wife did not suffer me to be satiated in mine eyes with my son, for she first slew even me myself. But I will tell thee something else, and do thou lay it up in thy mind; hold thy ship towards thy dear paternal land secretly, not openly; since confider ce is no longer to be placed upon women. But come, tell me this and relate it truly; if thou hearest of my son anywhere yet alive, either somewhere in Orchomenus, or in sandy Pylos, or somewhere near Menelaus in wide Sparta? for divine Orestes has not yet died upon the earth."

Thus he spoke; but I addressed him in answer: "O son of Atreus, why dost thou inquire these things of me? I do not know at all whether he is alive or dead; and it is wrong to utter vain words."

We twain stood thus mourning, answering one another with sad words, shedding the warm tear. And the soul of Achilles, son of Peleus, came on, and of Patroclus, and spotless Antilochus, and Ajax, who was the most excellent as to his form and person of all the Danaans after the blameless son of Peleus. And the soul of the swift-footed descendant of Eacus knew me, and, lamenting, addressed me in winged words: "O Joveborn son of Laertes, much-contriving Ulysses, wretched one, why dost thou meditate a still greater work in thy mind? how didst thou dare to descend to Orcus, where dwell the witless dead, the images of deceased mortals?"

illustrious Ulysses, speak to me of death; I would wish, being on earth, to serve for hire with another man of no estate, who had not much livelihood, rather than rule over all the departed dead. But come, tell me an account of my noble son; did he follow to the war so as to be a chief or not? and tell me if thou hast heard anything of blameless Peleus; whether has he still honour amongst the many Myrmidonians? or do they dis honour him in Greece and Phthia, be cause old age possesses his hands and feet? for I am not assistant to him under the beams of the sun, being such a one as when I slew the best of the people in wide Troy, fighting for the Grecians. If I should come as such a one even for a short time to the house of my father, so I would make my strength and uncon querable hands terrible to any who treat him with violence and keep him from honour."

Thus he spoke; but I, answering, addressed him: "I have not indeed heard anything of blameless Peleus. But I will tell thee the whole truth, as thou biddest me, about thy dear son Neoptolemus; for I myself led him in an equal hollow ship from Scyros to the well-greaved Grecians. Of a truth, when we were taking counsels concerning the city Troy, he always spoke first, and did not err in his words: and godlike Nestor and myself alone contended with him. But when we were fighting about the city of the Trojans, he never remained in Thus he spoke; but I addressed him the number of men, nor in the crowd, in answer: "Achilles, son of Peleus, by but ran on much before, yielding to no far the most excellent of the Grecians, I one in his might; and many men he came for the advice of Tiresias, if he slew in the terrible contest: but I could could tell me how by any plan I may not tell nor name all, how great a people come to craggy Ithaca. For I have not he slew, defending the Greeks. But 1 yet come anywhere near Greece, nor will relate how he slew the hero Eury have I ever gone on my land anywhere, pylus, son of Telephus, with the brass, but I still have troubles: but there was and many Cetean companions were slai no man before more blessed than thou, around him, on account of gifts to a O Achilles, nor will there be hereafter. woman: him certainly I beheld as the For formerly we Argives honoured thee most beautiful, after divine Memnon. when alive equally with the gods, and But when we, the chieftains of the now again, when thou art here, thou Grecians, ascended into the horse which hast great power amongst the deceased; Epeus made, and all things were com do not therefore when dead be sad, Omitted to me, both to open the thick Achilles."

ambush and to shut it, there the other Thus I spoke; but he immediately leaders and ruders of the Greeks both addressed me in answer: "Do not, wiped away their tears, and the limo

There however, although angry, he would have spoken to me, or to him, but my mind in my breast wished to behold the souls of the other dead.

There then I beheld Minos, the illustrious son of Jove, having a golden sceptre, giving laws to the dead, sitting down; but the others around him, the king, pleaded their causes, sitting and standing through the wide-gated house of Pluto.

Latona, the celebrated wife of Jove, as she was going to Pythos, through the delightful Panopeus.

each trembled under them; but him I never saw at all with my eyes, either turning pale as to his beauteous complexion, or wiping away the tears from his cheeks; but he implored me very much to go out of the horse; and grasped the hilt of his sword, and his brass-heavy spear, and he meditated evil against the Trojans. But when we had sacked the lofty city of Priam, having his share and excellent reward, he embarked unhurt on a ship, neither stricken After him I beheld vast Orion, huntwith the sharp brass, nor wounded in ing beasts at the same time, in the fighting hand to hand, as oftentimes hap-meadow of asphodel, which he had him. pens in war; for Mars confusedly raves. self killed in the desert mountains, having Thus I spoke; but the soul of the an all-brazen club in his hands, for ever swift-footed son of Eacus went away, unbroken. taking mighty steps through the meadow And I beheld Tityus, the son of the of asphodel, in joyfulness, because I had very renowned earth, lying on the said that his son was very illustrious. ground; and he lay stretched over nine But the other souls of the deceased dead acres; and two vultures sitting on each stood sorrowing, and each related their side of him were tearing his liver, diving griefs. But the soul of Ajax, son of into the caul: but he did not ward them Telamon, stood afar off, angry on ac-off with his hands; for he had dragged sount of the victory in which I conquered Lim, contending in trial at the ships conterning the arms of Achilles; for his venerable mother proposed them: but And I beheld Tantalus suffering severe the sons of the Trojans and Pallas griefs, standing in a lake; and it apMinerva adjudged them. How I wish proached his chin. But he stood thirstthat I had not conquered in such a con- ing, and he could not get anything to test; for the earth contained such a person drink; for as often as the old man on account of them, Ajax, who excelled stooped, desiring to drink, so often the in form and in deeds the other Greeks, water, being sucked up, was lost to him; after the blameless son of Peleus; him and the black earth appeared around his indeed I addressed with mild words: feet, and the deity dried it up. And "O Ajax, son of blameless Telamon, lofty trees shed down fruit from the top, art thou not about, even when dead, to pear-trees, and apples, and pomegranates forget thine anger towards me, on ac-producing glorious fruit, and sweet figs, count of the destructive arms? for the gods made them a harm unto the Grecians. For thou, who was such a fortress to them, didst perish; for thee, when dead, we Greeks altogether mourned, equally as for the person of Achilles, the son of Peleus; nor was any one else the cause; but Jupiter vehemently hated the army of the warrior Greeks; and he laid fate upon you. But come hither, O king, that thou mayest hear our word and speech; and subdue thy strength and haughty mind."

Thus I spoke; but he answered me not at all, but went to Erebus amongst the other souls of the deceased dead.

and flourishing olives: of which, when the old man raised himself up to pluck some with his hands, the wind kept casting them away to the dark clouds.

And I beheld Sisyphus, having violent griefs, bearing an enormous stone with both his hands: he indeed leaning with his hands and feet kept thrusting the stone up to the top: but when it was about to pass over the summit, then strong force began to drive it back again, then the impudent stone rolled to the plain; but he, striving, kept thrusting it back, and the sweat flowed down from his limbs, and a dirt arose from his head.

After him I perceived the might d

1

VIRGIL'S ÆNEID.

Davidson's Tr., revised by Buckley

Ye gods, to whom the empire of ghosts belongs, and ye silent shades, and Chaos, and Phlegethon, places where silence reigns around in night! permit me to utter the secrets I have heard; may I by your divine will disclose thing buried in deep earth and darkness. They moved along amid the gloom under the solitary night through the shade, and through the desolate halls and empty realms of Pluto; such as is a journey in woods beneath the unsteady moon, under a faint, glimmering light, when Jupiter hath wrapped the heavens in shade, and sable night had stripped objects of colour.

Hercules, an image; for he himself
amongst the immortal gods is delighted
with banquets, and has the fair-legged
Hebe, daughter of mighty Jove and Book VI.
golden-sandalled Juno. And around him
there was a clang of the dead, as of
birds, frighted on all sides; but he, like
unto dark night, having a naked bow,
and an arrow at the string, looking about
terribly, was always like unto one about
to let fly a shaft. And there was a
fearful belt around his breast, the thong
was golden on which wondrous forms
were wrought, bears, and wild boars, and
terrible lions, and contests, and battles,
and slaughters, and slayings of men; he
who devised that thong with his art,
never having wrought such a one before,
could not work any other such. But he
immediately knew me, when he saw me
with his eyes, and, pitying me, addressed
winged words: "O Jove-born son of
Laertes, much-contriving Ulysses, ah!
wretched one, thou too art certainly pur-
suing some evil fate, which I also endured
under the beams of the sun. I was in-
deed the son of Jove, the son of Saturn,
but I had infinite labour; for I was sub-
jected to a much inferior man, who en-
joined a me difficult contests: and
once he su me hither to bring the dog,
for he did not think that there was any
contest more difficult than this. I indeed
brought it up and led it from Pluto, but
Mercury and blue-eyed Minerva escorted

me.

Thus having spoken, he went again Iwithin the house of Pluto. But I remained there firmly, if by chance any one of the heroes, who perished in former times, would still come; and I should now still have seen former men, whom I wished, Theseus, and Pirithoüs, glorious children of the gods; but first myriads of nations of the dead were assembled around me with a fine clamour; and pale fear seized me, lest to me illustrious Proserpine should send a Gorgon head of a terrific monster from Orcus. Going then immediately to my ship, I ordered my companions to go on board themselves, and to loose the halsers. But they quickly embarked, and sat down on the benches. And the wave of the stream carried it through the ocean river, first the rowing and afterwards a fair wind.

Before the vestibule itself, and in the first jaws of hell, Grief and vengeful Cares have placed their couches, and pale Diseases dwell, and disconsolate Old Age, and Fear, and the evil counsellor Famine, and vile, deformed Indigence, forms ghastly to the sight! and Death, and Toil; then Sleep, akin to Death, and criminal Joys of the mind; and in the opposite threshold murderous War, and the iron bedchambers of the Furies, and frantic Discord, having her viperous locks bound with bloody fillets.

In the midst a gloomy elm displays its boughs and aged arms, which seat vain Dreams are commonly said to haunt, and under every leaf they dwell. Many monstrous savages, moreover, of various forms, stable in the gates, the Centaurs and double-formed Scyllas, and Briareus with his hundred hands, and the enormous snake of Lerma hissing dreadful, and Chimæra armed with flames; Gorgons, Harpies, and the form of Geryon's threebodied ghost. Here Æneas, disconcerted with sudden fear, grasps his sword, and presents the naked point to each approaching shade: and had not his skilful guide put him in mind that they were airy unbodied phantoms, fluttering about under an empty form, he had rushed in and with his sword struck at the ghosts in vain.

Hence is a path which leads to the floods of Tartarean Acheron: here a gult turbid and impure boils up with mire

and vast whirpools, and disgorges all its sand into Cocytus. A grim ferryman gards these floods and rivers, Charon, of frightful slovenliness; on whose chin a load of gray hair neglected lies; his eyes are flame: his vestments hang from his shoulders by a knot, with filth overgrown. Himself thrusts on the barge with a pole, and tends the sails, and wafts over the bodies in his ironcoloured boat, now in years: but the god is of fresh and green old age. Hither the whole tribe in swarms come pouring to the banks, matrons and men, the souls of magnanimous heroes who had gone through life, boys and unmarried maids, and young men who had been stretched on the funeral pile before the eyes of their parents; as numerous as withered leaves fall in the woods with the first cold of autumn, or as numerous as birds flock to the land from the deep ocean, when the chilling year drives them beyond sea, and sends them to sunny climes. They stood praying to cross the flood the first, and were stretching forth their hands with fond desire to gain the farther bank but the sullen boatman admits sometimes these, sometimes those; while others to a great distance removed, he debars from the banks.

There he espies Leucaspis, and Orontes, the commander of the Lycian fleet, mournful, and bereaved of the honours of the dead: whom as they sailed from Troy, over the stormy seas, the south wind sunk together, whelming both ship and crew in the waves. Lo! the pilot Palinurus slowly advanced, who lately in his Libyan voyage, while he was ob serving the stars, had fallen from the stern, plunged in the midst of the waves. When with difficulty, by reason of the thick shade, Æneas knew him in this mournful mood, he thus first accosts him: What god, O Palinurus, snatched you from us, and overwhelmed you in the middle of the ocean? Come, teli me. For Apollo, whom I never before found false, in this one response deceived my mind, declaring that you should be safe on the sea, and arrive at the Ausonian coasts. Is this the amount of his plighted faith?

But he answers: Neither the oracle of Phoebus beguiled you, prince of the line of Anchises, nor a god plunged me in the sea; for, falling headlong, I drew along with me the helm, which I chanced with great violence to tear away, as I clung to it and steered our course, being appointed pilot. By the Eneas (for he was amazed and moved rough seas I swear that I was not so with the tumult) thus speaks : O virgin, seriously apprehensive for myself, as that say, what means that flocking to the thy ship, despoiled of her rudder, disriver? what do the ghosts desire? ot by possessed of her pilot, might sink while what distinction must these recede from such high billows were rising. The south the banks, those sweep with oars the wind drove me violently on the water livid flood? To him the aged priestess over the spacious sea, three wintry thus briefly replied: Son of Anchises, nights: on the fourth day I descried undoubted offspring of the gods, you see Italy from the high ridge of a wave the deep pools of Cocytus, and the Sty- whereon I was raised aloft. gian lake, by whose divinity the gods swimming gradually toward land, and dread to swear and violate their oath. should have been out of danger, had not All that crowd which you see consists of the cruel people fallen upon me with the naked and unburied persons: that ferry-sword (encumbered with my wet ga man is Charon: these, whom the stream carries, are interred; for it is not permitted to transport them over the horrid banks, and hoarse waves, before their bones are quietly lodged in a final abode. They wander a hundred years, and fluter about these shores: then, at length admitted, they visit the wished-for lakes. The offspring of Anchises paused and repressed his steps, deeply musing, and pitying from his soul their unkind lot.

I was

ment, and grasping with crooked hands the rugged tops of a mountain), and ignorantly taking me for a rich prey. Now the waves possess me, and the winds toss me about the shore. But by the pleasant light of heaven, and by the vital air, by him who gave thee birth, by the hope of rising Iülus, I thee im. plore, invincible one, release me from these woes: either throw on me some earth (for thou canst do so), and seek