These words put all in arms; and mallow leaves1

They drew upon their legs, for arming greaves.

Their curets, broad green beets; their bucklers were

Good thick-leaved cabbage; proof 'gainst any spear.

Their spears, sharp bulrushes; of which were all

Fitted with long ones; their parts capital They hid in subtle cockleshells from blows. And thus all arm'd, the steepest shores they chose

T'encamp themselves; where lance with lance they lined,

And brandish'd bravely, each Frog full of mind.

Then Jove call'd all Gods in his flaming throre,

And show'd all, all this preparation
For resolute war; these able soldiers,
Many, and great, all shaking lengthful
spears,

In show like Centaurs, or the Giants' host.
When, sweetly smiling, he inquired who,

For his so dear pains, laid down instantly;
Or to forbear, exacted usury.1
So, borrowing from my fane the weed I

wove,

I can by no means th' usurous darner move
To let me have the mantle to restore.
And this is it that rubs the angry sore
Of my offence took at these petulant Mice.
Nor will I yield the Frogs' wants my
supplies,

For their infirm minds, that no confines keep;

For I from war retired, and wanting sleep, All leap'd ashore in tumult, nor would stay Till one wink seized mine eyes and so I lay

Sleepless, and pain'd with headache, till first light

The cock had crow'd up. the fight

Therefore, to

Let no God go assistant, lest a lance
Wound whosoever offers to advance,
Or wishes but their aid, that scorn all
foes,

Should any God's access their spirits oppose.

Sit we then pleased to see from heaven their fight."

She said, and all Gods join'd in her delight.

And now both hosts to one field drew the jar,

Both heralds bearing the ostents of war. And then the wine-gnats,2 that shrill trumpets sound,

Terribly rung out the encounter round; Jove thunder'd; all heaven sad war's sign resounded.

And first Hypsiboas3 Lichenor wounded, Standing th' impression of the first in fight. His lance did in his liver's midst alight, Along his belly. Down he fell; his face His fall on that part sway'd, and all the grace

Of his soft hair fill'd with disgraceful dust. Then Troglodytes his thick javelin

thrust

Sentlæus1 next Embasichytros slew, His heart through-thrusting. Then Artophagus threw

His lance at Polyphon,3 and strook him quite

Through his mid-belly; down he fell upright,

And from his fair limbs took his soul her flight.

Limnocharis, 4 beholding Polyphon Thus done to death, did, with as round a

stone

As that the mill turns, Troglodytes wound, Near his mid-neck, ere he his onset found; Whose eyes sad darkness seized. Lichenor

cast

A flying dart off, and his aim so placed Upon Limnocharis, that sure he thought The wound he wish'd him; nor untruly wrought

The dire success, for through his liver flew The fatal lance; which when Crambophagus? knew,

Down the deep waves near shore he, diving, fled;

But fled not fate so; the stern enemy fed Death with his life in diving; never more The air he drew in; his vermilion gore Stain'd all the waters, and along the shore He laid extended; his fat entrails lay (By his small guts' impulsion) breaking way

Out at his wound. Limnisius near the shore

Destroy'd Tyroglyphus; which frighted

sore

The soul of Calaminth,9 seeing coming on, For wreak, Pternoglyphus;10 who got him gone

With large leaps to the lake, his target thrown

Into the waters. Hydrocharis11 slew
King Pternophagus, 12 at whose throat he

threw

A huge stone, strook it high, and beat his brain

Out at his nostrils: earth blush'd with the stain

1 Beet-devourer.

2 The great bread-eater.

3 The great-noise-maker, shrill or big-voiced. The lake-lover.

Qui lambit culinaria vasa.

His blood made on her bosom. For next prize,

Lichopinax to death did sacrifice
Borborocœtes"1 faultless faculties;
His lance enforced it; darkness closed his
eyes.

On which when Brassophagus cast his look,

Cnissodioctes3 by the heels he took,

Dragg'd him to fen from off his native ground,

Then seized his throat, and soused him till he drown'd.

But now Psicharpax wreaks his fellows' deaths,

And in the bosom of Pelusius sheaths,
In centre of his liver, his bright lance;
He fell before the author of the chance
His soul to hell fled. Which Pelobatess
Taking sad note of, wreakfully did seize
His hand's gripe full of mud, and all be-
smear'd

His forehead with it so, that scarce appear'd

The light to him.

censed

Which certainly in

His fiery spleen; who with his wreak dispensed

No point of time, but rear'd with his strong hand

A stone so massy it oppress'd the land, And hurl'd it at him; when below the knee

It strook his right leg so impetuously
It piecemeal brake it; he the dust did
seize,

Upwards everted. But Craugasides
Revenged his death, and at his enemy
Discharged a dart that did his point imply
In his mid-belly. All the sharp-piled spear
Got after in, and did before it bear
His universal entrails to the earth,
Soon as his swoln hand gave his javelin

birth.

Sitophagus, beholding the sad sight, Set on the shore, went halting from the fight,

Vex'd with his wounds extremely; and, to make

Way from extreme fate, leap'd into the

lake.

ictum inferam.

7 The cabbage-eater.

8 Paludis incola.

Lake-liver.

Qui in calaminthâ, herba palustri, habitat. 10 Bacon-eater.

11 Qui aquis delectatur. 12 Collop-devourer.

His wound imparted) with his utmost

haste

Leap'd to the lake, and fled. Troxartes cast
His eye upon the foe that fell before,
And, seeing him half-lived, long'd again to
gore

His gutless bosom; and, to kill him quite, Ran fiercely at him. Which Prassæus'1 sight

Took instant note of, and the first in fight Thrust desperate way through, casting his keen lance

Off at Troxartes; whose shield turn'd th' advance

The sharp head made, and check'd the mortal chance.

Amongst the Mice fought an egregious Young springall, and a close-encountering Mouse,

Pure Artepibulus? his dear descent;

A prince that Mars himself show'd where he went.

(Call'd Meridarpax3), of so huge a might,
That only he still domineer'd in fight
Of all the Mouse-host. He advancing
close

Up to the lake, past all the rest arose
In glorious object; and made vaunt that he
Came to depopulate all the progeny
Of Frogs, affected with the lance of war.
And certainly he had put on as far

As he advanced his vaunt, he was endued
With so unmatch'd a force and fortitude,
Had not the Father both of Gods and

From off the Frogs. And therefore arm we all ;

Even thy lance letting brandish to his call From off the field: that from the field withdrew

The Titanois; the Titanois that slew ; Though most exempt from match of all earth's seeds,

So great and so inaccessible deeds It hath proclaim'd to inen; bound hand and foot

The vast Enceladus; and rased by th'

root

The race of upland Giants." This speech past,

Saturnius a smoking lightning cast Amongst the armies; thundering then so

sore,

That with a rapting circumflex he bore All huge heaven over. But the terrible ire Of his dart, sent abroad, all wrapt in fire (Which certainly his very finger was), Amazed both Mice and Frogs. Yet soon let pass

Was all this by the Mice, who much the

more

Burn'd in desire t' exterminate the store
Of all those lance-loved soldiers. Which

had been,

If from Olympus Jove's eye had not seen The Frogs with pity, and with instant speed

Sent them assistants. Who, ere any heed Was given to their approach, came crawling on

With anvils on their backs; that, beat upon

Never so much, are never wearied yet ; Crook-paw'd, and wrested on with foul cloven feet,

Tongues in their mouths, brick-back'd, all over bone,

Broad-shoulder'd, whence a ruddy yellow shone,

Distorted, and small-thigh'd; had eyes that saw

Out at their bosoms; twice four feet did draw

About their bodies; strong neck'd, whence did rise

Two heads; nor could to any hand be prize;

They call them lobsters; that eat from the Mice

1Nwrákμoves. Incudes ferentes, or anvilbacked. Axμwv. Incus, acta per syncopen, quasi nullis ictibus fatigetur.

2 Yaλidooστμos. Forcipem in ore habens.

Their tails, their feet, and hands; and wrested all

Their lances from them, so that cold appal The wretches put in rout, past all return. And now the Fount of Light forbore to burn

Above the earth; when, which men's laws commend,

Our battle in one day took absolute end. THE END OF HOMER'S BATTLE OF FROGS AND MICE.

I WILL remember and express the praise Of heaven's far-darter, the fair King of days;

Whom even the Gods themselves fear when he goes

Through Jove's high house: and when his goodly bows

He goes to bend, all from their thrones arise,

And cluster near, t' admire his faculties.
Only Latona stirs not from her seat
Close by the Thunderer, till her son's re-

treat

From his dread archery; but then she goes, Slackens his string, and shuts his quiver close;

And (having taken to her hand his bow,
From off his able shoulders) doth bestow
Upon a pin of gold the glorious tiller,
The pin of gold fix'd in his father's pillar.
Then doth she to his throne his state
uphold,

Where his great Father in a cup of gold, Serves him with nectar, and shows all the grace

Of his great son. Then th' other gods take place.

His gracious mother glorying to bear
So great an archer, and a son so clear.

All hail, O blest Latona! to bring forth An issue of such all-out-shining worth, Royal Apollo, and the Queen that loves The hurls of darts. She in th' Ortygian groves,

And he in cliffy Delos, leaning on
The lofty Oros; and being built upon
By Cynthus' prominent, that his head rears
Close to the palm that Inops' fluent cheers.
How shall I praise thee, far being
worthiest praise,

O Phoebus? to whose worth the law of lays

In all kinds is ascribed. If feeding flocks By continent or isle; all eminent'st rocks

Did sing for joy; hill-tops, and floods in song

Did break their billows, as they flow'd along

To serve the sea. The shores, the seas, and all

Did sing as soon as from the lap did fall
Of blest Latona, thee, the joy of man.
Her child-bed made, the mountain Cyn-
thian

In rocky Delos, the sea-circled isle ;
On whose all sides the black seas brake
their pile,

And overflow'd for joy, so frank a gale The singing winds did on their waves exhale.

Here born, all mortals live in thy commands,

Whoever Crete holds, Athens, or the strands

Of th' isle Ægina, or the famous land
For ships (Euboea), or Eresia,

Or Peparethus bordering on the sea,

gas, or Athos, that doth Thrace divide And Macedon; or Pelion, with the pride Of his high forehead; or the Samian isle,

That likewise lies near Thrace; or Scyrus' soil;

Ida's steep tops; or all that Phocis fill;
Or Autocanes, with the heaven-high hill;
Or populous Imber; Lemnos without
ports;

Or Lesbos, fit for the divine resorts:
And sacred soil of blest Æolion;
Or Chios that exceeds comparison
For fruitfulness, with all the isles that lie
Embraced with seas; Mimas, with rocks
so high;

Or lofty-crown'd Corycius; or the bright
Charos; or Esagæus' dazzling height;
Or watery Samos; Mycale, that bears
Her brows even with the circles of the
spheres ;

Miletus; Cous, that the city is
Of voice-divided-choice humanities;
High Cnidus; Carpathus, still strook with
wind;

Naxos, and Paros; and the rocky-mined
Rugged Rhenæa. Yet through all these

parts Latona, great-grown with the King of darts,

Travail'd; and tried if any would become
To her dear birth an hospitable home.
All which extremely trembled (shook with
fear),

Nor durst endure so high a birth to bear In their free states; though, for it, they became

Never so fruitful; till the reverend Dame
Ascended Delos, and her soil did seize
With these wing'd words: "O Delos!
wouldst thou please

To be my son Apollo's native seat,
And build a wealthy fane to one so great,
No one shall blame or question thy kind
deed.

Nor think I, thou dost sheep or oxen feed
In any such store, or in vines exceed,
Nor bring'st forth such innumerable plants,
Which often make the rich inhabitants
Careless of Deity. If thou then shouldst

rear

A fane to Phoebus, all men would confer Whole hecatombs of beeves for sacrifice, Still thronging hither; and to thee would rise Ever unmeasured odours, shouldst thou long

Nourish thy King thus; and from foreign wrong

The Gods would guard thee; which thine own address

Can never compass for thy barrenness."

She said, and Delos joy'd, replying thus: Most happy sister of Saturnius!

I gladly would with all means entertain The King your son, being now despised of men,

But should be honour'd with the greatest then.

Yet this I fear, nor will conceal from thee:
Your son, some say, will author misery
In many kinds, as being to sustain
A mighty empire over Gods and men,
Upon the holy-gift-giver the Earth.
And bitterly I fear that, when his birth
Gives him the sight of my so barren soil,
He will contemn, and give me up to spoil,
Enforce the sea to me, that ever will
Oppress my heart with many a watery hill.
And therefore let him choose some other
land,

Where he shall please, to build at his command

Temple and grove, set thick with many a

tree.

For wretched polypuses breed in me Retiring chambers; and black sea-calves den

In my poor soil, for penury of men.
And yet, O Goddess, wouldst thou please

to swear

The Gods' great oath to me, before thou bear

Thy blessed son here, that thou wilt erect
A fane to him, to render the effect
Of men's demands to them before they
fall;

Then will thy son's renown be general,
Men will his name in such variety call;
And I shall then be glad his birth to
bear."

This said, the Gods' great oath she thus did swear:

"Know this, O Earth! broad heaven's inferior sphere,

And of black Styx the most infernal lake (Which is the gravest oath the Gods can take),

That here shall ever rise to Phoebus' name An odorous fane and altar; and thy fame Honour, past all isles else, shall see him employ'd."