CHAPTER XIII._Stories from Virgil

THE SIBYL.

So Æneas came to the land of Italy, nigh unto Cumæ, which was the

dwelling-place of the Sibyl. And the men turned the forepart of the

ships to the sea, and made them fast with anchors. Then they leapt

forth upon the shore, and kindled a fire; and some cut wood in the

forest, or fetched water from the stream. But Æneas went up to the

great cave of the Sibyl, where, by the inspiration of Apollo, she

foretelleth things to come.

Now the temple was a marvellous place to look upon. For Dædalus, when

he fled from Minos, King of Crete, flying through the air upon wings,

came northwards to the land of Cumæ, and tarried there. Also he

dedicated his wings in the temple. On the doors thereof was set forth,

graven in stone, the death of Androgeos, and the men of Attica

choosing by lot seven of their children who should be given as a

ransom yearly; and, rising from the sea upon the other side, the land

of Crete. Likewise the Labyrinth was there and its winding ways; but

Icarus they saw not, for when his father would have wrought the manner

of his death in gold his hands failed him: twice he strove and twice

they failed. And when Æneas would have looked further, the priestess

said, "Linger not with these things, but slay forthwith seven bullocks

from the herd, and seven sheep duly chosen out of the flock." And when

they came to the cave--now there are a hundred doors, and a voice

cometh forth from each--the Sibyl cried, "It is time. Lo! the god, the

god!" And even as she spake her look was changed and the colour of her

face; also her hair was loosened, and her breast panted, and she waxed

greater than is the stature of a man. Then she cried, "Delayest thou

to pray, Æneas of Troy? delayest thou? for the doors open not but to

prayer." Nor said she more. Then Æneas prayed, saying, "O Phœbus, who

didst always pity the sorrows of Troy, and didst guide the arrow of

Paris that it slew the great Achilles, I have followed thy bidding,

journeying over many lands, and now I lay hold on this shore of Italy,

which ever seemed to fly before me. Grant thou that our ill fortune

be merciful to us. And thou, O Prophetess, give, if it may be, such

answer as I would hear. So will I and my people honour thee for ever.

And write it not, I pray thee, upon leaves, lest the winds carry them

away, but speak with thy voice."

And for awhile the prophetess strove against the spirit; but at the

last it mastered her, and the doors flew open, and she spake, saying,

"The perils of the sea thou hast escaped, but there await thee yet

worse perils upon the land. The men of Troy shall come to the kingdom

of Lavinium. Fear not for that; yet will they fain not have come. I

see battles, and the Tiber foaming with blood, and a new Xanthus and

Simoïs, and another Achilles, himself also goddess-born. Juno also

shall be ever against thee. And thou shalt be a suppliant to many

cities. And the cause of all these woes shall be again a woman. Only

yield not thou, but go ever more boldly when occasion shall serve.

Little thinkest thou that thy first succour shall be from a city of

the Greeks."

And when she had ended these words, Æneas made answer: "O Lady, no

toil or peril shall take me unawares; for I have thought over all

things in my heart. But one thing I ask of thee. Here is the door of

the dwellings of the dead. Fain would I pass thereby, that I may visit

my father. I carried him on my shoulders out of the fires of Troy, and

with me he endured many things by land and sea, more than befitted his

old age. Likewise he bade me ask this boon of thee. Do thou therefore

pity both father and son, for thou hast the power, if only thou wilt.

Did not Orpheus bring back his wife from the dead, having his harp

only? Also Pollux goeth many times this same path, redeeming his

brother from death. And why should I tell of Theseus and Hercules? And

I also am of the lineage of Jupiter."

Then the Sibyl spake, saying, "Son of Anchises, it is easy to go down

to hell. The door is open day and night. But to return, and struggle

to the upper air, that is the labour. Few only have done it, and

these of the lineage of the Gods and dear to Jupiter. Yet if thou wilt

attempt it, hearken unto me. There lieth hid in the forest a bough of

gold which is sacred to the Queen of hell. Nor may any man go on this

journey till he have plucked it, for the Queen will have it as a gift

for herself. And when the bough is plucked, there ever groweth

another; and if it be the pleasure of the Gods that thou go, it will

yield to thy hand. But know that one of thy companions lieth dead upon

the shore. First must thou bury him, and after offer due sacrifice,

even black sheep. So shalt thou approach the dwellings of the dead."

Then Æneas departed from the cave, and Achates went with him, and much

they wondered who it might be that was dead. And when they came to the

shore, lo! Misenus lay there, than whom no man was more skilful to

call men to battle with the voice of the trumpet. Hector's companion

he had been in old time, and then followed Æneas. And now, blowing his

trumpet on the shore, he had challenged the gods of the sea to compare

with him; wherefore a Triton caught him and plunged him into the sea,

so that he died. Then did Æneas and his companions prepare for the

burial, cutting ilex and oak and mountain-ash from the wood. But when

Æneas beheld the forest, how vast it was, he said, "Now may the Gods

grant that in this great forest the bough of gold discover itself."

And as he spake, lo! two doves flew before his face, and settled on

the grass, and he knew them to be the birds of his mother, and cried,

saying, "Guide me now to the bough of gold, and thou, my mother, help

me as before." Then the birds flew so that he could still see them

with his eyes, and he followed after them. But when they came to the

mouth of Avernus, they sat both of them on the tree. And lo! the bough

of gold glittered among the branches and rustled in the wind. Right

gladly did Æneas break it off, and carry it to the dwelling of the

Sibyl.

In the mean time the men of Troy made a great burial for Misenus on

the shore, building a pile of wood, and washing and anointing the

body. Also they laid the body on a bier, and on it the garments which

he had worn being yet alive. Then others, with faces turned away,

held a torch to the wood, whereon also were burned incense and

offerings of oil. And when the burning was ended they quenched the

ashes with wine. And Corynæus gathered the bones into an urn of

bronze, and purified the people, sprinkling them with water with a

bough of an olive-tree. Then Æneas made a great mound, and put thereon

the trumpet of the man and his bow; and the mountain is called

Misenus, after him, to this day.

But when the burial was ended he did as the Sibyl had commanded. A

great cavern there is, from which cometh so evil a stench that no bird

may fly across. There they brought four black oxen, and the priestess

poured wine upon their heads and cut hairs from between the horns. And

when they had burned these they slew the oxen, holding dishes for the

blood. And Æneas offered a black lamb to the Furies and a barren

heifer to the Queen of hell, smiting them with his sword. Then they

burned the entrails with fire, pouring oil upon them. Then did the

ground give a hollow sound beneath them, and the dogs howled, for the

goddess was at hand. And the priestess cried, "Go ye who may not take

part in this matter. And thou, Æneas, draw thy sword from its sheath

and follow. Now hast thou need of all thy strength and courage." Then

she plunged into the cave, and Æneas went with her.