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| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:14:35 -0700 |
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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net + + +Title: The Aeneid + +Author: Virgil + +Release Date: March 10, 2008 [EBook #228] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE AENEID *** + + + + + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<A NAME="book01"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +19 BC<BR> +</H3> + +<H1 ALIGN="center"> +THE AENEID<BR> +</H1> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +by Virgil<BR> +</H2> + +<BR><BR> + +<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%"> +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="25%"> +<A HREF="#book01">BOOK I</A> +</TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="25%"> +<A HREF="#book02">BOOK II</A> +</TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="25%"> +<A HREF="#book03">BOOK III</A> +</TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="25%"> +<A HREF="#book04">BOOK IV</A> +</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book05">BOOK V</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book06">BOOK VI</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book07">BOOK VII</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book08">BOOK VIII</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book09">BOOK IX</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book10">BOOK X</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book11">BOOK XI</A></TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"><A HREF="#book12">BOOK XII</A></TD> +</TR> +</TABLE> + +<BR><BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK I<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate,<BR> +And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,<BR> +Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.<BR> +Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore,<BR> +And in the doubtful war, before he won<BR> +The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town;<BR> +His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,<BR> +And settled sure succession in his line,<BR> +From whence the race of Alban fathers come,<BR> +And the long glories of majestic Rome.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +O Muse! the causes and the crimes relate;<BR> +What goddess was provok'd, and whence her hate;<BR> +For what offense the Queen of Heav'n began<BR> +To persecute so brave, so just a man;<BR> +Involv'd his anxious life in endless cares,<BR> +Expos'd to wants, and hurried into wars!<BR> +Can heav'nly minds such high resentment show,<BR> +Or exercise their spite in human woe?<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Against the Tiber's mouth, but far away,<BR> +An ancient town was seated on the sea;<BR> +A Tyrian colony; the people made<BR> +Stout for the war, and studious of their trade:<BR> +Carthage the name; belov'd by Juno more<BR> +Than her own Argos, or the Samian shore.<BR> +Here stood her chariot; here, if Heav'n were kind,<BR> +The seat of awful empire she design'd.<BR> +Yet she had heard an ancient rumor fly,<BR> +(Long cited by the people of the sky,)<BR> +That times to come should see the Trojan race<BR> +Her Carthage ruin, and her tow'rs deface;<BR> +Nor thus confin'd, the yoke of sov'reign sway<BR> +Should on the necks of all the nations lay.<BR> +She ponder'd this, and fear'd it was in fate;<BR> +Nor could forget the war she wag'd of late<BR> +For conqu'ring Greece against the Trojan state.<BR> +Besides, long causes working in her mind,<BR> +And secret seeds of envy, lay behind;<BR> +Deep graven in her heart the doom remain'd<BR> +Of partial Paris, and her form disdain'd;<BR> +The grace bestow'd on ravish'd Ganymed,<BR> +Electra's glories, and her injur'd bed.<BR> +Each was a cause alone; and all combin'd<BR> +To kindle vengeance in her haughty mind.<BR> +For this, far distant from the Latian coast<BR> +She drove the remnants of the Trojan host;<BR> +And sev'n long years th' unhappy wand'ring train<BR> +Were toss'd by storms, and scatter'd thro' the main.<BR> +Such time, such toil, requir'd the Roman name,<BR> +Such length of labor for so vast a frame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now scarce the Trojan fleet, with sails and oars,<BR> +Had left behind the fair Sicilian shores,<BR> +Ent'ring with cheerful shouts the wat'ry reign,<BR> +And plowing frothy furrows in the main;<BR> +When, lab'ring still with endless discontent,<BR> +The Queen of Heav'n did thus her fury vent:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Then am I vanquish'd? must I yield?" said she,<BR> +"And must the Trojans reign in Italy?<BR> +So Fate will have it, and Jove adds his force;<BR> +Nor can my pow'r divert their happy course.<BR> +Could angry Pallas, with revengeful spleen,<BR> +The Grecian navy burn, and drown the men?<BR> +She, for the fault of one offending foe,<BR> +The bolts of Jove himself presum'd to throw:<BR> +With whirlwinds from beneath she toss'd the ship,<BR> +And bare expos'd the bosom of the deep;<BR> +Then, as an eagle gripes the trembling game,<BR> +The wretch, yet hissing with her father's flame,<BR> +She strongly seiz'd, and with a burning wound<BR> +Transfix'd, and naked, on a rock she bound.<BR> +But I, who walk in awful state above,<BR> +The majesty of heav'n, the sister wife of Jove,<BR> +For length of years my fruitless force employ<BR> +Against the thin remains of ruin'd Troy!<BR> +What nations now to Juno's pow'r will pray,<BR> +Or off'rings on my slighted altars lay?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus rag'd the goddess; and, with fury fraught.<BR> +The restless regions of the storms she sought,<BR> +Where, in a spacious cave of living stone,<BR> +The tyrant Aeolus, from his airy throne,<BR> +With pow'r imperial curbs the struggling winds,<BR> +And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.<BR> +This way and that th' impatient captives tend,<BR> +And, pressing for release, the mountains rend.<BR> +High in his hall th' undaunted monarch stands,<BR> +And shakes his scepter, and their rage commands;<BR> +Which did he not, their unresisted sway<BR> +Would sweep the world before them in their way;<BR> +Earth, air, and seas thro' empty space would roll,<BR> +And heav'n would fly before the driving soul.<BR> +In fear of this, the Father of the Gods<BR> +Confin'd their fury to those dark abodes,<BR> +And lock'd 'em safe within, oppress'd with mountain loads;<BR> +Impos'd a king, with arbitrary sway,<BR> +To loose their fetters, or their force allay.<BR> +To whom the suppliant queen her pray'rs address'd,<BR> +And thus the tenor of her suit express'd:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"O Aeolus! for to thee the King of Heav'n<BR> +The pow'r of tempests and of winds has giv'n;<BR> +Thy force alone their fury can restrain,<BR> +And smooth the waves, or swell the troubled main-<BR> +A race of wand'ring slaves, abhorr'd by me,<BR> +With prosp'rous passage cut the Tuscan sea;<BR> +To fruitful Italy their course they steer,<BR> +And for their vanquish'd gods design new temples there.<BR> +Raise all thy winds; with night involve the skies;<BR> +Sink or disperse my fatal enemies.<BR> +Twice sev'n, the charming daughters of the main,<BR> +Around my person wait, and bear my train:<BR> +Succeed my wish, and second my design;<BR> +The fairest, Deiopeia, shall be thine,<BR> +And make thee father of a happy line."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To this the god: "'T is yours, O queen, to will<BR> +The work which duty binds me to fulfil.<BR> +These airy kingdoms, and this wide command,<BR> +Are all the presents of your bounteous hand:<BR> +Yours is my sov'reign's grace; and, as your guest,<BR> +I sit with gods at their celestial feast;<BR> +Raise tempests at your pleasure, or subdue;<BR> +Dispose of empire, which I hold from you."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and hurl'd against the mountain side<BR> +His quiv'ring spear, and all the god applied.<BR> +The raging winds rush thro' the hollow wound,<BR> +And dance aloft in air, and skim along the ground;<BR> +Then, settling on the sea, the surges sweep,<BR> +Raise liquid mountains, and disclose the deep.<BR> +South, East, and West with mix'd confusion roar,<BR> +And roll the foaming billows to the shore.<BR> +The cables crack; the sailors' fearful cries<BR> +Ascend; and sable night involves the skies;<BR> +And heav'n itself is ravish'd from their eyes.<BR> +Loud peals of thunder from the poles ensue;<BR> +Then flashing fires the transient light renew;<BR> +The face of things a frightful image bears,<BR> +And present death in various forms appears.<BR> +Struck with unusual fright, the Trojan chief,<BR> +With lifted hands and eyes, invokes relief;<BR> +And, "Thrice and four times happy those," he cried,<BR> +"That under Ilian walls before their parents died!<BR> +Tydides, bravest of the Grecian train!<BR> +Why could not I by that strong arm be slain,<BR> +And lie by noble Hector on the plain,<BR> +Or great Sarpedon, in those bloody fields<BR> +Where Simois rolls the bodies and the shields<BR> +Of heroes, whose dismember'd hands yet bear<BR> +The dart aloft, and clench the pointed spear!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while the pious prince his fate bewails,<BR> +Fierce Boreas drove against his flying sails,<BR> +And rent the sheets; the raging billows rise,<BR> +And mount the tossing vessels to the skies:<BR> +Nor can the shiv'ring oars sustain the blow;<BR> +The galley gives her side, and turns her prow;<BR> +While those astern, descending down the steep,<BR> +Thro' gaping waves behold the boiling deep.<BR> +Three ships were hurried by the southern blast,<BR> +And on the secret shelves with fury cast.<BR> +Those hidden rocks th' Ausonian sailors knew:<BR> +They call'd them Altars, when they rose in view,<BR> +And show'd their spacious backs above the flood.<BR> +Three more fierce Eurus, in his angry mood,<BR> +Dash'd on the shallows of the moving sand,<BR> +And in mid ocean left them moor'd aland.<BR> +Orontes' bark, that bore the Lycian crew,<BR> +(A horrid sight!) ev'n in the hero's view,<BR> +From stem to stern by waves was overborne:<BR> +The trembling pilot, from his rudder torn,<BR> +Was headlong hurl'd; thrice round the ship was toss'd,<BR> +Then bulg'd at once, and in the deep was lost;<BR> +And here and there above the waves were seen<BR> +Arms, pictures, precious goods, and floating men.<BR> +The stoutest vessel to the storm gave way,<BR> +And suck'd thro' loosen'd planks the rushing sea.<BR> +Ilioneus was her chief: Alethes old,<BR> +Achates faithful, Abas young and bold,<BR> +Endur'd not less; their ships, with gaping seams,<BR> +Admit the deluge of the briny streams.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime imperial Neptune heard the sound<BR> +Of raging billows breaking on the ground.<BR> +Displeas'd, and fearing for his wat'ry reign,<BR> +He rear'd his awful head above the main,<BR> +Serene in majesty; then roll'd his eyes<BR> +Around the space of earth, and seas, and skies.<BR> +He saw the Trojan fleet dispers'd, distress'd,<BR> +By stormy winds and wintry heav'n oppress'd.<BR> +Full well the god his sister's envy knew,<BR> +And what her aims and what her arts pursue.<BR> +He summon'd Eurus and the western blast,<BR> +And first an angry glance on both he cast;<BR> +Then thus rebuk'd: "Audacious winds! from whence<BR> +This bold attempt, this rebel insolence?<BR> +Is it for you to ravage seas and land,<BR> +Unauthoriz'd by my supreme command?<BR> +To raise such mountains on the troubled main?<BR> +Whom I- but first 't is fit the billows to restrain;<BR> +And then you shall be taught obedience to my reign.<BR> +Hence! to your lord my royal mandate bear-<BR> +The realms of ocean and the fields of air<BR> +Are mine, not his. By fatal lot to me<BR> +The liquid empire fell, and trident of the sea.<BR> +His pow'r to hollow caverns is confin'd:<BR> +There let him reign, the jailer of the wind,<BR> +With hoarse commands his breathing subjects call,<BR> +And boast and bluster in his empty hall."<BR> +He spoke; and, while he spoke, he smooth'd the sea,<BR> +Dispell'd the darkness, and restor'd the day.<BR> +Cymothoe, Triton, and the sea-green train<BR> +Of beauteous nymphs, the daughters of the main,<BR> +Clear from the rocks the vessels with their hands:<BR> +The god himself with ready trident stands,<BR> +And opes the deep, and spreads the moving sands;<BR> +Then heaves them off the shoals. Where'er he guides<BR> +His finny coursers and in triumph rides,<BR> +The waves unruffle and the sea subsides.<BR> +As, when in tumults rise th' ignoble crowd,<BR> +Mad are their motions, and their tongues are loud;<BR> +And stones and brands in rattling volleys fly,<BR> +And all the rustic arms that fury can supply:<BR> +If then some grave and pious man appear,<BR> +They hush their noise, and lend a list'ning ear;<BR> +He soothes with sober words their angry mood,<BR> +And quenches their innate desire of blood:<BR> +So, when the Father of the Flood appears,<BR> +And o'er the seas his sov'reign trident rears,<BR> +Their fury falls: he skims the liquid plains,<BR> +High on his chariot, and, with loosen'd reins,<BR> +Majestic moves along, and awful peace maintains.<BR> +The weary Trojans ply their shatter'd oars<BR> +To nearest land, and make the Libyan shores.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Within a long recess there lies a bay:<BR> +An island shades it from the rolling sea,<BR> +And forms a port secure for ships to ride;<BR> +Broke by the jutting land, on either side,<BR> +In double streams the briny waters glide.<BR> +Betwixt two rows of rocks a sylvan scene<BR> +Appears above, and groves for ever green:<BR> +A grot is form'd beneath, with mossy seats,<BR> +To rest the Nereids, and exclude the heats.<BR> +Down thro' the crannies of the living walls<BR> +The crystal streams descend in murm'ring falls:<BR> +No haulsers need to bind the vessels here,<BR> +Nor bearded anchors; for no storms they fear.<BR> +Sev'n ships within this happy harbor meet,<BR> +The thin remainders of the scatter'd fleet.<BR> +The Trojans, worn with toils, and spent with woes,<BR> +Leap on the welcome land, and seek their wish'd repose.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +First, good Achates, with repeated strokes<BR> +Of clashing flints, their hidden fire provokes:<BR> +Short flame succeeds; a bed of wither'd leaves<BR> +The dying sparkles in their fall receives:<BR> +Caught into life, in fiery fumes they rise,<BR> +And, fed with stronger food, invade the skies.<BR> +The Trojans, dropping wet, or stand around<BR> +The cheerful blaze, or lie along the ground:<BR> +Some dry their corn, infected with the brine,<BR> +Then grind with marbles, and prepare to dine.<BR> +Aeneas climbs the mountain's airy brow,<BR> +And takes a prospect of the seas below,<BR> +If Capys thence, or Antheus he could spy,<BR> +Or see the streamers of Caicus fly.<BR> +No vessels were in view; but, on the plain,<BR> +Three beamy stags command a lordly train<BR> +Of branching heads: the more ignoble throng<BR> +Attend their stately steps, and slowly graze along.<BR> +He stood; and, while secure they fed below,<BR> +He took the quiver and the trusty bow<BR> +Achates us'd to bear: the leaders first<BR> +He laid along, and then the vulgar pierc'd;<BR> +Nor ceas'd his arrows, till the shady plain<BR> +Sev'n mighty bodies with their blood distain.<BR> +For the sev'n ships he made an equal share,<BR> +And to the port return'd, triumphant from the war.<BR> +The jars of gen'rous wine (Acestes' gift,<BR> +When his Trinacrian shores the navy left)<BR> +He set abroach, and for the feast prepar'd,<BR> +In equal portions with the ven'son shar'd.<BR> +Thus while he dealt it round, the pious chief<BR> +With cheerful words allay'd the common grief:<BR> +"Endure, and conquer! Jove will soon dispose<BR> +To future good our past and present woes.<BR> +With me, the rocks of Scylla you have tried;<BR> +Th' inhuman Cyclops and his den defied.<BR> +What greater ills hereafter can you bear?<BR> +Resume your courage and dismiss your care,<BR> +An hour will come, with pleasure to relate<BR> +Your sorrows past, as benefits of Fate.<BR> +Thro' various hazards and events, we move<BR> +To Latium and the realms foredoom'd by Jove.<BR> +Call'd to the seat (the promise of the skies)<BR> +Where Trojan kingdoms once again may rise,<BR> +Endure the hardships of your present state;<BR> +Live, and reserve yourselves for better fate."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +These words he spoke, but spoke not from his heart;<BR> +His outward smiles conceal'd his inward smart.<BR> +The jolly crew, unmindful of the past,<BR> +The quarry share, their plenteous dinner haste.<BR> +Some strip the skin; some portion out the spoil;<BR> +The limbs, yet trembling, in the caldrons boil;<BR> +Some on the fire the reeking entrails broil.<BR> +Stretch'd on the grassy turf, at ease they dine,<BR> +Restore their strength with meat, and cheer their souls with<BR> +wine.<BR> +Their hunger thus appeas'd, their care attends<BR> +The doubtful fortune of their absent friends:<BR> +Alternate hopes and fears their minds possess,<BR> +Whether to deem 'em dead, or in distress.<BR> +Above the rest, Aeneas mourns the fate<BR> +Of brave Orontes, and th' uncertain state<BR> +Of Gyas, Lycus, and of Amycus.<BR> +The day, but not their sorrows, ended thus.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When, from aloft, almighty Jove surveys<BR> +Earth, air, and shores, and navigable seas,<BR> +At length on Libyan realms he fix'd his eyes-<BR> +Whom, pond'ring thus on human miseries,<BR> +When Venus saw, she with a lowly look,<BR> +Not free from tears, her heav'nly sire bespoke:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"O King of Gods and Men! whose awful hand<BR> +Disperses thunder on the seas and land,<BR> +Disposing all with absolute command;<BR> +How could my pious son thy pow'r incense?<BR> +Or what, alas! is vanish'd Troy's offense?<BR> +Our hope of Italy not only lost,<BR> +On various seas by various tempests toss'd,<BR> +But shut from ev'ry shore, and barr'd from ev'ry coast.<BR> +You promis'd once, a progeny divine<BR> +Of Romans, rising from the Trojan line,<BR> +In after times should hold the world in awe,<BR> +And to the land and ocean give the law.<BR> +How is your doom revers'd, which eas'd my care<BR> +When Troy was ruin'd in that cruel war?<BR> +Then fates to fates I could oppose; but now,<BR> +When Fortune still pursues her former blow,<BR> +What can I hope? What worse can still succeed?<BR> +What end of labors has your will decreed?<BR> +Antenor, from the midst of Grecian hosts,<BR> +Could pass secure, and pierce th' Illyrian coasts,<BR> +Where, rolling down the steep, Timavus raves<BR> +And thro' nine channels disembogues his waves.<BR> +At length he founded Padua's happy seat,<BR> +And gave his Trojans a secure retreat;<BR> +There fix'd their arms, and there renew'd their name,<BR> +And there in quiet rules, and crown'd with fame.<BR> +But we, descended from your sacred line,<BR> +Entitled to your heav'n and rites divine,<BR> +Are banish'd earth; and, for the wrath of one,<BR> +Remov'd from Latium and the promis'd throne.<BR> +Are these our scepters? these our due rewards?<BR> +And is it thus that Jove his plighted faith regards?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To whom the Father of th' immortal race,<BR> +Smiling with that serene indulgent face,<BR> +With which he drives the clouds and clears the skies,<BR> +First gave a holy kiss; then thus replies:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Daughter, dismiss thy fears; to thy desire<BR> +The fates of thine are fix'd, and stand entire.<BR> +Thou shalt behold thy wish'd Lavinian walls;<BR> +And, ripe for heav'n, when fate Aeneas calls,<BR> +Then shalt thou bear him up, sublime, to me:<BR> +No councils have revers'd my firm decree.<BR> +And, lest new fears disturb thy happy state,<BR> +Know, I have search'd the mystic rolls of Fate:<BR> +Thy son (nor is th' appointed season far)<BR> +In Italy shall wage successful war,<BR> +Shall tame fierce nations in the bloody field,<BR> +And sov'reign laws impose, and cities build,<BR> +Till, after ev'ry foe subdued, the sun<BR> +Thrice thro' the signs his annual race shall run:<BR> +This is his time prefix'd. Ascanius then,<BR> +Now call'd Iulus, shall begin his reign.<BR> +He thirty rolling years the crown shall wear,<BR> +Then from Lavinium shall the seat transfer,<BR> +And, with hard labor, Alba Longa build.<BR> +The throne with his succession shall be fill'd<BR> +Three hundred circuits more: then shall be seen<BR> +Ilia the fair, a priestess and a queen,<BR> +Who, full of Mars, in time, with kindly throes,<BR> +Shall at a birth two goodly boys disclose.<BR> +The royal babes a tawny wolf shall drain:<BR> +Then Romulus his grandsire's throne shall gain,<BR> +Of martial tow'rs the founder shall become,<BR> +The people Romans call, the city Rome.<BR> +To them no bounds of empire I assign,<BR> +Nor term of years to their immortal line.<BR> +Ev'n haughty Juno, who, with endless broils,<BR> +Earth, seas, and heav'n, and Jove himself turmoils;<BR> +At length aton'd, her friendly pow'r shall join,<BR> +To cherish and advance the Trojan line.<BR> +The subject world shall Rome's dominion own,<BR> +And, prostrate, shall adore the nation of the gown.<BR> +An age is ripening in revolving fate<BR> +When Troy shall overturn the Grecian state,<BR> +And sweet revenge her conqu'ring sons shall call,<BR> +To crush the people that conspir'd her fall.<BR> +Then Caesar from the Julian stock shall rise,<BR> +Whose empire ocean, and whose fame the skies<BR> +Alone shall bound; whom, fraught with eastern spoils,<BR> +Our heav'n, the just reward of human toils,<BR> +Securely shall repay with rites divine;<BR> +And incense shall ascend before his sacred shrine.<BR> +Then dire debate and impious war shall cease,<BR> +And the stern age be soften'd into peace:<BR> +Then banish'd Faith shall once again return,<BR> +And Vestal fires in hallow'd temples burn;<BR> +And Remus with Quirinus shall sustain<BR> +The righteous laws, and fraud and force restrain.<BR> +Janus himself before his fane shall wait,<BR> +And keep the dreadful issues of his gate,<BR> +With bolts and iron bars: within remains<BR> +Imprison'd Fury, bound in brazen chains;<BR> +High on a trophy rais'd, of useless arms,<BR> +He sits, and threats the world with vain alarms."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and sent Cyllenius with command<BR> +To free the ports, and ope the Punic land<BR> +To Trojan guests; lest, ignorant of fate,<BR> +The queen might force them from her town and state.<BR> +Down from the steep of heav'n Cyllenius flies,<BR> +And cleaves with all his wings the yielding skies.<BR> +Soon on the Libyan shore descends the god,<BR> +Performs his message, and displays his rod:<BR> +The surly murmurs of the people cease;<BR> +And, as the fates requir'd, they give the peace:<BR> +The queen herself suspends the rigid laws,<BR> +The Trojans pities, and protects their cause.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime, in shades of night Aeneas lies:<BR> +Care seiz'd his soul, and sleep forsook his eyes.<BR> +But, when the sun restor'd the cheerful day,<BR> +He rose, the coast and country to survey,<BR> +Anxious and eager to discover more.<BR> +It look'd a wild uncultivated shore;<BR> +But, whether humankind, or beasts alone<BR> +Possess'd the new-found region, was unknown.<BR> +Beneath a ledge of rocks his fleet he hides:<BR> +Tall trees surround the mountain's shady sides;<BR> +The bending brow above a safe retreat provides.<BR> +Arm'd with two pointed darts, he leaves his friends,<BR> +And true Achates on his steps attends.<BR> +Lo! in the deep recesses of the wood,<BR> +Before his eyes his goddess mother stood:<BR> +A huntress in her habit and her mien;<BR> +Her dress a maid, her air confess'd a queen.<BR> +Bare were her knees, and knots her garments bind;<BR> +Loose was her hair, and wanton'd in the wind;<BR> +Her hand sustain'd a bow; her quiver hung behind.<BR> +She seem'd a virgin of the Spartan blood:<BR> +With such array Harpalyce bestrode<BR> +Her Thracian courser and outstripp'd the rapid flood.<BR> +"Ho, strangers! have you lately seen," she said,<BR> +"One of my sisters, like myself array'd,<BR> +Who cross'd the lawn, or in the forest stray'd?<BR> +A painted quiver at her back she bore;<BR> +Varied with spots, a lynx's hide she wore;<BR> +And at full cry pursued the tusky boar."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Venus: thus her son replied again:<BR> +"None of your sisters have we heard or seen,<BR> +O virgin! or what other name you bear<BR> +Above that style- O more than mortal fair!<BR> +Your voice and mien celestial birth betray!<BR> +If, as you seem, the sister of the day,<BR> +Or one at least of chaste Diana's train,<BR> +Let not an humble suppliant sue in vain;<BR> +But tell a stranger, long in tempests toss'd,<BR> +What earth we tread, and who commands the coast?<BR> +Then on your name shall wretched mortals call,<BR> +And offer'd victims at your altars fall."<BR> +"I dare not," she replied, "assume the name<BR> +Of goddess, or celestial honors claim:<BR> +For Tyrian virgins bows and quivers bear,<BR> +And purple buskins o'er their ankles wear.<BR> +Know, gentle youth, in Libyan lands you are-<BR> +A people rude in peace, and rough in war.<BR> +The rising city, which from far you see,<BR> +Is Carthage, and a Tyrian colony.<BR> +Phoenician Dido rules the growing state,<BR> +Who fled from Tyre, to shun her brother's hate.<BR> +Great were her wrongs, her story full of fate;<BR> +Which I will sum in short. Sichaeus, known<BR> +For wealth, and brother to the Punic throne,<BR> +Possess'd fair Dido's bed; and either heart<BR> +At once was wounded with an equal dart.<BR> +Her father gave her, yet a spotless maid;<BR> +Pygmalion then the Tyrian scepter sway'd:<BR> +One who condemn'd divine and human laws.<BR> +Then strife ensued, and cursed gold the cause.<BR> +The monarch, blinded with desire of wealth,<BR> +With steel invades his brother's life by stealth;<BR> +Before the sacred altar made him bleed,<BR> +And long from her conceal'd the cruel deed.<BR> +Some tale, some new pretense, he daily coin'd,<BR> +To soothe his sister, and delude her mind.<BR> +At length, in dead of night, the ghost appears<BR> +Of her unhappy lord: the specter stares,<BR> +And, with erected eyes, his bloody bosom bares.<BR> +The cruel altars and his fate he tells,<BR> +And the dire secret of his house reveals,<BR> +Then warns the widow, with her household gods,<BR> +To seek a refuge in remote abodes.<BR> +Last, to support her in so long a way,<BR> +He shows her where his hidden treasure lay.<BR> +Admonish'd thus, and seiz'd with mortal fright,<BR> +The queen provides companions of her flight:<BR> +They meet, and all combine to leave the state,<BR> +Who hate the tyrant, or who fear his hate.<BR> +They seize a fleet, which ready rigg'd they find;<BR> +Nor is Pygmalion's treasure left behind.<BR> +The vessels, heavy laden, put to sea<BR> +With prosp'rous winds; a woman leads the way.<BR> +I know not, if by stress of weather driv'n,<BR> +Or was their fatal course dispos'd by Heav'n;<BR> +At last they landed, where from far your eyes<BR> +May view the turrets of new Carthage rise;<BR> +There bought a space of ground, which (Byrsa call'd,<BR> +From the bull's hide) they first inclos'd, and wall'd.<BR> +But whence are you? what country claims your birth?<BR> +What seek you, strangers, on our Libyan earth?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To whom, with sorrow streaming from his eyes,<BR> +And deeply sighing, thus her son replies:<BR> +"Could you with patience hear, or I relate,<BR> +O nymph, the tedious annals of our fate!<BR> +Thro' such a train of woes if I should run,<BR> +The day would sooner than the tale be done!<BR> +From ancient Troy, by force expell'd, we came-<BR> +If you by chance have heard the Trojan name.<BR> +On various seas by various tempests toss'd,<BR> +At length we landed on your Libyan coast.<BR> +The good Aeneas am I call'd- a name,<BR> +While Fortune favor'd, not unknown to fame.<BR> +My household gods, companions of my woes,<BR> +With pious care I rescued from our foes.<BR> +To fruitful Italy my course was bent;<BR> +And from the King of Heav'n is my descent.<BR> +With twice ten sail I cross'd the Phrygian sea;<BR> +Fate and my mother goddess led my way.<BR> +Scarce sev'n, the thin remainders of my fleet,<BR> +From storms preserv'd, within your harbor meet.<BR> +Myself distress'd, an exile, and unknown,<BR> +Debarr'd from Europe, and from Asia thrown,<BR> +In Libyan desarts wander thus alone."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +His tender parent could no longer bear;<BR> +But, interposing, sought to soothe his care.<BR> +"Whoe'er you are- not unbelov'd by Heav'n,<BR> +Since on our friendly shore your ships are driv'n-<BR> +Have courage: to the gods permit the rest,<BR> +And to the queen expose your just request.<BR> +Now take this earnest of success, for more:<BR> +Your scatter'd fleet is join'd upon the shore;<BR> +The winds are chang'd, your friends from danger free;<BR> +Or I renounce my skill in augury.<BR> +Twelve swans behold in beauteous order move,<BR> +And stoop with closing pinions from above;<BR> +Whom late the bird of Jove had driv'n along,<BR> +And thro' the clouds pursued the scatt'ring throng:<BR> +Now, all united in a goodly team,<BR> +They skim the ground, and seek the quiet stream.<BR> +As they, with joy returning, clap their wings,<BR> +And ride the circuit of the skies in rings;<BR> +Not otherwise your ships, and ev'ry friend,<BR> +Already hold the port, or with swift sails descend.<BR> +No more advice is needful; but pursue<BR> +The path before you, and the town in view."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, she turn'd, and made appear<BR> +Her neck refulgent, and dishevel'd hair,<BR> +Which, flowing from her shoulders, reach'd the ground.<BR> +And widely spread ambrosial scents around:<BR> +In length of train descends her sweeping gown;<BR> +And, by her graceful walk, the Queen of Love is known.<BR> +The prince pursued the parting deity<BR> +With words like these: "Ah! whither do you fly?<BR> +Unkind and cruel! to deceive your son<BR> +In borrow'd shapes, and his embrace to shun;<BR> +Never to bless my sight, but thus unknown;<BR> +And still to speak in accents not your own."<BR> +Against the goddess these complaints he made,<BR> +But took the path, and her commands obey'd.<BR> +They march, obscure; for Venus kindly shrouds<BR> +With mists their persons, and involves in clouds,<BR> +That, thus unseen, their passage none might stay,<BR> +Or force to tell the causes of their way.<BR> +This part perform'd, the goddess flies sublime<BR> +To visit Paphos and her native clime;<BR> +Where garlands, ever green and ever fair,<BR> +With vows are offer'd, and with solemn pray'r:<BR> +A hundred altars in her temple smoke;<BR> +A thousand bleeding hearts her pow'r invoke.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +They climb the next ascent, and, looking down,<BR> +Now at a nearer distance view the town.<BR> +The prince with wonder sees the stately tow'rs,<BR> +Which late were huts and shepherds' homely bow'rs,<BR> +The gates and streets; and hears, from ev'ry part,<BR> +The noise and busy concourse of the mart.<BR> +The toiling Tyrians on each other call<BR> +To ply their labor: some extend the wall;<BR> +Some build the citadel; the brawny throng<BR> +Or dig, or push unwieldly stones along.<BR> +Some for their dwellings choose a spot of ground,<BR> +Which, first design'd, with ditches they surround.<BR> +Some laws ordain; and some attend the choice<BR> +Of holy senates, and elect by voice.<BR> +Here some design a mole, while others there<BR> +Lay deep foundations for a theater;<BR> +From marble quarries mighty columns hew,<BR> +For ornaments of scenes, and future view.<BR> +Such is their toil, and such their busy pains,<BR> +As exercise the bees in flow'ry plains,<BR> +When winter past, and summer scarce begun,<BR> +Invites them forth to labor in the sun;<BR> +Some lead their youth abroad, while some condense<BR> +Their liquid store, and some in cells dispense;<BR> +Some at the gate stand ready to receive<BR> +The golden burthen, and their friends relieve;<BR> +All with united force, combine to drive<BR> +The lazy drones from the laborious hive:<BR> +With envy stung, they view each other's deeds;<BR> +The fragrant work with diligence proceeds.<BR> +"Thrice happy you, whose walls already rise!"<BR> +Aeneas said, and view'd, with lifted eyes,<BR> +Their lofty tow'rs; then, entiring at the gate,<BR> +Conceal'd in clouds (prodigious to relate)<BR> +He mix'd, unmark'd, among the busy throng,<BR> +Borne by the tide, and pass'd unseen along.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Full in the center of the town there stood,<BR> +Thick set with trees, a venerable wood.<BR> +The Tyrians, landing near this holy ground,<BR> +And digging here, a prosp'rous omen found:<BR> +From under earth a courser's head they drew,<BR> +Their growth and future fortune to foreshew.<BR> +This fated sign their foundress Juno gave,<BR> +Of a soil fruitful, and a people brave.<BR> +Sidonian Dido here with solemn state<BR> +Did Juno's temple build, and consecrate,<BR> +Enrich'd with gifts, and with a golden shrine;<BR> +But more the goddess made the place divine.<BR> +On brazen steps the marble threshold rose,<BR> +And brazen plates the cedar beams inclose:<BR> +The rafters are with brazen cov'rings crown'd;<BR> +The lofty doors on brazen hinges sound.<BR> +What first Aeneas this place beheld,<BR> +Reviv'd his courage, and his fear expell'd.<BR> +For while, expecting there the queen, he rais'd<BR> +His wond'ring eyes, and round the temple gaz'd,<BR> +Admir'd the fortune of the rising town,<BR> +The striving artists, and their arts' renown;<BR> +He saw, in order painted on the wall,<BR> +Whatever did unhappy Troy befall:<BR> +The wars that fame around the world had blown,<BR> +All to the life, and ev'ry leader known.<BR> +There Agamemnon, Priam here, he spies,<BR> +And fierce Achilles, who both kings defies.<BR> +He stopp'd, and weeping said: "O friend! ev'n here<BR> +The monuments of Trojan woes appear!<BR> +Our known disasters fill ev'n foreign lands:<BR> +See there, where old unhappy Priam stands!<BR> +Ev'n the mute walls relate the warrior's fame,<BR> +And Trojan griefs the Tyrians' pity claim."<BR> +He said (his tears a ready passage find),<BR> +Devouring what he saw so well design'd,<BR> +And with an empty picture fed his mind:<BR> +For there he saw the fainting Grecians yield,<BR> +And here the trembling Trojans quit the field,<BR> +Pursued by fierce Achilles thro' the plain,<BR> +On his high chariot driving o'er the slain.<BR> +The tents of Rhesus next his grief renew,<BR> +By their white sails betray'd to nightly view;<BR> +And wakeful Diomede, whose cruel sword<BR> +The sentries slew, nor spar'd their slumb'ring lord,<BR> +Then took the fiery steeds, ere yet the food<BR> +Of Troy they taste, or drink the Xanthian flood.<BR> +Elsewhere he saw where Troilus defied<BR> +Achilles, and unequal combat tried;<BR> +Then, where the boy disarm'd, with loosen'd reins,<BR> +Was by his horses hurried o'er the plains,<BR> +Hung by the neck and hair, and dragg'd around:<BR> +The hostile spear, yet sticking in his wound,<BR> +With tracks of blood inscrib'd the dusty ground.<BR> +Meantime the Trojan dames, oppress'd with woe,<BR> +To Pallas' fane in long procession go,<BR> +In hopes to reconcile their heav'nly foe.<BR> +They weep, they beat their breasts, they rend their hair,<BR> +And rich embroider'd vests for presents bear;<BR> +But the stern goddess stands unmov'd with pray'r.<BR> +Thrice round the Trojan walls Achilles drew<BR> +The corpse of Hector, whom in fight he slew.<BR> +Here Priam sues; and there, for sums of gold,<BR> +The lifeless body of his son is sold.<BR> +So sad an object, and so well express'd,<BR> +Drew sighs and groans from the griev'd hero's breast,<BR> +To see the figure of his lifeless friend,<BR> +And his old sire his helpless hand extend.<BR> +Himself he saw amidst the Grecian train,<BR> +Mix'd in the bloody battle on the plain;<BR> +And swarthy Memnon in his arms he knew,<BR> +His pompous ensigns, and his Indian crew.<BR> +Penthisilea there, with haughty grace,<BR> +Leads to the wars an Amazonian race:<BR> +In their right hands a pointed dart they wield;<BR> +The left, for ward, sustains the lunar shield.<BR> +Athwart her breast a golden belt she throws,<BR> +Amidst the press alone provokes a thousand foes,<BR> +And dares her maiden arms to manly force oppose.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while the Trojan prince employs his eyes,<BR> +Fix'd on the walls with wonder and surprise,<BR> +The beauteous Dido, with a num'rous train<BR> +And pomp of guards, ascends the sacred fane.<BR> +Such on Eurotas' banks, or Cynthus' height,<BR> +Diana seems; and so she charms the sight,<BR> +When in the dance the graceful goddess leads<BR> +The choir of nymphs, and overtops their heads:<BR> +Known by her quiver, and her lofty mien,<BR> +She walks majestic, and she looks their queen;<BR> +Latona sees her shine above the rest,<BR> +And feeds with secret joy her silent breast.<BR> +Such Dido was; with such becoming state,<BR> +Amidst the crowd, she walks serenely great.<BR> +Their labor to her future sway she speeds,<BR> +And passing with a gracious glance proceeds;<BR> +Then mounts the throne, high plac'd before the shrine:<BR> +In crowds around, the swarming people join.<BR> +She takes petitions, and dispenses laws,<BR> +Hears and determines ev'ry private cause;<BR> +Their tasks in equal portions she divides,<BR> +And, where unequal, there by lots decides.<BR> +Another way by chance Aeneas bends<BR> +His eyes, and unexpected sees his friends,<BR> +Antheus, Sergestus grave, Cloanthus strong,<BR> +And at their backs a mighty Trojan throng,<BR> +Whom late the tempest on the billows toss'd,<BR> +And widely scatter'd on another coast.<BR> +The prince, unseen, surpris'd with wonder stands,<BR> +And longs, with joyful haste, to join their hands;<BR> +But, doubtful of the wish'd event, he stays,<BR> +And from the hollow cloud his friends surveys,<BR> +Impatient till they told their present state,<BR> +And where they left their ships, and what their fate,<BR> +And why they came, and what was their request;<BR> +For these were sent, commission'd by the rest,<BR> +To sue for leave to land their sickly men,<BR> +And gain admission to the gracious queen.<BR> +Ent'ring, with cries they fill'd the holy fane;<BR> +Then thus, with lowly voice, Ilioneus began:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"O queen! indulg'd by favor of the gods<BR> +To found an empire in these new abodes,<BR> +To build a town, with statutes to restrain<BR> +The wild inhabitants beneath thy reign,<BR> +We wretched Trojans, toss'd on ev'ry shore,<BR> +From sea to sea, thy clemency implore.<BR> +Forbid the fires our shipping to deface!<BR> +Receive th' unhappy fugitives to grace,<BR> +And spare the remnant of a pious race!<BR> +We come not with design of wasteful prey,<BR> +To drive the country, force the swains away:<BR> +Nor such our strength, nor such is our desire;<BR> +The vanquish'd dare not to such thoughts aspire.<BR> +A land there is, Hesperia nam'd of old;<BR> +The soil is fruitful, and the men are bold-<BR> +Th' Oenotrians held it once- by common fame<BR> +Now call'd Italia, from the leader's name.<BR> +To that sweet region was our voyage bent,<BR> +When winds and ev'ry warring element<BR> +Disturb'd our course, and, far from sight of land,<BR> +Cast our torn vessels on the moving sand:<BR> +The sea came on; the South, with mighty roar,<BR> +Dispers'd and dash'd the rest upon the rocky shore.<BR> +Those few you see escap'd the Storm, and fear,<BR> +Unless you interpose, a shipwreck here.<BR> +What men, what monsters, what inhuman race,<BR> +What laws, what barb'rous customs of the place,<BR> +Shut up a desart shore to drowning men,<BR> +And drive us to the cruel seas again?<BR> +If our hard fortune no compassion draws,<BR> +Nor hospitable rights, nor human laws,<BR> +The gods are just, and will revenge our cause.<BR> +Aeneas was our prince: a juster lord,<BR> +Or nobler warrior, never drew a sword;<BR> +Observant of the right, religious of his word.<BR> +If yet he lives, and draws this vital air,<BR> +Nor we, his friends, of safety shall despair;<BR> +Nor you, great queen, these offices repent,<BR> +Which he will equal, and perhaps augment.<BR> +We want not cities, nor Sicilian coasts,<BR> +Where King Acestes Trojan lineage boasts.<BR> +Permit our ships a shelter on your shores,<BR> +Refitted from your woods with planks and oars,<BR> +That, if our prince be safe, we may renew<BR> +Our destin'd course, and Italy pursue.<BR> +But if, O best of men, the Fates ordain<BR> +That thou art swallow'd in the Libyan main,<BR> +And if our young Iulus be no more,<BR> +Dismiss our navy from your friendly shore,<BR> +That we to good Acestes may return,<BR> +And with our friends our common losses mourn."<BR> +Thus spoke Ilioneus: the Trojan crew<BR> +With cries and clamors his request renew.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The modest queen a while, with downcast eyes,<BR> +Ponder'd the speech; then briefly thus replies:<BR> +"Trojans, dismiss your fears; my cruel fate,<BR> +And doubts attending an unsettled state,<BR> +Force me to guard my coast from foreign foes.<BR> +Who has not heard the story of your woes,<BR> +The name and fortune of your native place,<BR> +The fame and valor of the Phrygian race?<BR> +We Tyrians are not so devoid of sense,<BR> +Nor so remote from Phoebus' influence.<BR> +Whether to Latian shores your course is bent,<BR> +Or, driv'n by tempests from your first intent,<BR> +You seek the good Acestes' government,<BR> +Your men shall be receiv'd, your fleet repair'd,<BR> +And sail, with ships of convoy for your guard:<BR> +Or, would you stay, and join your friendly pow'rs<BR> +To raise and to defend the Tyrian tow'rs,<BR> +My wealth, my city, and myself are yours.<BR> +And would to Heav'n, the Storm, you felt, would bring<BR> +On Carthaginian coasts your wand'ring king.<BR> +My people shall, by my command, explore<BR> +The ports and creeks of ev'ry winding shore,<BR> +And towns, and wilds, and shady woods, in quest<BR> +Of so renown'd and so desir'd a guest."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Rais'd in his mind the Trojan hero stood,<BR> +And long'd to break from out his ambient cloud:<BR> +Achates found it, and thus urg'd his way:<BR> +"From whence, O goddess-born, this long delay?<BR> +What more can you desire, your welcome sure,<BR> +Your fleet in safety, and your friends secure?<BR> +One only wants; and him we saw in vain<BR> +Oppose the Storm, and swallow'd in the main.<BR> +Orontes in his fate our forfeit paid;<BR> +The rest agrees with what your mother said."<BR> +Scarce had he spoken, when the cloud gave way,<BR> +The mists flew upward and dissolv'd in day.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Trojan chief appear'd in open sight,<BR> +August in visage, and serenely bright.<BR> +His mother goddess, with her hands divine,<BR> +Had form'd his curling locks, and made his temples shine,<BR> +And giv'n his rolling eyes a sparkling grace,<BR> +And breath'd a youthful vigor on his face;<BR> +Like polish'd ivory, beauteous to behold,<BR> +Or Parian marble, when enchas'd in gold:<BR> +Thus radiant from the circling cloud he broke,<BR> +And thus with manly modesty he spoke:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"He whom you seek am I; by tempests toss'd,<BR> +And sav'd from shipwreck on your Libyan coast;<BR> +Presenting, gracious queen, before your throne,<BR> +A prince that owes his life to you alone.<BR> +Fair majesty, the refuge and redress<BR> +Of those whom fate pursues, and wants oppress,<BR> +You, who your pious offices employ<BR> +To save the relics of abandon'd Troy;<BR> +Receive the shipwreck'd on your friendly shore,<BR> +With hospitable rites relieve the poor;<BR> +Associate in your town a wand'ring train,<BR> +And strangers in your palace entertain:<BR> +What thanks can wretched fugitives return,<BR> +Who, scatter'd thro' the world, in exile mourn?<BR> +The gods, if gods to goodness are inclin'd;<BR> +If acts of mercy touch their heav'nly mind,<BR> +And, more than all the gods, your gen'rous heart.<BR> +Conscious of worth, requite its own desert!<BR> +In you this age is happy, and this earth,<BR> +And parents more than mortal gave you birth.<BR> +While rolling rivers into seas shall run,<BR> +And round the space of heav'n the radiant sun;<BR> +While trees the mountain tops with shades supply,<BR> +Your honor, name, and praise shall never die.<BR> +Whate'er abode my fortune has assign'd,<BR> +Your image shall be present in my mind."<BR> +Thus having said, he turn'd with pious haste,<BR> +And joyful his expecting friends embrac'd:<BR> +With his right hand Ilioneus was grac'd,<BR> +Serestus with his left; then to his breast<BR> +Cloanthus and the noble Gyas press'd;<BR> +And so by turns descended to the rest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Tyrian queen stood fix'd upon his face,<BR> +Pleas'd with his motions, ravish'd with his grace;<BR> +Admir'd his fortunes, more admir'd the man;<BR> +Then recollected stood, and thus began:<BR> +"What fate, O goddess-born; what angry pow'rs<BR> +Have cast you shipwrack'd on our barren shores?<BR> +Are you the great Aeneas, known to fame,<BR> +Who from celestial seed your lineage claim?<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The same Aeneas whom fair Venus bore<BR> +To fam'd Anchises on th' Idaean shore?<BR> +It calls into my mind, tho' then a child,<BR> +When Teucer came, from Salamis exil'd,<BR> +And sought my father's aid, to be restor'd:<BR> +My father Belus then with fire and sword<BR> +Invaded Cyprus, made the region bare,<BR> +And, conqu'ring, finish'd the successful war.<BR> +From him the Trojan siege I understood,<BR> +The Grecian chiefs, and your illustrious blood.<BR> +Your foe himself the Dardan valor prais'd,<BR> +And his own ancestry from Trojans rais'd.<BR> +Enter, my noble guest, and you shall find,<BR> +If not a costly welcome, yet a kind:<BR> +For I myself, like you, have been distress'd,<BR> +Till Heav'n afforded me this place of rest;<BR> +Like you, an alien in a land unknown,<BR> +I learn to pity woes so like my own."<BR> +She said, and to the palace led her guest;<BR> +Then offer'd incense, and proclaim'd a feast.<BR> +Nor yet less careful for her absent friends,<BR> +Twice ten fat oxen to the ships she sends;<BR> +Besides a hundred boars, a hundred lambs,<BR> +With bleating cries, attend their milky dams;<BR> +And jars of gen'rous wine and spacious bowls<BR> +She gives, to cheer the sailors' drooping souls.<BR> +Now purple hangings clothe the palace walls,<BR> +And sumptuous feasts are made in splendid halls:<BR> +On Tyrian carpets, richly wrought, they dine;<BR> +With loads of massy plate the sideboards shine,<BR> +And antique vases, all of gold emboss'd<BR> +(The gold itself inferior to the cost),<BR> +Of curious work, where on the sides were seen<BR> +The fights and figures of illustrious men,<BR> +From their first founder to the present queen.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The good Aeneas, paternal care<BR> +Iulus' absence could no longer bear,<BR> +Dispatch'd Achates to the ships in haste,<BR> +To give a glad relation of the past,<BR> +And, fraught with precious gifts, to bring the boy,<BR> +Snatch'd from the ruins of unhappy Troy:<BR> +A robe of tissue, stiff with golden wire;<BR> +An upper vest, once Helen's rich attire,<BR> +From Argos by the fam'd adultress brought,<BR> +With golden flow'rs and winding foliage wrought,<BR> +Her mother Leda's present, when she came<BR> +To ruin Troy and set the world on flame;<BR> +The scepter Priam's eldest daughter bore,<BR> +Her orient necklace, and the crown she wore<BR> +Of double texture, glorious to behold,<BR> +One order set with gems, and one with gold.<BR> +Instructed thus, the wise Achates goes,<BR> +And in his diligence his duty shows.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But Venus, anxious for her son's affairs,<BR> +New counsels tries, and new designs prepares:<BR> +That Cupid should assume the shape and face<BR> +Of sweet Ascanius, and the sprightly grace;<BR> +Should bring the presents, in her nephew's stead,<BR> +And in Eliza's veins the gentle poison shed:<BR> +For much she fear'd the Tyrians, double-tongued,<BR> +And knew the town to Juno's care belong'd.<BR> +These thoughts by night her golden slumbers broke,<BR> +And thus alarm'd, to winged Love she spoke:<BR> +"My son, my strength, whose mighty pow'r alone<BR> +Controls the Thund'rer on his awful throne,<BR> +To thee thy much-afflicted mother flies,<BR> +And on thy succor and thy faith relies.<BR> +Thou know'st, my son, how Jove's revengeful wife,<BR> +By force and fraud, attempts thy brother's life;<BR> +And often hast thou mourn'd with me his pains.<BR> +Him Dido now with blandishment detains;<BR> +But I suspect the town where Juno reigns.<BR> +For this 't is needful to prevent her art,<BR> +And fire with love the proud Phoenician's heart:<BR> +A love so violent, so strong, so sure,<BR> +As neither age can change, nor art can cure.<BR> +How this may be perform'd, now take my mind:<BR> +Ascanius by his father is design'd<BR> +To come, with presents laden, from the port,<BR> +To gratify the queen, and gain the court.<BR> +I mean to plunge the boy in pleasing sleep,<BR> +And, ravish'd, in Idalian bow'rs to keep,<BR> +Or high Cythera, that the sweet deceit<BR> +May pass unseen, and none prevent the cheat.<BR> +Take thou his form and shape. I beg the grace<BR> +But only for a night's revolving space:<BR> +Thyself a boy, assume a boy's dissembled face;<BR> +That when, amidst the fervor of the feast,<BR> +The Tyrian hugs and fonds thee on her breast,<BR> +And with sweet kisses in her arms constrains,<BR> +Thou may'st infuse thy venom in her veins."<BR> +The God of Love obeys, and sets aside<BR> +His bow and quiver, and his plumy pride;<BR> +He walks Iulus in his mother's sight,<BR> +And in the sweet resemblance takes delight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The goddess then to young Ascanius flies,<BR> +And in a pleasing slumber seals his eyes:<BR> +Lull'd in her lap, amidst a train of Loves,<BR> +She gently bears him to her blissful groves,<BR> +Then with a wreath of myrtle crowns his head,<BR> +And softly lays him on a flow'ry bed.<BR> +Cupid meantime assum'd his form and face,<BR> +Foll'wing Achates with a shorter pace,<BR> +And brought the gifts. The queen already sate<BR> +Amidst the Trojan lords, in shining state,<BR> +High on a golden bed: her princely guest<BR> +Was next her side; in order sate the rest.<BR> +Then canisters with bread are heap'd on high;<BR> +Th' attendants water for their hands supply,<BR> +And, having wash'd, with silken towels dry.<BR> +Next fifty handmaids in long order bore<BR> +The censers, and with fumes the gods adore:<BR> +Then youths, and virgins twice as many, join<BR> +To place the dishes, and to serve the wine.<BR> +The Tyrian train, admitted to the feast,<BR> +Approach, and on the painted couches rest.<BR> +All on the Trojan gifts with wonder gaze,<BR> +But view the beauteous boy with more amaze,<BR> +His rosy-color'd cheeks, his radiant eyes,<BR> +His motions, voice, and shape, and all the god's disguise;<BR> +Nor pass unprais'd the vest and veil divine,<BR> +Which wand'ring foliage and rich flow'rs entwine.<BR> +But, far above the rest, the royal dame,<BR> +(Already doom'd to love's disastrous flame,)<BR> +With eyes insatiate, and tumultuous joy,<BR> +Beholds the presents, and admires the boy.<BR> +The guileful god about the hero long,<BR> +With children's play, and false embraces, hung;<BR> +Then sought the queen: she took him to her arms<BR> +With greedy pleasure, and devour'd his charms.<BR> +Unhappy Dido little thought what guest,<BR> +How dire a god, she drew so near her breast;<BR> +But he, not mindless of his mother's pray'r,<BR> +Works in the pliant bosom of the fair,<BR> +And molds her heart anew, and blots her former care.<BR> +The dead is to the living love resign'd;<BR> +And all Aeneas enters in her mind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, when the rage of hunger was appeas'd,<BR> +The meat remov'd, and ev'ry guest was pleas'd,<BR> +The golden bowls with sparkling wine are crown'd,<BR> +And thro' the palace cheerful cries resound.<BR> +From gilded roofs depending lamps display<BR> +Nocturnal beams, that emulate the day.<BR> +A golden bowl, that shone with gems divine,<BR> +The queen commanded to be crown'd with wine:<BR> +The bowl that Belus us'd, and all the Tyrian line.<BR> +Then, silence thro' the hall proclaim'd, she spoke:<BR> +"O hospitable Jove! we thus invoke,<BR> +With solemn rites, thy sacred name and pow'r;<BR> +Bless to both nations this auspicious hour!<BR> +So may the Trojan and the Tyrian line<BR> +In lasting concord from this day combine.<BR> +Thou, Bacchus, god of joys and friendly cheer,<BR> +And gracious Juno, both be present here!<BR> +And you, my lords of Tyre, your vows address<BR> +To Heav'n with mine, to ratify the peace."<BR> +The goblet then she took, with nectar crown'd<BR> +(Sprinkling the first libations on the ground,)<BR> +And rais'd it to her mouth with sober grace;<BR> +Then, sipping, offer'd to the next in place.<BR> +'T was Bitias whom she call'd, a thirsty soul;<BR> +He took challenge, and embrac'd the bowl,<BR> +With pleasure swill'd the gold, nor ceas'd to draw,<BR> +Till he the bottom of the brimmer saw.<BR> +The goblet goes around: Iopas brought<BR> +His golden lyre, and sung what ancient Atlas taught:<BR> +The various labors of the wand'ring moon,<BR> +And whence proceed th' eclipses of the sun;<BR> +Th' original of men and beasts; and whence<BR> +The rains arise, and fires their warmth dispense,<BR> +And fix'd and erring stars dispose their influence;<BR> +What shakes the solid earth; what cause delays<BR> +The summer nights and shortens winter days.<BR> +With peals of shouts the Tyrians praise the song:<BR> +Those peals are echo'd by the Trojan throng.<BR> +Th' unhappy queen with talk prolong'd the night,<BR> +And drank large draughts of love with vast delight;<BR> +Of Priam much enquir'd, of Hector more;<BR> +Then ask'd what arms the swarthy Memnon wore,<BR> +What troops he landed on the Trojan shore;<BR> +The steeds of Diomede varied the discourse,<BR> +And fierce Achilles, with his matchless force;<BR> +At length, as fate and her ill stars requir'd,<BR> +To hear the series of the war desir'd.<BR> +"Relate at large, my godlike guest," she said,<BR> +"The Grecian stratagems, the town betray'd:<BR> +The fatal issue of so long a war,<BR> +Your flight, your wand'rings, and your woes, declare;<BR> +For, since on ev'ry sea, on ev'ry coast,<BR> +Your men have been distress'd, your navy toss'd,<BR> +Sev'n times the sun has either tropic view'd,<BR> +The winter banish'd, and the spring renew'd."<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book02"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK II<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +All were attentive to the godlike man,<BR> +When from his lofty couch he thus began:<BR> +"Great queen, what you command me to relate<BR> +Renews the sad remembrance of our fate:<BR> +An empire from its old foundations rent,<BR> +And ev'ry woe the Trojans underwent;<BR> +A peopled city made a desart place;<BR> +All that I saw, and part of which I was:<BR> +Not ev'n the hardest of our foes could hear,<BR> +Nor stern Ulysses tell without a tear.<BR> +And now the latter watch of wasting night,<BR> +And setting stars, to kindly rest invite;<BR> +But, since you take such int'rest in our woe,<BR> +And Troy's disastrous end desire to know,<BR> +I will restrain my tears, and briefly tell<BR> +What in our last and fatal night befell.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"By destiny compell'd, and in despair,<BR> +The Greeks grew weary of the tedious war,<BR> +And by Minerva's aid a fabric rear'd,<BR> +Which like a steed of monstrous height appear'd:<BR> +The sides were plank'd with pine; they feign'd it made<BR> +For their return, and this the vow they paid.<BR> +Thus they pretend, but in the hollow side<BR> +Selected numbers of their soldiers hide:<BR> +With inward arms the dire machine they load,<BR> +And iron bowels stuff the dark abode.<BR> +In sight of Troy lies Tenedos, an isle<BR> +(While Fortune did on Priam's empire smile)<BR> +Renown'd for wealth; but, since, a faithless bay,<BR> +Where ships expos'd to wind and weather lay.<BR> +There was their fleet conceal'd. We thought, for Greece<BR> +Their sails were hoisted, and our fears release.<BR> +The Trojans, coop'd within their walls so long,<BR> +Unbar their gates, and issue in a throng,<BR> +Like swarming bees, and with delight survey<BR> +The camp deserted, where the Grecians lay:<BR> +The quarters of the sev'ral chiefs they show'd;<BR> +Here Phoenix, here Achilles, made abode;<BR> +Here join'd the battles; there the navy rode.<BR> +Part on the pile their wond'ring eyes employ:<BR> +The pile by Pallas rais'd to ruin Troy.<BR> +Thymoetes first ('t is doubtful whether hir'd,<BR> +Or so the Trojan destiny requir'd)<BR> +Mov'd that the ramparts might be broken down,<BR> +To lodge the monster fabric in the town.<BR> +But Capys, and the rest of sounder mind,<BR> +The fatal present to the flames designed,<BR> +Or to the wat'ry deep; at least to bore<BR> +The hollow sides, and hidden frauds explore.<BR> +The giddy vulgar, as their fancies guide,<BR> +With noise say nothing, and in parts divide.<BR> +Laocoon, follow'd by a num'rous crowd,<BR> +Ran from the fort, and cried, from far, aloud:<BR> +'O wretched countrymen! what fury reigns?<BR> +What more than madness has possess'd your brains?<BR> +Think you the Grecians from your coasts are gone?<BR> +And are Ulysses' arts no better known?<BR> +This hollow fabric either must inclose,<BR> +Within its blind recess, our secret foes;<BR> +Or 't is an engine rais'd above the town,<BR> +T' o'erlook the walls, and then to batter down.<BR> +Somewhat is sure design'd, by fraud or force:<BR> +Trust not their presents, nor admit the horse.'<BR> +Thus having said, against the steed he threw<BR> +His forceful spear, which, hissing as flew,<BR> +Pierc'd thro' the yielding planks of jointed wood,<BR> +And trembling in the hollow belly stood.<BR> +The sides, transpierc'd, return a rattling sound,<BR> +And groans of Greeks inclos'd come issuing thro' the wound<BR> +And, had not Heav'n the fall of Troy design'd,<BR> +Or had not men been fated to be blind,<BR> +Enough was said and done t'inspire a better mind.<BR> +Then had our lances pierc'd the treach'rous wood,<BR> +And Ilian tow'rs and Priam's empire stood.<BR> +Meantime, with shouts, the Trojan shepherds bring<BR> +A captive Greek, in bands, before the king;<BR> +Taken to take; who made himself their prey,<BR> +T' impose on their belief, and Troy betray;<BR> +Fix'd on his aim, and obstinately bent<BR> +To die undaunted, or to circumvent.<BR> +About the captive, tides of Trojans flow;<BR> +All press to see, and some insult the foe.<BR> +Now hear how well the Greeks their wiles disguis'd;<BR> +Behold a nation in a man compris'd.<BR> +Trembling the miscreant stood, unarm'd and bound;<BR> +He star'd, and roll'd his haggard eyes around,<BR> +Then said: 'Alas! what earth remains, what sea<BR> +Is open to receive unhappy me?<BR> +What fate a wretched fugitive attends,<BR> +Scorn'd by my foes, abandon'd by my friends?'<BR> +He said, and sigh'd, and cast a rueful eye:<BR> +Our pity kindles, and our passions die.<BR> +We cheer youth to make his own defense,<BR> +And freely tell us what he was, and whence:<BR> +What news he could impart, we long to know,<BR> +And what to credit from a captive foe.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"His fear at length dismiss'd, he said: 'Whate'er<BR> +My fate ordains, my words shall be sincere:<BR> +I neither can nor dare my birth disclaim;<BR> +Greece is my country, Sinon is my name.<BR> +Tho' plung'd by Fortune's pow'r in misery,<BR> +'T is not in Fortune's pow'r to make me lie.<BR> +If any chance has hither brought the name<BR> +Of Palamedes, not unknown to fame,<BR> +Who suffer'd from the malice of the times,<BR> +Accus'd and sentenc'd for pretended crimes,<BR> +Because these fatal wars he would prevent;<BR> +Whose death the wretched Greeks too late lament-<BR> +Me, then a boy, my father, poor and bare<BR> +Of other means, committed to his care,<BR> +His kinsman and companion in the war.<BR> +While Fortune favor'd, while his arms support<BR> +The cause, and rul'd the counsels, of the court,<BR> +I made some figure there; nor was my name<BR> +Obscure, nor I without my share of fame.<BR> +But when Ulysses, with fallacious arts,<BR> +Had made impression in the people's hearts,<BR> +And forg'd a treason in my patron's name<BR> +(I speak of things too far divulg'd by fame),<BR> +My kinsman fell. Then I, without support,<BR> +In private mourn'd his loss, and left the court.<BR> +Mad as I was, I could not bear his fate<BR> +With silent grief, but loudly blam'd the state,<BR> +And curs'd the direful author of my woes.<BR> +'T was told again; and hence my ruin rose.<BR> +I threaten'd, if indulgent Heav'n once more<BR> +Would land me safely on my native shore,<BR> +His death with double vengeance to restore.<BR> +This mov'd the murderer's hate; and soon ensued<BR> +Th' effects of malice from a man so proud.<BR> +Ambiguous rumors thro' the camp he spread,<BR> +And sought, by treason, my devoted head;<BR> +New crimes invented; left unturn'd no stone,<BR> +To make my guilt appear, and hide his own;<BR> +Till Calchas was by force and threat'ning wrought-<BR> +But why- why dwell I on that anxious thought?<BR> +If on my nation just revenge you seek,<BR> +And 't is t' appear a foe, t' appear a Greek;<BR> +Already you my name and country know;<BR> +Assuage your thirst of blood, and strike the blow:<BR> +My death will both the kingly brothers please,<BR> +And set insatiate Ithacus at ease.'<BR> +This fair unfinish'd tale, these broken starts,<BR> +Rais'd expectations in our longing hearts:<BR> +Unknowing as we were in Grecian arts.<BR> +His former trembling once again renew'd,<BR> +With acted fear, the villain thus pursued:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'Long had the Grecians (tir'd with fruitless care,<BR> +And wearied with an unsuccessful war)<BR> +Resolv'd to raise the siege, and leave the town;<BR> +And, had the gods permitted, they had gone;<BR> +But oft the wintry seas and southern winds<BR> +Withstood their passage home, and chang'd their minds.<BR> +Portents and prodigies their souls amaz'd;<BR> +But most, when this stupendous pile was rais'd:<BR> +Then flaming meteors, hung in air, were seen,<BR> +And thunders rattled thro' a sky serene.<BR> +Dismay'd, and fearful of some dire event,<BR> +Eurypylus t' enquire their fate was sent.<BR> +He from the gods this dreadful answer brought:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"O Grecians, when the Trojan shores you sought,<BR> +Your passage with a virgin's blood was bought:<BR> +So must your safe return be bought again,<BR> +And Grecian blood once more atone the main."<BR> +The spreading rumor round the people ran;<BR> +All fear'd, and each believ'd himself the man.<BR> +Ulysses took th' advantage of their fright;<BR> +Call'd Calchas, and produc'd in open sight:<BR> +Then bade him name the wretch, ordain'd by fate<BR> +The public victim, to redeem the state.<BR> +Already some presag'd the dire event,<BR> +And saw what sacrifice Ulysses meant.<BR> +For twice five days the good old seer withstood<BR> +Th' intended treason, and was dumb to blood,<BR> +Till, tir'd, with endless clamors and pursuit<BR> +Of Ithacus, he stood no longer mute;<BR> +But, as it was agreed, pronounc'd that I<BR> +Was destin'd by the wrathful gods to die.<BR> +All prais'd the sentence, pleas'd the storm should fall<BR> +On one alone, whose fury threaten'd all.<BR> +The dismal day was come; the priests prepare<BR> +Their leaven'd cakes, and fillets for my hair.<BR> +I follow'd nature's laws, and must avow<BR> +I broke my bonds and fled the fatal blow.<BR> +Hid in a weedy lake all night I lay,<BR> +Secure of safety when they sail'd away.<BR> +But now what further hopes for me remain,<BR> +To see my friends, or native soil, again;<BR> +My tender infants, or my careful sire,<BR> +Whom they returning will to death require;<BR> +Will perpetrate on them their first design,<BR> +And take the forfeit of their heads for mine?<BR> +Which, O! if pity mortal minds can move,<BR> +If there be faith below, or gods above,<BR> +If innocence and truth can claim desert,<BR> +Ye Trojans, from an injur'd wretch avert.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"False tears true pity move; the king commands<BR> +To loose his fetters, and unbind his hands:<BR> +Then adds these friendly words: 'Dismiss thy fears;<BR> +Forget the Greeks; be mine as thou wert theirs.<BR> +But truly tell, was it for force or guile,<BR> +Or some religious end, you rais'd the pile?'<BR> +Thus said the king. He, full of fraudful arts,<BR> +This well-invented tale for truth imparts:<BR> +'Ye lamps of heav'n!' he said, and lifted high<BR> +His hands now free, 'thou venerable sky!<BR> +Inviolable pow'rs, ador'd with dread!<BR> +Ye fatal fillets, that once bound this head!<BR> +Ye sacred altars, from whose flames I fled!<BR> +Be all of you adjur'd; and grant I may,<BR> +Without a crime, th' ungrateful Greeks betray,<BR> +Reveal the secrets of the guilty state,<BR> +And justly punish whom I justly hate!<BR> +But you, O king, preserve the faith you gave,<BR> +If I, to save myself, your empire save.<BR> +The Grecian hopes, and all th' attempts they made,<BR> +Were only founded on Minerva's aid.<BR> +But from the time when impious Diomede,<BR> +And false Ulysses, that inventive head,<BR> +Her fatal image from the temple drew,<BR> +The sleeping guardians of the castle slew,<BR> +Her virgin statue with their bloody hands<BR> +Polluted, and profan'd her holy bands;<BR> +From thence the tide of fortune left their shore,<BR> +And ebb'd much faster than it flow'd before:<BR> +Their courage languish'd, as their hopes decay'd;<BR> +And Pallas, now averse, refus'd her aid.<BR> +Nor did the goddess doubtfully declare<BR> +Her alter'd mind and alienated care.<BR> +When first her fatal image touch'd the ground,<BR> +She sternly cast her glaring eyes around,<BR> +That sparkled as they roll'd, and seem'd to threat:<BR> +Her heav'nly limbs distill'd a briny sweat.<BR> +Thrice from the ground she leap'd, was seen to wield<BR> +Her brandish'd lance, and shake her horrid shield.<BR> +Then Calchas bade our host for flight<BR> +And hope no conquest from the tedious war,<BR> +Till first they sail'd for Greece; with pray'rs besought<BR> +Her injur'd pow'r, and better omens brought.<BR> +And now their navy plows the wat'ry main,<BR> +Yet soon expect it on your shores again,<BR> +With Pallas pleas'd; as Calchas did ordain.<BR> +But first, to reconcile the blue-ey'd maid<BR> +For her stol'n statue and her tow'r betray'd,<BR> +Warn'd by the seer, to her offended name<BR> +We rais'd and dedicate this wondrous frame,<BR> +So lofty, lest thro' your forbidden gates<BR> +It pass, and intercept our better fates:<BR> +For, once admitted there, our hopes are lost;<BR> +And Troy may then a new Palladium boast;<BR> +For so religion and the gods ordain,<BR> +That, if you violate with hands profane<BR> +Minerva's gift, your town in flames shall burn,<BR> +(Which omen, O ye gods, on Graecia turn!)<BR> +But if it climb, with your assisting hands,<BR> +The Trojan walls, and in the city stands;<BR> +Then Troy shall Argos and Mycenae burn,<BR> +And the reverse of fate on us return.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"With such deceits he gain'd their easy hearts,<BR> +Too prone to credit his perfidious arts.<BR> +What Diomede, nor Thetis' greater son,<BR> +A thousand ships, nor ten years' siege, had done-<BR> +False tears and fawning words the city won.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"A greater omen, and of worse portent,<BR> +Did our unwary minds with fear torment,<BR> +Concurring to produce the dire event.<BR> +Laocoon, Neptune's priest by lot that year,<BR> +With solemn pomp then sacrific'd a steer;<BR> +When, dreadful to behold, from sea we spied<BR> +Two serpents, rank'd abreast, the seas divide,<BR> +And smoothly sweep along the swelling tide.<BR> +Their flaming crests above the waves they show;<BR> +Their bellies seem to burn the seas below;<BR> +Their speckled tails advance to steer their course,<BR> +And on the sounding shore the flying billows force.<BR> +And now the strand, and now the plain they held;<BR> +Their ardent eyes with bloody streaks were fill'd;<BR> +Their nimble tongues they brandish'd as they came,<BR> +And lick'd their hissing jaws, that sputter'd flame.<BR> +We fled amaz'd; their destin'd way they take,<BR> +And to Laocoon and his children make;<BR> +And first around the tender boys they wind,<BR> +Then with their sharpen'd fangs their limbs and bodies grind.<BR> +The wretched father, running to their aid<BR> +With pious haste, but vain, they next invade;<BR> +Twice round his waist their winding volumes roll'd;<BR> +And twice about his gasping throat they fold.<BR> +The priest thus doubly chok'd, their crests divide,<BR> +And tow'ring o'er his head in triumph ride.<BR> +With both his hands he labors at the knots;<BR> +His holy fillets the blue venom blots;<BR> +His roaring fills the flitting air around.<BR> +Thus, when an ox receives a glancing wound,<BR> +He breaks his bands, the fatal altar flies,<BR> +And with loud bellowings breaks the yielding skies.<BR> +Their tasks perform'd, the serpents quit their prey,<BR> +And to the tow'r of Pallas make their way:<BR> +Couch'd at her feet, they lie protected there<BR> +By her large buckler and protended spear.<BR> +Amazement seizes all; the gen'ral cry<BR> +Proclaims Laocoon justly doom'd to die,<BR> +Whose hand the will of Pallas had withstood,<BR> +And dared to violate the sacred wood.<BR> +All vote t' admit the steed, that vows be paid<BR> +And incense offer'd to th' offended maid.<BR> +A spacious breach is made; the town lies bare;<BR> +Some hoisting-levers, some the wheels prepare<BR> +And fasten to the horse's feet; the rest<BR> +With cables haul along th' unwieldly beast.<BR> +Each on his fellow for assistance calls;<BR> +At length the fatal fabric mounts the walls,<BR> +Big with destruction. Boys with chaplets crown'd,<BR> +And choirs of virgins, sing and dance around.<BR> +Thus rais'd aloft, and then descending down,<BR> +It enters o'er our heads, and threats the town.<BR> +O sacred city, built by hands divine!<BR> +O valiant heroes of the Trojan line!<BR> +Four times he struck: as oft the clashing sound<BR> +Of arms was heard, and inward groans rebound.<BR> +Yet, mad with zeal, and blinded with our fate,<BR> +We haul along the horse in solemn state;<BR> +Then place the dire portent within the tow'r.<BR> +Cassandra cried, and curs'd th' unhappy hour;<BR> +Foretold our fate; but, by the god's decree,<BR> +All heard, and none believ'd the prophecy.<BR> +With branches we the fanes adorn, and waste,<BR> +In jollity, the day ordain'd to be the last.<BR> +Meantime the rapid heav'ns roll'd down the light,<BR> +And on the shaded ocean rush'd the night;<BR> +Our men, secure, nor guards nor sentries held,<BR> +But easy sleep their weary limbs compell'd.<BR> +The Grecians had embark'd their naval pow'rs<BR> +From Tenedos, and sought our well-known shores,<BR> +Safe under covert of the silent night,<BR> +And guided by th' imperial galley's light;<BR> +When Sinon, favor'd by the partial gods,<BR> +Unlock'd the horse, and op'd his dark abodes;<BR> +Restor'd to vital air our hidden foes,<BR> +Who joyful from their long confinement rose.<BR> +Tysander bold, and Sthenelus their guide,<BR> +And dire Ulysses down the cable slide:<BR> +Then Thoas, Athamas, and Pyrrhus haste;<BR> +Nor was the Podalirian hero last,<BR> +Nor injur'd Menelaus, nor the fam'd<BR> +Epeus, who the fatal engine fram'd.<BR> +A nameless crowd succeed; their forces join<BR> +T' invade the town, oppress'd with sleep and wine.<BR> +Those few they find awake first meet their fate;<BR> +Then to their fellows they unbar the gate.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'T was in the dead of night, when sleep repairs<BR> +Our bodies worn with toils, our minds with cares,<BR> +When Hector's ghost before my sight appears:<BR> +A bloody shroud he seem'd, and bath'd in tears;<BR> +Such as he was, when, by Pelides slain,<BR> +Thessalian coursers dragg'd him o'er the plain.<BR> +Swoln were his feet, as when the thongs were thrust<BR> +Thro' the bor'd holes; his body black with dust;<BR> +Unlike that Hector who return'd from toils<BR> +Of war, triumphant, in Aeacian spoils,<BR> +Or him who made the fainting Greeks retire,<BR> +And launch'd against their navy Phrygian fire.<BR> +His hair and beard stood stiffen'd with his gore;<BR> +And all the wounds he for his country bore<BR> +Now stream'd afresh, and with new purple ran.<BR> +I wept to see the visionary man,<BR> +And, while my trance continued, thus began:<BR> +'O light of Trojans, and support of Troy,<BR> +Thy father's champion, and thy country's joy!<BR> +O, long expected by thy friends! from whence<BR> +Art thou so late return'd for our defense?<BR> +Do we behold thee, wearied as we are<BR> +With length of labors, and with toils of war?<BR> +After so many fun'rals of thy own<BR> +Art thou restor'd to thy declining town?<BR> +But say, what wounds are these? What new disgrace<BR> +Deforms the manly features of thy face?'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"To this the specter no reply did frame,<BR> +But answer'd to the cause for which he came,<BR> +And, groaning from the bottom of his breast,<BR> +This warning in these mournful words express'd:<BR> +'O goddess-born! escape, by timely flight,<BR> +The flames and horrors of this fatal night.<BR> +The foes already have possess'd the wall;<BR> +Troy nods from high, and totters to her fall.<BR> +Enough is paid to Priam's royal name,<BR> +More than enough to duty and to fame.<BR> +If by a mortal hand my father's throne<BR> +Could be defended, 't was by mine alone.<BR> +Now Troy to thee commends her future state,<BR> +And gives her gods companions of thy fate:<BR> +From their assistance walls expect,<BR> +Which, wand'ring long, at last thou shalt erect.'<BR> +He said, and brought me, from their blest abodes,<BR> +The venerable statues of the gods,<BR> +With ancient Vesta from the sacred choir,<BR> +The wreaths and relics of th' immortal fire.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Now peals of shouts come thund'ring from afar,<BR> +Cries, threats, and loud laments, and mingled war:<BR> +The noise approaches, tho' our palace stood<BR> +Aloof from streets, encompass'd with a wood.<BR> +Louder, and yet more loud, I hear th' alarms<BR> +Of human cries distinct, and clashing arms.<BR> +Fear broke my slumbers; I no longer stay,<BR> +But mount the terrace, thence the town survey,<BR> +And hearken what the frightful sounds convey.<BR> +Thus, when a flood of fire by wind is borne,<BR> +Crackling it rolls, and mows the standing corn;<BR> +Or deluges, descending on the plains,<BR> +Sweep o'er the yellow year, destroy the pains<BR> +Of lab'ring oxen and the peasant's gains;<BR> +Unroot the forest oaks, and bear away<BR> +Flocks, folds, and trees, and undistinguish'd prey:<BR> +The shepherd climbs the cliff, and sees from far<BR> +The wasteful ravage of the wat'ry war.<BR> +Then Hector's faith was manifestly clear'd,<BR> +And Grecian frauds in open light appear'd.<BR> +The palace of Deiphobus ascends<BR> +In smoky flames, and catches on his friends.<BR> +Ucalegon burns next: the seas are bright<BR> +With splendor not their own, and shine with Trojan light.<BR> +New clamors and new clangors now arise,<BR> +The sound of trumpets mix'd with fighting cries.<BR> +With frenzy seiz'd, I run to meet th' alarms,<BR> +Resolv'd on death, resolv'd to die in arms,<BR> +But first to gather friends, with them t' oppose<BR> +(If fortune favor'd) and repel the foes;<BR> +Spurr'd by my courage, by my country fir'd,<BR> +With sense of honor and revenge inspir'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Pantheus, Apollo's priest, a sacred name,<BR> +Had scap'd the Grecian swords, and pass'd the flame:<BR> +With relics loaden. to my doors he fled,<BR> +And by the hand his tender grandson led.<BR> +'What hope, O Pantheus? whither can we run?<BR> +Where make a stand? and what may yet be done?'<BR> +Scarce had I said, when Pantheus, with a groan:<BR> +'Troy is no more, and Ilium was a town!<BR> +The fatal day, th' appointed hour, is come,<BR> +When wrathful Jove's irrevocable doom<BR> +Transfers the Trojan state to Grecian hands.<BR> +The fire consumes the town, the foe commands;<BR> +And armed hosts, an unexpected force,<BR> +Break from the bowels of the fatal horse.<BR> +Within the gates, proud Sinon throws about<BR> +The flames; and foes for entrance press without,<BR> +With thousand others, whom I fear to name,<BR> +More than from Argos or Mycenae came.<BR> +To sev'ral posts their parties they divide;<BR> +Some block the narrow streets, some scour the wide:<BR> +The bold they kill, th' unwary they surprise;<BR> +Who fights finds death, and death finds him who flies.<BR> +The warders of the gate but scarce maintain<BR> +Th' unequal combat, and resist in vain.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"I heard; and Heav'n, that well-born souls inspires,<BR> +Prompts me thro' lifted swords and rising fires<BR> +To run where clashing arms and clamor calls,<BR> +And rush undaunted to defend the walls.<BR> +Ripheus and Iph'itus by my side engage,<BR> +For valor one renown'd, and one for age.<BR> +Dymas and Hypanis by moonlight knew<BR> +My motions and my mien, and to my party drew;<BR> +With young Coroebus, who by love was led<BR> +To win renown and fair Cassandra's bed,<BR> +And lately brought his troops to Priam's aid,<BR> +Forewarn'd in vain by the prophetic maid.<BR> +Whom when I saw resolv'd in arms to fall,<BR> +And that one spirit animated all:<BR> +'Brave souls!' said I,- 'but brave, alas! in vain-<BR> +Come, finish what our cruel fates ordain.<BR> +You see the desp'rate state of our affairs,<BR> +And heav'n's protecting pow'rs are deaf to pray'rs.<BR> +The passive gods behold the Greeks defile<BR> +Their temples, and abandon to the spoil<BR> +Their own abodes: we, feeble few, conspire<BR> +To save a sinking town, involv'd in fire.<BR> +Then let us fall, but fall amidst our foes:<BR> +Despair of life the means of living shows.'<BR> +So bold a speech incourag'd their desire<BR> +Of death, and added fuel to their fire.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"As hungry wolves, with raging appetite,<BR> +Scour thro' the fields, nor fear the stormy night-<BR> +Their whelps at home expect the promis'd food,<BR> +And long to temper their dry chaps in blood-<BR> +So rush'd we forth at once; resolv'd to die,<BR> +Resolv'd, in death, the last extremes to try.<BR> +We leave the narrow lanes behind, and dare<BR> +Th' unequal combat in the public square:<BR> +Night was our friend; our leader was despair.<BR> +What tongue can tell the slaughter of that night?<BR> +What eyes can weep the sorrows and affright?<BR> +An ancient and imperial city falls:<BR> +The streets are fill'd with frequent funerals;<BR> +Houses and holy temples float in blood,<BR> +And hostile nations make a common flood.<BR> +Not only Trojans fall; but, in their turn,<BR> +The vanquish'd triumph, and the victors mourn.<BR> +Ours take new courage from despair and night:<BR> +Confus'd the fortune is, confus'd the fight.<BR> +All parts resound with tumults, plaints, and fears;<BR> +And grisly Death in sundry shapes appears.<BR> +Androgeos fell among us, with his band,<BR> +Who thought us Grecians newly come to land.<BR> +'From whence,' said he, 'my friends, this long delay?<BR> +You loiter, while the spoils are borne away:<BR> +Our ships are laden with the Trojan store;<BR> +And you, like truants, come too late ashore.'<BR> +He said, but soon corrected his mistake,<BR> +Found, by the doubtful answers which we make:<BR> +Amaz'd, he would have shunn'd th' unequal fight;<BR> +But we, more num'rous, intercept his flight.<BR> +As when some peasant, in a bushy brake,<BR> +Has with unwary footing press'd a snake;<BR> +He starts aside, astonish'd, when he spies<BR> +His rising crest, blue neck, and rolling eyes;<BR> +So from our arms surpris'd Androgeos flies.<BR> +In vain; for him and his we compass'd round,<BR> +Possess'd with fear, unknowing of the ground,<BR> +And of their lives an easy conquest found.<BR> +Thus Fortune on our first endeavor smil'd.<BR> +Coroebus then, with youthful hopes beguil'd,<BR> +Swoln with success, and a daring mind,<BR> +This new invention fatally design'd.<BR> +'My friends,' said he, 'since Fortune shows the way,<BR> +'T is fit we should th' auspicious guide obey.<BR> +For what has she these Grecian arms bestow'd,<BR> +But their destruction, and the Trojans' good?<BR> +Then change we shields, and their devices bear:<BR> +Let fraud supply the want of force in war.<BR> +They find us arms.' This said, himself he dress'd<BR> +In dead Androgeos' spoils, his upper vest,<BR> +His painted buckler, and his plumy crest.<BR> +Thus Ripheus, Dymas, all the Trojan train,<BR> +Lay down their own attire, and strip the slain.<BR> +Mix'd with the Greeks, we go with ill presage,<BR> +Flatter'd with hopes to glut our greedy rage;<BR> +Unknown, assaulting whom we blindly meet,<BR> +And strew with Grecian carcasses the street.<BR> +Thus while their straggling parties we defeat,<BR> +Some to the shore and safer ships retreat;<BR> +And some, oppress'd with more ignoble fear,<BR> +Remount the hollow horse, and pant in secret there.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"But, ah! what use of valor can be made,<BR> +When heav'n's propitious pow'rs refuse their aid!<BR> +Behold the royal prophetess, the fair<BR> +Cassandra, dragg'd by her dishevel'd hair,<BR> +Whom not Minerva's shrine, nor sacred bands,<BR> +In safety could protect from sacrilegious hands:<BR> +On heav'n she cast her eyes, she sigh'd, she cried-<BR> +'T was all she could- her tender arms were tied.<BR> +So sad a sight Coroebus could not bear;<BR> +But, fir'd with rage, distracted with despair,<BR> +Amid the barb'rous ravishers he flew:<BR> +Our leader's rash example we pursue.<BR> +But storms of stones, from the proud temple's height,<BR> +Pour down, and on our batter'd helms alight:<BR> +We from our friends receiv'd this fatal blow,<BR> +Who thought us Grecians, as we seem'd in show.<BR> +They aim at the mistaken crests, from high;<BR> +And ours beneath the pond'rous ruin lie.<BR> +Then, mov'd with anger and disdain, to see<BR> +Their troops dispers'd, the royal virgin free,<BR> +The Grecians rally, and their pow'rs unite,<BR> +With fury charge us, and renew the fight.<BR> +The brother kings with Ajax join their force,<BR> +And the whole squadron of Thessalian horse.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Thus, when the rival winds their quarrel try,<BR> +Contending for the kingdom of the sky,<BR> +South, east, and west, on airy coursers borne;<BR> +The whirlwind gathers, and the woods are torn:<BR> +Then Nereus strikes the deep; the billows rise,<BR> +And, mix'd with ooze and sand, pollute the skies.<BR> +The troops we squander'd first again appear<BR> +From several quarters, and enclose the rear.<BR> +They first observe, and to the rest betray,<BR> +Our diff'rent speech; our borrow'd arms survey.<BR> +Oppress'd with odds, we fall; Coroebus first,<BR> +At Pallas' altar, by Peneleus pierc'd.<BR> +Then Ripheus follow'd, in th' unequal fight;<BR> +Just of his word, observant of the right:<BR> +Heav'n thought not so. Dymas their fate attends,<BR> +With Hypanis, mistaken by their friends.<BR> +Nor, Pantheus, thee, thy miter, nor the bands<BR> +Of awful Phoebus, sav'd from impious hands.<BR> +Ye Trojan flames, your testimony bear,<BR> +What I perform'd, and what I suffer'd there;<BR> +No sword avoiding in the fatal strife,<BR> +Expos'd to death, and prodigal of life;<BR> +Witness, ye heavens! I live not by my fault:<BR> +I strove to have deserv'd the death I sought.<BR> +But, when I could not fight, and would have died,<BR> +Borne off to distance by the growing tide,<BR> +Old Iphitus and I were hurried thence,<BR> +With Pelias wounded, and without defense.<BR> +New clamors from th' invested palace ring:<BR> +We run to die, or disengage the king.<BR> +So hot th' assault, so high the tumult rose,<BR> +While ours defend, and while the Greeks oppose<BR> +As all the Dardan and Argolic race<BR> +Had been contracted in that narrow space;<BR> +Or as all Ilium else were void of fear,<BR> +And tumult, war, and slaughter, only there.<BR> +Their targets in a tortoise cast, the foes,<BR> +Secure advancing, to the turrets rose:<BR> +Some mount the scaling ladders; some, more bold,<BR> +Swerve upwards, and by posts and pillars hold;<BR> +Their left hand gripes their bucklers in th' ascent,<BR> +While with their right they seize the battlement.<BR> +From their demolish'd tow'rs the Trojans throw<BR> +Huge heaps of stones, that, falling, crush the foe;<BR> +And heavy beams and rafters from the sides<BR> +(Such arms their last necessity provides)<BR> +And gilded roofs, come tumbling from on high,<BR> +The marks of state and ancient royalty.<BR> +The guards below, fix'd in the pass, attend<BR> +The charge undaunted, and the gate defend.<BR> +Renew'd in courage with recover'd breath,<BR> +A second time we ran to tempt our death,<BR> +To clear the palace from the foe, succeed<BR> +The weary living, and revenge the dead.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"A postern door, yet unobserv'd and free,<BR> +Join'd by the length of a blind gallery,<BR> +To the king's closet led: a way well known<BR> +To Hector's wife, while Priam held the throne,<BR> +Thro' which she brought Astyanax, unseen,<BR> +To cheer his grandsire and his grandsire's queen.<BR> +Thro' this we pass, and mount the tow'r, from whence<BR> +With unavailing arms the Trojans make defense.<BR> +From this the trembling king had oft descried<BR> +The Grecian camp, and saw their navy ride.<BR> +Beams from its lofty height with swords we hew,<BR> +Then, wrenching with our hands, th' assault renew;<BR> +And, where the rafters on the columns meet,<BR> +We push them headlong with our arms and feet.<BR> +The lightning flies not swifter than the fall,<BR> +Nor thunder louder than the ruin'd wall:<BR> +Down goes the top at once; the Greeks beneath<BR> +Are piecemeal torn, or pounded into death.<BR> +Yet more succeed, and more to death are sent;<BR> +We cease not from above, nor they below relent.<BR> +Before the gate stood Pyrrhus, threat'ning loud,<BR> +With glitt'ring arms conspicuous in the crowd.<BR> +So shines, renew'd in youth, the crested snake,<BR> +Who slept the winter in a thorny brake,<BR> +And, casting off his slough when spring returns,<BR> +Now looks aloft, and with new glory burns;<BR> +Restor'd with poisonous herbs, his ardent sides<BR> +Reflect the sun; and rais'd on spires he rides;<BR> +High o'er the grass, hissing he rolls along,<BR> +And brandishes by fits his forky tongue.<BR> +Proud Periphas, and fierce Automedon,<BR> +His father's charioteer, together run<BR> +To force the gate; the Scyrian infantry<BR> +Rush on in crowds, and the barr'd passage free.<BR> +Ent'ring the court, with shouts the skies they rend;<BR> +And flaming firebrands to the roofs ascend.<BR> +Himself, among the foremost, deals his blows,<BR> +And with his ax repeated strokes bestows<BR> +On the strong doors; then all their shoulders ply,<BR> +Till from the posts the brazen hinges fly.<BR> +He hews apace; the double bars at length<BR> +Yield to his ax and unresisted strength.<BR> +A mighty breach is made: the rooms conceal'd<BR> +Appear, and all the palace is reveal'd;<BR> +The halls of audience, and of public state,<BR> +And where the lonely queen in secret sate.<BR> +Arm'd soldiers now by trembling maids are seen,<BR> +With not a door, and scarce a space, between.<BR> +The house is fill'd with loud laments and cries,<BR> +And shrieks of women rend the vaulted skies;<BR> +The fearful matrons run from place to place,<BR> +And kiss the thresholds, and the posts embrace.<BR> +The fatal work inhuman Pyrrhus plies,<BR> +And all his father sparkles in his eyes;<BR> +Nor bars, nor fighting guards, his force sustain:<BR> +The bars are broken, and the guards are slain.<BR> +In rush the Greeks, and all the apartments fill;<BR> +Those few defendants whom they find, they kill.<BR> +Not with so fierce a rage the foaming flood<BR> +Roars, when he finds his rapid course withstood;<BR> +Bears down the dams with unresisted sway,<BR> +And sweeps the cattle and the cots away.<BR> +These eyes beheld him when he march'd between<BR> +The brother kings: I saw th' unhappy queen,<BR> +The hundred wives, and where old Priam stood,<BR> +To stain his hallow'd altar with his brood.<BR> +The fifty nuptial beds (such hopes had he,<BR> +So large a promise, of a progeny),<BR> +The posts, of plated gold, and hung with spoils,<BR> +Fell the reward of the proud victor's toils.<BR> +Where'er the raging fire had left a space,<BR> +The Grecians enter and possess the place.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Perhaps you may of Priam's fate enquire.<BR> +He, when he saw his regal town on fire,<BR> +His ruin'd palace, and his ent'ring foes,<BR> +On ev'ry side inevitable woes,<BR> +In arms, disus'd, invests his limbs, decay'd,<BR> +Like them, with age; a late and useless aid.<BR> +His feeble shoulders scarce the weight sustain;<BR> +Loaded, not arm'd, he creeps along with pain,<BR> +Despairing of success, ambitious to be slain!<BR> +Uncover'd but by heav'n, there stood in view<BR> +An altar; near the hearth a laurel grew,<BR> +Dodder'd with age, whose boughs encompass round<BR> +The household gods, and shade the holy ground.<BR> +Here Hecuba, with all her helpless train<BR> +Of dames, for shelter sought, but sought in vain.<BR> +Driv'n like a flock of doves along the sky,<BR> +Their images they hug, and to their altars fly.<BR> +The Queen, when she beheld her trembling lord,<BR> +And hanging by his side a heavy sword,<BR> +'What rage,' she cried, 'has seiz'd my husband's mind?<BR> +What arms are these, and to what use design'd?<BR> +These times want other aids! Were Hector here,<BR> +Ev'n Hector now in vain, like Priam, would appear.<BR> +With us, one common shelter thou shalt find,<BR> +Or in one common fate with us be join'd.'<BR> +She said, and with a last salute embrac'd<BR> +The poor old man, and by the laurel plac'd.<BR> +Behold! Polites, one of Priam's sons,<BR> +Pursued by Pyrrhus, there for safety runs.<BR> +Thro' swords and foes, amaz'd and hurt, he flies<BR> +Thro' empty courts and open galleries.<BR> +Him Pyrrhus, urging with his lance, pursues,<BR> +And often reaches, and his thrusts renews.<BR> +The youth, transfix'd, with lamentable cries,<BR> +Expires before his wretched parent's eyes:<BR> +Whom gasping at his feet when Priam saw,<BR> +The fear of death gave place to nature's law;<BR> +And, shaking more with anger than with age,<BR> +'The gods,' said he, 'requite thy brutal rage!<BR> +As sure they will, barbarian, sure they must,<BR> +If there be gods in heav'n, and gods be just-<BR> +Who tak'st in wrongs an insolent delight;<BR> +With a son's death t' infect a father's sight.<BR> +Not he, whom thou and lying fame conspire<BR> +To call thee his- not he, thy vaunted sire,<BR> +Thus us'd my wretched age: the gods he fear'd,<BR> +The laws of nature and of nations heard.<BR> +He cheer'd my sorrows, and, for sums of gold,<BR> +The bloodless carcass of my Hector sold;<BR> +Pitied the woes a parent underwent,<BR> +And sent me back in safety from his tent.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"This said, his feeble hand a javelin threw,<BR> +Which, flutt'ring, seem'd to loiter as it flew:<BR> +Just, and but barely, to the mark it held,<BR> +And faintly tinkled on the brazen shield.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Then Pyrrhus thus: 'Go thou from me to fate,<BR> +And to my father my foul deeds relate.<BR> +Now die!' With that he dragg'd the trembling sire,<BR> +Slidd'ring thro' clotter'd blood and holy mire,<BR> +(The mingled paste his murder'd son had made,)<BR> +Haul'd from beneath the violated shade,<BR> +And on the sacred pile the royal victim laid.<BR> +His right hand held his bloody falchion bare,<BR> +His left he twisted in his hoary hair;<BR> +Then, with a speeding thrust, his heart he found:<BR> +The lukewarm blood came rushing thro' the wound,<BR> +And sanguine streams distain'd the sacred ground.<BR> +Thus Priam fell, and shar'd one common fate<BR> +With Troy in ashes, and his ruin'd state:<BR> +He, who the scepter of all Asia sway'd,<BR> +Whom monarchs like domestic slaves obey'd.<BR> +On the bleak shore now lies th' abandon'd king,<BR> +A headless carcass, and a nameless thing.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Then, not before, I felt my cruddled blood<BR> +Congeal with fear, my hair with horror stood:<BR> +My father's image fill'd my pious mind,<BR> +Lest equal years might equal fortune find.<BR> +Again I thought on my forsaken wife,<BR> +And trembled for my son's abandon'd life.<BR> +I look'd about, but found myself alone,<BR> +Deserted at my need! My friends were gone.<BR> +Some spent with toil, some with despair oppress'd,<BR> +Leap'd headlong from the heights; the flames consum'd the rest.<BR> +Thus, wand'ring in my way, without a guide,<BR> +The graceless Helen in the porch I spied<BR> +Of Vesta's temple; there she lurk'd alone;<BR> +Muffled she sate, and, what she could, unknown:<BR> +But, by the flames that cast their blaze around,<BR> +That common bane of Greece and Troy I found.<BR> +For Ilium burnt, she dreads the Trojan sword;<BR> +More dreads the vengeance of her injur'd lord;<BR> +Ev'n by those gods who refug'd her abhorr'd.<BR> +Trembling with rage, the strumpet I regard,<BR> +Resolv'd to give her guilt the due reward:<BR> +'Shall she triumphant sail before the wind,<BR> +And leave in flames unhappy Troy behind?<BR> +Shall she her kingdom and her friends review,<BR> +In state attended with a captive crew,<BR> +While unreveng'd the good old Priam falls,<BR> +And Grecian fires consume the Trojan walls?<BR> +For this the Phrygian fields and Xanthian flood<BR> +Were swell'd with bodies, and were drunk with blood?<BR> +'T is true, a soldier can small honor gain,<BR> +And boast no conquest, from a woman slain:<BR> +Yet shall the fact not pass without applause,<BR> +Of vengeance taken in so just a cause;<BR> +The punish'd crime shall set my soul at ease,<BR> +And murm'ring manes of my friends appease.'<BR> +Thus while I rave, a gleam of pleasing light<BR> +Spread o'er the place; and, shining heav'nly bright,<BR> +My mother stood reveal'd before my sight<BR> +Never so radiant did her eyes appear;<BR> +Not her own star confess'd a light so clear:<BR> +Great in her charms, as when on gods above<BR> +She looks, and breathes herself into their love.<BR> +She held my hand, the destin'd blow to break;<BR> +Then from her rosy lips began to speak:<BR> +'My son, from whence this madness, this neglect<BR> +Of my commands, and those whom I protect?<BR> +Why this unmanly rage? Recall to mind<BR> +Whom you forsake, what pledges leave behind.<BR> +Look if your helpless father yet survive,<BR> +Or if Ascanius or Creusa live.<BR> +Around your house the greedy Grecians err;<BR> +And these had perish'd in the nightly war,<BR> +But for my presence and protecting care.<BR> +Not Helen's face, nor Paris, was in fault;<BR> +But by the gods was this destruction brought.<BR> +Now cast your eyes around, while I dissolve<BR> +The mists and films that mortal eyes involve,<BR> +Purge from your sight the dross, and make you see<BR> +The shape of each avenging deity.<BR> +Enlighten'd thus, my just commands fulfil,<BR> +Nor fear obedience to your mother's will.<BR> +Where yon disorder'd heap of ruin lies,<BR> +Stones rent from stones; where clouds of dust arise-<BR> +Amid that smother Neptune holds his place,<BR> +Below the wall's foundation drives his mace,<BR> +And heaves the building from the solid base.<BR> +Look where, in arms, imperial Juno stands<BR> +Full in the Scaean gate, with loud commands,<BR> +Urging on shore the tardy Grecian bands.<BR> +See! Pallas, of her snaky buckler proud,<BR> +Bestrides the tow'r, refulgent thro' the cloud:<BR> +See! Jove new courage to the foe supplies,<BR> +And arms against the town the partial deities.<BR> +Haste hence, my son; this fruitless labor end:<BR> +Haste, where your trembling spouse and sire attend:<BR> +Haste; and a mother's care your passage shall befriend.'<BR> +She said, and swiftly vanish'd from my sight,<BR> +Obscure in clouds and gloomy shades of night.<BR> +I look'd, I listen'd; dreadful sounds I hear;<BR> +And the dire forms of hostile gods appear.<BR> +Troy sunk in flames I saw (nor could prevent),<BR> +And Ilium from its old foundations rent;<BR> +Rent like a mountain ash, which dar'd the winds,<BR> +And stood the sturdy strokes of lab'ring hinds.<BR> +About the roots the cruel ax resounds;<BR> +The stumps are pierc'd with oft-repeated wounds:<BR> +The war is felt on high; the nodding crown<BR> +Now threats a fall, and throws the leafy honors down.<BR> +To their united force it yields, tho' late,<BR> +And mourns with mortal groans th' approaching fate:<BR> +The roots no more their upper load sustain;<BR> +But down she falls, and spreads a ruin thro' the plain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Descending thence, I scape thro' foes and fire:<BR> +Before the goddess, foes and flames retire.<BR> +Arriv'd at home, he, for whose only sake,<BR> +Or most for his, such toils I undertake,<BR> +The good Anchises, whom, by timely flight,<BR> +I purpos'd to secure on Ida's height,<BR> +Refus'd the journey, resolute to die<BR> +And add his fun'rals to the fate of Troy,<BR> +Rather than exile and old age sustain.<BR> +'Go you, whose blood runs warm in ev'ry vein.<BR> +Had Heav'n decreed that I should life enjoy,<BR> +Heav'n had decreed to save unhappy Troy.<BR> +'T is, sure, enough, if not too much, for one,<BR> +Twice to have seen our Ilium overthrown.<BR> +Make haste to save the poor remaining crew,<BR> +And give this useless corpse a long adieu.<BR> +These weak old hands suffice to stop my breath;<BR> +At least the pitying foes will aid my death,<BR> +To take my spoils, and leave my body bare:<BR> +As for my sepulcher, let Heav'n take care.<BR> +'T is long since I, for my celestial wife<BR> +Loath'd by the gods, have dragg'd a ling'ring life;<BR> +Since ev'ry hour and moment I expire,<BR> +Blasted from heav'n by Jove's avenging fire.'<BR> +This oft repeated, he stood fix'd to die:<BR> +Myself, my wife, my son, my family,<BR> +Intreat, pray, beg, and raise a doleful cry-<BR> +'What, will he still persist, on death resolve,<BR> +And in his ruin all his house involve!'<BR> +He still persists his reasons to maintain;<BR> +Our pray'rs, our tears, our loud laments, are vain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Urg'd by despair, again I go to try<BR> +The fate of arms, resolv'd in fight to die:<BR> +'What hope remains, but what my death must give?<BR> +Can I, without so dear a father, live?<BR> +You term it prudence, what I baseness call:<BR> +Could such a word from such a parent fall?<BR> +If Fortune please, and so the gods ordain,<BR> +That nothing should of ruin'd Troy remain,<BR> +And you conspire with Fortune to be slain,<BR> +The way to death is wide, th' approaches near:<BR> +For soon relentless Pyrrhus will appear,<BR> +Reeking with Priam's blood- the wretch who slew<BR> +The son (inhuman) in the father's view,<BR> +And then the sire himself to the dire altar drew.<BR> +O goddess mother, give me back to Fate;<BR> +Your gift was undesir'd, and came too late!<BR> +Did you, for this, unhappy me convey<BR> +Thro' foes and fires, to see my house a prey?<BR> +Shall I my father, wife, and son behold,<BR> +Welt'ring in blood, each other's arms infold?<BR> +Haste! gird my sword, tho' spent and overcome:<BR> +'T is the last summons to receive our doom.<BR> +I hear thee, Fate; and I obey thy call!<BR> +Not unreveng'd the foe shall see my fall.<BR> +Restore me to the yet unfinish'd fight:<BR> +My death is wanting to conclude the night.'<BR> +Arm'd once again, my glitt'ring sword I wield,<BR> +While th' other hand sustains my weighty shield,<BR> +And forth I rush to seek th' abandon'd field.<BR> +I went; but sad Creusa stopp'd my way,<BR> +And cross the threshold in my passage lay,<BR> +Embrac'd my knees, and, when I would have gone,<BR> +Shew'd me my feeble sire and tender son:<BR> +'If death be your design, at least,' said she,<BR> +'Take us along to share your destiny.<BR> +If any farther hopes in arms remain,<BR> +This place, these pledges of your love, maintain.<BR> +To whom do you expose your father's life,<BR> +Your son's, and mine, your now forgotten wife!'<BR> +While thus she fills the house with clam'rous cries,<BR> +Our hearing is diverted by our eyes:<BR> +For, while I held my son, in the short space<BR> +Betwixt our kisses and our last embrace;<BR> +Strange to relate, from young Iulus' head<BR> +A lambent flame arose, which gently spread<BR> +Around his brows, and on his temples fed.<BR> +Amaz'd, with running water we prepare<BR> +To quench the sacred fire, and slake his hair;<BR> +But old Anchises, vers'd in omens, rear'd<BR> +His hands to heav'n, and this request preferr'd:<BR> +'If any vows, almighty Jove, can bend<BR> +Thy will; if piety can pray'rs commend,<BR> +Confirm the glad presage which thou art pleas'd to send.'<BR> +Scarce had he said, when, on our left, we hear<BR> +A peal of rattling thunder roll in air:<BR> +There shot a streaming lamp along the sky,<BR> +Which on the winged lightning seem'd to fly;<BR> +From o'er the roof the blaze began to move,<BR> +And, trailing, vanish'd in th' Idaean grove.<BR> +It swept a path in heav'n, and shone a guide,<BR> +Then in a steaming stench of sulphur died.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"The good old man with suppliant hands implor'd<BR> +The gods' protection, and their star ador'd.<BR> +'Now, now,' said he, 'my son, no more delay!<BR> +I yield, I follow where Heav'n shews the way.<BR> +Keep, O my country gods, our dwelling place,<BR> +And guard this relic of the Trojan race,<BR> +This tender child! These omens are your own,<BR> +And you can yet restore the ruin'd town.<BR> +At least accomplish what your signs foreshow:<BR> +I stand resign'd, and am prepar'd to go.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"He said. The crackling flames appear on high.<BR> +And driving sparkles dance along the sky.<BR> +With Vulcan's rage the rising winds conspire,<BR> +And near our palace roll the flood of fire.<BR> +'Haste, my dear father, ('t is no time to wait,)<BR> +And load my shoulders with a willing freight.<BR> +Whate'er befalls, your life shall be my care;<BR> +One death, or one deliv'rance, we will share.<BR> +My hand shall lead our little son; and you,<BR> +My faithful consort, shall our steps pursue.<BR> +Next, you, my servants, heed my strict commands:<BR> +Without the walls a ruin'd temple stands,<BR> +To Ceres hallow'd once; a cypress nigh<BR> +Shoots up her venerable head on high,<BR> +By long religion kept; there bend your feet,<BR> +And in divided parties let us meet.<BR> +Our country gods, the relics, and the bands,<BR> +Hold you, my father, in your guiltless hands:<BR> +In me 't is impious holy things to bear,<BR> +Red as I am with slaughter, new from war,<BR> +Till in some living stream I cleanse the guilt<BR> +Of dire debate, and blood in battle spilt.'<BR> +Thus, ord'ring all that prudence could provide,<BR> +I clothe my shoulders with a lion's hide<BR> +And yellow spoils; then, on my bending back,<BR> +The welcome load of my dear father take;<BR> +While on my better hand Ascanius hung,<BR> +And with unequal paces tripp'd along.<BR> +Creusa kept behind; by choice we stray<BR> +Thro' ev'ry dark and ev'ry devious way.<BR> +I, who so bold and dauntless, just before,<BR> +The Grecian darts and shock of lances bore,<BR> +At ev'ry shadow now am seiz'd with fear,<BR> +Not for myself, but for the charge I bear;<BR> +Till, near the ruin'd gate arriv'd at last,<BR> +Secure, and deeming all the danger past,<BR> +A frightful noise of trampling feet we hear.<BR> +My father, looking thro' the shades, with fear,<BR> +Cried out: 'Haste, haste, my son, the foes are nigh;<BR> +Their swords and shining armor I descry.'<BR> +Some hostile god, for some unknown offense,<BR> +Had sure bereft my mind of better sense;<BR> +For, while thro' winding ways I took my flight,<BR> +And sought the shelter of the gloomy night,<BR> +Alas! I lost Creusa: hard to tell<BR> +If by her fatal destiny she fell,<BR> +Or weary sate, or wander'd with affright;<BR> +But she was lost for ever to my sight.<BR> +I knew not, or reflected, till I meet<BR> +My friends, at Ceres' now deserted seat.<BR> +We met: not one was wanting; only she<BR> +Deceiv'd her friends, her son, and wretched me.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"What mad expressions did my tongue refuse!<BR> +Whom did I not, of gods or men, accuse!<BR> +This was the fatal blow, that pain'd me more<BR> +Than all I felt from ruin'd Troy before.<BR> +Stung with my loss, and raving with despair,<BR> +Abandoning my now forgotten care,<BR> +Of counsel, comfort, and of hope bereft,<BR> +My sire, my son, my country gods I left.<BR> +In shining armor once again I sheathe<BR> +My limbs, not feeling wounds, nor fearing death.<BR> +Then headlong to the burning walls I run,<BR> +And seek the danger I was forc'd to shun.<BR> +I tread my former tracks; thro' night explore<BR> +Each passage, ev'ry street I cross'd before.<BR> +All things were full of horror and affright,<BR> +And dreadful ev'n the silence of the night.<BR> +Then to my father's house I make repair,<BR> +With some small glimpse of hope to find her there.<BR> +Instead of her, the cruel Greeks I met;<BR> +The house was fill'd with foes, with flames beset.<BR> +Driv'n on the wings of winds, whole sheets of fire,<BR> +Thro' air transported, to the roofs aspire.<BR> +From thence to Priam's palace I resort,<BR> +And search the citadel and desart court.<BR> +Then, unobserv'd, I pass by Juno's church:<BR> +A guard of Grecians had possess'd the porch;<BR> +There Phoenix and Ulysses watch prey,<BR> +And thither all the wealth of Troy convey:<BR> +The spoils which they from ransack'd houses brought,<BR> +And golden bowls from burning altars caught,<BR> +The tables of the gods, the purple vests,<BR> +The people's treasure, and the pomp of priests.<BR> +A rank of wretched youths, with pinion'd hands,<BR> +And captive matrons, in long order stands.<BR> +Then, with ungovern'd madness, I proclaim,<BR> +Thro' all the silent street, Creusa's name:<BR> +Creusa still I call; at length she hears,<BR> +And sudden thro' the shades of night appears-<BR> +Appears, no more Creusa, nor my wife,<BR> +But a pale specter, larger than the life.<BR> +Aghast, astonish'd, and struck dumb with fear,<BR> +I stood; like bristles rose my stiffen'd hair.<BR> +Then thus the ghost began to soothe my grief<BR> +'Nor tears, nor cries, can give the dead relief.<BR> +Desist, my much-lov'd lord,'t indulge your pain;<BR> +You bear no more than what the gods ordain.<BR> +My fates permit me not from hence to fly;<BR> +Nor he, the great controller of the sky.<BR> +Long wand'ring ways for you the pow'rs decree;<BR> +On land hard labors, and a length of sea.<BR> +Then, after many painful years are past,<BR> +On Latium's happy shore you shall be cast,<BR> +Where gentle Tiber from his bed beholds<BR> +The flow'ry meadows, and the feeding folds.<BR> +There end your toils; and there your fates provide<BR> +A quiet kingdom, and a royal bride:<BR> +There fortune shall the Trojan line restore,<BR> +And you for lost Creusa weep no more.<BR> +Fear not that I shall watch, with servile shame,<BR> +Th' imperious looks of some proud Grecian dame;<BR> +Or, stooping to the victor's lust, disgrace<BR> +My goddess mother, or my royal race.<BR> +And now, farewell! The parent of the gods<BR> +Restrains my fleeting soul in her abodes:<BR> +I trust our common issue to your care.'<BR> +She said, and gliding pass'd unseen in air.<BR> +I strove to speak: but horror tied my tongue;<BR> +And thrice about her neck my arms I flung,<BR> +And, thrice deceiv'd, on vain embraces hung.<BR> +Light as an empty dream at break of day,<BR> +Or as a blast of wind, she rush'd away.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Thus having pass'd the night in fruitless pain,<BR> +I to my longing friends return again,<BR> +Amaz'd th' augmented number to behold,<BR> +Of men and matrons mix'd, of young and old;<BR> +A wretched exil'd crew together brought,<BR> +With arms appointed, and with treasure fraught,<BR> +Resolv'd, and willing, under my command,<BR> +To run all hazards both of sea and land.<BR> +The Morn began, from Ida, to display<BR> +Her rosy cheeks; and Phosphor led the day:<BR> +Before the gates the Grecians took their post,<BR> +And all pretense of late relief was lost.<BR> +I yield to Fate, unwillingly retire,<BR> +And, loaded, up the hill convey my sire."<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book03"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK III<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"When Heav'n had overturn'd the Trojan state<BR> +And Priam's throne, by too severe a fate;<BR> +When ruin'd Troy became the Grecians' prey,<BR> +And Ilium's lofty tow'rs in ashes lay;<BR> +Warn'd by celestial omens, we retreat,<BR> +To seek in foreign lands a happier seat.<BR> +Near old Antandros, and at Ida's foot,<BR> +The timber of the sacred groves we cut,<BR> +And build our fleet; uncertain yet to find<BR> +What place the gods for our repose assign'd.<BR> +Friends daily flock; and scarce the kindly spring<BR> +Began to clothe the ground, and birds to sing,<BR> +When old Anchises summon'd all to sea:<BR> +The crew my father and the Fates obey.<BR> +With sighs and tears I leave my native shore,<BR> +And empty fields, where Ilium stood before.<BR> +My sire, my son, our less and greater gods,<BR> +All sail at once, and cleave the briny floods.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Against our coast appears a spacious land,<BR> +Which once the fierce Lycurgus did command,<BR> +(Thracia the name- the people bold in war;<BR> +Vast are their fields, and tillage is their care,)<BR> +A hospitable realm while Fate was kind,<BR> +With Troy in friendship and religion join'd.<BR> +I land; with luckless omens then adore<BR> +Their gods, and draw a line along the shore;<BR> +I lay the deep foundations of a wall,<BR> +And Aenos, nam'd from me, the city call.<BR> +To Dionaean Venus vows are paid,<BR> +And all the pow'rs that rising labors aid;<BR> +A bull on Jove's imperial altar laid.<BR> +Not far, a rising hillock stood in view;<BR> +Sharp myrtles on the sides, and cornels grew.<BR> +There, while I went to crop the sylvan scenes,<BR> +And shade our altar with their leafy greens,<BR> +I pull'd a plant- with horror I relate<BR> +A prodigy so strange and full of fate.<BR> +The rooted fibers rose, and from the wound<BR> +Black bloody drops distill'd upon the ground.<BR> +Mute and amaz'd, my hair with terror stood;<BR> +Fear shrunk my sinews, and congeal'd my blood.<BR> +Mann'd once again, another plant I try:<BR> +That other gush'd with the same sanguine dye.<BR> +Then, fearing guilt for some offense unknown,<BR> +With pray'rs and vows the Dryads I atone,<BR> +With all the sisters of the woods, and most<BR> +The God of Arms, who rules the Thracian coast,<BR> +That they, or he, these omens would avert,<BR> +Release our fears, and better signs impart.<BR> +Clear'd, as I thought, and fully fix'd at length<BR> +To learn the cause, I tugged with all my strength:<BR> +I bent my knees against the ground; once more<BR> +The violated myrtle ran with gore.<BR> +Scarce dare I tell the sequel: from the womb<BR> +Of wounded earth, and caverns of the tomb,<BR> +A groan, as of a troubled ghost, renew'd<BR> +My fright, and then these dreadful words ensued:<BR> +'Why dost thou thus my buried body rend?<BR> +O spare the corpse of thy unhappy friend!<BR> +Spare to pollute thy pious hands with blood:<BR> +The tears distil not from the wounded wood;<BR> +But ev'ry drop this living tree contains<BR> +Is kindred blood, and ran in Trojan veins.<BR> +O fly from this unhospitable shore,<BR> +Warn'd by my fate; for I am Polydore!<BR> +Here loads of lances, in my blood embrued,<BR> +Again shoot upward, by my blood renew'd.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"My falt'ring tongue and shiv'ring limbs declare<BR> +My horror, and in bristles rose my hair.<BR> +When Troy with Grecian arms was closely pent,<BR> +Old Priam, fearful of the war's event,<BR> +This hapless Polydore to Thracia sent:<BR> +Loaded with gold, he sent his darling, far<BR> +From noise and tumults, and destructive war,<BR> +Committed to the faithless tyrant's care;<BR> +Who, when he saw the pow'r of Troy decline,<BR> +Forsook the weaker, with the strong to join;<BR> +Broke ev'ry bond of nature and of truth,<BR> +And murder'd, for his wealth, the royal youth.<BR> +O sacred hunger of pernicious gold!<BR> +What bands of faith can impious lucre hold?<BR> +Now, when my soul had shaken off her fears,<BR> +I call my father and the Trojan peers;<BR> +Relate the prodigies of Heav'n, require<BR> +What he commands, and their advice desire.<BR> +All vote to leave that execrable shore,<BR> +Polluted with the blood of Polydore;<BR> +But, ere we sail, his fun'ral rites prepare,<BR> +Then, to his ghost, a tomb and altars rear.<BR> +In mournful pomp the matrons walk the round,<BR> +With baleful cypress and blue fillets crown'd,<BR> +With eyes dejected, and with hair unbound.<BR> +Then bowls of tepid milk and blood we pour,<BR> +And thrice invoke the soul of Polydore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Now, when the raging storms no longer reign,<BR> +But southern gales invite us to the main,<BR> +We launch our vessels, with a prosp'rous wind,<BR> +And leave the cities and the shores behind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"An island in th' Aegaean main appears;<BR> +Neptune and wat'ry Doris claim it theirs.<BR> +It floated once, till Phoebus fix'd the sides<BR> +To rooted earth, and now it braves the tides.<BR> +Here, borne by friendly winds, we come ashore,<BR> +With needful ease our weary limbs restore,<BR> +And the Sun's temple and his town adore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Anius, the priest and king, with laurel crown'd,<BR> +His hoary locks with purple fillets bound,<BR> +Who saw my sire the Delian shore ascend,<BR> +Came forth with eager haste to meet his friend;<BR> +Invites him to his palace; and, in sign<BR> +Of ancient love, their plighted hands they join.<BR> +Then to the temple of the god I went,<BR> +And thus, before the shrine, my vows present:<BR> +'Give, O Thymbraeus, give a resting place<BR> +To the sad relics of the Trojan race;<BR> +A seat secure, a region of their own,<BR> +A lasting empire, and a happier town.<BR> +Where shall we fix? where shall our labors end?<BR> +Whom shall we follow, and what fate attend?<BR> +Let not my pray'rs a doubtful answer find;<BR> +But in clear auguries unveil thy mind.'<BR> +Scarce had I said: he shook the holy ground,<BR> +The laurels, and the lofty hills around;<BR> +And from the tripos rush'd a bellowing sound.<BR> +Prostrate we fell; confess'd the present god,<BR> +Who gave this answer from his dark abode:<BR> +'Undaunted youths, go, seek that mother earth<BR> +From which your ancestors derive their birth.<BR> +The soil that sent you forth, her ancient race<BR> +In her old bosom shall again embrace.<BR> +Thro' the wide world th' Aeneian house shall reign,<BR> +And children's children shall the crown sustain.'<BR> +Thus Phoebus did our future fates disclose:<BR> +A mighty tumult, mix'd with joy, arose.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"All are concern'd to know what place the god<BR> +Assign'd, and where determin'd our abode.<BR> +My father, long revolving in his mind<BR> +The race and lineage of the Trojan kind,<BR> +Thus answer'd their demands: 'Ye princes, hear<BR> +Your pleasing fortune, and dispel your fear.<BR> +The fruitful isle of Crete, well known to fame,<BR> +Sacred of old to Jove's imperial name,<BR> +In the mid ocean lies, with large command,<BR> +And on its plains a hundred cities stand.<BR> +Another Ida rises there, and we<BR> +From thence derive our Trojan ancestry.<BR> +From thence, as 't is divulg'd by certain fame,<BR> +To the Rhoetean shores old Teucrus came;<BR> +There fix'd, and there the seat of empire chose,<BR> +Ere Ilium and the Trojan tow'rs arose.<BR> +In humble vales they built their soft abodes,<BR> +Till Cybele, the mother of the gods,<BR> +With tinkling cymbals charm'd th' Idaean woods,<BR> +She secret rites and ceremonies taught,<BR> +And to the yoke the savage lions brought.<BR> +Let us the land which Heav'n appoints, explore;<BR> +Appease the winds, and seek the Gnossian shore.<BR> +If Jove assists the passage of our fleet,<BR> +The third propitious dawn discovers Crete.'<BR> +Thus having said, the sacrifices, laid<BR> +On smoking altars, to the gods he paid:<BR> +A bull, to Neptune an oblation due,<BR> +Another bull to bright Apollo slew;<BR> +A milk-white ewe, the western winds to please,<BR> +And one coal-black, to calm the stormy seas.<BR> +Ere this, a flying rumor had been spread<BR> +That fierce Idomeneus from Crete was fled,<BR> +Expell'd and exil'd; that the coast was free<BR> +From foreign or domestic enemy.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"We leave the Delian ports, and put to sea;<BR> +By Naxos, fam'd for vintage, make our way;<BR> +Then green Donysa pass; and sail in sight<BR> +Of Paros' isle, with marble quarries white.<BR> +We pass the scatter'd isles of Cyclades,<BR> +That, scarce distinguish'd, seem to stud the seas.<BR> +The shouts of sailors double near the shores;<BR> +They stretch their canvas, and they ply their oars.<BR> +'All hands aloft! for Crete! for Crete!' they cry,<BR> +And swiftly thro' the foamy billows fly.<BR> +Full on the promis'd land at length we bore,<BR> +With joy descending on the Cretan shore.<BR> +With eager haste a rising town I frame,<BR> +Which from the Trojan Pergamus I name:<BR> +The name itself was grateful; I exhort<BR> +To found their houses, and erect a fort.<BR> +Our ships are haul'd upon the yellow strand;<BR> +The youth begin to till the labor'd land;<BR> +And I myself new marriages promote,<BR> +Give laws, and dwellings I divide by lot;<BR> +When rising vapors choke the wholesome air,<BR> +And blasts of noisome winds corrupt the year;<BR> +The trees devouring caterpillars burn;<BR> +Parch'd was the grass, and blighted was the corn:<BR> +Nor 'scape the beasts; for Sirius, from on high,<BR> +With pestilential heat infects the sky:<BR> +My men- some fall, the rest in fevers fry.<BR> +Again my father bids me seek the shore<BR> +Of sacred Delos, and the god implore,<BR> +To learn what end of woes we might expect,<BR> +And to what clime our weary course direct.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'T was night, when ev'ry creature, void of cares,<BR> +The common gift of balmy slumber shares:<BR> +The statues of my gods (for such they seem'd),<BR> +Those gods whom I from flaming Troy redeem'd,<BR> +Before me stood, majestically bright,<BR> +Full in the beams of Phoebe's ent'ring light.<BR> +Then thus they spoke, and eas'd my troubled mind:<BR> +'What from the Delian god thou go'st to find,<BR> +He tells thee here, and sends us to relate.<BR> +Those pow'rs are we, companions of thy fate,<BR> +Who from the burning town by thee were brought,<BR> +Thy fortune follow'd, and thy safety wrought.<BR> +Thro' seas and lands as we thy steps attend,<BR> +So shall our care thy glorious race befriend.<BR> +An ample realm for thee thy fates ordain,<BR> +A town that o'er the conquer'd world shall reign.<BR> +Thou, mighty walls for mighty nations build;<BR> +Nor let thy weary mind to labors yield:<BR> +But change thy seat; for not the Delian god,<BR> +Nor we, have giv'n thee Crete for our abode.<BR> +A land there is, Hesperia call'd of old,<BR> +(The soil is fruitful, and the natives bold-<BR> +Th' Oenotrians held it once,) by later fame<BR> +Now call'd Italia, from the leader's name.<BR> +lasius there and Dardanus were born;<BR> +From thence we came, and thither must return.<BR> +Rise, and thy sire with these glad tidings greet.<BR> +Search Italy; for Jove denies thee Crete.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Astonish'd at their voices and their sight,<BR> +(Nor were they dreams, but visions of the night;<BR> +I saw, I knew their faces, and descried,<BR> +In perfect view, their hair with fillets tied;)<BR> +I started from my couch; a clammy sweat<BR> +On all my limbs and shiv'ring body sate.<BR> +To heav'n I lift my hands with pious haste,<BR> +And sacred incense in the flames I cast.<BR> +Thus to the gods their perfect honors done,<BR> +More cheerful, to my good old sire I run,<BR> +And tell the pleasing news. In little space<BR> +He found his error of the double race;<BR> +Not, as before he deem'd, deriv'd from Crete;<BR> +No more deluded by the doubtful seat:<BR> +Then said: 'O son, turmoil'd in Trojan fate!<BR> +Such things as these Cassandra did relate.<BR> +This day revives within my mind what she<BR> +Foretold of Troy renew'd in Italy,<BR> +And Latian lands; but who could then have thought<BR> +That Phrygian gods to Latium should be brought,<BR> +Or who believ'd what mad Cassandra taught?<BR> +Now let us go where Phoebus leads the way.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"He said; and we with glad consent obey,<BR> +Forsake the seat, and, leaving few behind,<BR> +We spread our sails before the willing wind.<BR> +Now from the sight of land our galleys move,<BR> +With only seas around and skies above;<BR> +When o'er our heads descends a burst of rain,<BR> +And night with sable clouds involves the main;<BR> +The ruffling winds the foamy billows raise;<BR> +The scatter'd fleet is forc'd to sev'ral ways;<BR> +The face of heav'n is ravish'd from our eyes,<BR> +And in redoubled peals the roaring thunder flies.<BR> +Cast from our course, we wander in the dark.<BR> +No stars to guide, no point of land to mark.<BR> +Ev'n Palinurus no distinction found<BR> +Betwixt the night and day; such darkness reign'd around.<BR> +Three starless nights the doubtful navy strays,<BR> +Without distinction, and three sunless days;<BR> +The fourth renews the light, and, from our shrouds,<BR> +We view a rising land, like distant clouds;<BR> +The mountain-tops confirm the pleasing sight,<BR> +And curling smoke ascending from their height.<BR> +The canvas falls; their oars the sailors ply;<BR> +From the rude strokes the whirling waters fly.<BR> +At length I land upon the Strophades,<BR> +Safe from the danger of the stormy seas.<BR> +Those isles are compass'd by th' Ionian main,<BR> +The dire abode where the foul Harpies reign,<BR> +Forc'd by the winged warriors to repair<BR> +To their old homes, and leave their costly fare.<BR> +Monsters more fierce offended Heav'n ne'er sent<BR> +From hell's abyss, for human punishment:<BR> +With virgin faces, but with wombs obscene,<BR> +Foul paunches, and with ordure still unclean;<BR> +With claws for hands, and looks for ever lean.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"We landed at the port, and soon beheld<BR> +Fat herds of oxen graze the flow'ry field,<BR> +And wanton goats without a keeper stray'd.<BR> +With weapons we the welcome prey invade,<BR> +Then call the gods for partners of our feast,<BR> +And Jove himself, the chief invited guest.<BR> +We spread the tables on the greensward ground;<BR> +We feed with hunger, and the bowls go round;<BR> +When from the mountain-tops, with hideous cry,<BR> +And clatt'ring wings, the hungry Harpies fly;<BR> +They snatch the meat, defiling all they find,<BR> +And, parting, leave a loathsome stench behind.<BR> +Close by a hollow rock, again we sit,<BR> +New dress the dinner, and the beds refit,<BR> +Secure from sight, beneath a pleasing shade,<BR> +Where tufted trees a native arbor made.<BR> +Again the holy fires on altars burn;<BR> +And once again the rav'nous birds return,<BR> +Or from the dark recesses where they lie,<BR> +Or from another quarter of the sky;<BR> +With filthy claws their odious meal repeat,<BR> +And mix their loathsome ordures with their meat.<BR> +I bid my friends for vengeance then prepare,<BR> +And with the hellish nation wage the war.<BR> +They, as commanded, for the fight provide,<BR> +And in the grass their glitt'ring weapons hide;<BR> +Then, when along the crooked shore we hear<BR> +Their clatt'ring wings, and saw the foes appear,<BR> +Misenus sounds a charge: we take th' alarm,<BR> +And our strong hands with swords and bucklers arm.<BR> +In this new kind of combat all employ<BR> +Their utmost force, the monsters to destroy.<BR> +In vain- the fated skin is proof to wounds;<BR> +And from their plumes the shining sword rebounds.<BR> +At length rebuff'd, they leave their mangled prey,<BR> +And their stretch'd pinions to the skies display.<BR> +Yet one remain'd- the messenger of Fate:<BR> +High on a craggy cliff Celaeno sate,<BR> +And thus her dismal errand did relate:<BR> +'What! not contented with our oxen slain,<BR> +Dare you with Heav'n an impious war maintain,<BR> +And drive the Harpies from their native reign?<BR> +Heed therefore what I say; and keep in mind<BR> +What Jove decrees, what Phoebus has design'd,<BR> +And I, the Furies' queen, from both relate-<BR> +You seek th' Italian shores, foredoom'd by fate:<BR> +Th' Italian shores are granted you to find,<BR> +And a safe passage to the port assign'd.<BR> +But know, that ere your promis'd walls you build,<BR> +My curses shall severely be fulfill'd.<BR> +Fierce famine is your lot for this misdeed,<BR> +Reduc'd to grind the plates on which you feed.'<BR> +She said, and to the neighb'ring forest flew.<BR> +Our courage fails us, and our fears renew.<BR> +Hopeless to win by war, to pray'rs we fall,<BR> +And on th' offended Harpies humbly call,<BR> +And whether gods or birds obscene they were,<BR> +Our vows for pardon and for peace prefer.<BR> +But old Anchises, off'ring sacrifice,<BR> +And lifting up to heav'n his hands and eyes,<BR> +Ador'd the greater gods: 'Avert,' said he,<BR> +'These omens; render vain this prophecy,<BR> +And from th' impending curse a pious people free!'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Thus having said, he bids us put to sea;<BR> +We loose from shore our haulsers, and obey,<BR> +And soon with swelling sails pursue the wat'ry way.<BR> +Amidst our course, Zacynthian woods appear;<BR> +And next by rocky Neritos we steer:<BR> +We fly from Ithaca's detested shore,<BR> +And curse the land which dire Ulysses bore.<BR> +At length Leucate's cloudy top appears,<BR> +And the Sun's temple, which the sailor fears.<BR> +Resolv'd to breathe a while from labor past,<BR> +Our crooked anchors from the prow we cast,<BR> +And joyful to the little city haste.<BR> +Here, safe beyond our hopes, our vows we pay<BR> +To Jove, the guide and patron of our way.<BR> +The customs of our country we pursue,<BR> +And Trojan games on Actian shores renew.<BR> +Our youth their naked limbs besmear with oil,<BR> +And exercise the wrastlers' noble toil;<BR> +Pleas'd to have sail'd so long before the wind,<BR> +And left so many Grecian towns behind.<BR> +The sun had now fulfill'd his annual course,<BR> +And Boreas on the seas display'd his force:<BR> +I fix'd upon the temple's lofty door<BR> +The brazen shield which vanquish'd Abas bore;<BR> +The verse beneath my name and action speaks:<BR> +'These arms Aeneas took from conqu'ring Greeks.'<BR> +Then I command to weigh; the seamen ply<BR> +Their sweeping oars; the smoking billows fly.<BR> +The sight of high Phaeacia soon we lost,<BR> +And skimm'd along Epirus' rocky coast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Then to Chaonia's port our course we bend,<BR> +And, landed, to Buthrotus' heights ascend.<BR> +Here wondrous things were loudly blaz'd fame:<BR> +How Helenus reviv'd the Trojan name,<BR> +And reign'd in Greece; that Priam's captive son<BR> +Succeeded Pyrrhus in his bed and throne;<BR> +And fair Andromache, restor'd by fate,<BR> +Once more was happy in a Trojan mate.<BR> +I leave my galleys riding in the port,<BR> +And long to see the new Dardanian court.<BR> +By chance, the mournful queen, before the gate,<BR> +Then solemniz'd her former husband's fate.<BR> +Green altars, rais'd of turf, with gifts she crown'd,<BR> +And sacred priests in order stand around,<BR> +And thrice the name of hapless Hector sound.<BR> +The grove itself resembles Ida's wood;<BR> +And Simois seem'd the well-dissembled flood.<BR> +But when at nearer distance she beheld<BR> +My shining armor and my Trojan shield,<BR> +Astonish'd at the sight, the vital heat<BR> +Forsakes her limbs; her veins no longer beat:<BR> +She faints, she falls, and scarce recov'ring strength,<BR> +Thus, with a falt'ring tongue, she speaks at length:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'Are you alive, O goddess-born?' she said,<BR> +'Or if a ghost, then where is Hector's shade?'<BR> +At this, she cast a loud and frightful cry.<BR> +With broken words I made this brief reply:<BR> +'All of me that remains appears in sight;<BR> +I live, if living be to loathe the light.<BR> +No phantom; but I drag a wretched life,<BR> +My fate resembling that of Hector's wife.<BR> +What have you suffer'd since you lost your lord?<BR> +By what strange blessing are you now restor'd?<BR> +Still are you Hector's? or is Hector fled,<BR> +And his remembrance lost in Pyrrhus' bed?'<BR> +With eyes dejected, in a lowly tone,<BR> +After a modest pause she thus begun:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'O only happy maid of Priam's race,<BR> +Whom death deliver'd from the foes' embrace!<BR> +Commanded on Achilles' tomb to die,<BR> +Not forc'd, like us, to hard captivity,<BR> +Or in a haughty master's arms to lie.<BR> +In Grecian ships unhappy we were borne,<BR> +Endur'd the victor's lust, sustain'd the scorn:<BR> +Thus I submitted to the lawless pride<BR> +Of Pyrrhus, more a handmaid than a bride.<BR> +Cloy'd with possession, he forsook my bed,<BR> +And Helen's lovely daughter sought to wed;<BR> +Then me to Trojan Helenus resign'd,<BR> +And his two slaves in equal marriage join'd;<BR> +Till young Orestes, pierc'd with deep despair,<BR> +And longing to redeem the promis'd fair,<BR> +Before Apollo's altar slew the ravisher.<BR> +By Pyrrhus' death the kingdom we regain'd:<BR> +At least one half with Helenus remain'd.<BR> +Our part, from Chaon, he Chaonia calls,<BR> +And names from Pergamus his rising walls.<BR> +But you, what fates have landed on our coast?<BR> +What gods have sent you, or what storms have toss'd?<BR> +Does young Ascanius life and health enjoy,<BR> +Sav'd from the ruins of unhappy Troy?<BR> +O tell me how his mother's loss he bears,<BR> +What hopes are promis'd from his blooming years,<BR> +How much of Hector in his face appears?'<BR> +She spoke; and mix'd her speech with mournful cries,<BR> +And fruitless tears came trickling from her eyes.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"At length her lord descends upon the plain,<BR> +In pomp, attended with a num'rous train;<BR> +Receives his friends, and to the city leads,<BR> +And tears of joy amidst his welcome sheds.<BR> +Proceeding on, another Troy I see,<BR> +Or, in less compass, Troy's epitome.<BR> +A riv'let by the name of Xanthus ran,<BR> +And I embrace the Scaean gate again.<BR> +My friends in porticoes were entertain'd,<BR> +And feasts and pleasures thro' the city reign'd.<BR> +The tables fill'd the spacious hall around,<BR> +And golden bowls with sparkling wine were crown'd.<BR> +Two days we pass'd in mirth, till friendly gales,<BR> +Blown from the south supplied our swelling sails.<BR> +Then to the royal seer I thus began:<BR> +'O thou, who know'st, beyond the reach of man,<BR> +The laws of heav'n, and what the stars decree;<BR> +Whom Phoebus taught unerring prophecy,<BR> +From his own tripod, and his holy tree;<BR> +Skill'd in the wing'd inhabitants of air,<BR> +What auspices their notes and flights declare:<BR> +O say- for all religious rites portend<BR> +A happy voyage, and a prosp'rous end;<BR> +And ev'ry power and omen of the sky<BR> +Direct my course for destin'd Italy;<BR> +But only dire Celaeno, from the gods,<BR> +A dismal famine fatally forebodes-<BR> +O say what dangers I am first to shun,<BR> +What toils vanquish, and what course to run.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"The prophet first with sacrifice adores<BR> +The greater gods; their pardon then implores;<BR> +Unbinds the fillet from his holy head;<BR> +To Phoebus, next, my trembling steps he led,<BR> +Full of religious doubts and awful dread.<BR> +Then, with his god possess'd, before the shrine,<BR> +These words proceeded from his mouth divine:<BR> +'O goddess-born, (for Heav'n's appointed will,<BR> +With greater auspices of good than ill,<BR> +Foreshows thy voyage, and thy course directs;<BR> +Thy fates conspire, and Jove himself protects,)<BR> +Of many things some few I shall explain,<BR> +Teach thee to shun the dangers of the main,<BR> +And how at length the promis'd shore to gain.<BR> +The rest the fates from Helenus conceal,<BR> +And Juno's angry pow'r forbids to tell.<BR> +First, then, that happy shore, that seems so nigh,<BR> +Will far from your deluded wishes fly;<BR> +Long tracts of seas divide your hopes from Italy:<BR> +For you must cruise along Sicilian shores,<BR> +And stem the currents with your struggling oars;<BR> +Then round th' Italian coast your navy steer;<BR> +And, after this, to Circe's island veer;<BR> +And, last, before your new foundations rise,<BR> +Must pass the Stygian lake, and view the nether skies.<BR> +Now mark the signs of future ease and rest,<BR> +And bear them safely treasur'd in thy breast.<BR> +When, in the shady shelter of a wood,<BR> +And near the margin of a gentle flood,<BR> +Thou shalt behold a sow upon the ground,<BR> +With thirty sucking young encompass'd round;<BR> +The dam and offspring white as falling snow-<BR> +These on thy city shall their name bestow,<BR> +And there shall end thy labors and thy woe.<BR> +Nor let the threaten'd famine fright thy mind,<BR> +For Phoebus will assist, and Fate the way will find.<BR> +Let not thy course to that ill coast be bent,<BR> +Which fronts from far th' Epirian continent:<BR> +Those parts are all by Grecian foes possess'd;<BR> +The salvage Locrians here the shores infest;<BR> +There fierce Idomeneus his city builds,<BR> +And guards with arms the Salentinian fields;<BR> +And on the mountain's brow Petilia stands,<BR> +Which Philoctetes with his troops commands.<BR> +Ev'n when thy fleet is landed on the shore,<BR> +And priests with holy vows the gods adore,<BR> +Then with a purple veil involve your eyes,<BR> +Lest hostile faces blast the sacrifice.<BR> +These rites and customs to the rest commend,<BR> +That to your pious race they may descend.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 0.5em">"'When, parted hence, the wind, that ready waits</SPAN><BR> +For Sicily, shall bear you to the straits<BR> +Where proud Pelorus opes a wider way,<BR> +Tack to the larboard, and stand off to sea:<BR> +Veer starboard sea and land. Th' Italian shore<BR> +And fair Sicilia's coast were one, before<BR> +An earthquake caus'd the flaw: the roaring tides<BR> +The passage broke that land from land divides;<BR> +And where the lands retir'd, the rushing ocean rides.<BR> +Distinguish'd by the straits, on either hand,<BR> +Now rising cities in long order stand,<BR> +And fruitful fields: so much can time invade<BR> +The mold'ring work that beauteous Nature made.<BR> +Far on the right, her dogs foul Scylla hides:<BR> +Charybdis roaring on the left presides,<BR> +And in her greedy whirlpool sucks the tides;<BR> +Then spouts them from below: with fury driv'n,<BR> +The waves mount up and wash the face of heav'n.<BR> +But Scylla from her den, with open jaws,<BR> +The sinking vessel in her eddy draws,<BR> +Then dashes on the rocks. A human face,<BR> +And virgin bosom, hides her tail's disgrace:<BR> +Her parts obscene below the waves descend,<BR> +With dogs inclos'd, and in a dolphin end.<BR> +'T is safer, then, to bear aloof to sea,<BR> +And coast Pachynus, tho' with more delay,<BR> +Than once to view misshapen Scylla near,<BR> +And the loud yell of wat'ry wolves to hear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'Besides, if faith to Helenus be due,<BR> +And if prophetic Phoebus tell me true,<BR> +Do not this precept of your friend forget,<BR> +Which therefore more than once I must repeat:<BR> +Above the rest, great Juno's name adore;<BR> +Pay vows to Juno; Juno's aid implore.<BR> +Let gifts be to the mighty queen design'd,<BR> +And mollify with pray'rs her haughty mind.<BR> +Thus, at the length, your passage shall be free,<BR> +And you shall safe descend on Italy.<BR> +Arriv'd at Cumae, when you view the flood<BR> +Of black Avernus, and the sounding wood,<BR> +The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,<BR> +Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclin'd.<BR> +She sings the fates, and, in her frantic fits,<BR> +The notes and names, inscrib'd, to leafs commits.<BR> +What she commits to leafs, in order laid,<BR> +Before the cavern's entrance are display'd:<BR> +Unmov'd they lie; but, if a blast of wind<BR> +Without, or vapors issue from behind,<BR> +The leafs are borne aloft in liquid air,<BR> +And she resumes no more her museful care,<BR> +Nor gathers from the rocks her scatter'd verse,<BR> +Nor sets in order what the winds disperse.<BR> +Thus, many not succeeding, most upbraid<BR> +The madness of the visionary maid,<BR> +And with loud curses leave the mystic shade.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'Think it not loss of time a while to stay,<BR> +Tho' thy companions chide thy long delay;<BR> +Tho' summon'd to the seas, tho' pleasing gales<BR> +Invite thy course, and stretch thy swelling sails:<BR> +But beg the sacred priestess to relate<BR> +With willing words, and not to write thy fate.<BR> +The fierce Italian people she will show,<BR> +And all thy wars, and all thy future woe,<BR> +And what thou may'st avoid, and what must undergo.<BR> +She shall direct thy course, instruct thy mind,<BR> +And teach thee how the happy shores to find.<BR> +This is what Heav'n allows me to relate:<BR> +Now part in peace; pursue thy better fate,<BR> +And raise, by strength of arms, the Trojan state.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"This when the priest with friendly voice declar'd,<BR> +He gave me license, and rich gifts prepar'd:<BR> +Bounteous of treasure, he supplied my want<BR> +With heavy gold, and polish'd elephant;<BR> +Then Dodonaean caldrons put on board,<BR> +And ev'ry ship with sums of silver stor'd.<BR> +A trusty coat of mail to me he sent,<BR> +Thrice chain'd with gold, for use and ornament;<BR> +The helm of Pyrrhus added to the rest,<BR> +That flourish'd with a plume and waving crest.<BR> +Nor was my sire forgotten, nor my friends;<BR> +And large recruits he to my navy sends:<BR> +Men, horses, captains, arms, and warlike stores;<BR> +Supplies new pilots, and new sweeping oars.<BR> +Meantime, my sire commands to hoist our sails,<BR> +Lest we should lose the first auspicious gales.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"The prophet bless'd the parting crew, and last,<BR> +With words like these, his ancient friend embrac'd:<BR> +'Old happy man, the care of gods above,<BR> +Whom heav'nly Venus honor'd with her love,<BR> +And twice preserv'd thy life, when Troy was lost,<BR> +Behold from far the wish'd Ausonian coast:<BR> +There land; but take a larger compass round,<BR> +For that before is all forbidden ground.<BR> +The shore that Phoebus has design'd for you,<BR> +At farther distance lies, conceal'd from view.<BR> +Go happy hence, and seek your new abodes,<BR> +Blest in a son, and favor'd by the gods:<BR> +For I with useless words prolong your stay,<BR> +When southern gales have summon'd you away.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Nor less the queen our parting thence deplor'd,<BR> +Nor was less bounteous than her Trojan lord.<BR> +A noble present to my son she brought,<BR> +A robe with flow'rs on golden tissue wrought,<BR> +A phrygian vest; and loads with gifts beside<BR> +Of precious texture, and of Asian pride.<BR> +'Accept,' she said, 'these monuments of love,<BR> +Which in my youth with happier hands I wove:<BR> +Regard these trifles for the giver's sake;<BR> +'T is the last present Hector's wife can make.<BR> +Thou call'st my lost Astyanax to mind;<BR> +In thee his features and his form I find:<BR> +His eyes so sparkled with a lively flame;<BR> +Such were his motions; such was all his frame;<BR> +And ah! had Heav'n so pleas'd, his years had been the same.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"With tears I took my last adieu, and said:<BR> +'Your fortune, happy pair, already made,<BR> +Leaves you no farther wish. My diff'rent state,<BR> +Avoiding one, incurs another fate.<BR> +To you a quiet seat the gods allow:<BR> +You have no shores to search, no seas to plow,<BR> +Nor fields of flying Italy to chase:<BR> +(Deluding visions, and a vain embrace!)<BR> +You see another Simois, and enjoy<BR> +The labor of your hands, another Troy,<BR> +With better auspice than her ancient tow'rs,<BR> +And less obnoxious to the Grecian pow'rs.<BR> +If e'er the gods, whom I with vows adore,<BR> +Conduct my steps to Tiber's happy shore;<BR> +If ever I ascend the Latian throne,<BR> +And build a city I may call my own;<BR> +As both of us our birth from Troy derive,<BR> +So let our kindred lines in concord live,<BR> +And both in acts of equal friendship strive.<BR> +Our fortunes, good or bad, shall be the same:<BR> +The double Troy shall differ but in name;<BR> +That what we now begin may never end,<BR> +But long to late posterity descend.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Near the Ceraunian rocks our course we bore;<BR> +The shortest passage to th' Italian shore.<BR> +Now had the sun withdrawn his radiant light,<BR> +And hills were hid in dusky shades of night:<BR> +We land, and, on the bosom Of the ground,<BR> +A safe retreat and a bare lodging found.<BR> +Close by the shore we lay; the sailors keep<BR> +Their watches, and the rest securely sleep.<BR> +The night, proceeding on with silent pace,<BR> +Stood in her noon, and view'd with equal face<BR> +Her steepy rise and her declining race.<BR> +Then wakeful Palinurus rose, to spy<BR> +The face of heav'n, and the nocturnal sky;<BR> +And listen'd ev'ry breath of air to try;<BR> +Observes the stars, and notes their sliding course,<BR> +The Pleiads, Hyads, and their wat'ry force;<BR> +And both the Bears is careful to behold,<BR> +And bright Orion, arm'd with burnish'd gold.<BR> +Then, when he saw no threat'ning tempest nigh,<BR> +But a sure promise of a settled sky,<BR> +He gave the sign to weigh; we break our sleep,<BR> +Forsake the pleasing shore, and plow the deep.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"And now the rising morn with rosy light<BR> +Adorns the skies, and puts the stars to flight;<BR> +When we from far, like bluish mists, descry<BR> +The hills, and then the plains, of Italy.<BR> +Achates first pronounc'd the joyful sound;<BR> +Then, 'Italy!' the cheerful crew rebound.<BR> +My sire Anchises crown'd a cup with wine,<BR> +And, off'ring, thus implor'd the pow'rs divine:<BR> +'Ye gods, presiding over lands and seas,<BR> +And you who raging winds and waves appease,<BR> +Breathe on our swelling sails a prosp'rous wind,<BR> +And smooth our passage to the port assign'd!'<BR> +The gentle gales their flagging force renew,<BR> +And now the happy harbor is in view.<BR> +Minerva's temple then salutes our sight,<BR> +Plac'd, as a landmark, on the mountain's height.<BR> +We furl our sails, and turn the prows to shore;<BR> +The curling waters round the galleys roar.<BR> +The land lies open to the raging east,<BR> +Then, bending like a bow, with rocks compress'd,<BR> +Shuts out the storms; the winds and waves complain,<BR> +And vent their malice on the cliffs in vain.<BR> +The port lies hid within; on either side<BR> +Two tow'ring rocks the narrow mouth divide.<BR> +The temple, which aloft we view'd before,<BR> +To distance flies, and seems to shun the shore.<BR> +Scarce landed, the first omens I beheld<BR> +Were four white steeds that cropp'd the flow'ry field.<BR> +'War, war is threaten'd from this foreign ground,'<BR> +My father cried, 'where warlike steeds are found.<BR> +Yet, since reclaim'd to chariots they submit,<BR> +And bend to stubborn yokes, and champ the bit,<BR> +Peace may succeed to war.' Our way we bend<BR> +To Pallas, and the sacred hill ascend;<BR> +There prostrate to the fierce virago pray,<BR> +Whose temple was the landmark of our way.<BR> +Each with a Phrygian mantle veil'd his head,<BR> +And all commands of Helenus obey'd,<BR> +And pious rites to Grecian Juno paid.<BR> +These dues perform'd, we stretch our sails, and stand<BR> +To sea, forsaking that suspected land.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"From hence Tarentum's bay appears in view,<BR> +For Hercules renown'd, if fame be true.<BR> +Just opposite, Lacinian Juno stands;<BR> +Caulonian tow'rs, and Scylacaean strands,<BR> +For shipwrecks fear'd. Mount Aetna thence we spy,<BR> +Known by the smoky flames which cloud the sky.<BR> +Far off we hear the waves with surly sound<BR> +Invade the rocks, the rocks their groans rebound.<BR> +The billows break upon the sounding strand,<BR> +And roll the rising tide, impure with sand.<BR> +Then thus Anchises, in experience old:<BR> +''T is that Charybdis which the seer foretold,<BR> +And those the promis'd rocks! Bear off to sea!'<BR> +With haste the frighted mariners obey.<BR> +First Palinurus to the larboard veer'd;<BR> +Then all the fleet by his example steer'd.<BR> +To heav'n aloft on ridgy waves we ride,<BR> +Then down to hell descend, when they divide;<BR> +And thrice our galleys knock'd the stony ground,<BR> +And thrice the hollow rocks return'd the sound,<BR> +And thrice we saw the stars, that stood with dews around.<BR> +The flagging winds forsook us, with the sun;<BR> +And, wearied, on Cyclopian shores we run.<BR> +The port capacious, and secure from wind,<BR> +Is to the foot of thund'ring Aetna join'd.<BR> +By turns a pitchy cloud she rolls on high;<BR> +By turns hot embers from her entrails fly,<BR> +And flakes of mounting flames, that lick the sky.<BR> +Oft from her bowels massy rocks are thrown,<BR> +And, shiver'd by the force, come piecemeal down.<BR> +Oft liquid lakes of burning sulphur flow,<BR> +Fed from the fiery springs that boil below.<BR> +Enceladus, they say, transfix'd by Jove,<BR> +With blasted limbs came tumbling from above;<BR> +And, where he fell, th' avenging father drew<BR> +This flaming hill, and on his body threw.<BR> +As often as he turns his weary sides,<BR> +He shakes the solid isle, and smoke the heavens hides.<BR> +In shady woods we pass the tedious night,<BR> +Where bellowing sounds and groans our souls affright,<BR> +Of which no cause is offer'd to the sight;<BR> +For not one star was kindled in the sky,<BR> +Nor could the moon her borrow'd light supply;<BR> +For misty clouds involv'd the firmament,<BR> +The stars were muffled, and the moon was pent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Scarce had the rising sun the day reveal'd,<BR> +Scarce had his heat the pearly dews dispell'd,<BR> +When from the woods there bolts, before our sight,<BR> +Somewhat betwixt a mortal and a sprite,<BR> +So thin, so ghastly meager, and so wan,<BR> +So bare of flesh, he scarce resembled man.<BR> +This thing, all tatter'd, seem'd from far t' implore<BR> +Our pious aid, and pointed to the shore.<BR> +We look behind, then view his shaggy beard;<BR> +His clothes were tagg'd with thorns, and filth his limbs<BR> +besmear'd;<BR> +The rest, in mien, in habit, and in face,<BR> +Appear'd a Greek, and such indeed he was.<BR> +He cast on us, from far, a frightful view,<BR> +Whom soon for Trojans and for foes he knew;<BR> +Stood still, and paus'd; then all at once began<BR> +To stretch his limbs, and trembled as he ran.<BR> +Soon as approach'd, upon his knees he falls,<BR> +And thus with tears and sighs for pity calls:<BR> +'Now, by the pow'rs above, and what we share<BR> +From Nature's common gift, this vital air,<BR> +O Trojans, take me hence! I beg no more;<BR> +But bear me far from this unhappy shore.<BR> +'T is true, I am a Greek, and farther own,<BR> +Among your foes besieg'd th' imperial town.<BR> +For such demerits if my death be due,<BR> +No more for this abandon'd life I sue;<BR> +This only favor let my tears obtain,<BR> +To throw me headlong in the rapid main:<BR> +Since nothing more than death my crime demands,<BR> +I die content, to die by human hands.'<BR> +He said, and on his knees my knees embrac'd:<BR> +I bade him boldly tell his fortune past,<BR> +His present state, his lineage, and his name,<BR> +Th' occasion of his fears, and whence he came.<BR> +The good Anchises rais'd him with his hand;<BR> +Who, thus encourag'd, answer'd our demand:<BR> +'From Ithaca, my native soil, I came<BR> +To Troy; and Achaemenides my name.<BR> +Me my poor father with Ulysses sent;<BR> +(O had I stay'd, with poverty content!)<BR> +But, fearful for themselves, my countrymen<BR> +Left me forsaken in the Cyclops' den.<BR> +The cave, tho' large, was dark; the dismal floor<BR> +Was pav'd with mangled limbs and putrid gore.<BR> +Our monstrous host, of more than human size,<BR> +Erects his head, and stares within the skies;<BR> +Bellowing his voice, and horrid is his hue.<BR> +Ye gods, remove this plague from mortal view!<BR> +The joints of slaughter'd wretches are his food;<BR> +And for his wine he quaffs the streaming blood.<BR> +These eyes beheld, when with his spacious hand<BR> +He seiz'd two captives of our Grecian band;<BR> +Stretch'd on his back, he dash'd against the stones<BR> +Their broken bodies, and their crackling bones:<BR> +With spouting blood the purple pavement swims,<BR> +While the dire glutton grinds the trembling limbs.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'Not unreveng'd Ulysses bore their fate,<BR> +Nor thoughtless of his own unhappy state;<BR> +For, gorg'd with flesh, and drunk with human wine<BR> +While fast asleep the giant lay supine,<BR> +Snoring aloud, and belching from his maw<BR> +His indigested foam, and morsels raw;<BR> +We pray; we cast the lots, and then surround<BR> +The monstrous body, stretch'd along the ground:<BR> +Each, as he could approach him, lends a hand<BR> +To bore his eyeball with a flaming brand.<BR> +Beneath his frowning forehead lay his eye;<BR> +For only one did the vast frame supply-<BR> +But that a globe so large, his front it fill'd,<BR> +Like the sun's disk or like a Grecian shield.<BR> +The stroke succeeds; and down the pupil bends:<BR> +This vengeance follow'd for our slaughter'd friends.<BR> +But haste, unhappy wretches, haste to fly!<BR> +Your cables cut, and on your oars rely!<BR> +Such, and so vast as Polypheme appears,<BR> +A hundred more this hated island bears:<BR> +Like him, in caves they shut their woolly sheep;<BR> +Like him, their herds on tops of mountains keep;<BR> +Like him, with mighty strides, they stalk from steep to steep<BR> +And now three moons their sharpen'd horns renew,<BR> +Since thus, in woods and wilds, obscure from view,<BR> +I drag my loathsome days with mortal fright,<BR> +And in deserted caverns lodge by night;<BR> +Oft from the rocks a dreadful prospect see<BR> +Of the huge Cyclops, like a walking tree:<BR> +From far I hear his thund'ring voice resound,<BR> +And trampling feet that shake the solid ground.<BR> +Cornels and salvage berries of the wood,<BR> +And roots and herbs, have been my meager food.<BR> +While all around my longing eyes I cast,<BR> +I saw your happy ships appear at last.<BR> +On those I fix'd my hopes, to these I run;<BR> +'T is all I ask, this cruel race to shun;<BR> +What other death you please, yourselves bestow.'<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Scarce had he said, when on the mountain's brow<BR> +We saw the giant shepherd stalk before<BR> +His following flock, and leading to the shore:<BR> +A monstrous bulk, deform'd, depriv'd of sight;<BR> +His staff a trunk of pine, to guide his steps aright.<BR> +His pond'rous whistle from his neck descends;<BR> +His woolly care their pensive lord attends:<BR> +This only solace his hard fortune sends.<BR> +Soon as he reach'd the shore and touch'd the waves,<BR> +From his bor'd eye the gutt'ring blood he laves:<BR> +He gnash'd his teeth, and groan'd; thro' seas he strides,<BR> +And scarce the topmost billows touch'd his sides.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Seiz'd with a sudden fear, we run to sea,<BR> +The cables cut, and silent haste away;<BR> +The well-deserving stranger entertain;<BR> +Then, buckling to the work, our oars divide the main.<BR> +The giant harken'd to the dashing sound:<BR> +But, when our vessels out of reach he found,<BR> +He strided onward, and in vain essay'd<BR> +Th' Ionian deep, and durst no farther wade.<BR> +With that he roar'd aloud: the dreadful cry<BR> +Shakes earth, and air, and seas; the billows fly<BR> +Before the bellowing noise to distant Italy.<BR> +The neigh'ring Aetna trembling all around,<BR> +The winding caverns echo to the sound.<BR> +His brother Cyclops hear the yelling roar,<BR> +And, rushing down the mountains, crowd the shore.<BR> +We saw their stern distorted looks, from far,<BR> +And one-eyed glance, that vainly threaten'd war:<BR> +A dreadful council, with their heads on high;<BR> +(The misty clouds about their foreheads fly;)<BR> +Not yielding to the tow'ring tree of Jove,<BR> +Or tallest cypress of Diana's grove.<BR> +New pangs of mortal fear our minds assail;<BR> +We tug at ev'ry oar, and hoist up ev'ry sail,<BR> +And take th' advantage of the friendly gale.<BR> +Forewarn'd by Helenus, we strive to shun<BR> +Charybdis' gulf, nor dare to Scylla run.<BR> +An equal fate on either side appears:<BR> +We, tacking to the left, are free from fears;<BR> +For, from Pelorus' point, the North arose,<BR> +And drove us back where swift Pantagias flows.<BR> +His rocky mouth we pass, and make our way<BR> +By Thapsus and Megara's winding bay.<BR> +This passage Achaemenides had shown,<BR> +Tracing the course which he before had run.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Right o'er against Plemmyrium's wat'ry strand,<BR> +There lies an isle once call'd th' Ortygian land.<BR> +Alpheus, as old fame reports, has found<BR> +From Greece a secret passage under ground,<BR> +By love to beauteous Arethusa led;<BR> +And, mingling here, they roll in the same sacred bed.<BR> +As Helenus enjoin'd, we next adore<BR> +Diana's name, protectress of the shore.<BR> +With prosp'rous gales we pass the quiet sounds<BR> +Of still Elorus, and his fruitful bounds.<BR> +Then, doubling Cape Pachynus, we survey<BR> +The rocky shore extended to the sea.<BR> +The town of Camarine from far we see,<BR> +And fenny lake, undrain'd by fate's decree.<BR> +In sight of the Geloan fields we pass,<BR> +And the large walls, where mighty Gela was;<BR> +Then Agragas, with lofty summits crown'd,<BR> +Long for the race of warlike steeds renown'd.<BR> +We pass'd Selinus, and the palmy land,<BR> +And widely shun the Lilybaean strand,<BR> +Unsafe, for secret rocks and moving sand.<BR> +At length on shore the weary fleet arriv'd,<BR> +Which Drepanum's unhappy port receiv'd.<BR> +Here, after endless labors, often toss'd<BR> +By raging storms, and driv'n on ev'ry coast,<BR> +My dear, dear father, spent with age, I lost:<BR> +Ease of my cares, and solace of my pain,<BR> +Sav'd thro' a thousand toils, but sav'd in vain<BR> +The prophet, who my future woes reveal'd,<BR> +Yet this, the greatest and the worst, conceal'd;<BR> +And dire Celaeno, whose foreboding skill<BR> +Denounc'd all else, was silent of the ill.<BR> +This my last labor was. Some friendly god<BR> +From thence convey'd us to your blest abode."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, to the list'ning queen, the royal guest<BR> +His wand'ring course and all his toils express'd;<BR> +And here concluding, he retir'd to rest.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book04"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK IV<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But anxious cares already seiz'd the queen:<BR> +She fed within her veins a flame unseen;<BR> +The hero's valor, acts, and birth inspire<BR> +Her soul with love, and fan the secret fire.<BR> +His words, his looks, imprinted in her heart,<BR> +Improve the passion, and increase the smart.<BR> +Now, when the purple morn had chas'd away<BR> +The dewy shadows, and restor'd the day,<BR> +Her sister first with early care she sought,<BR> +And thus in mournful accents eas'd her thought:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"My dearest Anna, what new dreams affright<BR> +My lab'ring soul! what visions of the night<BR> +Disturb my quiet, and distract my breast<BR> +With strange ideas of our Trojan guest!<BR> +His worth, his actions, and majestic air,<BR> +A man descended from the gods declare.<BR> +Fear ever argues a degenerate kind;<BR> +His birth is well asserted by his mind.<BR> +Then, what he suffer'd, when by Fate betray'd!<BR> +What brave attempts for falling Troy he made!<BR> +Such were his looks, so gracefully he spoke,<BR> +That, were I not resolv'd against the yoke<BR> +Of hapless marriage, never to be curst<BR> +With second love, so fatal was my first,<BR> +To this one error I might yield again;<BR> +For, since Sichaeus was untimely slain,<BR> +This only man is able to subvert<BR> +The fix'd foundations of my stubborn heart.<BR> +And, to confess my frailty, to my shame,<BR> +Somewhat I find within, if not the same,<BR> +Too like the sparkles of my former flame.<BR> +But first let yawning earth a passage rend,<BR> +And let me thro' the dark abyss descend;<BR> +First let avenging Jove, with flames from high,<BR> +Drive down this body to the nether sky,<BR> +Condemn'd with ghosts in endless night to lie,<BR> +Before I break the plighted faith I gave!<BR> +No! he who had my vows shall ever have;<BR> +For, whom I lov'd on earth, I worship in the grave."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said: the tears ran gushing from her eyes,<BR> +And stopp'd her speech. Her sister thus replies:<BR> +"O dearer than the vital air I breathe,<BR> +Will you to grief your blooming years bequeath,<BR> +Condemn'd to waste in woes your lonely life,<BR> +Without the joys of mother or of wife?<BR> +Think you these tears, this pompous train of woe,<BR> +Are known or valued by the ghosts below?<BR> +I grant that, while your sorrows yet were green,<BR> +It well became a woman, and a queen,<BR> +The vows of Tyrian princes to neglect,<BR> +To scorn Hyarbas, and his love reject,<BR> +With all the Libyan lords of mighty name;<BR> +But will you fight against a pleasing flame!<BR> +This little spot of land, which Heav'n bestows,<BR> +On ev'ry side is hemm'd with warlike foes;<BR> +Gaetulian cities here are spread around,<BR> +And fierce Numidians there your frontiers bound;<BR> +Here lies a barren waste of thirsty land,<BR> +And there the Syrtes raise the moving sand;<BR> +Barcaean troops besiege the narrow shore,<BR> +And from the sea Pygmalion threatens more.<BR> +Propitious Heav'n, and gracious Juno, lead<BR> +This wand'ring navy to your needful aid:<BR> +How will your empire spread, your city rise,<BR> +From such a union, and with such allies?<BR> +Implore the favor of the pow'rs above,<BR> +And leave the conduct of the rest to love.<BR> +Continue still your hospitable way,<BR> +And still invent occasions of their stay,<BR> +Till storms and winter winds shall cease to threat,<BR> +And planks and oars repair their shatter'd fleet."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +These words, which from a friend and sister came,<BR> +With ease resolv'd the scruples of her fame,<BR> +And added fury to the kindled flame.<BR> +Inspir'd with hope, the project they pursue;<BR> +On ev'ry altar sacrifice renew:<BR> +A chosen ewe of two years old they pay<BR> +To Ceres, Bacchus, and the God of Day;<BR> +Preferring Juno's pow'r, for Juno ties<BR> +The nuptial knot and makes the marriage joys.<BR> +The beauteous queen before her altar stands,<BR> +And holds the golden goblet in her hands.<BR> +A milk-white heifer she with flow'rs adorns,<BR> +And pours the ruddy wine betwixt her horns;<BR> +And, while the priests with pray'r the gods invoke,<BR> +She feeds their altars with Sabaean smoke,<BR> +With hourly care the sacrifice renews,<BR> +And anxiously the panting entrails views.<BR> +What priestly rites, alas! what pious art,<BR> +What vows avail to cure a bleeding heart!<BR> +A gentle fire she feeds within her veins,<BR> +Where the soft god secure in silence reigns.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Sick with desire, and seeking him she loves,<BR> +From street to street the raving Dido roves.<BR> +So when the watchful shepherd, from the blind,<BR> +Wounds with a random shaft the careless hind,<BR> +Distracted with her pain she flies the woods,<BR> +Bounds o'er the lawn, and seeks the silent floods,<BR> +With fruitless care; for still the fatal dart<BR> +Sticks in her side, and rankles in her heart.<BR> +And now she leads the Trojan chief along<BR> +The lofty walls, amidst the busy throng;<BR> +Displays her Tyrian wealth, and rising town,<BR> +Which love, without his labor, makes his own.<BR> +This pomp she shows, to tempt her wand'ring guest;<BR> +Her falt'ring tongue forbids to speak the rest.<BR> +When day declines, and feasts renew the night,<BR> +Still on his face she feeds her famish'd sight;<BR> +She longs again to hear the prince relate<BR> +His own adventures and the Trojan fate.<BR> +He tells it o'er and o'er; but still in vain,<BR> +For still she begs to hear it once again.<BR> +The hearer on the speaker's mouth depends,<BR> +And thus the tragic story never ends.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then, when they part, when Phoebe's paler light<BR> +Withdraws, and falling stars to sleep invite,<BR> +She last remains, when ev'ry guest is gone,<BR> +Sits on the bed he press'd, and sighs alone;<BR> +Absent, her absent hero sees and hears;<BR> +Or in her bosom young Ascanius bears,<BR> +And seeks the father's image in the child,<BR> +If love by likeness might be so beguil'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the rising tow'rs are at a stand;<BR> +No labors exercise the youthful band,<BR> +Nor use of arts, nor toils of arms they know;<BR> +The mole is left unfinish'd to the foe;<BR> +The mounds, the works, the walls, neglected lie,<BR> +Short of their promis'd heighth, that seem'd to threat the sky,<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But when imperial Juno, from above,<BR> +Saw Dido fetter'd in the chains of love,<BR> +Hot with the venom which her veins inflam'd,<BR> +And by no sense of shame to be reclaim'd,<BR> +With soothing words to Venus she begun:<BR> +"High praises, endless honors, you have won,<BR> +And mighty trophies, with your worthy son!<BR> +Two gods a silly woman have undone!<BR> +Nor am I ignorant, you both suspect<BR> +This rising city, which my hands erect:<BR> +But shall celestial discord never cease?<BR> +'T is better ended in a lasting peace.<BR> +You stand possess'd of all your soul desir'd:<BR> +Poor Dido with consuming love is fir'd.<BR> +Your Trojan with my Tyrian let us join;<BR> +So Dido shall be yours, Aeneas mine:<BR> +One common kingdom, one united line.<BR> +Eliza shall a Dardan lord obey,<BR> +And lofty Carthage for a dow'r convey."<BR> +Then Venus, who her hidden fraud descried,<BR> +Which would the scepter of the world misguide<BR> +To Libyan shores, thus artfully replied:<BR> +"Who, but a fool, would wars with Juno choose,<BR> +And such alliance and such gifts refuse,<BR> +If Fortune with our joint desires comply?<BR> +The doubt is all from Jove and destiny;<BR> +Lest he forbid, with absolute command,<BR> +To mix the people in one common land-<BR> +Or will the Trojan and the Tyrian line<BR> +In lasting leagues and sure succession join?<BR> +But you, the partner of his bed and throne,<BR> +May move his mind; my wishes are your own."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Mine," said imperial Juno, "be the care;<BR> +Time urges, now, to perfect this affair:<BR> +Attend my counsel, and the secret share.<BR> +When next the Sun his rising light displays,<BR> +And gilds the world below with purple rays,<BR> +The queen, Aeneas, and the Tyrian court<BR> +Shall to the shady woods, for sylvan game, resort.<BR> +There, while the huntsmen pitch their toils around,<BR> +And cheerful horns from side to side resound,<BR> +A pitchy cloud shall cover all the plain<BR> +With hail, and thunder, and tempestuous rain;<BR> +The fearful train shall take their speedy flight,<BR> +Dispers'd, and all involv'd in gloomy night;<BR> +One cave a grateful shelter shall afford<BR> +To the fair princess and the Trojan lord.<BR> +I will myself the bridal bed prepare,<BR> +If you, to bless the nuptials, will be there:<BR> +So shall their loves be crown'd with due delights,<BR> +And Hymen shall be present at the rites."<BR> +The Queen of Love consents, and closely smiles<BR> +At her vain project, and discover'd wiles.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The rosy morn was risen from the main,<BR> +And horns and hounds awake the princely train:<BR> +They issue early thro' the city gate,<BR> +Where the more wakeful huntsmen ready wait,<BR> +With nets, and toils, and darts, beside the force<BR> +Of Spartan dogs, and swift Massylian horse.<BR> +The Tyrian peers and officers of state<BR> +For the slow queen in antechambers wait;<BR> +Her lofty courser, in the court below,<BR> +Who his majestic rider seems to know,<BR> +Proud of his purple trappings, paws the ground,<BR> +And champs the golden bit, and spreads the foam around.<BR> +The queen at length appears; on either hand<BR> +The brawny guards in martial order stand.<BR> +A flow'r'd simar with golden fringe she wore,<BR> +And at her back a golden quiver bore;<BR> +Her flowing hair a golden caul restrains,<BR> +A golden clasp the Tyrian robe sustains.<BR> +Then young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,<BR> +Leads on the Trojan youth to view the chase.<BR> +But far above the rest in beauty shines<BR> +The great Aeneas, the troop he joins;<BR> +Like fair Apollo, when he leaves the frost<BR> +Of wint'ry Xanthus, and the Lycian coast,<BR> +When to his native Delos he resorts,<BR> +Ordains the dances, and renews the sports;<BR> +Where painted Scythians, mix'd with Cretan bands,<BR> +Before the joyful altars join their hands:<BR> +Himself, on Cynthus walking, sees below<BR> +The merry madness of the sacred show.<BR> +Green wreaths of bays his length of hair inclose;<BR> +A golden fillet binds his awful brows;<BR> +His quiver sounds: not less the prince is seen<BR> +In manly presence, or in lofty mien.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now had they reach'd the hills, and storm'd the seat<BR> +Of salvage beasts, in dens, their last retreat.<BR> +The cry pursues the mountain goats: they bound<BR> +From rock to rock, and keep the craggy ground;<BR> +Quite otherwise the stags, a trembling train,<BR> +In herds unsingled, scour the dusty plain,<BR> +And a long chase in open view maintain.<BR> +The glad Ascanius, as his courser guides,<BR> +Spurs thro' the vale, and these and those outrides.<BR> +His horse's flanks and sides are forc'd to feel<BR> +The clanking lash, and goring of the steel.<BR> +Impatiently he views the feeble prey,<BR> +Wishing some nobler beast to cross his way,<BR> +And rather would the tusky boar attend,<BR> +Or see the tawny lion downward bend.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime, the gath'ring clouds obscure the skies:<BR> +From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;<BR> +The rattling thunders roll; and Juno pours<BR> +A wintry deluge down, and sounding show'rs.<BR> +The company, dispers'd, to converts ride,<BR> +And seek the homely cots, or mountain's hollow side.<BR> +The rapid rains, descending from the hills,<BR> +To rolling torrents raise the creeping rills.<BR> +The queen and prince, as love or fortune guides,<BR> +One common cavern in her bosom hides.<BR> +Then first the trembling earth the signal gave,<BR> +And flashing fires enlighten all the cave;<BR> +Hell from below, and Juno from above,<BR> +And howling nymphs, were conscious of their love.<BR> +From this ill-omen'd hour in time arose<BR> +Debate and death, and all succeeding woes.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The queen, whom sense of honor could not move,<BR> +No longer made a secret of her love,<BR> +But call'd it marriage, by that specious name<BR> +To veil the crime and sanctify the shame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The loud report thro' Libyan cities goes.<BR> +Fame, the great ill, from small beginnings grows:<BR> +Swift from the first; and ev'ry moment brings<BR> +New vigor to her flights, new pinions to her wings.<BR> +Soon grows the pigmy to gigantic size;<BR> +Her feet on earth, her forehead in the skies.<BR> +Inrag'd against the gods, revengeful Earth<BR> +Produc'd her last of the Titanian birth.<BR> +Swift is her walk, more swift her winged haste:<BR> +A monstrous phantom, horrible and vast.<BR> +As many plumes as raise her lofty flight,<BR> +So many piercing eyes inlarge her sight;<BR> +Millions of opening mouths to Fame belong,<BR> +And ev'ry mouth is furnish'd with a tongue,<BR> +And round with list'ning ears the flying plague is hung.<BR> +She fills the peaceful universe with cries;<BR> +No slumbers ever close her wakeful eyes;<BR> +By day, from lofty tow'rs her head she shews,<BR> +And spreads thro' trembling crowds disastrous news;<BR> +With court informers haunts, and royal spies;<BR> +Things done relates, not done she feigns, and mingles truth with lies.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Talk is her business, and her chief delight<BR> +To tell of prodigies and cause affright.<BR> +She fills the people's ears with Dido's name,<BR> +Who, lost to honor and the sense of shame,<BR> +Admits into her throne and nuptial bed<BR> +A wand'ring guest, who from his country fled:<BR> +Whole days with him she passes in delights,<BR> +And wastes in luxury long winter nights,<BR> +Forgetful of her fame and royal trust,<BR> +Dissolv'd in ease, abandon'd to her lust.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The goddess widely spreads the loud report,<BR> +And flies at length to King Hyarba's court.<BR> +When first possess'd with this unwelcome news<BR> +Whom did he not of men and gods accuse?<BR> +This prince, from ravish'd Garamantis born,<BR> +A hundred temples did with spoils adorn,<BR> +In Ammon's honor, his celestial sire;<BR> +A hundred altars fed with wakeful fire;<BR> +And, thro' his vast dominions, priests ordain'd,<BR> +Whose watchful care these holy rites maintain'd.<BR> +The gates and columns were with garlands crown'd,<BR> +And blood of victim beasts enrich'd the ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He, when he heard a fugitive could move<BR> +The Tyrian princess, who disdain'd his love,<BR> +His breast with fury burn'd, his eyes with fire,<BR> +Mad with despair, impatient with desire;<BR> +Then on the sacred altars pouring wine,<BR> +He thus with pray'rs implor'd his sire divine:<BR> +"Great Jove! propitious to the Moorish race,<BR> +Who feast on painted beds, with off'rings grace<BR> +Thy temples, and adore thy pow'r divine<BR> +With blood of victims, and with sparkling wine,<BR> +Seest thou not this? or do we fear in vain<BR> +Thy boasted thunder, and thy thoughtless reign?<BR> +Do thy broad hands the forky lightnings lance?<BR> +Thine are the bolts, or the blind work of chance?<BR> +A wand'ring woman builds, within our state,<BR> +A little town, bought at an easy rate;<BR> +She pays me homage, and my grants allow<BR> +A narrow space of Libyan lands to plow;<BR> +Yet, scorning me, by passion blindly led,<BR> +Admits a banish'd Trojan to her bed!<BR> +And now this other Paris, with his train<BR> +Of conquer'd cowards, must in Afric reign!<BR> +(Whom, what they are, their looks and garb confess,<BR> +Their locks with oil perfum'd, their Lydian dress.)<BR> +He takes the spoil, enjoys the princely dame;<BR> +And I, rejected I, adore an empty name."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +His vows, in haughty terms, he thus preferr'd,<BR> +And held his altar's horns. The mighty Thund'rer heard;<BR> +Then cast his eyes on Carthage, where he found<BR> +The lustful pair in lawless pleasure drown'd,<BR> +Lost in their loves, insensible of shame,<BR> +And both forgetful of their better fame.<BR> +He calls Cyllenius, and the god attends,<BR> +By whom his menacing command he sends:<BR> +"Go, mount the western winds, and cleave the sky;<BR> +Then, with a swift descent, to Carthage fly:<BR> +There find the Trojan chief, who wastes his days<BR> +In slothful riot and inglorious ease,<BR> +Nor minds the future city, giv'n by fate.<BR> +To him this message from my mouth relate:<BR> +'Not so fair Venus hop'd, when twice she won<BR> +Thy life with pray'rs, nor promis'd such a son.<BR> +Hers was a hero, destin'd to command<BR> +A martial race, and rule the Latian land,<BR> +Who should his ancient line from Teucer draw,<BR> +And on the conquer'd world impose the law.'<BR> +If glory cannot move a mind so mean,<BR> +Nor future praise from fading pleasure wean,<BR> +Yet why should he defraud his son of fame,<BR> +And grudge the Romans their immortal name!<BR> +What are his vain designs! what hopes he more<BR> +From his long ling'ring on a hostile shore,<BR> +Regardless to redeem his honor lost,<BR> +And for his race to gain th' Ausonian coast!<BR> +Bid him with speed the Tyrian court forsake;<BR> +With this command the slumb'ring warrior wake."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Hermes obeys; with golden pinions binds<BR> +His flying feet, and mounts the western winds:<BR> +And, whether o'er the seas or earth he flies,<BR> +With rapid force they bear him down the skies.<BR> +But first he grasps within his awful hand<BR> +The mark of sov'reign pow'r, his magic wand;<BR> +With this he draws the ghosts from hollow graves;<BR> +With this he drives them down the Stygian waves;<BR> +With this he seals in sleep the wakeful sight,<BR> +And eyes, tho' clos'd in death, restores to light.<BR> +Thus arm'd, the god begins his airy race,<BR> +And drives the racking clouds along the liquid space;<BR> +Now sees the tops of Atlas, as he flies,<BR> +Whose brawny back supports the starry skies;<BR> +Atlas, whose head, with piny forests crown'd,<BR> +Is beaten by the winds, with foggy vapors bound.<BR> +Snows hide his shoulders; from beneath his chin<BR> +The founts of rolling streams their race begin;<BR> +A beard of ice on his large breast depends.<BR> +Here, pois'd upon his wings, the god descends:<BR> +Then, rested thus, he from the tow'ring height<BR> +Plung'd downward, with precipitated flight,<BR> +Lights on the seas, and skims along the flood.<BR> +As waterfowl, who seek their fishy food,<BR> +Less, and yet less, to distant prospect show;<BR> +By turns they dance aloft, and dive below:<BR> +Like these, the steerage of his wings he plies,<BR> +And near the surface of the water flies,<BR> +Till, having pass'd the seas, and cross'd the sands,<BR> +He clos'd his wings, and stoop'd on Libyan lands:<BR> +Where shepherds once were hous'd in homely sheds,<BR> +Now tow'rs within the clouds advance their heads.<BR> +Arriving there, he found the Trojan prince<BR> +New ramparts raising for the town's defense.<BR> +A purple scarf, with gold embroider'd o'er,<BR> +(Queen Dido's gift,) about his waist he wore;<BR> +A sword, with glitt'ring gems diversified,<BR> +For ornament, not use, hung idly by his side.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus, with winged words, the god began,<BR> +Resuming his own shape: "Degenerate man,<BR> +Thou woman's property, what mak'st thou here,<BR> +These foreign walls and Tyrian tow'rs to rear,<BR> +Forgetful of thy own? All-pow'rful Jove,<BR> +Who sways the world below and heav'n above,<BR> +Has sent me down with this severe command:<BR> +What means thy ling'ring in the Libyan land?<BR> +If glory cannot move a mind so mean,<BR> +Nor future praise from flitting pleasure wean,<BR> +Regard the fortunes of thy rising heir:<BR> +The promis'd crown let young Ascanius wear,<BR> +To whom th' Ausonian scepter, and the state<BR> +Of Rome's imperial name is ow'd by fate."<BR> +So spoke the god; and, speaking, took his flight,<BR> +Involv'd in clouds, and vanish'd out of sight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The pious prince was seiz'd with sudden fear;<BR> +Mute was his tongue, and upright stood his hair.<BR> +Revolving in his mind the stern command,<BR> +He longs to fly, and loathes the charming land.<BR> +What should he say? or how should he begin?<BR> +What course, alas! remains to steer between<BR> +Th' offended lover and the pow'rful queen?<BR> +This way and that he turns his anxious mind,<BR> +And all expedients tries, and none can find.<BR> +Fix'd on the deed, but doubtful of the means,<BR> +After long thought, to this advice he leans:<BR> +Three chiefs he calls, commands them to repair<BR> +The fleet, and ship their men with silent care;<BR> +Some plausible pretense he bids them find,<BR> +To color what in secret he design'd.<BR> +Himself, meantime, the softest hours would choose,<BR> +Before the love-sick lady heard the news;<BR> +And move her tender mind, by slow degrees,<BR> +To suffer what the sov'reign pow'r decrees:<BR> +Jove will inspire him, when, and what to say.<BR> +They hear with pleasure, and with haste obey.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But soon the queen perceives the thin disguise:<BR> +(What arts can blind a jealous woman's eyes!)<BR> +She was the first to find the secret fraud,<BR> +Before the fatal news was blaz'd abroad.<BR> +Love the first motions of the lover hears,<BR> +Quick to presage, and ev'n in safety fears.<BR> +Nor impious Fame was wanting to report<BR> +The ships repair'd, the Trojans' thick resort,<BR> +And purpose to forsake the Tyrian court.<BR> +Frantic with fear, impatient of the wound,<BR> +And impotent of mind, she roves the city round.<BR> +Less wild the Bacchanalian dames appear,<BR> +When, from afar, their nightly god they hear,<BR> +And howl about the hills, and shake the wreathy spear.<BR> +At length she finds the dear perfidious man;<BR> +Prevents his form'd excuse, and thus began:<BR> +"Base and ungrateful! could you hope to fly,<BR> +And undiscover'd scape a lover's eye?<BR> +Nor could my kindness your compassion move.<BR> +Nor plighted vows, nor dearer bands of love?<BR> +Or is the death of a despairing queen<BR> +Not worth preventing, tho' too well foreseen?<BR> +Ev'n when the wintry winds command your stay,<BR> +You dare the tempests, and defy the sea.<BR> +False as you are, suppose you were not bound<BR> +To lands unknown, and foreign coasts to sound;<BR> +Were Troy restor'd, and Priam's happy reign,<BR> +Now durst you tempt, for Troy, the raging main?<BR> +See whom you fly! am I the foe you shun?<BR> +Now, by those holy vows, so late begun,<BR> +By this right hand, (since I have nothing more<BR> +To challenge, but the faith you gave before;)<BR> +I beg you by these tears too truly shed,<BR> +By the new pleasures of our nuptial bed;<BR> +If ever Dido, when you most were kind,<BR> +Were pleasing in your eyes, or touch'd your mind;<BR> +By these my pray'rs, if pray'rs may yet have place,<BR> +Pity the fortunes of a falling race.<BR> +For you I have provok'd a tyrant's hate,<BR> +Incens'd the Libyan and the Tyrian state;<BR> +For you alone I suffer in my fame,<BR> +Bereft of honor, and expos'd to shame.<BR> +Whom have I now to trust, ungrateful guest?<BR> +(That only name remains of all the rest!)<BR> +What have I left? or whither can I fly?<BR> +Must I attend Pygmalion's cruelty,<BR> +Or till Hyarba shall in triumph lead<BR> +A queen that proudly scorn'd his proffer'd bed?<BR> +Had you deferr'd, at least, your hasty flight,<BR> +And left behind some pledge of our delight,<BR> +Some babe to bless the mother's mournful sight,<BR> +Some young Aeneas, to supply your place,<BR> +Whose features might express his father's face;<BR> +I should not then complain to live bereft<BR> +Of all my husband, or be wholly left."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Here paus'd the queen. Unmov'd he holds his eyes,<BR> +By Jove's command; nor suffer'd love to rise,<BR> +Tho' heaving in his heart; and thus at length replies:<BR> +"Fair queen, you never can enough repeat<BR> +Your boundless favors, or I own my debt;<BR> +Nor can my mind forget Eliza's name,<BR> +While vital breath inspires this mortal frame.<BR> +This only let me speak in my defense:<BR> +I never hop'd a secret flight from hence,<BR> +Much less pretended to the lawful claim<BR> +Of sacred nuptials, or a husband's name.<BR> +For, if indulgent Heav'n would leave me free,<BR> +And not submit my life to fate's decree,<BR> +My choice would lead me to the Trojan shore,<BR> +Those relics to review, their dust adore,<BR> +And Priam's ruin'd palace to restore.<BR> +But now the Delphian oracle commands,<BR> +And fate invites me to the Latian lands.<BR> +That is the promis'd place to which I steer,<BR> +And all my vows are terminated there.<BR> +If you, a Tyrian, and a stranger born,<BR> +With walls and tow'rs a Libyan town adorn,<BR> +Why may not we- like you, a foreign race-<BR> +Like you, seek shelter in a foreign place?<BR> +As often as the night obscures the skies<BR> +With humid shades, or twinkling stars arise,<BR> +Anchises' angry ghost in dreams appears,<BR> +Chides my delay, and fills my soul with fears;<BR> +And young Ascanius justly may complain<BR> +Of his defrauded and destin'd reign.<BR> +Ev'n now the herald of the gods appear'd:<BR> +Waking I saw him, and his message heard.<BR> +From Jove he came commission'd, heav'nly bright<BR> +With radiant beams, and manifest to sight<BR> +(The sender and the sent I both attest)<BR> +These walls he enter'd, and those words express'd.<BR> +Fair queen, oppose not what the gods command;<BR> +Forc'd by my fate, I leave your happy land."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while he spoke, already she began,<BR> +With sparkling eyes, to view the guilty man;<BR> +From head to foot survey'd his person o'er,<BR> +Nor longer these outrageous threats forebore:<BR> +"False as thou art, and, more than false, forsworn!<BR> +Not sprung from noble blood, nor goddess-born,<BR> +But hewn from harden'd entrails of a rock!<BR> +And rough Hyrcanian tigers gave thee suck!<BR> +Why should I fawn? what have I worse to fear?<BR> +Did he once look, or lent a list'ning ear,<BR> +Sigh'd when I sobb'd, or shed one kindly tear?-<BR> +All symptoms of a base ungrateful mind,<BR> +So foul, that, which is worse, 'tis hard to find.<BR> +Of man's injustice why should I complain?<BR> +The gods, and Jove himself, behold in vain<BR> +Triumphant treason; yet no thunder flies,<BR> +Nor Juno views my wrongs with equal eyes;<BR> +Faithless is earth, and faithless are the skies!<BR> +Justice is fled, and Truth is now no more!<BR> +I sav'd the shipwrack'd exile on my shore;<BR> +With needful food his hungry Trojans fed;<BR> +I took the traitor to my throne and bed:<BR> +Fool that I was- 't is little to repeat<BR> +The rest- I stor'd and rigg'd his ruin'd fleet.<BR> +I rave, I rave! A god's command he pleads,<BR> +And makes Heav'n accessary to his deeds.<BR> +Now Lycian lots, and now the Delian god,<BR> +Now Hermes is employ'd from Jove's abode,<BR> +To warn him hence; as if the peaceful state<BR> +Of heav'nly pow'rs were touch'd with human fate!<BR> +But go! thy flight no longer I detain-<BR> +Go seek thy promis'd kingdom thro' the main!<BR> +Yet, if the heav'ns will hear my pious vow,<BR> +The faithless waves, not half so false as thou,<BR> +Or secret sands, shall sepulchers afford<BR> +To thy proud vessels, and their perjur'd lord.<BR> +Then shalt thou call on injur'd Dido's name:<BR> +Dido shall come in a black sulph'ry flame,<BR> +When death has once dissolv'd her mortal frame;<BR> +Shall smile to see the traitor vainly weep:<BR> +Her angry ghost, arising from the deep,<BR> +Shall haunt thee waking, and disturb thy sleep.<BR> +At least my shade thy punishment shall know,<BR> +And Fame shall spread the pleasing news below."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Abruptly here she stops; then turns away<BR> +Her loathing eyes, and shuns the sight of day.<BR> +Amaz'd he stood, revolving in his mind<BR> +What speech to frame, and what excuse to find.<BR> +Her fearful maids their fainting mistress led,<BR> +And softly laid her on her ivory bed.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But good Aeneas, tho' he much desir'd<BR> +To give that pity which her grief requir'd;<BR> +Tho' much he mourn'd, and labor'd with his love,<BR> +Resolv'd at length, obeys the will of Jove;<BR> +Reviews his forces: they with early care<BR> +Unmoor their vessels, and for sea prepare.<BR> +The fleet is soon afloat, in all its pride,<BR> +And well-calk'd galleys in the harbor ride.<BR> +Then oaks for oars they fell'd; or, as they stood,<BR> +Of its green arms despoil'd the growing wood,<BR> +Studious of flight. The beach is cover'd o'er<BR> +With Trojan bands, that blacken all the shore:<BR> +On ev'ry side are seen, descending down,<BR> +Thick swarms of soldiers, loaden from the town.<BR> +Thus, in battalia, march embodied ants,<BR> +Fearful of winter, and of future wants,<BR> +T' invade the corn, and to their cells convey<BR> +The plunder'd forage of their yellow prey.<BR> +The sable troops, along the narrow tracks,<BR> +Scarce bear the weighty burthen on their backs:<BR> +Some set their shoulders to the pond'rous grain;<BR> +Some guard the spoil; some lash the lagging train;<BR> +All ply their sev'ral tasks, and equal toil sustain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +What pangs the tender breast of Dido tore,<BR> +When, from the tow'r, she saw the cover'd shore,<BR> +And heard the shouts of sailors from afar,<BR> +Mix'd with the murmurs of the wat'ry war!<BR> +All-pow'rful Love! what changes canst thou cause<BR> +In human hearts, subjected to thy laws!<BR> +Once more her haughty soul the tyrant bends:<BR> +To pray'rs and mean submissions she descends.<BR> +No female arts or aids she left untried,<BR> +Nor counsels unexplor'd, before she died.<BR> +"Look, Anna! look! the Trojans crowd to sea;<BR> +They spread their canvas, and their anchors weigh.<BR> +The shouting crew their ships with garlands bind,<BR> +Invoke the sea gods, and invite the wind.<BR> +Could I have thought this threat'ning blow so near,<BR> +My tender soul had been forewarn'd to bear.<BR> +But do not you my last request deny;<BR> +With yon perfidious man your int'rest try,<BR> +And bring me news, if I must live or die.<BR> +You are his fav'rite; you alone can find<BR> +The dark recesses of his inmost mind:<BR> +In all his trusted secrets you have part,<BR> +And know the soft approaches to his heart.<BR> +Haste then, and humbly seek my haughty foe;<BR> +Tell him, I did not with the Grecians go,<BR> +Nor did my fleet against his friends employ,<BR> +Nor swore the ruin of unhappy Troy,<BR> +Nor mov'd with hands profane his father's dust:<BR> +Why should he then reject a suit so just!<BR> +Whom does he shun, and whither would he fly!<BR> +Can he this last, this only pray'r deny!<BR> +Let him at least his dang'rous flight delay,<BR> +Wait better winds, and hope a calmer sea.<BR> +The nuptials he disclaims I urge no more:<BR> +Let him pursue the promis'd Latian shore.<BR> +A short delay is all I ask him now;<BR> +A pause of grief, an interval from woe,<BR> +Till my soft soul be temper'd to sustain<BR> +Accustom'd sorrows, and inur'd to pain.<BR> +If you in pity grant this one request,<BR> +My death shall glut the hatred of his breast."<BR> +This mournful message pious Anna bears,<BR> +And seconds with her own her sister's tears:<BR> +But all her arts are still employ'd in vain;<BR> +Again she comes, and is refus'd again.<BR> +His harden'd heart nor pray'rs nor threat'nings move;<BR> +Fate, and the god, had stopp'd his ears to love.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As, when the winds their airy quarrel try,<BR> +Justling from ev'ry quarter of the sky,<BR> +This way and that the mountain oak they bend,<BR> +His boughs they shatter, and his branches rend;<BR> +With leaves and falling mast they spread the ground;<BR> +The hollow valleys echo to the sound:<BR> +Unmov'd, the royal plant their fury mocks,<BR> +Or, shaken, clings more closely to the rocks;<BR> +Far as he shoots his tow'ring head on high,<BR> +So deep in earth his fix'd foundations lie.<BR> +No less a storm the Trojan hero bears;<BR> +Thick messages and loud complaints he hears,<BR> +And bandied words, still beating on his ears.<BR> +Sighs, groans, and tears proclaim his inward pains;<BR> +But the firm purpose of his heart remains.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The wretched queen, pursued by cruel fate,<BR> +Begins at length the light of heav'n to hate,<BR> +And loathes to live. Then dire portents she sees,<BR> +To hasten on the death her soul decrees:<BR> +Strange to relate! for when, before the shrine,<BR> +She pours in sacrifice the purple wine,<BR> +The purple wine is turn'd to putrid blood,<BR> +And the white offer'd milk converts to mud.<BR> +This dire presage, to her alone reveal'd,<BR> +From all, and ev'n her sister, she conceal'd.<BR> +A marble temple stood within the grove,<BR> +Sacred to death, and to her murther'd love;<BR> +That honor'd chapel she had hung around<BR> +With snowy fleeces, and with garlands crown'd:<BR> +Oft, when she visited this lonely dome,<BR> +Strange voices issued from her husband's tomb;<BR> +She thought she heard him summon her away,<BR> +Invite her to his grave, and chide her stay.<BR> +Hourly 't is heard, when with a boding note<BR> +The solitary screech owl strains her throat,<BR> +And, on a chimney's top, or turret's height,<BR> +With songs obscene disturbs the silence of the night.<BR> +Besides, old prophecies augment her fears;<BR> +And stern Aeneas in her dreams appears,<BR> +Disdainful as by day: she seems, alone,<BR> +To wander in her sleep, thro' ways unknown,<BR> +Guideless and dark; or, in a desart plain,<BR> +To seek her subjects, and to seek in vain:<BR> +Like Pentheus, when, distracted with his fear,<BR> +He saw two suns, and double Thebes, appear;<BR> +Or mad Orestes, when his mother's ghost<BR> +Full in his face infernal torches toss'd,<BR> +And shook her snaky locks: he shuns the sight,<BR> +Flies o'er the stage, surpris'd with mortal fright;<BR> +The Furies guard the door and intercept his flight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, sinking underneath a load of grief,<BR> +From death alone she seeks her last relief;<BR> +The time and means resolv'd within her breast,<BR> +She to her mournful sister thus address'd<BR> +(Dissembling hope, her cloudy front she clears,<BR> +And a false vigor in her eyes appears):<BR> +"Rejoice!" she said. "Instructed from above,<BR> +My lover I shall gain, or lose my love.<BR> +Nigh rising Atlas, next the falling sun,<BR> +Long tracts of Ethiopian climates run:<BR> +There a Massylian priestess I have found,<BR> +Honor'd for age, for magic arts renown'd:<BR> +Th' Hesperian temple was her trusted care;<BR> +'T was she supplied the wakeful dragon's fare.<BR> +She poppy seeds in honey taught to steep,<BR> +Reclaim'd his rage, and sooth'd him into sleep.<BR> +She watch'd the golden fruit; her charms unbind<BR> +The chains of love, or fix them on the mind:<BR> +She stops the torrents, leaves the channel dry,<BR> +Repels the stars, and backward bears the sky.<BR> +The yawning earth rebellows to her call,<BR> +Pale ghosts ascend, and mountain ashes fall.<BR> +Witness, ye gods, and thou my better part,<BR> +How loth I am to try this impious art!<BR> +Within the secret court, with silent care,<BR> +Erect a lofty pile, expos'd in air:<BR> +Hang on the topmost part the Trojan vest,<BR> +Spoils, arms, and presents, of my faithless guest.<BR> +Next, under these, the bridal bed be plac'd,<BR> +Where I my ruin in his arms embrac'd:<BR> +All relics of the wretch are doom'd to fire;<BR> +For so the priestess and her charms require."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus far she said, and farther speech forbears;<BR> +A mortal paleness in her face appears:<BR> +Yet the mistrustless Anna could not find<BR> +The secret fun'ral in these rites design'd;<BR> +Nor thought so dire a rage possess'd her mind.<BR> +Unknowing of a train conceal'd so well,<BR> +She fear'd no worse than when Sichaeus fell;<BR> +Therefore obeys. The fatal pile they rear,<BR> +Within the secret court, expos'd in air.<BR> +The cloven holms and pines are heap'd on high,<BR> +And garlands on the hollow spaces lie.<BR> +Sad cypress, vervain, yew, compose the wreath,<BR> +And ev'ry baleful green denoting death.<BR> +The queen, determin'd to the fatal deed,<BR> +The spoils and sword he left, in order spread,<BR> +And the man's image on the nuptial bed.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now (the sacred altars plac'd around)<BR> +The priestess enters, with her hair unbound,<BR> +And thrice invokes the pow'rs below the ground.<BR> +Night, Erebus, and Chaos she proclaims,<BR> +And threefold Hecate, with her hundred names,<BR> +And three Dianas: next, she sprinkles round<BR> +With feign'd Avernian drops the hallow'd ground;<BR> +Culls hoary simples, found by Phoebe's light,<BR> +With brazen sickles reap'd at noon of night;<BR> +Then mixes baleful juices in the bowl,<BR> +And cuts the forehead of a newborn foal,<BR> +Robbing the mother's love. The destin'd queen<BR> +Observes, assisting at the rites obscene;<BR> +A leaven'd cake in her devoted hands<BR> +She holds, and next the highest altar stands:<BR> +One tender foot was shod, her other bare;<BR> +Girt was her gather'd gown, and loose her hair.<BR> +Thus dress'd, she summon'd, with her dying breath,<BR> +The heav'ns and planets conscious of her death,<BR> +And ev'ry pow'r, if any rules above,<BR> +Who minds, or who revenges, injur'd love.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"'T was dead of night, when weary bodies close<BR> +Their eyes in balmy sleep and soft repose:<BR> +The winds no longer whisper thro' the woods,<BR> +Nor murm'ring tides disturb the gentle floods.<BR> +The stars in silent order mov'd around;<BR> +And Peace, with downy wings, was brooding on the ground<BR> +The flocks and herds, and party-color'd fowl,<BR> +Which haunt the woods, or swim the weedy pool,<BR> +Stretch'd on the quiet earth, securely lay,<BR> +Forgetting the past labors of the day.<BR> +All else of nature's common gift partake:<BR> +Unhappy Dido was alone awake.<BR> +Nor sleep nor ease the furious queen can find;<BR> +Sleep fled her eyes, as quiet fled her mind.<BR> +Despair, and rage, and love divide her heart;<BR> +Despair and rage had some, but love the greater part.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus she said within her secret mind:<BR> +"What shall I do? what succor can I find?<BR> +Become a suppliant to Hyarba's pride,<BR> +And take my turn, to court and be denied?<BR> +Shall I with this ungrateful Trojan go,<BR> +Forsake an empire, and attend a foe?<BR> +Himself I refug'd, and his train reliev'd-<BR> +'T is true- but am I sure to be receiv'd?<BR> +Can gratitude in Trojan souls have place!<BR> +Laomedon still lives in all his race!<BR> +Then, shall I seek alone the churlish crew,<BR> +Or with my fleet their flying sails pursue?<BR> +What force have I but those whom scarce before<BR> +I drew reluctant from their native shore?<BR> +Will they again embark at my desire,<BR> +Once more sustain the seas, and quit their second Tyre?<BR> +Rather with steel thy guilty breast invade,<BR> +And take the fortune thou thyself hast made.<BR> +Your pity, sister, first seduc'd my mind,<BR> +Or seconded too well what I design'd.<BR> +These dear-bought pleasures had I never known,<BR> +Had I continued free, and still my own;<BR> +Avoiding love, I had not found despair,<BR> +But shar'd with salvage beasts the common air.<BR> +Like them, a lonely life I might have led,<BR> +Not mourn'd the living, nor disturb'd the dead."<BR> +These thoughts she brooded in her anxious breast.<BR> +On board, the Trojan found more easy rest.<BR> +Resolv'd to sail, in sleep he pass'd the night;<BR> +And order'd all things for his early flight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To whom once more the winged god appears;<BR> +His former youthful mien and shape he wears,<BR> +And with this new alarm invades his ears:<BR> +"Sleep'st thou, O goddess-born! and canst thou drown<BR> +Thy needful cares, so near a hostile town,<BR> +Beset with foes; nor hear'st the western gales<BR> +Invite thy passage, and inspire thy sails?<BR> +She harbors in her heart a furious hate,<BR> +And thou shalt find the dire effects too late;<BR> +Fix'd on revenge, and obstinate to die.<BR> +Haste swiftly hence, while thou hast pow'r to fly.<BR> +The sea with ships will soon be cover'd o'er,<BR> +And blazing firebrands kindle all the shore.<BR> +Prevent her rage, while night obscures the skies,<BR> +And sail before the purple morn arise.<BR> +Who knows what hazards thy delay may bring?<BR> +Woman's a various and a changeful thing."<BR> +Thus Hermes in the dream; then took his flight<BR> +Aloft in air unseen, and mix'd with night.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Twice warn'd by the celestial messenger,<BR> +The pious prince arose with hasty fear;<BR> +Then rous'd his drowsy train without delay:<BR> +"Haste to your banks; your crooked anchors weigh,<BR> +And spread your flying sails, and stand to sea.<BR> +A god commands: he stood before my sight,<BR> +And urg'd us once again to speedy flight.<BR> +O sacred pow'r, what pow'r soe'er thou art,<BR> +To thy blest orders I resign my heart.<BR> +Lead thou the way; protect thy Trojan bands,<BR> +And prosper the design thy will commands."<BR> +He said: and, drawing forth his flaming sword,<BR> +His thund'ring arm divides the many-twisted cord.<BR> +An emulating zeal inspires his train:<BR> +They run; they snatch; they rush into the main.<BR> +With headlong haste they leave the desert shores,<BR> +And brush the liquid seas with lab'ring oars.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Aurora now had left her saffron bed,<BR> +And beams of early light the heav'ns o'erspread,<BR> +When, from a tow'r, the queen, with wakeful eyes,<BR> +Saw day point upward from the rosy skies.<BR> +She look'd to seaward; but the sea was void,<BR> +And scarce in ken the sailing ships descried.<BR> +Stung with despite, and furious with despair,<BR> +She struck her trembling breast, and tore her hair.<BR> +"And shall th' ungrateful traitor go," she said,<BR> +"My land forsaken, and my love betray'd?<BR> +Shall we not arm? not rush from ev'ry street,<BR> +To follow, sink, and burn his perjur'd fleet?<BR> +Haste, haul my galleys out! pursue the foe!<BR> +Bring flaming brands! set sail, and swiftly row!<BR> +What have I said? where am I? Fury turns<BR> +My brain; and my distemper'd bosom burns.<BR> +Then, when I gave my person and my throne,<BR> +This hate, this rage, had been more timely shown.<BR> +See now the promis'd faith, the vaunted name,<BR> +The pious man, who, rushing thro' the flame,<BR> +Preserv'd his gods, and to the Phrygian shore<BR> +The burthen of his feeble father bore!<BR> +I should have torn him piecemeal; strow'd in floods<BR> +His scatter'd limbs, or left expos'd in woods;<BR> +Destroy'd his friends and son; and, from the fire,<BR> +Have set the reeking boy before the sire.<BR> +Events are doubtful, which on battles wait:<BR> +Yet where's the doubt, to souls secure of fate?<BR> +My Tyrians, at their injur'd queen's command,<BR> +Had toss'd their fires amid the Trojan band;<BR> +At once extinguish'd all the faithless name;<BR> +And I myself, in vengeance of my shame,<BR> +Had fall'n upon the pile, to mend the fun'ral flame.<BR> +Thou Sun, who view'st at once the world below;<BR> +Thou Juno, guardian of the nuptial vow;<BR> +Thou Hecate hearken from thy dark abodes!<BR> +Ye Furies, fiends, and violated gods,<BR> +All pow'rs invok'd with Dido's dying breath,<BR> +Attend her curses and avenge her death!<BR> +If so the Fates ordain, Jove commands,<BR> +Th' ungrateful wretch should find the Latian lands,<BR> +Yet let a race untam'd, and haughty foes,<BR> +His peaceful entrance with dire arms oppose:<BR> +Oppress'd with numbers in th' unequal field,<BR> +His men discourag'd, and himself expell'd,<BR> +Let him for succor sue from place to place,<BR> +Torn from his subjects, and his son's embrace.<BR> +First, let him see his friends in battle slain,<BR> +And their untimely fate lament in vain;<BR> +And when, at length, the cruel war shall cease,<BR> +On hard conditions may he buy his peace:<BR> +Nor let him then enjoy supreme command;<BR> +But fall, untimely, by some hostile hand,<BR> +And lie unburied on the barren sand!<BR> +These are my pray'rs, and this my dying will;<BR> +And you, my Tyrians, ev'ry curse fulfil.<BR> +Perpetual hate and mortal wars proclaim,<BR> +Against the prince, the people, and the name.<BR> +These grateful off'rings on my grave bestow;<BR> +Nor league, nor love, the hostile nations know!<BR> +Now, and from hence, in ev'ry future age,<BR> +When rage excites your arms, and strength supplies the rage<BR> +Rise some avenger of our Libyan blood,<BR> +With fire and sword pursue the perjur'd brood;<BR> +Our arms, our seas, our shores, oppos'd to theirs;<BR> +And the same hate descend on all our heirs!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This said, within her anxious mind she weighs<BR> +The means of cutting short her odious days.<BR> +Then to Sichaeus' nurse she briefly said<BR> +(For, when she left her country, hers was dead):<BR> +"Go, Barce, call my sister. Let her care<BR> +The solemn rites of sacrifice prepare;<BR> +The sheep, and all th' atoning off'rings bring,<BR> +Sprinkling her body from the crystal spring<BR> +With living drops; then let her come, and thou<BR> +With sacred fillets bind thy hoary brow.<BR> +Thus will I pay my vows to Stygian Jove,<BR> +And end the cares of my disastrous love;<BR> +Then cast the Trojan image on the fire,<BR> +And, as that burns, my passions shall expire."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The nurse moves onward, with officious care,<BR> +And all the speed her aged limbs can bear.<BR> +But furious Dido, with dark thoughts involv'd,<BR> +Shook at the mighty mischief she resolv'd.<BR> +With livid spots distinguish'd was her face;<BR> +Red were her rolling eyes, and discompos'd her pace;<BR> +Ghastly she gaz'd, with pain she drew her breath,<BR> +And nature shiver'd at approaching death.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then swiftly to the fatal place she pass'd,<BR> +And mounts the fun'ral pile with furious haste;<BR> +Unsheathes the sword the Trojan left behind<BR> +(Not for so dire an enterprise design'd).<BR> +But when she view'd the garments loosely spread,<BR> +Which once he wore, and saw the conscious bed,<BR> +She paus'd, and with a sigh the robes embrac'd;<BR> +Then on the couch her trembling body cast,<BR> +Repress'd the ready tears, and spoke her last:<BR> +"Dear pledges of my love, while Heav'n so pleas'd,<BR> +Receive a soul, of mortal anguish eas'd:<BR> +My fatal course is finish'd; and I go,<BR> +A glorious name, among the ghosts below.<BR> +A lofty city by my hands is rais'd,<BR> +Pygmalion punish'd, and my lord appeas'd.<BR> +What could my fortune have afforded more,<BR> +Had the false Trojan never touch'd my shore!"<BR> +Then kiss'd the couch; and, "Must I die," she said,<BR> +"And unreveng'd? 'T is doubly to be dead!<BR> +Yet ev'n this death with pleasure I receive:<BR> +On any terms, 't is better than to live.<BR> +These flames, from far, may the false Trojan view;<BR> +These boding omens his base flight pursue!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said, and struck; deep enter'd in her side<BR> +The piercing steel, with reeking purple dyed:<BR> +Clogg'd in the wound the cruel weapon stands;<BR> +The spouting blood came streaming on her hands.<BR> +Her sad attendants saw the deadly stroke,<BR> +And with loud cries the sounding palace shook.<BR> +Distracted, from the fatal sight they fled,<BR> +And thro' the town the dismal rumor spread.<BR> +First from the frighted court the yell began;<BR> +Redoubled, thence from house to house it ran:<BR> +The groans of men, with shrieks, laments, and cries<BR> +Of mixing women, mount the vaulted skies.<BR> +Not less the clamor, than if- ancient Tyre,<BR> +Or the new Carthage, set by foes on fire-<BR> +The rolling ruin, with their lov'd abodes,<BR> +Involv'd the blazing temples of their gods.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Her sister hears; and, furious with despair,<BR> +She beats her breast, and rends her yellow hair,<BR> +And, calling on Eliza's name aloud,<BR> +Runs breathless to the place, and breaks the crowd.<BR> +"Was all that pomp of woe for this prepar'd;<BR> +These fires, this fun'ral pile, these altars rear'd?<BR> +Was all this train of plots contriv'd," said she,<BR> +"All only to deceive unhappy me?<BR> +Which is the worst? Didst thou in death pretend<BR> +To scorn thy sister, or delude thy friend?<BR> +Thy summon'd sister, and thy friend, had come;<BR> +One sword had serv'd us both, one common tomb:<BR> +Was I to raise the pile, the pow'rs invoke,<BR> +Not to be present at the fatal stroke?<BR> +At once thou hast destroy'd thyself and me,<BR> +Thy town, thy senate, and thy colony!<BR> +Bring water; bathe the wound; while I in death<BR> +Lay close my lips to hers, and catch the flying breath."<BR> +This said, she mounts the pile with eager haste,<BR> +And in her arms the gasping queen embrac'd;<BR> +Her temples chaf'd; and her own garments tore,<BR> +To stanch the streaming blood, and cleanse the gore.<BR> +Thrice Dido tried to raise her drooping head,<BR> +And, fainting thrice, fell grov'ling on the bed;<BR> +Thrice op'd her heavy eyes, and sought the light,<BR> +But, having found it, sicken'd at the sight,<BR> +And clos'd her lids at last in endless night.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Juno, grieving that she should sustain<BR> +A death so ling'ring, and so full of pain,<BR> +Sent Iris down, to free her from the strife<BR> +Of lab'ring nature, and dissolve her life.<BR> +For since she died, not doom'd by Heav'n's decree,<BR> +Or her own crime, but human casualty,<BR> +And rage of love, that plung'd her in despair,<BR> +The Sisters had not cut the topmost hair,<BR> +Which Proserpine and they can only know;<BR> +Nor made her sacred to the shades below.<BR> +Downward the various goddess took her flight,<BR> +And drew a thousand colors from the light;<BR> +Then stood above the dying lover's head,<BR> +And said: "I thus devote thee to the dead.<BR> +This off'ring to th' infernal gods I bear."<BR> +Thus while she spoke, she cut the fatal hair:<BR> +The struggling soul was loos'd, and life dissolv'd in air.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book05"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK V<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the Trojan cuts his wat'ry way,<BR> +Fix'd on his voyage, thro' the curling sea;<BR> +Then, casting back his eyes, with dire amaze,<BR> +Sees on the Punic shore the mounting blaze.<BR> +The cause unknown; yet his presaging mind<BR> +The fate of Dido from the fire divin'd;<BR> +He knew the stormy souls of womankind,<BR> +What secret springs their eager passions move,<BR> +How capable of death for injur'd love.<BR> +Dire auguries from hence the Trojans draw;<BR> +Till neither fires nor shining shores they saw.<BR> +Now seas and skies their prospect only bound;<BR> +An empty space above, a floating field around.<BR> +But soon the heav'ns with shadows were o'erspread;<BR> +A swelling cloud hung hov'ring o'er their head:<BR> +Livid it look'd, the threat'ning of a storm:<BR> +Then night and horror ocean's face deform.<BR> +The pilot, Palinurus, cried aloud:<BR> +"What gusts of weather from that gath'ring cloud<BR> +My thoughts presage! Ere yet the tempest roars,<BR> +Stand to your tackle, mates, and stretch your oars;<BR> +Contract your swelling sails, and luff to wind."<BR> +The frighted crew perform the task assign'd.<BR> +Then, to his fearless chief: "Not Heav'n," said he,<BR> +"Tho' Jove himself should promise Italy,<BR> +Can stem the torrent of this raging sea.<BR> +Mark how the shifting winds from west arise,<BR> +And what collected night involves the skies!<BR> +Nor can our shaken vessels live at sea,<BR> +Much less against the tempest force their way.<BR> +'T is fate diverts our course, and fate we must obey.<BR> +Not far from hence, if I observ'd aright<BR> +The southing of the stars, and polar light,<BR> +Sicilia lies, whose hospitable shores<BR> +In safety we may reach with struggling oars."<BR> +Aeneas then replied: "Too sure I find<BR> +We strive in vain against the seas and wind:<BR> +Now shift your sails; what place can please me more<BR> +Than what you promise, the Sicilian shore,<BR> +Whose hallow'd earth Anchises' bones contains,<BR> +And where a prince of Trojan lineage reigns?"<BR> +The course resolv'd, before the western wind<BR> +They scud amain, and make the port assign'd.<BR> +Meantime Acestes, from a lofty stand,<BR> +Beheld the fleet descending on the land;<BR> +And, not unmindful of his ancient race,<BR> +Down from the cliff he ran with eager pace,<BR> +And held the hero in a strict embrace.<BR> +Of a rough Libyan bear the spoils he wore,<BR> +And either hand a pointed jav'lin bore.<BR> +His mother was a dame of Dardan blood;<BR> +His sire Crinisus, a Sicilian flood.<BR> +He welcomes his returning friends ashore<BR> +With plenteous country cates and homely store.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, when the following morn had chas'd away<BR> +The flying stars, and light restor'd the day,<BR> +Aeneas call'd the Trojan troops around,<BR> +And thus bespoke them from a rising ground:<BR> +"Offspring of heav'n, divine Dardanian race!<BR> +The sun, revolving thro' th' ethereal space,<BR> +The shining circle of the year has fill'd,<BR> +Since first this isle my father's ashes held:<BR> +And now the rising day renews the year;<BR> +A day for ever sad, for ever dear.<BR> +This would I celebrate with annual games,<BR> +With gifts on altars pil'd, and holy flames,<BR> +Tho' banish'd to Gaetulia's barren sands,<BR> +Caught on the Grecian seas, or hostile lands:<BR> +But since this happy storm our fleet has driv'n<BR> +(Not, as I deem, without the will of Heav'n)<BR> +Upon these friendly shores and flow'ry plains,<BR> +Which hide Anchises and his blest remains,<BR> +Let us with joy perform his honors due,<BR> +And pray for prosp'rous winds, our voyage to renew;<BR> +Pray, that in towns and temples of our own,<BR> +The name of great Anchises may be known,<BR> +And yearly games may spread the gods' renown.<BR> +Our sports Acestes, of the Trojan race,<BR> +With royal gifts ordain'd, is pleas'd to grace:<BR> +Two steers on ev'ry ship the king bestows;<BR> +His gods and ours shall share your equal vows.<BR> +Besides, if, nine days hence, the rosy morn<BR> +Shall with unclouded light the skies adorn,<BR> +That day with solemn sports I mean to grace:<BR> +Light galleys on the seas shall run a wat'ry race;<BR> +Some shall in swiftness for the goal contend,<BR> +And others try the twanging bow to bend;<BR> +The strong, with iron gauntlets arm'd, shall stand<BR> +Oppos'd in combat on the yellow sand.<BR> +Let all be present at the games prepar'd,<BR> +And joyful victors wait the just reward.<BR> +But now assist the rites, with garlands crown'd."<BR> +He said, and first his brows with myrtle bound.<BR> +Then Helymus, by his example led,<BR> +And old Acestes, each adorn'd his head;<BR> +Thus young Ascanius, with a sprightly grace,<BR> +His temples tied, and all the Trojan race.<BR> +<SPAN STYLE="margin-left: 0.5em">Aeneas then advanc'd amidst the train,</SPAN><BR> +By thousands follow'd thro' the flow'ry plain,<BR> +To great Anchises' tomb; which when he found,<BR> +He pour'd to Bacchus, on the hallow'd ground,<BR> +Two bowls of sparkling wine, of milk two more,<BR> +And two (from offer'd bulls) of purple gore,<BR> +With roses then the sepulcher he strow'd<BR> +And thus his father's ghost bespoke aloud:<BR> +"Hail, O ye holy manes! hail again,<BR> +Paternal ashes, now review'd in vain!<BR> +The gods permitted not, that you, with me,<BR> +Should reach the promis'd shores of Italy,<BR> +Or Tiber's flood, what flood soe'er it be."<BR> +Scarce had he finish'd, when, with speckled pride,<BR> +A serpent from the tomb began to glide;<BR> +His hugy bulk on sev'n high volumes roll'd;<BR> +Blue was his breadth of back, but streak'd with scaly gold:<BR> +Thus riding on his curls, he seem'd to pass<BR> +A rolling fire along, and singe the grass.<BR> +More various colors thro' his body run,<BR> +Than Iris when her bow imbibes the sun.<BR> +Betwixt the rising altars, and around,<BR> +The sacred monster shot along the ground;<BR> +With harmless play amidst the bowls he pass'd,<BR> +And with his lolling tongue assay'd the taste:<BR> +Thus fed with holy food, the wondrous guest<BR> +Within the hollow tomb retir'd to rest.<BR> +The pious prince, surpris'd at what he view'd,<BR> +The fun'ral honors with more zeal renew'd,<BR> +Doubtful if this place's genius were,<BR> +Or guardian of his father's sepulcher.<BR> +Five sheep, according to the rites, he slew;<BR> +As many swine, and steers of sable hue;<BR> +New gen'rous wine he from the goblets pour'd.<BR> +And call'd his father's ghost, from hell restor'd.<BR> +The glad attendants in long order come,<BR> +Off'ring their gifts at great Anchises' tomb:<BR> +Some add more oxen: some divide the spoil;<BR> +Some place the chargers on the grassy soil;<BR> +Some blow the fires, and offered entrails broil.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now came the day desir'd. The skies were bright<BR> +With rosy luster of the rising light:<BR> +The bord'ring people, rous'd by sounding fame<BR> +Of Trojan feasts and great Acestes' name,<BR> +The crowded shore with acclamations fill,<BR> +Part to behold, and part to prove their skill.<BR> +And first the gifts in public view they place,<BR> +Green laurel wreaths, and palm, the victors' grace:<BR> +Within the circle, arms and tripods lie,<BR> +Ingots of gold and silver, heap'd on high,<BR> +And vests embroider'd, of the Tyrian dye.<BR> +The trumpet's clangor then the feast proclaims,<BR> +And all prepare for their appointed games.<BR> +Four galleys first, which equal rowers bear,<BR> +Advancing, in the wat'ry lists appear.<BR> +The speedy Dolphin, that outstrips the wind,<BR> +Bore Mnestheus, author of the Memmian kind:<BR> +Gyas the vast Chimaera's bulk commands,<BR> +Which rising, like a tow'ring city stands;<BR> +Three Trojans tug at ev'ry lab'ring oar;<BR> +Three banks in three degrees the sailors bore;<BR> +Beneath their sturdy strokes the billows roar.<BR> +Sergesthus, who began the Sergian race,<BR> +In the great Centaur took the leading place;<BR> +Cloanthus on the sea-green Scylla stood,<BR> +From whom Cluentius draws his Trojan blood.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Far in the sea, against the foaming shore,<BR> +There stands a rock: the raging billows roar<BR> +Above his head in storms; but, when 't is clear,<BR> +Uncurl their ridgy backs, and at his foot appear.<BR> +In peace below the gentle waters run;<BR> +The cormorants above lie basking in the sun.<BR> +On this the hero fix'd an oak in sight,<BR> +The mark to guide the mariners aright.<BR> +To bear with this, the seamen stretch their oars;<BR> +Then round the rock they steer, and seek the former shores.<BR> +The lots decide their place. Above the rest,<BR> +Each leader shining in his Tyrian vest;<BR> +The common crew with wreaths of poplar boughs<BR> +Their temples crown, and shade their sweaty brows:<BR> +Besmear'd with oil, their naked shoulders shine.<BR> +All take their seats, and wait the sounding sign:<BR> +They gripe their oars; and ev'ry panting breast<BR> +Is rais'd by turns with hope, by turns with fear depress'd.<BR> +The clangor of the trumpet gives the sign;<BR> +At once they start, advancing in a line:<BR> +With shouts the sailors rend the starry skies;<BR> +Lash'd with their oars, the smoky billows rise;<BR> +Sparkles the briny main, and the vex'd ocean fries.<BR> +Exact in time, with equal strokes they row:<BR> +At once the brushing oars and brazen prow<BR> +Dash up the sandy waves, and ope the depths below.<BR> +Not fiery coursers, in a chariot race,<BR> +Invade the field with half so swift a pace;<BR> +Not the fierce driver with more fury lends<BR> +The sounding lash, and, ere the stroke descends,<BR> +Low to the wheels his pliant body bends.<BR> +The partial crowd their hopes and fears divide,<BR> +And aid with eager shouts the favor'd side.<BR> +Cries, murmurs, clamors, with a mixing sound,<BR> +From woods to woods, from hills to hills rebound.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amidst the loud applauses of the shore,<BR> +Gyas outstripp'd the rest, and sprung before:<BR> +Cloanthus, better mann'd, pursued him fast,<BR> +But his o'er-masted galley check'd his haste.<BR> +The Centaur and the Dolphin brush the brine<BR> +With equal oars, advancing in a line;<BR> +And now the mighty Centaur seems to lead,<BR> +And now the speedy Dolphin gets ahead;<BR> +Now board to board the rival vessels row,<BR> +The billows lave the skies, and ocean groans below.<BR> +They reach'd the mark. Proud Gyas and his train<BR> +In triumph rode, the victors of the main;<BR> +But, steering round, he charg'd his pilot stand<BR> +More close to shore, and skim along the sand-<BR> +"Let others bear to sea!" Menoetes heard;<BR> +But secret shelves too cautiously he fear'd,<BR> +And, fearing, sought the deep; and still aloof he steer'd.<BR> +With louder cries the captain call'd again:<BR> +"Bear to the rocky shore, and shun the main."<BR> +He spoke, and, speaking, at his stern he saw<BR> +The bold Cloanthus near the shelvings draw.<BR> +Betwixt the mark and him the Scylla stood,<BR> +And in a closer compass plow'd the flood.<BR> +He pass'd the mark; and, wheeling, got before:<BR> +Gyas blasphem'd the gods, devoutly swore,<BR> +Cried out for anger, and his hair he tore.<BR> +Mindless of others' lives (so high was grown<BR> +His rising rage) and careless of his own,<BR> +The trembling dotard to the deck he drew;<BR> +Then hoisted up, and overboard he threw:<BR> +This done, he seiz'd the helm; his fellows cheer'd,<BR> +Turn'd short upon the shelfs, and madly steer'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Hardly his head the plunging pilot rears,<BR> +Clogg'd with his clothes, and cumber'd with his years:<BR> +Now dropping wet, he climbs the cliff with pain.<BR> +The crowd, that saw him fall and float again,<BR> +Shout from the distant shore; and loudly laugh'd,<BR> +To see his heaving breast disgorge the briny draught.<BR> +The following Centaur, and the Dolphin's crew,<BR> +Their vanish'd hopes of victory renew;<BR> +While Gyas lags, they kindle in the race,<BR> +To reach the mark. Sergesthus takes the place;<BR> +Mnestheus pursues; and while around they wind,<BR> +Comes up, not half his galley's length behind;<BR> +Then, on the deck, amidst his mates appear'd,<BR> +And thus their drooping courage he cheer'd:<BR> +"My friends, and Hector's followers heretofore,<BR> +Exert your vigor; tug the lab'ring oar;<BR> +Stretch to your strokes, my still unconquer'd crew,<BR> +Whom from the flaming walls of Troy I drew.<BR> +In this, our common int'rest, let me find<BR> +That strength of hand, that courage of the mind,<BR> +As when you stemm'd the strong Malean flood,<BR> +And o'er the Syrtes' broken billows row'd.<BR> +I seek not now the foremost palm to gain;<BR> +Tho' yet- but, ah! that haughty wish is vain!<BR> +Let those enjoy it whom the gods ordain.<BR> +But to be last, the lags of all the race!-<BR> +Redeem yourselves and me from that disgrace."<BR> +Now, one and all, they tug amain; they row<BR> +At the full stretch, and shake the brazen prow.<BR> +The sea beneath 'em sinks; their lab'ring sides<BR> +Are swell'd, and sweat runs gutt'ring down in tides.<BR> +Chance aids their daring with unhop'd success;<BR> +Sergesthus, eager with his beak to press<BR> +Betwixt the rival galley and the rock,<BR> +Shuts up th' unwieldly Centaur in the lock.<BR> +The vessel struck; and, with the dreadful shock,<BR> +Her oars she shiver'd, and her head she broke.<BR> +The trembling rowers from their banks arise,<BR> +And, anxious for themselves, renounce the prize.<BR> +With iron poles they heave her off the shores,<BR> +And gather from the sea their floating oars.<BR> +The crew of Mnestheus, with elated minds,<BR> +Urge their success, and call the willing winds;<BR> +Then ply their oars, and cut their liquid way<BR> +In larger compass on the roomy sea.<BR> +As, when the dove her rocky hold forsakes,<BR> +Rous'd in a fright, her sounding wings she shakes;<BR> +The cavern rings with clatt'ring; out she flies,<BR> +And leaves her callow care, and cleaves the skies:<BR> +At first she flutters; but at length she springs<BR> +To smoother flight, and shoots upon her wings:<BR> +So Mnestheus in the Dolphin cuts the sea;<BR> +And, flying with a force, that force assists his way.<BR> +Sergesthus in the Centaur soon he pass'd,<BR> +Wedg'd in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast.<BR> +In vain the victor he with cries implores,<BR> +And practices to row with shatter'd oars.<BR> +Then Mnestheus bears with Gyas, and outflies:<BR> +The ship, without a pilot, yields the prize.<BR> +Unvanquish'd Scylla now alone remains;<BR> +Her he pursues, and all his vigor strains.<BR> +Shouts from the fav'ring multitude arise;<BR> +Applauding Echo to the shouts replies;<BR> +Shouts, wishes, and applause run rattling thro' the skies.<BR> +These clamors with disdain the Scylla heard,<BR> +Much grudg'd the praise, but more the robb'd reward:<BR> +Resolv'd to hold their own, they mend their pace,<BR> +All obstinate to die, or gain the race.<BR> +Rais'd with success, the Dolphin swiftly ran;<BR> +For they can conquer, who believe they can.<BR> +Both urge their oars, and fortune both supplies,<BR> +And both perhaps had shar'd an equal prize;<BR> +When to the seas Cloanthus holds his hands,<BR> +And succor from the wat'ry pow'rs demands:<BR> +"Gods of the liquid realms, on which I row!<BR> +If, giv'n by you, the laurel bind my brow,<BR> +Assist to make me guilty of my vow!<BR> +A snow-white bull shall on your shore be slain;<BR> +His offer'd entrails cast into the main,<BR> +And ruddy wine, from golden goblets thrown,<BR> +Your grateful gift and my return shall own."<BR> +The choir of nymphs, and Phorcus, from below,<BR> +With virgin Panopea, heard his vow;<BR> +And old Portunus, with his breadth of hand,<BR> +Push'd on, and sped the galley to the land.<BR> +Swift as a shaft, or winged wind, she flies,<BR> +And, darting to the port, obtains the prize.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The herald summons all, and then proclaims<BR> +Cloanthus conqu'ror of the naval games.<BR> +The prince with laurel crowns the victor's head,<BR> +And three fat steers are to his vessel led,<BR> +The ship's reward; with gen'rous wine beside,<BR> +And sums of silver, which the crew divide.<BR> +The leaders are distinguish'd from the rest;<BR> +The victor honor'd with a nobler vest,<BR> +Where gold and purple strive in equal rows,<BR> +And needlework its happy cost bestows.<BR> +There Ganymede is wrought with living art,<BR> +Chasing thro' Ida's groves the trembling hart:<BR> +Breathless he seems, yet eager to pursue;<BR> +When from aloft descends, in open view,<BR> +The bird of Jove, and, sousing on his prey,<BR> +With crooked talons bears the boy away.<BR> +In vain, with lifted hands and gazing eyes,<BR> +His guards behold him soaring thro' the skies,<BR> +And dogs pursue his flight with imitated cries.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Mnestheus the second victor was declar'd;<BR> +And, summon'd there, the second prize he shard.<BR> +A coat of mail, brave Demoleus bore,<BR> +More brave Aeneas from his shoulders tore,<BR> +In single combat on the Trojan shore:<BR> +This was ordain'd for Mnestheus to possess;<BR> +In war for his defense, for ornament in peace.<BR> +Rich was the gift, and glorious to behold,<BR> +But yet so pond'rous with its plates of gold,<BR> +That scarce two servants could the weight sustain;<BR> +Yet, loaded thus, Demoleus o'er the plain<BR> +Pursued and lightly seiz'd the Trojan train.<BR> +The third, succeeding to the last reward,<BR> +Two goodly bowls of massy silver shar'd,<BR> +With figures prominent, and richly wrought,<BR> +And two brass caldrons from Dodona brought.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus all, rewarded by the hero's hands,<BR> +Their conqu'ring temples bound with purple bands;<BR> +And now Sergesthus, clearing from the rock,<BR> +Brought back his galley shatter'd with the shock.<BR> +Forlorn she look'd, without an aiding oar,<BR> +And, houted by the vulgar, made to shore.<BR> +As when a snake, surpris'd upon the road,<BR> +Is crush'd athwart her body by the load<BR> +Of heavy wheels; or with a mortal wound<BR> +Her belly bruis'd, and trodden to the ground:<BR> +In vain, with loosen'd curls, she crawls along;<BR> +Yet, fierce above, she brandishes her tongue;<BR> +Glares with her eyes, and bristles with her scales;<BR> +But, groveling in the dust, her parts unsound she trails:<BR> +So slowly to the port the Centaur tends,<BR> +But, what she wants in oars, with sails amends.<BR> +Yet, for his galley sav'd, the grateful prince<BR> +Is pleas'd th' unhappy chief to recompense.<BR> +Pholoe, the Cretan slave, rewards his care,<BR> +Beauteous herself, with lovely twins as fair.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +From thence his way the Trojan hero bent<BR> +Into the neighb'ring plain, with mountains pent,<BR> +Whose sides were shaded with surrounding wood.<BR> +Full in the midst of this fair valley stood<BR> +A native theater, which, rising slow<BR> +By just degrees, o'erlook'd the ground below.<BR> +High on a sylvan throne the leader sate;<BR> +A num'rous train attend in solemn state.<BR> +Here those that in the rapid course delight,<BR> +Desire of honor and the prize invite.<BR> +The rival runners without order stand;<BR> +The Trojans mix'd with the Sicilian band.<BR> +First Nisus, with Euryalus, appears;<BR> +Euryalus a boy of blooming years,<BR> +With sprightly grace and equal beauty crown'd;<BR> +Nisus, for friendship to the youth renown'd.<BR> +Diores next, of Priam's royal race,<BR> +Then Salius joined with Patron, took their place;<BR> +(But Patron in Arcadia had his birth,<BR> +And Salius his from Arcananian earth;)<BR> +Then two Sicilian youths- the names of these,<BR> +Swift Helymus, and lovely Panopes:<BR> +Both jolly huntsmen, both in forest bred,<BR> +And owning old Acestes for their head;<BR> +With sev'ral others of ignobler name,<BR> +Whom time has not deliver'd o'er to fame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To these the hero thus his thoughts explain'd,<BR> +In words which gen'ral approbation gain'd:<BR> +"One common largess is for all design'd,<BR> +(The vanquish'd and the victor shall be join'd,)<BR> +Two darts of polish'd steel and Gnosian wood,<BR> +A silver-studded ax, alike bestow'd.<BR> +The foremost three have olive wreaths decreed:<BR> +The first of these obtains a stately steed,<BR> +Adorn'd with trappings; and the next in fame,<BR> +The quiver of an Amazonian dame,<BR> +With feather'd Thracian arrows well supplied:<BR> +A golden belt shall gird his manly side,<BR> +Which with a sparkling diamond shall be tied.<BR> +The third this Grecian helmet shall content."<BR> +He said. To their appointed base they went;<BR> +With beating hearts th' expected sign receive,<BR> +And, starting all at once, the barrier leave.<BR> +Spread out, as on the winged winds, they flew,<BR> +And seiz'd the distant goal with greedy view.<BR> +Shot from the crowd, swift Nisus all o'erpass'd;<BR> +Nor storms, nor thunder, equal half his haste.<BR> +The next, but tho' the next, yet far disjoin'd,<BR> +Came Salius, and Euryalus behind;<BR> +Then Helymus, whom young Diores plied,<BR> +Step after step, and almost side by side,<BR> +His shoulders pressing; and, in longer space,<BR> +Had won, or left at least a dubious race.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, spent, the goal they almost reach at last,<BR> +When eager Nisus, hapless in his haste,<BR> +Slipp'd first, and, slipping, fell upon the plain,<BR> +Soak'd with the blood of oxen newly slain.<BR> +The careless victor had not mark'd his way;<BR> +But, treading where the treach'rous puddle lay,<BR> +His heels flew up; and on the grassy floor<BR> +He fell, besmear'd with filth and holy gore.<BR> +Not mindless then, Euryalus, of thee,<BR> +Nor of the sacred bonds of amity,<BR> +He strove th' immediate rival's hope to cross,<BR> +And caught the foot of Salius as he rose.<BR> +So Salius lay extended on the plain;<BR> +Euryalus springs out, the prize to gain,<BR> +And leaves the crowd: applauding peals attend<BR> +The victor to the goal, who vanquish'd by his friend.<BR> +Next Helymus; and then Diores came,<BR> +By two misfortunes made the third in fame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But Salius enters, and, exclaiming loud<BR> +For justice, deafens and disturbs the crowd;<BR> +Urges his cause may in the court be heard;<BR> +And pleads the prize is wrongfully conferr'd.<BR> +But favor for Euryalus appears;<BR> +His blooming beauty, with his tender tears,<BR> +Had brib'd the judges for the promis'd prize.<BR> +Besides, Diores fills the court with cries,<BR> +Who vainly reaches at the last reward,<BR> +If the first palm on Salius be conferr'd.<BR> +Then thus the prince: "Let no disputes arise:<BR> +Where fortune plac'd it, I award the prize.<BR> +But fortune's errors give me leave to mend,<BR> +At least to pity my deserving friend."<BR> +He said, and, from among the spoils, he draws<BR> +(Pond'rous with shaggy mane and golden paws)<BR> +A lion's hide: to Salius this he gives.<BR> +Nisus with envy sees the gift, and grieves.<BR> +"If such rewards to vanquish'd men are due."<BR> +He said, "and falling is to rise by you,<BR> +What prize may Nisus from your bounty claim,<BR> +Who merited the first rewards and fame?<BR> +In falling, both an equal fortune tried;<BR> +Would fortune for my fall so well provide!"<BR> +With this he pointed to his face, and show'd<BR> +His hand and all his habit smear'd with blood.<BR> +Th' indulgent father of the people smil'd,<BR> +And caus'd to be produc'd an ample shield,<BR> +Of wondrous art, by Didymaon wrought,<BR> +Long since from Neptune's bars in triumph brought.<BR> +This giv'n to Nisus, he divides the rest,<BR> +And equal justice in his gifts express'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The race thus ended, and rewards bestow'd,<BR> +Once more the prince bespeaks th' attentive crowd:<BR> +"If there he here whose dauntless courage dare<BR> +In gauntlet-fight, with limbs and body bare,<BR> +His opposite sustain in open view,<BR> +Stand forth the champion, and the games renew.<BR> +Two prizes I propose, and thus divide:<BR> +A bull with gilded horns, and fillets tied,<BR> +Shall be the portion of the conqu'ring chief;<BR> +A sword and helm shall cheer the loser's grief."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then haughty Dares in the lists appears;<BR> +Stalking he strides, his head erected bears:<BR> +His nervous arms the weighty gauntlet wield,<BR> +And loud applauses echo thro' the field.<BR> +Dares alone in combat us'd to stand<BR> +The match of mighty Paris, hand to hand;<BR> +The same, at Hector's fun'rals, undertook<BR> +Gigantic Butes, of th' Amycian stock,<BR> +And, by the stroke of his resistless hand,<BR> +Stretch'd the vast bulk upon the yellow sand.<BR> +Such Dares was; and such he strode along,<BR> +And drew the wonder of the gazing throng.<BR> +His brawny back and ample breast he shows,<BR> +His lifted arms around his head he throws,<BR> +And deals in whistling air his empty blows.<BR> +His match is sought; but, thro' the trembling band,<BR> +Not one dares answer to the proud demand.<BR> +Presuming of his force, with sparkling eyes<BR> +Already he devours the promis'd prize.<BR> +He claims the bull with awless insolence,<BR> +And having seiz'd his horns, accosts the prince:<BR> +"If none my matchless valor dares oppose,<BR> +How long shall Dares wait his dastard foes?<BR> +Permit me, chief, permit without delay,<BR> +To lead this uncontended gift away."<BR> +The crowd assents, and with redoubled cries<BR> +For the proud challenger demands the prize.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Acestes, fir'd with just disdain, to see<BR> +The palm usurp'd without a victory,<BR> +Reproach'd Entellus thus, who sate beside,<BR> +And heard and saw, unmov'd, the Trojan's pride:<BR> +"Once, but in vain, a champion of renown,<BR> +So tamely can you bear the ravish'd crown,<BR> +A prize in triumph borne before your sight,<BR> +And shun, for fear, the danger of the fight?<BR> +Where is our Eryx now, the boasted name,<BR> +The god who taught your thund'ring arm the game?<BR> +Where now your baffled honor? Where the spoil<BR> +That fill'd your house, and fame that fill'd our isle?"<BR> +Entellus, thus: "My soul is still the same,<BR> +Unmov'd with fear, and mov'd with martial fame;<BR> +But my chill blood is curdled in my veins,<BR> +And scarce the shadow of a man remains.<BR> +O could I turn to that fair prime again,<BR> +That prime of which this boaster is so vain,<BR> +The brave, who this decrepid age defies,<BR> +Should feel my force, without the promis'd prize."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said; and, rising at the word, he threw<BR> +Two pond'rous gauntlets down in open view;<BR> +Gauntlets which Eryx wont in fight to wield,<BR> +And sheathe his hands with in the listed field.<BR> +With fear and wonder seiz'd, the crowd beholds<BR> +The gloves of death, with sev'n distinguish'd folds<BR> +Of tough bull hides; the space within is spread<BR> +With iron, or with loads of heavy lead:<BR> +Dares himself was daunted at the sight,<BR> +Renounc'd his challenge, and refus'd to fight.<BR> +Astonish'd at their weight, the hero stands,<BR> +And pois'd the pond'rous engines in his hands.<BR> +"What had your wonder," said Entellus, "been,<BR> +Had you the gauntlets of Alcides seen,<BR> +Or view'd the stern debate on this unhappy green!<BR> +These which I bear your brother Eryx bore,<BR> +Still mark'd with batter'd brains and mingled gore.<BR> +With these he long sustain'd th' Herculean arm;<BR> +And these I wielded while my blood was warm,<BR> +This languish'd frame while better spirits fed,<BR> +Ere age unstrung my nerves, or time o'ersnow'd my head.<BR> +But if the challenger these arms refuse,<BR> +And cannot wield their weight, or dare not use;<BR> +If great Aeneas and Acestes join<BR> +In his request, these gauntlets I resign;<BR> +Let us with equal arms perform the fight,<BR> +And let him leave to fear, since I resign my right."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This said, Entellus for the strife prepares;<BR> +Stripp'd of his quilted coat, his body bares;<BR> +Compos'd of mighty bones and brawn he stands,<BR> +A goodly tow'ring object on the sands.<BR> +Then just Aeneas equal arms supplied,<BR> +Which round their shoulders to their wrists they tied.<BR> +Both on the tiptoe stand, at full extent,<BR> +Their arms aloft, their bodies inly bent;<BR> +Their heads from aiming blows they bear afar;<BR> +With clashing gauntlets then provoke the war.<BR> +One on his youth and pliant limbs relies;<BR> +One on his sinews and his giant size.<BR> +The last is stiff with age, his motion slow;<BR> +He heaves for breath, he staggers to and fro,<BR> +And clouds of issuing smoke his nostrils loudly blow.<BR> +Yet equal in success, they ward, they strike;<BR> +Their ways are diff'rent, but their art alike.<BR> +Before, behind, the blows are dealt; around<BR> +Their hollow sides the rattling thumps resound.<BR> +A storm of strokes, well meant, with fury flies,<BR> +And errs about their temples, ears, and eyes.<BR> +Nor always errs; for oft the gauntlet draws<BR> +A sweeping stroke along the crackling jaws.<BR> +Heavy with age, Entellus stands his ground,<BR> +But with his warping body wards the wound.<BR> +His hand and watchful eye keep even pace;<BR> +While Dares traverses and shifts his place,<BR> +And, like a captain who beleaguers round<BR> +Some strong-built castle on a rising ground,<BR> +Views all th' approaches with observing eyes:<BR> +This and that other part in vain he tries,<BR> +And more on industry than force relies.<BR> +With hands on high, Entellus threats the foe;<BR> +But Dares watch'd the motion from below,<BR> +And slipp'd aside, and shunn'd the long descending blow.<BR> +Entellus wastes his forces on the wind,<BR> +And, thus deluded of the stroke design'd,<BR> +Headlong and heavy fell; his ample breast<BR> +And weighty limbs his ancient mother press'd.<BR> +So falls a hollow pine, that long had stood<BR> +On Ida's height, or Erymanthus' wood,<BR> +Torn from the roots. The diff'ring nations rise,<BR> +And shouts and mingled murmurs rend the skies,<BR> +Acestus runs with eager haste, to raise<BR> +The fall'n companion of his youthful days.<BR> +Dauntless he rose, and to the fight return'd;<BR> +With shame his glowing cheeks, his eyes with fury burn'd.<BR> +Disdain and conscious virtue fir'd his breast,<BR> +And with redoubled force his foe he press'd.<BR> +He lays on load with either hand, amain,<BR> +And headlong drives the Trojan o'er the plain;<BR> +Nor stops, nor stays; nor rest nor breath allows;<BR> +But storms of strokes descend about his brows,<BR> +A rattling tempest, and a hail of blows.<BR> +But now the prince, who saw the wild increase<BR> +Of wounds, commands the combatants to cease,<BR> +And bounds Entellus' wrath, and bids the peace.<BR> +First to the Trojan, spent with toil, he came,<BR> +And sooth'd his sorrow for the suffer'd shame.<BR> +"What fury seiz'd my friend? The gods," said he,<BR> +"To him propitious, and averse to thee,<BR> +Have giv'n his arm superior force to thine.<BR> +'T is madness to contend with strength divine."<BR> +The gauntlet fight thus ended, from the shore<BR> +His faithful friends unhappy Dares bore:<BR> +His mouth and nostrils pour'd a purple flood,<BR> +And pounded teeth came rushing with his blood.<BR> +Faintly he stagger'd thro' the hissing throng,<BR> +And hung his head, and trail'd his legs along.<BR> +The sword and casque are carried by his train;<BR> +But with his foe the palm and ox remain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The champion, then, before Aeneas came,<BR> +Proud of his prize, but prouder of his fame:<BR> +"O goddess-born, and you, Dardanian host,<BR> +Mark with attention, and forgive my boast;<BR> +Learn what I was, by what remains; and know<BR> +From what impending fate you sav'd my foe."<BR> +Sternly he spoke, and then confronts the bull;<BR> +And, on his ample forehead aiming full,<BR> +The deadly stroke, descending, pierc'd the skull.<BR> +Down drops the beast, nor needs a second wound,<BR> +But sprawls in pangs of death, and spurns the ground.<BR> +Then, thus: "In Dares' stead I offer this.<BR> +Eryx, accept a nobler sacrifice;<BR> +Take the last gift my wither'd arms can yield:<BR> +Thy gauntlets I resign, and here renounce the field."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This done, Aeneas orders, for the close,<BR> +The strife of archers with contending bows.<BR> +The mast Sergesthus' shatter'd galley bore<BR> +With his own hands he raises on the shore.<BR> +A flutt'ring dove upon the top they tie,<BR> +The living mark at which their arrows fly.<BR> +The rival archers in a line advance,<BR> +Their turn of shooting to receive from chance.<BR> +A helmet holds their names; the lots are drawn:<BR> +On the first scroll was read Hippocoon.<BR> +The people shout. Upon the next was found<BR> +Young Mnestheus, late with naval honors crown'd.<BR> +The third contain'd Eurytion's noble name,<BR> +Thy brother, Pandarus, and next in fame,<BR> +Whom Pallas urg'd the treaty to confound,<BR> +And send among the Greeks a feather'd wound.<BR> +Acestes in the bottom last remain'd,<BR> +Whom not his age from youthful sports restrain'd.<BR> +Soon all with vigor bend their trusty bows,<BR> +And from the quiver each his arrow chose.<BR> +Hippocoon's was the first: with forceful sway<BR> +It flew, and, whizzing, cut the liquid way.<BR> +Fix'd in the mast the feather'd weapon stands:<BR> +The fearful pigeon flutters in her bands,<BR> +And the tree trembled, and the shouting cries<BR> +Of the pleas'd people rend the vaulted skies.<BR> +Then Mnestheus to the head his arrow drove,<BR> +With lifted eyes, and took his aim above,<BR> +But made a glancing shot, and missed the dove;<BR> +Yet miss'd so narrow, that he cut the cord<BR> +Which fasten'd by the foot the flitting bird.<BR> +The captive thus releas'd, away she flies,<BR> +And beats with clapping wings the yielding skies.<BR> +His bow already bent, Eurytion stood;<BR> +And, having first invok'd his brother god,<BR> +His winged shaft with eager haste he sped.<BR> +The fatal message reach'd her as she fled:<BR> +She leaves her life aloft; she strikes the ground,<BR> +And renders back the weapon in the wound.<BR> +Acestes, grudging at his lot, remains,<BR> +Without a prize to gratify his pains.<BR> +Yet, shooting upward, sends his shaft, to show<BR> +An archer's art, and boast his twanging bow.<BR> +The feather'd arrow gave a dire portent,<BR> +And latter augurs judge from this event.<BR> +Chaf'd by the speed, it fir'd; and, as it flew,<BR> +A trail of following flames ascending drew:<BR> +Kindling they mount, and mark the shiny way;<BR> +Across the skies as falling meteors play,<BR> +And vanish into wind, or in a blaze decay.<BR> +The Trojans and Sicilians wildly stare,<BR> +And, trembling, turn their wonder into pray'r.<BR> +The Dardan prince put on a smiling face,<BR> +And strain'd Acestes with a close embrace;<BR> +Then, hon'ring him with gifts above the rest,<BR> +Turn'd the bad omen, nor his fears confess'd.<BR> +"The gods," said he, "this miracle have wrought,<BR> +And order'd you the prize without the lot.<BR> +Accept this goblet, rough with figur'd gold,<BR> +Which Thracian Cisseus gave my sire of old:<BR> +This pledge of ancient amity receive,<BR> +Which to my second sire I justly give."<BR> +He said, and, with the trumpets' cheerful sound,<BR> +Proclaim'd him victor, and with laurel-crown'd.<BR> +Nor good Eurytion envied him the prize,<BR> +Tho' he transfix'd the pigeon in the skies.<BR> +Who cut the line, with second gifts was grac'd;<BR> +The third was his whose arrow pierc'd the mast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The chief, before the games were wholly done,<BR> +Call'd Periphantes, tutor to his son,<BR> +And whisper'd thus: "With speed Ascanius find;<BR> +And, if his childish troop be ready join'd,<BR> +On horseback let him grace his grandsire's day,<BR> +And lead his equals arm'd in just array."<BR> +He said; and, calling out, the cirque he clears.<BR> +The crowd withdrawn, an open plain appears.<BR> +And now the noble youths, of form divine,<BR> +Advance before their fathers, in a line;<BR> +The riders grace the steeds; the steeds with glory shine.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus marching on in military pride,<BR> +Shouts of applause resound from side to side.<BR> +Their casques adorn'd with laurel wreaths they wear,<BR> +Each brandishing aloft a cornel spear.<BR> +Some at their backs their gilded quivers bore;<BR> +Their chains of burnish'd gold hung down before.<BR> +Three graceful troops they form'd upon the green;<BR> +Three graceful leaders at their head were seen;<BR> +Twelve follow'd ev'ry chief, and left a space between.<BR> +The first young Priam led; a lovely boy,<BR> +Whose grandsire was th' unhappy king of Troy;<BR> +His race in after times was known to fame,<BR> +New honors adding to the Latian name;<BR> +And well the royal boy his Thracian steed became.<BR> +White were the fetlocks of his feet before,<BR> +And on his front a snowy star he bore.<BR> +Then beauteous Atys, with Iulus bred,<BR> +Of equal age, the second squadron led.<BR> +The last in order, but the first in place,<BR> +First in the lovely features of his face,<BR> +Rode fair Ascanius on a fiery steed,<BR> +Queen Dido's gift, and of the Tyrian breed.<BR> +Sure coursers for the rest the king ordains,<BR> +With golden bits adorn'd, and purple reins.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The pleas'd spectators peals of shouts renew,<BR> +And all the parents in the children view;<BR> +Their make, their motions, and their sprightly grace,<BR> +And hopes and fears alternate in their face.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Th' unfledg'd commanders and their martial train<BR> +First make the circuit of the sandy plain<BR> +Around their sires, and, at th' appointed sign,<BR> +Drawn up in beauteous order, form a line.<BR> +The second signal sounds, the troop divides<BR> +In three distinguish'd parts, with three distinguish'd guides<BR> +Again they close, and once again disjoin;<BR> +In troop to troop oppos'd, and line to line.<BR> +They meet; they wheel; they throw their darts afar<BR> +With harmless rage and well-dissembled war.<BR> +Then in a round the mingled bodies run:<BR> +Flying they follow, and pursuing shun;<BR> +Broken, they break; and, rallying, they renew<BR> +In other forms the military shew.<BR> +At last, in order, undiscern'd they join,<BR> +And march together in a friendly line.<BR> +And, as the Cretan labyrinth of old,<BR> +With wand'ring ways and many a winding fold,<BR> +Involv'd the weary feet, without redress,<BR> +In a round error, which denied recess;<BR> +So fought the Trojan boys in warlike play,<BR> +Turn'd and return'd, and still a diff'rent way.<BR> +Thus dolphins in the deep each other chase<BR> +In circles, when they swim around the wat'ry race.<BR> +This game, these carousels, Ascanius taught;<BR> +And, building Alba, to the Latins brought;<BR> +Shew'd what he learn'd: the Latin sires impart<BR> +To their succeeding sons the graceful art;<BR> +From these imperial Rome receiv'd the game,<BR> +Which Troy, the youths the Trojan troop, they name.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus far the sacred sports they celebrate:<BR> +But Fortune soon resum'd her ancient hate;<BR> +For, while they pay the dead his annual dues,<BR> +Those envied rites Saturnian Juno views;<BR> +And sends the goddess of the various bow,<BR> +To try new methods of revenge below;<BR> +Supplies the winds to wing her airy way,<BR> +Where in the port secure the navy lay.<BR> +Swiftly fair Iris down her arch descends,<BR> +And, undiscern'd, her fatal voyage ends.<BR> +She saw the gath'ring crowd; and, gliding thence,<BR> +The desart shore, and fleet without defense.<BR> +The Trojan matrons, on the sands alone,<BR> +With sighs and tears Anchises' death bemoan;<BR> +Then, turning to the sea their weeping eyes,<BR> +Their pity to themselves renews their cries.<BR> +"Alas!" said one, "what oceans yet remain<BR> +For us to sail! what labors to sustain!"<BR> +All take the word, and, with a gen'ral groan,<BR> +Implore the gods for peace, and places of their own.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The goddess, great in mischief, views their pains,<BR> +And in a woman's form her heav'nly limbs restrains.<BR> +In face and shape old Beroe she became,<BR> +Doryclus' wife, a venerable dame,<BR> +Once blest with riches, and a mother's name.<BR> +Thus chang'd, amidst the crying crowd she ran,<BR> +Mix'd with the matrons, and these words began:<BR> +"O wretched we, whom not the Grecian pow'r,<BR> +Nor flames, destroy'd, in Troy's unhappy hour!<BR> +O wretched we, reserv'd by cruel fate,<BR> +Beyond the ruins of the sinking state!<BR> +Now sev'n revolving years are wholly run,<BR> +Since this improsp'rous voyage we begun;<BR> +Since, toss'd from shores to shores, from lands to lands,<BR> +Inhospitable rocks and barren sands,<BR> +Wand'ring in exile thro' the stormy sea,<BR> +We search in vain for flying Italy.<BR> +Now cast by fortune on this kindred land,<BR> +What should our rest and rising walls withstand,<BR> +Or hinder here to fix our banish'd band?<BR> +O country lost, and gods redeem'd in vain,<BR> +If still in endless exile we remain!<BR> +Shall we no more the Trojan walls renew,<BR> +Or streams of some dissembled Simois view!<BR> +Haste, join with me, th' unhappy fleet consume!<BR> +Cassandra bids; and I declare her doom.<BR> +In sleep I saw her; she supplied my hands<BR> +(For this I more than dreamt) with flaming brands:<BR> +'With these,' said she, 'these wand'ring ships destroy:<BR> +These are your fatal seats, and this your Troy.'<BR> +Time calls you now; the precious hour employ:<BR> +Slack not the good presage, while Heav'n inspires<BR> +Our minds to dare, and gives the ready fires.<BR> +See! Neptune's altars minister their brands:<BR> +The god is pleas'd; the god supplies our hands."<BR> +Then from the pile a flaming fire she drew,<BR> +And, toss'd in air, amidst the galleys threw.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Wrapp'd in amaze, the matrons wildly stare:<BR> +Then Pyrgo, reverenc'd for her hoary hair,<BR> +Pyrgo, the nurse of Priam's num'rous race:<BR> +"No Beroe this, tho' she belies her face!<BR> +What terrors from her frowning front arise!<BR> +Behold a goddess in her ardent eyes!<BR> +What rays around her heav'nly face are seen!<BR> +Mark her majestic voice, and more than mortal mien!<BR> +Beroe but now I left, whom, pin'd with pain,<BR> +Her age and anguish from these rites detain,"<BR> +She said. The matrons, seiz'd with new amaze,<BR> +Roll their malignant eyes, and on the navy gaze.<BR> +They fear, and hope, and neither part obey:<BR> +They hope the fated land, but fear the fatal way.<BR> +The goddess, having done her task below,<BR> +Mounts up on equal wings, and bends her painted bow.<BR> +Struck with the sight, and seiz'd with rage divine,<BR> +The matrons prosecute their mad design:<BR> +They shriek aloud; they snatch, with impious hands,<BR> +The food of altars; fires and flaming brands.<BR> +Green boughs and saplings, mingled in their haste,<BR> +And smoking torches, on the ships they cast.<BR> +The flame, unstopp'd at first, more fury gains,<BR> +And Vulcan rides at large with loosen'd reins:<BR> +Triumphant to the painted sterns he soars,<BR> +And seizes, in this way, the banks and crackling oars.<BR> +Eumelus was the first the news to bear,<BR> +While yet they crowd the rural theater.<BR> +Then, what they hear, is witness'd by their eyes:<BR> +A storm of sparkles and of flames arise.<BR> +Ascanius took th' alarm, while yet he led<BR> +His early warriors on his prancing steed,<BR> +And, spurring on, his equals soon o'erpass'd;<BR> +Nor could his frighted friends reclaim his haste.<BR> +Soon as the royal youth appear'd in view,<BR> +He sent his voice before him as he flew:<BR> +"What madness moves you, matrons, to destroy<BR> +The last remainders of unhappy Troy!<BR> +Not hostile fleets, but your own hopes, you burn,<BR> +And on your friends your fatal fury turn.<BR> +Behold your own Ascanius!" While he said,<BR> +He drew his glitt'ring helmet from his head,<BR> +In which the youths to sportful arms he led.<BR> +By this, Aeneas and his train appear;<BR> +And now the women, seiz'd with shame and fear,<BR> +Dispers'd, to woods and caverns take their flight,<BR> +Abhor their actions, and avoid the light;<BR> +Their friends acknowledge, and their error find,<BR> +And shake the goddess from their alter'd mind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Not so the raging fires their fury cease,<BR> +But, lurking in the seams, with seeming peace,<BR> +Work on their way amid the smold'ring tow,<BR> +Sure in destruction, but in motion slow.<BR> +The silent plague thro' the green timber eats,<BR> +And vomits out a tardy flame by fits.<BR> +Down to the keels, and upward to the sails,<BR> +The fire descends, or mounts, but still prevails;<BR> +Nor buckets pour'd, nor strength of human hand,<BR> +Can the victorious element withstand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The pious hero rends his robe, and throws<BR> +To heav'n his hands, and with his hands his vows.<BR> +"O Jove," he cried, "if pray'rs can yet have place;<BR> +If thou abhorr'st not all the Dardan race;<BR> +If any spark of pity still remain;<BR> +If gods are gods, and not invok'd in vain;<BR> +Yet spare the relics of the Trojan train!<BR> +Yet from the flames our burning vessels free,<BR> +Or let thy fury fall alone on me!<BR> +At this devoted head thy thunder throw,<BR> +And send the willing sacrifice below!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Scarce had he said, when southern storms arise:<BR> +From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;<BR> +Loud rattling shakes the mountains and the plain;<BR> +Heav'n bellies downward, and descends in rain.<BR> +Whole sheets of water from the clouds are sent,<BR> +Which, hissing thro' the planks, the flames prevent,<BR> +And stop the fiery pest. Four ships alone<BR> +Burn to the waist, and for the fleet atone.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But doubtful thoughts the hero's heart divide;<BR> +If he should still in Sicily reside,<BR> +Forgetful of his fates, or tempt the main,<BR> +In hope the promis'd Italy to gain.<BR> +Then Nautes, old and wise, to whom alone<BR> +The will of Heav'n by Pallas was foreshown;<BR> +Vers'd in portents, experienc'd, and inspir'd<BR> +To tell events, and what the fates requir'd;<BR> +Thus while he stood, to neither part inclin'd,<BR> +With cheerful words reliev'd his lab'ring mind:<BR> +"O goddess-born, resign'd in ev'ry state,<BR> +With patience bear, with prudence push your fate.<BR> +By suff'ring well, our Fortune we subdue;<BR> +Fly when she frowns, and, when she calls, pursue.<BR> +Your friend Acestes is of Trojan kind;<BR> +To him disclose the secrets of your mind:<BR> +Trust in his hands your old and useless train;<BR> +Too num'rous for the ships which yet remain:<BR> +The feeble, old, indulgent of their ease,<BR> +The dames who dread the dangers of the seas,<BR> +With all the dastard crew, who dare not stand<BR> +The shock of battle with your foes by land.<BR> +Here you may build a common town for all,<BR> +And, from Acestes' name, Acesta call."<BR> +The reasons, with his friend's experience join'd,<BR> +Encourag'd much, but more disturb'd his mind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +'T was dead of night; when to his slumb'ring eyes<BR> +His father's shade descended from the skies,<BR> +And thus he spoke: "O more than vital breath,<BR> +Lov'd while I liv'd, and dear ev'n after death;<BR> +O son, in various toils and troubles toss'd,<BR> +The King of Heav'n employs my careful ghost<BR> +On his commands: the god, who sav'd from fire<BR> +Your flaming fleet, and heard your just desire.<BR> +The wholesome counsel of your friend receive,<BR> +And here the coward train and woman leave:<BR> +The chosen youth, and those who nobly dare,<BR> +Transport, to tempt the dangers of the war.<BR> +The stern Italians will their courage try;<BR> +Rough are their manners, and their minds are high.<BR> +But first to Pluto's palace you shall go,<BR> +And seek my shade among the blest below:<BR> +For not with impious ghosts my soul remains,<BR> +Nor suffers with the damn'd perpetual pains,<BR> +But breathes the living air of soft Elysian plains.<BR> +The chaste Sibylla shall your steps convey,<BR> +And blood of offer'd victims free the way.<BR> +There shall you know what realms the gods assign,<BR> +And learn the fates and fortunes of your line.<BR> +But now, farewell! I vanish with the night,<BR> +And feel the blast of heav'n's approaching light."<BR> +He said, and mix'd with shades, and took his airy flight.<BR> +"Whither so fast?" the filial duty cried;<BR> +"And why, ah why, the wish'd embrace denied?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and rose; as holy zeal inspires,<BR> +He rakes hot embers, and renews the fires;<BR> +His country gods and Vesta then adores<BR> +With cakes and incense, and their aid implores.<BR> +Next, for his friends and royal host he sent,<BR> +Reveal'd his vision, and the gods' intent,<BR> +With his own purpose. All, without delay,<BR> +The will of Jove, and his desires obey.<BR> +They list with women each degenerate name,<BR> +Who dares not hazard life for future fame.<BR> +These they cashier: the brave remaining few,<BR> +Oars, banks, and cables, half consum'd, renew.<BR> +The prince designs a city with the plow;<BR> +The lots their sev'ral tenements allow.<BR> +This part is nam'd from Ilium, that from Troy,<BR> +And the new king ascends the throne with joy;<BR> +A chosen senate from the people draws;<BR> +Appoints the judges, and ordains the laws.<BR> +Then, on the top of Eryx, they begin<BR> +A rising temple to the Paphian queen.<BR> +Anchises, last, is honor'd as a god;<BR> +A priest is added, annual gifts bestow'd,<BR> +And groves are planted round his blest abode.<BR> +Nine days they pass in feasts, their temples crown'd;<BR> +And fumes of incense in the fanes abound.<BR> +Then from the south arose a gentle breeze<BR> +That curl'd the smoothness of the glassy seas;<BR> +The rising winds a ruffling gale afford,<BR> +And call the merry mariners aboard.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now loud laments along the shores resound,<BR> +Of parting friends in close embraces bound.<BR> +The trembling women, the degenerate train,<BR> +Who shunn'd the frightful dangers of the main,<BR> +Ev'n those desire to sail, and take their share<BR> +Of the rough passage and the promis'd war:<BR> +Whom good Aeneas cheers, and recommends<BR> +To their new master's care his fearful friends.<BR> +On Eryx's altars three fat calves he lays;<BR> +A lamb new-fallen to the stormy seas;<BR> +Then slips his haulsers, and his anchors weighs.<BR> +High on the deck the godlike hero stands,<BR> +With olive crown'd, a charger in his hands;<BR> +Then cast the reeking entrails in the brine,<BR> +And pour'd the sacrifice of purple wine.<BR> +Fresh gales arise; with equal strokes they vie,<BR> +And brush the buxom seas, and o'er the billows fly.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the mother goddess, full of fears,<BR> +To Neptune thus address'd, with tender tears:<BR> +"The pride of Jove's imperious queen, the rage,<BR> +The malice which no suff'rings can assuage,<BR> +Compel me to these pray'rs; since neither fate,<BR> +Nor time, nor pity, can remove her hate:<BR> +Ev'n Jove is thwarted by his haughty wife;<BR> +Still vanquish'd, yet she still renews the strife.<BR> +As if 't were little to consume the town<BR> +Which aw'd the world, and wore th' imperial crown,<BR> +She prosecutes the ghost of Troy with pains,<BR> +And gnaws, ev'n to the bones, the last remains.<BR> +Let her the causes of her hatred tell;<BR> +But you can witness its effects too well.<BR> +You saw the storm she rais'd on Libyan floods,<BR> +That mix'd the mounting billows with the clouds;<BR> +When, bribing Aeolus, she shook the main,<BR> +And mov'd rebellion in your wat'ry reign.<BR> +With fury she possess'd the Dardan dames,<BR> +To burn their fleet with execrable flames,<BR> +And forc'd Aeneas, when his ships were lost,<BR> +To leave his foll'wers on a foreign coast.<BR> +For what remains, your godhead I implore,<BR> +And trust my son to your protecting pow'r.<BR> +If neither Jove's nor Fate's decree withstand,<BR> +Secure his passage to the Latian land."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus the mighty Ruler of the Main:<BR> +"What may not Venus hope from Neptune's reign?<BR> +My kingdom claims your birth; my late defense<BR> +Of your indanger'd fleet may claim your confidence.<BR> +Nor less by land than sea my deeds declare<BR> +How much your lov'd Aeneas is my care.<BR> +Thee, Xanthus, and thee, Simois, I attest.<BR> +Your Trojan troops when proud Achilles press'd,<BR> +And drove before him headlong on the plain,<BR> +And dash'd against the walls the trembling train;<BR> +When floods were fill'd with bodies of the slain;<BR> +When crimson Xanthus, doubtful of his way,<BR> +Stood up on ridges to behold the sea;<BR> +(New heaps came tumbling in, and chok'd his way;)<BR> +When your Aeneas fought, but fought with odds<BR> +Of force unequal, and unequal gods;<BR> +I spread a cloud before the victor's sight,<BR> +Sustain'd the vanquish'd, and secur'd his flight;<BR> +Ev'n then secur'd him, when I sought with joy<BR> +The vow'd destruction of ungrateful Troy.<BR> +My will's the same: fair goddess, fear no more,<BR> +Your fleet shall safely gain the Latian shore;<BR> +Their lives are giv'n; one destin'd head alone<BR> +Shall perish, and for multitudes atone."<BR> +Thus having arm'd with hopes her anxious mind,<BR> +His finny team Saturnian Neptune join'd,<BR> +Then adds the foamy bridle to their jaws,<BR> +And to the loosen'd reins permits the laws.<BR> +High on the waves his azure car he guides;<BR> +Its axles thunder, and the sea subsides,<BR> +And the smooth ocean rolls her silent tides.<BR> +The tempests fly before their father's face,<BR> +Trains of inferior gods his triumph grace,<BR> +And monster whales before their master play,<BR> +And choirs of Tritons crowd the wat'ry way.<BR> +The marshal'd pow'rs in equal troops divide<BR> +To right and left; the gods his better side<BR> +Inclose, and on the worse the Nymphs and Nereids ride.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now smiling hope, with sweet vicissitude,<BR> +Within the hero's mind his joys renew'd.<BR> +He calls to raise the masts, the sheets display;<BR> +The cheerful crew with diligence obey;<BR> +They scud before the wind, and sail in open sea.<BR> +Ahead of all the master pilot steers;<BR> +And, as he leads, the following navy veers.<BR> +The steeds of Night had travel'd half the sky,<BR> +The drowsy rowers on their benches lie,<BR> +When the soft God of Sleep, with easy flight,<BR> +Descends, and draws behind a trail of light.<BR> +Thou, Palinurus, art his destin'd prey;<BR> +To thee alone he takes his fatal way.<BR> +Dire dreams to thee, and iron sleep, he bears;<BR> +And, lighting on thy prow, the form of Phorbas wears.<BR> +Then thus the traitor god began his tale:<BR> +"The winds, my friend, inspire a pleasing gale;<BR> +The ships, without thy care, securely sail.<BR> +Now steal an hour of sweet repose; and I<BR> +Will take the rudder and thy room supply."<BR> +To whom the yawning pilot, half asleep:<BR> +"Me dost thou bid to trust the treach'rous deep,<BR> +The harlot smiles of her dissembling face,<BR> +And to her faith commit the Trojan race?<BR> +Shall I believe the Siren South again,<BR> +And, oft betray'd, not know the monster main?"<BR> +He said: his fasten'd hands the rudder keep,<BR> +And, fix'd on heav'n, his eyes repel invading sleep.<BR> +The god was wroth, and at his temples threw<BR> +A branch in Lethe dipp'd, and drunk with Stygian dew:<BR> +The pilot, vanquish'd by the pow'r divine,<BR> +Soon clos'd his swimming eyes, and lay supine.<BR> +Scarce were his limbs extended at their length,<BR> +The god, insulting with superior strength,<BR> +Fell heavy on him, plung'd him in the sea,<BR> +And, with the stern, the rudder tore away.<BR> +Headlong he fell, and, struggling in the main,<BR> +Cried out for helping hands, but cried in vain.<BR> +The victor daemon mounts obscure in air,<BR> +While the ship sails without the pilot's care.<BR> +On Neptune's faith the floating fleet relies;<BR> +But what the man forsook, the god supplies,<BR> +And o'er the dang'rous deep secure the navy flies;<BR> +Glides by the Sirens' cliffs, a shelfy coast,<BR> +Long infamous for ships and sailors lost,<BR> +And white with bones. Th' impetuous ocean roars,<BR> +And rocks rebellow from the sounding shores.<BR> +The watchful hero felt the knocks, and found<BR> +The tossing vessel sail'd on shoaly ground.<BR> +Sure of his pilot's loss, he takes himself<BR> +The helm, and steers aloof, and shuns the shelf.<BR> +Inly he griev'd, and, groaning from the breast,<BR> +Deplor'd his death; and thus his pain express'd:<BR> +"For faith repos'd on seas, and on the flatt'ring sky,<BR> +Thy naked corpse is doom'd on shores unknown to lie."<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book06"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK VI<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and wept; then spread his sails before<BR> +The winds, and reach'd at length the Cumaean shore:<BR> +Their anchors dropp'd, his crew the vessels moor.<BR> +They turn their heads to sea, their sterns to land,<BR> +And greet with greedy joy th' Italian strand.<BR> +Some strike from clashing flints their fiery seed;<BR> +Some gather sticks, the kindled flames to feed,<BR> +Or search for hollow trees, and fell the woods,<BR> +Or trace thro' valleys the discover'd floods.<BR> +Thus, while their sev'ral charges they fulfil,<BR> +The pious prince ascends the sacred hill<BR> +Where Phoebus is ador'd; and seeks the shade<BR> +Which hides from sight his venerable maid.<BR> +Deep in a cave the Sibyl makes abode;<BR> +Thence full of fate returns, and of the god.<BR> +Thro' Trivia's grove they walk; and now behold,<BR> +And enter now, the temple roof'd with gold.<BR> +When Daedalus, to fly the Cretan shore,<BR> +His heavy limbs on jointed pinions bore,<BR> +(The first who sail'd in air,) 't is sung by Fame,<BR> +To the Cumaean coast at length he came,<BR> +And here alighting, built this costly frame.<BR> +Inscrib'd to Phoebus, here he hung on high<BR> +The steerage of his wings, that cut the sky:<BR> +Then o'er the lofty gate his art emboss'd<BR> +Androgeos' death, and off'rings to his ghost;<BR> +Sev'n youths from Athens yearly sent, to meet<BR> +The fate appointed by revengeful Crete.<BR> +And next to those the dreadful urn was plac'd,<BR> +In which the destin'd names by lots were cast:<BR> +The mournful parents stand around in tears,<BR> +And rising Crete against their shore appears.<BR> +There too, in living sculpture, might be seen<BR> +The mad affection of the Cretan queen;<BR> +Then how she cheats her bellowing lover's eye;<BR> +The rushing leap, the doubtful progeny,<BR> +The lower part a beast, a man above,<BR> +The monument of their polluted love.<BR> +Not far from thence he grav'd the wondrous maze,<BR> +A thousand doors, a thousand winding ways:<BR> +Here dwells the monster, hid from human view,<BR> +Not to be found, but by the faithful clew;<BR> +Till the kind artist, mov'd with pious grief,<BR> +Lent to the loving maid this last relief,<BR> +And all those erring paths describ'd so well<BR> +That Theseus conquer'd and the monster fell.<BR> +Here hapless Icarus had found his part,<BR> +Had not the father's grief restrain'd his art.<BR> +He twice assay'd to cast his son in gold;<BR> +Twice from his hands he dropp'd the forming mold.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +All this with wond'ring eyes Aeneas view'd;<BR> +Each varying object his delight renew'd:<BR> +Eager to read the rest- Achates came,<BR> +And by his side the mad divining dame,<BR> +The priestess of the god, Deiphobe her name.<BR> +"Time suffers not," she said, "to feed your eyes<BR> +With empty pleasures; haste the sacrifice.<BR> +Sev'n bullocks, yet unyok'd, for Phoebus choose,<BR> +And for Diana sev'n unspotted ewes."<BR> +This said, the servants urge the sacred rites,<BR> +While to the temple she the prince invites.<BR> +A spacious cave, within its farmost part,<BR> +Was hew'd and fashion'd by laborious art<BR> +Thro' the hill's hollow sides: before the place,<BR> +A hundred doors a hundred entries grace;<BR> +As many voices issue, and the sound<BR> +Of Sybil's words as many times rebound.<BR> +Now to the mouth they come. Aloud she cries:<BR> +"This is the time; enquire your destinies.<BR> +He comes; behold the god!" Thus while she said,<BR> +(And shiv'ring at the sacred entry stay'd,)<BR> +Her color chang'd; her face was not the same,<BR> +And hollow groans from her deep spirit came.<BR> +Her hair stood up; convulsive rage possess'd<BR> +Her trembling limbs, and heav'd her lab'ring breast.<BR> +Greater than humankind she seem'd to look,<BR> +And with an accent more than mortal spoke.<BR> +Her staring eyes with sparkling fury roll;<BR> +When all the god came rushing on her soul.<BR> +Swiftly she turn'd, and, foaming as she spoke:<BR> +"Why this delay?" she cried- "the pow'rs invoke!<BR> +Thy pray'rs alone can open this abode;<BR> +Else vain are my demands, and dumb the god."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said no more. The trembling Trojans hear,<BR> +O'erspread with a damp sweat and holy fear.<BR> +The prince himself, with awful dread possess'd,<BR> +His vows to great Apollo thus address'd:<BR> +"Indulgent god, propitious pow'r to Troy,<BR> +Swift to relieve, unwilling to destroy,<BR> +Directed by whose hand the Dardan dart<BR> +Pierc'd the proud Grecian's only mortal part:<BR> +Thus far, by fate's decrees and thy commands,<BR> +Thro' ambient seas and thro' devouring sands,<BR> +Our exil'd crew has sought th' Ausonian ground;<BR> +And now, at length, the flying coast is found.<BR> +Thus far the fate of Troy, from place to place,<BR> +With fury has pursued her wand'ring race.<BR> +Here cease, ye pow'rs, and let your vengeance end:<BR> +Troy is no more, and can no more offend.<BR> +And thou, O sacred maid, inspir'd to see<BR> +Th' event of things in dark futurity;<BR> +Give me what Heav'n has promis'd to my fate,<BR> +To conquer and command the Latian state;<BR> +To fix my wand'ring gods, and find a place<BR> +For the long exiles of the Trojan race.<BR> +Then shall my grateful hands a temple rear<BR> +To the twin gods, with vows and solemn pray'r;<BR> +And annual rites, and festivals, and games,<BR> +Shall be perform'd to their auspicious names.<BR> +Nor shalt thou want thy honors in my land;<BR> +For there thy faithful oracles shall stand,<BR> +Preserv'd in shrines; and ev'ry sacred lay,<BR> +Which, by thy mouth, Apollo shall convey:<BR> +All shall be treasur'd by a chosen train<BR> +Of holy priests, and ever shall remain.<BR> +But O! commit not thy prophetic mind<BR> +To flitting leaves, the sport of ev'ry wind,<BR> +Lest they disperse in air our empty fate;<BR> +Write not, but, what the pow'rs ordain, relate."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Struggling in vain, impatient of her load,<BR> +And lab'ring underneath the pond'rous god,<BR> +The more she strove to shake him from her breast,<BR> +With more and far superior force he press'd;<BR> +Commands his entrance, and, without control,<BR> +Usurps her organs and inspires her soul.<BR> +Now, with a furious blast, the hundred doors<BR> +Ope of themselves; a rushing whirlwind roars<BR> +Within the cave, and Sibyl's voice restores:<BR> +"Escap'd the dangers of the wat'ry reign,<BR> +Yet more and greater ills by land remain.<BR> +The coast, so long desir'd (nor doubt th' event),<BR> +Thy troops shall reach, but, having reach'd, repent.<BR> +Wars, horrid wars, I view- a field of blood,<BR> +And Tiber rolling with a purple flood.<BR> +Simois nor Xanthus shall be wanting there:<BR> +A new Achilles shall in arms appear,<BR> +And he, too, goddess-born. Fierce Juno's hate,<BR> +Added to hostile force, shall urge thy fate.<BR> +To what strange nations shalt not thou resort,<BR> +Driv'n to solicit aid at ev'ry court!<BR> +The cause the same which Ilium once oppress'd;<BR> +A foreign mistress, and a foreign guest.<BR> +But thou, secure of soul, unbent with woes,<BR> +The more thy fortune frowns, the more oppose.<BR> +The dawnings of thy safety shall be shown<BR> +From whence thou least shalt hope, a Grecian town."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, from the dark recess, the Sibyl spoke,<BR> +And the resisting air the thunder broke;<BR> +The cave rebellow'd, and the temple shook.<BR> +Th' ambiguous god, who rul'd her lab'ring breast,<BR> +In these mysterious words his mind express'd;<BR> +Some truths reveal'd, in terms involv'd the rest.<BR> +At length her fury fell, her foaming ceas'd,<BR> +And, ebbing in her soul, the god decreas'd.<BR> +Then thus the chief: "No terror to my view,<BR> +No frightful face of danger can be new.<BR> +Inur'd to suffer, and resolv'd to dare,<BR> +The Fates, without my pow'r, shall be without my care.<BR> +This let me crave, since near your grove the road<BR> +To hell lies open, and the dark abode<BR> +Which Acheron surrounds, th' innavigable flood;<BR> +Conduct me thro' the regions void of light,<BR> +And lead me longing to my father's sight.<BR> +For him, a thousand dangers I have sought,<BR> +And, rushing where the thickest Grecians fought,<BR> +Safe on my back the sacred burthen brought.<BR> +He, for my sake, the raging ocean tried,<BR> +And wrath of Heav'n, my still auspicious guide,<BR> +And bore beyond the strength decrepid age supplied.<BR> +Oft, since he breath'd his last, in dead of night<BR> +His reverend image stood before my sight;<BR> +Enjoin'd to seek, below, his holy shade;<BR> +Conducted there by your unerring aid.<BR> +But you, if pious minds by pray'rs are won,<BR> +Oblige the father, and protect the son.<BR> +Yours is the pow'r; nor Proserpine in vain<BR> +Has made you priestess of her nightly reign.<BR> +If Orpheus, arm'd with his enchanting lyre,<BR> +The ruthless king with pity could inspire,<BR> +And from the shades below redeem his wife;<BR> +If Pollux, off'ring his alternate life,<BR> +Could free his brother, and can daily go<BR> +By turns aloft, by turns descend below-<BR> +Why name I Theseus, or his greater friend,<BR> +Who trod the downward path, and upward could ascend?<BR> +Not less than theirs from Jove my lineage came;<BR> +My mother greater, my descent the same."<BR> +So pray'd the Trojan prince, and, while he pray'd,<BR> +His hand upon the holy altar laid.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus replied the prophetess divine:<BR> +"O goddess-born of great Anchises' line,<BR> +The gates of hell are open night and day;<BR> +Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:<BR> +But to return, and view the cheerful skies,<BR> +In this the task and mighty labor lies.<BR> +To few great Jupiter imparts this grace,<BR> +And those of shining worth and heav'nly race.<BR> +Betwixt those regions and our upper light,<BR> +Deep forests and impenetrable night<BR> +Possess the middle space: th' infernal bounds<BR> +Cocytus, with his sable waves, surrounds.<BR> +But if so dire a love your soul invades,<BR> +As twice below to view the trembling shades;<BR> +If you so hard a toil will undertake,<BR> +As twice to pass th' innavigable lake;<BR> +Receive my counsel. In the neighb'ring grove<BR> +There stands a tree; the queen of Stygian Jove<BR> +Claims it her own; thick woods and gloomy night<BR> +Conceal the happy plant from human sight.<BR> +One bough it bears; but (wondrous to behold!)<BR> +The ductile rind and leaves of radiant gold:<BR> +This from the vulgar branches must be torn,<BR> +And to fair Proserpine the present borne,<BR> +Ere leave be giv'n to tempt the nether skies.<BR> +The first thus rent a second will arise,<BR> +And the same metal the same room supplies.<BR> +Look round the wood, with lifted eyes, to see<BR> +The lurking gold upon the fatal tree:<BR> +Then rend it off, as holy rites command;<BR> +The willing metal will obey thy hand,<BR> +Following with ease, if favor'd by thy fate,<BR> +Thou art foredoom'd to view the Stygian state:<BR> +If not, no labor can the tree constrain;<BR> +And strength of stubborn arms and steel are vain.<BR> +Besides, you know not, while you here attend,<BR> +Th' unworthy fate of your unhappy friend:<BR> +Breathless he lies; and his unburied ghost,<BR> +Depriv'd of fun'ral rites, pollutes your host.<BR> +Pay first his pious dues; and, for the dead,<BR> +Two sable sheep around his hearse be led;<BR> +Then, living turfs upon his body lay:<BR> +This done, securely take the destin'd way,<BR> +To find the regions destitute of day."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said, and held her peace. Aeneas went<BR> +Sad from the cave, and full of discontent,<BR> +Unknowing whom the sacred Sibyl meant.<BR> +Achates, the companion of his breast,<BR> +Goes grieving by his side, with equal cares oppress'd.<BR> +Walking, they talk'd, and fruitlessly divin'd<BR> +What friend the priestess by those words design'd.<BR> +But soon they found an object to deplore:<BR> +Misenus lay extended on the shore;<BR> +Son of the God of Winds: none so renown'd<BR> +The warrior trumpet in the field to sound;<BR> +With breathing brass to kindle fierce alarms,<BR> +And rouse to dare their fate in honorable arms.<BR> +He serv'd great Hector, and was ever near,<BR> +Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.<BR> +But by Pelides' arms when Hector fell,<BR> +He chose Aeneas; and he chose as well.<BR> +Swoln with applause, and aiming still at more,<BR> +He now provokes the sea gods from the shore;<BR> +With envy Triton heard the martial sound,<BR> +And the bold champion, for his challenge, drown'd;<BR> +Then cast his mangled carcass on the strand:<BR> +The gazing crowd around the body stand.<BR> +All weep; but most Aeneas mourns his fate,<BR> +And hastens to perform the funeral state.<BR> +In altar-wise, a stately pile they rear;<BR> +The basis broad below, and top advanc'd in air.<BR> +An ancient wood, fit for the work design'd,<BR> +(The shady covert of the salvage kind,)<BR> +The Trojans found: the sounding ax is plied;<BR> +Firs, pines, and pitch trees, and the tow'ring pride<BR> +Of forest ashes, feel the fatal stroke,<BR> +And piercing wedges cleave the stubborn oak.<BR> +Huge trunks of trees, fell'd from the steepy crown<BR> +Of the bare mountains, roll with ruin down.<BR> +Arm'd like the rest the Trojan prince appears,<BR> +And by his pious labor urges theirs.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while he wrought, revolving in his mind<BR> +The ways to compass what his wish design'd,<BR> +He cast his eyes upon the gloomy grove,<BR> +And then with vows implor'd the Queen of Love:<BR> +"O may thy pow'r, propitious still to me,<BR> +Conduct my steps to find the fatal tree,<BR> +In this deep forest; since the Sibyl's breath<BR> +Foretold, alas! too true, Misenus' death."<BR> +Scarce had he said, when, full before his sight,<BR> +Two doves, descending from their airy flight,<BR> +Secure upon the grassy plain alight.<BR> +He knew his mother's birds; and thus he pray'd:<BR> +"Be you my guides, with your auspicious aid,<BR> +And lead my footsteps, till the branch be found,<BR> +Whose glitt'ring shadow gilds the sacred ground.<BR> +And thou, great parent, with celestial care,<BR> +In this distress be present to my pray'r!"<BR> +Thus having said, he stopp'd with watchful sight,<BR> +Observing still the motions of their flight,<BR> +What course they took, what happy signs they shew.<BR> +They fed, and, flutt'ring, by degrees withdrew<BR> +Still farther from the place, but still in view:<BR> +Hopping and flying, thus they led him on<BR> +To the slow lake, whose baleful stench to shun<BR> +They wing'd their flight aloft; then, stooping low,<BR> +Perch'd on the double tree that bears the golden bough.<BR> +Thro' the green leafs the glitt'ring shadows glow;<BR> +As, on the sacred oak, the wintry mistletoe,<BR> +Where the proud mother views her precious brood,<BR> +And happier branches, which she never sow'd.<BR> +Such was the glitt'ring; such the ruddy rind,<BR> +And dancing leaves, that wanton'd in the wind.<BR> +He seiz'd the shining bough with griping hold,<BR> +And rent away, with ease, the ling'ring gold;<BR> +Then to the Sibyl's palace bore the prize.<BR> +Meantime the Trojan troops, with weeping eyes,<BR> +To dead Misenus pay his obsequies.<BR> +First, from the ground a lofty pile they rear,<BR> +Of pitch trees, oaks, and pines, and unctuous fir:<BR> +The fabric's front with cypress twigs they strew,<BR> +And stick the sides with boughs of baleful yew.<BR> +The topmost part his glitt'ring arms adorn;<BR> +Warm waters, then, in brazen caldrons borne,<BR> +Are pour'd to wash his body, joint by joint,<BR> +And fragrant oils the stiffen'd limbs anoint.<BR> +With groans and cries Misenus they deplore:<BR> +Then on a bier, with purple cover'd o'er,<BR> +The breathless body, thus bewail'd, they lay,<BR> +And fire the pile, their faces turn'd away-<BR> +Such reverend rites their fathers us'd to pay.<BR> +Pure oil and incense on the fire they throw,<BR> +And fat of victims, which his friends bestow.<BR> +These gifts the greedy flames to dust devour;<BR> +Then on the living coals red wine they pour;<BR> +And, last, the relics by themselves dispose,<BR> +Which in a brazen urn the priests inclose.<BR> +Old Corynaeus compass'd thrice the crew,<BR> +And dipp'd an olive branch in holy dew;<BR> +Which thrice he sprinkled round, and thrice aloud<BR> +Invok'd the dead, and then dismissed the crowd.<BR> +But good Aeneas order'd on the shore<BR> +A stately tomb, whose top a trumpet bore,<BR> +A soldier's fauchion, and a seaman's oar.<BR> +Thus was his friend interr'd; and deathless fame<BR> +Still to the lofty cape consigns his name.<BR> +These rites perform'd, the prince, without delay,<BR> +Hastes to the nether world his destin'd way.<BR> +Deep was the cave; and, downward as it went<BR> +From the wide mouth, a rocky rough descent;<BR> +And here th' access a gloomy grove defends,<BR> +And there th' unnavigable lake extends,<BR> +O'er whose unhappy waters, void of light,<BR> +No bird presumes to steer his airy flight;<BR> +Such deadly stenches from the depths arise,<BR> +And steaming sulphur, that infects the skies.<BR> +From hence the Grecian bards their legends make,<BR> +And give the name Avernus to the lake.<BR> +Four sable bullocks, in the yoke untaught,<BR> +For sacrifice the pious hero brought.<BR> +The priestess pours the wine betwixt their horns;<BR> +Then cuts the curling hair; that first oblation burns,<BR> +Invoking Hecate hither to repair:<BR> +A pow'rful name in hell and upper air.<BR> +The sacred priests with ready knives bereave<BR> +The beasts of life, and in full bowls receive<BR> +The streaming blood: a lamb to Hell and Night<BR> +(The sable wool without a streak of white)<BR> +Aeneas offers; and, by fate's decree,<BR> +A barren heifer, Proserpine, to thee,<BR> +With holocausts he Pluto's altar fills;<BR> +Sev'n brawny bulls with his own hand he kills;<BR> +Then on the broiling entrails oil he pours;<BR> +Which, ointed thus, the raging flame devours.<BR> +Late the nocturnal sacrifice begun,<BR> +Nor ended till the next returning sun.<BR> +Then earth began to bellow, trees to dance,<BR> +And howling dogs in glimm'ring light advance,<BR> +Ere Hecate came. "Far hence be souls profane!"<BR> +The Sibyl cried, "and from the grove abstain!<BR> +Now, Trojan, take the way thy fates afford;<BR> +Assume thy courage, and unsheathe thy sword."<BR> +She said, and pass'd along the gloomy space;<BR> +The prince pursued her steps with equal pace.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Ye realms, yet unreveal'd to human sight,<BR> +Ye gods who rule the regions of the night,<BR> +Ye gliding ghosts, permit me to relate<BR> +The mystic wonders of your silent state!<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Obscure they went thro' dreary shades, that led<BR> +Along the waste dominions of the dead.<BR> +Thus wander travelers in woods by night,<BR> +By the moon's doubtful and malignant light,<BR> +When Jove in dusky clouds involves the skies,<BR> +And the faint crescent shoots by fits before their eyes.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Just in the gate and in the jaws of hell,<BR> +Revengeful Cares and sullen Sorrows dwell,<BR> +And pale Diseases, and repining Age,<BR> +Want, Fear, and Famine's unresisted rage;<BR> +Here Toils, and Death, and Death's half-brother, Sleep,<BR> +Forms terrible to view, their sentry keep;<BR> +With anxious Pleasures of a guilty mind,<BR> +Deep Frauds before, and open Force behind;<BR> +The Furies' iron beds; and Strife, that shakes<BR> +Her hissing tresses and unfolds her snakes.<BR> +Full in the midst of this infernal road,<BR> +An elm displays her dusky arms abroad:<BR> +The God of Sleep there hides his heavy head,<BR> +And empty dreams on ev'ry leaf are spread.<BR> +Of various forms unnumber'd specters more,<BR> +Centaurs, and double shapes, besiege the door.<BR> +Before the passage, horrid Hydra stands,<BR> +And Briareus with all his hundred hands;<BR> +Gorgons, Geryon with his triple frame;<BR> +And vain Chimaera vomits empty flame.<BR> +The chief unsheath'd his shining steel, prepar'd,<BR> +Tho' seiz'd with sudden fear, to force the guard,<BR> +Off'ring his brandish'd weapon at their face;<BR> +Had not the Sibyl stopp'd his eager pace,<BR> +And told him what those empty phantoms were:<BR> +Forms without bodies, and impassive air.<BR> +Hence to deep Acheron they take their way,<BR> +Whose troubled eddies, thick with ooze and clay,<BR> +Are whirl'd aloft, and in Cocytus lost.<BR> +There Charon stands, who rules the dreary coast-<BR> +A sordid god: down from his hoary chin<BR> +A length of beard descends, uncomb'd, unclean;<BR> +His eyes, like hollow furnaces on fire;<BR> +A girdle, foul with grease, binds his obscene attire.<BR> +He spreads his canvas; with his pole he steers;<BR> +The freights of flitting ghosts in his thin bottom bears.<BR> +He look'd in years; yet in his years were seen<BR> +A youthful vigor and autumnal green.<BR> +An airy crowd came rushing where he stood,<BR> +Which fill'd the margin of the fatal flood:<BR> +Husbands and wives, boys and unmarried maids,<BR> +And mighty heroes' more majestic shades,<BR> +And youths, intomb'd before their fathers' eyes,<BR> +With hollow groans, and shrieks, and feeble cries.<BR> +Thick as the leaves in autumn strow the woods,<BR> +Or fowls, by winter forc'd, forsake the floods,<BR> +And wing their hasty flight to happier lands;<BR> +Such, and so thick, the shiv'ring army stands,<BR> +And press for passage with extended hands.<BR> +Now these, now those, the surly boatman bore:<BR> +The rest he drove to distance from the shore.<BR> +The hero, who beheld with wond'ring eyes<BR> +The tumult mix'd with shrieks, laments, and cries,<BR> +Ask'd of his guide, what the rude concourse meant;<BR> +Why to the shore the thronging people bent;<BR> +What forms of law among the ghosts were us'd;<BR> +Why some were ferried o'er, and some refus'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Son of Anchises, offspring of the gods,"<BR> +The Sibyl said, "you see the Stygian floods,<BR> +The sacred stream which heav'n's imperial state<BR> +Attests in oaths, and fears to violate.<BR> +The ghosts rejected are th' unhappy crew<BR> +Depriv'd of sepulchers and fun'ral due:<BR> +The boatman, Charon; those, the buried host,<BR> +He ferries over to the farther coast;<BR> +Nor dares his transport vessel cross the waves<BR> +With such whose bones are not compos'd in graves.<BR> +A hundred years they wander on the shore;<BR> +At length, their penance done, are wafted o'er."<BR> +The Trojan chief his forward pace repress'd,<BR> +Revolving anxious thoughts within his breast,<BR> +He saw his friends, who, whelm'd beneath the waves,<BR> +Their fun'ral honors claim'd, and ask'd their quiet graves.<BR> +The lost Leucaspis in the crowd he knew,<BR> +And the brave leader of the Lycian crew,<BR> +Whom, on the Tyrrhene seas, the tempests met;<BR> +The sailors master'd, and the ship o'erset.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amidst the spirits, Palinurus press'd,<BR> +Yet fresh from life, a new-admitted guest,<BR> +Who, while he steering view'd the stars, and bore<BR> +His course from Afric to the Latian shore,<BR> +Fell headlong down. The Trojan fix'd his view,<BR> +And scarcely thro' the gloom the sullen shadow knew.<BR> +Then thus the prince: "What envious pow'r, O friend,<BR> +Brought your lov'd life to this disastrous end?<BR> +For Phoebus, ever true in all he said,<BR> +Has in your fate alone my faith betray'd.<BR> +The god foretold you should not die, before<BR> +You reach'd, secure from seas, th' Italian shore.<BR> +Is this th' unerring pow'r?" The ghost replied;<BR> +"Nor Phoebus flatter'd, nor his answers lied;<BR> +Nor envious gods have sent me to the deep:<BR> +But, while the stars and course of heav'n I keep,<BR> +My wearied eyes were seiz'd with fatal sleep.<BR> +I fell; and, with my weight, the helm constrain'd<BR> +Was drawn along, which yet my gripe retain'd.<BR> +Now by the winds and raging waves I swear,<BR> +Your safety, more than mine, was then my care;<BR> +Lest, of the guide bereft, the rudder lost,<BR> +Your ship should run against the rocky coast.<BR> +Three blust'ring nights, borne by the southern blast,<BR> +I floated, and discover'd land at last:<BR> +High on a mounting wave my head I bore,<BR> +Forcing my strength, and gath'ring to the shore.<BR> +Panting, but past the danger, now I seiz'd<BR> +The craggy cliffs, and my tir'd members eas'd.<BR> +While, cumber'd with my dropping clothes, I lay,<BR> +The cruel nation, covetous of prey,<BR> +Stain'd with my blood th' unhospitable coast;<BR> +And now, by winds and waves, my lifeless limbs are toss'd:<BR> +Which O avert, by yon ethereal light,<BR> +Which I have lost for this eternal night!<BR> +Or, if by dearer ties you may be won,<BR> +By your dead sire, and by your living son,<BR> +Redeem from this reproach my wand'ring ghost;<BR> +Or with your navy seek the Velin coast,<BR> +And in a peaceful grave my corpse compose;<BR> +Or, if a nearer way your mother shows,<BR> +Without whose aid you durst not undertake<BR> +This frightful passage o'er the Stygian lake,<BR> +Lend to this wretch your hand, and waft him o'er<BR> +To the sweet banks of yon forbidden shore."<BR> +Scarce had he said, the prophetess began:<BR> +"What hopes delude thee, miserable man?<BR> +Think'st thou, thus unintomb'd, to cross the floods,<BR> +To view the Furies and infernal gods,<BR> +And visit, without leave, the dark abodes?<BR> +Attend the term of long revolving years;<BR> +Fate, and the dooming gods, are deaf to tears.<BR> +This comfort of thy dire misfortune take:<BR> +The wrath of Heav'n, inflicted for thy sake,<BR> +With vengeance shall pursue th' inhuman coast,<BR> +Till they propitiate thy offended ghost,<BR> +And raise a tomb, with vows and solemn pray'r;<BR> +And Palinurus' name the place shall bear."<BR> +This calm'd his cares; sooth'd with his future fame,<BR> +And pleas'd to hear his propagated name.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now nearer to the Stygian lake they draw:<BR> +Whom, from the shore, the surly boatman saw;<BR> +Observ'd their passage thro' the shady wood,<BR> +And mark'd their near approaches to the flood.<BR> +Then thus he call'd aloud, inflam'd with wrath:<BR> +"Mortal, whate'er, who this forbidden path<BR> +In arms presum'st to tread, I charge thee, stand,<BR> +And tell thy name, and bus'ness in the land.<BR> +Know this, the realm of night- the Stygian shore:<BR> +My boat conveys no living bodies o'er;<BR> +Nor was I pleas'd great Theseus once to bear,<BR> +Who forc'd a passage with his pointed spear,<BR> +Nor strong Alcides- men of mighty fame,<BR> +And from th' immortal gods their lineage came.<BR> +In fetters one the barking porter tied,<BR> +And took him trembling from his sov'reign's side:<BR> +Two sought by force to seize his beauteous bride."<BR> +To whom the Sibyl thus: "Compose thy mind;<BR> +Nor frauds are here contriv'd, nor force design'd.<BR> +Still may the dog the wand'ring troops constrain<BR> +Of airy ghosts, and vex the guilty train,<BR> +And with her grisly lord his lovely queen remain.<BR> +The Trojan chief, whose lineage is from Jove,<BR> +Much fam'd for arms, and more for filial love,<BR> +Is sent to seek his sire in your Elysian grove.<BR> +If neither piety, nor Heav'n's command,<BR> +Can gain his passage to the Stygian strand,<BR> +This fatal present shall prevail at least."<BR> +Then shew'd the shining bough, conceal'd within her vest.<BR> +No more was needful: for the gloomy god<BR> +Stood mute with awe, to see the golden rod;<BR> +Admir'd the destin'd off'ring to his queen-<BR> +A venerable gift, so rarely seen.<BR> +His fury thus appeas'd, he puts to land;<BR> +The ghosts forsake their seats at his command:<BR> +He clears the deck, receives the mighty freight;<BR> +The leaky vessel groans beneath the weight.<BR> +Slowly she sails, and scarcely stems the tides;<BR> +The pressing water pours within her sides.<BR> +His passengers at length are wafted o'er,<BR> +Expos'd, in muddy weeds, upon the miry shore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +No sooner landed, in his den they found<BR> +The triple porter of the Stygian sound,<BR> +Grim Cerberus, who soon began to rear<BR> +His crested snakes, and arm'd his bristling hair.<BR> +The prudent Sibyl had before prepar'd<BR> +A sop, in honey steep'd, to charm the guard;<BR> +Which, mix'd with pow'rful drugs, she cast before<BR> +His greedy grinning jaws, just op'd to roar.<BR> +With three enormous mouths he gapes; and straight,<BR> +With hunger press'd, devours the pleasing bait.<BR> +Long draughts of sleep his monstrous limbs enslave;<BR> +He reels, and, falling, fills the spacious cave.<BR> +The keeper charm'd, the chief without delay<BR> +Pass'd on, and took th' irremeable way.<BR> +Before the gates, the cries of babes new born,<BR> +Whom fate had from their tender mothers torn,<BR> +Assault his ears: then those, whom form of laws<BR> +Condemn'd to die, when traitors judg'd their cause.<BR> +Nor want they lots, nor judges to review<BR> +The wrongful sentence, and award a new.<BR> +Minos, the strict inquisitor, appears;<BR> +And lives and crimes, with his assessors, hears.<BR> +Round in his urn the blended balls he rolls,<BR> +Absolves the just, and dooms the guilty souls.<BR> +The next, in place and punishment, are they<BR> +Who prodigally throw their souls away;<BR> +Fools, who, repining at their wretched state,<BR> +And loathing anxious life, suborn'd their fate.<BR> +With late repentance now they would retrieve<BR> +The bodies they forsook, and wish to live;<BR> +Their pains and poverty desire to bear,<BR> +To view the light of heav'n, and breathe the vital air:<BR> +But fate forbids; the Stygian floods oppose,<BR> +And with circling streams the captive souls inclose.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Not far from thence, the Mournful Fields appear<BR> +So call'd from lovers that inhabit there.<BR> +The souls whom that unhappy flame invades,<BR> +In secret solitude and myrtle shades<BR> +Make endless moans, and, pining with desire,<BR> +Lament too late their unextinguish'd fire.<BR> +Here Procris, Eriphyle here he found,<BR> +Baring her breast, yet bleeding with the wound<BR> +Made by her son. He saw Pasiphae there,<BR> +With Phaedra's ghost, a foul incestuous pair.<BR> +There Laodamia, with Evadne, moves,<BR> +Unhappy both, but loyal in their loves:<BR> +Caeneus, a woman once, and once a man,<BR> +But ending in the sex she first began.<BR> +Not far from these Phoenician Dido stood,<BR> +Fresh from her wound, her bosom bath'd in blood;<BR> +Whom when the Trojan hero hardly knew,<BR> +Obscure in shades, and with a doubtful view,<BR> +(Doubtful as he who sees, thro' dusky night,<BR> +Or thinks he sees, the moon's uncertain light,)<BR> +With tears he first approach'd the sullen shade;<BR> +And, as his love inspir'd him, thus he said:<BR> +"Unhappy queen! then is the common breath<BR> +Of rumor true, in your reported death,<BR> +And I, alas! the cause? By Heav'n, I vow,<BR> +And all the pow'rs that rule the realms below,<BR> +Unwilling I forsook your friendly state,<BR> +Commanded by the gods, and forc'd by fate-<BR> +Those gods, that fate, whose unresisted might<BR> +Have sent me to these regions void of light,<BR> +Thro' the vast empire of eternal night.<BR> +Nor dar'd I to presume, that, press'd with grief,<BR> +My flight should urge you to this dire relief.<BR> +Stay, stay your steps, and listen to my vows:<BR> +'T is the last interview that fate allows!"<BR> +In vain he thus attempts her mind to move<BR> +With tears, and pray'rs, and late-repenting love.<BR> +Disdainfully she look'd; then turning round,<BR> +But fix'd her eyes unmov'd upon the ground,<BR> +And what he says and swears, regards no more<BR> +Than the deaf rocks, when the loud billows roar;<BR> +But whirl'd away, to shun his hateful sight,<BR> +Hid in the forest and the shades of night;<BR> +Then sought Sichaeus thro' the shady grove,<BR> +Who answer'd all her cares, and equal'd all her love.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Some pious tears the pitying hero paid,<BR> +And follow'd with his eyes the flitting shade,<BR> +Then took the forward way, by fate ordain'd,<BR> +And, with his guide, the farther fields attain'd,<BR> +Where, sever'd from the rest, the warrior souls remain'd.<BR> +Tydeus he met, with Meleager's race,<BR> +The pride of armies, and the soldiers' grace;<BR> +And pale Adrastus with his ghastly face.<BR> +Of Trojan chiefs he view'd a num'rous train,<BR> +All much lamented, all in battle slain;<BR> +Glaucus and Medon, high above the rest,<BR> +Antenor's sons, and Ceres' sacred priest.<BR> +And proud Idaeus, Priam's charioteer,<BR> +Who shakes his empty reins, and aims his airy spear.<BR> +The gladsome ghosts, in circling troops, attend<BR> +And with unwearied eyes behold their friend;<BR> +Delight to hover near, and long to know<BR> +What bus'ness brought him to the realms below.<BR> +But Argive chiefs, and Agamemnon's train,<BR> +When his refulgent arms flash'd thro' the shady plain,<BR> +Fled from his well-known face, with wonted fear,<BR> +As when his thund'ring sword and pointed spear<BR> +Drove headlong to their ships, and glean'd the routed rear.<BR> +They rais'd a feeble cry, with trembling notes;<BR> +But the weak voice deceiv'd their gasping throats.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Here Priam's son, Deiphobus, he found,<BR> +Whose face and limbs were one continued wound:<BR> +Dishonest, with lopp'd arms, the youth appears,<BR> +Spoil'd of his nose, and shorten'd of his ears.<BR> +He scarcely knew him, striving to disown<BR> +His blotted form, and blushing to be known;<BR> +And therefore first began: "O Teucer's race,<BR> +Who durst thy faultless figure thus deface?<BR> +What heart could wish, what hand inflict, this dire disgrace?<BR> +'Twas fam'd, that in our last and fatal night<BR> +Your single prowess long sustain'd the fight,<BR> +Till tir'd, not forc'd, a glorious fate you chose,<BR> +And fell upon a heap of slaughter'd foes.<BR> +But, in remembrance of so brave a deed,<BR> +A tomb and fun'ral honors I decreed;<BR> +Thrice call'd your manes on the Trojan plains:<BR> +The place your armor and your name retains.<BR> +Your body too I sought, and, had I found,<BR> +Design'd for burial in your native ground."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The ghost replied: "Your piety has paid<BR> +All needful rites, to rest my wand'ring shade;<BR> +But cruel fate, and my more cruel wife,<BR> +To Grecian swords betray'd my sleeping life.<BR> +These are the monuments of Helen's love:<BR> +The shame I bear below, the marks I bore above.<BR> +You know in what deluding joys we pass'd<BR> +The night that was by Heav'n decreed our last:<BR> +For, when the fatal horse, descending down,<BR> +Pregnant with arms, o'erwhelm'd th' unhappy town<BR> +She feign'd nocturnal orgies; left my bed,<BR> +And, mix'd with Trojan dames, the dances led<BR> +Then, waving high her torch, the signal made,<BR> +Which rous'd the Grecians from their ambuscade.<BR> +With watching overworn, with cares oppress'd,<BR> +Unhappy I had laid me down to rest,<BR> +And heavy sleep my weary limbs possess'd.<BR> +Meantime my worthy wife our arms mislaid,<BR> +And from beneath my head my sword convey'd;<BR> +The door unlatch'd, and, with repeated calls,<BR> +Invites her former lord within my walls.<BR> +Thus in her crime her confidence she plac'd,<BR> +And with new treasons would redeem the past.<BR> +What need I more? Into the room they ran,<BR> +And meanly murther'd a defenseless man.<BR> +Ulysses, basely born, first led the way.<BR> +Avenging pow'rs! with justice if I pray,<BR> +That fortune be their own another day!<BR> +But answer you; and in your turn relate,<BR> +What brought you, living, to the Stygian state:<BR> +Driv'n by the winds and errors of the sea,<BR> +Or did you Heav'n's superior doom obey?<BR> +Or tell what other chance conducts your way,<BR> +To view with mortal eyes our dark retreats,<BR> +Tumults and torments of th' infernal seats."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While thus in talk the flying hours they pass,<BR> +The sun had finish'd more than half his race:<BR> +And they, perhaps, in words and tears had spent<BR> +The little time of stay which Heav'n had lent;<BR> +But thus the Sibyl chides their long delay:<BR> +"Night rushes down, and headlong drives the day:<BR> +'T is here, in different paths, the way divides;<BR> +The right to Pluto's golden palace guides;<BR> +The left to that unhappy region tends,<BR> +Which to the depth of Tartarus descends;<BR> +The seat of night profound, and punish'd fiends."<BR> +Then thus Deiphobus: "O sacred maid,<BR> +Forbear to chide, and be your will obey'd!<BR> +Lo! to the secret shadows I retire,<BR> +To pay my penance till my years expire.<BR> +Proceed, auspicious prince, with glory crown'd,<BR> +And born to better fates than I have found."<BR> +He said; and, while he said, his steps he turn'd<BR> +To secret shadows, and in silence mourn'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The hero, looking on the left, espied<BR> +A lofty tow'r, and strong on ev'ry side<BR> +With treble walls, which Phlegethon surrounds,<BR> +Whose fiery flood the burning empire bounds;<BR> +And, press'd betwixt the rocks, the bellowing noise resounds<BR> +Wide is the fronting gate, and, rais'd on high<BR> +With adamantine columns, threats the sky.<BR> +Vain is the force of man, and Heav'n's as vain,<BR> +To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.<BR> +Sublime on these a tow'r of steel is rear'd;<BR> +And dire Tisiphone there keeps the ward,<BR> +Girt in her sanguine gown, by night and day,<BR> +Observant of the souls that pass the downward way.<BR> +From hence are heard the groans of ghosts, the pains<BR> +Of sounding lashes and of dragging chains.<BR> +The Trojan stood astonish'd at their cries,<BR> +And ask'd his guide from whence those yells arise;<BR> +And what the crimes, and what the tortures were,<BR> +And loud laments that rent the liquid air.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She thus replied: "The chaste and holy race<BR> +Are all forbidden this polluted place.<BR> +But Hecate, when she gave to rule the woods,<BR> +Then led me trembling thro' these dire abodes,<BR> +And taught the tortures of th' avenging gods.<BR> +These are the realms of unrelenting fate;<BR> +And awful Rhadamanthus rules the state.<BR> +He hears and judges each committed crime;<BR> +Enquires into the manner, place, and time.<BR> +The conscious wretch must all his acts reveal,<BR> +(Loth to confess, unable to conceal),<BR> +From the first moment of his vital breath,<BR> +To his last hour of unrepenting death.<BR> +Straight, o'er the guilty ghost, the Fury shakes<BR> +The sounding whip and brandishes her snakes,<BR> +And the pale sinner, with her sisters, takes.<BR> +Then, of itself, unfolds th' eternal door;<BR> +With dreadful sounds the brazen hinges roar.<BR> +You see, before the gate, what stalking ghost<BR> +Commands the guard, what sentries keep the post.<BR> +More formidable Hydra stands within,<BR> +Whose jaws with iron teeth severely grin.<BR> +The gaping gulf low to the center lies,<BR> +And twice as deep as earth is distant from the skies.<BR> +The rivals of the gods, the Titan race,<BR> +Here, sing'd with lightning, roll within th' unfathom'd space.<BR> +Here lie th' Alaean twins, (I saw them both,)<BR> +Enormous bodies, of gigantic growth,<BR> +Who dar'd in fight the Thund'rer to defy,<BR> +Affect his heav'n, and force him from the sky.<BR> +Salmoneus, suff'ring cruel pains, I found,<BR> +For emulating Jove; the rattling sound<BR> +Of mimic thunder, and the glitt'ring blaze<BR> +Of pointed lightnings, and their forky rays.<BR> +Thro' Elis and the Grecian towns he flew;<BR> +Th' audacious wretch four fiery coursers drew:<BR> +He wav'd a torch aloft, and, madly vain,<BR> +Sought godlike worship from a servile train.<BR> +Ambitious fool! with horny hoofs to pass<BR> +O'er hollow arches of resounding brass,<BR> +To rival thunder in its rapid course,<BR> +And imitate inimitable force!<BR> +But he, the King of Heav'n, obscure on high,<BR> +Bar'd his red arm, and, launching from the sky<BR> +His writhen bolt, not shaking empty smoke,<BR> +Down to the deep abyss the flaming felon strook.<BR> +There Tityus was to see, who took his birth<BR> +From heav'n, his nursing from the foodful earth.<BR> +Here his gigantic limbs, with large embrace,<BR> +Infold nine acres of infernal space.<BR> +A rav'nous vulture, in his open'd side,<BR> +Her crooked beak and cruel talons tried;<BR> +Still for the growing liver digg'd his breast;<BR> +The growing liver still supplied the feast;<BR> +Still are his entrails fruitful to their pains:<BR> +Th' immortal hunger lasts, th' immortal food remains.<BR> +Ixion and Perithous I could name,<BR> +And more Thessalian chiefs of mighty fame.<BR> +High o'er their heads a mold'ring rock is plac'd,<BR> +That promises a fall, and shakes at ev'ry blast.<BR> +They lie below, on golden beds display'd;<BR> +And genial feasts with regal pomp are made.<BR> +The Queen of Furies by their sides is set,<BR> +And snatches from their mouths th' untasted meat,<BR> +Which if they touch, her hissing snakes she rears,<BR> +Tossing her torch, and thund'ring in their ears.<BR> +Then they, who brothers' better claim disown,<BR> +Expel their parents, and usurp the throne;<BR> +Defraud their clients, and, to lucre sold,<BR> +Sit brooding on unprofitable gold;<BR> +Who dare not give, and ev'n refuse to lend<BR> +To their poor kindred, or a wanting friend.<BR> +Vast is the throng of these; nor less the train<BR> +Of lustful youths, for foul adult'ry slain:<BR> +Hosts of deserters, who their honor sold,<BR> +And basely broke their faith for bribes of gold.<BR> +All these within the dungeon's depth remain,<BR> +Despairing pardon, and expecting pain.<BR> +Ask not what pains; nor farther seek to know<BR> +Their process, or the forms of law below.<BR> +Some roll a weighty stone; some, laid along,<BR> +And bound with burning wires, on spokes of wheels are hung<BR> +Unhappy Theseus, doom'd for ever there,<BR> +Is fix'd by fate on his eternal chair;<BR> +And wretched Phlegyas warns the world with cries<BR> +(Could warning make the world more just or wise):<BR> +'Learn righteousness, and dread th' avenging deities.'<BR> +To tyrants others have their country sold,<BR> +Imposing foreign lords, for foreign gold;<BR> +Some have old laws repeal'd, new statutes made,<BR> +Not as the people pleas'd, but as they paid;<BR> +With incest some their daughters' bed profan'd:<BR> +All dar'd the worst of ills, and, what they dar'd, attain'd.<BR> +Had I a hundred mouths, a hundred tongues,<BR> +And throats of brass, inspir'd with iron lungs,<BR> +I could not half those horrid crimes repeat,<BR> +Nor half the punishments those crimes have met.<BR> +But let us haste our voyage to pursue:<BR> +The walls of Pluto's palace are in view;<BR> +The gate, and iron arch above it, stands<BR> +On anvils labor'd by the Cyclops' hands.<BR> +Before our farther way the Fates allow,<BR> +Here must we fix on high the golden bough."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said: and thro' the gloomy shades they pass'd,<BR> +And chose the middle path. Arriv'd at last,<BR> +The prince with living water sprinkled o'er<BR> +His limbs and body; then approach'd the door,<BR> +Possess'd the porch, and on the front above<BR> +He fix'd the fatal bough requir'd by Pluto's love.<BR> +These holy rites perform'd, they took their way<BR> +Where long extended plains of pleasure lay:<BR> +The verdant fields with those of heav'n may vie,<BR> +With ether vested, and a purple sky;<BR> +The blissful seats of happy souls below.<BR> +Stars of their own, and their own suns, they know;<BR> +Their airy limbs in sports they exercise,<BR> +And on the green contend the wrestler's prize.<BR> +Some in heroic verse divinely sing;<BR> +Others in artful measures led the ring.<BR> +The Thracian bard, surrounded by the rest,<BR> +There stands conspicuous in his flowing vest;<BR> +His flying fingers, and harmonious quill,<BR> +Strikes sev'n distinguish'd notes, and sev'n at once they fill.<BR> +Here found they Teucer's old heroic race,<BR> +Born better times and happier years to grace.<BR> +Assaracus and Ilus here enjoy<BR> +Perpetual fame, with him who founded Troy.<BR> +The chief beheld their chariots from afar,<BR> +Their shining arms, and coursers train'd to war:<BR> +Their lances fix'd in earth, their steeds around,<BR> +Free from their harness, graze the flow'ry ground.<BR> +The love of horses which they had, alive,<BR> +And care of chariots, after death survive.<BR> +Some cheerful souls were feasting on the plain;<BR> +Some did the song, and some the choir maintain,<BR> +Beneath a laurel shade, where mighty Po<BR> +Mounts up to woods above, and hides his head below.<BR> +Here patriots live, who, for their country's good,<BR> +In fighting fields, were prodigal of blood:<BR> +Priests of unblemish'd lives here make abode,<BR> +And poets worthy their inspiring god;<BR> +And searching wits, of more mechanic parts,<BR> +Who grac'd their age with new-invented arts:<BR> +Those who to worth their bounty did extend,<BR> +And those who knew that bounty to commend.<BR> +The heads of these with holy fillets bound,<BR> +And all their temples were with garlands crown'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To these the Sibyl thus her speech address'd,<BR> +And first to him surrounded by the rest<BR> +(Tow'ring his height, and ample was his breast):<BR> +"Say, happy souls, divine Musaeus, say,<BR> +Where lives Anchises, and where lies our way<BR> +To find the hero, for whose only sake<BR> +We sought the dark abodes, and cross'd the bitter lake?"<BR> +To this the sacred poet thus replied:<BR> +"In no fix'd place the happy souls reside.<BR> +In groves we live, and lie on mossy beds,<BR> +By crystal streams, that murmur thro' the meads:<BR> +But pass yon easy hill, and thence descend;<BR> +The path conducts you to your journey's end."<BR> +This said, he led them up the mountain's brow,<BR> +And shews them all the shining fields below.<BR> +They wind the hill, and thro' the blissful meadows go.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But old Anchises, in a flow'ry vale,<BR> +Review'd his muster'd race, and took the tale:<BR> +Those happy spirits, which, ordain'd by fate,<BR> +For future beings and new bodies wait-<BR> +With studious thought observ'd th' illustrious throng,<BR> +In nature's order as they pass'd along:<BR> +Their names, their fates, their conduct, and their care,<BR> +In peaceful senates and successful war.<BR> +He, when Aeneas on the plain appears,<BR> +Meets him with open arms, and falling tears.<BR> +"Welcome," he said, "the gods' undoubted race!<BR> +O long expected to my dear embrace!<BR> +Once more 't is giv'n me to behold your face!<BR> +The love and pious duty which you pay<BR> +Have pass'd the perils of so hard a way.<BR> +'T is true, computing times, I now believ'd<BR> +The happy day approach'd; nor are my hopes deceiv'd.<BR> +What length of lands, what oceans have you pass'd;<BR> +What storms sustain'd, and on what shores been cast?<BR> +How have I fear'd your fate! but fear'd it most,<BR> +When love assail'd you, on the Libyan coast."<BR> +To this, the filial duty thus replies:<BR> +"Your sacred ghost before my sleeping eyes<BR> +Appear'd, and often urg'd this painful enterprise.<BR> +After long tossing on the Tyrrhene sea,<BR> +My navy rides at anchor in the bay.<BR> +But reach your hand, O parent shade, nor shun<BR> +The dear embraces of your longing son!"<BR> +He said; and falling tears his face bedew:<BR> +Then thrice around his neck his arms he threw;<BR> +And thrice the flitting shadow slipp'd away,<BR> +Like winds, or empty dreams that fly the day.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, in a secret vale, the Trojan sees<BR> +A sep'rate grove, thro' which a gentle breeze<BR> +Plays with a passing breath, and whispers thro' the trees;<BR> +And, just before the confines of the wood,<BR> +The gliding Lethe leads her silent flood.<BR> +About the boughs an airy nation flew,<BR> +Thick as the humming bees, that hunt the golden dew;<BR> +In summer's heat on tops of lilies feed,<BR> +And creep within their bells, to suck the balmy seed:<BR> +The winged army roams the fields around;<BR> +The rivers and the rocks remurmur to the sound.<BR> +Aeneas wond'ring stood, then ask'd the cause<BR> +Which to the stream the crowding people draws.<BR> +Then thus the sire: "The souls that throng the flood<BR> +Are those to whom, by fate, are other bodies ow'd:<BR> +In Lethe's lake they long oblivion taste,<BR> +Of future life secure, forgetful of the past.<BR> +Long has my soul desir'd this time and place,<BR> +To set before your sight your glorious race,<BR> +That this presaging joy may fire your mind<BR> +To seek the shores by destiny design'd."-<BR> +"O father, can it be, that souls sublime<BR> +Return to visit our terrestrial clime,<BR> +And that the gen'rous mind, releas'd by death,<BR> +Can covet lazy limbs and mortal breath?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Anchises then, in order, thus begun<BR> +To clear those wonders to his godlike son:<BR> +"Know, first, that heav'n, and earth's compacted frame,<BR> +And flowing waters, and the starry flame,<BR> +And both the radiant lights, one common soul<BR> +Inspires and feeds, and animates the whole.<BR> +This active mind, infus'd thro' all the space,<BR> +Unites and mingles with the mighty mass.<BR> +Hence men and beasts the breath of life obtain,<BR> +And birds of air, and monsters of the main.<BR> +Th' ethereal vigor is in all the same,<BR> +And every soul is fill'd with equal flame;<BR> +As much as earthy limbs, and gross allay<BR> +Of mortal members, subject to decay,<BR> +Blunt not the beams of heav'n and edge of day.<BR> +From this coarse mixture of terrestrial parts,<BR> +Desire and fear by turns possess their hearts,<BR> +And grief, and joy; nor can the groveling mind,<BR> +In the dark dungeon of the limbs confin'd,<BR> +Assert the native skies, or own its heav'nly kind:<BR> +Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains;<BR> +But long-contracted filth ev'n in the soul remains.<BR> +The relics of inveterate vice they wear,<BR> +And spots of sin obscene in ev'ry face appear.<BR> +For this are various penances enjoin'd;<BR> +And some are hung to bleach upon the wind,<BR> +Some plung'd in waters, others purg'd in fires,<BR> +Till all the dregs are drain'd, and all the rust expires.<BR> +All have their manes, and those manes bear:<BR> +The few, so cleans'd, to these abodes repair,<BR> +And breathe, in ample fields, the soft Elysian air.<BR> +Then are they happy, when by length of time<BR> +The scurf is worn away of each committed crime;<BR> +No speck is left of their habitual stains,<BR> +But the pure ether of the soul remains.<BR> +But, when a thousand rolling years are past,<BR> +(So long their punishments and penance last,)<BR> +Whole droves of minds are, by the driving god,<BR> +Compell'd to drink the deep Lethaean flood,<BR> +In large forgetful draughts to steep the cares<BR> +Of their past labors, and their irksome years,<BR> +That, unrememb'ring of its former pain,<BR> +The soul may suffer mortal flesh again."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, the father spirit leads<BR> +The priestess and his son thro' swarms of shades,<BR> +And takes a rising ground, from thence to see<BR> +The long procession of his progeny.<BR> +"Survey," pursued the sire, "this airy throng,<BR> +As, offer'd to thy view, they pass along.<BR> +These are th' Italian names, which fate will join<BR> +With ours, and graff upon the Trojan line.<BR> +Observe the youth who first appears in sight,<BR> +And holds the nearest station to the light,<BR> +Already seems to snuff the vital air,<BR> +And leans just forward, on a shining spear:<BR> +Silvius is he, thy last-begotten race,<BR> +But first in order sent, to fill thy place;<BR> +An Alban name, but mix'd with Dardan blood,<BR> +Born in the covert of a shady wood:<BR> +Him fair Lavinia, thy surviving wife,<BR> +Shall breed in groves, to lead a solitary life.<BR> +In Alba he shall fix his royal seat,<BR> +And, born a king, a race of kings beget.<BR> +Then Procas, honor of the Trojan name,<BR> +Capys, and Numitor, of endless fame.<BR> +A second Silvius after these appears;<BR> +Silvius Aeneas, for thy name he bears;<BR> +For arms and justice equally renown'd,<BR> +Who, late restor'd, in Alba shall be crown'd.<BR> +How great they look! how vig'rously they wield<BR> +Their weighty lances, and sustain the shield!<BR> +But they, who crown'd with oaken wreaths appear,<BR> +Shall Gabian walls and strong Fidena rear;<BR> +Nomentum, Bola, with Pometia, found;<BR> +And raise Collatian tow'rs on rocky ground.<BR> +All these shall then be towns of mighty fame,<BR> +Tho' now they lie obscure, and lands without a name.<BR> +See Romulus the great, born to restore<BR> +The crown that once his injur'd grandsire wore.<BR> +This prince a priestess of your blood shall bear,<BR> +And like his sire in arms he shall appear.<BR> +Two rising crests, his royal head adorn;<BR> +Born from a god, himself to godhead born:<BR> +His sire already signs him for the skies,<BR> +And marks the seat amidst the deities.<BR> +Auspicious chief! thy race, in times to come,<BR> +Shall spread the conquests of imperial Rome-<BR> +Rome, whose ascending tow'rs shall heav'n invade,<BR> +Involving earth and ocean in her shade;<BR> +High as the Mother of the Gods in place,<BR> +And proud, like her, of an immortal race.<BR> +Then, when in pomp she makes the Phrygian round,<BR> +With golden turrets on her temples crown'd;<BR> +A hundred gods her sweeping train supply;<BR> +Her offspring all, and all command the sky.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Now fix your sight, and stand intent, to see<BR> +Your Roman race, and Julian progeny.<BR> +The mighty Caesar waits his vital hour,<BR> +Impatient for the world, and grasps his promis'd pow'r.<BR> +But next behold the youth of form divine,<BR> +Ceasar himself, exalted in his line;<BR> +Augustus, promis'd oft, and long foretold,<BR> +Sent to the realm that Saturn rul'd of old;<BR> +Born to restore a better age of gold.<BR> +Afric and India shall his pow'r obey;<BR> +He shall extend his propagated sway<BR> +Beyond the solar year, without the starry way,<BR> +Where Atlas turns the rolling heav'ns around,<BR> +And his broad shoulders with their lights are crown'd.<BR> +At his foreseen approach, already quake<BR> +The Caspian kingdoms and Maeotian lake:<BR> +Their seers behold the tempest from afar,<BR> +And threat'ning oracles denounce the war.<BR> +Nile hears him knocking at his sev'nfold gates,<BR> +And seeks his hidden spring, and fears his nephew's fates.<BR> +Nor Hercules more lands or labors knew,<BR> +Not tho' the brazen-footed hind he slew,<BR> +Freed Erymanthus from the foaming boar,<BR> +And dipp'd his arrows in Lernaean gore;<BR> +Nor Bacchus, turning from his Indian war,<BR> +By tigers drawn triumphant in his car,<BR> +From Nisus' top descending on the plains,<BR> +With curling vines around his purple reins.<BR> +And doubt we yet thro' dangers to pursue<BR> +The paths of honor, and a crown in view?<BR> +But what's the man, who from afar appears?<BR> +His head with olive crown'd, his hand a censer bears,<BR> +His hoary beard and holy vestments bring<BR> +His lost idea back: I know the Roman king.<BR> +He shall to peaceful Rome new laws ordain,<BR> +Call'd from his mean abode a scepter to sustain.<BR> +Him Tullus next in dignity succeeds,<BR> +An active prince, and prone to martial deeds.<BR> +He shall his troops for fighting fields prepare,<BR> +Disus'd to toils, and triumphs of the war.<BR> +By dint of sword his crown he shall increase,<BR> +And scour his armor from the rust of peace.<BR> +Whom Ancus follows, with a fawning air,<BR> +But vain within, and proudly popular.<BR> +Next view the Tarquin kings, th' avenging sword<BR> +Of Brutus, justly drawn, and Rome restor'd.<BR> +He first renews the rods and ax severe,<BR> +And gives the consuls royal robes to wear.<BR> +His sons, who seek the tyrant to sustain,<BR> +And long for arbitrary lords again,<BR> +With ignominy scourg'd, in open sight,<BR> +He dooms to death deserv'd, asserting public right.<BR> +Unhappy man, to break the pious laws<BR> +Of nature, pleading in his children's cause!<BR> +Howeer the doubtful fact is understood,<BR> +'T is love of honor, and his country's good:<BR> +The consul, not the father, sheds the blood.<BR> +Behold Torquatus the same track pursue;<BR> +And, next, the two devoted Decii view:<BR> +The Drusian line, Camillus loaded home<BR> +With standards well redeem'd, and foreign foes o'ercome<BR> +The pair you see in equal armor shine,<BR> +Now, friends below, in close embraces join;<BR> +But, when they leave the shady realms of night,<BR> +And, cloth'd in bodies, breathe your upper light,<BR> +With mortal hate each other shall pursue:<BR> +What wars, what wounds, what slaughter shall ensue!<BR> +From Alpine heights the father first descends;<BR> +His daughter's husband in the plain attends:<BR> +His daughter's husband arms his eastern friends.<BR> +Embrace again, my sons, be foes no more;<BR> +Nor stain your country with her children's gore!<BR> +And thou, the first, lay down thy lawless claim,<BR> +Thou, of my blood, who bearist the Julian name!<BR> +Another comes, who shall in triumph ride,<BR> +And to the Capitol his chariot guide,<BR> +From conquer'd Corinth, rich with Grecian spoils.<BR> +And yet another, fam'd for warlike toils,<BR> +On Argos shall impose the Roman laws,<BR> +And on the Greeks revenge the Trojan cause;<BR> +Shall drag in chains their Achillean race;<BR> +Shall vindicate his ancestors' disgrace,<BR> +And Pallas, for her violated place.<BR> +Great Cato there, for gravity renown'd,<BR> +And conqu'ring Cossus goes with laurels crown'd.<BR> +Who can omit the Gracchi? who declare<BR> +The Scipios' worth, those thunderbolts of war,<BR> +The double bane of Carthage? Who can see<BR> +Without esteem for virtuous poverty,<BR> +Severe Fabricius, or can cease t' admire<BR> +The plowman consul in his coarse attire?<BR> +Tir'd as I am, my praise the Fabii claim;<BR> +And thou, great hero, greatest of thy name,<BR> +Ordain'd in war to save the sinking state,<BR> +And, by delays, to put a stop to fate!<BR> +Let others better mold the running mass<BR> +Of metals, and inform the breathing brass,<BR> +And soften into flesh a marble face;<BR> +Plead better at the bar; describe the skies,<BR> +And when the stars descend, and when they rise.<BR> +But, Rome, 't is thine alone, with awful sway,<BR> +To rule mankind, and make the world obey,<BR> +Disposing peace and war by thy own majestic way;<BR> +To tame the proud, the fetter'd slave to free:<BR> +These are imperial arts, and worthy thee."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He paus'd; and, while with wond'ring eyes they view'd<BR> +The passing spirits, thus his speech renew'd:<BR> +"See great Marcellus! how, untir'd in toils,<BR> +He moves with manly grace, how rich with regal spoils!<BR> +He, when his country, threaten'd with alarms,<BR> +Requires his courage and his conqu'ring arms,<BR> +Shall more than once the Punic bands affright;<BR> +Shall kill the Gaulish king in single fight;<BR> +Then to the Capitol in triumph move,<BR> +And the third spoils shall grace Feretrian Jove."<BR> +Aeneas here beheld, of form divine,<BR> +A godlike youth in glitt'ring armor shine,<BR> +With great Marcellus keeping equal pace;<BR> +But gloomy were his eyes, dejected was his face.<BR> +He saw, and, wond'ring, ask'd his airy guide,<BR> +What and of whence was he, who press'd the hero's side:<BR> +"His son, or one of his illustrious name?<BR> +How like the former, and almost the same!<BR> +Observe the crowds that compass him around;<BR> +All gaze, and all admire, and raise a shouting sound:<BR> +But hov'ring mists around his brows are spread,<BR> +And night, with sable shades, involves his head."<BR> +"Seek not to know," the ghost replied with tears,<BR> +"The sorrows of thy sons in future years.<BR> +This youth (the blissful vision of a day)<BR> +Shall just be shown on earth, and snatch'd away.<BR> +The gods too high had rais'd the Roman state,<BR> +Were but their gifts as permanent as great.<BR> +What groans of men shall fill the Martian field!<BR> +How fierce a blaze his flaming pile shall yield!<BR> +What fun'ral pomp shall floating Tiber see,<BR> +When, rising from his bed, he views the sad solemnity!<BR> +No youth shall equal hopes of glory give,<BR> +No youth afford so great a cause to grieve;<BR> +The Trojan honor, and the Roman boast,<BR> +Admir'd when living, and ador'd when lost!<BR> +Mirror of ancient faith in early youth!<BR> +Undaunted worth, inviolable truth!<BR> +No foe, unpunish'd, in the fighting field<BR> +Shall dare thee, foot to foot, with sword and shield;<BR> +Much less in arms oppose thy matchless force,<BR> +When thy sharp spurs shall urge thy foaming horse.<BR> +Ah! couldst thou break thro' fate's severe decree,<BR> +A new Marcellus shall arise in thee!<BR> +Full canisters of fragrant lilies bring,<BR> +Mix'd with the purple roses of the spring;<BR> +Let me with fun'ral flow'rs his body strow;<BR> +This gift which parents to their children owe,<BR> +This unavailing gift, at least, I may bestow!"<BR> +Thus having said, he led the hero round<BR> +The confines of the blest Elysian ground;<BR> +Which when Anchises to his son had shown,<BR> +And fir'd his mind to mount the promis'd throne,<BR> +He tells the future wars, ordain'd by fate;<BR> +The strength and customs of the Latian state;<BR> +The prince, and people; and forearms his care<BR> +With rules, to push his fortune, or to bear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Two gates the silent house of Sleep adorn;<BR> +Of polish'd ivory this, that of transparent horn:<BR> +True visions thro' transparent horn arise;<BR> +Thro' polish'd ivory pass deluding lies.<BR> +Of various things discoursing as he pass'd,<BR> +Anchises hither bends his steps at last.<BR> +Then, thro' the gate of iv'ry, he dismiss'd<BR> +His valiant offspring and divining guest.<BR> +Straight to the ships Aeneas his way,<BR> +Embark'd his men, and skimm'd along the sea,<BR> +Still coasting, till he gain'd Cajeta's bay.<BR> +At length on oozy ground his galleys moor;<BR> +Their heads are turn'd to sea, their sterns to shore.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book07"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK VII<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And thou, O matron of immortal fame,<BR> +Here dying, to the shore hast left thy name;<BR> +Cajeta still the place is call'd from thee,<BR> +The nurse of great Aeneas' infancy.<BR> +Here rest thy bones in rich Hesperia's plains;<BR> +Thy name ('t is all a ghost can have) remains.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, when the prince her fun'ral rites had paid,<BR> +He plow'd the Tyrrhene seas with sails display'd.<BR> +From land a gentle breeze arose by night,<BR> +Serenely shone the stars, the moon was bright,<BR> +And the sea trembled with her silver light.<BR> +Now near the shelves of Circe's shores they run,<BR> +(Circe the rich, the daughter of the Sun,)<BR> +A dang'rous coast: the goddess wastes her days<BR> +In joyous songs; the rocks resound her lays:<BR> +In spinning, or the loom, she spends the night,<BR> +And cedar brands supply her father's light.<BR> +From hence were heard, rebellowing to the main,<BR> +The roars of lions that refuse the chain,<BR> +The grunts of bristled boars, and groans of bears,<BR> +And herds of howling wolves that stun the sailors' ears.<BR> +These from their caverns, at the close of night,<BR> +Fill the sad isle with horror and affright.<BR> +Darkling they mourn their fate, whom Circe's pow'r,<BR> +(That watch'd the moon and planetary hour,)<BR> +With words and wicked herbs from humankind<BR> +Had alter'd, and in brutal shapes confin'd.<BR> +Which monsters lest the Trojans' pious host<BR> +Should bear, or touch upon th' inchanted coast,<BR> +Propitious Neptune steer'd their course by night<BR> +With rising gales that sped their happy flight.<BR> +Supplied with these, they skim the sounding shore,<BR> +And hear the swelling surges vainly roar.<BR> +Now, when the rosy morn began to rise,<BR> +And wav'd her saffron streamer thro' the skies;<BR> +When Thetis blush'd in purple not her own,<BR> +And from her face the breathing winds were blown,<BR> +A sudden silence sate upon the sea,<BR> +And sweeping oars, with struggling, urge their way.<BR> +The Trojan, from the main, beheld a wood,<BR> +Which thick with shades and a brown horror stood:<BR> +Betwixt the trees the Tiber took his course,<BR> +With whirlpools dimpled; and with downward force,<BR> +That drove the sand along, he took his way,<BR> +And roll'd his yellow billows to the sea.<BR> +About him, and above, and round the wood,<BR> +The birds that haunt the borders of his flood,<BR> +That bath'd within, or basked upon his side,<BR> +To tuneful songs their narrow throats applied.<BR> +The captain gives command; the joyful train<BR> +Glide thro' the gloomy shade, and leave the main.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, Erato, thy poet's mind inspire,<BR> +And fill his soul with thy celestial fire!<BR> +Relate what Latium was; her ancient kings;<BR> +Declare the past and state of things,<BR> +When first the Trojan fleet Ausonia sought,<BR> +And how the rivals lov'd, and how they fought.<BR> +These are my theme, and how the war began,<BR> +And how concluded by the godlike man:<BR> +For I shall sing of battles, blood, and rage,<BR> +Which princes and their people did engage;<BR> +And haughty souls, that, mov'd with mutual hate,<BR> +In fighting fields pursued and found their fate;<BR> +That rous'd the Tyrrhene realm with loud alarms,<BR> +And peaceful Italy involv'd in arms.<BR> +A larger scene of action is display'd;<BR> +And, rising hence, a greater work is weigh'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Latinus, old and mild, had long possess'd<BR> +The Latin scepter, and his people blest:<BR> +His father Faunus; a Laurentian dame<BR> +His mother; fair Marica was her name.<BR> +But Faunus came from Picus: Picus drew<BR> +His birth from Saturn, if records be true.<BR> +Thus King Latinus, in the third degree,<BR> +Had Saturn author of his family.<BR> +But this old peaceful prince, as Heav'n decreed,<BR> +Was blest with no male issue to succeed:<BR> +His sons in blooming youth were snatch'd by fate;<BR> +One only daughter heir'd the royal state.<BR> +Fir'd with her love, and with ambition led,<BR> +The neighb'ring princes court her nuptial bed.<BR> +Among the crowd, but far above the rest,<BR> +Young Turnus to the beauteous maid address'd.<BR> +Turnus, for high descent and graceful mien,<BR> +Was first, and favor'd by the Latian queen;<BR> +With him she strove to join Lavinia's hand,<BR> +But dire portents the purpos'd match withstand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Deep in the palace, of long growth, there stood<BR> +A laurel's trunk, a venerable wood;<BR> +Where rites divine were paid; whose holy hair<BR> +Was kept and cut with superstitious care.<BR> +This plant Latinus, when his town he wall'd,<BR> +Then found, and from the tree Laurentum call'd;<BR> +And last, in honor of his new abode,<BR> +He vow'd the laurel to the laurel's god.<BR> +It happen'd once (a boding prodigy!)<BR> +A swarm of bees, that cut the liquid sky,<BR> +(Unknown from whence they took their airy flight,)<BR> +Upon the topmost branch in clouds alight;<BR> +There with their clasping feet together clung,<BR> +And a long cluster from the laurel hung.<BR> +An ancient augur prophesied from hence:<BR> +"Behold on Latian shores a foreign prince!<BR> +From the same parts of heav'n his navy stands,<BR> +To the same parts on earth; his army lands;<BR> +The town he conquers, and the tow'r commands."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Yet more, when fair Lavinia fed the fire<BR> +Before the gods, and stood beside her sire,<BR> +(Strange to relate!) the flames, involv'd in smoke<BR> +Of incense, from the sacred altar broke,<BR> +Caught her dishevel'd hair and rich attire;<BR> +Her crown and jewels crackled in the fire:<BR> +From thence the fuming trail began to spread<BR> +And lambent glories danc'd about her head.<BR> +This new portent the seer with wonder views,<BR> +Then pausing, thus his prophecy renews:<BR> +"The nymph, who scatters flaming fires around,<BR> +Shall shine with honor, shall herself be crown'd;<BR> +But, caus'd by her irrevocable fate,<BR> +War shall the country waste, and change the state."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Latinus, frighted with this dire ostent,<BR> +For counsel to his father Faunus went,<BR> +And sought the shades renown'd for prophecy<BR> +Which near Albunea's sulph'rous fountain lie.<BR> +To these the Latian and the Sabine land<BR> +Fly, when distress'd, and thence relief demand.<BR> +The priest on skins of off'rings takes his ease,<BR> +And nightly visions in his slumber sees;<BR> +A swarm of thin aerial shapes appears,<BR> +And, flutt'ring round his temples, deafs his ears:<BR> +These he consults, the future fates to know,<BR> +From pow'rs above, and from the fiends below.<BR> +Here, for the gods' advice, Latinus flies,<BR> +Off'ring a hundred sheep for sacrifice:<BR> +Their woolly fleeces, as the rites requir'd,<BR> +He laid beneath him, and to rest retir'd.<BR> +No sooner were his eyes in slumber bound,<BR> +When, from above, a more than mortal sound<BR> +Invades his ears; and thus the vision spoke:<BR> +"Seek not, my seed, in Latian bands to yoke<BR> +Our fair Lavinia, nor the gods provoke.<BR> +A foreign son upon thy shore descends,<BR> +Whose martial fame from pole to pole extends.<BR> +His race, in arms and arts of peace renown'd,<BR> +Not Latium shall contain, nor Europe bound:<BR> +'T is theirs whate'er the sun surveys around."<BR> +These answers, in the silent night receiv'd,<BR> +The king himself divulg'd, the land believ'd:<BR> +The fame thro' all the neighb'ring nations flew,<BR> +When now the Trojan navy was in view.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Beneath a shady tree, the hero spread<BR> +His table on the turf, with cakes of bread;<BR> +And, with his chiefs, on forest fruits he fed.<BR> +They sate; and, (not without the god's command,)<BR> +Their homely fare dispatch'd, the hungry band<BR> +Invade their trenchers next, and soon devour,<BR> +To mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour.<BR> +Ascanius this observ'd, and smiling said:<BR> +"See, we devour the plates on which we fed."<BR> +The speech had omen, that the Trojan race<BR> +Should find repose, and this the time and place.<BR> +Aeneas took the word, and thus replies,<BR> +Confessing fate with wonder in his eyes:<BR> +"All hail, O earth! all hail, my household gods!<BR> +Behold the destin'd place of your abodes!<BR> +For thus Anchises prophesied of old,<BR> +And this our fatal place of rest foretold:<BR> +'When, on a foreign shore, instead of meat,<BR> +By famine forc'd, your trenchers you shall eat,<BR> +Then ease your weary Trojans will attend,<BR> +And the long labors of your voyage end.<BR> +Remember on that happy coast to build,<BR> +And with a trench inclose the fruitful field.'<BR> +This was that famine, this the fatal place<BR> +Which ends the wand'ring of our exil'd race.<BR> +Then, on to-morrow's dawn, your care employ,<BR> +To search the land, and where the cities lie,<BR> +And what the men; but give this day to joy.<BR> +Now pour to Jove; and, after Jove is blest,<BR> +Call great Anchises to the genial feast:<BR> +Crown high the goblets with a cheerful draught;<BR> +Enjoy the present hour; adjourn the future thought."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, the hero bound his brows<BR> +With leafy branches, then perform'd his vows;<BR> +Adoring first the genius of the place,<BR> +Then Earth, the mother of the heav'nly race,<BR> +The nymphs, and native godheads yet unknown,<BR> +And Night, and all the stars that gild her sable throne,<BR> +And ancient Cybel, and Idaean Jove,<BR> +And last his sire below, and mother queen above.<BR> +Then heav'n's high monarch thunder'd thrice aloud,<BR> +And thrice he shook aloft a golden cloud.<BR> +Soon thro' the joyful camp a rumor flew,<BR> +The time was come their city to renew.<BR> +Then ev'ry brow with cheerful green is crown'd,<BR> +The feasts are doubled, and the bowls go round.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When next the rosy morn disclos'd the day,<BR> +The scouts to sev'ral parts divide their way,<BR> +To learn the natives' names, their towns explore,<BR> +The coasts and trendings of the crooked shore:<BR> +Here Tiber flows, and here Numicus stands;<BR> +Here warlike Latins hold the happy lands.<BR> +The pious chief, who sought by peaceful ways<BR> +To found his empire, and his town to raise,<BR> +A hundred youths from all his train selects,<BR> +And to the Latian court their course directs,<BR> +(The spacious palace where their prince resides,)<BR> +And all their heads with wreaths of olive hides.<BR> +They go commission'd to require a peace,<BR> +And carry presents to procure access.<BR> +Thus while they speed their pace, the prince designs<BR> +His new-elected seat, and draws the lines.<BR> +The Trojans round the place a rampire cast,<BR> +And palisades about the trenches plac'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the train, proceeding on their way,<BR> +From far the town and lofty tow'rs survey;<BR> +At length approach the walls. Without the gate,<BR> +They see the boys and Latian youth debate<BR> +The martial prizes on the dusty plain:<BR> +Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein;<BR> +Some bend the stubborn bow for victory,<BR> +And some with darts their active sinews try.<BR> +A posting messenger, dispatch'd from hence,<BR> +Of this fair troop advis'd their aged prince,<BR> +That foreign men of mighty stature came;<BR> +Uncouth their habit, and unknown their name.<BR> +The king ordains their entrance, and ascends<BR> +His regal seat, surrounded by his friends.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The palace built by Picus, vast and proud,<BR> +Supported by a hundred pillars stood,<BR> +And round incompass'd with a rising wood.<BR> +The pile o'erlook'd the town, and drew the sight;<BR> +Surpris'd at once with reverence and delight.<BR> +There kings receiv'd the marks of sov'reign pow'r;<BR> +In state the monarchs march'd; the lictors bore<BR> +Their awful axes and the rods before.<BR> +Here the tribunal stood, the house of pray'r,<BR> +And here the sacred senators repair;<BR> +All at large tables, in long order set,<BR> +A ram their off'ring, and a ram their meat.<BR> +Above the portal, carv'd in cedar wood,<BR> +Plac'd in their ranks, their godlike grandsires stood;<BR> +Old Saturn, with his crooked scythe, on high;<BR> +And Italus, that led the colony;<BR> +And ancient Janus, with his double face,<BR> +And bunch of keys, the porter of the place.<BR> +There good Sabinus, planter of the vines,<BR> +On a short pruning hook his head reclines,<BR> +And studiously surveys his gen'rous wines;<BR> +Then warlike kings, who for their country fought,<BR> +And honorable wounds from battle brought.<BR> +Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears,<BR> +And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars,<BR> +And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.<BR> +Above the rest, as chief of all the band,<BR> +Was Picus plac'd, a buckler in his hand;<BR> +His other wav'd a long divining wand.<BR> +Girt in his Gabin gown the hero sate,<BR> +Yet could not with his art avoid his fate:<BR> +For Circe long had lov'd the youth in vain,<BR> +Till love, refus'd, converted to disdain:<BR> +Then, mixing pow'rful herbs, with magic art,<BR> +She chang'd his form, who could not change his heart;<BR> +Constrain'd him in a bird, and made him fly,<BR> +With party-color'd plumes, a chatt'ring pie.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In this high temple, on a chair of state,<BR> +The seat of audience, old Latinus sate;<BR> +Then gave admission to the Trojan train;<BR> +And thus with pleasing accents he began:<BR> +"Tell me, ye Trojans, for that name you own,<BR> +Nor is your course upon our coasts unknown-<BR> +Say what you seek, and whither were you bound:<BR> +Were you by stress of weather cast aground?<BR> +(Such dangers as on seas are often seen,<BR> +And oft befall to miserable men,)<BR> +Or come, your shipping in our ports to lay,<BR> +Spent and disabled in so long a way?<BR> +Say what you want: the Latians you shall find<BR> +Not forc'd to goodness, but by will inclin'd;<BR> +For, since the time of Saturn's holy reign,<BR> +His hospitable customs we retain.<BR> +I call to mind (but time the tale has worn)<BR> +Th' Arunci told, that Dardanus, tho' born<BR> +On Latian plains, yet sought the Phrygian shore,<BR> +And Samothracia, Samos call'd before.<BR> +From Tuscan Coritum he claim'd his birth;<BR> +But after, when exempt from mortal earth,<BR> +From thence ascended to his kindred skies,<BR> +A god, and, as a god, augments their sacrifice,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said. Ilioneus made this reply:<BR> +"O king, of Faunus' royal family!<BR> +Nor wintry winds to Latium forc'd our way,<BR> +Nor did the stars our wand'ring course betray.<BR> +Willing we sought your shores; and, hither bound,<BR> +The port, so long desir'd, at length we found;<BR> +From our sweet homes and ancient realms expell'd;<BR> +Great as the greatest that the sun beheld.<BR> +The god began our line, who rules above;<BR> +And, as our race, our king descends from Jove:<BR> +And hither are we come, by his command,<BR> +To crave admission in your happy land.<BR> +How dire a tempest, from Mycenae pour'd,<BR> +Our plains, our temples, and our town devour'd;<BR> +What was the waste of war, what fierce alarms<BR> +Shook Asia's crown with European arms;<BR> +Ev'n such have heard, if any such there be,<BR> +Whose earth is bounded by the frozen sea;<BR> +And such as, born beneath the burning sky<BR> +And sultry sun, betwixt the tropics lie.<BR> +From that dire deluge, thro' the wat'ry waste,<BR> +Such length of years, such various perils past,<BR> +At last escap'd, to Latium we repair,<BR> +To beg what you without your want may spare:<BR> +The common water, and the common air;<BR> +Sheds which ourselves will build, and mean abodes,<BR> +Fit to receive and serve our banish'd gods.<BR> +Nor our admission shall your realm disgrace,<BR> +Nor length of time our gratitude efface.<BR> +Besides, what endless honor you shall gain,<BR> +To save and shelter Troy's unhappy train!<BR> +Now, by my sov'reign, and his fate, I swear,<BR> +Renown'd for faith in peace, for force in war;<BR> +Oft our alliance other lands desir'd,<BR> +And, what we seek of you, of us requir'd.<BR> +Despite not then, that in our hands we bear<BR> +These holy boughs, sue with words of pray'r.<BR> +Fate and the gods, by their supreme command,<BR> +Have doom'd our ships to seek the Latian land.<BR> +To these abodes our fleet Apollo sends;<BR> +Here Dardanus was born, and hither tends;<BR> +Where Tuscan Tiber rolls with rapid force,<BR> +And where Numicus opes his holy source.<BR> +Besides, our prince presents, with his request,<BR> +Some small remains of what his sire possess'd.<BR> +This golden charger, snatch'd from burning Troy,<BR> +Anchises did in sacrifice employ;<BR> +This royal robe and this tiara wore<BR> +Old Priam, and this golden scepter bore<BR> +In full assemblies, and in solemn games;<BR> +These purple vests were weav'd by Dardan dames."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while he spoke, Latinus roll'd around<BR> +His eyes, and fix'd a while upon the ground.<BR> +Intent he seem'd, and anxious in his breast;<BR> +Not by the scepter mov'd, or kingly vest,<BR> +But pond'ring future things of wondrous weight;<BR> +Succession, empire, and his daughter's fate.<BR> +On these he mus'd within his thoughtful mind,<BR> +And then revolv'd what Faunus had divin'd.<BR> +This was the foreign prince, by fate decreed<BR> +To share his scepter, and Lavinia's bed;<BR> +This was the race that sure portents foreshew<BR> +To sway the world, and land and sea subdue.<BR> +At length he rais'd his cheerful head, and spoke:<BR> +"The pow'rs," said he, "the pow'rs we both invoke,<BR> +To you, and yours, and mine, propitious be,<BR> +And firm our purpose with their augury!<BR> +Have what you ask; your presents I receive;<BR> +Land, where and when you please, with ample leave;<BR> +Partake and use my kingdom as your own;<BR> +All shall be yours, while I command the crown:<BR> +And, if my wish'd alliance please your king,<BR> +Tell him he should not send the peace, but bring.<BR> +Then let him not a friend's embraces fear;<BR> +The peace is made when I behold him here.<BR> +Besides this answer, tell my royal guest,<BR> +I add to his commands my own request:<BR> +One only daughter heirs my crown and state,<BR> +Whom not our oracles, nor Heav'n, nor fate,<BR> +Nor frequent prodigies, permit to join<BR> +With any native of th' Ausonian line.<BR> +A foreign son-in-law shall come from far<BR> +(Such is our doom), a chief renown'd in war,<BR> +Whose race shall bear aloft the Latian name,<BR> +And thro' the conquer'd world diffuse our fame.<BR> +Himself to be the man the fates require,<BR> +I firmly judge, and, what I judge, desire."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and then on each bestow'd a steed.<BR> +Three hundred horses, in high stables fed,<BR> +Stood ready, shining all, and smoothly dress'd:<BR> +Of these he chose the fairest and the best,<BR> +To mount the Trojan troop. At his command<BR> +The steeds caparison'd with purple stand,<BR> +With golden trappings, glorious to behold,<BR> +And champ betwixt their teeth the foaming gold.<BR> +Then to his absent guest the king decreed<BR> +A pair of coursers born of heav'nly breed,<BR> +Who from their nostrils breath'd ethereal fire;<BR> +Whom Circe stole from her celestial sire,<BR> +By substituting mares produc'd on earth,<BR> +Whose wombs conceiv'd a more than mortal birth.<BR> +These draw the chariot which Latinus sends,<BR> +And the rich present to the prince commends.<BR> +Sublime on stately steeds the Trojans borne,<BR> +To their expecting lord with peace return.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But jealous Juno, from Pachynus' height,<BR> +As she from Argos took her airy flight,<BR> +Beheld with envious eyes this hateful sight.<BR> +She saw the Trojan and his joyful train<BR> +Descend upon the shore, desert the main,<BR> +Design a town, and, with unhop'd success,<BR> +Th' embassadors return with promis'd peace.<BR> +Then, pierc'd with pain, she shook her haughty head,<BR> +Sigh'd from her inward soul, and thus she said:<BR> +"O hated offspring of my Phrygian foes!<BR> +O fates of Troy, which Juno's fates oppose!<BR> +Could they not fall unpitied on the plain,<BR> +But slain revive, and, taken, scape again?<BR> +When execrable Troy in ashes lay,<BR> +Thro' fires and swords and seas they forc'd their way.<BR> +Then vanquish'd Juno must in vain contend,<BR> +Her rage disarm'd, her empire at an end.<BR> +Breathless and tir'd, is all my fury spent?<BR> +Or does my glutted spleen at length relent?<BR> +As if 't were little from their town to chase,<BR> +I thro' the seas pursued their exil'd race;<BR> +Ingag'd the heav'ns, oppos'd the stormy main;<BR> +But billows roar'd, and tempests rag'd in vain.<BR> +What have my Scyllas and my Syrtes done,<BR> +When these they overpass, and those they shun?<BR> +On Tiber's shores they land, secure of fate,<BR> +Triumphant o'er the storms and Juno's hate.<BR> +Mars could in mutual blood the Centaurs bathe,<BR> +And Jove himself gave way to Cynthia's wrath,<BR> +Who sent the tusky boar to Calydon;<BR> +(What great offense had either people done?)<BR> +But I, the consort of the Thunderer,<BR> +Have wag'd a long and unsuccessful war,<BR> +With various arts and arms in vain have toil'd,<BR> +And by a mortal man at length am foil'd.<BR> +If native pow'r prevail not, shall I doubt<BR> +To seek for needful succor from without?<BR> +If Jove and Heav'n my just desires deny,<BR> +Hell shall the pow'r of Heav'n and Jove supply.<BR> +Grant that the Fates have firm'd, by their decree,<BR> +The Trojan race to reign in Italy;<BR> +At least I can defer the nuptial day,<BR> +And with protracted wars the peace delay:<BR> +With blood the dear alliance shall be bought,<BR> +And both the people near destruction brought;<BR> +So shall the son-in-law and father join,<BR> +With ruin, war, and waste of either line.<BR> +O fatal maid, thy marriage is endow'd<BR> +With Phrygian, Latian, and Rutulian blood!<BR> +Bellona leads thee to thy lover's hand;<BR> +Another queen brings forth another brand,<BR> +To burn with foreign fires another land!<BR> +A second Paris, diff'ring but in name,<BR> +Shall fire his country with a second flame."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, she sinks beneath the ground,<BR> +With furious haste, and shoots the Stygian sound,<BR> +To rouse Alecto from th' infernal seat<BR> +Of her dire sisters, and their dark retreat.<BR> +This Fury, fit for her intent, she chose;<BR> +One who delights in wars and human woes.<BR> +Ev'n Pluto hates his own misshapen race;<BR> +Her sister Furies fly her hideous face;<BR> +So frightful are the forms the monster takes,<BR> +So fierce the hissings of her speckled snakes.<BR> +Her Juno finds, and thus inflames her spite:<BR> +"O virgin daughter of eternal Night,<BR> +Give me this once thy labor, to sustain<BR> +My right, and execute my just disdain.<BR> +Let not the Trojans, with a feign'd pretense<BR> +Of proffer'd peace, delude the Latian prince.<BR> +Expel from Italy that odious name,<BR> +And let not Juno suffer in her fame.<BR> +'T is thine to ruin realms, o'erturn a state,<BR> +Betwixt the dearest friends to raise debate,<BR> +And kindle kindred blood to mutual hate.<BR> +Thy hand o'er towns the fun'ral torch displays,<BR> +And forms a thousand ills ten thousand ways.<BR> +Now shake, out thy fruitful breast, the seeds<BR> +Of envy, discord, and of cruel deeds:<BR> +Confound the peace establish'd, and prepare<BR> +Their souls to hatred, and their hands to war."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Smear'd as she was with black Gorgonian blood,<BR> +The Fury sprang above the Stygian flood;<BR> +And on her wicker wings, sublime thro' night,<BR> +She to the Latian palace took her flight:<BR> +There sought the queen's apartment, stood before<BR> +The peaceful threshold, and besieg'd the door.<BR> +Restless Amata lay, her swelling breast<BR> +Fir'd with disdain for Turnus dispossess'd,<BR> +And the new nuptials of the Trojan guest.<BR> +From her black bloody locks the Fury shakes<BR> +Her darling plague, the fav'rite of her snakes;<BR> +With her full force she threw the poisonous dart,<BR> +And fix'd it deep within Amata's heart,<BR> +That, thus envenom'd, she might kindle rage,<BR> +And sacrifice to strife her house husband's age.<BR> +Unseen, unfelt, the fiery serpent skims<BR> +Betwixt her linen and her naked limbs;<BR> +His baleful breath inspiring, as he glides,<BR> +Now like a chain around her neck he rides,<BR> +Now like a fillet to her head repairs,<BR> +And with his circling volumes folds her hairs.<BR> +At first the silent venom slid with ease,<BR> +And seiz'd her cooler senses by degrees;<BR> +Then, ere th' infected mass was fir'd too far,<BR> +In plaintive accents she began the war,<BR> +And thus bespoke her husband: "Shall," she said,<BR> +"A wand'ring prince enjoy Lavinia's bed?<BR> +If nature plead not in a parent's heart,<BR> +Pity my tears, and pity her desert.<BR> +I know, my dearest lord, the time will come,<BR> +You in vain, reverse your cruel doom;<BR> +The faithless pirate soon will set to sea,<BR> +And bear the royal virgin far away!<BR> +A guest like him, a Trojan guest before,<BR> +In shew of friendship sought the Spartan shore,<BR> +And ravish'd Helen from her husband bore.<BR> +Think on a king's inviolable word;<BR> +And think on Turnus, her once plighted lord:<BR> +To this false foreigner you give your throne,<BR> +And wrong a friend, a kinsman, and a son.<BR> +Resume your ancient care; and, if the god<BR> +Your sire, and you, resolve on foreign blood,<BR> +Know all are foreign, in a larger sense,<BR> +Not born your subjects, or deriv'd from hence.<BR> +Then, if the line of Turnus you retrace,<BR> +He springs from Inachus of Argive race."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But when she saw her reasons idly spent,<BR> +And could not move him from his fix'd intent,<BR> +She flew to rage; for now the snake possess'd<BR> +Her vital parts, and poison'd all her breast;<BR> +She raves, she runs with a distracted pace,<BR> +And fills with horrid howls the public place.<BR> +And, as young striplings whip the top for sport,<BR> +On the smooth pavement of an empty court;<BR> +The wooden engine flies and whirls about,<BR> +Admir'd, with clamors, of the beardless rout;<BR> +They lash aloud; each other they provoke,<BR> +And lend their little souls at ev'ry stroke:<BR> +Thus fares the queen; and thus her fury blows<BR> +Amidst the crowd, and kindles as she goes.<BR> +Nor yet content, she strains her malice more,<BR> +And adds new ills to those contriv'd before:<BR> +She flies the town, and, mixing with a throng<BR> +Of madding matrons, bears the bride along,<BR> +Wand'ring thro' woods and wilds, and devious ways,<BR> +And with these arts the Trojan match delays.<BR> +She feign'd the rites of Bacchus; cried aloud,<BR> +And to the buxom god the virgin vow'd.<BR> +"Evoe! O Bacchus!" thus began the song;<BR> +And "Evoe!" answer'd all the female throng.<BR> +"O virgin! worthy thee alone!" she cried;<BR> +"O worthy thee alone!" the crew replied.<BR> +"For thee she feeds her hair, she leads thy dance,<BR> +And with thy winding ivy wreathes her lance."<BR> +Like fury seiz'd the rest; the progress known,<BR> +All seek the mountains, and forsake the town:<BR> +All, clad in skins of beasts, the jav'lin bear,<BR> +Give to the wanton winds their flowing hair,<BR> +And shrieks and shoutings rend the suff'ring air.<BR> +The queen herself, inspir'd with rage divine,<BR> +Shook high above her head a flaming pine;<BR> +Then roll'd her haggard eyes around the throng,<BR> +And sung, in Turnus' name, the nuptial song:<BR> +"Io, ye Latian dames! if any here<BR> +Hold your unhappy queen, Amata, dear;<BR> +If there be here," she said, "who dare maintain<BR> +My right, nor think the name of mother vain;<BR> +Unbind your fillets, loose your flowing hair,<BR> +And orgies and nocturnal rites prepare."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amata's breast the Fury thus invades,<BR> +And fires with rage, amid the sylvan shades;<BR> +Then, when she found her venom spread so far,<BR> +The royal house embroil'd in civil war,<BR> +Rais'd on her dusky wings, she cleaves the skies,<BR> +And seeks the palace where young Turnus lies.<BR> +His town, as fame reports, was built of old<BR> +By Danae, pregnant with almighty gold,<BR> +Who fled her father's rage, and, with a train<BR> +Of following Argives, thro' the stormy main,<BR> +Driv'n by the southern blasts, was fated here to reign.<BR> +'T was Ardua once; now Ardea's name it bears;<BR> +Once a fair city, now consum'd with years.<BR> +Here, in his lofty palace, Turnus lay,<BR> +Betwixt the confines of the night and day,<BR> +Secure in sleep. The Fury laid aside<BR> +Her looks and limbs, and with new methods tried<BR> +The foulness of th' infernal form to hide.<BR> +Propp'd on a staff, she takes a trembling mien:<BR> +Her face is furrow'd, and her front obscene;<BR> +Deep-dinted wrinkles on her cheek she draws;<BR> +Sunk are her eyes, and toothless are her jaws;<BR> +Her hoary hair with holy fillets bound,<BR> +Her temples with an olive wreath are crown'd.<BR> +Old Chalybe, who kept the sacred fane<BR> +Of Juno, now she seem'd, and thus began,<BR> +Appearing in a dream, to rouse the careless man:<BR> +"Shall Turnus then such endless toil sustain<BR> +In fighting fields, and conquer towns in vain?<BR> +Win, for a Trojan head to wear the prize,<BR> +Usurp thy crown, enjoy thy victories?<BR> +The bride and scepter which thy blood has bought,<BR> +The king transfers; and foreign heirs are sought.<BR> +Go now, deluded man, and seek again<BR> +New toils, new dangers, on the dusty plain.<BR> +Repel the Tuscan foes; their city seize;<BR> +Protect the Latians in luxurious ease.<BR> +This dream all-pow'rful Juno sends; I bear<BR> +Her mighty mandates, and her words you hear.<BR> +Haste; arm your Ardeans; issue to the plain;<BR> +With fate to friend, assault the Trojan train:<BR> +Their thoughtless chiefs, their painted ships, that lie<BR> +In Tiber's mouth, with fire and sword destroy.<BR> +The Latian king, unless he shall submit,<BR> +Own his old promise, and his new forget-<BR> +Let him, in arms, the pow'r of Turnus prove,<BR> +And learn to fear whom he disdains to love.<BR> +For such is Heav'n's command." The youthful prince<BR> +With scorn replied, and made this bold defense:<BR> +"You tell me, mother, what I knew before:<BR> +The Phrygian fleet is landed on the shore.<BR> +I neither fear nor will provoke the war;<BR> +My fate is Juno's most peculiar care.<BR> +But time has made you dote, and vainly tell<BR> +Of arms imagin'd in your lonely cell.<BR> +Go; be the temple and the gods your care;<BR> +Permit to men the thought of peace and war."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +These haughty words Alecto's rage provoke,<BR> +And frighted Turnus trembled as she spoke.<BR> +Her eyes grow stiffen'd, and with sulphur burn;<BR> +Her hideous looks and hellish form return;<BR> +Her curling snakes with hissings fill the place,<BR> +And open all the furies of her face:<BR> +Then, darting fire from her malignant eyes,<BR> +She cast him backward as he strove to rise,<BR> +And, ling'ring, sought to frame some new replies.<BR> +High on her head she rears two twisted snakes,<BR> +Her chains she rattles, and her whip she shakes;<BR> +And, churning bloody foam, thus loudly speaks:<BR> +"Behold whom time has made to dote, and tell<BR> +Of arms imagin'd in her lonely cell!<BR> +Behold the Fates' infernal minister!<BR> +War, death, destruction, in my hand I bear."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, her smold'ring torch, impress'd<BR> +With her full force, she plung'd into his breast.<BR> +Aghast he wak'd; and, starting from his bed,<BR> +Cold sweat, in clammy drops, his limbs o'erspread.<BR> +"Arms! arms!" he cries: "my sword and shield prepare!"<BR> +He breathes defiance, blood, and mortal war.<BR> +So, when with crackling flames a caldron fries,<BR> +The bubbling waters from the bottom rise:<BR> +Above the brims they force their fiery way;<BR> +Black vapors climb aloft, and cloud the day.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The peace polluted thus, a chosen band<BR> +He first commissions to the Latian land,<BR> +In threat'ning embassy; then rais'd the rest,<BR> +To meet in arms th' intruding Trojan guest,<BR> +To force the foes from the Lavinian shore,<BR> +And Italy's indanger'd peace restore.<BR> +Himself alone an equal match he boasts,<BR> +To fight the Phrygian and Ausonian hosts.<BR> +The gods invok'd, the Rutuli prepare<BR> +Their arms, and warn each other to the war.<BR> +His beauty these, and those his blooming age,<BR> +The rest his house and his own fame ingage.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While Turnus urges thus his enterprise,<BR> +The Stygian Fury to the Trojans flies;<BR> +New frauds invents, and takes a steepy stand,<BR> +Which overlooks the vale with wide command;<BR> +Where fair Ascanius and his youthful train,<BR> +With horns and hounds, a hunting match ordain,<BR> +And pitch their toils around the shady plain.<BR> +The Fury fires the pack; they snuff, they vent,<BR> +And feed their hungry nostrils with the scent.<BR> +'Twas of a well-grown stag, whose antlers rise<BR> +High o'er his front; his beams invade the skies.<BR> +From this light cause th' infernal maid prepares<BR> +The country churls to mischief, hate, and wars.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The stately beast the two Tyrrhidae bred,<BR> +Snatch'd from his dams, and the tame youngling fed.<BR> +Their father Tyrrheus did his fodder bring,<BR> +Tyrrheus, chief ranger to the Latian king:<BR> +Their sister Silvia cherish'd with her care<BR> +The little wanton, and did wreaths prepare<BR> +To hang his budding horns, with ribbons tied<BR> +His tender neck, and comb'd his silken hide,<BR> +And bathed his body. Patient of command<BR> +In time he grew, and, growing us'd to hand,<BR> +He waited at his master's board for food;<BR> +Then sought his salvage kindred in the wood,<BR> +Where grazing all the day, at night he came<BR> +To his known lodgings, and his country dame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This household beast, that us'd the woodland grounds,<BR> +Was view'd at first by the young hero's hounds,<BR> +As down the stream he swam, to seek retreat<BR> +In the cool waters, and to quench his heat.<BR> +Ascanius young, and eager of his game,<BR> +Soon bent his bow, uncertain in his aim;<BR> +But the dire fiend the fatal arrow guides,<BR> +Which pierc'd his bowels thro' his panting sides.<BR> +The bleeding creature issues from the floods,<BR> +Possess'd with fear, and seeks his known abodes,<BR> +His old familiar hearth and household gods.<BR> +He falls; he fills the house with heavy groans,<BR> +Implores their pity, and his pain bemoans.<BR> +Young Silvia beats her breast, and cries aloud<BR> +For succor from the clownish neighborhood:<BR> +The churls assemble; for the fiend, who lay<BR> +In the close woody covert, urg'd their way.<BR> +One with a brand yet burning from the flame,<BR> +Arm'd with a knotty club another came:<BR> +Whate'er they catch or find, without their care,<BR> +Their fury makes an instrument of war.<BR> +Tyrrheus, the foster father of the beast,<BR> +Then clench'd a hatchet in his horny fist,<BR> +But held his hand from the descending stroke,<BR> +And left his wedge within the cloven oak,<BR> +To whet their courage and their rage provoke.<BR> +And now the goddess, exercis'd in ill,<BR> +Who watch'd an hour to work her impious will,<BR> +Ascends the roof, and to her crooked horn,<BR> +Such as was then by Latian shepherds borne,<BR> +Adds all her breath: the rocks and woods around,<BR> +And mountains, tremble at th' infernal sound.<BR> +The sacred lake of Trivia from afar,<BR> +The Veline fountains, and sulphureous Nar,<BR> +Shake at the baleful blast, the signal of the war.<BR> +Young mothers wildly stare, with fear possess'd,<BR> +And strain their helpless infants to their breast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The clowns, a boist'rous, rude, ungovern'd crew,<BR> +With furious haste to the loud summons flew.<BR> +The pow'rs of Troy, then issuing on the plain,<BR> +With fresh recruits their youthful chief sustain:<BR> +Not theirs a raw and unexperienc'd train,<BR> +But a firm body of embattled men.<BR> +At first, while fortune favor'd neither side,<BR> +The fight with clubs and burning brands was tried;<BR> +But now, both parties reinforc'd, the fields<BR> +Are bright with flaming swords and brazen shields.<BR> +A shining harvest either host displays,<BR> +And shoots against the sun with equal rays.<BR> +Thus, when a black-brow'd gust begins to rise,<BR> +White foam at first on the curl'd ocean fries;<BR> +Then roars the main, the billows mount the skies;<BR> +Till, by the fury of the storm full blown,<BR> +The muddy bottom o'er the clouds is thrown.<BR> +First Almon falls, old Tyrrheus' eldest care,<BR> +Pierc'd with an arrow from the distant war:<BR> +Fix'd in his throat the flying weapon stood,<BR> +And stopp'd his breath, and drank his vital blood<BR> +Huge heaps of slain around the body rise:<BR> +Among the rest, the rich Galesus lies;<BR> +A good old man, while peace he preach'd in vain,<BR> +Amidst the madness of th' unruly train:<BR> +Five herds, five bleating flocks, his pastures fill'd;<BR> +His lands a hundred yoke of oxen till'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, while in equal scales their fortune stood<BR> +The Fury bath'd them in each other's blood;<BR> +Then, having fix'd the fight, exulting flies,<BR> +And bears fulfill'd her promise to the skies.<BR> +To Juno thus she speaks: "Behold! It is done,<BR> +The blood already drawn, the war begun;<BR> +The discord is complete; nor can they cease<BR> +The dire debate, nor you command the peace.<BR> +Now, since the Latian and the Trojan brood<BR> +Have tasted vengeance and the sweets of blood;<BR> +Speak, and my pow'r shall add this office more:<BR> +The neighb'ing nations of th' Ausonian shore<BR> +Shall hear the dreadful rumor, from afar,<BR> +Of arm'd invasion, and embrace the war."<BR> +Then Juno thus: "The grateful work is done,<BR> +The seeds of discord sow'd, the war begun;<BR> +Frauds, fears, and fury have possess'd the state,<BR> +And fix'd the causes of a lasting hate.<BR> +A bloody Hymen shall th' alliance join<BR> +Betwixt the Trojan and Ausonian line:<BR> +But thou with speed to night and hell repair;<BR> +For not the gods, nor angry Jove, will bear<BR> +Thy lawless wand'ring walks in upper air.<BR> +Leave what remains to me." Saturnia said:<BR> +The sullen fiend her sounding wings display'd,<BR> +Unwilling left the light, and sought the nether shade.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In midst of Italy, well known to fame,<BR> +There lies a lake (Amsanctus is the name)<BR> +Below the lofty mounts: on either side<BR> +Thick forests the forbidden entrance hide.<BR> +Full in the center of the sacred wood<BR> +An arm arises of the Stygian flood,<BR> +Which, breaking from beneath with bellowing sound,<BR> +Whirls the black waves and rattling stones around.<BR> +Here Pluto pants for breath from out his cell,<BR> +And opens wide the grinning jaws of hell.<BR> +To this infernal lake the Fury flies;<BR> +Here hides her hated head, and frees the lab'ring skies.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Saturnian Juno now, with double care,<BR> +Attends the fatal process of the war.<BR> +The clowns, return'd, from battle bear the slain,<BR> +Implore the gods, and to their king complain.<BR> +The corps of Almon and the rest are shown;<BR> +Shrieks, clamors, murmurs, fill the frighted town.<BR> +Ambitious Turnus in the press appears,<BR> +And, aggravating crimes, augments their fears;<BR> +Proclaims his private injuries aloud,<BR> +A solemn promise made, and disavow'd;<BR> +A foreign son is sought, and a mix'd mungril brood.<BR> +Then they, whose mothers, frantic with their fear,<BR> +In woods and wilds the flags of Bacchus bear,<BR> +And lead his dances with dishevel'd hair,<BR> +Increase the clamor, and the war demand,<BR> +(Such was Amata's interest in the land,)<BR> +Against the public sanctions of the peace,<BR> +Against all omens of their ill success.<BR> +With fates averse, the rout in arms resort,<BR> +To force their monarch, and insult the court.<BR> +But, like a rock unmov'd, a rock that braves<BR> +The raging tempest and the rising waves-<BR> +Propp'd on himself he stands; his solid sides<BR> +Wash off the seaweeds, and the sounding tides-<BR> +So stood the pious prince, unmov'd, and long<BR> +Sustain'd the madness of the noisy throng.<BR> +But, when he found that Juno's pow'r prevail'd,<BR> +And all the methods of cool counsel fail'd,<BR> +He calls the gods to witness their offense,<BR> +Disclaims the war, asserts his innocence.<BR> +"Hurried by fate," he cries, "and borne before<BR> +A furious wind, we have the faithful shore.<BR> +O more than madmen! you yourselves shall bear<BR> +The guilt of blood and sacrilegious war:<BR> +Thou, Turnus, shalt atone it by thy fate,<BR> +And pray to Heav'n for peace, but pray too late.<BR> +For me, my stormy voyage at an end,<BR> +I to the port of death securely tend.<BR> +The fun'ral pomp which to your kings you pay,<BR> +Is all I want, and all you take away."<BR> +He said no more, but, in his walls confin'd,<BR> +Shut out the woes which he too well divin'd<BR> +Nor with the rising storm would vainly strive,<BR> +But left the helm, and let the vessel drive.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A solemn custom was observ'd of old,<BR> +Which Latium held, and now the Romans hold,<BR> +Their standard when in fighting fields they rear<BR> +Against the fierce Hyrcanians, or declare<BR> +The Scythian, Indian, or Arabian war;<BR> +Or from the boasting Parthians would regain<BR> +Their eagles, lost in Carrhae's bloody plain.<BR> +Two gates of steel (the name of Mars they bear,<BR> +And still are worship'd with religious fear)<BR> +Before his temple stand: the dire abode,<BR> +And the fear'd issues of the furious god,<BR> +Are fenc'd with brazen bolts; without the gates,<BR> +The wary guardian Janus doubly waits.<BR> +Then, when the sacred senate votes the wars,<BR> +The Roman consul their decree declares,<BR> +And in his robes the sounding gates unbars.<BR> +The youth in military shouts arise,<BR> +And the loud trumpets break the yielding skies.<BR> +These rites, of old by sov'reign princes us'd,<BR> +Were the king's office; but the king refus'd,<BR> +Deaf to their cries, nor would the gates unbar<BR> +Of sacred peace, or loose th' imprison'd war;<BR> +But hid his head, and, safe from loud alarms,<BR> +Abhorr'd the wicked ministry of arms.<BR> +Then heav'n's imperious queen shot down from high:<BR> +At her approach the brazen hinges fly;<BR> +The gates are forc'd, and ev'ry falling bar;<BR> +And, like a tempest, issues out the war.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The peaceful cities of th' Ausonian shore,<BR> +Lull'd in their ease, and undisturb'd before,<BR> +Are all on fire; and some, with studious care,<BR> +Their restiff steeds in sandy plains prepare;<BR> +Some their soft limbs in painful marches try,<BR> +And war is all their wish, and arms the gen'ral cry.<BR> +Part scour the rusty shields with seam; and part<BR> +New grind the blunted ax, and point the dart:<BR> +With joy they view the waving ensigns fly,<BR> +And hear the trumpet's clangor pierce the sky.<BR> +Five cities forge their arms: th' Atinian pow'rs,<BR> +Antemnae, Tibur with her lofty tow'rs,<BR> +Ardea the proud, the Crustumerian town:<BR> +All these of old were places of renown.<BR> +Some hammer helmets for the fighting field;<BR> +Some twine young sallows to support the shield;<BR> +The croslet some, and some the cuishes mold,<BR> +With silver plated, and with ductile gold.<BR> +The rustic honors of the scythe and share<BR> +Give place to swords and plumes, the pride of war.<BR> +Old fauchions are new temper'd in the fires;<BR> +The sounding trumpet ev'ry soul inspires.<BR> +The word is giv'n; with eager speed they lace<BR> +The shining headpiece, and the shield embrace.<BR> +The neighing steeds are to the chariot tied;<BR> +The trusty weapon sits on ev'ry side.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now the mighty labor is begun<BR> +Ye Muses, open all your Helicon.<BR> +Sing you the chiefs that sway'd th' Ausonian land,<BR> +Their arms, and armies under their command;<BR> +What warriors in our ancient clime were bred;<BR> +What soldiers follow'd, and what heroes led.<BR> +For well you know, and can record alone,<BR> +What fame to future times conveys but darkly down.<BR> +Mezentius first appear'd upon the plain:<BR> +Scorn sate upon his brows, and sour disdain,<BR> +Defying earth and heav'n. Etruria lost,<BR> +He brings to Turnus' aid his baffled host.<BR> +The charming Lausus, full of youthful fire,<BR> +Rode in the rank, and next his sullen sire;<BR> +To Turnus only second in the grace<BR> +Of manly mien, and features of the face.<BR> +A skilful horseman, and a huntsman bred,<BR> +With fates averse a thousand men he led:<BR> +His sire unworthy of so brave a son;<BR> +Himself well worthy of a happier throne.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Next Aventinus drives his chariot round<BR> +The Latian plains, with palms and laurels crown'd.<BR> +Proud of his steeds, he smokes along the field;<BR> +His father's hydra fills his ample shield:<BR> +A hundred serpents hiss about the brims;<BR> +The son of Hercules he justly seems<BR> +By his broad shoulders and gigantic limbs;<BR> +Of heav'nly part, and part of earthly blood,<BR> +A mortal woman mixing with a god.<BR> +For strong Alcides, after he had slain<BR> +The triple Geryon, drove from conquer'd Spain<BR> +His captive herds; and, thence in triumph led,<BR> +On Tuscan Tiber's flow'ry banks they fed.<BR> +Then on Mount Aventine the son of Jove<BR> +The priestess Rhea found, and forc'd to love.<BR> +For arms, his men long piles and jav'lins bore;<BR> +And poles with pointed steel their foes in battle gore.<BR> +Like Hercules himself his son appears,<BR> +In salvage pomp; a lion's hide he wears;<BR> +About his shoulders hangs the shaggy skin;<BR> +The teeth and gaping jaws severely grin.<BR> +Thus, like the god his father, homely dress'd,<BR> +He strides into the hall, a horrid guest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then two twin brothers from fair Tibur came,<BR> +(Which from their brother Tiburs took the name,)<BR> +Fierce Coras and Catillus, void of fear:<BR> +Arm'd Argive horse they led, and in the front appear.<BR> +Like cloud-born Centaurs, from the mountain's height<BR> +With rapid course descending to the fight;<BR> +They rush along; the rattling woods give way;<BR> +The branches bend before their sweepy sway.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor was Praeneste's founder wanting there,<BR> +Whom fame reports the son of Mulciber:<BR> +Found in the fire, and foster'd in the plains,<BR> +A shepherd and a king at once he reigns,<BR> +And leads to Turnus' aid his country swains.<BR> +His own Praeneste sends a chosen band,<BR> +With those who plow Saturnia's Gabine land;<BR> +Besides the succor which cold Anien yields,<BR> +The rocks of Hernicus, and dewy fields,<BR> +Anagnia fat, and Father Amasene-<BR> +A num'rous rout, but all of naked men:<BR> +Nor arms they wear, nor swords and bucklers wield,<BR> +Nor drive the chariot thro' the dusty field,<BR> +But whirl from leathern slings huge balls of lead,<BR> +And spoils of yellow wolves adorn their head;<BR> +The left foot naked, when they march to fight,<BR> +But in a bull's raw hide they sheathe the right.<BR> +Messapus next, (great Neptune was his sire,)<BR> +Secure of steel, and fated from the fire,<BR> +In pomp appears, and with his ardor warms<BR> +A heartless train, unexercis'd in arms:<BR> +The just Faliscans he to battle brings,<BR> +And those who live where Lake Ciminia springs;<BR> +And where Feronia's grove and temple stands,<BR> +Who till Fescennian or Flavinian lands.<BR> +All these in order march, and marching sing<BR> +The warlike actions of their sea-born king;<BR> +Like a long team of snowy swans on high,<BR> +Which clap their wings, and cleave the liquid sky,<BR> +When, homeward from their wat'ry pastures borne,<BR> +They sing, and Asia's lakes their notes return.<BR> +Not one who heard their music from afar,<BR> +Would think these troops an army train'd to war,<BR> +But flocks of fowl, that, when the tempests roar,<BR> +With their hoarse gabbling seek the silent shore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Clausus came, who led a num'rous band<BR> +Of troops embodied from the Sabine land,<BR> +And, in himself alone, an army brought.<BR> +'T was he, the noble Claudian race begot,<BR> +The Claudian race, ordain'd, in times to come,<BR> +To share the greatness of imperial Rome.<BR> +He led the Cures forth, of old renown,<BR> +Mutuscans from their olive-bearing town,<BR> +And all th' Eretian pow'rs; besides a band<BR> +That follow'd from Velinum's dewy land,<BR> +And Amiternian troops, of mighty fame,<BR> +And mountaineers, that from Severus came,<BR> +And from the craggy cliffs of Tetrica,<BR> +And those where yellow Tiber takes his way,<BR> +And where Himella's wanton waters play.<BR> +Casperia sends her arms, with those that lie<BR> +By Fabaris, and fruitful Foruli:<BR> +The warlike aids of Horta next appear,<BR> +And the cold Nursians come to close the rear,<BR> +Mix'd with the natives born of Latine blood,<BR> +Whom Allia washes with her fatal flood.<BR> +Not thicker billows beat the Libyan main,<BR> +When pale Orion sets in wintry rain;<BR> +Nor thicker harvests on rich Hermus rise,<BR> +Or Lycian fields, when Phoebus burns the skies,<BR> +Than stand these troops: their bucklers ring around;<BR> +Their trampling turns the turf, and shakes the solid ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +High in his chariot then Halesus came,<BR> +A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name:<BR> +From Agamemnon born- to Turnus' aid<BR> +A thousand men the youthful hero led,<BR> +Who till the Massic soil, for wine renown'd,<BR> +And fierce Auruncans from their hilly ground,<BR> +And those who live by Sidicinian shores,<BR> +And where with shoaly fords Vulturnus roars,<BR> +Cales' and Osca's old inhabitants,<BR> +And rough Saticulans, inur'd to wants:<BR> +Light demi-lances from afar they throw,<BR> +Fasten'd with leathern thongs, to gall the foe.<BR> +Short crooked swords in closer fight they wear;<BR> +And on their warding arm light bucklers bear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor Oebalus, shalt thou be left unsung,<BR> +From nymph Semethis and old Telon sprung,<BR> +Who then in Teleboan Capri reign'd;<BR> +But that short isle th' ambitious youth disdain'd,<BR> +And o'er Campania stretch'd his ample sway,<BR> +Where swelling Sarnus seeks the Tyrrhene sea;<BR> +O'er Batulum, and where Abella sees,<BR> +From her high tow'rs, the harvest of her trees.<BR> +And these (as was the Teuton use of old)<BR> +Wield brazen swords, and brazen bucklers hold;<BR> +Sling weighty stones, when from afar they fight;<BR> +Their casques are cork, a covering thick and light.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Next these in rank, the warlike Ufens went,<BR> +And led the mountain troops that Nursia sent.<BR> +The rude Equicolae his rule obey'd;<BR> +Hunting their sport, and plund'ring was their trade.<BR> +In arms they plow'd, to battle still prepar'd:<BR> +Their soil was barren, and their hearts were hard.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Umbro the priest the proud Marrubians led,<BR> +By King Archippus sent to Turnus' aid,<BR> +And peaceful olives crown'd his hoary head.<BR> +His wand and holy words, the viper's rage,<BR> +And venom'd wounds of serpents could assuage.<BR> +He, when he pleas'd with powerful juice to steep<BR> +Their temples, shut their eyes in pleasing sleep.<BR> +But vain were Marsian herbs, and magic art,<BR> +To cure the wound giv'n by the Dardan dart:<BR> +Yet his untimely fate th' Angitian woods<BR> +In sighs remurmur'd to the Fucine floods.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The son of fam'd Hippolytus was there,<BR> +Fam'd as his sire, and, as his mother, fair;<BR> +Whom in Egerian groves Aricia bore,<BR> +And nurs'd his youth along the marshy shore,<BR> +Where great Diana's peaceful altars flame,<BR> +In fruitful fields; and Virbius was his name.<BR> +Hippolytus, as old records have said,<BR> +Was by his stepdam sought to share her bed;<BR> +But, when no female arts his mind could move,<BR> +She turn'd to furious hate her impious love.<BR> +Torn by wild horses on the sandy shore,<BR> +Another's crimes th' unhappy hunter bore,<BR> +Glutting his father's eyes with guiltless gore.<BR> +But chaste Diana, who his death deplor'd,<BR> +With Aesculapian herbs his life restor'd.<BR> +Then Jove, who saw from high, with just disdain,<BR> +The dead inspir'd with vital breath again,<BR> +Struck to the center, with his flaming dart,<BR> +Th' unhappy founder of the godlike art.<BR> +But Trivia kept in secret shades alone<BR> +Her care, Hippolytus, to fate unknown;<BR> +And call'd him Virbius in th' Egerian grove,<BR> +Where then he liv'd obscure, but safe from Jove.<BR> +For this, from Trivia's temple and her wood<BR> +Are coursers driv'n, who shed their master's blood,<BR> +Affrighted by the monsters of the flood.<BR> +His son, the second Virbius, yet retain'd<BR> +His father's art, and warrior steeds he rein'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amid the troops, and like the leading god,<BR> +High o'er the rest in arms the graceful Turnus rode:<BR> +A triple of plumes his crest adorn'd,<BR> +On which with belching flames Chimaera burn'd:<BR> +The more the kindled combat rises high'r,<BR> +The more with fury burns the blazing fire.<BR> +Fair Io grac'd his shield; but Io now<BR> +With horns exalted stands, and seems to low-<BR> +A noble charge! Her keeper by her side,<BR> +To watch her walks, his hundred eyes applied;<BR> +And on the brims her sire, the wat'ry god,<BR> +Roll'd from a silver urn his crystal flood.<BR> +A cloud of foot succeeds, and fills the fields<BR> +With swords, and pointed spears, and clatt'ring shields;<BR> +Of Argives, and of old Sicanian bands,<BR> +And those who plow the rich Rutulian lands;<BR> +Auruncan youth, and those Sacrana yields,<BR> +And the proud Labicans, with painted shields,<BR> +And those who near Numician streams reside,<BR> +And those whom Tiber's holy forests hide,<BR> +Or Circe's hills from the main land divide;<BR> +Where Ufens glides along the lowly lands,<BR> +Or the black water of Pomptina stands.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Last, from the Volscians fair Camilla came,<BR> +And led her warlike troops, a warrior dame;<BR> +Unbred to spinning, in the loom unskill'd,<BR> +She chose the nobler Pallas of the field.<BR> +Mix'd with the first, the fierce virago fought,<BR> +Sustain'd the toils of arms, the danger sought,<BR> +Outstripp'd the winds in speed upon the plain,<BR> +Flew o'er the fields, nor hurt the bearded grain:<BR> +She swept the seas, and, as she skimm'd along,<BR> +Her flying feet unbath'd on billows hung.<BR> +Men, boys, and women, stupid with surprise,<BR> +Where'er she passes, fix their wond'ring eyes:<BR> +Longing they look, and, gaping at the sight,<BR> +Devour her o'er and o'er with vast delight;<BR> +Her purple habit sits with such a grace<BR> +On her smooth shoulders, and so suits her face;<BR> +Her head with ringlets of her hair is crown'd,<BR> +And in a golden caul the curls are bound.<BR> +She shakes her myrtle jav'lin; and, behind,<BR> +Her Lycian quiver dances in the wind.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book08"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK VIII<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When Turnus had assembled all his pow'rs,<BR> +His standard planted on Laurentum's tow'rs;<BR> +When now the sprightly trumpet, from afar,<BR> +Had giv'n the signal of approaching war,<BR> +Had rous'd the neighing steeds to scour the fields,<BR> +While the fierce riders clatter'd on their shields;<BR> +Trembling with rage, the Latian youth prepare<BR> +To join th' allies, and headlong rush to war.<BR> +Fierce Ufens, and Messapus, led the crowd,<BR> +With bold Mezentius, who blasphem'd aloud.<BR> +These thro' the country took their wasteful course,<BR> +The fields to forage, and to gather force.<BR> +Then Venulus to Diomede they send,<BR> +To beg his aid Ausonia to defend,<BR> +Declare the common danger, and inform<BR> +The Grecian leader of the growing storm:<BR> +Aeneas, landed on the Latian coast,<BR> +With banish'd gods, and with a baffled host,<BR> +Yet now aspir'd to conquest of the state,<BR> +And claim'd a title from the gods and fate;<BR> +What num'rous nations in his quarrel came,<BR> +And how they spread his formidable name.<BR> +What he design'd, what mischief might arise,<BR> +If fortune favor'd his first enterprise,<BR> +Was left for him to weigh, whose equal fears,<BR> +And common interest, was involv'd in theirs.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While Turnus and th' allies thus urge the war,<BR> +The Trojan, floating in a flood of care,<BR> +Beholds the tempest which his foes prepare.<BR> +This way and that he turns his anxious mind;<BR> +Thinks, and rejects the counsels he design'd;<BR> +Explores himself in vain, in ev'ry part,<BR> +And gives no rest to his distracted heart.<BR> +So, when the sun by day, or moon by night,<BR> +Strike on the polish'd brass their trembling light,<BR> +The glitt'ring species here and there divide,<BR> +And cast their dubious beams from side to side;<BR> +Now on the walls, now on the pavement play,<BR> +And to the ceiling flash the glaring day.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +'T was night; and weary nature lull'd asleep<BR> +The birds of air, and fishes of the deep,<BR> +And beasts, and mortal men. The Trojan chief<BR> +Was laid on Tiber's banks, oppress'd with grief,<BR> +And found in silent slumber late relief.<BR> +Then, thro' the shadows of the poplar wood,<BR> +Arose the father of the Roman flood;<BR> +An azure robe was o'er his body spread,<BR> +A wreath of shady reeds adorn'd his head:<BR> +Thus, manifest to sight, the god appear'd,<BR> +And with these pleasing words his sorrow cheer'd:<BR> +"Undoubted offspring of ethereal race,<BR> +O long expected in this promis'd place!<BR> +Who thro' the foes hast borne thy banish'd gods,<BR> +Restor'd them to their hearths, and old abodes;<BR> +This is thy happy home, the clime where fate<BR> +Ordains thee to restore the Trojan state.<BR> +Fear not! The war shall end in lasting peace,<BR> +And all the rage of haughty Juno cease.<BR> +And that this nightly vision may not seem<BR> +Th' effect of fancy, or an idle dream,<BR> +A sow beneath an oak shall lie along,<BR> +All white herself, and white her thirty young.<BR> +When thirty rolling years have run their race,<BR> +Thy son Ascanius, on this empty space,<BR> +Shall build a royal town, of lasting fame,<BR> +Which from this omen shall receive the name.<BR> +Time shall approve the truth. For what remains,<BR> +And how with sure success to crown thy pains,<BR> +With patience next attend. A banish'd band,<BR> +Driv'n with Evander from th' Arcadian land,<BR> +Have planted here, and plac'd on high their walls;<BR> +Their town the founder Pallanteum calls,<BR> +Deriv'd from Pallas, his great-grandsire's name:<BR> +But the fierce Latians old possession claim,<BR> +With war infesting the new colony.<BR> +These make thy friends, and on their aid rely.<BR> +To thy free passage I submit my streams.<BR> +Wake, son of Venus, from thy pleasing dreams;<BR> +And, when the setting stars are lost in day,<BR> +To Juno's pow'r thy just devotion pay;<BR> +With sacrifice the wrathful queen appease:<BR> +Her pride at length shall fall, her fury cease.<BR> +When thou return'st victorious from the war,<BR> +Perform thy vows to me with grateful care.<BR> +The god am I, whose yellow water flows<BR> +Around these fields, and fattens as it goes:<BR> +Tiber my name; among the rolling floods<BR> +Renown'd on earth, esteem'd among the gods.<BR> +This is my certain seat. In times to come,<BR> +My waves shall wash the walls of mighty Rome."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and plung'd below. While yet he spoke,<BR> +His dream Aeneas and his sleep forsook.<BR> +He rose, and looking up, beheld the skies<BR> +With purple blushing, and the day arise.<BR> +Then water in his hollow palm he took<BR> +From Tiber's flood, and thus the pow'rs bespoke:<BR> +"Laurentian nymphs, by whom the streams are fed,<BR> +And Father Tiber, in thy sacred bed<BR> +Receive Aeneas, and from danger keep.<BR> +Whatever fount, whatever holy deep,<BR> +Conceals thy wat'ry stores; where'er they rise,<BR> +And, bubbling from below, salute the skies;<BR> +Thou, king of horned floods, whose plenteous urn<BR> +Suffices fatness to the fruitful corn,<BR> +For this thy kind compassion of our woes,<BR> +Shalt share my morning song and ev'ning vows.<BR> +But, O be present to thy people's aid,<BR> +And firm the gracious promise thou hast made!"<BR> +Thus having said, two galleys from his stores,<BR> +With care he chooses, mans, and fits with oars.<BR> +Now on the shore the fatal swine is found.<BR> +Wondrous to tell!- She lay along the ground:<BR> +Her well-fed offspring at her udders hung;<BR> +She white herself, and white her thirty young.<BR> +Aeneas takes the mother and her brood,<BR> +And all on Juno's altar are bestow'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The foll'wing night, and the succeeding day,<BR> +Propitious Tiber smooth'd his wat'ry way:<BR> +He roll'd his river back, and pois'd he stood,<BR> +A gentle swelling, and a peaceful flood.<BR> +The Trojans mount their ships; they put from shore,<BR> +Borne on the waves, and scarcely dip an oar.<BR> +Shouts from the land give omen to their course,<BR> +And the pitch'd vessels glide with easy force.<BR> +The woods and waters wonder at the gleam<BR> +Of shields, and painted ships that stem the stream.<BR> +One summer's night and one whole day they pass<BR> +Betwixt the greenwood shades, and cut the liquid glass.<BR> +The fiery sun had finish'd half his race,<BR> +Look'd back, and doubted in the middle space,<BR> +When they from far beheld the rising tow'rs,<BR> +The tops of sheds, and shepherds' lowly bow'rs,<BR> +Thin as they stood, which, then of homely clay,<BR> +Now rise in marble, from the Roman sway.<BR> +These cots (Evander's kingdom, mean and poor)<BR> +The Trojan saw, and turn'd his ships to shore.<BR> +'T was on a solemn day: th' Arcadian states,<BR> +The king and prince, without the city gates,<BR> +Then paid their off'rings in a sacred grove<BR> +To Hercules, the warrior son of Jove.<BR> +Thick clouds of rolling smoke involve the skies,<BR> +And fat of entrails on his altar fries.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But, when they saw the ships that stemm'd the flood,<BR> +And glitter'd thro' the covert of the wood,<BR> +They rose with fear, and left th' unfinish'd feast,<BR> +Till dauntless Pallas reassur'd the rest<BR> +To pay the rites. Himself without delay<BR> +A jav'lin seiz'd, and singly took his way;<BR> +Then gain'd a rising ground, and call'd from far:<BR> +"Resolve me, strangers, whence, and what you are;<BR> +Your bus'ness here; and bring you peace or war?"<BR> +High on the stern Aeneas his stand,<BR> +And held a branch of olive in his hand,<BR> +While thus he spoke: "The Phrygians' arms you see,<BR> +Expell'd from Troy, provok'd in Italy<BR> +By Latian foes, with war unjustly made;<BR> +At first affianc'd, and at last betray'd.<BR> +This message bear: 'The Trojans and their chief<BR> +Bring holy peace, and beg the king's relief.'<BR> +Struck with so great a name, and all on fire,<BR> +The youth replies: "Whatever you require,<BR> +Your fame exacts. Upon our shores descend.<BR> +A welcome guest, and, what you wish, a friend."<BR> +He said, and, downward hasting to the strand,<BR> +Embrac'd the stranger prince, and join'd his hand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Conducted to the grove, Aeneas broke<BR> +The silence first, and thus the king bespoke:<BR> +"Best of the Greeks, to whom, by fate's command,<BR> +I bear these peaceful branches in my hand,<BR> +Undaunted I approach you, tho' I know<BR> +Your birth is Grecian, and your land my foe;<BR> +From Atreus tho' your ancient lineage came,<BR> +And both the brother kings your kindred claim;<BR> +Yet, my self-conscious worth, your high renown,<BR> +Your virtue, thro' the neighb'ring nations blown,<BR> +Our fathers' mingled blood, Apollo's voice,<BR> +Have led me hither, less by need than choice.<BR> +Our founder Dardanus, as fame has sung,<BR> +And Greeks acknowledge, from Electra sprung:<BR> +Electra from the loins of Atlas came;<BR> +Atlas, whose head sustains the starry frame.<BR> +Your sire is Mercury, whom long before<BR> +On cold Cyllene's top fair Maia bore.<BR> +Maia the fair, on fame if we rely,<BR> +Was Atlas' daughter, who sustains the sky.<BR> +Thus from one common source our streams divide;<BR> +Ours is the Trojan, yours th' Arcadian side.<BR> +Rais'd by these hopes, I sent no news before,<BR> +Nor ask'd your leave, nor did your faith implore;<BR> +But come, without a pledge, my own ambassador.<BR> +The same Rutulians, who with arms pursue<BR> +The Trojan race, are equal foes to you.<BR> +Our host expell'd, what farther force can stay<BR> +The victor troops from universal sway?<BR> +Then will they stretch their pow'r athwart the land,<BR> +And either sea from side to side command.<BR> +Receive our offer'd faith, and give us thine;<BR> +Ours is a gen'rous and experienc'd line:<BR> +We want not hearts nor bodies for the war;<BR> +In council cautious, and in fields we dare."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said; and while spoke, with piercing eyes<BR> +Evander view'd the man with vast surprise,<BR> +Pleas'd with his action, ravish'd with his face:<BR> +Then answer'd briefly, with a royal grace:<BR> +"O valiant leader of the Trojan line,<BR> +In whom the features of thy father shine,<BR> +How I recall Anchises! how I see<BR> +His motions, mien, and all my friend, in thee!<BR> +Long tho' it be, 't is fresh within my mind,<BR> +When Priam to his sister's court design'd<BR> +A welcome visit, with a friendly stay,<BR> +And thro' th' Arcadian kingdom took his way.<BR> +Then, past a boy, the callow down began<BR> +To shade my chin, and call me first a man.<BR> +I saw the shining train with vast delight,<BR> +And Priam's goodly person pleas'd my sight:<BR> +But great Anchises, far above the rest,<BR> +With awful wonder fir'd my youthful breast.<BR> +I long'd to join in friendship's holy bands<BR> +Our mutual hearts, and plight our mutual hands.<BR> +I first accosted him: I sued, I sought,<BR> +And, with a loving force, to Pheneus brought.<BR> +He gave me, when at length constrain'd to go,<BR> +A Lycian quiver and a Gnossian bow,<BR> +A vest embroider'd, glorious to behold,<BR> +And two rich bridles, with their bits of gold,<BR> +Which my son's coursers in obedience hold.<BR> +The league you ask, I offer, as your right;<BR> +And, when to-morrow's sun reveals the light,<BR> +With swift supplies you shall be sent away.<BR> +Now celebrate with us this solemn day,<BR> +Whose holy rites admit no long delay.<BR> +Honor our annual feast; and take your seat,<BR> +With friendly welcome, at a homely treat."<BR> +Thus having said, the bowls (remov'd for fear)<BR> +The youths replac'd, and soon restor'd the cheer.<BR> +On sods of turf he set the soldiers round:<BR> +A maple throne, rais'd higher from the ground,<BR> +Receiv'd the Trojan chief; and, o'er the bed,<BR> +A lion's shaggy hide for ornament they spread.<BR> +The loaves were serv'd in canisters; the wine<BR> +In bowls; the priest renew'd the rites divine:<BR> +Broil'd entrails are their food, and beef's continued chine.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But when the rage of hunger was repress'd,<BR> +Thus spoke Evander to his royal guest:<BR> +"These rites, these altars, and this feast, O king,<BR> +From no vain fears or superstition spring,<BR> +Or blind devotion, or from blinder chance,<BR> +Or heady zeal, or brutal ignorance;<BR> +But, sav'd from danger, with a grateful sense,<BR> +The labors of a god we recompense.<BR> +See, from afar, yon rock that mates the sky,<BR> +About whose feet such heaps of rubbish lie;<BR> +Such indigested ruin; bleak and bare,<BR> +How desart now it stands, expos'd in air!<BR> +'T was once a robber's den, inclos'd around<BR> +With living stone, and deep beneath the ground.<BR> +The monster Cacus, more than half a beast,<BR> +This hold, impervious to the sun, possess'd.<BR> +The pavement ever foul with human gore;<BR> +Heads, and their mangled members, hung the door.<BR> +Vulcan this plague begot; and, like his sire,<BR> +Black clouds he belch'd, and flakes of livid fire.<BR> +Time, long expected, eas'd us of our load,<BR> +And brought the needful presence of a god.<BR> +Th' avenging force of Hercules, from Spain,<BR> +Arriv'd in triumph, from Geryon slain:<BR> +Thrice liv'd the giant, and thrice liv'd in vain.<BR> +His prize, the lowing herds, Alcides drove<BR> +Near Tiber's bank, to graze the shady grove.<BR> +Allur'd with hope of plunder, and intent<BR> +By force to rob, by fraud to circumvent,<BR> +The brutal Cacus, as by chance they stray'd,<BR> +Four oxen thence, and four fair kine convey'd;<BR> +And, lest the printed footsteps might be seen,<BR> +He dragg'd 'em backwards to his rocky den.<BR> +The tracks averse a lying notice gave,<BR> +And led the searcher backward from the cave.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Meantime the herdsman hero shifts his place,<BR> +To find fresh pasture and untrodden grass.<BR> +The beasts, who miss'd their mates, fill'd all around<BR> +With bellowings, and the rocks restor'd the sound.<BR> +One heifer, who had heard her love complain,<BR> +Roar'd from the cave, and made the project vain.<BR> +Alcides found the fraud; with rage he shook,<BR> +And toss'd about his head his knotted oak.<BR> +Swift as the winds, or Scythian arrows' flight,<BR> +He clomb, with eager haste, th' aerial height.<BR> +Then first we saw the monster mend his pace;<BR> +Fear his eyes, and paleness in his face,<BR> +Confess'd the god's approach. Trembling he springs,<BR> +As terror had increas'd his feet with wings;<BR> +Nor stay'd for stairs; but down the depth he threw<BR> +His body, on his back the door he drew<BR> +(The door, a rib of living rock; with pains<BR> +His father hew'd it out, and bound with iron chains):<BR> +He broke the heavy links, the mountain clos'd,<BR> +And bars and levers to his foe oppos'd.<BR> +The wretch had hardly made his dungeon fast;<BR> +The fierce avenger came with bounding haste;<BR> +Survey'd the mouth of the forbidden hold,<BR> +And here and there his raging eyes he roll'd.<BR> +He gnash'd his teeth; and thrice he compass'd round<BR> +With winged speed the circuit of the ground.<BR> +Thrice at the cavern's mouth he pull'd in vain,<BR> +And, panting, thrice desisted from his pain.<BR> +A pointed flinty rock, all bare and black,<BR> +Grew gibbous from behind the mountain's back;<BR> +Owls, ravens, all ill omens of the night,<BR> +Here built their nests, and hither wing'd their flight.<BR> +The leaning head hung threat'ning o'er the flood,<BR> +And nodded to the left. The hero stood<BR> +Adverse, with planted feet, and, from the right,<BR> +Tugg'd at the solid stone with all his might.<BR> +Thus heav'd, the fix'd foundations of the rock<BR> +Gave way; heav'n echo'd at the rattling shock.<BR> +Tumbling, it chok'd the flood: on either side<BR> +The banks leap backward, and the streams divide;<BR> +The sky shrunk upward with unusual dread,<BR> +And trembling Tiber div'd beneath his bed.<BR> +The court of Cacus stands reveal'd to sight;<BR> +The cavern glares with new-admitted light.<BR> +So the pent vapors, with a rumbling sound,<BR> +Heave from below, and rend the hollow ground;<BR> +A sounding flaw succeeds; and, from on high,<BR> +The gods with hate beheld the nether sky:<BR> +The ghosts repine at violated night,<BR> +And curse th' invading sun, and sicken at the sight.<BR> +The graceless monster, caught in open day,<BR> +Inclos'd, and in despair to fly away,<BR> +Howls horrible from underneath, and fills<BR> +His hollow palace with unmanly yells.<BR> +The hero stands above, and from afar<BR> +Plies him with darts, and stones, and distant war.<BR> +He, from his nostrils huge mouth, expires<BR> +Black clouds of smoke, amidst his father's fires,<BR> +Gath'ring, with each repeated blast, the night,<BR> +To make uncertain aim, and erring sight.<BR> +The wrathful god then plunges from above,<BR> +And, where in thickest waves the sparkles drove,<BR> +There lights; and wades thro' fumes, and gropes his way,<BR> +Half sing'd, half stifled, till he grasps his prey.<BR> +The monster, spewing fruitless flames, he found;<BR> +He squeez'd his throat; he writh'd his neck around,<BR> +And in a knot his crippled members bound;<BR> +Then from their sockets tore his burning eyes:<BR> +Roll'd on a heap, the breathless robber lies.<BR> +The doors, unbarr'd, receive the rushing day,<BR> +And thoro' lights disclose the ravish'd prey.<BR> +The bulls, redeem'd, breathe open air again.<BR> +Next, by the feet, they drag him from his den.<BR> +The wond'ring neighborhood, with glad surprise,<BR> +Behold his shagged breast, his giant size,<BR> +His mouth that flames no more, and his extinguish'd eyes.<BR> +From that auspicious day, with rites divine,<BR> +We worship at the hero's holy shrine.<BR> +Potitius first ordain'd these annual vows:<BR> +As priests, were added the Pinarian house,<BR> +Who rais'd this altar in the sacred shade,<BR> +Where honors, ever due, for ever shall be paid.<BR> +For these deserts, and this high virtue shown,<BR> +Ye warlike youths, your heads with garlands crown:<BR> +Fill high the goblets with a sparkling flood,<BR> +And with deep draughts invoke our common god."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This said, a double wreath Evander twin'd,<BR> +And poplars black and white his temples bind.<BR> +Then brims his ample bowl. With like design<BR> +The rest invoke the gods, with sprinkled wine.<BR> +Meantime the sun descended from the skies,<BR> +And the bright evening star began to rise.<BR> +And now the priests, Potitius at their head,<BR> +In skins of beasts involv'd, the long procession led;<BR> +Held high the flaming tapers in their hands,<BR> +As custom had prescrib'd their holy bands;<BR> +Then with a second course the tables load,<BR> +And with full chargers offer to the god.<BR> +The Salii sing, and cense his altars round<BR> +With Saban smoke, their heads with poplar bound-<BR> +One choir of old, another of the young,<BR> +To dance, and bear the burthen of the song.<BR> +The lay records the labors, and the praise,<BR> +And all th' immortal acts of Hercules:<BR> +First, how the mighty babe, when swath'd in bands,<BR> +The serpents strangled with his infant hands;<BR> +Then, as in years and matchless force he grew,<BR> +Th' Oechalian walls, and Trojan, overthrew.<BR> +Besides, a thousand hazards they relate,<BR> +Procur'd by Juno's and Eurystheus' hate:<BR> +"Thy hands, unconquer'd hero, could subdue<BR> +The cloud-born Centaurs, and the monster crew:<BR> +Nor thy resistless arm the bull withstood,<BR> +Nor he, the roaring terror of the wood.<BR> +The triple porter of the Stygian seat,<BR> +With lolling tongue, lay fawning at thy feet,<BR> +And, seiz'd with fear, forgot his mangled meat.<BR> +Th' infernal waters trembled at thy sight;<BR> +Thee, god, no face of danger could affright;<BR> +Not huge Typhoeus, nor th' unnumber'd snake,<BR> +Increas'd with hissing heads, in Lerna's lake.<BR> +Hail, Jove's undoubted son! an added grace<BR> +To heav'n and the great author of thy race!<BR> +Receive the grateful off'rings which we pay,<BR> +And smile propitious on thy solemn day!"<BR> +In numbers thus they sung; above the rest,<BR> +The den and death of Cacus crown the feast.<BR> +The woods to hollow vales convey the sound,<BR> +The vales to hills, and hills the notes rebound.<BR> +The rites perform'd, the cheerful train retire.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Betwixt young Pallas and his aged sire,<BR> +The Trojan pass'd, the city to survey,<BR> +And pleasing talk beguil'd the tedious way.<BR> +The stranger cast around his curious eyes,<BR> +New objects viewing still, with new surprise;<BR> +With greedy joy enquires of various things,<BR> +And acts and monuments of ancient kings.<BR> +Then thus the founder of the Roman tow'rs:<BR> +"These woods were first the seat of sylvan pow'rs,<BR> +Of Nymphs and Fauns, and salvage men, who took<BR> +Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn oak.<BR> +Nor laws they knew, nor manners, nor the care<BR> +Of lab'ring oxen, or the shining share,<BR> +Nor arts of gain, nor what they gain'd to spare.<BR> +Their exercise the chase; the running flood<BR> +Supplied their thirst, the trees supplied their food.<BR> +Then Saturn came, who fled the pow'r of Jove,<BR> +Robb'd of his realms, and banish'd from above.<BR> +The men, dispers'd on hills, to towns he brought,<BR> +And laws ordain'd, and civil customs taught,<BR> +And Latium call'd the land where safe he lay<BR> +From his unduteous son, and his usurping sway.<BR> +With his mild empire, peace and plenty came;<BR> +And hence the golden times deriv'd their name.<BR> +A more degenerate and discolor'd age<BR> +Succeeded this, with avarice and rage.<BR> +Th' Ausonians then, and bold Sicanians came;<BR> +And Saturn's empire often chang'd the name.<BR> +Then kings, gigantic Tybris, and the rest,<BR> +With arbitrary sway the land oppress'd:<BR> +For Tiber's flood was Albula before,<BR> +Till, from the tyrant's fate, his name it bore.<BR> +I last arriv'd, driv'n from my native home<BR> +By fortune's pow'r, and fate's resistless doom.<BR> +Long toss'd on seas, I sought this happy land,<BR> +Warn'd by my mother nymph, and call'd by Heav'n's command."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, walking on, he spoke, and shew'd the gate,<BR> +Since call'd Carmental by the Roman state;<BR> +Where stood an altar, sacred to the name<BR> +Of old Carmenta, the prophetic dame,<BR> +Who to her son foretold th' Aenean race,<BR> +Sublime in fame, and Rome's imperial place:<BR> +Then shews the forest, which, in after times,<BR> +Fierce Romulus for perpetrated crimes<BR> +A sacred refuge made; with this, the shrine<BR> +Where Pan below the rock had rites divine:<BR> +Then tells of Argus' death, his murder'd guest,<BR> +Whose grave and tomb his innocence attest.<BR> +Thence, to the steep Tarpeian rock he leads;<BR> +Now roof'd with gold, then thatch'd with homely reeds.<BR> +A reverent fear (such superstition reigns<BR> +Among the rude) ev'n then possess'd the swains.<BR> +Some god, they knew- what god, they could not tell-<BR> +Did there amidst the sacred horror dwell.<BR> +Th' Arcadians thought him Jove; and said they saw<BR> +The mighty Thund'rer with majestic awe,<BR> +Who took his shield, and dealt his bolts around,<BR> +And scatter'd tempests on the teeming ground.<BR> +Then saw two heaps of ruins, (once they stood<BR> +Two stately towns, on either side the flood,)<BR> +Saturnia's and Janicula's remains;<BR> +And either place the founder's name retains.<BR> +Discoursing thus together, they resort<BR> +Where poor Evander kept his country court.<BR> +They view'd the ground of Rome's litigious hall;<BR> +(Once oxen low'd, where now the lawyers bawl;)<BR> +Then, stooping, thro' the narrow gate they press'd,<BR> +When thus the king bespoke his Trojan guest:<BR> +"Mean as it is, this palace, and this door,<BR> +Receiv'd Alcides, then a conqueror.<BR> +Dare to be poor; accept our homely food,<BR> +Which feasted him, and emulate a god."<BR> +Then underneath a lowly roof he led<BR> +The weary prince, and laid him on a bed;<BR> +The stuffing leaves, with hides of bears o'erspread.<BR> +Now Night had shed her silver dews around,<BR> +And with her sable wings embrac'd the ground,<BR> +When love's fair goddess, anxious for her son,<BR> +(New tumults rising, and new wars begun,)<BR> +Couch'd with her husband in his golden bed,<BR> +With these alluring words invokes his aid;<BR> +And, that her pleasing speech his mind may move,<BR> +Inspires each accent with the charms of love:<BR> +"While cruel fate conspir'd with Grecian pow'rs,<BR> +To level with the ground the Trojan tow'rs,<BR> +I ask'd not aid th' unhappy to restore,<BR> +Nor did the succor of thy skill implore;<BR> +Nor urg'd the labors of my lord in vain,<BR> +A sinking empire longer to sustain,<BR> +Tho'much I ow'd to Priam's house, and more<BR> +The dangers of Aeneas did deplore.<BR> +But now, by Jove's command, and fate's decree,<BR> +His race is doom'd to reign in Italy:<BR> +With humble suit I beg thy needful art,<BR> +O still propitious pow'r, that rules my heart!<BR> +A mother kneels a suppliant for her son.<BR> +By Thetis and Aurora thou wert won<BR> +To forge impenetrable shields, and grace<BR> +With fated arms a less illustrious race.<BR> +Behold, what haughty nations are combin'd<BR> +Against the relics of the Phrygian kind,<BR> +With fire and sword my people to destroy,<BR> +And conquer Venus twice, in conqu'ring Troy."<BR> +She said; and straight her arms, of snowy hue,<BR> +About her unresolving husband threw.<BR> +Her soft embraces soon infuse desire;<BR> +His bones and marrow sudden warmth inspire;<BR> +And all the godhead feels the wonted fire.<BR> +Not half so swift the rattling thunder flies,<BR> +Or forky lightnings flash along the skies.<BR> +The goddess, proud of her successful wiles,<BR> +And conscious of her form, in secret smiles.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus the pow'r, obnoxious to her charms,<BR> +Panting, and half dissolving in her arms:<BR> +"Why seek you reasons for a cause so just,<BR> +Or your own beauties or my love distrust?<BR> +Long since, had you requir'd my helpful hand,<BR> +Th' artificer and art you might command,<BR> +To labor arms for Troy: nor Jove, nor fate,<BR> +Confin'd their empire to so short a date.<BR> +And, if you now desire new wars to wage,<BR> +My skill I promise, and my pains engage.<BR> +Whatever melting metals can conspire,<BR> +Or breathing bellows, or the forming fire,<BR> +Is freely yours: your anxious fears remove,<BR> +And think no task is difficult to love."<BR> +Trembling he spoke; and, eager of her charms,<BR> +He snatch'd the willing goddess to his arms;<BR> +Till in her lap infus'd, he lay possess'd<BR> +Of full desire, and sunk to pleasing rest.<BR> +Now when the Night her middle race had rode,<BR> +And his first slumber had refresh'd the god-<BR> +The time when early housewives leave the bed;<BR> +When living embers on the hearth they spread,<BR> +Supply the lamp, and call the maids to rise-<BR> +With yawning mouths, and with half-open'd eyes,<BR> +They ply the distaff by the winking light,<BR> +And to their daily labor add the night:<BR> +Thus frugally they earn their children's bread,<BR> +And uncorrupted keep the nuptial bed-<BR> +Not less concern'd, nor at a later hour,<BR> +Rose from his downy couch the forging pow'r.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Sacred to Vulcan's name, an isle there lay,<BR> +Betwixt Sicilia's coasts and Lipare,<BR> +Rais'd high on smoking rocks; and, deep below,<BR> +In hollow caves the fires of Aetna glow.<BR> +The Cyclops here their heavy hammers deal;<BR> +Loud strokes, and hissings of tormented steel,<BR> +Are heard around; the boiling waters roar,<BR> +And smoky flames thro' fuming tunnels soar.<BR> +Hether the Father of the Fire, by night,<BR> +Thro' the brown air precipitates his flight.<BR> +On their eternal anvils here he found<BR> +The brethren beating, and the blows go round.<BR> +A load of pointless thunder now there lies<BR> +Before their hands, to ripen for the skies:<BR> +These darts, for angry Jove, they daily cast;<BR> +Consum'd on mortals with prodigious waste.<BR> +Three rays of writhen rain, of fire three more,<BR> +Of winged southern winds and cloudy store<BR> +As many parts, the dreadful mixture frame;<BR> +And fears are added, and avenging flame.<BR> +Inferior ministers, for Mars, repair<BR> +His broken axletrees and blunted war,<BR> +And send him forth again with furbish'd arms,<BR> +To wake the lazy war with trumpets' loud alarms.<BR> +The rest refresh the scaly snakes that fold<BR> +The shield of Pallas, and renew their gold.<BR> +Full on the crest the Gorgon's head they place,<BR> +With eyes that roll in death, and with distorted face.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"My sons," said Vulcan, "set your tasks aside;<BR> +Your strength and master-skill must now be tried.<BR> +Arms for a hero forge; arms that require<BR> +Your force, your speed, and all your forming fire."<BR> +He said. They set their former work aside,<BR> +And their new toils with eager haste divide.<BR> +A flood of molten silver, brass, and gold,<BR> +And deadly steel, in the large furnace roll'd;<BR> +Of this, their artful hands a shield prepare,<BR> +Alone sufficient to sustain the war.<BR> +Sev'n orbs within a spacious round they close:<BR> +One stirs the fire, and one the bellows blows.<BR> +The hissing steel is in the smithy drown'd;<BR> +The grot with beaten anvils groans around.<BR> +By turns their arms advance, in equal time;<BR> +By turns their hands descend, and hammers chime.<BR> +They turn the glowing mass with crooked tongs;<BR> +The fiery work proceeds, with rustic songs.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While, at the Lemnian god's command, they urge<BR> +Their labors thus, and ply th' Aeolian forge,<BR> +The cheerful morn salutes Evander's eyes,<BR> +And songs of chirping birds invite to rise.<BR> +He leaves his lowly bed: his buskins meet<BR> +Above his ankles; sandals sheathe his feet:<BR> +He sets his trusty sword upon his side,<BR> +And o'er his shoulder throws a panther's hide.<BR> +Two menial dogs before their master press'd.<BR> +Thus clad, and guarded thus, he seeks his kingly guest.<BR> +Mindful of promis'd aid, he mends his pace,<BR> +But meets Aeneas in the middle space.<BR> +Young Pallas did his father's steps attend,<BR> +And true Achates waited on his friend.<BR> +They join their hands; a secret seat they choose;<BR> +Th' Arcadian first their former talk renews:<BR> +"Undaunted prince, I never can believe<BR> +The Trojan empire lost, while you survive.<BR> +Command th' assistance of a faithful friend;<BR> +But feeble are the succors I can send.<BR> +Our narrow kingdom here the Tiber bounds;<BR> +That other side the Latian state surrounds,<BR> +Insults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds.<BR> +But mighty nations I prepare, to join<BR> +Their arms with yours, and aid your just design.<BR> +You come, as by your better genius sent,<BR> +And fortune seems to favor your intent.<BR> +Not far from hence there stands a hilly town,<BR> +Of ancient building, and of high renown,<BR> +Torn from the Tuscans by the Lydian race,<BR> +Who gave the name of Caere to the place,<BR> +Once Agyllina call'd. It flourish'd long,<BR> +In pride of wealth and warlike people strong,<BR> +Till curs'd Mezentius, in a fatal hour,<BR> +Assum'd the crown, with arbitrary pow'r.<BR> +What words can paint those execrable times,<BR> +The subjects' suff'rings, and the tyrant's crimes!<BR> +That blood, those murthers, O ye gods, replace<BR> +On his own head, and on his impious race!<BR> +The living and the dead at his command<BR> +Were coupled, face to face, and hand to hand,<BR> +Till, chok'd with stench, in loath'd embraces tied,<BR> +The ling'ring wretches pin'd away and died.<BR> +Thus plung'd in ills, and meditating more-<BR> +The people's patience, tir'd, no longer bore<BR> +The raging monster; but with arms beset<BR> +His house, and vengeance and destruction threat.<BR> +They fire his palace: while the flame ascends,<BR> +They force his guards, and execute his friends.<BR> +He cleaves the crowd, and, favor'd by the night,<BR> +To Turnus' friendly court directs his flight.<BR> +By just revenge the Tuscans set on fire,<BR> +With arms, their king to punishment require:<BR> +Their num'rous troops, now muster'd on the strand,<BR> +My counsel shall submit to your command.<BR> +Their navy swarms upon the coasts; they cry<BR> +To hoist their anchors, but the gods deny.<BR> +An ancient augur, skill'd in future fate,<BR> +With these foreboding words restrains their hate:<BR> +'Ye brave in arms, ye Lydian blood, the flow'r<BR> +Of Tuscan youth, and choice of all their pow'r,<BR> +Whom just revenge against Mezentius arms,<BR> +To seek your tyrant's death by lawful arms;<BR> +Know this: no native of our land may lead<BR> +This pow'rful people; seek a foreign head.'<BR> +Aw'd with these words, in camps they still abide,<BR> +And wait with longing looks their promis'd guide.<BR> +Tarchon, the Tuscan chief, to me has sent<BR> +Their crown, and ev'ry regal ornament:<BR> +The people join their own with his desire;<BR> +And all my conduct, as their king, require.<BR> +But the chill blood that creeps within my veins,<BR> +And age, and listless limbs unfit for pains,<BR> +And a soul conscious of its own decay,<BR> +Have forc'd me to refuse imperial sway.<BR> +My Pallas were more fit to mount the throne,<BR> +And should, but he's a Sabine mother's son,<BR> +And half a native; but, in you, combine<BR> +A manly vigor, and a foreign line.<BR> +Where Fate and smiling Fortune shew the way,<BR> +Pursue the ready path to sov'reign sway.<BR> +The staff of my declining days, my son,<BR> +Shall make your good or ill success his own;<BR> +In fighting fields from you shall learn to dare,<BR> +And serve the hard apprenticeship of war;<BR> +Your matchless courage and your conduct view,<BR> +And early shall begin t' admire and copy you.<BR> +Besides, two hundred horse he shall command;<BR> +Tho' few, a warlike and well-chosen band.<BR> +These in my name are listed; and my son<BR> +As many more has added in his own."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Scarce had he said; Achates and his guest,<BR> +With downcast eyes, their silent grief express'd;<BR> +Who, short of succors, and in deep despair,<BR> +Shook at the dismal prospect of the war.<BR> +But his bright mother, from a breaking cloud,<BR> +To cheer her issue, thunder'd thrice aloud;<BR> +Thrice forky lightning flash'd along the sky,<BR> +And Tyrrhene trumpets thrice were heard on high.<BR> +Then, gazing up, repeated peals they hear;<BR> +And, in a heav'n serene, refulgent arms appear:<BR> +Redd'ning the skies, and glitt'ring all around,<BR> +The temper'd metals clash, and yield a silver sound.<BR> +The rest stood trembling, struck with awe divine;<BR> +Aeneas only, conscious to the sign,<BR> +Presag'd th' event, and joyful view'd, above,<BR> +Th' accomplish'd promise of the Queen of Love.<BR> +Then, to th' Arcadian king: "This prodigy<BR> +(Dismiss your fear) belongs alone to me.<BR> +Heav'n calls me to the war: th' expected sign<BR> +Is giv'n of promis'd aid, and arms divine.<BR> +My goddess mother, whose indulgent care<BR> +Foresaw the dangers of the growing war,<BR> +This omen gave, when bright Vulcanian arms,<BR> +Fated from force of steel by Stygian charms,<BR> +Suspended, shone on high: she then foreshow'd<BR> +Approaching fights, and fields to float in blood.<BR> +Turnus shall dearly pay for faith forsworn;<BR> +And corps, and swords, and shields, on Tiber borne,<BR> +Shall choke his flood: now sound the loud alarms;<BR> +And, Latian troops, prepare your perjur'd arms."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and, rising from his homely throne,<BR> +The solemn rites of Hercules begun,<BR> +And on his altars wak'd the sleeping fires;<BR> +Then cheerful to his household gods retires;<BR> +There offers chosen sheep. Th' Arcadian king<BR> +And Trojan youth the same oblations bring.<BR> +Next, of his men and ships he makes review;<BR> +Draws out the best and ablest of the crew.<BR> +Down with the falling stream the refuse run,<BR> +To raise with joyful news his drooping son.<BR> +Steeds are prepar'd to mount the Trojan band,<BR> +Who wait their leader to the Tyrrhene land.<BR> +A sprightly courser, fairer than the rest,<BR> +The king himself presents his royal guest:<BR> +A lion's hide his back and limbs infold,<BR> +Precious with studded work, and paws of gold.<BR> +Fame thro' the little city spreads aloud<BR> +Th' intended march, amid the fearful crowd:<BR> +The matrons beat their breasts, dissolve in tears,<BR> +And double their devotion in their fears.<BR> +The war at hand appears with more affright,<BR> +And rises ev'ry moment to the sight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then old Evander, with a close embrace,<BR> +Strain'd his departing friend; and tears o'erflow his face.<BR> +"Would Heav'n," said he, "my strength and youth recall,<BR> +Such as I was beneath Praeneste's wall;<BR> +Then when I made the foremost foes retire,<BR> +And set whole heaps of conquer'd shields on fire;<BR> +When Herilus in single fight I slew,<BR> +Whom with three lives Feronia did endue;<BR> +And thrice I sent him to the Stygian shore,<BR> +Till the last ebbing soul return'd no more-<BR> +Such if I stood renew'd, not these alarms,<BR> +Nor death, should rend me from my Pallas' arms;<BR> +Nor proud Mezentius, thus unpunish'd, boast<BR> +His rapes and murthers on the Tuscan coast.<BR> +Ye gods, and mighty Jove, in pity bring<BR> +Relief, and hear a father and a king!<BR> +If fate and you reserve these eyes, to see<BR> +My son return with peace and victory;<BR> +If the lov'd boy shall bless his father's sight;<BR> +If we shall meet again with more delight;<BR> +Then draw my life in length; let me sustain,<BR> +In hopes of his embrace, the worst of pain.<BR> +But if your hard decrees- which, O! I dread-<BR> +Have doom'd to death his undeserving head;<BR> +This, O this very moment, let me die!<BR> +While hopes and fears in equal balance lie;<BR> +While, yet possess'd of all his youthful charms,<BR> +I strain him close within these aged arms;<BR> +Before that fatal news my soul shall wound!"<BR> +He said, and, swooning, sunk upon the ground.<BR> +His servants bore him off, and softly laid<BR> +His languish'd limbs upon his homely bed.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The horsemen march; the gates are open'd wide;<BR> +Aeneas at their head, Achates by his side.<BR> +Next these, the Trojan leaders rode along;<BR> +Last follows in the rear th' Arcadian throng.<BR> +Young Pallas shone conspicuous o'er the rest;<BR> +Gilded his arms, embroider'd was his vest.<BR> +So, from the seas, exerts his radiant head<BR> +The star by whom the lights of heav'n are led;<BR> +Shakes from his rosy locks the pearly dews,<BR> +Dispels the darkness, and the day renews.<BR> +The trembling wives the walls and turrets crowd,<BR> +And follow, with their eyes, the dusty cloud,<BR> +Which winds disperse by fits, and shew from far<BR> +The blaze of arms, and shields, and shining war.<BR> +The troops, drawn up in beautiful array,<BR> +O'er heathy plains pursue the ready way.<BR> +Repeated peals of shouts are heard around;<BR> +The neighing coursers answer to the sound,<BR> +And shake with horny hoofs the solid ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A greenwood shade, for long religion known,<BR> +Stands by the streams that wash the Tuscan town,<BR> +Incompass'd round with gloomy hills above,<BR> +Which add a holy horror to the grove.<BR> +The first inhabitants of Grecian blood,<BR> +That sacred forest to Silvanus vow'd,<BR> +The guardian of their flocks and fields; and pay<BR> +Their due devotions on his annual day.<BR> +Not far from hence, along the river's side,<BR> +In tents secure, the Tuscan troops abide,<BR> +By Tarchon led. Now, from a rising ground,<BR> +Aeneas cast his wond'ring eyes around,<BR> +And all the Tyrrhene army had in sight,<BR> +Stretch'd on the spacious plain from left to right.<BR> +Thether his warlike train the Trojan led,<BR> +Refresh'd his men, and wearied horses fed.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the mother goddess, crown'd with charms,<BR> +Breaks thro' the clouds, and brings the fated arms.<BR> +Within a winding vale she finds her son,<BR> +On the cool river's banks, retir'd alone.<BR> +She shews her heav'nly form without disguise,<BR> +And gives herself to his desiring eyes.<BR> +"Behold," she said, "perform'd in ev'ry part,<BR> +My promise made, and Vulcan's labor'd art.<BR> +Now seek, secure, the Latian enemy,<BR> +And haughty Turnus to the field defy."<BR> +She said; and, having first her son embrac'd,<BR> +The radiant arms beneath an oak she plac'd,<BR> +Proud of the gift, he roll'd his greedy sight<BR> +Around the work, and gaz'd with vast delight.<BR> +He lifts, he turns, he poises, and admires<BR> +The crested helm, that vomits radiant fires:<BR> +His hands the fatal sword and corslet hold,<BR> +One keen with temper'd steel, one stiff with gold:<BR> +Both ample, flaming both, and beamy bright;<BR> +So shines a cloud, when edg'd with adverse light.<BR> +He shakes the pointed spear, and longs to try<BR> +The plated cuishes on his manly thigh;<BR> +But most admires the shield's mysterious mold,<BR> +And Roman triumphs rising on the gold:<BR> +For these, emboss'd, the heav'nly smith had wrought<BR> +(Not in the rolls of future fate untaught)<BR> +The wars in order, and the race divine<BR> +Of warriors issuing from the Julian line.<BR> +The cave of Mars was dress'd with mossy greens:<BR> +There, by the wolf, were laid the martial twins.<BR> +Intrepid on her swelling dugs they hung;<BR> +The foster dam loll'd out her fawning tongue:<BR> +They suck'd secure, while, bending back her head,<BR> +She lick'd their tender limbs, and form'd them as they fed.<BR> +Not far from thence new Rome appears, with games<BR> +Projected for the rape of Sabine dames.<BR> +The pit resounds with shrieks; a war succeeds,<BR> +For breach of public faith, and unexampled deeds.<BR> +Here for revenge the Sabine troops contend;<BR> +The Romans there with arms the prey defend.<BR> +Wearied with tedious war, at length they cease;<BR> +And both the kings and kingdoms plight the peace.<BR> +The friendly chiefs before Jove's altar stand,<BR> +Both arm'd, with each a charger in his hand:<BR> +A fatted sow for sacrifice is led,<BR> +With imprecations on the perjur'd head.<BR> +Near this, the traitor Metius, stretch'd between<BR> +Four fiery steeds, is dragg'd along the green,<BR> +By Tullus' doom: the brambles drink his blood,<BR> +And his torn limbs are left the vulture's food.<BR> +There, Porsena to Rome proud Tarquin brings,<BR> +And would by force restore the banish'd kings.<BR> +One tyrant for his fellow-tyrant fights;<BR> +The Roman youth assert their native rights.<BR> +Before the town the Tuscan army lies,<BR> +To win by famine, or by fraud surprise.<BR> +Their king, half-threat'ning, half-disdaining stood,<BR> +While Cocles broke the bridge, and stemm'd the flood.<BR> +The captive maids there tempt the raging tide,<BR> +Scap'd from their chains, with Cloelia for their guide.<BR> +High on a rock heroic Manlius stood,<BR> +To guard the temple, and the temple's god.<BR> +Then Rome was poor; and there you might behold<BR> +The palace thatch'd with straw, now roof'd with gold.<BR> +The silver goose before the shining gate<BR> +There flew, and, by her cackle, sav'd the state.<BR> +She told the Gauls' approach; th' approaching Gauls,<BR> +Obscure in night, ascend, and seize the walls.<BR> +The gold dissembled well their yellow hair,<BR> +And golden chains on their white necks they wear.<BR> +Gold are their vests; long Alpine spears they wield,<BR> +And their left arm sustains a length of shield.<BR> +Hard by, the leaping Salian priests advance;<BR> +And naked thro' the streets the mad Luperci dance,<BR> +In caps of wool; the targets dropp'd from heav'n.<BR> +Here modest matrons, in soft litters driv'n,<BR> +To pay their vows in solemn pomp appear,<BR> +And odorous gums in their chaste hands they bear.<BR> +Far hence remov'd, the Stygian seats are seen;<BR> +Pains of the damn'd, and punish'd Catiline<BR> +Hung on a rock- the traitor; and, around,<BR> +The Furies hissing from the nether ground.<BR> +Apart from these, the happy souls he draws,<BR> +And Cato's holy ghost dispensing laws.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Betwixt the quarters flows a golden sea;<BR> +But foaming surges there in silver play.<BR> +The dancing dolphins with their tails divide<BR> +The glitt'ring waves, and cut the precious tide.<BR> +Amid the main, two mighty fleets engage<BR> +Their brazen beaks, oppos'd with equal rage.<BR> +Actium surveys the well-disputed prize;<BR> +Leucate's wat'ry plain with foamy billows fries.<BR> +Young Caesar, on the stern, in armor bright,<BR> +Here leads the Romans and their gods to fight:<BR> +His beamy temples shoot their flames afar,<BR> +And o'er his head is hung the Julian star.<BR> +Agrippa seconds him, with prosp'rous gales,<BR> +And, with propitious gods, his foes assails:<BR> +A naval crown, that binds his manly brows,<BR> +The happy fortune of the fight foreshows.<BR> +Rang'd on the line oppos'd, Antonius brings<BR> +Barbarian aids, and troops of Eastern kings;<BR> +Th' Arabians near, and Bactrians from afar,<BR> +Of tongues discordant, and a mingled war:<BR> +And, rich in gaudy robes, amidst the strife,<BR> +His ill fate follows him- th' Egyptian wife.<BR> +Moving they fight; with oars and forky prows<BR> +The froth is gather'd, and the water glows.<BR> +It seems, as if the Cyclades again<BR> +Were rooted up, and justled in the main;<BR> +Or floating mountains floating mountains meet;<BR> +Such is the fierce encounter of the fleet.<BR> +Fireballs are thrown, and pointed jav'lins fly;<BR> +The fields of Neptune take a purple dye.<BR> +The queen herself, amidst the loud alarms,<BR> +With cymbals toss'd her fainting soldiers warms-<BR> +Fool as she was! who had not yet divin'd<BR> +Her cruel fate, nor saw the snakes behind.<BR> +Her country gods, the monsters of the sky,<BR> +Great Neptune, Pallas, and Love's Queen defy:<BR> +The dog Anubis barks, but barks in vain,<BR> +Nor longer dares oppose th' ethereal train.<BR> +Mars in the middle of the shining shield<BR> +Is grav'd, and strides along the liquid field.<BR> +The Dirae souse from heav'n with swift descent;<BR> +And Discord, dyed in blood, with garments rent,<BR> +Divides the prease: her steps Bellona treads,<BR> +And shakes her iron rod above their heads.<BR> +This seen, Apollo, from his Actian height,<BR> +Pours down his arrows; at whose winged flight<BR> +The trembling Indians and Egyptians yield,<BR> +And soft Sabaeans quit the wat'ry field.<BR> +The fatal mistress hoists her silken sails,<BR> +And, shrinking from the fight, invokes the gales.<BR> +Aghast she looks, and heaves her breast for breath,<BR> +Panting, and pale with fear of future death.<BR> +The god had figur'd her as driv'n along<BR> +By winds and waves, and scudding thro' the throng.<BR> +Just opposite, sad Nilus opens wide<BR> +His arms and ample bosom to the tide,<BR> +And spreads his mantle o'er the winding coast,<BR> +In which he wraps his queen, and hides the flying host.<BR> +The victor to the gods his thanks express'd,<BR> +And Rome, triumphant, with his presence bless'd.<BR> +Three hundred temples in the town he plac'd;<BR> +With spoils and altars ev'ry temple grac'd.<BR> +Three shining nights, and three succeeding days,<BR> +The fields resound with shouts, the streets with praise,<BR> +The domes with songs, the theaters with plays.<BR> +All altars flame: before each altar lies,<BR> +Drench'd in his gore, the destin'd sacrifice.<BR> +Great Caesar sits sublime upon his throne,<BR> +Before Apollo's porch of Parian stone;<BR> +Accepts the presents vow'd for victory,<BR> +And hangs the monumental crowns on high.<BR> +Vast crowds of vanquish'd nations march along,<BR> +Various in arms, in habit, and in tongue.<BR> +Here, Mulciber assigns the proper place<BR> +For Carians, and th' ungirt Numidian race;<BR> +Then ranks the Thracians in the second row,<BR> +With Scythians, expert in the dart and bow.<BR> +And here the tam'd Euphrates humbly glides,<BR> +And there the Rhine submits her swelling tides,<BR> +And proud Araxes, whom no bridge could bind;<BR> +The Danes' unconquer'd offspring march behind,<BR> +And Morini, the last of humankind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +These figures, on the shield divinely wrought,<BR> +By Vulcan labor'd, and by Venus brought,<BR> +With joy and wonder fill the hero's thought.<BR> +Unknown the names, he yet admires the grace,<BR> +And bears aloft the fame and fortune of his race.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book09"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK IX<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While these affairs in distant places pass'd,<BR> +The various Iris Juno sends with haste,<BR> +To find bold Turnus, who, with anxious thought,<BR> +The secret shade of his great grandsire sought.<BR> +Retir'd alone she found the daring man,<BR> +And op'd her rosy lips, and thus began:<BR> +"What none of all the gods could grant thy vows,<BR> +That, Turnus, this auspicious day bestows.<BR> +Aeneas, gone to seek th' Arcadian prince,<BR> +Has left the Trojan camp without defense;<BR> +And, short of succors there, employs his pains<BR> +In parts remote to raise the Tuscan swains.<BR> +Now snatch an hour that favors thy designs;<BR> +Unite thy forces, and attack their lines."<BR> +This said, on equal wings she pois'd her weight,<BR> +And form'd a radiant rainbow in her flight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Daunian hero lifts his hands eyes,<BR> +And thus invokes the goddess as she flies:<BR> +"Iris, the grace of heav'n, what pow'r divine<BR> +Has sent thee down, thro' dusky clouds to shine?<BR> +See, they divide; immortal day appears,<BR> +And glitt'ring planets dancing in their spheres!<BR> +With joy, these happy omens I obey,<BR> +And follow to the war the god that leads the way."<BR> +Thus having said, as by the brook he stood,<BR> +He scoop'd the water from the crystal flood;<BR> +Then with his hands the drops to heav'n he throws,<BR> +And loads the pow'rs above with offer'd vows.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now march the bold confed'rates thro' the plain,<BR> +Well hors'd, well clad; a rich and shining train.<BR> +Messapus leads the van; and, in the rear,<BR> +The sons of Tyrrheus in bright arms appear.<BR> +In the main battle, with his flaming crest,<BR> +The mighty Turnus tow'rs above the rest.<BR> +Silent they move, majestically slow,<BR> +Like ebbing Nile, or Ganges in his flow.<BR> +The Trojans view the dusty cloud from far,<BR> +And the dark menace of the distant war.<BR> +Caicus from the rampire saw it rise,<BR> +Black'ning the fields, and thick'ning thro' the skies.<BR> +Then to his fellows thus aloud he calls:<BR> +"What rolling clouds, my friends, approach the walls?<BR> +Arm! arm! and man the works! prepare your spears<BR> +And pointed darts! the Latian host appears."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus warn'd, they shut their gates; with shouts ascend<BR> +The bulwarks, and, secure, their foes attend:<BR> +For their wise gen'ral, with foreseeing care,<BR> +Had charg'd them not to tempt the doubtful war,<BR> +Nor, tho' provok'd, in open fields advance,<BR> +But close within their lines attend their chance.<BR> +Unwilling, yet they keep the strict command,<BR> +And sourly wait in arms the hostile band.<BR> +The fiery Turnus flew before the rest:<BR> +A piebald steed of Thracian strain he press'd;<BR> +His helm of massy gold, and crimson was his crest.<BR> +With twenty horse to second his designs,<BR> +An unexpected foe, he fac'd the lines.<BR> +"Is there," he said, "in arms, who bravely dare<BR> +His leader's honor and his danger share?"<BR> +Then spurring on, his brandish'd dart he threw,<BR> +In sign of war: applauding shouts ensue.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amaz'd to find a dastard race, that run<BR> +Behind the rampires and the battle shun,<BR> +He rides around the camp, with rolling eyes,<BR> +And stops at ev'ry post, and ev'ry passage tries.<BR> +So roams the nightly wolf about the fold:<BR> +Wet with descending show'rs, and stiff with cold,<BR> +He howls for hunger, and he grins for pain,<BR> +(His gnashing teeth are exercis'd in vain,)<BR> +And, impotent of anger, finds no way<BR> +In his distended paws to grasp the prey.<BR> +The mothers listen; but the bleating lambs<BR> +Securely swig the dug, beneath the dams.<BR> +Thus ranges eager Turnus o'er the plain.<BR> +Sharp with desire, and furious with disdain;<BR> +Surveys each passage with a piercing sight,<BR> +To force his foes in equal field to fight.<BR> +Thus while he gazes round, at length he spies,<BR> +Where, fenc'd with strong redoubts, their navy lies,<BR> +Close underneath the walls; the washing tide<BR> +Secures from all approach this weaker side.<BR> +He takes the wish'd occasion, fills his hand<BR> +With ready fires, and shakes a flaming brand.<BR> +Urg'd by his presence, ev'ry soul is warm'd,<BR> +And ev'ry hand with kindled firs is arm'd.<BR> +From the fir'd pines the scatt'ring sparkles fly;<BR> +Fat vapors, mix'd with flames, involve the sky.<BR> +What pow'r, O Muses, could avert the flame<BR> +Which threaten'd, in the fleet, the Trojan name?<BR> +Tell: for the fact, thro' length of time obscure,<BR> +Is hard to faith; yet shall the fame endure.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +'T is said that, when the chief prepar'd his flight,<BR> +And fell'd his timber from Mount Ida's height,<BR> +The grandam goddess then approach'd her son,<BR> +And with a mother's majesty begun:<BR> +"Grant me," she said, "the sole request I bring,<BR> +Since conquer'd heav'n has own'd you for its king.<BR> +On Ida's brows, for ages past, there stood,<BR> +With firs and maples fill'd, a shady wood;<BR> +And on the summit rose a sacred grove,<BR> +Where I was worship'd with religious love.<BR> +Those woods, that holy grove, my long delight,<BR> +I gave the Trojan prince, to speed his flight.<BR> +Now, fill'd with fear, on their behalf I come;<BR> +Let neither winds o'erset, nor waves intomb<BR> +The floating forests of the sacred pine;<BR> +But let it be their safety to be mine."<BR> +Then thus replied her awful son, who rolls<BR> +The radiant stars, and heav'n and earth controls:<BR> +"How dare you, mother, endless date demand<BR> +For vessels molded by a mortal hand?<BR> +What then is fate? Shall bold Aeneas ride,<BR> +Of safety certain, on th' uncertain tide?<BR> +Yet, what I can, I grant; when, wafted o'er,<BR> +The chief is landed on the Latian shore,<BR> +Whatever ships escape the raging storms,<BR> +At my command shall change their fading forms<BR> +To nymphs divine, and plow the wat'ry way,<BR> +Like Dotis and the daughters of the sea."<BR> +To seal his sacred vow, by Styx he swore,<BR> +The lake of liquid pitch, the dreary shore,<BR> +And Phlegethon's innavigable flood,<BR> +And the black regions of his brother god.<BR> +He said; and shook the skies with his imperial nod.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now at length the number'd hours were come,<BR> +Prefix'd by fate's irrevocable doom,<BR> +When the great Mother of the Gods was free<BR> +To save her ships, and finish Jove's decree.<BR> +First, from the quarter of the morn, there sprung<BR> +A light that sign'd the heav'ns, and shot along;<BR> +Then from a cloud, fring'd round with golden fires,<BR> +Were timbrels heard, and Berecynthian choirs;<BR> +And, last, a voice, with more than mortal sounds,<BR> +Both hosts, in arms oppos'd, with equal horror wounds:<BR> +"O Trojan race, your needless aid forbear,<BR> +And know, my ships are my peculiar care.<BR> +With greater ease the bold Rutulian may,<BR> +With hissing brands, attempt to burn the sea,<BR> +Than singe my sacred pines. But you, my charge,<BR> +Loos'd from your crooked anchors, launch at large,<BR> +Exalted each a nymph: forsake the sand,<BR> +And swim the seas, at Cybele's command."<BR> +No sooner had the goddess ceas'd to speak,<BR> +When, lo! th' obedient ships their haulsers break;<BR> +And, strange to tell, like dolphins, in the main<BR> +They plunge their prows, and dive, and spring again:<BR> +As many beauteous maids the billows sweep,<BR> +As rode before tall vessels on the deep.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The foes, surpris'd with wonder, stood aghast;<BR> +Messapus curb'd his fiery courser's haste;<BR> +Old Tiber roar'd, and, raising up his head,<BR> +Call'd back his waters to their oozy bed.<BR> +Turnus alone, undaunted, bore the shock,<BR> +And with these words his trembling troops bespoke:<BR> +"These monsters for the Trojans' fate are meant,<BR> +And are by Jove for black presages sent.<BR> +He takes the cowards' last relief away;<BR> +For fly they cannot, and, constrain'd to stay,<BR> +Must yield unfought, a base inglorious prey.<BR> +The liquid half of all the globe is lost;<BR> +Heav'n shuts the seas, and we secure the coast.<BR> +Theirs is no more than that small spot of ground<BR> +Which myriads of our martial men surround.<BR> +Their fates I fear not, or vain oracles.<BR> +'T was giv'n to Venus they should cross the seas,<BR> +And land secure upon the Latian plains:<BR> +Their promis'd hour is pass'd, and mine remains.<BR> +'T is in the fate of Turnus to destroy,<BR> +With sword and fire, the faithless race of Troy.<BR> +Shall such affronts as these alone inflame<BR> +The Grecian brothers, and the Grecian name?<BR> +My cause and theirs is one; a fatal strife,<BR> +And final ruin, for a ravish'd wife.<BR> +Was 't not enough, that, punish'd for the crime,<BR> +They fell; but will they fall a second time?<BR> +One would have thought they paid enough before,<BR> +To curse the costly sex, and durst offend no more.<BR> +Can they securely trust their feeble wall,<BR> +A slight partition, a thin interval,<BR> +Betwixt their fate and them; when Troy, tho' built<BR> +By hands divine, yet perish'd by their guilt?<BR> +Lend me, for once, my friends, your valiant hands,<BR> +To force from out their lines these dastard bands.<BR> +Less than a thousand ships will end this war,<BR> +Nor Vulcan needs his fated arms prepare.<BR> +Let all the Tuscans, all th' Arcadians, join!<BR> +Nor these, nor those, shall frustrate my design.<BR> +Let them not fear the treasons of the night,<BR> +The robb'd Palladium, the pretended flight:<BR> +Our onset shall be made in open light.<BR> +No wooden engine shall their town betray;<BR> +Fires they shall have around, but fires by day.<BR> +No Grecian babes before their camp appear,<BR> +Whom Hector's arms detain'd to the tenth tardy year.<BR> +Now, since the sun is rolling to the west,<BR> +Give we the silent night to needful rest:<BR> +Refresh your bodies, and your arms prepare;<BR> +The morn shall end the small remains of war."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The post of honor to Messapus falls,<BR> +To keep the nightly guard, to watch the walls,<BR> +To pitch the fires at distances around,<BR> +And close the Trojans in their scanty ground.<BR> +Twice seven Rutulian captains ready stand,<BR> +And twice seven hundred horse these chiefs command;<BR> +All clad in shining arms the works invest,<BR> +Each with a radiant helm and waving crest.<BR> +Stretch'd at their length, they press the grassy ground;<BR> +They laugh, they sing, (the jolly bowls go round,)<BR> +With lights and cheerful fires renew the day,<BR> +And pass the wakeful night in feasts and play.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Trojans, from above, their foes beheld,<BR> +And with arm'd legions all the rampires fill'd.<BR> +Seiz'd with affright, their gates they first explore;<BR> +Join works to works with bridges, tow'r to tow'r:<BR> +Thus all things needful for defense abound.<BR> +Mnestheus and brave Seresthus walk the round,<BR> +Commission'd by their absent prince to share<BR> +The common danger, and divide the care.<BR> +The soldiers draw their lots, and, as they fall,<BR> +By turns relieve each other on the wall.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nigh where the foes their utmost guards advance,<BR> +To watch the gate was warlike Nisus' chance.<BR> +His father Hyrtacus of noble blood;<BR> +His mother was a huntress of the wood,<BR> +And sent him to the wars. Well could he bear<BR> +His lance in fight, and dart the flying spear,<BR> +But better skill'd unerring shafts to send.<BR> +Beside him stood Euryalus, his friend:<BR> +Euryalus, than whom the Trojan host<BR> +No fairer face, or sweeter air, could boast-<BR> +Scarce had the down to shade his cheeks begun.<BR> +One was their care, and their delight was one:<BR> +One common hazard in the war they shar'd,<BR> +And now were both by choice upon the guard.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Nisus thus: "Or do the gods inspire<BR> +This warmth, or make we gods of our desire?<BR> +A gen'rous ardor boils within my breast,<BR> +Eager of action, enemy to rest:<BR> +This urges me to fight, and fires my mind<BR> +To leave a memorable name behind.<BR> +Thou see'st the foe secure; how faintly shine<BR> +Their scatter'd fires! the most, in sleep supine<BR> +Along the ground, an easy conquest lie:<BR> +The wakeful few the fuming flagon ply;<BR> +All hush'd around. Now hear what I revolve-<BR> +A thought unripe- and scarcely yet resolve.<BR> +Our absent prince both camp and council mourn;<BR> +By message both would hasten his return:<BR> +If they confer what I demand on thee,<BR> +(For fame is recompense enough for me,)<BR> +Methinks, beneath yon hill, I have espied<BR> +A way that safely will my passage guide."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Euryalus stood list'ning while he spoke,<BR> +With love of praise and noble envy struck;<BR> +Then to his ardent friend expos'd his mind:<BR> +"All this, alone, and leaving me behind!<BR> +Am I unworthy, Nisus, to be join'd?<BR> +Thinkist thou I can my share of glory yield,<BR> +Or send thee unassisted to the field?<BR> +Not so my father taught my childhood arms;<BR> +Born in a siege, and bred among alarms!<BR> +Nor is my youth unworthy of my friend,<BR> +Nor of the heav'n-born hero I attend.<BR> +The thing call'd life, with ease I can disclaim,<BR> +And think it over-sold to purchase fame."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Nisus thus: "Alas! thy tender years<BR> +Would minister new matter to my fears.<BR> +So may the gods, who view this friendly strife,<BR> +Restore me to thy lov'd embrace with life,<BR> +Condemn'd to pay my vows, (as sure I trust,)<BR> +This thy request is cruel and unjust.<BR> +But if some chance- as many chances are,<BR> +And doubtful hazards, in the deeds of war-<BR> +If one should reach my head, there let it fall,<BR> +And spare thy life; I would not perish all.<BR> +Thy bloomy youth deserves a longer date:<BR> +Live thou to mourn thy love's unhappy fate;<BR> +To bear my mangled body from the foe,<BR> +Or buy it back, and fun'ral rites bestow.<BR> +Or, if hard fortune shall those dues deny,<BR> +Thou canst at least an empty tomb supply.<BR> +O let not me the widow's tears renew!<BR> +Nor let a mother's curse my name pursue:<BR> +Thy pious parent, who, for love of thee,<BR> +Forsook the coasts of friendly Sicily,<BR> +Her age committing to the seas and wind,<BR> +When ev'ry weary matron stay'd behind."<BR> +To this, Euryalus: "You plead in vain,<BR> +And but protract the cause you cannot gain.<BR> +No more delays, but haste!" With that, he wakes<BR> +The nodding watch; each to his office takes.<BR> +The guard reliev'd, the gen'rous couple went<BR> +To find the council at the royal tent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +All creatures else forgot their daily care,<BR> +And sleep, the common gift of nature, share;<BR> +Except the Trojan peers, who wakeful sate<BR> +In nightly council for th' indanger'd state.<BR> +They vote a message to their absent chief,<BR> +Shew their distress, and beg a swift relief.<BR> +Amid the camp a silent seat they chose,<BR> +Remote from clamor, and secure from foes.<BR> +On their left arms their ample shields they bear,<BR> +The right reclin'd upon the bending spear.<BR> +Now Nisus and his friend approach the guard,<BR> +And beg admission, eager to be heard:<BR> +Th' affair important, not to be deferr'd.<BR> +Ascanius bids 'em be conducted in,<BR> +Ord'ring the more experienc'd to begin.<BR> +Then Nisus thus: "Ye fathers, lend your ears;<BR> +Nor judge our bold attempt beyond our years.<BR> +The foe, securely drench'd in sleep and wine,<BR> +Neglect their watch; the fires but thinly shine;<BR> +And where the smoke in cloudy vapors flies,<BR> +Cov'ring the plain, and curling to the skies,<BR> +Betwixt two paths, which at the gate divide,<BR> +Close by the sea, a passage we have spied,<BR> +Which will our way to great Aeneas guide.<BR> +Expect each hour to see him safe again,<BR> +Loaded with spoils of foes in battle slain.<BR> +Snatch we the lucky minute while we may;<BR> +Nor can we be mistaken in the way;<BR> +For, hunting in the vale, we both have seen<BR> +The rising turrets, and the stream between,<BR> +And know the winding course, with ev'ry ford."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He ceas'd; and old Alethes took the word:<BR> +"Our country gods, in whom our trust we place,<BR> +Will yet from ruin save the Trojan race,<BR> +While we behold such dauntless worth appear<BR> +In dawning youth, and souls so void of fear."<BR> +Then into tears of joy the father broke;<BR> +Each in his longing arms by turns he took;<BR> +Panted and paus'd; and thus again he spoke:<BR> +"Ye brave young men, what equal gifts can we,<BR> +In recompense of such desert, decree?<BR> +The greatest, sure, and best you can receive,<BR> +The gods and your own conscious worth will give.<BR> +The rest our grateful gen'ral will bestow,<BR> +And young Ascanius till his manhood owe."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"And I, whose welfare in my father lies,"<BR> +Ascanius adds, "by the great deities,<BR> +By my dear country, by my household gods,<BR> +By hoary Vesta's rites and dark abodes,<BR> +Adjure you both, (on you my fortune stands;<BR> +That and my faith I plight into your hands,)<BR> +Make me but happy in his safe return,<BR> +Whose wanted presence I can only mourn;<BR> +Your common gift shall two large goblets be<BR> +Of silver, wrought with curious imagery,<BR> +And high emboss'd, which, when old Priam reign'd,<BR> +My conqu'ring sire at sack'd Arisba gain'd;<BR> +And more, two tripods cast in antic mold,<BR> +With two great talents of the finest gold;<BR> +Beside a costly bowl, ingrav'd with art,<BR> +Which Dido gave, when first she gave her heart.<BR> +But, if in conquer'd Italy we reign,<BR> +When spoils by lot the victor shall obtain-<BR> +Thou saw'st the courser by proud Turnus press'd:<BR> +That, Nisus, and his arms, and nodding crest,<BR> +And shield, from chance exempt, shall be thy share:<BR> +Twelve lab'ring slaves, twelve handmaids young and fair<BR> +All clad in rich attire, and train'd with care;<BR> +And, last, a Latian field with fruitful plains,<BR> +And a large portion of the king's domains.<BR> +But thou, whose years are more to mine allied-<BR> +No fate my vow'd affection shall divide<BR> +From thee, heroic youth! Be wholly mine;<BR> +Take full possession; all my soul is thine.<BR> +One faith, one fame, one fate, shall both attend;<BR> +My life's companion, and my bosom friend:<BR> +My peace shall be committed to thy care,<BR> +And to thy conduct my concerns in war."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus the young Euryalus replied:<BR> +"Whatever fortune, good or bad, betide,<BR> +The same shall be my age, as now my youth;<BR> +No time shall find me wanting to my truth.<BR> +This only from your goodness let me gain<BR> +(And, this ungranted, all rewards are vain)<BR> +Of Priam's royal race my mother came-<BR> +And sure the best that ever bore the name-<BR> +Whom neither Troy nor Sicily could hold<BR> +From me departing, but, o'erspent and old,<BR> +My fate she follow'd. Ignorant of this<BR> +(Whatever) danger, neither parting kiss,<BR> +Nor pious blessing taken, her I leave,<BR> +And in this only act of all my life deceive.<BR> +By this right hand and conscious Night I swear,<BR> +My soul so sad a farewell could not bear.<BR> +Be you her comfort; fill my vacant place<BR> +(Permit me to presume so great a grace)<BR> +Support her age, forsaken and distress'd.<BR> +That hope alone will fortify my breast<BR> +Against the worst of fortunes, and of fears."<BR> +He said. The mov'd assistants melt in tears.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus Ascanius, wonderstruck to see<BR> +That image of his filial piety:<BR> +"So great beginnings, in so green an age,<BR> +Exact the faith which I again ingage.<BR> +Thy mother all the dues shall justly claim,<BR> +Creusa had, and only want the name.<BR> +Whate'er event thy bold attempt shall have,<BR> +'T is merit to have borne a son so brave.<BR> +Now by my head, a sacred oath, I swear,<BR> +(My father us'd it,) what, returning here<BR> +Crown'd with success, I for thyself prepare,<BR> +That, if thou fail, shall thy lov'd mother share."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and weeping, while he spoke the word,<BR> +From his broad belt he drew a shining sword,<BR> +Magnificent with gold. Lycaon made,<BR> +And in an ivory scabbard sheath'd the blade.<BR> +This was his gift. Great Mnestheus gave his friend<BR> +A lion's hide, his body to defend;<BR> +And good Alethes furnish'd him, beside,<BR> +With his own trusty helm, of temper tried.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus arm'd they went. The noble Trojans wait<BR> +Their issuing forth, and follow to the gate<BR> +With prayers and vows. Above the rest appears<BR> +Ascanius, manly far beyond his years,<BR> +And messages committed to their care,<BR> +Which all in winds were lost, and flitting air.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The trenches first they pass'd; then took their way<BR> +Where their proud foes in pitch'd pavilions lay;<BR> +To many fatal, ere themselves were slain.<BR> +They found the careless host dispers'd upon the plain,<BR> +Who, gorg'd, and drunk with wine, supinely snore.<BR> +Unharness'd chariots stand along the shore:<BR> +Amidst the wheels and reins, the goblet by,<BR> +A medley of debauch and war, they lie.<BR> +Observing Nisus shew'd his friend the sight:<BR> +"Behold a conquest gain'd without a fight.<BR> +Occasion offers, and I stand prepar'd;<BR> +There lies our way; be thou upon the guard,<BR> +And look around, while I securely go,<BR> +And hew a passage thro' the sleeping foe."<BR> +Softly he spoke; then striding took his way,<BR> +With his drawn sword, where haughty Rhamnes lay;<BR> +His head rais'd high on tapestry beneath,<BR> +And heaving from his breast, he drew his breath;<BR> +A king and prophet, by King Turnus lov'd:<BR> +But fate by prescience cannot be remov'd.<BR> +Him and his sleeping slaves he slew; then spies<BR> +Where Remus, with his rich retinue, lies.<BR> +His armor-bearer first, and next he kills<BR> +His charioteer, intrench'd betwixt the wheels<BR> +And his lov'd horses; last invades their lord;<BR> +Full on his neck he drives the fatal sword:<BR> +The gasping head flies off; a purple flood<BR> +Flows from the trunk, that welters in the blood,<BR> +Which, by the spurning heels dispers'd around,<BR> +The bed besprinkles and bedews the ground.<BR> +Lamus the bold, and Lamyrus the strong,<BR> +He slew, and then Serranus fair and young.<BR> +From dice and wine the youth retir'd to rest,<BR> +And puff'd the fumy god from out his breast:<BR> +Ev'n then he dreamt of drink and lucky play-<BR> +More lucky, had it lasted till the day.<BR> +The famish'd lion thus, with hunger bold,<BR> +O'erleaps the fences of the nightly fold,<BR> +And tears the peaceful flocks: with silent awe<BR> +Trembling they lie, and pant beneath his paw.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor with less rage Euryalus employs<BR> +The wrathful sword, or fewer foes destroys;<BR> +But on th' ignoble crowd his fury flew;<BR> +He Fadus, Hebesus, and Rhoetus slew.<BR> +Oppress'd with heavy sleep the former fell,<BR> +But Rhoetus wakeful, and observing all:<BR> +Behind a spacious jar he slink'd for fear;<BR> +The fatal iron found and reach'd him there;<BR> +For, as he rose, it pierc'd his naked side,<BR> +And, reeking, thence return'd in crimson dyed.<BR> +The wound pours out a stream of wine and blood;<BR> +The purple soul comes floating in the flood.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, where Messapus quarter'd, they arrive.<BR> +The fires were fainting there, and just alive;<BR> +The warrior-horses, tied in order, fed.<BR> +Nisus observ'd the discipline, and said:<BR> +"Our eager thirst of blood may both betray;<BR> +And see the scatter'd streaks of dawning day,<BR> +Foe to nocturnal thefts. No more, my friend;<BR> +Here let our glutted execution end.<BR> +A lane thro' slaughter'd bodies we have made."<BR> +The bold Euryalus, tho' loth, obey'd.<BR> +Of arms, and arras, and of plate, they find<BR> +A precious load; but these they leave behind.<BR> +Yet, fond of gaudy spoils, the boy would stay<BR> +To make the rich caparison his prey,<BR> +Which on the steed of conquer'd Rhamnes lay.<BR> +Nor did his eyes less longingly behold<BR> +The girdle-belt, with nails of burnish'd gold.<BR> +This present Caedicus the rich bestow'd<BR> +On Remulus, when friendship first they vow'd,<BR> +And, absent, join'd in hospitable ties:<BR> +He, dying, to his heir bequeath'd the prize;<BR> +Till, by the conqu'ring Ardean troops oppress'd,<BR> +He fell; and they the glorious gift possess'd.<BR> +These glitt'ring spoils (now made the victor's gain)<BR> +He to his body suits, but suits in vain:<BR> +Messapus' helm he finds among the rest,<BR> +And laces on, and wears the waving crest.<BR> +Proud of their conquest, prouder of their prey,<BR> +They leave the camp, and take the ready way.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But far they had not pass'd, before they spied<BR> +Three hundred horse, with Volscens for their guide.<BR> +The queen a legion to King Turnus sent;<BR> +But the swift horse the slower foot prevent,<BR> +And now, advancing, sought the leader's tent.<BR> +They saw the pair; for, thro' the doubtful shade,<BR> +His shining helm Euryalus betray'd,<BR> +On which the moon with full reflection play'd.<BR> +"'T is not for naught," cried Volscens from the crowd,<BR> +"These men go there;" then rais'd his voice aloud:<BR> +"Stand! stand! why thus in arms? And whither bent?<BR> +From whence, to whom, and on what errand sent?"<BR> +Silent they scud away, and haste their flight<BR> +To neighb'ring woods, and trust themselves to night.<BR> +The speedy horse all passages belay,<BR> +And spur their smoking steeds to cross their way,<BR> +And watch each entrance of the winding wood.<BR> +Black was the forest: thick with beech it stood,<BR> +Horrid with fern, and intricate with thorn;<BR> +Few paths of human feet, or tracks of beasts, were worn.<BR> +The darkness of the shades, his heavy prey,<BR> +And fear, misled the younger from his way.<BR> +But Nisus hit the turns with happier haste,<BR> +And, thoughtless of his friend, the forest pass'd,<BR> +And Alban plains, from Alba's name so call'd,<BR> +Where King Latinus then his oxen stall'd;<BR> +Till, turning at the length, he stood his ground,<BR> +And miss'd his friend, and cast his eyes around:<BR> +"Ah wretch!" he cried, "where have I left behind<BR> +Th' unhappy youth? where shall I hope to find?<BR> +Or what way take?" Again he ventures back,<BR> +And treads the mazes of his former track.<BR> +He winds the wood, and, list'ning, hears the noise<BR> +Of tramping coursers, and the riders' voice.<BR> +The sound approach'd; and suddenly he view'd<BR> +The foes inclosing, and his friend pursued,<BR> +Forelaid and taken, while he strove in vain<BR> +The shelter of the friendly shades to gain.<BR> +What should he next attempt? what arms employ,<BR> +What fruitless force, to free the captive boy?<BR> +Or desperate should he rush and lose his life,<BR> +With odds oppress'd, in such unequal strife?<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Resolv'd at length, his pointed spear he shook;<BR> +And, casting on the moon a mournful look:<BR> +"Guardian of groves, and goddess of the night,<BR> +Fair queen," he said, "direct my dart aright.<BR> +If e'er my pious father, for my sake,<BR> +Did grateful off'rings on thy altars make,<BR> +Or I increas'd them with my sylvan toils,<BR> +And hung thy holy roofs with savage spoils,<BR> +Give me to scatter these." Then from his ear<BR> +He pois'd, and aim'd, and launch'd the trembling spear.<BR> +The deadly weapon, hissing from the grove,<BR> +Impetuous on the back of Sulmo drove;<BR> +Pierc'd his thin armor, drank his vital blood,<BR> +And in his body left the broken wood.<BR> +He staggers round; his eyeballs roll in death,<BR> +And with short sobs he gasps away his breath.<BR> +All stand amaz'd- a second jav'lin flies<BR> +With equal strength, and quivers thro' the skies.<BR> +This thro' thy temples, Tagus, forc'd the way,<BR> +And in the brainpan warmly buried lay.<BR> +Fierce Volscens foams with rage, and, gazing round,<BR> +Descried not him who gave the fatal wound,<BR> +Nor knew to fix revenge: "But thou," he cries,<BR> +"Shalt pay for both," and at the pris'ner flies<BR> +With his drawn sword. Then, struck with deep despair,<BR> +That cruel sight the lover could not bear;<BR> +But from his covert rush'd in open view,<BR> +And sent his voice before him as he flew:<BR> +"Me! me!" he cried- "turn all your swords alone<BR> +On me- the fact confess'd, the fault my own.<BR> +He neither could nor durst, the guiltless youth:<BR> +Ye moon and stars, bear witness to the truth!<BR> +His only crime (if friendship can offend)<BR> +Is too much love to his unhappy friend."<BR> +Too late he speaks: the sword, which fury guides,<BR> +Driv'n with full force, had pierc'd his tender sides.<BR> +Down fell the beauteous youth: the yawning wound<BR> +Gush'd out a purple stream, and stain'd the ground.<BR> +His snowy neck reclines upon his breast,<BR> +Like a fair flow'r by the keen share oppress'd;<BR> +Like a white poppy sinking on the plain,<BR> +Whose heavy head is overcharg'd with rain.<BR> +Despair, and rage, and vengeance justly vow'd,<BR> +Drove Nisus headlong on the hostile crowd.<BR> +Volscens he seeks; on him alone he bends:<BR> +Borne back and bor'd by his surrounding friends,<BR> +Onward he press'd, and kept him still in sight;<BR> +Then whirl'd aloft his sword with all his might:<BR> +Th' unerring steel descended while he spoke,<BR> +Piered his wide mouth, and thro' his weazon broke.<BR> +Dying, he slew; and, stagg'ring on the plain,<BR> +With swimming eyes he sought his lover slain;<BR> +Then quiet on his bleeding bosom fell,<BR> +Content, in death, to be reveng'd so well.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +O happy friends! for, if my verse can give<BR> +Immortal life, your fame shall ever live,<BR> +Fix'd as the Capitol's foundation lies,<BR> +And spread, where'er the Roman eagle flies!<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The conqu'ring party first divide the prey,<BR> +Then their slain leader to the camp convey.<BR> +With wonder, as they went, the troops were fill'd,<BR> +To see such numbers whom so few had kill'd.<BR> +Serranus, Rhamnes, and the rest, they found:<BR> +Vast crowds the dying and the dead surround;<BR> +And the yet reeking blood o'erflows the ground.<BR> +All knew the helmet which Messapus lost,<BR> +But mourn'd a purchase that so dear had cost.<BR> +Now rose the ruddy morn from Tithon's bed,<BR> +And with the dawn of day the skies o'erspread;<BR> +Nor long the sun his daily course withheld,<BR> +But added colors to the world reveal'd:<BR> +When early Turnus, wak'ning with the light,<BR> +All clad in armor, calls his troops to fight.<BR> +His martial men with fierce harangue he fir'd,<BR> +And his own ardor in their souls inspir'd.<BR> +This done- to give new terror to his foes,<BR> +The heads of Nisus and his friend he shows,<BR> +Rais'd high on pointed spears- a ghastly sight:<BR> +Loud peals of shouts ensue, and barbarous delight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the Trojans run, where danger calls;<BR> +They line their trenches, and they man their walls.<BR> +In front extended to the left they stood;<BR> +Safe was the right, surrounded by the flood.<BR> +But, casting from their tow'rs a frightful view,<BR> +They saw the faces, which too well they knew,<BR> +Tho' then disguis'd in death, and smear'd all o'er<BR> +With filth obscene, and dropping putrid gore.<BR> +Soon hasty fame thro' the sad city bears<BR> +The mournful message to the mother's ears.<BR> +An icy cold benumbs her limbs; she shakes;<BR> +Her cheeks the blood, her hand the web forsakes.<BR> +She runs the rampires round amidst the war,<BR> +Nor fears the flying darts; she rends her hair,<BR> +And fills with loud laments the liquid air.<BR> +"Thus, then, my lov'd Euryalus appears!<BR> +Thus looks the prop my declining years!<BR> +Was't on this face my famish'd eyes I fed?<BR> +Ah! how unlike the living is the dead!<BR> +And could'st thou leave me, cruel, thus alone?<BR> +Not one kind kiss from a departing son!<BR> +No look, no last adieu before he went,<BR> +In an ill-boding hour to slaughter sent!<BR> +Cold on the ground, and pressing foreign clay,<BR> +To Latian dogs and fowls he lies a prey!<BR> +Nor was I near to close his dying eyes,<BR> +To wash his wounds, to weep his obsequies,<BR> +To call about his corpse his crying friends,<BR> +Or spread the mantle (made for other ends)<BR> +On his dear body, which I wove with care,<BR> +Nor did my daily pains or nightly labor spare.<BR> +Where shall I find his corpse? what earth sustains<BR> +His trunk dismember'd, and his cold remains?<BR> +For this, alas! I left my needful ease,<BR> +Expos'd my life to winds and winter seas!<BR> +If any pity touch Rutulian hearts,<BR> +Here empty all your quivers, all your darts;<BR> +Or, if they fail, thou, Jove, conclude my woe,<BR> +And send me thunderstruck to shades below!"<BR> +Her shrieks and clamors pierce the Trojans' ears,<BR> +Unman their courage, and augment their fears;<BR> +Nor young Ascanius could the sight sustain,<BR> +Nor old Ilioneus his tears restrain,<BR> +But Actor and Idaeus jointly sent,<BR> +To bear the madding mother to her tent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now the trumpets terribly, from far,<BR> +With rattling clangor, rouse the sleepy war.<BR> +The soldiers' shouts succeed the brazen sounds;<BR> +And heav'n, from pole to pole, the noise rebounds.<BR> +The Volscians bear their shields upon their head,<BR> +And, rushing forward, form a moving shed.<BR> +These fill the ditch; those pull the bulwarks down:<BR> +Some raise the ladders; others scale the town.<BR> +But, where void spaces on the walls appear,<BR> +Or thin defense, they pour their forces there.<BR> +With poles and missive weapons, from afar,<BR> +The Trojans keep aloof the rising war.<BR> +Taught, by their ten years' siege, defensive fight,<BR> +They roll down ribs of rocks, an unresisted weight,<BR> +To break the penthouse with the pond'rous blow,<BR> +Which yet the patient Volscians undergo:<BR> +But could not bear th' unequal combat long;<BR> +For, where the Trojans find the thickest throng,<BR> +The ruin falls: their shatter'd shields give way,<BR> +And their crush'd heads become an easy prey.<BR> +They shrink for fear, abated of their rage,<BR> +Nor longer dare in a blind fight engage;<BR> +Contented now to gall them from below<BR> +With darts and slings, and with the distant bow.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Elsewhere Mezentius, terrible to view,<BR> +A blazing pine within the trenches threw.<BR> +But brave Messapus, Neptune's warlike son,<BR> +Broke down the palisades, the trenches won,<BR> +And loud for ladders calls, to scale the town.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Calliope, begin! Ye sacred Nine,<BR> +Inspire your poet in his high design,<BR> +To sing what slaughter manly Turnus made,<BR> +What souls he sent below the Stygian shade,<BR> +What fame the soldiers with their captain share,<BR> +And the vast circuit of the fatal war;<BR> +For you in singing martial facts excel;<BR> +You best remember, and alone can tell.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +There stood a tow'r, amazing to the sight,<BR> +Built up of beams, and of stupendous height:<BR> +Art, and the nature of the place, conspir'd<BR> +To furnish all the strength that war requir'd.<BR> +To level this, the bold Italians join;<BR> +The wary Trojans obviate their design;<BR> +With weighty stones o'erwhelm their troops below,<BR> +Shoot thro' the loopholes, and sharp jav'lins throw.<BR> +Turnus, the chief, toss'd from his thund'ring hand<BR> +Against the wooden walls, a flaming brand:<BR> +It stuck, the fiery plague; the winds were high;<BR> +The planks were season'd, and the timber dry.<BR> +Contagion caught the posts; it spread along,<BR> +Scorch'd, and to distance drove the scatter'd throng.<BR> +The Trojans fled; the fire pursued amain,<BR> +Still gath'ring fast upon the trembling train;<BR> +Till, crowding to the corners of the wall,<BR> +Down the defense and the defenders fall.<BR> +The mighty flaw makes heav'n itself resound:<BR> +The dead and dying Trojans strew the ground.<BR> +The tow'r, that follow'd on the fallen crew,<BR> +Whelm'd o'er their heads, and buried whom it slew:<BR> +Some stuck upon the darts themselves had sent;<BR> +All the same equal ruin underwent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Young Lycus and Helenor only scape;<BR> +Sav'd- how, they know not- from the steepy leap.<BR> +Helenor, elder of the two: by birth,<BR> +On one side royal, one a son of earth,<BR> +Whom to the Lydian king Licymnia bare,<BR> +And sent her boasted bastard to the war<BR> +(A privilege which none but freemen share).<BR> +Slight were his arms, a sword and silver shield:<BR> +No marks of honor charg'd its empty field.<BR> +Light as he fell, so light the youth arose,<BR> +And rising, found himself amidst his foes;<BR> +Nor flight was left, nor hopes to force his way.<BR> +Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay;<BR> +And- like a stag, whom all the troop surrounds<BR> +Of eager huntsmen and invading hounds-<BR> +Resolv'd on death, he dissipates his fears,<BR> +And bounds aloft against the pointed spears:<BR> +So dares the youth, secure of death; and throws<BR> +His dying body on his thickest foes.<BR> +But Lycus, swifter of his feet by far,<BR> +Runs, doubles, winds and turns, amidst the war;<BR> +Springs to the walls, and leaves his foes behind,<BR> +And snatches at the beam he first can find;<BR> +Looks up, and leaps aloft at all the stretch,<BR> +In hopes the helping hand of some kind friend to reach.<BR> +But Turnus follow'd hard his hunted prey<BR> +(His spear had almost reach'd him in the way,<BR> +Short of his reins, and scarce a span behind)<BR> +"Fool!" said the chief, "tho' fleeter than the wind,<BR> +Couldst thou presume to scape, when I pursue?"<BR> +He said, and downward by the feet he drew<BR> +The trembling dastard; at the tug he falls;<BR> +Vast ruins come along, rent from the smoking walls.<BR> +Thus on some silver swan, or tim'rous hare,<BR> +Jove's bird comes sousing down from upper air;<BR> +Her crooked talons truss the fearful prey:<BR> +Then out of sight she soars, and wings her way.<BR> +So seizes the grim wolf the tender lamb,<BR> +In vain lamented by the bleating dam.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then rushing onward with a barb'rous cry,<BR> +The troops of Turnus to the combat fly.<BR> +The ditch with fagots fill'd, the daring foe<BR> +Toss'd firebrands to the steepy turrets throw.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Ilioneus, as bold Lucetius came<BR> +To force the gate, and feed the kindling flame,<BR> +Roll'd down the fragment of a rock so right,<BR> +It crush'd him double underneath the weight.<BR> +Two more young Liger and Asylas slew:<BR> +To bend the bow young Liger better knew;<BR> +Asylas best the pointed jav'lin threw.<BR> +Brave Caeneus laid Ortygius on the plain;<BR> +The victor Caeneus was by Turnus slain.<BR> +By the same hand, Clonius and Itys fall,<BR> +Sagar, and Ida, standing on the wall.<BR> +From Capys' arms his fate Privernus found:<BR> +Hurt by Themilla first-but slight the wound-<BR> +His shield thrown by, to mitigate the smart,<BR> +He clapp'd his hand upon the wounded part:<BR> +The second shaft came swift and unespied,<BR> +And pierc'd his hand, and nail'd it to his side,<BR> +Transfix'd his breathing lungs and beating heart:<BR> +The soul came issuing out, and hiss'd against the dart.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The son of Arcens shone amid the rest,<BR> +In glitt'ring armor and a purple vest,<BR> +(Fair was his face, his eyes inspiring love,)<BR> +Bred by his father in the Martian grove,<BR> +Where the fat altars of Palicus flame,<BR> +And send in arms to purchase early fame.<BR> +Him when he spied from far, the Tuscan king<BR> +Laid by the lance, and took him to the sling,<BR> +Thrice whirl'd the thong around his head, and threw:<BR> +The heated lead half melted as it flew;<BR> +It pierc'd his hollow temples and his brain;<BR> +The youth came tumbling down, and spurn'd the plain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then young Ascanius, who, before this day,<BR> +Was wont in woods to shoot the savage prey,<BR> +First bent in martial strife the twanging bow,<BR> +And exercis'd against a human foe-<BR> +With this bereft Numanus of his life,<BR> +Who Turnus' younger sister took to wife.<BR> +Proud of his realm, and of his royal bride,<BR> +Vaunting before his troops, and lengthen'd with a stride,<BR> +In these insulting terms the Trojans he defied:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Twice-conquer'd cowards, now your shame is shown-<BR> +Coop'd up a second time within your town!<BR> +Who dare not issue forth in open field,<BR> +But hold your walls before you for a shield.<BR> +Thus threat you war? thus our alliance force?<BR> +What gods, what madness, hether steer'd your course?<BR> +You shall not find the sons of Atreus here,<BR> +Nor need the frauds of sly Ulysses fear.<BR> +Strong from the cradle, of a sturdy brood,<BR> +We bear our newborn infants to the flood;<BR> +There bath'd amid the stream, our boys we hold,<BR> +With winter harden'd, and inur'd to cold.<BR> +They wake before the day to range the wood,<BR> +Kill ere they eat, nor taste unconquer'd food.<BR> +No sports, but what belong to war, they know:<BR> +To break the stubborn colt, to bend the bow.<BR> +Our youth, of labor patient, earn their bread;<BR> +Hardly they work, with frugal diet fed.<BR> +From plows and harrows sent to seek renown,<BR> +They fight in fields, and storm the shaken town.<BR> +No part of life from toils of war is free,<BR> +No change in age, or diff'rence in degree.<BR> +We plow and till in arms; our oxen feel,<BR> +Instead of goads, the spur and pointed steel;<BR> +Th' inverted lance makes furrows in the plain.<BR> +Ev'n time, that changes all, yet changes us in vain:<BR> +The body, not the mind; nor can control<BR> +Th' immortal vigor, or abate the soul.<BR> +Our helms defend the young, disguise the gray:<BR> +We live by plunder, and delight in prey.<BR> +Your vests embroider'd with rich purple shine;<BR> +In sloth you glory, and in dances join.<BR> +Your vests have sweeping sleeves; with female pride<BR> +Your turbants underneath your chins are tied.<BR> +Go, Phrygians, to your Dindymus again!<BR> +Go, less than women, in the shapes of men!<BR> +Go, mix'd with eunuchs, in the Mother's rites,<BR> +Where with unequal sound the flute invites;<BR> +Sing, dance, and howl, by turns, in Ida's shade:<BR> +Resign the war to men, who know the martial trade!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This foul reproach Ascanius could not hear<BR> +With patience, or a vow'd revenge forbear.<BR> +At the full stretch of both his hands he drew,<BR> +And almost join'd the horns of the tough yew.<BR> +But, first, before the throne of Jove he stood,<BR> +And thus with lifted hands invok'd the god:<BR> +"My first attempt, great Jupiter, succeed!<BR> +An annual off'ring in thy grove shall bleed;<BR> +A snow-white steer, before thy altar led,<BR> +Who, like his mother, bears aloft his head,<BR> +Butts with his threat'ning brows, and bellowing stands,<BR> +And dares the fight, and spurns the yellow sands."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Jove bow'd the heav'ns, and lent a gracious ear,<BR> +And thunder'd on the left, amidst the clear.<BR> +Sounded at once the bow; and swiftly flies<BR> +The feather'd death, and hisses thro' the skies.<BR> +The steel thro' both his temples forc'd the way:<BR> +Extended on the ground, Numanus lay.<BR> +"Go now, vain boaster, and true valor scorn!<BR> +The Phrygians, twice subdued, yet make this third return."<BR> +Ascanius said no more. The Trojans shake<BR> +The heav'ns with shouting, and new vigor take.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Apollo then bestrode a golden cloud,<BR> +To view the feats of arms, and fighting crowd;<BR> +And thus the beardless victor he bespoke aloud:<BR> +"Advance, illustrious youth, increase in fame,<BR> +And wide from east to west extend thy name;<BR> +Offspring of gods thyself; and Rome shall owe<BR> +To thee a race of demigods below.<BR> +This is the way to heav'n: the pow'rs divine<BR> +From this beginning date the Julian line.<BR> +To thee, to them, and their victorious heirs,<BR> +The conquer'd war is due, and the vast world is theirs.<BR> +Troy is too narrow for thy name." He said,<BR> +And plunging downward shot his radiant head;<BR> +Dispell'd the breathing air, that broke his flight:<BR> +Shorn of his beams, a man to mortal sight.<BR> +Old Butes' form he took, Anchises' squire,<BR> +Now left, to rule Ascanius, by his sire:<BR> +His wrinkled visage, and his hoary hairs,<BR> +His mien, his habit, and his arms, he wears,<BR> +And thus salutes the boy, too forward for his years:<BR> +"Suffice it thee, thy father's worthy son,<BR> +The warlike prize thou hast already won.<BR> +The god of archers gives thy youth a part<BR> +Of his own praise, nor envies equal art.<BR> +Now tempt the war no more." He said, and flew<BR> +Obscure in air, and vanish'd from their view.<BR> +The Trojans, by his arms, their patron know,<BR> +And hear the twanging of his heav'nly bow.<BR> +Then duteous force they use, and Phoebus' name,<BR> +To keep from fight the youth too fond of fame.<BR> +Undaunted, they themselves no danger shun;<BR> +From wall to wall the shouts and clamors run.<BR> +They bend their bows; they whirl their slings around;<BR> +Heaps of spent arrows fall, and strew the ground;<BR> +And helms, and shields, and rattling arms resound.<BR> +The combat thickens, like the storm that flies<BR> +From westward, when the show'ry Kids arise;<BR> +Or patt'ring hail comes pouring on the main,<BR> +When Jupiter descends in harden'd rain,<BR> +Or bellowing clouds burst with a stormy sound,<BR> +And with an armed winter strew the ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Pand'rus and Bitias, thunderbolts of war,<BR> +Whom Hiera to bold Alcanor bare<BR> +On Ida's top, two youths of height and size<BR> +Like firs that on their mother mountain rise,<BR> +Presuming on their force, the gates unbar,<BR> +And of their own accord invite the war.<BR> +With fates averse, against their king's command,<BR> +Arm'd, on the right and on the left they stand,<BR> +And flank the passage: shining steel they wear,<BR> +And waving crests above their heads appear.<BR> +Thus two tall oaks, that Padus' banks adorn,<BR> +Lift up to heav'n their leafy heads unshorn,<BR> +And, overpress'd with nature's heavy load,<BR> +Dance to the whistling winds, and at each other nod.<BR> +In flows a tide of Latians, when they see<BR> +The gate set open, and the passage free;<BR> +Bold Quercens, with rash Tmarus, rushing on,<BR> +Equicolus, that in bright armor shone,<BR> +And Haemon first; but soon repuls'd they fly,<BR> +Or in the well-defended pass they die.<BR> +These with success are fir'd, and those with rage,<BR> +And each on equal terms at length ingage.<BR> +Drawn from their lines, and issuing on the plain,<BR> +The Trojans hand to hand the fight maintain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Fierce Turnus in another quarter fought,<BR> +When suddenly th' unhop'd-for news was brought,<BR> +The foes had left the fastness of their place,<BR> +Prevail'd in fight, and had his men in chase.<BR> +He quits th' attack, and, to prevent their fate,<BR> +Runs where the giant brothers guard the gate.<BR> +The first he met, Antiphates the brave,<BR> +But base-begotten on a Theban slave,<BR> +Sarpedon's son, he slew: the deadly dart<BR> +Found passage thro' his breast, and pierc'd his heart.<BR> +Fix'd in the wound th' Italian cornel stood,<BR> +Warm'd in his lungs, and in his vital blood.<BR> +Aphidnus next, and Erymanthus dies,<BR> +And Meropes, and the gigantic size<BR> +Of Bitias, threat'ning with his ardent eyes.<BR> +Not by the feeble dart he fell oppress'd<BR> +(A dart were lost within that roomy breast),<BR> +But from a knotted lance, large, heavy, strong,<BR> +Which roar'd like thunder as it whirl'd along:<BR> +Not two bull hides th' impetuous force withhold,<BR> +Nor coat of double mail, with scales of gold.<BR> +Down sunk the monster bulk and press'd the ground;<BR> +His arms and clatt'ring shield on the vast body sound,<BR> +Not with less ruin than the Bajan mole,<BR> +Rais'd on the seas, the surges to control-<BR> +At once comes tumbling down the rocky wall;<BR> +Prone to the deep, the stones disjointed fall<BR> +Of the vast pile; the scatter'd ocean flies;<BR> +Black sands, discolor'd froth, and mingled mud arise:<BR> +The frighted billows roll, and seek the shores;<BR> +Then trembles Prochyta, then Ischia roars:<BR> +Typhoeus, thrown beneath, by Jove's command,<BR> +Astonish'd at the flaw that shakes the land,<BR> +Soon shifts his weary side, and, scarce awake,<BR> +With wonder feels the weight press lighter on his back.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The warrior god the Latian troops inspir'd,<BR> +New strung their sinews, and their courage fir'd,<BR> +But chills the Trojan hearts with cold affright:<BR> +Then black despair precipitates their flight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When Pandarus beheld his brother kill'd,<BR> +The town with fear and wild confusion fill'd,<BR> +He turns the hinges of the heavy gate<BR> +With both his hands, and adds his shoulders to the weight<BR> +Some happier friends within the walls inclos'd;<BR> +The rest shut out, to certain death expos'd:<BR> +Fool as he was, and frantic in his care,<BR> +T' admit young Turnus, and include the war!<BR> +He thrust amid the crowd, securely bold,<BR> +Like a fierce tiger pent amid the fold.<BR> +Too late his blazing buckler they descry,<BR> +And sparkling fires that shot from either eye,<BR> +His mighty members, and his ample breast,<BR> +His rattling armor, and his crimson crest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Far from that hated face the Trojans fly,<BR> +All but the fool who sought his destiny.<BR> +Mad Pandarus steps forth, with vengeance vow'd<BR> +For Bitias' death, and threatens thus aloud:<BR> +"These are not Ardea's walls, nor this the town<BR> +Amata proffers with Lavinia's crown:<BR> +'T is hostile earth you tread. Of hope bereft,<BR> +No means of safe return by flight are left."<BR> +To whom, with count'nance calm, and soul sedate,<BR> +Thus Turnus: "Then begin, and try thy fate:<BR> +My message to the ghost of Priam bear;<BR> +Tell him a new Achilles sent thee there."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A lance of tough ground ash the Trojan threw,<BR> +Rough in the rind, and knotted as it grew:<BR> +With his full force he whirl'd it first around;<BR> +But the soft yielding air receiv'd the wound:<BR> +Imperial Juno turn'd the course before,<BR> +And fix'd the wand'ring weapon in the door.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"But hope not thou," said Turnus, "when I strike,<BR> +To shun thy fate: our force is not alike,<BR> +Nor thy steel temper'd by the Lemnian god."<BR> +Then rising, on his utmost stretch he stood,<BR> +And aim'd from high: the full descending blow<BR> +Cleaves the broad front and beardless cheeks in two.<BR> +Down sinks the giant with a thund'ring sound:<BR> +His pond'rous limbs oppress the trembling ground;<BR> +Blood, brains, and foam gush from the gaping wound:<BR> +Scalp, face, and shoulders the keen steel divides,<BR> +And the shar'd visage hangs on equal sides.<BR> +The Trojans fly from their approaching fate;<BR> +And, had the victor then secur'd the gate,<BR> +And to his troops without unclos'd the bars,<BR> +One lucky day had ended all his wars.<BR> +But boiling youth, and blind desire of blood,<BR> +Push'd on his fury, to pursue the crowd.<BR> +Hamstring'd behind, unhappy Gyges died;<BR> +Then Phalaris is added to his side.<BR> +The pointed jav'lins from the dead he drew,<BR> +And their friends' arms against their fellows threw.<BR> +Strong Halys stands in vain; weak Phlegys flies;<BR> +Saturnia, still at hand, new force and fire supplies.<BR> +Then Halius, Prytanis, Alcander fall-<BR> +Ingag'd against the foes who scal'd the wall:<BR> +But, whom they fear'd without, they found within.<BR> +At last, tho' late, by Lynceus he was seen.<BR> +He calls new succors, and assaults the prince:<BR> +But weak his force, and vain is their defense.<BR> +Turn'd to the right, his sword the hero drew,<BR> +And at one blow the bold aggressor slew.<BR> +He joints the neck; and, with a stroke so strong,<BR> +The helm flies off, and bears the head along.<BR> +Next him, the huntsman Amycus he kill'd,<BR> +In darts invenom'd and in poison skill'd.<BR> +Then Clytius fell beneath his fatal spear,<BR> +And Creteus, whom the Muses held so dear:<BR> +He fought with courage, and he sung the fight;<BR> +Arms were his bus'ness, verses his delight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Trojan chiefs behold, with rage and grief,<BR> +Their slaughter'd friends, and hasten their relief.<BR> +Bold Mnestheus rallies first the broken train,<BR> +Whom brave Seresthus and his troop sustain.<BR> +To save the living, and revenge the dead,<BR> +Against one warrior's arms all Troy they led.<BR> +"O, void of sense and courage!" Mnestheus cried,<BR> +"Where can you hope your coward heads to hide?<BR> +Ah! where beyond these rampires can you run?<BR> +One man, and in your camp inclos'd, you shun!<BR> +Shall then a single sword such slaughter boast,<BR> +And pass unpunish'd from a num'rous host?<BR> +Forsaking honor, and renouncing fame,<BR> +Your gods, your country, and your king you shame!"<BR> +This just reproach their virtue does excite:<BR> +They stand, they join, they thicken to the fight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Turnus doubts, and yet disdains to yield,<BR> +But with slow paces measures back the field,<BR> +And inches to the walls, where Tiber's tide,<BR> +Washing the camp, defends the weaker side.<BR> +The more he loses, they advance the more,<BR> +And tread in ev'ry step he trod before.<BR> +They shout: they bear him back; and, whom by might<BR> +They cannot conquer, they oppress with weight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As, compass'd with a wood of spears around,<BR> +The lordly lion still maintains his ground;<BR> +Grins horrible, retires, and turns again;<BR> +Threats his distended paws, and shakes his mane;<BR> +He loses while in vain he presses on,<BR> +Nor will his courage let him dare to run:<BR> +So Turnus fares, and, unresolved of flight,<BR> +Moves tardy back, and just recedes from fight.<BR> +Yet twice, inrag'd, the combat he renews,<BR> +Twice breaks, and twice his broken foes pursues.<BR> +But now they swarm, and, with fresh troops supplied,<BR> +Come rolling on, and rush from ev'ry side:<BR> +Nor Juno, who sustain'd his arms before,<BR> +Dares with new strength suffice th' exhausted store;<BR> +For Jove, with sour commands, sent Iris down,<BR> +To force th' invader from the frighted town.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +With labor spent, no longer can he wield<BR> +The heavy fanchion, or sustain the shield,<BR> +O'erwhelm'd with darts, which from afar they fling:<BR> +The weapons round his hollow temples ring;<BR> +His golden helm gives way, with stony blows<BR> +Batter'd, and flat, and beaten to his brows.<BR> +His crest is rash'd away; his ample shield<BR> +Is falsified, and round with jav'lins fill'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The foe, now faint, the Trojans overwhelm;<BR> +And Mnestheus lays hard load upon his helm.<BR> +Sick sweat succeeds; he drops at ev'ry pore;<BR> +With driving dust his cheeks are pasted o'er;<BR> +Shorter and shorter ev'ry gasp he takes;<BR> +And vain efforts and hurtless blows he makes.<BR> +Plung'd in the flood, and made the waters fly.<BR> +The yellow god the welcome burthen bore,<BR> +And wip'd the sweat, and wash'd away the gore;<BR> +Then gently wafts him to the farther coast,<BR> +And sends him safe to cheer his anxious host.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book10"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK X<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The gates of heav'n unfold: Jove summons all<BR> +The gods to council in the common hall.<BR> +Sublimely seated, he surveys from far<BR> +The fields, the camp, the fortune of the war,<BR> +And all th' inferior world. From first to last,<BR> +The sov'reign senate in degrees are plac'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus th' almighty sire began: "Ye gods,<BR> +Natives or denizens of blest abodes,<BR> +From whence these murmurs, and this change of mind,<BR> +This backward fate from what was first design'd?<BR> +Why this protracted war, when my commands<BR> +Pronounc'd a peace, and gave the Latian lands?<BR> +What fear or hope on either part divides<BR> +Our heav'ns, and arms our powers on diff'rent sides?<BR> +A lawful time of war at length will come,<BR> +(Nor need your haste anticipate the doom),<BR> +When Carthage shall contend the world with Rome,<BR> +Shall force the rigid rocks and Alpine chains,<BR> +And, like a flood, come pouring on the plains.<BR> +Then is your time for faction and debate,<BR> +For partial favor, and permitted hate.<BR> +Let now your immature dissension cease;<BR> +Sit quiet, and compose your souls to peace."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Jupiter in few unfolds the charge;<BR> +But lovely Venus thus replies at large:<BR> +"O pow'r immense, eternal energy,<BR> +(For to what else protection can we fly?)<BR> +Seest thou the proud Rutulians, how they dare<BR> +In fields, unpunish'd, and insult my care?<BR> +How lofty Turnus vaunts amidst his train,<BR> +In shining arms, triumphant on the plain?<BR> +Ev'n in their lines and trenches they contend,<BR> +And scarce their walls the Trojan troops defend:<BR> +The town is fill'd with slaughter, and o'erfloats,<BR> +With a red deluge, their increasing moats.<BR> +Aeneas, ignorant, and far from thence,<BR> +Has left a camp expos'd, without defense.<BR> +This endless outrage shall they still sustain?<BR> +Shall Troy renew'd be forc'd and fir'd again?<BR> +A second siege my banish'd issue fears,<BR> +And a new Diomede in arms appears.<BR> +One more audacious mortal will be found;<BR> +And I, thy daughter, wait another wound.<BR> +Yet, if with fates averse, without thy leave,<BR> +The Latian lands my progeny receive,<BR> +Bear they the pains of violated law,<BR> +And thy protection from their aid withdraw.<BR> +But, if the gods their sure success foretell;<BR> +If those of heav'n consent with those of hell,<BR> +To promise Italy; who dare debate<BR> +The pow'r of Jove, or fix another fate?<BR> +What should I tell of tempests on the main,<BR> +Of Aeolus usurping Neptune's reign?<BR> +Of Iris sent, with Bacchanalian heat<BR> +T' inspire the matrons, and destroy the fleet?<BR> +Now Juno to the Stygian sky descends,<BR> +Solicits hell for aid, and arms the fiends.<BR> +That new example wanted yet above:<BR> +An act that well became the wife of Jove!<BR> +Alecto, rais'd by her, with rage inflames<BR> +The peaceful bosoms of the Latian dames.<BR> +Imperial sway no more exalts my mind;<BR> +(Such hopes I had indeed, while Heav'n was kind;)<BR> +Now let my happier foes possess my place,<BR> +Whom Jove prefers before the Trojan race;<BR> +And conquer they, whom you with conquest grace.<BR> +Since you can spare, from all your wide command,<BR> +No spot of earth, no hospitable land,<BR> +Which may my wand'ring fugitives receive;<BR> +(Since haughty Juno will not give you leave;)<BR> +Then, father, (if I still may use that name,)<BR> +By ruin'd Troy, yet smoking from the flame,<BR> +I beg you, let Ascanius, by my care,<BR> +Be freed from danger, and dismiss'd the war:<BR> +Inglorious let him live, without a crown.<BR> +The father may be cast on coasts unknown,<BR> +Struggling with fate; but let me save the son.<BR> +Mine is Cythera, mine the Cyprian tow'rs:<BR> +In those recesses, and those sacred bow'rs,<BR> +Obscurely let him rest; his right resign<BR> +To promis'd empire, and his Julian line.<BR> +Then Carthage may th' Ausonian towns destroy,<BR> +Nor fear the race of a rejected boy.<BR> +What profits it my son to scape the fire,<BR> +Arm'd with his gods, and loaded with his sire;<BR> +To pass the perils of the seas and wind;<BR> +Evade the Greeks, and leave the war behind;<BR> +To reach th' Italian shores; if, after all,<BR> +Our second Pergamus is doom'd to fall?<BR> +Much better had he curb'd his high desires,<BR> +And hover'd o'er his ill-extinguish'd fires.<BR> +To Simois' banks the fugitives restore,<BR> +And give them back to war, and all the woes before."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Deep indignation swell'd Saturnia's heart:<BR> +"And must I own," she said, "my secret smart-<BR> +What with more decence were in silence kept,<BR> +And, but for this unjust reproach, had slept?<BR> +Did god or man your fav'rite son advise,<BR> +With war unhop'd the Latians to surprise?<BR> +By fate, you boast, and by the gods' decree,<BR> +He left his native land for Italy!<BR> +Confess the truth; by mad Cassandra, more<BR> +Than Heav'n inspir'd, he sought a foreign shore!<BR> +Did I persuade to trust his second Troy<BR> +To the raw conduct of a beardless boy,<BR> +With walls unfinish'd, which himself forsakes,<BR> +And thro' the waves a wand'ring voyage takes?<BR> +When have I urg'd him meanly to demand<BR> +The Tuscan aid, and arm a quiet land?<BR> +Did I or Iris give this mad advice,<BR> +Or made the fool himself the fatal choice?<BR> +You think it hard, the Latians should destroy<BR> +With swords your Trojans, and with fires your Troy!<BR> +Hard and unjust indeed, for men to draw<BR> +Their native air, nor take a foreign law!<BR> +That Turnus is permitted still to live,<BR> +To whom his birth a god and goddess give!<BR> +But yet is just and lawful for your line<BR> +To drive their fields, and force with fraud to join;<BR> +Realms, not your own, among your clans divide,<BR> +And from the bridegroom tear the promis'd bride;<BR> +Petition, while you public arms prepare;<BR> +Pretend a peace, and yet provoke a war!<BR> +'T was giv'n to you, your darling son to shroud,<BR> +To draw the dastard from the fighting crowd,<BR> +And, for a man, obtend an empty cloud.<BR> +From flaming fleets you turn'd the fire away,<BR> +And chang'd the ships to daughters of the sea.<BR> +But is my crime- the Queen of Heav'n offends,<BR> +If she presume to save her suff'ring friends!<BR> +Your son, not knowing what his foes decree,<BR> +You say, is absent: absent let him be.<BR> +Yours is Cythera, yours the Cyprian tow'rs,<BR> +The soft recesses, and the sacred bow'rs.<BR> +Why do you then these needless arms prepare,<BR> +And thus provoke a people prone to war?<BR> +Did I with fire the Trojan town deface,<BR> +Or hinder from return your exil'd race?<BR> +Was I the cause of mischief, or the man<BR> +Whose lawless lust the fatal war began?<BR> +Think on whose faith th' adult'rous youth relied;<BR> +Who promis'd, who procur'd, the Spartan bride?<BR> +When all th' united states of Greece combin'd,<BR> +To purge the world of the perfidious kind,<BR> +Then was your time to fear the Trojan fate:<BR> +Your quarrels and complaints are now too late."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Juno. Murmurs rise, with mix'd applause,<BR> +Just as they favor or dislike the cause.<BR> +So winds, when yet unfledg'd in woods they lie,<BR> +In whispers first their tender voices try,<BR> +Then issue on the main with bellowing rage,<BR> +And storms to trembling mariners presage.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus to both replied th' imperial god,<BR> +Who shakes heav'n's axles with his awful nod.<BR> +(When he begins, the silent senate stand<BR> +With rev'rence, list'ning to the dread command:<BR> +The clouds dispel; the winds their breath restrain;<BR> +And the hush'd waves lie flatted on the main.)<BR> +"Celestials, your attentive ears incline!<BR> +Since," said the god, "the Trojans must not join<BR> +In wish'd alliance with the Latian line;<BR> +Since endless jarrings and immortal hate<BR> +Tend but to discompose our happy state;<BR> +The war henceforward be resign'd to fate:<BR> +Each to his proper fortune stand or fall;<BR> +Equal and unconcern'd I look on all.<BR> +Rutulians, Trojans, are the same to me;<BR> +And both shall draw the lots their fates decree.<BR> +Let these assault, if Fortune be their friend;<BR> +And, if she favors those, let those defend:<BR> +The Fates will find their way." The Thund'rer said,<BR> +And shook the sacred honors of his head,<BR> +Attesting Styx, th' inviolable flood,<BR> +And the black regions of his brother god.<BR> +Trembled the poles of heav'n, and earth confess'd the nod.<BR> +This end the sessions had: the senate rise,<BR> +And to his palace wait their sov'reign thro' the skies.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime, intent upon their siege, the foes<BR> +Within their walls the Trojan host inclose:<BR> +They wound, they kill, they watch at ev'ry gate;<BR> +Renew the fires, and urge their happy fate.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Th' Aeneans wish in vain their wanted chief,<BR> +Hopeless of flight, more hopeless of relief.<BR> +Thin on the tow'rs they stand; and ev'n those few<BR> +A feeble, fainting, and dejected crew.<BR> +Yet in the face of danger some there stood:<BR> +The two bold brothers of Sarpedon's blood,<BR> +Asius and Acmon; both th' Assaraci;<BR> +Young Haemon, and tho' young, resolv'd to die.<BR> +With these were Clarus and Thymoetes join'd;<BR> +Tibris and Castor, both of Lycian kind.<BR> +From Acmon's hands a rolling stone there came,<BR> +So large, it half deserv'd a mountain's name:<BR> +Strong-sinew'd was the youth, and big of bone;<BR> +His brother Mnestheus could not more have done,<BR> +Or the great father of th' intrepid son.<BR> +Some firebrands throw, some flights of arrows send;<BR> +And some with darts, and some with stones defend.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Amid the press appears the beauteous boy,<BR> +The care of Venus, and the hope of Troy.<BR> +His lovely face unarm'd, his head was bare;<BR> +In ringlets o'er his shoulders hung his hair.<BR> +His forehead circled with a diadem;<BR> +Distinguish'd from the crowd, he shines a gem,<BR> +Enchas'd in gold, or polish'd iv'ry set,<BR> +Amidst the meaner foil of sable jet.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor Ismarus was wanting to the war,<BR> +Directing pointed arrows from afar,<BR> +And death with poison arm'd- in Lydia born,<BR> +Where plenteous harvests the fat fields adorn;<BR> +Where proud Pactolus floats the fruitful lands,<BR> +And leaves a rich manure of golden sands.<BR> +There Capys, author of the Capuan name,<BR> +And there was Mnestheus too, increas'd in fame,<BR> +Since Turnus from the camp he cast with shame.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus mortal war was wag'd on either side.<BR> +Meantime the hero cuts the nightly tide:<BR> +For, anxious, from Evander when he went,<BR> +He sought the Tyrrhene camp, and Tarchon's tent;<BR> +Expos'd the cause of coming to the chief;<BR> +His name and country told, and ask'd relief;<BR> +Propos'd the terms; his own small strength declar'd;<BR> +What vengeance proud Mezentius had prepar'd:<BR> +What Turnus, bold and violent, design'd;<BR> +Then shew'd the slipp'ry state of humankind,<BR> +And fickle fortune; warn'd him to beware,<BR> +And to his wholesome counsel added pray'r.<BR> +Tarchon, without delay, the treaty signs,<BR> +And to the Trojan troops the Tuscan joins.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +They soon set sail; nor now the fates withstand;<BR> +Their forces trusted with a foreign hand.<BR> +Aeneas leads; upon his stern appear<BR> +Two lions carv'd, which rising Ida bear-<BR> +Ida, to wand'ring Trojans ever dear.<BR> +Under their grateful shade Aeneas sate,<BR> +Revolving war's events, and various fate.<BR> +His left young Pallas kept, fix'd to his side,<BR> +And oft of winds enquir'd, and of the tide;<BR> +Oft of the stars, and of their wat'ry way;<BR> +And what he suffer'd both by land and sea.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, sacred sisters, open all your spring!<BR> +The Tuscan leaders, and their army sing,<BR> +Which follow'd great Aeneas to the war:<BR> +Their arms, their numbers, and their names declare.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A thousand youths brave Massicus obey,<BR> +Borne in the Tiger thro' the foaming sea;<BR> +From Asium brought, and Cosa, by his care:<BR> +For arms, light quivers, bows and shafts, they bear.<BR> +Fierce Abas next: his men bright armor wore;<BR> +His stern Apollo's golden statue bore.<BR> +Six hundred Populonia sent along,<BR> +All skill'd in martial exercise, and strong.<BR> +Three hundred more for battle Ilva joins,<BR> +An isle renown'd for steel, and unexhausted mines.<BR> +Asylas on his prow the third appears,<BR> +Who heav'n interprets, and the wand'ring stars;<BR> +From offer'd entrails prodigies expounds,<BR> +And peals of thunder, with presaging sounds.<BR> +A thousand spears in warlike order stand,<BR> +Sent by the Pisans under his command.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Fair Astur follows in the wat'ry field,<BR> +Proud of his manag'd horse and painted shield.<BR> +Gravisca, noisome from the neighb'ring fen,<BR> +And his own Caere, sent three hundred men;<BR> +With those which Minio's fields and Pyrgi gave,<BR> +All bred in arms, unanimous, and brave.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thou, Muse, the name of Cinyras renew,<BR> +And brave Cupavo follow'd but by few;<BR> +Whose helm confess'd the lineage of the man,<BR> +And bore, with wings display'd, a silver swan.<BR> +Love was the fault of his fam'd ancestry,<BR> +Whose forms and fortunes in his ensigns fly.<BR> +For Cycnus lov'd unhappy Phaeton,<BR> +And sung his loss in poplar groves, alone,<BR> +Beneath the sister shades, to soothe his grief.<BR> +Heav'n heard his song, and hasten'd his relief,<BR> +And chang'd to snowy plumes his hoary hair,<BR> +And wing'd his flight, to chant aloft in air.<BR> +His son Cupavo brush'd the briny flood:<BR> +Upon his stern a brawny Centaur stood,<BR> +Who heav'd a rock, and, threat'ning still to throw,<BR> +With lifted hands alarm'd the seas below:<BR> +They seem'd to fear the formidable sight,<BR> +And roll'd their billows on, to speed his flight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Ocnus was next, who led his native train<BR> +Of hardy warriors thro' the wat'ry plain:<BR> +The son of Manto by the Tuscan stream,<BR> +From whence the Mantuan town derives the name-<BR> +An ancient city, but of mix'd descent:<BR> +Three sev'ral tribes compose the government;<BR> +Four towns are under each; but all obey<BR> +The Mantuan laws, and own the Tuscan sway.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Hate to Mezentius arm'd five hundred more,<BR> +Whom Mincius from his sire Benacus bore:<BR> +Mincius, with wreaths of reeds his forehead cover'd o'er.<BR> +These grave Auletes leads: a hundred sweep<BR> +With stretching oars at once the glassy deep.<BR> +Him and his martial train the Triton bears;<BR> +High on his poop the sea-green god appears:<BR> +Frowning he seems his crooked shell to sound,<BR> +And at the blast the billows dance around.<BR> +A hairy man above the waist he shows;<BR> +A porpoise tail beneath his belly grows;<BR> +And ends a fish: his breast the waves divides,<BR> +And froth and foam augment the murm'ring tides.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Full thirty ships transport the chosen train<BR> +For Troy's relief, and scour the briny main.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now was the world forsaken by the sun,<BR> +And Phoebe half her nightly race had run.<BR> +The careful chief, who never clos'd his eyes,<BR> +Himself the rudder holds, the sails supplies.<BR> +A choir of Nereids meet him on the flood,<BR> +Once his own galleys, hewn from Ida's wood;<BR> +But now, as many nymphs, the sea they sweep,<BR> +As rode, before, tall vessels on the deep.<BR> +They know him from afar; and in a ring<BR> +Inclose the ship that bore the Trojan king.<BR> +Cymodoce, whose voice excell'd the rest,<BR> +Above the waves advanc'd her snowy breast;<BR> +Her right hand stops the stern; her left divides<BR> +The curling ocean, and corrects the tides.<BR> +She spoke for all the choir, and thus began<BR> +With pleasing words to warn th' unknowing man:<BR> +"Sleeps our lov'd lord? O goddess-born, awake!<BR> +Spread ev'ry sail, pursue your wat'ry track,<BR> +And haste your course. Your navy once were we,<BR> +From Ida's height descending to the sea;<BR> +Till Turnus, as at anchor fix'd we stood,<BR> +Presum'd to violate our holy wood.<BR> +Then, loos'd from shore, we fled his fires profane<BR> +(Unwillingly we broke our master's chain),<BR> +And since have sought you thro' the Tuscan main.<BR> +The mighty Mother chang'd our forms to these,<BR> +And gave us life immortal in the seas.<BR> +But young Ascanius, in his camp distress'd,<BR> +By your insulting foes is hardly press'd.<BR> +Th' Arcadian horsemen, and Etrurian host,<BR> +Advance in order on the Latian coast:<BR> +To cut their way the Daunian chief designs,<BR> +Before their troops can reach the Trojan lines.<BR> +Thou, when the rosy morn restores the light,<BR> +First arm thy soldiers for th' ensuing fight:<BR> +Thyself the fated sword of Vulcan wield,<BR> +And bear aloft th' impenetrable shield.<BR> +To-morrow's sun, unless my skill be vain,<BR> +Shall see huge heaps of foes in battle slain."<BR> +Parting, she spoke; and with immortal force<BR> +Push'd on the vessel in her wat'ry course;<BR> +For well she knew the way. Impell'd behind,<BR> +The ship flew forward, and outstripp'd the wind.<BR> +The rest make up. Unknowing of the cause,<BR> +The chief admires their speed, and happy omens draws.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus he pray'd, and fix'd on heav'n his eyes:<BR> +"Hear thou, great Mother of the deities.<BR> +With turrets crown'd! (on Ida's holy hill<BR> +Fierce tigers, rein'd and curb'd, obey thy will.)<BR> +Firm thy own omens; lead us on to fight;<BR> +And let thy Phrygians conquer in thy right."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said no more. And now renewing day<BR> +Had chas'd the shadows of the night away.<BR> +He charg'd the soldiers, with preventing care,<BR> +Their flags to follow, and their arms prepare;<BR> +Warn'd of th' ensuing fight, and bade 'em hope the war.<BR> +Now, his lofty poop, he view'd below<BR> +His camp incompass'd, and th' inclosing foe.<BR> +His blazing shield, imbrac'd, he held on high;<BR> +The camp receive the sign, and with loud shouts reply.<BR> +Hope arms their courage: from their tow'rs they throw<BR> +Their darts with double force, and drive the foe.<BR> +Thus, at the signal giv'n, the cranes arise<BR> +Before the stormy south, and blacken all the skies.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +King Turnus wonder'd at the fight renew'd,<BR> +Till, looking back, the Trojan fleet he view'd,<BR> +The seas with swelling canvas cover'd o'er,<BR> +And the swift ships descending on the shore.<BR> +The Latians saw from far, with dazzled eyes,<BR> +The radiant crest that seem'd in flames to rise,<BR> +And dart diffusive fires around the field,<BR> +And the keen glitt'ring of the golden shield.<BR> +Thus threat'ning comets, when by night they rise,<BR> +Shoot sanguine streams, and sadden all the skies:<BR> +So Sirius, flashing forth sinister lights,<BR> +Pale humankind with plagues and with dry famine fright:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Yet Turnus with undaunted mind is bent<BR> +To man the shores, and hinder their descent,<BR> +And thus awakes the courage of his friends:<BR> +"What you so long have wish'd, kind Fortune sends;<BR> +In ardent arms to meet th' invading foe:<BR> +You find, and find him at advantage now.<BR> +Yours is the day: you need but only dare;<BR> +Your swords will make you masters of the war.<BR> +Your sires, your sons, your houses, and your lands,<BR> +And dearest wifes, are all within your hands.<BR> +Be mindful of the race from whence you came,<BR> +And emulate in arms your fathers' fame.<BR> +Now take the time, while stagg'ring yet they stand<BR> +With feet unfirm, and prepossess the strand:<BR> +Fortune befriends the bold." Nor more he said,<BR> +But balanc'd whom to leave, and whom to lead;<BR> +Then these elects, the landing to prevent;<BR> +And those he leaves, to keep the city pent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the Trojan sends his troops ashore:<BR> +Some are by boats expos'd, by bridges more.<BR> +With lab'ring oars they bear along the strand,<BR> +Where the tide languishes, and leap aland.<BR> +Tarchon observes the coast with careful eyes,<BR> +And, where no ford he finds, no water fries,<BR> +Nor billows with unequal murmurs roar,<BR> +But smoothly slide along, and swell the shore,<BR> +That course he steer'd, and thus he gave command:<BR> +"Here ply your oars, and at all hazard land:<BR> +Force on the vessel, that her keel may wound<BR> +This hated soil, and furrow hostile ground.<BR> +Let me securely land- I ask no more;<BR> +Then sink my ships, or shatter on the shore."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This fiery speech inflames his fearful friends:<BR> +They tug at ev'ry oar, and ev'ry stretcher bends;<BR> +They run their ships aground; the vessels knock,<BR> +(Thus forc'd ashore,) and tremble with the shock.<BR> +Tarchon's alone was lost, that stranded stood,<BR> +Stuck on a bank, and beaten by the flood:<BR> +She breaks her back; the loosen'd sides give way,<BR> +And plunge the Tuscan soldiers in the sea.<BR> +Their broken oars and floating planks withstand<BR> +Their passage, while they labor to the land,<BR> +And ebbing tides bear back upon th' uncertain sand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Turnus leads his troops without delay,<BR> +Advancing to the margin of the sea.<BR> +The trumpets sound: Aeneas first assail'd<BR> +The clowns new-rais'd and raw, and soon prevail'd.<BR> +Great Theron fell, an omen of the fight;<BR> +Great Theron, large of limbs, of giant height.<BR> +He first in open field defied the prince:<BR> +But armor scal'd with gold was no defense<BR> +Against the fated sword, which open'd wide<BR> +His plated shield, and pierc'd his naked side.<BR> +Next, Lichas fell, who, not like others born,<BR> +Was from his wretched mother ripp'd and torn;<BR> +Sacred, O Phoebus, from his birth to thee;<BR> +For his beginning life from biting steel was free.<BR> +Not far from him was Gyas laid along,<BR> +Of monstrous bulk; with Cisseus fierce and strong:<BR> +Vain bulk and strength! for, when the chief assail'd,<BR> +Nor valor nor Herculean arms avail'd,<BR> +Nor their fam'd father, wont in war to go<BR> +With great Alcides, while he toil'd below.<BR> +The noisy Pharos next receiv'd his death:<BR> +Aeneas writh'd his dart, and stopp'd his bawling breath.<BR> +Then wretched Cydon had receiv'd his doom,<BR> +Who courted Clytius in his beardless bloom,<BR> +And sought with lust obscene polluted joys:<BR> +The Trojan sword had curd his love of boys,<BR> +Had not his sev'n bold brethren stopp'd the course<BR> +Of the fierce champions, with united force.<BR> +Sev'n darts were thrown at once; and some rebound<BR> +From his bright shield, some on his helmet sound:<BR> +The rest had reach'd him; but his mother's care<BR> +Prevented those, and turn'd aside in air.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The prince then call'd Achates, to supply<BR> +The spears that knew the way to victory-<BR> +"Those fatal weapons, which, inur'd to blood,<BR> +In Grecian bodies under Ilium stood:<BR> +Not one of those my hand shall toss in vain<BR> +Against our foes, on this contended plain."<BR> +He said; then seiz'd a mighty spear, and threw;<BR> +Which, wing'd with fate, thro' Maeon's buckler flew,<BR> +Pierc'd all the brazen plates, and reach'd his heart:<BR> +He stagger'd with intolerable smart.<BR> +Alcanor saw; and reach'd, but reach'd in vain,<BR> +His helping hand, his brother to sustain.<BR> +A second spear, which kept the former course,<BR> +From the same hand, and sent with equal force,<BR> +His right arm pierc'd, and holding on, bereft<BR> +His use of both, and pinion'd down his left.<BR> +Then Numitor from his dead brother drew<BR> +Th' ill-omen'd spear, and at the Trojan threw:<BR> +Preventing fate directs the lance awry,<BR> +Which, glancing, only mark'd Achates' thigh.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In pride of youth the Sabine Clausus came,<BR> +And, from afar, at Dryops took his aim.<BR> +The spear flew hissing thro' the middle space,<BR> +And pierc'd his throat, directed at his face;<BR> +It stopp'd at once the passage of his wind,<BR> +And the free soul to flitting air resign'd:<BR> +His forehead was the first that struck the ground;<BR> +Lifeblood and life rush'd mingled thro' the wound.<BR> +He slew three brothers of the Borean race,<BR> +And three, whom Ismarus, their native place,<BR> +Had sent to war, but all the sons of Thrace.<BR> +Halesus, next, the bold Aurunci leads:<BR> +The son of Neptune to his aid succeeds,<BR> +Conspicuous on his horse. On either hand,<BR> +These fight to keep, and those to win, the land.<BR> +With mutual blood th' Ausonian soil is dyed,<BR> +While on its borders each their claim decide.<BR> +As wintry winds, contending in the sky,<BR> +With equal force of lungs their titles try:<BR> +They rage, they roar; the doubtful rack of heav'n<BR> +Stands without motion, and the tide undriv'n:<BR> +Each bent to conquer, neither side to yield,<BR> +They long suspend the fortune of the field.<BR> +Both armies thus perform what courage can;<BR> +Foot set to foot, and mingled man to man.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But, in another part, th' Arcadian horse<BR> +With ill success ingage the Latin force:<BR> +For, where th' impetuous torrent, rushing down,<BR> +Huge craggy stones and rooted trees had thrown,<BR> +They left their coursers, and, unus'd to fight<BR> +On foot, were scatter'd in a shameful flight.<BR> +Pallas, who with disdain and grief had view'd<BR> +His foes pursuing, and his friends pursued,<BR> +Us'd threat'nings mix'd with pray'rs, his last resource,<BR> +With these to move their minds, with those to fire their force<BR> +"Which way, companions? whether would you run?<BR> +By you yourselves, and mighty battles won,<BR> +By my great sire, by his establish'd name,<BR> +And early promise of my future fame;<BR> +By my youth, emulous of equal right<BR> +To share his honors- shun ignoble flight!<BR> +Trust not your feet: your hands must hew way<BR> +Thro' yon black body, and that thick array:<BR> +'T is thro' that forward path that we must come;<BR> +There lies our way, and that our passage home.<BR> +Nor pow'rs above, nor destinies below<BR> +Oppress our arms: with equal strength we go,<BR> +With mortal hands to meet a mortal foe.<BR> +See on what foot we stand: a scanty shore,<BR> +The sea behind, our enemies before;<BR> +No passage left, unless we swim the main;<BR> +Or, forcing these, the Trojan trenches gain."<BR> +This said, he strode with eager haste along,<BR> +And bore amidst the thickest of the throng.<BR> +Lagus, the first he met, with fate to foe,<BR> +Had heav'd a stone of mighty weight, to throw:<BR> +Stooping, the spear descended on his chine,<BR> +Just where the bone distinguished either loin:<BR> +It stuck so fast, so deeply buried lay,<BR> +That scarce the victor forc'd the steel away.<BR> +Hisbon came on: but, while he mov'd too slow<BR> +To wish'd revenge, the prince prevents his blow;<BR> +For, warding his at once, at once he press'd,<BR> +And plung'd the fatal weapon in his breast.<BR> +Then lewd Anchemolus he laid in dust,<BR> +Who stain'd his stepdam's bed with impious lust.<BR> +And, after him, the Daucian twins were slain,<BR> +Laris and Thymbrus, on the Latian plain;<BR> +So wondrous like in feature, shape, and size,<BR> +As caus'd an error in their parents' eyes-<BR> +Grateful mistake! but soon the sword decides<BR> +The nice distinction, and their fate divides:<BR> +For Thymbrus' head was lopp'd; and Laris' hand,<BR> +Dismember'd, sought its owner on the strand:<BR> +The trembling fingers yet the fauchion strain,<BR> +And threaten still th' intended stroke in vain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, to renew the charge, th' Arcadians came:<BR> +Sight of such acts, and sense of honest shame,<BR> +And grief, with anger mix'd, their minds inflame.<BR> +Then, with a casual blow was Rhoeteus slain,<BR> +Who chanc'd, as Pallas threw, to cross the plain:<BR> +The flying spear was after Ilus sent;<BR> +But Rhoeteus happen'd on a death unmeant:<BR> +From Teuthras and from Tyres while he fled,<BR> +The lance, athwart his body, laid him dead:<BR> +Roll'd from his chariot with a mortal wound,<BR> +And intercepted fate, he spurn'd the ground.<BR> +As when, in summer, welcome winds arise,<BR> +The watchful shepherd to the forest flies,<BR> +And fires the midmost plants; contagion spreads,<BR> +And catching flames infect the neighb'ring heads;<BR> +Around the forest flies the furious blast,<BR> +And all the leafy nation sinks at last,<BR> +And Vulcan rides in triumph o'er the waste;<BR> +The pastor, pleas'd with his dire victory,<BR> +Beholds the satiate flames in sheets ascend the sky:<BR> +So Pallas' troops their scatter'd strength unite,<BR> +And, pouring on their foes, their prince delight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Halesus came, fierce with desire of blood;<BR> +But first collected in his arms he stood:<BR> +Advancing then, he plied the spear so well,<BR> +Ladon, Demodocus, and Pheres fell.<BR> +Around his head he toss'd his glitt'ring brand,<BR> +And from Strymonius hew'd his better hand,<BR> +Held up to guard his throat; then hurl'd a stone<BR> +At Thoas' ample front, and pierc'd the bone:<BR> +It struck beneath the space of either eye;<BR> +And blood, and mingled brains, together fly.<BR> +Deep skill'd in future fates, Halesus' sire<BR> +Did with the youth to lonely groves retire:<BR> +But, when the father's mortal race was run,<BR> +Dire destiny laid hold upon the son,<BR> +And haul'd him to the war, to find, beneath<BR> +Th' Evandrian spear, a memorable death.<BR> +Pallas th' encounter seeks, but, ere he throws,<BR> +To Tuscan Tiber thus address'd his vows:<BR> +"O sacred stream, direct my flying dart,<BR> +And give to pass the proud Halesus' heart!<BR> +His arms and spoils thy holy oak shall bear."<BR> +Pleas'd with the bribe, the god receiv'd his pray'r:<BR> +For, while his shield protects a friend distress'd,<BR> +The dart came driving on, and pierc'd his breast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But Lausus, no small portion of the war,<BR> +Permits not panic fear to reign too far,<BR> +Caus'd by the death of so renown'd a knight;<BR> +But by his own example cheers the fight.<BR> +Fierce Abas first he slew; Abas, the stay<BR> +Of Trojan hopes, and hindrance of the day.<BR> +The Phrygian troops escap'd the Greeks in vain:<BR> +They, and their mix'd allies, now load the plain.<BR> +To the rude shock of war both armies came;<BR> +Their leaders equal, and their strength the same.<BR> +The rear so press'd the front, they could not wield<BR> +Their angry weapons, to dispute the field.<BR> +Here Pallas urges on, and Lausus there:<BR> +Of equal youth and beauty both appear,<BR> +But both by fate forbid to breathe their native air.<BR> +Their congress in the field great Jove withstands:<BR> +Both doom'd to fall, but fall by greater hands.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime Juturna warns the Daunian chief<BR> +Of Lausus' danger, urging swift relief.<BR> +With his driv'n chariot he divides the crowd,<BR> +And, making to his friends, thus calls aloud:<BR> +"Let none presume his needless aid to join;<BR> +Retire, and clear the field; the fight is mine:<BR> +To this right hand is Pallas only due;<BR> +O were his father here, my just revenge to view!"<BR> +From the forbidden space his men retir'd.<BR> +Pallas their awe, and his stern words, admir'd;<BR> +Survey'd him o'er and o'er with wond'ring sight,<BR> +Struck with his haughty mien, and tow'ring height.<BR> +Then to the king: "Your empty vaunts forbear;<BR> +Success I hope, and fate I cannot fear;<BR> +Alive or dead, I shall deserve a name;<BR> +Jove is impartial, and to both the same."<BR> +He said, and to the void advanc'd his pace:<BR> +Pale horror sate on each Arcadian face.<BR> +Then Turnus, from his chariot leaping light,<BR> +Address'd himself on foot to single fight.<BR> +And, as a lion- when he spies from far<BR> +A bull that seems to meditate the war,<BR> +Bending his neck, and spurning back the sand-<BR> +Runs roaring downward from his hilly stand:<BR> +Imagine eager Turnus not more slow,<BR> +To rush from high on his unequal foe.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Young Pallas, when he saw the chief advance<BR> +Within due distance of his flying lance,<BR> +Prepares to charge him first, resolv'd to try<BR> +If fortune would his want of force supply;<BR> +And thus to Heav'n and Hercules address'd:<BR> +"Alcides, once on earth Evander's guest,<BR> +His son adjures you by those holy rites,<BR> +That hospitable board, those genial nights;<BR> +Assist my great attempt to gain this prize,<BR> +And let proud Turnus view, with dying eyes,<BR> +His ravish'd spoils." 'T was heard, the vain request;<BR> +Alcides mourn'd, and stifled sighs within his breast.<BR> +Then Jove, to soothe his sorrow, thus began:<BR> +"Short bounds of life are set to mortal man.<BR> +'T is virtue's work alone to stretch the narrow span.<BR> +So many sons of gods, in bloody fight,<BR> +Around the walls of Troy, have lost the light:<BR> +My own Sarpedon fell beneath his foe;<BR> +Nor I, his mighty sire, could ward the blow.<BR> +Ev'n Turnus shortly shall resign his breath,<BR> +And stands already on the verge of death."<BR> +This said, the god permits the fatal fight,<BR> +But from the Latian fields averts his sight.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now with full force his spear young Pallas threw,<BR> +And, having thrown, his shining fauchion drew<BR> +The steel just graz'd along the shoulder joint,<BR> +And mark'd it slightly with the glancing point,<BR> +Fierce Turnus first to nearer distance drew,<BR> +And pois'd his pointed spear, before he threw:<BR> +Then, as the winged weapon whizz'd along,<BR> +"See now," said he, "whose arm is better strung."<BR> +The spear kept on the fatal course, unstay'd<BR> +By plates of ir'n, which o'er the shield were laid:<BR> +Thro' folded brass and tough bull hides it pass'd,<BR> +His corslet pierc'd, and reach'd his heart at last.<BR> +In vain the youth tugs at the broken wood;<BR> +The soul comes issuing with the vital blood:<BR> +He falls; his arms upon his body sound;<BR> +And with his bloody teeth he bites the ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Turnus bestrode the corpse: "Arcadians, hear,"<BR> +Said he; "my message to your master bear:<BR> +Such as the sire deserv'd, the son I send;<BR> +It costs him dear to be the Phrygians' friend.<BR> +The lifeless body, tell him, I bestow,<BR> +Unask'd, to rest his wand'ring ghost below."<BR> +He said, and trampled down with all the force<BR> +Of his left foot, and spurn'd the wretched corse;<BR> +Then snatch'd the shining belt, with gold inlaid;<BR> +The belt Eurytion's artful hands had made,<BR> +Where fifty fatal brides, express'd to sight,<BR> +All in the compass of one mournful night,<BR> +Depriv'd their bridegrooms of returning light.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In an ill hour insulting Turnus tore<BR> +Those golden spoils, and in a worse he wore.<BR> +O mortals, blind in fate, who never know<BR> +To bear high fortune, or endure the low!<BR> +The time shall come, when Turnus, but in vain,<BR> +Shall wish untouch'd the trophies of the slain;<BR> +Shall wish the fatal belt were far away,<BR> +And curse the dire remembrance of the day.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The sad Arcadians, from th' unhappy field,<BR> +Bear back the breathless body on a shield.<BR> +O grace and grief of war! at once restor'd,<BR> +With praises, to thy sire, at once deplor'd!<BR> +One day first sent thee to the fighting field,<BR> +Beheld whole heaps of foes in battle kill'd;<BR> +One day beheld thee dead, and borne upon thy shield.<BR> +This dismal news, not from uncertain fame,<BR> +But sad spectators, to the hero came:<BR> +His friends upon the brink of ruin stand,<BR> +Unless reliev'd by his victorious hand.<BR> +He whirls his sword around, without delay,<BR> +And hews thro' adverse foes an ample way,<BR> +To find fierce Turnus, of his conquest proud:<BR> +Evander, Pallas, all that friendship ow'd<BR> +To large deserts, are present to his eyes;<BR> +His plighted hand, and hospitable ties.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Four sons of Sulmo, four whom Ufens bred,<BR> +He took in fight, and living victims led,<BR> +To please the ghost of Pallas, and expire,<BR> +In sacrifice, before his fun'ral fire.<BR> +At Magus next he threw: he stoop'd below<BR> +The flying spear, and shunn'd the promis'd blow;<BR> +Then, creeping, clasp'd the hero's knees, and pray'd:<BR> +"By young Iulus, by thy father's shade,<BR> +O spare my life, and send me back to see<BR> +My longing sire, and tender progeny!<BR> +A lofty house I have, and wealth untold,<BR> +In silver ingots, and in bars of gold:<BR> +All these, and sums besides, which see no day,<BR> +The ransom of this one poor life shall pay.<BR> +If I survive, will Troy the less prevail?<BR> +A single soul's too light to turn the scale."<BR> +He said. The hero sternly thus replied:<BR> +"Thy bars and ingots, and the sums beside,<BR> +Leave for thy children's lot. Thy Turnus broke<BR> +All rules of war by one relentless stroke,<BR> +When Pallas fell: so deems, nor deems alone<BR> +My father's shadow, but my living son."<BR> +Thus having said, of kind remorse bereft,<BR> +He seiz'd his helm, and dragg'd him with his left;<BR> +Then with his right hand, while his neck he wreath'd,<BR> +Up to the hilts his shining fauchion sheath'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Apollo's priest, Emonides, was near;<BR> +His holy fillets on his front appear;<BR> +Glitt'ring in arms, he shone amidst the crowd;<BR> +Much of his god, more of his purple, proud.<BR> +Him the fierce Trojan follow'd thro' the field:<BR> +The holy coward fell; and, forc'd to yield,<BR> +The prince stood o'er the priest, and, at one blow,<BR> +Sent him an off'ring to the shades below.<BR> +His arms Seresthus on his shoulders bears,<BR> +Design'd a trophy to the God of Wars.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Vulcanian Caeculus renews the fight,<BR> +And Umbro, born upon the mountains' height.<BR> +The champion cheers his troops t' encounter those,<BR> +And seeks revenge himself on other foes.<BR> +At Anxur's shield he drove; and, at the blow,<BR> +Both shield and arm to ground together go.<BR> +Anxur had boasted much of magic charms,<BR> +And thought he wore impenetrable arms,<BR> +So made by mutter'd spells; and, from the spheres,<BR> +Had life secur'd, in vain, for length of years.<BR> +Then Tarquitus the field in triumph trod;<BR> +A nymph his mother, his sire a god.<BR> +Exulting in bright arms, he braves the prince:<BR> +With his protended lance he makes defense;<BR> +Bears back his feeble foe; then, pressing on,<BR> +Arrests his better hand, and drags him down;<BR> +Stands o'er the prostrate wretch, and, as he lay,<BR> +Vain tales inventing, and prepar'd to pray,<BR> +Mows off his head: the trunk a moment stood,<BR> +Then sunk, and roll'd along the sand in blood.<BR> +The vengeful victor thus upbraids the slain:<BR> +"Lie there, proud man, unpitied, on the plain;<BR> +Lie there, inglorious, and without a tomb,<BR> +Far from thy mother and thy native home,<BR> +Exposed to savage beasts, and birds of prey,<BR> +Or thrown for food to monsters of the sea."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +On Lycas and Antaeus next he ran,<BR> +Two chiefs of Turnus, and who led his van.<BR> +They fled for fear; with these, he chas'd along<BR> +Camers the yellow-lock'd, and Numa strong;<BR> +Both great in arms, and both were fair and young.<BR> +Camers was son to Volscens lately slain,<BR> +In wealth surpassing all the Latian train,<BR> +And in Amycla fix'd his silent easy reign.<BR> +And, as Aegaeon, when with heav'n he strove,<BR> +Stood opposite in arms to mighty Jove;<BR> +Mov'd all his hundred hands, provok'd the war,<BR> +Defied the forky lightning from afar;<BR> +At fifty mouths his flaming breath expires,<BR> +And flash for flash returns, and fires for fires;<BR> +In his right hand as many swords he wields,<BR> +And takes the thunder on as many shields:<BR> +With strength like his, the Trojan hero stood;<BR> +And soon the fields with falling corps were strow'd,<BR> +When once his fauchion found the taste of blood.<BR> +With fury scarce to be conceiv'd, he flew<BR> +Against Niphaeus, whom four coursers drew.<BR> +They, when they see the fiery chief advance,<BR> +And pushing at their chests his pointed lance,<BR> +Wheel'd with so swift a motion, mad with fear,<BR> +They threw their master headlong from the chair.<BR> +They stare, they start, nor stop their course, before<BR> +They bear the bounding chariot to the shore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Lucagus and Liger scour the plains,<BR> +With two white steeds; but Liger holds the reins,<BR> +And Lucagus the lofty seat maintains:<BR> +Bold brethren both. The former wav'd in air<BR> +His flaming sword: Aeneas couch'd his spear,<BR> +Unus'd to threats, and more unus'd to fear.<BR> +Then Liger thus: "Thy confidence is vain<BR> +To scape from hence, as from the Trojan plain:<BR> +Nor these the steeds which Diomede bestrode,<BR> +Nor this the chariot where Achilles rode;<BR> +Nor Venus' veil is here, near Neptune's shield;<BR> +Thy fatal hour is come, and this the field."<BR> +Thus Liger vainly vaunts: the Trojan peer<BR> +Return'd his answer with his flying spear.<BR> +As Lucagus, to lash his horses, bends,<BR> +Prone to the wheels, and his left foot protends,<BR> +Prepar'd for fight; the fatal dart arrives,<BR> +And thro' the borders of his buckler drives;<BR> +Pass'd thro' and pierc'd his groin: the deadly wound,<BR> +Cast from his chariot, roll'd him on the ground.<BR> +Whom thus the chief upbraids with scornful spite:<BR> +"Blame not the slowness of your steeds in flight;<BR> +Vain shadows did not force their swift retreat;<BR> +But you yourself forsake your empty seat."<BR> +He said, and seiz'd at once the loosen'd rein;<BR> +For Liger lay already on the plain,<BR> +By the same shock: then, stretching out his hands,<BR> +The recreant thus his wretched life demands:<BR> +"Now, by thyself, O more than mortal man!<BR> +By her and him from whom thy breath began,<BR> +Who form'd thee thus divine, I beg thee, spare<BR> +This forfeit life, and hear thy suppliant's pray'r."<BR> +Thus much he spoke, and more he would have said;<BR> +But the stern hero turn'd aside his head,<BR> +And cut him short: "I hear another man;<BR> +You talk'd not thus before the fight began.<BR> +Now take your turn; and, as a brother should,<BR> +Attend your brother to the Stygian flood."<BR> +Then thro' his breast his fatal sword he sent,<BR> +And the soul issued at the gaping vent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As storms the skies, and torrents tear the ground,<BR> +Thus rag'd the prince, and scatter'd deaths around.<BR> +At length Ascanius and the Trojan train<BR> +Broke from the camp, so long besieg'd in vain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the King of Gods and Mortal Man<BR> +Held conference with his queen, and thus began:<BR> +"My sister goddess, and well-pleasing wife,<BR> +Still think you Venus' aid supports the strife-<BR> +Sustains her Trojans- or themselves, alone,<BR> +With inborn valor force their fortune on?<BR> +How fierce in fight, with courage undecay'd!<BR> +Judge if such warriors want immortal aid."<BR> +To whom the goddess with the charming eyes,<BR> +Soft in her tone, submissively replies:<BR> +"Why, O my sov'reign lord, whose frown I fear,<BR> +And cannot, unconcern'd, your anger bear;<BR> +Why urge you thus my grief? when, if I still<BR> +(As once I was) were mistress of your will,<BR> +From your almighty pow'r your pleasing wife<BR> +Might gain the grace of length'ning Turnus' life,<BR> +Securely snatch him from the fatal fight,<BR> +And give him to his aged father's sight.<BR> +Now let him perish, since you hold it good,<BR> +And glut the Trojans with his pious blood.<BR> +Yet from our lineage he derives his name,<BR> +And, in the fourth degree, from god Pilumnus came;<BR> +Yet he devoutly pays you rites divine,<BR> +And offers daily incense at your shrine."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then shortly thus the sov'reign god replied:<BR> +"Since in my pow'r and goodness you confide,<BR> +If for a little space, a lengthen'd span,<BR> +You beg reprieve for this expiring man,<BR> +I grant you leave to take your Turnus hence<BR> +From instant fate, and can so far dispense.<BR> +But, if some secret meaning lies beneath,<BR> +To save the short-liv'd youth from destin'd death,<BR> +Or if a farther thought you entertain,<BR> +To change the fates; you feed your hopes in vain."<BR> +To whom the goddess thus, with weeping eyes:<BR> +"And what if that request, your tongue denies,<BR> +Your heart should grant; and not a short reprieve,<BR> +But length of certain life, to Turnus give?<BR> +Now speedy death attends the guiltless youth,<BR> +If my presaging soul divines with truth;<BR> +Which, O! I wish, might err thro' causeless fears,<BR> +And you (for you have pow'r) prolong his years!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said, involv'd in clouds, she flies,<BR> +And drives a storm before her thro' the skies.<BR> +Swift she descends, alighting on the plain,<BR> +Where the fierce foes a dubious fight maintain.<BR> +Of air condens'd a specter soon she made;<BR> +And, what Aeneas was, such seem'd the shade.<BR> +Adorn'd with Dardan arms, the phantom bore<BR> +His head aloft; a plumy crest he wore;<BR> +This hand appear'd a shining sword to wield,<BR> +And that sustain'd an imitated shield.<BR> +With manly mien he stalk'd along the ground,<BR> +Nor wanted voice belied, nor vaunting sound.<BR> +(Thus haunting ghosts appear to waking sight,<BR> +Or dreadful visions in our dreams by night.)<BR> +The specter seems the Daunian chief to dare,<BR> +And flourishes his empty sword in air.<BR> +At this, advancing, Turnus hurl'd his spear:<BR> +The phantom wheel'd, and seem'd to fly for fear.<BR> +Deluded Turnus thought the Trojan fled,<BR> +And with vain hopes his haughty fancy fed.<BR> +"Whether, O coward?" (thus he calls aloud,<BR> +Nor found he spoke to wind, and chas'd a cloud,)<BR> +"Why thus forsake your bride! Receive from me<BR> +The fated land you sought so long by sea."<BR> +He said, and, brandishing at once his blade,<BR> +With eager pace pursued the flying shade.<BR> +By chance a ship was fasten'd to the shore,<BR> +Which from old Clusium King Osinius bore:<BR> +The plank was ready laid for safe ascent;<BR> +For shelter there the trembling shadow bent,<BR> +And skipp't and skulk'd, and under hatches went.<BR> +Exulting Turnus, with regardless haste,<BR> +Ascends the plank, and to the galley pass'd.<BR> +Scarce had he reach'd the prow: Saturnia's hand<BR> +The haulsers cuts, and shoots the ship from land.<BR> +With wind in poop, the vessel plows the sea,<BR> +And measures back with speed her former way.<BR> +Meantime Aeneas seeks his absent foe,<BR> +And sends his slaughter'd troops to shades below.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The guileful phantom now forsook the shroud,<BR> +And flew sublime, and vanish'd in a cloud.<BR> +Too late young Turnus the delusion found,<BR> +Far on the sea, still making from the ground.<BR> +Then, thankless for a life redeem'd by shame,<BR> +With sense of honor stung, and forfeit fame,<BR> +Fearful besides of what in fight had pass'd,<BR> +His hands and haggard eyes to heav'n he cast;<BR> +"O Jove!" he cried, "for what offense have<BR> +Deserv'd to bear this endless infamy?<BR> +Whence am I forc'd, and whether am I borne?<BR> +How, and with what reproach, shall I return?<BR> +Shall ever I behold the Latian plain,<BR> +Or see Laurentum's lofty tow'rs again?<BR> +What will they say of their deserting chief<BR> +The war was mine: I fly from their relief;<BR> +I led to slaughter, and in slaughter leave;<BR> +And ev'n from hence their dying groans receive.<BR> +Here, overmatch'd in fight, in heaps they lie;<BR> +There, scatter'd o'er the fields, ignobly fly.<BR> +Gape wide, O earth, and draw me down alive!<BR> +Or, O ye pitying winds, a wretch relieve!<BR> +On sands or shelves the splitting vessel drive;<BR> +Or set me shipwrack'd on some desart shore,<BR> +Where no Rutulian eyes may see me more,<BR> +Unknown to friends, or foes, or conscious Fame,<BR> +Lest she should follow, and my flight proclaim."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Turnus rav'd, and various fates revolv'd:<BR> +The choice was doubtful, but the death resolv'd.<BR> +And now the sword, and now the sea took place,<BR> +That to revenge, and this to purge disgrace.<BR> +Sometimes he thought to swim the stormy main,<BR> +By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain.<BR> +Thrice he the sword assay'd, and thrice the flood;<BR> +But Juno, mov'd with pity, both withstood.<BR> +And thrice repress'd his rage; strong gales supplied,<BR> +And push'd the vessel o'er the swelling tide.<BR> +At length she lands him on his native shores,<BR> +And to his father's longing arms restores.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime, by Jove's impulse, Mezentius arm'd,<BR> +Succeeding Turnus, with his ardor warm'd<BR> +His fainting friends, reproach'd their shameful flight,<BR> +Repell'd the victors, and renew'd the fight.<BR> +Against their king the Tuscan troops conspire;<BR> +Such is their hate, and such their fierce desire<BR> +Of wish'd revenge: on him, and him alone,<BR> +All hands employ'd, and all their darts are thrown.<BR> +He, like a solid rock by seas inclos'd,<BR> +To raging winds and roaring waves oppos'd,<BR> +From his proud summit looking down, disdains<BR> +Their empty menace, and unmov'd remains.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Beneath his feet fell haughty Hebrus dead,<BR> +Then Latagus, and Palmus as he fled.<BR> +At Latagus a weighty stone he flung:<BR> +His face was flatted, and his helmet rung.<BR> +But Palmus from behind receives his wound;<BR> +Hamstring'd he falls, and grovels on the ground:<BR> +His crest and armor, from his body torn,<BR> +Thy shoulders, Lausus, and thy head adorn.<BR> +Evas and Mimas, both of Troy, he slew.<BR> +Mimas his birth from fair Theano drew,<BR> +Born on that fatal night, when, big with fire,<BR> +The queen produc'd young Paris to his sire:<BR> +But Paris in the Phrygian fields was slain,<BR> +Unthinking Mimas on the Latian plain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And, as a savage boar, on mountains bred,<BR> +With forest mast and fatt'ning marshes fed,<BR> +When once he sees himself in toils inclos'd,<BR> +By huntsmen and their eager hounds oppos'd-<BR> +He whets his tusks, and turns, and dares the war;<BR> +Th' invaders dart their jav'lins from afar:<BR> +All keep aloof, and safely shout around;<BR> +But none presumes to give a nearer wound:<BR> +He frets and froths, erects his bristled hide,<BR> +And shakes a grove of lances from his side:<BR> +Not otherwise the troops, with hate inspir'd,<BR> +And just revenge against the tyrant fir'd,<BR> +Their darts with clamor at a distance drive,<BR> +And only keep the languish'd war alive.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +From Coritus came Acron to the fight,<BR> +Who left his spouse betroth'd, and unconsummate night.<BR> +Mezentius sees him thro' the squadrons ride,<BR> +Proud of the purple favors of his bride.<BR> +Then, as a hungry lion, who beholds<BR> +A gamesome goat, who frisks about the folds,<BR> +Or beamy stag, that grazes on the plain-<BR> +He runs, he roars, he shakes his rising mane,<BR> +He grins, and opens wide his greedy jaws;<BR> +The prey lies panting underneath his paws:<BR> +He fills his famish'd maw; his mouth runs o'er<BR> +With unchew'd morsels, while he churns the gore:<BR> +So proud Mezentius rushes on his foes,<BR> +And first unhappy Acron overthrows:<BR> +Stretch'd at his length, he spurns the swarthy ground;<BR> +The lance, besmear'd with blood, lies broken in the wound.<BR> +Then with disdain the haughty victor view'd<BR> +Orodes flying, nor the wretch pursued,<BR> +Nor thought the dastard's back deserv'd a wound,<BR> +But, running, gain'd th' advantage of the ground:<BR> +Then turning short, he met him face to face,<BR> +To give his victor the better grace.<BR> +Orodes falls, in equal fight oppress'd:<BR> +Mezentius fix'd his foot upon his breast,<BR> +And rested lance; and thus aloud he cries:<BR> +"Lo! here the champion of my rebels lies!"<BR> +The fields around with Io Paean! ring;<BR> +And peals of shouts applaud the conqu'ring king.<BR> +At this the vanquish'd, with his dying breath,<BR> +Thus faintly spoke, and prophesied in death:<BR> +"Nor thou, proud man, unpunish'd shalt remain:<BR> +Like death attends thee on this fatal plain."<BR> +Then, sourly smiling, thus the king replied:<BR> +"For what belongs to me, let Jove provide;<BR> +But die thou first, whatever chance ensue."<BR> +He said, and from the wound the weapon drew.<BR> +A hov'ring mist came swimming o'er his sight,<BR> +And seal'd his eyes in everlasting night.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +By Caedicus, Alcathous was slain;<BR> +Sacrator laid Hydaspes on the plain;<BR> +Orses the strong to greater strength must yield;<BR> +He, with Parthenius, were by Rapo kill'd.<BR> +Then brave Messapus Ericetes slew,<BR> +Who from Lycaon's blood his lineage drew.<BR> +But from his headstrong horse his fate he found,<BR> +Who threw his master, as he made a bound:<BR> +The chief, alighting, stuck him to the ground;<BR> +Then Clonius, hand to hand, on foot assails:<BR> +The Trojan sinks, and Neptune's son prevails.<BR> +Agis the Lycian, stepping forth with pride,<BR> +To single fight the boldest foe defied;<BR> +Whom Tuscan Valerus by force o'ercame,<BR> +And not belied his mighty father's fame.<BR> +Salius to death the great Antronius sent:<BR> +But the same fate the victor underwent,<BR> +Slain by Nealces' hand, well-skill'd to throw<BR> +The flying dart, and draw the far-deceiving bow.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus equal deaths are dealt with equal chance;<BR> +By turns they quit their ground, by turns advance:<BR> +Victors and vanquish'd, in the various field,<BR> +Nor wholly overcome, nor wholly yield.<BR> +The gods from heav'n survey the fatal strife,<BR> +And mourn the miseries of human life.<BR> +Above the rest, two goddesses appear<BR> +Concern'd for each: here Venus, Juno there.<BR> +Amidst the crowd, infernal Ate shakes<BR> +Her scourge aloft, and crest of hissing snakes.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Once more the proud Mezentius, with disdain,<BR> +Brandish'd his spear, and rush'd into the plain,<BR> +Where tow'ring in the midmost rank she stood,<BR> +Like tall Orion stalking o'er the flood.<BR> +(When with his brawny breast he cuts the waves,<BR> +His shoulders scarce the topmost billow laves),<BR> +Or like a mountain ash, whose roots are spread,<BR> +Deep fix'd in earth; in clouds he hides his head.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Trojan prince beheld him from afar,<BR> +And dauntless undertook the doubtful war.<BR> +Collected in his strength, and like a rock,<BR> +Pois'd on his base, Mezentius stood the shock.<BR> +He stood, and, measuring first with careful eyes<BR> +The space his spear could reach, aloud he cries:<BR> +"My strong right hand, and sword, assist my stroke!<BR> +(Those only gods Mezentius will invoke.)<BR> +His armor, from the Trojan pirate torn,<BR> +By my triumphant Lausus shall be worn."<BR> +He said; and with his utmost force he threw<BR> +The massy spear, which, hissing as it flew,<BR> +Reach'd the celestial shield, that stopp'd the course;<BR> +But, glancing thence, the yet unbroken force<BR> +Took a new bent obliquely, and betwixt<BR> +The side and bowels fam'd Anthores fix'd.<BR> +Anthores had from Argos travel'd far,<BR> +Alcides' friend, and brother of the war;<BR> +Till, tir'd with toils, fair Italy he chose,<BR> +And in Evander's palace sought repose.<BR> +Now, falling by another's wound, his eyes<BR> +He cast to heav'n, on Argos thinks, and dies.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The pious Trojan then his jav'lin sent;<BR> +The shield gave way; thro' treble plates it went<BR> +Of solid brass, of linen trebly roll'd,<BR> +And three bull hides which round the buckler fold.<BR> +All these it pass'd, resistless in the course,<BR> +Transpierc'd his thigh, and spent its dying force.<BR> +The gaping wound gush'd out a crimson flood.<BR> +The Trojan, glad with sight of hostile blood,<BR> +His faunchion drew, to closer fight address'd,<BR> +And with new force his fainting foe oppress'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +His father's peril Lausus view'd with grief;<BR> +He sigh'd, he wept, he ran to his relief.<BR> +And here, heroic youth, 't is here I must<BR> +To thy immortal memory be just,<BR> +And sing an act so noble and so new,<BR> +Posterity will scarce believe 't is true.<BR> +Pain'd with his wound, and useless for the fight,<BR> +The father sought to save himself by flight:<BR> +Incumber'd, slow he dragg'd the spear along,<BR> +Which pierc'd his thigh, and in his buckler hung.<BR> +The pious youth, resolv'd on death, below<BR> +The lifted sword springs forth to face the foe;<BR> +Protects his parent, and prevents the blow.<BR> +Shouts of applause ran ringing thro' the field,<BR> +To see the son the vanquish'd father shield.<BR> +All, fir'd with gen'rous indignation, strive,<BR> +And with a storm of darts to distance drive<BR> +The Trojan chief, who, held at bay from far,<BR> +On his Vulcanian orb sustain'd the war.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As, when thick hail comes rattling in the wind,<BR> +The plowman, passenger, and lab'ring hind<BR> +For shelter to the neighb'ring covert fly,<BR> +Or hous'd, or safe in hollow caverns lie;<BR> +But, that o'erblown, when heav'n above 'em smiles,<BR> +Return to travel, and renew their toils:<BR> +Aeneas thus, o'erwhelmed on ev'ry side,<BR> +The storm of darts, undaunted, did abide;<BR> +And thus to Lausus loud with friendly threat'ning cried:<BR> +"Why wilt thou rush to certain death, and rage<BR> +In rash attempts, beyond thy tender age,<BR> +Betray'd by pious love?" Nor, thus forborne,<BR> +The youth desists, but with insulting scorn<BR> +Provokes the ling'ring prince, whose patience, tir'd,<BR> +Gave place; and all his breast with fury fir'd.<BR> +For now the Fates prepar'd their sharpen'd shears;<BR> +And lifted high the flaming sword appears,<BR> +Which, full descending with a frightful sway,<BR> +Thro' shield and corslet forc'd th' impetuous way,<BR> +And buried deep in his fair bosom lay.<BR> +The purple streams thro' the thin armor strove,<BR> +And drench'd th' imbroider'd coat his mother wove;<BR> +And life at length forsook his heaving heart,<BR> +Loth from so sweet a mansion to depart.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But when, with blood and paleness all o'erspread,<BR> +The pious prince beheld young Lausus dead,<BR> +He griev'd; he wept; the sight an image brought<BR> +Of his own filial love, a sadly pleasing thought:<BR> +Then stretch'd his hand to hold him up, and said:<BR> +"Poor hapless youth! what praises can be paid<BR> +To love so great, to such transcendent store<BR> +Of early worth, and sure presage of more?<BR> +Accept whate'er Aeneas can afford;<BR> +Untouch'd thy arms, untaken be thy sword;<BR> +And all that pleas'd thee living, still remain<BR> +Inviolate, and sacred to the slain.<BR> +Thy body on thy parents I bestow,<BR> +To rest thy soul, at least, if shadows know,<BR> +Or have a sense of human things below.<BR> +There to thy fellow ghosts with glory tell:<BR> +''T was by the great Aeneas hand I fell.'"<BR> +With this, his distant friends he beckons near,<BR> +Provokes their duty, and prevents their fear:<BR> +Himself assists to lift him from the ground,<BR> +With clotted locks, and blood that well'd from out the wound.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime, his father, now no father, stood,<BR> +And wash'd his wounds by Tiber's yellow flood:<BR> +Oppress'd with anguish, panting, and o'erspent,<BR> +His fainting limbs against an oak he leant.<BR> +A bough his brazen helmet did sustain;<BR> +His heavier arms lay scatter'd on the plain:<BR> +A chosen train of youth around him stand;<BR> +His drooping head was rested on his hand:<BR> +His grisly beard his pensive bosom sought;<BR> +And all on Lausus ran his restless thought.<BR> +Careful, concern'd his danger to prevent,<BR> +He much enquir'd, and many a message sent<BR> +To warn him from the field- alas! in vain!<BR> +Behold, his mournful followers bear him slain!<BR> +O'er his broad shield still gush'd the yawning wound,<BR> +And drew a bloody trail along the ground.<BR> +Far off he heard their cries, far off divin'd<BR> +The dire event, with a foreboding mind.<BR> +With dust he sprinkled first his hoary head;<BR> +Then both his lifted hands to heav'n he spread;<BR> +Last, the dear corpse embracing, thus he said:<BR> +"What joys, alas! could this frail being give,<BR> +That I have been so covetous to live?<BR> +To see my son, and such a son, resign<BR> +His life, a ransom for preserving mine!<BR> +And am I then preserv'd, and art thou lost?<BR> +How much too dear has that redemption cost!<BR> +'T is now my bitter banishment I feel:<BR> +This is a wound too deep for time to heal.<BR> +My guilt thy growing virtues did defame;<BR> +My blackness blotted thy unblemish'd name.<BR> +Chas'd from a throne, abandon'd, and exil'd<BR> +For foul misdeeds, were punishments too mild:<BR> +I ow'd my people these, and, from their hate,<BR> +With less resentment could have borne my fate.<BR> +And yet I live, and yet sustain the sight<BR> +Of hated men, and of more hated light:<BR> +But will not long." With that he rais'd from ground<BR> +His fainting limbs, that stagger'd with his wound;<BR> +Yet, with a mind resolv'd, and unappall'd<BR> +With pains or perils, for his courser call'd<BR> +Well-mouth'd, well-manag'd, whom himself did dress<BR> +With daily care, and mounted with success;<BR> +His aid in arms, his ornament in peace.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Soothing his courage with a gentle stroke,<BR> +The steed seem'd sensible, while thus he spoke:<BR> +"O Rhoebus, we have liv'd too long for me-<BR> +If life and long were terms that could agree!<BR> +This day thou either shalt bring back the head<BR> +And bloody trophies of the Trojan dead;<BR> +This day thou either shalt revenge my woe,<BR> +For murther'd Lausus, on his cruel foe;<BR> +Or, if inexorable fate deny<BR> +Our conquest, with thy conquer'd master die:<BR> +For, after such a lord, I rest secure,<BR> +Thou wilt no foreign reins, or Trojan load endure."<BR> +He said; and straight th' officious courser kneels,<BR> +To take his wonted weight. His hands he fills<BR> +With pointed jav'lins; on his head he lac'd<BR> +His glitt'ring helm, which terribly was grac'd<BR> +With waving horsehair, nodding from afar;<BR> +Then spurr'd his thund'ring steed amidst the war.<BR> +Love, anguish, wrath, and grief, to madness wrought,<BR> +Despair, and secret shame, and conscious thought<BR> +Of inborn worth, his lab'ring soul oppress'd,<BR> +Roll'd in his eyes, and rag'd within his breast.<BR> +Then loud he call'd Aeneas thrice by name:<BR> +The loud repeated voice to glad Aeneas came.<BR> +"Great Jove," he said, "and the far-shooting god,<BR> +Inspire thy mind to make thy challenge good!"<BR> +He spoke no more; but hasten'd, void of fear,<BR> +And threaten'd with his long protended spear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To whom Mezentius thus: "Thy vaunts are vain.<BR> +My Lausus lies extended on the plain:<BR> +He's lost! thy conquest is already won;<BR> +The wretched sire is murther'd in the son.<BR> +Nor fate I fear, but all the gods defy.<BR> +Forbear thy threats: my bus'ness is to die;<BR> +But first receive this parting legacy."<BR> +He said; and straight a whirling dart he sent;<BR> +Another after, and another went.<BR> +Round in a spacious ring he rides the field,<BR> +And vainly plies th' impenetrable shield.<BR> +Thrice rode he round; and thrice Aeneas wheel'd,<BR> +Turn'd as he turn'd: the golden orb withstood<BR> +The strokes, and bore about an iron wood.<BR> +Impatient of delay, and weary grown,<BR> +Still to defend, and to defend alone,<BR> +To wrench the darts which in his buckler light,<BR> +Urg'd and o'er-labor'd in unequal fight;<BR> +At length resolv'd, he throws with all his force<BR> +Full at the temples of the warrior horse.<BR> +Just where the stroke was aim'd, th' unerring spear<BR> +Made way, and stood transfix'd thro' either ear.<BR> +Seiz'd with unwonted pain, surpris'd with fright,<BR> +The wounded steed curvets, and, rais'd upright,<BR> +Lights on his feet before; his hoofs behind<BR> +Spring up in air aloft, and lash the wind.<BR> +Down comes the rider headlong from his height:<BR> +His horse came after with unwieldy weight,<BR> +And, flound'ring forward, pitching on his head,<BR> +His lord's incumber'd shoulder overlaid.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +From either host, the mingled shouts and cries<BR> +Of Trojans and Rutulians rend the skies.<BR> +Aeneas, hast'ning, wav'd his fatal sword<BR> +High o'er his head, with this reproachful word:<BR> +"Now; where are now thy vaunts, the fierce disdain<BR> +Of proud Mezentius, and the lofty strain?"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Struggling, and wildly staring on the skies,<BR> +With scarce recover'd sight he thus replies:<BR> +"Why these insulting words, this waste of breath,<BR> +To souls undaunted, and secure of death?<BR> +'T is no dishonor for the brave to die,<BR> +Nor came I here with hope victory;<BR> +Nor ask I life, nor fought with that design:<BR> +As I had us'd my fortune, use thou thine.<BR> +My dying son contracted no such band;<BR> +The gift is hateful from his murd'rer's hand.<BR> +For this, this only favor let me sue,<BR> +If pity can to conquer'd foes be due:<BR> +Refuse it not; but let my body have<BR> +The last retreat of humankind, a grave.<BR> +Too well I know th' insulting people's hate;<BR> +Protect me from their vengeance after fate:<BR> +This refuge for my poor remains provide,<BR> +And lay my much-lov'd Lausus by my side."<BR> +He said, and to the sword his throat applied.<BR> +The crimson stream distain'd his arms around,<BR> +And the disdainful soul came rushing thro' the wound.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book11"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK XI<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Scarce had the rosy Morning rais'd her head<BR> +Above the waves, and left her wat'ry bed;<BR> +The pious chief, whom double cares attend<BR> +For his unburied soldiers and his friend,<BR> +Yet first to Heav'n perform'd a victor's vows:<BR> +He bar'd an ancient oak of all her boughs;<BR> +Then on a rising ground the trunk he plac'd,<BR> +Which with the spoils of his dead foe he grac'd.<BR> +The coat of arms by proud Mezentius worn,<BR> +Now on a naked snag in triumph borne,<BR> +Was hung on high, and glitter'd from afar,<BR> +A trophy sacred to the God of War.<BR> +Above his arms, fix'd on the leafless wood,<BR> +Appear'd his plumy crest, besmear'd with blood:<BR> +His brazen buckler on the left was seen;<BR> +Truncheons of shiver'd lances hung between;<BR> +And on the right was placed his corslet, bor'd;<BR> +And to the neck was tied his unavailing sword.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A crowd of chiefs inclose the godlike man,<BR> +Who thus, conspicuous in the midst, began:<BR> +"Our toils, my friends, are crown'd with sure success;<BR> +The greater part perform'd, achieve the less.<BR> +Now follow cheerful to the trembling town;<BR> +Press but an entrance, and presume it won.<BR> +Fear is no more, for fierce Mezentius lies,<BR> +As the first fruits of war, a sacrifice.<BR> +Turnus shall fall extended on the plain,<BR> +And, in this omen, is already slain.<BR> +Prepar'd in arms, pursue your happy chance;<BR> +That none unwarn'd may plead his ignorance,<BR> +And I, at Heav'n's appointed hour, may find<BR> +Your warlike ensigns waving in the wind.<BR> +Meantime the rites and fun'ral pomps prepare,<BR> +Due to your dead companions of the war:<BR> +The last respect the living can bestow,<BR> +To shield their shadows from contempt below.<BR> +That conquer'd earth be theirs, for which they fought,<BR> +And which for us with their own blood they bought;<BR> +But first the corpse of our unhappy friend<BR> +To the sad city of Evander send,<BR> +Who, not inglorious, in his age's bloom,<BR> +Was hurried hence by too severe a doom."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, weeping while he spoke, he took his way,<BR> +Where, new in death, lamented Pallas lay.<BR> +Acoetes watch'd the corpse; whose youth deserv'd<BR> +The father's trust; and now the son he serv'd<BR> +With equal faith, but less auspicious care.<BR> +Th' attendants of the slain his sorrow share.<BR> +A troop of Trojans mix'd with these appear,<BR> +And mourning matrons with dishevel'd hair.<BR> +Soon as the prince appears, they raise a cry;<BR> +All beat their breasts, and echoes rend the sky.<BR> +They rear his drooping forehead from the ground;<BR> +But, when Aeneas view'd the grisly wound<BR> +Which Pallas in his manly bosom bore,<BR> +And the fair flesh distain'd with purple gore;<BR> +First, melting into tears, the pious man<BR> +Deplor'd so sad a sight, then thus began:<BR> +"Unhappy youth! when Fortune gave the rest<BR> +Of my full wishes, she refus'd the best!<BR> +She came; but brought not thee along, to bless<BR> +My longing eyes, and share in my success:<BR> +She grudg'd thy safe return, the triumphs due<BR> +To prosp'rous valor, in the public view.<BR> +Not thus I promis'd, when thy father lent<BR> +Thy needless succor with a sad consent;<BR> +Embrac'd me, parting for th' Etrurian land,<BR> +And sent me to possess a large command.<BR> +He warn'd, and from his own experience told,<BR> +Our foes were warlike, disciplin'd, and bold.<BR> +And now perhaps, in hopes of thy return,<BR> +Rich odors on his loaded altars burn,<BR> +While we, with vain officious pomp, prepare<BR> +To send him back his portion of the war,<BR> +A bloody breathless body, which can owe<BR> +No farther debt, but to the pow'rs below.<BR> +The wretched father, ere his race is run,<BR> +Shall view the fun'ral honors of his son.<BR> +These are my triumphs of the Latian war,<BR> +Fruits of my plighted faith and boasted care!<BR> +And yet, unhappy sire, thou shalt not see<BR> +A son whose death disgrac'd his ancestry;<BR> +Thou shalt not blush, old man, however griev'd:<BR> +Thy Pallas no dishonest wound receiv'd.<BR> +He died no death to make thee wish, too late,<BR> +Thou hadst not liv'd to see his shameful fate:<BR> +But what a champion has th' Ausonian coast,<BR> +And what a friend hast thou, Ascanius, lost!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having mourn'd, he gave the word around,<BR> +To raise the breathless body from the ground;<BR> +And chose a thousand horse, the flow'r of all<BR> +His warlike troops, to wait the funeral,<BR> +To bear him back and share Evander's grief:<BR> +A well-becoming, but a weak relief.<BR> +Of oaken twigs they twist an easy bier,<BR> +Then on their shoulders the sad burden rear.<BR> +The body on this rural hearse is borne:<BR> +Strew'd leaves and funeral greens the bier adorn.<BR> +All pale he lies, and looks a lovely flow'r,<BR> +New cropp'd by virgin hands, to dress the bow'r:<BR> +Unfaded yet, but yet unfed below,<BR> +No more to mother earth or the green stern shall owe.<BR> +Then two fair vests, of wondrous work and cost,<BR> +Of purple woven, and with gold emboss'd,<BR> +For ornament the Trojan hero brought,<BR> +Which with her hands Sidonian Dido wrought.<BR> +One vest array'd the corpse; and one they spread<BR> +O'er his clos'd eyes, and wrapp'd around his head,<BR> +That, when the yellow hair in flame should fall,<BR> +The catching fire might burn the golden caul.<BR> +Besides, the spoils of foes in battle slain,<BR> +When he descended on the Latian plain;<BR> +Arms, trappings, horses, by the hearse are led<BR> +In long array- th' achievements of the dead.<BR> +Then, pinion'd with their hands behind, appear<BR> +Th' unhappy captives, marching in the rear,<BR> +Appointed off'rings in the victor's name,<BR> +To sprinkle with their blood the fun'ral flame.<BR> +Inferior trophies by the chiefs are borne;<BR> +Gauntlets and helms their loaded hands adorn;<BR> +And fair inscriptions fix'd, and titles read<BR> +Of Latian leaders conquer'd by the dead.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Acoetes on his pupil's corpse attends,<BR> +With feeble steps, supported by his friends.<BR> +Pausing at ev'ry pace, in sorrow drown'd,<BR> +Betwixt their arms he sinks upon the ground;<BR> +Where grov'ling while he lies in deep despair,<BR> +He beats his breast, and rends his hoary hair.<BR> +The champion's chariot next is seen to roll,<BR> +Besmear'd with hostile blood, and honorably foul.<BR> +To close the pomp, Aethon, the steed of state,<BR> +Is led, the fun'rals of his lord to wait.<BR> +Stripp'd of his trappings, with a sullen pace<BR> +He walks; and the big tears run rolling down his face.<BR> +The lance of Pallas, and the crimson crest,<BR> +Are borne behind: the victor seiz'd the rest.<BR> +The march begins: the trumpets hoarsely sound;<BR> +The pikes and lances trail along the ground.<BR> +Thus while the Trojan and Arcadian horse<BR> +To Pallantean tow'rs direct their course,<BR> +In long procession rank'd, the pious chief<BR> +Stopp'd in the rear, and gave a vent to grief:<BR> +"The public care," he said, "which war attends,<BR> +Diverts our present woes, at least suspends.<BR> +Peace with the manes of great Pallas dwell!<BR> +Hail, holy relics! and a last farewell!"<BR> +He said no more, but, inly thro' he mourn'd,<BR> +Restrained his tears, and to the camp return'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now suppliants, from Laurentum sent, demand<BR> +A truce, with olive branches in their hand;<BR> +Obtest his clemency, and from the plain<BR> +Beg leave to draw the bodies of their slain.<BR> +They plead, that none those common rites deny<BR> +To conquer'd foes that in fair battle die.<BR> +All cause of hate was ended in their death;<BR> +Nor could he war with bodies void of breath.<BR> +A king, they hop'd, would hear a king's request,<BR> +Whose son he once was call'd, and once his guest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Their suit, which was too just to be denied,<BR> +The hero grants, and farther thus replied:<BR> +"O Latian princes, how severe a fate<BR> +In causeless quarrels has involv'd your state,<BR> +And arm'd against an unoffending man,<BR> +Who sought your friendship ere the war began!<BR> +You beg a truce, which I would gladly give,<BR> +Not only for the slain, but those who live.<BR> +I came not hither but by Heav'n's command,<BR> +And sent by fate to share the Latian land.<BR> +Nor wage I wars unjust: your king denied<BR> +My proffer'd friendship, and my promis'd bride;<BR> +Left me for Turnus. Turnus then should try<BR> +His cause in arms, to conquer or to die.<BR> +My right and his are in dispute: the slain<BR> +Fell without fault, our quarrel to maintain.<BR> +In equal arms let us alone contend;<BR> +And let him vanquish, whom his fates befriend.<BR> +This is the way (so tell him) to possess<BR> +The royal virgin, and restore the peace.<BR> +Bear this message back, with ample leave,<BR> +That your slain friends may fun'ral rites receive."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus having said- th' embassadors, amaz'd,<BR> +Stood mute a while, and on each other gaz'd.<BR> +Drances, their chief, who harbor'd in his breast<BR> +Long hate to Turnus, as his foe profess'd,<BR> +Broke silence first, and to the godlike man,<BR> +With graceful action bowing, thus began:<BR> +"Auspicious prince, in arms a mighty name,<BR> +But yet whose actions far transcend your fame;<BR> +Would I your justice or your force express,<BR> +Thought can but equal; and all words are less.<BR> +Your answer we shall thankfully relate,<BR> +And favors granted to the Latian state.<BR> +If wish'd success our labor shall attend,<BR> +Think peace concluded, and the king your friend:<BR> +Let Turnus leave the realm to your command,<BR> +And seek alliance in some other land:<BR> +Build you the city which your fates assign;<BR> +We shall be proud in the great work to join."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Drances; and his words so well persuade<BR> +The rest impower'd, that soon a truce is made.<BR> +Twelve days the term allow'd: and, during those,<BR> +Latians and Trojans, now no longer foes,<BR> +Mix'd in the woods, for fun'ral piles prepare<BR> +To fell the timber, and forget the war.<BR> +Loud axes thro' the groaning groves resound;<BR> +Oak, mountain ash, and poplar spread the ground;<BR> +First fall from high; and some the trunks receive<BR> +In loaden wains; with wedges some they cleave.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now the fatal news by Fame is blown<BR> +Thro' the short circuit of th' Arcadian town,<BR> +Of Pallas slain- by Fame, which just before<BR> +His triumphs on distended pinions bore.<BR> +Rushing from out the gate, the people stand,<BR> +Each with a fun'ral flambeau in his hand.<BR> +Wildly they stare, distracted with amaze:<BR> +The fields are lighten'd with a fiery blaze,<BR> +That cast a sullen splendor on their friends,<BR> +The marching troop which their dead prince attends.<BR> +Both parties meet: they raise a doleful cry;<BR> +The matrons from the walls with shrieks reply,<BR> +And their mix'd mourning rends the vaulted sky.<BR> +The town is fill'd with tumult and with tears,<BR> +Till the loud clamors reach Evander's ears:<BR> +Forgetful of his state, he runs along,<BR> +With a disorder'd pace, and cleaves the throng;<BR> +Falls on the corpse; and groaning there he lies,<BR> +With silent grief, that speaks but at his eyes.<BR> +Short sighs and sobs succeed; till sorrow breaks<BR> +A passage, and at once he weeps and speaks:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"O Pallas! thou hast fail'd thy plighted word,<BR> +To fight with caution, not to tempt the sword!<BR> +I warn'd thee, but in vain; for well I knew<BR> +What perils youthful ardor would pursue,<BR> +That boiling blood would carry thee too far,<BR> +Young as thou wert in dangers, raw to war!<BR> +O curst essay of arms, disastrous doom,<BR> +Prelude of bloody fields, and fights to come!<BR> +Hard elements of unauspicious war,<BR> +Vain vows to Heav'n, and unavailing care!<BR> +Thrice happy thou, dear partner of my bed,<BR> +Whose holy soul the stroke of Fortune fled,<BR> +Praescious of ills, and leaving me behind,<BR> +To drink the dregs of life by fate assign'd!<BR> +Beyond the goal of nature I have gone:<BR> +My Pallas late set out, but reach'd too soon.<BR> +If, for my league against th' Ausonian state,<BR> +Amidst their weapons I had found my fate,<BR> +(Deserv'd from them,) then I had been return'd<BR> +A breathless victor, and my son had mourn'd.<BR> +Yet will I not my Trojan friend upbraid,<BR> +Nor grudge th' alliance I so gladly made.<BR> +'T was not his fault, my Pallas fell so young,<BR> +But my own crime, for having liv'd too long.<BR> +Yet, since the gods had destin'd him to die,<BR> +At least he led the way to victory:<BR> +First for his friends he won the fatal shore,<BR> +And sent whole herds of slaughter'd foes before;<BR> +A death too great, too glorious to deplore.<BR> +Nor will I add new honors to thy grave,<BR> +Content with those the Trojan hero gave:<BR> +That funeral pomp thy Phrygian friends design'd,<BR> +In which the Tuscan chiefs and army join'd.<BR> +Great spoils and trophies, gain'd by thee, they bear:<BR> +Then let thy own achievements be thy share.<BR> +Even thou, O Turnus, hadst a trophy stood,<BR> +Whose mighty trunk had better grac'd the wood,<BR> +If Pallas had arriv'd, with equal length<BR> +Of years, to match thy bulk with equal strength.<BR> +But why, unhappy man, dost thou detain<BR> +These troops, to view the tears thou shedd'st in vain?<BR> +Go, friends, this message to your lord relate:<BR> +Tell him, that, if I bear my bitter fate,<BR> +And, after Pallas' death, live ling'ring on,<BR> +'T is to behold his vengeance for my son.<BR> +I stay for Turnus, whose devoted head<BR> +Is owing to the living and the dead.<BR> +My son and I expect it from his hand;<BR> +'T is all that he can give, or we demand.<BR> +Joy is no more; but I would gladly go,<BR> +To greet my Pallas with such news below."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The morn had now dispell'd the shades of night,<BR> +Restoring toils, when she restor'd the light.<BR> +The Trojan king and Tuscan chief command<BR> +To raise the piles along the winding strand.<BR> +Their friends convey the dead fun'ral fires;<BR> +Black smold'ring smoke from the green wood expires;<BR> +The light of heav'n is chok'd, and the new day retires.<BR> +Then thrice around the kindled piles they go<BR> +(For ancient custom had ordain'd it so)<BR> +Thrice horse and foot about the fires are led;<BR> +And thrice, with loud laments, they hail the dead.<BR> +Tears, trickling down their breasts, bedew the ground,<BR> +And drums and trumpets mix their mournful sound.<BR> +Amid the blaze, their pious brethren throw<BR> +The spoils, in battle taken from the foe:<BR> +Helms, bits emboss'd, and swords of shining steel;<BR> +One casts a target, one a chariot wheel;<BR> +Some to their fellows their own arms restore:<BR> +The fauchions which in luckless fight they bore,<BR> +Their bucklers pierc'd, their darts bestow'd in vain,<BR> +And shiver'd lances gather'd from the plain.<BR> +Whole herds of offer'd bulls, about the fire,<BR> +And bristled boars, and woolly sheep expire.<BR> +Around the piles a careful troop attends,<BR> +To watch the wasting flames, and weep their burning friends;<BR> +Ling'ring along the shore, till dewy night<BR> +New decks the face of heav'n with starry light.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The conquer'd Latians, with like pious care,<BR> +Piles without number for their dead prepare.<BR> +Part in the places where they fell are laid;<BR> +And part are to the neighb'ring fields convey'd.<BR> +The corps of kings, and captains of renown,<BR> +Borne off in state, are buried in the town;<BR> +The rest, unhonor'd, and without a name,<BR> +Are cast a common heap to feed the flame.<BR> +Trojans and Latians vie with like desires<BR> +To make the field of battle shine with fires,<BR> +And the promiscuous blaze to heav'n aspires.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now had the morning thrice renew'd the light,<BR> +And thrice dispell'd the shadows of the night,<BR> +When those who round the wasted fires remain,<BR> +Perform the last sad office to the slain.<BR> +They rake the yet warm ashes from below;<BR> +These, and the bones unburn'd, in earth bestow;<BR> +These relics with their country rites they grace,<BR> +And raise a mount of turf to mark the place.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But, in the palace of the king, appears<BR> +A scene more solemn, and a pomp of tears.<BR> +Maids, matrons, widows, mix their common moans;<BR> +Orphans their sires, and sires lament their sons.<BR> +All in that universal sorrow share,<BR> +And curse the cause of this unhappy war:<BR> +A broken league, a bride unjustly sought,<BR> +A crown usurp'd, which with their blood is bought!<BR> +These are the crimes with which they load the name<BR> +Of Turnus, and on him alone exclaim:<BR> +"Let him who lords it o'er th' Ausonian land<BR> +Engage the Trojan hero hand to hand:<BR> +His is the gain; our lot is but to serve;<BR> +'T is just, the sway he seeks, he should deserve."<BR> +This Drances aggravates; and adds, with spite:<BR> +"His foe expects, and dares him to the fight."<BR> +Nor Turnus wants a party, to support<BR> +His cause and credit in the Latian court.<BR> +His former acts secure his present fame,<BR> +And the queen shades him with her mighty name.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While thus their factious minds with fury burn,<BR> +The legates from th' Aetolian prince return:<BR> +Sad news they bring, that, after all the cost<BR> +And care employ'd, their embassy is lost;<BR> +That Diomedes refus'd his aid in war,<BR> +Unmov'd with presents, and as deaf to pray'r.<BR> +Some new alliance must elsewhere be sought,<BR> +Or peace with Troy on hard conditions bought.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Latinus, sunk in sorrow, finds too late,<BR> +A foreign son is pointed out by fate;<BR> +And, till Aeneas shall Lavinia wed,<BR> +The wrath of Heav'n is hov'ring o'er his head.<BR> +The gods, he saw, espous'd the juster side,<BR> +When late their titles in the field were tried:<BR> +Witness the fresh laments, and fun'ral tears undried.<BR> +Thus, full of anxious thought, he summons all<BR> +The Latian senate to the council hall.<BR> +The princes come, commanded by their head,<BR> +And crowd the paths that to the palace lead.<BR> +Supreme in pow'r, and reverenc'd for his years,<BR> +He takes the throne, and in the midst appears.<BR> +Majestically sad, he sits in state,<BR> +And bids his envoys their success relate.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When Venulus began, the murmuring sound<BR> +Was hush'd, and sacred silence reign'd around.<BR> +"We have," said he, "perform'd your high command,<BR> +And pass'd with peril a long tract of land:<BR> +We reach'd the place desir'd; with wonder fill'd,<BR> +The Grecian tents and rising tow'rs beheld.<BR> +Great Diomede has compass'd round with walls<BR> +The city, which Argyripa he calls,<BR> +From his own Argos nam'd. We touch'd, with joy,<BR> +The royal hand that raz'd unhappy Troy.<BR> +When introduc'd, our presents first we bring,<BR> +Then crave an instant audience from the king.<BR> +His leave obtain'd, our native soil we name,<BR> +And tell th' important cause for which we came.<BR> +Attentively he heard us, while we spoke;<BR> +Then, with soft accents, and a pleasing look,<BR> +Made this return: 'Ausonian race, of old<BR> +Renown'd for peace, and for an age of gold,<BR> +What madness has your alter'd minds possess'd,<BR> +To change for war hereditary rest,<BR> +Solicit arms unknown, and tempt the sword,<BR> +A needless ill your ancestors abhorr'd?<BR> +We- for myself I speak, and all the name<BR> +Of Grecians, who to Troy's destruction came,<BR> +Omitting those who were in battle slain,<BR> +Or borne by rolling Simois to the main-<BR> +Not one but suffer'd, and too dearly bought<BR> +The prize of honor which in arms he sought;<BR> +Some doom'd to death, and some in exile driv'n.<BR> +Outcasts, abandon'd by the care of Heav'n;<BR> +So worn, so wretched, so despis'd a crew,<BR> +As ev'n old Priam might with pity view.<BR> +Witness the vessels by Minerva toss'd<BR> +In storms; the vengeful Capharean coast;<BR> +Th' Euboean rocks! the prince, whose brother led<BR> +Our armies to revenge his injur'd bed,<BR> +In Egypt lost! Ulysses with his men<BR> +Have seen Charybdis and the Cyclops' den.<BR> +Why should I name Idomeneus, in vain<BR> +Restor'd to scepters, and expell'd again?<BR> +Or young Achilles, by his rival slain?<BR> +Ev'n he, the King of Men, the foremost name<BR> +Of all the Greeks, and most renown'd by fame,<BR> +The proud revenger of another's wife,<BR> +Yet by his own adult'ress lost his life;<BR> +Fell at his threshold; and the spoils of Troy<BR> +The foul polluters of his bed enjoy.<BR> +The gods have envied me the sweets of life,<BR> +My much lov'd country, and my more lov'd wife:<BR> +Banish'd from both, I mourn; while in the sky,<BR> +Transform'd to birds, my lost companions fly:<BR> +Hov'ring about the coasts, they make their moan,<BR> +And cuff the cliffs with pinions not their own.<BR> +What squalid specters, in the dead of night,<BR> +Break my short sleep, and skim before my sight!<BR> +I might have promis'd to myself those harms,<BR> +Mad as I was, when I, with mortal arms,<BR> +Presum'd against immortal pow'rs to move,<BR> +And violate with wounds the Queen of Love.<BR> +Such arms this hand shall never more employ;<BR> +No hate remains with me to ruin'd Troy.<BR> +I war not with its dust; nor am I glad<BR> +To think of past events, or good or bad.<BR> +Your presents I return: whate'er you bring<BR> +To buy my friendship, send the Trojan king.<BR> +We met in fight; I know him, to my cost:<BR> +With what a whirling force his lance he toss'd!<BR> +Heav'ns! what a spring was in his arm, to throw!<BR> +How high he held his shield, and rose at ev'ry blow!<BR> +Had Troy produc'd two more his match in might,<BR> +They would have chang'd the fortune of the fight:<BR> +Th' invasion of the Greeks had been return'd,<BR> +Our empire wasted, and our cities burn'd.<BR> +The long defense the Trojan people made,<BR> +The war protracted, and the siege delay'd,<BR> +Were due to Hector's and this hero's hand:<BR> +Both brave alike, and equal in command;<BR> +Aeneas, not inferior in the field,<BR> +In pious reverence to the gods excell'd.<BR> +Make peace, ye Latians, and avoid with care<BR> +Th' impending dangers of a fatal war.'<BR> +He said no more; but, with this cold excuse,<BR> +Refus'd th' alliance, and advis'd a truce."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus Venulus concluded his report.<BR> +A jarring murmur fill'd the factious court:<BR> +As, when a torrent rolls with rapid force,<BR> +And dashes o'er the stones that stop the course,<BR> +The flood, constrain'd within a scanty space,<BR> +Roars horrible along th' uneasy race;<BR> +White foam in gath'ring eddies floats around;<BR> +The rocky shores rebellow to the sound.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The murmur ceas'd: then from his lofty throne<BR> +The king invok'd the gods, and thus begun:<BR> +"I wish, ye Latins, what we now debate<BR> +Had been resolv'd before it was too late.<BR> +Much better had it been for you and me,<BR> +Unforc'd by this our last necessity,<BR> +To have been earlier wise, than now to call<BR> +A council, when the foe surrounds the wall.<BR> +O citizens, we wage unequal war,<BR> +With men not only Heav'n's peculiar care,<BR> +But Heav'n's own race; unconquer'd in the field,<BR> +Or, conquer'd, yet unknowing how to yield.<BR> +What hopes you had in Diomedes, lay down:<BR> +Our hopes must center on ourselves alone.<BR> +Yet those how feeble, and, indeed, how vain,<BR> +You see too well; nor need my words explain.<BR> +Vanquish'd without resource; laid flat by fate;<BR> +Factions within, a foe without the gate!<BR> +Not but I grant that all perform'd their parts<BR> +With manly force, and with undaunted hearts:<BR> +With our united strength the war we wag'd;<BR> +With equal numbers, equal arms, engag'd.<BR> +You see th' event.- Now hear what I propose,<BR> +To save our friends, and satisfy our foes.<BR> +A tract of land the Latins have possess'd<BR> +Along the Tiber, stretching to the west,<BR> +Which now Rutulians and Auruncans till,<BR> +And their mix'd cattle graze the fruitful hill.<BR> +Those mountains fill'd with firs, that lower land,<BR> +If you consent, the Trojan shall command,<BR> +Call'd into part of what is ours; and there,<BR> +On terms agreed, the common country share.<BR> +There let'em build and settle, if they please;<BR> +Unless they choose once more to cross the seas,<BR> +In search of seats remote from Italy,<BR> +And from unwelcome inmates set us free.<BR> +Then twice ten galleys let us build with speed,<BR> +Or twice as many more, if more they need.<BR> +Materials are at hand; a well-grown wood<BR> +Runs equal with the margin of the flood:<BR> +Let them the number and the form assign;<BR> +The care and cost of all the stores be mine.<BR> +To treat the peace, a hundred senators<BR> +Shall be commission'd hence with ample pow'rs,<BR> +With olive the presents they shall bear,<BR> +A purple robe, a royal iv'ry chair,<BR> +And all the marks of sway that Latian monarchs wear,<BR> +And sums of gold. Among yourselves debate<BR> +This great affair, and save the sinking state."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Drances took the word, who grudg'd, long since,<BR> +The rising glories of the Daunian prince.<BR> +Factious and rich, bold at the council board,<BR> +But cautious in the field, he shunn'd the sword;<BR> +A close caballer, and tongue-valiant lord.<BR> +Noble his mother was, and near the throne;<BR> +But, what his father's parentage, unknown.<BR> +He rose, and took th' advantage of the times,<BR> +To load young Turnus with invidious crimes.<BR> +"Such truths, O king," said he, "your words contain,<BR> +As strike the sense, and all replies are vain;<BR> +Nor are your loyal subjects now to seek<BR> +What common needs require, but fear to speak.<BR> +Let him give leave of speech, that haughty man,<BR> +Whose pride this unauspicious war began;<BR> +For whose ambition (let me dare to say,<BR> +Fear set apart, tho' death is in my way)<BR> +The plains of Latium run with blood around.<BR> +So many valiant heroes bite the ground;<BR> +Dejected grief in ev'ry face appears;<BR> +A town in mourning, and a land in tears;<BR> +While he, th' undoubted author of our harms,<BR> +The man who menaces the gods with arms,<BR> +Yet, after all his boasts, forsook the fight,<BR> +And sought his safety in ignoble flight.<BR> +Now, best of kings, since you propose to send<BR> +Such bounteous presents to your Trojan friend;<BR> +Add yet a greater at our joint request,<BR> +One which he values more than all the rest:<BR> +Give him the fair Lavinia for his bride;<BR> +With that alliance let the league be tied,<BR> +And for the bleeding land a lasting peace provide.<BR> +Let insolence no longer awe the throne;<BR> +But, with a father's right, bestow your own.<BR> +For this maligner of the general good,<BR> +If still we fear his force, he must be woo'd;<BR> +His haughty godhead we with pray'rs implore,<BR> +Your scepter to release, and our just rights restore.<BR> +O cursed cause of all our ills, must we<BR> +Wage wars unjust, and fall in fight, for thee!<BR> +What right hast thou to rule the Latian state,<BR> +And send us out to meet our certain fate?<BR> +'T is a destructive war: from Turnus' hand<BR> +Our peace and public safety we demand.<BR> +Let the fair bride to the brave chief remain;<BR> +If not, the peace, without the pledge, is vain.<BR> +Turnus, I know you think me not your friend,<BR> +Nor will I much with your belief contend:<BR> +I beg your greatness not to give the law<BR> +In others' realms, but, beaten, to withdraw.<BR> +Pity your own, or pity our estate;<BR> +Nor twist our fortunes with your sinking fate.<BR> +Your interest is, the war should never cease;<BR> +But we have felt enough to wish the peace:<BR> +A land exhausted to the last remains,<BR> +Depopulated towns, and driven plains.<BR> +Yet, if desire of fame, and thirst of pow'r,<BR> +A beauteous princess, with a crown in dow'r,<BR> +So fire your mind, in arms assert your right,<BR> +And meet your foe, who dares you to the fight.<BR> +Mankind, it seems, is made for you alone;<BR> +We, but the slaves who mount you to the throne:<BR> +A base ignoble crowd, without a name,<BR> +Unwept, unworthy, of the fun'ral flame,<BR> +By duty bound to forfeit each his life,<BR> +That Turnus may possess a royal wife.<BR> +Permit not, mighty man, so mean a crew<BR> +Should share such triumphs, and detain from you<BR> +The post of honor, your undoubted due.<BR> +Rather alone your matchless force employ,<BR> +To merit what alone you must enjoy."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +These words, so full of malice mix'd with art,<BR> +Inflam'd with rage the youthful hero's heart.<BR> +Then, groaning from the bottom of his breast,<BR> +He heav'd for wind, and thus his wrath express'd:<BR> +"You, Drances, never want a stream of words,<BR> +Then, when the public need requires our swords.<BR> +First in the council hall to steer the state,<BR> +And ever foremost in a tongue-debate,<BR> +While our strong walls secure us from the foe,<BR> +Ere yet with blood our ditches overflow:<BR> +But let the potent orator declaim,<BR> +And with the brand of coward blot my name;<BR> +Free leave is giv'n him, when his fatal hand<BR> +Has cover'd with more corps the sanguine strand,<BR> +And high as mine his tow'ring trophies stand.<BR> +If any doubt remains, who dares the most,<BR> +Let us decide it at the Trojan's cost,<BR> +And issue both abreast, where honor calls-<BR> +Foes are not far to seek without the walls-<BR> +Unless his noisy tongue can only fight,<BR> +And feet were giv'n him but to speed his flight.<BR> +I beaten from the field? I forc'd away?<BR> +Who, but so known a dastard, dares to say?<BR> +Had he but ev'n beheld the fight, his eyes<BR> +Had witness'd for me what his tongue denies:<BR> +What heaps of Trojans by this hand were slain,<BR> +And how the bloody Tiber swell'd the main.<BR> +All saw, but he, th' Arcadian troops retire<BR> +In scatter'd squadrons, and their prince expire.<BR> +The giant brothers, in their camp, have found,<BR> +I was not forc'd with ease to quit my ground.<BR> +Not such the Trojans tried me, when, inclos'd,<BR> +I singly their united arms oppos'd:<BR> +First forc'd an entrance thro' their thick array;<BR> +Then, glutted with their slaughter, freed my way.<BR> +'T is a destructive war? So let it be,<BR> +But to the Phrygian pirate, and to thee!<BR> +Meantime proceed to fill the people's ears<BR> +With false reports, their minds with panic fears:<BR> +Extol the strength of a twice-conquer'd race;<BR> +Our foes encourage, and our friends debase.<BR> +Believe thy fables, and the Trojan town<BR> +Triumphant stands; the Grecians are o'erthrown;<BR> +Suppliant at Hector's feet Achilles lies,<BR> +And Diomede from fierce Aeneas flies.<BR> +Say rapid Aufidus with awful dread<BR> +Runs backward from the sea, and hides his head,<BR> +When the great Trojan on his bank appears;<BR> +For that's as true as thy dissembled fears<BR> +Of my revenge. Dismiss that vanity:<BR> +Thou, Drances, art below a death from me.<BR> +Let that vile soul in that vile body rest;<BR> +The lodging is well worthy of the guest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Now, royal father, to the present state<BR> +Of our affairs, and of this high debate:<BR> +If in your arms thus early you diffide,<BR> +And think your fortune is already tried;<BR> +If one defeat has brought us down so low,<BR> +As never more in fields to meet the foe;<BR> +Then I conclude for peace: 't is time to treat,<BR> +And lie like vassals at the victor's feet.<BR> +But, O! if any ancient blood remains,<BR> +One drop of all our fathers', in our veins,<BR> +That man would I prefer before the rest,<BR> +Who dar'd his death with an undaunted breast;<BR> +Who comely fell, by no dishonest wound,<BR> +To shun that sight, and, dying, gnaw'd the ground.<BR> +But, if we still have fresh recruits in store,<BR> +If our confederates can afford us more;<BR> +If the contended field we bravely fought,<BR> +And not a bloodless victory was bought;<BR> +Their losses equal'd ours; and, for their slain,<BR> +With equal fires they fill'd the shining plain;<BR> +Why thus, unforc'd, should we so tamely yield,<BR> +And, ere the trumpet sounds, resign the field?<BR> +Good unexpected, evils unforeseen,<BR> +Appear by turns, as fortune shifts the scene:<BR> +Some, rais'd aloft, come tumbling down amain;<BR> +Then fall so hard, they bound and rise again.<BR> +If Diomede refuse his aid to lend,<BR> +The great Messapus yet remains our friend:<BR> +Tolumnius, who foretells events, is ours;<BR> +Th' Italian chiefs and princes join their pow'rs:<BR> +Nor least in number, nor in name the last,<BR> +Your own brave subjects have your cause embrac'd<BR> +Above the rest, the Volscian Amazon<BR> +Contains an army in herself alone,<BR> +And heads a squadron, terrible to sight,<BR> +With glitt'ring shields, in brazen armor bright.<BR> +Yet, if the foe a single fight demand,<BR> +And I alone the public peace withstand;<BR> +If you consent, he shall not be refus'd,<BR> +Nor find a hand to victory unus'd.<BR> +This new Achilles, let him take the field,<BR> +With fated armor, and Vulcanian shield!<BR> +For you, my royal father, and my fame,<BR> +I, Turnus, not the least of all my name,<BR> +Devote my soul. He calls me hand to hand,<BR> +And I alone will answer his demand.<BR> +Drances shall rest secure, and neither share<BR> +The danger, nor divide the prize of war."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While they debate, nor these nor those will yield,<BR> +Aeneas draws his forces to the field,<BR> +And moves his camp. The scouts with flying speed<BR> +Return, and thro' the frighted city spread<BR> +Th' unpleasing news, the Trojans are descried,<BR> +In battle marching by the river side,<BR> +And bending to the town. They take th' alarm:<BR> +Some tremble, some are bold; all in confusion arm.<BR> +Th' impetuous youth press forward to the field;<BR> +They clash the sword, and clatter on the shield:<BR> +The fearful matrons raise a screaming cry;<BR> +Old feeble men with fainter groans reply;<BR> +A jarring sound results, and mingles in the sky,<BR> +Like that of swans remurm'ring to the floods,<BR> +Or birds of diff'ring kinds in hollow woods.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Turnus th' occasion takes, and cries aloud:<BR> +"Talk on, ye quaint haranguers of the crowd:<BR> +Declaim in praise of peace, when danger calls,<BR> +And the fierce foes in arms approach the walls."<BR> +He said, and, turning short, with speedy pace,<BR> +Casts back a scornful glance, and quits the place:<BR> +"Thou, Volusus, the Volscian troops command<BR> +To mount; and lead thyself our Ardean band.<BR> +Messapus and Catillus, post your force<BR> +Along the fields, to charge the Trojan horse.<BR> +Some guard the passes, others man the wall;<BR> +Drawn up in arms, the rest attend my call."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +They swarm from ev'ry quarter of the town,<BR> +And with disorder'd haste the rampires crown.<BR> +Good old Latinus, when he saw, too late,<BR> +The gath'ring storm just breaking on the state,<BR> +Dismiss'd the council till a fitter time,<BR> +And own'd his easy temper as his crime,<BR> +Who, forc'd against his reason, had complied<BR> +To break the treaty for the promis'd bride.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Some help to sink new trenches; others aid<BR> +To ram the stones, or raise the palisade.<BR> +Hoarse trumpets sound th' alarm; around the walls<BR> +Runs a distracted crew, whom their last labor calls.<BR> +A sad procession in the streets is seen,<BR> +Of matrons, that attend the mother queen:<BR> +High in her chair she sits, and, at her side,<BR> +With downcast eyes, appears the fatal bride.<BR> +They mount the cliff, where Pallas' temple stands;<BR> +Pray'rs in their mouths, and presents in their hands,<BR> +With censers first they fume the sacred shrine,<BR> +Then in this common supplication join:<BR> +"O patroness of arms, unspotted maid,<BR> +Propitious hear, and lend thy Latins aid!<BR> +Break short the pirate's lance; pronounce his fate,<BR> +And lay the Phrygian low before the gate."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Turnus arms for fight. His back and breast<BR> +Well-temper'd steel and scaly brass invest:<BR> +The cuishes which his brawny thighs infold<BR> +Are mingled metal damask'd o'er with gold.<BR> +His faithful fauchion sits upon his side;<BR> +Nor casque, nor crest, his manly features hide:<BR> +But, bare to view, amid surrounding friends,<BR> +With godlike grace, he from the tow'r descends.<BR> +Exulting in his strength, he seems to dare<BR> +His absent rival, and to promise war.<BR> +Freed from his keepers, thus, with broken reins,<BR> +The wanton courser prances o'er the plains,<BR> +Or in the pride of youth o'erleaps the mounds,<BR> +And snuffs the females in forbidden grounds.<BR> +Or seeks his wat'ring in the well-known flood,<BR> +To quench his thirst, and cool his fiery blood:<BR> +He swims luxuriant in the liquid plain,<BR> +And o'er his shoulder flows his waving mane:<BR> +He neighs, he snorts, he bears his head on high;<BR> +Before his ample chest the frothy waters fly.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Soon as the prince appears without the gate,<BR> +The Volscians, with their virgin leader, wait<BR> +His last commands. Then, with a graceful mien,<BR> +Lights from her lofty steed the warrior queen:<BR> +Her squadron imitates, and each descends;<BR> +Whose common suit Camilla thus commends:<BR> +"If sense of honor, if a soul secure<BR> +Of inborn worth, that can all tests endure,<BR> +Can promise aught, or on itself rely<BR> +Greatly to dare, to conquer or to die;<BR> +Then, I alone, sustain'd by these, will meet<BR> +The Tyrrhene troops, and promise their defeat.<BR> +Ours be the danger, ours the sole renown:<BR> +You, gen'ral, stay behind, and guard the town:"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Turnus a while stood mute, with glad surprise,<BR> +And on the fierce virago fix'd his eyes;<BR> +Then thus return'd: "O grace of Italy,<BR> +With what becoming thanks can I reply?<BR> +Not only words lie lab'ring in my breast,<BR> +But thought itself is by thy praise oppress'd.<BR> +Yet rob me not of all; but let me join<BR> +My toils, my hazard, and my fame, with thine.<BR> +The Trojan, not in stratagem unskill'd,<BR> +Sends his light horse before to scour the field:<BR> +Himself, thro' steep ascents and thorny brakes,<BR> +A larger compass to the city takes.<BR> +This news my scouts confirm, and I prepare<BR> +To foil his cunning, and his force to dare;<BR> +With chosen foot his passage to forelay,<BR> +And place an ambush in the winding way.<BR> +Thou, with thy Volscians, face the Tuscan horse;<BR> +The brave Messapus shall thy troops inforce<BR> +With those of Tibur, and the Latian band,<BR> +Subjected all to thy supreme command."<BR> +This said, he warns Messapus to the war,<BR> +Then ev'ry chief exhorts with equal care.<BR> +All thus encourag'd, his own troops he joins,<BR> +And hastes to prosecute his deep designs.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Inclos'd with hills, a winding valley lies,<BR> +By nature form'd for fraud, and fitted for surprise.<BR> +A narrow track, by human steps untrode,<BR> +Leads, thro' perplexing thorns, to this obscure abode.<BR> +High o'er the vale a steepy mountain stands,<BR> +Whence the surveying sight the nether ground commands.<BR> +The top is level, an offensive seat<BR> +Of war; and from the war a safe retreat:<BR> +For, on the right and left, is room to press<BR> +The foes at hand, or from afar distress;<BR> +To drive 'em headlong downward, and to pour<BR> +On their descending backs a stony show'r.<BR> +Thither young Turnus took the well-known way,<BR> +Possess'd the pass, and in blind ambush lay.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime Latonian Phoebe, from the skies,<BR> +Beheld th' approaching war with hateful eyes,<BR> +And call'd the light-foot Opis to her aid,<BR> +Her most belov'd and ever-trusty maid;<BR> +Then with a sigh began: "Camilla goes<BR> +To meet her death amidst her fatal foes:<BR> +The nymphs I lov'd of all my mortal train,<BR> +Invested with Diana's arms, in vain.<BR> +Nor is my kindness for the virgin new:<BR> +'T was born with her; and with her years it grew.<BR> +Her father Metabus, when forc'd away<BR> +From old Privernum, for tyrannic sway,<BR> +Snatch'd up, and sav'd from his prevailing foes,<BR> +This tender babe, companion of his woes.<BR> +Casmilla was her mother; but he drown'd<BR> +One hissing letter in a softer sound,<BR> +And call'd Camilla. Thro' the woods he flies;<BR> +Wrapp'd in his robe the royal infant lies.<BR> +His foes in sight, he mends his weary pace;<BR> +With shout and clamors they pursue the chase.<BR> +The banks of Amasene at length he gains:<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The raging flood his farther flight restrains,<BR> +Rais'd o'er the borders with unusual rains.<BR> +Prepar'd to plunge into the stream, he fears,<BR> +Not for himself, but for the charge he bears.<BR> +Anxious, he stops a while, and thinks in haste;<BR> +Then, desp'rate in distress, resolves at last.<BR> +A knotty lance of well-boil'd oak he bore;<BR> +The middle part with cork he cover'd o'er:<BR> +He clos'd the child within the hollow space;<BR> +With twigs of bending osier bound the case;<BR> +Then pois'd the spear, heavy with human weight,<BR> +And thus invok'd my favor for the freight:<BR> +'Accept, great goddess of the woods,' he said,<BR> +'Sent by her sire, this dedicated maid!<BR> +Thro' air she flies a suppliant to thy shrine;<BR> +And the first weapons that she knows, are thine.'<BR> +He said; and with full force the spear he threw:<BR> +Above the sounding waves Camilla flew.<BR> +Then, press'd by foes, he stemm'd the stormy tide,<BR> +And gain'd, by stress of arms, the farther side.<BR> +His fasten'd spear he pull'd from out the ground,<BR> +And, victor of his vows, his infant nymph unbound;<BR> +Nor, after that, in towns which walls inclose,<BR> +Would trust his hunted life amidst his foes;<BR> +But, rough, in open air he chose to lie;<BR> +Earth was his couch, his cov'ring was the sky.<BR> +On hills unshorn, or in a desart den,<BR> +He shunn'd the dire society of men.<BR> +A shepherd's solitary life he led;<BR> +His daughter with the milk of mares he fed.<BR> +The dugs of bears, and ev'ry salvage beast,<BR> +He drew, and thro' her lips the liquor press'd.<BR> +The little Amazon could scarcely go:<BR> +He loads her with a quiver and a bow;<BR> +And, that she might her stagg'ring steps command,<BR> +He with a slender jav'lin fills her hand.<BR> +Her flowing hair no golden fillet bound;<BR> +Nor swept her trailing robe the dusty ground.<BR> +Instead of these, a tiger's hide o'erspread<BR> +Her back and shoulders, fasten'd to her head.<BR> +The flying dart she first attempts to fling,<BR> +And round her tender temples toss'd the sling;<BR> +Then, as her strength with years increas'd, began<BR> +To pierce aloft in air the soaring swan,<BR> +And from the clouds to fetch the heron and the crane.<BR> +The Tuscan matrons with each other vied,<BR> +To bless their rival sons with such a bride;<BR> +But she disdains their love, to share with me<BR> +The sylvan shades and vow'd virginity.<BR> +And, O! I wish, contented with my cares<BR> +Of salvage spoils, she had not sought the wars!<BR> +Then had she been of my celestial train,<BR> +And shunn'd the fate that dooms her to be slain.<BR> +But since, opposing Heav'n's decree, she goes<BR> +To find her death among forbidden foes,<BR> +Haste with these arms, and take thy steepy flight.<BR> +Where, with the gods, averse, the Latins fight.<BR> +This bow to thee, this quiver I bequeath,<BR> +This chosen arrow, to revenge her death:<BR> +By whate'er hand Camilla shall be slain,<BR> +Or of the Trojan or Italian train,<BR> +Let him not pass unpunish'd from the plain.<BR> +Then, in a hollow cloud, myself will aid<BR> +To bear the breathless body of my maid:<BR> +Unspoil'd shall be her arms, and unprofan'd<BR> +Her holy limbs with any human hand,<BR> +And in a marble tomb laid in her native land."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said. The faithful nymph descends from high<BR> +With rapid flight, and cuts the sounding sky:<BR> +Black clouds and stormy winds around her body fly.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +By this, the Trojan and the Tuscan horse,<BR> +Drawn up in squadrons, with united force,<BR> +Approach the walls: the sprightly coursers bound,<BR> +Press forward on their bits, and shift their ground.<BR> +Shields, arms, and spears flash horribly from far;<BR> +And the fields glitter with a waving war.<BR> +Oppos'd to these, come on with furious force<BR> +Messapus, Coras, and the Latian horse;<BR> +These in the body plac'd, on either hand<BR> +Sustain'd and clos'd by fair Camilla's band.<BR> +Advancing in a line, they couch their spears;<BR> +And less and less the middle space appears.<BR> +Thick smoke obscures the field; and scarce are seen<BR> +The neighing coursers, and the shouting men.<BR> +In distance of their darts they stop their course;<BR> +Then man to man they rush, and horse to horse.<BR> +The face of heav'n their flying jav'lins hide,<BR> +And deaths unseen are dealt on either side.<BR> +Tyrrhenus, and Aconteus, void of fear,<BR> +By mettled coursers borne in full career,<BR> +Meet first oppos'd; and, with a mighty shock,<BR> +Their horses' heads against each other knock.<BR> +Far from his steed is fierce Aconteus cast,<BR> +As with an engine's force, or lightning's blast:<BR> +He rolls along in blood, and breathes his last.<BR> +The Latin squadrons take a sudden fright,<BR> +And sling their shields behind, to save their backs in flight<BR> +Spurring at speed to their own walls they drew;<BR> +Close in the rear the Tuscan troops pursue,<BR> +And urge their flight: Asylas leads the chase;<BR> +Till, seiz'd, with shame, they wheel about and face,<BR> +Receive their foes, and raise a threat'ning cry.<BR> +The Tuscans take their turn to fear and fly.<BR> +So swelling surges, with a thund'ring roar,<BR> +Driv'n on each other's backs, insult the shore,<BR> +Bound o'er the rocks, incroach upon the land,<BR> +And far upon the beach eject the sand;<BR> +Then backward, with a swing, they take their way,<BR> +Repuls'd from upper ground, and seek their mother sea;<BR> +With equal hurry quit th' invaded shore,<BR> +And swallow back the sand and stones they spew'd before.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Twice were the Tuscans masters of the field,<BR> +Twice by the Latins, in their turn, repell'd.<BR> +Asham'd at length, to the third charge they ran;<BR> +Both hosts resolv'd, and mingled man to man.<BR> +Now dying groans are heard; the fields are strow'd<BR> +With falling bodies, and are drunk with blood.<BR> +Arms, horses, men, on heaps together lie:<BR> +Confus'd the fight, and more confus'd the cry.<BR> +Orsilochus, who durst not press too near<BR> +Strong Remulus, at distance drove his spear,<BR> +And stuck the steel beneath his horse's ear.<BR> +The fiery steed, impatient of the wound,<BR> +Curvets, and, springing upward with a bound,<BR> +His helpless lord cast backward on the ground.<BR> +Catillus pierc'd Iolas first; then drew<BR> +His reeking lance, and at Herminius threw,<BR> +The mighty champion of the Tuscan crew.<BR> +His neck and throat unarm'd, his head was bare,<BR> +But shaded with a length of yellow hair:<BR> +Secure, he fought, expos'd on ev'ry part,<BR> +A spacious mark for swords, and for the flying dart.<BR> +Across the shoulders came the feather'd wound;<BR> +Transfix'd he fell, and doubled to the ground.<BR> +The sands with streaming blood are sanguine dyed,<BR> +And death with honor sought on either side.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Resistless thro' the war Camilla rode,<BR> +In danger unappall'd, and pleas'd with blood.<BR> +One side was bare for her exerted breast;<BR> +One shoulder with her painted quiver press'd.<BR> +Now from afar her fatal jav'lins play;<BR> +Now with her ax's edge she hews her way:<BR> +Diana's arms upon her shoulder sound;<BR> +And when, too closely press'd, she quits the ground,<BR> +From her bent bow she sends a backward wound.<BR> +Her maids, in martial pomp, on either side,<BR> +Larina, Tulla, fierce Tarpeia, ride:<BR> +Italians all; in peace, their queen's delight;<BR> +In war, the bold companions of the fight.<BR> +So march'd the Tracian Amazons of old,<BR> +When Thermodon with bloody billows roll'd:<BR> +Such troops as these in shining arms were seen,<BR> +When Theseus met in fight their maiden queen:<BR> +Such to the field Penthisilea led,<BR> +From the fierce virgin when the Grecians fled;<BR> +With such, return'd triumphant from the war,<BR> +Her maids with cries attend the lofty car;<BR> +They clash with manly force their moony shields;<BR> +With female shouts resound the Phrygian fields.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Who foremost, and who last, heroic maid,<BR> +On the cold earth were by thy courage laid?<BR> +Thy spear, of mountain ash, Eumenius first,<BR> +With fury driv'n, from side to side transpierc'd:<BR> +A purple stream came spouting from the wound;<BR> +Bath'd in his blood he lies, and bites the ground.<BR> +Liris and Pegasus at once she slew:<BR> +The former, as the slacken'd reins he drew<BR> +Of his faint steed; the latter, as he stretch'd<BR> +His arm to prop his friend, the jav'lin reach'd.<BR> +By the same weapon, sent from the same hand,<BR> +Both fall together, and both spurn the sand.<BR> +Amastrus next is added to the slain:<BR> +The rest in rout she follows o'er the plain:<BR> +Tereus, Harpalycus, Demophoon,<BR> +And Chromis, at full speed her fury shun.<BR> +Of all her deadly darts, not one she lost;<BR> +Each was attended with a Trojan ghost.<BR> +Young Ornithus bestrode a hunter steed,<BR> +Swift for the chase, and of Apulian breed.<BR> +Him from afar she spied, in arms unknown:<BR> +O'er his broad back an ox's hide was thrown;<BR> +His helm a wolf, whose gaping jaws were spread<BR> +A cov'ring for his cheeks, and grinn'd around his head,<BR> +He clench'd within his hand an iron prong,<BR> +And tower'd above the rest, conspicuous in the throng.<BR> +Him soon she singled from the flying train,<BR> +And slew with ease; then thus insults the slain:<BR> +"Vain hunter, didst thou think thro' woods to chase<BR> +The savage herd, a vile and trembling race?<BR> +Here cease thy vaunts, and own my victory:<BR> +A woman warrior was too strong for thee.<BR> +Yet, if the ghosts demand the conqu'ror's name,<BR> +Confessing great Camilla, save thy shame."<BR> +Then Butes and Orsilochus she slew,<BR> +The bulkiest bodies of the Trojan crew;<BR> +But Butes breast to breast: the spear descends<BR> +Above the gorget, where his helmet ends,<BR> +And o'er the shield which his left side defends.<BR> +Orsilochus and she their courses ply:<BR> +He seems to follow, and she seems to fly;<BR> +But in a narrower ring she makes the race;<BR> +And then he flies, and she pursues the chase.<BR> +Gath'ring at length on her deluded foe,<BR> +She swings her ax, and rises to the blow<BR> +Full on the helm behind, with such a sway<BR> +The weapon falls, the riven steel gives way:<BR> +He groans, he roars, he sues in vain for grace;<BR> +Brains, mingled with his blood, besmear his face.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Astonish'd Aunus just arrives by chance,<BR> +To see his fall; nor farther dares advance;<BR> +But, fixing on the horrid maid his eye,<BR> +He stares, and shakes, and finds it vain to fly;<BR> +Yet, like a true Ligurian, born to cheat,<BR> +(At least while fortune favor'd his deceit,)<BR> +Cries out aloud: "What courage have you shown,<BR> +Who trust your courser's strength, and not your own?<BR> +Forego the vantage of your horse, alight,<BR> +And then on equal terms begin the fight:<BR> +It shall be seen, weak woman, what you can,<BR> +When, foot to foot, you combat with a man,"<BR> +He said. She glows with anger and disdain,<BR> +Dismounts with speed to dare him on the plain,<BR> +And leaves her horse at large among her train;<BR> +With her drawn sword defies him to the field,<BR> +And, marching, lifts aloft her maiden shield.<BR> +The youth, who thought his cunning did succeed,<BR> +Reins round his horse, and urges all his speed;<BR> +Adds the remembrance of the spur, and hides<BR> +The goring rowels in his bleeding sides.<BR> +"Vain fool, and coward!" cries the lofty maid,<BR> +"Caught in the train which thou thyself hast laid!<BR> +On others practice thy Ligurian arts;<BR> +Thin stratagems and tricks of little hearts<BR> +Are lost on me: nor shalt thou safe retire,<BR> +With vaunting lies, to thy fallacious sire."<BR> +At this, so fast her flying feet she sped,<BR> +That soon she strain'd beyond his horse's head:<BR> +Then turning short, at once she seiz'd the rein,<BR> +And laid the boaster grov'ling on the plain.<BR> +Not with more ease the falcon, from above,<BR> +Trusses in middle air the trembling dove,<BR> +Then plumes the prey, in her strong pounces bound:<BR> +The feathers, foul with blood, come tumbling to the ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now mighty Jove, from his superior height,<BR> +With his broad eye surveys th' unequal fight.<BR> +He fires the breast of Tarchon with disdain,<BR> +And sends him to redeem th' abandon'd plain.<BR> +Betwixt the broken ranks the Tuscan rides,<BR> +And these encourages, and those he chides;<BR> +Recalls each leader, by his name, from flight;<BR> +Renews their ardor, and restores the fight.<BR> +"What panic fear has seiz'd your souls? O shame,<BR> +O brand perpetual of th' Etrurian name!<BR> +Cowards incurable, a woman's hand<BR> +Drives, breaks, and scatters your ignoble band!<BR> +Now cast away the sword, and quit the shield!<BR> +What use of weapons which you dare not wield?<BR> +Not thus you fly your female foes by night,<BR> +Nor shun the feast, when the full bowls invite;<BR> +When to fat off'rings the glad augur calls,<BR> +And the shrill hornpipe sounds to bacchanals.<BR> +These are your studied cares, your lewd delight:<BR> +Swift to debauch, but slow to manly fight."<BR> +Thus having said, he spurs amid the foes,<BR> +Not managing the life he meant to lose.<BR> +The first he found he seiz'd with headlong haste,<BR> +In his strong gripe, and clasp'd around the waist;<BR> +'T was Venulus, whom from his horse he tore,<BR> +And, laid athwart his own, in triumph bore.<BR> +Loud shouts ensue; the Latins turn their eyes,<BR> +And view th' unusual sight with vast surprise.<BR> +The fiery Tarchon, flying o'er the plains,<BR> +Press'd in his arms the pond'rous prey sustains;<BR> +Then, with his shorten'd spear, explores around<BR> +His jointed arms, to fix a deadly wound.<BR> +Nor less the captive struggles for his life:<BR> +He writhes his body to prolong the strife,<BR> +And, fencing for his naked throat, exerts<BR> +His utmost vigor, and the point averts.<BR> +So stoops the yellow eagle from on high,<BR> +And bears a speckled serpent thro' the sky,<BR> +Fast'ning his crooked talons on the prey:<BR> +The pris'ner hisses thro' the liquid way;<BR> +Resists the royal hawk; and, tho' oppress'd,<BR> +She fights in volumes, and erects her crest:<BR> +Turn'd to her foe, she stiffens ev'ry scale,<BR> +And shoots her forky tongue, and whisks her threat'ning tail.<BR> +Against the victor, all defense is weak:<BR> +Th' imperial bird still plies her with his beak;<BR> +He tears her bowels, and her breast he gores;<BR> +Then claps his pinions, and securely soars.<BR> +Thus, thro' the midst of circling enemies,<BR> +Strong Tarchon snatch'd and bore away his prize.<BR> +The Tyrrhene troops, that shrunk before, now press<BR> +The Latins, and presume the like success.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Aruns, doom'd to death, his arts assay'd,<BR> +To murther, unespied, the Volscian maid:<BR> +This way and that his winding course he bends,<BR> +And, whereso'er she turns, her steps attends.<BR> +When she retires victorious from the chase,<BR> +He wheels about with care, and shifts his place;<BR> +When, rushing on, she seeks her foes flight,<BR> +He keeps aloof, but keeps her still in sight:<BR> +He threats, and trembles, trying ev'ry way,<BR> +Unseen to kill, and safely to betray.<BR> +Chloreus, the priest of Cybele, from far,<BR> +Glitt'ring in Phrygian arms amidst the war,<BR> +Was by the virgin view'd. The steed he press'd<BR> +Was proud with trappings, and his brawny chest<BR> +With scales of gilded brass was cover'd o'er;<BR> +A robe of Tyrian dye the rider wore.<BR> +With deadly wounds he gall'd the distant foe;<BR> +Gnossian his shafts, and Lycian was his bow:<BR> +A golden helm his front and head surrounds<BR> +A gilded quiver from his shoulder sounds.<BR> +Gold, weav'd with linen, on his thighs he wore,<BR> +With flowers of needlework distinguish'd o'er,<BR> +With golden buckles bound, and gather'd up before.<BR> +Him the fierce maid beheld with ardent eyes,<BR> +Fond and ambitious of so rich a prize,<BR> +Or that the temple might his trophies hold,<BR> +Or else to shine herself in Trojan gold.<BR> +Blind in her haste, she chases him alone.<BR> +And seeks his life, regardless of her own.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This lucky moment the sly traitor chose:<BR> +Then, starting from his ambush, up he rose,<BR> +And threw, but first to Heav'n address'd his vows:<BR> +"O patron of Socrates' high abodes,<BR> +Phoebus, the ruling pow'r among the gods,<BR> +Whom first we serve, whole woods of unctuous pine<BR> +Are fell'd for thee, and to thy glory shine;<BR> +By thee protected with our naked soles,<BR> +Thro' flames unsing'd we march, and tread the kindled coals<BR> +Give me, propitious pow'r, to wash away<BR> +The stains of this dishonorable day:<BR> +Nor spoils, nor triumph, from the fact I claim,<BR> +But with my future actions trust my fame.<BR> +Let me, by stealth, this female plague o'ercome,<BR> +And from the field return inglorious home."<BR> +Apollo heard, and, granting half his pray'r,<BR> +Shuffled in winds the rest, and toss'd in empty air.<BR> +He gives the death desir'd; his safe return<BR> +By southern tempests to the seas is borne.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, when the jav'lin whizz'd along the skies,<BR> +Both armies on Camilla turn'd their eyes,<BR> +Directed by the sound. Of either host,<BR> +Th' unhappy virgin, tho' concern'd the most,<BR> +Was only deaf; so greedy was she bent<BR> +On golden spoils, and on her prey intent;<BR> +Till in her pap the winged weapon stood<BR> +Infix'd, and deeply drunk the purple blood.<BR> +Her sad attendants hasten to sustain<BR> +Their dying lady, drooping on the plain.<BR> +Far from their sight the trembling Aruns flies,<BR> +With beating heart, and fear confus'd with joys;<BR> +Nor dares he farther to pursue his blow,<BR> +Or ev'n to bear the sight of his expiring foe.<BR> +As, when the wolf has torn a bullock's hide<BR> +At unawares, or ranch'd a shepherd's side,<BR> +Conscious of his audacious deed, he flies,<BR> +And claps his quiv'ring tail between his thighs:<BR> +So, speeding once, the wretch no more attends,<BR> +But, spurring forward, herds among his friends.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She wrench'd the jav'lin with her dying hands,<BR> +But wedg'd within her breast the weapon stands;<BR> +The wood she draws, the steely point remains;<BR> +She staggers in her seat with agonizing pains:<BR> +(A gath'ring mist o'erclouds her cheerful eyes,<BR> +And from her cheeks the rosy color flies:)<BR> +Then turns to her, whom of her female train<BR> +She trusted most, and thus she speaks with pain:<BR> +"Acca, 't is past! he swims before my sight,<BR> +Inexorable Death; and claims his right.<BR> +Bear my last words to Turnus; fly with speed,<BR> +And bid him timely to my charge succeed,<BR> +Repel the Trojans, and the town relieve:<BR> +Farewell! and in this kiss my parting breath receive."<BR> +She said, and, sliding, sunk upon the plain:<BR> +Dying, her open'd hand forsakes the rein;<BR> +Short, and more short, she pants; by slow degrees<BR> +Her mind the passage from her body frees.<BR> +She drops her sword; she nods her plumy crest,<BR> +Her drooping head declining on her breast:<BR> +In the last sigh her struggling soul expires,<BR> +And, murm'ring with disdain, to Stygian sounds retires.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A shout, that struck the golden stars, ensued;<BR> +Despair and rage the languish'd fight renew'd.<BR> +The Trojan troops and Tuscans, in a line,<BR> +Advance to charge; the mix'd Arcadians join.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But Cynthia's maid, high seated, from afar<BR> +Surveys the field, and fortune of the war,<BR> +Unmov'd a while, till, prostrate on the plain,<BR> +Welt'ring in blood, she sees Camilla slain,<BR> +And, round her corpse, of friends and foes a fighting train.<BR> +Then, from the bottom of her breast, she drew<BR> +A mournful sigh, and these sad words ensue:<BR> +"Too dear a fine, ah much lamented maid,<BR> +For warring with the Trojans, thou hast paid!<BR> +Nor aught avail'd, in this unhappy strife,<BR> +Diana's sacred arms, to save thy life.<BR> +Yet unreveng'd thy goddess will not leave<BR> +Her vot'ry's death, nor; with vain sorrow grieve.<BR> +Branded the wretch, and be his name abhorr'd;<BR> +But after ages shall thy praise record.<BR> +Th' inglorious coward soon shall press the plain:<BR> +Thus vows thy queen, and thus the Fates ordain."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +High o'er the field there stood a hilly mound,<BR> +Sacred the place, and spread with oaks around,<BR> +Where, in a marble tomb, Dercennus lay,<BR> +A king that once in Latium bore the sway.<BR> +The beauteous Opis thither bent her flight,<BR> +To mark the traitor Aruns from the height.<BR> +Him in refulgent arms she soon espied,<BR> +Swoln with success; and loudly thus she cried:<BR> +"Thy backward steps, vain boaster, are too late;<BR> +Turn like a man, at length, and meet thy fate.<BR> +Charg'd with my message, to Camilla go,<BR> +And say I sent thee to the shades below,<BR> +An honor undeserv'd from Cynthia's bow."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +She said, and from her quiver chose with speed<BR> +The winged shaft, predestin'd for the deed;<BR> +Then to the stubborn yew her strength applied,<BR> +Till the far distant horns approach'd on either side.<BR> +The bowstring touch'd her breast, so strong she drew;<BR> +Whizzing in air the fatal arrow flew.<BR> +At once the twanging bow and sounding dart<BR> +The traitor heard, and felt the point within his heart.<BR> +Him, beating with his heels in pangs of death,<BR> +His flying friends to foreign fields bequeath.<BR> +The conqu'ring damsel, with expanded wings,<BR> +The welcome message to her mistress brings.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Their leader lost, the Volscians quit the field,<BR> +And, unsustain'd, the chiefs of Turnus yield.<BR> +The frighted soldiers, when their captains fly,<BR> +More on their speed than on their strength rely.<BR> +Confus'd in flight, they bear each other down,<BR> +And spur their horses headlong to the town.<BR> +Driv'n by their foes, and to their fears resign'd,<BR> +Not once they turn, but take their wounds behind.<BR> +These drop the shield, and those the lance forego,<BR> +Or on their shoulders bear the slacken'd bow.<BR> +The hoofs of horses, with a rattling sound,<BR> +Beat short and thick, and shake the rotten ground.<BR> +Black clouds of dust come rolling in the sky,<BR> +And o'er the darken'd walls and rampires fly.<BR> +The trembling matrons, from their lofty stands,<BR> +Rend heav'n with female shrieks, and wring their hands.<BR> +All pressing on, pursuers and pursued,<BR> +Are crush'd in crowds, a mingled multitude.<BR> +Some happy few escape: the throng too late<BR> +Rush on for entrance, till they choke the gate.<BR> +Ev'n in the sight of home, the wretched sire<BR> +Looks on, and sees his helpless son expire.<BR> +Then, in a fright, the folding gates they close,<BR> +But leave their friends excluded with their foes.<BR> +The vanquish'd cry; the victors loudly shout;<BR> +'T is terror all within, and slaughter all without.<BR> +Blind in their fear, they bounce against the wall,<BR> +Or, to the moats pursued, precipitate their fall.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Latian virgins, valiant with despair,<BR> +Arm'd on the tow'rs, the common danger share:<BR> +So much of zeal their country's cause inspir'd;<BR> +So much Camilla's great example fir'd.<BR> +Poles, sharpen'd in the flames, from high they throw,<BR> +With imitated darts, to gall the foe.<BR> +Their lives for godlike freedom they bequeath,<BR> +And crowd each other to be first in death.<BR> +Meantime to Turnus, ambush'd in the shade,<BR> +With heavy tidings came th' unhappy maid:<BR> +"The Volscians overthrown, Camilla kill'd;<BR> +The foes, entirely masters of the field,<BR> +Like a resistless flood, come rolling on:<BR> +The cry goes off the plain, and thickens to the town."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Inflam'd with rage, (for so the Furies fire<BR> +The Daunian's breast, and so the Fates require,)<BR> +He leaves the hilly pass, the woods in vain<BR> +Possess'd, and downward issues on the plain.<BR> +Scarce was he gone, when to the straits, now freed<BR> +From secret foes, the Trojan troops succeed.<BR> +Thro' the black forest and the ferny brake,<BR> +Unknowingly secure, their way they take;<BR> +From the rough mountains to the plain descend,<BR> +And there, in order drawn, their line extend.<BR> +Both armies now in open fields are seen;<BR> +Nor far the distance of the space between.<BR> +Both to the city bend. Aeneas sees,<BR> +Thro' smoking fields, his hast'ning enemies;<BR> +And Turnus views the Trojans in array,<BR> +And hears th' approaching horses proudly neigh.<BR> +Soon had their hosts in bloody battle join'd;<BR> +But westward to the sea the sun declin'd.<BR> +Intrench'd before the town both armies lie,<BR> +While Night with sable wings involves the sky.<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="book12"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BOOK XII<BR> +</H3> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When Turnus saw the Latins leave the field,<BR> +Their armies broken, and their courage quell'd,<BR> +Himself become the mark of public spite,<BR> +His honor question'd for the promis'd fight;<BR> +The more he was with vulgar hate oppress'd,<BR> +The more his fury boil'd within his breast:<BR> +He rous'd his vigor for the last debate,<BR> +And rais'd his haughty soul to meet his fate.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As, when the swains the Libyan lion chase,<BR> +He makes a sour retreat, nor mends his pace;<BR> +But, if the pointed jav'lin pierce his side,<BR> +The lordly beast returns with double pride:<BR> +He wrenches out the steel, he roars for pain;<BR> +His sides he lashes, and erects his mane:<BR> +So Turnus fares; his eyeballs flash with fire,<BR> +Thro' his wide nostrils clouds of smoke expire.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Trembling with rage, around the court he ran,<BR> +At length approach'd the king, and thus began:<BR> +"No more excuses or delays: I stand<BR> +In arms prepar'd to combat, hand to hand,<BR> +This base deserter of his native land.<BR> +The Trojan, by his word, is bound to take<BR> +The same conditions which himself did make.<BR> +Renew the truce; the solemn rites prepare,<BR> +And to my single virtue trust the war.<BR> +The Latians unconcern'd shall see the fight;<BR> +This arm unaided shall assert your right:<BR> +Then, if my prostrate body press the plain,<BR> +To him the crown and beauteous bride remain."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To whom the king sedately thus replied:<BR> +"Brave youth, the more your valor has been tried,<BR> +The more becomes it us, with due respect,<BR> +To weigh the chance of war, which you neglect.<BR> +You want not wealth, or a successive throne,<BR> +Or cities which your arms have made your own:<BR> +My towns and treasures are at your command,<BR> +And stor'd with blooming beauties is my land;<BR> +Laurentum more than one Lavinia sees,<BR> +Unmarried, fair, of noble families.<BR> +Now let me speak, and you with patience hear,<BR> +Things which perhaps may grate a lover's ear,<BR> +But sound advice, proceeding from a heart<BR> +Sincerely yours, and free from fraudful art.<BR> +The gods, by signs, have manifestly shown,<BR> +No prince Italian born should heir my throne:<BR> +Oft have our augurs, in prediction skill'd,<BR> +And oft our priests, foreign son reveal'd.<BR> +Yet, won by worth that cannot be withstood,<BR> +Brib'd by my kindness to my kindred blood,<BR> +Urg'd by my wife, who would not be denied,<BR> +I promis'd my Lavinia for your bride:<BR> +Her from her plighted lord by force I took;<BR> +All ties of treaties, and of honor, broke:<BR> +On your account I wag'd an impious war-<BR> +With what success, 't is needless to declare;<BR> +I and my subjects feel, and you have had your share.<BR> +Twice vanquish'd while in bloody fields we strive,<BR> +Scarce in our walls we keep our hopes alive:<BR> +The rolling flood runs warm with human gore;<BR> +The bones of Latians blanch the neighb'ring shore.<BR> +Why put I not an end to this debate,<BR> +Still unresolv'd, and still a slave to fate?<BR> +If Turnus' death a lasting peace can give,<BR> +Why should I not procure it whilst you live?<BR> +Should I to doubtful arms your youth betray,<BR> +What would my kinsmen the Rutulians say?<BR> +And, should you fall in fight, (which Heav'n defend!)<BR> +How curse the cause which hasten'd to his end<BR> +The daughter's lover and the father's friend?<BR> +Weigh in your mind the various chance of war;<BR> +Pity your parent's age, and ease his care."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Such balmy words he pour'd, but all in vain:<BR> +The proffer'd med'cine but provok'd the pain.<BR> +The wrathful youth, disdaining the relief,<BR> +With intermitting sobs thus vents his grief:<BR> +"The care, O best of fathers, which you take<BR> +For my concerns, at my desire forsake.<BR> +Permit me not to languish out my days,<BR> +But make the best exchange of life for praise.<BR> +This arm, this lance, can well dispute the prize;<BR> +And the blood follows, where the weapon flies.<BR> +His goddess mother is not near, to shroud<BR> +The flying coward with an empty cloud."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But now the queen, who fear'd for Turnus' life,<BR> +And loath'd the hard conditions of the strife,<BR> +Held him by force; and, dying in his death,<BR> +In these sad accents gave her sorrow breath:<BR> +"O Turnus, I adjure thee by these tears,<BR> +And whate'er price Amata's honor bears<BR> +Within thy breast, since thou art all my hope,<BR> +My sickly mind's repose, my sinking age's prop;<BR> +Since on the safety of thy life alone<BR> +Depends Latinus, and the Latian throne:<BR> +Refuse me not this one, this only pray'r,<BR> +To waive the combat, and pursue the war.<BR> +Whatever chance attends this fatal strife,<BR> +Think it includes, in thine, Amata's life.<BR> +I cannot live a slave, or see my throne<BR> +Usurp'd by strangers or a Trojan son."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +At this, a flood of tears Lavinia shed;<BR> +A crimson blush her beauteous face o'erspread,<BR> +Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.<BR> +The driving colors, never at a stay,<BR> +Run here and there, and flush, and fade away.<BR> +Delightful change! Thus Indian iv'ry shows,<BR> +Which with the bord'ring paint of purple glows;<BR> +Or lilies damask'd by the neighb'ring rose.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The lover gaz'd, and, burning with desire,<BR> +The more he look'd, the more he fed the fire:<BR> +Revenge, and jealous rage, and secret spite,<BR> +Roll in his breast, and rouse him to the fight.<BR> +Then fixing on the queen his ardent eyes,<BR> +Firm to his first intent, he thus replies:<BR> +"O mother, do not by your tears prepare<BR> +Such boding omens, and prejudge the war.<BR> +Resolv'd on fight, I am no longer free<BR> +To shun my death, if Heav'n my death decree."<BR> +Then turning to the herald, thus pursues:<BR> +"Go, greet the Trojan with ungrateful news;<BR> +Denounce from me, that, when to-morrow's light<BR> +Shall gild the heav'ns, he need not urge the fight;<BR> +The Trojan and Rutulian troops no more<BR> +Shall dye, with mutual blood, the Latian shore:<BR> +Our single swords the quarrel shall decide,<BR> +And to the victor be the beauteous bride."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said, and striding on, with speedy pace,<BR> +He sought his coursers of the Thracian race.<BR> +At his approach they toss their heads on high,<BR> +And, proudly neighing, promise victory.<BR> +The sires of these Orythia sent from far,<BR> +To grace Pilumnus, when he went to war.<BR> +The drifts of Thracian snows were scarce so white,<BR> +Nor northern winds in fleetness match'd their flight.<BR> +Officious grooms stand ready by his side;<BR> +And some with combs their flowing manes divide,<BR> +And others stroke their chests and gently soothe their pride.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He sheath'd his limbs in arms; a temper'd mass<BR> +Of golden metal those, and mountain brass.<BR> +Then to his head his glitt'ring helm he tied,<BR> +And girt his faithful fauchion to his side.<BR> +In his Aetnaean forge, the God of Fire<BR> +That fauchion labor'd for the hero's sire;<BR> +Immortal keenness on the blade bestow'd,<BR> +And plung'd it hissing in the Stygian flood.<BR> +Propp'd on a pillar, which the ceiling bore,<BR> +Was plac'd the lance Auruncan Actor wore;<BR> +Which with such force he brandish'd in his hand,<BR> +The tough ash trembled like an osier wand:<BR> +Then cried: "O pond'rous spoil of Actor slain,<BR> +And never yet by Turnus toss'd in vain,<BR> +Fail not this day thy wonted force; but go,<BR> +Sent by this hand, to pierce the Trojan foe!<BR> +Give me to tear his corslet from his breast,<BR> +And from that eunuch head to rend the crest;<BR> +Dragg'd in the dust, his frizzled hair to soil,<BR> +Hot from the vexing ir'n, and smear'd with fragrant oil!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while he raves, from his wide nostrils flies<BR> +A fiery steam, and sparkles from his eyes.<BR> +So fares the bull in his lov'd female's sight:<BR> +Proudly he bellows, and preludes the fight;<BR> +He tries his goring horns against a tree,<BR> +And meditates his absent enemy;<BR> +He pushes at the winds; he digs the strand<BR> +With his black hoofs, and spurns the yellow sand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor less the Trojan, in his Lemnian arms,<BR> +To future fight his manly courage warms:<BR> +He whets his fury, and with joy prepares<BR> +To terminate at once the ling'ring wars;<BR> +To cheer his chiefs and tender son, relates<BR> +What Heav'n had promis'd, and expounds the fates.<BR> +Then to the Latian king he sends, to cease<BR> +The rage of arms, and ratify the peace.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The morn ensuing, from the mountain's height,<BR> +Had scarcely spread the skies with rosy light;<BR> +Th' ethereal coursers, bounding from the sea,<BR> +From out their flaming nostrils breath'd the day;<BR> +When now the Trojan and Rutulian guard,<BR> +In friendly labor join'd, the list prepar'd.<BR> +Beneath the walls they measure out the space;<BR> +Then sacred altars rear, on sods of grass,<BR> +Where, with religious their common gods they place.<BR> +In purest white the priests their heads attire;<BR> +And living waters bear, and holy fire;<BR> +And, o'er their linen hoods and shaded hair,<BR> +Long twisted wreaths of sacred veryain wear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In order issuing from the town appears<BR> +The Latin legion, arm'd with pointed spears;<BR> +And from the fields, advancing on a line,<BR> +The Trojan and the Tuscan forces join:<BR> +Their various arms afford a pleasing sight;<BR> +A peaceful train they seem, in peace prepar'd for fight.<BR> +Betwixt the ranks the proud commanders ride,<BR> +Glitt'ring with gold, and vests in purple dyed;<BR> +Here Mnestheus, author of the Memmian line,<BR> +And there Messapus, born of seed divine.<BR> +The sign is giv'n; and, round the listed space,<BR> +Each man in order fills his proper place.<BR> +Reclining on their ample shields, they stand,<BR> +And fix their pointed lances in the sand.<BR> +Now, studious of the sight, a num'rous throng<BR> +Of either sex promiscuous, old and young,<BR> +Swarm the town: by those who rest behind,<BR> +The gates and walls and houses' tops are lin'd.<BR> +Meantime the Queen of Heav'n beheld the sight,<BR> +With eyes unpleas'd, from Mount Albano's height<BR> +(Since call'd Albano by succeeding fame,<BR> +But then an empty hill, without a name).<BR> +She thence survey'd the field, the Trojan pow'rs,<BR> +The Latian squadrons, and Laurentine tow'rs.<BR> +Then thus the goddess of the skies bespoke,<BR> +With sighs and tears, the goddess of the lake,<BR> +King Turnus' sister, once a lovely maid,<BR> +Ere to the lust of lawless Jove betray'd:<BR> +Compress'd by force, but, by the grateful god,<BR> +Now made the Nais of the neighb'ring flood.<BR> +"O nymph, the pride of living lakes," said she,<BR> +"O most renown'd, and most belov'd by me,<BR> +Long hast thou known, nor need I to record,<BR> +The wanton sallies of my wand'ring lord.<BR> +Of ev'ry Latian fair whom Jove misled<BR> +To mount by stealth my violated bed,<BR> +To thee alone I grudg'd not his embrace,<BR> +But gave a part of heav'n, and an unenvied place.<BR> +Now learn from me thy near approaching grief,<BR> +Nor think my wishes want to thy relief.<BR> +While fortune favor'd, nor Heav'n's King denied<BR> +To lend my succor to the Latian side,<BR> +I sav'd thy brother, and the sinking state:<BR> +But now he struggles with unequal fate,<BR> +And goes, with gods averse, o'ermatch'd in might,<BR> +To meet inevitable death in fight;<BR> +Nor must I break the truce, nor can sustain the sight.<BR> +Thou, if thou dar'st thy present aid supply;<BR> +It well becomes a sister's care to try."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +At this the lovely nymph, with grief oppress'd,<BR> +Thrice tore her hair, and beat her comely breast.<BR> +To whom Saturnia thus: "Thy tears are late:<BR> +Haste, snatch him, if he can be snatch'd from fate:<BR> +New tumults kindle; violate the truce:<BR> +Who knows what changeful fortune may produce?<BR> +'T is not a crime t' attempt what I decree;<BR> +Or, if it were, discharge the crime on me."<BR> +She said, and, sailing on the winged wind,<BR> +Left the sad nymph suspended in her mind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now pomp the peaceful kings appear:<BR> +Four steeds the chariot of Latinus bear;<BR> +Twelve golden beams around his temples play,<BR> +To mark his lineage from the God of Day.<BR> +Two snowy coursers Turnus' chariot yoke,<BR> +And in his hand two massy spears he shook:<BR> +Then issued from the camp, in arms divine,<BR> +Aeneas, author of the Roman line;<BR> +And by his side Ascanius took his place,<BR> +The second hope of Rome's immortal race.<BR> +Adorn'd in white, a rev'rend priest appears,<BR> +And off'rings to the flaming altars bears;<BR> +A porket, and a lamb that never suffer'd shears.<BR> +Then to the rising sun he turns his eyes,<BR> +And strews the beasts, design'd for sacrifice,<BR> +With salt and meal: with like officious care<BR> +He marks their foreheads, and he clips their hair.<BR> +Betwixt their horns the purple wine he sheds;<BR> +With the same gen'rous juice the flame he feeds.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Aeneas then unsheath'd his shining sword,<BR> +And thus with pious pray'rs the gods ador'd:<BR> +"All-seeing sun, and thou, Ausonian soil,<BR> +For which I have sustain'd so long a toil,<BR> +Thou, King of Heav'n, and thou, the Queen of Air,<BR> +Propitious now, and reconcil'd by pray'r;<BR> +Thou, God of War, whose unresisted sway<BR> +The labors and events of arms obey;<BR> +Ye living fountains, and ye running floods,<BR> +All pow'rs of ocean, all ethereal gods,<BR> +Hear, and bear record: if I fall in field,<BR> +Or, recreant in the fight, to Turnus yield,<BR> +My Trojans shall encrease Evander's town;<BR> +Ascanius shall renounce th' Ausonian crown:<BR> +All claims, all questions of debate, shall cease;<BR> +Nor he, nor they, with force infringe the peace.<BR> +But, if my juster arms prevail in fight,<BR> +(As sure they shall, if I divine aright,)<BR> +My Trojans shall not o'er th' Italians reign:<BR> +Both equal, both unconquer'd shall remain,<BR> +Join'd in their laws, their lands, and their abodes;<BR> +I ask but altars for my weary gods.<BR> +The care of those religious rites be mine;<BR> +The crown to King Latinus I resign:<BR> +His be the sov'reign sway. Nor will I share<BR> +His pow'r in peace, or his command in war.<BR> +For me, my friends another town shall frame,<BR> +And bless the rising tow'rs with fair Lavinia's name."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus he. Then, with erected eyes and hands,<BR> +The Latian king before his altar stands.<BR> +"By the same heav'n," said he, "and earth, and main,<BR> +And all the pow'rs that all the three contain;<BR> +By hell below, and by that upper god<BR> +Whose thunder signs the peace, who seals it with his nod;<BR> +So let Latona's double offspring hear,<BR> +And double-fronted Janus, what I swear:<BR> +I touch the sacred altars, touch the flames,<BR> +And all those pow'rs attest, and all their names;<BR> +Whatever chance befall on either side,<BR> +No term of time this union shall divide:<BR> +No force, no fortune, shall my vows unbind,<BR> +Or shake the steadfast tenor of my mind;<BR> +Not tho' the circling seas should break their bound,<BR> +O'erflow the shores, or sap the solid ground;<BR> +Not tho' the lamps of heav'n their spheres forsake,<BR> +Hurl'd down, and hissing in the nether lake:<BR> +Ev'n as this royal scepter" (for he bore<BR> +A scepter in his hand) "shall never more<BR> +Shoot out in branches, or renew the birth:<BR> +An orphan now, cut from the mother earth<BR> +By the keen ax, dishonor'd of its hair,<BR> +And cas'd in brass, for Latian kings to bear."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When thus in public view the peace was tied<BR> +With solemn vows, and sworn on either side,<BR> +All dues perform'd which holy rites require;<BR> +The victim beasts are slain before the fire,<BR> +The trembling entrails from their bodies torn,<BR> +And to the fatten'd flames in chargers borne.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Already the Rutulians deem their man<BR> +O'ermatch'd in arms, before the fight began.<BR> +First rising fears are whisper'd thro' the crowd;<BR> +Then, gath'ring sound, they murmur more aloud.<BR> +Now, side to side, they measure with their eyes<BR> +The champions' bulk, their sinews, and their size:<BR> +The nearer they approach, the more is known<BR> +Th' apparent disadvantage of their own.<BR> +Turnus himself appears in public sight<BR> +Conscious of fate, desponding of the fight.<BR> +Slowly he moves, and at his altar stands<BR> +With eyes dejected, and with trembling hands;<BR> +And, while he mutters undistinguish'd pray'rs,<BR> +A livid deadness in his cheeks appears.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +With anxious pleasure when Juturna view'd<BR> +Th' increasing fright of the mad multitude,<BR> +When their short sighs and thick'ning sobs she heard,<BR> +And found their ready minds for change prepar'd;<BR> +Dissembling her immortal form, she took<BR> +Camertus' mien, his habit, and his look;<BR> +A chief of ancient blood; in arms well known<BR> +Was his great sire, and he his greater son.<BR> +His shape assum'd, amid the ranks she ran,<BR> +And humoring their first motions, thus began:<BR> +"For shame, Rutulians, can you bear the sight<BR> +Of one expos'd for all, in single fight?<BR> +Can we, before the face of heav'n, confess<BR> +Our courage colder, or our numbers less?<BR> +View all the Trojan host, th' Arcadian band,<BR> +And Tuscan army; count 'em as they stand:<BR> +Undaunted to the battle if we go,<BR> +Scarce ev'ry second man will share a foe.<BR> +Turnus, 't is true, in this unequal strife,<BR> +Shall lose, with honor, his devoted life,<BR> +Or change it rather for immortal fame,<BR> +Succeeding to the gods, from whence he came:<BR> +But you, a servile and inglorious band,<BR> +For foreign lords shall sow your native land,<BR> +Those fruitful fields your fighting fathers gain'd,<BR> +Which have so long their lazy sons sustain'd."<BR> +With words like these, she carried her design:<BR> +A rising murmur runs along the line.<BR> +Then ev'n the city troops, and Latians, tir'd<BR> +With tedious war, seem with new souls inspir'd:<BR> +Their champion's fate with pity they lament,<BR> +And of the league, so lately sworn, repent.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Nor fails the goddess to foment the rage<BR> +With lying wonders, and a false presage;<BR> +But adds a sign, which, present to their eyes,<BR> +Inspires new courage, and a glad surprise.<BR> +For, sudden, in the fiery tracts above,<BR> +Appears in pomp th' imperial bird of Jove:<BR> +A plump of fowl he spies, that swim the lakes,<BR> +And o'er their heads his sounding pinions shakes;<BR> +Then, stooping on the fairest of the train,<BR> +In his strong talons truss'd a silver swan.<BR> +Th' Italians wonder at th' unusual sight;<BR> +But, while he lags, and labors in his flight,<BR> +Behold, the dastard fowl return anew,<BR> +And with united force the foe pursue:<BR> +Clam'rous around the royal hawk they fly,<BR> +And, thick'ning in a cloud, o'ershade the sky.<BR> +They cuff, they scratch, they cross his airy course;<BR> +Nor can th' incumber'd bird sustain their force;<BR> +But vex'd, not vanquish'd, drops the pond'rous prey,<BR> +And, lighten'd of his burthen, wings his way.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Th' Ausonian bands with shouts salute the sight,<BR> +Eager of action, and demand the fight.<BR> +Then King Tolumnius, vers'd in augurs' arts,<BR> +Cries out, and thus his boasted skill imparts:<BR> +"At length 't is granted, what I long desir'd!<BR> +This, this is what my frequent vows requir'd.<BR> +Ye gods, I take your omen, and obey.<BR> +Advance, my friends, and charge! I lead the way.<BR> +These are the foreign foes, whose impious band,<BR> +Like that rapacious bird, infest our land:<BR> +But soon, like him, they shall be forc'd to sea<BR> +By strength united, and forego the prey.<BR> +Your timely succor to your country bring,<BR> +Haste to the rescue, and redeem your king."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said; and, pressing onward thro' the crew,<BR> +Pois'd in his lifted arm, his lance he threw.<BR> +The winged weapon, whistling in the wind,<BR> +Came driving on, nor miss'd the mark design'd.<BR> +At once the cornel rattled in the skies;<BR> +At once tumultuous shouts and clamors rise.<BR> +Nine brothers in a goodly band there stood,<BR> +Born of Arcadian mix'd with Tuscan blood,<BR> +Gylippus' sons: the fatal jav'lin flew,<BR> +Aim'd at the midmost of the friendly crew.<BR> +A passage thro' the jointed arms it found,<BR> +Just where the belt was to the body bound,<BR> +And struck the gentle youth extended on the ground.<BR> +Then, fir'd with pious rage, the gen'rous train<BR> +Run madly forward to revenge the slain.<BR> +And some with eager haste their jav'lins throw;<BR> +And some with sword in hand assault the foe.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The wish'd insult the Latine troops embrace,<BR> +And meet their ardor in the middle space.<BR> +The Trojans, Tuscans, and Arcadian line,<BR> +With equal courage obviate their design.<BR> +Peace leaves the violated fields, and hate<BR> +Both armies urges to their mutual fate.<BR> +With impious haste their altars are o'erturn'd,<BR> +The sacrifice half-broil'd, and half-unburn'd.<BR> +Thick storms of steel from either army fly,<BR> +And clouds of clashing darts obscure the sky;<BR> +Brands from the fire are missive weapons made,<BR> +With chargers, bowls, and all the priestly trade.<BR> +Latinus, frighted, hastens from the fray,<BR> +And bears his unregarded gods away.<BR> +These on their horses vault; those yoke the car;<BR> +The rest, with swords on high, run headlong to the war.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Messapus, eager to confound the peace,<BR> +Spurr'd his hot courser thro' the fighting prease,<BR> +At King Aulestes, by his purple known<BR> +A Tuscan prince, and by his regal crown;<BR> +And, with a shock encount'ring, bore him down.<BR> +Backward he fell; and, as his fate design'd,<BR> +The ruins of an altar were behind:<BR> +There, pitching on his shoulders and his head,<BR> +Amid the scatt'ring fires he lay supinely spread.<BR> +The beamy spear, descending from above,<BR> +His cuirass pierc'd, and thro' his body drove.<BR> +Then, with a scornful smile, the victor cries:<BR> +"The gods have found a fitter sacrifice."<BR> +Greedy of spoils, th' Italians strip the dead<BR> +Of his rich armor, and uncrown his head.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Priest Corynaeus, arm'd his better hand,<BR> +From his own altar, with a blazing brand;<BR> +And, as Ebusus with a thund'ring pace<BR> +Advanc'd to battle, dash'd it on his face:<BR> +His bristly beard shines out with sudden fires;<BR> +The crackling crop a noisome scent expires.<BR> +Following the blow, he seiz'd his curling crown<BR> +With his left hand; his other cast him down.<BR> +The prostrate body with his knees he press'd,<BR> +And plung'd his holy poniard in his breast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While Podalirius, with his sword, pursued<BR> +The shepherd Alsus thro' the flying crowd,<BR> +Swiftly he turns, and aims a deadly blow<BR> +Full on the front of his unwary foe.<BR> +The broad ax enters with a crashing sound,<BR> +And cleaves the chin with one continued wound;<BR> +Warm blood, and mingled brains, besmear his arms around<BR> +An iron sleep his stupid eyes oppress'd,<BR> +And seal'd their heavy lids in endless rest.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But good Aeneas rush'd amid the bands;<BR> +Bare was his head, and naked were his hands,<BR> +In sign of truce: then thus he cries aloud:<BR> +"What sudden rage, what new desire of blood,<BR> +Inflames your alter'd minds? O Trojans, cease<BR> +From impious arms, nor violate the peace!<BR> +By human sanctions, and by laws divine,<BR> +The terms are all agreed; the war is mine.<BR> +Dismiss your fears, and let the fight ensue;<BR> +This hand alone shall right the gods and you:<BR> +Our injur'd altars, and their broken vow,<BR> +To this avenging sword the faithless Turnus owe."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus while he spoke, unmindful of defense,<BR> +A winged arrow struck the pious prince.<BR> +But, whether from some human hand it came,<BR> +Or hostile god, is left unknown by fame:<BR> +No human hand or hostile god was found,<BR> +To boast the triumph of so base a wound.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +When Turnus saw the Trojan quit the plain,<BR> +His chiefs dismay'd, his troops a fainting train,<BR> +Th' unhop'd event his heighten'd soul inspires:<BR> +At once his arms and coursers he requires;<BR> +Then, with a leap, his lofty chariot gains,<BR> +And with a ready hand assumes the reins.<BR> +He drives impetuous, and, where'er he goes,<BR> +He leaves behind a lane of slaughter'd foes.<BR> +These his lance reaches; over those he rolls<BR> +His rapid car, and crushes out their souls:<BR> +In vain the vanquish'd fly; the victor sends<BR> +The dead men's weapons at their living friends.<BR> +Thus, on the banks of Hebrus' freezing flood,<BR> +The God of Battles, in his angry mood,<BR> +Clashing his sword against his brazen shield,<BR> +Let loose the reins, and scours along the field:<BR> +Before the wind his fiery coursers fly;<BR> +Groans the sad earth, resounds the rattling sky.<BR> +Wrath, Terror, Treason, Tumult, and Despair<BR> +(Dire faces, and deform'd) surround the car;<BR> +Friends of the god, and followers of the war.<BR> +With fury not unlike, nor less disdain,<BR> +Exulting Turnus flies along the plain:<BR> +His smoking horses, at their utmost speed,<BR> +He lashes on, and urges o'er the dead.<BR> +Their fetlocks run with blood; and, when they bound,<BR> +The gore and gath'ring dust are dash'd around.<BR> +Thamyris and Pholus, masters of the war,<BR> +He kill'd at hand, but Sthenelus afar:<BR> +From far the sons of Imbracus he slew,<BR> +Glaucus and Lades, of the Lycian crew;<BR> +Both taught to fight on foot, in battle join'd,<BR> +Or mount the courser that outstrips the wind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime Eumedes, vaunting in the field,<BR> +New fir'd the Trojans, and their foes repell'd.<BR> +This son of Dolon bore his grandsire's name,<BR> +But emulated more his father's fame;<BR> +His guileful father, sent a nightly spy,<BR> +The Grecian camp and order to descry:<BR> +Hard enterprise! and well he might require<BR> +Achilles' car and horses, for his hire:<BR> +But, met upon the scout, th' Aetolian prince<BR> +In death bestow'd a juster recompense.<BR> +Fierce Turnus view'd the Trojan from afar,<BR> +And launch'd his jav'lin from his lofty car;<BR> +Then lightly leaping down, pursued the blow,<BR> +And, pressing with his foot his prostrate foe,<BR> +Wrench'd from his feeble hold the shining sword,<BR> +And plung'd it in the bosom of its lord.<BR> +"Possess," said he, "the fruit of all thy pains,<BR> +And measure, at thy length, our Latian plains.<BR> +Thus are my foes rewarded by my hand;<BR> +Thus may they build their town, and thus enjoy the land!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then Dares, Butes, Sybaris he slew,<BR> +Whom o'er his neck his flound'ring courser threw.<BR> +As when loud Boreas, with his blust'ring train,<BR> +Stoops from above, incumbent on the main;<BR> +Where'er he flies, he drives the rack before,<BR> +And rolls the billows on th' Aegaean shore:<BR> +So, where resistless Turnus takes his course,<BR> +The scatter'd squadrons bend before his force;<BR> +His crest of horses' hair is blown behind<BR> +By adverse air, and rustles in the wind.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +This haughty Phegeus saw with high disdain,<BR> +And, as the chariot roll'd along the plain,<BR> +Light from the ground he leapt, and seiz'd the rein.<BR> +Thus hung in air, he still retain'd his hold,<BR> +The coursers frighted, and their course controll'd.<BR> +The lance of Turnus reach'd him as he hung,<BR> +And pierc'd his plated arms, but pass'd along,<BR> +And only raz'd the skin. He turn'd, and held<BR> +Against his threat'ning foe his ample shield;<BR> +Then call'd for aid: but, while he cried in vain,<BR> +The chariot bore him backward on the plain.<BR> +He lies revers'd; the victor king descends,<BR> +And strikes so justly where his helmet ends,<BR> +He lops the head. The Latian fields are drunk<BR> +With streams that issue from the bleeding trunk.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +While he triumphs, and while the Trojans yield,<BR> +The wounded prince is forc'd to leave the field:<BR> +Strong Mnestheus, and Achates often tried,<BR> +And young Ascanius, weeping by his side,<BR> +Conduct him to his tent. Scarce can he rear<BR> +His limbs from earth, supported on his spear.<BR> +Resolv'd in mind, regardless of the smart,<BR> +He tugs with both his hands, and breaks the dart.<BR> +The steel remains. No readier way he found<BR> +To draw the weapon, than t' inlarge the wound.<BR> +Eager of fight, impatient of delay,<BR> +He begs; and his unwilling friends obey.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Iapis was at hand to prove his art,<BR> +Whose blooming youth so fir'd Apollo's heart,<BR> +That, for his love, he proffer'd to bestow<BR> +His tuneful harp and his unerring bow.<BR> +The pious youth, more studious how to save<BR> +His aged sire, now sinking to the grave,<BR> +Preferr'd the pow'r of plants, and silent praise<BR> +Of healing arts, before Phoebean bays.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Propp'd on his lance the pensive hero stood,<BR> +And heard and saw, unmov'd, the mourning crowd.<BR> +The fam'd physician tucks his robes around<BR> +With ready hands, and hastens to the wound.<BR> +With gentle touches he performs his part,<BR> +This way and that, soliciting the dart,<BR> +And exercises all his heav'nly art.<BR> +All soft'ning simples, known of sov'reign use,<BR> +He presses out, and pours their noble juice.<BR> +These first infus'd, to lenify the pain,<BR> +He tugs with pincers, but he tugs in vain.<BR> +Then to the patron of his art he pray'd:<BR> +The patron of his art refus'd his aid.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime the war approaches to the tents;<BR> +Th' alarm grows hotter, and the noise augments:<BR> +The driving dust proclaims the danger near;<BR> +And first their friends, and then their foes appear:<BR> +Their friends retreat; their foes pursue the rear.<BR> +The camp is fill'd with terror and affright:<BR> +The hissing shafts within the trench alight;<BR> +An undistinguish'd noise ascends the sky,<BR> +The shouts of those who kill, and groans of those who die.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But now the goddess mother, mov'd with grief,<BR> +And pierc'd with pity, hastens her relief.<BR> +A branch of healing dittany she brought,<BR> +Which in the Cretan fields with care she sought:<BR> +Rough is the stern, which woolly leafs surround;<BR> +The leafs with flow'rs, the flow'rs with purple crown'd,<BR> +Well known to wounded goats; a sure relief<BR> +To draw the pointed steel, and ease the grief.<BR> +This Venus brings, in clouds involv'd, and brews<BR> +Th' extracted liquor with ambrosian dews,<BR> +And odorous panacee. Unseen she stands,<BR> +Temp'ring the mixture with her heav'nly hands,<BR> +And pours it in a bowl, already crown'd<BR> +With juice of med'c'nal herbs prepar'd to bathe the wound.<BR> +The leech, unknowing of superior art<BR> +Which aids the cure, with this foments the part;<BR> +And in a moment ceas'd the raging smart.<BR> +Stanch'd is the blood, and in the bottom stands:<BR> +The steel, but scarcely touch'd with tender hands,<BR> +Moves up, and follows of its own accord,<BR> +And health and vigor are at once restor'd.<BR> +Iapis first perceiv'd the closing wound,<BR> +And first the footsteps of a god he found.<BR> +"Arms! arms!" he cries; "the sword and shield prepare,<BR> +And send the willing chief, renew'd, to war.<BR> +This is no mortal work, no cure of mine,<BR> +Nor art's effect, but done by hands divine.<BR> +Some god our general to the battle sends;<BR> +Some god preserves his life for greater ends."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The hero arms in haste; his hands infold<BR> +His thighs with cuishes of refulgent gold:<BR> +Inflam'd to fight, and rushing to the field,<BR> +That hand sustaining the celestial shield,<BR> +This gripes the lance, and with such vigor shakes,<BR> +That to the rest the beamy weapon quakes.<BR> +Then with a close embrace he strain'd his son,<BR> +And, kissing thro' his helmet, thus begun:<BR> +"My son, from my example learn the war,<BR> +In camps to suffer, and in fields to dare;<BR> +But happier chance than mine attend thy care!<BR> +This day my hand thy tender age shall shield,<BR> +And crown with honors of the conquer'd field:<BR> +Thou, when thy riper years shall send thee forth<BR> +To toils of war, be mindful of my worth;<BR> +Assert thy birthright, and in arms be known,<BR> +For Hector's nephew, and Aeneas' son."<BR> +He said; and, striding, issued on the plain.<BR> +Anteus and Mnestheus, and a num'rous train,<BR> +Attend his steps; the rest their weapons take,<BR> +And, crowding to the field, the camp forsake.<BR> +A cloud of blinding dust is rais'd around,<BR> +Labors beneath their feet the trembling ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Turnus, posted on a hill, from far<BR> +Beheld the progress of the moving war:<BR> +With him the Latins view'd the cover'd plains,<BR> +And the chill blood ran backward in their veins.<BR> +Juturna saw th' advancing troops appear,<BR> +And heard the hostile sound, and fled for fear.<BR> +Aeneas leads; and draws a sweeping train,<BR> +Clos'd in their ranks, and pouring on the plain.<BR> +As when a whirlwind, rushing to the shore<BR> +From the mid ocean, drives the waves before;<BR> +The painful hind with heavy heart foresees<BR> +The flatted fields, and slaughter of the trees;<BR> +With like impetuous rage the prince appears<BR> +Before his doubled front, nor less destruction bears.<BR> +And now both armies shock in open field;<BR> +Osiris is by strong Thymbraeus kill'd.<BR> +Archetius, Ufens, Epulon, are slain<BR> +(All fam'd in arms, and of the Latian train)<BR> +By Gyas', Mnestheus', and Achates' hand.<BR> +The fatal augur falls, by whose command<BR> +The truce was broken, and whose lance, embrued<BR> +With Trojan blood, th' unhappy fight renew'd.<BR> +Loud shouts and clamors rend the liquid sky,<BR> +And o'er the field the frighted Latins fly.<BR> +The prince disdains the dastards to pursue,<BR> +Nor moves to meet in arms the fighting few;<BR> +Turnus alone, amid the dusky plain,<BR> +He seeks, and to the combat calls in vain.<BR> +Juturna heard, and, seiz'd with mortal fear,<BR> +Forc'd from the beam her brother's charioteer;<BR> +Assumes his shape, his armor, and his mien,<BR> +And, like Metiscus, in his seat is seen.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As the black swallow near the palace plies;<BR> +O'er empty courts, and under arches, flies;<BR> +Now hawks aloft, now skims along the flood,<BR> +To furnish her loquacious nest with food:<BR> +So drives the rapid goddess o'er the plains;<BR> +The smoking horses run with loosen'd reins.<BR> +She steers a various course among the foes;<BR> +Now here, now there, her conqu'ring brother shows;<BR> +Now with a straight, now with a wheeling flight,<BR> +She turns, and bends, but shuns the single fight.<BR> +Aeneas, fir'd with fury, breaks the crowd,<BR> +And seeks his foe, and calls by name aloud:<BR> +He runs within a narrower ring, and tries<BR> +To stop the chariot; but the chariot flies.<BR> +If he but gain a glimpse, Juturna fears,<BR> +And far away the Daunian hero bears.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +What should he do! Nor arts nor arms avail;<BR> +And various cares in vain his mind assail.<BR> +The great Messapus, thund'ring thro' the field,<BR> +In his left hand two pointed jav'lins held:<BR> +Encount'ring on the prince, one dart he drew,<BR> +And with unerring aim and utmost vigor threw.<BR> +Aeneas saw it come, and, stooping low<BR> +Beneath his buckler, shunn'd the threat'ning blow.<BR> +The weapon hiss'd above his head, and tore<BR> +The waving plume which on his helm he wore.<BR> +Forced by this hostile act, and fir'd with spite,<BR> +That flying Turnus still declin'd the fight,<BR> +The Prince, whose piety had long repell'd<BR> +His inborn ardor, now invades the field;<BR> +Invokes the pow'rs of violated peace,<BR> +Their rites and injur'd altars to redress;<BR> +Then, to his rage abandoning the rein,<BR> +With blood and slaughter'd bodies fills the plain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +What god can tell, what numbers can display,<BR> +The various labors of that fatal day;<BR> +What chiefs and champions fell on either side,<BR> +In combat slain, or by what deaths they died;<BR> +Whom Turnus, whom the Trojan hero kill'd;<BR> +Who shar'd the fame and fortune of the field!<BR> +Jove, could'st thou view, and not avert thy sight,<BR> +Two jarring nations join'd in cruel fight,<BR> +Whom leagues of lasting love so shortly shall unite!<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Aeneas first Rutulian Sucro found,<BR> +Whose valor made the Trojans quit their ground;<BR> +Betwixt his ribs the jav'lin drove so just,<BR> +It reach'd his heart, nor needs a second thrust.<BR> +Now Turnus, at two blows, two brethren slew;<BR> +First from his horse fierce Amycus he threw:<BR> +Then, leaping on the ground, on foot assail'd<BR> +Diores, and in equal fight prevail'd.<BR> +Their lifeless trunks he leaves upon the place;<BR> +Their heads, distilling gore, his chariot grace.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Three cold on earth the Trojan hero threw,<BR> +Whom without respite at one charge he slew:<BR> +Cethegus, Tanais, Tagus, fell oppress'd,<BR> +And sad Onythes, added to the rest,<BR> +Of Theban blood, whom Peridia bore.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Turnus two brothers from the Lycian shore,<BR> +And from Apollo's fane to battle sent,<BR> +O'erthrew; nor Phoebus could their fate prevent.<BR> +Peaceful Menoetes after these he kill'd,<BR> +Who long had shunn'd the dangers of the field:<BR> +On Lerna's lake a silent life he led,<BR> +And with his nets and angle earn'd his bread;<BR> +Nor pompous cares, nor palaces, he knew,<BR> +But wisely from th' infectious world withdrew:<BR> +Poor was his house; his father's painful hand<BR> +Discharg'd his rent, and plow'd another's land.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +As flames among the lofty woods are thrown<BR> +On diff'rent sides, and both by winds are blown;<BR> +The laurels crackle in the sputt'ring fire;<BR> +The frighted sylvans from their shades retire:<BR> +Or as two neighb'ring torrents fall from high;<BR> +Rapid they run; the foamy waters fry;<BR> +They roll to sea with unresisted force,<BR> +And down the rocks precipitate their course:<BR> +Not with less rage the rival heroes take<BR> +Their diff'rent ways, nor less destruction make.<BR> +With spears afar, with swords at hand, they strike;<BR> +And zeal of slaughter fires their souls alike.<BR> +Like them, their dauntless men maintain the field;<BR> +And hearts are pierc'd, unknowing how to yield:<BR> +They blow for blow return, and wound for wound;<BR> +And heaps of bodies raise the level ground.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Murranus, boasting of his blood, that springs<BR> +From a long royal race of Latian kings,<BR> +Is by the Trojan from his chariot thrown,<BR> +Crush'd with the weight of an unwieldy stone:<BR> +Betwixt the wheels he fell; the wheels, that bore<BR> +His living load, his dying body tore.<BR> +His starting steeds, to shun the glitt'ring sword,<BR> +Paw down his trampled limbs, forgetful of their lord.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Fierce Hyllus threaten'd high, and, face to face,<BR> +Affronted Turnus in the middle space:<BR> +The prince encounter'd him in full career,<BR> +And at his temples aim'd the deadly spear;<BR> +So fatally the flying weapon sped,<BR> +That thro' his helm it pierc'd his head.<BR> +Nor, Cisseus, couldst thou scape from Turnus' hand,<BR> +In vain the strongest of th' Arcadian band:<BR> +Nor to Cupentus could his gods afford<BR> +Availing aid against th' Aenean sword,<BR> +Which to his naked heart pursued the course;<BR> +Nor could his plated shield sustain the force.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Iolas fell, whom not the Grecian pow'rs,<BR> +Nor great subverter of the Trojan tow'rs,<BR> +Were doom'd to kill, while Heav'n prolong'd his date;<BR> +But who can pass the bounds, prefix'd by fate?<BR> +In high Lyrnessus, and in Troy, he held<BR> +Two palaces, and was from each expell'd:<BR> +Of all the mighty man, the last remains<BR> +A little spot of foreign earth contains.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +And now both hosts their broken troops unite<BR> +In equal ranks, and mix in mortal fight.<BR> +Seresthus and undaunted Mnestheus join<BR> +The Trojan, Tuscan, and Arcadian line:<BR> +Sea-born Messapus, with Atinas, heads<BR> +The Latin squadrons, and to battle leads.<BR> +They strike, they push, they throng the scanty space,<BR> +Resolv'd on death, impatient of disgrace;<BR> +And, where one falls, another fills his place.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The Cyprian goddess now inspires her son<BR> +To leave th' unfinish'd fight, and storm the town:<BR> +For, while he rolls his eyes around the plain<BR> +In quest of Turnus, whom he seeks in vain,<BR> +He views th' unguarded city from afar,<BR> +In careless quiet, and secure of war.<BR> +Occasion offers, and excites his mind<BR> +To dare beyond the task he first design'd.<BR> +Resolv'd, he calls his chiefs; they leave the fight:<BR> +Attended thus, he takes a neighb'ring height;<BR> +The crowding troops about their gen'ral stand,<BR> +All under arms, and wait his high command.<BR> +Then thus the lofty prince: "Hear and obey,<BR> +Ye Trojan bands, without the least delay<BR> +Jove is with us; and what I have decreed<BR> +Requires our utmost vigor, and our speed.<BR> +Your instant arms against the town prepare,<BR> +The source of mischief, and the seat of war.<BR> +This day the Latian tow'rs, that mate the sky,<BR> +Shall level with the plain in ashes lie:<BR> +The people shall be slaves, unless in time<BR> +They kneel for pardon, and repent their crime.<BR> +Twice have our foes been vanquish'd on the plain:<BR> +Then shall I wait till Turnus will be slain?<BR> +Your force against the perjur'd city bend.<BR> +There it began, and there the war shall end.<BR> +The peace profan'd our rightful arms requires;<BR> +Cleanse the polluted place with purging fires."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He finish'd; and, one soul inspiring all,<BR> +Form'd in a wedge, the foot approach the wall.<BR> +Without the town, an unprovided train<BR> +Of gaping, gazing citizens are slain.<BR> +Some firebrands, others scaling ladders bear,<BR> +And those they toss aloft, and these they rear:<BR> +The flames now launch'd, the feather'd arrows fly,<BR> +And clouds of missive arms obscure the sky.<BR> +Advancing to the front, the hero stands,<BR> +And, stretching out to heav'n his pious hands,<BR> +Attests the gods, asserts his innocence,<BR> +Upbraids with breach of faith th' Ausonian prince;<BR> +Declares the royal honor doubly stain'd,<BR> +And twice the rites of holy peace profan'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Dissenting clamors in the town arise;<BR> +Each will be heard, and all at once advise.<BR> +One part for peace, and one for war contends;<BR> +Some would exclude their foes, and some admit their friends.<BR> +The helpless king is hurried in the throng,<BR> +And, whate'er tide prevails, is borne along.<BR> +Thus, when the swain, within a hollow rock,<BR> +Invades the bees with suffocating smoke,<BR> +They run around, or labor on their wings,<BR> +Disus'd to flight, and shoot their sleepy stings;<BR> +To shun the bitter fumes in vain they try;<BR> +Black vapors, issuing from the vent, involve the sky.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +But fate and envious fortune now prepare<BR> +To plunge the Latins in the last despair.<BR> +The queen, who saw the foes invade the town,<BR> +And brands on tops of burning houses thrown,<BR> +Cast round her eyes, distracted with her fear-<BR> +No troops of Turnus in the field appear.<BR> +Once more she stares abroad, but still in vain,<BR> +And then concludes the royal youth is slain.<BR> +Mad with her anguish, impotent to bear<BR> +The mighty grief, she loathes the vital air.<BR> +She calls herself the cause of all this ill,<BR> +And owns the dire effects of her ungovern'd will;<BR> +She raves against the gods; she beats her breast;<BR> +She tears with both her hands her purple vest:<BR> +Then round a beam a running noose she tied,<BR> +And, fasten'd by the neck, obscenely died.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Soon as the fatal news by Fame was blown,<BR> +And to her dames and to her daughter known,<BR> +The sad Lavinia rends her yellow hair<BR> +And rosy cheeks; the rest her sorrow share:<BR> +With shrieks the palace rings, and madness of despair.<BR> +The spreading rumor fills the public place:<BR> +Confusion, fear, distraction, and disgrace,<BR> +And silent shame, are seen in ev'ry face.<BR> +Latinus tears his garments as he goes,<BR> +Both for his public and his private woes;<BR> +With filth his venerable beard besmears,<BR> +And sordid dust deforms his silver hairs.<BR> +And much he blames the softness of his mind,<BR> +Obnoxious to the charms of womankind,<BR> +And soon seduc'd to change what he so well design'd;<BR> +To break the solemn league so long desir'd,<BR> +Nor finish what his fates, and those of Troy, requir'd.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now Turnus rolls aloof o'er empty plains,<BR> +And here and there some straggling foes he gleans.<BR> +His flying coursers please him less and less,<BR> +Asham'd of easy fight and cheap success.<BR> +Thus half-contented, anxious in his mind,<BR> +The distant cries come driving in the wind,<BR> +Shouts from the walls, but shouts in murmurs drown'd;<BR> +A jarring mixture, and a boding sound.<BR> +"Alas!" said he, "what mean these dismal cries?<BR> +What doleful clamors from the town arise?"<BR> +Confus'd, he stops, and backward pulls the reins.<BR> +She who the driver's office now sustains,<BR> +Replies: "Neglect, my lord, these new alarms;<BR> +Here fight, and urge the fortune of your arms:<BR> +There want not others to defend the wall.<BR> +If by your rival's hand th' Italians fall,<BR> +So shall your fatal sword his friends oppress,<BR> +In honor equal, equal in success."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +To this, the prince: "O sister- for I knew<BR> +The peace infring'd proceeded first from you;<BR> +I knew you, when you mingled first in fight;<BR> +And now in vain you would deceive my sight-<BR> +Why, goddess, this unprofitable care?<BR> +Who sent you down from heav'n, involv'd in air,<BR> +Your share of mortal sorrows to sustain,<BR> +And see your brother bleeding on the plain?<BR> +For to what pow'r can Turnus have recourse,<BR> +Or how resist his fate's prevailing force?<BR> +These eyes beheld Murranus bite the ground:<BR> +Mighty the man, and mighty was the wound.<BR> +I heard my dearest friend, with dying breath,<BR> +My name invoking to revenge his death.<BR> +Brave Ufens fell with honor on the place,<BR> +To shun the shameful sight of my disgrace.<BR> +On earth supine, a manly corpse he lies;<BR> +His vest and armor are the victor's prize.<BR> +Then, shall I see Laurentum in a flame,<BR> +Which only wanted, to complete my shame?<BR> +How will the Latins hoot their champion's flight!<BR> +How Drances will insult and point them to the sight!<BR> +Is death so hard to bear? Ye gods below,<BR> +(Since those above so small compassion show,)<BR> +Receive a soul unsullied yet with shame,<BR> +Which not belies my great forefather's name!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +He said; and while he spoke, with flying speed<BR> +Came Sages urging on his foamy steed:<BR> +Fix'd on his wounded face a shaft he bore,<BR> +And, seeking Turnus, sent his voice before:<BR> +"Turnus, on you, on you alone, depends<BR> +Our last relief: compassionate your friends!<BR> +Like lightning, fierce Aeneas, rolling on,<BR> +With arms invests, with flames invades the town:<BR> +The brands are toss'd on high; the winds conspire<BR> +To drive along the deluge of the fire.<BR> +All eyes are fix'd on you: your foes rejoice;<BR> +Ev'n the king staggers, and suspends his choice;<BR> +Doubts to deliver or defend the town,<BR> +Whom to reject, or whom to call his son.<BR> +The queen, on whom your utmost hopes were plac'd,<BR> +Herself suborning death, has breath'd her last.<BR> +'T is true, Messapus, fearless of his fate,<BR> +With fierce Atinas' aid, defends the gate:<BR> +On ev'ry side surrounded by the foe,<BR> +The more they kill, the greater numbers grow;<BR> +An iron harvest mounts, and still remains to mow.<BR> +You, far aloof from your forsaken bands,<BR> +Your rolling chariot drive o'er empty sands.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Stupid he sate, his eyes on earth declin'd,<BR> +And various cares revolving in his mind:<BR> +Rage, boiling from the bottom of his breast,<BR> +And sorrow mix'd with shame, his soul oppress'd;<BR> +And conscious worth lay lab'ring in his thought,<BR> +And love by jealousy to madness wrought.<BR> +By slow degrees his reason drove away<BR> +The mists of passion, and resum'd her sway.<BR> +Then, rising on his car, he turn'd his look,<BR> +And saw the town involv'd in fire and smoke.<BR> +A wooden tow'r with flames already blaz'd,<BR> +Which his own hands on beams and rafters rais'd;<BR> +And bridges laid above to join the space,<BR> +And wheels below to roll from place to place.<BR> +"Sister, the Fates have vanquish'd: let us go<BR> +The way which Heav'n and my hard fortune show.<BR> +The fight is fix'd; nor shall the branded name<BR> +Of a base coward blot your brother's fame.<BR> +Death is my choice; but suffer me to try<BR> +My force, and vent my rage before I die."<BR> +He said; and, leaping down without delay,<BR> +Thro' crowds of scatter'd foes he freed his way.<BR> +Striding he pass'd, impetuous as the wind,<BR> +And left the grieving goddess far behind.<BR> +As when a fragment, from a mountain torn<BR> +By raging tempests, or by torrents borne,<BR> +Or sapp'd by time, or loosen'd from the roots-<BR> +Prone thro' the void the rocky ruin shoots,<BR> +Rolling from crag to crag, from steep to steep;<BR> +Down sink, at once, the shepherds and their sheep:<BR> +Involv'd alike, they rush to nether ground;<BR> +Stunn'd with the shock they fall, and stunn'd from earth rebound:<BR> +So Turnus, hasting headlong to the town,<BR> +Should'ring and shoving, bore the squadrons down.<BR> +Still pressing onward, to the walls he drew,<BR> +Where shafts, and spears, and darts promiscuous flew,<BR> +And sanguine streams the slipp'ry ground embrue.<BR> +First stretching out his arm, in sign of peace,<BR> +He cries aloud, to make the combat cease:<BR> +"Rutulians, hold; and Latin troops, retire!<BR> +The fight is mine; and me the gods require.<BR> +'T is just that I should vindicate alone<BR> +The broken truce, or for the breach atone.<BR> +This day shall free from wars th' Ausonian state,<BR> +Or finish my misfortunes in my fate."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Both armies from their bloody work desist,<BR> +And, bearing backward, form a spacious list.<BR> +The Trojan hero, who receiv'd from fame<BR> +The welcome sound, and heard the champion's name,<BR> +Soon leaves the taken works and mounted walls,<BR> +Greedy of war where greater glory calls.<BR> +He springs to fight, exulting in his force<BR> +His jointed armor rattles in the course.<BR> +Like Eryx, or like Athos, great he shows,<BR> +Or Father Apennine, when, white with snows,<BR> +His head divine obscure in clouds he hides,<BR> +And shakes the sounding forest on his sides.<BR> +The nations, overaw'd, surcease the fight;<BR> +Immovable their bodies, fix'd their sight.<BR> +Ev'n death stands still; nor from above they throw<BR> +Their darts, nor drive their batt'ring-rams below.<BR> +In silent order either army stands,<BR> +And drop their swords, unknowing, from their hands.<BR> +Th' Ausonian king beholds, with wond'ring sight,<BR> +Two mighty champions match'd in single fight,<BR> +Born under climes remote, and brought by fate,<BR> +With swords to try their titles to the state.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now, in clos'd field, each other from afar<BR> +They view; and, rushing on, begin the war.<BR> +They launch their spears; then hand to hand they meet;<BR> +The trembling soil resounds beneath their feet:<BR> +Their bucklers clash; thick blows descend from high,<BR> +And flakes of fire from their hard helmets fly.<BR> +Courage conspires with chance, and both ingage<BR> +With equal fortune yet, and mutual rage.<BR> +As when two bulls for their fair female fight<BR> +In Sila's shades, or on Taburnus' height;<BR> +With horns adverse they meet; the keeper flies;<BR> +Mute stands the herd; the heifers roll their eyes,<BR> +And wait th' event; which victor they shall bear,<BR> +And who shall be the lord, to rule the lusty year:<BR> +With rage of love the jealous rivals burn,<BR> +And push for push, and wound for wound return;<BR> +Their dewlaps gor'd, their sides are lav'd in blood;<BR> +Loud cries and roaring sounds rebellow thro' the wood:<BR> +Such was the combat in the listed ground;<BR> +So clash their swords, and so their shields resound.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Jove sets the beam; in either scale he lays<BR> +The champions' fate, and each exactly weighs.<BR> +On this side, life and lucky chance ascends;<BR> +Loaded with death, that other scale descends.<BR> +Rais'd on the stretch, young Turnus aims a blow<BR> +Full on the helm of his unguarded foe:<BR> +Shrill shouts and clamors ring on either side,<BR> +As hopes and fears their panting hearts divide.<BR> +But all in pieces flies the traitor sword,<BR> +And, in the middle stroke, deserts his lord.<BR> +Now is but death, or flight; disarm'd he flies,<BR> +When in his hand an unknown hilt he spies.<BR> +Fame says that Turnus, when his steeds he join'd,<BR> +Hurrying to war, disorder'd in his mind,<BR> +Snatch'd the first weapon which his haste could find.<BR> +'T was not the fated sword his father bore,<BR> +But that his charioteer Metiscus wore.<BR> +This, while the Trojans fled, the toughness held;<BR> +But, vain against the great Vulcanian shield,<BR> +The mortal-temper'd steel deceiv'd his hand:<BR> +The shiver'd fragments shone amid the sand.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Surpris'd with fear, he fled along the field,<BR> +And now forthright, and now in orbits wheel'd;<BR> +For here the Trojan troops the list surround,<BR> +And there the pass is clos'd with pools and marshy ground.<BR> +Aeneas hastens, tho' with heavier pace-<BR> +His wound, so newly knit, retards the chase,<BR> +And oft his trembling knees their aid refuse-<BR> +Yet, pressing foot by foot, his foe pursues.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Thus, when a fearful stag is clos'd around<BR> +With crimson toils, or in a river found,<BR> +High on the bank the deep-mouth'd hound appears,<BR> +Still opening, following still, where'er he steers;<BR> +The persecuted creature, to and fro,<BR> +Turns here and there, to scape his Umbrian foe:<BR> +Steep is th' ascent, and, if he gains the land,<BR> +The purple death is pitch'd along the strand.<BR> +His eager foe, determin'd to the chase,<BR> +Stretch'd at his length, gains ground at ev'ry pace;<BR> +Now to his beamy head he makes his way,<BR> +And now he holds, or thinks he holds, his prey:<BR> +Just at the pinch, the stag springs out with fear;<BR> +He bites the wind, and fills his sounding jaws with air:<BR> +The rocks, the lakes, the meadows ring with cries;<BR> +The mortal tumult mounts, and thunders in the skies.<BR> +Thus flies the Daunian prince, and, flying, blames<BR> +His tardy troops, and, calling by their names,<BR> +Demands his trusty sword. The Trojan threats<BR> +The realm with ruin, and their ancient seats<BR> +To lay in ashes, if they dare supply<BR> +With arms or aid his vanquish'd enemy:<BR> +Thus menacing, he still pursues the course,<BR> +With vigor, tho' diminish'd of his force.<BR> +Ten times already round the listed place<BR> +One chief had fled, and t' other giv'n the chase:<BR> +No trivial prize is play'd; for on the life<BR> +Or death of Turnus now depends the strife.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Within the space, an olive tree had stood,<BR> +A sacred shade, a venerable wood,<BR> +For vows to Faunus paid, the Latins' guardian god.<BR> +Here hung the vests, and tablets were ingrav'd,<BR> +Of sinking mariners from shipwrack sav'd.<BR> +With heedless hands the Trojans fell'd the tree,<BR> +To make the ground inclos'd for combat free.<BR> +Deep in the root, whether by fate, or chance,<BR> +Or erring haste, the Trojan drove his lance;<BR> +Then stoop'd, and tugg'd with force immense, to free<BR> +Th' incumber'd spear from the tenacious tree;<BR> +That, whom his fainting limbs pursued in vain,<BR> +His flying weapon might from far attain.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Confus'd with fear, bereft of human aid,<BR> +Then Turnus to the gods, and first to Faunus pray'd:<BR> +"O Faunus, pity! and thou Mother Earth,<BR> +Where I thy foster son receiv'd my birth,<BR> +Hold fast the steel! If my religious hand<BR> +Your plant has honor'd, which your foes profan'd,<BR> +Propitious hear my pious pray'r!" He said,<BR> +Nor with successless vows invok'd their aid.<BR> +Th' incumbent hero wrench'd, and pull'd, and strain'd;<BR> +But still the stubborn earth the steel detain'd.<BR> +Juturna took her time; and, while in vain<BR> +He strove, assum'd Meticus' form again,<BR> +And, in that imitated shape, restor'd<BR> +To the despairing prince his Daunian sword.<BR> +The Queen of Love, who, with disdain and grief,<BR> +Saw the bold nymph afford this prompt relief,<BR> +T' assert her offspring with a greater deed,<BR> +From the tough root the ling'ring weapon freed.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Once more erect, the rival chiefs advance:<BR> +One trusts the sword, and one the pointed lance;<BR> +And both resolv'd alike to try their fatal chance.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Meantime imperial Jove to Juno spoke,<BR> +Who from a shining cloud beheld the shock:<BR> +"What new arrest, O Queen of Heav'n, is sent<BR> +To stop the Fates now lab'ring in th' event?<BR> +What farther hopes are left thee to pursue?<BR> +Divine Aeneas, (and thou know'st it too,)<BR> +Foredoom'd, to these celestial seats are due.<BR> +What more attempts for Turnus can be made,<BR> +That thus thou ling'rest in this lonely shade?<BR> +Is it becoming of the due respect<BR> +And awful honor of a god elect,<BR> +A wound unworthy of our state to feel,<BR> +Patient of human hands and earthly steel?<BR> +Or seems it just, the sister should restore<BR> +A second sword, when one was lost before,<BR> +And arm a conquer'd wretch against his conqueror?<BR> +For what, without thy knowledge and avow,<BR> +Nay more, thy dictate, durst Juturna do?<BR> +At last, in deference to my love, forbear<BR> +To lodge within thy soul this anxious care;<BR> +Reclin'd upon my breast, thy grief unload:<BR> +Who should relieve the goddess, but the god?<BR> +Now all things to their utmost issue tend,<BR> +Push'd by the Fates to their appointed<BR> +While leave was giv'n thee, and a lawful hour<BR> +For vengeance, wrath, and unresisted pow'r,<BR> +Toss'd on the seas, thou couldst thy foes distress,<BR> +And, driv'n ashore, with hostile arms oppress;<BR> +Deform the royal house; and, from the side<BR> +Of the just bridegroom, tear the plighted bride:<BR> +Now cease at my command." The Thund'rer said;<BR> +And, with dejected eyes, this answer Juno made:<BR> +"Because your dread decree too well I knew,<BR> +From Turnus and from earth unwilling I withdrew.<BR> +Else should you not behold me here, alone,<BR> +Involv'd in empty clouds, my friends bemoan,<BR> +But, girt with vengeful flames, in open sight<BR> +Engag'd against my foes in mortal fight.<BR> +'T is true, Juturna mingled in the strife<BR> +By my command, to save her brother's life-<BR> +At least to try; but, by the Stygian lake,<BR> +(The most religious oath the gods can take,)<BR> +With this restriction, not to bend the bow,<BR> +Or toss the spear, or trembling dart to throw.<BR> +And now, resign'd to your superior might,<BR> +And tir'd with fruitless toils, I loathe the fight.<BR> +This let me beg (and this no fates withstand)<BR> +Both for myself and for your father's land,<BR> +That, when the nuptial bed shall bind the peace,<BR> +(Which I, since you ordain, consent to bless,)<BR> +The laws of either nation be the same;<BR> +But let the Latins still retain their name,<BR> +Speak the same language which they spoke before,<BR> +Wear the same habits which their grandsires wore.<BR> +Call them not Trojans: perish the renown<BR> +And name of Troy, with that detested town.<BR> +Latium be Latium still; let Alba reign<BR> +And Rome's immortal majesty remain."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then thus the founder of mankind replies<BR> +(Unruffled was his front, serene his eyes)<BR> +"Can Saturn's issue, and heav'n's other heir,<BR> +Such endless anger in her bosom bear?<BR> +Be mistress, and your full desires obtain;<BR> +But quench the choler you foment in vain.<BR> +From ancient blood th' Ausonian people sprung,<BR> +Shall keep their name, their habit, and their tongue.<BR> +The Trojans to their customs shall be tied:<BR> +I will, myself, their common rites provide;<BR> +The natives shall command, the foreigners subside.<BR> +All shall be Latium; Troy without a name;<BR> +And her lost sons forget from whence they came.<BR> +From blood so mix'd, a pious race shall flow,<BR> +Equal to gods, excelling all below.<BR> +No nation more respect to you shall pay,<BR> +Or greater off'rings on your altars lay."<BR> +Juno consents, well pleas'd that her desires<BR> +Had found success, and from the cloud retires.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The peace thus made, the Thund'rer next prepares<BR> +To force the wat'ry goddess from the wars.<BR> +Deep in the dismal regions void of light,<BR> +Three daughters at a birth were born to Night:<BR> +These their brown mother, brooding on her care,<BR> +Indued with windy wings to flit in air,<BR> +With serpents girt alike, and crown'd with hissing hair.<BR> +In heav'n the Dirae call'd, and still at hand,<BR> +Before the throne of angry Jove they stand,<BR> +His ministers of wrath, and ready still<BR> +The minds of mortal men with fears to fill,<BR> +Whene'er the moody sire, to wreak his hate<BR> +On realms or towns deserving of their fate,<BR> +Hurls down diseases, death and deadly care,<BR> +And terrifies the guilty world with war.<BR> +One sister plague if these from heav'n he sent,<BR> +To fright Juturna with a dire portent.<BR> +The pest comes whirling down: by far more slow<BR> +Springs the swift arrow from the Parthian bow,<BR> +Or Cydon yew, when, traversing the skies,<BR> +And drench'd in pois'nous juice, the sure destruction flies.<BR> +With such a sudden and unseen a flight<BR> +Shot thro' the clouds the daughter of the night.<BR> +Soon as the field inclos'd she had in view,<BR> +And from afar her destin'd quarry knew,<BR> +Contracted, to the boding bird she turns,<BR> +Which haunts the ruin'd piles and hallow'd urns,<BR> +And beats about the tombs with nightly wings,<BR> +Where songs obscene on sepulchers she sings.<BR> +Thus lessen'd in her form, with frightful cries<BR> +The Fury round unhappy Turnus flies,<BR> +Flaps on his shield, and flutters o'er his eyes.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A lazy chillness crept along his blood;<BR> +Chok'd was his voice; his hair with horror stood.<BR> +Juturna from afar beheld her fly,<BR> +And knew th' ill omen, by her screaming cry<BR> +And stridor of her wings. Amaz'd with fear,<BR> +Her beauteous breast she beat, and rent her flowing hair.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +"Ah me!" she cries, "in this unequal strife<BR> +What can thy sister more to save thy life?<BR> +Weak as I am, can I, alas! contend<BR> +In arms with that inexorable fiend?<BR> +Now, now, I quit the field! forbear to fright<BR> +My tender soul, ye baleful birds of night;<BR> +The lashing of your wings I know too well,<BR> +The sounding flight, and fun'ral screams of hell!<BR> +These are the gifts you bring from haughty Jove,<BR> +The worthy recompense of ravish'd love!<BR> +Did he for this exempt my life from fate?<BR> +O hard conditions of immortal state,<BR> +Tho' born to death, not privileg'd to die,<BR> +But forc'd to bear impos'd eternity!<BR> +Take back your envious bribes, and let me go<BR> +Companion to my brother's ghost below!<BR> +The joys are vanish'd: nothing now remains,<BR> +Of life immortal, but immortal pains.<BR> +What earth will open her devouring womb,<BR> +To rest a weary goddess in the tomb!"<BR> +She drew a length of sighs; nor more she said,<BR> +But in her azure mantle wrapp'd her head,<BR> +Then plung'd into her stream, with deep despair,<BR> +And her last sobs came bubbling up in air.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now stern Aeneas his weighty spear<BR> +Against his foe, and thus upbraids his fear:<BR> +"What farther subterfuge can Turnus find?<BR> +What empty hopes are harbor'd in his mind?<BR> +'T is not thy swiftness can secure thy flight;<BR> +Not with their feet, but hands, the valiant fight.<BR> +Vary thy shape in thousand forms, and dare<BR> +What skill and courage can attempt in war;<BR> +Wish for the wings of winds, to mount the sky;<BR> +Or hid, within the hollow earth to lie!"<BR> +The champion shook his head, and made this short reply:<BR> +"No threats of thine my manly mind can move;<BR> +'T is hostile heav'n I dread, and partial Jove."<BR> +He said no more, but, with a sigh, repress'd<BR> +The mighty sorrow in his swelling breast.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Then, as he roll'd his troubled eyes around,<BR> +An antique stone he saw, the common bound<BR> +Of neighb'ring fields, and barrier of the ground;<BR> +So vast, that twelve strong men of modern days<BR> +Th' enormous weight from earth could hardly raise.<BR> +He heav'd it at a lift, and, pois'd on high,<BR> +Ran stagg'ring on against his enemy,<BR> +But so disorder'd, that he scarcely knew<BR> +His way, or what unwieldly weight he threw.<BR> +His knocking knees are bent beneath the load,<BR> +And shiv'ring cold congeals his vital blood.<BR> +The stone drops from his arms, and, falling short<BR> +For want of vigor, mocks his vain effort.<BR> +And as, when heavy sleep has clos'd the sight,<BR> +The sickly fancy labors in the night;<BR> +We seem to run; and, destitute of force,<BR> +Our sinking limbs forsake us in the course:<BR> +In vain we heave for breath; in vain we cry;<BR> +The nerves, unbrac'd, their usual strength deny;<BR> +And on the tongue the falt'ring accents die:<BR> +So Turnus far'd; whatever means he tried,<BR> +All force of arms and points of art employ'd,<BR> +The Fury flew athwart, and made th' endeavor void.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +A thousand various thoughts his soul confound;<BR> +He star'd about, nor aid nor issue found;<BR> +His own men stop the pass, and his own walls surround.<BR> +Once more he pauses, and looks out again,<BR> +And seeks the goddess charioteer in vain.<BR> +Trembling he views the thund'ring chief advance,<BR> +And brandishing aloft the deadly lance:<BR> +Amaz'd he cow'rs beneath his conqu'ring foe,<BR> +Forgets to ward, and waits the coming blow.<BR> +Astonish'd while he stands, and fix'd with fear,<BR> +Aim'd at his shield he sees th' impending spear.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +The hero measur'd first, with narrow view,<BR> +The destin'd mark; and, rising as he threw,<BR> +With its full swing the fatal weapon flew.<BR> +Not with less rage the rattling thunder falls,<BR> +Or stones from batt'ring-engines break the walls:<BR> +Swift as a whirlwind, from an arm so strong,<BR> +The lance drove on, and bore the death along.<BR> +Naught could his sev'nfold shield the prince avail,<BR> +Nor aught, beneath his arms, the coat of mail:<BR> +It pierc'd thro' all, and with a grisly wound<BR> +Transfix'd his thigh, and doubled him to ground.<BR> +With groans the Latins rend the vaulted sky:<BR> +Woods, hills, and valleys, to the voice reply.<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +Now low on earth the lofty chief is laid,<BR> +With eyes cast upward, and with arms display'd,<BR> +And, recreant, thus to the proud victor pray'd:<BR> +"I know my death deserv'd, nor hope to live:<BR> +Use what the gods and thy good fortune give.<BR> +Yet think, O think, if mercy may be shown-<BR> +Thou hadst a father once, and hast a son-<BR> +Pity my sire, now sinking to the grave;<BR> +And for Anchises' sake old Daunus save!<BR> +Or, if thy vow'd revenge pursue my death,<BR> +Give to my friends my body void of breath!<BR> +The Latian chiefs have seen me beg my life;<BR> +Thine is the conquest, thine the royal wife:<BR> +Against a yielded man, 't is mean ignoble strife."<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> +In deep suspense the Trojan seem'd to stand,<BR> +And, just prepar'd to strike, repress'd his hand.<BR> +He roll'd his eyes, and ev'ry moment felt<BR> +His manly soul with more compassion melt;<BR> +When, casting down a casual glance, he spied<BR> +The golden belt that glitter'd on his side,<BR> +The fatal spoils which haughty Turnus tore<BR> +From dying Pallas, and in triumph wore.<BR> +Then, rous'd anew to wrath, he loudly cries<BR> +(Flames, while he spoke, came flashing from his eyes)<BR> +"Traitor, dost thou, dost thou to grace pretend,<BR> +Clad, as thou art, in trophies of my friend?<BR> +To his sad soul a grateful off'ring go!<BR> +'T is Pallas, Pallas gives this deadly blow."<BR> +He rais'd his arm aloft, and, at the word,<BR> +Deep in his bosom drove the shining sword.<BR> +The streaming blood distain'd his arms around,<BR> +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Aeneid, by Virgil + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE AENEID *** + +***** This file should be named 228-h.htm or 228-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/2/228/ + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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