Cytherea freed her from her son’s embrace, hastily bound up her hair, gathered up her flowing dress and girt herself about with the divine girdle whose all-compelling charm can stay the rain-swollen torrent and appease the sea, the winds and angry thunderbolts. Soon as she stood on the shore she thus addressed her small foster-children. “Come, children, which of you will plunge beneath the glassy wave and summon me hither fleet Triton to bear me * * * * * Page 252 deferar? haud umquam tanto mihi venerit usu. 130 sacri, quos petimus, thalami. pernicius omnes quaerite, seu concha Libycum circumsonat aequor, Aegaeas seu frangit aquas. quicumque repertum duxerit, aurata donabitur ille pharetra.” Dixerat et sparsa diversi plebe feruntur 135 exploratores. pelagi sub fluctibus ibat Carpathiis Triton obluctantemque petebat Cymothoën. timet illa ferum seseque sequenti subripit et duris elabitur uda lacertis. “heus,” inquit speculatus Amor, “non vestra sub imis furta tegi potuere vadis. accingere nostram 141 vecturus dominam: pretium non vile laboris Cymothoën facilem, quae nunc detrectat, habebis. hac mercede veni.” Prorupit gurgite torvus semifer; undosi verrebant brachia crines; 145 hispida tendebant bifido vestigia cornu, qua pistrix commissa viro. ter pectora movit; iam quarto Paphias tractu sulcabat harenas. umbratura deam retro sinuatur in arcum belua; tum vivo squalentia murice terga 150 purpureis mollita toris[131]: hoc navigat antro[132] fulta Venus; niveae delibant aequora plantae. prosequitur volucer late comitatus Amorum tranquillumque choris quatitur mare. serta per omnem Neptuni dispersa domum. Cadmeia ludit 155 Leucothoë, frenatque rosis delphina Palaemon; alternas violis Nereus interserit algas; [131] _toris_ A, followed by Birt; but _rosis_ VP is attractive. [132] _antro_ P1; vulg. _ostro_. * * * * * Page 253 quickly o’er the deep? Never will he have come to do us better service. Sacred is the marriage that I seek. Make all speed in your search; may be the Libyan sea rings to his conch, may be he cleaves the Aegean main. Whoso shall find and bring him hither shall have a golden quiver as a reward.”