Arma procul, paulùm aspectu conterritus hæsit, Et bello Iliacos fateor petiise Penates. NOTES. 603. Iliacos Penates. The Penates properly were the household gods-the gods of one's country. Hence the word came to signify, one's house and country, and whatever a person held most dear, by meton. See En. ii. 717. 604. Pro quo: for which-for his being a Greek, and having taken part in the war against Troy. Sceleris injuria. Ruæus says, iniquitas criminis. Si scelus meum tantum est, says Heyne. 605. Spargite: in the sense of projicite: tear me in pieces, and cast me into the sca. 606. Si pereo, &c. Dr. Wharton makes the following reflections upon this passage. Nothing, says he, can more forcibly strike the imagination, than these circumstances of the wandering Trojans, sheltered in a wood, upon an unknown coast, and hearing strange and terrible noises during a dark and moonless night; and not knowing whence the dreadful sounds proceeded, or by what they might be occasioned. At daybreak, how sudden and great the surprise, to see the ghastly figure of a man, who first runs towards them with great precipitation, as if to beg some assistance; but suddenly starts Dack at the sight of Trojan habits and arms. At last, recovering himself a little, he resolves to fling himself into their hands, whatever might be the consequence. Received into a vessel, he gives them the dreadful narration of Polyphemus, informs them that this was the island of the Cyclops, begs them to leave it instantly, and concludes most pathetically, that if he must die, it would be some comfort to him to perish by the hands of men, and not by monsters. 607. Amplexus: embracing our knees, and falling upon his own knees, he clung to us. Servius observes, that the several members of the body were consecrated to particular deities: the ear, to memory; the knees, to mercy; the right hand, to faith. Suppliants were accustomed to throw, or cast themselves upon their knees, and embrace those of the person of whom they asked or begged any thing. 603. Cretus: in the sense of ortus. 610. Haud multa moratus: delayed not a moment. 611. Præsenti pignore. The right hand among all nations is considered a pledge of friendship. Præsens here signifies, readypropitious. So adsum, I am present, signifies also, to favor-to be propitious. 613. Ithaca: an island in the Ionian sea. It formed a part of the dominion of Ulysses. Hodie, Isola del Compare. 614. Adamasto: Adamastus my father being a poor man. He mentions his poverty as an excuse for his going to the war; it was not his choice. Sinon pleads the same excuse. See En. ii. 87. Utinam: I wish the same state of poverty had remained to me! 617. Cyclopis. Polyphemus is here meant. It is said he was the son of Neptune and Thoosa, the daughter of Phorcys. It is said that Ulysses, on his return from Troy, за 620 618. Ejus domus in- Deseruere. Domus sanie dapibusque cruentis, tus est opaca, ingens, el Intus opaca, ingens: ipse arduus, altaque pulsat plena sanie Sidera; Dî, talem terris avertite pestem! Nec visu facilis, nec dictu affabilis ulli. Visceribus miserorum, et sanguine vescitur atro. 623 Egomet vidi, cùm Vidi egomet, duo de numero cùm corpora nostro, ille resupinus in medio Prensa manu magnâ, medio resupinus in antro, antro frangeret duo cor- Frangeret ad saxum, sanieque aspersa natarent pora de nostro numero, orensa magnâ manù, ad Limina: vidi, atro cùm membra fluentia tabo Manderet, et tepidi tremerent sub dentibus artus. 628. Fecit id quidem Haud impunè quidem: nec talia passus Ulysses, haud impune: nec Ulys- Oblitusve sui est Ithacus discrimine tanto. ses passus est talia Baxum 625 Nam simul expletus dapibus, vinoque sepultus 630 635 NOTES. visited Sicily, and the straits of Messina. He lost a part of his fleet in the whirlpool of Charybdis. This was a dangerous place to all who attempted to pass the straits. It gave rise to this proverb: Incidit in Scyllam, qui vult vitare Charybdim, implying that in avoiding one evil, we frequently fall into a greater. But no whirlpool is now to be found, sufficiently large to answer to the description given by the poets and other ancient writers. It is probable some change has been effected in this part of the sea in the course of time. 621. Nec facilis visu: nor is he easy to be looked upon, nor easy to be spoken to by any one. His terrific aspect fills you with dread, and deprives you of the power of speech. Servius says: Cujus possit etiam aspectus ferre formidinem; and Stephens: Cujus ne aspectum quidem facile quis sus tineat. 632. Immensus. Some read immensum, to agree with antrum. But immensus is preferable, referring to the dimensions of Polyphemus. Frusta commixta: pieces (of human bodies) mingled with bloody wine. Per somnum is to be connected with eructans. 634. Sortiti vices: having drawn by lot our parts to act, all at once, we surround him from all quarters, and dig out, &c. Donatus thinks it should be tenebramus, instead of terebramus: we darken, or extinguish the light of his eye: which would express, as he thinks, the quickness and celerity of their action. But Homer, whom Virgil here follows, expressly mentions the circumstance of the boring out of the monster's eye; and compares the action of Ulysses and his companions to a carpenter boring a piece of timber. Circùmfundimur, is probably here used in the sense of the middle voice of the Greeks. No 636. Latebat: lay concealed; because his eye was shut in sleep. Quod solum, &c. The Cyclops are represented as having only one eye, and that one in their forehead. This is doubtless a fiction. such people ever existed. Eustathius explains the fable thus: that in violent passion, men see only one single object, as that passion directs; in other words, see with one eye only and further, that passion transports men into savages, and renders them brutal and sanguinary, like Polyphemus; and he, who by reason extinguishes that passion, may be said to put out that eye. Others explain it by alleging that Polyphemus was a man of uncommon wisdom and penetration, who is therefore re presented as having only one eye, and that Argolici clypei aut Phœbeæ lampadis instar : Nam, qualis quantusque cavo Polyphemus in antro Trunca manum pinus regit, et vestigia firmat. NOTES. 640 645 650 653. Satls est mihi, effugisse 655 655. Cûm videmus summo monte, pastorem Polyphemum ipsum, moventem se lumen 649. Infelicem: poor-scanty. Corna: the fruit of the corneil tree. It is round, and protected by a hard shell. 650. Pascunt: in the sense of nutriunt. Dant: in the sense of præbent. 651. Collustrans: in the sense of circumspiciens. 652. Addixi me huic: I have surrendered myself to it, whatever it may be--I have given myself up into your hands; do with me as you please. life of mine by any death, rather than leave : 658. Cui lumen: whose eye had been taken out. The dat. is frequently used by the poets in Cui in the sense of cujus. the sense of the gen. Est is to be supplied with ademptum. 659. Trunca pinus: a cut pine guides his hand. From this we may form some idea of his stature. His staff is the trunk of a pine. Heyne reads manu: in his hand. 661. Mali: in the sense of miseria vel doloris. Fistula pendet de collo. These words are probably spurious They are left out in some editions. Heinsins, Donatus, and Heyne reject them. Nor does Homer mention any such circumstance⚫ Postquàm altos tetigit fluctus, et ad æquora venit, Luminis effossi fluidum lavit inde cruorem, Dentibus infrendens gemitu: graditurque per æquor Jam medium, necdum fluctus latera ardua tinxit. 666. Nos trepidi capi- Nos procul inde fugam trepidi celerare, recepto mus celerare fugam pro- Supplice sic merito, tacitique incidere funem · cul inde, supplice, sic merito, recepto à nobis Verrimus et proni certantibus æquora remis. 669. Polyphemus sen- Sensit, et ad sonitum vocis vestigia torsit. sit hoc, et toisit Verùm ubi nulla datur dextrâ affectare potestas, 670. Nulla potestas Nec potis Ionios fluctus æquare sequendo ; datur illi affectare nos Clamorem immensum tollit, quo pontus et omnes dextrâ; nec potis est 673. Exterrita fuit penitùs 665 670 Intremuere undæ, penitùsque exterrita tellus 675 679. Tales quales cùm Concilium horrendum : quales cùm vertice celso aeriæ quercus, aut coni- Aëriæ quercus aut coniferæ cyparissi feræ 682. Acer metus agit Constiterunt, sylva alta Jovis, lucusve Dianæ. socios præcipites excu- Præcipites metus acer agit quòcunque rudentes Excutere, et ventis intendere vela secundi tere NOTES.. whom Virgil here imitates. Ea sola voluptas, &c. probably refers to his sheep. 663. Inde in the sense of deinde. Or, perhaps it may be considered merely expletive. 665. Fluctus: in the sense of aqua. 668. Certantibus: in the sense of laborantibus. 669. Sonitum vocis. This may refer to the sound of their voices. For though it is said they went off silently; this can only mean, they did it with as little noise as possible. There must have been some, to give the necessary orders. But more probably to the sound of their oars; for vor sometimes signifies any sound whatever. 670. Affectare extra: to grasp or seize with his right hand. The common reading is dextram, but this is more difficult. Heyne reads dextra; which is approved by Valpy, although he retains dextram. Davidson observes some ancient copies have dextrâ altrectare. He 671. Fluctus in the sense of mare. could not equal the depth of the sea. 673. Undæ intremuere. Dr. Trapp says, this is a most noble hyperbole. Some there are, who think it too bold. But they not only forget the prerogative of poetry, but the real nature of fear; which always swells and heightens its object. Penitûs: in the sense of intimè. 674. Immugiit in the sense of remugiit. 675. Genus: in the sense of gens. Some copics read gens. 680 677. Lumine: in the sense of oculo. Nequicquam in vain; because we were out of their reach. Then esses 679. Concilium: in the sense of turbam. 680. Conifera cyparissi: such the aërial oaks, or cone bearing stand together with their lofty tops, &c. The cypress tree bears a fruit resembling the figure of the cone; hence called conifera. sylva Jovis: and the cypress was sacred to Proserpina or Diana; hence lucus Diana. The quercus was sacred to Jove; hence alta 682. Præcipites: in the sense of celeres. Quocunque: for quocunque modo, in any direction or way whatever. 683. Excutere rudentes. Rudentes may be taken for those ropes, which seamen call the sheeis. By the help of these, they draw in the sail when they wish to go near the wind; or let it out when they sail before it, or with a fair wind. It is usually fasten ed to the extremity of the sail, or to the boom or yard which extends the sail. That it does not here mean the cables, will appear, when we consider that they had already cut their cables, incidere funem, verse 667 supra, and were out at sea. Excutere rudentes, therefore, will be, to let out, to loose or extend the sheets, so as to sail before the wind. This is more fully expressed by intendere vela secundis vintis, to spread the sails to the favorable winds. It was not so much the object of Æneas, in this juncture, to proceed on his direct course, as to sail in Contrà, jussa monent Heleni Scyllam atque Charybdim: Inter utramque viam, leti discrimine parvo, Ni teneant cursus; certum est dare lintea retrò. NOTES. any direction, so as to escape the hands of the Cyclops. Heyne says, explicare, intendere, evolvere rudentes. See 267. supra. 684. Contrà jussa Heleni: on the other hand, the commands of Helenus warn (my companions) of Scylla and Charybdis. That they may not hold their course in either way, in so great danger (small a distance) of death, it is determined to sail backward. That we may not pass near Scylla and Charybdis, nor near the monster Polyphemus, and his associates; in either way, we should be in imminent danger of death, we determine to spread our sails backward. The usual explication of this passage refers ulramque viam, to Scylla and Charybdis: implying that the passage between the rock Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis was dangerous, and parùm à morte distare. The explanation, referring utramque viam Loth to the straits of Messina, and the Cyclops, appears the easiest. In order to shun the dangers of each, they determined to sail back into, the open sea, or from whence they came. The wind probably at that moment blew from the south, and prevented them from pursuing their direct course. But shifting to the north, they changed their purpose, and sailed down the eastern shore of Sily. This, and the two following lines Heyne conjectures are an interpolation. 685. Discrimine: in the sense of spatio, vel distantia: also, of periculo: 686. Ni: in the sense of ne. Lintea: in the sense of vela. 687. Pelori. Pelorus is the northern promontory of Sicily, forming, with Italy, the straits of Messina, so called from a city of that name on the Sicilian shore. These straits are about one mile and a half wide. The wind blowing from them, was fair for him to sail down the eastern shore of Sicily, according to the direction of Helenus. It is here called Boreas, because it came from the north. Æneas speaks of this wind as a person sent, or commissioned by Heaven to aid and assist him: Missus adest. Angusta sede. Rumus says: angusto frete. 689. Pantagia ostia. Pantagia was a small river, whose mouth (ostia) was en 685 690 690. Relegens retrorsùm litora errata jam antè à se 694. Fama est Alpheum amnem Elidis egisse sibi occultas vias huc subter mare; qui amnis exiens è tuo ore, O Arethusa, nunc closed on each side with a steep rock. The prep. è, vel ex, is understood before vivo saxo. Megaros Sinus: the bay of Megara. This bay lies between the river Terias and Syracuse. In this bay was Tapsus, a peninsula, which lay low, and almost level with the sea. 690. Monstrabat: Achemenides pointed out to us these things, as he was sailing back along the shores, along which he had wandered before. Virgil here follows the opinions of those who make Ulysses to have sailed from the country of the Lotophagi in Africa, to the southern part of Sicily; and turning the promontory of Pachynum, sailed along the eastern shore, and visited Etna, and the country of the Cyclops. The course of Eneas being to the south, was the reverse of that of Ulysses. Achemenides, therefore, might be said to sail back again, with the greatest propriety. Dr. Wharton observes, that Virgil is an exact observer of probability. If it should be objected by any one, that Eneas was a perfect stranger to this coast, and could not be supposed acquainted with the several places, which he passed; an answer is at hand: Achemenides, who had lately passed along the same shores, pointed them out to him. This may 691. Infelicis: unfortunate. refer in general to the disasters he suffered in h return from Troy; and particularly the loss of a part of his fleet in the straits of Messina. The return of Ulysses from Troy, is the subject of the Odyssey. front of the Sicilian bay, over against bois692. Insula prætenta: an island lies in terous Plemmyrium. This was a promontory near Syracuse, against which the waves from the sea beat. Hence the epithet undosum. Between this promontory and Syracuse lay the island of Ortygia. 693. Priores: in the sense of majores. 694. Alpheum. Alpheus, a celebrated river of the Peloponnesus, rising from the mountain Stymphalus, running in a westerly di rection, passing through a part of Arcadia and Elis, falls into the Sinus Cyparissæus. Bon Bor |