Jup. Content thee, Cytherea, in thy care, Since thy Æneas' wandering fate is firm, [439] Whose weary limbs shall shortly make repose In those fair walls I promised him of yore. But, first, in blood must his good fortune bud, Before he be the lord of Turnus' town, Or force her smile that hitherto hath frowned: Three winters shall he with the Rutiles war, And, in the end, subdue them with his sword;90 And full three summers likewise shall he waste In managing those fierce barbarian minds; Which once performed, poor Troy, so long suppressed, From forth her ashes shall advance her head, And flourish once again, that erst was dead. But bright Ascanius, beauty's better work, Who with the sun divides one radiant shape, Shall build his throne amidst those starry towers That earth-born Atlas, groaning, underprops: No bounds, but heaven, shall bound his empery,100 Whose azured gates, enchasèd with his name, Shall make the Morning haste her grey uprise, To feed her eyes with his engraven fame. Thus, in stout Hector's race, three hundred years [440] The Roman sceptre royal shall remain, Till that a princess-priest, [441] conceived by Mars, Shall yield to dignity a double birth, Who will eternish [442] Troy in their attempts.
Ven. How may I credit these thy flattering terms, When yet both sea and sands beset their ships,110 And Phœbus, as in Stygian pools, refrains To taint his tresses in the Tyrrhene main?
Jup. I will take order for that presently.— Hermes, awake! and haste to Neptune's realm, Whereas the wind-god, warring now with fate, Besiege th' offspring of our kindly loins: Charge him from me to turn his stormy powers, And fetter them in Vulcan's sturdy brass, That durst thus proudly wrong our kinsman's peace. [Exit Hermes. Venus, farewell: thy son shall be our care.—120 Come, Ganymede, we must about this gear. [443] [Exeunt Jupiter and Ganymede.
Ven. [444] Disquiet seas, lay down your swelling looks, And court Æneas with your calmy cheer, Whose beauteous burden well might make you proud, Had not the heavens, conceiv'd with hell-born clouds, Veil'd his resplendent glory from your view: For my sake, pity him, Oceanus, That erst-while issu'd from thy watery loins, And had my being from thy bubbling froth. Triton, I know, hath filled his trump with Troy,130 And therefore will take pity on his toil, And call both Thetis and Cymothoe [445] To succour him in this extremity.
Enter Æneas, Ascanius, Achates, and others.
What do I see? my son now come on shore? Venus, how art thou compassed with content, The while thine eyes attract their sought-for joys! Great Jupiter, still honoured mayst thou be For this so friendly aid in time of need! Here in this bush disguisèd will I stand, Whiles my Æneas spends himself in plaints,140 And heaven and earth with his unrest acquaints.
Æn. You sons of care, companions of my course, Priam's misfortune follows us by sea, And Helen's rape doth haunt us [446] at our heels. How many dangers have we overpass'd! Both barking Scylla, [447] and the sounding rocks, The Cyclops' shelves, and grim Ceraunia's seat, Have you o'ergone, and yet remain alive. Pluck up your hearts, since Fate still rests our friend, And changing heavens may those good days return,150 Which Pergama did vaunt in all her pride.
Ach. Brave prince of Troy, thou only art our god, That by thy virtues free'st us from annoy, And makes our hopes survive to coming [448] joys: Do thou but smile, and cloudy heaven will clear, Whose night and day descendeth from thy brows. Though we be now in extreme misery, And rest the map of weather-beaten woe, [449] Yet shall the agèd sun shed forth his hair, [450] To make us live unto our former heat,160 And every beast the forest doth send forth Bequeath her young ones to our scanted food.
Asc. Father, I faint; good father, give me meat.
Æn. Alas! sweet boy, thou must be still a while, Till we have fire to dress the meat we killed! Gentle Achates, reach the tinder-box, That we may make a fire to warm us with, And roast our new-found victuals on this shore.