many beauteous gifts and honours, whatever she wished to choose among the immortals. But no one was able to persuade her mind and inclination, wrathful in mind; but she obstinately rejected their discourse. "For never," said she, "would she step upon incense-fraught Olympus, nor let forth the fruit of the earth, before she should behold her fair-faced daughter with her eyes." But when heavy-thundering, far-seeing Jove heard this, he sent the golden-wanded slayer of Argus down into Erebus, in order that, having beguiled Hades by soft words, he might lead away chaste Proserpine from the murky darkness to the gods, that her mother, having beheld her, might cease from her wrath. But Mercury was not disobedient, but straightway sped briskly beneath the earth, having left the dwelling of Olympus. And he found the king within his abode, sitting on a couch with his chaste spouse, who was grieving much through longing for her mother; but she, on account of the shameful deeds of the gods, devised a destructive counsel.[1]
Then the bold slayer of Argus, standing near, addressed him: "Dark-haired Hades, who rulest over the dead, the sire, Jove, bids thee lead forth noble Proserpine from Erebus to their[2] company, that her mother, having beheld her, may cease[3] from her wrath and bitter anger against the immortals; since she devises a dreadful deed, to destroy the weakly tribes of earth-born men, concealing the seed beneath the ground, and wasting away the honours of the immortals. But she cherishes grievous wrath, and does not associate with the gods, but sits afar off within her incense-fraught temple, possessing the rocky city of Eleusis." Thus he spoke, but Pluto, king of the dead, smiled from beneath his eyebrows, and did not disobey the behest of king Jove. And quickly he bade prudent Proserpine [thus]: "Go, Proserpine, to thy dark-robed mother, having a mild spirit and disposition in
- ↑ i. e. in withholding the fruits of the earth. I have adopted Hermann's emendation,ἣ δ' ἐπ' ἀλάστοις Ἔργοισιν μακάρων ὀλοὴν μητίετο βουλήν. He compares Hesych. ἄλαστα· ἄτλητα. In a copy of Ruhnken's edition in the British Museum, the late Charles Burney has conjectured, ἡ γ' ἐπὶ ἔργοις Ἀτλήτοισι θεῶν πυκινην ἐφρ. βουλήν.
- ↑ i. e. to the assembly of the other gods.
- ↑ Read λήξειεν, with Hermann, and Burney in note MS.
