ELYSIUM

or ELYSIAN FIELDS, among the Greeks and Romans the regions inhabited by the ble ed after death. They are placed by Homer abt the extremities of the earth, by Plato at the antipodes, and by others in the Fortunate Islands (the Canaries). They were at last supposed to be in the interior of the earth, where Virgil described them as being. The happine of the ble ed consisted in a life of tranquil enjoyment in a perfect summer land, where the heroes, freed from all care and infirmities, renewed their favourite sports. 139