To grace her interruption. 'Tis a thing Honest, and honour'd too, to hear one sing

Numbers so like the Gods in elegance, As this man flows in. By the morn's first light,*

I'll call ye all before me in a Court,
That I may clearly banish your resort,
With all your rudeness, from these roofs of
mine.
[bine.
Away; and elsewhere in your feasts com-
Consume your own goods, and make
mutual feast

At either's house. Or if ye still hold best,
And for your humours' more sufficed fill,
To feed, to spoil, because unpunish'd still,
On other findings, spoil; but here I call
Th' eternal Gods to witness, if it fall
In my wish'd reach once to be dealing
wreaks,

By Jove's high bounty, these your present cheeks

To what I give in charge shall add more reins

To my revenge hereafter; and the pains Ye then must suffer shall pass all your pride

Ever to see redress'd, or qualified."

At this all bit their lips, and did admire His words sent from him with such phrase and fire; [tinous, Which so much moved them that AnEupitheus' son, cried out: "Telemachus! The Gods, I think, have rapt thee to this height

Of elocution, and this great conceit
Of self-ability. We all may pray,
That Jove invest not in this kingdom's
sway

Thy forward forces, which I see put forth
A hot ambition in thee for thy birth.'

"Be not offended," he replied, “if I† Shall say, I would assume this empery,

ambitionis concitet, testatur se regnum

If Jove gave leave. You are not he that sings:

The rule of kingdoms is the worst of things.
Nor is it ill, at all, to sway a throne;
A man may quickly gain possession
Of mighty riches, make a wondrous prize
Set of his virtues; but the dignities
That deck a king, there are enough beside
In this circumfluous isle that want no pride
To think them worthy of, as young as I,
And old as you are. An ascent so high
My thoughts affect not. Dead is he that
held

1

Desert of virtue to have so excell'd.
But of these turrets I will take on me
To be the absolute king; and reign as
free,

As did my father over all his hand
Left here in this house, slaves to my com-
mand."

Eurymachus, the son of Polybus,

To this made this reply: "Telemachus! The girlond of this kingdom let the knees Of deity run for; but the faculties

This house is seised of, and the turrets here,

Thou shalt be lord of, nor shall any bear

The least part off of all thou dost possess,
As long as this land is no wilderness,
Nor ruled by out-laws. But give these
their pass,

And tell me, best of princes, who he was That guested here so late? from whence? and what?

In any region boasted he his state?
His race? his country? Brought he any

news

Of thy returning father? Or for dues
Of moneys to him made he fit repair?
How suddenly he rush'd into the air,
Nor would sustain to stay and make him
known!

His port shew'd no debauch'd compa

nion."

Call'd by my mother for her care's unrest, It should not move me. For my late fair guest,

He was of old my father's, touching here From sea-girt Taphos; and for name doth bear

Mentas, the son of wise Anchialus ;
And governs all the Taphians studious
Of Navigation." This he said, but knew
It was a Goddess. These again withdrew
To dances and attraction of the song;
And while their pleasures did the time
prolong,

The sable Even descended, and did steep
The lids of all men in desire of sleep.

Telemachus, into a room built high
Of his illustrious court, and to the eye
Of circular prospect, to his bed ascended,
And in his mind much weighty thought
contended.

Before him Euryclea (that well knew
All the observance of a handmaid's due,
Daughter to Opis Pisenorides)

Bore two bright torches; who did so much please

Laertes in her prime, that, for the price
Of twenty oxen, he made merchandize

THE ARGUMENT.

TELEMACHUS to court doth call
The wooers, and commands them all
To leave his house; and, taking then
From wise Minerva ship and men,
And all things fit for him beside,
That Euryclea could provide
For sea-rites till he found his sire,

He hoists sail; when Heaven stoops his fire.

ANOTHER.

Bira. The old Maid's store

The voyage cheers.

The ship leaves shore,

Minerva steers.

Now when with rosy fingers, th' early

born

And thrown through all the air, appear'd the Morn,

Ulysses' loved son from his bed appear'd, His weeds put on, and did about him gird His sword that thwart his shoulders hung, and tied

To his fair feet fair shoes, and all parts plied

For speedy readiness: who, when he trod The open earth, to men shew'd like a God.

The heralds then he straight charged to

consort

The curl'd-head Greeks, with loud calls, to a Court.

They summon'd; th' other came in utmost haste.

Who all assembled, and in one heap placed,

He likewise came to council, and did bear In his fair hand his iron-headed spear: Nor came alone, nor with men-troops prepared,

But two fleet dogs made both his train and guard.

Pallas supplied with her high wisdom's grace,

(That all men's wants supplies) State's painted face.

His entering presence all men did admire; Who took seat in the high throne of his sire,

VOL. III.

To which the grave peers gave him reverend way.

Amongst whom, an Egyptian heroë
(Crooked with age, and full of skill) begun
The speech to all; who had a loved son
That with divine Ulysses did ascend

His hollow fleet to Troy; to serve which end,

He kept fair horse, and was a man-at

arms,

And in the cruel Cyclop's stern alarms
His life lost by him in his hollow cave,
Whose entrails open'd his abhorred grave,
And made of him, of all Ulysses' train,
His latest supper, being latest slain;
His name was Antiphus. And this old

man,

This crooked-grown, this wise Egyptian, Had three sons more; of which one riotous

A wooer was, and call'd Eurynomus ;
The other two took both his own wish'd

course.

Yet both the best fates weigh'd not down the worse,

But left the old man mindful still of moan;
Who, weeping, thus bespake the Session:
Hear, Ithacensians, all I fitly say:
Since our divine Ulysses' parting day
Never was council call'd, nor session,
And now by whom is this thus under-
gone?

Whom did necessity so much compel,
Of young or old? Hath any one heard
tell

Of any coming army, that he thus now
May openly take boldness to avow,
First having heard it? Or will any here
Some motion for the public good prefer?
Some worth of note there is in this com-
mand;

And, methinks, it must be some good man's hand

That's put to it, that either hath direct Means to assist, or, for his good affect, Hopes to be happy in the proof he makes; And that Jove grant, whate'er he undertakes.

Telemachus (rejoicing much to hear The good hope and opinion men did bear

X

To hear him speak, and put into his hand The sceptre that his father did command; Then, to the old Egyptian turn'd, he spoke :

"Father, not far he is that undertook To call this Council; whom you soon shall know.

Myself, whose wrongs my griefs will make me show,

Am he that author'd this assembly here.
Nor have I heard of any army near,
Of which, being first told, I might iterate,
Nor for the public good can aught relate,
Only mine own affairs all this procure,
That in my house a double ill endure;
One, having lost a father so renown'd,
Whose kind rule once with your command
was crown'd;

The other is, what much more doth aug

ment

His weighty loss, the ruin imminent
Of all my house by it, my goods all spent.
And of all this the wooers, that are sons
To our chief peers, are the confusions,
Importuning my mother's marriage
Against her will; nor dares their blood's
bold rage

Go to Icarius', her father's court,
That, his will ask'd in kind and comely
sort,

He may endow his daughter with a dower, And, she consenting, at his pleasure's power

Dispose her to a man, that, thus behaved, May have fit grace, and see her honour saved.

But these, in none but my house, all their lives

Resolve to spend; slaughtering my sheep and beeves,

And with my fattest goats lay feast on feast,

My generous wine consuming as they list.. A world of things they spoil, here wanting

one,

That, like Ulysses, quickly could set gone These peace-plagues from his house, that spoil like war;

Whom my powers are unfit to urge so far,

Myself immartial.
But, had I the power,
My will should serve me to exempt this
hour

From out my life-time. For, past patience,
Base deeds are done here, that exceed
defence
Falling is my house,
Which you should shame to see SO
ruinous.

Of any honour.

Reverence the censures that all good men give

That dwell about you; and for fear to live Exposed to heaven's wrath (that doth ever pay

Pains for joys forfeit) even by Jove I pray, Or Themis, both which, powers have to restrain

Or gather councils, that ye will abstain From further spoil; and let me only waste In that most wretched grief I have embraced

For my lost father. And though I am free

From meriting your outrage, yet, if he,
Good man, hath ever with a hostile heart
Done ill to any Greek, on me convert
Your like hostility, and vengeance take
Of his ill on my life, and all these make
Join in that justice; but, to see abused
Those goods that do none ill but being ill-
used,

Exceeds all right. Yet better 'tis for me,
My whole possessions and my rents to see
Consumed by you, than lose my life and
all;

For on your rapine a revenge may fall,
While I live; and so long I may complain
About the city, till my goods again,
Oft ask'd, may be with all amends repaid.
But in the mean space your misrule hath
laid

Griefs on my bosom, that can only speak, And are denied the instant power of wreak."

This said, his sceptre 'gainst the ground he threw,

And tears still'd from him; which moved all the crew:

The court strook silent, not a man did

dare

To give a word that might offend his ear. Antinous only in this sort replied:

"High spoken, and of spirit unpacified, How have you shamed us in this speech of yours!

Will you brand us for an offence not ours? Your mother, first in craft, is first in cause. Three years are past, and near the fourth now draws,

Since first she mock'd the peers Achaian. All she made hope, and promised every

man:

Sent for us ever, left love's shew in nought,

Her friends that woo her; standing on her wit,

Because wise Pallas hath given wiles to it So full of art, and made her understand All works in fair skill of a lady's hand.

thought.

Besides, as curious in her craft, her loom She with a web charged, hard to overcome,

And thus bespake us: 'Youths, that seek my bed,

Since my divine spouse rests among the dead,

Hold on your suits but till I end, at most,
This funeral weed, lest what is done be lost.
Besides, I purpose, that when th' austere
fate

Of bitter death shall take into his state
Laertes the heroë, it shall deck
His royal corse; since I should suffer check
In ill report of every common dame,

If one so rich should shew in death his shame.'

This speech she used; and this did soon persuade

none

Of all the old world, in which Greece hath shown

Her rarest pieces, that could equal her:
Tyro, Alcmena, and Mycena were
To hold comparison in no degree,
For solid brain, with wise Penelope.
And yet, in her delays of us, she shows
No prophet's skill with all the wit she

Owes ;

For all this time thy goods and victuals go
To utter ruin; and shall ever so,
While thus the Gods her glorious mind
dispose.

Glory herself may gain, but thou shalt lose
Thy longings even for necessary food;
For we will never go where lies our good,
Nor any other where, till this delay
She puts on all she quits with th' endless
stay

made

So hugely long, undoing still in night* (By torches) all she did by day's broad light,

That three years her deceit dived past our view,

And made us think that all she feign'd was true.

But when the fourth year came, and those sly hours

That still surprise at length dames' craftiest powers;

One of her women, that knew all, disclosed

The secret to us, that she still unloosed Her whole day's fair affair in depth of night.

And then no further she could force her sleight,

But, of necessity, her work gave end.
And thus, by me, doth every other friend,
Professing love to her, reply to thee;
That even thyself, and all Greeks else may

see,

That we offend not in our stay, but she. To free thy house then, send her to her sire,

Commanding that her choice be left entire
To his election, and one settled will.
Nor let her vex with her illusions still

*Telam Penelopes retexere. Proverbium.

The wise young prince replied: "Antinous !

I may by no means turn out of my house Her that hath brought me forth and nourish'd me.

Besides, if quick or dead my father be
In any region, yet abides in doubt;
And 'twill go hard, by means being so run
out,

To tender to Icarius again,

If he again my mother must maintain
In her retreat, the dower she brought with
her.

And then a double ill it will confer,
Both from my father and from God on me,
When, thrust out of her house, on her
bent knee,

My mother shall the horrid Furies raise
With imprecations, and all men dispraise
My part in her exposure. Never then
Will I perform this counsel.
If your

spleen

Swell at my courses, once more I command Your absence from my house. Some other's hand

Charge with your banquets; on your own goods eat,

And either other mutually intreat,
At either of your houses, with your feast.
But if ye still esteem more sweet and best