The darted pine, and oak's enormous trunk;
O'erwhelm'd but unsubdued the warrior sunk.
Next Mopsus came, of Titaresian line,
Supremely skill'd to read the will divine
In voice and flight of tribes that wing the sky,
For Phebus gave the powers of augury.
Polydamas attractive glory leads,
Where Xenias wide his stagnant mirror spreads,
The son of Ctimenus renown'd of yore;
The father's name his native city bore.
Then Actor sends his young Menatius forth,
From noble chiefs to learn heroic worth.
With him were join'd, companions brave and young, Eurytion bold and Eribotes strong.
His birth to Teleon Eribotes ow'd.
Old Actor's blood, a generous current, flow'd
To warm Eurytion's breast, with dawning fire,
For, sprung from Actor, Irus was his sire.
Cileus came, intrepid in the field,
Swift in pursuit, when flying squadrons yield.
And hapless Canthus from Eubœa came,
His sire Canethus fann'd th' advent'rous flame,
In evil hour-for, to return no more
He roam'd with Jason from his native shore,
Ordain'd to perish on a distant land,
With Mopsus wand'ring o'er the Libyan strand.
O wretched man, how transient is thy breath,
Inevitably doom'd to pain and death!
On Lybia's burning sands their tombs remain,
A scene, far distant from their native plain,
As the gay seats of Phebus' dawning light,
From the pale precincts of approaching night.
Clytius and Iphitus the call obey,
And leave Echalia their paternal sway,
The seat of Eurytus, whom Phebus taught
To bend the bow, with aim unerring fraught.
Relentless man, with impious rage he burn'd,
And gifts divine against the donor turn'd.
The sons of Eacus augment the band.
Not jointly they, nor from a common land.
By conscious terrors from Ægina driv❜n,
They fled the vengeful wrath of earth and heav'n.
Thro' fell mischance, in flow'r of youthful pride,
Beneath their hands their brother Phocus died.
Th' Athenian isle* bold Telamon possest,
In Thié Peleus found a place of rest.
The valiant Butes from Cecropiat came,
Brave Teleon's offspring. With congenial flame
Phalerus join'd him, skilful at the spear,
Child of his age, to hoary Alcon dear.
No selfish thoughts the father's mind engage,
The sole support of his declining age
He sends, the pride of weary life's decline,
With noble chiefs, in hardy deeds to shine.
But Theseus, who in glorious acts excell'd
Erectheus' sons, no more the light beheld.
Victim of friendship, in the Stygian gloom
He mourn'd in chains his lov'd companion's doom.
Lamented chance, for Jason's daring host
A mighty succour by his absence lost!
The son of Agnias, from the Thespian plain,
No mean assistant, Tiphys join'd the train,
Supremely skill'd, with prescient eye to mark
The perils, that await the lab'ring bark,
When howling tempests shall the billows sweep,
And wat❜ry mountains rise amid the deep,
Ajax from Salamis twelve vessels brought, And ranged his troops where the Athenians fought. + Attica.
The solar path-and the presaging star.-
Minerva led him to the band from far;
The band receive him, with a shout of joy,
And soon their toils his wond'rous gifts employ. 170
Alector's son inspir'd by Pallas wrought,
And fram'd the vessel, as the Goddess taught.-
Divinely form'd, that first of ships surpast
All vessels, that have plough'd the briny waste.-
Possest of all that mortals can desire,
Chear'd with the love of his Lenaan * sire,
From Arathyrea wealthy Phlias came,
For glory touch'd him with her sacred flame.
He left his mansion, where Asopus flows,
To share in perils, and encounter woes.
Two Argive youths increase the gallant throng,
The daring Talaus, and Areius strong,
With stout Laodocus, whom Pero bore,
Daughter of Neleus, and the cause of yore,
That brave Melampus mix'd in deeds of spoil,
Source of his danger, object of his toil.
Nor mighty Hercules the call declin'd,
While glory's charms inflam'd the daring mind.
Soon as he heard (for the report was loud)
The purpos'd voyage, and th' assembled croud,
When late he left Arcadia's wild domain,
And past to Argos, seat of Lynceus' reign,
He bore the savage from the tangled brakes,
Lampeeia'st woods, and Erymanthian lakes.
Mycana's forests trembled at the view,
When to the ground the captive boar he threw.
Spontaneous he augments the glorious band,
Nor seeks a licence from Eurystheus' hand.
Lampeeia, a mountain of Arcadia, from whence the river Erymanthus flows.
With him went Hylas in the bloom of youth,
Who felt with ardour, and repaid with truth,
(Guard of his quiver, bearer of his bow,)
All the fond cares his master *could bestow.
Then Nauplius came, of ancient Danaus' line,
A mortal mother, and a sire divine.
From him,t whose trident shakes the solid earth
And Amymoné, Nauplius took his birth.
From him we find th' heroic race extend,
And Pratus, Lernus, Nauplius descend.
The last on Clytonaus life bestow'd,
To him his being younger Nauplius ow'd.
A gallant spirit, dauntless Idmon came,
Of Argives last, but not the least in fame,
For, skill'd in augury, he read his doom,
And sought, with heart resolv'd, th' untimely tomb. Reputed son of Abas, but his sire
The God of day bestow'd prophetic fire,
What burning entrails teach he bade him read,
What signs from voice and flight of birds proceed.
From Sparta next, the bold attempt to share,
Etolian Leila sends th' illustrious pair,
Pollux, in combats of the cestus crown'd,
And Castor, for the manag'd steed renown'd,
Dear as the pledges of declining age,
Darlings and toys, that closing life engage,
A double birth from Tyndarus and Jove,
Produce of mortal and immortal love.
No woman's fears, that feeble minds enthrall,
No weak despondence would the youths recall;
In Jove confiding, and the valiant heart,
She sees, without a sigh, her sons depart,
Thine offspring, Apharetus, Lynceus bold
And haughty Idas, next their names enroll'd.
Arene sends them.-Wond'rous was the pow'r
Bestow'd on Lynceus at his natal hour.
His darted glance, so fable sings, could pierce
The darkling centre of this universe.—
Next, Peryclimenus, to join the train,
First-born of Neleus, quits the Pylian plain.
Him ocean's god endow'd with boundless might,
And, not less useful in the deadly fight,
He gave him pow'r, amid the hurtling storm,
To chuse his shape, and wish away his form.
Amphidamas and Cepheus left the seat
Of rural pleasures, for the warlike feat,
Arcadia, blest abode of shepherd loves,
Apheidas' happy realm, and Tegea's† groves.
The young Ancaust on their steps attends,
The gallant boy his sire Lycurgus sends,
Sprung from one father, the paternal tie
Bids him entrust them with his
progeny
He too had follow'd, but their drooping sire,
The hoary Aleüs checks the fond desire.
In early manhood beauteously severe,
Clad in the spoils of the Manalian || bear,
Intrepid boy, Ancæus joins the band,
And shakes a battle-ax with nervous hand;
For aged Aleüs full of fond alarms
With pious artifice conceal'd his arms.
Augeas came, to whom the fabled lay
Gave for a sire th' illustrious God of day.
He rul'd in Elis with imperial pride,
For vast his wealth, and his dominions wide,
* A city of Peloponnesus near Pylus. Tegea, a city of Arcadia.
There were two of the name in the expedition. Manalus, à mountain of Arcadia, there was also a city of the same name.
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