Atrides with his knife took say upon the part before, And lifting up his sacred hands, to Jove to make his vows, Grave silence strook the cómplete court; when, casting his high brows Up to the broad heav’n, thus he spake: “Now witness, Jupiter, First, highest, and thou best of Gods; thou Earth that all dost bear; Thou Sun; ye Furies under earth that ev’ry soul torment Whom impious perjury distains; that nought incontinent In bed, or any other act to any slend’rest touch Of my light vows, hath wrong’d the dame; and, let my plagues be such As are inflicted by the Gods, in all extremity Of whomsoever perjur’d men, if godless perjury In least degree dishonour me.” This said, the bristled throat Of the submitted sacrifice, with ruthless steel he cut; Which straight into the hoary sea Talthybius cast, to feed The sea-born nation. Then stood up the half-celestial seed Of fair-hair’d Thetis, strength’ning thus Atrides’ innocence: “O father Jupiter, from thee descends the confluence Of all man’s ill; for now I see the mighty king of men At no hand forc’d away my prise, nor first inflam’d my spleen With any set ill in himself, but thou, the King of Gods, Incens’d with Greece, made that the mean to all their periods. Which now amend we as we may, and give all suffrages To what wise Ithacus advis’d; take breakfasts, and address For instant conflict.” Thus he rais’d the court, and all took way To sev’ral ships. The Myrmidons the presents did convey T’ Achilles’ fleet, and in his tents dispos’d them; doing grace Of seat and all rights to the dames; the horses put in place With others of Æacides. When, like love’s golden Queen, Briseis all in ghastly wounds had dead Patroclus seen, She fell about him, shrieking out, and with her white hands tore Her hair, breasts, radiant cheeks, and, drown’d in warm tears, did deplore His cruel destiny. At length she gat pow’r to express Her violent passion, and thus spake this like-the-goddesses: “O good Patroclus, to my life the dearest grace it had, I, wretched dame, departing hence, enforc’d, and dying sad, Left thee alive, when thou hadst cheer’d my poor captivity, And now return’d I find thee dead; misery on misery Ever increasing with my steps. The lord to whom my sire And dearest mother gave my life in nuptials, his life’s fire I saw before our city gates extinguish’d: and his fate Three of my worthy brothers’ lives, in one womb generate, Felt all in that black day of death. And when Achilles’ hand Had slain all these, and ras’d the town Mynetes did command, (All cause of never-ending griefs presented) thou took’st all On thy endeavour to convert to joy as general, Affirming, he that hurt should heal, and thou wouldst make thy friend, Brave captain that thou wert, supply my vowéd husband’s end, And in rich Phthia celebrate, amongst his Myrmidons, Our nuptial banquets; for which grace, with these most worthy moans I never shall be satiate, thou ever being kind,