The Iliads of Homer. Homer
King Menelaus doth accept his brave,
Conditioning that he again should have
Fair Helena, with all she brought to Troy,
If he subdu'd; else Paris should enjoy
Her, and her wealth, in peace. Conquest doth grant
Her dear wreath to the Grecian combatant;
But Venus to her champion's life doth yield
Safe rescue, and conveys him from the field
Into his chamber, and for Helen sends,
Whom much her lover's foul disgrace offends;
Yet Venus for him still makes good her charms,
And ends the second combat in his arms.
ANOTHER ARGUMENT
Gamma the single fight doth sing
'Twixt Paris and the Spartan king.
When ev'ry least commander's will best soldiers had obey'd,
And both the hosts were rang'd for fight, the Trojans would have
fray'd
The Greeks with noises, crying out, in coming rudely on;
At all parts like the cranes that fill, with harsh confusion,
Of brutish clangés all the air, and in ridiculous war
(Eschewing the unsuffer'd storms, shot from the winter's star)
Visit the ocean, and confer the Pygmei soldiers' death.
The Greeks charg'd silent, and like men, bestow'd their thrifty
breath
In strength of far-resounding blows, still entertaining care
Of either's rescue, when their strength did their engagements dare.
And as, upon a hill's steep tops, the south wind pours a cloud,
To shepherds thankless, but by thieves that love the night,
allow'd,
A darkness letting down, that blinds a stone's cast off men's eyes;
Such darkness from the Greeks' swift feet (made all of dust) did
rise.
But, ere stern conflict mix'd both strengths, fair Paris stept
before
The Trojan host; athwart his back a panther's hide he wore,
A crookéd bow, and sword, and shook two brazen-headed darts;
With which well-arm'd, his tongue provok'd the best of Grecian
hearts
To stand with him in single fight. Whom when the man, wrong'd most
Of all the Greeks, so gloriously saw stalk before the host;
As when a lion is rejoic'd, (with hunger half forlorn,)
That finds some sweet prey, as a hart, whose grace lies in his
horn,
Or sylvan goat, which he devours, though never so pursu'd
With dogs and men; so Sparta's king exulted, when he viewed
The fair-fac'd Paris so expos'd to his so thirsted wreak,
Whereof his good cause made him sure. The Grecian front did break,
And forth he rush'd, at all parts arm'd, leapt from his chariot,
And royally prepar'd for charge. Which seen, cold terror shot
The heart of Paris, who retir'd as headlong from the king
As in him he had shunn'd his death. And as a hilly spring
Presents a serpent to a man, full underneath his feet,
Her blue neck, swoln with poison, rais'd, and her sting out, to
greet
His heedless entry, suddenly his walk he altereth,
Starts back amaz'd, is shook with fear, and looks as pale as death;
So Menelaus Paris scar'd; so that divine-fac'd foe
Shrunk in his beauties. Which beheld by Hector, he let go
This bitter check at him; "Accurs'd, made but in beauty's scorn,
Impostor, woman's man! O heav'n, that thou hadst ne'er been born,
Or, being so manless, never liv'd to bear man's noblest state,
The nuptial honour! Which I wish, because it were a fate
Much better for thee than this shame. This spectacle doth make
A man a monster. Hark! how loud the Greeks laugh, who did take
Thy fair form for a continent of parts as fair. A rape
Thou mad'st of nature, like their queen. No soul, an empty shape,
Takes up thy being; yet how spite to ev'ry shade of good
Fills it with ill! for as thou art, thou couldst collect a brood
Of others like thee, and far hence fetch ill enough to us,
Ev'n to thy father; all these friends make those foes mock them
thus
In thee, for whose ridiculous sake so seriously they lay
All Greece, and fate, upon their necks. O wretch! Not dare to stay
Weak Menelaus? But 'twas well; for in him thou hadst tried
What strength lost beauty can infuse, and with the more grief died
To feel thou robb'dst a worthier man, to wrong a soldier's right.
Your harp's sweet touch, curl'd locks, fine shape, and gifts so
exquisite,
Giv'n thee by Venus, would have done your fine dames little good,
When blood and dust had ruffled them, and had as little stood
Thyself in stead; but what thy care of all these in thee flies
We should inflict on thee ourselves. Infectious cowardice
In thee hath terrified our host; for which thou well deserv'st
A coat of tombstone, not of steel in which, for form, thou
serv'st."
To this thus Paris spake, (for form, that might inhabit heav'n)
"Hector, because thy sharp reproof is out of justice giv'n,
I take it well; but though thy heart, inur'd to these affrights,
Cuts through them as an axe through oak, that more us'd more
excites
The workman's faculty, whose art can make the edge go far,
Yet I, less practis'd than thyself in these extremes of war,
May well be pardon'd, though less bold; in these your worth
exceeds,
In others mine. Nor is my mind of less force to the deeds
Requir'd in war, because my form more flows in gifts of peace.
Reproach not, therefore, the kind gifts of golden Cyprides.
All heav'n's gifts have their worthy price; as little to be scorn'd
As to be won with strength, wealth, state; with which to be
adorn'd,
Some men would change state, wealth, or strength. But, if your
martial heart
Wish me to make my challenge good, and hold it such a part
Of shame to give it over thus, cause all the rest to rest,
And, 'twixt both hosts, let Sparta's king and