Kitap 3
But that he sung his Iliad's deathless lays?Homer's name, and the contention of seven cities for him, are so well known, that there is no need of saying much about it; he was so called from his blindness. He was the most famous of all the Greek poets, but poor to the extermity of begging. His Iliads and Odyssey are to this day in the first rank of heroic poems, and the Aeneids only dispute with them the pre-eminence.
Who could have been of Danae's charms assur'd,
Had she grown old, within her tow'r immur'd?Danae, daughter of Acrisius king of Argos; who having consulted the oracle, and being told that she should be killed by her son, shut her up in a brazen tower to prevent it. Jupiter transforming himself into a golden shower, bribed her keepers, and got her with child; which. beingborn, was the renowned Perseus. Her father commanded both the babe and the mother to be thrown into the sea; but being unfortunately cast ashore on one of the islands called Cyclades, the king of the island married the mother; and Perseus, when he was grown up, unwittingly killed his grandfather.
This, as a rule, let ev'ry nymph pursue,
485
That 'tis her int'rest oft' to come in view.
A hungry wolf at all the herd will run,
In hopes, through many, to make sure of one.
So, let the fair the gazing crowd assail,
That over one, at least, she may prevail.
490
In ev'ry place to please, be all her thought;
Where, sometimes, least we think, the fish is caught.
Sometimes, all day, we hunt the tedious foil,
Anon, the stag himself shall seek the toil.
How could Andromeda once doubt relief,
495
Whose charms were heighten'd and adorn'd by grief?
The widow'd fair, who sees her lord expire,
While yet she weeps, may kindle new desire,
And Hymen's torch relight the fun'ral fire.
Beware of men who are too sprucely dress'd;
500
