Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 2.djvu/285

Rh accoutred him, she vanished in a mist, and the hero perceived it was the goddess his mother.

The destined hour of fate being now arrived, the fight began; whereof before I dare adventure to make a particular description, I must, after the example of other authors, petition for a hundred tongues, and mouths, and hands, and pens; which would all be too little, to perform so immense a work. Say goddess, that presidest over history, who it was that first advanced in the held of battle. Paracelsus, at the head of his dragoons, observing Galen in the adverse wing, darted his javelin with a mighty force, which the brave ancient received upon his shield, the point breaking in the second fold.* They bore the wounded aga on their shields to his chariot Desunt******* nonnulla.*******
 * Hic pauca
 * desunt.

Then Aristotle, observing Bacon advance with a furious mien, drew his bow to the head, and let fly his arrow, which missed the valiant modern, and went whizzing over his head; but Des Cartes it hit; the steel point quickly found a defect in his head-piece; it pierced the leather and the paste-board, and went in at his right-eye. The torture of the pain whirled the valiant bowman round, till death, like