THE SWARM 



corpses: and to the aniazons of the guard 

 who keep watch on the threshold by night 

 and by da\-, question comers and goers, 

 recognise the novices who return from 

 their very I'rst rlight, scare away vaga- 

 bonds, marauders and loiterers, expel all 

 intruders, attack redoubtable foes in a 

 body, and, if need be, barricade the 

 entrance. 



Finally, it is the spirit of the hi\-e that 

 tlxes the hour of t!te great annual sacri- 

 lice to the genius oi the race ; the hour, 

 that is. of the swarm : when we tlnd a 

 whole people, who have attained the top- 

 most pinnacle of prosperit_\' and power, 

 suddenly abandoning to the generation to 

 come their wealth and their palaces, their 

 homes and the fruits of their labour ; 

 [9] 



