Trojans and Greeks now gather round the flain; The war renews, the warriors bleed again; 540 As o'er their prey rapacious wolves engage, Man dies on man, and all is blood and rage. In blooming youth fair Simoifius fell, Sent by great Ajax to the shades of hell: Fair Simoifius, whom his mother bore $45 Amid the flocks on filver Simois' shore: The nymph defcending from the hills of Ide,. To seek her parents on his flow'ry fide, Brought forth the babe, their common care and joy, And thence from Simois nam'd the lovely boy.

.540. As o'er their prey rapacious wolves engage.] This short comparison in the Greek confifts only of two words, Auxcè , which Scaliger obferves upon as too abrupt. But may it not be anfwer'd that fuch a place as this, where all things are in confufion, feems not to admit of any fimile, except of one which scarce exceeds a metaphor in length? When two heroes are engag'd, there is a plain view to be given us of their actions, and there a long fimile may be of use, to raise and enliven them by parallel circumftances; but when the troops fall in promifcuously upon one another, the confufion excludes diftinct or particular images; and confequently comparisons of any length would be less natural

#.542. In blooming youth fair Simoïfius fell.] This Prince receiv'd his name from the river Simois, on whose banks he was born. It was the custom of the eastern people to give names to their child en deriv'd from the moft remarkable accidents of their birth. The holy fcripture is full of examples of this kind. It is alfo ufual in the Old Teftament.to compare Princes to trees, cedars, &c. as Simoïfius is here refembled to a poplar. Dacier.

Short

150 Short was his date! by dreadful Ajax slain He falls, and renders all their cares in vain! So falls a poplar, that in watry ground

Rais'd high the head, with stately branches crown'd, (Fell'd by fome artist with his shining steel, 555 To fhape the circle of the bending wheel)

.552. So falls a poplar.] Euftathius in Macrobius prefers to this fimile that of Virgil in the fecond Æneid.,

Ac veluti in fummis antiquam montibus ornum,
Cùm ferro accifam crebrifque bipennibus inftant
Eruere agricola certatim; illa ufque minatur,
Et tremefacta comam concufso vertice nutatz
Vulneribus donec paulatim evicta fupremum
Congemuit, traxitque jugis evulfa ruinam.

Mr. Hobbes, in the preface to his tranflation of Homer, has
difcours'd upon this occafion very judiciously. Homer (fays
he) intended no more in this place than to fhew how comely
the body of Simoïfins appear'd as he lay dead upon the bank
of Scamander, ftrait and tall with a fair head of hair, like a
ftrait and high poplar with the boughs ftill on; and not at
all to defcribe the manner of his falling, which (when a
man is wounded thro' the breaft, as he was with a fpear) is
always fudden. Virgil's is the defcription of a great tree fall-
ing when many men together hew it down. He meant to
compare the manner how Troy after many battels, and after
the lofs of many cities, conquer'd by the many nations un-
der Agamemnon in a long war, was thereby weaken'd, and at
laft overthrown, with a great tree hewn round about, and
then falling by little and little leisurely. So that reither
thefe two defcriptions, nor the two comparisons, can be
compared togther. The image of a man lying on the
ground is one thing; the image of falling (cfpecially of a
kingdom) is another. This therefore gives no advantage to
Virgil over Homer. Thus Mr. Hobbes,

Cut down it lies, tall, fmooth, and largely fpread,

With all its beauteous honours on its head;

There left a fubject to the wind and rain,

And scorch'd by funs, it withers on the plain. 560 Thus pierc'd by Ajax, Simoïfius lies

Stretch'd on the fhore, and thus neglected dies.
At Ajax, Antiphus his jav'lin threw ;
The pointed lance with erring fury flew,
And Leucus, lov'd by wife Ulysses, flew.
565 He drops the corps of Simoifius flain,

And finks a breathlefs carcafs on the plain.
This faw Ulyffes, and with grief enrag'd
Strode where the foremost of the foes engag'd;
Arm'd with his fpear, he meditates the wound,
570In act to throw; but cautious, look'd around,
Struck at his fight the Trojans backward drew,
And trembling heard the jav'lin as it flew.
A chief flood nigh who from Abydos came,
Old Priam's fon, Democoon was his name;
575 The weapon enter'd close above his ear,

Cold thro' his temples glides the whizzing spear;
With piercing fhrieks the youth refigns his breath,
His eye-balls darken with the fhades of death;

Pond'rous

Pond'rous he falls; his clanging arms refound;
And his broad buckler rings against the ground.

Seiz'd with affright the boldeft foes appear;

Ev'n godlike Hector feems himself to fear;
Slow he gave way, the reft tumultuous fled;

The Greeks with fhouts prefs on, and spoil the dead, 85 But Phoebus now from Ilion's tow'ring height

Shines forth reveal'd, and animates the fight.
Trojans be bold, and force with force oppose;
Your foaming steeds urge headlong on the foes!
Nor are their bodies rocks, nor ribb'd with feel;
90 Your weapons enter, and your ftrokes they feel.

Have ye forgot what feem'd your dread before?
The great, the fierce Achilles fights no more.

.585. But Phoebus now.] Homer here introduces Apollo on the fide of the Trojans: He had given them the affistance of Mars at the beginning of this battel; but Mars (which fignifies courage without conduct) proving too weak to refift Minerva (or courage with conduct) which the Poet represents as conftantly aiding his Greeks; they want fome prudent management to rally them again: He therefore brings in a Wisdom to affift Mars, under the appearance of Apollo..

.592. Achilles fights no more.] Homer from time to time puts his readers in mind of Achilles, during his abfence from the war; and finds occafions of celebrating his valour with the highest praifes. There cannot be a greater encomium than this, where Apollo himself tells the Trojans they have nothing to fear, fince Achilles fights no longer against them. Dacier

Apollo thus from Ilion's lofty tow'rs

Array'd in terrors, rowz'd the Trojan pow'rs: 595 While War's fierce Goddefs fires the Grecian foe, And fhouts and thunders in the fields below.

Then great Diores fell, by doom divine,

In vain his valour, and illustrious line.

A broken rock the force of Pirus threw, 600 (Who from cold Anus led the Thracian crew) Full on his ankle dropt the pond'rous stone, Burft the ftrong nerves, and crash'd the folid bone: Supine he tumbles on the crimfon'd fands,

Before his helpless friends, and native bands 605 And spreads for aid his unavailing hands.

The foes rufh'd furious as he pants for breath,
And thro' his navel drove the pointed death :
His gufhing entrails fmoak'd upon the ground,
And the warm life came iffuing from the wound.
610 His lance bold Thoas at the conqu'ror fent,

Deep in his breast above the pap it went,
Amid the lungs was fix'd the winged wood,
And quiv'ring in his heaving bofom flood:
'Till from the dying chief, approaching near,
615 Th' Ætolian warrior tugg'd his weighty spear:

Then