Beheld him mourning on the naked fhores,
And thus the forrows of his foul explores.

Why grieves my fon? Thy anguish let me share,
Reveal the cause, and truft a parent's care.
He deeply fighing faid: To tell my woe,
Is but to mention what too well you know.
From Thebè facred to Apollo's name,
(Aëtion's realm) our conquering army came,
With treasure loaded and triumphant fpoils,
Whofe juft divifion crown'd the foldier's toils;
But bright Chryfeïs, heavenly prize! was led,
By vote felected, to the general's bed.

475

480

The priest of Phoebus fought by gifts to gain
His beauteous daughter from the victor's chain; 485
The fleet he reach'd, and lowly bending down,
Held forth the fceptre and the laurel crown,
Entreating all but chief implor'd for grace
The brother-kings of Atreus' royal race:

The generous Greeks their joint confent declare, 499
The priest to reverence, and release the fair;
Not fo Atrides : He, with wonted pride,
The fire infulted, and his gifts deny'd:
Th' infulted fire (his God's peculiar care)

To Phoebus pray'd, and Phoebus heard the prayer:
A dreadful plague enfues; th' avenging darts
Inceffant fly, and pierce the Grecian hearts.
A prophet then, inspir'd by Heaven arose,

And points the crime, and thence derives the woes. 'Myself the first th' assembled chiefs incline

496

500

T'avert the

vengeance

of the power divine;

E 3

Then

505

510

515

Then rifing in his wrath, the monarch storm'd; Incens'd he threaten'd, and his threats perform'd: The fair Chryfeïs to her fire was fent, With offer'd gifts to make the God relent; But now, he feiz'd Brifeïs' heavenly charms, And of my valour's prize defrauds my arms, Defrauds the votes of all the Grecian train And fervice, faith, and justice, plead in vain. But, Goddess! thou thy fuppliant fon attend, To high Olympus' fhining court ascend, Urge all the ties to former fervice ow'd, And fue for vengeance to the thundering God. Oft haft thou triumph'd in the glorious boast, That thou ftood'st forth of all th' æthereal hoft, When bold rebellion fhook the realms above, Th' undaunted guard of cloud-compelling Jove. When the bright partner of his awful reign, The warlike maid, and monarch of the main, The traitor-gods, by mad ambition driven, Durft threat with chains th' omnipotence of Heaven. Then call'd by thee, the monster Titan came, (Whom Gods Briareus, Men Ageon name) Through wondering skies enormous stalk'd along; Not he that shakes the folid earth fo strong: With giant-pride at Jove's high throne he stands, And brandith'd round him all his hundred hands; Th' affrighted Gods confefs'd their awful lord, They dropt the fetters, trembled, and ador'd.

* Neptune.

520

525

This,

This, Goddess, this to his remembrance call
Embrace his knees, at his tribunal fall;
Conjure him far to drive the Grecian train,
To hurl them headlong to their fleet and main,
To heap the shores with copious death, and bring
The Greeks to know the curfe of fuch a king:
Let Agamemnon lift his haughty head

O'er all his wide dominion of the dead,

.

And mourn in blood, that e'er he durft disgrace
The boldest warriour of the Grecian race.

Unhappy fon! (fair Thetis thus replies,
While tears celeftial trickle from her eyes)
Why have I borne thee with a mother's throes,
To fates averfe, and nurs'd for future woes?
So fhort a space the light of heaven to view !

So fhort a space! and fill'd with forrow too!
O might a parent's careful wish prevail,
Far, far from Ilion fhould thy veffels fail,

530

535

540

545

And thou, from camps remote, the danger fhun,
Which now, alas! too nearly threats my fon.

550

Yet (what I can) to move thy fuit I'll go
To
great Olympus crown'd with fleecy fnow.
Mean time, fecure within thy fhips, from far
Behold the field, nor mingle in the war.
The fire of Gods and all th' æthereal train,

On the warm limits of the farthest main,
Now mix with mortals, nor difdain to grace
The feasts of Æthiopia's blameless race ;
Twelve days the powers indulge the genial rite,
Returning with the twelfth revolving light.

E 4

555

Then

Then will I mount the brazen dome, and move

The high tribunal of immortal Jove.

560

The Goddess spoke: the rolling waves unclofe; Then down the deep the plung'd from whence the rofe, And left him forrowing on the lonely coast,

In wild refentment for the fair he lost.

In Chryfa's port now fage Ulyffes rode ;
Beneath the deck the deftin'd victims ftow'd;
The fails they furl'd, they lash'd the mast aside,
And drop'd their anchors, and the pinnace ty'd.
Next on the shore their hecatomb they land,
Chryfeïs laft defcending on the strand.

Her, thus returning from the furrow'd main,
Ulyffes led to Phoebus' facred fane;

Where at his folemn altar as the maid

He

gave to Chryfes, thus the Hero faid.
Hail reverend priest! to Phoebus' awful dome
A fuppliant I from great Atrides come :
Unranfom'd here receive the spotlefs fair;
Accept the hecatombs the Greeks prepare ;
And may thy God who featters darts around,
Aton'd by facrifice, defift to wound.

At this, the fire embrac'd the maid again,

565

570

575

580

So fadly loft, fo lately fought in vain.

Then near the altar of the darting king,

Difpos'd in rank their hecatomb they bring:

585

With water purify their hands, and take

The facred offering of the falted cake;

While thus with arms devoutly rais'd in air,
And folemn voice, the priest directs his prayer:

God

God of the filver bow, thy ear incline,

Whofe power incircles Cilla the divine;

Whofe facred eye thy Tenedos furveys,

590

And gilds fair Chryfa with distinguish'd rays!
lf, fir'd to vengeance at thy prieft's request,
Thy direful darts inflict the raging pest;
Once more attend! avert the wafteful woe,
And smile propitious, and unbend thy bow.

So Chryfes pray'd, Apollo heard his prayer:
And now the Greeks their hecatomb prepare ;
Between their horns the falted barley threw,
And with their heads to heaven the victims flew:
The limbs they fever from th' inclosing hide;

595

600

The thighs, felected to the Gods, divide:

On these, in double cawls involv'd with art,

605

The choiceft morfels lay from every part.
The priest himself before his altar stands,
And burns the offering with his holy hands,
Pours the black wine, and fees the flames aspire;
The youth with inftruments furround the fire:
The thighs thus facrific'd, and entrails drest,
Th'affiftants part, transfix, and roast the rest:
Then spread the tables, the repaft prepare,
Each takes his feat, and each receives his fhare.
When now the rage of hunger was represt,
With pure libations they conclude the feast;

610

The youths with wine the copious goblets crown'd,
And, pleas'd, difpenfe the flowing bowls around.
With hymns divine the joyous banquet ends,
The Pæans lengthen'd till the fun defcends:

615

The