scindere Trojanam urbein, misi-ve, 430 425. Ego non juravi Non ego cum Danais Trojanam exscindere gentem 425 Aulide cum Danais ex- Aulide juravi, classemve ad Pergama misi : Nec patris Anchisæ cineres Manesve revelli. Cur mea dicta negat duras demittere in aures? Quò ruit? extremum hoc miseræ det munus amanti : Expectet facilemque fugam, ventosque ferentes. Non jam conjugium antiquum, quod prodidit, oro; Nec pulchro ut Latio careat, regnumque relinquat Tempus inane peto, requiem spatiumque furori ; Dum mea me victam doceat fortuna dolere. Extremam hanc oro veniam: miserere sororis ! Quam mihi cùm dederit, cumulatum morte remittam. NOTES. a guest or stranger. Cicero says: Apud majores nostros, is dicebatur hostis, quem nunc peregrinus dicemus. 426. Aulide: abl. of Aulis, a town upon the strait, which separates Euboea from Beotia, nearly opposite Chalcis. Here the Greeks, on their way to the siege of Troy, took an oath never to return to their country, till they had destroyed that city. 427. Revelli: in the sense of violavi. 428. Demittere: to admit-receive. 430. Ferentes: in the sense of secundos. Munus: benefit-favor. 431. Non jam oro: I do not now plead our former marriage, which he hath violated. Antiquus sometimes signifies, honorable. This is the sense Mr. Davidson gives to the word in this place. 433. Pelo inane tempus: I ask a little time as a respite, and a space for (allaying) my love. Ad extinguendum amorem, says Ruæus. 435. Veniam: request-favor. 436. Quam mihi cùm. This verse has very much perplexed commentators, and divided their opinions. The readings, also, are various. Rumus' reading is most generally approved. He makes the following comment upon the passage: Cùm contulerit mihi hoc beneficium paulò longioris mora, hanc extremam gratiam, remittam illum, sinam abire, et adjiciam meam mortem, quasi cumulum votis ejus. tam. The meaning of this much disputed passage will in a great measure depend upon the reading either of cumulatum or cumulaServius reads: Quam mihi cùm dederis, cumulatam morte relinquam, referring to her sister Anna. Morte relinquam, he takes in the sense of sola morte relinquam te. Here cumulatam is made to agree with the pron. te. But of this it is difficult to make any sense. Nor will it be easier, if we refer the cumulatam to veniam, as some commentators have done. Heyne reads: Quam hi cùm dederis, cumulatam morte remittam, ing likewise to Anna. Cumulatam he takes in the sense of cumulatè 435 If we consider the passage as referring to Eneas, it will be rendered easier. In this case, we must read cumulatum. Ruæus considers it in this view, but appears to have mistaken the sense of cumulatum, and thereby given to the words, cumulatum morte remittam, a turn which they will hardly bear. Adjiciam meam mortem, quasi cumulum votis ejus, says he. By adjiciam meam mortem, we are to understand that Dido informed her sister of her resolution to kill herself, and that she makes a direct declaration to that effect. But from the subsequent part of the story, it appears to have been her anxious solicitude to conceal from her that desperate resolution. And, by cumulum votis ejus, we are given to understand that her death was an object of desire to Æneas-that it would afford him pleasure, and be a source of gratification to him. But this is altogether inconsistent with those feelings which he manifested towards her, verse 393 supra, et sequens; and also with those tender expressions of his in the sixth book, when he met her in the regions below. See verse 450, et sequens. Hortensius reads cumulatum, and takes it in the sense of abundè pensatum : abundantly, or fully compensated, or requited. Dido had besought Æneas to stay a short time longer with her, till the weather should be more favorable for his departure, since he was resolved to leave her; and till she should bring her mind the better to bear his loss. This was the extremam veniam, the last, the only favor she asked of him; and if granted to her, she would dismiss him, or Talibus orabat, talesque miserrima fletus Fertque refertque soror: sed nullis ille movetur 441. Ae velut cùm Alpini Boreæ nunc hinc, nunc illinc certant inter se flatibus eruere quercum validam annoso 445 robore. Fata obstant; placidasque viri Deus obstruit aures. 440 NOTES. consent to his departure, fully compensated or requited for the favor and indulgence, by her death. Dido here conforms to the usual language of disappointed lovers, who suppose they confer the greatest possible favor upon those they love, by dying for their sake. See Ecl. viii. verses 59 and 60. The most weighty objection to this interpretation is, that it includes a declaration of her death; but it does not necessarily imply, that it would be by her own hand. Her grief, sorrow, and affliction, in consequence of his loss, might become insupportable, and bring her to the grave. But, after all the ingenuity displayed by commentators, cumulatum, perhaps, is to be taken in its usual acceptation. Cumulatum morte remittam: I will dismiss him loaded, or oppressed, with my death-with the reflection and consciousness of being the cause of my death, by leaving me in this cruel manner. This appears the least objectionable of any solution that has been proposed. Nor does it necessarily include the idea of suicide. Dido may be supposed to declare, that though he should comply with her request, and tarry with her till the weather became favorable for his departure, yet that she should eventually be unable to support nis loss, and that grief and disappointinent would be the cause of her death. For this suggestion, I acknowledge my obligations to a distinguished classical scholar of our own country. 438. Miserrima soror: her sister, most distressed, carries, and again carries, such tears-such piteous messages. Preces cum Jachrymis, says Heyne. 450 445. Tendit tantùm radice ad Tartara, quantùm vertice tendit ad æthereas auras. 453. Cùm imponeret dona thuricremis aris, vidit sacros latices. 439. Tractabilis: in the sense of exorabilis. 442. Borea. The north wind is here called Alpine, from the circumstance of the Alps lying north of Mantua, and a great part of Italy. And the poet would give us to understand that the north wind had its seat among those mountains, and from thence descended in storms, and mighty blasts. 446. Tantum radice. This is said accord ing to the opinion of those naturalists, who suppose the roots of the tree equal to the body. Tartara: neu. plu. properly the lowest part of hell-that place which the poets assign for the punishment of offenders. In Tartara: toward Tartarus-downward. It is opposed to ad æthereas auras: toward heaven-upward. 448. Curas: in the sense of dolores. 449. Inanes: his tears are useless-unavailing, both with respect to himself and Dido; as they produced not the effect which she desired, and altered not his steadfast resolution. 451. Tædet: it irketh her to behold the canopy of heaven. Convexa, neu. plu. of convexus, taken as a substantive. It appears, hence, that convexus in Latin, has a different meaning from convex in English. The convex face of heaven to us is invisible. It is the vaulted arch, or canopy alone, which we can behold-the cava cœli convexitas, as Dr. Clark explains it. So, also: in convexo nemorum, in the bosom, or under the shelter of the bending groves. And Justin, speaking of the actions of Xerxes, says: montes in planum ducebat, et convexa vallium æquabat. 456. Effata est hoc visum nulli, non etiam Fusaque in obscœnum se vertere vina cruorem. 460. Hinc voces, et Hinc exaudiri voces et verba vocantis et ducere detur sibi relinqui sola, Eumenidum veluti demens videt agmina Pentheus, seinper incomitata ire Et solem geminum, et duplices se ostendere Thebas : longam viam, et quæ- Aut Agamemnonius scenis agitatus Orestes, rere 455 460 465 471 Armatam facibus matrem et serpentibus atris NOTES. 455. Obscœnum cruorem. Servius explains obscænum, by mali ominis, of bad omen. So says Heyne. Vina fusa: the wine poured out upon the altar, to turn, &c. 457. Fuit in tectis: there was in the palace a marble chapel of her former husband. By templum, some understand the sepulchre of Sichæus, which Dido had caused to be built in her palace, and which she had consecrated to his memory. Others think it to have been a chapel, or shrine, sacred to his memory. Others again take it to be an image or statue sacred to his memory. Servius thinks Virgil had reference to the custom of the Romans, of the bride, when she came to the door of her husband's house, which was garnished with flowers and leaves, binding about the posts woollen fillets, and washing them over with melted tallow to keep out enchantments and sorcery. According to him, Dido, in building this temple to Sichæus, had devoted herself to him forever, by performing the same nuptial rites towards him as if he had been living; and thereby signified her resolution never to marry again. But this appears a refinement. It is much easier to consider it a reference to the general custom of adorning the door-posts of temples with fillets of wool, especially on holy-days. 461. Viri: of her husband calling her. 462. Bubo: the owl. Ferali carmine: in a mournful strain-cry. Sola: some copies have sera, in reference to the time of her singing; which is generally late at night. Voces notes. 464. Piorum. Some copies have prio rum: but piorum is the best. It is a proper epithet of prophets. Heyne reads piorum. 469. Eumenidum: as crazy Pentheus sees bands of furies, and a double sun, and Thebes to show itself double. The poet here compares the fury of Dido with that of the frantic Pentheus and Orestes. Pentheus was king of Thebes in Beotia, son of Echion, and grandson of Cadmus. He prevented his subjects from worshipping Bacchus, and commanded that god to be put in prison; for which he was deprived of his senses by the god. After this, he went to mount Citheron, where the bacchanals were celebrating their orgies. As soon as they saw him, they set upon him, and tore him in pie ces. See Ovid Met. 3. 700. Virgil here speaks of the furies as being an army (agmina) whereas they were only three in number. See Geor. i. 278. 470. Et solem. This line is taken from Euripedes. 471. Orestes. He was the son of Aga memnon. He is said to have been haunted by the ghost of his mother, Clytemnestra, whom he had slain, and by the furies. He went to the oracle of Apollo, at Delphi, to consult in the business, and was informed that he had been acquitted by the court of Areopagus, at Athens. Whereupon the furies blocked up the door, so that he could not get out. He, however, made his scape. Hence the expression, sedent limine: they sit in the door. See Æn. iii. 331. Agitatus acted, or exhibited on the stage. 414. Concepit: received or admitted Exigit; et, mostam dictis aggressa sororem, NOTES. 476. Exıgıt: she concludes-fixes upon. Aggressa: in the sense of compellans. 477. Serenat spem fronte: she brightens, (or clears up) hope on her countenance. She shows it on her countenance. Vultu: visage-looks. 481. Ethiopum. Ethiopia is properly a country of Africa, now called Abyssinia. But the name was frequently applied by the ancients to any country lying in a warm climate. Ethiops is compounded of two Greek words, and means a person of a tawny complexion-one scorched by the heat of the sun. 482. Aptum: fitted-adorned-bespangled with refulgent stars. See 247, supra. Axem: for cœlum. 483. Massylæ gentis. The Massyli or Masasyli were a people between the rivers Malva and Mulucha, both of which fall into the Mediterranean. Hence the adj. Massylus. Sacerdos: in the sense of saga. Monstrata: was shown to me. Est is under stood. 484. Custos templi Hesperidum. The gardens of the Hesperides, Virgil places in Mauritania, near the shore of the Atlantic, and not far from the town of Lixus. There are, however, various opinions respecting their situation. The Hesperides were the fabled daughters of Atlas, or of Hesperus, his brother, and the nymph Hesperis. Their father gave them gardens, in which were trees producing golden apples. Hercules, at the command of Eurystheus, king of My cena, stole the apples, having slain the dragon that kept them. These apples were sacred to Venus. The truth of the matter is this: the Hesperides were shepherdesses of noble birth, whose flocks produced wool of a reddish color, somewhat resembling gold, which Hercules plundered, having slain their keeper, whose name was Draco. The Greek word for sheep, signifying also apples, made the poets feign that Hercules stole the apples of the Hesperides: and their keeper's name being Draco, led them to pretend they were kept by a dragon. See Ecl. vi. 61. 486. Soporiferum papaver. As the dragon was always to be awake, a question arises, how the priestess came to feed him with poppy. To solve this there are several conjectures. Some will have it that poppies mixed with honey, was his food, and had no effect to lay him asleep. Others say it was to procure sleep for him at certain intervals. Servius thinks that the poppy, which procures sleep to men, has a contrary effect upon dragons, and keeps them awake. Others again, to avoid this difficulty, make a full stop after ramos, connecting this line with the following one. Some again think it is only mentioned to show the skill of the Sorceress, that she was even able to lay the wakeful dragon asleep. But as this animal had a hundred heads, we may suppose that they kept awake and slept by turns. She is said to be the keeper, custos, of the tem ple, because she gave food to the dragon, and supported him. 437. Solvere mentes: to free minds from love by her magic rites (carminilus) or charms. 493. Accingier invitam: that I was unwilling to betake myself to these magic arts. Accingier: by paragoge, for accingi. The verb here is used in the sense of the Greek middle voice. It has a reflux signification. Erige et arma viri, thalamo quæ fixa reliquit 495 Non tamen Anna novis prætexere funera sacris . 501. Nec concipit tan- Germanam credit: nec tantos mente furores tos furores esse in ejus Concipit; aut graviora timet, quàm morte Sichæi. mente; aut timet gra- Ergò jussa parat. viora quàm quæ evene rant morte Sichæi. Ergò 500 505 At regina, pyrâ penetrali in sede sub auras parat que jussa erant Erectâ ingenti, tædis atque ilice sectâ, 504. Ingenti pyrâ Intenditque locum sertis, et fronde coronat erectâ in penetrali sede Funereâ: super exuvias, ensemque relictum, sub auras, è tædis atque Effigiemque toro locat, haud ignara futuri. secta ilice Stant aræ circùm : et crines effusa sacerdos, Tercentum tonat ore Deos, Erebumque, Chaosque, 510 Tergeminamque Hecaten, tria virginis ora Dianæ. Sparserat et latices simulatos fontis Averni; Falcibus et messæ ad Lunam quæruntur ahenis Pubentes herbæ, nigri cum lacte veneni. 509. Effusa crines quoad NOTES. 495. Arma viri. The sword which Eneas left hanging in Dido's bedchamber. 498. Jubet: the priestess orders and directs me to burn all the memorials of the cursed man. These she had just mention ed-his sword—his clothes-the bridal bed, &c. 500. Prætexere: in the sense of celare. 504. Penetrali sede: in the inner courtmiddle of the palace. 505. Tædis. The tada or teda was a tree of a resinous nature, of which torches were made. The ilex was a species of oak called the holm. Of these two kinds of wood the funeral pile was constructed. 506. Intendit: in the sense of cingit. 508. Effigiem: she places his image on the bed upon his clothes and sword. One of the rites of magic was to prepare an image of the person against whom the enchantment was designed, either of wax or wool, and use it in the same manner as they would have used the person himself if he had been present. Or, super may be taken in the sense of insuper (moreover;) or super-locat may be considered a coinpound word in the sense of superimponit. The meaning will then be, that the image, the clothes, and sword, were placed upon the bed without any reference to their situation. 510. Tonat ore: she thunders out with her voice three hundred gods. Servius informs us, that in the sacred rites of Hecate in particular, they used to imitate thunder; which gives a reason for the use of the word tonat. Hortensius would read sonat. We are not to suppose that the priestess invoked the precise number of three hundred gods that definite number is used for an indefinite number. Erebum. Erebus was the son of Chaos and Nox. For aiding the Titans in their war against the gods, he was changed into a river, and placed in the lowest part of hell. He is one of the infernal gods. Chaos. He was the most ancient of the gods, and the father of them all, according to Hesiod. Geor. iv. 347. 511. Hecaten. Hecate is called tergeminam from the circumstance of her having three names. In heaven she is called Luna; on the earth Diana; in hell Proserpina. Hecate was not so properly her name, as an epithet given her to denote her hundred various qualities; or because she was appeased by a hundred victims. From a Greek word signifying a hundred. The goddess was painted with three heads, one of a horse, another of a dog, and another of a man. Hence tria ora virginis: the triple form of the virgin. 512. Sparserat: she had sprinkled the fictitious (or substituted) waters of the lake Avernus. In performing magic rites, those materials requisite to the occasion, that could not be conveniently procured, were allowed to be emblematically represented; as in the present case. Averni. Avernus, a lake in Campania, fabled to be the entrance of hell. Its waters were of a very noxious quality, which occasioned an unwholesome atmosphere; insomuch so, that it was shunned by birds of every kind. Its name is of Greek origin. See Geor. iv. 493. 514. Pubentes herba full blown herbs, cut by moonlight, are sought for. The |