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Such glories Pallas on the chief bestow'd,
Such, from his arms, the fierce effulgence flow'd:
Onward the drives him, furious to engage,
Where the fight burns, and where the thickeft rage.
The fons of Dares firft the combat fought,
A wealthy prieft, but rich without a fault;
In Vulcan's fane the father's days were led,
The fons to toils of glorious battle bred;
These fingled from their troops the fight maintain,
Thefe from their fteeds, Tydides on the plain.
Fierce for renown the brother chiefs draw near,
And firft bold Phegeus cafts his founding fpear,
Which o'er the warrior's shoulder took its course,
And spent in empty air its erring force.
Not fo, Tydides, flew thy lance in vain,

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But pierc'd his breast, and stretch'd him on the plain. Seiz'd with unufual fear, Idaus fled,

Left the rich chariot, and his brother dead;

And

pofed the occafion of all the diffempers of that fickly feafon. And methinks the objection of Macrobius to this place is not juft, who thinks the fimile unfeasonably applied by Virgil to Eneas, because he was yet on his fhip, and had not begun the battle. One may answer, that this miraculous appearance could never be more proper than at the firft fight of the hero, to firike terror into the enemy, and to prognoflicate his approaching victory.

V. 24. Ideus fled, Left the rich chariot.] It is finely faid by M. Dacier, that Homer appears perhaps greater by the criticisms that have been paffed upon him, than by the praises which have been given him. Zoilus had a cavil at this place; he thought it r diculous in Idaus to defcend from his chariot to fly, which he might have done fafter by the help of his horfes. Three things are faid in anfwer to this: First, that Idaus, knowing

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And had not Vulcan lent celeftial aid,

He too had funk to death's eternal fhade;
But in a fmoaky cloud the God of fire
Preferv'd the fon, in pity to the fire.
The steeds and chariot, to the navy led,
Encreas'd the spoils of gallant Diomed.

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Struck with amaze, and shame, the Trojan crew 35 Or flain, or fled, the fons of Dares view ;. When by the blood-stain❜d hand Minerva prest The God of battles, and this fpeech addreft.

Stern pow'r of war! by whom the mighty fall, Who bathe in blood, and shake the lofty wall!

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Let

And

the paffion which Diomed had for horfes, might hope the pleafure of feizing these would retard him from purfuing him. ext, that Homer might defign to reprefent in this action of Idaus the common effect of fear, which disturbs the understanding to fuch a degree, as to make men abandon the fureft means to fave themselves. then, that Idaus might have fome advantage of Diomed in fwiftnefs, which he had reafon to confide in. But I fancy one may add another folution, which will better account for this paffage. Homer's word is Tλn, which I believe would be better translated non perfeve ravit, than non fuftinuit defendere fratrem interfectum : and then the fenfe will be clear, that Idaus made an effort to fave his brother's body, which proving impracticable, he was obliged to fly with the utmoft precipitation. One may add, that his alighting from his chariot was not that he could run fafter on foot, but that he could fooner efcape by mixing with the croud of common foldiers. There is a particular exactly of the fame nature in the book of Judges, Ch. 4. v. 15. where Sifera alights to fly in the fame manner.

V. 40. Who bathe in blood.] It may feem fomething unnatural, that Pallas, at a time when she is endeavouring to work upon Mars under the appearance of benevolence and kindnefs, fhould make ufe of terms which feem fo full of bitter reproaches; but thefe will appear

Let the brave chiefs their glorious toils divide;
And whofe the conqueft mighty Jove decide:
While we from interdicted fields retire,

Nor tempt the wrath of heaven's avenging Sire.

Her words allay th' impetuous warrior's heat, 45 The God of arms and martial Maid retreat; Remov'd from fight, on Xanthus' flow'ry boundsThey fate, and liften'd to the dying founds. Mean time the Greeks the Trojan race pursue, And fome bold chieftain ev'ry leader flew :

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very properly applied to this warlike Deity. For perfons of this martial character, who, fcorning equity and reafon, carry all things by force, are better pleafed to be celebrated for their power than their virtue. Statues are raised to the conquerors, that is, the deftroyers of nations, who are complimented for excelling in the arts of ruin. Demetrius the fon of Antigonus was celebrated by his flat erers with the title of Poliorcetes, a term equivalent to one here made ufe of.

V. 46. The God of arms and martial Maid retreat.] The retreat of Mars from the Trojans intimates that courage forfook them: It may be faid then, that Minerva's abfence from the Greeks will fignify that wifdom defeited them alfo. It is true fhe does defert them, but it is at a time when there was more occafion for gallant actions than for wife counfels. Euftathius.

V. 49. The Greeks the Trojan race purfue.] Homer always appears very zealous for the honour of Greece, which alone might be a proof of his being of that country, against the opinion of thofe who would have him of other nations.

It is obfervable through the whole Iliad, that he en deavours every where to reprefent the Greeks as superior to the Trojans in valour and the art of war. In the beginning of the third book he defcribes the Trojans rufhing on to the battle in a barbarous and confused manner, with loud fhouts and cries, while the Greeks adyance in the most profound filence and exact order. And in the latter part of the fourth book, where the

two

First Odius falls, and bites the bloody sand,
His death ennobled by Atrides' hand;
As he to flight his wheeling car addreft,
The speedy javelin drove from back to breaft.
In duft the mighty Halizonian lay,
His arms refound, the fpirit wings its way.

Thy Fate was next, O Phaflus! doom'd to feel

The great Idomeneus' protended steel;

Whom Borus fent (his fon and only joy,)
From fruitful Tarae to the fields of Troy.
The Cretan javelin reach'd him from afar,
And pierc'd his fhoulder as he mounts his car ;

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two armies march to the engagement, the Greeks are animated by Pallas, while Mars inftigates the Trojans, the Poet attributing by this plain allegory to the former a well-conducted valour, to the latter rafh ftrength and brutal force: So that the abilities of each uation are diftinguished by the characters of the Deities who aflift them But in this place, as Euftathius obferves, the Poet being willing to fhew how much the Greeks excelled their enemies, when they engaged only with their proper force, and when each fide was alike deftitute of divine affiftance, takes occafion to remove the Gods out of the battle, and then each Grecian chief gives fignal infiances of valour fuperior to the Trojans.

A modern Critic obferves, that this conftant fuperiority of the Greeks in the art of war, valour, and number, is contradictory to the main defign of the poem, which is to make the return of Achilles appear neceffary for the preservation of the Greeks: but this contradiction vanishes, when we reflect, that the affront given Achilles was the occafion of Jupiter's interpoling in favour of the Trojans. Wherefore the anger of Achilles was not pernicious to the Greeks purely because it kept him inactive, but becaufe it occafioned Jupiter to afflict them in fuch a manner, as made it neceffary to appeafe Achilles, in order to render Jupiter propitious.

Back

Back from the car he tumbles to the ground,
And everlafting fhades his eyes furround.

Then dy'd Scamandrius, expert in the chace,
In woods and wilds to wound the savage race;
Diana taught him all her fylvan arts,
To bend the bow, and aim unerring darts:
But vainly here Diana's arts he tries,
The fatal lance arrefts him as he flies;
From Menelaus' arm the weapon fent,

Thro' his broad back and heaving bofom went :
Down finks the 'warrior with a thund'ring found,
His brazen armour rings againft the ground.

Next artful Phereclus untimely fell;

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Bold Merion fent him to the realms of hell.
Thy father's skill, O Phereclus, was thine,
The graceful fabric and the fair defign;

V. 63. Back from the car he tumbles ] It is in poetry as in painting, the poftures and attitudes of each figure ought to be different: Homer takes care not to draw two perfons in the fame potture; one is tumbled from his chariot, another is flain as he afcends it, a third as he endeavours to escape on foot, a conduct which is every where obferved by the Poet. Euftathius.

V. 75. Next artful Phereclus.] This character of Phereclus is finely imagined, and prefents a noble moral in an uncommon manner. There ran a report, that the Trojans had formerly received an oracle, commanding them to follow hufbandry, and not apply themselves to navigation. Homer from hence takes occafion to feign, that the fhipwright, who prefumed to build the fleet of Paris when he took his fatal voyage to Greece, was overtaken by the divine vengeance fo long after as in this battle. One may take notice too in this, as in many other places, of the remarkable difpofition Homer fhews to Mechanics; he never omits an opportunity either of defcribing a piece of workmanship, or of celebrating an artift.

For