affaffinations. We ourselves should feel, and should deferve to feel, their fatal effects, fince we should authorise the greatest of evils. I think therefore that this traitor ought to be fent back to Adraftus. I own indeed that this prince does not deferve it; but all Hefperia and all Greece, which have their eyes upon us, deferve fuch a conduct from us as the price of their esteem. Befides, we owe to ourselves, we owe to the righteous Gods, this abhorrence of treachery.

Upon this Diofcorus was fent to Adraftus, who trembled at the danger he had been in, and could not enough wonder at the generofity of his enemies; for the wicked have no idea of pure and difinterested virtue. Adraftus could not but admire what he saw, though he had not refolution enough to commend it. This noble action of the allies recalled to his mind an odious remembrance of all his treacheries and cruelties. He fought to leffen the generofity of his enemies, and was ashamed to appear ungrateful to thofe to whom he owed his life; but corrupt men foon harden themselves against every thing which might give them the least compunction. Adraftus perceiving that the reputation of the allies daily increafed, thought himfelf under a neceffity of performing fome fignal action against them; and as it was not in his nature to do a virtuous one, he refolved at least to endeavour to obtain fome eminent advantage over them by arms, and haftened to engage them.

The day of battle being come, Aurora in her rofy progrefs fcarcely began to open the gates of the east to the fun, when the young Telemachus out-ftripping the vigilance of the oldeft commanders, broke from the arms of balmy fleep, and put all the officers in motion. His helmet, crowned with waving hair, already glittered on his head, and the cuirals he wore dazzled the eyes of the whole army. The work of Vulcan had, befides its native beauty, the fplendor of the Egis which was concealed in it. He held a fpear in one hand, and pointed with the other to the feveral post which it was neceffary to fecure. Minerva had filled his eyes with a divine fire, and his countenance

majesté fiere, qui promettoit déjà la victoire. Il marchoit; & tous les rois, oubliant leur âge & leur dignité, fe fentoient entraînés par une force fupérieure, qui leur faifoit fuivre fes pas. La foible jaloufie ne peut plus entrer dans les cœurs. Tout cede à celui que Minerve conduit invifiblement par la main. Son action n'avoit plus rien d'impétueux ni de précipité : il étoit doux, tranquille, patient, toujours prêt à écouter les autres, & à profiter de leurs confeils ma's actif, prévoyant, attentif aux befoins les plus éloignés, arrangeant toutes les chofes à propos, ne s'embarraffant de rien, & n'embarraffant point les autres; excufant les fautes, réparant les mécomptes prévenant les difficultés, ne demandant jamais rien de trop à perfonne, infpirant par-tout la liberté & la confiance. Donnoit-il un ordre, c'étoit dans les termes les plus fimples & les plus clairs; il le répétoit, pour mieux inftruire celui qui devoit l'exécuter. Il voyoit dans fes yeux s'il l'avoit bien compris. Il lui faifoit enfuite expliquer familiérement comment il avoit compris, fes paroles, & le principal but de fon entreprife. Quand il avoit ainfi éprouvé le bon fens de celui qu'il envoyoit, & qu'il l'avoit fait entrer dans fes vues, il ne le faifoit partir, qu'après lui avoir donné quelque marque d'eftime & de confiance pour l'encourager. Ainfi tous ceux qu'il envoyoit étoient pleins d'ardeur pour lui plaire & pour réunir; mais ils n'étoient point gênés par la crainte qu'il leur imputeroit le mauvais fuccès; car il excufoit toutes les fautes qui ne venoient point de mauvaise volonté.

L'horifon paroiffoit rouge & enflammé par les premiers rayons du foleil, & la mer étoit pleine des feux du jour naiffant. Toute la côte étoit couverte d'hommes, d'armes, de chevaux & de chariots en mouvement : c'étoit un bruit confus, femblable à celui des flots en courroux, quand Neptune.excite au fond de fes abymes les noires tempêtes. Ainfi Mars commençoit, par le bruit des armes, & par l'appareil frémissant de la guerre, à femer la rage dans tous les cœurs. La campagne étoit pleine

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with a noble majefty, which already promised victory: He marched; and all the princes, forgetting their age and dignity, found themfelves hurried along by a fu perior power, which compelled them to follow his fteps. Impotent jealoufy could no longer find admiffion to their hearts. Every thing yields to him whom Minerva invifibly leads by the hand. His behaviour. had nothing of impetuofity or rashnefs: he was affable, calm, patient, always ready to hear others and to profit by their counfels; but active, cautious, extending his views to the remoteft exigencies, difpofing every thing in the best manner never confounding himfelf nor others, excufing errors, rectifying mifcarriages, obviating difficulties, never exacting too much of any one and every where infpiring freedom and confidence. If he gave an order, it was in the plaineft and most perfpicuous terms; he repeated it, to give the person who was to execute it, a clearer idea of it; he faw by his eyes whether he apprehended it right, and then made him explain in a familiar manner, how he understood his words, and what was the principal end of his enterprife. When he had thus founded the capacity of the perfon he employed, and made him thoroughly understand his defigns, he did not fend him away till he had given him fome mark of his esteem and confidence by way of encou ragement. Thus all whom he employed were full of zeal to please him and to fucceed in their commiffions, without being cramped by any apprehenfion of his imputing their ill fuccefs to them; for he excufed all mifcarriages which did not proceed from the want of good will.

The horizon looked red and enflamed by the daw ning rays of the fun, and the fea blazed with the fires of the new-born day. All the coaft was overfpread with men, arms, horses rolling chariots; and a confufed uproar was heard, like that of the angry billows when Neptune in the deep abyfs ftirs up the lowering tempefts. Thus Mars began by the din of arms, and the horrid equipage of war, to fire every heart with fury. The plain was thick fet with brift

de piques hériffées, femblables aux épis qui couvrent les fillons fertiles dans le temps des moiffons. Déjà s'élevoit un nuage de pouffiere, qui déroboit peu à peu aux yeux des hommes la terre & le ciel. La confufion, l'horreur, le carnage, l'impitoyable mort s'avançoient.

A peine les premiers traits étoient jettés, que Télémaque, levant les yeux & les mains vers le ciel, prononça ces paroles: O Jupiter, pere des Dieux & des hommes, vous voyez de notre côté la juftice & la paix, que nous n'avons point eu honte, de rechercher. C'est à regret que nous combattons; nous voudrions épargner le fang des hommes; nous ne haïffons point cet ennemi même, quoiqu'il foit cruel, perfide & facrilege. Voyez & décidez entre lui & nous. S'il faut mourir, nos vies font dans vos mains. S'il faut délivrer l'Hefpérie, & abattre le tyran, ce fera votre puiffance & la fageffe de Minerve, votre fille, qui nous donneront la victoire; la gloire vous en fera due. C'est vous qui, la balance en main, réglez le fort des combats. Nous combattons pour vous; & puifque vous êtes jufte, Adrafte eft plus votre ennemi que le nôtre. Si votre caufe eft victorieufe, avant la fin du jour, le fang d'une hécatombe entiere ruiffelera fur vos autels.

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Il dit, & à l'initant il pouffe fes courfiers fougueux & écumans dans les rangs les plus preffés des ennemis. Il rencontra d'abord Périandre Locrien, couvert de la peau d'un lion qu'il avoit tué dans la Cilicie, pendant qu'il y avoit voyagé. Il étoit armé, comme Hercule, d'une maffue énorme; fa force & fa taille le rendoient femblable aux géants. Dès qu'il vit Télémaque, il méprifa fa jeuneffe, & la beauté de fon vifage. C'est bien à toi, dit-il, jeune efféminé, nous difputer la gloire des combats! Va, enfant, va parmi les ombres chercher ton pere. En difant ces paroles, il leva fa maffue noueufe, pefante, armée de pointes de fer elle paroît comme un mât de navire; chacun craint le coup de fa chûte; elle menace la tête du fils d'Ulyffe. Mais il fe détourne du coup, & fe lance fur Périandre avec la rapidité d'un aigle qui fend les airs. La maffue, en tombant, brife la roue d'un char auprès de celui de Télémaque. Cependant

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ling pikes, like ears of corn which hide the fertile furrows in the times of harveft. Already had a cloud of rifing duft gradually ftolen the heavens and the earth from the eyes of men, and confufion, horror, flaughter, ruthlefs death advanced.

The arrows hardly began to fly, when Telemachus lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven uttered thefe words: O Jupiter, father of Gods and men', thou seest the justice of our cause, and that we have not been ashamed to fue for peace. We engage with reluctance; we would fpare the blood of man, and do not hate even this cruel, this perfidious, this facrilegious foe. Behold thou and determine between him and us. If we muft die, our lives are in thy hands; if Hefperia is to be delivered, and the tyrant overthrown, it will be thy power and the wisdom of thy daughter Minerva which will give us the victory; the glory of it will be due to thee. Thou holdest the balance, and decideft the fate of battles. For thee we fight; and as thou art righteous, Adraftus is more thy enemy than ours. If thy caufe is victorious, before the clofe of the day, the blood of a whole hecatomb shall ftream on thy altars.

He faid, and inftantly drives his fiery foaming courfers into the thickest ranks of the enemy. The first he met was Periander the Locrian, clad in the skin of a lion which he had killed in his travels in Cilicia. He was armed like Hercules with an enormous club, and refembled the giants in ftrength and ftature. As foon as he faw Telemachus, he defpifed his youth and beautiful countenance It well befits thee, faid he, effeminate boy, to difpute the glory of combat with us! Go child, go to hell, and feek thy father. As he spoke thefe words, he raifed his knotty, ponderous and iron-fpiky club, which looks like the maft of a flip, which makes every one apprehenfive of its fall, and threatens the head of the fon of Ulyffes. But he eludes the blow, and rushes upon Periander as rapidly as an eagle cleaves the air. The defcending club dashes in pieces the wheel of a charior which was near that of Telemachus, Mean