Then thus spake Saturn’s son, lord of the ocean deep: “All right hast thou, queen of Cythera, to place thy trust in these realms of mine, whence thou drawest thy birth. And I have earned it too—often have I checked the madness, the mighty raving of sky and sea; nor less on earth 25 (bear witness Xanthus and Simois!) has thy Æneas known my care. When Achilles was chasing Troy’s gasping bands, forcing them against their own ramparts, and offering whole hecatombs to Death, till the choked rivers groaned again, and Xanthus could not thread his way, 30 or roll himself into the sea—in that day, as Æneas confronted Peleus’ mighty son with weaker arm and weaker aid from heaven, I snatched him away in a circling cloud even while my whole heart was bent on overthrowing from their base the buildings of my own hand, the walls of perjured 35 Troy. As my mind was then, it abides now. Banish thy fears; safely, according to thy prayer, he shall reach Avernus haven. One there shall be, and one only, whom thou shalt ask in vain from the engulfing surge—one life, and one only, shall be given for thousands.” With these words, having soothed to joy the goddess’ heart, the august Father yokes his steeds with a yoke of gold, and puts to their fierce mouth the foaming bit, and 5 gives full course to his flowing reins. The azure car glides lightly over the water’s surface—the waves sink down, the swelling sea stills its waters under the wheels of thunder—the storm-clouds fly away over the wide waste of heaven. Then come the hundred shapes of attendant 10 powers: enormous whales and Glaucus’[198] aged train, and Ino’s young Palæmon,[199] and rapid Tritons, and the whole host that Phorcus leads; on the left are Thetis, and Melite, and maiden Panopea, Nesæa, and Spio, and Thalia, and Cymodoce. 15