Page:The Odyssey of Homer, with the Hymns, Epigrams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice (Buckley 1853).djvu/383

met, who alone among the frogs fought gallantly in the crowd. And they rushed upon him, but he, when he perceived, awaited not the valiant heroes, but dived beneath the depths of the marsh.]^[1]

Now^[2] among the mice there was a certain young one, surpassing the others, a fighter hand to hand, the beloved son of blameless Bread-Plotter, a general, showing himself a very Mars, valiant Share-Snatcher, who alone among the mice was surpassing in the fight. And he stood beside the marsh, exulting alone, apart from the rest; and he had determined to lay waste the race of warrior-frogs. And he would certainly have accomplished it, since mighty was his strength, had not the father of men and gods quickly perceived. And the son of Saturn then took pity on the perishing frogs, and having moved his head, he uttered such a speech:

"O gods! surely 'tis a great deed I behold with mine eyes. Not a little has Share-Snatcher astounded me, raging to slaughter the frogs in the marsh.^[3] But let us with all haste despatch war-clattering Pallas, and Mars, who may restrain him from the fight, although being valiant."

Thus indeed spake the son of Saturn, but Mars replied in words: "Neither the might of Minerva, nor indeed of Mars, will be able to avert utter destruction from the frogs. But come, let us all go as assistants, or let thy mighty weapon, Titan-slaying, of mighty deeds, be moved, [the weapon] by which thou didst slay far the best of all the Titans, [with which too thou didst once slay Capaneus, a mighty hero,]^[4] and didst chain down Enceladus, and the wild tribe of giants, [let it be moved, for thus will he be taken, whoever is best.]

Thus indeed he spoke, and the son of Saturn hurled his smouldering bolt. First indeed he thundered, and shook mighty Olympus, and then, brandishing, he sent his dreadful

of nutshell?" Such a compound is, I think, well suited to the bombast of this quasi-epic poem. The corruption is easily accounted for.

1. These lines are found only in the edition of Lycius, and partly in the MSS. See Ernesti.
2. Cf. Il. v. 9, sqq.
3. The comma after λίμνην must be removed, and we must join βατρ. κατὰ λίμνην.
4. This line is most awkwardly interposed between the mention of the Titans and Enceladus, and as it is omitted in some MSS. it may well be spared. Perhaps vs. 273 should also be omitted.