leep and the God depart. The
son of Alemon arises, and ponders his recent vision in his thoughtful
mind; and for a long time his opinions are divided among themselves. The
Deity orders him to depart; the laws forbid his going; and death has
been awarded as the punishment of him who attempts to leave his country.

"The brilliant Sun had {now} hidden his shining head in the ocean, and
darkest Night had put forth her starry face, {when} the same God seemed
to be present, and to give the same commands, and to utter threats, more
numerous and more severe, if he does not obey. He was alarmed; and {now}
he was also preparing to transfer his country's home to a new
settlement, {when} a rumour arose in the city, and he was accused of
holding the laws in contempt. And, when the accusation had first been
made, and his crime was evident, proved without a witness, the accused,
in neglected garb, raising his face and his hands towards the Gods
above, says, 'Oh thou! for whom the twice six labours have created the
privilege of the heavens, aid me, I pray; for thou wast the cause of my
offence.' It was the ancient custom, by means of white and black
pebbles, with the one to condemn the accused, with the other to acquit
them of the charge; and on this occasion thus was the sad sentence
passed, and every black pebble was cast into the ruthless urn. Soon as
it, being inverted, poured forth the pebbles to be counted, the colour
of them all was changed from black to white, and the sentence, changed
to a favourable one by the aid of Hercules, acquitted the son of Alemon.

"He gives thanks to the parent, the son of Amphitryon,[3] and with
favouring gales sails over the Ionian sea, and passes by the
Lacedaemonian Tarentum,[4] and Sybaris, and the Salentine Neaethus,[5] and
the bay of Thurium,[6] and Temesa, and the fields of Iapyx;[7] and
having with difficulty coasted along the spots which skirt these shores,
he finds the destined mouth of the river AEsar; and, not far thence,
a mound, beneath which the ground was covering the sacred bones of
Croton. And there, on the appointed land, did he found his walls, and he
transferred the name of him that was {there} entombed to his city. By
established tradition, it was known that such was the original of that
place, and of the city built on the Italian coasts."

[Footnote 1: _Lacinian shores._--Ver. 13. Lacinium was a
promontory of Italy, not far from Crotona.]

[Footnote 2: _Distant