Then Nisus thus:—"Ye fathers, lend your ears;

Nor judge our bold attempt beyond our years.

The foe, securely drenched in sleep and wine,

Neglect their watch; the fires but thinly shine;

And, where the smoke in cloudy vapours flies,

Covering the plain, and curling to the skies,

}

{ Betwixt two paths, which at the gate divide,

{ Close by the sea, a passage we have spied,

{ Which will our way to great Æneas guide.