Mean as I am, the Gods may guide my dart, -505 Then parts the lance: but Pallas' heavenly breath Far from Achilles wafts the winged death The bidden dart again to Hector flies, And at the feet of its great master lies. 510 His heart and eyes with flaming fury glow: The favour'd hero in a veil of clouds. 515 The fpear a fourth time bury'd in the cloud; He foams with fury, and exclaims aloud: Wretch thou haft fcap'd again, once more thy flight Has fav'd thee, and the partial God of Light. Fly then, inglorious! but thy flight this day 520 With that, he gluts his rage on numbers flain: 525 Then Dryops tumbled to th' enfanguin'd plain, Pierc'd through the neck: he left him panting there, And stopp'd Demuchus, great Philetor's heir, Gigantic chief! deep gafh'd th' enormous blade, This difference only their fad fates afford, Nor lefs unpity'd young Alastor bleeds; To fpare a form, an age, so like thy own! While yet he trembled at his knees, and cry'd, 535 549 The panting liver pours a flood of gore, That drowns his bofom till he pants no more. 545 Through Mulius' head then drove th' impetuous The warriour falls, transfix'd from ear to ear. [spear, Thy life, Echeclus! next the fword bereaves, Deep through the front the ponderous falchion cleaves; Warm'd in the brain the smoking weapon lies, The purple death comes floating o'er his eyes. Then brave Deucalion dy'd: the dart was flung Where the knit nerves the pliant elbow ftrung; He dropt his arm, an unaffifting weight, And stood all impotent, expecting fate : Full on his neck the falling falchion sped, 555 From his broad fhoulders hew'd his crefted head: Forth from the bone the spinal marrow flies, And funk in duft the corpíe extended lies. 560 Rhigmus, whofe race from fruitful Thracia came, (The fon of Pireus, an illuftrious name) Succeeds to fate the fpear his belly rends; : Prone from his car the thundering chief defcends: The fquire, who faw expiring on the ground 565 575 And runs on crackling shrubs between the hills; 570 Tread down whole ranks, and crufh out herces' fouls. 590 i THE ARGUMEN T. The Battle in the River Scamander. THE Trojans fly before Achilles, fome towards the town, others to the river Scamander: he falls upon the latter with great flaughter; takes twelve captives alive, to facrifice to the fhade of Patroclus; and kills Lycaon and Afteropæus. Scamander attacks him with all his waves; Neptune and Pallas affift the hero; Simoïs joins Scamander; at length Vulcan, by the inftigation of Juno, almost dries up the river. This combat ended, the other Gods engage each other. Meanwhile Achilles continues the flaughter, drives the reft into Troy: Agenor only makes a tand, and is conveyed away in a cloud by Apollo; who (to delude Achilles) takes upon him Agenor's fhape, and, while he purfues him in that difguife, gives the Trojans an opportunity of retiring into their city. The fame day continues. The fcene is on the banks and in the ftream of Scamander. |