With anxious pleasure when Juturna view'd Th' increasing fright of the mad multitude; When their short fighs and thickening fobs fhe heard, And found their ready minds for change prepar'd; Dissembling her immortal form, fhe took

Camertus' mien, his habit, and his look,

A chief of ancient blood: in arms well known
Was his great fire, and he, his greater fon.

340

His shape affum'd, amid the ranks she ran,
And, humouring their first motions, thus began: 345
For fhame, Rutulians, can you bear the fight

Of one expos'd for all, in single fight ?

Can we, before the face of heaven, confefs

Our courage colder, or our numbers lefs?

View all the Trojan host, th' Arcadian band,

350

And Tuscan army; count them as they stand:
Undaunted to the battle if we go,

Scarce every fecond man will share a foe.

Turnus, 'tis true, in this unequal strife
Shall lofe, with honour, his devoted life:
Or change it rather for immortal fame,
Succeeding to the gods, from whence he came :
But you, a fervile, and inglorious band,
For foreign lords shall sow your native land :

355

Those fruitful fields, your fighting fathers gain'd, 360,
Which have fo long their lazy fons fustain'd.
With words like thefe, fhe carry'd her defign;

A rifing murmur runs along the line.

Then ev'n the city troops, and Latins, tir'd

With tedious war, feem with new fouls infpir'd: 365

Their champion's fate with pity they lament;
And of the league, fo lately fworn, repent.

370

Nor fails the goddess to foment the rage With lying wonders, and a false presage: But adds a fign, which, prefent to their eyes, Infpires new courage, and a glad furprize. For, sudden, in the fiery tracts above, Appears in pomp th' imperial bird of Jove: A plump of fowl he fpies, that swim the lakes; And o'er their heads his founding pinions fhakes. 375 Then stooping on the fairest of the train, In his ftrong talons trufs'd a filver swan.. Th' Italians wonder at th' unusual fight; But while he lags, and labours in his flight, Behold the daftard fowl return anew; And with united force the foe pursue: Clamorous around the royal hawk they fly; And thickening in a cloud, o'ershade the sky. They cuff, they scratch, they cross their airy courfe; Nor can th' incumber'd bird sustain their force : 385 But vex'd, not vanquish'd, drops the ponderous prey; And, lighten'd of his burden, wings his way.

Th' Aufonian bands with shouts falute the fight :

Eager of action, and demand the fight.

380

Then king Tolumnius, vers'd in augurs' arts, 390
Cries out, and thus his boasted skill imparts:

At length 'tis granted, what I long defir'd ;
This, this is what my frequent vows requir'd,
Ye gods, I take your omen, and obey:

Advance, my friends, and charge; I lead the way. 395

Thefe

These are the foreign foes, whose impious band,
Like that rapacious bird, infeft our land:
But foon, like him, they shall be forc'd to sea
By ftrength united, and forego the prey;
Your timely fuccour to your country bring;
Hafte to the refcue, and redeem your king.

400

He said: and preffing onward, through the crew,
Pois'd in his lifted arm, his lance he threw.
The winged weapon, whistling in the wind,
Came driving on, nor mifs'd the mark design'd. 405
At once the cornel rattled in the skies;

At once tumultuous fhouts and clamours rife.
Nine brothers in a goodly band there stood,
Born of Arcadian mix'd with Tufcan blood:
Gylippus' fons: the fatal javelin flew,
Aim'd at the midmoft of the friendly crew.
A paffage through the jointed arms is found,

410

Juft where the belt was to the body bound, round.}

Then, fir'd with pious rage, the generous train
Run madly forward to revenge the flain.
And fome with eager hafte their javelins throw;
And fome with fword in hand affault the foe.

The wifh'd infult the Latin troops embrace;
And meet their ardour in the middle space.
The Trojans, Tufcans, and Arcadian line,
With equal courage obviate their defign.
Peace leaves the violated fields; and hate
Both armies urges to their mutual fate.

415

420

With

With impious hafte their altars are o'erturn'd,
The facrifice half broil'd, and half-unburn'd.
Thick ftorms of steel from either army fly,
And clouds of clashing darts obfcure the sky:
Brands from the fire are miffive weapons made;

425

With chargers, bowls, and all the priestly trade. 430 Latinus, frighted, haftens from the fray,

And bears his unregarded gods away.

These on their horfes vault, thofe yoke the car;

435

The rest, with swords on high, run headlong to the war.
Meffapus, eager to confound the peace,
Spurr'd his hot courfer through the fighting prefs,
At king Auleftes; by his purple known
A Tuscan prince, and by his regal crown;
And with a fhock encountering, bore him down.
Backward he fell; and, as his fate defign'd,
The ruins of an altar were behind:

There pitching on his fhoulders, and his head,
Amid the fcattering fires he lay fupinely spread.
The beamy spear descending from above,

}

.440

His cuirafs pierc'd, and through his body drove. 445 Then, with a fcornful fmile, the victor cries;

The gods have found a fitter facrifice.

Greedy of spoils, th' Italians ftrip the dead

Of his rich armour; and uncrown his head.
Prieft Chorinæus arm'd his better hand,
From his own altar, with a blazing brand:
And, as Ebufus with a thundering pace,
Advanc'd to battle, dash'd it on his face:

.450

*

His briftly beard fhines out with fudden fires,
The crackling crop a noisome scent expires.
Following the blow, he seiz'd his curling crown
With his left hand; his other caft him down.
The proftrate body with his knees he prefs'd,
And plung'd his holy poinard in his breast.

While Podalirius, with his fword, pursued,
The shepherd Alfus through the flying crowd,
Swiftly he turns, and aims a deadly blow,
Full on the front of his unwary foe.

The broad axe enters with a crashing found,

·

455

460

And cleaves the chin with one continued wound: 465 Warm blood, and mingled brains, befmear his arms around.

An iron fleep his ftupid eyes opprefs'd,

And feal'd their heavy lids in endless reft.
But good Æneas rufh'd amid the bands,
Bare was his head, and naked were his hands,
In fign of truce: then thus he cries aloud,
What sudden rage, what new defire of blood
Inflames your alter'd minds? O Trojans, cease
From impious arms, nor violate the peace.

By human fanctions, and by laws divine,

The terms are all agreed, the war is mine.

Difmifs your fears, and let the fight enfue;
This hand alone shall right the gods and you :
Our injur'd altars, and their broken vow,

470

475

To this avenging fword the faithlefs Turnus owe. 480 Thus while he spoke, unmindful of defence,

A winged arrow ftruck the pious prince,

But