Pride of his sire, and glory of his house, And more a Mars in combat than a mouse: His action bold, robust his ample frame, And Meridarpax his resounding name. The warrior singled from the fighting crowd, Boasts the dire honours of his arms aloud; Then strutting near the lake, with looks elate, Threats all its nations with approaching fate. And such his strength, the silver lakes around Might roll their waters o'er unpeopled ground. But powerful Jove, who shews no less his grace To frogs that perish, than to human race, Felt soft compassion rising in his soul, And shook his sacred head, that shook the pole. Then thus to all the gazing powers began, The sire of gods, and frogs, and mouse, and man: What seas of blood I view, what worlds of slain ! An Iliad rising from a day's campaign! How fierce his javelin, o'er the trembling lakes, The black furr'd hero, Meridarpax, shakes! Unless some favouring deity descend, Soon will the frogs' loquacious empire end. Let dreadful Pallas wing'd with pity fly, And make her regis blaze before his eye: While Mars, refulgent on his rattling car, Arrests his raging rival of the war.

He ceased, reclining with attentive head, When thus the glorious god of combats said: Nor Pallas, Jove! though Pallas take the field, With all the terrors of her hissing shield; Nor Mars himself, though Mars in armour bright Ascend his car, and wheel amidst the fight: Not these can drive the desperate mouse afar, And change the fortunes of the bleeding war. Let all go forth, all heaven in arms arise; Or launch thy own red thunder from the skies; Such ardent bolts as flew that wondrous day, When heaps of Titans mix'd with mountains lay; When all the giant race enormous fell; And huge Enceladus was hurl'd to hell.

"Twas thus the armipotent advised the gods, When from his throne the cloud-compeller nods; Deep-lengthening thunders run from pole to pole, Olympus trembles as the thunders roll

Then swift he whirls the brandish'd bolt around, And headlong darts it at the distant ground; The bolt discharged, inwrapp'd with lightning flies, And rends its flaming passage through the skies: 125 Then earth's inhabitants, the nibblers shake; And frogs, the dwellers in the waters quake. Yet still the mice advance their dread design, And the last danger threats the croaking line; Till Jove, that inly mourn'd the loss they bore 130 With strange assistance fill'd the frighted shore.

165

$70

135

Pour'd from the neighbouring stand, deform'd to view They march, a sudden unexpected crew. Strong suits of armour round their bodies close, Which like thick anvils blunt the force of blows; In wheeling marches turn'd, oblique they go; With harpy claws their limbs divide below; Full sheers the passage to their mouth command: From out the flesh the bones by nature stand: Broad spread their backs, their shining shoulders rise, 140 Unnumber'd joints distort their lengthen'd thighs; With nervous cords their hands are firmly braced, Their round black eye-balls in their bosom placed; On eight long feet the wondrous warriors tread, And either end alike supplies a head.

176

180

185

145 These to call crabs mere mortal wits agree;
But gods have other names for things than we.
Now, where the jointures from their loins depend,
The heroes' tails with severing grasps they rend,
Here, short of feet, deprived the power to fly;

190

150 There, without hands, upon the field they lie.
Wrench'd from their holds, and scatter'd all around, 195
The blended lancés heap the cumber'd ground.
Helpless amazement, fear pursuing fear,
And mad confusion through their host appear;

155 O'er the wild waste with headlong flight they go,
Or creep conceal'd in vaulted holes below.

But down Olympus, to the western seas, Far-shooting Phoebus drove with fainter rays: And a whole war (so Jove ordain'd) begun, 160 Was fought, and ceased, in one revolving sun.

END OF THE BATTLE OF THE FROGS AND MICE.

200