from Dido, Queen of Carthage
Æneas : The Grecian soldiers, tired with ten years' war,
Began to cry, " Let us unto our ships,
Troy is invincible, why stay we here?"
With whose outcries Atrides being appalled,
Summoned the Captains to his princely tent;
Who, looking on the scars we Trojans gave,
Seeing the number of their men decreased,
And the remainder weak and out of heart,
Gave up their voices to dislodge the camp,
And so in troops all marched to Tenedos:
Where when they came, Ulysses on the sand
Assayed with honey words to turn them back;
And as he spoke to further his intent,
The winds did drive huge billows to the shore,
And heaven was darkened with tempestuous clouds:
Then he alleged the Gods would have them stay,
And prophesied Troy should be overcome:
And therewithal he called false Sinon forth,
A man compact of craft and perjurie,
Whose ticing tongue was made of Hermes' pipe,
To force an hundred watchful eyes to sleep;
And him, Epeus having made the horse,
With sacrificing wreaths upon his head,
Ulysses sent to our unhappy town:
Who, grovelling in the mire of Xanthus' banks,
His hands bound at his back, and both his eyes
Turned up to heaven, as one resolved to die,
Our Phrygian shepherds hailed within the gates,
And brought unto the Court of Priamus:
To whom he used action so pitiful,
Looks so remorseful, vows so forcible,
As therewithal the old man, overcome,
Kissed him, embraced him, and unloosed his bands:
And then — O Dido, pardon me.
Dido : Nay, leave not here; resolve me of the rest.
Æneas: O th' enchanting words of that base slave Made him to think Epeus' pine-tree Horse A sacrifice t' appease Minerva's wrath: The rather, for that one Laocoon Breaking a spear upon his hollow breast, Was with two winged Serpents stung to death. Whereat aghast, we were commanded straight With reverence to draw it into Troy. In which unhappy worke was I employed. These hands did help to hail it to the gates, Through which it could not enter, 'twas so huge. O had it never entered, Troy had stood. But Priamus impatient of delay, Enforced a wide breach in that rampiered wall, Which thousand battering rams could never pierce, And so came in this fatal instrument: At whose accursed feet as overjoyed, We banquetted till, overcome with wine, Some surfeited, and others soundly slept. Which Sinon viewing, caused the Greekish spies To haste to Tenedos and tell the Camp. Then he unlockt the Horse, and suddenly From out his entrailes, Neoptolemus Setting his speare upon the ground, leapt forth, And after him a thousand Grecians more, In whose sterne faces shin'd the quenchles fire, That after burnt the pride of Asia . By this the Campe was come unto the walles, And through the breach did march into the streetes, Where meeting with the rest, kill kill they cryed. Frighted with this confused noyse, I rose, And looking from a turret, might behold Yong infants swimming in their parents bloud, Headles carkasses piled up in heapes, Virgins halfe dead dragged by their golden haire, And with maine force flung on a ring of pikes, Old men with swords thrust through their aged sides, Kneeling for mercie to a Greekish lad, Who with steele Pol-axes dasht out their braines. Then buckled I mine armour, drew my sword, And thinking to goe downe, came Hectors ghost With ashie visage, blewish sulphure eyes, His armes torne from his shoulders, and his breast Furrowed with wounds, and that which made me weepe, Thongs at his heeles, by which Achilles horse Drew him in triumph through the Greekish Campe, Burst from the earth, crying, Aeneas flye,Troy is a fire, the Grecians have the towne.