Now brave Pirithous, bold Ixion's fon, The love of fair Hippodame had won.
The cloud-begotten race, half men, half beaft, Invited, came to grace the nuptial feast :
In a cool cave's recefs the treat was made, Whofe entrance trees with spreading boughs o'er-fhade. They fat and fummon'd by the bridegroom, came, To mix with thofe, the Lapithæan name : Nor wanted I: the roofs with joy refound : And Hymen, Iö Hymen, rung around. Rais'd altars fhone with holy fires; the bride, Lovely herself (and lovely by her fide
A bevy of bright nymphs, with fober grace,) Came glitt'ring like a ftar, and took her place: Her heav'nly form beheld, all wifh'd her joy; And little wanted, but in vain, their wishes all employ. For one, most brutal of the brutal blood, Or whether wine or beauty fir'd his blood, Or both at once, beheld with luftful eyes The bride; at once refolv'd to make his prize. Down went the board; and faft'ning on her hair, He feiz'd with fudden force the frighted fair. 'Twas Eurytus began: his beftial kind His crime purfu'd; and each as pleas'd his mind, Or her, whom chance presented, took: the feaft An image of a taken town exprefs'd.
The cave refounds with female fhrieks; we rise, Mad with revenge, to make a swift reprise : And Thefeus firft; What frenzy has poffefs'd, O Eurytus, he cry'd, thy brutal breast, To wrong Pirithous, and not him alone, But, while I live, two friends conjoin'd in one? To juftify his threat, he thrufts afide The crowd of Centaurs, and redeems the bride; The monster nought reply'd: for words were vain ; And deeds could only deeds unjust maintain :
But answers with his hand; and forward prefs'd, With blows redoubled, on his face and breast. An ample goblet flood, of antique mold, And rough with figures of the rifing gold; The hero fnatch'd it up, and tofs'd in air, Full at the front of the foul ravisher:
He falls; and falling vomits forth a flood Of wine, and foam and brains, and mingled blood. Half roaring, and half neighing thro' the hall, Arms, arms, the double-form'd with fury call; To wreak their brother's death: a medley flight Of bowls and jars, at first, supply the fight, Once inftruments of feafts, but now of fate; Wine animates their rage, and arms their hate. Bold Amycus, from the robb'd veftry brings The chalices of heav'n, and holy things
Of precious weight: a fconce, that hung on high, With tapers fill'd, to light the facrifty,
Torn from the cord, with his unhallow'd hand He threw amid the Lapithæan band.
On Celadon the ruin fell; and left His face of feature and of form bereft :
So, when fome brawny facrificer knocks, Before an altar led, an offer'd ox,
His eye-balls rooted out are thrown to ground; His nofe dismantled in his mouth is found, His jaws, cheeks; front, one undistinguish'd wound. This, Belates, th' avenger, could not brook; But, by the foot, a maple-board he took ; And hurl'd at Amycus; his chin is bent Against his cheft, and down the Centaur fent & Whom fputt'ring bloody teeth, the fecond blow Of his drawn fword difpatch'd to fhades below, Grineus was near; and caft a furious look On the fide-altar, cens'd with facred fmoke,
And bright with flaming fires; The Gods, he cry'd, Have with their holy trade our hands supply'd : Why use we not their gifts? Then from the floor An altar-ftone he heav'd, with all the load it bore: Altar and altar's freight together flew
Where thickest throng'd the Lapithean crew; And, at once, Broteas and Oryus flew : Oryus' mother, Mycale, was known Down-from her sphere to draw the lab'ring moon. Exadius cry'd, Unpunifh'd fhall not go
This fact, if arms are found against the foe. He look'd about, where on a pine were fpread The votive horns of a stag's branching head: At Grineus thefe he throws; fo juft they fly, That the fharp antlers ftuck in either eye: Breathlefs and blind he fell; with blood befmear'd, His eye-balls beaten out hung dangling on his beard. Fierce Rhætus, from the hearth, a burning brand Selects, and whirling waves; 'till, from his hand The fire took flame; then dafh'd it from the right, On fair Charaxus' temples, near the fight: The whistling peft came on, and pierc'd the bone, And caught the yellow hair, that shrivel'd while it fhone. Caught, like dry stubble fir'd, or like feerwood; Yet from the wound enfu'd no purple flood; But look'd a bubbling mass of frying blood. His blazing locks fent forth a crackling found, And hifs'd, like red-hot iron within the fmithy drown'd. The wounded warrior fhook his flaming hair, Then (what a team of horse could hardly rear) He heaves the threshold-stone; but could not throw; The weight itself forbad the threaten'd blow; Which, dropping from his lifted arms, came down Full on Cometes' head, and crush'd his crown. Nor Rhætus then retain'd his joy; but said, So by their fellows may our foes be sped; Then with redoubled ftrokes he plies his head:
The burning lever not deludes his pains; But drives the batter'd skull within the brains.
Thus flush'd, the conqueror, with force renew'd, Evagrus, Dryas, Corythus, pursu'd :
First, Corythus, with downy cheeks, he flew ; Whofe fall when fierce Evagrus had in view, He cry'd, What palm is from a beardless prey ? Rhætus prevents what more he had to say ; And drove within his mouth the fiery death, Which enter'd hiffing in, and chok'd his breath. At Dryas next he flew; but weary chance No longer would the fame fuccefs advance. But while he whirl'd in fiery circles round The brand, a fharpen'd ftake ftrong Dryas found; And in the fhoulder's joint inflicts the wound. The weapon ftruck: which roaring out with pain He drew; nor longer durft the fight maintain, But turn'd his back, for fear; and fled amain. With him fled Orneus, with like dread poffefs'd; Thaumas and Medon wounded in the breast, And Mermeros, in the late race renown'd, Now limping ran, and tardy with his wound. Pholus and Melaneus from fight withdrew, And Abas maim'd, who boars encount'ring flew: And Augur Aftylos, whofe art in vain From fight diffuaded the four-footed train, Now beat the hoof with Neffus on the plain; But to his fellow cry'd, Be fafely flow,
Thy death deferr'd is due to great Alcides' bow. Mean time ftrong Dryas urg'd his chance fo well, That Lycidas, Areos, Imbreus fell;
All, one by one, and fighting face to face: Crenæus fled, to fall with more difgrace: For, fearful while he look'd behind, he bore, Betwixt his nofe and front, the blow before E 3
Amid the noise and tumult of the fray, Snoring and drunk with wine, Aphidas lay. Ev'n then the bowl within his hand he kept, And on a bear's rough hide fecurely flept. Him Phorbas with his flying dart transfix'd; Take thy next draught with Stygian water's mix'd, And fleep thy fill, th' infulting victor cry'd; Surpris'd with death unfelt, the Centaur dy'd: The ruddy vomit, as he breath'd his foul, Repafs'd his throat, and fill'd his empty bowl. I faw Petræus' arms employ'd around
A well-grown oak, to root it from the ground. This way, and that, he wrench'd the fibrous bands, The trunk was like a fapling in his hands,
And still obey'd the bent: while thus he stood, Perithous' dart drove on, and nail'd him to the wood. Lycus and Chromys fell, by him opprefs'd: Helops and Dictys added to the reft
A nobler palm: Helops, through either ear Transfix'd, receiv'd the penetrating spear. This Dictys faw; and feiz'd with fudden fright, Leapt headlong from the hill of steepy height; And crush'd an afh beneath, that could not bear his weight.
The fhatter'd tree receives his fall, and ftrikes, Within his full-blown paunch, the sharpen'd spikes. Strong Aphareus had heav'd a mighty stone, The fragment of a rock, and would have thrown; But Thefeus, with a club of harden'd oak, The cubit-bone of the bold Centaur broke; And left him maim'd: nor feconded the ftroke. Then leapt on tall Bianor's back: (who bore No mortal burden but his own, before.) Prefs'd with his knees his fides; the double man, His fpeed with fpurs increas'd, unwilling ran. One hand the hero faften'd on his locks ; His other ply'd him with repeated strokes.
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