Ducunt ad navis; galeamque ensemque vocati 475 480 Sternitur exanimisque tremens procumbit humi bos. 'Hanc tibi, Eryx, meliorem animam pro morte Daretis Persolvo; hic victor caestus artemque repono.' Protinus Aeneas celeri certare sagitta 485 Invitat qui forte velint, et praemia ponit, 490 495 Extremus galeaque ima subsedit Acestes, 471. Galeamque, &c. See 367.-472. See 111.-475. Juvenalibus. This form also occurs ii. 518.-478. He drew back his right hand, poised the caestus so as to strike right between the horns, and rising on tiptoe (see 426), crashed in skull and brain.-481. Observe the effect of the monosyllabic ending.-483. He felt himself bound to offer something to his divine teacher (391) and protector (466) Eryx; the strife was sacred, and so he offered up the bull as a worthier gift than Dares. And with it, as usual, relinquishing the practice, he devotes to the god the arms of his former accomplishment.-487. Mālum, not mălum.492. Hippocoon, then, was the brother of Nisus. See ix. 177.-493. Victor: the three first in the boat-race were crowned as victors, 269. Mnestheus was the second, 258.-494. Oliva. See 111.-496. Pandarus, a Lycian auxiliary of the Trojans, celebrated as an archer. The event alluded to by Virgil is told by Homer, Il. iv. 86, &c. where we learn that, instigated (jussus) by Minerva, he broke a truce then subsisting between the Greeks and Trojans. Ausus et ipse manu juvenum tentare laborem. Pro se quisque viri, et depromunt tela pharetris. Alta petens, pariterque oculos telumque tetendit. Non valuit; nodos et vincula linea rupit, 500 505 510 515 520 525 501. Fro se quisque viri. The collocation of these words deserves notice and imitation.-507. Adducto, the ancient archers drew the string to the breast, not, as the English, to the ear.-511. Quis, an old form for quibus. For innexa pedem, and innexa crinem, vi. 211, see iv. 558.-513. Rapidus, as often, for rapide.-517. Life was left behind in the sky, while the arrow fell to earth.--519. Superabat, supererat. See 713.-520. To show his skill, and the excellence of his bow, he shot up into the air, and his arrow reached the clouds (nubibus, 525).—521. The position of pater shows that his skill was from his experience. Pater by the arsis.-522. This prodigy was probably intended by Virgil to have regard to the burning of the ships, 604, &c.; the soothsayers interpreting the omen when it was too late (sera) to avert the evil, and the event itself, not they, with all their awe-inspiring power (terrifici), had explained the prophetic meaning of the portent. ૨ Transcurrunt crinemque volantia sidera ducunt. 530 535 540 Et primum ante omnis victorem appellat Acesten. At pater Aeneas, nondum certamine misso, 545 550 555 533. Olympi. See Ecl. v. 56.-537. Cisseus, king of Thrace (Thracius), father of Hecuba, Priam's wife.-538. Ferre dederat. See 248, 572. -539. See 111.-547. Such guardians of young heroes were common in heroic times, as well as those of Virgil. Homer mentions (Iliad, xvii. 323) Periphas, son of Epytus, an attendant of Anchises.548, &c. Ascanio, dic ut ducat.-550. Avo, the dativus commodi, in honorem avi.-551. Aeneas orders the circular space described 206, &c. to be cleared.-553, &c. The ludus Trojae (600) here described by Virgil was often celebrated by Augustus and succeeding emperors.556. In morem, in a uniform manner.' Tonsa erat corona, probably of olive. See 774, Georg. iii. 21. The meaning of tonsa is doubtful; either plucked from the tree, or picked leaves, or clipped into proper shape. This chaplet was worn above the helmet. See 673, vii. 751. Pars levis humero pharetras; it pectore summo 560 565 570 Olli discurrere pares, atque agmina terni 580 585 560. There were three leaders, who each headed twelve young horsemen.-564. Polite. See ii. 526, &c.-565. Auctura Italos. See at 117. An old commentator mentions that, according to Cato, Polites founded Politorium, a Latin town.-568. Atii. This is said in honour of Augustus, whose mother Atia belonged to the gens Atia. Hence, too, from the intermarriage of the families, Atia being the daughter of Julius Caesar's sister, the ingenious allusion in the next line, pueroque puer.-580. Pares, &c. They were first in a line; then they gallopped apart (discurrere), breaking up (solvere) into separate parties (diductis choris) of three each (terni). At a signal, they stopped, wheeled round, and seemed to commence an attack. Then drawn up in opposite rows (adversi spatiis), they gallopped through each other's ranks, and rode in circular windings, exhibiting a mimic fight with all its vicissitudes. Infensi, facta pariter nunc pace feruntur. 590 Carpathium Libycumque secant, luduntque per undas. 595 Hic primum Fortuna fidem mutata novavit. Iliacam ad classem, ventosque adspirat eunti, Conspicit ingentem concursum, et litora lustrat, 600 605 610 588. The Labyrinth of Crete was contrived by the artist Daedalus, and concealed in its mazes the Minotaur. See vi. 27.-589. Pārietibus, four syllables.-594. Delphinum similes. See Zumpt, § 411.-595. The island Carpathus lies between Crete and Rhodes, giving name to the adjacent sea.- 596. Others read Hunc morem, hos cursus, &c.—597. Longam Albam. See i. 271.-598. Virgil seems here to use priscos in the sense of ancient; but properly the Prisci Latini were a people made up of two, the Prisci and Latini.-600. See at 553.-602. Troja nunc hic cursus (596) dicitur, pueri, &c. Dicitur agrees with agmen Trojanum, instead of pueri, because the latter is the idea to which Virgil wishes particularly to direct attention.-603. Hac tenus celebrata. Grammarians call this mode of separating compound words a tmesis (ruñois, réμvw). See vi. 62.-604. Novare fidem, to make a new bargain, treacherously to change her former smiles.-606. Irim. See iv. 701.-607. Ventosque, &c. See iv. 223.-608. Saturata dolorem. See at i. 8, 25. For the construction, see iv. 558.-609. Juno is the principal personage of the preceding sentence, but in connection with Iris. Then shifting his subject, he indicates this by illa, equivalent to, but as for her, she,' &c. |