in all the art of arms, superior any way,The queen, and all her sorts of wealth, let him at will enjoy;
The rest strike truce, and let love seal firm leagues 'twixt Greece
and Troy."
The Greek host wonder'd at this brave; silence flew ev'rywhere;
At last spake Sparta's warlike king: "Now also give me ear,
Whom grief gives most cause of reply. I now have hope to free
The Greeks and Trojans of all ills, they have sustain'd for me,
And Alexander, that was cause I stretch'd my spleen so far.
Of both then, which is nearest fate, let his death end the war;
The rest immediately retire, and greet all homes in peace.
Go then (to bless your champion, and give his pow'rs success)
Fetch for the Earth, and for the Sun (the Gods on whom ye call)
Two lambs, a black one and a white, a female and a male;
And we another, for ourselves, will fetch, and kill to Jove.
To sign which rites bring Priam's force, because we well approve
His sons perfidious, envious, and (out of practis'd bane
To faith, when she believes in them) Jove's high truce may profane.
All young men's hearts are still unstaid; but in those well-weigh'd
deeds
An old man will consent to pass things past, and what succeeds
He looks into, that he may know, how best to make his way
Through both the fortunes of a fact, and will the worst obey."
This granted, a delightful hope both Greeks and Trojans fed,
Of long'd-for rest from those long toils, their tedious war had
bred.
Their horses then in rank they set, drawn from their chariots
round,
Descend themselves, took off their arms, and plac'd them on the
ground,
Near one another; for the space 'twixt both the hosts was small.
Hector two heralds sent to Troy, that they from thence might call
King Priam, and to bring the lambs, to rate the truce they swore.
But Agamemnon to the fleet Talthybius sent before,
To fetch their lamb; who nothing slack'd the royal charge was
giv'n.
Iris, the rain-bow, then came down, ambassadress from heav'n,
To white-arm'd Helen. She assum'd at ev'ry part the grace
Of Helen's last love's sister's shape, who had the highest place
In Helen's love, and had to name Laodice, most fair
Of all the daughters Priam had, and made the nuptial pair
With Helicaon, royal sprout of ole Antenor's seed.
She found queen Helena at home, at work about a weed,
Wov'n for herself; it shin'd like fire, was rich, and full of size,
The work of both sides being alike; in which she did comprise
The many labours warlike Troy and brass-arm'd Greece endur'd
For her fair sake, by cruel Mars and his stern friends procur'd.
Iris came in in joyful haste, and said; "O come with me,
Lov'd nymph, and an admiréd sight of Greeks and Trojans see,
Who first on one another brought a war so full of tears,
Ev'n thirsty of contentious war. Now ev'ry man forbears,
And friendly by each other sits, each leaning on his shield,
Their long and shining lances pitch'd fast by them in the field,
Paris, and Sparta's king, alone must take up all the strife;
And he that conquers only call fair Helena his wife."
Thus spake the thousand-colour'd Dame, and to her mind commends
The joy to see her first espous'd, her native tow'rs, and friends;
Which stirr'd a sweet desire in her: to serve the which she hied,
Shadow'd her graces with white veils, and (though she took a pride
To set her thoughts at gaze, and see, in her clear beauty's flood,
What choice of glory swum to her yet tender womanhood)
Season'd with tears her joys to see more joys the more offence,
And that perfection could not flow from earthly excellence.
Thus went she forth, and took with her her women most of name,
Æthra, Pitthëus' lovely birth, and Clymene, whom fame
Hath for her fair eyes memoris'd. They reach'd the Scæn Tow'rs,
Where Priam sat, to see the fight, with all his counsellors;
Panthous, Lampus, Clytius, and stout Hicetaon,
Thymœtes, wise Antenor, and profound Ucalegon;
All grave old men; and soldiérs they had been, but for age
Now left the wars; yet counsellors they were exceeding sage.
And as in well-grown woods, or trees, cold spiny grasshoppers
Sit chirping, and send voices out, that scarce can pierce our ears
For softness, and their weak faint sounds; so, talking on the
tow'r,
These seniors of the people sat; who when they saw the pow'r
Of beauty, in the queen, ascend ev'n those cold-spirited peers,
Those wise and almost wither'd men, found this heat in their years,
That they were forc'd (though whispéring) to say: "What man can
blame
The Greeks and Trojans to endure, for so admir'd a dame,
So many mis'ries, and so long? In her sweet count'nance
