which it is intended to 'stir up' or 'provoke.' The usual construction is lacessere aliquem, bello, praelio, ictibus, maledictis, and the like. 430. pedum motu] 'in nimbleness of foot.' He dances round his opponent; cf. 442 adsultibus. 431. sed tarda...] 'but his slow knees totter and shake,' lit. 'to him shaking.' genua: dissyllabic, u being made consonantal, cf. 589 n. 433. multa...] 'many a damaging blow the rival champions hurl idly, many they rain on hollow flank and make loud music on the chest.' Some of the blows delivered miss, some hit; the latter are distinguished both by the part struck and the sound produced; they either echo feebly about the hollow ribs, or make a good thud (vastos sonitus) on the solid chest. poetically = ictus; cf. 438 tela. 436. crebra...crepitant] Imitative alliteration. 437. nisu eodem] 'in one firm poise.' vulnera 438. corpore...] 'merely with his body (i.e. by slightly moving or bending it) and watchful eyes evades the thrusts.' For corpore cf. Cic. Cat. 1. 6 tuas petitiones parva declinatione et, ut aiunt, corpore effugi. exit, here transitive in a secondary sense (cf. 2. 542 n.); so too evadere 3. 282; 5. 689; and 11. 750 vim viribus exit. 439. molibus] Conington says "works of offence such as mounds, walls, redoubts.' Surely not. The man who sits down solemnly to besiege a city with earthworks etc. conducts his attack in a manner absolutely unlike the restless Dares. Molibus goes with celsam: the town with its towering bulwarks' is exactly like Entellus mole valens, and the assailant does not formally lay siege to it but '(tries) now one approach, now another, and cunningly roams round every point, plying it with varied attacks,' exactly as Dares does. Sedet in 440 does not imply inactivity but is merely = 'encamps.' The 444. venientem...] 'swiftly the other foresaw the blow shooting sheer downwards.' For a vertice cf. 1. 114 n. repeated w-sound gives the idea of weight or force. Cf. 500. 446. ultro] 'toppling over'; cf. 2. 145 n. The connection with ultra is marked here. 447. ipse] 'himself'; it was Dares he expected to see on the ground. For gravis graviterque cf. 118 n. 448. cava] 'hollow,' i.e. with age. Erymantho for the ending cf. 6. 623 n. 450. studiis] 'eagerly': abl. used adverbially, cf. 2. 323 n. 451. caelo] 'heavenwards.' 453-484. Entellus renews the combat with fury and attacks Dares with a perfect tempest of blows, until Aeneas stops the fight. Dares is led away in piteous plight, while Entellus, to show his strength, kills the bullock he received as a prize with a single blow and then declares his determination never to fight again. 454. vim...] 'rouses his violence with wrath; shame too fires his strength and conscious worth (i.e. the consciousness of worth).' 457. nunc ille] 'now, look you! with his left.' For the pleonastic ille cf. 186 n. 458. quam multa...] 'thick as the hail when storm-clouds rattle on the roofs, so with swift-following strokes ceaselessly with either hand the hero beats and buffets Dares.' The alliteration in culminibus crepitant, the sibilants in densis ictibus heros, the weak caesuras in 460, and the assonance in the two frequentative verbs pulsat versat—all emphasise the idea of a ceaseless storm of blows. versat: lit. 'keeps turning,' i.e. knocking from side to side. 466. non vires alias...] 'seest thou not that strength alters and gods change? Yield to heaven.' Editors needlessly debate whether the strength' was that of Entellus or of Dares, for the words apply equally to both. The strength of one champion was greater and that of the other less, because the gods had deserted the one and gone over to the other. Dares is urged to recognise this fact and give in, as he may do without shame, for he will be yielding not to man but God. 467. dixitque et...] 'he spoke and straightway parted...': the strong conjunctive particles que et mark that the act follows the word instantaneously, cf. 1. 227 n. 468. ast...] From Il. 23. 695 φίλοι δ' ἀμφέσταν ἑταῖροι, οἵ μιν ἄγον δι' ἀγῶνος ἐφελκομένοισι πόδεσσιν Virgil's exaggeration of his model in crassumque...dentes is hardly an improvement. 471. galeamque ensemque] The second prize, cf. 367. vocati duly summoned.' 473. superans animis] 'triumphant in spirit.' 476. et qua...] and from what death ye reclaimed and preserve Dares.' 478. durosque...] and drawing back his right hand balanced the iron glove between its horns towering, then dashed it.... Libravit is not 'swung,' as many render it, but describes the 'balancing' or 'poising' of the hand necessary to ensure a true stroke. Note the position and force of arduus. 481. A well-known instance of sound accommodated to sense. tremens: 'quivering.' 483. hanc tibi...] The deified Eryx demands the sacrifice of some life, and so the bull is sacrificed instead of Dares. The force of meliorem is disputed. Some explain (1) 'better' than that of such a coward as Dares, and so Henry-the usual brutal scoff of the conqueror.' This view they support by 12. 296, where the savage Messa pus cuts down Aulestes at the altar crying, 'haec melior magnis data victima divis.' But in 12. 296 the force of melior is absolutely determined by the context, and there is no reason for interpreting the words of Eryx here by the brutal cry of Messapus. It is much better to explain (2) that the life of a bull is a better offering than that of a man-quae sine piaculi contagione mactata est, Donatus. Cf. Ov. Fast. 6. 162 hanc animam vobis pro meliore damus, where a pig is sacrificed for a child. 485-499. The archery match. A dove tied by a string to a mast is the mark. The four competitors draw lots for the order in which they shall shoot. 486. invitat...] 'he invites any who perchance may wish': for subj. cf. 290 n. 487. ingentique manu] Cf. 241 n. 488. volucrem...] 'a fluttering dove on a rope passed round her,' i.e. passed round her foot. The words traiecto in fune cannot mean 'passed round the mast,' for (1) their position forbids it, (2) the attachment to the mast is mentioned in the next line, and (3) lines 510, 511 clearly show the meaning. 490. deiectamque...]'a brazen helmet received the lot cast into it.' The ancient method of drawing lots was by writing the names on pebbles, which were then cast into an urn or helmet which was shaken (cf. 6. 432) until one lot leapt out (exire, excidere, cf. Il. 3. 325 κλῆρος ὄρουσεν ; 7. 182 ἐκ δ ̓ ἔθορε Kλñpos kuvéŋs; Hor. Od. 2. 3. 26 omnium | versatur urna serius ocius sors exitura, and in Gk. Táλos' a lot' from άw 'to shake'). 492. locus] 'the place,' i.e. the lot which gave him his place. 493. Mnestheus...Mnestheus] Cf. 4. 25 n. 496. Pandare...] Pandarus was incited (cf. iussus) by Athene to shoot at Menelaus and so 'confound the treaty' (cf. 11. 4. 269 ἐπεὶ σύν γ ̓ ὅρκι' ἔχευαν Τρῶες) which had been made between the Greeks and Trojans. See Il. 4. 86 seq. 498. Acestes] i.e. the lot which represented him, cf. 2. 312 n. 500-544. Hippocoon hits the mast, Mnestheus cuts the cord, Eurytion hits the dove. Acestes shoots into the air, and his arrow takes fire, vanishing like a shooting star. Aeneas accepts the startling omen as favourable and bestows the first prize on Acestes. 500. validis...incurvant viribus arcus] Alliteration to express effort. 501. pro se quisque] 'each with all his might'; cf. 12. 552 pro se quisque viri summa nituntur opum vi; II. 1. 272. 505. timuitque...] and the bird fluttered with her wings in fright, while all around echoed with their loud beating.' The exact correspondence of phrase with 215 (plausumque exterrita pinnis dat...ingentem) and the use of plaudentem 516 settle the meaning of ingenti plausu here. Still many render 'with huge cheers,' and refer to the fact that in Homer the man who cuts the string is cheered (Il. 23. 869 ἀτὰρ κελάδησαν ̓Αχαιοί). 507. adducto arcu] 'with bowstring drawn close,' i.e. to his breast. 508. pariterque...]' and directed eye and shaft in harmony'; the phrase describes a true aim. 509. ipsam...nodos] The emphatic position of the words marks the antithesis: 'the bird indeed itself...he could not hit, but he cut the knots'; cf. 1. 184 n. Homer has (Il. 23. 865) ὄρνιθος μὲν ἅμαρτε...αὐτὰρ ὁ μήρινθον βάλε. 512. Notos atque.....in nubila] 'to the south and the clouds.' For the position of the preposition cf. 2. 654; 6. 416, 692; 8. 143 non legatos nec...per artem. 514. fratrem...] He appeals to Pandarus as a sort of deified hero who guarded archers, just as Entellus (483) appealed to Eryx. 516. nigra] An artist's touch: the bird shows clear on the background of 'black' cloud. 517. vitamque...] and left its life among the stars of ether." The ether, or fine fiery substance which surrounds the universe, was considered to be the source of life in all bodies celestial (cf. 1. 608 n.) as well as terrestrial (see note on 6. 724-751). At death this ethereal substance quits the body and reseeks its native place; G. 4. 219-227. Here there is an artistic contrast between the life which remains in heaven and the body which falls back to earth. For a noble use of a like contrast cf. Eccl. xii. 7. 521. ostentans...] "displaying his veteran skill,” Papillon. For pater added thus cf. 1. 412 n. pater arcumque: Virgil occasionally thus lengthens the final syllables of nouns in arsis, cf. 2. 369 pavōr et; 6. 768 Numitor et; 2. 563 domus et; 3. 112 nemus hinc; 5. 337 Euryalūs et; 4. 64 pectoribus inhians; 1. 478 n. pulvis. Probably he regarded these peculiar scansions as antiquarian ornaments (Nettleship, see his Appendix to Con. vol. 3). For similar lengthening of verbal endings see 1. 651 n. ; 667 n. 6 522. magnoque...] and destined to be a portent of great presage; long afterwards the mighty event (or 'issue') proved it, when (lit. 'and') awful seers proclaimed the late fulfilment of the omen.' The arrow taking fire was a portent presaging some great event which should occur long after (cf. Il. 2. 324 répas ...Öμov ÖITÉλeσTOV), and accordingly long after some great event was explained by the seers or diviners to be a fulfilment of this portent. That the portent, though startling, was a good one is shown by the conduct of Aeneas (and cf. laetum 531). Thus much is plain, but Virgil deliberately leaves the event which was the fulfilment of the portent a mystery. Commentators therefore vex their souls idly to explain what that event was. It cannot be the burning of the ships described 659 seq. because of sera 524; the ascent of Aeneas to heaven or the apotheosis of Julius Caesar (cf. the Iulium sidus) are good guesses, though some say that it must be something which happened to Acestes or the Sicilians. 526. signavitque...] and marked its path (cf. 2. 697) with flame, and vanished thinly wasting into air (cf. 4. 705).' 527. refixa] The stars are often spoken of as 'studding' the firmament (4. 482), and shooting stars (volantia sidera) are stars which have got 'unfastened,” ‘unloosed.' crinem: cf. stella crinita = ἀστὴρ κομήτης. 529. attonitis...] 'stood motionless in amazement of soul.' Their amazement expresses itself in their motionless attitude. 530. nec...omen abnuit] 'nor does he reject (i.e. he warmly welcomes) the omen.' An ominous word or event was, if bad, immediately deprecated, or, if good, welcomed, so as to avoid the evil and make sure of the good. Hence in Gk. commonly ἐδεξάμην τὸν ὄρνιν, τὸ ῥηθέν, and the opposite ἀπέπτυσα. 534. exsortem...] 'receive (cf. 385) a special distinction.' Cf. 8. 552 ducunt exsortem (equum) Aeneae, and in Gk. com |