he cried out thus her looks
suddenly changed, her color came and went, her hair fell in disorder over
her shoulders, her bosom heaved, and she was shaken by an uncontrollable
passion. Her very form seemed to dilate, and the tone of her voice was no
longer that of a mere mortal, since she was inspired by the influence of
the god. "Trojan AEneas!" she exclaimed, "delay no longer to offer thy
prayers for the knowledge which thou seekest; for not till then can I
reveal to thee the secrets of the future."

Earnestly did AEneas implore pity and aid from Apollo; and of the Sibyl he
entreated that she should proclaim her revelations by word of mouth, and
not, as was her custom, write them on leaves of trees, lest they should
become the sport of the winds. At first the prophetess did not answer; she
was not yet fully possessed by the spirit of the god, and raved in wild
ecstasy in the cave, struggling, as it were, to resist the will of
Phoebus, who, on his part, wearied her foaming lips, subdued her fierce
heart, and moulded her to his will. Then all at once the hundred doors of
the cavern flew open of their own accord, and the Sibyl proclaimed the
divine response,--

"O thou who hast at length overpassed the perils of the ocean, yet more
terrible trials await thee on shore. Thou and thy Trojans shall indeed
reach the promised land--that is assured; but ye shall wish that ye had
never come thither. Wars, horrid wars, I foresee, and Tiber foaming with a
deluge of blood. Another Achilles awaits thee in Latium--he also the son
of a goddess. Nor shall the persecutions of Juno cease to follow the
Trojans wherever they may be; and in your distress you will humbly
supplicate all the surrounding Italian states for aid. Once more shall a
marriage with a foreign wife be a source of affliction to you. But yield
not under your sufferings; encounter them resolutely in the teeth of
adverse fortune, and when you least expect it, the means of deliverance
shall come to you from a Greek city."

So, under the inspiration of Apollo, spoke the Sibyl. When she had ceased,
AEneas answered that no prospect of further trials could appall him, for he
was prepared to endure the worst that could befall. But he now entreated,
since it was said that the entrance to the shades was near, that the Sibyl
should conduct him into those dark regions, in order that he might obtain
an interview with the spectre of his father. It was Anchises' self, he
added, who ha