THE AENEID. BOOK I.

THE subject of the Aeneid, as propounded in the opening lines, is the settlement of Aeneas in Italy, after years of wandering, and a short but sharp final struggle. It is, however, only of the events preceding the settlement that the poet really treats, of the wanderings and the war. Accordingly, the poem divides itself into two parts, the wanderings being embraced by the first, the Italian war by the second. But the two parts naturally involve different modes of treatment, comprehending as they do periods of time widely differing in length, the one seven years, the other apparently a few days. Here the poet follows the example of Homer in the Odyssey. The long period of wanderings is taken at a point not far from its conclusion; enough is told in detail to serve as a specimen of the whole, and the hero is made to narrate the rest of his past adventures to the person whose relation to him is all the time forming one adventure more. This peculiarity of the Homeric story is noticed by Horace (A. P. 164 foll.) and recommended to epic writers generally.

The First Book of the Aeneid performs well the objects which it was no doubt intended to accomplish, those of interesting us in the hero and introducing the story. After a brief statement of the subject, we have a view of the supernatural machinery by which it is to be worked out; and this, though imitated from Homer, is skilfully · contrived so as to throw a light on the subsequent history of the Roman descendants of Aeneas, by the mention, even at that early time, of their great enemy, Carthage. Like Ulysses, Aeneas is shipwrecked in the voyage which was to have been his last, the main difference being that the Grecian hero is solitary, having long since lost all his companions, while the Trojan is still accompanied by those who followed his fortunes from Troy. The machinery by which the storm is allayed is perhaps managed more adroitly by Virgil than by Homer, as there seems to be more propriety in representing the inferior god of the winds as counteracted by the superior god of the sea, than in making a sea-nymph rescue one whom the god of the sea is seeking to destroy. The remaining incidents of the Book are mostly borrowed from Homer; but we may admire the skill with which Virgil has introduced varieties of detail, and the art with which a new impression is produced by a combination of old materials, in making the friendly power that receives Aeneas unite the blandishments of Calypso with the hospitalities of Alcinous, and so engrafting a tale of passion on a narrative of ordinary adventure.

ARGUMENT.

AFTER stating the subject of the poem generally (1–7), addressing the Muse (8-11), and accounting for the resentment of Juno to the Trojan race (12-33), the poet introduces his hero, Aeneas, the son of Anchises and Venus, in the seventh year of his wanderings after the destruction of Troy, when he had just started from Sicily, and was making for the Italian mainland: a tempest is sent forth against him by Aeolus, at the instigation of Juno, which sinks one of the ships and drives the rest in a shattered condition on the coast of Africa (34-123). Neptune interferes to calm the storm (124–156). Aeneas lands with seven out of twenty ships, slays seven stags of immense size, gives one carcass to each of the ships, and exhorts his companions to patience and hope (157-207). The banquet of the ships' crews is described (208-222). Venus pleads the cause of her son Aeneas and of the Trojans before Jupiter, and lays all the blame of their misfortunes on Juno (223-253). The king of the gods, moved by the appeal, discloses the decrees of the Fates, and consoles his daughter by the assurance of future prosperity and unbounded empire to the Trojans in their descendants, the Roman people (254 -296). Mercury is sent down to render Dido, queen of Carthage, friendly to Aeneas (297-304). Satisfied with the declaration of Jupiter, Venus descends to earth, and in the guise of a huntress presents herself to Aeneas, and announces that the ships which he had supposed lost were safe in port (305-409.) Aeneas proceeds to Carthage, accompanied by Achates, both rendered invisible by the care of Venus (410-420). Carthage is described in progress of building (421-436). Aeneas visits the temple of Juno, and sees depicted there the Trojan wars (437-493). Dido visits the temple (494–508). A deputation from the twelve missing ships of the Trojans waits on Dido to complain of the outrages of her people and bewail the loss of Aeneas (509-560). Dido consoles them, and offers them a settlement (561-578). Aeneas, freed from the cloud, appears, and addresses Dido, who replies kindly, and prepares to entertain him and his followers (579-642). Aeneas sends for Ascanius (643-656). Venus substitutes Cupid for Ascanius (657-698). The banquet is given in Dido's palace (699-747). Dido asks Aeneas to narrate the downfall of Troy and his own wanderings (748 – 756).

1. This line is preceded in some MSS. by the following verses: Ille ego, qui quondam gracili modulatus avena

Carmen et egressus silvis vicina coegi

Ut quamvis avido parerent arva colono,
Gratum opus agricolis; at nunc horrentia Martis.

The genuineness of these verses is doubtful. By Burmann, Peerlkamp, Heyne, and many other commentators they are condemned as unworthy of the genius of Virgil, and inconsistent with the dignity of epic poetry, and are assigned to some unknown grammarian; but Wr., Forb., Henry, and others, regard them as genuine, and by no means devoid of terseness and elegance. Wr. does not, however, suppose them to have formed originally the beginning of the Aeneid, but to have been prefixed, as an inscription, to a few copies of the first book, which the poet circulated among private friends, as a sample of the whole. They appear to have existed in the time of Servius and Donatus, who say that Nisus the grammarian had heard a story of their having been expunged by Tucca and Varius, to whom, after Virgil's death, the revision of the Aeneid, preparatory to publication, was intrusted. See Life.

They may be translated thus: I (am) that (poet), who formerly tuned a lay on a slender reed-pipe (E. I. 2), and, having gone forth from the woods (i. e. having abandoned pastoral poetry), taught (i. e. in the Georgics) the neighboring fields to obey the husbandman, however eager (for harvests), — a work acceptable to cultivators of the soil; but now (I sing) the horrid (arms) of Mars. Horrentia; sc. arma and cano from the first line of the poem.

Arma = arms, war. The words arma virumque are not a hendiadys, as some have taught, but give first the character of the subject and then the subject itself. Trojae; the chief city of Troas, a district in the northwest corner of Mysia, in Asia Minor. It was called Troja, from Tros, one of its early kings; also Ilium, Ilios, or Ilion, from Ilus, the son of Tros; Dardania, from Dardanus, the grandfather of Tros; and Teucria, from Teucer, its first king; whence also the Trojans are often called Teucri. It was situated on a rising ground, above the plain of the rivers Scamander and Simoïs. On a hill to the east of it rose its acropolis, called Pergamum or Pergama. The city was protected by strong and lofty walls, said to have been built by Apollo and Poseidon. Primus. The earlier commentators have found a difficulty in reconciling primus with Antenor's previous migration (below, vv. 242 foll.), and suggest that Aeneas had first reached Italy proper, though Antenor had previously reached Venetia. On the other hand, Heyne and Wr. make primus equivalent to olim, thus weakening a word which from its position and its occurrence in the first line of the poem must be emphatic. The more obvious sense is that Aeneas is so called without reference to Antenor, as the founder of the great Trojan empire in Italy. 2. Italiam. Gr. 379. 4. A. & S. 237, R. 5 (c). Fato is a mixture of modal and instrumental abl., as in IV. 696; VI. 449, 466, etc.; and belongs no less to venit than to profugus, the two words forming one idea, that

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of coming as a fugitive. Profugus. Gr. 363. A. & S. 204. Lavina Lavinia, which is the reading of many editions; an adj. from Lavinium, a town about three miles from the sea, on the Via Appia, said to have been founded by Aeneas, and named in honor of his wife Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus. Que'= even. The phrase Lavinaque litora is epexegetical (i. e. explanatory and restrictive) of Italiam. Cf. Saturniaque arva, v. 569. — 3. Ille is virtually pleonastic. Cf. v. 457, VI. 593. Grammatically it is in apposition with qui; rhetorically it appears to be here quidem. Jactatus is naturally transferred from wanderings by sea to wanderings by land. In such passages as vv. 332, 668, we see the point of transition. 4. Vi superum expresses the general agency, like fato profugus, though Juno was his only personal enemy. Superum. Gr. 45. 5. 4). A. & S. 53. Memorem ever-mindful, relentless. Ob iram. Cf. unius ob iram, v. 251. -5. Quoque and et are pleonastic, though the former is to be joined with multa, and the latter with bello. Et etiam. Passus; constructed as a participle, like jactatus. Dum conderet while he was endeavoring to found, in the struggle to found. Gr. 522. II. A. & S. 263. 4 (1). The clause belongs to multa bello passus, rather than to jactatus. Urbem; i. e. Lavinium. - 6. Deos = Penates, household gods. Latio. Gr. 379. 5. A. & S. 225. IV. R. 2. Unde may be taken either as qua ex re, or as a quo (sc. Aenea), as in V. 568; VI. 766. The latter seems more probable, the passage multum - Latio being only subsidiary or parenthetic. Genus Latinum, Albani patres, altae moenia Romae, denote the three ascending stages of the empire which sprang from Aeneas: Lavinium, Alba, and Rome. — 7. Albani patres; not our Alban ancestors, but the senate, or rather the noble houses of Alba, of which the Julii were one. Altae. Comp. G. I. 485. — 8-11. Why was it, Muse, that Juno so persecuted so pious a hero?-8. Memora. See on E. VII. 19. Quo numine laeso quomodo laeso ejus numine, how in consequence of an offence against her majesty? For this use of the pronoun quo, see on E. I. 54. Numine. Gr. 414 and 2. A. & S. 247 and I. Laeso. Gr. 580. A. & S. 274, R. 5 (a). The whole passage quo impulerit is epexegetical of caussas. In vv. 19-28 Juno's resentment is referred to two causes: the destined triumph of Rome over Carthage, and the insults to which she had been exposed from the Trojan race. We may conceive, therefore, that quo numine laeso points to the former of these, and quid dolens to the latter. - 9. Quid. Gr. 371. 3. A. & S. 232 (2). Deum. See on superum, v. 4. Volvere. See on volvens, G. II. 295. The misfortunes are regarded as a destined circle which Aeneas goes through. The infin. with im pello is poetical for ut with subj. Cf. II. 55, 520.-10. Insignem pietate. Cf. VI. 403. Gr. 414 and 2. A. & S. 247 and 1. Pietar

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includes the performance of all duties to gods, parents, kinsmen, friends, and country. — 11. Animis. Gr. 387. A. & S. 226. Irae; poetic plural for the singular, often used to give variety or vivacity to the expression, or because the singular does not suit the measure. —12. Antiqua; with reference to Virgil's own age. Fuit. Gr. 471. I. A. & S. 259 (2) (a). Cf. II. 325. Tyrii.... coloni settlers from Tyre. For the parenthetical construction, comp. v. 530. Quam may be supplied.-13. Contra = over against, opposite. Gr. 602. II. A. & S. 279. 10 (a) and (ƒ). Longe may be connected with contra; i. e. far opposite, or made an adverbial adjunct of ostia longe distantia, far away. The latter is a Grecism, but may perhaps be supported by the use of super, III. 489.-14. Opum includes all sources of power. Cf. II. 22. Gr. 89. 4; 399. A. & S. 83. II. 3, Ex.; 213. Studiis-belli = and very eager in the pursuits of war, much given to the stern pursuits of war. Gr. 429. A.& S. 250. 1.-15. Terris. Gr. 417. A. & S. 256. 2. Magis... unam far more; lit. alone more; i. e. alone in respect to the degree in which Juno cherished it. Unus is often used to strengthen the superl., as justissimus unus, II. 426, but seldom as here the compar. — 16. Coluisse; i. e, as dweller in the temple. Cf. v. 447. The gods were supposed to dwell particularly in those places which they took under their especial protection: hence coluisse to have cherished. Samo; an island in the Aegaean sea, separated from the coast of Ionia by a narrow strait, scarcely a mile in width, where Juno had a temple of great beauty. Observe the non-elision of the ō. Gr. 669. I. and 2. A. & S. 305. I and (2). Arma. Cf. II. 644. -17. Hoc. Gr. 445. 4. A. & S. 206 (8). Regnum ... gentibus = the capital of the nations; i. e. instead of Rome. Gentibus. Gr. 390 and 2. A. & S. 227 and R. 4. 18. Qua (sc. ratione) = in any way. Cf. VI. 882. Fata sinant. Cf. IV. 651; XI. 701. Jam tum; i. e. in that early age, long before it became the actual rival of Rome. See on G. II. 405. Tenditque fovetque=both strives and fondly cherishes the purpose. Tendit determines the construction, the infin. being the object of both verbs. Tendo is often followed by an infin., the subject being the same as the nominative to the verb, as in II. 220 and Hor. E. I. 10. 20. Foveo, on the other hand, takes an accusative. These two constructions are here united, the sentence hoc esse standing in the relation of an ordinary infin. to tendit, and of an accusative to fovet.-19. Sed enim = however, nevertheless. This expression, like the Greek aλλà yáp, is elliptical, something like the following, to which the enim refers, being necessary to complete the sense; sed (timebat, ut hoc efficere posset,) audierat enim. Cf. II. 164; V. 395; VI. 28. Duci. The pres. infin. denotes the event as existing in the designs of fate. Gr. 541 and 1. A. & S. 268. 2 and R. 1 (a). — 20.