Part 62 (1/2)

Achilles closes with his hated foe, His heart and eyes with flalow: But present to his aid, Apollo shrouds The favour'd hero in a veil of clouds

Thrice struck Pelides with indignant heart, Thrice in ied the dart; The spear a fourth time buried in the cloud

He foams with fury, and exclaiain; once ht

But long thou shalt not thy just fate withstand, If any power assist Achilles' hand

Fly then inglorious! but thy flight this day Whole hecatoluts his rage on nuuined plain, Pierced through the neck: he left hireat Philetor's heir

Gigantic chief! deep gash'd the enore anus and Dardanus expire, The valiant sons of an unhappy sire; Both in one instant from the chariot hurl'd, Sunk in one instant to the nether world: This difference only their sad fates afford That one the spear destroy'd, and one the sword

Nor less unpitied, young Alastor bleeds; In vain his youth, in vain his beauty pleads; In vain he begs thee, with a suppliant's e so like thy own!

Unhappy boy! no prayer, noart, E'er bent that fierce, inexorable heart!

While yet he trembled at his knees, and cried, The ruthless falchion oped his tender side; The panting liver pours a flood of gore That drowns his bosoh Mulius' head then drove the impetuous spear: The warrior falls, transfix'd from ear to ear

Thy life, Echeclus! next the sword bereaves, Deep though the front the ponderous falchion cleaves; War weapon lies, The purple death co o'er his eyes

Then brave Deucalion died: the dart was flung Where the knit nerves the pliant elbow strung; He dropp'd his ar fate: Full on his neck the falling falchion sped, From his broad shoulders hew'd his crested head: Forth from the bone the spinal marrow flies, And, sunk in dust, the corpse extended lies

Rhigmas, whose race from fruitful Thracia came, (The son of Pierus, an illustrious name,) Succeeds to fate: the spear his belly rends; prone fro chief descends

The squire, who saw expiring on the ground His prostrate master, rein'd the steeds around; His back, scarce turn'd, the Pelian javelin gored, And stretch'd the servant o'er his dying lord

As when a fla shrubs between the hills; Then o'er the stubble up the h woods, and blazes to the skies, This way and that, the spreading torrent roars: So sweeps the hero through the wasted shores; Around hied with the sanguine showers As with autumnal harvests cover'd o'er, And thick bestrewn, lies Ceres' sacred floor; When round and round, with never-wearied pain, The trarain: So the fierce coursers, as the chariot rolls, Tread dohole ranks, and crush out heroes' souls, Dash'd from their hoofs while o'er the dead they fly, Black, bloody drops the se tore; And thick the groaning axles dropp'd with gore

High o'er the scene of death Achilles stood, All grim with dust, all horrible in blood: Yet still insatiate, still with rage on fla fame!

[Illustration: CENTAUR]

CENTAUR

BOOK XXI

ARGUMENT

THE BATTLE IN THE RIVER SCAMANDER(269)

The Trojans fly before Achilles, some towards the town, others to the river Scahter: takes twelve captives alive, to sacrifice to the shade of Patroclus; and kills Lycaon and Asteropeus Scamander attacks him with all his waves: Neptune and Pallas assist the hero: Siation of Juno, almost dries up the river This Coe each other Meanwhile Achilles continues the slaughter, drives the rest into Troy: Agenor only makes a stand, and is conveyed away in a cloud by Apollo; who (to delude Achilles) takes upon hiives the Trojans an opportunity of retiring into their city

The same day continues The scene is on the banks and in the strea streaeny of Jove

The river here divides the flying train, Part to the town fly diverse o'er the plain, Where late their troops triunoble flight: (These with a gathered mist Saturnia shrouds, And rolls behind the rout a heap of clouds:) Part plunge into the strea billows beat the whiten'd shores: With cries promiscuous all the banks resound, And here, and there, in eddies whirling round, The flouncing steeds and shrieking warriors drown'd

As the scorch'd locusts from their fields retire, While fast behind them runs the blaze of fire; Driven froions rush into the flood: So, plunged in Xanthus by Achilles' force, Roars the resounding surge with men and horse

His bloody lance the hero casts aside, (Which spreading tain hide,) Then, like a God, the rapid billows braves, Arh brandish'd o'er the waves: Non he plunges, nohirls it round, Deep groan'd the waters with the dying sound; Repeated wounds the reddening river dyed, And the warh the foa caverns lie: So the huge dolphin te the main, In shoals before him fly the scaly train, Confusedly heap'd they seek their in waves

Now, tired with slaughter, fros alive to land; With their rich belts their captive arms restrains (Late their proud ornaments, but now their chains)

These his attendants to the shi+ps convey'd, Sad victims destined to Patroclus' shade;

Then, as onceLycaon in his passage stood; The son of Priam; whom the hero's hand But late made captive in his father's land (As froreen arms to spoke a chariot wheel) To Lemnos' isle he sold the royal slave, Where Jason's son the price de on the shore, The ransom'd prince to fair Arisbe bore

Ten days were past, since in his father's reign He felt the sweets of liberty again; The next, that God whom men in vain withstand Gives the sa hand Now never to return! and dooo A sadder journey to the shades below

His well-known face when great Achilles eyed, (The helht, and dropp'd upon the field His useless lance and unavailing shi+eld,) As tre, fro knees, the hero said