very heart of royal privacy, sacred in its every leaf, cherished
by the awful observance of many years; men said that
father Latinus himself found it there when he first laid the 35
foundation of the tower, dedicated it to Phœbus, and thence
gave his new people the name of Laurentines. On the
top of this tree lodged a dense swarm of bees, marvellous
to tell, sailing thither with loud humming noise across the
liquid air, and twining their legs together, the cluster in a
moment was seen to hang from the leafy bough. At once
spoke a prophet: “There is a stranger approaching: I