The Iliads of Homer. Homer

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       Divine Ulysses us'd; which yet held no comparison

       With Nestor's next speech, which was this: "O shameful thing! Ye

       talk

       Like children all, that know not war. In what air's region walk

       Our oaths, and cov'nants? Now, I see the fit respects of men

       Are vanish'd quite; our right hands giv'n, our faiths, our counsels

       vain,

       Our sacrifice with wine, all fled in that profanéd flame

       We made to bind all; for thus still we vain persuasions frame,

       And strive to work our end with words, not joining stratagemes

       And hands together, though, thus long, the pow'r of our extremes

       Hath urg'd us to them. Atreus' son, firm as at first hour stand!

       Make good thy purpose; talk no more in councils, but command

       In active field. Let two or three, that by themselves advise,

       Faint in their crowning; they are such as are not truly wise;

       They will for Argos, ere they knew if that which Jove hath said

       Be false or true. I tell them all, that high Jove bow'd his head,

       As first we went aboard our fleet, for sign we should confer

       These Trojans their due fate and death; almighty Jupiter

       All that day darting forth his flames, in an unmeasur'd light,

       On our right hand. Let therefore none once dream of coward flight,

       Till (for his own) some wife of Troy he sleeps withal, the rape

       Of Helen wreaking, and our sighs enforc'd for her escape.

       If any yet dare dote on home, let his dishonour'd haste

       His black and well-built bark but touch, that (as he first

       disgrac'd

       His country's spirit) fate, and death, may first his spirit let go.

       But be thou wise, king, do not trust thyself, but others. Know

       I will not use an abject word. See all thy men array'd

       In tribes and nations, that tribes tribes, nations may nations,

       aid.

       Which doing, thou shalt know what chiefs, what soldiers, play the

       men,

       And what the cowards; for they all will fight in sev'ral then,

       Easy for note. And then shalt thou, if thou destroy'st not Troy,

       Know if the prophecy's defect, or men thou dost employ

       In their approv'd arts want in war, or lack of that brave heat

       Fit for the vent'rous spirits of Greece, was cause to thy defeat."

       To this the king of men replied: "O father, all the sons

       Of Greece thou conquer'st in the strife of consultations.

       I would to Jove, Athenia, and Phœbus, I could make,

       Of all, but ten such counsellors; then instantly would shake

       King Priam's city, by our hands laid hold on and laid waste.

       But Jove hath order'd I should grieve, and to that end hath cast

       My life into debates past end. Myself, and Thetis' son,

       Like girls, in words fought for a girl, and I th' offence begun.

       But if we ever talk as friends, Troy's thus deferréd fall

       Shall never vex us more one hour. Come then, to victuals all,

       That strong Mars all may bring to field. Each man his lance's steel

       See sharpen'd well, his shield well lin'd, his horses meated well,

       His chariot carefully made strong, that these affairs of death

       We all day may hold fiercely out. No man must rest, or breath;

       The bosoms of our targeteers must all be steeped in sweat;

       The lancer's arm must fall dissolv'd; our chariot-horse with heat

       Must seem to melt. But if I find one soldier take the chace,

       Or stir from fight, or fight not still fix'd in his enemy's face,

       Or hid a-ship-board, all the world, for force, nor price, shall

       save

       His hated life, but fowls and dogs be his abhorréd grave."

       He said; and such a murmur rose, as on a lofty shore

       The waves make, when the south wind comes, and tumbles them before

       Against a rock, grown near the strand which diversely beset

       Is never free, but, here and there, with varied uproars beat.

       All rose then, rushing to the fleet, perfum'd their tents, and eat;

       Each off'ring to th' immortal gods, and praying to 'scape the heat

       Of war and death. The king of men an ox of five years' spring

       T' almighty Jove slew, call'd the peers; first Nestor; then the

       king

       Idomenëus; after them th' Ajaces; and the son

       Of Tydeus; Ithacus the sixth, in counsel paragon

       To Jove himself. All these he bade; but at-a-martial-cry

       Good Menelaus, since he saw his brother busily

       Employ'd at that time, would not stand on invitation,

       But of himself came. All about the off'ring over-thrown

       Stood round, took salt-cakes, and the king himself thus pray'd for

       all:

       "O Jove, most great, most glorious, that, in that starry hall,

       Sitt'st drawing dark clouds up to air, let not the sun go down,

       Darkness supplying it, till my hands the palace and the town

       Of Priam overthrow and burn; the arm, on Hector's breast

       Dividing, spoiling with my sword thousands, СКАЧАТЬ