Thus did Anna comfort her sister and encourage her.  And first the two offered sacrifice to the Gods, chiefly to Juno, who careth for the bond of marriage.  Also, examining the entrails of slain beasts, they sought to learn the things that should happen thereafter.  And ever Dido would company with AEneas, leading him about the walls of the city which she builded.  And often she would begin to speak and stay in the midst of her words.  And when even was come, she would hear again and again at the banquet the tale of Troy, and while others slept would watch, and while he was far away would seem to see him and to hear him.  Ascanius, too, she would embrace for love of his father, if so she might cheat her own heart.  But the work of the city was stayed meanwhile; nor did the towers rise in their places, nor the youth practice themselves in arms.

Then Juno, seeing how it fared with the queen, spake to Venus:  “Are ye satisfied with your victory, thou and thy son, that ye have vanquished, the two of you, one woman?  Well I knew that thou fearedst lest this Carthage should harm thy favorite.  But why should there be war between us?  Thou hast what thou seekest.  Let us make alliance.  Let Dido obey a Phrygian husband, and bring the men of Tyre as her dowry.”

But Venus knew that she spake with ill intent, to the end that the men of Troy should not reign in the land of Italy.  Nevertheless she dissembled with her tongue, and spake:  “Who would not rather have peace with thee than war?  Only I doubt whether this thing shall be to the pleasure of Jupiter.  This thou must learn, seeing that thou art his wife, and where thou leadest I will follow.”

So the two, taking counsel together, ordered things in this wise.  The next day a great hunting was prepared.  For as soon as ever the sun was risen upon the earth, the youth of the city assembled, with nets and hunting spears and dogs that ran by scent.  And the princes of Carthage waited for the queen at the palace door, where her horse stood champing the bit, with trappings of purple and gold.  And after a while she came forth, with many following her.  And she had upon her a Sidonian mantle, with a border wrought with divers colors; of gold was her quiver, and of gold the knot of her hair, and of gold the clasp to her mantle.  AEneas likewise came forth, beautiful as is Apollo when he leaveth Lydia and the stream of Xanthus, coming to Delos, and hath about his hair a wreath of bay-leaves and a circlet of gold.  So fair was AEneas to see.  And when the hunters came to the hills they found great store of goats and stags, which they chased.  And of all the company Ascanius was the foremost, thinking scorn of such hunting, and wishing that a wild boar or a lion out of the hills would come forth to be his prey.

And now befell a great storm, with much thunder and hail, from which the hunters sought shelter.  But AEneas and the queen, being left of all their company, came together to the same cave.  And there they plighted their troth one to the other.  Nor did the queen after that make secret of her love, but called AEneas her husband.