have ended with my life. Could I alas! fo much as hope never to do again what I am now fo grieved for having done, I should be happy, abundantly happy! but perhaps before the clofe of this very day I shall commit, nay wilfully commit, the very faults of which I am at prefent fo much ashamed and have fo great an abhorrence. O fatal victory! O praises which I cannot bear! praises which are bitter reproaches of my folly!

While he was thus folitary and difconfolate, Neftor and Philoctetes came to fee him. Neftor designed to convince him how much he had been in the wrong; but the wife fenior prefently perceiving the youth's affliction, changed his grave remonstrances into expreffions of kindnefs, in order to allay his grief.

This quarrel retarded the progrefs of the confederate princes, who could not march towards the enemy 'till they had reconciled Telemachus with Phalantus and Hippias; being hourly apprehensive left the Tarentine troops should fall upon the hundred young Cretans that came with Telemachus to this war. All was in confufion through the fault of Telemachus only; and he perceiving the many prefent evils and future dangers of which he was the author, abandoned himself to the bittereft grief. All the princes were in great perplexity: They durft not order the army to march, left Telemachus's Cretans and Phalantus's Tarentines should fight with each other as they went along; they had great difficulty to keep them from it even in the camp, where they were narrowly watched. Neftor and Philoctetes were inceffantly going backwards and forwards from Telemachus's tent to that of the implacable Phalantus who breathed nothing but revenge. Neither Neftor's fweet eloquence nor the great Philoctetes's authority could pacify his favage heart, which was moreover continually irritated by the inflaming discourse of his brother Hippias. Telemachus was much calmer, but dejected by a forrow which nothing could alleviate. While the princes were in this commotion, all the troops were under great confternation: The whole camp

camp paroiffoit comme une maifon défolée qui vient de perdre un pere de famille, l'appui de tous fes proches, & la douce efpérance de fes petits enfans.

Dans ce défordre & cette confternation de l'armée ; on entend tout à coup un bruit effroyable de chariots, d'armes, de henniffemens de chevaux, de cris d'hommes, les uns vainqueurs & animés au carnage, les autres, ou fuyans, ou mourans, ou bleffés. Un tourbillon de pouffiere forme un épais nuage qui couvre le ciel, & qui enveloppe tout le camp. Bientôt à la pouffiere fe joint une fumée épaiffe qui troubloit l'air, & qui ôtoit la refpiration. On entendoit un bruit fourd femblable à celui des tourbillons de flamme que le mont Etna vomit du fond de fes entrailles embrafées, lorfque Vulcain avec fes Cyclopes y forge des foudres pour le pere des Dieux. L'épouvante faifit les coeurs.

Adrafte vigilant & infatigable avoit furpris les al liés; il leur avoit caché fa marche, & il étoit inf truit de la leur. Il avoit fait une incroyable_di ligence pour faire le tour d'une montagne prefque inacceffible, dont les alliés avoient faifi prefque tous les paffages; tenant ces défilés ils fe croyoient en pleine sûreté, & prétendoient même pouvoir par ces paffages qu'ils occupoient, tomber fur l'ennemi derriere la montagne, quand quelques troupes qu'ils, attendoient, leur feroient venues. Adraste qui répandoit l'argent à pleines mains pour favoir le fecret de fes ennemis, avoit appris leur réfo lution; car Neftor & Philoctete, ces deux capitaines d'ailleurs fi fages & fi expérimentés, n'étoient pas affez fecrets dans leurs entreprises. Neftor dans ce déclin de l'âge, fe plaifoit trop à raconter ce qui pouvoit lui attirer quelque louange. Philoctete naturellement parloit moins; mais il étoit prompt & fi peu qu'on excitât fa vivacité, on lui faifoit dire ce qu'il avoit réfolu de taire. Les gens artificieux avoient trouvé la clef de fon cœur pour en tirer les plus importans fecrets. On n'avoit qu'à l'irtiter: alors fougueux & hors de lui-même, il éclatoit

par

camp looked like a houfe of mourning that had juft loft the father of the family, the fupport of all his reJations, and the fweet hope of his little children.

During this diforder and confternation of the army there was fuddenly heard a frightful noife of chariots and arms, of neighing steeds and outcries of men, fome victorious and fpurring on to carnage, others running away, dying, or wounded. A black cloud of whirling duft overfpreads the heavens, and covers the whole camp. The duit is prefently followed by a thick fmoke which condenfes the air, and hinders refpiration. There was likewife heard an hollow noife like that of the curling flames which mount Ærna belches from the bottom of its burning bowels when Vulcan with his Cyclops is forging thunderbolts there for the father of the Gods. Terror feized on every heart.

The vigilant and indefatigable Adraftus had fur prifed the allies; having concealed his route from them, and procured intelligence of theirs. He had marched with incredible expedition round an almost inacceffible mountain, whofe paffes had almost all been feized by the allies. Now the allies being in poffeffion of thefe paffes thought themfelves perfectly fafe, and even fancied that they should be able by their means to fall upon the enemy on the other fide of the mountain, when fome troops which they expected, were arrived. Adraftus, who was very lavish of his money in order to get intelligence of his enemies, had been informed of their refolution; for Neftor and Philoctetes, though otherwife very wife and experienced commanders, were not fufficiently fecret in their enterprises. Neftor, now in the decline of life, was too fond of relating things which tended to his own praife. Philoctetes was naturally lefs talkative, but then he was fo paffionate, that if one moved his hafty temper ever fo little, one might make him difcover things which he had refolved to conceal. Artful men had found the key to his heart, and drew from it the most important fecrets. They needed only to provoke him; being then tranfported and befide himself,

par des menaces; il fe vantoit d'avoir des moyens sûrs de parvenir à ce qu'il vouloit. Si peu qu'on parût douter de fes moyens, il fe hâtoit de les expliquer inconfidérément, & le fecret le plus intime échappoit du fond de fon cœur. Semblable à un vase précieux, mais felé, d'où s'écoulent toutes les liqueurs les plus délicieuses le cœur de ce grand capitaine ne pouvoit rien garder.

пе

Les traîtres corrompus par l'argent d'Adrafte, manquoient pas de fe jouer de la foibleffe de ces deux rois. Ils flattoient fans ceffe Neftor par de vaines louanges; ils lui rappelloient fes victoires paffées, admiroient fa prévoyance, ne fe laffoient jamais de l'applaudir. D'un autre côté ils tendoient des piéges continuels à l'humeur impatiente de Philoctete, ils ne lui parloient que de difficultés de contretemps, de dangers, d'inconvéniens, de fautes irrémédiables. Auffitôt que ce naturel prompt étoit enflammé, fa fageffe l'abandonnoit, & il n'étoit plus le même homme.

Télémaque, malgré les défauts que nous avons vus étoit bien plus prudent pour garder un fecret. Il y étoit accoutumé par fes malheurs, & par la néceffité où il avoit été dès fon enfance de fe cacher aux amans de Pénélope. Il favoit taire un fecret fans dire aucun menfonge. Il n'avoit point même certain air réfervé & mystérieux qu'ont d'ordinaire les gens fecrets. Il ne paroiffoit point chargé du fecret qu'il devoit garder: on le trouvoit toujours libre, naturel, ouvert, comme un homme qui a fon cœur fur fes lévres. Mais, en difant tout ce que l'on pouvoit dire fans conféquence, il favoit s'arrêter précisément & fans affectation aux chofes qui pouvoient donner quelque foupçon, & entamer fon fecret. Par-là fon cœur étoit impénétrable & inacceffible; fes meilleurs amis même ne favoient que ce qu'il croyoit utile de leur découvrir pour en tirer de fages confeils, & il n'y avoit que le feul Mentor pour lequel il n'avoit aucune réferve. Il fe confioir à d'autres amis, mais à divers degrés, & à proportion de ce qu'il avoit éprouvé leur amitié & leur fageffe.

Télémaque

did not

himfelf, he would burst out into menaces, and vaunt of having infallible means to accomplish his defigns: And if they feemed ever fo little doubtful of his means, he would immediately be fo inconfiderate as to explain them, and let the clofeft fecrets flip from his bofom. Like a fine but cracked veffel through which leak all the most delicious liquors, the heart of this great commander could retain nothing. Traitors, corrupted by Adraftus's money, fail to make their advantage of the foibles of thefe two princes. They were continually flattering Neftor with empty praifes; they reminded him of his past exploits, admired his forefight, and were never weary of applauding him. On the other fide, they were perpetually laying fnares for the fiery temper of Philocand talked to him of nothing but difficulties accidents, dangers, inconveniencies irretrievable overfights; for as foon as his warm difpofition took fire, his wisdom forfook him; and he was no longer the fame man,

retes,

Telemachus, notwithstanding the failings we have taken notice of, was much more prudent as to the keeping of a fecret. He had been habituated to it by bis misfortunes, and the neceffity he had been under from his infancy of concealing his thoughts from Penelope's fuitors. He knew to keep a fecret without telling an untruth. And then he had not that réserved and myfterious air, which is ufual to close men; he never feemed burdened with the fecret he was to keep, but was always free, eafy, open, like a perfon that bears his heart on his lips. But though he faid every thing that could be faid without any ill confequences, yet he knew to ftop precifely, and without affectation, at the things which might create fufpicions, or furnish a hint to difcover his fecret. Hereby his heart was impenetrable and inacceffible; even his best friends knew nothing but what he judged proper to lay before them for their advice, and there was but Mentor alone for whom he had no referve. He did indeed confide in others, but in dif ferent degrees, and in proportion to the proofs they

had