And this bow, bent, he close laid down, and bad his soldiers hold
Their shields before him, lest the Greeks, discerning him, should
rise
In tumults ere the Spartan king could be his arrow's prise.
Mean space, with all his care he choos'd, and from his quiver drew,
An arrow, feather'd best for flight and yet that never flew,
Strong headed, and most apt to pierce; then took he up his bow,
And nock'd his shaft, the ground whence all their future grief did
grow.
When, praying to his God the Sun, that was in Lycia bred,
And king of archers, promising that he the blood would shed
Of full an hundred first-fall'n lambs, all offer'd to his name,
When to Zelia's sacred walls from rescu'd Troy he came,
He took his arrow by the nock, and to his bended breast [1]
The oxy sinew close he drew, ev'n till the pile did rest
Upon the bosom of the bow; and as that savage prise
His strength constrain'd into an orb, as if the wind did rise
The coming of it made a noise, the sinew-forgéd string
Did give a mighty twang, and forth the eager shaft did sing,
Affecting speediness of flight, amongst the Achive throng.
Nor were the blesséd Heav'nly Pow'rs unmindful of thy wrong,
O Menelaus, but, in chief, Jove's seed: the Pillager,
Stood close before, and slack'd the force the arrow did confer,
With as much care and little hurt, as doth a mother use,
And keep off from her babe, when sleep doth through his pow'rs
diffuse
His golden humour, and th' assaults of rude and busy flies
She still checks with her careful hand; for so the shaft she plies
That on the buttons made of gold, which made his girdle fast,
And where his curets double were, the fall of it she plac'd.
And thus much proof she put it to: the buckle made of gold;
The belt it fast'ned, bravely wrought; his curets' double fold;
And last, the charméd plate he wore, which help'd him more than
all,
And, 'gainst all darts and shafts bestow'd, was to his life a wall;
So, through all these, the upper skin the head did only race;
Yet forth the blood flow'd, which did much his royal person grace,
And show'd upon his ivory skin, as doth a purple dye
Laid, by a dame of Caïra, or lovely Mæony,
On ivory, wrought in ornaments to deck the cheeks of horse;
Which in her marriage room must lie; whose beauties have such force
That they are wish'd of many knights, but are such precious things,
That they are kept for horse that draw the chariots of kings,
Which horse, so deck'd, the charioteer esteems a grace to him;
Like these, in grace, the blood upon thy solid thighs did swim,
O Menelaus, down by calves and ankles to the ground.
For nothing decks a soldier so, as doth an honour'd wound.
Yet, fearing he had far'd much worse, the hair stood up on end
On Agamemnon, when he saw so much black blood descend.
And stiff'ned with the like dismay was Menelaus too,
But seeing th' arrow's stale without, and that the head did go
No further than it might be seen, he call'd his spirits again;
Which Agamemnon marking not but thinking he was slain,
He grip'd his brother by the hand, and sigh'd as he would break,
Which sigh the whole host took from him, who thus at last did
speak:
"O dearest brother, is't for this, that thy death must be wrought,
Wrought I this truce? For this has thou the single combat fought
For all the army of the Greeks? For this hath Ilion sworn,
And trod all faith beneath their feet? Yet all this hath not worn
The right we challeng'd out of force; this cannot render vain
Our stricken right hands, sacred wine, nor all our off'rings slain;
For though Olympius be not quick in making good our ill,
He will be sure as he is slow, and sharplier prove his will.
Their own hands shall be ministers of those plagues they despise,
Which shall their wives and children reach, and all their
progenies.
For both in mind and soul I know, that there shall come a day
When Ilion, Priam, all his pow'r, shall quite be worn away,
When heav'n-inhabiting Jove shall shake his fiery shield at all,
For this one mischief. This, I know, the world cannot recall.
But be all this, all my grief still for thee will be the same,
Dear brother. If thy life must here put out his royal flame,
I shall to sandy Argos turn with infamy my face;
And all the Greeks will call for home; old Priam and his race
Will flame in glory; Helena untouch'd be still their prey;
And thy bones in our enemies' earth our curséd fates shall lay;
Thy sepulchre be trodden down; the pride of Troy desire
Insulting on it, 'Thus, O thus, let Agamemnon's ire
In all his acts be expiate, as now he carries home
His idle army, empty ships, and leaves here overcome
Good Menelaus.' When this rave breaks in their bated breath,
Then let the broad earth swallow me, and take me quick to death."
"Nor shall this ever chance," said he, "and therefore be of cheer,
Lest all the army, led by you, your passions put in fear.
The arrow fell in no such place a death could enter at,
My girdle, curets doubled here, and my most trusted plate,
Objected all 'twixt me and death, the shaft scarce piercing one."
"Good brother," said the king, "I wish it were no further gone,
For then our best in med'cines skilled shall ope and search the
wound,
Applying balms to ease thy pains, and soon restore thee sound."
This said, divine Talthybiús he call'd, and bad him haste
Machaon (Æsculapius' son, who most of men was grac'd
With physic's sov'reign remedies) to come and lend his hand
To Menelaus, shot by one well-skill'd in the command
Of bow and arrows, one of Troy, or of the Lycian aid,
Who much hath glorified our foe, and us as much dismay'd.
He heard, and hasted instantly, and cast his eyes about
The thickest squadrons of the Greeks, to find Machaon