Like to a falcon, swooping on a dove, swiftest of birds.
But sometimes to an eagle (I. xvii. 676):—
Like to an eagle, famed of sharpest sight
Of all that fly beneath the vault of Heav'n
Whom, soaring in the clouds, the crouching dove
Eludes not.
He declares its sharpness by its seeing from afar off; its swiftness, by its seizing a very active animal. A man, overcome by the sight of an enemy he compares to one who sees a snake, for he does not hesitate to take examples from reptiles (I. iii. 33):—
As when some traveller spies, could in his path upon the
mountain side, a deadly snake.
From the other animals he takes examples; of timidity from the hare and also from the stag (I. iv. 243):—
Why stand ye thus like timid fawns?
From dogs sometimes he takes daring (I. x. 360):—
And as the hounds, well practis'd in the chase.
Sometimes love for their offspring (I. x. 14):—