expedite the sacrifice, and then despatched herself with a poniard.
Virgil, wishing to deduce the hatred of the Romans and Carthaginians
from the very time of AEneas, invented the story of the visit of
AEneas to Dido; though he was perhaps guilty of a great anachronism
in so doing, as the taking of Troy most probably preceded the
foundation of Carthage by at least two centuries. Ovid has also
related her story at length in the third book of the Fasti, and has
followed Virgil's account of the treacherous conduct of AEneas, while
he represents Iarbas as capturing her city after her death, and
driving her sister Anna into exile. In the Phoenician language the
word 'Dido' signified 'the bold woman,' and it is probable that
Elisa only received that name after her death. Bochart has taken
considerable pains to prove that she was the aunt of Jezebel, the
famous, or rather infamous, wife of King Ahab.

The Poet then proceeds to say that AEneas saw the islands of the
Cercopians on his way, whom Jupiter had transformed into apes.
AEschines and Suidas say that there were two notorious robbers,
inhabitants of an island adjacent to Sicily, named Candulus and
Atlas, who committed outrages on all who approached the island.
Being about to insult Jupiter himself, he transformed them into
apes, from which circumstance the island received its name of
Pithecusa. Sabinus says that they were called Cercopes, because in
their treachery they were like monkeys, who fawn with their tails,
when they design nothing but mischief. Zenobius places the Cercopes
in Libya; and says that they were changed into rocks, for having
offered to fight with Hercules.

FABLE III. [XIV.101-153]

Apollo is enamoured of the Sibyl, and, to engage her affection,
offers her as many years as she can grasp grains of sand. She
forgets to ask that she may always continue in the bloom of youth,
and consequently becomes gray and decrepit.

After he has passed by these, and has left the walls of Parthenope[11]
on the right hand, on the left side he {approaches} the tomb of the
tuneful son of AEolus[12]; and he enters the shores of Cumae, regions
abounding in the sedge of the swamp, and the cavern of the long-lived
Sibyl[13], and entreats {her}, that through Avernus, he may visit the
shade of his father. But she raises her countenance, a long time fixed
on the ground; and at length, inspired by the influence of th