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The queen, determin'd to the fatal deed,
The spoils and sword he left, in order spread, 3knd the man's image on the nuptial bed.
And now (the sacred altars plac'd around)
The priestess enters, with her hair unbound,
And thrice invokes the pow'rs below the ground.
? T_R FOURTH BOOK OF THE _'N'EIg 175
Night, Erebus, and Chaos she proclaims,
And threefold Hecate, with her hundred names, And three Dianas: next, she sprinkles round
With feign'd Avernian drops the haUow'd ground; Culls hoary simples, found by Ph_be's light,
With brazen sickles reap'd at noon of night;
Then mixes baleful juices in the bowl,
And cuts the forehead of a newborn foal,
Robbing the mother's love. The destin'd queen Observes, assisting at the rites obscene;
A leaven'd cake in her devoted hands
She holds, and next the highest altar stands:
One tender foot was shod, her other bare;
Girt was her gather'd gown, and loose her hair.
Thus dress'd, she summon'd, with her dying breath, The heav'ns and planets conscious of her death,
And ev'ry pow'r, if any rules above,
Who minds, or who revenges, injur'd love.
'T was dead of night, when weary bodies close Their eyes in balmy sleep and soft repose:
The winds no longer whtsper thro' the woods, Nor murm'ring tides disturb the gentle floods.
The stars in stlent order mov'd around;
And Peace, with downy wings, was brooding on the Iground.
The flocks and herds, and party-color'd fowl, Which haunt the woods, or swim the weedy pool,
Stretch'd on the quiet earth, securely lay, Forgetting the past labors of the day.
All else of nature's common gift partake: Unhappy Dido was alone awake.
Nor sleep nor ease the furious queen can find; Sleep fled her eyes, as quiet fled her mind.
Despair, and rage, and love divide her heart;
Despair and rage had some, hut love the greater part.
Then thus she said within her secret mind: "What shall I do ? what succor can I find ? Become a suppliant to Hyarba's pride,
And take my turn, to court and be denied ? Shall I with this ungrateful Trojan go, Forsake an empire_ and attctai a fo_?
? 176 DRYDEN'S TRAI_SLATION OF VIRGIL Himself I refug'd, and his train relier'din
'T is true--but am I sure to be receiv'd ? Can gratitude in Trojan souls have place!
Laomedon stdl lives in all his race!
Then, shall I seek alone the churlish crew,
Or with my fleet their flying sails pursue?
What force have I but those whom scarce before I drew reluctant from their native shore ?
Wall they again embark at my desire,
Once more sustain the seas, and quit their second Tyre ?
Rather with steel thy gmlty breast invade, And take the fortune thou thyself hast made. Your pity, sister, first seduc'd my mind,
Or seconded too well what I design'd.
These dear-bought pleasures had I never known, Had I continued free, and still my owl_;
Avoiding love, I had not found despair,
But shar'd w_th salvage beasts the common air. Like the_a, a lonely life I might have Ied,
Not mourn'd the hying, nor disturb'd the dead " These thoughts she brooded m her anxious breast. On board, the TroJan found more easy rest. Resolv'd to sail, in sleep he pass'd the mght;
And order'd all things for his early flight.
To whom once more the winged god appears; His former youthful mien and shape he wears,
And with this new alarm invades his ears:
"SEep'st thou, 0 goddess-born! and canst thou drown
Thy needful cares, so near a hostile town,
Beset with foes; nor hear'st the western gales Invite thy passage, and inspire thy sails ?
She harbors in her heart a furious hate,
And thou shalt find the dire effects too late;
Fix'd on revenge, and obstinate to die.
Haste swiftly hence, while thou hast pow'r to fly. The sea with ships will soon be cover'd o'er,
And blazing firebrands kindle all the shore.
Prevent her rage, while night obscures the skies, And sail before the purple morn arise.
Who knows what hazards thy delay may bring ?
? TH/_ FOURTH BOOK OF THE _NEI8 177
Woman's a various and a changeful thing" Thus Hermes in the dream; then took his flight Aloft in air unseen, and mix'd with night.
Twice warn'd by the celestial messenger, The pious prince arose with hasty fear;
Then rous'd his drowsy train without delay:
"Haste to your banks; your crooked anchors weigh, And spread your flying sails, and stand to sea.
A god commands: he stood before my sight,
And urg'd us once again to speedy fllght.
O sacred pow'r, what pow'r soe'er thou art,
To thy blest orders I resign my heart.
Lead thou the way, protect thy Trojan bands, And prosper the design thy will commands"
He said" and, drawing forth his flaming sword, His thund'ring arm divides the many-twisted cord An emulating zeal respires his train:
They run; they snatch; they rush into the main. With headlong haste they leave the desert shores, And brush the liquid seas with lab'ring oars.
Aurora now had left her saffron bed,
And beams of early light the heav'ns o'erspread,
When, from a tow'r, the queen, with wakeful eyes, Saw day point upward from the rosy skies.
She look'd to seaward; but the sea was void, And scarce in ken the sailing ships descried.
Stung with despite, and furious with despair,
She struck her trembling breast, and tore her hair, "And shall th' ungrateful traitor go," she said, "My land forsaken, and my love betray'd?
Shall we not arm? not rush from ev'ry street,
To follow, sink, and burn his perjur'd fleet? Haste, haul my galleys out l pursue the foe!
Bring flaming brands! set sail, and swiftly row! What have I said? where am I? Fury turns
My brain; and my distemper'd bosom burns. Then, when I gave my persor, and my throne, This hate, this rage, had been more timely shown. See now the promis'd faith, the vaunted name, The pious man, who, rushing thro' the flame,
? 178 DRYD_'$ TBANSLATION OP VIRGIL Preserv'd his gods, and to the Phrygian shore
The burthen of his feeble father bore!
I should have torn him piecemeal; strow'd in floods
His scatter'd hmbs, or left expos'd in woods; Destroy'd his friends and son; and, from the fire, Have set the reeking boy before the sire.
Events are doubtful, which on battles wait:
Yet where's the doubt, to souls secure of fate? My Tyrians, at their mjur'd queen's command, Had toss'd thelr fires amid the Trojan band;
At once extinguish'd all the faithless name;
- And I myself, in vengeance of my shame,
Had fall'n upon the pile, to mend the fun'ral flame.
Thou Sun, who view'st at once the world below; Thou Juno, guardian of the nuptial vow;
Thou Hecate hearken from thy dark abodes!
Ye Furies, fiends, and violated gods,
All pow'rs invok'd with Dido's dying breath,
Attend hcf curses and avenge her death[
If so the Fates ordain, and Jove commands,
Th' ungrateful wretch should find the Latian lands, Yet let a race untam'd, and haughty foes,
His peaceful entrance with dire arms oppose: Oppress'd with numbers in th' unequal field,
His men discourag'd, and himself expell'd,
Let him for succor sue from place to place, Torn from his subjects, and his son's embrace. First, let him see his friends in battle slain,
And their untimely fate lament in vain;
And when, at length, the cruel war shall cease, On hard conditions may he buy his peace:
Nor let him then enjoy supreme command;
But fall, untimely, by some hostile hand,
And lie unburied on the barren sand[
These are my pray'rs, and this my dying will; And you, my Tyrians, ev'ry curse fulfil. Perpetual hate and mortal wars proclaim, Against the prince, the people, and the name. These grateful off'rings on my grave bestow; Nor league, nor love, the hostile nations know!
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF TH]_ _"J_Ifl |_
Now, and from hence, in ev'ry future age,
When rage excites your arms, and strength supplies the rage, Rise some avenger of our Libyan blood,
With fire and sword pursue the perjur'd brood;
Our arms, our seas, our shores, oppos'd to theirs;
And the same hate descend on all our heirs 1"
This said, within her anxious mind she weighs The means of cutting short her odious days.
Then to Sich_eus' nurse she briefly said
(For, when she left her country, hers was dead) : '. 'Go, Barce, call my sister. Let her care
The soIenm rites of sacrifice prepare;
The sheep, and all th' atoning off'rings, bring, Sprinkling her body from the crystal spring With living drops; then let her come, and thou With sacred fillets bind thy hoary brow.
Thus will I pay my vows to Stygian Jove, And end the cares of my disastrous love;
Then cast the Trojan image on the fire,
And, as that bums, my passions shall expire"
The nurse moves onward, with officious care, And all the speed her aged limbs can hear.
But furious Dido, with dark thoughts involv'd, Shook at the mighty mischief she resolv'd.
With hvid spots &stingulsh'd was her face;
Red were her rolling eyes, and discompos'd her pace; Ghastly she gaz'd, with pain she drew her breath, And nature shiver'd at approaching death.
Then swiftly to the fatal place she pass'd,
And mounts the fun'ral pile with furious haste; Unsheathes the sword the Trojan left behind
(Not for so dire an enterprise design'd).
But when she view'd the garments loosely spread, Which once he wore, and saw the conscious bed, She paus'd, and with a sigh the robes embrac'd; Then on the couch her trembling body cast, Repress'd the ready tears, and spoke her last:
"Dear pledges of my love, while Heav'n so pleas'd_ Receive a soul, of mortal anguish eas'd:
My fatal course is finish'd; and I go,
? M
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION" OF VIRGIL
_A glorious name, among the ghosts below. A lofty city by my hands is rats'd,
Pygmalion punish'd, and my lord appeas'd.
What could my fortune have afforded more,
Had the false Trojan never touch'd my shore! " Then kiss'd the couch; and, "Must I die," she said, "And unreveng'd? 'Tis doubly to be dead[
Yet ev'n this death with pleasure I receive:
On any terms, 't is better than to live.
These flames, from far, may the false Trojan view; These boding omens his base flight pursue 1"
She said, and struck; deep enter'd in her side The piercing steel, with reeking purple dyed: Clogg'd m the wound the cruel weapon stands;
The spouting blood came streaming on her hands. Her sad attendants saw the deadly stroke,
And with lot_d cries the sounding palace shook. Distracted, from the fatal sight they fled,
And thra' the town the dismal rumor spread.
First from the frighted court the yell began; Redoubled, thence from house to house it ran:
The groans of men, with shrieks, laments, and crie$ Of mixing women, mount the vaulted skies.
Not less the clamor, than if--anclent Tyre, Or the new Carthage, set by foes on fire--
The rolling ruin, with their lov'd abodes, Involv'd the blazing temples of their gods.
Her sister hears; and, furious with despair,
She beats her breast, and rends her yellow hair, And, calling on Eliza's name aloud,
Runs breathless to the place, and breaks the crowd. "Was all that pomp of woe for this prepar'd;
These fires, this fun'ral pile, these altars rear'd ? Was all this train of plots contriv'd," said she, "All only to deceive unhappy me ?
Which is the worst? Didst thou in death pretend To scorn thy sister, or delude thy friend?
Thy summon'd sister, and thy friend, had come; One sword had serv'd us both, one common tomb: Was I to raise the pile, the pow'rs invoke,
? THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS 181
Not to be present at the fatal stroke ?
At once thou hast destroy'd thyself and me,
Thy town, thy senate, and thy colony!
Bring water; bathe the wound; while I in death
Lay close my hps to hers, and catch the flying breath," Thls said, she mounts the ple with eager haste,
And in her arms the gasping queen embrac'd;
Her temples char'd; and her own garments tore,
To stanch the streaming blood, and cleanse the gore, Thrice Dido tried to raise her drooping head,
And, fainting thrice, fell grov'hng on the bed;
Thrice op'd her heavy eyes, and sought the light, But, having found it, sicken'd at the sight,
And clos'd her lids at last in endless mght,
Then Juno, grieving that she should sustain A death so ling'ring, and so full of pain,
Sent Iris down, to free her from the strife Of lab'ring nature, and dissolve her life
For since she died, not doom'd by Heav'n's decree, Or her own crime, but human casualty,
And rage of love, that plung'd her in despair,
The Sisters had not cut the topmost hair,
Which Proserpine and they can only know; Nor made her sacred to the shades below.
Downward the various goddess took her flight,
And drew a thousand colors from the light;
Then stood above the dying lover's head, And said: "I thus devote thee to the dead
This off'ring to th' infernal gods I bear. "
Thus while she spoke, she cut the fatal hair:
The strugglingsoulwas loos'd,and lifedissolv'idn a_'.
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE _/ENEI$
THE ARCUMENT. --. _EneaSs,etting sall from Afrie, is driven by z storm on the coasts of Sicily, where he Is hospltahly recelv'd by hls friend Acestes, king of part of the island, and born of Trojan parentage. He apphes himself to celebrate the memory of bJs father with dlvlne honors, and accordingly institutes funeral games, and appoints prlzes for those who should conquer m them. While the ceremonies were performing, Juno sends Iris to persuade the Trojan women to burn the ships, who, upon her instlgation, set fire to them ; which burnt four, and would have consum'd the rest, had not Jupi- ter, by a miraculous shower, extingulsh'd it. Upon this, ,_neas, by the advice of one of his generals, and a vision of his father, bmlds a clty for the women, old men, and others, who were either unfit for war, or weary of the voyage, and sails for Italy. Venus procures
of Neptune a safe voyage for him and all his men, excepting only his pilot Palinurus, who is unfortunately lost.
EANTIME the Trojan cuts his wat'ry way, Fix'd on his voyage, thro the curling sea;
Then, castmg back his eyes, with dire amaze, Sees on the Punic shore the mounting blaze.
The cause unknown; yet his presaging mind The fate of Dido from the fire divin'd;
He knew the stormy souls of womankind,
What secret springs their eager passions move,
How capable of death for injur'd love.
Dire auguries from hence the Trojans draw;
Till neither fires nor shining shores they saw.
Now seas and skies their prospect only bound;
An empty space above, a floating field around.
But soon the heav'ns with shadows were o'erspread ; A swelling cloud hung hov'ring o'er their head:
Livid it look'd, the threat'ning of a storm:
, 182
? ? HE FIFTH BOOK OF THE . _1_ lN
Then night and horror ocean's face deform.
The pilot, Palmurus, cried aloud:
"What gusts of weather from that gath'ring cloud My thoughts presage I Ere yet the tempest roars, Stand to your tackle, mates, and stretch your oars ; Contract your swelhng sails, and luff to wind. " The frighted crew perform the task assign'd.
Then, to his fearless chief: "Not Hear'n," said he, "Tho' Jove himself should promise Italy,
Can stem the torrent of this raging sea.
Mark how the shifting winds from west arise,
And what collected mght involves the skies1
Nor can our shaken vessels hve at sea,
Much less against the tempest force their way.
'T is fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey. Not far from hence, if I observ'd aright
The southing of the stars, and polar light, S_cilia lies, whose hospitable shores
In safety we may reach with struggling oars. " 2Eneas then replied: "Too sure I find
We strive in vain against the seas and wind:
Now shift your sails; what place can please me more Than what you promise, the Sicilian shore,
Whose hallow'd earth Anchises' bones contains, And where a prince of Trojan hneage reigns ? "
The course resolv'd, before the western wind They scud amain, and make the port ass_gn'd.
Meantime Acestes, from a lofty stand, Beheld the fleet descending on the land;
And, not unmindful of his ancient race, Down from the cliff he ran with eager pace, And held the hero in a strict embrace.
Of a rough Libyan bear the spoils he wore, And either hand a pointed jav'lin bore.
His mother was a dame of Dardan blood; His sire Crinisus, a S_cilian flood.
He welcomes his returning friends ashore
With plenteous country cates and homely store.
Now, when the following morn had ehas'd away The flying stars, and light restur'd the day,
? i big !
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION' OF VIROIL _Eneas call'd the Trojan troops around,
And thus bespoke them from a rising ground: "Offspring of heav'n, divine Dardanian race ! The sun, revolving thro' th' ethereal space, The shining circle of the year has fill'd, Since first this isle my father's ashes held: And now the rising day renews the year;
A day for ever sad, for ever dear.
This would I celebrate with annual games,
With gifts on altars pil'd, and holy flames,
Tho' bamsh'd to Gzetulia's barren sands,
Caught on the Grecian seas, or hostile lands:
But since this happy storm our fleet has driv'n
(Not, as I deem, without the will of Hear'n)
Upon these friendly shores and flow'ry plains, Which hide Anchlses and his blest remains,
Let us with joy perform his honors due,
And pray for prosp'rous winds, our voyage to renew; Pray, that in towns and temples of our own,
The name of great Anchises may be known,
And yearly games may spread the gods' renown.
Our sports Acestes, of the Trojan race,
With royal gnfts ordain'd, is pleas'd to grace:
Two steers on ev'ry ship the king bestows;
His gods and ours shall share your equal vows Besides, if, nine days hence, the rosy morn
Shall with unclouded light the skies adorn,
That day with soleml_ sports I mean to grace: Light galleys on the seas shall run a wat'ry race; Some shall in swiftness for the goal contend,
And others try the twanging bow to bend ;
The strong, with iron gauntlets arm'd, shall stand Oppos'd in combat on the yellow sand
Let all be present at the games prepar'd,
And joyful victors wait the just reward.
But now assist the rites, with garlands crown'd. " He said, and first his brows with myrtle bound. Then Helymus, by his example led,
And old Acestes, each adorn'd his head;
Thus young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ,_IqRIS I_
His temples tied, and all the Trojan race. . _neas then advanc'd amidst the train,
By thousands follow'd thro' the flow'ry plain,
To great Anchises' tomb; which when he founds
He pour'd to Bacchus, on the hallow'd ground,
Two bowls of sparkhng wine, of milk two more,
And two (from offer'd bulls) of purple gore,
With roses then the sepulcher he strow'd
And _as his father's ghost bespoke aloud:
"Hail, O ye holy manes I hail again,
Paternal ashes, now review'd in vain!
The gods permitted not, that you, with me,
Should reach the promis'd shores of Italy,
Or Tiber's flood, what flood soe'er it be. "
Scarce had he finish'd, when, with speckled pride,
A serpent from the tomb began to glide;
His hugy bulk on sev'n high volumes roll'd;
Blue was his breadth of back, but streak'd with scaly gold: Thus riding on his curls, he seem'd to pass
A rolling fire along, and singe the grass.
More various colors thro' his body run,
Than Iris when her bow imbibes the sun.
Betw,xt the rising altars, and around,
The sacred monster shot along the ground; With harmless play amidst the bowls he pass'd, And with his lolling tongue assay'd the taste: Thus fed with holy food, the wondrous guest Within the hollow tomb retir'd to rest.
The pious prince, surpris'd at what he view'd, The fun'ral honors with more zeal renew'd, Doubtful if this place's genius were,
Or guardian of his father's sepulcher.
Five sheep, according to the rites, he slew;
As many swine, and steers of sable hue;
New gen'rous wine he from the goblets pour'd. And eall'd his father's ghost, from hell restor'd. The glad attendants in long order come,
Off'rlng their gifts at great Anchises' tomb:
Some add more oxen; some divide the spoil; Some place the chargers on the grassy soil;
? DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Some blow the fires, and offer'd entrails broil.
Now came the day desir'd. The skies were bright
With rosy luster of the rising light:
The bord'ring people, rous'd by sounding fame Of Trojan feasts and great Acestes' name,
The crowded shore with acclamations fill,
Part to behold, and part to prove their skill.
And first the gifts in public view they place, Green laurel wreaths, and palm, the victors' grace: Within the circle, arms and tripods lie,
Ingots of gold and silver, heap'd on high,
And vests embroider'd, of the Tyrian dye.
The trumpet's clangor then the feast proclaims, And all prepare for their appointed games.
Four galleys first, which equal rowers bear, Advancing, in the wat'ry lists appear.
The speed_( Dolphin, that outstrips the wind, Bore Mnestheus, author of the Memmian kind: Gyas the vast Chim_era's bulk commands,
Which rising, like a tow'ring city stands;
Three Trojans tug at ev'ry lab'ring oar;
Three banks in three degrees the sailors bore ; Beneath their sturdy strokes the billows roar. Sergesthus, who began the Sergian race,
In the great Centaur took the leading place; Cloanthus on the sea-green Scylla stood,
From whom Cluentms draws his Trojan blood.
Far in the sea, against the foaming shore, There stands a rock: the raging b_llows roar
Above his head in storms ; but, when 't is clear, Uncurl their ridgy backs, and at his foot appear.
In peace below the gentle waters run;
The cormorants above he basking in the sun.
On this the hero fix'd an oak in sight,
The mark to guide the mariners aright.
To bear with this, the seamen stretch their oars;
Then round the rock they steer, and seek the former shores. The lots decide their place. Above the rest,
Each leader shining in his Tyrian vest;
The common crewwithwreathsofpoplarboughs
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE _NEI8 zS_
Their temples crown, and shade their sweaty brows: Besmear'd with oil, their naked shoulders shine.
All take thelr seats, and wait the sounding sign:
They gripe their oars; and ev'ry panting breast
Is rais'd by turns with hope, by turns with fear depress'd. The clangor of the trumpet glves the sign;
At once they start, advancing in a line:
With shouts the sailors rend the starry skies;
Lash'd wlth thelr oars, the smoky billows rise;
Sparkles the briny main, and the vex'd ocean fries. Exact in time, with equal strokes they row:
At once the brushing oars and brazen prow
Dash up the sandy waves, and ope the depths below.
Not fiery coursers, in a chariot race,
Invade the field with half so swift a pace;
Not the fierce driver with more fury lends
The sounding lash, and, ere the stroke descends,
Low to the wheels his pliant body bends.
The partial crowd their hopes and fears divide,
And aid with eager shouts the favor'd side.
Cries, murmurs, clamors, with a mixing sound,
From woods to woods, from hills to hills rebound.
Amidst the loud applauses of the shore, Gyas outstripp'd the rest, and sprang before: Cloanthus, better mann'd, pursued him fast,
But his o'er-masted galley check'd his haste. The Centaur and the Dolphin brush the brine With equal oars, advancing in a line;
And now the mighty Centaur seems to lead, And now the speedy Dolphin gets ahead;
Now board to board the rival vessels row,
The billows lave the skies, and ocean groans below.
They reach'd the mark. Proud Gyas and his train
In triumph rode, the victors of the main;
But, steering round, he charg'd his pilot stand
More close to shore, and skim along the sand--
"'Let others bear to sea l" Menoetes heard;
But secret shelves too cautiously he fear'd,
And, fearing, sought the deep; and still aloof he steer'd. With louder cries the captain call'd again:
? t;
! i
188 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATIOI_ OF VIRGIL "Bear to the rocky shore, and shun the main. "
He spoke, and, speaking, at his stern he saw The bold Cloanthus near the shelvings draw.
Betwixt the mark and h_m the Scylla stood, And in a closer compass plow'd the flood.
He pass'd the mark; aad, wheehng, got before: Gyas blasphem'd the gods, devoutly swore, Cried out for anger, and his hair he tore. Mindless of others' hves (so high was grown His rising rage) and careless of his own,
The trembling dotard to the deck he drew;
Then hoisted up, and overboard he threw:
This done, he seiz'd the helm; his fellows cheer'd, Turn'd short upon the shells, and madly steer'd.
Hardly his head the plunging pilot rears,
Clogg'd with his clothes, and cumher'd with his years:
Now dropping wet, he chmbs the chff with pain. The crowd, that saw him fall and float again,
? Shout from the distant shore; and loudly faugh'd,
To see lus heaving breast disgorge the briny drauglq The following Centaur, and the Dolphin's crew,
Their vanish'd hopes of victory renew;
Whde Gyas lags, they kindle in the race,
To reach the mark. Sergesthus takes the place; Mnestheus pursues; and whde around they wind, Comes up, not half his galley's length behind;
Then, on the deck, amidst his mates appear'd,
And thus their drooping courage he cheer'd:
"My friends, and Hector's followers heretofore,
Exert your vigor; tug the lab'ring oar;
Stretch to your strokes, my still unconquer'd crew, Whom from the flaming walls of Troy I drew.
In this, our common int'rest, let me find
That strength of hand, that courage of the mind,
As when you stemm'd the strong Malean flood,
And o'er the Syrtes' broken billows row'd.
I seek not now the foremost palm to gain;
Tho' yet--but, ah! that haughty wish is vain I Let those enjoy it whom the gods ordain.
But to be last, the lags of all the race l_
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE . _:NEIS 189
Redeem yourselves and me from that disgrace. " Now, one and all, they tug amain; they row
At the full stretch, and shake the brazen prow.
The sea beneath 'era sinks; thcir lab'ring sides
Are swell'd, and sweat runs gutt'ring down in tides. Chance aids their daring with unhop'd succcss;
Sergesthus, eager with his beak to press
Betwixt the rtval galley and the rock,
Shuts up th' unwieldly Centaur in the lock.
The vessel struck; and, with the dreadful shock,
Her oars she shiver'd, and her head she broke
The trembling rowers from their banks arise,
And, anxious for themselves, renounce the prize
With iron poles they heave her off the shores,
And gather from the sea their floating oars.
The crew of Mnestheus, with elated minds,
Urge their success, and call the willing winds;
Then ply their oars, and cut their liquid way
In larger compass on the roomy sea.
As, when the dove her rocky hold forsakes,
Rous'd in a fright, her sounding wings she shakes;
The cavern rings with clatt'ring; out she flies,
And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies:
At first she flutters; but at length she springs
To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings:
So Mnestheus in the Dolphin cuts the sea;
And, flying with a force, that force assists his way Sergesthus in the Centaur soon he pass'd,
Wedg'd in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.
In vain the victor he with cries implores,
And practices to row with shatter'd oars.
Then Mnestheus bears with Gyas, and outflies:
The ship, without a pilot, yields the prize.
Unvanquish'd Scylla now alone remains;
Her he pursues, and all his vigor strains.
Shouts from the fay'ring multitude arise;
Applauding Echo to the shouts replies;
Shouts, wishes, and applause run rattling thro' the skies. These clamors with disdain the Scylla heard,
Much grudg'd the praise, but more the robb'd reward:
? 190 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Resolv'd to hold their own, they mend their pace, All obstinate to die, or gain the race.
Rais'd with success, the Dolphin swiftly ran;
For they can conquer, who believe they can.
Both urge their oars, and fortune both supplies, And both perhaps had shar'd an equal prize; When to the seas Cloanthus holds his hands,
And succor from the wat'ry pow'rs demands,.
"Gods of the hquid realms, on which I row l
If, giv'n by you, the laurel brad my brow, Assist to make me guilty of my vow t
A snow-white bull shall on your shore be slain; His offer'd entrails cast into the main,
And ruddy wine, from golden goblets thrown,
Your grateful gift and my return shall own. "
The choir of nymphs, and Phorcus, from below, With virgin Panopea, heard his vow;
And o1_ Portunus, with hls breadth of hand, Push'd on, and sped the galley to the land.
Swift as a shaft, or winged wind, she flies, And, darting to the port, obtains the prize.
The herald summons all, and then proclaims Cloanthus conqu'ror of the naval games.
The prince with laurel crowns the victor's head, And three fat steers are to his vessel led,
The shlp's reward; w_th gen'rous wine beside,
And sums of silver, which the crew divide.
The leaders are dlstinguish'd from the rest; The victor honor'd with a nobler vest,
Where gold and purple stove in equal rows, And needlework its happy cost bestows.
There Ganymede is wrought with living art, Chasing thro' Ida's groves the trembling hart: Breathless he seems, yet eager to pursue; When from aloft descends, in open view,
The bird of Jove, and, sousing on his prey, With crooked talons bears the boy away.
In vain, with lifted hands and gazing eyes, His guards behold him soaringthro'the stdes_ And dogsi_ursue his flight with imitated crib,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF TH_ . _NEIS I_
Mnestheus the second victor was declar'd;
And, summon'd there, the second prize he shar'd. A coat of mail, which brave Demoleus bore,
More brave _neas from his shoulders tore,
In single combat on the Trojan shore:
This was ordam'd for Mnestheus to possess;
In war for his defense, for ornament m peace.
Rich was the glft, and glorious to behold,
But yet so pond'rous wlth its plates of gold,
That scarce two servants could the weight sustain; Yet, loaded thus_ Demolehs o'er the plato
Pursued and hghtly seiz'd the Trojan tram.
The thlrd, succeeding to the last reward,
Two goodly bowls of massy silver shar'd,
With figures prominent, and richly wrought,
And two brass caldrons from Dodona brought.
Thus all, rewarded by the hero's hands,
Their conqu'ring temples bound with purple bands; And now Sergesthus, clearing from the rock, Brought back his galley shatter'd with the shock. Forlorn she look'd, without an aiding oar,
And, houted by the vulgar, made to shore.
As when a snake, surpns'd upon the road,
Is crush'd athwart her body by the load
Of heavy wheels; or with a mortal wound
Her belly bruis'd, and trodden to the ground:
? In vain, with Ioosen'd curls, she crawls along;
Yet, fierce above, she brandishes her tongue;
Glares with her eyes, and bristles with her scales;
But, groveling in the dust, her parts unsound she trails: So slowly to the port the Centaur tends,
But, what she wants in oars, with sails amends. Yet, for his galley say'd, the grateful prince
Is pleas'd th' unhappy chief to recompense. Pholoe, the Cretan slave, rewards his care, Beauteous herself, with lovely twins as fair.
From thence his way the Trojan hero bent
Into the neighb'rmg plato, with mountains pent,
Whose sides were shaded with surrounding woo_ Full in the midst of this fair valley stood
? 192 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
A nativetheater,which,risingslow
By justdegrees,o'erlook'dtheground below.
High onasylvanthronetheleadcrsate; A num'rous trainattendin solemn state.
Here thosethatintherapidcoursedelight, Deslre of honor and the prizeinvlte.
The rivalrunnerswithoutorderstand;
The Trojans mix'd with the S]cihan band.
First Nlsus, with Euryalus, appears; : Euryalus a boy of blooming years,
With sprightly grace and equal beauty crown'd; Nlsus, for friendship to the youth renown'd
Diores next, of Priam's royal race,
Then Sahus . joined with Patron, took their place; (But Patron in Arcadia had his birth,
And Salius his from Arcanaman earth;)
Then two Sicilian youths--the names of these, Swift Helymus, and lovely Panopes:
Both jolly huntsmen, both in forest bred,
And owmng old Acestes for their head;
With sev'ral others of ignobler name,
Whom time has not dehver'd o'er to fame.
To these the hero thus his thoughts explain'd, In words which gen'ral approbation gain'd" "One common largess is for all design'd,
(The vanquish'd and the vlctor shall be join'd,) Two darts of polish'd steel and Gnosian wood, A silver-studded ax, ahke bestow'd.
The foremost three have olive wreaths decreed: The first of these obtains a stately steed,
Adorn'd with tlappings; and the next in fame,
The quiver of an Amazonian dame,
With feather'd Thracian arrows well supphed:
A golden belt shall gird his manly side,
Which with a sparkling diamond shall be tied. The third this Grecian helmet shall content"
lie said. To their appointed base they went; With beating hearts th' expected sign receive, And, starting all at once, the barrier leave. Spread out Itson the winged winds,they flew,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE . _NEIS 193
P_ad seiz'd the distant goal with greedy view. Shot from the crowd, swift Nisus all o'erpass'd; Nor storms, nor thunder, equal half his haste. The next, but tho' the next, yet far disjoin'd, Came Salius, and Euryalus behind;
Then Helymus, whom young Diores plied,
Step after step, and almost side by side,
His shoulders pressing; and, in longer space, Had won, or left at least a dubious race.
Now, spent, the goal they almost reach at last, When eager Nisus, hapless m his haste,
Slipp'd first, and, slippmg, fell upon the plain, Soak'd with the blood of oxen newly slain.
The careless victor had not mark'd his way;
But, treading where the treach'rous puddle lay,
His heels flew up; and on the grassy floor
He fell, besmear'd with filth and holy gore.
Not mindless then, Euryalus, of thee,
Nor of the sacred bonds of amity,
He strove th' immediate rival's hope to cross,
And caught the foot of Salius as he rose.
So Salius lay extended on the plain;
Euryalus springs out, the prize to gain,
And leaves the crowd: applauding peals attend
The victor to the goal, who vanquish'd by his friend. Next Helymus; and then Diores came,
By two m_sfortunes made the third in fame.
But Salius enters, and, exclaiming lo_d
For justice, deafens and disturbs the crowd; Urges his cause may in the court be heard; And pleads the prize is wrongfully conferr'd. But favor for Euryalus appears;
His blooming beauty, with his tender tears, Had brib'd the judges for the promis'd prize. Besides, Diores fills the court with cries,
Who vainly reaches at the last reward,
If the first palm on Salius be conferr'd.
Then thus the prince: "Let no disptttes arise: Where fortune plac'd it, I award the prize. But fortune's errors give me leave to mend,
? tc xttt. -4/
? 194 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
At least to pity my deserving friend. "
He said, and, from among the spoils, he draws
(Pond'rous with shaggy mane and golden paws) A lion's hide: to Salius this he gives.
Nisus with envy sees the gift, and grieves.
"If such rewards to vanqmsh'd men are due. " He said, "and falhng is to rise by you,
What prize may Nisus from your bounty clain_. Who merited the first rewards and fame?
In falling, both an equal fortune tried;
Would fortune for my fall so well provide ! "
With this he pointed to his face, and show'd
His hand and all his habit smear'd with blood.
Th' indulgent father of the people stuff'd,
And caus'd to be produc'd an ample shield,
Of wondrous art, by Didymaon wrought,
Long since from Neptune's bars in triumph brought. This giv'n to Nisus, he divides the rest,
And equal justice in his gifts express'd
The race thus ended, and rewards bestow'd, Once more the prince bespeaks th' attentive crowd:
"If there be h_re wi_ose dauntless courage dare In gauntlet-fight, with limbs and body bare, His opposite sustain in open view,
Stand forth the champion, and the games renew. Two prizes I propose, and thus divide:
A bull with gilded horns, and fillets tied,
Shall be the portion of the conqu'ring chief;
A sword and helm shall cheer the loser's grief. "
Then haughty Dares in the lists appears; Stalking he strides, hts head erected bears: His nervous arms the weighty gauntlet wield, And loud applauses echo thro' the field. Dares alone m combat us'd to stand
The match of mighty Paris, hand to hand; The same, at Hector's fun'rals, undertook Gigantic Butes, of th' Amycian stock,
And, by the stroke of his resistless hand, Stretch'_t the vast bulk upon the yellow sand. Such Dares was; and such he strode along,
? _TH BOOK OF THE _ENI_r$ 1_
And drew the wonder of the gazing throng.
His brawny back and ample breast he shows,
His lifted arms around his head he throws,
And deals in whistling air his empty blows.
His match is sought; but, thro' the trembling band, Not one dares answer to the proud demand. Presuming of his force, with sparkling eyes Already he devours the promis'd prize.
He claims the bull with awless insolence,
And having seiz'd his horns, accosts the prince:
"If none my matchless valor dares oppose, How long shall Dares wait his dastard foes? Permit me, chief, permit without delay,
To lead this uneontended gift away. "
The crowd assents, and with redoubled cries For tile proi_d challenger demands the prizd.
Acestes, fir'd with just disdain, to see
The palm usurp'd without a victory,
Reproach'd Entellus thus, who sate beside,
And heard and saw, unmov'd, the Trojan's pride: "Once, but in vain, a champion of renown,
So tamely can you bear the ravish'd crown,
A prize in triumph borne before your sight,
And shun, for fear, the danger of the fight?
Where is our Eryx now, the boasted name,
The god who taught your thund'ring arm the game? Where now your baffled honor? Where the spoil
That fill'd your house, and fame that fill'd our _ste_" Entellus, thus: "My soul is still the same,
Unmov'd with fear, and mov'd with martial fame; But my chill blood is curdled in my veins,
And scarce the shadow of a man remains.
O could I turn to that fair prime again,
That prime of which this boaster is so vain,
The brave, who this decrepid age defies,
Should feel my force, without the promis'd prize. "
He said; and, i'ising at the word, he threw Two pond'rous gauntlets down in open view;
Gauntlets which Eryx wont in fight to wield, And sheathe his hands with in the listed lidd.
? 196 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
With fear and wonder seiz'd, the crowd beholds
The gloves of death, with sev'n dlstinguish'd folds
Of tough bull hides; the space within is spread
With iron, or with loads of heavy lead:
Dares himself was daunted at the sight,
Renounc'd his challenge, and refus'd to fight. Astonish'd at their weight, the hero stands,
And pois'd the pond'rous engines in his hands.
"What had your wonder," said Entellus, "been,
Had you the gauntlets of Alcides seen,
Or view'd the stern debate on this unhappy green !
These which I bear your brother Eryx bore,
Still mark'd with batter'd brains and mingled gore.
With these he long sustain'd th' Herculean arm;
And these I wielded while my blood was warm,
This languish'd frame while better spirits fed,
Ere age unstrung my nerves, or time o'ersnow'd my head. But if the challenger these arms refuse,
And cannot wield their weight, or dare not use;
If great . ,Eneas and Acestes join
In his request, these gauntlets I resign;
Let us w_th equal arms perform the fight,
And let him leave to fear, since I resign my right. "
This said, Entellus for the strife prepares, Stripp'd of his qmlted coat, his body bares;
Compos'd of mighty bones and brawn he stands,
A goodly tow'ring object on the sands.
Then just -_neas equal arms supplied,
Which round their shoulders to their wrists they tied. Both on the tiptoe stand, at full extent,
Their arms aloft, their bodles inly bent;
Their heads from aiming blows they bear afar; With clashing gauntlets then provoke the war.
One on his youth and pliant limbs relies; One on his sinews and his giant size.
The last is stiff with age, his motion slow;
He heaves for breath, he staggers to and fro,
And clouds of issuing smoke his nostrils loudly blow, Yet equal in success, they ward, they strike;
Their ways are diff'rent, but their art alike.
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THt_ /ENEIS
Before, behind, the blows are dealt; around
Their hollow sides the rattling thumps resound.
A storm of strokes, well meant, with fury flies,
And errs about their temples, ears, and eyes.
Nor always errs; for oft the gauntlet draws
A sweeping stroke along the crackling jaws.
Heavy with age, Entellus stands his ground,
But with his warping body wards the wound.
His hand and watchful eye keep even pace;
While Dares traverses and shifts his place,
And, hke a captain who beleaguers round
Some strong-built castle on a rising ground,
Views all th' approaches with observing eyes:
This and that other part in vain he tries,
And more on industry than force relies.
With hands on high, Entellus threats the foe;
But Dares watch'd the motion from below,
And slipp'd aside, and shunn'd the long descending blow. EnteUus wastes his forces on the wind,
And, thus deluded of the stroke de_ign'd,
Headlong and heavy fell; his ample breast
And weighty hmbs his ancient mother press'd.
So falls a hollow pine, that long had stood
On Ida's height, or Erymanthus' wood,
Torn from the roots. The dlff'ring nations rise,
And shouts and mingled murmurs rend the sloes, Acestus runs with eager haste, to raise
The fall'n compamon of his youthful days.
Dauntless he rose, and to the fight return'd;
With shame his glowing cheeks, his eyes with fury burn'ck Disdain and conscious virtue fir'd his breast,
Autl with redoubled force h_s foe he press'd.
He lays on load wxth either hand, amain,
And headlong drives the Trojan o'er the plain;
Nor stops, nor stays; nor rest nor breath allows;
But storms of strokes descend about his brows,
A rattling tempest, and a had of blows
But now the prince, who saw the wild increase
Of wounds, commands the combatants to cease,
. And bounds Entellus' wrath, and bids the peace.
? lg8
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL First to the Trojan, spent with toil, he came,
And sooth'd his sorrow for the suffer'd shame "What fury seiz'd my friend ? The gods," said he,
"To him propitious, and averse to thee,
Have giv'n his arm superior force to thine
'Tis madness to contend with strength divine, Fhe gauntlet fight thus ended, from the shore His faithful friends unhappy Dares bore"
His mouth and nostrils pour'd a purple flood, And pounded teeth came rushing with his bloo_. Faintly he stagger'd thro' the hissing throng, And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along. The sword and casque are carried by his trainf But with his foe the palm and ox remain.
The champion, then, before . _Eneas came, Proud of his prize, but prouder of his fame: "O goddess-born, and you, Dardanian host, Mark with attention, and forgive my boast; Learn what I was, by what remains; and know From what impending fate you sav'd my foe. " Sternly he spoke, and then confronts the bull; And, on his ample forehead aiming full,
The deadly stroke, descending, pierc'd the skull. Down drops the beast, nor needs a second wound,
But sprawls in pangs of death, and spurns the ground. Then, thus: "In Dares' stead I offer this.
Eryx, accept a nobler sacrifice;
Take the last gift my wither'd arms can yield:
Thy gauntlets I resign, and here renounce the field? "
This done, . _neas orders, for the close,
The strife of archers with contending bows. The mast Sergesthus' shatter'd galley bore With his own hands he raises on the shore.
A flutt'ring dove upon the top they tie,
The living mark at which their arrows fly.
The rival archers in a line advance,
Their turn of shooting to receive from chance. A helmet holds their names; the lots are drawn: On the first scroll was read Hippoco/Sn.
The people shout. Upon the next was fott_d
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE 2ENEIS IW
Young Mnestheus, late with naval honors crown'd. The third contain'd Eurytion's noble name,
Thy brother, Pandarus, and next m fame,
Whom Pallas urg'd the treaty to confound,
And send among the Greeks a feather'd wound. Acestes in the bottom last remain'd,
Whom not his age from youthful sports restrain'd. Soon all with vigor bend their trusty bows,
And from the quiver each his arrow chose Hlppocoon's was the first, with forceful sway
It flew, and, whlzzing, cut the hquid way
Fix'd m the mast the feather'd weapon stands:
The fearful pigeon flutters in her bands,
And the tree trembled, and the shouting cries
Of the pleas'd people rend the vaulted skies. Then Mnestheus to the head his arrow drove, With hfted eyes, and took his aim above,
But made a glancing shot, and miss'd the dove; Yet miss'd so narrow, that he cut the cord
Which fasten'd by the foot the flitting bird
The captive thus releas'd, away she flies,
And beats with clapping wings the yielding skies. His bow already bent, Eurytion stood;
And, hazing first invok'd his brother god,
His winged shaft with eager haste he sped.
The fatal message reach'd her as she fled:
She leaves her life aloft; she strikes the ground, And renders back the weapon in the wound. Acestes, grudging at his lot, remains,
Without a prize to gratify his pains.
Yet, shooting upward, sends his shaft, to show An archer's art, and boast his twanging bow.
The feather'd arrow gave a dire portent,
And latter augurs judge from this event.
Chaf'd by the speed, it fir'd; and, as it flew,
A trail of following flames aseend,. 'ng drew: Kindling they mount, and mark the shiny way; Across the skies as falling meteors play,
And vanish into wind, or in a blaze decay.
The Trojans mad Sicilians wildly stare,
? , _
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL And, trembling, turn their wonder into pray'r.
The Dardan prince put on a smiling face, And strain'd Acestes with a close embrace;
Then, hon'ring him with gifts above the rest, Turn'd the bad omen, nor his fears confess'& "The gods," said he, "this miracle have wrought, And order'd you the prize without the lot. Accept this goblet, rough with figur'd gold, Which Thracian Ctsseus gave my sire of old: This pledge of ancient amity receive,
Which to my second sire I justly give"
He said, and, with the trumpets' cheerful sound, Proclaim'd him victor, and with laurel crown'd. Nor good Eurytion envied him the prize,
Tho' he transfix'd the pigeon in the skies.
Who cut the line, with second gifts was grac'd; The third was his whose arrow pierc'd the mast
The chief, before the games were wholly done, Call'd Periphantes, tutor to his son,
And whisper'd thus: "With speed Ascanius find; And, if his childish troop be ready join'd,
On horseback let him grace his grandsire's day, And lead his equals arm'd m just array. "
He said; and, calling out, the cirque he clears. The crowd withdrawn, an open plain appears.
And now the noble youths, of form divine,
Advance before their fathers, in a line;
The riders grace the steeds; the steeds with glory shine
Thus marching on in military pride,
Shouts of applau:2 resound from side to side.
Their casques adorn'd with laurel wreaths they wear, Each brandishing aloft a cornel spear.
Some at their backs their gilded quivers bore;
Their chains of burnish'd gold hung down before. Three graceful troops they form'c[ upon the green; Three graceful leaders at their head were seen; Twelve follow'd ev'ry chief, and left a space betwee_ The first young Priam led; a lovely boy,
Whose grandsire was th' unhappy king of Troy;
His race in after times was known to fame,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE JENEIS 201 New honors adding to the Latian name;
And well the royal boy his Thracian steed became. White were the fetlocks of his feet before,
And on his front a snowy star he bore. Then beauteous Atys, with Iulus bred,
Of equal age, the second squadron led.
The last in order, but the first in place, First in the lovely features of his face, Rode falr Ascanius on a fiery steed,
Queen Dtdo's gift, and of the Tyrian breed. Sure coursers for the rest the king ordains, With golden blts adorn'd, and purple reins.
The pleas'd spectators peals of shouts renew,
And all the parents in the chAdren view,
Their make, their motions, and their sprightly grace, And hopes and fears alternate in their face.
Th' unfledg'd commanders and their martial train First make the circuit of the sandy plain
Around their sires, and, at th' appointed sign, Drawn up in beauteous order, form a hne.
The second signal sounds, the troop divides
In three distinguish'd parts, with three distinguish'd guidea. Again they close, and once again dtsjoin;
In troop to troop oppos'd, and hne to hne
They meet; they wheel; they throw their darts afar
Wtth harmless rage and well-dissembled war.
Then in a round the mingled bodies run:
Flying the3' follow, and pursuing shun;
Broken, they break; and, rallying, they renew
In other forms the military shew
At last, in order, undiscern'd they join,
And march together in a friendly line.
And, as the Cretan labyrinth of old,
With wand'ring ways and many a winding fold,
Involv'd the weary feet, without redress,
In a round error, which denied recess;
So fought the Trojan boys in warlike play,
Turn'd and return'd, and still a diff'rent way
Thus dolphins in the deep each other chase
In circles, when they swim around the wat'ry race.
? , ;
_
DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
This game, these carousels, Aseanius taught;
And, bullchng All)a, to the Latins brought;
Shew'd what he learn'd: the Latin sires impart
To their succeeding sons the graceful art;
From these imperial Rome reeeiv'd the game,
Which Troy, the youths the Trojan troop, they name.
Thus far the sacred sports they celebrate:
But Fortune soon resum'd her ancient hate;
For, while they pay the dead his annual dues,
Those envied rites Saturnian Juno views;
And sends the goddess of the various bows
To try new methods o_ revenge below;
Supplies the winds to wing her airy way,
Where m the port secure the navy lay.
Swiftly fair Iris down her arch descends,
And, undlscern'd, her fatal voyage ends.
She saw the gath'ring crowd; and, ghdmg thence,
The desart shore, and fleet without defense
The Trojan matrons, on the sands alone,
With fighs and tears Anchlses' death bemoan;
Then, turning to the sea their weeping eyes,
Their pity to themselves renews their cries.
"Alas ! " said one, "what oceans yet remain For us to sail Xwhat labors to sustain ! "
All take the word, and, with a gen'ral groan,
Implore the gods for peace, and places of their own.
The goddess, great in mischief, views their pains, And in a woman's form her heav'nly limbs restrains.
In face and shape old Beroe she became,
Doryclus' wife, a venerable dame,
Once blest with riches, and a mother's name.
Thus chang'd, amidst the crying crowd she ran,
Mix'd with the matrons, and these words began:
"O wretched we, whom not the Grecian pow'r,
Nor flames, destroy'd, m Troy's unhappy hour f
O wretched we, reserv'd by cruel fate,
Beyond the i'uins of the sinking state!
Now sev'n revolwng years are wholly run,
Since this improsp'rous voyage we begun ;
Since, toss'd from shores to shores, from lands to iands,
? THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE Aigl_EIS L_
Inhospitable rocks and barren sands,
Wand'ring m exile thro' the stormy sea,
We search in vain for flying Italy.
Now cast by fortune on this kindred land,
What should our rest and rising walls withstand, Or hinder here to fix our banish'd band?
O country lost, and gods redeem'd in vain, If still in endless exile we remam l
Shall we no more the Trojan walls renew, Or streams of some dissembled Simois view!
Haste, join wtth me, th' unhappy fleet consume 1 Cassandra bids; and I declare her doom.
In sleep I saw her; she supphed my hands
(For this I more than dreamt) with flaming brands: 'Wtth these,' said she, 'these wand'ring sh_ps destroy: These are your fatal seats, and th_s your Troy. '
T_me calls you now ; the precious hour employ: Slack not the good presage, while Heav'n inspires Our minds to dare, and gives the ready fires. See! Neptune's altars minister their brands:
The god is pleas'd; the god supplies our hands. " Then from the pile a flaming fire she drew,
And, toss'd in air, amidst the galleys threw.
Wrapp'd in amaze, the matrons wildly stare: Then Pyrgo, reverenc'd for her hoary hair, Pyrgo, the nurse of Priam's num'rous race:
"No Beroe this, tho' she belies her face l
What terrors from her frowmng front artse!
Behold a goddess in her ardent eyes l
What rays around her heav'nly face are seen l
Mark her majestic voice, and more than mortal mien! Beroe but now I left, whom, pin'd with pain,
Her age and anguish from these rites detain,"
She said. The matrons, seiz'd with new amaze,
Roll their malignant eyes, and on the navy gaze.
They fear, and hope, and neither part obey:
They hope the fated land, but fear the fatal way.
The goddess, having done her task below,
Mounts up on equal wings, and bends her painted bow. Struck with the sight, and seiz'd with rage divine,
? _Ii) ,"
'. ': " :
204 DRYDEI_S TRANSLATIOI_ OF VIRGIL
The matrons prosecute their mad design:
They shriek aloud; they snatch, with impious hands, The food of altars; fires and flaming brands.
Green boughs and saphngs, mingled in their haste, And smoking torches, on the ships they cast.
The flame, unstopp'd at first, more fury gains,
And Vulcan rides at large with loosen'd reins: Triumphant to the painted sterns he soars,
And seizes, in his way, the banks and crackling oars. Eumelus was the first the news to bear,
While yet they crowd the rural theater.
Then, what they hear, is witness'd by their eyes:
A storm of sparkles and of flames arise.
Ascanius took th' alarm, while yet he led
His early warriors on his prancing steed,
And, spurring on, his equals soon o'erpass'd;
Nor could his frighted friends reclaim his haste. Soon as the royal youth appear'd in view,
He sent his voice before him as he flew:
"What madness moves you, matrons, to destroy
The last remahaders of unhappy Troy!
Not hostile fleets, but your own hopes, you burn,
And on your friends your fatal fury turn Behold your own Ascamus t,, While he said,
He drew his glitt'ring helmet from his head, In which the youths to sportful arms he led. By this, . SEneas and his train appear;
And now the women, seiz'd with shame and fear, Dispers'd, to woods and caverns take their flight, Abhor their actions, and avold the light;
Their frlends acknowledge, and their error find, And shake the goddess from their alter'd mind.
Not so the raging fires their fury cease,
But, lurking in the searas, with seeming peace, Work on their way amid the smold'ring tow, Sure in destruction, but in motion slow.
The silent plague thro' the green timber eats, And vomits out a tardy flame by fits.
Down to the keels, and upward to the sails, The fire descends, or mounts, but still prevads ;
? _HE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ,_EIS _05 Nor bucketspour'dn,orstrengthof human hand,
Can thevictorioueslementwithstand. The plo_sherorendshisrobe,and throws
To hcav'nhishands,andwithhishandshisvows. "0 Jove,"hecried',i? pray'rscanyethaveplace;
Ifthouabhorr'sntotalltheDardanrace; If anysparkofpitystilrlemain;
Ifgodsaregods,andnotinvok'dinvain; Yet spare the relics of the Trojan train l
Yet from the flames our burning vessels freej Or let thy fury fall alone on reel
At this devoted head thy thunder throw, And send the willing sacrifice below l"
Scarce had he said, when southern storms arise: From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;
Loud rattling shakes the mountains and the plain; Heav'n bellies downward, and descends in rain. Whole sheets of water from the clouds are sent, Which, hissing thro' the planks, the flames prevent, And stop the fiery pest.