BOOK II. CHAP, VII. 97 



Spehmca alt a fait, vajloque iminanis hlaiu, 

 Scrupea, ttita lacu nigro, nemorumque tenebris. 



lb ant obfcurl Jold fub nodle per umbram. 

 Per que domos ditis vactias, et inania regna. 

 ^ale per Incertam lunamfub luce maligna 

 KJl iter injylvls; ubi cceliwi condidit umbra 

 Jupiter, et rebus nox abJluUt atra colorem. 



" Deep, deep, the cavern lies, devoid of light, 



" Al] rough with rocks, and horrible to fight. 



*« Its dreadful mouth is fenc'd with flible floods, 



" And the brown horrors of furrounding woods. 



*' Now through the difmal gloom they pafs, and tread 



** Grim Pluto's courts, the regions of the dead ; 



" As puzzled travelers bewilder'd move 



«' (The moon fcarce glimm'ring through the duflcy grove^, 



" When Jove from mortal eyes has fnatch'd the light, 



*' And wrapp'd the world in undiftinguifli'd night," 



Pitt. 

 That the comparifon might have appeared more jufl, I ought to 

 have premifed, that the grotto is furrounded with a thick wood, 

 and that at a fmall diftance before the entrance is a large lagoon 

 of ftagnant water. The critic perhaps may objeft, that we were 

 not fo entirely in the dark as yEneas is reprefented. But, if he 

 pleafes, he may allow the dim light of our torch to bear fome li- 

 militude to the glimmering of the moon above-mentioned; and 

 then it will feem more aptly applied. The foil beneath our feet we 

 perceived was deep, foft, and yielding, and had a faint, cada- 

 verous fmell. Upon examination, we imagined it to be a cojigerles 

 of bat's dung, accumulating perhaps forages part; and were fur- 

 ther confirmed in this opinion by the multitude of thefe creatures,, 

 which, upon the difturbances of our torch-light, and the unufual 

 noife of fo many vifitors, flitted in numerous fwarms over our 

 heads. It is probable this foil is flrongly impregnated with nitre; 

 but we had not time to fearch for it. After walking a confiderable 

 way, we obferved many new adits branching from the fides. Our 

 guide informed us they led feveral miles under ground; and that 

 Vol. II. O cue 



