412.] Apoll. R. 4. 445 addresses love similarly, when Medea is about to kill Absyrtus. Part of the line we have had already 3. 56 (note).

413.] Ire in lacrimas' like "preces descendere in omnis " 5.782, perhaps with the further notion of solvi in lacrimas,' which would be supported by Flor. 2. 4, "in sudorem ire," quoted by Forb.

414.] Animos' of a high and haughty spirit 2. 386 &c., somewhat as we talk of 'spirits. Some MSS. give 'animum.'

415.] Wund. rightly explains the sense to be "Ne, si quid inexpertum relinquat, frustra moriatur." 'Moritura' in fact expresses Dido's case as considered dependently on, not independently of, the action of the verb 'relinquat.'Frustra moritura' means that in that case she I would die when there was no occasion for dying.

416.] As usual, Virg. tells us indirectly that Dido has Anna with her, and addresses her. It is not easy to say whether Wagn. is right in placing a question after litore;' but perhaps the categorical proposition is slightly preferable. Nor again is there much to choose between the old punctuation which connected 'circum' with the preceding words, and Markland's (on Stat. Silv. 2. 5. 12, "clausis circum undique portis "), which joins it with undique.' The latter however seems to be unanimously adopted by the later editors. 417.] See on 3. 356.

418.] Repeated from G. 1. 304. Serv. says "Probus sane sic adnotavit : Si hunc versum omitteret, melius fecisset." Germ. illustrates the custom of wreathing the vessel on departing, from Ovid and Q. Smyrnaeus, and refers to the crowning of the theoric vessel which the Athenians sent

415

420

to Delos. After this line Ribbeck inserts vv. 548, 549, without any external warrant. His reasons for the change are given in a tract, "Emendationes Vergilianae (Berne, 1858), where he complains of the lines in their original position as unconnected with the context, while admitting that this very incoherence will probably be admired by "elegantiores interpretes," and says of the present context, "hic quidem, quo facilius beneficium illud, unicam spem suam, impetraret, criminari quamvis leviter sororem poterat, quod suis verborum inlecebris tantis turbis se obie. cisset." Perhaps it will be thought a sufficient refutation of this conjecture that its author, in receiving it into the text, now says, "Sed quoniam vel sic hiat oratio, non absolvisse locum putandus est poeta."

419.] The meaning must be, If I have been able (as I have) to look forward to so crushing a blow, I shall be able to bear it. Whether she had really looked forward to it, we do not know: v. 298 above, to which Henry refers, at least according to its natural interpretation, does not show it; but Dido evidently wishes it to be thought that she had.

420.] It may be almost said that 'tamen' is explained by miserae.' Though I shall conquer my grief, it will be a sore struggle: help me then by doing me this one favour.'

422.] The inf. expresses custom, as in 11. 852, "Quicum partiri curas.' 'Sensus' seems here to include thought as well as feeling. Cic. couples it with "opinio," "cogitatio," "mens," ""animus:" see Forc.

423.] Viri aditus et tempora' seems to be a kind of hendiadys for "tempora viri adeundi." "Mollia" is doubtless meant to be supplied from 'mollis,' though 'tempus'

"inania tempora" in Quinct. 9. 4, the employment of a short for a long syllable, the Greek κενὸς χρόνος. Accepting this view, which Serv. supports, I should understand the inaction to refer not, as he thinks, to the relations between Dido and Aeneas, as if she were content that he should no longer regard her as his wife during the rest of his stay, but to Aeneas' journey; a time when he will do nothing, and when she may consequently breathe. Comp. the use of "vacuus." Requiem spatiumque' is a combination like "aditus et tempora," the notion being "spatium ad requiescendum."

434.] A space wherein my fortune may teach my baffled love how to grieve.' Fortuna' is the fortune of being baffled, and the lesson to be taught is how to bear defeat; or we may take 'victam' conquered by Fortune, which teaches its victims to comport themselves as victims should, to grieve and bear their grief. Many MSS., including Med. a m. pr., give 'dolore,' which could scarcely be reduced

to sense.

435, 436.] These two lines must be taken together, as the sense of 'extremam veniam' depends on that which we attribute to v. 436. The latter is well known as the most difficult in Virg. The reading is not quite certain. Not to mention the obvious errors of unimportant MSS., a considerable number of copies give 'relinquam' for 'remittam,' while Med., Pal., and Gud. a m. pr. have dederit' for 'dederis,' and Med. cumulata' for 'cumulatam.' These varieties are all mentioned by Serv., who says that dederis' was the reading of Tucca and Varius. Relinquam' may be dismissed as probably an interpretation of ' remittam,' fixing it to the particular sense of returning a favour at death as a bequest left by the dying. There is the same variety in the MSS. in Pers. Prol. 5. Dederit' is more plausible, as the 'extrema venia' may be well said with Henry to answer to 'extremum munus,' v. 429, the grace of a brief delay. But Henry has forgotten that it may answer equally well to 'miserae hoc tamen unum exsequere,' v. 420, the favour which Dido begs of her sister, of carrying this message to Aeneas: and it cannot be denied that miserere sororis' is strongly in favour of so interpreting it, though the words might mean-'pity me

435

and tell him so.' There is then no overpowering prima facie reason for adopting dederit: nor do the interpretations proposed by its supporters supply any addi tional argument in its favour. If indeed we might read with the Delphin editor cumulatum,' we should obtain a clear and intelligible sense-' when he has granted me this, I will send him away with my death to crown and reward him.' I do not know why Wagn. calls this "pessimum :" the objection which occurs at first sight, that Dido would thus speak too plainly of a resolution which she afterwards takes such pains to conceal from her sister, is, as we shall see, not convincing: the expression would, I think, strike any one as sufficiently natural and unforced, if the reading were undoubted; and the strongest improbability in the case is the general one founded on the almost invariable trustworthiness of one or other of Virg.'s MSS. Henry's interpretation adopts not only dederit' but cumulata,' understanding Dido to say that if Aeneas grants her the favour of a little delay, she, though brought lower than the grave (morte cumulata' = in aggravated death, in a state worse than death), will abate her passion. The intransitive sense of remitto' is possible enough: but the interpretation of cumulata morte' is absolutely impossible, and not justified by a less forced expression in a more forced writer, Statius, who in Theb. 11. 582 speaks of Oedipus' blindness as "mors imperfecta." On the whole, the chief value of 'cumulata' seems to be that it has given occasion for a very ingenious conjecture of Schrader, 'cumulata sorte,' which would suit remittam,' the sense produced being 'I will repay it with interest.' Accepting the ordinary reading as having the authority of Serv., we shall not find much difficulty in giving 'remittam' the sense of "reddam," though it does not seem to have been generally used as its conventional equivalent (comp. Hor. A. P. 349, “ Poscentique gravem persaepe remittit acutum "), while 'cumulatum' will naturally mean 'with interest,' as in Livy 2. 23, " aes alienum cumulatum usuris." Morte' may be either the abl. instr. with cumulatam,' or used as in v. 502 below, at the time of death.' Here again the difficulty is in the

general sense. Roughly considered, the meaning seems to be that Dido's death will bring to Anna a return for her kindness; but it is not easy to see what the return can be, and so to determine whether the death is to be the cause of its being made or merely the occasion. Wagn.'s notion that Dido hints that she will bequeath her kingdom to Anna is unworthy of the occasion, and not supported by any thing else in this book, while it has not even the justification of consistency with the legend, which makes Anna after her sister's death migrate into Italy. Perhaps we may say, borrowing a hint from Serv., that Dido's language is intentionally obscure, her meaning being that her return for Anna's kindness will be that she will kill herself, and so rid her sister of the burden. Anna would

take the words as a mere expression of desperation, their very obscurity preventing her from attaching too much meaning to them. So her language in v. 419 is worded in a manner which might have led any one already on the watch to infer the worst, while an unsuspecting person like Anna would take it in a good sense, knowing moreover, as Virg. reminds us v. 502, that Dido had once before endured successfully what seemed even a worse sorrow. Generally we may say that while Dido's purpose is still undecided, she does not shrink from speaking of death, though her words are little more than those of vague desperation. It is only when she has seen death to be her only course that she is anxious that no one should suspect what she is meditating. Sophocles has represented just the same change of feeling in Ajax, who talks wildly of death on his first recovery from his frenzy, but afterwards, when he is quite resolved to die, contrives an elaborate blind for Tecmessa and the Chorus. Thus that Dido should speak of death here is no more than we should expect, though the precise import of her words may be left undetermined. Ribbeck, adopting dederit,' reads 'cumulatam monte,' apparently from his own conjecture. The old editors placed the comma

440

after 'cumulatam,' not after dederis.' With the parenthetical miserere sororis ' comp. "gratare sorori" v. 478, which may be meant as a contrast to it. 'Venia' of a favour. "Da veniam hanc mihi" Ter. Hec. 4. 2. 29, comp. by Serv.

437-449.] Anna attacks Aeneas again and again, but he is like an oak in a storm, buffeted but not overthrown.'

437.] Talibus orabat' 10. 96, where the meaning of the verb is slightly different. Fletus' of a tearful appeal, like 'lacrimae' 2. 145.

438.] "Fertque refertque' non ab Aenea, qui nihil dicit, sed a Didone fert et refert, id est, iterum portat. Nam subiunxit Sed nullis ille movetur Fletibus."" Serv. Wund. comp. 12. 866, where the same words occur.

440.] Wagn. rightly says that 'deus' is general, not specially indicating Jupiter or Mercury. After this line one MS. subjoins a foolish addition, "Ne sint ammotae neque sistant gaudia mente."

441.] Macrob. Sat. 6. 2 taxes Virg. with imitating II. 16. 765 foll.: but the resemblance is as general as possible. Annoso validam' was restored by Heins. for the old reading 'annosam valido,' which is less artificial, and consequently less Virgilian. Ov. M. 8. 744 has "ingens annoso robore quercus." Robur' seems to be used in its general sense of strength, or perhaps strong wood, though doubtless we are intended to think of its special meaning.

442.] Alpini' does not merely mean blowing from the Alps, but intimates that the tree is standing and the scene laid there. 'Hinc' and illinc' come in strangely after Boreae,' as if the north wind blew from different quarters: so we must either suppose that Virg. means N.E. and N.W., or set it down as one of his many voluntary or involuntary inaccuracies, Boreas being to him the poetical expression for any violent or cold wind. In 1. 85 (note) we have had a similar, though less glaring inaccuracy. Mr. Long however is of opinion that Virg. means any wind which blows from the Alps to