E'er might shake; blank-faced to the cloud its bastion

upstands.

Tisiphone thereby in a bloodspotty robe sitteth alway
Night and day guarding sleeplessly the desperat entrance,
Wherefrom an awestirring groan-cry and fierce clamour
outburst,

Sharp lashes, insane yells, dragg'd chains and clanking of iron.

Æneas drew back, his heart by' his hearing affrighted: 'What manner of criminals, my guide, now tell-me,' he‐ question'd,

560

'Or what their penalties? what this great wail that ariseth?'
Answering him the divine priestess, 'Brave hero of Ilíùm,
O'er that guilty threshold no breath of purity may come :
But Hecate, who gave me to rule i' the groves of Avernus,
Herself led me around, & taught heav'n's high retribution.
Here Cretan Rhadamanthus in unblest empery reigneth,
Secret crime to punish,-full surely he-wringeth avowal
Even of all that on earth, by vain impunity harden'd,
Men sinning have put away from thought till impenitent
death.

570

On those convicted tremblers then leapeth avenging
Tisiphone with keen flesh-whips and vipery scourges,
And of her implacable sisters inviteth attendance.'
-Now sudden on screeching hinges that portal accursed
Flung wide its barriers.-'In what dire custody, mark thou,
Is the threshold! guarded by how grim sentry the doorway!
More terrible than they the ravin'd insatiable Hydra
That sitteth angry within. Know too that Tartarus itself
Dives sheer gaping aneath in gloomy profundity downward
Twice that height that a man looketh-up t'ward airy

Olympus.

580

Lowest there those children of Earth, Titanian elders,
In the abyss, where once they fell hurl'd, yet wallowing lie.
There the Alöidæ saw I, th' ungainly rebel twins
Primæval, that assay'd to devastate th' Empyræan

With huge hands, and rob from Jove his kingdom immortal. And there Salmoneus I saw, rend'ring heavy payment,

For that he idly' had mockt heav'n's fire and thunder electric ;

589

With chariot many-yoked and torches brandishing on high
Driving among his Graian folk in Olympian Elis;
Exultant as a God he rode in blasphemy worshipt.
Fool, who th' unreckoning tempest and deadly dreaded bolt
Thought to mimic with brass and confus'd trample of horses!
But 'him th' Omnipotent, from amidst his cloudy pavilyon,
Blasted, an' eke his rattling car and smoky pretences
Extinguish'd at a stroke, scattering his dust to the whirlwind.
There too huge Tityos, whom Earth that gendereth all
things

Once foster'd, spreadeth-out o'er nine full roods his immense limbs.

On him a wild vulture with hook-beak greedily gorgeth

His liver upsprouting quick as that Hell-chicken eateth. Shé diggeth and dwelleth under the vast ribs, her bloody bare neck

Lifting anon: ne'er loathes she the food, ne'er fails the re

newal.

600

Where wer' an end their names to relate, their crimes and

torments?

Some o'er whom a hanging black rock, slipping at very point of

Falling, ever threateneth: Couches luxurious invite

Softly-cushion'd to repose: Tables for banqueting outlaid Tempt them ever-famishing: hard by them a Fury regardeth, And should they but a hand uplift, trembling to the dainties, She with live firebrand and direful yell springeth on them. Their crimes,—not to' hav lov'd a brother while love was allow'd them;

Or to' hav struck their father, or inveigled a dependant; 609 Or who chancing alone on wealth prey'd lustfully thereon, Nor made share with others, no greater company than they :

Some for adultery slain; some their bright swords had offended

Drawn i' the wrong: or a master's trust with perfidy had met : Dungeon'd their penalties they await. Look not to be

answer'd

What that doom, nor th' end of these men think to determine.

Sóme aye roll heavy rocks, some whirl dizzy on the revolving
Spokes of a pendant wheel: sitteth and to eternity shall sit
Unfortun'd Theseus; while sad Phlegias saddeneth hell
With vain oyez to' all loud crying a tardy repentance,
"Walk, O man, i' the fear of Gód, and learn to be righteous!"
Here another, who sold for gold his country, promoting 621
Her tyrant; or annull'd for a base bribe th' inviolate law.
This one had unfather'd his blood with bestial incest :
All some fearful crime had dared & vaunted achievement.
What mind could harbour the offence of such recollection,
Or lend welcoming ear to the tale of iniquity and shame,
And to the pains wherewith such deeds are justly requited?
Ev'n when thus she' had spok'n, the priestess dear to
Apollo,

'But, ready, come let us ón, perform-we the order appointed! Hast'n-we (saith-she), the wall forged on Cyclopian anvils Now I see, an' th' archway in Ætna's furnace attemper'd, 631 Where my lore biddeth us to depose our high-privileg'd gift.'

Then together they trace i' the drooping dimness a footpath,

Whereby, faring across, they arrive at th' arches of iron.
Æneas stept into the porch, and duly besprinkling

His body with clear water affixt his bough to the lintel;
And, having all perform'd at length with ritual exact,
They came out on a lovely pleasance, that dream'd-of oasis,
Fortunate isle, the abode o' the blest, their fair Happy
Woodland.

Here is an ampler sky, those meads ar' azur'd by a gentler

Sun than th' Earth, an' a new starworld their darkness

adorneth.

641

Some were matching afoot their speed on a grassy arena, In playful combat some wrestling upon the yellow sand, Part in a dance-rhythm or poetry's fine phantasy engage; While full-toga'd anear their high-priest musical Orpheus Bade his prime sev'n tones in varied harmony discourse, Now with finger, anon sounding with an ivory plectrum. And here Æneas met Teucer's fortunate offspring, High-spirited heroes, fair-favor'd sons o' the morning, Assarac and Ilos and Dardan founder of Ilíum :

650

Their radiant chariots he' espied rank't empty afar off, Their spears planted afield, their horses wandering at large, Grazing around:-as on earth their joy had been, whether

armour

Or chariot had charmed them, or if 'twer' good manage and

care

Of the gallant warhorse, the delight liv'd here unabated:
Lo! then others, that about the meadow sat feasting in

idless,

And chanting for joy a familyar pæan of old earth,

By fragrant laurel o'ercanopied, where 'twixt enamel'd banks Bountiful Eridanus glides throu' their bosky retirement. Here were men who bled for honour, their country defending;

660

Priests, whose lives wer' a flame of chastity on God's altar;
Holy poets, content to await their crown of Apollo;
Discoverers, whose labour had aided life or ennobled;
Or who fair memories had left though kindly deserving.
On their brow a fillet pearl-white distinguisheth all these:
Whom the Sibyl, for they drew round, in question accosted,
And most Musæus, who tower'd noble among them,
Center of all that sea of bright faces looking upward.
'Tell, happy souls, and thou poet and high mystic illustrious,
Where dwelleth Anchises? what home hath he? for 'tis in

his quest

670

We hither have made journey across Hell's watery marches.' Thertó with brief parley rejoin'd that mystic of old-time. 'In no certain abode we remain : by turn the forest glade Haunt-we, lilied stream-bank, sunny mead; and o'er valley and rock

At will rove-we: but if ye aright your purpose arede me, Mount-ye the hill: myself will prove how easy the pathway.' Speaking he léd: and come to the upland, sheweth a fair plain

Gleaming aneath; and they, with grateful adieu, the descent made.

Now Lord Anchises was down i' the green valley musing, Where the spirits confin'd that await mortal resurrection 680 While diligently he mark'd, his thought had turn'd to his own kin,

Whose numbers he-reckon'd, an' of all their progeny foretold Their fate and fortune, their ripen'd temper an' action.

He then, when he' espied Æneas t'ward him approaching O'er the meadow, both hands uprais'd and ran to receive him, Tears in his eyes, while thus his voice in high passion outbrake. 'Ah, thou'rt come, thou'rt come! at length thy dearly belov'd grace

Conquering all hath won-thee the way. 'Tis allow'd to behold thee,

O my son,-yea again the familyar raptur' of our speech.
Nay, I look't for 't thus, counting patiently the moments, 690
And ever expected; nor did fond fancy betray me.
From what lands, my son, from what life-dangering ocean
Art-thou arrived? full mighty perils thy path hav' opposed:
And how nearly the dark Libyan thy destiny o'erthrew !'
Then 'he, 'Thy spirit, O my sire, 'twas thy spirit often
Sadly appearing aroused-me to seek thy fair habitation.
My fleet moors i' the blue Tyrrhene: all with-me goeth well.
Grant-me to touch thy hand as of old, and thy body embrace.'
Speaking, awhile in tears his feeling mutinied, and when
For the longing contact of mortal affection, he out-held 700