But Juno's implacable hate is no match for destiny. Æneas must triumph, for the fates have spoken it. The interest of the whole conflict centers in the rival heroes; and when these two, after endless slaughter, on both sides, of lesser men, meet at last in single conflict, there is no doubt, even in the Italian's own heart, that he is foredoomed. And when he falls, wounded by Æneas' spear and slain by his sword, the poem ends abruptly, for the story can contain no more. With these words, fierce as flame, he plunged the steel into the breast that lay before him. That other's frame grows chill and motionless, and the soul, resenting its lot, flies groaningly to the shades. Conington. SUMMARY AND QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW _Roman Epic Poetry_, as illustrated by Nævius (269-199 B. C.), "the first Roman who deserves to be called a poet," _Bellum Punicum_; Ennius (239-169 B. C.), "the father of Roman literature," the _Annals_; Vergil (70-19 B. C.), greatest of Roman poets, the _Æneid_. 1. What is known of the life of Nævius? 2. What is the nature of his _Bellum Punicum_? 3. What did Vergil owe to this poem? 4. Quote the epitaph of Nævius. 5. What is the significance of it? 6. What were the chief events in the life of Ennius? 7. What interesting bit of self-portraiture appears in his _Annals_? 8. Why does he deserve the title of "the father of Roman literature"? 9. What is the nature of the _Annals_? 10. Why is the loss of the great body of this work so much to be regretted? 11. What progress did Latin literature make between the time of Ennius and that of Vergil? 12. How was Vergil fitted for his career both by nature and training? 13. Into what select circle was he privileged to enter? 14. What was the nature of the _Eclogues_? 15. What of the _Georgics_? 16. Why did the _Æneid_ never receive its finishing touches? 17. How was the poem saved from destruction? 18. What was Vergil's probable purpose in writing the _Æneid_? 19. Quote the lines which promise world dominion to the Romans. 20. What religious motive seems to guide Æneas? 21. How does Vergil's treatment of the gods compare with that of Ovid? 22. What in brief is the story of the _Æneid_? 23. What characteristic passages in the poem deal with the mystery of nature? 24. From what different sources does Æneas throughout the poem receive guidance as to his future home? 25. On what occasions do the gods interfere to influence the progress of events? 26. What characteristic customs of the times are portrayed in the poem? 27. What picture of life after death does the poem present? 28. What crimes does Vergil represent as unpardonable sins? 29. How does Vergil glorify Æneas in his descendants? 30. How many books of the poem are devoted to the wanderings of Æneas? 31. What in brief is the story of the remaining books? BIBLIOGRAPHY