Content thee, Cytherea, in thy care,
Since thy Aeneas' wandering fate is firm,
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;
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,
Whose azured gates enchased with his name,
Shall make the morning haste her gray uprise
To feed her eyes with his engraven fame.
Thus in stout Hector's race thee hundred years
The Roman sceptre royal shall remain,
Till that a princess priest conceived by Mars,
Shall yield to dignity a double birth,
Who will eternize Troy in their attempts.
VENUS. How may I credit these thy flattering terms,
When yet both sea and sands beset their ships,
And Phoebus, as in Stygian pools, refrains
To taint his tresses in the Tyrrhene main?
JUPITER. I will take order for that presently.
Hermes awake, and haste to Neptune's realm,
Whereas the wind god, warring now with Fate,
Besiege the offspring of our kingly 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.
Come, Ganymede, we must about this gear.
Exeunt Jupiter with Ganymede.
VENUS. Disquiet seas, lay down your swelling looks,
And court Aeneas with your calmy cheer,
Whose beauteous burden well might make you proud,
Had not the heavens, conceived with hell-born clouds,
Veiled his resplendent glory from your view.
For my sake pity him, Oceanus,
That erstwhile issued from thy wat'ry loins
And had my being from thy bubbling froth.
Triton, I know, hath filled his trump with Troy,
And therefore will take pity on his toil,
And call both Thetis and Cymothoe
To succour him in this extremity.
Enter Aeneas with Ascanius,
with one or two more.
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 disguised will I stand,
While my Aeneas spends himself in plaints,
And heaven and earth with his unrest acquaints.
AENEAS. You sons of care, companions of my course,
Priam's misfortune follows us by sea,
And Helen's rape doth haunt ye at the heels.
How many dangers have we overpassed!
Both barking Scylla 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,
Which Pergama did vaunt in all her pride.
ACHATES. Brave prince of Troy, thou only art our god,
That by thy virtues freest us from annoy.
And mak'st our hopes survive to coming 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,
Yet shall the aged sun shed forth his hair
To make us live unto our former heat,
And every beast the forest doth send forth
Bequeath her young ones to our scanted food.
ASCANIUS.