795. Proferet imperium super: he shall extend his empire over, &c. The Garamantes were a people inhabiting the interior of Africa. Indos. Suetonius informs us that the kings of India, properly so called, being moved at the fame of Augustus, sought his friendship. But it is well known that he did not extend his empire over them. Most probably the people here mentioned under the name of Indos were the Ethiopians, or some nation of Africa. Besides, any country lying in a hot climate, or within the tropics, was anciently called India, and its inhabitants Indi, as might be shown by abundant testimony.

795. Tellus jacet: their land lies, &c. Sidera, here, does not mean the stars and constellations in general; but the particular signs of the zodiac, as appears from the following words: extra vias annui solis. This description agrees very well to Africa, which extends beyond the tropic of Cancer to the north, and, also, beyond the tropic of Capricorn to the south.

797. Arem: by synec. for cœlum.

798. Caspia regna. By this we are to understand the kingdoms bordering upon the Caspian sea. To the north were the Sarmatians and Scythians; to the south, the Parthians; to the west, the Arminians. This sea has no visible outlet or communication with any other waters. It is said to be about 630 miles long, and 260 broad. The Wolga, the largest river in Europe, empties into it. Mæotica tellus. By this we are to understand the northern nations of Europe, bordering on the Palus Mæotis, or sea of Azoff, on the north of the Euxine, or black sea. Horrent: tremble at the responses of the gods.

800. Trepida ostia: the astonished mouths of the seven-fold Nile are troubled. Turbant has, in this place, the signification of turbantur, vel trepidant. Rumus says, com

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804. Nec Liber obivit 805 tantum telluris, qui victor flectit juga pampineis habenis, agens

808. Autem quis est ille procul, insignis ramis

moventur. The Nile is the largest river of Africa, and falls into the Mediterranean sea by seven mouths. It annually overflows its banks, and occasions the fertility of Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped it as a divinity.

801. Alcides: a name of Hercules, from Alcaus, his grandfather. He is sometimes called Amphitryoniades, from Amphitryon, the husband of Alcmene, of whom Jupiter begat him. He travelled over many parts of the world, performing feats of valor. He was in the Argonautic expedition. In Egypt he slew Busiris; in Spain, Geryon; in Sicily, Eryx; in Thrace, Diomede; in Africa he destroyed the gardens of the Hesperides. The poet here mentions three instances of his valor: 1. His piercing the brazen-footed hind. Fixerit aripedem, &c. This hind inhabited the mountain Manalus, in Arcadia. Servius, in order to reconcile Virgil with mythology, takes fixerit, in the sense of statuerit, stopped, out-run, took, &c. because, being sacred to Diana, it would have been impious to put her to death. Heyne takes fixerit in the sense of ceperit. 2. His subduing the groves of Erymanthus: pacârit nemora; that is, subdued the wild boar that infested them. He took him alive, and carried him to Eurystheus, king of Mycena. 3. His making Lerna tremble with his bow: Lernam tremefecerit; that is, the fens of Lerna, between Argos and Mycena, where he slew the Hydra with fifty heads.

804. Juga: the yoke, by meton. for the carriage. The car of Bacchus was drawn by tigers.

805. Nysæ. There were several mountains by this name, all sacred to Bacchus. Agens tigres: driving the tigers from, &c. Tigers are said to be transported with fury at the sound of tabrets and drums; which. perhaps, is the reason of their being given to Bacchus, the god of fury and enthusiastic rage.

Tarquinios

810. Romani regis. The person here spoken of is Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. He was a Sabine by birth. After the death of Romulus, a dispute arose between the Romans and Sabines upon the choice of his successor. They finally agreed that the Romans should choose, but the choice must fall upon a Sabine. It accordingly fell upon Numa. He proved to be a peaceful monarch. He is, therefore, here represented as bearing an olive branch, the badge of peace. He reigned forty-three years, and died at the age of eighty. This justifies the incana menta; his white chin -beard. The prep. in, in composition, sometimes changes the signification of the primitive, at others, increases it. This last is the case here. Hitherto the Romans had been little better than a band of robbers, associated together for the purpose of extending their rapine more widely. It was Numa's first care to establish the influence of religion over the minds of his subjects, and to enact a code of laws for their civil government. He is therefore represented bearing sacred utensils. See nom. prop. under Numa. Hence it is said, fundabit urbem legibus: he shall found the city by laws. 811. Curibus: Cures was a small city of the Sabines. Paupere terra: from a poor or humble estate.

814. Tullus. Tullus Hostilius, the third king of the Romans. He was a descendant neither of Numa, nor Romulus. The government of Rome was then an elective monarchy, though great defcrence was paid to the will of the last king, and sometimes it very much influenced the choice. Tullus broke the peace with the Albans, and a bloody war ensued. Viros resides movebit et agmina: he shall rouse his inactive men to arms, and his troops long unaccustomed to triumphs. Otia: in the sense of pacem.

815. Ancus. This was Ancus Martius, the fourth king of Rome. He courted the favor of the people: hence it is said of him, gaudens popularibus auris. Nor was he inferior to his predecessor in the arts of peace and war. He was the grandson of Numa by his daughter. Being indignant that Tullus should possess the throne in preference

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to himself, he sought means to procure his death, and that of his family. No mention is here made of Servius Tullius, the sixth king of Rome.

816. Auris: aura, applause-favor.

818. Ultoris Bruti. Tarquin, surnamed the proud, the seventh and last king of Rome, had rendered himself odious to the people. His son Sextus, enamored with the beautiful Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus, offered violence to her. Unable to survive the disgrace, she killed herself with her own hand. This caused a general sensation. Brutus, a leading member of the Senate, roused that body to assert their rights against the tyrant, and procured a decrea to banish Tarquin and his family for ever. For this reason, he is called ultor, the avenger. The government was changed from regal, to consular; and Brutus, and Collatinus were chosen the first consuls. These officers were chosen annually. Fasces receptos: these words may mean, the authority and power recovered, and restored to the people, from whom they had been taken by usurpation and tyranny. Heyne says, regiam dignitatem, et imperium translatum à regibus in consules. This is also the opinion of Dr. Trapp. But this is going too far. It is better to understand it of the power recovered and restored to the people, from whom it had been taken. In confirmation of this, history informs us, that the consuls were obliged to bow their fasces to the assembly of the people, as an acknowledgment that the sovereign power was theirs. Fascis: properly, a bundle of rods bound together with an axe in the middle, carried before the consuls and chief magistrates, to denote that they had the power to scourge and to put to death-the rods to scourge, and the axe (securis) to put to death. Hence by meton. it came to signify the power itself,

the ensigns of authority and royaltyalso power and authority in general. Securis properly an axe. But being used as an instrument of executing the sentence of the law against offenders, it came to signify the sentence itself. And as the sentence of the law is to be considered just, it is taken also for justice in a general sense.

Savas

840

Rome instantly declared war, which ended in the destruction of Corinth, and the subjugation of its allies. This was completed by the consul Mummius, in the year of Rome 609. Ille victor. This refers to Mummius. He was honored by a triumph. Capitolia: neu. plu. à famous temple of Jupiter at Rome, commenced by Tarquinius Priscus upon the hill called Tarpeïus, but afterward Capitolinus, from the circumstance of a human head (caput) being found when they were laying the foundation of that edifice. Hitherto the victors used to be drawn in a car to place their laurels in the lap of Jove. 838. Ille eruet Argos: he shall overthrow Argos, &c. Virgil is here supposed by Hyginus to confound two events which took place at different periods-the war of Achaia, which ended in the destruction of Corinth, and the war with Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. The former was conducted by the consul Mummius, to whom the ille, in the preceding line, refers; but it is not certain to whom the ille here refers; whether to Quinctius Flaminius, Paulus Æmilius, Cacilius Metellus, or M. Curius, each of whom acted a distinguished part in the war with Greece and Epirus. By Argos-Mycena, the best interpreters understand the power of Greece in general. And by aciden, not Pyrrhus, but the power-the government of Epirus. This was not destroyed during the reign of that monarch. It was, however, completed in the reign of Perses or Perseus, king of Macedonia, the last of the descendants of Achilles, whom Paulus Æmilius led in triumph. He may be called Eacides, as being descended from Achilles, the grandson of Eacus, by Olympias, the daughter of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. He united the interests of northern Greece.

840. Ultus avos Troja: having avenged his ancestors of Troy. Temerala templa: the violated temple of Minerva. This alludes to the violence offered to it by Diomede and Ulysses, in taking away the Palladium. 841. Cato. There were two distinguished persons of this name. The one here spoken of is the Cato Major, sometimes called Cato Censorius, from his great gravity and strictness in the censorship. He lived to a very great age. He sprang from an obscure family; and, on account of his wisdom and prudence, was called Cato, from

catus, wise or prudent. The other Cató was his great grandson, and called Minor. He arrived at the prætorship. He subju. gated Sardinia; and, in the year of Rome 560, obtained a triumph in Spain, where he acted as proconsul. He took part against Cæsar, and, when he saw the republic was lost, slew himself. Cosse: Cornelius Cossus. He slew the king of the Veientes, and consecrated his spoils to Jupiter Feretrius. These were the second spolia opima, since the building of Rome. He was afterward nominated dictator, and triumphed over the Volsci.

842. Genus Gracchi. Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was the most distinguished of his family. He was appointed prætor, and triumphed over the Celtiberi in Spain, destroying three hundred of their towns, in the year of Rome 576. He was twice consul, and once censor. He married Cornelia, the daughter of Scipio Africanus. By her, among other children, he had the two famous brothers Tiberius and Caius. They were both appointed tribunes of the people at different times, and were the sincere advocates of their rights. This excited the jealousy of the senate, who raised a tumult, in which they both perished. The former in the year of Rome 621, and the latter in the year 633.

843. Scipiadas. There were two Scipios, Cornelius Scipio major, and Cornelius Scipio minor. They were both surnamed Africanus. The latter was grandson of the former, and was adopted by Paulus Æmilius, and to distinguish him from the former, he was called also Æmilianus. They were both distinguished men. At the age of twenty-four, Scipio Major was appointed to command in Spain against the Carthaginians, whom he expelled from that country. He was afterward, anno urbis 549, made consul. He passed over into Africa, where he defeated them again, and terminated the second Punic war, much to the advantage of the Romans. He obtained a triumph, anno urbis 553. Hence he was called Africanus. Scipio Minor was appointed consul in 607. He took the department of Africa in the third Punic war, and entirely erased Carthage. He triumphed in 608. Hence also called Africanus. Duo fulmina belli: two thunderbolts of war. They were so called by Lucretius and Cicero.