CARTHAGE.
All these things did Jupiter behold; and even as he beheld them there
came to him Venus, having a sad countenance and her shining eyes dim
with tears, and spake: "O great Father, that rulest all things, what
have Æneas and the men of Troy sinned against thee, that the whole
world is shut against them? Didst not thou promise that they should
rule over land and sea? Why, then, art thou turned back from thy
purpose? With this I was wont to comfort myself for the evil fate of
Troy, but lo! this same fate follows them still, nor is there any end
to their troubles. And yet it was granted to Antenor, himself also a
man of Troy, that he should escape from the Greeks, and coming to the
Liburnian land, where Timavus flows with much noise into the sea,
build a city and find rest for himself. But we, who are thy children,
are kept far from the land which thou hast sworn to give us."
Then her father kissed her once and again, and answered smiling,
"Fear not, my daughter, the fate of thy children changeth not. Thou
shalt see this city for which thou lookest, and shalt receive thy son,
the great-hearted Æneas, into the heavens. Hearken, therefore, and I
will tell thee things to come. Æneas shall war with the nations of
Italy, and shall subdue them, and build a city, and rule therein for
three years. And after the space of thirty years shall the boy
Ascanius, who shall hereafter be called Iülus also, change the place
of his throne from Lavinium unto Alba; and for three hundred years
shall there be kings in Alba of the kindred of Hector. Then shall a
priestess bear to Mars twin sons, whom a she-wolf shall suckle; of
whom the one, even Romulus, shall build a city, dedicating it to Mars,
and call it Rome, after his own name. To which city have I given
empire without bound or end. And Juno also shall repent her of her
wrath, and join counsel with me, cherishing the men of Rome, so that
they shall bear rule even over Argos and Mycenæ."
And when he had said this, he sent down his messenger, even Mercury,
to turn the heart of Dido and her people, where they dwelt in the city
of Carthage, which they had builded, so that they should deal kindly
with the strangers.
Now it came to pass on the next day that Æneas, having first hidden
his ships in a bay that was well covered with trees, went forth to spy
out the new land whither he was come, and Achates only went with him.
And Æneas had in each hand a broad-pointed spear. And as he went there
met him in the middle of the wood his mother, but habited as a Spartan
virgin, for she had hung a bow from her shoulders after the fashion of
a huntress, and her hair was loose, and her tunic short to the knees,
and her garments gathered in a knot upon her breast. Then first the
false huntress spake, "If perchance ye have seen one of my sisters
wandering hereabouts, make known to me the place. She is girded with a
quiver, and is clothed with the skin of a spotted lynx, or, may be,
she hunts a wild boar with horn and hound."
To whom Æneas, "I have not seen nor heard sister of thine, O
virgin--for what shall I call thee? for, of a surety, neither is thy
look as of a mortal woman, nor yet thy voice. A goddess certainly
thou art, sister of Phœbus, or, haply, one of the nymphs. But
whosoever thou art, look favourably upon us and help us. Tell us in
what land we be, for the winds have driven us hither, and we know not
aught of place or people."
And Venus said, "Nay, stranger, I am not such as ye think. We virgins
of Tyre are wont to carry a quiver and to wear a buskin of purple. For
indeed it is a Tyrian city that is hard by, though the land be Lybia.
And of this city Dido is queen, having come hither from Tyre, flying
from the wrong-doing of her brother. And indeed the story of the thing
is long, but I will recount the chief matter thereof to thee. The
husband of this Dido was one Sichæus, richest among all the men of
Phœnicia, and greatly beloved of his wife, whom he married from a
virgin. Now the brother of this Sichæus was Pygmalion, the king of the
country, and he exceeded all men in wickedness. And when there arose a
quarrel between them, the king, being exceedingly mad after gold, took
him unaware, even as he did sacrifice at the altar, and slew him. And
the king hid the matter many days from Dido, and cheated her with
false hopes. But at the last there came to her in her dreams the
likeness of the dead man, baring his wounds and showing the wickedness
which had been done. Also he bade her make haste and fly from that
land, and, that she might do this the more easily, told her of great
treasure, gold and silver, that was hidden in the earth. And Dido,
being much moved by these things, made ready for flight; also she
sought for companions, and there came together to her all as many as
hated the king or feared him. Then did they seize ships that chanced
to be ready, and laded them with gold, even the treasure of King
Pygmalion, and so fled across the sea. And in all this was a woman the
leader. Then came they to this place, where thou seest the walls and
citadel of Carthage, and bought so much land as they could cover with
a bull's hide. And now do ye answer me this, Whence come ye, and
whither do ye go?"
Then answered Æneas, "Should I tell the whole story of our wanderings,
and thou have leisure to hear, evening would come ere I could make an
end. We are men of Troy, who, having journeyed over many seas, have
now been driven by storms to this shore of Lybia. And as for me, men
call me the prince Æneas. The land I seek is Italy, and my race is
from Jupiter himself. With twenty ships did I set sail, going in the
way whereon the Gods sent me. And of these scarce seven are left. And
now, seeing that Europe and Asia endure me not, I wander over the
desert places of Africa."
But Venus suffered him not to speak more, but said, "Whoever thou art,
stranger, that art come to this Tyrian city, thou art surely beloved
by the Gods. And now go, show thyself to the queen. And as for thy
ships and thy companions, I tell that they are safe in the haven, if I
have not learnt augury in vain. See those twenty swans, how joyously
they fly! And now there cometh an eagle swooping down from the sky,
putting them to confusion, but now again they move in due order, and
some are settling on the earth and some preparing to settle. Even so
doth it fare with thy ships, for either are they already in the haven
or enter thereinto with sails full set."
And as she spake she turned away, and there shone a rosy light from
her neck, also there came from her hair a sweet savour as of ambrosia,
and her garments grew unto her feet; and Æneas perceived that she was
his mother, and cried aloud,--
"O my mother, why dost thou mock me so often with false shows, nor
sufferest me to join my hand unto thy hand, and to speak with thee
face to face?"
And he went towards the walls of the city. But Venus covered him and
his companions with a mist, that no man might see them, or hinder
them, or inquire of their business, and then departed to Paphos, where
was her temple and also many altars of incense. Then the men hastened
on their way, and mounting a hill which hung over the city, marvelled
to behold it, for indeed it was very great and noble, with mighty
gates and streets, and a multitude that walked therein. For some built
the walls and the citadel, rolling great stones with their hands, and
others marked out places for houses. Also they chose those that should
give judgment and bear rule in the city. Some, too, digged out
harbours, and others laid the foundations of a theatre, and cut out
great pillars of stone. Like to bees they were, when, the summer being
newly come, the young swarms go forth, or when they labour filling the
cells with honey, and some receive the burdens of those that return
from the fields, and others keep off the drones from the hive. Even so
laboured the men of Tyre. And when Æneas beheld them he cried, "Happy
ye, who even now have a city to dwell in!" And being yet hidden with
the mist, he went in at the gate and mingled with the men, being seen
of none.
Now in the midst of the city was a wood, very thick with trees, and
here the men of Carthage, first coming to the land from their voyage,
had digged out of the ground that which Juno had said should be a sign
to them, even a horse's head; for that, finding this, their city would
be mighty in war, and full of riches. Here, then, Dido was building a
temple to Juno, very splendid, with threshold of bronze, and many
steps thereunto; of bronze also were the door-posts and the gates. And
here befell a thing which gave much comfort and courage to Æneas; for
as he stood and regarded the place, waiting also for the queen, he saw
set forth in order upon the walls the battles that had been fought at
Troy, the sons of Atreus also, and King Priam, and fierce Achilles.
Then said he, not without tears, "Is there any land, O Achates, that
is not filled with our sorrows? Seest thou Priam? Yet withal there is
a reward for virtue here also, and tears and pity for the troubles of
men. Fear not, therefore. Surely the fame of these things shall profit
us."
Then he looked, satisfying his soul with the paintings on the walls.
For there was the city of Troy. In this part of the field the Greeks
fled and the youth of Troy pursued them, and in that the men of Troy
fled, and Achilles followed hard upon them in his chariot. Also he saw
the white tents of Rhesus, King of Thrace, whom the fierce Diomed slew
in his sleep, when he was newly come to Troy, and drave his horses to
the camp before they ate of the grass of the fields of Troy or drank
the waters of Xanthus. There also Troïlus was pictured, ill-matched in
battle with the great Achilles. His horses bare him along; but he lay
on his back in the chariot, yet holding the reins, and his neck and
head were dragged upon the earth, and the spear-point made a trail in
the dust. And in another place the women of Troy went suppliant-wise
to the temple of Minerva, bearing a great and beautiful robe, sad and
beating their breasts, and with hair unbound; but the goddess regarded
them not. Also Achilles dragged the body of Hector three times round
the walls of Troy, and was selling it for gold. And Æneas groaned when
he saw the man whom he loved, and the old man Priam reaching out
helpless hands. Also he knew himself, fighting in the midst of the
Grecian chiefs; black Memnon also he knew, and the hosts of the East;
and Penthesilea leading the army of the Amazons with shields shaped as
the moon. Fierce she was to see, with one breast bared for battle, and
a golden girdle beneath it, a damsel daring to fight with men.