He did perforce; Jove’s bit was in his mouth.

Forthwith my wit was frenzied, and my form

Assumed the brute. With maniac bound I rushed,

Horned as thou see’st, and with the sharp-mouthed sting

Of gad-fly pricked infuriate to the cliff

Of Lerne, and Cenchréa’s limpid wave;

While Argus, Earth-born cow-herd, hundred-eyed,

Followed the winding traces of my path

With sharp observance. Him swift-swooping Fate

Snatched unexpected from his sleepless guard;