P R E F A C E

Of these people once more: but alas! I have boundaries
    That I cannot cross.
Destiny has willed it. But if I am able
    To give you counsel:
Give to these wicked ones an everlasting night,
    Depriving them of the Sun. Neptune suggests that if he cannot drown the world again, Jupiter should instead plunge it into eternal darkness.
"My brother," (said Pluto) "I have within my entrails
    And within my rich bosom Pluto was the god of both the dead and of the riches found underground, such as gold and minerals. The poet uses "bosom" or "breast" to refer to the depths of the earth.
The means to avenge you for these vile scoundrels
    Without even lifting a hand.
What! Do you not know that the earth is filled
    With a thousand minerals,
That can make your will accomplished,
    And will subdue these evils?
The Heavens belong to you, as the Wave does to my brother,
    A pitiless Element:
But the earth and the heart of this round mass
    Obey my command.
And if Mars The Roman god of war. is not satisfied with drawing from his Center
    The vengeful blade,
I will ensure that Berthold A reference to Berthold Schwarz, a legendary 14th-century German monk and alchemist credited in folklore with the invention of gunpowder and the first bronze cannons. shall draw from its belly
    A murderous thunderbolt.
For I will deck it in flame and fury,
    And I will lead him to find
The use of the Cannon and of artillery,
    To put its strength to the test."