Frigida sub terra tumidum quem bruma tegebat, 'At domus interior gemitu, miseroque tumultu, 475 480 485 490 495 food-Ecl. 1, 78; and its passive sometimes, as here, deponently, and followed by the accusative-to feed upon.'-473. Alluding to the fact in natural history, that the serpent repeatedly casts its skin in summer.-476. In the ancient war-chariots, the warrior was accompanied by a charioteer, whose main business it was to manage the chariot, as subservient to the active combatant. Virgil makes the charioteer of Achilles the armour-bearer of his son.-477. Scyria; from Scyros, one of the Cyclades.-479. Ipse, Pyrrhus.-480. Compare verse 469 with 485, and it will be found that Aeneas is here speaking of the limen of the vestibulum.-485. Limine primo, of the inner part of the palace, domus interior. 487. Penitus, in the inmost recesses.-489. Errant; a strong expression- lose their way.'-490. Oscula. Bidding them farewell.492. Ariete, pronounced in three syllables, āryětě.—493. Janua. See verses 480, 485.--496. Non sic; non amnis tanto cum impetu furit.498. Cumulo. Compare A. 1, 105. Caede Neoptolemum, geminosque in limine Atridas: 500 Urbis ubi captae casum, convulsaque vidit 505 Limina tectorum, et medium in penetralibus hostem ; Circumdat nequidquam humeris, et inutile ferrum 510 'Aedibus in mediis, nudoque sub aetheris axe, 515 520 525 501. Hecubam, the wife of Priam. Nurus; filias (quinquaginta) et nurus (quinquaginta).-503. Cf. Hom. Il. 6, 243.-504. Barbarus and barbaricus have frequently in the Greek and Latin poets the peculiar signification of Phrygius. Barbarico. Virgil here follows the Greeks in the application of this epithet to Trojan gold, though it may be that the allusion is to spoils taken by the Trojans from the barbari. 509. Diu senior desueta. The position of these words shews that the long disuse arose from his age. 512. There was a vestibulum; then the palace, forming a square, with its spacious rooms, and in the middle a court, open to the sky, where, as was usual in ancient houses, stood an altar to the Penates. Axe. See A. 1, 90.-515. The position of nequidquam next altaria indicates the impious cruelty of the Greeks; even the altars were no protection.-519. Quae mens tam dira impulit. Such expressions are equivalent to est tam dira ut impellat.-521. Non: defensoribus eget from the previous sentence is involved, without the istis. Non eget infers that their safety is beyond all hope, as we would say of a dead man, he needs no help now.-524. Ore. See A. 1, 614. "Ecce autem, elapsus Pyrrhi de caede, Polites, 540 Hic Priamus, quamquam in media jam morte tenetur, 545 Hoc dicens, altaria ad ipsa trementem Traxit, et in multo lapsantem sanguine nati, 551 529. Vulnere: the poets sometimes use vulnus for telum, by which the wound is inflicted.-530. The chase is here most graphically described by the present tenses, and jam jamque.-531. Evasit, 'reached,' arrived." -533. Media morte; death is represented as a band encompassing him on all sides.-535. At tibi; emphatic. To thee, at least-whatever may be the fate of the other Greeks.'-536. Coelo. See A. 1, 378, to ascertain how in heaven there may be pietas.-537. Grates, praemia, ironically = poenas.-540. Priam denies it to be possible that the murderous Pyrrhus can be a son of the noble-minded Achilles, who restored to him the body of Hector.-541. In hoste. The ordinary construction is hostem. Sallust especially is fond of the ablative in such constructions.-542. Erubuit, literally, blushed at the rights of the suppliants; that is, respected them.'-544. Sine ictu, without (being able to strike) a blow.'-546. Umbone, the boss or centre of the shield, which projected. It sometimes terminated in a spike, which might, as here, catch a dart, so as to cause it to dangle from it.-547, &c. Similarly in Shakspeare. Richard, annoyed at the taunts of Henry VI., says: Down, down to hell; and say I sent thee thither.'-548. Pelidae, Achilles.' Tristia, fatal' (to thee).-550. Ipsa. Expressive of the 560 Implicuitque comam laeva, dextraque coruscum 565 570 575 impiety of the deed.-555. Sorte, fato.-556. Populis, dative, instead of the usual genitive, governed by regnatorem.-557. Asiae, in the Roman sense, of the sea-board (principally) of Asia Minor. The truncus and caput make the corpus.-558. Sine nomine, 'nameless,' so to speak, by the loss of his head. 559. Aeneas had forgotten his father. The mental law of association recalled him now for the first time.-562. Creüsa, the wife of Aeneas." -563. Domus, the final ūs long by the arsis.-564. Aeneas seems still to be on the house-top, and, while in no situation to render assistance, to have beheld the fatal scene in the court below.-565. Deseruere ; have forsaken me.'-566. Ignibus aegra. The position of the words indicates that their fate was in consequence of their weariness. The twenty-two lines following were rejected, we are told, by the critics who reviewed the Aeneid for Augustus, because inconsistent with A. 6, 517, &c., and to avoid the slur cast upon Aeneas for his projected violence to a woman. 567. Aeneas leaves the palace, and wanders homewards.-569. Tyndarida. See A. 1, 652.-570. Erranti. In the confusion of the hour, he lost his way. See verse 489.-572. Conjugis, Menelai.-573. Erinys. See verse 337-574. Aris, on the steps of the altar.' Invisa, non visa. Ulcisci patriam, et sceleratas sumere poenas. Scilicet haec Spartam incolumis, patriasque Mycenas, Conjugiumque, domumque, patres, natosque videbit, 6 Talia jactabam, et furiata mente ferebar; Quum mihi se, non ante oculis tam clara, videndam = 580 585 590 595 576. Sceleratas, scelerum.-577, &c. This represents the current of his thoughts. Spartam, the home of Menelaus, her husband. Mycenas, Graeciam. See 4. 1, 650.-579. Conjugium conjugem, 'Menelaus,' who was at Troy. Patres parentes; her father Tyndarus was dead. Natosque, Nicostratus and Hermione. This line, which the poet could not have written, is rightly suppressed by Wagner.--580. Comitata. See 4. 1, 312.-581. Occiderit. The action is regarded as completed at a future time, represented by ibit.-583. Memorabile nomen, glory, honour.584. Victoria de femina.-585. Note laudabor exstinxisse, the resolution of which seems to be, laudes habebo exstinxisse, construed as a genitive. Nefas nefariam; and merentis = a merente.-587. Flammae. See A. 1, 215. 590. Pura, ut coelesti. Per noctem, night though it was.-591. Qualis, as to beauty and general appearance; 592, quanta, as to majesty.593. Roseo. See A. 1, 402; Ecl. 9, 40.-594. Tantus excitat, tantus ut excitet. See verse 519.-595. Nostri cura, thy love for me,' which would have made thee feel thy duties towards thy father.-599. Resistat, tulerint. The English idiom requires a close attention to the precise meaning of these tenses. The completion of their destruction is a contingency only prevented by (ni) another act in the course of being now realised, and also expressed contingently: My present resistance 6 |