that
never ceases to revolve, while he is scourged by attendant Furies. He it
was who, being admitted to Olympus by the generosity of Jupiter himself,
dared to seek the love of the queen of the Gods. Not less dreadful is the
punishment allotted to Pirithous, who, along with Theseus, endeavored to
carry off the Queen of Hades, Proserpine, from the side of Pluto. Over his
head hangs a huge rock, which every moment seems about to fall and crush
him, but yet never actually descends; moreover, he is plagued with a
gnawing hunger, and a rich banquet is always before him, which yet he is
never able to reach. Myriads of other unhappy shades, whose course on
earth has been stained by detestable crime, here expiate the evil they
have done; but had I a hundred mouths and a hundred tongues, I could not
recount all their offenses and the varieties of their punishment. It is
necessary that we should go forward, since yonder stands the palace of
Pluto, where thou, O AEneas, must deposit the bough which has gained thee
admission here."

Obedient to his guide, AEneas advanced to the vast portals of the palace
where Pluto, the brother of Jupiter and monarch of the infernal kingdom,
had his abode with his lovely queen Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres,
whom ages before he had carried off from the upper world. There he made
due reverence before the goddess, and deposited the golden bough at her
feet. Advancing beyond, AEneas and the Sibyl came at last to the Elysian
Fields,--the abode of joy assigned to those who during life had been
distinguished for piety, virtue, and heroic actions. Here were lovely
green fields and pleasant groves; the air was pure and balmy, the sky was
blue, and all was glowing-in the light of the blessed sun. Some of the
happy spirits who dwelt in this region were amusing themselves by
wrestling on the greensward, and other sports in which they had delighted
on earth, such as chariot-racing, exercises with the spear and the bow.
Others were dancing and singing to the delicious notes which Orpheus, the
most skillful of musicians, produced from his lyre. On the bank of the
river Eridanus, which pours its clear waters through Elysium over sands of
gold, were gathered a band whose heads were adorned with snow-white
fillets. These were priests who had kept unstained the purity and sanctity
of their office; poets who had sung the praises of the Gods in immortal
verse; and those who had made human life more happy by the in