Aut Alphea, rotis prælabi flumina Pisa, NOTES.. 180. Prælabi rotis. The poet here alludes to the chariot races at the Olympic games, celebrated upon the banks of the river Alpheus. 183. Lituos: the clarion, or curved horn; put, by meton. for the sound of that instru ment. Gementem tractu: in the sense of stridentem dum trahitur, says Heyne. 186. Sonitum plause cervicis: the sound of the patted neck. This refers to the custom of stroking, or gently patting the horse on the neck, to inspire him with courage 188. Inque vicem: by Tmesis, for invicem que and now and then-occasionally. Audiat. This is the common reading. But Heyne, after Heinsius, reads audeat, of the verb audeo. 189. Inscius avi: ignorant, or inexperienced, on account of his age-not conscious of strength-knowing his weakness. Servius says: nondum habens ab annis fiduciam. Davidson says: propter imbecilitatem ævi. It is a Greek construction. 191. Sonare compositis gradibus: to prance in regular steps. Sinuetque and let him bend the alternate joints of his legs-or alternately the joints of his legs. Carpere: in the sense of describere. the poet appears to be this: After the horse hath commenced his fourth year, let him begin to amble, and prance, and exercise, however laborious and fatiguing it may be to him. Or rather: let not his exercise in reality be laborious and fatiguing, on account of his age; but let him resembles, or be like to one laboring only, lest he be dispirited from experience of his weakness. But when he is properly trained by exercise, his 'courage increased, and his confidence in himself confirmed, then let him labor-let him challenge the winds in his course. 194. Provocet. This is the common reading. Heyne reads tum vocet. Equora: in the sense of campos. 197. Incubuit: rushes forth. Ruæus says, imminet. 198. Natantés: in the sense of undantes. 182. Animos: courage. Contentiones, says Rumus. 202. Hic, vel ad metas: this horse, either at the goals of Elis, &c. 204. Esseda. The essedum was a kind of vehicle, or carriage, adapted both for travelling or war. It was used by the ancient Gauls and Britons. Moili: tractable, in opposition to reluctant. 205. Crassa furragine: with rich or fattening marsh. The farrago was a mixture of wheat bran and barley meal, according 193. Similis laboranti. The meaning of to Servius. 206. Illis domitis jugo: Crescere jam domitis sinito: namque ante domandum Ingentes tollent animos; prensique negabunt Verbera lenta pati, et duris parere lupatis. Sed non ulla magis vires industria firmat, 210 Pascua, post montem oppositum, et trans flumina lata : 217. Illa quidem facit Dulcibus illa quidem illecebris, et sæpe superbos hoc dulcibus illecebris, et Cornibus inter se subigit decernere amantes. sæpe subigit Pascitur in magnâ sylvâ formosa juvenca: 222. Obnixos adversa- Versaque in obnixos urgentur cornua vasto rios Cum gemitu: reboant sylvæque et magnus Olympus. 224. Nec est mos duos Nec mos bellantes unà stabulare: sed alter bellantes Victus abit, longèque ignotis exulat oris; 226. Plagas factas cor- Multa gemens ignominiam, plagasque superbi nibus superbi victoris, Victoris, tum quos amisit inultus amores: tum eos amores, quos Et stabula aspectans regnis excessit avitis. 229. Et inter dura Ergò omni curâ vires exercet, et inter NOTES. 206. Namque. The poet advises the farmer not to pamper or fatten his horses before they are broken, and rendered tractable. If he do, they will be mettlesome and high minded, (tollunt ingentes animos,) they will show a stout and surly temper, and when caught, will refuse to bear the limber whip, and to obey the hard bits. Ante do mandum: before breaking. The gerund in dum is of the nature of a substantive noun. Ruæus says, antequàm domentur. 209. Industria: in the sense of cura. 211. Usus: in the sense of cultus. 214. Satura: in the sense of plena. 216. Fœmina: the female-the heifer. 220. Alternantes: in the sense of vicissim. 222. Cornua versa in obnixos: and their horns turned against the contending foes, are struck, &c. Cum vasto gemitu. This seems not to refer to the rage and violence of the antagonists, so much as to the groans and bellowings of the conquered party; or to the oc 215 220 225 230 235 casional groans of each, produced by the repeated strokes given and received. 224. Bellantes: a part. of the verb bello, used in the sense of adversarios. Stabulare: in the sense of habitare. 226. Multa: in the sense of multùm. 228. Avitis regnis: from his hereditary realms-from those fields in which he was born, and in which he bore rule. Aspicens: in the sense of respiciens. 230. Instrato cubili. Dr. Trapp, and Davidson understand this to be a naked or unstrowed bed. Rumus takes instrato in the sense of strato, strowed or made. The prep. in sometimes in composition adds to the signification of the primitive word; at other times, changes it to an opposite sense. Carice acutâ: sharp sedge. 235. Refecta. This is the reading of Heyne, after Heinsius. But recepta is the common reading. 236. Movet signa: he moves his standards. A metaphor taken from the movement of an army. 240 245 Fluctus ut, in medio cœpit cùm albescere ponto, NOTES. 238. Trahit sinum: and draws a billowy trai far from the deep. Utque. Davidson reads atque, and thinks it to be the correct reading, as being easier. Some other copies have atque. The whole of this description of the battle of the bulls, as well as what precedes it, of the power of love, is among Virgil's master-pieces, and is admired by all critics. Nor less admired is what follows. The variety of objects, the force of the illustrations, the propriety of the arrangement, and the beauty and grandeur of the descriptions, are obvious to every reader. 241. Subjectat: in the sense of erigit. 244. Ruunt in furias ignemque: rush into a passion, and flame of this kind. Furia, the same as furor, denotes any inordinate passion or affection of the mind, such as love, anger, &c. from the verb furo. Ignem is much more expressive than amoBesides the simple idea of love, it implies the consuming and destructive effects of that passion upon the subjects of it. TEM. 248. Pessima: most fell-or savage. 249. Libya. Libya, a part of Africa, taken for the whole of it, by synec. This is mentioned, because it abounded in the most savage beasts. Malè erratur: it is dangerous to wander. 250 255 260 258. Quid juvenis facit, cui durus 251. Odor attulit notas auras. This is, by Commutatio, for, aura attulit notum odorem. Equæ vel fœminæ is understood. 254. Aquâ: in the sense of vi aquarum. Objecta: Ruæus says, interjecta. boar rushes forth, &c. Sabellicus: an adj. $255. Sabellicus sus ipse: The Sabelline from Sabelli, or Sabini, a people of Italy, whose country abounded in forests, and haunts of wild beasts. 258. Quid juvenis. The poet here alludes to the story of Leander and Hero. Leander was an inhabitant of Abydus, on the Asian shore of the Hellespont, and passionately in love with Hero, a beautiful maid, and priestess of Venus, who resided at Sestus, on the European shore, and opposite to Abydus. He used to swim the strait to visit his fair mistress. On a certain occasion, passing over in a storm, he was drowned. His dead body was driven to the European shore, and espied by Hero; who, in a transport of passion, threw herself upon the corpse of her lover, and perished also. 259. Abruptis: violent-sudden. 261. Reclamant: in the sense of resonant. 263. Nec virgo moritura. This alludes to the case of Hero, above mentioned. Super: in, or by. Quid Lynces Bacchi variæ, et genus acre luporum, 265. Quid cervi faci- Atque canum? quid, quæ imbelles dant prælia cervi? unt, et que prælia illi Scilicet ante omnès furor est insignis equarum : imbelles dant? Et mentem Venus ipsa dedit, quo tempore Glauci 277. Non ad tuos or- Diffugiunt; non, Eure, tuos, neque Solis, ad ortus, 283. Miscuerunt her bas cum eo 286. Hoc est satis Hinc demum, Hippomanes, vero quod nomine dicunt Hoc satis armentis: superat pars altera curæ, NOTES. 264. Lynces. The Lynx is an animal, some say, of the species of the wolf and deer; others say, only spotted like a deer, or panther, very quick sighted, and swift of foot. The Lynces, as well as tigers, were bound to the car of Bacchus. Hence Lynces Bacchi. Dant: in the sense of ge runt. 267. Mentem: disposition-passion. Indolem, says Heyne. 268. Potniades: an adj. from Potnia, a town in Beotia, the native place of Glaucus: who, it is said, withheld the horse from his mares; which so enraged them, that, by way of revenge, at the instigation of Venus, they tore him in pieces. Potniades quadriga. The Potnian mares. See Geor. i. 437. 269. Gargara: neu. plu. a part of mount Ida, in Troas: here put for any mountain. Ascanium. Ascanius, a river in Bithynia, in Asia: here put for any river. 275. Gravida vento. This account of the mares becoming pregnant by the wind, is wholly fabulous; although mentioned by Salinus, Columella, and Varro, as Ruæus observes. 277. Non Eure, &c. Some understand the passage thus: not to thy rising, east, nor the rising of the sun; but to the north, &c. Rumus, thus: thev fled not to the east, 266 270 275 279 285 nor to the north, nor to the part whence the black south wind arises. And he gis, as his reason: Quòd maxima pars scriprum videtur tribuere hanc vim (impregnandi equas) uni Zephyro. Heyne understands it in the first sense: sed in Boream, &c. · 278. Caurum: the north-west wind. 279. Contristat: blackens. Ruæus takes pluvio frigore in the sense of pluvia tempestate. So does Heyne. Frigus, it is plain, is not here to be taken in its usual sense. For the south wind is not cold; on the contrary, it is hot, and generally brings with it heavy rains. It seems here to be used in the sense of nimbus; a cloud impregnated with vapor and rain. 280. Hippomanes. The Hippomanes was of two kinds. The one a tough clammy substance, lentum virus, which fell from the mare, when she wanted the horse. This is the kind here meant. The other was a bunch, said to be on the forehead of the newly foaled colt. See En. .v. 516. After the conception, above mentioned, at Hinc demum: from hence at length. length, lentum virus distillat. Heyne reads: Hic demum. 283. Non innoxia: in the sense of malefica, says Ruæus. 287. Agitare: to treat of fleecy flocks. Quàm sit, et angustis hunc addere rebus honorem. NOTES. 300. Frondentia arbuta: in the sense of frondes arbuti. 301. Fluvios: in the sense of aquam. Sufficere: in the sense of dare. 304. Cum frigidus Aquarius: when cold Aquarius at length sets, and sheds his dew in the end of the year. Aquarius is a sign of the Ecliptic, into which the sun enters about the 22d of January. Also the same as Ganymedes, the son of Tros, king of Troy, whom Jupiter, in the form of an eagle, carried up to heaven, and made his cup-bearer. Hence he is usually represented with a pitcher pouring out water. The poet here seems to consider the year as beginning with the month of March, or Aries. 306. Milesia: Milesian wool. Milesia an adj. from Milesus, a city in the confines of Ionia and Caria, famous for its wool. 308. Hinc densior: from hence (from the goats) is a more numerous breed than from the sheep-from them too a greater quantity of milk. This is not, properly speaking, by any figure Copia largi lactis: for larga copia lactis. of speech, but by what is commonly called poetica licentia. 309. Ubere exhausto: their udders being drained. Quàm magis: in the sense of quantò magis. 312. Cinyphii: an adj. from Cinyps, a river of Africa, near the Garamantes, where the goat was the most shaggy. |