de Repub. where he saith, 'Opbus apça, &c. Meritò igitur clarorum virorum ploratus è medio tolleremus, &c. To answer which, and justify the fitness of tears generally (as they may be occasioned) in the greatest and most renowned men (omitting examples of Virgil's Eneas, Alexander the Great, &c.,) I oppose against Plato, only one precedent of great and most perfect humanity (to Whom infinitely above all other we must prostrate our imitations) that shed tears, viz., our All-perfect and Almighty Saviour, Who wept for Lazarus. This then, leaving the fitness of great men's tears, generally, utterly unanswerable, these particular tears of unvented anger in Achilles are in him most natural ; tears being the highest effects of greatest and most fiery spirits, either when their abilities cannot perform to their wills, or that they are restrained of revenge, being injured; out of other considerations, as now the consideration of the state and gravity of the counsel and public good of the army-curbed Achilles. Who can deny that there are tears of manliness and magnanimity, as well as womanish and pusillanimous? So Diomed wept for curst heart, when Apollo struck his scourge from him, and hindered his horse-race, having been warned by Pallas before not to resist the deities; and so his great spirits being curbed of revenge for the wrong he received then. So when not-enough-vented anger was not to be expressed enough by that tear-starting affection in courageous and fierce men, our most accomplished expressor helps the illustration in a simile of his fervour, in most fervent-spirited fowls, resembling the wrathful fight of Sarpedon and Patroclus to two vultures fighting, and crying on a rock; which thus I have afterwards Englished, and here for example inserted :

"Down jump'd he from his chariot; down leap'd his foe as light;
And as, on some far-seeing rock, a cast of vultures fight,

Fly on each other, strike, and truss, part, meet, and then stick by,
Tug both with crooked beaks and seres, cry, fight, and fight, and cry.
So fiercely fought these angry kings, &c."

Wherein you see that crying in these eagerly-fought fowls (which is like tears in angry men) is so far from softness or faintness, that to the

superlative of hardiness and courage it expresseth both. Nor must we be so gross to imagine that Homer made Achilles or Diomed blubber, or sob, &c., but, in the very point and sting of their unvented anger, shed a few violent and seething-over tears. What ass-like impudence is it then for any merely vain-glorious and self-loving puff, that everywhere may read these inimitable touches of our Homer's mastery, anywhere to oppose his arrogant and ignorant castigations when he should rather (with his much better understander Spondanus) submit where he oversees him faulty, and say thus; "Quia tu tamen hoc voluisti, sacrosanctæ tuæ authoritati per me nihil detrahetur.”

THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK.

JOVE calls a vision up from Somnus' den
To bid Atrides muster up his men.
The King, to Greeks dissembling his desire,
Persuades them to their country to retire.
By Pallas' will, Ulysses stays their flight;
And wise old Nestor heartens them to fight.

They take their meat; which done, to arms they go,
And march in good array against the foe.

So those of Troy; when Iris, from the sky,

Of Saturn's son performs the embassy.

ANOTHER ARGUMENT.

Beta the dream and synod cites;
And catalogues the naval knights.

HE other Gods, and knights at arms, all night slept;
only Jove

Sweet slumber seiz'd not; he discours'd how best he
might approve

His vow made for Achilles' grace, and make the Grecians find
His miss in much death. All ways cast, this counsel serv'd his mind
With most allowance; to dispatch a harmful Dream to greet
The king of men, and gave this charge: "Go to the Achive fleet,

Miss-absence, or loss.

5 Allowance-approbation.

"A stirring dwarf we most allowance give
Before a sleeping giant."

SHAKESPEARE.

Troil. and Cres. II. 3.

5

Pernicious Dream, and, being arriv'd in Agamemnon's tent,
Deliver truly all this charge. Command him to convent

His whole host arm'd before these tow'rs; for now Troy's broad-way'd

town

He shall take in; the heav'n-hous'd Gods are now indiff'rent grown:
Juno's request hath won them; Troy now under imminent ills
At all parts labours." This charge heard, the Vision straight fulfils ;
The ships reach'd, and Atrides' tent, in which he found him laid,
Divine sleep pour'd about his powers. He stood above his head
Like Nestor, grac'd of old men most, and this did intimate:

66

11

Sleeps the wise Atreus' tame-horse son? A councillor of state Must not the whole night spend in sleep, to whom the people are For guard committed, and whose life stands bound to so much care. Now hear me, then, Jove's messenger, who, though far off from thee, Is near thee yet in ruth and care, and gives command by me

To arm thy whole host. Thy strong hand the broad-way'd town of
Troy

Shall now take in; no more the Gods dissentiously employ
Their high-hous'd powers; Juno's suit hath won them all to her;
And ill fates overhang these tow'rs, address'd by Jupiter.
Fix in thy mind this, nor forget to give it action, when

15

20

25

Sweet sleep shall leave thee." Thus, he fled; and left the king of men
Repeating in discourse his dream, and dreaming still, awake,
Of pow'r, not ready yet for act. O fool, he thought to take
In that next day old Priam's town; not knowing what affairs
Jove had in purpose, who prepar'd, by strong fight, sighs and cares 30
For Greeks and Trojans. The Dream gone, his voice still murmuréd
About the king's ears; who sate up, put on him in his bed

s Convent-convene.

10 Take in-conquer. Shakespeare.
"Is it not strange, Canidius,

He could so quickly cut th' Ionian sea,
And take in Toryne ?"-Anton. and Cleop. 111. 7.

16 Tame-horse-tamer of horses.

20 Ruth-pity, tender care. A word in use even in Milton's time.
24 Address'd-prepared. A frequent word.

His silken inner weed, fair, new; and then in haste arose,
Cast on his ample mantle, tied to his soft feet fair shoes,
His silver-hilted sword he hung about his shoulders, took

His father's sceptre never stain'd, which then abroad he shook,
And went to fleet. And now great heav'n Goddess Aurora scal'd,
To Jove, and all Gods, bringing light; when Agamemnon call'd
His heralds, charging them aloud to call to instant court

35

The thick-hair'd Greeks. The heralds call'd; the Greeks made quick

resort.

The Council chiefly he compos'd of old great-minded men,

40

At Nestor's ships, the Pylian king. All there assembled then,
Thus Atreus' son began the court: "Hear, friends: A Dream divine,
Amidst the calm night in my sleep, did through my shut eyes shine,
Within my fantasy. His form did passing naturally
Resemble Nestor; such attire, a stature just as high.

45

He stood above my head, and words thus fashion'd did relate:
'Sleeps the wise Atreus' tame-horse son? A councillor of state
Must not the whole night spend in sleep, to whom the people are
For guard committed, and whose life stands bound to so much care. 50
Now hear me then, Jove's messenger, who, though far off from thee,
Is near thee yet in love and care, and gives command by me

To arm thy whole host. Thy strong hand the broad-way'd town of Troy
Shall now take in; no more the Gods dissentiously employ

Their high-hous'd pow'rs; Saturnia's suit hath won them all to her; 55 And ill fates over-hang these tow'rs, address'd by Jupiter.

Fix in thy mind this.'

And sweet sleep left me.

This express'd, he took wing and away,

Let us then by all our means assay

To arm our army; I will first (as far as fits our right)

Try their addictions, and command with full-sail'd ships our flight; 60

33 Weed-dress. Now generally used for mourning, but formerly for any dress. Thus Spenser,

"A goodlie ladie, clad in hunter's weed."-F. Q. 11. iii. 21. 60 Addictions--will, inclinations.