One of the first passages that occur, is of the ghost of the deceased
Polydorus on the coast of Thrace. Polydorus, the son of Priam, was
murdered by the king of that country, his host, for the sake of the
treasures he had brought with him from Troy. He was struck through
with darts made of the wood of the myrtle. The body was cast into a
pit, and earth thrown upon it. The stems of myrtle grew and flourished.
Aeneas, after the burning of Troy, first attempted a settlement in this
place. Near the spot where he landed he found a hillock thickly set
with myrtle. He attempted to gather some, thinking it might form a
suitable screen to an altar which he had just raised. To his
astonishment and horror he found the branches he had plucked, dropping
with blood. He tried the experiment again and again. At length a voice
from the mound was heard, exclaiming, "Spare me! I am Polydorus;" and
warning him to fly the blood-stained and treacherous shore.