Aeneid Bibliomancy Reading

This oracle points to a randomly selected line from The Aeneid. The surrounding passages are provided for context.

 

Your passage is from BOOK XII: DECISION AND REVENGE.

 

For Context:

BOOK XII: DECISION AND REVENGE

Turnus challenges Aeneas to a single combat: articles are agreed on, but broken by the Rutuli, who wound Aeneas. He is miraculously cured by Venus, forces Turnus to a duel, and concludes the poem with his death.

When Turnus saw the Latins leave the field,
Their armies broken, and their courage quell’d,

Himself become the mark of public spite,
His honour question’d for the promis’d fight;

The more he was with vulgar hate oppress’d,
The more his fury boil’d within his breast:

He rous’d his vigour for the last debate,
And rais’d his haughty soul to meet his fate.

As, when the swains the Libyan lion chase,
He makes a sour retreat, nor mends his pace;

But, if the pointed jav’lin pierce his side,
The lordly beast returns with double pride:

He wrenches out the steel, he roars for pain;
His sides he lashes, and erects his mane:

So Turnus fares; his eyeballs flash with fire,
Thro’ his wide nostrils clouds of smoke expire.

Trembling with rage, around the court he ran,
At length approach’d the king, and thus began:

“No more excuses or delays: I stand
In arms prepar’d to combat, hand to hand,
This base deserter of his native land.