XII. 5.1 The Chiefs at Troy. III XVIII. THE CHIEFS AT TROY. [BOOK XII. 1-145.] [DEPARTING from Tmolus, Apollo, with Neptune, serves king Laomedon in building the walls of Troy, whom they punish for his perfidy (XI. 194-220). The transformations of Thetis, who is given as bride to Peleus and becomes mother of Achilles (221-265). But Peleus, having slain his brother Phocus, flees to Ceyx of Trachin, whose brother Dædalion (grieving for the loss of his daughter Chio) had cast himself from Parnassus and been turned by Apollo into a hawk (266-345). Meanwhile the cattle brought by Peleus are destroyed by a wolf, through anger of the Nereid mother of Phocus, the wolf being afterwards turned to stone (346-409). Ceyx, against the entreaty of his wife Alcyone, goes to consult the oracle of Apollo at Claros upon these prodigies; but being shipwrecked, and so not returning at the appointed time, Alcyone entreats Juno for him in her prayers, until she is shown in vision that he is dead, and discovers his floating body near the shore; and by pity of the gods they are both transformed to kingfishers, in whose breeding season the waters are ever still and calm (410-748). An old man, beholding them as they circle in their flight, points out a sea-gull, which (he says) is the altered form of Æsacus, son of Priam, who had plunged into the sea through grief at the loss of the nymph Hesperia (749-795).] At the mourning for Æsacus, Paris is absent, whose guilt in the rape of Helen brought the chiefs of Greece to war against Troy. Detained at Aulis by contrary winds, Agamemnon is commanded to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia; who, however, is borne away by Diana, a hind being put in her place (XII. 1–36). The Palace of Fame, who reports the Grecian armament (37-65). In the fight at their landing, the invulnerable Cygnus is strangled by Achilles, and changed by his father Neptune to a Swan (65–145). JESCIUS adsumptis Priamus pater Aesacon alis N vivere, lugebat; tumulo quoque nomen habenti inferias dederat cum fratribus Hector inanes. defuit officio Paridis praesentia tristi, postmodo qui rapta longum cum conjuge bellum 5 attulit in patriam, conjurataeque sequuntur Hic patrio de more Jovi cum sacra parassent, in platanum, coeptis quae stabat proxima sacris. 6 ΙΟ 15 20 30 Permanet Aoniis Nereus violentus in undis, bellaque non transfert; et sunt, qui parcere Trojae 25 Neptunum credant, quia moenia fecerat urbi. at non Thestorides: nec enim nescitve tacetve, sanguine virgineo placandam virginis iram esse deae. Postquam pietatem publica causa, rexque patrem vicit, castumque datura cruorem flentibus ante aram stetit Iphigenia ministris, victa dea est, nubemque oculis objecit, et inter officium turbamque sacri vocesque precantum subposita fertur mutasse Mycenida cerva. ergo ubi, qua decuit, lenita est caede Diana, et pariter Phoebes, pariter maris ira recessit; accipiunt ventos a tergo mille carinae, multaque perpessae Phrygia potiuntur arena. Orbe locus medio est inter terrasque fretumque 35 XII. 73.] The House of Fame. caelestesque plagas, triplicis confinia mundi : nec tamen est clamor, sed parvae murmura vocis: 113 40 45 50 55 60 65 Fecerat haec notum, Graias cum milite forti adventare rates; neque inexspectatus in armis hostis adest. Prohibent aditus, litusque tuentur Troës; et Hectorea primus fataliter hasta, Protesilaë, cadis, commissaque proelia magno stant Danaïs, fortisque animae nece cognitus Hector. nec Phryges exiguo, quid Achaïca dextera posset, 70 sanguine senserunt. Et jam Sigea rubebant litora; jam leto proles Neptunia, Cygnus mille viros dederat ; jam curru instabat Achilles, totaque Peliacae sternebat cuspidis ictu agmina, perque acies aut Cygnum aut Hectora quaerens. Congreditur Cygno: decimum dilatus in annum Tum colla jugo candentia pressos Hector erat. exhortatus equos, currum direxit in hostem, Nate dea, nam te fama praenovimus,' inquit 6 80 85 ille, quid a nobis vulnus miraris abesse?'mirabantur enim — Non haec, quam cernis, equinis fulva jubis cassis, neque onus cava parma sinistrae auxilio mihi sunt: decor est quaesitus ab istis ; Mars quoque ob hoc capere arma solet. Removebitur hujus tegminis officium: tamen indestrictus abibo. est aliquid, non esse satum Nereïde, sed qui Nereaque et natas et totum temperet aequor.' Dixit, et haesurum clipei curvamine telum misit in Aeaciden, quod et aes et proxima rupit terga novena boum, decimo tamen orbe moratum est. excutit hoc heros, rursusque trementia forti tela manu torsit: rursus sine vulnere corpus sincerumque fuit; nec tertia cuspis apertum et se praebentem valuit destringere Cygnum. haud secus exarsit, quam circo taurus aperto, cum sua terribili petit irritamina cornu, poeniceas vestes, elusaque vulnera sensit. Num tamen exciderit ferrum, considerat, hastae: haerebat ligno. • Manus est mea debilis ergo, 90 95 100 XII. 139.] Death of Cygnus. quasque' ait ante habuit vires, effudit in uno? 115 ΙΙΟ Dixit, et, ante actis veluti male crederet, hastam 115 misit in adversum Lycia de plebe Menoeten, loricamque simul subjectaque pectora rupit. quo plangente gravem moribundo vertice terram, extrahit illud idem calido de vulnere telum, atque ait: Haec manus est, haec, qua modo vicimus, hasta ; utar in hoc isdem : sit in hoc precor exitus idem.' sic fatur, Cygnumque petit; nec fraxinus errat, inque humero sonuit non evitata sinistro: inde velut muro solidaque a caute repulsa est. 120 qua tamen ictus erat, signatum sanguine Cygnum 125 viderat, et frustra fuerat gavisus Achilles. 130 vulnus erat nullum: sanguis erat ille Menoetae. Tum vero praeceps curru fremebundus ab alto desilit, et nitido securum cominus hostem ense petens, parmam gladio galeamque cavari cernit, at in duro laedi quoque corpore ferrum. haud tulit ulterius, clipeoque adversa retecto ter quater ora viri et capulo cava tempora pulsat; cedentique sequens instat, turbatque, ruitque, attonitoque negat requiem. Pavor occupat illum: 135 ante oculosque natant tenebrae, retroque ferenti aversos passus medio lapis obstitit arvo. quem super impulsum resupino pectore Cygnum vi multa vertit, terraeque adflixit Achilles. |