Mean as I am, the Gods may guide my dart, And give it entrance in a braver heart. › 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: 515 Wretch thou haft fcap'd again, once more thy flight Has fav'd thee, and the partial God of Light.. 520 But long thou shalt not thy just fate withstand, If any Power affift Achilles' hand. Fly then, inglorious! but thy flight this day: With that, he gluts his rage on numbers flain: 525 Gigantic chief! deep gafh'd th' enormous blade, This difference only their fad fates afford, 535 549 545 That drowns his bofom till he pants no more. Through Mulius' head then drove th' impetuous The warriour falls, transfix'd from ear to ear. [fpear, Thy life, Echeclus! next the fword bereaves, Deep through the front the ponderous falchion cleaves; Warm'd in the brain the fmoking 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: And funk in dust the corpfe extended lies. 560 Rhigmus, whofe race from fruitful Thracia came, Succeeds to fate the fpear his belly rends; The fquire, who faw expiring on the ground 565 575 And runs on crackling shrubs between the hills; 570 Tread down whole ranks, and crush out herces' fouls. 590 THE ARGUMENT. 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, almoft 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 stand, 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. |