395

400

Such are the proffers which this day we bring,
Such the repentance of a fuppliant king.
But if all this, relentlefs, thou difdain,
If honour, and if intereft, plead in vain ;
Yet fome redrefs to fuppliant Greece afford,
And be, amongst her guardian Gods, ador`d.
If no regard thy fuffering country claim,
Hear thy own glory, and the voice of fame:
For know that chief, whofe unrefifted ire
Made nations tremble, and whole hofts retire,
Proud Hector, now, th' unequal fight demands,
And only triumphs to deferve thy hands. 405
Then thus the Goddess-born: Ulyffes, hear
A faithful fpeech, that knows nor art, nor fear;
What in my fecret foul is understood,
My tongue fhall utter, and my deeds make good.
Let Greece then know, my purpose I retain; 410
Nor with new treaties vex my peace in vain.
Who dares think one thing, and another tell,
My heart detefts him as the gates of hell.

Then thus, in fhort, my fixt refolves attend, Which nor Atrides, nor his Greeks, can bend;

In search of prey fhe wings the spacious air,
And with th' untafted food fupplies her care:
For thanklefs Greece fuch hardships have I brav'd,
Her wives, her infants. by my labours fav'd;
Long fleepless nights in heavy arms I ftood, 430
And sweat laborious days in dust and blood.
I fack'd twelve ample cities on the main,
And twelve lay fmoaking on the Trojan plain:
Then at Atrides' haughty feet were laid
The wealth I gather'd, and the spoils I made. 435
Your mighty monarch these in peace poffeft;
Some few my foldiers had, himself the reft.
Some prefent too to every prince was paid;
And every prince enjoys the gift he made;
I only must refund of all his train;

440

475

And hear with oars the Hellefpont resound.
The third day hence, thall Phthia greet our fails,
If mighty Neptune fend propitious gales;
Phthia to her Achilles fhall restore
The wealth he left for this detefted fhore:
Thither the spoils of this long war fhall pafs,
The ruddy gold, the fteel, and shining brass;
My beauteous captives thither I'll convey,
And all that refts of my unravish'd prey.
One only valued gift your tyrant gave,
And that refum'd, the fair Lyrnetian slave.
Then tell him, loud, that all the Greeks may
hear,

480

And learn to fcorn the wretch they bafely fear;
(For, arm'd in impudence, mankind he braves,
485

And meditates new cheats on all his flaves;
Though fhameless as he is, to face these eyes
Is what he dares not; if he dares he dies)
Tell him, all terms, all commerce, I decline,
Nor fhare his council, nor his battle join; 140
For once deceiv'd, was his; but twice were
mine.

495

No-let the ftupid prince, whom Jove deprives
Of fenfe and juftice, run where frenzy drives;
His gifts are hateful: kings of fuch a kind
Stand but as flaves before a noble mind.
Not though he proffer'd all himself possest,
And all his rapine could from others wreft;
Not all the golden tides of wealth that crown
The many-peopled Orchomenian town;
Not all proud Thebes' unrivall'd walls contain,
500

The world's great empress on th' Ægyptian plain,
(That fpreads her conquefts o'er a thousand itates,
And pours her heroes through a hundred gates,
Two hundred horfemen, and two hundred cars
From each wide portal iffuing to the wars) 505
Though bribes were heap'd on bribes, in number

more

Than duft in fields, or fands along the shore; Should all thcfe offers for my friendship call; 'Tis he that offers, and I fcorn them all. Atrides' daughter never shall be led (An ill-match'd confort) to Achilles' bed; Like golden Venus though the charm'd the heart, And vy'd with Pallas in the works of art,

510

525

530

Life is not to be bought with heaps of gold;
Not all Apollo's Pythian treasures hold,
Or Troy once held, in peace and pride of fway,
Can bribe the poor poffeffion of a day!
Loft herds and treasures, we by arms regain,
And steeds unrivall'd on the dusty plain:
But from our lips the vital spirit fled,
Returns no more to wake the filent dead.
My fates long fince by Thetis were difclos'd,
And each alternate, life or fame, propos'd;
Here, if I stay, before the Trojan town,
Short is my date, but deathlefs my renown; 535
If I return, I quit immortal praise
For years on years, and long-extended days.
Convinc'd, thongh late, I find my fond mistake,
And warn the Greeks the wifer choice to make;
To quit thefe fhores, their native feats enjoy, 540
Nor hope the fall of heaven-defended Troy.
Jove's arm difplay'd afferts her from the skies;
Her hearts are ftrengthen'd, and her glories rife.
Go then, to Greece report our fix'd defign;
Bid all your counfels, all your armies join,
Let all your forces, all your arts confpire,
To fave the fhips, the troops, the chiefs from fire.
One ftratagem has fail'd, and others will:
Ye find, Achilles is unconquer'd still.
Go then-digeft my meffage as ye may-
But here this night let reverend Phoenix stay:
His tedious toils and hoary hairs demand
A peaceful death in Phthia's friendly land.
But whether he remain, or fail with me.
His age be facred, and his will be free.

545

58

My father, faithlefs to my mother's arms,
Old as he was, ador'd a ftranger's charn's.
I try'd what youth could do at her defire)
To win the damfel, and prevent my fire.
My fire with curfes loads my hated head,
And cries, "Ye furies! barren be his bed."
Infernal Jove, the vengeful fiends below,
And ruthless Proferpine, confirm'd his vow. 585
Defpair and grief distract my labouring mind?
Gods! what a crime my impious heart defign'd!
I thought (but fome kind God that thought fup-
prest)

To plunge the poniard in my father's breast:
Then meditate my flight; my friends in vain 590
With prayers entreat me, and with force detain.
On fat of rams, black bulls, and brawny fwine,
They daily feaft, with draughts of fragrant
wine:

Strong guards they plac'd, and watch'd nine

550

Thy infant breaft a like affection fhow'd;
Still in my arms (an ever-pleafing load),
Or at my knee, by Phoenix would't thou ftand;

610

555

The fon of Peleus ceas'd: the chiefs around In filence wrapt, in confternation drown'd, Attend the stern reply. Then Phoenix rofe; (Down his white beard a .eam of forrow flows) And while the fate of fuffering Greece he mourn'd, 560

With accent weak these tender words return'd:
Divine Achilles! wilt thou then retire,
And leave our hosts in blood, our fleets on fire?
If wrath fo dreadful fill thy ruthless mind,
How fhall thy friend, thy Phoenix, stay behind?

615

No food was grateful but from Phoenix' hand.
I pafs my watchings o'er thy helpless years,
The tender labours, the compliant cares;
The Gods (I thought) revers'd their hard decree,
And Phoenix felt a father's joy in thee:
Thy growing virtues juftify'd my cares,
And promis'd comfort to my filver hairs.
Now be thy rage, thy fatal rage, refign'd;
A cruel heart ill fuits a manly mind:
The Gods (the only great, and only wife)
Are mov'd by offerings, vows, and facrifice;
Offending man their high compaffion wins,
And daily prayers atone for daily fins.
Prayers are Jove's daughters, of celestial race,
Lame are their feet, and wrinkled is their face;

620

625

With humble mien and with dejected eyes,
Conftant they follow, where injuftice flies:
Injustice, fwift, erect, and unconfin'd,
Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o'er man-
kind,

He bade me teach thee all the ways of war; 570
To fhine in councils and in camps to dare.
Never, ah never let me leave thy fide!
No time fhall part us, and no fate divide.
Not though the God, that breath'd my life, reftore
The bloom I boafted, and the port I bore,
575
When Greece of old beheld my youthful flames,
Delightful Greece, the land of lovely dames!)

While prayers, to heal her wrongs, move flow behind

Who hears thefe daughters of almighty Jove, For him they mediate to the throne above: When man rejects the humble fuit they make, The fire revenges for the daughter's fake;

Were these not paid thee by the terms we bring,
Were rage ftill harbour'd in the haughty king:
Nor Greece, nor all her fortunes, fhould engage
Thy friend to plead against so just a rage.
But fince what honours afk, the general fends,
645

And fends by those whom moft thy heart commends,

The best and nobleft of the Grecian train;
Permit not thefe to fue, and fue in vain!
Let me (my fon) an ancient fact unfold,
A great example drawn from times of old;
650
Hear what our fathers were, and what their praife,
Who conquer'd their revenge in former days.

Where Calydon on rocky mountains stands,
Once fought th' Ætolian and Curetian bands;
To guard it thofe, to conquer thefe advance; 655
And mutual deaths were dealt with mutual chance.
The filver Cynthia bade Contention rife,
In vengeance of neglected facrifice;
On Oencus' field the fent a monstrous boar,
That levell'd harvests, and whole forests tore:

660 This beaft (when many a chief his tufks had flain)

Great Meleager ftretch'd along the plain.
Then, for his spoils, a new debate arose,
The neighbour nations thence commencing foes.
Strong as they were, the bold Curetes fail'd, 665
While Meleager's thundering arm prevail'd:
Till rage at length inflam'd his lofty breaft
(For rage invades the wifeft and the best).

Curs'd by Althæa, to his wrath he yields, And in his wife's embrace forgets the fields. 670 "She from Marpeffa fprung, divinely fair, "And matchlefs Idas, more than man in war; "The God of day ador'd the mother's charms: "Against the God the father bent his arms: "Th' afflicted pair, their forrows to proclaim,

| Befought the chief to fave the finking state: Their prayers were urgent, and their proffers great:

(Full fifty acres of the richest ground,

Half pafture green, and half with vineyards crown'd.) 695

His fuppliant father, aged Oeneus, came ;
His fifters follow'd; ev'n the vengeful dame
Althea fues; his friends before him fall:
He stands relentlefs, and rejects them all.
Meanwhile the victor's fhouts afcend the skies;
The walls are fcal'd; the rolling flames arife ;
700

At length his wife (a form divine) appears,
With piercing cries, and fupplicating tears;
She paints the horrours of a conquer'd town,
The heroes flain, the palaces o'erthrown,
The matrons ravith'd, the whole race enflav'd :

705

The warriour heard, he vanquifh'd, and he fav'd. Th' Etolians, long difdain'd, now took their turn,

And left the chief their broken faith to mourn.
Learn hence, betimes to curb pernicious ire,
Nor ftay, till yonder fleets afcend in fire: 710
Accept the prefents; draw thy conquering sword;
And be amongst our guardian Gods ador'd.
Thus he. The ftern Achilles thus reply'd:
My fecond father, and my reverend guide:
Thy friend, believe me, no fuch gift demands,
715

And asks no honours from a mortal's hands:
Jove honours me, and favours my designs;
His pleasure guides me, and his will confines:
And here I stay (if fuch his high behet)
While life's warm fpirit beats within my breast.
720

Yet hear one word, and lodge it in thy heart;
No more moleft me on Atrides' part:
Is it for him thefe tears are taught to flow,
For him thefe forrows for my mortal foe?
A generous friendship no cold medium knows,
725

Burns with one love, with one refentment glows
One fhould our interefts aud our paffions be;
My friend muft hate the man that injures me.
Do this, my Phoenix, 'tis a generous part;
And share my realms, my honours, and my heart.
730

Let thefe return: our voyage, or our stay,
Reft undetermin'd till the dawning day.

:

He ceas'd then order'd for the fage's bed A warmer couch with numerous carpets fpread. With that, ftern Ajax his long filence broke, 735 And thus, impatient, to Ulyffes spoke :

685

Hence let us go-why waste we time in vain? See what effect our low fubmiffions gain ! Lik'd or not lik'd, his words we must relate, The Greeks expect them, and our heroes wait, Proud as he is, that iron-heart retains Its ftubborn purpose, and his friends difdains. Stern and unpitying! if a brother bleed, On just atonement, we remit the deed;

740

And the red fiends that walk the nightly round,
In vain Etolia her deliverer waits,
War thakes her walls, and thunders at her gates.
She fent ambaffadors, a chofen band,
Priests of the Gods, and elders of the land; 690

The haughtieft hearts at length their rage refign,
And gifts can conquer every foul but thine.
The Gods that unrelenting breast have steel'd,
And curs'd thee with a mind that cannot yield.
750

760

One woman-flave was ravish'd from thy arms:
Lo, seven are offer'd, and of equal charms.
Then hear, Achilles! be of better m nd;
Revere thy roof, and to thy guests be kind;
And know the men, of all the Grecian hoft, 755
Who honour worth, and prize thy valour most.
Oh foul of battles, and thy people's guide!
(To Ajax thus the first of Greeks reply'd)
Well haft thou spoke; but at the tyrant's name
My rage,rekindles, and my foul's on flame:
'Tis juft refentment, and becomes the brave;
Difgrac'd, difhonour'd, like the vileft flave!
Return then, heroes! and our answer bear,
The glorious combat is no more my care;
Not till, amidst yon finking navy flain,
The blood of Greeks fhall dye the fable main;
Not till the flames, by Hector's fury thrown,
Confume your veffels, and approach my own ;
Just there, th' impetuous homicide shall stand,
There cease his battle, and there feel our hand.
770

765

775

This faid, each prince a double goblet crown'd, And caft a large libation on the ground; Then to their veffels, through the gloomy shades, The chiefs return; divine Ulyffes leads. Meantime Achilles' flaves prepar'd a bed, With fleeces, carpets, and foft linen spread: There, till the facred morn reftor'd the day, In flumber sweet the rererend Phoenix lay, But in his inner tent, an ampler space, Achilles flept; and in his warm embrace 780 Fair Diomede of the Lefbian race. Laft, for Patroclus was the couch prepar'd, Whofe nightly joys the beauteous Iphis shar'd; Achilles to his friend confign'd her charms, When Scyros fell before his conquering arms. 785 And now th elected chiefs, whom Greece had fent,

Pafs'd through the hosts, and reach'd the royal

Achilles' high refolves declare to all; Returns the chief, or muft our navy fall?

Great king of nations! (Ithacus reply'd)
Fix'd is his wrath, unconquer'd is his pride; 795
He flights thy friendship, the propofals fcorns,
And, thus implor'd, with fiercer fury burns:
To fave our army, and our fleets to free,
Is not his care; but left to Greece and thee.
Your eyes fhall view, when morning paints the
sky,

Beneath his oars the whitening billows fly,
Us too he bids our oars and fails employ,
Nor hope the fall of heaven-protected Troy;
For Jove o'erfhades her with his arm divine,
Infpires her war, and bids her glory fhine.
805
Such was his word: what farther he declar'd,
These facred heralds and great Ajax heard.
But Phoenix in his tent the chief retains,
Safe to transport him to his native plains,
When morning dawns: if other he decree, S10
His age is facred, and his choice is free.

Ulyffes ceas'd the great Achaian hoft,
With forrow feiz'd, in confternation loft,
Attend the stern reply. Tydides broke
The general filence, and undaunted spoke: 815
Why should we gifts to proud Achilles fend?
Or ftrive with prayers his haughty foul to bend?
His country's woes he glories to deride,
And pravers will burft that fwelling heart with
pride.

820

Be the fierce impulfe of his rage obey'd;
Our battles let him, or defert or aid;
Then let him arm when Jove or he think fit;
That, to his madness, or to Heaven commit:
What for ourselves we can, is always ours;
This night, let due repaft refresh our powers 825
(For ftrength confifts in fpirits and in blood,
And thofe are ow'd to generous wine and food);
But when the rofy meffenger of day
Strikes the blue mountains with her golden ray,
Rang'd at the ships, let all our squadrons shine,

In flaming arms, a long extended line:

830

| In the dread front let great Atrides ftand,
The first in danger, as in high command.
Shouts of acclaim the listening heroes raise,
Then each to Heaven the due libations pays; 835
Till fleep, defcending o'er the tents, bestows
The grateful bleffings of defir'd repose.