THE TROJAN CAPTIVES.

δεδαικτο δε χαίτας

Κραατος εκ Πολιοιο τεφρη δ' επιπεπίατο πολλη
Την σε απ' εσχαρεωνος αδην κατεχευαίο χερσιν,
Ολλομενο Πριαμοιο, και αστεος αιθομένοιο

Και ρα μεγα στοναχίζετ' αμφι ε δέλιον ημαρ
Μαψ' αικαζομενην ετερος

ετέρην γειωσαν

Ηγε Τροΐαδων σφετερας επί νηας αναγκη.

VOL. II.

QUINTUS CALABER

PERSONS OF THE DRAMA.

NEPTUNE.

MINERVA.

HECUBA.

CHORUS OF CAPTIVE TROJAN DAMES.

TALTHYBIUS.

CASSANDRA.

ANDROMACHE.

MENELAUS.

HELEN.

SCENE BEFORE THE ENTRANCE OF AGAMEMNON'S TENT IN THE GRECIAN CAMP NEAR TROY.

THE TROJAN CAPTIVES.

NEPTUNE.

FROM the Ægean deep, in mazy dance
Where Nereus' Daughters glide with agile feet,
I Neptune hither come. For round the fields
Of Ilion, since Apollo and myself

With symmetry exact rear'd many a tower,
Hewn from the solid rock; the love I bore

The city where my Phrygian votaries dwelt,

Laid waste by Greece, where smoke e'en now ascends The heavens, hath ne'er been rooted from this breast, For on Parnassus bred, the Phocian chief

Epeus, by Minerva's arts inspir'd,

Fram'd with a skilful hand, and through the gates Sent that accurs'd machine the Horse which teem'd With ambush'd javelins (1). Thro' forsaken groves,

(1) I find myself under a necessity of leaving out the two next lines of the original, on account of their consisting of a pun not calculated for being rendered into English. "Hence shall it be called by posterity "the (dʊgɛois) horse, on account of the hidden spears (doçv) con"tained in it." The Latin interpreters render dugaç, dureus, which Robert Stephens, in his Latin Thesaurus, considers as synonymous with ligneus: but Pausanias mentions a brazen statue of this Horse which he still calls duplog as extant among the curiosities in the Acropolis or citadel of Athens. By the genealogy of Epeus, which the same writer has given us in his Corinthiaca, we are informed that his father was Panopeus the son of Phocus, whence it appears that Pyrrhus (to whom Euripides always gives the name of Neoptolemus) and Epeus, were both of them the great-grandsons of Eacus. The recollection of this circumstance adds great force to that passage of Virgil, in which, after having called Perseus aciden, he attributes to Paulus Æmilius the glory of having avenged his Trojan ancestors by his triumphs over that monarch. Pindar, in his eighth Olympic Ode, says Apollo and Neptune called in Eacus to their assistance in building Troy, and foretold that the walls he had joined with them in erecting should be overthrown in war, but not except by his posterity.

Thro' the polluted temples of the Gods,
Flow tides of crimson slaughter: at the base
Of altars sacred to Hercæan Jove,

Fell hoary Priam. But huge heaps of gold
And Phrygian plunder, to the fleet of Greece
Are sent the leaders of the host that sack'd
This city, wait but for a prosperous breeze,
That after ten years absence they their wives
And children may with joy behold. Subdu'd
By Juno Argive Goddess, and Minerva,
Who leagu'd in Phrygia's overthrow, I leave
Troy the renown'd, and my demolish'd shrines.
For when pernicious Solitude extends
O'er cities her inexorable sway,

Abandon'd are the temples of the Gods,

None comes to worship there. Scamander's banks
Re-echo many a shriek of captive Dames
Distributed by lot; th' Arcadians, some,
Some the Thessalians gain, and some the sons
Of Theseus leaders of th' Athenian troops :
But they whom chance distributes not, remain
Beneath yon roof selected by the chiefs
Of the confederate army. Justly deem'd
A captive, among them is Spartan Helen:
And if the stranger wishes to behold
That wretched woman, Hecuba lies stretcht
Before the gate, full many are her tears,
And her afflictions many: at the tomb
Of stern Achilles her unhappy Daughter
Polyxena died wretchedly, her Lord
The royal Priam, and her Sons are slain,
That spotless Virgin too whom from his shrine
Apollo with prophetic gifts inspir'd,

Cassandra, spurning every sacred rite,

Did Agamemnon violently drag

To his adulterous bed. But, O farewell,

Thou city prosperous once; ye splendid towers,

Had not Minerva's self ordain'd your fall,
Ye still on your firm basis might remain.

MINERVA, NEPTUNE.

MINERVA.

May I accost the God who to my Sire

In blood is nearest, mighty, through high Heaven Rever'd, and lay aside our antient hate?

NEPTUNE.

'Tis well, thou royal Maid: an interview "Twixt those of the same house, is to the soul

An efficacious philtre.

MINERVA.

I applaud

Those who are temperate in their wrath, and bring Such arguments, O Monarch, as affect

Both you and me.

NEPTUNE.

From all th' assembled Gods

Some new commission bear'st thou, or from Jove, Or what celestial power?

MINERVA.

From none of these.

But in the cause of Troy, whose fields we tread,
I to your aid betake me, and would join

Our common strength.

NEPTUNE.

Hast thou then laid aside

Thy former hate, to pity Troy, consum'd

By the relentless flames ?

Your views: to me

MINERVA.

First, thither turn will you unfold your counsels,

And aid the schemes I would effect?

NEPTUNE.

With joy:

But I meanwhile would thy designs explore,