Ten polish'd chariots I poffefs'd at home,

And still they grace Lycaon's princely dome:
There veil'd in fpacious coverlets they ftand;

245

And twice ten courfers wait their Lord's command.
The good old warrior bade me trust to these,

When first for Troy I fail'd the facred feas ;
In fields, aloft, the whirling car to guide,
And thro' the ranks of death triumphant ride.

250

But vain with youth, and yet to thrift inclin'd,

I heard his counfels with unheedful mind,

And thought the fteeds (your large fupplies unknown)
Might fail of forage in the ftraiten'd town:

So took my bow and pointed darts in hand,
And left the chariots in my native land.

255

different trials of his skill, he is rais'd into an outragious paffion, which vents itself in vain threats on his guiltless bow. Euftathius on this paffage relates a ftory of a Paphlagonian famous like him for his archery, who having miffed his aim at repeated trials, was fo transported by age, that breaking his bow and arrows, he executed a more fatal vengeance by hanging himself.

V. 244. Ten polish'd chariots.] Among the many pictures Homer gives us of the fimplicity of the heroick ages, he mingles from time to time fome hints of an extraordinary magnificence. We have here a Prince who has all these chariots for pleasure at one time, with their particular fets of horses to each, and the most sumptuous coverings in their ftables. But we must remember that he speaks of an Afiatick Prince, those Barbarians living in great luxury. Dacier.

V. 252. Yet to thrift inclin'd.] 'Tis Euftathius's remark, that Pandarus did this out of avarice, to fave the expence of his horses. I like this conjecture, because nothing feems more judicious, than to give a man of a perfidious character a strong tincture of avarice.

Too

Too late, O friend! my rafhness I deplore;
Thefe fhafts, once fatal, carry death no more.

Tydeus' and Atreus' fons their points have found,
And undiffembled gore purfu'd the wound.
In vain they bled: This unavailing bow
Serves, not to laughter, but provoke the foe:

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In evil hour thefe bended horns I ftrung,

And feiz'd the quiver where it idly hung.

265

Curs'd be the fate that fent me to the field,

Without a warrior's arms, the fpear and shield!

If e'er with life I quit the Trojan plain,

If e'er I fee my Spouse and Sire again,

This bow, unfaithful to my glorious aims,

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Broke by my hand, fhall feed the blazing flames.
To whom the Leader of the Dardan race:
Be calm, nor Phœbus' honour'd gift disgrace.
The diftant dart be prais'd, tho' here we need
The rushing chariot, and the bounding steed.

275

V. 261. And undiffembled gore purfu'd the wound.] The Greek is ατρικὲς αἷμα. He fays he is fure it was real blood that follow'd his arrow; because it was anciently a cuftóm, particularly among the Spartans, to have ornaments and figures of a purple colour on their breaft-plates, that the blod they loft might not be feen by the foldiers, and tend to their difcouragement. Plutarch in his Inftit. Lacon. takes notice of this point of antiquity, and I wonder it escap'd Madam Dacier in her tranflation.

V. 273. Nor Phebus' honour'd gift difgrace.] For Homer tells us in the fecond book, v. 334. of the catalogue, that the bow and fhafts of Pandarus were given him by Apollo.

Against

Againft yon' Hero let us bend our courfe,

And, hand to hand, encounter force with force.
Now mount my feat, and from the chariot's height
Obferve my father's fteeds, renown'd in fight;
Practis'd alike to turn, to stop, to chace,

To dare the shock, or urge the rapid race:
Secure with thefe, thro' fighting fields we go,
Or fafe to Troy, if Fove affift the foe.

Hafte, feize the whip, and fnatch the guiding rein:
The warrior's fury let this arm sustain ;

Or if to combate thy bold heart incline,

Take thou the spear, the chariot's care be mine.
O Prince! (Lycaon's valiant fon reply'd)
As thine the fteeds, be thine the task to guide.
The horses practis'd to their Lord's command,
Shall bear the rein, and answer to thy hand.
But if unhappy, we defert the fight,
Thy voice alone can animate their flight:
Elfe fhall our fates be number'd with the dead,
And thefe, the victor's prize, in triumph led.

280

285

JJ 290

295

V. 284. Hafte, feize the whip, &c.] Homer means not here, that one of the Heroes should alight or defcend from the chariot, but only that he fhould quit the reins to the management of the other, and stand on foot upon the chariot to fight from thence. As one might use the expreffion, to defcend from the ship, to fignify to quit the helm or oar, in order to take up arms. This is the note of Euftathius, by which it appears that most of the tranflators are miftaken in the fenfe of this paffage, and among the rest Mr. Hobbes.

Thine be the guidance then: With spear and shield
Myfelf will charge this terror of the field.

And now both Heroes mount the glitt❜ring car;
The bounding courfers rush amidst the war.

Their fierce approach bold Sthenelus espy'd,
Who thus, alarm'd, to great Tydides cry'd.

O Friend! two chiefs of force immense I see,
Dreadful they come, and bend their rage on thee:
Lo the brave heir of old Lycaon's line,

300

And great Æneas fprung from race divine!

305

Enough is giv'n to fame. Afcend thy car;

And fave a life, the bulwark of our war.
At this the Hero caft a gloomy look,

Fix'd on the chief with scorn, and thus he spoke.
Me doft thou bid to fhun the coming fight?

310

Me would'ft thou move to base, inglorious flight?

Know, 'tis not honest in my foul to fear,

Nor was Tydides born to tremble here.

I hate the cumbrous chariot's flow advance,
And the long distance of the flying lance;

But while my nerves are strong, my force intire,
Thus front the foe, and emulate my Sire.
Nor fhall yon' fteeds that fierce to fight convey
Thofe threatning heroes, bear them both away;

315

One

One chief at least beneath this arm shall die;

320

So Pallas tells me, and forbids to fly.

But if she dooms, and if no God withstand,

That both shall fall by one victorious hand;

Then heed my words: My horfes here detain,
Fix'd to the chariot by the ftraiten'd rein;
Swift to Eneas' empty feat proceed,

And feize the courfers of ætherial breed.

325

V. 320. One chief at least beneath this arm fhall die.] It is the manner of our author to make his perfons have fome intimation from within, either of profperous or adverse fortune, before it happens to them. In the present inftance, we have feen Æneas, aftonish'd at the great exploits of Diomed, propofing to himself the means of his efcape by the fwiftnefs of his horfes, before he advances to encounter him. On the other hand, Diomed is fo filled with affurance, that he gives orders here to Sthenelus to seize those horses, before they come up to him. The oppofition of these two (as Madam Dacier has remark'd) is very obfervable.

V. 327. The courfers of atherial breed.] We have already obferved the great delight Homer takes in horfes, as well as heroes, of celeftial zace: And if he has been thought too fond of the genealogies of fome of his warriors, in relating them even in a battel; we find him here as willing to trace that of his horfes in the fame circumftance. These were of that breed which Jupiter bestowed upon Tros, and far fuperior to the common train of Trojan horses. So that (according to Euftathius's opinion) the tranflators are mistaken who turn Tpaïo π, the Trojan borfes, in v. 222. of the original, where Eneas extols their qualities to Pandarus. The fame author takes notice, that frauds in the cafe of horses have been thought excufable in all times, and commends Anchifes for this piece of theft. Virgil was fo well pleased with it, as to imitate this paffage in the feventh Encid

Abfenti Enea currum, geminófque jugales

Semine ab ætheres, fpirantes naribus ignem,
Illorum de gente, patri quos dædala Circe
Suppofitâ de matre nothos furata creavit.

The