Parva manet. Casus factum quicunque sequetur, 308. Quos euntes om- Protinùs armati incedunt; quos omnis euntes 300 305 310 Ante annos animumque gerens curamque virilem, Egressi superant fossas, noctisque per umbram 320. Aliquid auden- Hâc iter est: tu, ne qua manus se attollere nobis dum est dextrâ A tergo possit, custodi, et consule longè. 315 320 323. Ego dabo hæc Sic memorat, vocemque premit: simul ense superbum loca vasta, et Rhamnetem aggreditur; qui, fortè tapetibus altis 329. Juxta eum pre- Tres juxtà famulos temerè inter tela jacentes, mit tres famulos jacen- Armigerumque Remi premit, aurigamque sub ipsis Nactus equis; ferroque secat pendentia colla. tes NOTES. the bringing forth such a son-bearing such a son. Rumus says: nec levis favor debetur ipsi, quòd peperit talem filium. 300. Juro per hoc caput, &c. The head was considered by the ancients as something sacred, and they were wont to swear by it. Ascanius, therefore, swears by his head which Æneas had done on several occasions before. 301. Rebusque secundis: and the enter prise being successful; namely, his journey to Eneas. 302. Generi: Rumus says, familia. 303. Illachrymans: weeping abundantly. Of in, intensivum, and lachrymans. 304. Lycaon. He was a famous artificer of Gnossus, a city of Crete, where arms were curiously made. Arte: art-skill. 305. Aptârat habilem : had fitted it exact with, &c. J. Horrentis: rough-shaggy. 309. Primorum: gen. of primores: nobles--chief men, 325 331 311. Ante annos: above his years-more than could be expected considering his age. 313. Sed aura: but the winds disperse them all, and give them unavailing to the clouds. This is a beautiful metaphor. By this the poet intimates they were to die before they reached Æneas, and be lost entirely. Discerpunt: in the sense of dissipant. 315. Anie: not before they reached the camp of the enemy, but before they were slain themselves. Futuri: to be for a destruction to many, before they were slain. 317. Currus arrectos: their chariots turned up, as when laid aside from use. Their poles or tongues were standing erect. 318. Vina: wine; by meton. for the vessels containing it. 322. Tu custodi, et: watch thou, and observe at a distance, that no hand, &c. Hac vasta: arva vel loca is understood: those fields laid waste. 328. Pestem: in the sense of mortem. 330. Premit: he kills three servants, &c. Tum caput ipsi aufert domino, truncumque relinquit que 335 340 315 Et juvenem Serranum; illâ qui plurima nocte : NOTES. *L 350 334. Nec non occidit Lamyrumque 336. Jacebatque victus quoad membra 343. Ac subit multam plebem sinè nomine in medio, Fadumque 345. Ignaros periculi 347. Cui assurgenti condidit totum ensem cominùs 353. Enim sensit se et socium ferri nimiâ cæde, 355 atque cupidine Temerè : carelessly—at random. Promis- the sword red, or bathed in blood, having cuè, says Ruæus. 332. Domino: their master Remus. 333. Singultantem, &c. Dr. Trapp renders this, weltering in blood; but this is not the meaning of singulto, which denotes the sound that a liquid makes when poured out of a bottle, or some vessel of a narrow neck. 335. Plurima: neu. plu. taken as an adv. in imitation of the Greeks: very much. 337. Deo multo: by much wine. See En. i. 636. By Deo, we are to understand Bacchus, the god of wine, put by meton. for wine itself. Felix si protinus: happy if he had, without intermission, equalled that sport with the night—if he had continued it all the night. 338. Tulisset: in the sense of produxisset. 339. Per ovilia turbans: Dr. Trapp thinks with Servius, that this is for perlurbans, by tmesis. Ceu as a hungry lion raging among a full fold of sheep, &c. Rumus says, tumultuans in plenis ovilibus. 340. Vesana: in the sense of immoderata vel vehemens. Trahit: in the sense of lacerat. Sundet: in the sense of impellit. 344. Subit: he comes to-he assaultsattacks. Rumus says, aggreditur. Multam lebem a promiscuous throng-a great number. 348. Recepit purpureum: he drew back effected a mortal wound. Heyne says, retraxit ensem purpureum cum multo sanguine. This also is the sense of Ruæus: he says, retraxit eum (ensem) post certam mortem. Dr. Trapp renders recipit: he receives him (Rhœtus) with certain death. Rhœtus was rising up toward Euryalus, and as it were meeting him half-way. He buried the sword in his breast, and received him with certain death, meaning the full and fair stroke which he had at his breast. This he insists upon as the true interpretation. Davidson renders the words: "he receives him with copious death." Heyne reads purpureum connected with ensem. The common reading is purpuream, agreeing with animam: but of that it is not easy to make sense. Valpy, Ruæus, and Davidson, read purpuream. : 350. Furto in the sense of cædi vel stragı: any thing done in a private or secret manner, may be called furtum. 352. Religatos: in the sense of soiutos. 354. Nimiâ cæde alque cupidine: the same as nimia cupidine cœdis: with too great a desire of slaughter. 356. Satis pœnarum: enough of vengeance or punishment has been taken. Exhaustum in the sense of sumptum. 357. Perfecta: in the sense of urnata vel facta. Armaque, craterasque simul, pulchrosque tapetas. 359. Euryalus rapit Euryalus phaleras Rhamnetis, et aurea bullis phaleras m $5 Cingula Tiburti Remulo ditissimus olim 361. Quæ dona ditis- Quæ mittit dona, hospitio cùm jungeret absens, simus Cædicus mittit Cædicus: ille suo moriens dat habere nepoti: olim Tiburti Remulo, cum absens jungeret se Post mortem bello Rutuli pugnâque potiti : illi Hæc rapit, atque humeris nequicquam fortibus aptat. Tum galeam Messapi habilem cristisque decoram Induit. Excedunt castris, et tuta capessunt. 367. Intereà tercentum equites omnes scu Intereà præmissi equites ex urbe Latinâ, Cætera dum legio campis instructa moratur, tati, Volscente magistro, Ibant, et Turno regi responsa ferebant, ibant, et ferebant re- Tercentum, scutati omnes, Volscente magistro. sponsa regi Turno, præ dum missi ex Latinâ urbe, Jamque propinquabant castris, muroque subibant; Luna refulsit 3C0 365 370 376 Haud temerè est visum: conclamat ab agmine Volscens, State, viri: quæ causa viæ ? quive estis in armis ? 377. Illi voluerunt ten- Quòve tenetis iter? Nihil illi tendere contrà; dere nihil contrà; sed Sed celerare fugam in sylvas, et fidere nocti. coperunt Objiciunt equites sese ad divortia nota Hinc atque hinc, omnemque aditum custode coronant. 383. Rara semita du- Horrida, quam densi complêrant undique sentes: NOTES. 359. Phaleras. These were certain ornaments worn by persons of distinction among the Romans. Dr. Trapp and some others, explain this of the ornaments of Rhamnes' horse. But they, doubtless, belonged to his own person for Euryalus put them on. Bullis: the bulla were studs or bosses upon girdles, something like the head of a nail, and usually of gold. Cingula aurea bullis: a girdle or belt with golden bosses. 363. Post t mortem: after the death of Remulus, &c. This is one of the thirteen passages of Virgil, which Servius considers inexplicable. The common editions have pugnâque; but the Roman manuscript has pradaque. The meaning appears to be this: that in a war between the Tiburtines and the Rutulians, in which the grandson of Remulus, who commanded the former, was slain, the Rutulians took from him those spoils, with the rest of the booty. Davidson reads præda. Heyne and Ruseus read pugna. Potiti: gained the battle-the victory; and consequently the booty fell into their hands. The verb sunt is understood. 364. Aptat nequicquam: he fits them to his shoulders in vain-in vain, because he was so soon to be slain, and lose them. 366. Capessunt: in the sense of petunt. Loca is understood with tuta. 368. Catera legio. These were the foot. A Roman legion consisted of four thousand 381 foot, and three hundred horse. These troops were furnished by Latinus, or rather Amata, his queen. The horse, as being light troops and more expeditious in their moveinents, advanced, and arrived in the camp, while the infantry were on the plain advancing more slowly. 372. Lævo limite: the left-hand way, or path. See 238. supra. 373. Galea: this was the helmet of Messapus, which he had put on. Immemorem: heedless-unmindful of the danger he incurred by so doing. 374. Adversa: opposite to. That part of the helmet struck by the rays of light, reflected them to a distant object-it shone. 375. Haud temerè visum est. Ruæus takes these words in the sense of non falsò visum est nobis, referring them to Volscens. Heyne says, res animadversa est haud in vanum— res non neglecta est. He makes a full stop after visum. Davidson renders the words: "Scarcely was the object seen, when Volscens," &c. "This passed not unobserved," says Valpy. 377. Tendere: in the sense of respondere. 379. Divortia: passes-passages. 380. Coronant: in the sense of circumdant, vel obsident. Heyne reads abitum. The common reading is aditum. 383. Rara: few-dispersed here and there, Occultos calles: secret or private ways. Euryalum tenebræ ramorum onerosaque præda Quàve sequar? Rursùs perplexum iter omne revolvens Observata legit, dumisque silentibus errat : Audit equos, audit strepitus, et signa sequentûm. 400 Nec longum in medio tempus, cùm clamor ad aures 395 : Conjicit. Hasta volans noctis diverberat umbras, NOTES. 384. Onerosa: in the sense of gravis. 386. Imprudens: regardless of his friend -not aware of his being behind. 387. Lacus. This is the reading of Heyne and Davidson. But Ruæus reads locos, and thinks it to be the true reading. For, says he, the lake Albanus was at least four leagues distant. Beside, it was about the middle of the night, when Nisus and his friend left the Trojan camp. He could not have had time to do so much, to go that distance, and return in search of his friend: and all this in the space of half a summer's night. For 391. Revolvens: in the sense of remetiens. 393. Legit vestigia; he follows, or traces nis steps, &c. 397. Fraude loci et noctis: through the treachery of the place, and of the night. The poet represents the place and night as two traitors, to whom Euryalus had committed his safety, and they betrayed him. Subito tumultu turbante: in a sudden tumultuous bustle-there being a sudden, &c. 395. Nec longum tempus intervenit in medio 404. Tu, O Latonia 405 Dea, tu præsens succurre nostro labori, tu decus 410 408. Suspendi-ve aliqua dona tholo 398. Oppressum: in the sense of inter ceptum, vel traditum. 400. Eripere: rescue-free. is Luna in heaven, and Hecate in hell. She 404. Succurre: in the sense of fave. 407. Si qua: dona is to be supplied. Auxi: have increased-added any offering. to those made by my father. 408. Tholo: tholus was the middle, and highest part of the arched roof of the temple, from which the spoils of war used to be suspended. 409. Hunc globum: this company of men. 412. Adversi. Adversus signifies right against, or opposite, without regarding whether the face or back be turned to the ǝbject. This passage, Servius reckons among his thirteen inexplicables. The meaning is plainly this: the spear entered his back and reached to his breast, which it might very well do, though it were broken (frangitur) from the wood. Adversi. This is the common reading. Heyne reads aversi. Ruæus says, oppositi. Frangitur, ac fisso transit præcordia ligno. 416. Ecce idem acrior Diversi circumspiciunt. Hoc acrior idem hoc successu 415 Ecce aliud summâ telum librabat ab aure; 420 425 427. Me, me occidite: Me, me; adsum, qui feci; in me convertite ferrum, adsum qui feci id: O O Rutuli! mea fraus omnis. Nihil iste, nec ausus; Rutuli, convertite fer- Nec potuit; cœlum hoc, et conscia sidera testor : Tantùm infelicem nimiùm dilexit amicum. rum in me: omnis fraus 430 435 Volscentem petit: in solo Volscente moratur ; Quem circùm glomerati hostes hinc cominùs atque hinc 441 Condidit adverso, et moriens animam abstulit hosti. 445 NOTES. 413. Fisso ligno. Fissus here must be taken in the sense of fractus; unless we suppose the wood might be broken, and split and shattered withal; and this split and shattered part to pass through his præcordia. This appears to be the opinion of Dr. Trapp. 414. Volvitur: in the sense of cadit. Flumen: for sanguinem. 416. Diversi: they look about them in different direc'.ons. Idem: namely, Nisus. 418. Tago: to Tagus. The dat. is frequently used in the sense of the gen., especially among the poets. The spear pierced both his temples. 419. Tepefacta: warmed by its rapid motion through the air. 421. Auctorem: the owner of the weapon -the one who threw it. 424. Ibat: in the sense of irruebat. 427. Me, me, &c. This abrupt exclamation admirably marks the perturbation and disorder of his mind. He calls them Rutu The lians, although they were Latins. 432. Rumpit: pierces-lays open. 437. Languescit: withers. This is a most beautiful comparison. 439. Moratur. Rumus says, defigit oculos in, &c. "Persists in his attack upon Volscens," says Valpy. 440. Circum quem, &c. The enemy gathered around Nisus to keep him off, and prevent him from doing any mischief to them, wishing to take him a prisoner, rather than kill him. 441. Segniùs. Heyne reads seciùs. The common reading is segniùs. 442. Fulmineum. This is very expressive. It denotes the rapid motion of the sword, and the force with which it was driven, as well as its glittering. Rotat: brandishes. |