: Aut Idâ in magnâ, radicibus eruta pinus. 461. Pater Æneas naud passus est iras 450 455 460 Tum pater Æneas, procedere longiùs iras, 465 Cede Deo. Dixitque, et prælia voce diremit. 468. Ast fidi æquales Ast illum fidi æquales, genua ægra trahentem, ducunt illum ad naves, Jactantemque utroque caput, crassumque cruorem trahentemque ægra ge- Ore ejectantem mixtosque in sanguine dentes, nua Ducunt ad naves: galeamque ensemque vocati Et mihi quæ fuerint juvenili in corpore vires, servetis ros cæstus inter media 480. Arduusque, dex- Qui donum adstabat pugnæ: durosque reductá tra reducta, libravit du- Libravit dextrâ media inter cornua cæstus cornua, illisitque eos in Arduus, effractoque illisit in ossa cerebro. ossa, cerebro effracto, Sternitur, exanimisque tremens procumbit humi, bos. NOTES. mous wood and mountain in Arcadia, where 453. At heros non tardatus: but the hero 459. Sic: in the sense of tam, correspond ung with quam in the preceding line. Nim bi: storms. 463. Eripuit fessum Dareta: he rescued weary Dares. Virgil follows Homer throughout these games, but has varied from him in the issue of the combat, with judgment, and with an improvement of the moral. He gives his readers the pleasure of seeing an arrogant boaster humbled by an infirm old man, roused by his courage to engage in an unequal contest. Whereas in Homer, the younger and the stronger vanquishes the more feeble, which contributes nothing to the surprise or pleasure of the reader. 470 475 480 466. Non sentis alias vires: do you not perceive other strength, and the gods to be changed? Alias vires: other or foreign strength-that which you did not expect to be exerted against you, and therefore it is in vain to contend. Cede Deo. By the god here mentioned we are to understand the one by whom Entellus was aided; perhaps Eryx, whom the Sicilians had deified. 470. Ejectantem: some copies have rejectantem. Pierius prefers this. Heyne reads ejectantem; so also Heinsius and Davidson. 473. Superans: in the sense of lætans. 476. Revocatum: rescued-freed-delivered. 478. Donum: in the sense of premium. 481. Sternitur: the ox falls, and trembling, &c. This verse Servius thinks a very bad one, because it ends with a monosyllable. Mr. Davidson thinks it is to be admired for that very reason. This abrupt ending of the verse, says he, is like a rub in a person's 482. Super bove Ille super tales effudit pectore voces : Protinus Æneas celeri certare sagitta x Invitat, qui fortè velint, et præmia ponit: NOTES. way; it forces him to stop and dwell upon the object with attention. 483. Meliorem: either, because brute victims were more acceptable to the gods than human victims; or it alludes to the second victims, which, when the first escaped, were substituted in their room, and were called meliores, better. Animam: in the sense of victimam. 484. Repono, &c. This is an allusion to the gladiators in after times, who, when their age exempted them from practising the art, hung up the arms of their profession on the doorposts of the temple of Hercules. Persolro in the sense of immolo. 487. Ingentique manu: Æneas may not do it with his own hand; for men are often said to do what they order to be done by others. Heyne says, magna multitudine. 488. In fune trajecto: by a rope put through tine mast; trajecto per malum. Volucrem: fluttering. Ferrum: for sagittam. 491. Ærea galea accepit, &c. In war, and among soldiers, a helmet supplied the place of an urn to receive the lots. 492. Hippocoöntis. Hippocoon, the son of Hyrtacus. Homer says he was cousin to Rhesus, who was slain by Ulysses and Diomede in the first night after his arrival on the Trojan shore. See Æn. i. 469. Locus: in the sense of sors. 455 490 488. Et suspendit at alto malo volucrom columbam 492. Locus Hippocoöntis Hyrtacidæ exit pri mus ante omnes 495. Eurytion est ter 495 tius, tuus 500 505 501. Tum vırı, quisque pro se, incurvant flexos arcus 506. Omnia loca 496. Pandare. Pandarus was the son of Lycaon. Homer makes him to have broken the truce (confundere fœdus) between the Greeks and Trojans, when they had agreed to put the decision of the war upon the issue of a single combat between Paris and Menelaus. Paris was rescued by Venus, when he was nearly overcome. Juno, unwilling that the disaster of Troy should so soon be terminated, urged Jupiter to bring about a violation of the truce. He employed Minerva as his agent in the business. By her persuasion, Pandarus shot an arrow among the Greeks at Menelaus, which rekindled the war. The epithet clarissime, is given to him as being a distinguished archer. Homer equals him to Apollo. He was at last killed by Diomede. 498. Acestes subsedit. Acestes remained the last in the bottom of the helmet: that is, the lot of Acestes. 501. Tela: in the sense of sagitta. 502. Sagitta juvenis Hyrtacida: the arrow of the youth Hippocoon first, &c. Stridente nervo: from the whizzing string. 503. Volucres auras: the light air. 504. Arbore mali: in the wood of the mast. 505. Timuit: fluttered with her wingsexpressed signs of fear. 30* 506. Ingenti plausu: with loud shouts, or acclamations of the spectators. Tela tenens, fratrem Eurytion in vota vocavit: 515 515. Jam speculatus Jam vacuo lætam cœlo speculatus, et alis columbam lætam in va- Plaudentem nigra figit sub nube columbam cuo cœlo, et plauden- Decidit exanimis, vitamque reliquit in astris Seraque terrifici cecinerunt omina vates. 527. Ceu sæpe sidera Consumpta in ventos: cœlo ceu sæpe refixa Transcurrunt, crinemque volantia sidera ducunt. NOTES. 510. Nodos et linea vincula rupit: he cut the knots, and the hempen cords, with which, being tied by the foot, &c. Mr. Pope, in comparing the games of Homer and Virgil, owns that Virgil has outdone his master by the addition of two circumstances that make a beautiful gradation. In Homer, the first archer cuts the string that held the bird, and the other shoots him as he is mounting. In Virgil, the first only hits the mark, the second cuts the string, the third shoots him, and the fourth, to show the strength of his arm, directs his arrow up to heaven, where it kindles into a flame, and makes a pro digy. 512. Fugit in notos: Notus is properly the south wind. Sometimes it is put for any wind. Here it seems to be used for the air simply; wind being only air put in motion. In nubes ac cælum evolavit, says Heyne. 513. Tum rapidus Eurytion: then intrepid Eurytion, a long time holding the arrow extended on his ready bow, &c. Servius says that Pandarus was worshipped as a hero among the Lycians. This explains the conduct of Eurytion in invoking him, in this critical moment, to direct his arrow. 520. Contorsit: the reading of Heyne is contendit. 523. Monstrum: here a prodigy, and about to be of great import, is suddenly presented to our eyes. Monstrum signifies any thing that is, or happens, contrary to 520 525 5.30 the ordinary course of events. It is from monstro; because prodigies were thought to be sent from heaven to signify some remarkable future event. This one presaged the burning of the fleet of Eneas. Subito. This is the common reading. Heyne, after Heinsius, reads subitum. 524. Cecinerunt: they interpreted the omens late. Servius explains sera by gravia, others by futura, and Cerdanus by tarda. The common aceptation of the word is the easiest, implying that the soothsayers could make nothing of the omen, till the event took place; and then, when it was too late to avert it, and the ships on fire, they agreed that this must have been the thing signified by the prodigy. 528. Crinem: a train of light. 529. Hæsêre attonitis: they stood with astonished minds. Ruœus says: steterunt stupefacti animo. 531. Æneas abnuit: nor did great Æneas reject the omen; but embracing joyful Acestes, &c. He accepted it, considering it to be propitious or favorable to him. He was probably led to this from its resemblance to that which shone from the head of Ascanius, his son. See Æn. ii. 680. It appears from this that the soothsayers had not yet interpreted the omen; otherwise Æneas would not have received it with joy. | 533. Sume hac, O pa ter 535 Sume, pater; nam te voluit rex magnus Olympi 536. Quem Thracius Cisseus olim dederat Anchise genitori ferre in magno munere, quasi monumentum et pignus 544. Ille ingreditur 545 extremus, qui fixit 545. At pater Æneas. certamine nondum misso, vocat Epytiden ad sese Et primum ante omnes victorem appellat Acesten. 540 sui amoris. NOTES. 534. Exsortem: compounded of ex and sors. An allusion is here had to a custom anong the Greeks, who used, before the booty was divided among the soldiers, to give those who had distinguished themselves, some of the choicest articles, not by lot, but as they judged meet and right. By exsortem honorem, we are, therefore, to understand the first or choicest honor. Davidson renders it, an honor out of course. Heyne reads, exsortem honores, referring the exsortem to the pron. te. Valpy reads the same. Ruæus says, extraordinarium honorem. The common reading is exsortem honorem. Talibus auspiciis: by such signs, tokens, or omens. 536. Signis: in the sense of figuris. 537. Cisseus. He was king of Thrace, and the father of Hecuba, the first wife of Priam. 541. Prælato. Heyne takes this in the sense of prærepto. He does not envy the honor taken from him, and given to Acestes. But prælato may retain its usual signification, if we give the passage this gloss: he does not envy the honor to Acestes preferred before him. This is the sense of Markland. 543. Ingreditur: he enters next for the prizes, who, &c. Both ingreditur, and ince 548. Vade, age, ait. 550 et dic Ascanio, si jam habet puerile agmen paratum secum, instruxit que cursus equorum, ut ducat turmas avo, et 555 556. Coma pressa est omnibus tonsâ coronâ in morem. 558. Pars fert leves pharetras humero. dit are military terms, and imply stateliness, and an air of dignity and pride. 546. Custodem: either the guardian of his education, or his tutor in the military art. 547. Epytiden: a patronymic noun; the son of Epytus, the herald of Anchises. His name was Periphas, or Periphantes. 549. Agmen: troop-battalion. Instruxhath arranged the movements, it cursus : 551. Circo: ring-course. Infusum: in the sense of diffusum, vel sparsum. 553. Pueri incedunt: the boys march forward, and shine equally, &c. This game, commonly known by the name of lusus Troja, is wholly of the poet's invention. He had no hint of it from Homer. He substituted this in the room of three in Homer. (viz.) the wrestling, the single combat, and the discus; and it is worth them all. Virgil added this game to please Augustus, who, at that time, renewed the same. 554. Fremit: in the sense of plaudit, vel Tres equitum numero turmæ, ternique vagantur Ductores: pueri bis seni quemque secuti, Agmine partito fulgent, paribusque magistris. 563. Es: una acies ju- Una acies juvenum, ducit quam parvus ovantem venum, quam ovantem Nomen avi referens Priamus, tua clara, Polite, parvus Priamus Progenies, auctura Italos: quem Thracius albis 566. Vestigia primi Portat equus bicolor maculis: vestigia primi pedis sunt Alba pedis, frontemque cstentans arduus albam. 568. Alter dux est Alter Atys, genus unde Attî duxere Latini; Parvus Atys, pueroque puer dilectus lülo. Atys. 570. Extremus dux Extremus, formâque ante omnes pulcher, Iūlus est Iülus, pulcher ante Sidonio est invectus equo; quem candida Dido omnes forma, invectus Esse sui dederat monumentum et pignus amoris. Sidonio equo 560 565 570 Cætera Trinacriis pubes senioris Acestæ 582. Infesta tela in se Convertêre vias, infestaque tela tulere. invicem. NOTES. It goes over the neck, down to the upper part of the breast. 560. Vagantur: march along. Oberrant, says Ruœus. 562. Magistris: in the sense of ducibus. 564. Polite. Polites was the son of Priam, and slain by Pyrrhus in the presence of his father. See Æn. ii. 526. He is said, however, to have accompanied Æneas into Italy, and to have founded the city Politorium, which was afterward destroyed by Ancus, a king of the Romans. Virgil seems to attribute the building of the city to his son here mentioned. Auctura Italos: either to increase the Italians by founding a city, or by conferring honor and dignity upon them. 566. Vestigia: the fetlocks of his fore feet. Cerdanus explains this of his right foot alone. But vestigia is here evidently used out of its ordinary sense. 568. Unde genus: whence the Latin Atti, &c. Virgil mentions this in compliment to his prince, whose mother's name was Attia. Attius Balbus married Julia, the sister of Julius Cæsar, and had by her a daughter, who married Octavius, the father of Augustus. The poet signalizes Iülus, and Atys, the founders of his prince's family, both on his father's and mother's side: and by making so close a friendship to subsist between the two, he alludes to the affinity between the Julian and Attian families, now united in the person of Augustus. Some say, however, that he was the son of Julia, the sister of Cesar, and his lawful heir. 576. Dardanidæ excipiunt: the Trojans with applause receive them, anxious and solicitous for praise and victory; and, be holding them, they rejoice, and know the features of their aged parents. They trace the resemblance between the children and parents, and know the former by the latter. For pavidos, Ruœus says, solicitos de gloria. 577. Postquam læti: after they joyous went round the whole assembly, and the eyes of their parents, &c. The oculos suorum, if duly considered, will appear very beautiful and emphatic. They made the circuit of the spectators', and their parents' eyes; as much as to say, their parents were all eyes, and all attention to their motions and whole deportment. 580. Pares. This may imply that they moved or marched abreast-head and head: in the sense of pariter. Or it may mean that they marched in a double file, that is, two abreast. This is the sense given to pares, by Davidson. Terni: some copies have ternis, which makes the sense easier. The meaning of the passage is: after they had marched round the company in order to be reviewed, upon a signal given, they (the three leaders, terni) divided (solvère) the (solvere) troops into three separate companies, (di. ductis choris) and marched over the plain each company performing its exercises on different grounds. 581. Choris: in the sense of turmis. 583. Cursus: a going forward-advance. Recursus: a retreat-a going backward. |