Thou leav'st him a poor widow's charge. Stay, stay then, in this tow'r,
And call up to the wild fig-tree all thy retiréd pow'r;
For there the wall is easiest scal'd, and fittest for surprise,
And there, th' Ajaces, Idomen, th' Atrides, Diomed, thrice
Have both survey'd and made attempt; I know not if induc'd
By some wise augury, or the fact was naturally infus'd
Into their wits, or courages." To this, great Hector said:
"Be well assur'd, wife, all these things in my kind cares are weigh'd.
But what a shame, and fear, it is to think how Troy would scorn
(Both in her husbands, and her wives, whom long-train'd gowns adorn)
That I should cowardly fly off! The spirit I first did breath
Did never teach me that; much less, since the contempt of death
Was settled in me, and my mind knew what a worthy was,
Whose office is to lead in fight, and give no danger pass
Without improvement. In this fire must Hector's trial shine;
Here must his country, father, friends, be, in him, made divine.
And such a stormy day shall come (in mind and soul I know)
When sacred Troy shall shed her tow'rs, for tears of overthrow;
When Priam, all his birth and pow'r, shall in those tears be drown'd.
But neither Troy's posterity so much my soul doth wound,
Priam, nor Hecuba herself, nor all
(Who though so many, and so good, must all be food for foes)
As thy sad state; when some rude Greek shall lead thee weeping hence, These free days clouded, and a night of captive violence
Loading thy temples, out of which thine eyes must never see,
But spin the Greek wives' webs of task, and their fetch-water be 495 To Argos, from Messeides, or clear Hyperia's spring;
Which howsoever thou abhorr'st, Fate's such a shrewish thing
She will be mistress; whose curs'd hands, when they shall crush out cries From thy oppressions (being beheld by other enemies)
493 Free days-The second folio has "three days;" a misprint. 407 Shrewish-cursed, malicious.
496"The names of two fountains: of which one in Thessaly, the other near Argos, or, according to others, in Peloponnesus or Lacedæmon."-CHAPMAN.
Thus they will nourish thy extremes: This dame was Hector's wife,
A man that, at the wars of Troy, did breathe the worthiest life
Of all their army.' This again will rub thy fruitful wounds,
To miss the man that to thy bands could give such narrow bounds.
But that day shall not wound mine eyes; the solid heap of night
Shall interpose, and stop mine ears against thy plaints, and plight."
This said, he reach'd to take his son; who, of his arms afraid,
And then the horse-hair plume, with which he was so overlaid,
Nodded so horribly, he cling'd back to his nurse, and cried.
Laughter affected his great sire, who doff'd, and laid aside
His fearful helm, that on the earth cast round about it light;
Then took and kiss'd his loving son, and (balancing his weight
In dancing him) these loving vows to living Jove he us'd,
And all the other bench of Gods: "O you that have infus'd
Soul to this infant, now set down this blessing on his star;—
Let his renown be clear as mine; equal his strength in war;
And make his reign so strong in Troy, that years to come may yield
His facts this fame, when, rich in spoils, he leaves the conquer'd field `
Sown with his slaughters: These high deeds exceed his father's
And let this echo'd praise supply the comforts to come forth
Of his kind mother with my life." This said, th' heroic sire
Gave him his mother; whose fair eyes fresh streams of love's salt fire
Billow'd on her soft cheeks, to hear the last of Hector's speech,
In which his vows compris'd the sum of all he did beseech
In her wish'd comfort. So she took into her od'rous breast
Her husband's gift; who, mov'd to see her heart so much oppress'd,
He dried her tears, and thus desir'd: "Afflict me not, dear wife,
With these vain griefs. He doth not live, that can disjoin my
And this firm bosom, but my fate; and fate, whose wings can fly?
Noble, ignoble, fate controls. Once born, the best must die.
503 To miss the man, your slavery.
&c.—To miss him who could soon put an end or stop to
Go home, and set thy housewif'ry on these extremes of thought;
And drive war from them with thy maids; keep them from doing nought.
These will be nothing; leave the cares of war to men, and me
In whom, of all the Ilion race, they take their high'st degree."
On went his helm; his princess home, half cold with kindly fears; When ev'ry fear turn'd back her looks, and ev'ry look shed tears. Foe-slaught'ring Hector's house soon reach'd, her many women there Wept all to see her: in his life great Hector's fun'rals were; Never look'd any eye of theirs to see their lord safe home,
'Scap'd from the gripes and pow'rs of Greece. And now was Paris
From his high tow'rs; who made no stay, when once he had put on 540
His richest armour, but flew forth; the flints he trod upon
Sparkled with lustre of his arms; his long-ebb'd spirits now flow'd
The higher for their lower ebb. And as a fair steed, proud
With full-giv'n mangers, long tied up, and now, his head-stall broke,
He breaks from stable, runs the field, and with an ample stroke
Measures the centre, neighs, and lifts aloft his wanton head,
About his shoulders shakes his crest, and where he hath been fed,
Or in some calm flood wash'd, or, stung with his high plight, he flies
Amongst his females, strength put forth, his beauty beautifies,
And, like life's mirror, bears his gait; so Paris from the tow'r
Of lofty Pergamus came forth; he show'd a sun-like pow'r
In carriage of his goodly parts, address'd now to the strife;
And found his noble brother near the place he left his wife.
Him thus respected he salutes: "Right worthy, I have fear
That your so serious haste to field, my stay hath made forbear,
And that I come not as you wish." He answer'd: "Honour'd man,
Be confident, for not myself, nor any others, can
Reprove in thee the work of fight, at least, not any such
As is an equal judge of things; for thou hast strength as much
543 His simile, high and expressive; which Virgil almost word for word hath translated, Æn. xI. (v. 492)."-CHAPMAN.
154 THE SIXTH BOOK OF HOMER'S ILIADS.
As serves to execute a mind very important, but
Thy strength too readily flies off, enough will is not put
To thy ability. My heart is in my mind's strife sad,
When Troy (out of her much distress, she and her friends have had By thy procurement) doth deprave thy noblesse in mine ears.
But come, hereafter we shall calm these hard conceits of theirs,
When, from their ports the foe expuls'd, high Jove to them hath giv'n
Wish'd peace, and us free sacrifice to all the Powers of heav'n."
seo Important-full of anxiety, restless.
564 Noblesse.-The second folio has "noblenesse," which Dr. Taylor adopts; but the earlier reading is manifestly the true one. So ablesse, Bk. v. 248.
THE END OF THE SIXTH BOOK.
HECTOR, by Helenus' advice, doth seek
Advent'rous combat on the boldest Greek.
Nine Greeks stand up, acceptants ev'ry one,
But lot selects strong Ajax Telamon.
Both, with high honour, stand th' important fight,
Till heralds part them by approached night.
Lastly, they grave the dead. The Greeks erect
A mighty wall, their navy to protect;
Which angers Neptune. Jove, by hapless signs,
In depth of night, succeeding woes divines.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT.
In Eta, Priam's strongest son
Combats with Ajax Telamon.
HIS said, brave Hector through the ports, with Troy's
bane-bringing knight,
Made issue to th' insatiate field, resolv'd to fervent fight.
And as the Weather-wielder sends to seamen prosp'rous
When with their sallow polish'd oars, long lifted from their falls,
"These next four books have not my last hand; and because the rest (for a time) will be sufficient to employ your censures, suspend them of these. Spare not the other."-CHAPMAN.
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