Nuntius Anchisæ ad tumulum, cuneosque theatrı, 665. Eumelus nuntius Incensas perfert naves Eumelus: et ipsi ad tu.nulum Anchise Respiciunt atram in nimbo volitaie favillam. perfert naves incensas Primus et Ascanius, cursus ut lætus equestres esse Ducebat, sic acer equo turbata petivit Castra: nec exanimes possunt retinere magistri. Quis furor iste novus? quò nunc, quò tenditis, inquit, Heu miseræ cives! non hostem, inimicaque castra 672. Sed uritis vestras Argivûm, vestras spes, uritis. En ego vester Ascanius! Galeam ante pedes projecit inanem, Quâ ludo indutus belli simulacra ciebat. Accelerat simul Æneas, simul agmina Teucrûm. Ast illæ diversa metu per litora passim spes 677. Petuutque furtim Diffugiunt, sylvasque, et sicubi concava furtim sylvas, et sicubi sint Saxa petunt: piget incepti, lucisque suosque concava saxa 665 671 67b Mutatæ agnoscunt: excussaque pectore Juno est. 680 685 pit 685. Pius Æneas cœ Tum pius Æneas humeris abscindere vestem, Auxilioque vocare Deos, et tendere palmas: 687. Si nondum tu Jupiter omnipotens, si nondum exosus ad unum exosus es Trojanos ad Trojanos, si quid pietas antiqua labores unum; si tua antiqua pietas respicit humanos Respicit humanos; da flammam evadere classi labores quid, nunc, O Nunc, pater, et tenues Teucrûm res eripe leto : pater, da classi 692. Vel tu demitte Si mereor, demitte; tuâque hìc obrue dextrâ. Vix hæc ediderat, cùm effusis imbribus atra Tempestas sinè more furit: tonitruque tremiscunt Ardua terrarum, et campi: ruit æthere toto Turbidus imber aquâ; densisque nigerrimus Austris : Vel tu, quod superest, infesto fulmine morti, me morti cum infesto 695. Arduaque loca terrarum, et campi tremiscunt tonitru. NOTES. 664. Cuneos. These were seats in the Roman theatre for the common people, so called because they were in the form of a wedge, the narrowest part toward the stage. Reference is here made to the theatre mentioned or spoken of 288, supra. 668. Sic acer equo: the meaning is that Ascanius rode up to the confused camp quick on his horse, just in the same habit as he led the cavalcade, equestres cursus. 669. Magistri: either Priamus and Atys, commanders of the cavalcade, or Epytides and the other guardians and instructors of the youth. 670. Quò nunc tenditis: what now do you aim at? what do you intend by thus burning your ships? The repetition of the quò is emphatical. 679. Juno excussa est pectore: Juno is driven from their breast-the fury with which she had inspired them. This is an allusion to the frantic Bacchanals, who returned to themselves after the goa, with 690 695 whom they pretended to be possessed, was driven out of them. 682. Stuppa: this was a kind of coarse flax or hemp driven into the seams and chinks, and then overlaid with pitch to keep out the water and render the vessel tightoakum. Vivit: lives-continues to burn. Lentus vapor: a slow fire. Est: in the sense of edit. Pestis: in the sense of flammæ. 684. Flumina: in the sense of aqua. 685. Pius Æneas abscindere, &c. Tearing their hair and garment was reckoned a sign of extreme distress both by Jews, Egyp tians, and Greeks. 688. Pietas: pity-compassion-clemency. 693. Effusis imbribus: with falling rains -with floods of rain. Imbribus: in the sense of pluviis. 696. Imber turbidus: the cloud, thick with water, and black with the heavy south winds, pours down from the whole heaven. The south winds were more impregnated with Implenturque supèr puppes: semusta madescunt At pater Æneas casu concussus acerbo, Talibus incensus dictis senioris amici : NOTES. vapor than any other, which, meeting with the cold northern air, was condensed into clouds and rain. Hence the epithet, densis. Imber is, properly, a shower or fall of rain. It may, by meton. be taken for the cloud containing the vapor. In this sense the meaning is plain and easy. 697. Semusta: for semiusta, by syn. This contraction is necessary for the sake of the verse. Super: in the sense of desuper. 702. Mutabat: in the sense of volvebat. Versans: in the sense of deliberans. 704. Unum: in the sense of solum; or we may take it in the sense of unicum, vel præcipuum. 705. Arte: knowledge. Ruæus says, multis vaticiniis. 713. Qui superant. Nautes advises to deliver to Acestes the crews of those ships that had been burnt-those who were weary of the enterprise-the old men and women, &c. and to found a city for them in Sicily, to be called after the name of their friend, Acestes. This city was on the western side, about five miles from the shore. also called Egesta, gesta, and Sergesta. It was 700 705 711 712. Cape hunc so cium tibi in tuis consiliis 713. Trade huic eos, 715 qui superant 720 725 715. Deligeque longævos senes, ac matres fessas 717. Et sine ut illi fessi habeant monia 719. Eneas incensus est 722. Dehinc facies parentis Anchise delapsa cœlo visa est subitò effundere tales voces: Nate, quondam magis. chare mihi vitâ ipsa, dum 720. Animus. Davidson and Heyne read animum, in the acc. Valpy and Ruæus have animus, which is the easier. 721. Atra nox: dark night, wafted in her two-horse chariot, possessed the heavens. As the chariot of the sun is represented as drawn by four horses, so that of the moon and the night by two, and those of a black or sable color. Polum: by synec. the whole heavens. 722. Facies delapsa, &c. The ancients distinguished between the soul and the shade or phantom. The former, they believed, went to heaven, while the other had its residence in the infernal regions. Thus Anchises descends from heaven in regard to his soul, while at the same time his shade was in the regions below, as appears from verse 733. 725. Fatis: in the sense of casibus. 744. Supplexque vene ratur Pergameum Larem, et penetralia canæ Vestæ pio farre 730 735 Dat senior lectos juvenes, fortissima corda, Extemplò socios, primumque arcessit Acesten, NOTES. 730. Cultu: in the sense of moribus. 731. Tamen antè accede, &c. This apparition of Anchises, and the direction he gives his son to descend to the regions below, are a proper preparation for 'the following book. The art of the poet is admirable in thus making one event rise out of another and preparing the reader beforehand. This raises that pleasing suspense, which is the principal thing that charms in an epic poem. Ditis: gen. of Dis, a name of Pluto. 735. Elysium. This was the name of the place assigned for the residence of the happy. Here they placed their heroes and other distinguished characters. Casta Sibylla: the Sibyl hath the epithet casta, because those prophetesses were virgins. Concilia: in the sense of sedes. 736. Multo sanguine: with much blood of black victims; that is, after having offered many black victims in sacrifice. Victims of a black color were sacrificed to the infernal deities. 738. Humida nox; humid night turns its middle course. This is a metaphor taken from the chariot-races, when they wheeled about at the metu or goal, and returned to the carcer or starting place. So here night was on her return, having passed her farthest point, the hour of midnight, which divides her course in the middle. 739. Sævus Oriens: the cruel morning (the approaching sun) had breathed on me with his panting steeds. The morning is here called sævus, because it broke off his conversation, and forced him to retire. It was a prevailing opinion that ghosts and appa 740 745 750 ritions were only allowed to appear in the darkness of night, and were chased away by the dawn of day. 743. Suscitat cinerem: he opens the ashes and kindles up the dormant fire. This is one of those passages where Virgil uses the same verb with two nouns, when it can be properly applied only to one of them. Sopitos: buried up-covered over. 744. Veneratur: he worships the Trojan Lares, and the shrine of hoary Vesta, &c. The Lares were the images consecrated to the souls of their departed ancestors, which the ancients worshipped at their own houses by oblations of incense and cakes of fine flour, called far; see Geor. iii. 344. The Lares, like the Penales, were household gods. Penetralia Vesta: this shrine, or sanctuary of Vesta, was commonly the hearth or fireplace in the apartment where they lodged. Here was kept a fire always burning, in honor of that goddess. See Æn. i. 292. Eneas is said to have introduced into Italy the worship of the Penates, the Lares, and of Vesta or the unextinguished fire. Heyne takes penetralia Vesta for Vesta herself, because, says he, the goddess had her residence in the inmost part of the house, remote from the view of men. She is called cana, either on account of the antiquity of her worship, or because the vestal virgins were clad in white robes. 748. Constet: in the sense of sedet. 750. Transcribun'. This word was ap plied to those whose names were enrolled in order to be transported to some new colony; and those thus enrolled were called Deponunt, animos nil magnæ laudis egentes. Intereà Æneas urbem designat aratro, NOTES. transcripti; hence the word came to signify to transfer, designate, or appoint. 751. Deponunt: they leave-set apart. Egentes: in the sense of cupidos. 755. Designat urbem. This refers to a custom of the Romans, who, when they were about to build a city, first marked out the boundary of it by drawing a furrow with a plough, which they lifted over those spaces where they intended to have the gates. Hence porta (from porto, to carry) came to signify a gate. 756. Hoc, Ilium: history mentions no city in Sicily by the name of Ilium. Æneas may have called it so at first, but agreed that Acestes shoula change its name afterward. Or Ilium may be the tower of the city Acesta or Segesta, and here taken for the whole city by synec. as Pergamus, the tower or citadel of Troy, is often put for the city itself. This is the opinion of Ruæus. Strabo mentions two rivers near the city Segesta, by the names of Xanthus and Simoïs, and that they were so called by Æneas. 758. Indicit forum: he appoints courts of justice, and gives laws to his assembled senators. The Roman senators were called Patres, either on account of their age, or to remind them that they were the fathers of the pcople. 759. Erycino: an adj. from Eryx, a mountain in Sicily, in height next to Etna; from Eryx, king of that island, who was slain by Hercules. See 411, supra. Eneas built a temple to his mother Venus on the top of this mountain. Some say it was founded by Eryx, and only decorated by Eneas. Venus is called Idalian, from Idalium or Idulia, a town and grove on the island of Cy prus. nus. 754. Exigui in nume 755 ro, sed eorum virtus erat vivida bello. 760 765 770 This whole island was sacred to VeSedes: in the sense of templum. 761. Lucus additur. A priest and grove, sacred far around, is added to the tomb of Anchises. It appears hence that he was buried on Mount Eryx. Some say that he arrived in Italy along with his son: others that he died before he arrived in Sicily. 762. Gens: in the sense of populus. The verb fuerat is to be connected with epulata. Honos factus: in the sense of sacrificium factum erat. All his people had kept the anniversary festival of his father for nine days, and performed the usual offerings, when the weather became favorable; and having repaired the damages occasioned by the fire, they make ready for their departure. Here a most interesting scene ensued. A day and a night they pass in embracing each other before their final separation. Those who before were weary of the voyage, now summon up courage, and are willing again to encounter the danger of the sea. The interesting scene brought tears from the hero's eyes. 768. Numen. This is the usual reading. The sense is, that the divinity, or divine power, of the sea, seemed to them insupportable-more than they could endure after all their fatigues. But Heyne, upon the authority of Heinsius, reads nomen. The sense in this case will be: and the name of sea seemed insupportable to them. They could not bear to hear its name mentioned. Nomen maris, says he, auditu, et dictu intolerabile visum. He observes of numen: Explicationem commodam non habet. The reader will judge for himself. 771. Consanguineo. Acestes was in truth 774. Ipse evinctus oliva, stans 783. Quam, nempe Ju nonem. 784. Nec quiescit in Tres Eryci vitulos, et tempestatibus agnam 780 quoad caput foliis tons Stans procul in prorâ, pateram tenet, extaque salsos 775 Porricit in fluctus, ac vina liquentia fundit. Prosequitur surgens à puppi ventus euntes : Certatim socii feriunt mare, et æquora verrunt. At Venus intereà Neptunum excrcita curis Alloquitur, talesque effundit pectore questus: fracta imperio Jovis fa- Junonis gavis ira et inexsaturabile pectus tisve. Non satis est ei Cogunt me, Neptune, preces descendere in omnes : nefandis odiis exedisse Quam nec longa dies, pietas nec mitigat ulla; urbem de media gente Nec Jovis imperio fatisve infracta quiescit. Phrygum, et traxisse ejus Non mediâ de gente Phrygum exedisse nefandis relliquias per omnem Urbem odiis satis est, pœnam traxisse per omnem 789. Tu ipse fuisti Relliquias: Troja cineres atque ossa peremptæ testis mihi, quam molem Insequitur. Causas tanti sciat illa furoris. subitò excierit nuper in Ipse mihi nuper Libycis tu testis in undis 792. Ausa est hoc in Quam molem subitò excierit. Maria omnia cœlo tuis regnis. Miscuit, Æoliis nequicquam freta procellis : pœnam: Libycis undis. 795. Et, classe amis- In regnis hoc ausa tuis. sâ, subegit socios lin- Proh scelus! ecce etiam Trojanis matribus actis, guere eas mulieres igno- Exussit fœdè puppes; et classe subegit tæ 796. Oro ut liceat Tro Amissâ socios ignotæ linquere terræ. janis dare tibi vela tuta Quod superest: oro, liceat dare tuta per undas per undas; ut liceat iis Vela tibi: liceat Laurentem attingere Tybrim : NOTES. no way related to Eneas. See 30, supra. Consanguineus is properly a relation by blood; agnatus, one by the father's side; cognatus, by the mother's side; and affinis, by marriage. 772. Tempestatibus. Storms and tempests were deified by the Romans, and goats and lambs were offered to them in sacrifice. 773. Cædere: in the sense of immolare. Funes: the cables. Some copies have funem. This is the reading of Heyne, after Pierius and Heinsius. The sense is the same either way. 775. Stans procul: standing at a distance on the prow, he holds the bowl and scatters the entrails upon the briny waves. Procul implies that he stood as far as he could from the shore on the extremity of the head of the vessel toward the sea. Porricit, from porro and jacio: to throw at a distance. It was a custom among the Romans to present offerings to the marine gods before sailing, which consisted principally in casting the entrails of the victims upon the sea. Sometimes, however, they offered libations also, as in the present instance, 781. Gravis ira Junonis: the heavy ange: of Juno, &c. An allusion is here made to the decision of Paris in the case of the prize of beauty, which ever after made her a bitter enemy to the Trojan race. Pectus: in the sense of animus. 785 790 795 784. Infracta: overcome-made to desist from her purpose. Dies: in the sense of tempus. Juno persisted in her opposition to Æneas, in spite of the authority of Jove, and the decrees of the gods, which directed him to Italy. 787. Cineres et ossa: the ashes and bones of ruined Troy. By these we are to understand Æneas and his company, who were on their way to Italy-the only remains or survivors of that once flourishing city. 788. Illa scrat: she may know, &c. Venus here insinuates that there was no cause for her resentment. She may perhaps know; as for ine, I do not. 790. Quam molem: what a tempest she raised, &c. Molem: for tempestatem. 791. Nequicquam freta: relying in vain, &c. Because she had not accomplished her by Neptune. See Æn. i. 86, el sequens. purposes; she and Eolus being controlled 793. Proh scelus. Heyne and some others read per scelus taking per in the sense of in, vel ad. Trojanis matribus actis in vel ad scelus. The common reading appears the easiest, which takes Proh scelus as an exclamation or interjection. Oh horrid crime! Oh wickedness! Juno burned the Trojan ships, by impelling their matrons to do it. 797. Tibi: by thee-under thy care and protection. Si: in the sense of siquidem. |