And when her maidens looked, lo! she had fallen upon the sword, and the blood was upon her hands.  And a great cry went up through the palace, exceeding loud and bitter, even as if the enemy had taken Carthage or ancient Tyre, and the fire were mounting over the dwellings of men and of Gods.  And Anna her sister heard it, and rushing through the midst called her by name:  “O my sister, was this thy purpose?  Were the pile and the sword and the fire for this?  Why wouldst thou not suffer that I should die with thee?  For surely, my sister, thou hast slain thyself, and me, and thy people, and thy city.  But give me water, ye maidens, that I may wash her wounds, and if there be any breath left in her, we may yet stay it.”

Then she climbed on to the pile, and caught her sister in her arms, and sought to staunch the blood with her garments.  Three times did Dido strive to raise her eyes; three times did her spirit leave her.  Three times she would have raised herself upon her elbow; three times she fell back upon the bed, looking with wandering eyes for the light, and groaning that she yet beheld it.

Then Juno, looking down from heaven, saw that her pain was long, and pitied her, and sent down Iris, her messenger, that she might loose the soul that struggled to be free.  For, seeing that she died not by nature, nor yet by the hand of man, but before her time and of her own madness, Queen Proserpine had not shred the ringlet from her head which she shreds from them that die.  Wherefore Iris, flying down with dewy wings from heaven, with a thousand colors about her from the light of the sun, stood about her head and said, “I give thee to death, even as I am bidden, and loose thee from thy body.”  Then she shred the lock, and Queen Dido gave up the ghost.

THE FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES

By Charles Henry Hanson

AEneas called together all his followers, and reminded minded them that a year had now passed since the death of his father.  Not of their own purpose, but doubtless by the will of the Gods, they had now returned to the friendly land where his bones had been laid.  It was therefore his intention to celebrate funeral games.  For eight days there should be feasting, for which Acestes had generously provided two oxen for each ship; and on the ninth day he would give prizes to be contested in the foot-race, in shooting with the bow, and in boxing with the cestus.

Having thus spoken, the hero, according to the custom of that time, placed a wreath of myrtle upon his head and proceeded to the tomb of his father, where he poured out, as a libation to the Gods, two bowls of wine, two of new milk, and two of sacred blood.  Then he scattered flowers over the tomb, and offered up a prayer to his father’s shade.  Immediately there came forth from the tomb a huge snake with glittering scales of blue and gold, which, after tasting of what had been poured out, retired again to the recesses