No More Learning

Not with more ease the falcon, from above,
Trusses in middle air the trembling dove,
Then plumes the prey, in hei- strong pounces bound:
The feathers, foul with blood, come tumbllng to the ground. Now mighty Jove, from his superior height,
With his broad eye surveys th' unequal fight. He fires the breast of Tarchon with disdain, And sends him to redeem th' abandon'd plain. Betwixt the broken ranks the Tuscan rides,
And these encourages, and those he chides;
Recalls each leader, by his name, from flight; Renews their ardor, and restores the fight.
"What panic fear has seiz'd your souls? O shame, 0 brand perpetual of th' Etrurian name!
Cowards incurable, a woman's hand
Drives, breaks, and scatters your ignoble band t Now cast away the sword, and quit the shield! What use of weapons which you dare not wield? Not thus you fly your female foes by night,
Nor shun the feast, when the full bowls invite; When to fat off'rlngs the glad augur calls,
And the shrill hornpipe sounds to bacchanals
These are your studied cares, your lewd delight: Swift to debauch, but slow to manly fight. "
Thus having said, he spurs amid the foes,
Not managing the life he meant to lose.
The first he found he selz'd with headlong haste, In his strong gripe, and dasp'd around the waist; 'T was Venulus, whom from his horse he tore, And, laid athwart his own, in triumph bore. Loud shouts ensue; the Latins tutti their eyes, And view th' unusual sight with vast surprise.
The fiery Tarchon, flying o'er the plains,
Press'd in his arms the pond'rous prey sustains; Then, with his shorteh'd spear, explores around His jointed arms, to fix a deadly wound.
Nor less the captive struggles for his life:
He writhes his body to prolong the strife.
? _8 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
And, fencing for his naked throat, exerts His utmost vigor, and the point averts.
So stoops the yellow eagle from on high,
And bears a speckled serpent thro' the sky,
Fast'ning his crooked talons on the prey:
The pris'ner hisses thro' the liquid way;
Resists the royal hawk; and, tho' oppress'd,
She fights in volumes, and erects her crest:
Turn'd to her foe, she stiffens ev'ry scale,
And shoots her forky tongue, and whisks her threat'ning tail Against the victor, all defense is weak:
Th' imperial bird still plies her with his beak;
He tears her bowels, and her breast he gores;
Then claps his pinions, and securely soars.
Thus, tbro' the midst of circling enemies,
Strong Tarchon snatch'd and bore away his prize.
The Tyrrhene troops, that shrunk before, now press
The Latins, and presume the like success.
Then Aruns, doom'd to death, his arts assay'd, To murther, unespied, the Volscian maid:
This way and that his winding course he bends, And, whereso'er she turns, her steps attends
When she retires victorious from the chase,
He wheels about with care, and shifts his place; V_:hen, rushing on, she seeks her foes in flight, He keeps aloof, but keeps her still m sight:
I-Ie threats, and trembles, trying ev'ry way, Unseen to kill, and safely to betray.
Chloreus, the priest of Cybele, from far, Glitt'rlng in Phrygian arms amidst the war, Was by the virgin view'd. The steed he press'd Was proud with trappings, and his brawny chest With scales of gilded brass was cover'd o'er;
A robe of Tyrian dye the rider wore.
V_rith deadly wounds he gall'd the distant foe; Gnossiata his shafts, and Lycian was his bow:
A golden helm his front and head surrounds;
A gilded quiver from his shoulder sounds.
Gold, weav'd with linen, on his thighs he wore, _ith flowers of needlework distinguish'd o'er,
? THE ELEVENTH BOOK OF THE m:NEIS 389
With golden buckles bound, and gather'd up before. Him the fierce maid beheld with ardent eyes,
Fond and ambitious of so rich a prize,
Or that the temple might his trophies hold,
Or else to shine herself in Trojan gold. Blind in her haste, she chases him alone. And seeks his life, regardless of her own.
This lucky moment the sly traitor chose:
Then, starting from his ambush, up he rose,
And threw, but first to Heav'n address'd his vows:
"0 patron of Socrate's high abodes,
Phoebus, the ruling pow'r among the gods,
Whom first we serve, whole woods of unctuous pine
Are fell'd for thee, and to thy glory shine;
By thee protected with our naked soles,
Thro' flames unsing'd we march, and tread the kindled coals; G,ve me, propitious pow'r, to wash away
The stains of this dishonorable day:
Nor spoils, nor triumph, from the fact I claim,
But with my future actions trust my fame.
Let me, by stealth, this female plague o'ercome,
And from the field return inglorious home. "
Apollo heard, and, granting half his pray'r,
Shuffled in winds the rest, and toss'd in empty air.
He gives the death desir'd; his safe return
By southern tempests to the seas is borne.
Now, when the jav'lin whizz'd along the skies, Both armies on Camilla turn'd their eyes,
Directed by the sound. Of either host,
Th' unhappy virgin, tho' concern'd the most,
Was only deaf; so greedy was she bent On golden spoils, and on her prey intent; Till in her pap the winged weapon stood Infix'd, and deeply drunk the purple blood. Her sad attendants hasten to sustain
Their dying lady, drooping on the plain.
Far from their sight the trembling Aruns flies,
With beating heart, and fear confus'd with joys; Nor dares he farther to pursue his blow,
Or ev'n to bear the sight of his expiring foe.
? _90 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL As, when the wolf has torn a bullock's hide
At unawares, or ranch'd a shepherd's side, Conscious of his audacious deed, he flies,
And claps his quiv'ring tail between his thighs: So, speeding once, the wretch no more attends, But, spurring forward, herds among his friends.
She wreneh'd the jav'lin with her dying hands,
But wedg'd within her breast the weapon stands;
The wood she draws, the steely point remains;
She staggers in her seat with agonizing pains:
(A gath'ring mist o'erclouds her cheerful eyes,
And from her cheeks the rosy color flies:)
Then turns to her, whom of her female train
She trusted most, and thus she speaks with pall1:
"Acca, 't is past! he swims before my sight,
Inexorable Death; and claims his right.
Bear my last words to Turnus; fly with speed,
And bid him timely to my charge succeed,
Repel the Trojafls, and the town relieve:
Farewell l and in this kiss my parting breath receive:' She said, and, sliding, sunk upon the plain:
Dying, her open'd hand forsakes the rein;
Short, and more short, she pants; by slow degrees
Her mind the passage from her body frees.
She drops her sword; she nods her plumy crest,
Her drooping head declining on her breast:
In the last sigh her struggling soul expires,
And, murm'ring with disdain, to Stygian sounds retirek
A shout, that struck the golden stars, ensued; Despair and rage the languish'd fight renew'd. The Trojan troops and Tuscans, in a line, Advance to charge; the mix'd Arcadians join.
But Cynthia's maid, high seated, $rom afar
Surveys the field, and fortune of the war,
Unmov'd a while, till, prostrate on the phiin,
Welt'ring in blood, she sees Camilla slain,
And, round her corpse, of friends and foes a ? ghtlrig train, Then, from the bottom of her breast, she drew
A mournful sigh, and these sad words ensue: _Too dear a fine, ah much lamented maid,
? THE ELEVENTH BOOK OF THE . _NEIS 391
For warring with the Trojans, thou hast paid l Nor aught avail'd, in this unhappy strlfe,
Diana's sacred arms, to save thy life.
Yet unreveng'd thy goddess will not leave
Her vot'ry's death, nor with yam sorrow grieve. Branded the wretch, and be his name abhorr'd, But after ages shall thy praise record
Th' inglorious coward soon shall press the plato: Thus vows thy queen, and thus the Fates ordain. "
High o'er the field there stood a hilly mound, Sacred the place, and spread with oaks around,
Where, in a marble tomb, Dercennus lay, A king that once in Latmm bore the sway. The beauteous Opis thither bent her flight,
To mark the traitor Aruns from the height. Him in refulgent arms she soon espied,
Swoln with success; and loudly thus she cried:
" Thy backward steps, vain boaster, are too late; Turn like a man, at length, and meet thy fate Charg'd with my message, to Camilla go,
And say I sent thee to the shades below, An honor undeserv'd from C)nthla's bow"
She said, and from her qmver chose with speed The winged shaft, predestm'd for the deed,"
Then to the stubborn yew her strength applie6,
Till the far distant horns approach'd on either s_de The bowstring touch'd her breast, so strong she drew; Whizzing in air the fatal arrow flew.
At once the twanging bow and sounding dart
The traitor heard, and felt the point within his heart. Him, beating with hls heels in pangs of death,
His flying friends to foreign fields bequeath.
The conqu'ring damsel, with expanded wings,
The welcome message to her mistress brings.
Their leader lost, the Volscians quit the field, And, unsustain'd, the chiefs of Turnus yield
The frighted soldiers, when their captains fly, More on their speed than on their strength rely.
Confus'd in flight, they bear each other down, And spur their horses headlong to the town.
? 392 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Driv'n by their foes, and to their fears reslgn'd,
Not once they turn, but take their wounds behind.
These drop the shield, and those the lance forego, Or on their shoulders bear the slacken'd bow.
The hoofs of horses, wlth a ratthng sound,
Beat short and thick, and shake the rotten ground. Black clouds of dust come rolhng in the sky,
And o'er the darken'd walls and rampires fly
The trembhng matrons, from their lofty stands,
Rend heav'n with female shrieks, and wring their hands All pressing on, pursuers and pursued,
Are crush'd in crowds, a mingled multitude.
Some happy few escape" the throng too late
Rush on for entrance, till they choke the gate.
Ev'n in the sight of home, the wretched sire
Looks on, and sees his helpless son expire
Then, in a fright, the folding gates they close,
But leave their fne_lds excluded with their foes.
The vanquish'd cry: the wctors loudly shout;
'T is terror all x_,thm, and slaughter all w_thout.
Blind in their fear, they bounce against the wall,
Or, to the moats pursued, precipitate their fall.
The Latian virgins, vahant w,th despair, Arm'd on the tow'rs, the common danger share:
So much of zeal their country's cause inspir'd;
So much Camilla's great example fir'd.
Poles, sharpen'd in the flames, from high they throw, W,th im,tated darts, to gall the foe.
Their lives for godlike freedom they bequeath,
And crowd each other to be first in death.
Meantime to Turnus, ambush'd in the shade,
With heavy tidings came th' unhappy maid:
"The Volscians overthrown, Camilla kill'd;
The foes, entirely masters of the field,
Like a resisiless flood, come rolling on"
The cry goes off the plain, and thickens to the town. "
Inflam'd with rage, (for so the Furies fire The Daunian's breast, and so the Fates require,)
He leaves the hilly pass, the woods in vain Possess'd, and downward issues on the plain.
? THE ELEVENTH BOOK OF THE _. NEIS 393
Scarce was he gone, when to the stratts, now freed From secret foes, the Trojan troops succeed
Thro' the black forest and the ferny brake, Unknowingly secure, thetr way they take;
From the rough mountains to the plato descend, And there, in order dragon, their hne extend.
Both armies now m open fields are seen,
Nor far the distance of the space between.
Both to the city bend . ? Eneas sees,
Thro' smoking fields, hzs hast'nmg enemies;
And Turnus views the Trojans in array,
And hears th' approaching horses proudly neigh. Soon had their hosts in bloody battle join'd,
But westward to the sea the sun dechn'd Intrench'd before _he town both armies he, While Night with sable wings revolves the sky.
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE 2ENEIS
TEE ARGUMENT. mTuI_uSchallenges zEneas to a single combat: articles are agreed on, but broken by the Rutili, who wound _Eneas. He ]s miraculously cur'd by Venus, forces Turnus to a duel, and
concludes the poem with his death.
HEN Turnus saw the Latins leave the field, Their armies broken, and their courage quell'd. Himself become the mark of public spite, "
His honor question'd for the promis'd fight; The more he was with vulgar hate oppress'd, The more his fury boil'd within his breast: He rous'd his vigor for the last debate,
And rais'd his haughty soul to meet his fate. As, when the swains the Libyan hon chase,
He makes a sour retreat, nor mends his pace; But, if the pointed jav'lin pierce his side,
The lordly beast returns with double pride:
He wrenches out the steel, he roars for pain; His sides he lashes, and erects his mane:
So Turnus fares; his eyeballs flash with fire, Thro' his wide nostrils clouds of smoke expire.
Trembling with rage, around the court he ran, At length approach'd the king, and thus began: "No more excuses or delays: I stand
In ares prepar'd to combat, hand to hand,
This base deserter of his native land.
The Trojan, by his word, is bound to take
The same conditions which himself did make, Renew the truce; the solemn rites prepare,
And to my single virtue trust the war.
? TH:E TWELFTH BOOK OF THE A_. NEIS 395 Thc Latians unconcern'd shall see the figh:,
Thls arm unaided shall asscrt your right
Then, if my prostrate body press the plum,
To him the crown and beauteous bride remain "
To whom the king sedately thus rcphed
"Brave youth, the more your valor has been tried
The more becomes it us, with due respect,
To weigh the chancc of war, which you neglect
You want not wealth, or a successive throne,
Or cities which your arms have made your oxen:
! _Iy towns and treasures are at your command,
And stor'd with blooming beauues is my land; Laurentum more than one Lavinia sees,
Unmarried, fa;r, of noble famllies
Now let me speak, and you wlth paUence hear, Things which perhaps may grate a lover's ear,
But sound advice, proceeding from a heart
Sincerely yours, and free from fraudful art
The gods, by signs, have manifestly shown,
No prince Italian born should heir my throne:
Oft have our augurs, in prediction sktll'd,
And oft our priests, a foreign con reveal d
Yet, won by worth that cannot be with<t_od,
Brlb'd by my kindness to my kindred blood,
Urg'd by my wife, who would not bc demed,
I promis'd my Lavima for }our bride
Her from her plighted lord by force I took;
All ties of treaties, and of honor, broke"
On your account I wag'd an lmpmus war_
W_th what success, 't is needless to declare;
I apd my subjects feel, and you have had your share Twice vanquish'd wh_le in bloody fields we strive. Scarce in our walls we keep our hopes ahve"
The rolling flood runs warm with human gore,
The bones of Latians blanch the neighb'rmg shore Why put I not an end to this debate,
Still unresolv'd, and still a slave to fate?
If Turnus' death a lasting peace can give, Why should I not procure tt whilst you live Should I to doubtful arms _,our youth betray,
? 396 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL What would my kinsmen the Rutulians say_
And, should you fall in fight, (which Heav'n defend! ) How curse the cause which hasten'd to his end
The daughter's lover and the father's friend? Weigh m your mind the various chance of war; Pity your parent's age, and ease his care"
Such balmy words he pour'd, but all in vain: The proffer'd med'cme but provok'd the pain. The wrathful youth, disdaining the rehef,
With intermitting sobs thus vents his grief: "The care, O best of fathers, which you take For my concerns, at my desire forsake.
Permit me not to languish out my days,
But make the best exchange of hfe for praise. This arm, th_s lance, can well dispute the prize; And the blood follows, where the weapon flies. His goddess mother is not near, to shroud
The flying coward with an empty cloud"
But now the queen, who fear'd for Turnus' life, And loath'd the hard conditions of the strife, Held him by force; and, dying m his death,
In these sad accents gave her sorrow breath:
"O Turnus, I adjure thee by these tears,
And whate'er price Amata's honor bears
Within thy breast, since thou art all my hope, My sickly mind's repose, my stoking age's prop; Since on the safety of thy hfe alone
Depends Latinus, and the Latlan throne.
Refuse me not this one, this only pray'r,
To waive the combat, and pursue the war. Whatever chance attends this fatal stn_e, Think it includes, in thine, Amata's hfe
I cannot live a slave, or see my throne
Usurp'd by strangers or a Trojan son "
At this, a flood of tears Lavinia shed,
A crimson blush her beauteous face o'erspread, Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red. The driving colors, never at a stay,
Run here and there, and flush, and fade ax_ay. Delightful change! Thus Indian iv'ry shows,
? THE TWI_,LFTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS
Which with the bord'ring paint of purple glows; Or lilies damask'd by the neighb'ring rose.
The lover gaz'd, and, burning with desire,
The more he look'd, the more he fed the fire: Revenge, and jealous rage, and secret spite, Roll in his breast, and rouse him to the fight. Then fixing on the queen his ardent eyes,
Firm to his first intent, he thus replies:
"O mother, do not by your tears prepare
Such boding omens, and prejudge the war. Resolv'd on fight, I am no longer free
To shun my death, if Heav'n my death decree. " Then turning to the herald, thus pursues:
"Go, greet the Trojan with ungrateful news; Denounce from me, that, when to-morrow's hght Shall gild the heav'ns, he need not urge the fight; The Trojan and Rutulian troops no more
Shall dye, with mutual blood, the Latian shore: Our single swords the quarrel shall decide,
And to the victor be the beauteous bride"
He said, and striding on, with speedy pace.
He sought his coursers of the Thracian race.
At his approach they toss their heads on high,
And, proudly neighing, promise victory.
The sires of these Orythla sent from far,
To grace Pilumnus, when he went to war.
The drifts of Thracian snows were scarce so white,
Nor northern winds in fleetness match'd their flight. Officious grooms stand ready by his side;
And some with combs their flowing manes divide,
And others stroke their chests and gently soothe their pride. ,
He sheath'd his limbs in arms; a temper'd mass Of golden metal those, and mountain brass.
Then to his head his glitt'rlng helm he tied,
And girt his faithful fauchlon to his side.
In his . _tnaean forge, the God of Fire That fauchion labor'd for the hero's sire,
Immortal keenness on the blade bestow'd.
And plung'd it hissing in the Stygian flood _Propp'd on a pzllar, which the ceiling bore,
? _s DaTD_. _B TRA_SLA_ON 01'
Was plac'd the lance Auruncan Actor wore_
Which with such force he brandish'd in his ha_
The tough ash t_-emb! edlike an osier wapd:
Then cried: "0 pond'rous spoil of Actor sial. a,
And never yet by Tul'n_s toss'd in vain,
Fail not this day tlty wonted force; but go,
Sent by this hand, to pierce the Trojan foe l
Give me to tear his corslet from his brfast,
And from that eunuch head to rend the crest;
Dragg'd in the dust, _is _rizzled h_ir to sqil,
Hot from the vexing i#n, and smear'd with f,ragrant oil I'r
Thus while hg raves, from his wide nostrils flies A fiery steam, and sparkles from his gyes.
So fares the bull in his lov'd female's sight: Proudly he bellows, and preludes the fight; He tries his goring horns against a tree, And meditates his absent enemy;
He pushes at the winds; he digs the strand
With his black hoofs, and spurns the yellow szme
Nor less the Trojan, in his Lemnian arms, To future fight his manly courage warms: He whets his fury, and with joy prepares
To terminate at once t]ae ling'ring wars;
To cheer his chiefs and tender son, relates
What Heav'n had promis'd, and expounds _e fates. Then to the Latian king he sends, to cease
The rage of arms, and ratify the peace.
The morn ensuing, from the mountain's helgl_g Had scarcely spread the skies with rosy light;
Th' ethereal coursers, bounding from the se_, From ogt their flaming nostrils breath' d the day; When now the Trgjan and Rutulian guard,
In friendly labor join'd, the list prepar'd. Beneath the walls they measure og. t the space; Then sacred altars rear, on sqds of grass,
Where, with religious rites, their common god s _ In purest white the priests . their heads attire; And living waters bear, and holy fire;
And, o'er their linen hoods and sh_de_ Ilair, Long twisted wreaths 'gf sacred ve_aln wear,
plaFe_
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _. NEIS 390
In order issuing from the town appears The Latin legion, arm'd with pointed spears;
And from the fields, advancing on a line,
The Trojan and the Tuscan forces join:
Their various arms afford a pleasing sight;
A peaceful train they seem, in peace prepar'd for fight_ Betwixt the ranks the proud commanders ride, Glitt'ring widz gold, and vests in purple dyed;
Here Mnestheus, author of the Memmlan line, And there Messapus, born of seed divine.
The slgaz is glv'n; and, round the listed space, Each man in order fills his proper place. Reclining on their ample shields, they stand, And fix their pointed lances in the sand.
Now, studious of the sight, a num'rous throng Of either sex promiscuous, old and young,
Swarm from the town: by those who rest behind, The gates and walls and houses' tops are lin'd. Meantime the Queen of Heav'n beheld the sight, With eyes unpleas'd, from Mount Albano's height
(Since eall'd Albano by succeeding fame, But then an empty hill, without a name).
She thence survey'd the field, the Trojan pow'rs, The Latian squadrons, and Laurentine tow'rs. Then thus the goddess of the skies bespake,
With sighs and tears, the goddess of the lake, King Turnus' sister, once a lovely maid,
Ere to the lust of lawless Jove betray'd: Compress'd by torce, but, by the grateful god,
Now made the Nais of the neighb'rlng flood. "0 nymph, the pride of living lakes," said she,
"O most renown'd, and most belov'd by me, Long hast thou known, nor need I to record, The wanton sallies of my wand'ring lord
Of ev'ry Latian fair whom Jove misled
To mount by stealth my violated bed,
To thee alone I grudg'd not his embrace,
But gave a part of heav'n, and an unenvied place_ Now learn from me thy near approaching grtef, Nor think my wi=ims want m th_ relief.
? 400 DRYDEN'S TRAI_SLATIO_? OF VIRGIL
While fortune favor'd, nor Heav'n's Kifig denied To lend my succor to the Latian side,
I sav'd thy brother, and the sinking state:
But now he struggles wlth unequal fate,
And goes, with gods averse, o'ermatch'd in might, To meet inevltable death in fight;
Nor must I break the truce, nor can sustain the sxght, Thou, _f thou dar'st, thy present aid supply;
It well becomes a sister's care to try. "
At this the lovely nymph, with grief oppress'd, Thrice tore her hair, and beat her comely breast,
To whom Saturnia thus. "Thy tears are late" Haste, snatch him, if he can be snatch'd from fate: New tumults kindle, wolate the truce:
Who knows what changeful fortune may produce? 'T is not a crime t' attempt what I decree;
Or, if it were, discharge the crime on me. "
She said, and, sailing on the winged _,,nd,
Left the sad nymph suspended in her mind.
And now in pomp the peaceful kings appear:
Four steeds the chariot of Latinus bear;
Twelve golden beams around his temples play,
To mark his lineage from the God of Day
Two snowy coursers Turnus' chariot yoke,
And in his hand two massy spears he shook:
Then issued from the camp, in arms divine, ? Eneas, author of the Roman line;
And by his side Ascanius took his place,
The second hope of Rome's immortal race. Adorn'd in white, a rev'rend priest appears,
And off'rings to the flaming altars bears;
A porket, and a lamb that never suffer'd shears. Then to the rising sun he turns his eyes,
And strews the beasts, design'd for sacrifice,
With salt and meal: with like officious care
He marks their foreheads, and he clips their hair? Betwixt their horns the purple wine he sheds;
With the same gen'rous juice the flame he feeds.
? Eneas then unsheath'd his shining sword, And thus with pious pray'rs the gods ador'd:
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE . _NETS 401
"All-seeing sun, and thou, Ausonian soil,
For whmh I have sustam'd so long a toll,
Thou, King of Heav'n, and thou, the Queen o[ Air, Propitious now, and reconcfl'd by pray'r;
Thou, God of \\Tar, whose unresisted sway
The labors and events of arms obey:
Ye hvmg fountains, and ye running floods,
All pow'rs of ocean, all ethereal gods,
Hear, and bear record : if I fall in field,
Or, recreant in the fight, to Turnus yield,
My Trojans shall encrease Evander's towz;
Ascanius shall renounce th' Ausonian ero_n:
All claims, all queshons of debate, shall cease;
Nor he, nor they, with force infringe the peace
But, if my juster arms prevail in fight,
(As sure they shall, if I divine aright,)
My Trojans shall not o'er th' Italians relgn:
Both equal, both unconquer'd shall remain,
Join'd in their laws, their lands, and their abodes;
I ask but altars for my weary gods.
The care of those religious rites be mine;
The crown to King Lafinus I resign:
His be the soy'reign sway. Nor will 1 share
His pow'r in peace, or his command in war.
For me, my friends another town shall frame,
And bless the rising tow'rs with fair Lavmia's name. "
Thus he. Then, with erected eyes and hands, The Latlan king before his altar stands.
"By the same heav'n," said he, "and earth, and main, And all the pow'rs that all the three contain;
By hell below, and by that upper god
Whose thunder signs the peace, who seals it with his nol;
So let Latona's double offspring hear,
And double-fronted Janus, what I swear:
I touch the sacred altars, touch the flames,
And all those pow'rs attest, and all their names ; Whatever chance befall on either side,
No term of time this union shall divide:
No force, no fortune, shall my vows unbinJ,
Or shake the steadfast tenor of my mind;
? 40_ DR_EN_S TRAI_SLATION OF VIRGIL
Not tho' the circling seas should break their bound. O'erflow the shores, or sap the solid ground;
Not tho' the lamps of heav'n their spheres forsake, Hurl'd down, and hissing m the nether lake:
E_'n as this royal scepter" (for he bore A scepter in hls hand) "shall never more
Shoot out in branches, or renew the birth:
An orphan now, cut from the mother earth
By the keen ax, dishonor'd of its hair,
And cas'd in brass, for Latian kings to bear. "
\Vhen thus in public view the peace was tied \Vith solemn vows, and sworn on either side, All dues perform'd x_hich holy rites require, The victim beasts are slain before the fire, The trembling entrails from their bodies torn, And to the fatten'd flames in chargers borne.
Already the Rutulians deem thelr man O'ermatch'd in arms, before the fight began.
First rising fears are whlsper'd thro' the crowd; Then, garb'ring sound, they murmur more aloud Now, side to s2de, they measure with their eyes
The champions' hulk, their sinews, and their size: The nearer they approach, tile more is known
Th' apparent disadvantage of their own. Turnus himself appears m public sight
Conscious of fate, desponding of the fight. Slowly he moves, and at his altar stands
With eyes dejected, and with trembling hands; And, while he mutters undlstinguish'd pray'rs, A hvid deadness in his cheeks appears.
\V1th anxious pleasure when Juturna view'd
Th' increasing fright of the mad multitude,
When their short sighs and thick'ning sobs she heard_ And found their ready minds for change prepar'd; Dissembling her immortal form, she took
Camertus' mien, his habit, and his look;
A chief of ancient blood; in arms well known
Was his great sire, and he his greater son.
His shape assum'd, amid the ranks she ran,
_t. nd humoring their first motions, tlms began:
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS 40|
"For shame, Rutullans, can you bear the sight Of one expos'd for a|_, in single fight?
Can we, before the face of hear'n, confess
Our coarage colder, or our numbers less?
View all the Trojan host, th' Arcadian band, And Tuscan army; count 'era as they stand: Undaunted to the battle if we go,
Scarce ev'ry second man will share a foe. Turnus, 't is true, in this unequal strife, Shall lose, with honor, his devoted life,
Or change it rather for immortal fame,
Succeeding to the gods, from whence he came : But you, a servile and inglorious hand,
For foreign lords shall sow your native land, Those fruitful fields your fighting fathers gain'd, Which have so long their lazy sons sustain'd/' With words like these, she carried her design:
A rising murmur runs along the hne.
Then ev'n the city troops, and Latians, tir'd
With tedious war, seem with new souls inspir'd" Their champion's fate with pity they lament,
And of the league, so lately sworn, repent.
Nor fails the goddess to foment the rage
With lying wonders, and a false presage,
But adds a sign, which, present to their eyes, Inspires new courage, and a glad surprise.
For, sudden, in the fiery tracts above,
Appears in pomp th' imperiaI bird of Jove:
A plump of fowl he spies, that swlro tlle lakes, And o'er their heads his souodmg pinions shakes; Then, stooping on the fairest of the train,
In his strong talons truss'd a silver swan.
Th' Italians wonder at th' unusual sight;
But, while he lags, and labors in his flight,
Behold, the dastard fowl return anew,
And with united force the foe pursue:
Clam'rous arouod the royal . hawk they fly,
And, thick'ning in a cloud, o'ershade the sky.
They cuff, they scratch, they cross his airy course; Nor can th' incumber'd bird sustain their force;
? 404 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
But vex'd, not vanquish'd, drops the pond'rous prey, And, lighten'd of his burthen, wings his way.
Th' Ausonian bands with shouts salute the sight, Eager of action, and demand the fight.
Then King Tolumnius, vers'd in augurs' arts,
Cries out, and thus his boasted skill imparts:
"At length 't is granted, what I long desir'dt
This, this is _hat my frequent vows requir'd
Ye gods, I take your omen, and obcy.
Advance, my friends, and charge ! I lead the way. These are the foreign foes, whose impious band, Like that rapacious bird, infest our land.
But soon, like him, they shall be forc'd to sea By strength umted, and forego the prey.
Your timely succor to your country bring, Haste to the rescue, and redeem your king. "
He said; and, pressing onward thro' the crew, Pois'd in his hfted arm, his lance he threw.
The winged weapon, whistling in the wind,
Came driving on, nor miss'd the mark design'& At once the cornel rattled in the skies,
At once tumultuous shouts and clamors rise. Nine brothers in a goodly band there stood,
Born of Arcadian mix'd with Tuscan blood, Gylippus' sons: the fatal jav'hn flew,
_im'd at the midmost of the friendly crew.
A passage thro' the jointed arms it found,
Just where the belt was to the body bound,
And struck the gentle youth extended on the ground Then, fir'd with pious rage, the gen'rous train
Run madly forward to revenge the slain.
And some with eager haste their jav'hns throw;
And some with sword in hand assault the foe The wish'd insult the Latine troops embrace,
And meet their ardor in the middle space. The Trojans, Tuscans, and Arcadian line, V? lth equal courage obviate their design. Peace leaves the violated fields, and hate Both armies urges to their mutual fate
With impious haste their altars are o'erturn'eL
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE A_NEIS 405
The sacrifice half-brod'd, and half-unburn'd.
Thick storms of steel from either army fly,
And clouds of clashing darts obscure the sky; Brands from the fire are missive weapons made, With chargers, bowls, and all the prlestly trade.
Latmus, frighted, hastens from the fray,
And bears his unregarded gods away.
These on their horses vault, those yoke the carl
The rest, with swords on htgh, run headlong to the war.
Messapus, eager to confound the peace,
Spurr'd his hot courser thro' the fighting prease,
At King Aulestes, by his purple known
A Tuscan prince, and by his regal crown;
And, with a shock encount'rmg, bore him down.
Backward he fell; and, as hls fate design'd, The ruins of an altar _ere behind:
There, pitching on his shoulders and his head, Amid the seatt'ring fires he lay supinely spread. The beamy spear, descending from above,
His cuirass pierc'd, and thro' his body drove. Then, _lth a scornful stmle, the victor cries: "The gods have found a fitter sacrifice"
Greedy of spods, th' Itahans strlp the dead
Of his rich armor, and uncrown his head.
Priest Cor_n,'eus, arm'd his better hand, From his o_n altar, with a blazing brand;
And, as Ebusus wath a thund'rmg pace Advanc'd to battle, dash'd it on Ins face:
His bristly beard shines out with sudden fires; The crackhng crop a noisome scent expires. Following the blow, he selz'd his curling crown With his left hand; Ins other ca_t him dox_n. The prostrate body _lth his knees he press'd, And plung'd hls holy pomard in his breast.
While Podahnus, with his sword, pursued The shepherd AIsus thro' the flying crowd,
Swiftly he turns, and am_s a deadly blow
Full on the front of h_s unwary foe.
The broad ax enters w_ih a crashing sound,
And cleaves the chin with one continued _ound;
? DRYDEI_PS TRANS_ATION OF '_RGI_,
Warm blood, and mingled brains, besmear his arms around. An iron sleep his stupld eyes oppress'd,
. And seal'd their heavy lids in endless rest. But good . _neas rush'd amid the bands;
Bare was his head, and naked were his hands, In sign of truce: then thus he cries aloud. "What sudden rage, what new desire of blood, Inflames your alter'd minds? O Trojans, cease From impious arms, nor violate the peace l By human sanctions, and by laws divine,
The terms are all agreed; the war is mine. Dismiss your fears, and let the fight ensue;
This hand alone shall right the gods and you: Our injur'd altars, and their broken vow,
To this avenging sword the faithless Turnus owe. " Thus while he spoke, unmindful of defense,
. & winged arrow struck the pious prince. But, whether from some human hand it came,
Or hostile god, is left unknown by fame:
No human hand or hostile god was found,
To boast the triumph of so base' a wounct
When Turnus saw the Trojan qult the plain,
His chiefs dismay'd, his troops a fainting train, Th' unhop'd event his heighten'd soul inspires: At once his arms and coursers he requii'es; Then, with a leap, his lofty chariot gains,
And with a ready hand assumes the reins. He drives impetuous, and, where'er he goes,
He leaves behind a lane of slaughter'd foes. These his lance reaches; over those he rolls
His rapid car, and crushes out their souls:
In vain the vanquish'd fly; the vmtor sends
The dead men's weapons at their living friends. Thus, on the banks of Hebrus' freezing flood, The God of Battles, in his angry mood,
Clashing his sword against his brazen shield, Let loose the reins, and scours along the field: Before the wind his fiery coursers fly;
Groans the sad earth, resounds the rattling sky. Wrath, Terror, Treason, Tumult, and Despair
? THR TWELFTH BOOK OF THB _. _ '(Dire faces, and deform'd) surround the car;
Friends of the god, and followers of the war. With fury not unlike, nor less disdain, Exulting Turnus flies along the plain:
His smoking horses, at their utmost speed, lie lashes on, and urges o'er the dead.
Their fetlocks run with blood; and, when they bound, The gore and gath'ring dust are dash'd around. Thamyris and Pholus, masters of the war,
He kill'd at hand, but Sthenelus afar:
From far the sons of Imbracus he slew, Glaucus and Lades, of the Lycian crew; Both taught to fight on foot, m battle joln'd, Or mount the courser that outstrips the wind.
Meantime Eumedes, vaunting in the field,
New fir'd the Trojans, and their foes repell'd.
This son of Dolon bore his grandsire's name,
But emulated more his father's fame;
His guileful father, sent a nightly spy,
The Grecian camp and order to descry:
Hard enterprise! and well he might require
Achilles' car and horses, for his hire:
But, met upon the scout, th' . _Etohan prince
In death bestow'd a juster recompense.
Fierce Turnus view'd the Trojan from afar,
And launch'd his jav'lin from his lofty car;
Then lightly leaping down, pursued the blow,
And, pressing with his foot his prostrate foe,
Wreneh'd from his feeble hold the shining sword,
And plung'd it in the bosom of its lord.
"Possess," said he, "the fruit of all thy pains,
And measure, at thy length, our Latian plains.
Thus are my foes rewarded by my hand;
Thus may they build their town, and thus enjoy the land ln
Then Dares, Butes, Sybaris he slew,
Whom o'er his neck his flound'ring courser threw.
As when loud Boreas, with his blust'ring train, Stoops from above, incumbent on the main;
Where'er he flies, he drives the rack before, And rolls the billows on th' . ,Eg'ean shore:
? _{}8 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
So, where resistless Turnus takes his course, The scatter'd squadrons bend before his force; His crest of horses' hair is blown behind
By adverse air, and rustles in the wind.
This haughty Phegeus saw with hlgh dlsdain,
And, as the chariot roIl'd along the plato,
Light from the ground he leapt, and seiz'd the rein, Thus hung in air, he st111 retain'd his hold,
The coursers frighted, and their course controII'd. The lance of Turnus reach'd him as he hung,
And pierc'd hls plated arms, but pass'd along,
And only raz'd the skin. He turn'd, and held Against his threat'ning foe his ample shleld;
Then call'd for aid" but, whdc he cried in vai_
The chariot bore hml backward on the plain
He hes revers'd; the victor king descends,
And strikes so justly where his helmet ends,
He lops the head. The Latian fields are drunk With streams that issue from the bleeding trunk.
While he triumphs, and while the Trojans yield, The wounded prince is forc'd to leave the field: Strong Mnestheus, and Achates often tried,
And young Ascamus, weeping by his side, Conduct him to his tent. Scarce can he rear His limbs from earth, supported on his spear. Resolv'd in mind, regardless of the smart,
He tugs with both his hands, and breaks the dart. The steel remains. No readier way he found
To draw the weapon, than t' inlarge the wound. Eager of fight, impatient of delay,
He begs; and his unw111ing friends obey. Iapis was at hand to prove his art,
Whose blooming youth so fir'd Apollo's heart, That, for his love, hc proffer'd to bestow
His tuneful harp and his unerring bow
The pious youth, more studious how to save His aged sire, now sinking to the grave, Preferr'd the pow'r of plants, and silent praise Of healing arts, before Phcebean bays.
Propp'd on his lance the pensive hero stood,
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS 409
:And heard and saw, unmov'd, the mourmng crowd. The fam'd physlclan tucks hls robes around
\Vlth ready hands, and hastens to the wound.
With gentle touches he performs his part,
This way and that, sohcmng the dart,
And exercises all his heav'nly art
All soft'nmg slmples, kno_n of so,'reign use, He presses out, and pours their noble jmce. These first infus'd, to lemfx the pain,
He tugs with pincers, but he tugs m vain.
Then to the patron of h_s art he pray'd:
The patron of his art refus'd Ins ald
Meanhme the war approaches to the tents;
Th' alarm grows hotter, and the norse augments:
The driving dust proclaims the danger neai.
:&nd first their frmnds, and then thetr foes appear:
Their friends retreat, their foes pursue the rear.
The camp is fill'd with terror and affright:
The hissing shafts within the trench ahght,
An undistingmsh'd noise ascends the sky.
The shouts of those who kill, and groans of those who die.
But now the goddess mother, mov'd w_th grief,
And pierc'd with pit3', hastens her relief
A branch of heahng dittany she brought,
Which in the Cretan fields wlth care she sought:
Rough is the stem, which woo_-ly leafs surround,
The leafs with flow'rs, the flow'rs with purple croton'd,
Well known to wounded goats; a sule lehef
To draw the pointed steel, and ease the grief
This Venus brings, m clouds mvolv'd, and brews
Th' extracted hquor with ambrosian dews,
And od'rous panacee. Unseen she staa_ds,
Temp'ring the mixture with her heav'nl? hands,
And pours it in a bowl, already crown'd
With juice of med'e'nal herbs prepar'd to bathe the wound. The leech, unknowing of superior art
Which aids the cure, w_th this foments the part ;
And in a moment ceas'd the raging smart. Stanch'd is the blood, and in the bottom stands
The steel, but scarcely touch'd _ith tender hands,
? 410 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATI01_ OF VIRGIL
Moves up, and follows of its own accord,
And health and vigor are at once restor'd.
Iapis first perceiv'd the closing wound,
And first the footsteps of a god he found.
"Arms l arms I" he cries; "the sword and shield prepare, And send the wilhng chief, renew'd, to war.
This is no mortal work, no cure of mine, Nor art's effect, but done by hands dlvine. Some god our general to the battle sends; Some god preserves his hfe for greater ends. "
The hero arms m haste; hts hands infold
His thighs with crashes of refulgent gold-
Inflam'd to fight, and rushing to the field,
That hand sustaining the celesttal shield,
This gripes the lance, and with such vigor shakes, That to the rest the beamy weapon quakes.
Then with a close embrace he strain'd his son, And, kissing thro' his helmet, thus begun:
"My son, from my example learn the war,
In camps to suffer, and in fields to dare;
But happier chance than mine attend thy caret This day my hand thy tender age shall shield,
And crown with honors of the conquer'd field: Thou, when thy riper years shall send thee forth To tolls of war, be mindful of my worth;
Assert thy birthright, and in arms be known,
For Hector's nephew, and ZEneas' son. "
He said, and, striding, issued on the plain.
Anteus and Mnestheus, and a num'rous train, Attend his steps; the rest their weapons take, And, crowding to the field, the camp forsake. A cloud of blinding dust is rais'd around,
Labors beneath their feet the trembhng ground.
Now Turnus, posted on a hi11, from far Beheld the progress of the moving war:
With him the Latms view'd the cover'd plains,
And the chili blood ran backward in their veins
Juturna saw th' advancing troops appear,
And heard the hostile sound, and fled for fear.
x_neas leads; and draws a sweeping train,
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _NEIS
Clos'd in their ranks, and pouring on the plain. As when a whirlwind, rushing to the shore
From the mid ocean, drives the waves before; The painJ_ul hind with heavy heart foresees
The flatted fields, and slaughter of the trees, With like impetuous rage the prince appears Before his doubled front, nor less destructlon And now both armies shock in open field; Osiris is by strong Thymbr_eus kill'&
Archetms, Ufens, Epulon, are slain
(All fam'd in arms, and of the Latian train)
411
bears.
By Gyas', Mnestheus', and Achates' hand. The fatal auogur falls, by whose command
The truce was broken, and whose lance, embrued With Trojan blood, th' unhappy fight renew'd
Loud shouts and clamors rend the hquid sky, And o'er the field the frighted Latins fly.
The prince disdains the dastards to pursue, Nor moves to meet in arms the fighting few;
Turnus alone, amid the dusky plain,
He seeks, and to the combat calls in vain.
Juturna heard, and, selz'd with mortal fear, Forc'd from the beam her brother's charioteer;
Assumes his shape, his armor, and his mien, And, hke Metlscus, in his seat is seen
As the black swallow near the palace phes; O'er empty cotirts, and under arches, flies;
Now hawks aloft, now skims along the flood, To furnish her loquacious nest with food:
So di'ives the rapid goddess o'er the plains; The smoking horses i'un with loosen'd reins.
She steers a v_irtous course among the foes;
Now here, now there, her conqu'ring brother sho_s;
Now with a straight, now with a wheeling flight, She turns, ahd bends, but shuns the single fight. Z_neas, fir'd with fury, breaks the crowd,
And seeks his foe, and calls by name aloud:
He runs wlthlh a narrower 11ng, and tries To stop the chariot; but the chariot flies. If he but gain a (gllmpse, Juturna fears,
m
? 412 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF _rI1RGIL And far away the Daunian hero bears.
What should he do! Nor arts nor arms avail; _nd various cares in vain his mind assail
The great Messapus, thund'ring thro' lhe field, In his left hand two pointed jav'hns held: Encount'ring on the prince, one dart he drew, And with unerring aim and utmost vigor threw. _neas saw it come, and, stooping low
Beneath his buckler, shunn'd the threat'ning blow. The weapon hiss'd above his head, and tore
The waving plume which on his helm he wore. Forced by this hostile act, and fir'd with spite, That flying Turnus still dechn'd the fight,
The Prince, whose piety had long repell'd
His inborn ardor, now invades the field;
Invokes the pow'rs of violated peace,
Their rites and injur'd altars to redress;
Then, to his rage abandoning the rein,
With blood and slaughter'd bodies fills the plain.
What god can tell, what numbers can display, The various labors of that fatal day;
What chiefs and champions fell on either side, In combat slain, or by what deaths they dted; Whom Turnus, whom the Trojan hero kill'd;
Who shar'd the fame and fortune of the field1 Jove, could'st thou view, and not avert thy s_ght,
Two jarring nations join'd in cruel fight,
Whom leagues of lasting love so shortly shall unite !
. TEneas first Rutuhan Sucro found,
Whose valor made the Trojans quit their ground;
Betwixt his ribs the jav'lin drove so just,
It reach'd his heart, nor needs a second thrust.
Now Turnus, at two blows, two brethren slew; First from his horse fierce Amycus he threw: Then, leaping on the ground, on foot assall'd Diores, and in equal fight prevail'd.
Their lifeless trunks he leaves upon the place; Their heads, distilling gore, his chariot grace.
Three cold on earth the Trojan hero threw, _Whom without respite at one charge he slew:
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE ,_NEIS 413
Cethegus, Tanais, Tagus, fell oppress'd, And sad Onythes, added to the rest, Of Theban blood, whom Pcrldia bore.
Turnus two brothers from the Lyclan shore, . And from Apollo's fane to battle sent,
O'erthrew; nor Phoebus could their fate prevent. Peaceful Mencetes after these he kill'd,
Who long had shunn'd the dangers of the field: On Lerna's lake a sdent hfe he led,
And wlth his nets and angle earn'd his bread; Nor pompous cares, nor palaces, he knew,
But wisely from th' infectious world withdrew: Poor was his house, his father's painful hand Discharg'd his rent, and plow'd another's land.
As flames among the lofty woods are through
On diff'rent sides, and both by winds are blown; The laurels crackle in the spurt'ring fire;
The frighted sylvans from their shades retire
Or as two neighb'rmg torrents fall from high; Rapid they run; the foamy waters fry;
They roll to sea with unresisted force,
And down the rocks precipitate their course:
Not with less rage the rival heroes take
Their diff'rent ways, nor less destruction make
With spears afar, w_th s_ords at hand, the) strike; And zeal of slaughter fires their souls alike.
Like them, their dauntless men maintain the field, And hearts are plerc'd, unknowing how to yield: They blow for blow return, and wound for wound; And heaps of bodies raise the level ground.
Murranus, boasting of his blood, that springs
From a long royal race of Latian kings,
Is by the Trojan from his chariot thro_n,
Crush'd with the weight of an um_ieldy stone"
Betwixt the wheels he fell; the _heel_, that bore
His living load, his dying body tore
His starting steeds, to shun the glitt'ring sword,
Paw down his trampled limbs, forgetful of their lord,
Fierce Hyllus threaten'd high, and, face to face: Affronted Turnus in the middle space:
? 41_ DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
The prince encounter'd him in full career, And at his temples alm'd the deadly spear;
So fatally the flyirig weapoh sped,
That thro' his brazen helm it pierc'd his head.
Nor, Cisseus, couldst thou scape from Turnus' hand, In vain the strongest of th' Arcadian band:
Nor to Cupentus could his gods afford
Availing aid against th' 2Enean sword,
Wlnch to his naked heart pursued the course;
Nor could his piated shield sustain the foi'ce.
Iolas fell, whom not the Grecian pow'rs,
Nor great subverter of the Trojan tow'i's, V_reredoom'd to kill, while Heav'n i_i'olong'd his date; But who can pass the bounds prefix'd by fate
In high Lyrhessus, ahd in Troy, he held
Two palaces, and was fi'om each expell'd:
Of all the mighty man, the last remains
A httle spot of foreign earth contains.
And now both hosts their broken trool_s tifilte In equal ranks, and mix in mortal fight. Seresthus and undaunted Mnestheus join
The Trojan, Tuscan, and Arcadian llne:
Sea-born Messapus, with Atlnas, heads
The Latin squadrons, and to battle leads.
They strike, they i_ush, they throng the scanty space, Resolv'd oh death, impatient of disgrace;
And, where one falls, another fills his place.
Th_ Cyprian goddess now inspires her son
To leave tti' unfinlsti'd fight, and storm the town: For, while he rolls his eyes around the plain
In quest of Turnus, whom he seeks in vain,
He views th' unguarded city from afar,
In careless quiet, and secure of war.
Occasion offers, and excites his mind
To dare beyond the task he first design'd.
Resolv'd_ he calls his chiefs; they leave the fight: Attended thus, he takes a neighb'ring height;
The crowding troops about their gen'ral stand,
All under arms, and walt his high command.
Then thus the lofty prince: "Hear and obey,
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS 415 Ye Trojan bands, w_thout the least delay
Jove is with us; and what I have decreed Requires our utmost vigor, and our speed. Your instant arms against the town prepare, The source of mischief, and the seat of war. This day the Latian tow'rs, that mate the sky, Shall level with the plain in ashes lie:
The people shall be slaves, unless in time They kneel for pardon, and repent their crime.
Twice have our foes been vanquish'd on the plain: Then shall I wait till Turnus will be slain
Your force against the perjur'd city bend. There it began, and there the war shall end.
The peace profan'd our rightful arms requires; Cleanse the polluted place with purging fires" He finish'd; and, one soul inspiring all,
Form'd in a wedge, the foot approach the wall. W_thout the town, an unprovided train
Of gaping, gazing citizens are slain.
Some firebrands, others scaling ladders bear,
And those they toss aloft, and these they rear: The flames now launch'd, the feather'd arrows fly, And clouds of missive arms obscure the sky. Advancing to the front, the hero stands,
And, stretching out to heav'n his pious hands, Attests the gods, asserts his innocence,
Upbraids with breach of faith th' Ausoman prince; Declares the royal honor doubly stare'd,
And twice the rites of holy peace profan'd. Dissenting clamors in the town arise; Each will be heard, and all at once advise
One part for peace s and one for war contends;
Some would exclude their foes, and some admit their friends.
The helpless king is hurried in the throng,
And, whate'er tide prevails, is borne along. Thus, when the swain, wlthin a hollow rock, Invades the bees with suffocating smoke,
They run around, or labor on their wings, Disus'd to flight, and shoot their sleepy stings ; To shun the bitter fumes in vain they try;
? 416 DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Black vapors, issuing from the vent, involve the sky. But fate and envaous fortune now prepare
To plunge the Latin_ in the last despair.
The queen, _ho saw the foes invade the town, And brands on tops of burmng houses thrown, Cast round her eyes, distracted with her fear--
No troops of Turnus in the field appear.
Once more she starcq abroad, but stall m vain, And then concludes the royal youth i_ slain.
Mad with her anguish, impotent to bear
The mighty grief, she loathes the vital air.
She calls herself the cause of all this x11,
And owns the dire effects of her ungovern'd will; She raves against the gods; she beats her breast; She tears with both her hands her purple vest
Then round a beam a running noose she taed,
And, fasten'd by the neck, obscenely died
Soon as the fatal news hy Fame was blow,m, And to her dames and to her daughter known, The sad Lavinia rends her yellow haxr
And rosy cheeks; the rest her sorrow share:
With shrieks the palace rings, and madness of despair. The spreading run,or fills the lmbhe place:
Confusion, fear, distraction, and disgrace, And silent shame, are seen m ev'ry /ace. Latmus tears has garments as he goes, Both for has publ,c and Ins prlvate woes; With filth his venerable beard besmears,
And sordad dust deforms his silver hairs.
And much he blames the softness of his mind,
Obnoxious to the charms of womankind,
And soon seduc'd to ehange what he so well design'd; To break the solemn league so long desir'd,
Nor finish what his fates, and those of Troy, requir'd
Now Turnus rolls aloof o'er empty plains, And here and there some straggling foes he His flying coursers please him less and less, Asham'd of easy fight and cheap success.
Thus half-contented, anxious in his mind, The distant cries come driving in the wind,
gleans.
? THE TWELFTH _OOK OF THE . _N'EIS 41F
Shouts from the walls, but shouts in murmurs drown'd; A jarring mixture, and a boding sound
"Alas ! " sald he, "what mean these dlsmal cries? What doleful clamors from the town arise_"
Confus'd, he stops, and backward pulls the reins.
She who the driver's office now sustains,
Rephes: "Neglect, my lord, these new alarms;
Here fight, and urge the fortune of your arms: There want not others to defend the wail.
If by your rival's hand th' Itahans fall,
So shall your fatal sword hls friends oppress, In honor equal, equal in success. "
To this, the prince: "O slster--for I knew
The peace mfrmg'd proceeded first from you;
I knew you, when you mlngled first in fight;
And now m vain you would decelve my slght--
Why, goddess, thls unprofitable care?
Who sent you down from hear'n, involv'd in air_ Your share of mortal sorrows to sustain,
And see your brother bleeding on the plato?
For to what pow'r can Turnus have recourse,
Or how resist his fate's prevalhng force?
These eyes beheld Murranus bite the ground:
Mighty the man, and mlghty _as the wound.
I heard my dearest friend, with d)mg breath,
My name invoking to revenge h_s death.
Brave Ufens fell with honor on the place,
To shun the shameful sight of my disgrace.
On earth supine, a manly corpse he hes;
His vest and armor are the victor's prize.
Then, shall I see Laurentmn m a flame,
Which only wanted, to complete my shame?
How wdl the Latms hoot their champion's flight_. How Drances will insult and point them to the sight t. Is death so hard to bear? Ye gods below,
(Since those above so small compassion show,) Receive a soul unsullied yet with shame,
Which not belies my great forefather's name r,
He said; and while he spoke, with flying speed Came Sages urging on his foamy steed:
HC XIII--I_
? _lS DRYD_. _'S TRA_SL_d_ OF _RQIL
Fix'd on his wounded face a shaft he bore, And, seeking Turnus, sent his voice before:
"Turnus, on you, on you alone, depends
Our last relief: compassionate your friends!
L_ke lightmng, fierce ,_Eneas, rolling on,
W_th arms invests, with flames invades the town:
The brands are to_s'd on high; the winds conspire To drive along the deluge of the fire.
All eyes are fix'd on you: your foes rejoice;
Ev'n the king staggers, and suspends his choice; Doubts to deliver or defend the town,
Whom to reject, or whom to call his son.
The queen, on whom your utmost hopes were plac'd, Herself suborning death, has breath'd her last.
'Tis true, _,_essapus, fearless of his fate,
With fierce Atinas' aid, defends the gate:
On ev'ry side surrounded by the foe,
The more they kill, the greater numbers grow;
An iron harvest mounts, and still remains to mow You, far aloof from your forsaken bands,
Your lolling chariot drive o'er empty sands"
Stupid he sate, his eyes on earth declin'd, And various cares revolving in his mind:
Rage, boiling from the bottom of his breast,
And sorrow mix'd w_th shame, his soul oppress'd; And conscious worth lay lab'ring in his thought, And love by jealousy to madness wrought.
By slow degrees his reason drove away
The mists of passion, and resum'd her sway.
Then, rising on his car, he turn'd his look,
And saw the town involv'd in fire and smoke.
A wooden tow'r with flames already blaz'd,
Which his own hands on beams and rafters rais'd; And bridges laid above to join the space,
And wheels below to roll from place to place "Sister, the Fates have vanquish'd: let us go
The way which Heav'n and my hard fortune show, The fight is fix'd; nor shall the branded name
Of a base coward blot your brother's fame.
Death is my choice; but sui_er me to try
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE 2_NEIS 41g
My force, and vent my rage before I die"
He sa2d; and, leaping down w2thout delay,
Thro' crowds of scatter'd foes he freed his way
Striding he pass'd, impetuous as the wind,
And left the grmvmg goddess far behind
As when a fragment, from a mountain torn
By ragtag tempests, or by torrents borne,
Or sapp'd by time, or loosen'd from the roots--
Prone thro' the void the rocky ruin shoots,
Rolhng from crag to crag, from steep to steep;
Down sink, at once, tlm shepherds and their sheep:
Involv'd alike, they rush to nether ground:
Stunn'd with the shock they fall, and stunn'd from earth
rebound :
So Turnus, hasting headlong to the town,
Should'ring and shoving, bore the squadrons down Stall pressing onward, to the walls he drew,
Where shafts, and spears, and darts promiscuous flew, And sanguine streams the slipp'ry ground embrue.
First stretching out his arm, m sign of peace, He cries aloud, to make the combat cease: "Rutulians, hold; and Latin troops, retire!
The fight is mine; and me the gods require.
'T is just that I should rind|care alone
The broken truce, or for the breach atone
This day shall free from wars th" Ausoman state, Or fimsh my m_sfortunes in my fate. "
Both armies from their bloody work desist,
And, bearing backward, form a spacious list.
The Trojan hero, who recexv'd from fame
The welcome sound, and heard the champion's name, Soon leaves the taken works and mounted walls,
Greedy of war where greater glory calls.
He springs to fight, exulting in his force;
His jomted armor rattles m the course.
Like Eryx, or like Athos, great he shows,
Or Father Apennine, when, white with snows,
His head d_vine obscure in clouds he hides,
And shakes the sounding forest on his sides.
The nations, overaw'd, surcease the fight;
? DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Immovable their bodies, fix'd their sight.
Ev'n death stands still; nor from above they throw Their darts, nor drive their batt'ring-rams below.
In silent order either army stands,
And drop their swords, unknowing, from their hands. Th' Ausonian king beholds, with wond'ring slght, Two mighty champions match'd in single fight,
Born under climes remote, and brought by fate,
With swords to try their titles to the state.
Now, in clos'd field, each other from afar They view; and, rushing on, begin the war.
They launch their spears; then hand to hand they meet; The trembling soil resounds beneath their feet:
Their bucklers clash; thick blows descend from high, And flakes of fire from their hard helmets fly. Courage conspires with chance, and both ingage With equal fortune yet, and mutual rage.
As when two bulls for their fair female fight In Sila's shades, or on Tahurnus' height;
With horns adverse they meet; the keeper flies; Mute stands the herd; the heifers roll their eyes, And wait th' event; which victor they shall bear, And who shall be the lord, to rule the lusty year: With rage o_ love the iealous rivals burn,
And push for push, and wound for wound return; Their dewlaps gor'd, their sides are lav'd in blood;
Loud cries and roaring sounds rebellow thro' the wood: Such was the combat in the listed ground;
So clash their swords, and so their shields resound. Jove sets the beam; in either scale he lays
The champions' fate, and each exactly weighs.
On this side, life and lucky chance ascends; Loaded with death, that other scale descends Rais'd on the stretch, young Turnus aims a blow Full on the helm of his unguarded foe:
Shrill shouts and clamors ring on either side, As hopes and fears their panting hearts divide. But all in pieces flies the traitor sword,
And, in the middle stroke, deserts his lord. Now 't is but death, or flight; disarm'd he fii_s
? THE TWELFTH BOOK OF THE _ENEIS _'I
When in his hand an unknown hilt he spies.
Fame says that Turnus, when his steeds he join'd, Hurrying to war, disorder'd in his mind,
Snatch'd the first weapon which his haste could find. 'T was not the fated sword his father bore,
But that his charioteer hletiscus wore.
This, while the Trojans fled, the toughness held; But, vain against the great Vulcaman shmld, The mortal-temper'd steel dcceiv'd his hand:
The shiver'd fragments shone amid the sand.
Surprls'd with fear, he fled along the field,
And now forthright, and now in orbits wheel'd;
For here the Trojan troops the hst surround,
And there the pass is clos'd with pools and marshy ground. ? _:neas hastens, tho' with heav,er pace--
His wound, so newly kmt, rctard_ the chase,
And oft his trcmbhng knees their aid refuse--
Yet, pressing foot by foot, his toe pursues
Thus, when a fearful stag is clos'd around With crimson toils, or in a river found,
High on the bank the deep-mouth'd hound appears, Still opening, following still, where'er he steers;
The persecuted creature, to and fro,
Turns here and there, to scape hls Umbnan foe: Steep is th' ascent, and, if he gains the land,
The purple death is pitch'd along the strand.
His eager foe, determm'd to the chase,
Stretch'd at his length, gains ground at ev'ry pace; Now to his beamy head he makes his way,
And now he holds, or thinks hc holds, his prey:
Just at the pinch, the stag springs out with fear;
He bites the wind, and fills his sounding jaws with air; The rocks, the lakes, the meadows ring with cries;
The mortal tumult mounts, and thunders in the skies Thus flies the Daunian prince, and, flying, blames
His tardy troops, and, calling by their names, Demands his trusty sword. The Trojan threats
The realm with rum, and their ancient seats
To lay in ashes, if they dare supply
With arms or aid his vanquish'd enemy:
? 4_ DRYDEN'S TRANSLATION OF VIRGIL
Thus menacing, he still pursues the course, With vigor, tho' dlmmish'd of his force.
Ten times already round the hsted place
One chief had fled, and t'other glv'n the chase: No trivial prize is play'd, for on the life
Or death of Turnus now depends the strife. Within the space, an ohve tree had stood,
A sacred shade, a venerable wood,
For vows to Faunus paid, the Latms' guardian god. Here hung the vests, and tablets were ingrav'd,
Of stoking mariners from sh_pwrack sav'ck
With heedless hands the Trojans fetl'd the tree,
To make the ground inclos'd for combat free.