Phlegethon, the river "blazing with flame," serves as a moat.

is drawn from a torrent of lava.

553. bello, i.e. with the engines of war.

The image

554. ferrea turris, a tower or "keep " of steel, rising high in the midst. 558. stridor. catenae = the clank of iron chains.

561. plangor, doleful sound.

563. sceleratum, as the especial seat of the Furies, no less than as the entrance to the place of torture.

566. Rhadamanthus: another famous Cretan said to have become a judge in the world below. The judge appears as a Roman quaesitor parricidii holding a court for the trial of greater offences, different from that of Minos.

567. castigat, audit, subigit: the famous so-called hysteron-proteron, here, is a fiction of grammarians. Castigo cannot refer to punishment, but must refer to the upbraiding, menacing language of the judge, which was perhaps accompanied with torture (subigitque fateri).— dolos, dark ways, because crime skulks from justice.

quae

568. quis (indef.).— furto, concealment. — inani, bootless. commissa piacula, the committed guilt, which, equivalent to commissa quorum piacula.

569. distulit in seram mortem, has deferred [the expiation of] till death too late, since the expiation must now be in the other world. 570. sontes (§ 227, b; G. 347; H. 386, 3).— accincta flagello, armed with scourge.

571. Tisiphone, the eldest of the Furies who opens the awful doors (sacrae portae).

573. horrisono cardine: compare the celebrated imitation by Milton:

"On a sudden open fly,

With impetuous recoil and jarring sound,
The infernal doors, and on their hinges grate

Harsh thunder." - Paradise Lost, ii. 879-882.

574. custodia, the guard at the entrance is Tisiphone; within is the Hydra, fiercer than she; and still beyond, Tartarus itself, more dreadful than either.

576. hiatibus, the gaping jaws of the several heads.

578. bis patet, compare iv. 445, 446.

579. suspectus ad Olympum, the upward look to Olympus.

580. pubes, the Titans, sons of earth, who warred with the gods.

582. Aloidas, sons of Aloeus, Otus, and Ephialtes, who put Mars in chains (Il. v. 385-387; Bry. 476).

585. Salmonea, king of Elis, brother of Sisyphus, who contemptuously imitated the thunder and lightning of Jupiter. — dantem, see note to ii. 103.

...

586. dum imitatur = imitantem (cf. § 290, c; G. 572, R.), i.e. punished for imitating the thunders of Jupiter (so qui . . . simularet below). 588. per Elidis urbem: Olympia, built in especial honor of Zeus, thus adding to the affront to his majesty.

591. aere, a brazen chariot, as was that of Salmoneus, driven over a bridge, or vessels of "sounding brass." — simularet (§ 320, e; G. 636;

H. 517).

593. non ille faces, etc.: his was no mere imitation of thunder and lightning.

594. turbine, the rush of the thunderbolt.

595. Tityon, another of the giants.

596. cernere erat = one might see, by a common Greek construction. — iugera, the iugerum was about half an acre (240 feet by 120). 597. porrigitur, lies stretched.

598. iecur the liver, as the supposed seat of lust, is fitly the organ attacked; compare the punishment of Prometheus (Fig. 25, p. 41).— fecunda poenis (dat.), fertile for torture.

599. rimatur epulis (dat.), tears at his banquet.

601. Lapithas (hated by Mars), etc., simply examples of men that have incurred the wrath of the gods. There seems no good reason for omitting the line.

603. genialibus toris, banqueting-couches, especially those set for the birthday festival.

604. fulcra, props, or supports (gold-footed frames for couches). 606. manibus, with their hands.

608. hic quibus, here [are they] to whom, etc. —invisi fratres, like Atreus and Thyestes, etc.

609. pulsatus parens: the act of striking a parent is regarded with peculiar horror, as shown by the ancient punishment of parricide. — innexa, contrived. -clienti: the client had a certain sacred claim to the protection of his patronus; see note to Cic. Rosc. Am. § 4; Cat. iv. 23. 610. qui... repertis : those who have found a treasure, and kept it all to their selfish use, — a type of all who are greedy of gain.

611. posuere, have set aside.

612. caesi: though punished on earth, they still do not escape the doom of hell. arma impia, i.e. civil war.

613. dextras, the pledge of the right hand, referring to servile insurrection.

615. poenam (sc. exspectent).- mersit, has overwhelmed.

617. districti, fastened, with their limbs strained apart, - the commonly reported punishment of Ixion. (See Fig. 118.)

618. Theseus, punished for his crime in attempting to carry off Proserpine; Phlegyas, son of Ares, and founder of a robber community, the Phlegyæ. His crime was that he burned the temple of Apollo at Delphi. 621. vendidit, imposuit: these were the special crimes of a period of civil war, such as Rome had just passed through.

622. fixit, refixit: laws were published by being posted up on brazen tablets, and when repealed were taken down again.

625. sint: translate by the contrary-to-fact construction, if I had, etc. The present is used either because the Latin idiom is different from ours, or because this is a relic of an earlier construction in which the present was equivalent to the later imperfect; cf. v. 325, and i. 55 and notes.

630. Cyclopum educta caminis (abl.), i.e. wrought at the forges of the Cyclops. The walls of Pluto were supposed to have been built of iron or steel.

631. adverso fornice (abl. of quality), with arch in front.

632. praecepta, the instructions given by the gods.

635. corpus spargit: the water stands ready for ceremonial purifica

tion, as in the vestibule of a temple. - recenti, fresh.

640. largiora ether, a freer air, i.e. not closed in by the denser clouds and exhalations of the earth. -et, connecting irregularly the two ideas of freedom and brilliancy. — lumine purpureo, brilliant light. 642. gramineis palaestris, wrestling-matches on the grass. (See Fig. 119.)

644. plaudunt choreas, keep time to the dance.

645. Threïcius sacerdos, Orpheus, the mythic father of song and revealer of mysteries. — longa, as a priest.

646. numeris septem (dat.), the seven tones of the scale as played on the lyre. — discrimina vocum, the notes of the voice.

Fig. 119.

།

647. eadem, referring to discrimina, but naturally identified with numeris.

- pectine, so called because inserted among the strings of the harp like the "comb" among the threads of the loom. (See Fig. 65, p. 114.)

648. Teucri, see table, p. 65.

inanes, he gazes from afar upon the phantom arms

and chariots of the heroes.

653. gratia, fondness for. — currum (obj. gen., contracted). 657. choro (abl. of manner).

658. superne volvitur, flows in the world above. The Eridanus (Po) was held to have its rise in the infernal regions. In fact, near its source it flows underground for about two miles.

660. manus... passi (§ 187, d; G. 202, R.'; H. 461), a troop that had suffered wounds in fighting for their country.

663. vitam excoluere, etc., as we should say, adorned or ennobled human life by skilful inventions.—inventas (§ 292, a; G. 324, R.3; H. 549, N.2).

...

=

664. qui. merendo who by their service have left a grateful memory among men, a general phrase for the benefactors of mankind. 665. vitta, i.e. as if victors in the games.

667. Musaeum, the mythical father of poets, who here usurps the place which Homer should have claimed. - nam, introducing the reason why the priestess addressed him particularly; the respect in which he is held indicates a corresponding distinction.

668. humeris (abl. of manner). -suspicit, looks up to.

670. illius (§ 214, g; G. 372; H. 398, 5).

672. atque, and at once.

676. sistam: Museus is to leave them when they have passed the ridge and the way is in sight.

680. ituras: the doctrine of Metempsychosis, here hinted at, is further developed later on.

681. lustrabat recolens, surveyed thoughtfully.—studio, with in

terest.

682. forte, i.e. his thoughts happened to be busy at that moment on this subject.

683. manus, i.e. martial exploits.

685. alacris (§ 84, N.; H. 153, N.2).

691. tempora dinumerans, counting the days. mea cura = fond hope.

my

694. quam metui: and yet Anchises must have known that Æneas went to Africa by divine direction, and that his course to Italy was safe. The verse expresses, however, a father's natural anxiety.

695. tua imago: it would appear from this that the visions of Anchises, seen by Æneas in dreams, were not the visitation of his real presence. 697. stant sale, etc., ride on the Tuscan wave: the ships are still afloat, not hauled up on shore, as at the end of a voyage. — Tyrrheno: though the Tuscan territory lies north of the Tiber, the whole sea west of Italy is called Tyrrhenum, because the Tuscans were the first great naval power in that region.

698. amplexu (probably dative).

702. This line is probably repeated from ii. 794.

704. virgulta sonantia silvis

=

woods with rustling thickets.

705. domos (§ 228, a; H. 386, 3). — praenatat, flows in front. 706. volabant, flitted: the word expresses the noiseless and hurried movement of the spirits. The faint sound they make is compared to the humming of bees in summer.