I ended joy ineffable poffefs'd
The great paternal shade; his steps he rais'd
With more majestic portance o'er the mead
Verdant with afphodel, elate to hear
His fon's exploits emblazon'd fair by Fame.
The rest, a pensive circle, round await
Reciting various dooms, to mortal ear
Calamitous and fad! From these apart
The Telamonian hero, whom I foil'd
In conteft for Achilles' arms, abode
Sullen with treafur'd wrath: the fatal ftrife
By Thetis was propos'd, and every judge
Instinct by Pallas, to my claim declar'd
The prize of right. O! why was I constrain'd
By honour to prevail, and caufe to die
Ajax, the chief with manly grace adorn'd,
And prowess; paragon'd for both, to none
But the great fon of Peleus! Him with speech
Lenient of wrath I thus accofted mild :
Ajax, let this oblivious gloom deface
The memory of those arms, which heaven decreed
Pernicious to the Greeks, who loft in thee
Their power of strong defence: to mourn thy fall
The voice of Grief along the tented shore
Was heard, as loud as when the flower of war,
Divine Achilles, dy'd: nor deem that aught
Of human interpos'd to urge thy doom,
But ireful Jove, to punish all our host,
Cut off its darling hope. O royal shade!
Approach, and affable to me vouchsafe
Mild audience, calming thy tempestuous rage.
Vain was my fuit! for with th' unbody'd troop
Of spectres, fleeting to th' interior shade
Of Erebus, he to my friendly fpeech
Difdain'd reply; yet to that dark recess
Had I pursued his flight, he must have borne
Unwilling correfpondence, forc'd by fate,
Impaffion'd as he was; but I refrain'd,
For other vifions drew my curious eye.
Intent I faw with golden fceptre grave
Minos, the fon of Jove, to the pale ghosts
Difpenfing equity; with faded looks
They through the wide Plutonian hall appear'd
Frequent and full, and argued each his caufe
At that tribunal, trembling whilst he weigh'd
Their pleaded reafon. Of portentous fize
Orion next I view'd; a brazen mace
Invincible he bore, in fierce pursuit
Of thofe huge mountain savages he flew
While habitant of earth, whofe grifly forms
He urg'd in chace the flowery mead along.
Nor unobferv'd lay ftretch'd upon the marle
Tityus earth-born, whofe body long and large
Cover'd nine acres : there to vultures fat
Of appetite infatiate, and with beaks
For ravine bent, unintermitting goar'd
His liver, powerless he to put to flight
The fierce devourers! to this penance judg'd
For rape intended on Latona fair,
The paramour of Jove, as the fojourn'd
To Pytho o'er the Panopeian lawns ;
Delicious landfkip!
Next Tantalus a doleful lot abides :
Chin-deep he stands, yet with afflictive drought
Inceffant pines, while ever as he bows
To fip refreshment, from his parching thirst
The guileful water glides. Around the pool
Fruit-trees of various kinds umbrageous fpread
Their pamper'd boughs': the racy olive green
The ripe pomegranate big with vinous pulp,
The lufcious fig sky-dy'd, the tasteful pear
Vermilion'd half, and apples mellowing sweet
In burnifh'd gold, luxuriant o'er him wave,
Exciting hunger, and fallacious hope
Of food ambrofial :---when he tries to feize
The copious fruitage fair, a fudden gust
Whirls it aloof amid th' incumbent gloom.
Then Sifyphus, the neareft mate in woe,
Drew my regard; he with diftended nerves
Ay rolls a ponderous ftone up a rugged rock;
Urg'd up the fteep cliff flow with hand and foot
It mounts, but bordering on the cloudy peak,
Precipitous adown the flopy fide
The rapid orb devolving back renews
Eternal toil, which he, with duft befmear'd,
And dew'd with fmoaking sweat, inceffant plies.
I laft the vifionary femblance view'd
Of Hercules, a fhadowy form; for he,
The real fon of Jove, in heaven's high court
Abides, affociate with the gods, and fhares
Celestial banquets; where, with soft difport
Of love, bright Hebe in her radiant dome
Treats him nocturnal. With terrific clang
Surrounding ghost, like fowl, the region wing
Vexatious, while the threatening image ftands,
"Gloomy as night, from his bent battle-bow
In act to let th' aerial arrow fly.
Athwart his breast a military zone
Dreadful he wore, where grinn'd in fretted gold
Grim woodland favages, with various fcenes
Of war, fierce joufting knights, and havoc dire,
With matchlefs art portray'd; me strait he knew,
And, piteous of my state, addrefs'd me thus:
O exercis'd in grief, illuftrious fon
Of good Laertes, fam'd for warlike wiles!
Fated thou art (like me, what time I breath'd
Etherial draught) beneath unnumber'd toils
To groan opprefs'd: ev'n I, the feed of Jove,
Combated various ills, and was adjudg'd
By an inferior wretch (what could he more?)
To drag to light the triple-crefted dog
That guards hell's maffy portal: I atchiev'd
The task injoin`d through the propitious aid
Of Mercury and Pallas, who vouchfaf'd
Their friendly guidance; then without reply,
To Pluto's court majestic he retir'd.
Mean time for others of heroic note
I waited, in the lifts of ancient fame
Inroll'd illuftrious; and had haply feen
Great Thefeus, and Pirithous his compeer,
The race of gods; but at the hideous scream
Of spectres iffuing from the dark profound
I wax'd infirm of purpose, fore dismay'd
Left Proferpine should send Medusa, curl'd
With fnaky locks, to fix me in her realm
Stiff with Gorgonian horror: to the ship
Retreating speedy thence, I bade my mates
To shove from shore: joyous they strait began
To ftem the tide, and brush'd the whitening seas,
Till the fresh gales reliev'd the labouring oar.
A TALE.
HAVE you not feen (to state the cafe)
Two wafps lie struggling in a glass ?
With the rich flavour of Tokay
Allur'd, about the brim they play ;
They light, they murmur, then begin
To lick, and fo at length slip in ;
Embracing close the couple lies,
Together dip, together rife
You'd fwear they love, and yet they strive
Which shall be funk, and which furvive.
Such feign'd amours, and real hate,
Attend the matrimonial state;
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