io8 I'A BLEAU de la PLAINE de TROTE. 



Matters had now advanced fo far, that Hector thought 

 the completion of his v/iflies at hand, when the Grecian chiefs, 

 after getting their wounds dreffed, return to the combat. (XIV. 

 128. 365 — 387. )• Hector is wounded, and the Trojans driven 

 from the rampart to the outfide of the ditch. (XVI. i.). 

 ' Hector recovers again, rallies the Trojans, aflaults the ram- 

 part once more, fills up the ditch, (Ibid. 2,SS' ^^ f^^)> ^"^^i ^^- 

 news the battle between the fhips and the tents. (367-. 384. et 

 feq.). The Greeks beaten back take fhelter behind and between 

 the foremoft row of the fhips on the beach, and with their fliip- 

 poles ward off the Trojans as they prefs on. (lb. 6^t,. et feq.). 

 AjAX boldly encounters Hector. At length Hector catches 

 hold of the ftern of a Ihip, belonging to the fquadron of Prote- 

 siLAUS, and fets it on fire. (lb. 704. et feq. XVI. 124. et feq.). 



Here the fuccefs of the Trojans flopped. Patroclus came 

 forward to the combat. The Myrmidons, to the number of 

 2500, advanced in five divifions, drawn up in clofe columns *. 

 The Trojans are defeated, and forced to retreat to the outfide 

 of the ditch. (XVI. t^66. et feq). There a complete flight en- 

 fues. Patroclus cuts off one part from the city, and deftroys 

 them betwixt the fhips, the river, and the town f . Intoxicated 

 with fuccefs, he purfues the fugitives, contrary to the orders of 

 Achilles, to the very walls, and even attempts an affault upon 



the 



but that the troops happened to come together in that place. Befides, fo far as I 

 can find, throughout this whole paffage, even where HtcxoR is fpoken of, the left 

 fide muft be underftood as referring to the Grecian camp. It is fo, where mention 

 is made of Paris, (v. ',6^.), as well as, in apreceding paffage (v. 326.), of Idome- 

 NEUS. 



* XVI. aia. Achilles and his foldiers, we find, evidently excelled the reft of 

 the Greeks in military ftill. Writers on the art of war, PuYstGUR for example, 

 difcover, in this arrangement of the troops led on by Patroclus, the firft rudiments 

 of cohorts. 



•j- Here occurs the remarkable expreffion formerly adverted to, Miv^yv nva* >i jrf 

 T«/*» >cj Tsix£05 i'4'«>ior9. (XVI. 396, et feq-). 



