THE HADES OF VIRGIL. 651 



for the golden bougli whicli Proserpine had ordered to be presented 

 to her as her peculiar gift. The entrance to Hades was through the 

 cave of the Sibyl, who, after ^neas had secured the golden bough, 

 went as his guide to the lower regions. 



3. When Ulysses had reached " the extreme boundaries of the 

 deep-flowing ocean," he, carrying out the instructions of Circe, " dug 

 a trench the width of a cubit each way. He and his companions 

 poured around it libations to all the dead, first with mixed honey, 

 then with sweet wine ; and again, a third time, with water. He 

 entreated the powerless heads of the dead much, and promised that 

 if he would return to Ithaca, he would offer in his palace a barren 

 heifer, whichever was the best, and fill a pyre with excellent things ; 

 and that he would sacrifice to Tiresias alone a sheep all black, which 

 excelled among his sheep." He killed the male sheep and the black 

 female which Circe gave him ; and their blood flowed into the trench 

 the width of a cubit each way. 



-i3Eneas made vows and offered prayers. Apart from the sheep 

 whose blood flowed into the trench, Ulysses contented himself by 

 making promises that, in the event of his returning to Ithaca, he 

 would ofier certain sacrifices. Before ^neas and the Sibyl began 

 their arduous journey, they offered many sacrifices. The Sibyl sacri- 

 ficed in honour of Hecate, who is unknown to Homer, ^neas 

 offered sacrifices "to the mother of the Furies, and her great sister, 

 and to Proserpine and the Stygian King." Ulysses neither offered 

 nor promised to offer sacrifices to any of the gods. Not only did 

 -^neas offer sacrifices before Hades was approached, but many more 

 sacrifices were offered by him and by the Sibyl than Ulysses contem- 

 plated, were it ever to be his good fortune to return to Ithaca. N"o 

 sooner had Ulysses completed the sacrifices which he was instructed 

 to offer, than the souls of the dead were assembled out from Erebus. 

 Another and a more difficult experience had to be encountered by 

 ^neas and his guide before they entered Hades. 



The same rivers are mentioned by Homer and Virgil. Homer 

 knows nothing of Charon, whom Yirgil thus describes : 



" Portitor has horrendus aquas et flumina servat 

 Terribili squalore Charon." 



It was Charon who ferried over the souls of those whose bodies had 

 been interred. 



