at the camp, that Thetis went very early to demand an audience of Jupiter. The means he used to satisfy her were, to persuade the Greeks to attack the Trojans; that so they might perceive the consequence of contemning Achilles, and the miseries they suffer, if he does not head them. The next night he orders Agamemnon, in a dream, to attack them; who was deceived with the hopes of obtaining a victory, and also taking the city, without sharing the honour with Achilles.

On the twenty-second in the morning he assembles the council, and having made a feint of raising the siege and retiring, he declares to them his dream;" and, together with Nestor and Ulysses, resolves on an engagement.

This was the twenty-third day, which is full of incidents, and which continues from almost the beginning of the second canto to the eighth. The armies being then drawn up in view of one another, Hector brings it about that Menelaüs and Paris, the two persons concerned in the quarrel, should decide it by a single combat, which, tending to the advantage of Menelaüs, was interrupted by a cowardice infused by Minerva: then both armies engage, where the Trojans have the disadvantage; but being afterwards animated by Apollo, they repulse the enemy, yet they are once again forced to give ground; but their affairs were retrieved by Hector, who has a single combat with Ajax. The gods threw themselves into the battle: Juno and Minerva took the Grecians part, and Apollo and Mars the Trojans: but Mars and Venus are both wounded by Diomedes.

The truce for burying the slain ended the twentythird day, after which the Greeks threw up a great intrenchment, to secure their navy from danger.

Councils are held on both sides. On the morning of the twenty-fourth day the battle is renewed, but in a very disadvantageous manner to the Greeks, who are beaten back to their intrenchments. Agamemnon, being in despair at this ill success, proposes to the council to quit the enterprize, and retire from Troy. But, by the advice of Nestor, he is persuaded to regain Achilles, by returning Chryseïs, and sending him considerable presents. Hereupon Ulysses and Ajax are sent to that hero, who continues inflexible in his anger. Ulysses, at his return, joins himself with Diomedes, and goes in the night to gain intelligence of the enemy: they enter into their very camp, where finding the centinels asleep, they made a great slaughter. Rhesus, who was just then arrived with recruits from Thrace for the Trojans, was killed in that action. Here ends the tenth canto. The se quel of this journal will be inserted in the next article from this place.

St. James's Coffee-house, April 22.

We hear from Italy, that the Pope has dispatched a gentleman to compliment his majesty of Denmark, and sent him a present of all the curiosities and antiquities of Rome, represented in seventeen volumes very richly bound, which were taken out of the Va tican library. Letters from Genoa of the fourteenth instant say, that a felucca was arrived there in five days from Marseilles, with an account, that the people of that city had made an insurrection, by reason of the scarcity of provisions; and that the intendant had ordered some companies of marines, and the men belonging to the gallies, to stand to their arms to protect him from violence; but that he began to be

in as much apprehension of his guards, as of those from whom they were to defend him. When that vessel came away, the soldiers murmured publicly for want of pay; and it was generally believed they would pillage the magazines, as the garrisons of Grenoble and other towns of France had already done. A vessel which lately came into Leghorn brought advice, that the British squadron was arrived at Port-Mahon, where they were taking in more troops in order to attempt the relief of Alicant, which still made a very vigorous defence. It is said admiral Byng will be at the head of that expedition. The king of Denmark was gone from Leghorn towards Lucca.

We are also informed, that the pope uses all imaginable shifts to elude the treaty concluded with the emperor, and that he demanded the immediate restitution of Comacchio; insisting also, that his imperial majesty should ask pardon, and desire absolution for what had formerly passed, before he would solemnly acknowledge king Charles. But this was utterly refused.

They hear at Vienna, by letters from Constantinople, dated the twenty-second of February last, that on the twelfth of that month the grand seignior took occasion, at the celebration of the festivals of the mussulmen, to set all the christian slaves which were in the gallies at liberty.

Advices from Switzerland import, that the preachers of the county of Tockenburg continue to create new jealousies of the protestants; and some disturbances lately happened there on that account. The protestants and papists in the town of Hamman go to divine service one after another in the same church, as is usual in many other parts of Switzerland; but

on Sunday the tenth instant, the popish curate, hav◄ ing ended his service, attempted to hinder the protestants from entering into the church according to custom; but the protestants briskly attacked him and his party, and broke into it by force.

Last night between seven and eight, his grace the duke of Marlborough arrived at court.

From my own Apartment, April 22.

THE present great captains of the age, the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, having been the subject of the discourse of the last company I was in; it has naturally led me into a consideration of Alexander and Cæsar, the two greatest names that ever appeared before this century. In order to enter into their characters, there needs no more but examining their behaviour in parallel circumstances. It must be allowed, that they had an equal greatness of soul; but Cæsar's was more corrected and allayed by á mixture of prudence and circumspection. This is seen conspicuously in one particular in their histories, wherein they seem to have shewn exactly the difference of their tempers. When Alexander, after a long course of victories, would still have led his soldiers farther from home, they unanimously refused to follow him. We meet with the like behaviour in Cæsar's army in the midst of his march against Ariovistus. Let us therefore observe the conduct of our two generals in so nice an affair. And here we find Alexander at the head of his army, upbraiding them with their cowardice, and meanness of spirit; and in the end telling them plainly he would go forward himself, though not a man followed him. This shewed indeed an excessive bravery; but how would the com

mander have come off, if the speech had not succeeded, and the soldiers had taken him at his word? the project seems of a piece with Mr. Bayes's in The Rehearsal, who, to gain a clap in his prologue, comes out with a terrible fellow in a fur-cap following him, and tells his audience, if they would not like his play, he would lie down and have his head struck off. If this gained a clap, all was well; but if not, there was nothing left but for the executioner to do his office. But Cæsar would not leave the success of his speech to such uncertain events: he shews his men the unreasonableness of their fears in an obliging manner, and concludes, that if none else would march along with him, he would go himself with the tenth legion, for he was assured of their fidelity and valour, though all the rest forsook him; not but that, in all probability, they were as much against the march as the rest. The result of all was very natural: the tenth legion, fired with the praises of their general, send thanks to him for the just opinion he entertains of them; and the rest, ashamed to be outdone, assure him, that they are as ready to follow where he pleases to lead them, as any other part of the army.

STEELE.

3 See duke of Buckingham's Rehearsal, Act I.