VINU THE SIXTH BOOK OF THE ILIA D. 'OW heav'n forfakes the fight: Th' immortals yield NR To human force and human skill, the field: Dark fhow'rs of jav'lins fly from foes to foes; Now here, now there, the tide of combate flows; While Troy's fam'da ftreams that bound the deathful plain 5 On either fide run purple to the main. Great Ajax firft to conqueft led the way, Broke the thick ranks, and turn'd the doubtful day. a Scamander and Simois. The V. 7. First Ajax.] Ajax performs his exploits immediately upon the departure of the Gods from the battel. It is obferved that this hero is never affisted by the Deities, as most of the reft are: See his VOL. II. character E The Thracian Acamas his faulchion found, And hew'd th' enormous giant to the ground; His thund'ring arm a deadly ftroke impreft And feals in endless fhades his fwimming eyes. Next Teuthras' fon diftain'd the fands with blood, Axylus, hofpitable, rich and good: 15 In character in the notes on the feventh book. The expreffion in the Greek is, that he brought light to his troops, which M. Dacier takes to be metaphorical: I do not fee but it may be literal; he broke the thick fquadrons of the enemy, and opened a paffage for the light. V. 9. The Thracian Acamas.] This Thracian Prince is the fame in whofe likeness Mars appears in the preceding book, rallying the Trojans, and forcing the Greeks to retire. In the prefent description of his ftrength and fize, we fee with what propriety this perfonage was felected by the poet, as fit to be affumed by the God of war. V. 16. Axylus, hofpitable.] This beautiful character of Axylus has not been able to efcape the misunderstanding of fome of the commentators, who thought Homer defign'd it as a reproof of an undiftinguifh'd generofity. It is evidently a panegyrick on that virtue, and not improbably on the memory of fome excellent, but unfortunare man in that country, whom the Poet honours with the noble title of A friend to mankind. It is indeed a fevere reproof of the ingratitude of men, and a kind of fatire on human race, while he reprefents this lover of his fpecies miferably perifhing without affiftance from any of thofe numbers he had obliged. This death is very moving, and the circumftance of a faithful fervant's dying by his fide, well imagined, and natural to such a character. His manner of keeping house near a frequented highway, and relieving all travellers, is agreeable to that ancient hofpitality which we now only read of. There is abundance of this fpirit every where in the Odley. The Patriarchs in the Old Testament fit at their gates to fee thofe who pafs by, and intreat them to enter into their houfes: This cordial manner of invitation is particularly defcribed in the 18th and 19th chapters of Genefis. The Eaftern nations feem to have had a peculiar difpofition to thefe exercifes of humanity, which continues in a great measure to this day. It is yet a piece of charity frequent with In fair Arifba's walls (his native place) Faft with the Turks, to ere&t Caravanferabs, or inns for the reception of travellers. Since I am upon this head, I muft mention one or two extraordinary examples of ancient hofpitality. Diodorus Siculus writes of Gallias of Agrigentum, that having built feveral inns for the relief of strangers, he appointed perfons at the gates to invite all who travelled to make ufe of them; and that this example was followed by. many others who were inclined after the ancient manner to live in a humane and beneficent correfpondence with mankind. That this Gallias entertained and cloathed at one time no less than five hundred horsemen; and that there were in his cellars three hundred veffels, each of which contained an hundred hogfheads of wine. The fame Author tells us of another Agrigentine, that at the marriage of his daughter feafted all the people of his city, who at that time were above twenty thousand. · Herodotus in his feventh book has a ftory of this kind, which is prodigious, being of a private man fo immensely rich, as to entertain Xerxes and his whole army. I fhall tranfcribe the paffage as I find it translated to my hands. "Pythius the fon of Atys, a Lydian, then refiding in Cælene, en"tertained the King and all his army with great magnificence, and "offered him his treasures towards the expence of the war; which liberality Xerxes communicating to the Perfians about him, and afking who this Pythius was, and what riches he might have, to "enable him to make fuch an offer? received this answer: Pythius, faid they, is the person who prefented your father Darius with a "plane-tree and vine of gold; and after you, is the richest man we "know in the world. Xerxes furprized with these laft words, asked him to what fum his treasures might amount. I shall conceal "nothing from you, faid Pythius, nor pretend to be ignorant of my "own wealth; but being perfectly inform'd of the ftate of my ac"compts, fhall tell you the truth with fincerity. When I heard you "was ready to begin the march towards the Grecian fea, I refolved "to prefent you with a fum of money towards the charge of the war; and to that end having taken an account of my riches, I found by computation that I had two thousand talents of filver, and three millions nine hundred ninety-three thoufand pieces of gold, bearing the ftamp of Darius. Thefe treafures I freely give you, because I fhall be fufficiently furnish'd with whatever is ne*** ceffary to life by the labour of my fervants and husbandmen. Fast by the road, his ever open door Oblig'd the wealthy, and reliev'd the poor. No friend to guard him in the dreadful day! By great Euryalus was Drefus flain, 20 25 young, That monarch's first-born by a foreign bed; 30 "Xerxes heard these words with pleasure, and in anfwer to Py"thius, faid; My Lydian hoft, fince I parted from Sufa I have not "found a man befide yourself, who has offered to entertain my army, or voluntarily to contribute his treasures to promote the "prefent expedition. You alone have treated my army magnificently, and readily offered me immenfe riches: Therefore, in return of your kindness, I make you my hoft; and that you may be mafter "of the intire fum of four millions of gold, I will give you seven "thousand Darian pieces out of my own treasure. Keep then all "the riches you now poffefs; and if you know how to continue always in the fame good difpofition, you fhall never have reason to "repent of your affection to me, either now or in future time." The fum here offered by Pythius amounts, by Brerewood's computation, to three millions three hundred feventy-five thousand pounds Sterling, according to the leffer valuation of talents. I make no apology for inferting fo remarkable a paffage at length, but fhall only add, that it was at laft the fate of this Pythius (like our Axylus) to experience the ingratitude of man; his eldeft fon being afterwards cut in pieces by the fame Xerxes. Here Here dead they lay in all their youthful charms; Afyalus by Polyptes fell; Ulyffes' Spear Pidytes fent to hell; By Teucer's fhaft brave Aretaön bled, And Neftor's fon laid stern Ablerus dead; The mortal wound of rich Elatus gave, Who held in Pedafus his proud abode, And till'd the banks where filver Satnio flow'd. Melanthius by Eurypylus was flain; And Phylacus from Leitus flies in vain. Unbleft Adraftus next at mercy lies Beneath the Spartan spear, a living prize. His headlong steeds, precipitate in flight, Rufh'd on a Tamarisk's strong trunk, and broke 50 Wide o'er the field, refiftlefs as the wind, For Troy they fly, and leave their lord behind. Atrides o'er him shakes his vengeful steel; The fallen chief in suppliant posture press'd 55 |