445

450

instaurati

455

war, or fighting in general. Ad tecta: to the palace.

441. Testudine actâ: the testudo being formed. The testudo was a figure into which the soldiers formed themselves in attacking towns and other fortified places. The first rank stood upright, the next behind them stooped lower and lower by degrees, till the last rank kneeled down: all holding their targets or shields over their heads in their left hands. By these means they were secure from the missive weapons of the enemy from the walls and towers. To carry on an attack in this way was called, agere testudinem: to form the testudo, or target defence. Limen: the passage which led up to the palace-the place before the door.

442. Parietibus. Paries is properly the wall of a house-murus, the wall of a city.

443. Nituntur gradibus sub, &c. By gradibus, here, we may either understand the steps that led up to the palace, or the steps of the scaling ladders by which they mounted up, or pressed to get up, to the roof, the foot of these ladders being placed at the very door-posts. Mr. Davidson understands the passage in this last sense. The former, however, is the easier: which is the sense of Ruæus. Ad ipsas portas, says he. The Greeks ascend (nituntur) by the steps up to the very doors. Postes, properly the frame of the door, put, frequently, for the door itself, by meton.

444. Protecti sinistris: protected by their left hands, (by the shields which they supported on their left arm,) they oppose their shields, &c. Fastigia: the roof, or the eaves or edge of the roof.

445. Tecta culmina domorum: the covered tops of their houses. Here tecta is a participial adjective, from the verb tego. Its neuter, lectum, properly signifies the roof or covering of any building. Hence by synec. the building itself a house, a palace.

447. In extrema morte: in the last catastrophe. Suprema ruinâ, says Ruæus.

448. Devolvunt auratas trabes: they tumble down upon their enemies the gilded rafters, the stately decorations of their ancestors. In this passage, the poet has drawn a lively picture of men in despair. Some copies have decora illa parentum; which has a peculiar emphasis.

449. Alii obsedère. These I take to be Trojan guards, who had taken possession of the lower doors, to prevent the entrance of the Greeks. Others understand the Greeks themselves, who had besieged the doors. Mucronibus. Mucro is properly the point of the sword; by synec. put for the whole sword.

450. Denso agmine: in a close, or compact body. Animi: courage.

452. Levare: in the sense of juvare. Victis: to those despairing-fighting without any hope of victory. Vim: force-vigor. In the sing. it is a triptot; in the plu. regular.

453. Pervius usus tectorum: lit. a thoroughfare (free communication) between the palaces of Priam with each other, and a gate left free (unobserved by the enemy) from behind, where unhappy Andromache, &c.

It appears that Priam had two palaces near each other, with a communication between them; in one of which Hector and Andromache resided, while he and Hecuba resided in the other. Limen: an entrance. Caca: private-secret. Through this private, or back door, Æneas entered the palace, and ascended by the usual passage up to the watch-tower.

454. Postes in the sense of porta.

455. Quà infelix Andromache. The mention of her using this secret passage of the palace, gives a dignity to the circumstance, which in itself is low.

460

457. Soceros: her parents-in-law-Priam and Hecuba. Astyanacta: a Greek acc. of Astyanax. Some say he was carried off by Ulysses, others say by Menelaus, in the absence of Pyrrhus, and thrown over a precipice, to evade the prophecy, which imported that, if he lived, he would avenge his parents and country. The name is of Greek origin, and signifies, a king of a city.

458. Evado ad fastigia: I ascend to the top of the highest roof. The word evado marks the danger of the enterprise, and the hazard he ran of being intercepted by the enemy.

It is probable that by fastigia here, we are to understand the battlements, or watchtower, which had been built upon the highest part of the palace. We may suppose the palace to have been of different heights, or to have consisted of several buildings, differing in height, and connected together so as form one mass, each of them with its ctive roof; hence the propriety of the ressions: summi tecti-summi culminis, c.

OV

tead

460. In præciputi: in a dangerous place -in a projecting situation.

461. Summis tectis: with its highest roof, or simply, with its top. It is plain that tectum here means the roof, or ridge of the tower.

463. Ferro. Ferrum properly signifies iron. Hence any instrument made of iron -any edged tool; such as swords, axes, &c. With these instruments they cut the tower loose, where the topmost story gave weak joints. Mr. Davidson observes, it is somewhat difficult to determine the meaning of summa in this place; because the poet speaks as if the whole tower had been torn from its place, and not one story of it only. He therefore thinks we may understand by the suma labulata, the highest story of the

470

458. Hâc via evado

460. Nos circùm aggressi ferro turrim

461. Unde omnis Troja solita est videri, et naves Danaûm solitæ sunt videri

468. Cessat jactari a Danais

471. Talis, qualis coluber est, ubi serpit in lucem, pastus mala gramina, quem tumidum frigida bruma tegebat sub terra; nunc,

palace, on which the tower stood, and to which it was fastened: or perhaps the highest story, or part of the tower only, was overthrown. Labantes: in the sense of infirmas.

464. Dabant: in the sense of habebant. 469. Ante ipsum: before the very entrance, or vestibule. The vestibulum properly was the court yard or space before the door of the house. By primo limine, we may understand the outer gate; perhaps the one that gave admittance into the vestibulum.

470. Coruscus ahenâ luce: gleaming in arms, and brazen light; the brass of his armour reflected the light.

Pyrrhus. He was the son of Achilles and Deïdamia, so called from the color of his skin, which was red. He was sometimes called Neoptolemus, from two Greek words, which together signify a new war. He inherited much of the spirit and temper of his father. He slew Priam while holding the altar, to which he had fled for refuge; and sacrificed his daughter Polyxena at the tomb of his father. After the destruction of Troy, he carried off Andromache, whom he married; at least he had a son by her, named Molossus. He afterwards married her to Helenus, the son of Friam, upon his falling in love with Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen.

Pyrrhus was slain in the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, by Orestes, to whom Hermione had been promised. He was also called Pelides, from Peleus, his grandfather.

471. Pastus mala: having fed upon poisonous herbs. It is said that serpents, when they lie in wait for either man or beast, eat poisonous herbs and roots, to make their bite more fatal.

472. Bruma: properly the shortest day of winter-the winter solstice; hence by

unà etiam omnis

matos custodes stantes

illis

synec, the whole winter. Tumidum: swollen, or bloated with poison.

473. Novus exuviis: now, renewed, his skin being cast off, and sleek with youth, he rolls, &c. It is well known that the snake changes, or creeps out of his skin, in the spring of the year. Aristotle informs us that they begin at the head, and having divested themselves of their old garment, they appear renewed in youth and beauty. This is effected in about the space of twentyfour hours.

475. Arduus ad solem: raised or elevated to the sun; in order to receive his heat, especially in the spring, when his warm beams are the most cherishing. Trisulcis. The poets represent serpents as having threeforked tongues, probably on account of the volubility of their tongues, in which they are said to exceed all other animals. Micat: in the sense of vibrat.

477. Scyria: an adj. from Scyros, one of the Cyclades. Achilles was placed here in the habit of a woman, under the care of Lycomedes, king of the island, where he defiled his daughter Deidamia, who brought him Pyrrhus. Some say Lycomedes gave him his daughter in marriage. Pubes: in the sense of juventus.

478. Succedunt tecto: come up to the palace, so that they could reach the roof with the flames. They advance up to a proper distance, to throw flames upon the roof.

481. Cavavit firma robora: and now hath he pierced, or cut through the firm wood, &c. This change of tense is very expressive and beautiful. It marks the violence of Pyrrhus, and the rapidity of his progress. By trabe here, wo may understand the bar,

475

.480

485

490

or crosspiece, or other impediments, on the inside of the door, to secure it. By limina, we may understand the impediments or defences on the outside of the door; and by postes, the door itself, by meton. The perrumpit dura limina, and the vellit postes à cardine, show Pyrrhus breaking through all obstructions, and tearing down the doors; and cavavit being in the perf. tense, marks the ease and rapidity with which the effect was produced. Dedit: in the sense of fecit.

484. Penetralia. Penetrale properly signifies the interior or private apartments of a house, as here-that part of the temple where the images stood the place whence the responses of the oracles were given— the shrine. Ruæus says, recessus.

oncave

'ense

la

487. Cava ædes: the rooms wit arches, or ceilings. Ululant: in of resonant. Plangoribus: shri e.19mentations. These rooms, or a ments of the females, were in the middle, or interior part of the palace. This is expressed by penitùs.

490. Amplexa tenent, &c. This is an allusion to a superstitious opinion among the Romans, that the door-posts, gates, &c. possessed a kind of divinity. These, therefore, the poet represents as being seized and embraced by the Trojan matrons, who hoped by these means to recommend themselves to the protection of the deities that were supposed to preside over them. Fiunt oscula: fix their lips to them-kiss them.

489. Ingentibus tectis: in the spacious apartments-halls.

492. Sufferre: in the sense of impedire. Crebro ariete: with the frequent strikes of the ram. This was an engine used n the

495

attack of towns and fortified places, to make a breach in the walls. It was a long beam or piece of timber, one end of which was prepared with iron, somewhat resembling in form the head of a ram, whence it took its name. This was suspended in the middle by the help of ropes, to another beam, extended across two posts, and thrown forward by the besiegers with great violence against the wall.

493. Postes: the door, or gate, by meton. 494. Rumpunt aditus: they force a passage, or entrance.

496. Non sic fertur: a river, when it hath rushed forth foaming, its barriers being burst, and hath overcome the opposing mounds with its whirling current, is not borne into the fields so furious with its flood, &c. The poet here gives us a very lively idea of the rage of the Greeks. It exceeded that of a river pent up; at length, bursting its barriers, overflowing the adjacent country, and spreading desolation and destruction every where in its course. Cumulo: auctu aquarum, says Ruæus.

501. Hecubam. She was the wife of Priam, and daughter of Cisseus, king of Thrace. She was carried into slavery by the Greeks. Centum nurus. Homer informs us that Priam had only fifty sons, Iliad vi. He could not therefore have a hundred daughters-in-law, unless we suppose each one to have had two wives. This might have been the case; but there is no mention made of it. To explain this difficulty, some take the definite number centum, for an indefinite one. Others, among whom is Ruæus, take nurus for an attendant, or waiter, understanding by centum nurus, the hundred servants, or waiters of Hecuba. But there is no impropriety in supposing that the sons of Priam, imitating the example of their father, had more than

505

495. Danai rumpunt aditus, immissique

496. Amnis, cùm exiit spumeus, aggeribus ruptis, evicitque oppositas moles gurgite, non fertur in arva sic furens

498. Cumulo aquarum

505. Danai tenent locum, quà

509. Senior nequicquam circumdat arma diu desueta humeris trementibus ævo, et

one wife each; who, in the whole, might make the exact number of a hundred. This last is the best, or most probable explanation.

502. Fædantem: defiling with his blood the fires which, &c. In the open court of his palace, Priam had an altar consecrated to Jupiter Hercæus, or the Protector: on this altar, we are told that hallowed fire was kept perpetually burning.

503. Illi thalami: those fifty bed-chambers, the so great hope of posterity. These were the separate rooms where his sons lodged with their wives. Homer tells us that Priam had twelve daughters, who, with their husbands, lodged over against his sons. He had therefore sixty-two children by his several wives, nineteen of whom Hecuba bore him. The rest he had by his other wives. All these bed-chambers were in Priam's palace.

with foreign gold and spoils. The Romans 504. Superbi barbarico auro: decorated frequently called Phrygia, Barbary. Some Phrygian gold. It is better to understand therefore understand by barbarico auro, it of the gold, which had been taken from their vanquished enemies; more especially since spoliis immediately follows it. Superbi: in the sense of ornati, or decorati. Postes: in the sense of portæ : doors.

505. Danai tenent, &c. The Greeks are the flames. The fire abated, and fell from here beautifully represented more cruel than its rage: but the more merciless Greeks press on till all is destroyed.

507. Casum: in the nse of ruinam.

508. Limina lectorum conilsa: the door of his palace torn down-broken through. Penetralibus: in the inner or private apart ments of his palace.