Story of Aeneas Part 3

Scarcely had Achemenides finished his story when Polyphemus himself appeared coming down from the mountain in the midst of his flocks. A horrid monster he was, "huge, awful, hideous, ghastly, blind." In his hand he carried the trunk of a pine tree to guide his steps, and striding to the water's edge, he waded far into the sea, yet the waves did not touch his sides.

The Trojans now quickly got to their vessels, taking Achemenides with them, and they plied their oars with the utmost speed. Hearing the voices of the rowers and the sweep of their oars, the blind giant stretched out his hands in the direction of the sound, seeking to seize his enemies, as he took them to be. But the Trojans had got beyond his reach. Then in his rage and disappointment the monster raised a mighty shout which echoed from the mountain sides and brought forth his brethren from their woods and caves.

"To heaven he lifts a monstrous roar, Which sends a shudder through the waves, Shakes to its base the Italian sh.o.r.e, And echoing runs through AEtna's caves.

From rocks and woods the Cyclop host Rush startled forth, and crowd the coast.

There glaring fierce we see them stand In idle rage, a hideous band, The sons of AEtna, carrying high Their towering summits to the sky."

CONINGTON, _AEneid_, BOOK III.

After thus escaping from the terrible Polyphemus, the Trojan wanderers sailed along the coasts of Sicily, and coming to the north-west extremity of the island, they put ash.o.r.e at Drep'a-num. Here AEneas met with a misfortune which none of the prophets had predicted. This was the death of his venerable father Anchises.

"After endless labors (often tossed By raging storms and driven on every coast), My dear, dear father, spent with age, I lost-- Ease of my cares, and solace of my pain, Saved through a thousand toils, but saved in vain!

The prophet, who my future woes revealed, Yet this, the greatest and the worst, concealed, And dire Celaeno, whose foreboding skill Denounced all else, was silent of this ill."

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK III.

III. A GREAT STORM--ARRIVAL IN CARTHAGE.

Thus far you have read the story of the Trojan exiles as it was told by AEneas himself to Di'do, queen of Carthage, at whose court we shall soon find him, after a dreadful storm which scattered his ships, sinking one, and driving the rest upon the coast of Africa. The narrative occupies the second and third books of the AEneid. In the first book the poet begins by telling of Juno's unrelenting hate, which was the chief cause of all the evils that befell the Trojans.

Arms and the man I sing, who, forced by fate, And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate, Expelled and exiled, left the Trojan sh.o.r.e.

Long labors, both by sea and land he bore.

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

It was at Juno's request that AE'o-lus, G.o.d of the winds, raised the great storm, just at the time when the wanderers, after leaving Drepanum, were about to direct their course towards the destined Hesperian land. For though AEneas and his companions, following the advice of Helenus, had offered prayers and sacrifices to the haughty G.o.ddess, still her anger was not appeased. She could not forget the judgment of Paris, or the prophecy that through the Trojan race was to come destruction on the city she loved. And so when she saw the ships of AEneas sailing towards the Italian coast, she gave vent to her anger in bitter words. "Must I then," said she, "desist from my purpose? Am I, the queen of heaven, not able to prevent the Trojans from establishing their kingdom in Italy? Who then will hereafter worship Juno or offer sacrifices on her altars?" With such thoughts inflaming her breast, the G.o.ddess hastened to AE-o'lia, the home of storms where dwelt AEolus, king of the winds. AEolia was one of the ancient names of the islands between Italy and Sicily, now known as the Lipari Islands. In a vast cave, in one of those islands king AEolus held the winds imprisoned and controlled their fury lest they should destroy the world--

In a s.p.a.cious cave of living stone, The tyrant AEolus, from his airy throne, With power imperial curbs the struggling winds, And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds: High in his hall the undaunted monarch stands, And shakes his sceptre, and their rage commands: Which did he not, their unresisted sway Would sweep the world before them in their way; Earth, air, and seas, through empty s.p.a.ce would roll, And heaven would fly before the driving soul.

In fear of this, the father of the G.o.ds Confined their fury to those dark abodes, And locked them safe within, oppressed with mountain loads; Imposed a king with arbitrary sway, To loose their fetters, or their force allay.

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

To this great king Juno appealed, begging him to send forth his storms against the ships of AEneas, and she promised to reward him by giving him in marriage the fair De-i-o-pe'a, most beautiful of all the nymphs or maids in her heavenly train of attendants. AEolus promptly replied saying that he was ready to obey the queen of heaven. "'Tis for you, O queen, to command and for me to execute your will."

Then AEolus struck the side of the cavern with his mighty scepter, whereupon the rock flew open and the winds rushed furiously forth. In an instant a terrific hurricane swept over land and sea. The lightning flashed, the thunder pealed, and the waves rolled mountain high around the Trojan fleet.

All in a moment sun and skies Are blotted from the Trojans' eyes; Black night is brooding o'er the deep, Sharp thunder peals, live lightnings leap; The stoutest warrior holds his breath, And looks as on the face of death.

CONINGTON, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

Filled with terror, AEneas bewailed his unhappy fate, and lamented that it had not been his lot to fall with those

Who died at Troy like valiant men E'en in their parents' view.

But the storm increased in fury. Three of his ships were dashed against hidden rocks, while before his eyes one went down with all its crew.

And here and there above the waves were seen Arms, pictures, precious goods and floating men.

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

Meantime the roaring of wind and waves had reached the ears of Neptune, in his coral palace beneath the sea. Neptune was one of the G.o.ds who were friendly to AEneas, and so when he raised his head above the waters, and beheld the ships scattered about and the hero himself in deep distress, the ocean king was very angry. Instantly he summoned the winds before him, and sternly rebuked them for daring to cause such disturbance in his dominions without his authority. Then he ordered them to depart forthwith to their caverns, and tell their master that not to him belonged the kingdom of the sea.

"Back to your master instant flee, And tell him, not to him but me The imperial trident of the sea Fell by the lot's award."

CONINGTON, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

It was by lot that the empire of the universe had been divided among the three brothers Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto, the kingdom of the ocean falling to Neptune, the heavens to Jupiter and the "lower regions" or regions of the dead to Pluto. Neptune, therefore, had full power within his own dominion, and so the winds had to retire at his command. Then immediately the sea became calm and still, and AEneas with seven ships--all that he could find of his fleet--sailed for the African coast, which was the nearest land, the storm having driven them far out of their course. Soon discovering a suitable harbor, deep in a bay, with high rocks on each side at the entrance, the tempest- tossed Trojans gladly put ash.o.r.e, and lighting a fire on the beach, they prepared a meal of parched corn, which they ground with stones.

Meanwhile AEneas climbed a rock and looked out over the sea hoping to catch sight of some of the lost vessels. He was accompanied by his armor-bearer A-cha'tes, who was so devoted to his chief that the name is often used to signify a very faithful friend. But they could see none of the missing ships and so they returned to their companions.

Then AEneas delivered an address to his people, bidding them be of good cheer, and reminding them of the decree of heaven that they should have a peaceful settlement in La'ti-um--that fair Italian land, to which the G.o.ds would surely guide them in due time.

"Comrades and friends! for ours is strength Has brooked the test of woes; O worse-scarred hearts! these wounds at length The G.o.ds will heal, like those.

You that have seen grim Scylla rave, And heard her monsters yell, You that have looked upon the cave Where savage Cyclops dwell, Come, cheer your souls, your fears forget; This suffering will yield us yet A pleasant tale to tell.

Through chance, through peril lies our way To Latium, where the fates display A mansion of abiding stay; There Troy her fallen realm shall raise; Bear up and live for happier days."

CONINGTON, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

It is not to be supposed that all this time the G.o.ddess Venus was forgetful of the sufferings of her son. Even while AEneas was thus speaking to his fellow wanderers she was pleading his cause before the throne of Jupiter himself on the top of Mount Olympus. "What offence, O king of heaven," said she, "has my AEneas committed? How have the Trojans offended? What is to be the end of their sufferings?

Are they to be forever persecuted on account of the anger of one G.o.ddess?"

To this appeal the king of the G.o.ds answered a.s.suring Venus that the promises made to the Trojan exiles should all be fulfilled. AEneas, he said, should make war against fierce tribes in Italy, and conquer them, and rule in La-vin'i-um. After him his son Iulus should reign for thirty years, and build a city to be called Alba Longa, where his descendants would hold sovereign power for three hundred years. Then from the same race should come Rom'u-lus, who would found the city Rome, which would in time conquer Greece and rule the world.

"The people Romans call, the city Rome To them no bounds of empire I a.s.sign, Nor term of years to their immortal line, E'en haughty Juno, who, with endless broils, Earth, seas, and heaven, and Jove himself turmoils, At length atoned, her friendly power shall join, To cherish and advance the Trojan line.

An age is ripening in revolving fate, When Troy shall overturn the Grecian state, And sweet revenge her conquering sons shall call To crush the people that conspired her fall, Then Caesar from the Julian stock shall rise, Whose empire ocean, and whose fame the skies Alone shall bound."

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

Thus did the king of heaven prophesy the future greatness and power of the Julian line. Then he sent Mercury, the messenger of the G.o.ds, down to earth to bid the queen of Carthage and her people give a hospitable reception to the Trojans, for it was near that city, on the Li'by-an sh.o.r.e, that they had landed after the storm. Venus herself, too, came down from Olympus, and, in the garb of a huntress, appeared to her son and the faithful Achates, as they were exploring the coast to find out what land it was, and by what people possessed. She did not make herself known to them, but inquired if they had seen one of her sisters who had strayed away from her. AEneas answered: "None of your sisters have we seen, O virgin, or shall we call you G.o.ddess, for such you seem to be? Whoever you are, graciously relieve our anxiety by informing us what country this is into which unkind fortune has driven us.

"Instruct us 'neath what sky at last, Upon what sh.o.r.e our lot is cast; We wander here by tempest blown, The people and the place unknown."

CONINGTON, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

To these inquiries Venus, still maintaining her disguise, replied by telling the Trojan heroes the story of Carthage and Queen Dido. This famous woman was the daughter of Be'lus, king of Tyre, a city of Phoe-nic'i-a, in Asia Minor. She married a wealthy Tyrian lord named Si-chae'us. On her father's death, her brother Pyg-ma'li-on became king of Tyre. He was a cruel and avaricious tyrant, and in order to get possession of his brother-in-law's riches, he had him put to death, concealing the crime from his sister by many false tales. But in a dream the ghost of Sichaeus appeared to Dido and told her of the wicked deed of Pygmalion. He at the same time advised her to fly from the country with all speed, and he informed her of the place where he had hidden his treasures--a large sum in gold and silver, which he bade her take to help her in her flight.

Dido therefore got together a number of ships, and put to sea accompanied by a number of her countrymen who hated the cruel tyrant.

They sailed to the coast of Africa and landed in Libya, where they purchased from the inhabitants as much ground as could be encompa.s.sed by a bull's hide cut into thongs. Then they commenced to build a city which they called Carthage, and even now they were engaged in raising its walls.

Such was the story of Dido which Venus related to AEneas and Achates.

Having concluded, she inquired in her turn who they were, from what country they had come, and whither they were going. In reply AEneas gave a brief account of his wanderings since the fall of Troy. Then the G.o.ddess directed him to go into the city and present himself before the queen, and she pointed to an augury in the sky--twelve swans flying above their heads--which, she said, was a sign that the ships they had supposed to be lost were at that moment sailing into the harbor.

So saying Venus turned to leave them, when suddenly a marvelous change took place in her dress and appearance, so that AEneas knew she was his mother, and he cried to her to permit him to touch her hand and speak with her as her son. The G.o.ddess, however, made no answer, but she cast over Aeneas and his companion a thick veil of cloud so that no one might see or molest them on their way. Thus rendered invisible, they went towards the city. When they reached it they found a great many men at work, some finishing the walls, others erecting great buildings of various kinds. In the center of the town was a magnificent temple of Juno.

Enriched with gifts, and with a golden shrine; But more the G.o.ddess made the place divine.

On brazen steps the marble threshold rose, And brazen plates the cedar beams enclose; The rafters are with brazen coverings crowned; The lofty doors on brazen hinges sound.

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

Entering this temple, AEneas was astonished to find the walls covered with paintings representing scenes of the Trojan war.

He saw, in order painted on the wall, Whatever did unhappy Troy befall; The wars that fame around the world had blown, All to the life, and every leader known.

He stopped, and weeping said: "O friend! e'en here!

The monuments of Trojan woes appear!"

DRYDEN, _AEneid_, BOOK I.

Amongst the pictures, AEneas recognized one of himself performing deeds of valor in the thick of the fight. While he and his companion, both still invisible, were gazing with admiration upon those scenes Queen Dido came into the temple, attended by a numerous train of warriors, and took her seat upon a high-raised throne. Presently there appeared a number of Trojans advancing towards the queen, and AEneas rejoiced to see that they were some of his own people belonging to the ships that had been separated from him during the storm. They had been cast ash.o.r.e on a different part of the coast, and not hearing of the safe arrival of AEneas, they were now come to beg the help and protection of Dido. Having heard their story, which Il-i'o-neus, one of their number, briefly related, the queen bade them dismiss their fears, promising that she would give them whatever a.s.sistance they needed, and send out messengers to search the Libyan coasts for their leader AEneas. But at this point the mist that encompa.s.sed AEneas and his companion suddenly vanished and the hero stood forth, beheld by all, his face resembling that of a G.o.d.