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Thefe, when the Spartan Queen approach'd the tow'r, In fecret own'd refiftless Beauty's pow'r:

mufical creature, particularly Anacreon and Theocritus, Idyl. I. where a fhepherd praises another's finging by telling him,

Τέτλιος ἐπεὶ τόγε φέρτερον ἄδεις.

It is remarkable that Mr. Hobbes has omitted this beautiful fimile.

, 203. Thee, when the Spartan Fair approach'd.] Madam Dacier is of opinion there was never a greater panegyrick upon beauty, than what Homer has found the art to give it in this place. An affembly of venerable old counsellors, who had fuffer'd all the calamities of a tedious war, and were confulting upon the methods to put a conclusion to it, feeing the only caufse of it approaching towards them, are ftruck with her charms and cry our, No wonder ? &c. Nevertheless they afterwards recollect themfelves, and conclude to part with her for the publick faiety. If Homer had carry'd thefe old mens admiration any farther, he had been guilty of outraging nature, and offending against probability. The old are capable of being touch'd with beauty by the eye; but age fecures them from the tyranny of paffion, and the effect is but tranfitory, for prudence foon regains its dominion over them. Homer always goes as far as he should, but conftantly ftops juft where he ought. Dacier.

The fame writer compares to this the fpeech of Holofernes's foldiers on the fight of Judith, ch. x. . 18. But tho' there be a resemblance in the words, the beauty is no way parallel; the grace of this confifting in the age and character of those who speak it. There is fomething very gallant upon the beauty of Helen in one of Lucian's dialogues. Mercury fhews Menippus the skuls of feveral fine women; and when the philofopher is moralizing upon that of Helen. Was is for this a thousand ships fail'd from Greece, so many brave men dy'd, and fo many cities were deftroy'd? My friend (Jays Mercury) 'tis true; but what you behold is only her skull; you would have been of their opinion, and have done the very fame thing, had you seen her face.

They

5 They cry'd, No wonder, fuch celeftial charms For nine long years have fet the world in arms; What winning graces! what majestick mien! She moves a Goddess, and the looks a Queen! Yet hence, oh heav'n! convey that fatal face, 10 And from deftruction fave the Trojan race.

The good old Priam welcom'd her, and cry'd,
Approach, my child, and grace thy father's fide.
See on the plain thy Grecian spouse appears,
The friends and kindred of thy former years.
15 No crime of thine our present suff'rings draws,
Not thou, but heav'n's difpofing will, the caufe;
The Gods thefe armies and this force employ,
The hoftile Gods confpire the fate of Troy.

. 211. The good old Priam.] The character of a benevolent> old man is very well preferv'd in Priam's behaviour to Helena, Upon the confufion he obferves her in, he encourages her, by attributing the misfortunes of the war to the Gods alone, and not to her fault. This fentiment is alfo very agreeable to the natural piety of old age; thofe who have had the longeft experience of human accidents and events, being moft inclin'd to afcribe the difpofal of all things to the will of heaven. It is this piety that renders Priam à favourite of fupirer, (as we find in the beginning of the fourth book) which for fome time delays the deftruction of Troy; while his foft nature and indulgence for his children makes him continue a war which ruines him. Thefe are the two principal points of Priam's character, tho' there are feveral leffer particularities, among which we may obferve the curiofity and inquifitive humour of old age, which gives occafion to the following Episode,

But

But lift thy eyes, and fay, What Greek is he 220 (Far as from hence these aged orbs can fee) Around whofe brow fuch martial graces shine, So tall, fo awful, and almoft divine?

. 219. And say, what Chief is he?] This view of the Grecian leaders from the walls of Troy, is juftly look'd upon as an Episode of great beauty, as well as a masterpiece of conduct in Homer; who by this means acquaints the readers with the figure and qualifications of each heroe in a more lively and agreeable manner. Several great Poets have been engaged by the beauty of this paffage to an imitation of it. In the feventh book of Statius, Phorbas standing with Antigone on the tower of Thebes, fhews her the forces as they were drawn up, and describes their commanders who were neigbouring Princes of Bastia. It is alfo imitated by Tafo in his third book, where Erminia from the walls of Jerufalem points out the chief warriours to the King; tho' the latter part is perhaps copied too closely and minutely; for he defcribes Godfrey to be of a port that befpeaks him a Prince, the next of fomewhat a lower ftature, a third renown'd for his wisdom, and then another is diftinguifh'd by the largeness of his chest and breadth of his fhoulders: Which are not only the very particulars, but in the very order of Homer's.

But however this manner of introduction has been admir'd, there have not been wanting fome exceptions to a particular or two. Scaliger asks, how it happens that Priam, after nine years fiege, fhould be yet unacquainted with the faces of the Grecian leaders? This was an old cavil, as appears by the Scholia that pafs under the name of Didymus, where it is very well antwer'd, that Homer has juft before taken care to tell us the heroes had put off their armour on this occafion of the truce, which had conceal'd their perfons till now. thers have objected to Priam's not knowing Vlyffes, who (as it appears afterwards) had been at Troy on an embaffy. The anfwer is, that this might happen either from the dimness of Priam's fight, or defect of his memory, or from the change of Vlyffes's features fince that time.

O

Tho

Tho' fome of larger ftature tread the green,
None match his grandeur and exalted mien:
He feems a Monarch, and his countrey's pride.
Thus ceas'd the King, and thus the Fair reply'd.
Before thy prefence, Father, I appear

With confcious fhame and reverential fear.
Ah! had I dy'd, e're to thefe walls I fled,
O Falfe to my countrey, and my nuptial bed,
My brothers, friends, and daughter left behind,
Falfe to them all, to Paris only kind!

For this I mourn, 'till grief or dire disease
Shall waft the form whofe crime it was to please!
The King of Kings, Atrides, you survey,
Great in the war, and great in arts of sway:
My brother once, before my days of fhame;
And oh that ftill he bore a brother's name!

. 227. Before thy prefence.] Helen is fo overwhelmed with grief and fhame, that he is unable to give a direct answer to Priam without firft humbling herself before him, acknowledging her crime, and teftifying her repentance. And the no fooner anfwers by naming Agamemnon, but her forrows renew at the name; He was once my brother, but I am now a wretch unworthy to call him fo.

. 236. Great in the war, and great in arts of sway.] This was the verfe which Alexander the Great preferr'd to all others in Homer, and which he propos'd as the pattern of his own actions, as including whatever can be defir'd in a Prince Plut, Orat. de fort. Alex. I.

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With wonder Priam view'd the God-like man,
240 Extoll'd the happy Prince, and thus began.
O bleft Atrides! born to profp'rous fate,
Successful Monarch of a mighty state!
How vaft thy empire! Of yon' matchlefs train
What numbers loft, what numbers yet remain?
245 In Phrygia once were gallant armies known,
In ancient time, when Otreus' fill'd the throne,\
When Godlike Mygdon led their troops of horse,
And I, to join them, rais'd the Trojan force;
Against the manlike Amazons we ftood,

250 And Sangar's ftream ran purple with their blood. But far inferior thofe, with martial grace

And strength of numbers, to this Grecian race.
Then faid, once more he view'd the warriour-train;
What's he, whofe arms lie fcatter'd on the plain?

.240 Extold the happy Prince] It was very natural for Priam on this occafion, to compare the declining condition of his kingdom with the flourishing ftate of Agamemnon's, and to oppofe his own mifery (who had loft most of his fons and his braveft warriours) to the felicity of the other, in being yet mafter of fo gallant an army. After this the humour of old age breaks out, in the narration of what armies he had formerly feen, and bore a part in the command of; as well as what feats of valour he had then performed. Befides which, this praife of the Greeks from the mouth of an enemy, was no small encomium of Homer's countreymen.

Broad

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