| XC. | Here, late from Parthia and the Red-sea coast, With motley legions and barbaric pride, Comes Anthony. From Egypt swarms his host, From India and far Bactra. At his side Stands—shame to tell it—an Egyptian bride. See now the fight; prows churn and oar-blades lash The foam. 'Twould seem the [Cyclads] swim the tide, Torn from his moorings, or the mountains clash, | 802 | |
| So huge the tower-crowned ships, so terrible the crash. | |||
| XCI. | Winged darts are hurled, and flaming tow; the leas Of Neptune redden. There the queen stands by, And sounds the timbrel for the fray, nor sees The asps behind. All monsters of the sky With Neptune, Venus, and Minerva vie. In vain Anubis barks; Mars raves among The combatants; the Furies frown on high. With mantle rent, glad Discord joins the throng; | 811 | |
| Behind, with bloody scourge, Bellona stalks along. | |||
| XCII. | There Actian Phoebus, gazing on the scene, Bent his dread bow. Egypt, Arabia fled, And India turned in terror. There, the queen Calls to the winds; behold, the sails are spread. Her, pale with thoughts of dying, through the dead The waves and zephyrs—so the gold expressed— Bear onward. Yonder, to his sheltering bed Nile, sorrowing, calls the fugitives to rest, | 820 | |
| Unfolds his winding robes, and bares his azure breast. | |||
| XCIII. | There, Cæsar sacred to his gods proclaims Three hundred temples, each a stately fane. Behold his triple triumph. Shouts and games Gladden the streets; glad matrons chant the strain At every altar, and the steers are slain. He takes the offerings, and reviews the throng, Throned in the portal of Apollo's fane. Below, the captive nations march along, | 829 | |
| Diverse in arms and garb, and each of different tongue. | |||
| XCIV. | Wild Nomads, Africans uncinctured came, [Carians, Gelonian] bowmen, and behind [The Leleges, the Dahæ,] hard to tame, [The Morini,] extreme of human-kind. Last, proud Araxes, whom no bridge could bind, Euphrates humbled, and the horned Rhine. All this, by Vulcan on the shield designed, He sees, and, gladdening at the gift divine, | 838 | |
| Upbears aloft the fame and fortunes of his line. | |||
BOOK NINE
ARGUMENT
Certified by Juno of the absence of Æneas, Turnus leads his forces against the Trojans. When they entrench themselves within their lines, he attempts to burn their ships, which are thereupon changed by Cybele into nymphs, and float away ([1-144]). Turnus undaunted harangues his men and beleaguers the camp ([145-198]). Nisus and Euryalus scheme, and petition, to sally forth to find Æneas and a rescue. Setting out with promise of rich rewards if successful, they surprise the Latin Camp but are themselves in turn surprised and slain ([199-513]). Their victims are buried; their heads are paraded on pikes before the Trojan Camp, to the agony of the mother of Euryalus ([514-576]). The allies assault the camp. Virgil invokes Calliope to describe the fray ([577-603]). The collapse of a tower and losses on both sides prelude Ascanius' baptism of fire. He kills his man ([604-765]). The brothers Pandarus and Bitias open the camp-gates in defiance. Bitias falls, and Pandarus, retreating, shuts Turnus within the camp, who kills him, but failing to let in his friends is eventually hard pressed ([766-882]). The Trojans rally round Mnestheus and Serestus. Turnus plunges into the river and with difficulty escapes by swimming ([883-927]).