Produced by Juliet Sutherland Charles Franksand the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamSTORY OF AENEASBYM CLARKEAuthor of Story Of Troy Story Of Caesar1898CONTENTS         INTRODUCTION   I    VERGIL THE PRINCE OP POETS  II    THE GODS AND GODDESSES   I    THE WOODEN HORSE  II    AENEAS LEAVES TROYTHE HARPIESPROPHESY OF HELENUSTHE         GIANT POLYPHEMUS III    A GREAT STORMARRIVAL IN CARTHAGE  IV    DIDOS LOVETHE FUNERAL GAMESSHIPS BURNED BY THE WOMEN   V    THE SIBYL OF CUMAETHE GOLDEN BOUGHIN THE REGIONS OF THE         DEAD  VI    AENEAS ARRIVES IN LATIUMWELCOMED BY KING LATINUS VII    ALLIANCE WITH EVANDERVULCAN MAKES ARMS FOR AENEASTHE         FAMOUS SHIELDVIII    TURNUS ATTACKS THE TROJAN CAMPNISUS AND EURYALUS  IX    THE COUNCIL OF THE GODSRETURN OF AENEASBATTLE ON THE         SHOREDEATH OF PALLAS   X    FUNERAL OF PALLASAENEAS AND TURNUS FIGHTTURNUS IS SLAINIllustration Map captioned MAP SHOWING THE WANDERINGS OF AENEASextending from 10 degrees to 30 degrees east longitude and centeredon 40 degrees north latitudeINTRODUCTIONI VERGIL THE PRINCE OF LATIN POETSThe story of AEneas as related by the Roman poet Vergil in hiscelebrated poem called the AEneid which we are to tell about inthis book is one of the most interesting of the myths or legends thathave come down to us from ancient authorsVergil lived in the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus 63 B C14A D grandnephew and successor of Julius Caesar Augustus andhis chief counsellor or minister Maecenas gave great encouragementto learning and learned men and under their liberal patronage arose anumber of eminent writers to whose works has been given the name ofclassics as being of the highest rank or _class_ The period is knownas the Augustan Age a phrase also used in reference to periods in thehistory of other countries in which literature reached its highestperfection Thus the reign of Queen Anne 17021714 is called theAugustan age of English literature because of the number of literarymen who flourished in England in that period and the excellence oftheir worksVergil was the greatest of the poets of ancient Rome and with theexception of Homer the greatest of the poets of antiquity From avery early period almost from the age in which he lived he wascalled the Prince of Latin Poets His full name was PubliusVergilius Maro He was born about seventy years before Christin the village of Andes now Pietole near the town of Mantuain the north of Italy His father was the owner of a small estatewhich he farmed himself Though of moderate means he gave his son agood education Young Vergil spent his boyhood at school at Cremonaand Milan He completed his studies at Naples where he read the Greekand Latin authors and acquired a knowledge of mathematics naturalphilosophy and medical science He afterwards returned to Mantua andresided there for a few years enjoying the quiet of country life atthe family homesteadAbout this time the Emperor Augustus was engaged in a war against apowerful party of his own countrymen led by a famous Roman namedBrutus In the year 42 BC he defeated Brutus in a great battlewhich put an end to the war He afterwards rewarded many of his troopsby dividing among them lands in the neighborhood of Mantua and inother parts of Italy dispossessing the owners for having sided withhis enemies Though Vergil had taken no part in the struggle his farmwas allotted to one of the imperial soldiers But this was thebeginning of his greatness Through the friendship of the governor ofMantua he was introduced to Maecenas and afterwards to Augustus whogave orders that his property should be restored to himThus Vergil became known to the first men of Rome He expressed hisgratitude to the emperor in one of a series of poems called Pastoralsor Bucolics words which mean shepherds songs or songs descriptiveof life in the country These poems though among Vergils earliestproductions were highly applauded in Rome They were so much esteemedthat portions of them were recited in the theatre in the authorspresence and the audience were so delighted that they all rose totheir feet an honor which it was customary to pay only to Augustushimself Vergil also wrote a poem called the Georgics the subject ofwhich is agriculture the breeding of cattle and the culture of beesThis is said to be the most perfect in finish of all Latincompositions The AEneid is however regarded as the greatest ofVergils works The writing of it occupied the last eleven years ofthe poets lifeVergil died at Brundisium in south Italy in the fiftyfirst yearof his age He was buried near Naples by the side of the public roada few miles outside that city where what is said to be his tomb isstill to be seen Of his character as a man we are enabled to form anagreeable idea from all that is known about him He was modest gentleand of a remarkable sweetness of disposition Although living in thehighest society while in Rome he never forgot his old friends He wasa dutiful and affectionate son and liberally shared his good fortunewith his aged parentsAs a poet Vergil was not only the greatest that Rome produced butthe most popular His poems particularly the AEneid were thefavorite reading of his countrymen They became a textbook in theRoman schools The little Romans we are told studied the AEneidfrom their masters dictation and wrote compositions upon its heroesAnd not alone in Italy but throughout the world wherever learningextended the AEneid became popular and has retained its popularitydown to our own time being still a textbook in every school whereLatin is taughtThere are many excellent translations of the AEneid into English Inthis book