BOOK III

THE STORY OF ENEAS

CHAPTER ONE

THE FALL OF TROY

FOR ten years King Agamemnon and the men of Greece laid siege to Troy. But though sentence had gone forth against the city, yet the day of its fall tarried, because certain of the gods loved it well and defended it, as Phoebus, and Mars, the god of 5 war, and Jupiter himself. Wherefore Minerva put it into the heart of Epeius, Lord of the Isles, that he should make a cunning device wherewith to take the city. Now the device was this: he made a great horse of wood, feigning it to be a peace-offering to Minerva, that the Greeks might have a safe return to their 10 homes. In the body of this there hid themselves certain of the bravest of the chiefs, as Menelaus and Ulysses and Pyrrhus, son of Achilles-but Achilles himself was dead, slain by Paris, Phoebus helping, even as he was about to take the city-and others also, and with them Epeius himself. But the rest of the 15 people made as if they had departed to their homes; only they went not further than Tenedos, which was an island near to the coast.

Great joy was there in Troy when it was noised abroad that the men of Greece had departed. The gates were opened, and 20 the people went forth to see the plain and the camp. And one said to another, as they went, "Here they set the battle in array, and there were the tents of the fierce Achilles, and there lay the ships." And some stood and marvelled at the great peaceoffering to Minerva, even the horse of wood.

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And Thymotes, who was one of the elders of the city, was the first who advised that it should be brought within the walls phe'bus e pi'ůs pir'us

ten'e dos

thi mē'tēz

and set in the citadel. Now whether he gave this counsel out of a false heart, or because the gods would have it so, no man knows. But Capys, and others with him, said that it should be drowned in water, or burned with fire, or that men should 5 pierce it and see whether there were naught within. And the people were divided, some crying one thing and some another.

Then came forward the priest Laocoon, and a great company with him, crying, "What madness is this? Think ye that the men of Greece are indeed departed, or that there is any profit 10 in their gifts? Surely, there are armed men in this mighty horse; or haply they have made it that they may look down upon our walls. Touch it not, for as for these men of Greece, I fear them, even though they bring gifts in their hands."

And as he spake he cast his great spear at the horse, so that 15 it sounded again. But the gods would not that Troy should be saved.

Meanwhile certain shepherds came to the city dragging with them one whose hands were bound behind his back. He pretended to the men of Troy that he had only then burst his 20 bonds and fled from the Greeks, who had chosen him by lot as a sacrifice to appease the winds that they might have safe return to Greece.

King Priam had pity upon him and bade them loose his bonds, saying, "Who art thou and what knowest thou of the 25 horse of wood?" And he said, "Lo, I deny not, I am a Greek,

and my name is Sinon. I call you to witness, ye everlasting fires, that I break my fealty with the Greeks for just cause. Know then, King Priam, the horse of wood is a peace-offering to Minerva, which the Greeks hoped to make large enough that the 30 men of Troy might not receive it into their gates. For once within the walls of Troy the image will bring woe to the Greeks and safety to Troy."

These words wrought much on the men of Troy, and as they pondered on them, lo! the gods sent another marvel to deceive 35 them. For while Laocoon, the priest of Neptune, was slaying kā'pys lā ŏk'ō on si'non

a bull at the altar of his god, there came two serpents across the sea from Tenedos, whose heads and necks, whereon were thick manes of hair, were high above the waves, and many scaly coils trailed behind in the waters. And when they reached the land 5 they still sped forward. Their eyes were red as blood and blazed with fire, and their forked tongues hissed loud for rage.

Then all the men of Troy grew pale with fear and fled away, but these turned not aside this way or that, seeking Laocoon where he stood. And first they wrapped themselves 10 about his little sons, one serpent about each, and began to devour them. And when the father would have given help to his children, having a sword in his hand, they seized upon himself, and bound him fast with their folds. Twice they compassed him about his body, and twice his neck, lifting their heads far above 15 him. And all the while he strove to tear them away with his

hands, his priest's garlands dripping with blood. Nor did he cease to cry horribly aloud, even as a bull bellows when after an ill stroke of the axe it flees from the altar. But when their work was done, the two glided to the citadel of Minerva, and hid 20 themselves beneath the feet and the shield of the goddess.

And men said one to another, "Lo! the priest Laocoon has been judged according to his deeds; for he cast his spear against this holy thing, and now the gods have slain him." Then all cried out together that the horse of wood must be drawn to the 25 citadel.

Whereupon they opened the Scæan gates, and pulled down the wall that was thereby, and put rollers under the feet of the horse, and joined ropes thereto. So, in much joy, they drew it into the city, youths and maidens singing about it the while, 30 and laying their hands to the ropes with great gladness.

And yet there wanted not signs and tokens of evil to come. Four times it halted on the threshold of the gate, and men might have heard a clashing of arms within. Cassandra also opened her mouth, prophesying evil: but no man heeded her, 35 for that was ever the doom upon her, not to be believed speak

ka sǎn'dra

ing truth. So the men of Troy drew the horse into the city. And that night they kept a feast to all the gods with great joy, not knowing that the last day of the great city had come.

But when night was now fully come, and the men of Troy 5 lay asleep, lo! from the ship of King Agamemnon there rose up a flame for a signal to the Greeks; and these straightway manned their ships, and made across the sea from Tenedos, there being a great calm, and the moon also giving them light. Sinon likewise opened a secret door that was in the great horse, and the 10 chiefs issued forth therefrom, and opened the gates of the city, slaying those that kept watch.

Meanwhile there came a vision to Eneas, who now, Hector being dead, was the chief hope and stay of the men of Troy. It was Hector's self that he seemed to see, but not such as he had 15 seen him coming back rejoicing, with the arms of Achilles, or setting fire to the ships, but even as he lay after Achilles dragged him at his chariot wheels, covered with dust and blood, his feet swollen and pierced with the thongs. To him said Eneas, not knowing what he said, "Why hast thou tarried so 20 long? Much have we suffered waiting for thee! And what grief hath marked thy face? And whence these wounds ?"

But to this the spirit answered nothing, but said, groaning the while, "Fly, son of Venus, fly, and save thee from these flames. The enemy is in the walls, and Troy hath utterly per25 ished. If any hand could have saved our city, this hand had done so. Thou art now the hope of Troy. Take then her gods, and flee with them for company, seeking the city that thou shalt one day build across the sea."

And now the alarm of battle came nearer and nearer, and 30 Æneas, waking from sleep, climbed upon the roof, and looked upon the city. As a shepherd stands, and sees a fierce flame sweeping before the south wind over the corn-field or a flood rushing down from the mountains, so he stood. And as he looked, the great palace of Deiphobus sank down in the fire and 35 the neighboring houses blazed forth, till the sea hard by shone

de if'ō bus

5

with the light. Then, scarce knowing what he sought, he girded on his armor, thinking, perchance, that he might yet win some place of vantage, or, at the least, might avenge himself on the enemy, or find honor in his death.

But as he passed from out of his house there met him Panthus, the priest of Phoebus that was on the citadel, who cried to him, "O Æneas, the glory is departed from Troy, and the Greeks have the mastery in the city; for armed men are coming forth from the great horse of wood, and thousands also swarm 10 in at the gates, which Sinon hath treacherously opened." And as he spake others came up under the light of the moon, to whom Æneas spake: "If ye are minded, my brethren, to follow me to the death, come on. For how things fare this night ye see. The gods who were the stay of this city have departed 15 from it; nor is aught remaining to which we may bring succour.

Yet can we die as brave men in battle. And haply he that counts his life to be lost may yet save it." Then, even as ravening wolves hasten through the mist seeking for prey, so they went through the city, doing dreadful deeds. And for a 20 while the men of Greece fled before them.

Æneas, hearing a great shouting, hastened to the palace of King Priam, where the battle was fiercer than in any place beside. For some of the Greeks were seeking to climb the walls, laying ladders thereto, whereon they stood, holding forth their 25 shields with their left hands, and with their right grasping the roofs.

Meanwhile others sought to break down the gates of the palace, Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, being foremost among them, clad in shining armor of bronze. And with Pyrrhus was 30 Automedon, who had been armor-bearer to his father Achilles. With a great battle-axe he hewed through the doors, breaking down also the door-posts, though they were plated with bronze, making, as it were, a great window, through which a man might see the palace within, the hall of King Priam and of the kings 35 who had reigned aforetime in Troy.

pan'thus