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THE   LOEB   CLASSICAL   LIBRARY 

FOUNDED   BY   JAMES   LOEB,    LL.D. 


EDITED    BY 


fT.    E.    PAGE,   C.H.,   LITT.D. 

E.  CAPPS,  PH.D.,  ll.d.  fW.  H.  D.  ROUSE,  litt.d. 

.  A.  POST,  m.a.     E.  H.  WARMINGTON,  m.a.  f.r  hist.soc. 


OVID 

METAMORPHOSES 
II 


to 


OVID 

METAMORPHOSES 

WITH  AN  ENGLISH  TRANSLATION  BY 

FRANK  JUSTUS   MILLER 

Ph.D.,  LL.D. 

PROFESSOR    IN    THE    UNIVERSITY    OF    CHICAGO 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES 
II 

COOKS    IX-XV 


LONDON 

WILLIAM  HEINEMANN  LTD 

CAMBRIDGE     MASSACHUSETTS 

HARVARD   UNIVERSITY    PRESS 

MCMLVIII 


First  published 1916 

Reprinted  1922.  1926.  1929,  1933,  1939 

1946,  1951.  1958 


LIBRARY 

752792 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO 


v/. 


Printed  in  Great  Britain 


CONTENTS 


BOOK    X 


PAGE 


METAMORPHOSES  : 

BOOK    IX  1 


63 


BOOK  XI  119 

BOOK  XII  1?9 

BOOK  XIII  227 

BOOK  XIV  299 

BOOK  XV  363 

INDEX  429 


METAMORPHOSES 


METAMORPHOSEON 
LIBER  IX 

Qvae  gemitiis  truncaeque  deo  Neptunius  heros 

causa  rogat  frontis,  cum  sic  Calydonius  amnis 

coepit  inornatos  redimitus  harundine  crines: 

"  triste  petis  munus.     quis  enim  sua  proelia  victus 

commemorare  velit  ?  referam  tamen  ordine,  nee  tarn 

turpe  fuit  vinci,  quam  contendisse  decorum  est,        6 

magnaque  dat  nobis  tantus  solacia  victor. 

nomine  siqua  suo  iando  pervenit  ad  aures 

Dei'anira  tuas,  quondam  pulcherrima  virgo 

multorumque  fuitspes  invidiosa  procorum.  10 

cum  quibus  ut  soceri  domus  est  intrata  petiti, 

'accipe  me  generum/  dixi  '  Parthaone  nate' : 

dixit  et  Alcides.     alii  cessere  duobus. 

ille  Iovem  socerum  dare  se,  famamque  laborum, 

et  superata  suae  referebat  iussa  novercae.  15 

contra  ego  '  turpe  deum  mortali  cedere  '  dixi — 

nondum  erat  ille  deus — 'dominum  me  cernis  aquarum 

2 


METAMORPHOSES 


BOOK  IX 

The  Neptunian  hero1  asked  the  god  why  he  groaned 
and  what  was  the  cause  of  his  mutilated  forehead. 
And  thus  the  Calydonian  river,  binding  up  his  rough 
locks  with  a  band  of  reeds,  made  answer :  "  Tis  an 
unpleasant  task  you  set ;  for  who  would  care  to 
chronicle  his  defeats  ?  Still  I  will  tell  the  story  as  it 
happened :  nor  was  it  so  much  a  disgrace  to  be  de- 
feated as  it  was  an  honour  to  have  striven  at  all,  and 
the  thought  that  my  conqueror  was  so  mighty  is  a 
great  comfort  to  me.  Deianira  (if  you  have  ever  heard 
of  her)  was  once  a  most  beautiful  maiden  and  the 
envied  hope  of  many  suitors.  When  along  with  them 
I  entered  the  house  of  the  father 2  of  the  maid  I 
sought,  I  said :  '  Take  me  for  son-in-law,  O  son  of 
Parthaon.'  Hercules  said  the  same,  and  the  others 
yielded  their  claims  to  us  two.  He  pleaded  the  fact 
that  Jove  was  his  father,  pleaded  his  famous  labours 
and  all  that  he  had  overcome  at  the  command  of  his 
stepmother.  In  reply  I  said  :  '  It  is  a  shame  for  a  god 
to  give  place  to  a  mortal '  (Hercules  had  not  yet  been 
made  a  god) ;  '  you  behold  in  me    the  lord  of  the 

l  Theseus  was  the  reputed  son  of  Aegeus  ;  but  there  was  a 
current  tradition  that  he  was  really  the  son  of  Neptune. 
*  Oeneus. 

$ 


OVID 

cursibus  obliquis  inter  tua  regna  fluentum. 

nee  gener  externis  hospes  tibi  missus  ab  oris, 

»ed  popularis  ego  et  rerum  pars  una  tuarum.  20 

tantum  ne  noceat,  quod  me  nee  regia  Iuno 

odit,  et  omnis  abest  iussorum  poena  laborum. 

nam,  quo  te  iactas,  Alcmena  nate,  creatum, 

Iuppiter  aut  falsus  pater  est,  aut  crimine  verus. 

matris  adulterio  patrem  petis.     elige,  fictum  25 

esse  Iovem  malis,  an  te  per  dedecus  ortum.' 

talia  dicentem  iandudum  lumine  torvo 

spectat,  et  accensae  non  fortiter  imperat  irae, 

verbaque  tot  reddit :  '  melior  mihi  dextera  lingua. 

dummodo  pugnando  superem,  tu  vinceloquendo '   30 

congreditutque  ferox.    puduit  modo  magna  locutum 

cedere  :  reieci  viridem  de  corpore  vestem, 

bracchiaque  opposui,  tenuique  a  pectore  varas 

in  statione  manus  et  pugnae  membra  paravi. 

ille  cavis  hausto  spargit  me  pulvere  palmis,  35 

inque  vicem  fulvae  tactu  flavescit  harenae. 

et  modo  cervicem,  modo  crura  micantia  captat, 

aut  captare  putes,  omnique  a  parte  lacessit. 

me  mea  defendit  gravitas  frustraque  petebar ; 

baud  secus  ac  moles,  magno  quam  murmure  fluctus 

oppugnant ;    manet  ilia,  suoque  est  pondere  tuta.    41 

digredimur  paulum,  rursusque  ad  bella  coimus, 

inque  gradu  stetimus,  certi  non  cedere,  eratque 

cum  pede  pes  iunctus,  totoque  ego  pectore  pronus 

et  digitos  digitis  et  frontem  fronte  premebam.         45 

non  aliter  vidi  fortes  concurreie  tauros, 

4 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  IX 

waters  which  flow  down  their  winding  courses  through 
your  realm.  If  I  wed  your  daughter,  it  will  be 
no  stranger  from  foreign  shores ;  but  I  shall  be 
one  of  your  own  countrymen,  a  part  of  your  own 
kingdom.  Only  let  it  not  be  to  my  disadvantage  that 
Queen  Juno  does  not  hate  me  and  that  no  labours  are 
imposed  upon  me  in  consequence  of  her  hate.  For 
Jove,  from  whom  you  boast  that  you  have  sprung,  O 
son  of  Alcmena,  is  either  not  your  father,  or  is  so  to 
your  disgrace.  Through  your  mother's  sin  you  claim 
your  father.  Choose,  then,  whether  you  prefer  to  say 
that  your  claim  to  Jove  is  false,  or  to  confess  yourself 
the  son  of  shame.'  As  I  thus  spoke  he  eyed  me  for  a 
long  while  with  lowering  gaze  and,  unable  to  control 
his  hot  wrath  longer,  he  answered  just  these  words : 
'  My  hand  is  better  than  my  tongue.  Let  me  but  win 
in  fighting  and  you  may  win  in  speech  ' ;  and  he  came 
at  me  fiercely.  I  was  ashamed  to  draw  back  after 
having  spoken  so  boldly  ;  and  so  I  threw  off  my  green 
coat,  put  up  my  arms,  held  my  clenched  hands  out  in 
front  of  my  breast  in  position,  and  so  prepared  me 
for  the  fight.  He  caught  up  some  dust  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand  and  threw  it  over  me  and  in  turn  himself 
became  yellow  with  the  tawny  sand.  And  now  he 
caught  at  my  neck,  now  at  my  quick-moving  legs  (or 
you  would  think  he  did),  and  attacked  me  at  every 
point.  My  weight  protected  me  and  I  was  attacked  in 
vain.  Just  like  a  cliff  I  stood,  which,  though  the  roaring 
waves  dash  against  it,  stands  secure,  safe  in  its  own 
bulk.  We  draw  apart  a  little  space,  then  rush  to- 
gether again  to  the  fray  and  stand  firm  in  our  tracks, 
each  determined  not  to  yield  Foot  locked  with  foot, 
fingers  with  fingers  clenched,  brow  against  brow,  with 
all  my  body's  forward-leaning  weight  I  pressed  upon 
him.     Like  that  have   I  seen  two  strong  bulls  rush 

5 


OVID 

cum,  pretium  pugnae,  toto  nitidissima  saltu 
expetitur  coniunx  :  spectant  armenta  paventque 
nescia,  quern  maneat  tanti  victuria  regni. 
ter  sine  profectu  voluit  nitentia  contra  50 

reicere  Alcides  a  se  mea  pectora  ;  quarto 
excutit  amplexus,  adductaque  bracchia  solvit,1 
inpulsumque  manu — certum  est  mihi  vera  fateri — 
protinus  avertit,  tergoque  onerosus  inhaesit. 
siqua  fides, — neque  enim  ficta  mihi  gloria  voce         55 
quaeritur — inposito  pressus  mihi  monte  videbar. 
vix  tamen  inserui  sudore  fluentia  multo 
bracchia,  vix  solvi  duros  a  pectore  nexus, 
instat  anhelanti,  prohibetque  resumere  vires, 
et  cervice  mea  potitur.     turn  denique  tellus  60 

pressa  genu  nostro  est,  et  harenas  ore  momordi. 
inferior  virtute,  meas  divertor  ad  artes, 
elaborque  viro  longum  formatus  in  anguem. 
qui  postquam  flexos  sinuavi  corpus  in  orbes, 
cumque  fero  movi  linguam  stridoie  bisulcam,  65 

risit,  et  inludens  nostras  Tirynthius  artes 
'  cunarum  labor  est  angues  superare  mearum/ 
dixit  '  et  ut  vincas  alios,  Acheloe,  dracones, 
pars  quota  Lernaeae  serpens  eris  unus  echidnae  ? 
vulneribus  fecunda  suis  erat  ilia,  nee  ullum  70 

de  centum  numero  caput  est  inpune  recisum, 
quin  gemino  cervix  herede  valentior  esset. 
hanc  ego  ramosam  natis  e  caede  colubris 
crescentemque  malo  domui,  domitamque  reclusi. 
quid  fore  te  credas,  falsum  qui  versus  in  anguem    75 
1  So  Merkd  :  EhwaJ.d  volvit. 

6 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

together  when  they  strive  for  the  sleekest  heifer  in 
the  pasture  as  the  prize  of  conflict.  The  herd  looks 
on  in  fear  and  trembling,  not  knowing  to  which  one 
victory  will  award  so  great  dominion.  Three  times 
without  success  did  Alcides  strive  to  push  away  from 
him  my  opposing  breast  ;  at  the  fourth  attempt  he 
shook  off  my  embrace,  broke  my  hold,  and,  giving  me 
a  sharp  buffet  with  his  hand  (I  am  determined  to  tell 
it  as  it  was),  he  whirled  me  round  and  clung  with  all 
his  weight  upon  my  back.  If  you  will  believe  me 
(for  I  am  not  trying  to  gain  any  credit  by  exaggera- 
tion), I  seemed  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  mountain  on 
my  back.  With  difficulty  I  thrust  in  my  arms  stream- 
ing with  sweat,  with  difficulty  I  broke  his  hard  grip 
from  my  body.  He  pressed  close  upon  me  as  I  panted 
for  breath,  gave  me  no  chance  to  regain  my  strength, 
and  got  me  around  the  neck.  Then  at  length  I  fell 
to  my  knees  upon  the  earth  and  bit  the  dust.  Find- 
ing myself  no  match  for  him  in  strength,  I  had 
recourse  to  my  arts,  and  glided  out  of  his  grasp  in  the 
form  of  a  long  snake.  But  when  I  wound  my  body 
into  twisting  coils,  and  darted  out  my  forked  tongue 
and  hissed  fiercely  at  him,  the  hero  of  Tiryns  only 
laughed,  and  mocking  at  my  arts  he  said  :  '  It  was  the 
task  of  my  cradle  days  to  conquer  snakes ;  and  though 
you  should  outdo  all  other  serpents,  Acheloiis,  how 
small  a  part  of  that  Lernaean  monster  would  you,  just 
one  snake,  be  ?  For  it  throve  on  the  wounds  I  gave  ; 
nor  was  any  one  of  its  hundred  heads  cut  off  without 
its  neck  being  the  stronger  by  two  succeeding  heads. 
This  creature,  branching  out  with  serpents  sprung 
from  death  and  thriving  on  destruction,  I  over- 
mastered and,  having  overmastered,  destroyed.  And 
what  do  you  think  will  become  of  you  who,  having 
assumed    but    a  lying    serpent    form,  make  use    of 

7 


OVID 

arma  aliena  moves,  quem  forma  precaria  celat  ? ' 
dixerat,  et  summo  digitorum  vincula  collo 
inicit :  angebar,  ceu  guttura  forcipe  pressus, 
pollicibusque  meas  pugnabam  evellere  fauces. 
sic  quoque  devicto  restabat  tertia  tauri  80 

forma  trucis.     tauro  mutatus  membra  rebello. 
induit  ille  toris  a  laeva  parte  lacertos, 
admissumque  trahens  sequitur,  depressaque  dura 
cornua  fig-it  humo,  meque  alta  sternit  harena. 
nee  satis  hoc  fuerat :  rigidum  fera  dextera  cornu    85 
dum  tenet,  infregit,  truncaque  a  fronte  revellit. 
naides  hoc,  pomis  et  odoro  flore  repletum, 
sacrarunt ;  divesque  meo  Bona  Copia  cornu  est." 

Dixerat :  et  nymphe  ritu  succincta  Dianae, 
una  ministrarum,  fusis  utrimque  capillis,  yO 

incessit  totumque  tulit  praedivite  cornu 
autumnum  et  mensas,  felicia  poma,  secundas. 
lux  subit ;  et  primo  feriente  cacumina  sole 
discedunt  iuvenes,  neque  enim  dum  flumina  pacem 
et  placidos  habeant  lapsus  totaeque  residant  y.5 

opperiuntur  aquae,     vultus  Achelous  agrestis 
et  lacerum  cornu  mediis  caput  abdidit  undis. 

Hunc  tamen  ablati  domuit  iactura  decoris, 
cetera  sospes  habet.     capitis  quoque  fronde  saligna 
aut  superinposita  celatur  harundine  damnum.        100 
at  te,  Nesse  ferox,  eiusdem  virginis  ardor 
perdiderat  volucri  traiectum  terga  sagitta. 
namque  nova  repetens  patrios  cum  coniuge  muros 
8 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  IX 

Dorrowed  arms,  who  are  masked  in  a  shifting  form  ?  * 
So  saying  he  fixed  his  vice-like  grip  upon  my  throat. 
I  was  in  angniish,  as  if  my  throat  were  in  a  forceps' 
grip,  and  struggled  to  tear  my  jaws  from  his  fingers. 
Conquered  in  this  form  also,  there  remained  to  me 
my  third  refuge,  the  form  of  a  savage  bull.  And  so 
in  bull  form  I  fought  him.  He  threw  his  arms  around 
my  neck  on  the  left,  kept  up  with  me  as  I  ran  at  full 
speed,  dragging  upon  me;  and,  finally,  forced  down 
my  hard  horns  and  thrust  them  into  the  earth  and 
laid  me  low  in  the  deep  dust.  Nor  was  this  enough  : 
holding  my  tough  horn  in  his  pitiless  right  hand,  he 
broke  it  off  and  tore  it  from  my  forehead,  mutilating 
me.  This  horn  the  naiads  took,  filled  it  with  fruit 
and  fragrant  flowers,  and  hallowed  it.  And  now  the 
goddess  of  glad  Abundance  is  enriched  with  my 
horn." 

So  spoke  the  river-god  ;  and  lo,  a  nymph  girt  like 
Diana,  one  of  the  attendants  with  locks  flowing  free, 
appeared  and  served  them  from  her  bounteous  horn 
with  all  the  fruits  of  Autumn,  and  wholesome  apples 
for  the  second  course.  The  dawn  came  on,  and,  as 
the  first  rays  of  the  sun  smote  the  mountain-tops, 
the  youths  took  their  departure ;  for  they  did  not 
wait  until  the  river  should  flow  in  peaceful  current 
and  all  the  flood-waters  should  subside.  And  Acheloiis 
hid  his  rustic  features  and  his  head,  scarred  from  the 
wrenched-off  horn,  beneath  his  waves. 

He  was  humbled  indeed  by  the  loss  of  his  beauteous 
horn,  which  had  been  taken  from  him,  though  scath- 
less  in  all  else,  a  loss  which  he  could  hide  with 
willow  boughs  and  reeds  entwined  about  his  head. 
But,  O  savage  Nessus,  a  passion  for  the  same  maiden 
utterly  destroyed  you,  pierced  through  the  body  by 
a  flying  arrow.     For,  seeking  his  native  city  with  his 

9 


OVID 

venerat  Eueni  rapidas  love  natus  ad  undas. 

uberior  solito,  nimbis  hiemalibus  auctus,  105 

verticibusque  frequens  erat  atque  inpervius  amnis. 

intrepidum  pro  se,  curam  de  coniuge  agentem 

Nessus  adit,  membrisque  valens  scitusque  vadorum, 

"officio"  que  "  meo  ripa  sistetur  in  ilia 

haec,"  ait  "  Alcide.     tu  viribus  utere  nando  ! "      110 

pallentemque  metu,  fluviumque  ipsumque  timentem 

tradidit  Aonius  pavidam  Calydonida  Nesso. 

mox,  ut  erat,  pharetraque  gravis  spolioque  leonis — 

nam  clavam  et  curvos  trans  ripam  miserat  arcus — 

"  quandoquidein  coepi,  superentur  flumina  "  dixit, 

nee  dubitat  nee,  qua  sit  clementissimus  amnis,      1 16 

quaerit,  et  obsequio  def'erri  spernit  aquarum. 

iamque  tenens  ripam,  missos  cum  tolleret  arcus, 

coniugis  agnovit  vocem  Nessoque  paranti 

fallere  depositum  "quo  te  fiducia"  clamat  120 

«  vana  pedum,  violente,  rapit  ?  tibi,  Nesse  biformis, 

dicimus.     exaudi,  nee  res  intercipe  nostras. 

si  te  nulla  mei  reverentia  movit,  at  orbes 

concubitus  vetitos  poterant  inhibere  paterni. 

haud  tamen  effugies,  quamvis  ope  fidis  equina  ;     125 

vulnere,  non  pedibus  te  consequar."     ultima  dicta 

res  probat,  et  missa  fugientia  terga  sagitta 

traicit.     exstabat  ferrum  de  pectore  aduncum 

10 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

bride,  the  son  of  Jove  had  come  to  the  swift  waters 
of  Euenus.  The  stream  was  higher  than  its  wont, 
swollen  with  winter  rains,  full  of  wild  eddies,  and 
quite  impassable.  As  the  hero  stood  undaunted  for 
himself,  but  anxious  for  his  bride,  Nessus  came  up, 
strong  of  limb  and  well  acquainted  with  the  fords, 
and  said  :  "By  my  assistance,  Alcides,  she  shall  be 
set  on  yonder  bank  ;  and  do  you  use  your  strength 
and  swim  across  J "  The  Theban  accordingly  en- 
trusted to  Nessus'  care  the  Calydonian  maid,  pale  and 
trembling,  fearing  the  river  and  the  centaur  himself. 
At  once,  just  as  he  was,  burdened  with  his  quiver 
and  the  lion's  skin  (for  he  had  tossed  his  club  and 
curving  bow  across  to  the  other  bank),  the  hero  said  : 
"  Since  I  have  undertaken  it,  these  waters  shall  be 
overcome."  And  in  he  plunged  ;  nor  did  he  seek 
out  where  the  stream  was  kindliest,  and  scorned  to 
reach  his  goal  by  the  courtesy  of  the  waters.  And  now 
he  had  just  gained  the  other  bank,  and  was  picking 
up  his  bow  which  he  had  thrown  across,  when  he 
heard  his  wife's  voice  calling  ;  and  to  Nessus,  who 
was  in  act  to  betray  his  trust,  he  shouted  :  '  Where 
is  your  vain  confidence  in  your  fleetness  carrying 
you,  you  ravisher  ?  To  you,  two-formed  Nessus,  I 
am  talking :  listen,  and  do  not  dare  come  between 
me  and  mine.  If  no  fear  of  me  has  weight  with  you, 
at  least  your  father's  1  whirling  wheel  should  prevent 
the  outrage  you  intend.  You  shall  not  escape,  how- 
ever much  you  trust  in  your  horse's  fleetness.  With 
my  deadly  wound,  if  not  with  my  feet,  I  shall 
overtake  you."  Suiting  the  action  to  his  last  words, 
he  shot  an  arrow  straight  into  the  back  of  the 
fleeing  centaur.    The  barbed  point  protruded  from  his 

l  i.e.  Ixion,  who  also  had  been   guilty  of  an  outrage  for 
*hich  he  suffered  his  well-known  punishment  in  Hades. 

11 


OVID 

quod  simul  evulsum  est,  sanguis  per  utrumque foramen 
emicuit  mixtus  Lernaei  tabe  veneni.  130 

excipit  hunc  Nessus  :  "  neque  enim  moriemur  inulti" 
secum  ait,  et  calido  velamina  tincta  cruore 
d  it  munus  raptae  velut  inritamen  amoris. 

Longa  fuit  medii  mora  temporis,  actaque  magni 
Herculis  inplerant  terras  odiumque  novercae.        135 
victor  ab  Oechalia  Cenaeo  sacra  parabat 
vota  Iovi,  cum  Fama  loquax  praecessit  ad  aures, 
Deianira,  tuas,  quae  veris  addere  falsa 
gaudet,  et  e  minimo  sua  per  mendacia  crescit, 
Amphitryoniaden  Ioles  ardore  teneri.  140 

credit  amans,  venerisque  novae  perterrita  fama 
indulsit  primo  lacrimis,  flendoque  dolorem 
diffudit  miseranda  suum.     mox  deinde  "quid  autem 
flemus  ?  "  ait  "  paelex  lacrimis  laetabitur  istis. 
quae    quoniam    adveniet,    properandum    aliquidque 
novandum  est,  145 

dum  licet,  et  nondum  thalamos  tenet  altera  nostros. 
conquerar,  an  sileam  ?  repetam  Calydona,  morerne  ? 
excedam  tectis  ?  an,  si  nihil  amplius,  obstem  ? 
quid  si  me,  Meleagre,  tuam  memor  esse  sororem 
forte  paro  facinus,  quantumque  iniuria  possit  150 

femineusque  dolor,  iugulata  paelice  testor?" 
incursus  animus  varios  habet.  omnibus  illis 
praetulit  inbutam  Nesseo  sanguine  vestem 

12 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

breast.  This  he  tore  out,  and  spurting  forth  from  both 
wounds  came  the  blood  n?vxed  with  the  deadly  poison 
of  the  Lernaean  hydra.  Nessus  caught  this,  and 
muttering,  "  I  shall  not  die  unavenged/'  he  gave  his 
tunic,  soaked  with  his  Avarm  blood,  to  Deianira  as  a 
gift,  potent  to  revive  waning  love. 

Meanwhile,  long  years  had  passed ;  the  deeds  of 
the  mighty  Hercules  had  filled  the  earth  and  had 
sated  his  stepmother's  hate.  Returning  victorious 
from  Oechalia,  he  was  preparing  to  pay  his  vows  to 
Jove  at  Cenaeum,  when  tattling  Rumour  came  on 
ahead  to  your  ears,  Deianira,  Rumour,  who  loves  to 
mingle  false  and  true  and,  though  very  small  at  first, 
grows  huge  through  lying,  and  she  reported  that  the 
son  of  Amphitryon  l  was  enthralled  by  love  of  Iole.2 
The  loving  wife  believes  the  tale,  and  completely 
overcome  by  the  report  of  this  new  love,  she  indulges 
her  tears  at  first  and,  poor  creature,  pours  out  her 
grief  in  a  flood  of  weeping.  But  soon  she  says: 
"  Why  do  I  weep  ?  My  rival  will  rejoice  at  my 
tears.  But  since  she  is  on  her  way  hither  I  must 
make  haste  and  devise  some  plan  while  I  may,  and 
while  as  yet  another  woman  has  not  usurped  my 
couch.  Shall  I  complain  or  shall  I  grieve  in  silence  ? 
Shall  I  go  back  to  Calydon  or  tarry  here  ?  Shall  I 
leave  my  house  or,  if  I  can  nothing  more,  stay  and 
oppose  her  ?  What  if,  O  Meleager,  remembering 
that  I  am  your  sister,  I  make  bold  to  plan  some 
dreadful  deed,  and  by  killing  my  rival  prove  how 
much  a  woman's  outraged  feelings  and  grief  can 
do  ?  "  Her  mind  has  various  promptings  ;  but  to  all 
other  plans  she  prefers  to  send  to  her  husband  the 
tunic  soaked  in  Nessus'  blood,  in  the  hope  that  this 

i  The  husband  of  Alcmena  and  putative  father  of  Hercules. 
9  The  daughter  of  Kurytus,  king  of  Oechalia. 

13 


OVID 

mittere,  quae  vires  defecto  reddat  amori, 
ignaroque  Lichae,  quid  tradat,  nescia,  luctus  155 

ipsa  suos  tradit  blandisque  miserrima  verbis, 
dona  det  ilia  viro,  mandat.     capit  inseius  heros, 
induiturque  umeris  Lernaeae  virus  echidnae. 

Tura  dabat  primis  et  verba  precantia  flammis, 
vinaque  marmoreas  patera  fuudebat  in  aras  :  160 

incaluit  vis  ilia  mali,  resolutaque  flammis 
Herculeos  abiit  late  dilapsa  per  artus. 
dum  potuit,  solita  gemitum  virtute  repressit. 
victa  malis  postquam  est  patientia,  reppulit  aras, 
inplevitque  suis  nemorosum  vocibus  Oeten.  1 65 

nee  mora,  letiferam  couatur  sclndere  vesteno  : 
qua  trahitur,  trahit  ilia  cutem,  foedumque  relatu, 
aut  haeret  membris  frustra  temptata  revelli, 
aut  laceros  artus  et  grandia  detegit  ossa. 
ipse  cruor,  gelido  ceu  quondam  lammina  candens  1 70 
tincta  lacu,  stridit  coquiturque  ardente  veneno. 
nee  modus  est,  sorbent  avidae  praecordia  flammae, 
caeruleusque  fluit  toto  de  corpore  sudor, 
ambustique  sonant  nervi,  caecaque  medullis 
tabe  liquefaetis  tollens  ad  sidera  palmas  175 

"  cladibus,"  exclamat  "  Saturnia,  pascere  nostris  : 
pascere,  et  hanc  pestem  specta,  crudelis,  ab  alto, 
corque  ferum  satia.     vel  si  miserandus  et  hosti, 
hoc  est,  si  tibi  sum,  diris  cruciatibus  aegram 
invisamque  animam  natamque  laboribus  aufer.       180 
hoc  mihi  munus  erit;   decet  haec  dare  dona 

novercam. 
14 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  IX 

may  revive  her  husband's  failing  love  ;  and  to  I.ichas, 
ignorant  of  what  he  bears,  with  her  own  hai  ds  she 
all  unwittingly  commits  the  cause  (if  her  future  woe, 
and  with  honeyed  wonts  the  unhappy  woman  bids  him 
take  this  present  to  her  lord.  The  hero  innocently 
received  the  gift  and  put  on  his  shoulders  the  tunic 
soaked  in  the  Lernaean  hydra's  poison. 

He  was  offering  incense  and  prayers  amid  the 
kindling  flames  and  pouring  wine  from  the  libation 
buwl  upon  the  marble  altar  :  then  was  the  virulence 
of  that  pest  aroused  and,  freed  by  the  heat,  went 
stealing  throughout  the  frame  of  Hercules.  While 
he  could,  with  his  habitual  manly  courage  he  held 
back  his  groans.  But  when  his  endurance  was  con- 
quered by  his  pain,  he  overthrew  the  altar  and  filled 
woody  Oeta  with  his  cries.  At  once  he  tries  to  tear 
off  the  deadly  tunic  ;  but  where  it  is  torn  away,  it 
tears  the  skin  with  it  and,  ghastly  to  relate,  it  either 
sticks  to  his  limbs,  from  which  he  vainly  tries  to  tear 
it,  or  else  lays  bare  his  torn  muscles  and  huge  bones. 
His  very  blood  hisses  and  boils  with  the  burning 
poison,  as  when  a  piece  of  red-hot  metal  is  plunged 
into  a  cold  pool.  Without  limit  the  greedy  flames 
devour  his  vitals;  the  dark  sweat  pours  from  his  whole 
body ;  his  burnt  sinews  crackle  and,  while  his  very 
marrow  melts  with  the  hidden,  deadly  fire,  he 
stretches  suppliant  hands '  to  heaven  and  cries : 
"  Come,  feast,  Saturnia,1  upon  my  destruction ; 
feast,  I  say  ;  look  down,  thou  cruel  one,  from  thy 
lofty  seat,  behold  my  miserable  end,  and  glut  thy 
savage  heart  !  Or,  if  I  merit  pity  even  from  my 
enemy — that  is,  from  thee — take  hence  this  hateful 
life,  sick  with  its  cruel  sufferings  and  born  for  toil. 
This  mil  be  a  boon  to  me,  surely   a   fitting   boon 

1  Juno. 

15 


OVID 

ergo  ego  foedantem  peregrmo  templa  cruore 
Busirin  domui  ?  saevoque  alimenta  parentis 
Antaeo  eripui  t  nee  me  pastoris  Hiberi 
forma  triplex,  nee  forma  triplex  tua,  Cerbere.  movit.-' 
vosne,  manus.  validi  pressistis  cornua  tauri  ?  1  86 

vestrum  opus  Elis  habet,  vestrumStymphalides  undae. 
Partheniumque  nemus  ?  vestra  virtute  relatus 
Thermodontiaco  caelatus  balteus  auro, 
pomaque  ab  insomni  concustodita  dracone  ?  190 

nee  mini  centauri  potuere  resistere,  nee  mi 
Areadiae  vastator  aper?  nee  profuit  hydrae 
crescere  per  damnum  geminasque  resumere  vires  ? 
quid,  quod  Thracis  equos  humano  sanguine  pingues 
plenaque  corporibus  laceris  praesepia  vidi,  1 95 

visaque  deieci,  dominumque  ipsosque  peremi  ? 
his  elisa  iacet  moles  Nemeaca  lacertis  : 
hac  caelum  cervice  tuli.     defessa  iubendo  est 
saeva  Iovis  coniunx :  es>o  sum  indefissus  a<rendo. 
sed  nova  pestis  adest,  cui  nee  virtute  resisti  200 

nee  telis  armisque  potest,     pulmonibus  errat 
ignis  edax  imis,  perque  onines  pascitur  artus. 
at  valet  Euiystheus  !  et  sunt,  qui  credere  possint 
esse  deos  !  "  dixit,  perque  altum  saucius  Oeten 
haud  aliter  graditur,  quam  si  venabula  taurus        205 
corpore  fixa  gerat,  factique  refugerit  auctor. 
saepe  ilium  gemitus  edentem,  saepe  frementem, 
saepe  retemptantem  totas  infringere  ve.stes 
sternentemque  trabes  irascentemque  videres 
montibus  aut  patrio  tendentem  bracchia  caelo.      210 
16 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

for  a  stepmother  to  bestow !  Was  it  for  this  I  slew 
Busiris,  who  defiled  his  temples  with  strangers'  blood  ? 
that  I  deprived  the  dread  Antaeus  of  his  mother's 
strength  ?  that  I  did  not  far  the  Spanish  shepherd's  1 
triple  form,  nor  thy  triple  form,  O  Cerberus  ?  Was  it 
for  this,  O  hands,  that  you  broke  the  strong  bull's 
horns ?  that  Elis  knows  your  toil,  the  waves  of  Stym- 
phalus,  the  Parthenian  woods  ?  that  by  your  prowess 
the  girdle  wrought  of  Thermodonian  gold  in  relief  was 
secured,  and  that  fruit  guarded  by  the  dragon's  sleep- 
less eves  ?  Was  it  for  this  that  the  centaurs  could  not 
prevail  against  me,  nor  the  boar  that  wasted  Arcady  ? 
that  it  did  not  avail  the  hydra  to  grow  by  loss  and 
gain  redoubled  strength  ?  What,  when  I  saw  the 
Thracian's  horses  fat  with  human  blood  and  those 
mangers  full  of  mangled  corpses  and,  seeing,  threw 
them  down  and  slew  the  master 2  and  the  steeds 
themselves  ?  By  these  arms  the  monster  of  Nemea 
lies  crushed  ;  upon  this  neck  I  upheld  the  sky  !  The 
cruel  wife  of  Jove  is  weary  of  imposing  toils;  but  I 
am  not  yet  weary  of  performing  them.  But  now  a 
strange  and  deadly  thing  is  at  me,  which  neither  by 
strength  can  I  resist,  nor  yet  by  weapons  nor  by 
arms.  Deep  through  my  lungs  steals  the  devouring 
fire,  and  feeds  through  all  mv  frame.  But  Eurystheus 
is  alive  and  well  !  And  there  are  those  who  can 
believe  that  there  are  gods!"  He  spoke  and  in 
sore  distress  went  ranging  along  high  Oeta ;  just 
as  a  bull  carries  about  the  shaft  that  has  pierced 
his  body,  though  the  giver  of  the  wound  has  fled. 
See  him  there  on  the  mountains  oft  uttering  heart- 
rending  groans,  oft  roaring  in  agony,  oft  struggling 
to  tear  off  all  his  garments,  uprooting  great  trunks  of 
trees,  and  raging  o'er  the  mountains  or  stretching 
out  his  arms  to  his  father's  skies. 

1  Geryon.  *  Diornedes. 

17 


OVID 

Ecce  Lichan  trepidum  latitantem  rape  cavata 
aspicit,  utque  dolor  rabiem  conlegerat  oranem, 
"tune,  Licha,"  dixit  "  feral ia  donadedisti? 
tune  meae  necis  auctor  eris  ?"  tremit  ille,  pavetque 
pallidus,  et  timide  verba  excusantia  dicit.  215 

dicentera  genibusque  manus  adhibere  parantem 
corripit  Alcides,  et  terque  quaterque  rotatum 
mittit  in  Euboicas  tormento  fortius  undas. 
ille  per  aerias  pendens  induruit  auras : 
utque  ferunt  imbres  gelidis  concrescere  ventis,     220 
inde  nives  fieri,  nivibus  quoque  molle  rotatis 
astringi  et  spissa  glomerari  grandine  corpus, 
sic  ilium  validis  iactum  per  inane  lacertis 
exsanguemque  metu  nee  quicquam  umoris  habentem 
in  rigidos  versum  silices  prior  edidit  aetas.  22  5 

nunc  quoque  in  Euboico  scopulus  brevis  eminet  alto 
gurgite  et  humanae  servat  vestigia  formae, 
quem,  quasi  sensurum,  nautae  calcare  verentur, 
appellantque  Lichan.     at  tu,  Iovis  inclita  proles, 
arboribus  caesis,  quas  ardua  gesserat  Oete,  230 

inque  pyram  structis  arcum  pharetramque  capacem 
regnaque  visuras  iterum  Troiana  sagittas 
ferre  iubes  Poeante  satum,  quo  flamma  ministro 
subdita.    dumque  avidis  comprenditur  ignibus  agger, 
congeriem  silvae  Nemeaeo  vellere  summam  235 

sternis,  et  inposita  clavae  cervice  recumbis, 
haud  alio  vultu,  quam  si  conviva  iaceres 
inter  plena  meri  redimitus  pocula  sertis. 
IS 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

Of  a  sudden  he  caught  sight  of  Lichas  cowering 
with  fear  and  hiding  beneath  a  hollow  rock,  and  with 
all  the  accumulated  rage  of  suffering  he  cried  :  "  Was 
it  you,  Lichas,  who  brought  this  fatal  gift?  And  shall 
you  be  called  the  author  of  my  death  ?"  The  young 
man  trembled,  grew  pale  with  (ear,  and  timidly  at- 
tempted to  excuse  his  act.  But  while  he  was  yet 
Speaking  and  striving  to  clasp  the  hero's  knees, 
Alcides  caught  him  up  and,  whirling  him  thrice 
and  again  about  his  head,  he  hurled  him  far  out  into 
the  Euboean  sea,  swifter  than  a  missile  from  a  catapult. 
The  youth  stiffened  as  he  yet  hung  high  in  air;  and 
as  drops  of  rain  are  said  to  congeal  beneath  the  chilling 
blast  and  change  to  snow,  then  whirling  snowflakes 
condense  to  a  soft  mass  and  finally  are  packed  in 
frozen  hail :  so,  hurled  by  strong  arms  through  the 
empty  air,  bloodless  with  fear,  his  vital  moisture 
dried,  he  changed,  old  tradition  says,  to  flinty  rock. 
Even  to  this  day  in  the  Euboean  sea  a  low  rock  rises 
from  the  waves,  keeping  the  semblance  of  a  human 
form  ;  this  rock,  as  if  it  were  sentient,  the  sailors  fear 
»o  tread  on,  and  they  call  it  Lichas.  But  you,  illus- 
trious son  of  Jove,  cut  down  the  trees  which  grew  on 
lofty  Oeta,  built  a  huge  funeral  pyre,  and  bade  the 
son  of  Poeas,1  who  set  the  torch  beneath,  to  take  in 
recompense  your  bow,  capacious  quiver  and  arrows, 
destined  once  again  to  see  the  realm  of  Troy.  And 
as  the  pyre  began  to  kindle  with  the  greedy  flames, 
you  spread  the  Nemean  lion's  skin  on  top  of  the 
pile  of  wood  and,  with  your  club  for  pillow,  laid  vou 
down  with  peaceful  countenance,  as  if,  amid  cups  of 
generous  wine  and  crowned  with  garlands,  you  were 
reclining  on  a  banquet-couch. 

1  Philoctetea. 

19 


OVID 

Iamque  valens  et  in  omne  latus  diffusa  sonabat, 
securosque  artus  contemptoremque  petebat  240 

flamma  suum.     timuere  dei  pro  vindice  terrae. 
quos  ita,  sensit  enim,  laeto  Saturnius  ore 
luppiter  adloquitur:  "nostra  est  timor  iste  voluptas, 
o  superi,  totoque  libens  mihi  pectore  grator, 
quod  memoris  populi  dicor  rectorque  paterque      245 
et  niea  progenies  vestro  quoque  tuta  favore  est. 
nam  quamquam  ipsius  datis  hoe  inmanibus  actis, 
obligor  ipse  tamen.     sed  enim  nee  pectora  vano 
fida  metu  paveant.     istas  nee  spernite  flammas  ! 
omnia  qui  vicit,  vincet,  quos  cernitis,  ignes;  250 

nee  nisi  materna  Vulcan um  parte  potentem 
sentiet.     aeternum  est  a  me  quod  traxit,  et  expers 
atque  inmune  necis,  nullique  domabile  flammae. 
idque  ego  defunctum  terra  caelestibus  oris 
accipiam,  cunctisque  meum  laetabile  factum  255 

dis  fore  confido.     siquis  tamen  Hercule,  siquis 
forte  deo  doliturus  erit,  data  praemia  nolet, 
sed  meruisse  dari  sciet,  invitusque  probabit." 
adsensere  dei.     coniunx  quoque  regia  visa  est 
cetera  non  duro,  duro  tamen  ultima  vultu  260 

dicta  tulisse  Iovis,  seque  indoluisse  notatam. 
interea  quodcumque  fuit  populabile  flammae, 
Mulciber  abstulerat,  nee  cognoscenda  remansit 
Herculis  effigies,  nee  quicquam  ab  imagine  ductum 
matris  habet,  tantumque  Iovis  vestigia  servat.       265 
utque  novus  serpens  posita  cum  pelle  senecta 
luxuriare  solet,  squamaque  nitere  recenti, 
20 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

And  now  on  all  sides  the  spreading  flames  were 
crackling  fiercely,  and  licking  at  the  careless  limbs 
that  scorned  their  power.  The  gods  felt  fear  for 
the  earth's  defender.  Then  Saturnian  Jove,  well 
pleased  (for  he  knew  their  thoughts),  addressed  them: 
"  Your  solicitude  is  a  joy  to  me,  ye  gods  of  heaven, 
and  1  rejoice  with  all  my  heart  that  I  am  called  king 
and  father  of  a  grateful  race  of  gods,  and  that  my 
offspring  is  safe  under  your  protecting  favour  also. 
For,  though  you  offer  this  tribute  to  his  own  mighty 
deeds,  still  I  myself  am  much  beholden  to  you.  But 
let  not  your  faithful  hearts  be  filled  with  needless 
fear.  Scorn  not  those  flames  '  He  who  has  conquered 
all  things  shall  conquer  these  fires  which  you  see ; 
nor  shall  he  feel  Vulcan's  power  save  in  the  part  his 
mother  gave  him.  Immortal  is  the  part  which  he 
took  from  me,  and  that  is  safe  and  beyond  the  power 
of  death,  which  no  flame  can  destroy.  And  when  this 
is  done  with  earth  I  shall  receive  him  on  the  heavenly 
shores,  and  I  trust  that  this  act  of  mine  will  be  pleas- 
ing to  all  the  gods.  But  if  there  is  anyone,  if  there 
is  anyone,  I  say,  who  is  going  to  be  sorry  that  Her- 
cules is  made  a  god,  why  then,  he  will  begrudge  the 
prize,  but  he  will  at  least  know  that  it  was  given 
deservedly,  and  will  be  forced  to  approve  the  deed." 
The  gods  assented ;  even  Juno  seemed  to  take  all 
else  complacently,  but  not  complacently  the  last 
words  of  Jove,  and  she  grieved  that  she  had  been 
singled  out  for  rebuke.  Meanwhile,  whatever  the 
flames  could  destroy,  Mulciber  had  now  consumed, 
and  no  shape  of  Hercules  that  could  be  recognized 
remained,  nor  was  there  anything  left  which  his 
mother  gave.  He  kept  traces  only  of  his  father  ;  and 
as  a  serpent,  its  old  age  sloughed  off  with  its  skin, 
revels  in   fresh  life,  and  shines   resplendent  in  its 

21 


OVID 

sic  ubi  mortales  Tirynthius  exuit  artus, 

parte  sui  meliore  viget,  maiorque  videri 

coepit  et  augusta  fieri  gravitate  verendus.  270 

quem  pater  omnipotens  inter  cava  nubila  raptum 

quadriiugo  curru  radiantibus  intulit  astris. 

Sensit  Atlas  pondus.    neque  adhuc  Sthenelei'us  iras 
solverat  Eurystheus,  odiumque  in  prole  paternum 
exercebat  atrox.  at  longis  anxia  curis  275 

Argolis  Alcmene,  questus  ubi  ponat  aniles, 
cui  referat  nati  testatos  orbe  labores, 
cuive  suos  casus,  Iolen  habet.     Herculis  illam 
imperiis  thalamoque  animoque  receperat  Hyllus, 
inpleratque  uterum  generoso  semine  ;  cui  sic        280 
incipit  Alcmene :  "faveant  tibi  numina  saltern, 
conripiantque  moras  turn  cum  matura  vocabis 
praepositam  timid  is  parientibus  Ilithyiam, 
quam  mihi  difficilem  Iunonis  gratia  fecit, 
namque  laboriferi  cum  iam  natalis  adesset  285 

Herculis  et  decimum  premeretur  sidere  signum, 
tenr'ebat  gravitas  uterum  mihi,  quodque  ferebam, 
tantum  erat,  ut  posses  auctorem  dicere  tecti 
ponderis  esse  Iovem.     nee  iam  tolerare  labores 
ulterius  poteram.     quin  nunc  quoque  frigidus  artus, 
dum    loquor,  horror  habet,   parsque    est  meminisse 
doloris.  291 

septem  ego  per  noctes,  totidem  cruciata  diebus, 
fessa  malis,  tendensque  ad  caelum  bracchia,  magno 
Lucinam  Nixosque  patres  clamore  vocabam. 
ilia  quidem  venit,  sed  praecorrupta,  meumque       295 
quae  donare  caput  Iunoni  vellet  iniquae. 
29 


METAMORPHOSES    ROOK  IX 

bright  new  scales  ;  so  when  the  Tirynthian  put  off  his 
mortal  frame,  he  gained  new  vigour  in  his  better  part, 
began  to  seem  of  more  heroic  size,  and  to  become 
awful  in  his  godlike  dignity.  Him  the  Almighty 
Father  sped  through  the  hollow  clouds  with  his  team 
of  four,  and  set  him  amid  the  glittering  stars. 

Atlas  felt  his  weight.  Rut  not  even  now  did 
Eurystheus,  the  son  of  Sthenelus,  put  away  his 
wrath  ;  but  his  bitter  hatred  for  the  father  he  still 
kept  up  towards  his  race.  Now,  spent  with  long- 
continued  cares,  Argive  Alcmena  had  in  Iole  one  to 
whom  she  could  confide  her  old  woman's  troubles,  to 
whom  she  could  relate  her  son's  labours  witnessed  by 
all  the  world,  and  her  own  misfortunes.  For  by  Her- 
cules' command,  Hyllus  had  received  Iole  to  his  arms 
and  heart,  and  to  him  she  was  about  to  bear  a  child  of 
that  noble  race.  Thus  spoke  Alcmena  to  her  :  "  May 
the  gods  be  merciful  to  you  at  least  and  give  you 
swift  deliverance  in  that  hour  when  in  your  need 
you  call  on  Ilithyia,  goddess  of  frightened  mothers 
in  travail,  whom  Juno's  hatred  made  so  bitter 
against  me.  For  when  the  natal  hour  of  toil-bear- 
ing Hercules  was  near  and  the  tenth  sign  was  being 
traversed  by  the  sun,  my  burden  was  so  heavy  and 
what  I  bore  so  great  that  you  could  know  Jove  was 
the  father  of  the  unborn  child ;  nor  could  I  longer 
bear  my  pangs.  Nay,  even  now  as  I  tell  it,  cold 
horror  holds  my  limbs  and  my  pains  return  even  as  I 
think  of  it.  For  seven  nights  and  days  I  was  in 
torture ;  then,  spent  with  anguish,  I  stretched  my 
arms  to  heaven  and  with  a  mighty  wail  I  called  upon 
Luclna  and  the  three  guardian  deities  of  hirth. 
Lucina  came,  indeed,  but  pledged  in  advance  to  give 
my  life  to  cruel  Juno.  There  she  sat  upon  the  altar 
before  the  door,  listening  to  my  groans,  with   her 

Si 


OVID 

utque  meos  audit  gemitus,  subsedit  in  ilia 

ante  fores  ara,  dextroque  a  poplite  laevum 

pressa  genu  et  digitis  inter  se  pectine  iunctis 

sustinuit  partus,     tacita  quoque  carmina  voce        300 

dixit,  et  inceptos  tenuerunt  carmina  partus. 

nitor,  et  ingrato  facio  convicia  demens 

vana  lovi,  cupioque  mori,  moturaque  duros 

verba  queror  silices.     matres  Cadmeides  adsunt, 

votaque  suscipiunt,  exhortanturque  dolentem.       305 

una  ministrarum,  media  de  plebe,  Galanthis, 

flava  comas,  aderat,  faciendis  strenua  iussis, 

officiis  dilecta  suis.     ea  sensit  iniqua 

nescio  quid  Iunone  geri,  dumque  exit  et  intrat 

saepe  fores,  divam  residentem  vidit  in  ara  310 

bracchiaque  in  genibus  digitis  conexa  tenentem, 

et '  quaecumque  es,'  ait  f  dominae  gratare.     levata  est 

Argolis  Alcmene,  potiturque  puerpera  voto.' 

exsiluit,  iunctasque  manus  pavefacta  remisit 

diva  potens  uteri :  vinclis  levor  ipsa  remissis.         315 

numine  decepto  risisse  Galanthida  fama  est. 

ridentem  prensamque  ipsis  dea  saeva  capillis 

traxit,  et  e  terra  corpus  relevare  volentem 

arcuit,  inque  pedes  mutavit  bracchia  primos. 

strenuitas  antiqua  manet ;  nee  terga  colorem         320 

amisere  suum  :  forma  est  diversa  priori. 

quae  quia  mendaci  parientem  iuverat  ore, 

ore  parit  nostrasque  domos,  ut  et  ante,  irequentat." 

Dixit,  et  admonitu  veteris  commota  ministrae 
24 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

right  knee  crossed  ovei  Ler  left,  and  with  her  fingers 
interlocked ;  and  so  she  stayed  the  birth.  Charms  also, 
in  low  muttered  words,  she  chanted,  and  the  charms 
prevented  my  deliverance.  I  fiercely  strove  and, 
mad  with  pain,  I  shrieked  out  vain  revilings  against 
ungrateful  Jove.  I  longed  to  die,  and  my  words 
would  have  moved  the  unfeeling  rocks.  The  Theban 
matrons  stood  around  me,  appealed  to  heaven,  and 
strove  to  stay  my  grief.  There  was  one  of  my 
attendants  born  of  the  common  folk,  Galanthis,  with 
hair  of  reddish  hue,  active  always  in  obedience  to  my 
commands,  well  loved  by  me  for  her  faithful  services. 
She  felt  assured  that  unjust  Juno  was  working  some 
spell  against  me ;  and  as  she  was  passing  in  and  out 
the  house,  she  saw  the  goddess  seated  on  the  altar 
holding  her  clinched  hands  upon  her  knees,  and  said 
to  her :  '  Whoever  you  are,  congratulate  our  mistress : 
Argive  Alcmena  is  relieved  ;  her  prayers  are  answered 
and  her  child  is  born.'  Up  leaped  the  goddess  of 
birth,  unclinched  her  hands  and  spread  them  wide 
in  consternation  ;  my  bonds  were  loosed  and  I  was 
delivered  of  my  child.  They  said  Galanthis  laughed 
in  derision  of  the  cheated  deity.  And  as  she  laughed 
the  cruel  goddess  caught  her  by  the  hair  and  dragged 
her  on  the  ground  ;  and,  as  the  girl  strove  to  rise,  she 
kept  her  there  and  changed  her  arms  into  the  fore- 
legs of  an  animal.  Her  old  activity  remained  and  her 
hair  kept  its  former  hue  ;  but  her  former  shape  was 
changed.  And  because  she  had  helped  her  labouring 
mistress  with  her  deceitful  lips,  through  her  mouth 
must  she  bring  forth  her  young.  And  still,  as  of 
yore,  she  makes  our  dwelling-place  her  home."  1 

She  spoke   and,   stirred  by  the   warning  fate    of 
her  former  attendant,  groaned  deeply.     And  as  she 
1  Galanthis  was  changed  into  a  weasel. 

95 


OVID 

ingemuit.     quam  sic  nurus  est  affata  dolentem  :    S25 
'  te  tamen,  o  genetrix,  alienae  sanguine  nostro 
rapta  movet  facies.     quid  si  tibi  mira  sororis 
fata  meae  referam  ?  quamquam  lacrimaeque  dolorque 
impediunt,  prohibentque  loqui.     fuit  unica  matri — 
me  pater  ex  alia  genuit — notissima  forma  330 

Oechalidum,  Dryope.     quam  virginitate  carentem 
vimque  dei  passam  Delphos  Delumque  tenentis 
excipit  Andraemon,  et  habetur  coniuge  felix. 
est  lacus,  adclivis  devexo  margine  formam 
litoris  efficiens,  summum  myrteta  coronant.  335 

venerat  hue  Dryope  fatorum  nescia,  quoque 
indignere  magis,  nymphis  latura  coronas, 
inque  sinu  puerum,  qui  nondum  impleverat  annum 
dulce  ferebat  onus  tepidique  ope  lactis  alebat. 
haut  procul  a  stagno  Tyrios  imitata  colores  340 

in  spem  bacarum  florebat  aquatica  lotos, 
carpserat  hinc  Dryope,  quos  oblectamina  nato 
porrigeret,  flores,  et  idem  factura  videbar— - 
namque  aderam — vidi  guttas  e  flore  cruentas 
dtoidere  et  tremulo  ramos  horrore  moveri.  3+5 

scilicet,  ut  referunt  tardi  nunc  denique  agrestes, 
Lotis  in  hanc  nymphe,  fugiens  obscena  Priapi, 
conlulerat  versos,  se^-vato  nomine,  vultus. 

"  Nescierat  soror  hoc.     quae  cum  perterrita  retro 
ire  et  adoratis  vellet  discedere  nymphis,  350 

haeserunt  radice  pedes,     convellere  pugnat, 
nee  quicquam,  nisi  summa  movet.   subcrescit  ab  imo, 
totaque  paulatim  lentus  premit  inguina  cortex. 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

grieved  her  daughter-in-law  thus  addressed  her: 
"  And  yet,  my  mother,  'tis  the  changed  form  of  one 
not  of  our  blood  you  grieve  for.  What  if  I  should 
tell  you  of  the  strange  misfortunes  of  my  own  sister? 
And  yet  my  tears  and  grief  check  me  and  almost 
prevent  my  speech.  She  was  her  mother's  only 
child  (for  I  was  born  of  my  father's  second  wife), 
Dryope,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  Oechalian 
maids.  Her,  a  maid  no  more  through  the  violence 
of  him  who  rules  at  Delphi  and  at  Delos,  Andraemon 
took  and  was  counted  happy  in  his  wife.  There  is 
a  pool  whose  shelving  banks  take  the  form  of  sloping 
shores,  the  top  of  which  a  growth  of  myrtle  crowns. 
Dryope  had  come  hither  innocent  of  the  fates  and, 
that  you  ma}'  be  the  more  indignant,  with  the  intention 
of  gatheringgarlands  for  the  nymphs.  In  her  arms  she 
bore  a  pleasing  burden,  her  infant  boy  not  yet  a  full 
year  old,  and  nursed  him  at  her  breast.  Near  the 
margin  of  the  pool  a  plant  of  the  water-lotus  grew 
full  of  bright  blossoms,  the  harbingers  of  fruit.  To 
please  her  little  son  the  mother  plucked  some  of 
these  blossoms,  and  I  was  in  the  act  to  do  the  same 
(for  I  was  with  her),  when  I  saw  drops  of  blood  fall- 
ing from  the  flowers  and  all  the  branches  shivering 
with  horror.  For,  you  must  know,  as  the  slow 
rustics  still  relate,  Lotis,  a  nymph,  while  fleeing  from 
Priapus'  vile  pursuit,  had  taken  refuge  in  this  shape, 
changed  as  to  features  but  keeping  still  her  name. 

"  But  my  sister  knew  naught  of  this.  And  when 
she  started  back  in  terror  and,  with  prayers  to  the 
uymphs,  strove  to  leave  the  place,  her  feet  clung, 
root-like,  to  the  ground  ;  she  struggTed  to  tear  her- 
self away,  but  nothing  moved  except  the  upper  pari 
of  her  body  ;  the  slow-creeping  bark  climbed  upward 
from    her   feet   and  covered    all   her   loins.     When 

a  J? 


OVID 

ut  vidit,  conata  manu  laniare  capillos, 
fronde  manum  implevit :  frondes  caput  omne  tene- 
bant.  355 

at  puer  Amphissos,  (namque  hoc  avus  Eurytus  illi 
addiderat  nomen,)  materna  rigescere  sentit 
ubera  ;  nee  sequitur  ducentem  lacteus  umor. 
spectatrix  aderam  fati  crudelis,  opemque 
non  poteram  tibi  ferre,  soror,  quantumque  valebam, 
crescentem  truncum  ramosque  amplexa  morabar,  36l 
et,  fateor,  volui  sub  eodem  cortice  condi. 

"Ecce  vir  Andraemon  genitorque  miserrimus  adsunt, 
et  quaerunt  Dryopen  :  Dryopen  quaerentibus  illis 
ostendi  loton.     tepido  dant  oscula  ligno,  365 

adfusique  suae  radicibus  arboris  haerent. 
nil  nisi  iam  faciem,  quod  non  foret  arbor,  habebat 
cara  soror :  lacrimae  misero  de  corpore  factis 
inrorant  foliis ;  et,  dum  licet,  oraque  praestant 
vocis  iter,  tales  effundit  in  aera  questus  :  370 

'  siqua  fides  miseris,  hoc  me  per  numina  iuro 
non  meruisse  nefas.     patior  sine  crimine  poenam. 
viximus  innocuae.     si  mentior,  arida  perdam 
quas  habeo  frondes,  et  caesa  securibus  urar. 
hunc  tamen  infantem  maternis  demite  ramis,        375 
et  date  nutrici,  nostraque  sub  arbore  saepe 
lac  facitote  bibat,  nostraque  sub  arbore  ludat. 
cumque  ioqui  poterit,  matrem  facitote  salutet, 
et  tristis  dicat  "  latet  hoc  in  stipite  mater." 
stagna  tamen  timeat,  nee  carpat  ab  arbore  flores,   380 
28 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

she  saw  this,  she  strove  to  tear  her  hair  with  her 
hands,  but  only  filled  her  hands  with  leaves;  for 
leaves  now  covered  all  her  head.  But  the  boy, 
Amphissos  (for  so  his  grandsire,  Eurytus,  had  named 
him),  felt  his  mother's  breast  grow  hard,  nor  could 
he  any  longer  draw  his  milky  feast.  I  stood  and  saw 
your  cruel  fate,  my  sister,  nor  could  I  bring  you  any 
aid  at  all.  And  yet,  so  far  as  I  could,  I  delayed  the 
change  by  holding  your  growing  trunk  and  branches 
fast  in  my  embrace;  and  (shall  I  confess  it?)  I 
longed  to  hide  me  beneath  that  selfsame  bark. 

"  But  lo,  her  husband,  Andraemon,  and  her  most 
unhappy    father   came    seeking    for    Dryope  ;    and 
Dry  ope,  in  response  to  their  questionings,  I  showed 
them  as  the  lotus-tree.     They  printed  kisses  on  the 
warm  wood  and,  prostrate  on  the  ground,  they  clung 
about  the  roots  of  their  darling  tree.     And  now  my 
dear  sister  had  only  her  face  remaining,  while  all  the 
rest  was  tree.     Her  tears  rained  down  upon  the  leaves 
made  from  her  poor  body  ;  and  while  they  could,  and 
her  lips  afforded  utterance  for  her  voice,  it  poured 
forth  these   complaints   into  the    air:  'If  oaths  of 
wretched  sufferers  have  any  force,  I   swear  by  the 
gods  that   I   have   not  merited  this  dreadful  thing, 
In  utter  innocence  I  am  suffering,  and  in  innocence 
I  have  always  lived.     If  1  say  not  the  truth,  parched 
with  the  drought  may  I  lose  my  foliage  and  may  I 
be  cut  down  by  the  axe  and  burned.     But  take  this 
infant  from  his  mother's  limbs  and  give   him  to  a 
nurse.     Beneath  my  tree  let  him  often  come  and 
take  his  milk  ;  beneath  my  tree  let  him  play.     And 
when  he  learns  to  talk,  have  him  greet  his  mother 
and  sadly  say  :  "  Here  in  this  tree-trunk  is  my  mother 
hid."     Still  let  him  fear  the  pool,  pluck  no  blossoms 
from  the  trees,  and  think  all  shrubs  are  goddesses  in 

29 


OVID 

et  frutices  omnes  corpus  putet  esse  dearum. 

care  vale  coniunx,  et  tu,  germana,  pattrque  ! 

quin,  siqua  est  pietas,  ab  acutae  vulnere  t'alcis, 

a  pecoris  morsu  frondes  defendite  nostras. 

et  quoniam  mihi  fas  ad  vos  incumbere  non  est,      385 

erigite  hue  artus,  et  ad  oscula  nostra  venite, 

dum  tangi  possum,  parvumque  attollite  natum  ! 

plura  loqui  nequeo.     nam  iam  per  Candida  mollis 

colla  liber  serpit,  summoque  cacumine  condor. 

ex  oculis  removete  manus.     sine  munere  vestro    3y0 

contegat  inductus  morientia  lunnna  cortex  ! ' 

desierant  simul  ora  loqui,  simul  esse,     diuque 

corpore  mutato  rami  caluere  recentes." 

Dumque  refert  Iole  factum  mirabile,  dumque 
Eurytidos  lacrimas  admoto  pollice  siccat  S£)5 

Alcmene,  (flet  et  ipsa  tamen,)  compescuit  omnem 
res  nova  tristitiam.     nam  limine  constitit  alto 
paene  puer  dubiaque  tegens  lanugine  malas, 
ora  reformatus  primos  Iolaus  in  annos. 
hoc  illi  dederat  Iunonia  muneris  Hebe,  400 

victa  viri  precibus.     quae  cum  iurare  pararet, 
dona  tributuram  post  nunc  se  talia  nulli, 
non  est  passa  Tliemis  :  "  nam  iam  discordia  Thebae 
bella  movent,"  dixit  "Capaneusque  nisi  ab  love  vinci 
baud  poterit,  fientque  pares  in  vulnere  fratres,      405 
subductaque  suos  manes  tellure  videbit 
SO 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

disguise  !  Farewell,  dear  husband,  and  you,  sister, 
and  my  father!  Nay,  if  you  love  me  still,  protect 
my  branches  from  the  sharp  knife,  my  foliage  from 
the  browsing  sheep.  And,  since  it  is  not  permitted 
me  to  bend  down  to  you,  reach  up  to  me  aid  let  me 
kiss  you  while  I  may  ;  and  reach  me  once  more  my 
little  son  '  Now  I  can  say  no  more  ;  for  over  my 
white  neck  the  soft  bark  comes  creeping,  and  1 
am  buried  in  its  overtopping  folds.  You  need  not 
close  my  eyes  with  your  ha  ds  ;  without  your  ser- 
vice let  the  bark  creep  up  and  close  my  dying 
eyes ! '  In  the  same  moment  did  she  cease  to 
speak  and  cease  to  be  ;  and  long  did  the  new-made 
branches  keep  the  warmth  of  the  transformed 
body." 

\\  hile  Iole  was  telling  this  wonderful  tale,  and 
while  Alcmena,  herself  also  in  tears,  was  drying  with 
her  sympathetic  hand  the  tears  of  the  daughter  of 
Eurj'tus,  a  startling  circumstance  banished  the  grief 
of  both.  For  there,  in  the  deep  doorway,  stood  a 
youth,  almost  a  boy,  with  delicate  down  covering  his 
cheeks,  lolaiis,1  restored  in  features  to  his  youthful 
prime.  Hebe,  Juno's  daughter,  won  by  her  hus- 
band's 2  prayers,  had  given  him  this  boon  ;  and  when 
she  was  on  the  point  of  swearing  that  to  no  one  after 
him  would  she  bestow  such  gifts,  Themis  checked 
her  vow.  "For,"  said  she,  " Thebes  is  even  now 
embroiled  in  civil  strife,  Capaneus  shall  be  invin- 
cible save  by  the  hand  of  Jove  himself;  the  two 
brothers3  shall  die  by  mutual  wounds;  the  prophet- 
king4  shall    in    the    flesh    behold    his   own  spirits, 

1  The  son  of  Iphicles,  half-brother  to  Hercules. 
3  i.e.  Hercules,   to  whom,  after  his  trauslaiion  to  heaven, 
Hebe  had  been  given  in  marriage. 
*  Eteoclea  and  Polynices  *  Amphiaraiis. 

31 


OVID 

vivus  adhuc  vates ;  ultusque  parente  parentem 
natus  erit  facto  pius  et  sceleratus  eodem 
attonitusque  malis,  exul  mentisque  domusque, 
vultibus  Eumenidum  matrisque  agitabitur  umbris,  410 
donee  eum  coniunx  fatale  poposcerit  aurum, 
cognatumque  latus  Phegei'us  hauserit  ensis. 
turn  demum  magno  petet  hos  Acheloia  supplex 
ab  love  Callirhoe  natis  infantibus  annos, 
neve  necem  sinat  esse  diu  victoris  inultam.  415 

Iuppiter  his  motus  privignae  dona  nurusque 
praecipiet,  facietque  viros  inpubibus  annis." 

Haec  ubi  faticano  venturi  praescia  dixit 
ore  Themis,  vario  superi  sermone  fremebant. 
et,  cur  non  aliis  eadem  dare  dona  liceret,  420 

murmur  erat.     queritur  veteres  Pallantias  annos 
coniugis  esse  sui,  queritur  canescere  mitis 
Iasiona  Ceres,  repetitum  Mulciber  aevum 
poscit  Erichthonio,  Venerem  quoque  cura  futuri 
tangit,  et  Anchisae  renovare  paciscitur  annos.       425 
cui  studeat,  deus  omnis  habet ;  crescitque  favore 
turbida  seditio,  donee  sua  Iuppiter  ora 
solvit,  et  "  o !  nostri  siqua  est  reverentia,"  dixit 
"  quo  ruitis  ?     tantumne  aliquis  sibi  posse  videtur, 
fata  quoque  ut  superet  ?     fatis  Iolaus  in  annos,     430 
quos  egit,  rediit.     fatis  iuvenescere  debent 
S2 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

engulfed  by  the  yawning  earth;  and  his  son1  shall 
avenge  parent  on  parent,2  filial  and  accursed  in 
the  selfsame  act  ;  stunned  by  these  evil  doings, 
banished  from  reason  and  from  home,  he  shall  be 
hounded  by  the  Furies  and  by  his  mother's  ghost 
until  his  wife3  shall  ask  of  him  the  fatal  golden 
necklace  and  the  sword  of  Phegeus  shall  have 
drained  his  kinsman's  blood.  And  then  at  last 
shall  Callirhoe,  daughter  of  Achelous,  by  prayer 
obtain  from  mighty  Jove  that  her  infant  sons 
may  attain  at  once  to  manly  years,  that  so  their 
victorious  father's  death  be  not  long  unavenged. 
Jove,  thus  prevailed  upon,  shall  claim  in  advance  for 
these  the  gifts  of  his  stepdaughter4  and  daughter- 
in-law,5  and  shall  in  an  act  change  beardless  boys  to 
men." 

When  Themis,  who  knew  what  was  to  come,  thus 
spoke  with  prophetic  lips,  a  confused  murmur  of 
varying  demands  arose  among  the  gods,  and  they 
inquired  why  they  were  not  allowed  to  grant  the 
same  boon  to  others.  Pallantis  6  lamented  her  hus- 
band's 7  hoary  age ;  mild  Ceres  bewailed  Iasion's 
whitening  locks;  Mulciber  demanded  renewed  life 
for  Erichthonius,  and  Venus,  too,  with  care  for  the 
future,  stipulated  that  old  Anchises'  years  should  be 
restored.  Each  god  had  his  own  favourite;  and  the 
noisy,  partisan  strife  kept  on,  until  Jupiter  opened 
his  lips  and  spoke  :  ''  Oh,  if  you  have  any  reverence 
for  me,  what  are  you  coming  to  ?  Does  anyone  sup- 
pose that  he  can  so  far  prevail  as  to  alter  Fate's 
decrees  ?  'Twas  by  the  will  of  Fate  that  Iolaus  was 
restored  to  the  years  which  he  had  passed,  by  Fate 

1  Alcmaeon.  ■  Eriphyle.  3  Callirhoe. 

*  Hebe.  *  Ibid. 

•  Aurora.  *  Tithonus. 

3$ 


OVID 

Callirhoe  geniti,  non  ambitione  nee  armis. 

vos  etiam,  quoque  hoc  animo  meliore  feratis, 

me  quoque  fata  regunt.     quae  si  mutare  valerem, 

nee  nostrum  seri  curvarent  Aeacon  anni,  435 

perpetuumque  aevi  florem  Rhadamanthus  haberet 

cum  Minoe  raeo; _  qui  propter  amara  senectae 

pondera  despicitur^nec  quo  prius  ordine  regnat." 

Dicta  Iovis  movere  deos;  nee  sustinet  ullus, 
cum  videat  fessos  Rhadamanthon  et  Aeacon  annis 
et  Minoa,  queri.     qui,  dum  fuit  integer  aevi,         441 
terruerat  magnas  ipso  quoque  nomine  gentes; 
tunc  erat  invalidus,  Dei'onidenque  iuventae 
robore  Miletum  Phoeboque  parente  superbum 
pertimuit,  credensque  suis  insurgere  regnis,  445 

haut  tamen  est  patriis  arcere  penatibus  ausus. 
sponte  fugis,  Milete,  tua,  celerique  carina 
Aegaeas  metiris  aquas,  et  in  Aside  terra 
moenia  constituis  positoris  habentia  nomen. 
hie  tibi,  dum  sequitur  patriae  curvamina  ripae,     450 
filia  Maeandri  totiens  redeuntis  eodem 
cognita  Cyanee,  praestanti  corpora  forma, 
Byblida  cum  Cauno,  prolem  est  enixa  gemellam. 

Byblis  in  exemplo  est,  ut  ament  concessa  puellae, 
Byblis  Apollinei  correpta  cupidine  fratris;  45/ 

non  soror  ut  fratrem,  nee  qua  debebat,  amabat. 
ilia  quidem  primo  nullos  intellegit  ignes, 
nee  peccare  putat,  quod  saepius  oscula  iungat, 
quod  sua  fraterno  circumdet  bracchia  collo; 
34 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   IX 

also  Callirhoe's  sons  are  destined  to  leap  to  manhood 
from  infancy,  and  not  by  any  ambition  or  strife  of 
theirs.  You,  too  (I  say  this  that  you  may  be  of  better 
mind),  and  me  also  the  Fates  control.  If  I  could 
change  them,  old  age  would  not  bend  low  my  Aeacus  ; 
Rhadamanthus,  too,  would  enjoy  perpetual  youth, 
together  with  my  Minos,  who,  because  of  the  galling 
weight  of  age,  is  now  despised  and  no  longer  reigns 
in  his  former  state." 

Jove's  words  appeased  the  gods  ;  nor  could  anyone 
complain  when  he  saw  Rhadamanthus,  Aeacus,  and 
Minos  spent  with  years.  Now  Minos,  while  in  his 
prime,  had  held  great  nations  in  fear  of  him  by  his 
very  name ;  but  at  that  time  he  was  infirm  with  age 
and  in  fear  of  Miletus,  son  of  Deione  and  Phoebus, 
proud  of  his  youthful  strength  and  parentage ;  and, 
though  he  believed  that  the  youth  was  planning  a 
rebellion  against  his  kingdom,  still  he  did  not  dare 
to  banish  him  from  his  ancestral  home.  But  of  your 
own  accord  you  fled,  Miletus,  and  in  your  swift  vessel 
crossed  the  Aegean  sea  and  on  the  shores  of  Asia 
built  a  city  which  still  bears  its  founder's  name. 
There,  while  wandering  along  the  banks  of  her 
father's  winding  stream,  Cyanee,  a  nymph  of  un- 
rivalled beauty,  daughter  of  Maeander,  who  oft 
returns  upon  his  former  course,  was  known  by  you  ; 
and  of  this  union  Byblis  and  Caunus,  twin  progeny, 
were  born. 

Byblis  is  a  warning  that  girls  should  not  love  un- 
lawfully, Byblis,  smitten  with  a  passion  for  her 
brother,  the  grandson  of  Apollo.  She  loved  him  not 
as  a  brother,  nor  as  a  sister  should.  At  first,  indeed, 
she  did  not  recognize  the  fires  of  love,  nor  think  it 
wrong  often  to  kiss  him,  often  to  throw  her  arms 
about  her  brother's  neck,  and  she  was  long  deceived 

35 


OVID 

mendacique  diu  pietatis  fallitur  umbra.  460 

paulatim  declinat  amor,  visuraque  fratrem 
culta  venit,  nimiumque  cupit  formosa  videri 
et  siqua  est  illic  formosior,  invidet  illi. 
sed  nondum  manifesta  sibi  est,  nullumque  sub  illo 
igne  facit  votum,  verumtamen  aestuat  intus.  465 

iam  dominum  appellat,  iam  nomina  sanguinis  odit, 
Byblida  iam  mavult,  quam  se  vocet  ille  sororem. 

Spes  tamen  obscenas  animo  demittere  non  est 
ausa  suo  vigilans ;  placida  resoluta  quiete 
saepe  videt   quod  amat :    visa    est   quoque   iungere 
fratri  470 

corpus  et  erubuit,  quamvis  sopita  iacebat. 
somnus  abit ;  silet  ilia  diu  repetitque  quietis 
ipsa  suae  speciem  dubiaque  ita  mente  profatur : 
"  me  miseram  !  tacitae  quid  vult  sibi  noctis  imago  ? 
quam  nolim  rata  sit  !  cur  haec  ego  somnia  vidi  ?    475 
ille  quidem  est  oculis  quamvis  formosus  iniquis 
et  placet,  et  possim,  si  non  sit  frater,  amare, 
et  me  dignus  erat.     verum  nocet  esse  sororem. 
dummodo  tale  nihil  vigilans,  committere  temptem, 
saepe  licet  simili  redeat  sub  imagine  somnus  !         480 
testis  abest  somno,  nee  obest  imitata  voluptas. 
pro  Venus  et  tenera  volucer  cum  matre  Cupido, 
gaudia  quanta  tuli !    quam  me  manifesta  libido 
contigit !  ut  iacui  totis  resoluta  medullis! 
ut  meminisse  iuvat!  quamvis  brevis  ilia  voluptas  485 
noxque  fuit  praeceps  et  coeptis  invida  nostris. 

"  O  ego,  si  liceat  mutato  nomine  iungi, 
36 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  IX 

by  the  semblance  of  sisterly  affection.  But  gradually 
this  affection  changed  to  love :  carefully  adorned  she 
came  to  see  her  brother,  too  anxious  to  seem  lovely 
in  his  sight ;  and  if  any  other  seemed  more  beautiful 
to  him,  she  envied  her.  But  not  yet  did  she  have  a 
clear  vision  of  herself,  felt  no  desire,  prayed  for  no 
joy  of  love  ;  but  yet  the  hidden  fire  burned  on.  Now 
she  called  him  her  lord,  now  hated  the  name  of 
brother,  and  wished  him  to  call  her  Byblis,  rather 
than  sister. 

Still  in  her  waking  hours  she  does  not  let  her 
mind  dwell  on  impure  desires ;  but  when  she  is  re- 
laxed in  peaceful  slumber,  she  often  has  visions  oi 
her  love :  she  sees  herself  clasped  in  her  brother's 
arms  and  blushes,  though  she  lies  sunk  in  sleep. 
When  sleep  has  fled,  she  lies  still  for  long  and  pic- 
tures again  the  visions  of  her  slumber  and  at  last, 
with  wavering  mind,  she  exclaims :  "  Oh,  wretched 
girl  that  I  am  !  What  means  this  vision  of  the  night  ? 
Oh,  but  I  would  not  have  it  so !  Why  do  I  have 
such  dreams  ?  He  is  indeed  beautiful,  even  to  eyes 
that  look  unkindly  on  him,  and  is  pleasing,  and  I 
could  love  him  if  he  were  not  my  brother ;  and  he 
would  be  worthy  of  me ;  but  it  is  my  bane  that  I 
am  his  sister.  If  only  when  I  am  awake  I  make  trial 
of  no  such  thing,  still  may  sleep  often  return  with  a 
dream  like  that !  There's  no  one  to  tell  in  sleep, 
and  there  is  no  harm  in  imagined  joy.  O  Venus  and 
winged  Cupid  with  thy  soft  mother,  how  happy  I 
was !  How  real  my  joy  seemed !  How  my  very 
heart  melted  within  me  as  I  lay  !  How  sweet  to 
remember  it !  And  yet  'twas  but  a  fleeting  pleasure, 
and  night  was  headlong  and  envious  of  the  joys 
before  me. 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  change  my  name  and  be  joined 

37 


OVID 

quam  bene,  Caune,  tuo  poteram  nurus  esse  parenti  1 
jUam  bene,  Caune,  meo  poteras  gener  esse  parenti  ! 
omnia,  di  facerent,  essent  communia  nobis,  490 

praeter  avos  :  tu  me  vellem  generosior  esses! 
nescioquam  facies  igitur,  pulcherrime,  matrem  ; 
at  mihi,  quae  male  sum,  quos  tu,  sortita  parentes, 
nil  nisi  frater  eris.     quod  obest,  id  habebimus  unum. 
quid  mihi  significant  ergo  mea  visa  ?  quod  autem    495 
somnia  pondus  habent  ?  an  habent  et  somnia  pondus  ? 
di  melius  .'     di  nenipe  suas  habuere  sorores. 
sic  Saturn  us  Opem  iunctam  sibi  sanguine  duxit, 
Oceanus  Teth}'n,  Iunonem  rector  Olympi. 
sunt  superis  sua  iura  !  quid  ad  caelestia  ritus         500 
exigere  liumanos  diversaque  foedera  tempto  ? 
aut  nostro  vetitus  de  corde  fugabitur  ardor, 
aut  hoc  si  nequeo,  peream,  precor,  ante  toroque 
mortua  componar,  positaeque  det  oscula  frater. 
et  tamen  arbitrium  quaerit  res  ista  duorum  !  505 

finge  placere  mihi :  scelus  esse  videbitur  illi. 

"At  non  Aeolidae  thalamos  timuere  sororum  ! 
unde  sed  hos  novi  ?     cur  haec  exempla  paravi  ? 
quo  feror  ?     obscenae  procul  hinc  discedite  flammae 
nee,  nisi  qua  fas  est  germanae,  frater  ametur  1       510 
si  tamen  ipse  meo  captus  prior  esset  amore, 
forsitan  illius  possem  indulgere  furori. 
ergo  ego,  quae  fuerim  non  reiectura  petentem, 
ipsa  petam  !   poterisne  loqui  ?  poterisne  fateri  ? 
coget  amor,  potero  !  vel,  si  pudor  ora  tenebit,        515 
iittera  celatos  arcana  fatebitur  ignes." 
38 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    IX 

to  you,  how  good  a  daughter,  Caunus,  I  could  be  to  your 
father,  how  good  a  son,  Caunus,  you  could  be  to  mine  ! 
we  should  have  all  things  in  common,  if  heaven 
allowed,  except  our  grandparents.  I  should  want  you 
to  be  better  born  than  I  !  You  will  be  someone's  hus- 
band, I  suppose,  O  most  beautiful ;  but  to  me,  who 
have  unfortunately  drawn  the  same  parents  as  your- 
self, you  will  never  be  anything  but  brother :  what 
is  our  bane,  that  alone  we  shall  have  in  common. 
What  then  do  my  dreams  mean  for  me ! — But  what 
weight  have  dreams  ?  or  have  dreams  really  weight  ? 
The  gods  forbid! — But  surely  the  gods  have  loved 
their  sisters  ;  so  Saturn  married  Ops,  blood-kin  of  his  ; 
Oceanus,  Tethys  ;  the  ruler  of  Olympus,  Juno.  But 
the  gods  are  a  law  unto  themselves  !  Why  should  1 
try  to  measure  human  fashions  by  divine  and  far 
different  customs  ?  Either  my  passion  will  flee  from 
my  heart  if  I  forbid  its  presence,  or  if  I  cannot  do 
this,  I  pray  that  I  may  die  before  I  yield,  and  be  laid 
out  dead  upon  my  couch,  and  as  I  lie  there  may  my 
brother  kiss  my  lips.  And  yet  that  act  requires  the 
will  of  two  !  Supposing  it  please  me,  it  will  seem  a 
crime  to  him. 

"Yet  the  Aeolidae  did  not  shun  their  sisters' 
chambers  !  But  whence  do  I  know  these?  Why  do 
I  quote  these  examples?  Whither  am  I  tending? 
Get  you  far  hence,  immodest  love,  and  let  not  my 
brother  be  loved  at  all,  save  in  sisterly  fashion ! 
And  yet  if  he  himself  had  first  been  smitten  with 
love  for  me,  I  might  perchance  smile  upon  his 
passion.  Let  me  myself,  then,  woo  him,  since  I 
should  not  have  rejected  his  wooing!  And  caa  you 
speak?  can  you  confess?  Love  will  compel  me:  I 
can  !  or  if  shame  holds  my  lips,  a  private  letter  shall 
confess  my  secret  love." 

59 


OVID 

Hoc  placet,  haec  dubiam  vicit  sententia  mentem. 
in  latus  erigitur  cubitoque  innixa  sinistro 
P  viderit :  insanos  "  inquit  "  fateamur  amores  ! 
ei  mihi,  quo  labor  ?  quein  mens  mea  concipit  ignem  ?" 
et  meditata  manu  componit  verba  trementi.  521 

dextra  tenet  ferrum,  vacuam  tenet  altera  ceram. 
incipit  et  dubitat,  scribit  damnatque  tabellas, 
et  notat  et  delet,  mutat  culpatque  probatque 
inque  vicem  sumptas  ponit  positasque  resumit.       525 
quid  velit  ignorat ;  quicquid  factum  videtur, 
displicet.     in  vultu  est  audacia  mixta  pudori. 
scripta  "soror  "  fuerat ;  visum  est  delere  sororem 
verbaque  correctis  incidere  talia  ceris  : 
"  quam,  nisi  tu  dederis.  non  est  habitura  salutem,  530 
banc  tibi  mittit  amans  :  pudet,  a,  pudet  edere  nomen, 
et  si  quid  cupiam  quaeris,  sine  nomine  vellem 
posset  agi  mea  causa  meo,  nee  cognita  Byblis 
ante  forem,  quam  spes  votorum  certa  fuisset. 

"  Esse  quidem  laesi  poterat  tibi  pectoris  index  535 
et  color  et  macies  et  vultus  et  umida  saepe 
lumina  nee  causa  suspiria  mota  patenti 
et  crebri  amplexus,  et  quae,  si  forte  notasti, 
oscula  sentiri  non  esse  sororia  possent. 
ipsa  tamen,  quamvis  animo  grave  vulnus  habebam, 
quam  vis  intus  erat  furor  igneus,  omnia  feci  541 

(sunt  mihi  di  testes),  ut  tandem  sanior  essem, 
pugnavique  diu  violenta  Cupidinis  arma 
effugere  infelix,  et  plus,  quam  ferre  puellam 
posse  putes,  ego  dura  tuli.     superata  fateri  545 

40 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

This  plan  meets  her  approval ;  upon  this  her 
wavering  mind  decides.  She  half-way  rises  and, 
leaning  upon  her  left  elbow,  says  :  "  Let  him  see : 
let  us  confess  our  mad  passion!  Ah  me!  whither 
am  I  slipping  ?  What  hot  love  does  my  heart  con- 
ceive ? "  And  she  proceeds  to  set  down  with  a 
trembling  hand  the  words  she  has  thought  out.  In 
her  right  hand  she  holds  her  pen,  in  her  left  an 
empty  waxen  tablet.  She  begins,  then  hesitates  and 
stops  ;  writes  on  and  hates  what  she  has  written ; 
writes  and  erases  ;  changes,  condemns,  approves ; 
by  turns  she  lays  her  tablets  down  and  takes  them 
up  again.  What  she  would  do  she  knows  not ;  on 
the  point  of  action,  she  decides  against  it.  Shame 
and  bold  resolution  mingle  in  her  face.  She  had 
begun  with  "sister";  but  "sister"  she  decided  to 
erase,  and  wrote  these  words  on  the  amended  wax : 
"  A  health  to  you,  which,  if  you  give  it  not  to  her, 
she  will  not  have,  one  sends  to  you  who  loves  you. 
Shamed,  oh,  she  is  ashamed  to  tell  her  name.  And 
if  you  seek  to  know  what  I  desire,  I  would  that 
nameless  I  might  plead  my  cause,  and  not  be  known 
as  Byblis  until  my  fond  hopes  were  sure. 

"  You  might  have  had  knowledge  of  my  wounded 
heart  from  my  pale,  drawn  face,  my  eyes  oft  filled 
with  tears,  my  sighs  for  no  seeming  cause,  my 
frequent  embraces  and  my  kisses  which  you  might 
have  known,  had  you  but  marked  them,  were  more 
than  sisterly.  Yet,  though  my  heart  was  sore  dis- 
tressed, though  full  of  hot  passion,  I  have  done 
everything  (the  gods  are  my  witnesses)  to  bring 
myself  to  sanity.  Long  have  I  fought,  unhappy  that 
I  am,  to  escape  love's  cruel  charge,  and  I  have  borne 
more  than  you  would  think  a  girl  could  bear.  But 
I  have  been  overborne  and  am  forced  to  confess  my 

41 


OVID 

cogor,  opemque  tuam  timidis  exposcere  votis. 
tu  servare  potes,  tu  perdere  solus  amantem  : 
elige,  utrum  facias,     non  hoc  inimica  precatur, 
sed  quae,  cum  tibi  sit  iunctissima,  iunctior  esse 
expetit  et  vinclo  tecum  propiore  ligari.  550 

iura  senes  norint,  et  quid  liceatque  nefasque 
fasque  sit,  inquirant,  legumque  examina  servent. 
conveniens  Venus  est  annis  temeraria  nostris. 
quid  liceat,  nescimus  adhuc,  et  cuncta  licere 
credimus,  et  sequimur  magnorum  exempla  deorum. 
nee  nos  aut  durus  pater  aut  reverentia  famae         556 
aut  timor  impediet :  tamen  ut  sit  causa  timendi, 
dulci  fraterno  sub  nomine  furta  tegemus. 
est  mihi  libertas  tecum  secreta  loquendi, 
et  damus  amplexus,  et  iungimus  oscula  coram.      560 
quantum  est,  quod  desit  ?  miserere  fatentis  amores, 
et  non  fassurae,  nisi  cogeret  ultimus  ardor, 
neve  merere  meo  subscribi  causa  sepulchro." 
Talia  nequiquam  perarantem  plena  reliquit 
cera  manum,  summusque  in  margine  versus  adhaesit. 
protinus  inpressa  signat  sua  crimina  gemma,  566 

quam  tinxit  lacrimis  (linguam  defecerat  umor)  : 
deque  suis  unum  famulis  pudibunda  vocavit, 
et  pavidum  blandita  "  fer  has,  fidissinie,  nostro  " — 
dixit,  et  adiecit  longo  post  tempore  "  fratri."         570 
cum  daret,  elapsae  manibus  cecidere  tabellae. 
omine  turbata  est,  misit  tamen.     apta  minister 
42 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  IX 

love,  and  with  timid  prayers  to  beg  help  of  you. 
For  you  alone  can  save,  you  only  can  destroy  your 
lover.  Choose  which  you  will  do.  It  is  no  enemy 
who  prays  to  you,  but  one  who,  though  most  closely 
joined  to  you,  seeks  to  be  more  fully  joined  and  to 
be  bound  by  a  still  closer  tie.  Let  old  men  know 
propriety  and  talk  of  what  is  fitting,  what  is  right 
and  wrong,  and  preserve  the  nice  discrimination  of 
the  laws.  But  love  is  compliant  and  heedless  for 
those  of  our  age.  What  is  allowed  we  have  not  yet 
discovered,  and  we  believe  all  things  allowed  ;  and 
in  this  we  do  but  follow  the  example  of  the  gods. 
You  and  I  have  no  harsh  father,  no  care  for  reputa- 
tion, no  fear  to  hold  us  back.  And  yet  even  though 
there  be  cause  for  fear,  beneath  the  sweet  name  of 
brother  and  sister  we  shall  conceal  our  stolen  love. 
I  have  full  liberty  to  talk  apart  with  you  ;  we  may 
embrace  and  kiss  in  open  view  of  all.  How  much 
still  is  lacking  ?  Pity  her  who  confesses  to  you  her 
love,  but  who  would  not  confess  if  the  utmost  love 
did  not  compel  her ;  and  let  it  not  be  written  on  my 
sepulchre  that  for  your  sake  I  died." 

The  tablet  was  full  when  she  had  traced  these 
words  doomed  to  disappointment,  the  last  line  coming 
to  the  very  edge.  Straightway  she  stamped  the 
shameful  letter  with  her  seal  which  she  moistened 
with  her  tears  (for  moisture  failed  her  tongue). 
Then,  blushing  hotly,  she  called  one  of  her  atten- 
dants and  with  timorous  and  coaxing  voice  said: 
"Take    these    tablets,    most    faithful    servant,    to 

my "  ;  and  after  a  long  silence  added,  "brother." 

While  she  was  «iving  them,  the  tablets  slipped  from 
her  hands  and  fell.  Though  much  perturbed  by  the 
omen,  she  still  sent  the  letter.  The  servant,  finding 
a  fitting  time,  went  to  the  brother  and  delivered  to 

43 


OVID 

tempora  nactus  adit  traditque  fatentia  verba. 

attonitus  subita  iuvenis  Maeandrius  ira 

proicit  acceptas  lecta  sibi  parte  tabellas,  575 

vixque  manus  retinens  trepidantis  ab  ore  ministri, 

"  dum  lieet,  o!  vetitae  scelerate  libidinis  auctor, 

eff'uge  !  "  ait  "  qui,  si  nostrum  tua  fata  pudorem 

non  traherent  secum,  poenas  mihi  morte  dedisses." 

ille  fugit  pavidus,  dominaeque  ferocia  Cauni  5S0 

dicta  refert.     palles  audita,  Bybli,  repulsa, 

et  pavet  obsessum  glaciali  frigore  corpus. 

mens  tamen  ut  rediit,  pariter  rediere  furores, 

linguaque  vix  tales  icto  dt  dit  aere  voces  : 

"  et  merito  !  quid  enim  temeraria  vulneris  huius  585 

indicium  feci  ?  quid,  quae  celanda  fuerunt, 

tarn  cito  commisi  properatis  verba  tabellis? 

ante  erat  ambiguis  animi  sententia  dictis 

praetc  mptanda  mihi.     ne  non  sequeretur  euntem, 

parte  aliqua  veli,  qualis  foret  aura,  notare  590 

debueram,  tutoque  mari  decurrere,  quae  nunc 

non  exploratis  inplevi  lintea  ventis. 

auferor  in  scopulos  igitur,  subversaque  toto 

obruor  oceano,  neque  habent  mea  vela  recursus. 

"Quid  quod  et  ominibus  certis  prohibebar  amori  59. 
indulgere  meo,  turn  cum  mihi  ferre  iubenti 
excidit  et  fecit  spes  nostras  cera  caducas  ? 
nonne  vel  ilia  dies  fuerat,  vel  tota  voluntas, 
sed  potius  mutanda  dies  ?  (bus  ip^e  monebat 
signaque  certa  dabat,  si  non  male  sana  fuissem.     600 
et  tamen  ipsa  loqui,  nee  me  committere  cerae 
44, 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

him  the  message  of  confession.  The  grandson  of 
Maeander,  in  a  passion  of  sudden  rage,  threw  down 
the  tablets  which  he  had  taken  and  read  half  through, 
and,  scarcely  restraining  his  hands  from  the  trem- 
bling servant's  throat,  he  cried  :  "  Flee  while  you 
may,  you  rascally  promoter  of  a  lawless  love  !  But 
if  your  fate  did  not  involve  our  own  disgrace,  you 
should  have  paid  the  penalty  for  this  with  death." 
He  fled  in  terror  and  reported  to  his  mistress  her 
brother's  savage  answer.  When,  Byblis,  you  heard 
that  your  love  had  been  repulsed,  you  grew  pale,  and 
your  whole  body  trembled  in  the  grip  of  an  icy  chill. 
But  when  your  senses  came  back,  your  mad  love  came 
back  with  equal  force ;  and  then  with  choked  and 
feeble  utterance  you  spoke :  "  Deservedly  I  suffer ! 
For  why  did  I  so  rashly  tell  him  of  this  wound  of 
mine  ?  Why  was  I  in  such  a  haste  to  commit  to 
tablets  what  should  have  been  concealed  ?  I  should 
first  have  tried  his  disposition  towards  me  by  obscure 
hints.  That  my  voyage  might  have  a  favourable 
wind,  I  should  first  have  tested  with  a  close-reefed 
sail  what  the  wind  was,  and  so  have  fared  in  safety ; 
but  now  with  sails  full  spread  I  have  encountered 
unexpected  winds.  And  so  my  ship  is  on  the  rocks ; 
with  the  full  force  of  ocean  am  I  overwhelmed,  and 
have  no  power  to  turn  back  upon  my  course. 

"  Nay,  by  the  clearest  omens  I  was  warned  not  to 
confess  my  love,  at  the  time  when  the  letter  fell 
from  my  hand  as  I  bade  my  servant  bear  it,  and 
taught  me  that  my  hopes  must  fall  as  well.  Should 
not  that  day  or  my  whole  purpose — say  rather,  should 
not  the  day  have  been  postponed?  God  himself 
warned  me  and  gave  me  clear  signs  had  J  not  been 
mad  with  love.  And  yet  I  should  have  told  him  with 
my  own  lips,  I  should  in  person  have  confessed  my 

45 


OVID 

debueram.  praesensque  meos  apsrire  furores, 
vidisset  lacrimas,  vultum  vidisset  amantis  ; 
plura  loqui  poteram,  quam  quae  cepere  tabellae. 
invito  putui  circumdare  bracchia  cello,  605 

et,  si  reicerer,  potui  moritura  videri 
amplectique  pedes,  adfusaque  poscere  vitam. 
omnia  fecissem,  quorum  si  singula  duram 
flectere  non  poterant,  potuissent  omnia,  mentem. 
forsitan  et  missi  sit  quaedam  culpa  ministri  :  610 

non  adiit  apte,  nee  legit  idonea,  credo, 
tempora,  nee  petiit  horamque  animumque  vacantem. 
" Haecnocueremihi.  neque  enim  est  de  tigridenatus 
nee  rigidas  silices  solidumve  in  pectore  ferrum 
aut  adamanta  gerit,  nee  lac  bibit  ille  leaenae.        615 
vincetur  !  rep^tendus  erit,  nee  taedia  coepti 
ulla  mei  capiam,  dum  spiritus  iste  manebit. 
nam  primum,  si  facta  mihi  revocare  lieeret, 
non  coepisse  fuit:  coepta  expugnare  secundum  est. 
quippe  nee  ille  potest,  ut  iam  mea  vota  relii  quam, 
non  tamenausorum  semper  memor  esse  meorum.  621 
et,  quia  desierim,  leviter  vohiisse  videbor, 
aut  et:am  temptasse  ilium  insidiisque  petisse, 
vel  certe  non  hoc,  qui  plurimus  urguet  et  urit 
pectora  nostra,  deo,  sed  victa  libidine  credar ;       625 
denique  iam  nequeo  nil  commisisse  nefandum. 
et  scripsi  et  petii :  temerata  est  nostra  voluntas ; 
ut  nihil  adiciam,  non  possum  innoxia  dici. 
46 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

passion,  and  not  have  trusted  my  inmost  heart  to 
waxen  tablets  !  He  should  have  seen  my  tears,  he 
should  have  seen  his  lover's  face ;  I  could  have 
spoken  more  than  any  tablets  could  hold;  I  could 
have  thrown  my  arms  about  his  unwilling  neck  and, 
if  I  were  rejected,  I  could  have  seemed  at  the  point 
of  death,  could  have  embraced  his  feet  and,  lying 
prostrate  there,  have  begged  for  life.  I  should  have 
done  all  things,  which  together  might  have  won  his 
stubborn  soul  if  one  by  one  they  could  not.  Perhaps 
the  servant  whom  I  sent  made  some  mistake  :  did  not 
approach  him  rightly;  chose  an  unfitting  time,  I 
suppose,  nor  sought  an  hour  and  mind  that  was 
free, 

"  All  this  has  wrought  against  me.  For  he  is 
no  tigress'  son  ;  he  has  no  heart  of  hard  flint  or 
solid  iron  or  adamant ;  no  lioness  has  suckled  him. 
He  shall  be  conquered!  I  must  go  to  him  again; 
nor  shall  I  weary  in  my  attempts  while  I  have 
breath  left  in  my  body.  For  if  it  were  not  too  late 
to  undo  what  1  have  done,  it  was  the  best  thing 
not  to  have  begun  at  all ;  the  second  best  is  to 
win  through  with  what  I  have  begun.  Though 
I  should  now  abandon  my  suit,  he  cannot  help 
remembering  always  how  far  I  have  already  dared. 
And  in  that  case,  just  because  I  did  give  up,  I  shall 
seem  either  to  have  been  fickle  in  my  desire,  or  else 
to  have  been  trying  to  tempt  him  and  catch  him  in 
a  snare.  Whichever  of  these  he  thinks  of  me,  he 
certainly  will  not  believe  that  I  have  been  overcome 
by  that  god  who  more  than  all  others  rules  and  in- 
flames our  hearts,  but  actuated  by  lust  alone.  In 
short,  I  cannot  now  undo  the  wrong  that  I  have 
done.  I  have  both  written  and  have  wooed  him 
and  rash  I  was  to  do  so.     Though  I  do  nothing  more, 

47 


OVID 

quod  superest,  multum   est    in   vota,   in  criinina 

parvum." 
dixit,  et  (incertae  tanta  est  discordia  mentis,)       630 
cum  pigeat  temptasse,  libet  temptare.     modumque 
exit  et  infelix  committit  saepe  repelli. 
mox  ubi  finis  abest,  patriam  fugit  ille  nefasque, 
inque  peregrina  ponit  nova  moenia  terra. 

Turn  vero  maestam  tota  Miletida  mente  635 

defecisse  ferunt,  turn  vero  a  pectore  vesten. 
diripuit  planxitque  suos  furibunda  lacertos  ; 
lamque  palam  est  demens,  inconcessamque  fatetur 
spem  veneris,  sine  qua  patriam  invisosque  penates 
deserit,  et  profugi  sequitur  vestigia  fratris.  640 

utque  tuo  motae,  proles  Semelei'a,  thyrso 
Ismariae  celebrant  repetita  triennia  bacchae, 
Byblida  non  aliter  latos  ululasse  per  agros 
Bubasides  videre  nurus.     quibus  ilia  relictis 
Caras  et  armiferos  Lelegas  Lyciamque  pererrat.   645 
iam  Cragon  et  Limyren  Xanthique  reliquerat  umlas, 
quoque  Chimaera  iugo  mediis  in  partibus  ignem, 
pectus  et  ora  leae,  caudam  serpentis  habebat. 
deficiunt  silvae,  cum  tu  lassata  sequendo 
concidis,  et  dura  positis  tellure  capillis,  650 

Bybli,  iaces,  frondesque  tuo  premis  ore  caducas. 
saepe  etiam  nymphae  teneris  Lelege'ides  ulnis 
tollere  conantur,  saepe,  ut  medeatur  amori, 
praecipiunt,  surdaeque  adhibent  solacia  menti. 
muta  iacet,  viridesque  suis  tenet  unguibus  herbas  655 
Byblis,  et  umectat  lacrimarum  gramina  rivus. 
48 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

I  cannot  seem  other  than  guilty  in  his  sight.  As  for 
the  rest,  I  have  much  to  hope  and  naught  to  fear." 
Thus  does  she  argue  ;  and  (so  great  is  her  uncertainty 
of  soul),  while  she  is  sorry  that  she  tried  at  all,  she 
wants  to  try  again.  The  wretched  girl  tries  every 
art  within  her  power,  but  is  repeatedly  repulsed. 
At  length,  when  there  seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  her 
importunity,  the  youth  fled  from  his  native  land  and 
from  this  shameful  wooing,  and  founded  a  new  city  1 
in  another  land. 

Then,  they  say,  the  wretched  daughter  of  Miletus 
lost  all  control  of  reason  ;  she  tore  her  garments  from 
her  breast,  and  in  mad  passion  beat  her  arms.  Now 
before  all  the  world  she  rages  and  publicly  proclaims 
her  hope  of  unlawful  love,  disappointed  in  which  she 
forsakes  her  land  and  her  hated  home  and  follows  her 
fleeing  brother.  And  just  as,  crazed  by  thy  thyrsus, 
O  son  of  Semele,  thy  Ismarian  worshippers  throng  thy 
triennial  orgies,  so  the  women  of  Bubassus  2  beheld 
Byblis  go  shrieking  through  the  broad  fields.  Leaving 
these  behind,  she  wandered  through  the  land  of  Caria, 
by  the  well-armed  Leleges  and  the  country  of  the 
Lycians.  And  now  she  had  passed  by  Cragus  and 
Limyre  and  Xanthus'  stream  and  the  ridge  where 
dwelt  Chimaera,  that  fire-breathing  monster  with 
lion's  head  and  neck  and  serpent's  tail.  Clear  beyond 
the  wooded  ridge  she  went,  and  then  at  last,  wearied 
with  pursuing,  you  fell,  O  Byblis,  and  lay  there  with 
your  hair  streaming  over  the  hard  ground  and  your 
face  buried  in  the  fallen  leaves.  Often  the  Lelegeian 
nymphs  try  to  lift  her  in  their  soft  arms,  often  advise 
her  how  she  may  cure  her  love  and  offer  comfort  to 
her  unheeding  soul.     Byblis   lies  without  a  word, 

1  Caunus,  in  south-western  Caria. 
*  A  town  in  Caria. 

49 


OVID 

naidas  his  venam,  quae  nuniquam  arescere  posset, 

subposuisse  ferunt.    quid  enim  dare  maius  habebant? 

protinus,  ut  secto  piceae  de  cortice  guttae, 

utve  tenax  gravida  manat  tellure  bitumen ;  660 

utve  sub  adventu  spirantis  lene  favoni 

sole  remollescit  quae  frigore  constitit  unda ; 

sic  lacrimis  consumpta  suis  Phoebe'ia  Byblis 

vertitur  in  fontem,  qui  nunc  quoque  vallibus  illis 

nomen  habet  dominae,  nigraque  sub  ilice  manat.  66.r> 

Fama  novi  centum  Creteas  forsitan«urbes 
implesset  monstri,  si  non  miracula  nuper 
Iphide  mutata  Crete  propiora  tulisset. 
proxima  Gnosiaco  nam  quondam  Phaestia  regno 
progenuit  tellus  ignotum  nomine  Ligdum,  670 

ingenua  de  plebe  virum,  nee  census  in  illo 
nobilitate  sua  maior,  sed  vita  fidesque 
inculpata  fuit.     gravidae  qui  coniugis  aures 
vocibus  his  monuit,  cum  iam  prope  partus  adesset . 
"quae  voveam,  duo  sunt:  minimo  ut  relevere  dolore, 
utque  marem  parias.     onerosior  altera  sors  est,     676 
et  vires  fortuna  negat.     quod  abominor :  ergo 
edita  forte  tuo  fuerit  si  femina  partu, — 
invitus  mando  ;  pietas,  ignosce  ! — necetur." 
dixerat,  et  lacrimis  vultum  lavere  profusis,  680 

tarn  qui  mandabat,  quam  cui  mandata  dabantur. 
sed  tamen  usque  suum  vanis  Telethusa  maritum 
50 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   IX 

clutching  the  green  herbs  with  her  fingers,  and 
watering  the  grass  with  her  flowing  tears.  The  naiads 
are  said  to  have  given  her  a  vein  of  tears  which  could 
never  dry  ;  for  what  greater  gift  had  they  to  bestow  ? 
Straightway,  as  drops  of  pitch  drip  forth  from  the 
gashed  pine-bark ;  as  sticky  bitumen  oozes  from  rich 
heavy  earth  ;  or  as,  at  the  approach  of  the  soft 
breathing  west-wind,  the  water  which  had  stood 
frozen  with  the  cold  now  melts  beneath  the  sun  ;  so 
Phoebean  Byblis,  consumed  by  her  own  tears,  is 
changed  into  a  fountain,  which  to  this  day  in  those 
valleys  has  the  name  of  its  mistress,  and  issues  forth 
from  under  a  dark  ilex-tree. 

The  story  of  this  unnatural  passion  would,  per- 
haps, have  been  the  talk  of  Crete's  hundred  towns, 
if  Crete  had  not  lately  had  a  wonder  of  its  own  in 
the  changed  form  of  Iphis.  For  there  once  lived  in 
the  Phaestian  country,  not  far  from  the  royal  town 
of  Gnosus,  a  man  named  Ligdus,  otherwise  unknown, 
of  free-born  but  humble  parentage  ;  nor  was  his  pro- 
perty any  greater  than  his  birth.  But  he  was  of 
blameless  life  and  trustworthy.  When  now  the  time 
drew  near  when  his  wife  should  give  birth  to  a  child, 
he  warned  and  instructed  her  with  these  words: 
"There  are  two  things  which  I  would  ask  of  Heaven  : 
that  you  may  be  delivered  with  the  least  possible 
pain,  and  that  your  child  may  be  a  boy.  Girls  are 
more  trouble,  and  fortune  has  denied  them  strength. 
Therefore  (and  may  Heaven  save  the  mark!),  if  by 
chance  your  child  should  prove  to  be  a  girl  (I  hate 
to  say  it,  and  may  I  be  pardoned  for  the  impiety), 
let  her  be  put  to  death."  He  spoke,  and  their 
cheeks  were  bathed  in  tears,  both  his  who  ordered 
and  hers  to  whom  the  command  was  given.  Never- 
theless, Telethusa  ceaselessly  implored  her  husband 

51 


OVID 

sollicitat  precibiiSj  ne  spem  sibi  ponat  in  arto. 
certa  sua  est  Ligdo  sententia.     iamque  ferendo 
vix  erat  ilia  gravem  maturo  pondere  ventrem,       685 
cum  medio  noctis  spatio  sub  imagine  somni 
Inachis  ante  torum,  pompa  comitata  sacrorum, 
aut  stetit  aut  visa  est.     inerant  lunaria  fronti 
cornua  cum  spicis  nitido  flaventibus  auro 
et  regale  decus  ;  cum  qua  latrator  Anubis,  690 

sanctaque  Bubastis,  variusque  coloribus  Apis, 
quique  premit  vocem  digitoque  silentia  suadet ; 
sistraque  erant,  nuraquamque  satis  quaesitus  Osiris, 
plenaque  somniferis  serpens  peregrina  venenis. 
turn  velut  excussam  somno  et  manifesta  videntem  695 
sic  adfata  dea  est :  "pars  o  Telethusa  mearum, 
pone  graves  curas,  mandataque  falle  mariti. 
nee  dubita,  cum  te  partu  Lucina  levarit, 
tollere  quicquid  erit.     dea  sum  auxiliaris  opemque 
exorata  fero  ;    nee  te  coluisse  quereris  700 

ingratum  numen."    monuit,  thalamoque  recessit. 
laeta  toro  surgit,  purasque  ad  sidera  supplex 
Cressa  manus  tollens,  rata  sint  sua  visa,  precatur. 
Ut  dolor  increvit,  seque  ipsum  pondus  in  auras 
expulit,  et  nata  est  ignaro  femina  patre,  705 

iussit  ali  mater  puerum  mentita.    fidemque 
res  habuit,  neque  erat  ficti  nisi  conscia  nutrix, 
52 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

(though  all  in  vain)  not  so  to  straiten  her  expectation  ; 
but  Ligdus  remained  steadfast  in  his  determination. 
And  now  the  time  was  at  hand  when  the  child  should 
be  born,  when  at  midnight,  in  a  vision  of  her  dreams, 
she  saw  or  seemed  to  see  the  daughter1  of  Inachus 
standing  before  her  bed,  accompanied  by  a  solemn 
train  of  sacred  beings.  She  had  crescent  horns 
upon  her  forehead,  and  a  wheaten  garland  yellow  with 
bright  gold  about  her  head,  a  sight  of  regal  beauty. 
Near  her  were  seen  the  dog  Anubis,  sacred  Bubastis, 
dappled  Apis,  and  the  god 2  who  enjoins  silence 
with  his  finger  on  his  lips;  there  also  were  the  sacred 
rattles,  and  Osiris,  for  whom  none  ever  search  enough, 
and  the  Egyptian,  serpent  swelling  with  sleep- 
producing  venom.  She  seemed  to  be  thoroughly 
awake  and  to  see  all  things  about  her  clearly  as 
the  goddess  spoke  to  her :  "  O  Telethusa,  one  of  my 
own  worshippers,  put  away  your  grievous  cares,  and 
think  not  to  obey  your  husband's  orders.  And  do  not 
hesitate,  when  Lucina  has  delivered  you,  to  save  your 
child,  whatever  it  shall  be.  I  am  the  goddess  who 
bring  help  and  succour  to  those  who  call  upon 
me ;  nor  shall  you  have  cause  to  complain  that  you 
have  worshipped  a  thankless  deity."  Having  so 
admonished  her,  the  goddess  left  the  chamber.  Then 
joyfully  the  Cretan  woman  arose  from  her  bed,  and, 
raising  her  innocent  hands  in  suppliance  to  the  stars, 
she  prayed  that  her  vision  might  come  true. 

When  now  her  pains  increased  and  the  birth  was 
accomplished,  and  the  child  proved  to  be  a  girl 
(though  without  the  father's  knowledge),  the  mother, 
with  intent  to  deceive,  bade  them  feed  the  boy. 
Circumstances  favoured  her  deceit,  for  the  nurse  was 

1  i.e.  Io,  worshipped  as  the  goddess  Isis.     See  I.  747. 
1  Harpocrates. 

59 


OVID 
vota  pater  solvit,  nomenque  inponit  avitum  : 
Iphisavus  fuerat.    gavisa  est  nomine  mater, 
quod  commune  foret,  nee  quemquam  fallerct  illo.   710 
inde  incepta  pia  mendacia  fraude  latebant. 
cultus  erat  pueri ;  facies,  quam  sive  puellae, 
sive  dares  puero,  fuerat  formosus  uterque. 

Tertius  interea  decimo  successerat  annus  : 
cum  pater,  Iphi,  tibi  flavam  despondet  Ianthcn,     715 
inter  Phaestiadas  quae  laudatissima  formae 
dote  fuit  virgo,  Dictaeo  nata  Teleste. 
par  aetas,  par  forma  fuit,  primasque  magislris 
accej)ere  artes,  elementa  aetatis,  ab  isdem. 
hinc  amor  ambarum  tetigit  rude  pectus,  et  aequum 
vulnus  utrique  dedit,  Bed  erat  fiducia  dispar  :         721 
coniugium  pactaeque  exspectat  tempora  taedae, 
quamque  virum  putat  esse,  virum  fore  credit  Ianthe  ; 
Ipliis  amat,  qua  posse  frui  desperat,  et  auget 
hoe  ipsum  flammas,  ardc  tque  in  virgine  virgo  725 

vixque    tenens  lacrimas    "  quis    me    manet    exifus," 

inquit 
"  cognita  quam  nulli,  quam  prodigiosa  novaeque 
cura  tenet  Veneris  ?  si  di  mihi  parcere  vellent, 
parcere  debuerant ;  si  non,  et  perdere  vellent, 
naturale  malum  saltern  et  de  men-  d<  dissent.         730 
nee  vaccam  vaecae,  nee  equas  amor  urit  equaruin  : 
urit  oves  aries,  sequltur  sua  femina  cervum. 
sic  et  aves  coeunt,  interque  animalia  cuncta 
54 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  IX 

the  only  one  who  knew  of  the  trick.  The  father 
paid  his  vows  and  named  the  child  after  its  grand- 
father:  the  grandfather  had  been  I  phis.  The  mother 
rejoiced  in  the  name  ;  for  it  was  of  common  gender 
and  she  could  use  it  without  deceit.  And  so  the 
trick,  begun  with  pious  fraud,  remained  undetected. 
The  child  was  dressed  like  a  boy,  and  its  face  would 
have  been  counted  lovely  whether  you  assigned  it 
to  a  girl  or  boy. 

Meanwhile  thirteen  years  passed  by;  and  then 
your  father  found  you  a  bride,  O  Iphis,  in  golden- 
haired  Iantlie,  a  girl  the  most  praised  among  the 
Phaestian  women  for  the  rich  dower  of  her  beauty, 
the  daughter  of  Cretan  Telestes.  The  two  were  of 
equal  age  and  equal  loveliness,  and  from  the  same 
teachers  had  they  received  their  first  instruction  in 
childish  rudiments.  Hence  love  came  to  both  their 
hearts  all  unsuspected  and  filled  them  both  with 
equal  longing.  But  they  did  not  both  love  with 
equal  hope  :  Ianthe  looked  forward  confidently  to 
marriage  and  the  fulfilment  of  her  troth,  and  be- 
lieved that  she  whom  she  thought  to  be  a  man  would 
some  day  be  her  husband.  Whereas  Iphis  loved 
without  hope  of  her  love's  fulfilment,  and  for  this 
very  reason  loved  all  the  more — a  girl  madly  in  love 
with  another  girl.  Scarcely  holding  back  her  tears, 
"  Oh,  what  will  be  the  end  of  me,"  she  said,  "  whom 
a  love  possesses  that  no  one  ever  heard  of,  a  strange 
and  monstrous  love  ?  If  the  gods  wished  to  save  me 
they  should  have  saved  me  ;  if  not,  and  they  wished 
to  ruin  me,  they  should  at  least  have  given  me  some 
natural  woe,  within  the  bounds  ot  experience.  Cows 
do  not  love  cows,  nor  mares,  mares  ;  but  the  ram 
desires  the  sheep,  and  his  own  doe  follows  the  stag. 
So  also  birds  mate,  and  in  the  whole  animal  world 

55 


OVID 
femina  femineo  conrepta  cupidine  nulla  est. 
vellcm  nulla  forem  !  ne  non  tamen  omnia  Crete    735 
monstra  ferat,  taurum  dilexit  filia  Solis, 
femina  nempe  marem.     meus  est  furiosior  illo, 
si  verum  profitemur,  amor,     tamen  ilia  secuta  est 
spem  Veneris  ;  tamen  ilia  dolis  et  imagine  vaccae 
passa  bovem  est,  et  erat,  qui  deciperetur,  adulter.  740 
hue  licet  ex  toto  sollertia  confluat  orbe, 
ipse  licet  revolet  ceratis  Daedalus  alis, 
quid  faciet  ?  num  me  puerum  de  virgine  doctis 
artibus  efficiet  ?  num  te  mutabit,  Ianthe  ? 

"Quin  animum  firmas,tequeipsa  recolligis,  Iphi,  745 
consiliique  inopes  et  stultos  excutis  ignes  ? 
quid  sis  nata,  vide,  nisi  te  quoque  decipis  ipsa, 
et  pete  quod  fas  est,  et  ama  quod  femina  debes  ! 
spes  est,  quae  capiat,  spes  est,  quae  pascat  amorem. 
hanc  tibi  res  adimit.     non  te  custodia  caro  750 

arcet  ab  amplexu,  nee  cauti  cura  mariti, 
non  patris  asperitas,  non  se  negat  ipsa  roganti, 
nee  tamen  est  potienda  tibi,  nee,  ut  omnia  fiant, 
esse  potes  felix,  ut  dique  hominesque  laborent. 
nunc  quoque  votorum  nulla  est  pars  vana  meorura, 
dique  mihi  faciles,  quicquid  valuere,  dederunt ;     756 
quodque  ego,  vult  genitor,  vult  ipsa,  socerque  futurus. 
at  non  vult  natura,  potentior  omnibus  istis, 
|ime  mihi  sola  nocet.     venit  ecce  optabile  tempus, 
luxque  iugalis  adest,  et  iam  mea  net  Ianthe —      760 
nee  mihi  continget :  mediis  sitiemus  in  undis. 
56 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

there  is  no  female  smitten  with  love  for  female.  I 
would  I  were  no  female  !  Nevertheless,  that  Crete 
might  produce  all  monstrous  things,  the  daughter1 
of  the  Sun  loved  a  bull — a  female  to  be  sure,  and 
male  ;  my  passion  is  more  mad  than  that,  if  the  truth 
be  told.  Yet  she  had  some  hope  of  her  love's  fulfil- 
ment ;  yet  she  enjoyed  her  bull  by  a  trick  and  the 
disguise  of  the  heifer,  and  it  was  the  lover  who  was 
deceived.  Though  all  the  ingenuity  in  the  world 
should  be  collected  here,  though  Daedalus  himself 
should  fly  back  on  waxen  wings,  what  could  he  do  ? 
With  all  his  learned  arts  could  he  make  me  into  a 
boy  from  a  girl  ?  or  could  he  change  you,  Ianthe  ? 

"Nay,  then,  be  strong  of  soul,  take  courage,  Iphis, 
and  banish  from  your  heart  this  hopeless,  foolish 
love.  See  what  you  were  born,  unless  you  yourself 
deceive  yourself  as  well  as  others  ;  seek  what  is 
lawful,  and  love  as  a  woman  ought  to  love  !  It  is 
hope  of  fulfilment  that  begets  love,  and  hope  that 
keeps  it  alive.  And  of  this  hope  the  nature  of  things 
deprives  you.  No  guardian  keeps  you  from  her  dear 
embrace,  no  watchfulness  of  a  jealous  husband,  no 
cruel  father;  nor  does  she  herself  deny  your  suit.  And 
yet  you  cannot  have  her,  nor  can  you  be  happy,  though 
all  things  should  favour  you,  though  gods  and  men 
should  work  for  you.  And  even  now  none  of  my 
prayers  have  been  denied  ;  the  gods,  compliant,  have 
given  me  whatever  was  theirs  to  give ;  and  what  I 
wish  my  father  wishes,  she  herself  and  her  father  all 
desire.  But  nature  will  not  have  it  so,  nature,  more 
mighty  than  they  all,  who  alone  is  working  my  dis- 
tress. And  lo,  the  longed-for  time  is  come,  my 
wedding-day  is  at  hand,  and  soon  Ianthe  will  be 
mine — and  yet  not  mine.     In  the  midst  of  water  we 

1  Paaiphae. 

57 


OVID 

pronuba  quid  Iuno,  quid  ad  haec,  Hymenaee,  venitis 
sacra,  quibus  qui  ducat  abest,  ubi  nubimus  arabae  ?  " 
pressit  ab  his  vocem.     nee  lenius  altera  virgo 
aestuat,  utque  celer  venias,  Hymenaee,  precatur.  765 
quod  petit  haec,  Telethusa  timens  modo  tempora 

differt, 
nunc  ficto  languore  moram  trahit,  omina  saepe 
visaque  causatur.    sediam  consumpserat  oinnem 
materiam  ficti,  dilataque  tempora  taedae 
institerant,  unusque  dies  restabat.     at  ilia  770 

crinalem  capiti  vittam  nataeque  sibique 
detrahit,  et  passis  aram  complexa  capillis  : 
"  Isi,  Paraetonium  Mareoticaque  arva  Pharonque 
quae  colis,  et  septem  digestum  in  cornua  Niluui  : 
ter,  precor,"  inquit  "  opem,  nostroque  medere  timori ! 
te,  dea,  te  quondam  tuaque  haec  insignia  vidi        776 
cunctaque  cognovi,  sonitum  comitesque  facesque  .  .  . 
sistrorum,  memorique  animo  tua  iussa  notavi. 
quod  videt  haec  lucem,  quod  non  ego  punior,  ecce 
consilium  mun usque  tuum  est.     miserere  duarum, 
auxilioque  iuva  !  "    lacrimae  sunt  verba  secutae.    781 
visa  dea  est  movisse  suas,  (et  moverat,)  aras, 
et  templi  tremuere  fores,  imitataque  lunam 
cornua  fulserunt,  crepuitque  sonabile  sistrum. 
non  secura  quidem,  fausto  tamen  omine  laeta        785 
mater  abit  templo.     sequitur  comes  I  phis  euntem, 
quam  solita  est,  maiore  gradu,  nee  candor  in  ore 
permanet,  et  vires  augentur,  et  acrior  ipse  est 
vultus,  et  incomptis  brevior  mensura  capillis, 
58 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

shall  thirst.  Why  do  you  come,  Juno,  goddess  of 
brides,  and  Hymen,  to  these  wedding  rites,  where 
no  man  takes  the  woman  for  his  bride,  but  where 
both  are  brides  ?"  She  broke  off  speech  with  these 
words.  The  other  maiden  burned  with  equal  love, 
and  prayed,  Hymen,  that  you  would  make  haste  to 
come.  And  Telethusa,  fearing  what  Ianthe  sought, 
put  off  the  time,  now  causing  delay  because  of  a 
pretended  sickness,  often  giving  for  reason  some  ill- 
omened  vision  she  had  seen.  But  now  she  had 
exhausted  every  possible  excuse,  and  the  postponed 
wedding-day  was  close  at  hand,  and  but  one  more 
day  remained.  Then  the  mother  took  the  encircling 
fillets  from  her  own  and  her  daughter's  heads,  and 
with  flowing  locks  she  prayed,  clinging  to  the  altar: 
"  O  Isis,  who  dwellest  in  Paraetonium  and  the 
Mareotic  fields  and  Pharos  and  the  sevenfold  waters 
of  the  Nile,  help  us,  I  pray,  and  heal  our  sore  distress. 
Thee,  goddess,  thee  and  these  thy  symbols  once 
I  saw  and  recognized  them  all — the  clashing  sound, 
thy  train,  the  torches,  [the  rattling]  of  the  sistra — 
and  with  retentive  mind  I  noted  thy  commands. 
That  this,  my  daughter  still  looks  on  the  light,  that 
I  have  not  been  punished,  behold,  is  all  of  thy  counsel 
and  thy  gift.  Pity  us  two,  and  help  us  with  thy  aid  ! " 
Tears  followed  on  her  words.  The  goddess  seemed 
to  move,  nay,  moved  her  altar,  the  doors  of  the 
temple  shook,  her  moon-shaped  horns  shot  forth 
gleams  of  light  and  the  sistrum  rattled  noisily.  Not 
yet  quite  free  from  care  and  yet  rejoicing  in  the 
good  omen,  the  mother  left  the  temple ;  and  Iphis 
walked  beside  her  as  she  went,  but  with  a  longer 
stride  than  was  her  wont.  Her  face  seemed  of  a 
darker  hue,  her  strength  seemed  greater,  her  very 
features  sharper,  and  her  locks,  all  unadorned,  were 

c  59 


OVID 

plusque  vigoris  adept,  habuit  quam  femina.     nam 

quae  790 

femina  nuper  eras,  puer  es  !     date  munera  templis, 
nee  timida  gaudete  fide  !  dant  munera  templis, 
addunt  et  titulum  :  titulus  breve  carmen  habebat : 

DONA  •   PUER  •   SOLVIT  •   QUAE  •   FEMINA    •   VOVERAT  .   IPHI8. 

postera  lux  ratliis  latum  patefeeerat  orbern,  795 

cum  Venus  et  Iuno  sociosque  Hymenaeus  ad  ignes 
conveniunt,  potituique  sua  puer  Iphis  Ianthe. 


60 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  IX 

shorter  than  before.  She  seemed  more  vigorous 
than  was  her  girlish  wont.  In  fact,  you  who  but 
lately  were  a  girl  are  now  a  boy!  Go,  make  your 
offerings  at  the  shrines ;  rejoice  with  gladness  un- 
afraid !  They  make  their  offerings  at  the  shrines 
and  add  a  votive  tablet ;  the  tablet  had  this  brief 
inscription  :  These  gifts  as  man  did  Iijhis  pay  which 
once  as  maid  he  vowed.  The  morrow's  sun  had 
revealed  the  broad  world  with  its  rays,  when  Venus, 
Juno,  and  Hymen  met  at  the  marriage  fires,  and  the 
boy  Iphis  gained  his  Ianthe. 


61 


BOOK  X 


LIBER  X 

Inde  per  inmensum  croceo  velatus  amictu 

aethera  digreditur  Ciconumque  Hymenaeus  ad  oras 

tendit  et  Orphea  nequiquam  voce  vocatur. 

adfuit  ille  quidem,  sed  nee  sollemnia  verba 

nee  laetos  vultus  nee  felix  attulit  omen.  5 

fax  quoque,  quam  tenuit,  lacrimoso  stridula  fumo 

usque  fuit  nuliosque  invenit  motibus  ignes. 

exitus  auspicio  gravior :  nam  nupta  per  herbas 

dum  nova  naiadum  turba  comitata  vagatur, 

occidit  in  talum  serpentis  dente  recepto.  10 

quam  satis  ad  superas  postquam  Rhodopeius  auras 

deflevit  vates,  ne  non  temptaret  et  umbras, 

ad  Styga  Taenaria  est  ausus  descendere  porta 

perque  leves  populos  simulacraque  functa  sepulcro 

Persephonen  adiit  inamoenaque  regna  tenentem     15 

umbrarum  dominum  pulsisque  ad  carmina  nervis 

sic  ait :  "  o  positi  sub  terra  numina  mundi, 

in  quem  reccidimus,  quicquid  mortale  creamur, 

si  licet  et  falsi  positis  ambagibus  oris 

vera  loqui  sinitis,  non  hue,  ut  opaca  viderem  20 

Tartara,  descendi,  nee  uti  villosa  colubris 

tenia  Medusaei  vincirem  guttura  monstri 

64 


BOOK  X 

Thence  through  the  boundless  air  Hymen,  clad  in  a 
saffron  mantle,  departed  and  took  his  way  to  the 
country  of  the  Ciconians,  and  was  summoned  by  the 
voice  of  Orpheus,  though  all  in  vain.  He  was 
present,  it  is  true ;  but  he  brought  neither  the  hal- 
lowed words,  nor  joyous  faces,  nor  lucky  omen.  The 
torch  also  which  he  held  kept  sputtering  and  filled 
the  eyes  with  smoke,  nor  would  it  catch  fire  for 
any  brandishing.  The  outcome  of  the  wedding  was 
worse  than  the  beginning;  for  while  the  bride  was 
strolling  through  the  grass  with  a  group  of  naiads  in 
attendance,  she  fell  dead,  smitten  in  the  ankle  by  a 
serpent's  tooth.  When  the  bard  of  Rhodope  had 
mourned  her  to  the  full  in  the  upper  world,  that  he 
might  try  the  shades  as  well  he  dared  to  go  down  to 
the  Stygian  world  through  the  gate  of  Taenarus. 
And  through  the  unsubstantial  throngs  and  the  ghosts 
who  had  received  burial,  he  came  to  Persephone  and 
him  who  rules  those  unlovely  realms,  lord  of  the 
shades.  Then,  singing  to  the  music  of  his  lyre,  he 
said  :  "  O  ye  divinities  who  rule  the  world  which  lies 
beneath  the  earth,  to  which  we  all  fall  back  who  are 
born  mortal,  if  it  is  lawful  and  you  permit  me  to  lay 
aside  all  false  and  doubtful  speech  and  tell  the  simple 
truth  :  I  have  not  come  down  hither  to  see  dark 
Tartarus,  nor  yet  to  bind  the  three  necks  of  Medusa's 
monstrous  offspring,  rough  with  serpents.     Ths  cause 

65 


OVID 

causa  viae  est  coniunx,  in  quam  calcata  venerium 

vipera  difTudit  crescentesque  abstulit  annos. 

posse  pati  volui  nee  me  temptasse  negabo  :  25 

vieit  Amor,      supera  deus  hie  bene  notus  in  ora  est; 

an  sit  et  hie,  dubito:  sed  et  hie  tamen  auguror  esse, 

fnmaque  si  veteris  non  est  mentita  rapinae, 

vos  quoque  iunxit  Amor,     per  ego  haec  loca  plena 

timoris, 
per  Chaos  hoc  ingens  vastique  silentia  regni,  SO 

Eurydices,  oro,  properata  retexite  fata, 
omnia  debemur  vobis,  paulumque  morati 
serius  aut  citius  sedem  properamus  ad  unam. 
tendimus  hue  omnes,  haec  est  domus  ultima,  vosque 
humani  generis  longissima  regna  tenetis.  35 

haec  quoque,  cum  iustos  matura  peregerit  annos, 
iuris  erit  vestri :  pro  munere  poscimus  usum  ; 
quodsi  fata  negant  veniam  pro  coniuge,  certum  est 
nolle  redire  mihi :  leto  jraudete  duorum." 

Talia  dicentem  nervosque  ad  verba  moventem     40 
exsangues  flebant  animae  ;  nee  Tantalus  undam 
captavit  refugam,  stupuitque  Ixionis  orbis, 
nee  carpseie  iecur  volucres,  urnisque  vacarunt 
Belides,  inque  tuo  sedisti,  Sisyphe,  saxo. 
tunc  primum  lacrimis  victarum  carmine  fama  est     45 
Eumenidum  maduisse  genas,  nee  regia  coniunx 
sustinet  oranti  nee,  qui  regit  ima,  negare, 
Eurydicenque  vocant :  umbras  erat  ilia  recentes 
inter  et  incessit  passu  de  vulnere  tardo. 
hanc  simul  et  legem  Rhodopeius  accipit  Orpheus,   50 
66 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

of  my  journey  is  my  wife,  into  whose  body  a  trodden 
serpent  shot  his  poison  and  so  snatched  away  her 
budding  years.  I  have  desired  strength  to  endure, 
and  I  will  not  deny  that  I  have  tried  to  bear  it. 
But  Love  has  overcome  me,  a  god  well-known  in  the 
upper  world,  but  whether  here  or  not  I  do  not  know  ; 
and  yet  I  surmise  that  he  is  known  here  as  well, 
and  if  the  story  of  that  old-time  ravishment  is  not 
false,  you,  too,  were  joined  by  Love.  By  these  fear- 
some places,  by  this  huge  void  and  these  vast  and 
silent  realms,  I  beg  of  you,  unravel  the  fates  of  my 
Eurydice,  too  quickly  run.  We  are  in  all  things  due 
to  you,  and  though  we  tarry  on  earth  a  little  while, 
slow  or  swift  we  speed  to  one  abode.  Hither  we  all 
make  our  way ;  this  is  our  final  home ;  yours  is  the 
longest  sway  over  the  human  race.  She  also  shall  be 
yours  to  rule  when  of  ripe  age  she  shall  have  lived 
out  her  allotted  years.  I  ask  the  enjoyment  of  her 
as  a  boon  ;  but  if  the  fates  deny  this  privilege  for 
my  wife,  I  am  resolved  not  to  return.  Rejoice  in  the 
death  of  two." 

As  he  spoke  thus,  accompanying  his  words  with  the 
music  of  his  lyre,  the  bloodless  spirits  wept ;  Tantalus 
did  not  catch  at  the  fleeing  wave  ;  Ixion's  wheel 
stopped  in  wonder ;  the  vultures  did  not  pluck  at 
the  liver ;  *  the  Belides  rested  from  their  urns,  and 
thou,  O  Sisyphus,  didst  sit  y.pcv  thy  stone.  Then 
first,  tradition  says,  conquered  by  the  song,  the 
cheeks  of  the  Eumenides  were  wet  with  tears ;  nor 
could  the  queen  nor  he  who  rules  the  lower  world 
refuse  the  suppliant.  They  called  Eurydice.  She  was 
among  the  new  shades  and  came  with  steps  halting 
from  her  wound.  Orpheus,  the  Thracian,  then  re- 
ceived his  wife  and  with  her  this  condition,  that  he 

»  *.«.  of  Tityui, 

67 


OVID 

ne  flectat  retro  sua  lumina,  donee  Avernas 

exierit  valles ;  aut  inrita  dona  futura. 

carpitur  adclivis  per  muta  silentia  trames, 

arduus,  obscurus,  caligine  densus  opaca, 

nee  procul  af'uerunt  telluris  margine  summae :         55 

hie,  ne  deficeret,  metuens  avidusque  videndi 

flexit  amans  oculos,  et  protinus  ilia  relapsa  est. 

bracchiaque  intendens  prendique  et  prendere  certans 

nil  nisi  cedentes  infelix  arripit  auras,  59 

iamque  iterum  moriens  non  est  de  coniuge  quicquam 

questa  suo  (quid  enim  nisi  se  quereretur  amatam  ?) 

suprenmmque  "  vale/'  quod  iam  vix  auribus  ille 

acciperet,  dixit  revolutaque  rursus  eodem  est. 

Non  aliter  stupuit  gemina  nece  coniugis  Orpheus, 

quain  tria  qui  timidus,  medio  portante  catenas,        65 

eolla  canis  vidit,  quern  non  pavor  ante  reliquit, 

quarn  tiatura  prior  saxo  per  corpus  oborto, 

quique  in  se  crimen  traxit  vuluitque  videri 

Olenos  esse  nocens,  tuque,  o  confisa  fiafurae 

infelix  Lethaea  tuae,  iunctissima  quondam  70 

pectora,  nunc  lapides,  quos  umida  sustinet  hie. 

orantem  frustraque  iterum  transire  volentem 

portitor  arcuerat :  septem  tamen  ille  diebus 

squalidus  in  ripa  Cereris  sine  munere  sedit ; 

cura  dolorque  animi  lacrimaeque  alimenta  fuere.     75 
68 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  X 

should  not  turn  his  eyes  backward  until  he  had  gone 
forth  from  the  valley  of  Avernus,  or  else  the  gift 
would  be  in  vain.  They  took  the  up-sloping  path 
through  places  of  utter  silence,  a  steep  path,  indis- 
tinct and  clouded  in  pitchy  darkness.  And  now 
they  were  nearing  the  margin  of  the  upper  earth,  when 
he,  afraid  that  she  might  fail  him,  eager  for  sight  of 
her,  turned  back  his  longing  eyes;  and  instantly  she 
slipped  into  the  depths.  He  stretched  out  his  arms, 
eager  to  catch  her  or  to  feel  her  clasp  ;  but,  unhappy 
one,  he  clasped  nothing  but  the  yielding  air.  And 
now,  dying  a  second  time,  she  made  no  com- 
plaint against  her  husband  ;  for  of  what  could  she 
complain  save  that  she  was  beloved  ?  She  spake 
one  last  "  farewell "  which  scarcely  reached  her 
husband's  ears,  and  fell  back  again  to  the  place 
whence  she  had  come. 

By  his  wife's  double  death  Orpheus  was  stunned, 
like  that  frightened  creature1  who  saw  the  three- 
headed  dog  with  chains  on  his  middle  neck,  whose 
numbing  terror  left  him  only  when  his  former  nature 
left,  and  the  petrifying  power  crept  through  his 
body ;  or  like  that  Olenos,2  who  took  sin  upon  him- 
self and  was  willing  to  seem  guilty;  and  like  you, 
luckless  Lethaea,3  too  boastful  of  your  beauty,  once 
two  hearts  joined  in  close  embrace,  but  now  two 
stones  which  well-watered  Ida  holds.  Orpheus  prayed 
and  wished  in  vain  to  cross  the  Styx  a  second 
time,  but  the  keeper  drove  him  back.  Seven  days 
he  sat  there  on  the  bank  in  filthy  rags  and  with 
no  taste  of  food.  Care,  anguish  of  soul,  and  tears 
were  his  nourishment.    Complaining  that  the  gods  of 

l  A  man,  unknown,  who  is  said  to  have  turned  to  stone  at 
Bight  ot  Cerberus  led  in  chains  by  Hercules. 
>  See  Index.  3  See  Index. 

69 


OVID 

esse  deos  Erebi  crudeles  questus,  in  altam 

se  recipit  Rhodopen  pulsuniqueaquilonibus  Haemum. 

Tertius  aequoreis  inclusion  Piscibus  annum 
finierat  Titan,  omnemque  refugerat  Orpheus 
femineam  Venerem,  seu  quod  male  cesserat  illi,     80 
sive  fidem  dederat ;  multas  tamen  ardor  habcbat 
iungere  se  vati,  multae  doluere  repulsae 
ille  etiam  Thracum  populis  fuit  auctor  amorera 
in  teneros  transferre  mares  citraque  iuventam 
aetatis  breve  ver  et  primos  carpere  flores.  85 

Collis  erat  collemque  super  planissima  campi 
area,  quam  viridem  faciebant  graminis  herbae  : 
umbra  loco  deerat ;  qua  postquam  parte  resedit 
dis  genitus  vates  et  fila  sonantia  movit, 
umbra  loco  venit :  non  Chaonis  afuit  arbor,  Q0 

non  nemus  Heliadum,  non  frondibus  aesculus  altis, 
nee  tiliae  molles,  nee  fagus  et  innuba  laurus, 
et  coryli  fragiles  et  fraxinus  utilis  hastis 
enodisque  abies  curvataque  glandibus  ilex 
et  platanus  genialis  acerque  coloribus  inpar  Q5 

amnicolaeque  simul  salices  et  aquatica  lotos 
perpetuoque  virens  buxum  tenuesque  myricae 
et  bicolor  myrtus  et  bacis  caerula  tinus. 
vos  quoque,  flexipedes  hederae,  venistis  et  una 
pampineae  vites  et  amictae  vitibus  ulmi  100 

ornique  et  piceae  pomoque  onerata  rubenti 
arbutus  et  lentae,  victoris  praemia,  palmae 
et  succincta  comas  hirsutaque  vertice  pinus, 
grata  deum  matri,  siquidem  Cybeleius  Attis 
exuit  hac  hominem  truncoque  induruit  illo.  105 

Adfuit  huic  turbae  metas  imitata  cupressus, 
70 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK   X 

Erebus  were  cruel,  he  betook  himself  to  high  Rho- 
dope  and  wind-swept  Haemus. 

Three  times  had  the  sun  finished  the  year  and 
come  to  watery  Pisces  ;  and  Orpheus  had  shunned  all 
love  of  womankind,  whether  because  it  had  gone 
so  ill  with  him,  or  because  he  had  so  given  his 
troth.  Still,  many  women  felt  a  passion  for  the  bard  ; 
many  grieved  for  their  love  repulsed.  He  set  the 
example  for  the  peoples  of  Thrace  of  giving  his  love 
to  tender  boys,  and  enjoying  the  springtime  and  first 
flower  of  their  youth. 

A  hill  there  was,  and  on  the  hill  a  wide-extending 
plain,  green  with  luxuriant  grass ;  but  the  place  was 
devoid  of  shade.  When  here  the  heaven-descended 
bard  sat  down  and  smote  his  sounding  lyre,  shade 
came  to  the  place.  There  came  the  Chaonian  oak, 
the  grove  of  the  Heliades,1  the  oak  with  its  deep 
foliage,  the  soft  linden,  the  beech,  the  virgin  laurel- 
tree,  the  brittle  hazel,  the  ash,  suitable  for  spear- 
shafts,  the  smooth  silver-fir,  the  ilex-tree  bending 
with  acorns,  the  pleasant  plane,  the  many-coloured 
maple,  river-haunting  willows,  the  lotus,  lover  of 
the  pools,  the  evergreen  boxwood,  the  slender  tama- 
risk, the  double-hued  myrtle,  the  viburnum  with  its 
dark-blue  berries.  You  also,  pliant-footed  ivy,  came, 
and  along  with  you  tendrilled  grapes,  and  the  elm- 
trees,  draped  with  vines ;  the  mountain-ash,  the 
forest-pines,  the  arbute-tree,  loaded  with  ruddy 
fruit,  the  pliant  palm,  the  prize  of  victory,  the 
bare-trunked  pine  with  broad,  leafy  top,  pleasing  to 
the  mother  of  the  gods,  since  Attis,  dear  to  Cybele, 
exchanged  for  this  his  human  form  and  stiffened  in 
its  trunk. 

Amidst  this  throng  came  the  cone-shaped  cypress, 

1  The  poplar-trees. 

71 


OVID 

nunc  arbor,  puer  ante  deo  dilectus  ab  illo, 

qui  citharam  nervis  et  nervis  temperat  arcum. 

namque  sacer  nymphis  Carthaea  tenentibus  arva 

ingens  cervus  erat,  lateque  patentibus  altas  J  10 

ipse  suo  capiti  praebebat  cornibus  umbras. 

cornua  fulgebant  auro,  demissaque  in  arraos 

pendebant  tereti  gemmata  monilia  collo. 

bulla  super  frontem  parvis  argentea  loris 

vineta  movebatur  parilique  aetate  :  nitebant  115 

auribus  e  geminis  circum  cava  tempora  bacae ; 

isque  metu  vacuus  naturalique  pavore 

deposito  celebrare  domos  mulcendaque  colla 

quamlibet  ignotis  manibus  praebere  solebat. 

sed  tamen  ante  alios,  Ceae  pulcherrime  gentis,     120 

gratus  erat,  Cjparisse,  tibi :  tu  pabula  cervum 

ad  nova,  tu  liquidi  ducebas  fontis  ad  undam, 

tu  modo  texebas  varios  per  cornua  flores, 

nunc  eques  in  tergo  residens  hue  laetus  et  illuc 

mollia  purpureis  frenabas  ora  capistris.  125 

Aestus  erat  mediusque  dies,  solisque  vapore 
concava  litorei  fervebant  bracchia  Cancri : 
fessus  in  herbosa  posuit  sua  corpora  terra 
cervus  et  arborea  frigus  ducebat  ab  umbra, 
hunc  puer  inprudens  iaculo  Cyparissus  acuto  1 30 

fixit  et,  ut  saevo  morientem  vulnere  vidit, 
velle  mori  statuit.     quae  non  solacia  Phoebus 
dixit !  ut  hunc,  leviter  pro  maleriaque  doleret, 
admonuit !  gemit  ille  tamen  munusque  supremum 
hoc  petit  a  superis,  ut  tempore  lugeat  omni.  1 35 

iamque  per  inmensos  egesto  sanguine  fletus 
in  viridem  verti  coeperunt  membra  colorem, 
72 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

now  a  tree,  but  once  a  boy,  beloved  by  that  god  who 
strings  the  lyre  and  strings  the  bow.  For  there  was 
a  mighty  stag,  sacred  to  the  nymphs  who  haunt  the 
Carthaean  plains,  whose  wide-spreading  antlers  gave 
ample  shade  to  his  own  head.  His  antlers  gleamed 
with  gold,  and  down  on  his  shoulders  hung  a  gem- 
mounted  collar  set  on  his  rounded  neck.  Upon  his 
forehead  a  silver  boss  bound  with  small  thongs  was 
worn,  and  worn  there  from  his  birth.  Pendent  from 
both  his  ears,  about  his  hollow  temples,  were  gleam- 
ing pearls.  He,  quite  devoid  of  fear  and  with  none 
of  his  natural  shyness,  frequented  men's  homes  and 
let  even  strangers  stroke  his  neck.  But  more  than 
to  all  the  rest,  O  Cyparissus,  loveliest  of  the  Cean 
race,  was  he  dear  to  you.  Twas  you  who  led  the 
stag  to  fresh  pasturage  and  to  the  waters  of  the  clear 
spring.  Now  would  you  weave  bright  garlands  for 
his  horns ;  now,  sitting  like  a  horseman  on  his  back, 
now  here,  now  there,  would  gleefully  guide  his  soft 
mouth  with  purple  reins. 

'Twas  high  noon  on  a  summer's  day,  when  the 
spreading  claws  of  the  shore-loving  Crab  were  burn- 
ing with  the  sun's  hot  rays.  Weary,  the  stag  had 
lain  down  upon  the  grassy  earth  and  was  drinking  in 
the  coolness  of  the  forest  shade.  Him,  all  unwit- 
tingly, the  boy,  Cyparissus,  pierced  with  a  sharp 
javelin, and  when  he  saw  him  dying  of  the  cruel  wound, 
he  resolved  on  death  himself.  What  did  not  Phoebus 
say  to  comfort  him  !  How  he  warned  him  to  grieve 
in  moderation  and  consistently  with  the  occasion! 
The  lad  only  groaned  and  begged  this  as  the 
boon  he  most  desired  from  heaven,  that  he  might 
mourn  for  ever.  And  now,  as  his  life  forces  were 
exhausted  by  endless  weeping,  his  limbs  began  to 
change  to  a  green  colour,  and  his  locks,  which  but 

73 


OVID 

et,  niodo  qui  iiivea  pendebant  fronte  capilli, 
horrida  caesaries  fieri  sumptoque  rigore 
sidereum  gracili  spec-tare  cacumine  caelum.  140 

ingemuit  tristisque  deus  "lugebere  nobis 
lugebisque  alios  aderisque  dolentibus  "  inquit. 

Tale  nemus  vates  attraxerat  inque  ferarum 
concilio  medius  turba  volucrunique  sedcbat. 
ut  satis  inpulsas  temptavit  pollice  chordas  145 

et  sensit  varios,  quamvis  diversa  sonarent, 
concordare  modos,  hoe  vocera  carmine  movit : 
"  ab      love,     Musa     parens,     (cedunt     Iovis     omnia 

regno,) 
carmina  nostra  move  !  Iovis  est  mihi  saepe  potestas 
dicta  prius  :  cecini  plectro  graviore  Gigantas  1.50 

sparsaque  Phlegraeis  victricia  fulmina  campis. 
nunc  opus  est  leviore  lyra,  puerosque  canamus 
dilectos  superis  inconcessisque  puellas 
ignibus  attonitas  meruisse  libidine  poenam. 

"  Rex  superum  Phrygii  quondam  Ganjmedisamore 
arsit,  et  inventum  est  aliquid,  quod  Iuppiter  esse,   1  ;& 
quam  quod  erat,  mallet,     nulla  tamen  alite  verti 
dignatur,  nisi  quae  posset  sua  fulmina  ferre. 
nee  mora,  percusso  mendacibus  aere  pennis 
abripit  Iliaden;  qui  nunc  quoque  pocula  miscet     1()0 
invitaque  Iovi  nectar  Iunone  ministrat. 

"Te  quoque,  Amyclide,posuisset  in  aethere  Phoebus, 
tristia  si  spatium  ponendi  fata  dedissent. 
qua  licet,  aeternus  tamen  es,  quotiensque  repellit 
ver  hiemem,  Piscique  Aries  succedit  aquoso,  1  ( )5 

74 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

now  overhung  his  snowy  brow,  were  turned  to  a 
bristling  crest,  and  he  became  a  stiff  tree  with  slender 
top  looking  to  the  starry  heavens.  The  god  groaned 
and,  full  of  sadness,  said  :  "  You  shall  be  mourned 
by  me,  shall  mourn  for  others,  and  your  place  shall 
always  be  where  others  grieve." 

Such  was  the  grove  the  bard  had  drawn,  and  he 
sat,  the  central  figure  in  an  assembly  of  wild  beasts 
and  birds.  And  when  he  had  tried  the  chords  by 
touching  them  with  his  thumb,  and  his  ears  told  him 
that  the  notes  were  in  harmony  although  they  were 
of  different  pitch,  he  raised  his  voice  in  this  song: 
"  From  Jove,  O  Muse,  my  mother — for  all  things 
yield  to  the  sway  of  Jove — inspire  my  song !  Oft 
have  I  sung  the  power  of  Jove  before ;  I  have  sung 
the  giants  in  a  heavier  strain,  and  the  victorious  bolts 
hurled  on  the  Phlegraean  plains.  But  now  I  need 
the  gentler  touch,  for  I  would  sing  of  boys  beloved 
by  gods,  and  maidens  inflamed  by  unnatural  love  and 
paying  the  penalty  of  their  lust. 

"  The  king  of  the  gods  once  burned  with  love  for 
Phrygian  Ganymede,  and  something  was  found  which 
Jove  would  rather  be  than  what  he  was.  Still  he  did 
not  deign  to  take  the  form  of  any  bird  save  only  that 
which  could  bear  his  thunderbolts.  Without  delay 
he  cleft  the  air  on  his  lying  wings  and  stole  away  the 
Trojan  boy,  who  even  now,  though  against  the  will 
of  Juno,  mingles  the  nectar  and  attends  the  cups  of 
Jove. 

"  You  aI;o,  youth  of  Amyclae,1  Phoebus  would  have 
set  in  the  sky,  if  grim  fate  had  given  him  time  to 
set  you  there.  Still  in  what  fashion  you  may  you 
are  immortal  :  as  often  as  spring  drives  winter  out 
and  the  Ram  succeeds    the  watery  Fish,    so   often 

1  Hyacinthus. 


OVID 

tu  totiens  oreris  viridique  in  caespite  flores. 

te  meus  ante  omnes  genitor  dilexit,  et  orbe 

in  medio  positi  canierunt  praeside  Delphi, 

dum  deus  Eurotan  inmunitamque  frequentat 

Sparten,  nee  citharae  nee  sunt  in  honore  sagittae  : 

inmemor  ipse  sui  non  retia  ferre  recusat,  171 

non  tenuisse  canes,  non  per  iuga  montis  in'qui 

ire  comes,  longaque  alit  adsuetudine  flammas. 

iamque  fere  medius  Titan  venientis  et  actae 

noctis  erat  spatioque  pari  distabat  utrimque,  175 

corpora  veste  levant  et  suco  pinguis  olivi 

splendescunt  latique  ineunt  certamina  disci. 

quem  prius  aerias  libratum  Phoebus  in  auras 

misit  et  oppositas  disiecit  pondere  nubes  ; 

reccidit  in  solitam  longo  post  tempore  terram         1 80 

pondus  et  exhibuit  iunctam  cum  viribus  artem. 

protinus  inprudens  actusque  cupidine  lusus 

tollere  Taenarides  orbem  properabat,  at  ilium 

dura  repercussum  subiecit  in  aera  tellus 

in  vultus,  Hyacinthe,  tuos.    expalluit  aeque  185 

quam  puer  ipse  deus  conlapsosque  excipit  artus, 

et  modo  te  refovet,  modo  tristia  vulnera  siccat, 

nunc  animam  admotis  fugientem  sustinet  herbis. 

nil  prosunt  artes  :  erat  inmedicabiie  vulnus. 

ut,  siquis  violas  rigidumve  papaver  in  horto  1.90 

liliaque  infringat  fulvis  horrentia  Unguis, 

marcida  demittant  subito  caput  ilia  vietum 

nee  se  sustineant  spectentque  cacumine  terram  : 

76 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  X 

do  you  come  up  and  blossom  on  the  green  turf. 
Above  all  others  did  my  father  love  you,  and  Delphi, 
set  at  the  very  centre  of  the  earth,  lacked  its  pre- 
siding deity  while  the  god  was  haunting  Eurotas' 
stream  and  Sparta,1  the  unwalled.  No  more  has  he 
thought  for  zither  or  for  bow.  Entirely  heedless 
of  his  usual  pursuits,  he  refuses  not  to  bear  the  nets, 
nor  hold  the  dogs  in  leash,  nor  go  as  comrade 
along  the  rough  mountain  ridges.  And  so  with  long 
association  he  feeds  his  passion's  flame.  And  now 
Titan  was  about  midway  'twixt  the  coming  and  the 
banished  night,  standing  at  equal  distance  from  both 
extremes  ;  they  strip  themselves  and,  gleaming  with 
rich  olive  oil,  they  try  a  contest  with  the  broad 
discus.  This,  well  poised,  Phoebus  sent  flying  through 
the  air  and  cleft  the  opposite  clouds  with  the  heavy 
iron.  Back  to  the  wonted  earth  after  long  time  it 
fell,  revealing  the  hurler's  skill  and  strength  com- 
bined. Straightway  the  Taenarian a  youth,  heed- 
less of  danger  and  moved  by  eagerness  for  the  game, 
ran  out  to  take  up  the  discus.  But  it  bounded  back 
into  the  air  from  the  hard  earth  beneath  full  in  your 
face,  O  Hyacinthus.  The  god  grows  deadly  pale 
even  as  the  boy,  and  catches  up  the  huddled  form; 
now  he  seeks  to  warm  you  again,  now  tries  to 
staunch  your  dreadful  wound,  now  strives  to  stay 
your  parting  soul  with  healing  herbs.  But  his  arts 
are  of  no  avail ;  the  wound  is  past  all  cure.  Just  as 
when  in  a  garden,  if  someone  should  break  off 
violets  or  stiff*  poppies  or  lilies,  bristling  with 
yellow  stamens,  fainting  they  suddenly  droop  their 
withered  heads  and  can  no  longer  stand  erect,  but 
gaze,  with  tops  bowed  low,  upon  the  earth :  so  the 

1  The  home  of  Hyacinthus. 

4  Poetic  for  Laconian,  or  Spartan. 

77 


OVID 

sic  vultus  moriens  iacet  et  defecta  vigore 

ipsa  sibi  est  oneri  cervix  umeroque  reeumbit.  195 

•  laberis,  Oebalide,  prima  {Validate  iuventa,' 

Phoebus  ait  f  videoque  tuum,  mea  crimina,  vulnus. 

tu  dolor  es  facinusque  meum  :  mea  dextera  leto 

inscribenda  tuo  est     ego  sum  tibi  funeris  auctor. 

quae  mea  culpa  tamen,  nisi  si  lusisse  vocari  200 

culpa  potest,  nisi  culpa  potest  et  amasse  vocari  ? 

atque  utinam  merito  vitam  tecumve  liceret 

reddere  !  quod  quoniam  fatali  lege  tenemur, 

semper  eris  mccum  memorique  haerebis  in  ore. 

te  lyra  pulsa  manu,  te  carmina  nostra  sonabunt,    205 

flosque  novus  scripto  gemitus  imitabere  nostros. 

tempus  et  illud  erit,  quo  se  fortisshnus  heros 

addat  in  hunc  florem  folioque  legatur  eodem.' 

talia  dum  vero  memorantur  Apollinis  ore, 

ecce  cruor,  qui  fusus  humo  signaverat  herbas,        210 

desinit  esse  cruor,  Tyrioque  nitentior  ostro 

flos  oritur  formamque  capit,  quam  lilia,  si  non 

purpureus  color  his,  argenteus  esset  in  illis. 

non  satis  hoc  Phoebo  est  (is  enim  fuit  auctor  honoris): 

ipse  suos  gemitus  foliis  iuscribit,  et  AI  AI  215 

flos  habet  insci  iplum,  funestaque  littera  ducta  est. 

nee  genuisse  pudet  Sparten  Hyacinthon  :  honorque 

durat  in  hoc  aevi,  celebrandaque  more  priorum 

annua  praelata  redeunt  Hyacinthia  pompa. 

78 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

dying  face  lies  prone,  the  neck,  its  strength  all  gone, 
cannot  sustain  its  own  weight  and  falls  back  upon  the 
shoulders.  '  Thou  art  fallen, defrauded  of  thy  youth's 
prime,  Oebalides,'  *  says  Phoebus,  *  and  in  thy  wound 
do  I  see  my  guilt ;  thou  art  my  cause  of  grief  and 
self-reproach  ;  my  hand  must  be  proclaimed  the  cause 
of  thy  destruction.  I  am  the  author  of  thy  death. 
And  yet,  what  is  my  fault,  unless  my  playing  with 
thee  can  be  called  a  fault,  unless  my  loving  thee 
can  be  called  a  fault  ?  And  oh,  that  I  might 
give  up  my  life  for  thee,  so  well-deserving,  or  give 
it  up  with  thee  !  But  since  we  are  held  from  this 
by  the  laws  of  fate,  thou  shalt  be  always  with  me,  and 
shalt  stay  on  my  mindful  lips.  Thee  shall  my  lyre, 
struck  by  my  hand,  thee  shall  mysongs  proclaim.  And 
as  a  new  flower,  by  thy  markings  shalt  thou  imitate 
my  groans.  Also  the  time  will  come  when  a  most 
valiant  hero2  shall  be  linked  with  this  flower,  and 
by  the  same  markings  shall  he  be  known.'  While 
Apollo  thus  spoke  with  truth-telling  lips,  behold,  the 
blood,  which  had  poured  out  on  the  ground  and 
stained  the  grass,  ceased  to  be  blood,  and  in  its  place 
there  sprang  a  flower  brighter  than  Tyrian  dye.  It 
took  the  form  of  the  lily,  save  that  the  one  was  of 
purple  hue,  while  the  other  was  silvery  white.  Phoe- 
bus, not  satisfied  with  this — for  'twas  he  who  wrought 
the  honouring  miracle— himself  inscribed  his  grieving 
words  upon  the  leaves,  and  the  flower  bore  the  marks, 
A I  AI,  letters  of  lamentation,  drawn  thereon.  Sparta, 
too,  was  proud  that  Hyacinthus  was  her  son,  and  even 
to  this  day  his  honour  still  endures ;  and  still,  as  the 
anniversary  returns,  as  did  their  sires,  they  celebrate 
the  Hyacinthia  in  solemn  festival. 


1  Descendant  of  Oebalus,  Spartan, 
■  Ajax. 


79 


OVID 

"At  si  forte  roges  fecundam  Amathunta  metallis, 
an  genuisse  velit  Propoetidas,  abnuat  aeque  221 

atque  illos,  gemino  quondam  quibus  aspera  cornu 
frons  erat,  unde  etiam  nomen  traxere  Cerastae. 
ante  fores  horum  stabat  Iovis  Hospitis  ara ; 
ignarus  sceleris1  quam  siquis  sanguine  tinctam     22.5 
advena  vidisset,  mactatos  crederet  illic 
lactantes  vitulos  Amathusiacasque  bidentes  : 
hospes  erat  caesus !  sacris  offensa  nefandis 
ipsa  suas  urbes  Ophiusiaque  arva  parabat 
deserere  alma  Venus,  'sed  quid  loca  grata,  quid  urbes 
peccavere  meae  ?    quod'  dixit '  crimen  in  illis?     231 
exilio  poenam  potius  gens  inpia  pendat 
vel  nece  vel  siquid  medium  est  mortisque  fugaeque. 
idque  quid  esse  potest,  nisi  versae  poena  figurae  ?' 
dum  dubitat,  quo  mutet  eos,  ad  cornua  vultum     235 
flexit  et  admonita  est  haec  illis  posse  relinqui 
grandiaque  in  torvos  transformat  membra  mvencos. 

"  Sunt  tamen  obscenae  Venerem  Propoetides  ausae 
esse  negare  deam ;  pro  quo  sua  numinis  ira 
corpora  cum  fama  primae  vulgasse  feruntur,  240 

utque  pudor  cessit,  sanguisque  induruit  oris, 
in  rigidum  parvo  silicem  discrimine  versae. 

"  Quas  quia  Pygmalion  aevum  per  crimen  agentis 
viderat,  offensus  vitiis,  quae  plurima  menti 
femineae  natura  dedit,  sine  coniuge  caelebs  245 

vivebat  thalamique  diu  consorte  carebat. 

1  The  text  is  corrupt.  Of  the  many  MS.  readings  and  con- 
jectures this  of  N.  Madvig  seems  best.  Ehwald  reads  f  in  lugubris 
celeri  f. 

80 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  X 

"  But  if  you  should  chance  to  ask  Amathus,  rich 
in  veins  of  ore,  if  she  is  proud  of  her  Propoetides, 
she  would  repudiate  both  them  and  those  whose 
foreheads  once  were  deformed  by  two  horns,  whence 
also  they  took  their  name,  Cerastae.  Before  their 
gates  there  used  to  stand  an  altar  sacred  to  Jove, 
the  god  of  hospitality ;  if  any  stranger,  ignorant  of 
the  crime,  had  seen  this  altar  all  smeared  with  blood, 
he  would  suppose  that  suckling  calves  or  two-year- 
old  sheep  of  Amathus  had  been  sacrificed  thereon. 
'Twas  the  blood  of  slaughtered  guests !  Outraged 
by  these  impious  sacrifices,  fostering  Venus  was  pre- 
paring to  desert  her  cities  and  her  Ophiusian  plains; 
'  but,'  she  said,  '  wherein  have  these  pleasant 
regions,  wherein  have  my  cities  sinned  ?  What 
crime  is  there  in  them?  Rather  let  this  impious 
race  pay  the  penalty  by  exile  or  by  death,  or  by 
some  punishment  midway  betwixt  death  and  exile. 
And  what  other  can  that  be  than  the  penalty  of  a 
changed  form  ? '  While  she  hesitates  to  what  she 
shall  change  them,  her  eyes  fall  upon  their  horns, 
and  she  reminds  herself  that  these  can  still  be  left 
to  them.  And  so  she  changes  their  big  bodies  into 
savage  bulls. 

"  But  the  foul  Propoetides  dared  to  deny  the 
divinity  of  Venus.  In  consequence  of  this,  through 
the  wrath  of  the  goddess  they  are  said  to  have  been 
the  first  to  prostitute  their  bodies  and  their  fame ; 
and  as  their  shame  vanished  and  the  blood  of  their 
faces  hardened,1  they  were  turned  with  but  small 
change  to  hard  stones. 

"  Pygmalion  had  seen  these  women  spending  their 
lives  in  shame,  and,  disgusted  with  the  faults  which 
in  such  full  measure  nature  had  given  the  female 
1  i.e.  they  lost  the  power  to  blush. 

81 


OVID 

interea  niveum  mira  feliciter  arte 

sculpsit  ebur  formamque  dedit,  qua  femina  nasci 

nulla  potest,  operisque  sui  concepit  amorem. 

virginis  est  verae  facies,  quam  vivere  credas,         250 

et,  si  non  obstet  reverentia,  velle  moveri : 

ars  adeo  latet  arte  sua.    miratur  et  haurit 

pectore  Pygmalion  simulati  corporis  ignes. 

saepe  manus  operi  temptantes  admovet,  an  sit 

corpus  an  illud  ebur,  nee  adhuc  ebur  esse  fatrtur. 

oscula  dat  reddique  putat  loquiturque  tenetque    256 

et  credit  tactis  digitos  insidere  membris 

et  metuit,  pressos  veniat  ne  livor  in  artus, 

et  modo  blanditias  adhibet,  modo  grata  puellis 

munera  fert  illi  conchas  teretesque  lapillos  260 

et  parvas  volucres  et  flores  mille  colorum 

liliaque  pictasque  pilas  et  ab  arbore  lapsas 

Heliadum  lacrimas ;  ornat  quoque  vestibus  artus, 

dat  digitis  gemmas,  dat  longa  monilia  collo, 

aure  leves  bacae,  redimicula  pectore  pendent :      26"5 

cuncta  decent ;  nee  nuda  minus  formosa  videtur. 

conlocat  hanc  stratis  concha  Sidonide  tinctis 

dapellatque  tori  sociam  adclinataque  colla 

mollibus  in  plumis,  tamquam  sensura,  reponit. 

"  Festa  dies  Veneris  tota  celeberrima  Cypro     270 
venerat,  et  pandis  inductae  cornibus  aurura 
conciderant  ictae  nivea  cervice  iuvencae, 
turaque  fumabant,  cum  munere  functus  ad  aras 
82 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

mind,  he  lived  unmarried  and  long  was  without  a 
partner  of  his  couch.  Meanwhile,  with  wondrous 
art  he  successfully  carves  a  figure  out  of  snowy  ivory, 
giving  it  a  beauty  more  perfect  than  that  of  any 
woman  ever  born.  And  with  his  own  work  he  falls 
in  love.  The  face  is  that  of  a  real  maiden,  whom 
you  would  think  living  and  desirous  of  being  moved, 
if  modesty  did  not  prevent.  So  does  his  art  conceal 
his  art.  Pygmalion  looks  in  admiration  and  is  in- 
flamed with  love  for  this  semblance  of  a  form. 
Often  he  lifts  his  hands  to  the  work  to  try  whether 
it  be  flesh  or  ivory ;  nor  does  he  yet  confess  it  to  be 
ivory.  He  kisses  it  and  thinks  his  kisses  are  re- 
turned. He  speaks  to  it,  grasps  it  and  seems  to  feel 
his  fingers  sink  into  the  limbs  when  he  touches  them; 
and  then  he  fears  lest  he  leave  marks  of  bruises  on 
them.  Now  he  addresses  it  with  fond  words  of  love, 
now  brings  it  gifts  pleasing  to  girls,  shells  and  smooth 
pebbles,  little  birds  and  many-hued  flowers,  and  lilies 
and  coloured  balls,  with  tears1  of  the  Heliades  that  drop 
down  from  the  trees.  He  drapes  its  limbs  also  with 
robes,  puts  gemmed  rings  upon  its  fingers  and  a  long 
necklace  around  its  neck ;  pearls  hang  from  the  ears 
and  chains  adorn  the  breast.  All  these  are  beautiful ; 
but  no  less  beautiful  is  the  statue  unadorned.  He 
lays  it  on  a  bed  spread  with  coverlets  of  Tyrian  hue, 
calls  it  the  consort  of  his  couch,  and  rests  its  reclin- 
ing head  upon  soft,  downy  pillows,  as  if  it  could 
enjoy  them. 

"And  now  the  festal  day  of  Venus  had  come, 
which  all  Cyprus  thronged  to  celebrate ;  heifers 
with  spreading  horns  covered  with  gold  had  fallen 
'neath  the  death-stroke  on  their  snowy  necks,  and 
the  altars  smoked  with  incense.     Pygmalion,  having 

1  i.e.  amber. 

83 


OVID 

constitit  et  timide  '  si  di  dare  cuncta  potestis, 
sit  coniunx,  opto,'  non  ausus  '  eburnea  virgo  '        275 
dicere,  Pygmalion  'similis  mea '  dixit  'eburnae.' 
sensit,  ut  ipsa  suis  aderat  Venus  aurea  festis, 
vota  quid  ilia  velint  et,  amici  numinis  omen, 
flamraa  ter  accensa  est  apicemque  per  aera  duxit. 
ut  rediit,  simulacra  suae  petit  ille  puellae  280 

incumbensque  toro  dedit  oscula :  visa  tepere  est ; 
adniovet  os  iterum,  manibus  quoque  pectora  temptat : 
temptatum  mollescit  ebur  positoque  rigore 
subsidit  digitis  ceditque,  ut  Hymettia  sole 
cera  remollescit  tractataque  pollice  multas  285 

flectitur  in  facies  ipsoqae  fit  utilis  usu. 
dum  stupet  et  dubie  gaudet  fallique  veretur, 
rursus  amans  rursusque  manu  sua  vota  retractat 
corpus  erat !  saliunt  temptatae  pollice  venae, 
turn  vero  Paphius  plenissima  concipit  heros  290 

verba,  quibus  Veneri  grates  agat,  oraque  tandem 
ore  suo  non  falsa  premit,  dataque  oscula  virgo 
sensit  et  erubuit  timidumque  ad  lumina  lumen 
attollens  pariter  cum  caelo  vidit  amantem. 
coniugio,  quud  fecit,  adest  dea,  iamque  coactis      295 
cornibus  in  plenum  noviens  lunaribus  orbem 
ilia  Paphon  genuit,  de  qua  tenet  insula  nomen. 
"  Editus  hac  ille  est,  qui  si  sine  prole  fuisset, 
inter  felices  Cinyras  potuisset  haberi. 
dira  canam  ;  procul  bine  natae,  procul  este  parentes 
aut,  mea  si  vestras  mulcebunt  carmina  mentes,     301 
desit  in  hac  mihi  parte  fides,  nee  credite  factum, 
84 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  X 

brought  his  gift  to  the  altar,  stood  and  falteringly 
prayed  :  '  If  ye,  O   gods,  can  give  all  things,  I  pray 

to  have    as    wife '    he  did    not   dare  add    'rny 

ivory  maid,'  but  said,  'one  like  my  ivory  maid.' 
But  golden  Venus  (for  she  herself  was  present  at  her 
feast)  knew  what  that  prayer  meant;  and,  as  an 
omen  of  her  favouring  deity,  thrice  did  the  flame  burn 
brightly  and  leap  high  in  air.  When  he  returned  he 
sought  the  image  of  his  maid,  and  bending  over  the 
couch  he  kissed  her.  She  seemed  warm  to  his  touch. 
Again  he  kissed  her,  and  with  his  hands  also  he 
touched  her  breast.  The  ivory  grew  soft  to  his  touch 
and,  its  hardness  vanishing,  gave  and  yielded  beneath 
his  fingers,  as  Hymettian  wax  grows  soft  under  the  sun 
and,  moulded  by  the  thumb,  is  easily  shaped  to  many 
forms  and  becomes  usable  through  use  itself.  The 
lover  stands  amazed,  rejoices  still  in  doubt,  fears  he 
is  mistaken,  and  tries  his  hopes  again  and  yet  again 
with  his  hand.  Yes,  it  was  real  flesh  1  The  veins 
were  pulsing  beneath  his  testing  finger.  Then  did 
the  Paphian  hero  pour  out  copious  thanks  to  Venus, 
and  again  pressed  with  his  lips  real  lips  at  last.  The 
maiden  felt  the  kisses,  blushed  and,  lifting  her  timid 
eyes  up  to  the  light,  she  saw  the  sky  and  her  lover 
at  the  same  time.  The  goddess  graced  with  her 
presence  the  marriage  she  had  made ;  and  ere  the 
ninth  moon  had  brought  her  crescent  to  the  full,  a 
daughter  was  born  to  them,  Paphos,  from  whom  the 
island  takes  its  name.  / 

"Cinyras  was  her  son  and,  had  he  been  without 
offspring,  might  have  been  counted  fortunate.  A 
horrible  tale  I  have  to  tell.  Far  hence  be  daughters, 
far  hence,  fathers ;  or,  if  your  minds  find  pleasure 
in  my  songs,  do  not  give  credence  to  this  story,  and 
believe  that  it  never  happened  ;  or,  if  you  do  believe 

85 


OVID 

vel,  si  credetis,  facti  quoque  credite  poenam. 

si  tamen  admissum  sinit  hoc  natura  videri, 

gentibus  Ismariis  et  nostro  gratulor  orbi,  S05 

gratulor  huic  terrae,  quod  abest  regionibus  illis, 

quae  tantum  genuere  nefas  :  sit  dives  amorao 

cinnamaque  costumque  suum  sudataque  ligno 

tura  ferat  floresque  alios  Panchaia  tellus, 

dum  ferat  et  murrain  :  tanti  nova  non  fuit  arbor.  310 

ipse  negat  nocuisse  tibi  sua  tela  Cupido, 

Myrrha,  facesque  suas  a  crimine  vindicat  isto ; 

stipite  te  Stygio  tumidisque  adflavit  echidnis 

e  tribus  una  soror  :  scelus  est  odisse  parentem, 

hie  amor  est  odio  maius  scelus. — undique  lecti       3 1 5 

te  cupiunt  proceres,  totoque  Oriente  iuventa 

ad  thalami  certamen  adest :  ex  omnibus  unum 

elige,  Myrrha,  virum,  dum  ne  sit  in  omnibus  unus. 

ilia  quidem  sentit  foedoque  repugnat  amori 

et  secum  '  quo  mente  feror  ?  quid  molior  ? '  inquit 

1  di,  precor,  et  pietas  sacrataque  iura  parentum,     32 1 

hoc  prohibete  nefas  scelerique  resistite  nostro, 

si  tamen  hoc  scelus  est.     sed  enim  damnare  negatur 

hanc  Venerem  pietas  :  coeunt  animalia  nullo 

cetera  dilectu,  nee  habetur  turpe  iuvencae  32.5 

ferre  patrem  tergo,  fit  equo  sua  filia  coniunx, 

quasque  creavit  init  pecudes  caper,  ipsaque,  cuius 

semine  concepta  est,  ex  illo  concipit  ales. 

felices,  quibus  ista  licent  !  humana  malignas 

cura  dedit  leges,  et  quod  natura  remittit,  330 

invida  iura  negant,     gentes  tamen  esse  feruntur, 

86 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK    X 

it,  believe  also  in  the  punishment  of  the  deed.     If, 
however,   nature  allows  a  crime  like  this   to  show 
itself,  I  congratulate  the  Ismarian  people,  and  this  our 
country ;   I  congratulate  this  land  on  being  far  away 
from  those  regions  where  such  iniquity  is  possible. 
Let  the  land  of  Panchaia  be  rich  in  balsam,  let  it 
bear    its    cinnamon,    its    costum,    its    frankincense 
exuding  from  the  trees,  its  flowers  of  many  sorts,  so 
long  as  it  bears  its  myrrh-tree,  too :  a  new  tree  was 
not  worth  so  great  a  price.     Cupid  himself  avers  that 
his  weapons  did  not  harm  you,  Myrrha,  and  clears 
his  torches  from  that  crime  of  yours.     One  of  the 
three  sisters  with  firebrand  from  the  Styx  and  with 
swollen  vipers  blasted  you.     Tis  a   crime  to  hate 
one's  father,  but  such  love  as  this  is  a  greater  crime 
than  hate.      From  every  side   the  pick  of  princes 
desire  you ;  from  the  whole  Orient  young  men  are 
here  vying  for  your  couch ;  out  of  them  all  choose 
one  for  your  husband,  Myrrha,  only  let  not  one  *  be 
among  them  all.     She,  indeed,  is  fully  aware  of  her 
vile  passion  and  fights  against  it  and  says  within  her- 
self: 'To  what  is  my  purpose  tending?     What  am 
I  planning  ?     O  gods,  I  pray  you,  and  piety  and  the 
sacred  rights  of  parents,  keep  this  sin  from  me  and 
fight  off  my  crime,  if  indeed  it  is  a  crime.     But  I  am 
not  sure,  for  piety  refuses  to  condemn  such  love  as 
this.     Other  animals   mate  as  they  will,  nor  is   it 
thought  base  for  a  heifer  to  endure  her  sire,  nor  for 
his  own  offspring  to  be  a  horse's  mate ;  the  goat  goes 
in  among  the  flocks  which  he  has  fathered,  and  the 
very   birds    conceive  from   those    from   whom   they 
were  conceived.     Happy  they  who  have  such  privi- 
lege !     Human  civilization  has  made  spiteful  laws, 
and  what  nature  allows,  the  jealous  laws  forbid.  And 
1  i.e.  her  father. 

87 


OVID 

in  quibus  et  nato  genetrix  et  nata  parenti 
iungitur,  ut  pietas  geminato  crescat  amore. 
me  miseram,  quod  non  nasci  mini  contigit  illic, 
fortunaque  loci  laedor  ! — quid  in  ista  revolvor  ?     335 
spes  interdictae,  discedite  !  dignus  amari 
ille,  sed  ut  pater,  est. — ergo,  si  filia  magni 
non  essem  Cinyrae,  Cinyrae  concumbere  possem : 
nunc,  quia  iam  meus  est,  non  est  meus,  ipsaque  damno 
est  mihi  proximitas,  aliena  potentior  essem  ?  340 

ire  libet  procul  hinc  patriaeque  relinquere  fines, 
dum  scelus  effugiam  ;  retinet  malus  ardor  amantem, 
ut  praesens  spectem  Cinyram  tangamque  loquarque 
osculaque  admoveam,  si  nil  conceditur  ultra, 
ultra  autem  spectare  aliquid  potes,  inpia  virgo  ?    345 
et  quot  confundas  et  iura  et  nomina,  sentis  1 
tune  eris  et  matris  paelex  et  adultera  patris  ? 
tune  soror  nati  genetrixque  vocabere  fratris  ? 
nee  metues  atro  crinitas  angue  sorores, 
quas  facibus  saevis  oculos  atque  ora  petentes  350 

noxia  corda  vident?  at  tu,  dum  corpore  non  es 
passa  nefas,  animo  ne  concipe  neve  potentis 
concubitu  vetito  naturae  pollue  foedus  ! 
velle  puta  :  res  ipsa  vetat ;  pius  ille  memorque 
moris — et  o  vellem  similis  furor  esset  in  illo  ! '      355 
"  Dixerat,  at  Cinyras,  quern  copia  digna  procorum, 
quid  faciat,  dubitare  facit,  scitatur  ab  ipsa, 
nominibus  dictis,  cuius  velit  esse  mariti ; 
ilia  silet  primo  patriisque  in  vultibus  haerens 
aestuat  et  tepido  suffundit  lumina  rore.  860 

88 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  X 

jet   they  say  that   there    are   tribes   among  whom 
mother  with  son,  daughter  with  father  mates,  so  that 
natural  love  is  increased  by  the  double   bond.     Oh, 
wretched  me,  that  it  was  not  my  lot  to  be  born  there, 
and  that   I  am  thwarted  by  the   mere  accident   of 
place  I     Why  do  I  dwell  on  such  things  ?   Avaunt, 
lawless  desires !     Worthy  to  be  loved  is  he,  but  as  a 
father. — Well,  if  I  were  not  the  daughter  of  great 
Cinyras,  to  Cinyras  could  I  be  joined.     But  as  it  is, 
because  he  is  mine,  he  is  not  mine  ;  and,  while  my 
very  propinquity  is  my  loss,  would  I  as  a  stranger  be 
better  off?     It  is  well  to  go  far  away,  to  leave  the 
borders  of  my  native  land,  if  only  I  may  flee  from 
crime  ;  but  unhappy  passion  keeps  the  lover  here, 
that  I  may  see  Cinyras  face  to  face,  may  touch  him, 
speak    with   him  and  kiss  him,    if  nothing  else   is 
granted.     But  can  you  hope  for  aught  else,  you  un- 
natural girl  ?    Think  how  many  ties,  how  many  names 
you  are  confusing !     Will  you  be  the  rival  of  your 
mother,  the  mistress  of  your  father?     Will  you  be 
called  the  sister  of  your   son,  the   mother  of  your 
brother  ?     And  have  you  no  fear  of  the  sisters  with 
black  snakes  in   their  hair,  whom  guilty  souls  see 
brandishing    cruel   torches    before    their    eyes   and 
faces  ?     But  you,  while  you  have  not  yet  sinned  in 
body,  do  not  conceive  sin  in  your  heart,  and  defile 
not  great  nature's  law  with  unlawful  union.     Grant 
that  you  wish  it :  facts  themselves  forbid.     He  is  a 
righteous  man  and  heedful  of  moral  law— and   oh 
how  I  wish  a  like  passion  were  in  him ! ' 

"  She  spoke  ;  but  Cinyras,  whom  a  throng  of  worthy 
suitors  caused  to  doubt  what  he  should  do,  inquired 
of  her  herself,  naming  them  over,  whom  she  wished 
for  husband.  She  is  silent  at  first  and,  with  gaze 
fixed  on  her  father's  face,  wavers  in  doubt,  while  the 

89 


OVID 

virginei  Cinyras  haec  credens  esse  timoris, 
flere  vetat  siccatque  genas  atque  oscula  iungit ; 
Myrrha  datis  nimium  gaudet  consultaque,  qualem 
optet  habere  vimm,  '  similem  tibi '  dixit ;  at  ille 
non  intellectam  vocem  conlaudat  et  '  esto  365 

tam  pia  semper'  ait.     pietatis  nomine  dicto 
demisit  vultus  sceleris  sibi  conscia  virgo. 

"  Noctis  erat  medium,  curasque  et  corpora  somnus 
solverat ;  at  virgo  Cinyreia  pervigil  igni 
carpitur  indomito  furiosaque  vota  retractat  370 

et  modo  desperat,  modo  vult  temptare,  pudetque 
et  cupit,  et,  quid  agat,  non  invenit,  utque  securi 
saucia  trabs  ingens,  ubi  plaga  novissima  restat, 
quo  cadat,  in  dubio  est  omnique  a  parte  timetur, 
sic  animus  vario  labefactus  vulnere  nutat  375 

hue  levis  atque  illuc  momentaque  sumit  utroque, 
nee  modus  et  requies,  nisi  mors,  reperitur  amoris. 
mors  placet,     erigitur  laqueoque  innectere  fauces 
destinat  et  zona  summo  de  poste  revincta 
4  care,  vale,  Cinyra,  causamque  intellege  mortis  !'  380 
dixit  et  aptabat  pallenti  vincula  collo. 

"Murmura  verborum  fidas  nutricis  ad  aures 
pervenisse  ferunt  limen  servantis  alumnae, 
surgit  anus  reseratque  fores  mortisque  paratae 
instrumenta  videns  spatio  conclamat  eodem  385 

seque  ferit  scinditque  sinus  ereptaque  collo 
vincula  dilaniat ;  turn  denique  flere  vacavit, 
turn  dare  conplexus  laqueique  requirere  causani. 
muta  silet  virgo  terramque  inmota  tuetur 
90 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

warm  tears  fill  her  eyes.     Cinyras,  attributing  this  to 
maidenly  alarm,   bids  her  not    to   weep,   dries   her 
cheeks  and  kisses  her  on  the  lips.     Myrrha  is  too 
rejoiced    at    this    and,   being    asked    what    kind   of 
husband  she  desires,  says:  'One  like  you.'     But  he 
approves  her  word,  not  understanding  it,  and  says  : 
•  May  you  always  be  so  filial.'      At  the  word  «  filial ' 
the  girl,  conscious  of  her  guilt,  casts  down  her  eyes. 
"  It  was  midnight,  and  sleep  had  set  free  men's 
bodies  from  their  cares  ;  but  the  daughter  of  Cinyras, 
sleepless   through    the    night,   is    consumed   by  un- 
governed  passion,  renews  her  mad  prayers,  is  filled 
now  with  despair,  now  with  lust  to  try,  feels  now 
shame  and  now  desire,  and  finds  no  plan  of  action ; 
and,  just  as  a  great  tree,  smitten  by  the  axe,  when 
all  but  the  last  blow  has  been  struck,  wavers  which 
way  to  fall  and  threatens  every  side,  so  her  mind, 
weakened  by  many  blows,  leans  unsteadily  now  this 
way  and    now   that,   and    falteringly  turns   in  both 
directions ;  and  no  end  nor  rest  for  her  passion  can 
she   find  save  death.     She  decides  on  death.     She 
rises  from  her  couch,  resolved  to  hang  herself,  and, 
tying  her  girdle  to  a  ceiling-beam,  she  says  :  '  Fare- 
well, dear  Cinyras,  and  know  why  I  die,'  and  is  in 
the  act  of  fitting  the  rope  about  her  death-pale  neck. 
"  They  say  that  the  confused  sound  of  her  words 
came  to  the  ears  of  the  faithful  nurse  who  watched 
outside  her  darling's  door.     The   old   woman   rises 
and   opens  the   door ;  and  when  she  sees  the  pre- 
parations for  death,  all   in   the    same  moment  she 
screams,  beats  her  breasts  and  rends  her  garments, 
and  seizes  and  snatches  off  the  rope  from  the  girl's 
neck.     Then  at  last  she  has  time  to  weep,  time  to 
embrace  her  and  ask  the  reason  for  the  noose.     The 
girl  is  stubbornly  silent,  gazes  fixedly  on  the  ground, 

d  91 


OVID 

et  deprcnsa  dolet  tardae  conamina  mortis.  390 

instat  anus  canosque  suos  et  inania  nudans 

ubera  per  cunas  alimentaque  prima  precatur, 

ut  sibi  committat,  quicquid  dolet.     ilia  rogantem 

aversata  gemit ;  certa  est  exquirere  nutrix 

nee  solam  spondere  fidem.     '  die'  inquit  '  opemque 

me  sine  ferre  tibi  :  non  est  mea  pigra  senectus.    SQ6 

seu  furor  est,  habeo,  quae  carmine  sanet  et  herbis ; 

sive  aliquis  nocuit,  magico  lustraberc  ritu  ; 

ira  deum  sive  est,  sacris  placabilis  ira. 

quid  rear  ulterius  ?     certe  fortuna  domusque         400 

sospes  et  in  cursu  est :  vivunt  geneti  ixque  paterque.' 

Myrrha  patre  audito  suspiria  duxit  ab  imo 

pectore  ;  nee  nutrix  etiamnum  coneipit  ullum 

mente  nefas  aliquemque  tamen  praesentit  amorem 

propositique  tenax,  quodcumque  est,  orat,  ut  ipsi  405 

indicet,  et  gremio  lacrimantem  tollit  aniii 

atque  ita  conplectens  infirmis  membra  lacertis 

'  sensimus,'   inquit  'amas!   et  in   hoc  mea  (pone 

timorem) 
sedulitas  erit  apta  tibi,  nee  sentiet  umquam 
hoc  pater.'     exiluit  gremio  furibunda  torumque    410 
ore  premens  'discede,  precor,  miseroque  pudori 
parce  !'  ait;  instant:  'discede,  aut  desine  '  dixit 
'  quaerere,  quid  doleam  !  scelus  est,  quod  scire  laboras.' 
borret  anus  tremulasque  manus  annisque  metuque 
tendit  et  ante  pedes  supplex  procumbit  alumnae  415 
et  modo  blanditur,  modo,  si  non  conscia  fiat, 
terret  et  indicium  laquei  coeptaeque  minatur 
92 


METAMORPHOSES   BOUK   X 

and  grieves  that  her  attempt  at  death,  all  too  slow, 
has  been  detected.     The  old  woman   insists,  bares 
her  white  hair  and  thin  breasts,  and  begs  by  the  girl's 
cradle  and  her  first  nourishment  that  she  trust  to  her 
nurse  her  cause  of  grief.     The  girl  turns  away  from 
her  pleadings  with  a  groan.    The  nurse  is  determined 
to  find   out,  and    promises   more   than    confidence. 
'Tell  me,'  she  says,  'and  let  me  help  you  ;  my  old 
age  is  not  without  resources.     If  it  be  madness,  I 
know  one  who  has  healing-charms  and  herbs ;  or  if 
someone  has  worked  an  evil  spell  on  you,  you  shall  be 
purified  with  magic  rites ;  or  if  the  gods  are  wroth 
with  you,  wrath  may  be  appeased  by  sacrifice.     What 
further  can  I  think  ?    Surely  your  household  fortunes 
are  prosperous  as  usual ;  your  mother  and  your  father 
are  alive  and  well.'     At  the  name  of  father  Myrrha 
sighed  deeply  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart.     Even 
now  the  nurse  had  no  conception  of  any  evil  in  the 
girl's  soul,  and  yet  she  had  a  presentiment  that  it 
was  some  love  affair,  and   with   persistent  purpose 
she  begged  her  to  tell  her  whatever  it  was.     She 
took  the  weeping  girl  on  her  aged  bosom,  and  so 
holding  her  in  her  feeble  arms  she  said :  '  I  know, 
you  are  in  love !  and  in  this  affair  I  shall  be  entirely 
devoted  to  your  service,  have  no  fear ;  nor  shall  your 
father   ever   know.'     With   a    bound   the  mad    girl 
leaped  from  her  bosom  and,  burying  her  face  in  her 
couch,  she  said  :  '  Go  away,  I  pray  you,  and  spare  my 
unhappy  shame' :  still  pressed,  'Go  away,'  she  said 
again,  '  or  cease  asking  why  I  grieve.     It  is  a  crime, 
what  you  want  so  much  to  know.'     The  old  woman  is 
horrified  and,  stretching  out  her  hands  trembling  with 
age  and  fear,  she  falls  pleadingly  at  her  nursling's 
feet,  now  coaxing  and  now  frightening  her  if  she  does 
not  tell ;  she  both  threatens  to  report  the  affair  of  the 
noose  and  attempt  at  death,  and  promises  her  help 

9S 


OVID 

mortis  et  ofricium  commisso  spondet  amori. 
extulit  ilia  caput  lacrimisque  inplevit  obortis 
pectora  nutricis  conataque  saepe  fateri  420 

saepe  tenet  vocem  pudibundaque  vestibus  ora 
texit  et  ' o'  dixit  '  felicem  coniuge  matiem  !  ' 
hactenus,  et  gemuit.     gelidus  nutricis  in  artus 
ossaque  (sensit  enim)  penetrat  tremor,  albaque  toto 
vertice  canities  rigidis  stetit  hhta  capillis,  425 

multaque,  ut  excuteret  diros,  si  posset,  amores, 
addidit,  at  virgo  scit  se  non  falsa  moneri ; 
certa  mori  tamen  est,  si  non  potiatur  amore. 
'  vive,'  ait  haec, '  potiere  tuo ' — et,  non  ausa  '  parente ' 
dicere,  conticuit  promissaque  numine  firmat.  430 

"  Festa  piae  Cereris  ce'ebrabant  annua  matres 
ilia,  quibus  nivea  velatae  corpora  veste 
primitias  frugum  dant  spicea  serta  suarum 
penjue  noveni  noctes  venerem  tactusque  viriles 
in  vetitis  numerant  :  turba  Cenchreis  in  ilia  435 

regis  adest  coniunx  arcanaque  sacra  frequentat. 
ergo  legitima  vacuus  dum  coniuge  lectus, 
nacta  gravem  vino  Cinyram  male  sedula  nutrix, 
nomine  mentito  veros  exponit  amores 
et  faciem  laudat ;  quaesitis  virginis  annis  440 

'  par '  ait  '  est  Myrrhae.'     quam  postquam  adducere 

iussa  est 
utque  domum  rediit,  '  gaude,  mea  '  dixit  'alumna  : 
vicimus  ! '  infelix  non  toto  pectore  sentit 
laetitiam  virgo,  praesagaque  peetora  maerent, 
sed  tamen  et  gaudet :  tanta  est  discordia  mentis.  445 

"  Tempus  erat,  quo  cuncta  silent,  interque  triones 
flexerat  obliquo  plaustrum  temone  Bootes  : 
94 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

if  she  will  confess  her  love.  The  girl  lifts  her  head 
and  fills  her  nurse's  bosom  with  her  rising  tears; 
often  she  tries  to  confess,  and  often  checks  her 
words  and  hides  her  shamed  face  in  her  robes.  Then 
she  says  :  '  O  mother,  blest  in  your  husband  ! ' — 
only  so  much,  and  groans.  Cold  horror  stole  through 
the  nurse's  frame  (for  she  understood),  and  her 
white  hair  stood  up  stiffly  over  all  her  head,  and 
she  said  many  things  to  banish,  if  she  might,  the 
mad  passion.  The  girl  knew  that  she  was  truly 
warned ;  still  she  was  resolved  on  death  if  she 
could  not  have  her  desire.  '  Live  then,'  said  the 
other, '  have  your  '  — she  did  not  dare  say  '  father ' ; 
she  said  no  more,  calling  on  Heaven  to  confirm  her 
promises. 

"  It  was  the  time  when  married  women  were  cele- 
brating that  annual  festival  of  Ceres  at  which  with 
bodies  robed  in  white  raiment  they  bring  garlands  of 
wheaten  ears  as  the  first  offerings  of  their  fruits,  and 
for  nine  nights  they  count  love  and  the  touch  of  man 
among  things  forbidden.  In  that  throng  was  Cen- 
chreis,  wife  of  the  king,  in  constant  attendance  on 
the  secret  rites.  And  so  since  the  king's  bed  was 
deprived  of  his  lawful  wife,  the  over-officious  nurse, 
finding  Cinyras  drunk  with  wine,  told  him  of  one 
who  loved  him  truly,  giving  a  false  name,  and  praised 
her  beauty.  When  he  asked  the  maiden's  age,  she 
said  :  '  The  same  as  Myrrha's.'  Bidden  to  fetch  her, 
when  she  had  reached  home  she  cried :  '  Rejoice, 
my  child,  we  win  ! '  Not  with  all  her  heart  did  the 
unhappy  girl  feel  joy,  and  her  mind  was  filled  with 
sad  forebodings;  but  still  she  did  also  rejoice;  so 
inconsistent  were  her  feeling's. 

"It  was  the  time  when  all  things  are  at  rest,  and 
between  tht  Bears  Bootes  had  turned  his  wain  with 

95 


OVID 

ad  facinus  venit  ilia  suum  ;  fugit  aurea  caelo 

luna,  tegunt  nigrae  latitantia  sidera  nubes  ; 

nox  caret  igne  suo ;  primus  tegis,  Icare,  vultus,     450 

Erigoneque  pio  sacrata  parentis  amore. 

ter  pedis  offensi  signo  est  revocata,  ter  omen 

funereus  bubo  letali  carmine  fecit : 

it  tamen,  et  tenebrae  minuunt  noxque  atra  pudorem  ; 

nutricisque  manura  laeva  tenet,  altera  motu  455 

caecum  iter  explorat.     thalami  iam  limina  tangit, 

iamque  fores  aperit,  iam  ducitur  intus  :  at  illi 

poplite  succiduo  genua  intremuere,  fugitque 

et  color  et  sanguis,  animusque  relinquit  euntem. 

quoque  suo  propior  sceleri  est,  magis  horret,  et  ausi 

paenitet,  et  vellet  non  cognita  posse  reverti.  46 1 

cunctantem  longaeva  manu  deducit  et  alto 

admotam  lecto  cum  traderet  'accipe,'  dixit, 

*  ista  tua  est,  Cinyra '  devotaque  corpora  iunxit. 

accipit  obsceno  genitor  sua  viscera  lecto  465 

virgineosque  metus  levat  hortaturque  timentem. 

forsitan  aetatis  quoque  nomine  '  filia '  dixit, 

dixit  et  ilia  '  pater,'  sceleri  ne  nomina  desint. 

"  Plena  patris  thalamis  excedit  et  inpia  diro 
semina  fert  utero  conceptaque  crimina  portat.       470 
postera  nox  facinus  geminat,  nee  finis  in  ilia  est, 
cum  tandem  Cinyras,  avidus  cognoscere  amantem 
96 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   X 

down-pointing  pole.1  She  came  to  her  guilty  deed. 
The  golden  moon  fled  from  the  sky ;  black  clouds 
hid  the  skulking  stars;  night  was  without  her 
usual  fires.  You  were  the  first,  Icarus,  to  cover 
your  face,  and  you,  Erieone,  deified  for  your  pious 
love  of  your  father.  Thrice  was  Myrrha  stop;  ed 
by  the  omen  of  the  stumbling  foot;  thrice  did  the 
funereal  screech-owl  warn  her  by  his  uncanny  cry : 
still  on  she  went,  her  shame  lessened  by  the  black 
shadows  of  the  night.  With  her  left  hand  she  holds 
fast  to  her  nurse,  and  with  the  other  she  gropes 
her  way  through  the  dark.  Now  she  reaches  the 
threshold  of  the  chamber,  now  she  opens  the  door, 
now  is  led  within.  But  her  knees  tremble  and  sink 
beneath  her;  colour  and  blood  flee  from  her  face, 
and  her  senses  desert  her  as  she  goes.  The  nearer 
she  is  to  her  crime,  the  more  she  shudders  at  it, 
repents  her  of  her  boldness,  would  gladly  turn  back 
unrecognized.  As  she  holds  back,  the  aged  crone 
leads  her  by  the  hand  to  the  side  of  the  high  bed 
and,  delivering  her  over,  says  :  *  Take  her,  Cmyras, 
she  is  yours ' ;  and  leaves  the  doomed  pair  together. 
The  father  receives  his  own  flesh  in  his  incestuous 
bed,  strives  to  calm  her  girlish  fears,  and  speaks 
encouragingly  to  the  shrinking  girl.  It  chanced, 
by  a  name  appropriate  to  her  age,  he  called  her 
'  daughter/  and  she  called  him  '  father,'  that 
names  might  not  be  lacking  to  their  guilt. 

"  Forth  from  the  chamber  she  went,  full  of  her 
father,  with  crime  conceived  within  her  womb.  The 
next  night  repeated  their  guilt,  nor  was  that  the  end. 
At  length  Cinyras,  eager  to  recognize  his  mistress 

1  At  midnight  these  constellations  attain  their  highest 
point  in  the  heavens,  and  thereafter  begin  their  downward 
course. 

97 


OVID 

post  tot  concubitus,  inlato  lumine  vidit 

et  scelus  et  natam  verbisque  dolore  retentis 

pendenti  nitidum  vagina  deripit  ensem  ;  475 

Myrrha  fugit :  tenebrisque  et  caecae  munere  noctis 

intercepta  neci  est  latosque  vagata  per  agios 

palmiferos  Arabas  Panchat-aque  rura  relinquit 

perque  novcm  erravit  redeuntis  cornua  lunae, 

cum  tandem  terra  requievit  fessa  Sabaea  ;  4S0 

vixque  uteri  portabat  onus,     turn  nescia  voti 

atque  inter  mortisque  metus  et  taedia  vitae 

est  tales  conplfxa  preces  :  ro  siqua  patetis 

numina  confessis,  merui  nee  triste  recuso 

supplicium,  sed  ne  violem  vivosque  superstes         485 

mortuaque  exstinctos,  ambobus  pellite  regnis 

mutataeque  mihi  vitamque  necemque  negate  ! ' 

numen  confessis  aliquod  patet :  ultima  certe 

vota  suos  habuere  deos.     nam  crura  loquentis 

terra  supervenit,  ruptosque  obliqua  per  ungues     490 

porrigitur  radix,  longi  firmamina  trunci, 

ossaque  robur  agunt,  mediaque  manente  medulla 

sanguis  it  in  sucos,  in  magnos  bracchia  ramos, 

in  parvos  digiti,  duratur  cortice  pellis. 

iamque  gravem  crescens  uterum  perstrinxerat  arbor 

pectoraque  obruerat  collumque  operire  parabat :  496 

non  tulit  ilia  moram  venientique  obvia  ligno 

subsedit  mersitque  suos  in  cortice  vultus. 

quae  quamquam  amisit  veteres  cum  corpore  sensus, 

flet  tamen,  et  tepidae  manant  ex  arbore  guttae.    500 

est  honor  et  lacrimis,  stillataque  robore  murra 

nomen  erile  tenet  nulloque  tacebitur  aevo. 

98 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

after  so  many  meetings,  brought  in  a  light  and  beheld 
his  crime  and  his  daughter.  Speechless  with  woe, 
he  snatched  his  bright  sword  from  the  sheath  which 
hung  near  by.  Myrrha  fled  and  escaped  death  by 
grace  of  the  shades  of  the  dark  night.  Groping  her 
way  through  the  broad  fields,  she  left  palm-bearing 
Arabia  and  the  Panchaean  country ;  then,  after  nine 
months  of  wandering,  in  utter  weariness  she  rested 
at  last  in  the  Sabaean  land.  And  now  she  could 
scarce  bear  the  burden  of  her  womb.  Not  knowing 
what  to  pray  for,  and  in  a  strait  betwixt  fear  of  death 
and  weariness  of  life,  she  summed  up  her  wishes  in 
this  prayer  :  '  O  gods,  if  any  there  be  who  will  listen 
to  my  prayer,  I  do  not  refuse  the  dire  punishment  I 
have  deserved  ;  but  lest,  surviving,  I  offend  the  living, 
and,  dying,  I  offend  the  dead,  drive  me  from  both 
realms ;  change  me  and  refuse  me  both  life  and 
death  ! '  Some  god  did  listen  to  her  prayer ;  her 
last  petition  had  its  answering  gods.  For  even  as  she 
spoke  the  earth  closed  over  her  legs ;  roots  burst 
forth  from  her  toes  and  stretched  out  on  either  side 
the  supports  of  the  high  trunk ;  her  bones  gained 
strength,  and,  while  the  central  pith  remained  the 
same,  her  blood  changed  to  sap,  her  arms  to  long 
branches,  her  fingers  to  twigs,  her  skin  to  hard  bark. 
And  now  the  growing  tree  had  closely  bound  her 
heavy  womb,  had  buried  her  breast  and  was  just 
covering  her  neck  ;  but  she  could  not  endure  the 
delay  and,  meeting  the  rising  wood,  she  sank  down 
and  plunged  her  face  in  the  bark.  Though  she  has 
lost  her  old-time  feelings  with  her  body,  still  she 
weeps,  and  the  warm  drops  trickle  down  from  the 
tree.  Even  the  tears  have  fame,  and  the  myrrh  which 
distils  from  the  tree-trunk  keeps  the  name  of  its  mis- 
tress and  will  be  remembered  through  all  the  ages. 

99 


OVID 

u  At  male  conceptus  sub  robore  creverat  infans 
quaerebatque  viam,  qua  se  genetrice  relicta 
exsereret ;  media  gravidus  tumet  arbore  venter.   505 
tendit  onus  matrem  ;  neque  habent  sua  verba  dolores, 
nee  Lucina  potest  parientis  voce  vocari. 
nitenti  tamen  est  similis  curvataque  crebros 
dat  gemitus  arbor  lacrimisque  cadentibus  umet. 
constitit  ad  ramos  mitis  Lucina  dolentis  510 

admovitque  manus  et  verba  puerpera  dixit : 
arbor  agit  rimas  et  fissa  cortice  vivum 
reddit  onus,  vagitque  puer  ;  quem  mollibus  herbis 
naides  inpositum  lacrimis  unxere  parentis, 
laudaret  faciem  Livor  quoque  ;  qualia  namque       515 
corpora  nudorum  tabula  pinguntur  Ainorum, 
talis  erat,  sed,  ne  faciat  discrimina  cultus, 
aut  huic  adde  leves,  aut  illi  deme  pharetras. 

"  Labitur  occulte  fallitque  volatilis  aetas, 
et  nihil  est  annis  velocius :  ille  sorore  520 

natus  avoque  suo,  qui  conditus  arbore  nuper, 
nuper  erat  genitus,  modo  formosissimus  infans, 
iam  iuvenis,  iam  vir,  iam  se  formosior  ipso  est, 
iam  placet  et  Veneri  matrisque  uleiscitur  ignes. 
namque  pharetratus  dum  dat  puer  oscula  matri,    525 
inscius  exstanti  destrinxit  harundine  pectus  ; 
laesa  manu  natum  dea  reppulit .  altius  actum 
vulnus  erat  specie  primoque  fefellerat  ipsam. 
capta  viri  forma  non  iam  Cythereia  curat 
litora,  non  alto  repetit  Paphon  aequore  cinctam    530 
piscosamque  Cnidon  gravidamve  Amathunta  metallis; 
100 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  X 

"  But  the  misbegotten  child  had  grown  within  the 
w  •  ■  ',  and  was  now  seeking  a  way  by  which  it  might 
ltav  :.  mother  and  come  forth.  The  pregnant  tree 
swells  in  mid-trunk,  the  weight  within  straining  on 
its  mother.  The  birth-pangs  cannot  voice  them- 
selves, nor  can  Lucina  be  called  upon  in  the  words 
of  one  in  travail.  Still,  like  a  woman  in  agony,  the 
tree  bends  itself,  groans  oft,  and  is  wet  with  fall- 
ing tears.  Pitying  Lucina  stood  near  the  groaning 
branches,  laid  her  hands  on  them,  and  uttered 
charms  to  aid  the  birth.  Then  the  tree  cracked 
open,  the  bark  was  rent  asunder,  and  it  gave  forth 
its  living  burden,  a  wailing  baby-boy.  The  naiads 
laid  him  on  soft  leaves  and  anointed  him  with  his 
mother's  tears.  Even  Envy  would  praise  his  beauty, 
for  he  looked  like  one  of  the  naked  loves  portrayed 
on  canvas.  But,  that  dress  may  make  no  distinction, 
you  should  either  give  the  one  a  light  quiver  ©r  take 
it  from  the  other. 

"  Time  gl  ides  by  imperceptibly  and  cheats  us  in  its 
flight,  and  nothing  is  swifter  than  the  years.  That 
son  of  his  sister  and  his  grandfather,  who  was  but 
lately  concealed  within  his  parent  tree,  but  lately 
born,  then  a  most  lovely  baby-boy,  is  now  a  youth, 
now  man,  now  more  beautiful  than  his  former  self; 
now  he  excites  even  Venus'  love,  and  avenges  his 
mother's  passion.  For  while  the  goddess'  son,  with 
quiver  on  shoulder,  was  kissing  his  mother,  he  chanced 
unwittingly  to  graze  her  breast  with  a  projecting 
arrow.  The  wounded  goddess  pushed  her  son  away 
with  her  hand  ;  but  the  scratch  had  gone  deeper  than 
she  thought,  and  she  herself  was  at  first  deceived. 
Now,  smitten  with  the  beauty  of  a  mortal,  she  cares 
no  more  for  the  borders  of  Cythera,  nor  does  she  seek 
Paphos,  girt  by  the  deep  sea,  nor  fish-haunted  Cnidos, 

101 


OVID 

abstinet  et  caelo  :  caelo  praefertur  Adonis. 

hunc  tenet,  huic  comes   est  adsuetaque  semper  in 

umbra 
iiidulgere  sibi  formamque  augere  colendo, 
per  iuga,  per  silvas  dumosaque  saxa  vagatur  535 

fine  «renu  vestem  ritu  succincta  Dianae 
hortaturque  canes  tutaeque  animalia  praedae, 
aut  pronos  lepores  aut  celsum  in  cornua  cervum 
aut  agitat  dammas  ;  a  fortibus  abstinet  apris 
raptoresque  lupos  armatosque  unguibus  ursos         540 
vitat  et  armenti  saturatos  caede  leones. 
te  quoque,  ut  hos  timeas,  siquid  prodesse  monendo 
posset,  Adoni,  monet,  '  fortis'que  '  fugacibus.  esto  ' 
inquit;  'Jnjaidages  non  est  audacia  tuta. 
parce  meo,  iuvenis,  temerarius  esse  periclo,  545 

neve  feras,  quibus  arma  dedit  natura,  lacesse, 
stet  mihi  ne  magno  tua  gloria,     non  movet  aetas 
nee  facies  nee  quae  Venerem  movere,  leones 
saetigeresque  sues  oculosque  animosque  ferarum. 
fulmen  habent  acres  in  aduueis  dentibus  apri,        550 
impetus  est  fulvis  et  vasta  leonibus  ira, 
invisumque  mihi  genus  est.'     quae  causa,  roganti 
'  dicam,'  ait '  et  veteris  monstrum  mirabere  culpae. 
sed  labor  insolitus  iam  me  lassavit,  et,  ecce, 
opportuna  sua  blanditur  populus  umbra,  555 

datque  torum  caespes  :  libet  hac  requiescere  tecum  ' 
(et  requievit) '  humo'  pressitque  et  gramen  et  ipsum 
inque  sinu  iuvenis  posita  cervice  reclinis 
sic  ait  ac  mediis  interserit  oscula  verbis  : 
102 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   X 

nor  Amathus,  rich  in  precious  ores.  She  stays  away 
even  from  the  skies ;  A  dorps  '«  preferred  to  heaven. 
She  holds  him  fast,  is  his  companion  and,  though  her 
wont  has  always  been  to  take  her  ease  in  the  shade, 
and  to  enhance  her  beauty  by  fostering  it,  now,  over 
mountain  ridges,  through  the  woods,  over  rocky  places 
set  with  thorns,  she  ranges  with  her  garments  girt  up 
to  her  knees  after  the  manner  of  Diana.  'She  also 
cheers  on  the  hounds  and  pursues  those  creatures 
which  are  safe  to  hunt,  such  as  the  headlong  hares, 
or  the  stag  with  high-branching  horns,  or  the  timid 
doej^but  from  strong  wild  boars  she  keeps  away,  and 
from  ravenous  wolves,  and  she  avoids  bears,  armed 
with  claws,  and  lions  reeking  with  the  slaughter  of 
cattle.  She  warns  you,  too,  Adonis,  to  fear  these 
beasts,  if  only  it  were  of  any  avail  to  warn.  '  Be  brave 
against  timorous  creatures.'  she  says  ;  '  but  against 
bold  creatures  boldness  is  not  safe.     Do  not  be  rash, 

,dear  boy,jjLsiX£isk_»  and  do  not  provoke  those  beasts 
which  nature  has  well  aimed,  les^y_oux_gjory_Jbe  at 

'great  cost  tome,  Neither  youth  nor  beauty,  nor  the 
things  which  have  moved  Venus,  move  lions  and 
bristling  boars  and  the  eyes  and  minds  of  wild  beasts. 
Boars  have  the  force  of  a  lightning  stroke  in  their 
curving  tusks,  and  the  impetuous  wrath  of  tawny 
lions  is  irresistible.  I  fear  and  hate  them  all.'  When 
he  asks  her  why,  she  says  :  '  I  will  tell,  and  you  shall 
marvel  at  the  monstrous  outcome  of  an  ancient  crime. 
But  now  I  am  aweary  with  my  unaccustomed  toil; 
and  see,  a  poplar,  happily  at  hand,  invites  us  with  its 
shade,  and  here  is  grassy  turf  for  couch.  I  would  fain 
rest  here  on  the  grass  with  you.'  So  saying,  she 
reclined  upon  the  ground  and,  pillowing  her  head 
against  his  breast  and  mingling  kisses  with  her  words 
she  told  the  following  tale  : 

105 


OVID 

"  '  Forsitan  audieris  aliquam  certamine  cursus  560 
veloces  superasse  vivos  :  non  fabula  rumor 
ille  fuit;  superabat  enira.     nee  dicere  posses, 
laude  pedum  formaene  bono  praestantior  esset. 
scitanti  deus  huic  de  coniuge  "  coniuge  "  dixit 
"  nil  opus  est,  Atalanta,  tibi :  fuge  coniugis  usum.  565 
nee  tamen  effugies  teque  ipsa  viva  carebis." 
territa  sorte  dei  per  opacas  innuba  silvas 
vivit  et  instantem  turbam  violenta  procorum 
condicione  fugat,  rt  nee  sum  potienda,  nisi  "  inquit 
"  victa  prius  cursu.    pedibus  contendite  meoum  ;  570 
praemia  veloci  coniunx  thalamique  dabuntur, 
mors  pretium  tardis  :  ea  lex  certaminis  esto." 
ilia  quidem  inmitis,  sed  (tanta  potentia  formae  est) 
venit  ad  hanc  legem  temeraria  turba  procorum. 
sederat  Hippomenes  cursus  spectator  iniqui  575 

et  "petitur  cuiquam  per  tanta  pericula  coniunx?" 
dixerat  ac  nimios  iuvenum  damnarat  amores  ; 
ut  faciem  et  posito  corpus  velamine  vidit, 
quale  meum,  vel  quale  tuum,  si  femina  fias, 
obstipuit  tollensque  manus  "ignoscite,"'  dixit        580 
"quos  modo  culpavi!  nondum  mihi  praemia  nota, 
quae  peteretis,  erant."     laudando  concipit  ignes 
et,  ne  quis  iuvenum  currat  velocius,  optat 
invidiaque  timet.     "  sed  cur  certaminis  huius 
intemptata  mihi  fortuna  relinquitur  ?  "  inquit         585 
"  audentes  deus  ipse  iuvat !  "  dum  talia  secum 
exigit  Hippomenes,  passu  volat  alite  virgo. 
104 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

"'You  may,  perchance,  have  heard  of  a  maid  who 
surpassed  swift-footed  men  in  the  contest  of  the  race. 
And  that  was  no  idle  tale,  for  she  did  surpass  them. 
Nor  could  you  say  whether  her  fleetness  or  her  beauty 
was  more  worthy  of  your  praise.  Now  when  this  maid 
consulted  the  oracle  about  a  husband,  the  god  replied  : 
"A  husband  will  be  your  bane,  O  Atalanta;  fte.e 
from  the  intercourse  of  husband  ;  and  yet  you  will  not 
escape,_aff37_though  living,  you  will  lose  yourself." 
Terrified  by  the  oracle  of  the  god,  she  lived  unwedded 
in  the  shady  woods,  and  with  harsh  terms  she  re- 
pulsed the  insistent  throng  of  suitors.  "  I  am  not  to 
be  won,"  she  said,  "  till  I  be  conquered  first  in  speed. 
Contest  the  race  with  me.  Wife  and  couch  shall  be 
given  as  prize  unto  the  swift,  but  death  shall  be  the 
reward  of  those  who  lag  behind.  Be  that  the  con- 
dition of  the  race."  She,  in  truth,  was  pitiless,  but 
such  was  the  witchery  of  her  beauty,  even  on  this 
condition  a  rash  throng  of  suitors  came  to  try  their 
fate.  Now  Hippomenes  had  taken  his  seat  as  a 
spectator  of  this  cruel  race,  and  had  exclaimed  : 
"  Who  would  seek  a  wife  at  so  great  peril  to  him- 
self?" and  he  had  condemned  the  young  men  for 
their  headstrong  love.  (But  when  he  saw  her  face 
and  her  disrobed  form,  such  beauty  as  is  mine,  or  as 
would  be  yours  if  you  were  a  woman,  he  was  amazed 
and,  stretching  out  his  hands,  he  cried :  "  Forgive 
me,  ye  whom  but  now  I  blamed.  /I  did  not  yet 
realize  the  worth  of  the  prize  you  strove  for."  As 
he  praises,  his  own  heart  takes  fire  and  he  hopes  that 
none  of  the  youths  may  outstrip  her  in  the  race,  and 
is  filled  with  jealous  fears.  "  But  why  is  my  fortune 
in  this  contest  left  untried  ?  "  he  cries.   "  God  himself 

« 

helps  those  who  dare."     While   thus   Hippomenes 
was  weighing  the  matter  in  his  mind,  the  girl  sped  by 

105 


c/ 


OVID 

quae  quamquam  Scytlnca  non  setius  ire  sagitta 

Aonio  visa  est  iuveni,  tamen  ille  decorem 

miratur  magis  :  et  cursus  facit  ille  decorem.  590 

aura  refert  ablata  citis  talaria  pi  an  I  is, 

tergaque  iactantur  crines  per  eburnea,  quaeque 

poplitibus  suberant  picto  genualia  limbo  ; 

inque  puellari  corpus  candore  ruborem 

traxerat,  baud  aliter,  quam  cum  super  atria  velum 

Candida  purpureum  simulatas  inficit  umbras.  5(j6 

dum  notat  haec  hospes,  decursa  novissima  meta  est, 

et  tegitur  festa  victrix  Atalanta  corona. 

dant  gemitum  victi  penduntque  ex  foedere  poenas. 

"cNon  tamen  eventu  iuvenis  deterritus  horum 
constitit  in  medio  vultuque  in  virgine  fixo  601 

"quid  facilem  titulum  superando  quaeris  iuertes  ? 
mecum  confer"  ait.     "seu  me  fortuna  potentem 
fecerit,  a  tanto  non  indignabere  vinci : 
namque  mihi  genitor  Megareus  Onchestius,  II li     605 
est  Neptunus  avus,  prouepos  ego  regis  aquarum, 
nee  virtus  citra  genus  est ;  seu  vincar,  habebis 
Hippomene  victo  magnum  et  memorabile  nomen." 
talia  dicenrem  molli  Schoeneia  vultu 
aspicit  et  dubitat,  superari  an  vincere  malit,  610 

atque  ita  "  quis  deus  hunc  formosis  "  inquit  "iniquus 
perdere  vult  caraeque  iubet  discrimine  vitae 
coniugium  petere  hoc?  non  sum,  me  iudice,  tanti. 
nee  forma  tangor,  (poteram  tamen  hac  quoque  tangi) 
sed  quod  adhuc  puer  est;  *non  me  movet  ipse,  sed 
aetas.  6l5 

106 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

on  winged  feet.  Though  she  seemed  to  the  Aonian 
youth  to  go  not  less  swiftly  than  a  Scythian  arrow, 
yet  he  admired  her  beauty  still  more.  And  the 
running  gave  a  beauty  of  its  own.  The  breeze  bore 
back  the  streaming  pinions  on  her  flying  feet,  her 
hair  was  tossed  over  her  white  shoulders  ;  the  bright- 
bordered  ribbons  at  her  knees  were  fluttering,  and 
over  her  fair  girlish  body  a  pink  flush  came,  just 
as  when  a  purple  awning,  drawn  over  a  marble  hall, 
stains  it  with  borrowed  hues.  While  the  stranger 
marked  all  this,  the  last  goal  was  passed,  and  Atalanta 
was  crowned  victor  with  a  festal  wreath.  But  the 
conquered  youths  with  groans  paid  the  penalty 
according  to  the  bond. 

" '  Not  deterred  by  the  experience  of  these,  how- 
ever, Hippomenes  stood  forth  and,  fixing  his  eyes 
upon  the  girl,  exclaimed  :  "  Why  do  you  seek  "an 
easily  won  renown  by  conquering  sluggish  youth  ? 
Come,  strive  with  me  !  If  fortune  shall  give  me  the 
victory, 'twill  be  no  shame  for  you  to  be  overcome  by 
so  great  a  foe.  For  Megareus  of  Onchestus  is  my 
father  and  his  grandfather  is  Neptune  ;  hence  I  am 
the  great-grandson  of  the  king  of  the  waters.  Nor 
is  my  manly  worth  less  than  my  race.  Or,  if  I  shall 
be  defeated,  you  will  have  a  great  and  memorable 
name  for  the  conquest  of  Hippomenes."  As  he  said 
this,  the  daughter  of  Schoeneus  gazed  on  him  with 
softening  eyes,  being  in  a  strait  betwixt  her  desire  to 
conquer  and  to  be  conquered.  And  thus  she  spoke  : 
"What  god,  envious  of  beauteous  youths,  wishes  to 
destroy  this  one,  and  prompts  him  to  seek  wedlock 
with  me  at  the  risk  of  his  own  dear  life  ?  I  am  not 
worth  so  great  a  price,  if  I  am  the  judge.  Nor  is 
it  his  beauty  that  touches  me — and  yet  I  could  be 
touched  by  this  as  well— but  the  fact  that  he  is  still 

107 


OVID 

quid,  quod  inest  virtus  et  mens  interrita  leti? 

quid,  quod  ab  aequorea  numeratur  origine  quartus? 

quid,  quod  amat  tantique  putat  conubia  nostra. 

ut  pereat,  si  me  fors  illi  dura  negarit  ? 

dum  licet,  hospes,  abi  thalamosque  relinque  cruentos 

coniugium  crudele  meum  est,  tibi  nubere  nulla     621 

nolet,  et  optari  potes  a  sapiente  puella. — 

cur  tamen  est  mihi  cura  tui  tot  iam  ante  peremptis? 

viderit !  intereat,  quoniam  tot  caede  procorum 

admonitus  non  est  agiturque  in  taedia  vitae. —     625 

occidet  hie  igitur,  voluit  quia  vivere  mecum, 

indignamque  necem  pretium  patietur  amoris? 

non  erit  invidiae  victoria  nostra  ferendae. 

sed  non  culpa  mea  est !  utinam  desistere  velles, 

aut,  quoniam  es  demens,  utmam  velocior  esses  !    630 

a !  quam  virgineus  puerili  vultus  in  ore  est ! 

a  !  miser  Hippomene,  nollem  tibi  visa  fuissem  1 

vivere  dignus  eras,     quod  si  felicior  essem, 

nee  mihi  coniugium  fata  inportuna  negarent, 

unus  eras,  cum  quo  sociare  cubilia  vellem."  635 

dixerat,  utque  rudis  primoque  cupidine  tacta, 

quid  facit  ignorans,  amat  et  non  sentit  amorem. 

"'  lam  solitos  poscunt  cursus  populusque  paterque, 
cum  me  sollicita  proles  Neptunia  voce 
invocat  Hippomenes   "Cytherea,"  que    "conprecor, 
ausis  64* 

adsit "  ait  "  nostris  et  quos  dedit,  adiuvet  ignes." 
108 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  X 

but  a  boy.  It  is  not  he  himself  who  moves  me,  but 
his  youth.  <_What  of  his  manly  courage  and  his  soul 
fearless  of  death  ?  What  that  he  claims  bv  birth  to 
be  the  fourth  from  the  monarch  of  the  seas?!  What 
of  his  love  for  me,  and  that  he  counts  marriage  with 
me  of  so  great  worth  that  he  would  perish  if  cruel 
fate  denies  me  to  him  ?  O  stranger,  go  hence  while 
still  you  may ;  flee  from  this  bloody  wedlock.  Mar- 
riage with  me  is  a  fatal  thing.  No  other  maiden  will 
refuse  to  wed  you,  and  it  may  well  be  that  a  wiser 
girl  will  seek  your  love. — Yet  why  this  care  for  you, 
since  so  many  have  already  perished  ?  Let  him  look 
to  himself!  let  him  perish,  too,  since  by  the  death  of 
so  many  suitors  he  was  not  warned,  and  cares  so  little 
for  his  life. — And  shall  he  die,  because  he  wished 
to  live  with  me,  and  suffer  undeserved  death  as  the 
penalty  of  love?  My  victory  will  be  attended  by 
unbearable  hatred  against  me.  But  the  fault  is  none 
of  mine.  O  sir,  I  would  that  you  might  desist,  or, 
since  you  are  so  madly  set  upon  it,  would  that  you 
might  prove  the  swifter!  Ah,  how  girlish  is  his 
youthful  face !  Ah,  poor  Hippomenes,  I  would  that 
you  had  never  looked  on  me  !  You  were  so  worthy 
of  life.  But  if  I  were  of  happier  fortune,  and  if  the 
harsh  fates  did  not  deny  me  marriage,  you  were  the 
only  he  with  whom  I  should  want  to  share  my  couch." 
So  speaks  the  maid  ;  and,  all  untutored,  feeling  for 
the  first  time  the  impulse  of  love,  ignorant  of  what 
she  does,  she  loves  and  knows  it  not. 

" '  Meanwhile  the  people  and  her  father  demanded 
the  accustomed  race.  Then  did  the  Neptunian  youth, 
Hippomenes,  with  suppliant  voice  call  on  me :  "  O 
may  Cytherea,"  he  said,  "  be  near,  I  pray,  and  assist 
the  thing  I  dare  and  smile  upon  the  love  which  she 
has  given."     A  kindly  breeze  bore  this  soft  prayer  to 

109 


OVID 

detulit  aura  preces  ad  me  non  invida  blandas  : 
motaque  sum,  fateor,  nee  opis  mora  longa  dabatur. 
est  ager,  indigenae  Tamasenum  nomine  dicunt, 
telluris  Cypriae  pars  optima,  quam  mihi  prisci        645 
sacravere  senes  templisque  accedere  dotem 
hanc  iussere  meis  ;  medio  nitet  arbor  in  arvo, 
fulva  comas,  fulvo  ramis  crepitantibus  auro  : 
hinc  tria  forte  mea  veniens  decerpta  lerebam 
aurea  poma  manu  nullique  videnda  nisi  ipsi  650 

Hippomenen  adii  docuique,  quis  usus  in  illis. 
signa  tubae  dedeiant,  cum  carcere  pronus  uterque 
emicat  et  summam  celeri  pede  libat  harenam  : 
posse  putes  illos  sicco  freta  radere  passu 
et  segetis  canae  stantes  percurrere  aristas.  655 

adiciunt  animos  iuveni  clamorque  favorque 
verbaque  dicentum  "  nunc,  nunc  incumbere  tempus  ! 
Hippomene,  propera  !  nunc  viribus  utere  totis ! 
pelle  moram  :  vinces  !  "  dubium,  Megareius  heros 
gaudeat  an  virgo  magis  his  Schoeneia  dictis.  660 

o  quotiens,  cum  iam  posset  transire,  morata  est 
spectatosque  diu  vultus  invita  reliquit ! 
aridus  e  lasso  veniebat  anhelitus  ore, 
metaque  erat  longe  :  turn  denique  de  tribus  unum 
fetibus  arboreis  proles  Neptunia  misit.  665 

obstipuit  virgo  nitidique  cupidine  pomi 
declinat  ciu-sus  aurumque  volubile  tollit ; 
praeterit  Hippomenes  :  resonant  spectacula  plausu. 
110 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

me  and  I  confess  it  moved  my  heart.  And  ther< 
was  but  scanty  time  to  give  him  aid.  There  is  a 
field,  the  natives  call  it  the  field  of  Tamasus,  the 
richest  portion  of  the  Cyprian  land,  which  in  ancient 
times  men  set  apart  to  me  and  bade  my  temples  be 
enriched  with  this.  Within  this  field  there  stands  a 
tree  gleaming  with  golden  leaves  and  its  branches 
crackle  with  the  same  bright  «;oid.  Fresh  come  from 
there,  I  chanced  to  have  in  my  hand  three  golden 
apples  which  I  had  plucked.  Revealing  myself  to  no 
one  save  to  him,  I  approached  Hippomenes  and 
taught  him  how  to  use  the  apples.  The  trumpets 
had  sounded  for  the  race,  when  they  both,  crouching 
low,  flashed  forth  from  their  stalls  and  skimmed  the 
surface  of  the  sandy  course  with  flying  feet.  You 
would  think  that  they  could  graze  the  sea  with  un- 
wet  feet  and  pass  lightly  over  the  ripened  heads  of 
the  standing  grain.  The  youth  was  cheered  on  by 
shouts  of  applause  and  the  words  of  those  who  cried 
to  him :  "  Now,  now  is  the  time  to  bend  to  the 
work,  Hippomenes  !  Go  on !  Now  use  your  utmost 
strength  !  No  tarrying  !  You're  sure  to  win  !  "  It 
is  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  the  heroic  son  of 
Megareus  or  the  daughter  of  Schoeneus  took  more 
joy  of  these  words.  Oh,  how  often,  when  she  could 
have  passed  him,  did  she  delay  and  after  gazing  long 
upon  his  face  reluctantly  leave  him  behind  !  And 
now  dry,  panting  breath  came  from  his  weary  throat 
and  the  goal  was  still  far  away.  Then  at  length  did 
Neptune's  scion  throw  one  of  the  three  golden 
apples.  The  maid  beheld  it  with  wonder  and,  eager 
to  possess  the  shining  fruit,  she  turned  out  of  her 
course  and  picked  up  the  rolling  golden  thing. 
Hippomenes  passed  her  by  while  the  spectators 
roared  their  applause.     She  by  a  burst  of  speed  made 

111 


OVID 

ilia  moram  celeri  cessataque  tempora  cursu 

corrigit  atque  iterum  iuvenem  post  terga  relinquit : 

et  rursus  pomi  iactu  remorata  secundi  671 

consequitur  transitque  virum.     pars  ultima  cursus 

restabat ;  "  nunc  "  inquit "  ades,  dea  muneris  auctor  !" 

inque  latus  campi,  quo  tardius  ilia  rediret, 

iecit  ab  obliquo  nitidum  iuvenaliter  aurum.  675 

an  peteret,  virgo  visa  est  dubitare  :  coegi 

tollere  et  adieci  sublato  pondera  malo 

inpediique  oneris  pariter  gravitate  moraque, 

neve  meus  serino  cursu  sit  tardior  ipso, 

praeterita  est  virgo  :  duxit  sua  praemia  victor.      CSO 

" '  Dignane,  cui  grates  ageret,  cui  turis  honorem 
ferret,  Adoni,  fui  ?  nee  grates  inmemor  egits 
nee  mihi  tura  dedit.     subitam  converter  in  iram, 
contemptuque  dolens,  ne  sim  spernenda  futuris, 
exemplo  caveo  meque  ipsa  exhortor  in  ambos  :      6*85 
templa,  deum  Matri  quae  quondam  clarus  Echion 
fecerat  ex  voto,  nemorosis  abdita  silvis, 
transibant,  et  iter  longum  requiescere  suasit ; 
illic  concubitus  intempestiva  cupido 
occupat  Hippomenen  a  numine  concita  nostro.      (>90 
luminis  exigui  fuerat  prope  templa  recessus, 
speluncae  similis,  nativo  pumice  tectus, 
religione  sacer  prisca,  quo  multa  sacerdog 

112 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

up  for  her  delay  and  the  time  that  she  had  lost,  and 
again  left  the  youth  behind  her.  Again  she  delayed 
at  the  tossing  of  the  second  apple,  followed  and 
passed  the  man.  The  last  part  of  the  course  remained. 
"Now  be  near  me,  goddess,  author  of  my  gift !  "  he 
said,  and  obliquely  into  a  side  of  the  field,  returning 
whence  she  would  lose  much  time,  with  all  his  youth- 
ful strength  he  threw  the  shining  gold.  The  girl 
seemed  to  hesitate  whether  or  no  she  should  go  after 
it.  I  forced  her  to  take  it  up,  and  added  weight  to 
the  fruit  she  carried,  and  so  impeded  her  equally 
with  the  weight  of  her  burden  and  with  her  loss  of 
time.  And,  lest  my  story  be  longer  than  the  race 
itself,  the  maiden  was  outstripped  ;  the  victor  led 
away  his  prize. 

" '  And  was  1  not  worthy,  Adonis,  of  being  thanked 
and  of  having  the  honour  of  incense  paid  to  me  ? 
But,  forgetful  of  my  services,  he  neither  thanked  nor 
offered  incense  to  me.  Then  was  I  changed  to  sudden 
wrath  and,  smarting  under  the  slight,  and  reso!  ved 
not  to  be  slighted  in  the  future,  I  decided  to  make 
an  example  of  them,  and  urged  myself  on  against 
them  both.  They  were  passing  by  a  temple  deep 
hidden  in  the  woods,  which  in  ancient  times  illus- 
trious Echion  had  built  to  the  mother1  of  the  gods  in 
payment  of  a  vow  ;  and  the  long  journey  persuaded 
them  to  rest.  There  incontinent  desire  seized  on 
Hippomenes,  who  was  kindled  by  my  divinity. 
Hard  by  the  temple  was  a  dimly  lighted,  cave-like 
place,  built  of  soft  native  rock,  hallowed  by  ancient 
religious  veneration,  where  the  priest  had  set  many 
wooden  images  of  the  olden  gods.  This  place  he 
entered  ;  this  holy  presence  he  defiled  by  lust.  The 
sacred  images  turned  away  their  eyes.     The  tower- 

1  Cybele. 

113 


OVID 

Iisjnea  contulerat  veterum  simulacra  deorura; 

hunc  init  et  vetito  temerat  sacraria  probro.  695 

sacra  retorserunt  oculos,  turritaque  Mater 

an  Stygia  sontes  dubitavit  mergeret  unda  : 

poena  levis  visa  est ;  ergo  modo  levia  f'ulvae 

colla  iubae  velant,  digiti  curvantur  in  ungues, 

ex  umeris  armi  fiunt,  in  pectora  totum  700 

pondus  abit,  summae  cauda  verruntur  harenae  ; 

iram  vultus  habet,  pro  verbis  murmura  reddunt, 

pro  thalamis  celebrant  silvas  aliisque  timendi 

dente  premunt  domito  Cybeleia  frena  leones. 

hos  tu,  care  mihi,  cumque  his  genus  omne  ferarum,  705 

quod  non  terga  fugae,  sed  pugnae  pectora  praebet, 

effuge,  ne  virtus  tua  sit  damnosa  duobus  ! ' 

"  Ilia  quidem  monuit  iunctisque  per  aera  cygnis 
carpit  iter,  sed  stat  monitis  contraria  virtus, 
forte  suem  latebris  vestigia  certa  secuti  710 

excivere  canes,  silvisque  exire  parantem 
fixerat  obi i quo  iuvenis  Cinyreius  ictu  : 
protinus  excussit  pando  venabula  rostro 
sanguine  tincta  suo  trepidumque  et  tuta  petentem 
trux  aper  insequitur  totosque  sub  inguine  dentes  715 
abdidit  et  fulva  moribundum  stravit  harena. 
vecta  levi  curru  medias  Cytherea  per  auras 
Cypron  olorinis  nondum  pervenerat  alis: 
agnovit  longe  gemitum  morientis  et  aibas 
flexit  aves  illuc,  utque  aethere  vitlit  ab  alto  720 

exanimem  inque  suo  iactantem  sanguine  corpus, 
desiluit  pariterque  sinum  pariterque  capillos 
rupit  et  ind ignis  percussit  pectora  palmis 
questaque  cum  fatis  '  at  non  tamen  omnia  vestri 
114 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

crowned  Mother  was  on  the  verge  of  plunging  the 
guilty  pair  beneath  the  waves  of  Styx  ;  but  the 
punishment  seemed  light.  And  so  tawny  manes 
covered  their  necks  but  now  smooth,  their  fingers 
curved  into  claws,  their  arms  changed  to  legs,  their 
weight  went  chiefly  to  their  chests,  with  tails  they 
swept  the  surface  of  the  sandy  ground.  Harsh  were 
their  features,  rough  growls  they  gave  for  speech, 
and  for  marriage  chamber  they  haunted  the  wild 
woods.  And  now  as  lions,  to  others  terrible,  with 
tamed  mouths  they  champed  the  bits  of  Cybele. 
These  beasts,  and  with  them  all  other  savage  things 
which  turn  not  their  backs  in  flight,  but  offer  their 
breasts  to  battle,  do  you,  for  my  sake,  dear  boy,  avoid, 
lest  your  manly  courage  be  the  ruin  of  us  both.'  "^ 
"Thus  the  goddess  warned  and  through  the  air, 
drawn  by  her  swans,  she  took  her  way;  but  the 
boy's  manly  courage  would  not  brook  advice.  It 
chanced  h's  hounds,  following  a  well-marked  trail, 
roused  up  a  wild  boar  from  his  hiding-place ;  and,  as 
he  was  rushing  from  the  wood,  the  young  grandson 
of  Cinyras  pierced  him  with  a  glancing  blow. 
Straightway  the  fierce  boar  with  his  curved  snout 
rooted  out  the  spear  wet  with  his  blood,  and  pursued 
the  youth,  now  full  of  fear  and  running  for  his  life ; 
deep  in  the  groin  he  sank  his  long  tusks,  and 
stretched  the  dying  boy  upon  the  yellow  sand. 
Borne  through  the  middle  air  by  flying  swans  on 
her  light  car,  Cytherea  had  not  yet  come  to  Cyprus, 
when  she  heard  afar  the  groans  of  the  dying  youth 
and  turned  her  white  swans  to  go  to  him.  And 
when  from  the  high  air  she  saw  him  lying  lifeless 
and  weltering  in  his  blood,  she  leaped  down,  tore 
both  her  garments  and  her  hair  and  beat  her  breasts 
with  cruel  hands.      Reproaching  fate,  she  said  :  '  But 

115 


OVID 

iuris  erunt'  dixit,     'luctus  monimenta  manebunt 

semper,  Adoni,  mei,  repetitaque  mortis  imago       726 

annua  plangoris  peraget  simulamina  nostri ; 

at  cruor  in  florem  mutabitur.     an  tibi  quondam 

femineos  artus  in  olentes  vertere  mentas, 

Persephone,  licuit :  nobis  Cinyreius  heros  730 

invidiae  mutatus  erit  ? '  sic  fata  cruorem 

nectare  odorato  sparsit,  qui  tactus  ab  illo 

intumuit  sic,  ut  fulvo  perlucida  caeno 

surgere  bulla  solet,  nee  plena  longior  hora 

facta  mora  est,  cum  flos  de  sanguine  concolor  ortus, 

qualem,  quae  lento  celant  sub  cortice  granum,      736 

punica  ferre  solent ;  brevis  est  tamen  usus  in  illo  ; 

namque  male  haerentem  et  nimia  levitate  caducum 

excutiunt  idem,  qui  praestant  nomina,  venti." 


116 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  X 

all  shall  not  be  in  your  power.  My  grief,  Adonis, 
shall  have  an  enduring  monument,  and  each  passing 
year  in  memory  of  your  death  shall  give  an  imitation 
of  my  grief.  But  your  blood  shall  be  changed  to  a 
flower.  Or  was  it  once  allowed  to  thee,  Persephone, 
to  change  a  maiden's1  form  to  fragrant  mint,  and 
shall  the  change  of  my  hero,  offspring  of  Cinyras,  be 
grudged  to  me?'  So  saying,  with  sweet-scented 
nectar  she  sprinkled  the  blood;  and  this,  touched 
by  the  nectar,  swelled  as  when  clear  bubbles  rise  up 
from  yellow  mud.  With  no  longer  than  an  hour's 
delay  a  flower  sprang  up  of  blood-red  hue  such  as 
pomegranates  bear  which  hide  their  seeds  beneath 
the  tenacious  rind.  But  short-lived  is  their  flower ; 
for  the  winds  from  which  it  takes  its  name  2  shake 
off  the  flower  so  delicately  clinging  and  doomed  too 
easily  to  fall." 


*  The  nymph  Men  the. 

!  Anemone,  "  the  wind-flower.* 


117 


BOOK  XI 


LIBER  XI 

Carmine  dura  tali  silvas  ammosque  f'erarum 

Threicius  vates  et  saxa  sequentia  ducit, 

ecce  nurus  Ciconum  tectae  lymphata  ferinis 

pectora  velleribus  tumuli  de  vertice  cernunt 

Orphea  percussis  sociantem  carmina  nervis.  5 

e  quibus  una  leves  iactato  crine  per  auras, 

"  en,"  ait  "  en,  hie  est  nostri  contemptor  !"  et  hastam 

vatis  Apollinei  vocalia  misit  in  ora, 

quae  foliis  praesuta  notam  sine  vulnere  fecit ; 

alterius  telurn  lapis  est,  qui  missus  in  ipso  10 

aere  coneentu  victus  vocisque  lyraeque  est 

ac  veluti  supplex  pro  tam  furialibus  ausis 

ante  pedes  iacuit.     sed  enim  temeraria  crescimt 

bella  modusque  abiit  insanaque  regnat  Erinys ; 

cunctaque  tela  forent  cantu  mollita,  sed  ingens       15 

clamor  et  infracto  Berecyntia  tibia  cornu 

tympanaque  et  plausus  et  Bacchei  ululatus 

obstrepuere  sono  citharae,  turn  denique  saxa 

non  exauditi  rubuerunt  sanguine  vatis. 

ac  primum  attonitas  etiamnum  voce  canentis  20 

innumeras  volucres  anguesque  agmenque  ferarum 

maenades  Orphei  titulum  rapuere  theatri ; 

inde  cruentatis  vertuntur  in  Orphea  dextris 

120 


BOOK    XI 

While  with  such  songs  the  bard  of  Thrace  drew  the 
trees,  held  beasts  enthralled  and  constrained  stones 
to  follow  him,  behold,  the  crazed  women  of  the 
Cicones,  with  skins  flung  over  their  breasts,  saw 
Orpheus  from  a  hill-top,  fitting  songs  to  the  music  of 
his  lyre.  Then  one  of  these,  her  tresses  streaming  in 
the  gentle  breeze,  cried  out :  "  See,  see,  here  is  the 
man  who  scorns  us !  "  and  hui'led  her  spear  straight 
at  the  tuneful  mouth  of  Apollo's  bard ;  but  this, 
wreathed  in  leaves,  marked  without  harming  him. 
Another  threw  a  stone,  which,  even  as  it  flew  through 
the  air,  was  overcome  by  the  sweet  sound  of  voice  and 
lyre,  and  fell  at  his  feet  as  if 'twould  ask  forgiveness  for 
its  mad  attempt.  But  still  the  assault  waxed  reckless  ' 
their  passion  knew  no  bounds;  mad  fury  reigned 
And  all  their  weapons  would  have  been  harmless 
under  the  spell  of  song  ;  but  the  huge  uproar  of  the 
Berecyntian  flutes,  mixed  with  discordant  horns,  the 
drums,  and  the  breast-beatings  and  howlings  of  the 
Bacchanals, drowned  the  lyre's  sound;  and  then  at  last 
the  stones  were  reddened  with  the  blood  of  the  bard 
whose  voice  they  could  not  hear.  First  away  went  the 
multitudinous  birds  still  spellbound  by  the  singer's 
voice,  with  the  snakes  and  the  train  of  beasts,  the 
glory  of  Orpheus'  audience,  harried  by  the  Maenads  ; 
then  these  turned  bloody  hands  against  Orpheus 
and  flocked  around  like  birds  when  they  see  the  bird 

121 


OVID 

et  coeunt  ut  aves,  si  quando  luce  vagantem 

noctis  avem  cernunt,  structoque  utriinque  theatro  25 

ceu  matutina  cervus  periturus  harena 

praeda  canum  est,  vatemque  petunt  et  fronde  virentes 

coniciunt  thyrsos  non  haec  in  munera  factos. 

hae  glaebas,  illae  direptos  arbore  ramos, 

pars  torquent  silices  ;  neu  desint  tela  furori,  30 

forte  boves  presso  subigebant  vomere  terra  m, 

nee  procul  hinc  multo  fructum  sudore  parantes 

dura  lacertosi  fodiebant  arva  coloni, 

agmine  qui  viso  fugiunt  operisque  relinquunt 

arma  sui,  vacuosque  iacent  dispersa  per  agros  85 

sarculaque  rastrique  graves  longique  ligones  ; 

quae  postquam  rapuere  ferae  cornuque  minaces 

divulsere  boves,  ad  vatis  fata  recurrunt 

tendentemque  manus  et  in  illo  tempore  primum 

inrita  dicentem  nee  quicquam  voce  moventem         40 

sacrilegae  perimunt,  perque  os,  pro  Iuppiter!  illud 

auditum  saxis  intellectumque  ferarum 

sensibus  in  ventos  anima  exhalata  recessit. 

Te  maestae  volucres,  Orpheu,  te  turba  ferarum, 
te  rigidi  silices,  te  carmina  saepe  secutae  45 

fleverunt  silvae,  positis  te  frondibus  arbor 
tonsa  comas  luxit ;  lacrimis  quoque  flumina  dicunt 
increvisse  suis,  obstrusaque  carbasa  pullo 
naides  et  drj-ades  passosque  habuere  capillos. 
membra  iacent  diversa  locis,  caput,  Hebre,  lyram~"ue 
excipis  :  et  (mirum !)  medio  dum  labitur  amne,        5! 
122 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK   XI 

of  night  wandering  in  the  daylight ;  and  as  when  in 
the  amphitheatre  in  the  early  morning  of  the  spectacle 
the  doomed  stag  in  the  arena  is  the  prey  of  dogs. 
They  rushed  upon  the  bard  and  hurled  at  him  their 
wands  wreathed  with  green  leaves,  not  made  for  such 
use  as  this.  Some  threw  clods,  some  branches  torn 
from  trees,  and  some  threw  stones.  And,  that  real 
weapons  might  not  be  wanting  to  their  madness,  it 
chanced  that  oxen,  toiling  beneath  the  yoke,  were 
plowing  up  the  soil ;  and  not  far  from  these,  stout 
peasants  were  digging  the  hard  earth  and  sweating 
at  their  work.  When  these  beheld  the  advancing 
horde,  they  fled  away  and  left  behind  the  imple- 
ments of  their  toil.  Scattered  through  the  deserted 
fields  lay  hoes,  long  mattocks  and  heavy  grubbing- 
tools.  These  the  savage  women  caught  up  and,  first 
tearing  in  pieces  the  oxen  who  threatened  them 
with  their  horns,  they  rushed  back  to  slay  the  bard  ; 
and,  as  he  stretched  out  his  suppliant  hands,  uttering 
words  then,  but  never  before,  unheeded,  and  moving 
them  not  a  whit  by  his  voice,  the  impious  women 
struck  him  down.  And  (oh,  the  pity  of  it !)  through 
those  lips,  to  which  rocks  listened,  and  to  which  the 
hearts  of  savage  beasts  responded,  the  soul,  breathed 
out,  went  faring  forth  in  air. 

The  mourning  birds  wept  for  thee,  Orpheus,  the 
throng  of  beasts,  the  flinty  rocks,  and  the  trees  which 
had  so  often  gathered  to  thy  songs ;  yes,  the  trees 
shed  their  leaves  as  if  so  tearing  their  hair  in  grief 
for  thee.  They  say  that  the  rivers  also  were  swollen 
with  their  own  tears,  and  that  naiads  and  dryads 
alike  mourned  with  dishevelled  hair  and  with  dark- 
bordered  garments.  The  poet's  limbs  lay  scattered 
all  around;  but  his  head  and  lyre,  O  Hebrus,  thou 
didst  receive,  and  (a  marvel !)  while  they  floated  in 

123 


OVID 

flebile  nescio  quid  queritur  lyra,  flebile  lingua 
murmurat  exanimis,  respondent  flebile  ripae. 
iamque  mare  invectae  (lumen  populare  relinquunt 
et  Methymnaeae  potiuntur  litore  Lesbi :  55 

hie  ferus  expositum  peregrinis  anguis  harenis 
os  petit  et  sparsos  stillanti  rore  capillos. 
tandem  Phoebus  adest  morsusque  inferre  parantem 
arcet  et  in  lapidem  rictus  serpentis  apertos 
congelat  et  patulos,  ut  erant,  indurat  hiatus.  60 

Umbra  subit  terras,  et  quae  loca  viderat  ante, 
cuncta  recognoscit  quaerensque  per  arva  piorum 
invenit  Eurydicen  cupidisque  amplectitur  ulnis  ; 
hie  modo  coniunetis  spatiantur  passibus  ambo, 
nunc  praecedentem  sequitur,  nunc  praevius  anteit  65 
Eurydicenque  suam,  iam  tuto,  respicit  Orpheus. 

Non  inpune  tamen  scelus  hoc  sinit  esse  Lyaeus 
amissoque  dolens  sacrorum  vate  suorum 
protinus  in  silvis  matres  Edonidas  omnes, 
quae  videre  nefas>  torta  raclice  ligavit ;  70 

quippe  pedum  digitos,  in  quantum  est  quaeque  secuta, 
traxit  et  in  solidam  detrusit  acumina  terram, 
utque  suura  laqueis,  quos  callidus  abdidit  auceps, 
crus  ubi  commisit  volucris  sensitque  teneri, 
plangitur  ac  trepidans  adstringit  vincula  motu  :       75 
sic,  ut  quaeque  solo  defixa  cohaeserat  harum, 
exsternata  fugam  frustra  temptabat,  at  illam 
lenta  tenet  radix  exsultantemque  coercet, 
dumque  ubi  sint  digiti,  dum  pes  ubi,quaerit,  et  ungues, 
aspicit  in  teretes  lignum  succedere  suras  80 

124 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

mid-stream  the  lyre  gave  forth  some  mournful 
notes,  mournfully  the  lifeless  tongue  murmured, 
mournfully  the  banks  replied.  And  now,  borne 
onward  to  the  sea,  they  left  their  native  stream  and 
gained  the  shore  of  Lesbos  near  the  city  of  Methymna. 
Here,  as  the  head  lay  exposed  upon  a  foreign  strand, 
a  savage  serpent  attacked  it  and  its  streaming  locks 
still  dripping  with  the  spray.  But  Phoebus  at  last 
appeared,  drove  off  the  snake  just  in  the  act  to  bite, 
and  hardened  and  froze  to  stone,  just  as  they  were, 
the  serpent's  widespread,  yawning  jaws. 

The  poet's  shade  Med  beneath  the  earth,  and  recog- 
nized all  the  places  he  had  seen  before ;  and,  seeking 
through  the  blessed  fields,  found  Eurydice  and  caught 
her  in  his  eager  arms.  Here  now  side  by  side  they 
walk ;  now  Orpheus  follows  her  as  she  precedes,  now 
goes  before  her,  now  may  in  safety  look  back  upon 
his  Eurydice. 

However,  Lyaeus  did  not  suffer  such  crime  as  this 
to  go  unavenged.  Grieved  at  the  loss  of  the  bard  of 
his  sacred  rites,  he  straightway  bound  fast  all  those 
Thracian  women,  who  saw  the  impious  deed,  with 
twisted  roots.  For  he  prolonged  their  toes  and,  in 
so  far  as  each  root  followed  down,  he  thrust  their  tips 
into  the  solid  earth.  And  as  a  bird,  when  it  has  caught 
its  foot  in  the  snare  which  the  cunning  fowler  has  set 
for  it,  and  feels  that  it  is  caught,  flaps  and  flutters, 
but  draws  its  bonds  tighter  by  its  struggling ;  so,  as 
each  of  these  women,  fixed  firmly  in  the  soil,  had 
stuck  fast,  with  wild  affright,  but  all  in  vain,  she 
attempted  to  flee.  The  tough  roots  held  her,  and 
though  she  struggled,  kept  firm  their  grasp.  And 
when  she  asked  where  were  her  fingers,  where  her 
feet,  her  nails,  she  saw  the  bark  come  creeping  up 
her  shapely  legs ;  striving  to  smite  her  thighs  with 

185 


OVID 

et  conata  femur  maerenti  plangere  dextra 
robora  percussit,  pectus  quoque  robora  fiunt, 
robora  sunt  umeri ;  longos  quoque  bracchia  versa 
esse  putes  ramos,  et  non  fallare  putando. 

Nee  satis  hoc  Baccho  est,  ipsos  quoque  deserit  agros 
cunique  choro  meliore  sui  vineta  Timoli  86 

Pactolonque  petit,  quamvis  non  aureus  illo 
tempore  nee  caris  erat  invidiosus  harenis. 
hunc  adsueta  cohors,  satyri  bacchaeque,  frequentant, 
at  Silenus  abest :  titubantem  annisque  meroque      90 
ruricolae  cepere  Phryges  vinctumque  coronis 
ad  regem  duxere  Midan,  cui  Thracius  Orpheus 
orgia  tradiderat  cum  Cecropio  Eumolpo. 
qui  simul  agnovit  socium  comitemque  sacrorum, 
hospitis  adventu  festum  genialiter  egit  95 

per  bis  quinque  dies  et  iunctas  ordine  noctes, 
et  iam  stellarum  sublime  coegerat  agmen 
Lucifer  undecimus,  Lydos  cum  laetus  in  agros 
rex  venit  et  iuveni  Silenum  reddit  alumno. 

Huic  deus  optandi  gratum,  sed  inutile  fecit       100 
muneris  arbitrium  gaudens  altore  recepto. 
ille  male  usurus  donis  ait  "effice,  quiequid 
corpore  contigero,  fulvum  vertatur  in  aurum." 
adnuit  optatis  nocituraque  munera  solvit 
Liber  et  indoluit,  quod  non  meliora  petisset.  10.5 

laetus  abit  gaudetque  malo  Berecyntius  heros 
pollicitique  fklem  tangendo  singula  tempt at 
vixque  sibi  credens,  non  alta  fronde  virentem 
ilice  detraxit  virgam  :  virga  aurea  facta  est ; 
126 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

hands  of  grief,  she  smote  on  oak.     Her  breasts  also 
became  of  oak  ;  oaken  her  shoulders.     Her  arms  you 

would  think  had   been  changed  to  long  branches 

nor  would  your  thought  be  wrong. 

Nor  is  this  enough  for  Bacchus.  He  leaves  their 
very  fields  and  with  a  worthier  band  seeks  the  vine- 
yards of  his  own  Timolus  and  his  Pactolus  ;  although 
this  was  not  at  that  time  a  golden  stream,  nor  envied 
for  its  precious  sands.  His  usual  company,  satyrs 
and  bacchanals,  thronged  round  him  ;  but  Silenus  was 
not  there  Him,  stumbling  with  the  weight  of  years 
and  wine,  the  Phrygian  rustics  took  captive,  bound 
him  with  wreaths,  and  led  him  to  Midas,  their  king. 
To  this  Midas,  together  with  the  Athenian  Eumolpus, 
Thracian  Orpheus  had  taught  the  rites  of  Bacchus. 
When  now  the  king  recognized  the  comrade  and 
assistant  of  his  revels,  right  merrily  to  celebrate  the 
coming  of  his  guest  he  ordered  a  festival  which  they 
kept  for  ten  continuous  days  and  nights.  And  now 
the  eleventh  dawn  had  driven  away  the  ranks  of 
stars  on  high,  when  the  king  with  joyful  heart  came 
to  the  Lydian  fields  and  gave  Silenus  back  to  his  dear 
foster-child. 

Then  did  the  god,  rejoicing  in  his  foster-father" s 
safe  return,  grant  to  the  king  the  free  choice  of  a 
boon,  a  pleasing,  but  useless  gift.  Midas,  fated  to 
make  an  ill  use  of  his  gift,  exclaimed  :  "  Grant  that 
whatsoever  I  may  touch  with  my  body  may  be 
turned  to  yellow  gold."  Bacchus  granted  his  prayer 
and  gave  him  the  baleful  gift,  grieving  the  while 
that  he  had  not  asked  better.  The  Berecyntian 
hero  gaily  went  his  way,  rejoicing  in  his  fatal  gift, 
and  tried  its  promised  powers  by  touching  this  and 
that.  Scarcely  daring  to  believe,  from  a  low  oak- 
branch    he  broke   off  a  green  tAvig :   the   twip-  was 


127 


OVID 

tollit  humo  saxum:  saxum  quoque  palluit  auro;    110 
contigit  et  glaebam :  contactu  glaeba  potenti 
massa  fit ;  arentis  Cereris  decerpsit  aristas  : 
aurea  messis  erat ;  demptum  tenet  arbore  poraum  : 
Hesperidas  donasse  putes  ;  si  postibus  altis 
admovit  digitos,  postes  radiare  videntur  ;  115 

ille  etiam  liquidis  palmas  ubi  laverat  undis, 
unda  Aliens  palmis  Danaen  eludere  posset ; 
vix  spes  ipse  suas  animo  capit  aurea  fingens 
omnia,     gaudenti  mensas  posuere  ministri 
exstructas  dapibus  nee  tostae  frugis  egentes  :        120 
turn  vero,  sive  ille  sua  Cerealia  dextra 
munera  contigerat,  Cerealia  dona  rigebant, 
sive  dapes  avido  convellere  dente  parabat, 
lammina  fulva  dapes  admoto  dente  premebat ; 
miscuerat  puris  auctorem  muneris  undis :  125 

fusile  per  rictus  aurum  fluitare  videres. 

Attonitus  novitate  mali  divesque  miserque 
effugere  optat  opes  et  quae  modo  voverat,  odit. 
copia  nulla  famem  relevat ;  sitis  arida  guttur 
urit,  et  inviso  meritus  torquetur  ab  auro  130 

ad  caelumque  manus  et  splendida  bracchia  tollens 
"da  veniam,  Lenaee  pater  !  peccavimus  "  inquit, 
"  sed  miserere,  precor,  speciosoque  eripe  damno  !  " 
mite  deum  numen  :  Bacchus  peccasse  fatentem 
restituit  pactique  fide  data  munera  solvit  135 

"  neve  male  optato  maneas  circumlitus  auro, 
128 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XI 

changed  to  gold.  He  picked  up  a  stone  from  the 
ground :  the  stone,  also,  showed  a  light  golden  hue. 
He  touched  a  clod :  beneath  that  magic  touch  the 
clod  became  a  mass  of  gold.  He  plucked  some  ripe 
wheat-heads :  it  was  a  golden  harvest.  He  picked 
an  apple  from  a  tree  and  held  it  in  his  hand  :  you 
would  suppose  the  Hesperides  had  given  it.  If  he 
laid  his  fingers  on  the  lofty  pillars,  the  pillars  gleamed 
before  his  eyes.  When  he  bathed  his  hands  in  water, 
the  water  flowing  over  his  hands  could  cheat  a  Danae. 
His  mind  itself  could  scarcely  grasp  its  own  hopes, 
dreaming  of  all  things  turned  to  gold.  As  he  re- 
joiced, his  slaves  set  a  table  before  him  loaded  with 
meats  ;  nor  was  bread  wanting.  Then  indeed,  if  he 
touched  the  gift  of  Ceres  with  his  hand,  the  gift  of 
Ceres  went  stiff  and  hard ;  or  if  he  tried  to  bite  a 
piece  of  meat  with  hungry  teeth,  where  his  teeth 
touched  the  food  they  touched  but  yellow  plates  of 
£old.  He  mingled  pure  water  with  the  wine  of 
Bacchus,  giver  of  his  gift ;  but  through  his  jaws  you 
would  see  the  molten  gold  go  trickling. 

Amazed  by  this  strange  mishap,  rich  and  yet 
wretched,  he  seeks  to  flee  his  wealth  and  hates 
what  he  but  now  has  prayed  for.  No  store  of 
food  can  relieve  his  hunger;  his  throat  is  parched 
with  burning  thirst,  and  through  his  own  fault  he  is 
tortured  by  hateful  gold.  Lifting  his  hands  and 
shining  arms  to  heaven,  he  cries :  "  Oh,  pardon  me, 
Lenaeus,  father!  I  have  sinned.  Yet  have  mercy, 
I  pray  thee,  and  save  me  from  this  curse  that  looks 
so  fair."  The  gods  are  kind  :  Bacchus  restored  him 
to  his  former  condition  when  he  confessed  his  fault, 
and  he  relieved  him  of  the  boon  which  he  had  given 
in  fulfilment  of  his  pledge.  "And,  that  you  may 
not    remain    encased   in    gold   which   you    have    so 

129 


OVID 

vade  "  ait  "  ad  magnis  vicinum  Sardibus  amnein 
perque  iugum  Lydum  labentibus  obvius  undis 
carpe  viam,  donee  venias  ad  fluminis  ortus, 
spumigeroque  tuum  fonti,  qua  plurimus  exit,         140 
subde  caput  corpusque  simul,  simul  elue  crimen." 
rex  iussae  succedit  aquae  :  vis  aurea  tinxit 
flunien  et  humano  de  corpore  cessit  in  amnem ; 
nunc  quoque  iam  veteris  percepto  semine  venae 
arva  rigent  auro  madidis  pallentia  glaebis.  145 

I  lie  perosus  opes  silvas  et  rura  colebat 
Panaque  montanis  habitantem  semper  in  antris, 
pingue  sed  ingenium  mansit,  nocituraque,  ut  ante, 
rursus  erant  domino  stultae  praecordia  mentis. 
nam  freta  prospiciens  late  riget  arduus  alto  150 

Tmolus  in  ascensu  clivoque  extensus  utroque 
Sardibus  hinc,  illinc  parvis  finitur  Hypaepis. 
Pan  ibi  dum  teneris  iactat  sua  carmina  nymph  is 
et  leve  cerata  modulatur  harundine  carmen 
ausus  Apollineos  prae  se  contemnere  cantus,  155 

iudice  sub  Tmolo  certamen  venit  ad  inpar. 
Monte  suo  senior  iudex  consedit  et  aures 
liberat  arboribus  :  quercu  coma  caerula  tantum 
cingitur,  et  pendent  circum  cava  tempora  glandes. 
isque  deum  pecoris  spectans  "in  iudice"  dixit       160 
"nulla  mora  est."     claims  agrestibus  insonat  ille 
barbaricoque  Midan  (aderat  nam  forte  canenti) 
carmine  delenit ;  post  hunc  sacer  ora  retorsit 
Tmolus  ad  os  Plioebi :  vultum  sua  silva  secuta  est 
130 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XI 

foolishly  desired,"  he  said,  "go  to  the  stream  which 
flows  by  mighty  Sardis  town,  and  take  your  way  along 
the  Lydian  hills  up  the  tumbling  stream  until  you 
come  to  the  river's  source.  There  plunge  your  head 
and  body  beneath  the  foaming  fountain  where  it 
comes  leaping  forth,  and  by  that  act  wash  your  sin 
away."  The  king  went  to  the  stream  as  he  was 
bid.  The  power  of  the  golden  touch  imbued  the 
water  and  passed  from  the  man's  body  into  the 
stream.  And  even  to  this  day,  receiving  the  seed  of 
the  original  vein,  the  fields  grow  hard  and  yellow, 
their  soil  soaked  with  water  of  the  golden  touch. 

But  Midas,  hating  wealth,  haunted  the  woods  and 
fields,  worshipping  Pan,  who  has  his  dwelling  in  the 
mountain  caves.  But  stupid  his  wits  still  remained, 
and  his  foolish  mind  was  destined  again  as  once  before 
to  harm  its  master.  For  Tmolus,  looking  far  out  upon 
the  sea,  stands  stiffand  high,  with  steep  sides  extend- 
ing with  one  slope  to  Sardis,  and  on  the  other  reaches 
down  to  little  Hypaepae.  There,  while  Pan  was  sing- 
ing his  songs  to  the  soft  n\  mphs  and  playing  airy 
interludes  upon  his  reeds  close  joined  with  wax,  he 
dared  speak  slightingly  of  Apollo's  music  in  com- 
parison with  his  own,  and  came  into  an  ill-matched 
contest  with  Tmolus  as  the  judge. 

The  old  judge  took  his  seat  upon  his  own  moun- 
tain-top, and  shook  his  ears  free  from  the  trees.  His 
dark  locks  were  encircled  by  an  oak-wreath  only,  and 
acorns  hung  around  his  hollow  temples.  He,  looking 
at  the  shepherd-god,  exclaimed  :  "  There  is  no  delay 
on  the  judge's  part."  Then  Pan  made  music  on  his 
rustic  pipes,  and  with  his  rude  notes  quite  charmed 
King  Midas,  for  he  chanced  to  hear  the  strains.  After 
Pan  was  done,  venerable  Tmolus  turned  his  face  to- 
wards Phoebus;  and  his  forest  turned  with  his  face. 

131 


OVID 

ille  caput  flavura  lauro  Parnaside  vinctus  165 

verrit  huraum  Tyrio  saturata  murice  palla 
instrictamque  fidem  gemmis  et  dentibus  Indis 
sustinet  a  laeva,  tenuit  manus  altera  plectrum ; 
artificis  status  ipse  fuit.     turn  stamina  docto 
pollice  sollicitat,  quorum  dulcedine  captus  170 

Pana  iubet  Tmolus  citharae  submittere  cannas. 

Iudicium  sanctique  placet  sententia  montis 
omnibus,  arguitur  tamen  atque  iniusta  vocatur 
unius  sermone  Midae  ;  nee  Delius  aures 
bumanam  stolidas  patitur  retinere  figuram,  175 

sed  trahit  in  spatium  villisque  albentibus  inplet 
instabilesque  imas  facit  et  dat  posse  moveri : 
cetera  sunt  hominis,  partem  damnatur  in  unara 
induiturque  aures  lente  gradientis  aselli. 
ille  quidem  eel  are  cupit  turpisque  pudore  180 

tempora  purpureis  temptat  velare  tiaris ; 
sed  solitus  longos  ferro  resecare  capillos 
viderat  hoc  famulus,  qui  cum  nee  prodere  visum 
dedecus  auderet,  cupiens  efferre  sub  auras, 
nee  posset  reticere  tamen,  secedit  humumque        185 
effbdit  et,  domini  quales  adspexerit  aures, 
voce  refert  parva  terraeque  inmurmurat  haustae 
indiciumque  suae  vocis  tellure  regesta 
obruit  et  scrobibus  tacitus  discedit  opertis. 
creber  harundinibus  tremulis  ibi  surgere  lucus       190 
coepit  et,  ut  primum  pleno  maturuit  anno, 
prodidit  agricolam  :  leni  nam  motus  ab  austro 
obruta  verba  refert  dominique  coarguit  aures. 

Ultus  abit  Tmolo  liquidumque  per  aera  vectus 
angustum  citra  pontum  Nepheleidos  Helles  195 

is* 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

Phoebus'  golden  head  was  wreathed  with  laurel  ol 
Parnasus,  and  his  mantle,  dipped  in  Tyrian  dye,  swept 
the  ground.  His  lyre,  inlaid  with  gems  and  Indian 
ivory,  he  held  in  his  left  hand,  while  his  right  hand 
held  the  plectrum.  His  very  pose  was  that  of  an 
artist.  Then  with  trained  thumb  he  plucked  the 
strings  and,  charmed  by  those  sweet  strains,  Tmolus 
ordered  Pan  to  lower  his  reeds  before  the  lyre. 

All  approved  the  judgment  of  the  sacred  mountain- 
god.  And  yet  it  was  challenged  and  called  unjust 
by  Midas'  voice  alone.  The  Delian  god  did  not  suffer 
ears  so  dull  to  keep  their  human  form,  but  lengthened 
them  out  and  filled  them  with  shaggy,  grey  hair;  he 
also  made  them  unstable  at  the  base  and  gave  them 
power  of  motion.  Human  in  all  else,  in  this  one 
feature  was  he  punished,  and  wore  the  ears  of  a  slow- 
moving  ass.  Disfigured  and  ashamed,  he  strove  to 
hide  his  temples  beneath  a  purple  turban,  but  the 
slave  who  was  wont  to  trim  his  long  hair  beheld  his 
shame.  And  he,  since  he  dared  not  reveal  the  dis- 
graceful sight,  yet  eager  to  tell  it  out  and  utterly 
unable  to  keep  it  to  himself,  went  off  and  dug  a  hole 
in  the  ground  and  into  the  hole,  with  low,  muttered 
words,  he  whispered  of  his  master's  ears  which  he  had 
seen.  Then  by  throwing  back  the  earth  he  buried  the 
evidence  of  his  voice  and,  having  thus  filled  up  the 
hole  again,  he  silently  stole  away.  But  a  thick  growth 
of  whispering  reeds  began  to  spring  up  there,  and 
these,  when  at  the  year's  end  they  came  to  their  full 
size,  betrayed  the  sower,  for,  stirred  by  the  gentle 
breeze,  they  repeated  his  buried  words  and  exposed 
the  story  of  his  master's  ears.  ^ 

His  vengeance  now  complete,  Latona's  son  retires 
from  Tmolus  and,  borne  through  the  liquid  air,  with- 
out crossing  the  narrow  sea  of  Helle,  daughter  of 

133 


OVID 

Laomedonteis  Latoius  adstitit  arvis. 

dextera  Sigei,  Rhoetei  laeva  profundi 

ara  Panomphaeo  vetus  est  sacrata  Tonanti : 

inde  novae  primum  moliri  moenia  Troiae 

Laomedonta  videt  susceptaque  magna  labore         200 

crescere  difficili  nee  opes  exposcere  parvas 

cumque  tridentigero  tumidi  genitore  profundi 

mortalem  induitur  formam  Phrygiaeque  tyranno 

aedificat  muros  pactus  pro  moenibus  aurum. 

stabat  opus  :  pretium  rex  infitiatur  et  addit,  205 

perfidiae  cumulura,  falsis  periuria  verbis. 

"  non  inpune  feres  "  rector  maris  inquit,  et  omiies 

inclinavit  aquas  ad  avarae  litora  Troiae 

inque  freti  formam  terras  conplevit  opesque 

abstulit  agricolis  et  fluctibus  obruit  agros.  210 

poena  ueque  haec  satis  est :  regis  quoque  filia  monstro 

poscitur  aequoreo,  quam  dura  ad  saxa  revinctam 

vindicat  Alcides  promissaque  munera  dictos 

poscit  equos  tantique  operis  mercede  negata 

bis  periura  capit  superatae  moenia  Troiae.  215 

nee,  pars  militiae,  Telamon  sine  honore  recessit 

Hesioneque  data  potitur.     nam  coniuge  Peleus 

clarus  erat  diva  nee  avi  magis  ille  superbus 

nomine  quam  soceri,  siquidem  Iovis  esse  nepoti 

contigit  haut  uni,  coniunx  dea  contigit  uni.  220 

134 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   XI 

Nephele,  he  came  to  earth  in  the  country  of  Lao- 
medon.  Midway  between  the  Sigean  and  Rhoetean 
promontories  was  an  ancient  altar  sacred  to  the 
Panomphaean  Thunderer.  There  Apollo  saw  Lao- 
medon  beginning  to  build  the  walls  of  his  new  city, 
Troy;  and,  perceiving  that  the  mighty  task  was 
proceeding  with  great  difficulty,  and  demanded  no 
slight  resources,  he,  together  with  the  trident- 
bearing  father  of  the  swollen  sea,  put  on  mortal 
form  and  built  the  walls  for  the  Phrygian  king, 
having  first  agreed  upon  a  sum  of  gold  for  the  walls. 
There  stood  the  work.  But  the  king  repudiated  his 
debt  and,  as  a  crowning  act  of  perfidy,  swore  that  he 
had  never  promised  the  reward.  "  But  you  shall 
not  go  unpunished,"  the  sea-god  said,  and  he  set 
all  his  waters  flowing  against  the  shores  of  miserly 
Troy.  He  flooded  the  country  till  it  looked  like  a 
sea,  swept  away  the  farmers'  crops  and  whelmed  their 
fields  beneath  his  waters.  Nor  was  this  punishment 
enough  ;  the  king's  daughter  also  must  be  sacri- 
ficed to  a  monster  of  the  deep.  But  while  she  was 
bound  there  to  the  hard  rocks,  Alcides  set  her  free, 
and  then  demanded  his  promised  wage,  the  horses 
that  were  agreed  upon.  But  the  great  task's  price 
was  again  refused,  and  so  the  hero  took  the  twice- 
perjured  walls  of  conquered  Troy.  Nor  did  Tela 
mon,  the  partner  of  his  campaign,  go  without 
reward,  and  Hesione  was  given  him.  For  Peleus  * 
was  honoured  with  a  goddess  for  his  bride,  and  was 
not  more  proud  of  his  grandfather's  name  than  of 
his  father-in-law  ;  since  it  had  fallen  to  not  one  alone 
to  be  grandson  of  Jove,  but  to  him  alone  had  it 
fallen  to  have  a  goddess  for  his  wife. 

1  Peleus  also  had  assisted  Hercules  in  this  exploit. 

135 


OVID 

Namque  senex  Thetidi   Proteus  "  dea "  dixerat 
"  undae, 
concipe  :  mater  eris  iuvenis,  qui  fortibus  annis 
acta  patris  vincet  maiorque  vocabitur  illo." 
ergo,  ne  quicquam  mundus  love  maius  haberet, 
quamvis  haut  tepidos  sub  pectore  senserat  ignes,  225 
Iuppiter  aeqjioreae  Thetidis  conubia  fugit, 
in  suaque  Aeaciden  succedere  vota  nepotem 
iussit  et  amplexus  in  virginis  ire  marinae. 

Est  sinus  Haemoniae  curvos  falcatus  in  arcus, 
bracchia  procurrunt :  ubi,  si  foret  altior  unda,       230 
portus  erat ;  summis  inductum  est  aequor  harenis  ; 
litus  babet  solidum,  quod  nee  vestigia  servet 
nee  remoretur  iter  nee  opertum  pendeat  alga ; 
myrtea  silva  subest  bicoloribus  obsita  bacis. 
est  specus  in  medio,  natura  factus  an  arte,  235 

ambiguum,  magis  arte  tarn  en  :  quo  saepe  venire 
frenato  delphine  sedens,  Theti,  nuda  solebas. 
illic  te  Peleus,  ut  somno  vincta  iacebas, 
occupat,  et  quoniam  precibus  temptata  repugnas, 
vim  parat,  innectens  ambobus  colla  Iacertis  ;  240 

quod  nisi  venisses  variatis  saepe  figuris 
ad  solitas  artes,  auso  foret  ille  potitus ; 
sed  modo  tu  volucris :  volucrem  tamen  ille  tenebat ; 
nunc  gravis  arbor  eras  :  haerebat  in  arbore  Peleus  ; 
tertia  forma  fuit  maculosae  tigridis  :  ilia  245 

territus  Aeacides  a  corpore  bracchia  solvit, 
usque  deos  pelagi  vino  super  aequora  fuso 
1J6 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

For  old  Proteus  had  said  to  Thetis :  "  O  god- 
dess of  the  waves,  conceive  :  thou  shalt  be  the  mother 
of  a  youth  who,  when  to  manhood  grown,  shall  outdo 
his  father's  deeds  and  shall  be  called  greater  than 
he."  Because  of  this,  lest  the  earth  should  produce 
anything  greater  than  himself,  though  he  had  felt 
the  hot  fires  of  love  deep  in  his  heart,  Jove  shunned 
the  arms  of  Thetis,  goddess  of  the  sea,  and  bade  his 
grandson,  the  son  of  Aeacus,  assume  the  place  of 
lover  in  his  stead,  and  seek  a  union  with  this  virgin 
of  the  deep. 

There  is  a  bay  on  the  Thessalian  coast,  rounded  like 
a  curved  sickle,  with  arms  running  out ;  'twould 
be  a  safe  port  for  ships  if  the  water  were  deeper. 
The  sea  spreads  smooth  over  the  sandy  bottom  ;  the 
shore  is  firm,  such  as  leaves  no  trace  of  feet,  delays 
no  journey,  is  free  from  seaweed.  A  myrtle  wood 
grows  close  at  hand,  thick-hung  with  two-coloured 
berries.  There  is  a  grotto  in  this  grove,  whether 
made  by  nature  or  art  one  may  not  surely  say, 
but  rather  by  art.  To  this  grot  oftentimes,  riding 
thy  bridled  dolphin,  O  Thetis,  naked  wast  thou  wont 
to  come.  There  then  did  Peleus  seize  thee  as  thou 
layest  wrapped  in  slumber ;  and  since,  though  en- 
treated by  his  prayers,  thou  didst  refuse,  he  prepared 
to  force  thy  will,  entwining  thy  neck  with  both  his 
arms.  And  hadst  thou  not,  by  changing  oft  thy  form, 
had  recourse  to  thine  accustomed  arts,  he  would 
have  worked  his  daring  will  on  thee.  But  now  didst 
thou  take  the  form  of  a  bird :  still  he  held  fast  to 
the  bird.  Now  wast  thou  a  sturdy  tree :  around 
the  tree  did  Peleus  tightly  cling.  Thy  third  dis- 
guise was  a  spotted  tigress'  form :  in  fear  of  that 
Peleus  loosed  his  hold  on  thee.  Then  did  he 
pray  unto  the  sods  of  the  sea  with  wine  poured  out 

137 


OVID 

et  pceoris  fibris  et  fumo  turis  adorat, 

donee  Carpathius  medio  de  gurgite  vates 

"  Aeacide,"  dixit  "  thalamis  potiere  petitis,  260 

tu  modo,  cum  rigido  sopita  quiescet  in  antro, 

ignaram  laqueis  vincloque  innecte  tenaci. 

nee  te  decipiat  centum  mentita  figuras, 

sed  preme,  quicquid  erit,  dum,  quod  fuit  ante) 

reformet." 
dixerat  haec  Proteus  et  condidit  aequore  vultum  255 
admisitque  suos  in  verba  novissima  fluctus. 
Pronus  erat  Titan  inclinatoque  tenebat 
Hesperium  temone  fretum,  cum  pulchra  relecto 
Nereis  ingreditur  consueta  cubilia  saxo  ; 
vix  bene  virgineos  Peleus  invaserat  artus :  2o*0 

ilia  novat  formas,  donee  sua  membra  teneri 
sentit  et  in  partes  diversas  bracchia  tendi. 
turn  demum  ingemuit,  "neque"  ait  "sine  numine 

vincis  " 
exhibita  estque  Thetis  :  eonfessam  amplectitur  heros 
et  potitur  votis  ingentique  inplet  Achille.  265 

Felix  et  nato,  felix  et  coniuge  Peleus, 
et  cui,  si  demas  iugulati  crimina  Phoci, 
omnia  contigerant :  fraterno  sanguine  sontem 
expulsumque  domo  patria  Trachinia  tellus 
accipit.     hie  regnum  sine  vi,  ^ine  caede  regebat    270 
Lucifero  genitore  satus  patriumque  nitorem 
ore  ferens  Ceyx,  illo  qui  tempore  maestus 
dissimilisque  sui  fratrem  lugebat  ademptum. 

quo  postquam  Aeacides  fessus  curaque  viaque 

138 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

upon  the  water,  with  entrails  of  sheep,  and  with 
the  smoke  of  incense ;  until  the  Carpathian  seer 
from  his  deep  pools  rose  and  said  to  him  :  "  O  son  of 
Aeacus,  thou  shalt  yet  gain  the  hride  thou  dost 
desire.  Only  do  thou,  when  she  lies  within  the 
rocky  cave,  deep  sunk  in  sleep,  bind  her  in  her  un- 
consciousness with  snares  and  close-clinging  thongs. 
And  though  she  take  a  hundred  lying  forms,  let  her 
not  escape  thee,  but  hold  her  close,  whatever  she 
may  be,  until  she  take  again  the  form  she  had  at 
first."  So  spoke  Proteus  and  hid  his  face  beneath 
the  waves,  as  he  let  his  waters  flow  back  again 
over  his  final  words. 

Now  Titan  was  sinking  low  and  kept  the  western 
sea  beneath  his  down-sloping  chariot,  when  the  fair 
Nereid,  seeking  again  the  grot,  lay  down  upon  her 
accustomed  couch.  There  scarce  had  Peleus  well 
laid  hold  on  her  virgin  limbs,  when  she  began  to 
assume  new  forms,  until  she  perceived  that  she  was 
held  firmly  bound  and  that  her  arms  were  pinioned 
wide.  Then  at  length  she  groaned  and  said  :  "  'Tis 
not  without  some  god's  assistance  that  you  conquer," 
and  gave  herself  up  as  Thetis.  Her,  thus  owning 
her  defeat,  the  hero  caught  in  his  embrace,  attained 
his  desire,  and  begat  on  her  the  great  Achilles. 

Peleus  was  blessed  in  his  son,  blessed  in  his  wife, 
and  to  him  only  good  befell,  if  you  except  the  crime 
of  the  murdered  Phocus.  Driven  from  his  father's 
house  with  his  brother's  blood  upon  his  hands,  he 
found  asylum  in  the  land  of  Trachis.  Here  ruled  in 
peaceful,  bloodless  sway  Ceyx,  son  of  Lucifer,  with 
all  his  father's  bright  gladness  in  his  face.  But  at 
that  time  he  was  sad  and  unlike  himself,  for  he  was 
mourning  the  taking  off  of  his  brother.  To  him 
the  son  of  Aeacus  came,  worn  with  his  cares  and 

139 


OVID 

venit  et  intravit  paucis  comitantibus  urbem,  275 

quosque   greges   pecorum,  quae  secum   armenta 

trahebat, 
haut  procul  a  muris  sub  opaca  valle  reliquit ; 
copia  cum  facta  est  adeundi  prima  tyranni, 
velamenta  manu  praetendens  supplice,  qui  sit 
quoque  satus,  memorat,  tan  turn  sua  crimina  celat  280 
mentiturque  fugae  causam  ;   petit,  urbe  vel  agro 
se  iuvet.     hunc  contra  placido  Trachinius  ore 
talibus  adloquitur  :  "mediae  quoque  commoda  plebi 
nostra  patent,  Peleu,  nee  inhospita  regna  tencmus; 
adicis  huic  animo  momenta  potentia,  clarum  285 

nomen  avumque  Iovem  ;  ne  tempora  perde  precando  ! 
quod  petis,  omne  feres  tuaque  haec  pro  parte  vocato, 
qualiacumque  vides  !  utinam  meliora  videres  !  " 
et  flebat :  moveat  tantos  quae  causa  dolores,         289 
Peleusque  comitesque  rogant ;  quibus  ille  profatur  : 
"forsitan  hanc  volucrem,  rapto  quae  vivit  et  omnes 
terret  aves,  semper  pennas  habuisse  putetis  : 
vir  fuit  (et — tanta  est  animi  constantia — tantum 
acer  erat  belloque  ferox  ad  vimque  paratus) 
nomine  Daedalion.     illo  genitore  creatis,  295 

qui  vocat  Auroram  caeloque  novissimus  exit, 
culta  mihi  pax  est,  pacis  mihi  cura  tenendae 
coniugiique  fuit,  fratri  fera  bella  placebant : 
illius  virtus  reges  gentesque  subegit, 
quae  nunc  Thisbaeas  agitat  mutata  columbas.        300 
nata  er*t  b*Ae  Cbione,  quae  dotatissima  forma 
140 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

journeyings,  and   entered  his   city  with   but  a  few 
retainers  following.     He  left  the  flocks  of  sheep  and 
the  cattle  which  he  had  brought  with  him  in  a  shady 
vale  not  far  from  the  city's  walls  ;  then,  when  first  he 
was  allowed  to  approach  the  monarch,  stretching  out 
with    suppliant    hand  an   olive-branch  wound    with 
woollen  fillets,  he  told   him    who  he   was  and  from 
what  father  sprung.      He  concealed  only  his  crime, 
and  lied  concerning  the  reason  for  his  flight.     He 
begged  for  a  chance  to  support  himself  in  city  or  in 
field.      To  him  the  Trachinian  monarch   with   kind 
words  replied  :  "  The  opportunities  of  our  realm  lie 
open,  Peleus,  even  to  humble  folk,  and  we  do  not 
rule  an  inhospitable  kingdom.     To  this  our  kindly 
disposition  you  add  the  strong  incentive  of  an  illus- 
trious name  and  descent  from  Jove.     Then  waste  no 
time  in  prayer.     You  shall  have  all  you  seek.     Call 
all  this  your  own  whatsoever  you  see ;  and  I  would  that 
you  saw  better!"  He  spoke  and  wept.     When  Peleus 
and  his  companions  asked  him  the  cause  of  his  great 
grief,  he  answered  them  :    "  Perchance   you   think 
that  yonder  bird,  which  lives  on  rapine  and  is  the 
terror  of  all  birds,  was  always  a  feathered  creature. 
He  was  once  a  man  (and,  so  fixed  is  character,  his 
only  qualities  were    harshness,    eagerness    for   war, 
readiness   for   violence),  by   name    Daedalion.     We 
two  were  born  of  that  god  who  wakes  the  dawn 
and    passes  last   from    the    sky.     I   was    by   nature 
peaceful    and    my    care  was   always   for  preserving 
peace  and  for   my    wife.      Rut   cruel    war    was    my 
brother's  pleasure.     His  fierce  courage  subdued  kings 
and  nations,  and  now  in  changed  form  it  pursues  the 
doves  of  Thisbe.1    He  had  a  daughter,  Chione,  a  girl 

1  A  little  town  on  the  coast  of  Boeotia,  famous  for  its  wild 
doves. 

141 


OVID 

mille  procos  habuit,  bis  septem  nubilis  annis. 

forte  revertentes  Phoebus  Maiaque  creatus, 

ille  suis  Delphis,  hie  vertice  Cylleneo, 

videre  hanc  pariter,  pariter  traxere  calorem.  305 

spem  veneris  differt  in  tempo ra  noctis  Apollo; 

non  fert  ille  moras  virgaque  movente  soporem 

virginis  os  tangit :  tactu  iacet  ilia  potenti 

vimque  dei  patitur  ;  nox  caelum  sparserat  astris  : 

Phoebus  anum  simulat  praereptaque  gaudia  sumit. 

ut  sua  maturus  conplevit  tempora  venter,  31 1 

alipedis  de  stirpe  dei  versuta  propago 

nascitur  Autolycus  furtum  ingeniosus  ad  onine, 

Candida  de  nigris  et  de  candentibus  atra 

qui  facere  adsuerat,  patriae  non  degener  artis  ;      315 

nascitur  e  Phoebo  (namque  est  enixa  gemellos) 

carmine  vocali  clarus  citharaque  Philammon. 

quid  peperisse  duos  et  dis  placuisse  duobus 

et  forti  genitore  et  progenitore  nitenti 

esse  satam  prodest  ?  an  obest  quoque  gloria  ?  multis 

obfuit,  huic  certe  !  quae  se  praeferre  Dianae         321 

sustinuit  faciemque  deae  culpavit,  at  illi 

ira  ferox  mota  est '  factis  '  que  '  placebimus  '  inquit. 

nee  mora,  curvavit  cornu  nervoque  sagittam 

inpulit  et  meritam  traiecit  harundine  linguam.      3-25 

lingua  tacet,  nee  vox  temptataque  verba  sequuntur, 

conantemque  loqui  cum  sanguine  vita  reliquit; 

quam  miser  amplexans  ego  turn  patriumque  dolorem 

corde  tuli  fratrique  pio  solacia  dixi, 

quae  pater  haut  aliter  quam  oautes  murmura  ponli 

142 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

most  richly  dowered  with  beauty,  who  had  a  thousand 
suitors  when  she  had  reached  the  marriageable  age 
of  fourteen  years.  It  chanced  that  Phoebus  and  the 
son  of  Maia,  returning  the  one  from  Delphi,  the  other 
from  high  Cyllene,  beheld  her  both  at  or/e  and  both 
at  once  were  filled  with  love  of  her.  Apollo  put  off 
his  hope  of  love  till  night-time,  but  the  other  brooked 
no  delay,  and  touched  the  maiden's  face  with  his 
sleep-compelling  wand.  She  lay  beneath  the  god's 
magic  touch  and  endured  his  violence.  Now  night 
had  spangled  the  heavens  with  the  stars  when 
Phoebus,  assuming  an  old  woman's  form,  gained  his 
forestalled  joy.  When  the  fullness  of  time  was  come, 
a  son  was  born  to  the  wing-footed  god,  Autolycus, 
of  crafty  nature,  well  versed  in  cunning  wiles.  For 
he  could  make  white  of  black  and  black  of  white, 
a  worthy  heir  of  his  father's  art.  To  Phoebus  also, 
for  the  birth  was  twin,  was  born  Philammon,  famous 
for  song  and  zither.  But  what  profits  it  that  she 
bore  two  sons,  that  she  found  favour  with  two 
gods,  that  she  herself  was  sprung  from  a  brave  sire 
and  shining  grandsire  ?  Is  not  glory  a  bane  as 
well  ?  It  has  been  a  bane  to  many,  surely  to  her ! 
For  she  boldly  set  herself  above  Diana  and  criticized 
the  goddess'  beauty.  But  to  her  the  goddess,  moved 
by  hot  rage,  exclaimed :  '  Then  by  our  deeds  we'll 
please  you.'  Upon  the  word  she  bent  her  bow,  sent 
an  arrow  swift  flying  from  the  string,  and  pierced  that 
guilty  tongue  with  the  shaft.  The  tongue  was  stilled, 
nor  voice  nor  attempted  words  came  more.  Even 
as  she  tried  to  speak  her  life  fled  forth  with  her 
blood.  Wretched,  I  embraced  her,  feeling  her 
father's  grief  in  my  heart,  and  to  my  dear  brother  I 
spoke  words  of  comfort.  The  father  heard  them  as 
the   crags  hear  the   murmurs  of  the  sea,  and  kept 

US 


OVID 

accipit  et  natam  delamentatur  ademptam  ;  331 

at  vero  ardentem  vidit,  quater  impetus  illi 
in  medios  fuit  ire  rogos,  quater  inde  repulsus 
concita  membra  fugae  mandat  similisque  iuvenco 
spicula  crabronum  pressa  cervice  gerenti,  335 

qua  via  nulla,  ruit.     iam  turn  mibi  currere  visus 
plus  homine  est,  alasque  pedes  sumpsisse  putares. 
effugit  ergo  omnes  veloxque  cupidine  leti 
vertice  Parnasi  potitur ;  miseratus  Apollo, 
cum  se  Daedalion  saxo  misisset  ab  alto,  340 

fecit  avem  et  subitis  pendentem  sustulit  alis 
oraque  adunca  dedit,  curvos  dedit  unguibus  hamos, 
virtutem  antiquam,  maiores  corpore  vires, 
et  nunc  accipiter,  nuili  satis  aequus,  in  omnes 
saevit  aves  aliisque  dolens  fit  causa  dolendi."         345 

Quae  dum  Lucifero  genitus  miracula  narrat 
de  consorte  suo,  cursu  festinus  anhelo 
advolat  armenti  custos  Phoceus  Onetor 
et  "  Peleu,  Peleu !  magnae  tibi  nuntius  adsum 
cladis  "  ait.     quodcumque  ferat,  iubet  edere  Peleus, 
pendet  et  ipse  metu  trepidi  Trachinius  oris  ;  351 

ille  refert  "  fessos  ad  litora  curva  iuvencos 
adpuleram,  medio  cum  Sol  altissimus  orbe 
tantum  respiceret,  quantum  superesse  videret, 
parsque  boum  fulvis  genua  inclinarat  harenis         355 
latarumque  iacens  campos  spectabat  aquarum, 
pars  gradibus  tardis  illuc  errabat  et  illuc ; 
nant  alii  celsoque  instant  super  aequora  collo. 
templa  mari  subsunt  nee  marmore  clara  neque  auro, 
sed  trabibus  densis  lucoque  umbrosa  vetusto :        360 
Nereides  Nereusque  tenent  (hos  navita  ponti 
144 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XI 

ever  bewailing  his  lost  child.  But  when  he  saw  her 
burning,  four  times  he  made  to  rush  into  the  blazing 
pile.  Four  times  thrust  back,  he  took  to  mad  flight 
and,  like  a  bullock  whose  neck  is  pierced  by  hornets' 
stings,  over  trackless  ways  he  rushed.  Even  then 
he  seemed  to  me  to  run  faster  than  human  powers 
allow,  and  you  would  have  thought  his  feet  had  taken 
wings.  So  then  he  fled  us  all  and  quickly,  bent  on 
destruction,  he  gained  Parnasus'  top.  Apollo,  pity- 
ing him,  when  Daedalion  had  hurled  himself  from 
that  high  cliff,  made  him  a  bird,  held  him  sus- 
pended there  on  sudden  wings,  and  gave  him  a 
hooked  beak,  gave  him  curved  claws,  but  he  left 
him  his  old-time  courage  and  strength  greater  than 
his  body.  And  now  as  a  hawk,  friendly  to  none,  he 
vents  his  cruel  rage  on  all  birds  and,  suffering  himself, 
makes  others  suffer,  too." 

While  the  son  of  Lucifer  was  telling  this  marvel- 
lous story  of  his  brother,  Phocian  Onetor,  Peleus' 
herdsman,  came  running  in  with  breathless  haste, 
crying :  "  Peleus,  Peleus  !  1  come  to  tell  you  news  of 
dreadful  slaughter."  Peleus  bade  him  tell  his  news, 
while  the  Trachinian  king  himself  waited  in  trembling 
anxiety.  The  herdsman  went  on  :  "I  had  driven  the 
weary  herd  down  to  the  curving  shore  when  the  high 
sun  was  midway  in  his  course,  beholding  as  much 
behind  him  as  still  lay  before.  A  part  of  the  cattle 
had  kneeled  down  upon  the  yellow  sands,  and  lying 
there  were  looking  out  upon  the  broad,  level  sea; 
part  was  wandering  slowly  here  and  there,  while 
others  still  swam  out  and  stood  neck-deep  in  water. 
A  temple  stood  near  the  sea,  not  resplendent  with 
marble  and  gold,  but  made  of  heavy  timbers,  and 
shaded  by  an  ancient  grove.  The  place  was  sacred 
to  Nereus  and  the  Nereids  (these  a  sailor  told  me 

146 


OVID 

edidit  esse  deos,  dum  retia  litore  siceat) ; 

iuncta  palus  huic  est  densis  obsessa  salictis, 

quam  restagnantis  fecit  maris  unda  paludem  : 

inde  fragore  gravi  strepitus  loea  proxima  terret :   365 

belua  vasta,  lupus!  mucisque  palustribus  exit 

oblitus,  et  spumis  et  sparsus  sanguine  rictus 

fulmineos,  rubra  suffusus  lumina  flamma. 

qui  quamquam  saevit  pariter  rabieque  fameque, 

acrior  est  rabie  :  neque  enim  ieiunia  curat  370 

caede  bourn  diramque  famem  finire,  sed  omne 

vulnerat  armentum  sternitque  hostiliter  omne. 

pars  quoque  de  nobis  funesto  saucia  morsu, 

dum  defensamus,  leto  est  data ;  sanguine  litus 

undaque  prima  rubet  demugitaeque  paludes.  375 

sed  mora  damnosa  est,  nee  res  dubitare  remittit : 

dum  superest  aliquid,  cuncti  coeamus  et  anna, 

arma  capessamus  coniunctaque  tela  feramus  !  " 

dixerat  agrestis  :  nee  Pelea  damna  movebant, 

sed  memor  admissi  Nereida  conligit  orbam  380 

damna  sua  inferias  exstincto  mittere  Phoco. 

induere  arma  viros  violentaque  sumere  tela 

rex  iubet  Oetaeus  ;  cum  quis  simul  ipse  parabat 

ire,  sed  Alcyone  coniunx  excita  tumultu 

prosilit  et  nondum  totos  ornata  capillos  385 

disicit  hos  ipsos  colloque  infusa  mariti, 

mittat  ut  auxilium  sine  se,  verbisque  precatur 

146 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XI 

were  the  gods  of  that  sea,  as  he  dried  his  nets 
on  the  shore).  Hard  by  this  temple  was  a  marsh 
thick-set  with  willows,  which  the  backwater  of 
the  sea  made  into  a  marsh.  From  this  a  loud, 
crashing  noise  filled  the  whole  neighbourhood  with 
fear:  a  huge  beast,  a  wolf!  he  came  rushing  out, 
smeared  with  marsh-mud,  his  great,  murderous  jaws 
all  bloody  and  flecked  with  foam,  and  his  eyes 
blazing  with  red  fire.  He  was  mad  with  rage  and 
hunger,  but  more  with  rage.  For  he  stayed  not  to 
sate  his  fasting  and  dire  hunger  on  the  slain  cattle, 
but  mangled  the  whole  herd,  slaughtering  all  in 
wanton  malice.  Some  of  us,  also,  while  we  strove  to 
drive  him  off,  were  sore  wounded  by  his  deadly  fangs 
and  given  over  to  death.  The  shore,  the  shallow 
water,  and  the  swamps,  resounding  with  the  bellow- 
ings  of  the  herd,  were  red  with  blood.  But  delay  is 
fatal,  nor  is  there  time  to  hesitate.  While  still  there's 
something  left,  let  us  all  rush  on  together,  and  arms, 
let  us  take  arms,  and  make  a  combined  attack  upon  the 
wolf!"  So  spoke  the  rustic.  Peleus  was  not  stirred 
by  the  story  of  his  loss;  but,  conscious  of  his  crime,  he 
well  knew  that  the  bereaved  Nereid1  was  sending  this 
calamity  upon  him  as  a  sacrificial  offering  to  her  slain 
Phocus.  The  Oetaean  king  bade  his  men  put  on 
their  armour  and  take  their  deadly  spears  in  hand, 
and  at  the  same  time  was  making  ready  to  go  with 
them  himself.  But  his  wife,  Alcyone,  roused  bv 
the  loud  outcries,  came  rushing  out  of  her  chamber, 
her  hair  not  yet  all  arranged,  and,  sending  this 
flying  loose,  she  threw  herself  upon  her  husband's 
neck,  and  begged  him  with  prayers  and  tears 
that   he  would  send  aid   but  not    go    himself,  and 

1  Psamathe,   the   mother    of    Phocus    whom   Peleus    had 
accidentally  killed. 

147 


OVID 

et  lacrimis,  animasque  duas  ut  servet  in  una. 
Aeacides  illi :  "  pulchros,  regina,  piosque 
pone  metus  !  plena  est  promissi  gratia  vestri.         390 
non  placet  arma  mihi  contra  nova  monstra  moveri ; 
numen  adorandum  pelagi  est !"  erat  ardua  turris, 
arce  focus  summa,  fessis  nota  grata  carinis  : 
ascendunt  illuc  stratosque  in  litore  tauros 
cum  gemitu  adspiciunt  vastatoremque  cruento      395 
ore  ferum,  longos  infectum  sanguine  villos. 
inde  manus  tend  ens  in  aperti  litora  ponti 
caeruleam  Peleus  Psamathen,  ut  finiat  iram, 
orat,  opemque  ferat ;  nee  vocibus  ilia  rogantis 
flectitur  Aeacidae,  Thetis  hanc  pro  coniuge  supplex 
accepit  veniam.     sed  enim  revocatus  ab  acri  40 1 

caede  lupus  perstat,  dulcedine  sanguinis  asper, 
donee  inhaerentem  lacerae  cervice  iuvencae 
marmore  mutavit :  corpus  praeterque  colorem 
omnia  servavit,  lapidis  color  indicat  ilium  405 

iam  non  esse  lupum,  iam  non  debere  timeri. 
nee  tamen  hac  profugum  consistere  Pelea  terra 
fata  sinunt,  Magnetas  adit  vagus  exul  et  illic 
sumit  ab  Haemonio  purgamina  caedis  Acasto. 

lnterea  fratrisque  sui  fratremque  secutis  410 

anxia  prodigiis  turbatus  pectora  Ceyx, 
consulat  ut  sacras,  hominum  oblectamina,  sortes, 
148 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

so  save  two  lives  in  one.     Then  said   the   son   of 
Aeacus    to    her  :    "  Your    pious     fears,    O    queen, 
become    you ;    but    have    no    fear.     I  am    not    un- 
grateful   for   your   proffered    help;    but  I  have    no 
desire  that  arms  be  taken  in  my  behalf  against  the 
strange  monster.     I  must  pray  to  the  goddess  of  the 
sea."     There  was  a  tall  tower,  a  lighthouse  on  the 
top  of  the  citadel,  a  welcome  landmark  for  storm- 
tossed  ships.     They  climbed  up  to  its  top,  and  thence 
with  cries  of  pity  looked  out  upon  the  cattle  lying 
dead  upon   the  shore,  and  saw  the  killer  revelling 
with    bloody  jawg,  and  with   his  long   shaggy  hair 
stained  red  with  blood.     There,  stretching  out  his 
hands  to  the  shores  of  the  open  sea,  Peleus  prayed 
to  the  sea-nymph,  Psamathe,  that  she  put  away  her 
wrath  and  come  to  his  help.     She,  indeed,  remained 
unmoved  by  the  prayers  of  Peleus  ;  but  Thetis,  add- 
ing her  prayers  for  her  husband's  sake,  obtained  the 
nymph's  forgiveness.     But  the  wolf,  though  ordered 
off  from  his  fierce  slaughter,  kept  on,  mad  with  the 
sweet  draughts  of  blood  ;  until,  just  as  he  was  fasten- 
ing his  fangs  upon  the  torn  neck  of  a  heifer,  the 
nymph   changed  him  into  marble.     The  body,  save 
for  its  colour,  remained  the  same  in  all  respects ;  but 
the  colour  of  the  stone  proclaimed  that  now  he  was 
no  longer  wolf,  that  now  he  no  longer  need  be  feared. 
But  still  the  fates  did  not  suffer  the  banished  Peleus 
to  continue  in  this  land.     The  wandering  exile  went 
on  to  Magnesia,  and  there,  at  the  hands  of  the  Hae- 
monian  king,  Acastus,  he  gained  full  absolution  from 
his  bloodguiltiness. 

Meanwhile  King  Ceyx  was  much  disturbed  and 
anxious,  not  alone  about  the  strange  thing  that  hap- 
pened to  his  brother,  but  also  about  others  that  had 
happened  since  his  brother's  fate.    Accordingly,  that 

1*9 


X 


OVID 

ao  £larirm  parat  ire  deum  ;  nam  templa  profanus 

invia  cum  Phlegyis  faciebat  Delphica  Phorbas. 

consilii  tamen  ante  sui,  fidissima,  certam  415 

te  facit,  Alcyone  ;  cui  protinus  intima  frigus 

ossa  receperunt,  buxoque  simillimus  ora 

pallor  obit,  lacrimisque  genae  maduere  profusis. 

ter  conata  loqui  ter  fletibus  ora  rigavit 

singultuque  pias  interrumpente  querellas  420 

"quae  mea  culpa  tuam,"  dixit  "carissime,  mentem 

vertit  ?  ubi  est  quae  cura  mei  prior  esse  solebat  ? 

iam  potes  Alcyone  securus  abesse  relicta? 

iam  via  longa  placet  ?  iam  sum  tibi  carior  absens  ? 

at,  puto,  per  terras  iter  est,  tantumque  dolebo,      425 

non  etiam  me  tuam,  curaeque  timore  carebunt. 

aequora  me  terrent  et  ponti  tristis  imago : 

et  laceras  nuper  tabulas  in  litore  vidi 

et  saepe  in  tumulis  sine  corpore  nomina  legi. 

neve  tuum  fallax  animum  fiducia  tangat,  430 

quod  socer  Hippotades  tibi  sit,  qui  carcere  fortes 

contineat  ventos,  et,  cum  velit,  aequora  placet. 

cum  semel  emissi  tenuerunt  aequora  venti, 

nil  illis  vetitum  est :  incommendataque  tellus 

omnis  et  omne  fretum  est,  caeli  quoque  nubila  vexant 

excutiuntque  feris  rutilos  concursibus  ignes.  436 

quo  magis  hos  novi  (nam  novi  et  saepe  paterna 

parva  domo  vidi),  magis  hos  reor  esse  timendos. 

150 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

he  might  consult  the  sacred  oracles,  the  refuge  of 
mankind  in  trouble,  he  planned  to  journey  to  the 
Clarian  god.  For  the  infamous  Phorbas  with  the 
followers  of  Phlegyas  was  making  the  journey  to 
the  Delphic  oracle  unsafe.  But  before  he  started 
he  told  his  purpose  to  you,  his  most  faithful  wife, 
Alcyone.  Straightway  she  was  chilled  to  the  very 
marrow  of  her  bones,  her  face  grew  pale  as  boxwood 
and  her  cheeks  were  wet  with  her  flowing  tears. 
Three  times  she  tried  to  speak,  three  times  watered 
her  face  with  weeping  ;  at  last,  her  loving  complaints 
broken  by  her  sobs,  she  said  :  "  What  fault  of  mine, 

0  dearest  husband,  has  brought  your  mind  to  this? 
Where  is  that  care  for  me  which  used  to  stand  first 
of  all  ?  Can  jou  now  abandon  your  Alcyone  with  no 
thought  of  her?  Is  it  your  pleasure  now  to  go  on  a 
long  journey  ?  Am  I  now  dearer  to  you  when  absent 
from  you  ?  But,  I  suppose,  your  journey  is  by  land, 
and  I  shall  only  grieve,  not  fear  for  you,  and  my 
cares  shall  have  no  terror  in  them.  The  sea  affrights 
me,  and  the  stern  visage  of  the  deep  ;  and  but  lately 

1  saw  some  broken  planks  upon  the  beach,  and  often 
have  I  read  men's  names  on  empty  tombs.  And  let 
not  your  mind  have  vain  confidence  in  that  the  son 
of  Hippotes  is  your  father-in-law,  who  holds  the  stout 
winds  behind  prison  bars,  and  when  he  will  can 
calm  the  sea.  For  when  once  the  winds  have  been 
let  out  and  have  gained  the  open  deep,  no  power 
can  check  them,  and  every  land  and  every  sea  is 
abandoned  to  their  will.  Nay,  they  harry  the  very 
clouds  of  heaven  and  rouse  the  red  lightnings  with 
their  fierce  collisions.  The  more  I  know  them  (for 
I  do  know  them,  and  have  often  seen  them  when  a 
child  in  my  father's  home)  the  more  I  think  them 
to  be  feared.     But  if  no  prayers  can  change  your 

151 


OVID 

quod  tua  si  flecti  precibus  seutentia  nullis, 
care,  potest,  coniunx,  nimiumque  es  certus  eundi,  440 
me  quoque  tolle  simul !  certe  iactabimur  una, 
nee  nisi  quae  patiar,  metuam,  pariterque  feremus, 
quicquid  erit,  pariter  super  aequora  lata  feremur." 

Talibus  Aeolidis  dictis  lacrimisque  movetur 
sidereus  coniunx  :  neque  enim  minor  ignis  in  ipso  est ; 
sed  neque  propositos  pelagi  dimittere  cursus,        446 
nee  vult  Alcyonen  in  partem  adhibere  pericli 
multaque  respondit  timidum  solantia  pectus, 
non  tamen  idcirco  causam  probat ;  addidit  illis 
hoc  quoque  lenimen,  quo  solo  flexit  amantem :       4.50 
"  longa  quidem  est  nobis  omnis  mora,  sed  tibi  iuro 
per  patrios  ignes,  si  me  modo  fata  remittant, 
ante  reversurum,  quam  luna  bis  inpleat  orbem." 
his  ubi  promissis  spes  est  admota  recursus, 
protinus  eductam  navalibus  aequore  ttngui  4."> 5 

aptarique  suis  pinum  iubet  armamentis  ; 
qua  rursus  visa  veluti  praesaga  futuri 
horruit  Alcyone  lacrimasque  emisit  obortas 
amplexusque  dedit  tristique  miserrima  tandem 
ore  "vale  "  dixit  conlapsaque  corpore  toto  est ;     4(i0 
ast  iuvenes  quaerente  moras  Ceyce  reducunt 
ordinibus  geminis  ad  fortia  pectora  remos 
aequalique  ictu  scindunt  freta  :  sustulit  ilia 
umentes  oculos  stantemque  in  puppe  recurva 
concussaque  manu  dantem  sibi  signa  maritum       465 
prima  videt  redditque  notas ;  ubi  terra  recessit 
longius,  atque  oculi  nequeunt  cognoscere  vultus, 
IAS 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

purpose,  dear  husband,  and  if  you  are  over-bent  on 
going,  take  me  with  you,  too  !  For  surely  we  shall 
then  be  storm-tossed  together,  nor  shall  I  fear  save 
only  what  I  feel,  and  together  we  shall  endure  what- 
ever comes,  together  over  the  broad  billows  we  shall 
fare." 

With  these  words  and  tears  of  the   daughter  of 
Aeolus   the  star-born   husband  was  deeply  moved; 
for  the  fire  of  love  burned   no  less  brightly  in  his' 
heart.     And  yet  he  was  unwilling  either  to  give  up 
his  proposed  journey  on  the  sea  or  to  take  Alcyone 
as  sharer  of  his  perils.     His  anxious  love  strove  to 
comfort  her  with  many  soothing  words,  but  for  all 
that  he  did  not  win  her  approval.     He  added  this 
comforting  condition,  also,  by  which  alone  he  gained 
his   loving  wife's  consent :  "  Every  delay,   I  Icnow, 
will  seem  long  to  us;  but  I   swear  to  you   by  my 
father's  fires,  if  only  the  fates  will  let  me,   I   will 
return  before  the  moon  shall  twice  have  filled  her 
orb."     When  by  these  promises  of  return  her  hope 
had  been  awakened,  straightway  he  ordered  his  ship 
to  be  launched  and  duly  supplied  with  her  equip. 
ment.     But  when  Alcyone  saw  this,  as  if  forewarned 
of  what  was  to  come,  she  fell  to  trembling  again ; 
her  tears  flowed  afresh  and,  embracing  her  husband' 
in  the  depth  of  woe,  she  said  a  sad  farewell  at  last  and 
then  fainted  away  completely.     But  the  young  men, 
though  Ceyx  sought  excuses  for  delay,  in   double 
rows  drew  back  the  oars  to  their  strong  breasts  and 
rent  the  waters  with  their  rhythmic  strokes.     Then 
Alcyone  lifted  her  tear-wet  eyes  and  saw  her  husband 
standing  on  the  high-curved  poop  and  waving  his 
hand  in  first  signal    to  her,  and  she  waved  tokens 
back  again.     When  the  land  drew  further  off,  and 
her   eyes   could   no  longer  make  out   his  features, 

151 


OVID 

dum  licet,  insequitur  fugientem  lumine  piimm  ; 
haec  quoque  ut  haut  poterat  spatio  submota  videri, 
vela  tamen  spectat  summo  fluitantia  malo;  470 

ut  nee  vela  videt,  vacuum  petit  anxia  lectum 
seque  toro  ponit :  renovat  lectusque  locusque 
Alcyonae  lacrimas  et  quae  pars  admonet  absit. 
Portibus  exierant,  et  moverat  aura  rudentes  : 
obvert.it  lateri  pendentes  navita  remos  475 

conuiaque  in  summa  locat  arbore  totaque  malo 
carbasa  deducit  venientesque  accipit  auras, 
aut  minus,  aut  certe  medium  non  amplius  aequor 
puppe  secabatur,  longeque  erat  utraque  tellus, 
cum  mare  sub  noctem  tumidis  albescere  coepit     480 
fluctibus  et  praeceps  spirare  valentius  eurus. 
"ardua  iamdudum  demittite  cornua  "  rector 
clamat  "et  antemnis  totum  subnectite  velum." 
hie  iubet;  inpediunt  adversae  iussa  procellae, 
nee  sinit  audiri  vocem  fragor  aequoris  ullam :        485 
sponte  tamen  properant  alii  subducere  remos, 
pars  munire  latus,  pars  ventis  vela  negare  ; 
egerit  hie  fluctus  aequorque  refundit  in  aequor, 
hie  rapit  antemnas ;  quae  dum  sine  lege  geruntur, 
aspera  crescit  hietns,  omnique  e  parte  feroces       490 
bella  gerunt  venti  fretaque  indignantia  miscent. 
ipse  pavet  nee  se,  qui  sit  status,  ipse  fatetur 
scire  ratis  rector,  nee  quid  iubeatve  vetetve : 
tanta  mali  moles  tantoque  potentior  arte  est. 
quippe  sonant  clamore  viri,  stridore  rudentes,       495 
undarum  incursu  gravis  unda,  tonitribus  aether. 
154 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

while  yet  she  could  she  followed  with  her  gaze  the 
fast-receding  ship.  When  even  this  was  now  so  dis- 
tant that  it  could  not  be  seen,  still  she  watched  the 
sails  floating  along  at  the  top  of  the  mast.  When 
she  could  not  even  see  the  sails,  heavy-hearted  she 
sought  her  lonely  couch  and  threw  herself  upon  it. 
The  couch  and  the  place  renewed  her  tears,  for  they 
reminded  her  of  the  part  that  was  gone  from  her. 

They  had  left  the  harbour  and  the  breeze  had  set 
the  cordage  rattling.  At  that  the  captain  shipped 
his  oars,  ran  the  yard  up  to  the  top  of  the  mast  and 
spread  all  his  sails  to  catch  the  freshening  breeze. 
The  ship  was  now  skimming  along  about  midway  of 
the  sea, and  the  land  on  either  side  was  faraway,  when, 
as  night  came  on,  the  water  began  to  whiten  with  the 
roughening  waves  and  the  wind,driving  ahead,to  blow 
with  increased  violence.  «  Lower  the  yard  at  once," 
the  captain  cries,  "and  tight  reef  the  sail."  So  he 
orders,  but  the  blast  blowing  in  his  face  drowns  out 
his  orders,  nor  does  the  uproar  of  the  sea  let  his  voice 
be  heard.  Still,  of  their  own  will,  some  hastily  draw 
in  the  oars,  some  close  the  oar-holes,  and  some  reef 
the  sails.  Here  one  is  bailing  out  the  water  and 
pouring  the  sea  into  the  sea,  while  another  hastily 
secures  the  spars.  While  these  things  are  being 
done,  all  in  confusion,  the  storm  is  increasing  in  vio- 
lence and  from  every  quarter  the  raging  winds  make 
their  attacks  and  stir  up  the  angry  waves.  The 
captain  himself  is  in  terror  and  admits  that  he  does 
not  know  how  the  vessel  stands,  nor  what  either  to 
order  or  forbid ;  so  great  is  the  impending  weight  of 
destruction,  so  much  more  mighty  than  his  skill. 
All  is  a  confused  uproar — shouts  of  men,  rattling  of 
cordage,  roar  of  the  rushing  waves,  and  crash  of 
thunder.     The  waves  run  mountain-high  and  seem 

155 


OVID 

fluctibus  erigitur  caelumque  aequare  videtur 
pontus  et  inductas  aspergine  tangere  nubes; 
et  modo,  cum  fulvas  ex  imo  vertit  harenas, 
concolor  est  ill  is,  Stygia  modo  nigrior  unda,  500 

sternitur  interdum  spumisque  sonantibus  albet. 
ipsa  quoque  his  agitur  vicibus  Trachinia  puppis 
et  nunc  sublimis  veluti  de  vertice  montis 
despicere  in  valles  imumque  Acheronta  videtur, 
nunc,  ubi  demissam  curvum  circumstetit  aequor,  505 
suspicere  inferno  summum  de  gurgite  caelum, 
saepe  dat  ingentem  fluctu  latus  icta  fragorem 
nee  levius  pulsata  sonat,  quam  ferreus  olim 
cum  laceras  aries  balistave  concutit  arces, 
utque  solent  sumptis  incursu  viribus  ire  510 

pectore  in  arma  feri  protentaque  tela  leones, 
sic,  ubi  se  ventis  admiserat  unda  coortis, 
ibat  in  arma  ratis  multoque  erat  altior  illis  ; 
iamque  labant  cunei,  spoliataque  tegmine  cerae 
rima  patet  praebetque  viam  letalibus  undis.  5 1 5 

ecce  cadunt  largi  resolutis  nubibus  imbres, 
inque  fretum  credas  totum  descendere  caelum, 
inque  plagas  caeli  tumefactum  ascendere  pontum. 
vela  madent  nimbis,  et  cum  caelestibus  undis 
aequoreae  miscentur  aquae;  caret ignibus aether,  520 
caecaque  nox  premitur  tenebris  hiemisque  suisque. 
discutiunt  tamen  has  praebentque  micantia  lumen 
fulmina  :  fulmineis  ardescunt  ignibus  undae. 
dat  quoque  iam  saltus  intra  cava  texta  carinae 
156 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

to  reach  the  very  heavens,  and  with  their  spray  to 
sprinkle  the  lowering  clouds.      Now   the    water  is 
tawny  with  the  sands  swept  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  and  now  blacker  than  the  very  waters  of  the 
Styx.     At  other  times  the  waves  spread  out,  white 
with  the  hissing  foam.     The  Trachinrji  ship  herself 
also  is  driven  on  in  the  grasp  of  chance.     Now,  lifted 
high,  as  from  a  mountain-top  she  seems  to  look  down 
into  deep  valleys  and  the  pit  of  Acheron ;  now,  as 
she  sinks  far  down  and  the  writhing  waters  close  her 
in,  she  seems  to  be  looking  up  to  the  top  of  heaven 
from  the  infernal  pools.     Often  with  mighty  thuds 
the  vessel's  sides  resound,  beaten  by  crashing  waves 
as  heavily  as  when  sometimes  an  iron  ram  or  ballista 
smites  a  battered    fortress.     And   as   savage  lions, 
gaining  new  strength  as  they  come  rushing  to  the 
attack,  are  wont   to  breast   the  hunters'  arms  and 
ready  spears  ;  so,  when  the  waves  had  been  lashed  to 
fury  by  the  opposing  winds,  they  rushed  against  the 
bulwarks  of  the  barque  and  towered  high  over  them. 
And  now  the  tightening  wedges  of  the  hull  spring 
loose  and  yawning  chinks  appear,  their  covering  of 
wax  clean  washed  away,  and  give  passage  to  the 
deadly  tide.     Behold,  the  rain  falls  in  sheets  from  the 
bursting  clouds  ;  and  you  would  think  that  the  whole 
heavens  were  falling  down  into  the  sea  and  that 
the  swollen  sea  was  leaping  up  into  the  regions  of  the 
sky.     The  sails  are  soaked  with  rain,  and  with  the 
waters  from  the  sky  the  ocean's  floods  are  mingled. 
No  stars  gleam  in  the  sky  and  the  black  night  is 
murky  with  its  own  and  the  tempest's  gloom.     Still 
flashing  lightnings  cleave  the  shadows  and  give  light, 
and  the  waves  gleam  red  beneath   the   lightning's 
glare.     Now  also  the    flood   comes  pouring   within 
the  vessel's  hollow  hull ;  and  as  a  soldier,  more  eager 

157 


OVID 

fluctus  ;  et  ut  miles,  numero  praestantior  omni,     525 
cum  saepe  adsiluit  defensae  moenibus  urbis, 
spe  potitur  tandem  laudisque  accensus  amore 
inter  mille  viros  murum  tamen  occupat  unus, 
sic  ubi  pulsarunt  noviens  latera  ardua  fluctus, 
vastius  insurgens  decimae  ruit  impetus  undae        530 
nee  prius  absistit  fessam  oppugnare  carinam, 
quam  velut  in  captae  descendat  moenia  navis. 
pars  igitur  temptabat  adhuc  invadere  pinum, 
pars  maris  intus  erat :  trepidant  haud  setius  omnes, 
quam  solet  urbs  aliis  murum  fodientibus  extra       535 
atque  aliis  murum  trepidare  tenentibus  intus. 
deficit  ars,  animique  cadunt,  totidemque  videntur, 
quot  veniunt  fluctus,  ruere  atque  inrumpere  mortes. 
non  tenet  hie  lacrimas,  stupet  hie,  vocat  ille  beatos, 
funera  quos  maneant,  hie  votis  numen  adorat        540 
bracchiaque  ad  caelum,  quod  non  videt,  inrita  tollens 
poscit  opem  ;  subeunt  illi  fraterque  parensque, 
huic  cum  pignoribus  domus  et  quodcunque  relictum 

est; 
Alcyone  Ceyca  movet,  Ceycis  in  ore 
nulla  nisi  Alcyone  est  et,  cum  desideret  unam,     545 
gaudet  abesse  tamen  ;  patriae  quoque  vellet  ad  oras 
respicere  inque  domum  supremos  vertere  vultus, 
verum,  ubi  sit,  nescit :  tanta  vertigine  pontus 
fervet,  et  inducta  piceis  e  nubibus  umbra 
omne  latet  caelum,  duplicataque  noctis  imago  est. 
frangitur  incursu  nimbosi  turbinis  arbor,  551 

frangitur  et  regimen,  spoliisque  animosa  superstes 
unda,  velut  victrix,  sinuataque  despicit  undas  ; 
nee  levius,  quam  siquis  Athon  Pindumve  revulsos 
sede  sua  totos  in  apertum  everterit  aequor,  555 

158 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

than  his  fellows,  when  he  has  often  essayed  to  scale  a 
beleaguered  city's  walls,  at  last  succeeds  and,  fired 
with  the  passion  for  praise,  o'erleaps  the  wall  and 
stands  one  man  amidst  a  thousand ;  so,  when  the  waves 
nine  times  have  battered  at  the  lofty  sides,  the  tenth 
wave,  leaping  with  a  mightier  heave,  comes  on,  nor 
does  it  cease  its  attack  upon  the  weary  ship  until 
over  the  ramparts  of  the  conquered  barque  it  leaps 
within.  So  now  a  part  of  the  sea  still  tries  to  invade 
the  ship  and  part  is  already  within  its  hold.  All  are 
in  terrified  confusion,  just  as  a  city  is  confused  when 
some  from  without  seek  to  undermine  its  walls  and 
some  hold  the  walls  within.  Skill  fails  and  courage 
falls ;  and  as  many  separate  deaths  seem  rushing  on 
and  bursting  through  as  are  the  advancing  waves. 
One  cannot  restrain  his  tears  ;  another  is  struck 
dumb ;  still  another  cries  they  are  fortunate  whom 
burial  rites  await ;  one  calls  on  the  gods  in  prayer 
and  lifts  unavailing  arms  to  the  unseen  heavens,  beg- 
ging for  help ;  one  thinks  upon  his  brothers  and  his 
sire,  one  on  his  home  and  children,  and  each  on  that 
which  he  has  left  behind.  But  Ceyx  thinks  on  Alcyone: 
upon  the  lips  of  Ceyx  there  is  no  one  save  Alcyone ; 
and,  though  he  longs  for  her  alone,  yet  he  rejoices  that 
she  is  far  away.  How  he  would  love  to  look  towards 
his  native  shores  again  and  turn  his  last  gaze  upon  his 
home.  But  where  he  is  he  knows  not ;  for  the  sea 
boils  in  such  whirling  pools  and  the  shadows  of  the 
pitchy  clouds  hide  all  the  sky  and  double  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night.  The  mast  is  broken  by  a  whirling 
rush  of  wind  ;  the  rudder,  too,  is  broken.  One  last 
wave,  like  a  victor  rejoicing  in  his  spoils,  heaves  itself 
high  and  looks  down  upon  the  other  waves ;  and,  as  if 
one  should  tear  from  their  foundations  Athos  and  Pindus 
and  hurl  them  bodily  into  the  open  sea,  so  fell  this 

159 


OVID 

praecipitata  cadit  pariterque  et  pondere  et  ictu 
mergit  in  ima  ratem ;  cum  qua  pars  magna  virortim 
gurgite  pressa  gravi  neque  in  aera  reddita  fato 
functa  suo  est,  alii  partes  et  membra  carinae 
trunca  tenent :  tenet  ipse  manu,  qua  sceptra  solebat, 
fragmina  navigii  Ceyx  socerumque  patremque       56l 
invocat  heu  !  frustra,  sed  plurima  nantis  in  ore 
Alcyone  coniunx  :   illam  meminitque  refertque, 
illius  ante  oculos  ut  agant  sua  corpora  fluctus 
optat  et  exanimis  manibus  tumuletur  amicis.  565 

dum  natat,  absentem,  quotiens  sinit  hiscere  fluctus, 
nominat  Alcyonen  ipsisque  inmurmurat  undis. 
ecce  super  medios  fluctus  niger  arcus  aquarum 
frangitur  et  rupta  mersum  caput  obruit  unda. — 
Lucifer  obscurus  nee  quern  cognoscere  posses       570 
ilia  luce  fuit,  quoniamque  excedere  caelo 
non  licuit,  densis  texit  sua  nubibus  ora. 

Aeolis  interea,  tantorum  ignara  malorum, 
dinumerat  noctes  et  iam,  quas  induat  ille, 
festinat  vestes,  iam  quas,  ubi  venerit  ille,  575 

ipsa  gerat,  reditusque  sibi  promittit  inanes. 
omnibus  ilia  quidem  superis  pia  tura  ferebat, 
ante  tamen  cunctos  Iunonis  templa  colebat 
proque  viro,  qui  nullus  erat,  veniebat  ad  aras 
utque  foret  sospes  coniunx  suus  utque  rediret,      580 
optabat,  nullamque  sibi  praeferret;  at  illi 
hoc  de  tot  votis  poterat  contingere  solum. 

At  dea  non  ultra  pro  functo  morte  rogari 
160 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

wave  headlong,  and  with  its  overwhelming  weight 
plunged  the  ship  down  to  the  very  bottom  ;  and  with 
the  ship  the  great  part  of  the  sailors  perished,  sucked 
down  in  the  eddying  flood,  nevermore  to  see  the 
light  of"  day.  But  some  still  clung  to  broken  pieces 
of  the  vessel.  Ceyx  himself,  with  the  hand  that  was 
wont  to  hold  the  sceptre,  clung  to  a  fragment  of 
the  wreck,  and  called  upon  his  father-in-law  and 
on  his  father,  alas  !  in  vain.  But  most  of  all  is  the 
name  of  Alcyone  on  the  swimmer's  lips.  He  re- 
members her  and  names  her  o'er  and  o'er.  He  prays 
that  the  waves  may  bear  his  body  into  her  sight  and 
that  in  death  he  may  be  entombed  by  her  dear  hands. 
While  he  can  keep  afloat,  as  often  as  the  waves 
allow  him  to  open  his  month  he  calls  the  name  of  his 
Alcyone,  far  away,  and  murmurs  it  even  as  the  waves 
close  over  his  lips.  See,  a  dark  billow  of  waters 
breaks  over  the  surrounding  floods  and  buries  his 
head  deep  beneath  the  seething  waves.  Dim  and 
unrecognizable  was  Lucifer  that  dawn ;  and  since  he 
might  not  leave  his  station  in  the  skies,  he  wrapped 
his  face  in  thick  clouds. 

Meanwhile  the  daughter  of  Aeolus,  in  ignorance 
of  this  great  disaster,  counts  off  the  nights  ;  now 
hastens  on  to  weave  the  robes  which  he  is  to  put  on, 
and  now  those  which  she  herself  will  wear  when  he 
comes  back,  and  pictures  to  herself  the  home-coming 
which  can  never  be.  She  dutifully  burns  incense  to 
all  the  gods ;  but  most  of  all  she  worships  at  Juno's 
shrine,  and  approaches  the  altars  on  behalf  of  the  man 
who  is  no  more,  that  her  husband  may  be  kept  safe 
from  harm,  that  he  may  return  once  more,  loving  no 
other  woman  more  than  her.  And  only  this  prayer 
of  all  her  prayers  could  be  granted  her. 

But  the  goddess  could  no  longer  endure  these 

161 


OVID 

sustinet  utque  manus  funestas  arceat  aris, 

"  \r\,  meae  "  dixit  "  fidissima  nuntia  vocis,  585 

vise  soporiferam  Somni  velociter  aulam 

exstinctique  iube  Ceycis  imagine  mittat 

somnia  ad  Alcyonen  veros  narrantia  casus."* 

dixerat :  induitur  velamina  mille  colorum 

Iris  et  arcuato  caelum  curvamine  signans  590 

tecta  petit  iussi  sub  nube  latentia  regis. 

Est  prope  Cimmerios  longo  spelunca  recessu, 
mons  cavus,  ignavi  domus  et  penetralia  Somni, 
quo  numquam  radiis  oriens  mediusve  cadensve 
Phoebus  adire  potest :  nebulae  caligine  mixtae     595 
exhalantur  humo  dubiaeque  crepuscula  lucis. 
non  vigil  ales  ibi  cristati  cantibus  oris 
evocat  Auroram,  nee  voce  silentia  rum  punt 
sollicitive  canes  canibusve  sagacior  anser ; 
non  fera,  non  pecudes,  non  moti  flamine  rami        600 
humanaeve  sonum  reddunt  convicia  linguae, 
muta  quies  habitat ;  saxo  tamen  exit  ab  imo 
rivus  aquae  Lethes,  per  quem  cum  murmure  labens 
invitat  somnos  crepitantibus  unda  lapillis. 
ante  fores  antri  fecunda  papavera  florent  605 

innumeraeque  herbae,  quarum  de  lacte  soporem 
Nox  legit  et  spargit  per  opacas  umida  terras, 
ianua,  ne  verso  stridores  cardine  reddat, 
nulla  domo  tota,  custos  in  limine  nullus  ; 
at  medio  torus  est  ebeno  sublimis  in  antro,  610 

plumeus,  atricolor,  pullo  velamine  tectus, 
quo  cubat  ipse  deus  membris  languore  solutis. 
hunc  circa  passim  varias  imitantia  formas 
Somnia  vana  iacent  totklem,  quot  messis  aristas, 
silva  gerit  frondes,  eiectas  litus  harenas.  615 

162 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XI 

entreaties  for  the  dead.  And  that  she  might  free 
her  altar  from  the  touch  of  the  hands  of  mourning, 
she  said:  "  Iris,  most  faithful  messenger  of  mine,  go 
quickly  to  the  drowsy  house  of  Sleep,  and  bid  him 
send  to  Alcyone  a  vision  in  dead  Ceyx'  form  to  tell 
her  the  truth  about  his  fate."  She  spoke;  and  Iris 
put  on  her  cloak  of  a  thousand  hues  and,  trailing  across 
the  sky  in  a  rainbow  curve,  she  sought  the  cloud- 
concealed  palace  of  the  king  of  sleep. 

Near  the  land  of  the  Cimmerians  there  is  a  deep 
recess    within  a   hollow    mountain,    the    home    and 
chamber   of  sluggish    Sleep.      Phoebus   can    never 
enter  there  with  his  rising,  noontide,  or  setting  rays. 
Clouds  of  vapour  breathe  forth  from  the  earth,  and 
dusky  twilight  shadows.     There  no  wakeful,  crested 
cock  with  his  loud  crowing  summons  the  dawn :  no 
careful  watch-dog  breaks  the  deep  silence  with  his 
voice,  or  goose,  still  shrewder  than  the  dog.     There  is 
no   sound  of  wild   beast  or  of  cattle,   of  branches 
rustling  in  the  breeze,  no  clamorous  tongues  of  men. 
There  mute  silence  dwells.     But  from  the  bottom  of 
the  cave  there  flows  the  stream  of  Lethe,  whose  waves, 
gently  murmuring  over  the  gravelly  bed,  invite  to 
slumber.     Before    the    cavern's  entrance   abundant 
poppies  bloom,  and  countless  herbs,  from  whose  juices 
dewy  night  distils  sleep  and  spreads  its  influence  over 
the  darkened  lands.    There  is  no  door  in  all  the  house, 
lest  some  turning  hinge  should  creak ;  no  guardian 
on  the  threshold.      But  in  the  cavern's  central  space 
there  is  a  high  couch  of  ebony,  downy-soft,black-hued, 
spread  with  a  dusky  coverlet.    There  lies  the  god  him- 
self, his  limbs  relaxed  in  languorous  repose.    Around 
him  on  all  sides  lie  empty  dream-shapes,  mimicking 
many  forms,  many  as  ears  of  grain  in  harvest-time,  as 
leaves  upon  the  trees,  as  sands  cast  on  the  shore. 

l6S 


OVID 

Quo  simul  intravit  manibusque  obstantia  virgo 
Somnia  dimovit,  vestis  fulgore  reluxit 
sacra  domus,  tardaque  deus  gravitate  iacentes 
vix  oculos  tollens  iterumque  iterumque  relabens 
summaque  percutiens  nutanti  pectora  mento         620 
excussit  tandem  sibi  se  cubitoque  levatus, 
quid  veniat,  (cognovit  enim)  scitatur,  at  ilia  : 
"  Somne,  quies  rerum,  placidissime,  Somne,  deorum, 
pax  animi,  quem  cura  fugit,  qui  corpora  duris 
fessa  ministeriis  mulces  reparasque  labori,  625 

Somnia,  quae  veras  aequant  imitamine  formas, 
Herculea  Trachine  iube  sub  imagine  regis 
Alcyonen  adeant  simulacraque  naufraga  fingant. 
imperat  hoc  Iuno."     postquam  mandata  peregit, 
Iris  abit :  neque  enim  ulterius  tolerare  soporis      6.30 
/im  poterat,  labique  ut  somnum  sensit  in  artus, 
effugit  et  remeat  per  quos  modo  venerat  arcus. 

At  pater  e  populo  natorum  mille  suorum 
excitat  artificem  simulatoremque  figurae 
Morphea  :  non  illo  quisquam  sollertius  alter  635 

exprimit  incessus  vultumque  sonumque  loquendi ; 
adicit  et  vestes  et  consuetissima  cuique 
verba ;  sed  hie  solos  homines  imitatur,  at  alter 
fit  fera,  fit  volucris,  fit  longo  corpore  serpens: 
hunc  Icelon  superi,  mortale  Phobetora  vulgus       64-0 
nominat ;  est  etiam  diversae  tertius  artis 
Phantasos :  ille  in  humum  saxumque  undamque  tra- 

bemque, 
quaeque  vacant  anima,  fallaciter  omnia  transit; 
regibus  hi  ducibusque  suos  ostendere  vultus 
nocte  solent,  populos  alii  plebemque  pererrant.      645 
praeterit  hos  senior  cunctisque  e  fratribus  unura 
16* 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

When  the    maiden   entered    there   and  with  her 
hands  brushed  aside  the  dream-shapes  that  blocked 
her  way,  the  awesome  house  was  lit  up  with  the  gleam- 
ing of  her  garments.    Then  the  god,  scarce  1 1  fting  his 
eyelids  heavy  with  the  weight  of  sleep,  sinking  back 
repeatedly  and  knocking  Ms  breast  with  his  nodding 
chin,  at  last  shook  himself  free  of  himself  and,  resting 
on  an  elbow, asked  her  (lor  he  recognized  her)  why  she 
came.     And  she  replied  :  «  O  Sleep,  thou  rest  of  all 
things,Sleep,mildest  ofthe  gods,  balm  of  the  soul,  who 
puttest  care  to  flight,  soothest  our  bodies  worn  with 
hard  ministries,  and  preparest  them  for  toil  again  ! 
Fashion  a  shape  that  shall  seem  true  form,  and  bid  it 
go  in  semblance  of  the  king  to  Alcyone  in  Trachis, 
famed  for   Hercules.     There   let   it   show    her   the 
picture  ofthe  wreck.     This  Juno  bids."     When  she 
had  done  her  task  Iris  departed,  for  she  could  no 
longer  endure  the  power  of  sleep,  and  when  she  felt 
the  drowsiness  stealing  upon  her  frame  she  fled  away 
and  retraced  her  course  along  the  arch  over  which  she 
had  lately  passed. 

But  the  father  rouses  Morpheus  from  the  throng  of 
his  thousand  sons,  a  cunning  imitator  of  the  human 
form.    No  other  is  more  skilled  than  he  in  represent- 
ing the  gait,  the  features,  and  the  speech  of  men  ; 
the  clothing  also  and  the  accustomed  words  of  each 
he  represents.     His  office  is  with  men  alone  :  another 
takes  the  form  of  beast  or  bird  or  the  long-bodied 
serpent.     Him  the  gods  call  Icelos,  but  mortals  name 
him    Phobetor.     A    third   is    Phantasos,    versed    in 
different  arts.     He  puts  on  deceptive  shapes  of  earth 
rocks,  water,  trees,  all  lifeless  things.     These  shapes 
show  themselves  by  night  to  kings  and  chieftains,  the 
rest   haunt   the   throng   of  common    folk.      These 
the  old  sleep-god  passes  by,  and  chooses  out  of  all  the 

165 


OVID 

Morphea,  qui  peragat  Thaumantidos  edita,  Somnus 
eligit  et  rursus  molli  languore  solutus 
deposuitque  caput  stratoque  recondidit  alto. 

Ille  volat  nullos  strepitus  facientibus  alis  6.50 

per  tenebras  intraque  morae  breve  tempus  in  urbem 
pervenit  Haemoniam,  positisque  e  corpore  pennis 
in  faciem  Ceycis  abit  sumptaque  figura 
luridus,  exanimi  similis,  sine  vestibus  ullis, 
coniugis  ante  torum  miserae  stetit :  uda  videtur  655 
barba  viri,  madidisque  gravis  fluere  unda  capillis. 
turn  lecto  incumbens  fletu  super  ora  profuso 
haec  ait:  "  agnoscis  Ceyea,  miserrima  coniunx, 
an  mea  mutata  est  facies  nece  ?  respice  :  nosces 
inveniesque  tuo  pro  coniuge  coniugis  umbram  !     660 
nil  opis,  Alcyone,  nobis  tua  vota  tulerunt ! 
occidimus  !  falso  tibi  me  promittere  noli ! 
nubilus  Aegaeo  deprendit  in  aequore  navem 
Auster  etingenti  iactatam  flamine  solvit, 
oraque  nostra  tuum  frustra  clamantia  nomen         665 
inplerunt  fluctus. — non  haec  tibi  nuntiat  auctor 
ambiguus,  non  ista  vagis  rumoribus  audis  : 
ipse  ego  fata  tibi  praesens  mea  naufragus  edo. 
surge,  age,  da  lacrimas  lugubriaque  indue  nee  me 
indeploratum  sub  inania  Tartara  mitte  !  "  670 

adicit  his  vocem  Morpheus,  quam  coniugis  ilia 
crederet  esse  sui  (fletus  quoque  fundere  veros 
visus  erat)  gestumque  manu  Ceycis  habebat. 
ingemit  Alcyone,  lacrimas  movet  atque  lacertos 
per  somnum  corpusque  petens  amplectitur  auras  675 
exclamatque  :  "mane!  quo  te  rapis?  ibimus  una." 
166 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

brethren  Morpheus  alone  to  do  the  bidding  of  Iris, 
Thaumas'  daughter.  This  done,  once  more  in  soft 
drowsiness  he  droops  his  head  and  settles  it  down 
upon  his  high  couch. 

But  Morpheus  flits  away  through  the  darkness  on 
noiseless  wings  and  quickly  comes  to  the  Haemonian 
city.     There,  putting  off  his  wings,  he  takes  the  face 
and  form  of  Ceyx,  wan  like  the  dead,  and  stands 
naked  before  the  couch  of  the  hapless  wife.     His 
beard  is  wet,  and  water  drips  heavily  from  his  sodden 
hair.     Then  with  streaming  eyes  he  bends  over  her 
couch  and  says :  "  Do  you  recognize  your  Ceyx,  O 
most  wretched  wife?  or  is  my  face  changed  in  death? 
Look  on  me !     You  will  know  me  then  and  find  in 
place  of  husband  your  husband's  shade.     No  help, 
Alcyone,  have  your  prayers  brought  to  me :   I  am 
dead.      Cherish   no  longer  your  vain   hope  of  me. 
For  stormy  Auster  caught  my  ship  on  the  Aegean 
sea  and,  tossing  her  in  his  fierce  blasts,  wrecked  her 
there.     My    lips,   calling   vainly   upon   your   name, 
drank  in  the   waves.     And   this  tale  no  uncertain 
messenger  brings  to  you,  nor  do  you  hear  it  in  the 
words  of  vague  report ;    but  I   myself,  wrecked  as 
you  see  me,  tell  you  of  my  fate.     Get  you  up,  then, 
and  weep  for  me ;  put  on  your  mourning  garments 
and    let   me   not   go   unlamented   to  the  cheerless 
land   of  shades."     These   words    spoke    Morpheus, 
and  that,  too,  in  a  voice  she  might  well  believe  her 
husband's;    he   seemed    also    to   weep    real    tears, 
and   had    the   very  gesture   of   her    Ceyx'    hands! 
Alcyone  groaned,  shed  tears,  and  in  sleep  seeking 
his   arms   and  to  clasp  his  body,  held   only  air   in 
her    embrace.     She    cried    aloud :    « Wait   for  me ! 
Whither   do  you    hasten?      I    will   go   with   you." 
Aroused  by  her  own  voice  and  by  the  image  of  her 

167 


OVID 

voce  sua  specieque  viri  turbata  soporem 

excutit  et  primo,  si  sit,  circumspicit,  illic, 

qui  modo  visus  erat ;  nam  moti  voce  ministri 

intulerant  lumen,     postquam  non  invenit  usquam, 

percutit  ora  manu  laniatque  a  pectore  vestes         681 

pectoraque  ipsa  ferit  nee  crines  solvere  curat : 

scindit  et  altrici,  quae  luctus  causa,  roganti 

"nulla  est  Alcyone,  nulla  est"  ait.     " occidit  una 

cum  Ceyce  suo.     solantia  tollite  verba !  685 

naufragus  interiit :  vidi  agnovique  manusque 

ad  discedentem  cupiens  retinere  tetendi. 

umbra  fuit,  sed  et  umbra  tamen  manifesta  virique 

vera  mei.     non  ille  quidem,  si  quaeris,  habebat 

adsuetos  vultus  nee  quo  prius,  ore  nitebat :  690 

pallentem  nudumque  et  adhuc  umente  capillo 

infelix  vidi.     stetit  hoc  miserabilis  ipse 

ecce  loco  "  ;  (et  quaerit,  vestigia  siqua  supersint). 

"hoc  erat,  hoc,  animo  quod  divinante  timebam, 

et  ne  me  fugeres,  ventos  sequerere,  rogabam.        6.95 

at  certe  vellem,  quoniam  periturus  abibas, 

me  quoque  duxisses :  multum  fuit  utile  tecum 

ire  mihi ;  neque  enim  de  vitae  tempore  quicquam 

non  simul  egissem,  nee  mors  discreta  fuisset. 

nunc  absens  perii,  iactor  quoque  fluctibus  absens,  700 

et  sine  me  me  pontus  habet.     crudelior  ipso 

sit  mihi  mens  pelago,  si  vitam  ducere  nitar 

longius  et  tanto  pugnem  superesse  dolori ! 

sed  neque  pugnabo  nee  te,  miserande,  relinquam 

et  tibi  nunc  saltern  veniam  comes,  inque  sepulcro    705 

168 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

husband,  she  started  wide  awake.  And  first  she 
looked  around  to  see  it'  he  was  there  whoni  but  now 
she  had  seen.  For  her  attendants,  startled  by  her 
cries,  had  brought  a  lamp  into  her  chamber.  When 
she  did  not  find  him  anywhere,  she  smote  her  cheeks, 
tore  off"  her  garment  from  her  breast  and  beat  her 
breasts  themselves.  She  stayed  not  to  loose  her 
hair,  but  rent  it,  and  to  her  nurse,  who  asked  what 
was  her  cause  of  grief,  she  cried  :  "Alcyone  is  no 
more,  no  more  ;  she  has  died  together  with  her  Ceyx. 
Away  with  consoling  words !  He's  shipwrecked, 
dead  !  I  saw  him  and  I  knew  him,  and  I  stretched 
out  my  hands  to  him  as  he  vanished,  eager  to  hold 
him  back.  It  was  but  a  shade,  and  yet  it  was  my 
husband's  true  shade,  clearly  seen.  He  had  not,  to 
be  sure,  his  wonted  features,  nor  did  his  face  light  as 
it  used  to  do.  But  wan  and  naked,  with  hair  still 
dripping,  oh,  woe  is  me,  I  saw  him.  See  there,  on 
that  very  spot,  he  himself  stood,  piteous" — and  she 
strove  to  see  if  any  footprints  still  remained.  "This, 
this  it  was  which  with  foreboding  mind  I  feared,  and 
I  begged  you  not  to  leave  me  and  sail  away.  But 
surely  I  should  have  wished,  since  you  were  going  to 
your  death,  that  you  had  taken  me  as  well.  How 
well  had  it  been  for  me  to  go  with  you ;  for  in  that 
case  neither  should  I  have  spent  any  of  my  life  apart 
from  you,  nor  shoultl  we  have  been  separated  in  our 
death.  But  now  far  from  myself  I  have  perished  ;  far 
from  myself  also  I  am  tossed  about  upon  the  waves, 
and  without  me  the  sea  holds  me.  My  heart  would 
be  more  cruel  to  me  than  the  sea  itself  if  I  should 
strive  still  to  live  on  and  struggle  to  survive  my 
sorrow.  But  I  shall  neither  struggle  nor  shall  I 
leave  you,  my  poor  husband.  Now  at  least  I  shall 
come    to    be    yov    companion ;    and    if   not    the 

169 


OVID 

si  non  urna,  tamen  iunget  nos  littera  :  si  non 
ossibus  ossa  meis,  at  nomen  nomine  tangam." 
plura  dolor  prohibet,  verboque  intervenit  omni 
plangor,  et  attonito  gemitus  a  corde  trahuntur. 

Mane  erat :  egreditur  tectis  ad  litus  et  ilium    7 10 
maesta  locum  repetit,  de  quo  spectarat  euntem, 
dumque  moratur  ibi  dumque  "  hie  retinacula  solvit,  • 
hoc  mihi  discedens  dedit  oscula  litore  "  dicit 
dumque  notata  locis  reminiscitur  acta  fretumque 
prospicit,  in  liquida,  spatio  distante,  tuetur  715 

nescio  quid  quasi  corpus  aqua,  primoque,  quid  illud 
esset,  erat  dubium  ;  postquam  paulum  adpulit  unda, 
et,  quanivis  aberat,  corpus  tamen  esse  liquebat, 
qui  foret,  ignorans,  quia  naufragus,  omine  mota  est 
et,  tamquam  ignoto  lacrimam  daret,  "  heu  !  miser," 

inquit  720 

"  quisquis  es,  et   siqua  est  coniunx  tibi !  "  fluctibus 

actum 
fit  propius  corpus  :  quod  quo  magis  ilia  tuetur, 
hoc  minus  et  minus  est  mentis,  vae  !  iamque  pro- 

pinquae 
admotum  terrae,  iam  quod  cognoscere  posset, 
cernit :  erat  coniunx  !  "  ille  est !  "  exclamat  et  una 
ora,  comas,  vestem  lacerat  tendensque  trementes  7C26 
ad  Ceyca  manus  "  sic,  o  carissime  coniunx, 
sic  ad  me,  miserande,  redis  ?  "  ait.     adiacet  undis 
facta  manu  moles,  quae  primas  aequoris  undas 
frangit  et  incursus  quae  praedelassat  aquarum.     7S0 
170 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

entombed  urn,  at  least  the  lettered  stone  shall  join 
us ;  if  not  your  bones  with  mine,  still  shall  J  touch 
you,  name  with  name."  Grief  checked  further 
speech,  wailing  took  place  of  words,  and  groans 
drawn  from  her  stricken  heart. 

Morning   had    come.     She  went  forth  from   her 
house  to  the  seashore  and  sadly  sought   that   spot 
again  from  which  she  had  watched  him  sail.     And 
while  she  lingered  there  and  while  she  was  saying : 
"  Here  he  loosed  his  cable,  on  this  beach  he  kissed 
me   as    he   was  departing "  ;    while    she   was   thus 
recalling  the  incidents  and  the  place  and  gazing  sea- 
ward, away  out  upon  the  streaming  waters  she  saw 
something  like  a  corpse.     At  first  she  was  not  sure 
what  it  was ;  but  after  the  waves  had  washed  it  a 
little  nearer,  although  it  was  still  some  distance  off, 
yet  it  clearly  was  a  corpse.     She  did  not  know  whose 
it  was  ;  yet,  because  it  was  a  shipwrecked  man,  she 
was  moved  by  the  omen  and,  as  if  she  would  weep 
for  the  unknown  dead,  she  cried :    "  Alas  for  you, 
poor  man,  whoever  you  are,  and  alas  for  your  wife, 
if  wife  you  have  ! "     Meanwhile  the  body  had  been 
driven   nearer   by    the  waves,  and    the   more    she 
regarded  it  the  less  and  still  less  could  she  contain 
herself.     Ah  !  and  now  it  had  come  close  to  land, 
now  she  could  see  clearly  what  it  was.     It  was  her 
husband  !     "  Tis  he  ! "  she  shrieked  and,  tearing  her 
cheeks,    her    hair,   her   garments   all   at   once,   she 
stretched  out  her  trembling  hands  to  Ceyx,  crying: 
"Thus,  O  dearest  husband,  is  it  thus,  poor  soul,  you 
come  back  to  me  ?  "     Near  by  the  water  was  a  mole 
built  which  broke  the  first  onslaught  of  the  waters, 
and  took  the  force  of  the  rushing  waves.     Thither  she 
ran  and  leaped  into  the  sea ;  'twas  a  wonder  that  she 
could ;  she  flew  and,  fluttering  through  the  yielding 

171 


OVID 

insilit  hue,  mirinnqiie  futt  potllisse  !   volabat 

percutienaque  levem  modo  natia  aera  pennia 
atiingebat  sumraaa  ales  miserabilia  undas, 
duroque  vol.it,  maesto  similem  plenumque  querellae 
ora  dedere  sonum  tenui  crepitant!*  rostro.  T 

ut  yero  tetigit  uuituni  et  sine  aanguine  corpaii 
dilectoa  artua  amplexa  recentibua  alis 
frigida  nequiquam  dura  dedit  oscula  rostro, 
aenserit  hoc  Ceyx,  an  vultum  motiboa  undao 
tollere  sit  visus,  populua  dubitabat,  at  [He  740 

sfiisorat  :  ot.  tandem  superia  miserantibasj  ambo 
alito  mutantur ;  t'atis  obnoxius  Isdem 
tune  quoque  mansit  Mnor  nee  coniugiale  subitum 
fbedua  in  alitibua  :  coeunt  fiuntque  parentes, 
perque  dies  placidos  hiberno  tempore  aeptem       74o 
iiuubat  Alcyone  pemlentibus  aequore  nidis. 
tOIIC  iaeet  inula  maris  :  ventos  COStodit  et  areet 

Aeolus  egreaau  praestatque  nepotibua  aequor. 

llos  aliquis  senior  iunctim  tieta  lata  vol.mtes 

apectet  et  ad  finem  aerratoa  laudal  amores  :  750 

proximus,  aut  idem,  si  tors  tulit,  "  hie  quoque,"  ihxit 
"  quem  mare  carpontom  substrietaque  erura  gerent<  in 

aspicis,"  (ostendena  spattosum  In  gutters  mergum) 

••  regia  progenies,  et  si  descendere  ad  ipsiim 

ordine  perpeteo  quaeris,  sunt  boioa  origo  753 

llus  et  Assaracua  raptuaque  Iovi  Ganymodes 

l  aomedonqne  tenex  Prismusque  novissima  Iroiae 

tempora  aortitaa  :  firater  fait  Efeetoria  iste  : 

qui  nisi  sensisset  prima  nova  fata  iuventa, 

forsitan  inierius  Don  Hectore  nouien  haberet,       760 

17* 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

air  on   sudden  wings,  she   skimmed  the  surface  of 
the   water,  a  wretched    bird.       And  as  she  dew,  her 
croaking   mouth,  with    long    slender    beak,    uttered 
sounds  like  one  in  grief  and  full  of  complaint.      But 
when    she    reached    the    silent,    lifeless    body,    she 
embraced  the  dear  limbs  with  her  new-found  wings 
and  strove  vainly  to  kiss  the  cold  lips  with  her  rough 
bill.      Whether  Ceyx  felt  this,   or  whether  he   but 
seemed  to  lift  his  face  by  the  motion  of  the  waves, 
men  were  in  doubt.      But  he  did  feel  it.     And  at 
last,  through  the  pity  of  the  gods,  both  changed  to 
birds.     Though  thus  they  suffered  the  same  fate,  still 
even  thus  their  love  remained,  nor  were  their  con- 
jugal   bonds    loosened    because    of    their    ft-athered 
shape.      Still  do  they  mate  and  rear  their  young; 
and    for  seven   peaceful  days  in   the  winter   season 
Alcyone    broods    upon  her   nest   floating    upon   the 
surface  of  the  waters.     At  such  a  time  the  waves  of 
the  sea  are   still  ;  for  Aeolus  guards  his  winds  and 
forbids  them  to  go  abroad  and  for  his  grandsons'  sake 
gives  peace  upon  the  sea. 

Seeing  these  birds  flying  in  loving  harmony  over 
the  broad  waters,  some  old  man  spoke  in  praise  of 
their  affection  kept  unbroken  to  the  end.  Then  one 
near  by,  or  perhaps  the  same  speaker,  pointing  to  a 
long-necked  diver,  said :  "That  bird  also,  which  you 
see  skimming  along  over  the  water  and  trailing  his 
slender  legs,  is  of  royal  birth,  and  his  ancestors,  if 
you  wish  in  unbroken  line  to  come  down  to  him  him- 
self, were  Ilus  and  Assaracus,  Ganymede,  whom  Jove 
Stole  away,  old  Laomedon  and  Priam,  who  came  by 
fate  on  Troy's  last  days.  He  there  was  the  brother 
of  Hector;  and  had  he  not  met  his  strange  fate  in 
early  manhood,  perhaps  he  would  have  a  name  no 
less  renowned  than  Hector's.     While  the  daughter 

173 


OVID 

quamvis  est  ilium  proles  enixa  Dymantis, 
Aesacon  umbrosa  furtim  peperisse  sub  Ida 
fertur  Alexiroe,  Granico  nata  bicorni. 
oderat  hie  urbes  nitidaque  remotus  ab  aula 
secretos  montes  et  inambitiosa  colebat  765 

ruranee  Iliacos  coetus  nisi  rarus  adibat. 
non  agreste  tamen  nee  inexpugnabile  aniori 
pectus  habens  silvas  eaptatam  saepe  per  omnes 
aspicit  Hesperien  patria  Cebrenida  ripa 
iniectos  umeris  siccantem  sole  capillos.  770 

visa  fugit  nymphe,  veluti  perterrita  fulvum 
cerva  lupum  longeque  lacu  deprensa  relicto 
accipitrem  fluvialis  anas;  quain  Troius  heros 
insequitur  celeremque  metu  celer  urguet  amore. 
ecce  latens  herba  coluber  fugientis  adunco  775 

dente  pedem  strinxit  virusque  in  corpore  liquit ; 
cum  vita  suppressa  fuga  est :  amplectitur  aniens 
exanimem  clamatque  '  piget,  piget  esse  secutum  ! 
sed  non  hoc  timui,  neque  erat  mihi  vincere  tanti. 
perdidimus  miseram  nos  te  duo :  vulnus  ab  angue, 
a  me  causa  data  est  !  ego  sum  sceleratior  illo,       78  J 
qui  tibi  morte  mea  mortis  solacia  mittam.' 
dixit  et  e  scopulo,  quem  rauca  subederat  unda, 
decidit  in  pontum.     Tethys  miserata  cadentem 
molliter  excepit  nantemque  per  aequora  pennis     785 
texit,  et  optatae  non  est  data  copia  mortis, 
indignatur  amans,  invitum  vivere  cogi 
obstarique  animae  misera  de  sede  volenti 
174 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XI 

of  Dymas  l  bore  the  one,  the  other,  Aesacus,  is  said  to 
have  been  borne  in  secret  beneath  the  shades  of  Ida 
by  Alexiroe,  daughter  of  the  horned  Granicus.  He 
hated  towns  and,  far  from  glittering  palace  halls, 
dwelt  on  remote  mountain-sides  and  in  lowly  country 
places,  and  rarely  sought  the  company  of  the  men  of 
Ilium.  Still  his  heart  was  not  boorish  nor  averse  to 
love,  and  often  he  pursued  through  all  the  woody 
glades  Hesperia,  daughter  of  Cebren,  whom  he  beheld 
drying  her  hair  tossed  on  her  shoulders  in  the  sun  upon 
her  father's  bank.  The  nymph  fled  at  sight  of  him 
as  the  frightened  hind  flees  the  tawny  wolf,  or  as  the 
wild  duck,  surprised  far  from  her  forsaken  pool,  flees 
from  the  hawk.  But  the  Trojan  hero  followed  her, 
swift  on  the  wings  of  love  as  she  was  swift  on  the 
wings  of  fear.  Behold,  a  serpent,  hiding  in  the 
grass,  pierced  her  foot  with  his  curved  fangs  as  she 
fled  along,  and  left  his  poison  in  her  veins.  Her 
flight  stopped  with  life.  Beside  himself,  her  lover 
embraced  the  lifeless  form  and  cried :  'Oh,  I  repent 
me,  I  repent  that  I  followed  you  !  But  I  had  no  fear 
of  this,  nor  was  it  worth  so  much  to  me  to  win  you. 
We  have  destroyed  you,  poor  maid,  two  of  us  :  the 
wound  was  given  you  by  the  serpent,  by  me  was 
given  the  cause  !  I  am  more  guilty  than  he.  But 
by  my  death  will  I  send  death's  consolation  to  you.' 
So  saying,  from  a  lofty  cliff,  where  the  hoarse  waves 
had  eaten  it  out  below,  he  hurled  himself  down  into 
the  sea.  But  Tethys,  pitying  his  case,  received  him 
gently  as  he  fell,  covered  him  with  feathers  as  he 
floated  on  the  waters,  and  so  denied  him  the  privilege 
of  the  death  he  sought.  The  lover  was  wroth  that 
he  was  forced  to  live  against  his  will  and  that  his 
spirit  was  thwarted  as  it  desired  to  leave  its  Avretched 

1  Hecuba. 

175 


OVID 

exire,  utque  novas  umeris  adsumpserat  alas,  789 

subvolat  atque  iterum  corpus  super  aequora  mittit. 
pluma  levat  casus :  furit  Aesacos  inque  profundum 
pronus  abit  letique  viam  sine  fine  retemptat. 
fecit  amor  maciem  :  longa  internodia  crurum, 
longa  manet  cervix,  caput  est  a  cor  pore  longe;     79* 
aequora  amat  nomenque  tenet,  quia  mergitur  illo." 


178 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XI 

seat.  And  when  he  had  gained  on  his  shoulders  his 
new-sprung  wings,  he  flew  aloft  and  once  mure 
hurled  his  body  down  to  the  sea ;  but  his  light 
plumage  broke  his  fall.  In  wild  rage  Aesacus  dived 
deep  down  below  the  water  and  tried  endlessly  to 
find  the  way  to  death.  His  passion  made  him  lean; 
his  legs  between  the  joints  are  long,  his  long  neck  is 
still  long,  his  head  is  far  from  his  body.  He  still 
loves  the  sea  and  lias  his  name  l  because  he  dives 
beneath  it." 

1  Mergus,  a  diver. 


177 


BOOK  XII 


LIBER  XIT 

Nescivs  adsumptis  Priamus  pater  Aesacon  ahs 

vivere  lugebat:  tumulo  quoque,  nomen  habenti, 

inferias  dederat  cum  fratribus  Hector  inani ; 

defuit  officio  Paridis  praesentia  tristi, 

postmodo  qui  rapta  longum  cum  coniuge  bellum       5 

attulit  in  patriam  :  coniurataeque  sequuntur 

mille  rates  gentisque  simul  commune  Pelasgae  ; 

nee  dilata  foret  vindicta,  nisi  aequora  saevi 

invia  fecissent  venti,  Boeotaque  tellus 

Aulide  piscosa  puppes  tenuisset  ituras.  10 

hie  patrio  de  more  Iovi  cum  sacra  parassent, 

ut  vetus  accensis  incanduit  ignibus  ara, 

serpere  caeruleum  Danai  videre  draconem 

in  platanum,  coeptis  quae  stabat  proxima  sacris. 

nidus  erat  volucrum  bis  quattuor  arbore  summa  :     15 

quas  simul  et  matrem  circum  sua  damna  volantem 

corripuit  serpens  avidoque  recondidit  ore, 

obstipuere  omnes,  at  veri  providus  augur 

Thestorides  "vincemus";  ait,  "gaudete,  Pelasgi ! 

Troia  cadet,  sed  erit  nostri  mora  longa  laboris,"      20 

atque  novem  volucres  in  belli  digerit  annos. 

180 


BOOK  XII 

Father  Priam,  not  knowing  that  Aesacus  was  still 
alive  in  feathered  form,  mourned  for  his  son.  At  an 
empty  tomb  also,  inscribed  with  the  lost  one's  name, 
Hector  with  his  brothers  had  offered  sacrifices  in 
honour  of  the  dead.  Paris  was  not  present  at  the 
sad  rite,  Paris,  who  a  little  later  brought  a  long-con- 
tinued war  upon  his  country  with  his  stolen  wife.  A 
thousand  ships  and  the  whole  Pelasgian  race,  banded 
together,  pursued  him,  nor  would  vengeance  have 
been  postponed  had  not  stormy  winds  made  the  sea 
impassable,  and  had  not  the  land  of  Boeotia  kept  the 
ships,  though  ready  to  set  sail,  at  fish-haunted  Aulis. 
When  here,  after  their  country's  fashion,  they  had 
prepared  to  sacrifice  to  Jove,  and  just  as  the  ancient 
altar  was  glowing  with  the  lighted  fires,  the  Greeks 
saw  a  dark -green  serpent  crawling  up  a  plane-tree 
which  stood  near  the  place  where  they  had  begun 
their  sacrifices.  There  was  a  nest  with  eight  young 
birds  in  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  these,  together  with 
the  mother,  who  was  flying  around  her  doomed  nest- 
lings, the  serpent  seized  and  swallowed  in  his 
greedy  maw.  They  all  looked  on  in  amazement. 
But  Thestorides,  the  augur,  who  saw  clearly  the 
meaning  of  the  portent,  said  :  "  We  shall  conquer. 
Rejoice,  ye  Greeks,  Troy  shall  fall,  but  our  task  will 
be  of  long  duration  "  ;  and  he  interpreted  the  nine 
birds  as  nine  years  of  war.     Meanwhile  the  serpent, 

181 


OVID 

Me,  ut  erat  virides  amplexus  in  avbore  ramos, 
fit  lapis  et  servat  serpentis  imagine  nixum. 

Permanet  Aoniis  Nereus  violentus  in  undis 
bellaque  non  transfert,  et  sunt,  qui  parcere  Troiae  25 
Neptunum  credant,  quia  moenia  fecerat  urbi ; 
at  non  Thestorides  :  nee  enim  nescitve  tacetve 
sanguine  virgineo  piacandam  virginis  iram 
esse  deae.     postquam  pietatem  publica  causa 
rexque  patrem  vicit,  castumque  datura  cruorem      SO 
flentibus  ante  aram  stetit  Iphigenia  ministris, 
victa  dea  est  nubemque  oculis  obiecit  et  inter 
officium  turbamque  sacri  vocesque  precantum 
supposita  fertur  mutasse  Mycenida  cerva. 
ergo  ubi,  qua  decuit,  lenita  est  caede  Diana,  35 

et  pariter  Phoebes,  pariter  maris  ira  recessit, 
accipiunt  ventos  a  tergo  mille  carinae 
multaque  perpessae  Phrygia  potiuntur  harena. 

Orbe  locus  medio  est  inter  terrasque  fretumque 
caelestesque  plagas,  triplicis  confinia  mundi ;  40 

unde  quod  est  usquam,  quamvis  regionibus  absit, 
inspicitur,  penetratque  cavas  vox  omnis  ad  aures : 
Fama  tenet  summaque  domum  sibi  legit  in  arce, 
innumerosque  aditus  ac  mille  foramina  tectis 
addidit  et  nullis  inclusit  limina  portis  ;  45 

nocte  dieaue  patet :  tota  est  ex  aere  sonanti, 
IBS 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

just  as  he  was,  coiled  round  the  green  branches  of 
the  tree,  was  changed  to  stone,  and  the  stone  kept 
the  form  of  the  climbing  serpent. 

But  Nereus  continued  to  be  boisterous  on  the 
Aonian  waters,  and  refused  to  transport  the  war. 
And  there  were  some  who  held  that  Neptune  was 
sparing  Troy  because  he  had  built  its  walls.  But  not 
so  the  son  of  Thestor.  For  he  was  neither  ignorant 
of  the  truth  nor  did  he  withhold  it,  that  the  wrath  of 
the  virgin  goddess  *  must  be  appeased  with  a  virgin's 
blood.  After  consideration  for  the  public  weal  had 
overcome  affection,  and  the  father  had  been  van- 
quished by  the  king,  and  just  as  midst  the  weeping 
attendants  Iphigenia  was  standing  before  the  altar 
ready  to  shed  her  innocent  blood,  the  goddess  was 
moved  to  pity  and  spread  a  cloud  before  their  eyes  ; 
and  there,  while  the  sacred  rites  went  on,  midst  the 
confusion  of  the  sacrifice  and  the  cries  of  suppliants, 
she  is  said  to  have  substituted  a  hind  for  the  maiden 
of  Mycenae.  When  therefore,  as  'twas  fitting,  Diana 
had  been  appeased  by  the  sacrifice  of  blood,  when 
Phoebe's  and  the  ocean's  wrath  had  subsided  to- 
gether, the  thousand  ships  found  the  winds  blowing 
astern  and,  after  suffering  many  adventures,  they 
reached  the  shores  of  Phrygia. 

There  is  a  place  in  the  middle  of  the  world,  'twixt 
land  and  sea  and  sky,  the  meeting-point  of  the  three- 
fold universe.  From  this  place,  whatever  is,  how- 
ever far  away,  is  seen,  and  every  word  penetrates  to 
these  hollow  ears.  Rumour  dwells  here,  having  chosen 
her  house  upon  a  high  mountain-top ;  and  she  gave 
the  house  countless  entrances,  a  thousand  apertures, 
but  with  no  doors  to  close  them.  Night  and  day 
the  house  stands  open.     It  is  built  all  of  echoing 

1  Diana. 

183 


OVID 

tota  fremit  vocesque  refert  iteratque  quod  audit ; 

nulla  quies  intus  nullaque  silentia  parte, 

nee  tamen  est  clamor,  sed  parvae  murmura  vocis, 

qualia  de  pelagi,  siquis  procul  audiat,  undis  50 

esse  solent,  qualemve  sonum,  cum  Iuppiter  atras 

increpuit  nubes,  extrema  tonitrua  reddunt. 

atria  turba  tenet :  veniunt,  leve  vulgus,  euntque 

mixtaque  cum  veris  passim  commenta  vagantur 

milia  rumorum  confusaque  verba  volutant ;  55 

e  quibus  hi  vacuas  inplent  sermonibus  aures, 

hi  narrata  ferunt  alio,  mensuraque  ficti 

crescit,  et  auditis  aliquid  novus  adicit  auctor. 

illic  Credulitas,  illic  temerarius  Error 

vanaque  Laetitia  est  consternatique  Timores  60 

Seditioque  recens  dubioque  auctore  Susurri ; 

ipsa,  quid  in  caelo  rerum  pelagoque  geratur 

et  tellure,  videt  totumque  inquirit  in  orbem. 

Fecerat  haec  notum,  Graias  cum  milite  forti 
adventare  rates,  neque  inexspectatus  in  armis         65 
hostis  adest :  prohibent  aditus  litusque  tuentur 
Troes,  et  Hectorea  primus  fataliter  hasta, 
Protesilae,  cadis,  commissaque  proelia  magno 
stant  Danais,  fortisque  animae  nece  cognitus  Hector, 
nee  Phryges  exiguo,  quid  Achaica  dextera  posset,  70 
sanguine  senserunt,  et  iam  Sigea  rubebant 
litora,  iam  leto  proles  Neptunia,  Cygnus, 
mille  viros  dederat,  iam  curru  instabat  Achilles 
totaque  Peliacae  stemeb»»t  cuspidis  ictu 
114 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XII 

brass.  The  whole  place  is  full  of  noises,  repeats 
all  words  and  doubles  what  it  hears.  There  is 
no  quiet,  no  silence  anywhere  within.  And  yet 
there  is  no  loud  clamour,  but  only  the  subdued 
murmur  of  voices,  like  the  murmur  of  the  waves  of 
the  sea  if  you  listen  afar  off,  or  like  the  last  rum- 
blings of  thunder  when  Jove  has  made  the  dark 
clouds  crash  together.  Crowds  fill  the  hall,  shifting 
throngs  come  and  go,  and  everywhere  wander  thou- 
sands of  rumours,  falsehoods  mingled  with  the  truth, 
and  confused  reports  flit  about.  Some  of  these  fill 
their  idle  ears  with  talk,  and  others  go  and  tell 
elsewhere  what  they  have  heard;  while  the  story 
grows  in  size,  and  each  new  teller  makes  contribu- 
tion to  what  he  has  heard.  Here  is  Credulity, 
here  is  heedless  Error,  unfounded  Joy  and  panic 
Fear;  here  sudden  Sedition  and  unauthentic  Whis- 
perings. Rumour  herself  beholds  all  that  is  done  in 
heaven,  on  sea  and  land,  and  searches  throughout  the 
world  for  news. 

Now  she  had  spread  the  tidings  that  the  Greek 
fleet  was  approaching  full  of  brave  soldiery ;  and  so 
not  unlooked  for  did  the  invading  army  come.  The 
Trojans  were  ready  to  prevent  the  enemy's  landing 
and  to  protect  their  shores.  You  first  fell,  Pro- 
tesilaiis,  before  Hector's  deadly  spear.  Those  early 
battles  proved  costly  to  the  Greeks  and  they  soon 
learned  Hector's  warlike  mettle  by  the  slaughter 
that  he  dealt.  And  the  Phrygians  learned  too,  at  no 
slight  cost  of  blood,  how  puissant  was  the  Grecian 
hand.  And  now  the  Sigean  shores  grew  red ;  now 
Neptune's  son,  Cygnus,  had  given  a  thousand  men  to 
death  ;  now  was  Achilles  pressing  on  in  his  chariot 
and  laying  low  whole  ranks  with  the  stroke  of  his 
spear  that  grew  on  Pelion  ;  and,  as  he  sought  through 

185 


OVID 

agmina    perque    acies   aut    Cygnum    aut   Hectora 

quaerens  75 

congreditur  Cygno  (decimum  dilatus  in  annum 
Hector  erat):  turn  colla  iugo  canentia  pressos 
exhortatus  equos  currum  direxit  in  hostem 
concutiensquesuis  vibrantia  tela  lacertis 
"quisquis  es,  o  iuvenis,"  dixit  "solamen  habeto      80 
mortis,  ab  Haemonio  quod  sis  iugulatus  Achille  !  " 
hactenus  Aeacides :  vocem  gravis  hasta  secuta  est, 
sed  quamquam  certa  nullus  fuit  error  in  hasta, 
nil  tamen  emissi  profecit  acumine  ferri 
utque  hebeti  pectus  tantummodo  contudit  ictu.      85 
"nate  dea,  nam  te  fama  praenovimus,"  inquit 
ille  "  quid  a  nobis  vulnus  miraris  abesse  ? 
(mirabatur  enim.)     "non  haec,  quam  cernis,  equinis 
fulva  iubis  cassis  neque  onus,  cava  parma,  sinistrae 
auxilio  mihi  sunt :  decor  est  quaesitus  ab  istis  ;       90 
Mars  quoque  ob  hoc  capere  arma  solet!  removebitur 

huius 
tegminis  officium  :  tamen  indestrictus  abibo  ; 
est  aliquid  non  esse  satum  Nereide,  sed  qui 
Nereaque  et  natas  et  totum  temperat  aequor." 
dixit  et  haesurum  clipei  curvamine  telum  9$ 

misit  in  Aeaciden,  quod  et  aes  et  proxima  rupit 
terga  novena  boum,  decimo  tamen  orbe  moratum  est. 
excutit  hoc  heros  rursusque  trementia  f'orti 
tela  manu  torsit:  rursus  sine  vulnere  corpus 
sincerumque  fuit ;  nee  tertia  cuspis  apertum  100 

et  se  praebentem  valuit  destringere  Cygnum. 
haut  secus  exarsit,  quam  circo  taurus  aperto, 
186 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

the  battle's  press  either  Cygnus  or  Hector,  he  met 
with  Cygnus.  (Hector's  fate  had  been  postponed 
until  the  tenth  year.)  Then  Achilles,  shouting  to 
his  horses  whose  snowy  necks  were  straining  at  the 
yoke,  drove  his  chariot  full  at  the  enemy  and, 
brandishing  his  spear  with  his  strong  arm,  cried  : 
"  Whoever  you  are,  O  youth,  have  it  for  solace  of 
your  death  that  you  were  slain  by  Achilles  of 
Thessaly."  So  spoke  Aeacides.  His  heavy  spear 
followed  on  the  word  ;  but,  although  there  was  no 
swerving  in  the  well-aimed  spear,  the  flying  weapon 
struck  with  its  sharp  point  without  effect,  and  only 
bruised  his  breast  as  by  a  blunt  stroke.  Then  Cygnus 
said  :  "  O  son  of  Thetis,  for  rumour  has  already  made 
you  known  to  me,  why  do  you  marvel  that  I  am 
unscathed?"  for  he  was  amazed.  "Neither  this 
helmet  which  you  behold,  yellow  with  its  horse-hair 
crest,  nor  yet  this  hollow  shield  which  burdens  my 
left  arm  is  intended  for  a  protection ;  'tis  ornament 
that  is  sought  from  them.  Mars,  too,  for  this  cause, 
wears  his  armour.  Remove  the  protection  of  thiscover- 
ing  :  still  shall  I  escape  unharmed.  It  is  something  to 
be  the  son,  not  of  Nereus'  daughter,  but  of  him  who 
rules  both  Nereus  and  his  daughters  and  the  whole 
sea  besides."  He  spoke  and  hurled  against  Aeacides 
his  spear,  destined  only  to  stick  in  the  curving  shield. 
Through  brass  and  through  nine  layers  of  bull's  hide 
it  tore  its  way,  but  stopped  upon  the  tenth.  Shaking 
the  weapon  off,  the  hero  again  hurled  a  quivering  spear 
with  his  strong  hand.  Again  his  foeman's  body  was 
unwounded  and  unharmed  ;  nor  did  a  third  spear 
avail  to  scratch  Cygnus,  though  he  offered  his  body 
quite  unprotected.  Achilles  raged  at  this  just  like 
a  bull  in  the  broad  arena  when  with  his  deadly  horns 
he  rushes  on  the  scarlet  cloak,  the  object  of  his 

187 


OVID 

cum  sua  tenibili  petit  inritamina  cornu. 
poeniceas  vestes,  elusaque  vulnera  sentit: 
num  tamen  exciderit  ferrum  considerat  hastae  :     105 
haerebat  ligno.     "  manus  est  mea  debilis  ergo, 
quasque  "  ait  "  ante  habuit  vires,  effudit  in  uno? 
nam  certe  valuit,  vel  cum  Lyrnesia  primus 
moenia  deieci,  vel  cum  Tenedonque  suoque 
Eetioneas  inplevi  sanguine  Thebas,  110 

vel  cum  purpureus  populari  caede  Caicus 
fluxit,  opusque  meae  bis  sensit  Telephus  liastae. 
hie  quoque  tot  caesis,  quorum  per  litus  acervos 
et  feci  et  video,  valuit  mea  dextra  valetque." 
dixit  et,  ante  actis  veluti  male  crederet,  hastam     1 15 
misit  in  adversum  Lycia  de  plebe  Menoeten 
loricamque  simul  subiectaque  pectora  rupit. 
quo  plangente  gravem  moribundo  vertice  terrain 
extrahit  illud  idem  calido  de  vulnere  telum 
atque  ait :  "haec  manus  est,  haec,  qua  modo  vicimus, 
hasta:  120 

utar  in  hoc  isdem ;  sit  in  hoc,  precor,  exitus  idem  ! " 
sic  fatus  Cygnum  repetit,  nee  fraxinus  errat 
inque  umeio  sonuit  non  evitata  sinistro, 
inde  velut  muro  solidaque  a  caute  repulsa  est; 
qua  tamen  ictus  erat,  si  gnat  um  sanguine  Cygnum  1 25 
viderat  et  frustra  fuerat  gavisus  Achilles : 
vulnus  erat  nullum,  sanguis  fuit  ille  Menoetael 
turn  vero  praeceps  curru  fremebundus  ab  alto 
desilit  et  nitido  securum  comminus  hostem 
ense  petens  parmam  gladio  galeamque  cavari  130 

cernit,  at  in  duro  laedi  quoque  corpore  ferrum. 

188 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

wrath,  and  finds  it  ever  eluding  his  fierce  attack. 
He  examined  the  spear  to  see  if  the  iron  point  had 
not  been  dislodged.  It  was  still  on  the  wooden 
shaft.  "Is  my  hand  then  so  weak,"  he  said,  "and 
has  the  strength,  which  it  once  had,  ebbed  away  in 
this  case  alone  ?  For  surely  I  had  strength  enough 
when  I  as  leader  of  the  attack  overthrew  Lyrnesus' 
walls,  or  when  I  caused  Tenedos  and  Thebes,  the 
city  of  Eetion,  to  flow  with  their  own  blood,  when 
the  Caicus  ran  red  with  the  slaughter  of  its  neigh- 
bouring tribes,  and  when  Telephus  twice  felt  the 
strength  of  my  spear.  On  this  field  also,  with  so  many 
slain,  heaps  of  whose  corpses  upon  the  shore  I  have 
both  made  and  see,  my  right  hand  has  been  mighty 
and  still  is  mighty."  He  spoke  and,  as  if  he  dis- 
trusted his  former  prowess,  he  hurled  the  spear  full  at 
Menoetes,  one  of  the  Lycian  commons,  and  smote 
clean  through  his  breastplate  and  his  breast  beneath. 
\.s  his  dying  victim  fell  clanging  down  head  first 
upon  the  solid  earth,  Achilles  plucked  out  the  spear 
from  the  hot  wound  and  cried  :  "This  is  the  hand, 
this  the  spear  with  which  I  have  just  conquered.  I 
likewise  shall  use  it  on  this  foeman,  and  may  the 
outcome  be  the  same  on  him,  I  pray."  So  saying, 
he  hurled  again  at  Cygnus,  and  the  ashen  spear  went 
straight  and  struck,  unshunned,  with  a  thud  upon  the 
left  shoulder,  whence  it  rebounded  as  from  a  wall  or 
from  a  solid  cliff.  Yet  where  the  spear  struck,  Achilles 
saw  Cygnus  marked  with  blood,  and  rejoiced,  but 
vainly :  there  was  no  wound ;  it  was  Menoetes' 
blood  !  Then  truly  in  headlong  rage  he  leaped  down 
from  his  lofty  chariot  and,  seeking  his  invulnerable 
foe  in  close  conflict  with  his  gleaming  sword,  he  saw 
both  shield  and  helmet  pierced  through,  but  on  the 
unyielding  body  his  sword  was  even  blunted.     The 

189 


OVID 

haut  tulit  ulterius  clipeoque  adversa  retecti 

ter  quater  ora  viri,  capulo  cava  tempora  pulsat 

cedentique  sequens  instat  turbatque  ruitque 

attonitoque  negat  requiem  :  pavor  occupat  ilium,   1 35 

ante  oculosque  natant  tenebrae  retroque  ferenti 

aversos  passus  medio  lapis  obstitit  arvo ; 

quern  super  inpulsum  resupino  corpore  Cygnum 

vi  multa  vertit  terraeque  adflixit  Achilles. 

turn  clipeo  genibusque  premens  praecordia  duris  1 40 

vincla  trahit  galeae,  quae  presso  subdita  mento 

elidunt  fauces  et  respiramen  utrumque 

eripiunt  animae.     victum  spoliare  parabat : 

arma  relicta  videt ;  corpus  deus  aequoris  albam 

contulit  in  volucrem,  cuius  modo  nomen  habebat.  1  4.5 

Hie  labor,  haec  requiem  multorum  pugna  dieruin 
attidit  et  positis  pars  utraque  substitit  armis. 
dumque  vigil  Phrygios  servat  custodia  muros, 
et  vigil  Argolicas  servat  custodia  fossas, 
festa  dies  aderat,  qua  Cygni  victor  Achilles  150 

Pallada  mactatae  placabat  sanguine  vaccae  ; 
cuius  ut  inposuit  prosecta  calentibus  aris, 
et  dis  acceptus  penetravit  in  aethera  nidor, 
sacra  tulere  suam,  pars  est  data  cetera  mensis. 
discubuere  toris  proceres  et  corpora  tosta  155 

came  replent  vinoque  levant  curasque  sitimque. 
non  illos  citharae,  non  illos  carmina  vocum 
longave  multifori  delectat  tibia  buxi, 
sed  noctem  sermone  trahunt,  virtusque  loqueudi 
190 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

hero  could  brook  no  more,  but  with  shield  and  sword- 
hilt  again  and  again  he  beat  upon  the  face  and  hollow 
temples  of  his  uncovered  foe.  As  one  gives  way  the 
other  presses  on,  buffets  and  rushes  him,  gives  him 
no  pause  to  recover  from  the  shock.  Fear  gets  hold 
on  Cygnus ;  dark  shadows  float  before  his  eyes,  and 
as  he  steps  backward  a  stone  lying  on  the  plain 
blocks  his  way.  As  he  lies  with  bent  body  pressed 
back  upon  this,  Achilles  whirls  him  with  mighty 
force  and  dashes  him  to  the  earth.  Then,  pressing 
with  buckler  and  hard  knees  upon  his  breast,  he  un- 
laces his  helmet-thongs.  With  these  applied  beneath 
his  chin  he  chokes  his  throat  and  cuts  off  the  passage 
of  his  breath.  He  prepares  to  strip  his  conquered 
foe  :  he  sees  the  armour  empty  ;  for  the  sea-god  has 
changed  the  body  into  the  white  bird  whose  name 
he  lately  bore.  / 

This  struggle,  this  battle,  brought  a  truce  of  many 
days,  and  each  side  laid  its  weapons  down  and  rested. 
And  while  a  watchful  guard  was  patrolling  the  Phry- 
gian walls  and  a  watchful  guard  patrolled  the  trenches 
of  the  Greeks,  there  came  a  festal  day  when  Cygnus' 
conqueror,  Achilles, was  sacrificing  to  Pallas  with  blood 
of  a  slain  heifer.  When  now  the  entrails  had  been 
placed  upon  the  blazing  altars  and  the  odour  which 
gods  love  had  ascended  to  the  skies,  the  holy  beings 
received  their  share  and  the  rest  was  set  upon  the 
tables.  The  chiefs  reclined  upon  the  couches  and  ate 
their  fill  of  the  roasted  flesh  while  they  relieved 
their  cares  and  quenched  their  thirst  with  wine. 
Nor  were  they  entertained  by  sound  of  cithern, 
nor  by  the  voice  of  song,  nor  by  the  long  flute  of 
boxwood  pierced  with  many  holes ;  but  they  drew 
out  the  night  in  talk,  and  valour  was  the  theme  of 
their  conversation.     Of  battles   was  their  talk,  the 

191 


OVID 

materia  est :  pugnas  referunt  hostisque  suasque,  lfiO 
inque  vices  adita  atque  exhausta  pericnla  saepe 
commemorare  iuvat ;  quid  enim  loqueretur  Achilles, 
aut  quid  apud  magnum  potius  loquerentur  Achillem? 
proxima  praecipue  doinito  victoria  Cygno 
ill  sermone  fuit :  visum  mirabile  cunctis,  l6o 

quod  iuveni  corpus  nullo  penetrabile  telo 
invictumque  a  vulnere  erat  ferrumque  terebat. 
hoc  ipse  Aeacides,  hoc  mirabantur  Aehivi, 
cum  sic  Nestor  ait:  "vestro  fuit  unicus  aevo 
contemptor  ferri  nulloque  forabilis  ictu  170 

Cygnus.     at  ipse  olim  patientem  vulnera  mille 
corpore  non  laeso  Perrhaebum  Caenea  vidi, 
Caenea  Perrhaebum,  qui  factis  inclitus  Othryn 
incoluit,  quoque  id  mirum  magis  esset  in  illo, 
femina  natus  erat."     monstri  novitate  moventur   175 
quisquis  adest,  narretque  rogant :  quos  inter  Achilles : 
"  die  age  !  nam  cunctis  eadem  est  audii  e  voluntas, 
o  facunde  senex,  aevi  prudentia  nostri, 
quis  fuerit  Caeneus,  cur  in  contraria  versus, 
qua  tibi  militia,  cuius  certamine  pugnae  1 80 

cognitus,  a  quo  sit  victus,  si  victus  ab  ullo  est." 
turn  senior :  "  quamvis  obstet  mihi  tarda  vetustas, 
multaque  me  fugiant  primis  spectata  sub  annis, 
plura  tamen  memini.     nee  quae  magis  haereat  ulla 
pectore  res  nostro  est  inter  bellique  domiaue         185 
acta  tot,  ac  si  quem  potuit  spatiosa  senectus 
spectatorem  operum  multorum  reddere,  vixi 
annos  bis  centum  ;  nunc  tertia  vivitur  aetas. 

"  Clara  decore  fuit  proles  Elateia  Caenis, 
192 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

enemy's  and  their  own,  and  'twas  joy  to  tell  over  and 
over  again  in  turn  the  perils  they  had  encountered  and 
endured.  For  of  what  else  should  Achilles  speak,  or 
of  what  else  should  others  speak  in  great  Achilles' 
presence?  Especially  did  the  talk  turn  on  Achilles' 
last  victory  and  Cygnus'  overthrow.  It  seemed  a 
marvel  to  them  all  that  a  youth  should  have  a  body 
which  no  spear  could  penetrate,  invulnerable,  which 
blunted  the  sword's  edge.  Aeacides  himself  and 
the  Greeks  were  wondering  at  this,  when  Nestor 
said :  "  In  this  your  generation  there  has  been  one 
only,  Cygnus,  who  could  scorn  the  sword,  whom  no 
stroke  could  pierce ;  but  I  myself  long  ago  saw 
one  who  could  bear  a  thousand  strokes  with  body 
unharmed,  Thessalian  Caeneus  :  Caeneus  of  Thessaly, 
I  say,  who  once  dwelt  on  Mount  Othrys,  famed  for 
his  mighty  deeds ;  and  to  enhance  the  marvel  of 
him,  he  had  been  born  a  woman."  All  who  heard 
were  struck  with  wonder  at  this  marvel  and  begged 
him  to  tell  the  tale.  Among  the  rest  Achilles  said : 
"  Tell  on,  old  man,  eloquent  wisdom  of  our  age,  for 
all  of  us  alike  desire  to  hear,  who  was  this  Caeneus, 
why  was  he  changed  in  sex,  in  what  campaign  did 
you  know  him  and  fighting  against  whom  ;  by  whom 
he  was  conquered  if  he  was  conquered  by  anyone." 
Then  said  the  old  man  :  "  Though  time  has  blurred 
my  memory,  though  many  things  which  I  saw  in  my 
young  years  have  quite  gone  from  me,  still  can  I 
remember  much  ;  nor  is  there  anything,  midst  so 
many  deeds  of  war  and  peace,  that  clings  more 
firmly  in  my  memory  than  this.  And,  if  long- 
extended  age  could  have  made  anyone  an  observer 
of  many  deeds,  I  have  lived  for  two  centuries  and 
now  am  living  in  my  third. 

"  Famous  for  beauty  was  Elatus'  daughter,  Caenis, 

193 


OVID 

Thessalidum  virgo  puleherrima,  perque  propinquas 
perque  tuas  urbes  (tibi  enim  popularis,  Achille),    191 
multorumque  fuit  spes  invidiosa  procorum. 
temptasset  Peleus  thalamos  quoque  forsitan  illos: 
sed  iam  aut  contigerant  illi  conubia  matris 
aut  fuerant  promissa  tuae,  nee  Caenis  in  ullos        195 
denupsit  thalamos  secretaque  litora  carpens 
aequorei  vim  passa  dei  est  (ita  fama  ferebat), 
utque  novae  Veneris  Neptunus  gaudia  cepit, 
'  sint  tua  vota  licet '  dixit c  secura  repulsae  : 
elige,  quid  voveas  ! "  (eadem  hoc  quoque  fama  ferebat) 
'magnum'  Caenis  ait  'facithaec  iniuria  votum,      201 
tale  pati  nil  posse ;  mihi  da,  femina  ne  sim  : 
omnia  praestiteris.'     graviore  novissima  dixit 
verba  sono  poteratque  viri  vox  ilia  videri, 
sicut  erat ;  nam  iam  voto  deus  aequoris  alti  205 

adnuerat  dederatque  super,  nee  saucius  ullis 
vulneribus  fieri  ferrove  occumbere  posset, 
munere  laetus  abit  studiisque  virilibus  aevum 
exigit  Atracides  Peneiaque  arva  pererrat. 

"  Duxerat  Hippodamen  audaci  Ixione  natus      210 
nubigenasque  feros  positis  ex  ordine  mensis 
arboribus  tecto  diseumbere  iusserat  antro. 
Haemonii  proceres  aderant,  aderamus  et  ipsi, 
festaque  confusa  resonabat  regia  turba. 
ecce  canunt  Hymenaeon,  et  ignibus  atria  fumant,  215 
clnctaque  adest  virgo  matrum  nuruumque  caterva, 
194 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XII 

most  lovely  of  all  the  maids  of  Thessaly,  both  through- 
out the  neighbouring  cities  and  your  own  (for  she 
was  of  your  city,  Achilles),  and  she  was  the  longed-for 
hope  of  many  suitors.  Peleus,  too,  perchance,  would 
have  tried  to  win  her ;  but  he  had  either  already  wed 
your  mother  or  she  was  promised  to  him.  And  Caenis 
would  not  consent  to  any  marriage  ;  but,  so  report  had 
it,  while  walking  along  a  lonely  shore  she  was  ravished 
by  the  god  of  the  sea.  When  Neptune  had  tasted 
the  joys  of  his  new  love,  he  said  :  '  Make  now  your 
prayers  without  fear  of  refusal.  Choose  what  you 
most  desire.'  This,  also,  was  a  part  of  the  same 
report.  Then  Caenis  said:  'The  wrong  that  you 
have  done  me  calls  for  a  mighty  prayer,  the  prayer 
that  I  may  never  again  be  able  to  suffer  so.  Grant 
me  that  I  be  not  woman  :  then  you  will  have  granted 
all.'  She  spoke  the  last  words  with  a  deeper  tone 
which  could  well  seem  to  be  uttered  by  a  man.  And 
so  it  was;  for  already  the  god  of  the  deep  ocean  had 
assented  to  her  prayer,  and  had  granted  her  besides 
that  she  should  be  proof  against  any  wounds  and 
should  never  fall  before  any  sword.  Atracides l 
went  away  rejoicing  in  his  gift,  spent  his  years  in 
manly  exercises,  and  ranged  the  fields  of  Thessaly. 

"  Bold  Ixion's  son  2  had  wed  Hippodame  and  had 
invited  the  cloud-born  centaurs  to  recline  at  the 
tables,  set  in  order  in  a  well -shaded  grotto.  The 
Thessalian  chiefs  were  there  anil  I  myself  was  there. 
The  palace,  in  festal  array,  resounded  with  the  noisy 
throng.  Behold,  they  were  singing  the  nuptial  song, 
the  great  hall  smoked  with  the  fires,  and  in  came  the 
maiden  escorted  by  a  throng  of  matrons  and  young 
wives,  herself  of  surpassing  beauty.     We  congratu- 

1  i.e.  the  Thessalian,  Caeneus,  the  transformed  Caenis. 
8  Pirithoiis. 

195 


OVID 

praesignis  facie  ;  felicem  diximus  ilia 
coniuge  Pirithoum,  quod  paene  fefellimus  omen, 
nam  tibi,  saevorum  saevissime  Centaurorum, 
Euryte,  quam  vino  pectus,  tam  virgine  visa  220 

ardet,  et  ebrietas  geminata  libidine  regnat. 
protinus  eversae  turbant  convivia  mensae, 
raptaturque  comis  per  vim  nova  nupta  prehensis. 
Eurytus  Hippodamen,  alii,  quam  quisque  probabant 
aut  poterant,  rapiunt,  captaeque  erat  urbis  imago.  225 
femineo  clamore  sonat  domus  :  ocius  omnes 
surgimus,  et  primus  '  quae  te  vecordia,'  Theseus 
'  Euryte,  pulsat,'  ait, '  qui  me  vivente  lacessas 
Pirithoum  vio'.esque  duos  ignarus  in  uno  ? ' 
[neve  ea  magnanimus  frustra  memoraverit  ore,      230 
submovet  instantes  raptamque  furentibus  aufert.] 
ille  nihil  contra,  (neque  enim  defendere  verbis 
talia  facta  potest)  sed  vindicis  ora  protervis 
insequitur  manibus  generosaque  pectora  pulsat. 
forte  fuit  iuxta  signis  exstantibus  asper  235 

antiquus  crater  ;  quern  surgens  vastior  ipse 
sustulit  Aegides  adversaque  misit  in  ora: 
sanguinis  ille  globos  pariter  cerebrumque  merumque 
vulnere  et  ore  vomens  madida  resupinus  harena 
calcitrat.     ardescunt  germani  caede  bimembres    240 
certatimque  omnes  uno  ore '  anna,  arma '  loquuntur. 
vina  dabant  animos,  et  prima  pocula  pugna 
missa  volant  fragilesque  cadi  curvique  lebetes, 
res  epulis  quondam,  turn  bello  et  caedibjjg  aptae. 
196 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XII 

lated  Pirithous  upon  his  bride,  an  act  which  all  but 
undid  the  good  omen  of  the  wedding.  For  your  heart, 
Eurytus,  wddest  of  the  wild  centaurs,  was  inflamed  as 
well  by  the  sight  of  the  maiden  as  with  wine,  and  it 
was  swayed  by  drunken  passion  redoubled  by  lust. 
Straightway  the  tables  were  overturned  and  the 
banquet  in  an  uproar,  and  the  bride  was  caught 
by  her  hair  and  dragged  violently  away.  Eurytus 
caught  up  Hippodame,  and  others,  each  took  one  for 
himself  according  as  he  fancied  or  as  he  could,  and 
the  scene  looked  like  the  sacking  of  a  town.  The 
whole  house  resounded  with  the  women's  shrieks. 
Quickly  we  all  sprang  up  and  Theseus  first  cried 
out:  'What  madness,  Eurytus,  drives  you  to  this, 
that  while  I  still  live  you  dare  provoke  Pirithous 
and,  not  knowing  what  you  do,  attack  two  men  in 
one? '  The  great-souled  hero,  that  he  might  justify 
his  threat,  thrust  aside  the  opposing  centaurs  and 
rescued  the  ravished  maid  from  their  mad  hands. 
The  other  made  no  reply,  for  with  words  he  could 
not  defend  such  deeds;  but  with  unruly  hands  he 
rushed  upon  the  avenger  and  beat  upon  his  face 
and  noble  breast.  There  chanced  to  stand  near 
by  an  antique  mixing-vat,  rough  with  high-wrought 
figures ;  this,  Theseus,  rising  to  his  fullest  height, 
himself  caught  up  and  hurled  full  into  the  other's 
face.  He,  spouting  forth  gouts  of  blood  along  with 
brains  and  wine  from  wound  and  mouth  alike,stumbled 
backward  upon  the  reeking  ground.  His  twi-formed 
brothers,  inflamed  with  passion  at  his  death,  cried  all 
with  one  accord,  '  To  arms  !  to  arms  ! '  vying  with  one 
another.  Wine  gave  them  courage,  and  in  the  first  on- 
slaught wine-cups  and  brittle  flasks  went  flyingthrough 
the  air,  and  deep  rounded  basins,  utensils  once  meant 
for  use  of  feasting,  but  now  for  war  and  slaughter. 

197 


OVID 

"  Primus  Ophionides  Amycus  penetralia  donis  245 
haut  timuit  spoliare  suis  et  primus  ab  aede 
lampadibus  densum  rapuit  funale  coruscis 
elatumque  alte,  veluti  qui  Candida  tauri 
rumpere  sacrifica  molitur  colla  securi, 
inlisit  fronti  Lapithae  Celadontis  et  ossa  250 

non  cognoscendo  confusa  relinquit  in  ore. 
exsiluere  oculi,  disiectisque  ossibus  oris 
acta  retro  naris  medioque  est  fixa  palato. 
hunc  pede  convulso  mensae  Pellaeus  acernae 
stravit  humi  Pelates  deiecto  in  pectora  mento       255 
cumque  atro  mixtos  sputantem  sanguine  dentes 
vulnere  Tartareas  geminato  mittit  ad  umbras. 

"  Proximus  ut  steterat  spectans  altaria  vultu 
fumida  terribili  *  cur  non  '  ait  '  utimur  istis  ?  ' 
cumque  suis  Gryneus  inmanem  sustulit  aram  260 

ignibus  et  medium  Lapitharum  iecit  in  agmen 
depressitque  duos,  Brotean  et  Orion  :  Orio 
mater  erat  Mycale,  quam  deduxisse  canendo 
saepe  reluctantis  constabat  cornua  lunae. 
f  non  impune  feres,  teli  modo  copia  detur ! '  265 

dixerat  Exadius  telique  habet  instar,  in  aita 
quae  fuerant  pinu  votivi  cornua  cervi. 
figitur  hinc  duplici  Gryneus  in  lumina  ramo 
eruiturque  oculos,  quorum  pars  cornibus  haeret, 
pars  fluit  in  barbam  concretaque  sanguine  pendet.  270 

u  Ecce  rapit  mediis  flagrantem  Rhoetus  ab  aris 
pruniceum  torrem  dextraque  a  parte  Charaxi 
tempora  perstringit  fulvo  protecta  capillo. 
correpti  rapida,  veluti  seges  arida,  flamirta 
198 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

"  First  Amycus,  Ophion's  son,  scrupled  not  to  rob 
the  inner  sanctuary  of  its  gifts,  and  first  snatched 
from  the  shrine  a  chandelier  thick  hung  with  glitter- 
ing lamps.  This,  lifted  on  high,  as  when  one  strives 
to  break  a  bull's  white  neck  with  sacrificial  axe, 
he  dashed  full  at  the  head  of  Celadon,  one  of  the 
Lapithae,crushing  his  face  past  recognition.  His  eves 
leaped  from  their  sockets,  the  bones  of  his  face  were 
shattered,  and  his  nose  driven  back  and  fastened  in 
his  throat.  But  Pelates  of  Pella,  wrenching  off  the 
leg  of  a  table  of  maple-wood,  hurled  Amycus  to  the 
ground,  his  chin  driven  into  his  breast ;  and,  as  he 
spat  forth  dark  blood  and  teeth  commingled,  his 
enemy  with  a  second  blow  dispatched  him  to  the 
shades  of  Tartarus. 

"  Then  Gryneus,  gazing  with  wild  eyes  upon  the 
smoking  altar  near  which  he  stood,  cried  out,  '  Why 
not  use  this?  '  and,  catching  up  the  huge  altar,  fire 
and  all,  he  hurled  it  amidst  a  throng  of  Lapithae  and 
crushed  down  two,  Broteas  and  Orios.  Now  Orios' 
mother  was  Mycale,  who,  men  said,  had  by  her 
incantations  oft-times  drawn  down  the  horns  of  the 
moon,  despite  her  struggles.  'You  shall  not  escape 
unscathed,  if  I  may  but  lay  hand  upon  a  weapon.'  So 
cried  Exadius,  and  found  for  weapon  the  antlers  of  a 
stag  hung  on  a  tall  pine-tree  as  a  votive  offering. 
Gryneus'  eyes  were  pierced  by  the  double  branching 
horns  and  his  eyeballs  gouged  out.  One  of  these 
stuck  to  the  horn  and  the  other  rolled  down  upon 
his  beard  and  hung  there  in  a  mass  of  clotted  blood. 

"Then  Rhoetus  caught  up  a  blazing  brand  of 
plum-wood  from  the  altar  and,  whirling  it  on  the  right, 
smashed  through  Charaxus'  temples  covered  with 
yellow  hair.  The  hair,  caught  by  the  greedy  flames, 
burned  fiercely,  like  a  dry  field  of  grain,  and  the  blood 

199 


OVID 

arserunt  crines,  et  vulnere  sanguis  inustus  275 

terribilem  stridore  sonum  dedit,  ut  dare  ferrum 
igne  rubens  plerumque  solet,  quod  forcipe  curva 
cum  faber  eduxit,  lacubus  demittit :  at  illud 
stridet  et  in  tepida  submersum  sibilat  unda. 
saucius  hirsutis  avidum  de  crinibus  ignem  280 

excutit  inque  umeros  limen  tellure  revulsum 
tollit,  onus  plaustri,  quod  ne  permittat  in  hostem, 
ipsa  facit  gravitas  :  socium  quoque  saxea  moles 
oppressit  spatio  stantem  propiore  Cometen. 
gaudia  nee  retinet  Rhoetus  :  '  sic,  conprecor,'  inquit 
'  cetera  sit  fortis  castrorum  turba  tuorum  ! '  286 

semicremoque  novat  repetitum  stipite  vulnus 
terque  quaterque  gravi  iuncturas  verticis  ictu 
rupit,  et  in  liquido  sederunt  ossa  cerebro. 

"Victor    ad   Euagrum    Corythumque  Dryantaque 
transit ;  290 

e  quibus  ut  prima  tectus  lanugine  malas 
procubuit  Corythus,  'puero  quae  gloria  fuso 
parta  tibi  est  ? '     Euagrus  ait,  nee  dicere  Rhoetus 
plura  sinit  rutilasque  ferox  in  aperta  loquentis 
condidit  ora  viri  perque  os  in  pectora  flammas       2.95 
te  quoque,  saeve  Drya,  circum  caput  igne  rotato 
insequitur,  sed  non  in  te  quoque  constitit  idem 
exitus  :  adsiduae  successu  caedis  ovantem, 
qua  iuncta  est  umero  cervix,  sude  figis  obusta. 
ingemuit  duroque  sudem  vix  osse  revulsit  300 

Rhoetus  et  ipse  suo  madefactus  sanguine  fugit. 
fugit  et  Orneus  Lycabasque  et  saucius  armo 
200 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

scorching  in  the  wound  gave  forth  a  horrid  sizzling 
sound  ;  such  as  a  bar  of  iron,  glowing  red  in  the  fire, 
gives  when  the  smith  takes  it  out  in  his  bent  pincers 
and  plunges  it  into  a  tub  of  water  ;  it  sizzles  and  hisses 
as  it  is  thrust  into  the  tepid  pool.  The  wounded  man 
shook  off  the  greedy  fire  from  his  shaggy  locks,  then 
tore  up  from  the  ground  and  heaved  upon  his  shoulders 
a  threshold-stone,  a  weight  for  a  team  of  oxen.  But 
its  very  weight  prevented  him  from  hurling  it  to  reach 
his  enemy.  The  massive  stone,  however,  did  reach 
Charaxus'  friend,  Cometes,  who  stood  a  little  nearer, 
and  crushed  him  to  the  ground.  At  this  Rhoetus  could 
not  contain  his  joy  and  said  :  '  So,  I  pray,  may  the 
rest  of  the  throng  on  your  side  be  brave ! '  and  he 
redoubled  his  attack  with  the  half-burned  brand,  and 
with  heavy  blows  thrice  and  again  he  broke  through 
the  joinings  of  his  skull  until  the  bones  sank  down 
into  his  fluid  brains. 

"  The  victor  next  turned  against  Euagrus,  Corythus, 
and  Dryas.  When  one  of  these,  young  Corythus, 
whose  first  downy  beard  was  just  covering  his  cheeks, 
fell  forward,  Euagrus  cried  :  'What  glory  do  you  get 
from  slaying  a  mere  boy  ? '  Rhoetus  gave  him  no 
chance  to  say  more,  but  fiercely  thrust  the  red, 
flaming  brand  into  the  man's  mouth  while  still  open 
in  speech,  and  through  his  mouth  clear  down  into  his 
breast.  You  also,  savage  Dryas,  he  pursued,  whirling 
the  brand  about  his  head  ;  but  his  attack  upon  you 
did  not  have  the  same  result.  As  he  came  on,  re- 
joicing in  his  successive  killings,  with  a  charred  stake 
you  thrust  him  through  where  neck  and  shoulder 
join.  Rhoetus  groaned  aloud,  with  a  mighty  effort 
wrenched  the  stake  out  from  the  hard  bone,  and  then 
fled,  reeking  with  his  own  blood.  Orneus  also  fled  and 
Lycabas  and  Medon,  wounded  in  his  right  shoulder, 

201 


OVID 

dexteriore  Medon  et  cum  Pisenore  Thaumas, 
quique  pedum  nuper  certamine  vicerat  omnes 
Mermeros,  accepto  turn  vulnere  tardius  ibat;         305 
et  Pholus  et  Melaneus  et  Abas  praedator  aproruni, 
quique  suis  frustra  bellum  dissuaserat  augur 
Asbolus  :  ille  etiam  metuenti  vulnera  Nesso 
'  ne  fuge  !  ad  Herculeos'  inquit  '  servaberis  arcus.' 
at  non  Eurynomus  Lycidasque  et  Areos  et  Imbreus 
effugere  necem  ;  quos  omnes  dextra  Dryantis        31 1 
perculit  adversos.     adversum  tu  quoque,  quamvis 
terga  fugae  dederas,  vulnus,  Crenaee,  tulisti : 
nam  grave  respiciens  inter  duo  lumina  ferrum, 
qua  naris  fronti  committitur,  accipis,  imae.  315 

"  In  tanto  fremitu  cunctis  sine  fine  iacebat 
sopitus  venis  et  inexperrectus  Aphidas 
languentique  manu  carchesia  mixta  tenebat, 
fusns  in  Ossaeae  villosis  pellibus  ursae  ; 
quern  procul  ut  vidit  frustra  nulla  anna  moventem. 
inserit  amento  digitos  'miscenda'  que  dixit  321 

'  cum  Styge  vina  bibes  '  Phorbas  ;  nee  plura  moratus 
in  iuvenem  torsit  iaculum,  ferrataque  colic 
fraxinus,  ut  casu  iacuit  resupinus,  adacta  est. 
mors  caruit  sensu,  plenoque  e  gutture  fluxit  325 

inque  toros  inque  ipsa  niger  carchesia  sanguis. 

"  Vidi  ego  Petraeum  conantem  tollere  terra 
glandiferam  quercum  ;  quam  dum  conplexibus  ambit 
etquatit  hue  illuc  labefactaque  robora  iactat, 
lancea  Pirithoi  costis  inmissa  Petraei  830 

pectora  cum  duro  luctantia  robore  fixit. 
202 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XII 

and  Thaumas  and  Pisenor ;  and  Mermeros,  who 
but  lately  had  surpassed  all  in  speed  of  foot,  now 
fared  more  slowly  because  of  the  wound  he  had  re- 
ceived ;  Pholus  also  fled  and  Melaneus  and  Abas, 
hunter  of  the  boar,  and  Asbolus,  the  augur,  who  had 
in  vain  attempted  to  dissuade  his  friends  from  battle. 
He  said  to  Nessus,  who  also  fled  with  him  in  fear  of 
wounds  :  '  Do  not  you  flee ;  you  will  be  reserved  for 
the  bow  of  Hercules.'  But  Eurynomus  and  Lycidas, 
Areos  and  Imbreus  did  not  escape  death  ;  for  all 
these  the  right  hand  of  Dry  as  slew  as  they  fought 
fronting  him.  In  front  you,  also,  Crenaeus,  received 
your  wound,  although  you  had  turned  in  flight ;  for, 
as  you  looked  back,  you  received  a  heavy  javelin 
between  the  eyes  where  nose  and  forehead  join. 

"  Midst  all  this  uproar  Aphidas  lay,  buried  in  end- 
less sleep  which  filled  all  his  veins,  unawakened,  still 
holding  his  cup  full  of  mixed  wine  in  his  sluggish 
hand  and  stretched  at  full  length  upon  an  Ossaean 
bear's  shaggy  skin.  Him,  all  in  vain  striking  no 
blow,  Phorbas  spied  at  a  distance  and,  fitting  his 
fingers  in  the  thong  of  his  javelin,  cried  out :  '  Mingle 
your  wine  with  the  Styx  and  drink  it  there.' 
Straightway  he  hurled  his  javelin  at  the  youth,  and 
the  iron-tipped  ash  was  driven  through  his  neck  as 
he  chanced  to  lie  with  head  thrown  back.  He  was 
not  conscious  of  death,  and  from  his  full  throat  out 
upon  the  couch  and  into  the  very  wine-cup  the  dark 
blood  flowed. 

"  I  saw  Petraeus  striving  to  tear  from  the  earth  an 
acorn-laden  oak.  While  he  held  this  in  both  his 
arms,  bending  it  this  way  and  that,  and  just  as  he 
was  wrenching  forth  the  loosened  trunk,  Pirithoiis 
hurled  a  spear  right  through  his  ribs  and  pinned  his 
writhing  body  to  the  hard  oak.    They  say  that  Lycus 

SOS 


OVID 

Pirithoi  cecidisse  Lycum  virtute  ferebant, 
Pirithoi  virtute  Chromin,  sed  uterque  minorem 
victori  titulum  quam  Dictys  Helopsque  dederunt, 
fixus  Helops  iaculo,  quod  pervia  tempora  fecit       335 
et  missum  a  dextra  laevam  penetravit  ad  aurem, 
Dictys  ab  ancipiti  delapsus  acumine  montis, 
dum  fugit  instantem  trepidans  Ixione  natum, 
decidit  in  praeceps  et  pondere  corporis  ornum 
ingentem  fregit  suaque  induit  ilia  fractae.  340 

"  Ultor  adest  Aphareus  saxumque  e  monte  revul- 
sum 
mittere  conatur ;  mittentem  stipite  querno 
occupat  Aegides  cubitique  ingentia  frangit 
ossa  nee  ulterius  dare  corpus  inutile  leto 
aut  vacat  aut  curat  tergoque  Bienoris  alti  345 

insilit,  haut  solito  quemquam  portare  nisi  ipsum, 
opposuitque  genu  costis  prensamque  sinistra 
caesariem  retinens  vultum  minitantiaque  ora 
robore  nodoso  praeduraque  tempora  fregit. 
robore  Nedymnum  iaculatoremque  Lycopen  350 

sternit  et  inmissa  protectum  pectora  barba 
Hippason  et  summis  exstantem  Riphea  silvis 
Thereaque,  Haemoniis  qui  prensos  montibus  ursos 
ferre  domum  vivos  indignantesque  solebat. 
haut  tulit  utentem  pugnae  successibus  ultra  355 

Thesea  Demoleon  :  solido  divellere  dumo 
annosam  pinum  magno  molimine  temptat ; 
quod  quia  non  potuit,  praefractam  misit  in  hostem, 
sed  procul  a  telo  Theseus  veniente  recessit 
Pallados  admonitu  :  credi  sic  ipse  volebat.  360 

204 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

fell  by  the  might  of  Pirithoiis  ;  by  the  might  of 
Pirithoiis,  Chromis.  But  Dictys  and  Helops  gave 
greater  fame  to  the  conqueror  than  either  of  these. 
Helops  was  thrust  through  by  a  javelin  which  passed 
through  his  temples  and,  hurled  from  the  right, 
pierced  to  his  left  ear.  Dictys,  while  fleeing  in 
desperate  haste  from  Ixion's  son  who  pressed  him 
hard,  stumbled  on  the  edge  of  a  steep  precipice 
and,  falling  headlong,  crashed  into  a  huge  ash- 
tree's  top  with  all  his  weight  and  impaled  his  body 
on  the  broken  spikes. 

"  Aphareus,  at  hand  to  avenge  him,  essays  to  hurl 
a  rock  torn  from  the  mountain-side ;  but,  even  as  he 
hurled  it,  the  son  of  Aegeus  caught  him  with  an  oaken 
club  and  broke  the  great  bones  of  his  elbow-joint. 
Having  no  time  nor  care  to  inflict  further  injury  on 
his  maimed  body,  he  sprang  on  tall  Bienor's  back, 
that  never  before  had  carried  any  but  himself;  and, 
pressing  his  knees  into  the  centaur's  sides  and  with 
his  left  hand  clutching  his  flowing  locks,  he  crushed 
face  and  mouth,  screaming  out  threatenings,  and 
hard  temples  with  his  knotty  club.  With  the 
club  he  slew  Nedymnus  and  Lycopes,  famed  for  the 
javelin  throw,  Hippasos,  his  breast  covered  by  his 
flowing  beard,  and  Ripheus,  who  overtopped  the  trees 
in  height ;  Thereus  as  well,  who  used  to  catch  bears 
upon  the  Thessalian  mountains  and  carry  them  home 
alive  and  struggling.  Demoleon  could  no  longer 
brook  Theseus'  unchecked  success.  He  had  been 
wrenching  away  with  all  his  might  at  an  old  pine, 
trying  to  tear  it  up,  trunk  and  all ;  failing  in 
this,  he  broke  it  off  and  hurled  it  at  his  foe.  But 
Theseus,  seeing  the  weapon  coming,  withdrew  beyond 
its  range,  for  so  had  Pallas  directed  him;  at  least 
that  is  what  he  himself  would  have  us  understand. 

205 


OVID 

non  tamen  arbor  iners  cecidit ;  nam  Crantoris  alti 
abscidit  iugulo  pectusque  umerumque  sinistrum  : 
armiger  ille  tui  fuerat  genitoris,  Achille, 
quem  Dolopum  rector,  bello  superatus,  Amyntor 
Aeacidae  dederat  pacis  pignusque  fidemque.  365 

Hunc  procul  ut  foedo  disiectum  vulnere  Peleus 
vidit,  'at  inferias,  iuvenum  gratissime  Crantor, 
accipe  '  ait  validoque  in  Demoleonta  lacerto 
fraxineam  misit,  mentis  quoque  viribus,  hastam, 
quae  laterum  cratem  praerupit  et  ossibus  haerens  370 
intremuit:  trahit  ille  manu  sine  cuspide  lignum 
(id  quoque  vix  sequitur),  cuspis  pulmone  retenta  est ; 
ipse  dolor  vires  animo  dabat :  aeger  in  hostem 
erigitur  pedibusque  virum  proculcat  equinis. 
excipit  ille  ictus  galea  clipeoque  sonanti  375 

defensatque  umeros  praetentaque  sustinet  arma 
perque  armos  uno  duo  pectora  perforat  ictu. 
ante  tamen  leto  dederat  Phlegraeon  et  Hylen 
eminus,  Iphinoum  conlato  Marte  Claninque  ; 
additur  his  Dorylas,  qui  tempora  tecta  gerebat      380 
pelle  lupi  saevique  vicem  praestantia  teli 
cornua  vara  boum  multo  rube  facta  cruore. 

"  Huic  ego  (nam  viris  animus  dabat)  '  aspice,'  dixi 
'  quantum  concedant  nostro  tua  cornua  ferro ' 
et  iaculum  torsi :  quod  cum  vitare  nequiret,  385 

opposuit  dextram  passurae  vulnera  fronti : 
adfixa  est  cum  fronte  manus  ;  fit  clamor,  at  ilium 
206 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

But  the  tree-trunk  did  not  fall  without  effect,  for  it 
shore  off  tall  Crantor's  breast  and  left  shoulder  from 
the  neck.     He  had  been  your  father's  armour-bearer, 
Achilles,   whom  Amyntor,  king   of  the   Dolopians, 
when  overcome  in  war  had  given  to  Aeacides  as  a 
faithful  pledge  of  peace.     When  Peleus  at  some  space 
away  saw  him  so  horribly  dismembered,  he  cried: 
'At  least  receive  a  funeral  offering,  Crantor,  dearest 
of  youths.'     So  saying,  with  his  sturdy  arm  and  with 
all  his  might  of  soul  as  well,  he  hurled  his   ashen 
spear  at  Demoleon;  and  this  burst  through  his  frame- 
work of  ribs  and  hung  there  quivering  in  the  bones. 
Without  the  head   the  centaur   wrenched   out  the 
wooden  shaft  (even  the  shaft  scarce  yields) ;    the 
head     stuck     fast     within     his    lungs.       His     very 
anguish    gave    him    frantic    courage :    wounded    as 
he  was,  he  reared  up  against  his  foe  and  beat  the 
hero  down    with   his    hoofs.     But    Peleus    received 
the    blows    on    helm    and    resounding    shield    and, 
while  protecting  himself,  he  held  his  own  weapon 
ready.     With   this   he   thrust  the   centaur  through 
the    shoulder,    with    one    blow    piercing    his    two 
breasts  1     Before  this  encounter  Peleus  had  already 
slain  Phlegraeos  and  Hyles,  hurling  from  a  distance, 
and,  in  close  conflict,  Iphinous  and  Clanis.     To  these 
he  now  addea  Dorylas,  who  wore  a  cap  of  wolfs  hide 
on  his  head  and,  in  place  of  deadly  spear,  a  notable 
pair  of  curving  bull's  horns,  reeking  red  with  blood. 
"To   him  (for   my  courage  gave  me   strength)  I 
cried :  '  See  now  how  little  your  horns  avail  against 
my  spear';  and  I  hurled  the  spear.     Since  he  could 
not  dodge  this,  he  threw  up  his  right  hand  to  protect 
his  forehead   from  the  wound.      And  there  his  hand 
was  pinned  against  his  forehead.     A  mighty  shout 
1  i.e.  where  horse-form  and  man-form  meet. 

207 


OVID 

haerentem  Peleus  et  acerbo  vulnere  victum 
(stabat  enim  propior)  mediam  ferit  ense  sub  alvum. 
prosiluit  terraque  ferox  sua  viscera  traxit  390 

tractaque  calcavit  calcataque  rupit  et  illis 
crura  quoque  inpediit  et  inani  concidit  alvo. 

"  Nee  te  pugnantem  tua,  Cyllare,  forma  redemit, 
si  modo  naturae  formam  concedimus  illi. 
barba  erat  incipiens,  barbae  color  aureus,  aurea     395 
ex  umeris  inedios  coma  dependebat  in  armos. 
gratus  in  ore  vigor ;  cervix  umerique  manusque 
pectoraque  artificum  laudatis  proxima  signis, 
et  quacurnque  vir  est;  nee  equi  mendosa  sub  illo 
deteriorque  viro  facies  ;  da  colla  caputque,  400 

Castore  dignus  erit :  sic  tergum  sessile,  sic  sunt 
pectora  celsa  toris.     totus  pice  nigrior  atra, 
Candida  cauda  tamen;  color  est  quoque  cruribus  albus. 
multae  ilium  petiere  sua  de  gente,  sed  una 
abstulit  Hvlonome,  qua  nulla  decentior  inter         405 
semiferos  altis  habitavit  femina  silvis; 
haec  et  blanditiis  et  amando  et  amare  fatendo 
Cyllaron  una  tenet,  cultu  quoque,  quantus  in  illis 
esse  potest  membris,  ut  sit  coma  pectine  levis, 
ut  modo  rore  maris,  modo  se  violave  rosave  410 

inplicet,  interdum  candentia  lilia  gestet, 
bisque  die  lapsis  Pagasaeae  vertice  silvae 
fontibus  ora  lavet,  bis  flumine  corpora  tinguat, 
nee  nisi  quae  deceant  electarumque  ferarum 
aut  umero  aut  lateri  praetendat  vellera  laevo.        415 
208 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XII 

arose,  but  Peleus,  for  he  was  near  him,  while  the 
centaur  stood  pinned  and  helpless  with  that  sore 
wound,  smote  him  with  his  sword  full  in  the  belly. 
He  leaped  fiercely  forward,  trailing  his  entrails  on 
the  ground  ;  and  as  he  trailed  he  trod  upon  them 
and  burst  them  as  he  trod,  tangled  his  legs  in  them, 
and  fell  with  empty  belly  to  the  earth. 

"  But  your  beauty,  Cyllarus,  did  not  save  you  from 
death  in  that  great  fight,  if  indeed  we  grant  beauty 
to  your  tribe.  His  beard  was  just  in  its  first  growth, 
a  golden  beard,  and  golden  locks  fell  down  from  his 
neck  upon  his  shoulders.  He  had  a  pleasing  spright- 
liness  of  face ;  and  his  neck,  shoulders,  breast,  and 
hands,  and  all  his  human  parts  you  would  praise  as 
equal  to  an  artist's  perfect  work.  His  equine  part, 
too,  was  without  blemish,  no  way  less  perfect  than  his 
human  part.  Give  him  but  neck  and  head,  and  he  will 
be  worthy  of  Castor's  use  :  so  shaped  for  the  seat  his 
back,  so  bold  stood  out  the  muscles  on  his  deep  chest. 
All  blacker  than  pitch  he  was  ;  yet  his  tail  was  white ; 
his  legs  also  were  snowy  white.  Many  females  of 
his  own  kind  sought  him,  but  Hylonome  alone  had 
won  him,  than  whom  there  was  no  other  centaur- 
maid  more  comely  in  all  the  forest  depths.  She,  by 
her  coaxing,  ways,  by  loving  and  confessing  love, 
alone  possessed  Cyllarus  ;  and  by  her  toilet,  too,  so 
far  as  such  a  thing  was  possible  to  such  a  form  ;  for 
now  she  smoothed  her  long  locks  with  a  comb,  now 
twined  rosemary,  now  violets  or  roses  in  her  hair, 
and  sometimes  she  wore  white  lilies.  Twice  each 
day  she  bathed  her  face  in  the  brook  that  fell  down 
from  a  wooded  height  by  Pagasa,  and  twice  dipped 
her  body  in  the  stream.  Nor  would  she  wear  on 
shoulder  or  left  side  aught  but  becoming  garments, 
skins  of  well-chosen  beasts.    They  both  felt  equal  love. 

209 


OVID 

par  amor  est  illis  :  errant  in  montibus  una, 
antra  simul  subeunt ;  et  turn  Lapitheia  tecta 
intrarant  pariter,  pariter  fera  bella  gerebant : 
(auctor  in  incerto  est)  iaculum  de  parte  sinistra 
venit  et  inferius,  quam  collo  pectora  subsunt,        420 
Cyllare,  te  fixit ;  parvo  cor  vulnere  laesum 
corpore  cum  toto  post  tela  educta  refrixit. 
protinus  Hylonome  morientes  excipit  artus 
inpositaque  manu  vulnus  fovet  oraque  ad  ora 
admovet  atque  animae  fugienti  obsistere  temptat ; 
ut  videt  exstinctum,  dictis,  quae  clamor  ad  aures  426 
arcuit  ire  meas,  telo,  quod  inhaeserat  illi, 
incubuit  moriensque  suum  conplexa  maritum  est. 

"  Ante  oculos  stat  et  ille  meos,  qui  sena  leonum 
vinxerat  inter  se  conexis  vellera  nodis,  430 

Phaeocomes,homiiiemque  simul  protectus  equumque; 
codice  qui  misso,  quern  vix  iuga  bina  moverent, 
Tectaphon  Oleniden  a  summo  vertice  fregit; 
fracta  volubilitas  capitis  latissima,  perque  os 
perque  cavas  nares  oculosque  auresque  cerebrum  435 
molle  fluit,  veluti  concretum  vimine  querno 
lac  solet  utve  liquor  rari  sub  pondere  cribri 
manat  et  exprimitur  per  densa  foramina  spissus. 
ast  ego,  dum  parat  hie  armis  nudare  iacentem, 
(scit  tuus  hoc  genitor)  gladium  spoliantis  in  ima  440 
ilia  demisi.     Chthonius  quoque  Teleboasque 
ense  iacent  nostra  :  ramum  prior  ille  bifurcum 
210 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

Together  they  would  wander  on  the  mountain-sides, 
together  rest  within  the  caves.  On  this  occasion 
also  they  had  come  together  to  the  palace  of  the 
Lapithae,  and  were  waging  fierce  battle  side  by  side. 
Thrown  from  an  unknown  hand,  a  javelin  came  from 
the  left  and  pierced  you,  Cyllarus,  below  where  the 
chest  rises  to  the  neck.  The  heart,  though  but 
slightly  wounded,  grew  cold  and  the  whole  body  also 
after  the  weapon  had  been  drawn  out.  Straightway 
Hylonome  embraced  the  dying  body,  fondled  the 
wound  with  her  hand  and,  placing  her  lips  upon  his 
lips,  strove  to  hold  from  its  passing  the  dying  breath. 
But  when  she  saw  that  he  was  dead,  with  some  words 
which  the  surrounding  uproar  prevented  me  from 
hearing,  she  threw  herself  upon  the  spear  which  had 
pierced  Cyllarus  and  fell  in  a  dying  embrace  upon 
her  lover. 

"  Still  there  stands  clear  before  my  eyes  one  who 
had  with  knotted  thongs  bound  together  six  lion- 
hides,  Phaeocomes,  thus  protecting  both  man  and 
horse.  Hurling  a  log  which  two  yokes  of  cattle 
could  scarce  move,  he  struck  Tectaphos,  the  son  of 
Olenus,  a  crushing  blow  upon  the  head.  The  broad 
dome  of  his  head  was  shattered,  and  through  his 
mouth,  through  hollow  nostrils,  eyes,  and  ears  oozed 
the  soft  brains,  as  when  curdled  milk  drips  through 
oaken  withes,1  or  a  thick  liquid  mass  trickles  through 
a  coarse  sieve  weighted  down,  and  is  squeezed  out 
through  the  crowded  apertures.  But  I,  even  as  he 
made  ready  to  spoil  his  fallen  victim — your  father 
can  testify  to  this — thrust  my  sword  deep  into  the 
spoiler's  groin.  Chthonius  also  and  Teleboas  fell  by 
my  sword.     The  one  had  carried  a  forked  stick  as 

1  Referring  to   the   process  of  straining  curds  in  cheese- 
making. 

211 


OVID 

gesserat,  hie  iaculum ;  iaculo  mihi  vulnera  fecit: 
signa  vides  !  adparet  adhuc  vetus  inde  cicatrix, 
tunc  ego  debueram  capiendo  Pergama  mitti ;         445 
turn  poteram  magni,  si  non  superare,  morari 
Hectoris  arma  meis !  illo  sed  tempore  nullus, 
aut  puer,  Hector  erat,  nunc  me  mea  deficit  aetas. 
quid  tibi  victorem  gemini  Periphanta  Pyraethi, 
Ampyca  quid  referam,  qui  quadrupedantis  Eehecli 
fixit  in  adverso  cornum  sine  cuspide  vultu  ?  451 

vecte  Pelethronium  Macareus  in  pectus  adacto 
stravit  Erigdupum  ;  memini  et  venabula  condi 
inguine  Nesseis  manibus  coniecta  Cymeli. 
nee  tu  credideris  tantum  cecinisse  futura  455 

Ampyciden  Mopsum  :  Mopso  iaculante  biformis 
accubuit  frustraque  loqui  temptavit  Hodites 
ad  mentum  lingua  mentoque  ad  guttura  fixo. 

"  Quinque  neci  Caeneus  dederat  Styphelumque 

Bromumque 
Antimachumque  Elymumque  securiferumque  Pyrac- 

mon :  460 

vulnera  non  memini,  numerum  nomenque  notavi. 
provolat  Emathii  spoliis  armatus  Halesi, 
quern  dederat  leto,  membris  et  corpore  Latreus 
maximus  :  huic  aetas  inter  iuvenemque  senemque, 
vis  iuvenalis  erat,  variabant  tempora  cani.  465 

qui  clipeo  gladioque  Macedoniaque  sarisa 
conspicuus  faciemque  obversus  in  agmen  utrumque 
armaque  concussit  certumque  equitavit  in  orbem 
212 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

weapon ;  the  other  had  a  spear,  and  with  this  spear 
he  gave  me  a  wound — you  see  the  mark  .'—the  old 
scar  is  still  visible.  Those  were  the  days  when  I 
should  have  been  sent  to  capture  Pergama ;  then 
with  my  arms  I  could  have  checked,  if  not  sur- 
passed, the  arms  of  Hector.  But  at  that  time  mighty 
Hector  was  either  not  yet  born  or  was  but  a  little 
boy  ;  and  now  old  age  has  sapped  my  strength  What 
need  to  tell  you  how  Periphas  overcame  the  double- 
formed  Pyraethus  ?  Why  tell  of  Ampyx,  who  with 
a  pointless  shaft  thrust  through  the  opposing  front 
of  the  four-footed  Echeclus?  Macareus  hurled  a 
crow-bar  at  the  breast  of  Pelethronian  Erigdupus  and 
laid  him  low.  And  I  remember  also  how  a  hunting 
spear,  thrown  by  the  hand  of  Nessus,  was  buried  in 
the  groin  of  Cymelus.  Nor  must  you  deem  that 
Mopsus,  the  son  of  Ampycus,  was  only  a  seer l  telling 
what  was  to  come  ;  for  by  Mopsus'  weapon  the  two- 
formed  Hodites  fell,  striving  in  vain  to  speak,  for  his 
tongue  had  been  pinned  to  his  chin  and  his  chin  to 
his  throat. 

"  Caeneus  had  already  put  five  to  death  :  Styphelus 
and  Bromus,  Antimachus  and  Elymus  and  Pyracmos, 
armed  with  a  battle-axe.  I  do  not  remember  their 
wounds,  but  their  number  and  names  I  marked 
well.  Then  forth  rushed  one,  armed  with  the  spoils 
of  Emathian  Halesus  whom  he  had  slain,  Latreus,  of 
enormous  bulk  of  limb  and  body.  His  years  were 
midway  between  youth  and  age,  but  his  strength  was 
youthful.  Upon  his  temples  his  hair  was  turning 
grey.  Conspicuous  for  his  shield  and  sword  and 
Macedonian  lance,  and  facing  either  host  in  turn,  he 
clashed  his  arms  and  rode  round  in  a  circle,  insolently 

1  He  did  indeed  have  prophetic  powers,  but  here  he  is 
pictured  as  a  mighty  warrior. 

213 


OVID 

verbaque  tot  fudit  vacuas  animosus  in  auras  : 
'  et  te,  Caeni,  feram  ?    nam  tu  mihi  femina  semper, 
tu  mihi  Caenis  eris.     nee  te  natalis  origo  471 

commonuit,  mentemque  subit,  quo  praemia  facto 
quaque  viri  falsam  speciem  mercede  parasti  ? 
vel  quid  nata,  vide,  vel  quid  sis  passa,  columque, 
i,  cape  cum  calathis  et  stamina  pollice  torque;      475 
bella  relinque  viris.'     iactanti  talia  Caeneus 
extentum  cursu  missa  latus  eruit  hasta, 
qua  vir  equo  commissus  erat.     furit  ille  dolore 
nudaque  Phyllei  iuvenis  ferit  ora  sarisa : 
non  secus  haec  resilit,  quam  tecti  a  culmine  grando, 
aut  siquis  parvo  feriat  cava  tympana  saxo.  481 

comminus  adgreditur  laterique  recondere  duro 
luctatur  gladium :  gladio  loca  pervia  non  sunt. 
'  haut  tamen  effugies  !    medio  iugulaberis  ense, 
quandoquidem  mucro  est  hebes'  inquit  et  in  latus 
ensem  485 

obliquat  longaque  amplectitur  ilia  dextra. 
plaga  facit  gemitus  in  corpore  marmoris  icti, 
fractaque  dissiluit  percusso  lammina  callo. 
ut  satis  inlaesos  miranti  praebuit  artus, 
'  nunc  age  '  ait  Caeneus '  nostro  tua  corpora  f'erro  490 
temptemus  ! '  capuloque  tenus  demisit  in  armos 
ensem  fatiferum  caecumque  in  viscera  movit 
versavitque  manu  vulnusque  in  vulnere  fecit, 
ecce  ruunt  vasto  rabidi  clamore  bimembres 
telaque  in  hunc  omnes  unum  mittuntque  feruntque. 
tela  retusa  cadunt :  rnanet  inperfussus  ab  omni     49b 
inque  cruentatus  Caeneus  Elateius  ictu. 
214 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

pouring  out  many  boasts  on  the  empty  air  :  '  You  too, 
Caenis,  shall  I  brook  ?  For  woman  shall  you  always 
be  to  me,  Caenis  shall  you  be.  Does  not  your  birth 
remind  you,  do  you  not  remember  for  what  act  you 
were  rewarded,  at  what  price  you  gained  this  false 
appearance  of  a  man  ?  Heed  well  what  you  were 
born  or  what  you  have  endured.  Go  then,  take 
distaff  and  wool-basket  and  twist  the  spun  thread 
with  practised  thumb  ;  but  leave  wars  to  men.'  As 
he  thus  boasted,  Caeneus,  hurling  his  spear,  plowed 
up  the  centaur's  side  stretched  in  the  act  of  running, 
just  where  man  and  horse  were  joined.  Mad  with 
the  pain,  the  other  smote  the  Phylleian  youth  full  in 
the  naked  face  with  his  long  lance  ;  but  this  leaped 
back  again  like  a  hailstone  from  a  roof,  or  a  pebble 
from  a  hollow  drum.  Then  he  closed  up  and  strove 
to  thrust  his  sword  in  his  unyielding  side.  The  sword 
found  no  place  of  entrance.  '  But  you  shall  not 
escape  !  with  the  sword's  edge  I'll  slay  you,  though  its 
point  be  blunt,'  the  centaur  cried  ;  then  turned  his 
sword  edgewise  and  reached  with  his  long  right  arm 
for  his  foeman's  loins ;  the  blow  resounded  on  the 
flesh  as  if  on  stricken  marble,  and  the  blade,  striking 
the  hardened  skin,  broke  into  pieces.  When  long 
enough  he  had  stood  unharmed  before  his  amazed 
enemy,  Caeneus  exclaimed :  '  Come  now,  let  me  try 
your  body  with  my  steel  ! '  and  clear  to  the  hilt  he 
drove  his  deadly  sword  in  the  other's  side,  and  there 
in  his  vitals  twisted  and  turned  the  buried  weapon, 
inflicting  wound  within  wound.  Now,  quite  beside 
themselves,  the  double  monsters  rushed  on  with  huge 
uproar,  and  all  together  against  that  single  foe  they 
aimed  and  drove  their  weapons.  The  spears  fell 
blunted,  and  Caeneus,  the  son  of  Elatus,  still  stood, 
for  all  their  strokes,  unwounded  and  unstained.    The 

215 


OVID 

fecerat  attonitos  nova  res.     '  heu  dedecus  ingens !  ' 
Monychus  exclamat.   '  populus  superamur  ab  uno  499 
vixque  viro  ;  quamquam  ille  vir  est,  nos  segnibus  actis, 
quod  fuit  ille,  sumus.    quid  membra  inmania  prosunt  ? 
quid  geminae  vires  et  quod  fortissima  rerum 
in  nobis  duplex  natura  animalia  iunxit? 
nee  nos  matre  dea,  nee  nos  Ixione  natos 
esse  reor,  qui  tantus  erat,  Iunonis  ut  altae  505 

spem  caperet :  nos  semimari  superamur  ab  hoste  ! 
saxa  trabesque  super  totosque  involvite  montes 
vivacemque  animam  missis  elidite  silvis  ! 
silva  premat  fauces,  et  erit  pro  vulnere  pondus.' 
dixit  et  insanis  deiectam  viribus  austri  510 

forte  trabem  nactus  validum  coniecit  in  hostem 
exemplumque  fuit,  parvoque  in  tempore  nudus 
arboris  Othrys  erat,  nee  habebat  Pelion  umbras, 
obrutus  inmani  cumulo  sub  pondere  Caeneus 
aestuat  arboreo  congestaque  robora  duris  515 

fert  umeris,  sed  enim  postquam  super  ora  caputque 
crevit  onus  neque  habet,  quas  ducat,  spiritus  auras, 
deficit  interdum,  modo  se  super  aera  frustra 
tollere  conatur  iactasque  evolvere  silvas 
interdumque  movet,  veluti,  quam  cernimus,  ecce,  520 
ardua  si  terrae  quatiatur  motibus  Ide. 
exitus  in  dubio  est :  alii  sub  inania  corpus 
Tartara  detrusum  silvarum  mole  ferebant; 
abnuit  Ampycides  medioque  ex  aggere  fulvis 
vidit  avem  pennis  liquidas  exire  sub  auras,  525 

quae  mihi  turn  primum,  tunc  est  conspecta  supremum- 
hanc  ubi  lustrantem  leni  sua  castra  volatu 
*16 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

strange  sight  struck  them  speechless.  Then  Mony- 
chus  exclaimed  :  *  Oh,  what  a  shame  is  this !  We, 
a  whole  people,  are  defied  by  one,  and  he  scarcely 
a  man.  And  yet  he  is  the  man,  while  we,  with  our 
weak  attempts,  are  what  he  was  before.  Of  what 
advantage  are  our  monster-forms  ?  What  our  two- 
fold  strength  ?  What  avails  it  that  a  double  nature 
has  united  in  our  bodies  the  strongest  living  things  ? 
We  are  not  sons  of  any  goddess  nor  Ixion's  sons,  I 
think.  For  he  was  high-soul ed  enough  to  aspire  to 
be  great  Juno's  mate,  while  we  are  conquered  by  an 
enemy  but  half-man  !  Come  then,  let  us  heap  stones 
and  tree-trunks  on  him,  mountains  at  a  time !  let's 
crush  his  stubborn  life  out  with  forests  for  our 
missiles !  Let  forests  smother  his  throat,  and  for 
wounds  let  weight  suffice.'  He  spoke  and,  chancing 
on  a  tree-trunk  overthrown  by  mad  Auster's  might, 
he  hurled  it  at  his  sturdy  foe.  The  others  followed 
him;  and  in  short  time  Othrys  was  stripped  of  trees 
and  Pelion  had  lost  his  shade.  Buried  beneath  that 
huge  mound,  Caeneus  heaved  against  the  weight  of 
trees  and  bore  up  the  oaken  mass  upon  his  sturdy 
shoulders.  But  indeed,  as  the  burden  mounted  over 
lips  and  head,  he  could  get  no  air  to  breathe.  Gasping 
for  breath,  at  times  he  strove  in  vain  to  lift  his  head 
into  the  air  and  to  throw  off  the  heaped-up  forest ;  at 
times  he  moved,  just  as  if  lofty  Ida,  which  we  see 
yonder,  should  tremble  with  an  earthquake.  His 
end  is  doubtful.  Some  said  that  his  body  was 
thrust  down  by  the  weight  of  woods  to  the  Tar- 
tarean pit ;  but  the  son  of  Ampycus  denied  this. 
For  from  the  middle  of  the  pile  he  saw  a  bird  with 
golden  wings  fly  up  into  the  limpid  air.  I  saw  it  too, 
then  for  the  first  time  and  the  last.  As  Mopsus 
watched    him  circling  round  his  camp  in  easy  flight 

217 


OVID 

Mopsus  et  ingenti  circum  clangore  sonantem 
adspexit  pariterque  animis  oculisque  secutus 
'o  salve/  dixit  '  Lapithaeae  gloria  gentis,  530 

maxime  vir  quondam,  sed  nunc  avis  unica,  Caeneu  1 ' 
credita  res  auctore  suo  est :  dolor  addidit  iram, 
oppressumque  aegre  tulimus  tot  ab  hostibus  unum  ; 
nee  prius  abstitimus  ferro  exercere  dolorern, 
quam  data  pars  leto,  partem  fuga  noxque  removit." 

Haec  inter  Lapithas  et  semihomines  Centauros  536 
proelia  Tlepolemus  Pylio  referente  dolorem 
praeteriti  Alcidae  tacito  non  pertulit  ore 
atque  ait :  "  Herculeae  mirum  est  oblivia  laudis 
acta  tibi,  senior;  certe  mihi  saepe  referre  540 

nubigenas  domitos  a  se  pater  esse  solebat." 
tristis  ad  haec  Pylius  :  "  quid  me  meminisse  malorum 
cogis  et  obductos  annis  rescindere  luctus 
inque  tuum  genitorem  odium  offensasque  fateri  ? 
ille  quidem  maiora  fide,  di !  gessit  et  orbem  545 

inplevit  meritis,  quod  mallem  posse  negare ; 
sed  neque  Deiphobum  nee  Polydamanta  nee  ipsum 
Hectora  laudamus  :  quis  enim  laudaverit  hostem  ? 
ille  tuus  genitor  Messenia  moenia  quondam 
stravit  et  inmeritas  urbes  Elimque  Pylumque        550 
diruit  inque  meos  ferrum  flammamque  penatis 
inpulit,  utque  alios  taceam,  quos  ille  peremit, 
bis  sex  Nelidae  fuimus,  conspecta  iuventus, 
bis  sex  Herculeis  ceciderunt  me  minus  uno 
viribus ;  atque  alios  vinci  potuisse  ferendum  est:  555 
mira  Periclymeni  mors  est,  cui  posse  figuras 
sumere,  quas  vellet,  rursusque  reponere  sumptas 
218 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

and  heard  the  loud  clangour  of  his  wings,  he  followed 
him  both  with  soul  and  eyes  and  cried:  'All  hail, 
Caeneus,  thou  glory  of  the  Lapithaean  race,  once 
most  mighty  hero,  now  sole  bird  of  thy  kind!' 
This  story  was  believed  because  of  him  who  told  it. 
Then  grief  increased  our  wrath  and  we  were  indig- 
nant that  one  man  should  be  overwhelmed  by  so 
many  foes.  Nor  did  we  cease  to  ply  sword  on  behalf 
of  our  mad  grief  till  half  our  foes  were  slain  and 
flight  and  darkness  saved  all  the  rest." 

As  Pylian  Nestor  told  this  tale  of  strife  betwixt  the 
Lapithae  and  half-human  Centaurs,  Tlepolemus  could 
not  restrain  his  resentment  that  Alcides  had  been 
passed  by  without  a  word,  and  said :  "  Old  sir,  'tis 
strange  that  you  have  forgotten  to  speak  in  praise  of 
Hercules ;  for  surely  my  father  used  often  to  tell  me 
of  the  cloud-horn l  creatures  he  had  overcome."  And 
sternly  the  Pylian  answered  him :  "  Why  do  you 
force  me  to  remember  wrongs,  to  reopen  a  grief  that 
was  buried  by  the  lapse  of  years,  and  to  rehearse  the 
injuries  that  make  me  hate  your  father?  He  has 
done  deeds  beyond  belief,  Heaven  knows!  and  filled 
the  earth  with  well-earned  praise,  which  I  would 
gladly  deny  him  if  I  could.  But  neither  Dei'phobus 
nor  Polydamas  nor  even  Hector  do  we  praise ;  for 
who  cares  to  praise  his  enemy  ?  That  sire  of  yours 
once  laid  low  Messene's  walls,  brought  undeserved 
destruction  upon  Elis  and  Pylos,  and  devastated  my 
own  home  with  fire  and  sword.  To  say  nothing  of 
the  others  whom  he  slew,  there  were  twelve  of  us 
sons  of  Neleus,  a  noble  band  of  youths ;  and  all 
twelve,  save  me  alone,  fell  by  Hercules'  might. 
That  others  could  be  conquered  must  be  borne ;  but 
strange  was  the  death  of  Periclymenus ;  for  to  him 
dee  Index  i.v.  "  Centaurs." 
H  219 


OVID 

Neptunus  dederat,  Nelei  sanguinis  auctor. 

hie  ubi  nequiquam  est  formas  variatus  in  omnes, 

vertitur  in  faciem  volucris,  quae  fulmina  curvis     560 

ferre  solet  pedibus  divum  gratissima  regi; 

viribus  usus  avis  pennis  rostroque  redunco 

hamatisque  viri  laniaverat  unguibus  ora. 

tendit  in  hanc  nimium  certos  Tirynthius  arcus 

atque  inter  nubes  sublimia  membra  ferentem        565 

pendentemque  ferit,  lateri  qua  iungitur  ala  ; 

nee  grave  vulnus  erat,  sed  rupti  vulnere  nervi 

deficiunt  motumque  negant  viresque  volandi. 

decidit  in  terram,  non  concipientibus  auras 

infirmis  pennis,  et  qua  levis  haeserat  alae  570 

corporis  adfixi  pressa  est  gravitate  sagitta 

perque  latus  summum  iugulo  est  exacta  sinistro 

nunc  videor  debere  tui  praeconia  rebus 

Herculis,  o  Rhodiae  ductor  pulcherrime  classis  ? 

nee  tamen  ulterius,  quam  fortia  facta  siiendo         575 

ulciscor  fratres  :  solida  est  mihi  gratia  tecum." 

Haec  postquam  dulci  Neleius  edidit  ore, 
a  sermone  senis  repetito  munere  Bacchi 
surrexere  toris  :  nox  est  data  cetera  somno. 

At  deus,  aequoreas  qui  cuspide  temperat  undas,  580 
in  volucrem  corpus  nati  Phaethontida  versum 
mente  dolet  patria  saevumque  perosus  Achillem 
exercet  memores  plus  quam  civiliter  iras. 
iamque  fere  tracto  duo  per  quinquennia  bello 
220 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

Neptune,  father  of  Neleus,  had  given  power  to 
assume  any  form  he  pleased  and  to  put  it  off  again 
at  will.  When  now  he  had  vainly  changed  to  each 
of  his  forms  in  turn,  he  took  the  form  of  the  bird 
which  carries  the  thunderbolts  in  his  hooked  talons, 
a  bird  most  dear  to  the  king  of  the  gods.  With  all 
his  might  of  wings,  of  curved  beak  and  hooked  claws, 
he  had  torn  the  hero's  face.  Then  the  Tirynthian 
aimed  his  too  unerring  bow  at  him  as  he  bore  his 
body  high  into  the  clouds  and  hung  poised  there, 
and  smote  him  where  wing  joins  side.  The  wound 
was  not  severe  ;  but  the  sinews  severed  by  the  wound 
failed  of  their  office  and  refused  motion  and  power 
of  flight.  Down  to  the  earth  he  fell,  his  weakened 
wings  no  longer  catching  the  air;  and  the  arrow, 
where  it  had  lightly  pierced  the  wing,  pressed  by 
the  weight  of  the  body  in  which  it  hung,  was  driven 
clear  through  the  upper  breast  from  the  left  side 
into  the  throat.  And  now,  O  fairest  leader  of  the 
Rhodian  fleet,  what  cause  have  I,  think  you,  to  sing 
the  praises  of  your  Hercules?  Yet  for  my  brothers 
I  seek  no  other  vengeance  than  to  ignore  his  mighty 
deeds.  'Twixt  me  and  you  there  is  unbroken 
amity." 

When  Nestor  with  sweet  speech  had  told  this 
tale,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  old  man's  words  the 
wine-cup  went  around  once  more  and  they  rose 
from  the  couches.  The  remainder  of  the  night  was 
given  to  sleep. 

But  the  god  who  rules  the  waters  of  the  sea  with 
his  trident  was  still  filled  with  a  father's  grief  for  his 
son  whose  body  he  had  changed  into  the  bird  *  of 
Phaethon.  And,  hating  the  murderous  Achilles,  he 
indulged  his  unforgetting  wrath  excessively.  And 
i  The  swan.     See  Index  $.v.  "  Phaethon." 

221 


OVID 

talibus  intonsum  conpellat  Smintliea  dictis:  585 

"o  mihi  de  fratris  longe  gratissime  natis, 

inrita  qui  mecum  posuisti  moenia  Troiae, 

ecquid,  ubi  has  iamiam  casuras  adspicis  arces, 

ingemis  ?     aut  ecquid  tot  defendentia  muros 

milia  caesa  doles  ?  ecquid,  ne  persequar  omnes,    5<)0 

Hectoris  umbra  subit  circum  sua  Pergama  tracti  ? 

cum  tamen  ille  ferox  belloque  cruentior  ipso 

vivit  adhuc,  operis  nostri  populator,  Achilles. 

det  mihi  se  :  faxo,  triplici  quid  cuspide  possim, 

sentiat ;  at  quoniam  concurrere  comminus  hosti    595 

non  datur,  occulta  necopinum  perde  sagitta !  " 

adnuit  atque  animo  pariter  patruique  suoque 

Delius  indulgens  nebula  velatus  in  agmen 

pervenit  Iliacum  mediaque  in  caede  virorum 

rara  per  ignotos  spargentem  cernit  Achivos  600 

tela  Parin  fassusque  deum,  "quid  spicula  perdis 

sanguine  plebis  ?  "  ait.     "  sique  est  tibi  cura  tuorum 

vertere  in  Aeaciden  caesosque  ulciscere  fratres !  " 

dixit  et  ostendens  sternentem  Troica  ferro 

corpora  Peliden,  arcus  obvertit  in  ilium  605 

certaque  letifera  direxit  spicula  dextra. 

quod  Priamus  gaudere  senex  post  Hectora  posset, 

hoc  fuit ;  ille  igitur  tantorum  victor,  Achille, 

victus  es  a  timido  Graiae  raptore  maritae ! 

at  si  femineo  fuerat  tibi  Marte  cadendum,  610 

Thermodontiaca  malles  cecidisse  bipenni. 

est 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XII 

now  for  nigh  ten  years  the  war  had  been  prolonged, 
when  he  thus  addressed  Sminthean  Apollo  of  the 
unshorn  locks :  "  O  thou,  by  far  the  best  beloved  of 
my  brother's  sons,  thou  who  with  me  (though  vainly) 
didst  build  the  walls  of  Troy,  dost  thou  not  groan 
at  sight  of  these  battlements  so  soon  to  fall  ?  Dost 
thou  not  grieve  that  so  many  thousands  have  been 
slain  in  defending  these  walls  ?  Not  to  name  them 
all,  does  not  Hector's  image  come  before  thee, 
dragged  around  his  own  Pergama  ?  But  Achilles, 
fierce  and  more  cruel  than  war  itself,  still  lives,  the 
destroyer  of  our  handiwork.  Let  him  but  come 
within  my  reach.  I'll  make  him  feel  what  I  can  do 
with  my  three-forked  spear.  But  since  it  is  not 
granted  me  to  meet  my  enemy  face  to  face,  do  thou 
bring  him  to  sudden  death  by  thy  unseen  arrow  !" 
The  Delian  nodded  assent  and,  indulging  equally  his 
own  and  his  uncle's  desire,  wrapped  in  a  cloud  came 
to  the  Trojan  lines.  There  midst  the  bloody  strife 
of  heroes  he  saw  Paris  taking  infrequent  shots  at 
the  nameless  crowd.  Revealing  his  divinity,  he 
said :  "  Why  do  you  waste  your  arrows  in  killing 
common  folk  ?  If  you  would  serve  your  people,  aim 
at  Aeacides  and  avenge  your  slaughtered  brothers  !" 
He  spoke  and,  pointing  where  Pelides  was  working 
havoc  on  the  Trojans  with  his  spear,  he  turned  the 
bow  in  his  direction  and  guided  the  well-aimed 
shaft  with  his  death-dealing  hand.  This  was  the 
first  cause  for  joy  which  old  Priam  had  since  Hector's 
death.  So  then,  Achilles,  thou  conqueror  of  the 
mightiest,  thou  art  thyself  o'ercome  by  the  cowardly 
ravisher  of  a  Grecian's  wife  !  But  if  thou  hadst  been 
fated  to  fall  by  a  woman's  battle-stroke,  how  gladly 
wouldst  thou   have  fallen   by  the  Amazon's  double 


228 


OVID 

lam  timor  ille  Phrjgum,  decus  et  tutela  Pelasgi 
nominis,  Aeacides,  caput  insuperabile  bello, 
arserat :  armarat  deus  idem  idemque  cremarat ; 
lam  cinis  est,  et  de  tarn  magno  restat  Achille        6l  5 
nescio  quid  parvum,  quod  non  bene  conpleat  urnam, 
at  vivit  totum  quae  gloria  conpleat  orbem. 
haec  ill i  mensura  viro  respondet,  et  hac  est 
par  sibi  Pelides  nee  inania  Tartara  sentit. 
ipse  etiam,  ut,  cuius  fuerit,  cognoscere  possis,       620 
bella  movet  clipeus,  deque  armis  arma  feruntur. 
non  ea  Tydides,  non  audet  Oileos  Aiax, 
non  minor  Atrides,  non  bello  maior  et  aevo 
poscere,  non  alii :  solis  Telamone  creato 
Laerteque  fuit  tantae  fiducia  laudis.  625 

a  se  Tantalides  onus  invidiamque  removit 
Argolicosque  duces  mediis  considere  castris 
iussit  et  arbitrium  litis  traiecit  in  omnes. 


224 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XII 

And  now  that  terror  of  the  Phrygians,  that  orna- 
ment and  bulwark  of  the  Pelasgian  name,  Aeacides, 
the  invincible  captain  of  the  war,  was  burned.  One 
and  the  same  god  armed  him  and  consumed  him  too. 
Now  he  is  but  dust ;  and  of  Achilles,  once  so  great, 
there  remains  a  pitiful  handful,  hardly  enough  to  fill 
an  urn.  But  his  glory  lives,  enough  to  fill  the  whole 
round  world.  This  is  the  true  measure  of  the  man  ; 
and  in  this  the  son  of  Peleus  is  still  his  real  self,  and 
does  not  know  empty  Tartarus.  His  very  shield, 
that  you  might  know  to  whom  it  once  belonged,  still 
wages  war,  and  for  his  arms  arms  are  taken  up. 
Neither  Tydides  nor  Ajax,  Oileus'  son,  dares  to  claim 
them,  nor  the  lesser1  Atrides,  nor  the  greater2  in 
prowess  and  in  age,  nor  other  chieftains.  Only  the 
son  3  of  Telamon  and  Laertes'  son  4  were  bold  enough 
to  claim  so  great  a  prize.  To  escape  the  hateful 
burden  of  a  choice  between  them,  Tantalides  6  bade 
the  Grecian  captains  assemble  in  the  midst  of  the 
camp,  and  he  referred  to  all  the  decision  of  the 
strife. 

1  Menelaiia  2  Agamemnon.  *  Ajax. 

*  Ulyssea.  8  Agamemnon, 


£3< 


BOOK  XIII 


LIBER  XIII 

Consedere  duces  et  vulgi  stante  corona 

Mirgit  ad  hos  clipei  dominus  septemplicis  Aiax, 

utque  erat  inpatiens  irae,  Sigeia  torvo 

litora  respexit  classemque  in  litore  vultu 

intendensque  manus  "  agimus,  pro  Iuppiter  !  "  inquit 

"ante  rates  causam,  et  mecum  confertur  Ulixes  !       6 

at  non  Hectoreis  dubitavit  cedere  flammis, 

quas  ego  sustinui,  quas  hac  a  classe  fugavi. 

tutius  est  igitur  fictis  contendere  verbis, 

quam  pugnare  manu,  sed  nee  mihi  dicere  promptum, 

nee  facere  est  isti :  quantumque  ego  Marte  feroci    1 1 

inque  acie  valeo,  tantum  valet  iste  loquendo. 

nee  memoranda  tamen  vobis  mea  facta,  Pelasgi, 

esse  reor :  vidistis  enim  ;  sua  narret  Ulixes, 

quae  sine  teste  gerit,  quorum  nox  conscia  sola  est '  1 5 

praemia  magna  peti  fateor  ;  sed  demit  honorem 

aemulus  :  Aiaci  non  est  tenuisse  superbum, 

sit  licet  hoc  ingens,  quicquid  speravit  Ulixes  ; 

iste  tulit  pretium  iam  nunc  temptaminis  huius, 

quod,  cum  victus  erit,  mecum  certasse  feretur.        20 

"  Atque  ego,  si  virtus  in  me  dubitabilis  esset, 
nobilitate  potens  essem,  Telamone  creatus, 
moenia  qui  forti  Troiana  sub  Hercule  cepit 
litoraque  intravit  Pagasaea  Colcha  carina  ; 
228 


BOOK  XIII 

The  chiefs  took  their  seats,  while  the  commons  stood 
in  a  ring  about  them.  Then  up  rose  Ajax,  lord  of 
the  sevenfold  shield.  With  uncontrolled  indignation 
he  let  his  lowering  gaze  rest  awhile  on  the  Sigean 
shores  and  on  the  fleet;  then,  pointing  to  these, 
"  By  Jupiter  ! "  he  cried,  "  in  the  presence  of  these 
ships  1  plead  my  cause,  and  my  competitor  is — 
Ulysses  !  But  he  did  not  hesitate  to  give  way  before 
Hector's  torches,  which  I  withstood,  nay,  which  I 
drove  away  from  this  fleet.  'Tis  safer,  then,  to 
fight  with  lying  words  than  with  hands.  But  1  am 
not  prompt  to  speak,  as  he  is  not  to  act ;  and  I  am 
as  much  his  master  in  the  fierce  conflict  of  the  battle- 
line  as  he  is  mine  in  talk.  As  for  my  deeds,  O 
Greeks,  I  do  not  think  I  need  rehearse  them  to  you, 
for  you  have  seen  them.  Let  Ulysses  tell  of  his, 
done  without  witness,  done  with  the  night  alone 
to  see  them !  I  own  that  it  is  a  mighty  prize  I 
strive  for ;  but  such  a  rival  takes  away  the  honour 
of  it.  It  is  no  honour  for  Ajax  to  have  gained  a 
prize,  however  great,  to  which  Ulysses  has  aspired. 
Already  he  has  gained  reward  enough  in  this  contest 
because,  when  conquered,  he  still  can  say  he  strove 
with  me. 

"  And  even  if  my  valour  were  in  doubt,  I  should  still 
be  his  superior  in  birth  ;  for  Telamon  was  my  father, 
who  in  company  with  valiant  Hercules  took  the  walls 
of  Troy  and  with  the  Pagasaean  ship  sailed  to  Colchis. 

829 


OVID 

Aeacus  huic  pater  est,  qui  iura  silentibus  illic  25 

reddit,  ubi  Aeoliden  saxum  grave  Sisyphon  urget ; 
Aeacon  agnoscit  summus  prolemque  fatetur 
Iuppiter  esse  suam  :  sic  ab  love  tertius  Aiax. 
nee  tamen  haec  series  in  causam  prosit,  Achivi, 
si  mihi  cum  magno  non  est  communis  Achille :       30 
frater  erat,  fraterna  peto  !  quid  sanguine  cretus 
Sfsyphio  furtisque  et  fraude  simillimus  illi 
inseris  Aeacidis  alienae  nomina  gentis  ? 

"  An  quod  in  arma  prior  nulloque  sub  indice  veni, 
arma  neganda  mihi,  potiorque  videbitur  ille,  35 

ultima  qui  cepit  detractavitque  furore 
militiam  ficto,  donee  sollertior  isto, 
sed  sibi  inutilior  timidi  commenta  retexit 
Naupliades  animi  vitataque  traxit  ad  arma  ? 
optima  num  sumat,  quia  sumere  noluit  ulla :  40 

nos  inhonorati  et  donis  patruelibus  orbi, 
obtulimus  quia  nos  ad  prima  pericula,  simus? 

"  Atque  utinam  aut  verus  furor  ille,  aut  creditus 
esset, 
nee  comes  hie  Phrygias  umquam  venisset  ad  arces 
hortator  scelerum  !  non  te,  Poeantia  proles,  45 

expositum  Lemnos  nostro  cum  crimine  haberet . 
qui  nunc,  ut  memorant,  silvestribus  abditus  antris 
saxa  moves  gemitu  Laertiadaeque  precaris, 
quae  meruit,  quae,  si  di  sunt,  non  vana  precaris. 
et  nunc  ille  eadem  nobis  iuratus  in  arma,  50 

heu  !  pars  una  ducum,  quo  successore  sagittae 
Herculis  utuntur,  fractus  morboque  fameque 
velaturque  aliturque  avibus,  volucresque  petendo 
230 


METAMORPHOSES    ROOK  XIII 

His  father  was  Aeacus,  who  is  passing  judgment  in 
that  silent  world  where  Sisyphus  Aeolides  strains  to 
his  heavy  stone  ;  and  most  high  Jupiter  acknow- 
ledges Aeacus  as  his  son.  Thus  Ajax  is  the  third 
remove  from  Jove.  But  let  this  descent  be  of  no 
avail  to  my  cause,  O  Greeks,  if  I  do  not  share  it  with 
the  great  Achilles.  He  was  my  cousin ;  a  cousin's 
arms  I  seek.  Why  do  you,  the  son  of  Sisyphus, 
exactly  like  him  in  his  tricks  and  fraud,  seek  to  asso- 
ciate the  Aeacidae  with  the  name  of  an  alien  family? 

"  Aye,  is  it  because  I  came  first  to  arms  needing 
no  detection,1  that  arms  are  denied  me  ?  And  shall 
he  appear  the  better  man  who  came  last  to  arms  and 
by  feigned  madness  shirked  the  war,  till  one  more 
shrewd  than  he,  but  not  to  his  own  advantage,  the  son 
of  Nauplius,  uncovered  this  timid  fellow's  trick  and 
dragged  him  forth  to  the  arms  that  he  shunned  ?  Shall 
he  take  the  best  because  he  wanted  to  take  none  ? 
And  shall  I  go  unhonoured,  denied  my  cousin's  gifts, 
just  because  I  was  the  first  to  front  the  danger? 

"  And  oh,  that  his  madness  either  had  been  real,  or 
had  never  been  detected,  and  that  this  criminal  had 
never  come  with  us  against  the  Phrygians !  Then,  son 
of  Poeas,  Lemnos  would  not  possess  you,  landed  there 
to  our  sin  and  shame,  you  who,  they  say,  hidden  in 
forest  lairs,  move  the  very  rocks  with  your  groans  and 
call  down  curses  on  Laertes'  son  which  he  has  richly 
merited,  and  which,  if  there  are  any  gods,  you  do  not 
call  down  in  vain.  And  now  he,  who  took  oath  with 
us  for  this  same  war,  alas  !  one  of  our  chieftains,  who 
fell  heir  to  Alcides'  shafts,  now,  broken  with  disease 
and  hunger,  is  clothed  and  fed  by  the  birds,  and  in 
pursuit  of  birds  uses  those  arrows  which  fate  intended 

»  Referring  to  Palamedes,  who  had  exposed  Ulysses'  feigned 
madness  and  brought  him  to  the  war.     See  Index. 

231 


OVID 

debita  Troianis  exercet  spicula  fatis. 

ille  tamen  vivit,  quia  non  comitavit  Ulixen  ;  55 

mallet  et  infelix  Palamedes  esse  relictus  : 

viveret  aut  certe  letum  sine  crimine  haberet ; 

quem  male  convicti  nimium  memor  iste  furoris 

prodere  rem  Danaam  finxit  fictumque  probavit 

crimen  et  ostendit,  quod  iam  praefoderat,  aurum.    60 

ergo  aut  exilio  vires  subduxit  Achivis, 

aut  nece  :  sic  pugnat,  sic  est  metuendus  Ulixes  ! 

w  Qui  licet  eloquio  fidum  quoque  Nestora  vincat, 
haut  tamen  efficiet,  desertum  ut  Nestora  crimen 
esse  rear  nullum  ;  qui  cum  inploraret  Ulixen  65 

vulnere  tardus  equi  fessusque  senilibus  annis, 
proditus  a  socio  est ;  non  haec  mihi  crimina  fingi 
scit  bene  Tydides,  qui  nomine  saepe  vocatum 
corripuit  trepidoque  fugam  exprobravit  amico. 
aspiciunt  oculis  superi  mortalia  iustis  !  70 

en  eget  auxilio,  qui  non  tulit,  utque  reliquit, 
sic  linquendus  erat :  legem  sibi  dixerat  ipse, 
conclamat  socios  :  adsum  videoque  trementem 
pallentemque  metu  et  trepidantem  morte  futura  ; 
opposui  molem  clipei  texique  iacentem  75 

servavique  animam  (minimum  est  hoc  laudis)  inertem. 
si  perstas  certare,  locum  redeamus  in  ilium  : 
redde  hostem  vulnusque  tuum  solitumque  timorem 
post  clipeumque  late  et  mecum  contende  sub  illo ! 
at  postquam  eripui,  cui  standi  vulnera  vires  80 

non  dederant,  nullo  tardatus  vulnere  fugi* 
tS9 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

for  Troy  !  But  yet  he  lives  at  least,  because  he  did 
not  keep  on  with  Ulysses.  Ill-fated  Palamedes,  too, 
would  prefer  to  have  been  left  behind.  He  would 
be  living  still,  or  at  least  would  have  died  without  dis- 
honour, whom  that  fellow  there,  all  too  mindful  of 
the  unfortunate  exposure  of  his  madness,  charged 
with  betraying  the  Greek  cause,  and  in  proof  of 
his  false  charge  showed  the  gold  which  he  had 
already  hidden  there.  So  then,  either  by  exile 
or  by  death  he  has  been  drawing  off  the  Grecian 
strength.  So  does  Ulysses  fight,  so  must  he  be 
feared ! 

"  Though  he  should  surpass  even  trusty  Nestor  in 
his  eloquence,  he  will  never  make  me  believe  that  his 
desertion  of  Nestor  was  other  than  a  crime.  For 
when  he,  slow  from  his  horse's  wound  and  spent  with 
extreme  age,  appealed  to  Ulysses,  he  was  deserted  by 
his  friend.  And  that  I  am  not  making  up  this  tale 
Tydides  knows  full  well,  for  he  repeatedly  called  upon 
him  by  name  and  chided  his  timid  friend  for  flight. 
But  the  gods  regard  the  affairs  of  men  with  righteous 
eyes.  Behold  he  is  in  need  of  aid  who  rendered  none  ; 
and  as  he  left  another,  so  was  he  fated  to  be  left. 
He  had  established  his  own  precedent.  He  cried 
aloud  upon  his  friends.  I  came  and  saw  him  trem- 
bling, pale  with  fear,  shrinking  from  impending  death 
I  thrust  forward  my  massive  shield  and  covered  him 
where  he  lay,  and  I  saved  his  worthless  life — small 
praise  in  that.  If  you  persist  in  this  contention  let 
us  go  back  to  that  spot ;  bring  back  the  enemy,  your 
wound  and  your  accustomed  fear ;  hide  behind  my 
shield  and  contend  with  me  beneath  it.  But  after  I 
rescued  him,  he,who  because  of  his  wounds  had  had  no 
strength  to  stand,  now  fled  away  not  hindered  by  his 
wounds  at  all ' 

S3 


OVID 

"  Hector  adest  secumque  deos  in  proelia  ducit, 
quaque  ruit,  non  tu  tantum  terreris,  Ulixe, 
sed  fortes  etiam  :  tantum  trahit  ille  timoris. 
hunc  ego  sanguineae  successu  catdis  ovantem         8.5 
eminus  ingenti  resupinum  pondere  fudi, 
hnnc  ego  poscentem,  cum  quo  concurreret,  unus 
sustinui :  sortemque  meam  vovistis,  Achivi, 
et  vestrae  valuere  preces.     si  quaeritis  huius 
fortunam  pugnae,  r.on  sum  superatus  ab  illo.  90 

ecce  ferunt  Troes  ferrumque  ignesque  Iovemque 
in  Danaas  classes  :  ubi  nunc  facundus  Ulixes  ? 
nempe  ego  mille  meo  protexi  pectore  puppes, 
spem  vestri  reditus :  date  pro  tot  navibus  arma. 

"  Quodsi  vera  licet  mihi  dicere,  quaeritur  istis    95 
quam  mihi  maior  honos,coniunctaque  gloria  nostra  est, 
atque  Aiax  armis,  non  Aiaci  arma  petuntur. 
conferat  his  Ithacus  Rhesum  inbellemque  Dolona 
Priamidenque  Helenum  rapta  cum  Pallade  captum : 
luce  nihil  gestum,  nihil  est  Diomede  remoto ;        100 
si  semel  ista  datis  meritis  tarn  vilibus  arma, 
dividite,  et  pars  sit  maior  Diomedis  in  illis. 

"  Quo  tamen  haec  Itliaco,  qui  clam,  qui  semper 
inermis 
rem  gerit  et  furtis  incautum  decipit  hostem  ? 
ipse  nitor  galeae  claro  radiantis  ab  auro  105 

insidias  prodet  manifestabitque  latentem ; 
sed  neque  Dulichius  sub  Achillis  casside  vertex 
pondera  tanta  feret,  nee  non  onerosa  gravisque 
Pelias  hasta  potest  inbellibus  esse  lacertis, 
nee  clipeus  vasti  caelatus  imagine  mundi  1 1 0 

234 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIII 

"  Here  is  Hector,  and  he  brings  the  gods  with  him 
into  battle ;  and  where  he  rushes  on,  not  you  alone 
are  terrified,  Ulysses,  but  brave  men  also ;  so  much 
terror  does  he  inspire.  Him,  rejoicing  in  the  success 
of  his  bloody  slaughter,  I  laid  low  upon  the  ground 
with  a  huge  stone  which  I  threw ;  and  when  he 
challenged  one  to  meet  him,  I  alone  bore  the  brunt 
of  his  attack.  You  prayed,  O  Greeks,  that  the  lot 
might  fall  to  me,  and  your  prayers  were  heard.  If 
you  ask  the  outcome  of  the  battle,  at  least  I  was  not 
overcome  by  him.  Behold,  the  Trojans  bring  sword 
and  fire  and  Jove  against  the  Greek  ships.  Where 
now  is  the  eloquent  Ulysses?  But  I  with  my  own 
breast  stood  bulwark  for  the  thousand  ships,  the  hope 
of  your  return.  Grant  me  these  arms  for  all  those 
ships. 

"  But  if  I  may  speak  truth,  the  arms  claim  greater 
honour  than  do  I ;  they  share  my  glory,  and  the 
arms  seek  Ajax,  not  Ajax  the  arms.  Let  the  Ithacan 
compare  with  these  deeds  his  Rhesus  and  unwarlike 
Dolon,  his  Helenus,  Priam's  son,  taken  captive,  and 
the  stolen  Palladium  :  nothing  done  in  the  light  of 
day,  nothing  apart  from  Diomede  If  you  are  really 
giving  that  armour  for  so  cheap  deserts,  divide  it  and 
let  the  larger  share  in  them  be  Diomede's. 

"  But  why  give  them  to  the  Ithacan,  who  always 
does  things  stealthily,  always  unarmed,  relying  upon 
tricks  to  catch  the  enemy  off  his  guard  ?  The  very 
glint  of  the  helmet  gleaming  with  bright  gold  will 
betray  his  snares  and  discover  him  as  he  hides.  But 
neither  will  the  Dulichian'shead  beneath  the  helmet 
of  Achilles  be  able  to  bear  so  great  a  weight,  norcan  the 
spear-shaft,  cut  on  Pelion,  be  otherwise  than  burden- 
some and  heavy  to  his  unwarlike  arm.  The  shield 
also,  a  moulded  picture  of  the  vast  universe,  will  not 

235 


OVID 

conveniet  timidae  nataeque  ad  furta  sinistrae  : 
debilitaturum  quid  te  petis,  inprobe,  munus, 
quod  tibi  si  populi  donaverit  error  Achivi, 
cur  spolieris,  erit,  non,  cur  metuaris  ab  hoste, 
et  fuga,  qua  sola  cunctos,  timidissime,  vincis,  1 1 5 

tarda  futura  tibi  est  gestamina  tanta  trahenti  ? 
adde  quod  iste  tuus,  tarn  raro  proelia  passus, 
integer  est  clipeus  ;  nostro,  qui  tela  ferendo 
mille  patet  plagis,  novus  est  successor  habendus. 

"Denique   (quid   verbis  opus   est?)   spectemur 
agendo !  1 20 

arma  viri  fortis  medios  mittantur  in  hostes  : 
inde  iubete  peti  et  referentem  ornate  relatis." 

Finierat  Telamone  satus,  vulgique  secutuin 
ultima  murmur  erat,  donee  Laertius  heros 
adstitit  atque  oculos  paulum  tellure  moratos  1 25 

sustulit  ad  proceres  exspectatoque  resolvit 
ora  sono,  neque  abest  facundis  gratia  dictis. 

"  Si  mea  cum  vestris  valuissent  vota,  Pelasgi, 
non  foret  ambiguus  tanti  certaminis  heres, 
tuque  tuis  armis,  nos  te  poteremur,  Achille,  1 30 

quem  quoniam  non  aequa  mihi  vobisque  negarunt 
fata^"  (manuque  simul  veluti  lacrimantia  tersit 
lumina)  "  quis  magno  melius  succedit  Achilli, 
quam  per  quem  magnus  Danais  successit  Achilles  ? 
huic  modo  ne  prosit,  quod,  uti  est,  hebes  esse  vide- 
tur,  135 

neve  mihi  noceat,  quod  vobis  semper,  Achivi, 
profuit  ingenium,  meaque  haec  facundia,  siqua  est 
236 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

become  his  timid  hand,  the  left  one,  made  for  stealing, 
Why  do  you  seek  a  prize,  you  shameless  fellow,  that 
will  overtax  your  strength  ;  a  prize  which,  if  by  some 
mistake  the  Greeks  should  give  it  to  you,  will  be 
reason  for  the  foe  to  spoil,  not  fear  you  ?  And  flight, 
in  which  alone  you  surpass  all  others,  most  timid  as 
you  are,  will  prove  but  slow  for  you  if  you  carry  such 
a  weight.  Consider  also  that  that  shield  of  yours,  so 
rarely  used  in  battle,  is  quite  uninjured;  while  mine, 
pierced  in  a  thousand  places  by  the  thrusts  of  spears, 
needs  a  fresh  shield  to  take  its  place. 

"  Finally,  what  need  of  words?  Let  us  be  seen  in 
action !  Let  the  brave  hero's  arms  be  sent  into  the 
enemy's  midst ;  bid  them  be  recovered,  and  to  their 
rescuer  present  the  rescued  arms." 

The  son  of  Telamon  finished,  and  the  applause 
of  the  crowd  followed  his  closing  words.  At  length 
Laertes'  heroic  son  stood  up  and,  holding  his  eyes  for 
a  little  on  the  ground,  he  raised  them  to  the  chiefs 
and  broke  silence  with  the  words  for  which  they 
waited ;  nor  was  grace  of  manner  lacking  to  his 
eloquent  speech. 

"If  my  prayers  and  yours  had  availed,  O  Greeks, 
there  would  be  no  question  as  to  the  next  heir  in  this 
great  strife,  and  you,  Achilles,  would  still  have  your 
own  armour,  and  we  should  still  have  you.  But  since 
the  unjust  fates  have  denied  him  to  me  and  you" 
(and  with  his  hand  he  made  as  if  to  wipe  tears  from 
his  eyes),  "  who  would  better  receive  the  great 
Achilles'  arms  than  he  through  whom  the  Greeks 
received  the  great  Achilles  ?  Only  let  it  not  be  to 
this  fellow's  profit  that  he  seems  to  be,  as  indeed  he 
is,  slow  of  wit ;  and  let  it  not  be,  O  Greeks,  to  my 
hurt  that  I  have  always  used  my  wit  for  youi 
advantage.     And  let  this  eloquence  of  mine,  if  3 


OVID 

quae  nunc  pro  domino,  pro  vobis  saepe  locuta  est, 
invidia  careat,  bona  nee  sua  quisque  recuset. 

"  Nam  genus  et  proavos  et  quae  non  fecimus  ipsi, 
vix  ea  nostra  voco,  sed  enim,  quia  rettulit  Aiax     141 
esse  Iovis  pronepos,  nostri  quoque  sanguinis  auctor 
Iuppiter  est,  totidemque  gradus  distamus  ab  illo  : 
nam  mihi  Laertes  pater  est,  Arcesius  illi, 
Iuppiter  huic,  neque  in   his  quisquam  damnatus  et 
exul ;  145 

est  quoque  per  matrem  Cyllenius  addita  nobis 
altera  nobilitas  :  deus  est  in  utroque  pai  ente. 
sed  neque  materno  quod  sum  generosior  ortu, 
nee  mihi  quod  pater  est  fraterni  sanguinis  insons, 
proposita  arraa  peto  :  meritis  expendite  causarn,   1 .00 
dummodo,  quod  fratres  Telamon  Peleusque  fuerunt, 
Aiacis  meritum  non  sit  nee  sanguinis  ordo, 
sed  virtutis  honor  spoliis  quaeratur  in  istis ! 
aut  si  proximitas  primusque  requiritur  heres, 
est  genitor  Peleus,  est  Pyrrhus  filius  illi :  155 

quis  locus  Aiaci  ?     Phthiam  haec  Scyrumve  ferantur ! 
nee  minus  est  isto  Teucer  patruelis  Achilli : 
num  petit  ille  tamen  ?     num,  si  petat,  auferat  ilia  ? 
ergo,  operum  quoniam  nudum  certamen  habetur, 
plura  quidem  feci,  quam  quae  conprendere  dictis   160 
in  promptu  mihi  sit,  rerum  tamen  ordine  ducar. 

"  Praescia  venturi  genetrix  Nereia  leti 
dissimulat  cultu  natum,  et  deceperat  omnes, 
in  quibus  Aiacem,  sumptae  fallacia  vestis : 
arma  ego  femineis  animum  motura  virilem  165 

238 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XIII 

have  any,  which  now  speaks  for  its  owner,  but  often 
for  you  as  well,  incur  no  enmity,  and  let  each  man 
make  the  most  of  his  own  powers. 

"  For  as  to  race  and  ancestry  and  the  deeds  that 
others  than  ourselves  have  done,  I  call  those  in  no 
true  sense  our  own.  But  the  truth  is,  since  Ajax 
claims  to  be  great-grandson  of  Jove,  Jove  is  the 
founder  of  my  race  as  well,  and  I  am  just  as  many 
steps  removed  from  him.  For  Laertes  is  my  father, 
Arcesius,  his,  and  he,  the  son  of  Jupiter;  nor  in 
this  line  is  there  any  exiled  criminal.  I  have 
also  on  my  mother's  side  another  claim  to  noble 
birth,  Cyllenius.1  Through  both  my  parents  have  I 
divine  descent.  But,  neither  because  through  my 
mother  I  am  more  nobly  born,  nor  because  my  father 
is  guiltless  of  his  brother's  blood,  do  I  seek  the 
armour  that  lies  there.  Weigh  the  cause  on  desert 
alone.  Only  count  it  not  any  desert  of  Ajax  that 
Telamon  and  Peleus  were  brothers,  and  let  not 
strains  of  blood,  but  the  honour  of  manhood  be  con- 
sidered in  the  award.  Or,  if  you  seek  for  next  of 
kin  and  lawful  heir,  Peleus  is  Achilles'  father, 
Pyrrhus  his  son.  What  room  is  there  for  Ajax? 
Bear  the  armour  hence  to  Phthia  2  or  to  Scyrus.3  And 
Teucer  is  no  less  Achilles'  cousin  than  he.  Yet  does 
he  seek  the  arms,  and  if  he  did  seek  would  he  gain 
them  ?  So  then,  since  'tis  a  sheer  strife  of  deeds,  I 
have  done  more  deeds  than  I  can  well  enumerate. 
Still  I  will  tell  them  in  their  order. 

"Achilles'   Nereid    mother,    foreseeing  her   son's 

destruction,  had  disguised  him,  and  the  trick  of  the 

clothing  that  he  wore  deceived  them  all,  Ajax  among 

the  rest.     But  I  placed  among  women's  wares  some 

1  Mercury.  2  The  home  of  Peleus. 

8  The  home  of  Pyrrhus. 

239 


OVID 

mercibus  inserui,  neque  adhuc  proiecerat  heros 
virgineos  habitus,  cum  parmam  hastamque  tenenti 
'  nate  dea,'  dixi  '  tibi  se  peritura  reservant 
Pergama !  quid  dubitas  ingentem  evertere  Troiam  ?  ' 
iniecique  manum  fortemque  ad  fortia  misi.  1 70 

ergo  opera  illius  mea  sunt :  ego  Telephon  hasta 
pugnantem  domui  victum  orantemque  refeci ; 
quod  Thebae  cecidere,  meum  est ;  me  credite  Lesbon, 
me  Tenedon  Chrysenque  et  Cillan,  Apollinis  urbes, 
et  Scyrum  cepisse  ;  mea  concussa  putate  175 

procubuisse  solo  Lyrnesia  moenia  dextra, 
utque  alios  taceam,  qui  saevum  perdere  posset 
Hectora,  nempe  dedi :  per  me  iacet  inclitus  Hector  ! 
illis  haec  armis,  quibus  est  inventus  Achilles, 
anna  peto  :  vivo  dederam,  post  fata  reposco.  180 

"  Ut  dolor  unius  Danaos  pervenit  ad  omnes, 
Aulidaque  Euboicam  conplerunt  mille  carinae, 
exspectata  diu,  nulla  aut  contraria  classi 
damina  erant,  duraeque  iubent  Agamemnona  sortes 
inmeritam  saevae  natam  mactare  Dianae.  185 

denegat  hoc  genitor  divisque  irascitur  ipsis 
atque  in  rege  tamen  pater  est,  ego  mite  parentis 
ingenium  verbis  ad  publica  commoda  verti : 
hanc  equidem  (fateor,  fassoque  ignoscat  Atrides) 
difficilem  tenui  sub  iniquo  iudice  causam.  190 

hunc  tamen  utilitas  populi  fraterque  datique 
summa  movet  sceptri,  laudem  ut  cum  sanguine  penset; 
mittor  et  ad  matrem,  quae  non  hortanda,  sed  astu 
240 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

arms  such  as  would  attract  a  man.  The  hero  still 
wore  girl's  clothing  when,  as  he  laid  hands  on  shield 
and  spear,  I  said  to  him  :  '  O  son  of  Thetis,  Pergama, 
doomed  to  perish,  is  keeping  herself  for  you  !  Why 
do  you  delay  the  fall  of  mighty  Troy  ? '  And  1  laid 
my  hand  on  him  and  sent  the  brave  fellow  forth  to 
do  brave  deeds.  So  then,  all  that  he  did  is  mine. 
'Twas  I  who  conquered  the  warring  Telephus  with 
my  spear  and  healed  him,  vanquished  and  begging 
aid.  That  Thebes  fell  is  my  deed ;  credit  Lesbos 
to  me,  to  me  Tenedos,  Chryse  and  Cilia,  cities  of 
Apollo,  and  Scyrus  too.  Consider  that  by  my  hand 
the  walls  of  Lyrnesus  were  battered  to  the  ground. 
And,  not  to  mention  others,  'twas  I,  indeed,  who 
gave  the  man  who  could  destroy  the  warlike  Hector. 
Through  me  illustrious  Hector  lies  low  !  These  arms 
I  seek  in  return  for  those  by  which  Achilles  was 
discovered.  Arms  I  gave  the  living ;  after  his  death 
I  ask  them  back. 

"  When  the  sorrow  of  one  man  came  to  all  the 
Greeks,  and  a  thousand  ships  were  gathered  at 
Euboean  Aulis,  there  were  no  winds,  though  they 
waited  for  them  long,  or  they  blew  contrary  to  the 
fleet.  Then  a  cruel  oracle  bade  Agamemnon  sacrifice 
his  innocent  daughter  to  pitiless  Diana.  This  the 
father  refused  to  do  and  was  angry  at  the  gods  them- 
selves, having  a  father's  feelings  though  he  was  a 
king.  It  was  I  who  by  my  words  turned  the  kind 
father-heai*t  to  a  consideration  of  the  public  weal ;  I 
indeed  (I  confess  it,  and  may  Atrides  pardon  as  I  con- 
fess) had  a  difficult  cause  to  plead,  and  that,  too,  before 
a  partial  judge;  still  the  people's  good,  his  brother, 
and  the  chief"  place  of  command  assigned  to  him,  all 
moved  upon  him  to  balance  praise  with  blood.  Then 
I  was  sent  to  the  mother,  who  was  not  to  be  exhorted, 

241 


OVID 

decipienda  fuit,  quo  si  Telamonius  isset, 

orba  suis  essent  etiarn  nunc  lintea  ventis.  195 

"  Mittor  et  Iliacas  audax  orator  ad  arces, 
visaque  et  intrata  est  altae  mihi  curia  Troiae, 
plenaque  adhuc  erat  ilia  viris  ;  interritus  egi, 
quam  mihi  mandarat  communis  Graecia,  causam   199 
accusoque  Parin  praedamque  Helenamque  reposco 
et  moveo  Priamum  Priamoque  Antenora  iunctum  ; 
at  Paris  et  fratres  et  qui  rapuere  sub  illo, 
vix  tenuere  manus  (scis  hoc,  Menelae)  nefandas, 
primaque  lux  nostri  tecum  fuit  ilia  pericli. 

"  Longa  referre  mora  est,  quae  consilioque  manuque 
utiliter  feci  spatiosi  tempore  belli.  206 

post  acies  primas  urbis  se  moenibus  hostes 
continuere  diu,  nee  aperti  copia  Martis 
ulla  fuit ;  decimo  demum  pugnavimus  anno  : 
quid  facis  interea,  qui  nil  nisi  proelia  nosti  ?  210 

quis  tuus  usus  erat  ?  nam  si  mea  facta  requiris, 
hostibus  insidior,  fossa  munimina  cingo, 
consolor  socios,  ut  longi  taedia  belli 
mente  ferant  placida,  doceo,  quo  simus  alendi 
armandique  modo,  mittor,  quo  postulat  usus.  2 1 5 

"Ecce  Iovis  monitu  deceptus  imagine  somni 
rex  iubet  incepti  curam  dimittere  belli; 
ille  potest  auctore  suam  defendere  vocem  : 
non  sinat  hoc  Aiax  delendaque  Pergama  poscat,  219 
quodque  potest,  pugnet !  cur  non  remoratur  ituros  ? 
242 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

but  deceived  by  craft.  But  if  the  son  of  Telamon 
had  gone  to  her,  our  sails  would  even  now  be  destitute 
of  their  winds. 

"  I  was  sent  also  as  a  bold  ambassador  to  Ilium's 
stronghold  and  visited  and  entered  the  senate-house 
of  lofty  Troy.  It  was  still  full  of  heroes.  Undaunted, 
I  pleaded  the  cause  which  united  Greece  had  en- 
trusted to  me,  I  denounced  Paris,  demanded  the 
return  of  Helen  and  the  booty,  and  I  prevailed  on 
Priam  and  Antenor  who  sided  with  Priam.  But 
Paris  and  his  brothers  and  his  companions  in  the 
robbery  scarce  restrained  their  impious  hands  from 
me  (you  know  that,  Menelaiis).  That  was  the  first 
day  of  my  dangers  shared  with  you. 

"  It  would  take  a  long  time  to  tell  the  things  1 
accomplished  for  your  good  both  with  thought  and 
deed  during  the  long-drawn  war.  After  the  first 
battles  the  enemy  kept  himself  for  a  long  time 
within  his  city's  walls  and  there  was  no  chance  for 
open  conflict.  At  last  in  the  tenth  year  we  fought. 
What  were  you  doing  in  the  meantime,  you  whose 
only  knowledge  is  of  battles  ?  Of  what  service  were 
you  then?  If  you  ask  what  I  was  doing,  I  laid 
snares  for  the  enemy,  I  surrounded  the  fortifications 
with  a  trench,  I  encouraged  our  allies  so  that  they 
might  bear  patiently  the  tedium  of  the  long  war,  I 
advised  as  to  how  we  should  be  fed  and  armed,  I  was 
sent  on  missions  where  circumstance  demanded. 

"  Behold,  at  Jove's  command,  being  deceived  by  a 
vision  of  the  night,  the  king  bids  us  give  up  the 
burden  of  the  war  we  have  undertaken.  He  can 
defend  his  order  by  quoting  the  source  of  it.  Now 
let  Ajax  prevent  this  movement ;  let  him  demand 
that  Pergama  be  destroyed  and,  what  he  can  do,  let 
him  fight !     Why  does  he  not  stay  those  who  are 

243 


OVID 

cur  non  arma  capit,  dat,  quod  vaga  turba  sequatur  ? 
non  erat  hoc  nimium  numquam  nisi  magna  loquenti. 
quid,  quod  et  ipse  fugit?     vidi,  puduitque  videre, 
cum  tu  terga  dares  inhonestaque  vela  parares ; 
nee  mora,  '  quid  facitis  ?     quae  vos  dementia  '  dixi 
'  concitat,  o  socii,  captam  dimittere  Troiam,  226 

quidque  domum  f'ertis  decimo,  nisi  dedecus,  anno  ?  ' 
talibus  atque  aliis,  in  quae  dolor  ipse  disertum 
fecerat,  aversos  profuga  de  classe  reduxi. 
convocat  Atrides  socios  terrore  paventes :  230 

nee  Telamoniades  etiamnunc  hiscere  quicquam 
audetj  at  ausus  erat  reges  incessere  dictis 
Thersites  etiam,  per  me  haut  inpune  protervus  ' 
erigor  et  trepidos  cives  exhortor  in  hostem 
amissamque  mea  virtutem  voce  repono.  235 

tempore  ab  hoc,  quodcumque  potest  fecisse  videri 
fortiter  iste,  meum  est,  qui  dantem  terga  retraxi. 
**.  Denique  de  Danais  quis  te  laudatve  petitve  ? 
at  sua  Tydides  mecum  communicat  acta, 
me  probat  et  socio  semper  confidit  Ulixe.  240 

est  aliquid,  de  tot  Graiorum  milibus  unum 
a  Diomede  legi!     nee  me  sors  ire  iubebat: 
sic  tamen  et  spreto  noctisquc  hostisque  periclo 
ausum  eadem,  quae  nos,  Phrygia  de  gente  Dolona 
intcrimo,  non  ante  tamen,  quam  cuncta  coegi       245 
prodere  et  edidici,  quid  perfida  Troia  pararet. 
S44 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

starting  home  ?  Why  does  he  not  take  arms  and 
give  something  for  the  straggling  mob  to  rally 
round  ?  This  was  not  too  much  for  one  who  never 
speaks  except  in  boasting.  But  what  of  the  fact 
that  he  himself  fled  also  ?  I  saw  you,  and  I  was 
ashamed  to  see,  when  you  turned  your  back  and  were 
for  spreading  your  dishonoured  sails.  Instantly  I 
cried  :  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  What  madness,  my 
friends,  is  driving  you  to  abandon  Troy,  which  is 
already  captured?  What  are  you  taking  home  after 
ten  years  of  war  except  disgrace  ?  '  With  such  and 
other  words,  to  which  my  very  grief  had  made  me 
eloquent,  I  turned  them  from  their  intended  flight 
and  led  them  back.  Atrides  assembled  the  allies 
still  perturbed  and  fearful ;  and  even  then  the  son 
of  Telamon  did  not  dare  utter  a  single  syllable.  But 
Thersites  dared,  indeed,  and  chid  the  kings  with 
words,  unruly  fellow,  but,  thanks  to  me,  not  without 
punishment !  I  arose  and  urged  my  faint-hearted 
comrades  against  the  enemy,  and  by  my  words  I 
aroused  again  their  courage.  From  that  time  on, 
whatever  brave  deed  my  rival  here  can  claim  to 
have  accomplished  belongs  to  me  who  brought  him 
back  from  flight. 

"  Finally,  who  of  the  Greeks  praises  you  or  seeks 
your  company  ?  But  Diomede  shares  his  deeds  with 
me,  approves  me,  and  is  ever  confident  with  Ulysses 
at  his  side.  Surely,  'tis  something,  alone  out  of  the 
many  thousand  Greeks,  to  be  picked  out  by  Diomede  ! 
And  it  was  not  the  casting  of  lots  that  bade  me  go. 
Still,  spurning  all  perils  of  night  and  of  the  enemy,  I 
went  forth  and  slew  Phrygian  Dolon,  who  was  on  the 
same  perilous  errand  with  ourselves.  And  yet  I  did 
not  slav  him  till  I  had  forced  him  to  tell  all  he  knew 
and  had  learned  what  treacherous  Troy  was  planning. 

245 


OVID 

omnia  cognoram  nee,  quod  specularer,  habebam 

et  iam  promissa  poteram  cum  laude  reverti : 

haut  contentus  eo  petii  tentoria  Rhesi 

inque  suis  ipsum  castris  comitesque  peremi  250 

atque  ita  captivo,  victor  votisque  potitus, 

ingredior  curru  laetos  imitante  triumphos; 

cuius  equos  pretium  pro  nocte  poposcerat  hostis, 

anna  negate  mihi,  fueritque  benignior  Aiax. — 

quid  Lycii  referam  Sarpedonis  agmina  ferro  255 

devastata  meo  ?  cum  multo  sanguine  fudi 

Coeranon  Iphitiden  et  Alastoraque  Chromiumque 

Alcandrumque  Hnliumque  Noemonaque  Prytanimque 

exitioque  dedi  cum  Chersidamante  Thoona 

et  Charopem  fatisque  inmitibus  Ennomon  actum  260 

quique  minus  celebres  nostra  sub  moenibus  urbis 

procubuere  manu.     sunt  et  mihi  vulnera,  cives, 

ipso  pulchra  loco  ;  nee  vanis  credite  verbis, 

aspicite  !  en  "  vestemque  manu  deduxit  et  "  haec  sunt 

pectora  semper"  ait  "vestris  exercita  rebus!         265 

at  nil  inpendit  per  tot  Telamonius  annos 

sanguinis  in  socios  et  habet  sine  vulnere  corpus! 

"  Quid  tamen  hoc  refert,  si  se  pro  classe  Pelasga 
arma  tulisse  refert  contra  Troasque  Iovemque? 
confiteorque,  tulit  (neque  enim  benefacta  maligne  270 
detractare  meum  est),  sed  ne  communia  solus 
occupet  atque  aliquem  vobis  quoque  reddat  honorem, 
reppulit  Actorides  sub  imagine  tutus  Achillis 
246 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

I  had  found  out  all  and  had  no  further  cause  for 
spying,  and  I  could  now  go  back  with  the  praise 
which  I  had  striven  for  ;  but  not  content  with  this, 
I  turned  to  Rhesus'  tents  and  in  his  very  camp  I 
slew  the  captain  and  his  comrades  too.  And  so, 
victorious  and  with  my  prayers  accomplished,  I  went 
on  my  way  in  my  captured  chariot  in  manner  of  a 
joyful  triumph.  Now  refuse  his  arms  to  me,  whose 
horses  my  enemy  had  demanded  as  the  price  of  his 
night's  work,  and  let  Ajax  be  the  kinder!1  Why 
should  I  mention  the  Lycian  Sarpedon's  ranks  which 
my  sword  cut  to  pieces  ?  I  laid  low  in  bloody 
slaughter  Coeranos,  the  son  of  Iphitus,  Alastor  and 
Chromius,  Alcander,  Halius,  Noemoii,  Prytanis,  slew 
Thoon  and  Chersidamas,  Charopes,  Ennomos,  driven 
by  the  pitiless  fates ;  and  others  less  renowned  fell 
by  my  hand  beneath  their  city's  walls.  I,  too,  have 
wounds,  my  comrades,  noble  for  the  very  place  of 
them.  And  trust  no  empty  words  of  mine  for  that. 
See  here  !"  and  he  threw  open  his  garment  with  his 
hand ;  "  here  is  my  breast  which  has  ever  suffered 
for  your  cause  !  But  the  son  of  Telamon  in  all  these 
years  has  lost  no  blood  in  his  friends'  behalf  and  his 
body  can  show  no  wound  at  all. 

"  And  what  matters  it  if  he  says  that  he  stood  up 
in  arms  for  the  Greek  fleet  against  the  Trojans  and 
the  power  of  Jove?  I  grant  he  did;  for  it  is  not 
my  way  maliciously  to  belittle  the  good  that  he  has 
done.  But  let  not  him  alone  claim  the  honour  that 
belongs  to  all,  and  let  him  give  some  credit  to  you 
also.  'Twas  the  son  of  Actor,2  safe  'neath  the  sem- 
blance of  Achilles,  who  drove  off  the  Trojans  from 

1  This  is  a  reference  to  Ajax'  ironical  proposition  in  I.  102, 
to  divide  the  armour  between  Ulysses  and  Diomede. 
■  Patroclus. 

247 


OVID 

Troas  ab  arsuris  cum  defensore  carinis. — 

ausum  etiara  Hectoreis  solum  concurrere  telis       275 

se  putat,  oblitus  regisque  ducumque  meique, 

nonus  in  officio  et  praelatus  munere  sortis. 

sed  tamen  eventus  vestrae,  fortissime,  pugnae 

quis  fuit?     Hector  abit  violatus  vulnere  nullo  ! 

"  Me  miserum,  quanto  cogor  meminisse  dolore  280 
temporis  illius,  quo,  Graium  murus,  Achilles 
procubuit !     nee  me  lacrimae  luctusve  timorve 
tardarunt,  quin  corpus  humo  sublime  referrem : 
his  umeris,  his  inquam,  umeris  ego  corpus  Achillis 
et  simul  arma  tuli,  quae  nunc  quoque  ferre  laboro. 
sunt  mihi,  quae  valeant  in  talia  pondera,  vires,     286 
est  animus  certe  vestros  sensurus  honores : 
scilicet  idcirco  pro  nato  caerula  mater 
ambitiosa  suo  fuit,  ut  caelestia  dona, 
artis  opus  tantae,  rudis  et  sine  pectore  miles         290 
indueret?     neque  enim  clipei  caelamina  novit, 
Oceanum  et  terras  cumque  alto  sidera  caelo 
Pleiadasque  Hyadasque  inmunemque  aequoris  Arcton 
diversasque  urbes  nitidumque  Orionis  ensem  : 
postulat,  ut  capiat,  quae  non  intellegit,  arma !       295 

"  Quid,  quod  me  duri  fugientem  munera  belli 
arguit  incepto  serum  accessisse  labori 
nee  se  magnanimo  maledicere  sentit  Achilli? 
si  simulasse  vocas  crimen,  simulavimus  ambo  ; 
si  mora  pro  culpa  est,  ego  sum  maturior  illo.  S00 

me  pia  detinuit  coniunx,  pia  mater  Achillem, 
primaque  sunt  illis  data  tempora,  cetera  vobis : 
haut  timeo,  si  iam  nequeam  defendere,  crimen 
148 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XIII 

the  fleet,  which  else  had  burned  together  with  its 
defender.  He  thinks  that  he  alone  dared  to  stand 
up  against  Hector's  spear,  ignoring  the  king,  the 
chieftains,  and  myself,  he  but  the  ninth  in  proffered 
service  and  by  the  lot's  grace  preferred  to  us.  But 
what  was  the  outcome  of  your  battle,  bravest  of  men  ? 
Hector  retired  without  a  wound. 

"Ah  me,  with  what  grief  am  I  forced  to  recall 
that  time  when  Achilles  fell,  the  bulwark  of  the 
Greeks !  And  yet  neither  tears  nor  grief  nor  fear 
kept  me  from  lifting  up  his  body  from  the  ground. 
On  these  shoulders,  yes,  on  these  very  shoulders,  I 
bore  Achilles '  body,  armour  and  all,  arms  which  now 
also  I  seek  to  bear.  I  have  strength  enough  to  bear 
their  ponderous  weight  and  I  have  a  mind  that  can 
appreciate  the  honour  you  would  do  me.  Was  it  for 
this,  forsooth,  that  the  hero's  mother,  goddess  of  the 
sea,  was  ambitious  for  her  son,  that  those  heavenly 
gifts,  the  work  of  heavenly  art  should  clothe  a  rough 
and  stupid  soldier?  For  he  knows  nothing  of  the 
relief- work  of  the  shield  :  the  sea,  the  lands,  the  deep 
starry  heavens,  the  Pleiades,  the  Hyades,  Arctos 
forbidden  the  sea,  the  scattered  cities,  and  Orion's 
gleaming  sword.  He  asks  that  he  may  receive 
armour  which  he  cannot  appreciate. 

"  What  of  his  chiding  me  with  trying  to  shun  the 
hardships  of  the  war  and  of  coming  late  when  the 
struggle  had  begun  ?  Does  he  not  know  that  he  is 
reviling  the  great  Achilles  also?  If  you  call  it  a  crime 
to  have  pretended,  we  both  pretended.  If  delay  is 
culpable,  I  was  the  earlier  of  the  two.  A  loving  wife 
detained  me ;  a  loving  mother  detained  Achilles.  Our 
first  time  was  given  to  them,  the  rest  to  you.  I  do 
not  fear  a  charge — even  granted  I  could  not  answer 
it— which  I  share  with  so  great  a  hero.     Yet  he  was 

249 


OVID 

cum  tanto  commune  viro :  deprensus  Ulixis 
ingenio  tamen  ille,  at  non  Aiacis  Ulixes.  305 

"  Neve  in  me  stolidae  convicia  fundere  linguae 
admiremur  eum,  vobis  quoque  digna  pudore 
obicit.     an  falso  Palameden  crimine  turpe 
accusasse  mihi,  vobis  damnasse  decorum  est  ? 
sed  neque  Naupliades  facinus  defendere  tantum  310 
tamque  patens  valuit,  nee  vos  audistis  in  illo 
crimina,  vidistis,  pretioque  obiecta  patebant. 

"  Nee,  Poeantiaden  quod  habet  Vulcania  Lemnos. 
esse  reus  merui  (factum  defendite  vestrum  ! 
consensistis  enim,)  nee  me  suasisse  negabo,  315 

ut  se  subtraheret  bellique  viaeque  labori 
temptaretque  feros  requie  lenire  dolores. 
paruit — et  vivit !     non  haec  sententia  tantum 
fida,  sed  et  felix,  cum  sit  satis  esse  fidelem. 
quern  quoniam  vates  delenda  ad  Pergama  poscunt, 
ne  mandate  mibi !     melius  Telamonius  ibit  321 

eloquioque  virum  morbis  iraque  furentem 
molliet  aut  aliqua  producet  callidus  arte  ' 
ante  retro  Simois  fluet  et  sine  frondibus  Ide 
stabitj  et  auxilium  promittet  Achaia  Troiae,  325 

quam,  cessante  meo  pro  vestris  pectore  rebus, 
Aiacis  stolidi  Danais  sollertia  prosit, 
sis  licet  infestus  sociis  regique  mihique 
dure  Philoctete,  licet  exsecrere  meumque 
devoveas  sine  fine  caput  cupiasque  dolenti  3S0 

me  tibi  forte  dari  nostrumque  haurire  cruorem, 
250 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

discovered  by  Ulysses'  wit;   but  not  by  Ajax'   wit, 
Ulysses. 

"  And  let  us  not  wonder  that  he  pours  out  against 
me  the  insults  of  his  stupid  tongue ;  for  he  vents 
on  you  also  shameful  words.  Was  it  base  for  me 
to  have  accused  Palamedes  on  a  false  charge,  and 
honourable  for  you  to  have  condemned  him  ?  But 
neither  was  the  son  of  Nauplius  *  able  to  defend  a 
crime  so  great,  so  clearly  proved,  nor  did  you  merely 
hear  the  charge  against  him :  you  saw  the  proof,  as 
it  lay  clearly  revealed  by  the  bribe. 

"  Nor  should  I  be  blamed  because  Vulcanian 
Lemnos  holds  the  son  of  Poeas.2  Defend  your  own 
deed,  for  you  consented  to  it.  But  I  will  not  deny 
that  I  advised  that  he  withdraw  from  the  hardships 
of  the  war  and  the  journey  thither,  and  seek  to 
soothe  his  terrible  anguish  by  a  time  of  rest.  He 
took  the  advice — and  lives !  And  not  alone  was  this 
advice  given  in  good  faith,  but  it  was  fortunate  as 
well ;  though  it  is  enough  that  it  was  given  in  good 
faith.  Now,  since  our  seers  say  that  he  is  necessary 
for  the  fall  of  Pergama,  do  not  entrust  the  task  to 
me  !  Telamon's  son  will  better  go,  and  by  his  elo- 
quence he  will  calm  the  hero,  mad  with  pain  and 
rage,  or  else  by  some  shrewd  trick  will  bring  him  to 
us.  Nay,  Simoi's  will  flow  backward,  Ida  stand  without 
foliage,  and  Greece  send  aid  to  Troy  before  the 
craft  of  stupid  Ajax  would  avail  the  Greeks  in  case  I 
should  cease  to  work  for  your  advantage.  Though 
you  have  a  deadly  hatred,  O  harsh  Philoctetes,  for 
the  allied  Greeks  and  the  king  and  me  myself; 
though  you  heap  endless  curses  on  my  head  and 
long  in  your  misery  to  have  me  in  your  power,  to 
drink  my  blood,  and  pray  that,  as  I  was  given  a 
1  Palamedes.  2  Philoctetes. 

I  251 


OVID 

utque  tui  mihi  sic  fiat,  tibi  copia  nostri : 
te  tamen  adgrediar  mecumque  reducere  nitar 
tamque  tuis  potiar  (faveat  Fortuna)  sagittis, 
quam  sum  Dardanio,  quem  cepi,  vate  potitus,        335 
quam  responsa  deum  Troianaque  fata  retexi, 
quam  rapui  Phrygiae  signum  penetrale  Minervae 
hostibus  e  mediis.     et  se  mihi  comparat  Aiax  ? 
nempe  capi  Troiam  prohibebant  fata  sine  illo  : 
fortis  ubi  est  Aiax  ?     ubi  sunt  ingentia  magni       340 
verba  viri?     cur  hie  metuis?     cur  audet  Ulixes 
ire  per  excubias  et  se  committere  nocti 
perque  feros  enses  non  tantum  moenia  Troum, 
verum  etiam  sunimas  arces  intrare  suaque 
eripere  aede  deam  raptamque  adferre  per  hostes  ?  345 
quae  nisi  fecissem,  frustra  Telamone  creatus 
gestasset  laeva  taurorum  tergora  septem. 
ilia  nocte  mihi  Troiae  victoria  parta  est : 
Pergama  tunc  vici,  cum  vinci  posse  coegi. 

"  Desine  Tydiden  vultuque  et  murmure  nobis  350 
ostentare  meum  :  pars  est  sua  laudis  in  illo  ! 
nee  tu,  cum  socia  clipeum  pro  classe  tenebas, 
solus  eras  :  tibi  turba  comes,  mihi  contigit  unus. 
qui  nisi  pugnacem  sciret  sapiente  minorem 
esse  nee  indomitae  deberi  praemia  dextrae,  355 

ipse  quoque  haec  peteret ;  peteret  moderatior  Aiax 
Eurypylusque  ferox  claroque  Andraemone  natus 
nee  minus  Idomeneus  patriaque  creatus  eadem 
Meriones,  peteret  maioris  frater  Atridae : 
25S 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

chance  at  you,  so  you  may  have  a  chance  at  me  ;  still 
would  I  go  to  you  and  strive  to  bring  you  back  with 
me.  And  I  should  get  possession  of  your  arrows 
(should  Fortune  favour  me),  just  as  I  got  possession  of 
the  Dardanian  seer,  whom  I  made  captive  ;  just  as  I 
discovered  the  oracles  of  the  gods  and  the  fates  of 
Troy ;  just  as  I  stole  away  from  the  midst  of  the 
enemy  the  enshrined  image  of  Phrygian  Minerva. 
And  does  Ajax  compare  himself  to  me  f  The  fact  is, 
the  fates  declared  that  we  could  not  capture  Troy 
without  this  sacred  statue.  Where  now  is  the  brave 
Ajax  ?  Where  are  those  big  words  of  the  mighty 
hero  ?  Why  do  you  fear  in  such  a  crisis  ?  Why  does 
Ulysses  dare  to  go  out  beyond  the  sentinels,  commit 
himself  to  the  darkness  and,  through  the  midst  of  cruel 
swords,  enter  not  alone  the  walls  of  Troy  but  even 
the  citadel's  top,  steal  the  goddess  from  her  shrine 
and  bear  her  captured  image  through  the  enemy  ? 
Had  I  not  done  this,  in  vain  would  the  son  of  Tela- 
mon  have  worn  on  his  left  arm  the  sevenfold  bulls'- 
hide  shield.  On  that  night  I  gained  thr  victory 
over  Troy ;  at  that  moment  did  I  conquer  Pergama 
when  I  made  it  possible  to  conquer  her. 

"  Cease  by  your  looks  and  mutterings  to  remind  us 
that  Tydides  was  my  partner.  He  has  his  share  ot 
praise.  You,  too,  when  you  held  your  shield  in 
defence  of  the  allied  fleet,  were  not  alone.  You  had 
a  throng  of  partners;  I,  but  one.  And  if  Diomede 
did  not  know  that  a  fighter  is  of  less  value  than 
a  thinker,  and  that  the  prize  was  not  due  merely  to  a 
right  hand,  however  dauntless,  he  himself  also  would 
be  seeking  it ;  so  would  the  lesser  Ajax,  warlike 
Eurypylus  and  the  son  of  illustrious  Andraemon,  and 
no  less  so  Idomeneus  and  his  fellow-countryman, 
Meriones ;  yes,  Menelaiis,  too,  would  seek  the  prize. 

253 


OVID 

quippe  manu  fortes  nee  sunt  mihi  Marte  secundi,  360 

consiliis  cessere  meis.     tibi  dextera  bello 

utilis,  ingenium  est,  quod  eget  moderamine  nostro; 

tu  vires  sine  mente  geris,  mihi  cura  futuri ; 

tu  pugnare  potes,  pugnandi  tempora  mecum 

eligit  Atrides  ;  tu  tantum  corpore  prodes,  365 

nos  animo  ;  quantoque  ratem  qui  temperat,  anteit 

remigis  officium,  quanto  dux  milite  maior, 

tantum  ego  te  supero,  nee  non  in  corpore  nostro 

pectora  sunt  potiora  manu  :   vigor  omnis  in  illis. 

"  At  vos,  o  proceres,  vigili  date  praemia  vestro,  370 
pioque  tot  annorum  cura,  quibus  anxius  egi, 
hunc  titulum  meritis  pensandum  reddite  nostris: 
iam  labor  in  fine  est ;  obstantia  fata  removi 
altaque  posse  capi  faciendo  Pergama,  cepi. 
per  spes  nunc  socias  casuraque  moenia  Troum       375 
perque  deos  oro,  quos  hosti  nuper  ademi, 
per  siquid  superest,  quod  sit  sapienter  agendum, 
siquid  adhuc  audax  ex  praecipitique  petendum  est, 
si  Troiae  fatis  aliquid  restare  putatis, 
este  mei  memores  !  aut  si  mihi  non  datis  arma,     380 
huic  date  1 "  et  ostendit  signum  fatale  Minervae. 

Mota  manus  procerum  est,  et  quid  facundia  posset, 

re  patuit,  fortisque  viri  tulit  arma  disertus. 
254 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK    XIIj 

But  all  these  men,  though  stout  of  hand,  fully  my 
equals  on  the  battlefield,  have  yielded  to  my 
intelligence.  Your  right  arm  is  useful  in  the  battle  ; 
but  when  it  comes  to  thinking  you  need  my 
guidance.  You  have  force  without  intelligence ; 
while  mine  is  the  care  for  to-morrow.  You  are  a 
good  fighter;  but  it  is  I  who  help  Atrides  select 
the  time  of  fighting.  Your  value  is  in  your  body 
only ;  mine,  in  mind.  And,  as  much  as  he  who 
directs  the  ship  surpasses  him  who  only  rows  it,  as 
much  as  the  general  excels  the  common  soldier,  so 
much  greater  am  I  than  you.  For  in  these  bodies 
of  ours  the  heart 1  is  of  more  value  than  the  hand ; 
all  our  real  living  is  in  that. 

"  But  do  you,  O  princes,  award  the  prize  to  your 
faithful  guardian.  In  return  for  the  many  years 
which  I  have  spent  in  anxious  care,  grant  me  this 
honour  as  the  reward  of  all  my  services.  And  now 
my  task  is  at  an  end  ;  I  have  removed  the  obstruct- 
ing fates  and,  by  making  it  possible  to  take  tall 
Pergama,  I  have  taken  her.  Now,  by  our  united 
hopes,  by  the  Trojan  walls  doomed  soon  to  fall,  by 
the  gods  of  whom  but  lately  I  deprived  the  foe,  by 
whatever  else  remains  still  to  be  done  with  wisdom, 
if  still  some  bold  and  hazardous  deed  must  be 
attempted,  if  you  think  aught  still  is  lacking  to  the 
fate  of  Troy,  I  beg  you  remember  me !  Or,  if  you 
do  not  give  the  arms  to  me,  give  them  to  her ! " 
and  he  pointed  to  the  fateful  statue  of  Minerva. 

The  company  of  chiefs  was  moved,  and  their 
decision  proved  the  power  of  eloquence :  and  the 
eloquent  man  bore  oft"  the  brave  man's  arms.  Then 
he   who   had   so   often    all    alone    withstood    great 

1  i.e.  the  mind  or  understanding.  We  should  make  the 
contrast  between  head  and  hand. 

255 


OVID 

Hectora  qui  solus,  qui  ferrum  ignesque  iovemque 
sustinuit  totiens,  unam  non  sustinet  iram,  385 

invictumque  virum  vicit  dolor  :  arripit  ensem 
et  "  meus  hie    certe   est !    an    et   hunc    sibi   poscit 

Ulixes  ? 
hoc  "  ait  "  utendum  est  in  me  niihi,  quique  cruore 
saepe  Phrygum  maduit,  domini  nunc  caede  madebit, 
ne  quisquam  Aiacem  possit  superare  nisi  Aiax."     390 
dixit  et  in  pectus  turn  demum  vulnera  passum, 
qua  patuit  ferro,  letalem  condidit  ensem. 
nee  valuere  manus  infixum  educere  telum  : 
expulit  ipse  cruor,  rubefactaque  sanguine  tellus 
purpureum  viridi  genuit  de  caespite  florem,  395 

qui  prius  Oebalio  fuerat  de  vulnere  natus  ; 
littera  communis  mediis  pueroque  viroque 
inscripta  est  foliis,  haec  nominis,  ilia  querellae. 

Victor  ad  Hypsipyles  patriam  clarique  Thoantis 
et  veterum  terras  infames  caede  virorum  400 

vela  dat,  ut  referat  Tirynthia  tela,  sagittas  ; 
quae  postquam  ad  Graios  domino  comitante  revexit, 
inposita  est  sero  tandem  manus  ultima  bello. 
Troia  simul  Priamusque  cadunt.     Priameia  coniunx 
perdidit  infelix  hominis  post  omnia  formam  405 

externasque  novo  latratu  terruit  auras, 
longus  in  angustum  qua  clauditur  Hellespontus. 
I  lion  ardebat,  neque  adhuc  consederat  ignis  • 
exiguumque  senis  Priami  Iovis  ara  cruorem 
conbiberat,  tractatque  comis  antistita  Phoebi         410 
non  profecturas  tendebat  ad  aethera  palmas. 
Dardanidas  matres  patriorum  signa  deorurn, 
256 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XIII 

Hector,  so  often  sword  and  fire  and  Jove,  could  not 
withstand  passion  only ;  and  resentment  conquered 
the  unconquered  hero.  Then,  snatching  out  his 
sword,  he  cried :  "  But  this  at  least  is  mine ;  or 
does  Ulysses  claim  this  also  for  himself?  This  I 
must  employ  against  myself;  and  the  sword  which 
has  often  reeked  with  Phrygian  blood  will  new  reek 
with  its  master's,  lest  any  man  save  Ajax  ever  con- 
quer Ajax."  He  spoke  and  deep  in  his  breast,  which 
had  not  until  then  suffered  any  wound,  where  the 
way  was  open  for  the  blow,  he  plunged  his  fatal 
sword.  No  hand  was  strong  enough  to  draw  away 
the  deep-driven  steel ;  the  blood  itself  drove  it  out. 
The  ensanguined  ground  produced  from  the  green 
sod  a  purple  flower,  which  in  old  time  had  sprung 
from  Hyacinthus'  blood.  The  petals  are  inscribed 
with  letters,  serving  alike  for  hero  and  for  boy  :  this 
one  a  name,1  and  that,  a  cry  of  woe.2  S 

To  the  land  3  of  Queen  Hypsipyle  and  the  illus- 
trious Thoas,  once  infamous  for  its  murdered  men 
of  olden  time,  victorious  Ulysses  now  set  sail  to 
bring  thence  the  Tirynthian  4  arrows.  After  he  had 
brought  these  to  the  Greeks,  and  their  master5  with 
them,  the  final  blow  was  at  last  given  to  the  long- 
drawn  war.  Troy  fell  and  Priam  with  it.  The  poor 
wife  of  Priam  after  all  else  lost  her  human  form 
and  with  strange  barking  affrighted  the  alien  air 
where  the  long  Hellespont  narrows  to  a  strait. 
Ilium  was  in  flames,  nor  had  its  fires  yet  died  down, 
and  Jove's  altar  had  drunk  up  the  scanty  blood 
of  aged  Priam.  The  priestess  6  of  Apollo,  dragged 
by  the  hair,  was  stretching  to  the  heavens  her  un- 
availing hands.     The  Trojan  women,  embracing  the 

1  AIA2.  2  AIAI.  3  Lemnos. 

4  i.e.  of  Hercules.  s  Philoctetes.  •  Cassandra. 

257 


OVID 

dum  licet,  amplexas  succensaque  templa  tenentes. 
invidiosa  trahunt  victores  praemia  Grai ; 
mittitur  Astyanax  illis  de  turribus,  unde  415 

pugnantem  pro  se  proavitaque  regna  tuentem 
saepe  videre  patrem  mon stratum  a  matre  solebat. 
iamque  viam  suadet  Boreas,  flatuque  secundo 
carbasa  mota  sonant :  iubet  uti  navita  ventis; 
"  Troia,  vale  !  rapimur  "  clamant,  dant  oscula  terrae 
Troades  et  patriae  fumantia  tecta  relinquunt.        421 
ultima  conscendit  classem — miserabile  visu  ! — 
in  mediis  Hecube  natorum  inventa  sepulcris  : 
prensantem  tumulos  atque  ossibus  oscula  dantem 
Dulichiae  traxere  manus,  tamen  unius  hausit         425 
inque  sinu  cineres  secum  tulit  Hectoris  haustos; 
Hectoris  in  tumulo  canum  de  vertice  crinem, 
inferias  inopes,  crinem  lacrimasque  reliquit. 

Est,  ubi  Troia  fuit,  Phrygiae  contraria  tellus 
Bistoniis  habitata  viris  :  Polymestoris  illic  430 

regia  dives  erat,  cui  te  commisit  alendum 
clam,  Polydore,  pater  Phrygiisque  removit  ab  armis, 
consilium  sapiens,  sceleris  nisi  praemia  magnas 
adiecisset  opes,  animi  inritamen  avari. 
ut  cecidit  fortuna  Phr)gum,  capit  inpius  ensem     435 
rex  Thracuin  iuguloque  sui  demisit  alumni 
et,  tamquam  tolli  cum  corpore  crimina  possent, 
exanimem  scopulo  subiectas  misit  in  undas. 

Litore  Threicio  classem  religarat  Atrides, 
dum  mare  pacatum,  dum  ventus  amicior  esset :     440 
258 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 
images  of  their  country's  gods  while  still  they  might 
and  crowding  their  burning  temples,  the  victorious 
Greeks  dragged  off,  an  enviable  booty.     And  Astya- 
nax  was  hurled  down  from  that  tower  where  he  was 
wont  often  to  sit  and  watch  his  father  whom  his  mother 
pointed  out  fighting  for  honour  and  safeguarding  his 
ancestral   realm.     And  now  the  North-wind  called 
tnem  on  their  way  and  the  sails  flapped  loud,  swelled 
by  the  favouring  breeze.     The  mariner  gives  com- 
mand  to   sail.     "O  Troy,   farewell!  we  are  forced 
away,    the  Trojan  women  cry ;  they  kiss  their  land, 
and    turn  their  backs  upon    their  smoking  homes. 
Ine  last  to  go  on  board,  a  pitiable  sight,  was  Hecuba, 
discovered  midst  the  sepulchres  of  her  sons.   There 
as  she  clung  to  their  tombs,   striving  to  give    her 
ferewell   kisses   to    their   bones,  the   hands   of   the 
Duhchian   dragged     her   away.      Yet    she    rescued 
Hector  s  ashes  only,  and  bore  the  rescued  dust  with 
her  m  her  bosom.     And  on  Hector's  tomb  she  left 
locks  of  her  hoary  hair,  a  meagre  offering,  her  hair 
and  tears.  _^ 

Opposite  to  Phrygia  where  Troy  stood,  there  lies 
a  land  where  dwelt  the  Bistones.     There  was  the 
luxurious  court  of  Polymestor,  to  whom  your  father 
rolydorus,  secretly  commended  you  for  care,  sending 
you  far  from  Phrygians  strife ;  a  prudent  plan,  if  he 
had  not  sent  with  you   a  great    store   of  treasure, 
ml  PT1Zt        Cnme'  a  temPtation  to  a  greedy  soul 
When    the  Phrygian  fortunes    waned,    the    impious 
lhracian  king  took  his  sword  and  thrust  it  into  his 
young  charge's  throat;  and  just  as  if  a  murder  could 
be  disposed  of  with  the  victim's  body,  he  threw  the 
corpse  from  a  cliff  into  the  waves  below. 

On  this  lhracian  coast    Atrides  had  moored  his 
fleet  until  the  sea  should  quiet  down  and  the  winds 

259 


OVID 

hie  subito,  quantus,  cum  viveret,  esse  solebat, 
exit  humo  late  rupta  similisque  minanti 
temporis  illius  vultum  referebat  Achilles, 
quo  ferus  iniusto  petiit  Agamemnona  ferro 
"inmemores"  que  "  mei  disceditis,"  inquit  "Achivi, 
obrutaque  est  mecum  virtutis  gratia  nostrae  !         446 
ne  facite  !  utque  meum  non  sit  sine  honore  sepulcrum, 
placet  Achilleos  mactata  Polyxena  manes  !  " 
dixit,  et  inmiti  sociis  parentibus  umbrae, 
rapta  sinu  matris,  quam  iam  prope  sola  fovebat,    450 
fortis  et  infelix  et  plus  quam  femina  virgo 
ducitur  ad  tumulum  diroque  fit  hostia  busto. 
quae  memor  ipsa  sui  postquam  crudelibus  aris 
admota  est  sensitque  sibi  fera  sacra  parari, 
utque  Neoptolemum  stantem  ferrumque  tenentem  ; 
inque  suo  vidit  figentem  lumina  vultu,  456 

"  utere  iandudum  generoso  sanguine  "  dixit 
"  (nulla  mora  est),  aut  tu  iugulo  vel  pectore  telum 
conde  meo  "  :  (iugulumque  simul  pectusque  retexit. 
scilicet  haud  ulli  servire  Polyxena  vellet!)  460 

'*  haud  per  tale  sacrum  numen  placabitis  ullum  ! 
mors  tantum  vellem  matrem  mea  fallere  posset : 
mater  obest  minuitque  necis  mihi  gaudia,  quamvis 
non  mea  mors  illi,  verum  sua  vita  tremenda  est. 
vos  modo,  ne  Stygios  adeam  non  libera  manes,      165 
ite  procul,  si  iusta  peto,  tactuque  viriles 
virgineo  removete  manus  !  acceptior  illi, 
quisquis  is  est,  quem  caede  mea  placare  paratis, 
liber  erit  sanguis,     siquos  tamen  ultima  nostri 
verba  movent  oris  (Priami  vos  filia  regis,  470 

non  captiva  rogat),  genetrici  corpus  inemptum 
260 


METAMOitPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 
be  more  favourable.     Here  on  a  sudden,  up  from  the 

rn1ef?aPHeghaadth^hAChi;IIeS  ^^  ^-s  "wa 
nn  fi    ,  i         ?    a  threaten,ng  manner  and  a  look  as 
on  that  day  when  with  his  hostile  sword  he  fiercely 
challenged  Agamemnon.     "And  are  you,  then   dl 

CenvgouJr  thretSV  ^  "fc*  "  f°^etful  of -e" And 
have  jour  thanks  for  my  services  been  buried  with 

u!  •*   Llha11  u  0t  be  !     And>  that  my  tomb  may  no 
lack  its  fitting  honour,  let  Pol  vxena  be  sacrificed*  and 
so  appease  Achilles*   shade."     He  spoke     anH  rt* 
allied  Greeks  obeyed  the  pitiless  ghS   Vrn  from 
her  mother's  arms    of  whom  she  was  well-nigh  X 
only  comfort  left,  the  brave,  ill-fated  maid,  with  more 
than  woman's  courage,  was  led  to  the  fatal  mZd 
and  there  was  sacrificed  upon  the  cruel  tomb      Self 
possessed  she  was,  even  when  she  had  been' placed 
before  the  fatal  altar  and  knew  the  grim  rUes  were 
prepanng  for  her;  and  when  she  saw  Neoptolemu 
standing,  sword  in  hand,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon^er 
face   she  exclaimed:  "Spill  at  last  my  noble*  Wood 
for  I  am  ready;  or  plunge  your  sword  deep  in  my  throat 
or  breast!      (and  she  bared  her  throat  and  breast 
Polyxena,  be  sure,  would  not  desire  to  live  in  slavery 
to  any  man  !)     «  Not  by  such  a  rite  as  this  w  H  yol 
appease  any  god  !    Only  I  would  that  my  mother  may 
know  nothing  of  my  death.     My  mother  prevents 
and  destroys  my  joy  of  death.     And  yet  she  should 
not  deprecate  my  death,  but  rathe/her  own   life 

spSs   s°tan7l  *?.}   "^  g°  free  t0   the  9W« 
spirits   stand  back,  if  my  request  is  just,  and  let  no 

hand  of  man  touch  my  virginVly.     More  acceptable 
to  him,  whoever  he  is,  whom  by  my  sacrifice  you  are 
seeking  to  appease,  will  my  free  blood  be.     But    if 
my  last  words    move  any  of  you  (>tis  the  da     , 
of  King  Pnam  and  not  a  captive  maid  who  asks  it) 


OVID 

reddite,  neve  auro  redimat  ius  triste  sepulcri, 

sed  lacrimis !  tunc,  cum  poterat,  redimebat  et  auro." 

dixerat,  at  populus  lacrimas,  quas  ilia  tenebat, 

non  tenet ;  ipse  etiam  flens  invitusque  sacerdos    475 

praebita  coniecto  rupit  praecordia  ferro. 

ilia  super  terram  defecto  poplite  laben? 

pertulit  intrepidos  ad  fata  novissima  vultus ; 

tunc  quoque  cura  fuit  partes  velare  tegendas, 

cum  caderet,  castique  decus  servare  pudoris.         480 

Troades  excipiunt  deploratosque  recensent 
Priamidas  et  quot  dederit  domus  una  cruores, 
teque  gemunt,  virgo,  teque,  o  modo  regia  coniunx, 
regia  dicta  parens,  Asiae  florentis  imago, 
nunc  etiam  praedae  mala  sors ;  quam  victor  Ulixes 
esse  suam  nollet,  nisi  quod  tamen  Hectora  partu  486 
ediderat :  dominum  matri  vix  repperit  Hector  ' 
quae  corpus  conplexa  animae  tam  fortis  inane, 
quas  totiens  patriae  dederat  natisque  viroque, 
huic  quoque  dat  lacrimas ;  lacrimas  in  vulnera  fundit 
osculaque  ore  tegit  consuetaque  pectora  plangit  491 
canitiemque  suam  concreto  in  sanguine  verrens 
plura  quidem,  sed  et  haec  laniato  pectore,  dixit : 
"  nata,  tuae — quid  enim  superest  ? — dolor  ultime 

matris, 
nata,  iaces,  videoque  tuum,  mea  vulnera,  vulnus  :  4.95 
en,  ne  perdiderim  quemquam  sine  caede  meorum, 
tu  quoque  vulnus  habes  ;  at  te,  quia  femina,  rebar 
a  ferro  tutam  :  cecidisti  et  femina  ferro, 
262 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

restore  my  body  to  my  mother  without  ransom ;  and 
let  her  pay  in  tears  and  not  in  gold  for  the  sad 
privilege  of  sepulture.  She  did  pay  in  gold  also  when 
she  could."  She  spoke,  and  the  throng  could  not 
restrain  their  tears,  though  she  restrained  her  own. 
Then  did  the  priest,  himself  also  weeping  and 
remorseful,  with  deep-driven  weapon  pierce  her 
proffered  breast.  She,  sinking  down  to  earth  with 
fainting  knees,  kept  her  look  of  dauntless  courage 
to  the  end.  And  even  then,  as  she  was  falling,  she 
took  care  to  cover  her  body  and  to  guard  the  honour 
of  her  modesty. 

The  Trojan  women  take  up  her  body  and  count 
one  by  one  the  lamented  Priamidae,  and  all  the 
woes  which  this  one  house  has  suffered.  You,  royal 
maid,  they  weep,  and  you,  who  but  yesterday  were 
called  queen-consort  and  queen-mother,  you,  once 
the  embodiment  of  proud  Asia,  but  now  suffering 
hard  lot  even  for  a  captive,  one  whom  victorious 
Ulysses  would  not  desire,  save  that  she  had  given 
birth  to  Hector.  A  lord  for  his  mother  Hector 
scarcely  found  !  She,  embracing  the  lifeless  body 
of  that  brave  spirit,  gives  to  it  also  the  tears 
which  she  has  shed  so  often  for  country,  sons  and 
husband.  She  pours  her  tears  into  her  daughter's 
wound,  covers  her  face  with  kisses,  and  beats  the 
breasts  that  have  endured  so  many  blows.  Then 
sweeping  her  white  hair  in  the  clotted  blood  and 
tearing  her  breast,  this  and  much  more  she  cried  : 
"O  child,  your  mother's  last  cause  for  grief — for 
what  else  is  left  me — my  child,  low  you  lie,  and  I 
see  your  wound,  my  wound.  Behold,  that  I  might 
lose  none  of  my  children  without  violence,  you  also 
have  your  wound.  But  you,  because  you  were  a 
woman,  I  thought  safe  from  the  sword  ;  even  though 

263 


OVID 

totque  tuos  idem  fratres,  te  perdidit  idem, 
exitium  Troiae  nostrique  orbator,  Achilles  ;  500 

at  postquam  cecidit  Paridis  Phoebique  sagittis, 
'  nunc  certe,'  dixi,  f  non  est  metuendus  Achilles'  : 
nunc  quoque  mi  metuendus  erat ;  cinis  ipse  sepulti 
in  genus  hoc  saevit,  tumulo  quoque  sensimus  hostem  . 
Aeacidae  fecunda  fui  !  iacet  Ilion  ingens,  505 

eventuque  gravi  finita  est  publica  clades, 
sed  finita  tamen ;  soli  mihi  Pergama  restant. 
in  cursuque  meus  dolor  est :  modo  maxima  rerum, 
tot  generis  natisque  potens  nuribusque  viroque 
nunc  trahor  exul,  inops,  tumulis  avulsa  meorum,  510 
Penelopae  munus,  quae  me  data  pensa  trahentem 
matribus  ostendens  Ithacis  '  haec  Hectoris  ilia  est 
clara  parens,  haec  est '  dicet  '  Pi'iameia  coniunx,' 
postque  tot  amissos  tu  nunc,  quae  sola  levabas 
maternos  luctus,  hostilia  busta  piasti !  515 

inferias  hosti  peperi !  quo  ferrea  resto  ? 
quidve  moror  ?  quo  me  servas,  annosa  senectus  ? 
quo,  di  crudeles,  nisi  uti  nova  funera  cernam, 
vivacem  differtis  anum  ?  quis  posse  putaret 
felicem  Priamum  post  diruta  Pergama  dici  ?  520 

felix  morte  sua  est !  nee  te,  mea  nata,  peremptam 
adspicit  et  vitam  pariter  regnumque  reliquit. 
at,  puto,  funeribus  dotabere,  regia  virgo, 
condeturque  tuum  monumentis  corpus  avitis  ! 
non  haec  est  fortuna  domus :  tibi  munera  matris  525 
264, 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK   XIII 

a  woman,  you  have  fallen  by  the  sword ;  and  that 
same  Achilles,  who  had  destroyed  all  your  brothers, 
has  destroyed  you,  too,  that  curse  of  Troy,  bereaver  of 
my  heart.  But  when  he  fell  by  Paris'  and  by  Phoebus' 
arrows,  '  Surely/  I  said,  '  now  is  Achilles  to  be  feared 
no  more.'  But  even  now  I  was  still  to  fear  him. 
His  very  ashes,  though  he  is  dead  and  buried,  are 
savage  against  our  race ;  even  in  the  tomb  we  have 
felt  him  for  our  enemy;  for  Achilles  have  I  been 
fruitful!  Great  Troy  lies  low,  and  by  a  woeful  issue 
the  public  calamity  was  ended  ;  yet  it  was  ended  ;  for 
me  alone  Pergama  still  survives ;  my  woes  still  run 
their  course.  But  late  on  the  pinnacle  of  fame, 
strong  in  my  many  sons,  my  daughters,  and  my 
husband,  now,  exiled,  penniless,  torn  from  the  tombs 
of  my  loved  ones,  I  am  dragged  away  as  prize  for 
Penelope.  And  as  I  sit  spinning  my  allotted  task  of 
wool,  she  will  point  me  out  to  the  dames  of  Ithaca 
and  say  :  '  This  woman  is  Hector's  noble  mother,  this 
is  Priam's  queen.'  And  now  after  so  many  have  been 
lost,  you,  who  alone  were  left  to  console  your  mother's 
grief,  you  have  been  sacrificed  upon  our  foeman's 
tomb.  Yes,  I  have  but  borne  a  victim  for  my  enemy. 
And  to  what  end  do  I,  unfeeling  wretch,  live  on  ? 
Why  do  I  linger  ?  To  what  end,  O  wrinkled  age,  do 
you  keep  me  here  ?  To  what  end,  ye  cruel  gods,  save 
that  I  still  may  see  fresh  funerals,  do  you  prolong  an 
old  woman's  life  ?  Who  would  suppose  that  Priam 
could  be  called  happy  when  Pergama  was  o'erthrown? 
Happy  is  he  in  death.  He  does  not  see  you,  my 
daughter,  lying  murdered  here ;  he  left  his  life  and 
kingdom,  both  at  once.  But  I  suppose,  O  royal 
maiden,  you  will  be  dowered  with  funeral  rites 
and  your  body  buried  in  your  ancestral  tomb . 
Such  is  no  longer  the  fortune  of  our  house.     Your 

265 


OVID 

contingent  fletus  peregrinaeque  haustus  harenae ! 
omnia  perdidimus  :  superest,  cur  vivere  tempus 
in  breve  sustineam,  proles  gratissima  matri, 
nunc  solus,  quondam  minimus  de  stirpe  virili, 
has  datus  Ismario  regi  Polydorus  in  oras.  530 

quid  moror  interea  crudelia  vulnera  lymphis 
abluere  et  sparsos  inmiti  sanguine  vultus  ?  " 

Dixit  et  ad  litus  passu  processit  anili, 
albentes  lacerata  comas.     "  date,  Troades,  urnam  !  " 
dixerat  infelix,  liquidas  hauriret  ut  undas :  535 

adspicit  eiectum  Polydori  in  litore  corpus 
factaque  Threiciis  ingentia  vulnera  telis  ; 
Troades  exclamant,  obmutuit  ilia  dolore, 
et  pariter  vocem  lacrimasque  introrsus  obortas 
devorat  ipse  dolor,  duroque  simillima  saxo  540 

torpet  et  adversa  figit  modo  lumina  terra, 
interdum  torvos  sustollit  ad  aethera  vultus, 
nunc  positi  spectat  vultum,  nunc  vulnera  nati, 
vulnera  praecipue,  seque  armat  et  instruit  iram. 
qua  simul  exarsit,  tamquam  regina  maneret,  545 

ulcisci  statuit  poenaeque  in  imagine  tota  est, 
utque  furit  catulo  lactente  orbata  leaena 
signaque  nacta  pedum  sequitur,  quem   non  videt, 

hostem, 
sic  Hecube,  postquam  cum  luctu  miscuit  iram, 
non  oblita  animorum,  annorum  oblita  suorum,       550 
vadit  ad  artificem  dirae,  Polymestora,  caedis 
conloquiumque  petit ;  nam  se  monstrare  relictum 
velle  latens  illi,  quod  nato  redderet,  aurum. 
t66 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIII 
funeral  gifts  shall  be  your  mother's  tears ;  your 
burial,  the  sand  of  an  alien  shore  !  We  have  lost 
all ;  but  still  there's  something  left,  some  reason  why 
lor  a  brief  span  I  may  endure  to  live  :  his  mother's 
dearest,  now  her  only  child,  once  youngest  of  my 
sons,  my  Polydorus,  sent  to  these  shores  to  the 
Ihracian  king.  But  why  do  I  delay,  meanwhile,  to 
wash  my  daughter's  cruel  wounds  with  water,  her 
face  bespattered  with  unpitying  blood  ?  " 

She  spoke  and  with  tottering  steps  of  age  went  to 
the  shore,  tearing  her  grey  hair  as  she  went.    «  Give 
me  an  urn,  ye  Trojan  women,"  the  wretched  creature 
said,  intending  to  dip  up  some  water  from  the  sea 
And  there  she  saw  the  body  of  Polydorus,  cast  up 
upon  the  shore,  covered  with  gaping  wounds  made 
by  Ihracian  spears.     The  Trojan  women  shrieked  at 
the  sight;  but  she  was  dumb  with  grief;  her  very 
grief  engulfed  her  powers  of  speech,  her  rising  tears. 
Like  a  hard  rock,  immovable  she  stood,  now  held 
her  gaze  fixed  upon  the  ground,  and  at  times  lifted 
her  awful  face  to  the  heavens;  now  she  gazed  upon 
the  features  of  her  son  as  he  lay  there  in  death,  now 
on  his  wounds,  but  mostly  on  his  wounds,  arming 
herself  and  heaping  up  her  rage.     When  now  her 
rage   blazed  out,  as  if  she    still    were   queen,   she 
nxed    on   vengeance   and   was   wholly  absorbed    in 
the  punishment  her  imagination  pictured.     And  as  a 
lioness  rages  when  her  suckling  cub  has  been  stolen 
from  her,  and  follows  the  discovered  tracks  of  her 
enemy,  whom  she  does  not  see,  so  Hecuba,  wrath 
mingling  with  her  grief,  regardless  of  her  years  but  not 
her  deadly  purpose,  went  straight  to  Polymestor,  who 
wrought  the  heartless  murder,  and  sought  an  audience 
with  him,  pretending  that  she  wished  to  show  him  a 
store  of  gold  which  she  had  hoarded  for  her  son  and 

267 


OVID 

credidlt  Odrysius  praedaeque  adsuetus  amore 
in  secreta  venit :  turn  blando  callidus  ore  555 

"tolle  moras,  Hecube,"  dixit  "  da  munera  nalo  ! 
orane  fore  illius,  quod  das,  quod  et  ante  dedisti, 
per  superos  iuro."     spectat  truculenta  loquentem 
falsaque  iurantem  tumidaque  exaestuat  ira 
atque  ita  correpto  cap ti varum  agmina  matrum       560 
invocat  et  digitos  in  perfida  lumina  condit 
expellitque  genis  oculos  (facit  ira  potentem) 
inmergitque  manus  foedataque  sanguine  sontis 
non  lumen  (neque  enim  superest),  loca  luminis  haurit. 
clade  sui  Thracum  gens  inritata  tyranni  565 

Troada  telorum  lapidumque  incessere  iactu 
coepit,  at  haec  missum  rauco  cum  murmure  saxum 
morsibus  insequitur  rictuque  in  verba  parato 
latravit,  conata  loqui :  locus  exstat  et  ex  re 
nomen  habet,  veterumque  diu  memor  ilia  malorum 
turn  quoque  Sithonios  ululavit  maesta  per  agros.  57 1 
illius  Troasque  suos  hostesque  Pelasgos, 
illius  fortuna  deos  quoque  moverat  omnes, 
sic  omnes,  ut  et  ipsa  Iovis  coniunxque  sororque 
eventus  Hecubam  meruisse  negaverit  illos.  575 

Non  vacat  Aurorae,  quamquam  isdem  faverat  armis, 
cladibus  et  casu  Troiaeque  Hecubaeque  moveri. 
cura  deam  propior  luctusque  domesticus  angit 
Memnonis  amissi,  Phrygiis  quern  lutea  cam  pis 
vidit  Achillea  pereuntem  cuspide  mater  ;  580 

vidit,  et  ille  color,  quo  matutina  rubescunt 
268 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

now  would  give  him.  The  Thracian  was  deceived 
and,  led  by  his  habitual  lust  for  gain,  he  came  to 
the  hiding-place.  Then  craftily,  with  smooth  speech 
he  said;  "Come,  Hecuba,  make  haste,  give  me 
the  treasure  for  your  son  !  I  swear  by  the  gods  of 
heaven,  all  shall  be  his,  what  you  give  now  and  what 
you  have  given  before."  She  grimly  eyed  him  as  he 
spoke  and  swore  his  lying  oath.  Then  did  her  rising 
wrath  boil  over,  and,  calling  the  captive  women  to 
the  attack,  she  seized  upon  him,  dug  her  fingers  into 
his  lying  eyes  and  gouged  his  eyeballs  from  their 
sockets — so  mighty  did  wrath  make  her.  Then  she 
plunged  in  her  hands  and,  stained  with  his  guilty 
blood,  she  plucked  out,  not  his  eyes,  for  they  were 
gone,  but  the  places  of  his  eyes.  The  Thracians, 
incensed  by  their  king's  disaster,  began  to  set  upon 
the  Trojan  with  shafts  and  stones.  But  she,  with 
hoarse  growls,  bit  at  the  stones  they  threw  and, 
though  her  jaws  were  set  for  words,  barked  when 
she  tried  to  speak.  The  place  still  remains  and 
takes  its  name1  from  this  incident,  where  she,  long 
remembering  her  ancient  ills,  still  howled  mourn- 
fully across  the  Sithonian  plains.  Her  sad  fortune 
touched  the  Trojans  and  her  Grecian  foes  and  all  the 
gods  as  well ;  yes,  all,  for  even  Juno,  sister  and  wife 
of  Jove,  declared  that  Hecuba  had  not  deserved  such 
an  end.  y 

But  Aurora,  though  she  had  lent  her  aid  to  the 
Trojan  arms,  had  no  time  to  lament  the  ruin  and  the 
fall  of  Troy  and  Hecuba.  A  nearer  care,  grief  for  her 
own  son,  harassed  her.  the  loss  of  Memnon,  whom  she, 
his  bright  mother,  had  seen  dead  by  Achilles'  spear  on 
the  Phrygian  plain.     She  saw  and  those  bright  hues 

1  Cynossema  (kvv6s  frj/j-a),  the  Sign  (or  Monument)  of  the 
Dog. 

269 


OVID 

tempora,  palluerat,  latuitque  in  nubibus  aether. 

at  non  inpositos  supremis  ignibus  artus 

sustinuit  spectare  parens,  sed  crine  soluto 

sicut  erat,  magni  genibus  procumbere  non  est       585 

dedignata  Iovis  lacrimisque  has  addere  voces : 

"omnibus  inferior,  quas  sustinet  aureus  aether, 

(nam  mihi  sunt  totum  rarissima  templa  per  orbem) 

diva  tamen,  veni,  non  ut  delubra  diesque 

des  mihi  sacrificos  caliturasque  ignibus  aras :  590 

si  tamen  adspicias,  quantum  tibi  femina  praestem, 

turn  cum  luce  nova  noctis  confinia  servo, 

praemia  danda  putes ;  sed  non  ea  cura  neque  hie  est 

nunc  status  Aurorae,  meritos  ut  poscat  honores : 

Memnonis  orba  mei  venio,  qui  fortia  frustra  595 

pro  patruo  tulit  arma  suo  primisque  sub  annis 

occidit  a  forti  (sic  vos  voluistis)  Achille. 

da,  precor,  huic  aliquem,  solacia  mortis,  honorem, 

summe  deum  rector,  maternaque  vulnera  leni !  " 

Iupp'ter  adnuerat,  cum  Memnonis  arduus  alto      (J00 

corruit  igne  rogus,  nigrique  volumina  fumi 

infecere  diem,  veluti  cum  flumina  natas 

exhalant  nebulas,  nee  sol  admittitur  infra ; 

atra  favilla  volat  glomerataque  corpus  in  unum 

densetur  faciemque  capit  sumitque  calorem  605 

atque  animam  ex  igni  (levitas  sua  praebuit  alas) 

et  primo  similis  volucri,  mox  vera  volucris 

insonuit  pennis,  pariter  sonuere  sorores 

innumerae,  quibus  est  eadem  natalis  origo, 

270 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK   XIII 

by  which  the  morning  skies  flush  rosy  red  grew  dull, 
and  the  heavens  were  overcast  with  clouds.  And 
when  his  corpse  was  laid  upon  the  funeral  pyre  his 
mother  endured  not  to  look  upon  it,  but,  with  stream- 
ing hair,  just  as  she  was,  she  disdained  not  to  throw 
herself  at  the  knees  of  mighty  Jove  and  with  many 
tears  to  pray  :  "Though  I  am  least  of  all  whom  the 
golden  heaven  upholds  (for  in  all  the  world  but  few 
and  scattered  temples  rise  to  me),  still  as  a  goddess 
I  come  I  ask  not  that  thou  give  me  shrines  and  sacred 
days  and  altars  to  flame  with  sacrificial  fires.  And  yet, 
slsouldst  thou  consider  what  service  I,  though  but  a 
woman,  render  thee,  when  each  new  dawn  I  guard 
the  borders  of  the  night,  then  wouldst  thou  deem 
that  I  should  have  some  reward.  But  that  is  not 
my  care  nor  is  that  Aurora's  errand,  to  demand 
honours  which  she  may  have  earned.  Bereft  of  my 
Memnon  I  come,  who  bore  brave  arms  (though  all 
in  vain)  in  his  uncle's  service,  and  in  his  early  years 
has  fallen  by  Achilles'  warlike  hand  (for  so  you 
willed  it).  Grant  then,  I  beg,  some  honour  to  him 
as  solace  for  his  death,  O  most  high  ruler  of  the  gods, 
and  soothe  a  mother's  wounded  heart."  Jove  nodded 
his  consent,  when  Memnon's  lofty  pyre,  wrapped 
in  high-leaping  flames,  crumbled  to  earth,  and  the 
day  was  darkened  by  the  thick  black  smoke,  as  when 
rivers  send  forth  the  fogs  they  have  begotten,  be- 
neath whose  pall  the  sunlight  cannot  come.  Dark 
ashes  whirled  aloft  and  there,  packed  and  con- 
densed, they  seemed  to  take  on  form,  drew  heat  and 
vitality  from  the  fire.  (Its  own  lightness  gave  it 
wings.)  At  first,  'twas  like  a  bird ;  but  soon,  a  real 
bird,  it  flew  about  on  whirring  pinions.  And  along 
with  it  were  countless  sisters  winging  their  noisy 
flight ;  and  all  were  sprung  from  the  same  source. 

271 


OVID 

terque  rogum  lustrant,  et  consonus  exit  in  auras  610 

ter  plangor,  quarto  seducunt  castra  volatu ; 

turn  duo  diversa  populi  de  parte  feroces 

bella  gerunt  rostrisque  et  aduncis  unguibus  iras 

exercent  alasque  adversaque  pectora  lassant, 

inferiaeque  cadunt  cineri  cognata  sepulto  615 

corpora  seque  viro  forti  meminere  creatas. 

praepetibus  subitis  nomen  facit  auctor :  ab  illo 

Memnonides  dictae,  cum  sol  duodena  peregit 

signa,  parentali  moriturae  more  rebellant. — 

ergo  aliis  latrasse  Dymantida  flebile  visum  est;     620 

luctibus  est  Auroi'a  suis  intenta  piasque 

nunc  quoque  dat  lacrimas  et  toto  rorat  in  orbe. 

Non  tamen  eversam  Troiae  cum  moenibus  esse 
spem  quoque  fata  sinunt :  sacra  et,  sacra  altera, 

patrem 
fert  umeris,  venerabile  onus,  Cythereius  heros.      625 
de  tantis  opibus  praedam  pius  eligit  illam 
Ascaniumque  suum  profugaque  per  aequora  classe 
fertur  ab  Antandro  scelerataque  limina  Thracum 
et  Polydoreo  manantem  sanguine  terram 
linquit  et  utilibus  ventis  aestuque  secundo  630 

intrat  Apollineam  sociis  comitantibus  urbem. 
bunc  Anius,  quo  rege  homines,  antistite  Phoebus 
rite  colebatur,  temploque  domoque  recepit 
urbemque  ostendit  delubraque  nota  duasque 
Latona  quondam  stirpes  pariente  retentas.  635 

ture  dato  flammis  vinoque  in  tura  profuso 
caesaiumque  bourn  fibris  de  more  crematis 
272 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

Thrice  round  the  pyre  they  flew  and  thrice  their 
united  clamour  rose  into  the  air.  At  the  fourth 
flight  the  flock  divided  and  in  two  warring  bands 
the  fierce  contestants  fought  together,  plying  beak 
and  hooked  talons  in  their  rage,  wearying  wing  and 
breast  in  the  struggle.  At  last  these  shapes  kin  to 
the  buried  ashes  fell  down  as  funeral  offerings  and 
remembered  that  they  were  sprung  from  that  brave 
hero.  The  author  of  their  being  gave  his  name  to  the 
new-sprung  birds,  and  they  were  called  Memnonides 
from  him  ;  and  still,  when  the  sun  has  completed  the 
circuit  of  his  twelve  signs,  they  fight  and  die  again  in 
honour  of  their  father's  festival.  And  so  others  wept 
while  the  daughter  of  Dymas  bayed  ;  but  Aurora  was 
all  absorbed  in  her  own  grief;  and  even  to  this  day 
she  weeps  pious  tears  and  bedews  the  whole  world 
with  them. 

And  yet  the  fates  did  not  permit  Troy's  hopes  to 
perish  with  her  walls.  The  heroic  son  1  of  Cytherea 
bore  away  upon  his  shoulders  her  sacred  images  and, 
another  sacred  thing,  his  father,  a  venerable  burden. 
Of  all  his  great  possessions,  the  pious  hero  chose  that 
portion,  and  his  son,  Ascanius.  Then  with  his  fleet 
of  refugees  he  set  sail  from  Antandros,  left  behind 
the  sinful  homes  of  Thrace  and  the  land  dripping 
with  Polydorus'  blood,  and,  with  favouring  winds  and 
tides  assisting,  reached  with  his  accompanying  friends 
the  city  2  of  Apollo.  Him  Anius,  who  ruled  over 
men  as  king  and  served  Phoebus  as  his  priest,  re- 
ceived in  the  temple  and  his  home.  He  showed 
his  city,  the  new-erected  shrines  and  the  two  sacred 
trees  3  beneath  which  Latona  had  once  brought  forth 
her  children.  There  they  burned  incense  in  the  flames, 
poured  out  wine  upon  the  incense  and,  according 
1  Aeneas.  2  In  Delos.  '  See  vi.  335. 

273 


OVID 

regia  tecta  petunt,  positisque  tapetibus  altis 

munera  cum  liquido  capiunt  Cerealia  Baccho. 

turn  pius  Anchises :  "  o  Phoebi  lecte  sacerdos,      640 

fallor,  an  et  natum,  cum  primum  haec  moenia  vidi, 

bisque  duas  natas,  quantum  reminiscor,  habebas  ?  " 

huic  Anius  niveis  circumdata  tempora  vittis 

concutiens  et  tristis  ait :  "  non  falleris,  heros 

maxime  ;  vidisti  natorum  quinque  parentem,         645 

quem  nunc  (tanta  homines  rerum  inconstantiaversat) 

paene  vides  orbum.     quod  enim  mihi  filius  absens 

auxilium,  quem  dicta  suo  de  nomine  tellus 

Andros  habet  pro  patre  locumque  et  regna  tenentem  ? 

Delius  augurium  dedit  huic,  dedit  altera  Liber      650 

femineae  stirpi  voto  maiora  fideque 

munera :  nam  tactu  natarum  cuncta  mearum 

in  segetem  laticemque  meri  canaeque  Minervae 

transformabantur,  divesque  erat  usus  in  illis. 

hoc  ubi  cognovit  Troiae  populator  Atrides,  655 

(ne  non  ex  aliqua  vestram  sensisse  procellam 

nos  quoque  parte  putes),  armorum  viribus  usus 

abstrahit  invitas  gremio  genitoris  alantque 

imperat  Argolicam  caelesti  munere  classem. 

effugiunt,  quo  quaeque  potest :  Euboea  duabus      660 

et  totidem  natis  Andros  fraterna  petita  est. 

miles  adest  et,  ni  dedantur,  bella  minatur : 

victa  metu  pietas  consortia  corpora  poenae 

dedidit ;  et  timido  possis  ignoscere  fratri  : 

non  hie  Aeneas,  non,  qui  defenderet  Andron,        665 

Hector  erat,  per  quem  decimum  durastis  in  annum. 

274 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

to  the  customary  rite,  they  slaughtered  cattle  and 
burned  their  entrails  in  the  altar-fire ;  then  sought 
the  palace-hall  and,  reclining  on  the  high  couches, 
they  partook    of   Ceres'    bounty  and   the    wine    of 
Bacchus.   Then  pious  Anchises  said  :  "  O  chosen  priest 
of  Phoebus,  am  I  mistaken,  or  did  you  have,  when 
first  I  saw  your  city,  a  son  and  four  daughters  as  I 
recall?"     And  Anius,  shaking  his  head  bound  with 
snowy  fillets,  sadly  replied  :  "  No,  mightiest  of  heroes, 
you  are  not  mistaken ;  you  did  see  me  the  father  of 
five  children,  whom  now,  such  is  the  shifting  nature 
of  men's  fates,  you  see  well-nigh  bereft.     For  of  what 
help  to  me   is   my  absent  son,   whom  the  land    of 
Andros,  named   from   him,   holds    in    place    of    his 
father ;  for  he  rules  the  land  as  king.     The  Delian 
gave  him  the  power  of  augury  ;  but  to  my  daughters 
Bacchus  gave  other  gifts,  greater  than  they  could 
pray  or  hope  to  gain.     For  at  my  daughters'  touch 
all  things  were  turned  to  corn  and  wine  and  the  oil 
of  grey-green  Minerva,1  and  there  was  rich  profit  in 
them.     When  Agamemnon,  ravager  of  Troy,  learned 
this  (that  you  may  know  that  we  also  have  felt  some 
share  of  your  destructive  storm),  using  armed  force, 
he   dragged   my  unwilling    daughters    from    their 
father's    arms,  and    bade  them    feed    the    Grecian 
army  with  their  heavenly  gift.     They  escaped,  each 
as   she   could.     Two   sought   Euboea ;  two    fled   to 
their  brother's  Andros.     Armed  bands  pursued  and 
threatened  war  unless  they  were  surrendered.     Fear 
conquered   brotherly  affection,  and  he  gave  up  to 
punishment  the  persons  of  his  kindred.     And  you 
could  forgive  the  timid  brother ;  for  Aeneas  was  not 
here  to  succour  Andros,  nor  Hector,  through  whom 
you  held  your  own  for  ten  years.     And  now  they 

1  i.e.  olives. 

275 


OVID 

iamque  parabantur  captivis  vincla  lacertis : 
illae  tollentes  etiamnum  libera  caelo 
bracchia  '  Bacche  pater,  fer  opem  ! '  dixere,  tulitque 
muneris  auctor  opem, — si  miro  perdere  more         670 
ferre  vocatur  opem,  nee  qua  ratione  figuram 
perdiderint,  potui  scire  aut  nunc  dicere  possum ; 
summa  mali  nota  est :  pennas  sumpsere  tuaeque 
coniugis  in  volucres,  niveas  abiere  columbas." 

Talibus  atque  aliis  postquam  convivia  dictis        675 
inplerunt,  mensa  somnum  petiere  remota 
cumque  die  surgunt  adeuntque  oracula  Phoebi, 
qui  petere  antiquam  matrem  cognataque  iussit 
litora ;  prosequitur  rex  et  dat  munus  ituris, 
Anchisae  sceptrum,  chlamydem  pharetramque 

nepoti,  680 

cratera  Aeneae,  quern  quondam  transtulit  illi 
hospes  ab  Aoniis  Therses  Isnienius  oris  : 
miserat  hunc  illi  Therses,  fabricaverat  Alcon 
Hyleus  et  longo  caelaverat  argumento. 
urbs  erat,  et  septem  posses  ostendere  portas :        685 
hae  pro  nomine  erant,  et  quae  foret  ilia,  docebant ; 
ante  urbem  exequiae  tumulique  ignesque  pyraeque 
effusaeque  comas  et  apertae  pectora  matres 
significant  luctum  ;  nymphae  quoque  flere  videntur 
siccatosque  queri  fontes  :  sine  frond ibus  arbor       69 0 
nuda  riget,  rodunt  arentia  saxa  capellae. 
ecce  facit  mediis  natas  Orione  Thebis 
hanc  non  femineum  iugulo  dare  vulnus  aperto, 
illam  demisso  per  inertia  vulnera  telo 
376 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIII 

were  preparing  fetters  for  the  captives'  arms,  when 
they,  stretching  their  still  free  arms  to  heaven,  cried : 
'  O  father  Bacchus,  help  ! '  And  he  who  gave  their 
gift  did  bring  them  aid — if  you  call  it  aid,  in  some 
strange  sort  to  lose  their  human  form.  For  never 
did  I  know,  nor  can  I  now  describe,  how  they  lost 
it.  But  the  outcome  of  my  sad  mishap  I  do  know  : 
covered  with  plumage,  they  were  changed  to  snow- 
white  doves,  your  consort's  birds." 

With  such  and  other  themes  they  filled  up  the 
feast,  then  left  the  banquet  board  and  retired  to 
rest ;  and  on  the  morrow  they  rose  and  sought  the 
oracle  of  Phoebus.  He  bade  them  seek  their  ancient 
mother  and  kindred  shores.  On  their  departure  the 
king  went  forth  with  them  and  gave  them  parting 
gifts :  a  sceptre  to  Anchises,  a  robe  and  quiver  to 
his  grandson,  and  a  goblet  to  Aeneas  which  Ismenian 
Therses,  a  guest,  had  once  brought  to  the  king  from 
the  Aonian  coast.  Therses  had  sent  him  the  cup, 
but  'twas  the  handiwork  of  Hylean  Alcon,  who  had 
engraved  upon  it  a  long  pictured  story.  There  was  a 
city,  on  which  you  could  discern  seven  gates.  These 
served  to  name  it  and  tell  you  what  it  was.1  Before 
the  city  funeral  rites  were  seen,  with  sepulchres  and 
blazing  funeral  pyres  ;  and  women  with  dishevelled 
hair  and  naked  breasts,  proclaiming  grief.  Nymphs 
also  seemed  to  weep  and  bewail  their  dried-up 
springs.  The  trees  stood  bare  and  leafless ;  goats 
nibbled  in  the  parched  and  stony  fields.  See,  in  the 
Theban  streets  he  represents  Orion's  daughters,  one 
dealing  a  wound  not  apt  for  maiden's  hands  to  her 
bared  throat,  the  other  dealing  clumsy  wounds  with 
her  weaving-shuttle,  both  falling  as  victims  in  the 
people's  stead ;  then  borne  in  funeral  pomp  through 

1  i.e.  Thebes. 

277 


OVID 

pro  populo  cecidisse  suo  pulchrisque  per  urbem    695 

funeribus  ferri  celebrique  in  parte  cremari. 

turn  de  virginea  geminos  exire  favilla, 

ne  genus  intereat,  iuvenes,  quos  fama  Coronos 

nominat,  et  cineri  materno  ducere  pompam. 

hactenus  antiquo  signis  fulgentibus  aere,  700 

summus  inaurato  crater  erat  asper  acantho. 

nee  leviora  datis  Troiani  dona  remittunt 

dantque  sacerdoti  custodem  turis  acerram, 

dant  pateram  claramque  auro  gemmisque  coronam. 

Inde  recordati  Teucros  a  sanguine  Teucri  705 

ducere  principium,  Cretam  tenuere  locique 
ferre  diu  nequiere  Iovem  centumque  relictis 
urbibus  Ausonios  optant  contingere  portus, 
saevit  hiems  iactatque  viros,  Strophadumque  receptos 
portubus  infidis  exterruit  ales  Aello.  710 

et  iam  Dulichios  portus  Ithacamque  Samonque 
Neritiasque  domus,  regnum  fallacis  Ulixis, 
praeter  erant  vecti :  certatam  lite  deorum 
Ambraciam  versique  vident  sub  imagine  saxura 
iudicis,  Actiaco  quae  nunc  ab  Apolline  nota  est,   715 
vocal emque  sua  terram  Dodonida  quercu 
Chaoniosque  sinus,  ubi  nati  rege  Molosso 
inpia  subiectis  fugere  incendia  pennis. 

Proxima  Phaeacum  felicibus  obsita  pomis 
rura  petunt,  Epiros  ab  his  regnataque  vati  720 

Buthrotos  Phrygio  simulataque  Troia  tenetur ; 
inde  futurorum  certi,  quae  cuncta  fidcli 
278 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

the  town  and  burned  to  ashes  midst  the  mourning 
throngs.  Then,  that  their  race  may  not  perish  with 
them,  from  their  virgin  ashes  spring  two  youths, 
whom  fame  has  named  Coroni.  These  join  in  the 
solemn  rites  due  to  their  mother's  dust.  Such  was 
the  story  told  in  figures  gleaming  on  the  antique 
bronze.  Round  the  goblet's  top,  rough-carved, 
golden  acanthus  ran.  The  Trojans  make  presents  in 
return  of  no  less  worth :  an  incense-casket  for  the 
priest,  a  libation-saucer  and  a  crown,  gleaming  with 
gems  and  gold. 

Thence,  remembering  that  the  Teucrians  sprang 
from  Teucer's  stock,  they  sailed  away  to  Crete.1 
Here,  unable  to  endure  for  long  the  climate  of  the 
place,  they  abandoned  Crete  with  its  hundred 
cities  and  set  out  with  eager  spirit  for  the  Ausonian 
shores.  The  wintry  seas  raged  and  tossed  the  heroic 
band  ;  and,  when  they  came  to  the  treacherous  har- 
bour of  the  Strophades,  Aello,  the  harpy,  frightened 
them.  And  now  Dulichium's  anchorage,  Ithaca 
and  Samos,  the  homes  of  Neritos,  the  false  Ulysses' 
kingdom — past  all  these  they  sailed.  Ambracia  next, 
once  object  of  heaven's  strife,  they  saw,  and  the 
image  of  the  judge  once  changed  to  stone — Ambracia, 
now  famed  for  Actian  Apollo's  sake  ;  Dodona's  land, 
with  its  speaking  oaks;  Chaonia's  sheltered  bay, 
where  the  sons  of  King  Molossus  on  new-grown 
wings  escaped  impious  fires. 

Next  they  sought  the  land  of  the  Phaeacians,  set 
with  fertile  orchards,  and  landed  at  Buthrotos  in 
Epirus  with  its  mimic  Troy,  a  city  ruled  by  the  Phry- 
gian seer.  There  having  learned  all  that  awaited 
them  from    the    friendly    prophecies    of    Helenus, 

1  This,  in  accordance  with  their  interpretation  of  the 
advice  given  in  1.  678. 

279 


OVID 

Priamides  Helenus  monitu  praedixerat,  intrant 

Sicaniam  :  tribus  haec  excurrit  in  aequora  pennis, 

e  quibus  imbriferos  est  versa  Pachynos  ad  austros,  725 

mollibus  expositum  zephyris  Lilybaeon,  at  arctos 

aequoris  expertes  spectat  boreamque  Peloros. 

hac  subeunt  Teucri,  et  remis  aestuque  secundo 

sub  noctem  potitur  Zanclaea  classis  harena  : 

Scylla  latus  dextrum,laevum  inrequieta Chary bdis  730 

infestat ;  vorat  haec  raptas  revomitque  carinas, 

ilia  feris  atram  canibus  succingitur  alvum, 

virginis  ora  gerens,  et,  si  non  omnia  vates 

ficta  reliquerunt,  aliquo  quoque  tempore  virgo : 

hanc  multi  petiere  proci,  quibus  ilia  repulsis  735 

ad  pelagi  nymphas,  pelagi  gratissima  nymphis, 

ibat  et  elusos  iuvenum  narrabat  amores. 

cui  dum  pectendos  praebet  Galatea  capillos, 

talibus  adloquitur  repetens  suspiria  dictis  : 

"  te  tamen,  o  virgo,  genus  haut  inmite  virorum     740 

expetit,  utque  facis,  potes  his  inpune  negare  ; 

at  mihi,  cui  pater  est  Nereus,  quam  caerula  Doris 

enixa  est,  quae  sum  turba  quoque  tuta  sororum, 

non  nisi  per  luctus  licuit  Cyclopis  amorem 

effugere."    et  lacrimae  vocem  inpediere  loquentis.  745 

quas  ubi  marmoreo  detersit  pollice  virgo 

et  solata  deani  est,  "  refer,  o  carissima  "  dixit 

"  neve  tui  causam  tsge  (sic  sum  fida)  doloris  !  " 

Nereis  his  contra  resecuta  Crataeide  natam  est  : 

"  Acis  erat  Pauno  nymphaque  Symaethide  cretus  750 

magna  quidem  patrisque  sui  matrisque  voluptas, 

nostra  tamen  maior ;  nam  me  sibi  iunxerat  uni. 

pulcher  et  octonis  iterum  natalibus  actis 

signarat  teneras  dubia  lanugine  malas. 

280 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  Xlli 

Priam's  son,  they  came  to  Sicily.  This  land  runs 
out  into  the  sea  in  three  capes.  Of  these,  Pachynos 
faces  to  the  rainy  south,  Lilybaeon  feels  the  soft 
western  breeze,  and  Peloros  looks  to  the  northern 
Bears,  who  never  go  beneath  the  sea.  Hither  the 
Teucri  came  and  with  oars  and  favouring  tides  the 
fleet  reached  the  sandy  beach  of  Zancle  as  darkness 
fell.  Scylla  infests  the  right-hand  coast,  unresting 
Charybdis  the  left.  The  one  sucks  down  and  vomits 
forth  again  the  ships  she  has  caught  ;  the  other's 
uncanny  waist  is  girt  with  ravening  dogs.  She  has 
a  virgin's  face  and,  if  all  the  tales  of  poets  are  not 
false,  she  was  herself  once  a  virgin.  Many  suitors 
sought  her;  but  she  scorned  them  all  and,  taking 
refuge  with  the  sea-nymphs  (for  the  sea-nymphs 
loved  her  well),  she  would  tell  them  of  the  dis- 
appointed wooing  of  her  lovers.  •  There  once  Galatea, 
while  she  let  the  maiden  comb  her  hair,  first  sighing 
deeply,  thus  addressed  her  :  "  You  truly,  maiden,  are 
wooed  by  a  gentle  race  of  men,  and  you  can  repulse 
them  without  fear,  even  as  you  do.  But  I,  whose 
father  is  Nereus  and  whose  mother  the  sea-hued 
Doris,  who  am  safe  also  in  a  throng  of  sisters,  I  was 
not  allowed  to  shun  the  Cyclops'  love  without  grievous 
consequence."  Tears  checked  her  further  speech. 
When  the  maid  with  her  white  fingers  had  dried  the 
goddess'  tears  and  had  consoled  her,  she  said  :  "  Tell 
me,  O  dearest  one,  and  do  not  conceal  the  cause  of 
your  woe,  for  I  am  faithful  to  you."  And  the  Nereid 
answered  Crataeis'  daughter  in  these  words :  "  Acis 
was  son  of  Faunus  and  the  nymph  Symaethis,  great 
joy  to  his  father  and  his  mother,  but  greater  joy 
to  me ;  for  he  loved  me  with  whole-hearted  love. 
Beautiful  he  was,  and  his  sixteenth  birthday  past,  a 
faint  down  had  marked  his  youthful  cheeks.    Him  die 

28 


OVID 

hunc  ego,  me  Cyclops  nulla  cum  fine  petebat.       755 
nee,  si  quaesieris,  odium  Cyclopis  amorae 
Acidis  in  nobis  merit  praesentior,  edam  : 
par  utrumque  fuit.     pro  !  quanta  potentia  regni 
est,  Venus  alma,  tui !  nempe  ille  inmitis  et  ipsis 
horrendus  silvis  et  visus  ab  hospite  nullo  760 

inpune  et  magni  cum  dis  contemptor  Olympi, 
quid  sit  amor,  sensit  validaque  cupidine  captus 
uritur  oblitus  pecorum  antroiumque  suorum. 
iamque  tibi  formae,  iamque  est  tibi  cura  placendi, 
iam  rigidos  pectis  rastris,  Polypheme,  capillos,      765 
iam  libet  hirsutam  tibi  falce  recidere  barbam 
et  spectare  feros  in  aqua  et  conponere  vultus. 
caedis  amor  feritasque  sitisque  inmensa  cruoris 
cessant,  et  tutae  veniuntque  abeuntque  carinae. 
Telemus  interea  Siculam  delatus  ad  Aetnen,         770 
Telemus  Eurymides,  quern  nulla  fefellerat  ales, 
terribilem  Polyphemon  adit  'lumen'  que,  'quodunum 
fronte  geris  media,  rapiet  tibi '  dixit  '  Ulixes.' 
risit  et '  o  vatum  stolidissime,  falleris,'  inquit, 
'  altera  iam  rapuit.'     sic  frustra  vera  monentem    775 
spernit  et  aut  gradiens  ingenti  litora  passu 
degravat,  aut  fessus  sub  opaca  revertitur  antra, 
prominet  in  pontum  cuneatus  acumine  longo 
collis  (utrumque  latus  circumfluit  aequoris  unda)  : 
hue  ferus  adscendit  Cyclops  mediusque  resedit;    780 
lanigerae  pecudes  nullo  ducente  secutae. 
cui.postquam  pinus,  baculi  quae  praebuit  usum, 
ante  pedes  posita  est  antemnis  apta  ferendis 
sumptaque  harundinibus  conpacta  est  fistula  centum, 
senserunt  toti  pastoria  sibila  montes,  785 

S82 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XIII 

1  love,  but  the  Cyclops  loved  me  with  endless  wooing. 
Nor,  if  you  should  ask  me,  could  I  tell  which  was 
stronger  in  me,  my  hate  of  Cyclops  or  my  love  of 
Acis ;  for  both  were  in  equal  measure.  O  mother 
Venus,  how  mighty  is  thy  sway  !  Behold,  that  savage 
creature,  whom  the  very  woods  shudder  to  look  upon, 
whom  no  stranger  has  ever  seen  save  to  his  own  hurt, 
who  despises  great  Olympus  and  its  gods,  he  feels  the 
power  of  love  and  burns  with  mighty  desire,  forgetful 
of  his  flocks  and  of  his  caves,  j  And  now,  Polyphemus, 
you  become  careful  of  your  appearance,  now  anxious  to 
please  ;  now  with  a  rake  you  comb  your  shaggy  locks, 
and  now  it  is  your  pleasure  to  cut  your  rough  beard 
with  a  reaping-hook,  gazing  at  your  rude  features 
in  some  clear  pool  and  composing  their  expression. 
Your  love  of  slaughter  falls  away,  your  fierce  nature 
and  your  quenchless  thirst  for  blood  ;  and  ships  come 
and  go  in  safety.  Meanwhile  Telemus  had  come  to 
Sicilian  Aetna,  Telemus,  the  son  of  Eurymus,  whom  no 
bird  had  deceived  ;  and  he  said  to  grim  Polyphemus : 
1  That  one  eye,  which  you  have  in  the  middle  of  your 
forehead,  Ulysses  will  take  from  you.'  He  mocked 
and  answered  :  f  O  most  stupid  seer,  you  are  wrong; 
another  has  already  taken  it.'  Thus  did  he  scoff  at 
the  man  who  vainly  sought  to  warn  him,  and  stalked 
with  huge,  heavy  tread  along  the  shore,  or  returned, 
weary,  to  his  shady  cave.  A  wedge-shaped  promon- 
tory with  long,  sharp  point  juts  out  into  the  sea,  both 
sides  washed  by  the  waves.  Hither  the  fierce  Cyclops 
climbed  and  sat  down  on  the  cliffs  central  point,  and 
his  woolly  sheep,  all  unheeded,  followed  him.  Then, 
laying  at  his  feet  the  pine-trunk  which  served  him  for 
a  staff,  fit  for  a  vessel's  mast,  he  took  his  pipe  made  of 
a  hundred  reeds.  All  the  mountains  felt  the  sound 
of  his  rustic  pipings  ;  the  waves  felt  it  too.    I,  hiding 

k  283 


OVID 

senserunt  undae  ;  latitans  ego  rupe  meique 
Acidis  in  gremio  residens  procul  auribus  hausi 
talia  dicta  meis  auditaque  verba  notavi  : 

"'  Candidior  folio  nivei  Galatea  ligustri, 
floridior  pratis,  longa  procerior  alno,  790 

splendidior  vitro,  tenero  lascivior  haedo, 
levior  adsiduo  detritis  aequore  conchis, 
solibus  hibernis,  aestiva  gratior  umbra, 
nobilior  pomis,  platano  conspectior  alta, 
lucidior  glacie,  matura  dulcior  uva,  795 

mollior  et  cygni  plumis  et  lacte  coacto, 
et  si  non  fugias,  riguo  formosior  horto  ; 

"'Saevior  indomitis  eadem  Galatea  iuvencis, 
durior  annosa  quercu,  fallacior  undis, 
lentior  et  salicis  virgis  et  vitibus  albis,  800 

his  inmobilior  scopulis,  violentior  amne, 
laudato  pavone  superbior,  acrior  igni, 
asperior  tribulis,  feta  truculentior  ursa, 
surdior  aequoribus,  calcato  inmitior  hydro, 
et,  quod  praecipue  vellem  tibi  demere  possem,     805 
non  tantum  cervo  claris  latratibus  acto, 
verum  etiam  ventis  volucrique  fugacior  aura, 
(at  bene  si  noris,  pigeat  fugisse,  morasque 
ipsa  tuas  damnes  et  me  retinere  labores). 
sunt  mihi,  pars  montis,  vivo  pendentia  saxo  810 

antra,  quibus  nee  sol  medio  sentitur  in  aestu, 
nee  sentitur  hiems ;  sunt  poma  gravantia  ramos, 
sunt  auro  similes  longis  in  vitibus  uvae, 
sunt  et  purpureae :  tibi  et  has  servamus  et  illas. 
284 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

beneath  a  rock  and  resting  in  my  Acis'  arms,  at  a 
great  distance  heard  the  words  he  sang  and  well 
remember  them  : 

"'  O  Galatea,  whiter  than  snowy  privet-leaves,  more 
blooming  than  the  meadows,  surpassing  the  alder  in 
your  tall  slenderness,  more  sparkling  than  crystal, 
more  frolicsome  than  a  tender  kid,  smoother  than 
shells  worn  by  the  constant  waves,  more  welcome  than 
the  winter's  sun  and  summer's  shade,  more  goodly 
than  orchard -fruit,  fairer  than  the  tall  plane-tree, 
more  shining-clear  than  ice,  sweeter  than  ripened 
grapes,  softer  than  swan's  down  and  curdled  milk,  and, 
if  only  you  would  not  flee  from  me,  more  beauteous 
than  a  well-watered  garden. 

" '  Yet  you,  the  same  Galatea,  are  more  obstinate 
than  an  untamed  heifer,  harder  than  aged  oak,  falser 
than  water,  tougher  than  willow-twigs  and  white 
briony-vines,  more  immovable  than  these  rocks, 
more  boisterous  than  a  stream,  vainer  than  a  praised 
peacock,  more  cruel  than  fire,  sharper  than  thorns, 
more  savage  than  a  she-bear  with  young,  deafer 
than  the  sea,  more  pitiless  than  a  trodden  snake, 
and,  what  I  would  most  of  all  that  I  could  take  from 
you,  swifter  not  only  than  the  stag  driven  before  the 
baying  hounds,  but  also  than  the  winds  and  the 
fleeting  breeze !  But,  if  only  you  knew  me  well, 
you  would  regret  that  you  have  fled  from  me  ;  you 
would  yourself  condemn  your  coy  delays  and  seek 
to  hold  me.  I  have  a  whole  mountain-side  for  my 
possessions,  deep  caves  in  the  living  rock,  where 
neither  the  sun  is  felt  in  his  midsummer  heat,  nor  the 
winter's  cold.  I  have  apples  weighing  down  their 
branches,  grapes  yellow  as  gold  on  the  trailing  vines, 
and  purple  grapes  as  well.  Both  these  and  those  I 
am  keeping  for  your  use.     With  your  own  hand  you 

285 


OVID 

ipsa  tuis  manibus  silvestri  nata  sub  umbra  815 

mollia  fraga  leges,  ipsa  autumnalia  corna 
prunaque  non  solum  nigro  liventia  suco, 
verum  etiam  generosa  novasque  imitantia  ceras. 
nee  tibi  castaneae  me  coniuge,  nee  tibi  deerunt 
arbutei  fetus  :  omnis  tibi  serviet  arbor.  820 

" '  Hoc  pecus    omne   meum    est,   multae    quoque 
vallibus  errant, 
multas  silva  tegit,  multae  stabulantur  in  antris, 
nee,  si  forte  roges,  possim  tibi  dicere,  quot  sint : 
pauperis  est  numerare  pecus ;  de  laudibus  harum 
nil  mihi  credideris,  praesens  potes  ipsa  videre,      825 
ut  vix  circumeant  distentum  cruribus  uber. 
sunt,  fetura  minor,  tepidis  in  ovilibus  agni. 
sunt  quoque,  par  aetas,  aliis  in  ovilibus  haedi. 
lac  mihi  semper  adest  niveum :  pars  inde  bibenda 
servatur,  partem  liquefacta  coagula  durant.  830 

"*  Nee  tibi  deliciae  faciles  vulgataque  tantum 
munera  contingent,  dammae  leporesque  caperque, 
parve  columbarum  demptusve  cacumine  nidus : 
inveni  geminos,  qui  tecum  ludere  possint, 
inter  se  similes,  vix  ut  dignoscere  possis,  835 

villosae  catulos  in  summis  montibus  ursae : 
inveni  et  dixi  "  dominae  servabimus  istos." 

" '  lam  modo  caeruleo  nitidum  caput  exere  ponto, 
iam,  Galatea,  veni,  nee  munera  despice  nostra  J 
certe  ego  me  novi  liquidaeque  in  imagine  vidi       840 
nuper  aquae,  placuitque  mihi  mea  forma  videnti. 
adspice,  sim  quantus :  non  est  hoc  corpore  maior 
Iuppiter  in  caelo,  nam  vos  narrare  soletis 
nescio  quem  regnare  Iovem  ;  coma  plurima  torvos 
286 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

shall  gather  the  luscious  strawberries  that  grow 
within  the  woody  shade,  cherries  in  autumn-time 
and  plums,  both  juicy  and  purple-black  and  the 
large  yellow  kind,  yellow  as  new  wax.  Chestnuts  also 
shall  be  yours  and  the  fruit  of  the  arbute-tree,  if 
you  will  take  me  for  your  husband  ;  and  every  tree 
shall  yield  to  your  desire. 

" '  And  all  this  flock  is  mine.  Many  besides  are 
wandering  in  the  valleys,  many  are  in  the  woods, 
still  others  are  safe  within  their  cavern-folds.  Nay, 
should  you  chance  to  ask,  I  could  not  tell  you  how 
many  in  all  I  have.  'Tis  a  poor  man's  business  to 
count  his  flocks.  And  you  need  not  believe  my 
praises  of  them  ;  here  you  can  see  for  yourself  how 
they  can  hardly  walk  for  their  distended  udders. 
And  I  have,  coming  on,  lambs  in  my  warm  folds 
and  kids,  too,  of  equal  age,  in  other  folds.  There's 
always  a  plenty  of  snow-white  milk.  Some  of  it  is 
kept  for  drinking,  and  some  the  rennet  hardens  into 
curds. 

" '  And  you  shall  have  no  easily  gotten  pets  or  only 
common  presents,  such  as  does  and  hares  and  goats, 
or  a  pair  of  doves,  or  a  nest  taken  from  the  cliff.  I 
found  on  the  mountain-top  two  cubs  of  a  shaggy  bear 
for  you  to  play  with,  so  much  alike  that  you  can 
scarcely  tell  them  apart.  I  found  them  and  I  said  : 
"  I'll  keep  these  for  my  mistress !  " 

" '  And  now,  Galatea,  do  but  raise  your  glistening 
head  from  the  blue  sea.  Now  come  and  don't 
despise  my  gifts.  Surely  I  know  myself;  lately  I 
saw  my  reflection  in  a  clear  pool,  and  I  liked  my 
features  when  I  saw  them.  Just  look,  how  big  I 
am .'  Jupiter  himself  up  there  in  the  sky  has  no 
bigger  body;  for  you  are  always  talking  of  some 
Jove  or  other  as  ruling   there.     A    wealth  of   hair 

287 


OVID 

prominet  in  vultus,  umerosque,  ut  lucus,  obumbrat ; 
nee  mea  quod  rigidis  horrent  densissima  saetis     846 
corpora,  turpe  puta  :  turpis  sine  frondibus  arbor, 
turpis  equus,  nisi  colla  iubae  flaventia  velent; 
pluma  tegit  volucres,  ovibus  sua  lana  decori  est: 
barba  viros  hirtaeque  decent  in  corpore  saetae.     850 
unum  est  in  media  lumen  mihi  fronte,  sed  instar 
ingentis  clipei.     quid  ?  non  haec  omnia  magnus 
Sol  videt  e  caelo?  Soli  tamen  unicus  orbis. 

"'Adde,  quod   in    vestro    genitor    mens  aequore 
regnat : 
hunctibi  do  socerum  ;  tantum  miserere  precesque  855 
supplicis  exaudi !  tibi  enim  succumbimus  uni, 
quique  Iovem  et  caelum  sperno  et  penetrabile  fulrnen, 
Nerei,  te  vereor,  tua  fulmine  saevior  ira  est. 
atque  ego  contemptus  essem  patientior  huius, 
si  fugeres  omnes ;  sed  cur  Cyclope  repulso  860 

Acin  amas  praefersque  meis  conplexibus  Acin  ? 
ille  tamen  placeatque  sibi  placeatque  licebit, 
quod  nollem,  Galatea,  tibi ;  modo  copia  detur : 
sentiet  esse  mihi  tanto  pro  corpore  vires  ' 
viscera  viva  traham  divulsaque  membra  per  agros   86? 
perque  tuas  spargam  (sic  se  tibi  misceat  !)  undas. 
uror  enim,  laesusque  exaestuat  acrius  ignis, 
cumque  suis  videor  translatam  viribus  Aetnam 
pectore  ferre  meo,  nee  tu,  Galatea,  moveris.' 

"  Talia  nequiquam  questus  (nam  cuncta  videbamj 
surgit  et  ut  taurus  vacca  furibundus  adempta         871 
stare  nequit  silvaque  et  notis  saltibus  errat, 
288 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

overhangs  my  manly  face  and  it  shades  my  shoulders 
like  a  grove.  And  don't  think  it  ugly  that  my 
whole  body  is  covered  with  thick,  bristling  hair.  A 
tree  is  ugly  without  its  leaves  and  a  horse  is  ugly  if  a 
thick  mane  does  not  clothe  his  sorrel  neck  ;  feathers 
clothe  the  birds,  and  their  own  wool  is  becoming 
to  sheep  ;  so  a  beard  and  shaggy  hair  on  his  body 
well  become  a  man.  True,  I  have  but  one  eye  in 
the  middle  of  my  forehead,  but  it  is  as  big  as  a  good- 
sized  shield.  And  what  of  that?  Doesn't  the  great 
sun  see  everything  here  on  earth  from  his  heavens  ? 
And  the  sun  has  but  one  eye. 

" '  Furthermore,  my  father  is  king  over  your  own 
waters;  and  him  I  am  giving  to  you  for  father-in-law. 
Only  pity  me  and  listen  to  my  humble  prayer ;  for 
I  bow  to  you  alone  ;  I,  who  scorn  Jove  and  his 
heaven  and  his  all-piercing  thunderbolt,  I  fear  you 
alone,  O  Nereid  ;  your  anger  is  more  deadly  than 
the  lightning-flash.  And  1  could  better  bear  your 
scorning  if  you  fled  from  all  your  suitors.  But  why, 
though  you  reject  Cyclops,  do  you  love  Acis,  and 
why  do  you  prefer  Acis  to  my  arms  ?  And  yet  he  may 
please  himself  and  please  you  too,  Galatea ;  but  oh, 
I  wish  he  didn't  please  you.  But  only  let  me  have  a 
chance  at  him  !  Then  he'll  find  that  I  am  as  strong 
as  I  am  big.  I'll  tear  his  vitals  out  alive,  I'll  rend 
him  limb  from  limb  and  scatter  the  pieces  over  the 
fields  and  over  your  waves — so  may  he  mate  with 
you !  For  oh,  I  burn,  and  my  hot  passion,  thus 
scorned,  rages  more  fiercely  within  me ;  I  seem  to 
carry  Aetna  in  my  breast,  borne  thither  with  all 
his  violence.     And  you,  Galatea,  do  not  care  at  all.' 

"  Such  vain  complaints  he  uttered,  and  rose  up  (I 
saw  it  all),  just  as  a  bull  which,  furious  when  the  cow 
has  been  taken  from  him,  cannot  stand   still,  but 

289 


OVID 

cum  feruo  ignaros  nee  quiequam  tale  timentes 
me  videt  atque  Acin  '  video  '  que  exclamat  '  et  ista 
ultima  sit,  faciam,  Veneris  concordia  vestrae.'        875 
tantaque  vox,  quantam  Cyclops  iratus  habere 
debuit,  ilia  fuit :  clamore  perhorruit  Aetne. 
ast  ego  vicino  pavefacta  sub  aequore  mergor ; 
terga  fugae  dederat  conversa  Symaethius  heros 
et  '  fer  opem,  Galatea,  precor,  mihi !  ferte,  parentes,' 
dixerat  '  et  vestris  periturum  admittite  regnis  !'    881 
insequitur  Cyclops  partemque  e  monte  revulsam 
mittit,  et  extremus  quamvis  pervenit  ad  ilium 
angulus  e  saxo,  totum  tamen  obruit  Acin. 
at  nos,  quod  fieri  solum  per  fata  licebat,  885 

fecimus,  ut  vires  adsumeret  Acis  avitas. 
puniceus  de  mole  cruor  manabat,  et  intra 
temporis  exiguum  rubor  evanescere  coepit, 
fitque  color  primo  turbati  fluminis  imbre 
purgaturque  mora  ;  turn  moles  iacta  dehiscit,        890 
vivaque  per  rimas  proceraque  surgit  harundo, 
osque  cavum  saxi  sonat  exsultantibus  undis, 
miraque  res,  subito  media  terms  exstitit  alvo 
incinctus  iuvenis  flexis  nova  cornua  cannis, 
qui,  nisi  quod  maior,  quod  toto  caerulus  ore,  895 

Acis  erat,  sed  sic  quoque  erat  tamen  Acis,  in  amnem 
versus,  et  antiquum  tenuerunt  flumina  nomen." 

Desierat  Galatea  loqui,  coetuque  soluto 
discedunt  placidisque  natant  Nereides  undis. 
Scylla  redit ;  neque  enim  medio  se  credere  ponto  900 
audet,  et  aut  bibula  sine  vestibus  errat  harena 
290 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

wanders  through  the  woods  and  familiar  pasture- 
lands.  Then  the  fierce  giant  spied  me  and  Acis, 
neither  knowing  nor  fearing  such  a  fate,  and  he 
cried  :  '  I  see  you,  and  I'll  make  that  union  of  your 
loves  the  last.'  His  voice  was  hig  and  terrible  as  a 
furious  Cyclops'  voice  should  be.  Aetna  trembled 
with  the  din  of  it.  But  I,  in  panic  fright,  dived 
into  the  near-by  sea.  My  S/maethianhero  had  already 
turned  to  run,  and  cried  :  '  Oh,  help  me,  Galatea,  I 
pray  ;  help  me,  my  parents,  and  take  me,  doomed 
now  to  perish,  to  your  kingdom.  Cyclops  ran  after 
him  and  hurled  a  piece  wrenched  from  the  mountain- 
side ;  and,  though  that  merest  corner  of  the  mass 
reached  Acis,  still  it  was  enough  to  bury  him  alto- 
gether. But  I  (the  only  thing  that  fate  allowed 
to  me)  caused  Acis  to  assume  his  ancestral  powers. 
Crimson  blood  came  trickling  from  beneath  the  mass  ; 
then  in  a  little  while  its  ruddv  colour  began  to  fade 
away  and  it  became  the  colour  of  a  stream  swollen 
by  the  early  rains,  and  it  cleared  entirely  in  a  little 
while.  Then  the  mass  that  had  been  thrown  cracked 
wide  open  and  a  tall,  green  reed  sprang  up  through 
the  crack,  and  the  hollow  opening  in  the  rock  re- 
sounded with  leaping  waters,  and,  wonderful  !  sud- 
denly a  youth  stood  forth  waist-deep  from  the 
water,  his  new-sprung  horns  wreathed  with  bending 
rushes.  The  youth,  save  that  he  was  larger  and  his 
face  of  dark  sea-blue,  was  Acis.  But  even  so  he  still 
was  Acis,  changed  to  a  river-god ;  and  his  waters 
kept  their  former  name."     •  ' 

When  Galatea  had  finished  her  story,  the  group 
of  Nereids  broke  up  and  went  swimming  away  on 
the  peaceful  waves.  But  Scylla,  not  daring  to  trust 
herself  to  the  outer  deep,  returned  to  the  shore, 
and    there    either    wandered    all     unrobed    along 

291 


OVID 

aut,  ubi  lassata  est,  seductos  nacta  recessus 
gurgitis,  inclusa  sua  membra  refrigerat  utida 
ecce  freto  stridens,  alti  novus  incola  ponti, 
nuper  in  Euboica  versis  Anthedone  membris,        905 
Glaucus  adest,  visaeque  cupidine  virginis  haeret 
et,  quaecumque  putat  fugientem  posse  morari, 
verba  refert ;  fugit  ilia  tamen  veloxque  timore 
pervenit  in  summum  positi  prope  litora  montis. 
ante  fretum  est  ingens,  apicem  conlectus  in  unum  9 1 0 
longa  sub  arboribus  convexus  in  aequora  vertex  : 
constitit  hie  et  tuta  loco,  monstrumne  deusne 
ille  sit,  ignorans  admiraturque  colorem 
caesariemque  umeros  subiectaque  terga  tegentem, 
ultimaque  excipiat  quod  tortilis  inguina  piscis.      915 
sensit  et  innitens,  quae  stabat  proxima,  moli 
"  non  ego  prodigium  nee  sum  fera  belua,  virgo, 
sed  deus"  inquit " aquae :  nee  maius  in  aequora  Proteus 
ius  habet  et  Triton  Athamantiadesque  Palaemon. 
ante  tamen  mortalis  eram,  sed,  scilicet  altis  920 

deditus  aequoribus,  tantum  exercebar  in  iilis  ; 
nam  modo  ducebam  ducentia  retia  pisces, 
nunc  in  mole  sedens  moderabar  harundine  linum. 
sunt  viridi  prato  confinia  litora,  quorum 
altera  pars  undis,  pars  altera  cingitur  herbis,         925 
quas  neque  cornigerae  morsu  laesere  iuvencae, 
nee  placidae  carpsistis  oves  hirtaeve  capellae ; 
non  apis  inde  tulit  conlectos  sedula1  flores, 

1  So  Vulg.   Ehwald  conjectures  t pinina  ;  Merkel  semine. 
292 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

the  thirsty  sands  or,  when  she  was  wearied,  she 
would  seek  out  some  deep  sequestered  pool  and  there 
refresh  her  limbs  in  its  safe  waters.  Behold  Glaucus, 
sounding  with  his  shell  upon  the  sea,  a  new-come 
dweller  in  the  deep  waters ;  for  his  form  had  been 
but  lately  changed  near  Anthedon  in  Euboea.  He 
saw  the  maid  and  straightway  burned  with  love,  and 
said  whatever  things  he  thought  might  stay  her 
flight.  Nevertheless,  she  fled  him  and,  her  speed 
increased  by  fear,  she  came  to  the  top  of  a  mountain 
which  stood  near  the  shore.  It  was  a  huge  mountain 
facing  the  sea,  rising  into  one  massive  peak,  its 
shady  top  reaching  far  out  over  the  water.  Here 
Scylla  stayed  her  flight  and,  protected  by  her 
position,  not  knowing  whether  he  was  a  monster 
or  a  god,  looked  in  wonder  at  his  colour,  his  hair 
which  covered  his  shoulders  and  his  back,  and  at 
his  groins  merging  into  a  twisted  fish-form.  He 
saw  her  and,  leaning  on  a  mass  of  rock  which  lay 
at  hand,  he  said  :  "  Maiden,  I  am  no  monster  or  wild 
creature ;  I  am  a  sea-god ;  and  neither  Proteus  nor 
Triton  nor  Palaemon,  son  of  Athamas,  has  greater 
power  over  the  deeps  than  I.  I  was  mortal  once, 
but  even  then  devoted  to  the  sea,  and  there  my  life 
was  spent.  Now  I  would  draw  in  the  nets  full  of 
fish,  and  now,  sitting  on  some  projecting  rock,  I 
would  ply  rod  and  line.  There  is  a  shore  fringed  by 
verdant  meadows,  one  side  of  which  is  hemmed  in 
by  the  waves  and  the  other  by  herbage,  which  neither 
horned  cattle  have  ever  disturbed  in  grazing  nor 
have  your  peaceful  sheep  nor  hairy  she-goats  cropped 
it.     No  busy  bee  ever  gathered  flowers  l  from  there 

1  i.e.  either  the  honey  from  the  flowers,  or,  according  to 
Aristotle  (de  An.  Hut.,  V.  xxn.  4),  the  flowers  themselves, 
out  of  which  the  bees  made  the  honeycombs. 

293 


OVID 

non  data  sunt  capiti  genialia  serta,  neque  umquam 
falciferae  secuere  manus  ;  ego  primus  in  illo         930 
caespite  consedi,  dum  lina  madentia  sicco, 
utque  recensei  era  captivos  ordine  pisces, 
insuper  exposui,  quos  aut  in  retia  casus 
aut  sua  credulitas  in  aduncos  egerat  hamos. 
res  similis  fictae,  sed  quid  milii  fingere  prodest  ?  935 
gramine  contacto  coepit  mea  praeda  moveri 
et  mutare  latus  terraque  ut  in  aequore  niti. 
dumque  moror  mirorque  simul,  fugit  omnis  in  undas 
turba  suas  dominumque  novum  litusque  relinquunt. 
obstipui  dubitoque  diu  causamque  requiro,  9*0 

num  deus  hoc  aliquis,  num  sucus  fecerit  herbae : 
'  quae   tamen    has '   inquam    '  vires    habet    herba  ? ' 

manuque 
pabula  decerpsi  decerptaque  dente  momordi. 
vix  bene  conbiberant  ignotos  guttura  sucos, 
cum  subito  trepidare  intus  praecordia  sensi  94-5 

alteriusque  rapi  naturae  pectus  amore  ; 
nee  potui  restare  diu  '  repetenda'  que  '  numquam 
terra,  vale  ! '  dixi  corpusque  sub  aequora  mersi. 
di  maris  exceptum  socio  dignantur  honore, 
utque  mihi,  quaecumque  feram,  mortalia  demant,  950 
Oceanum  Tethynque  rogant :  ego  lustror  ab  illis, 
et  purgante  nefas  noviens  mihi  carmine  dicto 
pectora  fluminibus  iubeor  supponere  centum ; 
nee  mora,  diversis  lapsi  de  partibus  amnes 
totaque  vertuntur  supra  caput  aequora  nostrum.  Q55 
hactenus  acta  tibi  possum  memoranda  referre, 
hactenus  haec  memini,  nee  mens  mea  cetera  sensit. 
quae  postquam  rediit,  alium  me  coipore  to  to, 
294 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIII 

and  bore  them  off;  no  festal  wreaths  for  the  head  were 
ever  gathered  there, no  hands  with  sickles  ever  mowed 
its  grasses.  I  was  the  first  to  seat  me  on  that  turf,  dry- 
ing my  dripping  lines  and  spreading  out  upon  the  bank 
to  count  them  the  fish  that  I  had  caught,  which  either 
chance  had  brought  to  my  nets  or  their  own  guile- 
lessness  had  fixed  upon  my  hooks.      It  sounds  like 
an  idle  tale  ;  but  what  advantage  have  I  in  deceiving 
you  ?     My  catch,  on  touching  the  grass,  began   to 
stir,  then  to  turn  over  and  to  move  about  on  land  as 
in  the  sea.     And  while  I  paused  in  wonder  they  all 
slipped  down  into  their  native  waters,  abandoning 
their  new  master  and  the  shore.    I  stood  a  longtime 
in  amaze  and  doubt,  seeking  the  cause  of  this.    Had 
some  god  done  it,  or  was  it  the  grasses'  juice  ?  '  And 
yet  what  herb  could  have  such  potency  ? '  I  said, 
and  plucking  some  of  the  herbage  with  my  hands,  I 
chewed  what  I  had  plucked.  Scarce  had  I  swallowed 
the  strange  juices  when  suddenly  I  felt  my  heart 
trembling  within  me,  and  my  whole  being  yearned 
with  desire  for  another  element.   Unable  long  to  stand 
against  it,  I  cried  aloud :  '  Farewell,  O  Earth,  to  which 
I  shall  nevermore  return ! '    and  I  plunged  into  the 
sea.     The  sea-divinities  received  me,  deeming  me 
worthy  of  a  place  with  them,  and  called  on  Oceanus 
and  Tethys  to  purge   my  mortal  nature  all  away. 
And  then  they  purged  me,  first  with  a  magic  song 
nine  times  repeated  to  wash  all  evil  from  me,  and 
next  they  bade  me  bathe   my  body  in  a  hundred 
streams.      Straightway    the    rivers    that   flow    from 
every  side   poured   all  their  waters   upon  my  head. 
So  far  I  can  recall  and  tell  you  what  befell  me ;  so 
far  can  I  remember.    But  of  the  rest  my  mind  retains 
no  knowledge.     When  my  senses  came  back  to  me 
I  was  far  different  from  what  I  was  but  lately  in  all 

295 


ovrD 

ac  fueram  nuper,  neque  eundem  mente  recepi : 
hanc  ego  turn  primum  viridi  ferrugine  barbam      960 
caesariemque  meam,  quam  longa  per  aequora  verro 
ingentesque  umeros  et  caenila  bracchia  vidi 
cruraque  pinnigero  curvata  novissima  pisce. 
quid  tamen  haec  species,  quid  dis  plaeuisse  marinis, 
quid  iuvat  esse  deum,  si  tu  non  tangeris  istis  ?  "  965 
talia  dicentem,  dicturum  plura,  reliquit 
Scylla  deum  ;  furit  ille  inritatusque  repulsa 
prodigiosa  petit  Titanidos  atria  Circes, 


10 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XIII 

my  body,  nor  was  my  mind  the  same.  Then  for 
the  first  time  I  beheld  this  beard  of  dark  green 
hue,  these  locks  which  I  sweep  on  the  long  waves, 
these  huge  shoulders  and  bluish  arms,  these  legs 
which  twist  and  vanish  in  a  finny  fish.  And  yet, 
what  boots  this  form,  what,  that  I  pleased  the  sea- 
divinities,  what  profits  it  to  be  a  god,  if  you  are 
not  moved  by  these  things  ? "  As  he  thus  spoke 
and  would  have  spoken  more,  Scylla  fled  from  the 
god,  and  he,  stung  to  mad  rage  by  his  repulse, 
betook  him  to  the  wondrous  court  of  Circe,  daughter 
of  the  Sun. 


*97 


BOOK  XIV 


LIBER  XIV 

Iamqve  Giganteis  iniectam  fauoibus  Aetnen 

arvaque  Cyclopuin,  quid  rastra,  quid  usus  aratri 

nescia  nee  quicquam  iunctis  debentia  bubus 

liquerat  Euboicus  tumidarum  cultor  aquarum, 

liquerat  et  Zanclen  adversaque  moenia  Regi  5 

navifragumque  fretum,  gemino  quod  litore  pressum 

Ausoniae  Siculaeque  tenet  confinia  terrae. 

inde  manu  magna  Tyrrhena  per  aequora  vectus 

herbiferos  adiit  colles  atque  atria  Glaucus 

Sole  satae  Circes,  vanarum  plena  ferarum.  10 

quam  simul  adspexit,  dicta  acceptaque  salute, 

"diva,  dei  miserere,  precor  !  nam  sola  levare 

tu  potes  hunc,"  dixit  "  videar  modo  dignus,  amorem. 

quanta  sit  herbarum,  Titani,  potentia,  nulli 

quam  mihi  cognitius,  qui  sum  mutatus  ab  illis.         15 

neve  mei  non  nota  tibi  sit  causa  furoris : 

litore  in  Italico,  Messenia  moenia  contra, 

Scylla  mihi  visa  est.     pudor  est  promissa  precesque 

blanditiasque  meas  contemptaque  verba  referre ; 

at  tu,  sive  aliquid  regni  est  in  carmine,  carmen      20 

ore  move  sacro,  sive  expugnacior  herba  est, 

utere  temptatis  operosae  viribus  herbae 

nee  medeare  mihi  sanesque  haec  vulnera  mando, 

S00 


BOOK  XIV 

And  now  Aetna,  heaped  upon  the  giant's  head,1  and 
the  fields  of  the  C)'clops,  which  knew  naught  of  the 
harrow  or  the  plow,  which  owed  no  debt  to  yoked 
cattle,  all  these  the  Euboean  haunter  of  the  swelling 
waves  had  left  behind  ;  he  had  left  Zancle  also,  and 
the  walls  of  Rhegium  which  lay  opposite,  and  the 
shipwrecking  strait  which,  confined  by  double  shores, 
hems  in  the  Ausonian  and  Sicilian  land.  Thence, 
swimming  along  with  mighty  strength  through  the 
Tyrrhene  sea,  Glaucus  came  to  the  herb-clad  hills 
and  the  courts  of  Circe,  daughter  of  the  Sun,  full  of 
phantom  beasts.  When  he  beheld  her,  and  a  wel- 
come had  been  given  and  received,  he  thus  addressed 
the  goddess :  "  O  goddess,  pity  a  god,  I  pray  you ! 
for  you  alone,  if  I  but  seem  worthy  of  it,  can  help 
this  love  of  mine.  What  magic  potency  herbs  have, 
O  Titaness,  no  one  knows  better  than  myself,  for  1  was 
changed  by  them.  That  the  cause  of  my  mad  passion 
may  be  known  to  you,  on  the  Italian  coast,  opposite 
Messene's  walls,  I  saw  Scylla.  I  am  ashamed  to  tell 
of  the  promises  and  prayers,  the  coaxing  words  I 
used,  all  scornfully  rejected.  But  do  you,  if  there  is 
any  power  in  charms,  sing  a  charm  with  your  sacred 
lips ;  or,  if  herbs  are  more  effectual,  use  the  tried 
strength  of  efficacious  herbs.  And  I  do  not  pray  that 
you  cure  me  or  heal  me  of  these  wounds,  nor  end  my 

1  See  V.  346  S 

so: 


OVID 

fineque  nil  opus  est :  partem  ferat  ilia  ealoris." 

at  Circe  (neque  enim  flammis  habet  aptius  ulla        25 

talibus  ingenium,  seu  causa  est  huius  in  ipsa, 

seu  Venus  indicio  facit  hoc  offensa  paterno,) 

talia  verba  refert :  "  melius  sequerere  volentem 

optantemque  eadem  parilique  cupidine  captam. 

dignus  eras  ultro  (poteras  certeque)  rogari,  30 

et,  si  spem  dederis,  mihi  crede,  rogaberis  ultro. 

neu  dubites  adsitque  tuae  fiducia  formae, 

en  ego,  cum  dea  sim,  nitidi  cum  filia  Solis, 

carmine  cum  tantum,  tantum  quoque  gramine  possim, 

ut  tua  sim,  voveo.     spernentem  sperne,  sequenti    35 

redde  vices,  unoque  duas  ulciscere  facto.'' 

talia  temptanti  "  prius  "  inquit  "  in  aequore  frondes  " 

Glaucus  "  et  in  summis  nascentur  montibus  algae, 

sospite  quam  Scylla  nostri  mutentur  amores." 

indignata  dea  est  et  laedere  quatenus  ipsum  40 

non  poterat,  (nee  vellet  amans),  irascitur  illi, 

quae  sibi  praelata  est ;  venerisque  offensa  repulsa, 

protinus  horrendis  infamia  pabula  sucis 

conterit  et  tritis  Hecateia  carmina  miscet 

caerulaque  induitur  velamina  perque  ferarum  45 

agmen  adulantum  media  procedit  ab  aula 

oppositumque  petens  contra  Zancleia  saxa 

Region  ingreditur  ferventes  aestibus  undas, 

in  quibus  ut  solida  ponit  vestigia  terra 

summaque  decurrit  pedibus  super  aequora  siccis.     50 

parvus  erat  gurges,  curvos  sinuatus  in  arcus, 

grata  quies  Scyllae  :  quo  se  referebat  ab  aestu 

302 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XIV 

love  ;  let  her  but  bear  her  part  of  this  burning  heat." 
But  Circe  (for  no  one  has  a  heart  more  susceptible  to 
such  flames  than  she,  whether  the  cause  of  this  is  in 
herself,  or  whether  Venus,  offended  by  her  father's 
tattling,  made  her  so)  replied  :  "  Much  better  would 
you  follow  one  whose  strong  desire  and  prayer  was 
even  as  your  own,  whose  heart  burned  with  an  equal 
flame.  You  were  worthy  on  your  own  part  to  be 
wooed,  and  could  be,  of  a  truth ;  and,  if  you  give 
some  hope,  I  tell  you  truly  you  shall  indeed  be  wooed. 
That  you  may  believe  this,  and  have  some  faith  in 
your  own  power  to  charm,  lo,  I,  goddess  though  I  be, 
though  the  daughter  of  the  shining  Sun,  though  I 
have  such  magic  powers  in  song  and  herb,  I  pray  that 
I  may  be  yours.  Scorn  her  who  scorns,  and  requite 
her  love  who  loves  you  ;  and  so  in  one  act  repay  us 
both."  But  to  her  prayer  Glaucus  replied  :  "Sooner 
shall  foliage  grow  on  the  sea,  and  sooner  shall  sea- 
weeds spring  up  on  the  mountain-tops,  than  shall  my 
love  change  while  Scylla  lives."  The  goddess  was 
enraged  ;  and,  since  she  could  not  harm  the  god  him- 
self (and  would  not  because  of  her  love  for  him),  she 
turned  her  wrath  upon  the  girl  who  was  preferred  to 
her.  In  hurt  anger  at  the  refusal  of  her  love,  she 
straightway  bruised  together  uncanny  herbs  with 
juices  of  dreadful  power,  singing  while  she  mixed 
them  Hecate's  own  charms.  Then,  donning  an  azure 
cloak,  she  took  her  way  from  her  palace  through  the 
throng  of  beasts  that  fawned  upon  her  as  she  passed, 
and  made  for  Rhegium,  lying  opposite  Zancle's  rocky 
coast.  She  fared  along  the  seething  waters,  on  which 
she  trod  as  on  the  solid  ground,  skimming  dry-shod 
along  the  surface  of  the  sea.  There  was  a  little  pool, 
curving  into  a  deep  bow,  a  peaceful  place  where 
Scylla  loved  to  come.    Thither  would  she  betake  her 

303 


OVID 

et  maris  et  caeli,  medio  cum  plurimus  orbe 
sol  erat  et  minimas  a  vertice  fecerat  umbras, 
hunc  dea  praevitiat  portentificisque  venenis  55 

inquinat ;  his  fusis  latices  radice  nocenti 
spargit  et  obscurum  verborum  ambage  novorum 
ter  noviens  carmen  magico  demurmurat  ore. 
Scylla  venit  mediaque  tenus  descenderat  alvo, 
cum  sua  foedari  latrantibus  inguina  monstris  60 

adspicit  ac  primo  credens  non  corporis  illas 
esse  sui  partes,  refugitque  abigitque  timetque 
ora  proterva  canum,  sed  quos  fugit,  attrahit  una 
et  corpus  quaerens  femorum  crurumque  ped unique 
Cerbereos  rictus  pro  partibus  invenit  illis  :  65 

statque  canum  rabie  subiectaque  terga  ferarum 
inguinibus  truncis  uteroque  exstante  coercet. 

Flevit  amans  Glaucus  nimiumque  hostiliter  usae 
viribus  herbarum  fugit  conubia  Circes  ; 
Scylla  loco  mansit  cumque  est  data  copia,  primum    70 
in  Circes  odium  sociis  spoliavit  Ulixen ; 
mox  eadem  Teucras  fuerat  mersura  carinas, 
ni  prius  in  scopulum,  qui  nunc  quoque  saxeus  exstat, 
transformata  foret :  scopulum  quoque  navita  vitat. 

Hunc  ubi  Troianae  remis  avidamque  Charybdin  75 
evicere  rates,  cum  iam  prope  litus  adessent 
Ausonium,  Libycas  vento  referuntur  ad  oras. 
excipit  Aenean  illic  animoque  domoque 
non  bene  discidium  Phrygii  latura  mariti 
304 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

from  the  heat  of  sea  and  sky,  when  the  sun  at  his 
strongest  was  in  mid-heaven,  and  from  his  zenith  had 
drawn  the  shadows  to  their  shortest  compass.  This 
pool,  before  the  maiden's  coming,  the  goddess  be- 
fouls and  tinctures  with  her  baleful  poisons.  When 
these  had  been  poured  out  she  sprinkles  liquors 
brewed  from  noxious  roots,  and  a  charm,  dark  with 
its  maze  of  uncanny  words,  thrice  nine  times  she 
murmurs  over  with  lips  well  skilled  in  magic.  Then 
Scylla  comes  and  wades  waist-deep  into  the  water ; 
when  all  at  once  she  sees  her  loins  disfigured  with 
barking  monster-shapes.  And  at  the  first,  not  be- 
lieving that  these  are  parts  of  her  own  body,  she 
flees  in  fear  and  tries  to  drive  away  the  boisterous, 
barking  things.  But  what  she  flees  she  takes  along 
with  her ;  and,  feeling  for  her  thighs,  her  legs,  her 
feet,  she  finds  in  place  of  these  only  gaping  dogs'- 
heads,  such  as  a  Cerberus  might  have.  She  stands  on 
ravening  dogs,  and  her  docked  loins  and  her  belly 
are  enclosed  in  a  circle  of  beastly  forms. 

Glaucus,  her  lover,  wept  at  the  sight  and  fled  the 
embrace  of  Circe,  who  had  used  too  cruelly  her  potent 
herbs.  But  Scylla  remained  fixed  in  her  place  and, 
when  first  a  chance  was  given  her  to  vent  her  hate  on 
Circe,  she  robbed  Ulysses  of  his  companions.  She  also 
would  have  wrecked  the  Trojan  ships  had  she  not 
before  their  coming  been  changed  into  a  rock  which 
stands  there  to  this  day.  The  rock  also  is  the  sailors' 
dread. 

When  the  Trojan  vessels  had  successfully  passed 
this  monster  and  greedy  Charybdis  too,  and  when 
they  had  almost  reached  the  Ausonian  shore,  the  wind 
bore  them  to  the  Libyan  coast.  There  the  Sidonian 
queen1  received  Aeneas  hospitably  in  heart  and  home, 

1  Dido. 

805 


OVID 

Sidonis  ;  inque  pyra  sacri  sub  imagine  facta  80 

incubuit  ferro  deceptaque  decipit  omnes. 

rursus  harenosae  fugiens  nova  moenia  terrae 

ad  sedemque  Ervcis  fidumque  relatus  Acesten 

sacrificat  tumulumque  sui  genitoris  honorat. 

quasque  rates  Iris  Iunonia  paene  cremarat,  85 

solvit  et  Hippotadae  regnum  terrasque  calenti 

sulphure  fumantis  Acheloiadumque  relinquit 

Sirenum  fcopulos,  orbataque  praeside  pinus 

Inarimen  Prochytenque  legit  sterilique  locatas 

colle  Pithecusas,  habitantum  nomine  dictas.  90 

quippe  deum  genitor,  fraudem  et  periuria  quondam 

Cercopum  exosus  gentisque  admissa  dolosae, 

in  deforme  viros  animal  mutavit,  ut  idem 

dissimiles  homini  possent  similesque  videri, 

membraque  contraxit  naresque  a  fronte  resimas      95 

contudit  et  rugis  peraravit  anilibus  ora 

totaque  velatos  flaventi  corpora  villo 

misit  in  has  sedes  nee  non  prius  abstulit  usum 

verborum  et  natae  dira  in  periuria  linguae  ; 

posse  queri  tantum  rauco  stridore  reliquit.  1 00 

Has  ubi  praeteriit  et  Parthenopeia  dextra 
moenia  deseruit,  laeva  de  parte  canori 
Aeolidae  tumulum  et,  loca  feta  palustribus  undis, 
litora  Cumarum  vivacisque  antra  Sibyllae 
intrat,  et  ad  manes  veniat  per  Averna  paternos,     105 
orat.     at  ilia  diu  vultum  tellure  moratum 
306 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XIV 


^)\cA 


doomed  ill  to  endure  her  Phrygian  lord's  departure 
On  a  pyre,  built  under  pretence  of  sacred  rites,  she 
fell  upon  his  sword  ;  and  so,  herself  disappointed,  she 
disappointed  all.     Leaving  once  more  the  new  city 
built  on  the  sandy  shore,  Aeneas  returned  to  the  land 
of  Eryx  and  friendly  Acestes,  and  there  he  made 
sacrifice  and  paid  due  honours  to  his  father's  tomb. 
Then  he  cast  off  the  ships  which  Iris,  Juno's  messen- 
ger, had  almost  burned,  and  soon  had  sailed  past  the 
kingdom  x  of  Hippotades,  past   the  lands   smoking 
with  hot  sulphur  fumes,  and  the  rocky  haunt  of  the 
Sirens,  daughters  of  Acheloiis.     And  now,  his  vessel 
having  lost   her  pilot,  he  coasts  along  Inarime  and 
Prochyte  and  Pithecusae,   situate  on  a  barren  hill, 
called  from  the   name  of  its  inhabitants.     For  the 
father  of  the  gods,  hating  the  tricks  and  lies  of  the 
Cercopians  and  the  crimes  committed  by  that  treach- 
erous race,  once  changed  the  men  to  ugly  animals  in 
such  a  way  that  they  might  be  unlike  human  shape 
and  yet  seem  like  them.     He  shortened  their  limbs, 
blunted  and  turned  back  their  noses,  and  furrowed 
their  faces  with  deep  wrinkles  as  of  age.   Then  he  sent 
them,  clothed  complete  in  yellow  hair,  to  dwell  in 
these  abodes.     But  first  he  took  from  them  the  power 
of  speech,  the  use  of  tongues  born  for  vile  perjuries, 
leaving  them   only  the    utterance    of  complaint   in 
hoarse,  grating  tones. 

When  he  had  passed  these  by  and  left  the  walled 
city  of  Parthenope  upon  the  right,  he  came  upon  the 
left  to  the  mound-tomb  of  the  tuneful  son  of  Aeolus  2 
and  the  shores  of  Cumae,  teaming  with  marshy  waters, 
and,  entering  the  grotto  of  the  long-lived  sibyl,  prayed 
that  he  might  pass  down  through  Avernus'  realm  and 
see  his  father's  shade.  The  sibyl  held  her  eyes  long 
1  The  Aeolian  Isles.  *  Misenus. 

307 


OVID 

erexit  tandemque  deo  furibunda  recepto 

"magna  petis,"  dixit,  "  vir  factis  maxime,  cuius 

dextera  per  ferrum,  pietas  spectata  per  ignes. 

pone  tamen,  Troiane,  metum  :  potiere  petitis        1 10 

Elysiasque  domos  et  regna  novissima  mundi 

me  duce  cognosces  simulacraque  cara  parentis. 

invia  virtuti  nulla  est  via."     dixit  et  auro 

fulgentem  ramum  silva  Iunonis  Avernae 

monstravit  iussitque  suo  divellere  trunco.  115 

paruit  Aeneas  et  formidabilis  Orci 

vidit  opes  atavosque  suos  umbramque  send  em 

magnanimi  Anchisae  ;  didicit  quoque  iura  locorurn, 

quaeque  novis  essent  adeunda  pericula  bellis. 

inde  ferens  lassos  adverso  tramite  passus  120 

cum  duce  Cumaea  mollit  sermone  laborem. 

dumque  iter  horrendum  per  opaca  crepuscula  carpit, 

u  seu  dea  tu  praesens,  seu  dis  gratissima,"  dixit, 

"  numinis  instar  eris  semper  mihi,  meque  fatebor 

muneris  esse  tui,  quae  me  loca  mortis  adire,  125 

quae  loca  me  visae  voluisti  evadere  mortis. 

pro  quibus  aerias  meritis  evectus  ad  auras 

templa  tibi  statuam,  tribuam  tibi  turis  honores." 

respicit  hunc  vates  et  suspiratibus  haustis 

"nee  dea  sum/'  dixit  "nee  sacri  turis  honore        130 

humanum  dignare  caput,  neu  nescius  erres, 

lux  aeterna  mihi  carituraque  fine  dabatur, 

si  mea  virginitas  Phoebo  patuisset  amanti. 

dum  tamen  hanc  sperat,  dum  praecorrumpere  donis 

me  cupit, '  elige,'  ait  '  virgo  Cumaea,  quid  optes  :  1 35 

SOS 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   XIV 

fixed  upon  the  earth,  then  lifted  them  at  last  and,full  of 
mad  inspiration  from  her  god,  replied:  "  Great  things 
do  you  ask,  you  man  of  mighty  deeds,  whose  hand,  by 
sword,  whose  piety,  by  fire,  has  been  well  tried.  But 
have  no   fear,  Trojan ;    you   shall  have   your   wish, 
and    with    my   guidance   you  shall    see   the   dwell- 
ings of  Elysium  and  the  latest  kingdom  of  the  uni- 
verse ;  and  you  shall  see  your  dear  father's  shade. 
There  is  no  way  denied  to  virtue."     She  spoke  and 
showed  him,  deep  in  Avernal  Juno's  *  forest,  a  bough 
gleaming  with  gold,  and  bade  him  pluck  it  from  its 
trunk.     Aeneas  obeyed;  then  saw  grim  Orcus'  pos- 
sessions, and  his  own  ancestral  shades,  and  the  aged 
spirit  of  the  great-souled  Anchises.     He  learned  also 
the  laws  of  those  places,  and  what  perils  he  himself 
must   undergo   in    new   wars.     As   he   retraced   his 
weary  steps  along  the  upward  way  he  beguiled  the 
toil  with  discourse  with  his  Cumaean  guide ;  and  as 
he  fared  along  the  dismal  road  in  the  dim  dusk  he 
said  :  "  Whether  thou  art  a  goddess  in  very  truth,  or 
a  maid  most  pleasing  to  the  gods,  to  me  shalt  thou 
always  seem  divine,  and  I  shall  confess  that  I  owe 
my  life  to  thee,  through  whose  will  I  have  approached 
the  world  of  death,  have  seen  and  have  escaped  in 
safety  from  the  world  of  death.  And  for  these  services, 
when  I  have  returned  to  the  upper  regions,  I  will  erect 
a  temple  to  thee  and  there  burn  incense  in  thine 
honour."   The  sibyl  regarded  him  and,  sighing  deeply, 
said  :  "  I  am  no  goddess,  nor  do  thou  deem  any  mortal 
worthy  of  the  honour  of  the  sacred  incense.     But,  lest 
you  mistake  in  ignorance,  eternal,  endless  life  was 
offered  me,  had  my  virgin  modesty  consented  to  Phoe- 
bus' love.     While  he  still  hoped  for  this  and  sought  to 
break  my  will  with  gifts,  he  said : '  Chose  what  you  will, 
1  i.e.  Proserpina. 

309 


OVID 

optatis  potiere  tuis.      ego  pulveris  hausti 

ostendi  cumulum  :  quot  haberet  corpora  pulvis, 

tot  mihi  natales  contingere  vana  rogavi ; 

excidit,  ut  peterem  iuvenes  quoque  protinus  annos. 

hos  tamen  ille  mihi  dabat  aeternainque  iuventam, 

si  Venerem  paterer  :  contempto  munere  Phoebi    141 

innuba  permaneo  ;  sed  iam  felicior  aetas 

terga  dedit,  tremuloque  gradu  venit  aegra  senectus, 

quae  patienda  diu  est.    nam  iam  mihi  saecula  septem 

acta  vides :   superest,  numeros  ut  pulveris  aequem, 

ter  centum  messes,  ter  centum  musta  videre.         1 46 

tempus  erit,  cum  de  tanto  me  corpore  parvam 

longa  dies  faciet,  consumptaque  membra  senecta 

ad  minimum  redigentur  onus  :  nee  amata  videbor 

nee  placuisse  deo,  Phoebus  quoque  forsitan  ipse    150 

vel  non  cognoscet,  vel  dilexisse  negabit: 

usque  adeo  mutata  ferar  nullique  videnda, 

voce  tamen  noscar  ;  vocem  mihi  fata  relinquent." 

Talia  convexum  per  iter  memorante  Sibylla 
sedibus  Euboicam  Stvgiis  emergit  in  urbem  155 

Troius  Aeneas  sacrisque  ex  more  litatis 
litora  adit  nondum  nutricis  habentia  nomen. 
hie  quoque  substiterat  post  taedia  longa  laborum 
Neritius  Macareus,  comes  experientis  Ulixei. 
desertum  quondam  mediis  sub  rupibus  Aetnae       160 
noscit  Achaemeniden  inprovisoque  repertum 
310 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

maiden  of  Cumae,  and  you  shall  have  your  choice.' 
Pointing  to  a  heap  of  sand,  I  made  the  foolish  prayer 
that  I  might  have  as  many  years  of  life  as  there  were 
sand-grains  in  the  pile  ;  but  I  forgot  to  ask  that  those 
years  might  be  perpetually  young.  He  granted  me 
the  years,  and  promised  endless  youth  as  well,  if  I 
would  yield  to  love.  I  spurned  Phoebus'  gift  and 
am  still  unwedded.  But  now  my  joyous  springtime  of 
life  has  fled  and  with  tottering  step  weak  old  age  is 
coming  on,  which  for  long  I  must  endure.  Even  now 
you  see  me  after  seven  centuries  of  life,  and,  ere  my 
years  equal  the  number  of  the  sands,  I  still  must  behold 
three  hundred  harvest-times,  three  hundred  vintages. 
The  time  will  come  when  length  of  days  will  shrivel 
me  from  my  full  form  to  but  a  tiny  thing,andmy  limbs, 
consumed  by  age,  will  shrink  to  a  feather's  weight. 
Then  will  I  seem  never  to  have  been  loved,  never  to 
have  pleased  the  god.  Phoebus  himself,  perchance, 
will  either  gaze  unknowing  on  me  or  will  denv 
that  he  ever  loved  me.  Even  to  such  changes  shall 
I  come.  Though  shrunk  past  recognition  of  the  eye, 
still  by  my  voice  shall  I  be  known,  for  the  fates  will 
leave  me  my  voice."  ^ 

While  thus  along  the  hollow  way  the  sibyl  told 
her  story,  out  of  the  Stygian  world  Trojan  Aeneas 
emerged  near  the  Euboean  city.1  Making  due 
sacrifices  here,  he  next  landed  on  a  shore  which 
did  not  yet  bear  his  nurse's 2  name.  Here  also 
Neritian  Macareus,  a  comrade  of  all-suffering  Ulysses, 
had  stayed  behind  after  the  long  weariness  of  his  wan- 
derings. He  recognizes  Achaemenides,3  whom  they 
had  left  long  since  abandoned  midst  the  rocks  of 
Aetna.      Amazed    thus   suddenly  to  find    him    still 

1  Cumae.  2  Caieta. 

8  Aeneas  had  taken  him  on  board  near  Aetna. 

311 


ovrfr 

vivere  miratus,  "qui  te  casusve  deusve 

servat,  Achaemenide  ?  cur"  inquit  "  barbara  Graium 

prora  vehit  ?  petitur  vestra  quae  terra  carina  ?  " 

talia  quaerenti,  iam  non  hirsutus  amictu,  1 65 

iam  suus  et  spinis  conserto  tegmine  nullis, 

fatur  Achaemenides :  "iterum  Polyphemon  et  illos 

adspiciam  fluidos  humano  sanguine  rictus, 

hac  mihi  si  potior  domus  est  Ithaceque  carina, 

si  minus  Aenean  veneror  genitore,  nee  umquam    170 

esse  satis  potero,  praestem  licet  omnia,  gratus. 

quod  loquor  et  spiro  caelumque  et  sidera  solis 

respicio,  possimne  ingratus  et  inmemor  esse  ? 

ille  dedit,  quod  non  anima  haec  Cyclopis  in  ora 

venit,  et  ut  iam  nunc  lumen  vitale  relinquam,       175 

aut  tumulo  aut  certe  non  ilia  condar  in  alvo. 

quid  mihi  tunc  animi  (nisi  si  timor  abstulit  omnem 

sensum  animumque)  fuit,  cum  vos  petere  alta  relictus 

aequora  conspexi  ?  volui  inclamare,  sed  hosti 

prodere  me  timui :  vestrae  quoque  clamor  Ulixis  180 

paene  rati  nocuit.     vidi,  cum  monte  revulsum 

inmanem  scopulum  medias  permisit  in  undas; 

vidi  iterum  veluti  tormenti  viribus  acta 

vasta  Giganteo  iaculantem  saxa  lacerto 

et,  ne  deprimeret  fluctus  ventusve  carinam,  185 

pertimui,  iam  me  non  esse  oblitus  in  ilia. 

ut  vero  fuga  vos  a  certa  morte  reduxit, 

ille  quidem  totam  gemebundus  obambulat  Aetnam 

praetemptatque  manu  silvas  et  luminis  orbus 

rupibus  mcursat  foedataque  bracchia  tabo  190 

in  mare  protendens  gentem  exsecratur  Achivam 

atque  ait :  '  o  si  quis  referat  mihi  casus  Ulixen, 

312 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

alive,  he  says:  "What  chance,  what  god  has  saved 
you,  Acliaemenides  ?  Why  does  a  Greek  sail  in  a 
Trojan  ship?  What  land  does  your  vessel  seek?" 
And  to  his  questions  Achaemenides,  no  longer 
roughly  clad,  his  garments  no  longer  pinned  with 
thorns,  but  his  own  man  once  more,  replied  :  "  May 
I  look  on  Polyphemus  yet  again,  and  those  wide 
jaws  of  his,  dripping  with  human  gore,  if  I  prefer 
my  home  and  Ithaca  to  this  ship,  if  I  revere  Aeneas 
less  than  my  own  father.  Nor  can  I  ever  pay  my 
debt  of  gratitude,  though  I  should  give  my  all.  That 
I  speak  and  breathe  and  see  the  heavens  and  the  con- 
stellations of  the  sun,  for  this  can  I  cease  to  thank 
him,  and  be  mindful  of  him  ?  'Tis  due  to  him  that 
my  life  came  not  into  the  Cyclops'  jaws,  and  though 
even  now  I  should  leave  the  light  of  life,  I  should 
be  buried  in  a  tomb,  but  surely  not  in  that  monster's 
maw.  What  were  my  feelings  then  (except  that 
fear  took  away  all  sense  and  feeling)  when,  left  be- 
hind, I  saw  you  making  for  the  open  sea  ?  I  longed 
to  call  out  to  you,  but  I  feared  to  betray  myself  to 
the  enemy.  Even  your  vessel  Ulysses'  cry  almost 
wrecked.  I  saw  when  Cyclops  tore  up  a  huge  rock 
from  the  mountain-side  and  hurled  it  far  out  to  sea. 
I  saw  him  again  throwing  great  stones  with  his 
gigantic  arms  as  from  a  catapult,  and  I  feared  lest 
the  waves  or  the  wind  *  should  sink  the  ship,  for- 
getting that  I  was  not  in  her.  But  when  you  escaped 
by  flight  from  certain  death,  he,  groaning  the  while, 
went  prowling  all  over  Aetna,  groping  through  the 
woods  with  his  hands,  and  blindly  dashing  against 
the  rocks.  Then  would  he  stretch  out  his  bleeding 
arms  to  the  sea  and  curse  the  whole  Greek  race, 
and  say :  '  Oh,  that  some  chance  would  but  bring 
1  i.e.  of  the  stone. 

81* 


OVID 

aut  aliquem  e  sociis,  in  quern  mea  saeviat  ira, 
viscera  cuius  edam,  cuius  viventia  dextra 
membra  mea  laniem,  cuius  mihi  sanguis  inundet  195 
guttur,  et  elisi  trepident  sub  dentibus  artus  : 
quaiii    nullum   aut   leve    sit  damnum    mihi    lucis 

ademptae ! ' 
haec  et  plura  ferox,  me  lurid  us  occupat  horror 
spectantem  vultus  etiamnum  caede  madentes 
crudelesque  manus  et  inanem  luminis  orbem  200 

membraque  et  humano  concretam  sanguine  baibam. 
mors  erat  ante  oculos,  minimum  tamen  ilia  malorum, 
et  iam  prensurum,  iam  nunc  mea  viscera  rebar 
in  sua  mersurum,  mentique  haerebat  imago 
temporis  illius,  quo  vidi  bina  meorum  205 

ter  quater  adfligi  sociorum  corpora  terrae, 
cum  super  ipse  iacens  hirsuti  more  leonis 
visceraque  et  carnes  cumque  albis  ossa  medullis 
semianimesque  artus  avidam  condebat  in  alvum; 
me  tremor  invasit  :  stabam  sine  sanguine  maestus, 
mandentemque  videns  eiectantemque  cruentas      211 
ore  dapes  et  frusta  mero  glomerata  vomentem  • 
talia  fingebam  misero  mihi  fata  parari 
perque  dies  multos  latitans  omnemque  tremiscens 
ad  strepitum  mortemque  timens  cupidusque  moriri 
glande  famem  pellens  et  mixta  frondibus  herba    2l6 
solus  inops  exspes  leto  poenaeque  relictus 
hanc  procul  adspexi  Ion  go  post  tempore  navem 
oravique  fugam  gestu  ad  litusque  cucurri, 
et  movi :  Graiumque  ratis  Troiana  recepit '  220 

314 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

Ulysses  back  to  me,  or  some  one  of  his  friends, 
against  whom  my  rage  might  vent  itself,  whose 
vitals  I  might  devour,  whose  living  body  I  might 
tear  asunder  with  my  hands,  whose  gore  might  flood 
my  throat,  and  whose  mangled  limbs  might  quiver 
between  my  teeth !  How  nothing  at  all,  or  how 
slight  a  thing  would  the  loss  of  my  sight  appear  ! ' 
This  and  much  more  in  furv.  Pale  horror  filled 
me  as  I  looked  upon  his  face  still  smeared  with 
blood,  and  his  cruel  hands,  his  sightless  eye,  his 
limbs  and  his  beard,  matted  with  human  gore. 
Death  was  before  my  eyes,  but  that  was  the  least 
of  all  my  troubles.  I  kept  always  thinking:  now 
he'll  catch  me,  now  he'll  make  my  flesh  part  of  his ; 
and  the  picture  stuck  in  my  mind  of  that  time  when 
I  saw  him  catch  up  two  of  my  friends  at  once  and 
dash  them  thrice  and  again  upon  the  ground ;  and 
when,  crouching  like  a  shaggy  lion  over  them,  he 
filled  his  greedy  maw  with  their  vitals  and  their 
flesh,  their  bones  full  of  white  marrow,  and  their 
limbs  still  warm  with  life.  A  quaking  terror  seized 
me  and  I  stood  pale  with  horror  as  I  watched  him 
now  chewing,  now  ejecting  his  bloody  feast,  now  dis- 
gorging his  scraps  of  food  mingled  with  wine.  Such 
fate  1  pictured  as  in  store  for  wretched  me.  For 
many  days  I  kept  myself  in  hiding,  trembling  at 
ever}'  sound,  fearing  death  and  yet  longing  to  die, 
keeping  off  starvation  with  acorns  and  grass  and 
leaves,  alone,  helpless  and  hopeless,  abandoned  to 
suffering  and  death.  And  then,  after  a  long  time, 
far  in  the  distance  I  saw  this  ship,  and  I  begged 
them  by  my  gestures  to  save  me,  I  rushed  down  to 
the  shore  and  I  touched  their  hearts  :  a  Trojan  ship 
received  a  Greek  !  Now  do  you  also  tell  of  your 
adventures,   best   of    comrades,   what    your    leader 

,  315 


OVID 

tu  quoque  pande  tuos,  comitum  gratissime,  casus 
et  ducis  et  turbae,  quae  tecum  est  credita  ponto." 

A.eolon  ille  refert  Tusco  regnare  profundo, 
Aeolon  Hippotaden,  cohibentem  carcere  ventos ; 
quos  bo  vis  inclusos  tergo,  memorabile  munus,        225 
Dulichium  sumpsisse  ducem  flatuque  secundo 
lucibus  isse  novem  et  terrain  aspexisse  petitam ; 
proxima  post  nonam  cum  sese  aurora  moveret, 
invidia  socios  praedaeque  cupidine  victos 
esse  ;  ratos  aurum,  dempsisse  ligamina  ventis  ;      230 
cum  quibus  isse  retro,  per  quas  modo  venerat  undas, 
Aeoliique  ratem  portus  repetisse  tyranni. 
"  inde  Lami  veterem  Laestrygonis  "  inquit  "  in  urbem 
venimus  :  Antiphates  terra  regnabat  in  ilia. 
missus  ad  hunc  ego  sum,  numero  comitante  duorum, 
vixque  fuga  quaesita  salus  comit;que  mihique,       236 
tertius  e  nobis  Laestrygonis  inpia  tinxit 
ora  cruore  suo.     fugientibus  instat  et  agmen 
concitat  Antiphates  ;  coeunt  et  saxa  trabesque 
coniciunt  merguntque  viros  merguntque  carinas.  240 
una  tamen,  quae  nos  ipsumque  vehebat  Ulixen, 
effugit.     amissa  sociorum  parte  dolentes 
multaque  conquesti  terris  adlabimur  illis, 
quas  procul  hinc  cernis  (procul   est,  mihi  crede, 

videnda 
insula  visa  mihi  !)  tuque  o  iustissime  Troum,  245 

nate  dea,  (neque  enim  finito  Marte  vocandus 
hostis  es,  Aenea)  moneo,  fuge  litora  Circes ! 
nos  quoque  Circaeo  religata  in  litore  pinu, 
Antiphatae  memores  inmansuetique  Cyclopia, 
516 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

suffered  and  the    company   which   put  to   sea  with 
you." 

Then  Macareus  told  how  Aeolus  ruled  over  the 
Tuscan  waters,  Aeolus,  son  of  Hippotes,  confining 
the  winds  in  prison.  These  winds,  enclosed  in  a 
bag  of  bull's  hide,  the  Dulichian  captain  had  received, 
a  memorable  gift.  Nine  days  they  had  sailed  along 
with  a  good  stern  breeze  and  had  sighted  the  land 
they  sought ;  but  when  the  tenth  morning  dawned, 
Ulysses'  comrades  were  overcome  by  envy  and  by  lust 
of  booty  ;  thinking  that  gold  was  in  the  bag,  they 
untied  the  strings  that  held  the  winds.  These  blew 
the  vessel  back  again  over  the  waves  they  had  just 
crossed,  and  she  re-entered  the  harbour  of  the 
Aeolian  tyrant.  "After  that,"  he  said,  "we  came 
to  the  ancient  city  of  Laestrygonian  Lamus.  Anti- 
phates  was  ruling  in  that  land.  I  was  sent  to  him 
with  two  companions.  One  comrade  and  myself  by 
flight  barely  reached  a  place  of  safety ;  but  the  third 
of  us  stained  with  his  blood  the  Laestrygonians' 
impious  mouths.  Antiphates  pursued  us  as  we  fled 
and  urged  his  band  after  us.  They  came  on  in  a 
mob,  hurling  stones  and  heavy  timbers,  and  they 
sank  our  men  and  sank  our  ships.  One  of  them, 
however,  in  which  I  and  Ulysses  himself  sailed, 
escaped.  Grieving  for  our  lost  companions  and  with 
many  lamentations,  we  finally  reached  that  land 
which  you  see  at  some  distance  yonder.  (And, 
trust  my  word,  I  found  'twas  best  to  see  it  at  a 
distance.)  And  you,  most  righteous  Trojan,  son  of 
Venus  (for  now  that  the  war  is  over, you  are  no  longer 
to  be  counted  foe,  Aeneas),  I  warn  you,  keep  away 
from  Circe's  shores !  We  also,  having  moored  our 
vessel  on  Circe's  shore,  and  remembering  Antiphates 
and  the  cruel  Cyclops,  refused  to  go  further,  but  were 

317 


OVID 

ire  negabamus  ;  sed  tecta  ignota  subire  250 

sorte  sumus  lecti :  sors  me  fidumque  Politen 
Eurylochumque  simul  nimioque  Elpenora  vino 
bisque  novem  socios  Circaea  ad  moenia  misit. 
quae  simul  attigimus  stetimusque  in  limine  tecti, 
mille  lupi  mixtaeque  lupis  ursaeque  leaeque  255 

occursu  fecere  metum,  sed  nulla  timenda 
nullaque  erat  nostro  factura  in  corpore  vulnus ; 
quin  etiam  blandas  movere  per  aera  caudas 
nostraque  adulantes  comitant  vestigia,  donee 
excipiunt  famulae  perque  atria  marmore  tecta      260 
ad  dominam  ducunt :  pulchro  sedet  ilia  recessu 
sollemni  solio  pallamque  induta  nitentem 
insuper  aurato  circumvelatur  amictu. 
Nereides  nymphaeque  simul,  quae  vellera  motis 
nulla  trahunt  digitis  nee  fila  sequentia  ducunt :     265 
gramina  disponunt  sparsosque  sine  ordine  flores 
secei-nunt  calathis  variasque  coloribus  herbas  ; 
ipsa,  quod  hae  faciunt,  opus  exigit,  ipsa,  quis  usus 
quove  sit  in  folio,  quae  sit  concordia  mixtis, 
novit  et  advertens  pensas  examinat  herbas.  270 

haec  ubi  nos  Vidit,  dicta  acceptaque  salute 
diffudit  vultus  et  reddidit  omina  votis. 
nee  mora,  misceri  tosti  iubet  hordea  grani 
mellaque  vimque  meri  cum  lacte  coagula  passo, 
quique  sub  hac  lateant  furtim  dulcedine,  sucos     275 
adicit.     accipimus  sacra  data  pocula  dextra. 
quae  simul  arenti  sitientes  hausimus  ore, 
et  tetigit  summos  virga  dea  dira  capillos, 
(et  pudet  et  referam)  saetis  horrescere  coepi, 
nee  iam  posse  loqui,  pro  verbis  edere  raucum        280 
318 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XIV 

chosen  by  lot  to  approach  the  unknown  houses.  The 
lot  sent  me  and  the  trusty  Polites,  Eurylochus  also  and 
Elpenor,  too  much  given  to  wine,  and  eighteen  others 
to  Circe's  city.  When  we  arrived  and  stood  within  her 
courts,  a  thousand  wolves  and  she-bears  and  lionesses 
in  a  mixed  throng  rushed  on  us,  filling  us  with  terror. 
But  not  one  of  them  was  to  be  feared ;  not  one  of 
them  was  to  give  us  a  single  scratch  upon  our  bodies. 
Why,  they  even  wagged  their  tails  in  show  of  kind- 
ness, and  fawned  upon  us  as  they  followed  us  along, 
until  attendant  maidens  took  us  in  charge  and  led  us 
through  the  marble  halls  to  their  mistress'  presence. 
She  sat  in  a  beautiful  retreat  on  her  throne  of 
state,  clad  in  a  gleaming  robe,  with  a  golden  veil 
above.  Her  attendants  were  Nereids  and  nymphs, 
who  card  no  fleece  and  spin  no  woollen  threads  with 
nimble  fingers  ;  their  only  task,  to  sort  out  plants,  to 
select  from  a  jumbled  mass  and  place  in  separate 
baskets  flowers  and  herbs  of  various  colours.  She 
herself  oversees  the  work  they  do ;  she  herself 
knows  what  is  the  value  of  each  leaf,  what  in- 
gredients mix  well  together,  directs  the  tasks,  and 
weighs  the  herbs.  When  she  saw  us  and  when 
welcome  had  been  given  and  received,  she  smiled 
upon  us  and  seemed  to  promise  us  the  friendship  we 
desired.  At  once  she  bade  her  maidens  spread  a  feast 
of  parched  barley-bread,  of  hone}',  sti'ong  wine,  and 
curdled  milk  ;  and  in  this  sweet  drink,  where  they 
might  lie  unnoticed,  she  slyly  squeezed  some  of  her 
baleful  juices.  We  took  the  cup  which  was  offered  by 
her  divine  hand.  As  soon  as  we  had  thirstily  drained 
the  cup  with  patched  lips,  the  cruel  goddess  touched 
the  tops  of  our  heads  with  her  magic  wand  ;  and  then 
(I  am  ashamed  to  tell,  yet  will  I  tell)  I  began  to  grow 
rough  with  bristles,  and  I  could  speak  no  longer,  but  in 

319 


OVID 

murmur  et  in  terram  toto  procumbere  vultu, 
osque  meum  sensi  pando  occallescere  rostro, 
colla  tumere  toris,  et  qua  modo  pocula  parte 
sumpta  mihi  fuerant,  ilia  vestigia  feci 
cumque  eadem  passis  (tantum  medicamina  possunt!) 
claudor  hara,  solumque  suis  caruisse  figura  286 

vidimus  Eurylochum  :  solus  data  pocula  fugit ; 
quae  nisi  vitasset,  pecoris  pars  una  manerem 
nunc  quoque  saetigeri,  nee  tantae  cladis  ab  illo 
certior  ad  Circen  ultor  venisset  Ulixes.  290 

pacifer  huic  dederat  florem  Cyllenius  album : 
moly  vocant  superi,  nigra  radice  tenetur  ; 
tutus  eo  monitisque  simul  caelestibus  intrat 
ille  domum  Circes  et  ad  insidiosa  vocatus 
pocula  conantem  virga  mulcere  capillos  295 

reppulit  et  stricto  pavidam  deterruit  ense. 
inde  fides  dextraeque  datae  thalamoque  receptus 
coniugii  dotem  sociorum  corpora  poscit. 
spargimur  ignotae  sucis  melioribus  herbae 
percutimurque  caput  conversae  verbere  virgae,     SOO 
verbaque  dicuntur  dictis  contraria  verbis, 
quo  magis  ilia  canit,  magis  hoc  tellure  levati 
erigimur,  saetaeque  cadunt,  bifidosque  relinquit 
rima  pedes,  redeunt  umeri  et  subiecta  lacertis 
bracchia  sunt :  flentem  flentes  amplectimur  ipsi    305 
haeremusque  ducis  collo  nee  verba  locuti 
ulla  priora  sum  us  quam  nos  testantia  gratos. 
annua  nos  illic  tenuit  mora,  multaque  praesens 
S20 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

place  of  words  came  only  hoarse,  grunting  sounds,  and 
I  began  to  bend  forward  with  face  turned  entirely  to 
the  earth.  I  felt  my  mouth  hardening  into  a  long 
snout,  my  neck  swelling  in  brawny  folds,  and  with  my 
hands,  with  which  but  now  I  had  lifted  the  goblet  to 
my  lips,  I  made  tracks  upon  the  ground.  And  then  I 
was  shut  up  in  a  pen  with  others  who  had  suffered  the 
same  change  (so  great  was  the  power  of  her  magic 
drugs !).  We  saw  that  Eurylochus  alone  was  without 
the  pig  form ;  for  he  alone  had  refused  to  take  the  cup. 
If  he  had  not  refused  it,  I  should  even  now  be  one  of 
the  bristly  herd,  and  Ulysses  would  never  have  been 
informed  by  him  of  our  great  calamity,  and  come  to 
Circe  to  avenge  us.  ,  Peace-bringing  Cyllenius  had 
given  him  a  white  flower  which  the  gods  call  moly. 
It  grows  up  from  a  black  root.  Safe  with  this  and 
the  directions  which  the  god  had  given  him,  Ulysses 
entered  Circe's  palace  and,  when  he  was  invited  to 
drink  of  the  fatal  bowl,  he  struck  aside  the  wand  with 
which  she  was  attempting  to  stroke  his  hair,  and 
threatened  the  quaking  queen  with  his  drawn  sword. 
Then  faith  was  pledged  and  right  hands  given  and, 
being  accepted  as  her  husband,  he  demanded  as  a 
wedding  gift  the  bodies  of  his  friends.  We  were 
sprinkled  with  the  more  wholebome  juices  of  some 
mysterious  herb,  our  heads  received  the  stroke  of  her 
reversed  rod,  and  words  were  uttered  over  us  which 
counteracted  the  words  said  before.  And  as  she  sang, 
more  and  still  more  raised  from  the  ground  we  stood 
erect,  our  bristles  fell  away,  our  feet  lost  their  cloven 
hoofs,  our  shoulders  came  back  to  us,  and  our  aims 
resumed  their  former  shape.  Weeping,  we  embraced 
him,  weeping  too,  and  clung  to  our  chieftain's  neck  ; 
and  the  first  words  we  uttered  were  of  gratitude  to  him. 
We  tarried  in  that  country  for  a  year,  and  in  so  long  a 

321 


OVID 

tempore  tam  longo  vidi,  multa  auribus  hausi, 

hoc  quoque  cum  multis.  quod  clam  mihi  rettulit  una 

quattuor  e  famulis  ad  talia  sacra  paratis.  311 

cum  duce  namque  meo  Circe  dum  sola  moratur, 

ilia  mihi  niveo  factum  de  marmore  signum 

ostendit  iuvenale  gerens  in  vertice  picum, 

aede  sacra  positum  multisque  insigne  coronis.       315 

quis  foret  et  quare  sacra  coleretur  in  aede, 

cur  banc  ferret  avem,  quaerenti  et  scire  volenti 

'  accipe  '   ait,  '  Macareu,  dominaeque  potentia  quae 

sit 
hinc  quoque  disce  meae  ;  tu  dictis  adice  mentem  ! 

"  '  Picus  in  Ausoniis,  proles  Saturnia,  terris       320 
rex  fuit,  utilium  bello  studiosus  equorum ; 
forma  viro,  quam  cernis,  erat :  licet  ipse  decorem 
adspicias  fictaque  probes  ab  imagine  verum  ; 
par  animus  formae  ;  nee  adhuc  spectasse  per  annos 
quinquennem  poterat  Graia  quater  Elide  pugnam. 
ille  suos  dryadas  Latiis  in  montibus  ortas  326 

verterat  in  vultus,  ilium  fontana  petebant 
numina,  naiades,  quas  Albula,  quasque  Numici, 
quas  Anienis  aquae  cursuque  brevissimus  Almo 
Nai*ve  tulit  praeceps  et  opacae  Farfarus  umbrae,  330 
quaeque  colunt  Scythicae  stagnum  nemorale  Diana e 
finitimosque  lacus ;  spretis  tamen  omnibus  unam 
ille  colit  nymphen,  quam  quondam  in  colle  Palati 
dicitur  ancipiti  peperisse  Venilia  Iano. 
haec  ubi  nubilibus  primum  maturuit  annis,  335 

praeposito  cunctis  Laurenti  tradita  Pico  est, 
322 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

time  many  were  the  things  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes 
and  many  were  the  tales  I  heard.  Here  is  one  of 
the  many  which  one  of  the  four  attendants  appointed 
for  such  offices  as  have  been  mentioned  *  told  me 
privately.  For,  while  Circe  was  dallying  alone  with 
our  leader,  this  nymph  pointed  out  to  me  a  snow- 
white  marble  statue  of  a  young  man  with  a  wood- 
pecker on  his  head.  The  statue  was  set  in  a  sacred 
fane  and  attracted  attention  for  its  many  wreaths. 
When  in  my  curiosity  I  asked  who  it  was  and  why 
he  was  worshipped  in  that  holy  place  and  why  he 
had  the  bird  upon  his  head,  she  told  me  this  story : 
(  Listen,  Macareus,  and  learn  from  this  how  strong 
is  my  mistress'  magic.  And  do  you  give  diligent 
heed  to  what  I  say.  S 

"  '  Picus,  the  son  of  Saturn,  was  once  the  king  of 
the  Ausonian  country  and  was  very  fond  of  horses 
fit  for  war.  The  hero's  form  was  as  you  see  it.  And, 
though  you  should  look  upon  his  living  beauty, 
still  would  you  approve  the  true  in  comparison 
with  his  mimic  form.  His  spirit  was  equal  to  his 
body.  He  could  not  yet  have  seen,  as  the  years 
went  by,  four  quinquennial  contests  at  Grecian 
Elis  ;  but  already  had  he  attracted  to  his  beauty  all 
the  dryads  sprung  from  the  hills  of  Latium ;  the 
nymphs  of  the  fountains  pined  for  him,  and  the 
naiads  who  dwell  in  tlie  Albula,  beneath  Numicus* 
stream  and  Anio's,  short-coursing  Almo,  headlong  Nar, 
and  Farfar's  shady  waters  ;  and  those  who  haunt  the 
wooded  pool  of  Taurian  Diana  and  the  neighbouring 
lakes.  But,  spurning  all  these,  he  loved  one  nymph 
alone,  whom  once  on  the  Palatine  Venilia  is  said  to 
have  borne  to  two-headed  Janus.  This  maid,  when 
she  had  ripened  into  marriageable  years,  was  given 
l  See  1L  266  ff. 

32S 


OVID 

rara  quidem  facie,  sed  rarior  arte  canendi, 

unde  Canens  dicta  est:  silvas  et  saxa  movere 

et  mulcere  feras  et  flumina  longa  morari 

ore  suo  volucresque  vagas  retinere  solebat.  340 

quae  dum  feminea  modulatur  carmina  voce, 

exierat  tecto  Laurentes  Picus  in  a^ros 

indigenas  fixurus  apros  tergumque  premebat 

acris  equi  laevaque  hastilia  bina  ferebat 

poeniceam  fulvo  chlamydem  contractus  ab  auro.  345 

venerat  in  silvas  et  filia  Solis  easdem, 

utque  novas  legeret  fecundis  collibus  herbas, 

nomine  dicta  suo  Circaea  reliquerat  arva. 

quae  simul  ac  iuveneni  virgultis  abdita  vidit, 

obstipuit :  cecidere  manu,  quas  legerat,  herbae,    350 

flammaque  per  totas  visa  est  errare  medullas. 

ut  primum  valido  mentem  conlegit  ab  aestu, 

quid  cuperet,  fassura  fuit :  ne  posset  adire, 

cursus  equi  fecit  circumfususque  satelles. 

"  non  "  ait  "  effugies,  vento  rapiare  licebit,  355 

si  modo  me  novi,  si  non  evanuit  omnis 

herbarum  virtus,  et  non  mea  carmina  fallunt." 

dixit  et  effigiem  nullo  cum  corpore  falsi 

fingit  apri  praeterque  oculos  transcurrere  regis 

iussit  et  in  densum  trabibus  nemus  ire  videri,        360 

plurima  qua  silva  est  et  equo  loca  pervia  non  sunt. 

haut  mora,  continuo  praedae  petit  inscius  umbram 

Picus  equique  celer  spumantia  terga  relinquit 

spemque  sequens  vanam  silva  pedes  errat  in  alta. 

324 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

to  Laurentian  Picus,  preferred  above  all  suitors. 
Rare  was  her  beauty,  but  rarer  still  her  gift  of  song, 
whence  was  her  name,  Canens.  She  used  to  move 
woods  and  rocks,  soften  wild  beasts,  stop  the  long 
rivers  with  her  singing,  and  stay  the  wandering- 
birds.  Once,  while  she  was  singing  her  songs  with  her 
maidenly  voice,  Picus  had  sallied  forth  from  home 
into  the  Laurentian  fields  to  hunt  the  native  boar. 
He  bestrode  a  prancing  courser,  carrying  in  his  left 
hand  a  brace  of  spears  and  wearing  a  purple  mantle 
caught  with  a  brooch  of  gold.  The  daughter  x  of  the 
Sun  also  had  come  to  those  selfsame  woods  and,  to 
gather  fresh  herbs  on  the  fertile  hills,  she  had  left 
the  fields  called  Circaean  from  her  name.  As  soon  as 
she  saw  the  youth  from  her  leafy  hiding-place  she 
was  struck  with  wonder.  The  herbs  which  she  had 
gathered  fell  from  her  hands  and  burning  fire 
seemed  to  creep  through  her  whole  frame.  As  soon 
as  she  could  master  her  passion  and  collect  her 
thoughts  she  was  on  the  point  of  confessing  her 
desire  ;  but  his  swift-speeding  horse  and  his  throng- 
ing retinue  prevented  her  approach  to  him.  "  You 
shall  not  escape  me  so,"  she  cried,  "  not  though  the 
wind  itself  should  bear  you  off,  if  I  know  myself,  if 
my  herbs'  magic  power  has  not  wholly  vanished,  and 
if  my  charms  have  not  failed."  She  spoke  and 
fashioned  an  unsubstantial  image  of  a  boar  and  bade 
it  rush  across  the  trail  before  the  prince's  eyes  and 
seem  to  take  cover  in  a  grove  thick  with  fallen  trees, 
where  the  woods  were  dense,  places  where  a  horse 
could  not  penetrate.  The  thing  was  done,  and 
straightway  Picus,  all  unconscious  of  the  trick, 
made  after  his  shadowy  prey  and,  swiftly  dismount- 
ing from  his  foaming  steed,  followed  the  empty  lure 

1  Circe. 

325 


OVID 

concipit  ilia  preces  et  verba  precantia  dicit  865 

ignotosque  deos  ignoto  carmine  adorat, 

quo  solet  et  niveae  vultum  confundere  Lunae 

et  patrio  capiti  bibulas  subtexere  nubes. 

turn  quoque  cantato  der.setur  carmine  caelum 

et  nebulas  exhalat  humus,  caecisque  vagantur       370 

limitibus  comites,  et  abest  custodia  regis. 

nacta  locum  tempusque  "  per  o,  tua  lumina,"  dixit 

"quae    mea    ceperunt,    perque    hanc,    pulchenime, 

formam, 
quae  facit,  ut  supplex  tibi  sim  dea,  consule  nostris 
ignibus  et  socerum,  qui  pervidet  omnia,  Solem      375 
accipe  nee  durus  Titanida  despice  Circen." 
dixerat ;  ille  ferox  ipsamque  precesque  repellit 
et   "quaecumque   es,"   ait    "  non   sum   tuus ;   altera 

captum 
me  tenet  et  teneat  per  longum,  conprecor,  aevum, 
nee  Venere  externa  socialia  foedera  laedam,  380 

dum  mihi  Ianigenam  servabunt  fata  Canentem  " 
saepe  retemptatis  precibus  Titania  frustra 
"non  inpune  feres,  neque"  ait  "reddere  Canenti, 
laesaque  quid  faciat,  quid  amans,  quid  femina,  disces 
[rebus,"  ait  "  sed  amans  est  laesa  et  femina  Circe  ! "] 
turn  bis  ad  occasus,  bis  se  convertit  ad  ortus,         386 
ter  iuvenem  baculo  tetigit,  tria  carmina  dixit, 
ille  fugit,  sed  se  solito  velocius  ipse 
currere  miratur :  pennas  in  corpore  vidit, 
seque  novam  subito  Latiis  accedere  silvis  390 

326 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK    XIV 

and  went  wandering  on  foot  amid  the  forest 
depths.  She  utters  prayers  and  fell  to  muttering 
incantations,  worshipping  her  weird  gods  with 
a  weird  charm  with  whioh  it  was  her  wont  to 
obscure  the  white  moon's  features,  and  hide  her 
father's  face  behind  misty  clouds.  Now  also  by 
her  magic  song  the  heavens  are  darkened,  and  thick 
fogs  spring  up  from  the  ground,  while  the  retainers 
wander  in  the  dim  trails  far  from  their  king's  de- 
fence. Having  secured  a  fitting  place  and  time,  she 
says  :  "  Oh,  by  those  eyes  which  have  enthralled  my 
own,  and  by  that  beauty,  fairest  of  youths,  which  has 
made  even  me,  a  goddess.,  suppliant  to  you,  look 
with  favour  on  my  passion  and  accept  the  Sun,  who 
beholds  all  things,  as  your  father-in-law ;  and  do 
not  cruelly  reject  Circe,  the  Titaness."  But  he 
fiercely  repelled  her  and  her  prayers,  and  said : 
"  Whoever  you  are,  I  am  nol  for  you.  Another  has 
taken  and  holds  my  love  in  keeping,  and  I  pray  that 
she  may  keep  it  through  all  coming  time.  Nor  will 
I  violate  my  plighted  troth  by  any  other  love  so  long 
as  the  fates  shall  preserve  to  me  my  Canens,  Janus' 
daughter."  Having  tried  oft-repeated  prayers  in 
vain,  the  Titaness  exclaimed  :  "  But  you  shall  not  go 
scathless,  nor  shall  your  Canens  ever  have  you  more  ; 
and  you  shall  learn  by  experience  not  alone  what 
any  woman,  loving  and  scorned,  can  do,  but  what 
the  woman,  Circe,  loving  and  scorned,  can  do ! " 
Then  twice  she  turned  her  to  the  west  and  twice 
to  the  east ;  thrice  she  touched  the  youth  with 
her  wand  and  thrice  she  sang  her  charms.  He 
turned  in  flight,  but  was  amazed  to  find  himself 
running  more  swiftly  than  his  wont,  and  saw  wings 
spring  out  upon  his  body.  Enraged  at  his  sudden 
change  to  a  strange  bird  in  his  Latian  woods,  he 

327 


OVID 

indignatus  avem  duro  fera  robora  rostro 
figit  et  iratus  longis  dat  vulnera  ramis ; 
purpureum  chlamydis  pennae  traxere  colorem; 
fibula  quod  fuerat  vestemque  momorderat  aurum, 
pluma  fit,  et  fulvo  cervix  praecingitur  auro,  395 

nee  quicquam  antiquum  Pico  nisi  nomina  restat. 

"  '  Interea  comites,  clamato  saepe  per  agros 
nequiquam  Pico  nullaque  in  parte  reperto, 
inveniunt  Circen  (nam  iam  tenuaverat  auras 
passaque  erat  nebulas  ventis  ac  sole  recludi)         400 
criminibusque  premunt  veris  regemque  reposcunt 
vimque  ferunt  saevisque  parant  incessere  telis  : 
ilia  nocens  spargit  virus  sucosque  veneni 
et  Noctem  Noctisque  deos  Ereboque  Chaoque 
convocat  et  longis  Hecaten  ululatibus  orat.  405 

exsiluere  loco  (dictu  mirabile)  silvae, 
ingemuitque  solum,  vincinaque  palluit  arbor, 
sparsaque  sanguineis  maduerunt  pabula  guttis, 
et  lapides  visi  mugitus  edere  raucos 
et  latrare  canes  et  humus  serpentibus  atris  410 

squalere  et  tenues  animae  volitare  silentum : 
attonitum  monstris  vulgus  pavet ;  ilia  paventis 
ora  venenata  tetigit  mirantia  virga, 
cuius  ab  attactu  variarum  monstra  ferarum 
in  iuvenes  veniunt:  nulli  sua  mansit  imago.  415 

u  '  Sparserat  occiduus  Tartessia  litora  Phoebus, 
et  frustra  coniunx  oculis  animoque  Canentis 
exspectatus  erat :  famuli  populusque  per  omnes 
328 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

pecked  at  the  rough  oak-trees  with  his  hard  beak 
and  wrathfully  inflicted  wounds  on  their  long 
branches.  His  wings  took  the  colour  of  his  bright 
red  mantle,  and  what  had  been  a  brooch  of  gold 
stuck  through  his  robe  was  changed  to  feathers,  and 
his  neck  was  circled  with  a  sold  en -yellow  band ; 
and  naught  of  his  former  self  remained  to  Picaja- 
except  his  name. 

"'Meanwhile  his  companions,  calling  often  and 
vainly  for  Picus  throughout  the  countryside  and 
finding  him  nowhere,  came  upon  Circe  (for  now  she 
had  cleared  the  air  and  had  permitted  the  clouds 
to  be  dispelled  by  wind  and  sun),  charged  her  flatly 
with  her  crime,  demanded  back  their  king  with 
threats  of  force,  and  were  preparing  to  attack  her 
with  their  deadly  spears.  But  she  sprinkled  upon 
them  her  baleful  drugs  and  poisonous  juices,  sum- 
moning to  her  aid  Night  and  the  gods  of  Night 
from  Erebus  and  Chaos,  and  calling  on  Hecate  in 
long-drawn,  wailing  cries.  The  woods,  wonderful  to 
say,  leaped  from  their  place,  the  ground  rumbled, 
the  neighbouring  trees  turned  white,  and  the  herbage 
where  her  poisons  fell  was  stained  with  clots  of  blood. 
The  stones  also  seemed  to  voice  hoarse  bellowings; 
the  baying  of  dogs  was  heard,  the  ground  was  foul 
with  dark,  crawling  things,  and  the  thin  shades  of 
the  silent  dead  seemed  to  be  flitting  about.  The 
astounded  crowd  quaked  at  the  monstrous  sights 
and  sounds ;  but  she  touched  the  frightened, 
wondering  faces  with  her  magic  wand,  and  at  the 
touch  horrid,  beast-like  forms  of  many  shapes  came 
upon  the  youths,  and  none  kept  his  proper  form.   ^ 

"'  Now  the  setting  sun  had  bathed  the  Tartesstan 
shores,  and  vainly  had  Canens  watched  for  her 
lord's  return  with  eyes  and  heart.    Her  slaves  and  her 

329 


OVID 

discurrunt  silvas  atque  obvia  lumina  portant ; 

nee  satis  est  nymphae  flere  et  lacerare  capillos      420 

et  dare  plangorem  (facit  haec  tamen  omnia)  seque 

proripit  ac  Latios  errat  vesana  per  agros. 

sex  illam  noctes,  totidem  redeuntia  solis 

lumina  viderunt  inopem  somnique  cibique 

per  iuga,  per  valles,  qua  fors  ducebat,  euntem ;     425 

ultimus  adspexit  Thybris  luctuque  viaque 

fessam  et  iam  longa  ponentem  corpora  ripa. 

illic  cum  lacrimis  ipso  modulata  dolore 

verba  sono  tenui  maerens  fundebat,  ut  olim 

carmina  iam  moriens  canit  exequialia  cygnus  ;       430 

luctibus  extremum  tenues  liquefacta  medullas 

tabuit  inque  leves  paulatim  evanuit  auras, 

fama  tamen  signata  loco  est,  quern  rite  Canentem 

nomine  de  nymphae  veteres  dixere  Camenae.' 

"  Talia  multa  mihi  longum  narrata  per  annum  435 
visaque  sunt,     resides  et  desuetudine  tardi 
rursus  inire  fretum,  rursus  dare  vela  iubemur, 
ancipitesque  vias  et  iter  Titan i a  vastum 
dixerat  et  saevi  restare  pericula  ponti : 
pertimui,  fateor,  nactusque  hoc  litus  adhaesi."       440 

Finierat  Macareus,  urnaque  Aeneia  nutrix 
condita  marmorea  tumulo  breve  carmen  habebat  : 

HIC  •   ME  •  CAIETAM  •  NOTAE  •  P1ETATIS  •   ALUMNUS 
EKEPTAM   -  ARGOLICO  •  QUO   •  DEI3UIT  •  IGNE   .  CREMAVIT 

solvitur  herboso  religatus  ab  aggere  funis,  445 

et  procul  insidias  infamataeque  relinquunt 

330 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

people  scattered  through  all  the  woods,  bearing 
torches  in  hope  to  meet  him.  Nor  was  the  nymph 
content  to  weep,  to  tear  her  hair  and  beat  her 
breasts;  (all  these  she  did,  indeed)  and,  rushing 
forth,  she  wandered  madly  through  the  Latian  fields. 
Six  nights  and  as  many  returning  dawns  beheld  her 
wandering,  sleepless  and  lasting,  over  hills,  through 
valleys,  wherever  chance  directed.  The  Tiber  was 
the  last  to  see  her,  spent  with  grief  and  travel-toil, 
laying  her  body  down  upon  his  far-stretching  bank. 
There,  with  tears,  in  weak,  faint  tones,  she  poured 
out  her  mournful  words  attuned  to  grief;  just  as 
sometimes,  in  dying,  the  swan  sings  a  last  funeral- 
song.  Finally,  worn  to  a  shade  by  woe,  her  very 
marrow  changed  to  water,  she  melted  away  and 
gradually  vanished  into  thin  air.  Still  her  story  has 
been  kept  in  remembrance  by  the  place  which 
ancient  muses  fitly  called  Canens  from  the  name  of 
the  nymph.'  -^ 

"  Many  such  things  I  heard  and  saw  during  a  long 
year.  At  length,  grown  sluggish  and  slow  through 
inactivity,  we  were  ordered  to  go  again  upon  the  sea 
and  again  to  spread  our  sails.  The  Titaness  had  told  us 
of  the  dubious  pathways  of  the  sea,  their  vast  extent, 
and  all  the  desperate  perils  yet  to  come.  I  own  I 
was  afraid  to  face  them  and,  having  reached  this 
shore,  I  stayed  behind." 

Macareus  had  finished    his   story ;    and    Aeneas' 
nurse,  buried  in  a  marble  urn,  had  a  brief  epitaph 
carved  on  her  tomb  : 

Here  me,  Caieta,  snatched  from  Grecian  flames, 
My  pious  son  consumed  with  fitting  fire. 

Loosing  their  cables  from  the  grass -grown  shore, 
they  kept  far   out  from  the  treacherous  island,  the 

S31 


OVID 
tecta  deae  lucosque  petunt,  ubi  nubilus  umbra 
in  mare  cum  flava  prorumpit  Thybris  barena  ; 
Faunigenaeque  domo  potitur  nataque  Latini, 
non  sine  Marte  tamen.    bellum  cum  gente  feroci  450 
siiscipitur,  pactaque  furit  pro  coniuge  Turnus. 
concurrit  Latio  Tyrrhenia  tota,  diuque 
ardua  sollicitis  victoria  quaeritur  armis. 
auget  uterque  suas  externo  robore  vires, 
et  multi  Elutulos,  multi  Troiana  tuentur  455 

castra,  neque  Aeneas  Euandri  ad  moenia  frustra, 
at  Venulus  frustra  profugi  Diomedis  ad  urbem 
venerat :  ille  quidem  sub  Iapyge  maxima  Dauno 
moenia  condiderat  dotaliaque  arva  tenebat ; 
sed  Venulus  Turni  postquam  ma  idata  peregit       460 
auxiliumque  petit,  vires  Aetolius  beros 
excusat :  nee  se  aut  soceri  committere  pugnae 
velle  sui  populos,  aut  quos  e  gente  suorum 
armet  habere  ullos,  "  neve  haec  commenta  putetis, 
admonitu  quamquam  luctus  renoventur  amari,       465 
perpetiar  memorare  tamen.     postquam  alta  cremata 

est 
Ilios,  et  Danaas  paverunt  Pergama  flammas, 
Naryciusque  heros,  a  virgine  virgine  rapta, 
quam  meruit  poenam  solus,  digessit  in  omnes, 
spargimur  et  ventis  inimica  per  aequora  rapti         470 
fulmina,  noctem,  imbres,  iram  caelique  marisque 
perpetimur  Danai  cumulumque  Capherea  cladis, 
832 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

home  of  the  ill-famed  goddess,  and  headed  for  the 
wooded  coast  where  shady  Tiber  pours  forth  his 
yellow,  silt-laden  waters  into  the  sea.  There  did 
Aeneas  win  the  daughter  and  the  throne  of  Latinus, 
Faunus'son;  but  not  without  a  struggle.  War  with 
a  fierce  race  is  waged,  and  Turnus  fights  madly  for 
his  promised  bride.  All  Etruria  rushes  to  battle- 
shock  with  Latium,  and  with  long  and  anxious 
struggle  hard  victory  is  sought.  Both  sides  augment 
their  strength  by  outside  aid  ;  and  many  defend  the 
Rutuli  and  many  the  Trojan  camp.  Aeneas  had  not 
gone  in  vain  to  Evander's  home,  but  Venulus  had 
vainly  sought  the  city  of  the  exiled  Diomede.  He 
had  founded  a  large  city  x  within  Iapygian  Daunus' 
realm,  and  was  ruling  the  fields  granted  to  him 
as  a  marriage  portion.  But  when  Venulus  had  done 
Turnus'  bidding  and  asked  for  aid,  the  Aetolian  hero 
pleaded  his  lack  of  resources  as  his  excuse,  saying  that 
he  was  not  willing  to  expose  himself  or  his  father-in- 
law's  people  to  the  risk  of  battle,  nor  did  he  have 
men  of  his  own  nation  whom  he  might  equip  for  war. 
"And,  that  you  may  not  think  my  excuses  false, 
although  the  very  mention  of  my  woes  renews  my 
bitter  grief,  still  will  I  endure  the  telling  of  them. 
After  high  Ilium  had  been  burned  and  Pergama  had 
glutted  the  furious  passions  of  the  Greeks  ;  and  after 
the  Narycian  hero2  from  a  virgin  goddess3  for  a 
violated  virgin  had  brought  on  us  all  the  punishment 
which  he  alone  deserved,  we  Greeks  were  scattered 
and,  blown  by  winds  over  the  angry  waters,  we 
suffered  lightning  blasts,  thick  darkness,  storms,  the 
rage  of  sky  and  sea  and  Caphereus,  the  climax  of  our 

l  Arpi. 

a  Ajax,  the  son  of  Oileus,  who  violated  Cassandra. 

3  Minerva. 

333 


OVID 

neve  morer  referens  tristes  ex  ordine  casus, 
Graecia  turn  potuit  Priamo  quoque  flenda  videri. 
me  tamen  armiferae  servatum  cura  Minervae         475 
fluctibus  eripuit,  patriis  sed  rursus  ab  Argis 
pellor,  et  antiquo  memores  de  vulnere  poenas 
exigit  alma  Venus,  tantosque  per  alta  labores 
aequora  sustinui,  tantos  terrestribus  armis, 
ut  mihi  felices  sint  illi  saepe  vocati,  480 

quos  communis  hiems  inportunusque  Caphereus 
mersit  aquis,  vellemque  horum  pars  una  fuissem. 

"  Ultima  iam  passi  comites  belloque  fretoque 
deficiunt  finemque  rogant  erroris,  at  Acmon 
fervidus  ingenio,  turn  vero  et  cladibus  asper,  485 

'  quid  superest,  quod  iam  patientia  vestra  recuset 
ferre,  viri?'  dixit  '  quid  habet  Cytherea,  quod  ultra, 
velle  puta,  faciat  ?  nam  dum  peiora  timentur, 
est  locus  in  vulnus  :  sors  autem  ubi  pessima  rerum, 
sub  pedibus  timor  est  securaque  summa  malorum.  490 
audiat  ipsa  licet  et,  quod  facit,  oderit  omnes 
sub  Diomede  viros,  odium  tamen  illius  omnes 
spernimus,  et  magno  stat  magna  potentia  nobis.' 
talibus  inritans  Venerem  Pleuronius  Acmon 
instimulat  verbis  veteremque  resuscitat  iram.        495 
dicta  placent  paucis,  numeri  maioris  amici 
Acmona  conripimus ;  cui  respondere  volenti 
vox  pariter  vocisque  via  est  tenuata,  comaeque 
in  plumas  abeunt,  plumis  nova  colla  teguntur 
pectoraque  et  tergum,  maiores  bracchia  pennas    500 
884 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

disasters.  Not  to  delay  you  by  telling  our  sad  mis- 
haps in  order,  Greece  at  that  time  could  have  moved 
even  Priam's  tears.  Well-armed  Minerva's  care, 
however,  saved  me  from  the  waves ;  but  again  I  was 
driven  forth  from  my  native  Argos,  for  fostering 
Venus,  still  mindful  of  the  old  wound  I  had  given 
her,  now  exacted  the  penalty.  So  great  toils  did  I 
endure  on  the  high  seas  and  so  great  toils  of  war  on 
land  that  often  did  I  call  those  blessed  of  heaven 
whom  the  storm,  which  all  had  suffered,  and  cruel 
Caphereus  drowned  beneath  the  waves  ;  and  I  wished 
that  I,  too,  had  been  one  of  them. 

"  And  now  my  companions,  having  endured  the 
uttermost  in  war  and  sea,  became  disheartened  and 
begged  me  to  make  an  end  of  wandering.  But 
Acmon,  who  was  naturally  hot-headed  and  who  was 
then  especially  intractable  because  of  our  sufferings, 
exclaimed  :  (  What  is  there  left,  men,  for  your  long- 
suffering  to  refuse  to  bear  ?  What  is  there  left  for 
Venus  to  do  further,  supposing  she  wishes  it  ?  For, 
so  long  as  we  fear  worse  fortunes,  we  lie  open  to 
wounds  ;  but  when  the  worst  possible  lot  has  fallen, 
then  is  fear  beneath  our  feet  and  the  utmost  mis- 
fortune can  bring  us  no  further  care.  Though  she 
herself  should  hear  and,  as  indeed  she  does,  should 
hate  all  the  followers  of  Diomede,  still  do  we  all 
scorn  her  hatred ;  and  much  we  reck  of  her  mighty 
power  ! ' 1  With  such  insulting  words  did  Pleuronian 
Acmon  rouse  Venus  and  revive  her  former  anger. 
But  few  approved  his  words.  We,  the  greater  num- 
ber of  his  friends,  upbraided  Acmon  ;  and  when  he 
would  have  replied,  his  voice  and  throat  together 
grew  thin ;  his  hair  was  changed  to  feathers,  and 
feathers    clothed   a    new-formed    neck    and    breast 

1  The  phrase  is  ironical  and  the  variant  parvo  gives  the 
same  sense. 

S35 


OVID 

accipiunt,  cubitique  leves  sinuantur  in  alas  ; 

magna  pedum  digitos  pars  occupat,  oraque  cornu 

indurata  rigent  finemque  in  acumine  ponunt. 

hunc  Lvcus,  hunc  Idas  et  cum  Rhexenore  Nycteus, 

hunc  miratur  Abas,  et  dum  mirantur,  eandem       505 

accipiunt  faciem,  numerusque  ex  agmine  maior 

subvolat  et  remos  plausis  circumvolat  alis  : 

si  volucrum  quae  sit  du  hi  arum  forma  requiris, 

ut  non  cygnorum,  sic  albis  proxima  cygnis. 

vix  equidem  has  sedes  et  Iapygis  arida  Dauni       510 

arva  gener  teneo  minima  cum  parte  meorum." 

Hactenus  Oenides,  Venulus  Calydonia  regna 
Peucetiosque  sinus  Messapiaque  arva  relinquit. 
in  quibus  antra  videt,  quae,  multa  nubila  silva 
et  levibus  cannis  latitantia,  semicaper  Pan  515 

nunc  tenet,  at  quodam  tenuerunt  tempore  nymphae. 
Apulus  has  ilia  pastor  regione  fugatas 
terruit  et  primo  subita  formidine  movit, 
mox,  ubi  mens  rediit  et  contempsere  sequentem, 
ad  numerum  motis  pedibus  duxere  choreas ;  520 

inprobat  has  pastor  saltuque  imitatus  agresti 
addidit  obscenis  convicia  rustica  dictis, 
nee  prius  os  tacuit,  quam  guttura  condidit  arbor: 
arbor  enim  est,  sucoque  licet  cognoscere  mores, 
quippe  notam  linguae  bacis  oleaster  amaris  525 

exhibet :  asperitas  verborum  cessit  in  illas. 

Hinc  ubi  legati  rediere,  negata  ferentes 
arma  Aetola  sibi,  Rutuli  sine  viribus  illis 
336 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

and  back.  His  arms  acquired  large  pinion-feathers 
and  his  elbows  curved  into  nimble  wings ;  his  toes 
were  replaced  by  webbed  feet  and  his  face  grew  stiff 
and  horny,  ending  in  a  sharp-pointed  beak.  Lycus 
viewed  him  in  wonder,  so  also  Idas,  Rhexenor  and 
Nycteus  and  Abas  too ;  and,  while  they  wondered, 
they  became  of  the  same  form.  The  greater  number 
of  the  flock  flew  up  and  circled  round  the  rowers  with 
Happing  wings,  iff  you  ask  of  what  sort  were  these 
questionable  birds,  while  they  were  not  swans,  they 
were  very  like  snowy  swans.  And  now,  as  son-in- 
law  of  Iapygian  Daunus,  I  have  hard  work  to  hold 
this  settlement  and  this  parched  countryside  with 
but  a  pitiful  remnant  of  my  friends." 

So  spoke  the  grandson  of  Oeneus.  And  Ventilus 
departed  from  the  Calydonian  realm,  passing  the 
Peucetian  bay  and  the  regions  of  Messapia.  Here 
he  saw  a  cavern,  dark  with  forest  shades  and  hidden 
by  a  growth  of  waving  reeds.  The  half-goat  Pan  now 
claims  the  place,  but  at  one  time  the  nymphs  dwelt 
there.  An  Apulian  shepherd  of  that  region  caused 
them  to  run  away  in  terror,  filling  them  at  first  with 
sudden  fear.  But  soon,  when  their  courage  returned 
and  they  saw  with  scorn  who  was  pursuing  them, 
they  returned  to  their  choral  dancing  again  with 
nimble  feet.  Still  did  the  shepherd  mock  them, 
imitating  their  dance  with  his  clownish  steps,  adding 
to  this  boorish  insults  and  vulgar  words.  Nor  did 
he  cease  speaking  until  the  rising  wood  covered  his 
mouth.  For  now  he  is  a  tree.  You  could  tell  his 
character  from  the  savour  of  its  fruit;  for  the  wild  olive 
bears  the  traces  of  his  tongue  in  its  bitter  berries. 
The  sharpness  of  his  woi'ds  has  passed  to  them. 

When  the  ambassadors  returned  with  the  news 
that  Aetolian  help  had  been  refused  them,  the  Rntuli 

837 


OVID 

bella  instructs  gerunt,  multumque  ab  utraque  cruoris 

parte  datur;  fert  ecce  avidas  in  pinea  Turnus       530 

texta  faces,  ignesque  timent,  quibus  unda  pepercit. 

iamque  picem  et  ceras  alimentaque  cetera  flammae 

Mulciber  urebat  perque  altum  ad  carbasa  malum 

ibat,  et  incurvae  fumabant  transtra  carinae, 

cum  memor  has  pinus  Idaeo  vertice  caesas  535 

sancta  deum  genetrix  tinnitibus  aera  pulsi 

aeris  et  inflati  conplevit  murmure  buxi 

perque  leves  domitis  invecta  leonibus  auras 

"  inrita  sacrilega  iactas  incendia  dextra, 

Turae!"  ait.     "  eripiam  :  nee  me  patiente  cremabit 

ignis  edax  nemorum  partes  et  membra  meorum."  541 

intonuit  dicente  dea,  tonitrumque  secuti 

cum  saliente  graves  ceciderunt  grandine  nimbi, 

aeraque  et  tumidum  subitis  concursibus  aequor 

Astraei  turbant  et  eunt  in  proelia  fratres.  545 

e  quibus  alma  parens  unius  viribus  usa 

stuppea  praerupit  Phrygiae  retinacula  classis, 

fertque  rates  pronas  medioque  sub  aequore  mergit ; 

robore  mollito  lignoque  in  corpora  verso 

in  capitum  facies  puppes  mutantur  aduncae,         550 

in  digitos  abeunt  et  crura  natantia  remi, 

quodque  prius  fuerat,  latus  est,  mediisque  carina 

subdita  navigiis  spinae  mutatur  in  usum, 

lina  comae  molles.  antemnae  bracchia  fiunt, 

caerulus,  ut  fuerat,  color  est ;  quasque  ante  timebant, 

illas  virgineis  exercent  lusibus  undas  556 

338 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

without  that  help  went  on  with  the  war  they  had 
begun ;  and  much  blood  was  spilled  on  both  sides. 
But  lo,  Turnus  brought  devouring  torches  against  the 
pine  fabric  of  the  ships,  and  what  the  waves  had 
spared  feared  the  flames.  And  now  Mulciber  was 
burning  the  pitchy,  resinous  mass  and  other  rich  food 
for  flames,  and  was  spreading  even  to  the  tall  masts 
and  sails,  while  the  cross-banks  of  the  curving  hulls 
were  smoking;  when  the  holy  mother  of  the  gods, 
mindful  that  these  pines  were  felled  on  Ida's  top, 
filled  the  air  with  the  harsh  beat  of  brazen  cymbals 
and  the  shrill  music  of  the  boxwood  flute.  Then, 
borne  by  her  tamed  lions  through  the  yielding  air, 
she  cried :  "Vainly,  O  Turnus,  with  impious  hand 
you  hurl  those  brands.  For  I  shall  rescue  the  burn- 
ing ships,  nor  with  my  consent  shall  the  greedy  flames 
devour  what  was  once  part  and  parcel  of  my  sacred 
woods."  While  yet  the  goddess  spoke  it  thundered 
and,  following  the  thunder,  a  heavy  shower  of  rain 
began  to  fall,  mingled  with  leaping  hail,  and  the 
winds,  Astraean  brothers,  wrought  wild  confusion  in 
the  air  and  on  the  waves,  swollen  by  the  sudden  rush 
of  waters,  and  mingled  in  the  fray.  The  all-fostering 
mother,  with  the  help  of  one  of  these,  broke  the 
hempen  fastenings  of  the  Phrygian  ships  and,  forcing 
them  head  down,  plunged  them  beneath  the  water. 
Straightway  the  wood  softened  and  turned  to  flesh, 
the  ships'  curved  prows  changed  to  heads,  the  oars 
to  toes  and  swimming  legs  ;  what  had  been  body 
before  remained  as  body  and  the  deep-laid  keel  was 
changed  into  a  spine  ;  cordage  became  soft  hair,  and 
sail-yards,  arms;  the  sea-green  colour  was  unchanged. 
And  now,  as  water-nymphs,  with  maiden  glee  they 
sport  in  the  watei-s  which  they  feared  before.  Though 
born  on  the  rough  mountain-tops,  they  now  throng 

839 


OVID 

Naides  aequoreae  durisque  in  montibus  ortae 
molle  fretum  celebrant  nee  eas  sua  tangit  origo ; 
non  tamen  oblitae,  quam  multa  pericula  saepe 
pertulerint  pelago,  iactatis  saepe  carinis  560 

subposuere  manus,  nisi  siqua  vehebat  Achivos  : 
cladis  adhuc  Phrygiae  memores  odere  Pelasgos 
Neritiaeque  ratis  viderunt  fragmina  laetis 
vultibus  et  laetis  videre  rigescere  puppim 
vultibus  Alcinoi  saxumque  increscere  ligno.  565 

Spes  erat,  in  nymphas  aniraata  classe  marinas 
posse  metu  monstri  Rutulum  desistere  bello : 
perstat,  habetque  deos  pars  utraque,  quodque  deorum 

est 
instar,  habent  animos  ;  nee  iam  dotalia  regna, 
nee  sceptrum  soceri,  nee  te,  Lavinia  virgo,  570 

sed  vicisse  petunt  deponendique  pudore 
bella  gerunt,  tandemque  Venus  victricia  nati 
arma  videt,  Turnusque  cadit  :  cadit  Ardea,  Turno 
sospite  dicta  potens  ;  quem  postquam  barbarus  ensis 
abstulit  et  tepida  latuerunt  tecta  favilla,  575 

congerie  e  media  turn  primum  cognita  praepes 
subvolat  et  cineres  plausis  everberat  alis. 
et  sonus  et  macies  et  pallor  et  omnia,  captam 
quae  deceant  urbem,  nomen  quoque  mansit  in  ilia 
urbis,  et  ipsa  suis  deplangitur  Ardea  pennis.  580 

Iamque  deos  omnes  ipsamque  Aeneia  virtus 
Iunonem  veteres  finire  coegerat  iras, 
cum,  bene  fundatis  opibus  crescentis  Iuli, 
tempestivus  erat  caelo  Cythereius  heros. 
ambieratque  Venus  superos  colloque  parentis         585 
340 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

the  yielding  waves  and  no  trace  of  their  first  state 
troubles  them.  And  yet,  remembering  the  many 
perils  they  have  often  suffered  on  the  deep,  they  often 
place  helping  hands  beneath  storm-tossed  barques, 
except  such  as  carried  Greeks.  Remembering  still 
the  Phrygian  calamity,  they  hated  the  Pelasgian 
race  and  they  rejoiced  to  see  the  broken  timbex-s  of 
Ulysses'  ship,  rejoiced  to  see  the  vessel  of  Alcinoiis 
grow  stiff  and  its  wood  turn  to  stone. 

After  the  fleet  had  been  changed  to  living  water- 
nymphs,  there  was  hope  that  the  Rutuli,  in  awe  of 
the  portent,  would  desist  from  war.  But  the  war 
went  on  and  both  sides  had  their  gods  to  aid  them, 
and,  what  is  as  good  as  gods,  they  had  courage  too. 
And  now  neither  a  kingdom  given  in  dowry,  nor  the 
sceptre  of  a  father-in-law,  nor  you,  Lavinian  maiden, 
did  they  seek,  but  only  victory,  and  they  kept  on 
warring  through  sheer  shame  of  giving  up.  At  length 
Venus  saw  her  son's  arms  victorious  and  Turnus  fell. 
Ardea  fell,  counted  a  powerful  city  in  Turnus'  life- 
time. But  after  the  outlander's  sword  destroyed  it 
and  warm  ashes  hid  its  ruins,  from  the  confused 
mass  a  bird  flew  forth  of  a  kind  never  seen  before, 
and  beat  the  ashes  with  its  flapping  wings.  Its 
sound,  its  meagre  look,  its  deathly  paleness,  all 
things  which  become  a  captured  city,  yes,  even  the 
city's  name  remained  in  the  bird  ;*  and  Ardea's  self 
is  beaten  in  lamentation  by  its  wings.  ^ 

Now  had  Aeneas'  courageous  soul  moved  all  the 
gods  and  even  Juno  to  lay  aside  their  ancient  anger, 
and,  since  the  fortunes  of  the  budding  lulus  were 
well  established,  the  heroic  son  of  Cytherea  was  ripe 
for  heaven.  Venus  had  approached  the  heavenly 
gods  and,  throwing  her  arms  around  her  father's 
i  i.e.  Ardea,  a  heron. 

341 


OVID 

circumfusa  sui  "numquam  mi.hi  "  dixerat  "  ullo 
tempore  dure  pater,  nunc  sis  mitissimus,  opto, 
Aeneaeque  meo,  qui  te  de  sanguine  nostro 
fecit  avum,  quamvis  parvum  des,  optime,  numen, 
dummodo  des  aliquod  !  satis  est  inamabile  regnum  590 
adspexisse  semel,  Stygios  semel  isse  per  amnes." 
adsensere  dei,  nee  coniunx  regia  vultus 
inmotos  tenuit  placatoque  adnuit  ore  ; 
turn  pater  "  estis  "  ait  "  caelesti  munere  digni, 
quaeque  petis   pro  quoque  petis ;  cape,  nata,  quod 
optas ! "  595 

fatus  erat :  gaudet  gratesque  agit  ilia  parenti 
perque  leves  auras  iunctis  invecta  columbis 
litus  adit  Laurens,  ubi  tectus  harundine  serpit 
in  freta  flumineis  vicina  Numicius  undis. 
hunc  iubet  Aeneae,  quaecumque  obnoxia  morti,  600 
abluere  et  tacito  deferre  sub  aequora  cursu  ; 
corniger  exsequitur  Veneris  mandata  suisque, 
quicquid  in  Aenea  fuerat  mortale,  repurgat 
et  respersit  aquis ;  pars  optima  restitit  illi. 
lustratum  genetrix  divino  corpus  odore  605 

unxit  et  ambrosia  cum  dulci  nectare  mixta 
contigit  os  fecitque  deum,  quem  turba  Quirini 
nuncupat  Indigetem  temploque  arisque  recepit. 

Inde  sub  Ascanii  dicione  binominis  Alba 
resque  Latina  fuit.     succedit  Silvius  illi.  6l0 

quo  satus  antiquo  tenuit  repetita  Latinus 
nomina  cum  sceptro,  clarus  subit  Alba  Latinum. 
Epytus  ex  illo  est ;  post  hunc  Capetusque  Capysque, 
sed  Capys  ante  fuit;  regnum  Tiberinus  ab  illis 
342 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   XIV 

neck,  had  said  :  "  O  father,  who  hast  never  at  any 
time  been  harsh  to  me,  now  be  most  kind,  I  pray. 
To  my  Aeneas,  who  is  thy  grandson  and  of  our  blood, 
grant,  O  most  excellent,  some  divinity,  however 
small  I  care  not,  if  only  thou  grant  any.  It  is  enough 
once  to  have  looked  upon  the  unlovely  kingdom, 
once  to  have  crossed  the  Stygian  stream."  The  gods 
all  gave  assent;  nor  did  the  queen-consort  keep  an 
unyielding  face,  but  peacefully  consented.  Then 
Father  Jove  declared  :  "  You  are  both  worthy  of  this 
heavenly  boon,  both  thou  who  prayest  and  he  for 
whom  thou  prayest.  Have  then,  my  daughter,  what 
thou  dost  desire."  He  spoke,  and  Venus,  rejoicing, 
gave  her  father  thanks.  Then,  borne  aloft  through 
the  yielding  air  by  her  harnessed  doves,  6he  came 
to  the  Laurentian  coast,  where  the  river  Numicius, 
winding  through  beds  of  sheltering  reeds,  pours  its 
fresh  waters  into  the  neighbouring  sea.  She  bade 
the  river-god  wash  away  from  Aeneas  all  his  mortal 
part  and  carry  it  down  in  his  silent  stream  into  the 
ocean  depths.  The  horned  god  obeyed  Venus'  com- 
mand and  in  his  waters  cleansed  and  washed  quite 
away  whatever  was  mortal  in  Aeneas.  His  best  part 
remained  to  him.  His  mother  sprinkled  his  body  and 
anointed  it  with  divine  perfume,  touched  his  lips  with 
ambrosia  and  sweet  nectar  mixed,  and  so  made  him 
a  god,  whom  the  Roman  populace  styled  Indiges  and 
honoured  with  temple  and  with  sacrifice. 

Next  Alba  and  the  Latin  state  came  under  the 
sway  of  Ascanius  of  the  double  name.1  Silvius  suc- 
ceeded him  ;  his  son,  Latinus,  took  a  name  inherited 
with  the  ancient  sceptre.  Illustrious  Alba  succeeded 
Latinus;  Epytus  next,  and  after  him  Capetus  and 
Capys,   but    Capys    first.2      Tiberinus    received    the 

1  i.e.  lulus. 

1  The  metre  prevents  the  proper  order  of  these  names. 

342 


OVID 

cepit  et  in  Tusci  demersus  fluminis  undis  6l5 

nomina  fecit  aquae;  de  quo  Remulusque  feroxque 
Acrota  sunt  geniti.     Remulus  maturior  annis 
fulmineo  periit,  imitator  fulminis,  ictu. 
fratre  suo  sceptrum  moderatior  Acrota  forti 
tradit  Aventino,  qui,  quo  regnarat,  eodem  620 

monte  iacet  positus  tribuitque  vocabula  monti  ; 
iamque  Palatinae  summam  Proca  gentis  habebat. 

Rege  sub  hoc  Pomona  fuit,  qua  nulla  Latinas 
inter  hamadryadas  coluit  sollertius  hortos 
nee  fuit  arborei  studiosior  altera  fetus  ;  625 

uncle  tenet  nomen  :  non  silvas  ilia  nee  amnes, 
rus  araat  et  ramos  felicia  poma  ferentes ; 
nee  iaculo  gravis  est,  sed  adunca  dextera  falce, 
qua  modo  luxuriem  premit  et  spatiantia  passim 
bracchia  conpescit,  fisso  modo  cortice  lignum         630 
inserit  et  sucos  alieno  praestat  alumno  ; 
nee  sentire  sitim  patitur  bibulaeque  recurvas 
radicis  fibras  labentibus  inrigat  undis. 
hie  amor,  hoc  studium,  Veneris  quoque  nulla  cupido 

est ; 
vim  tamen  agrestum  metuens  pomaria  claudit      635 
intus  et  accessus  prohibet  refugitque  viriles 
quid  non  et  Satyri,  saltatibus  apta  iuventus, 
fecere  et  pinu  praecincti  cornua  Panes 
Silenusque,  suis  semper  iuvenilior  annis, 
quique  deus  fures  vel  falce  vel  inguine  terret,       640 
ut  poterentur  ea  ?     sed  enim  superabat  amando 
hos  quoque  Vertumnus  neque  erat  felicior  illis. 
o  quotiens  habitu  duri  messoris  aristas 
344 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

kingdom  after  them,  and  he,  drowned  in  the  waters 
of  the  Tuscan  stream,  gave  his  name  to  that  river. 
His  sons  were  Remulus  and  warlike  Acrota.  Remulus, 
the  elder,  perished  by  a  thunderbolt  while  striving 
to  imitate  the  thunder.  Acrota,  less  daring  than 
his  brother,  resigned  the  sceptre  to  brave  Aventinus. 
He  lies  buried  on  the  same  hill  where  he  had  reigned 
and  has  given  his  name  to  the  hill.  And  now  Proca 
held  dominion  over  the  Palatine  race. 

Pomona  flourished  under  this  king,  than  whom 
there  was  no  other  Latian  wood-nymph  more  skilled 
in  garden-culture  nor  more  zealous  in  the  care  of 
fruitful  trees.  Hence  was  her  name.  She  cared 
nothing  for  woods  and  rivers,  but  only  for  the  fields 
and  branches  laden  with  delicious  fruits.  She  carried 
no  javelin  in  her  hand,  but  the  curved  pruning-hook 
with  which  now  she  repressed  the  too  luxuriant 
growth  and  cut  back  the  branches  spreading  out  on 
every  side,  and  now,  making  an  incision  in  the  bark, 
would  engraft  a  twig  and  give  juices  to  an  adopted 
bough.  Nor  would  she  permit  them  to  suffer  thirst, 
but  watered  the  twisted  fibres  of  the  thirsty  roots 
with  her  trickling  streams.  This  was  her  love  ;  this 
was  her  chief  desire  ;  nor  did  she  have  any  care 
for  Venus ;  yet,  fearing  some  clownish  violence,  she 
shut  herself  up  within  her  orchard  and  so  guarded 
herself  against  all  approach  of  man.  What  did  not 
the  Satyrs,  a  young  dancing  band,  do  to  win  her,  and 
the  Pans,  their  horns  encircled  with  wreaths  of  pine, 
and  Silenus,  always  more  youthful  than  his  years,  and 
that  god  x  who  warns  off  evil-doers  with  his  sickle  or 
his  ugly  shape  ?  But,  indeed,  Vertumnus  surpassed 
them  all  in  love  ;  yet  he  was  no  more  fortunate  than 
they.    Oh,  how  often  in  the  garb  of  a  rough  reaper  did 

1  Priapua. 

345 


OVID 

corbe  tulit  verique  fuit  messoris  imago ! 
tempora  saepe  gcrens  faeno  religata  recenti  645 

desectum  poterat  gramen  versasse  videri ; 
saepe  manu  stiraulos  rigida  portabat,  ut  ilium 
iurares  fessos  modo  disiunxisse  iuvencos. 
falce  data  frondator  erat  vitisque  putator; 
induerat  scalas  :  lecturum  poma  putares  ;  650 

miles  erat  gladio,  piscator  harundine  sumpta ; 
denique  per  multas  aditum  sibi  saepe  figuras 
repperit,  ut  caperet  spectatae  gaudia  formae. 
ille  etiam  picta  redimitus  tempora  mitra, 
innitens  baculo,  positis  per  tempora  cards,  655 

adsimulavit  anum  cultosque  intravit  in  hortos 
pomaque  mirata  est "  tanto  "  que  "  potentior  !  "  inquit 
paucaque  laudatae  dedit  oscula,  qualia  numquam 
vera  dedisset  anus,  glaebaque  incurva  resedit 
suspiciens  pandos  autumni  pondere  ramos.  660 

ulmus  erat  contra  speciosa  nitentibus  uvis : 
quam  socia  postquam  pariter  cum  vite  probavit, 
"at  si  sta>-et"  ait  "  caelebs  sine  palmite  truncus, 
nil  praeter  frondes,  quare  peteretur,  haberet ; 
haec   quoque,  qua°    iuncta    est,   vitis    requiescit   in 
ulmo :  665 

si  non  nupta  foret,  terrae  acclinata  iaceret ; 
tu  tamen  exemplo  non  tangeris  arboris  huius 
concubitusque  fugis  nee  te  coniungere  curas. 
atque  utinam  velles  1     Helene  non  pluribus  esset 
846 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XIV 

he  bring  her  a  basket  of  barley-ears  !  And  he  was  the 
perfect  image  of  a  reaper,  too.  Often  he  would  come 
with  his  temples  wreathed  with  fresh  hay,  and  could 
easily  seem  to  have  been  turning  the  new-mown 
grass.  Again  he  would  appear  carrying  an  ox-goad 
in  his  clumsy  hand,  so  that  you  would  swear  that  he 
had  but  now  unyoked  his  weary  cattle.  He  would  be 
a  leaf-gatherer  and  vine-pruner  with  hook  in  hand ; 
he  would  come  along  with  a  ladder  on  his  shoulder 
and  you  would  think  him  about  to  gather  apples. 
He  would  be  a  soldier  with  a  sword,  or  a  fisherman 
with  a  rod.  In  fact,  by  means  of  his  many  disguises, 
he  obtained  frequent  admission  to  her  presence  and 
had  much  joy  in  looking  on  her  beauty.  He  also  put 
on  a  wig  of  grey  hair,  bound  his  temples  with  a 
gaudy  head-cloth,  and,  leaning  on  a  staff,  came  in 
the  disguise  of  an  old  woman,  entered  the  well-kept 
garden  and,  after  admiring  the  fruit  said :  "  But  you  are 
far  more  beautiful,"  and  having  praised  he  kissed  her 
several  times  as  no  real  old  woman  ever  would  have 
done.  The  bent  old  creature  sat  down  on  the  grass, 
gazing  at  the  branches  bending  beneath  the  weight  of 
autumn  fruits.  There  was  a  shapely  elm-tree  opposite, 
covered  with  gleaming  bunches  of  grapes.  After  he 
had  looked  approvingly  at  this  awhile,  together  with 
its  vine  companion,  he  said  :  "  But  if  that  tree  stooo 
there  unmated  to  the  vine,  it  would  not  be  sought  save 
for  its  leaves  alone  ;  and  this  vine,  which  clings  to  and 
rests  safely  on  the  elm,  if  it  were  not  thus  wedded, 
it  would  lie  languishing,  flat  upon  the  ground.  But 
you  are  not  touched  by  the  vine's  example  and  you 
shun  wedlock  and  do  not  desire  to  be  joined  to  another. 
And  I  would  that  you  did  desire  it !  Then  would 
you  have  more  suitors  than  ever  Helen  had,  or  she  * 
l  Hippodamia. 
m  347 


OVID 

sollicitata  procis  nee  quae  Lapitheia  movit  670 

proelia  nee  coniunx  timidi,  hautl  audacis  UHxis. 
nunc  quoque,  cum  fugias  averserisque  petentes, 
mille  viri  cupiunt  et  scmideique  deique 
et  quaecumque  tenent  Albanos  numina  montes. 
sed  tu  si  sapies,  si  te  bene  iungere  anumque         675 
hanc  audire  voles,  quae  te  plus  omnibus  illis, 
plus,  quam  credis,  arao  :  vulgares  reice  taedas 
Vertumnumque  tori  socium  tibi  selige  !  pro  quo 
me  quoque  pignus  habes :  neque  enim  sibi  notior  ille 

est, 
quam  mihi ;  nee  passim  toto  vagus  errat  in  orbe,  680 
haec  loca  magna  colit ;  nee,  uti  pars  magna  procorum, 
quam  modo  vidit,  amat :  tu  primus  et  ultimus  illi 
ardor  eris,  solique  suos  tibi  devovet  annos. 
adde,  quod  est  iuvenis,  quod  naturale  decoris 
munus  habet  formasque  apte  fingetur  in  omnes,  685 
et  quod  erit  iussus,  iubeas  licet  omnia,  fiet. 
quid,  quod  amatis  idem,  quod,  quae  tibi  poma  coluntur, 
primus  habet  laetaque  tenet  tua  munera  dextra ! 
sed  neque  iam  fetus  desiderat  arbore  demptos 
nee,  quas  hortus  alit,  cum  sucis  mitibus  herbas     690 
nee  quicquam  nisi  te :  miserere  ardentis  et  ipsum, 
quod  petit,  ore  meo  praesentem  crede  precari. 
ultoresque  deos  et  pectora  dura  perosam 
Idalien  memoremque  time  Rhamnusidis  iram  ! 
quoque  magis  timeas,  (etenim  mihi  multa  vetustas  695 
348 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XIV 

for  whom  the  Lapithae  took  arms,  or  the  wife  of 
the  timid,  not  the  bold,  Ulysses.  And  even  as  it 
is,  though  you  shun  them  and  turn  in  contempt  from 
their  wooing,  a  thousand  men  desire  you,  and  half- 
gods  and  gods  and  all  the  divinities  that  haunt  the 
Alban  hills.  But  if  you  will  be  "wise,  and  consent  to 
a  srood  match  and  will  listen  to  an  old  woman  like 
me,  who  love  you  more  than  all  the  rest,  yes,  more 
than  you  would  believe,  reject  all  common  offers 
and  choose  Vertumnus  as  the  consort  of  your  couch. 
You  have  me  also  as  guaranty  for  him ;  for  he  is  not 
better  known  to  himself  than  he  is  to  me.  He  does  not 
wander  idly  throughout  the  world,  but  he  dwells  in 
the  wide  spaces  here  at  hand ;  nor,  as  most  of  your 
suitors  do,  does  he  fall  in  love  at  sight  with  every 
girl  he  meets.  You  will  be  his  first  love  and  his  last, 
and  to  you  alone  he  will  devote  his  life.  Consider 
also  that  he  is  young,  blest  with  a  native  charm, 
can  readily  assume  whatever  form  he  will,  and  what 
you  bid  him,  though  without  stint  you  bid,  he  will 
perform.  Moreover  your  tastes  are  similar,  and 
the  fruit  which  you  so  cherish  he  is  the  first  to 
have  and  with  joyful  hands  he  lays  hold  upon  your 
gifts.  But  neither  the  fruit  of  your  trees,  nor  the 
sweet,  succulent  herbs  which  your  garden  bears, 
nor  anything  at  all  does  he  desire  save  you  alone. 
Pity  him  who  loves  you  so,  and  believe  that  he  him- 
self in  very  presence  through  my  lips  is  begging  for 
what  he  wants.  And  have  a  thought  for  the  avenging 
gods  and  the  Idalian  1  goddess  who  detests  the  hard 
of  heart,  and  the  unforgetting  wrath  of  Nemesis! 
And  that  you  may  the  more  fear  these  (for  my  long 
life  has  brought  me  knowledge  of  many  things),  I 
will  tell  you  a  story  that  is  well  known  all  over 
1  i.e.  Cyprian  an  epithet  of  Venus. 

349 


OVID 

scire  dedit)  referam  tota  notissima  Cypro 
facta,  quibus  flecti  facile  et  mitescere  possis. 

"  Viderat  a  veteris  generosam  sanguine  Teucri 
Ipbis  Anaxareten,  humili  de  stirpe  creatus, 
viderat  et  totis  perceperat  ossibus  aestum  700 

luctatusque  diu,  postquam  ratione  furorem 
vincere  non  potuit,  supplex  ad  limina  venit 
et  modo  nutrici  miserum  confessus  amorem, 
ne  sibi  dura  foret,  per  spes  oravit  alumnae, 
et  modo  de  multis  blanditus  cuique  ministris         705 
sollicita  petiit  propensum  voce  favorem  ; 
saepe  ferenda  dedit  blandis  sua  verba  tabellis, 
interdum  madidas  lacrimaium  rore  coronas 
postibus  intendit  posuitque  in  limine  duro 
molle  latus  tristisque  serae  convicia  fecit.  710 

saevior  ilia  freto  surgente  cadentibus  Haedis, 
durior  et  ferro,  quod  Noricus  excoquit  ignis, 
et  saxo,  quod  adhuc  vivum  radice  tenetur, 
spernit  et  inridet,  factisque  inmitibus  addit 
verba  superba  ferox  et  spe  quoque  fraudat  amantem. 
non  tulit  impatiens  longi  tormenta  doloris  71 6 

Ipliis  et  ante  fores  haec  verba  novissima  dixit : 
'vineis,  Anaxarete,  neque  erunt  tibi  taedia  tandem 
ulla  ferenda  mei :  laetos  molire  triumphos 
et  Paeana  voca  nitidaque  incingere  lauru !  720 

vincis  enim,  moriorque  libens  :  age,  ferrea,  gaude  ! 
certe  aliquid  laudare  mei  cogens  amoris, 
quo  tibi  sim  gratus,  meritumque  fatebere  nostrum, 
non  tamen  ante  tui  curam  cxcessisse  memento 
quam  vitam  geminaque  simul  mihi  luce  carendum.  725 
350 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

Cyprus,  by  which  you  may  learn  to  be  easily  per- 
suaded and  to  be  soft  of  heart.  ^ 

"  Iphis,  a  youth  of  humble  birth,  had  chanced  to 
see  Anaxarete,  a  proud  princess  of  old  Teucer's  line. 
He  saw  her,  and  at  once  felt  the  fire  of  love  through 
all  his  frame.  Long  did  he  fight  against  it ;  but 
when  he  found  he  could  not  overcome  his  passion  by 
the  power  of  reason,  he  came  as  a  suppliant  to  her 
door.  Now  he  confessed  his  unhappy  love  to  her 
nurse  and  begged  her  by  her  fond  hopes  for  her  dear 
foster-child  not  to  be  hard  towards  him  ;  now,  coaxing 
some  one  of  her  many  servants,  he  earnestly  begged 
her  to  do  him  a  kindly  turn ;  often  he  gave  them 
coaxing  messages  on  tablets  to  bear  to  her ;  at  times 
he  would  hang  garlands  of  flowers  upon  her  door, 
wet  with  his  tears,  and  lay  his  soft  body  down  upon 
her  hard  threshold,  complaining  bitterly  of  her 
unfeeling  bars.  But  she,  more  savage  than  the 
waves  that  rise  at  the  setting  of  the  Kids,  harder 
than  steel  tempered  in  Noric  fire,  or  living  rock, 
which  still  holds  firmly  to  its  native  bed,  spurns  him 
and  mocks  at  him.  And  to  her  heartless  deeds  she 
adds  insolent,  haughty  words,  and  utterly  deprives 
her  lover  of  hope  itself.  Unable  to  bear  further  the 
torment  of  his  long  agony,  before  her  door  Iphis 
cries  these  words  as  his  last  message  to  her :  *  You 
win,  Anaxarete,  and  no  more  need  you  be  annoyed 
on  my  account.  Celebrate  your  glad  triumph,  sing 
songs  of  victory,  set  a  gleaming  wreath  of  laurel  on 
your  head  !  For  you  have  won,  and  I  die  gladly. 
Come  then,  rejoice,  you  of  the  iron  heart !  Surely 
you  will  be  forced  to  admit  that  there  is  some  feature 
of  my  love  in  which  I  am  pleasing  to  you,  and  you 
will  confess  my  merit.  But  remember  that  my  love 
for  you  ended  only  with  my  life  and  that  I  must 

351 


OVID 

nee  tibi  fama  mei  ventura  est  nuntia  leti : 

ipse  ego,  ne  dubites,  adero  praesensque  videbor, 

corpore  ut  exanimi  crudelia  lumina  pascas. 

si  tamen,  o  superi,  mortalia  facta  videtis, 

este  mei  memores  (nihil  ultra  lingua  precari         7S0 

sustinet)  et  longo  facite  ut  narremur  in  aevo, 

et,  quae  dempsistis  vitae,  date  tempora  famae  1  * 

dixit,  et  ad  postes  ornatos  saepe  coronis 

umentes  oculos  et  pallida  bracchia  toll  ens, 

cum  foribus  laquei  religaret  vincula  summis,         735 

'  haec  tibi  serta  placent,  crudelis  et  inpia  ! '  dixit 

inseruitque  caput,  sed  turn  quoque  versus  ad  illam, 

atque  onus  infelix  elisa  fauce  pependit. 

icta  pedum  motu  trepidantum  ut  multa  gementem 

visa  dedisse  sonum  est  adapertaque  ianua  factum  740 

prodidit,  exclamant  famuli  frustraque  levatum 

(nam  pater  occiderat)  referunt  ad  limina  matris  ; 

accipit  ilia  sinu  conplexaque  frigida  nati 

membra  sui  postquam  miserarum  verba  parentum 

edidit  et  matrum  miserarum  facta  peregit,  745 

funera  ducebat  mediam  lacrimosa  per  urbem 

luridaque  arsuro  portabat  membra  feretro. 

forte  viae  vicina  domus,  qua  flebilis  ibat 

pompa,  fuit,  duraeque  sonus  plangoris  ad  aures 

venit  Anaxaretes,  quam  iam  deus  ultor  agebat.     750 

mota  tamen  '  videamus '  ait  '  miserabile  funus  ' 

et  patulis  iniit  tectum  sublime  fenestris 

352 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

suffer  the  loss  of  two  lights  at  once.  And  'twill  be  no 
mere  rumour  that  comes  to  announce  my  death  to 
you ;  I  shall  myself  be  there,  be  well  assured,  and 
that,  too,  in  visible  presence,  that  you  may  feast 
your  cruel  eyes  upon  my  lifeless  body.  But  if,  O 
gods,  you  see  the  things  we  mortals  do,  remember 
me  (nothing  further  can  my  tongue  hold  out  to  pray) 
and  have  my  story  told  long  ages  hence ;  and  what 
time  you  have  taken  from  my  life  give  to  my  fame.' 
He  spoke,  and  raising  his  tearful  eyes  and  pale  arms 
to  the  door-posts  that  he  had  often  decorated  with 
his  floral  wreaths,  he  fastened  a  rope  to  the  topmost 
beam,  saying  the  while  :  '  Does  this  garland  please 
you,  cruel  and  wicked  girl  ? '  Then  he  thrust  his 
head  into  the  noose,  even  in  that  act  turning  his  face 
towards  her,  and  then,  poor  fellow,  hung  there,  a 
lifeless  weight  with  broken  neck.  The  door  was 
struck  by  the  convulsive  motion  of  his  feet;  it 
seemed  to  give  out  a  sound  suggesting  many  fearful 
things  and,  being  thrown  open,  showed  what  had 
happened  there.  The  servants  cried  out  in  horror 
and  took  him  down,  but  all  in  vain.  Then  (for  his 
father  was  dead)  they  bore  him  to  his  mother's  house. 
She  took  him  in  her  arms  and  embraced  her  son's 
cold  limbs.  And  after  she  had  said  the  words 
which  wretched  parents  say,  and  done  the  things 
which  wretched  mothers  do,  through  the  midst  of 
the  city  she  led  his  tearful  funeral,  and  bore  the 
pale  corpse  on  a  bier  to  the  funeral  pyre.  Anaxarete's 
house  chanced  to  be  near  the  street  where  the  mourn- 
ful procession  was  passing,  and  the  sound  of  mourn- 
ing came  to  the  ears  of  the  hard-hearted  girl,  whom 
already  an  avenging  god  was  driving  on.  Yet,  moved 
by  the  sound,  she  said  :  '  Let  us  go  see  this  tearful 
funeral.'     And  she  went  into  her  high  dwelling  with 

S5S 


OVID 

vixque  brine  inpositum  lecto  prospexerat  Iphin  : 
deriguere  oculi,  calidusque  e  corpore  sanguis 
inducto  pallore  fugit,  conatrque  retro  755 

ferre  pedes  haesit,  conata  avertere  vultus 
hoc  quoque  non  potuit,  paulatimque  occupat  artus, 
quod  fuit  in  duro  iam  pridem  pectore,  saxum. 
neve  ea  ficta  putes,  dominae  sub  imagine  signum 
servat   adhuc    Salamis,    Veneris    quoque    nomine 

templum  '"0 

Prospicientis  habet. — quorum  memor,  o  mea,  lentos 
pone,  precor,  fastus  et  amanti  iungere,  nympha : 
sic  tibi  nee  vernum  nascentia  frigus  adurat 
poma,  nee  excutiant  rapidi  florentia  venti !  " 

Haec  ubi  nequiquam  formae  deus  aptus  anili      765 
edidit,  in  iuvenem  rediit  et  anilia  demit 
instrumenta  sibi  talisque  apparuit  illi, 
qualisubi  oppositas  nitidissima  solis  imago 
evicit  nubes  nullaque  obstante  reluxit, 
vimque  parat :  sed  vi  non  est  opus,  inque  figura    770 
capta  dei  nympha  est  et  mutua  vulnera  sensit. 

Proximus  Ausonias  iniusti  miles  Amuli 
rexit  opes,  Numitorque  senex  amissa  nepotis 
munere  regna  capit,  festisque  Palilibus  urbis 
moenia  conduntur ;  Tatiusque  patresque  Sabini    775 
bella  gerunt,  arcisque  via  Tarpeia  reclusa 
dignam  animam  poena  congestis  exuit  armis  ; 
inde  sati  Curibus  tacitorum  more  luporum 
ore  premunt  voces  et  corpora  victa  sopore 
invadunt  portasque  petunt,  quas  obice  firmo  780 

clauserat  I  Hades  :  unam  tamen  ipsa  reclusit 
S54 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

its  wide-open  windows.  Scarce  had  she  gained  a 
good  look  at  I  phis,  lying  there  upon  the  bier,  when 
her  eyes  stiffened  at  the  sight  and  the  warm  blood 
fled  from  her  pale  body.  She  tried  to  step  back  from 
the  window,  but  she  stuck  fast  in  her  place.  She 
tried  to  turn  her  face  away,  but  this  also  she  could 
not  do  ;  and  gradually  that  stony  nature  took  pos- 
session of  her  body  which  had  been  in  her  heart 
all  along.  And  that  you  may  not  think  this  story 
false,  Salamis  still  keeps  a  marble  statue,  the  image 
of  the  princess.  It  has  a  temple  in  honour  of  the 
Gazing  Venus  also.  Have  thought  of  these  things, 
I  pray  you,  and  put  away,  dear  nymph,  your  stubborn 
scorn  ;  yield  to  your  lover.  So  may  no  late  spring 
frost  ever  nip  your  budding  fruit,  and  may  no  rude 
winds  scatter  them  in  their  flower." 

When  the  god  in  the  form  of  age  had  thus  pleaded 
his  cause  in  vain,  he  returned  to  his  youthful  form, 
put  off  the  old  woman's  trappings,  and  stood  revealed 
to  the  maiden  as  when  the  sun's  most  beaming  face 
has  conquered  the  opposing  clouds  and  shines  out 
with  nothing  to  dim  his  radiance.  He  was  all  ready 
to  force  her  will,  but  no  force  was  necessary  ;  and  the 
nymph,  smitten  by  the  beauty  of  the  god,  felt  an 
answering  passion. 

Next  false  Amulius  by  force  of  arms  rules  the 
Ausonian  state ;  but  old  Numitor  by  the  aid  of  his 
grandson  gains  the  kingdom  he  has  lost,  and  the 
walls  of  the  City  are  founded  on  the  shepherd's  festal 
day.  Tatius  and  the  Sabine  fathers  wage  their  war, 
and  Tarpeia,  having  betrayed  the  passage  to  the 
citadel,  gives  up  her  life  as  forfeit  beneath  the  arms 
heaped  on  her.  Then  the  men  of  Cures,  like  silent 
wolves, with  hushed  voices  steal  on  the  Romans  buried 
in  slumber,  and  try  the  gates  which  Ilia's  son  has 

855 


OVID 

nee  strepitum  verso  Saturnia  cardine  fecit ; 

sola  Venus  portae  cecidisse  repagula  sensit 

et  clausura  fuit,  nisi  quod  rescindere  numquam 

dis  licet  acta  deum.      Iano  loca  iuncta  tenebant     785 

naides  Ausoniae  gelido  rorantia  fonte  : 

has  rogat  auxdium,  nee  nymphae  iusta  petentem 

sustinuere  deam  venasque  et  flumina  fontis 

elicuere  sui ;  nondum  tamen  invia  Iani 

ora  patentis  erant,  neque  iter  praecluserat  unda  :   790 

lurida  subponunt  fecundo  sulphura  fonti 

incenduntque  cavas  fumante  bitumine  venas. 

viribus  his  aliisque  vapor  penetravit  ad  ima 

fontis,  et  Alpino  modo  quae  certare  rigori 

audebatis  aquae,  non  ceditis  ignibus  ipsis !  795 

flammifera  gemini  fumant  aspergine  postes, 

portaque  nequiquam  rigidis  promissa  Sabinis 

fonte  fuit  praestructa  novo,  dum  Martius  anna 

indueret  miles  ;  quae  postquam  Romulus  ultro 

obtulit,  et  strata  est  tellus  Romana  Sabinis  800 

corporibus  strata  estque  suis,  generique  cruorem 

sanguine  cum  soceri  permiscuit  inpius  ensis. 

pace  tamen  sisti  bellum  nee  in  ultima  ferro 

decertare  placet  Tatiumque  accedere  regno. 

Occiderat  Tatius,  populisque  aequata  duobus,    805 
Rornule,  iura  dabas  :  posita  cum  casside  Mavors 
talibus  adfatur  divumque  hominumque  parentem  : 
"  tempus  adest,  genitor,  quoniam  fundamine  magno 
res  Romana  valet  nee  praeside  pendet  ab  uno, 
356 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

fastened  with  strong  bars.  But  Saturnian  Juno  her- 
self unfastened  one  of  these,  opening  the  gate  on 
noiseless  hinges.  Venus  alone  perceived  that  the 
gate's  bars  had  fallen,  and  would  have  closed  it ;  but 
it  is  never  permitted  to  gods  to  undo  the  acts  of 
gods.  Now  the  Ausonian  water-nymphs  held  a 
spot  near  Janus'  fane,  where  a  cold  spring  bubbled 
forth.  Venus  asked  aid  of  these,  nor  did  the 
nymphs  refuse  the  goddess  her  just  request,  but 
opened  up  their  fountain's  streaming  veins,  Up  to 
that  time  the  pass  of  Janus  was  still  open,  nor  had 
the  water  ever  blocked  the  way.  Now  they  placed 
yellow  sulphur  beneath  their  living  spring  and  heated 
the  hollow  veins  with  burning  pitch.  By  these  and 
other  means  the  reeking  steam  filled  the  fountain 
through  and  through,  and  you  waters,  which  dared 
but  now  to  vie  with  Alpine  cold,  did  not  yield  in 
heat  to  fire  itself  !  The  two  gate-posts  smoked  with 
the  hot  fumes;  and  the  gate,  which  had  been  opened 
(but  now  in  vain)  to  the  hardy  Sabines,  was  made 
impassable  by  the  new  fountain,  until  the  Roman 
soldiery  could  arm  themselves.  Then  Romulus  took 
the  offensive,  and  soon  the  Roman  plain  was  strewn 
with  the  Sabine  dead  and  with  its  own  as  well,  and 
the  impious  swords  mingled  the  blood  of  son-in-law 
with  blood  of  father-in-law.  At  last  it  was  their 
will  to  end  the  war  in  peace,  and  not  strive  with  the 
sword  to  the  bitter  end;  and  'twas  agreed  that 
Tatius  should  share  the  throne. 

Tatius  had  fallen  and  now,  Romulus,  you  were 
meting  equal  laws  to  both  the  tribes,  when  Mars 
put  off  his  gleaming  helmet  and  thus  addressed  the 
father  of  gods  and  men  :  "  The  time  is  come,  O 
father,  since  the  Roman  state  stands  firm  on  strong 
foundations    and    no    longer   hangs   on   one   man's 

S57 


OVID 

praemia,  (sunt  promissa  mihi  dignoque  nepoti)      810 
solvere  et  ablatum  terris  inponere  caelo. 
tu  mihi  concilio  quondam  praesente  deorum 
(nam  memoro  memorique  animo  pia  verba  notavi) 
'  unus  erit,  quern  tu  tolles  in  caerula  caeli ' 
dixisti :  rata  sit  verborum  suraraa  tuorum  ! "  815 

adnuit  omnipotens  et  nubibus  aera  caecis 
occuluit  tonitruque  et  fulgure  terruit  orbem. 
quae  sibi  promissae  sensit  rata  signa  rapinae, 
innixusque  hastae  pressos  temone  cruento 
inpavidus  conscendit  equos  Gradivus  et  ictu  820 

verberis  increpuit  pronusque  per  aera  lapsus 
constitit  in  summo  nemorosi  colle  Palati 
reddentemque  suo  non  regia  iura  Quiriti 
abstulit  Iliad  en  :  corpus  mortale  per  auras 
dilapsum  tenues,  ceu  lata  plumbea  funda  825 

missa  solet  medio  glans  intabescere  caelo  ; 
pulchra  subit  facies  et  pulvinaribus  altis 
dignior,  est  qualis  trabeati  forma  Quirini. 

Flebat  ut  amissum  coniunx,  cum  regia  Iuno 
Irin  ad  Hersilien  descendere  limite  curvo  830 

imperat  et  vacuae  sua  sic  mandata  referre  : 
"  o  et  de  Latia,  o  et  de  geute  Sabina 
praecipuum,  matrona,  decus,  dignissima  tanti 
ante  fuisse  viri  coniunx,  nunc  esse  Quirini, 
siste  tuos  fletus,  et,  si  tibi  cura  videndi  835 

coniugis  est,  duce  me  lucum  pete,  colle  Quirini 
858 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

strength  alone,  to  grant  the  reward  which  was  pro- 
mised to  me  and  to  thy  worthy  grandson,  to  take 
him  from  earth  and  set  him  in  the  heavens.  Once 
to  me,  in  full  council  of  the  gods  (for  I  treasured  up 
thy  gracious  words  in  retentive  mind,  and  now  recall 
them  to  thee),  thou  didst  declare  :  '  One  shall  there 
be  whom  thou  shall  bear  up  to  the  azure  blue  of 
heaven.'  Now  let  the  full  meaning  of  thy  words  be 
ratified."  The  omnipotent  Father  nodded  his  assent ; 
then,  hiding  all  the  sky  with  his  dark  clouds, 
he  filled  the  earth  with  thunder  and  lightning. 
Gradivus  knew  this  for  the  assured  sign  of  the 
translation  which  had  been  promised  him ;  and, 
leaning  on  his  spear,  dauntless  he  mounted  his 
chariot  drawn  by  steeds  straining  beneath  the  bloody 
yoke,  and  swung  the  loud-resounding  lash.  Gliding 
downward  through  the  air,  he  halted  on  the  summit 
of  the  wooded  Palatine.  There,  as  Ilia's  son  was 
giving  kindly  l  judgment  to  his  citizens,  he  caught  him 
up  from  earth.  His  mortal  part  dissolved  into  thin 
air,  as  a  leaden  bullet  hurled  by  a  broad  sling  is 
wont  to  melt  away  in  the  mid-heavens.  And  now  a 
fair  form  clothes  him,  worthier  of  the  high  couches 
of  the  gods,  such  form  as  has  Quirinus,  clad  in  the 
sacred  robe. 

His  wife  was  mourning  him  as  lost,  when  regal 
Juno  bade  Iris  go  down  to  Hersilia  on  her  arching 
way  with  these  directions  for  the  widowed  queen : 
"  O  queen,  bright  glory  both  of  the  Latin  and  of  the 
Sabine  race,  most  worthy  once  to  have  been  the 
consort  of  so  great  a  man,  and  now  of  divine  Quirinus, 
cease  your  laments  and,  if  you  would  indeed  behold 
your  husband,  come  with  me  to  yonder  grove  which 
stands  green  on  Quirinus'  hill,  shading  the  temple  of 
1  i.e.  not  kingly  or  tyrannical. 

350 


OVID 

qui  viret  et  templum  Roman i  regis  obumbrat" ; 
paret  et  in  terram  pictos  delapsa  per  arcus, 
Hersilien  iussis  conpellat  vocibus  Iris  ; 
ilia  verecundo  vix  tollens  lumina  vultu  840 

"  o  dea  (namque  mihi  nee,  quae  sis,  dicere  promptum 

est, 
et  liquet  esse  deaui)  due,  o  due"  inquit  "et  offer 
coniugis  ora  mihi,  quae  si  modo  posse  videre 
fata  semel  dederint,  caelum  accepisse  fatebor  !" 
nee  mora,  Romuleos  cum  virgine  Thaumantea       845 
ingreditur  colles :  ibi  sidus  ab  aethere  lapsum 
decidit  in  terras  ;  a  cuius  lumine  flagrans 
Hersilie  crinis  cum  sidere  cessit  in  auras  : 
hanc  manibus  notis  Romanae  conditor  urbis 
excipit  et  priscum  pariter  cum  corpore  nomen       850 
mutat  Horamque  vocat,  quae  nunc  dea  iuncta  Quirino 

est. 


360 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XIV 

the  king  of  Rome."  Iris  obeyed  and,  gliding  to 
earth  along  her  rainbow  arch,  accosted  Hersilia  in 
the  words  which  had  been  given  her.  She,  scarce 
lifting  her  eyes  and  with  modest  look,  replied  :  "  O 
goddess  (for  I  may  not  tell  who  thou  art,  and  yet 
'tis  plain  thou  art  a  goddess),  lead,  oh,  lead  me  on, 
and  show  me  my  husband's  face.  If  only  the  fates 
grant  me  but  once  to  see  him,  then  shall  I  say  I 
have  gained  heaven  indeed."  Straightway  she  fared 
along  with  Thaumas'  daughter  to  the  hill  of  Romulus. 
There  a  star  from  high  heaven  came  gliding  down  to 
earth, and  Hersilia,  her  hair  bursting  into  flame  from 
its  light,  goes  up  together  with  the  star  into  thin  air. 
Her  with  dear,  familiar  hands  Rome's  founder  re- 
ceives, and  changes  her  mortal  body  and  her  old-time 
name.  He  calls  her  Hora,  and  now  as  goddess  is 
she  joined  once  more  to  her  Quirinus. 


Sol 


BOOK  XV 


LIBER  XV 

Qvaeritvr  interea  quis  tantae  pondera  molis 

sustineat  tantoque  queat  succedere  regi  : 

destinat  imperio  claruin  praenuntia  veri 

FamaNumam;  non  ille  satis  cognosse  Sabinae 

gentis  habet  ritus,  animo  maiora  capaci  5 

concipit  et,  quae  sit  rerum  natura,  requirit. 

huius  amor  curae  patria  Curibusque  relictis 

fecit  ut  Herculei  penetraret  ad  hospitis  urbem. 

Graia  quis  Italicis  auctor  posuisset  in  oris 

moenia,  quaerenti  sic  e  senioribus  unus  10 

rettulit  indigenis,  veteris  non  inscius  aevi : 

"  dives  ab  Oceano  bobus  love  natus  Hiberis 

litora  felici  tenuisse  Lacinia  cursu 

fei  tur,  et  armento  teneras  errante  per  herbas 

ipse  domum  magni  nee  inhospita  tecta  Crotonis       1 5 

intrasse  et  requie  longum  relevasse  laborem 

atque  ita  discedens,  '  aevo '  dixisse  '  nepotum 

hie  locus  urbis  erit,'  promissaque  vera  fuerunt. 

nam  fuit  Argolico  generatus  Alemone  quidam 

Myscelus,  illius  dis  acceptissimus  aevi.  20 

hunc  super  incumbens  pressum  gravitate  soporis 

claviger  adloquitur :  *  patrias,  age,  desere  sedes 

S6'4 


BOOK  XV 

Meanwhile  it  is  a  question  who  can  sustain  the 
burden  of  so  great  a  task,  who  can  succeed  so  great 
a  king.  Then  Fame  as  a  faithful  herald  selects  illus- 
trious Numa  for  the  throne.  He,  not  content  with 
knowing  the  usages  of  the  Sabine  race,  conceives 
larger  plans  in  his  generous  soul,  and  seeks  to  know 
what  is  Nature's  general  law.  His  great  fondness 
for  this  pursuit  caused  him  to  leave  his  native  Cures 
and  take  his  way  to  the  city1  which  once  gave 
hospitality  to  Hercules.  There,  when  he  asked  who 
was  the  founder  of  this  Grecian  city  on  Italian  soil, 
one  of  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  place,  well  versed 
in  its  ancient  lore,  thus  answered  him  :  "  'Tis  said 
that  the  son  of  Jove,  returning  from  the  Ocean 
enriched  with  the  herds  of  Spain,  came  by  good 
fortune  to  the  borders  of  Lacinium,  and  there,  while 
his  cattle  grazed  upon  the  tender  grass,  he  entered 
the  home  and  beneath  the  friendly  roof  of  the  great 
Croton  and  refreshed  himself  by  quiet  rest  from  his 
long  toil.  And  as  he  took  his  leave  he  said  :  '.  Here, 
ages  hence,  shall  stand  the  city  of  your  descendants.' 
And  the  words  proved  true.  For  there  was  a  certain 
Myscelus,  son  of  Alemon  of  Argos,  the  man  of  all 
that  generation  most  beloved  of  heaven.  Standing 
over  him  as  he  lay  buried  in  deep  slumber,  the  club- 
bearer  2  thus  addressed  him  :  '  Up  and  away  from 
1  Crotona.  *  Hercules. 

365 


OVID 

et  pete  diversi  lapidosas  Aesaris  undas  ! ' 
et,  nisi  paruerit,  multa  ac  metuenda  minatur  ; 
post  ea  discedunt  pariter  somnusque  deusque  25 

surgit  Alemonides  tacitaque  recentia  mente 
visa  refert,  pugnatque  diu  sententia  secum  : 
numen  abire  iubet,  prohibent  discedere  leges, 
poenaque  mors  posita  est  patriam  mutare  volenti, 
candidus  Oceano  nitidum  caput  abdiderat  Sol,        SO 
et  caput  extulerat  densissinia  sidereum  Nox  : 
visus  adesse  idem  deus  est  eademque  monere 
et,  nisi  paruerit,  plura  et  graviora  minari. 
et  timuit  patriumque  simul  transferre  parabat 
in  sedes  penetrale  novas  :  fit  murmur  in  urbe,         S5 
spretarumque  agitur  legum  reus,  utque  peracta  est 
causa  prior,  crimenque  patet  sine  teste  probatum, 
squalidus  ad  superos  tollens  reus  ora  manusque 
'  o  cui  ins  caeli  bis  sex  fecere  labores, 
fer,  precor '   inquit   '  opem  !    nam  tu   mihi    criminis 
auctor.'  40 

mos  erat  antiquus  niveis  atrisque  lapillis, 
his  damnare  reos,  illis  absolvere  culpa  ; 
tunc  quoque  sic  lata  est  sententia  tristis,  et  omnis 
calculus  inmitem  demittitur  ater  in  urnam  : 
quae  simul  effudit  numerandos  versa  lapillos,  45 

omnibus  e  nigro  color  est  mutatus  in  album, 
candidaque  Herculeo  sententia  numine  facta 
366 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XV 

your  native  land  ;  go,  seek  out  the  rocky  channel  of 
the  distant  Aesar';  and  he  threatened  him  with 
many  fearful  things  should  he  not  obey.  Then  did 
his  slumber  and  the  presence  of  the  god  withdraw 
together.  The  son  of  Alemon  arose  and  silently 
recalled  the  vision  which  was  still  vivid  in  his 
memory.  Long  was  he  in  great  stress  of  doubt :  the 
god  bade  him  depart,  his  country's  laws  prohibited  his 
departure.  The  punishment  of  death  was  appointed 
to  the  man  who  should  desire  to  change  his  father- 
land. The  bright  Sun  had  hidden  his  shining  face 
beneath  the  sea,  and  thick  Night  had  raised  her 
starry  face  from  the  waters,  when  the  same  god 
seemed  to  stand  before  him,  to  give  the  same 
commands,  and  to  threaten  worse  and  heavier 
penalties  if  he  should  not  obey.  He  was  sore 
afraid.  And  as  soon  as  he  made  ready  to  move  his 
household  belongings  to  a  new  abode,  the  rumour 
got  abroad  in  the  town,  and  he  was  tried  as  a  breaker 
of  the  laws.  When  the  case  for  the  prosecution  had 
been  closed  and  the  charge  was  clearly  proved 
without  need  of  witnesses,  the  wretched  culprit, 
raising  his  face  and  hands  to  heaven,  cried  out :  '  O 
thou  to  whom  thy  twelve  great  labours  gave  thee  a 
claim  to  heaven,  help  me,  I  pray !  for  thou  art 
responsible  for  my  sin.'  It  was  the  custom  in  ancient 
times  to  use  white  and  black  pebbles,  the  black  for 
condemning  prisoners  and  the  white  for  freeing  them 
rrom  the  charge.  At  this  time  also  the  fatal  vote 
was  taken  in  this  way  ;  and  every  pebble  that  was 
dropped  into  the  pitiless  urn  was  black  !  But  when 
the  urn  was  turned  and  the  pebbles  poured  out  for 
counting,  the  colour  of  them'  all  was  changed  from 
black  to  white  ;  and  so,  by  the  will  of  Hercules,  the 
vote  was  made  favourable,  and  Alemon's  son   was 

367 


OVID 

solvit  Alemoniden  :  grates  agit  ille  parenti 
Amphitryoniadae  ventisque  faventibus  aequor 
navigat  Ionium  Sallentinumque  Neretum  50 

praeterit  et  Sybarin  Lacedaemoniumque  Tarentum 
Sirinosque  sinus  Crimisenque  et  Iapygis  arva, 
vixque  pererratis,  quae  spectant  litora,  terris, 
invenit  Aesarei  fatalia  fluminis  ora 
nee  procul  hinc  tumuluui,  sub  quo  sacrata  Crotonis  55 
ossa  tegebat  humus,  iussaque  ibi  moenia  terra 
condidit  et  nomen  tumulati  traxit  in  urbem." 
talia  constabat  certa  primordia  fama 
esse  loci  positaeque  Italis  in  finibus  urbis. 

Vir  fuit  hie  ortu  Samius,  sed  fugerat  una  60 

et  Samon  et  dominos  odioque  tyrannidis  exul 
sponte  erat  isque,  licet  caeli  regione  remotos, 
mente  deos  adiit  et,  quae  natura  negabat 
visibus  humanis,  oculis  ea  pectoris  hausit, 
cumque  animo  et  vigili  perspexerat  omnia  cura,      65 
in  medium  discenda  dabat  coetusque  silentum 
dictaque  mirantum  magni  primordia  mundi 
et  rerum  causas  et,  quid  natura,  docebat, 
quid  deus,  unde  nives,  quae  fulminis  esset  origo, 
Iuppiter  an  venti  discussa  nube  tonarent,  70 

quid  quateret  terras,  qua  sidera  lege  mearent, 
et  quodcumque  latet,  primusque  animalia  mensis 
arcuit  inponi,  primus  quoque  talibus  ora 
docta  quidem  solvit,  sed  non  ct  credita,  verbis  : 
368 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

freed.  He  first  gave  thanks  to  his  patron,  Amphi- 
tryon's son,  and  soon  with  favouring  winds  was 
sailing  over  the  Ionian  sea.  He  passed  by  Salentine 
Neretum,  and  Sybaris  and  Spartan  Tarentum,  the 
bay  of  Siris,  Crimisa,  and  the  lapygian  coast ;  and 
scarcely  had  he  passed  the  lands  which  border  on 
that  coast  when  he  found  the  destined  mouth  of 
Aesar's  stream,  and  near  by  this  a  mound  of  earth 
which  guarded  the  consecrated  bones  of  Croton. 
There  in  that  land,  as  the  god  had  bidden  him,  he 
laid  his  city's  walls  and  named  it  from  him  who  had 
been  buried  there."  Such  was  the  ancient  tale, 
confirmed  by  established  fame,  both  of  the  place  and 
the  founding  of  the  city  on  Italian  soil. 

There  was  a  man  here,  a  Samian  by  birth,  but  he 
had  fled  forth  from  Samos  and  its  rulers,  and  through 
hatred  of  tyranny  was  living  in  voluntary  exile.  He, 
though  the  gods  were  far  away  in  the  heavenly 
regions,  still  approached  them  with  his  thought,  and 
what  Nature  denied  to  his  mortal  vision  he  feasted 
on  with  his  mind's  eye.  And  when  he  had  surveyed 
all  things  by  reason  and  wakeful  diligence,  he 
would  give  out  to  the  public  ear  the  things  worthy 
of  their  learning  and  would  teach  the  crowds,  which 
listened  in  wondering  silence  to  his  words,  the 
beginnings  of  the  great  universe,  the  causes  of  things 
and  what  their  nature  is  :  what  God  is,  whence  come 
the  snows,  what  is  the  origin  of  lightning,  whether 
it  is  Jupiter  or  the  winds  that  thunder  from  the  riven 
clouds,  what  causes  the  earth  to  quake,  by  what  law 
the  stars  perform  their  courses,  and  whatever  else  is 
hidden  from  men's  knowledge.  He  was  the  first  to 
decry  the  placing  of  animal  food  upon  our  tables. 
His  lips,  learned  indeed  but  not  believed  in  this,  he 
was  the  first  to  open  in  such  words  as  these : 

36*9 


OVID 

**  Parcite,  mortales,  riapibus  temerare  nefandis    75 
corpora  !  sunt  fruges,  sunt  deducentia  ramos 
pondere  poma  suo  tumidaeque  in  vitibus  uvae, 
sunt  herbae  dulces,  sunt  quae  mitescere  fiamma 
mollirique  queant ;  nee  vobis  lacteus  umor 
eripitur,  nee  mella  thymi  redolentia  flore :  80 

prodiga  divitias  alimentaque  mitia  tellus 
suggerit  atque  epulas  sine  caede  et  sanguine  praebet. 
came  ferae  sedant  ieiunia,  nee  tamen  omnes  : 
quippe  equus  et  pecudes  avmentaque  gramine  vivunt ; 
atquibus  ingenium  est  inmansuetumque  ferumque,  85 
Armeniae  tigres  iracundique  leones 
cumque  lupis  ursi,  dapibus  cum  sanguine  gaudent. 
heu  quantum  scelus  est  in  viscera  viscera  condi 
congestoque  avidum  pinguescere  corpore  corpus 
alteriusque  animantem  animantis  vivere  leto  !  90 

scilicet  in  tantis  opibus,  quas,  optima  matrum, 
terra  parit,  nil  te  nisi  tristia  mandere  saevo 
vulnera  dente  iuvat  ritusque  referre  Cyclopum, 
nee,  nisi  perdideris  alium,  placare  voracis 
et  male  morati  poteris  ieiunia  ventris  !  Q5 

"  At  vetus  ilia  aetas^  cui  fecimus  aurea  noraen, 
fetibus  arboreis  et,  quas  humus  educat,  herbis 
fortunata  fuit  nee  polluit  ora  cruore. 
tunc  et  aves  tutae  movere  per  aera  pennas, 
et  lepus  inpavidus  mediis  erravit  in  arvis,  100 

nee  sua  credulitas  piscem  suspenderat  hamo : 
cuncta  sine  insidiis  nullamque  timentia  fraudem 
plenaque  pacis  erant.     postquam  non  utilis  auctor 
370 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

"  O  mortals,  do  not  pollute  your  bodies  with  a  food 
so  impious !  You  have  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  you 
have  apples,  bending  down  the  branches  with  their 
weight,  and  grapes  swelling  to  ripeness  on  the  vines  ; 
you  have  also  delicious  herbs  and  vegetables  which 
can  be  mellowed  and  softened  by  the  help  of  fire. 
Nor  are  you  without  milk  or  honey,  fragrant  with 
the  bloom  of  thyme.  The  earth,  prodigal  of  her 
wealth,  supplies  you  her  kindly  sustenance  and  offers 
you  food  without  bloodshed  and  slaughter.  With 
flesh  the  wild  beasts  appease  their  hunger,  and 
yet  not  all,  since  the  horse,  the  sheep  and  cattle 
live  on  grass  ;  but  those  whose  nature  is  savage  and 
untamed,  Armenian  tigers,  raging  lions,  bears  and 
wolves,  all  these  delight  in  bloody  food.  Oh,  how 
criminal  it  is  for  flesh  to  be  stored  away  in  flesh,  for 
one  greedy  body  to  grow  fat  with  food  gained  from 
another,  for  one  live  creature  to  go  on  living  through 
the  destruction  of  another  living  thing  !  And  so  in 
the  midst  of  the  wealth  of  food  which  Earth,  the  best 
of  mothers,  has  produced,  it  is  your  pleasure  to  chew 
the  piteous  flesh  of  slaughtered  animals  with  your 
savage  teeth,  and  thus  to  repeat  the  Cyclops'  horrid 
manners !  And  you  cannot,  without  destroying 
other  life,  appease  the  cravings  of  your  greedy  and 
insatiable  maw  ! 

"But  that  pristine  age,  which  we  have  named  the 
golden  age,  was  blessed  with  the  fruit  of  the  trees 
and  the  herbs  which  the  ground  sends  forth,  nor  did 
men  defile  their  lips  with  blood.  Then  birds  plied 
their  wings  in  safety  through  the  heaven,  and  the 
hare  loitered  all  unafraid  in  the  tilled  fields,  nor  did 
its  own  guilelessness  hang  the  fish  upon  the  hook. 
All  things  were  free  from  treacherous  snares,  fearing 
no  guile  and  full  of  peace.     But  after  someone,  an 

S71 


OVID 

victibus  invidit,  quisquis  fuit  ille,  leonum 
corporeasque  dapes  avidum  demersit  in  alvum,      105 
fecit  iter  sceleri,  primoque  e  caede  ferarum 
incaluisse  potest  maculatum  sanguine  ferrum 
(idque  satis  fuerat)  nostrumque  petentia  letum 
corpora  missa  neci  salva  pietate  fatemur  : 
sed  quam  danda  neci,  tam  non  epulanda  fuerunt.  1 10 

"  Longius  inde  nefas  abiit,  et  prima  putatur 
nostia  sus  meruisse  mori,  quia  semina  pando 
eruerit  rostro  spemque  interceperit  anni ; 
vite  caper  morsa  Bacchi  mactatus  ad  aras 
dicitur  ultoris  :  nocuit  sua  culpa  duobus  !  115 

quid  meruistis  oves,  placidum  pecus  inque  tuendos 
natum  homines,  pleno  quae  fertis  in  ubere  nectar, 
mollia  quae  nobis  vestras  velamina  lanas 
praebetis  vitaque  magis  quam  morte  iuvatis  ? 
quid  meruere  boves,  animal  sine  fraude  dolisque,  120 
innocuum,  simplex,  natum  tolerare  labores  ? 
inmemor  est  demum  nee  frugum  munere  dignus, 
qui  potuit  curvi  dempto  modo  pondere  aratri 
ruricolam  mactare  suum,  qui  trita  labore 
ilia,  quibus  totiens  durum  renovaverat  arvum,        125 
tot  dederat  messes,  percussit  colla  securi. 
nee  satis  est;  quod  tale  nefas  committitur  :  ipsos 
inscripsere  deos  sceleri  numenque  supernum 
caede  laboriferi  credunt  gaudere  iuvenci  1 
victima  labe  carens  et  praestantissima  forma  ISO 

372 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

ill  exemplar,  whoever  he  was,  envied  the  food 
of  lions,  and  thrust  down  flesh  as  food  into  his 
greedy  stomach,  he  opened  the  way  for  crime. 
It  may  be  that,  in  the  first  place,  with  the  killing  of 
wild  beasts  the  steel  was  warmed  and  stained  with 
blood.  This  would  have  been  justified,  and  we  admit 
that  creatures  which  menace  our  own  lives  may  be 
killed  without  impiety.  But,  while  they  might  be 
killed,  they  should  never  have  been  eaten. 

"  Further  impiety  grew  out  of  that,  and  it  is 
thought  that  the  sow  was  first  condemned  to  death 
as  a  sacrificial  victim  because  with  her  curved  snout 
she  had  rooted  up  the  planted  seeds  and  cut  off  the 
season's  promised  crop.  The  goat  is  said  to  have 
been  slain  at  the  avenging  altars  because  he  had 
browsed  the  grape-vines.  These  two  suffered  be- 
cause of  their  own  offences  !  But,  ye  sheep,  what 
did  you  ever  do  to  merit  death,  a  peaceful  flock,  born 
for  man's  service,  who  bring  us  sweet  milk  to  drink 
in  your  full  udders,  who  give  us  your  wool  for  soft 
clothing,  and  who  help  more  by  your  life  than  by 
your  death  ?  What  have  the  oxen  done,  those 
faithful,  guileless  beasts,  harmless  and  simple,  born 
to  a  life  of  toil  ?  Truly  inconsiderate  he  and  not 
worthy  of  the  gift  of  grain  who  could  take  off  the 
curved  plow's  heavy  weight  and  in  the  next  moment 
slav  his  husbandman ;  who  with  his  axe  could  smite 
that  neck  which  was  worn  with  toil  for  him,  by 
whose  help  he  had  so  often  renewed  the  stubborn 
soil  and  planted  so  many  crops.  Nor  is  it  enough 
that  we  commit  such  infamy  :  they  made  the  gods 
themselves  partners  of  their  crime  and  they  affected 
to  believe  that  the  heavenly  ones  took  pleasure  in 
the  blood  of  the  toiling  bullock !  A  victim  without 
blemish  and  of  perfect  form  (for  beauty  proves  his 

313 


OVID 

(nam  placuisse  nocet)  vittis  insignis  et  auro 
sistitur  ante  aras  auditque  ignara  precantem 
inponique  suae  videt  inter  cornua  fronti, 
quas  coluit,  fruges  percussaque  sanguine  cultros 
inficit  in  liquida  praevisos  forsitan  unda.  135 

protinus  ereptas  viventi  pectore  fibras 
inspiciunt  mentesque  deum  scrutantur  in  illis; 
inde  (fames  homini  vetitorum  tanta  ciborum  est !) 
audetis  vesci,  genus  o  mortale  !  quod,  oro, 
ne  facite,  et  monitis  animos  advertite  nostris!        140 
cumque  boum  dabitis  caesorum  membra  palato, 
mandere  vos  vestros  scite  et  sentite  colbnos. 

"  Et  quoniam  deus  ora  movet,  sequar  ora  moventem 
rite  deum  Delphosque  meos  ipsumque  recludam 
aethera  et  augustae  reserabo  oracula  mentis:        145 
magna  nee  ingeniis  investigata  priorum 
quaeque  diu  latuere,  canam ;  iuvat  ire  per  alta 
astra,  iuvat  terris  et  inerti  sede  relicta 
nube  vehi  validique  umeris  insistere  Atlantis 
palantesque  homines  passim  et  rationis  egentes     1 50 
despectare  procul  trepidosque  obitumque  timentes 
sic  exhortari  seriemque  evolvere  fati ! 

"  O  genus  attonitum  gelidae  formidine  mortis, 
quid  Styga,  quid  tenebras  et  nomina  vana  timetis, 
materiem  vatum  falsique  pericula  mundi?  155 

corpora,  sive  rogus  flamma  seu  tabe  vetustas 
374 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XV 

bane),  marked  off"  with  fillets  and  with  gilded  horns, 
is  set  before  the  altar,  hears  the  priest's  prayer,  not 
knowing  what  it  means,  watches  the  barley-meal 
sprinkled  between  his  horns,  barley  which  he  himself 
laboured  to  produce,  and  then,  smitten  to  his  death, 
he  stains  with  his  blood  the  knife  which  he  has 
perchance  already  seen  reflected  in  the  clear  pool. 
Straightway  they  tear  his  entrails  from  his  living 
breast,  view  them  with  care,  and  seek  to  find  re- 
vealed in  them  the  purposes  of  heaven.  Thence 
(so  great  is  man's  lust  for  forbidden  food !)  do  you 
dare  thus  to  feed,  O  race  of  mortals !  I  pray  you,  do 
not  do  it,  but  turn  your  minds  to  these  my  words  of 
warning,  and  when  you  take  the  flesh  of  slaughtered 
cattle  in  your  mouths,  know  and  realize  that  you  are 
devouring  your  own  fellow-labourers. 

"  Now,  since  a  god  inspires  my  lips,  I  will 
dutifully  follow  the  inspiring  god ;  I'll  open  Delphi 
and  the  heavens  themselves  and  unlock  the  oracles 
of  the  sublime  mind.  Great  matters,  never  traced 
out  by  the  minds  of  former  men,  things  that  have 
long  been  hidden,  I  will  sing.  It  is  a  delight  to 
take  one's  way  along  the  starry  firmament  and, 
leaving  the  earth  and  its  dull  regions  behind,  to 
ride  on  the  clouds,  to  take  stand  on  stout  Atlas' 
shoulders  and  see  far  below  men  wandering  aimlessly, 
devoid  of  reason,  anxious  and  in  fear  of  the  here- 
after, thus  to  exhort  them  and  unroll  the  book  of 
fate! 

"  O  race  of  men,  stunned  with  the  chilling  fear 
of  death,  why  do  you  dread  the  Styx,  the  shades 
and  empty  names,  the  stuff  that  poets  manufacture, 
and  their  fabled  sufferings  of  a  world  that  never 
was  ?  As  for  your  bodies,  whether  the  burning  pyre 
or  long  lapse  of  time   with  its  wasting  power  shall 

375 


OVID 

abstulerit,  mala  posse  pati  non  ulla  putetis ! 
morte  carent  animae  semperque  priore  relicta 
sede  uovis  domibus  vivunt  habitantque  receptae : 
ipse  ego  (nam  memini)  Troiani  tempore  belli         160 
Panthoides  Euphorbus  eram,  cui  pectore  quondam 
haesit  in  adverso  gravis  hasta  minoris  Atridae  ; 
cognovi  clipeum,  laevae  gestamina  nostrae, 
nuper  Abanteis  templo  Iunonis  in  Argis ! 
omnia  mutantur,  nihil  interit :  errat  et  illinc         165 
hue  venit,  hinc  illuc,  et  quoslibet  occupat  artus 
spiritus  eque  feris  humana  in  corpora  transit 
inque  feras  noster,  nee  tempore  deperit  ullo, 
utque  novis  facilis  signatur  cera  figuris 
nee  manet  ut  fuerat  nee  formas  servat  easdem,      170 
sed  tamen  ipsa  eadem  est,  animam  sic  semper  eandem 
esse,  sed  in  varias  doceo  migrare  figuras. 
ergo,  ne  pietas  sit  victa  cupidine  ventris, 
parcite,  vaticinor,  cognatas  caede  nefanda 
exturbare  animas,  nee  sanguine  sanguis  alatur  !     175 
"  Et  quoniam  magno  feror  aequore  plenaque  ventis 
vela  dedi :  nihil  est  toto,  quod  perstet,  in  orbe. 
cuncta  fluunt,  omnisque  vagans  formatur  imago  ; 
ipsa  quoque  adsiduo  labuntur  tempora  motu,  179 

non  secus  ac  flumen  ;  neque  enim  consistere  flumen 
nee  levis  hora  potest :  sed  ut  unda  inpellitur  unda 
urgueturque  eadem  veniens  urguetque  priorem, 
tempora  sic  fugiunt  pariter  pariterque  sequuntur 
et  nova  sunt  semper ;  nam  quod  fuit  ante,  relictum 
est  184 

fitque,quod  haut  fuerat,  momentaque  cuncta  novantur. 
S76 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

have  consumed  them,  be  sure  they  cannot  suffer  any 
ills.  Our  souls  are  deathless,  and  ever,  when  they 
have  left  their  former  seat,  do  they  live  in  new 
abodes  and  dwell  in  the  bodies  that  have  received 
them.  I  myself  (for  I  well  remember  it)  at  the  time 
of  the  Trojan  war  was  Euphorbus,  son  of  Panthous, 
in  whose  breast  once  hung  the  heavy  spear  of 
the  younger  Atrides.  Recently,  in  Juno's  temple  in 
Argos,  Abas'  city,  I  recognized  the  shield  which  I 
once  wore  on  my  left  arm  !  All  things  are  changing  ; 
nothing  dies.  The  spirit  wanders,  comes  now  here, 
now  there,  and  occupies  whatever  frame  it  pleases. 
From  beasts  it  passes  into  human  bodies,  and  from 
our  bodies  into  beasts,  but  never  perishes.  And,  as 
the  pliant  wax  is  stamped  with  new  designs,  does 
not  remain  as  it  was  before  nor  keep  the  same  form 
long,  but  is  still  the  selfsame  wax,  so  do  I  teach  that 
the  soul  is  ever  the  same,  though  it  passes  into 
ever-changing  bodies.  Therefore,  lest  your  piety 
be  overcome  by  appetite,  I  warn  you  as  a  seer,  do 
not  drive  out  by  impious  slaughter  what  may  be 
kindred  souls,  and  let  not  life  be  fed  on  life. 

"  And  since  I  am  embarked  on  the  boundless  sea 
and  have  spread  my  full  sails  to  the  winds,  there  is 
nothing  in  all  the  world  that  keeps  its  form.  All 
things  are  in  a  state  of  flux,  and  everything  is 
brought  into  being  with  a  changing  nature.  Time 
itself  flows  on  in  constant  motion,  just  like  a  river. 
For  neither  the  river  nor  the  swift  hour  can  stop  its 
course ;  but,  as  wave  is  pushed  on  by  wave,  and  as 
each  wave  as  it  comes  is  both  pressed  on  and  itself 
presses  the  wave  in  front,  so  time  both  flees  and 
follows  and  is  ever  new.  For  that  which  once  existed 
is  no  more,  and  that  which  was  not  has  come  to  be  ;  and 
so  the  whole  round  of  motion  is  gone  through  again. 

877 


OVID 

"  Cernis  et  emensas  in  lucem  tendere  noctes, 
et  iubar  hoc  nitidum  nigrae  succedere  nocti; 
nee  color  est  idem  caelo,  cum  lassa  quiete 
cuncta  iacent  media  cumque  albo  Lucifer  exit 
clarus  equo  rursusque  alius,  cum  praevia  lucis         190 
tradendum  Phoebo  Pallantias  inficit  orbem. 
ipse  dei  clipeus,  terra  cum  tollitur  ima, 
mane  rubet,  ten-aque  rubet  cum  conditur  ima, 
candidus  in  summo  est,  melior  natura  quod  illic 
aetheris  est  terraeque  procul  contagia  fugit.  195 

nee  par  aut  eadem  nocturnae  forma  Dianae 
esse  potest  umquam  semperque  hodierna  sequente, 
si  crescit,  minor  est,  maior,  si  contrahit  orbem. 

u  Quid  ?  non  in  species  succedere  quattuor  annum 
adspicis,  aetatis  peragentem  imitamina  nostrae  ?    200 
nam  tener  et  lactens  puerique  simillimus  aevo 
vere  novo  est :  tunc  herba  nitens  et  roboris  expers 
turget  et  insolida  est  et  spe  delectat  agrestes; 
omnia  tunc  florent,  florumque  coloribus  almus 
ludit  ager,  neque  adhuc  virtus  in  frondibus  ulla  est. 
transit  in  aestatem  post  ver  robustior  annus  206 

fitque  valens  iuvenis :  neque  enim  robustior  aetas 
ulla  nee  uberior,  nee  quae  magis  ardeat,  ulla  est. 
excipit  autumnus,  posito  fervore  iuventae 
maturus  mitisque  inter  iuvenemque  senemque       210 
temperie  medius,  sparsus  quoque  tempora  canis. 
inde  senilis  hiems  tremulo  venit  horrida  passu, 
aut  spoliata  suos,  aut,  quos  habet,  alba  capillos. 
378 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

"  You  see  how  the  spent  nights  speed  on  to  dawn, 
and  how  the  sun's  bright  rays  succeed  the  darkness 
of  the  night.  Nor  have  the  heavens  the  same  ap- 
pearance when  all  things,  wearied  with  toil,  lie  at 
rest  at  midnight  and  when  bright  Lucifer  conies  out 
on  his  snowy  steed;  there  is  still  another  aspect 
when  Pallantias,1  herald  of  the  morning,  stains  the  sky 
bright  for  Phoebus'  coming.  The  god's  round  shield 
itself  is  red  in  the  morning  when  it  rises  from  beneath 
the  earth  and  is  red  when  it  is  hidden  beneath  the 
earth  again ;  but  in  its  zenith  it  is  white,  because 
there  the  air  is  of  purer  substance  and  it  is  far 
removed  from  the  debasing  presence  of  the  earth. 
Nor  has  Diana,  goddess  of  the  night,  the  same  phase 
always.  She  is  always  less  to-day  than  she  will  be  to- 
morrow if  she  is  waxing,  but  greater  if  she  is  waning. 

"Then  again,  do  you  not  see  the  year  assuming  four 
aspects,  in  imitation  of  our  own  lifetime?  For  in  early 
spring  it  is  tender  and  full  of  fresh  life,  just  like  a  ^ 
little  child  ;  at  that  time  the  herbage  is  bright,  swell- 
ing with  life,  but  as  yet  without  strength  and  solidity, 
and  fills  the  farmers  with  joyful  expectation.  Then 
all  things  are  in  bloom  and  the  fertile  fields  run  riot 
with  their  bright-coloured  blossoms  ;  but  as  yet  there 
is  no  strength  in  the  green  foliage.  After  spring 
has  passed,  the  year,  grown  more  sturdy,  passes  into 
summer  and  becomes  like  a  strong  young  man.  For 
there  is  no  hardier  time  than  this,  none  more  abound- 
ing in  rich,  warm  life.  Then  autumn  comes,  with  its 
first  flush  of  youth  gone,  but  ripe  and  mellow,  midway 
in  mood  between  youth  and  age,  with  sprinkled  grey 
showing  on  the  temples.  And  then  comes  aged 
winter,  with  faltering  step  and  shivering,  its  locks  all 
gone  or  hoary. 

1  Aurora,  see  Index. 

n  S7S 


OVID 

"  Nostra  quoque  ipsorum  semper  requieque  sine  ulla 
corpora  vertuntur,  nee  quod  fuimusve  sumusve,     215 
eras  erimus ;  fuit  ilia  dies,  qua  semina  tantum 
spesque  hominum  primae  matris  habitavimus  alvo  : 
artifices  natura  manus  admovit  et  angi 
corpora  visceribus  distentae  condita  matris 
noluit  eque  domo  vacuas  emisit  in  auras.  220 

editus  in  lucem  iacuit  sine  viribus  infans  ; 
mox  quadrupes  rituque  tulit  sua  membra  ferarum, 
paulatimque  tremens  et  nondum  poplite  firmo 
constitit  adiutis  aliquo  conamine  nervis. 
inde  valens  veloxque  fuit  spatiumque  iuventae       225 
transit  et  emeritis  medii  quoque  temporis  annis 
labitur  occiduae  per  iter  declive  senectae. 
subruit  haec  aevi  demoliturque  prioris 
robora :  fletque  Milon  senior,  cum  spectat  inanes, 
illos,  qui  fuerant  solidorum  mole  tororum  230 

Herculeis  similes,  fluidos  pendere  lacertos; 
flet  quoque,  ut  in  speculo  rugas  adspexit  aniles, 
Tyndaris  et  secum,  cur  sit  bis  rapta,  requirit. 
tempus  edax  rerum,  tuque,  invidiosa  vetustas, 
omnia  destruitis  vitiataque  dentibus  aevi  235 

paulatim  lenta  consumitis  omnia  morte  ! 

"  Haec  quoque  non  perstant,  quae    nos  elementa 
vocamus, 
quasque  vices  peragant,  animos  adhibete  :  docebo. 
quattuor  aeternus  genitalia  corpora  mundus 
continet ;  ex  illis  duo  sunt  onerosa  suoque  240 

pondere  in  inferius,  tellus  atque  unda,  feruntur, 
et  totidem  gravitate  carent  nulloque  premente 
380 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

u  Our  own  bodies  also  go  through  a  ceaseless  round 
of  change,  nor  what  we  have  been  or  are  to-day  shall 
we  be  to-morrow.  There  was  a  time  when  we  lay  in 
our  first  mother's  womb,  mere  seeds  and  hopes  of 
men.  Then  Nature  wrought  with  her  cunning  hands, 
willed  not  that  our  bodies  should  lie  cramped  in 
our  strained  mother's  body,  and  from  our  home  sent 
us  forth  into  the  free  air.  Thus  brought  forth  into  the 
light,  the  infant  lay  without  strength  ;  but  soon  it 
lifted  itself  up  on  all  fours  after  the  manner  of  the 
beasts ;  then  gradually  in  a  wabbling,  weak-kneed 
fashion  it  stood  erect,  supported  by  some  convenient 
prop.  Thereafter,  strong  and  fleet,  it  passed  over  the 
span  of  youth ;  and  when  the  years  of  middle  life 
also  have  been  spent,  it  glides  along  the  downhill 
path  of  declining  age.  This  undermines  and  pulls 
down  the  strength  of  former  years  ;  and  Milon,  grown 
old,  weeps  when  he  looks  at  those  arms,  which  once 
had  been  like  the  arms  of  Hercules  with  their  firm 
mass  of  muscles,  and  sees  them  now  hanging  weak  and 
flabby.  Helen  also  weeps  when  she  sees  her  aged 
wrinkles  in  the  looking-glass,  and  tearfully  asks  her- 
self why  she  should  twice  have  been  a  lover's  prey. 
O  Time,  thou  great  devourer,  and  thou,  envious  Age. 
together  you  destroy  all  things;  and,  slowly  gnaw- 
ing with  your  teeth,  you  finally  consume  all  tilings 
in  lingering  death ! 

"And  even  those  things  which  we  call  elements 
do  not  persist.  What  changes  they  undergo,  listen 
and  1  will  tell  you.  In  the  eternal  universe  there 
are  four  elemental  substances.  Two  of  these,  earth 
and  water,  are  heavy  and  of  their  own  weight  sink 
down  to  lower  levels.  And  two,  air  and  fire,  purer 
still  than  air,  are  without  weight  and,  if  unopposed, 
fly  to  the  upper  realms.     These  elements,  although 

381 


OVID 

alta  pctunt,  aer  atque  aere  purior  ignis. 

quae  quamquam  spatio  distent,  tamen  omnia  fiunt 

ex  ipsis  et  in  ipsa  cadunt :  resolutaque  tellus         245 

in  liquid  as  rarescit  aquas,  tenuatus  in  auras 

aeraque  umor  abit,  dempto  quoque  pondere  rursus 

in  superos  aer  tenuissimus  ernicat  ignes  ; 

inde  retro  redeunt,  idemque  retexitur  ordo. 

ignis  enim  densum  spissatus  in  aera  transit,  250 

hie  in  aquas,  tellus  glomerata  cogitur  inula. 

"Nee  species  sua  cuique  manet,reiumque  novatrix 
ex  aliis  alias  reparat  natura  figuras  : 
nee  perit  in  toto  quicquam,  mihi  credite,  mundo, 
sed  variat  faciemque  novat,  nascique  vocatur         255 
incipere  esse  aliud,  quam  quod  fuit  ante,  morique 
desinere  illud  idem,     cum  sint  hue  forsitan  ilia, 
haec  translata  illuc,  summa  tamen  omnia  constant. 

rt  Nil  equidem  durare  diu  sub  imagine  eadem 
crediderim  :  sic  ad  ferrum  venistis  ab  auro,  260 

saecula,  sic  totiens  versa  est  foituna  locorum. 
vidi  ego,  quod  fuerat  quondam  solid issima  tellus, 
esse  fretum,  vidi  factas  ex  aequore  terras ; 
et  procul  a  pelago  conchae  iacuere  marinae, 
et  yetus  inventa  est  in  montibus  ancora  summis  ;  265 
quodque  fuit  campus,  vallem  decursus  aquarum 
fecit,  et  eluvie  mons  est  deductus  in  aequor, 
eque  paludosa  siccis  humus  aret  harenis, 
quaeque  sitlm  tuleraut,  stagnata  paludiftfr  ument. 
hie  fontes  natura  novos  em'sit,  at  illic  270 

clausit,  et  aut  imis  commota  trernoribus  orbis 
382 


MTHAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

far  separate  in  position,  nevertheless  are  all  derived 
each  from  the  other,  and  each  into  other  falls  back 
again.  The  element  of  earth,  set  free,  is  rarefied 
into  liquid  water,  and,  thinned  still  further,  the 
water  changes  into  wind  and  air.  Then,  losing 
weight  again,  this  air,  already  very  thin,  leaps  up  to 
fire,  the  highest  place  of  all.  Then  they  come  back 
again  in  reversed  order;  for  fire,  condensed,  passes 
into  thick  air,  thence  into  water ;  and  water,  packed 
together,  solidifies  into  earth. 

"  Nothing  retains  its  own  form ;  but  Nature,  the 
great  renewer,  ever  makes  up  forms  from  other 
forms.  Be  sure  there's  nothing  perishes  in  the 
whole  universe;  it  does  but  vary  and  renew  its 
form.  What  we  call  birth  is  but  a  beginning  to  be 
other  than  what  one  was  before ;  and  death  is  but 
cessation  of  a  former  state.  Though,  perchance, 
things  may  shift  from  there  to  here  and  here  to 
there,  still  do  all  things  in  their  sum  total  remain 
unchanged. 

"  Nothing,  I  feel  sure,  lasts  long  under  the  same 
appearance.  Thus  the  ages  have  come  from  gold 
to  iron  ;  thus  often  has  the  condition  of  places 
changed.  I  have  myself  seen  what  once  was 
solid  land  changed  into  sea ;  and  again  I  have  seen 
land  made  from  the  sea.  Sea-shells  have  been  seen 
lying  far  from  the  ocean,  and  an  ancient  anchor  has 
been  found  on  a  mountain-top.  What  once  was  a 
level  plain,  down-flowing  waters  have  made  into  a 
valley;  and  hills  by  the  force  of  floods  have  been 
washed  into  the  sea.  What  was  once  marsh  is  now  a 
parched  stretch  of  dry  sand,  and  what  once  was  dry 
and  thirsty  now  is  a  marshy  pool.  Here  Nature 
sends  forth  fresh  fountains,  there  seals  them  up  ; 
and  rivers,  stirred  by  some  inward  quakings  of  the 

383 


OVID 

flumina  prosiliunt,  aut  exsiccata  residunt. 

sic  libi  terreno  Lycus  est  epotus  hiatu, 

existit  procul  hinc  alioque  renascitur  ore ; 

sic  modo  conbibitur,  tecto  modo  gurgite  lapsus     275 

redditur  Argolicis  ingens  Erasinus  in  arvis, 

et  Mysum  capitisque  sui  ripaeque  prioris 

paenituisse  ferunt,  alia  nunc  ire  Caicum ; 

nee  non  Sicanias  volvens  Amenanus  harenas 

nunc  fluit,  interdum  suppressis  fontibus  aret.         280 

ante  bibebatur,  nunc,  quas  contingere  nolis, 

fundit  Anigrus  aquas,  postquam,  nisi  vatibus  omnis 

eripienda  fides,  illic  lavere  bimembres 

vulnera,  clavigeri  quae  fecerat  Herculis  arcus. 

quid  ?  non  et  Scythicis  Hypanis  de  montibus  ortus, 

qui  fuerat  dulcis,  salibus  vitiatur  amaris?  286 

"  Fluctibus  ambitae  fuerant  Antissa  Pharosque 
et  Phoenissa  Tyros :  quarum  nunc  insula  nulla  est. 
Leucada  continuam  veteres  habuere  coloni : 
nunc  freta  circueunt;  Zancle  quoque  iuncta  fuisse 
dicitur  Italiae,  donee  confinia  pontus  291 

abstulit  et  media  tellurem  reppulit  unda  ; 
si  quaeras  Helicen  et  Burin,  Achaidas  urbes, 
invenies  sub  aquis,  et  adhuc  ostendere  nautae 
inclinata  solent  cum  moenibus  oppida  mersis.        295 
est  prope  Pittheam  tumulus  Troezena,  sine  ullis 
arduus  arboribus,  quondam  planissima  campi 
area,  nunc  tumulus  ;  nam  (res  horrenda  relatu) 
vis  fera  ventorum,  caecis  inclusa  cavernis, 
exspirare  aliqua  cupiens  luctataque  frustra  300 

384 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

earth,  leap  forth  or,  dried  up,  sink  out  of  sight.  So, 
when  Lycus  is  swallowed  up  by  the  yawning  earth, 
he  emerges  far  away  and  springs  forth  again  with 
different  appearance.  So  Erasinus  is  now  engulfed 
and  now,  gliding  along  in  a  hidden  stream,  reappears 
as  a  lordly  river  in  the  Argolic  fields.  And  they  say 
that  the  Mysus,  ashamed  of  his  source  and  former 
banks,  now  flows  in  another  region  as  Cai'cus.  The 
Amenanus  now  flows  full  over  the  Sicilian  sands,  and 
at  times,  its  sources  quenched,  is  dry.  The  Anigrus 
was  once  wholesome  to  drink,  but  now  it  pours  down 
waters  which  you  would  not  wish  to  taste  since  there 
(unless  all  credence  is  to  be  denied  to  hards)  the  twi- 
formed  centaurs  bathed  their  wounds  which  the 
arrows  of  club-bearing  Hercules  had  dealt.  Further, 
is  not  the  Hypanis,  sprung  from  the  Scythian 
mountains,  which  once  was  fresh  and  sweet,  now 
spoiled  with  brackish  water  ? 

"  Antissa  and  Pharos  and  Phoenician  Tyre  were 
once  surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the  sea  ;  but  now 
not  one  of  them  is  an  island.  The  old  inhabitants  of 
that  region  once  possessed  Leucas  as  part  of 
the  mainland ;  but  now  the  waves  wash  clear 
around  it.  Zancle  also  is  said  to  have  been  a  part 
of  Italy  until  the  sea  washed  away  their  common 
boundary  and  thrust  back  the  land  by  the  inter- 
vening water.  If  you  seek  for  Helice  and  Buris, 
once  cities  of  Achaia,  you  will  find  them  beneath  the 
waves ;  and  the  sailors  still  show  you  the  sloping 
cities  with  their  buried  walls.  Near  Troezen,  ruled 
by  Pittheus,  there  is  a  hill,  high  and  treeless,  which 
once  was  a  perfectly  level  plain,  but  now  a  hill  ;  for 
(horrible  to  relate)  the  wild  forces  of  the  winds,  shut 
up  in  dark  regions  underground,  seeking  an  outlet 
for    their    flowing  and    striving   vainly  to  obtain    a 

385 


OVID 

liberiore  frui  caelo,  cum  carcere  rima 

nulla  foret  toto  nee  pervia  flatibus  esset, 

extentam  tumefecit  humum,  ceu  spiritus  oris 

tendere  vesicam  solet  aut  dcrepta  bicorni 

terga  capro  ;  tumor  ille  loci  permansitet  alti  305 

collis  habet  speeiem  longoque  induruit  aevo. 

"  Plurima  cum  subeant  audita  et  cognita  nobis, 
pauca  super  referam.     quid  ?  non  et  lympha  figuras 
datque  capitque  novas?  medio  tua,  corniger  Amnion, 
unda  die  gelida  est,  ortuque  obituque  calescit        310 
admotis  Athamanas  aquis  accendere  lignum 
narratur,  minimns  cum  luna  recessit  in  orbts. 
Humeri  habent  Cicones,  quod  potum  saxea  reddit 
viscera,  quod  tactis  inducit  marmora  rebus ; 
Crathis  et  bine  Sybaris  nostris  conterminus  oris     315 
electro  similes  faciunt  auroque  capillos ; 
quodquemagismirum  est,  sunt,  qui  non  corpora  tan  turn, 
verum  animos  etiam  valeant  mutare  liquores : 
cui  non  audita  est  obscenae  Salmacis  undae 
Aethiopesque  lacus  ?  quos  si  quis  faucibus  bausit,  320 
aut  furit  aut  patitur  mirum  gravitate  soporem  ; 
Clitorio  quicumque  sitim  de  fonte  levavit, 
vina  fugit  gaudetque  mens  abstemius  undis, 
seu  vis  est  in  aqua  calido  contraria  vino, 
sive,quod  indigenae  rnemorant,  Amythaone  natus,  325 
Proetidas  attonitas  postquam  per  carmen  et  herbas 
eripuit  furiis,  puvgamina  mentis  in  illas 
misit  aquas,  odium  que  meri  permansit  in  undis. 
huic  fluit  effectu  dispar  Lyncestius  amnis, 
386 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XV 

freer  space,  since  there  was  no  chink  in  all  their 
prison  through  which  their  breath  could  go,  puffed 
out  and  stretched  the  ground,  just  as  when  one 
inflates  a  bladder  with  his  breath,  or  the  skin  of  a 
horned  goat.  That  swelling  in  the  ground  remained, 
has  still  the  appearance  of  a  high  hill,  ami  has 
hardened  as  the  years  went  by. 

"  Though  many  instances  that  I  have  heard  of  and 
known  suggest  themselves  to  me,  I  shall  tell  b>.t  a 
few  more.  Why,  does  not  even  water  give  and  receive 
strange  forms  ?  Thy  stream,  horned  Amnion,  at 
midday  is  cold,  but  warm  in  the  morning  and  at 
eventide ;  and  they  say  that  the  Athamanians  set 
wood  on  fire  by  pouring  water  on  it  when  the  moon 
has  reached  her  last  point  of  waning.  The  Cicones 
have  a  river  whose  waters,  if  drunk,  turn  the  vitals 
into  stone,  make  marble  of  everything  they  touch. 
Crathis  and  Sybaris,  a  stream  not  far  from  our  own 
region,  make  hair  like  amber  and  gold  ;  and,  what 
is  still  more  wonderful,  there  are  streams  whose 
waters  have  power  to  change  not  alone  the  body, 
but  the  mind  as  well.  Who  has  not  heard  of  the 
ill-famed  waves  of  Salmacis  and  of  the  Aethiopian 
lakes?  Whoever  drinks  of  these  waters  either  goes 
raving  mad  or  falls  into  a  strange,  deep  lethargy. 
Whoever  slakes  his  thirst  from  Ciitor's  spring  shuns 
the  wine-cup  and  abstemiously  enjoys  pure  water 
only;  whether  there  is  a  power  in  the  water  which 
counteracts  the  heating  wine,  or  whether,  as  the 
natives  say,  Amythaon's  son,1  after  he  had  freed 
the  frenzied  daughters  of  Proetus  of  madness  by 
his  magic  songs  and  herbs,  threw  into  those  waters 
his  mind-purifying  herbs,  and  the  hate  of  wine  re- 
mained in  the  spring.    The  Lyncestian  river  produces 

1  Melampus. 

S87 


OVID 

quem  quicumque  parum  moderato  gutture  traxit,  330 

haut  aliter  titubat,  quam  si  mera  vina  bibisset. 

est  locus  Arcadiae,  Pheneon  dixere  priores, 

ambiguis  suspectus  aquis,  quas  nocte  timeto : 

nocte  nocent  potae,  sine  uoxa  luce  bibuntur  ; 

sic  alias  aliasque  lacus  et  flumina  vires  335 

concipiunt. — tempusque  fuit,  quo  navit  in  undis, 

nunc  sedet  Ortygie  ;  tirauit  concursibus  Argo 

undarum  sparsas  Symplegadas  elisarum, 

quae  nunc  inmotae  perstant  ventisque  resistunt. 

nee  quae  sulphureis  ardet  fornacibus  Aetna,  340 

ignea  semper  erit,  neque  enim  fuit  ignea  semper. 

nam  sive  est  animal  tellus  et  vivit  babetque 

spiramenta  locis  flammam  exhalantia  multis, 

spirandi  mutare  vias,  quotiensque  movetur, 

has  finire  potest,  illas  aperire  cavernas  ;  345 

sive  leves  imis  venti  cohibentur  in  antris 

saxaque  cum  saxis  et  habentem  semina  flammae 

materiam  iactant,  ea  concipit  ietibus  ignem, 

antra  relinquentur  sedatis  frigida  ventis ; 

sive  bitumineae  rapiunt  incendia  vires,  350 

luteave  exiguis  ardescunt  sulphura  fumis, 

nempe,  ubi  terra  cibos  alimentaque  pinguia  flammae 

non  dabit  absumptis  per  longum  viribus  aevum, 

naturaeque  suum  nutrimen  deerit  edaci, 

non  feret  ilia  famem  desertaque  deseret  ignis.       355 

"  Esse  viros  fama  est  in  Hyperborea  Pallene, 
qui  soleant  levibus  velari  corpora  plumis, 
388 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK    XV 

an   effect   the   opposite    of  this ;    for  if  one   drinks 
too    copiously    of   its    waters,    he    staggers    in    his 
walk  just  as  if  he  had  drunk  undiluted  wine.     There 
is  a   place   in    Arcadia   which   the   ancients   called 
Pheneus,  mistrusted  for  its  uncertain  waters.     Shun 
them  by  night,  for,  drunk  by  night,  they  are  injurious  ; 
but    in    the   daytime    they    may   be    drunk  without 
harm.     So  lakes  and  streams  have  now  these,  now 
those  effects.     There  was  a  time  when  Ortygia  floated 
on  the  waves,  but  now  she  stands  firm.     The  Argo 
feared  the  Symplegades,  which  at  that  time  clashed 
together  with  high-flung  spray;  but  now  they  stand 
immovable  and  resist  the  winds.     And  Aetna,  which 
now  glows  hot  with  her  sulphurous  furnaces,  will  not 
always  be  on  fire,  neither  was  it  always  full  of  fire  as 
now.     For  if  the  earth  is  of  the  nature  of  an  animal, 
living  and  having  many  breathing-holes  which  exhale 
flames,  she  can  change  her  breathing-places  and,  as 
often  as  she  shakes  herself,  can  close  up  these  and 
open  other  holes ;  or  if  swift  winds  are  penned  up  in 
deep  caverns  and  drive  rocks  against  rocks  and  sub- 
stance containing  the  seeds  of  flame,  and  this  catches 
fire  from  the  friction  of  the  stones,  still  the  caves 
will  become  cool  again  when  the  winds  have  spent 
their  force ;  or  if  it  is  pitchy  substances  that  cause 
the  fire,  and  yellow  sulphur,  burning  with  scarce- 
seen  flames,  surely,  when  the  earth  shall  no  longer 
furnish  food  and  rich  sustenance  for  the  fire,  and  its 
strength  after  long  ages  has  been  exhausted,  and 
greedy  Nature  shall  feel  lack  of  her  own  nourish- 
ment, then  she  will  not  endure  hunger  and,  being 
deserted,  will  desert  her  fires. 

"  There  is  a  story  of  certain  men  in  Hyperborean 
Pallene  who  gain  a  covering  of  light  feathers  for 
their  bodies  after  they  have  nine  times  plunged  in 

389 


OVID 

cum  Tritoniacam  noviens  subiere  paludem  ; 

haut  equidem  credo  :  sparsae  quoquc  membra  venenis 

exercere  artes  Scythides  memorantur  easdem.       360 

"  Siqua  fides  rebus  tame n  est  addenda  probatis, 
nonne  vides,  quaecumque  mora  fluidove  calore 
corpora  tabuerint,  in  parva  animalia  verti  ? 
in  scrobe  delectos  mactatos  obrue  tauros 
(cognita  res  usu)  :  de  putri  viscere  passim  365 

florilegae  nascuntur  apes,  quae  more  parentum 
rura  colunt  operique  favent  in  spemque  laborant. 
pressus  humo  bellator  equus  crabronis  origo  est ; 
concava  litoreo  si  demas  bracchia  cancro, 
cetera  supponas  terrae,  de  parte  sepulta  370 

scorpius  exibit  caudaque  minabitur  unca; 
quaeque  sole; it  canis  frondes  intexere  filis 
agrestes  tineae  (res  obse.vata  colonis), 
ferali  mutant  cum  papilione  figuram. 

"  Semina  limus  habet  virides  generantia  ranas,  375 
et  generat  truncas  pedibus,  mox  apta  natai:do 
crura  dat,  utque  eadem  sint  longis  saltibus  apta, 
posterior  partes  superat  mensura  priores. 
nee  catulus,  partu  quem  reddidit  ursa  recenti, 
sed  male  viva  ckro  est ;  lambcndo  mater  in  artus      3F0 
fingit  et  in  formam,  quantam  capit  ipsa,  reducit. 
nonne  vides,  quos  cera  tegit  sexangula  fetus 
nielliferarum  apium   sine  membris  corpora  nasci 

390 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

Minerva's  pool.  I  do  not  vouch  for  it,  but  the 
Scythian  women  also  are  said  to  sprinkle  their 
bodies  with  certain  magic  juices  and  nmduce  the 
same  effect. 

"Still,  if  credence  is  to  be  given  to  things  that 
have  actually  been  tested,  do  you  not  see  that,  when- 
ever dead  bodies  by  lapse  of  time  or  by  the  liquefying 
power  of  heat  have  become  thoroughly  putrid,  tiny 
animals  are  bred  in  them  ?  Bury  the  carcasses  of 
choice  bulls  in  a  ditch  after  they  have  been  offered 
in  sacrifice  (it  is  a  well-known  experiment),  and  from 
the  putrid  entrails  everywhere  will  spring  flower- 
culling  bees  which,  after  the  fashion  of  their  pro- 
genitors, frequent  the  country  fields,  are  fond  of 
work,  and  toil  in  hope  of  their  reward.  A  horse, 
which  is  a  warlike  animal,  buried  in  the  ground  will 
produce  hornets.  If  you  cut  off  the  hollow  claws  of 
a  sea-crab  and  bury  the  rest  in  the  ground,  from  the 
buried  part  a  scorpion  will  come  forth  threatening 
with  his  hooked  tail.  And  worms  that  weave  their 
white  cocoons  on  the  leaves  of  trees  (a  fact  well 
known  to  country-folk)  change  into  funereal  butter- 
flies.1 

"  Slimy  mud  contains  seeds  that  produce  green 
frogs,  without  legs  at  first,  but  soon  it  gives  them 
legs  adapted  to  swimming,  and,  that  these  may  be 
fitted  for  taking  long  leaps  also,  the  hind-legs  are 
longer  than  the  fore.  A  cub  that  a  she-bear  has  just 
brought  forth  is  not  a  cub,  but  a  scarce-living  lump 
of  flesh ;  but  the  mother  licks  it  into  shape,  and  in 
this  way  gives  it  as  much  of  a  form  as  she  has  herself. 
Do  you  not  see  how  the  larvae  of  the  honey-bearing 
bees,  which  the  hexagonal  waxen  cell  protects,  are 

1  The  departed  soul  is  sometimes  represented  on  tomb- 
stones as  a  butterfly. 

891 


OVID 

et  serosque  pedes  serasque  adsumere  pennas  ? 

Iunonis  volucrem,  quae  cauda  sidera  portat,  385 

armigerumque  Iovis  Cythereiadasque  colambas 

et  genus  omne  avium  mediis  e  partibus  ovi, 

ni  sciret  fieri,  quis  nasci  posse  putaret  ? 

sunt  qui,  cum  elauso  putrefacta  est  spina  sepulcro, 

mutari  credant  humanas  angue  medullas.  390 

"  Haec  tamen  ex  aliis  generis  primordia  ducunt, 
una  est,  quae  reparet  scque  ipsa  reseminet,  ales  : 
Assyrii  phoenica  vocant ;  non  fruge  neque  herbis, 
sed  turis  lacrimis  et  suco  vivit  amomi. 
haec  ubi  quinque  suae  conplevit  saecula  vitae,       395 
ilicet  in  ramis  tremulaeque  cacumine  palmae 
unguibus  et  puro  nidum  sibi  construit  ore, 
quo  simul  ac  casias  et  nardi  lenis  aristas 
quassaque  cum  fulva  substravit  cinnama  murra, 
se  super  inponit  finitque  in  odoribus  aevum.  400 

inde  ferunt,  totidem  qui  vivere  debeat  annos, 
corpore  de  patrio  parvum  phoenica  renasci ; 
cum  dedit  huic  actas  vires,  onerique  ferendo  est, 
ponderibus  nidi  ramos  levat  arboris  altae 
fertque  pius  cunasque  suas  patriumque  sepulcrum  405 
perque  leves  auras  Hvperionis  urbe  potitus 
ante  fores  sacras  Hyperionis  aede  reponit. 

"  Si  tamen  est  aliquid  mirae  novitatis  in  istis, 
alternate  vices  et,  quae  modo  femina  tergo 
passa  marem  est,  nunc  esse  marem  miiemur  liyaenam  ; 
392 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XV 

born  mere  memberless  bodies  and  later  put  on  feet 
and  wings  ?  Juno's  bird,  which  wears  starry  spots 
on  its  tail,  and  the  weapon-bearing  bird  of  Jove,  and 
Cytherea's  doves,  and  the  whole  family  of  birds — 
who  would  believe,  who  did  not  know  the  facts,  that 
these  could  be  born  from  the  inside  of  an  ers  ? 
ihere  are  some  who  think  that  when  the  backbone 
of  a  man  has  decomposed  in  the  narrow  tomb  the 
spinal  marrow  is  changed  into  a  snake. 

"  Now  all  these  things  get  their  life's  beginning 
from  some  other  creature  ;  but  there  is  one  bird 
which  itself  renews  and  reproduces  its  own  being. 
The  Assyrians  call  it  the  phoenix.  It  does  not  live 
on  seeds  and  green  things,  but  on  the  gum  of 
frankincense  and  the  juices  of  amomum.  This  bird, 
you  may  know,  when  it  has  completed  five  centuries 
of  its  life,  builds  for  itself  a  nest  in  the  topmost 
branches  of  a  waving  palm-tree,  using  his  talons  and 
his  clean  beak ;  and  when  he  has  covered  this  over  with 
cassiabark  and  spikes  of  smooth  nard,  broken  cinna- 
mon and  yellow  myrrh,  he  takes  his  place  upon  it  and 
so  ends  his  life  amidst  the  odours.  And  from  his 
father's  body,  so  they  say,  a  little  phoenix  springs 
up  which  is  destined  to  attain  the  same  length  of 
years.  When  age  has  given  him  strength,  and  he 
is  able  to  carry  burdens,  he  relieves  the  tall  palm's 
branches  of  the  heavy  nest,  piously  bears  his  own 
cradle  and  his  father's  tomb  through  the  thin 
air,  until,  having  reached  the  city  of  the  Sun,  he 
lays  the  nest  down  before  the  sacred  doors  of  the 
Sun's  temple. 

"  But  if  there  is  anything  to  wonder  at  in  such 
novelties  as  these,  we  might  wonder  that  the  hyena 
changes  her  nature  and  that  a  creature  which  was 
but  now  a  female  and  mated  with  a  male  is  now  a 

393 


OVID 

id  quoque,  quod  ventis  animal  nutritur  et  aura,     41  1 
protinus  adsimulat,  teligit  quoscumque  colores. 
victa  racemifero  lyncas  dedit  India  Bacclio  : 
e  quibus,  ut  memorant,  quicquid  vesica  remisit, 
vertitur  in  lapides  et  congelat  aere  tacto.  415 

sic  et  curalium  quo  priruum  contigit  auras 
tempore,  durescit :  mollis  fuit  herba  sub  undis. 

"  Desinet  ante  dies  et  in  alto  Phoebus  anhelos 
aequore  tinguet  equos,  quam  consequar  omnia  verbis 
in  species  translata  novas  :  sic  tempora  vtrti         420 
cernimus  atque  illas  adsumere  robora  gentes, 
concidere  has ;  sic  magna  fuit  censuque  virisque 
perque  decern  potuit  tantum  dare  sanguinis  annos, 
nunc  humilis  veteres  tantummodo  Troia  ruinas 
et  pro  divitiis  tumulos  ostendit  avorum  ;  425 

clara  fuit  Sparte,  magnae  viguere  Mycenae, 
nee  non  et  Cecropis,  nee  non  Amphionis  arces. 
[vile  solum  Sparte  est,  altae  cecidere  Mycenae, 
Oedipodioniae  quid  sunt,  nisi  nomina,  Thebae  ? 
quid  Pandioniae  restaut,  nisi  nomen,  Athenae  ?]  430 
nunc  quoque  Dardaniam  fama  est  consul  gere  Romam, 
Appenninigenae  quae  proxima  Thybridis  undis 
mole  sub  ingenti  rerum  fundamina  ponit : 
haec  igitur  formam  crescendo  mutat  et  olim 
inmensi  caput  orbis  erit !  sic  dicere  vates  4S5 

faticinasque  ferunt  sortes,  quantumque  recordor, 
dixerat  Aeneae,  cum  res  Troiana  labaret, 
Priamides  Helenus  flenti  dubioque  salutis  : 
'  nate  dea,  si  nota  satis  praesagia  nostrae 
mentis  babes,  non  tota  cadet  te  sospite  Troia  '      440 
394 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

male  herself.  That  little  animal,1  also,  which  gets 
its  nourishment  from  wind  and  air  immediately  takes 
the  colour  of  whatever  thing  it  rests  upon.  Conquered 
India  gave  to  cluster-crowned  Bacchus  some  lynxes 
as  a  present,  whose  watery  secretions,  as  they  say, 
change  into  stones  and  harden  in  contact  with  the 
air.  So  also  coral  hardens  at  the  first  touch  ol  air, 
whereas  it  was  a  soft  plant  beneath  the  water. 

"  The  day  will  come  to  an  end  and  Phoebus  will 
bathe  his  panting  horses  in  the  deep  waters  of  the 
sea  before  I  tell  of  all  the  things  which  have  assumed 
new  forms.  So  we  see  times  changing,  and  some 
nations  putting  on  new  strength  and  others  falling 
into  weakness.  So  was  Troy  great  in  wealth  and 
men,  and  for  ten  years  was  able  to  give  so  freely 
of  her  blood  ;  but  now,  humbled  to  earth,  she  has 
naught  to  show  but  ancient  ruins,  no  wealth  but 
ancestral  tombs.  Sparta  was  at  one  time  a  famous 
city;  great  Mycenae  flourished,  and  Cecrops'  and 
Amphion's  citadels.  Sparta  is  now  a  worthless 
countryside,  proud  Mycenae  has  fallen  ;  and  what  is 
the  Thebes  of  Oedipus  except  a  name  ?  What  is  left 
of  Pandion's  Athens  but  a  name  ?  And  now  fame 
has  it  that  Dardanian  Rome  is  rising,  and  laying 
deep  and  strong  foundations  by  the  stream  of  Tiber 
sprung  from  the  Apennines.  She  therefore  is 
changing  her  form  by  growth,  and  some  day  shall 
be  the  capital  of  the  boundless  world  !  So,  they 
tell  us,  seers  and  fate-revealing  oracles  are  declaring. 
And,  as  I  myself  remember,  when  Troy  was  tottering 
to  her  fall,  Helenus,  the  son  of  Priam,  said  to  Aeneas, 
who  was  weeping  and  doubtful  of  his  fate  :  '  O  son 
of  Venus,  if  you  keep  well  in  mind  my  soul's  pro- 
phetic visions,  while  you  live  Troy  shall  not  wholly 
1  The  chameleon. 

$95 


OVID 

flamma  tibi  ferrumque  dabunt  iter  :  ibis  et  una 
Pergama  rapta  feres,  donee  Troiaeque  tibique 
externum  patria  contingat  amicius  arvum, 
urbem  et  iam  cerno  Phrygios  debere  nepotes, 
quanta  nee  est  nee  erit  nee  visa  prioribus  annis.    445 
banc  alii  proceres  per  saecula  longa  potentem, 
sed  dominam  rerum  de  sanguine  natus  Iuli 
efficiet,  quo  cum  tellus  erit  usa,  fruentur 
aetheriae  sedes,  cael unique  erit  exitus  illi.* 
baec  Helenum  cecinisse  penatigero  Aeneae  450 

mente  memor  refero  cognataque  moenia  laetor 
crescere  et  utiliter  Phrygibus  vicisse  Pelasgos. 
"  Ne  tamen  oblitis  ad  metam  tendere  longe 
exspatiemur  equis,  caelum  et  quodcumque  sub  illo 

est, 
inmutat  formas,  tellusque  et  quicquid  in  ilia  est,  455 
nos  quoque,  pars  mundi,  quoniam  non  corpora  solum, 
verum  etiam  volucres  animae  sumus,  inque  ferinas 
possumus  ire  domos  pecudumque  in  corpora  condi. 
corpora,  quae  possint  animas  habuisse  parentum 
aut  fratrum  aut  aliquo  iunctorum  foedere  nobis     460 
aut  hbrriinum  certe,  tuta  esse  et  honesta  sinamus 
neve  Thyesteis  cumulemus  viscera  mensis  ! 
quam  male  consuescit,  quam  se  parat  ille  cruori 
inpius  humano,  vituli  qui  guttura  ferro 
rumpit  et  inmotas  praebet  mugitibus  aures,  46;3 

aut  qui  vagitus  similes  puerilibus  haedum 
edentem  iugulare  potest  aut  alite  vesci, 
cui  dedit  ipse  cibos  !  quantum  est,  quod  desit  in  istis 
S96 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

perish  !  Fire  and  sword  shall  give  way  before  you. 
You  shall  go  forth  and  with  you  shall  you  catch  up  and 
bear  away  your  Pergama,  until  you  shall  find  a  foreign 
land,  kinder  to  Troy  and  you  than  your  own  country. 
I  see  even  now  a  city  destined  to  the  descendants  of 
the  Phrygians,  than  which  none  greater  is  or  shall 
be,  or  has  been  in  past  ages.  Other  princes  through 
the  long  centuries  shall  make  her  powerful,  but  a 
prince  sprung  from  lulus'  blood  shall  make  her 
mistress  of  the  world.  When  earth  shall  have  had 
her  share  of  him,  the  celestial  regions  shall  enjoy 
him  and  heaven  shall  be  his  goal.'  These  things  I 
well  remember  that  Helenus  prophesied  to  Aeneas 
as  he  bore  with  him  his  guardian  gods,  and  I  rejoice 
that  mv  kindred  walls  are  rising  and  that  the  Greeks 
conquered  to  the  profit  of  the  Phrygians. 

"  But,  not  to  wander  too  far  out  of  my  course,  my 
steeds  forgetting  meanwhile  to  speed  towards  the 
goal,  the  heavens  and  whatever  is  beneath  the 
heavens  change  their  forms,  the  earth  and  all  that 
is  within  it.  We  also  change,  who  are  a  part  of 
creation,  since  we  are  not  bodies  only  but  also  winged 
souls,  and  since  we  can  enter  wild-beast  forms  and 
be  lodged  in  the  bodies  of  cattle.  We  should  permit 
bodies  which  may  possibly  have  sheltered  the  souls 
of  our  parents  or  brothers  or  those  joined  to  us  by 
some  other  bond,  or  of  men  at  least,  to  be  uninjured 
and  respected,  and  not  load  our  stomachs  as  with  a 
Thyestean  banquet  1  What  an  evil  habit  he  is  form- 
ing, how  surely  is  he  impiously  preparing  to  shed 
human  blood,  who  cuts  a  calf's  throat  with  the  knife 
and  listens  all  unmoved  to  its  piteous  cries  !  Or  who 
can  slay  a  kid  which  cries  just  like  a  little  child,  or 
feed  on  a  bird  to  which  he  himself  has  just  given 
food  !     How  much  does  such  a  deed  as  that  fall  short 

397 


OVID 

ad  plenum  facinus  ?     quo  transitus  hide  paraturr* 

bos  aret  aut  mortem  senioribus  inputet  annis,        470 

horriferum  contra  bortan  ovis  arma  ministret, 

ubera  dent  saturae  manibus  pressanda  cap.  llae  ! 

retia  cum  pedieis  laqueosque  artcsque  dolosas 

tollite  !     nee  volucrem  viscata  fallite  virga 

nee  formidatis  cervos  inludite  pinnis  475 

nee  celate  cibis  uncos  fallacibus  ham     ; 

perdite  siqua   nocent,   verum   haec    quoque    perdite 

tantum : 
ora  vacent  epulis  alimentaque  mitia  carpant !  " 

Talibus  atque  aliis  instructo  pectore  dictis 
in  patriam  remeasse  ferunt  ultroque  petitum         480 
accepisse  Numam  ]  opuli  Latialis  habenas. 
coniuge  qui  Felix  nympba  ducibusque  Camenis 
sacrilicos  doeuit  ritus  gentemque  feroci 
adsuetam  bello  pacis  traduxit  ad  artcs. 
qui  postquain  senior  regnumque  aevumque  peregit, 
exstinctum  Latiacque  nurus  populusque  patresque  486 
deflevere  Numam  ;  nam  coniunx  urbe  relicta 
vallis  Aricinae  densis  latet  abdita  silvis 
sacraque  Oresteae  gemitu  questuque  Dianae 
inpedit.     a!  quotiens  nymphae  nemorisquelacusqne, 
ne  faceret,  monuere  et  consolantia  verba  491 

dixerunt!     quotiens  flenti  Thcseius  heros 
"  siste  modum,"  dixit  "  neque  enim  fortuna  querenda 
sola  tua  est;  similes  aliorum  respice  casus: 
mitius  ista  feres,  utinamque  exempla  dolentem     495 
non  mea  te  possent  relevare  !     sed  et  mea  possunt 
S98 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

of  actual  murder  ?  What  is  the  end  of  such  a  course  ? 
Let  the  bull  plow  and  let  him  owe  his  death  to  length 
of  days;  let  the  sheep  arm  you  against  the  rough 
north  wind;  let  the  she-goats  give  full  udders  to 
the  milking.  Have  done  with  nets  and  traps,  snares 
and  deceptive  arts.  Catch  not  the  bird  with  the 
limed  twig  ;  no  longer  hem  in  the  deer  with  fear- 
compelling  feathers,1  nor  conceal  the  barbed  hook 
beneath  fair-seeming  food.  Kill  creatures  that  work 
you  harm,  but  even  in  the  case  of  these  let  killing 
suffice.  Make  not  their  flesh  your  food,  but  seek  a 
more  harmless  nourishment." 

They  say  that  Numa,  with  mind  filled  with  these 
and  other  teachings,  returned  to  h^s  own  land  and, 
being  urged  thereto,  assumed  the  guidance  of  the 
Latin  state.  He,  blessed  with  a  nymph  2  for  wife, 
blessed  with  the  xMuses'  guidance,  taught  holy  rites 
and  trained  a  fierce,  warlike  people  in  the  arts  of 
peace.  When  he,  now  ripe  in  years,  laid  down  his 
sceptre  and  his  life,  the  Latin  mothers,  the  commons, 
arid  the  fathers  all  mourned  for  the  departed  Numa. 
For  his  wife  fled  from  the  city  and  hid  herself  away 
in  the  dense  forests  of  the  Arician  vale,  and  by  her 
groans  and  lamentations  she  disturbed  the  worship 
of  Orestean  Diana.  Oh,  how  often  the  nymphs  of 
wood  and  lake  urged  her  to  desist  and  spoke  words 
of  consolation  !  How  often  to  the  weeping  nymph 
the  heroic  son  of  Theseus  said :  "  Have  done  with 
tears,  for  yours  is  not  the  only  lot  to  be  lamented. 
Think  upon  others  who  have  borne  equal  losses ; 
then  will  you  bear  your  own  more  gently.  And  I 
would  that  I  had  no  experience  of  my  own  where- 
with to  comfort  you  in  your  grief !  But  even  mine 
can  comfort  you. 
1  Hung  on  trees  to  scare  the  deer  towards  the  uets.    2  Egeria. 

299 


OVID 

"  Fando  aliquem  Hippolytum  vestras,  puto,  contigit 
aures 
credulitate  patris,  sceleratae  fraude  novercae 
oc.cubuisse  neci :  mirabere,  vixque  probabo, 
sed  tamen  ille  ego  sum.     me  Pasipbaeia  quondam 
temptatum  frustra  patrium  temerare  cubile,  501 

quod  voluit,  finxit  voluisse  et,  crimine  verso 
(indiciine  metu  magis  offensane  repulsae  ?) 
damnavit,  merituinque  nihil  pater  eicit  uibe 
hostilique  caput  prece  detestatur  euntis.  505 

Pittheam  profugo  curru  Troezena  petebam 
iamque  Corinthiaci  carpebam  litora  ponti, 
cum  mare  surrexit,  cumulusque  inmanis  aquarum 
in  montis  speciem  curvari  et  crescere  visus 
et  dare  mugitus  summoque  cacumine  findi ;  510 

corniger  hinc  taurus  ruptis  expellitur  undis 
pectoribusque  tenus  molles  ercctus  in  auras 
naribus  et  patulo  partem  maris  evomit  ore. 
corda  pavent  comitum,  mihi  mens  interrita  mansit 
exiliis  intenta  suis,  cum  colla  feroces  515 

ad  freta  convertunt  adrectisque  auribus  horrent 
quadrupedes  monstrique  metu  turbantur  et  altis 
praecipitant  currum  scopulis  ;  ego  ducere  vana 
frena  manu  spumis  albentibus  oblita  luctor 
et  retro  lentas  tendo  resupinus  babenas.  520 

nee  tamen  has  vires  rabies  superasset  equorum, 
ni  rota,  perpetuum  qua  circumvertitur  axem, 
stipitis  occursu  fracta  ac  disiecta  fuisset. 
excutior  curru,  lorisque  tenentibus  artus 
viscera  viva  trahi,  nervos  in  stipe  teneri,  525 

400 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

"  You  may  have  heard  some  mention  of  Hippo- 
lytus,  how  he  met  his  death  through  the  easy  credence 
of  his  father  and  the  wiles  of  his  accursed  stepmother. 
You  will  be  amazed  and  I  shall  scarce  prove  my 
statement,  but  nevertheless  I  myself  am  he.  Pasi- 
phae's  daughter  once,  when  she  had  tried  in  vain  to 
tempt  me  to  defile  my  father's  couch,  perverting 
truth,  pretended  that  I  had  willed  what  she  herself 
had  willed  (was  it  through  fear  of  discovery  or 
offence  at  her  repulse  ?),  and,  guiltless  though  I  was, 
my  father  drove  me  from  the  city  and  cursed  me  as 
I  went  with  a  deadly  curse.  Banished  from  home, 
I  was  making  for  Troezen,  Pittheus'  city,  in  my 
chariot,  and  now  was  coursing  along  the  beach 
of  the  Corinthian  bay,  when  the  sea  rose  up  and  a 
huge  mound  of  water  seemed  to  swell  and  grow  to 
mountain  size,  to  give  forth  bellowings,  and  to  be 
cleft  at  its  highest  point.  Then  the  waves  burst  and 
a  horned  bull  was  cast  forth,  and,  raised  from  the 
sea  breast-high  into  the  yielding  air,  he  spouted  out 
great  quantities  of  water  from  his  nostrils  and  wide 
mouth.  The  hearts  of  my  companions  quaked  with 
fear ;  but  my  own  soul  was  unterrified,  filled  with  ils 
own  thoughts  of  exile.  Then  suddenly  my  spirited 
horses  faced  towards  the  sea  and,  with  ears  pncked 
forward,  quaked  and  trembled  with  fear  at  the 
monstrous  shape  ;  then  dashed  with  the  chariot  at 
headlong  speed  over  the  steep,  rocky  way.  I  vainly 
strove  to  cheek  them  with  the  reins,  flecked  with 
white  foam,  and,  leaning  backward,  strained  at  the 
tough  thongs.  Still  would  the  horses'  mad  strength 
not  have  surpassed  my  own  had  not  a  wheel,  striking 
its  hub  against  a  projecting  stock,  been  broken  and 
wrenched  off  from  the  axle.  1  was  thrown  from  my 
car,  and  while  the  reins  held  my  legs  fast,  you  might 

401 


OVID 

membra  rapi  partim,  partim  reprensa  relinqui, 
ossa  gravem  dare  fracta  sonum  fessamque  videres 
exhalari  animam  nu'lasque  in  corpore  partes, 
noscere  quas  posses:  unumque  erat  omnia  vulnus. 
num  potes  aut  audes  cladi  conponere  nostrae,        530 
nympha,  tuam  ?  vidi  quoque  luce  carentia  rcgna 
et  laccrum  fovi  Phlegethontide  corpus  in  unda, 
nee  nisi  Apollineae  valido  medicamine  prolis 
reddita  vita  foret;  quam  postquam  fortibus  herbis 
atque  ope  Paeonia  Dite  indignante  recepi,  535 

turn  mihi,  ne  praesens  augerem  muneris  huius 
invidiam,  densas  obiecit  Cynthia  nubes, 
utquj  forcm  tutus  posstmque  inpune  videri, 
addidit  aetatem  nee  cognoscenda  reliquit 
ora  mihi  Cretemque  diu  dubitavit  habendam  540 

traderet  an  Delon :  Creta  Deloque  relictis 
hie  posuit  nomenque  simul,  quod  possit  equorum 
admonuisse,  iub'-t  deponere  'qui '  que  '  fuisti 
Hippolytus,'  dixit '  nunc  idem  Virbius  esto  ! ' 
hoc  nemus  inde  colo  de  disque  minoribus  unus      545 
numine  sub  dominae  lateo  atque  accenseor  illi." 

Non  tamen  Egeriae  luctus  aliena  levare 
damua  valent ;  montisque  iacens  radicibus  imis 
liquitur  in  lacrimas,  donee  pietate  dolentis 
mota  soror  Phoebi  gclidum  de  corpore  fontem       5i>0 
fecit  et  aeternas  artus  tennavit  in  undas. 

Et  nymphas  tetigit  nova  res,  et  Amazone  natus 
402 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK    XV 

see  my  living  flesh  dragged  along,  my  sinews  held 
on  the  sharp  stake,  ray  limbs  partly  drawn  on  and 
in  part  caught  fast  and  left  behind,  and  my  bones 
broken  with  a  loud,  snapping  sound.  You  might  see 
my  spent  spirit  breathed  out  and  there  was  no  part 
of  my  body  which  you  could  recognize,  but  it  all  was 
one  great  wound.  Now  can  you,  dare  you,  nymph, 
compare  your  loss  with  my  disaster?  Further,  I  saw 
the  rayless  world  of  death  and  bathed  my  torn 
body  in  the  waves  of  Phlegethon.  And  there  should 
I  still  be  had  not  Apollo's  son  by  his  potent  remedies 
given  me  back  my  life.  And  when  I  had  regained 
it  by  the  help  of  strong  herbs  and  medicinal  aid, 
though  'twas  against  the  will  of  Dis,  then  Cynthia 
threw  a  thick  cloud  around  me,  lest  I  be  seen  and 
stir  up  envy  of  my  gift  of  life.  And,  that  I  might  be 
safe  and  able  to  be  seen  without  fear  of  punishment, 
she  gave  me  the  look  of  age  and  left  me  no  features 
that  could  be  recognized.  She  debated  long  whether 
to  give  me  Crete  or  Delos  for  my  home.  But,  de- 
ciding against  Crete  and  Delos,  she  placed  me  here 
and  bade  me  lay  aside  the  name  which  could  remind 
me  of  my  horses,  and  said :  '  You  who  were  Hip- 
poly  tus  shall  now  be  Virbius.'  From  that  time  I 
have  dwelt  within  this  grove  and,  one  of  the 
lesser  deities,  I  hide  beneath  my  mistress'  deity  and 
am  accepted  as  her  follower." 

But  Egeria's  grief  could  not  be  assuaged  by  the 
woes  of  others,  and,  lying  prostrate  at  the  mountain's 
base,  she  melted  away  in  tears  ;  until  Phoebus'  sister, 
in  pity  of  her  faithful  sorrow,  made  her  body  into 
a  cool  spring  and  dissolved  her  slender  limbs  into 
unfailing  streams. 

This  strange  event  struck  the  nymphs  with 
wonder ;   and  the  son  of  the  Amazon  was   no  less 

4,03 


OVID 

haut  aliter  stupuit,  quam  cum  Tyrrbenus  arator 

fatalem  glaebam  mediis  adspexit  in  arvis 

sponte  sua  primum  nulloque  agitante  moveri,        555 

sumere  raox  hominis  terraeque  amittere  formam 

oraque  Venturis  aperire  recentia  fatis  : 

indigenae  dixere  Tagen,  qui  primus  Etruscam 

edocuit  gentem  casus  aperire  futuros  ; 

utve  Palatinis  haerentem  collibus  olim  560 

cum  subito  vidit  frondescere  Romulus  bastam, 

quae  radice  nova,  non  ferro  stabat  adacto 

et  iam  non  telum,  sed  lenti  viminis  arbor 

non  exspectatas  dabat  admirantibus  umbras  ; 

aut  sua  fluminea  cum  vidit  Cipus  in  unda  56.5 

cornua  (vidit  enim)  falsamque  in  imagine  credens 

esse  fidem,  digitis  ad  frontcra  saepe  relatis, 

quae  vidit,  tetigit,  nee  iam  sua  lumina  damnans 

restitit,  ut  victor  domito  veniebat  ab  hoste, 

ad  caelumque  manus  et  eodem  lumina  tollens        570 

"  quicquid,"  ait  "  superi,  monstro  portenditur  isto, 

seu  laetum  est,  patriae  laetum  populoque  Quh  ini, 

sive  minax,  mihi  sit."     viridique  e  caespite  factas 

placat  odoratis  berbosas  ignibus  aras 

vinaque  dat  pateris  macta  tar  unique  bidentum,       575 

quid  sibi  significent,  trepidantia  consulit  exta  ; 

quae  simul  adspexit  Tyrrbenae  gentis  baruspex, 

magna  quidem  rerum  molimina  vidit  in  illis, 

non  manifesta  tamen  ;  cum  vero  sustulit  acre 

a  pecudis  fibris  ad  Cipi  cornua  lumen,  5S0 

"rex,"ait  "o  !  salve  !  tibi  enim,  tibi,  Cipe,  tuisque 

404 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK   XV 

amazed  than  was  the  Tyrrhene  plowman  when  he 
saw  in  his  fields  a  clod,  big  with  fate,  first  moving  of 
its  own  accord,  and  with  no  one  touching  it,  then 
taking  on  the  form  of  man  and  losing  its  earthy  shape, 
and  finally  opening  its  new-made  mouth  to  speak 
things  that  were  to  be.  The  natives  called  him 
Tages,  who  first  taught  the  Etruscan  race  how  to 
read  the  future.  And  no  less  amazed  than  was 
Romulus  when  of  old  he  saw  his  spear,  which  he 
had  planted  on  the  Palatine  hill,  suddenly  putting 
forth  leaves,  and  standing,  not  with  iron  point 
driven  in  the  earth,  but  with  new-grown  roots ;  and 
now  'twas  not  a  spear  at  all,  but  a  tough-fibred  tree, 
giving  unexpected  shade  to  those  who  gazed  on  it  in 
wonder ;  or  than  was  Cipus  when  in  the  river  water 
he  saw  horns  springing  from  his  head.  For  he  saw 
them  and,  thinking  that  he  was  deceived  by  the 
reflection,  lifting  his  hands  again  and  again  to  his 
forehead,  he  touched  what  he  saw ;  and  now  no 
longer  disbelieving  his  eyes  he  halted  on  his 
triumphal  march  and  lifting  his  hands  and  eyes 
to  the  heavens  cried :  "  O  ye  gods,  whatever  is 
portended  by  this  monstrous  thing,  if  it  be  for- 
tunate, let  the  good  fortune  befall  my  country  and 
the  people  of  Quirinus ;  but  if  it  threaten  ill,  may 
the  ill  be  mine."  Then,  making  an  altar  of  green 
turf,  he  appeased  the  gods  with  a  fragrant  burnt- 
offering,  made  a  libation  of  wine,  and  consulted 
the  quivering  entrails  of  the  slaughtered  victims 
as  to  what  they  might  mean  for  him.  When  the 
Etruscan  seer  inspected  these  he  saw  the  signs  of 
great  enterprises  there,  but  not  yet  clearly  visible. 
But  when  he  raised  his  keen  eyes  from  the  sheep's 
entrails  to  the  horns  of  Cipus,  he  cried  :  "  All  hail, 
O  king  !  for  to  thee,  to  thee,  Cipus,  and  to  thy  horns 

40A 


OVID 

hie  locus  et  Latiae  parebunt  cornibus  arces. 

tu  modo  rumpe  moras  portasque  intrare  patentes 

adpropera  !  sic  fata  iubent ;  namque  urbe  receptus 

rex  eris  et  sceptro  tutug  potiere  perenni."  585 

rettulit  iile  pedem  torvamque  a  moenibus  urbis 

avertens  faci'  in  "  procul,  a  !  procul  omnia  "  dixit 

"  talia  di  pellant !  multoque  ego  iustius  aevum 

exul  agam,  quam  me  videant  Capitolia  regem." 

dixit  et  extemplo  populumque  gravemque  senatum 

convocat,  ante  tamen  pacali  cornua  lauro  59! 

velat  et  aggeribus  factis  a  milite  forti 

insistit  priscosque  deos  e  more  precatus 

"est"  ait  "hie  unus,  quem  vos  nisi  pellitis  urbe, 

rex  erit :  is  qui  sit,  signo,  non  nomine  dicam  :       595 

cornua  fronte  gerit!  quem  vobis  indicat  augur, 

si  Romam  intrurit,  famularia  iura  daturum. 

ille  quidem  potuit  portas  inrumpere  apertas, 

sed  nos  obstitimus,  quamvis  coniunctior  illo 

nemo  mihi  est:  vos  urbe  virum  prohibete,  Quirites, 

vel,  si  dignus  erit,  gravibus  vincite  catenis  60 1 

aut  finite  metum  fatalis  morte  tyrauni !  " 

qualia  sucrinctis,  ubi  trux  insibilat  eurus, 

murmura  pinetis  fiunt,  aut  qualia  fluctus 

aequorei  faciunt,  siquis  procul  audiat  illos,  605 

tale  sonat  populus ;  sed  per  confusa  frementis 

verba  tamen  vulgi  vox  eminet  una  "  quis  ille  est  ?  " 

et  spectant  frontcs  praedictaque  cornua  quaerunt. 

rursus   ad    hos    Cipus    "  quem    poscitis,"    inquit 

"  habetis  " 
406 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XV 

shall  this  place  and    Latiurn's    citadels    bow    down. 
Only  delay  not  and  make  speed  to  enter  the  open 
gates!     Such  is  fate's  command  ;  for,  received  within 
the  city,  thou  shalt  be  king  and  wield  the  sceptre 
in  safe  and  endless  sway."        He  started  hack  and, 
keeping  his  gaze  stubbornly  turned  from  the  city's 
walls,  he  said  :  "  Far,  oh,  far  from  me  may  the  gods 
keep  every  such  fate.      Better  far  it  is  that  I  should 
spend    my  days   exiled   from    home   than    that   the 
Capitol  should  see  me  king."    He  spoke  and  straight- 
way called  a  joint  assembly  of  the  people  and  the 
reverend  senate.     But  first  he  hid  his  horns  with  a 
wreath  of  peaceful  laurel  ;  then,  standing  on  a  mound 
raised   by  the   brave    soldiery   and   praying   to   the 
ancient  gods  according  to  the  rite,  he  said  :  "  There 
is  one  here  who  will  be  king  unless  you  drive  him 
from  your  city.     Who  he  is,  not  by  his  name  but  by 
a  sign  I  will  disclose  to  you  :  he  wears  horns  upon 
his  brow  !     The  augur  declares  that  if  once  he  enters 
Rome   he  will  reduce  you  to  the  rank  of  slaves.     He 
might  have  forced  his  way  through  your  gates,  for 
they  stand  open  ;  but  I  withstood  him,  though  no 
one  is  more  closely  bound  to  him  than  I.     Do  you, 
Qui  rites,  keep  him  from  your  city,  or,  if  he  deserves 
it,   bind  him   with  heavy  fetters,  or    end  jour   fear 
of  the  fated  tyrant  by  his  death  !  "    At  this  such  a 
murmur  arose  among  the  people  as  comes  from  the 
high-girt    pine-groves    when    the    boisterous    wind 
whistles  through  them,  or  as  the  waves  of  the  sea  make 
heard  from  afar.     But,  midst  the  confused  words  of 
the  murmuring  throng,  one  cry  rose  clear  :  "  Who  is 
the  man  ?  "     They  looked  at  each  other's  foreheads, 
and  sought  to  find  the  horns  that  had  been  spoken 
of.     Then  Cipus  spoke  again  and  said  :  "  Him  whom 
you  seek  you  have  "  ;  and  removing  the  wreath  from 

407 


OVID 

et  dempta  capiti  populo  proliibente  corona  6l0 

exhihuit  gemino  praesignia  tempora  cornu. 

demisere  oculos  omnes  gemitumque  dedere 

atque  illud  mentis  clarum  (quis  credere  possit  ?) 

inviti  videre  caput :  nee  honore  carere 

ulterius  passi  festam  inposuere  coror.am;  615 

at  proceres,  quoniam  muros  intrare  vetaris, 

ruris  honorati  tantum  tibi,  Cipe,  dedere, 

quantum  depressosubiectis  bobus  aratro 

conplecti  posses  ad  finem  lucis  ab  ortu. 

cornuaque  aeratis  miram  referenda  formam  620 

postibus  insculpunt,  longum  mansura  per  aevum. 

Pandite  nunc,  Musae,  praesentia  numina  vat  um, 
(scitis  enim,  nee  vos  fallit  spatiosa  vetustas,) 
unde  Coroniden  circumflua  Thybridis  alti 
insula  Romuleae  sacris  adiecerit  urbis.  625 

Diia  lues  quondam  Latias  vitiaverat  auras, 
pallidaque  exsangui  squalebant  corpora  morbo. 
funeribus  fessi  postquam  mortalia  cernunt 
temptamenta  nihil,  nihil  artes  posse  medentum, 
auxilium  caeleste  petunt  mediamque  tenentis       630 
orbis  humum  Delphos  adeunt,  oracula  Plioebi, 
utque  salutifera  miseris  succurrere  rebus 
sorte  velit  tantaeque  urbis  mala  finiat,  oraut : 
et  locus  et  laurus  et,  quas  habet  ipse  pharetras, 
intremuere  simul,  cortinaque  reddidit  imo  635 

hanc  adyto  vocem  pavefactaque  pectora  niovit  ■ 
408 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

his  head,  while  the  people  sought  to  stay  him,  he 
showed  to  them  his  temples  marked  with  the  two 
horns.  All  cast  down  their  eyes  and  groaned  aloud, 
and  (who  could  believe  it  ?)  reluctantly  looked  upon 
that  deservedly  illustrious  head.  Then,  not  suffering 
him  further  to  stand  dishonoured,  they  replaced 
upon  his  head  the  festal  wreath.  But  the  senate, 
since  you  might  not  come  within  the  walls,  gave  you, 
Cipus,  as  a  gift  of  honour,  as  much  land  as  you 
could  enclose  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  plow  from 
dawn  till  close  of  day.  And  the  horns  in  all  their 
wondrous  beauty  they  engraved  upon  the  bronze 
pillars  of  the  gates,  there  to  remain  through  all  the 
ages. 

Reveal  to  me  now,  O  Muses,  ye  ever-helpful 
divinities  of  bards  (for  you  know,  nor  has  far- 
stretching  time  dimmed  your  memory),  whence  did 
the  island  bathed  by  the  deep  Tiber  bring  Coronis' 
son1  and  set  him  midst  the  deities  of  Rome. 

In  olden  time  a  deadly  pestilence  had  corrupted 
Latium's  air,  and  man's  bodies  lay  wasting  and  pale 
with  a  ghastly  disease.  When,  weary  with  caring 
fur  the  dead,  men  saw  that  their  human  efforts  were 
as  nothing,  and  that  the  healers'  arts  were  of  no 
avail,  they  sought  the  aid  of  heaven,  and,  coming  to 
Delphi,  situate  in  the  earth's  central  spot,  the  sacred 
oracle  of  Phoebus,  they  begged  that  the  god  would 
vouchsafe  with  his  health-bringing  lots  to  succour 
them  in  their  wretchedness  and  end  the  woes  of 
their  great  city.  Then  did  the  shrine  and  the 
laurel-tree  and  the  quiver  which  the  god  himself 
bears  quake  together,  and  the  tripod  from  the 
inmost  shrine  gave  forth  these  words  and  stirred 
their  hearts  trembling  with  fear :  "  What  you  seek 

1  Aesculapius. 

409 


OVID 

"  quod  petis  hinc,  propiore  loco,  Roniane,  petisses, 

et  pete  nunc  propiore  loco:  nee  Apolline  vobis, 

qui  minuat  luctus,  opus  est,  sed  Apolline  nato. 

ite  bonis  avibus  prolemque  accersite  nostram."      640 

iussa  dei  prudens  postquam  accepere  senatus, 

quam  colat,  explorant,  iuvenis  Phoebeius  urbem, 

quique  petant  ventis  Epidauria  litora,  mittunt  ; 

quae  simul  incurva  missi  tetigere  carina, 

concilium  Graiosque  patres  adiere,  darentque,       645 

oravere,  deum,  qui  praesens  funera  gentis 

finiat  Ausoniae  :  certas  ita  dicere  soites. 

dissidet  et  variat  sententia,  parsque  negandum 

non  putat  auxilium,  multi  retinere  suamque 

non  emittere  opem  ncc  numina  tradere  suadent :  650 

dum  dubitant,  seram  pepulere  crepuscula  lucem; 

umbraque  telluris  tenebras  induxerat  orbi, 

cum  deus  in  somnis  opifer  consistere  visus 

ante  tuum,  Romane,  torum,  scd  qualis  in  aede 

esse  solet,  baculumque  tenens  agreste  sinistra        655 

caesariem  longae  dextra  deducere  barbae 

et  placido  tales  emittere  pectore  voces : 

"  pone  metus  !  veniam  simulacraque  nostra  relinquam. 

hunc  modo  serpentem,  baculum  qui  nexibus  ambit, 

perspice  et  usque  nota  visu,  ut  cognoscere  possis  !  660 

vertar  in  hunc  :  sed  maior  ero  tantusque  videbor, 

in  quantum  debent  cae'estia  corpora  verti." 

extemplo  cum  voce  deus,  cum  voce  deoque 

somnus  abit,  somnique  fugam  lux  alma  secuta  est. 

postera  sidereos  aurora  fugaverat  ignes  :  665 

410 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

from  this  place  you  should  have  sought,  O  Roman, 
from  a  nearer  place.  And  even  now  seek  from  that 
nearer  place.  Nor  have  you  any  need  of  Apollo  to 
abate  your  troubles,  but  of  Apollo's  son.  Go  with 
kindly  auspices  and  call  on  my  son."  When  the 
senate,  rich  in  wisdom,  heard  the  commands  of  the 
god,  they  sought  in  what  city  the  son  of  Phoebus 
dwelt,  and  sent  an  embassy  by  ship  to  seek  out  the 
coast  of  Epidaurus.  When  the  embassy  had  beached 
their  curved  keel  upon  that  shore,  they  betook  them 
to  the  council  of  the  Grecian  elders  and  prayed  that 
they  would  give  the  god  who  with  his  present  deity 
might  end  the  deadly  woes  of  the  Ausonian  race; 
for  thus  the  oracle  distinctly  bade.  The  elders 
disagreed  and  sat  with  varying  minds.  Some 
thought  that  aid  should  not  be  refused  ;  but  the 
many  advised  to  keep  their  god  and  not  let  go 
the  source  of  their  own  wealth  nor  deliver  up  their 
deity.  And  while  they  sat  in  doubt  the  dusk  of 
evening  dispelled  the  lingering  day  and  the  darkness 
spread  its  shadows  over  the  world.  Then  did  the 
health-giving  god  seem  in  your  dreams  to  stand 
before  your  couch,  O  Roman,  even  as  he  is  wont  to 
appear  in  his  own  temple,  holding  his  rustic  staff  in 
his  left  hand  and  with  his  right  stroking  his  flowing 
beard,  and  with  calm  utterance  to  speak  these 
words :  "  Fear  not !  I  shall  come  and  leave  my 
shrine.  Only  look  upon  this  serpent  which  twines 
about  my  staff,  and  fix  it  on  your  sight  that  you 
may  know  it.  I  shall  change  myself  to  this,  but  shall 
be  larger  and  shall  seem  as  great  as  celestial  bodies 
should  be  when  they  change."  Straightway  the  god 
vanished  as  he  spoke,  and  with  the  voice  and  the  god 
sleep  vanished  too,  and  the  kindly  day  dawned  as 
sleep  fled.     The  next  morning  had  put  the  gleaming 

411 


OVID 
incerti,  quid  agant,  proceres  ad  templa  petiti 
conveniunt  operosa  dei,  quaque  ipse  morari 
sede  velit,  signis  caelestibus  indicet,  orant. 
vix  bene  desierant,  cum  cristis  aureus  altis 
in  serpente  deus  praenuntia  sibila  misit  670 

adventuque  suo  signumque  arasque  foresque 
marmoreumque  solum  fastigiaque  aurea  movit 
pectoribusque  tenus  media  sublimis  in  aede 
constitit  atque  oculos  circumtulit  igne  micantes  : 
territa  turba  pavet,  cognovit  numina  castos  675 

evinctus  vitta  crines  albente  sacerdos  ; 
"  en  deus  est,  deus  est !  animis  linguisque  favete, 
quisquis  adest !  "  dixit  "  sis,  o  pulcherrime,  visus 
utiliter  populosque  iuves  tua  sacra  colentes!  " 
quisquis  adest,  iussum  venerantur  numen,  et  omnes 
verba  sacerdotis  referunt  geminata  piumque  681 

Aeneadae  praestant  et  mente  et  voce  favorem. 
adnuit  his  motisque  deus  rata  pignora  cristis 
et  repetita  dedit  vibrata  sibila  lingua ; 
turn  gradibus  nitidis  delabitur  oraque  retro  685 

flectit  et  antiquas  abiturus  respicit  aras 
adsuetasque  domos  habitataque  templa  salutat. 
inde  per  iniectis  adopertam  floribus  ingens 
serpit  humum  flectitque  sinus  mediamque  per  urbem 
tendit  ad  incurvo  munitos  aggere  portus.  690 

restitit  hie  agmenque  suum  turbaeque  sequentis 
officium  placido  visus  dimittere  vultu 
corpus  in  Ausonia  posuit  rate  :  numinis  ilia 
412 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

stars  to  flight  when  the  chiefs,  still  uncertain  what 
to    do,    assembled    at    the    sumptuous    temple    of 
the  sough t-for  god    and  begged    him    by   heavenly 
tokens  to  reveal  where  he  himself  wished  to  abide. 
Scarce  had  they  ceased  to  speak  when  the  golden 
god,  in  the  form  of  a  serpent  with  high  crest,  uttered 
hissing  warnings  of  his  presence,  and  at  his  coming 
the  statue,  altars,  doors,  the  marble  pavement  and 
gilded  roof,  all  rocked.     Then,  raised  breast-high  in 
the  temple's  midst,  he  stood  and  gazed  about  with 
eyes  flashing  fire.     The  terrified   multitude  quaked 
with  fear  ;  but  the  priest,  with  his  sacred  locks  bound 
with  a  white  fillet,  recognized  the  divinity  and  cried  : 
"  The  god  !  behold  the  god  !     Think  holy  thoughts 
and  stand  in  reverent  silence,  all  ye  who  are  in  this 
presence.    And,  O  thou  most  beautiful,  be  this  vision 
of  thee  expedient  for  us  and  bless  thou  this  people 
who  worship   at   thy  shrine."     All    in    the    divine 
presence  worshipped  the  god  as  they  were  bid,  re- 
peating the  priest's  words  after  him,  and  the  Romans, 
too,  performed  their  pious  devotions  with  heart  and 
lips.     The    god    nodded    graciously  to   them   and, 
moving  his  crest,  assured  them  of  his  favour  and  with 
darting  tongue  gave  forth  repeated  hisses.     Then  he 
glided  down  the  polished  steps  and  with  backward 
gaze  looked  fixedly  upon  the  ancient  altars  which  ne 
was  about  to  leave,  and  saluted  his  well-known  home 
and  the  shrine  where  he  had  dwelt  so  long.     Thence 
the  huge  serpent  wound  his  way  along  the  ground 
covered  with  scattered  flowers,  bending  and  coiling 
as  he  went,  and  proceeded  through  the  city's  midst 
to  the  harbour  guarded  by  a  curving  embankment. 
Here  he  halted  and,  seeming  with  kindly  expression 
to  dismiss  his  throng  of  pious  followers,  he  took  his 
place  within  the  Ausonian   ship.     It  felt  the  burden 

413 


OVID 

sensit  onus,  pressa  estque  dei  gravitate  carina  ; 
Aeneadae  gaudent  caesoqtte  in  litore  tauro  695 

torta  coronatae  solvunt  retinacula  navis. 
inpulerat  levis  aura  ratem  :  deus  eminet  alto 
inpositaque  premens  puppim  cervice  recurvam 
caeruleas  dcspectat  aquas  modicisque  per  aequor 
Ionium  zephyris  sextae  Pallmtidos  ortu  700 

Italiam  tenuit  praeterque  Laoinia  templo 
nobilitata  dcie  Scylaceaque  litora  fertur  ; 
liuquit  Iapygiam  laevisque  Amphrisia  remis 
saxa  fugit,  dextra  praerupta  Cocinthia  parte, 
Romethiumque  legit  Caulonaque  Naryeiamqae      705 
evincitque  fretum  Siculique  angusta  Pelori 
Hippotadaeque  domos  regis  Temesesque  metalla 
Leucosiamque  petit  tepidique  rosaria  Paesti. 
inde  legit  Capreas  promunturiumque  Minervae 
et  Surrentino  generosos  palmite  colles  710 

Kercuieamque  urbein  Stahiasque  et  in  otia  natain 
Parthenopen  et  ah  hac  Cumaeae  tempi  a  Sibyllae. 
hinc  calidi  fontes  lentisciferumque  tenetur 
Liternum  multamque  trahens  sub  gurgite  liarenam 
Volturnus  niveis()ue  frequens  Sinuessa  columbis    715 
Minturnaeque  graves  et  quam  tumulavit  alumnus 
Antiphataeque  domus  Trachasque  obsessa  palude 
et  tellus  Circaea  et  spissi  litoris  Antium. 
hue  ubi  veliferam  nautae  ad.ertere  carinam, 
(asper  enim  iam  pontus  erat),  deus  explicat  orbes  7t»0 
perque  sinus  crebros  et  magna  volumina  labens 
414 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

of  the  deity  and  the  keel  was  forced  deep  down  by 
the  god's  weight.  The  Romans  were  filled  with  joy 
and,  after  sacrificing  a  bull  upon  the  beach,  they 
wreathed  their  ship  with  flowers  and  cast  loose  from 
the  shore.  A  gentle  breeze  bore  the  vessel  on,  while 
the  god,  rising  on  high  and  reclining  heavily  with  his 
neck  resting  upon  the  ship's  curving  stern,  gazed 
down  upon  the  azure  waters.  With  fair  winds  lie 
sailed  through  the  Ionian  sea  and  on  the  sixth  morn- 
ing he  reached  Italy,sailed  past  the  shoresof  Lacinium, 
famed  for  Juno's  temple,  past  Scylaceum,  left  Iapygia 
behind,  and,  avoiding  the  Amphrisian  rocks  upon  the 
left  and  the  Cocinthian  crags  upon  the  right,  skirted 
Romethium  and  Caulon  and  Narycia  ;  then  passed 
the  Sicilian  sea  and  Pelorus'  narrow  strait,  sailed  by 
the  home  of  King  Hippotades,  past  the  copper  mines  of 
Temesa,  and  headed  for  Leucosia  and  mild  Paestum's 
rose-gardens.  Thence  he  skirted  Capreae,  Minerva's 
promontory,  and  the  hills  of  Surrentum  rich  in  vines  ; 
thence  sailed  to  Herculaneum  and  Stabiaeand  Parthe- 
nope,1  for  soft  pleasure  founded,  and  from  there 
to  the  temple  of  the  Cumaean  Sibyl.  Next  the  hot 
pools  2  were  reached,  and  Liternum,  thick  grown  with 
mastic-bearing  trees,  and  the  Volturnus,  sweeping 
along  vast  quantities  of  sand  beneath  its  whirling 
waters ;  Sinuessa,  with  its  thronging  flocks  of  snow- 
white  doves  ;  unwholesome  Minturnae  and  the  place  3 
named  for  her  whose  foster-son4  entombed  her 
there  ;  the  home  of  Antiphates,  marsh-encompassed 
Trachas,  Circe's  land  also,  and  Antium  with  its  hard- 
packt  d  shore.  When  to  this  place  the  sailors  turned 
their  ship  with  sails  full  spread  (for  the  sea  was 
rough)  the  god  unfolded  his  coils  and,  gliding  on 
with  many  a  sinuous  curve  and  mighty  fold,  entered 
1  i.e.  Naples.         *  Of  Baiae.         8  Caieta.         •  Aenean. 

415 


OVID 

templa  parentis  init  flavum  tangentia  litus. 

aequore  placato  patrias  Epidaurius  aras 

linquit  et  hospitio  iuncti  sibi  numinis  usus 

litoream  tractu  squamae  crepitantis  harenam         725 

sulcat  et  innixus  moderamine  navis  in  alta 

puppe  caput  posuit,  donee  Castrumque  sacrasque 

Lavini  sedes  Tiberinaque  ad  ostia  venit. 

hue  omnis  populi  passim  matrumque  patrumque 

obvia  turba  ruit,  quaeque  ignes,  Troica,  servant,  730 

Vesta,  tuos,  laetoque  deum  clamore  salutant. 

quaque  per  adversas  navis  cita  ducitur  undas, 

tura  super  ripas  aris  ex  ordine  factis 

parte  ab  utraque  sonant  et  odorant  aera  fumis, 

ictaque  coniectos  incalfacit  hostia  cultros.  735 

iamque  caput  rerum,  Romanam  intraverat  urbem  : 

erigitur  serpens  summoque  acclinia  rnalo 

colla  movet  sedesque  sibi  circumspicit  aptas. 

scinditur  in  geminas  partes  circumfluus  amnis 

(Insula  nomen  habet)  laterumque  a  parte  duorum  740 

porrigit  aequales  media  tellure  lacertos  : 

hue  se  de  Latia  pinu  Phoebeius  anguis 

contulit  et  finem  specie  caeleste  resumpta 

luctibus  inposuit  venitque  salutifer  urbi. 

Hie  tamen  accessit  delubris  advena  nostris :      745 
Caesar  in  urbe  sua  deus  est ;  quem  Marte  togaque 
praecipuum  non  bella  magis  finita  triumphis 
resque  domi  gestae  properataque  gloria  rerum 
in  sidus  vertere  novum  stellamque  comantem, 
quam  sua  progenies  ;  neque  enim  de  Caesaris  actis  750 
416 


METAMORPHOSES  BOOK  XV 

his  father's  temple  set  on  the  tawny  strand.  When 
the  sea  had  calmed  again,  the  Epidaurian  god  left 
his  paternal  altars  and,  having  enjoyed  the  hospitality 
of  his  kindred  deity,  furrowed  the  sandy  shore  as  he 
dragged  his  rasping  scales  along  and,  climbing  up 
the  rudder,  reposed  his  head  on  the  vessel's  lofty 
stern,  until  he  came  to  Castrum,  the  sacred  seats  of 
Laviniumand  the  Tiber's  mouth.  Hither  the  whole 
mass  of  the  populace  came  thronging  to  meet  him 
from  every  side,  matrons  and  fathers  and  the  maids 
who  tend  thy  fires,  O  Trojan  Vesta,  and  they  saluted 
the  god  with  joyful  cries.  And  where  the  swift  ship 
floated  up  the  stream  incense  burned  with  a  crackling 
sound  on  altars  built  in  regular  order  on  both  the 
banks,  the  air  was  heavy  with  sweet  perfumes,  and 
the  smitten  victim  warmed  the  sacrificial  knife  with 
his  blood.  And  now  the  ship  had  entered  Rome, 
the  capital  of  the  world.  The  serpent  raised  himself 
aloft  and,  resting  his  head  upon  the  mast's  top, 
moved  it  from  side  to  side,  viewing  the  places  fit  for 
his  abode.  The  river,  flowing  around,  separates  at 
this  point  into  two  parts,  forming  the  place  called 
the  Island  ;  on  each  side  it  stretches  out  two  equal 
arms  with  the  land  between.  On  this  spot  the 
serpent-son  of  Phoebus  disembarked  from  the  Latian 
ship  and,  resuming  his  heavenly  form,  put  an  end 
to  the  people's  woes  and  came  to  them  as  health- 
bringer  to  their  city. 

Now  he  came  to  our  shrines  as  a  god  from  a  foreign 
land  ;  but  Caesar  is  god  in  his  own  city.  Him,  illus- 
trious in  war  and  peace,  not  so  much  his  wars 
triumphantly  achieved,  his  civic  deeds  accomplished, 
and  liis  glory  quickly  won,  changed  to  a  new 
heavenly  body,  a  flaming  star ;  but  still  more  his 
offspring  deified  him.     For  there  is  no  work  among 

417 


OVID 

ullum  maius  opus,  quam  quod  pater  exstitit  huius: 
scilicet  aequoreos  plus  est  domuisse  Britannos 
perque  papyriferi  septemflua  flumina  Nili 
victrices  egisse  rates  Numidasque  rebelles 
Cinyphiumque  Iubam  Mithridateisque  tumentem  755 
nominibus  Pontum  populo  adiecisse  Quirini 
et  multos  meruisse,  aliquos  egisse  triumphos, 
quam  tantum  genuisse  virum,  quo  praeside  rerum 
humano  generi,  superi,  favistis  abunde  ! 
ne  foret  hie  igitur  mortali  semine  cretus,  760 

ille  deus  faciendus  erat ;  quod  ut  aurea  vidit 
Aeneae  genetrix,  vidit  quoque  triste  parari 
pontifici  letum  et  coniurata  arma  moveri, 
palluit  et  cunctis,  ut  cuique  erat  obvia,  divis 
"adspice,"  dicebat  "  quanta  mihi  mole  parentur  765 
insidiae,  quantaque  caput  cum  fraude  petatur, 
quod  de  Dardanio  solum  mihi  restat  Iulo. 
solane  semper  ero  iustis  exercita  curis, 
quam  modo  Tydidae  Calydonia  vulneret  hasta, 
nunc  male  defensae  confundant  moenia  Troiae,    770 
quae  videam  natum  longis  erroribus  actum 
iactarique  freto  sedesque  intrare  silentum 
bellaque  cum  Turno  gerere,  aut,  si  vera  fatemur, 
cum  Iunone  magis  ?     quid  nunc  antiqua  recordor 
damna  mei  generis  ?     timor  hie  meminisse  priorum 
non  sinit ;  en  acui  sceleratos  cernitis  enses  ?  776 

quos  prohibete,  precor,  facinusque  repellite  neve 
caede  sacerdotis  flammas  exstinguite  Vestae  !  " 
418 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

all  Caesar's  achievements  greater  than  this,  that  he 
became  the  father  of  this  our  Emperor.     Is  it  indeed 
a  greater  thing  to  have  subdued  the  sea-girt  Britons, 
to  have  led  his  victorious  fleet  up  the  seven-mouthed 
stream  of  the  papyrus-bearing  Nile,  to  have  added 
the  rebellious  Numidians,  Libyan  Juba,  and  Pontus, 
swelling  with  threats  of  the  mighty  name  of  Mithri- 
dates,  to  the  sway  of  the  people  of  Quirinus,  to  have 
celebrated  some  triumphs  and  to  have  earned  many 
more — than  to  have  begotten  so  great  a  man  ?    With 
him    as    ruler   of  the    world,  you    have  indeed,  O 
heavenly  ones,  showered    rich    blessings    upon  the 
human  race !     So  then,  that  his  son  might  not  be 
born  of  mortal  seed,  Caesar  must  needs  be  made  a 
god.     When  the  golden  mother  of  Aeneas  saw  this, 
and  saw  also  that  dire  destruction  was  being  plotted 
against  her  high-priest  and  that  an  armed  conspiracy 
was  forming,  she  paled  with  fear  and  cried  to  all  the 
gods  as  she    met  them  in  turn  :    "  Behold  what  a 
crushing  weight  of  plots  is  prepared  against  me,  and 
with  what  snares   that  life  is  sought   which    alone 
remains  to  me  from  Dardanian  lulus.     Shall  I  alone 
for  ever  be  harassed  by  well-founded    cares,  since 
now  the  Calvdonian  spear  of  Diomede  wounds  me 
and  now  the  falling  walls  of  ill-defended  Troy  o'er- 
whelm    me,  since   I  see    my    son    driven    by  long 
wanderings,  tossed  on  the  sea,  entering  the  abodes 
of  the  silent  shades  and  waging  war  with  Turnus, 
or,  if  we  speak  plain  truth,  with  Juno  rather  ?     But 
why  do  I  now  recall  the  ancient  sufferings  of  my 
race  ?     This  present  fear  of  mine  does  not  permit 
me  to  remember  former  woes.     Look !    do  you  not 
see  that  impious  daggers  are  being  whetted  ?    Ward 
them  off,  I  pray,  prevent  this  crime  and  let  not  Vesta's 
6res  be  extinguished  by  her  high-priest's  blood  !  " 

419 


OVID 

Talia  nequiquam  toto  Venus  anxia  caelo 
verba  iacit  superosque  movet,  qui  rumpere  quamquam 
ferrea  non  possunt  veterum  decreta  sororum,         781 
signa  tamen  luctus  dant  haut  incerta  futuri ; 
anna  ferunt  inter  nigras  crepitantia  nubes 
terribilesque  tubas  auditaque  cornua  caelo 
praemonuisse  nefas  ;  solis  quoque  tristis  imago      785 
lurida  sollicitis  praebebat  lumina  terris  ; 
saepe  faces  visae  mediis  ardere  sub  astris, 
saepe  inter  nimbos  guttae  cecidere  cruentae  ; 
caerulus  et  vultum  ferrugine  Lucifer  atra 
sparsus  erat,  sparsi  lunares  sanguine  currus ;  790 

tristia  mille  locis  Stygius  dedit  omina  bubo, 
mille  locis  lacrimavit  ebur,  cantusque  feruntur 
auditi  Sanctis  et  verba  minantia  lucis. 
victima  nulla  litat,  magnosque  instare  tumultus 
fibra  monet,  caesumque  caput  reperitur  in  extis,   795 
inque  foro  circumque  domos  et  templa  deorum 
nocturnos  ululasse  canes  umbrasque  silentum 
erravisse  ferunt  motamque  tremoribus  urbem. 
non  tamen  insidias  venturaque  vincere  fata 
praemonitus  potuere  deum,  strictique  feruntur      800 
in  templum  gladii :  neque  enim  locus  ullus  in  urbe 
ad  facinus  diramque  placet  nisi  curia  caedem. 
turn  vero  Cytherea  manu  percussit  utraque 
pectus  et  Aeneaden  molitur  condere  nube, 
qua  prius  infesto  Paris  est  ereptus  Atridae,  805 

et  Diomedeos  Aeneas  fugerat  enses. 
talibus  hanc  genitor  :  "  sola  insuperabile  fatum, 
420 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

The  anxious  goddess  cried  these  complaints 
throughout  the  sky,  but  all  in  vain.  The  gods  were 
moved  indeed  ;  and  although  they  were  not  able  to 
break  the  iron  decrees  of  the  ancient  sisters,  still 
they  gave  no  uncertain  portents  of  the  woe  that  was 
at  hand.  They  say  that  the  clashing  of  arms  amid 
the  dark  storm-clouds  and  fear-inspiring  trumpets 
rand  horns  heard  in  the  sky  forewarned  men  of  the 
crime  ;  also  the  darkened  face  of  the  sun  shone  with 
lurid  light  upon  the  troubled  lands.  Often  firebrands 
were  seen  to  flash  amidst  the  stars ;  often  drops  of 
blood  fell  down  from  the  clouds ;  the  morning-star 
was  of  dusky  hue  and  his  face  was  blotched  with 
dark  red  spots,  and  Luna's  chariot  was  stained  with 
blood.  In  a  thousand  places  the  Stygian  owl  gave 
forth  his  mournful  warnings  ;  in  a  thousand  places 
ivory  statues  dripped  tears,  and  in  the  sacred  groves 
wailing  notes  and  threatening  words  were  heard. 
No  victim  sufficed  for  expiation ;  the  liver  warned 
that  portentous  struggles  were  at  hand  and  its  lobe 
was  found  cleft  amidst  the  entrails  In  the  market- 
place and  around  men's  houses  and  the  temples  of 
the  gods,  they  say,  dogs  howled  by  night,  the  shades  of 
the  silent  dead  walked  abroad  and  the  city  was  shaken 
with  earthquakes.  Yet  even  so,  the  warnings  of  the 
gods  were  unable  to  check  the  plots  of  men  and  the 
advancing  fates.  Naked  swords  were  brought  into 
the  sacred  curia  ;  for  no  place  in  the  whole  city 
would  do  for  this  crime,  this  dreadful  deed  of  blood, 
save  only  that.  T'hen  indeed  did  Cytherea  smite  on 
her  breast  with  both  her  hands  and  strive  to  hide 
her  Caesar  in  a  cloud  in  which  of  old  Paris  had  been 
rescued  from  the  murderous  Atrides  and  in  which 
Aeneas  had  escaped  the  sword  of  Diomede.  Then 
thus  the  Father  spoke :    "  Dost  thou,  by  thy  sole 

421 


OVID 

nata,  movere  paras  ?  intres  licet  ipsa  sororum 

tecta  trium  :  cernes  illic  molimine  vasto 

ex  aere  et  solido  rerura  tabularia  ferro,  810 

quae  neque  concussum  caeli  neque  fulminis  iram 

nee  metuunt  ullas  tuta  atque  aeterna  ruinas  ; 

invenies  illic  incisa  adamante  perenni 

fata  tui  generis  :  legi  ipse  animoque  notavi 

et  referam,  ne  sis  etiamnum  ignara  futuri.  815 

luc  sua  conplevit,  pro  quo,  Cytherea,  laboras, 

tempora,  perfectis,  quos  terrae  debuit,  annis. 

ut  deus  accedat  caelo  templisque  colatur, 

tu  facies  natusque  suus,  qui  nominis  heres 

inpositum  feret  unus  onus  caesique  parentis  820 

nos  in  bell  a  suos  fortissimus  ultor  habebit. 

illius  auspiciis  obsessae  moenia  pacem 

victa  petent  Mutinae,  Pharsalia  sentiet  ilium, 

Emathiique  iterum  madefient  caede  Philippi, 

st  magnum  Siculis  nomen  superabitur  undis,         825 

Romanique  ducis  coniunx  Aegyptia  taedae 

non  bene  fisa  cadet,  frustraque  erit  ilia  minata, 

servitura  suo  Capitolia  nostra  Canopo. 

quid  tibi  barbariem  gentesque  ab  utroque  iacentes 

oceano  numerem  ?  quodcumque  habitabile  tellus   830 

sustinet,  huius  erit :  pontus  quoque  serviet  ill  i ! 

1  i.e.  Macedonian  ;  Emathia  was  a  district  of  Macedonia. 

*  Though  Philippi  is  in  Macedonia  and  Phar?alus  in 
Thessalv,  Ovid  with  poetic  dariug  practicably  identifieg  the 
two  great  battlefields. 

422 


METAMORPHOSES    BOOK  XV 

power,  my  daughter,  think  to  inove  the  change- 
less fates  ?  Thou  thyself  rnayst  enter  the  abode 
of  the  three  sisters.  Thou  shalt  there  behold 
the  records  of  all  that  happens  on  tablets  of  brass 
and  solid  iron,  a  massive  structure,  tablets  which 
fear  neither  the  crashings  of  the  sky,  nor  the 
lightning's  fearful  power,  nor  any  destructive 
shocks  which  may  befall,  being  eternal  and  secure. 
There  shalt  thou  find  engraved  on  everlasting 
adamant  thy  descendant's  fates.  1  have  myself  read 
these  and  marked  them  well  in  mind  ;  and  these 
will  I  relate,  that  thou  mayst  be  no  longer  ignorant 
of  that  which  is  to  come.  This  son  of  thine,  goddess 
of  Cvthera,  for  whom  thou  s>rievest,  has  fulfilled  his 
allotted  time,  and  his  years  are  finished  which  he 
owed  to  earth.  That  as  a  god  he  may  enter  heaven 
and  have  his  place  in  temples  on  the  earth,  thou 
shalt  accomplish,  thou  and  his  son.  He  as  successor 
to  the  name  shall  bear  alone  the  burden  placed  on 
him,  and,  as  the  most  valiant  avenger  of  his  father's 
murder,  he  shall  have  us  as  ally  for  his  wars.  Under 
his  command  the  conquered  walls  of  leaguered  Mutina 
shall  sue  for  peace  ;  Pharsalia  shall  feel  his  power; 
Emathian 1  Philippi  shall  reek  again 2  with  blood  ; 
and  he  of  the  great  name3  shall  be  overcome  on 
Sicilian  waters.  A  Roman  general's  Egyptian  mis- 
tress, who  did  not  well  to  rely  upon  the  union,  shall 
fall  before  him,  and  in  vain  shall  she  have  threatened 
that  our  Capitol  shall  bow  to  her  Canopus.  But  why 
should  I  recall  barbaric  lands  to  you  and  nations 
lying  on  either  ocean-shore  ?  Nay,  whatsoever 
habitable  land  the  earth  contains  shall  be  his,  and 
the  sea  also  shall  come  beneath  his  sway  ' 

3  Sextus  Porxipeius,  youngest  son   of  Pompey  the  Great. 
He  seems  also  to  have  assumed  the  name  Magnu$. 

423 


OVID 

"  Pace  data  terris  animum  ad  civilia  vertet. 
iura  suuui  legesque  feret  iustissimus  auctor 
exemploque  suo  mores  reget  inque  futuri 
temporis  aetatem  venturorumque  nepotum  835 

prospiciens  prolem  sancta  de  coniuge  natam 
ferre  simul  nomenque  suum  curasque  iubebit, 
nee  nisi  cum  senior  Pylios  aequaverit  annos, 
aetherias  sedes  cognataque  sidera  tanget. 
hanc  animam  interea  caeso  de  corpore  raptam       840 
fac  iubar,  ut  semper  Capitolia  nostra  forumque 
divus  ab  excelsa  prospectet  Iulius  aede  ! " 

Vix  ea  fatus  erat,  media  cum  sede  senatus 
constitit  alma  Venus  nulli  cernenda  suique 
Caesaris  eripuit  membris  nee  in  aera  solvi  8*5 

passa  recentem  animam  caelestibus  intulit  astris 
dumque  fulit,  lumen  capere  atque  ignescere  sensit 
emisitque  sinu  :  luna  volat  altius  ilia 
flammiferumque  trahens  spatioso  limite  crinem 
stella  micat  natique  videns  bene  facta  fatetur        850 
esse  suis  maiora  et  vinci  gaudet  ab  illo. 
hie  sua  praeferri  quamquam  vetat  acta  paternis, 
libera  fama  tamen  nullisque  obnoxia  iussis 
invitum  praefert  unaque  in  parte  repugnat : 
sic  magnus  cedit  titulis  Agamemnonis  Atreus,       855 
Aegea  sic  Theseus,  sic  Pelea  vicit  Achilles ; 
denique,  ut  exemplis  ipsos  aequantibus  utar, 
gic  et  Saturnus  minor  est  love  :  Iuppiter  arces 
424 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

"  When  peace  has  been  bestowed  upon  ali  lands 
he  shall  turn  his  mind  to  the  rights  of  citizens,  and 
as  a  most  righteous  jurist  promote  the  laws.  By  his 
own  good  example  shall  he  direct  the  ways  of  men, 
and,  looking  forward  to  future  time  and  coming 
generations,  he  shall  bid  the  son,1  born  of  his  chaste 
wife,  to  bear  at  once  his  name  and  the  burden  of  his 
cares  ;  and  not  till  after  he  as  an  old  man  shall  have 
equalled  Nestor's  years  shall  he  attain  the  heavenly 
seats  and  his  related  stars.  Meanwhile  do  thou  catch 
up  this2  soul  from  the  slain  body  and  make  him  a  star 
in  order  that  ever  it  may  be  the  divine  Julius  who 
looks  forth  upon  our  Capitol  and  Forum  from  his 
lofty  temple." 

Scarce  had  he  spoken  when  fostering  Venus  took 
her  place  within  the  senate-house,  unseen  of  all, 
caught  up  the  passing  soul  of  her  Caesar  from  his 
body,  and  not  suffering  it  to  vanish  into  air,  she  bore 
it  towards  the  stars  of  heaven.  And  as  she  bore  it  she 
felt  it  glow  and  burn,  and  released  it  from  her  bosom. 
Higher  than  the  moon  it  mounted  up  and,  leaving 
behind  it  a  long  fiery  train,  gleamed  as  a  star.  And 
now,  beholding  the  good  dteds  of  his  son,  he  con- 
fesses that  they  are  greater  than  his  own,  and 
rejoices  to  be  surpassed  by  him.  And,  though  the 
son  forbids  that  his  own  deeds  be  set  above  his 
father's,  still  fame,  unfettered  and  obedient  to  no 
one's  will,  exalts  him  spite  of  his  desire,  and  in  this 
one  thing  opposes  his  commands.  So  does  the  great 
Atreus  yield  in  honour  to  his  son,  Agamemnon  ;  so 
does  Theseus  rival  Aegeus,  and  Achilles,  Peleus  ; 
finally,  to  quote  an  instance  worthy  of  themselves,  is 
Saturn  less  than  Jove.     Jupiter  controls  the  heights 

1  Tiberius,  son  of  Livia  and  Ti.  Claudius  Nero. 
■  i.g.  of  Julius  Caesar. 

42$ 


OVID 

temperat  aetherias  et  mundi  regna  triformis, 
terra  sub  Augusto  est ;  pater  est  et  rector  uterque. 
di,  precor,  Aeneae  comites,  quibus  ensis  et  ignis  86l 
cesserunt,  dique  Indigetes  genitorque  Quirine 
urbis  et  invicti  genitor  Gradive  Quirini 
Vestaque  Caesareos  inter  sacrata  penates, 
et  cum  Caesarea  tu,  Phoebe  domestice,  Vesta,       865 
quique  tenes  altus  Tarpeias  Iuppiter  arces, 
quosque  alios  vati  fas  appellare  piumque  est : 
tarda  sit  ilia  dies  et  nostro  serior  aevo, 
qua  caput  Augustum,  quem  temperat,  orbe  relicto 
accedat  caelo  faveatque  precantibus  absens!  870 

Iamque  opus  exegi,  quod  nee  Iovis  ira  nee  ignis 
nee  poterit  ferrum  nee  edax  abolere  vetustas. 
cum  volet,  ilia  dies,  quae  nil  nisi  corporis  huius 
ius  habet,  incerti  spatium  mihi  finiat  aevi : 
parte  tamen  meliore  mei  super  alta  perennis         875 
astra  ferar,  nomenque  erit  indelebile  nostrum, 
quaque  patet  domitis  Romana  potentia  tern's, 
ore  legar  populi,  perque  omnia  saecula  fama, 
siquid  habent  veri  vatum  praesagia,  vivam. 


426 


METAMORPHOSES   BOOK  XV 

of  heaven  and  the  kingdoms  of  the  tri formed 
universe;  but  the  earth  is  under  Augustus'  sway. 
Each  is  both  sire  and  ruler.  O  gods,  1  pray  you, 
comrades  of  Aeneas,  before  whom  both  fire  and 
sword  gave  way,  and  ye  native  gods  of  Italy,  and 
thou,  Quirinus,  father  of  our  city,  and  Gradivus, 
invincible  Quirinus'  sire,  and  Vesta,  who  hast  ever 
held  a  sacred  place  midst  Caesar's  household  gods, 
and  thou  Apollo,  linked  in  worship  with  our 
Caesar's  Vesta,  and  Jupiter,  whose  temple  sits  high 
on  Tarpeia's  rock,  and  all  ye  other  gods  to  whom 
it  is  fitting  for  the  bard  to  make  appeal  :  far  distant 
be  that  day  and  later  than  our  own  time  when 
Augustus,  abandoning  the  world  he  rules,  shall 
mount  to  heaven  and  there,  removed  from  our 
presence,  listen  to  our  prayers  ! 

And  now  my  work  is  done,  which  neither  the 
wrath  of  Jove,  nor  fire,  nor  sword,  nor  the  gnawing 
tooth  of  time  shall  ever  be  able  to  undo.  When  it 
will,  let  that  day  come  which  has  no  power  save  over 
this  mortal  frame,  and  end  the  span  of  my  uncertain 
years.  Still  in  my  better  part  I  shall  be  borne 
immortal  far  beyond  the  lofty  stars  and  I  shall  have 
an  undying  name.  Wherever  Rome's  power  extends 
over  the  conquered  world,  I  shall  have  mention  on 
men's  lips,  and,  if  the  prophecies  of  bards  have  any 
truth,  through  all  the  ages  shall  I  live  in  fame. 


*?7 


INDEX 


INDEX 


7 he  references  are  to  books  and  lines  in  the  Lntin  text 


\bantiades,  a  patronymic  epithet 
of  Perseus  as  the  great-grandson 
of  Abas,  iv.  673 

Ibaris,  a  companion  of  Phineus 
slain  by  Perseus,  v.  86 

ibas  :  (1)  king  of  Argos,  father  of 
Acrisius,  great  -grand  fat  her  of 
Perseus,  iv.  6  7  3  ;  ( 2 )  a  companion 
of  Dionede,  changed  by  Venus 
into  a  bird,  xiv.  605  ;  (3)  a  cen- 
taur, participant  in  the  battle  of 
the  centaurs  and  Lapithae,  xu. 
306 

Absyrtus.  a  young  brother  of  Me- 
dea, slain  by  her  in  order  to  retard 
the  pursuit  of  her  father,  Aeetes, 
VII.  51 

Acastus,  king  of  Thessaly,  son  of 
Pelias;  granted  Peleus  absolution 
from  his  blood-guiltiness,  xi.  409 

Acestes,  a  king  in  Sicily  ;  enter- 
tained Aeneas  and  his  followers, 
xiv.  83 

Achaemenides,  a  companion  of 
Ulysses,  rescued  from  the  Cy- 
clopes by  Aeneas,  xiv.  161 

Achaia,  a  country  in  the  Northern 
Peloponnesus,  by  metonymy 
Greece,  iv.  606 ;  vin.  268 ; 
xin.   32S 

AcheloTa,  Callirhoe,  daughter  of 
Acheloiis,  IX.  413 

Achelo'fdes,  daughters  of  Acheloiis, 
the  Sireus,  xiv.  87 


Acheloiis,  a  river  and  river-god 
whose  stream  separates  Aetolia 
and  Acarnauia  ;  the  god  enter- 
tainsTheseusand  his  companions 
on  their  way  home  from  the  Caly- 
doniau  boar-hunt,  vm.  649  ff.  ; 
he  has  power  to  change  his  form, 
IX.  62  ff. ;  describes  his  great  fight 
witli  Hercules,  ix.  4  ff. :  while  in 
bull  form  his  horn  was  torn  off 
and  given  to  Bona  Copia,  ix.  88 

Achernn,a  river  of  the  underworld, 
v.  541  ;  by  metonymy,  the  under- 
world, xi.  504 

Achilles,  the  most  celebrated  hero 
among  the  Greeks  in  the  Trojan 
war,  son  of  Peleus,  king  of  Thes- 
saly, and  Thetis,  a  goddess  of  the 
sea;  account  of  the  wedding  of 
his  parents  and  of  his  birth,  XI. 
265  ;  his  mother,  foreseeing  his 
death  if  he  went  to  the  war.  dis- 
guised him  in  girl's  clothing  and 
hid  him  among  the  maidens  at 
the  court  of  Lycomedes,  king  of 
Scyros,  where  he  was  discovered 
by  the  craft  of  Ulysses,  xin. 
162  ff. ;  his  early  conquests  while 
on  the  way  to  Troy,  ::mong  these, 
Telephus,  whom  he  wounded  and 
afterwards  cured,  xm.  173  ff.; 
his  flsrht  with  Cycnus,  xu.  73  ff. ; 
description  of  his  shield  wrought 
by  Vulcan  at  Thetis'  request,  xin. 

4S» 


INDEX 


191  fl. :  he  was  slain  by  an  arrow 
of  Paris  directed  by  the  hand  of 
Apollo,  who  wai  instigated  by 
Neptune  out  of  revenge  for  Cyc- 
nns'  death,  xn.  606  fl. ;  his  di  art 
nody  recovered  from  the  battle- 
field by  Ulysses,  XIII.  280  ;  his  ar- 
mour was  claimed  by  Ajax  and 
Ulysse8,and  awarded  by  the  Greek 
chiefs  to  Ulysses,  xn.  622  fl. ;  on 
the  Thracian  coast  where  he  was 
buried  his  ghost  appeared  to 
the  Greeks,  and  demanded  that 
Polyxena  be  sacrificed  upon  his 
tomb,  xiu.  44  3  fl. 

Acis,  son  of  Faunusand  Symaethis, 
lover  of  Galatea,  slain  by  the 
jealous  Cyclops,  Polyphemus, 
and  changed  to  a  river-god,  XIU. 
750,  884  fl. 

Acmon,  a  companion  of  Diomede, 
changed  by  Venus  into  a  bird, 
xiv.  484 

Acoetes,  a  shipmaster  who  tells  to 
Pentheus  the  story  of  his  finding 
the  boy  Bacchus,  and  of  the 
marvels  which  ensued,  III.  682  fl.; 
he  was  imprisoned  by  Pentheus, 
but  miraculously  delivered,  in. 
692  fl. 

Aconteus,  a  companion  of  Perseus, 
petrified  by  the  sight  of  the 
Gorgon-head,  V.  201 

Acrisioniades,  an  epithet  of  Per- 
seus as  the  grandson  of  Acrisius, 
v.  70 

Acrisius,  son  of  Abas,  father  of 
Danae,  grandfather  of  Perseus, 
a  king  of  Argos,  opposed  the 
Introduction  of  the  worship  of 
Bacchus  into  his  city,  ill.  659  ; 
iv.  604 :  was  driven  from  his 
throne  by  his  brother,  butrestored 
by  his  grandson,  Perseus,  v.  237 

Acropolis,  confused  with  Areopa- 
gUB,  vi.  70,  note 

Acrota,  a  mythical  Alban  king,  xiv. 
619 


Actaeon,  called  Hyantlus  from  an 
ancient  name  of  Boeotia,  m. 
147;  grandson  of  Cadmus,  son 
ofAutonoe,  ill.  198;  chanced  to 
see  Diana  in  her  bath,  and  fear- 
fully punished  therefor, in.  198 fl.; 
Pentheus  appeals  to  Autonoe  in 
the  name  of  her  murdered  son, 
ill.  720 

Actaeus  —  Atticus,  n.  664,720;  vi. 
711;  VII.  681  ;  VIII.  170 

Actium,  a  promontory  in  Epirus, 
made  famous  by  the  naval  battle 
near  that  point  between  Augustus 
and  Autony,  xiu.  715 

Actorides,  a  descendant  of  Actor, 
applied  to  Erytus,  v.  79,  and  to 
Patroclus,  xm.  273  ;  in  plural, 
Actoridae,  referring  to  Enrytua 
and  Cleatus,  vm.  308 

Admetns,*ee  Pheretiades 

Adonis,  son  of  Myrrha  by  her 
father,  Cinyras,  born  after  his 
mother  had  been  transformed 
into  a  tree,  x.  503  fl. ;  beloved  by 
Venus  because  of  his  extraor- 
dinary beauty,  x.  624  fl.;  slain  by 
a  boar,  x.  708  fl. ;  from  his  blood 
Venus  caused  the  anemone  Uower 
to  spring,  x.  735 

Aeacides,  a  descendant  of  Aeacus, 
applied  to  his  son,  Peleus,  XI. 
227  ;  XII.  S65  ;  to  his  grandson, 
Achilles,  xn.  82,  96,  365;  in 
plural,  to  his  two  sons,  Peleus 
and  Telamon,  vm.  4 

Aeacus,  son  of  Jupiter,  xm.  28, 
and  Aegina,  grandson  of  Asopus, 
born  in  and  ruled  over  the  island 
of  Aegina,  which  took  its  name 
from  his  mother,  VII.  474  ;  re- 
fuses to  aid  Minos  against 
Athens,  vn.  484  ;  tells  the  story 
of  the  Myrmidons,  vn.  517  fl. ; 
father  of  Telamon,  xni.  25 ; 
made  a  Judsre  in  the  Lower 
World  on  aceount  of  his  justice 
oa    earth,    XIII.    85  ;   hi-    fntlier. 


INDEX 


Jupiter,  cannot  grant   him   im- 
mortality on  earth,  IX.  440 

Aeas,  a  river  in  Epirus,  i.  580 

Aeetes,  king  of  Colchis,  son  of  Sol 
and  Persa,  father  of  Medea,  re- 
ceived from  Pbrixus  the  Golden 
Fleece  on  the  preservation  of 
which  his  kingdom  depended, 
VII.  7,  69,  170 

Acctias,  an  epithet  of  Medea  as  the 
daughter  of  Aeetes,  vn.  9,  S26 

A eg aeon,  a  sea-god,  n.  10 

Aegaeus,  the  Aegean  Sea,  IX.  448  ; 
XI.  66S 

Aegeus,  son  of  Pandion,  king  of 
Athens,  father  of  Theseus,  xv. 
856  ;  receives  Medea  after  her 
flight  from  Corinth  and  marries 
her,  vn.  403  ;  detects  her  in  her 
attempt  to  poison  Theseus  and 
drives  her  out,  vn.  420  ff. :  being 
threatened  with  war  by  Minos, 
who  sought  to  avenge  the  death 
of  his  son,  Androgeos,  he  appeals 
to  Aeacus  for  aid,  VII.  484  ff. 

Aegides,  son  of  Aegeus,  Thesens, 
vm.  174,  405,  660;  Xll.  237, 
343 

Aegina,  daughter  of  the  river-god, 
Asopus,  hence  called  Asopis,  vi. 
113  ;  vn.  616  :  she  was  loved  by 
Jupiter,  who  carried  her  away  to 
the  island  afterwards  called  by 
her  name,  vn.  474  ;  their  son  was 
Aeacus,  Vll.  524,  615 

Aegina,  an  island  in  the  Saronio 
Gulf,  vn.  474 

Aegyptius,  belonging  to  Egypt, 
v.  323;  xv.  826 

Aello,  a  harpy  on  the  island  of  the 
Strophades  who  made  threats 
against  Aeneas,  xm.  710  ;  also 
the  name  of  a  swift-running  dog, 
in. 219 
Aeueades,  a  descendant  of  Aeneas  ; 
applied  to  Caesar,  xv.  804  ;  in 
plural,  to  the  Komana  in  general, 
xv.  682,  r>9» 


Aeneas,  son  of  Anchises  and  Venus 
(sec  Cytherei'us  heros),  one  of  the 
bravest  of  the  Trojans,  xm.  665  ; 
rescued     by     Venus     from     the 
sword    of     Diomede,     xv.   806  ; 
leaves  Troy  with  his  father  and 
son,  xni.625  ;  received  by  Auius 
at  Delos.  mi,  631  ;  meets  Dido 
at  Canh*ge,  xiv.  78  ;  his  wan- 
derings and  sufferings  described 
by  Venus,  xv.  770  ff. ;   received 
by  Acextes  in    Sicily,  xiv.   83  ; 
meets  the  Cuinaean  Sibyl  and  is 
conducted    by    her    through    the 
Lower     World,    xiv.     104      ff.  ; 
reaches  his  journey's  end  aud  is 
kindly   received   by   Laiiuns,   is 
opposed    by   Turnus,  seeks  aid 
from  Evander,  xiv.  445   ff.  ;  is 
drowned  in  the  River  Nuinicius, 
his    mortal    part    there   washed 
away,   and    his    immortal    part 
made    a    god    and     worshipped 
under  the  name  of  Indiges,  xiv. 
600  ff. 
Aeolia  virgo,  daughter  of  Aeolus, 
applied  to  Canace,  loved  by  Nep- 
tune, vi.  116 
Aeolides,  a  descendant  of  Aeolus, 
applied  to  his  eon  Athainus,  IV. 
512;   to  Sisyphus,    xm.  26;  to 
his  grandson  Cephalus,  vi.  681  ; 
vn.  672  ;  to  Misenus,  the  trum- 
peter of  Aeneas  (his  father,  bow- 
ever,  was   not    the   god   of    the 
winds,  but  a  mortal  of  the  same 
name),   xiv.   103;   in  plural,  to 
certain  sons  of  Aeolus  who  com- 
milted  incest  with  their  sisters, 
ix. 507 
Aeolis,  a  daughter  of  Aeolnj,  Al- 
cyone, XI.  444,  573 
Aeolius,   belonging   to    Aeolis    in 

Asia  Minor,  vn.  357 
Aeolus,  god  of  the  winds,  who  kept 
these   shnt  up  in  a  cave  in  the 
Aeolian  Isles  between  Sicily  and 
Italy,  i.  262  ;  iv.  663  ;  xiv. 224; 

433 


INDEX 


xv.  707  ;  son  of  Uippotas,  iv. 
663  ;  xi.  431 ;  xiv.  224  ;  xv.  707; 
father  of  Canace,  vi.  116;  father 
of  Alcyone,  xi.  431,  748  ;  father 
of  Athauias,  iv.  487  ;  called 
Aeolius  tyranuus,  xiv.  232 ; 
calms  the  waves  in  the  nesting- 
time  of  the  Halcyons  xi.  748; 
gave  Ulysses  winds  tied  in  a  bag, 
xiv.  224.     See  Hippotades 

Aesacns,  half-brother  of  Hector, 
son  of  Alexiroe  and  Priam ; 
because  of  his  hopeless  love  (or 
Hesperie,  he  leaped  from  a  cliff 
into  the  sea  and  was  changed 
into  a  diving-bird,  xi.  752  ff. ; 
mourned  by  Priam  and  Hector 
and  all  his  brothers  except  Paris, 
XII.  1  ff. 

Aesar,  a  river  in  Lower  Italy, 
xv.  23,  54 

Aesculapius,  son  of  Apollo  and 
Coronis,  rescued  by  Apollo  from 
the  body  of  his  dying  mother 
and  given  to  Chiron  to  rear,  n. 
629  ff . ;  called  Coronides.  xv.  624  ; 
Faeonins,  xv.  535  ;  his  fate  fore- 
told by  Ocyrhoe,  II.  635  ff . ;  he 
restored  the  dead  Hippolytus  to 
life,  xv.  533 ;  was  brought  to 
Pome  at  a  time  of  great  pesti- 
lence in  the  form  of  a  serpent 
and  afterwards  worshipped  there 
as  a  god,  xv.  626  ff. 

Aeson,  a  Thessalian  prince  whose 
brother,  Pelias,  usurped  his 
throne  ;  father  of  Jason,  vn.  84  ; 
in  old  age  he  was  restored  to 
youth  by  Medea's  magic  arts, 
VII.  162  ff. 

Aesonides,  Jason,  son  of  Aeson, 
vii.  60,  77,164;  vni.  411 

Aeson  ins  heros.  Jason,  vn.  156 

Aethalion,  a  Tyrian  sailor,  com- 
panion of  Acoetes,  in.  647 

Aethion,  an  Ethiopian  seer,  v.  146 

Aethiopia,  reason  for  the  black 
skins  of  its  people,  II.  236 

4-3A 


Aethiops,  Eimopian,  I.  778  ;  II. 
236  ;   IV.  669  ;  xv.  32  ) 

Aethon,  one  of  the  horses  of  the 
Sun,  ii.  153 

Aetna,  a  volcanic  mountain  in 
Sicily,  xin.  770  ;  under  it  lies 
the  giant  Typhoeus,  v.  352 ; 
xiv.  1 ;  the  home  of  Cyclops, 
xiv.  188 

Aetola  arma,  the  assistanoe  of  Dio- 
mede,  xiv.  528 

Aetolia,  a  country  in  Middle  Greece, 
xiv. 461 

Aetolius  heros,  Diomede,  XIT. 
461 

Agamemnon,  king  of  Mycenae, 
son  of  Atveus,  brother  of  Meue- 
laiis,  husband  of  Clytaemnestra, 
father  of  Orestes.  Iphigeuia,  and 
Ekctra ;  commjinder-in-chief  of 
the  Greek  forces  in  the  Trojan 
war,  hence  called  rex,  xm.  217, 
276  ;  his  quarrel  with  Achilles, 
Xin.  444  ;  bidden  by  the  oracle, 
while  waiting  to  sail  from  Aulis, 
to  sacrifice  his  daughter  Iphl- 
genia  to  Diana,  whom  he  had 
offended,  is  persuaded  by  Ulysses 
to  do  so,  xii.  SO  ;  xm.  181  :  cap- 
tured the  daughters  of  Anius  that 
with  their  miraculous  power  of 
turning  what  they  touched  to 
corn  and  wine  they  might  feed 
bis  army.  xm.  655.  See  Atrides 
and  Tantalides 

Aganippe,  a  celebrated  fountain 
of  the  Muses  on  Mount  Helicon, 
V.  312 

Agave,  a  daughter  of  Cadmus, 
mother  of  Pentheus ;  in  a  Bac- 
chic frenzy  she  helped  to  tear 
her  son  to  pieces,  in.  725  ff. 

Agcnor,  son  of  Neptune,  king  of 
Phoenicia,  father  of  Cadmus, 
in.  51,  97 ;  and  of  Europa,  n. 
858 

Agenorea  domns  i.e.  the  home  of 
Cadmus,  in.  108 


INDEX 


Agenorides,  a  descendant  of  Age- 
nor;  Cadmus,  ill.  8,  81,90;  IV. 
563  ;  Perseus  (whose  connexion 
with  Ageuor,  however,  was  very 
remote),  iv.  772 

Aglauros.  daughter  of  Cecrops,  II, 
560 ;  envies  her  sister  Herse 
because  of  Mercury's  love,  II. 
740  ff. ;  punished  by  Minerva  for 
her  treachery,  n.  752  ff. ;  changed 
by  Mercury  into  a  stone,  II.  820 

Aiax  :  (1 )  sou  ot  Telamou,  xn.  624 ; 
xni.  22,  123,  194,  231  ;  grandson 
of  Aeacus,  xm.  25  ;  great-grand- 
son of  Jupiter,  xni.  28  ;  one  of 
the  stoutest  of  the  Greek  war- 
riors, xm.  38fi ;  lord  of  the 
sevenfold  shield,  xm.  2,  347  ; 
he  prevented  Hector  from  burn- 
ing the  Greek  ships,  xm.  7 ; 
chosen  by  lot  to  fight  duel  with 
Hector,  xni.  82  fl.,  275  ft; 
saves  Ulysses  on  the  field  of 
battle,  xm.  71  ft  ;  supports  his 
claim  against  Ulysses  for  the 
armour  of  Achilles,  xm.  2  ft  ; 
defeated  in  this  contest,  he  goes 
into  a  frenzy  of  rage  and  kills 
himself  with  his  own  sword, 
xm.  384  ft;  from  his  blood  a 
flower  springs  up  whose  petals 
are  marked  with  his  name,  AIA2. 
X.  207 ;  xm.  S95.  See  Tela- 
monius  and  Telamoniades.  (2) 
The  son  of  Oi'leus,  xn.  622  ; 
styled  Aiax  moderator,  "the 
Less."  xm.  S56  ;  violated  Cas- 
sandra and  slain  by  Minerva 
with  a  thunderbolt  of  Jupiter, 
xiv.  468.     See  Narycius  heros 

Alastor,  a  Lycian,  slain  by  Ulysses, 
XIII.  257 

Albula,  ati  ancient  name  for  the 
Tiber,  xiv.  328 

Alcauder, a  Lycian, slain  by  Ulysses, 
xm.  258 

Alcathous,  son  of  Pelops,  founder 
of  the  city  of   Megara ;   hence 


Megara  is  called  urbs  Alcathoi 
vin.  8  ;  called  also  Alcathoe,  vn 
443 

AlcidamiiB,  father  of  Ctesylla,  vn. 
369 

Alcide  non,  a  Tyrian  sailor,  com- 
panion of  Acoetes,  in.  618 

Alcides,  a  descendant  of  Alceus, 
father  of  Amphitryon,  usually 
applied  to  Hercules,  the  reputed 
son  of  Amphitryon,  ix.  13,  61, 
110,  217  ;  xi.  213  ;  xn.  538.  See 
Hercules 

Alciuoiis,  king  of  the  Phaeacians, 
who  entertained  Ulysses,  xiv. 
565 

Alcithoe,  daughter  of  Minyas,  who 
with  her  sisters  opposed  the  wor- 
ship of  Bacchus,  iv.  1,  32  ft ; 
they  were  changed  by  Bacchus 
into  bats,  iv.  38 e  ft 

Alcmaeon,  son  of  Aniphiaraus  and 
Eriphyle;  killed  his  mother  as 
directed  by  his  father,  ix.  408  ; 
pursued  by  the  Furies,  ix.  410  ; 
his  first  wife  was  Alphesiboea, 
daughter  of  Phegeus;  he  left  her 
and  married  Callirhoe  and  was 
slain  by  the  brothers  of  Alphesi- 
boea, ix.  412 

Alcmena,  daughter  of  Electryon, 
king  of  Tiryns,  wife  of  Amphi- 
tryon, mother  of  Hercules  by 
Jupiter, ix.  23  :  called  Tirynthia 
from  her  birth-place  at  Tiryns  in 
Argolis,  vi.  112  ;  called  also  Ar- 
golis  from  her  native  land,  ix. 
276,  313  ;  the  mother-in-law  of 
Deianira,  Till.  544  ;  relates  her 
hard  experience  in  the  birth  of 
Hercules,  ix.  285  ft 

Alcon,  a  Boeotian,  a  famous  en- 
graver, xni.  683 

Alcyone,  daughter  of  Aeolus,  wife 
of  Ceyx,  xi.  384  ;  entreats  her 
hushind  not  to  take  a  sea  jour- 
ney, bids  him  farewell,  and  after 
his  wreck  is  informed  by  Juno 

435 


INDEX 


of  this  through  «.  phantom-shape 
of  Ceyx,  xi.  416  ft. ;  she  and  her 
husband  were  changed  into  Hal- 
cyons, xi.  741 

Alemon,  a  Greek,  father  of  My- 
scelos,  the  founder  of  Crotona  in 
Lower  Italy,  xv.  19 

llemonides,  6on  of  Alemon,  My- 
scelos,  xv.  26,  48 

Alexiroe,  a  nymph,  daughter  of 
the  rirer-god  Granicus,  and 
mother  by  Priam  of  Aesacus,  xi. 
76S 

Almo,  a  small  river  flowing  Into 
the  Tiber,  xiv.  329 

Aloi'dae,  putative  sons  of  Aloeus, 
Otus  and  Ephialtes,  but  in  reality 
the  offspring  of  Neptune  by  Iphi- 
media,  the  wife  of  Aloeus,  vi. 
117 

Alpes,  the  Alps  mountains,  n.  226  ; 
xiv.  594 

Alpheias,  an  epithet  of  Arethusaas 
the  beloved  of  the  river-god  Al- 
pheus,  v.  487 

Alphenor,  one  of  the  seven  sons  of 
Niobe,  vi.  248 

Alpheus,  a  river  and  river-god 
of  Elis  who  loved  Arethusa, 
II.  250;  V.  576,  599 

Althaea,  wife  of  Ounetis,  king  of 
Calydon,  mother  of  Meleager  ;  on 
hearing  that  her  son  has  killed 
her  two  brothers,  she  halts  be- 
tween two  feelings ;  decides 
against  her  son  and  burns  the 
fatal  billet  on  which  his  life  de- 
pends, vm.  445  ft. 

Amathus,  a  city  in  Cyprus  sacred 
to  Venus,  x.  220,227 

Amazon,  one  of  the  Amazons,  a  race 
of  warlike  women  who  dwelt 
on  the  Therniodon  River;  in  par- 
ticular, Hippolyte,  the  mother 
by  Theseus  of  Hippolytus,  xv. 
552 

Ambracia,  a  city  in  Epirus,  xm. 
714 

436 


Amenanns,  a  river  in  Sicily,  XV. 
279 

Ammon  :  (1)  an  Egyptian  and  Li- 
byan deity  in  the  form  of  a  ram, 
identified  by  the  Greeks  and  Ro- 
mans with  Zeus  and  Jupiter,  IV. 
671  ;  v.  17,  328  ;  xv.  309  ;  (2)  a 
friend  of  Perseus,  slain  by  Phi- 
neus,  v.  107 

Amphiaraiis,  a  Greek  seer,  one  of 
the  heroes  (Oeclides)  at  theCaly- 
donian  boar-hunt,  vm.  317  ;  son 
of  Oecleus,  father  of  Alcmaeon, 
husband  of  Eriphyie,  who  be- 
trayed him  for  a  golden  necklace; 
he  enjoined  on  his  son  the  duty 
of  punishing  Eriphyie,  ix.  407 

Aiuplumedon,  a  Libyan,  follower 
of  Phineus,  v.  75 

Amphion,  son  of  Jupiter  and  An- 
tiope,  husband  of  Niobe  ;  king 
of  Thelies,  whose  walls  he  built 
by  the  magical  music  of  his  lyre, 
vi.  176  ff. ;  xv.  427  ;  killed  him- 
self because  of  grief  at  the  death 
of  his  sons,  vi.  271,  402 

Ampbissos,  son  of  Apollo  and 
Dryope,  ix.  356 

Amphitrite,  daughter  of  Nereus, 
wife  of  Neptune,  a  sea-goddess ; 
used  by  metonymy  forthesea.i.  14 

Amphitryon,  son  of  Alceus,  king 
of  Thebes,  husband  of  Alcmcna 
and  putative  father  of  Hercules, 
vi.  112 

Amphltryoniailes,  a  name  of  Her- 
cules as  the  supposed  son  of  Am- 
phitryon, ix.  140  ;  xv.  49 

Amphrisia  saxa,  unknown  rocks  in 
Lower  Italy,  XV.  703 

Amphrysus,  a  small  river  in 
Thessaly.i.  680;  vn.  229 

Ampycides,  son  of  Ampyx.Mopsua, 
VIII.  316  ;   XII.  456,  524 

Ampycus,  a  priest  of  Ceres,  v.  110 

Ampyx  :  (1)  a  follower  or  Perseus, 
v.  184  ;  (2)  out  of  the  Lapithae, 
xii.  450 


INDEX 


Amulius,  younger  son  of  the  Alban 
king-,  Proca,  usurped  the  king- 
dom from  his  elder  brother,  Nu- 
mitor,  but  was  dethroned  by 
Numitor's  grandsons,  Romulus 
and  Keinus,  xiv.  722 

Amyclae,  a  town  in  Laconia,  vni. 
314  :  x.  162 

Amyclidcs,  epithet  of  Hyacinthus 
as  the  descendant  of  Amyclas, 
builder  of  Amyclae,  x.  162 

Amycus,  a  centaur,  xn.  246 

Amymone,  a  famous  spring1  of  Ar- 
gos,  II.  240 

Amyntor,  a  king  of  the  Dolopians 
in  Thessaly,  xn.  364;  father  of 
Phoenix,  vm.  307 

Amythaon,  father  of  Melampus, 
xv.  326 

Anaphe,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
vii.  462 

Anapis,  a  river  and  river-god 
of  Sicily,  beloved  of  Cyane,  v. 
417 

Anaxarete,  a  beautiful  maiden  of 
Cyprus,  who  disdained  the  love 
of  Iphis  and  was  turned  to  stone, 
xiv.  699 

Ancaeui,  an  Arcadian  at  the  Caly. 
donian  boar-hunt,  vm.  315,  891, 
401 

Anchises,  sen  of  Capys,  father  of 
Aeneas  by  Venus,  ix.  425  ;  carried 
from  burning  Troy  by  Aeneas, 
xni.  62  4  ;  visits  Anius  at  Delos, 
xm.  640;  visited  by  Aeneas  in 
Hades,  xiv.  118;  his  grave  in 
Sicily,  xiv.  84 

Andraemon  :  (1)  the  father  of 
Amphissus  and  husband  of 
Dryope,  who  was  changed  into 
a  lotus-tree,  ix.  333,  363  ;  (2)  an 
Aetolian  king,  father  of  Thoas 
and  a  combatant  before  Troy, 
xm.  367 

Androgeos,  son  of  Minos,  king  of 
Crete,  treacherously  killed  at 
Athens  after   having   overcome 


all  his  competitors  in  wrestling, 
vn.  458;  vm.  68 

Andromeda,  daughter  of  Cephens 
and  Cassiope;  chained  to  a  rock 
and  exposed  to  a  sea-monster  be- 
cause of  her  mother's  sin,  saved 
by  Perseus,  iv.  670  ft.;  married 
to  Perseus,  iv.  767 

Andros,  a  son  of  Anius,  ruler  of 
one  of  the  islands  of  the  Cyclades 
named  for  him,  vn.  469  ;  xm. 
649,  665 

Anemone,  the  "wind-flower"  which 
sprang  up  from  the  blood  of 
Adonis,  x.  736 

Anguis,  the  constellation  of  the 
Serpent,  lying  high  in  the 
north,  II.  138,  173;  III.  46; 
vm.  182 

Anigrus,  a  little  river  in  Elis,  xv. 
282 

Anio,  a  river  in  Latium,  xiv.  329 

Anius,  king  and  priest  of  Apollo 
on  Delos,  entertains  Anchises 
and  Aeneas,  xm.  632  ff. ;  to  his 
daughters  Bacchus  had  granted 
the  power  of  turning  objects 
at  a  touch  to  corn  and  wine 
and  olives,  xm.  650  ff.  See 
Andros 

Antaeus,  a  Libyan  giant  slain  by 
Hercules,  ix.  184 

Antandrus,  a  seaport  in  the  Troad, 
xm.  628 

Antenor,  one  of  the  older  Trojan 
chiefs  who,  with  Priam,  would 
have  given  Helen  back  at  the 
demand  of  Ulysses,  xm.  201 

Anthedon,  a  town  in  Boeotia,  vn. 
232;  XIII.  9u5 

Antigone,  daughter  of  Laomedon, 
changed  by  Juno  into  a  stork, 
vi.  93 

Antimachns,  a  centaur,  xn.  460 

Antiope,  called  Nyctei's  as  daughter 
of  king  Nycteus ;  mother  by 
Jupiter  of  Amphion  and  Zethus, 
vi.  Ill 

437 


INDEX 


Antiphat.es,  king  of  the  Laestry- 
goniaus,  who  sank  Ulysses'  ships 
and  devoured  one  of  his  men, 
xiv.  233  ff. 

Antissa,  a  town  on  Lesbos,  xv.  28/" 

Antium,  a  town  in  Latium,  xiv.  718 

Antonius,  the  Roman  leader  who 
with  Cleopatra  fought  the  Ro- 
mans under  Octavius  in  the  naval 
battle  near  Actium,  xv.  826 

Anubis,  an  Egyptiau  god  repre- 
sented with  the  head  of  a  dog, 
IX.  690 

Aouia,  a  district  of  Boeotia  in 
which  lies  Mount  Helicon,  I.  313  ; 
in.  339;  v.  333;  vi.  2;  vn. 
763;  IX.  112;  x.  689;  XII.  21 

Aonides,  an  epithet  of  the  Muses 
because  their  favourite  haunt, 
Mount  Helicon,  was  in  Aouia, 
an  e.irlier  name  for  Boeotia,  v. 
333  ;  VI.  2 

Apliare'i'a  proles,  the  offspring  of 
Aphareus,  a  king  of  the  Mes- 
senians,  referring  to  his  sons, 
Lynceus  and  Idas,  vin.  304 

Aphareus,  a  centaur,  xn.  341 

Aphidas,  a  ceutaur,  XII.  317 

Apidanus,  a  river  in  Thessaly,  vii. 
228 

Apis,  the  sacred  ox  worshipped  as 
a  god  by  the  Egyptians,  ix.  691 

Apollineus,  an  epithet  of  Orpheus 
as  the  son  of  Apollo,  XI.  8 

Apollo,  son  of  Jupiter,  i.  517,  and 
Latona  ;  twin  brother  of  Diana, 
VI.  205  ff. ;  born  in  the  island  of 
Delos,  vi.  191  ;  represented  most 
frequently  as  Phoebus,  ihe  sun- 
god,  whose  chariot  is  the  shining 
disc  of  the  sun,  II.  1  ff.  et  pas- 
sim ;  the  god  of  prophecy,  i. 
517;  in.  8,  130;  ix.  332;  xv. 
632  ;  eod  of  the  healing  art,  i. 
621,  566  ;  ii.  618:  x.    189  ;  god 

^of  music  and  especially  of  the 
lyre,  I.  519;  vi.  384  ;  x.  108  ; 
xi.    155   ff. ;    god    of    the    bow, 

i38 


x.  108;  kills  the  Python  and  in 
honour  of  this  feat  establishes 
the  Pythian  games,  I.  441  ff. ;  his 
various  epithets  are  proles 
Letoi'a,  vin.  15;  Latoiis,  vi.  384; 
Latogena,  vi.  160;  Latoius,  xi. 
196  ;  Dulius,  I.  464  ;  Delphicns, 
ii.  543,  677;  Clarius,  xi.  413; 
Paean,  I.  566  ;  xiv.  720  ;  Sniin- 
theus,  xn.  685  ;  Phoebus,  pas- 
sim;  deus  arquitenens,  I.  441; 
vi.  265  ;  iuvenis  deus,  "  god  of 
eternal  youth,"  I.  631  ;  imonsus, 
xn.  585  ;  and  see  m.  421  ;  xi. 
166;  lands  sacred  to  him  are 
Delos,  Delphi,  Cl.iros,  'IVnedos, 
Patara,  I.  516;  his  sacred  tree 
the  laurel,  I.  653  ;  xv.  634  ;  his 
loves  were  Daphne,  I.  452  ff. ; 
Clymene,  I,  751;  Coronis,  n. 
543;  Leucothoe,  iv.  196  ft; 
Isse,  vi.  122  ;  Dryope,  ix.  331  ; 
Calliope,  xi.  8  ;  Chione,  xi. 
303  ff. ;  Cassandra,  xiri.  410; 
Cumaean  Sibyl,  xiv.  133;  his 
boy  loves  were  Hyacinthus,  x. 
162  ff.,  and  Cyparissus,  x.  106 
ff. ;  his  sous  were  Phaethon  by 
Clymene,  I.  751  ;  Aesculapius  by 
Coronis,  n.  629  ;  xv.  624  ;  Ain- 
phissos  by  Dryope,  ix.  $56; 
Orpheus  by  Calliope,  XI.  8  ; 
Philaiumon  by  Chione,  xi.  SI 7  ; 
he  promised  Fhaethon  any  gift 
he  might  name  as  proof  of  his 
fatherhood,  II.  42  ff. ;  mourns 
Phaethou's  death  and  refuses  to 
light  the  world  for  a  whole  day, 
II.  329,  381  ff. ;  served  as  a  shep- 
herd in  Elis,  II.  677;  and  with 
Admetus  in  Thessaly,  vi.  122  ; 
discloses  to  Vulcan  the  shame  of 
Mars  and  Venus,  IV.  171  ff.  ; 
takes  refuge  from  pursuit  of 
giants  in  the  form  of  a  crow,  v. 
329  ;  with  his  sister  Diana  de- 
stroys the  children  of  Niobe  at 
request  of    Latona,   his   mother, 


INDEX 


Tt.  204  IT. ;  flays  Marsyas,  who 
challenged  liim  to  a  contest  in 
music,  vi.  582  ff.  ;  is  challenged 
by  Pan  to  a  contest  In  music 
and  wins  over  him,  xi.  156  ff. ; 
helped  Neptune  build  the  walls 
of  Troy,  xn.  587,  while  in  xi.  206 
it  is  Neptune  alone  who  built 
them ;  helped  also  with  the 
walls  of  Megara,  vnt.  15; 
changed  Daedalion  into  a  hawk, 
xi.  339 ;  at  Neptune's  request 
directs  the  arrow  of  Paris  against 
Achilles,  xn.  598  ft*.;  xm.  601  ; 
gave  gift  of  augury  to  Andros, 
xm.  650 

Appennlnus,  a  range  of  mountains 
in  Italy,  n.  226  ;  xv.  432 

Aquilo,  the  north  wind,  I.  262,  828 ; 
in  plural,  n.  132  ;  v.  286  ;  x.  77 ; 
as  a  god,  Boreas,  his  two  sons 
were  Zetes  and  Calais,  vn.  3 

Ara,  the  Altar,  a  southern  constel- 
lation, ii.  139 

Arachne,  daughter  of  Idmon,  a  Ly- 
dian  maiden  wonderfully  gifted 
in  weaving,  vi.  6  ff. ;  challenged 
Pallas  to  a  contest  in  weaving, 
is  defeated  and  changed  by  the 
goddess  to  a  spider,  vi.  52,  140 

Arcadia,  a  country  in  the  centre  of 
the  Peloponnesus,  I.  689  ;  n.  405 ; 
IX.  192  ;  XV.  332 

Areas,  son  of  Jupiter  and  Callisto, 
II.  468 ;  unwittingly  hunts  the 
bear  into  which  his  mother  has 
been  changed  by  Juno,  n.  4»7  ; 
is  set  by  Jupiter  in  the  sky  as 
the  constellation  of  the  Little 
Bear,  II.  506 

A  rcesius,  son  of  Jupiter,  father  of 
Laertes,  grandfather  of  Ulysses, 
xm.  144 

Arctos,  the  double  constellation  of 
the  Great  and  Little  Rears  into 
which  Juno  changed  Callisto 
and  her  son,  and  which  Jupiter 
set  in  the   heavens ;  by  Juno's 


request  Neptune  was  not  to  allow 
them  to  bathe  (set)  in  his  waters, 
II.  132;  m.  45,  696  ;  IV.  625  ; 
XIII.  293,  726 

Ardea,  a  city  of  theRutulians,from 
whose  ashes  sprang  the  bird  of 
the  same  name,  the  heron,  xiv. 
680 

Areopagus,  Mars'  Hill  at  Athens, 
confused  with  the  Acropolis,  vi. 
70,  note 

Areos,  a  centaur,  xn.  310 

Arcstorides,  Argus,  son  of  Arestor, 
I.  624 

Arethusa,  a  nymph  of  Klis,  atten- 
dant of  Diana,  loved  by  Alpheus, 
v.  409 ;  tells  her  story  to  Ceres, 
v.  672  ff. 

Argo,  the  ship  of  the  Argonauts, 
xv.  837 

Argolica  paelex,  Io,  1.726;  Pho- 
ronis,  n.  624 

Argonauts,  a  band  of  heroes  under 
Jason  who  sailed  from  Greece  to 
Colchis  in  quest  of  the  Golden 
Fleece,  vn.  1 ;  xm.  24 

Argos,  the  capital  city  of  Argolis 
in  the  Peloponnesus,  I.  601;  n. 
240;  vi.  414  ;  xv.  164 

Argus,  son  of  Arestor,  a  monster 
with  eyes  all  over  his  body,  set 
by  Juno  to  guard  the  Io-heifer, 
i.  624  ;  slain  by  Mercury  at  Ju- 
piter's order,  I.  717  ;  his  eyes  set 
by  Juno  in  her  peacock's  tail,  i. 
723;  ii.  533 

Ariadne,  daughter  of  Minos;  in 
love  with  Theseus,  she  helps  him 
escape  the  labyrinth,  elopes  with 
him,  is  deserted  on  the  island  of 
Dia,  loved  by  Bacchus,  who  set 
her  crown  in  the  sky,  vm,  172ff. 

Aricia,  a  town  in  Latium,  xv.  488 

Arne,  betrayed  her  fatherland,  the 
island  of  Siphnos,  and  was 
changed  into  a  daw,  vn.  464 

Asbolus,  a  centaur  with  power  of 
augury,  XII.  308 

439 


INDEX 


Ascalaphus,  son  of  the  Acheron  and 
Oiphne,  tattled  on  Proserpina 
and  was  changed  by  her  into  a 
screech-owl,  v.  539  ff. 

Ascanins,  son  of  Aeneas,  xm.  627  ; 
xiv.  583  ;  he  builtand  ruled  over 
Alba  Longa  as  its  first  king, 
xiv.  609 

Asia,  v.  648  ;  ix.  448  ;  xm.  484 

Asopiades,  an  epithet  of  Aeacus  as 
the  grandson  of  the  river-god 
Asopus,  VII.  484 

Asopig,  an  epithet  of  Aegina  as 
the  daughter  of  Asopus,  vi.  113 

Assaracus,  a  king  of  Phrygia,  son 
of  Tros,  father  of  Capys  and 
grandfather  of  Anchises,  xi. 
756 

Assyrius,  an  Assyrian,  v.  60  ;  xv. 
393 

Asterie,  daughter  of  Coeus,  sister 
of  Latona,  wooed  by  Jupiter,  vi. 
108 

Astraea,  the  goddess  of  justice,  last 
of  the  celestials  to  abandon  the 
earth  on  account  of  man's  wicked- 
ness, i.  150 

Astraens,  a  Titan,  hnsband  of 
Aurora  and  father  of  the  winds; 
hence  these  are  called  Astraean 
brothers,  xiv.  646 

Astyages,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  205 

Astyanax,  son  of  Hector  and  An- 
dromache, who  after  the  fall  of 
Troy  was  hurled  by  the  Greeks 
from  a  lofty  tower,  xm.  415 

Astypalei'us,  belonging  to  the 
island  of  Astypalaea,  one  of  the 
Sporades,  vn.  462 

Atalnnta :  (1)  a  daughter  of  lasos  or 
Iasion  of  Arcadia,  a  participant 
in  the  Calydonian  boar-hunt ; 
beloved  by  Meleager,  was  first 
to  wound  the  boar,  and  was  pre- 
sented by  Meleager  with  the 
spoils  ;  she  is  called  Tegeaea, 
via.   880,  and    Nonacria,   vm. 

4  40 


426  ;  (2)  a  daughter  of  King 
Schoeneus  of  Boeotia,  famous  for 
her  beauty  and  swiftness  of  foot; 
was  conquered  in  running  by 
Hippomenes  and  married  by  him ; 
her  story,  x.  660  ff. ;  was  changed 
by  the  angry  Cybele  into  a 
lioness,  x.  689  ft. 

Athamantlades,  an  epithet  of 
Palaemon  as  the  former  son  of 
Athamas,  xm.  919 

Athamas,  son  of  Aeolus,  iv.  487, 
612  ;  brother  of  Sisyphus,  iv. 
467  ;  king  of  Boeotian  Orcho- 
mcnuB,  father  of  Phrixus  and 
Helle,  hnsband  of  Ino,  the 
daughter  of  Cadmus,  uncle  of 
Pentheus,  m.  664 ;  iv.  420 ; 
driven  mad  by  the  Furies  at  the 
instance  of  Juno,  he  pursued  his 
wife  and  her  little  son.Melicerta, 
over  a  cliff,  iv.  481  ff.  See  Aeo- 
lides 

Atheuae,  the  city  of  Athens,  v. 
652  ;  VI.  421  ;  VII.  507,  7J3  ;  VIII. 
262  ;  xv.  430 

Athis,  an  Indian  youth,  companion 
of  Perseus,  v.  47,  63 

Athos,  a  high  mountain  in  Mace- 
donia, II.  217  :  xi.  564 

Atlantiades,  a  descendant  of  Atlas, 
applied  to  Mercury,  his  grand- 
son, I.  682  ;  II.  704,  834  ;  vm. 
627  ;  and  to  Mercury's  son,  Her- 
maphroditus,  iv.  368 

Atlantis,  Maia,  the  daughter  of  At- 
las, II.  686 

Atlas,  a  mountain  In  Northern 
Africa,  personified  as  a  giant, 
the  son  of  Iapetos,  iv.  632  ;  holds 
the  sphere  of  heaven  on  his 
shoulders,  n.  296;  vi.  175;  father 
of  the  Pleiades,  one  of  whom  was 
Dione,  mother  of  Niobe,  vi.  174  ; 
another  was  Maia,  mother  of 
Mercury,  i.  682  ;  himself  and  his 
kino-dom  described,  iv.  631  ft.; 
had  been  warned  by  Themis  that 


INDEX 


a  son  of  Jupiter  would  despoil 
hiin  of  his  golden  tree,  iv.  643  ; 
refused  hospitality  to  Perseus  and 
was  changed  into  a  rocky  moun- 
tain hy  a  sight  of  the  Gorgon- 
head,  iv.  657  ff. ;  conceived 
merely  as  a  mountain,  iv.  772: 
xv.  149 

Atracides,  an  epithet  of  Caeneus 
from  his  home  town,  Atrax,  in 
Thessaly,  xn.  209 

Atreus,  son  of  Pelops,  king  of 
Mycene,  father  of  Agamemnon 
and  Menelaiis,  xv.  855 

Atrides,  the  son  of  Atreus,  applied 
to  the  older,  Agamemnon,  xn. 
623  ;  XIII.  189,  230,  369,  365,  439, 
655;  to  the  younger,  Menelaiis, 
XII.  62S;  XV.  162,  805 

Atticus,  belonging  to  Attica,  vn. 
492 

Attis,  a  beautiful  young  Phrygian 
shepherd,  beloved  by  Cybele,  who 
made  him  her  priest;  but,  having 
broken  his  vow  of  chastity,  he 
was  driven  insane  by  the  goddess 
and  in  a  fit  of  maduess  emas- 
culated himself,  x.  104 

Augustus,  a  surname  of  Octavius 
Caesar  after  he  became  Emperor, 
pleased  with  the  grief  of  his 
people  at  Julius  Caesar's  death,  I. 
204  ;  a  laurel-tree  Btood  before 
the  door  of  his  palace,  I.  562  ;  his 
great  glory  as  successor  to 
Caesar's  power  is  prophesied  by 
Jupiter  to  Venus,  xv.  807  ff. 

Aulis,  a  Boeotian  harbour  where 
the  Greek  fleet  assembled  prepa- 
ratory to  sailing  to  Troy,  xn.  10; 
xm.  182 

Aura,  a  breeze  which  Cephalus  in- 
voked to  soothe  his  heat ;  Prodis, 
his  wife,  hearing  of  his  words 
and  thinking  that  this  was  a 
woman's  name,  was  led  to  her 
unfortunate  death,  vn.  813  ff. 

Aurora,    daughter   of    the    Titan, 


Pallas,  hence  called  Pallantias, 
IX.  421;  xv.  191  ;  and  Pallantis, 
xv.  700;  goddess  of  the  morning, 
II.  113  ;  v.  440;  wife  of  Tithonus, 
ix.  422;  laments  the  death  of 
her  son  Memnon,  in.  676  ff.  ;  is 
inflamed  with  love  for  Cephalus 
aud  tries  to  win  him  from  his 
wife  Procris,  vn.  703 

Ausonia,  a  country  in  Lower  Italy, 
used  poetically  for  Italy,  v.  350  ; 
xm.  708  ;  xiv.  7,  320,  772,  786  ; 
XV.  647 

Auster,  the  south  wind,  I.  66;  II, 
853;  V.  285;  vil.  632:  VIII.  3, 
121  ;  XI.  192  ;  XII.  510  :  XIII.  725 

Autolycus,  son  of  Mercury  and 
Chione,  father  of  Anticlea  and 
grandfather  of  Ulysses,  celebrated 
for  his  craftiness,  xi.  313  ;  he 
was  the  husband  of  Erysicht.hon's 
daughter,  vm.  738 

Autonoe',  daughter  of  Cadmus, 
mother  of  Actaeon,  in.  198  ;  aunt 
of  Peutheus,  whom  she  helps  to 
tear  in  pieces,  in.  720 

Antonoeius  heros,  Actaeon,  son  of 
Autonoe,  ill.  198 

Aventinus,  a  mythical  Alban  king, 
xiv.  620 

Avernus,  a  name  for  the  Lower 
World,  iv.  487;  v.  640;  x.  51; 
xiv.  114  ;  in  plural,  Averna,  the 
entrance  to  the  Lower  World, 
xiv.  105 

Babylonius,  belonging  to  the  city 
Of  Babylon,  n.  248  ;  iv.  44,  99 

Bacchiadae,  an  ancient  royal 
family  of  Corinth,  descended 
from  Bacchis,  one  of  the  Hera- 
clidae,  the  founder  of  Syracuse, 
V.  407 

Bacchus,  son  of  Jupiter  and  Semele, 
daughter  of  Cadmus,  in.  520;  v. 
829;  snatched  from  his  mother's 
dead  body  and  sewed  up  in 
Jupiter'i  thigh,  in.  313  :  given 

441 


indp:x 


to  Ino  as  foster-mother,  in.  313  ; 
reared  In  a  cave  by  the  nymphs 
of  N'ysa,  m.  314 ;  his  worship 
enthusiastically  received  at 
Thebes,  in.  528 ;  opposed  by 
Pentheus,  in.  631  ff. ;  the  story 
of  his  capture  by  Tyrrhenian 
sailors  and  of  their  fate  told  by 
Acoetes,  III.  582  ff. ;  brings  de- 
struction on  Pentheus,  in.  701  fL; 
and  on  Lycurgus.  IV.  22  ;  changes 
the  daughters  of  Minyas  into 
bats,  iv.  391  ff. ;  took  refuge  from 
pursuit  of  Giants  in  the  form  of 
a  goat,  v.  329  ;  his  amour  with 
Erigone,  VI.  125  ;  gains  from 
Medea  renewed  youtli  for  his 
nurses,  vn.  295  ;  loved  Ariadne 
and  set  her  crown  in  the  sky, 
viii.  176;  is  the  foster-son  of 
Sileuus,  xi.  99  ;  rewards  Midas 
for  his  kindness  to  Silenus,  xi. 
100  ff. ;  punishes  the  Thracian 
women  for  the  murder  of  Orpheus, 
XI.  67  ;  gave  to  the  daughters  of 
Aniiis  the  power  tochangeobjects 
by  touch  to  coin  and  wiue,  xin. 
650;  his  conquest  of  India.  IV. 
20,  606;  XV.  413;  his  various 
epithets,  iv.  11  ff.  SeeThyoneus 
(2) 

Bactrius,  from  the  city  of  Bactra  in 
Persia,  v.  135 

Baliaricus,  from  the  Balearic  Is- 
lands, between  Spain  and  Afri<  a, 
II.  727  ;    IV.  709 

Battus.arusticchauged  by  Mercury 
into  a  touch-stone,  II.  688 

Baucis,  wife  of  Philemon,  vm. 
631  ff. 

Belides,  the  fifty  daughters  of 
DauaUs,  granddaughters  of  Be- 
lus,  kiug  of  Egypt,  more  fre- 
quently called  Danaides  ;  forced 
to  marry  their  cousins,  the  fifty 
sous  of  Aegyptus,  they,  with  one 
exception,  killed  their  husbands 
on  their  wedding-night,  and  for 

442 


this  suffered  In  Hades;  their 
punishment  was  to  fill  a  bottom- 
less cistern  with  water  carried  in 
sieves,  iv.  463  ;  x.  44 

Bellona,  goddess  of  war,  sister  of 
Mars,  v.  165 

Belus,  a  primitive  Asiatic  king, 
founder  of  the  Assyrian  king- 
dom, iv.  213;  not  the  ancestor 
of  the  Belides 

Berecyntius  heros,  Midas,  son  of 
Cybele,  so  called  from  Berecyn- 
tus,  a  mountain  In  Phrygia,  xi. 
16,  106 

Beroe,  the  old  nurse  of  Semele,  in. 
278 

Bienor,  a  centaur,  xn.  345 

Bisaltis,  Theophane,  daughter  of 
Bisaltes,  loved  by  Neptune,  vi. 
117 

Bistonius,  belonging  to  the  Bis- 
toues,  a  people  of  Thrace,  xm. 
430 

Boebe,  a  town  in  Thessaly,  vn. 
231 

Boeotia.a  country  in  Middle  Greece, 
n.  239  ;  xn.  9  ;  mythical  origiu 
of  the  name,  in.  1 3 

Bona  Cop. a,  goddess  of  abund- 
ance, ix.  88 

Bootes,  a  northern  constellation 
near  the  Bears,  called  also  Arcto- 
phylax,  n.  176;  vm.  206;  x. 
447 

Boreas,  the  north  wind.  I.  65  ;  per- 
sonified as  a  god,  his  rough  woo- 
ing of  Orithyia,  VI.  682  ff.  ; 
father  of  Zetes  and  Calais,  vi. 
712.     See  Aquilo 

Botres,  son  of  Eumelus;  while  hit 
father  was  sacrificing  to  Apollo 
he  ate  the  brain  of  the  sacrificial 
animal  and  for  this  his  angry 
father  smote  him  down  with  a 
firebrand;  Apollo  pitied  the  fa- 
ther's lamentations  and  changed 
the  boy  into  a  bird,  the  bee-eater, 
vn.  390 


INDEX 


Britanni,   tbe   inhabitants   of    the 

British  Isles,  xv.  752 
Bromius,  an  epithet  of  Bacchus,  it. 

11 
Broinus,  a  centaur,  xn.  459 
Broteas,  a  twin  brother  of  Amnion 

and  with  him  slain  by  Phineus, 

v.  107 ;  also  the  name  of  one  of 

the  Lapithae,  xn.  262 
Bubasis,  from  Bubasos,  a  town  in 

Carta,  ix   644 
Bubastis,  a  town  in   Egypt ;   also 

the  goddess  who  was  worshipped 

there, corresponding  to  Diana,  ix. 

691 
Buris,  a  seaport  town  of   Aohaia, 

xv.  293 
Busiiis,  a  kiugof  Egypt,  who  sacri- 
ficed strangers  and  was  himself 

slain  by  Hercules,  ix.  183 
Butes,  sou  of  Pallas,  companion  of 

Cephalus    on     his    embassy    to 

Aegiua,  vii.  500 
Buthrotos,  a  city  in   Epirtis,   xin. 

721 
Byblis,  daughter  of  Miletus,  twin 

sister  of  Caunus,  for  whom  she 

felt  a  hopeless  passion,  ix.  453  ff. ; 

she  was  changed  into  a  fountain, 

ix.  664 

Cadmeis,  Semele,  the  daughter  of 
Cadmus,  m.  287 

Cadmus,  son  of  the  Phoenician  king 
Agenor,  in.  3,  51,  81;  ordered 
by  his  father  to  find  his  sister 
Europa  on  pain  of  exile,  ill.  3  ; 
asks  oracle  of  Phoebus  as  to  a  site 
for  his  new  city,  in.  9;  follows 
sacred  heifer, in.  17;  kills  serpent 
sacred  to  Mars,  m.  32  ff. ;  is 
warned  by  a  voice  that  he,  too, 
shall  become  a  serpent,  in.  97  ; 
at  Pallis'  bidding  he  sows  the 
serpent's  teeth  in  the  ground 
from  which  spring  armed  men, 
in.  104  ;  marries  Harmouia, 
daughter    of    Mars  and    Venus, 


m.  132;  he  and  his  wife  are 
changed  to  serpents,  iv.  563  ff. 

Ca'jneus,  a  youth  of  Thessaly,  called 
Atracidts  from  Atrax,  a  city  of 
that  country,  xn.  209 ;  born  a 
girl,  changed  to  a  youth  aud 
madeinvulneiable,vm.305 ;  XII. 
172;  participated  in  the  battle 
against  the  centaurs,  was  killed 
by  them  and  changed  into  a  bird, 
xn.  459  ff. 

Caenis,  daughter  of  Elatus  of 
Thessaly,  ravished  by  Neptune, 
who  in  requital  and  at  her  re- 
quest chauged  her  into  a  youth, 
Caeneus,  and  made  her  invulner- 
able, xn.  189  ff. 

Caesar,  Julius,  his  assassination,  i. 
201  ;  his  great  deeds,  his  death, 
his  deification  at  the  behest  of 
Venus,  xv.  746  ff. 

Cai'cus,  a  river  in  Mysia,  n.  248  ; 
xn.  Ill ;  xv.  278 

Cai'eta,  the  old  nurse  of  Aeneas  who 
died  and  was  buried  in  the  place 
in  Italy  called  by  her  name,  xiv. 
157,  443  ft.  ;  XV.  716 

Calais,  one  of  the  winged  sons  of 
Boreas  and  Orlthyia,  was  one  of 
the  Argonauts,  vi.  716;  with  his 
brother  drove  the  Harpies  away 
from  Phineus,  vii.  3 

Calaurea,  an  island  on  the  coast  of 
Argolis,  xn.  384 

Calchas.  son  of  Thestor,  a  seer  and 
priest  who  accompanied  the 
Greeks  to  Troy;  he  interpreted 
the  omen  of  the  snake  and  birds 
at  Aulis,  xn.  19  ff. 

Calliope,  mother  of  Orpheus,  x.  148; 
oue  of  the  Muses  who  sang  the 
80ngof  Ceres  aud  her  wanderings 
in  search  of  the  stolen  Proserpina, 
v.  339  ff.     See  Musae 

Callirhoe,  daughter  of  Acheloiis, 
ix.  413;  second  wife  of  Alemaeon, 
IX.  411;  gained  from  Jupiter 
immediate  growth  from  infancy 

443 


INDEX 


to  manhood  for  her  sons  in  order 
that  they  might  avenge  tlieir 
father,  ix.  432 

Callisio,  an  Arcadian  nymph,  a 
favourite  of  Diana,  ravished  by 
Jupiter,  ii.  409  ft. ;  driven  by 
Diana  from  her  train,  n.  464  ft ; 
changed  by  Juno  into  a  hear,  u. 
470  ff. ;  is  hunted  as  a  bear  by 
her  son,  Areas,  II.  497  ff. ;  is  set 
by  Jupiter  in  the  sky  as  the  con- 
stellation of  the  Great  Bear,  II. 
606  ;  is  forbidden  by  Ocean  us  at 
Juno's  request  to  dip  beneath  his 
waves,  ii.  628 

Calydon,  an  ancient  city  in  Aetolia 
on  the   River  Eueuus,  vi.  416  ; 

VIII.  270,  324,  495,526,528,  727; 

IX.  S,  112,  147;  xiv.  31S;  XV. 
769 

Calydonian  Boar-Hunt,  a  famous 
hunt,  at  which  assembled  all  the 
heroes  of  Greece ;  cause  of  the 
boar's  coining,  vni.  271  ff. ;  the 
muster  of  the  heroes,  vni.  300  ff.; 
the  place  of  the  hunt  described, 
vm.  329  ft;  the  hunt,  vm. 
338  ff. ;  the  boar  is  first  wounded 
by  Atalanta,  vm.  382  ;  is  killed 
by  Meleager,  VIII.  414 

Calymne,  an  island  in  the  Aegean 
Sea,  VIII.  222 

Camenae,  ancient  Italian  nymphs 
with  the  gift  of  prophecy,  later 
identified  with  the  Muses,  xiv. 
434  ;  xv.  482 

Cauace.    See  Aeolia  virgo 

Canens,  daughter  of  Janus  and 
Yen  ilia,  a  mi  wife  of  l'icus  ;  griev- 
ing for  his  strange  loss,  she  is 
changed  to  water,  xiv.  333  ff. 

Canopus,  a  city  in  Egypt,  xv.  828 

Capaneus,  an  Arrive  chief,  one  of 
the  seven  against  Thebes,  struck 
with  lightning  by  Jupiter,  ix. 
404 

Capetus,  one  of  the  Alban  kings, 
xiv.  813 

444 


Caphareus,  a  rocky  promontory  on 
the  coast  of  Eitboea,  xiv.  472, 
481 

Caphys.  an  Albau  king,  xiv.  613 

Capitolium,  a  hill  in  Rome  on 
which  stood  a  temple  of  Jupiter, 
1.  561  ;  II.  638  ;  xv.  689,  828.  866 

Capieae,  an  island  in  the  Bay  of 
Naples,  xv.  709 

Cares,  the  inhabitants  of  Caria  in 
Asia  Minor,  IV.  297;   ix.  645 

Carpathius,  from  the  islmid  of  Car- 
pathos,  in  the  Aegean  Sea,  XI. 
249 

Cartheius,  from  Carthaea,  a  town 
on  the  island  of  Ceos,  vn.  8G8  ; 
x.  109 

Cassandra,  daughter  of  Priam  and 
Hecuba,  gifted  with  prophecy  by 
Apollo,  captured  and  insulted  by 
Ajax,  son  of  Oileus,  xin.  410 

Cassiope,  wife  of  Cepheus,  mother 
of  Andromeda ;  by  her  foolish 
boastlugof  herbeantysheofFended 
the  Nereids  and  brought  punish- 
ment on  the  innocent  Andromeda, 
IV.  670,  687,  738 

Castulia,  a  famous  spring  on  Mount 
Paruasus,  sacred  to  Apollo  and 
the  Muses,  in.  14 

Castalius,  belonging  to  the  Cas- 
talian  spring  on  Mount  Parnasus, 
III.  14 

Castor,  the  son  of  Tyndarus  and 
Leda,  twin  brother  of  Pollux; 
one  of  the  heroes  at  the  Caly- 
donian boar-hunt,  vm.  101,  372. 
See  Tyndaridae 

Castrum  Iuui,  or  Castrum,  an 
ancient  city  of  the  Rutuli,  xv. 
727 

Caucasus,  a  mountain  range  in 
Asia,  II.  224  ;  V.  86  ;   VIII.  798. 

Caulon,  a  <ity  in   Bruttinm,  v.  705 

Caunus,  son  of  Miletus  and  Cyanee, 
the  daughter  of  the  river-god 
Maeauder,  hence  called  Maean- 
drius,   ix.   674;    was    the   twin 


INDEX 


rother  of  Byblis,  who  conceived 
a  hopeless  love  for  him,  ix.  453  IT.; 
founded  the  city  of  Caunus  in 
Cania,  ix   634 

Caystros,  a  river  in  Lydia  famous 
for  its  many  swans,  11.  253  ;  v. 
386 

Cea,  the  same  as  Ceos,  an  island 
of  the  Cyclades,  vn.  368 ;  x. 
120 

Cebrenis,  Heeperie,  daughter  of 
Cebren,  a  river-god  of  the  Troad, 
XI.  769 

Cecropides,  an  epithet  of  Theseus 
as  a  descendant  of  Cecrops,  vm. 
651  ;  in  plural,  Ceoropidac,  the 
Athenians,  vn.  486,  671 

tJecropis,  Aglauros,  daughter  of 
Cecrops,  n.  806  ;  in  plural,  Cecro- 
pides. the  daughters  of  1'audion, 
Procne  and  Philomela,  as  Athe- 
nians, vi.  667 

Cecropius  ■=  Athenian,  applied  to 
the  citadel,  vi.  70;  xv.  427;  the 
harbour,   vi.  446  ;  to  Eumolpus, 

XI.  93 

Cecrops,  the  mythical  founder  of 
Athens,  vi.  446;  xv.  427;  his 
three  daughters  were  Herse,  Pan- 
drosos,  and  Aglauros,  n.  555 

Celadou:(l)an  adversary  of  Perseus, 
v.  144;  (2)  one  of  the  Lapithae, 

XII.  250 

Celuiis,  a  priest  of  Cybele,  changed 
by  Jupiter  into  stone,  iv.  282 

Cenaens,  an  epithet  of  .lupiterwhom 
Hercules  worshipped  at  Ceuaeum, 
the  north-western  point  of  the 
island  of  Euboea,  ix.  136,  164 

Ceuchre'is,  the  wife  of  Cinyras, 
mother  of  Myrrha.  x.  435 

Centaurs,  fabulous  creatures  living 
in  the  mountains  of  Thessaly, 
half  man  and  half  horse,  hence 
called  biformes,  ix.  121  :  duplex 
natura,  XII.  504  ;  semlhomines, 
Xii.  636;  biuietnbres,  xv.  283; 
they  were  sons  of  Ixion  and  of  a 


cloud  In  the  form  of  Juno,  ix. 
123  :  xii.  504  ;  hence  called  Nubi- 
genae,  xn.  211,  641:  at  the 
marriageof  Pirithoiisand  Hippo- 
dam  ia  many  ceutaurs  were  invited, 
and  on  account  of  aninsultoffered 
to  the  bride  by  Eurytus,  one  of 
their  number,  there  ensued  the 
famous  battle  of  the  Centaurs  and 
Lapithae,  xn.  210  ff. ;  for  famous 
individual  centaurs,  see  Nessus 
and  Chiron  ;  two  female  centaurs 
are  Hylonome,  the  beloved  of 
Cyllarus,  and  Ocyrhoe,  daughter 
of  Chiron 

Cephalus,  an  Atheniau  prince, 
grandson  of  Aeolus,  hence 
Aeolides,  vi.681 :  married  Procrls, 
daughter  of  Erectheus,  king  of 
Athens;  comes  to  ask  aid  of 
Aeacusfor  Athens  against  Minos, 
vn.  493  ;  tells  the  tragic  story  of 
Procris  and  of  his  mairic  javelin, 
vn.  676  ff. ;  beloved  by  Aurora 
but  scorns  her  lovb,  vn.  704  ff. 

Cepheues.a name  for  the  Ethiopians 
from  their  king,  Cepheus,  v.  1, 
97 

Cepheus,  king  of  Ethiopia,  husband 
of  Casslope,  brother  of  Phineus, 
father  of  Andromeda,  iv.  669, 
738  ;  he  vainly  tries  to  repress 
his  brother's  rash  attack  upon 
Perseus,  v.  12  ff. 

Cephisius,  an  epithet  of  Narcissus 
as  the  son  of  the  river-god 
Cephisus,  m.  351 

Cephisus,  a  river  in  Phocis,  I.  369  ; 
ill.  1 9  ;  a  river-god  of  the  stream, 
father,  by  the  nymph  Liriope,  of 
Narcissus,  m.  343  ;  his  graudson 
was  changed  by  Apollo  into  a 
sea-calf,  vu.  388 

Ceramhus.a  mythical  character  who 
In  the  timt  of  Deucalion"s  flood 
escaped  drowning  by  beiug 
miraculously  changed  into  a 
beetle,  vn.  35S 

445 


INDEX 


Cernstae,  a  horned  people  in  Cyprus, 
changed  by  the  angry  Veuns  iuto 
bullocks,  x.  222  fi. 

Cerberus,  the  three-headed  watch- 
dog' of  Hades,  iv.  450;  his  origin 
is  either  from  Echidna,  vn.  408  : 
or  from  Medusa,  x.  22  ;  dragged 
forth  from  Hades  by  Hercules  as 
his  twelfth  labour,  vn.  409  fT. ; 
ix.  185  ;  Hecks  of  foam  falling; 
from  his  mouth  grew  into  the 
plant  called  aconite,  vn.  418 ; 
sight  of  him  turned  a  man  into 
atone,  x.  65 

Cercopes,  a  people  in  Lydia  changed 
by  Jupiter  into  monkeys  on 
account  of  their  treacherous 
natures,  XIV.  92 

Cercyon,  a  king  of  Eleusin,  who 
required  all  travellers  to  wrestle 
with  him  and  slew  them  when 
overthrown ;  he  was  himself 
defeated  and  killed  by  Theseus 
vn.  439 

Ceres,  the  daughter  of  Saturn  and 
Rhea,  sister  of  Jupiter,  v. 
564 ;  to  whom  she  bore  Proser- 
pina,  v.  615 ;  goddess  of  agri- 
culture, v.  341  ft;  sends  Tripto- 
lemus  in  her  dragon  car  to  give 
grain-seed  and  teach  agriculture 
to  the  world,  v.  642  ff. ;  her  long 
wanderings  in  search  of  her 
daughter,  who  had  been  stolen 
away  by  Pluto,  v.  438  ff. ;  changes 
a  boy  who  mocked  at  her  into  a 
lizard,  v.  461 ;  asks  for  and  hears 
the  story  of  Arethusa.  v.  572  fl. ; 
appeals  to  Jupiter  for  the  restora- 
tion of  her  daughter  to  earth,  v. 
512  ff.  ;  loved  by  Neptune  in  the 
form  of  a  horse,  vi.  118  ;  sends 
Famine  to  torment  Erysichthon 
because  he  cut  down  her  sacred 
oak,  vm.  741  ;  desires  immor- 
tality f«.  r  her  beloved  Iasiou,  ix. 
422;  the  festival  of  Ceres,  x. 
431 

446 


Ceyx,  son  of  Lucifer,  XI.  271,  346, 
445  ;  king  of  Trachis,  on  Oeta, 
XI.  383;  husbind  of  Alcyone,  XI. 
284;  his  death  and  change  into 
a  bird,  xi.  411  ff. ;  grants  asylum 
to  Peleus,  xi.  274 

Chalciope,  sister  of  Medea,  whom 
Aeetes  had  given  in  marriage  to 
Phrixus,  vn.  51 

Chaonian  oaks,  a  sacred  oak-grove 
of  Chaouia  in  Epirus  at  Dodona, 
where  was  situated  an  ancient 
oracle  of  Jupiter,  x.  90  ;  xn.  717 
See  Dodona 

Chaonis,  Chaonius,  of  Chaonia  :  (1) 
a  country  in  Epirus,  v.  163  ;  x. 
90 ;  xm.  117 ;  (2)  a  city  in 
Syria,  v.  16S 

Chaos,  the  formless  mass  out  of 
which  the  orderly  universe  was 
made,  I.  7 ;  n.  299 ;  the  shape- 
less underworld,  x.  30  ;  xiv. 
404 

Charaxns,  a  Lapith,  xn.  272 

Chariclo,  a  water-nymph,  mother 
by  Chiron  of  Ocyrhoe,  II.  636 

Charon,  tne  ferryman  who  carries 
souls  across  tho  river  of  death  in 
the  underworld,  x.  73 

Charops,  a  Lycian,  xm.  260 

Charybdis,  a  dangerous  whirlpool 
between  Italy  and  Sicily,  opposite 
Scylla,  vn.  63 ;  vm.  121 ;  xm. 
730;  xiv.  75 

Chersidamas,  a  Lycian,  xm.  259 

Chimaera,  a  fabulous  monster  in 
Lycia  which  had  the  head  of  a 
lion,  the  middle  of  a  goat,  and  the 
tail  of  a  snake  ;  it  breathed  forth 
fire,  vi.  339  ;  ix.  647 

Chioue,  (laughter  of  Daedalion  ; 
loved  by  Apollo  and  Mercury 
together,  she  bore  twin  6ons, 
Philammon  to  Apollo  and  Auto- 
lycus  to  Mercury;  daring:  to  slight 
Diana's  beauty,  she  was  sh"t 
through  the  tongue  by  the  god- 
dess, xi.  301  ff. 


1 

. 

e 


INDEX 


Chiron,  a  celebrated  centaur,  ion  of 
Saturn  and  Philyra,  n.  676  ;  VI. 
126  ;  Apollo  entrusted  to  hirn  the 
rearing  of  his  sou  Aesculapius, 
11.  630  ;  his  fate  was  foretold  to 
him  by  his  prophetic  daughter, 
Ocyrhoe,  II.  649 

Chius,  of  the  island  of  Chios  on  the 
coast  of  Ionia,  m.  697 

Chrotnis :  (1)  a  companion  of  Pbi- 
neus,  v.  103  ;  (3)  a  centaur,  xil 
333 

Chromius,  a  Lyc.ian,  xm.  257 

Chryse,  a  coast  city  of  the  Troad, 
xm.  174 

Chthonius,  a  centaur,  xii.  441 

Cicones,  a  people  of  Thrace,  VI. 
710  ;  X.  2  ;  xv.  513 ;  the  Ciconian 
women  in  a  frenzy  attack  Or- 
pheus and  tear  him  in  pieces, 
xi.  3  ff. ;  Bacchus  in  punishment 
changes  them  to  trees,  xi.  67 

Cllix,  of  Cilicia  in  Asia  Minor,  II. 
217 

Cilia,  a  city  of  the  Troad,  xm.  174 

Cimmerians,  a  fabulous  people  sup- 
posed to  have  dwelt  in  caves  in 
perpetual  darkness,  xi.  592 

Ciinolus,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
VII.  463 

Cinyphius,  of  the  River  Cinyps  in 
Africa,  V.  124;  vn.  272;  XV. 
765 

Cinyras,  an  Assyrian  king,  whose 
daughter,  on  account  of  her  pre- 
sumption, Juno  changed  to  the 
steps  of  her  temple,  yi.  98  ;  also 
a  Cyprian  king,  son  of  Pygma- 
lion, father  of  Myrrha  and  by  her 
of  Adonis,  x.  299  ff. ;  Adonis  is 
thence  called  Cinyreius,  x.  712, 
730 
Cipus,  ft  fabled  Roman  praetor 
upon  whose  head  horns  sprang 
forth,  xv.  565  ff. 
Circe,  daughter  of  Titan  and  Perse, 
a  sea-nymph,  famed  for  beauty 
and  for  magic  arts,  whose  haunt 


was  an  island  called  Aeaca,  in 
the  region  of  the  promontory  of 
Circeii  in  Latium,  iv.  205;  xm. 
968;  xiv.  10,  376,  S82;  she  be- 
witched the  followers  of  Ulysses, 
xiv.  247  ff.  ;  offered  her  love  to 
Glaucus,  was  repulsed,  and  in 
revenge  brought  horrible  dis- 
figurement upon  his  beloved 
Scylla,  xiv.  10  ff. ;  loved  Picus, 
but,  being  repulsed  by  him, 
changed  him  into  a  woodpecker, 
xiv.  346  ff. 
Ciris,  the  name  of  the  bird  into 
which  Scylla,  the  daughter  of 
Nisus,  was  changed,  vm.  161 
Cithaeron,  a  mountain  in  Boeotia, 

Ii.  223  ;  ill.  702 
Clanis  :  (1 )  a  companiou  of  Phineua, 

v.  140  ;  (2)  a  centaur,  XII.  379 
Clarius,  an  epithet  of  Apollo  from 
Claros,  a  city  in  Ionia,  where  was 
a  temple  and  oracle  to  the  god, 
i.  516 
Claros,  a  city  in  Ionia,  I.  516  ;  xi. 

413 
Cleonae,  a  town  In  Argolis,  vi.  417 
Cleopatra,  queen  of  Egypt,  mistress 

of  Antonius,  xv.  826 
Clitorius,  of  the  town  of  Clitor  in 

Arcadia,  xv.  322 
Clymene,  daughter  of  Oceanns  and 
Tethys,    n.    156  ;     wife    of   the 
Ethiopian  king   Merops,  I.  763; 
beloved    by    Phoebus,  iv.   204 ; 
mother  by  him  of  Phaethon,  I. 
766  ;  mourns  the  death  of  Phae- 
thon, n.  333 
Clymenei'us,an  epithet  of  Phaethon 
from  his  mother  Clymene,  II.  19 
Clymenus,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 

v.  98 
Clytaemnestra,  the  wife  of  Aga- 
memnon ,  tricked  into  giving  up 
her  daughter  Iphitreuia  for  sacri- 
fice at  Aulis  by  a  lie  of  Ulysses, 
who  represented  that  6he  was  to 
be  married  to  Achilles,  xm.  193 

447 


INDEX 


Clytle,  one  of  the  aaughters  of 
Oceanus,  enamoured  of  Phoebus, 

IV.  206  :  jealous  of  the  sod's  love 
for  Leucothoe,  she  tells  the  story 
to  the  girl's  father,  iv.  236  ; 
pines  away  and  is  changed  into 
a  heliotrope,  iv.  268 

Clytius,  a  companion  of  Fhineus, 

V.  140 

Clytus  :(1)  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  87  ;  (2)  a  son  of  Pallas,  an 
Athenian  prince,  vn.  500 

Cnidos,  a  city  in  Caria,  x.  531 

Coae  matres,  the  women  of  Cos, 
who  were  angTy  because  Hercules 
drove  the  captured  cattle  of 
Geryon  through  their  fields :  they 
reviled  Juno,  and  were  changed 
by  her  into  cows,  vn.  368 

Cocalus,  a  mythical  king  in  Sicily 
who  received  Daedalus  under  hit 
protection  after  hie  flight  from 
Crete,  vm.  261 

Cocinthins,  of  the  promontory  of 
Cociuthus  in  Bruitium,  xv.  704 

Coeranus,  a  Lycian,  XIII.  257 

Coeus,  a  Titan,  the  father  of  La- 
tona,  vi.  186,  366 

Colchis,  Colchu8,  of  Colchis,  a 
country  in  Asia,  east  of  the 
Black  Sea,  vn.  120,  296,  301, 
894  ;  xm.  24  ;  an  epithet  of 
Medea,  a  native  of  this  land,  vn. 
296,  301 

Colophonius,  from  Colophon,  a 
city  in  Asia  Minor,  vi.  8 

Comhe,  daughter  of  Ophius,  mother 
of  the  Aetolian  Curetes;  in  the 
midst  of  flight  from  the  persecu- 
tion of  hersons  was  changed  into  a 
bird,  vn.  383 

Cometes,  one  of  the  Laplthae,  xn. 
284 

Corinthns,  a  city  on  the  Isthmus, 
v.  407  ;  vi.     16;  XV.  507 

Coroneus,  a  king  of  Phocis,  father 
of  Corone,  who  was  changed  to  a 
crow,  ii.  669 

448 


Coroni,  two  youths  who  sprang  from 
the  ashes  of  the  daughters  of 
Orion,  xm.  698 

Corouides,  an  epithetof  Aesculapius 
as  the  son  of  Coronisaud  Apollo, 
XV. 624 

Coronis,  daughter  of  Phlegyas  of 
Larissa,  hence  called  I.arissaea, 
n.  542  ;  beloved  by  Apollo,  who, 
however,  slew  her  because  of 
Jealousy,  II.  542,  599  ;  he  saved 
their  child,  the  unborn  Aescula- 
pius, from  his  dead  mother's  body, 
II.  629 

CorycMes,  nymphs  who  dwelt  in 
the  Coryciau  cave  on  Mount  Par- 
nasus,  i.  320 

Cory  thus  :  (1)  a  warrior  from  Mar- 
marica,  v.  126  ;  (2)  son  of  Paris 
and  Oenone,  vn.  361  ;  (3)  one  of 
the  Lapithae,  xn.  290 

Coiis,  from  the  island  of  Cos,  vn. 
363 

Cragos,  a  mountain  in  Lydia,  ix. 
646 

Crantor,  the  armour-bearer  of  Pe- 
leus,  slain  by  the  centanr  Demo- 
leou,  xn.  361 

Crataeis,  a  nymph,  the  mother  of 
Scylla,  xm.  749 

Crenaeus,  a  centaur,  xn.  313 

Cress:i,  a  Cretan  woman,  Telethusa, 
ix.  703 

Crete,  the  island  of  Crete,  vn.434, 
481  ;  vm.  99,  118  ;  ix.  666,  735  ; 
xm.  706;  XV.  540,  541 

Crimese,  a  town  in  Lucania,  xv.  51 

Crocale,  a  nymph  in  the  train  of 
Diana,  III.  169 

Crocus,  a  youth  who  pined  away 
with  hopeless  love  of  the  nymph 
Smilax,  aud  changed  into  a  cro- 
cus-flower; Smilax  also  changed 
into  a  flower,  it.  283 

Cromyon,  a  village  near  Corinth, 
VII.  435 

Croton,  a  mythical  hero  who  had 
entertained  Hercules  at  his  noma 


INDEX 


in  Italy ;  Hercules  promised  that 
ages  hence  a  city  should  be 
founded  on  that  spot  and  be 
named  from  his  host;  the  city 
ww  Crotoua,  xv.  16  ft, 

Crow,  once  a  beautiful  princess, 
daughter  of  Coroneus  :  pursued 
by  Neptune,  she  was  changed  to 
a  bird  by  her  goddess  Minerva, 
but  lost  favour  because  of  her 
unwelcome  tattling,  II.  569  ft 

Ctesylla,  daughter  of  Alcidamas, 
chauged  into  a  dove,  vu.  369 

Cumae,  an  ancient  Euboean  colony 
on  the  sea-coast  of  Campania, 
XIV.  104,  121,  135  ;  xv.  712 

Cumaea,  an  epithet  of  the  Sibyl 
of  Cumae,  who  guided  Aeneas 
through  the  underworld ;  she 
tells  to  him  the  story  of  Apollo's 
wooing,  xiv.  121, 135  ;  she  had  a 
temple  at  Cumae,  XV.  712 

Cupido,  or  Amor,  the  god  of  Love, 
son  of  Venus,  I.  463  ;  represented 
as  a  youug  boy  armed  with  bow 
and  arrows,  i.  456,  468  ;  iv.  321 ; 
v.  366;  ix.  543;  x.  311 ;  he 
caused  Apollo  to  be  inflamed 
with  love  for  Daphne,  i.  453  fl. ; 
and  Pluto  for  Proserpina,  v. 
380  ft 

Cures,  the  chief  city  of  the  Sabiues 
in  ancient  times,  xiv.  778 ; 
xv.  7 

Curetes,  the  mythical  origin  of,  iv. 
282 

Curetis,  of  Crete,  Villi  153 

Cyane,  a  fountain-nymph  of  Sicily 
whose  waters  flow  into  the  River 
Anapis  near  Syracuse,  v.  409  ; 
she  was  changed  into  water  by 
Pluto  because  she  strove  to  stop 
his  abduction  of  Proserpina,  v. 
425  ft 

Cyaneae,  two  small  rocky  islands  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Kuxine  Sea, 
which  according  to  fable  clashed 
together    whenever    any   object 


attempted  to  pass  between  them, 
vu.  62.     See  Symplegades 

Cyanee,  a  nymph,  daughter  of 
Maeauder,  mother  by  Miletus  of 
Caunus  and  Byblis,  ix.  452 

Cybele,  mother  of  the  gods,  x.  104, 
686;  xiv.  636;  turret-crowned, 
x.  696  ;  her  favourite  seats  were 
Mounts  Ida  and  Burecyntus,  XI. 
16;  xiv.  534;  is  drawn  in  a 
chariot  with  yoked  lions,  x.  704  ; 
xiv.  538 ;  in  wrath  at  the  dese- 
cration of  her  temple,  she  changes 
Hippoineni-s  and  Atalsnta  into 
lions,  x.  696  ft  ;  rescues  from 
fire  the  ships  of  Aeneas  which 
had  been  built  of  her  sacred  pines 
on  Ida,  and  changes  them  into 
water-nymphs,  xiv.  535  ft 

Cyclades,  a  circle  of  islands  in  the 
Aegean  Sea,  n.  264 

Cyclopes,  a  fabulous  race  of  giants 
ou  the  coast  of  Sicily,  having  one 
eye  and  that  In  the  centre  of 
the  forehead ;  they  forged  the 
thunderbolts  of  Jupiter,  I.  259; 
in.  305  ;  xiv.  2  ;  xv.  93  ;  oue  in 
particular,  Polyphemus,  called 
Cyclops,  in  love  with  Galatea, 
xiii.  744  ft;  his  murderous 
attack  on  Ulysses  and  bis  crew, 
xiv.  174,249.    See  Polyphemus 

Cycnus  :  (1)  son  of  Sthenclus, griev- 
ing for  the  death  of  his  relative 
Phaethon,  changed  to  a  swan,  n. 
367  ft,  377 ;  xn.  581  ;  (2)  son  of 
Apollo  and  Hyrie,  a  great  hunter, 
who  in  a  fit  of  anger  leaped  off  a 
cliff,  but  in  mid-air  was  chauged 
by  Apollo  into  a  swan;  hence 
Teuipe  is  called  Cycuei'a,  VII. 
371  ;  (3)  the  invulnerable  son  of 
Neptune,  met  Achilles  and  was 
finally  strangled  by  him  ;  changed 
by  Neptune  into  a  swan,  XII. 
72 

Cydinaeus,  from  Cydonia,  a  town 
in  Crete,  vin.  22 

449 


INDEX 


Cyllarus,  a  centanr  bcdoved  by 
HyloDome,  XII.  393  ft. 

Cyllene.  a  mountain  in  Arcadia, 
the  birthplace  of  Mercury,  i. 
217,  713  ;  II.  720,  818  ;  v.  176, 
831,  607;  vii.  386;  XI.  804  ; 
xm.  146  ;  xiv.  291 

Cjllenius,  an  epithet  of  Mercury 
from  Mount  Cyllene,  I.  713  ; 
n.  720,  818  ;  xm.  146  ;  xiv.  291 

Cymelus,  one  of  the  Lapithae,  xu. 
454 

Cynthia,  an  epithet  of  Diana  from 
Cynthus,  a  mountain  In  Delos, 
her  birthplace,  II.  465  ;  vn.  755  ; 
XV.  637 

Cynthus,  a  mountain  on  Delos, 
sacred  to  Apollo  and  Diana,  II. 
221,  465  ;  VI.  204  ;  VII.  756  ;  XV. 
637 

Cypari8su8,  a  youth  who  was  loved 
by  Apollo,  and  at  his  death 
changed  by  the  god  Into  a  cy- 
press-tree, x.  106  ff. 

Cyprus,  an  island  on  the  coast  of 
Asia  Minor,  sacred  to  Veuus,  x. 
270,  645,  718;  XIV.  696 

Cytherea,  Cythereias,  Cytherei's, 
Cythere'i'us,  of  or  belonging  to 
the  island  of  Cythera  in  the 
Aegean  Sea,  an  epithet  of  Venus, 
who  is  said  to  have  sprung  from 
the  sea-foam  near  the  island,  tv. 
190,  288;  X.  529,  640,  717; 
XIII.  625;  XIV.  487,  684;  XV. 
886,  803 

Cythere'i'us  heroB,  applied  to 
Aeneas  as  the  son  of  Venus, 
xm.  625;  xiv.  584 

Cythnus,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
v.  252  ;  VII.  464 

Cytoriacus,  from  Cytorns,  a  moun- 
tain in  Paphlagonia  abounding 
In  boxwood,  iv.  311 ;  vi.  182 

Daedalion,  a  son  of  Lucifer, 
brother  of  Ceyx,  father  of 
Chlone  ;  crazed  by  his  daughter's 

450 


death  at  the  hands  of  Diana,  he 
is  changed  by  Apollo  into  a 
hawk,  xi.  295  fl. 
Daedalus,  a  mythical  Athenian 
architect,  built  labyrinth  for  the 
confinement  of  the  Minotaur  at 
the  command  of  Minos,  viu. 
155:  himself  confined  in  Crete, 
he  makes  wings  for  himself  and 
his  son  and  so  escapes,  vi  ii.  183  ff.; 
envies  his  nephew,  Perdix,  and 
pushes  him  off  a  cliff,  vm.  240; 
finds  refuge  after  his  flight  with 
king  Cocalus  in  Sicily,  viil 
261;  quoted  as  type  of  resource- 
ful man  in  time  of  trouble,  ix. 
742 
Damasichthon,  one   of    the   seven 

sons  of  Niobe,  vi.  254 
Danae,  daughter  of  Acrisius  and 
mother  of  Perseus  by  Jupiter, 
who  came  to  her  in  the  form  of 
a  golden  shower,  iv.  611 ;  vi. 
113  ;  XI.  117 
Danaeins    heros,    Perseus,   son   of 

Danae,  v.  1 
Daphne,  daughter  of  the  river-god 
Peneus,  hence  called  PeneVs, 
i.  472,  504;  the  first  love  of 
Phoebus  Apollo,  i.  452  ff. ; 
changed  to  a  laurel-tree,  which 
the  god  adopts  as  his  sacred  tree, 
i.  548  ff. 
Daphnis,  a  shepherd    boy   of  Ida, 

iv.  277 
Dardanidae  matres,  Dardanian,  i.e. 

Trojan  women,  xm.  412 
Dardanius,  an  epithet  applied  to 
the  descendants  of  Dardanus,  the 
son  of  Jupiter  aud  Electra,  who 
came  from  Italy  to  the  Troad,  and 
was  one  of  the  ancestors  of  the 
royal  line  of  Troy;  =  Trojan  :  to 
Hellenus,  xm.  335  ;  to  lulus, 
xv.  767;  to  Rome  as  founded 
by  one  of  the  Trojan  race,  xv. 
431 
Daulis,  a  city  i»  Phocia,  v.  278 


INDEX 


Dannus,  an  ancient  king  of  Apulia, 

XIV.  458,  510 

Deianira,  daughter  of  Oeueus,  king 
of  Calydou,  hence  called  Caly- 
douis,  ix.  112:  sister  of  Meleager, 
IX.  149;  wooed  by  Aclieloiis  and 
Hercules,  won  by  Hercules,  in- 
sulted by  Nessus,  who  in  turn  is 
slain  by  Hercules,  ix.  9  fl. ;  sends 
tunic  anointed  with  the  poisoned 
blood  of  Nessus  to  Hercules  in 
ortler  to  win  baek  his  love  from 
Iole,  ix.  138  ft.  ;  one  of  the  sisters 
of  Meleager  not  turned  into  a 
bird,  viii.  544 

Deiouides,  sou  of  Deione,  Miletus, 

IX. 443 

DeVphobus,  son  of  Priam,  after 
Hector's  death  one  of  the  greatest 
heroes  among  the  Trojans,  xn. 
547 

Delia,  an  epithet  of  Diana  from 
Delos,  her  birthplace,  v.  639 

Delius,  an  epithet  of  Apollo,  I. 
454;  v.  329;  VI.  250;  XI.  174; 
XII.  598 

Delos,  an  island  of  the  Cycladcs, 
sacred  to  Apollo  and  Diaua  as 
their  birthplace,  i.  454  ;  v.  329, 
639;  VI.  191,  250,  333  ;  VIII. 
221;  xi.  174;  xu.  598;  xin. 
631  ;  xv. 337 

Delphi,  a  famous  city  in  Phocis 
where  was  the  oracle  of  Apollo, 
I.  379,  515;  II.  543,  677  ;  IX. 
332;  x.  168;  XI.  304,  414;  XV. 
144,  «31 

Delphieus,  an  epithet  of  Apollo 
from  his  oracle  at  Delphi,  II. 
54  3,  677 

Demoleou,  a  centaur,  xu.  356, 
368 

Deoi's,  a  daughter  of  Deo,  a 
uame  of  Ceres,  Proserpina,  VI. 
114 

Deoi'us,  belonging  to  Ceres,  her  oak- 
trees,  viii.  758 

Dercetis,  a  Syrian  goddess  mother 


of  the  Babylonian  Semiramls,  IV. 
45 
Deucaliou,  son  of  Prometheus  ;  he 
with  his  wife,  Pyrrha,  were  the 
ouly  human  pair  saved  from  the 
flood,  i.  318  ff.  ;  VII.  356;  re- 
people  the  world  by  throwing 
stones  over  their  shoulders,  i. 
395 
Dia,  an  old  name  for  Naxos,  in. 

690;  viii.  174 
Diana,  daughter  of  Jupiter  and 
Latona,  twin  sister  of  Apollo,  v. 
330;  xv.  550;  born  on  Delos; 
represented  on  earth  as  goddess 
of  the  hunt,  in.  163  ;  armed 
with  darts,  bow  and  quiver,  in. 
252;  v.  375  ;  swift  of  foot,  IV. 
304 ;  with  robes  girt  high,  i. 
695;  II.  245;  in.  156;  ix.  89 ; 
in  heaven  as  the  moon-goddess, 
xv.  196  ;  see  Luna  and  Phoebe  ; 
in  the  underworld  identified 
with  Hecate  or  Trivia,  because 
worshipped  where  three  roads 
meet,  n.  416  ;  she  is  ever  virgin, 
I.  487,  695;  v.  376  ;  XII.  28; 
expels  Callisto  from  her  train, 
n.  441  ff. ;  changes  Actaeon  into 
a  stag,  ii.  185  fl. ;  took  refuge  in 
the  form  of  a  cat  from  the  pur- 
suit of  the  Giants,  v.  330  ;  with 
Apollo  destroys  the  children  of 
Niobe,  vi.  204  ff. ;  enraged  at  the 
slight  of  Oeueus,  king  of  Caly- 
dou, sends  huge  boar  to  ravage 
his  country,  viii.  272;  angered 
by  the  presumption  of  Chione, 
shoots  the  girl  with  an  arrow 
through  the  tongue,  xi.  321 ;  an- 
gered because  Agamemnon  had 
killed  her  favourite  stag,  or  had 
boasted  over  her  of  his  skill  in 
hunting,  she  stays  the  Greek 
fleet  at  Anlis  until  they  should 
sacrifice  Iphigeuia  to  her,  xn. 
27  ff.,  185;  at  the  last  moment 
substitutes  a  hind  on  the  altar 

451 


INDEX 


for  the  girl,  and  bears  her  away 
to  be  her  priestess  at  Tauris  in 
Scythia,  xii.  34;  Orestes,  rescued 
from  death  at  Tauris  by  her  aid, 
brings  her  image  away  to  Aricia 
In  Latium,  hence  she  la  called 
Orestea,  xv.  489;  changes  Hip- 
polytus'  appearance  beyond  re- 
cognition after  his  restoration  to 
life  and  brings  him  to  Italy,  xv. 
537  ff . :  in  pity  of  her  woe  for  her 
husband's  death,  changes  Egeria 
into  a  spring  of  water,  xv.  650  ; 
her  epithets  are  Latonia,  I.  696  ; 
Ortygia,  i.  694  ;  Cynthia,  n.  4  65  ; 
Titauia,  II.  173  ;  Delia,  v.  639  ; 
Dictynna,  n.  441  ;  Scythia,  xiv. 
331;  Orestea,  xv.  489 

Dictaeus,  from  Mount  Dicte  in 
Crete,=  Cretan,  m.  2.  223  ;  ix. 
717;  an  epithet  of  Minos,  vm. 
43 

Dictynna,  "goddess  of  the  net," 
an  epithet  of  Britomartis  in 
Crete,  Identified  with  Diana,  II. 
441 

Dictys  :  (1)  a  sailor  with  Acoetes, 
in.  615  ;  (2)  a  centaur,  xii.  334 

Dido,  a  Phoenician,  queen  of  Car- 
thage, who  killed  herself  out  of 
hopeless  love  for  Aeneas,  xiv, 
80.     See  Sidonis 

Didyme,  two  small  Islands  near 
Syrus  in  the  Aegean,  vu.  469 

Dindyma,  a  mountain  in  Mysia, 
sacred  to  Ceres,  II.  223 

Diomedes  :  (1)  son  of  Tydens,  king 
of  Argos,  one  of  the  bravest  of 
the  Greek  her  es  at  T<-oy,  the 
frequent  companion  of  the  under- 
takings of  Ulysses,  xm.  68,  100, 
239,  242  ;  wounded  Venus  while 
she  was  attempting  to  shield 
Aeneas,  xiv.  477  ;  xv.  769,  806  ; 
after  the  Trojan  war  he  settled 
in  Italy  at  Arpi  and  married  the 
daughter  of  Daunus,  king  of 
Apulia,   xiv.  510  ;   received  the 

452 


messenger  of  Turnus  who  came 
to  ask  aid  against  Aeneas,  and 
told  the  story  of  his  adventures, 
xiv.  467  ff. ;  his  epithets  are  Ty- 
dides,  as  son  of  Tydeus,  xn.  622 ; 
xm.  68 ;  Oenidcs,  as  grandson 
of  Oeneus,  king  of  Calydon  in 
Aetolia,  xiv.  512 ;  Aetolius  he- 
ros,  xiv.  461 ;  hence  his  territory 
in  Italy  is  called  Calydoniaregna, 
xiv.  512  ;  (2)  a  barbarous  king 
of  Thrace,  killed  by  Hercules, 
ix.  194 
Dirce,  a  famous  spring  near  Thebes 
in  Boeotia,  n.  239 

Dis,  a  name  for  Pluto  (which  does 
not  appear  in  the  Metamor- 
phose*), king  of  the  underworld, 
IV.  438,  444,  611  ;  V.  356,  608  | 
x.  16  ;  he  gained  his  kingdom  by 
lot,  v.  368  ;  the  eon  of  Saturn, 
v.  420  ;  brother  of  Jupiter  and 
Neptune,  v.  628  ;  through  the 
craft  of  Venus  he  falls  In  love 
with  Proserpina  and  carries  her 
off  to  the  lower  world,  v.  359  ff. ; 
x.  28  ;  his  kingdom  described, 
iv.  432  ff. ;  x.  16  ff. 

Dodona,  a  city  in  Epirus  where  was 
an  oracle  of  Jupiter,  the  oldest 
in  Greece,  whose  responses  were 
delivered  by  the  rustling  of  the 
sacred  oaks,  vu.  623 ;  xin.  716. 
See  Cbaonian  oaks 

Dodonaeus,  Dodonis,  of  Dodona, 
VII.  623  ;   XIII.  716 

Dolon,  a  Phrygian  spy  out  on  a 
night  adventure,  slain  by  Ulysses, 
XIII.  98,  244 

Dolopes,  a  people  in  Thessaly,  xn. 
364 

Doris,  daughter  of  Oceanus  and 
Tethys,  wi  fe  of  Nereus,  mother  of 
the  Nereids,  n.  11,  269;  mother 
of  Galatea,  XII.  742 

Dorylas :  (1)  a  friend  of  Perseus, 
v.  129  ;  (2)  a  centaur,  xii.  380 

Dryades,   wood-nymphs,  m.  507  ; 


INDEX 


VI.  453  ;  VIII.  746,  777  ;  xi.  49  ; 
XIV.  526 

Dryas,  son  of  Mars  and  brother 
of  the  Thracian  Tereus;  was 
present  at  the  Calydonian  boar- 
hunt,  viii.  307;  and  at  the 
battle  of  the  Lapithae  against 
the  centaurs,  xii.  290,  296, 
311 

Dryope,  daughter  of  Eurytus,  king 
of  Oechalia,  mother  by  Apollo  of 
Amphissus,  married  by  An:irae- 
mon,  changed  into  a  tree,  ix. 
331  ff. 

Dulichius,  an  epithet  of  Ulysses 
from  Dulichium,  a  small  island 
near  Ithaca,  XIII.  107,  426,  711; 
XIV.  226 

Dymantis,  Hecuba,  the  daughter  of 
Dymas,  xm.  620 

Dyma9.  father  of  Hecuba,  xi.  761 

Echetlus,  a  centaur,  xn.  450 

Echidna,  a  monster,  half  woman, 
half  snake,  mother  of  Cerberus, 
Chimaera,  the  Hydra,  and  the 
Sphinx,  IV.  501  ;  VII.  408 

Echinades,  a  group  of  islands  into 
which  as  many  nymphs  were 
changed  through  the  wrath  of 
Acheloiis,  vm.  589 

Kchion  :  (1)  one  of  the  five  surviv- 
ing heroes  sprung  from  the 
dragon's  teeth  sowed  by  Cadmus, 
III.  126  :  he  married  Agave,  the 
daughter  of  Cacimus.and  became 
by  her  the  father  of  Pentheus, 
in.  526  ;  built  a  temple  to  Cy- 
bele,  x.  686  ;  (2)  a  son  of  Mer- 
cury, one  of  the  heroes  at  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  311, 
345 

Echionides,  an  epithet  of  Penthena 
as  son  of  Echion,  ill.  613,  701 

Echo,  a  nymph  deprived  by  Juno 
of  the  power  of  initiating  speech, 
in.  358 ;  conceives  a  hopeless 
love  for  Narcissus,  in.  380,  493  ; 


is  changed  to  a  mere  voice,  in. 
399 

Edonides,  the  women  of  the  Edonl, 
a  Thracian  people  who  murdered 
Orpheus,  and  were  changed  by 
Bacchus  Into  trees,  xi.  69  ff. 

Eetion,  king  of  Thebes  in  Mycia, 
father  of  Andromache,  xn.  110 

Egeria,  an  Italian  nymph,  instruc- 
tress and  wife  of  Numa,  xv. 
482 ;  at  Numa's  death  she 
refused  to  be  comforted,  xv. 
487  ff. ;  and  finally  dissolved 
away  into  a  spring  of  water, 
xv.  647 

Elatus,  a  prince  of  the  Lapithae, 
father  of  Caenis,  xn.  189,  497 

Eleleus,  a  name  for  Bacchus  from 
the  wild  cry  of  the  Bacchantes, 
IV.  15 

Eleusln,  a  city  In  Attica,  famous 
for  the  worship  of  Ceres,  vn. 
439 

Elis,  a  country  and  city  In  the 
western  part  of  the  Pelopon- 
nesus, II.  679  ;  V.  487,  5  76,  608  ; 
ix.  187  ;  xn.  550  ;  xiv.  325 

Elpenor,  a  comrade  of  Ulysses,  xiv. 
252 

Elymus,  a  centaur,  xn.  460 

Elysium,  the  home  of  the  blessed 
spirits  in  the  underworld,  xiv. 
Ill 

Elysins,  of  Elysium,  the  abode  of 
the  blessed  In  the  underworld, 
xiv.  Ill 

Emathides,  the  daughters  of  Pierns, 
king  of  Emathia  in  Macedonia, 
who  insulted  the  Muses  and 
were   changed    to    magpies,    v. 

669 

Emathion,an  old  man  killed  in  the 
fight  between  Phineus  and  Per- 
seus, V.  100 

Emailiius.  from  Emathia,  a  dis- 
trict oi  Macedonia,  v.  313  ;  xn. 
462  ;  XV.  824 

Enaesimus,     son    of    Hippocofin, 

455 


INDEX 


killed  at  the   Caledonian  boar- 
hunt,  vm.  362 
Enipeus,  a   river   in    ThesBaly,  I. 
679  ;  vi.  1 1 6  ;  vll.  229  ;  also  the 
river-god    who     was    the   lover 
of      Tyro,     daughter     of     Sal- 
moneus  ;    in  the  form  of    Eni- 
peus    Neptune     tricked     Tyro; 
according  to  another  story  Nep- 
tune with  Iphiinedia,  the  wife  of 
Aloeus,  bfgot   the   giants   Otus 
and    Ephialtes,   calltd    Aloidae 
from  Aloeus;    Ovid    has  mixed 
these  two  stories  in  vi.  117 
Ennoinus,  a  Lycian,  xm.  260 
Envy,     her    home    described,    n. 
760  ft. ;  sent  to  punish  Aglauros, 
ii.  785 
Epaphus,  son   of  Jupiter  and   Io, 
grandson  of  Inachus,  worshipped 
as  a  god  in  Egypt  along  with  his 
mother,  I.  748 
Ephyre,    an     ancient     name    for 

Corinth,  n.  240;  vn.  391 
Epiilaurius,    from     Epidauras,    a 
city  of  Argolis,  sacred  to  Aescu- 
lapius,  in.  278  ;    VII.  436  ;    XV. 
643,  723 
Epimethis,  Pyrrha,  the   daughter 
of  Epiraetheus,   the   brother   of 
Prometheus,  i.  390 
Epirus,  a  country  in  the  north  of 

Greece,  vm.  283  ;  xm.  720 
Epopeus,    one    of    the    sailors  of 

Acoetes,  in.  619 
Epytus,  one  of   the  Alban  kings, 

xiv.  613 
Erasiuus,  a  river  in  Argolis,  xv. 

276 
Erebus,  a  name  for  the  underworld, 

v.  443  ;  x.  76  ;  Xiv.  404 
Erectheus,  king  of  Athene,  son 
of  Pandion,  father  of  Orithyia 
and  Procris,  vi.  677,  701  ;  vn. 
697 
Erichthonius,  a  son  of  Vulcan, 
born  without  mother,  II.  663, 
767;  IX.  424 

454 


Eridanns,  the  mythical  name  of  the 

Kiver  Po,  II.  324,  366 
Erigdupus,  a  centaur,  xn.  453 
Erigone,  daughter  of  Icarius.loved 
by  Bacchus,  vi.  125;  she  hanged 
herself    through    grief    at    her 
father's    tragic  death,   aud  was 
set  in  the  heavens  as  the  con- 
stellation Virgo,  x.  461 
Erinnys,  a   Fury,    or  goddess   of 
vengeance;     the     Furies     were 
three  sisters   Alecto,  Tisiphone, 
and  Megaera,  daughters  of  Ura- 
nus and    Night,   iv.    452;   vm. 
481  ;  x.  314  ;  called  euphemisti- 
cally   Eumenides ;     with    snaky 
hair  and  torches  in   hand  they 
pursue    the    guilty,  ix.  410  ;    x. 
314,  349;  they  are  wild,  horrible, 
baleful,  implacable,  mad,  i.  241, 
726;  iv.  452,  481,490;  xi.  14  ;  at 
the  request  of  Juno  they  drive 
Atbamas  mad,  iv.  4  70  S. :  were 
present  at  the  wedding  of  Tereus 
and  Procne,  vi.  429 
Eriphyle.wifeof  Ampliiaratis.whoin 
she    betrayed   to   Polynices,  and 
was  slain  by  her  own  son  Alc- 
macon,  ix.  407 
Erycina,  an  epithet  of  Venus  from 
Eryx,  a  mountain  in  Sicily  sacred 
to  her,  v.  363 
Erymanthus :      (1)     a     river    in 
Arcadia,  u.  244  ;  (2)  a  mountaiu 
in  Arcadia,  n.  499  ;  v.  608 
Erysichthon,  son  of  the  Thessalian 
kingTriopas, committed  sacrilege 
againstCeresbycutting  down  her 
sacred  tree,  and  was  punished  by 
unappeasable  hunger,  vui.  738  ff. 
Erytns.  sou  of  Actor,  companion  of 

Phineus,  v.  79 
Eryx  :  (1)  a  mountain  in  Sicily 
sacred  to  Venus,  u.  221  ;  v.  863  ; 
(2)  a  son  of  Venus,  hence  brother 
of  Aeneas,  xiv.  83  ;  (3)  an  oppo- 
nent of  Perseus  petrified  by  the 
Gorgon-head,  v.  196 


iNDEX 


Eteocles.sonof  Oedipusandloeasta, 
brother  of  Polyuices;  their  death 
prophesied,  ix.  405 

Ethemon,  an  opponent  of  Perseus, 
V.  163 

Etruscus,  of  Etruria,  a  country  of 
Central  Italy,  xv.  558 

Euagrus,  one  of  the  Lapitbae,  xil 
290 

Euander,  eon  of  Carnientis,  emi- 
grated from  Pallautium  in  Ar- 
cadia before  the  Trojan  war  and 
founded  the  city  of  Pallanteum 
in  Latium  ;  gave  aid  to  Aeneas 
against  Turnns,  xiv.  456 

Euboea,  a  large  island  east  of 
Central  Greece,  ix.  218,  226; 
XIII.  182,  660,  906;  XIV.  4,  155 

Eucnus,  a  river  of  Aetolia  near 
Calydon,  vm.  527  ;  ix.  104 

Euhan,  a  name  of  Bacchus  frum  the 
cry  of  his  worshippers,  iv.  16 

Euippe,  wife  of  Pierus,  mother  of 
the  Pieridea,  v.  803 

Eumelus,  father  of  Botres,  vn.  390 

Eumenides,  "the  kind  goddesses," 
a  euphemistic  name  of  the  Furies, 
vi.  430 ;  vm.  482 ;  ix.  410 ;  x. 
46 

Eumolpus,  a  mythical  singer  of 
Thrace,  priest  of  Ceres,  brought 
the  Eleusinian  mysteries  to 
Attica,  xi.  93 

Eupalamus,  one  of  the  heroes  at 
the  Calydonian  boar-hunt,  Tin. 
360 

Euphorbus,  son  of  Panthoiis,  a 
brave  Trojan  killed  by  Meuelaiis; 
Pythagoras  claimed  to  be  Eu- 
phorbus reincarnate,  xv.  161 

Euphrates,  a  liver  of  Syria,  11.248 

Europa.  daughter  of  the  Phoenician 
king  Agenor,  betrayed  by  Jupiter 
in  the  form  of  a  bull,  n.  858  ;  vi. 
104  ;  her  son  was  Minos,  vm.  23, 
120 

Enrotas,  a  river  in  Laconia,  n. 
247  ;  x.  169 


Eurus,  the  east  wind,  I.  61 ;  n. 
1C0;  vn.  659 ;  vm.  2  ;  XI.  481 ; 
xv.  603 

Eurydice,  wife  of  Orpheus,  x.  31, 
48;  xi.  63,  66 

Eurylochus,  a  companion  of  Ulysses, 
Xiv.  262,  287 

Eurymides,  Telemus,  son  of  Eury- 
mus,  xin.  770 

Eurynome,  mother  of  Leucothoe, 
iv.  210,  219 

Eurynomus,  a  centaur,  xn.  310 

Eurypylus  :  (1)  a  king  of  Cos,  slain 
by  Hercules,  vn.  363 ;  (2)  a 
Thessalian  hero  at  Troy,  one  of 
the  nine  who  offered  themselves 
for  a  duel  with  Hector,  xin.  357 

Eurystheus,  kin.,'-  of  Mycenae,  son 
of  Sthenelus,  ix.  278  ;  by  a  trick 
of  Juno  he  was  given  mastery 
over  Hercules,  and  imposed  upon 
him  the  famous  twelve  labours, 
ix.  203,  274 

Eurytides,  Hippasus.son  of  Eurytus 
(3),  one  of  the  heroes  at  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  371 

Eurytlon,  presentat  the  Calydonian 
boar-hunt,  vm.  311 

Eurytis,  Iole,  daughter  of  Eurytus 
(1),  IX.  395 

Eurytus :  (1)  king  of  Oechalia, 
father  of  Iole  and  Dryope,  ix. 
356;  (2)  the  ceutaur  who  precipi- 
tated the  strife  between  the 
centaurs  and  Lapithae  at  the 
wedding  of  Pirithoiisand  Hippo- 
damia,  xn.  220  ;  (3)  the  father  of 
Hippasus,  vm.  371 

Exadius,  one  of  the  Lapithae,  xil. 
266 

FAMA,Rumour,personifled,ix.  137; 
XII.  43  ft". 

Fames,  Famine,  a  hag,  personifica- 
tion of  hunger,  sent  by  Ceres  to 
torment  Erysichihon,  vm.  78  4  fl. 

Farfarus,  a  small  tributary  of  the 
Tiber,  xiv.  330 

455 


INDEX 


Kaunigena,  Latinus,  bod  of  Faunus, 
xiv.  449 

Fauuns :  (1)  an  ancient  king  of 
Latium,  father  of  Acis,  xin.  750; 
of  Latinus,  xiv.  449;  (2)  a  sylvan 
deity  of  flocks  and  fields,  identi- 
fied with  the  Greek  Pan,  vi.  329; 
(3)  in  plural,  demi-gods  generally 
ranked  with  satyrs,  I.  193 ;  VI. 
392 

Galanthis,  af aithf  ul  handmaid  of 
Alcmena,  changed  by  Juno  into 
a  weasel,  ix.  306 

Galatea,  a  sea-nymph,  daughter  of 
Nereus  and  Doris,  tells  story  of 
her  love  for  Acis,  and  the  Cy- 
clops' wooing  of  her,  xm.  738  ff. 

Gallicus,  from  Gaul,  I.  633 

Ganges,  a  river  in  India,  II.  249; 
IV.  21;  VI.  636 

Ganymedes,  son  of  Tros,  brother 
of  Hub  and  Assaracns ;  on  ac- 
count of  his  great  beauty  Gany- 
medes was  loved  by  Jupiter,  who 
sent  his  eagle  to  steal  him  away, 
x.  155  ;  xi.  756 

Gargraphie,  a  vale  and  spring  in 
Boeotia,  sacred  to  Diana,  where 
she  was  surprised  by  Actaeon, 
III.  156 

Geryon,  m  three-bodied  monster 
killed  by  Hercules, ix.  184 

Gigantes,  monstrous  sons  of  Earth 
and  Tartarus,  with  numerous 
arms  and  serpent  feet,  fabted  to 
have  made  war  upon  the  gods, 
scaling  heaven  by  piling  moun- 
tains one  on  another;  they  were 
overthrown  by  Jupiter's  thunder- 
bolts and  buried  under  Sicily,  I. 
152,  157,  183;  v.  J19;  x.  150: 
xiv.  1,  184 

Glaucus,  a  fisherman  of  Anthedon 
in  Roeotia,  is  changed  into  a 
sea-divinity  by  his  chance  eating 
of  a  magic  herb,  vn.  233;  falls 
in  love  with  Scylla,  xm.  906  ff. ; 

♦56 


appeals  to  Circe  in  aid  of  bis 
suit  to  Scylla,  and  is  himself 
loved  by  Circe,  xiv.  9  ff. 

Onosiacus,  Gnosius,  from  Guosos, 
a  city  in  Crete,  =  Cretan,  in. 
208  ;  VII.  474  ;  Vlll.  40,  52. 144  ; 
IX.  G69 

Goldm  Age,  described,  I.  89  ff. 

Gorare,  daughter  of  Oeneus,  king  of 
Calydon,  sister  of  Meleager,  viu, 
643 

Gorgo,  Medusa,  best  known  of  three 
Gorgons,  daughters  of  Phorcys, 
IV.  743  ;  she  had  snaky  hair,  iv. 
615,  699,  771,  792;  v.  241  ;  a  look 
at  her  face  turned  the  observer 
to  stone,  iv.  655,  781 ;  v.  180  ff., 
249 ;  Medusa's  head  cut  off  by 
Perseus,  iv.  615.  770;  from  her 
blood  sprang  Posrasus  and  Chry- 
nsor,  iv.  786;  VI.  12u;  drop*  of 
blood  falling  on  the  sands  of 
Libya  change  them  to  snakes,  IV. 
618;  Atlas  changed  into  a  moun- 
tain at  sight  of  the  Goryon-head, 
iv.  655  fl  ;  its  touch  changes 
seaweed  to  coral,  iv.  744;  why 
Medusa  only  of  her  sisters  has 
snaky  hair,  iv.  791  ;  Perseus  uses 
the  petrifying  head  as  a  last 
resort  against  Phineus  and  his 
band,  v.  180  ff.;  the  head  is  finally 
set  by  Minerva  in  her  aegis,  iv. 
803 

Gortyuiacus,  from  the  city  of 
Gortyn  in  Crete,  =  Cretan,  vn. 
778 

Gradivus,  an  epithet  of  Mars,  vi. 
427;  xiv.  820;  xv.  863 

Graecia,  Greece,  xm.  199 

Grai'us,  Grecian,  iv.  16.  538  ;  vn. 
214  ;  xii.  64,  609  ;  xm.  241,281, 
402,  414;  xiv.  163,  220,  325; 
XV.  9 

Granicu8,  a  river  and  river-god  of 
Asia  Minor,  father  of  Alexiroe, 
xi.  763 

Gratfae,    the    Graces,    young   and 


INDEX 


beautiful  sisters,  daughters  of 
Jupiter  and  Eurynome,  atten- 
dants of  Venus;  used  collectively, 
Gratia,  vi.  429 
Gryneus,  a  centaur,  XII.  260,  628 
Gyarus,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
v.  262  ;  Til.  470 

Hades,  the  underworld  of  spirits, 
kingdom  of  Dis,  described,  iv. 
432  ft. 

Harmon  ia,  an  old  name  for 
Thessaly,  1.668  ;  II.  81,543,699; 
V.  306  ;  VII.  132,  159,  314  ;  vm. 
813  ;  XI.  409,  652  ;  xn.  81,  213 

Haemonius,  Thessalian,  from 
Haemonia,  an  old  name  of 
Thessaly  ;  an  epithet  of  Jason, 
vii.  132  ;  of  Achilles,  xn.  81 

Haemus,  a  mountain  in  Thrace,  II. 
219;  x.  77 

Haernus,  once  a  man,  changed  into 
a  mountain  in  punishment  of  his 
impious  presumption,  vi.  87 

Halcyoneus,  a  companion  of 
Phineus,  v.  1S"> 

Halesus.oneof  theLapithae,xn.462 

Hamadryas,  a  wood-nymph,  i.  690  ; 
XIV.  624 

Hammon,  see  Ammon 

Harmouia,  daughter  of  Mars  and 
Venus,  wife  of  Cadmus,  m.  132  ; 
she  and  her  husband  werechanged 
into  snakes,  IV.  571  ff. 

Harpocrates,  the  Egyptian  god  of 
silence,  represented  with  his 
linger  on  his  mouth,  ix.  692 

Hebe,  daughter  of  Juno,  born  with- 
out father,  ix.  400,  416  ;  given  to 
Hercules  as  wife  after  his  trans- 
lation to  heaven,  ix.  401 ;  restored 
Iolaiis  to  youth,  ix.  400;  called 
stepdaughter  and  daughter-in- 
law  of  Jupiter,  ix.  416 

Hebrus,  a  river  in  Thrace,  n.  267 

Hecate,  daughter  of  Perses  and 
Asterie,  sister  of  Latona,  vu.  74, 
174,  241 ;  xiv.  406  ;  often  identi- 


fied with  Diana  and  Luna,  and 
hence  pictured  as  having  three 
forms  or  three  heads,  vu.  94, 194; 
goddess  of  enchantments,  vi.  139; 
VII.  194  ;  XIV.  44 

Hector,  son  of  Priam  and  Hecuba, 
xi.  758 :  xn.  3 ;  bravest  hero 
among  the  Trojans,  kills  Prote- 
silaiis,  the  first  to  fall  among  the 
Greeks,  xn.  68  ;  attempts  to  burn 
the  Greek  ships,  xm.  7 ;  demands 
a  champion  from  among  the 
Greeks  to  fight  him,  xm.  82  ff. ; 
fights  duel  with  Ajax,  xm.  85, 
275;  fights  with  Achilles  and  is 
slain  by  him,  xu.  77  ;  xm.  178  ; 
ids  dead  body  dragged  around 
the  walls  of  Troy,  xu.  591 ;  Priam 
ransoms  his  son's  body  with  gold, 
xm.  473 

Hecuba,  daughter  of  Uymas,  xi.  761 ; 
xin.620;  wifeof  Priam, xm.  404; 
mother  of  Hector,xiu.486;  in  the 
division  of  the  Trojan  captives 
she  fell  to  the  lot  of  Ulysses,  xm. 
485;  her  farewell  to  Troy,  xm. 
423  ;  her  lament  over  the  death 
of  Polyxena,  xm.  494  ff. ;  finds 
Polydorus'  dead  body  on  the 
shore  in  Thrace,  xm.  536  ;  takes 
terrible  vengeanceon  Polymestor, 
his  murderer,  xm.  649  ff. ;  is 
changed  to  8  dog,  xm.  406, 
567  ff. 

Helena,  daughter  of  Leda  and 
Jupiter(Tyndareus,  the  husband 
of  Leda,  was  her  putative  father, 
xv.  233);  wife  of  Menelaiis, 
stolen  by  Paris,  and  thus  the 
cause  of  the  Trojan  war,  xu.  5  ; 
xm.  200;  quoted  as  type  of 
famous  beauty,  xiv.  669  ;  while 
still  a  maiden  she  had  been 
captured  by  Theseus,  but  re- 
covered by  her  brothers  and 
brought  back  to  Sparta,  xv.  233  ; 
in  her  old  age  mourns  the  loss  of 
her  beauty,  xv.  23J 

457 


INDEX 


Helenus,  a  son^i  Priam  having  the 
gift  of  augury,  captured  along 
with  the  Palladium  by  Ulysses 
and  Diomede,  xm.99,  335  ;  after 
the  fall  of  Troy  is  set  by  Pyrrhus 
over  Epirus,  where  he  entertains 
and  advises  Aeneas  as  to  his 
future  course,  XHI.  723 ;  XT. 
438 

Heliades, daughters  of  the  Sun-god 
and  Clymene.  mourn  the  death  of 
their  brother  Phautlion  ;  changed 
into  poplars  and  their  tears  into 
amber,  n.  340  ff.;  x.  91,  263 

Helice,  a  name  for  the  constellation 
of  the  Great  Bear,  vin.  207 

Helices,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  87 

Helicon,  a  mountain  In  Boeotia, 
celebrated  as  the  favourite  haunt 
of  the  Muses,  II.  219  ;  V.  254,  663 ; 
by  metonymy  for  the  art  of 
music  and  poetry,  vm.  534 

Helle,  daughter  of  Athamas  and 
Nephele,  sister  of  Phrixus  ;  flee- 
ing with  her  brother  on  the 
gold-fleeced  ram,  she  fell  off  and 
was-  drowned  in  the  Hellespont, 
which  bears  her  name,  xi.  195 

Hellespontus,  the  narrow  strait 
which  joins  the  Propontis  with 
the  Aegean  Sea,  xm.  407 

Helops,  a  centaur,  xn.  334 

Hennaeus,  belonging  to  Henna,  a 
town  In  Sicily,  v.  385 

Hercules,  the  most  famous  of  the 
Greek  heroes,  son  of  Jupiter,  ix. 
104,  246  ff. ;  xv.  12 ;  and  of 
Alcmena,  the  wife  of  Amphi- 
tryon, ix.  23  ;  as  reputed  sou  of 
Amphitryon,  he  Is  frequently 
called  Abides,  from  Aleeus, 
father  of  Amphitryon,  see  Al- 
cides;  and  Amphltryoniades,  ix. 
140  :  called  also  Tirynthius  from 
Tiryns,  in  Argolis,  his  home 
town,  see  Tirynthius;  on  the 
day    when  he   was  to   be   born 

458 


Jupiter   announced    that  a   de- 
scendant of    Perseus  was  about 
to    be    born     who    should    hold 
sway  over  all  other  descendants 
of  that  hero  ;  Juno  Induced  him 
to  confirm  this  with   an   oath  ; 
she   then,   as  godless  of   birth, 
withheld  the  birth  of  Hercules, 
who,     through     Alcmena,    was 
great-grandson  of    Perseus,  and 
hastened    the   birth   of    Eurys- 
theus,  grandson  of  Perseus,  and 
by  this  trick   the   mighty   Her- 
cules  waB   made  subject  to  the 
weakling  Eurystheus,  ix.  281  ff.; 
Eurystheus  was  born  In  Mycene 
and   Hercules  in  Thebes,    hence 
the  latter  is  called   Aonius,  ix. 
112  ;  at  Juno's  instigation  Eurys- 
theus set  Hercules  twelve  great 
labours.ix.  22,  199:  xv.  39  ;  these 
labours    are   rehearsed    in     ix. 
182  ff.  ;    they  are,    in    order   of 
performance  :  (1)  the  killing  of 
the   Nemean   lion,    ix.  197  ;   (2) 
the  destruction  of  the  Lernean 
hydra,  ix.  69,  192,  193  ;  (3)  the 
capture  alive  of  the  st:ig  famous 
for  its  speed  and  golden  horns, 
IX.  188  ;  (4)  the  bringing  alive 
to  Eurystheus  of  the  Ery  manthian 
boar,  ix.   192;  (5)  the  cleansiug 
of  the  stables  of  Augeas.  king  of 
Elis,  ix.  187  ;  (6)  the  killing  of 
the  carnivorous  birds  near  the 
Stymphalian    lake   in    Arcadia. 
ix.  187  ;  (7)  the  capture  alive  of 
the   wild   Cretan   bull,  ix.   186: 
(8)  the  capture  of  the  mares  of 
Diomede  which  fed  ou   human 
flesh,  ix.  194  ;  (9)   the   securing 
of  the  girdle  of  Hippolyte,  quetn 
of  the  Amazons,  ix.  189  :  (10)  the 
killing  of  Geryon  and  the  cap- 
ture  of  his  oxen,   ix.   184:  (11) 
the  securing  of  the  apples  of  the 
Hesperides,   ix.    190  ;    (12)   the 
bringing  to  the  upper  world  of 


INDEX 


the  dog  Cerberus  from  Hades, 
vn.  410  ;  ix.  185  ;  in  addition 
to  these  Bet  labours,  Hercules 
killed  Busiris,  ix.  183  ;  Antaeus, 
ix.  184  ;  fought  the  centaurs,  ix. 
191  ;  xii.  541  :  bora  the  heavens 
on  his  shoulders  in  Atlns'  place, 
ix.  198;  visited  Croton  in  Italy, 
and  prophesied  the  founding  of 
Crotona,  xv.  12  ;  rescued  He- 
sioue,  daughter  of  Laomedou, 
from  the  Bea-monster,  and  being 
cheated  of  his  promised  reward, 
with  the  aid  of  Telamon  cap- 
tured Troy  and  dethroned  Lao- 
medon,  xi.  213  ft.;  xm.  23; 
came  to  Cos,  where  he  killed 
Eurypylus,  VII.  364  ;  fought 
with  Acheloiis  for  Deianira  and 
overcame  him,  vn.  13  ft. ;  killed 
the  centaur,  Nessus,  who  insulted 
his  bride,  ix.  101  ft.;  destroyed 
Messene  and  Elis  and  Pylos,  and 
slew  all  the  twelve  sons  of 
Neleus  except  Nestor,  xn.  549  ff. ; 
fought  against  Kurytus,  king  of 
Oechalia,  laid  waste  his  king- 
dom, and  took  his  daughter  Iole 
captive,  ix.  136  ff. ;  received  tho 
poisoned  tunic  from  Deianira, 
sent  by  her  in  the  belief  that 
this,  soaked  in  the  blood  of 
Nessus,  would  restore  her  hus- 
tiai  d's  love  to  her ;  his  great 
sufferings  described,  ix.  159  ff. ; 
he  built  a  pyre  on  Mount  Oeta, 
and  was  burned  alive  thereon, 
IX.  299  ff. ;  his  immortal  part 
was  deified  by  Ills  father  Jupiter, 
and  set  in  the  heavens  as  a 
constellation,  ix.  271  ;  after  his 
translation  to  heaven  he  received 
Hebe  as  his  wife,  ix.  401  ;  he 
gave  his  bow  and  arrows  to 
Philoctetes  as  a  reward  for  set- 
ting fire  to  his  funeral-pyre,  and 
in  Philoctetes'  hands  these  wea- 
pons were  destined  once  again 


to  war  against  Troy,  ix.  231  ff.  ; 
XIII.  52,  401 

Herm:ipljroditus,thesonof  Mercury 
and  Venui,  story  of,  iv.  288 

Herse,  daughter  of  Cecrop6,  M.  559; 
beloved  by  Mercury,  n.  7  24  ff. 

Hersilia,  the  wife  of  Romulus; 
after  his  death  she  was  reunited 
to  her  deified  husband  by  Iris, 
and  received  the  name  of  Hora, 
xiv.  830,  848 

Hesione,  a  daughter  of  Laomedon, 
exposed  to  a  sea-monster  at  the 
command  of  Neptune,  rescued 
by  Hercules  and  given  by  him 
to  Telamon,  to  whom  she  bore 
Tencer,  xi.  211  ff. 

Hespeiides,  "  the  western  maidens," 
three  nymphs  who  on  an  island 
beyond  Mount  Atlas  watched  a 
garden  with  golden  apples,  iv. 
637;  xi.  114;  these  apples, 
though  guarded  by  a  sleepless 
dragon,  were  secured  by  Hercules, 
ix.  190 

Hesperie,  a  nymph,  daughter  of  the 
river-god  Cebren,  beloved  by 
Aesacus,  killed  by  the  bite  of  a 
serpent,  xi.  769 

Hesperus,    the    evening     star,    v. 

441 

Hiberus,  Hiberian  or  Spanish,  vn. 
324  ;  a  geographical  epithet  ap- 
plied to  the  three-formed  Geryon, 
whom  Hercules  slew,  and  whose 
cattle  that  hero  drove  away,  ix. 
184  ;  xv.  12 

Hippasus:  (1)  son  of  Eurytus,  one 
of  the  Calydonian  hunters,  vm. 
313,  371 ;  (2)  a  centaur,  xn.  352 

Hippocoon,  king  of  Amyclae,  sent 
a  part  of  his  many  eons,  one  of 
whom  was  Euaesimus,  to  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  314, 
363 

Hippocrene,  a  fatuous  spring  on 
Mouut  Helicon,  sacred  to  the 
Muses;  said  to  have  bnrst  forth 

459 


INDEX 


nnder  the  »troke  of  the  hoof  of 
Pegasus,  v.  256 

Hippodainas,  father  of  Perimele, 
via.  593 

Hippodame  or  Hlppodamia,  daugh- 
ter of  Adrastus,  wife  of  Pirithoiis ; 
at  her  wedding  tlie  centaur 
Eurytus  attempted  violence  upon 
her,  and  so  precipitated  the 
great  hattle  of  the  centaurs  and 
Lapithae,  xii.  210  ft.;  quoted  as 
a  famous  beauty,  xiv.  fi70 

Hippolyte,  queen  of  the  Amazons  ; 
Hercules  conquered  herand  took 
from  her  her  famous  golden 
girdle,  ix.  189  ;  she  was  married 
by  Theseus,  to  whom  she  bore 
Hippolytus,  XV,  652 

Hippolytns,  son  of  Theseus  and 
the  Amazon  Hippolyte,  xv.  652; 
in  his  attempt  to  comfort  Egeria 
he  tells  the  story  of  his  own 
sufferings  and  death,  xv.  492  ff. : 
restored  to  life  by  Aesculapius, 
wholly  changed  in  appearance, 
and  placed  in  Italy  by  Diana,  xv. 
633  ff.;  here  he  was  known  by 
the  name  of  Virbius,  xv.  544 

Hippomenes,  son  of  Megarens,  a 
youth  who  conquered  Atalanta 
in  a  race  and  married  her,  x. 
676  ff. ;  changed  by  the  angry 
Cybele  into  a  lion,  x.  889  ff. 

Hippotades,  a  name  of  Aeolus  as 
son  of  Hippotes,  iv.  663  :  XI.  431 ; 
xiv.  86  ;  xv.  707.     See  Aeolus 

Hippothoiis,  one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  via.  307 

Hister,  the  Lower  Danube,  n.  249 

Hodites  :  (1)  an  Ethiopian  in  the 
court  of  Cepheus,  v.  97  ;  (2)  a 
centaur,  xn.  467 

Hora:  (1)  the  name  given  to  Her- 
silia  after  her  deification  and 
reunion  with  Romulus,  xiv.  851  ; 
(2)  In  plural,  the  Hours,  atten- 
dants of  the  Sun-god,  n,  26, 
US 

460 


Hyacinthia  a  festival  celebrated 
at  Amyclae,  in  honour  of  Hya- 
cinthus,  x.  219 

Hyacinthus,  a  beautiful  Spartan 
youth,  son  of  Amyclas,  king  of 
Amyclae,  hence  he  is  called 
Amyclides,  x.  162;  called  also 
Oebalides,  as  a  general  name  for 
Spartan,  from  Oebalus,  king  of 
Sparta,  x.  196;  and  see  xi n.  396  * 
he  was  beloved  by  Apollo  and 
accidentally  killed  by  the  god  in 
a  game  of  quoits,  x.  162  ff. ;  from 
his  blood  a  tiower  sprang  up 
whose  petals  bore  the  marks  of 
A  polio's  grief,  AIAI,  x.  217 ;  xm. 
396 

Hyades,  daughters  of  Atlas,  sisters 
of  the  Pleiades,  a  cluster  of  seven 
stars  in  the  head  of  the  Bixll ;  their 
setting  brings  wet  and  stormy 
weather,  in.  695  ;  xm.  293 ; 
Dione,  mother  of  Niobe,  was  one 
of  the  Hyades,  vi.  174 

Hyale,  a  nymph  in  the  train  of 
Diana,  HI.  171 

Hyanteiis,  Boeotian,  applied  to 
Aganippe,  v.  512  ;  to  Iolaiis,  vm. 
310 

Hyantius,  the  same  as  the  above, 
applied  to  Actaeon,  ill.  147 

Hyles,  a  centaur,  xn.  378 

Hyleus,  one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  vm.  312 

Hyleus,  from  Hyle,  a  little  town  in 
Boeotia,  xm.  684 

Hyllus,  son  of  Hercules  and  Dela- 
nira,  who  after  his  father's  death 
married  Iole,  ix.  279 

Hylonome,  a  female  centaur,  be- 
loved by  Cyllarus,  xn.  405 

Hymen  or  Hymenaeus,  the  god  of 
marriage,  present  at  the  marriage 
of  Perseus  and  Andromeda,  iv. 
758;  he  did  not  bless  the  mar- 
riage of  Tereus  and  Procne,  vi. 
429;  at  the  marriage  of  Iphis 
and  Ian  the,  ix.  762  ft ;  Orpheus 


INDEX 


and  Eurydice,  x.  2  ;  the  Hy- 
nienaeum,  or  nuptial  song,  at 
the  marriage  of  Pirithoiis  and 
Bippoilainia,  sn.  215 

Hyniettus,  a  mountain  in  Attica, 
VII.  702  ;    X.  284 

Hypaepa,  a  little  town  in  Lydia, 
vi.  13  ;  xi.  152 

Hypanis,  a  river  of  Sarmatia,  xv. 
285 

Hyperboreiis,  Hyperborean,  belong- 
ing: to  the  extreme  north,  xv. 
356 

Hyperion :  (1)  a  Titan,  son  of 
Coelus  and  Terra,  father  of  the 
Sun-god,  iv.  192  ;  (2)  the  Sun-god 
himself ;  Heliopolis,  in  Egypt, 
the  city  of  Hyperion,  xv.  406, 
407 

Hypseus,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 

V.  99 

Hypsipyle, daughter  of  Thoas,  king 
of  Lemnog  ;  at  the  time  of  the 
Argonauts  she  saved  her  father 
alone  when  the  women  killed  all 
the  men  of  the  island,  xm. 
399 

Hyrie,  a  lake  and  town  near  it  in 
Boeotia  ;  nanieil  from  the  mother 
of  Cycnus(2)  by  Apollo;  think- 
ing that  her  son  had  perished, 
she  melted  away  in  tears  and  was 
changed  to  the  pool  that  bears 
her  name,  vn.  371,  380 

Iacchds,  a  nam«  for  Bacchus  from 

the  shouts  of  his  worshippers,  iv. 

15 
lalysiui,  from    Ialysos,  a   city    in 

Rhodes,  vn.  365 
Ianthe,  daughter  of  Cretan  Teles- 

tes,  a  beautiful  girl  betrothed  to 

Iphis,  ix.  715  ff. 
Iapetionidcs,   Atlas,  son  of    Iape- 

tus,  iv.  632 
lapetus,  a  Titan,  father  of   Atlas, 

Prometheus,  and  Epimetheus,  I. 

83  ;  IV.  633 


lapygia,  the  .^un  try  in  the  heel  of 
Italy,  xv.  703 

Iapyx,  a  son  of  Daedalus,  who  ruled 
in  Apulia,  in  Southern  Italy,  xv. 
62  ;  hence  Daunus,  an  ancient 
king  of  Apulia,  is  called  lapygian, 
xiv.  458,  510 

Iasion,  a  son  of  Jupiter  and  Elec- 
tra,  beloved  by  Ceres,  ix.  423 

Iason,  son  of  Aeson,  vn.  60,  77, 
156,  164;  vni.  411;  Aeson't 
brother,  Peli'8,  usurped  the 
throne  of  Iolchus  in  Thessaly, 
and  sent  Jason  off  on  the  adven- 
ture of  the  Golden  Fleece  ;  in  the 
Argo,  which  he  built  by  the  aid 
of  Minerva  (called  the  first  ship, 
vi.  721  ;  vni.  302),  he  assembled 
the  heroes  of  Greece  and  sailed 
in  quest  of  the  Fleece  ;  the  story 
of  the  adventure  is  told  in  vn. 
1  fl. ;  Jason  was  also  present  at 
the  Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vin. 
302,349,411.     See  Pagasaeus 

Icarus:  (1)  son  of  Daedalus;  at- 
tempting to  fly  on  wings  made 
by  his  father,  he  went  too  near 
the  sun,  lost  his  wings,  and  fell 
into  the  sea,  called  after  him  the 
Icarian  Sea,  vm.  195  fl.  ;  (2) 
Icarus,  or  Icarius,  the  father  of 
Erigone  and  Penelope,  placed  in 
the  heavens  as  the  constellation 
of  Bootes,  x.  450 

Icelos,  a  dream-god,  son  of  Somnus, 
xi.  640 

Ida,  a  mountain  near  Troy,  II.  218  ; 
IV.  277,  289,  293;  VII.  359;  X. 
71;  xi.  762;  xil.  521;  xm.  324  ; 
xiv.  635 

Idalia,  an  epithet  of  Venus  from 
her  sacred  mountain,  Idalium,  in 
Cyprus,  xiv.  694 

Idas:  (1)  son  of  Aphareus,  king  of 
Messene,  took  part  in  Calydouian 
boar-hunt,  proles  Aphareia,  vm. 
304  ;  (2)  a  courtier  of  Cepheus, 
slain   by  Phineus,  v.  90;    (3)  a 

461 


INDEX 


companion  of  Diotnede,  changed 
by  Veuus  into  a  bird,  xiv.504 

Idmon,  of  Colophon,  father  of 
Araclme,  vi.  8 

Idoinenens,  a  kiug  of  Crete,  lender 
of  the  Cretans  against  Troy,  xi  u. 
358 

Iliades  :  (1)  an  epithet  of  Gany- 
niedes,  •=  Trojan,  x.  160:  (2)  an 
epithet  of  Komnlus,  as  the  son 
Of   Ilia,  xiv.  781,  824 

Ilion,  IHnm  or  Troy,  vi.  95  ;  xni. 
408,  505  ;  XIV.  467 

Ilioi.eu6,  one  of  the  seven  6ons  of 
Niobe,  VI.  261 

Ilithyia,  the  Greek  goddess  of 
child-birth,  corresponding  to  the 
Roman  Lucina,  ix.  283.  See 
Lucina 

Illyricus,  of  Illyria,  a  country  on 
the  Adriatic  Sea,  north  of  Epirus, 
IV.  568 

Ilus,  sou  of  Tros,  builder  of  Ilium, 
xi.  756 

Imbreus,  a  centaur,  xn.  310 

Inachides,  a  male  descendant  of 
Inachus  :  (1)  Epaphus,  Mb  grand- 
son, I.  763;  (2)  Perseus,  merely 
as  an  offspring  of  an  Argive 
royal  line,  iv.  720 

Inachis,  the  daughter  of  Inachus, 
Io,  i.  611  ;  Isis,  the  Egyptian 
goddess,  the  divine  manifestation 
of  Io,  ix.  687 

Inachus,  a  river  and  river-god  in 
Argolis,  i.  683,  611,  640,  687,  753 

Inarime,  an  island  off  the  coast  of 
Campania,  xiv.  89 

Indiges,  the  name  under  which 
the  deified  Aeneas  was  wor- 
shipped, xiv.  608 

Indiuetes,  deified  heroes,  wor- 
shipped as  the  patron  deities  of 
their  country,  xv.  862 

Indus,  of  India,  I.  778  ;  v.  47  ;  vm. 
288  ;  xi.  167 

Ino,  daughter  of  Cadmus,  wife  of 
Athamas,  sister  of  Semele,  foster- 

*62 


uioiher  of  Bacchus,  in.  313; 
helps  to  tear  in  pieces  her 
nephew.  Cent  hens,  ill.  722; 
makes  unseemly  boast  of  the 
power  of  her  foster-son,  Bacchus, 
IV.  417  ;  is  pnrsued  by  Athamas, 
who  was  driven  mad  by  Juno, 
and  leaps  with  her  son,  Melicerta, 
from  a  clilT  into  the  sea,  but  is 
changed  by  Neptune  into  the 
6ea-goddess  Leucoilioe,  iv.  619  ff. 

Io,  daughter  of  Inachus,  1.  611; 
caPed  Argolica  paelex,  from  her 
father's  country  of  Argolis,  I. 
786  :  loved  und  ravished  by 
Jupiter,  I.  688  ff . ;  chanted  by 
him  into  a  ueiier  to  avoid  detec- 
tion by  Juno,  1.  611  ;  guarded 
by  Argus,  1.  624  ff. ;  driven 
over  the  world  by  a  gadfly  sent 
by  Juno,  1.  725  ff. ;  comes  at 
last  to  the  banks  of  the  Nile  and 
there  regains  her  human  form, 
I.  728  ff. ;  bears  a  son  Epaphus, 
I.  748  ;  is  worshipped  in  Egypt 
as  Isis,  1.  747 

Iolaiis,  the  son  of  Iphicles,  nephew 
and  companion  of  Hercules,  re- 
stored to  youth  by  Hebe,  vm. 
810;  ix.  399,  430.   See  Hyanteus 

Iolciacus,  of  Iolcos,  a  seaport  town 
of  Thessaly,  whence  the  Argo- 
nauts sailed,  vn.  158 

Iole.  daughter  of  Enrytus,  king  of 
Oechalia,  captured  by  Hercules, 
ix.  140;  after  the  death  of 
Hercules,  at  his  command  she 
was  given  as  wife  to  his  son, 
Hyllus,  ix.  279 

Ionium  (aequor,  mare),  the  Ionian 
Sea,  lying  west  of  Greece,  iv. 
535;  xv.  60,  700 

Iphigenia,  daughter  of  Agamem- 
non, kiugof  Mycenae,  hence  she 
is  called  Mycenis,  xn.34  ;  sacri- 
ficed by  her  father  to  Diana  at 
Aulis:  but  Diana  is  said  to  have 
substituted   a   hind  at  the  last 


INDEX 


moment,  and  to  have  carried  off 
the  maiden  10  be  her  priestess  at 
Tauris,  xn.  28  ft.;  xm.   181 

Iphinoiis,  a  ceutaur,  xn.  379 

Iphis  :  (1)  born  the  daughter  of 
one  Ligd  us,  a  Cretan,  and  after- 
wardi  by  the  grace  of  luis 
changed  into  a  young  man,  ix. 
668  ff. ;  (2)  a  huuible  youth  of 
Cyprus  who  indulged  a  hopeless 
love  for  Anaxarete,  and  hanged 
himself  at  her  door,  xiv   699  If. 

Iphitides,  son  of  Iphitus,  Coerauus, 
XIII.  257 

Iris,  goddess  of  the  rainbow,  xi. 
690,  632  ;  daughter  of  Thaumas, 
hence  Thamnantias,  iv  480; 
special  messenger  of  Juno,  I. 
271  ;  xiv.  85;  sent  by  Juno  to 
Sooinus,  xi.  585  ft.  ;  sent  to  burn 
the  ships  of  Aeneas  in  Sicily, 
Xiv.  85  ;  sent  to  unite  Hersilia 
to  her  dead  husband,  Romulus, 
xiv. 839 

Iron  Age,  described,  i.  127  ff. 

Isis,  an  Egyptian  goddess,  believed 
by  Greek  mythology  to  have 
been  the  deified  Io,  i.  747  ;  hence 
called  Inachis,  ix.  687;  promises 
aid  to  Telethusa,  ix.  687  ;  fulfils 
her  promise  by  changing  I  phis, 
born  a  girl,  tntoa  boy,  ix.  773  ff.; 
her  train  described,  ix.  687  ff. 

Ismarius.from  Ismarus,  a  mountain 
in  Thrace,  «=Thraeian,  ii.  257; 
IX.  642  ;  x.  305  ;  xm.  530 

Ismenides,  Theban  women,  so 
called  from  the  neighbouring 
river,  Ismenus,  m.  733  ;  iv.  31 ; 
VI.  159  ;  certain  Theban  women, 
changed  by  the  wrath  of  Juno 
into  liirls,  iv.  543  ff. 

Isnienis,  daughter  of  the  Boeotian 
river-god  Ismenus,  the  nymph 
Crocale,  in.  169 

Ismenus,  one  of  the  seven  sons  of 
Niobe,  vi.  224 

Ismenus,  a  river  in    Boeotia  near 


Thebes,    II,  214;   in.  169,  733 
IV.  31,562;   VI.  169;   Xlii.  682 

Isse,  daughter  of  Maeareus  (1), 
vi.  124 

Isthmus,  the  Isthmus  of  Corinth, 
vi.  419;  vii.  405 

Italia,  Italy,  xiv.  17  ;  xv.  9,  59,  291, 
701 

Ithaca,  an  island  in  the  Ionian  Sea, 
the  home  of  Ulysses,  xm.  98, 
103,  612,  711 

Ithacus,  a  name  for  Ulysses  as 
king  of  Ithaca,  xm.  98,  lu3 

Itys,  son  of  Tereus  and  1'rocne, 
vi.  437;  slain  by  his  mothoraud 
her  sister,  and  served  up  at  a 
banquet  to  his  father,  VI.  620  ft. 

Inba,  a  king  of  Numioia,  xv.  755 

lulus,  Ascanius,  the  son  of  Aeneas, 
from  wnom  the  gens  Iulia 
claimed  its  origin,  xiv.  683  ;  xv. 
547,  767 

In  no,  daughter  of  Saturn  (see 
Saturnia)  and  Rhea ;  foster- 
daughter  of  Oceanus  and  Tethys, 
n.  627  ;  sister  and  wife  of  Ju- 
piter and  queen  of  the  gods,  I. 
620  ;  II.  466,  612  ;  III.  26J,  265, 
284  ;  VL  94,  332  ;  xiv. 829  ;  god- 
dess of  marriage,  vi.  4  28  ;  ix. 
762,  796;  xi.  578;goddessof  child- 
birth, see  Lucina  ;  her  daughter 
was  Hebe,  ix.  400  ;  her  son, 
Vulcan,  iv.  173  ;  see  also  Mars  ; 
Iris  is  her  messenger,  see  Iris; 
her  bird  is  the  pe-tcock,  in  whose 
tail  she  set  the  eyes  of  the 
slain  Argus,  I.  722  ;  XV.  385  ; 
her  activities  are  most  often 
employed  In  punishing  her 
morr.al  rivals  in  the  love  of 
her  husband  ;  so  she  works  her 
jealous  rage  on  Io,  I.  601  ff. ; 
on  Callisto,  n.  4  66  ft. ;  on  Semele, 
III.  261  ft.:  punishes  I  no  through 
the  madness  of  Athamas,  iv. 
421  ff. ;  changes  the  Theban 
women,    friends    of    Ino,    into 

463 


INDEX 


stones,  iv.  543  ft.;  persecutes 
Latona,  vi.  332  ff. :  sends  pesti- 
lence on  Aegiua,  because  named 
from  her  rival,  vn.  523  ff. ;  stays 
the  birth  of  Hercules,  whom  she 
hates  for  Alcmeua's  sake,  and 
by  tliis  trick  makes  him  subject 
to  Kurystheus,  ix.  21,  176,  284, 
295  ff. ;  punishes  Echo  for  her 
treachery  in  shielding  Jupiter, 
in.  362  ff. ;  strikes  Tiresias  with 
blinduess  for  siding  with  Jupiter 
against  her,  m.  359  ;  being 
tricked  by  Galanthis,  she 
changes  her  into  a  weasel,  ix. 
306  ;  changes  the  queen  of  the 
Pygmies  into  a  crane  and  Anti- 
gone into  a  stork,  both  for  daring 
to  contend  against  her,  vi.  90  ff. ; 
takes  refuge  from  the  pursuit  of 
the  Giants  in  the  f  urm  of  a  white 
cow,  v.  330  ;  Incensed  that  Ju- 
piter should  take  Ganymede  to 
be  his  cup-bearer,  x.  161  ;  takes 
pity  on  Alcyone  and  reveals  to 
her  her  husband's  death,  xi. 
583  ft. ;  is  hostile  to  Aeneas  and 
to  the  Trojans,  but  at  last  gives 
up  her  enmity,  xiv.  582  ;  sends 
Iris  to  reunite  Hersilia  to  her 
dead  husband,  Romulus,  xiv. 
829;  Proserpina  is  called  Iuno 
Averna,  "  the  Juno  of  the  Lower 
World,"  xiv.  114 

Iunouigcna,  Vulcan,  the  son  of 
Juno,  iv.  173 

luppiter,  the  son  of  Saturn  and 
Khea  (see  Saturnius);  born  in 
Crete  and  watched  over  in  his 
infancy  by  the  priests  of  Ida, 
iv.  282;  viii.  99;  with  his  two 
brothers,  Neptune  and  Pluto,  de- 
thrones Saturn,  and  in  the 
divisiou  of  the  kingdom  by  lot 
the  dominion  of  the  heavens 
falls  to  him,  who  thus  became 
the  highest  of  the  gods,  I.  114, 
154,  197,  251,  328;    II.  60,  280, 

464 


292;  xiv.  807;  xv.  858;  he  Is 
subject  only  to  the  decrees  of 
fate,  i.  256;  v.  532;  ix.  434; 
xv.  807;  his  emblems  of  power 
are  the  sceptre,  I.  178  ;  II.  847  ; 
and  the  thunderbolt,  I.  154,  170, 
197;  ii.  61,  848;  xu.  51  ;  his 
sacred  bird  is  the  eagle,  which 
bears  his  thunderbolts  iu  its 
talons,  iv.  714;  x.  158;  xv.  386; 
his  sacred  tree  is  the  oak,  1. 106, 
end  see  Chaonia  and  Dodona  ;  he 
Is  the  god  and  guardian  of  hos- 
pitality, x.  224  ;  his  name  is 
used  by  metonymy  for  the 
heavens  and  the  upper  air,  II. 
»77 ;  iv.  260;  xin.  707  ;  his 
wife,  who  is  also  his  sister,  is 
Juno,  and  his  sons  by  her  are 
Vulcan  and  Mars ;  his  children 
by  other  deities  are  Miuerva, 
born  without  mother  from  the 
head  of  Jupiter  (see  Miuerva); 
Mercury,  by  Maia,  I.  669  ;  Pro- 
serpina, by  Ceres,  v.  616;  vi. 
114;  the  nine  Muses,  by  Mnemo- 
syne, vi.  114  ;  Venus,  by  Dione, 
xiv.  685 ;  bis  amours  with 
nymphs  or  mortal  women  and 
his  sous  by  these  are  :  with  Io, 
Epaphus,  I.  688  ff . ;  Latona, 
Apollo  and  Diana,  I.  517,  696; 
vi.  336;  Callisto,  Areas,  il 
422  ff.;  Enropa,  Minos,  n.  84  6  ff.; 
vi.  103;  viii.  122;  and  Rhada- 
manthus,  ix.  436  ;  Semele, 
Bacchus,  m.  260  ff . ;  Danaii, 
Perseus,  iv.  611,  697;  Malia, 
the  Palici,  v.  406  ;  Led  a,  Castor 
and  Pollux,  vi.  109;  Aniiope, 
Auiphion  and  Zethus,  vi.  Ill; 
Aegiua,  Aeacus,  vi.  113;  vn. 
615;  XIII.  28;  Alcmena,  Her- 
cules, ix.  23  ;  Euryodia,  Arcesins, 
xin.  1-15  ;  hisage  was  the  Silver 
Age  of  the  world,  1. 1 1 3  ff. ;  leaves 
heaven  to  investigate  the  sins  of 
men   i.  2 1 2  ff . ;  decides  to  destroy 


INDEX 


the  hum  an  race  by  flood,  I.  253  fl\; 
hurls   thunderbolt  at   Phaetbou 
and  stops    universal  conflagra- 
tion,    ii.     304 ;     apologizes     to 
Phoebus   for   this  act,  n.    396 ; 
disputes  with  Juno  and  refers 
the    dispute     to     Tiresias,    ill. 
320  ft*. ;  changes  Memnon  on  his 
funeral    pyre    into  a   bird,    in. 
586 ;     changes    Celmls    into    a 
stone,  IV.   282 ;    flees   to   Kgypt 
from  the  pursuit  of  the  Giants, 
and  hides  in  the  form  of  a  ram  ; 
is  hence  worshipped  as  the  Libyan 
Amnion,    with    ram's    horns   on 
his  head,  v.  327  ;  Is  entertained 
by  Philemon  and  Baucis,  vm. 
626    ft. ;    reveals    the    fates    to 
Venus,    how    under     Augustus 
Borne  is  to  come  to  ber  highest 
glory,   xv.   807    fl. ;    his  temple 
on   the   Capitol    at  Some,  xv. 
866 
Ixion,  king  of  the  Lapithae,  father 
of    Piritbolis,    vm.    403,    613; 
xii.  210  ;  for  attempting  violence 
upon  Juno  he  was  punished  in 
the    underworld,    bound    to    a 
whirling  wheel,  iv.  461  ;  ix.  124; 
x.  42  ;  with  a  cloud-form  which 
Jupiter   made   in  the  image  of 
Juno  he  begot  the  centaurs,  xn. 
504  ;  see  Nubigenae 

Lacedaemoniub,  of  Lacedaemon, 

or  Sparta,  xv.  50 
Laciuius,  of  Lacinium,  a  promon- 
tory in  Italy  near  Crotona,  xv. 

13,  701 
Laconis,  Laconian,  Lacedaemonian, 

in.  223 
Ladon,    a    river    in     Arcadia,    i. 

702 
Laertes,  son    of    Arcesius,  father 

of  Ulysses,  xn.  625  ;  xm.  144 
Laert  lades,    Ulysses,    the   son   of 

Laertes,  xm.  48 
Lae'rtius  heros,  Ulysses,  xm.  124 


Laestrygones,  an  ancient  people 
of  Italy  in  Campania,  fabled  to 
have  been  cannibals,  xiv.  233 
Lai'ades,  Oedipus,  the  son  of  Lai' us, 
solved  the  riddle  of  the  sphinx, 
vn.  769 

Lampetides,  a  musician  in  the  court 
of  Cepheus,  v.  1 1 1 

Laiupetif,  one  of  the  Heliades,  n. 
349 

Lamus,  a  mythical  king  of  the 
Laestrygonians,  the  founder  of 
Forniiae,  xiv.  233 

Laomedou,  king  of  Troy,  father  of 
Priam,  Hersione,  and  Antigone, 
vi.  96;  XI.  196,  757;  cheats 
Apollo  and  Neptune  out  of  their 
promised  reward  for  building 
the  walls  of  Troy,  xi.  200  ff. 

Lapithae,  an  ancient  people  in 
South-western  Thessaly ;  their 
great  Bght  with  the  centaurs, 
xn.  210  ft,  536  ;  xiv.  670 

Larissaeus,  of  Larissa,  a  city  in 
Thessaly,  II.  542 

Latialis,  Latinus,  of  Latium, 
Latian,  Latin,  generally =Roman, 
II.  366  ;   xiv.  610,  623 ;  XV.  481 

Latinus:  (1)  son  of  Faunus,  king 
of  Laurentum  in  Latium,  father 
of  Laviuia,  hospitably  receives 
Aeneas,  xiv.  449 ;  (2)  one  of 
the  Alban  kings,  xiv.  611 

Latium,  a  country  in  Central  Italy 
in  which  Rome  was  situated,  xiv. 
452,  832 

Latins,  Latian,  Latin,  generally— 
Koman,  I.  560 ;  xiv.  326,  390, 
422,  832;    XV.  486,  682,  626,  742 

Latoi's,  Diana,  the  daughter  of  La- 
tona, vm.  278 

I,ut oi us,  Apollo,  the  son  of  Latona, 
XI.  196 

Latona,  daughter  of  Coeus,  a  Titan, 
vi.  185,  346,  366;  mother  by 
Jupiter  of  Apollo  and  Diana,  vl 
160,  315,  336  ;  refused  by  Juno 
a  place  on  earth  where  she  might 

465 


INDEX 


bear  her  children,  she  gave  them 
birth  on  the  floating  island  of 
Delos,  vi.  185  ff.,  332;  is  insulted 
by  Niobe  aud  appeals  to  her 
two  children  for  vengeance,  vi. 
204  ft.  ;  stury  of  her  persecution 
by  Lycian  rustics,  whom  she 
changed  into  frogs,  vi.  839  ff. ; 
the  sacred  trees  lu  Delos  uuder 
which  she  bore  her  chiluren,  vi. 
335  ;  XIII.  635 

Latouia,  an  epithet  of  Diana  as 
daughter  of  Latona,  I.  696  ;  vm. 
394,  542 

Latonigenae,  the  twin  children  of 
Latona,  vi.  160 

Latoiis,  belonging  to  Latona,  her 
altar,  vi.  274  ;  her  son  Apollo, 
vi.  384 

Latreus,  a  centaur,  XII.  46S 

Laurens,  of  Laurentiutn,  an  ancient 
city  of  Latium.  seat  of  King 
Latinus,  xiv.  336,  342,  598 

Lavinia,  the  daughter  of  Latinus, 
for  whom  Turuus  fought  against 
Aeneas,  xiv.  570 

Laviniuui,  a  city  of  Latiutn, 
founded  by  Aeneas,  xv.   728 

Learchus,  son  of  Athamasand  Ino, 
slain  by  his  father  in  a  fit  of 
madness,  rv.  516 

Lebinthus,  one  of  the  Sporadic 
Islands,  vni.  222 

Leda,  daughter  of  Thestins,  wife 
of  the  Spartan  king,  Tyndareus; 
Jupiter  came  to  her  in  the  form 
of  a  swan,  and  had  by  her  two 
sons,  Castor  and  Pollux,  vi.  109 

Leleges,  a  Pelasgic  people  scat- 
tered widely  over  parts  of  Greece 
and  Asia  Minor,  VII.  443  ;  vni. 
6  ;   IX.  645,  652 

Lelex,  one  of  the  heroes  at  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  312  ; 
visits  Acheloiis  in  the  company 
of  Theseus,  vm.  667;  tells  the 
story  of  Philemon  and  Baucis, 
vni.  617 

466 


Leranicola,  Vulcan,  whose  favourite 
dwelling-place  was  Lemnos,  n. 
767 

Lemnius,  Vulcan,  iv.  185  ;  Lemnos 
itself  is  called  Vulcania,  xm.313 

Lemuos.  an  island  in  the  Aegean 
Sea,  the  favourite  seat  of  Vulcan, 
II.  275  ;  IV.  185;   Xlll.  46,  315 

Lenaeus,  an  epithet  of  Bacchus  as 
god  of  the  wine-press,  iv.  14  ;  xi. 
132 

Lenin,  a  marsh  in  Argolis,  where 
the  Hydra  lived,  I.  697  ;  ix.  69, 
74,  130,  192 

Lesbos,  an  island  in  the  Aegean 
Sea,  one  of  whose  chief  cities  was 
Methymna,  n.  591 ;  xi.  65  ;  xin. 
173 

Lethaea,  the  wife  of  Olenus,  who 
on  account  of  her  pride  was 
turned  into  a  stone,  x.  70 

Lethe,  a  river  in  the  Lower  World, 
a  draught  of  whose  waters 
brought  forgetfulness,  vn.  152; 
xi.  603 

Leto'i's,  belonging  to  Leto,  the 
Greek  form  of  Latona,  applied  to 
Calaurea,  an  island  off  the  coast 
of  Argolis,  sacred  to  Leto,  vn. 
384 

LetoTus,  an  epithet  of  Apollo  as  the 
son  of  Leto,  vni.  15 

Leucas,  an  island  off  the  coast  of 
Aearuonia,  xv.  289 

Leucippus,  one  of  the  heroes  at  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  306 

Leuconoe,  one  of  the  daughters  of 
Minyas,  iv.  168 

Leucosia,  a  small  island  near  Paes- 
tuin,  xv.  708 

Leucothoe  :  (1)  the  name  of  the 
sea-goddess  into  whom  Ino  was 
changed,  iv.  542  :  (2)  daughter 
of  Orchamus,  king  of  Babylon, 
beloved  by  Phoebus,  iv.  196  ; 
buried  alive  by  her  father,  iv. 
240;  changed  by  her  lover  into 
a  shrub  of  fraukincense,  iv.  256 


INDEX 


Liber,  an  old  Italian  god  who  pre- 
sided over  planting  and  fructi- 
fication ;  afterwards  Identified 
with  the  Greek  Bacchus,  in. 
620,628;  iv.  17;  VI.  125 ;  vil. 
295;  vm.  177;  zi.  105;  xm. 
650 

Libya,  Africa,  II.  2S7  ;  IV.  617  ;  V. 
76,  328;  xiv.  77 

Libys  :  (1)  African,  applied  to 
Amnion,  v.  328  ;  (2)  one  of  the 
companions  of  Acoetes,  in.  617, 
676 

Lichas,  a  servant  of  Hercules  who 
brought  to  him  from  Deianira 
the  poisoned  tunic,  ix.  155;  he 
was  hurled  by  Hercules  over  the 
brink  of  a  cliff,  ix.  211  ;  and  was 
changed  into  a  rock  In  mid-air, 
ix.  2 1 9 

Ligdus,  a  Cretan,  father  of  Iphis, 
ix.  670 

Ligures,  a  people  of  Northern 
Italy,  n.  370 

Lllybaeon,  a  promontory  on  the 
southern  coast  of  Sicily,  v.  351  ; 
xm.  726 

Limnaee,  a  nymph  of  the  Ganjrcs, 
daughter  of  the  god  of  that 
river,  mother  of  Athis,  v.  48 

Limy  re,  a  city  in  Lycia,  ix.  646 

Liriope,  a  water-nymph,  mother  of 
Narcissus,  in.  342 

Litornum,  a  city  In  Campania,  xv. 
714 

Lotis,  a  nymph,  daughter  of  Nep- 
tune ;  fleeing  from  Priapus,  6he 
was  changed  into  a  lotus-tree, 
IX.  347 

Lucifer,  the  morning  star,  n.  116, 
723;  iv.  629,665;  vm.  2;  xv. 
189,  789  ;  the  father  of  Ceyx,  xi. 
271,846 

Luciua,  "sho  who  brings  to  the 
light,"  the  goddess  of  child- 
birth, a  name  applied  both  to 
Juno  and  Diana,  v.  304  ;  IX. 
294,  316,  698;  X.  607,  610 


Luna,  the  moon  goddess,  sister  of 
Phoebus  Apollo,  the  heavenly 
manifestation  of  Diana  on  earth, 
ii.  208  ;  vii.  207  ;  xv.  790 

Lyaeus,  "the  deliverer  from  care," 
an  epithet  of  Bacchus,  iv.  11; 
vm.  274  ,  XI.  67 

Lycabas  :  (1)  a  companion  of 
Acoetes,  in.  624,  675;  (2)  an 
Assyrian,  companion  of  l'hin- 
eus,  v.  60  ;  (3)  a  centaur,  xn. 
302 

Lycaon,  an  early  king  of  Arcadia, 
whose  impious  treatment  of 
Jupiter  precipitated  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  world  for  its  wicked- 
ness, i.  165, 198  ft.  ;  changed  into 
a  wolf,  i.  237  ;  father  of  Callisto, 
n.495 

Lycetus,  a  companion  of  Phinens, 
v.  86 

Lyceum,  a  gymnast"  m  at  Athens, 
adorned  with  fountains  and 
groves,  the  favourite  resort  of 
philosophers,  II.  710 

Lycia,  a  country  of  Asia  Minor,  n. 
116;  IV.  296;  VI.  317,  339;  IX. 
645;  xm.   256 

Lycidas,  a  centaur,  xn.  310 

Lycopcs,  a  centaur,  xn.  350 

Lycormas,  a  river  in  Aetolia,  n. 
245 

Lyctius,  of  Lyctos,  a  city  in  Crete, 
=Cretan,  vn.  490 

Lycurgus,  a  king  of  Thrace  who 
opposed  Bacchus  and  was  de- 
stroyed by  him,  iv.  22 

Lycus  :  (1)  a  centaur,  xn.  332  ;  (2) 
a  couipauion  of  Diomedes,  xiv. 
504 

Lydia,  a  country  in  Asia  Minor,  VI. 
11,  146;  xi.  98 

Lyncestius,  of  the  Lyncestae,  a 
people  in  Macedonia,  Lyncestian, 

XV.  329 

I.ynceus,  son  of  Apharens,  took 
part  in  the  Calydonian  boar- 
hunt,  vm.  304 

i4>7 


INDEX 


Lyncides,  a  descendant  of  Lynceus, 
father  of  Abas,  whose  great- 
grandson  was  Perseus,  iv.  76  7; 
V.  99,  185 

Lyucus,  a  king  of  Scythia,  who 
attacked  Triptolemus  and  was 
changed  by  Ceres  Into  a  lynx, 
v.  650  ff. 

Lyrceus,  of  Lyrceum,  a  mountain 
between  Arcadia  and  Argolis,  I. 
598 

Lyrnesius,  of  Lyrnesus,  a  town  in 
the  Troad,  xn.  108  ;  xin.  166 

Macareis,  Isse,  the  daughter  of 
Macareus  (1),  vi.  124 

Macareus  :  (1)  a  Lesbian,  VI.  124; 
(2)  a  centaur,  xn.  452;  (3) 
Bon  of  Neritos,  companion  of 
Ulysses,  xiv.  159,  441  ;  he  tells 
the  story  of  his  adventures,  xiv. 
223   ff. 

Macedonlus,    of    Macedonia,    xn. 

466 
Maeaudrius,  of  the  Maeandrus,  IX. 

574 

Maeandrus,  a  river  of  Phrygia  and 
Lydia,  famous  for  its  wiuding 
course,  II.  246;  vm.  162;  the 
god  of  the  river,  father  of 
Cyanee,  ix.  451 

Maenades,  priestesses  of  Bacchus, 
Bacchautes,  xi.  22 

Maeualos,  and  plural,  Maenala,  a 
range  of  mountains  in  Arcadia, 
I.  216  ;  II.  4i5  ;  v.  608 

Maeonia,  an  old  name  for  Lydia,  n. 
.52  ;  III.  583;  IV.  423  ;  VI.  6,  10S 
149 

M;ieoni8,  an  epithet  of  Arachne  as 
a  native  of  Maeonia,  vi.  103 

Maera,  an  unknown  woman  who 
was  changed  into  a  dog,  vu. 
362 

Magnetes,  the  inhabitants  of  Mag- 
nesia in  Thessaly.  xi.  408 

Manto,  aTheban  seeress,  daughter 
of  Tiresias,  vi.  167 

468 


Marathon,  a  town  and  plain  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Attica,  vu.  434 

Mareoticns,  belon^-in^  to  Mareota, 
a  lake  and  city  of  Lower  Kgypt, 
ix.  773 

Marmarides,  from  Marmarica,  In 
Kgypt,  v.  1 25 

Mars  {and  see  Mavors),  son  of 
Jupiter  and  Juno,  the  sod  o' 
war,  vm.  20  ;  xu.  91;  his  sicred 
serpent  slain  by  Cadmus,  ill. 
32  ff. ;  father  by  Venus  of  Har- 
lucinia.  wifeof  Cadmus,  in.  132; 
hiB  amour  with  Venus  discovered 
by  Phoebus  and  revealed  to 
Vulcan,  iv.  171  ff .  ;  he  was  the 
father  by  Ilia  of  Romulus  and 
Kenius,  xv.  863 ;  ho  is  called 
Gradivus,  "he  who  marches 
out,"  vi.  427;  xiv.  820;  xv. 
863 ;  his  name  is  frequently 
used  by  metonymy  for  war  or 
battle,  m.  123,540;  vu.  140; 
XII.  379,  610;  XIII.  11,  208, 
360  ;  xiv.  246,  450  ;  xv.  746 

Marsyas,  a  satyr  of  Phrygia  ;  he 
challenged  Apollo  to  a  contest 
in  musical  skill,  was  beaten,  and 
as  a  punishment  for  his  pre- 
sumption wan  flayed  alive  by  the 
god  ;  the  tears  of  his  weeping 
friends  were  changed  to  the 
river  of  that  name,  vi    382  ff. 

Mavors,  an  old  name  for  Mars,  lit 
531  ;  vi.  70  ;  vu.  101 ;  vm.  7, 
61,  437;  xiv.  806 

Mavortius,  belonging  to  or  de- 
scended from  Mars,  appliod  to 
the  Thebans  as  descended  in 
part  from  tin  Echiouides,  sprung 
from  the  teeth  of  Mars'  sacred 
dragon,  proles  Mavortia,  in.  631 ; 
to  Meleager  as  the  great-grand- 
son of  M  irs.  vm.  437 

Medea,  daughter  of  Aeetes,  king 
of  Colchis  ;  she  is  called,  from 
father  and  country,  Aeetias, 
vu.      9 ;      Colchis,      til     296 ; 


INDEX 


Phaslas,  vii.  298;  famous  for 
her  powers  of  magic,  vn.  98, 
116,  137,  148,  152  ft.,  199  ff.  ; 
when  Jason  appeared  at  her 
father's  court  she  fell  fn  love 
with  him  and  helped  him  to  per- 
form the  three  dangerous  t.'isks 
imposed  upon  him,  and  so  to  ob- 
tain the  Golden  Fleece,  vn.9  ff . ; 
she  restores  Aeson  to  youth  by 
her  magic  arts,  vn.  162  ff. ;  she 
rejuvenates  the  nurse  of  Bacchus 
at  the  god's  request,  vn.  294  ; 
plots  against  the  life  of  the  aged 
Pelias  and,  pretending  that  she 
is  about  to  restore  him  to  youth, 
works  his  death  by  the  hands  of 
his  own  daughters,  vn.  297  ff. ; 
by  her  magic  causes  the  death 
of  Creusa,  for  whom  Jason  had 
discarded  Medea,  and  having 
killed  her  own  two  sons  also, 
flees  from  Jason's  vengeance, 
vn.  394  ff. ;  takes  refuge  with 
Aegeus,  who  makes  her  his  wife, 
vn.  402;  detected  in  an  attempt 
to  poison  Theseus,  sou  of  Aegeus, 
she  iled  away  through  the  air  by 
her  magic  powers,  vii.  406  ff. 

Medon  :  (1)  one  of  Acoetes' 
sailors,  in.  671 ;  (2)  a  centaur, 
xii.  303 

Medusa,  one  of  the  Gorgons, 
daughter  of  Phorcys,  iv.  743; 
loved  by  Neptune,  in  the  form 
of  a  bird.  vi.  119.     See  Gorgon 

Medusaeus,  belonging  to  Medusa, 
referring  to  the  petrifying 
Medusa-head,  v.  249  ;  Pegasus, 
v.  257;  the  spring  of  Hippo- 
crene,  v.  312  ;  Cerberus,  x.  22 

Megareius  heros,  Hippomenes.son 
of  Megareus,  X.  659 

Megareus,  grandson  of  Neptune, 
father  of  Hippomenes;  lived  in 
the  Boeotiau  town  of  Onchestus, 
hence  called  Onchestius,  X. 
SO  5 


Melaneus :  (1)  a  friend  of  Perseus, 
v.  128;  (2)  a  centaur,  xn.  306 

Melautho,  a  daughierof  Deucalion 
whom  Neptune  loved  In  the  form 
of  a  dolphin,  vi.  120 

Melanthus, one  of  Acoetes'  sailors, 
III.  617 

Melas,  a  river  In  Thrace,  II.  247 

Meleager,  son  of  Oeneus,  king  of 
Calydon,  and  Althaea,  daughter 
of  Thestius;  at  his  birth  his  life 
was  to  depend  upon  the  preser- 
vation of  a  billet  of  wood  then 
buruingon  the  hearth ;  his  mother 
saved  this,  but  finally  burned  it 
lu  revenge  for  the  slaying  by  her 
son  of  her  two  brothers,  viii. 
451  ff. ;  he  organized  a  hunt  for 
the  boar  sent  by  Diana  to  ravage 
the  country,  vm.  299  ;  is  smitten 
with  love  for  Atalanta,  one  of 
the  hunters,  vm.  324  ;  kills  the 
boar  and  presents  the  spoils  to 
Atalanta,  vm.414  ;  Is  insulted  by 
his  mother's  two  brothers  and 
kills  them,  vm.  432;  dies  in 
agony  as  the  result  of  the  burn- 
ing of  the  fatal  billet  by  his 
mother,  vm.  515  ff. ;  one  of  his 
sisters  is  Dtianira,  ix.  149 

Meleagrides,  sisters  of  Meleager, 
who  grieve  Inordinately  at  his 
death,  and  are  turned  into 
guinea-hens  by  Diana,  vm.  536  ft 

Melicerta.  son  of  Athamas  and 
Ino,  changed  into  a  sea-god, 
Palaemon,  iv.  622  ff. 

M  emu  on,  son  of  Tithonus  and 
Aurora;  while  fighting  for  the 
Trojans  was  slain  by  Achilles  ; 
on  his  funeral  -  pyre  he  was 
changed  by  Aurora  into  a  bird, 
xm.  579  ft 

Memnonides,  birds  sprung  from 
Memnon's  ashes,  which  every 
year  liew  from  Ethiopia  to  Troy 
and  fought  over  his  tomb  in  his 
honour,  xm.  608  ff. 

i69 


INDEX 


jfendesins,  of  Meudcs,  a  city  in 
Esrypt,  v.  144 

Menelaiis,  younsrer  son  of  Atrens, 
hence  called  minor  Atrides,  xn. 
623  ;  xv.  162  ;  brother  of  Aga- 
memnon, husband  ol  Helen, 
went  with  Ulysses  to  Troy  to 
demand  back  his  wife,  who  had 
been  stolen  away  by  Paris,  xiii. 
203;  slew  Enphorbus,  XV.  162: 
fought  with  Paris,  who  escaped 
him  in  a  cloud  furnished  by 
Venus,  xv.  805 

Menephron,  an  Arc:tdian  who  com- 
mitted incest  with  his  mother, 
vil.  386 

Menoctes,  a  Lycian,  slain  by 
Achilles,  XII.  116 

Memlie,  a  nymph  beloved  by 
Proserpina,  changed  by  the 
goddess  into  the  mint  plant,  x. 
729 

Mercuriua,  the  son  of  Jupiter  and 
Maia,  one  of  the  Pleiades, 
daughter  of  Atlas,  I.  670,  673; 
II.  686,  697,  742  ;  XI.  303  :  called 
Atlantiades,  i.  682  ;  n.  704  ;  vm. 
627  ;  CylleniuR,  from  his  birth- 
place, Cylleue,  a  mountain  in 
Arcadia,  I.  713;  II.  720,  818; 
v.  331  ;  xiii.  146  ;  xiv.  291  ;  he 
Is  the  swift  messenger  of  Jupiter 
and  the  other  gods  and  flies 
through  the  air  equipped  with 
wings  on  his  low-crowned  hat 
and  on  his  ankles,  and  with  his 
wand,  the  caduceus,  which 
soothes  to  sleep,  I.  671,  716  :  n. 
708,  714,  735,  818  ;  IV.  756  ;  VIII. 
627  ;  XI.  807,  312  ;  XIV.  291 ;  his 
wand  can  also  open  doors,  n.  819  ; 
he  carries  also  a  peculiar  hooked 
sword,  i.  717  ;  as  god  of  cunning 
and  theft,  he  steals  the  cattle  of 
Apollo,  ii.  686  ;  kills  Argus  at 
the  request  of  Jupiter,  I.  670  ff. ; 
chauges  Battus  Into  a  touch- 
stone, II.  706  ft ;  helps  Jupiter 

470 


to  trick  Europa,  II.  836 ;  takes 
refuse  from  the  Giants  in  the 
form  of  an  ibis  bird,  v.  331; 
changes  Aglauros  into  a  stone, 
it  81  8  ;  In  company  with  Jupiter 
is  entertained  by  Philemon  and 
Baucis,  vm.  627  ff. ;  loves  Herse, 
II.  724  ff.:  father  by  Venus  of 
Hermaphrodltns,  iv.  288  ;  father 
by  Chione  of  Autolycus,  xi.  303; 
through  Autolycus  he  Is  the 
great-grandfather  of  Ulysses, 
xm.  146 
Meriones,   a    companion    of    Ido- 

meneus  from  Crete,  XIII.  359 
Mermeros,  a  centaur,  XII.  305 
Merops,  king  of  Ethiopia,  husband 
of  Clymeue,  the  putative  father 
of  Phaethon,  I.  723;  II.  184 
Messanius,  of  Messana,  a  city   In 

Sicily,  xiv.  17 
Messapius,   of   the   Messapians,    a 
people  of   Lower   Italy,  — Cala- 
brlan,  Xiv.  614 
Messene,  a  city  of  Messenia  in  the 

Peloponni  sus,  vi.  417;  xu.  649 
Metliyinuaens,  of  Meihyuina,  one 
of  the  chief  cities  of  Lesbos,  xi.66 
Metion,     father    of     Phorbas    of 

Syene,  v.  74 
Midas,  king  of  Phrygia,  son  of 
Gordius  and  Cybele ;  called 
Berecyntius  heros  from  Mount 
Berecyntus  In  Phrygia,  sacred 
to  Cybele,  xi.  106;  because  of 
the  king's  kindness  to  Silenus, 
Bacchus  promised  him  the  fulGl- 
meut  of  any  wish  he  might 
express,  and  he  wished  that  all 
he  touched  might  turn  to  gold 
xi.  92  ff. ;  tliis  baleful  power 
is  washed  away  in  the  River 
Pactolus,  xi.  142  ff. ;  he  again 
shows  his  stupidity  by  question- 
ing Tmolus'  judgment  in  favour 
of  Apollo  versus  Pan,  and  is 
given  the  ears  of  an  ass,  xi. 
146  ft. 


INDEX 


Mi!cti8,  Byblis,  the  daughter  of 
Miletus,  ix.  635 

Miletus,  son  of  Phoebus  aud 
Deioue,  Deionides, ix.443  ;  father 
by  Cyauee  of  Caunus  and  Byblis, 
founder  of  the  city  which  bears 
his  name,  ix.  444 

Milon,  an  athlete  of  Crotona,  weeps 
in  his  old  age  at  the  loss  of  his 
strength,  xv.  299 

Mimas,  a  mountain  range  in  Ionia, 
II.  22» 

Minerva,  daughter  of  Jupiter, 
sprung  from  his  head,  iv.  800  ; 
v.  297  ;  goddess  of  wisdom  and 
technical  skill,  iv.  38  ;  vi.  6,  23; 
patroness  of  men  of  genius,  vm. 
252  ;  inventor  of  the  flute,  VI. 
384;  protectress  of  heroes: 
Perseus,  iv.  754;  v.  46,  250; 
Cadmus,  in.  102;  Theseus,  xn. 
860:  Diomede,  Xiv.  4  76;  the 
virgin  goddess,  II.  765  ;  iv.  764  ; 
V.  875;  vni.  664;  xiv.  468  ;  her 
locks  are  golden,  ii.  749  ;  vm. 
275  ;  she  Is  the  warrior  goddess, 
II.  752,  756;  IV.  754;  VI.  46  ; 
vm.  264 ;  she  is  armed  with 
shield  and  spear,  and  on  her  aegis 
she  wears  the  Gorgon-head,  n, 
755;  iv.  799,  803;  vi.  78  ;  XIV. 
475 ;  her  earlier  favourite  bird 
was  the  crow,  but  later  the  owl, 
n.  563;  her  favourite  tree,  the 
olive,  vi.  335  ;  vm.  275,  664  ; 
her  favourite  abode,  Athens  and 
Attica,  II.  709,  712  ;  vm.  250  ; 
strove  with  Neptune  for  the 
right  to  name  the  land,  vi.  70  ff. ; 
her  festival,  the  Panathenaea,  n. 
711  ff.;  entrusts  Erichthouius  to 
the  (laughters  of  Cecrops,  u.  553  ; 
sends  the  hag  Envy  to  torment 
Aglauros,  ll.  752;  turns  the  hair 
of  Medusa  into  snakes,  iv.  798  ; 
accepts  the  challenge  of  Arachne 
to  a  contest  in  weaving,  and 
after  defeating   her    turns   her 


into  a  spider  to  punish  her  pre- 
sumption, vi.  26  ff.  ;  changes 
Perdix  to  a  plover,  vm.  252  ; 
her  sacred  image,  the  Palladium, 
stolen  from  her  temple  at  Troy 
by  Ulysses  and  Diomede,  xin. 
837,  381  ;  the  promontory  of 
Minerva  off  the  coast  of  Cam- 
pania in  Italy,  xv.  709  ;  Minerva 
used  by  metonymy  for  house- 
hold tasks,  iv.  33  ;  for  olive  oil, 
xiu.  653.  See  Pallas,  Tritonia, 
Tritouis 

Minoi's,  Ariadne,  daughter  of  Minos, 
vm.  174 

Minos,  son  of  Jupiter  and  Europa, 
vm.  120,  122;  ix.  437;  dux 
Europaeus,  vm.  23  ;  king  of 
Crete,  where  he  rules  over 
numerous  (centum)  cities,  VII. 
481 ;  threatens  war  at  Athens 
for  the  death  of  his  son  Andro- 
geos,  and  seeks  allies  against  her, 
vn.  456  ff. ;  seeks  aid  of  Aeacus 
in  vain,  vn.  482  ft. ;  wars  against 
Kina  NisuB  at  Megara,  where  he 
is  loved  by  Scylla,  who  betrays  to 
him  her  father,  Nisus,  vm.  6  ff. ; 
shuts  np  the  Minotaur  In  a 
labyriuth  which  Daedalus  made 
at  his  command,  vm.  157;  re- 
duced to  weakness  in  his  old  age, 
he  fears  Miletus,  ix.  441  ;  Jupiter 
is  unable  to  grant  him  immor- 
tality, ix.  437 

Minotaurus,  a  monster,  half  man 
and  half  bull,  son  of  Pasiphae, 
wife  of  Minos,  and  a  bull,  vm. 
132;  shut  up  by  Minos  in  the 
labyrinth,  vm.  155  ;  here  were 
brought  to  him  each  year  seven 
boys  aud  seven  maMeos  as  a 
tribute  exacted  of  the  Athenians 
by  Minos  to  be  devoured,  until 
he  was  finally  slain  by  Theseus, 
vm.  169  ff. 

Miuternae,  a  city  of  Latium  on  the 
border  of  Campania,  xv.  716 

47  J 


INDEX 


MInyae,  an  ancient  race  named 
liom  their  king,  Minyas,  whose 
seat  was  Orchomenusin  Boeotia  ; 
his  power  ex tended  also  to  Iol- 
chus  in  Thessaly;  since  from 
this  point  the  Argonauts  under 
J.isou  started  on  their  expedi- 
tion, they  are  called  Minyae,  VI. 
720;  vii.  1  ;  vim.  115 

MlnyeTas,  AlclthoU,  daughter  of 
Minyas,  iv.  1 

Minyei'as  proles  =  Minyei'des,  rv. 
389 

Minyei'des,  the  three  daughters  of 
Minyas  Leuconoe,  Arsippe,  and 
Alcithoe,  who  were  changed  into 
bats  for  slighting  the  festival  of 
Bacchus,  iv.  82,  425 

Misenus  (a  mortal),  a  son  of  Aeolus, 
a  trumpeter  of  Aeneas,  who  lost 
his  life  at  the  promontory  in 
Italy  which  bears  his  name,  xiv. 
103 

Mithridates,  a  king  of  Pontui ;  six 
kings  of  this  name  had  ruled  over 
Pontus.  aud  the  last,  Mithridates 
the  Great,  was  conquered  by 
Lucullns  and  Pompey  in  63  n.c, 
XV.  755 

Mnemonides,  the  nine  Muses  as 
the  daughters  of  Mnemosyne,  v. 
268,  280 

Mnemosyne,  the  mother  by  Jupiter 
of  the  Muses,  vi.  114 

Molossus,  belonging  to  the  Molossi, 
gens  Molossa,  a  people  of  Epirus, 
I.  226  ;  rex  Molossus,  Munichus, 
who,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
was  once  attacked  by  robbers ; 
while  they  resisted  the  robbers 
the  building  in  which  they  were 
was  set  on  fire ;  to  save  them 
from  burning  to  death,  Jupiter 
changed  them  into  birds,  xm. 
717 

Molpens,  of  Chaouia,  a  friend  of 
Phineus,  v.  163.  168 

Monycnus,  a  centaur,  ami.  499 

472 


Mopsoplus,  Athenian,  from  Mop- 
8opiiB,  an  aucient  king;  Tripto- 
lemus,  v.  661;  the  walls  of 
Athens,  VI.  423 

Mopsus,  son  of  Ampyx,  see  Ampy- 
cides ;  he  was  a  soothsayer 
among  the  Lapithae,  took  part 
in  the  Calydonian  boar -hunt, 
vui.  316,  350  ;  was  in  the  fight 
against  the  centaurs,  XII.  466, 
524 

Morpheus,  a  son  of  Somnus,  sent 
to  Alcyone  in  the  form  of  Ceyx, 
XI.  635,  647,  671 

Mulciber,  a  name  for  Vulcan,  in 
reference  to  him  as  a  worker  in 
metals,  n.  5  ;  ix.  423  ;  by  me- 
tonymy for  fire,  ix.  263;  xiv. 
553 

Munychiua,  of  Munychia,  the  port 
of  Athens,  --Athenian,  II.  7o9 

Musae,  the  nine  Muses,  daughters 
of  Jupiter  and  Mnemosyne, 
patronesses  of  the  liberal  arts ; 
they  were :  Clio,  M  use  of  history ; 
Melpomene,  of  tragedy ;  Thalia, 
of  comedy  ;  Euterpe,  of  lyric 
poetry  ;  Terpsichore,  of  dancing; 
Calliope,  of  epic  poetry ;  Erato, 
of  love  poetry ;  Urania,  of 
astronomy  ;  Polyhymnia,  of 
sacred  song;  Calliope  and 
Urauia  are  the  only  two  of  the 
sisters  mentioned  by  name  in 
the  Metamorphoses ;  in  v.  260 
Urauia  takes  the  lead  in  enter- 
taining Minerva,  aud  in  v. 
339  ff.  Calliope  sings  as  the 
representative  of  her  sisters  in 
the  contest  with  the  Pierides, 
and  in  v.  662  she  Is  called  the 
eldest  sister,  e  nobis  maxima; 
their  favourite  haunts  were 
Mount  Helicon  and  Mount  Par- 
nassus, where  their  sacred  springs 
were  Aganippe  and  Hippocrene 
on  the  one,  and  Castalia  on  the 
other,  v.  663  ;  Helicon  it  hence 


INDEX 


called  Vlrgincns,  II.  219;  v.  254  ; 
they  are  dnctae  sorores,  "  the 
learned  sisters,"  v.  255;  "the 
especial  dlviuities  of  poets,"  prae- 
sentia  numina  vatuni,  xv.  622  ; 
Calliope  was  the  mother  of  Or- 
pheus, x.  148  ;  assaulted  by  King 
Pyreneua,  the  Muses  fly  away  on 
wings,  v.  274  ff. ;  contend  with 
the  Pierides  In  song,  and  after- 
wards chauge  the  presumptuous 
sisters  into  magpies,  v.  294  ff.,676. 
See  Aouiiles  and  Thespiades 

Mutina,  a  city  in  Cisalpine  Gaul, 
xv.  823 

Mycale  :  (1)  a  promontory  in  Ionia, 
II.  228  ;  (2)  a  Thessalian  witch, 
XII.  263 

Mycenae,  a  city  of  Argolis,  the 
home  of  Agamemnon,  vi.  414 ; 
XII.  34  ;  XV.  426,  428 

Mycenis,  a  woman  of  Mycenae, 
Iphigenia,  xn.  34 

Mygdouis,  Mygdonius,  of  the 
Mygdonians,  a  Thracian  people, 
ii.  24  7,  who  emigrated  to  Phry- 
gia,  —Phrygian,  vi.  45 

Myrmidoues,  a  race  of  men  created 
out  of  ants  by  Jupiter  in  answer 
to  the  prayer  of  Aeacus,  vn. 
615  ff.,  654 

Myrrha,  daughter  of  Cinyras,  con- 
ceived for  her  father  an  in- 
cestuous passion,  and  became  by 
him  the  mother  of  Adonis,  x. 
312  ff.  ;  was  changed  to  the 
myrrh-tree,  x.  489  ff. 

Myscelus,  son  of  Alemon  of  Argos, 
founder  of  Crotnna,  xv.  19  ff. 

Mysus,  of  Mysia,  Mysian,  a  country 
in  Asia  Minor,  xv.  277 

Nabataeu8,  of  Nabataea,  acouutry 
in  Arabia, —Arabian,  1.61 ;  v.  163 

Naias,  Nais,  plural  Naiades  and 
NaTdes,  water  nymphs,  female 
deities  of  rivers  and  springs,  I. 
842,  691  :    II.    326;    iv.   49,  289, 


304  ;  VI.  329,  458  :  VIII.  580  ;  IX. 
87,657;  x.  9,514;  XI.  49;  XIV. 
328,  657,  786 

Narcissus,  son  of  the  Naiad  Liriope 
and  the  river-god  Cephisus,  in. 
342,  351;  his  fate  foretold  by 
Tiresias,  ill.  346  ;  vainly  loved 
by  Echo,  III.  370  ff. ;  falls  hope- 
lessly in  love  with  his  own  image 
reflected  from  the  water,  ill. 
407  ff.  ;  his  shade  still  gazes  on 
its  image  in  the  Stygian  pool, 
in.  606  ;  his  body  is  changed 
iuto  a  flower  that  bears  his  name, 
m.  510 

Narycius,  of  Naryx,  a  city  of  the 
Locrians,  vm.  312  ;  xv.  705;  an 
epithet  of  Ajax,  son  of  Oileus, 
xiv.  468 

Nasamoniacus,  of  the  Nasamones, 
a  Libyan  people  south-west  of 
Cyrenaica,  v.  129 

Naupliades,  Palamedes,  son  of 
Nauplius,  Xin.  39,  310 

Nauplius,  a  king  of  Euboea,  father 
of  Palamedes.     See  Caplrireus 

Naxos,  the  largest  of  the  Cyclades 
III.  636,  640,  649 

Nedvmnus,  a  centaur,  xn.  853 

Neleius,  Nestor,  the  son  of  Neleus 
XII.  577 

Neleus,  son  of  Neptune  and  the 
nymph  Tyro,  xn.  658  ;  king  of 
Pylos,  II.  689  ;  father  of  Nestor, 
he  had  twelve  sons,  all  of  whom 
except  Nestor  were  killed  by 
Hercules,  xn.  550  ft. 

Neleus,  belonging  to  Neleus,  VI. 
418  :  XII.  558 

Nelides,  the  twelve  sons  of  Neleus, 
xn.  553 

Neuieaeus,  belonging  to  Nemea,  a 
town  in  Argolis,  ix.  197,  235 

Nemesis,  a  Greek  goddess,  personi- 
fying the  righteous  iinyer  of  the 
gods,  who  punishes  mortal  pride 
and  presumption,  m.  406;  xiv. 
694.     See  Bhamnusia 

473 


INDEX 


Neoptolemus.son  of  Achilles, called 
also  Pyrrhus,  xin.  455 

Nephele  :  (1)  a  nymph  in  Diana's 
train,  III,  171;  (2)  the  wife  of 
Athamas,  mother  of  Phrixus 
and  Ueile,  xi.  195 

Nepbelei's,  Helle,  the  daughter  of 
Nephele,  XI.  196 

Neptunius,  an  epithet  used  of 
Theseus  as  the  supposed  son  of 
Neptune,  IX.  1;  of  Hippomenes, 
the  great  -  crandson,  x.  639, 
C65 ;  of  Cyonus,  the  son,  xn. 
72 

Neptunus,  the  son  of  Saturn, 
brother  of  Jupiter  and  Pluto; 
to  him  by  lot  in  the  division 
of  the  kiugdom  of  the  de- 
throned Saturn  fell  the  realms 
of  the  sea  and  other  waters,  i. 
275,  276,  331;  11.  270,  574;  IV. 
532,533;  vin.  595;  x.  606;  xi. 
207  ;  xn.  580  ;  the  symbol  of  his 
power  is  the  trident,  i.  283  ;  vm. 
696;  xi.  202;  XII.  680;  father 
of  Neleus  by  the  nymph  Tyro, 
xn.  558 ;  grandfather  of  Me- 
gaieus,  x.  606  ;  was  said  to  have 
been  the  father  of  Theseus  by 
Aethra,  wife  of  Ae^eus,  ix.  1  ; 
father  of  Cycuus,  xn.  72;  his 
amours  were:  with  Coroue,  n. 
674  ;  Medusa,  iv.  798  ;  vi.  119  ; 
Canace,  vi.  116;  Iphimedia, 
daughter  of  Aloeus,  vi.  117  ; 
Theophane,  daughter  of  Bisaltes, 
vi.  117;  with  Ceres,  vi.  118; 
with  Melantho,  vi.  120  ;  Mestra, 
daughter  of  Eryslchthon,  vm. 
850  ;  he  helps  produce  the  Hood,  I. 
275  ;  changes  I  no  and  .Melicerta 
into  sea-diviuities,  iv.  539  ff.  ; 
disputes  with  other  gods  his 
claim  to  Athens,  vi.  75  ;  with 
Apollo  built  the  walls  of  Troy 
for  Laomedon,  xi.  202;  XII.  26, 
587  ;  in  punishment  of  Lao- 
medon'i  treachery  in  refusing  to 

474 


pay  the  promised  reward,  be 
Hooded  theeouutry  and  required 
that  Laomedon's  daughter,  He- 
sione,  be  offered  up  as  asacrilice 
to  a  sea-monster,  xi.  207  ff. ; 
gave  Periclymenus  power  to 
change  to  mauy  forms,  XII.  558  ; 
grieving  over  the  death  of 
Cycnusat  the  bawls  of  Achilles, 
he  plans  with  Apollo  to  compass 
Achilles'  death,  xn.  080 

Nereis,  a  sea-nymph,  daughter  of 
Nereus;  Thetis,  XI.  259,  xil.93; 
(Jalatea,  xm.  7-12,  74?,  858; 
Psamathe,  the  mother  of  Phoeus, 
xi.  38u  :  in  plural,  i.  302  ;  v.  17 ; 
xm.  899;  XIV.  2C4 

Nerei'us,  belonging  to  Nereus,  used 
of  Phoeus  as  sou  of  the  Nereid 
Psamathe,  vn.  685  ;  of  Thetis, 
genetrix  Nereia,  XIII.  162 

Neretum,  a  town  In  Calabria,  XV. 
61 

Nereus,  a  sea-god,  husband  of 
Doris,  father  of  fifty  daughters, 
the  Nereids,  n.  268;  xi.  361; 
XII.  94  ;  xm.  742  ;  by  metonymy 
for  the  sea,  I.  187  ;  xn.  24 

Neritius,  of  Neiitos,  a  mountain  in 
Ithaca,  and  a  small  islaud  in  its 
viciuity,  —  Ithacan,  xm.  712; 
XIV.  159,  563 

Nessus,  a  centaur,  son  of  Ixion, 
ix.  124  ;  slain  by  Hercules  for 
attempting  violence  on  Dcianira 
while  he  was  carrying  her  across 
a  stream  ;  he  gave  a  portion  of 
his  blood,  poisoned  by  the  arrow 
of  Hercules,  to  Deianira  as  a 
charm  warranted  to  regain  wan- 
ing love,  ix.  101  ff. ;  this  charm 
was  used  by  Dcianira  with  fatal 
effect,  ix.  163  ff. ;  Nessus  was 
safe  in  the  great  fight  between 
the  centaurs  aDd  the  Lapithae 
because  he  was  doomed  to  die  by 
the  hand  of  Hercules,  xn.  308, 
464 


INDEX 


Nestor.son  of  Neleus,  king:  of  Pylos, 
one  of  twelve  brothers,  all  of 
whom  were  killed  by  Hercules 
except  himself,  vm.  365  ;  XII. 
650  ff. ;  in  his  youth  he  partici- 
pated in  the  Calydoniau  boar- 
hunt,  vm.  313;  he  was  famous 
among  the  Greeks  at  Troy  for 
his  wisdom  and  eloquence,  xu. 
178,  677;  after  the  death  of 
Cycnus,  he  tells  the  story  of 
Caenis,  a  girl  changed  into  the 
invulnerable  youth  Caeneus,  xu. 
169  ff. ;  he  explains  toTlepolemus 
the  cause  of  his  hatred  for  Her- 
cules, xu.  642  ff. ;  was  deserted 
in  his  need  by  Ulysses  on  the 
battlefield,  xni.  63 

Nileus,  an  opponent  of  Perseus, 
who  boasted  that  he  was  de- 
scended from  the  Nilus  river- 
god,  v.  187 

Nilus,  the  great  river  and  river- 
god  of  Kgypt,  i.  423,  728;  II. 
254;  V.  187,  324;  IX.  774;  XV. 
753 

Ninus,  an  Assyrian  king,  husband 
of  Semiramis,  IV.  88 

Niobe,  daughter  of  the  Phrygian 
king  Tantalus  and  of  Dione,  one 
of  the  Pleiades,  daughter  of 
Atlas,  vi.  172,  174,  211;  wife  of 
Amphion,  king  of  Thebes,  VI. 
178,  271  ;  mother  of  seven  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  on  account 
of  her  boastful  pride  in  whom 
she  aroused  the  wrath  of  Latona 
(see  Latona),  vi.  165  ft.;  at  last, 
in  her  stony  grief,  she  was 
changed  to  a  stone  and  carried 
to  her  native  Mount  Siphylus, 
where  the  tears  still  flow  down 
her  stony  face,  vi.  305  ff. 
NiseTa  vlrgo,  Scylla,  the  daughter 

of  Nisus,  viu»S5 
Nisus,  a  king  of  Megara,  besieged 
by  Minos;    he    had    a    purple 
lock   of    hair    upon  the  preser- 


vation     of      which      his     life 
and    kingdom    depended  ;    this 
lock   his    daughter    Scylla,   se- 
cretly in  love  with  Minos,  cut 
oft    and    gave  to    her  father's 
enemy,  vm.  8  ff. 
Nixl  patres,  three  guardian  deities 
of    women    in     labour ;    their 
statues  stood  in  the  Capitol  at 
Rome,  representing  the  gods  in 
a  kneeling  posture,  ix.  294 
Nixus  genu,"the  one  bending  his 
knee,"  the  constellation  of   the 
kneeling  Hercules,  vui.  182 
Xoemon,  a  Lycian,  xm.  258 
Nonacria,  Xonaerinus,  from  Nona- 
cris,   a   mountain    and    city    in 
Arcadia,  =■  Arcadian,  i.  690;  II. 
409;  Vlll.  426 
Noricus,  of    Noricum,    a   country 
lying  between  the  Danube  and 
the  Alps,  xiv.  712 
Notns,  the  south  wind,  bringer  of 

rain,  i.  264 
Nox,  goddess  of  Night,  daughter  of 
Chaos,  mother  of  the  Furies,  iv. 
452;  XIV. 404 
Nuuia  Pompilius,  the  second  king 
of    Korae,   goes   to   Crotona   to 
study  the  philosophy  of  Pytha- 
goras,   xv.   4    ff. ;    marries    the 
nymph  Egerla,  xv.  482  ;  dies  at 
a  ripe  old  age,  xv.  485 
Numicius,  a  small  river  in  Latlum, 

xiv.  328,699 
Numidae,   a  people    in   Northern 
Africa,  conquered  by  Caesar  in 
46  b.c.  at  the  battle  of  Thapsus, 
xv. 754 
Numitor,    king   of    Alba,    driven 
from  his  throne  by  his  brother 
Amulius,  but    restored    by   his 
grandsons,  Romulus  and  Remus, 
xiv.  773 
Nycte'is,  Antlope,  daughter  of  the 
Boeotian  king  Nycteus ;  mother 
by     Jupiter     of      Zethus     and 
Amphion,  VI.  Ill 

V75 


INDEX 


Nycteliue,  a  name  of  Bacchus 
from  the  fact  that  his  mysteries 
were  performed    at    night,  iv. 

15 

Nycteus  (not  the  father  of  An- 
tiope),  a  companion  of  Diomede, 
changed  by  Venus  into  a  bird, 
XIV.  504 

Nyctimene,  daughter  of  Epopeus, 
king  of  Lesbos,  who  unknow- 
ingly had  intercourse  with  her 
father  ;  in  despair  she  fled  into 
the  forest,  where  she  was  changed 
by  Minerva  into  an  owl,  II. 
690  ff. 

Nysei'des,  the  nymphs  of  Mount 
Nysa  in  India,  who  cared  for  the 
infant  Bacchus  in  their  caves, 
ill.  314  ;  Bacchns  obtained  their 
rejuvenation  from  Medea,  vii. 
295 

Nyseus,  an  epithet  of  Bacchus 
from  Monnt  Nysa,  IV.  13 

Oceanus,  the  great  all-encircling 
sea,   the    ocean,    vn.   267;    ix. 
594  ;  Xin.  292  :  xv.  12  ;  personi- 
fied, a  deitv,  son  of  Coelus  and 
Terra,    husband    of    his    sister, 
Tethys,  II.  610;    IX.  499;    XIII. 
951 
Ocyrhoe.a  daughter  of  Chiron  en- 
dowed with  the  gift  of  prophecy  ; 
she  foretells  the  fates  of  Aescu- 
lapius, ii.  635  ft. ;    is   changed 
into  a  mare,  II.  657  ft. 
Odrysius,  an  epithet  from  a  tribe 
In  Thrace,  used  for  Thracian  in 
general,  referring  to  Tereus,  vi. 
490;  Pol)  mestor,  xm.  554 
Oeagrius,  an  epithet  from  Oeagrus, 
an  old  king  of  Thrace  ;  nondum 
Oeagrius  =  before  the  time  of 
Oeatrrus,  II.  219 
Oebalides.     See  Hyacin thus 
Oebalins.    See  Hyacin  thus 
Oechalla,  a  city  in  Enboea,  ix.  1S6, 
331 

476 


Oechalides,  the  women  of  Oechalla, 

ix.  331 
Oeclides,  Amphiaraiis  as  the  son  of 

Oecleus.     See  Amphiaraiis 
Oedipodionlae,au  epithet  of  Thebes 
as  the  city  of  Oedipus,  XV.  429. 
See  Lai'ades 
Oeneus,   king  of  Calydon,  son  of 
Parthaon,  husband  of   Althaea, 
father  of  Meleager,  Tydeus,  and 
Deiauira,  vm.  486  ;  ix.  12  ;   in- 
curred the  wrath  of  Diana,  who 
sent  a  huge  boar  to  ravage  his 
country,  vm.  273  ft. 
Oeuides,    a    male    descendant    of 
Oeneus  ;  Meleager,  his  son,  vm. 
414;    Diomede,    his    grandson, 
xiv.  612 
Oenopia,   an   older   name    for  the 
island     of     Aegina,     VII.      472, 
490 
Oetaeus,  an  epithet  of  King  Ceyx, 
because  his  city  of  Trachin  lay 
near  Mount  Oeta,  xi.  383 
Oete    (Oeta),    a    mountain    range 
between  Thessaly  and  Aetolia,  i 
S13;  11.217;  IX.  165,  204,  230, 
249;  XI.  383 
OYleus.king  of  the  Locrians.  father 

of  Ajax  (2),  xiu.  622 
Olenides,    Tectaphus,   the   son    of 

Olenus,  xn.  433 
Olenius,    of     Olenus,   an     ancient 

city  in  Achaia,  in.  694 
Olenus,  the  husband  of  Lethaea, 
changed  with  her  into  a  stone, 
wishing  thus,  though  innocent,  to 
share  her  guilt  and  punishment, 
x.  69 
Oliarus,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 

Vii.  469 
Olympus  :  (1)  a  mountain  In  Nor- 
thern Thessalv,  supposed  in  the 
Homeric  age  to  be  the  home  of 
the  gods,  i.  154..212;  n.  60,  225; 
vi.  476  ;  vn.  225  ;  ix.  499  ;  xiil 
761 ;  (2)  a  pupil  and  friend  of 
Marsyas,  VI.  393 


INDEX 


Onchestius,  from  Oncliestus,  a  city 

in  Boeotia,  x.  f»05 
Onetos,  a  Phocian,   herdsman    of 

Peleus,  xi.  348 
Oplieltcs,  a  companion  of  Acoctes, 

III.  605 

Ophias, Combe, daughter  of  OpUius, 
vil.  383 

Ophionides,  Aniycus,  a  centaur, 
son  of  Upliion,  xu.  245 

Ophiuchus,  a  constellation  in  the 
north  -  eastern  heavens,  the 
"  Serpent-holder,"  vm.  182 

Opliiusi ns,  of  Ophiusa,  an  old  name 
for  Cyprus,  x.  229 

Ops,  an  old  Italian  deity,  goddess 
of  plenty,  patroness  of  hus- 
bandry, the  wife  of  Saturn,  ix. 
498 

Orchamus,  an  ancient  king  of 
Babylonia,  father  of  Leucothoe, 

IV.  212;  buries  his  daughter 
alive  on  learning  of  her  amour 
with  the  Sun-god,  IV.  240 

Orchomenus,  a  city  in  Arcadia,  v. 
607;  vi.  416 

Orcus,  the  underworld,  abode  of 
the  dead  ;  also  a  name  for  l'luto, 
as  god  of  the  underworld,  xiv. 
116 

Oreas.oneof  the  mountain-nymphs, 
vm.  787 

Orestea,  from  or  belonging  to 
Orestes,  son  of  Agamemnon  ; 
applied  to  Diana,  because  Orestes 
with  Pyla<!es  and  Iphigenia, 
priestess  of  Diana  in  Tauris, 
carried  away  the  image  of  Diana 
to  Aricia  In  Italy,  xv.  489 

Orion,  a  celebrated  giant,  once  a 
mighty  hunter  on  earth,  now  set 
as  a  constellation  in  the  heavens 
with  his  two  hunting-dogs  near 
him,  and  with  a  glittering  sword 
girt  about  his  waist,  \  in.  207  ; 
xiii.  234  ;  the  two  daughters  of 
Orion  were  Menippe  and  Me- 
tioche,  who  at  a  time  of  pestilence 

Q* 


at  Tiiebea  slew  themselves  as  a 
voluntary  offering  in  the  people's 
stead,  xiii.  692 

Orios,  one  of  the  Lapithae,  xu. 
262 

Orithyla,  daughter  of  the  Athenian 
king  Krechtheus,  sister  of  Pro- 
cris,  wooed  and  roughly  carried 
off  by  Boreas,  vi.  683,  707  ;  vu. 
695 

Orneus,  a  centaur,  xu.  302 

Orontes,  a  river  of  Syri  i,  II.  248 

Orpheus,  a  famous  mythical  musi- 
cian of  Thrace,  son  of  Oeagrus 
(or  of  Apollo,  XI.  8)  and  Calliope, 
husband  of  Eurydice  ;  after  her 
death  he  goes  to  the  underworld 
to  gain  her  b:ick,  x.  3  fl. ;  losing 
her  a  second  time,  he  is  incon- 
solable, and  spends  his  time  in 
playing  on  his  lyre,  x.  72  fl. ;  he 
Is  torn  in  pieces  by  the  Ciconian 
women,  xi.  1  fl. ;  his  shade  re- 
joins Eurydice  in  the  under- 
world, xi.  61 ;  he  is  called  Rho- 
dopeius,  x.  11 ;  Thiei'cius,  xi.  2  ; 
Apollineiis,  xi.  8  ;  Thracius,  xi. 
92 

Orphne,  a  nymph  of  the  under- 
world, mother  of  Ascalaphus  by 
Acheron,  v.  639 

Ortygia :  (1)  one  ot  the  earlier 
names  of  the  island  of  Delos, 
from  6pru£,  a  quail,  xv.  337  ; 
hence  an  epithet  of  Diana,  who 
was  born  ou  Delos,  I.  694  ;  (2) 
a  part  of  the  city  of  Syracuse, 
lying  on  an  island  in  the  harbour, 
V.  499,  640 

Osiris,  an  Egyptian  deity,  god  of 
fertility,  husband  of  Isis,  ix.  693 

Ossa,  a  mountain  in  Thessaly,  i. 
155  ;  II.  225  ;  VII.  224  ;  xu.  319 

Otlirys,  a  mountain  in  Thessaly,  u. 
221  ;  VII.  225,  353  ;  XU.  173,  513 

Pachtnus,  the  south-eastern  pro- 
montory of  Sicilv.  xm.  726 

477 


INDEX 


Pactolides,  nymphs  of  the  Pac- 
tolus,  VI.  1G 

Pactolus,  a  river  in  Lydia,  vi.  16  ; 
XI.  87 

Padus,  the  Po,  a  river  in  Italy,  n. 
258 

Paean,  a  name  of  Apollo  as  the 
deity  of  healing,  I.  666  ;  a  reli- 
gious hymn  in  his  honour,  xiv. 
720 

Paeones,  the  Paeonlans,  a  people  of 
Northern  Macedonia,  v.  3u3,  313 

PaeouhiB,  an  ailjective  from  Paean 
as  if  from  Paeon,  belonging  to 
Apollo  as  sod  of  healing,  and 
transferred  to  his  son,  Aescu- 
lapius, xv.  535 

Paestum,  a  city  in  Italy,  in  Lucania, 
XV.  708 

Pagasaeus,  from  Pagasa,  a  mari- 
time town  of  Thessaly,  where 
the  Argo  was  built,  vn.  1 ;  xn. 
412;  xm.  24;  an  epithet  of 
Jason  from  his  native  district, 
vm.  349 

Palaemon,  the  sea-god  into  whom 
Melicerta  wa9  changed,  iv.  542  ; 
called  Athamantiades,  since  as  a 
mortal  he  was  the  son  of  Atha- 
mas,  xm.  919 

Palaestinus,  of  Palestine,  and  in 
general = Syrian,  iv.  46;  v.  145 

Palamedes,  the  eon  of  Nauplius, 
Naupliades,  xm.  39  ;  he  dis- 
closed Ulysses'  trick  of  assumed 
madness  before  the  Trojan  war, 
xm.  36  ff.  ;  he  himself  suffered 
for  this,  for  he  was  done  to 
death  through  the  treachery  of 
Ulysses,  who  hid  a  store  of  gold 
in  Palamedes'  tent  and  pre- 
tended that  it  was  a  bribe  from 
Priam,  xm.  38,  56  ff.,  308  ff. 

Palatinus,  of  or  belonging  to  the 
Palatine  Hill,  Palatine,  XV.  660  ; 
=  Latin,  xiv.  622 

Palatium,  one  of  the  seven  hills 
of  Borne,  the  Palatine  Hill,  xiv. 

+78 


332,  882  :  since  Augustus  bnilt 
his  palace  on  this  hill,  the  im- 
perial palace  came  to  be  called 
Palatia,  i.  176 

Palici,  sons  of  Jupiter  and  the 
nymph  Thalia,  worshipped  in 
Sicily  at  Palica,  where  a  temple 
and  two  lakes  were  sacred  to 
them,  v.  406 

l'alilia,  the  feast  of  Pales,  the  god 
of  shepherds,  celebrated  on 
April  21,  the  day  on  which 
Rome  was  founded,  xiv.  774 

Palladium,  an  image  of  Pallas,  said 
to  have  fallen  from  heaven  at 
Troy  ;  upon  its  preservation  the 
safety  of  Troy  was  said  by  an 
oracle  to  depend  ;  the  image  was 
captured  by  Ulysses  and  Dio- 
mede,  xm.  99,  337,  381 

Palladius,  belonging  to  Pallas,  vn. 
399,  723  ;  vm.  275 

Pallantias  and  Pallantis,  Aurora 
as  daughter  of  the  Titan,  Pallas, 
IX.  421  ;  xv.  191,  700 

Pallas  (gen.  Palladis),  a  surname 
of  the  Greek  goddess  Athene, 
corresponding  to  the  Roman 
Minerva,  used  in  Ovid  Inter- 
changeably with  Minerva  ;  she 
hides  the  infant  Erichthonius  in 
a  box  and  gives  this  to  the 
daughters  of  Cecrops  to  guard, 
ii.  553  ft;  her  festival  at 
Athens,  n.  712;  sends  the  hag 
Envy  to  punish  Aglauros,  il 
752  ff.;  Athens  is  named  from 
her,  ii.  834  ;  bids  Cadmus  sow 
the  teeth  of  the  slain  dragon  in 
the  ground,  m.  102;  daughters 
of  Minyas,  scorning  Bacchus, 
worship  Pallas  as  representing 
household  arts,  iv.  38  ;  she  helps 
Perseus,  who  is  here  called  her 
brother,  v.  46  ;  visits  the  Muses 
on  Mount  Helicon,  who  enter- 
tain her  with  various  tales,  v. 
X54  ft;  I*  »  virgin  goddess,  v. 


INDEX 


375  :  goddess  of  the  arts,  vi.  23  ; 
encounters  Anchne,  vi.  26  ff.  ; 
her  armour  described,  vi.  78  ; 
gives  olive-tree  to  Athens,  vi. 
81,  335  :  saves  Perdix  from  death 
and  changes  him  into  a  bird, 
vm.  252;  used  for  her  image, 
the  Palladium,  xm.  89.  See 
Minerva 

Pallas  (gen.  Pallantis)  :  (1)  an 
Athenian  priuce,  sou  of  Pandion, 
vii.  500,  665;  (2)  a  Titan, 
father  of  Aurora;  see  Pallantias 
and  Pallantis 

Pallene,  a  peninsula  of  Macedonia, 
xv.  356 

Pau,  the  god  of  woods  and  shep- 
herds, xi.  160;  is  himself  half 
goat  in  form,  xiv.  616  ;  lives  in 
mountain  caves,  xi.  147;  xiv. 
514  ;  wears  a  wreath  of  pine- 
needles,  i.  699 ;  pursues  the 
nymph  Syrinx,  who  escapes  him 
by  being  changed  into  marsh 
reeds,  i.  701  ff . ;  makes  the 
syrinx  or  "  pipes  of  Pan  "  out  of 
these  reeds,  I.  709  ff.  ;  wor- 
shipped by  Midas,  xi.  147  ;  chal- 
lenges Apollo  and  is  defeated  in 
a  contest  with  pipes  and  lyre, 
xi.  158  ft.;  in  plural,  classed 
with  Fauns  and  Satyrs,  xiv.  638 

Panchaeus,  of  Panchaia,  an  island 
east  of  Arabia,  x.  309,  480 

Pandion,  a  king  of  Athens,  father 
of  Procne  and  Philomela,  vi. 
426  ;  gives  Prucne  in  marriage 
to  the  Thracian  Tereus,  vi.  428  ; 
entrusts  Philomela  to  Tereus' 
care,  vi.  483 ;  dies  of  woe  for  his 
daughters'  wrongs,  vi.  676 

Pandiouiae,  an  epithet  of  Athens 
from  its  king,  Pandion,  xv.  430 

Pandrosos,  one  of  the  daughters  of 
Cecrops,  n.  569,  738 

Panouiphaeus,  "author  of  all 
oracles,"  an  epithet  of  Jupiter, 
XI.  198 


Panope,  a  city  In  Phocis,  III.  19 

Panopeus,  one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  vm.  312 

Panthoi'des,  Euphorbus,  son  of 
Panthoiis,  xv.  161 

Paphius, belonging  to  Paphos,a  city 
in  the  island  of  Cyprus  sacred 
to  Venus,  Paphius  heros,  Pyg- 
malion, x.  290 

Paphos  :  (1)  a  city  on  the  island 
of  Cyprus,  x.  290.  530 ;  (2) 
son  of  Pygmalion  and  his  ivory 
statue  which  was  changed  by 
Venus  into  a  woman,  x.  297 

Paraetonium,  a  seaport  town  in 
Northern  Africa,  ix.  773 

Parcae,  three  sisters,  arbiters  of 
human  destiny,  personification 
of  fate  ;  their  decrees  are  un- 
alterable, may  be  known  and 
revealed  by  Jupiter,  but  he  is 
powerless  to  change  them,  V.  632 ; 
vm.  462  ;  xv.  781,  808  ;  they 
were  present  at  the  birth  of 
Meleager,  vm.  452 

Paris,  the  son  of  Priam  and 
Hecuba,  brother  of  Hector  ;  stole 
away  Helen,  the  wife  of  Mene- 
laiis,  and  so  brought  war  upon 
his  country,  xn.  4,  609;  xm. 
200  ;  by  Apollo's  direction  he 
shoots  the  fatal  arrow  at 
Achilles,  xn.  601  ;  saved  by 
Venus  in  a  cloud  from  death  at 
the  hands  of  Menelaiis,  xv. 
805 

Parnasius,  from  or  belonging  to 
Paruasus,  a  mountain  in  Phocis, 
sacred  to  Apollo  and  the  Muses  ; 
at  its  foot  was  the  city  of 
Delphi,  where  were  Apollo's 
temple  and  oracle,  hence  templa 
Parnasia,  v.  278 ;  Themis  had 
held  this  oracle  in  ancient  times 
before  Apollo,  I.  321  ;  hence  she 
also  is  called  Parnasia,  iv.  643 

Parnasus,  a  mouutain  in  Phocis, 
•acred  to  Apollo  and  th»  Muses, 

479 


INDEX 


I.  S17.  467:  II.  221  ;  IV.  64S  ;  V. 

278  ;  XI.  165,  339 
Paros,  an  island  of  tlie  CycladeB, 

celebrated   for    Us    marble,   nr. 

419  ;  VII.  466  ;  vm.  221 
Parrhssis,  Parrbusius,  of  Parrhasia, 

a  town  in  Arcadia,  — Arcadian, 

II.  460  ;  vm.  315 

Parthaon,  king  of  Calydon,  father 
of  Oeneus,  ix.  12  ;  his  house  was 
exterminated  by  the  wrath  of 
Diana,  vm.  542 

Parthenius,  a  mountain  in  Arcadia, 
ix.  188 

Parthenope,  an  old  name  for  the 
city  of  Naples,  xiv.  101  ;  xv.  712 

Pasiphae,  daughter  of  the  Sun, 
ix.  736  ;  wife  of  Minos,  mother 
of  Phaedra,  xv.  600;  through 
the  spite  of  Venus  she  was  in- 
spired with  a  mad  passion  for  a 
beautiful  bull,  vm.  136  :  ix.  736  ; 
which  she  gratified  by  means  of 
a  wooden  cow  framed  for  her  by 
Daedalus,  vm.  132  ;  ix.  740;  of 
this  union  the  Minotaur  was 
born,  vm.  133,  169.  See  Mino- 
taur and  Theseus 

Pasiphaeia,  Phaedra,  daughter  of 
Pasiphae,  xv.  500 

Patareiis  of  Fatara,  a  city  in  Lydla, 
I.  51« 

Patrae,  an  ancient  city  in  Achaia, 
vi.  417 

Patroclus,  a  friend  of  Achillea ; 
clad  in  the  aimour  of  the  latter, 
drives  back  the  Trojans,  xm. 
273.     See  Actorides 

Peacock,  the  bird  sacred  to  Juno ; 
after  the  death  of  Argus  Juno 
places  his  numerous  eyes  in  the 
peacock's  tail,  I.  723  ;  II.  533 

lVgasus,  a  winged  horse  sprung 
from  tho  blood  of  Medusa  when 
her  head  was  struck  off  by  Per- 
seus ;  at  the  same  time  there 
came  forth  Chrysaor,  brother 
of  Pegasus,   IV.     786;    V.    259; 

480 


Neptune  is  said  to  have  been 
the  fattier  of  these,  VI.  119; 
the  spriug  llippocrene,  "horse's 
fountain,"  on  Mount  Helicon 
sprang  forth  from  the  stroke  of 
his  hoof,  v.  257 

Pelagon,  one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  vm.  360 

Pelasgi,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
pcoplesnf  Greeee,=Grecians,  vn. 
49,  133  :  XII.  7,  19,  612  ;  XIII.  128, 
268  ;  XIV.  562  ;  XV.  452 

Peiares:  (1)  a  companion  of 
Phineus,  v.  124  ;  (2)  one  of  the 
Lapithae,  XII.  256 

PoleUirouius,  belonging  to  a  region 
of  Thessaly  inhabited  by  the 
centaurs  and  the  Lapithae,  xn. 
452 

Peleus,  son  of  Aeacus,  Aeacides, 
xi.  227,  246  ;  brother  of  Tela- 
mon  and  half-brother  of  Phocus, 
vn.  477  ;  xm.  151 ;  hushaud  of 
Thetis,  story  of  his  wooing,  xi. 
217  ff.,  260  ;  XII.  193  ;  he  is  thus 
the  son-in-law  of  Nereus  as  well 
as  the  grandson  of  Jupiter,  xi. 
219;  the  father  of  Achilles,  XL 
265;  xn.  605,  619;  xm.  165; 
and  Is  surpassed  by  him,  xv. 
856  ;  he  took  part  in  the  Caly- 
doniau  boar-hunt,  vm.  309,  380; 
and  in  the  battle  of  the  cen- 
taurs and  Lapithae,  xn.  366, 
388  ;  accidentally  killed  his 
half-brother,  Phocus,  son  of  the 
Nereid  I'samathe,  fled  from  home 
and  found  asylum  with  Ceyx, 
king  of  Trachin,  xi.  266  ff. J 
here  his  cattle,  herded  on  the 
seashore,  are  attacked  by  a 
monstrous  wolf  sent  by  Psama- 
the,  xi.  349  ff. ;  the  hero  finally 
gains  absolution  for  his  blood- 
guiltiness  at  the  hands  of  Acas- 
tus,  king  of  Thessaly,  xi.  409 

I'elias,  half-brother  of  Aeson, 
whom  he  had  driven  from  the 


INDEX 


throne  »*  lolchos  in  Thcssaly  ; 
he  sends  Aeson's  son,  Jason, 
od  the  dangerous  quest  of  the 
Golden  Fleece;  Medea,  brought 
back  by  Jason  from  Colchis, 
plots  against  the  life  of  Pelias, 
and  works  his  destruction  by  the 
hands  of  his  own  daughters,  vil. 
297  fE. 

Pelides,  Achilles,  son  of  Peleus,  xn. 
605,  619 

Pelion,  a  high  mountain  in  Thes- 
saly,  i.  155;  Vil.  224,  352;  XII. 
74 

Pellaeus,  of  Pella,  a  city  in  Mace- 
donia, V.  302  ;  XII.  254 

Pelope'ias,  Pelopeius,  belonging  to 
Pelops,  vi.  414  ;  viii.  622 

Pelops,  son  of  Tantalus,  brother 
of  Niobe  ;  in  his  childhood  his 
father  cut  him  in  pieces  and 
served  him  to  tbe  gods  in  order 
to  teBt  their  divinity ;  the  gods 
perceived  the  hoax  at  once,  but 
Ceres  abstractedly  ate  a  piece  of 
the  boy's  shoulder  ;  the  boy  was 
made  whole  again  by  the  gods, 
and  the  lost  6houlder  replaced  by 
a  piece  of  ivory,  VI.  404  ff. 

Pelorus,  a  promontory  on  the  north- 
east coast  of  Sicily,  v.  350  ;  xm. 
727  ;  xv.  706 

Penates,  old  Latin  guardian  deities 
of  the  household  whose  images 
were  kept  within  the  central 
part  of  the  house,  I.  231  ;  III. 
639;  viii.  91;  xv.  864;  used 
more  commonly  by  metonymy 
for  the  house  or  home  itself,  I. 
174,  77S;  V.  155,  496,  650;  VII. 
574  ;  VIII.  637  ;  IX.  446,  639; 
XII.  551 

Penei's  and  Pene'ia,  belonging  to  the 
river-jod  Peneus  ;  his  daughter, 
the  nymph  Daphne,  I.  452,  472, 
625  ;  ii.  504  ;  Peneidas  nndas,  I. 
644  ;  Pene'ia  arva,  xn.  209 

PeLelope,    the    wife    of    Ulysses, 


daughter-in-law  of  Laertes,  via, 
315;  Hecuba  bewails  that  she  is 
to  be  a  gift  to  Penelope,  XIII. 
511 

Peneus,  a  river  in  Thessaly,  rising 
on  Pindus  and  flowing  through 
the  beaiuiful  valljy  of  Teuipe, 
I.  569:  VII.  280;  xn.  209;  the 
river-god,  father  of  Daphne,  I. 
452  ;  receives  condolences  of 
other  rivers  on  loss  of  Daphne, 
1.574  ff. ;  suffers  from  conflagra- 
tion caused  by  Phaethon,  II.  243 

Pentlieus,  son  of  Echion  and  Auave, 
kiuj;  of  Thebes;  flouts  Tiresias 
and  is  warned  by  him  not  to  op- 
pose Bacchus,  ill.  513  ff.;  op- 
poses introduction  of  Bacchic 
rites,  m.  531  ff. ;  goes  to  Cithae- 
rou  to  spy  on  the  Bacchanals, 
and  is  torn  in  pieces  by  his 
crazed  mother  and  the  other 
womeu,  in.  701  ff . ;  IV.  429 

Peparethus,  an  island  north  of 
Euboea,  vu.  470 

Perdix,  son  of  the  sister  of 
Daedalus,  very  inventive;  his 
uncle  in  envy  pushed  him  off  a 
cliff,  but  Minerva  saved  him 
from  death  by  changing  him 
into  a  bird,  VIII.  237  ff. 

Pergamum,  Pergama,  the  citadel 
of  Troy,  more  frequently  used 
for  Troy  itself,  xn.  445,  691; 
xm.  169,219,  320,  374,607,520; 
xiv.  467;  xv.  442 

Pergus,  a  lake  in  Sicily  near  the 
city  of  Enna,  v.  386 

Periclytueuus,  sou  of  Neleus, 
brother  of  Nestor,  grandson  of 
Neptune,  from  whom  he  had  the 
power  of  changing  his  sbape; 
in  the  form  of  an  eagle  he  was 
killed  by  an  arrow  of  Hercules, 
XII.  556 

Perimele,  daughter  of  Hippodamas, 
loved  by  the  river-god  Acheloiis, 
and  changed  by  Neptune  at  her 

481 


INDEX 


lover's    prayer   into  an   island, 

VIII.  590  ff. 

Periphas :  (1)  an  ancient  Attic 
king,  held  in  so  high  honour  by 
his  people  that  he  excited  the 
enmity  of  Jupiter,  who  would 
have  killed  him,  but  at  Apollo's 
request  he  changed  him  into  an 
eagle  and  his  wife  Phene  into 
an  osprey,  vn.  400  :  (2)  one  of 
the  Lapithae,  xn.  449 

Periphetes,  a  monstrous  sou  of 
Vulcan  who  lived  at  Epiilaurus 
and  slew  all  travellers  with  an 
iron  club  until  he  was  himself 
slain  by  Theseus,  VII.  437 

Persei's,  Hecate,  daughter  of  the 
Titan  Perses,  vn.  74 

PerseTus,  belonging  to  Perseus,  his 
camp  or  party,  v.  128 

Persephone,  the  Greek  name  for 
Proserpina,  V.  470  :  X.  15,  730 

Perseus,  son  of  Dauae  and  Jupiter, 
who  appeared  to  her  in  the  form 
of  a  golden  shower,  iv.  610,  640; 
v.  250;  vi.  113;  grandson  of 
Acrisius,  iv.  613;  relates  bow 
he  gained  the  Gorgon-head, 
rv.  772  IT. ;  flies  through  the  air 
bearing  the  Gorgon-head,  which 
petrifies  all  who  look  upou  it, 
rv.  615;  he  is  equipped  with 
the  wings  and  sword  of  Mercury, 
iv.  665;  and  the  bronze  shield 
of  Minerva,  iv.  782 ;  Minerva 
was  his  helper  in  all  his  adven- 
tures, v.  250  ;  his  adventure 
with  Atlas,  whom  he  changes 
into  a  rocky  mountain,  iv. 
632  ff. ;  be  finds  Audromeda 
chained  to  a  rock,  fights  and 
kills  the  sea-monster  which  had 
been  sent  to  devour  her,  and 
claims  the  maiden  as  his  wife, 
iv.  670  ft*. ;  Cepheus,  king  of 
Ethiopia,  father  of  Andromeda, 
Joyfully  receives  him  as  son-in- 
lnw,  iv.  738  ;  he  fights  Phineus 

482 


and  his  friends,  who  try  to  break 
the  proposed  marriage,  and 
finally  overcomes  them  by  the 
aid  of  the  Gorgon-head,  v.  1  ff . ; 
drives  Proetus  from  the  throne 
of  AcrNius  and  slays  him 
with  sight  of  the  Gorgon-head, 
v.  236  ff. ;  in  like  manner  he 
Blays  Polydectes,  v.  242  ff. ;  his 
epithets  are:  Ahantiades,  Acri- 
sioniades,  Agenorides,  Danaeius, 
Inachides,  Lyncides 

Persis,  Persian,  I.  62 

Petr:ieus,  a  ceutaur,  sen.  327,  330 

Pettalus,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  115 

Peucetius,  of  Peucetia,  a  region  In 
Apulia,  xiv.  514 

Phaeaces,  the  Phaeacians,  the 
fabled  inhabitants  of  the  island 
of  Scheria,  who  lived  in  great 
luxury,  xiii.  719 

Phaedimu8,  one  of  the  seven  sons 
of  Niobe,  vi.  239 

Phaedra,  daughter  of  Pasiphae  and 
Minos,  wife  of  Theseus;  loved 
her  stepson  Hippolytus,  and 
being  repulsed  accused  him  to 
his  father  and  so  brought  him 
to  death,  xv.  600  ft. 

Phaeocomes,  a  centaur,  xn.  4  31 

Phaestias,  Phaestins,  of  Phaestna, 
a  city  of  Crete,  ix.  669,  716 

Phae'thon,  grandson  of  Tethys,  II. 
166;  son  of  Phoebus  and 
Clymene,  the  wife  of  the 
Ethiopian  king  Merops,  I.  751, 
763,  771 ;  n.  19,  48,  184  ;  goes  to 
Phoebus  and  asks  for  proofs  of 
his  sonship,  II.  36  ;  granted  any- 
thing he  may  desire,  he  asks  for 
permission  to  drive  the  chariot 
of  his  father  for  one  day,  n. 
48  ft*. ;  starts  on  his  course 
through  the  sky,  n.  150  ff. ; 
hurled  from  the  chariot  and 
killed  by  the  thunderbolt  of 
Jupiter,  n.  311  ff. ;  falls  to  earth 


INDEX 


on  the  bank  of  the  Po,  where 
the  Naiads  And  and  bury  him, 
II.  324  fl. 
Pbaethonteiis,        pertaining1        to 

Phaethon,  his  fires,  iv.  246 
Phae'thontis,  pertaining  to  Phae- 
tlion ;  volucris,  the  bird  of 
Phaethon — that  is,  the  swan,  into 
wnich  Cycnus,  son  of  Sthenelus, 
grieving  for  the  death  of  Phae- 
thon,  was  changed,  xn.  581 
Pliaethusa,  one  of  the  Heliades, 
sisters  of  Phaethon,  II.  346 

Phantasos,  a  son  of  Somnus,  XI. 
642 

Pharos,  a  little  island  near  Alex- 
andria in  Egypt,  ix.  773 ;  xv. 
287 

Pharsalia,  the  region  about  Phar- 
salus.  a  city  in  Thessaly,  where 
Caesar  defeated  Pompey  in  48 
B.C.,  xv.  828 

Phasias,  au  epithet  of  Medea  from 
the  Phasis,  a  river  of  her  native 
Colchis,  vii.  298 

Phasis,  a  river  in  Colchis,  II.  249  ; 
vu.  6,  298 

Phege'ius,  belonging  to  Phegeus, 
king  of  Psophis  in  Arcadia;  his 
daughter  was  Alphesiboea,  the 
first  wife  of  Alcmaeon,  who  left 
her  to  marry  Callirhoe,  and  was 
slain  by  the  brothers  of  Alphesi- 
boea; hence  the  "sword  of  Phe- 
geus," In  the  hands  of  his  sons, 
is  said  to  have  drained  his 
kinsman's  (i.e.  his  son-in-law's) 
blood,  ix.  412 

Phegiacus,  from  the  city  of  Phegia 
in  Arcadia,  n.  244 

Phene,  wife  of  Periphas,  vu.  399 

Pheretiades,  Admetus,  son  of 
Pheres,  king  of  Pherae  in  Thes- 
saly, one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  vm.  310 

Fhlnle,  a  nymph  in  the  train  of 
liana,  in.  17S 

k'hUammon,    son    of    Apollo   and 


Chione,  celel  rated  for  his  gift  of 
soutr,  xi.  3 1 " 
Philemon  and  Ban  is,  a  pious  old 
couple  in  Phrygia  who  enter- 
tained Jupite  and  Mercury, 
VIII.  618  ff. 

Philippi,  a  city  in  Macedonia, 
where  Octaviauus  and  Antony 
defeated  Brutus  aud  Cassius  in 
42  B.C.,  XV.  824 

Philoctetes,  son  of  Poeas,  ix.  233  ; 
mil  45,  313;  a  friend  of  Her- 
cules, set  fire  to  the  hero's  pyre 
ou  Mount  Oeta,  aud  receivtd  the 
famous  bow  and  arrows,  ix.  233  ; 
xin.  51 ;  on  the  way  to  Troy  he 
was  bitten  by  a  suake  at  Leinuos, 
and  by  the  advice  of  Ulysses  he 
was  abandoned  there  by  the 
Greeks,  xm.  46,  318  ff.  ;  here 
he  dragged  out  a  wretched 
existence  until  in  the  tenth  year 
of  the  war,  in  accordance  with 
an  oracle  that  Troy  could  not 
be  taken  without  the  arrows  of 
Hercules,  Ulysses  went  to  Lein- 
nos  and  persuaded  Philoctetes  to 
joiu  the  Greeks  at  Troy,  xm.  64, 
313,  329,  402 

Philomela,  daughter  of  Pandion, 
sister  of  Procne,  imprisoned  and 
outraged  by  her  sister's  husband 
Tereus  while  on  the  way  from 
Athens  in  his  company  to  visit 
her  sister,  VI.  440  ff. ;  manages 
to  send  news  of  her  plight  to 
Procne,  vi.  572  ff. ;  rescued  by 
her  sister,  she  plans  with  her  a 
terrible  revenge  on  Tereus,  vi. 
601  ff. ;  pursued  by  Tereus,  she 
is  changed  into  a  nightingale, 
vi.  668 

Philyra,  a  nymph,  daughter  of 
Oceanus,  whom  Saturn  loved, 
changing  her  into  a  mare  and 
himself  into  a  horse  ;  their  son 
was  Chiron,  the  centaur,  n.  676  ; 
VI.  126 

483 


INDEX 


PhilyreTns  heros,  Cliiron,  son  of 
Philyra,  n.  676  ;  Philyrcia  tecta 
=  the  home  of  Chiron,  vn. 
363 

I'liiiiCiiB  :  (1)  brother  of  the  Ethio- 
pian king  Cepheus,  uncle  of 
Andromeda,  to  whom  he  had  been 
betrothed  before  the  coming  of 
Perseus ;  with  a  band  of  followers 
he  attacks  Perseus  at  the  wedding 
feast,  and  with  all  hiscornpauions 
is  finally  repulsed,  petrified  by  the 
Bight  of  the  Gorgon-head,  v.  1  ft. ; 
(2)  a  king  of  Salmydessus  ir 
Thrace,  a  blind  prophet  who 
had  received  the  gift  of  prophecy 
from  Apollo;  he  was  tormented 
by  the  Harpies,  who  were  sent  to 
punish  him  because  of  liis  cruelty 
towards  his  sons;  when  the  Ar- 
gonauts asked  instruction  from 
him  on  their  way  to  Colchis,  he 
promised  this  if  they  would 
deliver  him  from  the  Harpies ; 
accordingly  the  winged  sons  of 
Boreas,  Zetes  and  Calais,  drove 
the  pests  far  away  to  the  island 
of  the  Strophades,  vn.  3 

Phlegethou,  a  river  of  the  lower 
world,  v.  544  ;   XV.  632 

Phlegraens,  a  centaur,  XII.  378 

Phlegraeus,  of  Phlegra,  a  region  of 
Macedonia,  x.  151 

Phlegyae,  a  robber  people  of 
Thessaly  who  destroyed  the 
temple  at  Delphi,  xi.  414 

Phlegyas,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  87 

Phobetor,  a  son  of  Somnus,  xi. 
640 

Phocis,  a  country  in  Greece  between 
Boeotia  and  Aetolia,  I.  313;  II. 
669;  v.  276  ;  XI.  348 

Phocus,  son  of  Aeacus  and  the 
Nereid  Psamathe,  half-brother  of 
Teiamon  and  Peleus,  vn.  477, 
668,  685,  690;  he  was  acciden- 
tally   killed  by  Peleus,  xi.  267 

434 


Phoebe,  a  name  for  Diana,  twin 
sister  of  Phoebus  Apollo,  VI. 
216  ;  xu.  36  ;  the  goddess  of  the 
moon,  II.  723  ;  virgin  huntress, 
I.  476;  ii.  415;  by  metonymy 
for  the  moon,  I.  11.  See  Diana 
Phoebus,  a  familiar  name  of 
Apollo,  I.  451,  463;  v.  330  ;  VI. 
122,215;  xv.  650;  especially  as 
the  Sun-god,  I.  752  ;  II.  24,  36, 
399  ;  hence  frequently  by  meto- 
nymy for  the  sun  Itself,  i.  338; 
H.  110;  m.  151;  iv.  349,  716  ; 
xi.  595  ;  xiv.  416  ;  the  oracular 
ood,  ill.  8,  10.  18  ;  XIII.  677 ;  XV. 
631 ;  Cassandra  is  called  antistita 
Phoebi,  "the  high  priestess  of 
Phoebus,"  because  the  god  had 
given  her  the  power  of  prophecy, 
xiii.  410;  Anius  is  antistes  or 
high  priest  at  Dclos,  xm.  632  ; 
as  god  of  the  harp  he  contests 
against  the  pipes  of  Pan,  xi. 
164;  god  of  the  bow,  vm.  31, 
350;  xm.  601 ; called  domesticus, 
because  Augustus  in  12  B.C. 
erected  a  temple  to  the  god  on 
the  Palatine  and  included  him 
among  his  penatcs,  xv.  865 

Phoenissa,  Phoenix,  of  Phoenicia, 
Phoenician,  III,  46  ;  xv.  288 

Phoenix,  son  of  Amyntor  of  Thes- 
saly, companion  of  Achilles, 
preseut  at  the  Calydonian  boar- 
hunt,  vm.  307 

Phoenix  bird, the storyof  its  birth, 
life,  and  death,  xv.  393  tL 

Pholus,  a  centaur,  xu.  306 

Phorbas:  (1)  a  companion  of  Phi- 
neus, v.  74 ;  (2)  leader  of  the 
Phlegyae,  who  plundered  the 
temple  of  Apollo  at  Delphi,  xi. 
414  ;  (3)  a  centaur,  XXI.  322 

Phorcldes,  the  Graeae,  daughters 
of  Phorcys,  who  had  but  one  eye 
among  them,  iv.  775 

Phorcynis,  Medusa  as  daughter  of 
Phorcys,  iv.  741;  v.  330 


INDEX 


Phoronls,  an  epithet  of  lo  as  sister 
of  Plioroneus,  son  of  Inachus, 
kin?  of  Argos,  I.  668  ;  II.  624 

Phrixea  vellera,  "  tlie  fleece  of 
Plirixus" — that  is,  the  golden 
fleece  of  the  ram  on  which 
Plirixus,  son  of  Athamas  and 
Nephele,  brother  of  Helle,  es- 
caped with  his  sister  from  his 
stepmother's  machinations  and 
fled  through  the  air  to  Colchis, 
where  he  sacrificed  the  ram  to 
Jupiter  and  gave  the  wonderful 
fleece  to  Kin?  Aeetes,  vn.  7 

Phryges,  the  Phrygians,  XI.  91  ; 
more  frequently  by  metonymy  = 
the  Trojans,  xn.  70,  612;  xm. 
389,  435;  xv.  452 

Phrygia,  a  country  in  Asia  Minor, 
VI.  146,  166,  177  ;  VIII.  162,  621  ; 
XI.  91 ;  xv.  452  ;  Phrygius  = 
Trojan,  x.  165  ;  xi.  203  ;  XII.  39, 
70,  148,  612  ;  xm.  44,  337,  389, 
432,  435,  679,  721 ;  XIV.  79,  562  ; 
XV.  444 

Phthia,  a  city  in  Thessaly,  the 
birthplace  of  Achilles,  xm.  156 

Phylcus,  one  of  the  Calydonian 
hunters,  vm.  308 

Phylleti8,  an  epithet  of  Caeneus 
from  the  Thessalian  town  of 
Phyllos,  xn.  479 

Phyllius,  friend  of  Cycnus  (2),  vn. 
372 

Picus,  son  of  Saturn,  ancient  king 
of  Latium,  husband  of  Canens, 
repulsed  the  love  of  Circe  and 
was  changed  by  her  into  a  wood- 
pecker, xiv.  320  ff. 

Pierus,  a  king  of  Emathia  ;  he  had 
nine  daughters, called  Emathides 
from  the  name  of  their  country, 
v.  669 ;  these  daughters  also 
called  (though  not  in  the  Meta- 
morphoses) by  thp  patronymic 
epithet  Pierides,  t  name  borne 
by  the  Muse s  also  from  Pieria, 
the  earliest  seat  of  the  worship 


of  the  Muses ;  the  daughters  oi 
Pierus  challenge  the  Muses  to  a 
contest  in  song,  are  defeated  an  i 
changed  into  magpies,  v.  300  ff. 

Piudus,  a  mountain  in  Thessaly,  i. 
570  ;  II.  225  ;  vn.  225  ;  xi.  554 

Piraeus, the  harbour  of  Athens,  vl 
446 

Pirene,  a  famous  spring  near 
Corinth,  n.  240;  vn.  391 

Pirenis,  belonging  to  Pirene,  a 
fountain  on  the  citadel  of 
Corinth,  sacred  to  the  Muses, 
II.  240;  vii.  391 

Pirithoiis,  son  of  Ixion,  vm.  403, 
566,  613  ;  xu.  210  ;  king  of  the 
Lapkhae  in  Thessaly,  friend  of 
Theseus,  vm.  303,  4  04;  xn.229; 
was  present  with  his  friend  at 
the  Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm. 
404;  was  in  the  group  enter- 
tained by  Acheloiis,  vm.  567  ; 
his  marriage  with  Hippodamia 
was  the  occasion  of  the  great 
battle  of  the  centaurs  (who  had 
been  invited  to  the  wedding,  and 
one  of  whom  attempted  violence 
on  the  bride)  and  the  Lapithae, 
followers  of  Pirithoiis,  xn.  210  ff. 

Pisa,  a  city  in  Elis,  v.  409,  494 

Pisces,  a  constellation,  the  Fish, 
the  twelfth  sign  of  the  Zodiac, 
X.  78;  used  also  collectively  in 
the  singular,  Piscis,  x.  165 

Pisenor,  a  centaur,  xn.  303 

Pitane,  a  city  on  the  Aeolic  coast  of 
Asia  Minor,  vil.  357 

Pithecusae,  an  island  not  far  from 
Cumae,  xiv.  90 

Pittheus,  king  of  Troezen,  son  of 
Pelops,  grandfather  of  Theseus, 
VI.  418  ;  vm.  622  ;  XV.  296,  506 

Pleiades,  the  seven  daughters  of 
Atlas  and  the  ocean-nymph 
Pleione;  they  form  a  small  con- 
stellation in  the  neck  of  Taurus, 
and  are  represented  on  the  shield 
of    Achilles,    xm.    293  ;     their 

485 


INDEX 


names  were  Maia,  Electra,  Tay- 
geta,  Halcyone.  Celaeno,  Ste'ope, 
and  Mcrope;  of  these  reference 
Is  made  In  the  Metamorphoses 
to  two  only,  Maia  (but  not  by 
name),  the  mother  by  Jupiter  of 
Mercury,  I.  670 :  and  Taygeta, 
III.  595  ;  Niobe  boasts  that  her 
mother  (Dione)  is  a  Bister  of  the 
Pleiades,  i.e.  she  is  one  of  the 
Hyaites,  VI.  174 

Pleione,  daughter  of  Oceanns,  wife 
of  Atlas,  mother  of  the  Pleiades, 
ii.  743 

Pleuron,  a  city  in  Aetolia,  vn.  382  ; 
xiv.  494 

Plexippus,  son  of  Thestius,  brother 
of  Althaea,  killed  by  his  nephew, 
Meleager,  for  Insulting  Ata- 
lanta,  vtu.  440 

Poeaniiades,  Philoctetes,  son  of 
Poeas,  xiii.  313 

Poeantia  proles,  the  same  as  the 
preceding,  xm.  45 

Poeas,  the  father  of  Philoctetes, 
IX.  233 

Polites,  a  companion  of  Ulysses, 
xiv.  251 

Polydaemon,  a  companion  of 
Phiueus,  v.  85 

Polydamas,  a  Trojan,  son  of 
Panthoiis  and  friend  of  Hector, 
Xll.  647 

Polydectes,  a  ruler  of  Seriphus, 
petrified  by  a  look  at  the  Gorgon- 
head,  v.  242 

Polydegtnou,  a  companion  of 
Phineus,  v.  85 

Polydorus,  son  of  Priam  and 
Hecuba;  when  the  Trojan  war 
came  on  he  was  sent  with  a 
large  treasure  for  safe  keeping 
to  Polymestor,  but  later  was 
murdered  by  biui  and  his  dead 
body  cast  out  upon  the  seashore, 
xm.  432  fT. ;  Hecuba  thinks  of 
him  as  her  only  comfort  left 
after   the    death    of    Polyxena, 

486 


xm.  530 ;  and  Immediately 
thereafter  finds  his  dead  body 
on  the  shore,  xm.  536  ;  Aeneas 
sails  past  the  scene  of  his  murder, 
XIII.  629 

Polymestor,  a  king  of  Thrace, 
husband  of  Itinue,  daughter  of 
I'riain  ;  murders  Polydorus  to 
gain  the  treasure  consigned  with 
him,  xm.  430;  Hecuba,  finding 
out  the  crime,  works  terrible 
vengeance  on  the  murderer,  xm. 
549  ff. 

Polypemon,  father  of  Sciron,  grand- 
father of  Alcyone  (neptetn  Po'y- 
pemonis) ;  Sciron  pushed  his 
daughter  into  the  sea,  charging 
her  with  unchastity,  aud  she  was 
changed  into  a  halcyou,  vn.  401 

Polyphemus,  one  of  the  Cyclopes, 
sous  of  Neptune,  a  race  of 
fabulous  one-eyed  giants  living 
in  Sicily  ;  his  wooing  of  Galatea, 
xm.  744  ff. ;  warucd  by  Tele- 
mus  that  he  is  destined  to  lose 
his  eye  at  the  hands  of  Ulysses, 
xm.  771;  his  encounter  with 
Ulysses'  band  described  by 
Acb.aemeuid.-8,  xiv.  167  ff. 

Polyxena,  daughter  of  Priam  and 
Hecuba  ;  at  the  command  of  the 
shade  of  Achilles  she  was  sacri- 
ficed upon  his  tomb,  xm.  448  ff. 

Pomona,  a  beautiful  wood-nymph 
of  Latium,  devoted  to  horticul- 
ture, wooed  by  many  suitors  and 
won  by  Vertumnus,  xiv.  623  ff. 

Pompeius  Sextus,  the  second  son 
of  Pompey  the  Great,  conquered 
in  the  year  36  B.C.,  in  a  sea-fight 
off  Sicily  between  Mylae  and 
Naulochus,  by  Agrippa,  the 
admiral  of  Augustus,  xv.  825 

Pontus,  the  Black  Sea,  hence  a 
kingdom  in  Asia  Minor  border- 
ing on  that  sea,  xv.  756 

Priameia  couiunx,  Hecuba,  wife 
of  Priam,  xm.  404 


INDEX 


Priamldes,  Helcnus,  son  of  Priam, 
xni.  99,  723  ;  xv.  438  :  in  plural, 
Priamidae,  the  sons  o£  Priam, 
xni.  482 

Priaiuus,  Priam,  the  son  of  Laome- 
don,  last  king  of  Troy,  xi.  767  ; 
husband  of  Hecuba,  by  whom 
he  had  numerous  sons  and 
daughters,  notably,  as  mentioned 
in  the  Metamorphoses,  Hector, 
Paris,  Helenus,  Polydorus, 
Dei'phobus,  Cassandra  aud  Poly  x- 
ena ;  Aesacus  was  the  son  of 
Priam  by  Alexiroe ;  Priam,  not 
aware  that  he  has  been  changed 
into  a  bird,  mourns  his  loss,  xn. 
1 ;  he  would  have  given  Helen 
back  at  the  demand  of  Ulysses, 
but  was  overborne  by  the 
younger  party,  xm.  201  ;  on 
the  night  of  the  fall  of  Troy  he 
was  killed  by  PyrrhuB  at  the 
altar  of  Jupiter  in  the  court  of 
his  own  palace,  xm.  404 

Priapus,  god  of  gardens  and  vine- 
yards, in  which  his  statues  are 
set  as  a  sort  of  scarecrow  to 
frighten  thieves,  xiv.  640  ;  Lotis, 
in  terror  of  his  pursuit,  escapes 
by  being  changed  into  a  tree, 
IX.  347 

1'roca,  an  Alban  king,  father  of 
Nurnitor  and  Amulins,  xiv.  622 

Procliyte,  an  island  off  the  coast  of 
Campania,  xiv.  89 

Procne,  daughter  of  Pandion, 
married  Tereus  under  evil 
omens,  VI.  428  fl. ;  mother  of 
Itys,  VI.  437  ;  gets  news  of  her 
sister's  wrongs  aud  plans  a 
terrible  revenge  on  her  husband, 
vi.  680  fl. ;  pursued  by  her  hus- 
band, she  is  changed  into  a 
swallow,  vi.  668 

Procri8,  daughter  of  Erecthens, 
king  of  Athens,  vii.  697;  sister 
of  Orithyia,  vn.  695 ;  wife  of 
Cephalus,  vi.  682;  the  story  of 


the  devoted  love  of  Procris  and 
Cephalus  and  its  tragic  end, 
vii.  694  fl. 

Procrustes,  a  famous  robber  who 
compelled  all  passers-by  to  lie 
on  a  couch  to  which  he  fitted 
them  either  by  cutting  off  or 
stretching  out  their  bodies ;  he 
was  slain  by  Theseus,  vn.  438 

Proetides,  daughters  of  Proetus; 
being  punished  with  madness 
by  Juuo  for  their  pride,  they 
Imagined  themselves  to  be  cows  ; 
they  were  restored  to  sanity  by 
the  soothsayer,  Melampus,  the 
son  of  Amythaon,  xv.  826 

Proetus,  the  twin  brother  of 
Acrisius,  drove  the  latter  from 
his  throne  of  Argos,  but  was 
petrified  by  a  sight  of  the 
Gorgon-head  in  the  hands  of 
Perseus,  v.  238 

Prometheus,  the  son  of  Iapetus, 
represented  as  makiug  man  out 
of  clay,  i.  82  ;  father  of  Deuca- 
lion, I.  390 

Prometbides,  Deucalion,  son  of 
Prometheus,  I.  390 

Propoetides,  girls  of  A  mat  h  us  who 
denied  the  diviuity  of  Venus 
and  by  her  wrath  were  driven  to 
prostitution  and  later  changed 
to  stones,  x.  221,  238 

Proreus,  one  of  Acoetes'  sailors, 
in.  634 

Proserpina,  daughter  of  Cere*  and 
Jupiter,  v.  376,  614  ;  carried 
away  by  Pluto  and  made  hii 
queen  in  the  lower  world,  v. 
39 1  fl. ;  terms  of  her  return  to 
the  upper  world  settled  by 
Jupiter,  v.  530  ;  she  is  to  spend 
her  time  equally  on  earth  and  in 
Hades,  v.  564  ;  she  changes  Asoa- 
laphus  into  a  screech-owl,  v. 
544  ;  she  is  now  queen  of  the 
lower  world,  v.  543;  x.  46.  See 
Persephone 

48? 


INDEX 


Proteatlalls,  a  Thessalian  chief, 
slain  by  Hector's  spear,  the  first 
of  the  Greeks  to  fall  in  the 
Trojan  war,  xii.  68 

Proteus,  a  sea-god,  capable  of 
changing  into  many  forms,  II.  9  ; 
viii.  731;  xi.  221;  xui.  918; 
called  the  "Carpathian  seer" 
because  of  his  prophetic  gift 
and  his  favourite  haunt  near 
the  island  of  Carpathos  in  the 
Aegeau  Sea,  XI.  249 

Prothoenor,  a  courtier  of  Cepheus, 
v.  98 

Prytauis,  a  Lycian,  xm.  258 

Psamatbe,  a  Nereid,  mother  by 
Aeacus  of  Phocus,  whom  his 
half-brother  Peleus  accidentally 
killed  ;  she  sends  a  monster  wolf 
to  harry  the  cattle  of  Peleus, 
XI.  380,  398 

Psecas,  a  nymph  in  Diana's  train, 
in.  172 

Psophis,  a  city  in  Arcadia,  v. 
607 

Pygmaeus,  a  Pigmy,  one  of  a 
fabulous  tribe  of  dwarfs  who 
bad  constant  strife  against  the 
cranes,  vi.  90 

Pygmalion,  a  Cyprian,  who  made  a 
beautiful  ivory  maiden  and  fell 
In  love  with  it ;  through  the 
grace  of  Venus  the  statue  was 
changed  into  a  human  maid,  x. 
243  ff. 

Pylos,  a  city  In  Elis,  the  home  of 
Nestor,  II.  684;  vi.  418;  VIM. 
365  ;  xii.  537,  542,  550  ;  XV.  838 

Pyracmus,  a  centaur,  xii.  480 

Pyraethus,  a  centaur,  xii.  449 

Pyramus  and  Thisbe,  story  of, 
iv.  55  ft 

Pyreneus,  king  of  Thrace,  who 
assaulted  the  Muses,  v.  274  ff. 

Pyro'is,  one  of  the  horses  of  the 
8un-sod,  II.  153 

Pyrrha,  daughter  of  the  Titan  Epl- 
metheus,  called  thence   Titania, 

488 


i.  395  ;  Epimethls,  I.  390 ;  wife  of 
Deucalion,  I.  350 

Pyrrhus,  son  of  Achilles  and 
Dei'damia,  daughter  of  Ly- 
comedes,  king  of  Scyros,  at 
whose  court  Achilles'  mother 
had  hidden  her  son  disguised  as 
a  girl,  xm.  155 

Pythagoras,  a  famous  Greek  philo- 
sopher of  Samos  who  took  up  his 
residence  at  Crotona  in  Italy, 
where  Numa  came  to  be  his 
pupil ;  his  philosophy  recounted 
at  length,  xv.  60  ff. ;  he  claimed 
to  be  the  reincarnation  of  Eu- 
phorbus,  xv.  161 

Pythia,  the  Pythian  games,  cele- 
brated at  Delphi  in  houour  of 
Apollo  every  four  years  in  com- 
memoration of  his  conquest  of 
the  Python,  I.  447 

Python,  a  huge  serpent  sponta- 
neously generated  from  the  fresh 
slime  of  the  earth  after  the  flood, 
killed  by  Apollo,  I.  438  ff.;  gave 
name  to  Pythian  games,  I.  447 

Qdirinu8,  the  name  under  which 
the  Romans  worshipped  the 
deified  Romulus,  xiv.  828,  834, 
851;  xv.  862  :  the  son  of  Mars, 
xv.  863  ;  turba  and  Populus 
Quirini  •=  the  Romans,  xiv.  607  ; 
xv.  756  ;  coll  is  Quirini  —  the 
Quiriual  Hill,  xiv.  836 

Quirites,  and  collectively  Quires, 
the  Cures  or  Sabiues,  used  com- 
monly -=  Romans,  after  the 
union  of  the  Sabines  with  the 
people  of  Romulus,  xiv.  823 ; 
XV.  600 

Remulus,  an  Alban  king,  xrv.  616 
Rhadamanthus,  a  son    of  Jupiter 

and   Kuropa,  brother  of  Minos; 

Jupiter  grieves  that  he  cannot 

grant  him  immortality  on  earth, 

IX.  436,  440 


INDEX 


Rhamunsia,    a    Dame    of    Nemesis 

from  her  temple  at  Rhamnus  in 

Attica,  m.  406 

Rhamnmis  =-  Bhamuusia,  xiv.  694 

Rhanis,  a  nymph  in  the  train  of 

Diana,  m.  171 
Rheyion,   a   city  in   the  southern 
part  of  Calabria  on  the  Sicilian 
Strait,  xiv.  5,  48 
Rhesus,  a  Thracian  king  of  whom 
the  oracle  had  said  that  if  his 
horses    should    have   drunk    of 
the  water  of  the  Xanthus  Troy 
could  not  be  taken  ;  Ulysses  and 
Diomede  frustrated  this  oracle 
by  killing  Rhesus  and  capturing 
his  horses,  xm.  98,  249 
Rhexenor,   a   companion  of   Dio- 
mede changed  by  Venus  into  a 
bird,  xiv.  504 
Rhodanus,  the  Rhone,  a  river  in 

Gaul,  II.  258 
Rhodope,once  a  man,  changed  into 
a  mountain  in  punishment  of  his 
impious     presumption,    VI.    87; 
mentioned  elsewhere  as  a  moun- 
tain in  Thrace,  II.  222  ;  vi.  589  : 
X.  11,  50,  77 
Rhodopeius,  an  epithet  of  Orpheus, 
from   Rhodope,  a  mountain    of 
his  native  Thrace,  x.  11,  50 
Rhodos,   an  island  off  the  south- 
western coast  of  Asia  Minor,  vn. 
365 
Rhoeteiis,  of  Rhoeteum,  a  promon- 
tory in  the  Troad,  xi.  197 
Rhoetus:     (1)    a    companion     of 
Phineus,   v.  38  ;   (2)  a  centaur, 
xil.  271,  2S5 
Ripheus,  a  centaur,  xn.  352 
Roma,  Rome,  I.  201  ;  xiv.  800,  809, 

840  ;   XV.  431,  637,  654,  73C 
Romanns,  the  Roman   people,  xv. 
637,  654  ;  Rome's  greatness  pro- 
phesied, xv.  444  ff. 
Romethinm,  a  place  in  Italy,  xv. 

705 
Romuleiis,  belonging  to  Romulus; 


colics,  the  Qniilnal  Hill,  xiv. 
845  ;  urbs  —  Rome,  xv.  625 

Romulus,  son  of  Mars,  xv.  863; 
and  of  Ilia  (Iliades),  xiv.  781, 
824 ;  called  genitor,  father  of 
the  Roman  people,  xv.  862  ;  he 
fights  against  the  Sabines,  xiv. 
799  ;  his  spear-shaft,  fixed  in  the 
ground,  puts  forth  leaves  and  is 
changed  to  a  tree,  xv.  661  ff. ; 
at  the  instance  of  Mars  he  is 
received  into  the  company  of 
the  gods,  xiv.  806  ff.  See  Qui- 
rinus 

Rutuli,  a  people  of  Latium  whose 
chief  city  was  Ardea  and  whose 
hero  was  Turnus,  xiv.  455,  528, 
567 

Sabaeus,  of  the  Sabeans,  a  people 
in  Arabia  Felix,  x.  480 

Sabini,  the  Sabines,  a  people  of 
Central  Italy,  connected  with 
the  early  history  of  Rome,  xiv. 
775,  797,  800,  832;  XV.  4 

Salamis,  a  city  on  the  island  of 
Cyprus,  founded  hy  Teueer.who 
came  from  the  island  of  Salamis, 
xiv.  760 

Sallentinus,  of  the  Sallentines,  a 
people  of  Calabria,  xv.  50 

Salmacis,  a  pool  in  Caria  whose 
waters  were  enfeebling,  iv.  286  ; 
xv.  319;  a  nymph  of  the  pool 
who  was  enamoured  of  Herma- 
phroditus,  iv.  306  ff. 

Samius,  an  epithet  of  Pythagoras, 
a  celebrated  philosopher  of 
Samos,  xv.  60.     See  Pythagoras 

Samos  :  (1)  an  island  off  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor,  famed  as  the 
birthplace  of  Pythagoras,  sacred 
also  to  Juno,  vm.  221  ;  xv.  60, 
61 ;  (2)  an  island  in  the  Ionian 
Sea  under  the  dominion  of 
Ulysses,  xm.  711 

Sardes  (Sardis),  the  ancient  capital 
of  Lydia,  xi.  137,  152 

489 


INDEX 


Sarpedon,  a  Lycian  chief,  son  of 
Jupiter  ii iid  Europa,  killed  by 
Patroclus  before  Troy  ;  Ulysses 
boasts  that  he  harried  his  baud, 
xhi.  255 

Saturnla,  an  epithet  of  Juno  as  the 
daughter  of  Saturn,  I.  612,  616, 
722;  II.  435,  631;  III.  271,  293, 
333,  365;  iv.  448,  464;  v.  330; 
ix.  176  ;  xiv.  782 

Saturnius,  belonging  to  Saturn ; 
applied  (1)  to  Jupiter,  I.  163 ; 
vm.  708  ;  ix.  242  ;  (2)  to  Pluto, 
v.420  ;  (3)  to  Picus  as  the  son  of 
Saturn,  proles  Saturnla,  xiv.  320 

Saturnus,  sou  of  Heaven  and  Earth, 
ruler  of  the  universe  during  the 
Golden  Age ;  he  was  dethroned 
by  his  three  sons  (Jupiter, 
Neptune,  aud  Pluto,  who  shared 
his  kingdom  by  lot  among 
themselves)  and  sent  to  Tartara, 

I.  113  ;  his  wife  was  Ops,  his 
sister,  ix.  498  ;  his  children  by 
her  were  the  three  sons  men- 
tioned above,  also  Juno,  Ceres, 
and  Vesta  ;  Chiron,  by  Philyra, 

II.  676;  VI.  126  ;  and  Picus,  xiv. 
320 

Schoeneia,  Atalanta,  daughter 
of  Schoeneus,  king  of  Boeotia, 
X.  609,  660 

Sciron,  a  famous  robber  on  the 
rocky  coast  between  Megaris  and 
Attica,  who  threw  his  victims 
over  high  cliffs  into  the  sea ; 
Theseus  treated  him  in  the  same 
way  ;  his  bones  were  changed  to 
rocks  which  bore  his  name,  VII. 
444,  447 

Scylla  :  (1)  daughter  of  the  nymph 
Crataeis,  xm.  749 ;  remarkable 
for  her  beauty  and  sought  by 
many  suitors,  xm.  734  if. ;  wooed 
by  Glaucus,  a  sea-divinity,  xm. 
900  fl. ;  repulses  him,  xm.  967; 
Glaucus  appeals  to  Circe  for 
aid  in  his  suit,  xiv.  18  ft. ;  Circe 

490 


otters  her  own  love  to  Glaucus, 
but,  being  repulsed  by  him,  takes 
revenge  by  changing  Scylla  into 
a  frightful  monster;  she  Is  fixed 
in  place,  a  woman's  form  begirt 
with  baying  heads  of  dogs,  vn. 
65;  xm.  732;  xiv.  69  ff. ;  this 
monster  takes  toll  of  the  men  of 
Ulysses,  thiuking  thus  to  harm 
Circe,  xiv.  70  ;  Scylla  was  subse- 
quently changed  to  a  dangerous 
rock  in  the  same  place,  on  the 
Italian  side  of  the  straits  of 
Sicily,  opposite  Charybdis,  xiv. 
73  ;  (2)  daughter  of  Nisus  of 
Megara,  who  for  love  of  Minos, 
who  was  besieging  her  native 
city,  cut  off  her  father's  purple 
lock, on  which  hissafety  depended, 
and  gave  it  to  Minos;  scorned 
by  him,  she  was  transformed  into 
the  bird  Ciris,  vm.  U  ft. 

Scyros  :  (1)  an  island  north-east  of 
Euboea,  xm.  166  ;  (2)  a  town  in 
Asia  Minor,  xm.  176 

Scythia,  the  country  of  the  Scy- 
thians, lying  in  Northern  Europe 
and  Asia  beyond  the  Black  Sea, 
I.  64  ;  II.  224 ;  V.  649  ;  vn.  407 ; 
vm.  788  ;  x.  588  ;  xiv.  J31 ;  xv. 
285,  360 

Semele,  daughter  of  Cadmus,  be- 
loved by  Jupiter,  mother  of 
Bacchus,  destroyed  by  Juno's 
wiles,  m.  261  ff. 

Semelei'us,  an  epithet  of  Ilacchus 
from  his  mother,  Semele,  in. 
620  ;  v.  329;  IX.  641 

Setniramis,  a  mythical  queen  of 
Babylon,  daughter  of  Dercetis  ; 
was  changed  at  last  into  a  white 
dove,  iv.  47  ;  surrounded  Baby- 
lon with  walls  of  brick,  iv.  58  ; 
her  husband  was  Ninus,  iv.  88  ; 
she  was  the  ancestress  of  Poly- 
daemon,  v.  86 

Seriphoi,  an  island  of  the  Cyoladea, 
V.  242,  251;  vn.  464 


INDEX 


Serpens,  a  northern  constellation, 
ii.  173.     See  Auguis 

Sibylla,  the  priestess  of  Apollo  at 
his  temple  in  Cumae;  is  visited 
by  Aeneas,  guides  him  through 
the  lower  world,  and  tells  him 
the  story  of  Apollo's  love  and 
her  foolish  choice  of  a  gift,  xiv. 
104  ff. ;  xv.  712 

Sicania,  a  name  for  Sicily,  V.  464, 
495  ;  xm.  724  ;  xv.  279 

Sicells,  Siculus,  Sicilian,  v.  861, 
412;  Vll.  66;  VIII.  283;  xui. 
770  ;  Xiv.  7;  XV.  706,  826 

Sicyonius,  of  the  city  of  Sicyon  in 
the  Peloponnesus,  in.  216 

Sidon,  a  city  in  Phoenicia,  II.  840  ; 
m.  129  ;  iv.  643,  672  ;  x.  267  ; 
xiv.  80 

Sidonis,  an  epithet  of  Dido  as  one 
who  came  from  the  Phoenician 
city  of  Sidon,  xiv.  80 

Sidonius,  an  epithet  applied  to 
Cadmus,  who  came  from  Phoe- 
nicia, in.  129;  to  the  Theban 
companions  of  Ino,  because  they 
were  derived  from  Phoenician 
stock  of  Cadmus  and  his  com- 
panions, iv.  643 

Sigei'us,  Sigeils,  of  Sigeum,  a  pro- 
montory in  the  Troad,  xi.  197  ; 
xn.  71 ;  XIII.  3 

8i!enus,  a  satyr,  the  foster-father 
of  Bacchus,  iv.  26  ;  kindly  en- 
tertained by  Midas,  XI.  90  ff. 

Silver  Age,  described,  I.  114  ff. 

Silvius,  son  of  Ascanius,  king  of 
Alba,  xiv.  610 

Simo'is,  a  river  near  Troy,  xin.  324 

Siuis,  an  Isthmian  robber  who 
bound  travellers  to  tree-tops, 
bent  these  dowu,  and  shot  his 
victims  into  the  air ;  he  was 
killed  by  Theseus,  vii.  440 

Sinuessa,  a  town  in  Campania,  xv. 
715 

Siphnos,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
VII.  466 


Sipylus,  one  of  the  seven  sopjb  of 
Niobe,  named  after  a  mountain 
in  his  mother's  native  Lydia,  vi 
149,  231 

Sirenes,  daughters  of  Achelolls 
(Acheloides,  v.  552), companions 
of  the  maiden  Proserpina  ;  when 
she  was  lost,  having  searched 
the  land  over  for  her,  at  their 
own  request  they  were  changed 
to  birds  that  they  might  search 
over  the  sea  also,  v.  552  ff . ;  they 
were  exceedingly  skilled  In 
song,  v.  655  ;  the  "  rocks  of  the 
Sirens"  were  three  small  rocky 
islands  off  the  coast  of  Cam- 
pania, from  which,  by  their 
sweet  voices,  the  Sirens  were 
said  to  lure  passing  siilors  to 
their  destruction,  xiv.  88 

Sirinus,  of  Siris,  a  town  and  river 
in  Lucania,  xv.  52 

Sisyphus,  son  of  Aeolus,  xm,  26  : 
brother  of  Athamas,  iv.  466  ;  he 
was  famous  for  his  cunning  and 
robberies,  XIII.  32  ;  for  which  he 
was  punished  In  Hades  by  the 
endless  task  of  rolling  a  stone 
up  a  hill,  which  always  rolled 
back  again,  iv.  460  ff. ;  x.  44  ; 
xm.  26 ;  he  was  supposed  to 
have  seduced  Anticlea,  the 
mother  of  Ulysses,  and  to  have 
been  himself  the  father  of 
Ulysses,  xm.  32 

Sithon,  an  otherwise  unknown 
creature,  now  woman  and  now 
man,  iv.  280 

Sithonius,  of  the  Sithonians,  a 
people  of  Thrace,  — Thracian.vi. 
588  ;  xm.  571 

Smilax.     See  Crocus 

Smintheus,  an  epithet  of  Apollo, 
"the  mouse-killer,"  xn.  685 

Sol,  the  Sun-god,  son  of  Hyperion, 
IV.  192,  241,  245,  257  ;  XV.  30  ; 
father  of  Circe,  xiv.  10,  33,  346, 
176  ;  of  Paiiphae,  IX.  376  ;    ol 

491 


INDEX 


Aeetcs,  VII.  96  ;  this  pod  is  fre- 
quently confused  with  Phoebus 
Apollo,  l.  751  ff. ;  II.  1  ft.,  394 

Somuus,  the  god  of  Sleep,  his  house 
aud  retinue  described,  xi.  593  ff. 

Sparta,  the  chief  city  of  Laconia, 
called  also  Lacedaemon,  in.  208  ; 
vi.  414;  X.  170,  217 

Sperchios,  a  river  in  Thessaly,  I. 
679;  II.  250  ;  v.  86  ;  vn.  23u 

Stabiae,  a  city  on  the  Bay  of 
Naples,  xv.  711 

Strophades,  two  small  isiands  in 
the  Ionian  Sea,  where  the  Trojans 
encountered  the  Harpies,  xm. 
709 

Strymon,  a  river  in  Thrace,  II. 
257 

Stymphalis,  of  Stymphalus,  a  dis- 
trict in  Arcadia  with  a  town, 
mountain,  and  lake  of  the  same 
name,  the  haunt  of  certain  odious 
birds  killed  by  Hercules,  IX. 
187 

Styphelus,  a  centaur,  xn.  469 

Styx,  a  river  of  the  world  of  the 
dead,  used  also  by  metonymy 
for  the  lower  world  and  for  death 
itself,  I.  1S9,  189,  737  ;  II.  46, 
101  ;  III.  76,  272,  290,  604,  695  ; 
IV.  434,  437;  v.  604;  VI.  662; 
X.  13,  313,  697;  xi.  500;  XII. 
S22;  xiv.  155,  591;  xv.  154, 
791 

Sunentinus,  of  Surrentum,  a  town 
ou  the  Bay  or  Naples,  xv.  710 

Sybaris.  a  town  and  river  in  Italy 
near  Tarentum,  xv.  51,  315 

Syenites,  the  inhabitants  of  Syene 
in  Upper  Egypt,  v.  74 

Symaethis,  a  daughter  of  the 
river-god  Symaethus  in  Sicily, 
mother  of  Acis,  xm.  750 

Symaethius,  of  Symaethus,  a  town 
in  Sicily,  xm.  879 

Symphlegades,  two  rocky  islands 
in  the  Euxine  Sea,  which,  ac- 
cording to  fable,  clashed  together 

492 


whenever  any  object  passed  be- 
tween them,  vil.  62  ;  xv.  838 

Syrinx,  a  nymph  of  Arcadia,  be- 
loved aud  pursued  by  Fan,  I. 
689  ff.  ;  changed  to  a  growth  of 
reeds,  1.  705  ;  Pau  constructs  a 
musical  instrumeut  out  of  these 
reeds,  called  either  the  "pipes  of 
Pan  "  or  the  Syrinx,  1.  71 1 

Syros,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 
vii.  464 

Syrtis,  a  dangerous  sandbank  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Africa, 
VIII.  120 

Taenaride8,  belonging  to  Tae- 
narus,  the  southernmost  point  of 
Laconia  ;  used  by  metonymy  for 
Laconian,  an  epithet  of  Hya- 
cinth us,  x.  183 

Tages,  an  Etrurian  deity,  grandson 
of  Jupiter ;  he  sprang  from  a 
clod  into  human  form,  and  was 
the  god  who  taught  the  Etruscans 
the  art  of  divination,  xv.  558 

Tagus,  a  gold-bearing  river  in 
Spain,  11.  251 

Tamasenus,  of  Tamasus,  a  city  in 
Cyprus,  x.  644 

Tanais,  the  god  of  the  river  of  that 
name  in  Scythia,  11.  248 

Tantalides,  Agamemnon  as  the 
great-grandson  of  Tantalus,  xn. 
626 

Tamalis,  JJiobe  as  daughter  of 
Tantalus,  vi.  211 

Tantalus  :  (1)  king  of  Phrygia,  son 
of  Jupiter,  father  of  Pelops  and 
Niobe,  vi.  172;  he  was  admitted 
to  the  table  of  the  gods,  vi.  173  ; 
because  of  the  trick  he  played 
upon  them  (see  Pelops),  he  was 
punished  in  Hades  with  thirst, 
standing  up  to  his  chin  in  water 
which  constantly  eluded  his 
efforts  to  drink,  iv.  458  ;  x.  41  ; 
(2)  one  of  the  seven  sons  of 
Niobe,  vi.  240 


INDEX 


Tarentum,  a  city  In  Lower  Italy 
founded  by  a  colony  of  Lace- 
dacuioniaus,  xv.  50 

Tarpein,  a  Roman  maid  who 
treacherously  opened  the  citadel 
to  the  Sabines  aud  was  killed 
beneath  the  weight  of  their  arms 
which  they  threw  upon  her,  xiv. 
776  ;  the  Tarpeiae  arces  was  the 
Capitollne  Hill,  on  which  stood  a 
temple  of  Jupiter,  xv.  866 

Tartarus,  and  plural,  Tartara,  a 
name  for  the  infernal  regions, 
I.  113  ;  II  260  ;  v.  871,  423  ;  vi. 
676 ;    XI.    670  ;    xn.    257,    523, 

619 

Tartessius,  of  Tartessus,  an  old 
Phoenician  colony  in  Spain,  xiv. 
416 

Tatius,  a  king  of  the  Sabines  who 
fought  against  Romulus,  but 
afterwards  made  peace  and 
reigned  jointly  with  him,  xiv. 
775,804,805 

Taurus,  a  mountain  in  Asia  MiLor, 
il.  217 

Ta'ygete,  a  daughter  of  Atlas,  one 
of  the  Pleiades,  in.  695 

Tectaphus,  one  of  the  Lapithae, 
xn.  433 

Tegeaea  =  Arcadian,  from  Tegea, 
an  ancient  town  in  Arcadia  ;  an 
epithet  of  Atalanta  (1),  vm.  317, 
380 

Telamon,  son  of  Aeacus,  king  of 
Aegina,  xin.  25  ;  grandson  of 
Jupiter,  xin.  28;  brother  of 
Peleus  and  Phocus,  vn.  4  76,  66!) ; 
xin.  151  ;  father  of  Ajax,  xn. 
624  ;  xm.  22,  346  ;  was  present 
at  the  Calydonian  boar-hunt, 
vm.  309,  378  :  took  part  in  the 
Ar^onantic  expedition,  nil,  24  ; 
aided  Hercuies  in  taking  Troy, 
xm.  23  ;  whereby  he  gained 
Hesione  as  his  wife,  xi.  216; 
he  was  banished  with  Peleus 
from  his  father's  house  for  the 


accidental  killing  of  their  half- 
brother  Phocus,  xm.  145.     See 
Peleus 
Telamoniades     and     Telamonius, 
epithets  of  Ajax  as   the  sou  of 
Telatnon,  xm.  194,  231,  266,  321 
Telchines.a  fabled  family  of  priests 
in    Ialysus,    an   ancient  city  of 
Rhodes,  who  by   the  glance  of 
their  eye»  could    change  things 
intouglyshapcs ;  Jupiter  plunged 
them  into  the  sea,  vn.  365 
Teleboas,  a  centaur,  xn.  441 
Telemua,  son  of  Eurymus,  a  seer, 

xm.  770 
Telephus,  a  king  of  Mysia,  son  of 
Hercules  and  the  nymph  Auge  ; 
he  was  wounded  at  Troy  by  the 
spear  of  Achilles  and  afterwards 
healed  by  that  hero,  who  rubbed 
rust  from  the  spear  upon  the 
wound,  xm.  171 ;  xn.  112 
Telestes,  a  Cretan,  father  of  Iauthe, 

ix.  717 
Telethusa,  wife  of  Lygdus,  mother 

of  Iphis,  IX.  682,  696,  766 
Tellus,  the   personification  of  the 
earth,  the  Earth-goddess,  n.  272, 
301  ;  vn.  196.     See  Terra 
Temese,  a  town  in  Bruttiuiu,  rich 
in  copper  mines,  vn.  207  ;  xv. 
707 
Tempe,  the  beautiful  and  famous 
valley  of  the  Peueus  in  Thessaly, 
between  Olympus  and   Ossa,  I. 
669  ;  VII.  222.  571 
Tenedos,  a  small  island  near  Troy, 

I.  616;  XII.  109;  XIII.  174 
Tenos,  an  island  of  the  Cyclades, 

vn.  469 
Tereus.  king  of  Thrace,  relieved 
Pandion,  king  of  Athens,  from 
siesre  aud  received  his  daughter, 
Procne,  in  marriage,  vi.  424  S. ; 
at  his  wife's  request  goes  to 
Athens  that  he  may  bring  Philo- 
mela back  with  him  to  visit  her 
sister,  vi.  440   ft ;  is  entrusted 

493 


INDEX 


by  Pandiou  with  the  care  of 
Philomela,  whom  on  the  journey 
homeward  he  ravishes  and  shuts 
np  in  a  house  in  the  deep  woods, 
vi.  620  ff. ;  the  two  wronged 
women  take  vengeance  upon  him 
by  murdering  his  son,  Itys,  and 
serving  him  up  as  a  feast  to  the 
unwitting  father,  vi.  647  ff. ;  he 
pursues  them  and  both  he  and 
they  are  changed  into  birds,  VI. 
671  11. 

Terra,  the  Earth-goddess,  mother 
of  the  Giants,  I.  157.    See  Tellus 

Tethys,  a  sea-goddess,  sister  and 
wife  of  Oceauus,  n.  69, 156,  509  ; 
ix.  499;  xm.  951;  changes 
Aesacus  into  a  diving-bird,  xi. 
784  it. 

Teucer:  (1)  one  of  the  most  ancient 
kings  of  Troy,  who  came  origin- 
ally from  Crete  ;  from  him  the 
people  were  called  Teucrians, 
xm.  705  ;  (2)  the  son  of  Tela- 
mon  and  Hesione,  half-brother 
of  Ajax  ;  though  the  cousin  of 
Achilles,  he  does  not  claim  that 
hero's  arms,  xm.  167  ;  he  Is  re- 
presented as  the  ancestor  of 
Anaxarete  of  Cyprus,  xiv.  698 

Teucri,  a  name  of  the  Trojans  from 
Teucer,  their  ancient  king,  xm. 
705,  728  ;  —Trojan,  xiv.  72 

Thaumantea,  Thaumantias,  and 
Thaumantls,  epithets  referring 
to  Iris,  the  daughter  ef  Thaumas, 
IV.  480;  XI.  647;  XIV.  485 

Thaumas:  (1)  the  father  of  Iris, 
see  above ;  (2)  a  centaur,  xn. 
303 

Thebae  :  (1)  the  capital  city  of 
Boeotia,  founded  by  Cadmus, 
ruled  over  by  Amphion,  Oedipus, 
and  Pentheus,  the  scene  of 
numerous  stories  in  myth  and 
legend,  III.  131,  549,  663  ;  IV. 
416  ;  v.  26$  ;  vi.  163  ;  vn.  761 ; 
IX.    403;    XIII.    686,    692;    XV. 

*9* 


427,  429  ;  (2)  a  city  In  Mysla 
xii,  110;  xm.  173 

Thebai'des,  the  women  of  Thebes, 
VI.  163 

Themis,  the  daughter  of  Heaven 
and  Earth,  goddess  of  Justice  ; 
has  also  oracular  power  ;  Deuca- 
lion consults  her  oracle  after  the 
flood  has  subsided,  i.  321,  379  ; 
warns  Atlas  that  a  son  of  Jupi- 
ter will  despoil  him  of  his  golden 
tree,  iv.  643  ;  checks  the  vow  of 
Hobe  that  she  would  grant  the 
gift  of  youth  to  no  one  after 
Iolaiis,  ix.  403,  418 

Therens.  a  centaur,  xn.  353 

Thermodon,  a  river  of  Pontus  on 
which  lived  the  Amazons,  n. 
249;  ix.  189;  xn.  611 

Therses,  a  guest  of  Anius,  xm. 
682 

Thersites,  a  mean  fellow  among 
the  Greeks  before  Troy  who 
loved  to  abuse  the  Greek  chiefs  ; 
he  was  chastised  by  Ulysses, 
xm.  233 

Thescelus,  a  companion  of  Phineus, 
v.  182 

Theseius  heros,  Hippolytus,  son  «f 
Theseus,  xv.  492 

Theseus,  son  of  Aegeus,  king  of 
Athens,  xv.  856  ;  called  thence 
Aegides,  viii. 174,  406;  according 
to  another  story  he  was  the  sou 
of  Neptune,  hence  Neptunius 
heros,  ix.  1 ;  his  mother,  with 
whom  he  spent  his  boyhood,  was 
Aethra,  daughter  of  Pittheus, 
king  of  Troezeu;  when  grown 
to  manhood  he  made  his  way  to 
Athens  to  his  father ;  on  this 
journey  he  slew  a  number  of 
murderous  robber  giants  who 
infested  the  road,  vn.  433  ft. ;  he 
came  to  Athens  unknown  to  his 
father ;  Medea,  whom  Aegeus 
had  lately  married,  sought  to 
poison   Theseus,  but  his  father, 


INDEX 


recognizing  him  at  the  critical 
moment,  drove  Medea  away,  vn. 
404  ff.  ;   finding   Aegeus  paying 
by  compulsion  of  Minos  a  tribute 
of  youths  and  maidens  to  feed 
the  Minotaur,  he  joined  this  band 
at  the  next  levy,  sailed  to  Crete, 
slew  the  Minotaur,  and  by  the 
aid  of  Ariadne  found  his  way  out 
of  the  labyrinth,  fled  from  Crete 
with  her  to  Dia,  where  he   de- 
serted her,  vm.  170  ff. ;    he  now 
returns  to  Athens,  where  he  is 
joyfully  received,  vm.  263;  goes 
to    the    Calydonian    boar-hunt, 
vm.    2  70  ff.;    on   his  return  to 
Athens  he  is  entertained  by  the 
river-god,  Achelolis,  vm.  647  ff. ; 
as  a  fast  friend  of  Pirithoiis,  he 
takes  a  prominent  part   in  the 
battle  of  the   Lapithae  against 
the  centaurs,  xn.  227  ;   he  had 
a  son,  Hippolytus,  by  Hippolyte, 
the  Amazon ;  for  this  son,  now 
grown  to  young  manhood,  Phae- 
dra, a  second   wife  of  Theseus, 
conceived    a   passion  ;    repulsed 
by  the  young  man,  she  accused 
him   to   his  father   of  attempt- 
ing violence  upon  her;  Theseus 
prayed   to   his  father   Neptune, 
who  sent  a  monster  from  the  sea 
to  destroy  Hippolytus,  xv.  497  ff. 
See  Cecropides 
Tliespludes,  a  name  given   to  the 
Muses    from    Thespiae,    a    city 
near  their  favourite   haunt  on 
Helicon,  v.  310 
Thessalis,  Thessalus,  of  Thessaly, 
a   country  in  the  north-eastern 
part  of  Greece,  vn.  222;  vm. 
768  ;  xn.  190 
Thestiadae,  the  two  sons  of  Thes- 
tius,     Toxeus    and     Plexippus, 
brothers  of  Althaea,  whom  Me- 
leager  slew  at  the  close  of  the 
Calydonian  boar-hunt,  vm.  304, 
4J4  ff. 


Thestias,      Althaea,    daughter    of 
Tliestius,   mother    of    Meleager, 
vm.  452,  473 
Tliestorldes,    Calchas,  the   son   of 

Thestor,  XII.  19,  27 
Thetis,  a  sea-nymph,  daughter  of 
Nereus  and  Doris,  xi.  221,226; 
xn.  93  ;  wife  of  Peleus,  xi.  217, 
400  ;  story  of  Peleus'  wooing,  xi. 
221  ff. ;  she  prays  the  nymph 
Psamathe  to  put  away  her 
wrath  against  Peleus,  xi.  400  ; 
she  is  the  mother  of  Achilles; 
foreseeing  his  death  in  theTrojaa 
war,  she  disguises  him  as  a  girl 
and  hides  him  at  the  court  of 
King  Lycomedes  at  Scyros,  xm. 
162;  obtains  from  Vulcan  a 
wonderful  suit  of  armour  for 
her  son,  xm.  288 
Thisbaeus,  of  Thisbe,  a  town  in 
Boeotia,  in  a  region  famous  for 
Its  doves,  xi.  300 
Thisbe,  a  beautiful  Babylonian 
maiden  loved  by  Pyramus,  iv. 
55  ff. 
Thoaetes,armour-bearerof  Cepheus, 

v.  147 
Thoas,  king  of  Lemnos,  father  of 

Hypslpyle,  xm.  399 
Thoou,  a  Trojau,  xm.  259 
Thracia,      with      the      adjectives, 
Thracius,    Thrax,    Threieius,    a 
country  north-east  of  Macedonia, 
V.   276;    VI.    87,    424,    435,    661, 
682  ;  ix.  194  ;  x.  83  ;  xi.  2,  92  ; 
XIII.  436,  439,537,565,  628 
Thurinus,  of  Thuiii,  a  city  ou  the 

Tareutine  Gulf,  xv.  52 
Thybris,  a  Greek  aud  poetic  form 
of  the  name  Tiber,  xiv.  427, 
448  ;  XV.  432,  624 
Thyesteae  mensae,  "Thyestean 
banquet,"  such  as  that  which 
Tliyestes  consumed  ;  Atreus,  his 
brother,  served  up  Thyestes'  own 
sons  to  him  as  a  horrid  revenge 
for  his  own  wrongs,  xv.  462 

49f 


INDEX 


Tbynei'us,  of  the  Thynl,  a  Thracian 
people  who  emigrated  to  Bithy- 
uia,  —  Blthyuian.  vm.  719 
Thyoneus:  (l)auepithetof  Bacchus 
from  Thyoue,  the  name  under 
which  his  mother,  Semele,  was 
worshipped,  iv.  13  ;  (2)  a  son  of 
Bacchus;  the  god,  in  order  to 
conceal  his  son's  theft  of  a  bul- 
lock, changed  the  latter  into  a 
stag  and  his  son  Into  the  form  of 
a  hunter,  VII.  359 
Tiberinus,    an    Alhan   king,   xiv. 

614  ;  of  the  Tiber,  xv.  728 
Tireslas.a  Theban  who  spent  seven 
years  in  the  form  of  a  woman, 
in.  324  ff. ;  he  decides  a  dispute 
between    Jupiter   and   Juno    in 
favour    of    the   former    and    ifl 
stricken     with      blindness     by 
Juno,  in.  332  ;  is  giveu  power  of 
prophecy    by   Jupiter,  in.   336 ; 
foretells   fate  of   her   son,  Nar- 
cissus, to  Liriope,  in.  346  ;   his 
fame  iuoreased  by  tragic  fate  of 
Narcissus,  ill.  611  ;  warns  Pen- 
theus   of   his   impending   doom, 
III.  516 
Tirynthius,  from  Tiryns,  a  city  in 
Argolis,   an   epithet   commonly 
applied  to  Hercules,  vn.  410  ;  IX. 
66,    268;     XII.    564;     XIII.    401; 
Tirynthia,  Alcmena,  the  mother 
of  Hercules,  vi.  112 
Tisiphone,  one  of  the   Furies,  IV. 
474  ;  at  the  request  of  Juno  she 
drives  Athamas  mad,  iv.  481 
Titan,  the  Titans  were  the  children 
of    Uranos   and   Gaea  (Heaven 
and    Earth),   among    whom    the 
following  are  mentioued  in  the 
Metamorphoses  :    Coeus,    Hype- 
rion, Iapetus,  Oceanus,  Saturnus, 
Mnemosyne,    Tethys,     Themis ; 
the   name    Titan    la    most    fre- 
quently applied  to  Sol,  the  Sun- 
god,  son  of  Hyperion,  I.  10  ;  vi. 
438;   x.  79,174;  xl  257;  also 

496 


to  Phoebus  in  his  manifestation 
as  the  Sun-god,  II.  118 
Tltania  and   Titanis,  a  female  de- 
scendant of  a  Titan,  an  epithet 
applied      to      Latoua      as      the 
daughter  of  Coeus,  vi.  185,  346  ; 
to   Diana    as  granddaughter  of 
Coeus,  in.   17  3;    to    Pyrrha  as 
granddaughter    of     Iapetus,    i. 
395  ;    to   Circe  as    daughter  of 
the  Sun-god,  xm.  968  ;  xiv.  14, 
376,  382,  438 
Tithonus,   sou  of  Laomedon,  hus- 
band of  Aurora,  father  of  Mem- 
non ;      his     wife     had      gained 
eternal    life    for   him,  but    not 
eternal  youth,  ix.  421 
Tityos,  a  "iant,  suffering  In  Hades 
for  attempted  violence  on  Latona; 
a  vulture  feeds  on  bis  liver,  which 
is  ever  renewed  for  his  suffering 
iv.  457  ;  x. 43 
Tiepolemus.asou  of  Hercules,  leadei 
of  the  Klio  liaus,   chides  Nestor 
for  omitting   Hercules'  part  in 
the  battle  against  the  centaurs, 
XII.  537,  574 
Tmolus,  and  Timolus,  a  mountain 
in  Lydia,  n.  217  ;  vi.  16;  XI.  86, 
152  ;  the  god  of   the  mountain, 
made  judge  of  a  contest  in  music 
between    Pan    and    Apollo,   XI. 
156  ff. 
Tonaus,    an    epithet    of     Jupiter, 
"  the   Thunderer,"    I.    170  ;    u. 
406  ;   XI.  198 
Toxeus,  son  of  Thestius,  killed  by 

his  nephew,  Melea^er,  vm.  441 
Trachas,  a  town    in   Latium,   xv. 

717 
Trachin,   a    city  in    Thessaly,  XI. 

269,  282,  602,  627 
Trachinius,  an   epithet   of    Ceyx, 

king  of  Trachin,  XI.  282 
Tricce,   a  town   in  Thessaly,  vn. 

223 
Tridentifer,  an  epithet  of  Neptune, 
vm.  596 


INDEX 


Trlnaeria  and  Trinacris,  an  old 
Greek  name  for  Sicily,  v.  347,  476 

Triones,  the  constellation  of  the 
Wain,  the  Great  and  Little 
Bears,  which  were  compared  to 
a  wagon  with  oxen  yoked  to  it; 
lying  far  to  the  north,  hence 
"cold,"  ii.  171;  the  Bears  are 
forbidden  by  Oceauus,  at  Juno's 
request,  to  dip  beneath  his 
waters,  ii.  172,  628;  x.  446.  See 
Callisto 

Triopei's,  Mestra,  the  daughter  of 
Erysichthon,  granddaughter  of 
Triopas,  king  of  Thessaly,  vm. 
872 

TriopeTus,  Erysichthon,  son  of 
Triopas,  vm.  751 

Triptoleiuus,  son  of  Celeus,  king  of 
Eleusin  in  Attica,  seut  over  the 
world  by  Ceres  in  her  chariot  to 
disseminate  seeds  and  the  know- 
ledge of  agriculture,  v.  616 ; 
attacked  by  Lyucus,  v.  65  3 

Triton,  a  sea-god.  half  man,  half 
fish,  son  of  Neptune,  at  whose 
bidding  he  blows  on  his  shell  to 
calm  or  rouse  the  sea,  I.  333  ;  II, 
8;   xm.  919 

Tritonia,  an  epithet  of  Minerva, 
from  Lake  Triton  in  Africa,  near 
which  she  is  said  first  to  have 
revealed  herself,  II.  783  ;  v.  250, 
270  ;  VI.  1 

Tritoniaca  harundo,  "Minerva's 
reed " :  she  is  said  to  have  In- 
vented the  flute,  vi.  384 

Tritonis  =  Tritonia,  n.  794  ;  v. 
645  ;  vm.  548 

Trivia,  an  epithet  of  Diana  because 
she  was  worshipped  where  three 
roads  meet,  II.  416.     See  Hecate 

Troezen.a  city  In  Argolis,  vi.  418  ; 
VIII.  566  ;   XV.  296,  506 

Troezenius  heros,  Lelex,  an  In- 
habitant of  Troezen,  vm.  667 

Troia,  Troy,  th«  famous  city  of  the 
Troad,    XI.    199,   208,   216,  757; 


XIII.  169,  197,  226,  325,  420,426, 
429,  500,  677,  623,  655,  721; 
xv.  424,  440,  442;  Troas,  a 
Trojan  woman,  xm.  421  566; 
Troes,  the  Trojans,  xm.  67  ;  xm. 
269,  274,  343,  375,  572;  XIV. 
245 

Troianus,  Trojan,  Till,  365  ;  xm. 
23,  54,  336,  702;  XIV.  140;  XV. 
437 

Tro'icu9,  belonging  to  or  from 
Troy,  xn.  604  ;  an  epithet  of 
the  goddess  Vesta  as  derived 
from  Troy,  xv.  730 

Ti'oius,  an  epithet  of  Aesacus,  sou 
of  Priaui,  XI.  773;  Of  Aeneas, 
xiv.  156 

Tumus,  a  kin?  of  the  Rutuli  iu 
Italy,  who  opposes  the  peaceful 
entrance  of  Aeneas  Into  Latiutn, 
for  he  himself  has  been  promised 
the  daughter  of  Latiuus,  who 
is  now   olfered  to   the  stranger, 

XIV.  451  ;  sends  ambassadors  to 
Diomede  asking  for  aid,  xiv. 
457  ff. ;  attempts  to  burn  the 
ships  of  Aeneas,  xiv.  630  ff. ;  he 
falls  at  last  in  a  dnel  with 
Aeneas,  and  his  city  of  Ardea 
is  burnt  to  the  ground,  xiv. 
573 

Tuscns,  Tuscan  or  Etrurian,  be- 
longing to  Ktrurla.  a  country  on 
the  north-western  coast  of  Italy, 
xiv.  223.  616;  —Tyrrhenian,  be- 
cause Etruria  was  said  to  have 
been  settled  by  that  Felasgian 
race,  m.  624 

Tydides,  Diomede,  son  of  Tydeus, 
xn   622  ;  xm.  68 

Tynnaridae,  Castor  and  Pollux, 
twin  sous  of  Leda  and  of  the 
Spartan  king  Tyndnreus,  present 
at  the  Calydonlan  boar -bunt, 
vm.  301,  372  ;  later  they  were 
couuted  the  sons  of  Jupiter,  and 
given  a  place  in  the  heavens, 
caelestia  sidera,  vm.  372 

497 


INDEX 


Tyndarie,  an  epithet  of  Helen  as 
tbe  daughter  of  Tyndareus,  xv. 
233 

Typhoeus,  one  of  the  Giants,  sons 
of  Earth,  who  put  the  heavenly 
gods  to  flight,  v.  321  ff. ;  struck 
with  lightning  by  Jupiter  and 
buried  uuder  Sicily,  in.  308;  v. 
348,  353 

Tyria  paelex,  an  epithet  of 
Europa,  m.  258 

Tyros,  a  city  in  Phoenicia,  in. 
539  ;  xv.  288  ;  Tyrius  -=Tyrian  or 
Phoenician,  n.  845  ;  II L  35,  258  ; 
V.  61,  390  ;  VI.  61,222  ;  IX.  340; 
X.  211;  XI.  166 

Tyrrhenia,  the  country  of  the  Tyr- 
rhenians, Etruria,  xiv.  452  ;  Tyr- 
rhenus,  of  or  belonging  to  the 
Tyrrhenians,  a  I'elasgian  people 
who  migrated  to  Italy  and 
formed  the  parent  stock  of  the 
Etrurians,  in,  396,  676  ;  IV.  23, 
663;  xiv.  8  ;  xv.  653,  576 

Ulixeb,  Ulysses,  son  of  Laertes, 
xn.  625  ;  xin.  48  ;  by  scanda- 
lous report,  son  of  Sisyphus, 
xin.  31 ;  great-grandson  of 
Mercury  on  the  side  of  his 
mother,  Anticlea,  daughter  of 
Autolycus,  son  of  Mercury,  xin. 
146  ;  great-grandson  also  of 
Jupiter  on  the  side  of  his  father, 
Laertes,  the  son  of  Arcesius, 
the  son  of  Jnpiter,  xm. 
143  ;  he  is  king  of  Ithaca  and 
ihe  neighbouring  small  islands, 
hence  called  Ithacus,  xin.  98, 
103  ;  he  is  distinguished  among 
the  Greeks  for  his  craft,  re- 
sourcefulness, eloquence,  and 
boldness,  xin.  92,  712  ;  xiv.  159, 
671  ;  in  order  to  avoid  going  to 
the  Trojan  war,  he  feigned  to 
be  mad  by  plowing  on  the  sea- 
shore, but  Palamedes  uncovered 
the   trick     by    laying    Ulysses' 

*98 


little  son,  Telemachus,  In  front 
of  the  oxen,  xm.  36  ff. ;  Ulysses 
afterwards  took    vengeance   on 
I'alamedes  for  this  act,  xin.  38, 
56  ;  he  was  saved  on  the  battle- 
fleid  by  Ajax,  xm.   71   ff.;   he 
defeuds  his  claim  to  the  armour 
of  Achilles,  xm.  124  ff. ;  it  was 
he  who  discovered  Achilles  hid- 
ing on   Scyros   at   the  court  of 
Lycomedes  and  brought  him  to 
the  war,  xm.  1 62  AC.  ;  and  he  is 
therefore  entitled   to  credit  for 
all    that    Achilles  has    done   at 
Troy,  xm.  171  ff. :  he  persuaded 
Agamemnon    to   sacrifice   Iphi- 
genia   at  Aulis,   xm.   181:  and 
tricked  Clytaemnestralnto  giving 
her  up,  xm.  193  ;    in  company 
with   Menelaiis  he  went  to  Troy 
before  war  was  declared  to  pro 
test  against  the  theft  of  Helen  by 
Paris  and  to  demand  her  return, 
xm.  196  ;    he   was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  aid  of  the  Greeks  in 
every  way  during  tbe  long  siege, 
xm.  211  ff. ;  he  chastised  Ther- 
sites,  xm.  233;    he  rescued  the 
dead  body  of  Achilles  from  the 
enemy,    xm.    280  ff. ;    defends 
himself    against   the   charge  of 
shrinking  from  the  Trojan  war: 
his   wife,   Penelope,     restrained 
him,    just  as    Achilles'    divine 
mother  had  kept  him  back,  xiil 
296  ff. ;  it  was  not  he  alone  who 
had  decided    the   fate   of   Pala- 
medes, xm.  308  ;  he  alone  was 
not  to  blame  that  Philoctetes  was 
left   on    Lemnos,  xm.  313;  he 
afterwards  went  to  Lemnos  and 
persuaded  Philoctetes   to  bring 
the  bow  and  arrows  of  Hercules 
to  the  Trojan  war,  xm.  399  :  he 
receives  the  award  of  the  armour 
of  Achilles,  xm.  382  ;  according 
to    prophecy     of     Telemus,   he 
was  destined  to  put  out  the  eye 


INDEX 


of  Polyphemus,  xm.  772  ;  hi» 
actual  experience  with  the  Cy- 
clops, xiv.  159  ff. ;  he  had  re- 
ceived from  Aeolus  the  winds 
tied  in  a  bag,  which  his  sailors, 
thinking  it  a  treasure,  had 
opened,  xiv.  225  ff.  ;  his  adven- 
tures on  the  island  of  Circe,  xiv. 
248  ff. ;  a  slight  reference  to  the 
many  suitors  who  beset  Penelope 
during  his  long  absence,  xiv. 
671 
Urania,  one  of  the  nine  Muses, 
afterwards  called  the  Muse  of 
Astronomy,  v.  260 

Venilia,  wife  of  Janus,  mother  of 
Canens,  xiv.  334 

Venulus,  a  messenger  sent  by 
Turnus  to  Diomeile,  xiv.  45  7, 
512 

Venus,  daughter  of  Jupiter  aud 
Dione,  xiv.  585  ;  xv.  8u7  ;  accord- 
ing to  another  story  she  is 
Aphrodite,  "  sprung_Xrom  the 
foam  of  the  sea,"  iVjJjjjf)  she  is 
called  Cytherea,  since  near  the 
island  of  Cytherashe  rose  from 
the  sea,  x.  640,  717  ;  xiv.  487  ; 
XV.  803;  see  also  IV.  190,  288; 
she  is  Erycina  from  Mount  Eryx 
In  Sicily,  where  she  had  a 
temple,  v.  363  ;  she  is  the  god- 
dess of  love  and  charm,  x.  230, 
277  ;  xiv.  478  ;  xv.  762  ;  and  of 
marriage,  IX.  796  ;  x.  295  ;  her 
husband  is  Vulcan,  iv.  17S  ;  she 
Is  the  mother  of  Cupid  (accord- 
ing to  one  account,  by  Mars), 
i.  463  ;  v.  364  ;  ix.  482;  of  Har- 
moniaby  Mars,  in.  132  ;  iv.  531; 
of  Aeneas  by  Anchises,  xm. 
625,  674  ;  XIV.  572,  584,  588  ;  she 
gains  deification  for  Aeneas, 
xiv.  585  ff.  ;  she  saves  hitn  from 
Diomede  in  battle,  xv.  806;  as 
she  also  saved  Paris  from  Mene- 
laiis,  xv.  805  ;  for  Aeneas'  sake 


she    favours   and   watches  over 
the  Trojans,  xiv.  572  ;   aud  the 
Romans    as    their    descendants, 
xiv.    783  ;  aud    especially  does 
she  care  for  Julius  Caesar  as  the 
descendant  of  Aeneas,   xv.  762  ; 
and  gaius  for  him  a  place  among 
the  gods,  xv.  779  ff. :  slieattemptg 
to  gain  immortality  for  Anchises, 
ix.  424  ;  she  loves  the  beautiful 
boy  Adonis,  x.  524  ff.;    mourus 
over  his  death,  x.717  ff. ;  changes 
him   to  the  anemone  flower,  x. 
735;  her  amour  with  Mars,  dis- 
closed by  Phoebus  and  exposed 
by  Vulcan,  iv.  171  ff. ;  xiv.  27  ; 
took  refuge  from  the  pursuit  of 
the  Giants  in  the  form  of  a  fish, 
v.  331  ;  appeals  to  Cupid  to  make 
Pluto  love  Proserpina,  v.  363  ff. ; 
changes  Pygmalion's  ivory  statue 
into   a    living  maid,  X.  270   ff. ; 
aids    Hippomeues   in    his    race 
with  Atalanta,  x.  640  ff. ;   trans- 
forms the   Propoetides  and  the 
Cerastae,  X.  230,   238;  wounded 
by    Diomede    in    battle   before 
Troy,     xiv.    477;    xv.    769;    in 
memory  of  which  she  takes  ven- 
geance   on    Diomede    and    his 
companions,  xiv.  478,  498 ;  her 
chief  seats  of  worship,  x.  529  ff. ; 
she  is  represented  as  drawn  in 
a  chariot  by  doves  or  swans,  x. 
718  ;    xm.  674  ;  xiv.  597  ;    xv. 
386  ;  Venus,  used  by  metonymy 
for  love,  in.   294,  323;  iv.  258  ; 
VI.  460;  IX.   141,  553,    639,   728, 
739;    x.  80,  324,  434;  xi.    306; 
xii.  198;    xm.  875;   xiv.  141, 
380 
Vertumnns,  an  old  Italian  deity, 
god    of    the    changing     seasons 
and  their  productions;  the  story 
of  his   wooing  of  Pomona,  xiv. 
64  2  ff. 
Vesta,  daughter  of  Saturn,  goddess 
of  the  hearth  and  of  the  house- 

♦99 


INDEX 


hold  in  general,  called  Trojan 
because  lier  w<  rship  and  her 
sacred  fire  were  brought  frotn 
Troy  to  Koine,  xv.  731  ;  her  tires 
in  dinger  of  extinguishment  by 
Caesar's  blood,  xv.  778  ;  held  as 
especially  sacred  among  Caesar's 
household  gods.  xv.  8G4,  865 

Virbius,  the  name  of  Hippolytus 
in  Italy  after  he  had  been  changed 
inio  a  deity,  xv.  544 

Volturnus,  a  river  in  Campania, 
xv.  715 

Vulcan,  son  of  Juno.  Iunonigena, 
iv.  173:  his  favourite  haunt  is 
Lemnos,  II.  757;  iv.  185:  XIII. 
313  :  he  is  the  god  of  fire,  the 
blacksmith  god,  very  skilful  in 
working  In  metals,  ll.  5,  106  ;  IV. 
175  ;  XII.  614  ;  XIII  289  ;  he 
Is  the  father  of  Kriehthouius,  II. 


757;  ix.  424  ;  and  of  Periphetes 
Vul  ani  proles,  vu.  437  ;  he  is 
the  husband  of  Venus,  and 
cleverly  catches  her  and  Mars  in 
an  amour,  iv.  173  £f.  See  Mul- 
ciber 

Xantiius,  a  river  on  the  Trojan 
plain,  II.  245  ;   ix.  646 

Zanole,  an  older  name  for  the 
city  of  Messana  in  Sicily,  XIII. 
729;  XIV.  5,  47  :   XV.  290 

Zephyrus,  the  west  wind,  i.  64, 
108  ;  xni.  726  ;  xv.  700 

Zetes,  one  of  the  winged  sons  of 
Boreas  and  Orithyia  ;  joined  the 
Argonauts,  vi.  716  ;  with  his 
brother  Calais  drove  the  Harpies 
away  from  the  blind  old  Thra- 
ciau  king,  l'iiineus.   ril.  5 


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Cicero:    De  Oratore.    E.  W.  Sutton  and  H.  Rackham 

2  Vols.   (2nd  Imp.) 

Cicero:  De  Republica  and  De  Legibus,  including  Som- 

nium  Scipionis.   Clinton  W.  Keyes.   (4th  Imp.) 
Cicero:  De  Senectute,   De  Amicitia,   De  Divinatione. 

W.  A.  Falconer.   (6th  Imp.) 
Cicero:  In  Catilinam,   Pro  Murena,  Pro  Sulla,   Pro 

Flacco.   Louis  E.  Lord.   (3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Cicero:  Letters  to  Atticus.    E.  O.  Winstedt.    3  Vols. 

(Vol.  I  6th  Imp.,  Vols.  II  and  II  4th  Imp.) 
Cicero:  Letters  to  his  Friends.    W.  Glynn  Williams. 

3  Vols.    (Vols.  I  and  II  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  Ill  2nd  Imp. 
revised  and  enlarged.) 

Cicero:  Philippics.   W.  C.  A.  Ker.  (3rd  Imp.) 

Cicero:   Pro  Archia,   Post   Reditum,   De  Domo,  De 

Haruspicum  Responsis,  Pro  Plancio.  N.  H.  Watts. 

(4th  Imp.) 
Cicero:  Pro  Caecina,  Pro  Lege  Manilia,  Pro  Cluentio, 

Pro  Rabirio.   H.  Grose  Hodge.   (3rd  Imp.) 
Cicero:    Pro  Milone,    In  Pisonem,   Pro  Scauro,   Pro 

Fonteio,  Pro  Rabirio  Postumo,  Pro  Marcello,  Pro 

Ligario,   Pro    Rege  Deiotaro.     N.  H.   Watts.     (2nd 

Imp.) 
Cicero:  Pro  Quinctio,  Pro  Roscio  Amerino,  Pro  Roscio 

Comoedo,  Contra  Rullum.  J.  H.  Freese.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Cicero:  Tusculan  Disputations.  J.  E.  King.   (4th  Imp.) 
Cicero:  Verrine  Orations.  L.  H.  G.  Greenwood.  2  Vols. 

(Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  2nd  Imp.) 
Claudian.   M.  Platnauer.   2  Vols.   (2nd  Imp.) 
Columella:  De  Re  Rustica.  H.  B.  Ash,  E.  S.  Forster  and 

E.  Heffner.   2  Vols.   (Vol.  I  2nd  Imp.) 
Curtius,  Q. :  History  Or  Alexander.  J.  C.  Rolfe.  2  Vols. 

(2nd  Imp.) 
Florus.  E.  S.  Forster;  and  Cornelius  Nepos.  J.  C.  Rolfe. 

(2nd  Imp.) 
Frontinus:  Stratagems  and  Aqueducts.   C.  E.  Bennett 

and  M.  B.  McElwain.   (2nd  Imp.) 
Fronto:    Correspondence.     C.    R.    Haines.     2    Vols. 

(Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  2nd  Imp.) 
Gellius.  J.  C.  Rolfe.  3  Vols.  (Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  and 

III  2nd  Imp.) 

2 


THE    LOEB    CLASSICAL   LIBRARY 

Horace:  Odes  and  Epodes.    C.  E.  Bennett.    (14th  Imp. 

revised.) 
Horace:  Satires,  Epistles,  Ars  Poetica.    H.  R.  Fair- 

clough.   (9th  Imp.  revised.) 
Jerome:  Select  Letters.  F.A.Wright.  (2nd  Imp.) 
Juvenal  and  Persius.  G.  G.  Ramsay.  (1th  Imp.) 
Livy.  B.  O.  Foster,  F.  G.  Moore,  Evan  T.  Sage  and  A.  C. 

Schlesinger.  14  Vols.  Vols.  I-XIH.  (Vol.  1 4th  Imp.,  Vols. 

H,  III,  V,  IX,  3rd  Imp.,  IV,  VI- VIII,  X-XII  2nd  Imp.) 
Lucan.    J.  D.  Duff.   (3rd  Imp.) 
Lucretius.    W.  H.  D.  Rouse.    (1th  Imp.  revised.) 
Martial.  W.  C.  A.  Ker.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  5th  Imp.,  Vol.  II 

4th  Imp.  revised.) 
Minor  Latin  Poets:  from  Publilius  Syrus  to  Rutilius 

Namatianus,  including  Grattius,  Calpurntus  Siculus, 

Nemesianus,  Avianus,  with  "Aetna",  "Phoenix"  and 

other  poems.  J.  Wight  Duff  and  Arnold  M.  Duff.    (3rd 

Imp.) 
Ovid:  The  Art  of  Love  and  other  Poems.  J.  H.  Mozley. 

(3rd  Imp.) 
Ovid:  Fasti.  Sir  James  G.  Frazer.  (2nd Imp.) 
Ovid:  Heroides  and  Amores.    Grant  Showerman.    (5th 

Imp.) 
Ovtd:  Metamorphoses.    F.   J.   Miller.    2  Vols.    (Vol.  I 

10th  Imp.,  Vol  II  8/A  Imp.) 
Ovid  :  Tristia  and  Ex  Ponto.  A.  L.  Wheeler.   (3rd  Imp.) 
Persius.   Cf.  Juvenal. 
Petronius.     M.    Heseltine;    Seneca:    Apocolocyntosis. 

W.  H.  D.  Rouse.   (9th  Imp.  revised.) 
Plautus.   Paul  Nixon.   5  Vols.   (Vols.  I  6th  Imp.,  Vol.  II 

5th  Imp.,  Vol.  Ill  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  IV  and  V  2nd  Imp.) 
Pliny:     Letters.      Melmoth's     translation     revised    by 

W.  M.  L.  Hutchinson.   2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  6th  Imp.,  Vol.  II 

1th  Imp.) 
Pliny:  Natural  History.    H.  Rackham  and  W.  H.   S. 

Jones.    10  Vols.    Vols.   I- VII  and  IX.  (Vols.   I-III  3rd 

Imp.,  IV  2nd  Imp.) 
Propertius.     H.  E.  Butler.     (6th  Imp.) 
Prudentius.     H.  J.  Thomson.     2  Vols. 
Quintilian.  H.  E.  Butler.  4  Vols.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Remains  of  Old  Latin.    E.   H.   Warmington.    4   Vols. 

Vol.  I  (Ennius  and  Caecilius).    Vol.  II  (Livius,  Naevius, 

Pacuvius,  Accius).    Vol.  Ill  (Lucilius,  Laws  of  the  XII 

Tables).    Vol.  IV  (Archaic  Inscriptions).    (2nd  Imp.) 

3 


THE  LOEB   CLASSICAL   LIBRARY 

Sallust.     J.  C.  Rolfe.     (4th  Imp.  revised.) 

Scriptores   Historiae  Augustae.     D.    Magie.     3   Vols 

(Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  II  &  III  2nd  Imp.) 
Seneca:  Apocolocyntosis.     Cf.  Petronius. 
Seneca:  Epistulae  Morales.    R.  M.  Gummere.    3  Vols. 

(Vol.  I  4th  Imp.,  Vols.  II  &  III  3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Seneca:  Moral  Essays.    J.  W.  Basore.    3  Vols.    (Vol.  II 

3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  I  &  III  2nd  Imp.) 
Seneca:  Tragedies.    F.  J.  Miller.    2  Vols.    (Vol.  I  4th 

Imp.,  Vol.  II  3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Sidonius:  Poems  and  Letters.   W.  B.  Anderson.   2  Vols. 

(Vol.  I  2nd  Imp.) 
Silius  Italicus.    J.  D.  Duff.    2  Vols.    (Vol.  I  2nd  Imp.. 

Vol.  II  3rd  Imp.) 
Statius.     J.  H.  Mozley.     2  Vols.     (2nd  Imp.) 
Suetonius.   J.  C.  Rolfe.   2  Vols.   (Vol.  I  1th  Imp.,  Vol.  II 

6th  Imp.) 
Tacitus:  Dialogus.    Sir  Wm.  Peterson;  and  Agricola 

and  Germania.    Maurice  Hutton.   (6th  Imp.) 
Tacitus:  Histories  and  Annals.    C.  H.  Moore  and  J. 

Jackson.  4  Vols.   (Vols  I  and  II  4th  Imp.,  Vols.  HI  and 

IV  3rd  Imp.) 
Terence.  John  Sargeaunt.  2  Vols.  (1th  Imp.) 
Tertullian:    Apologia    and    De   Spectaculis.     T.    R. 

Glover;  Minucius  Feldc.  G.  H.  Rendall.  (2nd  Imp.) 
Valerius  Flaccus.  J.  H.  Mozley.  (2nd  Imp.  revised.) 
Varro:  De  Lingua  Latina.    R.  G.  Kent.    2  Vols.    (2nd 

Imp.  revised.) 
Velleius  Paterculus  and  Res  Gestae  Divi  Augusti. 

F.  W.  Shipley.  (2nd  Imp.) 
Virgil.  H.  R.  Fairclough.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  \9th  Imp.,  Vol. 

II  \4th  Imp-  revised.) 
Vitruvius:    De   Architectura.     F.    Granger.     2   Vols. 

(Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  H  2nd  Imp.) 


GREEK  authors 


Achilles  Tatius.     S.  Gaselee.     (2nd  Imp.) 

Aeneas  Tacticus,  Asclepiodotus  and  Onasander.   The 

Illinois  Greek  Club.   (2nd Imp) 
Aeschines.     C.  D.  Adams.     (2nd  Imp.) 
Aeschylus.    H.  Weir  Smyth.    2  Vols.    (6th  Imp.) 

4 


THE   LOEB    CLASSICAL    LIBRARY 

Alciphron,  Aelian  and  Philostratus:  Letters.    A.  R. 

Benner  and  F.  H.  Fobes. 
Andocides,  Antiphon    Cf.  Minor  Attic  Orators. 
Apollodorus.    Sir  James  G.  Frazer.    2  Vols.   (Vol.  I  3rd 

Imp.,  Vol.  II  2nd  Imp.) 
Apollonius  Rhodius.   R.  C.  Seaton.   (5th  Imp.) 
The  Apostolic  Fathers.    Kirsopp  Lake.   2  Vols.  (I  8/// 

Imp.,  II  6th  Imp.) 
Appian:  Roman  History.    Horace  White.  4  Vols.  (Vol.1 

4th   Imp.,   Vols.   II    and    IV    3rd    Imp.,    Vol.    Ill    2nd 

Imp.) 
Aratus.     Cf  Callimachus. 
Aristophanes.    Benjamin   Bickley   Rogers.    3   Vols.    (5th 

Imp.)  Verse  trans. 
Aristotle:  Art  of  Rhetoric.  J.  H.  Freese.  {3rd  Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Athenian  Constitution,  Eudemian  Ethics 

Virtues  and  Vices.   H.  Rackham.   {3rd  Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Generation  of  Animals.    A.  L.  Peck.    (2nd 

Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Metaphysics.   H.  Tredennick.   2  Vols.   (Vol. 

I  4th  Imp.,  Vol.  II  3rd  Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Meteorologica.   H.  D.  P.  Lee 
Aristotle:  Minor  Works.    W.  S.  Hett.    "On  Colours", 

"On  Things   Heard",   "Physiognomies",  "On   Plants", 

"On    Marvellous    Things    Heard",    "Mechanical    Pro- 
blems", "On  Indivisible  Lines",  "Situations  and  Names 

of  Winds",  "On  Melissus,  Xenophanes,  and  Gorgias". 

(2nd  Imp.) 
Aristotle:    Nicomachean  Ethics.    H.   Rackham.    (6th 

Imp.  revised.) 
Aristotle:    Oeconomica  and  Magna  Moralia.    G.  C. 

Armstrong.  (With  Metaphysics,  Vol.  II.)  (3rd Imp.) 
Aristotle:  On  the  Heavens.    W.  K.  C.  Guthrie.    (3rd 

Imp.) 
Aristotle:   Organon.     Categories:   On   Interpretation, 

Prior  Analytics.   H.  P.  Cooke  and  H.  Fredennick.   (3rd 

Imp.) 
Aristotle:   Organon.    On  Sophistical   Refutations.    On 

Coming  to  be  and  Passing  Away,  On  the  Cosmos.  E.  S. 

Forster  and  D.  J.  Furley. 
Aristotle:  Parts  of  Animals.   A.  L.  Peck;  Motion  and 

Progression  of  Animals.  E.  S.  Forster.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Physics.   Rev.  P.  Wicksteed  and  F.  M.  Corn- 
ford.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  2nd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  3rd  Imp.) 

5 


THE    LOEB   CLASSICAL    LIBRARY 

Aristotle:  Poetics  and  Longinus.    W.  Hamilton  Fyfe, 

Demetrius  on  Style.     W.   Rhys   Roberts.    (5th   Imp 

revised.) 
Aristotle:  Politics.     H.  Rackham.     (4/ h  Imp.) 
Aristotle:  Problems.    W.  S.  Hett.    2  Vols.    (2nd  Imp. 

revised.) 
Aristotle:  Phetorica  and  Alexandrum.    H.  Rackham. 

(With  Problems,  Vol.  II.) 
Aristotle:  On  the  Soul,  Parva  Naturalia,  On  Breath. 

W.  S.  Hett.     (2nd  Imp.  revised.) 
Arrian:  History  of  Alexander  and  Indica.    Rev.  E. 

Iliffe  Robson.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  2nd  Imp.) 
Athenaeus:    Deipnosophistae.    C.    B.   Gulick.     7   Vols. 

(Vols.  I,  II,  IV-VII  2nd  Imp.) 
St.  Basil:  Letters.    R.  J.  Deferrari.    4  Vols.    (2nd  Imp.) 
CaClimachus,  Hymns   and  Epigrams,   and  Lycophron. 

A.  W.  Mair;  Aratus.   G.  R.  Mair.     (2nd  Imp.) 
Clement  of  Alexandria.   Rev.  G.  W.  Butterworth.   (3ro 

Imp.) 
Colluthus.     Cf.  Oppian. 
Daphnis  and  Chloe.     Cf.  Longus. 
Demosthenes    1:    Olynthiacs,    Philippics   and    Minor 

Orations:  I-XVII  and  XX.  J.  H.  Vince.  (2nd Imp.) 
Demosthenes  II:  De  Corona  and  De  Falsa  Legatione. 

C.  A.  Vince  and  J.  H.  Vince.  (3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Demosthenes   III:    Meidias,  Androtion,   Aristocrates, 

Timocrates,  Aristogeiton.  J.  H.  Vince.  (2nd  Imp.) 
Demosthenes  IV-VI:  Private  Orations  and  In  Neaeram. 

A.T.Murray.   (2nd Imp.) 
Demosthenes    VII:    Funeral    Speech,    Erotic    Essay 

Exordia  and  Letters.   N.  W.  and  N.  J.  DeWitt. 
Dio  Cassius:  Roman  History.    E.  Cary.    9  Vols.    (Vols 

I  &  II  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  III-IX  2nd  Imp.) 
Dio  Chrysostom.    5  Vols.    Vols  I  &  II.    J.  W.  Cohoon. 

Vol.  III.  J.  W.  Cohoon  and  H.  Lamar  Crosby.   Vols.  IV 

&  V.    H.  Lamar  Crosby.  (Vols.  I-IV  2nd  Imp.) 
Diodorus  Siculus.   12  Vols.  Vols.  I- VI.   C.  H.  Oldfather. 

Vol.  VII,  C.  L.  Sherman;  IX  &  X,  R.  M.  Geer.  (Vols 

I-IV  2nd  Imp.) 
Diogenes  Laertius.    R.  D.  Hicks.    2  Vols.    (Vol.  I  4th 

Imp.,  Vol.  II  3rd  Imp.) 
Dionysius  of  Halicarnassus:  Roman  Antiquities.  Spel- 

man's  translation  revised  by  E.  Cary.    7  Vols.  (Vols 

I-V  2nd  Imp.) 

6 


THE    LOEB   CLASSICAL    LIBRARY 

Epictetus.  W.  A.  Oldfather.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol. 

II  2nd  Imp.) 

Euripides.  A.  S.  Way.  4  Vols.  (Vols.  I&II  7th  Imp.,  Vols. 

III  &  IV  6th  Imp.)  Verse  trans.  ^ 
Eusebius:   Ecclesiastical  History.    Kirsopp  Lake  and 

J.  E.  L.  Pulton.    2  Vols.    (Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vol  II  4th 

Imp.) 
Galen:  On  the  Natural  Faculties.    A.  J.  Brock.    {4th 

Imp.) 
The  Greek  Anthology.   W.  R.  Paton.   5  Vols.  (Vols.  I  & 

II  5th  Imp.,  Ill  4th  Imp.,  IV  &  V  3rd  Imp.) 
The  Greek  Bucolic  Poets'  (Theocritus,  Bion,  Moschus). 

J.  M.  Edmonds.   (1th  Imp.  revised.) 
Greek  Elegy  and  Iambus  with  the  Anacreontea.  J.  M. 

Edmonds.  2  Vols.  (Vol  I  3rd  Imp.,  II  2nd  Imp.) 
Greek  Mathematical  Works.    Ivor  Thomas.    2  Vols. 

{2nd  Imp.) 
Herodes.  C/.  Theophrastus:  Characters. 
Herodotus.   A.  D.  Godley.   4  Vols.   (Vols.  I-III  4th  Imp., 

Vol.  IV  3rd  Imp.) 
Hesiod  and  the  Homeric  Hymns.    H.  G.  Evelyn  White. 

(1th  Imp.  revised  and  enlarged.) 
Hippocrates    and    the    Fragments    of    Heracleitus. 

W.  H.  S.  Jones  and  E.  T.  Withington.  4  Vols.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Homer:  Iliad.  A.  T.  Murray.   2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  1th  Imp., 

Vol.  II  6th  Imp.) 
Homer:  Odyssey.  A.T.Murray.  2  Vols.  (8th  Imp.) 
Isaeus.  E.  S.  Forster.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Isocrates.  George  Norlin  and  LaRue  Van  Hook.  3  Vols. 

(2nd  Imp.) 
St.  John  Damascene:  Barlaam  and  Ioasaph.   Rev.  G.  R. 

Woodward  and  Harold  Mattingly.  (3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Josephus.   H.  St.  J.  Thackeray  and  Ralph  Marcus.  9  Vols. 

Vols.  I- VII.  (Vol.  V  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  I-IV,  VI  &  VII  2nd 

Imp.) 
Julian.    Wilmer  Cave  Wright.    3  Vols.    (Vols  1  &  II  3ra 

Imp.,  Vol.  Ill  2nd  Imp.) 
Longus:    Daphnis   and   Chloe.     Thornley's   translation 

revised  by  J.  M.  Edmonds;  and  Parthenius.  S.  Gaselee. 

(4th  Imp.)     r 
Lucian.   A.  M.  Harmon.   8  Vols.   Vols  I-V.   (Vols  1  &  II 

4th  Imp.,   Ill,  3rd.  Imp.,    IV  &  V  2nd  Imp.) 
Lycophron.     Cf.  Callimachus. 

Iyra  Graeca.   J.  M.  Edmonds.   3  Vols.   (Vol.  I  4th  Imp,, 

7 


THE   LOEB   CLASSICAL    LIBRARY 

Vol.  II  3rd  Ed.  revised  and  enlarged,  Vol.  Ill  3rd  Imp. 

revised.) 
Lysias.     W.  R.  M.  Lamb.     (3rd  Imp.) 
Manetho.     W.    G.    Waddell;    Ptolemy:    Tetrabiblos. 

F.  E.  Robbins.     (3rd  Imp.) 
Marcus  Aurelius.  C.  R.  Haines.  (4th  Imp.  revised.) 
Menander.  F.  G.  Allinson.  (3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Minor  Attic  Orators.  2  Vols.   Vol.  I  (Antiphon,  Ando- 

cides).    K.  J.  Maidment.    Vol.  II  (Dinarchus,  Lycurgus, 

Demades,  Hyperides).  J.  O.  Burtt.     (Vol.  I  2nd  Imp.) 
Nonnos:  Dionysiaca.    W.  H.  D.   Rouse.    3  Vols.    (2nd 

Imp.) 
Oppian,  Colluthus,  Tryphiodorus.    A.  W.   Mair.   (2nd 

Imp.) 
Papyri.   Non-Literary  Selections.  A.  S.  Hunt  and  C.  C. 

Edgar.  2  Vols.  (2nd  Imp.)  Literary  Selections.  Vol.  I 

(Poetry).   D.  L.  Page.  (3rd  Imp.) 
Parthenius.     Cf.  Longus. 
Pausanias:  Description  of  Greece.    W.  H.  S.  Jones.    5 

Vols,  and  Companion  Vol.  arranged  by  R.  E.  Wycherley. 

(Vols.  I  &  III  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  II,  IV  and  V  2nd  Imp.) 
Philo.    10  Vols.   Vols.  I-IX.   F.  H.  Colson  and  Rev.  G.  H. 

Whitaker;  2  supplementary  vols.    R.   Marcus.    (Vols. 

II-II1,  V-IX  2nd  Imp.,  Vols.  I  &  IV  3rd  Imp.) 
Philostratus:  The  Life  of  Apollonius  of  Tyana.   F.  C. 

Conybeare.  2  Vols.  (Vol  1.  4th  Imp.,  Vol  II  3rd  Imp.) 
Philostratus:    Imagines;   Callistratus:    Descriptions. 

A.  Fairbanks. 
Philostratus   and   Eunapius:    Lives  of   the   Sophists 

Wilmer  Cave  Wright.     (2nd  Imp.) 
Pindar.  Sir  J.  E.  Sandys.  (7th  Imp.  revised.) 
Plato     I:     Euthyphro,     Apology,     Crito,      Phaedo, 

Phaedrus.     H.  N.  Fowler.     (11//;  Imp.) 
Plato  II:  Theaetetus  and  Sophist.    H.  N.  Fowler.    (4th 

Imp.) 
Plato  III:   Statesman,   Philebus.    H.   N.  Fowler;   Ion. 

W.  R.  M.  Lamb.     (4th  Imp.) 
Plato   IV:   Laches,   Protagoras,   Meno,   Euthydemus. 

W.  R.  M.  Lamb.     (3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Plato  V:  Lysis,  Symposium,  Gorgias.    W.  R.  M.  Lamb. 

(5th  Imp.  revised.) 
Plato   VI:   Cratylus,    Parmenides,    Greater    Hippias. 

Lesser  Hippias.     N.  H.  Fowler.     (4th  Imp.) 


THE   LOEB   CLASSICAL   LIBRARY 

Plato  VII:   Timaeus,  Critias,  Clitopho,   Menexenus, 

Epistulae.  Rev.  R.  G.  Bury.  (3rd  Imp) 
Plato  VIII:  Charmides,  Alcibiades,  Hipparchus,  The 

Lovers,  The  ages,  Minos  and  Epinomis.    W.  R.   M. 

Lamb.   {2nd  Imp.) 
Plato:  Laws.  Rev.  R.  G.  Bury.  2  Vols.  {3rd Imp.) 
Plato:  Republic.   Paul  Shorey.   2  Vols.   (Vol.  I  5th  Imp., 

Vol.  II  4th  Imp.) 
Plutarch:  Moralia.   14  Vols  Vols.  I-V.  F.  C.  Babbitt; 

Vol.  VI.  W.  C.  Helmbold;  Vol.  X.  H.  N.  Fowler.  {2nd 

Imp.) 
Plutarch:  The  Parallel  Lives.    B.   Perrin.     11    Vols. 

(Vols.  I,  II,  VI,  VII  and   XI  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  HI,  V, 

VIII-X  2nd  Imp.) 
Polybius.  W.  R.  Paton.  6  Vols.  {2nd  Imp.) 
Procopius:  History  of  the  Wars.  H.  B.  Dewing.  7  Vols. 

(Vol.  I  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  H-VH  2nd  Imp.) 
Ptolemy:  Tetrabiblos.     Cf.  Manetho. 
Quintus  Symrnaeus.  A.  S.  Way.  {3rd  Imp.)  Verse  trans. 
Sextus  Empiricus.  Rev.  R.  G.  Bury.  4  Vols.   (Vol.  I  3rd 

Imp.,  Vols.  II  &  III  2nd  Imp.) 
Sophocles.  F.  Storr.  2  Vols.  (Vol.  I  10th  Imp.,  Vol.  II  6th 

Imp.)  Verse  trans. 
Strabo:  Geography.  Horace  L.  Jones.   8  Vols.   (Vols.  I, 

V  and  VIII  3rd  Imp.,  Vols.  II-IV,  VI  and  VII  2nd  Imp.) 
Theophrastus :  Characters.   J.  M.  Edmonds;  Herodes, 

etc.     A.  D.  Knox.     {3rd  Imp.) 
Theophrastus:  Enquiry  into  Plants.   Sir  Arthur  Hort. 

2  Vols.     {2nd  Imp.) 
Thucydides.  C.  F.  Smith.  4  Vols.    (Vol.  I  5th  Imp.,  Vols. 

II-IV  3rd  Imp.  revised.) 
Tryphiodorus.     Cf.  Oppian. 
Xenophon:    Cyropaedia.    Walter  Miller.    2  Vols.    (4th 

Imp.) 
Xenophon:  Hellenica,  Anabasis,  Apology,  and  Sympo- 
sium. C.  L.  Brownson  and  O.  J.  Todd.  3  Vols.  (Vols.  I 

and  III  3rd  Imp.,  Vol.  II  4th  Imp.) 
Xenophon:  Memorabilia  and  Oeconomicus.  E.  C.  Mar- 
chant.     3rd  Imp.) 
Xenophon:  Scripta  Minora.  E.  C.  Marchant.   (3rd Imp.) 


THE    LOEB   CLASSICAL    LIBRARY 
VOLUMES   IN    PREPARATION 


GREEK    AUTHORS 


Aflian:  De  Natura  Animalium.  A.  F.  Scholfield. 
Aristotle:  History  of  Animals.  A.  L.  Peck. 
Callimachus:  Fragments.  C.  A.  Trypanis. 
Plotinus.     A.  H.  Armstrong. 


latin  authors 

St.  Augustine:  City  of  God. 

Cicero:   Pro  Sestio,  In  Vatinium,  Pro  Caelio,  De  Pro- 

viNcns  Consularibus,  Pro  Balbo.  J.  H.  Freese  and  R. 

Gardner. 
Phaedrus  and  other  Fabulists.     B.  E.  Perry. 

DESCRIPTIVE   PROSPECTUS   ON  APPLICATION 


LONDON  CAMBRIDGE,    MASS. 

WILLIAM    HEINEMANN   LTD  HARVARD    UNIV.   PRESS 

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