Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-19
1COMSiUS!CAyED.

From my earliest years | was great admir-
er Of Pope's poetica works, and other poets,
of what has been called the classic age Of Eng
lish literature. | fear the present generation
have little knowledge Of the works of Pope
Addison and their contemporaries and lose
much pleasure, and no little profit from their
ignorance of the beauties of those distinguish
ed authors. Perhaps a few extracts from the
Had, as translated by Pope, may stimulate
theu to read this grea, poem, and other works
of that age. The extracts are from the second
book Of Had, aud | will preface them by a
portion of the "Argumrut," which gives, as 1t
were, brief of its coutents:
They 1.-THE Greclan torccs) are detained by
the management Of Ulysses, who chastlses the
ius"Ience Of Thersiies.
| The whole scene is 100 long for a newspaper
article, and shall therefore give detached trag.
ments. The curious reader will be we'll repaid
by getting the book and reading the whole con-
secutively:
cat length the tumult sinks, the noises cease,
Aud still silence lus the camp peace.
Thersites only clamour'd IN the throng,
| bsludClIuS iOuQ, dUu lul vi lout
Awed by no shame, by no respect coulroll' d,
lu scandal busy, iu reproaches bold
Then follows description of Thersites per-
sonal appearance, and his long TRADE, abusive
OF Agamemnon, the King of Kings, as he was
called, the commander in chief, winding up his
speech with an eulogy on Achilles. &c:
"And burst he, as he ought resent that wrong,
This mighty tyraut were DO tyrant long.
Now comes in Ulysses:
Fierce from his seat at this Ulysses springs,
10 generous vengeance Of the King Ut Kings.
With Indignation, sparkling 10 his eyes,
He views the wretch, and sterny thus replies !:
Peace factious monster, born to vex the State,
With wraugliug talents. formed for foul debate
Curb that lmpetuous tongue, nor rashly vain
And slngly mad. asperse the sovereign reign.
Have we not known thee, slave Of all our hosts
The man who acts the least upbraldS the most.
Ulysses proceeds then with his speech, anC
winds up IA follows:
Goods let NE perish, on this hateful shore,
Aud let these eyes behold my son no more,
II, on thy next offence, this hand f0rbear
To strip those alrus thou i'll deserrest to wear,
Expel the council where our princes meet,
And send thee scvurged and bowling through
the feet.
He said, and covering as the bastard bends;
The welghty sceptre On his back descends;
On tie round bunch the bloody tumours rise
The tears spring starting from his haggarc
eyes:
Trembling he sat, and shrunk in abject fears
From his vile visagc wiped he scaling tears
While TO his neighbour each expressed hi
thought:
Ye gods what wonders has Ulysses wrought
What fruits his conduct and his courage yield
Great in the council, glorious in the field y
But have probably given you enough fo
the present aud will advise my younger friends
to read and study the whole poem, where the.
will fud wouderous beauties in thought, seutl
ment and diction, aud will look with wonder a
The skill with which the blind old poet, three
thousand years ago, or more, accurately depict
ed man as he now exists IN many ways, this yea
Of Grace, 1874