THE HADES OP VIRGIL. 667 



Vii'gil succeeded in surrounding the descent of ^neas to Hades with 

 a solemnity and a grandeur befitting so peculiar an expedition, 



7. As to the time which the descent of Ulysses and ^neas occu- 

 pied, we may conclude respecting the former that the day must have 

 advanced somewhat before he and his companions sailed. " The sails 

 of the ship passing over the sea were stretched out the whole day : 

 and the sun set and all the ways were overshadowed." The inference, 

 therefore, is plain, that Ulysses arrived at the extreme boundaries of 

 ocean on the evening of the day on which he sailed from ^sea. 

 From Odyssey XII. it appears that when he and his companions 

 returned to the island of Circe, they drew up their ships on the sands, 

 and they themselves disembarked upon the shore of the sea. Lying 

 down to sleep, they awaited the divine morning. As they occupied 

 a day in going to the boundaries of ocean, and as they returned to 

 ^8sa when it was dark; that the poet's story may be consistent, it 

 has to be conceded that the voyage to and from Hades occupied two 

 days. 



Ulysses must have returned to ^tea on the evening of the second 

 day, when it was too late to inter or burn the body of Elpenor. Early 

 on the morning of the next day the promise which was made to the 

 ghost of Elpenor was faithfully carried out. 



It was early in the morning that ^neas and the Sibyl began their 

 journey (primi sub lumine solis et ortus). While ^neas was con- 

 versing with Deiphobus, the Sibyl admonished him not to make 

 unnecessary or long delays, because a certain time was granted for 

 their journey. 



" Hac vice sermonum, roseis Aurora quadrigis 

 Jam medium astherio cursu trajecerat axem, 

 ,,Et fors omne datum traherent per talia tempus ; 

 Sed comes admonuit, breviterque affata Sibylla est, 

 Nox ruit, ^nea, nos flendo ducimus horas." 



An entire day, therefore, was assigned to the descent of ^neas 

 into Hades. He and his companion spent an entire day in their 

 visit to the abodes of the dead. 



8. Thei-e is a manifest naturalness in the manner of the departure 

 of Ulysses from Hades. Whatever coherence or importance or plausi- 

 bility belongs to his visit to Hades, is in no way weakened or lessened 



