the troops which were to arrive, and that the army was divided by Telemachus's quarrel with Phalantus, he immediately made a large circuit, marching night and day along the fea-shore, and going through ways which had always been deemed abfolutely impassable. Thus do refolution and labour furmount the greateft obftacles; thus is there hardly any thing impoffible to the daring and the patient of fatigues: and thus do those who fleep and magnify difficulties into impoffibilities, deserve to be furprised and opprest. Adraftus early in the morning furprifed the hundred ships which belonged to the allies. As thefe ships were ill guarded and apprehenfive of nothing he took them without refiftance, and made ufe of them to tranfport his troops with incredible difpatch to the mouth of the Galefus; he then failed very expeditiously up the river. The advanced guards of the confederate camp that were ftationed towards the river, imagined that thefe barks had brought then the troops which were expected, and immediately shouted aloud for joy. Adraftus and his foldiers landed before they could be known, and fall upon the allies, who apprehended nothing, as they are feattered up and down in an open camp, unarmed, and without a commander. The part of the camp which Adraftus first atta cked, was that of the Tarentines, where Phalantus commanded. The Daunians entered it with uch vigour, that the Lacedæmonian youth being in a furprife, could not refift them. While they are look ing for their arms, and hinder each other in their confufion, Adraftus orders the camp to be fired. The flames inftantly afcend from the tents and reach the very clouds; roaring like a deluge that pours over a whole country, and up-roots, ant bears away by its rapidity the largest oaks, the corn, barns, ftables, flocks and herds. The wind impetuously drives the fire from tent to tent, and the whole camp inftantly refembles an old dry foreft, which a single spark has kindled into a blaze. Phalantus, though he has the nearest view of the danger, F 2 ne peut y remédier. Il comprend que toutes fes troupes vont périr dans cet incendie, fi on ne fe hâte d'abandonner le camp: mais il comprend auffi com bien le défordre de cette retraite eft à craindre devant un ennemi victorieux; il commence à faire fortir fa jeunesse Lacédémonienne encore à demi- défarmée mais Adrafte ne les laiffe point refpirer. D'un côté, une troupe d'archers adroits perce de fleches innombrables les foldats de Phalante; de l'autre, des frondeurs jettent une grêle de groffes pierres. Adrafte lui-même, l'épée à la main, marchant a la tête d'une troupe choifie des plus intrépides Dauniens, pourfuit à la lueur du feu, les troupes qui s'enfuient; il moiffonne, par le fer tranchant, tout ce qui a échappé au feu; il nage dans le fang; il ne peut s'affouvir de car◄ nage les lions & les tigres n'égalent point fa furie, quand ils égorgent les bergers avec leurs troupeaux. Les troupes de Phalante fuccombent, & le courage les abandonne. La pâle mort, conduite par une furie infernale, dont la tête est hérissée de ferpens, glace le fang de leurs veines; leurs membres engourdis fe roidiffent, & leurs genoux chancel'ans leur ôtent même l'efpérance de la fuite. Phalante, à qui la honte & le défefpoir donnent encore un refte de force & de vigueur, éleve les mains & les yeux vers le ciel; il voit tomber à fes pieds fon frere Hippias fous les coups de la main foudroyante d'Adrafte. Hippias étendu par terre, fe roule dans la pouffiere; un fang noir & bouillonnant fort, comme un ruiffeau, de la profonde bleffure qui lui traverse le côté; fes yeux fe ferment à la lumiere, fon ame fu rieufe s'enfuit avec tout fon fang. Phalante lui-même, tout couvert du fang de fon frere, & ne pouvant le fecourir, le voit enveloppé par une foule d'ennemis qui ́s'efforcent de le renverfer. Son bouclier eft percé de mille traits. Il eft bleffé en plufieurs endroits de fon corps; il ne peut plus rallier fes troupes fugitives, Les Dieux le voient, & ils n'en ont aucune pitié, Fin du feizieme Livre. danger, can apply no remedy to it. He perceives that his troop will all perish in the flames, if they do not immediately abandon the camp; but he perceives alfo how much the confufion of fuch a retreat is to be dreaded before a victorious enemy. He begins however to draw off his half-armed Lacedæmonian youth, but Adraftus allows them no time to breathe. On one fide a band of skilful archers gall Phalantus's foldiers with innumerable arrows, and flingers on the other pour a flinty shower. Adraftus himfelf marching fword in hand at the head of a chofen band of the most intrepid Daunians, pursues the fugitives by the light of the flames; he mows down all who escape them with his keen fteel; he fwims in blood; he cannot flake his thirst of slaughter lions and tigers equal not his fury when they rend the shepherds and their flocks. Phalantus's troops fink before him their courage forfakes them; pale death, led on by an infernal fury whofe head briftles with fnakes, freezes the blood in their veins; their benumbed limbs ftiffen, and their shivering knees rob them even of the hopes of flight. Phalantus, whom shame and defpair ftill fupply with fome remains of strength and vigour, lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, fees his brother Hippias fall at his feet, beneath the blows of Adraftus's thundering hand. Hippias is ftretched on the earth, and rolls in the duft; black bubbling gore fpouts like a torrent from the deep wound in his fide; his eyes exclude the light, and his furious foul iffues out with his blood. Phalantus himself, all befmeared with his brother's gore, and unable to affist him, finds himself befet with a crowd of enemies who ftrive to fell him to the earth. His shield is pierced with a thousand darts; he is wounded in feveral parts of his body, and cannot rally his flying troops: The Gods fee, but do not vouchfafe him their pity. End of the Sixteenh Book. Télémaque s'étant revêtu de fes armes divines, court au fecours de Phalante, renverfe d'abord Iphiclès fils d'Adrafie, repousse l'ennemi viäorieux, & remporteroit fur lui une viãoire complette, fi une tempéte furvenant, ne faifoit finir le combat. Enfuite Télémaque fait emporter les bleffés, prend foin d'eux, & principalement de Phalante. Il fait l'honneur des obfeques de fon frere Hippias, dont il lui va préfenter les cendres, qu'il a recueillies dans une urne d'or. UPITER, au milieu de toutes les Divinités céleftes, regardoit du haut de l'Olympe'ce carnage des alliés. En même temps il confultoit les immuables Deftinées, & voyoit tous les chefs dont la trame devoit ce jour-là être tranchée par le cifeau de la Parque. Chacun des Dieux étoit attentif, pour découvrir fur le vifage de Jupiter quelle feroit fa volonté. Mais le pere des Dieux & des hommes leur dit d'une voix douce & majestueuse: Vous voyez en quelle extrémité font réduits les alliés, vous voyez Adrafte qui renverfe tous fes ennemis : mais ce fpectacle eft bien trompeur. La gloire & la prospérité des méchans eft courte; Adrafte, impie & odieux par fa |