Their various arms afford a pleafing fight: 190 A peaceful train they seem, in peace prepar'd for fight. 195 Betwixt the ranks the proud commanders ride, But then an empty hill, without a name.) O nymph, the pride of living lakes, faid she, 200 210 215 Of every Latian fair, whom Jove misled, To thee alone I grudg'd not his embrace; But gave a part of heaven, and an unenvy'd place. 220 While fortune favour'd, nor heaven's king deny'd, I fav'd thy brother, and the finking state ; And goes with gods averfe, o'ermatch'd in might, 225 Nor muft I break the truce, nor can fuftain the fight. Thou, if thou dar'ft, thy prefent aid supply; It well becomes a fifter's care to try. At this the lovely nymph, with grief oppress'd, 235 Thrice tore her hair, and beat her comely breaft. To whom Saturnia thus; Thy tears are late: Hafte, fnatch him, if he can be fnatch'd, from fate. New tumults kindle, violate the truce; Who knows what changeful fortune may produce? 240 'Tis not a crime t' atttempt what I decree, Or if it were, difcharge the crime on me. She faid, and, failing on the winged wind, Left the fad nymph fufpended in her mind. And now in pomp the peaceful kings appear: 245 Four steeds the chariot of Latinus bear: Twelve golden beams around his temples play, Two Two fnowy courfers Turnus' chariot yoke, And shews the beasts design'd for facrifice, 250 255 He marks their foreheads, and he clips their hair. Betwixt their horns the purple wine he sheds, 260 And thus with pious prayers the gods ador'd : 265 All-seeing fun, and thou Aufonian soil, For which I have fuftain'd fo long a toil, Thou king of heaven, and thou the queen of air, (Propitious now, and reconcil'd by prayer,) E 4 270 275 All All claims, all questions of debate shall cease; As fure they shall, if I divine aright, My Trojans fhall not o'er th' Italians reign : 280 Join'd in their laws, their lands, and their abodes; The care of those religious rites be mine : His be the fovereign fway. Nor will I share 285 For me, my friends another town fhall frame, 290 And bless the rifing towers, with fair Lavinia's name. Thus he. Then, with erected eyes and hands, The Latian king before his altar ftands. By the fame heaven, faid he, and earth, and main, 295 Whose thunder figns the peace, who feals it with his nod; So let Latona's double offspring hear, And double-fronted Janus what I fwear : No term of time this union fhall divide: No force, no fortune, fhall my vows unbind, 300 305 Not Not though the circling feas fhould break their bound, Not though the lamps of heaven their spheres forfake, Ev'n as this royal fceptre (for he bore A fceptre in his hand) shall never more When thus in public view the peace was ty'd 310 375 320 Already the Rutulians deem their man O'ermatch'd in arms, before the fight began. First rifing fears are whisper'd through the crowd; Then, gathering found, they murmur more aloud. 325 Now fide to fide, they measure with their eyes The champions bulk, their finews, and their size; The nearer they approach, the more is known Th' apparent difadvantage of their own. Turnus himself appears in public fight Confcious of fate, defponding of the fight. Slowly he moves; and at his altar ftands With eyes dejected, and with trembling hands : And, while he mutters undiftinguish'd prayers, A livid deadness in his cheeks appears. 330 339 |