Jam senior: sed cruda Deo viridisque senectus. Æneas, miratus enim motusque tumultu, 304. Cruda viridisque 305 senectus est illi utpote Deo 309. Tam multi, quàm 310 multa folia lapsa cadunt in sylvis primo frigore autumni; aut quàm multæ aves glomerantur 315 320 326 Hæc omnis, quam cernis, inops inhumataque turba est : NOTES. 306. Defuncta: in the sense of privata. 310. Gurgite: in the sense of mari. Glomerantur: in the sense of congregant. Frigidus annus: the cold season of the yearthe approach of winter. 315. Tristis: inexorable. Ruæus says, asper. 316. Ast arcet alios: but drives others removed far from the shore.. Those that were unburied were not permitted to pass over, until such time as they had received the rites of burial. 313. Quid vult: what means this concourse, &c. 319. Quo discrimine: by what distinction; or by what reason. 320. Vada: in the sense of aquas, vel amnem 321. Longara sacerdos. Servius tells us that Apollo, out of affection for the Sibyl, promised her whatever she should ask; upon which she took up a handful of sand, and desired to have her life prolonged to a length of years equal to the number of the sands the mass contained. Her request was granted, on condition she should remove from Erythra to Cuma, and there spend the remainder of her days. She lived so long 330 327. Nec datur ei transportare eos horrendas ripas, nec rauca that she was so completely emaciated that she retained nothing but her voice. 323. Alta stagna: the deep waters. 324. Cujus numen Di: by whose divinity the gods fear to swear and to deceive. The river Styx was held in such veneration by the gods that they used to swear by it, and if they violated their oath they were deprived of their divinity, and were excluded from nectar and ambrosia for nine years; some say for a hundred years. The reason assigned for their conferring this honor upon Styx is, that her offspring, Victory and Strength, had given the gods such signal assistance in the war against the Titans. Per cujus numen Dii, &c. 325. Inops: poor--unable to pay their fare, which was an obolus. Or, unable to pay the expenses of burial, and so remained inhumata, unburied. 327. Datur: in the sense of permittitur. 328. Sedibus: in their graves. 330. Admissi: in the sense of recepti. Revisunt: in the sense of transeunt. 331. Pressit vestigia: in the sense of continuit gressum vel pedem; a phrase. 333. Honore mortis: burial. Privatos honore sepulturæ, says Ruæus. 343. Namque Apollo: haud antè repertus mihi fallax, delusit animum hoc uno responso; qui canebat bernâclum fortè revul Leucaspim, et Lyciæ ductorem classis Orontem : 335 340 345 350 Hunc ubi vix multâ mæstum cognovit in umbrâ, Sic prior alloquitur: Quis te, Palinure, Deorum Eripuit nobis, medioque sub æquore mersit? Dic, age. Namque mihi fallax haud antè repertus Hoc uno responso animum delusit Apollo Qui fore te ponto incolumem, finesque canebat Venturum Ausonios: en! hæc promissa fides est? Ille autem: Neque te Phœbi cortina fefellit, Dux Anchisiade; nec me Deus æquore mersit. 349. Namque præci- Namque gubernâclum multâ vi fortè revulsum, pitans traxi mecum gu- Cui datus hærebam custos, cursusque regebam, Præcipitans traxi mecum. Maria aspera juro, 351. Juro per aspera Non ullum pro me tantum cepisse timorem; maria me non cepisse ul- Quàm tua ne, spoliata armis, excussa magistro, Deficeret tantis navis surgentibus undis.. Tres Notus hybernas immensa per æquora noctes Vexit me violentus aquâ : vix lumine quarto Prospexi Italiam, summâ sublimis ab undâ. Paulatim adnabam terræ, et jam tuta tenebam ; Ni gens crudelis madidâ cum veste gravatum, Prensantemque uncis manibus capita aspera montis, 360 Ferro invasisset, prædamque ignara putâsset. Nunc me fluctus habet, versantque in litore venti sum lum 358. Tuta loca, ni crudelis gens ferro invasis set me NOTES. 336. Obruit: drowned-sunk. 337. Agebat sese: in the sense of ferebat sese. 338. Libyco cursu. Palinurus was not drowned in the Libyan, but in the Tuscan sea, after he set sail from Sicily. The voyage was commenced from Africa, or Libya, which is the reason of its being called a Libyan course, or voyage. Effusus: in the sense of lapsus vel præcipitatus. 347. Cortina: the table or tripod on which the statue of Apollo was placed, whence responses were given; by meton. the oracle itself. Neque le. In this and the following line some imagine a difficulty; to remove which, they make a point after the pronoun me, reading it thus: Nor hath the oracle of Apollo deceived you, nor me; a god plunged me into the sea. For the poet had informed us, Lib. v. 841, that Palinurus was actually thrown overboard by the god Somnus. Others connect the me with mersil, and say, though it was a god, yet Palinurus believed it to be Phorbas, one of the sons of Priam. But there is no need of this refinement. 348. Nec mersit: nor hath a god drowned me in the sea. Although Palinurus was thrown overboard by Somnus, he was not 'rowned. He arrived safe to the shores of ly, and therefore the promise of Apollo was not false and deceptive. 355 Mersit: In 350. Cui hærebam: to which I clung, being the appointed helmsman. With the part of the ship which he carried with him, Palinurus kept himself above the water, and was enabled to swim to the land. 353. Ne tua navis, spoliata: lest your ship being deprived of its rudder and destitute of a pilot, &c. Arma signifies, when applied to navigation, the whole tackling or equipments of a ship, whether for use, steerage, ornament, or defence. Excussa: in the sense of privata. Armis: for gubernaculo. 357. Sublimis: raised high on the top of a wave, I saw Italy. Lumine: in the sense of die. 358. Paulatim: at my ease-slowly. There are several instances in Virgil where the indicative appears to be used instead of the subjunctive, or where the sense evidently requires the sub. Jam tuta tenebam: I should have now been safe on land, had not, &c. 359. Ni: in the sense of sed, vel autem. 361. Putâsset: by syn. for putavisset. They ignorant thought me a prize. 362. Versant: toss my dead body on the shore. Quòd te per cœli jucundum lumen et auras, Talia fatus erat: cœpit cùm talia vates : Et statuent tumulum, et tumulo solemnia mittent : 365 370 375 379 385 Ergò iter inceptum peragunt, fluvioque propinquant: NOTES. 365. Eripe me: rescue me from these evils, invincible hero. While he remained unburied he could not pass over to the peaceful abodes of heroes; not until the expiration of a hundred years. This was the evil here complained of. 366. Portus Velinos. Velinos, an adj. from Velia, a city on the shore of Lucania, between the promontories of Palinurus and Posidium, founded by Servius Tullius, more than six hundred years after Æneas. The poet mentions this by way of anticipation. 367. Creatrix: in the sense of mater. 369. Innare: in the sense of transire. 371. Quiescam: that at least in death I may rest in peaceful seats. Palinurus' life had been full of labor and toil: and, therefore, there is a peculiar emphasis in his begging for rest in the regions of the dead. 376. Fata: decrees-purposes. Flecti: to be changed, or turned from the fixed order of things. 379. Piabunt ossa. We are told by Servius that the inhabitants of Lucania, as a punishment for the inhuman murder of Palinurus, were visited with a plague. They consulted a oracle upon the subject, and 391 373. Unde est hæc tam dira 375. Alteram ripam 377. Sed memor cape mea dicta, tanquam solatia tui duri casûs. Nam finitimi acti cœlestibus prodigiis piabunt tua ossa 382. Curæ emotæ sunt, dolorque parumper pulsus est ejus 385. Quos, ut navita jam inde ab Stygia undâ prospexit, ire per 391. Nefas est vectare Cogno- 383. Gaudet cognomine terrâ: he delights in the land called after his name. mine: an adj. agreeing with terrâ. cognominis. 385. Navita: Charon. 387. Ultrò: of his own accord-first-before being spoken to. 389. Jam istine: and now stop your progress there from this moment proceed not a step farther. Quid: in the sense of cur. Or, ob quid venias. 392. Nec laætatus sum: nor indeed was I pleased that I took over the lake Hercules, coming hither, &c. The poets tell us that when Hercules descended to hell, Charon was terrified at his appearance, and immediately took him into his boat, for which 400. Nostra tela runt vim: per nos ut Accepisse lacu; nec Thesea, Pirithoümque; Quæ contra breviter fata est Amphrysia vates At ramum hunc (aperit ramum, qui veste latebat) 407. Corda Charonis Agnoscas. Tumidâ ex irâ tum corda residunt. residunt ex tumidâ ira. Nec plura his. Ille admirans venerabile donum Nec plura his dicta sunt. Fatalis virge, longo pòst tempore visum, Ceruleam advertit puppim, ripæque propinquat. Inde alias animas, quæ per juga longa sedebant, Deturbat, laxatque foros: simul accipit alveo Ingentem Æneam. Gemuit sub pondere cymba Sutilis, et multam accepit rimosa paludem. 415. Tandem Charon Tandem trans fluvium incolumes vatemque virumque exponit vatemque vi- Informi limo glaucâque exponit în ulva. rumque incolumes Cerberus hæc ingens latratu regna trifauci Pluto bound him in chains for a whole year. 394. Quanquam geniti: although they were the sons of the gods, and invincible in strength. Hercules was the son of Jupiter; Theseus, of Neptune; and Pirithoüs, according to Homer, was the son of Dia, the wife of Ixion, by Jove. 395. Tartareum custodem: the Tartarean keeper the dog Cerberus. His proper place was at the entrance of the infernal regions. Ille Hercules. He drew Cerberus from the throne of his master, whither he had fled for shelter. Or, by the throne of Pluto we may understand his dominions in general. Petivit: seized-bound him in chains. 397. Hi adorti: Theseus and Pirithoüs. These attempted to carry off Proserpine from the bed of Pluto: both daring attempts. 398. Amphrysia vates: the prophetess of Apollo. Amphrysia: an adj. from Amphrysus, a river of Thessaly, where Apollo kept the flocks of Admetus, when banished by Jove from heaven for killing the Cyclops, who forged his thunderbolts. Here taken as a name of Apollo. Contra qua: in answer to which-in reply to which. 402. Patrui: gen. of patruus. Pluto 395 400 405 410 414 420 was both uncle and husband of Proserpine. She was the daughter of Ceres and Jove, the brother of Pluto. 406. Aperit: in the sense of ostendit. 409. Fatalis virga. By this we are to understand the bough or branch, which was the pledge or evidence that the person who bore it was authorized and licensed by fate to be admitted into the infernal regions. This appears to have been presented to Charon for a similar purpose, at a former time: perhaps by Theseus or Pirithous. 412. Deturbat alias animas: he drives out other souls, that sat on the long benches (juga) and clears the deck. Or, Lazat foros. may be rendered, opens the hatches. Valpy says, "empties the hold." 414. Sutilis-rimosa: patched—leaky Paludem: for aquam. 416. Exponit: lands. 417. Cerberus. He was represented as having three separate heads. Hence the epithet trifauci. 418. Personat hæc regna: the same as sonat per hæc regna. 420. Objicit offam: she throws a cake, soaked in honey and medicinal fruits. By frugibus we are to understand the sceds of Objicit. Ille fame rabidà tria guttura pandens, Continuò auditæ voces, vagitus et ingens, Proxima deinde tenent mæsti loca, qui sibi letum NOTES. 425 430 422. Corripit eam objectam, atque fusus humi 428. Quos exsortes dulcis vitæ, et raptos ab ubere atra dies abstulit 430. Sunt illi damnati mortis sub 432. Silentûm umbrarum. 434. Deinde mœsti, 435 qui insontes peperêre letum sibi sua manu, perosique lucem projecêre animas, tenent proxima loca Stamford the poppy, and other soporiferous ingre of punishment, proportioned to their actual dients. 422. Resolvit: relaxes. sense of artus, vel corpus. in the 424. Sepullo: buried in sleep. Somno being understood. 425. Evadit: he ascends or mounts the bank of the impassable stream. Unde non reditur, says Ruæus.. 427. Infantumque anima. The wailings of those infant ghosts or shades, considered only in a poetical light, are very properly disposed of in the entrance of Pluto's kingdom, as they cast a melancholy gloom over the scene, and excite such tender passions in the mind of the reader, as prepare him for relishing the beauties of so grave and solemn a representation. But then their lamentation and weeping we are not to consider as the effect of punishment, so much as an expression of their grief and sorrow at being taken away by an untimely death. 428. Exsortes dulcis vita: deprived of sweet life, and snatched from the breast, &c. Rumus says, privatos. 429. Funere: in the sense of morte. Davidson says, an untimely grave." 66 430. Damnati mortis. That they should be punished who suffer death under a false charge or accusation, may at first view appear unjust. Though they were innocent of the crime for which they were condemned, it does not follow that they were wholly free from fault, and innocent in their lives. And according to the doctrine of the Platonic philosophy, none could have access to the Elysian fields till their stains and pollutions were purged away. It became necessary, therefore, that they should undergo a degree sins. 431. Sorte. Servius takes sorte to imply sentence, appointment, or destination. Judice. The judges of hell, according to the poets, were three: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Eacus. Minos was a king of Crete, celebrated for the equity of his administration, and the justice of his laws; hence feigned to be the first judge of hell. Rhadamanthus was his brother and prime minister; both were sons of Jove and Europa. acus was the son of Jove and Egina, the father of Peleus, king of Thessaly, and grandfather of Achilles. The several apartments of the infernal regions were appointed or assigned to the several shades, according to the decision of the judges appointed to sit in judgment upon their lives and actions. 432. Movet urnam: he shakes the urn which contains each one's sentence. In other words, he determines every one's This is an allusion to the custom among doom, and assigns their proper stations. the Greeks, who used two urns, into the one or other of which the judges cast their calculi sortes, or suffrages, according as they were inclined to condemn or absolve. Silentûm: of the shades. 434. Masti: the sad-melancholy. 435. Insontes: innocent, in other respects. 436. Quàm vellent: how willing they now are to bear, &c. Alto æthere: in the upper world-in the regions of light. 438. Fata. This is the common reading. Heyne reads Fas, and informs us that Heinsius, Servius, and Donatus, do the same. Inamabilis: hateful-odious. 439. Styx: it was said to flow nine times |