A nobleman asks why she is the only 855 one of her sisters who has snake-twined hair. The guest said: “Since you seek things worth the telling, here is the reason: Once acclaimed for beauty, she was the fervent hope of many suitors. And her most striking feature was her hair. 860 I found a young man who alleged he’d seen it. They say the sea-god[55] raped her in Minerva’s temple. Jove’s daughter turned away, chaste eyes veiled by her aegis. This was not unpunished. She changed the Gorgon’s hair into foul serpents. 865 And even now, to stun her foes with fright, she wears upon her chest those
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