The Clouds divide, the Stars ferenely glow,

And fudden Splendors gild the World below.

Brave Hopleus catch'd the Rays, whofe piercing Light Presents the Corfe of Tydeus to his Sight.

Both Bodies found, they raise a gladsome cry, 535 (The Sign agreed) and to the Weight apply

Their Shoulders; pleas'd, as if preserv'd from Death, Each Corfe was re-inspir'd with vital Breath.

549

Nor durft they give full Vent to Tears or Words;
Th' unfriendly Dawn no Leifure-time affords.
With Grief the paler Darkness they furvey,
As thro' the filent Shades they bend their Way.
To pious Heroes Fate Succefs denies,
And Fortune rarely crowns the bold Emprize.
The Burden now grows lighter in their Hand,
As the whole Camp in Profpect they command,
When from behind black Clouds of Duft arife,
And fudden Sounds run ecchoing thro' the Skies.
Amphion, eager at the King's Command,
Conducts a Troop of Horfe, to fcour the Land, 550

545

v. 549. Amphion, eager at the King's Command] The Manner of the Discovery is fimilar to that of the Adventurers in the Ninth Book of the Æneid, and the Question put to them by the Enemy much the fame.

Interea præmiffi equites ex urbe Latina,

Cætera dum legio campis inftructa moratur,
Ibant, et Turno regi refponfa ferebant,
Tercentum, fcutati omnes, Volfcente magiftro.
Jamque propinquabant caftris, murofque fubibant,
Cum procul hos lævo flectentes limite cernunt:
Et galea Euryalum fubluftri noctis in umbra
Prodidit immemorem, radiifque adverfa refulfit.

Haud temere eft vifum. Conclamat ab Agmine Volfcens,
State, viri: quæ caufa viæ ? quive eftis in armis ?

Quove tenetis iter?

Verse 367.

And

555

And watch the Foe.-While far before his Train,
He spurs his Courier thro' the trackless Plain,
He catch'd a tranfient Glance (for yet the light
Had but in Part dispell'd the Shades of Night)
Of fome faint Object, that at Distance ftrays,
He looks again, and doubts if he furveys.
The Fraud detected. Stand, whoe'er you are,
(Amphion cries) and whence you come, declare,
Confefs'd at length, the wretched Pair appear,
The wretched Pair rufh on with Speed, and fear 560
Not for themselves. He shakes his Javelin now,
And feems to meditate a deathful Blow;
Yet high in Air the miffile Weapon cast,
Which wilful err'd, the Object far o'erpaft:

Before the Face of Dymas fix'd it lay,

565

(Who started first) and check'd him in the Way.

But valiant Epytus his Javelin tofs'd

With Care, nor will'd the fair Occafion loft.

Through Hopleus' Back the well-aim'd Dart he flung,
And graz'd the Corfe, that on his Shoulders hung.
He falls, not mindless of his Lord in Death,
But in the painful Grafp expires his Breath:
Too happy, had he reach'd the Stygian Coast
Juft then, unknowing, that the Corfe was loft.
This fcap'd not Dymas: as he turn'd behind,
He fees the Troops, in his Deftruction join'd,

571

575

V. 1.561. He shakes his Javelin now] This Circumstance is borrowed from the tenth Book of Homer's Iliad, v. 372.

Ηρα, καὶ ἔγχος ἀφήκεν, ἑκὼν δ ̓ ἡμάρτανε φωτός.

Δεξιτερὸν δ ̓ ὑπὲρ ὡμον ἐυξός δερὸς ἀκωκὴ

Ἐν γαίη επείγη. ὁ δ' άρ' έτη, περβησέν το

Uncertain

Uncertain or to tempt th' approaching Foes

580

With foothing Blandifhments, or ply with Blows.
Wrath fpurs to Combate, Fortune bids him try
The Force of Pray'r: on none he can rely.
Too wroth to fue, before his Feet he plac'd
The wretched Corfe, with Wounds unfelt disgrac'd;
And toffing to the left a weighty Hide,
(Which grac'd his Back, and hung with martial Pride,
A Tiger's Spoils) protends his naked Blade,
And guards the Hero's Body, undismay'd :
Prepar'd for ev'ry Dart, that comes, he turns:
And with the Thirst of Death or Conqueft burns.
As the gaunt Lioness, whose cruel Den

585

Is thick befet with clam'rous Hounds and Men, 590

v. 581. Too wroth to fue, before his Feet he plac'd] Nothing can exceed the Valour and Magnanimity of this Hero. He would not furrender up the Body of his Friend, and knew that it was im→→ poffible to preferve it by carrying it on his Back, as it muft neceffarily tie up his Hands from making any Defence: He therefore places it on the Ground before his Enemies, as the Prize for which they were to fight. -His various Movements and Situation on this Occafion are well illuftrated by the fubfequent Comparifon, which is imitated from Homer.

Ως τις τε λέων περὶ οἷσι τέκεσιν·

Ωι ρά τε νήπι ̓ ἄγοντι συναντήσονται εν ύλη
*Ανδρες ἐπακτῆρες, ὁ δέ τε ένεϊ βλεμεαίνει,

Πᾶν ὃ τ ̓ ἐπισκευίον κάτω έλκε), δστε καλύπτων. 11. Β. 17. 133. Ariosto in his Orlando Furiofo has tranflated our Author's Comparifon almost literally, with the fingle Difference of fubftituting a She Bear instead of a Lionefs.

Com' Orfa, che l' alpeftre cacciatore

Nella pietrofa tana afsalito abbia :

Sta fopra i figli con incerto core,
E freme in fuoni di pieta, e di rabbia.

Ira la invita, e natural furore

A spiegar l'ugna, e infanguiner la fabbia;
Amor la intenerifce, e la ritira

A riguardar i figli in mezo all' ira.

Stands

595

Stands o'er her Whelps, erect, and fends around,
Perplext with Doubts, a mournful, angry Sound.
With Ease she might difperfe the fable Train,
And knap the Weapons with her Teeth in twain,
But nat❜ral Love o'ercomes the Luft of Fight:
She foams with Rage, yet keeps her Whelps in Sight.
The Falchion now lops off his weaker Hand,
Tho' great Amphion check'd the furious Band,
And by his Hair the Youth is drag'd along,
By Fate refign'd to an infulting Throng.
Then, nor till then, in fuppliant Guife he bow'd
His Sword, and thus addrefs'd the ruthless crowd.
More gently treat the tender Boy, I pray,
I
By that bleft Cradle, where young Bacchus lay,
By lucklefs Ino's Flight, and female Fears,
And your Palemon's almost equal Years.
If one among you taftes domeftic Joys,
If any here paternal Care employs,
Heap o'er his poor Remains a little Sand,
And to his Pyre apply one kindled Brand.

600

605

610

v. 609. Heap o'er his poor Remains] So Horace, Lib. 1. Ode 28.

At tu, nauta, vaga ne parce malignus arenæ

Offibus. et capiti inhumato

Particulam dare.

It was fufficient for all the Rites of Burial, that Duft fhould be thrice thrown on an unburied Body. This Kind of Sepulture is by Quintilian called Collatitia fepultura. It was an A&t of Religion fo indifpenfible, that no Perfon could be excufed, and even the Pontifices, who were forbidden to approach or look on a dead Body, were obliged to perform this Duty, as Servius tells us in his Notes on the 6th Book of Virgil's Æneid. Thus, among the Jews, the High Priest was forbidden to approach his Father or Mother's and yet he was injoined to inter any dead Body, which he found in the Road. Francis's Horace.

His Looks, behold! his Looks this Boon implore,
First let the Monsters lap my spatter'd Gore:
Me, me refign to the fell Birds of Prey;

'Twas I, who train'd, and forc'd him to the Fray. If fuch is thy Defire (Amphion cries)

615

To deck his Corfe with fun'ral Obfequies,

620

What, to redeem their Lofs, the Greeks prepare,
Their Schemes, their Counfels, and Refolves declare.
As a Reward, the Light of Life enjoy,
And, as thou wilt, intomb th' unhappy Boy.
Th' Arcadian, full of Horror, fcorn'd a Part
So base, plung'd all the Poniard in his Heart,
And cry'd.—Did nought, fave this, remain to close
My Country's Fate, that I fhou'd tell her Foes
Her fix'd Intents? we buy no fun'ral Pyre

625

On Terms like these, nor wou'd the Prince require.
He spake, and on his youthful Leader laid
His Breaft, wide-open'd by the trenchant Blade,
And faid in dying Accents.-Thou shalt have
My lifeless Corfe, a temporary Grave.

630

Thus did the Warrior of Etolian Race,

And brave Arcadian, in the wifh'd Embrace

Of their lov'd Kings, expire their vital Breath,
Rush on Destruction, and enjoy their Death.

Embalm'd in Verfe, illuftrious Shades, you live, 635
And fhare alike the Praise my Mufe can give,
Tho', rank'd at Distance in th' Aonian Quire,
She boasts not loftier Maro's tuneful Lyre:
Perchance too Nifus, and his Friend may deign
To ftile you Comrades in th' Elyfian Plain.

640

modeft

v. 639. Perchance too Nifus and his Friend] This is a very Character of one of the most beautiful Epifodes I know. Neither

can