red! Pinker thy fingers than Aurora’s, firmer thy shoulders than Diana’s; even thy mother dost thou surpass. If Bacchus, Ariadne’s lover, could transform his mistress’ garland into a constellation how comes it that a more beauteous maid has no crown of stars? Even now Boötes is weaving for thee a starry crown, even now heaven brings new stars to birth to do thee honour. Go, mate with one who is worthy of thee and share with him an empire co-extensive with the world. Ister now shall do thee homage; all nations shall adore thy name. Now Rhine and Elbe shall be thy slaves; thou shalt be queen among the Sygambri. Why should I number the peoples and the Atlantic’s distant shores? The whole world alike shall be thy dowry.”
She spake and fitted to Maria’s neck and shining limbs the rich gear which the happy Nereids had just given her. She parted her hair with the spear’s point, girded up her dress, and with her own hands set the veil over the maiden’s hair.[136] The procession is halted singing at the door; brightly gleams the holy chariot in which the new bride is to fare. The prince burns to run and meet her and longs for the sun’s tardy setting. Even so the noble steed when first the smell that stirs his passions smites upon him proudly shakes his thick, disordered mane and courses over Pharsalia’s plains. His nostrils are aflame and with a neighing he greets the streams that saw his birth. His masters smile at the hope of their stud’s increase, and the mares take pleasure in their handsome mate.
Meanwhile the army has laid aside its swords: the soldiers are dressed in white and throng around Stilicho, the bride’s father. No standard-bearer nor
[136] Venus acts as _pronuba_. The parting of the hair with the spear was a relic of marriage by capture (_cf._ Catullus lxi.).
nec miles pluviae flores dispergere ritu cessat purpureoque ducem perfundere nimbo. haec quoque velati lauro myrtoque canebant: “Dive parens, seu te complectitur axis Olympi, seu premis Elysias animarum praemia valles, 301 en promissa tibi Stilicho iam vota peregit; iam gratae rediere vices; cunabula pensat; acceptum reddit thalamum natoque reponit, quod dederat genitor. numquam te, sancte, pigebit iudicii nec te pietas suprema fefellit. 306 dignus cui leges, dignus cui pignora tanti principis et rerum commendarentur habenae. dicere possemus, quae proelia gesta sub Haemo quaeque cruentarint fumantem Strymona pugnae, quam notus clipeo, quanta vi fulminet hostem, 311 ni prohiberet Hymen, quae tempestiva relatu, nunc canimus. quis consilio, quis iuris et aequi nosse modum melior? quod semper dissilit, in te convenit, ingenio robur, prudentia forti. 315 fronte quis aequali? quem sic Romana decerent culmina? sufficerent tantis quae pectora curis? stes licet in populo, clamet quicumque videbit: ‘hic est, hic Stilicho!’ sic se testatur et offert celsa potestatis species, non voce feroci, 320 non alto simulata gradu, non improba gestu. adfectant alii quidquid fingique laborant, hoc donat natura tibi. pudor emicat una