Nor had Mezentius thus his slaughters spread,
Thus heap'd with wrongs thy father's aged head;
Nor thus unpunish'd stretch'd his rage abhorr'd
O'er towns, dispeopled by his wasteful sword.
But hear, ye gods! and Heaven's great ruler, hear,
With due regard, a king's and father's pray'r!
My dear, dear Pallas, if the fates ordain
Safe to return, and bless these eyes again :
With age, pain, sickness, this one blessing give;
On this condition I'll endure to live.
But oh! if fortune has decreed his doom,
Now, now, by death, prevent my woes to come;
Now, while my hopes and fears uncertain flow;
Now, ere she lifts her hand to strike the blow;
While in these feeble arms I strain the boy,
My sole delight, my last surviving joy!
Ere the sad news of his untimely doom
Must bow his hoary head with sorrow to the tomb!"
With these last words he swoon'd, and sunk away;
His servants to the couch their breathless lord
convey.

Now through the opening gates the warriors ride,
Eneas first, Achates by his side.
The Trojan chiefs succeed: amid the train
Young Pallas towers, conspicuous o'er the plain.
All bright his military purple flow'd;
His polish'd arms with golden splendours glow'd.
So, bath'd in ocean, with a vivid ray
Flames the refulgent star that leads the day:
Wide through the sky, before the sacred light
Break, and disperse the scattering shades of night.
High on the battlements the mothers stand,
And, from the towers, survey the martial band.
Through the thick woods, embody'd in array,
The glittering squadrons take the nearest way.
Loud shouts arise; the thundering coursers bound
Through clouds of dust, and paw the trembling
A mighty grove, rever'd for ages stood [ground.
Where Cære views with pride her rolling flood:
Hills clad with fir, to guard the hallow'd bound,
Rose in the majesty of darkness round.
In times of old, the pious Argive train,
The first possessors of the Latian plain,
To the great guardian of the fields, had made
For ever sacred the devoted shade,

And, on his solemn day, their annual offerings paid.
Not far from hence the Tuscan host dispread
Their mighty camp, with Tarchon at their head.
From the tall towering point in full survey,
Stretch'd o'er the vale, th' embattled army lay.
Hither Æneas, with his band, succeeds;
The train, refresh'd, release the panting steeds.
Meantime his beauteous mother, from on high,
Had brought the blazing present down the sky.
By the cool stream the hero she survey'd
Within the winding vale, and thus she said:

"Behold the promis'd arms; in every part
By Vulcan labour'd with immortal art.
Now dare thy foes, collected in thy might,
Now call the haughty Turnus to the fight."
Then the fair queen her joyful son embrac'd,
And by an oak the radiant burthen plac'd.
The wondering chief with sudden rapture glow'd,
Struck with the glorious labours of the god.
Astonish'd at the blazing arms he stands,
And, one by one, he pois'd 'em in his hands.
The sword, with death all pointed, he admires,
And the proud helm, that shoots a length of fires.

Sylvanus

The mighty corslet cast a vivid ray;
With scales of brass and sanguine colours gay f
And, like a flaming cloud, refulgent shone,
Pierc'd with the glancing glories of the Sun.
The polish'd greaves his manly thighs enfold,
With mingled metals wrought and ductile gold.
With joy the weighty spear the prince beheld;
But most admir'd the huge mysterious shield;
For there had Vulcan, skill'd in times to come,
Display'd the triumphs of immortal Rome;
There all the Julian line the god had wrought,
And charg'd the gold with battles yet unfought.
Here in a verdant cave's embow'ring shade,
The fostering wolf and martial twins were laid;
Th' indulgent mother, half reclin'd along,
While at her dugs the sportive infants hung,
Look'd fondly back, and form'd 'em with her
(dames,

tongue.

Next Rome appear'd; here shriek the Sabine
Surpris'd, and ravish'd at her solemn games.
In arms the Cures with their king appear,
And wage with infant Rome a sudden war.
At length agreed, from fight the monarchs cease,
And, at the shrine of Jove, conclude the peace.
Each king beside the bleeding victim stands,
With lifted eyes, a goblet in his hands.
Here the mad coursers flew the forest o'er,
And, limb from limb, the perjur'd Metius tore.
As vengeful Tullus drags him through the wood,
The sculptur'd trees are all bedropp'd with blood.

Here proud Porsenna, with his martial train,
Bids Rome receive her banish'd king again.
Her noble sons, surrounded with alarms,
Fly, in the cause of liberty, to arms.
While glorious Cocles all his host withstood,
And Clalia broke her chains, and swam the flood.
With furious looks, tremendous to behold,
The raging monarch frown'd, and storm'd in gold.
There, for the Capitol, brave Manlius strove,
Fought like a god, and look'd a second Jove.
There stood thy palace, Romulus, (decreed
The seat of empire) roof'd with homely reed.
Here fled the silver goose through courts of gold,
And, cackling loud, th' approaching Gauls foretold.
Through the thick forest move the hostile pow'rs,
And, favour'd by the night, invade the tow'rs.
Fair golden tresses grace the comely train,
And every warrior wears a golden chain.
Embroider'd vests their snowy limbs enfold;
And their rich robes are all adorn'd with gold.
Two Alpine spears with martial pride they wield,
And guard their bodies with an ample shield.
The Salii next in solemn garbs advance;
And naked here the mad Luperci dance.
The pledge of future empire from the sky,
The sacred targe strikes dazzling on the eye.
In stately cars the pious matrons rode,
Who saved their country, and appeas'd the god.
Far hence remov'd, appear the realms below,
The horrid mansions of eternal woe;
Where howl the damn'd; where Catiline in chains
Roars from the dark abyss, in endless pains;
Sees the grim furies all around him spread,
And the black rock still trembling o'er his head,
But in a separate space the just remain;
And awful Cato rules the godlike train.

Full in the midst, majestically roll'd The solemn ocean, wrought in figur'd gold :

Romulus and Remus

But hoary waves curl high on every side,
And silver dolphins cut the sable tide.

Amid the flood, two navies rose to sight,
With beaks of brass; th' immortal Actian fight!
All charg'd with war the boiling billows roll'd,
And the vast ocean flam'd with arms of gold.
Here leads divine Augustus, through the floods,
The sons of Rome, her fathers and her gods:
From his high stern the martial scene surveys,
While streaming splendours round his temples
blaze;

His sparkling eyes a keener glory shed,

Than his great father's star, that glitters o'er his head.

Next, with kind gales, the care of every god,
Agrippa leads his squadron through the flood.
A naval crown adorns the warrior's brows,
And fierce he pours amid th' embattled foes.

There brings proud Antony his various bands,
From distant nations, and from barbarous lands.
Dispeopled Egypt fills the watery plain,

And the whole Eastern world o'erspreads the main. But O!-the curse of Rome, the shame of war, His Pharian consort' follows in the rear!

Rush the fierce fleets to fight! beneath their oars And clashing beaks, the foaming ocean roars ! All big with war the floating castles ride, In bulk enormons, o'er the yielding tide; The frothy surge like moving mountains sweep, Or isles uprooted, rolling round the deep. Spears, darts, and flames, fly furious o'er the main ; The fields of Neptune take a crimson stain. The beauteous queen, amidst the dire alarms, With her loud timbrels calls her host to arms, Flies to the fight, nor sees the snakes, that wait And hiss behind, dread ministers of fate! Against great Neptune, in his strength array'd, And beauteous Venus, and the blue-ey'd maid, Engage the dog Anubis, on the floods, And the lewd herd of Egypt's monster gods. In polish'd steel, conspicuous from afar, Amid the tumult storms the god of war. Her robes all rent, with many an ample stride, Grim Discord stalk'd, triumphant, o'er the tide. Next, with her bloody scourge, Bellona flies, And leads, in fatal pomp, the furies of the skies. Meantime, enthron'd on Actium's towering height, The god of day surveys the raging fight, And bends his twanging bow. With sudden dread, At the dire signal, all Arabia fled : At once retire, in wild confusion hurl'd, Egypt, and all th' assembled Eastern world. Amid the slaughters of the fight was seen, Pale with the fears of death, the Pharian queen; Aghast, she calls the kind propitious gales To speed her flight; and spreads her silken sails. The god display'd her figure, full in view, As o'er the floods with western winds she flew. While sunk in grief, the mighty Nile bemoans The shame and slaughter of his vanquish'd sons. He saw the rout, his mantle he unroll'd, Spread forth his robes, and open'd every fold, Expanded wide his arms, with timely care, And in his kind embrace receiv'd the flying war. Now moves great Cæsar, (all his foes o'ercome) With three proud triumphs, thro' imperial Rome; And pays immortal honours to the skies: Behold at once three hundred temples rise !

Cleopatra.

The streets resound with shouts and solemn games;
And to the temples throng the Roman dames
With ardent pray'rs: high altars rise around;
And with the blood of victims smokes the ground.
He sits enthron'd in Phœbus' Parian fane;
In ranks before him pass the vanquish'd train,
While he accepts the gifts that crown his toils,
And hangs on high the consecrated spoils.
Before the victor move the mighty throngs,
With different habits and discordant tongues.
Here pass, distinguish'd by the god of fire,
The sons of Afric, in their loose attire:
The Carians march; the bold Numidians ride;
The Gelons shine with quivers at their side.
Here crowd the Daa; and the nations, there,
From Earth's last ends assembled to the war.
Here, with diminish'd pride, Euphrates mourns;
There the maim'd Rhine bemoans his broken horns
And fierce Araxes, bridg'd of old in vain,
Now bends, submissive, to the Roman chain.

Such was the glorious gift in every part
By Vulcan finish'd with immortal art:
(The forms unknown, that grac'd its ample field)
The prince with joy surveys the story'd shield;
Aloft he bears the triumphis yet to come,
The fortunes of his race, the fates of mighty Rome,

VIRGIL'S ÆNEID.

BOOK IX.

ARGUMENT.

TURNUS takes advantage of Æneas's absence, attempts to fire his ships, (which are transformed into sea-nymphs) and assaults his camp. The Trojans, reduced to the last extremities, send Nisus and Euryalus to recall Eneas, which furnishes the poet with that admirable episode of their friendship, generosity, and conclusion of their adventures. In the morning, Turnus pushes the siege with vigour; and, hearing that the Trojans had opened a gate, he runs thither, and breaks into the town with the enemics he pursues. The gates are immediately closed upon him; and he fights his way through the town to the river Tyber. He is forced at last to leap, armed as he is, into the river, and swims to his camp.

Now, while the Lydians in his cause unite,
And the raw peasants gather to the fight;
Call, call the fiery coursers, and the car;
Fly-storm his camp-and give a loose to war."
This said, with levell'd wings she mounts on high,
And cuts a glorious rainbow in the sky.

He knew the fair; his lifted hands he spread,
And with these words pursu'd her as she fled :
"Bright beauteous goddess of the various bow,
What pow'r dispatch'd thee to the world below?
What splendours ape: to my dazzled eyes!
What floods of glory burst from all the skies!
And lo! the Heav'ns divine, the planets roll!
Thick shine the stars, and gild the glowing pole!
Call'd by these omens to the field of blood,
I follow to the war the great inspiring god!"

Raptur'd he said, and sought the limpid tide, Where gurgling streams in silver currents glide; There cleans'd his hands, then raising high in air, To ev'ry god addrest his ardent prayer.

And now, all gay and glorious to behold, Rich in embroider'd vests, and arms of gold, On sprightly prancing steeds, the martial train Spread wide their ranks o'er all th' embattled

plain.

The van with great Messapus at their head;
The deep'ning rear the sons of Tyrrheus led.
Brave Turnus flames in arms, supremely tall,
Tow'rs in the centre, and outshines them all.
Silent they march beneath their godlike guide:
So mighty Ganges leads, with awful pride,
In sev'n large streams, his swelling solemn tide:
So Nile, compos'd within his banks again,
Moves in slow pomp, majestic, to the main.

Troy saw from far the black'ning cloud arise:
Then from the rampart's height Caïcus cries:
"See, see, my friends, yon dusky martial train,
Involv'd in clouds, and sweeping o'er the plain!
To arms the foes advance your swords prepare!
Fly!-mount the ramparts, and repel the war!"

With shouts they run; they gather at the call; They close the gates; they mount; they guard

the wall.

For so th' experienc'd prince had charg'd the host,
When late he parted for the Tuscan coast;
Whate'er befel, their ardour to restrain,
Trust to their walls, nor tempt the open plain.
There, though with shame and wrath their bosoms
glow,

Shut in their tow'rs, they wait th' embattled foe.
But mighty Turnus rode with rapid speed,
And furious spurr'd his dappled Thracian steed;
Eager before the tardy squadrons flew

To reach the wall; and soon appear'd in view
(With twice ten noble warriors close behind);
His crimson crest stream'd dreadful in the wind,
"Who first," he cry'd, "with me the foe will dare?"
Then hurl'd a dart, the signal of the war.
Loud shout his train; deep wonder seiz'd them all,
To see the Trojans skulk behind their wall;
Safe in their tow'rs their forces they bestow,
Nor take the field, nor meet th' approaching foe.
Now furious Turnus, thund'ring round the plain,
Tries every post and pass, but tries in vain
As, beat by tempests, and by famine bold,
The prowling wolf attempts the nightly fold;
Lodg'd in the guarded field beneath their dams,
Safe from the savage, bleat the tender lambs;
The monster meditates the fleecy brood;
New howls with hunger, and now thirsts for blood;

Roams round the fences that the prize contain,
And madly rages at the flock in vain:
Thus, as th' embattled tow'rs the chief descries,
Rage fires his soul, and flashes from his eyes:
Nor entrance can he find, nor force the train
From the close trench, to combat on the plain.
But to their fleet he bends his furious way,
That, cover'd by the floods and ramparts, lay
Beside the camp-He calls for burning brands,
And rais'd a pine all-flaming in his hands.
His great example the bold troop inspires ;
They rob the hearths; they hurl the missive fires:
The black'ning smokes in curling volumes rise,
With hov'ring clouds of cinders, to the skies.

O say, ye Muses, what celestial pow'r
Preserv'd the navy in that dreadful hour,
And stopp'd the progress of the furious flame?
The tale is old, yet of immortal fame!

The Trojan chief, prepar'd to stem the tide, Had built his fleet beneath the hills of Ide; When thus to Jove, in Heav'n's supreme abodes, Spoke the majestic mother of the gods:

Hear, and our first request, my son, accord, The first, since Heav'n has own'd you for her lord.

To our great name, and honour'd by our love,
On lofty Ida tow'rs a stately grove :
Tall firs and maples there for years have stood,
And waving pines, a venerable wood!
To build his navy, I bestow'd with joy
The hallow'd forest on the chief of Troy.
Now anxious fears disturb my soul with care:
But thou, my son, indulge a mother's pray'r:
Bid seas and tempests spare the ships divine;
Be this their safety, that they once were mine."

Thus she and thus replies her son, who rolls
The golden planets round the spangled poles:
“What would our mother's rash request intend?
To turn the fates from their determin'd end?
How! an immortal state would you demand
For vessels labour'd by a mortal hand?
And shall the chief in certain safety ride,
O'r rocks, o'er gulfs, and o'er th' uncertain tide?
A pow'r so high we never yet bestow'd;
No-'tis a pow'r too boundless for a god!
But this we grant-when, all his labours o'er,
The Trojan prince shall reach the Latian shore,
Whatever ships the friendly strand shall gain,
Sav'd from the storms, and the devouring main,
Know, we will take the mortal form from these;
Each ship shall lanch, a goddess of the seas;
And with her sister Nereids shall divide

The silver waves, and bound long the tide." This said, the lord of thunder seal'd the vow By his dread brother's awful streams below; By the black whirlpools of the Stygian flood; Then gave the sanction of th' imperial nod; The Heav'ns all shook, and fled before the god.

Now was the hour arriv'd, th' appointed date, Fixt by the high eternal laws of fate; When the great mother of the thund'rer came To guard her sacred vessels from the flame.

First from the glowing orient they descry A blazing cloud, that stretch'd from sky to sky; The golden splendours doubly gild the day, And high in air the tinkling cymbals play. At length, with wonder, and religious fear, A deep majestic voice the list ning nations hear: Forbear, forbear, ye sons of Troy, nor lend Your needless aid, our vessels to defend.

The proud Rutulian shall, with greater ease, Burn to their beds profound the wat'ry seas: Lanch you, my ships; be Nereids of the floods; So wills the mighty mother of the gods!"

Swift at the word, the sacred ships obey,
From their loose anchors break, and bound away;
Like sportive dolphins plunge beneath the main,"
Then (wond'rous!) rise in female forms again.
So many nymphs lanch swiftly from the shore,
As rode tall gallies in the port before.
The fierce Rutulians shook with wild affright,
Ev'n brave Messapus trembled at the sight,
Nor could he rule his steeds, nor check their rapid
flight.

Old murm'ring Tyber shrunk with sudden dread,
And to his source the hoary father fled.
All, but the valiant Daunian hero, shook,
Who rais'd their drooping souls, while thus he
spoke :

"These omens threat our foes: (0 glorious day!)
Lo! Jove has snatch'd their last relief away!
Lo! from our dreaded arms their ships retire,
And vanish swift before our vengeful fire:
To Troy, imprison'd in yon narrow coast,
The wat'ry half of all the globe is lost,
Their flight, the seas and hostile armies bar;
The land is ours; and Italy from far
Pours forth her sons, by nations, to the war.
Her favouring oracles let Ilion boast :
On Turnus all those empty vaunts are lost.
To 'scape the seas, and reach the Latian land,
Was all, their fates or Venus could demand.
My fates now take their turn; and 'tis in mine,
For my lost spouse, to crush the perjur'd line.
Like brave Atrides, I'll redeem the dame,
The same my cause, and my revenge the same.
Will Troy then venture on a rape once more,
Who paid so dearly for the crime before?
Sure they have long ago the thought declin'd,
Forsworn the sex, and curst the costly kind!
Fools! will they trust yon feeble wall and gate,
That slight partition betwixt them and fate,
Who not long since beheld their Troy renown'd,
Their god-built Troy, lie smoking on the ground!
Fly then, my friends, and let us force the foe;
Seize, storm the camp, and lay their ramparts low.
Nor want we, o'er these dastards to prevail,
Arms forg'd by Vulcan, and a thousand sail;
Though to support their desp'rate cause should join
Arcadia's sons with all the Tuscan line:
Nor need the wretches fear, with vain affright,
The sacred thefts or murders of the night.
A robb'd palladium, and an ambush'd force,
Lodg'd in the caverns of a monstrous horse.
A conquest in the dark my soul disclaims;
No-let us gird by day their walls with flames.
Soon shall they find no Argive host appears,
Whom Hector baffled ten revolving years.
Now go, my valiant friends, and pass away
In due repast the small remains of day:
But rise, rise early with the dawning light,
Fresh from repose, and vig'rous for the fight:"

Meantime it falls to great Messapus' care,
The ramparts to surround with fire and war.
Twice sev'n Rutulian leaders head the bands;
An hundred spears each valiant chief commands:
Proudly they march, in gold and purple gay,
And crimson crests on every helmet play. [supine
They watch, they rest, by turns; and, stretch'd
On the green carpet, quaff the gen'rous wine.

The fires gleam round, and shoot a ruddy light; In plays and pleasures, pass the jovial night.

This scene the Trojans from their trenches view; All seize their arms, and to their ramparts flew ; In wild affright to guard the gates they pour, Join bridge to bridge with speed, and tow'r to tow'r. Thus while th' endanger'd bulwarks they maintain, Mnestheus and brave Serestus fire the train. (The prince had left to their experienc'd care, If aught befel, the conduct of the war.) Now all the soldiers to their posts were flown, And in their turns, successive, guard the town. The valiant Nisus took his lot, to wait Before the portal, and defend the gate. From Ida's native woods the warrior came, Skill'd with the dart to pierce the flying game: With him Euryalus, who match'd in arms Troy's bravest youths, and far excell'd in charms; So young, the springing down but just began To shade his blooming cheeks, and promise man. These boys in sacred friendship were ally'd, And join'd in martial labours, side by side; In ev'ry danger, ev'ry glory, shar'd; And both alike were planted on the guard.

"Has Heav'n," cry'd Nisus first, "this warmth bestow'd?

Heav'n! or a thought that prompts me like a god? This glorious warmth, my friend, that breaks my rest?

Some high exploit lies throbbing at my breast.
My glowing mind what gen'rous ardours raise,
And set my mounting spirits on a blaze!
See the loose discipline of yonder train;
The lights, grown thin, scarce glimmer from the

plain;

The guards in slumber and debauch are drown'd;
And mark!-a gen'ral silence reigns around:
Then take my thought; the people, fathers, all,
Join in one wish, our leader to recall.
Now, would they give to thee the prize I claim,
(For I could rest contented with the fame→)
An easy road, methinks, I can survey
Beneath yon summit to direct my way."

The brave Euryalus, with martial pride,
Fir'd with the charms of glory, thus reply'd:
"And will my Nisus then his friend disclaim?
Deny'd his share of danger and of fame ?
And can thy dear Euryalus expose
Thy life, alone, unguarded to the foes?
Not so my father taught his gen'rous boy,
Born, train'd, and season'd, in the wars of Troy.
And, where the great Æneas led the way,
I brav'd all dangers of the land and sea.
Thou too canst witness that my worth is try'd ;
We march'd, we fought, we conquer'd side by side.
Like thine, this bosom glows with martial flame;
Burns with a scorn of life, and love of fame;
And thinks, if endless glory can be sought
On such low terms, the prize is cheaply bought.
Let no such jealous fears alarm thy breast:
Thy worth and valour stand to all confest.
But let the danger fall," he cries, " on me:
For this exploit, I durst not think on thee!
No:-as I hope the blest ethereal train
May bring me glorious to thy arms again!
But should the gods deny me to succeed,
Should 1-(which Heav'n avert )--but should I

bleed ;

Live thou ;-in death some pleasure that will give! Live for thy Nisus' sake; I charge thee, live.

Thy blooming youth a longer term demands ;-
Live, to redeem my corse from hostile hands;
And decent to the silent grave commend
The poor remains of him who was thy friend:
Or raise at least, by kind remembrance led,
A vacant tomb in honour of the dead.
Why should I cause thy mother's soul to know
Such heart-felt pangs? Unutterable woe!
Thy dear fond mother, who, for love of thee,
Dar'd every danger of the land and sea!
She left Acestes' walls, and she alone,
To follow thee, her only, darling son!"

"In vain," he cry'd, "my courage you restrain; My soul's on fire, and you but plead in vain. Haste-let us go!" he said, and rais'd the guard; By turns their vacant posts the centries shar'd. With eager speed the gen'rous warriors went, Inflam'd with glory, to the royal tent.

[hand,

In silence hush'd the whole creation lay, And lost in sleep the labours of the day, Not so the chiefs of Ilion, who debate In solemn council on th' endanger'd state; Propp'd on their spears, their bucklers in their Amid the camp the hoary fathers stand, 'And vote an instant message may be sent To their great chief, their ruin to prevent. The friends now beg admission of the court, The business arduous, and of high import. The prince commands them to inform the train; And first bade Nisus speak, who thus began: "Attend, nor judge, ye venerable peers! Our bold adventure by our tender years. As yonder bands in sleep and wine are drown'd, We, by kind chance, a secret path have found, Close by the gate, that near the ocean lies; The fires are thinn'd, and clouds of smoke arise. If you permit, since fair occasion calls, Safe can we pierce to great Evander's walls. Soon shall our mighty chief appear again, Adorn'd with spoils, and striding o'er the slain, Lord of the field; nor can we miss the road, But know the various windings of the flood; For, as we hunt, we see the turrets rise, Peep o'er the vales, and dance before our eyes." Then thus Alethes, an illustrious sage, Renown'd for wisdom, and rever'd for age: "Ev'n yet, ye guardian gods, your pow'rs divine Will spare the relics of the Trojan line, Since you the bosoms of our youths inspire With such high courage, such determin'd fire." Then in his arms the boys by turns he took With tears of joy; and, panting, thus bespoke: "Oh! what rewards, brave youths, can be decreed, What honours, equal to so great a deed? The best and fairest, all th' applauding sky, And your own conscious virtue, shall supply; The next, our great Æneas will bestow, And young Ascanius' riper years shall owe, Whatever boon such merit can receive, The friend, the monarch, and the man, will give." "And I, brave Nisus!" cries the royal boy, "Swear by the sacred guardian pow'rs of Troy, My hopes, my fortunes, are repos'd in you; Go then, your gen'rous enterprise pursue. Oh! to these longing eyes my sire restore; From that blest hour my sorrows are no more. Two silver bowls, whose ample margins shine, All rais'd with costly sculpture, shall be thine; The same my conquering father brought away, When low in dust the fair Arisba lay:

Two glitt'ring tripods, beauteous to behold,
And two large talents of the purest gold:
With these a goblet, which the queen of Tyre
Bestow'd in Carthage on my royal sire,
And, when these vanquish'd kingdoms are our own;
When my great father mounts the Latian throne;
When our victorious hosts by lot shall share
The rich rewards, and glorious spoils, of war;
What late thou saw'st when Turnus took the field,
His prancing courser, helm, and golden shield;
That courser, shield, and helm, of skill divine,
Exempt from lot, brave Nisus, shall be thine.
My sire will give twelve captives with their arms;
Yet more-twelve females of distinguish'd charms;
And, to complete the whole, the wide domain
Of the great Latian lord, a boundless plain.
But thee, dear youth, not yet to manhood grown,
Whose years but just advance before my own,
No fortune henceforth from my soul shall part,
Still at my side, and ever at my heart,
My dangers, glories, counsels, thoughts to share!
My friend in peace, my brother in the war!"

"All, all my life," replies the youth, "shall
Like this one hour, at everlasting fame.
[aim,
Though fortune only our attempt can bless,
Yet still my courage shall deserve success.
But one reward I ask, before I go,
The greatest I can ask, or you bestow.
My mother, tender, pious, fond, and good,
Sprung, like thy own, from Priam's royal blood;
Such was her love, she left her native Troy,
And fair Trinacria, for her darling boy;
And such is mine, that I must keep unknown
From her, the danger of so dear a son:
To spare her anguish, lo! I quit the place
Without one parting kiss, one last embrace!
By night, and that respected hand, I swear,
Her melting tears are more than I can bear!
For her, good prince, your pity I implore;
Support her, childless; and relieve her, poor;
Oh let her, let her find, (when I am gone),
In you, a friend, a guardian, and a son!
With that dear hope, embolden'd shall I go,
Brave ev'ry danger, and defy the foe."

Charm'd with his virtue, all the Trojan peers, But, more than all, Ascanius melts in tears, To see the sorrows of a duteous son,

And filial love, a love so like his own. "I promise all, heroic youth !" he said, "That to such matchless valour can be paid To me, thy mother still shall be the same Creusa was, and only want the name. Let fortune good or ill success decree; 'Tis merit, sure, to bear a son like thee! Now by my head, my father's oath, I vow, Whate'er rewards I purpose to bestow, When safe return'd, on thee, the same shall grace Thy mother, and thy whole surviving race."

So spoke the prince; and, weeping at the word, Gave to the pious youth his costly sword: The sword with wond'rous art Lycaon made; An ivory scabbard sheath'd the shining blade. To Nisus, Mnestheus gave a lion's hide; And a new helm Alethes' care supply'd. Thus arm'd, they quit the tent; th' assembly waits, With high applause, their progress to the gates." Mature in wisdom, far above his years, The fair Iülus in the train appears, Aud sends his father many an ardent pray'r ; All lost in wind, and scatter'd wide in air!