748. Deus evocat omnes has animas

740

lutions were the slightest, were suspended and exposed to the winds; others were washed away; others again, whose pollutions were of the deepest dye, were burnt in the fire. The elements, air, water, and fire, are of a purifying nature, and have been figuratively used by all writers as emblems of moral purification.

740. Expendunt: suffer-undergo. Inanes in the sense of leves.

743. Quisque patimur: we all suffer every one his own Manes. This passage hath very much perplexed commentators. It is not certain in what sense we are to take Manes. The ghosts, or Manes of the dead, were supposed to haunt and disturb the living, from whom they had received any great injury. Hence the word Manes may signify the fiends, furies, or tormenting demons of the lower world. According to Plato, every person at his birth hath assigned him a genium or demon, that guards him through life, and after death accompanies him to the shades below, and becomes a minister of purification. By Manes we may understand these Platonic demons. Some understand by Manes the stings and fierce upbraidings of a guilty conscience. These every offender carries about with him, and by these means becomes his own tormentor. Patimur Manes is the same with patimur supplicium per Manes. The above is the usual acceptation of the words. In the present instance Heyne differs from the current of interpreters. He confesses it a perplexed and intricate passage, and conjectures it was left in an unfinished state by the poet. That part of the dead which the ancients called Manes they placed in the infernal regions, while the umora remained upon earth and the soul ascended to heaven. He takes Quisque suos patimur Manes, in the sense of nostrum omnium Manes patiuntur: vel, ista supplicia patienda omnibus Manibus. His ordo of construction is: nos Manes patimur quisque quoad suos. According to the notion of Plato and others, all inust undergo purification before they could be admitted to Elysium, to the lata arva. Now as the Manes alone descended to the shades below, y alone could suffer: Hi sunt, qui purur: qui patiuntur: qui subeunt illas

745

purgationes, pro sua cujusque parte. This is the substance of his reasoning.

745. Donec longa dies, &c. It is the general opinion of commentators that the ordo is here inverted, and that this line should immediately follow Quisque suos patimur Manes; and that exinde, &c. should follow after auraï simplicis ignem. This is the only way in which the cominon meaning of donec can be retained: we suffer every one his own Manes, till length of time, the period of time being completed, hath taken away the inherent stains, and left the ethereal sense pure, &c. then, after that, we are sent: exinde mittimur, &c. Ruæus takes donec in the sense of quando, and it is the only sense it will bear in the present ordo of construction. Exinde, &c.: then we are sentwhen length of time, &c.

746. Labem. The poet hath found no less than five different words to express the stains or pollutions of sin: malum, corporea pestes, vetera mala, infectum seclus, and labes. Concretam: inherent-contracted-habitual.

747. Ignem simplicis auraï. By this we are to understand the soul. The Platonists supposed the soul to be of a fiery quality This may have led the poet to call it emphatically the fire, or flame of simple brightness. Simplicis: simple--uncorrupted-uncompounded. Aurai: for auræ. Nouns of this declension sometimes formed the gen. sing in aï.

748. Has omnes. The meaning is, that after these animæ, or souls, had passed a thousand years in Elysium, the god calls them to the river Lethe, where, by drinking copiously of its water, they might forget the happiness of those peaceful abodes, and be prepared and willing to return again to life, and to visit this upper world. This notion of the transmigration of souls, as little as it is founded in truth, was generally received among the ancients. There were some exceptions to this transmigration. Those who had been admitted into the society of the gods, such as deified heroes, were exempted. Their anima or soul resided in heaven, while their Idolum, vel simulachrum, always remained in Elysium, to enjoy its pleasures and delights. So we are to understand of Anchises. His Idolum conversed with

Eneas, while his anima enjoyed the converse of the gods. Rotam volvêre: in the sense of traduxerunt tempus. It is a metaphor taken from the rolling or turning of a wheel.

749. Deus. Some take the god here mentioned to be Mercury. But Heyne thinks deus is here used indefinitely for any demon or genium, in allusion to the notions of Plato, which the poet here hath in his view. Perhaps it is better to suppose that each shade is called by its own special damon to the waters of Lethe, to prepare for a return to life. This makes the sense easier, and is in perfect accordance with the prinples of that philosophy, here inculcated and explained.

750. Supera convexa: in the sense of su peras auras; or simply, vitam.

753. Sonantem: in the sense of strepentem. 755. Legere: in the sense of recensere, vel cognoscere.

763. Sylvius. Dionysius Halicarnassus informs us that Lavinia, at the death of Eneas, was pregnant, and for fear of Ascanius fled into the woods to a Tuscan shepherd, where she was delivered of a son, whom, from that circumstance, she called Sylvius. But Ascanius, moved with compassion toward her, named him his successor in the kingdom of Alba Longa. From him, the kings of Alba took the common name of Sylvii. Livy, however, makes him

756. Nunc age, expediam dictis, quæ gloria deinde sequatur Dardaniam prolem, qui nepotes maneant te de 760 Itala gente

760. Ille juvenis, qui

nititur

763. Dictus Sylvius.

764. Quem serum con 765 jux Lavinia in sylvis educet tibi longævo futurum regem

767. Ille proximus est 768. Deinde sunt et Capys, et Numitor; et 770 Sylvius Eneas, qui

772. Hi imponent No

mentum

the son of Ascanius. In order to make the historian and the poet agree, some would understand by longavo, in the following line, advanced to the gods, immortal, relying upon Eschylus, who calls the gods longævi. Postuma proles. The meaning of postuma here will, in a good degree, depend upon the sense given to longavo. If it be taken as abovementioned, to denote one advanced to the life of the gods, then postuma proles will mean posthumous child, one born after the death of the father. But if we take longævo in its ordinary acceptation, to denote an old man, or one advanced in age, then postuma must be taken in the sense of postrema: last -your last child, whom late your wife Lavinia brought to you advanced in age.

765. Educet: in the sense of pariet.

767. Proximus. Not the one who should

succeed Sylvius in the throne of Alba, for Procas was the thirteenth king; but the one who stood next to him in the Elysian fields.

772. At, qui geruni: but who bear their temples shaded with the civic crown. This was made of oak, because the fruit of that tree supported man at the first. It was conferred upon the man who had saved the life of a Roman citizen in battle. Quercu: the oak; by ineton, the crown made of it.

773. Hi Nomentum: these shall found Nomentum, &c. This was a town of the Sabines, situated upon the river Allia, about

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. Acem by synec. for calum.

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. Mæolica tellus. By this we are to understand the northern nations of Europe, bordering on the Palus Maotis, 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. Ruæus says, com

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 Alcæus, 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 æripedem, &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. Ota: 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 He was the grandson of Numa by his daughter. Being indignant that Tullus should possess the throne in preference

and war.

810

815

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.

These

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 decree 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. 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 is 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 scr.tence of the law is to be considered just, it is taken also for justice in a general sense.

Sævas