With anxious pleasure when Juturna view'd Th' increafing fright of the mad multitude; When their fhort fighs and thickening fobs fhe heard, And found their ready minds for change prepar'd; Diffembling her immortal form, she took
Camertus' mien, his habit, and his look,
A chief of ancient blood: in arms well known
Was his great fire, and he, his greater fon.
His shape affum'd, amid the ranks she ran,
And, humouring their firft motions, thus began: 345 For fhame, Rutulians, can you bear the fight
Of one expos'd for all, in fingle fight?
Can we, before the face of heaven, confefs
Our courage colder, or our numbers lefs?
View all the Trojan hoft, th' Arcadian band,
And Tuscan army; count them as they stand:
Undaunted to the battle if we go,
Scarce every fecond man will share a foe.
Turnus, 'tis true, in this unequal strife
Shall lofe, with honour, his devoted life :
Or change it rather for immortal fame, ́
Succeeding to the gods, from whence he came :
But you, a fervile, and inglorious band,
For foreign lords fhall fow your native land:
Those fruitful fields, your fighting fathers gain'd, 360
Which have fo long their lazy fons fuftain'd.
With words like thefe, the carry'd her design;
A rifing murmur runs along the line.
Then ev'n the city troops, and Latins, tir'd
With tedious war, feem with new fouls infpir'd: 365
Their champion's fate with pity they lament;
And of the league, fo lately fworn, repent.
Nor fails the goddess to foment the rage With lying wonders, and a false presage: But adds a fign, which, prefent to their eyes, Inspires new courage, and a glad furprize. For, fudden, in the fiery tracts above, Appears in pomp th' imperial bird of Jove: A plump of fowl he fpies, that swim the lakes; And o'er their heads his founding pinions shakes. 375 Then stooping on the fairest of the train, In his strong talons trufs'd a filver swan. Th' Italians wonder at th' unusual fight;
But while he lags, and labours in his flight,
Behold the daftard fowl return anew;
And with united force the foe pursue:
Clamorous around the royal hawk they fly;
And thickening in a cloud, o'ershade the sky.
They cuff, they scratch, they cross their airy course;
Nor can th' incumber'd bird fuftain their force : 385
But vex'd, not vanquish'd, drops the ponderous prey ;
And, lighten'd of his burden, wings his way.
Th' Aufonian bands with fhouts falute the fight:
Eager of action, and demand the fight.
Then king Tolumnius, vers'd in augurs' arts,
Cries out, and thus his boasted skill imparts:
At length 'tis granted, what I long defir'd;
This, this is what my frequent vows requir❜d.
Ye gods, I take your omen, and obey:
Advance, my friends, and charge; I lead the way. 395
These are the foreign foes, whofe impious band,
Like that rapacious bird, infeft our land:
But foon, like him, they shall be forc'd to fea
By ftrength united, and forego the prey;
Your timely fuccour to your country bring;
Hafte to the rescue, and redeem your king..
He said: and preffing onward, through the crew, Pois'd in his lifted arm, his lance he threw. The winged weapon, whistling in the wind, Came driving on, nor miss'd the mark defign'd. 405: At once the cornel rattled in the skies;
At once tumultuous fhouts and clamours rife.
Nine brothers in a goodly band there stood,
Born of Arcadian mix'd with Tufcan blood:
Gylippus' fons: the fatal javelin flew,
Aim'd at the midmoft of the friendly crew.
A paffage through the jointed arms is found,
Juft where the belt was to the body bound,
And ftruck the gentle youth extended on the ground.
Then, fir'd with pious rage, the generous train 415-
Run madly forward to revenge the flain.
And fome with eager hafte their javelins throw;
And fome with fword in hand affault the foe.
The wish'd infult the Latin troops embrace;
And meet their ardour in the middle space.
The Trojans, Tufcans, and Arcadian line,
With equal courage obviate their defign.
Peace leaves the violated fields; and hate
Both armies urges to their mutual fate.
With impious hafte their altars are o'erturn'd,
The facrifice half broil'd, and half-unburn'd.
Thick ftorms of steel from either army fly,
And clouds of clashing darts obfcure the sky:
Brands from the fire are miffive weapons made ;
With chargers, bowls, and all the priestly trade. 430
Latinus, frighted, haftens from the fray,
And bears his unregarded gods away.
These on their horfes vault, those yoke the car;
The rest, with swords on high, run headlong to the war.
Meffapus, eager to confound the peace,
Spurr'd his hot courfer through, the fighting prefs,
At king Auleftes; by his purple known
A Tuscan prince, and by his regal crown;
And with a shock encountering, bore him down.
Backward he fell; and, as his fate defign'd,
The ruins of an altar were behind:
There pitching on his fhoulders, and his head,
Amid the scattering fires he lay fupinely spread.
The beamy spear defcending from above,
His cuirafs pierc'd, and through his body drove. 445 Then, with a scornful smile, the victor cries;
The gods have found a fitter facrifice.
Greedy of spoils, th' Italians strip the dead
Of his rich armour; and uncrown his head.
Prieft Chorinæus arm'd his better hand,
From his own altar, with a blazing brand:
And, as Ebufus with a thundering pace,
Advane'd to battle, dafh'd it on his face:
His briftly beard fhines out with fudden fires,
The crackling crop a noisome scent expires.
Following the blow, he feiz'd his curling crown
With his left hand; his other caft him down.
The proftrate body with his knees he prefs'd,
And plung'd his holy poinard in his breast.
While Podalirius, with his fword, pursued The shepherd Alsus through the flying crowd, Swiftly he turns, and aims a deadly blow, Full on the front of his unwary foe.
The broad axe enters with a crashing found,
And cleaves the chin with one continued wound: 465 Warm blood, and mingled brains, befinear his arms around.
An iron fleep his ftupid eyes opprefs'd,
And feal'd their heavy lids in endless rest.
But good Æneas rush'd amid the bands,
Bare was his head, and naked were his hands,
In fign of truce: then thus he cries aloud,
What fudden rage, what new defire of blood
Inflames your alter'd minds? O Trojans, cease
From impious arms, nor violate the peace.
By human fanctions, and by laws divine,
The terms are all agreed, the war is mine.
Difmifs your fears, and let the fight enfue;
This hand alone shall right the gods and you:
Our injur❜d altars, and their broken vow,
To this avenging fword the faithlefs Turnus owe. 480 Thus while he spoke, unmindful of defence,
A winged arrow ftruck the pious prince,
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