used to do himself. Alex. Paphius, saith Eustathius, delivers Homer as born of Egyptian parents, Dmasagoras, being his father, and Æthra his mother, his nurse being a certain prophetess and the daughter of Oris, Isis' priest, from whose breasts, oftentimes, honey flowed in the mouth of the infant. After which, in the night, he uttered nine several notes or voices of fowls, viz. of a swallow, a peacock, a dove, a crow, a partridge, a redshank, a stare, a blackbird, and a nightingale; and, being a little boy, was found playing in his bed with nine doves. Sibylla being at a feast of his parents was taken with sudden fury, and sung verses whose beginning was Δρασαγόρα πολύνικε : polynice, signifying much victory, in which song also she called him uɛyánλea, great in glory, and orepaviτnv, signifying garland-seller, and commanded him to build a temple to the Pegridarij, that is, to the Muses. Herodotus affirms that Phæmius, teaching a public school at Smyrna, was his master; and Dionysius in his 56th Oration saith, Socrates was Homer's scholar. In short, what he was, his works show most truly; to which, if you please, go on and examine him.

APOLLO'S priest to th' Argive fleet doth bring
Gifts for his daughter, prisoner to the king;
For which her tender'd freedom he entreats;
But, being dismiss'd with contumelious threats,
At Phoebus' hands, by vengeful prayer, he seeks
To have a plague inflicted on the Greeks.
Which had, Achilles doth a council cite,
Embold❜ning Calchas, in the king's despite,
To tell the truth why they were punish'd so.
From hence their fierce and deadly strife did grow.
For wrong in which acides* so raves,

That goddess Thetis, from her throne of waves
Ascending heaven, of Jove assistance won,
To plague the Greeks by absence of her son,
And make the general himself repent

To wrong so much his army's ornament.
This found by Juno, she with Jove contends;
Till Vulcan, with heaven's cup, the quarrel ends.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.

Alpha the prayer of Chryses sings:
The army's plague: the strife of kings.

CHILLES' baneful wrath resound, O Goddess, that impos'd
Infinite sorrows on the Greeks, and many brave souls los'd
From breasts heroic; sent them far to that invisible cave
That no light comforts; and their limbs to dogs and
vultures gave:

* Eacides-Achilles, grandson of Eacus.

3 Invisible cave

e-Hades.

To all which Jove's will gave effect; from whom first strife berm
Rotwist Atriles, king of men, and Thetis' godlike son.

Wheat goud gave Eris their command, and op'd that fighting sein ?
Five's and Tatung's son; who, fir'd against the king of men
For contumely shown his priest, infectious sickness sent

Po pligns the army, and to death by troops the soldiers went.
Pression if thina - Chryses, the priest, came to the fleet to buy,
Wie presents of unvalu'd price, his daughter's liberty;

The golden apepers and the crown of Phoebus in his hands
Plopsang - and madis suit to all, but most to the commands
OE hoodiele Acrides, who most rul'd. "Great Atreus' sons," said he,
• bond all ve well-groavid Greeks, the gods, whose habitations be
The heavenly houses, graes your powers with Priam's razed town,
Ani graur vo happy sondyet home! To win which wish'd renown
Ve Town, The Thomring his son, far-shooting Phoebus, deign
Top the off presents to diamolve the ransomable chain
Về qe by sị dughter's arvinde.” The Greeks entirely gave
Vieni avlamarons, fie agn that their destres would have
** prete per revviened, and 'us grits of so much price embrac'd.
vivoni tee Top no ach mind, but revusly disgrac'd

I Sayap bar qama rity memper, and said —“ Derand avoid our fleet,
HD Je ne vieni Ny me ter framing fer

རྩོད་པ་༣༠ག །གང་སྤེལ་ཅིག ས། བྱིན¢ AtCv*®rt

Avvive held mine own

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20

26

With all fit ornaments my bed. Incense me then no more,

But, if thou wilt be safe, begone." This said, the sea-beat shore,
Obeying his high will, the priest trod off with haste and fear;
And, walking silent, till he left far off his enemies' ear,
Phœbus, fair hair'd Latona's son, he stirr'd up
with a vow,

35

To this stern purpose:
"Hear, thou God that bear'st the silver bow,
That Chrysa guard'st, rul'st Tenedos with strong hand, and the round
Of Cilla most divine dost walk! O Smintheus! if crown'd
With thankful offerings thy rich fane I ever saw, or fir'd
Fat thighs of oxen and of goats to thee, this grace desir'd
Vouchsafe to me: pains for my tears let these rude Greeks repay,
Forc'd with thy arrows." Thus he pray'd, and Phoebus heard him pray,
And, vex'd at heart, down from the tops of steep heaven stoop'd; his

bow,

And quiver cover'd round, his hands did on his shoulders throw;
And of the angry Deity the arrows as he mov'd

40

45

Rattled about him. Like the night he rang'd the host, and rov'd (Apart the fleet set) terribly; with his hard-loosing hand

His silver bow twang'd; and his shafts did first the mules command
And swift hounds; then the Greeks themselves his deadly arrows shot.
The fires of death went never out; nine days his shafts flew hot
About the army; and the tenth, Achilles called a court

50

Of all the Greeks; heaven's white-arm'd Queen (who, everywhere cut

short,

Beholding her lov'd Greeks, by death) suggested it; and he
(All met in one) arose, and said: "Atrides, now I see

We must be wandering again, flight must be still our stay,
If flight can save us now, at once sickness and battle lay
Such strong hand on us. Let us ask some prophet, priest, or prove
Some dream-interpreter (for dreams are often sent from Jove)
Why Phœbus is so much incens'd; if unperformed vows
He blames in us, or hecatombs; and if these knees he bows

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60

50 Went-the second folio omits this word. 52 White-arm'd queen-Juno.

To all which Jove's will gave effect; from whom first strife begun 5 Betwixt Atrides, king of men, and Thetis' godlike son.

What god gave Eris their command, and op'd that fighting vein? Jove's and Latona's son; who, fir'd against the king of men For contumely shown his priest, infectious sickness sent To plague the army, and to death by troops the soldiers went. Occasion'd thus: Chryses, the priest, came to the fleet to buy, For presents of unvalu'd price, his daughter's liberty; The golden sceptre and the crown of Phoebus in his hands Proposing; and made suit to all, but most to the commands Of both th' Atrides, who most rul’d. "Great Atreus' sons," said he, "And all ye well-greav'd Greeks, the gods, whose habitations be In heavenly houses, grace your powers with Priam's razed town, And grant ye happy conduct home! To win which wish'd renown Of Jove, by honouring his son, far-shooting Phoebus, deign For these fit presents to dissolve the ransomable chain Of

my lov'd daughter's servitude." The Greeks entirely gave Glad acclamations, for sign that their desires would have

The grave priest reverenc'd, and his gifts of so much price embrac'd.
The general yet bore no such mind, but viciously disgrac'd
With violent terms the priest, and said:" Dotard! avoid our fleet,
Where ling'ring be not found by me, nor thy returning feet
Let ever visit us again, lest nor thy godhead's crown,

Nor sceptre, save thee! Her thou seek'st I still will hold mine own
Till age deflow'r her. In our court at Argos, far transferr'd
From her lov'd country, she shall ply her web, and see prepar'd

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20

26

30

6 Atrides-patronymic of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Thetis' son-Achilles. 7 Eris-the goddess of strife, personification of strife.

8 Jove and Latona's son- -Apollo.

12 Unvalued-invaluable, not to be valued. So Shakespeare

"Inestimable stones, unvalu'd jewels."—Rich. III. 1. 4.

30" See my bed made," it may be Englished. The word is ávriówσav, which signifies contra stantem, as standing of one side opposite to another on the other side; which yet others translate capessentem et adornantem; which, since it shows best to a reader, I follow.-CHAPMAN.