any farther attempts at resistance would only
exasperate their enemies, and render their own destruction the more
inevitable. She persuaded the king, therefore, to give up his weapons
and go with her to an altar, in one of the courts of the palace,--a
place which it would be sacrilege for their enemies to violate--and
there patiently and submissively to await the end. Priam yielded to
the queen's solicitations, and went with her to the place of refuge
which she had chosen;--and the plan which they thus adopted, might
very probably have been successful in saving their lives, had it not
been for an unexpected occurrence which suddenly intervened, and which
led to a fatal result. While they were seated by the altar, in
attitudes of submission and suppliance, they were suddenly aroused by
the rushing toward them of one of their sons, who came in, wounded and
bleeding from some scene of combat, and pursued by angry and ferocious
foes. The spent and fainting warrior sank down at the feet of his
father and mother, and lay there dying and weltering in the blood
which flowed from his wounds. The aged king was aroused to madness at
this spectacle. He leaped to his feet, seized a javelin, and
thundering out at the same time the most loud and bitter imprecations
against the murderers of his son, he hurled the weapon toward them as
they advanced. The javelin struck the shield of the leader of the
assailants, and rebounded from it without producing any other effect
than to enrage still more the furious spirit which it was meant to
destroy. The assailant rushed forward, seized the aged father by the
hair, dragged him slipping, as he went, in the blood of his son, up to
the altar, and there plunged a sword into his body, burying it to the
hilt,--and then threw him down, convulsed and dying, upon the body of
his dying child.

Thus Priam fell, and with him the last hope of the people of Troy. The
city in full possession of their enemies, the palace and citadel
sacked and destroyed, and the king slain, they saw that there was
nothing now left for which they had any wish to contend.

CHAPTER V.

THE FLIGHT OF AENEAS.

B.C. 1200

AEneas's reflections.--He determines to go home.--AEneas is left at last
alone.--He goes away.--He sees the princess Helen.--Story of
Helen.--AEneas determines to destroy her.--His reflections.--The
apparition of Aphrodite.--Her words.--His mother's magical
protection.--He reaches his home.--The determ