the ruler of the Gods lie prostrated by his thunderbolts.  Beside them, enduring terrible tortures, is Salmoneus.  He was a king of Elis in Greece, and was so puffed up by pride that he rode through his city on a high chariot drawn by four prancing horses, waving in his hand a torch, and pretending to be Jupiter himself, wielding his thunderbolts.  The Almighty Sire punished his impiety by hurling from Olympus a real thunderbolt, which deprived him of life; and now he pays the penalty of his mad pride by eternal sufferings in Tartarus.  There also lies Tityus, the huge giant who, having insulted the goddess Latona, was slain by the darts of her children, Apollo and Diana, and whose writhing body now lies extended over nine acres of ground, while insatiable vultures perpetually prey on his vitals, that are renewed as fast as they are devoured.  Beyond him is Ixion, bound to a wheel that never ceases to revolve, while he is scourged by attendant Furies.  He it was who, being admitted to Olympus by the generosity of Jupiter himself, dared to seek the love of the queen of the Gods.  Not less dreadful is the punishment allotted to Pirithous, who, along with Theseus, endeavored to carry off the Queen of Hades, Proserpine, from the side of Pluto.  Over his head hangs a huge rock, which every moment seems about to fall and crush him, but yet never actually descends; moreover, he is plagued with a gnawing hunger, and a rich banquet is always before him, which yet he is never able to reach.  Myriads of other unhappy shades, whose course on earth has been stained by detestable crime, here expiate the evil they have done; but had I a hundred mouths and a hundred tongues, I could not recount all their offenses and the varieties of their punishment.  It is necessary that we should go forward, since yonder stands the palace of Pluto, where thou, O AEneas, must deposit the bough which has gained thee admission here.”

Obedient to his guide, AEneas advanced to the vast portals of the palace where Pluto, the brother of Jupiter and monarch of the infernal kingdom, had his abode with his lovely queen Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres, whom ages before he had carried off from the upper world.  There he made due reverence before the goddess, and deposited the golden bough at her feet.  Advancing beyond, AEneas and the Sibyl came at last to the Elysian Fields,—­the abode of joy assigned to those who during life had been distinguished for piety, virtue, and heroic actions.  Here were lovely green fields and pleasant groves; the air was pure and balmy, the sky was blue, and all was glowing-in the light of the blessed sun.  Some of the happy spirits who dwelt in this region were amusing themselves by wrestling on the greensward, and other sports in which they had delighted on earth, such as chariot-racing, exercises with the spear and the bow.  Others were dancing and singing to the delicious notes which Orpheus, the most skillful of musicians, produced from his lyre.  On the bank