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Now snatch an hour that favors thy designs; Unite thy forces, and attack their lines. "
This said, on equal wings she pois'd her weight, And form'd a radiant rainbow m her flight.
The Daunian hero lifts his hands and eyes, And thus invokes the goddess as she flies:
"Iris, the grace of heav'n, what pow'r divine
Has sent thee down, thro' dusky clouds to shine? See, they divide; immortal day appears,
And ghtt'ring planets dancing in their spheres! With joy, these happy omens I obey,
? 298 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL And fullow to the war the god that leads the way. "
Thus having said, as by the brook he stood,
He scoop'd the water from the crystal flood; . .
Then with his hands the drops to heav'n he throws,
And loads the pow'rs above with offer'd vows. i
Now march the bold confed'rates thro' the plain, Well hors'd, well clad; a rich and shining train.
Messap_s leads the van; and, in the rear,
The sons of Tyrrheus in bright arms appear.
In the main battle, with his flaming crest,
The mighty Turnus tow'rs above the rest.
Silent they move, majestically slow,
Like ebbing Nile, or Ganges in his flow.
The Trojans view the dusty cloud from _ar_ And the dark menace of the distant war.
Caicus from the rampire saw it rise,
Black'ning the fields, and thick'nlng thro' the sides. Then to his fellows thus aloud he calls:
"What rolling clouds, my friends, approach the wallslb Arm l arm l and man the works l prepare your spears And pointed darts l the Latian host appears. "
Thus warn'd, they shut their gates; with shotlts ascend The bttlwarks, and, secure, their foes attend:
For their wise gen'ral. , with foreseeing care,
Had charg'a them not to tempt the douhtful war, Nor, tho' provok'd, in open fields advance,
But close within their lines attend their chance. Unwilling, yet they keep the strict command,
And sourly wait in arms the hostile band.
The fiery Turnus flew before the rest:
A piebald steed of Thracian strain he press'd;
His helm of massy gold, and crimson was his cresL With twenty horse to second his designs,
An unexpected foe, he fac'd the lines.
"Is there," he said, "in arms, who bravely dare
His leader's honor and his danger share? "
Then spurring on, his brandish'd dart he threwB
In sign of war: applauding sho_lts ensue.
Amaz'd to find a dastard race, that run Behind the ramplres and the battle shun,
? THE NINTH BOOK OF Tlq_. _E_f_a
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He rides around the camp, with rolling eyes, And stops at ev'ry post, and ev'ry passage tries
So roams the nightly wolf about the fold:
Wet with descending show'rs, and stiff with cold
He howls for hunger, and he grins for pain,
(His gnashing teeth are exercis'd in vain,)
And, impotent of anger, finds no way
In his distended paws to grasp the prey.
The mothers listen; but the bleating lambs
Securely swig the dug, beneath the dams.
Thus ranges eager Turnus o'er the plain.
Sharp with desire, and furious with d_sdaha_
Surveys each passage with a piercing sight,
To force his foes in equal field to fight.
Thus while he gazes round, at length he spies, Where, fenc'd with strong redoubts, their navy lies, Close underneath the walls; the washing tide Secures from all approach this weaker side,
He takes the wish'd occasion, fills his hand
With ready fires, and shakes a flaming brand.
Urg'd by his presence, ev'ry soul is warm'd,
And ev'ry hand with kindled firs is arm'd.
From the fir'd pines the scatt'rlng sparkles fly,
Fat vapors, mix'd with flames, involve the sky? What pow'r, O Muses, could avert the flame
Which threaten'd, in the fleet, the Trojan name? Tell: for the fact, thro' length of time obscure,
Is hard to faith; yet shall the fame endure.
'Tis said that, when the chief prepar'd hi_ flight, And fell'd his timber from Mount Ida's height,
The grandam goddess then approach'd her son, And with a mother's majesty beg-un:
"Grant me," she said, "the sole request I bring, Since conquer'd heav'n has own'd you for its king On Ida's brows, for ages past, there stood,
With firs and maples fill'd, a shady wood;
And on the summit rose a sacred grove,
Where I was worship'd with religious love. Those woods, that holy grove, my long delight, I gave the Trojan prince, to speed his flight.
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? ${}0 DRYDEN'S TRAI_SLATION OF _*IRGI_
Now, fill'd with fear, on their behalf I come; Let neither winds o'erset, nor waves mtomb The floating forests of the sacred pine;
:But let it be their safety to be mine. "
Then thus rephed her awful son, who rolls
The radiant stars, and heav'n and earth controls: "How dare you, mother, endless date demand
For vessels molded by a mortal hand?
What then is fate? Shall bold . -_neas ride,
Of safety certain, on th' uncertain tlde?
"Yet, what I can, I grant; when, wafted o'er,
The cluef is landed on the Latlan shore,
Whatever shlps escape the raging storms,
At my command shall change their fading form_
To nymphs divine, and plow the wat'ry way,
Like Doffs and the daughters of the sea. "
To seal his sacred vow, by Styx he swore,
The lake of liquid pitch, the dreary shore,
. And Phlegethon's innavigable flood,
And the black regions of his brother god.
lie said; and shook the skies with his imperial nod.
And now at length the number'd hours were come, Prefix'd by fate's irrevocable doom,
When the great Mother of the Gods was free
To save her ships, and finish Jove's decree.
First, from tile quarter of the morn, there sprung A light that slgn'd the heav'ns, and shot along; Then from a cloud, fring'd round with golden fires, Were timbrels heard, and Berecynth,an choirs,
And, last, a voice, with more than mortal sounds,
Both hosts, in arms oppos'd, with equal horror wounds: "'0 Trojan race, your needless aid forbear,
And know, my ships are my peculiar care.
With greater ease the bold Rutulian may,
With hissing brands, attempt to burn the sea,
Than singe my sacred pines. But you, my charge, Loos'd from your crooked anchors, launch at large, Exalted each a nymph: forsake the sand,
And swim the seas, at Cybele's command. "
1_/o sooner had the goddess ceas'd to speak,
? _I-IE NINTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS 301 When, lol th' obedient ships their haulsers break;
And, strange to tell, hke dolphins, In the main
They plunge their prows, and dive, and spring again:
As many beauteous maids the billows sweep, i As ode before tall vessels on the deep
The foes, surprls'd with wonder, stood aghast; 1. Messapus curb'd his fiery courser's haste; !
Old Tiber roar'd, and, raising up his head, i Call'd back his waters to their oozy bed
Turnus alone, undaunted, bore the shock,
And _th these words his trembling troops bespoke:
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"These monsters for the Trojans' fate are meant, ! _ And are by Jove for black presages sent
He takes the cowards' last relief away; 1' For fly they cannot, and, constrain'd to stay,
Must yield unfought, a base inglorious prey.
The liquid half of all the globe is lost; i: Heav'n shuts the seas, and we secure the coast. I Theirs is no more than that small spot of ground
Which myriads of our martial men surround.
Their fates I fear not, or vain oracles, f
'T was giv'n to Venus they should cross the seas, l And land secure upon the Latian plains:
Their promis'd hour is pass'd, and mine remains.
'T is in the fate of Turnus to destroy, '_
With sword and fire, the faithless race of Troy. Shall such affronts as these alone inflame
Tile Grecian brothers, and the Grecian name? _iy caase and theirs is one; a fatal strife,
And final ruin, for a ravish'd wife
Was 't not enough, that, punish'd for the crime,
They fell; but will they fall a second time? ! One would have thought they paid enough before,
To enrse the costly sex, and durst offend no more
Can they securely trust their feeble wall,
A slight partition, a thin interval,
Betwixt their fate and them; when Troy, tho' built
By hands dlvlne, yet perish'd by their guilt ?
Lend me, for once, my friends, your valiant hands, To force from out their lines these dastard bands.
? DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Less than a thousand ships will end this war, _Ior Vulcan needs his fated arms prepare.
Let all the Tuscans, all th' Arcadians, join!
Nor these, nor those, shah frustrate my design. Let them not fear the treasons of the night,
The robb'd Palladium, the pretended flight:
Our onset shall be made in open light.
No wooden engine shall their town betray;
]Vires they shall have around, but fires by day.
No Grecian babes before their camp appear,
Whom Hector's arms detain'd to the tenth tardy year. Now, since the sun is rolling to the west,
Give we the silent night to needful rest:
Refresh your bodies, and your arms prepare; I The morn shall end the small remains of war. "
The post of honor to Messapus falls,
To keep the nightly guard, to watch the walls,
To pitch the fires at distances around,
And close the Trojans in their scanty ground
Twice seven Rutulian captains ready stand,
And twice seven hundred horse these chiefs command; All clad in shining arms the works invest,
Each with a radiant helm and waving crest
Stretch'd at their length, they press the grassy ground; They laugh, they sing, (the jolly bowls go round,)
With lights and cheerful fires renew the day,
And pass the wakeful night in feasts and play.
The Trojans, from above, their foes beheld, And with arm'd legions all the rampires fill'd. Seiz'd with affright, their gates they first explore; Join works to works with bridges, tow'r to tow'r: Thus all things needful for defense abound. Mnestheus and brave Seresthus walk the round, Commission'd by their absent prince to share
The common danger, and divide the care.
The soldiers draw their lots, and, as they fall, By turns relieve each other on the wall.
Nigh where the foes their utmost guards advance, To watch the gate was warlike Nisus' chance.
His father Hyrtacus of noble blood;
? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS His mother was a huntress of the wood,
. And sent him to the wars. \Vell could he bear
His lance in fight, and dart the flying spear, But be_ter skill'd unerring shafts to send Beside hxm stood Euryalus, his friend: Euryalus, than whom the Trojan host
No fairer face, or sweeter air, could boast-- Scarce had the down to shade Ins cheeks begun One was their care, and their delight was one" One common hazard m the war they shar'd, . And now were both by choice upon the guard.
Then Nisus thus: "Or do the gods respire This warmth, or make we gods of our desire?
A gen'rous ardor boils wlthin my breast, Eager of action, enemy to rest:
This urges me to fight, and fires my mmd To leave a memorable name behind
Thou see'st the foe secure; how faintly shine Their scatter'd fires I the most, m sleep supine
Along the ground, an easy conquest he:
The wakeful few the fuming flagon ply;
All hush'd around Now hear that I revolve_ A thought unripe--and scarcely yet resolxe
Our absent prince both camp and council mourn, By message both would hasten h_s return:
If they confer what I demand on thee, (For fame is recompense enough for me,) Methinks, beneath yon hall, I have espied
A way that safely will my passage grade. " Euryalus stood hst'nmg while he spoke,
Wxth love of praise and noble env_ struck; Then to his ardent friend cxpos'd his mind: "All this, alone, and tearing me behind)
Am I unworthy, Nisus, to be join'd?
Think'st thou I can my share of glory yield, Or send thee unassxsted to the field?
Not so my father taught my childhood arms; Born in a siege, and bred anaong alarms!
Nor is my youth unworthy of my friend, Nor of the hear'n-born hero I attend.
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The thing eall'd hfe, with ease I can disclaim, And think tt over-sold to purchase fame "
Then Nisus thus. "Alas! thy tender years _,Vould minister new matter to my fears.
So may the gods, who view this friendly strife, Restore me to thy lov'd embrace with hfe. Condemn'd to pay my vows, (as sure I trust,) This thy request is cruel and unjust
But _f some chance--as many chances are, And doubtful hazards, 11"1the deeds of war-- If one should reach my head, there let it fall, And spare thy life; I would not perish all Thy bloomy youth deserves a longer date: Live thou to mourn thy love's unhappy fate; To bear my mangled body from the foe,
Or buy it back, and fun'ral rites bestow, Or, if hard fortune shall those dues deny,
Thou canst at least an empty tomb supply, O let not me the widow's tears renew!
Nor let a mother's curse my name pur_ue: Thy pious parent, who, for love of thee, Forsook the coasts of friendly" Sicily,
Her age committing to the seat a_d wind, When ev'ry weary matron stay'd behind. " To this, Euryalus. "You plead m vain,
And but protract the cause you cannot gain
No more delays, but haste t" With that, he wakes The nodding watch, each to his office takes
The guard rehev'd, the gen'rous couple went
To find the council at the royal tent.
All creatures else forgot their dally care, And sleep, the common gift of nature, share;
Except the Trojan peers, who wakeful sate
In nightly council for th' mdanger'd state
They vote a message to their absent chief,
Shew their distress, and beg a swift relief,
Amid the camp a silent seat they chose,
Remote from clamor, and secure from foes
On their left arms their ample shields they bear, The right rechn'd upon the bending spear.
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? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS ,_ow Ntsus and ht_ frlend approach the guard,
And beg admission, eager to be heard: Th' affair important, not to be deferr'd. Ascamus Nds 'era be conducted in,
Ord'rmg the more expenenc'd to begin.
Then Nlsus thus "Ye fathers, lend 3. our ears; Nor judge our bold attempt beyond our years The foe, securely drench'd m sleep and x_ine, Neglect their watch, the fires but thinly dune; And where the smoke m cloudy vapors flies, Coy'ring tile plain, and curling to the skies, Betsauxt two paths, which at the gate divide, Close by the sea, a passage we have spmd, Which wdl our wa) to great -_neas guide. Expect each hour to see him safe again,
Loaded with spoils of foes in battle slain. Snatch _xe the lucky minute while we may;
Nor can we be mistaken in tile way;
For, hunting m the vale, we both have seen
The rising turrets, and tile stream between,
And know the x_mdmg course, with ev'D ford"
Fie cea_'cl, and old Alethes took the word:
"Our country god% m whom our trust we place, \Vxll yet from rum sa_e the Trojan race,
While we behold such dauntless worth appear
In dawning youth, and souls so xold of fear. "
Then into tears of joy the father broke;
Each in his longing arms by turns he took;
Panted and paus'd, and thus again he spoke:
"Ye brave young men. what equal gafts can we,
In recompense of such desert, decree?
The greatest, sure, and best you can recmve,
The gods and _our m_n conscious worth will g_ve. The rest our grateful gen'ral will bestow,
And young Ascanius till his manhood owe. "
"And I, whose welfare m my father hes," Ascamus adds, "by the great deities,
By my dear country, by my household gods, By hoary Vesta's rites and dark abodes,
Adjure yott both, (on yota my fortune stands;
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That and my faith I plight into your hands,) Make me but happy m his safe return,
Whose wanted presence I can only mourn; Your common glft shall two large goblets be Of silver, wrought with curious imagery,
And high emboss'd, whmh, when old Priam reign'd, My conqu'ring sire at sack'd Arisba gain'd;
And more, two tripods cast m antic mold,
With two great talents of the finest gold;
Beside a cosily bowl, ingrav'd with art,
Which Dido gave, when first she gaxe her heart.
But, if in conquer'd Italy we relgn,
When spoils by lot the victor shall obtain--
Thou saw'st the courser by proud Turnus press'd:
That, Nlsus, and his arms, and nodding crest,
And shield, from chance exempt, shall be thy share. Twelve lab'ring slaves, twelve handmaids young and fair. All clad in rich attire, and train'd with care;
And, last, a Latian field with fruitful plains,
And a large portion of the king's domains
But thou, whose years are more to mine alhed--
No fate my vow'd affectton shall divide
From thee, heroic youth! Be wholly mine,
Take full possession, all my soul is thme
One faith, one fame, one fate, shall both attend;
My hfe's compamon, and my bosom friend:
My peace shall be committed to thy care,
And to thy conduct my concerns in war. "
Then thus the young Euryalus rephed: "Whatever fortune, good or bad, bettde,
The same shall be my age, as now my youth; No time shall find me wanting to my truth. This only from your goodness let me gain (And, this ungranted, all rewards are vain) : Of Priam's royal race my mother came--
And sure the best that ever bore the name--- Whom neither Troy nor Sicily could hold From me departing, but, o'erspent and old, My (ate she foIlow'd. Ignorant of this (Whatever) danger, neither parting kiss,
? _-IE NINTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS SO) !
Nor pious blessing taken, her I leave,
And in this only act of all my hfe deceive.
By this right hand and conscious Night I swear, My soul so sad a farewell could not bear.
Be you her comfort; fill my vacant place (Permit me to presume so great a grace) ; Support her age, forsaken and distress'd.
That hope alone will fortify my breast
Against the worst of fortunes, and of fears. "
He said. The mov'd assistants melt m tears.
Then thus Ascanius, wonderstruck to see That image of his filial piety:
"So great beginnings, in so green an age, Exact the faith which I again ingage.
Thy mother all the dues shall justly claim, Creusa had, and only want the name.
Whate'er event thy bold attempt shall have, 'T is merit to have borne a son so brave.
Now by my head, a sacred oath, I swear, (My father us'd it,) what, returning here Crown'd with success, I for thyself prepare,
That, if thou fail, ,hall thy lov'd mother share. " He said, and weeping, while he spoke the word,
From his broad belt he drew a shining sword,
Magnificent with gold. Lycaon made,
And in an iv'ry scabbard sheath'd the blade.
This was his gift Great Mnestheus gave his friend A lion's hide, his body to defend;
And good Alethes furnish'd him, beside,
With his own trusty helm, of temper tried
Thus arm'd they went The noble Trojans wait Their issuing forth, and follow to the gate
With prayers and vows. Above the rest appears Ascanius, manly far beyond his years,
And messages committed to their care, Which all in winds were lost, and flitting air
The trenches first they pass'd; then took their way Where their proud foes in pitch'd pavilions lay;
To many fatal, ere themselves were slain.
,They found the careless host dispers'd upon the plain,
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? 308 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Who, gorg'd, and drunk with wine, sapinely snore, Unharnass'd chariots stand along the shore:
Amidst the wheels and reins, the goblet by,
A medley of debauch and war, they lie. Observing Nlsus shew'd his friend the sight: "Behold a conquest gain'd without a fight. Occasion offers, and I stand prepar'd;
There lies our way; be thou upon the guard, And look around, while I securely go,
And hew a passage thro' the sleeping foe. "
Softly he spoke; then striding took his way,
With his drawn sword, where haughty Rhamnes lay; His head rais'd high on tapestry beneath,
And heaving from his breast, he drew his breath;
A king and prophet, by King Turnus lov'd:
But fate by prescienee cannot be remov'd.
Him and his sleeping slaves he slew; then spies Where Remus, with his rich retinue, lies.
t/is armor-bearer first, and next he kills
His charioteer, intrench'd betwixt the wheels
And his lov'd horses; last invades their lord;
Full on his neck he drives the fatal sword:
The gasping head flies off; a purple flood
Flows from the trunk, that welters in the blood, Wblch, by the spurning heels dispers'd around,
The bed besprinkles and bedews the ground.
Lamus the bold, and Lamyr_s the strong,
He slew, and then Serranus fair and young.
From dice and wine the youth retir'd to rest,
And puff'd the fumy god from out his breast:
Ev'n then he dreamt of drink and lucky play_
More lucky, had it lasted till the day.
The famlsh'd lion thus, with hunger bold,
O'erleaps the fences of the nightly fold,
And tears the peaceful flocks" with silent awe Trembling they lie, and pant beneath his paw.
Nor with less rage Euryalus employs
The wrathful sword, or fewer foes destroys;
But on th' ignoble crowd his fury flew; He Fadus, Hebesus, and Rheetus slew.
? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE . _NEIS
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Oppress'd wffh heavy sleep the former fell, But Rhcetus wakeful, and observing all: Behind a spacious jar he shnk'd for fear;
The fatal iron found and reach'd him there; For, as he rose, it plerc'd his naked slde,
And, reeking, thence return'd in crtmson dyed. The wound pours out a stream of wme and blood; The purple soul comes floatmg in the flood.
Now, where Messapus quarter'd, they arrive. The fires were fainting there, and just ahve;
The warrior-horses, tied m order, fed Nisus observ'd the disc@me, and said:
"Our eager thirst of blood may both betray;
And see the scatter'd streaks of dawning day,
Foe to nocturnal thefts No more, my frtend;
Here let our glutted execution end
A lane thro' slaughter'd bodies we ha_ e made. "
The bold Euryalus, tho' loth, obey'd
Of arms, and arras, and of plate, they fiud
A precious load; but these they leave behind.
Yet, fond of gaudy spoils, the boy would stay
To make the mch caparison his prey,
Which on the steed of conquer'd Rhamnes lay.
Nor did his eyes less longingly behold
The girdle-belt, _ith nails of burmsh'd gold.
This present Cmdicus the rich bestow'd
On Renmlus, when friendship first the 3, vow'd,
And, absent, join'd in hospitable ties"
He, dying, to his heir bequeath'd the prize;
Till, by the c_lqu'ring Ardean troops oppress'd,
He fell; and they the glorious gift posscss'd
These glitt'rmg spoils (now made the victor's gain) He to his body suits, but suits in vain:
Messapus' helm he finds among the rest,
And laces on, and wears the waving crest
Proud of their conquest, prouder of their prey, They leave the camp, and take the ready way.
But far they had not pass'd, before they sp_ed Three hundred horse, with Volscens for their guide.
The queen a legion to King Turnus sent;
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But the swifthorsethe slower footprevent, And now,advancing,soughttheleader'stent.
They saw the pair;for,thro'the doubtfulshade,
His shimng helm Euryalus betray'd,
On whlch the moon with fullreflectiopnlay'd
"'T is not for naught," cried Volscens from the crowd, "These men go there,"then rais'dhisvoicealoud "Stand! stand! why thusinarms? And whitherbent? From whence, to whom, and on what errand senti" Silentthey scud a_ay, and hastc theirflight
To neighb'ringwoods, and trustthemselvestonight. The speedyhorscallpassagcsbelay,
And spur theirsmoking steedsto crosstheirway, And watch each entranceof the winding wood. Black was thc forest:thickwith beech Itstood, Horrad with fern, and intricate with thorn;
Few paths of human feet, or tracks of beasts, were worn The darkness of the shades, his heavy prey,
And fear, misled the younger from his way. Bat Nisus hit the turns with happier haste,
And, thoughtless of his friend, the forest pass'd, And Alban plains, from Alba's name so call'd, Where King Latinus then his oxen stall'd ;
Till, t_rning at the length, he stood his ground, And miss'd his friend, and cast hls eyes around"
'Ah wretch ! " he cried. "where have I le[t behind Th' unhappy youth ? where shall I ]lope to find?
Or what way take? " Again he ventures back, And treads the mazes of his former track
lie winds the wood, and, hst'ning, hears the norse Of tramping coursers, and the riders' voice
The sound approach'd; and suddenly he view'd The foes inclosing, and his friend pursued,
Forelaid and taken, while he strove in vain The shelter of the friendly shades to gain.
What should he next attempt ? what arms employ: What fruitless force, to free the captive boy?
Or desperate should he rush and lose his hfe,
With odds oppress'd, in such unequal strife? Resolv'd at length, his pointed spear he shook;
? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE ,_. NEIS 7knd, casting on the moon a mournful look:
"Gttardian of groves, and goddess of the night, Fair queen," he said, "direct my dart aright.
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If e'er my pious father, for my sake,
Did grateful off'rings on thy altars make,
Or I increas'd them with my sylvan toils,
And hung thy holy roofs with savage spoils,
Gn'e me to scatter these. " Then from his ear
He pois'd, and aim'd, and launch'd the trembling spear. The deadly weapon, hissing from the grove,
Impetuous on the back of Sulmo drove;
Plerc'd lns thin armor, drank his vital blood,
And in his body left the broken wood.
_te staggers round; his eyeballs roll in death,
. ^ n_ ". ":'th short sobs he gasps away his breath.
[All stand amaz'd--a second jav'lin flies
_Vith equal strength, and quivers thro' the skies.
"ltus thro thy temples, Tagus, forc'd the way,
__nd in the brainpan warmly buried lay.
Fierce Volscens foams with rage, and, gazing round,
Descried not him who gave the fatal wound, _qor knew to fix revenge: "But thou," he cries,
"Shalt pay for both," and at the pris'ner flies
With his drawn sword. Then, struck with deep despair, That cruel sight the lover could not bear;
But from his covert rush'd in open view,
And sent his voice before him as he flew:
"Me t me ! " he cried--"turn all yo_tr swords alone
On me--the fact confess'd, the fault my own.
He neither could nor durst, the gmltless youth:
Ye moon and stars, bear w_tness to the truthl
His only crime (if friendship can offend)
Is too much love to his unhappy friend"
Too late he speaks: the sword, which fury guides, Driv'n with full force, had pierc'd his tender sides. Down fell the beauteous youth" the yawning wound Gush'd out a purple stream, and stain'd the ground, His snowy neck reclines upon his breast,
Like a fair flow'r by the keen share oppress'd; Like a white poppy sinking on the plain,
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? $_2 DRYDEN'S TRANSLA_ION OF "VIRG/L
Whose heavy head is overcharg'd with rain.
Despair, and rage, and vengeance justly vow'd, Drove N1sus headlong on the hostile crowd
Volscens he seeks; on him alone he bends:
Borne back and bor'd by his surrounding friends, Onward he press'd, and kept him still m sight;
Then whirl'd aloft his sword with all his might:
Th' unerring steel descended while he spoke.
Plerc'd his wlde mouth, and thro' his weazon broke. Dying, he slew, and, stagg'ring on the plain,
With swunming eyes tie sought his lover slain; Then quiet on his bleeding bosom fell,
Content, in death, to be reveng'd so well.
0 happy friends! for, if my verse can give
Immortal life, your fame shall ever live, Fix'd as the Capitol's foundation lles,
And spread, where'er the Roman eagle flies! The conqu'ring party first divide the prey,
Then their slain leader to the camp convey
With wonder, as they went, the troops were fill'd, To see such numbers whom so few had kill'd
Serranus, Rhamnes, and the rest, they found: Vast crowds the dying and the dead surround; And the yet reeking blood o'erflows the ground. All knew the helmet which Messapus lost,
But mourn'd a purchase that so dear had cost Now rose the ruddy morn from Tlthon's bed, And wlth the dawn of day the skies o'erspread; Nor long the sun lass daily course withheld,
But added colors to the world reveal'd:
When early Turnus, wak'nmg with the light,
All clad m armor, calls hls troops to fight His martial men with fierce harangue he fir'_
And his own ardor in their souls insplr'd
This done--to give new terror to h_s foes,
The heads of Nlsus and his friend he shows,
Rats'd high on pointed spears--a ghastly sight: Loud peals of shouts ensue, and barbarous delight.
Meantime the Trojans run, where danger calls; They hne their trenches, and they man their wails
? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE . _NEIS In front extended to the left they stood;
i 313 "
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Safe was the right, surrounded by the flood. But, casting from their tow'rs a frightful
view, They saw the faces, which too well they knew,
Tho' then dlsgms'd in death, and smear'd all o'er With filth obscene, and dropping putrid gore
Soon hasty fame thro' the sad city bears The mournful message to the mother's ears
An icy cold benumbs her limbs; she shake_,
Her cheeks the blood, her hand the web forsakes.
She runs the rampires round amidst the war, Nor fears the flying darts; she rends her hair,
And fills with loud laments the liqmd air
"Thus, then, my lov'd Euryalus appears!
Thus looks the prop of my dechnmg years_
Was't on tins face my famish'd eyes I fed?
Ah! how unlike the hvmg is the dead l
And could'st thou leave me, cruel, thus alone? Not one kind k_ss from a departing son _
No look, no last adieu before he went,
In an ill-boding hour to slaughter sent_
Cold on the ground, and pressmg foreign clay, To Latian dogs and fowls he hes a pre) !
'Nor was I near to close Ins dying eyes,
To wash his wounds, to weep his obsequies,
To call about his corpse his cr 3 mg friends,
Or spread the mantle (made for other ends)
On Ins dear body, which I wove with care,
Nor did my daily pains or nightly labor spare. Where shall I find his corpse? what earth sustains His trunk dismember'd, and his cold remains?
For this, alas! I left mv needful ease,
Expos'd my life to winds and winter seas!
If any pity touch Rutuhan hearts,
Here empty all your qmvers, all your darts;
Or, if they fail. thou, Jove, conclude my woe, And send me thunderstruck to shades below ! "
Her shrieks and clamors plerce the Trojans' ears, Unman their courage, and augment their fears; Nor young Ascanius could the s_ght st_stain,
? 814 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Nor old Ilioneus his tears restrain,
But Actor and Id_us jointly sent,
To bear the madding mother to her tent.
And now the trumpets terribly, from far,
With rattling clangor s rouse the sleepy war.
The soldmrs' shouts succeed the brazen sounds;
And heav'n, from pole to pole, the noise rebounds. The Volscians bear thelr shields upon their head, And, rushing forward, form a moving shed.
These fill the ditch; those pull the bulwarks down: Some raise the ladders; others scale the town.
But, where void spaces on the walls appear,
Or thin defense, they pour their forces there.
With poles and missive weapons, from afar,
The Trojans keep aloof the rising war.
Taught, by their ten years' siege, defensive fight, They roll down ribs of rocks, an unresisted weight, To break the penthouse with the pond'rous blow, Which yet the patient Volscians undergo:
But could not bear th' unequal combat long;
For, where the Trojans find the thickest throng,
The ruin faUs: their shatter'd shields give wayt
And their crush'd heads become an easy prey.
They shrink for fear, abated of their rage,
Nor longer dare in a blind fight engage;
Contented now to gall them from below
With darts and slings, and with the distant bow.
Elsewhere Mezentius, terrible to view, A blazing pine within the trenches threw.
But brave Messapus, Neptune's warlike son, Broke down the palisades, the trenches won, And loud for ladders calls, to scale the town.
Calliope, begin[ Ye sacred Nine,
Inspire your poet in his high design,
To sing what slaughter manly Turn_s made, What souls he sent below the Stygian shade, What fame the soldiers with their captain shat_ And the Vast circuit of the fatal war;
For you in singing martial facts excel;
You best remember, and alone can tell
? THE :NINTH BOOK OF TH]_ . _ENEIS
3IS
There stood a tow'r, amazing to the sight, Built up of beams, and of stupendous helght:
Art, and the nature of the place, conspir'd
To furnish all the strength that war requir'&
To level this, the bold Italians join;
The wary Trojans obviate their design;
\? ith weighty stones o'erwhelm their troops
Shoot thro' the loopholes, and sharp jav'lins throw. Turnus, the chief, toss'd from his thund'rmg hand Against the wooden walls, a flaming brand
It stuck, the fiery plague; the winds were high; The planks were season'd, and the timber dry. Contagion caught the posts; it spread along, Scorch'd, and to distance drove the scatter'd throng. The Trojans fled; the fire pursued amain,
Still gath'rlng fast upon the trembling tram;
Till, crowding to the corners of the wall,
Down the defense and the defenders fall.
The mighty flaw makes heav'n itself resound:
The dead and dyitlg Trojans strew the ground.
The tow'r, that follow'd on the fallen crew,
Whelm'd o'er their heads, and buried whom it slew: Some stuck upon the darts themselves had sent;
All the same equal ruin underwent.
Young Lycus and Helenor only scape, Say'd--how, they know not_from the steepy
leap.
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Helenor, elder of the two: by birth,
On one side royal, one a son of earth,
V_rhom to the Lydian king Licymma bare,
And sent her boasted bastard to the war
(A privilege which none but freemen share). Slight were his arms, a sword and silver shield: No marl-. s of honor charg'd its empty field.
Light as he fell, so light the youth arose,
And rising, found himself amidst his foes;
Nor flight was left, nor hopes to force his way. Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay;
And_like a stag, whom all the troop surrounds Of eager hut_tsmen and invading hounds_ Resolv'd on death, he dlsmpates his fears,
below,
? 316 DRY'DEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
And bounds aloft against the pointed spears"
So dares the youth, secure of death; and throws
His dying body on his thickest foes. But Lycus, swifter of his feet by far,
Runs, doubles, _xmds and turns, amidst the war; Springs to the walls, and leaves his foes behind,
And snatches at the beam he first can find; Looks up, and leaps aloft at all the stretch,
In hopes the helping hand of some kind friend to reach But Turnus follo_'d hard his hunted prey
(His spear had ahnost reach'd hml in the way,
Short of his reins, and scarce a span behind).
"FcJol ! " said the cluef, "tho' fleeter than the _ind, Couldst thou presume to scape, when I pur_uc _" l-Ie said, and downward by tile feet he drew
The trembling dastard, at the tug he falls,
Vast ruins come along, rent from the smoking walls. Thus on some silver swan, or tim'rous hare.
Jove's bird comes sou_mg do_n from upper air;
Her crooked talons truss the fearful prey:
Then out of sight _he soars, and wings her way. So seizes the grml _ olf the tender lamb,
In vain lamented by the bleating dam.
Then rushing onward with a barb'rous cry, The troops of Turnus to the combat fly.
The ditch with fagots fill'd, the daring foe Toss'd firebrand_ to the steepy turret_ throw.
Ilioneus, as bold Lucetms came
To force the gate, and feed the kmdhng flame, Roll'd down the fragment of a rock so right,
It crush'd him double underneath the weight. Two more young Liger and Asylas slew"
To bend the bow young Llger better knew; Asylas best the pointed jav'hn threw.
Brave Cmneus laid Ortyg_us on the plain;
The victor Cmneus was by Turnus slain.
By the same hand, Clonlus and Itys fall,
Sagar, and Ida, standing on the wall
From Capys' arms his fate Privernus found: Hurt by Themilla first--but slight the wound-. -
? THE N'/NTH BOOK OF THE _EN_EIS SD'
His shield thrown by, to mitigate the smart, He clapp'd his hand upon the wounded part:
The second shaft came swift and unespled,
And pierc'd his hand, and nail'd it to his side,
Transfix'd his breathing lungs and beating heart:
The soul came issuing out, and hiss'd against the dart.
The son of Arcens shone amid the rest, In ghtt'rmg armor and a purple vest,
(Fair was his face, his eyes inspiring love,)
Bred by h_s father in the Martian grove,
Where the fat altars of Pahcus flame,
And sent in arms to purchase early fame
H_m when he spied from far, the Tuscan king
Laid by the lance, and took him to the shng,
Thrice whirl'd the thong around his head, and threw: The heated lead half melted as it flew,
It pierc'd his hollow temples and his brain;
The youth came ttambhng down, and spurn'd the plain.
Then young Ascanius, who, before tbas day, \\'as wont in woods to shoot the savage prey, First bent in martial strife the twanging bow,
And exercis'd against a human ? oe--
With this bereft . Numanus of his life,
Who Turnus' younger sister took to wife
Proud of his realm, and of his royal bride,
Vaunting before his troops, and lengthen'd xvith a stride, in these insulting terms the Trojans he defied "Twlce-conquer'd cowards, now your shame _s shown-- Coop'd up a second time within your town!
Who dare not issue forth in open field,
But hold your walls before you for a shield.
Thus threat you war? thus our alliance force?
\Vhat gods, what madness, hether steer'd your course? You shall not find the sons of Atreus here,
Nor need the frauds of sly Ulysses fear.
Strong from the cradle, o_ a sturdy brood,
We bear our newborn infants to the flood;
There bath'd amid the stream, our boys we hold,
With winter harden'd, and inur'd to cold.
They wake before the day to raz_ge the wood,
? 518 DRYDEN'S TRAI_SLATION OF VIRGIL Kill ere they eat, nor taste unconquer'd food.
No sports, but what belong to war, they know: To break the stubborn colt, to bend the bow.
Our youth, of labor patient, earn their bread; Hardly they work, with frugal diet fed.
From plows and harrows sent to seek renown, They fight in fields, and storm the shaken town. No part of life from toils of war is free,
No change in age, or diff'rence in degree.
We plow and till in arms; our oxen feel,
Instead of goads, the spur and pointed steel;
Th' inverted lance makes furrows in the plain Ev'n time, that changes all, yet changes us in vain: The body, not the mind; nor can control
Th' immortal vigor, or abate the soul.
Our helms defend the young, disguise the gray:
We live by plunder, and delight in prey.
Your vests embroider'd with rich purple shine;
In sloth you glory, and in dances join.
Your vests have sweeping sleeves; with female pride Your turbants underneath your chins are tied.
Go, Phrygians, to your Dindymus again l
Go, less than women, in the shapes of men!
Go, mix'd with eunuchs, in the Mother's rites,
Where with unequal sound the flute invites;
Sing, dance, and howl, by turns, in Ida's shade:
Reslgu the war to men, who know the martial trade ! "
This foul reproach Ascanius could not hear With patience, or a vow'd revenge forbear.
At the full stretch of both his hands he drew, And almost join'd the horns of the tough yew. But, first, before the throne of Jove he stood, And thas with lifted hands invok'd the god: "My first attempt, great Jupiter, succeed!
An annual off'ring in thy grove shall bleed; A snow-white steer, before thy altar led,
Who, like his mother, bears aloft his head,
Butts with his threat'ning brows, and bellowing stands_
And dares the fights and sparns the yellow sands. " Jove bow'fl the heav'ns, and lent a gracious ear,
? THE NINTH _K OF THE ZENEIS 319 And thunder'd on the left, amidst the dear?
Sounded at once the bow_ and swiftly flies The feather'd death, and hisses thro' the skies.
The steel thro' both his temples forc'd the way: Extended on the ground, Numanus lay,
"Go now, vain boaster, and true valor scorn l
The Phrygians, t_ice subdued, yet make this third return. "
Ascanius said no more_ The Trojans shake The heav'ns with shouting, and new vigor take.
Apollo then bestrode a golden cloud,
To wow the feats of arms_ and fighting crowd;
And thus the beardless victor he bespoke aloud: "Advance, illustrious youth s increase m fame,
And wide from east to west extend thy name; Offspring of gods thyself; and Rome shall owe
To thee a race of demigods below,
Th_s is the way to heav'n; the pow'rs divine
From this beginning date the Julian line.
To thee, to them, and their victorious heirs,
The conquer'd war is due, and the vast world is theirs. Troy is too narrow for thy name. " He said,
And plunging downward shot his radiant head; Dispell'd the breathing air, that broke hts fl_ght: Shorn of his beams, a man to mortal sight.
Old Butes' form he took, Anchises' squire,
Now left, to rule Ascanius, by his sire:
His wrinkled visage, and his hoary hairs,
His mien, his habit, and his arms, he wears,
And thus salutes the boy, too forward for his years: "Suffice it thee, thy father's worthy son,
The warlike prize thou hast already won.
The god of archers gives thy youth a part
Of his own praise, nor envies equal art.
Now tempt the war no more. " He said, and flew Obscure in air, and vanish'd from their view.
The Trojans, by his arms, their patron know,
And hear the twanging of his heav'nly bow.
Then duteous force they use, and Phoebus' name,
To keep from fight the youth too fond of fame. .
? 320 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL; Undaunted, they themselves no danger shun;
From wall to wall the shouts and clamors run.
They bend their bows; they whirl their slings around;
Heaps of spent arrows fall, and strew the ground; And helms, and shlelds, and ratthng arms resound. The combat thickens, hke the storm that flies From westward, when the show'ry Kids arise;
Or patt'rmg hail comes pouring on the main,
When Jupiter descends m harden'd rain,
Or bellowing clouds burst with a stormy sound,
And with an armed winter strew the ground.
Pand'rus and B_tias, thunderbolts of war, Whom Hlera to bold Alcanor bare
On Ida's top, two youths of height and _ize Like fir_ that on their mother mountain rise, Presuming on their force, the gates unbar, And of their own accord invite the war.
With fates averse, against their king's command, Arm'd, on the right and on the left they stand, And flank the passage: shining steel they wear, And waving crests above their heads appear. Thus two tall oaks, that Padus' banks adorn,
Lift up to heav'n their leafy heads unshorn,
And, overpress'd with nature's heavy load,
Dance to the whisthng winds, and at each other nod. In flows a tide of Latmns, when they see
The gate set open, and the passage free;
Bold Quorcens, with rash Tmarus, ruslfing on, Equicolus, that in bright armor shone,
And H_emon first; but soon repuls'd they fly,
Or in the well-defended pass they din.
These with success are fir'd, and those with rage,
And each on equal terms at length ingage.
Drawn from their lines, and issuing on the plain,
The Trojans hand to hand the fight maintain.
Fierce Turnus in another quarter fought,
When suddenly th' unhop'd-for news was brought,
The foes had left the fastness of their place, Prevail'd in fight, and had his men in chase. IIe quits th' attack, and, to prevent their fate,
? THE N_INTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS 32] Runs wherethegiantbrothersguardthegate.
The first he met, Antlphates the brave,
But base-begotten on a Theban slave,
Sarpedou's son, he slew: the deadly dart
Found passage thro' his breast, and pierc'd h_s
heart.
Fix'd in the wound th' Italian cornel stood,
Warm'd in his lungs, and m his vital blood. Aphidnus next, and Erymanthus dies,
And l_eropes, and the giganUc stze
Of Bitms, threat'mng wtth his ardent eyes. Not by the feeble dart he fell oppress'd
(A dart were lost within that roomy breast), But from a knotted lance, large, heavy, strong,
\Vhich roar'd like thunder as it whirl'd along"
Not two bull hides th' impetuous force withhold,
Nor coat of double mail, wtth scales of gold.
Down sunk the monster bulk and press'd the ground; His arms and clatt'rmg shield on the vast body sound, . Not with less ruin than the Bajan mole,
Rais'd on the seas, the surges to control--
At once comes tumbling down the rocky wall;
Prone to the deep, the stones d_sjointed fall
Of the vast pile; the scatter'd ocean fires;
Black sands, discolor'd froth, and mingled mud arise: The frighted billows roll, and seek the shores;
Then trembles Prochyta, then Ischia roars:
Typhoeus, thrown beneath, by Jo_e's command, Astonish'd at the flaw that shakes the land,
Soon shifts his weary side, and, scarce awake,
With wonder feels the weight press lighter on his back.
The warrior god the Latian troops inspir'd,
New strung their sinews, and their courage fir'd, But chiIls the Trojan hearts with cold affright: Then black despair precipitates their flight.
When Pandarus beheld his brother ktll'd, The town with fear and wild confusion fill'd,
He turns the hinges of the heavy gate
With both his hands, and adds his shoulders to the
weight; _rC XIII--I I
? $25 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Some happier friends within the walls inclos'd; The rest shut out, to certain death expos'd:
Fool as he was, and frantic in his care,
T' admit young Turnus, and include the war| He thrust amid the crowd, securely bold,
Like a fierce tiger pent amid the fold.
Too late his blazing buckler they descry,
And sparkling fires that shot from either eye, His mighty members, and his ample breast, I-Iis rattling armor, and his crimson crest.
Far from that hated face the Trojans fly, All but the fool who sought his destmy.
Mad Pandarus steps forth, with vengeance vow'c} For Bltias' death, and threatens thus aloud
"These are not Ardea's walls, nor this the town Amata proffers with Lavinia's crown:
'T is hostile earth you tread. Of hope bereft, No means of safe return by flight are left"
To whom, with count'nance calm, and soul sedate, Thus Turnus: "Then begin, and try thy fate:
My message to the ghost of Priam bear;
Tell him a new Achilles sent thee there"
A lance of tough ground ash the Trojan thre,'dj Rough in the rind, and knotted as it grew:
With hls full force he whirl'd it first around; But the soft yielding air receiv'd the wound:
Imperial Juno turn'd the course before,
And fix'd the wand'rmg weapon in the door.
"But hope not thou," said Turnus, "when I str_e, To shun thy fate: our force is not alike,
-qor thy steel temper'd by the Lemnian god. "
Then rising, on his utmost stretch he stood,
And aim'd from high: the full descending blow Cleaves the broad front and beardless cheeks in two. Down sinks the giant with a thund'ring sound-
His pond'rous limbs oppress the trembhng ground; Blood, brains, and foam gush from the gaping wound:
Scalp, face, and shoulders the keen steel divides, And the shar'cl visage hangs on equal sides. The Trojans fly from their approaching fate;
? THE NINTH BOOK OF _ B_NEI8
And, had the victorthen secur'dthe gate, And tohistroopswithoutunclos'dthebars, One lucky day had ended allhis wars
But boihng youth,and bhnd deslrcof blood, Push'd on his fury,to pursue the crowd. Hamstring'd behind,unhappy Gyges died; Then Phalarisisaddedtohlsslde.
The pointedjav'hnsfromthedeadhedrew,
And thelrfriends'arms againsttheirfellowsthrew. Strong Halys stands in yam; weak Phlegys flies,
Saturma,stilalthand,new forceandfiresupphes. Then Halius,Prytanis,A_Icanderfall-- Ingag'dagainstthefoeswho scal'dthewall: But,whom theyfear'dwlthout,theyfoundw,thin. At last,tho'late,by Lynccus he was seen.
He callsnew succors,andassaultstheprince; But weak hlsforce,and vain istheirdefense.
Turn'd to the right,his sword the hero drew, And atoneblowtheboldaggressorslew.
He joints the neck; and, wlth a stroke so strong, The helm flies off, and bears the head along. Next him, the huntsman Amycus he k111'd,
In darts invenom'd and in poison skill'd
Then Clytius fell beneath his fatal spear,
And Creteus, whom the Muses held so dear:
He fought with courage, and he sung the fight; Arms were his bus'hess, verses hls delight
The Trojan chiefs behold, wlth rage and grief, Their slaughter'd friends, and hasten their rehef.
]3old Mnestheus rallies first the broken tram, Whom brave Seresthus and his troop sustain.
To save the living, and revenge the dead,
Against one warrior's arms all Troy they led.
"0, void of sense and courage! " Mnestheus cried, "Where can you hope your coward heads to hide? Ah! where beyond these rampires can you run? One man, and in your camp inclos'd, you shun! Shall then a single sword such slaughter boast,
And pass unpumsh'd from a num'rous host? Forsaking honor, and renouncing fame,
? $P_ DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Your gods, your country, and your king you shame This just reproach their virtue does excite:
They stand, they join, they thicken to the fight. Now Turnus doubts, and yet disdains to yield,
But wxth slow paces measures back the field, And inches to the walls, where Tlber's hde,
Washing the camp, defends the weaker side.
The more he loses, they advance the more,
And tread m ev'ry step he trod before.
They shout: they bear him back; and, whom by might They cannot conquer, they oppress with weight.
As, compass'd with a wood of spears around, The lordly lion stall maintains his ground;
Grins horr2ble, retires, and turns again;
Threats h_s distended paws, and shakes his mane; He loses while in vain he presses on,
Nor will his courage let him dare to run: So Turnus fares, and, unresolved of flight,
Moves tardy back, and just recedes from fight.
Yet twice, inrag'd, the combat he renews,
Twice breaks, and twice his broken foes pursues.
But now they swarm, and, with fresh troops supphed, Come rolling on, and rush from ev'ry side:
Nor Juno, who sustain'd his arms before,
Dares w_th new strength suffice th' exhausted store; For Jove, with sour commands, sent Iris down,
To force th' invader from the frighted town.
With labor spent, no longer can he wield
The heavy fanchion, or sustain the shield, O'erwhelm'd with darts, whlch from afar they fling: The weapons round Ins hollow temples ring;
His golden helm gives way, with stony blows
Batter'd, and flat, and beaten to his brows.
His crest is rash'd away; his ample shield
Is falsified, and round with jav'lins fill'd.
The foe, now faint, the Trojans overwhelm; And Mnestheus lays hard load upon his helm.
Sick sweat succeeds; he drops at ev'ry pore; With driving dust his cheeks are pasted o'er;
Shorter and shorter ev'ry gasp he takes;
? THE NINTH BOOK OF THE _RNEIS 325 . And vain efforts and hurtless blows he makes.
Plung'd in the flood, and made the waters fly. The yellow god the welcome burthen bore,
And wip'd the sweat, and wash'd away the gore;
Then gently wafts hm_ to the farther coast, And sends him safe to cheer h_s anxious host
? THE TENTH BOOK OF THE ? ENEIS
THE ARou_E_r. --Juplter, calhng a council of the gods, forbldl them to engage m e_ther party. At 2Eneas's return there Is a bloody battle: Turnus kllhng Pallas; . _neas, Lausus and Mezentius. Mezentius is descr2bed as an atheist; Lausus as a pious and virtu- ous youth. The different actmns and death of these two are tho sub3cct of a noble epmode.
HE gates of heav'n unfold: Jove summons all The gods to council in the common hall.
Sublimely seated, he surveys from far The fields, the camp, the fortune of the war,
And all th' inferior world. From first to last, The soy'reign senate in degrees are plac'd.
Then thus th' almighty sire began: "Ye gods, Natives or denizens of blest abodes,
From whence these murmurs, and this change of mind, This backward fate from what was first flesign'd?
Why this protracted war, when my commands Pronounc'd a peace, and gave the Lotion lands ? What fear or hope on either part divides
Our heav'ns, and arms our powers on diff'rent sldes? A lawful time of war at length will come,
(Nor need your haste anticipate the doom),
When Carthage shall contend the world with Rome,
Shall force the rigid rocks and Alpine chains, And. like a flood,come pouring on the plains.