THE

FIRST BOOK

OF

HOMER'S ILIAS.

THE ARGUMENT.

Chryfes, priest of Apollo, brings prefents to the Grecian princes, to ranfom his daughter Chryfeis, who was prifoner in the fleet. Agamemnon, the general, whofe captive and mistress the young lady was, refuses to deliver her, threatens the venerable old man, and difmiffes him with contumely: The priest craves vengeance of his god; who fends a plague among the Greeks: which occafions Achilles, their great champion, to summon a council of the chief officers: he encourages Calchas, the high priest and prophet, to tell the reafon, why the gods were fo much incenfed against them. Calchas is fearful of provoking Agamemnon, till Achilles engages to protect him: then, emboldened by the hero, he accufes the general as the caufe of all, by detaining the fair captive, and refufing the prefents offered for her ranfom. By this pro

ceeding, Agamemnon is obliged, against his will, to reftore Chryfeis, with gifts, that he might appease the wrath of Phœbus; but, at the same time, to revenge himself on Achilles, fends to feize his flave Brifeis. Achilles, thus affronted, complains to his mother Thetis; and begs her to revenge his injury, not only on the general, but on all the army, by giving victory to the Trojans, till the ungrateful king became fenfible of his injuftice. At the fame time, he retires from the camp into his fhips, and withdraws his aid from his countrymen. Thetis prefers her fon's petition to Jupiter, who grants her fuit. Juno fufpects her errand, and quarrels with her husband, for his grant; till Vulcan reconciles his parents with a bowl of nectar, and fends them peaceably to bed.

THE wrath of Peleus' fon, O Muse, refound*;

Whofe dire effects the Grecian army found

Pope made a ridiculous blunder tranflation of Diodorus Siculus, where dicus by an error of the prefs for Men firmed that Homer was a phyfician.

This is not the place to enter into a

admirable difpofition and economy of the ad. We may however juft obferve one or two circumftances. It is an effential beauty in a well-conftituted epic poem, that there should be an apparent neceffity for every incident that arifes. It was abfolutely neceflary that each of the Grecian chiefs fhould be brought forward, in order to heighten the effects of the abfence and anger of Achilles. It was abfolutely neceffary for Vulcan to make a fhield for Achilles, because the Trojans had feized and carried away his armour. It was abfolutely neceffary that funeral

And many a hero, king, and hardy knight,
Were fent, in early youth, to shades of night :
Their limbs a prey to dogs and vultures made:
So was the fovereign will of Jove obey'd:
From that ill-omen'd hour when ftrife begun,
Betwixt Atrides great, and Thetis' god-like
fon.

6

What Power provok'd, and for what cause,

relate,

Sowed, in their breafts, the feeds of ftern de

bate:

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Jove's and Latona's fon his wrath exprefs'd,
In vengeance of his violated prieft,
Against the king of men; who, fwoln with
pride,

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Refus'd his prefents, and his prayers deny'd.
For this the god a fwift contagion spread
Amid the camp, where heaps on heaps lay dead.
For venerable Chryfes came to buy,

With gold and gifts of price, his daughter's liberty.

Suppliant before the Grecian chiefs he stood; Awful, and arm'd with enfigns of his god: 20

games fhould be performed on the death of Patroclus; but not fo neceffary that Eneas fhould ftop in Sicily, to which island he had happened to be driven by contrary winds, and there celebrate the anniversary of his father's death. Neither was there fo abfolute a neceffity for the beautiful expedition of Nifus and Euryalus, as for that of Dolon and Diomede.

Dr. J. WARTON.

Bare was his hoary head; one holy hand
Held forth his laurel crown, and one his fcep-
tre of command.

His fuit was common; but above the reft,
To both the brother-princes thus address'd: 24
Ye fons of Atreus, and ye Grecian powers,
So may the gods who dwell in heavenly bowers
Succeed your fiege, accord the vows you make,
And give you Troy's imperial town to take;
So, by their happy conduct, may you come
With conqueft back to your sweet native home;
As
you receive the ranfom which I bring,
(Refpecting Jove, and the far-shooting king,)
And break my daughter's bonds, at my
defire;
And glad with her return her grieving fire.
With fhouts of loud acclaim the Greeks de-

cree

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To take the gifts, to fet the damfel free.
The king of men alone with fury burn'd;
And, haughty, thefe opprobrious words re-
turn'd:

Hence, holy dotard, and avoid my fight,
Ere evil intercept thy tardy flight:
Nor dare to tread this interdicted ftrand,
Left not that idle fceptre in thy hand,
Nor thy god's crown, my vowed revenge
withstand.

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Hence on thy life: the captive maid is mine; Whom not for price or prayers I will refign: 45

Mine she shall be, till creeping age and time Her bloom have wither'd, and confum'd her

prime.

Till then my royal bed she shall attend ;
And, having first adorn'd it, late afcend:
This, for the night; by day, the web and
loom,

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And homely houshold-task, shall be her doom, Far from thy lov'd embrace, and her sweet native home.

He faid the helpless priest reply'd no more, But fped his steps along the hoarfe-refounding fhore:

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Silent he fled; fecure at length he stood, Devoutly curs'd his foes, and thus invok'd his god.

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O fource of facred light, attend my prayer,
God with the filver bow, and golden hair;
Whom Chryfa, Cilla, Tenedos obeys,
And whofe broad eye their happy foil furveys;
If, Smintheus, I have pour'd before thy
fhrine

The blood of oxen, goats, and ruddy wine,
And larded thighs on loaded altars laid,
Hear, and my just revenge propitious aid!
Pierce the proud Greeks, and with thy fhafts

atteft

How much thy power is injured in thy priest.

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