LAOCOON

In Fabulous History, the priest of Apollo or Neptune during the Trojan war. While he was engaged m sacrificing a bull to Neptune, two enormous serpents sent by Minerva, in revenge for his having endeavoured to di uade the Trojans from admitting the famous wooden horse within 'their walls, i ued from the sea; and having fastened on his two sons, whom he vainly endeavoured to save, at last attac^ked the father himself, and crushed him to death in their complicated folds. Virgil has thus described the occurrence: — Et primum parva duoruni Corpora natonim terpens amplexus uterque implicat, et miseros inorsu dcpascitur art us: Po»t, ipium, auxiliis sul)euntem ac tela t'ercmtem Corripiunt, spirisque ll(;ant ingentibu*; et jam Bis medium amplexi, liU collosquanica circum Terga dull, super ant capite, etcervicibus alt is. GJ8 [s. 651]