confequences? The mistake of a prince whofe pretenfions are ill-grounded, often occafions devaftations, famines, maffacres, losses, and depravation of manners whofe fatal effects extend to the remoteft ages. Should not a king, who is continually furrounded with crowds of flatterers, fear his being flattered on thefe occafions? If he agrees upon an umpire to decide the difference, he gives a proof of his equity, fincerity and moderation, and publishes the folid reafons on which his caufe is founded. The appointed umpire is a friendly mediator, and not a fevere judge. His decifions are not blindly fubmited to, but a great deference is paid to him. He does not pronounce fentence like a fupreme judge; but he makes propofitions, and fome things are given up by his advice for the prefervation of peace. If a war happens, notwithstanding all the pains which a prince takes to preferve peace, he then at leaft has on his fide teftimony of his confcience the esteem of his neighbours, and the juft protection of the Gods, Idomeneus was affected by this difcourfe, and confented that the Sipontines should be mediators between him and the Sibarites.

The king then perceiving that all his attempts to detain the two ftrangers were in vain, tried to hold them by a stronger tie. He had oblerved that Telemachus loved Antiope and he hoped to detain him by that paffion. With this view he ordered her to fing at feveral entertainments; she did it that she might not difobey her father, but with fuch a referved and melancholy air, that one eafily faw the pain she fuffered by her obedience. Idomeneus went fo far as to bid her fing the victory gained over the Daunians and Adraftus; but she could not prevail on herfelf to fiug the praifes of Telemachus; she excufed herself in a refpectful manner, and her father did not think fit to constrain her. Her fweet and ravishing voice went to the very foul of the young fon of Ulyffes; he was quite tranfported. idomeneus, whofe eyes were fixed upon him, took a pleasure in obferving his tranfport; but Telemachus

ché; mais la raifon étoit en lui au-deffus du fentiment, & ce n'étoit plus ce même Télémaque, qu'une paffion tyrannique avoit autrefois captivé dans l'ifle de Calypfo. Pendant qu'Antiope chantoit, il gardoit un profond filence; dès qu'elle avoit fini, il fe hâtoit de tourner la converfation fur quelque autre matiere.

Le roi ne pouvant, par cette voie réuffir dans fon deffein, prit enfin la réfolution de faire une grande chaffe, dont il voulut donner le plaifir à sa fille. Antiope pleura, ne voulant point y aller; mais il fallut exécuter l'ordre de fon pere. Elle monte un cheval écumant, fougueux, & femblable à ceux que Caftor domptoit pour les combats; elle le conduit fans peine une troupe de jeunes filles la fuit avec ardeur; elle paroît au milieu d'elles, comme Diane dans les forêts. Le roi la voit, & il ne peut fe lasser de la voir. En la voyant, il oublie tous fes malheurs paffés. Télémaque la voit auffi, & il eft encore plus touché de la modeftie d'Antiope, que de fon adreffe & de toutes fes graces.

Les chiens pourfuivoient un fanglier d'une grandeur énorme & furieux comme celui de Calydon. Ses longues foies étoient dures & hériffées comine des dards; fes yeux étincelans étoient pleins de fang & de feu; fon fouffle fe faifoit entendre de loin comme le bruit fourd des vents féditieux, quand Eole les rappelle dans fon antre, pour appaifer les tempêtes; ses défenses longues & crochues comme la faux tranchante des moiffonneurs coupoient le tronc des arbres. Tous les chiens qui ofoient en approcher, étoient déchirés. Les plus hardis chaffeurs, en le pourfuivant, craignoient de l'atteindre. Antiope, légere à la courfe comme les vents ne craignoit point de l'attaquer de près. Elle lui lance un trait qui le perce au-deffus de l'épaule; le fang de l'animal farouche ruiffelle, & le rend plus furieux. Il fe tourne vers celle qui l'a bleffé. Auffitôt le cheval d'Antiope, malgré fa fierté, frémit & recule. Le fanglier monftrueux s'élance contre lui, femblable aux pefantes machines qui ébranlene

chus feemed as if he did not apprehend the king's defigns. He could not help being moved on these occafions; but his reafon prevailed over his love, and he was no longer the fame Telemachus whom a tyrannical paffion had formerly enflaved in the island of Calypfo. While Antiope was finging, he would ob ferve a profound filence, as foon as she had done, he would turn the converfation on fome other subject.

The king not being able this way to fucceed in his defign, refolved at laft to have a great hunting match, and ordered his daughter to partake of the diverfion. Antiope wept, being unwilling to go to it; but her father's command must be obeyed. She mounts a foaming fiery fteed, like thofe which Caftor broke for battle; she manages him with eafe; a troop of young virgins with eager joy attend her; and she appears in the midst of them, like Diana in the forefts. The king fees her, and cannot tire his eyes with the fight, which makes him forget all his paft misfortunes. Telemachus fees her alfo, and is more ftruck with Antiope's modefty, than with her dexterity and all her graces.

The dogs chaced a wild boar of an enormous bulk and furious as that of Calydon. His lengthful briftles were hard, and stood upright like darts; his glaring eyes were red and fiery; his breath was heard from afar like the murmurs of feditious winds, when Eolus recalls them to his cave to ftill the ftorms; his tusks, long and crooked as the keen fcythe of the mower, cut the trunks of the trees. All the dogs, that ventured to approach him, were torn in pieces. The boldeft hunters were afraid to overtake him in their purfuit. Antiope. as fwift in the chace as the winds, was not afraid to approach and attack him. She hurls a javelin at him which pierces him above the shoulder; the blood of the fierce animal gushes out like a torrent, and makes him more outrageous. He turns towards her who has wounded him. Upon which Antiope's courfer notwithstanding his great courage, trembles and ftarts back. The monstrous boar rushes against

ébranlent les murailles des plus fortes villes. Le cour fier chancelle & eft abattu. Antiope fe voit par terre, hors d'état d'éviter le coup fatal de la défense du fanglier animé contre elle. Mais Télémaque attentif au danger d'Antiope, étoit déjà defcendu de cheval; plus prompt que les éclairs, il fe jette entre le cheval abattu & le fanglier, qui revient pour venger fon fang: il tient dans fes mains un long dard, & l'enfonce prefque tout entier dans le flanc de l'horrible animal, qui tombe plein de rage.

A l'inftant Télémaque en coupe la hure, qui fait encore peur, quand on la voit de près, & qui étonne tous les chaffeurs. Il la présente à Antiope; elle en rougit; elle confulte les yeux de fon pere, qui après avoir été faifi de frayeur, eft tranfporté de joie de la voir hors de péril, & lui fait figne qu'elle doit accepter ce don. En le prenant, elle dit à Télémaque : Je reçois de vous avec reconnoiffance un autre don -plus grand; car je vous dois la vie. A peine eutelle parlé, qu'elle craignit d'avoir trop dit, elle baissa les yeux, & Télémaque, qui vit fon embarras, n'ofa lui dire que ces paroles: Heureux le fils d'Ulysse d'avoir confervé une vie fi précieufe! mais plus heureux encore, s'il pouvoit paffer la fienne auprès de vous! Antiope, fans lui répondre, rentra brusquement dans la troupe de fes jeunes compagnes, où elle remouta à cheval.

Idoménée auroit, dès ce moment, promis fa fille à Télémaque; mais il efpéra d'enflammer davantage fa paffion, en le laiffant dans l'incertitude, & crat même le retenir encore à Salente, par le defir d'affurer fon mariage. Idoménée raifonnoit ainfi en lui-même ; mais les Dieux fe jouent de la fageffe des hommes. Ce qui devoit retenir Télémaque, fut précifément ce qui le preffa de partir. Ce qu'il commençoit à fentir, le mit dans une jufte défiance de lui-même. Mentor redoubla fes foins, pour lui inspirer un defir impatient de s'en retourner à Ithaque; il preffa Idoménée de le laiffer partir; le vaiffeau étoit déjà prêt. Ainfi Mentor, qui régloit tous les momens de la vie

de

him, like ponderous engines which shake the walls of the ftrongest cities. The courser staggers, and is thrown down. Antiope lies on the earth, incapable of avoiding the fatal gripe of the fangs of the exafperated boar. But Telemachus, feeing Antiope's danger, had already leapt from his horfe; he, wifeer than lightning, darts between the fallen fteed and the boar, which was going to revenge his blood, he holds a lengthful fpear in his hand, and buries it almost entirely in the flank of the terrible animal, which falls raging on the ground.

Telemachus immediately cuts off his head, which is ftill terrible when nearly viewed, and which aftonishes all the hunters. He prefents it to Antiope; she blushes, and confults her father with her eyes who after his fright is tranfported with joy to fee her out of danger, and makes her a fign to accept of the prefent. As she took it, she faid to Telemachus I thankfully receive from you a more va luable gift; for I owe you my life. She had hardly fpoken, but she feared that she had faid too much; she looked on the ground, and Telemachus who perceived her confufion, ventured to fpeak only thefe words: Happy the fon of Ulyffes in preferving fo precious a life! but ftill more happy, could he pafs his with you! Antiope, without replying, immediately rejoined the troop of her youthful com. panions, and mounted her fteed again.

Idomeneus would that moment have promifed Telemachus his daughter, but he hoped to enflame his paffion the more by leaving him in fufpence, and even imagined that he should detain him longer at Salentum by his defire to infure his marriage. Thus reafoned Idomeneus within himself: but the Gods deride the wifdom of men. What was to detain Telemachus, was the very thing which haftened his departure; what he began to feel, gave him reafon to be diffident of bimfelf. Mentor redoubled his affiduity to infpire him with an impatience to return to Ithaca; he urged Idomeneus at the fame time to let him go; the veffel was now ready. Thus Men

tor,