Story of Aeneas

at when he reached the Hesperian land he should visit the Cu-mae'an Sibyl, and learn from her what difficulties he was yet to encounter, and how to over

of Apollo, for in a cave adjoining this temple and communicating with it by

him. Deiphobe asked to live as many years as she had grains of sand in her hand at the time. She forgot, however, to ask for the continuance of health and youth, of which she was then in possession. Apollo granted her request but she refused to perform her part of

entrance by the Sibyl herself. Then the Trojan hero, after a prayer to Apollo, begged t

sacred maid,

things in d

eaven has promi

d command the

ering gods, an

exiles of the

AEneid,

ad directed him, to give her revelations by word of

mit not thy p

aves, the spor

perse in air

what the powers

AEneid,

ing moved her, she told AEneas of the dangers that yet lay before h

dangers of th

greater ills

g desired (nor d

reach, but, havin

ars, I view!-a

ling with a p

AEneid,

uous than any the soothsayers had told him of. This was a descent into the regions of Pluto-the land of the dead-to visit the shade of his father, who in a dream had reques

d the Trojan chief that the undertaking was one of great danger. The descent into the kingdom of Pluto, she said, was easy, but, to return to the upper world-that

ey down to

erous an

-gates of

en day a

d to retr

nto the li

the stress o

a hero'

, AEneid,

g to aid him and be his guide. But one thing, she said, must first be done. In the w

y sprung up. It had to be sought for diligently, and when discovered it had to be grasped firmly with the hand. If the fates should be favorable to the enterpr

t be long and fruitless. But again his never-failing friend came to his aid. While he was searching the wood with some of his companions, two doves sudde

her's birds; an

des, with your

steps, till the

shadow gilds th

AEneid,

upon a tree, and from out the foliage of this tree, as the Trojan chief approached it, there flashed upon his ey

the road that led to Hades-the kingdom of the dead-they offered sacrifices to the gods. Then they plunged into the cave, the Sibyl

he midst

y o'er the s

and phantoms

'neath its

nstrous sha

s, Scyllas, f

us' hundred-

, AEneid,

l beings but merely phantoms. Then they came to the Styx-the river of Hades, over which the ferryman Cha'ron

passage C

of these m

, AEneid,

erful god, and few had been so favored. Even the dead, if their bodies had not received burial rites, were refused admission to the boat, until they had wandered on the shore for a h

ejected are t

epulchres and

haron; those,

ver to the f

ransport vessel

bones are not co

rs they wande

penance done, a

AEneid,

ore on the Italian coast, and would have been out of danger, had not the cruel natives there fallen upon him with their swords. His body he said was now tossing about in the waters of the harbor of Ve'li-a, and he begged AEneas to seek it out and give it burial, or, if this was impossible, to devise some means of helping him across the Stygian river. This latter p

ption: AENEAS CROSSIN

ian

Charon at once seeing that they were mortal bei

'er, who this

t to tread! I ch

ame, and busin

ealm of night-th

ys no living

AEneid,

ety and valor, who desired to go down to the shades to see and converse with hi

eedful; for t

h awe, to see

stined offerin

gift, so r

AEneid,

resound with his frightful barking. The Sibyl flung him a cake composed of honey and drugged grain, which he greedily swallowed. Then the monster fell into a deep sleep.

trict inquis

imes, with his a

rn, the blended

st, and dooms t

AEneid,

entered, a region which the poet calls the "Mourning Fields,

e Trojan her

des, and with

rst approached t

e inspired him

n! then is th

e, in your r

the cause?-By

ers that rule t

orsook your f

he gods, and f

AEneid,

de no answer to the Troja

he looked; the

eyes unmoved u

ys and swears,

cks, when the lo

ay, to shun hi

est, and the s

haeus through t

er cares, and equa

AEneid,

ong time, to talk with him and learn the cause of his strange visit. But the Sibyl warned him that they must hasten forward, and presently they came to a place where the path divided itself into two. The right led by the walls of Pluto's palace to the happy Field o

Plegethon, with

s, and whirls h

umns rais'd s

tes impenetr

men, in vain w

beams of ad

Eneid,

e lost souls the Sibyl said, were allowed to pass the threshold of Tartarus, and the punishments there, and th

ed mouths, a h

brass, inspired

lf those horri

nishment those

AEneid,

e stones up a hill, and just on reaching the summit, the stones would slip from their grasp and roll to the foot of the hill, and the unhappy beings had to roll them up again, and

heir way, they soon came to the Elysian Fields-the abode of those who while on earth had led good and useful lives. Here were delightful green fields and shady groves; the sky was bright, the air pure and bal

mbs in sports

n, contend the w

oic verse, d

ful measures

AEneid,

ry, poets who had sung the praises of the gods, and men who had improved life by the invention of useful arts. In this band was Mu-sae'us, the most ancient of poets. Approaching him the Sibyl inquired where Anc

le where at last they beheld Anchises. The hero hastened to approach his father, eager to embrace him, and thrice did

his neck, his

flitting shad

empty dreams, t

AEneid,

ultitude of spirits which, he said, were yet to live in earthly bodies. They were the souls of unborn generations of men. Amongst them

her-spi

his son through

ing ground, fro

ocession of

AEneid,

ure heroes of Rome-of Rom'u-lus, who was to found the city-

there and

progeny

ath heaven'

is he, so o

ophetic fa

sar, Jove's

, AEneid,

ates of Sleep, through which the gods of Hades sent dreams to the upper world-true dreams through the gate of horn, and false dreams through the gate of ivory. Her

his name to

of horn,

h authentic

exit i

bright with

o sends del

still, the

llers on

the ivory

h the uns

etakes him

again his c

, AEneid,