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Excipit hunc Nessus, "Neque enim moriemur in

ulti!"

30 Secum ait, et calido velamina tincta cruore Dat munus raptæ, velut irritamen amoris.

Longa fuit medii mora temporis, actaque magni Herculis implerant terras odiumque novercæ. Victor ab Echalia Cenæo sacra parabat

35 Vota Jovi; cum fama loquax præcessit ad aures,
Deïanira, tuas, quæ veris addere falsa

Gaudet, et e minima sua per mendacia crescit,
Amphitryoniaden Ioles ardore teneri.

Credit amans, Venerisque novæ perterrita fama

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40 Indulsit primo lacrimis, flendoque dolorem Diffudit miseranda suam; mox deinde, "Quid autem, Flemus?" ait: "pellex lacrimis lætabitur istis. Quæ quoniam adveniet, properandum aliquidque novandum est,

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Dum licet, et nondum thalamos tenet altera nostros! 45 Conquerar, an sileam? Repetam Calydona, mo

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rerne ?

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Excedam tectis, an, si nihil amplius, obstem?
Quid si, me, Meleagre, tuam memor esse sororem,
Forte paro facinus, quantumque injuria possit
Femineusque dolor, jugulata pellice testor?"
Incursus animus varios habet: omnibus illis
Prætulit imbutam Nesseo sanguine vestem
Mittere, quæ vires defecto reddat amori;
Ignaroque Lichæ, quid tradat nescia, luctus
Ipsa suos tradit, blandisque miserrima verbis,
55 Dona det illa viro, mandat. Capit inscius heros,
Induiturque humeris Lernææ virus Echidna.

Tura dabat primis et verba precantia flammis,
Vinaque marmoreas patera fundebat in aras:
Incaluit vis illa mali, resolutaque flammis

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60 Herculeos abiit late diffusa per artus. Dum potuit, solita gemitum virtute repressit; Victa malis postquam est patientia, repulit aras, Implevitque suis nemorosam vocibus Eten. Nec mora, letiferam conatur scindere vestem : 65 Qua trahitur, trahit illa cutem,-fœdumque relatu, Aut hæret membris frustra tentata revelli,

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Aut laceros artus et grandia detegit ossa.

Ipse cruor, gelido ceu quondam lamina candens 170 Tincta lacu, stridit coquiturque ardente veneno. 70 Nec modus est: sorbent avidæ præcordia flammæ, Cæruleusque fluit toto de corpore sudor, Ambustique sonant nervi; cæcaque medullis Tabe liquefactis, tollens ad sidera palmas,

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Cladibus," exclamat, "Saturnia, pascere nostris ! 75 Pascere, et hanc pestem specta, crudelis, ab alto, Corque ferum satia; vel si miserandus et hosti,— Hostis enim tibi sum-diris cruciatibus ægram Invisamque animam natamque laboribus aufer. 180 Mors mihi munus erit: decet hæc dare dona novercam!

80 Ergo ego fœdantem peregrino templa cruore Busirin domui, sævoque alimenta parentis

Antæo eripui; nec me pastoris Iberi

Forma triplex, nec forma triplex tua, Cerbere, movit ?

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Vosne, manus, validi pressistis cornua tauri? 85 Vestrum opus Elis habet, vestrum Stymphalides

undæ

Partheniumque nemus? Vestra virtute relatus
Thermodontiaco cælatus baltheus auro,
Pomaque ab insomni non custodita dracone?
Nec mihi Centauri potuere resistere, nec mî

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90 Arcadiæ vastator aper; nec profuit Hydræ Crescere per damnum geminasque resumere vires ? Quid, quod Thracis equos, humano sanguine pingues,

Plenaque corporibus laceris præsepia vidi, Visaque dejeci, dominumque ipsosque peremi? 95 His elisa jacet moles Nemeæa lacertis ;

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Hac cœlum cervice tuli. Defessa jubendo est Sæva Jovis conjux ; ego sum indefessus agendo. Sed nova pestis adest, cui nec virtute resisti Nec telis armisque potest: pulmonibus errat 100 Ignis edax imis, perque omnes pascitur artus. At valet Eurystheus:-et sunt, qui credere possint Esse deos?" Dixit, perque altam saucius Eten Haud aliter graditur, quam si venabula taurus 205

Corpore fixa gerat, factique refugerit auctor. 105 Sæpe illum gemitus edentem, sæpe trementem, Sæpe retentantem totas infringere vestes, Sternentemque trabes irascentemque videres Montibus, aut patrio tendentem brachia cœlo.

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Ecce, Lichan trepidum et latitantem rupe cavata 110 Adspicit; utque dolor rabiem collegerat omnem, Tune, Licha," dixit, "feralia dona dedisti?

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Tune meæ necis auctor eris?" Tremit ille pavetque Pallidus, et timide verba excusantia dicit. Dicentem genibusque manus adhibere parantem 115 Corripit Alcides, et terque quaterque rotatum Mittit in Euboicas, tormento fortius, undas. Ille per aerias pendens induruit auras;

Utque ferunt imbres gelidis concrescere ventis, 220 Inde nives fieri, nivibus quoque mole rotatis 120 Adstringi et spissa glomerari grandine corpus : Sic illum validis jactum per inane lacertis, Exsanguemque metu nec quicquam humoris habentem

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In rigidos versum silices prior edidit ætas. Nunc quoque in Euboico scopulus brevis eminet alte 125 Gurgite, et humanæ servat vestigia formæ :

Quem, quasi sensurum, nautæ calcare verentur,
Appellantque Lichan.—At tu, Jovis inclyta proles,
Arboribus cæsis, quas ardua gesserat Ete,
Inque pyram structis, arcum pharetramque capacem,

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130 Regnaque visuras iterum Trojana sagittas Ferre jubes Pœante satum, quo flamma ministro Subdita; dumque avidis comprenditur ignibus agger,

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Congeriem silvæ Nemeæo vellere summam Sternis, et imposita clava cervice recumbis, 135 Haud alio vultu, quam si conviva jaceres Inter plena meri redimitus pocula sertis. Jamque valens et in omne latus diffusa sonabat, Securosque artus contemtoremque petebat Flamma suum: timuere dei pro vindice terræ. 140 Quos ita-sensit enim-læto Saturnius ore Jupiter alloquitur: "Nostra est timor iste voluptas, O Superi, totoque libens mihi pectore grator,

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Quod memoris populi dicor rectorque paterque, 245 Et mea progenies vestro quoque tuta favore est. 145 Nam quanquam ipsius datis hoc immanibus actis ; Obligor ipse tamen. Sed enim, ne pectora vano Fida metu paveant, Etæas spernite flammas: Omnia qui vicit, vincet quos cernitis ignes, Nec nisi materna Vulcanum parte potentem 150 Sentiet: æternum est, a me quod traxit, et expers Atque immune necis, nullaque domabile flamma. Idque ego defunctum terra cœlestibus oris Accipiam, cunctisque meum lætabile factum Dîs fore confido. Si quis tamen Hercule, si quis 155 Forte deo doliturus erit, data præmia nolet; Sed meruisse dari sciet, invitusque probabit!" Assensere dei; conjux quoque regia visa est Cetera non duro, duro tamen ultima vultu Dicta tulisse Jovis, seque indoluisse notatam.

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Interea, quodcumque fuit populabile flammæ, Mulciber abstulerat: nec cognoscenda remansit Herculis effigies, nec quicquam ab imagine ductum Matris habet, tantumque Jovis vestigia servat. 265 Utque novus serpens, posita cum pelle senecta, 165 Luxuriare solet squamaque nitere recenti : Sic, ubi mortales Tirynthius exuit artus, Parte sui meliore viget, majorque videri Cœpit, et augusta fieri gravitate verendus. Quem pater omnipotens, inter cava nubila raptum,

170 Quadrijugo curru radiantibus intulit astris.

XXXVIII. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE.

(X. 1–151. XI. 1–66.)

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Orpheus was one of the earliest bards of Greece, and bore an early and important part in civilizing the inhabitants of that country. The legend makes him the son of the Muse Calliopê and the god Apollo, from whom he received the melodious lyre, which he furnished with nine instead of seven strings. Others say, that Eagrus, the Thracian river-god and king, was the father of Orpheus. At all events his home was in the north of Greece. His teaching, as well in relation to religious faith and usages as to moral practice and the conduct of life, remained long

operative among the early Grecian races, and even in later times the wisdom of the so-called Orphic schools stood in high esteem. The power of his song was so great, that, as the fable says, he was able to touch and draw to himself not only wild beasts, but also trees and rocks: a symbolical signification of the power of truth, which his instructive song impressed on the rough spirits of men, who previously were like wild beasts, but through him became civilized. According to the legend his wife was the nymph Eurydicê. The omens at his nuptials were unfavorable. Hymenæus, the god of marriage, appeared indeed at the call of the bard, but did not favour the union (with this the tale begins). Orpheus loses his consort by an early death, occasioned by the bite of a serpent. Mighty as was in other respects the power of his song, he could not call the dead back again to life. The thought of this, perhaps, gave rise to the fable, that he betook himself to the under-world, in order to beg back his wife from Pluto. The king of the shades, and all the dwellers of the under-world, were touched by his song (even the two vultures ceased from tearing the ever-growing liver of Tityos, v. 43). But Orpheus could not fulfil the condition of not turning round, during his toilsome return, to look upon his beloved consort; hence, the condition of her delivery being broken, she was forced to remain in the realm of death. Orpheus too, adds Ovid, would have gone back thither again, had not Charon (Portitor, v. 66) stopt him from doing this. The wretched end of his life Ovid attributes to his having, after the death of Eurydicê, shunned and slighted the female sex. this supposed wrong, some women who were celebrating the festival of Bacchus, attacked him with bacchanalian fury and tore him to pieces, just as Pentheus had been torn to pieces by the women of Thebes (XVIII.). The foundation of this legend, perhaps, rests on this, that the religious doctrines of Orpheus and his school were opposed to the worship of Bacchus, by which, however, they were displaced.

Inde per immensum croceo velatus amictu Aera digreditur Ciconumque Hymenæus ad oras Tendit, et Orphea nequicquam voce vocatur. Affuit ille quidem; sed nec sollennia verba, 5 Nec lætos vultus, nec felix attulit omen; Fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrimoso stridula fumo Usque fuit, nullosque invenit motibus ignes.

a

For

Exitus auspicio gravior: nam nupta per herbas Dum nova Naïadum turba comitata vagatur, 10 Occidit in talum serpentis dente recepto. Quam satis ad superas postquam Rhodopeïus auras Deflevit vates; ne non tentaret et umbras, Ad Styga Tænaria est ausus descendere porta,

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