Aeneas and His Companions Eat Their Tables

The distant crests of the Apennines are tipped with crimson light; every wind is hushed to rest, and land and sea lie sleeping in the hallowed stillness of the dawn. But hark! the silence is broken by the measured beat of a thousand oars, and into the mouth of Tiber sweeps the Trojan fleet. As if they had been waiting for that signal, a multitude of birds at the same moment burst into song, and all the woods by the river-side ring with melody. Æneas is the first to leap ashore; and soon all his fleet lies moored on the yellow sand. Under the spreading boughs of an ancient oak sat Æneas with the young Iulus and those next to him in rank. Before them was spread a rustic feast of fruits plucked from the neighboring trees; and flat cakes, hastily prepared with meal and eggs and cheese, served them for dishes. When all their fruit was consumed they finished their meal by devouring the flat squares of cake. “Behold, we are eating our tables!” cried Iulus, laughing; and before he could add another word Æneas laid a warning finger on his lips. “No more, my child,” he said. “Thy words have a deeper meaning than thou deemest. Long ago I heard an oracle from my father, foretelling that in the place where hunger compelled us to devour our tables we should find a settled home and an abiding city. Here, then, our wanderings are at an end.” And thus the prophecy of Celæno, uttered in malice, was brought to a happy fulfilment, and turned into a matter of light jesting by an innocent child. On the day following Æneas chose out a hundred men from all his company, and sent them as envoys to the court of Latinus. Crowned with olive wreaths, to show that they came in peace, they set forth on their mission, and soon reached the open plain which lies before the gates of Laurentum, where the youth of Latium were assembled for the practice of archery, horsemanship, and other warlike exercises. Here they halted, and sent forward a messenger to announce their coming to the king. Permission being granted, they entered the gates under an escort, and were conducted to the royal palace, which stood on a hill, commanding the city, and surrounded by a hallowed grove. Here they were first ushered into an ante-chamber filled with warlike trophies—chariots and the beaked prows of ships, battle-axes, helmets, shields, and spears; while round the walls were ranged statues of the ancient kings and warriors of Latium. From here, with all due ceremony, they were brought into the presence of the king. Benign was the face of the venerable Latinus, and gracious were his words, as he gave welcome to his guests. “Children of Dardanus,” he said, “I know both your name and your fame, and ye come not hither as strangers. Whether ye come to this land of set purpose, or driven by adverse winds, I regard you as friends, and in some wise as kinsmen. Was not Dardanus, your ancestor, whose seat is now in heaven, a son of Italy?” Ilioneus, the leader of the embassy, replied: “Illustrious son of Saturn, it was no accident of wind or weather which brought us to thy shores. Thou knowest—as who doth not, dwell he never so remote from the paths of men?—thou knowest the tempest which gathered at Mycenæ and swept over the plains of Asia. Saved from that deluge and the havoc of our homes we have passed the wide waste of waters, following the voice of Apollo, which called us to the Tuscan Tiber and the cradle of our race. We ask but a little gift—a small plot of earth for our country’s gods to dwell in, and the common boon of water and air. And despise us not, nor think that we come as beggars and outcasts; many are the nations who would have given us an honorable portion in their land and received us as friends and allies, but fate suffered it not. Receive us, then, and take these gifts from the hands of Æneas, a hand never stained by treachery or cowardice. This is the golden goblet from which his sire Anchises was wont to pour the drink-offering; here is the royal robe and the scepter and tiara of Priam; and these vestments were wrought by the hands of noble Trojan dames.” For a while Latinus sat silent, pondering on the strange event, which seemed to fulfil the oracle of ancient Faunus. This, thought he, is the foreign bridegroom of which the oracle spoke. Presently he raised his head, and answered, with a look of glad assurance: “Trojan, thou hast thy wish; and may the gods speed our designs! I have a daughter who, by many sure tokens, is destined to wed a stranger from a distant country, and, unless my mind deceives me, your King Æneas is called by fate to be her husband. Bid him seek my presence with all speed, and doubt not of his welcome.” Such was the reply of Latinus; and his actions were as kind as his words.… Finding that Latinus was not to be shaken in his resolve, Amata gave the reins to her frenzy, and going forth into the city, sped from house to house and poured her tale of wrong into the ears of all whom she met.… Thus what had begun as a petty brawl soon grew into a regular battle, in which the whole Trojan force found itself confronted by a strong muster from the field of Latium.… Æneas received an embassy sent by Latinus to ask a truce for the burial of the slain. The envoys were courteously received, and after granting their request Æneas addressed them in terms of grave and dignified remonstrance. “Why,” he asked, “has your king broken faith with me thus, and brought on Trojans and Latins this lamentable war? If Turnus complains that I am robbing him of his promised bride, let him make good his right in single combat, and not sacrifice the lives of thousands in a private quarrel. Tell him that I am ready to meet him when and where he will.”