Natural Hiftory of the Ancients. 9 



with lions. It forms a compartment in the mield 

 which Hephasftus forged for Achilles. " On it he 

 fafhioned a herd of {traight-horned kine ; the cows 

 were made of gold and tin, and with lowing they 

 ran forth from the ftall to their pafture by a rum- 

 ing river edged with rattling reeds. Four fhep- 

 herds of gold marched along with the kine, and 

 nine fwift-footed dogs followed them. But two 

 monftrous lions among the leading kine feized the 

 loud-roaring bull, and he, mightily bellowing, was 

 dragged along, while the dogs and youths followed 

 them up. They, however, having torn off the 

 hide of the great bull, proceeded to lap up its 

 bowels and black blood ; but the fhepherds fruit- 

 leffly prefled upon them, urging on the fwift dogs. 

 They, indeed, kept on fpringing back in difmay 

 from an attempt to bite the lions, but ftanding 

 very near continued howling and avoiding them." 1 

 No greater reproach can be addrefled to a warrior 

 than to ftigmatize him as porTeffing " a dog's eye 

 and a flag's heart." Dogs bay round a palace in 

 Ithaca and tear intruders, juft as the Moloflian 

 dogs of old and prefent days refent the approach 

 of ftrangers. Telemachus ftalks about his ifland 

 home like a modern country gentleman, with his 

 dogs following him. The epifode of Argus, the 

 faithful dog of OdyfTeus, is too well known to 

 need more allufion to it. 2 In the palace of 

 Alcinous were hounds of gold and filver, the work 

 of Hephasftus ; to heighten their marvel the poet, 

 as often in the mield of Achilles and elfewhere, 



1 "Iliad," xviii. 581. 2 " Odyflcy," xvii. 



