions? Oh! unfold 35 
 
 Thy fecret foul, nor hide the harfheft truth; 
 
 Say what remains to hope? The exile here. 
 
 If truth unblam'd may iffue from my lips, 
 Too well, imperial Xerxes, you prefage 
 What may befal your legions. If the Greeks 40 
 
 Arrang'd within Thermopylae, a pals 
 Accefllble and fpacious, could repel 
 With fuch deftruction their unnumber'd foes; 
 What fcenes of havoc muft th' untrodden paths, 
 Confin'd among the craggy hills, aftbrd? 45 
 
 Immers'd in care the monarch filent fat. 
 Amid th' incircling peers Argeftes flood. 
 
 2 A
 
 Book VII. LEONIDAS. 239 
 
 A potent prince. On Sipylus he reign'd. 
 
 Whofe lofty fummits overlooked the waves 
 
 Of Hermus and Pactolus; either ftream 50 
 
 Enrich'd with golden fands its tribute bore 
 
 To this great fatrap : through the fervile court 
 
 Yet was there none more praclic'd in the arts 
 
 Of mean fubmiffion ; none more skilFd to gain 
 
 The royal favour; none, who better knew 55 
 
 The phrafe, the looks, and gefture of a flave. 
 
 In foothing words he thus the king belpake. 
 
 I f Xerxes will to ipare his faithful bands, 
 And not exert the terrours of his pow'r ; 
 More gentle means of conqueft than by arms, 60 
 
 Nor lefs fecure may artifice fupply. 
 Renown'd Darius, thy imperial fire 
 Great in the fpoil of kingdoms, long in vain 
 
 The
 
 a 4 o LEONIDAS. Book VII. 
 
 The fields of proud Euphrates with his hoft 
 
 O'erfpread; at lengiii confiding in the wiles 65 
 
 Of Zopyrus the mighty king fubdu'd 
 
 The Babylonian tow'rs: but who fhall count, 
 
 What num'rous ftates by policy have fali'n; 
 
 And let corruption once her aid impart, 
 
 Not one fhall {land. What race of men pofiefs 70 
 
 Such probity and wifdom, whom the veil 
 
 Of craft may blind not, nor corruption's charm 
 
 Seduce. O Xerxes, thou, whom heav'n hath rais'd 
 
 To more than mortal greatnefs, canft thou find 
 
 Through all thy empire, which from India's fhore 75 
 
 Shall reach Eurotas foon, no dazzling gift 
 
 To gain the Grecian leader? O difpel 
 
 The cloud of fadnefs from thofe faered eves, 
 
 And proffer ftreight to Lacedcemon's chief, 
 
 What may thy own munificence declare, 80 
 
 And
 
 Book VII. L EONIDA S. ' 241 
 
 And win his fvvord to aid thee. Xerxes here 
 Rous'd from his trance of forrow, fwift replied. 
 
 Wise are thy words and counfels. Go, repair, 
 My faithful fervant, to the Grecian chief; 
 Fall down before him; bid him join our arms, 85 
 
 And he mail reign o'er all the Grecian ftates. 
 
 At once Argeftes leaves the monarch's fide. 
 He now approaches to the Phocian wall. 
 Thence Dithyrambus leads him to the tent 
 Of Lacedasmon's king. . Retreated there 
 Alone the hero meditating fat 
 On future woes to Perfia. At his feet 
 Prone bows Argeftes, and begun. Thus low 
 Before thy awful prefence Xerxes wills, 
 That I mould bend me proftrate to the earth, 
 
 Ii 
 
 90 
 
 95 
 
 And
 
 i 4 i L E O N I D A S. Book VII. 
 
 And thus accoft thee. Great and matchlefs chief, 
 
 By fortune favour'd, and belov'd by heav'n, 
 
 Thus fays the lord of Alia ; join our arms, 
 
 And we reward thee with the fov'reign rule 
 
 O'er all the pow'rful ftates of haughty Greece. 100 
 
 And, O illuflrious warriour, heed my words. 
 
 Think on the blifs of royalty, the pomp 
 
 Of courts, their endlefs pleafures, trains of flaves, 
 
 Who reftlefs watch for thee and thy delights, 
 
 With all the glories of unrivall'd fway. 1 05 
 
 Look on th' Ionic and iEolian Greeks 
 
 From them their fantom liberty is flown, 
 
 While in each province, rais'd by Xerxes' hand, 
 
 Some favour'd chief prefides (exalted ftate, 
 
 Which envious freedom gives not) on his head 1 10 
 
 He bears the gorgeous diadem, and fees 
 
 His equals once now proftrate at his throne. 
 
 Yet
 
 Book VII. LEONIDAS. 243 
 
 Yet how much greater thou, whom gen'ral Greece, 
 That teems with mightieft ftates, fliall call her lord, 
 Thee only worthy. How will Greece rejoice 115 
 
 Around thy throne, and hail th' aufpicious hour, 
 When thou, felected by the Perfian king 
 To blefs confenting nations with thy fway, 
 Didft calm the fury of unfparing war, 
 Which elfe had delug'd all with blood and flames! 120 
 
 H e faid. The chief replies not, but commands 
 The Thefpian youth, who near the tent had watch'd, 
 To fummon all the Grecians. He obeys. 
 While from his feat the hero mov'd, and bade 
 The Perfian follow. He amaz'd attends, 125 
 
 Surrounded foon by all the Grecian bands; 
 W 7 hen him the godlike Spartan thus befpake. 
 
 Ii 2 Here,
 
 a 4 4 LEONIDAS. Book VII. 
 
 Here, Perfian, tell thy ambafTy, repeat, 
 That to obtain my friendfhip Aria's lord 
 
 Bids me accept the fov'reignty of Greece; 130 
 
 Then view this band, whofe valour fliall preferve 
 
 That Greece unconquer'd, which your king beflows, 
 
 And ftrew your bodies on its crimfon plains : 
 
 The indignation painted on their looks, 
 
 And gen'rous fcorn mall anf vver for their chief. 135 
 
 The hero ceas'd, when fuddenly return'd 
 The fpeed of Alpheus ; all fufpended ftreight 
 On him direct their fight, who thus began. 
 
 E'er I could join the Phocians, from the hill, 
 Which overhung the clofe defile, I view'd 140 
 
 The pow'rs of Perfia. Down the narrow ftrait 
 
 No
 
 Book VIL LEONIDAS, a 45 
 
 No fooner gleam'd th 1 innumerable fpears, 
 
 But by our angry deftiny milled, 
 
 Or fome curft daemon, enemy to Greece, 
 
 The Phocians quit their ftation. Through the pais 145 
 
 An inundation of Barbarians pours, 
 
 The traitor Epialtes is their guide, 
 
 And to Thermopylae directs their courfe. 
 
 H e here concludes. Unutterable fear 
 In horrid filence wrapt the lift'ning throng, 150 
 
 Aghaft, confounded > filent too were thofe, 
 Who knew no terrour, yet with wonder mute, 
 Thick- wedg'd inclos'd Leonid as around, 
 Who thus with calmeft elocution fpoke. 
 
 I nov/ behold my deftiny compl eat, 155 
 
 And how at laft Leonidas muft die. 
 
 1 Here
 
 24 6 LEONIDAS, Book VII. 
 
 Here with the Spartans fhall I reft behind 
 
 While you, my faithful, brave allies, retreat. 
 
 Then art thou near, thou glorious, facred hour, 
 
 Which malt my country's liberty confirm! 160 
 
 All hail! thou folemn period! thee the tongues 
 
 Of Virtue, Fame, and Freedom ihall record. 
 
 And celebrate in ages yet unborn. 
 
 Then O farevvel, Megiftias wife and brave ; 
 
 Thou too experience, venerable chief, 165 
 
 Demophilus farewel : farevvel to thee 
 
 Invincible Diomedon, to thee 
 
 Unequaird Dithyrambus, and to all, 
 
 You other dauntlefs warriours, who may claim 
 
 Praife from my lips, and friendfhip from my heart, 170 
 
 You after all the wonders, which your fwords 
 
 Have here accomplifh'd, mail enrich your names 
 
 With frefh renown. Your valour muft compleat, 
 
 What
 
 Book VII. L E O N I D A S. 2 47 
 
 What we begin. Here firft th' aftonifh'd foe 
 
 A dying Spartan mall with terrour view, 17 r 
 
 And tremble, while he conquers; then, by fate 
 
 Led from his dreadful victory difmay'd 
 
 Againft the phalanx of united Greece, 
 
 By your unconquer'd fpears himfelf fhall fall. 
 
 Here interpos'd the fierce Plataean chief. i So 
 
 By the twelve Gods enthron'd in heav'n fupreme, 
 
 By my fair name unfullied yet I fwear, 
 
 Ne'er mail thy eyes, Leonidas, behold 
 
 Diomedon forfake thee. Firft let ftrength 
 
 Defert my limbs, and valour fhun my heart. 1 8:5 
 
 Did I not face the Marathonian war? 
 
 Have I not feen Thermopylae? O Fame, 
 
 What more canft thou beftow, or I receive? 
 
 Where can I living purchafe brighter praife, 
 
 Than
 
 a^8 LEONIDA S. Book VII. 
 
 Than dying here? A more illuftrious tomb 19° 
 
 Where can I gain, than underneath the heaps 
 Of Perfians fall'n the vidims of our fvvord. 
 He ended, when Demophilus fubjoind. 
 
 
 
 O king of Sparta, pride of human race, 
 Whom none e'er equall'd, but the feed of Jove, 195 
 
 Thy own forefather number'd with the Gods, 
 Lo! I am old. With faltring fteps I tread 
 The prone defcent of years. The winged hours 
 By me, as one unequal to their fpeed, 
 Who can no more their fleeting joys attain, 
 Unheeding Aide. My youth my country claim'd, 
 My age no more can ferve her ;■ what remains? 
 What eligible hope can wifdom form, 
 But to die well? Upon this glorious earth 
 
 With thee, unrivall'd hero, will I clofe $>5 
 
 The 
 
 200
 
 Book VII. LEO NI DAS. 249 
 
 The eve oflife. So {pake the hoary chief, 
 
 When Dithy rambus next. O firft of Greeks, 
 
 Me too think worthy to attend thy fame 
 
 With this moft dear and venerable man 
 
 For ever honour'd from my tend'reft age, 210 
 
 Ev'n till on life's extremity we part. 
 
 Nor too afpiring let my hopes be deem'd ; 
 
 Should the Barbarian in his triumphs mark 
 
 My youthful limbs among the gory heaps, 
 
 Thence may his fears be doubled, when again 215 
 
 He meets in fields hereafter to be known 
 
 The Grecian ftandards, trembling at a foe, 
 
 To whom the flow'r, and blooming joys of life 
 
 Are lefs alluring than a noble fate. 
 
 To him Demophilus. Wilt thou too bleed, 220 
 
 My Dithy rambus? — But I here withhold 
 
 Kk All
 
 2S o LEON I DAS. BookVIL. 
 
 All connfel from thee, who art wife, as brave. 
 
 If then thy magnanimity retain 
 
 Thee too with great Leohidas to fall, 
 
 At either/s fide our limbs (hall prefs the ground, 225 
 
 And drop together in the arms of Death; 
 
 So if th' attentive traveller we draw 
 
 To our cold reliques, wondring mail he trace 
 
 The diff'rent fcene, and pregnant with applaufe, 
 
 O wife old man, exclaim, thou well haft chofe 230 
 
 The hour of fate: and O unequall'd youth, 
 
 Who to thy country didft thy bloom devote, 
 
 May ft thou remain for ever dear to Fame! 
 
 May Time rejoice to name thee! and may Peace 
 
 With gentleft pinions hover o'er thy urnf 235 
 
 This faid, the hero with his lifted fhield 
 
 His face o'erfhades, and drops a fecret tear; 
 
 Not
 
 Book VII. LEONIDAS. 2 « 
 
 Not this the tear of anguifli, but deriv'd 
 
 From fond affedion grown mature with time; 
 
 Which in a feebler mind to pain had turnd, 240 
 
 But in the Theipian's firm and virtuous breaft, 
 
 Alone a manly tendernefs awak'd 
 
 Unmix'd with pity, or with vain regret. 
 
 M E g 1 s t 1 a s laft addrefs'd the Spartan chief. 
 
 ■ 
 
 Thou, whom the Gods have chofen to exalt 245 
 
 Above mankind in virtue and renown, 
 
 O call not me prefumptuous, who implore 
 
 Among thefe heroes thy regardful ear! 
 
 To Lacedaemon I a ftranger came. 
 
 You there preferv'd me, there with honours clad; 250 
 
 Nor have I yet one benefit repay'd. 
 
 That now the gen'rous Spartans may behold 
 
 K k 2 In
 
 2S z LEONIDAS. Book VII 
 
 In me their high beneficence not vain, 
 Here to their caufe I confecrate my breath, 
 
 Not- fo Megiftias (interpos'd the king) 255. 
 
 Thou and thy fon retreat. Again the feer, 
 
 Forbid it, thou eternally ador'd, 
 O Jove, confirm my perfevering foul! 
 Nor let my fear negled this happy hour 
 To fhew the Spartans, I deferv'd their care. 260 
 
 Thou, Menalippus, hear the king's command, 
 And my paternal tendernefs revere. 
 Do thou withdraw thee from me, to my hand 
 Thy arms refigning. Fortune will fupply 
 Frefh toil for valour. Vanquifh then, or find 265 
 
 A glorious grave; but fpare thy father's eye 
 
 The bitter anguifh to behold thy youth 
 
 1 Untimely
 
 Book VIL LEONIDAS. 253 
 
 Untimely bleed before him. Grief fufpends 
 
 His fpeech, and interchangeably their arms 
 
 Impart their laft embraces. Either wept, 270 
 
 The hoary parent, and the blooming fon. 
 
 But from his temples the pontific wreath 
 
 Megiftias now unloofens, and religns 
 
 His hallo w'd veftments; while the youth with tears 
 
 The helmet buckles o'er his fnowy locks, 27c 
 
 And on his breaft adjufts the radiant mail. 
 
 While fuch contempt of life, fuch fervid zeal 
 To die with glory animate the Greeks, 
 Far other thoughts poffefs Argeftes' foul. 
 Amaze with mingled terrour fmote his heart ; 280 
 
 Cold drops, diftill'd from ev'ry pore, bedew 
 His fhiv'ring limbs; his bofom pants; his knees 
 Yield to their burthen; ghaftly pale his cheeks 3 
 
 Pal®
 
 LEON I DAS. Book VII. 
 
 Pale are his lips and trembling: fuch the minds 
 Of Haves corrupt, to them the beauteous face 285 
 
 - Of Virtue turns to horrour. But the chief 
 Of Lacedaemon now the wretch befpake. 
 
 Return to Xerxes; tell him on this rock 
 The Grecians faithful to their ppft await 
 . His chofen myriads; tell him, thou haft feen, 290 
 
 How far the luft of empire is below 
 A free-born mind : and tell him, to behold 
 A tyrant humbled, and by virtuous death 
 To feal my country's freedom, is a good 
 Surpafling all, his boafted pow'r can'give. 295 
 
 He faid, the Perfian haftens through the pais. 
 But now once more Diomedon arofe. 
 
 Wrath ovcrcafts his forehead,- while he fpake. 
 
 Yet
 
 VII. LEON I DAS. a 55 
 
 Yet more mu ft flay and bleed. Inglorious Thebes 
 Ne'er mall receive her traitors back, but here 300 
 
 Shall they attone their perfidy by death 
 Ev n from their fwords, to whom their abjecl: hearts 
 Have facrific'd their faith. Nor dare to hope, 
 Ye vile deferters of the public weal, 
 Ye coward flaves, that mingled with the heaps 305 
 
 Of thofe, who perifh in their country's caufe, 
 You mail your fhame conceal. Whoe'er mail pafs 
 Along this field of glorious flam, and trace 
 With veneration ev'ry nobler corfe ; 
 His foul, though warm with generous applaufe, 310 
 
 A while fliall curb the tranfport to repeat 
 Its execrations o'er your impious heads, 
 On whom that fate, which gives to others fame* 
 h infamy and vengeance. Dreadful thus 
 
 3 On
 
 a :6 LEONIDAS. Book VII. 
 
 On the pale Thebans fentence he pronounc'd, 3 1 5 
 
 Like Rhadanianthus, from th' infernal throne 
 
 When with inexorable frowns he doom'd 
 
 The guilty dead to ever-during pain; 
 
 While Phlegethon its flaming billows roll' d 
 
 Before their fight, and ruthlefs furies fhook 320 
 
 Their hifling ferpents. All the Greeks affent 
 
 With clamours echoing through the concave rock, 
 
 Forth Anaxander in fh'afiembly flood, 
 And thus began with indignation feign'd. 
 If yet your clamours, Grecians, are allay 'd, 325 
 
 Behold, I ftand before you to demand, 
 Why thefe my brave companions, who alone 
 Of all the Thebans under my command 
 Durft force their paflage through diffuading crouds 
 To join your hoft, mould now be traitors deem'd; 330 
 
 Accus'd
 
 Book VII. LEO NI DAS, 257 
 
 Accus'd by one alone, a banifli'd wretch, 
 
 Whom Lacedasmon in her anger drove 
 
 Far from her confines ; one, who meanly fought 
 
 A fervile court for inciter: has he drawn 
 
 Such virtues thence, that Sparta, who before 335 
 
 Held him unworthy of his native foil, 
 
 Should truft him now before auxiliar friends? 
 
 Injurious Greeks! we fcorn the thought of flight. 
 
 Let Alia bring her millions; unconftrain'd 
 
 We wait the conflict, and for Greece will die. 340 
 
 Thus in the garb of virtue he adorn'd 
 Neceflity, deluding ev'ry Greek 
 Except Laconia's hero. He perceiv'd 
 Through all its fair difguife the traitor's heart. 
 So, when at firft mankind in fcience rude 34.5 
 
 Rever'd the moon, as bright with native beams, 
 
 L 1 Some
 
 2 5 8 LEONIDAS. Book VII 
 
 Some fage, that walk'd with Nature through her works,. 
 
 By Wifdom led, difcern'd, the various orb 
 
 Itfelf was dark, in foreign fplendours clad. 
 
 Now unexpected with his troop return'd 350 
 
 Dieneces, and thus to Sparta's king. 
 
 I need not tell thee, that the Perfian powVs 
 Have pafs'd the fecret ftrait. This night they halt, 
 But with the morning will invade us here. 
 We come to die with thee. United thus, 3$$. 
 
 Our ftrength a fiercer conteft fhall maintain y 
 Whence a more bright example to our friends, 
 And ftronger terrour of the Grecian name. 
 
 He faid, when thus Leonidas began. 
 O Spartans, hear, and all you other Greeks, 360 
 
 Whofe matchlefs virtue fhall inroll your names 
 
 In
 
 look VII. L E O N 1 D A S 
 
 -59 
 
 In Time's eternal records, and inhance 
 
 Your country's luftre; lo! the fet ting fun 
 
 Inflames the broad horizon. All retire, 365 
 
 And in your tents invoke the pow'r of fleep 
 
 To aid your vigour, and to give your limbs 
 
 Unwearied patience of continued toil; 
 
 But when the fecond watch begins, let all 
 
 With mutual exhortation roufe to arms: 370 
 
 For foon, as Cynthia from the vault of heav'n 
 
 Hath hung her fhining lamp, through Afia's hoft 
 
 Shall death with horrour and amazement rage. 
 
 Their camp is open to our fwords, depriv'd 
 
 Of all its chofen warriours. But I charge 375 
 
 All, ev'n the Spartans, who are maim'd, or weak, 
 
 To pain, or toil unequal, from our camp 
 
 This hour to haften. You, our brave allies 
 
 Of Corinth, Phlius, with th' Arcadian bands 
 
 L 1 2 And
 
 z6o LEON I DAS. Book VII. 
 
 And Mycenaeans muft not yet return, 38b 
 
 But here, while we repofe, in arms remain ; 
 When we our tents abandon, then depart. 
 
 He faid, all heard obedient, and difpers'd; 
 While to his tent the godlike chief repairs, 
 And with him Agis, whom he thus befpake. 3 85 
 
 O Agis, hear and mark my laft command. 
 With wary skill difpofe the nightly guard, 
 That no deferter from the Theban tents 
 May reach the camp of Afia, or afcend 
 To thofe now halting on the neighb'ring hills : 390 
 
 Nor yet with us the faithlefs band muft join, 
 Not with fuch bafe affociates muft we truft 
 Our great defign. Their perfidy might foon 
 Find means to roufe the unfufpecling foe, 
 
 And;
 
 Book VII. L E O N I D A S. %6i 
 
 And all our glorious enterprife confound. 39-5 
 
 Then, O my faithful Agis, e'er we move, 
 
 While on the folemn facrifice intent, 
 
 As Lacedaemon's facred laws ordain, 
 
 Our pray'rs we offer to the tuneful nine, 
 
 Do thou in whifpers charge the Theban train 400 
 
 Slow and in iilence to difperfe and fly. 
 
 This faid, they parted. On his couch alone 
 
 Reclines the hero, where he thus revolves. 
 
 My fate is now impending. O my heart! 
 
 What more aufpicious period could I chufe 405; 
 
 For death, than now; when beating high with joy 
 
 Thou tell'ft me, I am happy ? If to live, 
 
 Or die, as Virtue dictates, be to know 
 
 The pureft blifs; if file her charms difplay 
 
 Still beauteous, ftill unfading, ftill ferene 410 
 
 To,
 
 a 6z LEONIDAS. Book VII 
 
 To youth, to age, to death ; whatever be 
 
 Thofe other climes of uncorruptive joy, 
 
 Which Heav'n in dark futurity conceals, 
 
 Still here, O Virtue, thou art all our good. 
 
 Then what a black, unfpeakable reverfe 415 
 
 The wretched offspring of Injuftice prove ? 
 
 What in the ftruggle of departing day, 
 
 When life's laft glimpfe extinguishing prefents 
 
 Th' unknown, inextricable gloom of death ? 
 
 But can I paint the terrours of a breaft, 420 
 
 Where guilt reiides? Leonidas forego 
 
 The horrible conception, feek again 
 
 Thy own untroubled heart, and grateful bow 
 
 To thofe benignant pow'rs, who fram'd thy mind 
 
 In crimes unfruitful, never to admit 425 
 
 The black imprefllon of a guilty thought. 
 
 Elfe could I fearlefs thus relinquifh life ? 
 
 No.
 
 Book VII. L E O N I D A S. .63 
 
 No. Such unfhaken calmnefs from th' unjuft 
 
 Is ever abfent. Oft in them the rage 
 
 Of fome prevailing paffion for a time 430 
 
 Suppreffes fear. Oft hurried on they lofe 
 
 The fenfe of danger, when dominion, pow'r, 
 
 And purple pomp their dazzled fight enchant. 
 
 Yet ftill the joys of life alone they feek, 
 
 But he, who calmly meets refiftlefs fate, 435 
 
 When glory only, and the gen'ral good 
 
 Invite him forward, muft pofTefs a foul, 
 
 Which all content deducing from itfelf 
 
 Can by unerring virtue's conftant light 
 
 Difcern, when death is worthy of his choice. 440 
 
 The man thus great and happy, in the fcope 
 
 Of his large mind is ftretch'd beyond his date ; 
 
 Bv'n on this more of being he in thought 
 
 Supremely
 
 2 6 4 LEONIDA S. Book VII. 
 
 Supremely blefs'd anticipates the good, 
 
 Which late pofterity from him derives. 445 
 
 The hero clos'd his meditation here. 
 The fwelling tranfports of his mind fubfide 
 In foft oblivion, while the filken plumes 
 Of fleep envelop his extended limbs. 
 
 End of the Seventh Book, 
 
 LEON IDAS.
 
 265 
 
 L E O N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK VIII. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 & 
 
 Leonidas rifing about three hours before midnight relates to an ajjembly 
 of the leaders a dream, which is interpreted by Megiftias-, he then 
 arms himfelf a?id marches in procefjion with his whole troop to an 
 altar newly raised on a neighbouring meadow \ and there offers a 
 facrifce to the Mufes : he invokes the afijlance of thofe Goddejjes, he 
 animates his companions, and then placing himfelf at their head leads 
 them againjl the enemy in the dead of the night. 
 
 CARCE was begun the fecond watch of night, 
 When his pavilion Agis left, and fought 
 The chief of Lacedasmon. Him he found 
 Spread on his tranquil couch, while, o'er his face 
 
 M m Diffus'd,
 
 266 LEONIDAS. Book VIII. 
 
 Diffused, a glad ferenity with fmiles 5 
 
 His ilumber painted 3 like an ev'ning sky 
 
 Yet ftreak'd with ruddy light, when fummer funs 
 
 Have veil'd their beaming foreheads. Tranfport fill'd 
 
 The eye of Agis. Friendlhip fwelfd his heart, 
 
 And veneration. On his knee inclin'd 1 o 
 
 The hero's hand he kifs'd, and thus began. 
 
 O thou with more than human virtues great, 
 Accept this homage! and may gentle fleep 
 Yet longer clofe thy eyelids, that unblam'd 
 I thus may bow before thee. Thus he fpake, 1 5 
 
 And, proftrate bent, his godlike friend rever'd, 
 Whofe eye the fhades of {lumber now forfake. 
 So, when new riling heav rfs refplendent orb 
 Illumines fir ft the fable skirts of night, 
 The white- rob'd Magi, or the Indian feers 20 
 
 Are
 
 Book VIII. LEON I DAS. 267 
 
 Are feen from Ganges, or Euphrates' fide, 
 Before th' emerging glory bow'd to hail 
 The radiant emblem of th' immortal mind. 
 
 Both heroes rofe, and mix'd their friendly arms, 
 And now to Agis had the Spartan king . 25 
 
 Difclos'd his foul; when lo! the Grecian chiefs, 
 All rous'd, advancing with the fudden gleam 
 Of armour pierc'd the twilight made. With joy 
 Leonidas accofts them. O thrice hail! 
 My virtuous friends. Approach, and all attend, 30 
 
 While I relate, and you with wonder hear. 
 This night no fooner fleep opprefs'd my brows, 
 But o'er my head the empyreal form 
 Of my great fire Alcides feeirf d difplay'd. 
 I faw his magnitude divine; his voice 35 
 
 I heard, his folemn mandate to arife. 
 
 M m 2 I
 
 268 L E O N I D A S. Book VIII. 
 
 I rofe. He bade me follow : I obey 'd. 
 
 Up to a mountain, whofe ethereal brow 
 
 Tli' involving clouds divided, we afcend. 
 
 E'er long we refted, fuddenly the howl 40 
 
 Of wolves, and dogs, the vulture's piercing fhriek, 
 
 The yell of ev'ry beaft and fowl of prey, 
 
 Within my ears difcordant broke. I turn'd. 
 
 When lo! a furface all with gore deform'd 
 
 Beyond my view illimitable ftretch'd, 45 
 
 One vaft expanfe of horrour. There a corfe, 
 
 Which with its huge dimenfions feem'd to hide 
 
 Th' unbounded plain, lay welt'ring, red with wounds 
 
 Delv'd in tb' enormous limbs, which bleeding gorg'd 
 
 The vulture's famine v Wond'ring I beheld, 50 
 
 When from behind I heard a fecond found, 
 
 Like furges trembling o'er a craggy more, 
 
 Again I turn'd. An ocean there appear d. 
 
 With
 
 Book VIII. L E O N I D A S. 269 
 
 With riven keels, and ihrouds, and fhiver'd oars, 
 With arms, and mangled carcafes beftrewn 55 
 
 Innumerous. The billows foam'd with blood, 
 And whelm'd a crimfon deluge o'er the ftrand. 
 But where the waters unobferv'd before 
 Between two adverfe mores contracting rolfd 
 A ftorrny tide, upon the beach, forlorn, 60 
 
 One of majeftic ftature I defcried 
 In ornaments imperial. Oft on me 
 He bent his clouded eye-balls. On my name 
 With imprecations oft he calFd aloud, 
 Then rent his fplendid garments, and his head 65 
 
 In rage diverted of its graceful hairs, 
 Impatient now he ey'd'a ilender skifT, 
 Which mounted on the curling foam approaclid. 
 With indignation, and reluctant grief 
 Once more his fight reverting, he embark'd 70 
 
 Amid
 
 z 7 o LEON1DAS, Book VIII. 
 
 Amid the perils of the frowning waves. 
 
 O thou, whofe virtue rank'd thee with the Gods 
 
 (I here exclaim'd) mfrruct me what produc'd 
 
 This defolation ; when the God return'd. 
 
 Let thyltftoninYd eye again review 75 
 
 What thou didft late abhor. I look'd and faw 
 
 A land, where Plenty with difporting hand 
 
 Pour'd all the fruits of Amalthea's horn ; 
 
 Where bloom'd the olive, and the cluftrinp" vine 
 
 With its broad foliage mantled ev'ry hill ; 8(3 
 
 Where Ceres with exuberance inrob'd 
 
 The pregnant bofom of the fields in gold ; 
 
 Where fpacious towns, whofe circuits proud contain'd 
 
 The dazling works of wealth, unnumber'd fhone, 
 
 The ftrength and fplendour of the peopled land. 85 
 
 Then in a moment clouds obfcur'd my fight, 
 
 And all was vanifiYd from my waking eyes. 
 
 3 Thrice
 
 Book VIII. LEON I DAS. 271 
 
 Thrice we falute the omen (thus began 
 The fage Megiftias) in thy myftic dream 
 I fee the Grecian victories. The earth, 90 
 
 The deep fhall own their triumphs ; and the tears 
 Of Afia, and of Lybia fhall bewail 
 Their offspring caft before the vulture's beak, 
 And all the monftrous natives of the main. 
 Thofe joyous fields of plenty fhall be Greece 95 
 
 Enrich'd with conqueft, and Barbarian fpoils. 
 And whom thou faw'ft in regal vefture clad 
 Print on the fands his folitary fteps, 
 Is Xerxes foil'd and fugitive from Greece. 
 
 M e g 1 s t 1 a s thus, while evVy bofom felt 100 
 
 Enthufiaftic rapture, joy beyond 
 All fenfe, and all conception but of thofe, 
 
 Who
 
 2yz LEON I DAS. Book VIII. 
 
 Who die to fave their country. Here again 
 Leonickib th' exulting chiefs addrefs'd. 
 
 Since happinefs from virtue is deriv'd, 105 
 
 Who for his country dies, that moment proves 
 Moft happy, as moft virtuous. Such our lot. 
 To this the gods mail add eternal fame. 
 But now go forth, Megiftias, and with fpeed 
 Prepare the viclim, and the facred flames ; no 
 
 That to the Mufes, as the Spartan law 
 Commands, our pray'rs and off'rings may be paid, ' 
 E'er to yon camp our hoftile feet we bend. 
 But, O remember, from the folemn rites 
 Let ev'ry found be abfent, not the pipe, 1 1 r 
 
 Nor ev'n the mufic- breathing flute be heard. 
 Meantime, ye leaders, ev'ry band inftruct 
 To move in filence, nor with inouts alarm 
 
 The
 
 Book VIII, L E O N I D A S. 273 
 
 The midnight ftillnefs. Mindful of their charge 
 The chiefs depart. Leonidas provides i 2c 
 
 His various armour. Firft the breaftplate arms 
 His ample cheft. O'er this the hero fpreads 
 The mailed cuirafs from his moulders hung. 
 The mining belt infolds his mighty loins. 
 Next on his ftately temples he erects 125 
 
 The plumed helm, then grafps his pond'rous fhield ; 
 Where nigh the center on the fvvelling brafs 
 Th' inimitable artift had imbofs'd 
 The fhape of great Alcides, whom to gain 
 Two GoddefTes contended. Pleafure here 130 
 
 Won with foft wiles th' attracted eye, and there 
 The form of Virtue dignified the fcene. 
 In her majeftic fweetnefs was difclos'd 
 The mind fublime and happy. From her lips 
 Seem'd eloquence to flow. With looks ferene, 135 
 
 N n But
 
 2 74 L E O N I D A S. Book VIIL 
 
 But fix'd intent upon the fon of Jove, 
 
 She wav'd her hand, where winding to the skies 
 
 Her paths afcended. On the fummit flood 
 
 Fame, and protended her eternal trump, 
 
 Incumbent on a trophy near to heav n. 140 
 
 The youth attentive to her wifdom own d 
 
 The prevalence of Virtue ; while his eye 
 
 With all the fpirit, which redeem'd the world 
 
 From tyranny and monfters, ardent flam'd ; 
 
 Not undefcried by Pleafure, where fhe lay 145 
 
 Stretch'd on a gorgeous carpet, which befpread 
 
 The meadow with magnificence. Around 
 
 Were flourets ltrewn, and wantonly in rills 
 
 Soft ftreams masander'd. All relax'd her limbs: 
 
 Nor wanting yet folicitude to gain, 150 
 
 What loft {he fear'd, as ftruggling with defpair 
 
 She feem'd colleding all her power of charms, 
 
 And
 
 Book VIII. LEONIDAS. 275 
 
 And with excels of fweet allurement fmil'd : 
 
 In vain ; for Virtue fway'd Alcides' mind. 
 
 Hence all his labours. Trac'd with various art 155 
 
 They fill'd the furface of the fpacious targe. 
 
 This portraiture of glory on his arm 
 
 Leonidas fupports. Then forth he tow'rs 
 
 From his pavilion. With their troops array 'd 
 
 The chiefs attended. Flaming torches blaz'd 1 6a 
 
 In ev'ry hand. And now with filent pace 
 
 All to the folemn facrifice proceed. 
 
 Firft Polydorus with the hallow'd knife. 
 
 And barley ftrew'd with facred fait advanc'd. 
 
 Diomedon beilde him, in his gralp 165 
 
 A weighty mace fuftaining. Like the reft 
 
 All bright in armour with his fhield and Ipear 
 
 Megiftias follow'd, an unfpotted prieft, 
 
 And dauntlefs warriour. From on high his helm 
 
 Nn 2 With
 
 276 L E O N I D A S. Book VIII. 
 
 With wreaths around the mining creft reveal'd 170 
 
 His facerdotal honours. By the horns, 
 
 Where laurels twin'd, with Alpheus Maron leads 
 
 The confecrated ox. And lo ! behind 
 
 Leonidas approaches. Ne'er before 
 
 With fuch tranfcending majefty he trod, 175 
 
 Nor his own virtue, as that hour, enjoy'd; 
 
 Then venerable moves the Thefpian chief, 
 
 And great Dieneces. To them the bloom 
 
 Of Dithyrambus glowing with the fenfe 
 
 Of future praife fucceeds, with graceful fteps 1 8c 
 
 The gen'rous Agis next ; the Thebans laft 
 
 Repining and inglorious. Then flow march 
 
 The hoft all mute, nor make- their brazen arms- 
 
 Not from Thermopylae remote the hills 
 Of Oeta yielding to a fruitful dale 185 
 
 Within
 
 Book VIII. LEONI DA S. 2?7 
 
 Within their fide half-circling had inclos'd 
 
 A fair expanfe with verdure fmooth. The bounds 
 
 Were edg'd with wood o'erlook'd by fnowy cliffs, 
 
 Which from the clouds bent frowning. From a rock 
 
 Above the loftieft fummit of the groves 190 
 
 A tumbling torrent wore the fhagged ftone, 
 
 Then gleaming through the interwoven fhade 
 
 The valley water'd. O'er the level fhone 
 
 Its glaffy bofom, and with placid waves 
 
 The fmiling lawn divided. Near the banks, 195 
 
 Which flow'rs made various, new-erected flood. 
 
 A ruftic altar, which a chofen train, 
 
 Appointed by Megiftias, rais'd with turf 
 
 Cut by their falchions from the verdant mead : 
 
 Broad was the furface, high with piles of wood, 200 
 
 The plenteous tribute of th' adjacent groves. 
 
 All interfpers'd with laurel. Here a vafe 
 
 Fill'd
 
 27 8 LEONIDA S. Book VIIL 
 
 Fiird with the briny waters of the fea, 
 
 (More pure than ev'ry furcam, or fountain, deem'd) 
 
 Was plac'd befide the altar. There with wine 205 
 
 Unmix'd capacious goblets Rood arrang'd. 
 
 Here is the victim brought. Megiftias ftreight 
 
 His helm unloofens. With his hoary head 
 
 Uncover'd round the folemn pile he treads, 
 
 And with a branch of laurel fcatters wide 2 1 o 
 
 The facred moifcure of the main. His hand 
 
 With mingled fait and barley next beftrews 
 
 The altar, and the victim. O'er the horns 
 
 Th' inverted goblet foaming with the grape 
 
 Diffus'd the rich libation. Now advanc'd 2 1 5 
 
 Diomcdon. Megiftias gave command. 
 
 Down funk the vi&im with a deathful itroke, 
 
 Nor eroan'd. Megiftias buries in the throat 
 
 The hallo w'd fieel. A crimfon deluge flows. 
 
 Swift
 
 Bdok VIII. LEONIDAS. 2,79 
 
 Swift from the limbs the fuming hide is torn, 220 
 
 The flefh diffever'd on the altar heap'd. 
 
 Now fmoaks the pile, then fudden flames abroad. 
 
 A burft of fplendour diffipates the dark. 
 
 Greece throngs around. Each lifts a fparkling brand 
 
 With beaming javelins intermix'd, and fhields, 225 
 
 And polifh'd helms, which multiply the blaze. 
 
 Meantime the great Leonidas drew nigh, 
 
 And flood before the altar. There his helm. 
 
 Unclafp'd to Agis he commits, his fhield 
 
 And fpear to Dithyrambus, then his arms 230 
 
 Extending thus in fupplication fpoke. 
 
 Harmonious daughters of Olympian Jove, 
 Who on the top of Helicon ador'd, 
 And high Parnaffus, with delighted ears 
 Bend to the warble of Caftalra s wave, 235 
 
 And 
 2
 
 i go L EONIDA S. Book VI1L 
 
 And Aganippe's murmurs, if from thence 
 
 We muft invoke your prefence ; or along 
 
 The ridge of neighb'ring Pindus if your fteps 
 
 Now wander through your confecrated bow'rs, 
 
 Thence4urn, ye Mufes, nor for once difdain 24.0 
 
 Each with her beauteous form thefe hills to grace, 
 
 And ftand th' immortal witnefs of our fate! 
 
 But with you bring fair Liberty, whom Jove 
 
 And you moft honour. Let her facred eyes 
 
 Approve her dying Grecians, let her voice 245 
 
 With exultation tell the earth and heav'ns, 
 
 Thefe are her fons; then ftrike your tuneful fhells, 
 
 And with our praife bid harmony rejoice. 
 
 Record us guardians of our parents age, 
 
 Our matrons virtue, and our infants bloom, 250 
 
 And glorious bulwarks of our country's laws, 
 
 Who (hall enoble the hiftorian's page, 
 
 3 ° r
 
 Book VIII. LEON I DAS. a8i 
 
 Or on the joyous feftival infpire 
 
 With loftier ftrains the virgins choral fong. 
 
 Then, O celeftial maids, on yonder camp 255 
 
 Let night lit heavy, and a fleep, like death, 
 
 Weigh down the eye of Afia! O infufe 
 
 A cool, untroubled fpirit in our breads, 
 
 Which may in lilence guide our daring feet 
 
 Through all the paths of Slaughter, nor affright 260 
 
 The dark with tumult, till the dying groans 
 
 Of gafping tyrants into horrour wake 
 
 The midnight calm ! Then turn Deftruction wild. 
 
 Bid Terrour and Confuiion revel round, 
 
 And in one carnage heap the Barb'rous ranks, 265 
 
 Their horfe, and chariots. Let the fpurning fteed 
 
 Imbrue his hoofs with blood, and fhatter'd cars 
 
 Crufh with their brazen weight the proftrate necks 
 
 Of kings, and purpled chiefs incircled round 
 
 O O By
 
 2 Si L E ONIDA S. Book VIIL 
 
 By nations fall'n. — You, countrymen and friends, 270 
 
 My laft commands attend. Your gen'ral's voice 
 
 Once more falutes you, not to roufe the brave, 
 
 Or minds refolv'd and dauntiefs to confirm. 
 
 Too well by this expiring blaze I view 
 
 Impatient valour flafri from ev'ry eye. 275 
 
 But temper well your ardour* and your lips 
 
 Clofe on the riling tranfport. Lo! how ileep 
 
 Hath folded millions in its black embrace. 
 
 No found is wafted from th' unnumber'd foe. 
 
 The winds- themfelves are filent. All confpires 280 
 
 To this great facrifice, where thoufands foon 
 
 Shall only wake to die. Perhaps our fwords 
 
 This night may fend ev'n Xerxes' felf to lead 
 
 Th' innumerable train of Perfian ghofts 
 
 To Pluto's dreery fhade, unlefs referv'd 285 
 
 From all this ruin, to lament his fharne, 
 
 And
 
 Book VIII. LEONID A S. 283 
 
 And future flight, when Greece confounds that powV, 
 
 Which we will fhake. But now the fecond watch 
 
 Is verging to its period, and the moon 
 
 Prepares to glimmer on our darkfcme fteps, 290 
 
 Let each his head diftinguifh with a wreath 
 
 Of twining laurel, then the goblet crown, 
 
 And fliare the victim. Take your lafl: repaft, 
 
 For with your fathers, arid the heroes old 
 
 You next mall banquet in the bleft abodes, 295 
 
 While thus the hero, through the thronging files 
 
 Prefenting round a hideous depth of war 
 
 All fhook with ardour their erected fpears 
 
 Thick, as the fruitful growth of lofty pines, 
 
 Which from high Pelion's cloud-invefted brow 300 
 
 To heav n's blue vault their ftately honours bear. 
 
 Megiftias foon through all the hand divides 
 
 The facred laurel : fnatch'd with eager zeal, 
 
 Oo 2 By
 
 284 LEONIDAS. Book VIIL 
 
 By ev'ry hand, and round each helmet wove 
 
 It blends its verdure with the floating plumes, 2 C 5 : . 
 
 Then is the victim portion'd, while the bowl 
 
 Flows with the vine's impurpled ftream. Aloof 
 
 The Theban train in wan dejection mute 
 
 Brood o'er their lhame, or call: a frighted eye 
 
 On that determin'd virtue, which unmov'd 3-10 
 
 At fate's approach with chearful lips could tafte 
 
 The fparkling goblet, and with joy partake 
 
 That laft and glorious banquet. Ev'n the heart 
 
 Of Anaxander now forgets its wilesy 
 
 Its fear no more diflembling. Agis here 315 
 
 For ever mindful of his friend's command 
 
 Mix'd with the Thebans, and in whifpers thus, 
 
 Leon id as permits you to retire. 
 While in the rites of facrifice employ'd 
 
 None
 
 Book VIII. LEONIDAS. a8 5 
 
 None heed your motions. Separate, and fly 320 
 
 With filent fteps. At once the Theban troop 
 Its ranks diffolving from the Greeks withdraws. 
 Unfeen it moulders from the hoft, like fnow, 
 Which from the mountains in ten thoufand rills, 
 Soon as the fun exerts his orient beam, 325 
 
 Defcends foft-trickling, while the hoary heap 
 Infenfibly decays. The Grecians foon 
 Conclude the folemn banquet, and their chief* 
 
 Now reaffumes his arms. Before his ftep 
 
 The croud rolls backward. In their gladden'd fight 33c 
 
 His creft irradiate with th' uplifted brands 
 
 Its purple fplendour makes,. The tow'ring oak 
 
 ^Thus from a lofty promontory wave* 
 
 Its majefty of verdure, while with joy 
 
 The failor marks its heavn-afcending pride, 335 
 
 Which from afar dire&s his foamy courfe 
 
 Along
 
 2 86 LEON1DA S. Book VIII. 
 
 Alonp- trie pathlefs Ocean: fo the Greeks 
 
 Exulting gaz'd, as clown their op'ning ranks 
 
 Their chief proceeds ; from whofe majeftic grace 
 
 A foul like thine, O Phidias, might conceive 340 
 
 In Parian marble, or effulgent brafs, 
 
 The form of great Apollo ; when the God, 
 
 Won by the pray'rs of man's afflicted race, 
 
 In arms forfook his lucid throne to pierce 
 
 The monfter Python in the Delphian vale. 345 
 
 Clofe by the hero Polydorus waits 
 
 To guide deftrudtion through the Afian tents. 
 
 As, the young eagle near his parent's fide 
 
 In wanton flight effays his vig rous wings, 
 
 E'er long with her to penetrate the clouds, 350 
 
 To dart impetuous on the fleecy train, 
 
 And dye his beak with gore; by Sparta s king 
 
 The injur 5 d Polydorus thus prepares 
 
 3 His
 
 Book VIII. L E O N I D A S. 287 
 
 His arm for death, and feafts his angry foul 
 With promis'd vengeance : his impatient thoughts 355 
 Ev n now transport him furious to the feat 
 Of his long forrows not with fhackled hands, 
 But now once more a Spartan with his fhield, 
 And dreadful fpear to lead his country's bands, 
 And with them vengeance. Nor the reft of Greece 360 
 Negled: to form. Their helmets now unite 
 Their various plumage, as th' intwining boughs 
 Mix their broad foliage in Dodona's grove; 
 Or like the cedars on the Syrian hills, 
 Which with their fliady texture, as with night, 365 
 
 The gloomy foil o'ercaft. In order 'd ranks 
 While thus they ftand, behold a warlike form 
 In gleaming arms flow-moving through the fhadc. 
 Led by a flave, approach'd Laconia's king, 
 And thus addrefs'd him. O Leonidas, 370 
 
 Thou
 
 i88 LEON I DAS. Book VIII. 
 
 Thou feeft before thee Eurytus, a name 
 
 To thee and ev'ry Spartan not unknown. 
 
 Thy ruling voice forbade the maim'd to flay ; 
 
 I, whofe dark orbs no longer know the fun, 
 
 lmmerrd in fudden blindnefs fince our march 375 
 
 From Lacedasmon, w r ith the reft withdrew, 
 
 Not to revifit Sparta, but, refolv'd 
 
 To meet the Perlians, in the public way 
 
 I fat ; not long, before th' increaiing found 
 
 Of trampling feet alarm'd me, which I deem'd 380 
 
 Were Periia's numbers ruining from the hills; 
 
 I ftarted upward grafping in my hand 
 
 My fpear and buckler, by my Have withheld, 
 
 Who told me, they were Thebans. Lo! I bear 
 
 The tydings of their flight. And now, my chief 385 
 
 And countrymen, farewel. Do you proceed, 
 v. 
 
 With death and terrour fill the hoflile camp ; 
 
 2 While
 
 Book VIII. L EONIDAS. aSo 
 
 While I the fury of th' exulting foe 
 
 Defcending from the mountains here await 
 
 To yield the laft remains of tedious life 390 
 
 Now to my country ufelefs, and to me, 
 
 And clofe thefe fhaded eyes in endlefs night. 
 
 H e ceas'd, when thus Leonidas began. 
 
 Then flay, my faithful foldier, and obtain 
 
 Not the leaft honours in this glorious night ; 395 
 
 And you, my brave aflbciates, all exult; 
 
 One fpirit now infpires us; from our band 
 
 Doubt, fear, and treafon with the Thebans fly 2 
 
 While all with mutual confidence advance, 
 
 And equal fires. This faid, once more the king- 400 
 
 On the deep phalanx his attentive eye 
 
 Reverts, and through the ruddy gleam defcries 
 
 One face of gladnefs ; but th' illuftrious van 
 
 Pp He
 
 2 9 o L E O N I D A S. Book VIII. 
 
 He moft contemplates : Agis, Alpheus there, 
 
 Megiftias, Maron, and Plataea's chief, 405 
 
 Dieneces, Demophilus are drawn, 
 
 And Dithyrambus. They their fixed fight 
 
 On him too bend with inexpreflive joy, 
 
 With love, and veneration, till they hear 
 
 His laft command; when inftant to the earth 410 
 
 Are caft th' extinguiuYd brands. On all around 
 
 Drops hidden darknefs, on the hills, the woods, 
 
 The filver ftream, the rocks, and floating main. 
 
 It now was midnight. To the hoftile camp 
 
 With fteps compos'd and filent down the pafs 415 
 
 The phalanx moves. Each patient bofom hufh'd 
 
 Its ftruggling fpirit, nor in whifpers breath'-d 
 
 The rapt'rous ardour, virtue then infpir'd ; 
 
 But all await the moment doom'd to give 
 
 o The
 
 Book VIII. LEONIDAS. 291 
 
 The Barb'rous millions to their deathful fteel: 420 
 
 So low'ring clouds expanding from the north 
 Awhile ilifpend their horrours, deftin'd foon 
 To blaze in lightnings, and to burft in florins. 
 
 End of the Eighth Book. 
 
 Pr* 2 LEO NIDAS,
 
 29 1 
 
 L 
 
 N I D A S. 
 
 BOOK IX. 
 
 The argument. 
 
 Leomdas and the Grecian* penetrate through the Perfian camp to the 
 very pavilion of Xerxes, who avoids deft ruction by flight. The Bar- 
 barians are /laughter d in great multitudes, and their camp is Jet on 
 fire. Leon i das conducts his men back to Thermopylae, engages the 
 Perfans, who were defended from the hills, and after numberlefs 
 proofs offuperiour jlrength and valour finks down cover W with wounds, 
 and expires the loft of all the Grecian commanders. 
 
 T I "^HE waining moon difplay'd her gleaming horns, 
 J| When o'er th' unguarded bound of Aria's camp 
 Now pafs'd the Grecians. Through th' unnumber'd tents, 
 Where all was mute and tranquil, they purfue 
 
 2 Their
 
 IO 
 
 Book IX. LEO NI DAS. 2 g 
 
 Their filent march. The eaftern world around 
 
 Lay flretch'd in {lumber, motionlefs, and deaf, 
 
 Wrapt in the dead fecurity of night, 
 
 Nor mark'd the fteps of Fate. The wary Greeks 
 
 By Polydorus guided ftill proceed. 
 
 Ev'n to the center of th' exteniive hoft 
 
 Unfeen they pierc'd, when now th' imperial tent 
 
 Yet diftant rofe before them. Wide around 
 
 The proud pavilion flretch'd an ample fpace, 
 
 Where myriads might imbattle. Here a band 
 
 Of chofen Perfians watchful round their king r c 
 
 Held their nocturnal ftation. As the hearts 
 
 Of anxious nations menac'd with the wafte •• " 
 
 Of meager famine, and the ruthlefs fword 
 
 Sink in their frozen bofoms, while defpair 
 
 Sees fear-ingender'd fantoms in the sky, 20 
 
 Aerial hofts amid the clouds array 'd, 
 
 Which
 
 n 94 LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Which feem to fhake the firmament with war. 
 
 Portending woe and death; the Perfians thus 
 
 Are fmote with confternation, as the moon 
 
 By her faint beam difcover'd from afar 25 
 
 The glimpfe of Grecian arms. With fudden cries 
 
 They waken Horrour, which to Xerxes' couch, 
 
 And o'er th' aftonifh'd hoft, fwift- winged flew 
 
 Dilpelling fleep and filence. All the camp 
 
 Pours forth its numbers naked, pale, unarm'd, 30 
 
 Wild with amazement, blinded by difmay, 
 
 To ev'ry foe obnoxious ; when at once 
 
 Plung'd in ten thoufand breafts the Grecian fteel 
 
 Reeks with deftruction. Deluges of blood 
 
 Float o'er the field, and foam around the heaps 35 
 
 Of wretches flain unconfcious of the hand, 
 
 Which mows them down by legions. From his couch 
 
 The lord of Afia, and of Lybia ftarts, 
 
 (Amaze,
 
 Book IX. L E O N I D A S. 295 
 
 (Amaze, affright, diftradtion in his look) 
 And fees in thought united Greece advance. 40 
 
 Where then was fled the empty pride of kings, 
 The hope of glory, and the luft of pow'r ? 
 What then avail'd th' innumerable range 
 Of thy huge camp fave only to conceal 
 Thy trembling fteps, O Xerxes, while thou flieft. 45 
 Leonidas before the Grecian van 
 Through bleeding thoufands hews his dreadful way. 
 Before him Terrour ftrides. Gigantic Death, 
 And Defolation at his fide attend, 
 
 With all the Furies of infatiate war. 50 
 
 To Xerxes' tent the hero fpeeds, nor finds 
 His victim. Ardent throngs of Grecians fill 
 The ftately manfion ; to the ground are hurl'd 
 The glitt'ring enfigns of imperial pow'r: 
 The diadem, the fcepter, late ador'd 55 
 
 And
 
 2C)6 
 
 LEONIDAS. Book IX. 
 
 And fear'd by millions, underneath their feet 
 
 With mingled rage and fcorn the Grecians cruih, 
 
 A facrifice to Freedom. Now return 
 
 The furious bands. Leonidas exalts 
 
 For new deftrudtion his rcfiftlefs fpear, 60 
 
 When fudden night o'erfhrouds the fpangled heav'ns, 
 
 And clouds condenfing intercept the moon. 
 
 Black o'er the furrow'd main the raging eaft 
 
 In whirlwinds fvveeps the furge. Now roars the coaft, 
 
 The crafhing forefts, and the cavern'd rocks. 65 
 
 Swift through the camp the hurricane impells 
 
 Its dire career, when Afia's numbers, veil'd 
 
 Amid the fhelt'ring horrours of the florin, 
 
 Evade the Spartan lance. The Grecians halt, 
 
 By great Leonidas seftrain'd, and wait 70 
 
 Near Xerxes' tent their mighty leader's will. 
 
 Beside
 
 Book IX. LEON I DAS, 297 
 
 Beside the high pavilion from the time, 
 That Xerxes near Thermopylae had drawn 
 His num'rous bands, perpetual fire had fhone; 
 Before whofe facred light the Perfian lord 75 
 
 Was wont among his Magi to adore 
 The power of Oromafdes: piles of wood 
 Lay nigh, prepar'd to feed the conftant flame, 
 Thefe on the altar by the Greeks are ftrewn, 
 So wills Laconia's hero ; while the winds So 
 
 Excite the blaze, his phalanx he divides ; 
 Four bands are form'd by Dithyrambus led, 
 By Alpheus, by Diomedon, the laft 
 Himfelf commands. The word is giv'n; the Greeks 
 Prefs to the fire ; foon fhrink the burning heaps ; 85 
 
 Deftructive flames they brandifh, and, injoin'd
 
 29 8 LEON IDAS, Book IX, 
 
 To reaffemble at the regal tent, 
 
 By various paths the hoftile camp invade. 
 
 Resistless defolation now involves 
 The Malian fields, as o'er the eaftern tents 90 
 
 From diff'rent ftations flew ten thoufand brands 
 HuiTd by the Greeks unrefpited. The winds 
 With violence redoubled breathing round 
 Tempeftuous rage exafperate the blaze- 
 The conflagration, like a fea, expands ; 95 
 
 Collected now from ev'ry part it forms 
 One waving furface of unbounded fire. 
 In ruddy volumes mount the curling flames 
 To heav'n's dark vault, and paint the midnight clouds. 
 So, when the north emits its purpled lights, 100 
 
 The undulating radiance ftreaming wide, 
 As with a burning canopy, inverts 
 
 Th'
 
 Book IX. LEO NI DAS. 299 
 
 Th' ethereal concave. Oeta now difclos'd 
 
 Its forehead glitt'ring with eternal froft, 
 
 While down the rocks the foamy torrents ihone. 105 
 
 Far o'er the main the pointed rays were thrown ; 
 
 Night fnatch'd her mantle from the ocean's breaft ; 
 
 The billows glimmer from the diftant fhores. 
 
 But where afcends a pillar huge of fmoke 
 
 With wreathing flames incircled, Horrour there no 
 
 And Death on great Leonidas attend. 
 
 Fie bade th' exulting Polydorus lead, 
 
 Where Afia's horfe and chariots flood arrang'd ; 
 
 There at his word devouring Vulcan feafts 
 
 On all the tribute, which Theffalia's meads 115 
 
 Yield to the fcythe, and riots on the heaps 
 
 Of Ceres emptied of the ripen'd grain. 
 
 A flood of fire envelopes all the ground ; 
 
 The cordage burfts of ev'ry blazing tent ; 
 
 Q^q 2 Down
 
 3 oo LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Down fink the roofs, and overwhelm the throng 120 
 Of wretches panting from the Spartan fword, 
 Clofe-wedg'd with fear ; the Libyan chariot burns, 
 Th' Arabian camel, and the Perfian fteed 
 Bound through the fiery deluge ; wild with pain 
 They fliake their finged manes, with madding hoofs 125 
 Dafli through the blood of thoufands mix'd with flames, 
 That rage augmented by the whirlwind's blaft. 
 
 Meantime the fcepter'd lord of half the globe 
 Through the wide tumult, like a guilty flave, 
 From tent to tent precipitates his flight. 130 
 
 Difpers'd are all his fatraps; Pride itfelf 
 Shuns his dejected brow ; Defpair alone 
 With pale Confufion, and with frantic Fear 
 Wait on th' imperial fugitive, and fhew, 
 As round the camp his eye diftracted roves, 135 
 
 1 No
 
 Book IX. LEO NI DAS. 301 
 
 No limits to deftruction. Now was feen 
 
 Aurora mounting from the eaftern hills 
 
 In rofy fandals, and with dewy locks: 
 
 The winds fubfide before her, darknefs flies, 
 
 And ftreams of light proclaim the ehearful day, 140 
 
 When now at Xerxes' tent the Grecian band 
 
 Was reunited. What could Fortune more 
 
 To aid the valiant, and to gorge revenge ? 
 
 Lo! Defolation o'er the Perfian hoft 
 
 Hath emptied all its horrours; ev'n the hand 145 
 
 Of languid {laughter drops its crimfon ft eel ; 
 
 Nor Nature longer can fuftain the toil 
 
 Of ever-during conqueft. Yet what pow'r 
 
 Among the Grecians once again reviv'd 
 
 Their drooping warmth; new-brac'd their nerves, and call'd 
 
 Their wearied fwords to deeds of brighter fame? 151 
 
 What, but th' infpiring hope of glorious death 
 
 To
 
 3 oa LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 To crown their labour, and th' aufpicious look 
 
 Of their heroic chief, which ftill unchang'd, 
 
 Still with fuperiour majefty declar'd 155 
 
 No toil had yet relax'd his matchlefs ftrength, 
 
 Nor worn the vigour of his godlike foul. 
 
 Down to the pafs with gentle march he leads 
 
 Th' imbattled warriors. There behind the fhrubs, 
 
 Which near the verdant feet of Oeta fprung, 1 60 
 
 Befide the entrance of the ftraits the Greeks 
 
 In ambufh lay. The tempeft now was calm'd ; 
 
 Soft breezes only from the Malian wave 
 
 O'er each grim face befmear'd with fmoke and gore 
 
 Their cool refremment breath'd. The healing gale 1 6$ 
 
 Difpells the languor from their harafs'd limbs, 
 
 Which fwell with ftrength returning. After all 
 
 Th' inceffant labours of the horrid night 
 
 Through flames and war continu'd, they prepare 
 
 In
 
 Book IX. LEO NI DAS. 303 
 
 In order'd battle to confront the pow'rs 170 
 
 Of Hyperanthes, that felecled band 
 
 From Afia's numbers, deftin'd with the morn 
 
 To pafs the mountains in triumphant march 
 
 With ftrength un wafted, and with fouls elate. 
 
 Not long the Greeks in expectation flood ijr 
 
 Impatient. Sudden with tumultuous fhouts, 
 
 Like Nile's fwift current, where with deafning roar 
 
 Prone from the fteep of Elephantis falls 
 
 Its fea of waters, Hyperanthes pours 
 
 His rapid legions o'er the Grecian camp 180 
 
 Down from the hills precipitant. No foe 
 
 Is found to flop the torrent; on they roll 
 
 With thund'ring footfteps o'er the founding pafs. 
 
 That night no fooner had the Theban train 
 Thermopylae forfaken, but their courfe 1 85 
 
 They
 
 5 o 4 LEON I DAS. Book IX 
 
 They bent along the mountains, till they met 
 
 The pow'rs of Xerxes. Dusky twilight ftill 
 
 Prevailing, Perfia with mifguided rage 
 
 Affail'd her friends unknown. Th' impetuous fpear 
 
 Of Hyperanthes clove the faithlefs heart 190 
 
 Of Anaxander ; on, the hero prefs'd, 
 
 And fpread deftru&ion through their bleeding ranks; 
 
 Nor check 'd. his ardent valour, till he heard 
 
 The name of Thebes in fuppliant cries proclaimed : 
 
 The Perfians then receive them, in the fronf 195 
 
 As guides they place them, and, amaz'd to learn, 
 
 That daring Greece fhould Xerxes' camp invade, 
 
 Hafte from the mountains, rufh along the pafs, 
 
 And now tumultuous iffue from its mouth. 
 
 At once Laconia's leader gives the iign, 200 
 
 When, as th' impulfive ram with dreadful fway 
 
 O'erturns the nodding rampart from its bafe, 
 
 And
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 305 
 
 And ftrews a town with ruin, fo the band 
 
 Of ferried heroes down the Malian fteep, 
 
 An hideous depth, the blended numbers fwept 205 
 
 Of Thebes and Perfia. There no waters flow, 
 
 But horrid rocks prefent their craggy fides ; 
 
 There dafh'd whole legions. From their mangled limbs 
 
 A tide of blood rolls foaming to the fea. 
 
 Again thy voice, Leonidas, is heard; 210 
 
 The Grecians turn ; againft the op'ning pafs 
 
 They point their wheeling phalanx ; on they rufh. 
 
 Aftonifh'd Perfia flops in full career, 
 
 Ev'n Hyperanthes ftarts with terrour back. 
 
 Confufion drives frefh numbers from the more, 215 
 
 Whelm'd in the Malian flime. Th' undaunted king 
 
 Of Lacedasmon enter'd now the' ftraits, 
 
 And ranged for battle. Hyperanthes fbon 
 
 Recall'd his chofen warriours from their fear. 
 
 R r Swift
 
 3 o6 LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Swift on the great Leonidas was bent 220 
 
 A grove of darts ; th' incount'ring armies closed. 
 
 Whom firft, whom laft, great Spartan, didft thou foil ? 
 What rivers heard along their echoing banks 
 Thy name in curfes founded from the lips 
 Of mothers wailing for their flaughter'd fons ! 2 25- 
 
 What towns with empty monuments were fill'd 
 For thofe, whom thy unconquerable fword 
 This day to vultures can: ! Firft Beffus died, 
 A haughty fatrap, whofe tyrannic hand 
 Defpoil'd Hyrcania of her golden fheaves, 230 
 
 And laid her forefts wafte. For him the bees 
 Among the branches interwove their fweets ; 
 For him the fig was ripen'd, and the vine 
 With rich profusion o'er the goblet foam'd. 
 Then Dinis bled, On Hermus' fide he reign'd, 235 
 
 And
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 307 
 
 And long had fought with unavailing love 
 
 Great Artemifia fam'd in Xerxes' fleet, 
 
 The martial queen of Caria. She difdain'd 
 
 The lover's foft complaint; her dauntlefs ear 
 
 Was taught to mark the tempeft, while it rag'd; 240 
 
 Her fight was pradtic'd from the rolling deck 
 
 To brave the charing billows ; doom'd to meet 
 
 That day of horrour, when the weeping eye 
 
 Of Xerxes faw the blood of nations flow, 
 
 And to its bottom tinge the briny floods 2 45 
 
 Of Salamis, whence fhe with Afia fled, 
 
 She only not inglorious: low reclines 
 
 Her lover now, on Hermus' banks no more 
 
 To found her name, nor tell the vocal groves 
 
 His fruitlefs forrows. Then Madauces fell, 250 
 
 A Papblagonian born amid the found 
 
 Of dafhing furges, and the roar of winds ; 
 
 Rr 2 Who
 
 3 o8 LEONIDA S, Book IX. 
 
 Who o'er th' unhofpitable Euxine waves 
 
 Was wont from high Carambis' cliff to watch 
 
 Th' ill-fated bark, which cut the Pontic ftream, 2-5.5-- 
 
 Then with his dire aflbciates through the deep 
 
 For fpoil and flaughter guide his hoftile prow. 
 
 With thefe Tithrauftes far from Medus fall'iv 
 
 His native tide, with blooming ftrengfh indu'd, 
 
 And manly grace, Lilaeus, who had left 260 
 
 The balmy fragrance of Arabia's fields, 
 
 And Babylonian Tenagon expir'cL 
 
 His braveft friends on ev'ry fide o'erthrown 
 
 With indignation Hyperanthes view'd y 
 
 And in fierce hafte his dauntlefs arm oppos'd 265 
 
 To Sparta's hero. Each his lance protends, 
 
 But thoufands rufh with interpofing fhields, 
 
 Such facred lives all anxious to defend;. 
 
 Or thither Fortune urg'd the tide of war> ; 
 
 2 Their
 
 Book IX. LEONI DAS. 
 
 309 
 
 Their term protra&ing for augmented fame. 270 
 
 So, when two gallies lab'ring through the foam 
 
 Prefent for battle their deftrudtive beaks, 
 
 The billows oft, by hurricanes impell'd, 
 
 With mountainous commotion dafh between, 
 
 And either bark in blaek'ning tempefts veil'd 275 
 
 Waft from its diftant foe. But fiercer burn'd 
 
 Thy ardour, mighty Spartan, while in blood 
 
 Thy falchion rag'd unwearied. Now the fteeds 
 
 Of day were climbing their meridian fteep, 
 
 And o'er the Perfian camp the fhouts of war 280 
 
 Burft from Thermopylae. Pharnuchus heard, 
 
 Who from his couch beyond the Malian plain, 
 
 Rous'd by the tumult in the neighb'ring tents 
 
 To aid his lord had left ThefTalia's fields 
 
 With Syria, Cholchis, and Armenia's bands, 285 
 
 Th r Afiyrians, and Chaldasans. Afia's camp 
 
 Was
 
 3io LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Was ftill the feat of terrour and defpair. 
 
 As in fome fruitful clime, which late hath known 
 
 The rage of winds and floods, when now the ftorm 
 
 Is heard no longer and the deluge fled, 290 
 
 Still o^er the wafted region Nature mourns 
 
 In melancholy fllence, through the grove 
 
 With proftrate glories lie the (lately oak 
 
 And elm uprooted, while the plains are fpread 
 
 With fragments fwept from villages o'erthrown, 295 
 
 And round the paftures flocks and herds are caft 
 
 In weltring heaps of death ; fo Perfia's hoft 
 
 In horrour mute one boundlefs fcene difplays 
 
 Of defolation : half devour' d by fire 
 
 Its tall pavilions, and its warlike cars 300 
 
 Hide all the field with ruin ; here in gore 
 
 Its princes lie, and namelefs thoufands there, 
 
 H~re legions bleeding by the Grecian fteel, 
 
 There
 
 Book IX. LEON I DAS. 311 
 
 There Perfians flain by Perfians ftill declare 
 The wild confufion of the direful night 7 305 
 
 When wanting fignals, and their leaders care 
 They rufh'd to mutual slaughter. Xerxes' tent 
 On its exalted fummit, when the dawn 
 Firft ftreaks the glowing sky, was wont to bear 
 The golden form of Mithra, clos'd between 3 10 
 
 Two lucid cryftals, to the BarbVous hoft 
 An awful fignal all in arms to leave 
 Their crouded tents, and numberlefs to wait 
 Their monarch's prefence; this Pharnuchus rears 
 High on the proud pavilion: at the fight 315 
 
 Their confirmation is at length difpell'd, 
 And through th' affembling nations hope revives, 
 Pharnuchus then from all the number forms 
 A chofen train; Thermopylae he feeks; 
 Their march in loudeft clamours is proclaimed. 320 
 
 His
 
 -12, LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 J 
 
 His phalanx foon Leonidas commands 
 
 To circle backward from the Malian more : 
 
 Their order changes -> now half-orb'd they ftand 
 
 By Oeta's mountains guarded from behind 
 
 With either flank united to the rock. 325 
 
 As, by th' excelling architect difpos'd 
 
 To fhield fome haven, a ftupendous mole 
 
 Fram'd of the grove and quarry's mingled ftrength 
 
 In ocean's bolbm penetrates afar ; 
 
 There ftands the pride of art againfl: the weight 330 
 
 Of feas, unmov'd, and breaks the whelming furge: 
 
 So, when Pharnuchus with innum'rous pow'rs 
 
 Thermopylae had fill'd, th' unyielding Greeks 
 
 Oppos'd the hoftile deluge, and its rage, 
 
 Unfhaken ftem'd. Amid the foremoft rank 335 
 
 Leonidas his dreadful ftation held. 
 
 Before him foon an horrid void is feen 
 
 Through
 
 Book IX. LEON I DAS. 313 
 
 Through Perfia's legions, and the proud remains 
 
 Of nobleft chiefs th' infanguin'd rock beftrew. 
 
 Pharnuchus glowing with revenge and wrath 340 
 
 Difcharges full at Lacedasmon's chief 
 
 His iron-ftudded mace. Afide it glanc'd, 
 
 Turn'd by the mafly fhield, and prone to earth 
 
 The Perfian fell. Alcander to the rock 
 
 Transfix'd the proftrate fatrap through the reins, 345 
 
 Himfelf receiving in th' unguarded fide 
 
 The lance of Hyperanthes. Low he lies, 
 
 The only Theban, who by Sparta's king 
 
 Abode intrepid, and to Greece preferv'd 
 
 His faith untainted; a phyfician fage, 350 
 
 Who from Cithaeron each benignant herb 
 
 Was wont to gather, and expatiate o'er 
 
 The Heliconian paftures, where no plant 
 
 Of poifon fprings, but fuch, whofe healing juice 
 
 S f Expells
 
 3 i4 LEON I DAS. Book, IX. 
 
 Expells the venom from the vipers tooth 355 
 
 Fill'd with the fweetnefs of the foil divine: 
 
 H|m all, who languim on the bed of pain, 
 
 Him moft, the wretch, whom want, and iicknefs fpreads 
 
 On eaftri s cold breaft neglected, mall deplore. 
 
 On him the brave Artontes finks in death, 360 
 
 Renown'd through wide Bithynia now no more 
 
 The clamorous rites of Cybele to (hare, 
 
 While Echo murmurs through the hollow caves 
 
 Of Berecynthian Dindymus. The hand 
 
 Of Alpheus lent him to the fhades of night. 365 
 
 E'er from the dead he difingag'd his fpear, 
 
 Huge Abradates glorying in his ftrength, 
 
 Surpaffing all of Ciflian race, advanc'd 
 
 To grapple with the victor ; near him now 
 
 His foremoft ftep the Perfian plants, his hand 370 
 
 Grafps at the Spartan's moulder. Alpheus once 
 
 1 At
 
 Book IX. LEON I DAS. 315 
 
 At Nemea's games the wreftlers crown obtained. 
 
 His art he fummons, and his rapid foot 
 
 Obliquely ftrikes againft the Perfian's heel; 
 
 He falling feiz'd on Alpheus' neck, and dragd 375 
 
 His foe upon him. Streight an hundred darts 
 
 Of thronging Perfia cleave the Grecian's back. 
 
 To Abradates' breaft the weapons pierce, 
 
 And rivet both in death. This Maron faw, 
 
 And Polydorus, who with vi&ims fall'n 380 
 
 Before their vengeance hide their brother's corfe. 
 
 At length the gen'rous blood of Maron warms 
 
 The lance of Hyperanthes* On the fpear 
 
 Of Polydorus falls the pond'rous ax 
 
 Of Sacian Mardus; from the yielding wood 385 
 
 The fteely point is fever'd. Undifmay'd 
 
 The Spartan ftoops to rear the knotted mace 
 
 Of flain Pharnuchus; but thy fatal fword, 
 
 Sf 2 Abrocomes,
 
 3 r6 LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Abrocomes, that dreadful inftant marks 
 
 To rend his op'ning fidec unconquer'd ftill, 390 
 
 Swift he difcharges on the Sacian's front 
 
 An horrid wound, that reach'd the burfting brain. 
 
 Down his own limbs the while a torrent flows 
 
 Of vital crimfon ; fmiling he furveys 
 
 His forrows ending, and his Spartan name 395 
 
 Renew its luftre. Sudden to his fide 
 
 Springs Dithyrambus; through th' uplifted arm 
 
 Of Mindus pointing his impetuous dart 
 
 Againft the bleeding Spartan he impells 
 
 His fteel refiftlefs. Polydorus now 400 
 
 Stretch'd his cold hand to Thefpia's friendly chief, 
 
 Then bow'd his head in everlafting peace ; 
 
 And Mindus wafted by his flowing wound 
 
 Befide him faints and dies. In Ninus old 
 
 Had his exalted anceftors fuftaind 4° 5
 
 Book IX. LEON I DAS. 3 i 7 
 
 Th' Aflyrian fcepter. Now to PeruYs throne 
 
 A tributary lord he rul'd the vales, 
 
 Where Tigris fwift between the parted hills 
 
 Of tall Niphates draws its foaming tide, 
 
 Impregnating the glebe. At once a croud 410 
 
 Of ardent Perfians feize the conqu'ror's lance : 
 
 An hundred arms infold it* Thelpia's youth 
 
 With one ftrong hand maintains the ftruggling ipear, 
 
 The other bares his falchion. Through his foes 
 
 With lightning wing'd it fcatters wounds and death. 
 
 Artaphrenes in torture feels his arm 416 
 
 Lopt from the fhoulder. Zatis leaves his hand 
 
 Yet twining round the long-difputed lance. 
 
 On Pheron's neck defcends the pond'rous blade; 
 
 Down drops the fever'd head; the vital ftream 420 
 
 Spouts from its purple fluices. Mardon ftrides 
 
 Acrofs the pointed afh. His weight o'ercomes 
 
 The
 
 3 r8 LEO NI DAS. Book 
 
 V 
 
 The wearied Grecian, who refigns his hold, 
 
 Yet cleaves th' exulting Perfian to the brain. 
 
 But now the fierce Abrocomes approach'd, 425 
 
 And louring makes his dart. The wary Greek 
 
 With hisfbroad buckler intercepts the ftroke, 
 
 And clofes with the Perfian. Then what aid 
 
 Of mortal force, or interpofing heav'n 
 
 Prefer v'd the eaftern warrior? Lo! the friend 430 
 
 Of Teribazus eager to avenge 
 
 His lov'd companion, and at once to guard 
 
 A brother's life, beneath the fmewy arm 
 
 That inftant rais'd for (laughter plung'd his lance 
 
 In Dithyrambus' fide. The vital firings 435 
 
 At once relax; nor Fame, nor Greece demand 
 
 More from his valour, and fupihe he lies 
 
 In glories ripen'd on his blooming head. 
 
 Him mail the Thefpian virgins in their fbngs 
 
 
 Record
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 5 i 9 
 
 Record one lovelieft of the youthful train, 440 
 
 The good, the gentle, generous, and brave ; 
 
 Now fall'n his country's grace, and parent's pride : 
 
 So finks the cedar, which in verdant bloom 
 
 High on the top of Libanus had flood 
 
 The mountain's bdaft, and glory of the grove ; 445 
 
 Then to adorn the manfions of the great, 
 
 Or dignify fome God's high-vaulted fane 
 
 Uprooted low'rs its heav'n-afpiring head. 
 
 Diomedon burfts forward. Round his friend 
 
 He heaps deftru&ion. What a troop of ghofts 450 
 
 Attend thy made, fall'n hero! Long unmatch'd 
 
 Prevailed his vengeful arm, and Perfia bled ; 
 
 Till four AfTyrians on his fhelving lance, 
 
 E'er yet extracted from a proftrate corfe, 
 
 Their pond'rous maces all difcharge. It broke. 455 
 
 Yet with the truncheon of his fhatter'd fpear 
 
 The
 
 3 2o LE ONI DAS. Book IX. 
 
 The Greek fuftains the conteft. Through his eye 
 
 The fhiver'd fragment penetrates the brain 
 
 Of one bold warriour ; there the fplintry wood 
 
 Infix'd remains : the hero then unfheaths 460 
 
 His falchion broad ; a fecond views aghaft 
 
 His entrails falKng, while Plataea's chief 
 
 From the gafh'd belly draws his reeking fword : 
 
 Prone finks a third beneath the falchion's weight; 
 
 Though with the furious ftroke the yielding blade 465 
 
 Flew from the hilt, and left the Greek difarm'd : 
 
 The fourth that inftant lifts his knotted mace ; 
 
 It falls refiftlefs on the batterd helm, 
 
 And low the great Diomedon extends 
 
 His mighty limbs. So weaken'd by the force 470 
 
 Of fome tremendous engine, which the hand 
 
 Of Mars impells, a ftately turret fpreads 
 
 Its difuniting ramparts on the plain ;
 
 Book IX. LEONIDA S. % 2 1 
 
 Joy fills th' affailants, while the battle's tide 
 Whelms o'er the widening breach. The Perfians thus 
 O'er the late-fear'd Diomedon had rufh'd, 476 
 
 And fwept the Greeks before them ; when behold 
 Leonidas! At once their ardour froze. 
 He had a while within the orb retir'd, 
 Opprefs'd by labour. Now with ftrength reftor'd 480 
 He pours frefh ruin from the Spartan front, 
 As, long retarded by th' unmoving calm, 
 Soon, as a rifing gale frefh-breathing curls 
 The furging main, again the veffel bounds 
 With all her op'ning fails ; the hero thus 4S5 
 
 His buckler huge, and formidable fpear 
 Advancing, through the Allan files renews 
 His courfe of {laughter. Deftiny compells 
 The bold Hydarnes to th' unequal fight, 
 Who proudly vaunting left his weeping bride 490 
 
 Tt To
 
 322 LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 To mourn his abfence on the diftant verge 
 
 Of Ba&rian Ochus. Vi&ory in vain 
 
 He parting promis'd. Wanton hope no more 
 
 Round his cold heart delufive fports, nor paints 
 
 Th' imagin'd pomp of triumphs, gorgeous fpoils, 495 
 
 And trains of fhackled Greeks. The Spartan pierc'd 
 
 His fhield, and burfting corfelet. From the flain 
 
 The vi&or draws his iron-pointed ipear 
 
 Bent, and infeebled with the forceful blow. 
 
 Meantime within his buckler's verge, unfeen 5c o 
 
 Amphiftreus ftealing in th' unguarded flank 
 
 His poniard ftruck. With fwift effufion gufli'd 
 
 A crimfon torrent, but the fcaly mail 
 
 Immediate death repell'd. Th' indignant king 
 
 Gripes with refiftlefs might the Perfian's throat, 505 
 
 And drags him proftrate. None in Xerxes' court 
 
 Was more corrupt, with infolence more bafe, 
 
 1 With
 
 Book IX. LE ONI DAS. 323 
 
 With rancour more fallacious. Phrygia pin'd 
 
 Beneath th' oppreffion of his ruthlefs fway. 
 
 Was there a field once fruitful, or a town 510 
 
 Once populous and rich ? The horrid change 
 
 To want and defolation there declar'd, 
 
 The curs'd Amphiftreus govern J. As the fpear 
 
 Of Tyrian Cadmus riveted to earth 
 
 The pois'nous dragon, whofe infectious breath 515 
 
 Had blafted half Bceotia ; ib the chief 
 
 Of Lacedaemon trampling on the neck 
 
 Of fall'n Amphiftreus fixes to the rock 
 
 The gafping tyrant, and his broken lance 
 
 Leaves in the panting corfe. Meanwhile thy wound 520 
 
 Inceffant flows, great hero, and augments 
 
 The hopes of Perfia. Thou unyielding ftill 
 
 Suftain'ft the conteft, while unnumber'd darts 
 
 Are fhiver'd on thy buckler, and thy feet 
 
 Tt 2 With
 
 3 24 L E O N I D AS. Book IX r 
 
 With glitt 'ring points beftrew; the Cholchian fword, 52$ 
 
 And Perfian dagger leave their fhatter'd hilts ; 
 
 Bent is the Cafpian fcymetar ; in vain 
 
 The Sacian wheels his falchion, and their mace 
 
 The ftrong Chaldaeans and Affyrians raife : 
 
 Thou ftand'ft unfhaken, like a Thracian hill, 530 
 
 Like Rhodope, or Haemus ; where in vain 
 
 The thund'rer plants his livid bolt, in vain 
 
 The glancing lightning cleaves th' incruffed fnow 3 
 
 And Winter beating with eternal war 
 
 Shakes from his dreery wings difcordant ftorms, 535 
 
 Chill fleet, and clattVing hail. But now advanc'd 
 
 Abrocomes, and aim'd his deadly fpear 
 
 Againft the forehead of Laconia's chief, 
 
 Not unperceiv'd; the Spartan's active hand 
 
 His fword oppofing upward rears the blade 540 
 
 Againft the threatning javelin ; o'er his creft 
 
 Its
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 5 2 S 
 
 Its fury waftes in air, while fwift defcends 
 
 The pond'rous falchion on the Perfian's knee : 
 
 At once the bone is fever'd ; prone he falls ; 
 
 Crufh'd on the ground beneath ten thoufand feet 545 
 
 The gallant warriour breaths the laft remains 
 
 Of tortur'd life. The Spartan thus maintain'd 
 
 Th' unequal combat with his fingle fword. 
 
 But Agis calls Dieneces, alarms 
 
 Demophilus, Megiftias; they from heaps 550 
 
 Of Allarodian and Safperian flain 
 
 Hafte to their leader, and before him raife 
 
 The brazen bulwark of their marly fhields. 
 
 The foremoft line of Afia ftands and bleeds ; 
 
 The reft recoil: but Hyperanthes ftrides 555 
 
 From rank to rank throughout his various hoft,. 
 
 Their dying hopes rekindles, in the brave 
 
 Excites new valour, and the freezing heart 
 
 t
 
 326 LEONIDAS. Book IX. 
 
 Of Fear revives. Aftafpes firfl: obey'd 
 The hero's voice, a fierce Chaldasan lord 5 60 
 
 Vain of his birth from antient Belus drawn, 
 Proud of his wealthy ftores, and ftately domes ; 
 But now more proud by conqueft, fince his might 
 Had foil'd the ftrong Diomedon. He feeks 
 The front of battle. His victorious mace 565 
 
 Againft the brave Dieneces he bends; 
 The weighty blow bore down th' oppofing fhield, 
 And crufli'd the Spartan's fhoulder: idle hangs 
 The buckler now, and loads th' inactive arm 
 Depriv'd of all its functions. Agis bares 570 
 
 His vengeful blade, and fevers from the foe 
 His hand exalted for a fecond ftroke. 
 The dying fingers with convulfive grafp 
 The falling mace infold. A Sacian chief 
 Springs on the victor. Iaxartes' banks 575 
 
 To
 
 Book IX. LEO NI DAS. 3*7 
 
 To this brave favage gave his name and birth. 
 
 His looks ered, and fierce deportment fpoke 
 
 A bold and gallant fpirit, but untam'd, 
 
 With dreery wilds familiar, and a race 
 
 Of rude Barbarians horrid as their clime. 580 
 
 The hoftile fpear, againft his forehead aim' d, 
 
 Glanc'd upward, and o'erturn'd his iron cone: 
 
 The blow renew'd his burfting cheft divides. 
 
 Th' undaunted Sacian writhes along the lance, 
 
 Which griding paffes through his breaft and back, 585 
 
 A barbed arrow from his quiver draws, 
 
 Deep in the ftreaming pap of Agis hides 
 
 The deadly fteel, then grimly fmiles and dies. 
 
 From him Fate haftens to a nobler prey ; 
 
 For lo! the brave Dieneces prefents 590 
 
 His breaft obnoxious to a thoufand darts. 
 
 The fhield deferts his unfuftaining arm, 
 
 And
 
 3i8 LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 And Aides to earth. A grove of javelins rofe 
 
 On his broad bofom. Still for ev'ry wound 
 
 He hur-Fd a Perfian to th' infernal gloom ; 595 
 
 But life at length forfook his riven heart, 
 
 And o'er the rock the gafping hero ftretch'd 
 
 His dying limbs in gore. Who now can ftand 
 
 The torrent of Barbarians ? Agis bleeds, 
 
 His fpear is irrecoverably plung d 600 
 
 In Iaxartes' body. Low reclines 
 
 Dieneces in gore. The Spartan chief 
 
 Himfelf o'erlabour'd, of his lance difarm'd 
 
 The rage of Death can exercife no more. 
 
 One laft and glorious effort age performs. 605 
 
 Demophilus, Megiftias join their might, 
 
 And ftem the floods of conqueft ; while the fpear 
 
 Of flain Dieneces ; to Sparta's king 
 
 The fainting Agis bore. The blazing fteej 
 
 In
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 3*9 
 
 In that dire hand again for battle rear'd 610 
 
 Blafts all the Perfian valour. Back in heaps 
 
 They roll confounded, by their leader's voice 
 
 In vain exhorted longer to endure 
 
 The ceafelefs vvafte of that unconquer'd arm. 
 
 So, when the giants from Olympus chas'd 625 
 
 Th' inferiour Gods, themfelves in terrour ftiun'd 
 
 Th' inceffant dreams of lightning, when the hand 
 
 Of heav'n's great father with eternal might 
 
 Suftain d the direful conflid. O'er the field 
 
 Awhile Bellona ftills the rage of war ; 620 
 
 When Thefpia's leader, and Megiftias drop 
 
 At either fide of Laceda^mon's king. 
 
 Beneath the weight of years and labour bend 
 
 The hoary warriours. Not a groan molefts 
 
 Their parting fpirits, but in death's calm night, 625 
 
 All-filent, bows each venerable head : 
 
 U u T < ik e
 
 33© LEONIDAS. Book IX. 
 
 Like aged oaks, whofe deep-defcending roots 
 
 Had pierc'd refiftlefs through the mountain's fide, 
 
 And there for three long centuries had brav'd 
 
 Each angry guft of Eurus, and the North; 630 
 
 Till, faplefs now by Time's defpoiling hand, 
 
 Without a blafl their mofiy trunks recline 
 
 Before their parent hill. By Sparta's chief 
 
 None now remains but Agis, who implores 
 
 The laft kind office from his godlike friend, 635 
 
 The Sacian's arrow from his pap to draw. 
 
 This done, life iffues with the fanguine tide. 
 
 Thy comely features, Agis, now are pale ; 
 
 Cold are thy graceful limbs, and dim thy eyes, 
 
 Which now no more with placid beams reveal 640 
 
 The native virtues of thy gentle breaft. 
 
 The noble corfe Leonidas furveys. 
 
 Fate yields him one fhort interval of peace 
 
 To
 
 Book IX. LEONIDAS. 331 
 
 To know how lovely are the patriot's wounds. 
 And fee thofe honours grace the man, he lov'd. 645 
 
 But Hyperanthes with his Angle fpear 
 Forth from the trembling ranks of Afia tow'rs 
 His country's glory to redeem, or fall. 
 The Spartan worn by toil his languid arm 
 Once more uplifting waits the dauntlels prince. 650 
 
 The heroes now flood adverfe. Each a while 
 Reftrain'd his valour, and his godlike foe 
 Admiring view'd. Such majefty and ftrength 
 To fierce Pelides all incircled round 
 With Trojan dead ; and fuch to Priam's fon 655 
 
 By ftruggling virtue, and by manly fhame 
 From flight recall'd, great Homer's fancy gave. 
 O thou exalted o'er the laurel'd train 
 High, as the fweet Calliope is thron'd 
 Above each vigin of the tuneful hills 660 
 
 U u 2 Now
 
 33* LEON I DAS. Book IX. 
 
 Now let one beam of thy celeftial light 
 
 Dart through my labVing mind ; left Freedom mourn, 
 
 Her chofen fbn difhonour'd in thefe ftrains ! 
 
 Now^Hyperanthes, and Laconia's king 
 With brandifh'd points, and targets high uprear'd 665; 
 Commence the fatal combat, which muft clofe 
 The long-continu'd honours of the day. 
 Fix'd with amaze and fear, the Aiian files 
 Unmov'd and filent on their bucklers paufe. 
 Thus o'er th' expanfe of India's wilds contend 670 
 
 The elephant, and horn'd rhinoceros ; 
 Earth groans beneath them, as with wrath untam'd- 
 Each hideous bulk in dire encounter meets: 
 With diftant terrour gaze the favage throng. 
 Prolonged by varied art, the dubious fight 675 
 
 The great event. fufpendecL On the fcs
 
 Book IX. LEONIDA S. 335 
 
 His well-aim'd fpear at laft the Spartan drove, 
 
 And pierc'd the fhield. Inexorable fate 
 
 That moment hover d o'er the eaftern prince, 
 
 When with unmatch'd celerity afide 68 o 
 
 He fwung his buckler ; underneath his arm, 
 
 Unftain'd with blood the hoftile javelin pafs'd : 
 
 Meantime, with joy, and ardent hopes elate 
 
 Of fame and conqueft, fudden he impelFd 
 
 His rapid lance againft the Spartan's throat ; 685 
 
 But he with wary skill his target rais'd, 
 
 And o'er his moulder turn'd the glancing ffeel; 
 
 For one laft effort then his fcatter'd ftrength 
 
 Recall'd, and wheeling with reftftlefs force 
 
 His maffy buckler dafh'd the brazen verge 690 
 
 Againft the Persian's forehead : down he funk 
 
 Without a groan expiring, as o'erwhelm'd 
 
 Beneath
 
 334 L E O N I D A S. Book IX. 
 
 Beneath a marble fragment from its feat 
 
 Heav'd by a whirlwind fvveeping o'er the ridge 
 
 Of fome afpiring manfion. Gen'rous prince! 695 
 
 What could his valour more ? His Angle might 
 
 He match'd with great Leonidas, and fell 
 
 Before his native bands. The Spartan chief 
 
 Now ftands alone. In heaps his flaughter'd friends 
 
 All ftretch'd around him lie. The diftant foes 700 
 
 ShowV on his head innumerable darts. 
 
 From various flu ices gufh the vital floods, 
 
 And flain his fainting limbs. Nor yet with pain 
 
 His brow is clouded, but thofe beauteous wounds, 
 
 The facred pledges of his own renown, 705 
 
 And Sparta's fafety, with ferenefl: joy 
 
 His clofing eye contemplates. Fame can twine 
 
 No brighter laurels round his glorious head, 
 
 His
 
 BooklX. LEON I DAS. 335 
 
 His virtue more to labour Fate forbids, 
 
 And lays him now in honourable reft 710 
 
 To feal his country's liberty in death. 
 
 )nd of the Ninth and Lafl Booh
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 B. 2. 1. 130. for fulfry r. fultry. 
 1 60. for breafts r. hearts. 
 3 • 311. 332. 407. for poynard r. poniard. 
 553- for, put. 
 606. after Greece put : 
 611. dele the full point 
 4. 177. for Pencejies r. Peucejies. 
 
 375. after loofen dele the comma, 
 5' 393' for from r. with. 
 
 7. 170. for , put . 
 
 8. 52. for trembling r. tumbling. 
 252. for flw^/* r. ennoble. 
 
 
 
 I: : 
 
 M* «A