Stories from Virgil

by Alfred John Church

Then in great wrath Turnus made answer, “Thou hast always many words at command, O Drances, and, when the senators are called, art ever the first to come. But where is thy valour? Where are the trophies which thy right hand hath set up? Wilt thou make trial of it now? Lo! the enemy is at hand. Shall we go? Dost thou linger? Is all thy valour in thy boasting tongue and coward feet? And thou doubtest, forsooth, of my courage. What? hast thou not heard of Pallas slain, and Bitias and Pandarus, and all whom I laid low when they shut me within their walls? And now I would speak of thee and thy counsel, my father. If thou thinkest that one defeat is enough, and that fortune may not change, be it so: let us pray for peace. Happy then he who hath died before he saw such foul disgrace! But if we have yet strength remaining, and nations and cities that will yet help us; if these men of Troy have won their victory dear, why faint we at the threshold, and tremble before the trumpet sounds? Diomed will not help us. But we have Messapus, and the augur Tolumnius, and all the chiefs of Italy, yea and the Volscian Camilla, with her squadrons clad in bronze. And if they would have me fight man to man, I refuse not in such a cause. Let him be mighty as Achilles, and don the arms which Vulcan hath made. I refuse not the battle, for my life is for you and for your king.”

But while they disputed there came a messenger unto the palace bringing tidings of fear. For the men of Troy, he said, were marching in battle line from their camp. Then there arose a great uproar, some crying aloud for arms, and some weeping; loud was it as the clamour of birds that settle in some deep wood, or of swans by the mouth of Po. And Turnus cried, “Call your councils, my friends, speak of peace as you sit. But the enemy is at the gate.” And he made haste and rushed forth from the senate-house.

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE BATTLE AT THE CITY.

Then Turnus commanded that of the chiefs some should set the battle in array, and some should fortify the gates, and some should follow after himself. And men dug trenches before the gates, and gathered store of stones and stakes; and the women and children stood upon the walls. But the queen and the chiefest of the matrons went to the temple of Pallas, and with them was the virgin Lavinia, from whom all these sorrows sprang, casting down her beautiful eyes to the ground. And they offered incense and prayer to the goddess, that she would break the Phrygian robber’s spear, and lay him low before the walls of the city. Then Turnus armed himself for the battle, and ran down from the citadel, and lo! at the gate there met him Camilla, with a troop of virgins riding on horses. And when they had lighted down therefrom, the Queen spake, saying, “I promise thee, Turnus, to meet the horsemen of Troy and of the Tuscans. Do thou abide here on foot and guard the walls.” And Turnus, steadfastly regarding her, made answer, “What thanks shall I give thee for such service? But now hearken to me. There lieth a valley whereby Æneas purposeth to come against this city: in the mouth thereof will I lay an ambush; do thou, therefore, meet the Tuscan horsemen in battle, having with thee Messapus and the horsemen of Tibur.” And when he had said this he departed and laid the ambush against Æneas.

In the mean time Diana, where she sat in heaven, spake to Opis, who was one of the nymphs that waited on her: “Camilla goeth forth to battle, who is dearer to me than all virgins beside, and hath been so even from a child. She is the daughter of King Metabus. Now Metabus, being banished from his city, even Privernum, by reason of his violence, fled, taking with him his daughter. Her he carried in his bosom, and the Volscians pressed hard upon him as he fled. And he came to the river Amasenus, and it chanced that the river was swollen with abundance of rain, and overflowed his banks. And the king, when he would have crossed it by swimming, feared for the child. Therefore he took the great spear which he carried in his hand, and bound the girl thereto with strips of bark, and balanced it in his hands, saying, ‘I vow this child to thee, daughter of Latona, to be thy servant for ever.’ And he cast the spear with all his might, so that it fell on the other side of the river. Then did he throw himself into the stream, and so escaped from the land of his enemies. Thereafter he dwelt not in house or city, but lived on the hills with the shepherds. And the child he nourished with mare’s milk, and the like. And when she could first put her feet upon the ground, he put a javelin in her hand, and gave her a bow also and arrows. No gold had she on her hair, nor wore she long garments such as women use, but was adorned with a tiger-skin. Also from a child she would cast the javelin from her hand, and whirl the sling above her head, and strike the crane or the wild swan even in the midst of the clouds. Many Tuscan mothers would have had her for their daughter-in-law, but marriage pleased her not. I would she had not come to this war. Then had I made her one of my companions. But seeing that her doom is upon her, I give thee this charge concerning her. Pass thou down to the earth, to the Latin land, where they begin even now this evil battle. And take from thy quiver an avenging arrow, and whosoever shall harm the virgin, be he man of Troy or Italian, shall pay the penalty. But her will I carry back to her native country, neither shall any man spoil her of her arms.”

In the meanwhile Æneas and his army were come near to the walls. And first the horsemen ran together against each other, holding their spears forth in front. In this battle Tyrrhenus the Tuscan met Aconteus, and drave him from his horse with the shock, as a thunderbolt is driven from the sky or a stone from an engine; and the ranks of the Latins were troubled and fled, and the men of Troy pursued them; but when they came near to the gates the Latins turned upon them, and the men of Troy fled in their turn. Even as a wave upon the shore floweth and ebbeth, so twice they fled and twice they pursued. But the third time they joined battle, and gave not place one to the other. Then fell many men and horses dying to the ground. Orsilochus smote the horse of Remulus between the temples, and the beast reared and threw his rider to the earth. Next Catillus of Tibur slew Iollas, and Herminius, who fought with breast and shoulders bare, driving his spear through him from side to side. But fiercest of all was the virgin Camilla. With one breast bare she fought; and now she would shoot arrows from her bow, and now would ply the battle-axe. And the virgins that were her fellows, as Larina and Tulla and Tarpeia, followed close behind her. Like to the Amazons they were when, having their shields shaped as is the moon, they throng around their Queen Penthesilea or Hippolyté. Euneüs she slew, a man of Troy; and Pagasus and Liris, Etruscans; and others besides. With every arrow she slew a man. And the hunter Ornytus came against her, having for helmet the head of a wolf with white teeth, and in his hand a hunting spear. He was of greater stature than other men, but she slew him, and mocked him, saying, “Didst thou think, Tuscan, that thou wert hunting wild beasts this day? Lo! a woman’s arms have brought thy boasts to nothing.” Then she slew Orsilochus and Butes, mighty men of Troy. Butes she smote as he fled from her, but from Orsilochus she made as she would flee; then, wheeling round, met him face to face, and cleft his head in twain. The son of Aunus, whose father dwelt amongst the Apennines, trembled to see the deed, and was fain to escape her by craft, after the fashion of his country, being a man of Liguria. Therefore he said, “What glory is it if thou prevailest by reason of the swiftness of thy horse? Fight with me now on foot, and let us see who shall gain the victory.” And when the virgin leapt to the ground, giving her horse to her companions, he turned his horse to flee. But the virgin cried, “Thinkest thou to escape me thus, thou fool? Never shalt thou see thy father, the crafty Aunus, again.” And she made haste and outran the horse, and catching the reins in her hands, stood before him and slew him.

CAMILLA AND THE SON OF AUNUS.