Both the Ajaces had command, who answer'd every part,

Th' assaulters, and their soldiers, repress'd,

and put in heart;

Repairing valour as their wall; spake some fair, some reproved,

Whoever made not good his place; and thus they all sorts moved:

"O countrymen, now need in aid would have excess be spent, [excellent, The excellent must be admired, the meanest The worst do well. In changing war all should not be alike,

Nor any idle; which to know fits all, lest Hector strike

Your minds with frights, as ears with

threats. Forward be all your hands, Urge one another. This doubt down, that now betwixt us stands,

Jove will go with us to their walls." To this effect aloud

Spake both the princes; and as high, with

this, th' expulsion flow'd.

And as in winter time, when Jove his cold sharp javelins throws Amongst us mortals; and is moved to white

earth with his snows;

The winds asleep, he freely pours, till

highest prominents,

Hill tops, low meadows, and the fields that crown with most contents The toils of men, seaports, and shores, are hid, and every place,

But floods, that snow's fair tender flakes, as their own brood, embrace; So both sides cover'd earth with stones, so both for life contend,

To show their sharpness; through the wall uproar stood up an end.

Nor had great Hector and his friends the rampire overrun,

If heaven's great Counsellor, high Jove, had not inflamed his son

Sarpedon (like the forest's king when he on oxen flies)

Against the Grecians; his round targe he to his arm applies, Brass-leaved without, and all within thick ox-hides quilted hard, The verge nail'd round with rods of gold; and, with two darts prepared, He leads his people. As ye see a mountain lion fare,

Long kept from prey, in forcing which, his high mind makes him dare Assault upon the whole full fold, though guarded never so

With well-arm'd men, and eager dogs; away he will not go,

But venture on, and either snatch a prey, or be a prey;

So fared divine Sarpedon's mind, resolved to force his way

Through all the fore-fights, and the wall; yet since he did not see [mind as he, Others as great as he in name, as great in He spake to Glaucus: "Glaucus, say, why are we honour'd more

Than other men of Lycia, in place; with greater store

Of meats and cups; with goodlier roofs; delightsome gardens; walks; More lands and better; so much wealth, that court and country talks

Of us and our possessions, and every way

we go,

Gaze on us as we were their Gods? This where we dwell is so;

The shores of Xanthus ring of this; and shall we not exceed

As much in merit as in noise? Come, be we great in deed

As well as look; shine not in gold, but in the flames of fight;

That so our neat-arm'd Lycians may say: 'See, these are right

Our kings, our rulers; these deserve to eat and drink the best;

These govern not ingloriously; these, thus exceed the rest,

Do more than they command to do.' O friend, if keeping back

Would keep back age from us, and death, and that we might not wrack In this life's human sea at all, but that deferring now

We shunn'd death ever, nor would I half this vain valour show,

Nor glorify a folly so, to wish thee to advance;

But since we must go, though not here; and that, besides the chance

Proposed now, there are infinite fates of other sorts in death,

Which, neither to be fled nor scaped, a man must sink beneath;

Come, try we, if this sort be ours, and either render thus

Glory to others, or make them resign the like to us.'

This motion Glaucus shifted not, but without words obey'd. Foreright went both, a mighty troop of Lycians followed.

The whole fights near, to see what chief might help the misery out

Of his poor soldiers, and beheld where both th' Ajaces fought,

And Teucer newly come from fleet; whom it would profit nought

To call, since tumult on their helms, shields, and upon the ports,

Laid such loud claps; for every way, defences of all sorts

Were adding, as Troy took away; and clamour flew so high

Her wings strook heaven, and drown'd all voice; the two dukes yet so nigh, And at the offer of assault, he to th' Ajaces sent

Thoos the herald with this charge: "Run to the regiment

Of both th' Ajaces, and call both, for both were better here,

Since here will slaughter, instantly, be more

The herald hasted and arrived; and both th' Ajaces told,

That Peteus' noble son desired their little labour would

Employ himself in succouring him. Both their supplies were best,

Since death assail'd his quarter most; for on it fiercely press'd

The well-proved mighty Lycian chiefs. Yet if the service there

Allow'd not both, he pray'd that one part of his charge would bear, And that was Ajax Telamon, with whom he wish'd would come [his room The archer Teucer. Telamon left instantly To strong Lycomedes, and will'd Ajax Oiliades

With him to make up his supply, and fill

with courages

The Grecian hearts till his return; which
should be instantly
When he had well relieved his friend.
With this the company

Of Teucer he took to his aid; Teucer, that did descend

(As Ajax did) from Telamon. With these two did attend

Pandion, that bore Teucer's bow. When to Menestheus' tower

They came, alongst the wall, they found him, and his hearten'd power,

Toiling in making strong their fort. The Lycian princes set

Black whirlwind - like, with both their powers, upon the parapet.

Ajax, and all, resisted them. amongst them rose.

Clamour

The slaughter Ajax led; who first the last dear sight did close

Of strong Epicles, that was friend to Jove's great Lycian son. [marble stone Amongst the high munition heap, a mighty Lay highest, near the pinnacle, a stone of such a paise

That one of this time's strongest men with both hands could not raise,

Yet this did Ajax rouse and throw, and all in sherds did drive

Epicles' four-topp'd casque and skull; who (as ye see one dive

In some deep river) left his height; life left his bones withal.

Teucer shot Glaucus, rushing up yet higher on the wall,

Where naked he discern'd his arm, and made him steal retreat

From that hot service, lest some Greek, with an insulting threat,

Beholding it, might fright the rest. Sarpedon much was grieved

At Glaucus' parting, yet fought on, and his great heart relieved

A little with Alcmaon's blood, surnamed Thestorides,

Whose life he hurl'd out with his lance; which following through the prease, He drew from him. Down from the tower Alcmaon dead it strook;

His fair arms ringing out his death. Then fierce Sarpedon took

In

his strong hand the battlement, and down he tore it quite,

The wall stripp'd naked, and broad way for entry and full fight

He

made the many. Against him Ajax and Teucer made;

Teucer the rich belt on his breast did with a shaft invade;

But Jupiter averted death, who would not

see his son

Die at the tails of th' Achive ships. Ajax did fetch his run,

The stern steel gave for that one prise; whereof though some received Their portions on their naked backs, yet others were bereaved

Of brave lives, face-turn'd, through their shields; towers, bulwarks, everywhere Were freckled with the blood of men. Nor yet the Greeks did bear Base back-turn'd faces; nor their foes would therefore be out-faced.

But as a spinster poor and just, ye sometimes see, strait-laced

About the weighing of her web; who, careful, having charge

For which she would provide some means, is loth to be too large

Lend your hands.

In

What many can dispatch,

Is

One cannot think. The noble work of many hath no match." The wise king's just rebuke did strike a

reverence to his will Through all his soldiers; all stood in, and 'gainst all th' Achives still Made strong their squadrons, insomuch, that to the adverse side, The work show'd mighty, and the wall, when 'twas within descried,

No easy service; yet the Greeks could neither free their wall

Of these brave Lycians, that held firm the place they first did scale;

Nor could the Lycians from their fort the sturdy Grecians drive,

Nor reach their fleet. But as two men about the limits strive

Of land that toucheth in a field, their measures in their hands,

They mete their parts out curiously, and either stiffly stands

That so far is his right in law; both hugely set on fire

About a passing little ground; so, greedily aspire

Both these foes to their several ends, and

all exhaust their most

About the very battlements (for yet no more was lost).*

With sword and fire they vex'd for them their targes hugely round, With ox-hides lined, and bucklers light; and many a ghastly wound

Admiranda et penè inimitabilis comparatio (saith Spond.); and yet in the explication of it, he thinks all superfluous but three words, briyw ¿vì xwpw, exiguo in loco, leaving out other words more expressive, with his old rule, uno pede, &c.

So

giving or in taking weight, but ever with her hand

doing with the weights and wool, till both in just paise stand ;*

evenly stood it with these foes, till Jove to Hector gave

The turning of the scales; who first against the rampire drave,

And spake so loud that all might hear: 'O stand not at the pale,

44

Brave Trojan friends, but mend your hands; up, and break through the wall, And make a bonfire of their fleet." All heard, and all in heaps Got scaling-ladders, and aloft. space, Hector leaps

In mean

Upon the port, from whose out-part he tore a massy stone,

Thick downwards, upwards edged; it was so huge a one

That two vast yeoment of most strength, such as these times beget, Could not from earth lift to a cart, yet he did brandish it

Alone, Saturnius

made it light; and swinging it as nought,

He came before the planky gates, that all for strength were wrought,

And kept the port; two-fold they were, and with two rafters barr'd,

High, and strong-lock'd; he raised the stone, bent to the hurl so hard,

A simile superior to the other, in which, comparing mightiest things with meanest, and the meanest illustrating the mightiest, both meeting in one end of this life's preservation and credit, our Homer is beyond comparison and admiration.

† Δύο ἀνέρε δήμου. Duo viri plebei

And made it with so main a strength, that

all the gates did crack; The rafters left them, and the folds one from another brake;

The hinges piecemeal flew, and through the fervent little rock Thunder'd a passage; with his weight th' inwall his breast did knock :

And in rush'd Hector, fierce and grim as any stormy night; His brass arms round about his breast reflected terrible light.

Each arm held up held each a dart; his presence call'd up all

The dreadful spirits his being held, that to the threaten'd wall

None but the Gods might check his way; his eyes were furnaces;

And thus he look'd back, call'd in all. All fired their courages,

And in they flow'd. The Grecians fled, their fleet now and their freight Ask'd all their rescue. Greece went down; tumult was at his height.

Hippemolgians,1

Long-lived, most just, and innocent; and close-fought Mysians:

Nor turn'd he any more to Troy his evershining eyes, [the Deities, Because he thought not any one, of all When his care left th' indifferent field, would aid on either side.

But this security in Jove the great SeaRector spied,

Who sat aloft on th' utmost top of shady Samothrace,

And view'd the fight.

His chosen seat stood in so brave a place, That Priam's city, th' Achive ships, all Ida, did appear [therefore seated there. To his full view; who from the sea was He took much ruth to see the Greeks by Troy sustain such ill, And, mightily incensed with Jove, stoop'd straight from that steep hill, That shook as he flew off, so hard his parting press'd the height.

Of his immortal moving feet. Three steps he only took,

Before he far-off Ægas reach'd; but, with

the fourth, it shook

With his dread entry. In the depth of those seas he did hold

His bright and glorious palace, built of never-rusting gold;

And there arrived, he put in coach his brazen-footed steeds,

All golden-maned, and paced with wings; and all in golden weeds

He clothed himself. The golden scourge, most elegantly done,

He took, and mounted to his seat; and then the God begun

To drive his chariot through the waves. From whirlpits every way

The whales exulted under him, and knew their king; the sea

For joy did open; and, his horse so swift and lightly flew,

The under axletree of brass no drop of water drew.

And thus these deathless coursers brought their king to th' Achive ships.

'Twixt th' Imber cliffs and Tenedos, a

certain cavern creeps

Into the deep sea's gulfy breast, and there th' Earth-shaker stay'd

His forward steeds, took them from coach, and heavenly fodder laid

In reach before them; their brass hooves be girt with gyves of gold,

Not to be broken, nor dissolved, to make them firmly hold

A fit attendance on their king; who went to th' Achive host,

Which, like to tempests or wild flames, the clustering Trojans toss'd Insatiably valorous, in Hector's like command,

High sounding, and resounding shouts; for hope cheer'd every hand make the Greek fleet now their prize, and all the Greeks destroy.

To

But

Neptune, circler of the earth, with fresh heart did employ

The Grecian hands. In strength of voice and body he did take

trembled beneath the weight

Ajaces first bespake,