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Through falling squadrons bear my slaughtering sword, Nor, as ye left Patroclus, leave your lord.

445

The generous Xanthus, as the words he said,
Seem'd fenfible of woe, and droop'd his head:
Trembling he ftood before the golden wain,
And bow'd to duft the honours of his mane,
When, ftrange to tell! (fo Juno will'd) he broke 450
Eternal filence, and portentous spoke.

Achilles! yes! this day at least we bear
Thy rage in fafety through the files of war:
But come it will, the fatal time must come,
Nor our's the fault, but God decrees thy doom.
Not through our crime, or flowness in the course,
Fell thy Patroclus, but by heavenly force;
The bright far-shooting God who gilds the day
(Confeft we saw him) tore his arms away.
No could our fwiftness o'er the winds prevail,
Or beat the pinions of the western gale,
All were in vain-the Fates thy death demand,
Due to a mortal and immortal hand.

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Then ceas'd for ever, by the Furies ty'd,

His fateful voice. Th' intrepid chief reply'd,

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With unabated rage-So let it be!

Portents and prodigies are loft on me.

I know my fates: to die, to fee no more

My much-lov'd parents, and my native shoreEnough-when Heaven ordains, I fink in night; 470 Now perish Troy! he said, and rush'd to fight.

THE

THE

TWENTIETH BOOK

OF THE

ILI A D.

P 2

ARGUMEN T.

The Battle of the Gods, and the Acts of Achilles.

JUPITER, upon Achilles's return to the battle, calls a council of the Gods, and permits them to affift either party. The terrours of the battle defcribed, when the Deities are engaged. Apollo encourages Eneas to meet Achilles. After a long converfation, these two heroes encounter; but Æneas is preferved by the affiftance of Neptune. Achilles falls upon the rest of the Trojans, and is upon the point of killing Hector, but Apollo conveys him away in a cloud. Achilles purfues the Trojans with a great flaughter.

The fame day continues. The fcene is in the field before Troy.

T

THE

ILIA

BOOK XX.

D.

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HUS round Pelides breathing war and blood,
Greece, fheath'd in arms, befide her veffels ftood;
While, near impending from a neighbouring height,
Troy's black battalions wait the shock of fight.
Then Jove to Themis gives command, to call
The Gods to council in the ftarry hall:
Swift o'er Olympus' hundred hills the flies,
And fummons all the fenate of the skies.
These fhining on, in long proceffion come
To Jove's eternal adamantine dome.

Not one was absent, not a rural Power,
That haunts the verdant gloom, or rofy bower;
Each fair-hair'd Dryad of the shady wood,
Each azure Sifter of the filver flood;
All but old Ocean, hoary Sire! who keeps
His ancient feat beneath the facred deeps.

On marble thrones with lucid columns crown'd
(The work of Vulcan) fat the Powers around.
Ev'n he whofe trident fways the watery reign,
Heard the loud fummons, and forfook the main,
Affum'd his throne amid the bright abodes,
And question'd thus the Sire of men and Gods:

P 3

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15

What

* Neptune.

What moves the God who heaven and earth comAnd grafps the thunder in his awful hands, [mands, Thus to convene the whole ætherial ftate?

Is Greecé and Troy the subject in debate?
Already met, the lowering hofts appear,

25

And death ftands ardent on the edge of war.

'Tis true (the Cloud-compelling Power replies) This day, we call the council of the skies

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In care of human race; ev'n Jove's own eye

Sees with regret unhappy mortals die.

Far on Olympus' top in fecret ftate

Ourself will fit, and fee the hand of Fate

Work out our will. Celestial Powers! defcend,
And, as your minds direct, your fuccour lend
To either hoft. Troy foon must lie o'erthrown,
If uncontrol'd Achilles fights alone:

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40

Their troops but lately durft not meet his eyes;
What can they now, if in his rage he rise?
Affift them, Gods! or Ilion's facred wall
May fall this day, though Fate forbids the fall.
He said, and fir'd their heavenly breasts with
On adverse parts the warring Gods engage.
Heaven's awful Queen; and he whofe azure round 45
Girds the vaft globe; the Maid in arms renown'd ;
Hermes, of profitable arts the fire;

And Vulcan, the black fovereign of the fire!
These to the fleet repair with inftant flight;
The veffels tremble as the Gods alight.
In aid of Troy, Latona, Phoebus, came,

rage:

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Mars fiery-helm'd, the laughter-loving Dame,

Xanthus,

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