Unde hominum genus et pecudes; unde imber et ignes;
Arcturum pluviasque Hyadas geminosque Triones;
Quid tantum Oceano properent se tinguere soles
Hiberni, vel quae tardis mora noctibus obstet.
Ingeminant plausu Tyrii, Troesque sequuntur.
Nec non et vario noctem sermone trahebat
Infelix Dido, longumque bibebat amorem,
Multa super Priamo rogitans, super Hectore multa;
Nunc, quibus Aurorae venisset filius armis,
Nunc, quales Diomedis equi, nunc, quantus Achilles.
Immo age, et a prima dic, hospes, origine nobis
Insidias, inquit, Danaum, casusque tuorum,
Erroresque tuos; nam te iam septima portat
Omnibus errantem terris et fluctibus aestas.

This sounds' like a modern scientific lecture in verse. What was then a mere legend, whence derived no one knows, has since been found to be in harmony with the clearest evidences of science.

742. Errantem lunam. Referring to the revolutions of the moon in her orbit.

Solis labores, i. e. eclipses of the sun. With this line compare Geo. I. 337: Quos ignis caeli Cyllenius erret in orbis. And II. 478:

Defectus solis varios, lunaeque labores.

744. Pluvias Hyadas. The Hyades were the daughters of Atlas. The constellation was called "pluviae," because it set at twilight in the rainy months of August and November. Cf. Spenser (F. Q. III. I. 57) :

And the moist daughters of huge Atlas

745

750

755

And whether now on new adventure
bownd:

Who with bold grace, and comely gravity,
Drawing to him the eies of all around,
From lofty siege [seat] began these words
aloud to sownd.

Troy, that art now nought but an idle name,
And in thine ashes buried low dost lie,

Though whilome far much greater then thy fame,
Before that angry gods and cruell skie

Upon thee heapt a direfull destinie!

SPENSER, F. Q. III. IX. 33.

Illustrious Troy! renown'd in every clime
Through the long records of succeeding time;
Who saw protecting gods from heaven descend
Full oft, thy royal bulwarks to defend.

Though chiefs unnumber'd in her cause were slain,
With fate the gods and heroes fought in vain;
That refuge of perfidious Helen's shame

At midnight was involved in Grecian flame;

And now, by time's deep ploughshare harrow'd o'er,
The seat of sacred Troy is found no more.
No trace of her proud fabrics now remains,
But corn and vines enrich her cultured plains.

FALCONER, Shipwreck, III.

Conticuere omnes, intentique ora tenebant.
Inde toro pater Aeneas sic orsus ab alto:
Infandum, Regina, iubes renovare dolorem,
Troianas ut opes et lamentabile regnum
Eruerint Danai; quaeque ipse miserrima vidi,

3. Compare Homer, Od. IX. 13:

But now thy mind is moved to ask of me
The story of the sufferings I have borne,
And that will wake my grief anew.

Thus Ulysses begins the story of his wanderings; and Dante (Inf. I. 4) thus begins the relation of his dream :

Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,

5

Which in the very thought renews the fear.

And again (Inf. XXXIII. 4-6) one in torment explains the cause of his condition : Thou wilt that I renew The desperate grief, which wrings my heart already

To think of only, ere I speak of it.

Et quorum pars magua fui. Quis talia fando
Myrmidonum Dolopumve aut duri miles Ulixi
Temperet a lacrimis? et iam nox umida caelo
Praecipitat, suadentque cadentia sidera somnos.
Sed si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros
Et breviter Troiae supremum audire laborem,
Quamquam animus meminisse horret, luctuque refugit,
Incipiam.

Глојни ветов

Fracti bello fatisque repulsi

Ductores Danaûm, tot iam labentibus annis,
Instar montis equum divina Palladis arte
Aedificant, sectaque intexunt abiete costas;
Votum pro reditu simulant; ea fama vagatur.
Huc delecta virûm sortiti corpora furtim
Includunt caeco lateri, penitusque cavernas
Ingentes uterumque armato milite complent.

Est in conspectu Tenedos, notissima fama

Aulis:

10

15

20

6-8. Cf. Tattler, No. 134; and Spec- the Greeks sacrificed to the winds at tator, No. 84; and Spenser (F. Q. III. IX. 39):

O lamentable fall of famous towne,
Which raignd so many yeares victorious,
And of all Asie bore the soveraine crowne,
In one sad night consumd and throwen
downe!

Aulide quo pacto Triviai virginis aram Iphianassai turparunt sanguine foede Ductores Danaum delecti, prima virorum LUCR. I. 84-6. 15 Divina Palladis arte Minerva was regarded in the ancient myth

What stony hart, that heares thy haplesse ology as the goddess of wisdom and skill fate,

As here she is represented as teaching
Epeus to frame the wooden horse, so in
Catullus (LXIV. 8-10) she assists in the
building of the Argo:

Diva quibus retinens in summis urbibus

arces

Ipsa levi fecit volitantem flamine currum, Pinea coniungens inflexae texta carinae. 21. Tenedos. This island was once

-

8. Temperet, 208.- 10. Cognoscere, 163.. 12. Meminisse, 160. Horret, 202. 1). — Luctu, 136.-14. Labentibus annis, 155. — 15. Montis, 96.

Insula, dives opum, Priami dum regna manebant,
Nunc tantum sinus et statio male fida carinis;
Huc se provecti deserto in litore condunt.
Nos abiisse rati et vento petiisse Mycenas.
Ergo omnis longo solvit se Teucria luctu.
Panduntur portae; iuvat ire et Dorica castra
Desertosque videre locos litusque relictum.

Hic Dolopum manus, hic saevus tendebat Achilles;
Classibus hic locus; hic acie certare solebant.
Pars stupet innuptae donum exitiale Minervae
Et molem mirantur equi; primusque Thymoetes
Duci intra muros hortatur et arce locari,
Sive dolo, seu iam Troiae sic fata ferebant.
At Capys, et quorum melior sententia menti,
Aut pelago Danaûm insidias suspectaque dona

celebrated for its laws and civil institu-
tions. It was taken by Achilles during
the siege of Troy, and retains its ancient
name to this day. - Class. Dic.

Troy was overcome by the fraud of the wooden horse, it was in a poetic sense the gateway by which Aeneas went forth to establish the Roman empire in Italy."

34. Dolo. The fact that the wife and son of this prince had been put to death by the order of Priam, would give color to this suspicion.

36. Danaum insidias. From Homer's account we get a glimpse within the horse. Menelaus thus recalls to Helen that stirring time (Od. IV. 351, seq.):

Witness what he did

And bore, the heroic man, what time we
sat,

The bravest of the Argives, pent within
The wooden horse about to bring to Troy

Whence issued forth the Romans' gentle | Slaughter and death. Thou camest to the seed.

place,

Moved, as it seemed, by some divinity

25. Abiisse, 219.-27. Ire, 158. -30. Classibus, 102.-31. Minervae, 87.-
35. Quorum - menti, 219.—36. Pelago, 100.