45 Strong God of Ocean! thou, whose rage can make The folid earth's eternal bafis fhake!

What cause of fear from mortal works could move

The meaneft fubject of our realms above?
Where-e'er the fun's refulgent rays are caft,

50 Thy pow'r is honour'd, and thy fame shall laft.
But yon' proud work no future age fhall view,
No trace remain where once the glory grew.
The fapp'd foundations by thy force shall fall,

And whelm'd beneath thy waves, drop the huge wall 55 Vaft drifts of fand fhall change the former shore; The ruin vanith'd, and the name no more.

Thus they in heav'n: while, o'er the Grecian train,
The rolling fun defcending to the main

Beheld the finish'd work. Their bulls they flew;
60 Black from the tents the fav'ry vapors flew.
And now the fleet, arriv'd from Lemnos' stands,
With Bacchus' bleffings chear'd the gen'rous bands.

. 560. And now the fleet, &c.] The verfes from hence to the end of the book, affords us the knowledge of fome points of history and antiquity. As that Jafon had a fon by Hypfipyle, who fucceeded his mother in the kingdom of Lemnos: That the ifle of Lemnos was anciently famous for its wines, and drove a traffick in them; and that coined money was not in ufe in the time of the Trojan war, but the trade of countries carry'd on by exchange in grofs, brafs, oxen, flaves, &c. I muft not forget the particular term uled here for slave, dvdesodor, which is literally the fame with our modern word footman.

Of

Of fragrant wines the rich Eunaus fentA thousand measures to the royal tent. $65 (Eunaus, whom Hypfipyle of yore

To Jafon, fhepherd of his people, bore)
The reft they purchas'd at their proper coft,
And well the plenteous freight fupply'd the hoft:
Each, in exchange, proportion'd treasures gave;
570 Some brafs, or iron, fome an oxe, or slave.

All night they feaft, the Greek and Trojan pow'rs;
Those on the fields, and these within their tow'rs.
But Jove averfe the figns of wrath display'd,

And fhot red light'nings thro' the gloomy fhade: 575 Humbled they ftood; pale horror feiz'd on all, While the deep thunder fhook th' aerial hall. Each pour'd to Joue before the bowl was crown'd, And large libations drench'd the thirsty ground; Then late refresh'd with fleep from toils of fight, $80 Enjoy'd the balmy bleffings of the night.

.575. But Jove averfe, &c.] The figns by which Jupiter here fhews his wrath against the Grecians, are a prelude to thofe more open declarations of his anger which follow in the next book, and prepare the mind of the reader for that machine, which might otherwife feem too bold and violent.

THE

THE

EIGHTH BOOK

OF THE

ILIA D.

THE

The ARGUMENT.

The fecond battel, and the distress of the Greeks.

Ju

UPITER affembles a council of the Deities, and threatens them with the pains of lartarus if they affift either fide: Minerva only obtains of him that he may direct the Greeks by her counfels. The armies join battel; Jupiter on mount Ida weighs in his balances the fates of both, and affrights the Greeks with his thunders and lightnings. Neftor alone continues in the field in great danger; Diomed relieves him; whofe exploits, and those of Hector, are excellently defcribed. Juno endeavours to animate Neptune to the afiftance of the Greeks, but in vain. The acts of Teucer, who is at length woun ded by Hector, and carry'd off. Juno and Minerva prepare to aid the Grecians, but are restrained by Iris, fent from Jupiter. The night puts an end to the battel. Hector continues the field, (the Greeks being driven to their fortification before the ships) and gives orders to keep the watch all night in the camp, to prevent the enemy from re-imbarking and efcaping by flight. They kindle fires through all the field, and pass the night under arms.

The

The time of feven and twenty days is employed from the opening of the Poem to the end of this book. fcene here (except of the celestial machines) lies in the field toward the fea-shore.

THE