There are more than 50 copies of the Aeneid in Marsh’s Library.

The names of three owners are inscribed in this book alongside dates of 1771, 1835, and 1840. The doodles at the front and back strongly suggest that it was used in school settings.

Every schoolboy would have understood the supernatural context when Maturin referred to Book VI of the Aeneid, which describes the eponymous hero’s journey to the Underworld.

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Citation:

Virgil, Opera (London, 1667).

,
Marsh's Library Exhibits: ‘Ragged, Livid, & On Fire: The Wanderings of Melmoth at 200’ curated by Christina Morin and Jason McElligott,
accessed July 23, 2025,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/Melmoth/item/759