But fond of glory, with fevere delight.

His beating bofom claim'd the rifing fight. 260 No longer with his warlike fteeds he ftay'd, Or prefs'd the car with polish'd brass inlay'd: But left Eurymedon the reins to guide;

The fiery courfers fnorted at his fide.

On foot thro' all the martial ranks he moves, 265 And these encourages, and those reproves.

Brave

ders us more awakenʼd. more attentive, and more full of the thing de feribed. Madam Dacier will have it, that it is the Mufe who addreffes herself to the Poet in the fecond perfon: 'Tis no great matter which, fince it has equally its effect either way.

. 264 Thro' all the martial ranks he moves, &c. In the following review of the army, which takes up a great part of this book, we fee all the fpirit, art, and induftry of a compleat General; together with the proper characters of thofe leaders whom he incites. Agamemnon confiders at this fudden exigence, that he should first address himself to all in geperal; he divides his difcourfe to the brave and the fearfal, ufing alguments which arife from confidence or despair, paffions which act upon us moft forcibly: To the brave, he urges their fecure hopes of conqueft, fince the Gods must punish perjury; to the timorous, their inevitable deftruction, if the enemy fhould burn their fhips. After this he flies from rank to rank, applying himself to each ally with particular artifice: He careffes Idomeneus as an old friend, who had promised not to forfake him; and meets with an answer in that hero's true character, fhort, honeft, hearty, and foldier like. He praifes the 4iaxes as warriors whofe examples fir'd the army; and is received by them without any reply, as they were men who did not profefs fpeaking He paffes next to Neftor, whom he finds talking to his foldiers as he marshall'd them; here he was not to part without a complement on both fides; he wishes him the ftrength he had once in his youth, and is anfwer'd with an account of something which the old heroe had done

Brave men! he cries (to fuch who boldly dare
Urge their swift steeds to face the coming war)
Your ancient valour on the foes appro ve;

Jove is with Greece, and let us truft in Jove, 70'Tis not for us, but guilty Troy to dread,

Whose crimes fit heavy on her perjur'd head;
Her fons and matrons Greece fhall lead in chains,
And her dead warriors ftrow the mournful plains.

Thus with new ardour he the brave inspires; 275 Or thus the fearful with reproaches fires.

Shame to your country, fcandal of your kind!
Born to the fate ye well deferve to find!
Why ftand ye gazing round the dreadful plain,
Prepar'd for flight, but doom'd to fly in vain?

in his former days. From hence he goes to the troops which
lay fartheft from the place of action where he finds Menetheus
and Ulyffes, not intirely unprepar'd, nor yet in motion, as be-
ing ignorant of what had hap, en'd. He reproves Ulyffe for
this, with words agreeable to the hurry he is in, and receives
an answer which fuits not ill with the twofold character of a
wife and a valiant man: Hereupon Agamemnon appears prefent
to himself, and excufes his hafty expreffions. The next he
meets is Diomed, whom he alto rebukes for backwardness, but
after another manner, by fetting before him the example of
his father. Thus is Agamemnon introduc'd, praifing, terrify-
ing, exhorting blaming, excufing himself, and again relap-
fing into reproofs; a lively picture of a great mind in the
higheft emotion. And at the fame time the variety i fo kept
up, with a regard to the different characters of the leaders,
that our thoughts are not tired with running along with him
over all his army.

280 Confus'd and panting, thus, the hunted deer

Falls as he flies, a victim to his fear.

Still must ye wait the foes, and ftill retire, 'Till yon' tall veffels blaze with Trojan fire? Or trust ye, Jove a valiant foe shall chace? 285 To fave a trembling, heartlels daftard race?

This faid, he stalk'd with ample strides along,
To Creet's brave monarch and his martial throng;
High at their head he saw the chief appear,
And bold Meriones excite the rear.

290 At this the King his gen'rous joy expreft,
And clafp'd the warrior to his armed breast.
Divine Idomeneus! what thanks we owe

295

To worth like thine? what praise shall we bestow?
To thee the foremost honours are decreed,

First in the fight, and ev'ry graceful deed.

For this, in banquets, when the gen'rous bowls
Reftore our blood, and raise the warrior's fouls,

Tho

. 296. For this, in banquets.] The ancients ufually in their feafts divided to the guests by equal portions, except when they took fome particular occafion to fhew diftinction, and give the preference to any one perfon. It was then look'd upon as the highest mark of honour to be allotted the best portion of meat and wine, and to be allowed an exemption from the laws of the feaft, in drinking wine unmingled and without ftint. This cuftom was much more ancient than the

Tho' all the reft with ftated rules we bound, Unmix'd, unmeafur'd are thy goblets crown'd. 300 Be ftill thy felf; in arms a mighty name;

Maintain thy honours, and enlarge thy fame.

To whom the Cretan thus his fpeech addreft;
Secure of me, O King! exhort the rest:

Fix'd to thy fide, in ev'ry toil I share,

305 Thy firm affociate in the day of war.

310

But let the fignal be this moment giv'n;
To mix in fight is all I ask of heav'n.
The field fhall prove how perjuries fucceed,
And chains or death avenge their impious deed.
Charm'd with this heat, the King his courfe pursues,
And next the troops of either Ajax views:

In one firm orb the bands were rang'd around,
A cloud of heroes blacken'd all the ground.
Thus from the lofty promontory's brow

315 A fwain furveys the gath'ring ftorm below;
Slow from the main the heavy vapours rife,
Spread in dim ftreams, and fail along the skies,

time of the Trojan war, and we find it practised in the banquet given by fofeph to his brethren in Ægypt, Gen. 43. . ult. And he fent melles to them from before him, but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. Datier.

'Till black as night the fwelling tempeft shows,

The cloud condenfing as the Weft-wind blows: 320 He dreads th' impending ftorm, and drives his flock To the close covert of an arching rock.

Such, and fo thick, th' embattel'd squadrons stood, With fpears erect, a moving iron wood;

A fhady light was fhot from glimm'ring fhields, 325 And their brown arms obfcur'd the dusky fields. O heroes! worthy fuch a dauntless train, Whofe godlike virtue we but urge in vain, (Exclaim'd the King) who raise your eager bands

With great examples, more than loud commands. 330 Ah would the Gods but breathe in all the rest.

Such fouls as burn in your exalted breast!

Soon fhould our arms with just fuccefs be crown'd,
And Troy's proud walls lie fmoaking on the ground.
Then to the next the Gen'ral bends his course;

335 (His heart exults, and glories in his force)
There rev'rend Neftor ranks his Pylian bands,
And with infpiring eloquence commands;

With

. 336. There rev'rend Nestor ranks his Pylian bands.] This is the Prince whom Homer chiefly celebrates for martial difcipline; of the reft he is content to fay they were valiant, and ready to fight: The years, long obfervation and experience of Neftor, render'd him the fitteft perfon to be diftinguished on this

account.