Hinc fida silentia sacris. "Hence faithful secrecy in her sacred rites," i. e. hence, too, came the Idæan mysteries, the secret rites of Cybele faithfully kept by her votaries.-113. Et juncti currum, &c. "And hence yoked lions drew the chariot of their queen." The meaning is, and from Crete, too, came the custom of representing Cybele, in these sacred rites, seated in a car drawn by lions. 115 Placemus ventos. "Let us propitiate the winds," i. e. by sacrifices. The winds must be here regarded as so many personifications.-Gnosia regna. Gnosus or Cnosus (Kvwoóc, more correct than Gnossus or Cnossus, if we follow the language of coins and inscriptions) was the royal city of Crete, on the northern coast. Hence "Gnosian" becomes synonymous with "Cretan." 116. Modo Jupiter adsit. “Only let Jove be present (to our aid),” i. e. be propitious.-118. Meritos honores. Literally, "the victims that were their due," i. e. that ought to be sacrificed according to established custom.-119. Neptuno. Neptune and Apollo are here mentioned, the former as god of the Ocean, who, if duly honoured, will still its waves; the latter, as the deity who has just opened the future to their view.-120. Nigram Hiemi pecudem. "A black sheep to the storm-wind, a white one to the propitious Zephyrs." The black victim is offered to the gloomy storm-god, the white one to the favouring deities of the western wind. 121. Fama volat, i. e. a flying rumour meets us.-122. Idomenea ducem, &c. Idomeneus, the Cretan leader, was expelled by his subjects on his return from Troy, and settled in Magna Græcia. (See line 400.)-123. Hoste vacare domos, &c. "That its habitations were free from any foe, and that its settlements stood abandoned."-124. Ortygiæ portus. "The friendly harbour of Ortygia." Observe the force of the plural in portus. Ortygia, or the quail-island (õpruğ, a quail"), was another name for Delos. 66 Lite 125. Bacchatamque jugis Naxon, &c. "And we coast along Naxos, whose mountain-tops are the scene of the orgies of Bacchus." rally, "Naxos revelled on its mountain-tops." Naxos was sacred to Bacchus, and his rites were accordingly celebrated here with more than ordinary spirit. Viridemque Donysam. Servius explains viridem by making it refer to the green marble contained in it; but it is in far better taste to make it applicable to the verdant appearance of the island, as seen by navigators in passing by. So niream, "snowy," in the case of Paros, ought to be referred to the appearance of its marble cliffs when viewed from a distance.-127. Et crebris freta consita terris. “ And we pass through the narrow seas, sown thick with many an island." These words are supposed to describe their passage through the group of the Sporades. 128. Nauticus exoritur, &c. "The cries of the seamen arise, while engaging with emulation in their various duties."-130. Prosequitur surgens, &c. "A wind springing up astern, accompanies us on our way," i. e. a favourable wind. Compare the Greek ovpoç.-131. Curetum oris. "The shores of the Curetes," i. e. Crete. The Curetes carry us back to the first establishment of the Cretan race and name. 133. Lætam cognomine. "Rejoicing in the name," inasmuch as it reminded them of home, and seemed like a restoration of their ancient city. 134. Arcemque attollere tectis. "And to raise a citadel with lofty roof," i. e. the lofty roof of which would make it appear truly an arx. 135. Jamque fere, &c. "And now the ships were mostly drawn up on the dry shore." That which is most conspicuous after the vessel has been drawn up, namely, the stern, 5 put by synecdoche, for the whole.-136. Connubiis arvisque novis, &c. "The youth were engaged in forming matrimonial connexions, and in the tillage of their newly acquired-lands." The jura were the laws and regulations necessary to be established in a new settlement. By domos are meant portions of ground whereon to build. 137. Subito cum tabida membris, &c. "When, on a sudden, our quarter of the sky becoming filled with infection, a slow-consuming and lamentable pestilence came upon the frames of men, and upon the trees and crops, and the year (was) pregnant with death," i. e. a pestilential blight arising from a vitiated atmosphere attacked, &c. 139. Satis. A participle from sero.-Letifer annus. Supply erat. 141. Tum steriles, &c. "Then, too, the Dog-star began to parch the sterile fields," i. e. to parch and render them sterile.-142. Arebant herbæ, &c. "Vegetation withered, and the sickly crop refused its wonted sustenance."-144. Veniamque precari. On the supposition that they had committed some offence against the gods, and that the pestilence and drought had been sent for their punishment.-145. Quem fessis finem, &c. "(To ask of the god) what end to our weary wanderings he will be pleased to point out." Ferat is here equivalent to oraculo monstret. 147. Animalia habebat. "Was holding all living things under its influence."-150. Visi ante oculos, &c. "Appeared to stand before my eyes as I lay slumbering." 151. The true reading is in somnis, "amid my slumbers," not insomnis, "sleepless," as many insist. The expression nec sopor illud erat (line 173) proves this. Heyne thinks that Æneas could not have been asleep, since the images of the gods were seen by him amid the light of the moon. He forgets, however, that this statement about the moonlight forms part of the dream. 154. Dicturus est, i. e. stands ready to tell, or would tell.- 155. Ultro. "Unasked."-Limina. Not the threshold of his dwelling, for they were under his roof already, but that of his sleeping apartment.-157. Sub te. "Under thy guidance."-158. Idem venturos, &c. i. e. we the same will crown thy posterity with glory, and thy city with the empire of the world.-Idem. Contracted for iidem.-159. Mania magnis magna. 66 A great city for a great race."-160. Ne linque, i. e. give not over through weariness.-161. Sedes. "Your present settlements."-162. Creta considere. "To settle in Crete." Creta the dative, by a Græcism, for in Creta.-Apollo. To be taken with Delius. 163-166. Est locus, &c. These lines have already occurred in the first book (530-533), where consult notes. 168. Genus a quo principe nostrum. "From which chieftain springs our race." There is a difficulty here. Iasius was not the father, but the brother of Dardanus, and pater, therefore, is merely a term of respect, as in the case of Eneas. According to the collocation of the words, however, principe must refer to lasius, and not to Dardanus, when, in truth, it ought to be just the other way, since Dardanus was the real founder of the line. Heyne, therefore, makes a quo principe apply to both brothers, and to be equivalent to a quibus principibus. This, however, is extremely harsh, and we have preferred inclosing Iasiusque pater in a parenthesis, by which the reference to Dardanus is saved in the words a quo principe. 170. Corythum. Corythus, the founder of Cortona in Etruria, and is first put for the city itself, and then the latter for all Italy, or, at least, for Etruria and the neighbouring country of Latium.-171. Dictaa arra, i. e. Crete, so called from Mount Dicte, in a cave of which Jupiter was nurtured. 173. Nec sopor illud erat, &c. "Nor was that a sound sleep; but I seemed to recognize openly," &c. Observe the force of sopor here. Æneas was not at the time in a deep sleep, but in that kind of imperfect or incomplete slumber from which dreams naturally arise; hence the vivid nature of the one which he relates. For the construction with illud in the neuter (literally, "nor was that thing a sound sleep"), compare the well-known dulce satis humor, &c: "Non est illud liberalitas." (Sen. Benef. ii. 8): "Si hoc profectio et non fuga est." (Liv. ii. 35, 5.) 176. A stratis. "From the couch."-Supinas. Consult note on i. 99.-177. Et munera libo, &c. "And (with due ceremonies) I pour forth pure libations upon the hearth-fires." 178. The foci stand here for the domestic altar.-Intemerata. Not merely of pure wine, but with due precautions and ceremonies. So that the term answers nearly to our epithet "solemn."-Perfecto honore, i. e. the libation over. 180. Agnovit prolem ambiguam, &c. He recognized (instantly) the double stock, and the two founders of the line, and (confessed) that he had been misled by a mistake of later days relative to places of ancient date. Anchises calls himself "a modern," and his error that of a modern (novus error) compared with the remote date of the legends to which he alludes.-Prolem ambiguam. Alluding to the double origin of the Trojans, from Dardanus and Teucer. Hence, by geminos parentes, Dardanus and Teucer are meant. 184. Nunc repeto, &c. "Now I recollect that she foretold that these things were destined unto our race, and that she often talked of Hesperia," &c.-Hec. The same with tales casus in the previous line, namely, that the Trojans were destined to return to Italy, whence Dardanus came.-Debita. Supply fato.-187. Aut quem tum cates, &c. According to the legend, Apollo decreed that no credit should ever be attached to her predictions, as a punishment for a deception she had practised upon him.-188. Meliora. "Better counsels." 190. Paucisque relictis. This is said in order to account for the appearance of a Pergamus, at a later day, among the cities of Crete. It is supposed to be the modern Peramo. Servius says it was near Cydonia. 192. Altum tenuere, i. e. had gained the deep.-194. Coeruleus imber. "An azure rain-cloud."-195. Inhorruit, &c. "Grew fearfully rough amid the gloom."-Noctem denotes the darkness arising from the dank atmosphere.-Heyne thinks that the storm was encountered by the Trojans in doubling around the Peloponnesus, and passing from the Egean into the Ionian Sea. There was always a strong current to be stemmed here. (Compare Hom. Od. ix. 80.) 197. Gurgite casto. "Over the vast surface of the boiling deep." -198. Involvere diem nimbi. "The storm-clouds inwrapped (in their folds) the light of day."-230. Cæcis in undis. "In an unknown 201. Palinurus was the pilot of the fleet. He can no longer recognize his true route.-203. Tres adeo incertos, &c. i. e. for three days 66 rendered all uncertain by the darkness. There is some doubt about the proper construction of adeo in this sentence. Accordingly," appears to be the most natural meaning. It may be joined, however, with incertos ("rendered thus uncertain"), or it may be connected with tres (" for three whole days"). 205. Se attollere. "To rise on the view."-206. Aperire procul montes, &c. "To disclose mountains in the distance, and roll up smoke." The fleet is all the time gradually drawing nearer. First, the land itself rises above the distant horizon; then, as the vessels approach, mountains begin to appear; and at last, when near the land, they see smoke ascending, which gives token that the island is inhabited. There is no reference here as some think to the smoke of a volcano.-207. Vela cadunt, i. e. we lower sail. Remis insurgimus. "We rise to the oars," i. e. row vigorously. In active rowing, the body is partially raised at each stroke of the oar, in order to impart more force to it.-208. Adnixi. Exerting their utmost endea vours." 66 210. "The islands called Strophades, by a Grecian name, stand (conspicuous to the view) in the great Ionian Sea." For the scanning of line 210, see Metrical Index. 213. Metu. Because driven off to the Strophades by Zethes and Calaïs, the winged sons of Boreas. 214. Tristius. "More loathsome."-215. Ira deûm. That which is created by the angry gods for the punishment or discomfort of mortals.-216. Virginei colucrum cultus. "The countenances of these winged creatures are those of maidens." 220. Læta armenta. "Fair herds."-222. Vocamus. "We invoke," i. e. we vow to offer up to them if successful, a portion of what we may take.-223. In partem prædamque. "To a share of the booty." By hendiadys, for in prædæ partem.-224. Toros. Couches," on which to recline while eating.-Epulamur. "Proceed to banquet on. 225. At subitæ. "But the Harpies, on a sudden." Literally, "but the sudden Harpies."-226. Magnis clangoribus. "With loud flappings." 229. Rursum in secessu longo. "Again, in a far-distant retreat." 230. Horrentibus. "Gloomy."-231. Arisque reponimus ignem. "And replace the fire on the altars." Virgil here follows the Homeric custom, according to which the fire was kindled on the altars at a repast, and a portion of the viands offered thereon to the gods. Virgil makes no mention of altars in line 224; but still, from the use of reponimus, it may be fairly inferred that he had there also the same custom in view. 66 232. Ex diverso coeli. "From a different quarter of the sky." Supply tractu or loco.-233. Turba sonans. "The noisy crew."-234. Arma capessant. "To take their arms.' Supply ut.-236. Haud secus ac jussi faciunt. They act just as they were commanded."237. Disponunt. They place here and there."-Et scuta latentia condunt. "And stow away their hidden shields," i. e. stow away their shields so as to hide them from view. 238. Ubi delapso, &c. Heyne refers sonitum to the clangor alarum mentioned in line 226: "The noise of their pinions."-239. Dat signum specula, &c. "Misenus gives the signal with his hollow brass from a lofty place of observation." Misenus was the trumpeter of Eneas.-240. Ere caro. With his brazen trumpet.-Nora prælia. "An unusual kind of combat." More literally, "novel combats,” i. e. each one singling out a harpy in this strange encounter.-241. Obscenas pelagi ferro, &c. "To wound, (namely) with the steel, these filthy birds of ocean." For the peculiar force of fædare, consult note on ii. 286.-The Harpies inhabited isles of ocean. 243. Sub sidera. "Upward to the stars." Literally, "to beneath the stars," i. e. high in air.-Semiesam. To be pronounced as a word of three syllables (sem'ēsam). We have adopted this form in place of the common semesam, as more consistent with semianimis and semihominis, which occur in the course of the poem. 245. Una, &c. "Celano alone, harbinger of ill.”—247. Bellum etiam pro cæde, &c. "Is it even war, is it war, that ye are preparing to bring on us, ye fell brood of Laomedon, for the slaughter of our oxen and our prostrate steers ?" i. e. are you not content with what has already been done, and must you even bring war in addition, and, in place of atoning for your misdeeds, add outrage to outrage?248. Laomedontiada. There is a latent sarcasm in this appellation. Laomedon was a faithless prince; and the Trojans are therefore called the wicked descendants of a wicked progenitor. 249. The words "patrio regno" are only meant to indicate a region which had for a long period been assigned to the Harpies as a dwelling-place. 251. Qua Phobo, &c. It was the popular belief of antiquity, that Apollo derived his knowledge of the future from Jove.-252. Furiarum maxima. Supply natu. In Homer, the Harpies and Furies are distinct classes of deities. They were confounded, however, by a later age, since both were regarded as instruments of punishment and annoyance. See note on vi. 605. 253. Ventisque vocatis, &c. i. e. and having obtained favouring winds, &c.-255. Datam. "Granted by the fates."-Antequam vos dira fames, &c. "Before dire hunger, and the outrage offered by our (attempted) slaughter, shall compel you to gnaw all around, and consume your very tables with the teeth." Ambesas malis absumere is the same as ambedere et ita consumere mensas malis.—257. Malis. Literally, "with the jaws." Ablative plural of mala. This fearinspiring prediction terminates amusingly enough, as will appear in a subsequent book. (Æn. vii. 116.) Virgil, however, is not to blame for this, nor is it right to charge him with puerility in causing so alarming a prophecy to have so silly and unsatisfactory a fulfilment. He merely follows a legend of his own day, and clothes it to the best of his ability in the garb of poetry. Strabo relates the same story at large in his twelfth book. See the Life of Virgil at the commencement of this volume. 260. Nec jam amplius armis, &c. "Nor now any longer do they desire me to seek for peace by force of arms, but to sue for it by vows and prayers." Here is a blending of two ideas, amounting, in effect, to a species of zeugma; so that exposcere must have one meaning when joined with armis (namely, that of quærere), and its own proper force when construed with cotis precibusque.-262. Sive deœ, seu sint, &c. In either case, the Trojans wished to propitiate them. 263. Passis de litore palmis, i. e. his hands extended towards the ocean, with the palms turned upward. This was the mode of addressing in prayer the deities of Ocean.-264. Numina magna. great divinities of Ocean." These are invoked because the Harpies "The |