[3] The ARGUMEN T. .Turnus takes advantage of Æneas's abfence, attempts to fire his ships (which are transformed into fea-nymphs) and affaults his camp. The Trojans, reduced to the last extremities, fend Nifus and Euryalus to recall Æneas, which furnishes the poet with that admirable episode of their friendship, generofity, and conclufion of their adventures. In the morning, Turnus pushes the fiege with vigour; and, hearing that the Trojans had opened a gate, he runs thither, and breaks into the town with the enemies he purfues. The gates are immediately clofed upon him; and he fights his way through the town to the river Tyber. He is forced at laft to leap, armed as he is, into the river, and fwims to his camp. P. VIRGILII MARONIS AENEIDOS LIBER IX. ATQUE ea diverfa penitus dum parte geruntur, Irim de caelo mifit Saturnia Juno Audacem ad Turnum. luco tum forte parentis Ad quem fic rofeo Thaumantias ore locuta eft: 5 This book is more particularly remarkable, because the hero has nothing to do in it; and it is the only one through alt the poem of that kind. The moderns have taken too much liberty in this point; for how many entire books are there in Taflo's Jerufalem, where Godfrey never appears? Not that the poet is always under a neceffity of following his hero, without fo much as quitting him once: on the contrary, it is proper that he fhould fometimes magnify the valour of the enemy, to render that of his hero more confpicuous. But by the episode of Nifus and Euryalus, we may perceive how deficient thofe episodes are, which depart entirely from the fubject; and have no connection, either with the action, or the fable. Such are the amours of Rinaldo and Armida, and the greater part of the adventures of Tancred, Erminia, and Clorinda; as F. Mambrun has judiciously remarked. It is not a fault to depart fometimes from the hero; but it is neceffary, that all which paffes in his abfence fhould have fome connexion with the principal action, or at least with the fable, as may be feen from this book. The action of this poem is the arrival of Eneas in Italy, and the foundation of a city; there is no doubt but that all which Turnus performs against this action, is part of the action itfelf: Becaufe it is neceffary that this action fhould have a beginning, middle, and end; and some works in the T has in a deliths does not |