Assensere omnes: et, quæ sibi quisque timebat, quee 146. Priamus ipse primus jubet 149 His lachrymis vitam damus, et miserescimus ultrò. NOTES. 130. Et, tulere quæ: they permitted (were content to have) what every one feared to himself, to be turned to the destruction of one unhappy being. Tulere conversa: simply for converterunt, says Heyne. 133. Salsa fruges: the salted cakes. This cake was made of bran, or meal, mixed with salt, and called mola. They sprinkled it upon the head of the victim, the fire of the altar, and upon the sacrificing knife. The ceremony was called immolatio: hence the verb immolare came to signify, to sacrifice in general. Vitta: these were fillets of white wool, with which the temples of the victim, and also the priest, and statues of the gods, were bound. 134. Rupi vincula. The victims were loose and unbound when they were brought forward to the altar. But even so, it is not probable that Sinon could have made his escape from the guards and spectators, that would accompany him. By rupi vincula, we may understand that he broke the prison in which he was confined against the day of sacrifice, and made his escape. Any thing that binds, holds, or restrains another, may be called vinculum. Eripui: rescued or delivered. 135. Delituique obscurus: and I lay concealed or hid. Lacu. Lacus here means a fen, or marshy ground. Ulva: weeds, or rushes. 137. Antiquam: dear country; or antiquam may be used in the sense of veterem, or pristinam. 151. Quæ religio est in eo 138. Natos: in the sense of liberos. Exoptatum: dear-greatly beloved. 139. Quos illi fors: whom they, perhaps, will demand for punishment on account of my escape; and will expiate this fault of mine by the death of those innocents. Here the poet alludes to an ancient law among the Romans, which subjected children to suffer for some particular crimes, committed against the state by their parents. 143. Intemerata: inviolable-pure-holy. Laborum: sufferings. 144. Animi: animus, the soul, is here used by meton. for the man, viz. Sinon.— Pity me bearing such undeserved, or unmerited treatment. Non digna: in the sense of indigna. 146. Manicas: hand-cuffs. Arcta vincla : tight cords. 149. Edissere: declare-speak. plu. of verum, truth, Vera: 150. Quò statuere: for what purpose did they erect this mass of a huge horse? Who was the author of it? The following interrogatories, as Mr. Davidson observes, are elliptical. They are thus supplied: Quid petunt? What do they intend? Is it to fulfil some duty of religion? If it be so, qua religio? What duty or motive of religion led to it? Or is it an engine of war? If so, quæ machina belli? What engine of war is it? 153. Exutas vinclis: free from cordsfetters 155. Testor vos, O aræ, infandique 154. Ait: Testor vos, Vos, æterni ignes, et non violabile vestrum O æterni ignes, Testor numen, ait; vos, aræ, ensesque nefandi, Quos fugi; vittæque Deûm, quas hostia gessi: Fas mihi Graiorum sacrata resolvere jura ;. 158. Fas est mihi Fas odisse viros, atque omnia ferre sub auras, odisse Si qua tegunt: teneor patriæ nec legibus ullis. 160. Modò tu, O Tro- Tu modò promissis maneas, servataque serves ja, maneas fidelis pro- Troja fidein: si vera feram, si magna rependam. 164. Sed enim ex quo Palladis auxiliis semper stetit. Impius ex quo Omnis spes Danaûm, et cœpti fiducia belli, tempore impius Inissis tuis, 168. Ausique sunt Tydides sed enim, scelerumque inventor Ulysses, contingere Fatale aggressi sacrato avellere templo 169. Ex illo tempore Palladium, cæsis summæ custodibus arcis, spes Danaûm sublapsa Corripuere sacram effigiem; manibusque cruentis cœpit fluere Virgineas ausi Divæ contingere vittas: Ex illo fluere, ac retrò sublapsa referri 170. Eorum vires fractre sunt, et 172. Vix simulacrum Spes Danaûm; fractæ vires, aversa Deæ mens. fuit positum in castris, Nec dubiis ea signa dedit Tritonia monstris. Vix positum castris simulacrum; arsere coruscæ cùm corusco NOTES. 154. Testor vos: ye eternal fires, I call you, and your inviolable divinity, to wit ness. Some think this is an allusion to the fire of the altar. But Servius, with more propriety, thinks the sun, moon, and other heavenly luminaries are meant: which the ancients thought to be globes of fire, to shine with their own proper lustre; and to be inhabited by divinities. The fire of the altar could hardly be called eternal, unless there be an allusion to the fire of Vesta. 155. Nefandi enses: ye horrid instruments of death, which I escaped. I take enses here for the implements used in offering the sacrifice, such as the axe, knife, &c. 156. Villaque Deum: and ye fillets of the gods, which as a victim I wore. In order to excite their compassion the more, and to show the horrid apprehensions ho had of the act, he speaks as if he had actually been brought to the altar, and as if that had been actually put in execution, which had only been intended against him. 157. Sacrata jura: sacred obligations. Jus properly signifies a natural right, law, duty, or obligation. It differs from fas, which properly signifies a divine right, law, &c. Any thing that the laws of God permit may be called fas. 158. Sub auras: into light. 159. Siqua tegunt: if any lie hid. Nec ullis legibus, &c. He is no longer bound by any ties of his country. He is at liberty to break or dissolve his allegiance, and place himself under the protection of the Trojans. Their barbarous treatment had cancelled all hiz obligations to them: the are on which he was to have been slain-the enses nefandi, by which he was to have been slain-the 155 160 165 170 vitte, with which he was to have been bound, were so many witnesses that he was now under no obligations to regard the interests of the Greeks, who had withdrawn all protection from him. 161. Si feram vera: if I relate the truth, if I repay thee largely-great things. 164. Enim: in the sense of equidem. 166. Fatale Palladium. The Palladium was a statue of Pallas with a small shield and spear. It was said to have fallen from heaven near the tent of Ilus, when he was building the citadel of Troy. Some say it was made of the bones of Pelops. All, however, agree that it was a pledge of the safety of Troy. Ulysses and Diomede entered the temple where it stood, and carried it away to the Grecian camp, having slain the guards. It is called fatale, because, on the safe keeping of it, the preservation of Troy depended. 169. Ex illo from that time, the hope of the Greeks, tottering, began to slip, and to be carried backward. This is a metaphor taken from a person standing on a slippery place, and with difficulty maintaining his position. The least movement of his body destroys his equilibrium. At first he totters, and reels to and fro in order to recover himself. Unable to do it, he is borne away, and hurried along with accelerated motion. 171. Tritonia. This was a name of Pallas or Minerva, taken from a lake in Africa, called Tritona, where she is said to have been born: or, at least, where she first made her appearance on earth. Monstris: prodigies-indications of her anger. 172. Corusca flamma: sparkling fiames flashed from her steady eyes. The signs ENEIS. LIB. II. Luminibus flammæ arrectis, salsusque per artus NOTES. here mentioned are truly ominous; and sufficient to have excited in the minds of the Greeks fear and alarm. 174. Ipsa: the goddess—the image of the goddess. Emicuit: in the sense of salivit. 175. Parmam-hastam: the shield and brandished spear. These were the arms by which the Palladium was distinguished. 176. Canit: in the sense of declarat. Cano is properly applied to oracles and predictions. It implies that Calchas spoke by inspiration, and declared it to be the will of the gods, that the sea, &c. Exscindi: be rased destroyed. 178. Ni repetant: unless they should repeat the omens at Argos, and bring back the goddess, which, &c. This, Servius observes, alludes to a custom of the Romans, when they were unsuc-` cessful in war, to return home, and again consult the omens: or, if they were too far for that purpose, they used to appropriate a part of the enemy's territory, and call it Rome, where they renewed the omens. Numen: the Palladium-the image or symbol of Pallas' divinity; which Sinon would make the Trojans believe had been carried to Argos: and in the mean time, until they should return, as an atonement or offering to the offended goddess (numine læso,) the Greeks had built, and consecrated to her, this horse. 181. Arma: troops-forces, by meton. 176 180 csse 176. Equora tentanda 183. Illi moniti statuêre hanc effigiem equi, 185 quæ 189 139. Nam dicebat, si vestra 193. Dicebat Asiam ultrò venturam esse 196. Nos-que, quos neque Tydides, nec Larissæus Achilles domuit; nos, quos decem anni non domuere; quos mille 195 carina non domuere, capti sunt dolis Omina. Some copies have omnia. Digerit: interprets-explains. 184. Qua piaret: which might expiato the horrid crime of carrying off the Palladium from her temple. 166. Roboribus textis: with compacted or joined timber. Robur properly signifies the heart of the oak. Hence it may signify timber in general, and all wooden materials, as planks, boards, &c. Immensam: very high. Molem: for equum. 138. Neu tueri: nor defend the people under their ancient religion-under the religious patronage and protection of their ancient guardian goddess, Pallas, or Minerva. 190. In ipsum: which omen may the gods rather turn upon him, to wit, Calchas. It would be more emphatical, if it were in ipsos, meaning upon the Greeks. Some copies have in ipsos. 193. Asiam. Asia Minor, or Natolia, in which Troy was situated. It is put, by meUllrò. Servius ton. for the inhabitants. explains this by statim. But the usual acceptation of the word is easier, and more emphatic. Pelopeia mania: the city Argos, where Pelops reigned: by synec. put for See Geor. iii. 7. Greece in general. 194. Ea fata: the same fate or destiny. 195. Insidiis: in the sense of fraudibus. 196. Coactis lachrymis: by his feigned or forced tears. Some copies read coacti, in 1 199. Hic aliud majus prodigium multòque magla tremendum Quos neque Tydides, nec Larissæus Achilles, Hic aliud majus miseris multòque tremendum 204. Gemini angues (Horresco referens) immensis orbibus angues venientes à Tenedo per Incumbunt pelago, pariterque ad litora tendunt: tranquilla alta Pectora quorum inter fluctus arrecta, jubæque 210. Suffecti quoad Ardentesque oculos suffecti sanguine et igni, ardentes Sibila lambebant linguis vibrantibus ora. NOTES. the nom. agreeing with nos, meaning the Trojans. But this is not so easy and natural; nor does it so well agree with the subject. The poet uniformly represents Sinon as an impostor, a cheat, and all his words and tears feigned and dissembled. Servius strongly insists upon coactis. Valpy reads coacti. Heyne, coactis. 197. Larissæus: an adj. from Larissa, a town of Thessaly, near Phthia, the place where Achilles was born. 198. Mille carina. Homer makes 1186 ships in all, that went in the Trojan expedition. Carina, the keel, put, by synec. for the whole ship. The poets often use a definite number for an indefinite, particularly if the number be very large. 199. Hic aliud: here another greater prodigy, and one much more to be dreaded, is presented to our sight, nobis miseris. 200. Improvida: improvident-not expecting any thing of the kind. Pectora: in the sense of animos. 201. Laocoon. The priest of Neptune having been put to death, because, by his prayers and sacrifices, he did not prevent the arrival of the Greeks, Laocoon was chosen by lot to sacrifice to that god upon the departure of their enemies. He was the priest of Apollo Thymbræus. Some say he was the brother of Anchises; others that he was the son of Priam, Hyginus, who relates the story, says the crime for which Laocoon was thus severely punished, was his having married, and had children, contrary to the orders of Apollo: and that the Trojans construed this calamity, which befel him, as an act of vengeance of the gods for his having violated the offering of Minerva. Virgil, therefore, judiciously introduces this event, not only as it is a fine embellishment of his poem; but also as it 200 205 210 gives the greater probability to the episode of the wooden horse, and accounts for the credulity of the Trojans. 202. Solennes aras: the appointed altars. 503. Tenedo. Tenedos is here mentioned to signify, as Servius says, that the ships were to come from hence to the destruction of Troy. Per tranquilla alta: over the smooth or calm sea. This circumstance is mentioned, because it would afford the Trojans an opportunity the better to view the whole progress of the serpents, to hear their dreadful hissings, and every lash they gave the waves: it adds much terror to the hideous spectacle. 204. Referens: in the sense of narrans. Orbibus: in the sense of spiris. 205. Incumbunt: with their immense folds they rest (swim) upon the sea; and equally (abreast, head and head) stretch to the shore. 208. Sinuat: winds their huge backs in folds. Their necks down to their breast, were raised above the water; the other part of them swept the sea behind. Juba: necks crests. Salo: in the sense of mari. Arva: in the sense of litus. 210. Suffecti ardentesque: spotted as to their glaring eyes with blood and fire, they licked their hissing mouths. Vibrantibus: in the sense of motantibus. Naturalists observe that no animal moves its tongue with so much velocity as the serpent. 212. Certo agmine: in the sense of recto cursu. Agmen here denotes the spiral motion of a serpent, shooting forward, fold after fold, in regular order, like a body of men marching in military array. 214. Uterque serpens: each serpent embracing, twines around the bodies of his two sons, and mangles their wretched limbs with their teeth. Implicat, et miseros morsu depascitur artus. Dividimus muros, et mænia pandimus urbis. NOTES. Dr. Trapp renders depacitur, devours; but there is no necessity of this; for it often signifies no more than to mangle, prey upon, waste, or consume away. Beside, we can hardly suppose that the serpents devoured or eat up the bodies of his sons, and then laid hold upon the father, to satiate their hunger. There was a statue in the palace of Vespasian, representing this story, (as mentioned by Pliny,) which showed Laocoon entwined by the serpents, and his sons dead on the ground. It is probable that Virgil took this description from that statue. 215. Morsu: teeth-fangs. 218. Bis amplexi. The serpents embrace him twice about the middle; then rising upward, they bind their scaly backs twice about his neck; and holding him in that situation, elevate their heads and bloody crests above the head of their unhappy victim. Circumdati. The parts of a compound verb are sometimes separated by Tmesis, for the sake of the verse. This word is either to be taken actively, in the sense of circumdantes, and governing squamea terga; or we must take the expression as a Grecism. See Ecl. i. 55. 220. Tendit: in the sense of conatur. Nodos: the folds of the serpent. 221. Perfusus: smeared, or stained, as to his fillets. 224. Incertam securim: the erring blowthe axe struck with an erring blow. 225. Delubra. Delubrum was properly the place before the temple, or near the altar, where they washed before they entered, or before they performed sacrifice. It is de rived from deluo. Varro, however, thinks it was the shrine or place where the image of the god was placed. It is often used for the temple itself, by synec. Lapsu: by a gentle easy motion. Dracones: in the sense of serpentes. 226. Arcem: the shrine of stern Minerva. Tritonis, a name of that goddess. 230. Ferunt: they declare that Laocoon justly suffered for his crime-that it was a just punishment inflicted upon him for doing violence to the sacred offering of Minerva. By this their doubt was removed, and they resolved to admit the fatal machine within the city. 231. Tergo: in the sense of lateri. 232. Simulacrum. Virgil had an admirable talent at varying his style. He hath found out no less than twelve names for this horse, all equally significant: Lignum, Machina, Monstrum, Dolum, Pinea Claustra, Donum, Moles, Effigies Equi, Equus, Sacrum Robur, Simulacrum, and Cavum Robur. Ad sedes: to the proper place the hill, or eminence, on which the temple of Minerva stood. Numina: in the sense of divinitatem. 234. Mania: properly, the fortifications or bulwarks of a city, from munio. Murus: the wall that surrounds it. They are, however, used indiscriminately for a city, frequently. Accingunt: apply themselves to the work. 236. Lapsus rotarum: they place wheels (or rollers) under its feet, and fasten hempen cords to its neck. Lapsus rotarum: simply, for rotas. |