covery, and his talkativeness, may seem to have
merited punishment. Whence have you, daughters of Acheloues,[70] feathers
and the feet of birds, since you have the faces of maidens? Is it
because, when Proserpine was gathering the flowers of spring, you were
mingled in the number of her companions? After you had sought her in
vain throughout the whole world, immediately, that the waters might be
sensible of your concern, you wished to be able, on the support of your
wings, to hover over the waves, and you found the Gods propitious, and
saw your limbs grow yellow with feathers suddenly formed. But lest the
sweetness of your voice, formed for charming the ear, and so great
endowments of speech, should lose the gift of a tongue, your virgin
countenance and your human voice {still} remained."

[Footnote 59: _A tedious task._--Ver. 463. 'Dicere longa mora
est,' is rendered by Clarke, 'It is a tedious business to tell.']

[Footnote 60: _The girdle._--Ver. 470. The zone, or girdle,
a fastening round the loins, was much worn by both sexes among
the ancients. It was sometimes made of netted work, and the chief
use of it was for holding up the tunic, and keeping it from
dragging on the ground. Among the Romans, the Magister Equitum, or
'Master of the Horse,' wore a girdle of red leather, embroidered
by the needle, and having its extremities joined by a gold buckle.
It also formed part of the cuirass of the warrior. The girdle was
used sometimes by men to hold money instead of a purse; and the
'pera,' 'wallet,' or 'purse,' was generally fastened to the
girdle. As this article of dress was used to hold up the garments
for the sake of expedition, it was loosened when people were
supposed to be abstracted from the cares of the world, as in
performing sacrifice or attending at funeral rites. A girdle was
also worn by the young women, even when the tunic was not girt up;
and it was only discontinued by them on the day of marriage. To
that circumstance, allusion is made in the present instance, as a
proof of the violence that had been committed on Proserpine.]

[Footnote 61: _Had been carried away._--Ver. 471. Clarke
translates 'tunc denique raptam Scisset,' 'knew that she had been
kidnapped.']

[Footnote 62: _Alpheian Nymph._--Ver. 487. Alpheus was a river of
Elis, in the northwestern part of Peloponnesus. Its present name
is 'Ca