But he, our Chief, provok'd the raging pest,→ 120 Apollo's vengeance for his injur'd Priest. Nor will the God's awaken'd fury cease, But plagues shall spread, and fun'ral fires increase, 'Till the great King, without a ransom paid, To her own Chryfa fend the black-ey'd maid.-125 Perhaps, with added facrifice and pray'r, . The Prieft may pardon, and the God may-fpare. The Prophet spoke; when with a gloomy frownr The Monarch started from his fhining throne; Black choler fill'd his breast that boil'd with ire, And from his eyeballs flash'd the living fire. 130 Augur accurft! denouncing mischief still, Prophet of plagues, for ever boding ill! Still lefs, is frequent in Homer, but not always us'd with so much' propriety as here. The reader may obferve that care has not been wanting thro' this tranflation, to preferve thofe epithets which are peculiar to the author, whenever they receive any beauty from the circumftances about them; as this of blamelefs manifeftly does in the prefent paffage. It is not only ap ply'd to a priest, but to one who being confcious of the truth, prepares with an honest boldness to difcover it. V. 131. Angur accurft.] This expreffion is not merely thrown out by chance, but proves what Chalcas faid of the King when he ask'd protection, "That he harbour'd anger in his heart. For it aims at the prediction Chalcas had given at Aulis ninė years before, for the facrificing his daughter Iphigenia. Sport danus. This, and the two following lines, are in a manner repeti Still muft that tongue fome wounding meffage bring, And still thy priestly pride provoke thy King? 135 For this are Phabus Oracles explor'd, To teach the Greeks to murmur at their Lord? For this with falfhoods is my honour stain'd; Is Heav'n offended, and a priest profan'd, Because my prize, my beauteous maid I hold, 140 And heav'nly charms prefer to proffer'd gold? A maid, unmatch'd in manners as in face, Skill'd in each art, and crown'd with every grace. Not half fo dear were Clytemnestra's charms, When first her blooming beauties bleft my arms. tions of the fame thing thrice over. It is left to the reader. to confider how far it may be allow'd, or rather prais'd-for a beauty, when we confider with Euftathius that it is a moft natural effect of anger to be full of words, and insisting on that which galls us. We may add, that these reiterated expreffions might be fuppos'd to be thrown out one after another, as Agamemnen is ftruck in the confufion of his paffion, firft by the remembrance of one prophecy, and then of another, which the fame man had utter'd against him. . 143. Not half fo dear were Clytemnestra's charms.] Aga. memnon having heard the charge which Chaleas drew up againft him in two particulars, that he had affronted the Priest, and refus'd to restore his daughter; he offers one answer which gives foftening colours to both, that he lov'd her as well as his Queen Clytamneftra for her perfections. Thus he would feem to fatisfy the father by kindness to his daughter, to excufe himself before the Greeks for what is paft, and to make a merit of yielding her, and facrificing his paffion for their fafety. Yet 5 Yet if the Gods demand her, let her fail; 150 But fince for common good I yield the fair, Would'ft . 155. Infatiate King] Here, where this paffion of anger grows loud, it feems proper to prepare the reader, and prevent his mistake in the character of Achilles, which might fhock him in feveral particulars following. We fhould know," that the Poet rather ftudy'd nature than perfection, in the laying down his characters. He refolv'd to fing the confequences of anger; he confider'd what virtues and vices would conduce moft to bring his Moral out of the Fable; and artfully difpos'd them in his chief perfons after the manner in which We generally find them; making the fault which moft peculiarly attends any good quality, to refide with it. Thus he has plac'd pride with magnanimity in Agamemnon, and craft with prudence in Vlyffes. And thus we must take his Achilles, not as a mere heroick dispaffion'd character, but as compounded of courage and anger; one Who finds himfelf almoft invincible, and affumes an uncontroul'd carriage upon the self-consciousness of his worth; whofe high ftrain of honour will not fuffer him to betray his friends, or fight against them, even when he thinks they have affronted him; F 4 but Would'st thou the Greeks their lawful prey should yield, The due reward of many a well-fought field? The fpoils of cities raz'd, and warriors flain, 160 We fhare with juftice, as with toil we gain: But to refume whate'er thy av'rice craves, (That trick of Tyrants) may be born by flaves. Yet if our Chief for plunder only fight, The fpoils of Ilion fhall thy lofs requite, 165 Whene'er, by Jove's decree, our conqu'ring powers Shall humble to the duft her lofty tow'rs. 170 Then thus the King. Shall I my prize refign Think not to rob me of a foldier's right. At but whose inexorable refentment will not let him hearken to any terms of accommodation. Thefe are the lights and ades of his character, which Homer has heighten'd and darken'd in extremes; because on the one fide valour is the darling quality of Epic Poetry; and on the other, anger the particular fubje&t of this Poem. When characters thus mix'd are well conducted, tho' they be not morally beautiful quite through, they conduce more to the end, and are still poetically perfect. Pimar takes occafion from the obfervation of this conduct in Homer, to applaud his just imitation of nature and truth, in representing virtues and vices intermixed in his He roes: contrary to the paradoxes and ftrange pofitions of the Stoics, who held that no vice could confift with virtue, nor the leaft virtue with vice. Plut. de aud. Poetis. ✯. 169. Great as thou art, and like a God in fight.] The words At thy demand fhall I reftore the maid! Ulyffes' fpoils, or ev'n thy own be mine. The man who fuffers, loudly may complain;. 180 And rage he may, but he shall rage in vain. in the original are ceinen' 'Axinn. Vlyffes is foon after call'd sĩ, and others in other places. The phrafe of divine or god-like is not ufed by the Poet to fignify perfection in men, but apply'd to confiderable perfons upon account of fome particular qualification or advantage, which they were poffefs'd of far above the common ftandard of mankind. Thus it is afcrib'd to Achilles on account of his great valour, to Vly,fes for his preheminence in wisdom: even to Paris for his exceeding beauty, and to Clytemnestra for feveral fair endow ments. . 172. First let the just equivalent.] The reafoning in point of right between Achilles and Agamemnon seems to be this. Achilles pleads that Agamemnon could not feize upon any other man's captive without a new diftribution, it being an invation of private property. On the other hand, as Agamemnon's power was limited, how came it that all the Grecian Captains would fubmit to an illegal and arbitrary action? I think the legal pretence for his feizing Brifeis must have been founded upon that Law, whereby the Commander in chief had the power of taking what part of the prey he pleas'd for his own ufe: And he being oblig'd to reftore what he had taken, it feem'd but juft that he fhould have a fecond choice. |