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1£ontron 

HENRY     FROWDE 


OXFORD     UNIVERSITY     PRESS     WAREHOUSE 
7    PATERNOSTER   ROW 


LL.C      •  ^''^^^' 

Clarenlion  presisJ  ^tvit^ 


DtPAttllVltiMiAL  UBRAKY. 


SELECTIONS    FROM    THE    LESS    KNOWN 


LATIN     POETS 


BY 

NORTH    PINDER,    M.  A. 

FORMERLY      FELLOW      OF      TRINITY      COLLEGE,      OXFORD 


O^ 


b  I   / 


(Bvtov^ 

AT     THE     CLARENDON     PRESS 
M.DCCC.LXIX 

[All  Rights  reserved^ 


P  R  E  F  A  C  E. 

THESE  Selections  have  been  compiled  with  the  object 
of  famiHarizing  younger  students  with  some  of  the  best 
portions  of  those  Latin  Poets  whose  entire  works  are 
in  most  cases  not  Hkely,  in  a  few  are  not  worthy,  to  be 
read  by  ordinary  scholars.  It  can  hardly  be  thought 
desirable  that  even  a  school-boy's  knowledge  of  Roman 
poetry  should  be  confined  to  that  of  a  single  period,  the 
Augustan,  still  less  to  the  study  of  only  two  authors  of 
that  period,  although  they  be  as  eminent  as  Virgil  and 
Horace.  For  any  appreciation  of  the  Golden  Age  itself 
some  acquaintance  with  the  Elegiac  and  earHer  Lyric 
schools,  as  represented  by  CatuHus  and  TibuHus,  Pro- 
pertius  and  Ovid,  is  scarcely  less  indispensable  than 
famiharity  with  the  Epic  and  Didactic  poetry  of  Virgil, 
or  with  the  Odes,  Satires,  and  Epistles  of  Horace ;  while 
in  order  to  form  any  inteHigent  comparison  between  the 
purer  ages  of  the  Roman  muse,  and  those  of  its  cor- 
ruption  and  decHne,  the  poets  of  the  Neronian,  Flavian, 
and  later  periods  of  the  Empire  ought  fairly  to  have 
received  their  share  of  consideration  and  study.  If 
moreover,  as  De  Quincey  has  observed,  the  poets  of  the 
Silver  Age  be  in  some  sense  more  thoroughly  Roman 
than  those  of  the  Augustan,  the  works  of  such  writers 
as  Lucan,  Statius,  and  Martial,  viewed  simply  as  repre- 
sentative  of  the  national  genius  and  iHustrative  of  the 
history,   society,   poHtics,  and    manners    of  the  Empire, 

b 


vi  P  R  E  F  A  C  E. 

would,  even  on  the  supposition  that  they  possessed  less 

of  poetic  beauty  and  interest  than  they  do,  be  entitled 

to  the  attention  of  all  classical  students.      It  is  true  that 

Selections,  however  carefully  made,  must  needs  give  a 

very  inadequate  idea  of  writers  so  voluminous  as  some 

of  those  who  are  represented  by  these  Extracts ;  but  it 

is  hoped  that  the  various  specimens,  chosen  as  they  have 

been  after  much  study  and  deHberation,  will  be  found 

sufhciently  long   and    entire    in   themselves,   sufficiently 

characteristic  also  of  the  genius  of  their  several  authors, 

to  leave  on  the  reader's  mind  a  fairly  accurate  and  clear, 

if  necessarily  an   inadequate,  conception  of  each   poet's 

subject,   style,   diction,   rhythm,   and   other  pecuHarities. 

Various  reasons,  independent  of  the  exigencies  of  space, 

have  led  to  the  omission  of  certain  writers,  who  might 

naturally,  it  may  be  thought,  have  found  a  place  in  an 

Anthology  of  this  character.     Selections  from  the  early 

Dramatists  have  been  excluded,  because  it  was  felt  that 

their  Plays,  unHke  the  versified  declamations  of  Seneca's 

Tragedies,  if  they  are  to  be  read  with  profit,  ought  to 

be  read  entire.     The  Remains  of  Naevius  and  Ennius, 

besides  possessing  an  antiquarian  and  philological  rather 

than  a  purely  Hterary  interest,  appeared  too  fragmentary 

for   insertion   in  a  book  purposing  to   supply  passages 

sufficiently  long  for  systematic  exercise    in  translation. 

From  Lucretius,  an  author  pecuHarly  adapted  for  Ex- 

tracts,  annotated  specimens  had  already  been  completed, 

when  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Munro's  exhaustive  edition 

seemed    not   only    to   dispense   with    the   need   of   any 

additional  commentary,  but  also  to  afford  promise  that 

the  great  author  of  the  De  Rerum  Natura  would  shortly 

cease  altoeether  to  be  ranked  amono-  the  less  known 

Latin   Poets.      Such  characteristic   specimens,   again,  of 


PREFACE.  vii 

Roman  literature  as  the  Satires  of  Juvenal  and  Persius 
were  deemed  too  valuable  throughout,  as  well  as  too 
familiar,  to  suggest  their  being  read  in  extracts.  On 
the  other  hand,  samples  of  such  dull  didactic  versifiers 
as  Serenus  Sammonicus,  Numatianus,  Merobaudes,  and 
Priscian,  were  considered  undeserving  of  any  place  in  a 
Collection  designed  to  interest  scarcely  less  than  to 
instruct.  The  space  which  these  last  would  have  occu- 
pied,  has,  I  trust,  been  better  filled  with  specimens  from 
the  Tragedies  ascribed  to  Seneca,  and  from  the  Poems 
of  Prudentius — the  only  two  authors  introduced  into 
this  vokime  that  are  not  inchided  in  \Veber's  Corpus 
Poetarwii. 

The  text  of  the  Selections  is,  for  the  most  part,  that 
of  Weber,  carefully  collated  with,  and  occasionally 
altered  from,  the  evidence  of  the  best  MSS.  as  given 
in  good  critical  editions  of  the  several  poets ;  though,  in 
the  case  of  Catulkis,  it  is  regretted  that  the  printing  had 
proceeded  too  far  to  admit  of  full  benefit  being  derived 
from  Mr.  ElHs'  larger  edition  in  regard  to  MS.  infor- 
mation.  The  Extracts  from  Seneca,  together  with  re- 
ferences  and  quotations  from  his  Plays,  have  been  made 
in  accordance  with  the  text  of  Bothe ;  those  from  Pru- 
dentius  follow  that  of  Dressel.  The  orthography,  with 
a  few  exceptions,  is  also  that  of  Weber,  and  is  con- 
fessedly  somewhat  old-fashioned  ;  but  deaHng  with  so 
many  writers  of  such  different  periods,  compiHng  for 
younger  students,  and  feeHng  myself,  amid  the  present 
uncertainties  of  the  subject,  unable  to  dogmatize  or  en- 
Hghten,  I  have  made  it  my  sole  endeavour  as  regards 
speHing  to  be  simple,  uniform,  and  famiHar. 

The    Notes    wiU,    it    is    hoped,  be   found   as   few    in 
number  and   concise    in    matter   as    is    compatible  with 


viii  P  R  E  F  A  C  E. 

their  aim  of  affording  to  young  students  that  amount 
of  interpretation  and  assistance  which  previous  works 
of  the  kind  have  but  imperfectly  suppHed.  In  each 
extract,  every  word  of  every  Hne  has  been  carefully 
gone  through ;  and  no  serious  difficulty  of  meaning, 
construction,  usage,  or  allusion,  no  pecuHarity  of  metre 
or  rhythm,  that  seemed  at  ah  worthy  of  notice  and 
iHustration,  has  consciously  been  passed  over,  however 
imperfectly  such  may  have  been  dealt  with.  AH  infor- 
mation,  on  the  other  hand,  which  may  be  gathered  from 
such  books  as  Dr.  Smith's  Dictionaries,  has,  except  in 
a  few  necessary  cases,  been  carefuHy  excluded  from  this 
portion  of  the  work.  Whatever  assistance  was  to  be 
derived  from  such  commentaries  on  the  several  authors 
as  were  within  my  reach,  I  have  freely  availed  myself 
of;  but  in  the  case  of  many,  among  the  later  poets 
especiaUy,  existing  aids  to  interpretation  are  so  scanty, 
sHght,  and  unedifying,  that  an  editor  must  rely  almost 
entirely  on  his  own  judgment  in  interpreting  them. 
For  my  own  part,  I  heartily  acknowledge  the  benefits 
which  my  work  has  in  this  respect  received  from  Pro- 
fessor  Conington's  careful  revision  of  the  sheets  as  they 
passed  through  the  press  ;  and  I  take  this  opportunity 
of  expressing  once  for  aH  my  obHgation  to  him  for 
several  exceHent  iHustrations  and  critical  suggestions, 
which,  without  in  every  case  specifying  their  source, 
I  have  gladly  incorporated  with  my  notes. 

The  weH-known  Lives  of  the  Roman  Poets  in  Dr. 
Smith's  Dictionary  appeared  to  me  to  render  unneces- 
sary  aH  but  the  very  brief  biographical  notices  prefixed 
to  the  several  extracts,  which  aim  simply  at  imparting 
that  amount  of  information  concerning  the  age  and 
leading  circumstances    of  each    author,   which    is    indis- 


P  R  E  F  A  C  E.  ix 

pensable  to  an  intelligent  stiidy  of  even  the  smallest 
portion  of  his  works.  For  the  Hterary  criticisms  ap- 
pended  to  the  Lives  I  have  not  bound  myself  by  the 
authority  of  any  writer  in  particular,  but  have  in  the 
main  followed  my  own  judgment,  assisted  by  such  works 
as  Bernhardy's  *  Grundriss  der  Romischen  Litteratur,' 
and  M.  Nisard's  '  Etudes  sur  les  Poetes  Latins.'  For  the 
dates  of  the  several  MSS.,  a  subject  of  which  I  possess 
no  special  knowledge,  I  have  reHed  generaHy  on  the 
assertions  of  Bernhardy,  verified,  as  far  as  was  possible, 
by  reference  to  other  authorities,  and,  where  these  have 
failed  me  in  one  or  two  instances,  upon  the  researches 
of  critical  friends. 

From  a  work  ranging  over  so  large  a  field  of  poetical 
Hterature,  and  descending  into  the  minutiae  of  interpre- 
tation,  errors,  inaccuracies,  and  defects  can  hardly  be 
absent.  I  am  myself  conscious  of  many,  and  scholars 
may  discover  more.  He  who  deals  with  short  portions 
of  several  authors  must  be  prepared  to  encounter  the 
erudite  and  searching  criticism  of  those  whose  studies 
may  have  been  concentrated  on  each  one  of  them  in 
particular.  Some  lack  of  thoroughness  wiH,  I  have  no 
doubt,  be  detected  here,  some  want  of  discrimination, 
or  rashness  of  generaHzation,  may  betray  themselves 
elsewhere  in  the  foHowing  pages ;  but  these  and  similar 
faults  need  not,  it  is  hoped,  materiaHy  impair  the  general 
usefulness  of  the  book,  if  it  shaH  succeed  in  introducing 
young  classical  students  in  a  pleasant  and  easy  way  to 
some  new  acquaintances  among  the  less  known  Latin 
Poets. 


March,  1869. 


C.  VALERIUS    CATULLUS. 


LIFE    OF    CATULLUS. 


CAIUS  (or  Quintus)  VALERIUS  CATULLUS  was  born  at  or  near 
Verona,  about  the  year  76  b.c.  according  to  Lachmann's  calculation, 
in  point  of  time,  therefore,  standing  midway  between  Lucretius  and 
Virgil.  In  the  early  part  of  his  gay  and  extravagant  youth  he  went 
on  the  staff  of  the  Praetor  Memmius,  Lucretius'  patron,  to  Bithynia, 
in  company  perhaps  with  his  beloved  brother,  whose  death  in  the 
Troad  he  deplores  so  pathetically,  c.  63  (65).  After  returning  from 
Asia  without  having  improved  his  fortunes,  he  Hved  in  his  villas  at 
Sirmio  and  Tivoli,  when  not  enjoying  the  society  of  the  capital.  His 
mistress,  whom  he  calls  '  Lesbia,'  was  a  married  lady  of  more  wit 
than  virtue,  possessing  the  real  name  of  Clodia,  according  to  Apuleius, 
but  probably  not  the  infamous  sister  of  Clodius  the  tribune.  His 
friends,  with  whom  he  maintained  the  warmest  intimacy,  were  mostly 
distinguished  for  genius  and  cultivation  ;  among  these  were  Cornelius 
Nepos  the  historian  (if  he  be  the  individual  to  whom  Catullus  dedi- 
cates  his  poems),  Cicero,  Hortensius,  and  Licinius  Calvus  the  orators, 
Helvius  Cinna  the  Epic  and  Lyric  poet,  and  perhaps  Virgil.  As  he 
was  a  warm  friend,  so  he  was  an  open  and  bitter  hater ;  his  bold 
repubUcan  independence  vents  itself  in  violent  attacks  on  persons 
as  distinguished  as  Julius  Caesar,  Mamurra,  Piso,  Memmius,  and 
on  other  less  notable  objects  of  his  dislike.  After  a  life  of  poetic 
culture,  and  free  social  enjoyment,  he  died,  like  so  many  of  the 
Roman  poets,  at  an  early  age,  probably  about  the  year  47  b.  c, 
'  hedera  juvenilia  tempora  cinctus.'   (Ov.  Amor.  3,  9,  6i.) 

Though  the  fame  of  Catullus,  '  the  greatest  poet  Rome  ever 
had '  (Niebuhr),  rests  mainly  on  his  being  the  first  of  the  Lyric 
and  Elegiac  Poets  of  Italy,  it  may  be  said  that  specimens  of  almost 
all  the  later  Roman  poetry  are  found  among  the  products  of  his 
highly  original  genius.  His  Epic  vein,  the  least  prominent  perhaps 
of  all,  is  seen  in  the  Epithalamium  of  Peleus  and  Thetis  :  while 
his  capacities  for  Satire  and  Epigram,   of  which  last  IMartial   held 


2  LIFE  OF  CATULLUS. 

him  up  as  a  model,  are  attested  by  his  biting  lambic,  Hendeca- 
syllabic,  and  other  poems.  '  Doctus  '  is  the  favourite  epithet  applied 
to  him  by  succeeding  poets,  who  appreciated  his  familiarity  with 
Greek,  especially  Alexandrine,  authors,  his  fondness  for  Greek  my- 
thology,  and  his  successful  imitations  of  Greek  modes  of  expression, 
thought,  metre,  and  rhjthm.  The  principal  service  which  CatuUus 
rendered  to  the  Hterature  of  his  country  consisted  in  enriching  and 
refining  the  language,  in  varying,  smoothing,  and  adapting  the 
metres,  of  Roman  poetry.  Though  his  hexameters  are  inferior  to 
those  of  Virgil  in  correctness  and  flow,  yet  they  display  a  mar- 
vellous  improvement  on  those  of  Lucretius  and  Ennius ;  though  his 
Elegiac  couplets  are  often  awkward  and  inharmonious,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  he  was  the  first  composer  of  long  pieces  in  that 
foreign  metre,  while  the  excellence  of  his  lambic,  Galliambic,  Hende- 
casyllabic,  and  Glyconic  measures  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  been 
surpassed  by  any  later  writer.  As  Ennius  had  been  pre-eminently 
the  poet  of  narrative,  and  Lucretius  the  poet  of  contemplation  and 
description,  Catullus  is  in  a  special  degree  the  poet  of  Feeling  and 
Imagination,  thus  preparing  the  way  for  Virgil,  who  combined  in 
himself  the  characteristic  excellences  of  each. 

The  ii6  poems  of  Catullus  have  come  to  us  in  much  confusion 
and  incompleteness.  The  oldest  existing  MSS.  of  the  entire  works 
belong  to  the  i^th  century,  though  there  is  a  single  MS.  con- 
taining,  with  sundry  pieces  of  other  authors,  the  '  Epithalamium 
Pelei  et  Thetidos,'  which  dates  as  early  as  the  loth. 


I, 

C   VALERIUS    CATULLUS. 

CARMEN  63  (64). 
Epithalammm  Pelei  et  Thetidos. 

This  Idyll  contains  one  poem  within  another.  The  love  of  Peleus  is 
contrasted  with  the  desertion  of  Ariadne  by  Theseus.  Peleus,  one  of  the 
Argonauts  (Apoll.  R.  i.^ofoll.),  on  that  expedition  first  saw  Thetis  and 
loved  her.  All  Thessaly  gathers  to  the  bridal.  On  the  nuptial  couch  is 
woven  the  tale  of  Theseus'  infidelity  to  Ariadne,  and  the  coming  of 
Bacchus  with  his  crew  to  console  the  forlorn  maiden  with  his  affection. 
When  the  multitude  of  visitors  had  gazed  on  this  and  the  other  wonders 
of  the  palace,  Cheiron,  Peneios,  Prometheus,  and  all  the  deities  of  Olympus, 
save  ApoIIo  and  Diana,  flock  to  the  nuptials.  Last  of  all  the  Parcae  come 
forward  to  chant  the  destinies  of  the  bride  and  her  lord,  and  the  glories  of 
their  great  and  terrible  son  that  was  to  be  born.  Happy  times,  when  before 
the  ages  of  sin  the  gods  mixed  thus  freely  with  men  ! 

For  a  criticism  on  the  poem,  see  Sellar,  Poets  of  the  Republic,  pp.  370- 
374- 

Peliaco  quondam  prognatae  vertice  pinus 

Dicuntur  liquidas  Neptuni  nasse  per  undas 

Phasidos  ad  fluctus,  et  hnes  Aeetaeos, 

Quum  lecti  juvenes,  Argivae  robora  pubis, 

Auratam  optantes  Colchis  avertere  pellem  5 

Ausi  sunt  vada  salsa  cita  decurrere  puppi, 

Caerula  verrentes  abiegnis  aequora  palmis: 

I.  Peliaco,  Homer's  rii^Xtov  «(J^off/^rA.-  Robora   pubis,   cp.  1.  c.    ^«^05   ocutos 

Aoi' Od.  II.  315,  the  mountain  in  Thessaly  'Hpwcuv.       A    few    MSS.    have    'puppis:' 

overhanging    lolcos,    which    supplied    the  but  CatuUus  does  not,  like  Lucretius  and 

timber  for  the  Argo  :  hence  ApoU. R.I.386  others,  repeat  words  at  the  end  of  his  iines 

Tir]\ia.s  'Ap-yw.  after  such  short  intervals. 

Prognatae.    Hor.  Od.  I.  14,  12  '  Silvae  5.  Avertere,  '  carry  off'  by  force,  or, 

filia  nobilis.'  more  usually,  by  fraud :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  lO. 

3.  Aeetaeos,  Colchis,  the  kingdom  of  yS   '  avertere  praedas.' 

Aeetes,   father  of  Medea,  through  whose  7.  Abiegnis,  contracted  from  '  abiege- 

territories  the  river  Phasis  flowed.  nis,'  like  '  ilig(e)nus,'  '  privig(e)nus.'     The 

4.  Lecti:  cp.  Theocr.  13.  18  riao-av  1«  word  was  probably  sounded  as  a  trisyl- 
noXiwt'  -npoKfKfyfifvot  :  Virg.  E.  4.  35  '  de-  lable,  '  abyegnis,'  similarly  to  '  abyete,' 
lectos  heroas.'  '  aryete,'    and    others.       Cp.    Prop.  4.  18 

B   2 


CATULLUS. 

Diva  quibus,  retinens  in  summis  urbibus  arces, 
Ipsa  levi  fecit  volitantem  flamine  currum, 
Pinea  conjungens  inflexae  texta  carinae. 
IUa  rudem  cursu  prima  imbuit  Amphitriten. 
Quae  simul  ac  rostro  ventosum  proscidit  aequor, 
Tortaque  remigio  spumis  incanuit  unda, 
Emersere  feri  candenti  e  gurgite  vultus 
Aequoreae  monstrum  Nereides  admirantes. 
Illaque  haudque  alia  viderunt  luce  marinas 
Mortales  oculis  nudato  corpore  Nymphas 
Nutricum  tenus  extantes  e  gurgite  cano. 
Tum  Thetidis  Peleus  incensus  fertur  amore, 


(3.19).  12   '  Induit  abiegnae  comua  falsa 
bovis.' 

Palma  here  for  '  the  blade  of  the  oar  :' 
more  often  '  palmula'  is  used  in  this  sense. 

8.  Retinens,  for  'tenens,'  as  often  in 
Lucr. :  Pallas  tto\iovxos,  (pvcriiTTo\is  is 
meant.  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  i.  19  vija  fitv 
oZv  oi  irpoaOiv  (ti  nKuovatv  doiSol  "Ap- 
yov  'AOrjvaiTjs  Kapiitiv  vno9T}fA.ociivT!aiv ; 
and  ib.  551  tpyov  'AOrjvairjs  'WaiviSos. 

9.  Curruni  :  cp.  Aesch.  Prom.  468  \i- 
V^TTTfp'  (vpi  vavTi\ojv  oxTJlJ^O-Ta. 

10.  Pinea  texta:  common  phrase  in 
Ovid,  as  M.  14.  530;   Fast.  i.  506. 

Inflexae  :  here  not  a  mere  epithet,  but 
describing  the  first  step  in  ship-building. 

Carinae,  dative  case.  '  Fitting  on  the 
well-curved  keel  the  pine-wood  fabric' 

11.  II la.  The  ship  Argo,  not  '  Diva,' 
as  shewn  by  '  quae,'  v.  12. 

Cursu  after  '  imbuit,'  as  in  Val.  Fl.  I. 
69  '  Ignaras  Cereris  qui  vomere  terras 
Imbuit.' 

Imbuit,  as  we  should  say,  '  first  initiated 
Amphitrite,  hitherto  untried.' 

Amphitriten.  These  spondaic  endings 
(esp.  in  the  case  of  proper  names)  are  very 
common  in  Catullus :  in  this  single  poem 
there  are  twenty-eight  instances,  the  same 
number  that  occur  in  all  Virgil ;  yet  for 
an  hundred  and  thirty  consecutive  lines 
(vv.  120-254)  "ot  one  is  found.  Lucre- 
tius,  who  did  not  form  his  verses  upon  the 
Greek  model  so  much  as  Catullus,  uses  these 
spondaic  terminations  more  sparingly.  See 
on  Ov.  M.  I.  62. 

12.  Proscidit,  '  cleft  in  front  of  her,' 
a  word  used  for  the  '  first  ploughing'  in 
Virg.  G.  I.  97  '  proscisso  quae  suscitat 
aequore  terga.' 

13.  Torta,  a  probable  correction  of 
'  tota,'  as   found   in   the    MSS.     '  Tortus' 


occurs  in  the  passage  of  Sihus  7.  411  foU., 
which  is  an  imitation  of  these  lines. 

The  MSS.  also  have  'incanduit,'  which  is 
accepted  by  most  editions.  Since  however 
'  incandescere'  is  mostly,  if  not  always, 
used  in  connection  with  heat,  and  '  can- 
dente'  occurs  just  after,  it  may  be  well 
to  adopt,  with  Orelli  and  others,  '  inca- 
nuit.'  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  I.  545  fMKpal  8* 
aliv  (\evKaivovTo  K(\(v9ot. 

14.  The  construction  here  is  doubtfnl. 
It  is  awkward  to  take  the  '  feri  vultus'  as 
a  genitive  with  '  monstrum,'  or  as  nom. 
in  apposition  to  '  Nereides,'  while  '  feri ' 
seems  scarcely  a  fit  epithet  for  the  faces  of 
the  Nereids,  unless  it  is  taken  in  the 
sense  of  '  wild  with  amazement.'  Weber 
takes  the  '  feri  vultus'  as  the  nominative, 
referring  to  the  Tritons  and  other  sea- 
deities ;  but  then  the  asyndeton  in  the 
next  line  is  displeasing.  The  slight  change 
from  '  feri'  (MSS.)  into  '  freti,'  adopted  by 
Haupt,would  seem  to  remove  the  difficulties 
best ;  '  vultus'  being  joined  as  an  accusative 
with  '  emersere,'  cp.  Ov.  Fast.  3.  367  '  to- 
tum  jam  sol  emerserat  orbem.'  See  a 
similar  passage  in  Val.  Cat.  Dirae.  56.  7. 

16.  Illaque  haudque  alia,  '  on  that 
and  on  no  other  day.'  This  seems  the 
slightest  alteration  possible  from  the  '  illa- 
[que?]  atque  alia'  of  the  MSS.  (which 
makes  no  sense),  especially  as  we  know 
'  haud'  was  originally  written  '  haut.'  See 
on  Stat.  Silv.  3.  5,  78.  Lachm.  suggests 
'  si  qua  alia ;'  others  have  '  illa  atque  haud 
alia.'  For  a  similar  confusion  between 
'  haud'  and  '  aut '  see  64  (66).  35. 

18.  Nutricum,  '  lifting  their  bosoms 
out  of  the  creaming  surge.'  I  find  no 
other  instance  of  '  nutri.x'  for  '  mamma.' 
Perhaps  this  helps  to  explain  the  odd 
readin"  of  a  few  MSS.  '  umblicum.' 


CATULLUS.  5 

Tum  Thetis  humanos  non  despexit  hymenaeos,  20 

Tum  Thetidi  pater  ipse  jugandum  Pelea  sensit. 
O  nimis  optato  saeclorum  tempore  nati 
Heroes,  salvete,  deum  genus,  o  bona  matrum 

Progenies,  salvete  iterum 23^ 

V^os  ego  saepe  meo  vos  carmine  compellabo, 
Teque  adeo,  eximie  taedis  felicibus  aucte,  25 

Thessaliae  columen  Peleu,  cui  Jupiter  ipse, 
Ipse  suos  divum  genitor  concessit  amores. 
Tene  Thetis  tenuit  pulcherrima  Neptunine  ? 
Tene  suam  Tethys  concessit  ducere   neptem, 
Oceanusque,  mari  totum  qui  amplectitur  orbem  ?        30 
Quae  simul  optatae  finito  tempore  luces 


20.  Despexit  hymenaeos,  '  scorned 
not  mortal  wedlock.'  The  last  syllable  is 
lengthened  by  the  caesural  pause,  as  in 
64  (66).  1 1  '  auctus  hymenaeo  :'  cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  7.  398  '  Sustinet,  ac  natae  Turnique 
canit  hymenaeos.' 

21.  Pater,  Nereus,  or  Jupiter,  for  the 
latter  of  whom  v.  27  affords  a  strong 
argument. 

Sensit,  in  its  prose  sense  'judged,'  'ap- 
proved.'     Some  MSS.  have  '  sanxit.' 

22.  Nimis,  as  often  in  Plautus,  = 
'  greatly,'  with  no  idea  of  excess  :  cp. 
Nemesianus  Cyn.  II3  '  Cuique  nimis  mol- 
les  fluitent  in  cursibus  aures.'  The  ad- 
jective  is  used  in  the  same  way.  Com- 
pare  the  use  of  '  parum'  =  ' hardly,'  '  very 
little.'  The  enthusiasm  here  expressed  for 
the  heroic  age  is  brought  out  more  in  the 
last  lines  of  the  poem,  when  contrasted 
with  the  corruption  of  Catullus'  own 
times.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  649  '  Magnanimi 
heroes  nati  melioribus  annis.' 

23.  Matrum,  '  noble  offspring  of  heroic 
mothers ;'  this  is  the  reading  of  most  mo- 
dem  texts  instead  of  '  mater,'  (MSS.)  which 
Doering  retains  but  fails  to  interpret  ; 
whether  understood  of  Thetis  or  Thessaly 
or  the  Argo,  '  cujus  velut  utero  inclusi 
latuerunt  Argonautae,'  it  is  equallv  unsatis- 
factory.  An  old  commentary  on  Virg.  Ae. 
5.  80  quotes  these  lines  from  Catullus  as 
'  Salvete  deum  gens,  o  bona  matrum  Pro- 
genies  salvete  iter  ..."  Rossbach  com- 
pletes  the  hemistich  with  '  adspirate  ca- 
nenti.' 

25.  Teque,  better  taken  with  '  com- 
pellabo,'  as  Lachmann  and  Haupt  punc- 
tuate,  than,  as  Orelli,  with  '  tenuit.'     For 


'  adeo,'  in  this  connexion,  see  Virg.  E.  4. 
II  ;  G.  I.  24.  As  the  adverb  'eximie'  is 
used  rarely  in  the  Latin  poets,  something 
may  be  said  for  the  '  eximiae'  of  the  Aldine 
editions. 

With  aucte  cp.  64(66).  II  '  novo  auc- 
tus  hymenaeo.' 

27.  Amores:  as  in  10.  i  ;  43.  (45.)  i  ; 
and  Virg.  G.  3.  227,  of  the  '  object  of 
love.'  According  to  Pindar,  Isthm.  8.  60, 
Poseidon  was  in  love  with  Thetis  as  well 
as  Zeus,  Zevs  ot'  dfx(pl  QfTios  dy\a6s  t' 
ipiaav  Yloati^av  ydjiai  k.  t.  \. 

28.  Neptunine  is  an  irregularly 
formed  patronymic,  Uke  '  Nerine '  in  Virg. 
E.  7-  37,  neither  of  them  occurring  else- 
where.  Compare  Hesiod's  'ClKiavivr].  '  Nep- 
tunias '  would  be  the  natural  form,  like 
'  Thestias.'  Thetis  is  called  so  as  being 
the  granddaughter  of  Poseidon.  Schwabe, 
Haupt,  and  Lachmann  read  here  '  Nereine,' 
thus  avoiding  the  anomaly  of  a  Latin  name 
formed  into  a  Greek  patronymic.  MSS. 
'  Nectine,'  '  Neptine.' 

29.  Tethys,  wife  of  Oceanus,  and 
mother  of  the  Oceanides,  as  in  Hom.  II.  14. 
201,  'ClKfavov  Ti  Ofuiv  yfvfaiv  Kal  fxrjTfpd 
Tl-qevv. 

Neptem,  because  Doris  the  mother  of 
Thetis  was  the  daughter  of  Oceanus  and 
Tethys. 

30.  Amplectitur.  According  to  the 
Homeric  conception  of  the  ocean  as  a  great 
river  encircling  the  world.  Cp.  Hor.  Epod. 
16.  41  '  Nos  manet  Oceanus  circumvagus  ;' 
and  Virg.  G.  2.  122. 

31.  Finito  tempore,  '  in  the  appointed 
time,'  or, '  in  the  fulness  of  time,' '  when  the 
time  was  accomplished.'     Cp.  64  (66).  79 


CATULLUS, 

Advenere,  domum  conventu  tota  frequentat 
Thessalia :    oppletur  laetanti  regia  coetu. 
Dona  ferunt  prae  se :   declarant  gaudia  vultu. 
Deseritur  Scyros:    linquunt  Phthiotica  tempe,  35 

Crannonisque  domos,  ac  moenia  Larisaea, 
Pharsalum  coeunt,  Pharsalia  tecta  frequentant. 
Rura  colit  nemo,  moUescunt  coUa  juvencis, 
Non  humilis  curvis  purgatur  vinea  rastris, 
Non  glebam  prono  convellit  vomere  taurus,  40 

Non  falx  attenuat  frondatorum  arboris  umbram, 
Squalida  desertis  robigo  infertur  aratris. 
Ipsius  at  sedes,  quacumque  opulenta  recessit 
Regia,  fulgenti  splendent  auro  atque  argento. 
Candet  ebur  soliis,  collucent  pocula  mensae,  45 


•  optato  quum  junxit  lumine  taeda.'  Most 
MSS.,  according  to  Mr.  Ellis,  have  '  optato 
finitae,*  which  he  retains. 

The  plural  of  lux  is  more  often  used 
of  the  heavenly  bodies,  than  of  the  day, 
as  here. 

32.  Advenere.  Some  MSS.  give  '  ut 
venere.'  Though  '  simul'  is  used  more 
often  with  '  ac  '  and  '  atque,'  in  Cicero  we 
find  it  commonly  with  '  ut,'  but  seldom,  if 
ever,  separated  from  it,  as  in  the  case 
above  supposed.  Catullus  often  uses 
'  simul'  by  itself  for  '  simul  ac' 

33.  Oppletur.  Found  in  Plautus  and 
Lucretius,  but  afterwards  used  more  in 
prose  than  poetry. 

34.  Prae  se  is  best  taken  with  '  fe- 
nint :'  Doering  alone  punctuates  other- 
wise. 

35.  Scyros.  MSS.  '  Syros.'  The  Do- 
lopians  who  occupied  Scyros  were  a  Thes- 
salian  race :  cp.  Thuc.  i.  98,  which  may 
help  to  explain  the  mention  of  so  distant 
a  place.  Lachm.,  Haupt,  and  Schwabe 
read  '  Cieros,'  a  town  in  Thessaly,  identi- 
fied  by  some  with  Arne,  the  famous  town 
from  which  the  AeoHans  migrated  to 
Boeotia. 

Phthiotica  tempe,  '  the  valleys  of 
Phthiotis ;'  'tempe'  being  used  here,  as  in 
Virg.  G.  2.  469  and  elsewhere,  for  any 
scenery  like  the  real  Tempe,  which  was 
not  near  Phthiotis.  Cp.  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Att. 
4.  15  'Reatini  me  ad  sua  Tffiiri]  duxerunt.' 
Lachm.  suggests  'Phthiotida,  Tempe.'  It 
is  simpler,  however,  to  siippose  a  lack  of 
topographical  precision  in  the  poet.  See 
Prof  Conington's  note  on  Virgil^s  vague- 
ness  about  Pharsalia  and  Philippi,  G.  1.490. 


36.  Crannonisque  domos.  The 
best  conjectures  that  could  be  made  from 
the  confusions  of  the  MSS.  Crannon  and 
Larissa  were  the  two  most  important 
towns  of  Thessaly. 

Larissa  probably  meaning  'a  fortified 
town'  in  Pelasgian,  moenia  is  not  inap- 
plicable. 

37.  Pharsalumtso  Lachm.  and  Haupt. 
This  reading  saves  the  awkwardness  of 
scanning  '  Pharsaliam  '  as  a  trisyllable,  or 
supposing  a  change  of  quaritity  in  the 
same  line.  Besides,  '  Pharsalus '  is  the 
right  name  for  the  town,  '  Pharsalia  '  for 
the  district. 

39.  Humilis,  'low-Iying:'  not  the  epi- 
thet  we  should  have  expected  for  a  vine- 
yard  :  but  some  vines  were  best  adapted 
for  the  lower  grounds,  as  here  for  the  rich 
plain  of  Thessaly,  others  for  the  hill-sides. 
See  Virg.  G.  2.  273  '  CoIIibus  an  plano 
melius  sit  ponere  vites.' 

40.  Prono  vomere,  '  deep-pressed, 
deep-driven  share,'  illustrating  the  '  con- 
vellit.' 

42.  Robigo,  formed  like  '  aerugo,' 
'  fcrrugo,'  from  '  robus,'  old  form  of  '  ru- 
ber.'  Lachm.  writes  '  rubigo.'  But  the 
god  or  goddess  to  which  the  Robigalia 
were  dedicated  seems  to  have  been  origin- 
ally  spelt  with  an  0. 

43.  Ipsius,  i.  e.  Peleus,  as  involved  in 
'  regia.' 

R  e  c  e  s  s  i  t,  '  far  inward  as  it  stretched.' 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  2.  300,  in  a  somewhat  simi- 
lar  sense,  'secreta  parentis  Anchisae  domus 
arboribusque  obtecta  recessit.' 

45.  Mensae,  like  'soliis,' dative  :  '  spar- 
kle  on  the  board ;'  or  genitive,  as  Virg.  Ae. 


CATULLUS.  7 

Tota  domus  gaudet  regali  splendida  gaza. 

Pulvinar  vero  divae  geniale  locatur 

Sedibus  in  mediis,  Indo  quod  dente  politum 

Tincta  tegit  roseo  conchyli  purpura  fuco. 

Haec  vestis,  priscis  hominum  variata  figuris,  50 

Heroum  mira  virtutes  indicat  arte. 

Namque  fluentisono  prospectans  litore  Diae 

Thesea  cedentem  celeri  cum  classe  tuetur 

Indomitos  in  corde  gerens  Ariadna  furores, 

Necdum  etiam  sese,  quae  visit,  visere  credit,  55 

Utpote  fallaci  quae  tum  primum  excita  somno 

Desertam  in  sola  miseram  se  cernat  arena. 

Immemor  at  juvenis  fugiens  pellit  vada  remis, 

Irrita  ventosae  linquens  promissa  procellae. 

Quem  procul  ex  alga  maestis  Minois  ocellis,  60 


II.  738  '  plenae  pocula  niensae.'  Doering 
reads  '  mensis,'  without  authoritv;  though 
Virgil,  Ae.  I.  640,  in  a  passage  evidently 
imitated  from  this,  has  '  Ingens  argentum 
mensis.'  The  middle  rhyme  made  by 
'  mensis'  with  '  soliis  '  would  not  be  agree- 
able. 

46.  Gaza.  A  Persian  word ;  taken  with 
'  splendida,'  'Gay  is  all  the  palace,  glittering 
with  royal  wealth.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  I.  637 
'  regali  splendida  luxu.' 

47.  Pulvinar  geniale.  The  bridal 
couch  dedicated  to  the  genius  of  the  mar- 
ried  couple,  and  placed  in  the  '  atrium '  or 
inner  court.  Cp.  Hor.  Ep.  I.  i,  87  'Lec- 
tus  genialis  in  aula  est.'  It  was  called  also 
'  lectus  adversus,'  from  being  opposite  the 
door,  as  in  Prop.  5  (4).  li,  85  '  Seu  tamen 
adversum  mutarit  janua  lectum.' 

Divae,  Thetis. 

49.  Conchyli,  genitive  of  '  conchy- 
lium '  =  Koyx^^i^oy-  Cp.  Lucr.  6.  1072 
'  Purpureusque  colos  conchyli.'  There 
seems  to  have  been  no  such  form  as  '  con- 
chyhs,'  which  the  Aldine  editions  have. 

50.  Vestis,  '  coverlet :'  so  v.  163.  Cp. 
Lucr.  2.  36,  and  Virg.  Ae.  I.  639  '  Arte 
laboratae  vestes  ostroque  superbo.'  The 
next  two  hundred  and  thirteen  lines  are 
taken  up  with  describing  the  embroidery 
work  of  this  coverlet.  The  tale  of  the 
desertion  of  Ariadne  is  set  forth  to  point 
the  contrast  between  the  faithlessness  of 
Theseus  and  misery  of  Ariadne  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  fidelity  of  Peleus  and 
happiness  of  Thetis  on  the  other. 


52.  Fluentisono.       An    aira^    \ey6- 

IXiVOV. 

Diae,  old  name  for  Naxos.  Cp.  Hom. 
Od.  II.  334  AiTj  kv  dfx<pipvTTi.  There  is 
a  mountain  in  Naxos  still  called  '  Zia.' 
Note  the  alliteration  of  the  following 
line. 

55.  The  text  is  Voss's  conjecture.  As 
far  as  the  MSS.  are  concemed  it  is  (as 
Orelli  says)  a  '  locus  conclamatus.'  Weber 
adopts  Sillig's  emendation  (which  involves 
the  slightest  change  from  the  MSS.,  but 
which  scans  '  fuit '  as  a  monosyllable)  : 
'  Necdum  etiam  sese,  quae  fuit,  tunc  cre- 
didit  esse.' 

56.  Utpote  is,  no  doubt,  more  often 
used  with  the  subjunctive  ;  but  in  Cicero 
we  have  one  or  two  examples  of  the  in- 
dicative,  as  Ep.  ad  Att.  2.  24,  4  '  Ea  nos, 
utpote  qui  nihil  contemnere  solemus,  non 
pertimescebamus.' 

57.  Cernat.  The  MSS.  and  texts  are 
divided  between  '  cernit '  and  '  cemat.' 
Lachm.,  Haupt,  and  Schwabe  prefer  '  cer- 
nat.' 

58.  Pellit,  =  '  is  dashing,'  i.  e.  repre- 
sented  on  the  embroidery  as  dashing.  Few 
such  endings  of  the  hexameter  line  would 
be  found  in  Virgil  or  Ovid. 

60.  Alga.  Here,  and  at  v.  168,  Hein- 
sius  proposes  to  read  '  acta,'  as  in  Virg. 
Ae.  5.  613,  on  the  ground  that  '  alga '  is 
not  used  for  the  sea-shore.  But  Juvenal 
4.  48  has  '  Algae  inquisitores,'  where,  how- 
ever,  it  may  be  taken  in  its  usual  sense 
of  sea-weed. 


CATULLUS. 

Saxea  ut  effigies  bacchantis,  prospicit,  euhoe, 

Prospicit,  et  magnis  curarum  fluctuat  undis, 

Non  flavo  retinens  subtilem  vertice  mitram, 

Non  contecta  levi  velatum  pectus  amictu, 

Non  tereti  strophio  lactentes  vincta  papillas,  65 

Omnia  quae  toto  delapsa  e  corpore  passim 

Ipsius  ante  pedes  fluctus  salis  alludebant. 

Sed  neque  tum  mitrae,  neque  tum  fluitantis  amictus 

Illa  vicem  curans  toto  ex  te  pectore,  Theseu, 

Toto  animo,  tota  pendebat  perdita  mente.  70 

Ah  misera,  assiduis  quam  luctibus  externavit 

Spinosas  Erycina  serens  in  pectore  cnras, 

Illa  tempestate,  ferox  quo  ex  tempore  Theseus 

Egressus  curvis  e  litoribus  Piraei 

Attigit  injusti  regis  Gortynia  tecta.  75 


61.  Saxea.  Of  the  fixed  stony  gaze 
of  the  eyes,  while  all  her  frame  beside  is 
agitated  with  passion. 

Euhoe.  Taken  with  '  bacchantis,' 
'  shouting  "  Evoe"  in  the  orgies  ;'  the  same 
phrase  occurs  below,  v.  255.  The  MSS. 
have  '  heuhe,'  '  heue :'  hence  the  '  eheu'  of 
later  editions.     See  Lachm.  note  on  Lucr. 

5-  743- 

62.  Fluctuat,  the  scenery  suggesting 
the  metaphor. 

63.  Subtilem  ..  le vi.  Not  able  to 
keep  even  the  fine  scarf  or  veil  on  her 
auburn  head,  or  the  light  mantle  on  her 
breast.  These  epithets  help  to  mark  the 
fever  and  passion  of  her  grief :  so  perhaps 
tereti  strophio. 

65.  Strophium,  arpo^piov,  '  breast- 
band.' 

Lactentes.  Lachm.  has  this  forrn 
of  the  verb  here,  while  at  Lucr.  5.  883  he 
has  '  lactantia.'  The  form  in  the  text  is 
much  the  most  common  of  the  two.  We 
are  much  tempted  by  the  ingenious  con- 
jecture  of  Muretus  '  luctantes,'  the  Lati- 
nity  of  which  Orelli  unreasonably,  it  seems 
to  me,  disputes. 

66.  Passim,  '  to  and  fro,'  '  here  and 
there,'  to  be  joined  with  '  alludebant.' 

67.  Alludebant.  Found  rarely  with 
an  accusative;  perhaps  an  imitation  oiirpoa- 
■nai^iiv  Tiva  in  Greek.  In  Val.  Fl.  6.  664 
we  have  'summa  cacumina  silvae  Lenibus 
alludit  flabris  levis  auster.'  Some  MSS. 
have  'alUdebant.' 

71.  Externavit,   '  maddened  ;'  cp.  v. 


166:  see  Lachm.  on  Lucr.  4.  1020.  The 
active  form  is  nowhere  found  but  in 
this  passage,  though  '  externatus '  in  the 
participle  occurs  three  times  in  Ovid. 
The  verb  is  formed  after  the  analogy 
of  '  constemo,'  '  aspernari.'  '  Extematus,' 
as  from  '  extemus,'  is  post-classical.  As 
in  '  exspuo,'  '  exspiro,'  '  exsisto,'  '  exsolvo,' 
and  the  rest,  '  exsternavit '  is  written  with 
and  without  the  '  s,'  as  in  Orelli  and 
Lachmann  respectively.  There  is  little  to 
recommend  the  reading  of  Achilles  Statius 
(the  commentator  on  CatuIIus),  '  extenu- 
avit,'  found  in  a  very  few  MSS. :  cp.  v. 
165. 

73.  Tempestate..tempore.  A 
kind  of  redundancy  not  uncommon  in  Cae- 
sar :  cp.  B.  G.  1 .  6  '  illa  die,' . .  '  qua  die  :'  so 
in  Cic.  Div.  in  Caec.  13  '  illius  temporis,' 
— '  quo  die.'  '  Ferox  quo  ex  tempore,' 
though  rough  in  sound,  seems  to  be  the 
nearest  approach  to  the  MSS.,  which  give 
'  ferox  et,'  '  feroxque  et.' 

74.  Piraei.  A  poetic  anachronism  for 
Phalenim,  the  early  haven  of  Attica.  The 
Piraeus,  as  a  port,  dates  only  from  Themis- 
tocles'  time. 

75.  Gortynia  tecta,  Gortyn,  or  Gor- 
tyna,  the  chief  city  in  Crete  next  to 
Gnossus,  in  which  latter  city  Homer  makes 
Minos  reign.  Od.  19.  178.  ' '  Tecta'  (MSS. 
'  tenta,'  '  templa ')  is  clearly  preferable  to 
'  templa,'  which  Weber  reads,  comparing 
Lucr.  2.  28,  where  Lachmann,  as  here, 
changes  the  '  templa '  of  the  MSS.  into 
'  tecta.' 


CATULLUS.  9 

Nam  perhibent  olim  crudeli  peste  coactam 

Androgeoneae  poenas  exolvere  caedis, 

Electos  juvenes  simul  et  decus  innuptarum 

Cecropiam  solitam  esse  dapem  dare  Minotauro. 

Quis  angusta  malis  quum  moenia  vexarentur,  80 

Ipse  suum  Theseus  pro  caris  corpus  Athenis 

Proicere  optavit  potius,  quam  talia  Cretam 

Funera  Cecropiae  nec  funera  portarentur.  • 

Atque  ita  nave  levi  nitens,  ac  lenibus  auris, 

Magnanimum  ad  Minoa  venit,  sedesque  superbas.     85 

Hunc  simul  ac  cupido  conspexit  lumine  virgo 

Regia,  quam  suaves  expirans  castus  odores 

Lectulus  in  molli  complexu  matris  alebat, 

Quales  Eurotae  progignunt  flumina  myrtus, 

Aurave  distinctos  educit  verna  colores,  90 

Non  prius  ex  illo  flagrantia  declinavit 

Lumina,  quam  cuncto  concepit  corpore  flammam 


77.  Androgeoneae  caedis,  Andro- 
geos,  son  of  Minos  and  Pasiphae,  excited  the 
jealousy  of  the  Athenians  and  Megarians, 
vvhose  champions  he  had  conquered  at  the 
Panathenaea  in  all  the  contests,  and  (ac- 
cording  to  some  accounts)  was  assassinated 
by  his  rivals  on  his  way  to  Thebes.  The 
games  celebrated  in  his  honour  at  Athens 
were  called  'AvSpoyeojvia.  Androgeos  or 
-us  are  mostly  used  by  the  Latin  poets : 
but  'Androgeon'  is  found  in  Prop.  2.1,62, 
whence  is  formed  the  adjective  in  the 
text. 

78.  Decus  innuptarum,  '  the  pride 
and  flower  of  the  maidens,'  i.e.  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  maidens.  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3, 
16,  20  '  Maecenas,  equitum  decus.'  The 
number  of  each  was  seven.  Cp.  Ov.  M. 
7.456;  8.  153. 

80.  Angusta,  '  straitened,' '  distressed :' 
or  '  shrunken  through  the  loss  of  her  citi- 
zens,'  better  than  the  'augusta'  of  some 
MSS.,  which  hardly  suits  the  humi- 
liated  condition  of  Athens  here  spoken  of. 
At  the  same  time  the  expression  in  the 
text  is  somewhat  unusual. 

82.  Optavit,  '  chose,'  '  boldly  under- 
took,'  as  Virg.  Ae.  6.  501  '  Quis  tam  cru- 
deles  optavit  sumere  poenas.' 

83.  Nec  funera.  The  reading  of  the 
best  MSS.  Doering  of  later  editors  alone 
gives  '  ne  funera,'  mentioning  at  the  same 
time  a  somewhat  happy  conjecture  of  Lange, 
'  sine  funere,'   which   would   be  verv  Hke 


Manil.  5.  548  '  Virginis  et  vivae  rapitur 
sine  funere  funus.'  '  Nec,'  the  old  form  of 
the  negative,  as  in  the  phrases  '  res  nec 
mancipi,'  '  fur  nec  manifestus,'  etc.  It  is 
a  kind  of  oxjTnoron — as  we  might  s^y, 
'  living  corpses.'  Lucr.  i.  92  has  '  casta 
inceste,'  other  instances  are  '  innuptae  nup- 
tiae,'  '  mentes  dementes,'  quoted  by  Cicero  ; 
he  himself  in  Phil.  I.  2  uses  '  insepulta  se- 
puhura  '  of  Caesar's  burial.  But  the  genius 
of  the  Latin  language  was  not  as  well  fitted 
for  this  mode  of  expression  as  the  Greek. 

With  portarentur  cp.  v.  151  '  dees- 
sem  :'  so  22.  (24).  4  '  mallem  divitias  Mi- 
dae  dedisses-.  ..  Quam  sic  te  sineres.' 

85.  Magnanimum  can  hardly  be  used 
in  a  good  sense  here  after  '  injusti  regis' 
V.  75,  but  Vike  fXf'ya\6<ppoJi'  =  '  haughty.' 

89.  Cp.  Hom.  II.  18.  437,  438  6  5' 
dvfSpafiev  epvfi  laos'  rbv  fxev  eyw  Opeipaaa 
Kpvrov  dis  '^ovvw  aXaifis,  and  Theocr.  24. 
loi. 

Myrtus,  as  in  MSS.,  not  'myrtos.'  So 
'  laurus  '  in  Virg.  E.  6.  83  '  Audiit  Eurotas 
jussitque  ediscere  laurus.' 

90.  Distinctos  colores,  '  flowers  of 
varied  hue : '  '  the  various  blooms  that 
open  to  the  breeze  of  spring.' 

92.  Cuncto  corpore.  There  seems 
to  be  less  authority  for  the  reading  '  pectore ' 
which  appears  in  Doering,  Orelli,  and  We- 
ber :  Lachmann,  Haupt,  and  Schwabe  have 
'  corpore.'  The  former  is  much  the  more 
common,  but  there  is  nothing  so  unusual 


CATULLUS. 

Funditus,  atque  imis  exarsit  tota  medullis. 

Heu!    misere  exagitans  immiti  corde  furores 

Sancte  puer,  curis  hominum  qui  gaudia  misces,  95 

Quaeque  regis  Golgos,  quaeque  Idalium  frondosum, 

Qualibus  incensam  jactastis  mente  puellam 

Fluctibus,  in  flavo  saepe  hospite  suspirantem! 

Quantos  illa  tulit  languenti  corde  timores! 

Quanto  saepe  magis  fulgore  expalluit  auri !  100 

Quum  saevum  cupiens  contra  contendere  monstrum 

Aut  mortem  oppeteret  Theseus,  aut  praemia  laudis. 

Non  ingrata,  tamen  frustra,  munuscula  divis 

Promittens,  tacito  suspendit  vota  labello. 

Nam  velut  in  summo  quatientem  brachia  Tauro       105 


about  the  latter  as  to  require  the  change. 
'  Her  whole  frame  caught  the  fire  of  love, 
but  it  bumed  fiercest  in  her  heart'  (' me- 
dullis').  Note  the  alliteration  with  '  c,'  as 
in  V.  53,  101,  and  350. 

94.  It  is  better  with  Lachmann  to  join 
this  line  with  the  following  than  with  the 
preceding  one,  as  '  immiti  corde '  applied 
to  Ariadne  would  not  be  easy  to  explain. 
Spoken  of  Cupid  it  may  be  illustrated  by 
Eui.  Hipp.  1274  ''Epojs  <2  fMLVofXiva  Rpa- 
Sia  TTTavos  €(popfj.d(7Ti,  according  to  one 
interpretation  of  the  passage. 

9«.  Cp.  66  (68).  18  '  Non  est  dea  nescia 
nostri,  quae  dulcem  curis  miscet  amaritiem.' 
Muretus  quotes  the  pretty  expression  of 
Musaeus,  yXvKu-niKpov  Kevrpov  ipijTOJV. 
Doering  proposes  '  saeve  puer'  for  '  sancte,' 
but  besides  there  being  no  authority  for 
the  change,  it  would  be  a  mere  repetition 
of  '  immiti  corde.'  For  the  sentiment,  cp. 
Claudian  Nupt.  Hon.  et  Mar.  69  foll. 

96.  Golgi.  A  town  of  Cyprus,  in  ig- 
norance  of  which  the  copyists  wrote  here 
'  Colchos.'  See  34  (36).  14  '  Quae  sanctum 
Idalium. .  .  Colis  quaeque  Amathunta  quae- 
que  Golgos.'  Theocr.  15.  100  (imitated 
perhaps  bv  Catullus)  AfCTTroiv'  a  To\yws 
T€  Kai  'ISaKiov  e<pi\aaas. 

Idalium,  the  name  of  the  forest  as 
well  as  the  town  near  to  it. 

98.  Fluctibus.  Waves  of  trouble  or 
passion,  as  above,  v.  62  '  Magnis  curarum 
fluctuat  undis.' 

In  hospite,  '  sighing  for  the  fair- 
haired  stranger.'  Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  i.  417 
'  Hanc  cupit,  hanc  optat,  solam  suspirat 
in  illam,'  or  (as  Burmann  reads)  '  in  illS, :' 
Ib.  6.  490  '  in  illa  aestuat :'  so  M.  9.  725 
'  ardetque  in   virgine  virgo.'     Not   unlike 


is  Horace's  expression,  Od.  i.  17,  19  '  la- 
borantes  in  uno.' 

100.  Quanto  MSS.,  not  as  in  most 
editions  '  quantum.' 

Expalluit  auri.  The  Latin  poets  are 
often  not  more  precise  than  the  Greek 
as  to  the  relations  of  colour.  But  the  gold 
of  the  ancients  being  much  alloyed  with 
silver  was  no  doubt  of  a  much  paler  hue 
than  ours.  Cp.  79  (81).  4  '  Hospes  inaurata 
pallidior  statua :'  and  Ov.  M.  11.  iio 
(of  Midas)  '  Tollit  humo  saxum,  saxum 
quoque  palluit  auro,'  though  just  above  we 
have  '  fulvum  vertatur  in  aurum.'  There 
is  much  the  same  ambiguit)'  about  the 
Greek  x^f^p^^s.    Ritschel  suggests  '  fulvore.' 

102.  Oppeteret.  Only  applies  to 
'  mortem.'  In  classical  writers  it  seems 
always  used  of  meeting  evil.  Guarinus 
conjectured  '  appeteret.'  The  subjunctive 
represents  the  ground  of  her  anxieties,  '  to 
think  that  Theseus  should  run  the  risk.' 

103.  Non  ingrata.  The  gods  heard 
her  prayers  for  the  success  of  Theseus, 
though  that  success  was  not  to  inspire 
gratitude  or  fidelity  in  him ;  hence  the 
'  nam '  of  105:  the  acceptance  of  the 
prayers  was  shewn  by  the  triumph  of 
Theseus. 

104.  Suspendit,  a  happy  conjecture, 
adopted  into  his  text  by  Orelli  :  '  her 
prayers  hung  unuttered  on  her  speechless 
lips,'  i.  e.  she  was  too  anxious  and  fearful 
to  express  them  in  words,  or  afraid  lest 
she  should  disclose  her  passion  to  her 
father.  Lachm.  reads,  with  the  best  MSS., 
'  succendit,'  which  can  hardly  mean  '  pours 
buming  vows.'  Haupt  has  '  succepit,'  which 
is  very  common  in  connection  with  vows, 
sacrifices,  etc. 


CATULLUS. 


II 


Quercum,  aut  conigeram  sudanti  cortice  pinum 

Indomitum  turben  contorquens  flamine   robur 

Eruit :    illa  procul  radicibus  exturbata 

Prona  cadit,  lateque  et  cominus  obvia  frangens, 

Sic  domito  saevum  prostravit  corpore  Theseus, 

Nequicquam  vanis  jactantem  cornua  ventis. 

Inde  pedem  sospes  multa  cum  laude  reflexit, 

Errabunda  regens  tenui  vestigia  filo, 

Ne  labyrintheis  e  flexibus  egredientem 

Tecti  frustraretur  inobservabilis  error. 

Sed  quid  ego  a  primo  digressus  carmine  plura 

Commemorem?    ut  linquens  genitoris  filia  vultum, 

Ut  consanguineae  complexum,  ut  denique  matris, 

Quae  misera  in  gnata  deperdita  laeta  .     .     . 


io6.  Sudanti  cortice.  In  order  to 
continue  the  image  of  the  'quatientem  bra- 
chia,'  '  nutanti  vortice  '  has  been  read  by 
some  on  slight  authority.  But  the  words 
in  the  text  complete  the  description  of  the 
pine  begun  in  the  epithet  '  conigeram  ;'  the 
variety  is  more  pleasing  than  the  repetition 
of  the  waving  boughs  would  have  been. 
The  simile  is  very  common.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
2.  626  and  5.  448;  Hor.  Od.  4.  6,  10; 
Hom.  II.  4.  482  ;   16.  482  ;   13,  178. 

107.  Indomitum  turben.  This 
seems  to  have  been  the  earliest  reading, 
and  is  adopted  by  Haupt  and  Schwabe. 
We  have  the  same  collateral  form  of 
'  turbo'  in  TibuU.  i.  6,  3,  where,  however, 
'  turben  '  is  masculine. 

Contorquens,  '  wrenching  with  ga- 
thered  force.' 

R  o  b  u  r,  '  the  trunk.' 

108.  For  radicibus  some  MSS.  have 
'  radicitus  ;'  we  have  the  same  variety  in 
Virg.  Ae.  5.  449,  a  parallel  passage  to  this. 

109.  Lateque  et  cominus  ob- 
via.  Of  the  two  ingenious  conjectures 
made  out  of  the  '  tumieius  '  of  the  MSS., 
I  have  chosen  Scaliger's  rather  than  Lach- 
mann's  '  qua  est  impetus,'  the  sense  of 
which  seems  tame.  '  Crashing  all  that 
meets  it  far  or  near.' 

O  b  V  i  a  has  better  authority  than  '  om- 
nia.' 

110.  Saevum,  Doering  thinks,  is  used 
here  like  '  ferus '  in  Virgil,  as  a  substan- 
tive,  '  the  beast  :'  but  he  quotes  no  pas- 
sage  to  justify  the  usage. 

112.  Inde.  From  the  Labyrinth,  where 
the  Minotaur  was  confined. 

113.  Errabundus.    In  its  proper  sense 


'  apt  (but  for  the  thread)  to  wander ;'  a 
participial  adjective,  like  '  pudibundus,' 
'  furibundus,'  and  others. 

114.  Egredientem,  either  '  trying  to 
escape,'  or  for  '  quin  egrederetur,'  '  hinder 
his  escaping.' 

115.  Tecti.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  8.  i68 
'  Tanta  est  fallacia  tecti."  The  Labyrinth 
was  a  covered  space,  with  blank  walls  for 
the  sides  of  its  paths.  See  ViTgiTs  descrip- 
tion  of  it,  Ae.  5.  589  foll.  '  Parietibus 
textum  caecis  iter  ancipitemque  Mille  viis 
habuisse  dolum,  qua  signa  sequendi  Fal- 
leret  indeprensus  et  irremeabilis  error ;' 
the  last  words  of  which  are  a  refined  imi- 
tation  of  this  passage.  Cp.  Ib.  6.  27  '  Hic 
labor  ille  domus  et  inextricabilis  error.' 

Inobservabilis,  a  coinage  probably 
of  Catullus,  not  used,  it  would  seem,  by 
any  other  poet. 

119.  There  have  been  numerous  at- 
tempts  to  supply  the  loss  of  a  word  in 
the  MSS.  of  this  line,  all  more  or  less 
unsatisfactory.  Lachmarm  suggests  '  lae- 
tabatur,'  of  which  the  meaning  is  not 
clear.  Professor  Conington,  '  lamentata 
est.'  Sillig  proposed  '  Quae  misera  ingra- 
tam  fleret  deperdita,  laeta,'  the  last  word 
being  joined  with  the  following  line,  =  '  she 
joyfully  preferred.'  Could  Catullus  have 
written  '  Quae  misera  ingratam  gnatam 
deperdita  flebat,'  the  '  gnatam'  getting 
mixed  up  with  '  ingratam,'  and  then 
dropping  out  altogether.  The  MSS. 
have  '  leta,'  from  which  the  change  to 
'  fiebat '  cannot  be  thought  extravagant. 
*  Ingratam,'  i.  e.  seeming  ungrateful  from 
being  so  ready  to  leave  her  home  with 
Theseus. 


1  i  CATULLUS. 

Omnibus  his  Thesei  dulcem  praeoptarit  amorem  ?      120 
Aut  ut  vecta  rati  spumosa  ad  litora  Diae 
Venerit,  aut  ut  eam  devinctam  lumina  somno 
Liquerit  immemori  discedens  pectore  conjunx  ? 
Saepe  illam  perhibent  ardenti  corde  furentem 
Clarisonas  imo  fudisse  e  pectore  voces;  125 

Ac  tum  praeruptos  tristem  conscendere  montes 
Unde  aciem  in  pelagi  vastos  protenderet  aestus  j 
Tum  tremuli  salis  adversas  procurrere  in  undas 
Mollia  nudatae  toUentem  tegmina  surae  j 
Atque  haec  extremis  maestam  dixisse  querelis  130 

Frigidulos  udo  singultus  ore  cientem : 
Siccine  me  patriis  avectam,  perfide,  ab  oris, 
Perfide,  deserto  liquisti  in  litore,  Theseu  ? 
Siccine  discedens,  neglecto  numine  divum, 
Immemor  ah!  devota  domum  perjuria  portas?  135 

Nullane  res  potuit  crudelis  flectere  mentis 
Consilium?   tibi  nulla  fuit  clementia  praesto, 
Immite  ut  nostri  vellet  miserescere  pectus? 
At  non  haec  quondam  nobis  promissa  dedisti 
Voce;   mihi  non  haec  miserae  sperare  jubebas,  140 


120.  Praeoptarit.  Scanned  as  a  tri-  dulus,'  '  tenellulus,'  '  aridulus,'  '  imulus,' 
syllable,  like  '  prohibeat '  and  '  coaluerint '  '  eruditulus,'  '  integellus,'  '  moUicellus,'  and 
in  Lucretius.     The  MSS.  have  '  portaret.'  others. 

121.  2.  Rati  Venerit.  I  have  Udo,  '  choked  with  tears.'  Cp.  Virg. 
adopted  Lachmann's  emendation  of  these  Ae.  7-  533  '  Udae  vocis  iter.' 

two  Hnes.     The  objections  to  '  vecta  ratis'  132.  Siccine.     Plautus,  Rud.  2.  4,  12, 

are  slight,  but  the  'eam'  following  directly  uses  '  sicce,'  a  form  of  '  sic,'  Hke  '  hicce,' 

after  to   denote   a   different   subject    from  '  ecce,'  the  affix  '  ce  '  or  '  ci '  answering  to 

•  ratis'  would  be  most  awkward.  There  is  a  the  Greek  1  in  ovToiffi.    '  Siccine  '  is  rarely, 

gap  in  the  MSS.  after  'eam,'  which  has  been  if  ever,  used  by  Virgil  or  Ovid. 
filled  up  with  '  tristi '  and  '  dulci,'  the  latter  For  oris  the  MSS.  give  '  aris.' 

recommended  by  the  Une  from  the  Ciris.  135.  Devota,  sc.  'morti'or  'poenae'  = 

122.  Devinctam,  preferable  to  the  '  thy  doomed  perjury.'  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  4, 
'  devictam  '  of  some  texts.     Cp.  Ciris,  206  27  '  devota  arbos.' 

'  Jamque     adeo    dulci    devinctus    lumina  Portas,   i.  e.   '  Instead   of  bearing  me 

somno   Nisus    erat ;'  the    two    words    are  with   you,   you    carry  home   nothing  but 

often    confounded,    as    e.  g.  Lucr.  I.  34;  your  false  vows  and  their  doom.' 
Livy  5.  44,  7,  138.    Miserescere.        A      necessary 

128.  Tremuli.      Cp.  Ov.  Her.  11.  75  change  of  'mitescere'  (MSS.),  which  last 

'  Ut  mare  flt  tremulum,  tenui  quum  strin-  Doering    almost    alone    retains.       There 

gitur  aura ;'  the  sea  is  described  with  the  is    no    authority    for    the     genitive    after 

epithet    best    corresponding    to    Ariadne's  '  mitescere  '  =  '  softening    towards    me,' 

own  state,  'restless,'  '  agitated.'  though  'nostri'  might  be  taken  with  '  im- 

131.  Frigidulos,  '  faint,  feeble  sobs.'  mite,' =  '  pitiless  to  me.' 
Cp.Virg.Ae.  11.338 'frigidabello  dextera.'  140.   Mihi.     Somewhat  awkward  after 

Catullus  is  very  partial  to  the  diminutives  of  '  nobis,'  whence   some   have   adopted   the 

adjectives  :   we   have    '  uvidulus,'    '  langui-  '  blanda  promissa  dedisti'  of  some  MSS., 


CATULLUS. 

Sed  connubia  laeta,  sed  optatos  hymenaeos: 

Quae  cuncta  aerii  discerpunt  irrita  venti. 

Nunc  jam  nulla  viro  juranti  femina  credat, 

Nulla  viri  speret  sermones  esse  fideles  : 

Quis  dum  aliquid  cupiens  animus  praegestit  apisci, 

Nil  metuunt  jurare,  nihil  promittere  parcunt : 

Sed  simul  ac  cupidae  mentis  satiata  libido  est, 

Dicta  nihil  metuere,  nihil  perjuria  curant. 

Certe  ego  te  in  medio  versantem  turbine  leti 

Eripui,  et  potius  germanum  amittere  crevi, 

Quam  tibi  fallaci  supremo  in  tempore  deessem. 

Pro  quo  dilaceranda  feris  dabor^  alitibusque 

Praeda,  neque  injecta  tumulabor  mortua  terra. 

Quaenam  te  genuit  sola  sub  rupe  leaena  ? 

Quod  mare  conceptum  spumantibus  expuit  undis, 

Quae  Syrtis,  quae  Scylla  rapax,  quae  vasta  Charybdis, 


»3 


•45 


55 


joining  '  mihi '  with  this  part  of  the  sen- 
tence.  Lachmann,  however,  and  Haupt 
read  as  in  the  text.  A  greater  difficuUy 
arises  from  the  apparent  construction  of 
'  jubeo '  with  a  dative  before  an  infini- 
tive,  usually  supposed  to  be  a  characteristic 
only  of  later  writers.  Orelli  would  take 
the  '  mihi '  after  '  sperare,'  '  hope  such  for 
myself,'  which  perhaps  is  the  safest  course 
in  the  absence  of  any  certain  example  of 
this  construction  with  'jubeo.'  See  Bur- 
mann's  note  on  Ov.  M.  8.  752,  where 
Heinsius  with  one  MS.  has  '  famulisque 
jubet,'  and  all  the  rest  '  famulos ;'  and 
Emesti  on  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Att.  9.  13  '  Hae 
mihi  Hterae  Dolabellae  jubent  ad  pristinas 
cogitationes  reverti,'  where  the  '  mihi '  cau 
obviously  be  taken  otherwise  than  with 
'  jubent.'  Weber,  in  the  present  passage 
foUowing  the  Aldine  and  other  editions, 
reads  '  miseram,'  couphng  '  mihi '  with 
'  dedisti,'  and  adopting  '  blanda  '  instead 
of  '  nobis.' 

142.  Irrita.  Cp.  v.  59  '  Irrita  ventosae 
linquens  promissa  procellae.'  The  following 
line  is  referred  to  by  Ovid,  Fast.  3.  475. 

145.  Praegestit,  'eagerly longs,'  as  in 
Hor.  Od.  2.  5,  9  '  Ludere  praegestientis.' 
Cp. 'praedulcis,'  'praefidens,'  'praefervidus.' 
The  form  '  apisci '  is  rarely  used  by  the 
poets  later  than  Lucretius  and  Catullus. 

148.  Metuere,  aorist,  '  are  wont  to 
fear.'  This  passage  is  referred  to  by  Ti- 
bullus,  3.  6,  39-42  '  Sic  cecinit  pro  te 
doctus,  Minoi,  Catullus,'  etc. 


149.  Certe.  Even  if  fidelity  could  not 
influence  you,  gratitude  at  least  might. 

Versantem  =  'versatum,'  '  writhing,' 
'  struggling  ;'  present  participle  of  the  de- 
ponent  'versor.'  It  would  be  awkward  to 
take  it  here  in  its  active  sense,  as  goveniing 
'  germanum.' 

150.  Germanum.  The  '  Minotaur,' 
the  ofFspring  of  Pasiphae,  Ariadne's  mother. 

Crevi,  '  decided,'  '  resolved,'  a  rare  use 
of 'cernere.'  Lucilius  has  'Postquam  prae- 
sidium  castris  educere  crevit.' 

151.  Quam  ..  deessem,  '  than  fail 
thee,  false  one,  in  thine  hour  of  need.' 
For  '  deessem'  see  v.  83,  '  portarentur.' 

In,  with  'tempore,'  as  often  in  Lucre- 
tius,  though  more  necessary  here  as  de- 
noting  circumstances  even  more  than 
time. 

153.  Injecta.  A  few  handfuls  of  earth 
were  held  sufficient  to  save  from  the  evil 
consequences  of  being  unburied.  Ariadne 
means  that  she  will  not  receive  even  these. 
Cp.  Hor.  Od.  I.  28,  25  and  36  'Injecto 
ter  pulvere.'  See  an  imitation  of  this  and 
the  following  passage  in  the  Ciris,  441-6. 
The  MSS.  give  '  intacta,'  whence  Mr.  Ellis 
reads  '  injacta.' 

154.  Cp.  58  (60),  I  '  Num  te  leaena 
montibus  Libystinis,'  &c.,  and  TibuU.  3.  4, 
85-91,  very  like  this  passage  ;  Virg.  Ae. 
4.  365  foU. 

155.  Conceptum,  sc.  '  te.' 
Spumantibus,  i.  e.  fierce  and  cruel  as 

you  their  ofFspring. 


M 


CATULLUS. 


Talia  qui  reddis  pro  dulci  praemia  vita  ? 

Si  tibi  non  cordi  fuerant  connubia  nostra, 

Saeva  quod  horrebas  prisci  praecepta  parentis, 

Attamen  in  vestras  potuisti  ducere  sedes,  i6o 

Quae  tibi  jocundo  famularer  serva  labore, 

Candida  permulcens  liquidis  vestigia  lymphis, 

Purpureave  tuum  consternens  veste  cubile. 

Sed  quid  ego  ignaris  nequicquam  conqueror  auris 

Externata  malo,  quae  nuUis  sensibus  auctae  165 

Nec  missas  audire  queunt,  nec  reddere  voces? 

Ille  autem  prope  jam  mediis  versatur  in  undis, 

Nec  quisquam  apparet  vacua  mortaUs  in  alga. 

Sic  nimis  insultans  extremo  tempore  saeva 

Fors  etiam  nostris  invidit  questibus  aures.  170 

Jupiter  omnipotens,  utinam  ne  tempore  primo 

Gnosia  Cecropiae  tetigissent  litora  puppes, 

Indomito  nec  dira  ferens  stipendia  tauro 


157.  Pro  dulci  vita,  '  in  return  for 
the  sweet  gift  of  life,'  which  Ariadne  had 
bestowed  in  rescuing  him  from  the  Mi- 
notaur. 

159.  Prisci,  'stem,'  'severe,'  as  in  Hor. 
Od.  3.  21,  II  '  prisci  Catonis,'  and  Virg. 
Copa,  34  '  Ah,  pereat  cui  sunt  prisca  su- 
percilia.' 

Praecepta  parentis,  Aegeus  being 
supposed  to  have  interdicted  Theseus  from 
marrying  without  his  consent. 

160.  Vestras.  After  '  tibi,'  like  '  no- 
bis'  after  '  mihi '  in  v.  139,  140.  For 
'  vester'  =  '  tuus'  see  37  (39).  20  ;  69  (71). 
3  ;  97  (99).  6.  Here,  however,  it  may  sig- 
nify  '  thine  and  thy  father's  house.'  See  the 
imitation  of  this  passage  in  the  Ciris,  444 
'  Mene  alias  inter  famularum  munere  fun- 
gi,'  etc. 

162.  Vestigia.  For  the  feet  them- 
selves,  asin  Virg.  Ae.  5.  566  '  Vestigia  primi 
Alba  pedis.'     Cp.  Ov.  M.  5.  592  ;  4.  343. 

163.  Veste,  see  on  v.  50. 

164.  Ignaris,  '  that  cannot  under- 
stand,'  '  senseless  ;'  as  explained  in  the  next 
line.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  7.  593  '  Multa  Deos 
aurasque  pater  testatus  inanes.'  Wakef. 
conjectures  '  ingratis.' 

165.  For  externata,  see  above  on  v. 
71.    Good  MSS.  here  have  '  extenuata.' 

Auctae,  '  fumished,'  '  endowed  with;' 
a  sense  common  in  Lucretius,  as  3.  630 
'  Sic  animas  introduxerunt  sensibus  auctas,' 
Id.  5.  1175. 


168.  Nec ..  mortalis,  'no  creature 
may  be  seen  along  the  lonely  shore,'  i.  e. 
that  could  hear  my  complaint. 

For  alga,  see  on  v.  60. 

169.  Extremo  tempore,  as  above, 
v.  151  '  supremo  in  tempore.' 

170.  Etiam  invidit,  i.  e.  carries  her 
enmity  so  far  as  to  grudge  me  not  only 
relief,  but  even  any  ears  to  Hsten  to  my 
moanings. 

171.  Utinam  ne.  One  MS.  has  '  nec,' 
while  Macrob.,  Sat.  6.  I,  quotes  the  line 
with  '  non.'     AU  three  are  admissible. 

Tempore  primo,  '  that  first  day  I 
saw  thee,'  as  Doering  takes  it ;  but  might 
it  not  have  the  signification  of  dpx'f)i', 
'  Would  that  they  never  had  come  at  ali'  ? 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  657,  8  '  Felix,  heu  nimium 
felix,  si  litora  tantum  Nunquam  Dardaniae 
tetigissent  nostra  carinae.' 

173.  Stipendia.  The  youths  and 
maidens  for  the  Minotaur.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
6.  20  '  pendere  poenas  Cecropidae  jussi 
(miserum)  septena  quotannis  Corpora  na- 
tomm.'  The  lengthened  '  i '  shows  the 
word  is  a  contraction  from  '  stipi-pendia.' 
The  myth  of  the  Minotaur  probably 
arose  from  the  Cretan  worship  of  the 
Phoenician  Moloch,  the  image  of  which 
was  a  human  figure  with  a  buirs  head, 
representing  the  fiery  powers  of  the 
Sun.  The  victory  of  Theseus  shadows 
forth  the  extinction  of  the  rite  by  the 
great  civilizer. 


CATULLUS. 


16 


Perfidus  in  Crctam  religasset  navita  funem, 

Nec  malus  hic,  celans  dulci  crudelia  forma  175 

Consilia,  in  nostris  requiesset  sedibus  hospes  1 

Nunc  quo  me  referam  ?    quali  spe  perdita  nitar  ? 

Idaeosne  petam  montes?    a  gurgite  lato 

Discernens  ponti  truculentum  ubi  dividit  aequor? 

An  patris  auxilium  sperem?    quemne  ipsa  reliqui,     180 

Respersum  juvenem  fraterna  caede  secuta? 

Conjugis  an  fido  consoler  memet  amore  ? 

Quine  fugit  lentos  incurvans  gurgite  remos  ? 

Praeterea  nullo  litus,  sola  insula,  tecto: 

Nec  patet  egressus  pelagi  cingentibus  undis.  185 

Nulla  fugae  ratio,  nulla  spes:   omnia  muta. 


174.  Religasset..  funem,  '  bound 
his  hawsers,'  i.  e.  moored  his  vessel  to 
the  Cretan  shore.  Some  would  translate 
here  '  loosed  his  cable  for  the  vo^^age 
to  Crete,'  just  as  in  Hor.  Od.  1.  32,  7 
'  Sive  jactatam  religarat  udo  Litore  na- 
vim ;'  but  '  in '  could  hardly  bear  this 
meaning.  The  verb  is  very  rarely  used 
in  the  sense  of  '  unbinding.'  61  (63).  84 
is  one  of  the  only  certain  passages  where 
'  religo  '  =  '  resolvo  '  in  classical  authors. 

In  Cretamisaless  usual  expression  than 
'  ad,'  or  the  ablative  with  or  without  '  ab.' 
Mr.  Ellis,  with  some  MSS.,  reads  '  Creta.' 

176.  Hospes,  to  be  taken  with  '  re- 
quiesset,'  (not  with  '  hic,')  in  the  character 
of  a  guest.  The  reading  in  the  text  is 
ScaHger's  emendation  of  the  '  consilium 
nostris  requisisset '  of  the  MSS. 

178.  Idaeosne.  I  have  adopted  this 
conjectural  reading  of  the  Aldine  editions 
in  preference  to  the  '  Idomeneusne '  of 
Lachmann  and  others.  Thongh  it  may 
be  true  that  Idomene,  in  Macedonia,  was 
founded  by  Idomeneus,  the  grandson  of 
Minos,  it  is  scarcely  likely  that  Ariadne 
would  have  contemplated  it  before  any 
other  as  a  place  of  refuge,  even  if  such 
a  supposition  would  not  involve  as  great  a 
violation  of  time  as  it  does  of  metre.  The 
mention  of  her  own  mountains  of  Ida,  in 
whose  recesses  she  might  hide  herself,  is 
far  more  natural.  One  MS.  reads  '  Idoneos,' 
from  which  the  change  to  '  Idaeos '  is 
slight. 

178.  A,  (MSS.)  ahered  by  some  Edi- 
tors  into  '  ah,'  by  others  into  '  at,'  omitting 
'  ubi'  in  the  next  line.  Possibly  '  ubi'  may 
have  grown  out  of  the  last  letters  of  '  tru- 
culentum.' 


179.  Discernens.  This  is  Lachmann's 
and  Schwabe's  reading  ;  Haupt  prefers  the 
'  discedens'  of  some  editions,  but  this  could 
hardly  signify  '  the  parting  sea.' 

If  pontum  (MSS.)  be  retained,  the 
meaning  is  very  obscure.  Schwabe  and 
Orelli  have  '  ponti.'  Ariadne  shrinks  at 
the  thought  of  the  distance  from  Naxos 
to  Ida  in  Crete. 

180.  Quemne,  '  what  him,  whom  of 
myself  I  left  ?'  Some  MSS.  have  '  quemve.' 
'  Ne '  with  the  pronoun  is  more  often  used 
in  interrogations,  such  as  Hor.  S.  2.  3,  295 
'  Quone  malo  mentem  concussa  ? '  cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  4.  538  ;  10.  673 ;  so  '  uterne,'  Hor.  S. 
2.  2,  107.  Here  it  is  rather  equivalent 
to  '  anne  ejus,  qui,'  etc,  as  three  lines 
below,  '  quine.'  Cp.  Ter.  And.  4.  4,  29 
'  Quemne  ego  heri  vidi  ad  vos  afferri 
vesperi '  =  '  Do  you  mean  the  boy  ?  ' 

182.  Fido  is  of  course  ironical. 

183.  Lentos,  '  the  pliant  oars  ;'  hence 
Virgil's  '  Ante  et  Trinacria  lentandus  remus 
in  unda,'  Ae.  3.  384.  The  more  the  oars 
bent  with  the  stroke,  the  swifter  the 
flight.  Lachmann  notices  a  curious  read- 
ing,  '  unctos.' 

184.  Voss  tries  to  remedy  the  abrupt- 
ness  of  this  line  by  reading  '  Praeterea 
nullo  (litus  solum)  insula  tecto.'  Lach- 
mann,  following  the  MSS.,  leaves  it  as  in 
the  text.  Cp.  Ov.  Her.  10.  59  (who  seems 
to  have  imitated  it)  '  Quid  faciam  ?  quo 
sola  ferar  ?  vacat  insula  cultu.' 

186.  NuIIa  spes.  This  is  one  of  the 
instances  which  bear  out  the  rule  of  Dawes 
that  the  Latin  poets  after  Lucretius  length- 
ened  a  naturally  short  vowel  at  the  end  of 
a  word  before  SC,  SP,  SQ_,  ST.  Cp.  65 
(67).  32  '  supposita  specula.'    But  there  are 


i6 


CATULLUS. 


Omnia  sunt  deserta,  ostentant  omnia  letum. 
Non  tamen  ante  mihi  languescent  lumina  morte, 
Nec  prius  a  fesso  secedent  corpore  sensus, 
Quam  justam  a  divis  exposcam  prodita  mulctam, 
Coelestumque  fidem  postrema  comprecer  hora. 
Quare,  facta  virum  mulctantes  vindice  poena 
Eumenides,  quibus  anguino  redimita  capillo 
Frons  expirantes  praeportat  pectoris  iras, 
Huc  huc  adventate,  meas  audite  querelas  j 
Quas  ego,  vae  miserae  I    extremis  proferre  medullis 
Cogor  inops,  ardens,  amenti  caeca  furore. 
Quae  quoniam  verae  nascuntur  pectore  ab  imo, 
Vos  nolite  pati  nostrum  vanescere  luctum, 
Sed  quali  solam  Theseus  me  mente  reliquit, 
Tali  mente,  deae,  funestet  seque  suosque. 
Has  postquam  maesto  profudit  pectore  voces, 
Supplicium  saevis  exposcens  anxia  factis. 


190 


195 


almost  as  many  examples  against,  as  for, 
such  a  rule.  In  the  case  of  '  spes '  Virgil 
has  in  Ae.  1 1 .  309  '  Ponite  :  spes  sibi  quis- 
que.' 

187.  Ostentant.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  i.  gi 
'  Praesentemque  viris  intentant  omnia  mor- 
tem.'   '  All  things  wear  the  look  of  death.' 

189.  Fesso,  'fainting,  exhausted  frame.' 

190.  Exposcam  prodita  mulctam 
is  the  poetical  expression  of  '  proditionis 
mulctam,'  '  the  penalty  for  his  betrayal 
of  me.' 

192.  Facta,  Hke  '  facinus,'  used  by 
itself  both  of  good  and  evil  deeds,  though 
more  often  perhaps  of  the  former. 

Vindice  poena.  '  Vindex '  is  not  un- 
commonly  used  in  this  apposition.  Cp.  Ov. 
Her.  9.  13  '  Respice  vindicibus  pacatum 
viribus  orbem;'  so  '  vindice  fiamma,'  M. 
I.  230.  '  Ultor  '  and  '  victor  '  are  often 
used  in  a  similar  way. 

193.  Anguino.  Doering  alone  has 
'  anguineo,'  for  which  form  of  the  word 
authority  and  analogy  are  sHghter.  See 
Burm.  on  Ov.  Tr.  4.  7,  12,  where  the 
MSS.  seem  to  have  '  anguineis.'  In  Prop. 
5  (4).  8,  10  'anguino'  is  generally  read, 
but  '  anguinea'  in  Tibull.  3.  4,  87.  The 
parallel  forms  '  vulpinus,'  '  collinus,'  '  Ti- 
berinus,'  are  in  favour  of  the  dissyllabic 
termination. 

194.  Expirantes,  '  wears  in  its  front 
the    rage  that   breathes  forth    from   your 


breasts.'  Cp.  Lucr.  6.  638,  9  '  per  fauces 
montis  ut  Aetnae  Expirent  ignes.'  Neither 
'  expiro  '  nor  '  pratporto  '  seem  to  be  used 
elsewhere  in  the  metaphorical  sense  here 
given  them. 

196.  Vae!  misera,  which  Orelli  and 
Schwabe,  with  some  MSS.,  read,  is  better 
suited  to  the  metre,  as  avoiding  an  awk- 
ward  elision,  but  both  Lachmann  and  Haupt 
have  '  miserae.' 

Extremis  medullis,  'the  depths  of 
my  heart,'  =  ' intimis.'  Cp.  Ov.  Her.  4. 
70  '  Acer  in  extremis  ossibus  haesit  amor.' 
'  Ex  imis'  has  been  conjectured  here. 

198.  Verae,  '  sincere,'  as  in  Lucr.  3. 
57  '  Nam  verae  voces  tum  demum  pectore 
ab  imo  Eliciuntur.'  Doering  insipidly  reads, 
with  the  Aldine,  '  vere.' 

199.  V  a  n  e  s  c  e  r  e  is  used  in  the  peculiar 
sense  of  '  to  be  wasted,'  '  to  be  in  vain.' 

200.  Mente.  As  Theseus  had  ruined 
her  by  forgetfulness,  so  she  prays  that  he 
may  ruin  through  the  same  cause  himself 
and  his  kindred.  The  fulfiknent  appears 
in  v.  207  foU.  Compare  especially  v.  246- 
248. 

201.  Funestet,  '  bring  sorrow  on ;'  a 
word  seldom  used  by  the  poets. 

203.  Exposcens  anxia,  '  craving  in 
her  anguish.'  The  poet  is  desirous  of 
palliating  the  cruelty  of  her  prayer  by  re- 
presenting  Ariadne  as  maddened  by  her 
grief.    Cp.  v.  197  '  Cogor — caeca  furore.' 


CATULLUS. 


17 


Annuit  invicto  coelestum  numine  rector, 

Quo  tunc  et  tellus,  atque  horrida  contremuerunt  205 

Aequora,  concussitque  micantia  sidera  mundus. 

Ipse  autem  caeca  mentem  caligine  Theseus 

Consitus  oblito  dimisit  pectore  cuncta, 

Quae  mandata  prius  constanti  mente  tenebat : 

Dulcia  nec  maesto  sustollens  signa  parenti  2fo 

Sospitem  Erechtheum  se  ostendit  visere  portum. 

Namque  ferunt  olim  classi  cum  moenia  Divae 

Linquentem  gnatum  ventis  concrederet  Aegeus, 

Talia  complexum  juveni  mandata  dedisse; 

Gnate  mihi  longa  jocundior  unice  vita,  215 

Gnate,  ego  quem  in  dubios  cogor  dimittere  casus, 

Reddite  in  extrema  nuper  mihi  fine  senectae, 

Quandoquidem  fortuna  mea,  ac  tua  fervida  virtus 

Eripit  invito  mihi  te,  cui  languida  nondum 


204.  Annuit.  Cp.  Honi.  11.  I.  528, 
and  Virg.  Ae.  9.  106  '  Annuit  et  totum 
nutu  tremefecit  Olympum.' 

For  invicto  good  MSS.  have  '  invito,' 
which  would  mean  that  Jove  granted  Ari- 
adne's  prayer,  though  unwillingly. 

Numen  is  here  equivalent  to  '  nutus,' 
as  occasionally  in  the  Latin  poets.  See 
Mr.  Munro's  note  on  Lucr.  2.  632,  where 
Lachmann  changes  '  numine'  (MSS.)  into 
'  nomine.' 

205.  Horrida,  either  '  rough,'  as  in  Hor. 
Od.  3.  24,  40,  or,  better,  '  shuddering.' 

Contremuerunt  =  '  quivered  all  at 
once.'  Cp.  Lucr.  3.  847  '  Horrida  contre- 
muere  sub  altis  aetheris  auris.' 

206.  Concussitque  .  .  mundus,  '  hea- 
ven  shook  all  at  once  her  trembling  stars  :' 
'  mundus '  here,  as  often  in  Lucretius  in 
the  phrase  '  sidera  mundi,'  and  VirgiFs 
'  mundi  sol  aureus,'  stands  for  the  '  hea- 
vens.'  A  few  texts  have  '  concussusque,' 
'  vana  (says  Orelli)  elegantia  ac  digniore 
Lucano  quam  Catullo.' 

207.  Ipse,  '  on  his  part,'  marking  the 
transition  from  Jupiter  and  Ariadne  to  the 
subject  of  the  latter's  prayer  and  the 
former's  punishment :  a  common  use  of 
the  pronoun  in  Virgil. 

208.  Consitus,  '  covered  with  blinding 
darkness,'  infiicted  by  Jove,  and  the  cause 
of  Theseus'  forgetfulness.  This  is  a  very 
rare  use  of  the  verb  '  conserere,'  suggested 
perhaps  by  the  association  of  contraries : 
Lucretius    (2.  2ll)   has    '  lumine    conserit 


arva.'     Cp.  Plaut.  Men.  5.  2,  4  '  Consitus 
sum  senectute.' 

210.  SustoUens:  used  below  (v.  235) 
and  in  Lucretius  and  Plautus,  but  not  in 
the  later  classical  poets. 

211.  The    reading    Erechtheum    is 

p 
Voss's  ingenious  conjecture  for  the  '  erec- 

tum '  of  the  MSS.  and  the  '  et  ereptum ' 

of  some  editions. 

212.  Classi.  So  Lachmann,  with  many 
MSS.  Haupt  adopts  an  old  reading  '  castae,' 
in  favour  of  which  it  may  be  said  that 
'  Divae '  by  itself,  without  a  distinguish- 
ing  epithet,  stands  somewhat  abruptly  for 
'  Pallas,'  though  with  '  Erechtheum  por- 
tum  '  in  the  line  before  it  can  scarcely  be 
said  to  be  left  obscure.  Pallas  is  the  god- 
dess  connected  with  cities  generally ;  cp. 
Virg.  E.  2.  61,  where  the  antithesis  is  be- 
tween  'arces'  and  '  silvae.' 

217.  Reddite.  Some  interpret  this  as 
'  given  in  my  old  age,'  =  TijKvyfTOS.  It 
seems  better  to  explain  it  in  accordance 
with  the  legends  of  Theseus  being  re- 
stored  to  his  father  after  the  romantic 
enterprises  of  his  youth,  and  his  early 
sojoum  with  Pittheus,  his  grandfather,  at 
Troezen. 

Extrema  (MSS.),  altered  into  '  ex- 
tremae '  needlessly,  '  finis  '  being  often  femi- 
nine,  especially  in  the  earlier  poets. 

218.  Fortuna  mea,  '  my  evil  destiny,' 
as  in  Hor.  Od.  3.  3,  61  '  Trojae . .  fortuna.' 
The  life  of  Aegeus  throughout  is  repre- 
sented  as  unfortunate. 


i8 


CATULLUS. 


Lumina  sunt  gnati  cara  saturata  figura,  220 

Non  ego  te  gaudens  laetanti  pectore  mittam, 
Nec  te  ferre  sinam  fortunae  signa  secundae, 
Sed  primum  multas  expromam  mente  querelas 
Canitiem  terra,  atque  infuso  pulvere  foedans" 
Inde  infecta  vago  suspendam  lintea  malo,  z^e; 

Nostros  ut  luctus  nostraeque  incendia  mentis 
Carbasus  obscurata  decet  ferrugine  Hibera. 
Quod  tibi  si  sancti  concesserit  incola  Itoni, 
Quae  nostrum  genus,  ac  sedes  defendere  Erechthei 
Annuit,  ut  tauri  respergas  sanguine  dextram,  230 

Tum  vero  facito,  ut  memori  tibi  condita  corde 
Haec  vigeant  mandata,  nec  ulla  oblitteret  aetas : 
Ut  simul  ac  nostros  invisent  lumina  colles, 
Funestam  antemnae  deponant  undique  vestem, 
Candidaque  intorti  sustollant  vela  rudentes,  235 


221.  G  a  u  d  e  n  s,  i.  e.  as  though  the  issue 
of  the  enterprise  was  sure  to  be  successful. 

224.  Canitiem  =  '  canos  ;'  this  hne  is 
perhaps  imitated  by  O v.  M.  8.  528,  more  cer- 
tainly  by  Virg.  Ae.  12.  611  :  cp.  Ib.  10.  844. 

225.  Inde,  answering  to  '  primum,' 
V.  223.  '  Next,  I  will  hang  dark  sails  on 
thy  roving  mast,  since  canvas  shaded  with 
Iberia's  dusky  hues  best  suits  the  grief  and 
burning  anguish  of  my  heart.' 

227.  Decet  is  Lachmann's  emendation 
of  the  MSS.,  which  give  '  obscurata  dicet,' 
or  '  dicat.'  Doering  and  Weber  have 
'  obscura  dicat,'  one  objection  to  which 
lies  in  the  double  epithet  of  '  ferrugo ; ' 
though  Doering  would  take  '  Hibera  '  as  a 
nominative  with  '  carbasus,'  i.  e.  sails  of 
Spanish  flax,  Hke  the  '  funis  Iberici'  of  Hor. 
Epod.  4.  3  ;  besides.  no  reason  is  given  for 
changing  '  obscurata'  into  '  obscura.' 

Hibera.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.9.582  'ferrugine 
clarus  Hibera.'  The  country  which  pro- 
duced  the  dye  is  held  by  many  not  to  be 
Spain,  but  the  Asiatic  'Iberia,'  which  is  the 
modern  Georgia. 

228.  Incola  Itoni,  Athena,  who  had 
a  celebrated  temple  at  Iton  or  Itonus  in 
Phthiotis  (Hom.  II.  2.  696).  Cp.  Apoll. 
R.  I.  551,  where  the  ship  Argo  is  called 
(pyov  'AOr^vairjs  'ItojviSos.  In  the  Greek 
form  the  first  syllable  is  long,  but  is 
shortened  by  tlie  Latin  poets.  Cp.  Stat. 
Theb.  2.  72  1  ;    7.  330. 

229.  Erechthei.  This  conjecture  of 
Voss  is  now  generally  received,  though 
Doering  retains  '  defendere  fretis,'  (a  modi- 


fication  of  the  MS.  reading  '  freti,')  with 
the  somewhat  anomalous  signification  'fa- 
vours  those  who  venture  to  defend.' 

230.  Annuo  is  not  uncommonly  used 
with  an  infinitive,  as  e.g.  Virg  Ae.  ir.  19 
'  ubi  primum  vellere  signa  Annuerint  superi.' 

2;?2.  Oblitteret;  not  uncommon  in 
prose,  but  extremely  seldom  in  the  poets! 
Ausonius  Ep.  19,  14  '  quos  fama  obHtterat.' 

233.  Simul  ac.  One  of  the  best  MSS. 
has  '  haec  '  =  '  tua  ; '  but  '  haec  '  would 
more  naturally  refer  not  to  Theseus',  but 
his  father's  eyes ;  therefore  with  Lachmann 
and  Haupt  I  have  read  '  ac'  There  is  the 
same  confusion  in  v.  229  between  '  has  ' 
and  '  ac' 

Invisent,  '  come  within  sight  of.' 

234.  Funestam  vestem,  '  the  death- 
foreboding  sail.'  Cp.  Ov.  M.  10.  216 
'  Funestaque  littera  ducta  est.' 

235.  Intorti  is  simply  an  epithet 
of  the  ropes ;  it  can  hardly  refer  to  the 
coil,  in  which  the  sheets  lay  ■  before  the 
sails  were  hoisted,  as  opposed  to  the  '  ex- 
cussi '  of  Virg.  Ae.  3.  267  '  Excussosque 
jnbet  laxare  rudentes.'  After  this  verse  has 
been  introduced  by  Muretus  a  line  which, 
though  appearing  in  no  MS.,  has  been 
fathered  on  CatuIIus  bv  the  grammarian 
Nonius,  '  Lucida  qua  splendent  summi  car- 
chesia  mali.'  Doering  alone  receives  it 
into  his  text  without  suspicion.  Ast  urges 
the  retention  of  the  line  as  necessary  to 
give  force  to  '  quam  primum  cernens.' 

Rudentes,  the  '  sheets '  fastened  to 
the  ends  of  the  sails  (pedes^. 


CATULLUS. 


19 


Quamprimum  cernens  ut  laeta  gaudia  mente 
Agnoscam,  cum  te  reducem  aetas  prospera  sistet. 
Haec  mandata  prius  constanti  mente  tenentem 
Thesea,  ceu  pulsae  ventorum  flamine  nubes 
Aerium  nivei  montis,  liquere,  cacumen.  240 

At  pater,  ut  summa  prospectum  ex  arce  petebat, 
Anxia  in  assiduos  absumens  lumina  fletus, 
Cum  primum  infecti  conspexit  iintea  veli, 
Praecipitem  sese  scopulorum  e  vertice  jecit 
Amissum  credens  immiti  Thesea  fato.  245 

Sic  funesta  domus  ingressus  tecta  paterna 
Morte  ferox  Theseus,  qualem  Minoidi  luctum 
Obtulerat  mente  immemori,  talem  ipse  recepit. 
Qaae  tamen  adspectans  cedentem  maesta  carinam 
Multiplices  animo  volvebat  saucia  curas.  250 

At  parte  ex  alia  florens  volitabat  lacchus 


236.  Gaudia,  as  often  =  the  cause  of 
joy  :  '  welcome  the  glad  sign  (omen).' 

237.  Aetas,  '  when  a  happy  time  shall 
have  brought  you  safe  back  to  me.'  '  Sors ' 
and  '  fors'  are  mere  conjectures  for  '  aetas.' 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  8.  200  '  Attulit  et  nobis  ali- 
quando  optantibus  aetas  Auxilium  adven- 
tumque  Dei.' 

240.  Aerium.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  3.  474 
'  Aerias  Alpes.' 

Nivei  is  added  as  a  picturesque  illustra- 
tion  of  the  mountain's  height. 

Liquere,  i.  e.  after  the  curse  of  Ari- 
adne,  v.  200. 

241.  Ex  arce:  not  the  AcropoHs,  but 
'  a  hill-top.'  Cp.  V.  233  '  nostros  invisent 
lumina  colles ;'  and  v.  244  '  scopulorum  e 
vertice.'  With  the  alliteration  in  the  next 
line  cp.  vv.  53,  loi,  159,  262  ;  instances 
of  a  less  direct  assonance  occur  in  i,  3, 
37,  241,  261,  282,  297,  389. 

242.  Absumens.  The  use  of  this  verb 
with  '  in  '  is  very  rare,  though  '  consumo  ' 
is  occasionally  found  in  a  similar  construc- 
tion,  as  '  pharetrae  pondus  consumit  in  ar- 
cus,'  Prop.  5  (4).  6,  55.  Compare  the 
Greek  avaXiaKtiv  ds  ti. 

Fluctus  has  been  needlessly  suggested 
for  fletus. 

243.  Infecti.  With  Haupt  I  adopt 
this  happy  conjecture  for  the  MS.  reading 
'  inflati,'  which  Lachmann  preserves,  but 
which  adds  nothing  to  the  meaning  of  the 
line,  whereas  '  infecti,'  i.e.  the  black  sail, 
is  almost  necessary  to  the  context. 

247.   Morte  goes  not  with  'ferox'  = 


'exuhant  at  the  Minotaur's  death,'  but  with 
'  funesta,'  = '  the  house  in  mourning  for  his 
father's  death,'  paterna  being  ablative. 

M  i  n  o  i  d  i.  This  is  one  of  the  few 
passages  where  the  imitation  of  the  Greek 
form  is  carried  to  the  extent  of  shortening 
the  final  svUable  of  the  dative.  In  64 
(66).  70,  we  have  '  Lux  autem  canae 
"rethyi  restituit,'  and  in  the  second  epistle 
of  Aulus  Sabinus  (Ovid's  contemporary), 
V.  I  '  Phyllidi  Demophoon  patria  dimittit 
ab  urbe,'  though  here  some  editions  read 
'  hanc  tibi.'  SiOig  considers  '  Minoidi ' 
here  to  be  a  trisyllable.  Some  MSS.  have 
'  Minoida,'  whence  the  conjectural  reading 
'  quali  Minoida  luctu '  (  =  'luctui,'  thedat.), 
'  plunged  her  into  grief.' 

248.  Recepit:  '  re  '  emphatic,  '  met 
with  in  return,'  answering  to  '  obtulerat.' 

249.  Tamen.  Doering's  reading  of 
'  tum  prospectans '  was  probably  an  in- 
vention  of  those  who  were  unable  to  find 
a  meaning  for  'tamen,'  which  is  given  in  the 
best  MSS.     '  Quae  tamen  '  is  not  simply  = 

'  at  illa.'  Perhaps  it  means  that  though 
Ariadne's  love  for  Theseus  made  her  grieve 
at  his  departure,  yet  her  wounded  spirit 
made  her  ponder  vengeance  on  his  treach- 
ery,  the  '  curae  '  here  being  the  '  furores  ' 
of  V.  54,  or  better,  '  though  her  prayer  was 
being  heard,  she  knew  it  not,  but  still 
stood.'  '  Tamen '  is  really  an  apology  for 
the  pictorial  representation  of  her  unal- 
tered  attitude. 

251.  At  parte  ex  alia,  i.e.  another 
device   embroidered  on    the   coverlet   was 

C  2 


CATULLUS. 


Cum  thiaso  Satyrorum,  et  Nysigenis  Silenis, 
Te  quaerens,  Ariadna,  tuoque  incensus  amore : 
Quae  tum  alacres  passim  lympliata  mente  furebant, 
Euhoe   bacchantes,  euhoe,  capita  inflectentes. 
Harum  pars  tecta  quatiebant  cuspide  thyrsos  y 
Pars  e  divolso  jactabant  membra  juvencoj 
Pars  sese  tortis  serpentibus   incingebantj 
Pars  obscura  cavis  celebrabant  orgia  cistis, 
Orgia,  quae  frustra  cupiunt  audire  profani. 
Plangebant  aliae  proceris  tympana  palmis, 
Aut  tereti  tenues  tinnitus  aere  ciebant. 
Multis  raucisonos  efflabant  cornua  bombos, 
Barbaraque  horribili  stridebat  tibia  cantu. 


255 


260 


Bacchus  and  his  attendants  looking  for  the 
forsaken  Ariadne.  The  same  scene  is  de- 
picted  by  Ovid,  Ars  Am.  i.  527  foll. 

Florens  :  Dryden's  'Bacchas,  ever  fair 
and  ever  yoiing.' 

■252.  Nysigenis  Silenis.  It  appears 
that  the  older  Satyrs  were  usually  termed 
'  Sileni '  or  '  Seileni,'  represented  with  bald 
heads  and  beards  as  contrasted  with  the 
younger  larvpiaKoi.  We  have  the  'S.iiKt]- 
voX  mentioned  in  Hom.  Hym.  ad  Ven. 
263.  Beirsg  the  constant  companions  of 
Bacchus  they  are  called,  Hke  him,  natives 
of  the  Indian  '  Nysa.'  The  individual 
Silenus  is  only  the  most  prorrunent  per- 
sonage  of  tbe  group. 

255.  Enhoe.  Cp.  v.  6l  andnote  ;  and 
with  '  capita  inflectentes '  cp.  61  (63).  23 
'  Ubi  capita  Maenades  vi  jaciunt  hederi- 
gerae.'  As  the  foUowing  practices  and 
rites  are  usually  ascribed  to  the  female 
Bacchanals,  and  the  best  MSS.  read, 
as  below,  '  harum '  and  '  aliae,'  I  in- 
cline  to  Haupt's  supposition  that  a  hne  has 
dropped  out  after  v.  253,  in  which  special 
mention  was  made  of  the  Maenades,  to 
which  the  '  quae '  (MSS.  '  qui ')  of  v. 
254  wonld  refer.  OrelH,  however,  main- 
tains  that  on  ancient  monuments  the  Fauni 
and  Sileni,  no  less  than  the  Maenads,  are 
represented  with  drums  and  c}Tnbals,  aiid 
as  employed  in  the  same  ministrations  as 
the  female  Bacchanals. 

256.  Tecta  cuspide.  Cp.  Virg.  E.  5. 
30  '  Daphnis  thiasos  inducere  Bacchi  Et  foh"is 
lentas  intexere  mollibus  hastas.'  With  the 
following  passage  cp.  Eur.  Bacchae  739 
foll.  aWai  8«  hayMkas  Stfcpopovv  atrapocy- 
fiaaiv ;  Ib.  103  9(ov  aTftpdvajaev  re  dpa- 
Kuvraiv  arnpavois,  tvOtv  aypav  @vpao(p6poi 
IxaivdSfs  a.n<pi^a.\\ovTai  iT\oKafiois.     See 


too  Hor.  Od.  2.  19,  19  foll.  '  Noda  coerces- 
viperino  Bistonidum  suie  fraude  crines.' 

259.  Obscura,   '  mystic' 
Celabant   has  been   corrjectirred    here 

for  '  celebrabant.' 

CJstis.  Thc  sacred  chest  which  held 
the  utensils  for  the  rites.  Cp.  Ov.  Ars 
Ani.  2.  609  '  Condita  si  non  sunt  Veneris 
mysteria  dstis.'  See  Theocr.  26.  7  (of  the 
Bacchae)  hpa  5'  tK  Kiaras  wfnovafj.(va 
Xfpolv  (\oiaat  Eu<pdna}S  KariOivro  vto- 
BpeiTTajv  firl  ^aifjMV. 

260.  Audire,   '  comprehend.' 

261.  Proceris,  'apraised.'  The  drums 
and  cymbals  always  went  together  in  the 
BacchanaHan  rites.  Cp.  61  (63).  29  '  Leve 
tympanum  remugit,  cava  cyrabala  recre- 
pa-nt.' 

262.  Tereti  aere,  ' the  round  cymbals.' 
Tenues,  '  sharp,'  'treble,'  as  contrasted 

with  the  deep  tones  of  the  'tympanum.' 
The  aUiteration  in  both  these  lines  is  sig- 
nificant.  Compare  a  fragment  of  the 
'HSiwoi  of  Aeschyius,  from  which  this 
passage  may  have  been  imitated.     Fragm. 

54  (Ddf.). 

263.  Multis,  the  dative:  the  varia- 
tion  in  the  construction  is  pleasing,  rather 
than  otherwise.  The  MSS.  give  '  multi ' 
or  '  multaque.' 

Raucisonos,  '  hoarse,  hollow  boom- 
ings  of  the  horn.' 

264.  Barbara  ..  tibia  :  cp.  61  (63).  22 
'  Tibicen  ubi  canit  Phryx  curvo  grave 
calamo.'  The  epithet  '  barbarus '  seems 
to  have  been  specially  applied  to  the 
Phrygians.  Cp.  the  '  barbarico  auro  '  of 
Virg.  Ae.  2.  504,  and  Hor.  Epod.  9.  6 
'  Sonante  mixtum  tibiis  carmen  lyrs,  Hac 
Dorium,  ilHs  barbarum,'  and  many  other 
places. 


CATULLUS.  -2t 

Talibus  amplifice  vestis  decorata  iiguris  265 

Pulvinar  complexa  suo  velabat  amictu. 

Quae  postquam  cupide  spectando  Thessala  pubes 

Expleta  est,  sanctis  coepit  decedere  divis. 

Hic  qualis  flatu  placidum  mare  matutino 

Horrificans  Zephyrus  proclivas   incitat  undas,  270 

Aurora  exoriente,  vagi  sub  limina  Solis, 

Quae  tarde  primum  clementi  flamine  pulsae 

Procedunt,  leni  resonant  plangore  cachinni : 

Post,  vento  crescente,  magis  magis  increbrescunt, 

Purpureaque,  procul  nantes,  ab  luce  refulgent :  275 

Sic  tum  vestibuli  linquentes  regia  tecta 

Ad  se  quisque  vago  passim  pede  discedebant. 


265.  Amplifice,  ' splendidly,'  an  a-n-a^ 
\(f6fXfvov.  Orelli  quotes  a  similar  use 
of  '  regifice  '  by  Ennius,  '  (temj^um)  Auro 
ebore  instructum  regifice'  Trag.  12  2. 

268.  Decedere,  'make  way  for,'  'give 
place  to,'  as  in  Virg.  E.  8.  88  '  decedere 
nocti,'  and  Hor.  Ep.  2.  2,  216  '  decede 
peritis.'  The  gods  and  heroes  are  now 
•described  as  coming  in  with  their  wedding- 
gifts.     See  v.  278. 

269.  70.  Hic,  '  upon  this,'  nearly  iden- 
tical  with  '  tum,'  v.  276:  could  it  mean 
'in  this,'  i.e.  in  their  departure,  thej'  resem- 
bled  the  waves  of  the  sea  at  da\vn.  '  Ac 
quali,'  '  ac  qualis,'  are  happy,  though  need- 
less,  emendations.  '  As  the  Zephyr  ruffling 
the  calm  sea  with  its  morning  breeze  sets 
the  waves  in  onward  motion  to  the 
shore.' 

270.  Proclivus,  the  earlier  form  of 
'  procHvis ;'  so  '  hilanis,'  '  sterilus,'  '  gra- 
cilus,'  '  sublimus,'  are  used  by  Lucre- 
tius. 

271.  Vagi  Solis,  '  the  never-resting 
Sun,'  like  '  vaga  luna,'  '  sidera,'  '  nox,' 
'  aer,'  '  aequora.'  For  a  somewhat  similar 
use  of  this  image,  cp.  Hom.  II.  4.  422,  and 
Virg.  G.  3.  237.  It  would  seem  as  though 
the  point  of  comparison  lay  not  only  in 
the  thickening  onward  rush  of  the  waves 
with  the  swelling  crowd  of  those  departing, 
but  also  in  the  increasing  noise  produced 
by  the  motion  in  either  case. 

273.  Leni  resonant  plangore  seems 
better  than  either  '  lenique  sonant '  or  '  le- 
viterque  sonant.' 

Cachinni  being  the  nominative  plural, 
not  the  genitive  singular,  may  be  said 
almost  to  require  the  asvndeton  in  the 
text,    even    without     the    parenthesis     in 


which  Haupt  and  Lachmann  place  the 
sentence.  The  '  leni  resonant '  is  em- 
phatic,  answering  to  '  tarde  procedunt :' 
as  slow  in  motion,  so  low  in  sound.  '  In 
soft-sounding  plash  the  ripples  break.' 
From  '  plangor  '  being  nowhere  else  found 
in  connection  with  water  the  reading  '  clan- 
gor  '  has  found  favour  with  many,  espe- 
cially  as  the  verb  occurs  in  a  passage  of 
Accius,  from  which  these  lines  may  have 
been  imitated,  '  Ac  ubi  curvo  litore  latrans 
Lhida  sub  undis  labunda  sonit  .  .  saeva 
sonando  Crepiter  clangente  cachinnat.' 
'  Planctus,'  however,  is  used  by  Lucretius 
of  the  sea  ;  why  not  '  plangor '  ?  A 
more  singular  supposition  is  that  CatuIIus 
wrote  '  placore,'  a  barbarous  word  belong- 
ing  to  ecclesiastical  Latin.  Compare  the 
KVjJUiTa  Kax^o-^ovra  of  Theocr.  6.  12. 
The  KVfia.Ton'  ytKacrfui  of  Aeschylus  is  a 
diiferent  idea. 

274.  Increbrescunt,    sc.   '  undae,'    v. 

270.  Cp.      Hom.     II.    4.    423     OpVVT      fTT- 

aaavTepov  Ze(pvpov  vno  KtvqaavTos. 

275.  Procul  nantes,  '  far  onward  as 
they  welter,  they  sparkle  with  the  purple 
rays  of  dawn.'  Compare  the  '  fluctus  na- 
tantes'  of  Ennius.  Lucr.  6.  1139  has 
'  campique  natantes,'  and  Virg.  Ae.  6.  705 
'  domos  qui  praenatat  amnem.'  '  Vari- 
antes  '  and  '  vibrantes '  are  mere  conjec- 
tures. 

The  preposition  ab  is  here,  as  fre- 
quently,  redundant ;  see  on  Ov.  M.  i. 
66. 

276.  Vestibuli  tecta:  a  Virgilian 
inversion  for  '  vestibulum  tectorum.' 

277.  Ad  se,  or  (as  the  MSS.)  '  at  se, 
'  to  his  home  '  = '  chez  soi.' 


22 


CATULLUS. 


Quprum  post  abitum  princeps  e  vertice  Peli 

Advenit  Chiron  portans  silvestria  dona, 

Nam  quotcumque  ferunt  campi,  quos  Thessala  magnis    280 

Montibus  ora  creat,  quos  propter  fluminis  undas 

Aura  parit  flores  tepidi  fecunda  Favoni, 

Hos  indistinctis  plexos  tulit  ipse  corollis, 

Quo  permulsa  domus  jocundo  risit  odore. 

Confestim  Penios  adest  viridantia  Tempe,  285 

Tempe,  quae  silvae  cingunt  superimpendentes, 

Naiasin  linquens  doris  celebranda  choreis 

Non  vacuus :    namque  ille  tulit  radicitus  altas 

Fagos,  ac  recto  proceras  stipite  laurus, 

Non  sine  nutanti  platano,  lentaque   sorore 


278.  Peli.  Cp.  Honi.  11.19.  ,:!90,  where 
Cheiron  is  represented  as  having  given 
Peleus  thc  heavy  lance  which  Achilles 
afterwards  bore,  n77A.ia5a  iJ.(\ir]v  Trjv  ira- 
Tpl  (piKq)  TTopf  Xfipan/  IlTjXiov  i.K  KOpvipTjs. 
He  is  always  spoken  of  as  Hving  on  Mount 
Pelion.  Lachmann  reads  '  Pelei '  for  '  Peli.' 

280.  Quotcumque,  sc.  'flores,'  v.  282  : 
The  best  MSS.  give  '  quodcunque.'  For 
quos  (MSS.)  Haupt  has  '  quot.'  The 
flowers  growing  on  plains,  on  mountains, 
and  in  valleys  by  the  river  side,  are  seve- 
rally  distinguished.  It  is  not  often  that  the 
Latin  poets  speak  of  flowers,  as  distinct 
from  trees,  growing  on  the  mountains. 

281.  Ora  used  here,  as  frequently, 
not  for  the  sea-board,  but  the  country 
generally. 

283.  Indistinctis,  '  twined  promiscu- 
ously  into  garlands,'  the  various  kinds  of 
flowers  intermixed.  Orelli  and  Weber 
prefer,  as  in  some  MSS.,  '  in  distinctis,'  i.e. 
'  in  separate  garlands.'  '  Indistinctus  '  ap- 
pears  not  to  be  used  elsewhere  in  the  poets, 
but  occasionally  by  prose  authors. 

Ipse,  'in  person,'  marking  the  interest 
he  took  in  the  bridal :  as  he  had  made 
the  wreaths,  so  now  he  broztght  them. 

284.  Q_uo.  This  conjecture  of  Faernus 
has  been  accepted  by  Lachmann  and 
Haupt,  though  Orelli  and  Doering  keep 
the  '  queis'  of  old  editions,  =  '  to  which  the 

house  smiled  a  welcome.'     MSS.  '  Quot.' 

It  is  better  to  take  odore  with  per- 
mulsa  than  with  risit,  unless  perhaps 
CatuUus  may  have  had  in  his  mind 
Hom.  Hym.  ad  Cer.  14  KijuSti  5'  65/if) 
■yds  T  ovpavbs  evpvs  vTrepOf,  yaid  t6  Traa' 
iytKaaae. 

285.  Confestim,     though    found    in 


290 


Virgil,  and  once  in  Horace,  is  little  used 
by  the  poets :  it  is  connected  probably  with 
the  root  of  '  festino.' 

Penios.  As  Chiron  had  come  in 
the  character  of  friend  to  Peleus,  Penios, 
the  river  god,  a  son  of  Tethys,  came  as 
relative  to  Thetis :  see  v.  29  and  note. 

287.  Naiasin.  This  correction  of 
Haupt's  involves  the  least  change  from 
the  MS.  '  Minosim,'  out  of  which  nu- 
merous  conjectures  have  arisen,  the  latest 
being  Mr.  Ellis'  '  Magnessum '  according 
to  Hom.  II.  2.  756.  As  to  Doering's 
'  Muemonidum,'  the  Muses  would  surely 
be  out  of  place  here.  More  is  to  be  said 
for  '  Nereidum,'  comparing  Claudian  de 
Tert.  Cons.  Hon.  116  '  Post  Pelion  intras 
Nereis  illustre  choris  (al.  toris).'  With 
'  Naiasin  '  cp.  ApoII.  R.  4.  816  uios— 
01'  5^  vvv  Xfipan/os  iv  ijOtai  KfVTavpoio 
NTjidSes  KOfj.iovai.  Similar  forms  we  have 
in  Propertius,  '  Thyniasin,'  '  Dryasin,' 
'  Hamadryasin.' 

Lachmann  retains  doris  as  in  the  best 
MSS.,  but  suggests  '  crebris,'  which  Haupt 
receives  into  his  text.  Doering  has  '  doc- 
tis,'  which,  however,  suits  the  Muses  better 
than  the  Naiads. 

288.  Non  vacuus,  '  not  empty- 
handed  : '  a  most  ingenious  emendation  by 
Guarinus  of  (MSS.)  '  Nonacrios,'  or  '  Non 
acuos.'  Compare  the  Homeric  rhythm  of 
011«  olos,  e.  g.  II.  3.  143. 

Radicitus,  i.  e.  '  with  the  roots.' 

Heinsius  suggests  actas  for  altas. 

290.  Nutanti,  '  waving.'  One  MS. 
has  'luctanti:' Voss  conjectures  'laetanti.' 

L  e  n  t  a,  '  pliant.'  Scaliger  thinks  Ca- 
tullus  wrote  '  fleta,'  nearly  all  his  MSS. 
giving  '  letaque.' 

The  soror  Phaethontis  is  either  the 


CATULLUS. 


23 


Flammati  Phaethontis  et  aeria  cupressu  j 
Hacc  circum  sedes  late  contexta  locavit, 
Vestibulum  ut  molli  velatum  fronde  vireret. 
Post  hunc  consequitur  sollerti  corde  Prometheus 
Extenuata  gerens  veteris  vestigia  poenae, 
Quam  quondam  silici  restrictus  membra  catena 
Persolvit  pendens  e  verticibus  praeruptis. 
Inde  pater  divum  sancta  cum  coniuge  natisque 
Advenit  coelo,  te  solum,  Phoebe,  relinquens, 
Unigenamque  simul  cultricem  montibus  Idri. 
Pelea  nam  tecum  pariter  soror  aspernata  est, 


^95 


'  alder  '  or  tlie  '  pophir.'  Cp.  Virg.  E. 
6.  62  ;  Ov.  M.  2.  225.  The  sisters  be- 
wailed  their  brother  by  the  banks  of  the 
Eridauus  so  long  that  they  turned  into 
the  forms  of  such  trees  as  grow  in  moist 
places. 

291.  Cupressu  :  one  of  the  only  pas- 
sages  in  Latin  poetry  where  the  first  syl- 
lable  of  '  cupressus '  is  lengthened ;  hence 
some  would  aher  into  '  cyparisso.'  Orelli 
quotes  Ennius'  hne,  '  Capitibus  nutanlibus 
pinos  rectosque  cupressos'  Trag.  445. 

292.  Late  contexta.  The  trees  were 
so  arranged  that  the  '  vestibulum'  was  over- 
arched  with  their  interlacing  boughs.  Ac- 
cording  to  Roman  custom  this  was  the 
part  of  the  house  chiefly  decorated  on  fes- 
tival  occasions  :  hence  the  fashion  is 
transferred  to  heroic  times. 

294.  Sollerti  corde  expresses  Hesiod's 
npofjLrjdfiis  dyKvkofJ.TjTrjs,  Op.  et  D.  4S. 

Prometheus.  The  Oceanides,  of 
whom  Thetis  may  be  reckoned  one,  are 
generally  represented  in  the  legend  as  de- 
voted  to  Prometheus.  In  Aeschylus'  play 
they  form  the  chorus  of  sympathizers  with 
him  in  his  sufferings  :  hence  it  is  not  un- 
natural  that  he  should  appear  at  the 
wedding  of  Thetis,  especially  as  it  was  he 
who  warned  Zeus  against  the  danger  to  his 
sovereignty,  if  he  were  to  become  by 
Thetis  the  father  of  a  son. 

295.  Extenuata  gerens,  '  bearing 
the  faded  traces  of  his  ancient  torture:'  i.e. 
the  marks  of  the  nails  by  which  he  was 
fastened  to  the  rock,  the  vulture's  bite,  etc. 
'Extenuare'  became  later  a  medical  word, 
often  used  of  a  wound  when  healing. 

Some  have  imagined  that  vestigia 
refers  to  a  ring  made  of  iron  and  set  with 
Caucasian  stone,  which  Prometheus  is  said 
to  have  worn  in  memory  of  his  agony, 
as  mentioned   by  Pliny  N.  H.  37.  I,  and 


Servius  on  Virg.  E.  f.  42.  This,  however, 
seems  rather  far-fetched  even  for  the 
'  doctus  Catullus  ;'  besides.  '  extenuata  ' 
suits  better  with  the  former  interpretation. 
296.  Silici.  Heinsius  ingeniously  con- 
jectured  '  scythicis,'  which  Haupt  adopts 
into  his  text.  But  though  the  accusative 
with  '  ad '  may  have  been  expected  rather 
than  the  dative,  with  '  restrictus,'  there 
seems  no  necessity  for  the  change. 

298.  Natisque.  The  elision  of  '  que' 
in  synapheia  is  very  common.  Out  of 
twenty-one  instances  of  this  figure  occur- 
ring  in  Virgil,  seventeen  are  cases  where 
'  que  '  is  aftected  by  it.  We  have  another 
example  in  Catullus  113  (II5).  ?,  'Prata, 
arva,  ingentes  silvas  saltusque  paludesque.' 
Virgil,  however,  in  imitation  of  Ennius, 
uses  this  Hcence  much  more  frequently 
than  Catullus. 

299.  It  is  doubtful  whether  coelo 
should  be  taken  with  advenit  =  ' arrived 
from  heaven,'or  with  relinquens,  'leaving 
thee  in  heaven.' 

300.  It  would  seem  better,  with  We- 
ber,  to  construct  montibus  with  re- 
linquens  than  with  cultricem,  the  latter 
word  being  always  used  by  the  poets  with 
a  genitive.  None  of  the  instances  of  such 
a  use  of  the  dative  as  '  caput  populis,'  '  collo 
decus'  Virg.  Ae.  lO.  135,  203.  or  (if  it  be 
so  taken)  '  populis  regnatorem'  id.  2.  556, 
would  justify  '  cultrix  montibus.' 

Idrus  is  said  to  be  a  mountain  in  Caria, 
sacred  to  Diana.  Others  propose  '  Idae,' 
'  Hydrae.'  Homer  makes  all  the  gods 
attend  the  wedding  of  Peleus  and  Thetis, 
Apollo  assisting  with  his  lute.  See  II.  24. 
62,  3.  Cp.  Aesch.  Fragm.  266  (of  Phoe- 
bus)  aiiTus  iv  doivTi  ■napuiv.  It  may  be 
supposed  that  Phocbus  would  absent  him- 
self,  as  he  was  to  be  the  instrument  of  the 
death  of  Achilles. 


24 


CATULLUS. 


Nec  Thetidis  taedas  voluit  celebrare  jugales. 

Qui  postquam  niveis  flexerunt  sedibus  artus, 

Largae  multiplici  constructae  sunt  dape  mensae : 

Cum  interea  infirmo  quatientes  corpora  motu  305 

Veridicos  Parcae  coeperunt  edere  cantus. 

His  corpus  tremulum  complectens  undique  vestis 

Candida  purpurea  talos  incinxerat  ora. 

At  roseo  niveae  residebant  vertice  vittae, 

Aeternumque  manus  carpebant  rite  laborem.  -     310 

Laeva  colum  molli  lana  retinebat  amictum, 

Dextera  tum  leviter  deducens  fila  supinis 

Formabat  digitis,  tum  prono  in  poUice  torquens 

Libratum  tereti  versabat  turbine  fusum : 

Atque  ita  decerpens  aequabat  semper  opus  dens,  315 


303.  Ni  veis,  '  ivory  :'  cp.  v.  45  ;  Lach- 
mann  and  Haupt  prefer  this  reading  of 
the  MSS.  to  the  'niveos'  of  most  editions. 
Catullus  is  here  true  to  the  customs  of 
heroic  times,  making  the  gods  sit  and  not 
recline  at  meals.  So  Homer  always  repre- 
sents  his  heroes  as  sitting :  perhaps  with 
the  primitive  Romans  this  was  the  usual 
posture,  though  long  before  Catullus'  time 
they  had  begun  to  recline. 

Sedibus,  loca!  ablative,  or  perhaps 
poetic  dative  for  '  ad  sedes,*  '  bent  their 
limbs  to  occupy  the  seats.* 

307,  8.  Of  the  MS.  reading  here  no- 
thing  can  be  made  :  '  questus,  Candida 
purpurea  Tyros  (tuos)  intinxerat  ora ;'  Tvto 
being  the  daughter  of  Salmoneus,  clever  in 
embroidery,  mentioned  by  Hom.  Od.  2. 
120.  Could  anjlhing,  however,  be  more 
unfitting  than  to  represent  the  Parcae  re- 
sorting  to  an  earthly  maiden  for  their  gar- 
ments  ?  The  reading  in  the  text  involves 
but  slight  changes.  The  '  questus '  of  the 
MSS.  may  easily  have  originated  from  the 
repetition  of  the  '  que '  in  '  undique '  be- 
fore  '  uestis  ;'  and  '  Tjtos,'  '  tuos,'  had 
been  seen  by  the  Italian  scholars  to  contain 
'  talos.'  The  white  robes  of  the  Moipai 
are  mentioned  by  Plato  Rep.  10.  16  ;  and 
for  the  '  purple  fringe '  here  spoken  of 
Orelli  compares  a  hymn  of  Orpheus,  59.  7 
iTopcpvpiTiai  KaKxnpafiivm  oOovr^ai.  The 
tunic  of  the  Roman  matrons  ahvays  had 
a  kind  of  flounce,  as  in  Hor.  S.  i.  2, 
29  '  Quarum  subsuta  talos  tegat  instita 
veste,'  which  the  poet  here  transfers  to  the 
Fates. 

Tremulum  corpus:  hence  the  '  in- 
firmo  motu  '  of  v.  305. 


309.  The  conjectures  '  ambrosio,'  '  an- 
noso,'  would  seem  to  be  more  in  character 
with  the  Parcae;  but  the  MS.  reading  '  at 
roseo '  seems  to  be  in  some  degree  con- 
firmed  by  the  probable  imitation  in  Ciris 
122  '  At  roseus  medio  fulgebat  vertice 
crinis.'  The  bloom  of  the  gods  (Virg.  Ae. 
2.  593  ;  9.  5)  is  here  apparently  extended 
to  the  top  of  the  head.  Can  the  poet  have 
written  '  roseae  ni veo  ? '  '  Vittae '  were  some- 
times  purple. 

311.  Amictum.  Catullus  and  Proper- 
tius  appear  to  treat  '  colus '  as  masculine, 
but  in  nearly  all  the  other  Latin  poets  it  is 
feminine.  Cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  i,  72,  and  9, 
49  ;  where  the  oldest  MSS.  have  '  dextro  ' 
and  '  Lydo.' 

312-14.  Leviter  dedncens,  '  the 
right  hand  nimbly  drawing  out  the  fibres 
from  the  flax  on  the  top  of  the  distaff  kept 
shaping  them  into  threads.' 

Supinis  digitis,  if  taken  with  de- 
ducens,  =  the  fingers  uplifted  (as  op- 
posed  to  prono,)  to  reach  the  upper  end 
of  the  distaff.  If  taken  with  formabat, 
it  must  apparently  mean  '  with  lowered 
fingers.' 

Tum  prono  :  '  then  with  thumb 
down-pressed  it  set  the  spindle,  as  it 
hung  poised  in  air,  a-twirling  round  in 
smooth  and  quick  rotation,'  i.e.  in  orderto 
twist  and  tighten  the  threads  more  effec- 
tually. 

315.  Dens,  not  in  its  technical  sense 
of  the  'slit'  in  the  spindle,  but  for  'dentes,' 
the  teeth  of  the  Parcae,  as  shewn  by 
'  morsa  labellis'  in  the  next  line.  '  Picking 
off  (the  rough  fibres)  it  thus  kept  smooth- 
ing  the  work.' 


CATULLUS. 


25 


Laneaque  aridulis  haerebant  morsa  labellis, 
Quae  prius  in  levi  fuerant  extantia  filo. 
Ante  pedes  autem  candentis  moUia  lanae 
Vellera  virgati  custodibant  calathisci. 
Haec  tum  clarisona  pellentes  vellera  voce 
Talia  divino  fuderunt  carmine  fata, 
Carmine,  perfidiae  quod  post  nulla  arguet  aetas: 
O  decus  eximium  magnis  virtutibus  augens, 
Emathiae  tutamen  opis,  clarissime  nato, 
Accipe,  quod  laeta  tibi  pandunt  luce  sorores 
Veridicum  oraclum :    sed  vos,  quae  fata  sequuntur, 
Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 
Adveniet  tibi  jam  portans  optata  maritis 
Hesperus :    adveniet  fausto  cum  sidere  conjux. 


320 


325 


317.  Levi  must  mean  '  now  made 
smooth.'  Orelli  with  one  of  the  Aldine 
texts  reads  '  leni '  =  '  lento,'  '  pliant '  or 
'  tenacious,'  an  epithet  apparently  of  little 
force  here. 

319.  Vellera,  i.e.  the  'soft'  or  'supple 
balls '  of  thread  now  made  ready  for  w  eaving, 
which  were  kept  in  the  osier-baskets  called 
by  the  Greeks  icaXaOoi  or  TaKapoi,  by  the 
Romans  '  quali '  and  '  quasilH.' 

320.  Most  MSS.  here  give  'Haec,'  which 
need  not  be  altered  into  '  Hae,'  Plautus, 
Terence,  and  the  early  writers  using  '  haec ' 
as  one  form  of  the  feminine  plural. 

PeHentes,  MSS.  This  expression  is  ra- 
ther  an  unusual  one,  but  '  pectentes,'  which 
Haupt  adopts  into  his  text,  is  unsuitable  as 
belonging  to  the  process  of  weaving,  not 
of  spinning,  the  latter  of  which  only  has 
been  here  described.  '  Polientes,'  '  vel- 
lentes,'  are  more  ingenious,  but  unneces- 
sary,  conjectures. 

321.  Divino,  '  with  inspired,' or,  '  pro- 
phetic  strain,'  as  Virg.  Ae.  3.  373, '  canit  di- 
vino  ex  ore  sacerdos.'  'Diviso'  is  found  in 
some  MSS.,  but  see  v.  383  '  Carmina  divino 
cecinerunt  pectore  Parcae.' 

323.  Augens.  Doering  and  others 
conceive  '  augens  '  to  be  here  used  intran- 
sitively,  though  the  instances  of  such  a  use 
are  extremely  rare,  and  though  its  ordinary 
signification  perfectly  suits  the  present  pas- 
sage,  '  Thou  who  by  great  virtues  dost 
enhance  thy  glory.'  It  is  less  natural  that 
'  Emathiam  '  should  be  suppHed  from  the 
next  line  as  an  object  to  '  augens.' 

324.  Emathiae.  Emathia,  originally 
the  name  of  Paeonia,  afterwards  included 
Macedonia,  and   then  (as   in   the   present 


case)  extended  to  Thessaiy,  in  which  latter 
signification  it  is  often  used  by  Lucan. 
Cp.  Virg.  G.  1.  492. 

Opis  :  a  rare  use  of  the  singular  for  the 
plural  in  the  sense  of  '  kingdom  :'  so  Ennius, 
'  adstante  ope  barbarica'  Frag.  120. 

Clarissime  nato  (for  which  it  has 
been  proposed  to  read  '  natu ')  seems  to 
be  rather  an  anticipation  of  v.  338,  where 
Achilles'  birth  is  predicted :  but  it  may 
mean,  '  Great  as  are  thy  titles  to  honour 
for  thy  fame,  thy  virtues,  and  thy  patriot- 
ism,  thy  greatest  title  to  honour  after  all 
will  lie  in  thy  being  the  father  of  the 
hero  to  be  bom.' 

326.  Veridicum.  Catullus  is  partial 
to  compound  adjectives,  many  of  which  are 
found  nowhere  else  :  e.  g.  '  justificus,'  '  mul- 
tivolus,'  '  nemorivagus,'  'flexanimus,'  'falsi- 
parens,'  '  hederiger,'  '  plumipes,'  '  pro- 
peripes,'  '  clarisonus,'  '  raucisonus,'  '  fluenti- 
sonus,'  and  the  like. 

Sed  vos  has  been  most  needlessly 
changed  into  '  servans,'  and  taken  with 
'  oraclum,'  or  'Peleus'  implied  in  '  accipe.' 
The  previous  words  having  been  addressed 
to  Peleus,  the  '  sed  vos '  is  necessary  to 
mark  tke  transition. 

It  seems  best  to  make  quae  the  accu- 
sative,  and  fata  the  nominative,  '  Speed 
on,  ye  spindles,  drawing  out  the  threads 
which  the  fates  obey.' 

327.  Ducere  subtegmina  is  used  as 
=  'deducere  fila '  in  v.  312.  Macrob.  (S. 
6.  1)  shews  Virgil  to  have  borrowed  from 
this  passage  his  line  in  E.  4.  46  '  Talia,  saecla, 
suis  dixerunt,  currite  fusis.'  '  Run,  spindles, 
run,  and  weave  the  threads  of  doom.' 

329.  Cp.  60  (62).  20  '  Hespere,  qui  coelo 


36 


CATULLUS. 


Quae  tibi  flexanimo  mentem  pertundat  amore,  330 

Languidulosque  paret  tecum  conjungere  somnos 

Levia  substernens  robusto  brachia  collo. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Nulla  domus  tales  unquam  contexit  amores : 

Nullus  amor  tali  conjunxit  foedere  amantes,  335 

Qualis  adest  Thetidi,  qualis  concordia  Peleo. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Nascetur  vobis  expers  terroris  Achilles, 

Hostibus  haud  tergo,  sed  forti  pectore  notus, 

Qui  persaepe  vago  victor  certamine  cursus  340 

Flammea  praevertet  celeris  vestigia  cervae. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Non  illi  quisquam  bello  se  conferet  heros, 

Cum  Phrygii  Teucro  manabunt  sanguine  campi, 

Troicaque  obsidens  longinquo  moenia  bello  545 

Perjuri  Pelopis  vastabit  tertius  heres. 


fertur  crudelior  ignis,  Qui  nataiii  possis 
complexu  avellere  matris  ?'  It  was  always 
in  the  evening  that  the  bride  was  con- 
ducted  to  her  husband's  house. 

330.  The  MSS.  have  'mentis  . .  anioreni,' 
which  Lachmann  would  retain,  changing 
'  tibi '  into  '  te,'  as  in  v.  372  '  aninii  con- 
jungite  amores.'  With  Orelli  and  Schwabe 
I  prefer  '  mentem.' 

332.  Substernens.  Cp.  ApoU.  R.  I. 
1236  foll.  CLvriKa  5'  fiyt  Aaiov  fitv  Kadv- 
■nfpQiv  «tt'  aiixivoi  avOero  Trfjxvv,  '  spread- 
ing  out,  or  up  to  the  neck.' 

334.  Contexit,  (MSS.)  ♦  harboured  :' 
from  '  contego,'  not  present  t.  from  '  con- 
texo.'  Lachmann  suggests  the  unusual 
form  '  connexit,'  which  Haupt  receives  into 
his  text.  These  four  lines  are  omitted 
in  many  of  the  best  MSS.,  and  Scaliger  does 
not  hesitate  to  pronounce  them  spurious, 
'  interpolationem  Marulli  aut  simiUs  frontis  : 
nam  putarunt  abruptum  nimis  esse  a  nup- 
tiis  ad  liberorum  mentionem  descendere.' 

336.  Peleo,  dative  of  the  Latin  form, 
as  '  Pelei'  of  the  Greek.  So  '  Orpheo'  and 
'Orphei,'  'Perseo'  and  'Persi'  (,for  'Persei'). 
Cp.  V.  382,  where  Catullus  uses  '  Pelei.' 

340.  Persaepe  :  not  often  used  by 
the  Latin  poets. 

Vago  certamine:  by  hypallage  for 
'  vagi  cursus,'  =  '  the  light,  flying  race.' 
^P-  ^-359  '  caesis  corporum  acervis '  for 
'  caesorum.'  '  Vaga  fulmina'  in  Ovid  is  the 
swift  rather  than  the  spreading  lightning. 


34I.  Flammea  vestigia,  '  the  flash- 
ing  feet.'  Instances  are  rare  of  a  similar 
use  of  '  flammeus,'  though  Virgil,  Ae.  11. 
718,  says  of  Camilla,  '  Pernicibus  ignea 
plantis  'Transit  equum  cursu.'  Cp.  ib.  746 
'  volat  igiieus  aequore  Tarcho.' 

343.  Bello  is  of  course  ablative  :  '  no 
hero  will  match  himself  against  Achilles 
in  war.' 

344.  MSS.  here  give  '  tenen,'  of  which 
nothing  is  to  be  made.  Lachm.  leaves  a  va- 
cuum ;  Haupt  suppHes  it  with '  campi,'  which 
occurs  in  the  margin  of  one  MS. ;  and  Doe- 
ring  and  Orelli  with  '  rivi,'  as  suiting  better 
with  '  manabunt,'  and  with  Homer's  fpv- 
OaivfTo  S"  aifMTi  vSaip  (II.  21.  21),  after  the 
havoc  made  by  Achilles  near  the  Xanthus. 

In  favour  of  campi  Mr.  ElUs  quotes 
Stat.  Achill.  I.  84-88,  an  apparent  imita- 
tion  of  this  passage. 

345.  Troica.  The  MSS.  seem  agreed 
upon  this  form  of  the  adjective  here. 
Virgil  uses  '  Troia : '  Horace  for  the  most 
part  '  Troica.'  See  Bentley's  note  on  Hor. 
Od.  3.  3,  32  '  Troica  quem  peperit  sacer- 
dos,'  where  he  tries  to  make  out  '  Troia ' 
to  mean  '  springing  from  Troy,'  '  Troica  * 
(possessive)  '  belonging  to  Troy  or  the 
Trojans.'  Ovid  uses  both  forms  indiscri- 
minately.  Catullus,  below,  63  (65).  7, 
has  '  Troia  tellus.'  In  TibuIIus  2.  5,  40 
the  best  MSS.  have  '  Troica  sacra.' 

346.  Perjuri,  i.  e.  in  killing  Myrtilus 
(the  charioteer  of  Oenomaus)  to  whom  he 


CATULLUS. 


27 


Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 
Illius  egregias  virtutes,  claraque  facta 
Sacpe  fatcbuntur  gnatorum  in  funere  matres, 
Cum  in  cinerem  canos  solvent  a  vertice  crincs, 
Putridaque  infirmis  variabunt  pectora  palmis. 
Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 
Namque  velut  densas  praecerpens  cultor  aristas 
Sole  sub  ardenti  flaventia  demetit  arva, 
Trojugenum  infesto  prosternet  corpora  ferro. 
Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 
Testis  erit  magnis  virtutibus  unda  Scamandri, 
Quae  passim  rapido  diffunditur  Hellesponto, 
Cujus  iter  caesis  angustans  corporum  acervis 
Alta  tepefaciet  permixta  flumina  caede. 


.i.So 


.^55 


360 


had  promised  half  the  kingdoni,  if  he 
helped  him  to  win  Hippodamia. 

Tertius  heres.  Thyestes  succeeded 
Pelops,  Atreus  Thyestes,  and  Agamemnon 
Atreus. 

349.  In  funere,  i.  e.  the  mothers  will 
find  some  comfort  in  the  thought  that 
their  sons  have  been  slain  by  so  illustrious 
a  hero. 

350.  Cum  in  cinerem.  This  is  the 
reading  of  most  later  texts,  and  is  perhaps 
the  nearest  approach  to '  ciuium'(MSS.).  Mr. 
Elhs  makes  the  happy  conjecture  '  incurvo.' 
Catullus  does  not  shrink  from  the  elision 
of  '  m '  or  a  vowel  in  the  first  foot.  Cp.  v. 
305  '  Cum  interea  ;'  37(39).  10  '  Si  urbanus 
esses  ;'  65  (67).  30  '  Qui  ipse  sui  gnati ;'  66 
(68).  14  '  Ne  amphus  a  misero ;'  63  (65). 
22  '  Dum  adventu;'  87  (89).  5  '  Qui  ut 
nihil  attingat ;'  84  (86).  6  '  Tum  omnibus.' 

351.  Putrida,  '  and  shall  streak  their 
withered  breasts  with  blows  from  weakly 
hands.'  '  Putrida '  has  the  same  idea  as 
'  infirmis,' '  withered  from  age:'  cp.  Hor. 
Epod.  8.  7,  where  the  more  common  'pu- 
tres'  is  used,  '  mammae  putres.' 

Variabunt,  '  beat  black  and  blue:'  ap- 
parently  nowhere  else  in  this  sense  except 
Plaut.,  Prologue  to  the  Poenulus,  v.  26  '  Ne 
et  hic  varientur  virgis  et  loris  domi  ?' 

353.     Praecerpens,    '  cutting     before 

him:'  corrected  from  '  praBcernens' (MSS.), 
which  last  Scaliger  advocates  as  cor- 
responding  to  the  Homeric  TiTvaKOfXfvos. 
We  have  the  same  image  in  Hom.  II.  11. 
67  0«  5',  wffT  dfj.7]Tfjp(s  (vavTioi  aA\Tj\oi- 
aiv  ''Oynov  e\avvaj(nv  dvdpos  fMKapos  Kar' 
dpovpav  Hvpcjv  ^  KpiOtoiv  Ta  8k  5pdyfj.aTa 
Taptpia  irinTd. 


354.  Demetit  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  10.  513 
'  Proxima  quaeque  metit  gladio :'  and  Hor. 
Od.  4.  14,  31. 

357-  It  's  hard  to  see  why  Heinsius 
should  change  magnis  into  '  magni,'  as 
an  epithet  of  the  Scamander. 

359.  Cujus  iter  .  .  angustans.  Doe- 
ring  takes  '  angustans'  as  a  neut.,  '  narrow- 
ing  itself,'  i.  e.  being  narrowed  by  the 
corpses.  But  why  should  not  'cujus'  refer 
to  the  immediate  antecedent,'HelIesponti'? 
'  The  Scamander  bringing  down  its  mass  of 
bodies  will  block  the  course  of  the  Helles- 
pont,  that  ran  so  rapidly  before  ('rapido' 
in  V.  358),  and  warm  its  deep  waters  (the 
Scamander's  could  hardly  be  called  '  altas') 
with  the  blood  that  mingled  in  them.'  It 
seems,  however,  best  to  supply  '  Achilles ' 
from  '  virtutibus,'  '  he  shall  make  the  Sca- 
mander's  course  to  be  blocked,  the  water 
to  be  warmed  :'  see  v.  355.  Cp.  Hom.  II. 
21.  218  (the  remonstrance  of  Scamander) 
TlXrfdu  ydp  877  /xoi  viKvaiv  ipaTuvd  pieOpa, 
OiiSe  Tt  irr)  Svvafiai  vpox((iV  poov  fis  a\a 
5iav  'S.Tdvonivos  veKveaai,  av  5«  kthvus 
dX5Tj\ws.  Compare  also  Attius  (quoted  by 
Nonius)  Epinausimache  1 2  (9)  '  Scaman- 
driam  undam  salso  sanctam  obtexi  san- 
guine  Atque  acervos  alta  in  amni  corpore 
explevi  hostico.'  See  also  Stat.  Achill.  i. 
87.  At  the  same  time  the  former  inter- 
pretation,  though  involving  something  of 
an  h)-perboIe,  helps  to  explain  v.  358, 
which  otherwise  must  be  regarded  as  a 
piece  of  inartificiality. 

360.  Tepefaciet  :  never  used  with 
the  '  e '  long  any  where  but  here,  where  the 
metre  necessitated  the  liceuce.  We  may 
compare  a  similar  liberty  taken  with  *  lique- 


28 


CATULLUS. 


Currite,  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Denique  testis  erit  morti  quoque  reddita  praeda, 

Cum  teres  excelso  coacervatum  aggere  bustum 

Excipiet  niveos  percussae  virginis  artus. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi.  365 

Nam  simul  ac  fessis  dederit  Fors  copiam  Achivis 

Urbis  Dardaniae  Neptunia  solvere  vincla, 

Alta  Polyxenia  madefient  caede  sepulcra 

Quae,  velut  ancipiti  succumbens  victima  ferro, 

Proiciet  truncum  submisso  poplite  corpus.  370 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Quare  agite,  optatos  animi  conjungite  amores. 

Accipiat  conjux  felici  foedere  divam, 

Dedatur  cupido  jam  dudum  nupta  miarito. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi.  375 

Non  illam  nutrix  orienti  luce  revisens 


facere'  in  88  (90).  6  '  Pingue  liquefaciens  : 
and  Ov.  M.  7.  161  '  Thura  liquefaciunt.' 

362.  Morti  quoque.  Not  only  did 
the  victims  slain  by  Achilles  when  ahve 
attest  his  greatness,  but  even  when  dead  he 
was  honoured  by  the  sacrifice  of  Polyxena, 
his  share  of  the  booty  of  Troy. 

For  morti  in  this  sense,  see  on  Prop.  3. 
4,  6  (2.  13,  22)  :  cp.  Stat.  Theb.  7.  769. 

Reddita,  in  its  strict  sense,  '  given  as 
his  due.'     Cp.  64  (66).  37. 

363.  Teres  .  .  bustum,  '  the  shapely 
tomb,'  consisting  of  a  'tumulus'  of  earth 
piled  over  the  body :  the  '  alta  sepulcra ' 
of  v.  368. 

364.  Percussae  is  generally,  yet  need- 
lessly,  substituted  for  'perculsae'  (MSS.). 

366.  Copiam  .  .  solvere.  This  use  of 
the  infinitive  for  the  gerund  after  a  noun 
substantive  is  rare.  Sallust  has  a  some- 
what  similar  use,  Cat.  17.6'  Quibus  in  otio 
.  .  .  vivere  copia  erat:'  but  what  makes 
this  passage  so  peculiar  is,  that  there  is  no 
part  of  the  verb  substantive  with  the  noun, 
as,  e.  g.  '  si  tanta  cupido  est  innare '  Virg. 
Ae.  6.  134;  and  '  occasio  est  adimere'  in 
Ter.  Phorm.  5.  6,  3.  We  may  either  re- 
gard  '  copiam  dederit '  as  exactly  = '  dederit ' 
by  itself,  which  then  would  naturally  have 
'  solvere  ; '  or  the  latter  may  be  an  epexe- 
getical  accusative  {=  t6  Xvdu)  in  apposi- 
tion  to  'copiam'  rather  than  the  genitive 
(  =  ToC  \vtiv)  after  it.  Compare  the  phrase 
'facere  consilium  cepit'  as  equivalent  to  '  fa- 
cere  decrevit.'  See  Kritz  on  Sall.Cat.  30.  5, 
and  Prof.  Conington'?  note  on  Virg.G.  1.213. 


367.  Neptunia  vincia,  i.  e.  the  walls 
of  Troy,  built  for  Laomedon  by  Poseidon 
and  Apollo.  Cp.  '  Neptunia  Pergama ' 
Ov.  Fast.  I.  525.  '  Vincla'  harmonizes  well 
with  '  solvere,'  '  to  break  the  chain  of  Nep- 
tune's  walls ;'  an  imitation  of  Hom.  II.  16. 
100  TpoiTjs  iepa  KprjSffiva  Kvtufjiev. 

368.  Madefient.  Most  MSS.  present 
'  niadescent,'  which  Lachmann  converts 
into  '  mitescent,'  i.  e.  Achilles'  shade  will 
be  appeased  by  the  sacrifice  of  Polyxena. 
'  Mitescere'  might  suit  with  '  umbra,"  or 
any  such  word,  better  than  with  a  mate- 
rial  object  like  '  sepulcrum.'  On  this 
ground  I  prefer  the  early  emendation  '  ma- 
defient,'  a  slighter  change  from  the  MSS. 
than  '  mitescent.' 

369.  Ancipiti,  '  the  two-edged  knife.' 

370.  Proiciet,  etc,  '  shall  with  drop- 
ping  knees  fling  forward  in  the  dust  her 
mangled  form.'  Cp.  Lucr.  T.  86  (of  Iphi- 
genia)  '  Muta  metu  terram  genibus  sub- 
missa  petebat.' 

372.  Animi.  Most  texts,  save  "Weber's, 
have '  animi  '(MSS.)  in  preference  to '  animis.' 
Some  regard  it  as  a  vocative ;  but  it  is  far 
more  simple  to  take  it  as  a  genitive  with 
'  amores,'  like  '  timor  animi,'  '  cupido 
animi,'  etc,  so  commonly  occurring,  espe- 
cially  (as  Orelli  observes)  in  Sallust.  See 
on  v.  330. 

374.  Jam  dudum,  i.  e.  '  as  long  since 
might  have  been ; '  it  is  simpler  to  take 
these  with  '  dedatur'  than  to  join  '  dudum* 
with  '  nupta'  in  the  sense  of  '  just  wedded.' 
Cp.  Ov.  Ars  Am.  2.  457  ;  Virg.  Ae.  2.  103. 


CATULLUS. 


29 


Hesterno  collum  poterit  circumdare  filo. 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Anxia  nec  mater  discordis  maesta  puellae 

Secubitu  caros  mittet  sperare  nepotes.  380 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite  fusi. 

Talia  praefantes  quondam  felicia  Pelei 

Carmina  divino  cecinerunt  pectore  Parcae. 

Praesentes  namque  ante  domos  invisere  castas 

Heroum,  et  sese  mortali  ostendere  coetu  385 

Coelicolae,  nondum  spreta  pietate,  solebant. 

Saepe  pater  divum  templo  in  fulgente  revisens, 

Annua  cum  festis  venissent  sacra  diebus, 

Conspexit  terra  centum  procurrere  currus. 

Saepe  vagus  Liber  Parnassi  vertice  summo  390 

Thyiadas  efFusis  evantes  crinibus  egitj 

Cum  Delphi  tota  certatim  ex  urbe  ruentes 

Acciperent  laeti  divum  fumantibus  aris. 

Saepe  in  letifero  belli  certamine  Mavors, 


382.  Praefantes :  the  technical  word 
in  Cicero  and  Livy  for  any  prayer  or  pro- 
phecy  before  a  ceremony.  Even  Doering 
has  relinquished  Muretus'  '  profantes,'  the 
first  syllable  of  which  is  always  shortened 
by  the  poets. 

Pelei,  the  dative,  may  be  taken  with 
'  felicia,'  = '  congratulatory  to  Peleus.' 

383.  Divino  .  .  pectore.  Cp.  v.  321. 
Doering's  '  omine'  rests  on  a  single  MS.  of 
Scaliger's,  and  only  repeats  the  idea  of 
'  felicia  carmina.'  Still  less  necessary  is 
Voss's  elaborate  emendation,  '  diviso  pec- 
tine.' 

385.  Heroum,  an  early  correction  from 
the  '  Nereus '  of  the  MSS. :  the  latter 
could  hardly  mean  that  '  e'en  so  did  Ne- 
reus  present  himself  now  to  mortal  eyes.' 
Scaliger  suggested  '  saepius,'  which  Doering 
follows. 

Coetu,  dative,  as  64  (66).  37  '  Cae- 
iesti  reddita  coetu  ;'  so  '  parce  metu'  Virg. 
Ae.  I.  257.  As  Mr.  Sellar  remarks,  '  The 
concluding  lines  of  this  poem  disclose  the 
only  vein  of  conscious  reflection  which  can 
be  traced  in  all  the  poems  of  CatuIIus.  His 
genuine  feeling  of  ideal  purity  and  beauty 
forces  upon  him  there  the  contrast  pre- 
sented  by  the  guilt  and  utter  corruption  of 
his  own  age.' 

387.  Revisens,  used  by  earlier  writers 
occasionally  as  a  neuter  verb  with  a  pre- 


position :  so  in  Lucr.  2.  358  '  crebra  revisit 
Ad  stabulum  :'  Ib.  5.  634. 

389.  Terra  does  not  seem  flat  when  the 
whole  point  turns  on  the  gods  manifesting 
themselves  '  on  earth.' 

Procurrere  currus.  I  see  no  reason 
for  adopting  with  Lachm.  the  conjecture 
of  the  Italian  scholars  'tauros'  for  'currus' 
(MSS.).  'Procumbere'  is  in  most  MSS. : 
one  has  '  procurrere.'  A  race  of  a  hundred 
chariots  was  the  common  form  which  sa- 
cred  games  took.  See  Virg.  G.  3. 18  '  Cen- 
tum  quadrijugos  agitabo  ad  flumina  currus.' 
Orelli  thinks  the  repetition  of  sounds  in 
'  procurrere  currus'  is  purposely  designed 
to  represent  the  roll  of  wheels.  Val.  FI.  6. 
697  has  '  infesto  procurrit  in  agmina  curru.' 

For  centum  some  MSS.  have  '  CretCim  ;' 
Wakefield  (on  Lucr.  2.  259)  suggests  '  Con- 
spexit  Creta  centum  prorumpere  currus.' 

391.  Egit,  i.  e.  in  their  inspired  fury. 
Macrobius,  S.  i.  18,  refers  to  this  com- 
mon  inhabitation  of  Parnassus  by  Bacchus 
and  Apollo  as  proving  the  identity  of  the 
two  gods  ;  cp.  Aristoph.  Ran.  1 2 1 2  Ato- 
vvaos  .  .  .  kv  nevKaiai  Tlapvaady  icdra 
nr]5a  xopfvajv. 

392.  Delphi,  like  '  Locri,' '  Leontini,' 
is  used  both  for  the  town  and  its  inhabi- 
tants. 

393.  Laeti.  One  MS.  has '  lacti :'  hence 
Voss's  conjecture,  '  spumantibus.' 


30 


CATULLUS. 


Aut  rapidi  Tritonis  hera,  aut  Rhamnusia  virgo  ^gs 

Armatas  hominum  est  praesens  hortata  catervas. 

Sed  postquam  tellus  scelere  est  imbuta  nefando, 

Justitiamque  omnes  cupida  de  mente  fugarunt, 

Perfudere  manus  fraterno  sanguine  fratres, 

Destitit  exstinctos  natus  lugere  parentes,  400 

Optavit  genitor  primaevi  funera  nati, 

Liber  ut  innuptae  poteretur  flore  novercae, 

Ignaro  mater  substernens  se  impia  nato 

Impia  non  verita  est  divos  scelerare  parentes, 

Omnia  fanda  nefanda  malo  permixta  furore,  405 

Justificam  nobis  mentem  avertere  deorum. 

Quare  nec  tales  dignantur  visere  coetus, 

Nec  se  contingi  patiuntur  lumine  claro. 


395.  Tritonis  :  Triton  was  a  river  as 
well  as  a  lake  (whether  of  Libya  or  Boe- 
otia),  and  the  epithet  '  rapidi'  must  refer 
to  the  former  rather  than  the  latter. 
Pallas  is  said  to  have  been  born  at  the 
soiirce  of  the  river. 

Rhamnusia  virgo,  Nemesis,  wor- 
shipped  at  Rhamnus  (not  far  from  Mara- 
thon),  where  was  a  famous  statue  of  the 
deity,  said  to  be  by  Pheidias.  Cp.  Lucan  5. 
333  '  Et  tumidis  infesta  colit  qua  numina 
Rhamnus.'  Ovid  calls  Nemesis  '  Rhamnu- 
sis  '  M.  14.  694. 

396.  Praesens,  emphatic  :  '  herself  in 
person,'  as  in  v.  384. 

398.  Justitiam.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  i.  129 
foU.  (a  diffuse  expansion  of  this  line)  '  fu- 
gere  pudor  verumque  fidesque  In  quorum 
subiere  locum  fraudesque  doHque  Insidiae- 
que  et  vis  et  amor  sceleratus  habendi.' 

402.  Liber  .  .  .  poteretur,  '  free  to 
enjoy.'  The  forms  of  '  potior,'  according 
to  both  the  ^rd  and  ^th  conjugation,  are 
used  in  good  authors.  Ovid  has  '  nos  te 
poteremur  Achille'  M.  13.  130;  Pro- 
pertius  '  jam  poterentur  aquae'  2. 10(9),  26. 
The  MSS.  give  '  potiretur'  here.  We  may 
compare  the  use  of  'exoreretur*  Lucr.  2. 505. 

Innuptae,  i.  e.  whom  his  eldest  son  has 
prevented  the  father  from  marrying  and 
making  a  step-mother  ;  referring  perhaps 
to  the  storv  of  CatiHne  and  Orestilla :  see 
Sall.  Cat.  c.'i5. 


404.  Divos  . .  parentes  (MSS.),  accord- 
ing  to  Scaliger,  a  translation  of  the  Greek 
phrase  Qeoi  Trarpyoi  = '  the  gods  of  the 
family,'  who  would  of  course  be  most  out- 
raged  by  the  crime,  or  perhaps  = '  divos  pa- 
rentum,'  the  genius  and  the  persons  whose 
genius  it  is  being  identified.  Old  editions 
have 'penates;'  Lachm.  suggests 'parentis.' 

Scelerare,  '  to  profane,'  a  verb  only 
used,  and  that  rarely,  by  the  poets :  cp. 
Stat.  Theb.  2.  664  '  aut  avidas  Bacchum 
scelerare  parentes.' 

405.  Fanda  nefanda,  =  '  fas  nefasque  :' 
compare  the  expressions  '  honesta  in- 
honesta,'  '  dicenda  tacenda  ;'  '  Right  and 
wrong  got  confounded  in  the  wild  excesses 
of  their  guilt.'  '  Permiss.i,'  which  one  or  two 
old  texts  have,  would  not  suit  with  '  fanda.' 

406.  Here  begins  the  apodosis ;  all  the 
preceding  verbs  having  been  governed  by 
'  postquam  '  (v.  397)  enumerate  the  va- 
rious  crimes  which  caused  the  alienation  of 
the   gods. 

408.  Contingi  lumine,  synonymous 
with  the  common  Lucretian  phrase,  '  visere 
luminis  oras'  =  'to  appear  on  earth  ;'  'con- 
tingere'  is  used  especially  of  the  sun,  and 
light  in  general,  e.  g.  Lucr.  4.  406  '  Sol  .  .  . 
Cominus  ipse  suo  contingens  fervidus  igni.' 
It  may  also  be  taken,  '  nor  let  themselves 
be  touched  (by  men)  in  the  broad  light  of 
day,'  contrasted  with  being  seen  in  night- 
visions. 


CATULLUS.  31 

11. 

CARMEN  63  (65). 
Ad  Ortahim. 

In  this  Elegy  Catullus  pleads  his  grief  for  his  brother's  death  as  the 
reason  why  he  had  not  sooner  fulfiUed  the  request  of  Hortalus,  that  he 
would  translate  for  him  the  poem  of  Callimachus  on  the  'Lock  of  Berenice.' 
It  was  probably  sent  at  the  same  time  as  the  following  piece,  which  con- 
tains  the  translation  itself;  see  v.  21.  The  '  Hortalus '  to  whom  it  is 
addressed  is  generally  believed  to  be  the  great  orator  Hortensius,  Cicero's 
friend,  whom  the  latter,  writing  to  Atticus,  Ep.  ad  Att.  2.  25,  speaks  of 
as  'tuus  famiHaris,  Hortalus'  (cp.  Ib.  4.  15).  This  is  far  more  consistent 
with  the  age  of  CatuUus  than  the  supposition  of  Voss  and  others,  that 
M.  Hortensius  Hortalus,  the  orator's  grandson,  mentioned  by  Tacitus. 
Ann.  2.  37,  38,  is  the  person  here  addressed. 

Etsi  me  assiduo  confectum  cura  dolore 

Sevocat  a  doctis,  Ortale,  virginibus, 
Nec  potis  est  dulces  Musarum  expromere  fetus 

Mens  animi :  tantis  fluctuat  ipsa  malis — 
(Namque  mei  nuper  Lethaeo  gurgite  fratris  5 

Pallidulum  manans  alluit  unda  pedem; 
Troia  Rhoetso  quem  subter  litore  tellus 

Ereptum  nostris  obterit  ex  oculis. 

1.  Etsi.  The  apodosis  does  not  occur  7.  Rhoeteo,  the  rocky  headland  of  that 
till  V.  21  '  sed  tamen,'  etc.  Though  he  name  running  out  from  the  coast  of  Troas  : 
had  been  prevented  by  grief,  yet  he  now  often  used  in  the  poets  for  '  Trojan,'  and 
sends  "the  promised  translation,  lest  he  in  SiHus  for  '  Roman.'  The  tomb  of 
should  seem  to  have  forgotten  his  friend's  Ajax  was  there. 

request.  8.  Obterit,  '  presses  on  him  :'  cp.  Lucr. 

2.  Doctis  virginibus  refers  to  the  3.905  '  Urgerive  superne  obtritum  pon- 
Muses.  dere  terrae.'     Some  MSS.  have  '  obtegit.' 

4.  Mens  animi.  This  form  of  expres-  Scaliger  takes  '  ex  oculis'  with  '  obterit,' 
sion  occurs  in  Lucr.  3.  615 ;  4.  758  ;  5. 149  ;  comparing  a<pavi^tiv  in  Greek  ;  but  surely 
6.  I180,  and  twice  in  Plautus.  We  may  it  is  simpler  to  join  these  words  with 
compare  the  Homeric  BvyLos  tvX  (ppiai.  '  ereptum.' 

Ipsa,  '  within  itself.'     Heinsius  proposes  The  trisyllabic  ending  of  the  pentameter 

'  icta.'     Cp.  62  (64).  62  '  magnis  curanim  is  very  common  in  Catullus,  who  fashioned 

fluctuat  undis.'  his  lines  on  the  Greek  model.     There  are 

5.  Nuper  goes  with 'adluit,"has  lately  fewer  in  TibuUus  and  Propertius,  and  in 
washed  against  the  ghostly  foot.'  Ovid    only    six    instances    occur,    five    of 

Lethaeo  gurgite  to  be  taken  with  which  are  in  his  later  and  less  revised 
'  manans,'  '  the  wave  that  flows  in.'  or.  works,  viz.  the  '  Tristia.'  and  '  Epistles  from 
'  from  Lethe's  pool.'  Pontus.' 


32 


CATULLUS. 


Tu  mea  tu  moriens  fregisti  commoda,  frater, 

Tecum  una  tota  est  nostra  sepulta  domus,  lo 

Omnia  tecum  una  perierunt  gaudia  nostra, 

Quae  tuus  in  vita  dulcis  alebat  amor. 
Hei  misero  fratri  jucundum  lumen  ademptum, 

Nunquam  ego  te,  misero  frater  adempte  mihi, 
Alloquar  ?    audiero  nunquam  tua  facta  loquentem?         15 

Nunquam  ego  te,  vita  frater  amabilior, 
Adspiciam  posthac?    at  certe  semper  amabo, 

Semper  maesta  tua  carmina  morte  tegam, 
Qualia  sub  densis  ramorum  concinit  umbris 

Daulias,  absumpti  fata  gemens  Ityli), —  20 

Sed  tamen  in  tantis  maeroribus,  Ortale,  mitto 

Haec  expressa  tibi  carmina  Battiadae : 
Ne  tua  dicta  vagis  nequicquam  credita  ventis 

Effluxisse  meo  forte  putes  animo, 
Ut  missum  sponsi  furtivo  munere  malum  25 

Procurrit  casto  virginis  e  gremio, 
Quod  miserae  oblitae  molli  sub  veste  locatum. 


9.  I  adopt  Lachmaim's  insertion  of  the 
lines,  '  Tu  niea  .  .  .  mihi,'  here  from  66 
(68).  21,  as  the  best  way  of  remedying 
the  abruptness  of  Alloquar?  audiero, 
etc.  following  v.  8  :  besides,  some  MSS. 
shew  a  break  after  v.  8,  indicating  some- 
thing  lost. 

Fregisti  commoda,  '  crushed  the  in- 
terests  of  our  life,'  not  unHke  the  '  com- 
moda  vitae'  of  Lucr.  3.  2. 

12.  Tuus  amor,  '  your  love  for  me.' 
For  the  general  sentiment  cp.  Eur.  Alc.  345 
foll. 

15.  This  line  is  not  found  in  some  MSS. 
at  all ;  in  others  the  readings  vary  between 
'  verba  '  and  '  fata  ; '  Lachm.,  suggesting 
'  facta,'  leaves  a  vacuum ;  and  Scaliger 
would  omit  the  whole  line. 

18.  Tegam,  '  pour  in  secret,'  as  the 
nightingale  under  the  thick  foliage.  '  Ca- 
nam'  is  a  mere  gloss,  substituted  for  the 
'  tegam'  of  the  MSS. 

20.  Daulias,  i.  e.  Procne  mourning  the 
death  of  her  son  Itys.  According  to  the 
Greeks  Procne  was  the  nightingale  and 
Philomela  the  swallow ;  the  Roman  poets 
often  inverted  this  metamorphosis  from  a 
false  view,  probably,  of  the  etymology  of 
Philomela.  See  Voss's  note  on  Virg.E.6.  79. 

Absumpti,  as  not  only  killed  but  served 
up  in  a  dish  to  Tereus. 


Itylus,  the  Greek  diminutive  forni 
"ItvXos  :  Hom.  Od.  19.522,  IlatS'  6\o(pv- 
poixtvq  ''ItvKov  (piXov. 

21.  Maeroribus.  This  plural  is  rare, 
but  is  found  in  Piautus  and  Cicero.  Cp. 
Stat.  Silv.  5.5,8'  Quem  luimus  tantis  mae- 
roribus  ? ' 

22.  Battiadae,  Callimachus,  the  son  of 
Battus  and  Mesatme,  a  member  of  the 
famous  family  of  ihe  Battiadae  at 
Cyrene;  so  Ovid  (Ibis  55)  calls  him  '  Bat- 
tiades.' 

Expressa,  '  translated,'  as  often  in 
Cicero ;  some  MSS.  have  '  experta,'  and 
Scaliger  would  read  '  excerpta.' 

23.  Nequicquam.  Doering  would  take 
this  with  '  putes.'  It  would  seem  more 
consistent  both  with  the  order  and  the 
sense  to  join  it  with  '  credita : '  '  Lest 
perchance  you  should  think  your  words, 
faring  no  better  than  had  they  been  vainly 
consigned  to  the  wandering  winds,  had 
vanished  out  of  my  mind.' 

27.  Miserae  oblitae,  '  of  the  maiden 
haplessly  forgetting'  that  she  had  put  it 
there.  Cp.  62  (64).  119  '  misera  . .  .  de- 
perdita.' 

Mala,  denoting  all  fruit  with  pips,  formed 
a  very  common  present  with  lovers  :  cp. 
Virg.  E.  3.  71  '  Aurea  mala  decem  misi ; 
cras  altera  mittam.' 


CATULLUS.  33 

Dum  adventu  matris  prosilit,  excutitur, 
Atque  illud  prono  praeceps  agitur  decursu, 

Huic  manat  tristi  conscius  ore  rubor.  30 


III. 

CARMEN   64(66). 

Coma  Berenices. 

The  poem  of  Callimachus,  of  which  this  Elegy  of  Catullus  was  a  trans- 
lation,  is,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  lines,  lost  to  us.  There  is  some 
doubt  as  to  the  parentage  of  this  Berenice ;  but  the  most  probable  account 
is,  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  Magas,  king  of  Cyrene,  and  was  married  to 
her  cousin,  Ptolemy  Euergetes.  When  the  lastnamed  monarch  went  on 
his  expedition  into  Syria  to  chastise  Antiochus  II,  its  prince,  for  putting 
away  his  wife,  who  was  a  sister  of  Ptolemy,  Berenice  vowed  a  lock  of 
her  hair  to  'A^poStV»;  Ze^vpms-,  if  her  husband  returned  from  that  enter- 
prise  safe.  On  Ptolemy's  coming  back  victorious,  the  hair  was  accordingly 
dedicated  in  the  temple  of  Arsinoe  at  Zephyrium  in  Lower  Egypt,  but  on 
the  following  day  was  found  to  have  disappeared.  Conon,  the  great  mathe- 
matician  and  astronomer  of  Samos,  persuaded  his  patron  Ptolemy  that  the 
lock  had  been  taken  up  into  heaven,  and  received  among  the  constella- 
tions,  forming  the  group  of  seven  stars  in  the  tail  of  Leo.  Whether  the 
Alexandrian  astronomers  adopted  this  constellation  is  a  matter  of  doubt ; 
but,  at  all  events,  the  famous  ode  of  Callimachus  ascribes  the  origin  of  its 
name  to  Conon. 

The  Lock  tells  how  Conon  had  discovered  her  as  a  constellation  in 
heaven,  having  been  vowed  to  the  gods  by  Berenice,  if  her  newly-wedded 
lord,  from  whom,  on  going  to  the  wars,  she  parted  in  agony,  should  retum 
in  safety.  Soon  he  came  back  in  triumph ;  so  the  Lock  was  forced  by  the 
resistless  steel,  to  which  mountains  had  ere  now  yielded,  sorely  against  her 
will  to  be  severed  from  her  dear  mistress'  head.  Straightway  she  was 
carried  through  the  dark  heavens,  and  laid  in  the  bosom  of  Venus,  by 
whom  she  was  assigned  her  place  among  the  stars.     Notwithstanding,  she 

29.   Atque   illud.      The  '  atque'  here  which  Professor  Conington  supports  in  his 

has  often  been  taken  in  the  sense  of  '  im-  Commentary  1.  c).     A  pointed  contrast  is 

mediately,'  being  adduced  in  illustration  of  designed    in    illud  ...  huic  :  '  while    the 

Virg.  G.  I.  203,   which   line   may   perhaps  apple  falls   and   glides  rapidly  away,  over 

have  been  modelled  on  this  verse  of  Ca-  the  maiden's  face  there  streams  a  conscious 

tullus.     Whatever  applies  to  the  one  may  blush.'     Compare  the  use  of  '  illum '  in  the 

at    any    rate    be    taken   to    apply   to    the  parallel  passage.   Some  texts  present '  illinc ' 

other.     I  prefer  to  connect  by  '  atque'  the  and  '  hinc'  here. 
'  agitur  '    with    the    •  excutitur '    (a    view 


34 


CATULLUS. 


sighs  still  for  earth;  she  would  rather  still  be  lying  on  Berenice's  head: 
she  longs  for  the  sweet  essences  she  drank  in  there ;  and  mindful  of  these, 
as  the  star  of  pure  love,  she  bids  all  chaste  maidens  and  matrons,  and  her 
princess  most  of  all,  to  offer  to  her  on  bridal  and  festal  days  the  same 
perfumes.  Yet  nothing  will  really  console  her:  the  stars  might  all  fall 
from  heaven,  if  she  could  only  once  more  become  a  lock  on  the  royal 
lady's  head, 

Omnia  qui  magni  dispexit  Jumina  mundi, 

Qui  stellarum  ortus  comperit  atque  obitus, 
Flammeus  ut  rapidi  Solis  nitor  obscuretur, 

Ut  cedant  certis  sidera  temporibus, 
Ut  Triviam  furtim  sub  Latmia  saxa  relegans  5 

Dulcis  amor  gyro  devocet  aerio, 
Idem  me  ille  Conon  coelesti  numine  vidit 

£  Bereniceo  vertice  caesariem 
Fulgentem  clare,  quam  multis  illa  dearum, 

Levia  protendens  brachia,  pollicita  est,  10 


I.  The  '  Lock  of  Hair'  is  represented  as 
speaking  throughout  the  entire  poem. 

Qui,  Conon  :  the  antecedent  is  '  idem 
ille,'  V.  7. 

Dispexit,  '  saw  through,'  '  discerned  ;' 
better  than  the  'despexit'  of  most  MSS. 

Mundi.  See  on  62  (64).  206  '  concus- 
sitque  micantia  sidera  mundus.' 

3.  Obscuretur.  Conon  is  said  by 
Seneca  (Nat.  Quaest.  7.  3)  to  have  made 
a  coUection  of  the  observations  of  solar 
eclipses  by  the  Aegyptians. 

4.  Cedant,  '  how  the  stars  at  certain 
seasons  set,'  i.  e.  disappear  from  sight. 

5.  6.  Diana  seeking  the  society  of  En- 
dymion  in  the  grotto  of  Latmos  is  the 
poetical  interpretation  of  a  lunar  eclipse. 
'  Love  despatching  her  on  steahhy  errand 
to  the  Latmian  cave.'  This  is  no  doubt 
the  true  reading,  instead  of  the  MS. 
'  sublimia'  and  '  sub  Lamia'  (the  latter 
of  which  was  a  town  at  the  foot  of 
Oeta). 

6.  Gyro  .  .  aerio,  '  from  the  orb  of 
heaven.'  Some  early  te.xts  have  '  clivo '  for 
•  gyro.'  Orelli,  comparing  the  expression  in 
Isaiah  40.  22  •yvpov  tjjs  7^5,  ='circle  of 
the  earth,'  supposes  Callimachus  to  have 
written  yvpov  ijipiov. 

Aerius,  =  '  aetherius,'  used  as  in  Hor. 
Od.  I.  28,  5  '  Aerias  tentasse  domos.' 

7.  Callimachus's  lines,  ^H  ix€  Kovaiv 
(0\f\pev  iv  i)ipi  tov  BipfviKrjs  ^offTpvxov, 
hv  Kiivr)  itaaLV  iOrjiu  Oeois  (as  given  in 
Theon's  Commentary  on  Aratus)  are  here 


expanded  by  Catulius  into  four  verses. 
There  is  a  great  variety  of  readings  in  this 
line  :  the  best  MSS.  give  '  coelesti  numine,' 
while  one  early  edition  has  '  munere.'  '  In 
lumine,'  '  limine,'  '  limite '  are  more  or  less 
ingenious  conjectures.  The  MS.  reading 
seems  to  give  the  most  point,  '  from  a  lock 
on  a  mortars  head  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a 
heavenly  power.'  The  words  must  be 
taken  closely  with  '  fulgentem.'  Haupt  has 
'  in  lumine,'  probably  as  seeming  most  fully 
to  express  the  ev  -^epi  of  the  original. 

8.  Bereniceo.  Orelli,  supported  by 
Niebuhr,  writes  '  Beroniceo  ;'  as  also  Werns- 
dorf,  in  an  epigram  assigned  to  Cornelius 
Gallus  (vol.  3.  p.  197),  who,  referring  to 
this  passage,  has  '  E  Beronicaeo  detonsum 
vertice  crinem  Retulit  esuriens  Graecus  in 
astra  Conon.'  For  the  form  of  the  adjec- 
tive  cp.  V.  60  '  Ariadneis,'  and  66  (68). 
74  '  Protesilaeam  ; '  so  Theocr.  15.  IIO 
'A  Bepiviiceia  BvyaTrjp  for  BipiviKrjs. 

9.  Multis  .  .  dearum,  the  reading  of 
the  MSS.,  altered  by  Haupt  into  '  cunctis 
deorum,'  to  suit  the  '  cunctis  divis '  of 
V.  33,  and  the  ■naaiv  tOrjm  Oeots  of  CalU- 
machus.  This  use  of  the  partitive  genitive 
after  words  like  '  cuncti,'  '  multi'  is  per- 
haps  less  rare  in  prose  than  in  verse, 
Pliny  has  '  multae  arborum  : '  so  Ov.  M, 
4.  630  '  hominum  cunctos  ingenti  corpore 
praestans.' 

10.  Levia,  '  round,  ivory  arms,'  as  in 
62  (64).  332  '  Levia  substernens  robusto 
brachia  collo.' 


CATULLUS. 


35 


Qua  rex  tempestate,  novo  auctus  hymenaeo, 

Vastatum  fines  iverat  Assyrios, 
Dulcia  nocturnae  portans  vestigia  rixae, 

Quam  de  virgineis  gesserat  exuviis. 
Estne  novis  nuptis  odio  Venus,  anne  parentum 

Frustrantur  falsis  gaudia  lacrimulis, 
Ubertim  thalami  quas  intra  limina  fundunt  ? 

Non,  ita  me  divi,  vera  gemunt,  juerint. 
Id  mea  me  multis  docuit  regina  querelis 

Invisente  novo  proelia  torva  viro. 
At  tu  non  orbum  luxti  deserta  cubile, 

Sed  fratris  cari  flebile  discidium. 
Quam  penitus  maestas  exedit  cura  medullas ! 

Ut  tibi  tum  toto  pectore  sollicitae 


15 


11.  Novo  auctus  hymenaeo,  i.  e. 
just  wedded,  lit.  '  honoured  by  nuptials,'  as 
62  (64).  25  '  taedis  felicibus  aucte.'  The 
participle  is  used  by  Lucretius,  and  early 
writers,  as  almost  =  '  praeditus.' 

Auctus  has  the  last  syllable  lengthened 
by  the  caesural  pause  :  see  on  62  (64).  20. 
To  avoid  these  licences  some  would  read 
'  mactus '  for  '  auctus,'  and  '  novis  hyme- 
naeis.' 

12.  Assyrios,  used  loosely,  as  often 
by  the  Latin  poets,  for  '  Syrian.*  Cp.  Virg. 
G.  2.  465,  where  it  is  put  for  '  T}'rio.' 
The  expedition  of  Ptolemy  Euergetes  was 
against  the  king  of  Syria. 

15.  Anne.  Weber  and  Schwabe  retain 
the  '  atque'  ^^of  most  MSS.  '  Is  it  not 
rather  the  case  that  brides  cheat  their  pa- 
rents  of  their  joy  by  shedding  feigned 
tears  ?'     The  emphasis  is  on  '  falsis.' 

17.  Ubertim,  rare  in  the  poets.  Cp. 
Claudian  Laud.  Ser.  214,  perhaps  imitated 
from  this  passage,  '  quantaeque  cadebant 
Ubertim  lacrymae.' 

For  limina  some  MSS.  give  '  lumina.' 

18.  Juerint.  This  (and  not  '  juverint ' 
(MSS.),  which  has  the  first  syllable  always 
long)  is  probably  the  right  reading,  although 
it  is  hard  to  explain  the  dropping  of  the 
'  v,'  which  seems  to  be  part  of  the  root. 
But  Cicero  de  Sen.  c.  1  quotes  a  line  from 
Ennius  which  illustrates  this,  '  O  Tite,  si 
quid  ego  adjuero  curamque  levasso  :'  though 
both  there  and  at  Ter.  Phorm.  3.  3,  4,  the 
best  texts  now  read  '  adjuro,'  '  adjurit.'  At 
all  events  it  is  better  to  accept  'juerint'  as 
one  of  the  archaisms  of  Catullus,  than  to 
adopt  any  of  the  proposed  emendations. 


19.  Id,  i.  e.  '  non  vera  gemere.'  Bere- 
nice  by  her  laments  shewed  how  truly 
brides  miss  their  departing  lords. 

20.  Invisente  .  .  proelia,  used  for  the 
more  common  '  adire.'  We  may  com- 
pare  Virgirs  '  urbis  invisere  .  .  .  curam,' 
G.  I.  25. 

Novo,  i.  e.  when  only  just  wedded, 
summoned  to  the  wars,  v.  11. 

21.  At  tu,  found  in  most  MSS. ;  one 
has  '  Et.'  '  An '  (Schwabe)  is  a  con- 
jecture  of  the  Italian  scholars.  '  But 
with  thee  it  was  not  only  for  the  early 
desertion  of  thy  marriage-bed,  but  for  the 
separation  from  thy  dear  cousin  that  thou 
didst  moum.'  Haupt  and  Lachm.  make 
these  lines  an  interrogation.  The  '  frater ' 
is  generally  explained  as  =  '  patruelis' : 
others  refer  it  to  the  custom  of  the  queens 
of  the  Ptolemies  being  called  their  sisters  as 
a  title  of  honour. 

Luxti,  contracted  from  '  luxisti,'  as 
'di.xti'  Ov.  Her.  11.  59;  '  duxti '  Catull. 
89  (91).  9  ;  '  misti '  Id.  14.  14. 

22.  Discidium,  '  separation :'  not  (as 
most  MSS.)  '  dissidium' =  '  disagreement.' 

23.  I  prefer,  with  Haupt,  Bentley's  conjec- 
ture  quam  for  'cum'  (most  MSS.),  for  which 
last  Lachm.  suggests  '  tum.'  Though  it  is 
true  that  CatuIIus  often  joins  the  sense  of  an 
hexameter  with  the  preceding  pentameter, 
contrary  to  later  practice,  there  is  no  need 
of  multiplying  instances,  when  so  slight  a 
change  improves  the  harmony  both  in 
sense  and  metrical  arrangement. 

24.  Pectore,  taken  either  with  'excidit' 
or  with  '  sollicitae ;'  '  toto '  is  in  favour  of 
the  latter  :  but  cp.  TibuU.  3.  1,  20. 

D  2 


36  CATULLUS. 

Sensibus  ereptis  mens  excidit!    At  te  ego  certe 

Cognoram  a  parva  virgine  magnanimam. 
Anne  bonum  oblita  es  facinus,  quo  regium  adepta  es 

Conjugium,  quod  non  fortior  ausit  alis? 
Sed  tum  maesta  virum  mittens,  quae  verba  locuta  es! 

Jupiter,  ut  tristi  lumina  saepe  manu! 
Quis  te  mutavit  tantus  deus?   an  quod  amantes 

Non  longe  a  caro  corpore  abesse  volunt? 
Atque  ibi  me  cunctis  pro  dulci  conjuge  divis 

Non  sine  taurino  sanguine  pollicita  es, 
Si  reditum  tetulisset.     Is  tiaut  in  tempore  longo 

Captam  Asiam  Aegypti  finibus  addiderat. 
Quis  ego  pro  factis  coelesti  reddita  coetu 


30 


35 


25.  Ereptis.  Weber  has  '  e  rectis,' 
from  '  erectis'  found  in  good  MSS. 

At  te  ego  :  so  Lachm.  and  Haupt : 
Orelli  '  atque  ego  :'  Doering  '  atqui.'  Most 
MSS.  have  '  At  ego.' 

27.  Bonum  . .  facinus.  The  Eg^^ptian, 
no  less  than  the  Jewish,  Berenices  seem  to 
have  been  distinguished  by  their  bold  and 
mascuhne  character.  What  the  particular 
action  here  alluded  to  was,  is  not  known. 
Hyginus,  the  grammarian  (in  his  Poeticon 
Astronomicon),  mentions  this  Berenice  as 
being  a  trainer  of  horses,  which  she  used 
to  send  to  the  Olympian  races,  also  that 
she  once  mounted  her  horse  in  the  critical 
moment  of  a  battle,  ralHed  her  father's 
retiring  troops  to  the  charge,  and  with  her 
own  hand  slew  several  of  the  enemy. 

28.  The  reading  of  most  MSS.,  which 
Scahger  retains  and  advocates,  is  '  quod 
non  fortior  aut  sit  ahs,'  i.  e.  '  Hast  thou  for- 
gotten  .  .  .  or  that  there  is  no  other  more 
courageous  than  thyself  ?'  Lachm.  however, 
and  most  modern  editors  have  adopted 
from  an  early  edition  the  conjecture  which 
appears  in  the  text.  Schwabe  reads  '  quo 
non  fortius  ausit  ahs '  (Muretus).  '  Ahs  ' 
is  a  well-known  ancient  form  of  '  alius.' 
Catullus  uses  the  neuter  in  27  (29).  15  '  Quid 
est  aUd  sinistra  Hberalitas:'  so  Lucr.  has 
'  ahd'  and  (dat.)  '  aH,'  though  never  '  aHs.' 
OrelU  quotes  from  TertulUan  '  aUs  be- 
stiola.' 

29.  Sed  tum  :  yet,  in  spite  of  thy 
name  for  courage,  how  wert  thou  at  that 
time  crushed  by  the  departure  of  thy 
lord. 

30.  Jupiter,  in  adjurations,  as  v.  48 : 
cp.  I.  7  '  Doctis,  Jupiter.  et  laboriosis.' 


Tristi,  for  'trivisti:'  see  on  v.  21. 
Avantius  conj.  '  tersti.' 

33.  Atque  ibi  connects  '  polUcita  es' 
with  '  tristi '  and  '  locuta  es  : '  '  'twas  then 
thou  didst  grieve,  and  then  didst  vow 
me.' 

Me.  ScaUger  retains  '  pro  (proh  !)  cunc- 
tis'  (MSS.)  ;  but  it  is  more  likely  that  the 
'pro'  got  repeated  through  the  carelessness 
of  the  copyist. 

35.  Tetulisset,  '  should  he  have  ob- 
tained  his  return.'  This  form  is  also  used 
by  Lucr.  6.  671  '  tetulerunt  semina  aqua- 
rum.'  A  few  texts  have  '  retuHsset.'  It  is 
far  better  to  punctuate  as  in  the  text,  than, 
reading  '  aut'  (MSS.),  to  join  '  addiderit'  (as 
in  old  editions)  or  •  adjiceret'  (conjecture 
of  Guarinus)  with  '  tetuHsset.'  Not  only 
would  the  harmony  of  the  tenses  be  thus 
violated,  but  it  is  more  natural  to  represent 
Berenice  as  praying  simply  for  the  safe 
return  of  Ptolemy,  than  to  suppose  her 
equally  anxious  for  the  enlargement  of  his 
dominions. 

In  with  tempore  is  common  to  Ca- 
tullus  with  Lucretius,  who  often  uses  it 
where  by  later  writers  it  would  be  omitted. 
See  on  62  (64).  151  '  supremo  in  tem- 
pore.' 

36.  Asiam,  not,  as  Doering  observes, 
merely  Syria.  Ptolemy  reduced  all  Asia, 
as  far  as  the  confines  of  Bactria  and  India ; 
though  most  of  the  conquered  provinces 
soon  fell  again  into  the  hands  of  Seleucus. 

37.  Reddita,  '  given  as  was  due,' '  paid ;' 
62  (64).  362  :  cp.  Virg.  E.  5.  75  '  soUemnia 
vota  Reddemus  nymphis.' 

Coetu,  contr.  from  '  coetui.'  Cp.  62 
(64).  385  '  mortali  ostendere  coetu.' 


CATULLUS. 


37 


Pristina  vota  novo  munere  dissoluo. 
Invita,  o  regina,  tuo  de  vertice  cessi, 

Invita  :    adjuro  teque  tuumque  caput !  40 

Digna  ferat  quod  si  quis  inaniter  adjurarit. 

Sed  qui  se  ferro  postulet  esse  parem  ? 
Ille  quoque  eversus  mons  est,  quem  maximum  in  oris 

Progenies  Thiae  clara  supervehitur, 
Cum  Medi  peperere  novum  mare,  cumque  juventus         45 

Per  medium  classi  barbara  navit  Athon. 
Quid  facient  crines,  cum  ferro  talia  cedant? 

Jupiter,  ut  Chalybon  omne  genus  pereat, 
Et  qui  principio  sub  terra  quaerere  venas 


38.  Novo  answers  to  '  pristina'  (cp.  v. 
64  '  antiquis  .  .  novum*)  'the  new  or  recent 
fulfilment  of  vows  niade  long  ago.'  The 
poets,  both  Greek  and  Latin,  are  fond  of 
such  verbal  antitheses :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3. 
181  '  Seque  novo  veterum  deceptum  errore 
locorum.' 

Dissoluo  :  cp.  v.  74  'evoluam:'  and 
93  (95).  6  '  pervoluent.'  VaJckenaer  would 
have  read  here  '  dissolui.' 

40.  Adjuro.  We  have  the  words  an- 
swering  to  these  in  Callimachus,  ariv  tc 
Haprjv  cy/ioffa  aov  n  0iov. 

41,  42.  Quod,  sc.  '  caput,'  with  '  adju- 
rarit : '  if  any  shall  have  sworn  false! y  by 
thy  head,  let  him  sufFer  the  punishment  he 
deserves.  Grieved  to  part  from  thee  as 
I  was,  yet  how  could  I  be  a  match  for  the 
steel  that  severed  me,  the  steel  to  which 
mountains  ere  now  have  had  to  yield  ? 
Guarinus  proposed  '  Digna  feram  quod  si 
quid  inaniter  adjurarim.' 

43.  Eversus,  sc.  '  ferro.'  The  next 
words  are  diiBcult,  and  the  reading  uncer- 
tain. 

Maxima  appears  in  all  the  MSS.,  but 
is  very  fiat  when  added  to  '  clara  ;'  hence 
it  was  early  changed  into  '  maximum,'  the 
'  m'  not  being  written,  and  the  '  u '  of  the 
termination  passing  easily  into  '  a '  account- 
ing  in  some  measure  for  the  reading  of 
the  MSS.  With  the  elision  of  '  m '  in  the 
dactyl  of  the  ^th  place,  compare  above, 
V.  27  '  regium  adepta  es  ; '  62  (64).  359 
'  corporum  acervis ;'  Ib.  366  '  copiam  Achi- 
vis.' 

'  In  orbe'  was  probably  a  conjecture  of 
the  Italian  scholars  in  place  of  in  oris, 
= '  monarch  of  mountains  on  the  shores' 
(of  Macedon),  not  '  in  any  land,'  as  Orelli 
takes  it. 


44.  If  Thiae  is  to  be  extracted  from 
the  '  Phytie '  etc.  of  MSS.,  then  '  proge- 
nies  T.'  =  'the  sun,'  Thia  being  the  wife 
of  Hyperion  ;  see  Hes.  Theog.  371 ;  Pind. 
Isth.  4  (5).  I.  Scaliger  reads  '  Phthiae,'  and 
supposes  the  Macedonian  inhabitants  of 
Athos  to  be  referred  to,  the  expression 
being  chosen  as  conveying  a  compliment 
to  the  Ptolemies  as  inheritors  of  the  glory 
of  Alexander  of  Macedon.  This.  however, 
would  seem  somewhat  far-fetched.  Cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  7.  218. 

45.  Peperere  (one  of  the  many  emen- 
dations  from  the  unintelligible  '  propere ' 
of  most  MSS.)  may  be  illustrated  by  Ma- 
nil.  5.  49  '  Nec  pelagus  Xerxes  faciet- 
que  tegetque.'  '  Rupere  '  and  '  pepulere ' 
have  been  adopted  by  others.  Scaliger 
advocates  '  properare '  (in  the  historic  infi- 
nitive)  ;  but  Horace's  '  properare  coronas' 
would  seem  scarcely  to  afford  an  adequate 
parallel  for  '  properare  mare.' 

47.  Compare  Virgi^s  imitation  of  this 
line  E.  3.  16  '  Quid  domini  faciant  audent 
cum  talia  fures ! ' 

48.  Jupiter  ut,  as  in  Hor.  S.  2.  I, 
42  '  Jupiter  ut  pereat  positum  rubigine  te- 
lum.' 

Chalybon,  the  excellent  conjecture  of 
Politian,  the  MSS.  presenting  '  celitum,' '  cel- 
tum,'  '  scelerum,'  and  the  like.  A  Scholium 
on  Apoll.  R.  2.  375  gives  the  lines  from 
Callimachus,  which  probably  answered  to 
those  of  the  text :  XaKvPwv  dis  dTrdKoiro 
ytvos  yfioOev  dvTfWovra  KaKov  (pvTov  oi 
fxtv  ((pTjvav.  For  the  form  '  Chalybon ' 
(Weber  '  Chalybum')  cp.  Tibull.  4.  i,  64 
'  Cimmerion  etiam  obscuras  accessit  ad 
arces.'  Sallust  has  '  colonia  Theraeon.' 
See  Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §  38. 


38 


CATULLUS. 


Institit,  ac  ferri  stringere  duritiem !  50 

Abjunctae  paulo  ante  comae  mea  fata  sorores 

Lugebant,  cum  se  Memnonis  Aethiopis 
Unigena  impellens  nutantibus  aera  pennis 

Obtulit  Arsinoes  Locridos  ales  equus, 
Isque  per  aetherias  me  tollens  abvolat  umbras,  55 


Et 


Veneris  casto  collocat  in  gremio. 


Ipsa  suum  Zephyritis  eo  famulum  legarat, 
Grata  Canopeis  incola  litoribus  • 


50.  Institit,  '  was  set  upon,'  '  bent 
upon  :'  not  a  common  usage  with  the  inii- 
nitive,  but  occurring  once  or  twice  in 
Cicero  and  Plautus. 

Stringere.  MSS.  give  '  ferris  fringere,' 
'  fingere,'  and  '  firangere  ;'  see  Tibull. i .  3, 48. 

51.  Comae,  best  taken  as  a  genitive, 
'  the  doom  of  me,  the  lock  just  severed 
from  the  rest  1'  Cp.  Ov.  Amor.  1.8, 108  '  Ut 
mea  defunctae  molliter  ossa  cubent ;'  and 
Hor.  S.  I.  4,  22  '  cum  mea  nemo  Scripta 
legat  vulgo  recitare  timentis.'  Cp.  Tafid. 
SvaTTjvov  Ka/cd  Soph.  O.  C.  344.  Doering 
takes  '  comae'  as  nom.  plur.  with  '  sorores' 
= '  the  sister-locks.' 

52-54.  In  the  explanation  of  this  very 
diiScuh  passage  it  has  been  generally  as- 
sumed  that  the  ales  equus  is  Zeph}Tus, 
the  '  unigena '  or  '  brother '  of  Memnon, 
(as  having  a  common  mother  in  Eos  or 
Aurora,)  just  as  Valerius  Flaccus  calls  the 
winds  '  Thraces  equi,'  and  Virgil  speaks  of 
'  laetus  Eois  Eurus  equis.'  A  more  probable 
interpretation,  given  by  Orelli,  is  derived 
from  a  passage  of  Pausanias,  who  speaks 
of  a  bronze  statue  of  Arsinoe,  wife  of  Pto- 
lemy  Philadelphus,  riding  on  an  ostrich, 
which  appears  to  have  been  a  favourite 
animal  with  the  Ptolemies.  As  there  was 
such  a  statue  in  Helicon,  so  it  is  supposed 
there  might  have  been  a  similar  represen- 
tation  in  the  temple  dedicated  to  Arsinoe- 
Aphrodite  on  the  promontory  of  Zephy- 
rium  in  Libya  (colonized  by  Locrians,  as 
Virg.  Ae.  11.  265  '  Libycone  habitantes  li- 
tore  Locros').  The  unigena  Memnonis 
would  then  refer  to  the  story  of  the  birds 
that  rose  from  the  ashes  of  Memnon, 
when  burnt  on  the  funeral  pile,  of  which 
the  ostrich  might  be  one  :  see  Ov.  M. 
13-  615  '  cineri  cognata  sepulto  Corpora.' 
Others  would  take  '  unigena,'  not  in  the 
sense  it  has  in  62  (64).  300,  but  =  '  ex 
eadem  gente  oriundus.'  The  favourite 
bird  of  Berenice's  adopted  mother  is  thus 
very  naturally  represented   as   coming  to 


bear  the  lock  of  her  kin5woman's  hair  into 
Venus'  bosom. 

53.  '  Nictantibus '  is  Bentley's  sugges- 
tion  for  nutantibus,  comparing  Lucr.  6. 
835  '  Hic,  ubi  nictari  nequeunt,  insistereque 
alis,' =  '  buoyant  wings :'  but  nutantibus 
perhaps  suits  the  'impcllens'  better,  '  beat- 
ing  the  air  with  its  waving  wings.'  Cp. 
Appul.  Met.  6  '  libratisque  pinnarum  nu- 
tantium  molibus.' 

54.  Locridos  is  Bentley's  conjecture 
made  out  of  '  elocridicos'  (most  MSS.).  It 
must  be  acknowledged  that  Scaliger's 
'  Chloridos'  is  a  slighter  departure  in  point 
of  form  ;  on  the  other  hand,  however, 
there  seems  no  authority  for  afBrming 
Chloris  to  have  been  another  name  for 
Arsinoe.     Bergk  conj.  '  Cypridos.' 

55.  Abvolat  (Ellis),  read  here  to  avoid 
tautology.     MSS.  '  advolat.' 

Umbras  (MSS.),  not  '  auras,'  which 
would  never  have  been  changed  into  '  um- 
bras.'  The  Lock  may  well  have  been 
carried  up  to  heaven  at  night. 

56.  Veneris.  Cp.  Theocr.  15.  106  Kv- 
TTpi  Aiojvaia,  tv  fitv  dOavdTav  diro  OvaTos, 
'AvOpujTruv  ws  /xvOos,  inoiT]cras  "BepiviKav. 

57.  Zephyritis,  '  on  such  an  errand,' 
or,  '  with  this  aim,  had  the  goddess  of  Ze- 
phyrium  herself  sent  her  favourite  minister,' 
the  ostrich  being  to  Arsinoe-Aphrodite  what 
the  Caledonian  boar  was  to  Diana,  '  famu- 
lus  vindexque  Dianae  '  Ov.  M.  8.  272,  or 
the  eagles  to  Jupiter,  '  famulae  Jovis'  Juv. 
14.  81. 

58.  Grata,  as  in  Weber  and  Orelli,  a 
very  slight  change  from  the  'Gratia'  of  the 
MSS.:  '  dear  to  the  Egyptian  land.'  Lachm. 
reads  '  Graia  ; '  these  two  words  are  often 
interchanged  ;  see  on  Tibull.  2.  5,68;  Stat. 
Silv.  2.  2,  95  ;  Nemesianus  15. 

Canopeis,  from  Greek  adjective  Ka- 
vunruos.     A  later  form  was  '  Canopicus.' 

Incola:  used  as  in  62  (64).  228  (of 
Minerva)  '  incola  Itoni.'  Doering  adopts 
Voss's  awkward  conjecture  '  in  loca.' 


CATULLUS. 


39 


Scilicet  in  vario  ne  solum  limite  coeli 

Ex  Ariadneis  aurea  temporibus 
Fixa  Corona  foret,  sed  nos  quoque  fulgeremus 

Devotae  flavi  verticis  exuviae. 
Uvidulam  a  fletu  cedentem  ad  templa  deum  me 

Sidus  in  antiquis  diva  novum  posuit. 
Virginis  et  saevi  contingens  namque  Leonis 

Lumina,  Callisto  juncta  Lycaoniae, 
Vertor  in  occasum  tardum  dux  ante  Booten, 

Qui  vix  sero  alto  mergitur  Oceano. 
Sed  quanquam  me  nocte  premunt  vestigia  divum, 

Lux  autem  canae  Tethyi  restituit, 
(Pace  tua  fari  hic  liceat,  Rhamnusia  virgo, 

Namque  ego  non  ullo  vera  timore  tegam. 


60 


6S 


59-62.  Scilicet,  after  '  eo,'  v.  57,  '  for 
this  purpose,  namely,  that  in  the  spangled 
region  of  the  sky  the  golden  crown  from 
Ariadne's  brow  might  not  be  fixed  alone, 
but  that  we  too,'  etc.  Since  the  MS. 
readings  are  unintelligible  (Hi  dii  uen  ibi, 
etc),  I  have  adopted  that  of  Weber  and 
Orelli,  taken  from  an  earh'  edition  of 
1474.  '  Vocabulum  "  scilicet"  incredibilem 
in  modum  propter  scripturae  compendia 
corrumpi  solet  ubique'  is  Orelli's  remark 
on  this  passage.  Haupt  has  '  ardui  ibi.' 
The  same  edition  which  gives  '  scilicet ' 
has  also  '  limite,'  though  it  is  more  prob- 
able,  perhaps,  that  CatuUus  wrote  'lumine' 
(Schwabe). 

Verticis  exuviae.  Seneca  has,  per- 
haps,  an  imitation  of  this  in  Hippol.  I181 
'  Placemus  umbras  :  capitis  exuvias  cape, 
Laceraeque  frontis  accipe  abscissam  co- 
mam.' 

63.  Uvidulam  a  fletu.  This  is 
adopted  by  most  texts  for  '  viridulum  a 
fluctu'(most  MSS.),which  latterVosswould 
interpret  as  '  roscido  Oceani  aere.'  Be- 
dewed  with  tears  at  parting  from  her  mis- 
tress  and  sister-locks :  cp.  vv.  39,  76. 

Templa  deum,  =  the  '  coeli  lucida 
templa'  of  Lucr.  i.  1005. 

64.  Diva,  Venus,  v.  56. 

65.  Namque.  This  position  of  '  nam- 
que'  so  late  in  the  sentence  is  only  found 
in  the  poets  :  cp.  Virg.  E.  i.  14  '  Hic 
inter  densas  corylos  modo  namque  ge- 
mellos :'  Id.  Ae.  5.  733  '  non  me  impia 
namque  Tartara  habent.'  Similarly,  the 
poets  use  '  nam,'  which  in  prose  always 
stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  sentence. 


66.  Juncta  Lycaoniae.  Lachmann, 
with  most  MSS.,  reads  '  juxta  Lyca- 
oni[d]a,'  but  no  instance  or  analogy 
from  good  authors  can  be  adduced  in 
favour  of  the  final  syllable  of  '  juxta ' 
being  shortened.  One  MS.  and  several 
old  editions  have  '  juncta.'  Callisto  (KoX- 
\iaroT  dat.  c.)  the  daughter  of  Lycaon, 
changed  into  a  she-bear  and  made  into  the 
constellation  of  *  Ursa  Major'  by  Jupiter. 
Orelli  reads  '  Lycaonidi,'  as  a  substantive. 
Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  2.  173;  Ib.  3.  793,  where 
the  adjective  '  Lycaonius'  is  also  used. 
The  position  of  the  constellation  called  the 
'  Coma  Berenices '  is  here  marked  out, 
Virgo  to  the  South,  the  Great  Bear  on  the 
North,  Leo  on  the  West,  and  Bootes  to 
the  East  or  North  East. 

67.  Tardum  :  the  usual  epithet  of  the 
nearly  stationary  constellation  of  the  Bear- 
keeper  ;  cp.  Ov.  M.  2.  177  '  Quamvis  tar- 
dus  eras  et  te  tua  plaustra  tenebant.'  Simi- 
larly  '  piger,'  '  serus'  are  applied  to  it.  See 
Hom.  II.  18.489. 

69-76.  Premunt,  though  by  night  I 
shine  on  the  floor  of  heaven,  and  the  gods 
tread  over  me,  and  by  day  retum  to  the 
bosom  of  Tethys,  sinking  with  the  rest 
into  the  hoary  sea,  yet  (the  apodosis  in 
v.  75)  I  grieve  to  be  severed  from  the  head 
of  mj-  mistress.  Scaliger  compares  with 
'  premunt  vestigia'  Arat.  Phaen.  359  Qtuiv 
vTTo  -rroaal  (popfirai  Kuipavov  'HptSavoTo. 

71.  Rhamnusia  virgo,  'Nemesis:' 
see  note  on  62  (64).  396.  She  prays 
that  Nemesis  may  not  be  ofi^ended  at  her 
thinking  of  her  earthly  mistress  when  in 
heavenly  company. 


40 


CATULLUS. 


Nec  si  me  infestis  discerpent  sidera  dictis, 

Condita  quin  veri  pectoris  evoluam), 
Non  his  tam  laetor  rebus,  quam  me  abfore  semper, 

Abfore  me  a  dominae  vertice,  discrucior. 
Quicum  ego,  dum  virgo  quondam  fuit  omnibus  expers, 

Unguenti  si  una  millia  multa  bibi, 
Nunc  vos,  optato  quas  junxit  lumine  taeda, 

Non  post  unanimis  corpora  conjugibus 
Tradite,  nudantes  rejecta  veste  papillas, 

Quin  jocunda  mihi  munera  libet  onyx, 
Vester  onyx,  casto  petitis  quae  jura  cubili. 

Sed  quae  se  impuro  dedit  adulterio, 
Illius  ah  mala  dona  levis  bibat  irrita  pulvisj 

Namque  ego  ab  indignis  praemia  nuUa  peto. 
Sed  magis,  o  nuptae,  semper  concordia,  vestras 


75 


80 


73.  Discerpent  .  .  .  dictis.  Bentley 
strangely  enough  proposed '  dextris.'  Though 
'  discerpere '  may  not  be  used  elsewhere  in 
this  signification,  a  sufficient  analogy  may 
be  found  in  Ovid's  '  Ergo  submotum  patria 
proscindere,  Livor,  Desine,'  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4. 
16,  47  :  Ib.  I  '  Invide,  quid  laceras  Nasonis 
carmina  rapti.' 

74.  Quin,  after  'tegam'  v.  72,  or  '  im- 
pedientibus'  implied  in  preceding  line,  or 

=  '  quinimmo,'  '  but  rather  will  I  unroll  the 
secrets  of  an  honest  heart,'  i.  e.  speak  out 
what  she  feels  sincerely.  Condita  .  .  pec- 
toris  resembles  the  '  abdita  terrai'  of  Lucr. 
6.  808,  a  very  frequent  usage  in  the  later 
poets  especially. 

76.  Discrucior,  rare  in  authors  sub- 
sequent  to  Plautus  and  Cicero,  who  use 
it  frequently. 

77-  Quicum  :  archaism  for  '  quacum.' 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  11.  822  '  Quicum  partiri 
curas,*  where  some  read  '  quacum.' 

Omnibus  expers  (MSS.),  'unknown  to 
men,'  =  dTavpuTos  ;  not,  as  others  urge, 
'  free  from  all  trouble  and  care.'  There  is 
little  to  be  said  for  Doering's  conjecture, 
'  explens,'  or  Heinsius'  '  expersa,'  or  for  the 
alteration  into  '  ominis  expers.' 

78.  Unguenti  si.  This  is  Lachmann's 
alteration  of '  unguentis'  (MSS.) ,  which  some 
take  with  '  expers'  in  the  sense  of  '  versed 
in  every  perfume,'  or,  (while  a  maid.) '  un- 
used  to  perfumes."  Reading  '  si,'  the  whole 
passage  receives  a  connected  meaning  :  '  If 
while  my  mistress  was  once  an  unwedded 
maid,  with  her  I  drank  in  many  thousand 
perfumes,  so  now,  ye  newly-wedded  girls,' 


etc.  Haupt  reads  '  unguenti  Syrii ; '  Silhg 
and  Weber  '  unguentorum  una.'  See  Callim. 
Epigr.  52.  2  :  Athenaeus  15.  689  a. 

79.  Quas.  Most  MSS.  '  Quem.'  A 
few  have  '  quam '  (Lachm.),  going  very 
awkwardly  with  the  '  post'  of  the  next 
line.     '  Quas'  seems  required  by  '  vos.' 

Optato  lumine.  Cp.  62  (64).  31  '  op- 
tatae  finito  tempore  luces.' 

So.  Non.  Doering  and  Bentley,  with- 
out  authority,  change  '  non '  into  '  ne,' 
regardless  of  the  poetical  usage  of  '  non ' 
with  the  imperative,  as  in  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3. 
129  '  Vos  quoque  non  caris  aures  onerate 
lapillis.'  Post  here  =  'in  posterum,'  '  here- 
after,'  '  after  my  assumption  into  heaven.' 
'  Prius,'  which  Haupt  adopts,  is  a  mere 
conjecture,  though  of  an  early  date,  to  suit 
'  quam,'  as  he  reads  in  v.  82. 

82.  Quin  is  Lachmann's  very  slight 
change  from  the  '  Quam '  of  most  of  the 
MSS. :  '  do  not  yield  yourselves  to  your 
lords  without  first  in  my  honour  pouring 
pleasant  ofTerings  (of  perfumes)  from  the 
onyx-vase.'  Cp.  Prop.  3.  4,  14  (2.  13,  30) 
'  Cum  dabitur  SjtIo  njunere  plenus  onyx.' 

83.  Petitis  jura,  '  ye  who  resort  to 
me  as  the  arbitress  of  chaste  affection.' 
This  is  OreIIi's  interpretation  according  to 
the  legal  phrase  '  iura  petere,'  = '  to  resort 
to  a  tribunal'  But  it  is  rather  '  ye  who 
claim  its  rights  for  your  pure  wedded 
couch.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  27  '  Ante  pudor 
quam  te  violo  aut  tua  jura  resolvo.' 

85.  Irrita,  '  vain;'  because  the  gifts  of 
such  will  not  be  accepted, 

87.   Sed   magis,  but   ye   duly  wedded 


CATULLUS, 


41 


Semper  amor  sedes  incolat  assiduus. 
Tu  vero,  regina,  tuens  cum  sidera  divam 

Placabis  festis  luminibus  Venerem, 
Unguinis  expertem  non  siveris  esse  tuam  me, 

Sed  potius  largis  affice  muneribus. 
Sidera  corruerint  utinam  !    coma  regia  fiam : 

Proximus  Hydrochoi  fulgeret  Oarion. 


90 


IV. 


CARMEN  3. 

Luctus  iii  Morte  Passeris. 

The  metre  of  this  Ode,  as  also  of  some  that  follow,  is  what  the  Greeks 
called  '  Phalaecian,'  the  Romans  '  Hendecasyllabus.'  It  is  much  older  than 
Phalaecus,  (the  Lyric  poet  of  the  Alexandrian  era,)  after  whom  it  is  called  ; 
Sappho,  Anacreon,  and  other  Greek  poets  used  it  not  unfrequently.  The 
first  foot  is  usually  a  Spondee,  though  Catullus  often  places  a  Trochee  in- 
stead,  as  in  I.  2  '  Arida  modo  pumice  expolitum,'  (see  on  v.  7  below,)  and 


ones,  as  contrasted  with  those  in  the  pre- 
ceding  lines.     Orelli  prefers  '  sic  magis.' 

89.  Tu  vero.  The  Lock  now  turns  to 
Bercnice,  and  urges  her  to  oifer  gifts  of 
perfume  on  festal  days  to  her  star. 

Tuens  sidera,  i.  e.  with  face  uplifted 
to  heaven,  the  attitude  of  worship  ;  and  so 
being  reminded  of  the  constellation  of  the 
'  Coma.' 

91.  Unguinis  expertem.  This  is 
Bentley's  famous  emendation  of  the  MSS. 
('  sanguinis'),  adopted  by  both  Lachmann 
and  Haupt.  Nothing  can  be  ilatter  than 
to  take  '  sanguinis  expertem '  as  a  mere 
irrelevant  characterization  of  Venus'  blood- 
less  sacrifices  (even  if  they  were  always 
bloodless),  translating  '  when  thou  shalt  be 
propitiating  Venus,  innocent  of  the  blood 
of  victims,  try  and  get  me  back  as  thine 
once  more,  not  by  words  and  prayers  alone, 
but  by  bounteous  gifts  ;'  '  verbis '  being  read 
for  '  siveris,'  and  '  effice  '  for  '  affice.'  On 
the  other  hand,  with  'unguinis*  the  pas- 
sage  runs,  '  Suffer  me  not  to  want  for  per- 
fumes,  me,  thy  once  cherished  lock,  but 
rather  enrich  me  with  bountiful  supplies ;' 
see  V.  82.  '  Siveris '  is  Scaliger's  emen- 
dation  from  '  uestris'  (liris)  of  MSS.     He 


retains '  sanguinis,'  and  would  take  the  pas- 
sage,  '  Suffer  me  not  to  want  for  the  blood 
of  victims,  but'  etc. 

92.  Affice.  MSS.  give  '  effice.'  '  Affi- 
cere  praemiis,  beneficio'  and  the  like  are 
very  common  expressions  in  Plautus  and 
Cicero. 

93.  Sidera  corruerint.  This  conjec- 
ture  of  Lachmann  is  received  by  Schwabe 
and  Haupt :  '  if  I  can  only  become  again  a 
lock  on  the  brow  of  my  queen,  let  the 
stars  fall  altogether  from  the  sky,  and  let 
Orion  flash  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Aqua- 
rius'  (naturally  most  remote  from  him), 
i.  e.  if  I  can  but  regain  earth,  I  care  not 
what  confusion  may  arise  in  heaven.  We- 
ber  retains  the  reading  of  the  best  MSS. 
'  Sidera  cur  iterent?'  '  why  should  the  stars 
repeat  their  courses  ?  for  me,  let  all  be 
reversed,  provided  I  become  a  lock  once 
more.' 

94.  Hydrochoi,  dative,  from  Greek 
form,  as  in  Arat.  Phaen.  389  v5poxo^'i. 

The  reading  '  fulgeat'  arose  only  because 
the  ancient  form  fulgeret  for  'fulguret' 
was  not  understood. 

Oarion,  the  poetical  form  of  'Orion,' 
'Clapiaw,  Callim.  Hym.  ad  Dian.  365. 


42  CATULLUS. 

occasionally  an  lambus,  as  1.4  *  INIeas  esse  aliquid  putare  nugas.'  There 
is  a  variety  of  this  metre  which  is  called  the  '  Pseudo-Phalaecian,'  of  which 
Catullus  has  an  example  in  53  (55)  '  Oramus  si  forte  non  molestum  est,' 
the  only  difference  being  that  a  Spondee  is  substituted  for  a  Dactyl  in  the 
second  foot,  or  the  whole  line  is  made  up  of  a  Spondee  followed  by  four 
Trochees,  instead  of  by  a  Dactyl  with  three  ;  it  is  however  interspersed 
with  regular  Hendecasyllabic  lines.  The  present  Ode  is  an  elegy  on  the 
death  of  a  favourite  sparrow  belonging  to  Lesbia,  the  mistress  of  Catullus. 
We  may  compare  with  it  Ovid's  lament  over  the  death  of  a  parrot,  Amor, 
2.  6.  Martial  alludes  to  it  frequently ;  cp.  i.  7  ;  4.14;  7.  14  ;  i  r.  6  ;  while 
Seneca  quotes  the  twelfth  hne  of  it,  Lud.  de  Mort.  Claud.  c.  11.  See  also 
Juv,  6,  7, 

LuGETE,  o  Veneres,  Cupidinesque, 

Et  quantum  est  hominum  venustiorum. 

Passer  mortuus  est  meae  puellae, 

Passer,  deliciae  meae  puellae, 

Quem  plus  illa  oculis  suis  amabat.  5 

Nam  mellitus  erat,  suamque  norat 

Ipsa  tam  bene  quam  puella  matrem  : 

Nec  sese  a  gremio  illius  movebat, 

Sed  circumsiliens  modo  huc,  modo  illuc, 

Ad  solam  dominam  usque  pipilabat,  10 

Qui  nunc  it  per  iter  tenebricosum 

Illuc,  unde  negant  redire  quemquam. 

At  vobis  male  sit,  malae  tenebrae 

Orci,  quae  omnia  bella  devoratis : 

Tam  bellum  mihi  passerem  abstulistis.  15 

2.  Quantum  est  hominum, '  as  many  '  suam  ipsam'  together :    but  he  gives  no 

as   there   be : '  a  usage  of  '  quantum '  not  instances  of  such  an  use  of  '  ipse,'  unless 

uncommon  in  Terence  and  Plautus.     Cp.  perhaps  we  regard  as  similar  Virg.  E.  3.  3, 

Heaut.  4.  6,6  '  Ut   te   quidem   omnes   Dii  which  would  hardly  justify  '  sua  ipsa'  for 

Deaeque,    quantum    est,    SjTe  .  .  perduint.'  '  sua  domina.'      It  is  more   probable  that 

Horace's  '  At  o  Deorum  quicquid  in  coelo  '  ipsa '  was  changed  into  '  ipsam '  to  avoid 

regit,' Epod.  5. 1,  is  not  unlike.     Catullus  the  trochee    in  the  first   foot,   which  we 

uses  the   same   expression   again   in   9.  10  have  seen  above  is  not  uncommon  in  Ca- 

'  O  quantum  est  hominum  beatiorum.'  tuUus.     See  Buechler  on  Petron.  (p.  74). 

5.  Plus  .  .  oculis,  a  favourite  expres-  10.  Pipilabat,  '  kept  chirping.'  This 
sion  of  Catullus,  14  l  ;  80  (82).  2  and  4;  verb  occurs  nowhere  else  in  classical  au- 
102  (104).  3.  Cp.  Plaut.  Curc.  I.  2,  28  thors ;  Plautus,  however,  has  the  noun 
'  ocuHssime  homo,'  and  the  phrase  ascribed  '  pipulus '  or  '  -lum,'  and  Nonius  quotes  a 
to  him  by  Nonius,  '  oculitus  amare.'  verb  'pipo.'     Many  read  here  '  pipiabat' 

6.  Mellitus,  used  for  any thing  beloved ;  (MSS.  '  piplabat'). 

in  46  (48).  I   we  have  '  melHtos   oculos.'  13.  At,  used  often  in  imprecations :  cp. 

The  diminutive  occurs  in  Plaut.  Cas.  4.  4,  26(28).  14  '  At  vobis  mala  multa  Di  Deae- 

19  '  mellitulum  corpusculum.'  que    Dent;'   Virg.  Ae.  2.  535.       For    the 

7.  Ipsa.  Thereis  good  MS.authority  for  sentiment  in  the  next  line  cp.  Ov.  Amor. 
'  ipsam,'  which  Doering  and  Schwabe  read,  2.  6,  39  (on  his  parrot)  '  Optima  prima  fere 
the  former  interpreting  it  as '  heram,'  taking  manibus  rapiuntur  avaris,' 


CATULLUS.  43 

O  factum  male !    lo  miselle  passer  ! 
Tua  nunc  opera  meae  puellae 
Flendo  turgiduli  rubent  ocelli. 


V. 

CARMEN  4. 
Phaseli  Latis  et  Dedicatio. 

The  foUowing  Ode  is  \vritten  in  the  purest  lambic  (Trimeter  Acatalectic) 
metre,  without  any  admixture  of  Spondees,  Uke  Ode  27  (29)  'Quis  hoc  potest 
videre.'  The  subject  of  it  is  the  self-dedication  of  a  favourite  but  worn- 
out  skiff  to  the  Dioscuri.  See  an  amusing  parody  of  this  piece  in  the 
'  Catalecta  Virgiliana'  (8),  as  a  squib  on  Ventidius  Bassus. 

Phaselus  ille,  quem  videtis,  hospites, 

Ait  fuisse  navium  celerrimus, 

Neque  ullius  natantis  impetum  trabis 

Nequisse  praeterire,  sive  palmulis 

Opus  foret  volare,  sive  linteo.  S 

£t  hoc  negat  minacis  Hadriatici 

Negare  litus,  insulasve  Cycladas, 

Rhodumque  nobilem,  horridamque  Thraciam 

16.  O  factum  male,  the  universally  Greek  construction  so  common  in  the 
received  correction  of  the  '  bonum  factum'  Roman  poets,  as  in  Hor.  Ep.  i.  7>  22  'dignis 
of  MSS. :  see  Bentley  on  Hor.  Od.  3.  14,      ait  esse  paratus.' 

II.     For   the  phrase   cp.  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Att.  3,  4.  Neque  .  .  nequisse,  =  '  was  able,' 

15. 1  '  O  factum  male  de  Alexione.'  as  just  beloWnegat  negare.'  Weber's  rough 

It  is  perhaps  better  to  read  lo  miselle  form   of  this   hne,  '  Neque   uUius  volantis 

with    Lachm.    and    Haupt,    than    '  proh/  impetum  alitis,'  appears  in  a  few  MSS. 
or  (as  Weber)  '  O,'  thus  leaving  a  hiatus.  Natantis,    as    we    say    '  of   any    ship 

Mr.  ElHs  suggests  that  the  '  bonum'  of  the  afloat.'     Compare  a  similar  use  of  '  nare' 

MSS.  arose  from  '  vae,'  written  '  be.'  in  64  (66).  46  '  Per  medium  classi  barbara 

17.  Tua    opera,  '  for  your  sake,'  '  on  navit  Athon.' 

your  account :'  a  phrase  not  uncommon  in  4.   Volare,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  3.  124  '  pe- 

Plautus   and   Terence.      Cp.  Ov.  Amor.  2.  lagoque    volamus."     Cp.  Eur.  Med.  i   hia- 

10,  26   '  Decepta    est    opera    nulla    puella  ■nTo.aQai  aKa(pos. 

mea.'  8.  Nobilem,  like  Hor.  Od.  i.  7,  I  '  cla- 

ram  Rhodon,'  and  Lucan  8.  247  '  claramque 

1.  Phaselus,  called  so  from  being  in  relinquit  Sole  Rhodon.'  Its  trade  and 
the  shape  of  a  kidney-bean ;  originally  an  naval  power,  together  with  its  works  of 
Egyptian  vessel.  The  word  elsewhere  is  art  (especially  the  great  Colossus),  gained 
used  nearly  always  in  the  feminine.  it  a  great  reputation.     It  is  contrasted  here 

2.  Celerrimus.  Most  MSS.andsomeold      with  rude,  gloomy  Thrace. 

editions  have  ' celerrimum,' disregarding  the  Sillig   makes    Thraciam    an   adjective 


44 


CATULLUS. 


Propontida,  trucemve  Ponticum  sinum, 
Ubi  iste,  post  phaselus,  antea  fuit 
Comata  silva :    nam  Cytorio  in  jugo 
Loquente  saepe  sibilum  edidit  coma. 
Amastri  Pontica,  et  Cytore  buxifer, 
Tibi  haec  fuisse  et  esse  cognitissima 
Ait  phaselus ;   ultima  ex  origine 
Tuo  stetisse  dicit  in  cacumine, 
Tuo  imbuisse  palmulas  in  aequore, 
Et  inde  tot  per  impotentia  freta 
Herum  tulisse,  laeva,  sive  dextera 
Vocaret  aura,  sive  utrumque  Jupiter 
Simul  secundus  incidisset  in  pedem  j 
Neque  ulla  vota  litoralibus  diis 
Sibi  esse  facta,  cum  veniret  a  marei 


iS 


joined  with  '  Propontida.'  The  last  syl- 
lable  of  '  Propontida '  is  lengthened  before 
two  consonants,  as  below,  v.  i8,  '  impo- 
tentia  freta.' 

10.  Ubi.  The  country  about  Pontus 
was  famous  for  its  timber  :  cp.  Hor.  Od. 
I.  14,  II  '  Quamvis  Pontica  pinus,'  etc. 

11.  Comata,  '  leafy,'  a  very  rare  use  of 
the  participle. 

Cytorio,  a  mountain  in  Paphlagonia, 
famous  for  its  box-trees :  cp.  Virg.  G.  2. 
437  '  undantem  buxo  spectare  Cytorum.' 

12.  Loquente  coma  :  compare  Virgirs 
'  argutumque  nemus  pinosque  loquentis ' 
E.  8.  22. 

Sibilum  edidit  answers  to  the  Greek 
ypiOvpi^fiv,  as  in  Aristoph.  Nub.  1008 
oTav  iT\aTavos  TTTeKfq.  ipi9vpt^r).  Mr. 
Thackeray  quotes  from  Tennyson's  '  Prin- 
cess ' — 

'  As  in  a  poplar  grove,  when  a  light  wind 

wakes 
A  lisping   of  the   innumerous   leaf,  and 

dies, 
Each  hissing  in  his  neighbour's  ear.' 

13.  Amastris  was  the  city  close  to 
Cytorus :  hence  perhaps  '  tibi,'  not  '  vobis.' 

14.  Cognitissima,  '  best  known  to 
you.'  The  superlative  is  very  rare,  even 
in  lambics ;  Ovid  uses  the  comparative 
twice,  M.  14.  15  ;  Tr.  4.  6,  28. 

15.  Ultima  ex  origine,  not  merely 
= '  originally,'  but  (as  Doering)  '  of  re- 
motest  ancestry.'  Klotz  would  join  these 
words  with  the  preceding  line,  not  with 
'  stetisse.' 


17.  Imbuisse,  '  first  dipped  her  oars 
in  thy  waters,  and  from  those  since 
then  has  bome  her  master  over  raging 
seas.' 

18.  Impotentia,  i.  e. '  sui :'  cp. '  Aquilo 
impotens  '  Hor.  Od.  3.  30,  .^. 

20.  Vocaret.  The  MSS.  give  '  vo- 
care  ;'  supply  '  phaselum,'  and  cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  3.  70  '  vocat  auster  in  altum.'  Haupt 
adopts  Lachmann's  conjecture  '  vaga- 
ret  '  ( from  an  old  form  of  '  vagor ' 
found  in  Ennius)  :  = '  whether  to  right  or 
left  the  breeze  was  shifting,  or  whether 
the  favouring  gale  had  set  in  to  press 
evenly  against  either  sheet.'  The  wind 
being  right  aft,  the  sheets  that  were  fast- 
ened  to  either  end  of  the  mainsail  had 
exactly  the  same  strain  upon  them  :  cp. 
Ov.  Fast.  3.  565  '  pede  labitur  aequo ;'  in 
the  former  case  while  the  wind  was  veer- 
ing,  the  sailors  would  have  '  facere  pedem,' 
i.  e.  '  to  loose  out  the  sheet  now  toward 
one  side,  now  to  another : '  cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
5-  830. 

21.  The  emphasis  is  on  simuL 

The  omission  of  the  sive  before  'laeva' 
is  not  uncommon,  as  in  Hor.  Od.  i.  6,  19 
'  Cantamus  vacui  sive  quid  urimur.' 

Incidisset.  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  I.  566 'Ev 
5«  \iyvs  ■niatv  ovpos  k.t.\. 

22.  Neque  ulla  vota,  i.  e.  had  never 
been  in  danger  of  shipwreck.  Cp.  Virg. 
G.  1.436,  7  '  Votaque  servati  solvent  in 
litore  nautae  Glauco  et  Panopeae  et  Inoo 
Melicertae.' 

23.  Marei.  This  is  Lachmann's  reading 
from '  amaret'  (most  MSS.) :  some  early  texts 


CATULLUS.  45 

Novissimo  hunc  ad  usque  limpidum  lacum. 

Sed  haec  prius  fuere  :    nunc  recondita  25 

Senet  quiete,  seque  dedicat  tibi, 

Gemelle  Castor,  et  gemelle  Castoris. 


VI. 

CARMEN   14. 
Ad  Calvum  Poetam. 

This  Ode  is  addressed  to  Calvus  Licinius,  the  great  orator  and  pleader 
(mentioned  among  the  friends  of  CatuUus  in  Ov.  Amor.  3. 9,  62  '  Cum  Calvo, 
docte  Catulle,  tuo '),  who  had  sent  Catullus,  as  a  present  on  the  Saturnalia, 
a  volume  of  wretched  poems  by  some  contemporary  but  anonymous  authors. 
CatuIIus  threatens  to  retaliate.     The  metre  is  Hendecasyllabic. 

Ni  te  plus  oculis  meis  amarem, 

Jocundissime  Calve,  munere  isto 

Odissem  te  odio  Vatiniano. 

Nam  quid  feci  ego,  quidve  sum  locutus, 

Cur  me  tot  male  perderes  poetis  ?  5 

Isti  di  mala  multa  dent  clienti. 


have  '  mare,'  the  old  ablative  found  in  Lu-  Vatinius,'  the  celebrated  tribune,  who  was 

cretius  and  Ovid.  •.  impeached    for    various    crimes,    both    by 

24.  Novissimo,  '  the  reniotest  sea,'  Cicero  and  this  Licinius  Calvus,  the  latter 
makes  the  best  sense ;  but  most  MSS.  give  of  whose  speeches  on  the  prosecution  in 
'  novissime,'  an  adverb  used  by  Phaedrus,  54  B.  c.  Quintilian  highly  commends. 
'  when  of  late  she  came.'  Cp.  Ov.  Tr.  3.  See  Cic.  in  Vat.  i.  I  '  Odio  enim  tui,  in 
13,  27  '  terrarum  pars  paene  novissima,  quo  etsi  omnes  propter  tuum  in  me  scelus 
Pontus.'  superare   debeo,   tamen    ab   omnibus  pene 

The  lacus  here  spoken  of  is  Benacus.  vincor.'     See  also  51  (53).  2,  3  '  Qui  cum 

25.  Recondita,  to  be  taken  with  mirifice  Vatiniana  Meus  crimina  Calvus 
quiete,  '  the  rest  of  retirement,'  (cp.  32  e.xplicasset.'  Could  '  munere  isto'  be  used 
(34).  II,)  'phaselus'  being  masculine  in  here  as  =  toj5to«  xapivl  see  Professor 
Catullus,  unless  '  navis'  or  '  trabs'  be  under-  Conington's  note  on  Virg.  G.  4.  520  '  quo 
stood.  munere.' 

26.  Senet.  This  verb  is  found  no-  3.  Odissem  odio,  as  in  Soph.  Phil.  59 
where  else  in  classical  authors.    The  gram-  txBos  k')(6-/)pas  fiifa. 

marians  quote  '  Pectora  languentque  senent-  5.  Male.     The  best  MSS.  give  '  malis.' 

que '  from  Attius ;   and  Pacuvius  has  '  ma-  '  Cruelly  murder  me  with   such    a  lot  of 

core  senet  corpus.'  poets.' 

6.  Clienti.      Catullus   supposes    these 

2.    Munere    isto,    '  for    this    gift    of  poems  were  the  gift  to  Licinius  of  some 

yours    I    should    hate   you   as    bitterly  as  client  whom  he  had  benefited  in  a  suit. 


46 


CATULLUS. 


Qui  tantum  tibi  misit  impiorum. 

Qupd  si,  ut  suspicor,  hoc  novum  ac  repertum 

Munus  dat  tibi  Sulla  litterator, 

Non  est  mi  male,  sed  bene  ac  beate, 

Qupd  non  dispereunt  tui  labores. 

Di  magni,  horribilem,  et  sacrum  libellum, 

Quem  tu  scilicet  ad  tuum  Catullum 

Misti,  continuo  ut  die  periret 

Saturnalibus,  optimo  dierum ! 

Non,  non  hoc  tibi,  salse,  sic  abibit : 

Nam,  si  luxerit,  ad  librariorum 

Curram  scrinia :    Caesios,  Aquinos, 

Suffenum  omnia  colligam  venena, 

Ac  te  his  suppliciis  remunerabor. 

Vos  hinc  interea  valete,  abite 

Illuc,  unde  malum  pedem  attulistis, 

Saecli  incommoda,  pessimi  poetae. 


15 


7-  Impiorum,  the  neuter,  '  such  pro- 
fanities,'  i.  e.  against  the  Muses :  or  better 
masc,  '  such  a  cursed  set  of  poets.'  Cp. 
Plaut.  Poen.  3.  3,  5  '  tantum  hominum.' 

8.  Novum  ac  repertum,  ironical, 
'  original  and  choice.' 

9.  The  Sulla  here  spoken  of  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  a  freedman  of  the 
great  dictator,  who,  according  to  the  prac- 
tice,  added  his  patron's  name  to  Epicadus, 
which  was  his  own. 

Litterator,  '  critic,'  '  grammarian.' 

11.  Labores,  ' 'tis  well  and 
methinks,  that  your  exertions  are  not 
wasted,'  i.  e.  that  you  have  got  such  a 
handsome  reward  for  helping  your  client. 
Possibly  Calvus  had  rendered  some  legal 
service  to  Sulla. 

12.  Libellum,  accusative  of  the  excla- 
mation  :  '  Good  heavens !  what  a  dreadful 
and  accursed  book  ! '  Scaliger  thinks  that 
these  lines  came  after  v.  3. 

14.  Misti,  ='  misisti.'  See  64  (66). 
22;  cp.  Prop.  I.  3,  37  '  consumsti;'  Hor. 
S-  2.  3,  273  '  percusti ;'  Virg.  Ae.  4.  682 
'  extinxti.' 

Continuo,  not  the  adverb,  as  some 
would  take  it,  with  '  misti,'  but  the  adjec- 
tive  with  '  die,'  '  that  one  whole  day  (or, 
'  the  next  day,'  the  present  having  ar- 
rived  on  the  eve,  v.  17)  he  might  be  in 
torments.'  For  the  practice  of  sending 
gifts,   and    among    them    poems,    on    the 


Satumalia   and  other  feasts,  cp.  Hor.  Od. 
4.  8,  II  '  carmina  possumus  Donare.' 

16.  Non,  non  :  cp.  Prop.  2.  3,  27 
'  Non,  non  humani  sunt  partus  talia 
dona.' 

Abibit,  'your  joke  shall  not  end  here:' 
as  in  Ter.  And.  1.2,4'  mirabor  hoc  si  sic 
abiret.' 

17.  Si  luxerit,  '  as  soon  as  it  is  day:' 
or,  '  if  I  live  till  to-morrow.'  For  this  use 
of  '  si '  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  5.  64  '  si  nona  diem 
mortalibus  almum  Aurora  extulerit.'  For 
'  lucere'  in  this  sense,  cp.  Hor.  Ep.  i.  6,  56 
'  Lucet,  eamus,  Quo  ducet  gula.' 

18.  Caesios,  i.  e.  the  bad  poets  of  his 
time. 

Aquinius,  mentioned  by  Cicero,  Tusc. 
0^5.  22  '  Adhuc  neminem  cognovi  poetam 
(et  mihi  fuit  cum  Aquinio  amicitia),  qui 
sibi  non  optimus  videretur.'  It  is  better  to 
read  '  Aquinos,'  as  Emesti  1.  c.  urges,  than 
'  Aquinios  '  to  be  scanned  by  '  synaeresis  : ' 
so  '  Septimus'  and  '-mius,'  '  Postumus'  and 
'  -mius.' 

19.  Suffenum :  see  20(22).  Weber 
would  make  it  the  gen.  plural  contracted, 
and  take  it  with  '  venena.' 

Venena,  bad  poems,  the  'drugs'  of 
the  book-shops. 

21.  Vos  :  Catullus  addresses  the  poems 
that  had  been  sent  him. 

Interea,  i.  e.  till  I  can  have  my  re- 
venge. 


CATULLUS. 


47 


VII. 


CARMEN   20  (32). 
Ad  Vartcm. 

Who  this  Varus  was  to  whom  CatuUus  addressed  this  satirical  description 
of  a  bad  poet,  we  have  no  means  of  deciding.  It  might  seem  most  natural 
to  suppose  he  was  the  Quintilius  Varus,  the  eminent  critic  and  friend  of 
Horace,  whose  death  (in  24  b.c.)  the  latter  laments,  Od.  i.  24:  (see  also 
A.  P.  438  *  Quintilio  si  quid  recitares,'  etc.)  A  Varus  is  also  mentioned  by 
CatuUus  in  Ode  10.  i.  The  metre  of  the  present  piece  is  called  '  Choli- 
ambus,'  '  Scazon,'  or  '  Hipponactean,'  which  is  a  variety  of  the  lambic  Sena- 
rius,  differing  mainly  in  this— that  the  Scazon  has  invariably  a  Spondee  in 
the  sixth  place,  and  an  lambus  in  the  iifth.  Catullus  has  seven  poems  in 
this  peculiar  metre,  of  which  the  next,  ('Paeninsularum  Sirmio,')  is  another 
specimen. 

SuFFENUs  iste,  Vare,  quem  probe  nosti, 

Homo  est  venustus,  et  dicax,  et  urbanus, 

Idemque  longe  plurimos  facit  versus. 

Puto  esse  ego  illi  millia  aut  decem,  aut  plura 

Perscripta,  nec  sic,  ut  fit,  in  palimpseston  5 

Relata :  chartae  regiae,  novi  libri, 

Novi  umbilici,  lora  rubra,  membrana 

Derecta  plumbo,  et  pumice  omnia  aequata. 


5.  Nec  sic  ut  fit  :  the  meaning  is,  that 
Suffenus  did  not,  like  most  authors,  first 
write  his  poems  on  that  kind  of  parchment 
which  admitted  of  corrections  and  erasures, 
(made,  as  we  should  say,  no  rough  copy  of 
them,)  but  instantly  published  them  as 
they  were. 

It  is  better  to  read  palimpseston 
('  palmi  septo,'  most  MSS.),  according  to 
the  common  phrases  '  referre  in  tabulas, 
codicem,  libellum,'  etc,  =  '  to  enter  or 
record  in  \vriting.'  Heinsius  conjectured 
'  releta,'  '  erased  again  and  again  ;'  Doering, 
with  more  felicity  than  usual,  suggests 
'  relecta,'  '  read  over  and  over  on  the 
parchment.'  See  Smith  Dict.  of  Antiq. 
Art.  '  Liber.' 

6.  Regiae.  Among  the  various  kinds 
of  paper  with  the  Romans,  the  best  was 


called    '  Augustea    charta,'  or    '  Hieratica,' 
and  later  still  '  Claudia.' 

It  is  rather  difficuh  to  detect  the 
exact  meaning  of  libri  here,  which  may 
mean  the  coloured  parchment  cases  which 
protected  the  rolls  from  dirt  or  injury, 
called  '  toga  purpurea'  by  Martial  10.  93,  4 
only  that  '  membrana '  below  might  ap- 
pear  to  signify  this. 

7.  Umbilici,  (cp.  Martial  3.  2,9  '  picti 
umbilici,')  the  ornamented  bosses  fixed  at 
the  ends  of  the  stick  round  which  the 
manuscript  was  rolled :  sometimes  used 
apparently  for  the  stick  itself,  in  which 
case  '  comea '  =  the  bosses. 

Lora  rubra,  'scarlet  strings,'  with  which 
the  roll  was  tied. 

8.  Derecta  plumbo:  either,  as  Doe- 
ring  takes  it,  '  ruled  with  a  pencil  of  lead,' 


48 


CATULLUS. 


Haec  cum  legas  tu,  bellus  ille  et  urbanus 

Suffenus  unus  caprimulgus,  aut  fossor 

Rursus  videtur :   tantum  abhorret  ac  mutat. 

Hoc  quid  putemus  csse  ?    qui  modo  scurra, 

Aut  si  quid  hac  re  tritius  videbatur, 

Idem  infaceto  est  infacetior  rure, 

Simul  poemata  attigit.     Neque  idem  unquam 

Aeque  est  beatus,  ac  poema  cum  scribit : 

Tam  gaudet  in  se,  tamque  se  ipse  miratur. 

Nimirum  idem  omnes  fallimur,  neque  est  quisquam, 

Quem  non  in  aliqua  re  videre  Suffenum 

Possis. .  Suus  cuique  attributus  est  error  : 

Sed  non  videmus,  manticae  quod  in  tergo  est. 


is 


('  plumbum'  = '  praeductal,'  used  like  fj.6Kv- 
/35os  in  Greek,)  or  else,  '  levelled  by  a 
leaden  weight.'  The  MSS.  have  '  detecta,' 
which  however  might  have  arisen  from  the 
old  form  '  derecta  :'  see  Lachm.  Lucr. 
4.  609. 

Pumice  :  cp.  I.  2  '  Arida  modo  pumice 
expoHtum.' 

10.  Unus,  '  a  prince  of  neatherds,'  a 
peasant  more  than  anything  else,  unless 
perhaps  it  may  be  taken  as  =  '  idem,'  or  as 
representing  the  indef.  article  (tjs). 

11.  Rursus,  '  just  the  reverse,'  in  its 
strict  and  etymological  sense,  implying  an 
entire  change. 

Tantum  abhorret,  '  so  inconsistent  is 
he,  and  so  different.' 

Mutat,  used  neuter,  as  by  Varro  R.  R. 
2,  2  (in  Dict.). 

12.  Scurra,  '  the  wit  or  dandy  of  the 
town ; '  always  opposed  to  the  country 
boor  (or  'bauer').  Cp.  Plaut.  Most.  i.  i, 
14  '  Tu  urbanus  vero  scurra,  deUciae  popH, 
Rus  mihi  tu  objectas :'  Id.  Trin.  i.  2,  165. 
See  Juv.  13.  III. 

13.  Tritius,  not  (as  Doering  takes  it) 
= '  vulgarius,'  but ' practised,' '  expert '  in  the 
ways  of  the  world,  Hke  erriT/xiTTOS,  rpi^uv, 
rpinjM.  in  Aristoph.  If  it  meant  'vulgar' 
there  would  not  be  the  intended  contrast 


between  the  artificial  poHsh  of  the  '  scurra ' 
and  the  coarseness  of  the  rustic,  which 
Suffenus  always  betrays  as  soon  as  he  be- 
gins  to  compose.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
find  any  meaning  in  the  '  tristius'  of  the 
MSS.,  vvhich,  however,  Weber  retains. 

17.  In  se,  '  satisfied  in  himself,'  as  in 
TibuH.  4.  13,  8  '  Qui  sapit,  in  tacito  gaudeat 
ipse  sinu.'  It  might  also  mean  '  satisfied 
with  himself,'  as  in  Prop.  5  (4).  8, 63  '  Cyn- 
thia  in  exuviis  gaudet.'  For  the  sentiment 
see  Hor.  Ep.  2.  2, 107  '  Gaudent  scribentes 
et  se  venerantur '  etc. 

18.  Idem  fallimur  =  '  errare  '  with 
an  accus. :  the  latter  a  construction  found 
in  Terence  and  occasionally  later.  Cp. 
Hor.  A.  P.  354  '  Ut  scriptor  si  peccat 
idem.' 

19.  Suffenum,  'a  Suffenus,'  i.  e.  Hke 
him  in  some  point  or  other. 

Resolved  feet,  Uke  in  aliqua,  are  rare 
in  this  kind  of  metre  :  hence  the  conjecture 
'  in  ulla.' 

20.  Attributus,  explained  by  Prop.  3. 
14  (2.  22),  17  '  Unicuique  dedit  vitium 
Natura  creato.' 

21.  Manticae.  For  a  similar  allusion 
to  Aesop's  weO-known  fable  of  the  two 
wallets  see  Hor.  S.  2.  3,  299  '  Respicere 
ignoto  discet  pendentia  tergo.' 


CATULLUS.  49 

VIII. 

CARMEN   29  (31). 
Ad  Sirmionem  Paeninsulam. 

This  Ode  contains  the  praises  of  Sirmio,  a  tongue  of  land  running  out 
into  the  Lago  di  Garda,  on  which  the  poet  had  a  villa.  He  represents 
himself  as  returning  to  its  beauty  and  quiet  after  his  disagreeable  residence 
in  Bithynia,  whither  he  had  gone  in  the  train  of  the  Praetor  Memmius.  He 
had  also  another  villa  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tivoli,  to  which  he  refers  in 
42  (44).     The  metre  of  this  poem  is  Hipponactean,  like  the  last. 

Paeninsularum,  Sirmio,  insularumque 

Ocelle,  quascumque  in  liquentibus  stagnis, 

Marique  vasto  fert  uterque  Neptunus, 

Quam  te  libenter,  quamque  laetus  inviso, 

Vix  mi  ipse  credens  Thyniam  atque  Bithynos  5 

Liquisse  campos,  et  videre  te  in  tuto  ! 

O  quid  solutis  est  beatius  curis  ? 

Cum  mens  onus  reponit,  ac  peregrino 

Labore  fessi  venimus  Larem  ad  nostrum, 

Desideratoque  acquiescimus  lecto.  10 

Hoc  est,  quod  unum  est  pro  laboribus  tantis. 

Salve,  o  venusta  Sirmio,  atque  hero  gaude : 


2.  Ocelle,  'fairest'  or  '  dearest  among  5.  Thyniam,  used  s)monymously  with 
isles  and  jutting  shores.'  Cicero  Ep.  ad  Att.  Bithynia  :  cp.  Claudian  in  Eutrop.  247 
16.  6  has  '  ocellos  ItaHae  villulas  meas ; '  '  Thyni  Thraces  erant  quae  nunc  BithjTiia 
and  in  Nat.  Deor.  3.  38  he  calls  Corinth  fertur.'  Part  of  the  country  seems  to  have 
and  Carthage  '  duos  oculos  orae  maritimae.'  been  called  more  directlj'  from  the  immi- 
We  mav  compare  the  use  of  o/i/xa  in  Eur.  grant  Thyni ;   Hdt.  I.  28. 

Phoen.  802  'ApTeViSos  yjLOVOTpoipov  ii\JL\j.a  7.   Solutis  .  .  curis;  as  often  in  Latin, 

Yiidai.p!hv.  the  participle  with  the  substantive  express- 

Liquentibus  stagnis,  '  clear  lakes.'  ing  rather  the  action  done  on  the  subject 

3.  Fert  uterque  Neptunus.  Some  than  the  subject  in  itself :  '  the  getting  free 
have  supposed  the  '  uterque '  to  mean  the  of  cares,'  like  '  urbs  condita,'  '  amissi  cives ' 
seas  that  wash  either  side  of  Italy,  the  etc.  = '  the  foundation,' '  the  loss,' etc.  Not 
'  superum '  and  '  inferum '  as  they  were  perceiving  this  usage,  some  have  proposed 
called.  It  is  more  Ukely  that  Catullus  to  destroy  the  interrogation  after  '  curis,' 
meant  the  word  to  refer  to  the  '  stagnis '  and  to  construct  thus  :  '  quid  beatius  est 
and  'mari'  just  preceding,  '  Neptune  in  (quam)  cum  mens  solutis  curis  onus  re- 
both    his    kingdoms,'    i.  e.    of   ocean    and  ponit.' 

lake.  8.   Peregrino  labore,  '  toil  of  travel.' 


50  CATULLUS. 

Gaudete  vosque,  O  Lydiae  lacus  undae 
Ridete  quicquid  est  domi  cachinnorum. 


IX. 

CARMEN   32  (34). 
Carmen  Dia^iae. 

This  poem  is  sometimes  headed '  Seculare  Carmen  ad  Dianam,'  and  people 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  argue,  on  the  assumption  of  its  having  been  written 
for  the  great  secular  games  celebrated  by  Augustus,  17  B.c,  that  Catullus 
must  have  lived  to  a  later  period  than  is  generally  thought.  But  the 
inscription  is  of  course  only  the  invention  of  some  editor  or  grammarian. 
It  may,  however,  have  been  composed  for  the  yearly  festival  of  Apollo  and 
Diana,  in  the  month  of  August.  It  may  be  compared  with  Horace's  Hymn 
to  Diana  and  Apollo,  Od.  i.  21,  which  is  probably  no  more  Amoebean  than 
the  present  one.  The  metre  is  Choriambic  Dimeter  Acatalectic,  or  Glyco- 
nian  in  the  first  three  lines  of  the  stanza,  with  a  Pherecratean  or  '  Dimeter 
Catalectic '  in  the  fourth.  Another  variation  of  the  Choriambic  metre,  with 
the  stanza  of  five  lines,  may  be  seen  in  the  Epithalamium  of  Julia  and 
Manlius,  Ode  59  (61). 

DiAXAE  sumus  in  iide, 
Puellae,  et  pueri  integri : 
Dianam,  pueri  integri, 
Puellaeque  canamus. 

O  Latonia,  maximi  s 


13.   Lydiae.      There    is    some    doubt  14.  Cachinnorum,  not,  as  some  would 

about  the  reading  here.      Lachm.  would  take  it,  of  the  smiling  welcome  given  by 

prefer   (and   Haupt   adopts)   '  Libuae,'   the  the    waters,    as    in    62  (64).  273,    but    of 

'  Libui'  being  a   people   of  Gallia  Trans-  the  smiles  awaiting  him  at  home. 
padana  about  Vercellae,  mentioned  by  Livy 
5.  35 ;    but   there    would    be    a    question, 

whether  the  first  syllable  ought  not  to  be  I.   In    fide,    '  under  the   protection   of 

short,  and   a  hiatus   followed  by  an   ana-  Diana  :'  a  common  phrase  in  Cicero,  often 

pae?t  would  not  suit  with  the  general  flow  coupled  with  '  clientela.' 

of  this  metre.     Weber  reads  '  Lariae,'  Ca-  3.  The  third  Une  of  this  stanza  appears 

tullus'  friend  Caecilius   having   a  villa   on  in    no    MS.,    but    the    vacuum    was    very 

Como,  see  33  (35).  4.    '  Lydiae' for  '  Lydii  early,    and    no    doubt    correctly,    filled    as 

lacus,' as  often  in  Horace,  expresses  the  com-  in    the    text,     only    with     '  Dianae'     for 

mon  tradition  of  the  settlement  of  North  '  -nam.' 

Italy  from  Lydia.    Scahger  would  invent  the  Pueri    integri    here   are   the  same   as 

word  '  ludiae'  =  ' restless.  sportive  waves.'  the  '  pueri  casti'  of  Hor.  Carm.  Sec.  6. 


CATULLUS. 


5« 


Magna  progcnies  lovis, 
Quam  mater  prope  Deliam 
Deposivit  olivam ; 

Montium  domina  ut  fores, 
Silvarumque  virentium, 
Saltuumque  reconditorum, 
Amniumque  sonantum. 

Tu  Lucina  dolentibus 
Juno  dicta  puerperis  : 
Tu  potens  Trivia,  et  notho  es 
Dicta  lumine  Luna. 

Tu  cursu,  dea,  menstruo 
Metiens  iter  annuum, 
Rustica  agricolae  bonis 
Tecta  frugibus  exples. 

Sis  quocumque  tibi  placet 
Sancta  nomine,  Romulique 
Antique  ut  solita  es,  bona 
Sospites  ope  gentem. 


iS 


8.  Deposivit  =d7r€077/caTo  koXttcuv,  as 
Callimachus  has  it.  The  form  of  the  word 
is  one  of  Catullus'  archaisms.  In  early 
inscriptions,  and  in  Plautus,  '  posivi,'  '  posi- 
verunt,'  and  the  like  are  not  uncommon. 
Cp.  Ov.  M.  6.  335  '  Illic  incumbens  cum 
Palladis  arbore  palmae  Edidit  invita  geminos 
Latona  noverca.' 

g.  Montium,  as  in  Hor.  Od.  3.  22,  i 
'  Montium  custos  nemorumque,  Virgo.' 

1 1.  Reconditorum,  a  hypermetric  line, 
as  below  v.  22.  We  have  a  similar  instance 
of  Synapheia  in  the  Choriambic  metre 
Hor.  Od.  4.  1,  35  '  Cur  facunda  parum  de- 
coro  Inter  verba  cadit  lingua  silentio.' 

13,  14.  Lucina  .  .  Juno.  Cicero,  Nat. 
Deor.  2.  27,  has  '  ut  apud  Graecos  Dianam 
eamque  Luciferam,  sic  apud  nostros  Juno- 
nem  Lucinam  in  pariendo  invocant ; '  so 
Glycerium,  in  Ter.  And.  3.  i,  15,  prays  to 
'  Juno  Lucina.'  Catullus  also  here  indi- 
cates  that  one  and  the  same  deity  is  signi- 
iied  by  both  names.  See  also  Hor.  Carm. 
Sec.  14  foll.  '  Lenis  IHthyia  tuere  matres, 
Sive  tu  Lucine  probas  vocari,  Seu  Genitalis.' 
In  Greek  it  was  not  till  late  that  EiKeiOvia 
became  identified  with  "'ApTf/iis  ;  in  Hesiod 
and  Pindar  they  are  distinct. 

Dolentibus,  =  wStvoi/crais,  '  matrons  in 
travail.' 

i^.   Trivia  :    attribute  of  Diana  as  the 


iess  of  the  realms  below,  '  Noctumis- 
que  Hecate  triviis  ululata  per  urbes '  Virg. 
Ae.  4.  609,  as  being  worshipped  in  the 
crossways. 

Notho,  '  borrowed  light,'  as  in  Lucr.  5. 
574  '  Lunaque  sive  notho  fertur  loca  lu- 
mine  lustrans.' 

20.  Frugibus.  The  functions  usually 
assigned  to  Ceres  by  the  Roman  poets  are 
here  given  to  Diana,  in  imitation  of  the 
Greek  Artemis,  of  whom  Callimachus 
(Hym.  in  Dian.  129  foll.)  sings  Oi>s  5« 
Kev  evpieiS-fjs  re  koI  iKaos  avfdaen,  Ket- 
vois  eii  fiiv  dpovpa  <pepei  k.t.K. 

23.  Antique  (with  the  best  MSS.)  is 
the  reading  of  Lachm.  and  Haupt,  while 
Doering  adopts  the  conjecture  of  the  Ita- 
lian  scholars,  '  antiquam.'  Scaliger  ingeni- 
ously  supposes  Catullus  to  have  written 
'  Ancique,'  '  c  '  and  '  t '  being  often  inter- 
changed.  It  must  be  acknowledged  that 
'  antique '  in  the  sense  of  '  olim '  is  rather 
an  anomaly.  Klotz, '  antiquei;'  as  20  (22). 
6  'novei'  (MSS.  'e^-e'). 

24.  Sospites,  '  protect,'  an  archaic  re- 
ligious  word,  formed  from  '  sospita,'  or,  as 
it  was  anciently  written, '  sisgita,'  epithet  of 
Juno  and  Diana.  Ennius  has  '  Regnumque 
nostrum  sospitent  superstitentque,'  Trag. 
330.  Cp.  65  (67).  2  '  Salve  teque  bona 
Jupiter  auctet  ope.' 

E  2 


52 


CATULLUS. 


X. 


CARMEN  43(45). 
De  Acme  et  Septimio. 

'  No  ancient  poet  has  presented  so  true  an  image  of  the  passionate 
devotion  and  ecstasy  of  lovers  as  that  which  is  contained  in  the  playful 
and  tender  and  yet  burning  lines  of  the  Acme  and  Septimius.'  Sellar. 
The  metre  is  Hendecasyllabic. 

AcMEN  Septimius,  suos  amores, 

Tenens  in  gremio,  Mea,  inquit,  Acme, 

Ni  te  perdite  amo,  atque  amare  porro 

Omnes  sum  assidue  paratus  annos, 

Quantum  qui  pote  plurimum  perire,  5 

Solus  in  Libya,  Indiaque  tosta 

Caesio  veniam  obvius  leoni. 

Hoc  ut  dixit,  Amor,  sinistra  ut  ante, 

Dextra  sternuit  approbationem. 

At  Acme  leviter  caput  reflectens,  10 


3.  Perdite  :  phrase  common  in  Terence, 
as  we  say  '  to  be  desperately  in  love  with.' 
Afranius  uses  the  form  '  perditim.' 

Porro,  '  in  future.'  Cp.  Grat.  Cyn.  66 
'  Flet  adhuc  et  porro  flebit  Adonim  Victa 
Venus.' 

5.  Quantum  perire,  i.  e.  '  as  despe- 
rately  as  it  is  possible  for  oue  to  love.' 
'  Perire'  is  often  used  in  this  sense  with 
and  without  '  amore  :'  cp.  Prop.  3.  6  (2.  15), 
13  '  Ipse  Paris  nuda  fertur  periisse  Lacaena.' 
For  the  general  form  of  the  sentence  see  a 
similar  instance  in  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Fam.  13.  22 
'  Gratissimum  mihi  feceris,  si  huic  com- 
mendationi  meae  tantum  tribueris  quantum 
cui  tribuisti  plurimum.' 

6.  Indiaque.  Doering,  almost  alone 
of  recent  editors,  changes  this  into  '  In- 
diave.'  The  poetical  substitution  of  '  que ' 
for  '  ve'  is  well  known  :  cp.  4.  8  ;  and  see 
Munro,  Lucr.  2.  825.    - 

7.  Caesio,  of  the  colour  of  the  eyes, 
'  gray,'  or  what  we  call  '  cat-eyed.'  It  is 
supposed  to  be  the  original  form  of  '  cae- 
ruleus.'  We  may  compare  '  ravus '  in  Ho- 
race's  '  ravos  leones'  Epod.  16.  33. 

8.  Sinistra  .  .  Dextra  have  more  MS. 
authority  in  their   favour  than   Doering's 


'  sinistram,'  '  dextram.'  The  latter  under- 
stands  the  words  to  mean,  that  '  while 
before  Love  had  given  an  unfavourable 
sign,  he  now,  on  Septimius'  avowal  of  his 
love,  manifested  a  propitious  one.'  It  may 
however  be  better  to  take  it  as  though 
Cupid,  by  sneezing  both  on  the  right  and 
left,  desired  to  shew  his  complete  and 
thorough  sanction  of  the  match.  Some 
would  punctuate  '  sinistra,  ut  ante  Dextra.' 
Cp.  Prop.  2.  3,  24  '  Candidus  argutum  ster- 
nuit  omen  Amor  :'  and  Theocr.  7.  96  Si/it- 
XiSa  fxiv  (poJTfs  (rrfiTTapov.  There  seems 
to  be  some  doubt  whether  all  sneezes  were 
not  favourable  omens,  on  the  ground  of 
their  issuing  from  the  head,  the  seat  of 
wisdom.  The  Scholiast,  however,  on 
Theocr.  1.  c.  maintains  that  some  only 
were  propitious,  others  the  reverse.  See 
Eustathius  on  Hom  Od.  17.545.  Cicero, 
de  Div.  2.  40,  places  these  omens  ('  stemu- 
tamenta')  on  a  level  with  making  a  false 
step  and  breaking  a  shoe-string.  Tennyson : 
'  Sneeze  out  a  full  God  bless  you  right  and 
left.' 

10.  Caput  reflectens.  Cp.  Hor.  Od. 
2.  12,  25  '  Dum  flagrantia  detorquet  ad 
oscula  Cervicem.' 


CATULXU5.  53 

Et  dulcis  pueri  ebrios  ocellos 

Illo  purpureo  ore  saviata, 

Sic,  inquit,  mea  vita,  Septimille, 

Huic  uni  domino  usque  serviamus, 

Ut  multo  mihi   maior  acriorque  15 

Ignis  moUibus  ardet  in  medullis. 

Hoc  ut  dixit,  Amor,  sinistra  ut  ante, 

Dextra  sternuit  approbationem. 

Nunc  ab  auspicio  bono  profecti 

Mutuis  animis  amant,  amantur.  20 

Unam  Septimius  misellus  Acmen 

Mavult  quam  Syrias  Britanniasque : 

Uno  in  Septimio  fidelis  Acme 

Facit  delicias  libidinesque. 

Quis  ullos  homines  beatiores  25 

Vidit  ?    quis  Venerem  auspicatiorem  ? 


XL 

CARMEN   82  (84). 
De  Arrio. 

The  interest  of  this  Epigram  is  mainly  philological.  Whether  the  object 
of  Catullus'  ridicule  is  the  Q^Arrius  whom  Cicero  speaks  of,  Brut.  69,  as 
possessing  *  grata  populo  verborum  copia  qua  infimo  loco  natus  pecuniam 

11.  Ebrios  ocellos,  '  swimming  eyes.'  than  even  yours  for  me."  '  Sic  .  .  ut,'  as  in 
Compare  the  idea  expressed  by  the  Greek  Prop.  i.  19,  ii  '  Sic  mihi  te  referas  levis, 
vyp6s.  ut  non  altera  nostro  Limine  formosos  in- 

12.  Illo,  '  with  those  ruby  lips  of  hers,'  tulit  ulla  pedes.' 

rosier  than   those   of  others :    a   common  14.   Uni.     Weber  retains  'uno'of  one 

poetical   sense   of  '  ille,'  e.  g.  Virg.  Ae   3.  MS.,    as    in    17.17   '  pili    facit    uni '    (for 

401  '  illa  .  .  Petelia.'    One  MS.  has  *  illos.'  '  unius'). 

13.  Sic  .  .  ut.  This  passage  is  com-  21.  Misellus, 'love-sick:' cp. 33 (35).i4 
monly  taken  as  Doering  -understands  it,  '  misellae  Ignes  interiorem  edunt  medullam.' 
*  Amid  such  love  let  me  ever  obey  you  as  So  in  Plautus  and  Terence  '  misere  amare,' 
my  only  lord,  inasmuch  as  a  still  deeper  '  misere  deperire '  are  very  common  phrases. 
afFection  bums  in  my  bosom.'  It  seems,  In  the  next  line  the  plurals  are  used  to 
however,  to  give  more  point  to  the  lines,  point  the  contrast  still  more  forcibly  with 
if  '  sic' and  the  words  that  foUow  are  taken  the  '  unam  Acmen  :'  '  his  one  dear  Acme 
to  contain  an  adjuration  addressed  to  Cupid,  is  better  than  any  number  of  Syrias  or 
as   the  '  dominus'  of  v.  14,  while  the  '  ut  Britains.' 

multo,'  etc.  contain  the  gist  of  the  sentence  :  23.   In  Septimio  should  be  taken  with 

'byall  the  devotion  we  would  ever  pay  to  the      '  facit    delicias,'    though    Sallust    has    '  in 
god  oi  love — my  passion  for  you  is  keener      amicis  fideles'  Cat.  9.  2. 


54  CATULLUS. 

et  honores  consecutus  est,'  is  of  little  consequence  to  determine.  It  is 
more  important  to  note  this  poem,  as  marking  the  time  when  the  increased 
study  of  Greek  led  to  the  practice  of  aspiration,  which  had  been  almost 
unknown  to  the  Romans  during  the  first  six  centuries  of  their  history. 
Arrius,  as  was  natural  with  a  vulgar  person,  not  only  used  the  aspirate 
where  it  was  right,  but  also  where  it  was  wrong.  Cp.  Quintil.  Inst. 
Or.  I.  5  (of  the  aspirate)  '  Parcissime  ea  veteres  usi  etiam  in  vocalibus  cum 
"aedos,"  "vicosque"  dicebant.  Diu  deinde  servatum  ne  consonantibus 
aspiraretur  ut  in  "  Graccis"  et  in  "triumpis."  Erupit  brevi  tempore  nimius 
usus,  ut  "  choronae,"  "  chenturiones,"  "  praechones  "  adhuc  quibusdam  in- 
scriptionibus  maneant.     Qua  de  re  Catulli  nobile  epigramma  est.' 

Chommoda  dicebat,  si  quando  commoda  vcllet 

Dicere,  et  insidias  Arrius  hinsidias. 
Et  tum  mirifice  sperabat  se  esse  locutum, 

Cum,  quantum  poterat,  dixerat  hinsidias. 
Credo  sic  mater,  sic  Liber,  avunculus  ejus,  5 

Sic  maternus  avus  dixerat,  atque  avia. 
Hoc  misso  in  Syriam  requierant  omnibus  aures, 

Audibant  eadem  haec  leniter  et  leviter, 
Nec  sibi  postilla  metuebant  talia  verba, 

Cum  subito  adfertur  nuntius  horribilis,  lo 

lonios  fluctus,  postquam  illuc  Arrius  isset, 

Tam  non  lonios  esse,  sed  Hionios. 


5.  Liber,  a  rare  name  among  the  Ro-  Ep.  ad  Att.  13.  21  '  quod  levius  ac  lenius.' 
mans,  but  met  with  in  Martial  8.  77, '  Liber  9.  Postilla,  formed  like  '  postea,'  with 

amicorum  dulcissima  cura  tuorum.'  the  'a'   long,   the   original   forms   perhaps 

7.  Requierant,  '  every  one's  ears  had  having  been  '  posteam,'  '  postillam.'  It  is 
found  repose  ;  these  same  words  ("  insidias"  found  in  Terence  and  Plautus,  but  rarely 
etc.)  they  were  hearing  smoothly  and  softly  used  by  classical  authors. 

uttered,  when' etc.  11.   Isset.       The    subjunctive    may    be 

8.  Leniter,  in  its  grammatical  sense,  as  explained  by  the  oratio  obliqua ;  but  see 
opposed  to  the  '  spiritus  asper.'     Cp.  Cic.  Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §  338,  obs.  i. 


ALBIUS    TIBULLUS. 


LIFE    OF    TIBULLUS. 


Albius  Tibullus,  born,  according  lo  Dissen,  about  59  b.c,  was 
a  Roman  knight,  of  handsome  person,  amiable  disposition,  attractive 
manners,  and  good  fortune,  until  the  latter  was  reduced  by  the  confis- 
cations  under  the  Triumvirs.  Though  as  little  disposed  as  his  friend 
Horace  for  military  life,  he  served  his  time  as  '  eques,"  and,  later,  ac- 
companied  as  aide-de-camp  his  patron,  INI.  Valerius  Messala,  on  the 
successful  expedition  to  Aquitaine,  31-30  b.c:  see  i.  7,  9.  The  poefs 
life  was  however  for  the  most  part  spent  on  his  ancestral  property 
(' in  regione  Pedana,'  Hor.  Ep.  i.  4),  amid  the  country  scenes  and 
employments  congenial  to  his  nature,  habits,  and  delicate  health.  His 
susceptible  heart  seems  to  have  yielded  first  to  the  attractions  of  a 
lady  named  Plania  or  Plautia,  whom  in  his  first  Book  he  addresses 
under  the  name  of  '  DeUa.'  When  he  wrote  the  second  Book,  his 
affections  seem  to  have  been  transferred  from  the  faithless  Delia  to 
the  avaricious  and  unattractive  Nemesis,  identified  by  Passow  with  the 
'  immitis  Glycera'  of  Hor.  Od.  i.  33,  though  this  is  very  doubtful.  He 
died  in  the  prime  of  life,  probably  about  the  year  18  b.c,  a  few  months 
later  than  Virgil,  as  we  know  from  the  famous  epitaph  on  him  by 
Domitius  Marsus,  the  cotemporary  poet : 

'  Te  quoque  Vergilio  comitem  non  aequa,  Tibulle, 

Mors  juvenem  campos  misit  ad  Elysios  ; 
Ne  foret,  aut  elegis  molles  qui  fleret  amores, 
Aut  caneret  forti  regia  bella  pede.' 

See  also  Ovid's  Elegy  on  his  death,  Amor.  3.  9. 

Tibullus  is  pre-eminently  Roman  in  his  genius  and  poetry,  His 
disregard  for  foreign  models,  his  genuine  love  for  country  scenery 
and  domestic  life,  his  dignified  independence  of  position  and  tone, 
the  simplicity  of  his  tastes  and  pursuits,  and  his  faith  and  piety  toward 


58  LIFE   OF  TIBULLUS. 

the  national  divinities,  distinguish  him  from  all  his  cotemporaries,  and 
most  of  his  successors.  He  is  the  natural  poet  of  warm,  tender,  and 
simple  feeling,  though  Coleridge  pronounces  him  '  insipid,'  and  Nie- 
buhr  condemns  his  melancholy  and  sentimentaHty  as  '  un-antique.' 
Indifferent  to  the  great  and  stirring  events  of  his  tim.es,  except  so  far 
as  they  affect  Messala,  TibuUus  is  engrossed  with  his  home,  his  mis- 
tress,  his  friends,  and  his  patron.  The  style  of  the  poet  reflects  the 
temperament  of  the  man.  Neither  Greek  mythology  nor  Alexandrine 
learning  had  any  attractions  for  his  purely  Italian  genius.  His  lan- 
guage,  like  his  thought,  may  be  Umited  in  range  and  variety ;  but  it  is 
terse,  clear,  simple,  and  popular,  well  suited  to  the  lazy  ears  of  his 
countrymen  (see  Ov.  Tr.  2.  463).  His  constructions  are  plain  and 
direct, — the  exact  opposite  to  those  of  his  cotemporary  Propertius. 
While  in  point  of  natural  abiHty,  in  learning,  force,  and  variety, 
Tibullus  is  far  inferior  to  CatuHus,  yet  (not  to  mention  his  superior 
purity)  in  the  exquisite  smoothness  of  his  Hnes,  and  his  compact 
management  of  the  elegiac  system,  TibuHus  made  a  great  advance, 
in  versification  at  least,  on  his  predecessor.  QuintiHan  caUs  him 
'  elegiae  maxime  tersus  atque  elegans  auctor,'  though  he  aUows  there 
are  '  some  who  prefer  Propertius'  (Inst.  Or.  10.  i,  93).  Ovid  gives 
him  the  appropriate  epithets  of  '  cultus'  and  '  comis'  (Amor.  i.  15,  28 ; 
Tr.  5.  I,  18),  while  his  pure  taste  and  exquisite  finish  attracted  the 
special  praise  of  his  admiring  critic  Horace  (Ep.  i.  4).  In  short,  the 
exceHence  of  TibuHus  lay  mainly  in  this, — that  he  was  the  first  to 
clothe  in  the  foreign  dress  of  the  elegiac  metre  a  body  of  purely 
Roman  sentiment,  imagery,  and  ideas. 

Of  the  four  Books  of  Elegies  that  have  come  down  to  us  under 
the  name  of  TibuUus,  only  the  two  first  can  be  for  certain  pronounced 
authentic,  while  of  these  the  second,  belonging  to  the  less  happy 
portion  of  his  Hfe,  and  pubHshed  in  all  probabiHty  after  his  death, 
gives  evidence  of  much  less  care  and  finish  than  the  first,  which  repre- 
sents  the  author  in  the  earHer  and  happier  stage  of  his  fortunes  and 
affections.  The  third  Book  differs  widely  from  the  rest,  and  is  prob- 
ably  the  work  of  some  later  poet  (cp.  3.  5,  16), — Lygdamus,  a  Greek 
freedman,  according  to  Voss,  or  Ovid,  as  Gruppe  conjectured  from 
certain  supposed  resemblances  to  passages  in  the  latter's  works.  The 
fourth  Book,  with  the  exception  of  the  tasteless  '  Panegyricus  ad  Mes- 
salam,'  if  not  by  Tibullus,  has  at  all  events  many  characteristics  of  his 
genius.  Dissen  supposed  these  beautiful  Idylls  to  have  been  composed 
by  Tibullus  after  the  ill-success  of  his  own  love-afTairs,  with  which  he 


LIFE   OF   TIBULLUS.  59 

contrasts  the  affection  of  Sulpicia  for  his  friend  Cerinthus  (cp.  2.  2,  9), 
while  others,  detecting  in  them  traces  of  a  female  hand,  have  referred 
the  authorship  to  Sulpicia  herself.  Possibly  the  first  collection  of  the 
poems  of  Tibullus  was  made  by  the  family  of  Messala,  and  pieces  by 
oiher  authors  may  have  become  mixed  up  and  been  published  with 
them.  The  earliest  extant  MSS.  of  Tibullus  belong  to  the  first  half 
of  the  fifteenth  century. 


C^VU'(L    VlAV»^c,      "M.-    (JuCAVYSj     J'(X.a%,-fv     JA\_|]fVQiCVvS.  TeAcMV-Ou  ? 

Ak  t()i.witu/V»o     S("AM"(Xi      ('«Vv^^L/f      t-tkkAxXA^      CCxJUaA.'^», 
Ci».'«'(VvJ:^*«o    ciMA"Ociux'()lj     <)jC(1'>ujuvw>    ^OjpihKjct-  ^  lxTVV<JQU.V  *aI'  .' 
IVcrvv,  tu-     (urfpu^    tA-OkS.    siVwt     ptt>-<5VE.    :   d;     kxk^.   Worwoyim) 

^i    tifci.'     cIa\aA:v"0^      d^^d^i^rwj^    (vHDc*».qp^     WlAJiA^tU  . 
<^IM.*(L      V(rv-tJvjr      .IjuJUa.      y^Mjct-CUxXo^    iiv^kiiAi     oJaxai^-vvO  , 

tt   ♦vwAA.()u^    V(dK*s   ,  'VN^svv..   dL"tyUtJk'Vw^    CTOuvkvtv-aj  . 
A\U    'Wi    clCr^tfVS.      VsWji   ■W'v.aa'0    ;V«tA-.*.irf 
"^tcoLAAjtt*     tX-SuacrS ,    Ua/»     ^^'^     |  UM>.'(J*- 

Ov:  T-riUa,  T  l,b-3,.  Vtcivtej^i*!  Ti''AADUa.  ^ 

tt  ts(.a.ct(.'    tk  j<UAAj  kx    y»io'/v«.(u'hv    \\aAruA    t/<-aJt 
\if>,\.ko."S  I    1«     j\j.(K««-  luut  qaJUwi  ^l^AvACyA*  ?T(y|.t<A.T:(;>»  c/<vt. 

l\yyU'(rf  ^  \''vyxt»AA"urt»-'    c^yvAit  ,  Ti^-vaJUjliS.  j/t-ci; . 
h^VfffW»!.  JE  3.?       TiCrA.tc    VriAvJt     ,0|VVi-    uuTtlAiCU^.S;    CuJp'Ai«^"t    ciavwJj 


XII, 


ALBIUS    TIBULLUS. 


LIB.  I.    El.  1. 

TiBULLUS,  having  been  urged  by  his  friend  and  patron,  M.  Valerius 
Messala,  to  accompany  him  into  Greece  for  the  campaign  which  termi- 
nated  in  the  battle  of  Actium  (31  B.c),  declines,  partly  on  the  ground 
of  his  being  weary  of  military  service,  partly  from  love  of  the  pleasures 
of  country  life,  and  the  society  of  Delia. 

DiviTiAS  alius  fulvo  sibi  congerat  auro, 

Et  teneat  culti  jugera  multa  soli,  <^ 

1  Quem  labor  assiduus  vicino  terreat  hoste,       ,     \    \    '  Lr.w-:. 

Martia  cui  somnos  classica  pulsa  fugent ; ^  )^"^^^    "   '      !  ,  ,,     ^ 
Me  mea  paupertas  riiJLaj  traducat  mertj,     j^j^^a^lxV^. 


1.  Auro.  The  tvvo  first  lines  express 
the  two  chief  rewards  of  military  service, 
'  aurum,'  the  spoil  gained  in  war,  '  solum,' 
the  division  of  lands  to  the  soldiers  when 
they  returned  home.  '  Auro '  not  with 
'  divitias'  =  'wealth  of  gold,'  but  with  '  con- 
gerat,'  '  heap  up  riches  by  winning  gold.' 

2.  Culti,  i.  e.  not  waste  land,  but  all 
the  more  valuable  for  its  having  been  tilled 
by  others  before. 

Jugerum,  being  a  definite  measure- 
ment,  requires  an  epithet  of  number  rather 
than  size.  Hence  multa  is  better  than 
the  '  magna'  of  many  MSS.  Cp.  2.  3,  42 
'  Praedator  cupit  immensos  obsidere  campos 
Ut  multa  innumera  jugera  pascat  ove.' 

3-  Quem  =  01/  av  :  Dissen.  He  is 
welcome  to  his  gains,  whoever  is  content 
to  endure  toil,  danger,  and  sleeplessness. 

Vicino  .  .  hoste  is  to  be  taken  closely 
with  '  assiduus,'  '  the  toil  never  ceasing  for 
the  neaniess  of  the  foe.' 

4.  Pulsa  might  seem  to  suit  finger- 
instruments  better  than  wind-instruments  •. 


but  the  force  of  the  word  here  is  the 
sudden,  vehement  trumpet-blast  in  a  night- 
surprise. 

5.  Paupertas,  easily  reconcilable  with 
Hor.  Ep.  1.4,  7  '  Di  tibi  divitias  dederunt  ar- 
temque  fruendi,'  from  the  fact  that  the  estate 
of  Tibullus  at  Pedum,  Uke  those  of  Horace 
and  Virgil,  had  been  shom  by  the  confisca- 
tions  during  the  civil  wars ;  enough,  how- 
ever,  was  retained  or  recovered  (perhaps 
through  Messala's  influence)  to  enable  him 
to  live  in  moderate  comfort :  see  below, 
vv.  77,  78.  '  Let  the  poverty  of  others  lure 
them  into  war,  that  they  may  get  rich ; 
let  my  humble  means  consign  me  rather  to 
a  quiet  life,  if  only  I  can  aiford  to  sit  by  a 
blazing  fireside.' 

Vitae,  the  poetical  use  of  the  dative 
instead  of  the  accus.  and  preposition  :  cp. 
Hor.  Od.  I.  24,  18  '  Nigro  compulerit  gregi.' 
Haupt  reads  '  vita,'  involving  a  Virgilian 
inversion  of  the  phrase  '  vitam  traducere.' 

Traducat,  i.  e.  from  the  mihtary  ser- 
vice  in  which  he  had  been  before  engaged. 


62 


n 


■1' 


;^^' 


TIBULLUS. 


Dum  meus  assiduo  luceat  igne  focus. 
Ipse  seram  teneras  maturo  tem.pore  vites 
Rusticus,  et  facili  grandia  poma  manu : 
Nec  spes  destituat,  sed  frugum  semper  acervos 
^o^a^oim^ii^^^^^^^-praehe^t,  et  pleno  pinguia  musta  lacu. 

:,  ,.  rj  ■>?  I^vc.^vj-.  I  Nam  veneror,  seu  stipes  habet  desertus  in  agris, 
,  -v>j;  #-y«CY46    Seu  vetus  in  trivio  florea  serta  lapis  : 

Et  quodcumque  mihi  pomum  novus  educat  annus, 

Libatum  agricolae  ponitur  a^te  deo. 
Flava  Ceres,  tibi  sit  nostro  de  rure  corona 
Spicea,  quae  templi  pendeat  ante  fores  • 
rf».  —  Li^        Y-     \     Pomosisque  ruber  custos  ponatur  in  hortis, 

^'^"'^::&    Terreat  utll^^T^ce  Priapus  aves. '-'^^'^^,^^^  ^^*^ 
Vos  quoque  felicis  quondam,  nunc  pauperis  agri 

Custodes,  fertis  munera  vestra,  Lares.  20 

Tum  vitula  innumeros  lustrabat  caesa  juvencos ; 
Nunc  agna  exigui  est  hostia  parva  soli. 


/t^iJSs.  V«^  ( (l,i>"l>\^ 


■sr\Ur'j> 


-'CG^^ 


15 


6.  Assiduo,  the  reading  of  the  best 
MSS.,  changed  into  'e.xiguo'  probably  to 
avoid  the  repetition  of  the  word  so  soon 
after  v.  3 :  but  is  not  a  contrast  intended 
between  '  assiduo  igne '  and  '  assiduus  la- 
bor'?  Statius  alludes  to  this  line  '  divesque 
foco  lucente  Tibullus'  Silv.  i.  2,  255. 

7,  8.  Ipse,  '  with  niy  own  hand  (not 
having  slaves)  will  I  plant  in  due  season 
the  slender  vines,  and  with  active  fingers 
the  strong  tall  fruit  trees.' 

Teneras,  contrasted  with  '  grandia.' 

9.  Spes,  not  (as  Weber  takes  it)  in  the 
sense  of  '  the  hoped-for  produce.'  as  Prop. 
2.  I,  73,  but  rather  as  Hope  personified. 
Livy,  1.41,  has  the  phrase  '  si  destituat 
spes.'  Mark  the  alliteration  in  the  next 
line,  and  a  similar  one  below,  v.  34. 

II.  Nam  veneror,  I  ought  to  pros- 
per,  because  I  reverence  the  gods  of  the 
country,  not  only  in  the  lonely  fields,  but 
also  in  the  crowded  crossways.  Some  have 
taken  desertus  as  '  stripped  of  leaves.' 
Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  2.  641  '  Termine,  sive  lapis, 
sive  es  defossus  in  agris  Stipes.'  ReHgious- 
ness  is  one  characteristic  of  Tibullus. 

14.  Agricolae  .  .  deo,  i.  e.  Silvanus,  as 
2.  I,  36  '  Agricolis  .  .  coelitibus.'  Each  divi- 
nity  received  his  or  her  appropriate  offering: 
Silvanus,  fruit ;  Ceres,  ears  of  corn ;  the 
Lares,  a  lamb.  The  MSS.  have  '  agricolae 
.  .  deum,'  the  farmer's  god,  which  has  been 
rightly  altered  either  into  '  agricolam  deum ' 


or  '  agricolae  deo;'  see  5,  27  :  Dissen  ap- 
proves  the  latter. 

Poni,  in  the  common  sense  of  arranging 
or  offering  for  sacrifice,  =  avaOiaOai. 

Ante,  either  by  tmesis  for  '  anteponitur,' 
as  in  Hor.  S.  1.3,92  ;  or,  with  more  point,  in 
an  adverbial  sense  '  first,'  i.e.  before  I  taste 
them  myself. 

17.  Custos.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  4.  iio  '  Et 
custos  furum  atque  avium  cum  falce  sa- 
ligna ; '  and  for  a  more  lengthened  de- 
scription,  Hor.  S.  I.  8,  3-8.  Priapus  to 
be  supplied  after  '  custos '  from  the  next 
line. 

20.  Vestra,  Lares,  '  are  wont  to  re- 
ceive  your  proper,  fitting  gifts.'  The 
'  Lares '  here  spoken  of  are  the  '  Lares  ar- 
vales,'  '  rurales,'  as  they  are  called  in 
inscriptions.  As  Ceres  presided  over  the 
com,  Silvanus  over  the  trees,  the  '  Lares ' 
are  the  guardians  of  the  entire  farm. 

21.  Tum  refers  to  '  quondam,'  v.  19; 
in  better  times  the  poet  could  ofier  a  calf. 
Orelli  and  Dissen  read  '  tunc '  as  marking 
time  with  greater  emphasis,  and  so  more 
directly  opposed  to  '  nunc  ;'  but  see  Lachm. 
on  Lucr.  i.  130. 

22.  Parva,  the  reading  of  the  MSS. 
'  Magna'  (i.  e.  '  is  considered  a  very  great 
offering')  is  an  interpolation  adopted  by 
ScaHger,  of  which  Orelli  well  says  that  it 
breathes  '  acumen  Ovidianum,  non  cando- 
rem  Tibulii.' 


TIBULLUS. 


63 


o^-'*"^  ' 


.^M. 


Vc^ 


•^y: 


Agna  cadet  vobis,  quam  circum  rustica  pubes 

Clamet :    lo  messes  et  bona  vina  date  !    '    '- 
Jam  jnodo  jio^'^possum  contentus  vivere  parvo,  25 

Nec  semper  longae  deditus  esse  viae,     ^"^a^  V>««i  •~^ «.  -v^  y>^ 
Sed  Canis  aestivos  ortus  vitare  sub  umbra  ^,»>^  cyiD^/to^otjr  v^'''  ' 

Arboris  ad  rivos  praetereuntis  aquae.   ''**Ktt'<*y«<<ir\  m*  o 
Nec  tamen  interdum  pudeat  tenuisse  bidehtes, 

Aut  stimulo  tardos  increpuisse  boves  j  30 

Non  agnamvc  sinu  pigeat  fetumve  capellae 

Desertum  oblita  matre  referre  domum. 
At  vos  exiguo  pecori,  furesque,  lupique, 

Parcite  j   de  magno  est  praeda  petenda  grege.  ^ 
Hic  ego  pastoremque  meum  lustrare  quotannis,  35 

Et  placidam  soleo  spargere  lacte  Palem.    Ccl''\»uxAi,iW>\'=-:x.^cj,'oi^,^ 


Adsitis,  divi,  nec  vos  e 


paupere  mensa  ^^-"^^'^  \^  ^"^  '^^'^'^ 


23.  Cadet,  '  fall  in  sacrifice  ;'  a  common 
use  of  the  verb.  Similarly,  Callim.  Hym. 
ad  ApoU.  77  ^  evi  ttoWoI  'taTOLTiov  iri- 
Ttrovaiv  kn  taxiov,  w  ava,  ravpoi. 

Rustica  pubes.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  I.  343 
(of  the  Ambarvalia). 

25.  Jam  modo  non  possum.  If  we 
retain  this  reading,  it  can  only  mean, '  I  am 
now  all  but  able  to  live  on  little  with  con- 
tented  mind,'  as  in  the  '  penitus  modo  non 
genus  omne  perosos'  of  Virg.  Ae.  9.  141. 
But  the  '  nec  semper'  of  the  following  line 
does  not  fit  well  with  this  sense.  Many 
emendations  have  been  suggested.  Scaliger 
quotes  from  a  very  old  copy,  '  Quippe  ego 
jam  possum  :'  Weber,  from  some  MSS., 
'  Jam  modo  nunc'  Dissen  proposes  '  mo- 
dico  .  .  in  arvo'  (for  '  parvo').  Lachmann's 
'  Jam  modo  si  possum,'  as  in  2,  71,  has  very 
little  to  recommend  it.  Haupt  reads  'jam 
possim'  to  suit  with  the  '  pudeat'  of  v.  29. 

26.  Longae  viae,  '  the  long  marches 
of  war :'  cp.  v.  52  :  and  Hor.  Od.  2.  6,  7. 

27.  Ortus,  i.  e.  the  heat  caused  by  the 
risings,  Hke  Ovid's  '  tecto  grave  sidus  .  . 
vitare'  M.  5.  2S1.     Muretus  compares  Al- 

'/caeus,  \aaias  Oaixvcf)  vno   ir\aTavov   Kav- 
ifMT    oTrajpivoio  (pvyuiv  kvvos,  Anthol.  Gr. 
^260  (Jacobs).       Bentley   ingeniously  sug- 
gests  '  ictus.' 

28.  Ad  rivos  is  '  at  one  or  other  of 
the  streams  that  water  the  farm.'  There 
is  no  need  of  changing  it  (as  Burmann)  to 
'  rivum.' 

29.  Nec  tamen,  though  chiefly  bent 
on  ease  or  the  more  refined  task  of  plant- 


ing,  etc,  I  would  fain  not  be  ashamed 
sometimes  of  the  humbler  works  of  tend- 
ing  the  sheep  or  ploughing  with  the  oxen. 
The&e  last  were  left  usually  to  the 
slaves. 

Tenuisse  bidentes,  '  shut  in,  pen  the 
sheep ; '  the  verb  is  not  often  used  thus 
absolutely.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  3.  352,  and  (in 
a  different  sense)  Ib.  2.  371.  Lachm.  and 
Haupt,  with  most  MSS.,  read  '  bidentes.' 
Dissen  prefers  '  bidentem'  plausibly. 

34.  Est.  Most  of  the  MSS.  have  this 
word  in  the  middle  of  the  line ;  a  few, 
to  prevent  the  line  ending  with  a  short 
syllable  before  the  following  verse  begin- 
ning  with  a  vowei,  have  '  grege  est.'  Dissen 
shews  by  several  examples  that  the  '  est' 
moie  naturally  foUows  '  magno,'  to  add 
weight  to  the  emphatic  word  of  the  line : 
cp.  V.  22. 

35.  Hic,  i.  e.  on  my  fami.  He  here 
alludes  to  his  celebration  of  the  Palilia  on 
the  2ist  of  April  every  year :  see  Ov. 
Fast.  4.  727  foll.  The  purification  of  the" 
shepherds  was  one  part  of  the  rites  :  cp. 
2.  5,  87-90. 

Pastoremque  meum,  MSS.  '  Pasto- 
rumque  deum '  (  =  'ATroA.Ao»'  No/tios)  is  a 
groundless  emendation. 

36.  Placidam.  by  prolepsis,  '  that  she 
may  be  gracious  to  me,'  as  below  in  3,  66 
'  Et  gerit  insigni  myrtea  serta  coma.' 

37.  Paupere  mensa,  not '  a  poor  man's 
board,'  but  of  the  table  itself,  '  simple,' 
'  plain,'  not  of  rare  wood  or  ivory  as  those 
of  the  rich. 


64 


TIBULLUS. 


Dona,  nec  e  puris  spernite  tictilibus. 
Fictilia  antiquus  primum  sibi  fecit  agrestis 

Pocula,  de  faciii  composuitque  luto.  40 

Non  ego  divitias  patrum,  fructusque  requiro, 

Quos  tulit  antiquo  cg>nditg;  messis  avo. 
Parva  seges  satis  est  j   satis  est,  requiescere  lecto 

Si  licet,  et  solito  membra  levare  toro.    ^'H?'-'"''^  '''*fz^  '^ 
Quam  juvat  immites  ventos  audire  cubantem,  45 

Et  dominam  tenero  detinuisse  sinu, 
Aut,  gelidas  hibernus  aquas  cum  fuderit  Auster, 
(        "■ '  Securum  somnos  imbre  juvante  sequi ! 
^  rloc  mmi  contingat :    sit  dives  jure,  furorem 

Qui  maris  et  tristes  ferre  potest  pluvias.  50 

O  quantum  est  auri  "potius  pereatque  smaragdi, 

Quam  tleat  ob  nostras  ulla  puella  vias. 
Te  bellare  decet  terra,  Messala,  marique,       , ,  ,  ^^^-^ 

Ut  domus  hostiles  praeferat  exuvias  •'p^\s^ i^     tibJM^  teW* 


^9- 
Mov 


O-Xok'^  '. 


38.   Puris,  '  for  they  are  clean.' 

43.  Lecto  difters  from  'toro'  as  \exos 
froni  evvfj,  the  bedstead  from  the  bed- 
ding. 

44.  Solito,  which  would  be  impossible 
in  war. 

Membra  levare,  '  refresh  one*s  Hmbs,' 
as  in  Ov.  Amor.  i.  5,  2  '  Imposui  medio 
membra  levanda  toro.'  '  Referre,'  though 
appearing  in  some  MSS.,  seems  an  interpo- 
lation.  Cp.  Catull.  29  (31).  10  '  Desidera- 
toque  acquiescimus  lecto.' 

46.  Tenero  .  .  sinu,  '  fond,'  '  loving.' 

Detinuisse  :  cp.  below,  vv.  73»  74> 
the  well-known  poetical  usage  of  the  per- 
fect  infinitive  for  the  present  or  aorist, 
occasionally  found  in  prose.  Virgil  employs 
the  verb  in  the  same  sense,  Ae.  4.  85. 

48.  Sequi  somnos,  '  court  unbroken 
sleep,'  the  alUteration  in  the  Une  helping 
the  sense.  We  have  the  same  sentiment 
in  Sophocles  (quoted  by  Muretus  from  Cic. 
Ep.  ad  Att.  2.  7),  Ka9'  vtto  aTtyr}  IIvKvijs 
dK0ii€iv  xpeKabos  fvSovari  (ppevi. 

It  is  strange  that  any  could  have  en- 
dured  to  read  '  igne'  for  imbre. 

50.  It  has  been  remarked  that  the  ex- 
pedition  which  Tibullus  was  invited  to 
join  started  in  the  May  of  723  a.u.c,  when 
the  Hyades  (Horace's  '  tristes  Hyades') 
would  be  ushering  in  the  rainy  season ;  and 
it  is  to  this  that  the  words  chosen  here 
have  been  supposed  to  tefer.     The  trisyl- 


labic  ending  of  the  Pentameter  is  found 
much  seldomer  in  TibuIIus  than  in  CatuIIus, 
(see  on  63  (65 ).  8,)  though  much  oftener 
than  in  Ovid.  It  may  perhaps  have  been 
from  a  desire  to  remove  this  blemish  that 
some  ancient  Excerpta  give  '  et  coeh  nubila 
ferre  potest.' 

51.  Potius  pereatque.  Lachm.  with 
most  of  the  MSS.  prefers '  f)ereat  potiusque ;' 
but  Dissen,  comparing  i.  4,  2  ;  l.  8,  2  ;  and 
2.  6,  23,  shews  that  the  pecuHar  collocation 
in  the  text  is  quite  in  the  style  of  TibuUus. 
It  is  as  though  '  pereat '  had  been  repeated 
before,  that  'pereatque'  foUows ;  it  would 
not  be  so  much  according  to  usage  to 
supply  '  potius'  before  'pereat'  from  '  po- 
tiusque  smaragdi.'  Besides,  as  the  next 
line  mainly  depends  on  '  potius'  rather  than 
'  pereat,'  in  the  absence  of  certainty  on  the 
part  of  the  MSS.  it  is  well  that  '  potius' 
should  occupy  the  more  emphatic  place 
in  the  present  verse.  The  mention  of 
emeralds  and  gold  may  be  supposed  to 
have  reference  to  the  particular  spoils  likely 
to  be  derived  from  a  victorious  campaign 
in  the  East. 

52.  Quam  fleat:  see  on  CatuU.  6?  (64). 

83- 

54.  Praeferat.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  7.  183 
'  Multaque  praeterea  sacris  in  postibus 
arma,  Captivi  pendent  currus  :'  Prop.  4.  8 
(3.9),  26  '  Atque  onerare  tuam  fixa  per 
arma  domum.' 


TIBULLUS.  65- 


•3  f5WA*^fftAw>\    h^tW^ 


Me  retinent  vinctum  formosae  vincla  puellae,  55 

Et  sedeo  duras  janitor  ante  fores. 
Non  ego  laudari  curo,  mea  Delia :   tecum 

Dummodo  sim,  quaeso,  segnis  inersque  vocer. 
Te  spectem,  suprema  mihi  cum  venerit  hora  j 

Te  teneam  moriens  deficiente  manu.  i      ^®  l  ■ 

Flebis  et  arsuro  positum  me,  Delia,  lecto; '\j^^  "^^^^ 

Tristibus  et  lacrimis  oscula  mixta  dabis, 
Flebis  j   non  tua  sunt  duro  praecordia  ferro 

Vincta,  neque  in  tenero  stat  tibi  corde  silex.'^'"^  *'^'^Y'^^  ** 
lllo  non  juvenis  poterit  de  runere  quisquam  65 

Lumina,  non  virgo  sicca  referre  domum. 
Tu  Manes  ne  laede  meos :    sed  parce  solutis 

Crinibus,  et  teneris,  Delia,  parce  genis.     .^-.v^-. 
Interea,  dum  fata  sinunt,  jungamus  amores : 

Jam  veniet  tenebris  Mors  adoperta  caput.  70 

Jam  subrepet  iners  aetas,  neque  amare  decebit, 

Dicere  nec  cano  blanditias  capiti.  ~^ 

Nunc  levis  est  tractanda  Venus,  dum  frangere  postes 

Non  pudet,  et  rixas  inseruisse  juvat.     '  ^j^x- in^  ,, .  '  vvai/^^^"*'^ 

Hic  ego  dux  milesque  bonus :    vos,  signa  tubaeque,        75 


55.  Vinctum.   Tibullus  represents  him-  is  content  to  have  Delia's  hair  rough  and 

self  here  as  tied  to  his  mistress,  in  the  next  dishevelled,  but  not  cut  for  an  offering  on 

hne  as  remaining  before  her  closed  doors  his  grave. 

like  the  slaves  in  Roman  houses  who  acted  71.  Decet  with  an  infinitive  following  is 

as  porters  and  were  chained  to  their  post.  never  found  in  any  classical  author  govern- 

ICp.  Ov.  Amor.  I.  6,  l  '  Janitor,  indignum  !  ing  a  dative. 
dura  rehgate  catena.'  72.   Capiti.      Most  modem  texts  (ex- 

57.    Laudari,    i.  e.    for    warhke    glory  cept   Orelh^s)   read    this    in    preference    to 

I  care   not.     Cp.  Prop.  I.  6,  29  '  Non  ego  '  capite  ;'  it  is  better  to  regard  the  former 

sum  laudi,  non  natus  idoneus  armis.'  as    an    ablative    (cp.    CatuU.  66  (68).  124 

60.   See   Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  5^,  where,  in  '  Suscitat  a  cano  vulturium  capiti')  than  to 

his    elegy    on    Tibullus,    this    hne    occurs  suppose    it    refers   to    DeHa.      Dissen   well 

almost  word  for  word.  compares   Plaut.  Merc.  2.  2,  34  '  Tun'  ca- 

64.   Vincta,  '  inclosed  in,  encased  with  pite  cano  amas.' 
iron.'     Homer's  aiSrjpeov  ^TOp  is  used  in  a  73-   Frangere  postes.    See  the  parallel 

good  as  well  as  bad  sense.  between  the  soldier's  and  the  Iover's  cam- 

Stat,  '  stiffens,'  as  in  Virgirs  '  stet  Mar-  paign   in   Ov.  Amor.  i.  9,  19    '  Ille   graves 

pesia  cautes'  Ae.  6.  471-  urbes,  hic  durae  limen  amicae  Obsidet ;  hiC| 

67.   Laede.      Immoderate  grief  was  an  portas  frangit,  at  ille  fores :'  cp.  Hor.  Od.' 

offence  to  the  Shades.      Scaliger  quotes  an  3.  26,  6  foll. 

inscription   found   on    an    old   tablet   with  74.   Inseruisse,  as  we  say,  '  to  intro- 

these  very  words  occurring  in  it :  '  Durae  duce  a  quarrel,'  or  perhaps  for  '  me  rixis  in- 

mortis  sacratos  laedere  manes  Ecce  monent  seruisse,'  as  Ov.  M.  3.  117  '  nec  te  civilibus 

leges  et  levis  umbra  rogi.'  insere  beUis.'    Some  MSS.  have 'conseruisse.' 

Solutis.      It  was  the  custom  at  Rome,  75^   Hic,   i.  e.   in   love's  warfare,   as   in 

as  in  Greece,  to  place  on  the  tomb  locks  of  Prop.  3.  14  (2.  22),  34  '  Hic  ego   Pelides 

hair:    see   Prop.  i.  18  (17),  21.     TibuUus  hic  ferus  Hector  ego.' 


66  TIBULLUS. 

Ite  procul  j   cupidis  vulnera  ferte  viris. 
Ferte  et  opes :   ego  comppsitoj  securus  acervo 
Despiciam  dites,  despiciamque  famem. 


XIII. 

LIB.  L    El.  3. 

TlBULLUS  wrote  this  Elegy  from  Corcyra,  where  he  was  overtaken 
with  a  dangerous  sickness  while  accompanying  his  patron  Messala  from 
Gaul,  after  the  conquest  of  the  Aquitani,  into  Asia,  whither  Messala  was 
going  as  Prefect,  30  B.c.  The  poet  was  forced  to  discontinue  his  journey, 
and  on  recovering  from  his  sickness  returned  to  Rome.  There  is  a  great 
variety  of  feehng  in  this  poem.  The  sad  thoughts  of  his  own  sickness 
and  suffering  are  followed  by  happy  anticipations  of  a  poetic  Elysium  if 
he  should  die.  With  self-reproach  for  not  having  foUowed  the  advice  of 
Delia  are  mingled  murmurs  against  the  unkindness  of  the  gods,  and  denun- 
ciations  of  the  strife  and  cupidity  of  the  age,  which,  in  leading  to  military 
expeditions,  had  indirectly  been  the  causes  of  his  illness  ,•  while  at  the  end 
of  the  Elegy  hope  revives,  and  he  pictures  his  unexpected  return  home, 
and  his  restoration  to  the  mourning  DeHa. 

Ibitis  Aegaeas  sine  me,  Messala,  per  undas, 

O  utinam  memores,  ipse  cohorsque,  mei !  V.^.ty^^^-Vr^^V^  «^ 
:■"•  ■'  .  Me  tenet  ignotis  aegrum  Phaeacia  terris  :    ''^^     ^fus^^< 

,  ..  .Abstineas  avidas,  Mors,  precor,  atra,  manus ! 

juu*.>Ai«  oufeW(S>ui.^J-^^'' #,^s^i^^^Sj  ^o^s  ^^^^5  precor:   non  hic  mihi  mater,        5 

Quae  legat  in  maestos  ossa  perusta  sinus,  ■^^';'y^^^^***'^*^    * '^ '^ 
Non  soror,  Assyrios  cineri  quae  dedat  odores, 
dWf.  vAfl^j^  Guyi*^^  W.r.,*W  l&J^Cv  ^xfl^^o 

77.   Composito    is    usually    taken    to  guard.'    See  Emesti  Clavis  Cicer. 
mean  '  stored  up:'  having  already  amassed  3.  Phaeacia.     Cp.  Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  471, 

sufficient  fortune,  I  do  not  want  to  fight  '  Sed  tamen  hoc  melius  quam  si  Phaeacia| 

for   more.      Perhaps   it  would   lend   more  tellus  Ignotum  vili  supposuisset  humo.'        )■ 
point  to  the  passage  if  '  composito'  could  6.  Maestos   sinus,  '  in  the  bosom  of 

mean  '  just  fitted  to  my  wants,'  'moderate,'  her  mouming-dress.'    Cp.  Prop.  1. 18  (17). 

as  contrasted  with  cupidis,  V.  76,  =  those  12    '  Ossaque    nulla     tuo     nostra    tenere 

who  never  are  satisfied.  sinu.' 

7.  Assyrios,  here,  as  often  in  the  poets, 

2.  After  utinam  supply  the  subjunctive  for  '  Syrian:'  see  on  Catull.  64  1,66).  12. 
from  '  ibitis'  of  the  line  before.  Dedat, '  aptum  verbum  in  ritu  religioso' 

Cohors,    as     in     CatuU.  10.  10    '  Nec  (Dissen).    Not  perceiving  this,  others  have 

praetoribus  esse  nec  cohorti,'  '  the  suite  or  conjectured   '  condat,'   '  fundat,'   and    '  di- 

train  of  a  praetor;'  sometimes  his  '  body-  dat.' 


TIBULLUS. 


67 


Et  fleat  eflPlisis  ante  sepulcra  comis, 
Delia  non  usquam,  quae  me  cum  mitteret  urbe, 

Dicitur  ante  omaes  consuluisse  deos.        ^-    ■'■**      •      jo 
Illa  sacras  pueri  sortes  ter  sustulit :    illi   ^^^^^ 

Rettulit  e  triviis  omina  certa  pueh 


10 


^m 


Cuncta  dabant  reditus :  tamen  est  deterrita  nunquam 

Quin  fleret  nostras  respiceretque  vjas.  ^^  ^',i-  ^i^^.^^j^j^ 


eterrita  nunquam,  .  ,  ,.. 

Ipse  ego  solator,  cum  jam  mandata  dedissem,  i.s 

Quaerebam  tardas  anxius  usque  moras.        ^^,  W  |^^ul^  W.^^^  oa^ 
Aut  ego  sum  causatus  aves,  aut  omina  dira, -^^-^- 

Saturni  aut  sacram  me  tenuisse  diem,  , 

O  quoties  ingressus  iter  mihi  tristia  dixi  ^    y  ■     ?  •'    ■ 

Otfensum  in  porta  signa  dedisse  pedem !  20 

Audeat  invito  ne  quis  discedere  Amore^*^^  ^- "'''^^"^'^^ ' 

Aut  sciat  egressum  se  prohibente  deol-^T-     "    "-/'^Uius 
Quid  tua  nunc  Isis  mihi,  Delia?    quid  mihi  prosunt 

Illa  tua  toties  aera  repulsa  manu  ? 


9.  Cum  mitteret,  '  when  she  was  on 
the  eve  of  parting,'  as  in  CatuU.  64  (66).  29 
'  maesta  virum  mittens.'  '  Quam '  (as  in 
Weber),  to  go  with  the  'ante'  of  the  ne.xt 
line,  is  a  needless  aheration  of  the  MSS. 

11.  Sortes  sustulit,  '  thrice  she  drew 
the  young  fortune-teller's  sacred  lots.'  The 
'  sortes '  were  little  wooden  tablets,  drawn 
out  of  the  '  sitella '  or  um  full  of  water, 
on  which  various  things  were  written  ac- 
cording  to  the  circumstances  of  the  person 
consulting  them. 

12.  Rettulit  e  triviis.  Here  another 
method  of  divination  is  referred  to.  The 
'  puer  e  triviis'  is  distinguished  from  the 
'  puer  sortilegus '  or  professional  manager 
of  the  lots ;  the  former  denotes  some 
omen  taken  by  a  chance  passer  by,  one  of 
the  '  de  vico  auspices.'  The  ingenious 
conjecture  of  Muretus  '  e  trinis '  has  been 
adopted  by  Haupt. 

The  reading  '  omnia  '  for  o  m  i  n  a  jars 
with  the  '  cuncta  '  of  the  ne.xt  Hne. 

13.  Deterrita  :  some  would  take  it  '  so 
relieved  from  her  fears  as  not  to  weep ; ' 
but  it  is  more  simple  in  its  common  sense 
of  '  she  could  never  be  dissuaded  from 
weeping.'  Cp.  Plaut.  Mil.  Glor.  2.  3,  61 
'  Me  nemo  homo  deterruerit,  quin  ea  sit  in 
his  aedibus.' 

14.  Respiceret,  '  look  back  after  part- 
ing  from  me.'  The  object  of  the  verb  in 
this  sense  is  more  often  perhaps  a  person 
than  a  thing  :  but  the  MS.  reading  is  far 


preferable  to  Haupt's  '  despueret.' 

15.  Ipse  :  I  too,  myself,  though  con- 
soling  her,  even  when  I  had  already  bade 
her  farewell,  was  not  without  my  fears, 
which  made  me  often  and  again  look  for 
causes  of  delay. 

17.  Aves.  It  is  better,  as  Wunderlich 
suggests,  to  make  '  causatus '  govem  the 
accusatives  '  aves '  and  '  omina,'  and  then 
suppose  a  change  to  the  accusative  and 
infinitive  in  the  next  line,  than  to  join  all 
the  accusatives  with  '  tenuisse.'  Such  va- 
riations  in  constmction  are  very  common 
in  the  Latin  poets. 

iS.  Saturni  aut.  Haupt  prefers  the 
questionable  emendation  '  Satumive.'  Ti- 
bullus  represents  himself  as  making  even 
the  rest-day  of  a  foreign  religion  a  plea 
for  not  starting  on  his  joumey ;  so  Ov. 
Rem.  Am.  219  '  nec  te  peregrina  morentur 
Sabbata:'  cp.  Ars  Am.  i.  4,  15.  Some 
have  wrongly  interpreted  it  for  one  of  the 
days  of  the  '  Satumalia.'  Tibullus  and  Ovid 
in  particular  speak  respectfully  of  Jewish 
institutions  ;  the  tone  of  Juvenal  and  Mar- 
tial  is  very  ditferent. 

19.  Ingressus,' even  when  I had started.' 

20.  Offensum.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  10.  452 
'  Ter  pedis  otfensi  signo  est  revocata.' 

In  porta, '  at  the  door,'  not  '  against  it.' 
22.   Sciat,  '  come  to  know,'  '  learrv  to 

his  cost.'     Cp.  '  sentiet,'  2,  40. 

24.  Aera  repulsa, '  the  timbrels  shaken 

again  and  again.'      The  '  sistrum  '  was  the 

F  2 


uu:i/'-^'    ^  ^Sjvn^Quidve,  pie  dum  sacra  colis,  pureque  lavari  25 

-    ''--  1        Te  (memini),  et  puro  secubuisse  toro  ? 

Nunc,  dea,  nunc  succurre  mihi,  nam  posse  mederi 

Picta  docet  templis  multa  tabella  tuis, 
Ut  mea  votivas  persolvens  Delia  voces 
C^W"  Ante  sacras  lino  tecta  fores  sedeat,  3° 

^:  Bisque  die  resoluta  comas  tibi  dicere  l^^dff^,. ...  .^^*^^^WWca. 

Insignis  turba  debeat  in  Pharia.  ^'-  ''^''^^^^^^"^ 

At  mihi  contingat  patrios  celebrare  renates,       > 

Reddereque  antiquo  menstrua  tura  Lari.  IjuJix^lg^jiMi^^AKu^^^^AOlA^Wc 
Quam  bene  Saturno  vivebant  rege,  prius  quam      OAAfo-^o.A 

Tellus  in  longas  est  patefacta  vias  1  '^  S-Ot^xC'^'^  ■"■^■kv-        »-0^'^ 

'^  Nondum  caeruleas  pinus  contempsefati-iindas,  ''^^*-^  MjrnnLf;j5.CM*0  ^ 

Effusum  ventis  praebueratque  sinum  ; 
Nec  vagus  ignotis  repetensv  cpmpendia  terris    .^pC^x^j^^^F^^yio^xi^ 

Presserat  externa  navita  mercc  ratem.  40        ^ixjjFSi 

Illo  non  validus  subiit  juga  tempore  taurus, 
Non  domito  frenos  ore  momordit  equus, 
Non  domus  ulla  fores  habuit,  non  fixus  in  agris, 
Qui  regeret  certis  finibus  arva,  lapis. 

sacred  instrument  of  Isis,  which  she  is  re-  vative  Tibullus  prefers  the  worship  of  the 

presented  in  works  of  art  as  carrying  in  her  old  Roman  Lares  and  Penates. 

right  hand.     Cp.  Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  33  '  Quid  34.   Antiquo.     We  find  the  same  epi- 

vos  sacra  juvant  ?  quid  nunc  Aegyptia  pro-  thet  again  in  ",  58,  and  2.  i,  60  '  antiquis 

sunt  Sistra  ?  quid  in  vacuo  secubuisse  toro?'  imposuit    Laribus,'    like    '  patrios'    of    the 

29.  Ut,   i.  e.  Tibullus    implores   Isis  to  line  before,  marking  the  contrast  with  the 
succour    him,    that    Delia    may   shew    her  recently  adopted  worship  of  Isis. 
gratitude  in  vows  and  praises  to  the  god-  Menstrua   tura.     Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  23, 
dess.  2  '  Nascente  Luna,  rustica  Phidyle,  Si  ture 

Votivas  .  .  voces  =  '  vota  : '  and   thus  placaris  et  homa  Fruge  Lares.' 

the  whole  phrase  would  correspond  to  the  36.   Patefacta,    '  laid    open    to    distant 

Greek  diroSovvai  fiixas  ;  '  Delia,  in  fulfil-  journeys,'  i.  e.  making  these  possible  :  com- 

ment  of  her  vows,  may  sit  at  thy  sacred  pare   the   use   of  '  aperire '  with   '  orbem,' 

doors,'  etc.     Scaliger  thinks  that  TibuUus  '  terras,'  etc,  so  common  in  Tacitus.     Ov. 

wrote  '  noctes'  (for  voces)  as  in  Prop.  3.  Amor.  2.  16,  18  '  Si  fuit  in  longas  terra  se- 

26,4  (2.  28,62)  '  Votivas   noctes  et  mihi  canda  vias.' 

solve  decem,'  compared  with  Id.  3.  31  (2.  37.  Contempserat.  Some  have  thought 

33),  2.     Others  have  '  poenas.'  this  image  too  strong  for  the  simple  style 

30.  Lino  tecta,  the  dress  of  the  wor-  of  Tibullus,  and  would  read  '  conspexerat ' 
shippers  and  priests  of  Isis,  as  in  Ov.  Ars  or  '  conscenderat'  (as  in  some  MSS.)  in 
Am.  I.  77  '  Neu  fuge  linigerae  Memphitica  fffeference. 

templa  juvencae  :'  Id.  Ep.  ex  Pont.  i.  1,51.  39.  Compendia,  'gain,'a  sense  in  which 

32.  Debeat  dicere  =  '  debitas  dicat  it  is  rarely  used  by  the  Latin  poets  :  cp. 
laudes.'  Calp.  Ecl.  5.  36  '  Nec  sint  compendia  tanti.' 

Insignis,  '  conspicuous  (for  her  beauty  It  is  more  commonly  iound  in  the  meta- 

or    her    gratitude  1     among    the     Pharian  phorical  sense  of  '  short  cuts  by  road.' 

choir,'  i.  e.  the  Aeg^^ptian  priestesses.  44.    Regere    fines,  =  'to    mark    out 

33.  At  mihi  :  Delia  will  bow  before  the  limits,'  was  a  technical  phrase  of 
her  new  and   foreign   deities,  the   conser-  Roman  law,  often   found  in  Cicero;    and 


TIBULLUS. 


69 


^ 


Ipsae  mellci  dabant  quercus,  ultroque  Ferebant  45 

Obvia  securis  ubera  lactis  oves.  d^jv^A^, 

Non  acies,  non  ira  fuit,  non  bella,  nec  ensem 

Immiti  saevus  duxerat  arte  faber. 
Nunc  Jove  sub  domino  caedes,  et  vulnera  semper, 

Nunc  mare,  nunc  leti  mille  repente  viae.  50 

Parce,  pater  •    timidum  non  me  perjuria  terrent, 

Non  dicta  in  sanctos  impia  verba  deos. 
Quod  si  fatales  jam  nunc  explevimus  annos,  . 

Fac  lapis  inscriptis  stet  super  ossa  notis  :   '^•^P^MM*-^  "^^    ''^ 
Hic  jacet  immiti  consumptus  morte  Tibullus,       "^     ^sT^ 

Messalam  terra,  dum  sequiturque  mari. 
Sed  me,  quod  facilis  tenero  sum  semper  Amori, 

Ipsa  Venus  campos  ducet  in  Elysios.  f^.^-M^^.,^^'^ 

Hic  choreae  cantusque  vigent,  passimque  vagantes  "'v^^'"^'^^'^'^'*' 

Dulce  sonant  tenui  gutture  carmen  aves.  60 

Fert  casiam  non  culta  seges,  totosque  per  agros 


the  heading  of  one  section  of  the  Justinian 
Code  is  '  Finium  regundorum.'  Cp.  Virg. 
•  Ae.  12.  897  '  Sa.xum  antiquum  ingens, 
campo  quod  forte  jacebat,  Limes  agro 
positus,  litem  ut  discerneret  arvis." 
45,  46.     Cp.  Virg.  E.  4.  21  and  30. 

45.  Ipsae,  according  to  the  notion  that 
honey  came  from  heaven  in  the  form  of 
dew,  settling  on  the  leaves  of  trees,  espe- 
cially  oaks  :  cp.  Virg.  G.  i.  131. 

46.  Securis,  i.  e.  without  care  or 
anxiety  about  their  food.  Bentley,  prosai- 
cally  enough,  suggests  '  sucturis.' 

47.  Ensem,  not  '  enses,'  should  be  read  ; 
'  ubi  enim  res  per  se  spectatur,  singularis 
ponendus.'     Dissen. 

48.  Duxerat,  'shaped'  or  '  beaten  out' 
the  sword  ;  as  Phny  uses  the  adjective 
'  ductile  aes.'  Compare  the  parallel  use  of 
(Kavveiv,  as  in  Hom.  II.  12.  296  'AaniSa  .  . 
■f^v  dpa  x°^''*i's  "H^aaev  :  and  '  stringere  ' 
Catull.  64  (66).  50. 

50.  Nunc  mare,  in  reference  to  v.  37, 
'  now  there  are  the  dangers  on  the  sea' 
from  voyages  that  in  Saturn's  time  were 
unknown. 

Repente  (=  '  repentinae,'  as  '  super'  is 
used  for  an  adjective  Virg.  Ae.  3.  489) 
corresponds  with  the  '  semper'  of  the  line 
before,  '  war  and  death  continual,  and  be- 
side  these  a  thousand  sudden  ways  of 
perishing  ; '  TibuUus  is  thinking  especially 
of   the    sickness    that   had    surprised    him. 


Some  of  the  Italian  scholars  had  changed 

o 

this  into  '  leti  multa  reperta  via  est,'  like 
the  '  mortis  aperta  via  est'  of  10,  4. 

51.  Timidum,  not  pleonastic,  nor  = 
'  ut  timeam,'  but,  '  though  I  am  fearful  of 
death,  it  is  not  any  guilt  of  perjury  that 
terrifies  me.' 

54.  Inscriptis  is  found  in  the  best 
MSS. :  some  few  have  '  inscriptus,'  and 
one  conjecture  is  '  his  scriptus,'  which  last 
Weber  adopts,  the  construction  being  like 
Ov.  Her.  14.  128  '  Scriptaque  sint  titulo 
nostra  sepulchra  brevi.'  Mark  the  sigma- 
tism  of  the  line. 

55.  Immiti,  because  premature,  Ti- 
bullus  being  yet  so  young. 

56.  As  to  the  position  of 'que'  in  sequi- 
turque,  see  Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §  474. 

58.  Many  have  changed  the  in  of  the 
MSS.  into  'ad'  in  consequence  of  the  epi- 
taph  of  Domitius  Marsus  on  TibuUus,  v.  2 
'  Mors  juvenem  campos  misit  ad  Elysios,' 
but,  as  Dissen  rightly  observes,  the  latter 
is  but  a  periphrasis  for  death,  while  the 
verse  in  the  text  describes  a  particular 
introduction  of  him  after  death  into  Ely- 
sium  by  Venus. 

59.  Vigent,  '  there  is  the  bJithe  land 
of  dance  and  song :'  cp.  10,49;  Lucr.  5. 
1395  '  agrestis  enim  tum  musa  vigebat.' 

61.  Casiam,a  sort  of  '  wild  cinnamon,' 
common  in  the  East,  and  south  of  Europe. 


?o 


TIBULLUS, 


>jj«AAVtf- 


^^ 


Floret  odoratis  terra  benigna  ro^ 
Ac  juvenum  series  teneris  immixta  puellis 

Ludit,  et  assidue  proelia  miscet  Amor. 
Illic  est,  cuicumque  rapax  mors  venit  amanti,  6^ 

»^o«e  uWv^Wj^"      Et  gerit  insigni  m^tea  serta  coma.     «A-^lW^  cfrW  ejArj^^t^Udt^»^ 
t^j^vc^  "'^'^^  ■       At  scelerata  jacet  sedes  in  nocte  profunda 

Abdita,  quam  circum  flumina  nigra  sonant  j 
Tisiphoneque  impexa  feros  pro  crinibus  angues 

Saevit,  et  huc  illuc  impia  turba  fugit.  70 

Tum  niger  in  porta  serpentum  Cerberus  ore  ^G-i^^*-^'«»fVNi^  ^«»ij«v 

Stridet,  et  aeratas  excubat  ante  fores.   *^  ^^^**  1  <^^' ^^^^w^is\tuY« 
lllic  Junonem  tentare  Ixionis  ausi 

Versantur  celeri  noxia  membra  rota  j 
Porrectusque  novem  Tityos  per  jugera  terrae  75 

Assiduas  atro  viscere  pascit  aves. 
Tantalus  est  illic,  et  circum  stagna,  sed  acrem 

Jam  jam  poturi  deserit  unda  gitijri ; 
Et  Danai  proles,  Veneris  quod  numina  laesit, 

In  cava  Lethaeas  dolia  portat  aquas.  80 

Illic  sit,  quicumque  meos  violavit  amores. 


Agros,  i. e.  over  all  the  fields,  not  only, 
as  here,  in  favoured  spots :  cp.  '  passim '  in 
Virg.  E.  4.  19.  /  Santen  conjectures  '  an- 
nos.' 

63.  Ac,  (in  some  MSS.)  more  suitable 
here  than  Lachmann's  '  at,'  which  Dissen 
and  others  adopt,  but  which  would  weaken 
the  main  contrast  introduced  by  the  'at' 
of  V.  67.     Others  have  '  hic' 

66.  Myrtea,  because  the  myrtle  was 
sacred  to  Venus.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  442 
'  Hic  quos  durus  amor  cnideli  tabe  peredit 
Secreti  celant  calles  et  mjTtea  circum  Silva 
tegit.' 

67.  Scelerata  sedes,  '  the  abode  of 
the  guilty :'  we  have  the  same  phrase  in 
Ov.  M.  4.  455.  Cp.  Virgirs  '  scelera- 
tum  limen'  Ae.  6.  563.  Similarly  '  Tar- 
tara'  are  called  '  impia.'  The  connection  of 
this  description  of  Tartarus  with  the  sub- 
ject  of  the  elegy  may  be  seen  below,  in 
V.  81  '  Illic  sit'  etc. 

69.  Impexa  :  snakes  growing  from  her 
head  instead  of  hair,  and  these  twisted  and 
writhing  in  disorder  ;  cp.  Ov.  1.  c.  '  Deque 
suis  atros  pectebant  crinibus  angues.'  More 
usually  perhaps  the  snakes  are  represented 
as  entwined  with  the  natural  hair,  which 


inclines  some  to  read  '  implexa'  here.  The 
two  words  are  confused  in  a  parallel  pas- 
sage  of  Virg.  G.  4.  482  '  caeruleosque  im- 
plexae  crinibus  angues,'  where  there  is 
some  authority  for  '  impexae.' 

71.  Serpentum  .  .  ore.  Cerberus  is 
represented  as  having  a  hundred  snakes  on 
his  head  and  neck,  and  hissing  through 
these  as  with  one  mouth,  unless  we  take 
'  ore '  for  '  oribus,'  as  in  Horace's  '  ore  tri- 
lingui.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  7.  447  '  tot  Erirmys 
sibilat  hydris.'  Scaliger  would  read  '  ser- 
pens,  tum,'  referring  it  to  the  Hvdra  (see 
Ae.  6.  287,  576).  But  see  Soph.  O.  C. 
1568  Orjpos  ov  (V  miKaiai  k.t.K. 

75.  Terrae,  added  perhaps  to  mark  the 
contrast  with  the  punishment  that  foUows, 
inflicted  through  water,  v.  77  '  circum 
stagna.'  Homer  represents  two,  Virgil 
only  one  vulture,  as  devouring  Tityus. 
Lucr.  3.  996  has  the  plural,  '  Nec  Tityon 
volucres  ineunt.'  Cp.  Claudian  Rapt.  Pros.i4i£fv>^)*V<y^ 
2.  340.   ^  jxAcaJh^oVo-^- 

77-  Stagna,  the  nominative,  '  the  wa- 
ters  are  around  him.' 

78.  Sitim,  used  as  by  Prop.  4.  4  (3. 
5),  4  '  Nec  bibit  e  gemma  divite  nostra 
sitis.' 


TIBULLUS. 


7f 


Optavit  lentas  et  mihi  militias. 
At  tu  casta,  precor,  maneas,  sanctique  pudoris 

Assideat  custos  sedula  semper  anus. 
Haec  tibi  fabellas  referat,  positaque  lucerna  85 

Deducat  plena  stamina  longa  colo;  ^^'^^'^T^  i(^^  ^t^,.^ 
Ac  circa  gravibus  pensis  affixa-  (puella)  Ha,e  w,t  Kuam^  wi*mjs  tu/iW-c^rcti^^^^ 

Paulatim  somno  fessa  remittat  opus. 
Tum  veniam  subito,  nec  quisquam  nuntiet  ante, 

Sed  videar  coelo  missus  adesse  tibi.  90 

Tum  mihi,  qualis  eris,  longos  turbata  capillos, 

Obvia  nudato,  Delia,  curre  pede. 
Hoc  precor,  hunc  illum  nobis  Aurora  nitentem 

Luciferum  roseis  candida  portet  equis. 


XIV. 

LIB.  L    El.  7. 

This  Poem  was  written  for  the  birthday  of  V.  Messala  Corvinus,  on 
which,  three  years  before,  he  had  won  his  great  victory  over  the  insurgent 
people  of  Aquitaine.  After  his  reduction  of  that  province  Messala  had 
(see  on  1.3)  been  sent  to  the  East,  where  in  Asia  and  in  Egypt  he  per- 
,  formed  many  brilliant  services.  These  TibuUus  weaves  into  the  present 
Elegy,  dwelling  not  so  much  on  the  warlike  exploits  of  his  patron,  as  on 
the  beauty  and  other  characteristics  of  the  countries  (CiHcia,  Syria,  Egypt, 
etc.)  which  he  had  pacified  or  subdued.      The  triumph  which  Messala 


82.  Optavit,  '  and  has  been  wishing 
for  me  prolonged  campaigns,'  that  I  might 
not  soon  return  to  Delia,  the  '  amores'  of 
V.  81. 

85.  Posita  =  ' apposita,'  'arranged,'  'set 
beside  you,'  as  in  Ov.  Her.  19.  151  '  Ster- 
nuit  et  lumen :  posito  nam  scribimur 
illo.' 

86.  Plena  .  .  longa  :  the  length  of  the 
work  being  the  surer  means  of  keeping  her 
from  harm  and  from  wishing  to  go  out  of 
the  house.  For  the  practice  of  maidens 
telhng  stories  while  spinning,  see  an  elabo- 
rate  passage  in  Ov.  M.  ^  32-42  :  cp. 
Fast.  2.  741  feti. 

87.  Puella  is  best  taken  as  =  a  plural, 
'  the  maiden  group  around  you ;'  so  '  puer ' 
above,  2,  95.*' 


89.  Nec  .  .  nuntiet,  i.  e.  as  was  the 
usual  practice  with  the  Romans.  There 
is  an  old  reading  '  ne '  for  '  nec' 

91.  Wunderlich  compares  Ov.  M.  4. 
473  '  Tisiphone  canos,  ut  erat,  turbata 
capillos.' 

92.  Nudato,  '  left  bare'  in  your  haste 
to  greet  me.  Cp.  Aesch.  P.  V.  137  ffvOrjv 
8'  aTreSiXos. " 

93.  For  hoc  precor  a  few  MSS.  have 
'  hunc  precor.' 

Hunc  illum,  '  that  glorious  day,'  or 
better,  taking  hunc  as  a  predicate,  '  may 
Aurora  usher  in  that  morn  when  I  retum 
thus,'  i.  e.  may  things  happen  then  as  I 
have  just  described  :  cp.  tovt  tKeTvo. 

94.  Candida,  like  the  \.fvicdv  (paos, 
\fVK6y  TjiMp  of  the  Greeks. 


72  -  TIBULLUS. 

obtained  for  the  reduction  of  Aquitaine  was  celebrated  on  the  z^th  of 
September,  A.u.c.  727,  shortly  after  which  this  poem  was  pi-obably  written. 
He  first  celebrates  Messala's  victory  over  Aquitaine  (1-13),  and  then 
passes  on  to  his  other  exploits  in  CiHcia,  Syria,  and  Egypt.  The  mention 
of  the  latter  leads  him  to  the  Nile  and  the  Egyptian  god  of  agriculture, 
Osiris,  who  had  conferred  on  man  such  rich  blessings  of  plenty  and  mirth. 
He  then  bids  the  joyous  deity  ccme  and  join  in  celebrating  Messala's 
birthday  with  wine  and  song,  and  offering  the  Genius  his  customary  sacri- 
fices.  The  poem  closes  with  birthday  wishes  of  illustrious  descendants, 
and  assurances  of  gratitude  from  all  travellers  on  the  Flaminian  Road  for 
the  ser\'ices  rendered  to  it  by  Messala. 

, .  HuNC  cecinere  diem  Parcae  fatalia  nentes 

Stamina,  non  uUi  dissoluenda  deo : 
Hunc  fore,  Aquitanas  posset  qui  fundere  gentes, 

Quem  tremeret  forti  milite  victus  Atax. 
Evenere ;    novos  pubes  Romana  triumphos  s 

Vidit,  et  evinctos  brachia  capta  duces  : 
At  te,  victrices  lauros,  Messala,  gerentem, 

Portabat  niveis  currus  eburnus  equis. 
Non  sine  me  est  tibi  partus  honos  :    Tarbella  Pyrene 

Testis,  et  Oceani  litora  Santonici  j  10 


1.  Nentes,  not  '  who  spin,'  but  '  as  and  it  is  possible  that  some  other  victory 
they  were  spinning,' 'while  spinning.'  Ovid  over  Narbonne  may  be  alluded  to  beside 
seems    to    have    imitated    this    line,    Tr.  that  of  Aquitaine. 

5.  3,  25  '  Scilicet  hanc  legem  nentes  fatalia  5.  Evenere,    sc.   '  stamina,'   or    rather 

Parcae    Stamina    bis    genito    bis    cecinere  the   events   ordained   by   the   web    of  the 

tibi.'     He)Tie  proposed  to  read  '  Hac  die,'  Fates. 

i.  e.  on  the  day  of  his  birth  the  Fates  sang  7.   Lauros  ;    some    have   'laurus;'  but 

how  he  should  be  their  hero  to  subdue,  etc.  the  balance  of  authority  seems  in  favour  of 

2.  Dissoluenda,  as  below,  v.  40  :  and  the  former,  as  being  most  used  by  Tibullus, 
10,  62  '  dissoluisse.'  See  note  on  CatuII.  while  Virgil  for  the  most  part  wrote  '  lau- 
64  (66).  38.  rus'  for  the  accus. 

3.  Hunc,  sc.  'diem:'  the  daj'  that  9.  Tarbella  (for  the  old  reading  '  tua 
should  see  the  rout  of  the  Aquitani  is  bella'),  an  adjective,  which  has  for  cognate 
poetically  put  for  the  hero  that  should  forms  '  Tarbellia '  and  '  Tarbellica.'  The 
effect  it.  Tarbelli    were    a    people    occupying    the 

Fore,  MSS. ;  Haupt  conjectures  '  dare.'  country  southward  from  Bourdeaux  to  the 

4.  Atax,  the  river  '  Aude,' which  rises  in  Pyrenees.  Their  name  survives  in  the 
the  Pyrenees  and  runs  by  Carcassonne  and  modern  town  of  Tarbes  on  the  Adour. 
Narbonne,  from  which  the  Roman  writer  The  first  syllable  in  Pyrene  is  made 
Varro  Atacinus  took  his  name.  Scaliger,  more  often  long  than  short  by  the  Roman 
not  without  much  reason,  urges  that '  Atur'  poets.  Ausonius  shortens  it,  Mosella^^l. 
should  be  read  for  '  Atax.'  As  it  was  the  Tibullus  had  accompanied  Messala  in  his 
people   of  Aquitaine   over  whom   Messala  Gallic  campaign. 

triumphed,  it  would  appear  more   natural  10.   Santonici.     The    Santones    occu- 

that  the  '  Adour,'  the  chief  river  of  that  pied  the  sea-coast  of  the  Atlantic,  near  the 

province,  should  be  named  than  a  river  in  mouth  of  the  Garonne.     This  part  of  the 

Gallia  Narbonensis.      None  of  the  better  country  has  been  called  in  modem  times 

texts  however  admit  Scaliger's  conjecture,  '  Saintonge.' 


TIBULLUS. 


73 


Testis  Arar,  Rhodanusque  celer,  magnusque  Garumna, 

Carnuti  et  flavi  caerula  lympha  Liger. 
An  tc,  Cydne,  canam,  tacitis  qui  leniter  undis 

Caeruleus  placidis  per  vada  serpis  aquis,     ^VxoiW  v**^»j^jv' 
Quantus  et,  aetherio  contingens  vertice  nubes,  15 

Frigidus  intonsos  Taurus  alat  Cilicas  ? 
Quid  referam,  ut  volitet  crebras  intacta  per  urbes 

Alba  Palaestino  sancta  columba  Syro ;  t-    ■•!  ~ 

Utque  maris  vastum  prospectet  turribus  aequor 

Prima  ratem  ventis  credere  docta  Tyros  •  20 

Qualis  et,  arentes  cum  findit  Sirius  agros, 

Fertilis  aestiva  Nilus  abundet  aqua  ? 
Nile  pater,  quanam  possim  te  dicere  causa, 


,■  12.  Carnuti,  '  the  Loire,  the  sea- 
'green  stream  of  the  fair-haired  Carnutian.' 
The  Camutes,  living  in  the  district  called 
jfrom  them  '  Chartrain,'  between  the  Seine 
and  Loire,  had  Genabum  or  '  Orleans  '  for 
their  principal  town.  Like  the  Keks  of 
Gaul  generally,  they  are  represented  as 
fair-haired. 

Scahger  would  read  'fluvii'  for  flavi  : 
and  Orelli,  to  avoid  the  awkwardness  of 
'caerula'  and  'caeruleus'  (v.  14)  occurring 
so  close  together,  suggests  here  '  garrula 
lympha  :'  but  repetitions  of  this  kind  are 
not  uncommon  in  Tibullus. 

13.  Cydnus  :  cp.  2,  67  '  lUe  licet 
CiHcum  victas  agat  ante  catervas.'  The 
rest  of  this  line  and  the  next  have  been 
much  ahered.  There  seems  to  be  some 
redundancy  of  expression  in  it,  which  is 
however  not  ahen  to  the  style  of  TibuUus. 
If  tacitis  undis  (MSS.)  be  kept,  then  the 
placidis  aquis  of  the  next  line  must  be 
taken  as  a  dative  for  '  ad  aquas,'  '  creepest 
on  to  the  calm  waters  of  the  lake,'  into 
which  the  Cydnus  is  said  by  Strabo  to 
fall  ;  but  this  is  far  from  satisfactory. 
Lachmann's  coniecture,which  Haupt  adopts, 
'  tactis  qui  leniter  ulvis'  is  characterised 
justly  by  Dissen  as  '  acutum  sed  nimis 
exile.'  Perhaps  Voss's  alteration  is  the 
simplest,  '  Caeruleus  placidae  per  vada  ser- 
pis  aquae.' 

14.  Vada  is  often  used  of  a  river*s  bed, 
as  Ov.  M.  I.  369. 

15.  Quantus  et  for  '  et  (canam)  quan- 
tus  sit  Taurus  qui  alit.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
3.641.  / 

Aetherio,  '  with  its  sky-piercing  top,' 
is  often  confused  with  '  aerio,'  which 
Weber  from  one  or  two  MSS.  reads  here, 


and  which  unquestionably  is  more  used  of 
mountains.  Shakespeare  has  '  the  skyish 
head  of  blue  OIjTnpus.' 

16.  Intonsos,  (a  natural  epithet  after 
'  frigidus,')  '  rude,'  '  uncivilized,'  and  there- 
fore  adding  to  the  glory  of  their  con- 
queror. 

Alat.  AU  the  MSS.  here  have'arat,' 
which  Scaliger  and  others  would  retain, 
interpreting,  marvellously  enough,  '  that 
Taurus  was  ploughed  and  tilled  by  the 
Cilicians,'  or  '  that  Taurus  divided,  cut  a 
ridge  along,  Cilicia.'  Both  are  obviously 
inadmissible,  and  modern  texts  (excepting 
Lachmann's)  now  adopt  the  conjecture  of 
the  Italian  scholars,  alat,  in  allusion  to  the 
flocks  that  were  pastured  on  the  mountain 
sides.  The  subjunctive  follows  naturally 
after  '(canam)  quantus.* 

18.  Sancta,  '  revered,'  '  hallowed  by,' 
a  participle,  not  adjective,  giving  the  rea- 
son  of  the  '  intacta.'  Doves  were  sacred 
to  Astarte  or  Ashtaroth,  the  Assyrian 
Aphrodite,  who  was  thought  to  protect 
them. 

Palaestino  Syro  (cp.  Ov.  Ars  Am.  I. 
416),  as  distinguished  from  '  Coelesyria,' 
'  Syrophenicia.' 

21.  Q.ualiset:  Tibullus  now  proceeds 
to  notice  Egvpt,  as  one  of  the  countries 
the  affairs  of  which  had  been  settled  by 
Messala.  Dissen  sees  in  the  order  in 
which  the  poet  pictures  these  different 
countries  a  '  catena  oppositionum.'  as 
here  the  thirsty  Egypt  is  contrasted  with 
the  sea-washed  Tyre ;  but  the  theory  is 
overstrained. 

Findit  is  changed  by  some  into  'scindit' 
in  spite  of  Virg.  G.  2.  353  '  Hoc  ubi  hiulca 
siti  findit  canis  aestifer  arva.' 


74 


TIBULLUS. 


-rt*K', 


t!^\j^-'' 


Aut  quibus  in  terris  occuluisse  caput  ? 
Te  propter  nullos  tellus  tua  postulat  imbres,  25 

Arida  nec  pluvio  suppjicat  herba  Jovi.     "VL  «fin^  \(MhJi  )^yiii^'^ 
Te  canit,  atque  suum  pubes  miratur  Osirim  '^  •^  ^  - 

Barbara,  Memphiten.  p]ange_re^  docta  bovem. 
Primus  aratra  manu  soUerti  fecit  Osiris, 

Et  teneram  ferro  sollicitavit  humum  i^^J-f^^^^^-'^  '^'^'^^3^ 
Primus  inexpertae  commisit  semina  terrae, 

Pomaque  non  notis  legit  ab  arboribus. 
Hic  docuit  teneram  palis  adjungere  vitem, 

Hic  viridem  dura  caedere  falce  comam  : 
Illi  jucundos  primum  matura  sapores  35 

Expressa  incultis  uva  dedit  pedibus. 
Ille  liquor'  docuit  voces  inflectere  cantu, 
.      Movit  et  ad  certos  nescia  membra  modos. 
.,(j.,>o>'^'^"'  Bacchus  et  agricolae  magno  confecta  labore 


24.  Occuluisse.  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  4.  14, 
45  '  Fontium  qui  celat  origines  Nilus  ;'  and 
Ov.  M.  2.  254,  where  the  cause  of  the 
concealment  is  poetically  assigned  to  the 
disorder  caused  by  Phaeton's  mismanage- 
ment  of  the  horses  of  the  sun,  '  Nilus  in 
extremum  fugit  perterritus  orbem,  Occu- 
luitque  caput  quod  adhuc  latet.' 

26.  Herba  Jovi.  Pausanias  mentions 
at  Athens  an  image  of  the  earth  imploring 
Zeus  to  send  rain  upon  it.  Jupiter  Pluvius  is 
altogether  rather  a  Greek  conception,  as  he 
was  worshipped  under  the  title  of  "'O/i/Spios, 
'Terios,  (cp.  Apoll.  R.  2.  .122)  'l/cfiatos. 
Statius,  Theb.4.  758,  uses  the  same  expres- 
sion. 

27.  Nilus,  Osiris,  and  Apis  (the  sacred 
bull)  are  all  placed  together  here  as  being 
the  three  chief  agents  in  the  fertility  of 
Egypt,  for  which  quality  the  Romans  espe- 
cially  prized  that  province  as  being  their 
granary. 

Suum,  their  ' native '  Osiris, or  'gracious,' 
*  kindly.' 

Pubes  barbara  :  cp.  v.  5  '  pubes  Ro- 
mana.' 

28.  Plangere,  with  the  accusative  in  the 
sense  of  lamenting,  is  not  a  common  con- 
struction  in  the  best  writers. 

Docta.  Dissen  quotes  from  Callim. 
Fragm.  176  elSvTav  (paKiov  ravpov  l7]\e- 
liioai. 

30.  Teneram  may  mean,  as  only  just 
come  into  being,  '  the  tender  infant  soil,' 
like  '  inexpertae'  in  the  next  Hne.      But 


this  scarcely  seems  to  allow  for  the  golden 
age  when  the  earth  '  fruges  inarata  ferebat.' 
More  Hkely  it  is  the  '  shrinking  earth,' 
feeling,  as  if  alive,  the  first  piercing  of  the 
plough ;  see  a  similar  use,  perhaps,  in 
Virg.  G.  2.  23.  The  poet  is  fond  of  dwell- 
ing  on  agricultural  pursuits  and  scenes. 

32.  Non  notis,  i.  e.  which  he  first 
shewed  the  people  the  use  of  by  planting 
them. 

33.  Teneram  here  means  '  slender/ 
'  weakly,'  and  therefore  needing  the  sup- 
port  of  the  'pali'  or  'props.' 

34.  Viridem,  '  to  prune  the  fresh  leaf- 
age  with  the  ruthless  knife ; '  the  same 
contrast  between  young  life  and  hard  steel 
as  in  v.  30. 

36.  Incultis,  '  untaught,'  '  inexperi- 
enced,'  till  Osiris  shewed  them  the  way  ; 
so  '  nescia  membra'  below.  This  inter- 
pretation  is  far  better  than  '  naked '  or 
'  uiikempt,'  as  Orelli  would  take  it.    Some 

old  copies  have  '  ijilutis '  =  '  unwashen.' 

37.  Voces  inflectere,  '  taught  men  to 
shape  their  voices  into  tune.'  Cp.  Lucr, 
5.  1402  '  Ducere  multimodis  voces  et  flec- 
tere  cantus.'  ! 

38.  Movit,  of  dancing,  as  often  in 
Horace,  '  Ut  festis  matrona  moveri  jussa 
diebus'  A.  P.  232  :  cp.  Ep.  2.  2,  125:  so 
'  motus'  Od.  3.  6,  21. 

Modos,  '  tunes.' 

39.  Bacchus  here  for  '  wine,'  not  '  the 
god,'  as  Tibullus  is  speaking  of  Osiris  :  but 
see  on  v.  46. 


OfGTU'... 


TIBULLUS. 


75 


40 


n^' 


45 


Pectora  tristitiae  dissoluendaMedit. 
Bacchus  et  afflictis  requiem  mortalibus  afFert, 

Crura  licet  dura  compede  pulsa  sonent.     S^<i^'(w^>roJAd^  "«^j/^  ««^ 
Non  tibi  sunt  tristes  curae,  nec  luctus,  Osiri, 

Sed  chorus,  et  cantus,  et  levis  aptus  amor, 
Sed  varii  flores,  et  frons  redimita  corymbis, 

Fusa  sed  ad  teneros  lutea  palla  pedes, 
Et  Tyriae  vestes,  et  dulcis  tibia  cantu,^ 

Et  levis  occultis  conscia  cista  sacris. 
Huc  ades,  et /tentumJudos_Geniunique\choreis  a 

Concelebra,  et  multo  tempora  funde  mero 
IUius  et  nitido  stillent  unguenta  capiilo, 

Et  capite  et  coUo  mollia  serta  gerat.     ^ 
Sic  venias /hodiemii  tibi  ^dem^  turis  honores. 


■fu.'. ...    ■•  .i'  ■:  .-       liii  .r.aj.^  ,^    ^. ^  , 

'\vi!i.cU<L  l-ija  ' r<"/i "^Ji.' ■  ■"  'cv.cT, 

Agricolae,  better  taken  as  the  geni- 
tive  with  '  pectora '  than  as  the  dative 
with  '  dedit.' 

40.  Tristitiae  dissoluenda  dedit. 
The  use  of  '  solvere'  and  similar  verbs 
,with  a  genitive  is  almost  as  much  a  Latin 
'|as  a  Greek  construction :  cp.  Hor.  Od.  3. 
17,  16  '  operum  solutis.'  It  is  found  in 
Cicero  de  Legg.  2.  20  '  haeredem  testa- 
nienti  solvat :'  Id.  pro  Sext.  7  'legum  solvi.' 
Orelli  compares  Livy's  '  levarunt  animum 
jreHgionis'  21.  62.  There  can  therefore 
jbe  no  reason  to  alter  (with  Statius)  into 
r  tristitia,'  though  "W^eber  is  scarcely  justi- 
fied  in  saying  that  the  ablative  would 
be  inadmissible  without  the  preposition. 
'  Dedit  dissoluenda  '  = '  fecit  ut  dissolve- 
rentur,'  '  designed,'  'provided'  that  wine 
should  give  him  a  cheerful  countenance. 
This  use  of  the  gerundive  with  such  verbs 
as  '  do,'  '  trado,'  '  curo,'  '  suscipio,'  is  very 
common  both  in  prose  and  poetrv. 

42.  Pulsa,  in  reference  to  slaves  work- 
ing  in  chains  which  knock  against  their 
legs  as  they  move.  There  is  no  need  of 
the  emendation  '  pressa.'  See  a  similar 
passage  in  2.  6,  25  folL 

44.  Aptus,  participle,  '  suited,'  '  be- 
coming  to  you.' 

46.  "With  this  repetition  of  sed  com- 
pare  a  similar  use  of  'at'  in  Virg.  G.  2. 
467  ftJlf. 

Lutea  palla,  the  KpoKcorbs  noSripTjs 
in  which  Bacchus  was  represented,  with 
whom  Tibullus  here  identifies  Osiris. 
'  Palla '  is  properly  a  woman's  robe,  but 
is  usually  applied  to  the  dress  of  the  efFe- 
minate  god  ('teneros  pedes'). 


47.  Dulcis  seems  to  be  the  reading  of 

the  MSS.,  and  is  retained  by  Lachm.  and 
Dissen.     Weber  and  Voss  read  '  dulci.' 

Cantu,  the  ablative,  as  in  2.  i,  86 
'  Phrygio  tibia  curva  sono.' 

48.  Conscius:  cp.  Ov.  Her.  15.  138 
Conscia  deliciis  illa  (sc.  antra)  fuere 
meis.' 

Cista,  '  the  light  chest,  witness  and 
guardian  pf  the  mystic  rites.'  Cp.  CatuII. 
62  t^64y{259;  Val.  Fl.  2.  267. 

49.  Ludos  (the  reading  of  most  MSS., 
and  supported  by  Lachmaim)  to  be  taken 
with  Geniumque  as  a  kind  of  hendiadys, 
'  celebrate  the  games  in  honour  of  the 
Genius  with  a  hundred  dances.'  '  Ludis ' 
(which  Dissen  prefers)  hardly  suits  with 
'  centum,'  not  to  mention  the  awkward 
position  of '  Genium,'  which  however  might 
be  defended  by  other  passages  in  TibuUus. 
Haupt  adopts  Heyne's  conjecture, '  Genium 
ludo  Geniumque  choreis.' 

51.  Illius  et,  sc.  '  Genii.'  Cp.  2.  2, 
5  foll.  '  Ipse  suos  Genius  adsit  visurus  ho- 
nores,  Cui  decorent  sanctas  mollia  serta 
comas.  Illius  puro  destillent  tenipora 
nardo.'  Dissen  prefers  the  reading  of 
some  MSS.  '  Illius  e.' 

53.  Hodierne,  '  patron  of  the  day,' 
i.  e.  the  Genius,  as  tutelar  deity  of  Mes- 
sala's  birthday :  cp.  '  Matutine  pater '  in 
Hor.  S.  2.  6,  20.  Or  it  may  be  taken 
as  simply  =  '  hodie,'  as  '  vespertinus '  is 
sometimes  used.  The  vocative  is  used 
for  nom.,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  2.  283 ;  Pers.  ^y 
28  foll.  ^^ 

Tibi  dem  (not  '  dum')  is  the  right 
reading  ;  the  subjunctive  naturally  follows 


76  TIBULLUS. 

.als^s*^''^  ^^  "***'^'^  Liba  et  Mopsopio .  diilcia  melle  feram. 

At  tibi  succrescat  proles,  quae  facta  parentis  ,.,  -     55 

Augeat,  et  circa  stet  veneranda  senem.   ^^ 
Nec  taceat  monumenta  viae,  quem  Tuscula  tellus, 

Candidaque  antiquo  detinet  Alba  Lare.  .^v-.j^y,  ^.^-^^^pt^jMl^ 

Namque  opibus  congesta  tuis  hic  glarea  dura  ^"^'^ 

Sternitur,  hic  apta  jungitur  arte  silex.  60 

Te  canet  agricola,  e  magna  cum  venerit  urbe 

Serus,  inoffensum  rettuleritque  pedem.  ^^ 

At  tu,  natalis,  multos  celebrande  per  annoSj^'^'*",;;^-*^^^^^!^^.^-^-^-^ 

Candidior  semper  candidiorque  veni. 


XV. 


LIB.  L    El.  10. 

There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  time  vvhen  this  Elegy  was  written. 
While  many  have  supposed  that  the  '  nunc  ad  bella  trahor '  of  v.  1 3  refers 
to  the  poefs  being  induced  by  Messala  to  foUow  him  in  his  expedition 
to  Aquitaine  (see  7,  9),  Passow,  quoted  and  approved  by  Dissen,  con- 
siders  this  to  be  the  first  in  order  of  Tibullus'  poems,  and  to  have  been 
called  forth  by  the  poet  having  been  summoned  to  the  military  ser\'ice, 
which  as  the  son  of  an  eques  he  was  bound  by  law  to  perform.  However 
this  may  be,  (and  the  finish  of  the  style  seems  to  militate  against  its  being 
his  earliest  work,)  the  subject  is  the  misery  of  war  contrasted  with  the 
happiness  of  peace  and  the  simplicity  of  country  life.     It  resembles  the 

this  usage  of 'sic'  in  prayers  and  adjura-  from    the    enemy.      See    Sueton.  Aug.  30 

tions,    the    construction    being,    as    Orelli  •  Quo  autem  facilius  undique  urbs  adiretur, 

remarks,  '  sic  venias  (precor)  ea  conditione,  desumpta  sibi  Flaminia  via  Arimino  tenus 

ut  tibi  dem,'  etc.  munienda,  reliquas  triumphalibus  viris   ex 

54.  Liba,  the  regular  offerings  on  birth-  manubiali  pecunia  sternendas  distribuit.' 

days :  the  number  of  cakes  seemed  to  be  58.  Antiquo  Lare  :  see  on  3,  34. 

proportioned  to  the  years  lived.     Cp.  Ov.  59.   Hic  .  .  hic.      In   one   part   gravel, 

Tr.  3.  13,  17  '  Libaque   dem  pro  me   ge-  in  another  flint ;    hence  '  apta   arte;'  the 

nitale  notantia  tempus.'  present  tenses  shew  that  the  work  was  still 

Mopsopio  =  '  Hymettian,'   Mopsopus  going  on. 

being  an  ancient  king  of  Athens.  61.   Canet,  which  is  found  in  one  MS., 

56.  Veneranda,  '  worthy  of  honour,'  seems  required  by  the  sense,  though  Dissen 
not  used  of  old  men  more  than  young.  defends  '  canit,'  comparing  2.  2,  10  '  an- 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  9.  276,  of  Euryalus,  '  vene-  nuit.' 

rande  puer.'     One  MS.  has  '  venerata.'  63.  Natalis,  sc.  '  Geni.'     Cp.  2.  2,  21, 

57.  Nec  taceat,  let   not   the  dwellers      and  Ov.  Tr.  5.  5,  13. 

at  Tusculum  or  Alba  be  silent  about  your  64.   With    Candidior    candidiorque 

services  in  constructing  part  of  the  Latin      Scaliger    compares    '  Ibat     consul    ovans 
way  out  of  the  spoils  you  have  captured      major  majorque  videri'  Silius  15.  739. 


TIBULLUS.  77 

first  Elegy  of  the  first  Book  in  many  points,  though  it  is  remarkable  that 
here  no  mention  is  made  of  Delia.  The  poet  begins  with  denouncing  war, 
and  covetousness,  its  cause,  so  opposite  to  the  peaceful  contentment  of 
primitive  ages.  Had  he  lived  then,  he  would  not,  as  now,  be  summoned 
to  war  and  perhaps  death.  He  prays  the  Lares  to  preserve  him,  faithful  as 
he  has  ever  been  to  their  simple  worship,  and  grateful  as  he  will  shew  him- 
self  by  the  purest  ofFerings.  Others  may  court  the  favour  of  Mars,  and 
incur  a  speedy  despatch  to  the  cheerless  abode  of  Hades  :  happier  he  who 
lives  to  see  a  quiet,  honoured  old  age  in  the  country,  having  known  no 
other  warfare  but  that  of  love,  and  even  this  of  the  tenderest  and  gentlest 
kind. 

Quis  fuit,  horrendos  primus  qui  protulit  enses  ? 

Quam  ferus  et  vere  ferreus  ille  fuit  I 
Tum  caedes  hominum  generi,  tum  proelia  nata  j 

Tum  brevior  dirae  mortis  aperta  via  est. 
At  nihil  ille  miser  meruit :    nos  ad  mala  nostra  5 

Vertimus,  in  saevas  quod  dedit  ille  feras. 
Divitis  hoc  vitium  est  auri  •    nec  bella  fuerunt, 

Faginus  adstabat  cum  scyphus  ante  dapes !       focuU/^^N 
Non  arces,  non  vallus  erat,  somnumque  petebat^^"^''' " 

becurus  varias  dux  gregis  inter  oves.  10 

Tum  mihi  vita  foret,  vulgi  nec  tristia  nossem 

Arma,  nec  audissem  corde  micante  tubam. 
Nunc  ad  bella  trahor,  et  jam  quis  forsitan  hostis 

2.   Ferus    et   ferreus,  a   kind  of  pro-  is  very  uiinecessary. 

verbial  expression,  it  would  appear.     Cp.  Dux   gregis,  the   shepherd,  as   in  the 

Cic.  Ep.  ad  Quint.  I,  3,  3  '  Quem  ego  ferus  Culex    174    '  Adversum     recubare    ducem 

ac  ferreus  e  complexu  dimisi  meo.'     The  gregis  ;'  more  often  it  signifies  '  the  ram,' 

inventor  and  the  invention  were  both  of  as  '  dux  pecoris'  2.  i,  58. 

the  nature  of  steel.     Cp.  3,  47-51.  11.   Tum    mihi    vita    foret,   not    to 

5,6.  At  nihil,  '  but  ours,  not  his,  poor  be    taken    as    the    subjunctive    with    '  si ' 

soul !    is    the    real    fault    that    men    turn  omitted, '  Had  I  but  lived  then,  I  should  not 

against  each   other  the   steel  that  he   in-  have  known,'  but  as  an  optative,  '  Would 

vented  against  beasts.'     For  '  At'  Lachm.  I   had  lived  then,'  as  in  Ov.  Her.  10.  133 

reads  with  many  MSS.  '  An,'  '  was  it  after  '  Di  facerent  ut  me  summa  de  puppe  vi- 

all  no  fault  of  his  ?'  deres  !  Movisset  vultus  maesta  figura  tuos.' 

8.   Faginus,    i.  e.    when   even    at    the  Vulgi  means,  according  to  Dissen,  the 

banquets  of  the  gods  none  but  beechwood  rude  weapons  of  the  mob  (knives,   axes, 

cups  were  placed.     These  were  always  a  etc.)    as    contrasted    with   the    '  tuba '   of 

characteristic  of  primitive  Ufe  in  the  coun-  regular  war  in  the   next  line.      There   is 

try  :    cp.  Virg.  E.  3.  36  :    Ov.  Mr'8.  669  ;  however   an   awkwardness   about   the   ex- 

Id.  Fast.  5,  522.  pression  which  some  have  tried  to  do  away 

10.   Varias,    '  amid   his   motley   flock.'  with    by   reading    '  vulgo,'    as    Haupt,    or 

The   simplicity   of  primitive   tastes   disre-  '  dulcis' and  '  frugi,' as  others. 

garded  the  colours  of  sheep,  whether  white,  13.   Trahor:  the  last  syllable  is  made 

black,  or  spotted.     In  later  and  more  fas-  long  by  the  caesural  pause,  a  well-known 

tidious  times  great  stress  was  laid  on  white  licence  in  Heroic  verse,  less  frequently  hovv- 

sheep ;  at  all  events,  each  flock  had  only  ever  used  in  Elegiac  and  Lyric  poetry. 

one  colour.     Heinsius'  conjecture  '  saturas'  Quis,  the  indefinite  pronoun,  more  often 


1» 


a^ 


U-' 


TIBULLUS. 


(y.bVviiiA- 


'"  Haesura  in  nostro  tela  gerit  latere. 
Sed  patrii  servate  Lares  !    aluistis  et  idem, 
,     if  ■jrrKalk^r*'*^^"^   Cursarcm  vestros  cum  tener  ante  pedes  j 
jjj^^  Neu  pudeat  prisco  vos  esse  e  stipite  factos  : 

Sic  veteris  sedes  incoluistis  avi. 
Tum  melius  tenuere  fidem,  cum  paupere  cultu 

Stabat  in  exigua  ligneusVaede  deus. 
Hic  placatus  erat,  seu  quis  libaverat  uvam, 

Seu  dederat  sanctae  spicea  serta  comae : 
Atque  aliquis  voti  compos  liba  ipse  ferebat, 

Postque  comes  purum  filia  parva  favum. 
At  nobis  aerata,  Lares,  depellite  tela  : 
^    *"'   Hostiaque  e  plena  mystica  porcus  hara  j 

Hanc  pura  cum  veste  sequar,  myrtoque  canistra 

Vincta  geram,  myrto  vinctus  et  ipse  caput. 
Sic  placeam  vobis  j   alius  sit  fortis  in  armis, 

Sternat  et  adversos  Marte  favente  duces  • 
Ut  mihi  potanti  possit  sua  dicere  facta 

Miles,  et  in  mensa  pingere  castra  mero. 


,'h'\  u/os^  |wi 


\^v^cs^^ 


.('(,i"0  V' 


30 


used  after  conjunctions,  as  '  ne,'  '  quum,' 
'  si,'  '  seu,'  and  the  like :  here  perhaps 
'  quis  forsan '  is  equivalent  to  '  nescio  an 
quis.'  Cp.  Hor.  S.  1.  3,  63  '  Simplicior 
quis  et  est,'  etc. 

16.  Ante  pedes.  Cp.  2.  2,  22,  where 
(in  reference  to  the  birthday  Genius,  whose 
image  was  placed  among  the  Lares)  Ti- 
bullus  prays  for  his  friend,  '  Ludat  et  ante 
tuos  turba  novella  pedes.' 

18.  Sic,  in  this  form  of  wood ;  even 
my  richer  grandfather  made  your  image 
of  no  costHer  material. 

19.  Tenuere  fidem  can  never  be 
meant  for  the  gods  as  though  thej'  dege- 
nerated  Uke  men.  Tibullus  says  that  with 
a  simpler  worship  men  were  more  pious. 
The  subject  is  understood  before  '  tenuere,' 
^^  3'  35  before  '  vivebant ;'  or  '  avi'  in  the 
line  before  fumishes  a  nominative. 

Paupere  cultu,  '  poor,  scanty  orna- 
ment,'  not  adomed  with  gold  or  jewels. 

20.  Aede  deus.  The  Lar  was  usually 
placed  and  worshipped  in  the  '  atrium ; ' 
the  '  aedes '  must  accordingly  be  here  used 
for  that  part  of  the  house  which  was 
regarded  as  his  sanctuary  when  he  had  but 
narrow  space  for  his  shrine. 

23.  Voti  compos,  i.  e.  in  pavment  of 
some  special  vow. 


Ipse,  '  in  person,'  as  distinguished  from 
his  daughter. 

24.  Purum,  '  fresh  and  clear.'  Cp.  Ov. 
Fast.  2.  652  '  Porrigit  incisos  fiHa  parva 
favos'  (at  the  Terminalia). 

26.  Hostiaque,  sc.  '  depellat,'  let  the 
victim  promised  avail  to  screen  me  from 
the  foeman's  darts.  For  want  of  a  verb 
to  foUow  '  hostia '  some  have  adopted  the 
conjecture  '  erit'  for  '  que  e  :'  but  the  pre- 
position  would  seem  indispensable  before 
'  hara.' 

To  the  mystica  of  the  best  MSS. 
Dissen  and  Haupt  prefer  '  rustica,'  which 
is  found  in  a  few  MSS.,  and  would  give 
good  sense, '  as  a  country-offering.'  But  there 
is  no  sound  reason  for  altering  '  mystica,' 
which  means,  '  sacred  to  the  goddess  of 
the  mysteries,'  Ceres,  with  whose  wor- 
ship  that  of  the  '  Lares  rurales '  may  have 
been  connected.  For  the  '  porca'  and  the 
'  myrtus,'  in  connection  with  the  worship 
of  the  Lares,  see  Hor.  Od.  3,  23,  vv.  4,  16. 

31.  Sua.  not  perhaps  without  the  idea  of 
the  soldier  boasting  his  own  particular  feats. 

32.  Pingere,  imitated  by  Ovid  in 
the  well-known  lines,  Her.  I.  31,  '  Atque 
aliquis  posita  monstrat  fera  proelia  mensa, 
Pingit  et  e.xiguo  Pergama  tota  mero.' 
Observe  the  alliteration. 


TIBULLUS. 


79 


Quis  furor  est  atram  bellis  arcessere  mortem  ? 

Imminet,  et  tacito  clam  vcnit  illa  pede. 
Non  seges  est  infra,  non  vinea  culta,  sed  audax 

Cerberus,  ct  Stygiae  navita  turpis  aquae.  ^wviiiU  ,-04^^;;^ 
Illic  percussisque  genis  ustoque  capillo 

Errat  ad  obscuros  pallida  turba  lacus. 
Quam  potius  laudandus 'vliicy' est,  quem  prole  parara  ,, , 

Occupat  in  parva  pigra  senecta  casa ! 
Ipse  suas  sectatur  oves,  at  filius  agnos, 

Et  calidam  fesso  comparat  uxor  aquam. 
Sic  ego  sim,  liceatque  caput  candescere  canis, 

Temporis  et  prisci  facta  referre  senem. 
Interea  Pax  arva  colat.      Pax  candida  primum 

Duxit  araturos  sub  juga  panda  boves  : 
Pax  aluit  vites,  et  sucos  condidit  uvae. 


(StVVW^' 


35 


h.ii,\S" 


4,'; 


34.  Tacito  clam.  This  use  of  the 
adverb  to  intensify  a  synonymous  adjective 
is  common  in  Tibullus :  as  1.5,-65  '  oc- 
cuhos  furtim  deducet  amicos ; '  Ib^^,  6 
'  furtim  tacita  :'  cp.  2^6,  II  ;   2.  I,  80. 

For  illa  Voss  has  '  ipsa '  with  one  MS., 
'  why  hasten  death  ?  she  comes  of  her- 
self.' 

36.  Navita  turpis,  an  emendation  of 
the  Itahan  scholars,  which  most  editors, 
though  not  Lachmann,  substitute  for  the 
'  navita  puppis '  of  the  MSS.  = '  the  boat  that 
traverses  the  Stygian  wave.'  Even  if  the 
latter  expression  be  allowed,  Dissen  rightly 
says  '  graviorem  vocem  sententia  postulat.' 
'  Turpis  '  corresponds  to  Virgi^s  '  terribili 
squalore  Charon'  Ae.  6.  299. 

37.  Percussis,  not  '  struck  with  fear,' 
as  it  is  usually  taken,  which  hardly  suits 
its  connection  with  'ustoque  capillo;'  rather 
it  refers  to  the  dead  mourning  their  own 
state  below,  becoming  as  it  were  their  own 
'  praeficae.'  Many  emendations,  such  as 
'  exesis,'  '  pertusis,'  '  perscissis,'  have  been 
suggested.  For  the  condition  in  which 
the    dead    descended    to    the    shades,    see 

Prop.  5  (4).  7,   7  foll.,     where    Cynthia's 

vision  appears  to  the  poet. 

39.  Laudandus,  '  worthy  of  congratu- 
lation,'  as  in  Horace's  '  laudet  diversa 
sequentes '  S.  i.  I,  3. 

The  quantity  of  hic  is  often  shortened  in 

ILucretius,  only  twice  in  Virgil  (Ae.  4.  22 
'f  Solus  hic  inflexit  sensus  animumque  la- 
bantem:'  Ib.  6,  792  '  Hic  vir  hic  est  tibi 
quem   promitti    saepius    audis '),    and    no- 


where  else  in  the  best  poets.  The  neuter 
'  hoc '  is  never  found  short  except  in  the 
comic  writers ;  the  adverb  '  hic'  is  always 
long.  Zumpt  however,  with  several  gram- 
marians,  holds  that  the  vowel  in  '  hic,' 
'  hoc '  is  naturally  short,  and  is  only  length- 
ened  because  the  pronunciation  was  '  hicc,' 
'  hocc,'  from  the  ancient  form  '  hice,' 
'  hoce.' 

Prole  parata,  'provided  with  offspring;' 
cp.  4,  I  '  Hic  mihi  servitium  video,  domi- 
namque  paratam.' 

40.  Occupat,  '  creeps  over  him,'  as  in 
Hor.  Ep.  I.  20,  18  '  ut  pueros  elementa 
docentem  Occupet  extremis  in  vicis  balba 
senectus.' 

41.  Suas,  '  follows  the  ewes  that  are  his 
own,'  not  as  the  shepherd  of  a  master. 

42.  Aquam,  i.  e.  for  the  bath.  Cp. 
Hor.  Epod.  2.  42  '  Pernicis  uxor  Appuli 
Sacrum  vetustis  extruat  lignis  focum  Lassi 
sub  adventum  viri.' 

45.  Interea,  i.  e.  while  I  spend  my 
life  in  the  country,  before  old  age  comes 
on  me. 

46.  Araturos  .  .  panda.  Some  MSS. 
have  'aratores'  and  '  curva ;'  but  though 
Ovid's  '  taurus  arator*  (Fast.  I.  698)  may 
help  to  justify  the  former,  the  parti- 
ciple  here  has  the  most  force,  espe- 
cially  if  joined  with  '  duxit'  =  '  constrained 
them  to  plough.'  The  reading  '  curva' 
would  seem  to  be  simply  the  substitution 
of  a  common  for  a  rarer  word  ;  '  pandus ' 
however  is  a  particularly  favourite  epithet 
of  Ovid's. 


,J^^ 


80  ,.  riBULLUS. 

^sjuy>.         Funderet  ut  nato  testa  paterna  merum : 

Pace  bidens  vomerque  vigent,  at  tristia  duri 

Militis  in  tenebris  occupat  arma  situs. 
Rusticus  e  lucoque  vehit,  male  sobrius  ipse, 

Uxorem  plaustro  progeniemque  domum. 
Sed  Veneris  tum  bella  calent,  scissosque  capillos 

Femina  perfractas  conqueriturque  fores  : 
Flet  teneras  subtusa  genas,  sed  victor  et  ipse 

Flet  sibi  dementes  tam  valuisse  manus. 
At  lascivus  Amor  rixae  mala  verba  ministrat, 

Inter  et  iratum  lentus  utrumque  sedet. 
Ah  lapis  est  ferrumque,  suam  quicumque  puellam 

Verberat :    e  coelo  deripit  ille  deos. 
Sit  satis  e  membris  tenuem  perscinderc  vestem, 

Sit  satis  ornatus  dissoluisse  comae, 
Sit  lacrimas  movisse  satis ;   quater  ille  beatus, 

Quo  tenera  irato  flere  puella  potest.      p        ,  .  - 


50 


55 


49.  Vigent,  '  are  active,'  as  contrasted 
with  '  situs'  in  the  next  line.  Cp.  Ov.  Fast. 
5.  279  for  a  similar  use  of  the  verb, '  Cetera 
luxuriae  nondum  instrumenta  vigebant.' 
Scaliger  would  read  '  nitent,'  like  VirgiTs 
'  splendescere  vomer,'  G.  I.  46. 

51.  E  lucoque.  Another  feature  in 
the  description  of  Peace ;  the  farmer  re- 
turning  home  from  a  festival  held  in  some 
neighbouring  grove  to  the  gods  of  the 
country.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  11.  740  '  ac  lucos 
vocet  hostia  pinguis  in  altos.'  Scaliger's 
conjecture  of  '  eluco'  =  kwKoKpaaia  (a  word 
never  used  in  classical  authors)  is  more 
ingenious  than  probable.  Haupt  conceives 
some  lines  to  have  dropped  out  before  this 
verse,  while  Heinsius  conjectures  '  e  luco 
revehit.' 

Ipse  (not  '  ipso,'  as  some  old  editions 
read)  to  be  taken  closely  with  male 
sobrius,  distinguishing  the  farmer  from 
'  uxor '  in  the  next  line.  This  usage 
of  the  pronoun  is  so  common,  that  it 
is  quite  unnecessary  to  give  another 
meaning  to  it  by  joining  it  with  '  vehit,' 
so  as  to  add  a  fresh  touch  to  the  sinipHcity 
of  the  scene,  '  he  drives  himself,  as  having 
no  slave.' 

53.  Sed  Veneris.  The  only  strifes 
known  in  such  a  state  are  those  of  love  ; 
and  such  TibuUus  would  have  to  be  sub- 
dued  and  softened  as  much  as  possible : 
see  V.  66. 


55.  Subtusa,  '  wounded  slightly,'  ap- 
pears  to  be  a  dna^  \fy6fj.fvov.  Scaliger 
prefers  '  subfusa,'  found  in  some  MSS., 
comparing  Virg.  Ae.  i.  228  '  lacrimis  oculos 
subfusa  nitentes.'  Iii  reference  to  the  sub- 
ject  of  these  lines,  see  the  whole  elegy  in 
Ov.  Amor.  1.7. 

58.  Lentus,  '  unmoved,'  '  indiffer- 
ent,'  as  in  Ov.  Amor.  3.  6,  60  '  Ille 
habet  et  silices  et  vivum  in  pectore 
ferrum  Qui  tenero  lacrimas  lentus  in  ore 
videt.' 

60.  Deripit,  a  proverbial  expression  for 
any  great  impiety,  derived  from  the  fable 
of  Otus  and  Ephialtes :  '  such  an  one 
is  a  man  to  pluck  the  gods  themselves 
from  their  thrones  in  heaven.'  Cp.  Ov. 
Amor.  I.  7,  4  '  Saeva  vel  in  sanctos  verbera 
ferre  deos.' 

62.  Ornatus  .  .  comae,  not  '  ornatas 
comas,'  is  evidently  the  right  reading :  it 
is  the  technical  word  for  a  woman's  head- 
dress,  as  in  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3.  135  'Nec  genus 
ornatus  unum  est.' 

64.  Quo  .  .  irato,  the  ablative  abso- 
lute.  Voss  prefers  '  quoi,'  'flere'  being 
sometimes  joined  with  a  dative,  as  Prop.  1. 
12,  15  '  praesenti  flere  puellae.' 

Flere.  So  Ov.  Ars  Am.  2.  447  'O 
quater,  et  quoties  numero  comprendc;re 
non  est  Felicem  de  quo  laesa  puella 
dolet.' 

Potest  =  'has  the  heart  to  weep.' 


TIBULLUS.  8i 

Sed  manibus  qui  saevus  erit,  scutumque  sudemque         65 

Is  gerat,  et  miti  sit  procul  a  Venere. 
At  nobis,  Pax_alma,  veni,  spicamque  teneto, 

Perfluat  ct  pomis  candidus  ante  sinus. 


XVI. 

LIB.  11.   El.  I. 

TiBULLUS  in  this  poem  gives  a  minute  description  of  the  Ambarvalia, 
which  he  is  going  to  celebrate  on  his  farm.  This  was  the  private  festival 
held  towards  the  end  of  April  by  the  head  of  each  family ;  besides  this 
there  was  the  public  and  national  Ambarvalia,  performed  by  the  '  Fratres 
Arvales '  in  INIay.  The  date  of  the  Elegy  can  only  be  very  imperfectly 
gathered  from  the  mention  of  Messala's  triumph  in  v.  33.  Dissen  supposes 
that  it  was  written  before  Tibullus  became  acquainted  with  Nemesis,  and 
assigns  it  to  the  year  731  or  732  A.u.  c. 

QyisQuis  adest,  faveat :   fruges  lustramus  et  agros,  .    .  . 

Ritus  ut  a  prisco  traditus  extat  avo.  ^  ' 

Bacche  veni,  dulcisque  tuis  e  cornibus  uva 

Pendeat,  et  spicis  tempora  cinge,  Ceres. 
Luce  sacra  requiescat  humus,  requiescat  arator,  5 


65.    Scutumque    sudemque,   i.  e.    let  part  of  the  regular  formula  on  these  occa- 

him  take  to  real  war, — to  the  shield,  and  sions.     Cp.  2,  2   '  Quisquis   ades  .  .  fave:' 

the  stake  which  each  common  soldier  was  Ov.  M.  15.  677  '  Hnguisque  animisque  fa- 

accustomed  to  carry  in  a  Roman  army  for  vete    Quisquis   adest  ;'    Ibis  qS   '  Quisquis 

the  construction  of  the  '  vallum.'  ades  sacris,  ore  favete,  meis.'     Lachmann 

67.  Spicamque  teneto.    This  and  the  however  and  Orelli  retain  '  valeat.' 
foUowing  image  were  probably  both  taken  3.   Bacche.  The  Ambarvalia  were  per- 
from  representations  of  Pax  and  Ceres  on  formed    not    in    honour   of   Ceres    alone  ; 
coins.  Virgirs  specification  of  Ceres  in  Georgic  1 

68.  Perfluat  (most  MSS.),  '  overflow  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  corn  is 
with  fruit;'  others  would  read  'profluat'  the  subject  of  that  part  of  his  poem  :  cp. 
or  '  praefluat,'  while  Heinsius  conjectures  E.  5.  75  foU.  Cato  (de  Re  Rust.  c.  141)  in 
'  perpluat.'  his  prayer  addresses  foremost  of  all  '  Mars 

Ante,  '  in  front  of  you.'    Tibullus  some-  pater.'     TibuUus  here  adds  '  Bacchus,'  and 

times  uses  this  favourite  adverb,  where  the  below,  v.  17,  the  '  Di  patrii,'  and  in  v.  81 

force  of  it  does  not  clearly  appear :    see  he  invokes  Cupid  to  the  festival.    Bacchus 

above,   I,  14:   cp.  2.  I,  24;    Ib.  5,  98;   6,  was  often  represented  with  the   homs   of 

24.  a  ram  or  a  buU  (as  symbols  of  plenty)  by 

the    poets,    and    on    coins,    but    never    in 

I.   Faveat,  the  more  probable  reading,  statues.     The  sculptors  usually  foUow  the 

though  nearly  all  the  MSS.  give  '  valeat.'  description  in  Ov.  M.  3.  664  '  Ipse  race- 

The  verb  '  favere,'  as  is  well  known,  was  miferis  frontem  circumdatus  uvis.' 


W4«t*^ 


uwfc^"'^ 


wwypi  tKeLtou,»  ^f^° 


82  TIBULLUS. 

Et  grave  suspenso  vomere  cesset  opus. 
Solvite  vincla  jugis ;   nunc  ad  praesepia  %bent^^^^,^.  ^,5^^^^,^^ 

Plena  coronato  stare  boves  capite.  ]vw^«a 

Omnia  sint  operata  deo ;    non  audeat  ulla 

Lanificam  pensis  imposuisse  manum.  lo 

Vos  quoque  abesse  procul  jubeo,  discedat  ab  aris, 

Cui  tulit  hesterna  gaudia  nocte  Venus. 
Casta  placent  superis ;   pura  cum  veste  venite,  ipw.*^  Mk.vv<^ 
T  ^y^ii,.  Et  manibus  puns  sumite  fontis  aquam.^4'^*'*^'^  r^ 
Cernite,  fulgentes  ut  eat  sacer  agnus  ad  aras, 

Vinctaque  post  olea  candida  turba  comas. 
Di  patrii,  purgamus  agros,  purgamus  agrestes : 


,«** 


"5 


VUJi^A 


Vos  mala  de  nostris  pellite  limitibus ;     ^^^u,^^^  ^^. 
Neu  seges  eludat  messem  fallacibus  herbis,  '  "^ 

Neu  timeat  celeres  tardior  agna  lupos.  20 

Tum  nitidus  plenis  confisus  rusticus  agris 


iXvj* 


6.  Suspenso  vomere.  The  ancient 
ploughs  were  so  light  that  they  were 
easily  carried,  and  hung  up  when  not 
wanted :  so  Ov.  Fast.  i.  665  '  Rusticus 
emeritum  palo  suspendat  aratrum.' 

7.  Vincla,  the  straps  or  bands  of  lea- 
ther  which  fastened  the  yoke  to  the  necks 
of  the  oxen. 

Jugis,  the  ablative  after  '  solvite,'  as 
below,  v.  28  '  solvite  vincla  cado  ' 

8.  Coronato.  Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  1.  c.  '  State 
coronati  plenum  ad  praesepe  juvenci,'  at 
the  '  Feriae  sementivae.'  So  at  the  festival 
of  Vesta  asses  were  crowned  :  cp.  Prop.  5 
(4).!,  21  '  Vesta  coronatis  pauper  gaudebat 
asellis.'  Scaliger  quotes  an  old  text  which 
had  here  '  Plena  coronato  vettice  stare 
boves,'  evidently  to  avoid  the  inelegant 
trisyllabic  termination  of  the  line ;  see  on 
I.  I,  50. 

9.  Omnia  for  '  omnes,'  not  perhaps 
without  the  idea  that  everything,  even  the 
animals,  should  partake  in  it. 

Operata,  '  let  all  be  busied  in  the 
service  of  the  god.' 

Nonaudeat:  see  Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §456. 
Obs.  2. 

II.  Discedat  .  .  Cui,  not  '  discedite  .  . 
Quis,'  into  which  the  MS.  reading  had  been 
altered.  The  change  of  the  construction 
from  the  plural  to  the  singular  gives  a  life 
and  force  to  the  waming. 

14.  Manibus  Dissen  takes  as  a  dative, 
and  '  puris '  in  a  proleptic  sense,  '  bring 
water  of  the  strearn  for  the  cleansing  of 


your  hands.'     Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  5.  435  •  Cum-  I 
que  manus  puras  fontana  perluit  unda.'         1 

15.  TibuUus  passes  lightly  over  the  first 
part  of  the  ceremony,  the  leading  of  the 
victim  by  a  loose  rope  thrice  round  the 
fields  ('  Terque  novas  circum  felix  eat 
hostia  fruges'  Virg.  G.  i.  34,=;),  and  pro- 
ceeds  to  the  sacrifice  which  foUowed  the 
'  circumductio.'  We  may  notice  here  that 
the  poet's  circumstances  enabled  him  to 
offer  only  a  lamb  (see  I.  i,  22):  richer 
worshippers  offered  either  a  calf,  or  even 
a  lamb,  calf,  and  sow  together,  the  '  suove- 
taurilia  lactentia,'  as  they  were  caUed. 

17.  Di  patrii  :  the  prayer  at  the 
sacrifice  begins  here.  So  Cato,  de  Re 
Rust.  c.  141,  invokes  Mars  '  ut  tu  morbos 
visos  invisosque  viduertatem  vastitudinem- 
que  calamitates  intemperiasque  prohibessis 
defendas  averruncesque,  utique  tu  fruges 
frumenta  vineta  virgultaque  grandire  bene- 
que  evenire  sinas  :  pastores  pecuaque  salva 
servassis,  duisque  bonam  salutem  valetu- 
dinemque  mihi  domo  familiaeque  nostrae.' 

19.  Neu  seges,  '  and  let  not  the  crop 
mock  the  harvest  with  delusive  (or  '  disap- 
pointing')  blades,'  i.  e.  excite  hopes  by  the 
healthy-looking  blade,  and  then  frustrate 
them  by  thin  ears  and  a  poor  crop.  '  To 
mock  the  gathering  in'  is  equivalent  to 
'  mocking  the  gatherer :'  so  that  we  may 
compare  Virg.  G.  i.  225  '  sed  illos  Exspec- 
tata  seges  vanis  elusit  aristis.' 

21.  Tum,  i.e.  if  there  be  every  pros- 
pect  of  an  ample  harvest,  then,  before  he 


TIBULLUS. 


83 


Ingeret  ardenti  grandia  ligna  foco,  i^ r^,j^4^^^^  \jmi<^^ ^-Viftt 

Turbaque  vernarum,  saturi  bona  signa  coloni,  AAA*^'*Hn 

Ludet,  et  ex  virgis  extruet  aivte  ,  casas.  ^  Kxvi.ilB^  ^^*!*^'^  •^''^J^^  ^ 

;^Eventura  precor :   viden  ut  felicil)us  extis   \,i^^^i^.^y^Jl,)^^MJ^^^'^ 

,iMcv>^,.i.W.|*^Sigmficet  placidos  nuntia  fibra  deos  ? 

,^^^^^y^;^m^'^'  f""^«s«s  ^^teris  proferte  Falernos^,^^^,^^^.^^ 
jfX.c<*>y^^^i^p        Consulis,  et  Chio  solvite  vincla  cado.  "k)itYvu'«*t. 

\'ina  diem  celebrent :    non  festa  luce  ynaderQf 

Est  rubor,  errantes  et  male  ferre  pedes.  30 

Sed,Vh£iie_MessalarrL/ sua  quisque  ad  pocula  dicat,  ,       »      1     .      .  l* 

Nomen  et  absentis  smgula  verba  sonent.  Oi^o^  Vwtt 
Gentis  Aquitanae  celeber  Messala  triumphis,  c   ,  1  1 


CuvvA^ 


Et  magna  intonsis  gloria  victor  avis, 
Huc  ades,  aspiraque  mihi,  dum  carmine  nostro 

Redditur  agricolis  gratia  coelitibus. 
Rura  cano,  rurisque  deos  j    his  vita  magistris 


35 


reaps  it,  the  farmer  vvill  hold  a  great  feast, 
and  kindle  a  bUzing  flre  for  the  prepara- 
tion  of  the  viands.  See  Virg.  G.  i.  347 
K '  neque  ante  Falcem  maturis  quisquam 
I  supponat  aristis,  Quam  Cereri  torta  redi- 
imitus  tempora  quercu  Det  motus  incom- 
'rlpositos  et  carmina  dicat.' 

Nitidus,  '  jolly,'  '  well-conditioned,'  as 
in  Horace's  '  Me  pinguem  et  nitidum  bene 
curata  cute  vises'  Ep.  1.4,  15. 

For  agris  Scaliger  would  read  '  areis,' 
supposing  the  words  to  refer  to  the  festival 
which  took  place  after  the  harvest,  when 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  were  gathered  in. 

23.  Saturi.  Compare  the  picture  in 
Hor.  S.  2.  6,  66  '  Ante  Larem  proprium 
vescor  vernasque  procaces  Pasco  libatis 
dapibus.'  Dissen  refers  to  Calpurn.  Ecl.  4. 
125  '  Ut  quoque  turba  bono  plaudat  sagi- 
nata  magistro.'  The  fat  and  merry  slaves 
are  proofs  of  the  good  fare  and  kindly 
disposition  of  their  master. 

24.  Casas,  booths  erected  by  the  slaves 
before  the  fire  ('  ante,'  sc.  '  focum ').  For 
ante  formerly  some  read  '  arte.'  These 
'  casae'  were  sometimes  called  '  trichilae  :' 
as  in  the  Copa,  v.  8  '  Et  trichila  umbri- 
feris  frigida  arundinibus.' 

25.  Viden  ut,  as  Bentley  shews  on 
Hor.  Ep.  I.  1,  gi,  may  be  joined  both  with 
indicative  and  subjunctive,  though  Ti- 
buUus  it  would  seem  prefers  the  latter. 
At  Virg.  Ae.6. 779  foll.  the  best  MSS.  have 
the  indicative.  For  the  's'  dropped  out 
in  '  viden  '  compare  '  dane  '  for  '  dasne  '  in 


Plautus,  and  the  common  '  audin,'  '  ain,' 
'  vin.' 

27.  Falernos,sc. '  cados,'  supplied  from 
the  next  line.  Scaliger  reads  '  fumosum ' 
and  '  Falernum.'  The  dry  Falernian  was 
mixed  with  the  sweet  Chian  :  '  Suavior,  ut 
Chio  nota  si  commixta  Falerni  est'  Hor. 
S.  I.  10,  24. 

28.  Vincla,  cork  sealed  with  pitch. 
See  Hor.  Od.  3.  8,  10. 

29.  Madere,  '  to  soak,'  i.e.  drink  hard, 
as  ^pexetrSai  is  used  in  Greek. 

31.  Bene  Messalam,  '  health  to  Mes- 
sala.'  The  construction  is  explained  by 
understanding  '  precor  valere '  or  some  such 
vvords :  cp.  Ov.  Fast.  2.^37  '  Et  bene  vos 
patriae  bene  te  pater  optime  Caesar,  Di- 
cite.'  Occasionally  the  dative  is  used,  as 
in  Plaut.  Pers.  5.  1,  20. 

32.  Singula  verba,  explained  by  many 
as  =  'cujusque  voces,' which  seems  to  be 
only  a  repetition  of  the  preceding  line. 
Better  perhaps  is  Dissen's  iaterpretation, 
'  Let  Messala's  name  be  mixed  up  with 
each  thing  that  is  said.' 

3-).  Intonsis,  the  Valerii  being  one  of 
the  oldest  families  in  Rome  :  '  intonsus,' 
like  JuvenaFs  '  barbatus,'  =  '  ancient,'  the 
Romans  not  having  introduced  barbers 
from  Sicily  till  300  b.c.  Ovid  has  the 
same  expression  in  Fast.  2.  30. 

37.  Vita,  for  '  living  men,' '  humanity;' 
a  sense  of  the  word  not  common  till  a 
later  period  :  cp.  Martial  8.  3,  20  '  Agno- 
scat  mores  vita  legatque  suos.' 

G   2 


y 


B4 


TIBULLUS. 


Desuevit  querna  pellere  glande  famem  : 
Illi  compositis  primum  docuere  tigillis 

Exiguam  viridi  fronde  operire  domum  : 
Illi  etiam  tauros  primi  docuisse  feruntur 

Servitium,  et  plaustro  supposuisse  rotam. 
Tum  victus  abiere  feri  j    tum  consita  pomus, 
^Y^\v^  i^jTum  bibit  \irriguas;  fertilis  hortus  aquas  • 

Aurea  tum  pressos  pedibus  dedit  uva  liquores, 

Mixtaque  securo  est  sobria  lympha  mero. 
Rura  ferunt  messes,  calidi  cum  sideris  aestu 

Deponit  flavas  annua  terra  comas. 
Rure  levis  verno  flores  apis  ingerit  alveo, 

Compleat  ut  dulci  sedula  melle  favos. 
Agricola  assiduo  primum  satiatus  aratro 

Cantavit  certo  rustica  verba  pede  j 
Et  satur  arenti  primum  est  modulatus  avena 

Carmen,  ut  ornatos  diceret  ante  deos ;    r^^,,^-^'^. 
Agricola  et  minio  suflflisus,  Bacche,  rubenti   v> 

Primus  inexperta  duxit\ab,,,i]:le/choros.  ,^ 


40 


45 


5° 


crJa^ 


cuV^ 


yodV"»*^ 


55 


41.  Docuisse, '  trained  bulls  to  slavery.' 
A  few  MSS.  had  '  domuisse,'  which  caused 
'  servitium '  to  be  altered  into  '  servitio ;' 
but  '  docuisse'  is  far  more  suitable  to  the 
gods.  Compare  Hesiod's  three  first  ele- 
ments  of  civilization,  OTkov  ixtv  ■npwTiara 
yvvcuKa  r(   fiovv   r    apoTTJpa,  Op.  et   D. 

44.  Irriguas,  in  active  sense,  as  Virg. 
G.  4.  32,  '  irrigating  rills.'  The  line  is  a 
periphrasis  with  the  emphasis  on  hortus  ; 
the  cultivation  of  vegetables  foUowed  on 
that  of  fruit. 

45.  Aurea,  not  '  golden-coloured,'  but 
rather  '  precious,'  '  dainty.' 

46.  Securo,  contrasted  with  '  sobria,' 
'  thoughtless,'  '  gay,'  '  giddy.' 

49.  Verno  had  better  be  taken  (as 
Dissen  remarks)  with  '  alveo '  than  '  rure,' 
the  latter  having  more  force  if  left  without 
an  epithet.  '  Vernus  alveus,'  not,  '  the  hive 
such  as  it  is  in  spring,'  before  the  flowers 
come  out,  empty  and  wanting  to  be  filled, 
but  simpiy  denoting  the  season  in  which 
the  bees  come  out  after  hibemation.  Cp. 
Virg.  G.  4.  2  2  ;  Ib.  5 1  foll.  It  is  hardly  likely 
that  the  poet  would  have  used  the  expres- 
sions  '  vernos  flores'  (as  some  would  read 
here)  and  '  verno  flore'  (in  v.  59)  so  near 
each  other. 

Flores  is  used  in  this  line,  as  in  VirgiTs 


'  metunt  flores '  (G.  4.  54),  for  the  '  cssence ' 
or  '  juices'  of  the  flowers. 

51.  Not  only  did  the  country  originate 
all  the  useful  arts,  but  the  germs  of  the 
fine  arts  as  well. 

52.  Certo  pede,  '  with  fixed  measure 
or  rhythm,'  ablative  of  quality ;  so  in 
Ov.  Tr.  5.  12,  34  '  Inque  suos  volui 
cogere  verba  pedes :'  or  it  may  mean,  '  to 
a  fixed  tune'  or  '  air,'  spoken  only  of  vocal 
music,  the  next  line  marking  the  invention 
of  the  first  instrument. 

54.  Diceret,  '  sing  it  before  the  gods 
in  their  festal  dress,'  when  the  images  were 
crowned,  etc.  Scaliger  prefers  '  duceret,' 
but  it  would  be  awkward  to  have  '  ducere' 
in  a  different  sense  used  directly  after. 

55.  Minio  suffusus.  The  rustic  paints 
himself  with  vermilion  in  imitation  of  the 
image  of  Bacchus,  which  probably  was 
painted  red.  See  Virg.  E.  10.  27  (of  Pan) 
'  Sanguineis  ebuli  baccis  minioque  ruben- 
tem.' 

56.  Ab  arte.  The  preposition  is  here 
redundant,  as  in  I.  5,  4  ;  I.  9,  66,  and 
often  in  the  poets.  The  reading  of  one 
or  two  editions,  '  ab  urbe,'  and  Scaliger's 
conjecture  '  ab  arce,'  referring  Tibullus' 
words  to  the  aaTVKol  dyu/ves  in  honour  of 
Bacchus  as  the  origin  of  Tragedy,  seem 
out  of  place  here. 


TIBULLUS. 


85 


Huic  datus  a  pleno,  memorabile  munus,  ovili 

Dux  hircus  pecoris ;   auxerat  hircus  oves. 
Rure  puer  verno  primum  de  flore  coronam 

Fecit,  et  antiquis  imposuit  Laribus.  60 

Rure  etiam,  teneris  curam^exhibitura/puellis, 

Molle  gerit  tergo  lucida  vellus  ovis. 
Hinc  et  femineus  labor  est :   hinc  pensa  colusque.  ,  I 

xva  ;,x....;k^.  ^t^us  et  apposito  pollice  versat  opus ;  ^,,^,,,,,  W»r5JtdUv<^.^—>'^^ 


^l^uiAi^^J^^tque  aliqua  assiduae  textrLx  operata  Miner^^^L&^J^^^^f^ 
^w^sv^ikji      Cantat,  et  applauso  tela  sonat  latere.     c^f»^  n^^A^iJ^.^^^^^TL' 
**^^^^^"  ^pse  "iiiterque  greges  interque  armenta  Cupido 


Natus  et  indomitas  dicitur  inter  equas.  X<Wv«rt5  c^y W*  Viu»^  (x|^ 
lllic  indocto  primum  se  exercuit  arcu  ; 

Hei  mihi,  quam  doctas  nunc  habet  ille  manus !  70 

Nec  pecudes^  velut  ante,  petit ;    fixisse  puellas 
Vjestity  et  audaces  perdomuisse  viros. 


57.  Ovili.  See  Bentley  on  Hor.  Od. 
1.  !/>  9.  who  quotes  this  passage  to  shew 
that  as  it  was  the  practice  often  to  keep 
goats  and  sheep  in  the  same  enclosure, 
'  ovile '  may  be  used  for  a  fold  of  the 
former  no  less  than  of  the  latter,  as  in 
Ov.  M.  13.  827  '  in  ovihbus  haedi.' 

58.  An  almost  hopeless  passage,  the 
general  sense  of  which  is,  '  that  the  captain 
of  the  flock  was  given  as  a  prize  to  the 
captain  of  the  chorus.'  The  reading  in 
the  text  is  that  of  most  of  the  MSS  ,  and 
received  by  Lachmann.  Besides  the  metri- 
cal  difficulties  of  the  words,  auxerat  oves 
naturally  raises  the  question,  '  how  could  a 
goat  add  to  the  sheep  ?'  but  '  oves'  may  per- 
haps  be  taken  hke  the  Greek  ^^A.a  for 
'  flocks'  in  general,  of  which  the  buck  had 
been  the  pride.  The  emendation  usually 
adopted  (e.  g.  by  Orelli  and  Bentley) 
is  the  unsatisfactory  one  of  Muretus, 
'  duxerat  hircus  oves.'  Haupt's  conjecture, 
though  involving  a  little  more  alteration, 
has  much  more  to  recommend  it,  '  curtas 
auxerat  hircus  opes.'  Dissen  supposes  the 
'  dux  pecoris'  to  be  the  only  genuine  words 
in  the  line,  the  rest  to  have  been  filled  up 
by  some  other  hand. 

61.  Curam  exhibitura,  '  soon  to  fur- 
nish  work  for  tender  maidens,'  a  very 
common  sense  of 'exhibeo'  in  Plautus. 

64.  Fusus,  '  and  the  spindle  plied  by 
the  thumb  twists  the  thread.'  Cp.  Catull. 
62  (64).  312  and  note. 


65.  Operata  Minervae,  '  intent  upon 
Minerva's  busy  work.'  The  sacrificial 
sense  of  the  verb  is  not  excluded  here ; 
the  busy  goddess  is  served  by  industry,  as 
others  are  honoured  by  ease  and  sport : 
cp.  5,  95  '  operata  deo.'  '  Minerva,'  often 
iised  for  weaving,  as  Virg  Ae.  8.  409  ;  Ov. 
M.  4.  32.  Some  old  editions,  together  with 
a  few  MSS.,  have  '  assidue  . .  Minervam,' 
i.  e.  '  sing  praises  to  Minerva.'  Others  for 
textrix  (a  rare  word,  used  only  in  Mar- 
tial  4.  19  among  classical  authors)  read 
'  textis  operata  Minervae  :'  cp.  Ov.  M.  7. 
746. 

66.  Applauso,  '  the  loom  rattles  as  its 
side  is  gently  shaken.'  The  '  pecten ' 
striking  between  the  '  stamina '  of  the 
loom  makes  the  sides  of  the  frame  rattle. 
For  a  similar  sense  of  'applauso'  see  Ov. 
M.  4-  352  '  cavis  applauso  corpore  palmis.' 
Some  have  '  appulso.' 

Sonat.  Compare  the  ictoi  KaWi(p6oy- 
yoL  of  Eur.  Iph.  in  Taur.  210. 

Some  would  take  the  latere  of  the 
weaver's  side,  which  would  make  little  or 
no  meaning. 

67.  Greges.  Sophocles  has  a  similar 
sentiment,  Antig.  785,  6,  and  Euripides, 
Hipp.  1272.  So  in  regard  to  mares,  Virgil, 
G.  3.  266,  has  '  Scilicet  ante  omnes  furor 
est    insignis    equarum.'      Compare    below, 

69.  Illic  indocto,  '  his  'prentice  hand 
he  tried  on  those,'  i.  e.  cattle. 


86 


TIBULLUS. 


lui^ 


TiJn^ 


Hic  juveni  detraxit  opes ;    hic  dicere  jussit 

Limen  ad  iratae  verba  pudenda  senem. 
Hoc  duce,  custodes  furtim  transgressa  jacentes,  75 

Ad  juvenem  tenebris(  sola  puella  venit ; 
uii?jiu  |ff<w^^'^  )^       Etpedibus  praetentat  iter,  suspensa  timore, 
(.jj^tjrv^aMc^u/njjWxV^^^v^^Explorat  caecas  Vcui  Jnanus  ante  vias 

Ah  miseri,  quos  hic  graviter  deus  urget  j    at  ille 

Felix,  cui  placidus  leniter  afflat  Amor !  80 

Sancte,  veni  dapibus  festis ;   sed  pone  sagittas, 

Et  procul  ardentes  hinc,  precor,  abde  faces.  (^vb  WUft  ^WilwKi» 
Vos  celebrem  cantate  deum,  pecorique  vocate  ^^- 

Voce ;    palam  pecori,  clam  sibi  quisque  vocet ; 
Aut  etiam  sibi  quisque  palam  :    nam  turba  jocosa  85 

Obstrepit,  et  iPhrygio  tibia  curva  sono. 
Ludite ;   jam  Nox  jungit  equos,  currumque  sequuntur 

Matris  lascivo  sidera  fulva  choro, 
Postque  venit  tacitus  furvis  circumdatus  alis 

Somnus,  et  incerto  Somnia  nigra  pede.  90 


73.  Detraxit  .  .  jussit,  aorists  of  habit, 
'  Love  spoils  the  young  man  of  his  means,' 
makes  him  reckless  in  expenditure.  The 
position  of  the  preposition  after  its  case 
and  before  the  genitive  which  its  noun 
governs  is  a  licence  of  the  poets :  see 
Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §  474,  c. 

78.  Cui  :  the  relative  here  performs  the 
part  of  some  such  conjunction  as  '  simul,' 
'  atque  etiam,'  '  dum,'  which  hst  Heyne 
proposes  to  read.  We  have  another  in- 
stance  below,  3,  43  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  138, 
and  many  other  places.  In  prose  writers, 
and  especially  Livy,  this  usage  is  most 
frequent. 

82.  Abde,  '  remove,'  '  put  away,'  ac- 
cording  to  the  earliest  sense  of  '  dare,'  as 
seen  in  each  of  its  compounds,  e.  g.  '  con- 
dere  : '  hence  came  its  common  meaning 
of  '  to  conceal.'  Cp.  Hor.  Carm.  Saec.  33 
'  Condito  mitis  placidusque  telo.' 

83.  Deum,  i.  e.  Cupid  :  '  sing  to  the 
much-praised  god — loudly  invoke  his  bless- 
ing  on  the  flock.' 

Voce  vocare,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  4.  680 ; 
12.  638,  '  to  call  with  a  loud  voice;'  so 
'  voce  precari '  Ib.  9.  405. 

85.  Aut  etiam  sibi.  In  the  line  before 
he  had  bidden  each  worshipper  of  Love  to 
put  up  his  prayer  silently,  as  he  might  be 


ashamed  for  others  to  hear  it ;  now  he 
tells  him  that  he  may,  if  he  hkes,  utter  it 
aloud,  as  the  noise  of  his  festive  compa- 
nions  will  prevent  its  being  listened  to. 

86.  Phrygio  sono  for  '  Phrygia  tibia.' 
The  adjective,  as  is  common  in  the  poets, 
is  placed  with  the  substantive  to  which  it 
does  not  strictly  apply.  So  Ov.  Fast.  4. 
214  '  Tibia  dat  Phrygios,  ut  dedit  anteJ 
modos.'  I 

88.  Matris:  the  stars  are  represented 
as  daughters  of  the  night.  Dissen  quotes 
from  one  of  the  Orphic  hymns,  'Aarfpes 
ovpavioi  VVKTOS  <pi\a  T(Kva  fi(\aivr)S. 
'  The  golden  stars  in  twinkling  dance 
follow  their  mother's  car.' 

Lascivus,  of  quick  motion,  as  in  Ov. 
M.  3.  683  '  Inque  chori  ludunt  speciem, 
lascivaque  jactant  Corpora.'  Compare  a 
similar  image  of  night  in  Eur.  lon  11 50. 

89.  Furvis  or  fuscis  must  be  read  for 
the  impracticable  'fulvis'  of  the  MSS. 

90.  Nigra,  as  in  Ov.  Fast.  4.  662  '  Nox 
venit  et  secum  somnia  nigra  trahit ;  so  Eur. 
Hec.  72  speaks  of  ixfXavoTTTepvyan'  dveipojv. 
Several  MSS.  have  '  vana,'  and  Heinsius 
conjectures  '  pigra.'  '  Nigra,'  however,  even 
if  it  involves  some  slight  repetition,  suits 
the  general  picturesqueness  of  the  passage 
better  than  '  vana.' 


TIBULLUS.  87 


XVII. 

LIB.  IL  El.  5. 

This  poem  was  written  to  celebrate  the  election  of  M.  Valerius  Mes- 
salinus,  (mentioned  by  Tacitus,  Ann.  3.  34,)  the  eldest  son  of  Messala  the 
patron  of  Tibullus,  into  the  college  of  the  '  quindecimviri,'  whose  function 
it  was  to  guard  and  inspect  the  Sibylline  books.  As  these  last,  since  they 
were  removed  from  the  Capitol,  were  preserved  in  the  temple  of  Apollo 
on  the  Palatine,  the  ceremony  of  consecration  in  the  case  of  newly-elected 
priests  was  also  performed  there.  In  1-67  the  past  favours  of  Apollo,  as 
the  god  of  auguries,  toward  Rome  are  recounted  from  the  earUest  times ; 
67-79,  the  prodigies  foretold  by  other  Sibyls  are  deprecated ;  and,  from  v.  79 
to  end,  peace  and  plenty,  love  and  mirth  and  rural  enjoyments  are  prayed 
for.     This  Elegy  was  written  probably  about  the  spring  of  733  A.u.c. 

Phoebe,  fave  j   novus  ingreditur  tua  templa  sacerdos , 

Huc,  age,  cum  cithara  carminibusque  veni.    ^v*e>t«JfWfc.i««eli)«"/J<^'»^Y'''^ 
Nunc  te  vocales  impellere  pollice  cliordas, 

Nunc  precor  ad  laudes  flectere  verba  mea. 
Ipse  triumphali  devinctus  tempora  lauro,  5 

Dum  cumulant  aras,  ad  tua  sacra  veni. 
Sed  nitidus  pulcherque  veni ;    nunc  indue  vestem 

Sepositam,  longas  nunc  bene  pecte  comas : 
Qualem  te  memorant,  Saturno  rege  fugato, 

I.   Sacerdos.      Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  72   in  the  promised  triumphs  of  MessaHnus.     See 

reference  to  the  '  quindecimviri,'  '  Hic  ego  v.  I15  foU. 

namque  tuas   sortes   arcanaque  fata   Dicta  6.   Cumulant  :     cp.    Virg.   Ae.  Ii.  5° 

meae    genti    ponam,    lectosque    sacrabo,  '  cumulatque  altaria  donis.'     This  omission 

Alma,  viros.'      For  a  detailed  description  of  the  defined  subject  ('  ministri,'  or  some 

of  this  temple  of  Apollo  see  Prop.  3.  29  such  word)  is  not  uncommon  when  a  ge- 

(2.  31).  neral   practice   is   referred  to,  as   here,   or 

4.  Precor,  though  more  often  used  a  general  belief,  as  '  memorant,'  v.  9.  A 
with  'ut'  and  the  subjunctive,  is  frequently  nominative  too  may  be  supplied  from  the 
in   Ovid   found  with   an   infinitive   in  the  connotation  of  '  sacra.' 

object  clause,  as  here.  7.   Sed,  '  come,  only  come  bright  and 

Mea,    '  shape    my    words    to    praise,'  gay,' rather  than,  '  even  if  thou  comest  not 

namely,    of   the    god    and    his    newly-ap-  with  thy  laurel-crown,  yet,  at  all  events,  in 

pointed  priest.     '  Mea'  is  Lachmann's  cor-  bright  and  festive  attire.' 
rection    of  '  meas,'    '  tuas '    (MSS.).       If         8.   Sepositam,  '  reserved  for  festivals.' 

'  meas'  be  read,  it  must  mean,  '  the  praises  Cp.  Prop.  3.  29  (2.  31),  15  '  Deinde   inter 

to  be  sung  by  me.'  matrem  deus  ipse  interque  sororem  Pythius 

5.  Triumphali :  Voss  would  refer  this  in  longa  carmina  veste  sonat."  Some  texts 
to  the  rejoicing  at  the  victory  of  Actium,  have  '  depositam.' 

just  past ;    it  is  more  natural  to  refer  it  to  9.   Qualem,  i.  e.  dressed  as  when  thou 


TIBULLUS,  ,,        .     . 

c^.^vXjji  ►vs/k^jJLa»^  fA««^  m^v^  ■p**»-'' 

Victori  laudes  concinuisse  lovi.       \^iO,<^J^^^^->^^^^^- 


^•V^.wQt^^^W  o^^u  procul  eventura  vides,  tibi  deditus  augur 
uv<lc(5Ljrta-s.v<^^lc  tXti*^-«>^Scit  bene,  quid  fati  provida  cantet  avis ;  VeiC^prre^^^"-^ 


Tvx-^kA' 


^     ?.c<^l*V^         Tuque  regis  sortes,  per  te  praesentit  haruspex, 
V^^J^^'^'  Lubrica  signavit  cum  deus  exta  notis. 

Te  duce  Romanos  nunquam  frustrata  Sibylla  est, 

Abdita  quae  senis  fata  canit  pedibus. 
Phoebe,  sacras  Messalinum  sine  tangere  chartas 

Vatis,  et  ipse,  precor,  quod  canat  illa,  doce. 
Haec  dedit  Aeneae  sortes,  postquam  ille  parentem 

Dicitur  et  raptos  sustinuisse  Lares, 
(Nec  fore  credebat  Romam,  cum  maestus  ab  alto 

Ilion  ardentes  respiceretque  deos. 
Romulus  aeternae  nondum  lirmaverat  urbis 

Moenia,  consorti  non  habitanda  Remo ; 


iS 


sangest :  see  6,  39.  Cp.  Sen.  Agam.  332 
'  Licet  et  chorda  graviore  sones  Quale 
canebas  cum  Titanas  Fulmine  victos  vi- 
dere  dei.' 

11.  Deditus,  '  consecrated  to  thy  ser- 
vice,'  as  in  l.  2,  97.  '  Debitus'  is  found  in 
one  or  two  copies,  but  is  scarcely  justified 
by  the  '  Debitae  nymphis  opifex  coronae,' 
Hor.  Od.  3.  27,  30,  which  Scahger  quotes 
in  its  favour.  In  these  lines  the  four  chief 
methods  of  learning  the  future  among  the 
Romans  are  set  forth,  viz.  '  aves,'  '  sortes,' 
'  exta,'  '  Sibyllae  (Hbri).' 

12.  Fati,  better  taken  with  'provida' 
than  '  quid  :'  cp.  Ov.  M.  12.  18  '  veri  pro- 
vidus  augur.' 

13.  Sortes,  sometimes  applied  to  the 
responses  of  the  Sibyl,  as  in  v.  19  and 
Virg.  Ae.  6.  72  :  but  as  these  are  mentioned 
in  the  next  line  but  one,  it  is  better  to 
confine  'sortes'  to  the  method  of  ascer- 
taining  future  events  by  lots  thrown  iuto 
the  '  sitella'  or  um,  practised  in  the  temples 
especially  of  Praeneste  and  Caere ;  see  on 
1.3,11.' 

14.  Lubrica,  i.  e.  quickly  changing, 
and  therefore  difficult  to  apprehend. 

Notis,  used  as  by  Ov.  M.  7.  600  '  Fibra 
quoque  aegra  notas  veri  monitusque  deorum 
Perdiderat.' 

15.  Est.  Lachmann,  following  many 
early  MSS.,  omits  the  '  est,'  which  how- 
ever  seems  much  to  be  needed  here,  and 
is  adopted  by  Dissen  from  many  later 
copies.  Its  insertion  never  ofFends  against 
euphony  when  the  penultimate  word  ends 


with  either   of  the   short  vowels  a  ox  e: 
below,  v.  49,  we  have  '  Lavini  est.' 

16.  Senis  pedibus,  i.  e.  in  the  hexa- 
meter  metre.  The  oracles  that  were  col- 
lected  after  the  burning  of  the  Capitol 
were  written  in  Greek,  and  were  acrostics  : 
see  Cic.  de  Div.  2.  54.  The  earlier  ones 
were  probably  written  on  palm-leaves, 
the  later  on  papyrus ;  hence  '  chartae ' 
V.  17. 

18.  Quod  is  in  most  MSS.,  as  3.  4,  50: 
changed  by  several  editors  into  '  quid.' 

19.  Haec,  not  the  Cumaean  Sibyl,  of 
whom  Virgil  speaks  :  more  probably  an 
earlier  response  given  to  Aeneas  before 
sailing  from  Asia  Minor, — perhaps,  as 
Dissen  supposes,  by  the  Sibyl  of  Erythrae 
in  lonia. 

21.  Credebat  must  not  be  taken  with 
'  postquam,'  but  independently,  as  the  be- 
ginning  of  the  digression. 

Cum  is  perhaps  joined  with  the  subjunc- 
tive  here,  as  denoting  not  only  the  time  but 
the  grounds  of  Aeneas'  despair.  Tibullus 
in  his  antiquarian  spirit  seizes  every  occa- 
sion  of  referring  to  the  primitive  history 
of  Rome. 

22.  '  Ardentem '  is  to  be  supplied  before 
Ilion  from  ardentes. 

23.  Firmaverat,  i.  e.  with  ditch  and 
palisade.  Several  MSS.  have  'formaverat' 
=  '  built,'  not  '  designed  ;  '  while  Mu- 
retus  suggests  '  fundaverat.'  Cp.  Prop.  4. 
8  (3.  9),  50  '  Celsaque  Romanis  decerpta 
Palatia  tauris  Ordiar,  et  caeso  moenia  firma 
Remo.' 


TIBULLUS.  89 

Sed  tumVpascehani/herbosa  Palatia  vaccae,  25 

Et  stabant  humiles  in  Jovis  arce  casae. 
Lacte  madens  illic  suberat  Pan  ilicis  umbrae, 

Et  facta  agresti  lignea  falce  Pales  ■ 
Pendebatque  vagi  pastoris  in  arbore  votum, 

Garrula  silvestri  nstula  sacra  deo,  "^  3° 

],  Fistula,  cui  semper  decrescit  arundinis  ordo, 

Nam  calamus  cera  jungitur  usque  minor. 
At  qua  'yelabri/  regio  patet,  ire  solebat 


Exiguus  pulsa  per  vada  linter  aqua. 
yv^A<tu4^4,Ta^j.rjjl^  saepe  gregis  diti  placitura  magistro'^^^ 

Ad  juvenem  festa  est  vecta  puella  die, 
Cum  qua  fecundi  redierunt  munera  ruris, 

Caseus  et  niveae  candidus  agnus  ovis 
Impiger  Aenea,  volitantis  frater  Amoris, 

Troica  qui  profugis  sacra  vehis  ratibus, 
Jam  tibi  Laurentes  assignat  Jupiter  agros  j 

Jam  vocat  errantes  hospita  terra  Lares. 
IUic  sanctus  eris,  cum  te  veneranda  Numici 


O  ^».  0 


35 


40 


25.  Pascebant  :  this  is  perhaps  the 
only  place  where  the  active  is  used  for 
the  deponent  '  pascebantur  ;'  see  Professor 
Conington  on  Virg.  G.  3.  143  (where  '  pas- 
cunt'  should  be  read). 

27.  Pan,  like  'Pales'  in  the  next  line, 
for  the  statue  of  the  god,  who,  like  other 
woodland  deities,  was  presented  with  ofFer- 
ings  of  milk.     Cp.  Hor.  Ep.  2.  i,  143  '  Sil- 

I  vanum  lacte  piabant.' 

Ilicis.  The  '  ilex'  was  to  Pan  what 
the  laurel  was  to  Phoebus,  or  the  niyrtle  to 
Venus. 

28.  Facta,  '  carved  out  of  wood  by  the 
rustic  knife,'  as  in  Prop.  5  (4).  2,  59  '  Stipes 
acernus  eram  properanti  falce  dolatus  ; '  cp. 
Hor.  S.  I.  8,  2  '  Cum  faber  incertus  scam- 
num  faceretne  Priapum.' 

29.  Vagi, '  roving,'  and  therefore  having 
no  fixed  sanctuary  where  to  ofFer  his 
vows. 

Votum,  for  the  thing  offered,  as  in 
Prop.  5  (4).  3,17'  Omnibus  heu  portis  pen- 
dent  mea  noxia  vota.' 

31.  Semper,  like  'usque'  in  the  next 
line,  '  continually  diminishing,'  '  small  by 
degrees.'  Cp.  Virg.  E.  2.  36  '  disparibus 
septem  compacta  cicutis  Fistula.' 

33.  Velabri,  the  level  ground  between 
the    Palatine,    Aventine,    and    the    Tiber, 


originally  a  marsh,  till  drained  by  the 
Cloaca  Maxima.  The  word  has  been 
derived  from  '  vehere,*  or  '  velum,'  from 
the  space  having  been  traversed  by  boats. 
Cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  9,  5  foll. '  Qua  Velabra  suo 
stagnabant  flumine,  quaque  Nauta  per  ur- 
banas  velificabat  aquas.' 

35.  Diti  :  Muretus'  emendation  of 
'  ditis'  (MSS.),  the  's'  having  been  re- 
peated  from  '  gregis.' 

Placitura,  to  gratify  the  request  of 
her  lover,  '  juvenem '  referring  to  the  same 
subject  as  '  magistro.'  Cp.  v.  51  '  Marti 
placituta.' 

38.  Niveae,  white  sheep  being  most 
valued  ;  cp.  Virg.  E.  2.  20  '  Quam  dives 
pecoiis  nivei  quam  lactis  abundans,'  where 
'  nivei '  should  perhaps  be  taken  with 
'  pecoris. '  See  i.  10,  10  note.  Here 
ends  the  somewhat  awkward  parenthesis, 
in  which  Tibullus  paints  the  contrast 
between  the  simpHcity  of  ancient  and 
the  grandeur  of  modern  Rome,  as  pre- 
dicted  by  the  Sibyl  in  the  coming  lines. 

41.  Laurentes,  the  first  settlement  of 
Aeneas  between  Ostia  and  Lavinium  :  so 
Virgil  calls  his  camp  '  Laurentia  castra ' 
Ae.  10.  635. 

43.  Numici  :  cp.  Livy  I.  2  ;  Ov.  M. 
14.    598-608.      Pliny,    N.   H.    5.    §    9, 


90  TIBULLUS 

Unda  deum  coelo  miserit  Indigetem. 
Ecce  super  fessas  volitat  Victoria  puppes ,  45 

Tandem  ad  Trojanos  diva  superba  venit. 
Ecce  mihi  lucent  Rutulis  incendia  castris  : 

Jam  tibi  praedico,  barbare  Turne,  necem. 
Ante  oculos  Laurens  castrum,  murusque  Lavini  est, 

Albaque  ab  Ascanio  condita  longa  duce.  50 

Te  quoque  jam  video,  Marti  placitura  sacerdos 
^tu^.ijU^w^vsuvtta-^Wxtillia,  Vestales  deseruisse  focos,  ,  ,*\'«ja>»»'- 


?A^^5f.\^W^" 


55 


^Concubitusque  vtuQS-fiirtim/ vittasque  jacentes, 

Et  cupidi  ad  ripas  arma  relicta  dei.  o^>c^V^ 

Carpite  nunc,  tauri,  de  septem  montibus  herbas, 

Dum  licet  j   hic  magnae  jam  locus  urbis  erit. 
Roma,  tuum  nomen  terris  fatale  regendis, 

Qua  sua  de  coelo  prospicit  arva  Ceres, 
Quaque  patent  ortus,  et  qua  fluitantibus  undis 

Solis  anhelantes  abluit  amnis  equos. 
Troja  quidem  tum  se  mirabitur,  et  sibi  dicet 

Vos  bene  tam  longa  consuluisse  via.  \j,.^,.<^^c^^-L'f^^^- 

sic  usque  sacras  innoxia  slaurus  ' 


60 


Vera  cano 


mentions  the  '  Lucus  Jovis  indigetis,'  under 
which  title  Aeneas  was  worshipped,  as 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Numi- 
cius,  which  flows  between  Lavinium  and 
Ardea. 

44.  Coelo,  dative,  as  often  in  the 
poets,  = '  ad  coelum,'  not  to  be  taken  with 
'indigetem'  as  an  ablative. 

47-  Mihi,  dativus  ethicus,  'I  see  them 
blaze.' 

Incendia,  not  of  the  attempts  by  the 
Rutulians  to  fire  the  Trojan  fleet  spoken 
of  in  Virg.  Ae.  9.  68  foll.,  which  would  not 
suit  with  the  next  line  or  the  general  drift 
of  the  prophecy.  More  probably  the  words 
refer  to  the  buming  of  the  camp  of  Turnus, 
not  spoken  of  by  Virgil. 

53.  Tuos  furtim.  This  use  of  the 
adverb  for  the  adjective  is  more  Greek 
than  Latin,  =  rds  \aOpa  avvovaias,  as 
Orelli  says.  Similarly  Virgil  uses  '  super,' 
Ae.  3.  489  '  O  mihi  sola  mei  super  Astya- 
nactis  imago.'  Usually  the  Hcence  is  con- 
fined  to  adverbs  of  time  and  space,  as  in 
'  populum  late  regem '  Virg.  Ae.  1.  21, 
'  omnes  circa  populi,'  or  '  iterum  consul,' 
in  Livy.  There  is  no  ground  for  Voss's 
conjecture  here  of '  c,  tos '  for  '  tuos.' 


Vittas,  the  symbol  of  purity,  well  re- 
presented  here  as  dropt  on  the  ground  and 
neglected. 

57.  Fatale  regendis, '  destined  to  rule 
the  lands.'  Cicero  has  '  annus  fatalis  ad 
interitum  hujus  urbis '  Cat.  3.  4,  9,  the 
prosaic  form  of  a  similar  phrase.  The  next 
line  simply  means,  Over  all  the  cultivated 
world  from  east  to  west. 

59.  For  fluitantibus,  which  seemed  a 
meagre  epithet.Voss  gratuitously  suggested 
'  rutilantibus."  Mark  the  alliteration  in  the 
next  line. 

60.  Amnis,  Homer's  uKiavoio  poal,  and 
iroToiioio  peiOpa  ujKfavov.  Cp.  Virg.  G. 
4.  233  '  Pleias  et  oceani  spretos  pede  rep- 
pulit  amnes.' 

61.  Mirabitur,  i.e.  pride  herself  in  her 
more  illustrious  child,  viz.  Rome. 

63.  Sic,  sc.  '  ut  vera  cecini,  '  so  sure  as 
I  am  a  virgin-prophetess,'  according  to 
the  well-known  use  of  '  sic'  in  adjurations. 
Laurel-leaves  were  supposed  to  convey  in- 
spiration  to  prophets  and  poets  ;  cp.  Juv. 
7.  18  '  laurumque  momordit.'  Lycophron 
calls  Cassandra  Sa<pvi](pdyos.  See  Bentley 
on  Hor.  Od.  3.  30,  15. 


TIBULLUS, 


91 


V£S£ar/  et  aeternum  sit  mihi  virginitas. 
Haec  cecinit  vates,  et  te  sibi,  Phoebe,  vocavit,  65 

Jactavit  fusas  et  caput  (ante^comas. 
Quidquid  Amalthea,  quidquid  Marpessia  dixit 

Herophile,  Phoeto  Graiaque  quod  monuit, 
Quasque  Aniena  sacras  Tiburs  per  flumina  sortes 

Portarit,  sicco  pertuleritque  sinu  :        Cv^Mm^^v*'^**'^  "^^  7^      -ttf^cj^^dd^ 
(Hae  fore  dixerunt  belli  mala  signa  cometen, 
0x^    J^ultus  ut  in  terras  deplueretque  lapis  :  •UVWKi''u*uiA^  Juj^^  JT^^^J 
lty^()L«t«f  "T^j^^v^^que  tubas,  atque  arma  ferunt  crepitantia  coelo 

oY^  Audita,  et  lucos  praecinuisse  fugam :  \ix^^^^^^^'^^^  ^^*X^^ 


64.  Vescar,  goveming  the  accusative: 
compare  Lucretius'  usage  of  '  fruor,'  '  fun- 
gor,'  '  potior,'  '  utor,'  with  the  same  case. 

66.  Jactavit,  '  and  tossed  the  locks 
that  showered  o'er  her  forehead,'  after  the 
manner  of  prophetesses.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6. 
48  '  Non  comptae  mansere  comae.'  The 
hair  on  the  forehead  was  called  '  capronae' 
('a  capite  pronae').  Orelli  o^uotes  from 
Lucilius,  '  Aptari  ('jactari'  Huschke)  caput 
atque  comas  fluitare  capronas,  Altas,  fron- 
tibus  immissas,  ut  mos  fuit  illis.' 

67,  68.  Quidquid.  The  apodosis  lies 
in  '  Haec  fuerant  olim '  v.  79.  The  false 
and  unfavourable  predictions  given  by  other 
Sibyls  are  here  contrasted  with  those  of 
the  genuine  or  Cumaean  Sibyl  spoken  of 
in  V.  15.  Lactantius,  i.  6,  10,  quotes  a 
statement  of  Varro's  to  the  effect  that 
there  were  ten  Sibyls,  the  seventh  of  which 
was  named  Amaltheia,  whom  he  iden- 
tifies  with  the  prophetess  of  Cumae,  re- 
presenting  her  as  the  seller  of  the  oracles 
to  Tarquinius  Priscus  But  Tibullus  seems 
to  distinguish  the  Cumaean  Sibyl  who 
favoured  Aeneas,  and  still  favours  Rome, 
from  the  others  mentioned  here,  who  only 
prophesied  evil  things. 

Marpessia,  another  Sibyl,  whom  Lac- 
tantius  mentions  as  being  born  at  Mer- 
messus  in  the  Troad  (another  way,  it  would 
seem,  of  pronouncing  '  Marpessus ; '  cp. 
Paus.  10.  12,  where  the  Sibyl  says  of  her- 
self,  TTaTpls  Se  fj.01  ((JtIv  tpvdp^  M.ap- 
■irqaaos).  Dissen  and  Lachmann  take 
'Herophile'  with  '  Marpessia,'  since  they 
abandoned  the  reading  '  Phoebo  grataque ' 
in  favour  of  '  Phoeto  Graiaque,'  ^vtw 
being,  according  to  Suidas,  the  Sibyl  of 
Samos,  whither  the  Roman  senate  sent 
sometimes  to  consult  the  oracles :  see  Tac. 
Ann.  6.  12.    Scaliger  reads  with  most  MSS. 


'  Herophile  Phoebo  grata  quod  (Al.  '  que ') 
admonuit,'  making  Phoebus  approve  pre- 
dictions  unfavourable  to  Rome.  On  the 
confusion  of  '  graius'  and  '  gratus'  in  MSS. 
see  on  Catull.  64  (66).  58. 

69.  Aniena,  '  whatever  sacred  oracles 
the  Sibyl  of  Tibur  may  have  kept  and 
carried  dry  in  her  bosom  amid  the  stream 
of  Anio.'  Lactantius,  in  his  list  referred 
to  above,  has  '  decimam  Tiburtem,  no- 
mine  Albuneam,  quae  Tiburi  colatur  ut 
dea  juxta  ripas  amnis  Anienis,  cujus  in 
gurgite  simulacrum  ejus  inventum  esse  di- 
citur  tenens  in  manu  librum,  cujus  sortes 
senatus  in  Capitolium  transtulerit.'  Sca- 
liger  reads  'Albuna'  (a  doubtful  form  of 
'  Albunea').  The  MSS.  have  '  Albana  sacras 
Tiberis.'  '  Aniena  Tiburs '  is  the  cor- 
rection  of  the  Italian  scholars. 

71.  Cometen.  TibuUus  is  doubtless 
thinking  of  the  portents  believed  to  have 
happened  about  the  time  of  the  civil  wars, 
and  Caesar's  death.  Cp.  Lucan  1.524; 
Virg.  G.  I.  46^;  Ov.  M.  i?<782  foll. 

72.  Deplueretque  :  the  construction 
is  '[fore]que  ut'  etc.  The  misplacement 
of  '  que '  is  not  uncommon  in  TibuIIus : 
see  I.  3,  3§^and  54<  i.  10^54;  and  ia 
this  Elegy,  w.  ^^-and  8^. 

Lapis,  singular  for  plural.  Cp.  I.  3, 
28  '  multa  tabella  :'  2.  3,  42  '  Ut  multa  in- 
numera  jugera  pascat  ove.' 

73.  Atque  .  .  atque,  a  more  grave  and 
emphatic  form  of  connection  than  '  et . .  et.' 
See  Virg.  E.  5.  23  '  Atque  deos  atque  astra 
vocat  crudelia  mater ;'  cp.  Id.  G.  4.  463. 

74.  Lucos,  '  voices  from  the  groves 
foretold  defeat.'  Cp.  Virg.  G.  i.  476/  It 
is  better  (^as  Dissen  remarks)  to  make 
'  lucos'  the  only  subject  before  '  praeci- 
nuisse,' '  tubas  atque  arma'  forming  a  se- 
parate  clause  wilh  'audita'  (sc.  'esse'). 


92 


TIBULLUS. 


Ipsum  etiam  Solem  defectum  lumine  vidit  ^        75 

Jungere  pallentes  nubilus  annus  equos,       ^'^^       '^^ii.iK^ 
Et  simulacra  deum  lacrimas  fudisse  tepentes,  ,         ,       ol#iuA,lxi 

Fataque  vocales  praemonuisse  boves,)  cWf 

Haec  fuerant  olim.     Sed  tu  jam  mitis,  Apollo,  <J4m^  imW  jpWnW (yKtr- 

Prodigia  indomitis  merge  sub  aequoribus;  80 

Et  succensa  sacris  crepitet  bene  laurea  flammis,^  ^^  ^^s^.,<.  W 

Omine  quo  felix  et  sacer  annus  erit 
Laurus  ubi  bona  signa  dedit,  gaudete,  colbni^ 

Distendet  spicis  horrea  plena  Ceres  ; 
Oblitus  et  musto  feriet  pede  rusticus  uvas, 

Dolia  dum  magni  deficiantque  lacus. 
At  madidus  Baccho  sua  festa  Palilia  pastor 

Concinet ;   a  stabulis  tum  procul  este  hipi.  . 

Ille  levis  stipulae  sollemnes  potus  acervos  ^^^^^^ '^W"  T «^ 

Accendet,  flammas  transilietque  sacras ; -^Vn-cv  bv<VK5.%v» 


85 


76.  Annus.  Both  Pliny  and  Plutarch 
speak  of  the  year  710  a.u.c.  as  being 
marked  throughout  by  a  diminished  light 
of  the  sun  after  the  eclipse  which  then 
took  place.  See  Phny  N.  H.  2.  30  '  totius 
paene  anni  paliore  continuo.' 

77.  Fudisse,  sc. '  annus  vidit :'  or  better 
perhaps  supply  'ferunt'  from  v.  73.  Cp. 
Virg.  G.  1.  480  '  maestum  illacrimat  tem- 
plis  ebur.' 

78.  Vocales,  '  with  human  speech,'  as 
in  Ov.  M.  13.  716  '  Vocalemque  sua  terram 
Dodonida  quercu.' 

79.  Fuerant,  '  long  past  and  gone  :'  so 
Lachmann  with  most  MSS. :  some  have 
'  fuerunt,'  while  there  is  much  to  be 
said  for  the  conjecture  '  fuerint,'  a  similar 
use  of  the  perfect  subjunctive  in  an  op- 
tative  sense  to  Virgil's  '  Hac  Trojana  tenus 
fuerit  Fortuna  secuta'  Ae.  6.  62. 

Jam  mitis,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  12.  179 
'  Jam  melior,  jam,  Diva,  precor.'  In  re- 
sentment  at  Caesar's  death,  Apollo,  con- 
trary  to  his  usual  benignity,  had  caused  or 
permitted  these  portents. 

80.  Sub  aequoribus.  It  was  the  prac- 
tice  to  drown  all  prodigies  and  monstrous 
births,  that  no  one  might  be  polluted  by 
contact  with  them,  and  that  all  evil  results 
might  be  extinguished  together  with  their 
supposed  cause. 

81.  Laurea.  The  crackling  of  laurel 
in  the  fire  was  always  considered  a  favour- 
able  omen ;  also  that  of  saffron,  as  in  Ov. 


Fast.  I.  76  'Et  sonet  accensis  splca  Cilissa 
focis:'  Ib.  v.  344;  see  also  Prop.  3.  24, 
2  (2.  28,  36). 

83.  Ubi  (MSS.)  makes  good  sense : 
'  soon  as  the  laurel  has  sent  forth  its  kindly 
omens,'  etc.  '  Uti,'  which  some  would  sub- 
stitute,'  is  rarely,  if  ever,  used  in  exclama- 
tions  :  while  Heinsius'  ingenious  conjecture 
'  io'  can  hardly  be  made  out  of  the  MSS. 

84.  Distendet,  as  in  Virg.  G.  4.  164; 
Ae.  I.  433  '  liquido  distendunt  nectare  cel- 
las.'  The  three  chief  kinds  of  rural  wealth 
—  corn,  vines,  and  cattle — are  successively 
set  forth  in  these  lines. 

85.  Oblitus  et  musto,  designed  to 
express  the  abundance  of  the  produce. 

86.  For  the  meaning  of  lacus  and 
dolia  Dissen  adduces  a  passage  from  Cato 
de  Re  Rust.  c.  113  '  De  lacu  quamprimum 
vinum  in  dolia  indito.  Post  dies  XL  dif- 
fundito  in  amphoras.' 

Deficiant  (MSS.).  Many  texts  have 
'  deficient ;'  but  'dum'  (  =  'untir)  is  more 
often  used  with  the  subjunctive  or  present 
indicative  than  with  the  future ;  cp.  I.9, 
62  '  Dum  rota  Luciferi  provocet  ortal 
diem.'  ' 

87.  Baccho,  i.e.  what  Ovid  calls  '  sapa,' 
wine  boiled  down  to  a  third  of  its  quan- 
tity. 

Sua,  '  his  special  festival.'  See  Ov.  Fast. 
4.  723  foll.  for  a  detailed  account  of  the 
'  Palilia.' 

90.  Transiliet.    Cp.  Prop.  5  (^).^,  77 


TIBULLUS.  93 

Et  fetus  matrona  dabit,  natusque  parenti 

Oscula  comprensis  auribus  eripiet : 
Nec  taedebit  avum  parvo  advigilare  ncpoti, 

Balbaque  cum  puero  dicerc  verba  senem. 
Tunc  operata  dco  pubes  discumbet  in  herba,  95 

Arboris  antiquae  qua  levis  umbra  cadit ;  ,      >         rjJWfiS^^*^ 

Aut  e  veste  sua  tendent  umbracula  sertis      ^♦^''^Tf  luiofjuf^^*^ 

Vincta,  coronatus  stabit  et  ante  calix.  ^m-*^'^ <i'^^'-^^  '^^' '^'      ^ 

At  sibi  quisque  dapes  et  festas  extruet  alte 

Caespitibus  mensas,  caespitibusque  torum.  100 

Ingeret  hic  potus  juvenis  maledicta  puellae, 

Postmodo  quae  votis  irrita  facta  velit : 
NamvifiiuS-Jiie^&uag/pIorabit  sobrius  idem,  ^^^j^, 

Et  se  jurabit  mente  fuisse  mala.     0^«^  ^ii\kM^^  ^"^  ^*^"^ 
Pace  tua  pereant  arcus,  pereantque  sagittae,  105 

Phoebe,  modo  in  terris  erret  inermis  Amor. 
Ars  bona  j   sed  postquam  sumpsit  sibi  tela  Cupido 

Heu,  heu,  quam  multis  ars  dedit  illa  malum ! 
Et  mihi  praecipue  j  jaceo  cum  saucius  annum, 

Et  faveo  morbo,  cum  juvat  ipse  dolor,  no 

'  Cumque    super    raros    foeni    flammaiitis  dative  with   '  plorare,'  which   Wunderlich 

acervos    Trajicit    immundos    ebria     turba  urges  here. 

pedes.'     This   practice,   as    Mr.  Keightley  104.   Mente  mala,  '  of  unsound  mind,' 

remarks,  is  kept  up  still  in  parts  of  Ireland  not    in    his    senses,   a    regular   formula   of 

and  Scotland.     It  seems  that  both   sheep  apology.      Cp.    Ov.  Amor.  2.  8,  9    '  Quid 

and  shepherds  were  made  to  '  pass  through  quod   in  ancilla   si  quis  delinquere  posset, 

the  fire,'  under  the  notion  of  their  being  Illum  ego  contendi  mente  carere  bona  ?' 
purified  by  the  smoke.  105.   Pace  tua.     The  poei  asks  excuse 

92.   Comprensis.       The    Greeks    had  for  his  wish  from  Phoebus,  who  was  usually 

a   particular    name    (\vTpa)   for    the    kiss  represented   as   carrying   bow   and    arrows 

which  was  given  by  a  person  holding  the  himself.  TibuIIus,  somewhat  abruptly,  tums 

ears  of  the  other  as  by  handles.     A  line  is  to  the  subject  of  his  ovvn  unhappy  loves. 
quoted  from  Eunicus  (an  old  Comic  poet)  109,   iio.    Mihi.       Orelli    and    others 

\a0ov(Ta  Tuiv  wrctiv  <pi\-qaov  ttjv  xuTpav.  place    a    colon    after    '  praecipue,'   joining 

96.  Antiquae,  old,  and  therefore  hav-  '  mihi'  with  '  multis'  after  '  dedit  malum.' 
ing  more  spreading  foliage.  Lachmann  would  have  no  stop  here,  but 

Levis    umbra   is  either  the  '  glancing  would    take    '  mihi '    with    the    following 

wavy  shade,'  or  '  airy,'  not  close  and  op-  words,    making    '  juvat '    govern    the    da- 

pressive  from  the  boughs  being  low,  and  tive. 

too    near    the    heads    of   those    reclining  iio.   Faveo.     One    MS.   has    '  foveo ;' 

under  it.  but  the  former  is  the  stronger  phrase,  and 

97.  Veste  :    cp.   Ov.  Fast.  3.  529  foll.  is  supported  by  the  analogy  of  '  suo  favet 
(at   the   festival  of  Anna   Perenna)  '  Pars  ille  dolori'  Ov.  Amor.  2.  5,  11. 

ubi  pro  rigidis  calamos  statuere  columnis,  Cum  (MSS.).     '  Tam'  and  '  dum'  are 

Desuper  extentas  imposuere  togas.'  mere  conjectures.     The  meaning  is,  '  since 

103.   Suae,   to  be   taken  with  '  ferus,'  I  find  pleasure  even  in  the  pangs  of  love, 

*  he  so  cruel  to  his  love.'     There  is  but  I  am  ever  singing  of  Nemesis,'  though  now 

slender  authority  for  the  construction  of  a  I  fain  would  celcbrate  Messalinus. 


94  TIBULLUS. 

Usque  cano  Nemesim,  sine  qua  versus  mihi  nulius 

Verba  potesr,  justos  aut  reperire  pedes. 
At  tu,  nam  divum  servat  tutela  poetas, 

Praemoneo,  vati  parce,  puella,  sacro, 
Ut  Messalinum  celebrem,  cum  praemia  belli 

Ante  suos  currus  oppida  victa  feret, 
Ipse  gerens  laurus  j    lauro  devinctus  agresti 

Miles,  lo,  magna  voce,  triumphe  !    canet. 
Tum  Messala  meus  pia  det  spectacula  turbae, 

Et  plaudat  curru  praetereunte  pater. 
Annue ;    sic  tibi  sint  intonsi,  Phoebe,  capilli, 

Sic  tua  perpetuo  sit  tibi  casta  soror.     , 


XVI II. 


LIB.  n.   El.  6. 

Aemilius  RIacer  of  Verona  (the  author  of  certain  works  mentioned 
by  Ovid,  Tr.  4.  10,  43)  having  joined  some  miHtary  expedition,  TibuUus, 
as  his  friend,  professes  himself  desirous  of  accompanying  him,  to  see 
whether  in  this  way  he  could  soothe  the  anxieties  of  love.  But  he  finds 
his  resolution  fail  him,  as  it  often  had  done  before  in  similar  cases.  He 
will  continue  to  court  Nemesis  under  the  hope  of  her  returning  his  affec- 
tion ;  and  adjures  her  by  the  memory  of  her  sister,  who  w'hile  quite  young 
had  been  killed  through  a  fall  from  a  window,  not  to  refuse  his  solicitations, 
backed  as  they  will  be  by  the  intercession  of  that  sister's  ghost. 

Castra  Macer  sequitur ;    tenero  quid  fiet  Amori?/ 

Sit  comes,  et  collo  fortiter  arma  gerat  ? 
Et,  seu  longa  virum  terrae  via,  seu  vaga  ducent 

III.  Nemesim,  thepoet's  second  love:  120.   Et  .  .  pater  explains  the  '  pia  det 

Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  31,  32   '  Sic  Nemesis  lon-  spectacula,'  '  shew  to  the  crowd  his  affec- 

gum,   sic    Delia   nomen    habebunt,   Altera  tion  for  his  son  by  clapping  as  the  chariot 

cura  recens,  altera  primus  amor.'  goes  by.' 

116.   Oppida.     Representations  of  cap-  122.   Sic,  '  on  this  condition' — if  thou 

tured  towns  were  carried  in  the  triumphal  grant  me  my  wish,  then  mayest  thou  be 

procession  of  the  successful  general.     See  ever  blessed  with  youth :'  see  on  v.  63. 
Ov.  Ars  Am.  i.  219  '  Atque  aliqua  ex  ilUs 

cum  regum  nomina  quaeret,  Quae  loca,  qui  i.  Fiet  . .  Amori.    There  is  no  need  of 

montes.  quaeve  ferantur  aquae.'     Cp.  Hor.  reading  '  Amore,'  as  Huschke  proposes,  or 

Ep.  2.  1,  193    '  Captivum    portatur    ebur,  taking  '  Amori' for  the  archaic  form  of  the 

captiva  Corinthus'  (unless  this  means  only  ablative;  though  'fieri'  is  more  often  joined 

the  spoils  of  Corinth).  with  the  ablative,  yet  Ovid,  Ars  Am.  i .  536; 


TIBULLUS. 


95 


Aequora,  cum  telis  ad  latus  ire  volet  ? 
Ure,  puer,  quaeso,  tua  qui  ferus.  otia  liquit,  5 

Atque  iterum  erronem  sub  tua  signa  voca. 
Qijod  si  militibus  parces,  erit  hic  quoque  miles, 

Ipse  levem  galea  qui  sibi  portet  aquam. 
Castra  peto,  valeatque  Venus,  valeantque  puellaej 

Et  mihi  sunt  vires,  et  njihJLiacta  tuba  est.  10 

Magna  loquor  •    sed  magnifice  mihi  magna  locuto 

Excutiunt  clausae  fortia  verba  fores. 
Juravi  quoties  rediturum  ad  limina  nunquam ! 

Cum  bene  juravi,  pes  tamen  ipse  redit. 
Acer  Amor,  fractas  utinam,  tua  tela,  sagittas,  15 

Si  Hcet,  exstinctas  adspiciamque  faces !  (foLrj^^ltjKfx.  M/^^fl^^n^-^^^Vb^f  ^ 
Tu  miserum  torques,  tu  me  mihi  dira  precari  'npva^!* 

Cogis,  et  insana  mente  nefanda  loqui. 
Jam  mala  ^finbsgjm  leto,  sed  credula  vitam  M^A^K(^aiwsl\»(j,^. 

Spes  fovet,  et  fore  cras  semper  ait  melius.  ^H^        20  T      • 


has  '  Perfidus  ille  abiit  :  quid  mihi  fiet  ? 
ait.'  Cp.  Plaut.  Most.  3.  2,  88.  Similarly 
Cicero  uses  the  active,  Caecin.  11.  30 
'  Quid  tu  huic  homini  facias  ? '  Aemilius 
Macer  seems  to  have  been  driven  to  war 
by  the  same  misfortunes  in  love  as  had 
befallen  Tibullus.  The  meaning  of  the 
foUowing  Unes  is,  Will  the  cares  of  love 
continue  to  haunt  the  warrior  in  the  camp  ? 
will  they  adhere  as  closely  to  him  as  a 
companion  in  arms  ? 

5.  Ure,  i.  e.  torture  him  (like  a  run- 
away  slave)  for  his  desertion. 

Puer.  The  poet  bids  Cupid  bring  Macer 
back  again  into  his  service,  as  the  God  of 
Love  cannot  foUow  him  to  the  wars  :  the 
service  of  the  latter  is  a  peaceful  one  ('otia'). 

7,  8.  Parces,  if  I  see  thou  sparest  sol- 
diers,  then  I  too  shall  become  a  soldier, 
aye  even  of  the  humblest  rank,  if  so  I  may 
avoid  the  tyranny  of  love. 

Ipse,  i.e.  not  having  a  servant  to  do  it. 

Levem, '  common,' '  easily  got,'  =  ' vilis- 
sima  rerum,'as  Horace  (S.  i.  5,  88)  calls  it. 

Portet.  The  reading  '  potet'  was  pro- 
bably  only  introduced  from  the  parallel 
passage  in  Prop.  4.  11  (3.  12),  8  '  Potabis 
galea  fessus  Ara.xis  aquam.' 

10.  Facta  tuba  est.  Muretus  reads 
'  grata,'  '  quae  in  veterum  librorum  discre- 
pantia  probabilior  visa  est.'  All  modem 
texts  however  have  '  facta.'  Does  it  mean 
that  eveii  if  he  have  not  strength  to  fight, 


he  can  still  serve  among  the  '  cornicines 
tubicinesque'  of  the  army  ?  or  that  war 
and  all  belonging  to  it  '  is  suited'  to  him 
in  his  present  state  ? 

11.  Magnifice,  a  word  common  in 
Plautus  and  Terence,  but  rare  in  the  classic 
poets. 

12.  Excutiunt,  '  dash  to  the  ground 
(or  '  empty  of  their  force ')  niy  boastfu! 
words,'  i.  e.  make  it  impossible  for  me  to 
carry  out  my  resolutions  of  departure. 
Heyne  aptly  quotes  Cic.  pro  SuU.  c.  8  '  Ex- 
cutient  tibi  istam  verborum  jactationem.' 

13.  Rediturum.  It  is  remarked  that 
the  pronoun  is  particularly  often  omitted 
after  the  verb  '  jurare.' 

Limina,  (as  '  fores'  in  v.  12,)  sc.  '  Ne- 
mesis.'     Cp.  Hor.  Epod.  11.  19-24. 

16.  Si  licet.  Many  MSS.  have  '  Sci- 
licet;'  Muretus,  followed  by  Dissen  and 
Lachmann,  on  the  authority  of  one  copy, 
reads  '  si  licet,'  i.  e.  '  fain  would  I  see,  if  I 
might,'  thus  softening  the  seeming  pro- 
fanity  of  the  wish.  Compare  '  pace  tua ' 
in  the  parallel  passage,  5,  105  foll. 

19.  Sed,  =  '  nisi,' a  usage  found  mostly 
in  poetry.  Cp.  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3.  43  '  Nunc 
quoque  nescirent :  sed  me  Cytherea  docere 
Jussit:'  Id.  Her.  15.  88  '  Et  faceres ;  sed 
te  prima  rapina  tenet.' 

20.  This  line  is  found  in  the  best  edi- 
tions  according  to  the  order  given  in  the 
text.     Weber  however,  following  Voss,  in 


96 


TIBULLUS. 


4u.:^V' 


^..' 


Spes  alit  agricolas,  Spes  sulcis  credit  aratis 

Semina,  quae  magno  fenore  reddat  ager 
Haec  laqueo  volucres,  haec  captat  arundine  pisces, 

Cum  tenues  hamos  abdidit  .antei  cibus  : 
Spes  etiam  valida  solatur  compede  vinctum ; 

Crura  sonant  ferro,  sed  canit  inter  opus  : 
Spes  facilem  Nemesim  spondet  mihi,  sed  negat  illa. 

Hei  mihi,  ne  vmcas,  dura  puella,  deam  ! 
Parce,  per  immatura  tuae  precor  ossa  sororis  j 

$ic  bene  sub  tenera  parva  quiescat  humo. 
Illa  mihi  sancta  est,  illius  dona  sepulcro 

Et  madefacta  meis  serta  feram  lacrimis ; 
Illius  ad  tumulum  fugiam,  supplexque  sedebo, 

Et  mea  cum  muto  fata  querar  cinere. 
Non  feret  usque  suum  te  propter  flere  clientem  : 

Illius  ut  verbis,  sis  mihilenta,  veto;  '■-'■'- 

Ne  tibi  neglecti  mittant  mala  somnia  Manes, 

Maestaque  sopitae  stet  soror  ante  torum, 
Qualis,  ab  excelsa  praeceps  delapsa  fenestra, 


U  l- 


35 


order  to  avoid  the  trisyllabic  eiiding,  has 
'  melius  cras  fore  semper  ait.'  Ovid  might 
perhaps  have  written  the  Hne  so  ;  Tibullus 
was  not  so  averse  to  the  trisyllabic  termi- 
nation  of  the  pentameter  verse  as  to  shrink 
from  it  when  giving  a  greater  point  to  an 
expression :  in  this  single  Elegy  see  vv. 
32,  34.  One  or  two  MSS.  give  '  Et  sem- 
per  cras  fore  ait  melius.' 

22.  Fenore.  We  should  have  expected 
'  cum,'  as  in  Ov.  Rem.  Am.  174  '  Quae  tibi 
cum  multo  fenore  reddat  ager.' 

25.  Vinctum.  See  an  imitation  of 
this  passage  by  Ovid,  Ep.  ex  Pont.  i.  6,  31 
'  Haec  facit  ut  vivat  vinctus  quoque  com- 
pede  fossor,  Liberaque  a  ferro  crura  futura 
putet ;'  cp.  above,  1.  7,  42.  Most  Roman 
farms  had  a  private  prison  called  '  ergas- 
tulum '  (Juvenars  '  carcer  rusticus '  14. 
24),  the  slaves  confined  in  which  were 
employed  to  cultivate  the  fields  in  chains. 

28.  Vincas:  '  defeat  not  the  goddess, 
relentless  maid,'  i.  e.  do  not  by  your  obsti- 
nacy  make  Hope  succumb  in  me. 

29.  Immatura:  the  epithet  which  would 
naturally  apply  to  the  whole  person  is  here 
assigned,  in  the  style  of  Propertius,  to  part, 
=  'per  ante  diem  versam  in  ossa'  (Statius 
Comm.).  Cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  II,  17  '  Imma- 
tura  licet,  tamen  huc  non  noxia  veni.' 


30.  Sic  :  see  on  5,  122. 

Tenera,  '  lightly-pressing,'  as  in  Ov. 
Amor.  2.  16,  6  '  Et  viret  in  tenero  fertilis 
herba  solo.' 

Parva,  '  her  young  form.' 

31.  Sancta,  '  a  sacred  shade,'  the  special 
epithet  of  the  dead  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  12.  646 
'  Sancta  ad  vos  anima  atque  istius  inscia 
culpae  Descendam.'  Dissen  quotes  from 
Cicero  (Top.  23)  a  definition  of  '  sanctitas' 
as  '  aequitas  ad  manes.' 

33.  Fugiam.  The  image  is  from  a 
slave  taking  refuge  at  an  altar  from  a 
master's  cruelty. 

34.  Cum  muto,  '  complain  to  the 
dumb  ashes  of  my  hapless  lot.' 

Querar.  This  verb  is  used  with  '  cum' 
and  '  apud,'  as  well  as  the  dative  for  the 
person  to  whom  we  address  our  com- 
plaints.  Cp.  CatuII.  99  (101).  4  (who,  by 
the  way,  with  Lucr.  uses  '  cinis '  as  a  femi- 
nine  noun)  '  Et  mut.im  nequicquam  allo- 
querer  cinerem.' 

35.  Clientem,  '  her  worshipper:'  cp. 
Hor.  Ep.  2.  2,  78  '  Rite  cliens  Bacchi.' 

36.  Illius  ut  verbis,  '  as  if  in  her 
words,  I  bid  thee  be  not  obdurate  to  me.' 

39.  Qualis,  as  in  5,9:  see  1.10,37 
'  Illic  percussisque  genis  ustoque  capillo 
Errat  ad  obscuros  pallida  turba  lacus.' 


TIBULLUS. 


97 


^r"- 


Venit  ad  infernos  sanguinolenta  lacus. 
Desino,  ne  dominae  luctus  renoventur  acerbi 
Non  ego  sum  tanti,  ploret  ut  illa  semeL 


40 


XIX, 

LIB.  IIL   El.  5. 

FoR  the  question  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  six  Elegies  of  this  Book, 
see  Introductory  Life  of  Tibullus.  This  may  on  the  whole  be  regarded  as 
the  best  among  them,  while  it  also  affords  a  field  of  comparison  with  a 
poem  on  a  similar  subject,  which  is  unquestionably  by  Tibullus,  viz.  1.3. 
The  theme  of  it  is  a  lament  at  the  premature  approach  of  death,  while  the 
poefs  friends  are  enjoying  themselves  at  the  Etruscan  baths,  a  deprecation 
of  undeserved  punishment  from  the  gods,  and  an  entreaty  to  his  acquaint- 
ance  that  they  would  propitiate  Pluto  in  his  favour. 

Vos  tenet,  Etruscis  manat  quae  fontibus  unda, 

Unda  sub  aestivum  non  adeunda  Canem, 
Nunc\auten^/sacris  Baiarum  proxima  lymphis, 


41.  Desino.  One  or  two  MSS.  are 
said  to  give  '  Desine '  here,  niaking  the  poet 
apostrophize  himself,  as  in  i.  8,  7.  But 
all  the  best  texts  have  '  Desino,'  and  this 
passage  is  ahvays  quoted  among  the  few  in 
Latin  poets  anterior  to  the  reign  of  Ti- 
berius,  where  the  final  '  o '  in  the  present 
tense  of  verbs  is  shortened.  In  Lucretius, 
Virgil,  and  the  Odes  of  Horace,  no  instance 
occurs,  except  in  '  scio'  and  '  nescio,'  which 
like  '  puto,'  '  volo,'  '  rogo,'  '  credo,'  were 
enunciated  quickly ;  in  Virg.  Ae.  9.  296, 
the  Medicean  MS.  has  '  sponde. '  In 
CatuUus  '  volo'  is  the  only  example.  In 
Tibullus,  beside  this  passage,  only  '  nescio.' 
In  Propertius,  besides  '  volo '  and  '  nescio,' 
we  have  the  '  o'  in  '  findo'  shortened,  4.  8 
(3.  9),  35  '  mare  findo  carina.'  In  Ovid 
the  instances  become  somewhat  more  fre- 
quent,  and  by  the  time  of  Statius  and 
Martial  the  practice  has  become  quite 
common. 

I.  Etruscis.  Cp.  Strabo  5.  p.  227 
7ro\X^  Se  mi  twv  Ofp/xwv  vddrojv  a.<p6ovia 


KaTO.  Ti^v  Tvpprjviav,  Sinep  Ta>  irXTjaiov 
elvaL  TTJs  'PwfMi]s  oiix  tJttov  (iiavSpu  tuiv 
kv  BaiifKS  &  diuvofuiaTai  noKii  navTCuv 
(iaXiaTa.  Weber  thinks  that  reference  is 
made  by  the  poet  to  some  springs  at  Baiae, 
which,  from  the  old  connection  of  Cam- 
pania  with  Etruria,  might  have  got  the 
name  of  '  Etruscan,'  but  there  is  no  autho- 
rity  for  such  a  supposition  ;  and  '  Tuscae ' 
is  appHed  to  the  same  waters  in  v.  29,  with 
which  compare  Pliny,  Ep.  5,  6.  Most  of 
the  Etrurian  springs  were  hot,  but  Horace 
notices  those   of  Clusium  as  cold,  Ep.  i. 

Fontibus.     One  MS.  has  '  montibus.' 

3.  Autem,  a  conjunction  not  found  in 
the  certainly  genuine  poems  of  Tibullus. 

Sacris,  dedicated  to  the  Nj-mphs, 
or  perhaps  some  deity  presiding  over 
health. 

Proxima,  '  next  (in  merit)  to  the  wa- 
ters  of  Baiae,'  a  conjecture  adopted  by 
Dissen  and  Haupt.  All  the  MSS.  have 
'  maxima,'  which,  even  if  we  allow  a  con- 
fusion  by  the  Pseudo-Tibullus  between  the 


■^y 


98 


>y^ 


Lj<^ 


TIBULLUS. 


.Ri^^vf*^^^^"' 


Cum  se  purpureo  vere  remittit  humus : 
At  mihi  Persephone  nigram  denuntiat  horam  : 

Immerito  juveni  parce  nocere,  dea ! 
Non  ego  tentavi  nulli  temeranda  virorum 

Audax  laudandae  sacra  docere  deae  j 
Nec  mea  mortiferis  infecit  pocula  sucis 

Dextera  nec  cuiquam  trita  venena  dedit  ^ 
Nec  nos  sacriiegi  templis  admovimus  ignes ; 

Nec  cor  sollicitant  facta  nefanda  meum  j 
Nec  nos,  insanae  meditantes  jurgia  mentis, 

Impia  in  adversos  solvimus  ora  deos.    '•^^'^ 
Et  nondum  cani  nigros  laesere  capillos, 

Nec  venit  tardo  curva  senecta  pede. 
Natalem  primo  nostrum  videre  parentes, 

Cum  cecidit  fato  consul  uterque  pari. 


\\.M- 


vV^J-Vv' 


4v\"\K 


Si^iyr^ 


S>^.' 


vSh(\ 


ca!.^ 


■W' 


iwo  constructions,  '  major  lymphis '  and 
'  maxima  lympharum,'  could  scarcely  mean 
'  waters  not  to  be  visited  in  the  dog-star's 
heat,  but  now  in  spring-time  to  be  prized 
above  all  holy  waters  of  baths,'  '  Baiae' 
being  used  for  all  watering-places,  though 
some  have  tried  to  restrict  its  general  sense 
to  the  private  artificial  baths  in  the  houses 
or  gardens  of  the  weaUhy.  Cp.  Ov.  M. 
2.  323,  where  for  '  maximus'  two  MSS.  give 
'  proximus.* 

4.  Remittit,  '  thaws,'  '  relaxes.' 
Humus.    There  is  something  to  be  said 

for  the  reading  of  one  MS.,  '  hiems,'  like 
Lucan's  '  bruma  rigens  ac  nescia  vere  re- 
mitti'  I.  17.  With  the  text  however 
may  be  compared  '  vere  remissus  ager'  in 
Ov.  Fast.  4.  126. 

5.  At  mihi.  The  contrast  is,  '  while 
ye  are  enjoying  the  healthy  waters  of 
Etruria,  sickness  is  bringing  me  near  to 
death.' 

Nigram  horam,  contrasted  with  the 
'  purpureo  vere'  of  the  preceding  Hne. 

7.  Virorum.  It  seems  necessary  to 
adopt  this  emendation  of  Scaliger's  for 
'  deorum'  (MSS.),  which  makes  no  sense, 
and  could  hardly  have  ended  a  line  be- 
tween  two  others  terminating  with  'dea' 
and  '  deae.'  Cp.  I.  6,  22  '  Sacra  Bonae 
maribus  non  adeunda  Deae.' 

8.  Laudandae,  a  somewhat  flat  epithet 
of  the  great  goddess.  Scaliger  compares 
Homer's  use  of  enaiVTJs  Tlfpffecpovfirjs,  but 
few  would  now  connect  that  word  with 
(iraivfTv.  Another  breach  of  taste  in  this 
passage    is    the    tedious    enumeration    of 


crimes  whereof  the  poet  protests  his  inno- 
cence. 

10.  Trita,  "  powdered  poisons,'  has 
better  authority  in  its  favour  than  either 
'  tetra'  or  '  certa.'  Cp.  Prop.  3.  8  (2.  17), 
14  '  Sumere  et  in  nostras  trita  venena 
manus,'  where  many  read  '  tetra.'  We 
may  compare  Plato's  description  in  the 
Phaedo  of  the  (papfxaKov  fv  KvXiici  rfTpLfi-t 
fievov  brought  to  Socrates.  ". 

11.  Sacrilegi,  found  in  better  MSS. 
than  '  sacrilegos,'  the  latter  probably  having 
been  substituted  to  agree  with  '  ignes.' 
Neither  were  the  MSS.  clear  about  the 
last  word,  which  Scaliger  made  out  to  be 
'  egros,'  on  which  he  built  his  conjecture, 
'  Nec  nos  sacrilegl  templis  admovimus  ergo' 
= '  we  never  drew  nigh  to  shrines  for  sa- 
crilegious  ends.'  On  the  reading  in  the 
text  Ovid,  as  often  in  these  elegies,  throws 
light  in  M.  14.  539  '  Irrita  sacrilega  jac- 
tas  incendia  dextra.'  . 

Admovimus,  a  technical  term  in  sacri- j 
fices;  see  Pers.  2.  75;  Virg.  Ae.  12.  171.     • 

13.  Jurgia  mentis,  '  non  Tibulliana 
locutio,'  as  Dissen  says,  comparing  Prop. 
1.3,  18  '  expertae  jurgia  saevitiae;'  but 
see  2.  6,  18  '  insana  mente  nefanda  loqui.' 
'  Nor,  brooding  o'er  the  resentments  of  a 
frenzied  mind,  have  we  ever  opened  blas- 
pheming  lips  against  the  unkind  gods.' 

16.  Tardo  pede,  '  with  halting  step,' 
must  be  taken  as  part  of  the  description  of 
old  age.  Constructed  with  '  venit,'  it  would 
be  inconsistent  with  the  preceding  verse. 

18.  Consul  uterque,  Hirtius  and 
Pansa,  who  both  fell  at  Mutina  in  April 


TIBULLUS.  p  99 

^  Quid  fraudare  juvat  vitem  crescentibus  uvis, 

Et  modo  nata  mala  vellere  poma  manu  ?  20 

Parcite,  pallentq^  undas  quicumque  tenetis, 

Duraque  sortiti  tertia  regna  dei.  -^-''^  ''^ 

Elysios  olim  liceat  cognoscere  campos,  ^^  vma>^ 
^vviSoysi^w^^^v-u' *^»^^j^^^^^^^^  ra-tem,  Cimmeriosque  lacus,  *|^^^^ 

Cum  mea  rugosa  pallebunt  ora  senecta,  fs^l^ox  V^-T  ^  ■•  .• 

Et  referam  pueris  tempora  prisca  senex.  ^Yx  vAjjy..6'*^oOc'-'>'<'^Y  "^ 
Atque  utinam  vano  nequidquam  terrear  aestu !    \^^^  .-^  o^^jl- 
■~T\  k>  ^\\       Languent  ter  quinos  sed  mea  membra  dies. 
'  At  vobis  Tuscae  celebrantur  numina  lymphae, 

Et  facilis  lenta  pellitur  unda  manu.  ■"•■;■  ■.3^^-q);j'Cv  V 

Vivite  felices,  memores  et  vivite  nostri. 


Sive  erimus,  seu  nos  fata  fuisse  velint 
Interea  nigras  pecudes  promittite  Diti, 
Et  nivei  lactis  pocula  mixta  mero. 


'.\.. 


'jAj*jWM^.Vi-..  i  ■'- V^Nfo  iw^^?^  ff-$A.»«wi 


A.u.c.  711  (b.c.  43).  Ovid  tells  us  he  was 
born  in  the  same  year,  using  exactly  the 
same  words,  Tr.  4.  lo,  6.  This  line  con- 
clusively  proves  Tibulkis  not  to  have  been 
the  author  of  this  Elegy  at  all  events,  as 
he  was  born  certainly  not  later  than  54 
or  (according  to  Dissen)  59  b.c. 

19,  20.  These  two  lines  have  also  been 
closely  imitated  by  Ovid,  Amor.  2.  14,  23 
'  Quid  plenam  fraudas  vitem  crescentibus 
uvis,  Pomaque  crudeli  vellis  acerba  manu  ?' 
Several  other  instances  are  adduced  by 
Dissen  in  his  Preface  on  the  Life  of  Ti- 
bullus,  p.  27  foll.  Some  have  tried  to  eject 
these  lines,  15-20,  as  spurious,  but  on  in- 
sufficient  grounds. 

21.  Pallentes  undas:  cp.  1,28  'pallida 
Ditis  aqua,'  '  duU,  lead-coloured  waters.' 
'  Umbras'  is  a  mere  conjecture  for  '  undas' 
(MSS.). 

22.  Tertia.  As  Zeus  received  the  air, 
and  Poseidon  the  water,  the  third  brother 
Hades,  or  Pluto,  obtained  the  realms  below. 

23.  The  emphasis  is  manifestly  on  olim, 
=  '  not  now,  but  later  when '  etc. 

Cognoscere  campos  :  cp.  Prop.  I.  6, 
13  '  Nec  mihi  sit  tanti  doctas  cognoscere 
Athenas:'  so  '  noscere  '  Ib.  6,  T.  Dissen 
gives  a  parallel  use  oiyiyvwaKuv  from  Pind. 
01.  13.  3  yvijcrofuii  Tav  6\piav  K6piv6ov. 

26.  This  line  is  a  poor  adaptation  of 
a  similar  thought  expressed  by  Tibullus  in 
1.  10,  44. 


Senex,  emphatic,  '  having  reached  old 
age.' 

28.  Ter  quinos.  These  exact  details 
of  minute  facts,  like  the  precise  date  of  his 
birth  above,  and  others  in  B.  3,  are  marks 
of  inferior  composition  and  taste  on  the 
part  of  the  poet.  Another  defect  may 
be  noticed  in  the  repetition  of  the  same 
idea  without  any  attempt  to  vary  it, 
as  we  may  see  in  the  next  lines  com- 
pared  with  the  beginning  of  the  poem. 
His  friends  are  enjoying  the  Tuscan 
waters  while  he  is  racked  with  fever  and 
thirst. 

Sed,  but  it  is  no  vain  fear,  for  etc. 

30.  Facilis,  '  the  yielding  water  is 
struck  by  the  swimmer's  supple  hands.' 
Cp.  Prop.  I.  12,  12  '  Alternae  facilis  cedere 
lympha  manu.' 

Lenta  :  cp.  Ov.  Her.  19.48  '  Lentaque 
dimotis  brachia  jactat  aquis.' 

32.  Fuisse,  the  well-known  euphemism 
for  death,  which  he  shrinks  from  mention- 
ing.  A  Hne  is  quoted  from  Pedo  Albino- 
vanus  in  Ob.  Maec.  '  Cum  dicat  subita 
voce  "  fuisse"  tibi.' 

33.  Interea,  i.  e.  until  it  be  decided 
whether  I  am  to  die. 

Pecudes,  i.  e.  as  a  sort  of  vicarious 
sacrifice ;  Ov.  Fast.  6.  162  '  Hanc  animam 
vobis  pro  mehore  damus.'  For  the  triple 
libation  of  blood,  wine,  and  milk,  see  Virg. 
Ae.5.  77,  78. 


H  2 


loo  TIBULLUS. 


XX. 


LIB.  IV.  Carm.  2. 

Whether  this  and  the  following  '  Epistolae  amatoriae'  (as  they  were 
very  early  entitled)  are  from  the  pen  of  Tibullus  is  uncertain  (see  Intro- 
ductory  Life) ;  but  that  they  are  worthy  to  have  been  so,  few  will  be 
disposed  to  deny.  They  relate  to  the  loves  of  Sulpicia  and  Cerinthus, 
of  whom  so  Uttle  is  known,  that  it  has  even  been  doubted  whether  these 
were  their  real  names.  It  appears  from  the  Letters  that  Sulpicia  was  a 
Roman  lady  of  noble  birth,  deeply  in  love  with  Cerinthus,  who  was  probably 
a  friend  of  Tibullus,  and  not  equal  in  rank  to  Sulpicia,  as  we  gather  from 
6,  15.  In  the  present  sonnet  Cerinthus  praises  the  beauty  of  Sulpicia  as 
she  appears  dressed  for  the  festival  of  the  Matronalia. 

SuLPiciA  est  tibi  culta  tuis,  Mars  magne,  Kalendis ; 

Spectatum  e  coelo,  si  sapis,  ipse  veni. 
Hoc  Venu^  ignoscet^  at  tu,  violente,  caveto, 

Ne  tibi  miranti  turpiter  arma  cadant. 
Illius  ex  oculis,  cum  vult  exurere  divos,  g 

Accendit  geminas  lampadas  acer  Amor. 
Illam,  quidquid  agit,  quoquo  vestigia  movit, 
1      Componit  furtim  subsequiturque  Decor. 
Seu  solvit  crines,  fusis  decet  esse  capillis  j 


I.  Tibi  culta,  '  adorned  in  honour  of  gazing  awkwardly  drop  thine  arms,' or  ' dis- 

thee:'  cp.  6,  3  '  tibi   se   laetissima   comp-  gracefully,' i.  e.  to  a  war-god. 
sit.'  5.  We  may  compare  Shakspeare,  Romeo 

]       Kalendis.     See  Ov.  Fast.  3.  170  foU. ;  and  Juliet,  Act.  2,  Sc.  2  : — 

'■■  Hor.  Od.  3.  8,  I.      Though    the    festival,  '  Two   of  the   fairest   stars    in    all   the 

being  in  honour  of  Juno  Lucina,  was  cele-  heaven, 

brated  chiefly  by  married  women,  it  was  Having  some  business,  do  entreat  her 

also  the  occasion  for  lovers  to  present  their  eyes 

.  favourites    with    presents    ( '  strenae,'    the  To  twinkle   in   their  spheres  till  they 

!  '  ^trennes'  of  a  New  Year's  Daj'  in  France).  return.' 

This    poem    accordingly    is    supposed    by  8.   Furtim,  i.  e.  natural,  unstudied,  un- 

Dissen   to  have  been  sent,  together  with  conscious  grace.     Heyne  quotes  an  exactly 

some  present,  from  Cerinthus  to  Sulpicia.  similar  use  of  the  word  from  Quintilian, 

3.  Ignoscet,  i.  e.  because  she  is  so  fair.  Inst.  Or.  i.  11  '  Neque  enim  gestum  ora- 
The  last  syllable  is  lengthened  by  the  toris  componi  ad  similitudinem  saltationis 
caesura.  We  have  another  instance  in  volo,  sed  subesse  aliquid  ex  hac  exercita- 
I.  10,  13  '  trahor  et  jam.'  tione  puerili,  undenos  non  id  agentes  furtim 

4.  Turpiter,   with   '  cadant,'  '  in    thy  decor  ille  discentibus  traditus  prosequatur.' 


TIBULLUS. 

Seu  compsit,  comptis  est  veneranda  comis. 


lOI 


Urit,  seu  Tyria  voluit  procedere  palla  j  '\,^^  \ 

Urit,  seu  nivea  candida  veste  venit. 
Talis  in  aeterno  felix  Vertumnus  Olympo 

Mille  habet  ornatus,  mille  decenter  habet. 
Sola  puellarum  digna  est,  cui  mollia  caris 

Vellera  det  sucis  bis  madefacta  Tyros^ 
Possideatque,  metit  quidquid  bene  olentibus  arvis 

Cultor  odoratae  dives  Arabs  segetis, 
Et  quascumque  niger  rubro  de  litore  gemmas 

Proximus  Eois  colligit  Indus  aquis. ' 
Hanc  vos,  Pierides,  festis  cantate  Kalendis, 

Et  testudinea  Phoebe  superbe  lyra.  ^  '-^'     '"     ^ 
Hoc  sollemne  sacrum  :   multos  hoc  sumite  in  annos 

Dignior  est  vestro  nulla  puelia  choro. 


10.  Veneranda,  greater  dignity  and 
stateliness  being  lent  to  her  appearance  by 
well-dressed  hair :  see  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3.  136 
foU. 

11.  Procedere  is  the  stately  gait  en- 
hanced  by  the  '  Tyria  palla,'  as  contrasted 
with  the  plain  '  venit '  that  follows.  Cp. 
Prop.  I.  2, 1. 

13.  In  aeterno,  i.  e.  '  seat  of  the  im- 
mortals ;'  the  force  of  the  epithet  is,  that 
none  on  earth  can  compare  with  Sulpicia  ; 
she  finds  a  peer  in  heaven  alone. 

Felix,  fortunate  above  the  rest  in  every 
thing  becoming  him. 

Vertumnus  :  see  Prop.  5  (4).  2  :  the 
word  is  the  passive  or  middle  participle 
(' vertomenos ')  of  '  verto,'  after  the  ana- 
logy  of  '  alumnus'  from  'alo'  etc.  =  'the 
self-changing  god.' 

16.  Bis  madefacta.  The  best  robes 
were  dyed  first  with  scarlet  and  then  with 
purple,  hence  called  '  dibapha,'  from  the 
Greek;  cp.  Hor.  Epod.  12.  21  '  Muricibus 
Tyriis  iteratae  vellera  lanae.'  Some  pre- 
sent  of  this  kind  was  probably  sent  by 
Cerinthus  to  Sulpicia  together  with  this 
sonnet. 

17.  Possideat.  The  construction  is  not 
quite  regular :  '  quae'  must  be  understood 
before  this  verb  from  '  cui'  in  v.  i:;. 


19.  Gemmas,  not  (as  Weber)  '  con- 
chas,'  is  the  reading  of  nearly  all  the  MSS. 
Emeralds  and  other  gems  besides  pearls 
('conchae')  were  found  on  the  shores  of 
the  Indian  Ocean.  Cp.  2.  2,  15  '  gemma- 
rum  quicquid  fehcibus  Indis  Nascitur,  Eoi 
qua  maris  unda  rubet.' 

20.  Aquis  (MSS.).  Scaliger  plausibly 
conjectures  '  equis  :'  cp.  Prop.  4.  12  (3. 
13),  16  '  Quos  Aurora  suis  rubra  colorat 
equis.' 

23.  Hoc  sumite.  There  is  much  doubt 
about  the  reading  in  the  last  part  of  the 
hne.  The  MSS.  give  '  hoc  sumet,'  '  she 
shall  spend,'  or  (if  altered  into  '  sumat,') 
'  may  she  spend,  this  festival  for  many  a 
year!'  This  is  unquestionably  better  than 
the  conjecture  '  celebretur,'  or  than  Scali- 
ger's  'consumet'  for  '  consummet.'  Dissen 
however  contends  that  '  vestro '  in  the 
next  line  requires  the  subject  of  the  verb 
to  be  the  Muses  and  Apollo ;  and  if  so, 
Lachmann's  emendation,  '  sumite '  (sc. 
'  hoc  celebrandum '),  has  much  to  recom- 
mend  it.  The  Muses  are  bidden  to  cele- 
brate  the  festival  of  the  Kalends  of  March 
by  singing  strains  of  praise  for  many  a 
long  year  in  honour  of  Sulpicia,  no  maiden 
being  more  worthy  than  her  to  be  sung  by 
such  a  choir. 


TIBULLUS. 


XXI. 

LIB.  IV.  Carm.  3. 

This  is  a  sonnet  supposed  to  be  addressed  by  Sulpicia  to  Cerinthus,  who 
had  gone  to  the  chase  with  his  father.  She  prays  that  the  wild  beasts  may 
not  hurt  her  lover,  condemns  the  madness  of  hunting,  but  declares  hersclf 
ready  to  encounter  its  perils  for  the  sake  of  his  society,  bids  him  follow 
Diana,  as  in  her  sport  so  in  her  purity,  denouncing  destruction  on  any 
maiden  who  might  become  her  rival,  and  implores  him  to  quit  the  field  and 
return  to  her  arms. 

Parce  meo  juveni,  seu  quis  ,;bona  pascua  campi,""  ~' 

Seu  colis  umbrosi  devia  montis,  aper  j 
Nec  tibi  sit  durqs  acuisse  in  proelia  dentes  : 

Incolumem  custos  hunc  mihi  servet  Amor. 
Sed  procul  abducit  venandi  Delia  cura  :  5 

O  pereant  silvae,  deticiantque  canes  ! 
Quis  furor  est,  quae  mens,  densos  indagine  coUes 

Claudentem  teneras  laedere  velle  manus  ?  '      ' 
Quidve  juvat  furtim  latebras  intrare  ferarum, 

Candidaque  hamatis  crura  notare  rubis  ?  10 

Sed  tamen,  ut  tecum  liceat,  Cerinthe,  vagari, 


3.  Nec    tibi    sit,   '  mayest    thou    not  7.    Qiiae    mens,   '  what    can    you    be 

care — or,  mayest  thou  not  be  sufFered  (i.e.  thinking  of?'     This  use  of  '  mens'  stand- 

by  'Amor  custos*  of  v.  4) — to  whet  thy  ing  by  itself  is  hardly  supported  by  what 

cruel  tusks  for  the  contest.'     We  have  a  Dissen    quotes    as    parallel    passages,    Ov. 

somewhat  similar  usage,  common  to  Greek  M.  5.  14    '  Quae    te,   germane,    furentem 

and  Latin,  of  the  verb  substantive  in  1.6,  Mens  agit  in  facinus,'  and  Virg.  Ae.  2.  519*! 

24   '  Tum    mihi    non    oculis    sit    timuisse  See  Bentley  on  Hor.  Ep.  i.  2,  60.      Dousal. 

meis:'    cp.  Virg.  E.  10.  46  '  nec   sit   mihi  proposes  '  demens.'  ' 

credere  tantum.'     See  Prop.  4  (3).  2,  41.  Colles  .  .  claudentem.      We    should 

In  proelia.     There  was  an  old  reading  have  expected  '  saltus,'  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  4. 

'  in  pectora,' unsupported  however  by  any  121  '  saltusque  indagine  cingunt :'  but  the 

good  authority ;  and,  as  Voss  well  remarks,  '  densos  colles '   may  mean   the  '  wooded 

the  boar  is  represented  usually  as  attacking  holiows   in   the    hills,'   which  formed   the 

the  side  rather  than  the  front  of  his  adver-  lurking-places    of  the    boar.      These    the 

sary.  hunters   blocked   up  with  nets   and   other 

5.  Sed,  used  by  way  of  pathos,  as  often  obstructions.     We   have   a  similar  use  of 

in  the  poets,  '  but  alas !'  '  claudere*    in    Virg.  E.  6.  56    '  nemorum 

Cura,    ablative  :    '  Diana    tempts    him  jam  claudite  saltus.' 
away  by  love  of  the  chase.'   Scaliger  would  ii.   Ut,  '  on  condition  that,"  '  if  only  I 

read  '  devia  cura  :'  but  see  v.  19.  may  roam  with  you.' 


TIBULLUS.  103 

Ipsa  ego  per  montes  retia  torta  feram, 
Ipsa  ego  velocis  quaeram  vestigia  cervi, 

Et  demam  celeri  ferrea  vincla  cani.  ^*^'tw.'  '  ! 
Tum  mihi,  tum  placeant  silvae,  si,  lux  mea,  tecum        15 

Arguar  ante  ipsas  concubuisse  plagas. 
Tum  veniat  licet  ad  casses,  illaesus  abibit, 

Ne  Veneris  cupidae  gaudia  turbet,  aper. 
Nunc  sine  me  sit  nulla  Venus,  sed  lege  Dianae, 

Caste  puer,  casta  retia  tange  manu ;  20 

Et  quaecumque  meo  furtim  subrepit  amori, 

Incidat  in  saevas  diripienda  feras. 
At  tu  venandi  studmm  concede  parenti, 

Et  celer  in  nostros  ipse  recurre  sinus. 


XXII. 

LIB.  IV.  Carm.  4. 

A  PRAYER  to  Phoebus  for  the  deHverance  of  Sulpicia  from  a  dangerous 
sickness.  After  invoking  the  healing  aid  of  the  god,  the  poet  bids  Cerinthus 
lay  aside  his  fears,  because  lovers  are  under  divine  protection,  and  reserve 
his  tears  for  the  time,  if  ever  it  should  come,  when  Sulpicia  should  grow 
cold  and  harsh  toward  him.  In  return  for  her  recovery,  the  united  thanks- 
giving  of  both  the  lovers  will  be  rendered  to  Apollo,  who  will  accept  their 
splendid  ofFerings,  and  be  congratulated  and  envied  by  the  rest  of  the  gods. 

Huc  ades  et  tenerae  morbos  expelle  puellae, 
Huc  ades,  intonsa  Phoebe  superbe  coma. 


14.   Celeri  .  .  cani    sounds    somewhat  seem  to  indicate  the  latter. 
monotonous  after  '  velocis  cervi.'  24.  Cp.    Ov.    Her.  15.  95    '  Huc    ades 

Ferrea  mayhelptomarkthehound'sim-  inque  sinus,  formose,  relabere  nostros.' 
petuosity  requiring  an  iron  chain  to  curb  it. 

Vincla,  '  the  leash  :'  cp.  Ov.  M.  8.  331  2.   Superbe  coma  :  cp.  2,  22  '  superbe 

'  Vincula  pars  adimunt  canibus.'  lyra.'     Apollo  is  characterised  here  by  his 

21.   Subrepit  (MSS.),  not,  as  Weber,  flowing  hair  as  the  sign  of  youthful  beauty, 

'  subrepet,'   '  steals   into   the  place  of  the  and  as  being  thus  all  the  more  disposed  to 

love  which  is  mine.'     See  a  similar  use  of  save    the    fair   Sulpicia    from    having    her 

the  verb  in  Catull.  75  (77).  3.  charms   marred  by   disease.     Cp.  1.4,  37 

23.  Parenti.     It  is  uncertain  whether  '  Solis  aetema  est  Phoebo  Bacchoque  ju- 

the   father  of  Sulpicia  or  of  Cerinthus  be  venta :  Nam  decet  intonsus  crinis  utrum- 

here  meant.   The  grammar  however  would  que  deum.' 


I04 


TIBULLUS. 


t.^^ 


j^ 


Crede  mihi,  propera,  nec  te  jam,  Phoebe,  pigebii: 

Formosae  medicas  applicuisse  manus. 
Effice,  ne  macies  pallentes  occupet  artus, 

Neu  notet  informis  candida  membra  color ; 
Et  quodcumque  mali  est,  et  quidquid  triste  timemus, 

In  pelagus  rapidis  evehat  amnis  aquis. 
Sancte,  veni,  tecumque  feras,  quicumque  sapores,    ^     ,  -^i^^ 

Quicumque  et  cantus  corpora  fessa  levant  j  i^'^'"  *^      lo  ^ 

Neu  juvenem  torque,  metuit  qui  fata  puellae,  "  V^f^^^' 

Votaque  pro  domina  vix  numeranda  facit  ^wv-^^^*^ " 
Interdum  vovet,  interdum,  quod  langueat  illa, 

Dicit  in  aeternos  aspera  verba  deos. 
Pone  metum,  Cerinthe ;   deus  non  laedit  amantes. 
VTu  modo  semper  ama,  salva  puella  tibi  estj^''' 
Nil  opus  est  fletu;   lacrimis  erit  aptius  uti,        u.W^' 

Si  quando  fuerit  tristior  illa  tibi.  •''^■:^ 

At  nunc  tota  tua  est  j   te  solum  candida  secum 

Cogitat,  et  frustra  credula  turba  sedet. 
Phoebe,  fave  j   laus  magna  tibi  tribuetur  in  uno 

Corpore  servato  restituisse  '  duos. 
\rl-' '^ 


Oa-f^^ 


(> 


^ 


,A  r, ,  \Ja 


3.  Jam,=  ^5j7,  with  '  applicuisse,'  '  at 
once  to  lay  thy  heaHng  hands,'  ere  it  be  too 
late. 

6.  Candida.  The  MSS.  give  '  pal- 
lida,'  involving  an  inadmissible  repetition 
after  '  pallentes  artus.'  He^Tie  reads  '  can- 
dida,'  from  the  Roman  edition  of  1475  : 
cp.  3,  10  '  Candidaque  hamatis  crura  notare 
rubis.'  As  Dissen  remarks,  we  should  have 
expected  some  epithet  like  '  aegra'  to  har- 
monize  with  the  'pallentes'  of  the  pre- 
ceding  line.  Could  the  poet  have  written 
'  tabida,'  which  does  not  depart  widely  from 
'pahda'  as  in  some  MSS.  ? 
y  8.  Evehat, 'carry  out  to  sea.'  Heinsius 
whanged  '  evehat'  into  '  devehat,'  as  in  Ov.     you  alone.' 


artus  :'  cp.  11,  2  '  Quod  mea  nunc  vexat 
corpora  fessa  calor.' 

II.  Puellae,  dative  after  '  metuit,' as 
in  Virg.  Ae.  10.  94  '  Tum  decuit  metuisse 
tuis.' 

18.  Tristior,  '  angry  with,  unkind  to 
you,'  as  in  Prop.  i.  6,  10  '  illa  minatur, 
Quae  solet  ingrato  tristis  amica  viro.* 
The  comparative  means  either  '  at  all 
harsh,'  or  '  harsh  rather  than  what  she  is 
now,'  i.  e.  kind.  There  is  a  sort  of 
attraction  too  between  it  and  '  aptius.' 

19.  Candida,  not  '  the  fair  one,'  but 
to  be  taken  with  '  cogitat '  in  an  adverbial 
sense  = '  sincerely  in  her  heart  thinks   of 


j^Ars  Am.  3.  386;  cp.  Fast.  6.  227.  The 
«practice  of  throwing  '  piacula '  or  refuse 
into  running  water  by  way  of  removing 
pollution  is  well  known. 

9.  Sapores,  '  healing  juices,'  x^^oJ,  as 
in  Virg.  G.  4.  267  '  gallae  admiscere  sa- 
porem  :'  cp.  i.  7)  35  'jucundos  sapores,' 
of  the  juice  of  the  grape.  A  few  MSS. 
have  '  sopores ; '  but  is  '  sopor '  ever  used 
in  the  plural  ? 

10.  Fessa,  'sick;'  so  Hor.  Carm.  Saec. 
63  '  Qui  salutari  levat  arte  fessos  Corporis 


20.  Sedet  is  best  taken  for  •  assidet :' 
fond  admirers  '  wait  at  her  side,'  or  '  sit 
at  her  door,'  fancj-ing  they  have  her  affec- 
tions  :  cp.  Prop.  2.  6,  I-4. 

21.  22.  In  uno  .  .  duos.  Ovid  has 
imitated  this  sentiment  several  times,  e.  g. 
Amor.  2.  13,  15  •  Huc  adhibe  vultus  et  in 
uno  parce  duobus  : '  so  M.  II.  388  '  ani- 
masque  duas  ut  servet  in  una.' 

22.  Restituisse.  The  infinitive  may 
be  here  used,  as  frequently  in  Lucretius, 
for  a  substantive  in  the  nominative  before 


TIBULLUS.  105 

Jam  celeber,  jam  lautus  eris,  cum  debita  reddet 
Certatim  sanctis  laetus  utcrque  focis.  ->otKk:\j^  >^v,x 

Tum  te  felicem  dicet  pia  turba  deorum,  25 

Optabunt  artes  et  sibi  quisque  tuas. 


XXIII. 

LIB.  IV.  Carm.  13. 

The  thirteenth  line  of  this  sonnet  shews  it  to  be  the  production  of 
Tibullus,  of  whose  genius  it  is  unquestionably  worthy.  It  may  have  been 
found  among  his  papers  after  his  death,  and  thus,  though  perhaps  written 
early,  was  placed  at  the  end  of  the  poems  ascribed  to  him.  Whether  it 
was  addressed  to  Glycera  (as  Dissen  thinks),  there  seem  but  slight  grounds 
for  determining.  The  subject  of  it  is  the  poefs  defence  of  himself  against 
the  charge  of  fickleness,  and  his  promise  of  continued  devotion  to  his  only 
love,  however  imperious  she  may  prove  when  thus  assured  of  his  affection. 


.  -  -.V 


NuLLA  tuum  nobis  subducet  femina  lectum  j     <?oxt-^.  -  '  \^i  r 

Hoc  primum  juncta  est  foedere  nostra  Venus. 
Tu  mihi  sola  places,  nec  jam  te  praeter  in  urbe        ,  »i.a,^""\5,^vv 

Formosa  est  oculis  ulla  puella  meis. 
Atque  utinam  possis  uni  mihi  bella  videri !  5 

Displiceas  aliis !    sic  ego  tutus  ero. 
Nil  opus  invidia  est ;   procul  absit  gloria  vulgi ; 


'  tribuetur,'  or  better  perhaps  as  a  poetic  Lectum  subducet :    cp.  Soph.  El.  114 

usage  for  the  prose  expression,  '  inter  laudes  at   ras    evvas    vnoKKenTOfXfvovs   (opaT«)  ; 

dicetur  te  restituisse.'    Cp.  Pers.  i.  86  '  doc-  Prop.  i.  8,  45  '  certos  subducit  amores.' 

tas  posuisse  figuras  Laudatur.'  3.   Tu    mihi    sola    places,   a    regular 

23.  Lautus,  '  splendidly  worshipped.'  formula  of  affection,  as  Ov.  Ars  Am.  i.  42 
I  prefer  this  conjecture  of  Haupt's  to  the  '  Elige  cui  dicas,  tu  mihi  sola  places.'  Most 
common  reading  '  laetus,'  or  Heyne's  MSS.  have  'modo'  for  '  mihi,'  an  error 
'  clarus.'  which  Heyne  attributes  to  an  abbreviated 

Debita, '  perform  their  promised  vows.'  form  (iii)  of  writing  '  mihi.' 

24.  Laetus,  as  Heyne  remarks,  is  the  Nec  jam,  '  no  longer,'  however  it  may 
natural  epithet  on  these  occasions,  referring  have  been  once. 

to  the  V.  S.  L.  M.   often   seen   in  monu-  7-  Gloria  vulgi  may  mean  either  '  the 

ments,  =  '  vota  solvimus  laeti  monumenta.'  vanity  of  common  souls,'  or  '  fame  among 

Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  5.  236  '  Laetus .  .  voti  reus.'  the   herd'  i.  e.  for  possessing  the  love  of 

one  so  beautiful.     In  the  former  case  it  is 

I.   Nobis.     Some  old  editors  have  '  ti-  opposed  to  '  qui  sapit,'  in  the  other  to  '  in 

tuHs  :'  '  no  maiden  by  attractions  of  birth  tacito    sinu.'      Dissen    without    reason    (I 

shall  steal  the  love  that  is  yours;'  but  all  think)  pronounces   unhesitatingly  for   the 

the  MSS.  agree  in  '  nobis.'  latter  interpretation. 


io6  TIBULLUS. 

Qui  sapit,  in  tacito  gaudeat  illc  sinu. 
Sic  ego  secretis  possum  bene  vivere  silvis, 

Qua  nulla  humano  sit  via  trita  pede.  lo 

Tu  mihi  curarum  requies,  tu  nocte  vel  atra 

Lumen,  et  in  solis  tu  mihi  turba  locis. 
Nunc  licet  e  coelo  mittatur  amica  TibuUo, 

Mittetur  frustra,  deficietque  Venus  : 
Haec  tibi  sancta  tuae  Junonis  numina  juro,  15 

Quae  sola  ante  alios  est  mihi  magna  deos. 
Quid  facio  demens  ?    heu,  heu,  mea  pignora  cedo. 

Juravi  stulte  j    proderat  iste  timor. 
Nunc  tu  fortis  eris,  nunc  tu  me  audacius  ures  : 

Hoc  peperit  misero  garrula  lingua  malum.  ao 

Jam  faciam  quodcumque  voles,  tuus  usque  manebo, 

Nec  fugiam  notae  servitium  dominae  j 
Sed  Veneris  sanctae  considam  vinctus  ad  aras  j 

Haec  notat  injustos,  supplicibusque  favet. 

9.   Sic,  i.  e.  because  I  do  not  want  to  would  spoil  the  force  of  the  line. 
be  envied  by  the  crowd.     There  are  few,  17,  18.   Pignora  .  .  timor.     The  poet 

if  any,  passages  in  all  Latin  poetry,  where  checks  himself :   '  mad  am  I  to  resign  my 

the  spiritual  influences  of  love  are  set  forth  pledge.'     As  long  as  Glycera  (if  it  be  she) 

with  such  purity  and  beauty  as  in  the  fol-  doubted  of  the  poet's  affection  and  fidelity, 

lowing  lines.  she   would    seek   to   win    it    by   kindness. 

14.  Deficiet,  i.e.  will   fail   to  detach  Once   sure   of  it,  she   would   grow   confi- 
my  heart  from  you.  dent  and   haughty  :    hence  '  proderat  iste 

15.  16.  Tuae  Junonis.    Juno  was  the  timor.' 

patron-goddess  of  women,  as  the  Genius  22.    Notae,    '  long-tried,'    '  familiar.' 

was  of  men.    Females  swore  by  Juno  after  Dissen    compares    Prop.  i.  4,  4    '  assueto 

the  formula  '  Junonem  meam  iratam  ha-  vivere  servitio.' 

beam  ;'  see  3.  6,  48  '  Etsi  perque  suos  fallax  23.  Sed  .  .aras.  If  treated  harshly  he  will 

juravit   ocellos  Junonemque   suam   perque  not  run  away  from  her,  but  (continuing  the 

suam  Venerem.'     The  poet  calls  Juno  to  image  of  a  slave)  he  will  sit  as  a  suppliant 

witness  his  promise,  representing  her,   in  at  the  altar  of  Venus  to  avoid  his  mistress' 

order  to  please  his  mistress,  as  the  greatest  cruelty. 

of  diviiiities  in  his  sight.  24.  Notat,  '  brands'  as  with  the  '  nota 

16.  Mihi.     '  Tibi,'  which  some   read,  censoria,' hence  '  punishes.' 


S.  AURELIUS    PROPERTIUS. 


LIFE    OF    PROPERTIUS. 


Sextus  [Aurelius]  Propertius  was  born  in  some  unknown  town 
of  Umbria,  about  54  b.c,  though  Hertzberg  places  his  birth-year 
as  late  as  46  b.c.  Sprung  from  the  middle  ranks  of  life,  whatever 
hereditary  fortune  he  possessed  seems  to  have  been,  Hke  that  of 
Virgil  and  Tibullus,  reduced  by  the  partitions  of  estates  under  the 
Triumvirs  :  cp.  5  (4).  i,  128  foll.  Having  early  lost  his  father  he 
migrated  to  Rome,  where,  in  a  house  on  the  Esquiline,  he  devoted 
himself  to  study  and  the  cultivation  of  poetry,  living  in  close  inti- 
macy  with  Virgil,  Ovid,  Bassus,  and  most  of  his  other  literary  cotem- 
poraries,  ^\ith  the  remarkable  exception,  it  would  appear,  of  Horace, 
who  never  mentions,  even  if  he  ever  alludes  to,  so  formidable  a  com- 
petitor  in  the  arts  of  poetical  adulation.  His  zealous  flattery  of  the 
Emperor  and  his  minister  Maecenas  presents  a  strong  contrast  with 
the  self-respect  and  independence  of  both  Tibullus  and  Catullus. 
The  earliest  bent  of  Propertius"  genius  seems  to  have  been  towards 
a  national  Epic  after  the  model  of  Ennius  ;  but  diligent  and  admiring 
study  of  the  Alexandrine  poets,  added  to  a  passion  conceived  for 
a  cultivated  but  dissolute  lady  of  Tivoli,  named  Hostia  (celebrated 
under  the  pseudonjTn  of  '  Cynthia'),  diverted  him  to  the  pursuit  of 
Elegiac  and  Erotic  poetry.  Having  suffered  much  from  the  caprices 
of  his  mistress,  and  probably  from  his  own  weak  health  and  irritable 
temperament,  he  at  length  renounced  Cynthia's  society,  and  proposed 
to  devote  himself  to  science,  Hterature,  and  art.  It  is  probable  that 
he  died  young,  about  the  year  15  b.c,  though  Mr.  Dyer  (Smith,  Biog. 
Dict.)  contends  for  a  later  date.  Ovid,  his  junior  by  a  few  years, 
speaks  of  him  frequently  in  afifectionate  terms  :  e.  g.  Ars  Am.  3.  333  ; 
Tr.  2.  465:  4,  10,45  and  53. 

The  poetr}'  of  Propertius  forms  a  striking  contrast  with  that  of 


Tio  LIFE   OF  PROPERTIUS. 

his  cotemporary  Tibullus ;  while  the  latter  is  simple,  popular,  national, 
and  rehgious,  the  former  is  artificial,  erudite,  foreign,  and  mytho- 
logical.  The  aim  of  Propertius,  as  he  tells  us,  was  to  be  the  '  Roman 
Callimachus,'  from  whose  poems,  together  with  those  of  Philetas,  and 
perhaps  Theocritus,  he  derived  much  of  his  inspiration,  and  some 
characteristics  of  his  style.  Though  not  without  Roman  strength, 
majesty,  and  patriotic  sympathy  with  the  destinies  of  his  country,  yet 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  Greek  poetry,  his  love  of  Greek  art  and 
legend,  his  power  of  throwing  himself  into  the  situations  and  scenes 
of  other  lands,  stimulated  by  a  dissatisfaction  with  himself  and  his 
times,  impart  a  foreign  colouring  to  his  thought,  style,  and  expres- 
sion.  His  elegies  are  crowded  with  metaphors  and  figures ;  his 
impassioned  outbursts  and  abrupt  appeals,  combined  with  a  straining 
after  artificial  phrases,  forced  constructions,  and  condensed  expres- 
sions,  frequently  make  his  meaning  obscure,  though  they  impart 
liveliness  and  variety  to  the  poet's  style,  which  contrasts  powerfuUy 
with  the  even  and  lucid  monotony  of  Tibullus.  His  Greek  erudition 
also  displays  itself  in  the  parade  of  a  recondite  mythology  to  a  greater 
degree  than  is  to  be  found  in  any  other  Latin  poet.  In  point  of 
rhythm  the  '  mollities,'  or  smooth  flq,w  of  versification,  which  it  was 
the  poet's  avowed  ambition  to  attain,  does  not  uniformly  appear  in 
his  Hnes.  These  too  have  something  of  a  Greek  character,  especially 
in  the  polysyllabic  ending,  which  some  critics  have  thought  adds  a 
vigour  and  dignity  to  the  pentameter  verse.  The  hexameters  of 
Propertius  are,  moreover,  distinguished  from  those  of  Ovid  and 
TibuUus  by  a  greater  predominance  of  spondees  over  dactyls.  The 
following  is  from  Mr.  Merivale's  criticism  of  the  Umbrian  poet : 
'  Ahhough  Propertius  is  often  frigid  and  pedantic  in  his  sentiments, 
though  he  takes  his  learning  from  dictionaries  and  his  gallantry  from 
romances,  and  retails  at  second  hand  the  flattery  of  his  cotempo- 
raries,  there  is,  notwithstanding,  a  strength  and  sometimes  a  grandeur 
in  his  language  which  would  have  been  more  highly  reUshed  in  the 
sterner  age  of  Lucretius.  His  rustic  muse,  though  brought  as  a 
willing  captive  to  the  tables  of  the  great  at  Rome,  seems  sometimes 
to  break  her  silken  fetters,  and  bound  along  in  the  wilder  measure 
of  her  native  mountains.  Propertius  stands  alone  among  the  Roman 
poets  in  the  force  and  fervour  he  imparts  to  elegiac  verse ;  he  alone 
raises  the  soft  and  languid  pentameter  to  the  dignity  of  its  heroic 
consort.  But  it  is  in  the  weight  of  single  Hnes,  and  the  manly  savour 
of  occasional  expressions,  that  the  charm  of  this  writer  is  to  be 
found  ;  he  has  none  of  the  form  of  poetical  invention,  and  is  alike 


LIFE   OF  PROPERTIUS.  iii 

deficient    in    sustained    majesty,    in    natural    grace,   and    in    flowing 
rhythm.'    (Hist.  of  Empire,  c.  41.) 

The  earliest  extant  INIS.  of  Propertius'  poems  belongs  to  the 
thirteenth  century.  As  to  the  arrangement  of  the  Books,  I  have 
foUowed  that  of  Lachmann  (adopted  by  Weber),  who  first  shewed 
the  necessity  of  dividing  them  into  five  instead  of  four.  The 
fifth  differs  from  the  rest  in  subject,  and  is  marked  by  certain 
characteristics  of  metre  and  style,  which  make  it  probable  that  it 
was  the  earliest  composition  of  the  poet,  after  whose  death  it  may 
have  been  pubhshed  by  his  friends. 


XXIV. 


S.  AURELIUS    PROPERTIUS. 


LIB.  I.    El.  2. 

The  poet  dissuades  Cynthia  from  trying  to  win  admiration  by  artificial 
adornments  of  her  person,  assuring  her  that  her  natural  beauty  and  modesty 
are  more  real  and  effective  attractions:  a  lesson  which  is  confirmed  by 
analogies  from  nature  and  examples  from  mythology.  Besides,  one  so 
intellectually  gifted  can  the  better  dispense  with  personal  decoration. 

QuiD  juvat  ornato  procedere,  vita,  capillo, 

Et  tenues  Coa  veste  movere  sinus  ? 
Aut  quid  Orontea  crines  perfundere  myrrha, 

Teque  peregrinis  vendere  muneribus, 
Naturaeque  decus  mercato  perdere  cultu,  s 

Nec  sinere  in  propriis  membra  nitere  bonis  ? 
Crede  mihi,  non  ulla  tuae  est  medicina  figurae : 

Nudus  Amor  formae  non  amat  artificem. 


2.  Veste  .  .  sinus,  '  fluttering  the  deli- 
cate  folds  in  your  Coan  robe.'  '  Veste '  is 
the  ablative  of  material,  like  Virgirs  '  vivo- 
que  sedilia  saxo'  Ae.  i.  167,  nearly  equi- 
valent  to  the  genitive.  The  island  of  Cos 
was  famous  for  its  silkworms,  and  the 
manufacture  of  dresses  of  Hght  transparent 
material  :  cp.  TibuU.  2.  3,  56  '  Illa  gerat 
vestes  tenues,  quas  femina  Coa  Texuit.' 

3.  Orontea  myrrha.  The  perfumes 
of  the  East,  and  especially  of  Arabia,  came 
to  Rome  from  Antioch  on  the  Orontes, 
the  great  emporium  at  this  time.  Hertz- 
berg  contends  that  '  myrrha '  should  be 
written  as  meaning  the  herb,  and  not 
'  murra'  (as  Haupt),  which  is  the  name  of 
the  stone  or  porcelain  of  which  vessels 
were  made. 

4.  Vendere  muneribus,  '  recommend 
your  native  charms  by  foreign  ornaments." 


Cp.  Juv.  7.  135  '  Purpura  vendit  Causidi- 
cum,  vendunt  amethystina.'  This  is  far 
more  natural  than  to  make  '  muneribus ' 
a  dative  = '  sell  yourself  to,' '  surrender  your 
beauty  into  the  hands  of  foreign  art.' 

5.  Mercato  cultu,  '  with  purchased 
finery,'  the  participle  perfect  being  used, 
as  often  happens  in  the  case  of  deponent 
verbs,  in  a  passive  sense.  See  5  (4).  5,  32 
'  mercata  pace.' 

Perdere.  Burmann  unnecessarily  con- 
jectures  '  prodere.' 

7.  Medicina  is  here  used,  it  would 
seem,  in  the  sense  of  '  medicamen,'  which 
was  the  pecuhar  word  to  express  cosmetic 
paint  or  any  artificial  means  of  improving 
the  face.  Cp.  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3.  205  '  vestrae 
medicamina  formae.' 

8.  Formae  (MSS.).  Heinsius  suggested 
'  formam'  (like  the  '  artificem  vultum'  of 

I 


114  PROPERTIUS.    ,  . 

Adspice,  quos  submittit  humus  formosa  colores, 

Ut  veniant  hederae  sponte  sua  melius, 
Surgat  et  inspUs  formosius  arbutus  antris, 

Et  sciat  indociles  currere  lympha.  vias.  ■■ 

Litora  nativis  coUucent  picta  lapillis, 

Et  volucres  nuUa  dulcius  arte  canunt. 
Non  sic  Leucippis  succendit  Castora_  Phoebe, 

Pollucem  cultu  non  Hilaira  soror, 
Non,  Idae  et  cupido  quondam  discordia  Phoebo, 

Eveni  patriis  filia  litoribus  j 
Nec  Phrygium  falso  traxit  candore  maritum 

Avecta  externis  Hippodamia  rotis : 


iS 


Persius  5.  40),  which  Kuinoel  adopts  in 
his  text:  but  there  is  no  reason  for  the 
change.  '  Love  is  too  simple  and  sincere 
to  be  pleased  with  one  who  manufactures 
her  beauty,'  i.  e.  makes  it  a  thing  of  oma- 
ment  and  dress.  See  a  similar  line  2.  I, 
58  '  Solus  amor  morbi  non  amat  arti- 
ficem.' 

9.  Quos  submittit.  This  reading 
of  all  the  MSS.  but  one  seems  preferable 
to  Lachmann's  '  quo  submittat;'  '  quot'  is 
out  of  the  question,  as  it  is  not  the  variety 
but  the  simplicity  of  the  colours  that  is 
being  dwelt  on.  '  See,  of  the  colours  which 
beauteous  earth  puts  forth  ('  sends  up'  lit.), 
how  the  ivy  springs  the  better  of  itself.' 

Formosa  is  not  a  mere  epithet,  but 
forms  an  integral  part  of  the  argument. 
Earth  is  beautiful,  and  her  beauty  is  her 
own,  not  derived  from  art  or  culture. 

10.  Ut,  an  early  emendation  of  'et' 
(MSS.).  If 'et'  be  retained,  sponte  sua 
must  be  supplied  before  '  submittit,'  as 
being  the  emphatic  word. 

11.  Formosius  (]MSS.).  There  is  no 
necessity  for  Lachmann's  correction,  '  feH- 
cius,'  in  a  passage  the  whole  point  of  which 
is  the  character  of  '  forma.'  '  FeHcius' 
would  indicate  rather  the  luxuriance  of  its 
growth. 

Solis  .  .  antris,  the  '  hoUows'  or  '  re- 
cesses '  of  the  hills :  used  in  a  similar  sense, 
5  (4).  4,  3  '  Lucus  erat  felix  hederoso  con- 
ditus  antro ; '  or  else  '  growing  over  the 
caves,'  as  Virg.  E.  5.  6.  Emphasis  rests  on 
'  soUs,'  implying  the  absence  of  art  (Paley). 
Note  the  sigmatism  of  the  line. 

12.  Indociles,  Gr.  dSiSdKrovs,  '  un- 
studied  ways,'  '  courses  that  have  never 
been  shewn  them : '  a  pecuhar,  if  not 
unexampled,  signitication  of  the  adjective. 


Currere  .  .  vias,  accusative  of  the  cog- 
nate  construction,  like  '  currit  iter'  Virg. 
Ae.  5.  862. 

13.  Nativis,  emphatic. 
Collucent.     This  is  Lachmann's  read- 

ing  from  one  or  two  good  MSS.,  the 
greater  part  of  which  however  have  '  per- 
suadent'  {Qv.  '  teach  simpHcity').  'This 
ScaUger  ingeniously  made  into  '  per  se 
dent,'  substituting,  without  any  authority, 
'  lapillos'  and  '  nativos.' 

Picta  :  cp.  Lucr.  2.  373  '  Concharumque 
genus  parih  ratione  videmus  Pingere  telluris 
gremium.' 

14.  Nulla  arte,  modal  ablative  with 
'  canunt :'  '  the  artless  song  of  the  birds  is 
sweeter'  (for  its  artlessness). 

15.  Leucippis,  AevKiiTTrts.  Phoebe  and 
Hilaira  were  daughters  of  Leucippus,  a 
Messenian  prince :  having  been  betrothed 
to  Idas  and  Lynceus  they  were  carried  ofF 
by  Castor  and  Pollux,  and  their  lovers  were 
slain  in  the  attempt  to  rescue  them :  cp. 
Ov.  Fast.  5.  699. 

17.  Discordia,  '  the  cause  of  strife.' 
Marpessa,  the  daughter  of  Evenus,  was 
carried  off  by  Idas,  with  whom  ApoUo 
contended  for  her  possession.  Zeus  gave 
the  option  to  the  maiden,  which  she  would 
choose  for  her  husband,  and  Idas  was  pre- 
ferred  ;  see  Hom.  II.  9.  560. 

18.  Patriis  litoribus.  Evenus,  having 
been  unable  to  overtake  Idas  when  he 
carried  off  Marpessa,  in  disappointment 
flung  himself  into  the  river  of  AetoHa, 
which  was  called  thenceforth  after  his 
name.  '  Litus '  used  for  '  ripa  : '  see  on 
Ov.  M.  1.41. 

19.  Nec  Phrygium,  '  'twas  by  no 
artificial  beauty  that  Hippodamia  won  her 
Phrygian  lord,'  viz.  Pelops. 


PROPERTIUS,  115 

Sed  facies  aderat  nullis  obnoxia  gemmis,  . 

Qualis  Apelleis  est  color  in  tabulis.    X  v^^  MvVi.  .^^umoa^  «.V f.^^^i^ 

Non  illis  studium  vulgo  conquirere  amantes ; 

Illis  ampla  satis  forma  pudicitia. 
Non  ego  nunc  vereor,  ne  sim  tibi  vilior  istis  :  25 

Uni  si  qua  placet,  culta  puella  sat  est ; 
Cum  tibi  praesertim  Phoebus  sua  carmina  donet, 

Aoniamque  libens  Calliopea.  lyram  j 
Unica  nec  desit  jucundis  gratia  verbis, 

Omnia,  quaeque  Venus,  quaeque  Minerva  probat.        30 
His  tu  semper  eris  nostrae  gratissima  vitae, 

Taedia  dum  miserae  sint  tibi  luxuriae. 


XXV. 

LIB.  I.    El.  6. 

Propertius  having  been  invited  by  his  friend  Volcatius  Tullus  to 
accompany  him  on  his  uncle's  stafF  into  Asia,  whither  the  latter  was 
proceeding  in  the  office  of  proconsul,  declines  on  the  grounds  that  he 
should  displease  Cynthia  by  his  absence,  and  that  he  has  no  aptitude  for 
mihtary  glory.  He  urges  his  friend  to  rival  his  uncle's  distinction,  while 
he  resigns  himself  to  the  inaction  of  love. 

NoN  ego  nunc  Hadriae  vereor  mare  noscere  tecum, 

21.  Obnoxia,  '  beholden  to  no  jewels  of  Scaliger  is,  '  Non  ego  nunc  verear,'  with 
(for  its  fairness),'  like  '  radiis  obnoxia  '  an  interrogation  after  '  istis,'=' Have  I  not 
Virg.  G.  I.  396.  now  cause  to  fear  I  am  less  esteemed  than 

22.  Apelleis .  .tabulis  mayrefer  espe-  these  common  lovers,  since  you  take  such 
cially  to  the  Venus  'Aj/advotikvq,  a  master-  pains  to  adom  yourself  as  though  to  attract 
piece  of  that  painter,  to  which  Propertius  them?'  'ViHor'  is  simply  a  modest  un- 
again  alludes,  4.  8  (3.9),  li.  derstatement  of  the  place  which  the  poet 

25.   Ne    sim    tibi    vilior    istis,   the  thinks  he  holds  in  Cynthia's  affections. 
reading   of  the    MSS.,   which    Lachmann  Istis  refers  to  '  amantes,'  v.  23,  with  a 

replaced  for   the   emendation  of  Scahger,  certain  connotation  of  contempt. 
'  ne  sis  mihi  viHor  istis,' =  '  you  are  not,  31.  His,  i.  e.  by  these  charms  of  beauty 

methinks,  less  precious  in  my  sight  than  and  wisdom,  not  by  dress. 
these  heroines  of  old.'    The  reading  in  the  Nostrae  vitae,  =  '  nobis  dum  vivimus.' 

text   makes   equally  good   sense  :    '  Don't  This  method  of  expressing  the  concrete  by 

fancy  I  shall  think  you  esteem  me  the  less  the  abstract  is  very  common  in  Propertius ; 

by  not  adorning  yourself  for  me  as  you  cp.  6,  21    '  Nam    tua    non    aetas    unquam 

might  for  other  lovers ;  I  am  quite  content  cessavit  amori '  for  '  tu  per  totam  vitam.' 
with  you  as  you  are,  if  1  have  you  to  myself.  32.  Luxuriae,  '  finery,'  '  gaiety.' 

You  have  sufficient  graces  beside,  of  taste  and 

mind,  and  have  therefore  no  need  of  others.'  I.   Hadria.   The  first  syllable  is  usually 

A  more  ingenious   emendation  than   that  long  in  the  Latin  poets.     We  have  how- 

I  2 


Ii6 


PROPERTIUS. 


i^^ 


Tulle,  neque  Aegaeo  ducere  vela  salo  j 
Cum  quo  Rhipaeos  possim  conscendere  montes, 

Ulteriusque  domos  vadere  Memnonias  : 
Sed  me  complexae  remorantur  verba  puellae, 

Mutatoque  graves  saepe  colore  preces. 
Illa  mihi  totis  argutat  noctibus  ignes,  y\^....  i.,,^,,, 

Et  queritur  nullos  esse  relicta  deos ; 
Illa  meam  mihi  jam.  se  denegat  j   illa  minatur, 
-     Quae  solet  ingrato  tristis  amica  viro. 
(His))  ego  non  horam  possum  durare  ^uerelis); 

Ah  pereat,  si  quis  lentus  amare  potest ! 
An  mihi  sit  tanti  doctas  cognoscere  Athenas, 

Atque  Asiae  veteres  cernere  divitias, 
Ut  mihi  deducta  faciat  convicia  puppi 

Cynthia,  et  insanis  ora  notet  manibus,.^ 


iS 


ever  another  example  of  its  being  short- 
ened  in  Manil.  4.  610,  though  the  reading 
seems  to  be  uncertain  there ;  later,  Avienus 
has '  Ha,driatica'  twice,  Descr.  Orb.  1 39, 56 1 , 
but  '  Hadria,'  v.  556. 

2.  Ducere  vela.  This  phrase  would 
strictly  apply  to  sailors  hauHng  or  shifting 
the  sails ;  here  it  is  used  simply  in  the 
sense  of  '  navigare.' 

4.  Ulteriusque  domos,  i. e.  Aethiopia, 
the  limit  of  the  world  toward  the  South, 
as  the  '  Rhipaei  montes '  were  toward  the 
North.  There  are  few,  if  any,  other  in- 
stances  of  '  ulterius '  governing  an  accusa- 
tive  as  being  the  equivalent  of  the  prepo- 
sition  '  ultra  ;'  we  may  however  compare 
the  similar  use  of  '  propius '  for  '  prope.' 
Paley  thinks  the  poet  had  in  his  mind 
'  uherius  quam  ad  domos.'  Haupt  reads 
•  domo  Memnonia.' 

6.  Mutato  .  .  colore,  i.  e.  entreaties 
pressed  so  earnestly  as  to  change  the 
colour  on  her  cheeks,  now  red  with  pas- 
sion,  now  pale  with  grief.  Burmann, 
strangely  enough,  would  take  '  color '  of 
the  '  varied  style '  of  Cynthia's  supplica- 
tions,  while  Voss  needlessly  ahers  into 
'  dolore  :'  cp.  i.  19  (18),  17  (according  to 
some  MSS.)  '  An  quia  parva  damus  mutato 
signa  colore?' 

7-  Argutat,  'throughout  whole  nights 
she  harps  upon  her  love.'  The  active 
form  is  peculiar  to  Propertius  among  the 
classical  authors.  The  earher  poets  often 
use  the  deponent. 

8,  Relicta,  '  complains  that  she  is  for- 


saken,  and  that  there  are  no  gods'  to 
punish  perjury :  see  the  hke  complaint  of 
Dido,  Virg.  Ae.  4.  371  foll. 

9.  Denegat,  '  declares  she  is  nothing 
to  me,'  that  I  do  not  care  for  her  any 
more. 

10.  Ingrato.  This  change  from  'irato' 
(given  in  all  but  two  MSS.)  seems  neces- 
sary :  the  latter  can  hardly  mean  the  '  ob- 
ject  of  her  wrath.'  See  a  similar  confusion 
in  17(16).  38. 

Tristis,  '  vexed  with  :'  see  on  Tibull. 
4.4,18. 

11.  His  .  .  querelis.  It  seems  better 
to  take  this  as  a  sort  of  ablative  absolute 
than  to  understand  '  in '  (as  Kuinoel  ex- 
plains  it),  or  to  couple  it  with  '  durare.' 
'  Such  being  her  appeals'  etc. 

Horam  durare:  cp.  Hor.  Ep.  i.  i,  82 
'  lidem  eadem  possunt  horam  durare  pro- 
bantes.' 

12.  Lentus,  'so  indifferent  or  uncon- 
cerned  in  love '  as  not  to  be  moved  by 
prayers  and  tears. 

13.  Cognoscere,  '  visit,'  as  above,  v.  i, 
'noscere;'  cp.  Tibull.  3.  5,  23.  See  an 
imitation    of  this    passage   in    Ov.  Tr.  i. 

2.  77- 

15.  Deducta,  '  launched,'  '  ready  to 
start,'  seldom  if  ever  used  for  '  coming 
to  shore,'  which  is  '  subducta.' 

Faciat  convicia,  a  common  phrase 
with  Ovid  :  cp.  M.  i.  9,  302  ;  14.  710. 
'  Jaciat '  is  a  mere  conjecture. 

16.  Ora,  not  the  poet's,  but  Cynthia's 
face. 


PROPERTIUS.        ,  »  ^  "7 

Osculaque  opposito  dicat  sibi  debita  vento, 

Et  niliil  inhdo  durius  esse  viro  ?  . 

Tu  patrui  meritas  conare  anteire  secures, 

Et  vetera  oblitis  jura  refer  sociis.  20 

Nam  tua  non  aetas  unquam  cessavit  amori, 

Semper  et  armatae  cura  fuit  patriae ; 
Et  tibi  non  unquam  nostros  puer  iste  labores 

AfFerat  et  lacrimis  omnia  nota  meis. 
Me  sine,  quem  semper  voluit  Fortuna  jacere,  25 

Hanc  animam  extremae  reddere  nequitiae. 
Multi  longinquo  periere  in  amore  libenter, 

In  quorum  numero  me  quoque  terra  tegat. 
Non  ego  sum  laudi,  non  natus  idoneus  armis  : 

Hanc  me  militiam  fata  subire  volunt.  30 

At  tu  seu  moUis  qua  tendit  lonia,  seu  qua 

Lydia  Pactoli  tingit  arata  liquor, 


17.  Osculaque  opposito, 'anddeclare 
her  lcisses  were  due  (not  to  her  faithless 
and  cruel  lover  who  would  leave  her,  but) 
to  the  adverse  wind,'  that  still  kept  him  by 
her-side.  Scaliger  would  take  it,  '  meet 
the  wind  with  reproaches  for  robbing  her 
of  her  lover's  kisses  that  were  her  due,' 
but  this  is  more  than  the  words  can  weli 
bear. 

Debita  :  Voss  proposes  '  dedita.' 

19.  Conare  anteire.  Hertzberg  takes 
this  Hterally  of  Tnllus  attending  on  his 
uncle,  riding  before  him,  and  fuliilling  the 
duties  of  an  aide-de-camp.  But  surely 
•conare'  hardly  suits  with  this  significa- 
tion,  which  is  also  flat  and  prosaic.  It  is 
better  to  take  '  anteire '  in  the  sense  of 
*  excelling : '  '  try  to  surpass  the  well- 
earned  honours  of  thine  uncle.' 

Secures,  as  in  Hor.  Od.  3.  2,  19,  used 
for  '  high  oihce,'  in  this  case  the  procon- 
sulate,  like  '  fasces.'  The  uncle  here  spoken 
of  had  been  consul  together  with  Caesar 
Octavianus,  A.u.c.  721  (not,  it  is  probable, 
the  '  consule  Tullo'  of  Hor.  Od.  3.  8,  12). 
Some  have  supposed  that  Tullus  was  not 
going  abroad  with  his  uncle  but  with  some 
other  general,  as  Messala,  who  was  sent 
on  a  special  expedition  into  Asia  about 
this  time. 

20.  Sociis,  such  as  the  Pamphylians, 
Galatians,  and  others,  who  in  the  confusion 
of  the  civil  wars  had  again  fallen  under  the 
tyranny  of  the  native  princes. 

Sl.  Tua  aetas,  '  never  throughout  thy 


hfe  hast  thou  yielded  to  love's  idleness.' 
See  note  on  2,31  '  nostrae  vitae.' 

22.  Armatae  patriae,  i.  e.  in  the  ser- 
vice  of  thy  country,  not  in  that  of  Love. 

23.  Et  (MSS.),  i.  e.  thou  never  hast 
suffered  from  love,  and  mayest  thou  never 
in  future.     One  is  tempted  to  read  '  at.* 

Puer  iste,  Cupid. 

24.  Lacrimis  .  .  nota,  =  '  mihi  lacri- 
manti  nota,' '  known  to  me  through  tears,' 
a  very  common  usage  in  Propertius  :  cp.  I. 
3,  46  '  Illa  fuit  lacrimis  ultima  cura  meis.' 
Broukhusius  conjectures  '  ultima  vota,'  i.  e. 
death. 

25.  Jacere,  '  to  be  crushed,'  i.e.  be  in 
humble,  obscure  estate  :  metaphor  from  the 
gladiators. 

26.  Nequitiae,  '  wantonness  in  love,' 
a  sense  in  which  the  word  is  often  used  in 
the  poets.  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  15,  2,  and  4, 
77  '  ales  nequitiae  additus  Custos.' 

27.  Propertius  defends  himself  further 
by  placing  himself  among  those  '  who  have 
been  content  to  die  in  uninterrupted  love,' 
broken  by  no  separation  or  warlike  enter- 
prises. 

30.  Hanc,  i.e.  Love's  warfare,  a  common 
metaphor  in  the  poets,  as  Hor.  Od.  3.  26, 
2  ;  cp.  Ov.  Amor.  1.  9,  I  '  Militat  omnis 
amans  et  habet  sua  castra  Cupido.' 

32.  Arata,  for  '  arva.'  Propertius  is 
fond  of  using  adjectives  and  participles  for 
substantives.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  10.  141  '  Ubi 
pinguia  culta  Exercentque  viri  Pactolosque 
irrigat  auro.'     Some  MSS.  have  '  aratra.' 


ii8  PROPERTIUS. 

Seu  pedibus  terras,  seu  pontum  carpere  remis 
Ibis,  et  accepti  pars  eris  imperii,     ', 

Tum  tibi  si  qua  mei  veniet  non  immemor  hora, 
Vivere  me  duro  sidere  certus  eris 


35 


.A^ 


XXVI. 


LIB.  I.    El.  j5  (14). 

This  poem,  like  the  last,  is  addressed  to  Tullus,  who  has  now  returned 
from  the  East,  and  is  reposing  in  his  villa  by  the  Tiber.  Propertius  con- 
trasts  his  own  happiness  in  love  with  that  which  his  friend  seeks  in  luxury 
and  ease,  and  shews  that  wealth  is  worth  nothing  without  affection. 

Tu  licet  abjectus  Tiberina  molliter  unda     jv'--*  \ 
Lesbia  Mentoreo  vina  bibas  ^opere, 
■  ^,  ^JE^t  modo  tam  celeres  mireris  currere  lintres, 

Et  modo  tam  tardas  funibus  ire  rates,        \(^vfxH.  a  <•' 
Et  nemus  omne  satas  intendat  vertice  silvas,  5 


^.>S' 


^''^ 


^    Nr.. 


Ir-WA 


33.  Carpere,  '  scour.'  This  poetical 
use  of  the  infinitive  for  the  supine  is  a 
Graecism.  Cp.  i.  21  (20),  24  '  processerat 
ultra  .  .  quaerere  :'  3.  7  (2.  16),  IJ  '  Semper 
in  oceanum  mittit  me  quaerere  gemmas :' 
4  (3)-  l>  3  '  ingredior  .  .  ferre:'  I.  I,  12 
'  Ibat  et  hirsutas  ille  videre  feras.'  We 
find  a  somewhat  similar  use  of  it  in  Hor. 
Od.  I.  2,  7  '  pecus  egit  altos  Visere  montes.' 
See  on  Stat.  Achill.  2.  146. 

34.  Accepti,  '  pleasant,'  '  agreeable,'  as 
contrasted  with  the  duro  sidere  of  v.  36, 
i.  e.  the  tortures  of  love  in  which  the  poet, 
his  friend,  will  be  living. 

Pars  eris  .  .  imperii, '  chief  member  as 
thou  wilt  be  of  a  welcome  government.' 
Cp.  I.  22  (21),  4  '  Pars  ego  sum  vestrae 
proxima  miUtiae.' 

Imperii.  In  reference  to  the  uncon- 
tracted  genitive,  a  licence  which  first  be- 
came  common  in  the  writings  of  Proper- 
tius,  see  Lachmann's  admirable  note  on 
Lucr.  5.  1003  '  Improba  navigii  ratio  tum 
caeca  vigebat.'  See  on  4.  10  (3.  il), 
47- 

I.  Abjectus.  Ov.  Her.  7.  i  '  udis  ab- 
jectus  in  herbis.' 


U  n  d  a .  Propertius  not  uncommonl y  uses 
the  ablative  without  any  preposition  to  ex- 
press  '  near  to,'  as  3.  4  39  (2.  13,  53) '  Illic 
formosum  jacuisse  paludibus:'  1.18(17), 
22  '  tenera  poneret  ossa  rosa.'  It  was 
probably  the  peculiarity  of  this  usage  that 
suggested  the  change  of  '  unda '  into 
'  ulva.' 

2.  Mentoreo  .  .  opere,  '  from  a  cup 
of  Mentor's  workmanship,'  the  famous 
silver-chaser  of  Greece  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury  B.  c.  Cp.  Juv.  8.  104  '  rarae  sine 
Mentore  mensae.' 

3.  Currere.  The  speed  of  boats  going 
down  stream  is  here  meant,  as  the  follow- 
ing  verse  pictures  them  being  towed  up 
against  the  current.  See  Martial  4.  64, 
24. 

5.  Et  nemus  omne,  sc.  'Hcet'  v.  i ; 
'  and  though  all  the  grove  around  you 
rears  to  a  height  its  well-planted  trees, 
great  as  those  which  load  the  tops  of  Cau- 
casus.'  Lachmann,  questioning  the  pro- 
priety  of  the  expression  '  nemus  satas  in- 
tendat  silvas,'  proposes  'unde  satas'(Haupt), 
i.  e.  wonder  by  whom  such  ancient  trees 
were  planted. 


PROPERTIUS.  119 

Urgetur  quantis  Caucasus  arboribus : 
Non  tamen  ista  meo  valeant  contendere  amori ; 

Nescit  Amor  magnis  cedere  divitiis. 
Nam  sive  optatam  mecum  trahit  illa  quietem, 

Seu  facili  totum  ducit  amore  diem,  lo 

Tum  mihi  Pactoli  veniunt  sub  tecta  liquores, 

Et  legitur  rubris  gemma  sub  aequoribus ; 
Tum  mihi  cessuros  spondent  mea  gaudia  reges  j 

Quae  maneant,  dum  me  fata  perire  volent. 
Nam  quis  divitiis  adverso  gaudet  Amore  ?  15 

Nulla  mihi  tristi  praemia_ynt  Venere  I 
Illa  potest  magnas  heroum  jnfringere  vires  • 

Illa  etiam  duris  mentibus  esse  dolor. 
IUa  neque  Arabium  metuit  transcendere  limen, 

Nec  timet  ostrino,  Tulle,  subire  toro,  20 

^Et  miserum  toto  juvenem  versare  cubili :  p 

Quid  relevant  variis  serica  textilibus  ?       S-rrv-.r'-- 
Quae  mihi  dum  placata  aderit,  non  ulla  verebor 

Regna  tplc]Alcinoi  munera  despicere. 


Intendat  vertice,  explained  by  Kui-  mine  :  '  mihi '  is  best  taken  with  '  cessuros,' 

noel,  '  extendat,  ut  late  conspicuum  tollant  not,    as    some    would    constnict    it,    with 

verticem.'  '  spondent.'     For  the   sentiment  cp.  Hor. 

Silvae,    i.  e.    the    several    trees   which  Od.  3.  9,  4  foll. 
make  up  the  'nemus'  or  '  lucus.'     Hertz-  15.   Adverso..Amore,   ablative   ab- 

berg   compares   Ov.  M.  5.  265    '  Silvarum  solute,  '  if  unhappy  in  love ;'  so  '  tristi  .  . 

lucos  circumspicit  antiquarum.'      Spacious  Venere'  in   next   line.     Hertzberg   quotes 

shrubberies  were  much  prized  by  the  Ro-  from  Mimnermus  by  way  of  illustration : 

mans  in  their  country  villas.  tis  Se  Bios,  tl   5«  Tfpnvdv  aTtp  xpvairjs 

7.   Ista,  connoting  contempt.  'A^ppoSirTjs  ;    TeOvaiTjv,    ot(    jj-oi    fj.T]KfTi 

Contendere,   '  rival  the  happiness   of  TavTa  fxeXoi. 
my  love.'  16.   Praemia,  '  profit,'  '  weahh.' 

9.  Trahit  . .  quietem,  best  taken,  with  Sint,    '  if  Venus    were    unkind,    there 

Kuinoel,   as  '  prolongs  her  rest,'  or  '  the  could  be ;'  one  good  MS.  has  '  sunt.' 
night,'  like  ducit  diem  in  the  next  line.  19.    Arabium    limen,    '  threshold    of 

He    aptly    compares    Sen.  Herc.  Oet.  645  Arabian  alabaster.'    The  first  syllable  (pro- 

'  VigUesque  trahit  purpura  noctes.'  perly  short)  is  made  long  to  suit  the  dac- 

Illa,    Cynthia,    supplied    from    '  meo  tylic  verse,  both  by  the  Greek  and  Latin 

amori  '  V.  7.  poets ;  so  with  '  Sicanius,' '  lonius,'  '  Mace- 

12.  Gemma,  '  pearls,'  as  in  TibuU.  2.  donius,'  etc.  the  same  Hcence  is  taken. 
2,  15  '  Nec  tibi,  gemmarum  quidquid  feli-  The  meaning  is,  '  No  weahh  can  shut  out 
cibus  Indis  Nascitur  Eoi  qua  maris  unda  love :  therefore  weaUh  must  depend  for 
rubet :'  Id.  3.  3,  17  :  4.  2,  19.  its  happiness  on  love.' 

Rubris  .  .  aequoribus,    Erythraeum  20.   Ostrino,  an  adjective  used   twice 

mare,  or  Indian  ocean.  or  thrice  by  Propertius,  very  rarely  else- 

13.  Cessuros,  i.  e.  my  bh"ss  assures  me  where.  Cp.  the  similar  passage  in  TibuU. 
that  kings  will  not  compare  their  joys  with  I.  2,  75  foll. 


120 


PROPERTIUS. 


XXVII. 


LIB.  I.    El.  i8  (17). 

Propertius  represents  himself  as  having  undertaken  a  voyage  (probably 
to  Athens,  as  we  may  conjecture  from  4.  21),  partly  to  rid  himself  of  the 
anxieties  of  love,  and  partly  in  the  hope  of  overcoming  the  obduracy  of 
Cynthia.  Overtaken  by  a  storm  he  repents  his  departure,  and,  as  though 
he  was  wTiting  during  the  tempest,  prays  the  sea-nymphs  to  save  him  from 
shipwreck  and  bring  him  safe  to  shore. 

Et  merito,  quoniam  potui  fugisse  puellam, 
Nunc  ego  desertas  alloquor  alcyonas. 

Nec  mihi  Cassiope  solito  visura  carinam, 
Omniaque  ingrato  litore  vota  cadunt. 

Quin  etiam  absenti  prosunt  tibi,  Cynthia,  venti :         5 
Adspice,  quam  saevas  increpat  aura  minas. 

Nullane  placatae  veniet  fortuna  procellae  ? 


1.  Et  merito.  'Et'  ('  I  am  sufFering, 
and  justly')  is  not  uncommonly  used  at 
the  beginning  of  a  sentence,  to  mark  the 
abruptness  of  passion,  or  any  strong  feel- 
ing.  We  find  an  exactly  similar  use  of 
both  words  in  Ov.  M.  9.  585  (at  the  be- 
ginning  of  a  speech)  '  Et  merito  :  quid  enim 
temeraria  vulneris  hujus  Indicium  feci  ? ' 

Potui  fugisse,  '  had  the  heart  to  fly 
from.' 

2.  Alcyonas,  whose  conjugal  fidelity 
reproaches  him,  and  whose  appearance  at 
the  same  time,  he  hoped,  might  produce  a 
cahn.  For  both  these  points  see  Ov.  M. 
11.742-749. 

3.  Cassiope,  not,  as  Kuinoel  and  many 
others  take  it,  the  constellation  of  that 
name,  but  the  city  of  Epirus,  (called  indis- 
criminately,  it  would  seem,  Kaaautrri  and 
KaaaioTir],)  in  Thesprotia,  north  of  Nico- 
pohs, '  which  is  never  likely  to  see  my  bark 
safe.' 

Solito  (MSS.)  creates  niuch  difficulty : 
it  is  nowhere  else  used  adverbially,  as  = 
'  ex  solito  ;'  still  less  can  it  be  taken  with 
'  litore '  understood,  or  with  '  mihi,*  as 
though  Propertius  were  so  used  to  the 
route.  Hertzberg  adopts  an  ingenious  con- 
jecture  of  Wyttenbach's, '  solidam,' '  entire,' 
'  safe,'  while  Lachmann  proposes  '  Cassi- 


opes  statio.'  Paley  suggests  that  Propertius 
wrote  '  Omine  et '  for  '  Omniaque,'  which 
would  supply  a  subject  for  '  solito,'  '  with 
its  usual  luck.'  The  omission  of  the  verb 
substantive  is  very  common  in  Propertius : 
later  editors  only  insert  it  here. 

4.  Ingrato  litore,  '  that  heeds  them 
not.'  Cp.  5  (4).  11,6  'Nempe  tuas  lacri- 
mas  litora  surda  bibent.'  Here  again  the 
ablative  is  used  as  a  locative  without  a 
preposition,  as  in  I.  17  (16),  34  '  At  mea 
nocturno  verba  cadunt  Zephyro : '  see 
v.  22. 

5.  Prosunt,  '  the  very  winds  are  on 
your  side,  by  opposing  my  voyage  and 
carrying  out  your  imprecations  against  me,' 
or  (taking  '  etiam'  with  '  absenti'),  '  even 
when  you  are  far  away  the  winds  here 
are  taking  your  part,'  just  as  in  6,  1 7  the 
winds  resisted  his  starting,  when  Cynthia 
was  present.  We  may  observe  the  6/1010- 
TfKevTov,  of  which  Propertius  is  rather 
fond,  in  '  absenti  .  .  venti ; '  compare  in 
this  book,  8,  II  ;   21,  3. 

7.  Placatae  fortuna  proceliae,  lit. 
'  the  happiness  of  the  stilled  tempest,' 
'  some  kindly  hand  to  still  the  storm.' 
Cp.  I,  19  '  deductae  fallacia  Lunae'  =  'ars 
deducendae  Lunae ;'  4.  II  (3.  12),  3  '  spo- 
liati  gloria  Parthi.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


121 


Haeccine  parva  meum  t"gnij?i\  arena  teget  ? 
Tu  tamen  in  melius  saevas  converte  querelas  -, 

Sat  tibi  sit  poenae  nox  et  iniqua  vada.  lo 

An  poteris  siccis  mea  fata  opponere  ocellis, 

Ossaque  nulla  tuo  nostra  tenere  sinu  ?      TruAjJ^ja;  ^ 'VvcrvM. 
Ah  pereat,  quicumque  rates  et  vela  paravit 


Primus  et  invito  gurgite  fecit  iter.  v 

'^Jonne  fuit  levius  dominae  pervincere  iriofes 
oU/y^v^    ^^(Quamvis  dura,  tamen  rara  puella  fuit), 
■"■■^'     Quam  sic  ignjotis  circiimdata  litora  silvis 
Cernere  et  optatos  quaerere  Tyndaridas  ? 
Illic  si  qua  meum  sepelissent  fata  ^dolorem, 

Ultimus  et  posito' st£fet  aifioli^  lapls,^  /^ 
Illa  meb  caros  donasset  funere  crines, 

Molliter  et  tenera  poneret  ossa  rosa: 
Illa  meum  extremo  clamasset  pulvere  nomen, 
Ut  mihi  non  ullo  pondere  terra  foret. 


15 


^' 


8.  Haeccine  .  .  arena  refers  to  the 
'  ingratum  litus  *  spoken  of  in  v.  4,  along 
which,  according  to  practice,  the  vessel  is 
supposed  to  be  sailing  wilhout  being  able 
to  reach  it. 

Funus,  '  corpse,'  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  9.  489 
'  Et  funus  lacerum  tellus  habet  ? ' 

9.  Tamen  refers  back  to  v.  i  :  '  though 
I  deserted  you,  and  deserve  your  curses, 
yet  tum  them  into  prayers  for  my  safety.' 

11,12.  Opponere,  '  place  my  death 
before  tearless  eyes,'  i.  e.  calmly  contem- 
plate  my  death.  Some  MSS.  have  '  repo- 
nere,'  which  Kuinoel  feebly  defends.  Weber 
and  others  would  make  '  tenere '  depend 
on  '  opponere,'  '  Will  3'ou  bear  to  think  of 
my  death,  and  of  not  clasping  my  bones 
in  your  bosom  ? ' 

Poteris  =  TA.7j<r€t,  as  in  v.  i. 

Ossaque  nulla,  =  ' nec  ossa  :'  similarly 
'  nullus'  for  '  non'  in  v.  7.  Cp.  Tibull.  I. 
3,  5  '  mater  Quae  legat  in  maestos  ossa 
perusta  sinus.'     Paley  refers  to  Tac.  Ann. 

2- 75- 

Sinu,  '  bosom'  or  '  fold  of  your  robe.' 
15.   Levius    is   preferable  to   '  melius,' 

which  one  or  two  MSS.  give.     Had  Pro- 

pertius   in   his   mind  VirgiFs  '  Nonne   fuit 

satius    tristes    Amaryllidis    iras   Atque    su- 

perba  pati  fastidia  ?'  E.  2.  14. 

17.   Ignotis  .  .  silvis,   for  '  ignota   li- 

tora:'  cp.  '  formosos  pedes '   19(^18),  12. 

The  h^^pallage  of  the  adjective  is  particu- 

larly  frequent  in  Propertius. 


Circumdata,  '  that  skirt'  or  '  line  the 
shore.' 

19.  Illic,  '  in  my  own  land.'  The 
mention  of '  dominae'  in  v.  15  makes  the 
transition  easy  to  the  place  where  she 
lived. 

Dolorem,  =  ' me  dolentem.'  See  note 
on  6,  24  '  lacrimis  omnia  nota  meis  :'  so 
perhaps  '  amore'  in  next  line  =  '  amanti.' 

20.  Posito  . .  amore,  '  eTerhcr  btrri€3 
tever;*  or  '  my  buried  love,'  life  and  love 
being  resigned  together.  '  Ponere '  is  often 
used  as  equivalent  to  '  componere,'  '  re- 
ponere.'  Cp.  Lucr.  3.  883  '  putrescat  cor- 
pore  posto.'  For  '  amore '  has  been  need- 
lessly  conjectured  '  honore.' 

21.  Caros,  '  pt£ciQUS_JL£tdherr'  or  '  so 
dear  to  me.' 

Funere,  not  for  the  dative,  as  Kuinoel 
takes  it,  but,  '  at  my  burial,'  according  to 
Hertzberg,  who  compares  19  (18),  19 
'  Quae  tu  viva  mea  possis  sentire  favilla' 
= '  cum  mortuus  fuero.' 

22.  Poneret,  =  '  posuisset.'  The  im- 
perfect  subjunctive  is  occasionally,  both  in 
prose  and  poetry,  coupled  with  the  plu- 
perfect  of  the  same  mood  in  the  conse- 
quent  clause  :  see  3.  4,  34  (2.  13,  51)  '  di- 
ceret '  after  '  vidisset.' 

Rosa,  '  on  a  bed  of  roses,'  the  ablative 
as  in  V.  4,  and  in  next  line  '  pulvere.'  See 
on  TibuU.  2.  5,  72. 

24.  Ut  denotes  the  substance  of  the 
exclamation  of  v.  23.     Cp.  TibuU.  2.  4,  94 


PROPERTIUS. 

At  vos  aequoreae  formosa  Doride  natae,  25 

Candida  felici  solvite  vela  choro ! 
Si  quando  vestras  labens  Amor  attigit  undas, 

Mansuetissocio  parcite  litoribus ! 


XXVIII. 

LIB.  I.    El.  19  (18). 

The  poet  has  betaken  himself  to  a  solitary  spot,  in  order  to  complain 
to  the  rocks  and  trees  of  Cynthia's  cruelty  and  caprice,  and  to  protest  his 
o^TO  sincerity  and  faithfulness. 

Haec  certe  deserta  loca  et  taciturna  querenti, 

Et  vacuum  Zephyri  possidet  aura  nemus. 
Hic  licet  occultos  proferre  impune  dolores,  ^yi, 

Si  modo  sola  queant  saxa  tenere  iidem.  tVux-w.^  ^i,  ^^  U  :^^ny7^<^  rl^ 
;   Unde  tuos  primum  repetam,  mea  Cynthia,  fastus  p'^^'*^'''*'"™"'^^*"^ 
i       <Quod;mihi  das  flendi,  Cynthia,  principium  ? 
Qui  modo  felices  inter  numerabar  amantes, 
Nunc  in  amore  tuo  cogor  habere  notam. 


'  Et  bene,  discedens  dicet,  placideque  qui-  2.  Et.     Lachmann  suggests  'Ut'  in  the 

escas    Terraque     securae    sit    super    ossa  sense  of  '  where ;  *  but  this  is  too  rare  a 

levis.'  signincation  of  the   conjunction  to  adtnit 

26.  Solvite, 'unfurl  the  sails,' that  were  into  a  passage   without.the   clearest    au- 

reefed  in  the  storm,  that  we  may  continue  thority. 

our  voyage  to  shore.  Possidet,    '  the    only    tenant    of    the 

28.  Socio  :  if  the  sea-nymphs  have  felt  grove.' 

the  visitings  of  love,  they  might  sympa-  3.   Impune,  i.  e.  without  being   heard 

thize  with  one  similarly  touched.  by  Cynthia. 

Litoribus,  not  a  locative,  but  the  ab-  4.   Sola,  '  solitary,'  '  desert,'  and  there- 

lative  expressing  the  manner  or  form  which  fore  having  no  one  to  speak  to,  even  if 

their  benefits  should  assume  :  '  Spare  your  they  could  speak. 

comrade    (in    love)    by    bringiag    him    to  8.   Habere  notam,  '  to  be  degraded  in 

kindly  shores :'  or  may  it  be  the  dative  ?  thy    love,'  a    metaphor    from    the    '  nota 

= '  spare  the  shores,  so  that  they  may  be  censoria,'  the  remark  written  by  the  •cen- 

kind  to  your  comrade,'  i.  e.  cease  to  lash  sors  on  their  lists  against  the  name  of  any 

the  shores  with  your  waves,  and  thus  make  Roman  citizen  guilty  of  misdemeanour  or 

them  unsafe.  immorality.     As  exclusion  from  the  senate 

was  one  result  of  this  censure,  so  the  poet 

I.  Taciturna   querenti,  i.  e.  such  as  fancies   himself  shut   out   from   Cynthia's 

will   keejp  the    secret   of  my  complaints.  love.     The    image    harmonizes   with   the 

The    adjective    being   rarely  used  with  a  phrase  '  numerari  inter'  of  the  preceding 

case,  some  would  read  '  tacitura.'  line. 


•«. 


PROPERTIUS. 


123 


St> 


Vv>5^*^ 


f^W^ 


wn'^'^" 


Quid  tantum  merui  ?   quae  te  mihi  crimma  mutant  ? 

An  nova  tristitiae  causa  puella  tuae  ?  10 

Sic  mihi  te  referas  levis,  ut  non  altera  nostro 

Limine  formosos  intulit  ulla  pedes. 
Quamvis  multa  tibi  dolor  hic  meus  aspera  debet, 
,    Non  ita  saeva  tamen  venerit  ira  mea,      t^^)A^^^vi,^^>,,j4^U.W 
Ut  tibi  sim  merito  sempei-(furo^  et  tua  fl^do  ^^.^      15  'VVm 

Lumina  dejectis  turpia  sint  lacrimis.         Wu  iuA«jv'(UW»  ^jKA^rULcUtP. 
An  quia  parva  damus  mutato  signa  calore,     ^ 

Et  non  ulla  meo  clamat  in  ore  fides  ?  '  ^^  ^^  'IS*^  ^ 

Vos  eritis  testes.  si  quos  habet  arbor  amores, 

Fagus  et  Arcadio  pinus  amica  deo.  ^..v. .^  ^o^kift*;  W^  ^nw 

Ah  quoties  teneras  resonant  mea  verba  sub  umbras, 

Scribitur  et  vestris  Cynthia  corticibus ! 
An  tua  quod  peperit  nobis  injuria  curas. 


9.  C  r  i  m  i  n  a , '  charges,' '  scandals  of  my 
foes.'  This  emendation  of  Lipsius  is  now 
generally  received  in  place  of  'carmina' 
(MSS.),  which  would  mean  either  '  what 
spells,'  or  '  what  verses  of  mine  could  change 
thee  ? '  neither  of  which  significations  suit 
the  context.  Besides,  the  two  words 
are  constantly  confused  by  the  transcribers  : 
see  e.  g.  4.  10  (3.  11),  3,  and  Livy  i.  26, 
4  '  Lex  horrendi  carminis  erat.' 

II.  Sic..utnon.  This  use  of 'sic' 
in  adjurations  is  well  known  :  '  So  sure  as 
I  have  been  faithful,  do  thou  return  to  me.' 
Cp.  Ov.  M.  8.  868  '  sic  has  deus  aequoris 
artes  Adjuvet  ut  nemo  jamdudum  htore  in 
isto  .  .  constitit.' 

Referas.  The  verb  is  used  by  CatuIIus 
in   an   exactly   similar  sense   105  (107).  5 

tRestituis  cupido  atque  insperanti  ipsa  re- 
ers  te  Nobis.' 

Levis,  '  capricious  one,'  the  vocative, 
or  better,  as  a  nominative,  = '  bring  back 
thy  capricious  self  to  me ;'  it  is  really  for 
'  levem,'  as  in  '  sese  tulit  obvia,'  etc. 

14.  Venerit,  nearly  equivalent  to  '  erit,' 
not  an  uncommon  use  of  '  venire '  in  the 

ILatin  poets,  especially  Propertius  :  cp.  5, 
32  '  rogata  venit ;'  10,  25  '  irritata  venit ;' 
2.  I,  2  '  veniat  in  ore'  =  'sit,  versetur  in 
ore.'  The  meaning  of  these  lines  is, 
'  Though  I  have  suffered  much  from  j^ou, 
yet  I  never  will  so  resent  it  as  to  deserve 
your  continual  indignation  by  loving  an- 
other'  (Paley). 

15.  Furor, '  a  cause  or  object  of  wrath :' 
as  '  dolor '  in  21,32:  'discordia'  2,  17 
and  many  others. 


17.  An  quia,  '  Or  (art  thou  vexed) 
because  I  shew  such  slight  expressions  of 
love's  warmth,  that  thou  fanciest  it 
changed  ?' 

Calore,  ablative  of  cause :  '  that  it  is 
from  a  change  of  feeling  I  shew  fewer 
signs  of  my  affection.'  Cp.  12,  17  '  Aut 
si  despectus  potuit  mutare  calores.'  Kui- 
noel  and  Paley  read  (with  some  good 
MSS.)  '  colore  ; '  '  Dost  thou  expect  me 
continually  to  be  changing  colour,  and  dost 
thou  think  that,  if  I  do  not  so,  my  affection 
is  mere  pretence  ?'    see  on  6,  6. 

18.  Et  non   ulla   fides,  for  '  nec  un- ' 
quam  fides ;'  see  note  on  18, 12. 

20.  Deo,  Pan :  he  loved  the  nymph 
Pitys,  who  was  transformed  into  a  fir,  after 
having  been  thrown  down  and  killed  by 
Boreas ;  hence  the  fir  always  is  called 
sacred  to  Pan  :  Virg.  E.  7.  24. 

21.  Teneras,  either  '  delicate,  fleeting 
shadows,'  or,  (as  seems  more  likely,)  '  um- 
bra'  being  used  =  '  rami'  or  '  foha,'  '  fresh, 
tender  foliage.'  There  is  no  need  of 
changing  it  to  '  tremulis,'  still  less  to  trans- 
pose  (as  Weber)  with  '  vestris'  of  the  line 
foUowing. 

22.  Corticibus.  Cp.  Shakspeare,  As 
You  Like  It,  Act  3,  Sc.  2  : 

'  O   Rosalind !    these  trees   shall   be   my 
books ; 
And   in    their   barks    my  thoughts    ril 
character.' 

23-26.  An,  tua  .  .  queri.  Kuinoel 
adopts  an  old  conjecture,  '  Ah  tua  quot 
peperit.'     But  the  symmetry  of  the  poem 


idrsr 


40 


VtkoK»^^ 


124 


PROPERTIUS. 


Quae  solum  tacitis  cognita  sunt  foribus  ? 
Omnia  consuevi  timidus  perferre  superbae  25 

Jussa,  neque  arguto  facta  dolore  queri. 

Et  datur  inculto  tramite  dura  quies, 
Et  quodcumque  meae  possunt  narrare  querelae, 

Cogor  ad  argutas  dicere  solus  aves !  30 

Sed  qualiscumque  es,  resonent  milai  Cynthia  silvae, 

Nec  deserta  tuo  nomine  saxa  vacent. 


XXIX. 

LIB.  I.    El.  20  (19). 

A  VERY  beautiful  Elegy,  in  which  Propertius  assures  Cynthia  that  death 
will  not  sever  him  from  his  affection  for  her,  and  trusts  that  her  feelings 
toward  him  will  be  the  same  when  he  is  gone.  At  present,  while  life  lasts, 
they  will  enjoy  hfe  and  love  together. 

NoN  ego  nunc  tristes  vereor,  mea  Cynthia,  Manes, 
Nec  moror  extremo  debita  fata  rogo  :  !,i^{j^-^  ,w~C-- 


is  better  preserved  by  making  this  line  to 
express  another  hypothesis  of  the  poet 
about  Cynthia's  grief,  the  reply  to  which 
is  made  in  the  following  couplet,  just  as 
the  '  vos  eritis  testis'  of  v.  19  replied  to 
the  '  An  quia '  of  v.  17:  '  Or  art  thou 
vexed  that  thy  pride  and  cruelty  have 
created  resentment  in  me  ?  What !  those 
faults  that  have  never  been  told  but  to  the 
voiceless  doors  (which  had  been  closed 
against  me)  ?  Nay,  meek  and  uncom- 
plaining  I  have  ever  borne  thy  comniands, 
and  I  cannot,  any  more  than  before,  be 
changed  by  their  harshness  now.' 

24.  Quae,  i.  e.  the  several  acts  of  un- 
kindness  ('  injuria').  and  therefore  admitting 
the  change  to  the  plural  in  '  sunt,'  or,  better 
perhaps  as  referring  both  to  'injuria'  and 
'  curas.' 

26.  Arguto,  '  noisy,  querulous  grief.' 
Facta.  One  edition  has  '  ficta,'  which 
Kuinoel  alone  adopts  :  'facta'  means  '  thy 
behaviour  to  me,'  contrasted  with  'jussa:' 
'  I  obeyed  thine  orders,  and  never  com- 
plained  of  thine  acts.' 


27.  Divini  Fontes  (MSS.)  has  been 
subjected  to  numerous  conjectures,  such  as 
Lachmann's  '  Di  nivei  fontes,'  Kuinoers 
'  Devexi  fontes,'  and  others ;  but  the  text 
makes  good  sense.  The  lover  had  ap- 
pealed  to  the  Dryads  before,  in  v.  19 ;  he 
now  apostrophizes  the  Naiads,  as  Hertz- 
berg  remarks,  and  calls  them  to  witness 
the  bleak  rocks  and  desolate  ground,  on 
which  he  has  to  fiud  a  rude  repose.  Paley 
happily  quotes  from  Theocr.  8.  23  dyKta 
Kal  TTOTafioi,  Oeiov  ytvos.  Such  abrupt 
appeals  are  quite  in  the  style  of  Proper- 
tius. 

31.  Qualiscumque  es, '  however  harsh 
thou  mayest  be.' 

32.  Vacent,  i.  e.  let  the  rocks  echo  back 
her  name. 

2.  Extremo  .  .  rogo,  a  pleonasm  very 
common  in  Propertius,  especially  when 
speaking  of  death :  see  18(17),  23:  cp. 
4(3).  1,60. 

Fata,  from  meaning  '  death,'  comes,  as 
here,  to  stand  for  the  concrete,  '  a  dead 


PROPERTIUS. 


125 


Sed  ne  forte  tuo  careat  mihi  funus  amore, 

Hic  timor  est  ipsis  durior  exequiis.  -,.fu,-^"' 

Non  adeo  leviter  nostris  Puer  haesit  ocellis,  5 

Ut  meus  (pblitqi  pulvis  amore  vacet.     V%TtA>ij  j^i^^-tv  uxUxm 
Illic  Phylacides  jucundae  conjugis  heros 

Non  potuit  caecis  immemor  esse  locis ;       ^^'^l^^ 
Sed  cupidus  falsis  attingere  gaudia  palmis 

Thessalis  antiquam  venerat  umbm  domum.^"''^'^*''^ ''^^p''*"^^  ^^«-i»"^- 
Illic,  quidquid  ero,  scmper  tua  dicar  imago  : 

Traicit  et  fati  litora  magnus  amor. 
Illic  formosae  veniant  chorus  heroinae,  ^'^''^  ^\usi,'v.My^^^'.^ 

Quas  dedit  Argivis  Dardana  praeda  viris  : 
Quarum  nulla  tua  fuerit  mihi,  Cynthia,  forma  15 

Gratior  j   et  Tellus  hoc  ita  justa  sinat. 


body.'  Compare  the  use  of  '  mors '  in 
V.  3.  4,  6  (2. 13,  22)  '  mors  mea  nixa  toro.' 
Paley  however  conceives  it  to  be  a  mere 
periphrasis  for  '  fatum  rogi.' 

5.  Puer,  as  in  6,  23,  '  Cupid.'  One 
cause  of  Propertius'  obscurity  is  his  prac- 
tice  of  omitting  the  attribute  that  would 
mark  out  the  subject  distinctly.  Compare 
his  use  of  'sorores'  at  one  time  for  the 
Muses,  4(3).  12,  17,  at  another  for  the 
Fates,  3.  4,  28  (2.  13,  44). 

Haesit  ocellis.  For  this  somewhat 
affected  image  (derived  from  catching 
birds  by  birdlime)  Hertzberg  aptly  quotes 
from  an  epigram  of  Meleager's  (a  cotem- 
porary  of  P^ropertius)  : 

''n  iTpoSoTai  ^vx^s  TraiSojv  Kwes  aikv  iv 
i^S> 
KvrrpiSos   u<f>9a\ixol   B^ffMfiaTa  xpio- 
jjievoi 
'H.piraaaT  aWov  (pana  k.t.K. 

6.  Oblito,  passive :  not  even  in  death 
will  thy  love  be  forgotten  by  me. 

7.  Illic,  '  yonder,'  seems  to  have  had 
something  of  the  same  meaning  as  the 
Greek  eKti,  eKiiae  applied  to  the  world 
below.  With  its  use  before  caecis  locis 
we  may  compare  Tibull.  1.  10,  37  '  illic  .  . 
ad  obscuros  lacus.'  Homer  uses  avTov  in 
a  similar  way.  Kuinoel  would  read  '  ille 
et,'  thiuking  that  '  ilHc '  has  crept  in  from 

V.  II. 

Phylacides.  The  devotion  of  Prote- 
silaus  (the  grandson  of  Phylacus)  to  Lao- 
damia  is  well  known.  The  first  syllable 
is  used  both  long  and  short :  Ovid  has 
'  Phylacides  aberat,'  together  with  '  Phy- 
laceia  conjux'  and  '  matres  Phylaceides.' 


8.  Caecis  .  .  locis,  '  in  the  regions  of 
darkness,'  the  land  where  all  things  are 
forgotten  ('Ai'5?;s),  where  it  might  be  ex- 
cusable  to  have  been  '  immemor.' 

9.  Cupidus  is  to  be  constnicted  with 
'  Phylacides'  understood,  to  which  '  Thes- 
saUs  (Al.  '  Thessalus')  umbra'  =  '  ghost  of 
ThessaUa's  hero,'  is  added  as  a  predicate. 
Cp.  4.  17  (3.  18),  10  '  Errat  et  in  vestro 
spiritus  ille  lacu,'  =  '  ille,  ut  spiritus.' 

Falsis,  'eager  to  grasp  his  darling  with 
shadowy  hands,'  etc. 

11.  Imago.  Is  not  some  reference  de- 
signed  to  the  'image'  of  Protesilaus,  made 
and  worshipped  by  Laodamia  after  his 
second  death,  which  on  being  commanded 
by  her  father  to  burn  she  leapt  herself  into 
the  flames,  and  was  consumed  with  it  ? 

12.  Magnus,  either  (as  Paley  takes  it) 
'  a  strong  attachment  like  mine,'  or, '  Love 
is  strong  enough  to  pass  the  shores  of 
Death.' 

15.  Quarum,  '  yet  of  these.'  Heinsius 
alters  it  into  '  harum,'  but  this  use  of  the 
relative  pronoim  is  quite  after  the  way 
of  Propertius  ;  see  above  19  (18),  24;  but 
especially  3.  19  (2.  25),  17,  where  '  qui ' 
must  stand  for  '  sed  ille.'  See  on  Tibull. 
2.  I,  78. 

16.  Tellus  .  .  sinat,  '  and  may  earth 
in  her  justice  allow  this,'  viz.  my  preference 
of  thee.  Kuinoel  adopts  Burmann's  con- 
jecture,  '  Et  Venus  hoc,  si  dea  justa,  sinat.' 
Of  all  alterations  of  this  awkward  passage 
the  best  and  simplest  seems  to  be  that 
which,  placing  a  full  stop  after  '  gratior,' 
and  reading  'at'  for  '  et,'  connects  the 
sentence  with  the  foUowing  lines,  = '  May 


126 


PROPERTIUS. 


Pl 


Quamvis  te  longae  remorentur  fata  senectae, 

Cara  tamen  lacrimis  ossa  futura  meis  :    ^wxt  a-  Uc^- ws  ^•^•oo  ^^^.^ 
Quae  tu  viva  mea  possis  sentire  faviila;;! 

Tum  mihi  non  ullo  mors  sit  amara  loco,  20 

Quam  vereor,  ne  te  contempto,  Cynthia,  busto 

Abstrahat  heu  nostro  pulvere  iniquus  Amor, 
Cogat  et  invitam  lacrimas  siccare  cadentes ! 

Flectitur  assiduis  certa  puella  minis.    :}\^. 
Quare,  dum  licet,  inter  nos  laetemur  amantes 

Non  satis  est  ullo  tempore  longus  amo|-. 


«^ 


2S 


■:\ 


earth,  the  guardian  of  my  bones,  grant*. 
that  however  long  thou  mayest  live,  they 
may  ever  be  dear  in  thy  sight.' 

Ita,  to  be  taken  with  '  justa,'  '  fair  oti 
condition  that  she  allows  my  preference  :' 
cp.  Hor.  Od.  1.  24,  II  '  Non  ita  credi- 
tum.' 

17.  18.  Quamvis.  The  meaning  is, 
'  Even  though  thou  shouldst  live  to  a 
great  age,  yet  I  shall  have  tears  to  shed 
over  thee  when  thou  art  dead;  so  dear 
wilt  thou  ever  be  to  me  in  life  and 
death.' 

18.  Cara  .  .  lacrimis,  =  ' cara  mlhi  la- 
crimanti,'  as  in  6,  24. 

Ossa,  =  ' umbra.'  For  the  omission  of 
the  verb  substantive  see  on  18  (17),  3  '  vi- 
sura  carinam.' 

Meis.  '  Tuis '  is  a  mere  conjecture, 
and  spoils  the  sense  of  the  next  hnes. 

19.  Possis,  optative,  '  mayest  thou  but 
feel  while  ahve  the  same  changeless  love 
of  me  when  dead  !  then  death  can  have 
no  bitterness  for  me,  come  when  or  where 
it  may.' 

Mea  .  .  favilla,  on  the  occasion  of 
my  being  burnt  on  the  pile.  Hertzberg 
(in  his  Quaestiones  Prop.  c.  6)  compares 
a  similar  use  of  the  ablative  in  4.  5  (3.  6), 


Pt<^- 


'^''^yxK.^-^y^ 


24  '  insultet  morte  ihea,'  = '  cum  mortuus 
fuero.'     See  note  on  18  (17),  21. 

22.  Heu  is  Hertzberg's  emendation 
from  the  MSS.  which  give  '  e,'  a  short  way 
probably,  as  he  shews,  of  writing  the  inter- 
jection.  Weber  reads  '  a.'  See  3.  2  (2. 
12),  15,  a  similar  confusion. 

Iniquus  amor, 'a  passion  alien  to  me,' 
i.  e.  another  suitor  after  my  death. 

24.  Minis,  the  threats  of  a  mother  or 
relation  wishing  to  draw  off  Cynthia  from 
her  grief  for  Propertius,  as  the  father  of 
Laodamia  tried  to  do  in  her  case  without 
success.  There  is  no  proof  of  '  minae'  any 
more  than  a-nuXai  being  used  (as  Kuinoel 
seems  to  think)  for  '  promises.'  Paley 
quotes  Ov.  Fast.  2.  806  '  Nec  prece  nec 
pretio  nec  movet  ille  minis.' 

25.  Quare.  Propertius  is  fond  of  intro- 
ducing  the  last  couplet  of  his  elegies  with 
this  word  :  we  have  two  other  instances 
in  this  one  book,  5,  31  ;  9,  33.  This  line, 
as  it  stands,  is  so  inharmonious  that  Hertz- 
berg,  not  verj'  wisely,  proposes  to  alter  it 
into  '  Quare  dum  Hcitum  est  inter  laetemur 
amantes ;'  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
'  inter  nos '  was  probably  pronounced  as  one 
rather  than  two  words,  which  would  soften 
in  some  degree  the  caesural  irregularity. 


PROPERTIUS. 


12*1 


XXX. 

LIB.  III.    El.  2  (II.  12). 

Propertius  in  this  poem  shews  how  just  the  common  representation 
of  Cupid's  attributes  in  pictures  is  proved  by  his  own  experience  to  be. 
Qviintilian  (Inst.  Or.  2.  c.  4)  mentions  this  subject  as  a  common  topic  of 
discussion  :  '  Solebant  .  .  praeparare  nos  conjecturalibus  causis  .  .  quid  cre- 
deretur  Cupido  puer  ac  volucer  et  sagittis  ac  face  armatus.'  The  poet 
longs  to  escape  from  the  tyranny  of  Love,  but  he  sees  no  hope  of  eman- 
cipation :  he  will  die  under  the  torture,  and  then  beauty  will  lose  its 
minstrel. 

QuicuMQUE  ille  fuit,  puerum  qui  pinxit  Amorem, 

Nonne  putas  miras  hunc  habuisse  manus  ? 
Hic  primum  vidit  sine  sensu  vivere  amantes, 

Et  levibus  curis  magna  perire  bona. 
Idem  non  frustra  ventosas  addidit  alas,  5. 

Fecit  et  humano  .coide  volare  deumj 
Scilicet  alterna  quoniam  jactamur  in  unda, 

Nostraque  non  uUis  permanet  aura  locis. 
Et  merito  hamatis  manus  est  armata  sagittis, 


I.  Quicumque  ille  fuit.  Scaliger 
thinks  these  lines  an  imitation  of  some 
verses  of  Eubulus  the  comoedian,  quoted 
by  Athenaeus  (13.  562)  Tis  ^v  6  ypdipas 
■npwTos  dvOpwiruv  dpa  '11  KrjponKaaTTjaas 
"EpwO'  hiTOTTTipov ;  K.T.X.  Compare  also 
Mosch.  Idyll.  1.  15-23. 

Puerum,  predicate  of  love,  '  painted 
him  as  a  boy.' 

3.  Sine  sensu, 'without  understanding,' 
'  thoughtlessly,'  as  boys  :  a  meaning  of 
'  sensus'  which  is  found  chiefiy  in  the 
poets.  Paley  thinks  the  allusion  is  to 
Love  being  blind,  comparing  Theocr.  9. 19 ; 
but  see  Soph.  Aj.  554  kv  t^  (ppovtw  yap 
/iTjStv  ^StaTos  /3«os. 

5.  Ventosas,  '  light  as  the  wind,' just 
as  it  is  appHed  to  '  equi,'  '  sagittae,'  and 
the  like.  Cp.  Mosch.  Idyll.  I.  16  Kal  -nTe- 
p6(is  dis  opvis  ((pivTarai  d?0<ov  dn'  aAAoi 
'Avfpas  ■qSi  yvvaiKas,  «jrt  aTtXdyxvois  5« 
Kdd-rjTat. 


6.  Humano  corde,  'flit  from  heart  to 
heart,'  Ht.  '  in  the  heart  of  man,'  a  local 
ablative.  Kuinoel  takes  it  with  '  deum ' 
as  the  ablative  of  qua.\ity,  =  dv9panro(i5r}, 
comparing  Xenoph.  Symp.  8.  i  ;  but  the 
other  is  much  the  simpler  interpretation, 
and  suits  better  with  vv.  14,  15,  where  the 
loss  of  his  wings  is  represented  as  causing 
Cupid,  against  his  custom,  to  remain  fixed 
in  a  single  heart. 

7.  Alterna  unda,  a  new  metaphor 
suggested  perhaps  by  the  '  ventosas '  of  v. 
5  :  at  one  time  the  vo}'age  of  love  is 
prosperous,  at  another  rough  and  adverse  ; 
or  simply  '  up  and  down.' 

Scilicet  is  used  here  in  its  proper  sense 
of  introducing  an  explanation  or  reason  for 
something  said  before. 

8.  Nostra,  i.  e.  '  favourable,'  as  '  suus' 
is  often  used.  Kuinoel  well  compares  Ov. 
Rem.  Am.  v.  14  '  Gaudeat  et  vento  naviget 
ille  suo.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


Et  pharetra  ex  humero  Gnosia  utroque  jacet  j  lo 

Ante  ferit  quoniam,  tuti  quam  cernimus  hostem, 

Nec  quisquam  ex  illo  vulnere  sanus  abit. 
In  me  tela  manent,  manet  et  puerilis  imago ; 

Sed  certe  pennas  perdidit  ille  suas  : 
Evolat  heu  nostro  quoniam  de  pectore  nusquam,  15 

Assiduusque  meo  sanguine  bella  gerit. 
Quid  tibi  jucundum  est  siccis  habitare  medullis  ? 

Si  pudor  est,  (ali^  traice  tela  tua.      ^  ^^ottcvV.  ^^  ^^- 
tfe.^.  V  Jntactos  isto  satius  tentare  veneno  : 
..■v-'  Non  ego,  sed  tenuis  vapulat  umbra  mea;  20 

Quam  si  perdideris,  quis  erit  qui  talia  cantet  ? 

Haec  mea  musa  levis  gloria  magna  tua  est, 
Quae  caput  et  digitos  et  lumina  nigra  puellae, 

Et  canit,  ut  soleant  molliter  ire  pedes. 


10.  Ex  humero  .  .  utroque  :  not 
that  Cupid  has  two  quivers,  but  the  strap 
to  which  the  quiver  is  fastened  is  attached 
to  either  shoulder.  Jacet  ex,  a  condensed 
expression  for  '  (suspensa)  ex  humero  jacet 
(in  tergo).'  There  is  no  ground  for  the 
conjecture  '  jacit,'  understanding  'sagittas.' 

13.  Puerilis  imago,  '  Cupid  in  all  his 
pictured  attributes'  save  one,  denoted  in 
the  next  line,  viz.  the  loss  of  his  wings. 
Cp.  Eubulus  1.  c.  "EcTTiv  yap  ovre  Kov(pos 
ov5(  paSios  AiraWay^vai  tw  (pfpovTi  ttjv 
voaov,  Bapi/s  8«  Ko/itSij'  irais  av  ovv  €x<" 
jTTfpd ; 

15.  Heu.  Weber,  strangely  enough, 
retains  '  e  nostro,'  together  with  '  de  pec- 
tore.'  For  the  confusion  of  '  e'  and  '  heu' 
see  on  20  (19),  22. 

16.  Meo  sanguine,  '  within  my  blood,' 
the  preposition  being,  after  the  manner  of 
Propertius,  omitted.  Kuinoel  compares 
Theocr.  2.  55  Ai,  At,  (pais  dviape,  ti  jj.(v 
fxiKav  (K  xpoos  a'ifj.a  'Efuptis  dis  XtfivaTts 
anav  (k  ^5(K\a  ■ni-nctiKas ;  hence  the 
'  siccis  medullis '  of  the  foUowing  line. 

18.  Alio,  an  adverb  formed  from  an 


old  dative  or  locative ;  often  used  of  per- 
sons,  as  in  Ov.  M.  12.  57  (of  Fame)  '  Hi 
narrata  ferunt  aUo.' 

20.  Tenuis  .  .  umbra,  referring  to 
'  siccis  meduUis '  v.  1 7  :  only  a  thin  ghost 
remains  of  my  former  self. 

Vapulat.  There  is  a  considerable 
confusion  of  metaphors  here  ;  neither  '  va- 
pulare  telis'  nor  '  vapulare  veneno'  would 
seem  to  be  admissible  expressions.  Per- 
haps  the  poet  had  in  his  mind  the  words 
of  Paegnium  in  Plautus,  Pers.  2.  4,  27 
'  Nam  umbra  mea  intus  vapulat :'  else  we 
should  hardly  suppose  he  would  have  used 
a  word  belonging  chiefly  to  vulgar  Hfe. 

21.  Talia  cantet,  '  who  will  sing  of 
themes  of  love.'  The  following  line  need 
not  be  parenthetical  ('  figura  nostro  fre- 
quentissima')  as  Hertzberg  thinks,  who, 
with  Lachmann  and  Haupt,  reads  '  Qui  ca- 
put .  .  Et  canat.'  The  reading  in  the  text 
is  supported  by  equal  authority,  makes 
good  sense,  and  lends  a  greater  smooth- 
ness  to  the  close  of  the  Elegy. 

22.  Levis  . .  magna,  opposed,  as  above, 
V.4. 


PROPERTIUS. 


129 


XXXI. 

LIB.  III.    El.  4  (II.  13,  17). 

This  Elegy  contains  the  poefs  wishes  concerning  his  funeral,  that  it 
should  be  simple  and  unostentatious ;  that  his  only  pleasures  in  life,  viz. 
his  poems  and  his  Cynthia,  should  follow  him  to  the  grave ;  that  an  inscrip- 
tion  be  placed  on  his  tomb;  and  that  Cynthia's  regret  and  love  for  him 
may  never  cease.  As  to  whether  the  poem,  as  given  in  the  text,  is  com- 
plete  in  itself,  or  only  forms  part  of  a  longer  one,  3.  3  (2.  13)  being  an 
introduction  to  it,  see  the  discussion  in  Hertzberg's  Quaestiones  Prop., 
Lib.  2,  c.  5,  p.  98  foll. 


QuANDOcuMQUE  igitur  nostros  mors  claudet  ocellos, 

Accipe  quae  serves  funeris  acta  mei. 
Nec  mea  tum  longa  spatietur  imagine  pompa,    W^  l^a^v^^^w.  vv.vui 

Nec  tuba  sit  fati  vana  \querela./mei. 
Nec  mihi  tum  fulcro  sternatur  lectus  eburno,  5 

Nec  sit  in  AttaUco  mors  mea  nixa  toro.    t^^^t^uio  yivl^)  itdou  r^^ 
Desit  odoriferis  \prdo  mihi  lancjbugj  adsint 

Plebeii  parvae  funeris  exequiae.  OnK+  jaWWi:»  su-t^i/o^AvT  mU. 

\ 


1.  Igitur.  Most  editors,  connecting 
this  Elegy  with  3.  3  (2.  13),  16,  as  form- 
ing  one  piece,  make  these  lines  a  simple 
inference  from  what  has  gone  before.  But 
the  thread  of  connection  is  very  hard  to 
trace  ;  and  it  seems  most  natural  to  sup- 
pose  that  some  lines  may  have  dropped 
out,  in  which  the  poet  has  been  speaking 
of  the  close  of  life.  Even  if  this  be  not 
the  case,  the  '  igitur '  may  have  something 
of  the  same  force  as  when  joined  to  '  ergo,' 
intimating  some  previous  unexpressed  re- 
flexions,  the  sum  or  general  inference  from 
which  is  given  in  the  line  introduced  by 
'  igitur,'  much  as  our  poets  use  '  so  then.' 
'  Nox,'  which  is  found  in  many  editions, 
is  a  mere  conjecture  for  the  mors  of  all 
the  MSS. 

2.  Acta,  used  of  the  directions  con- 
tained  in  a  will,  (cp.  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Div.  2. 15  :) 
especially  the  instructions  concerning  the 
funeral.  See  l.  22  (21),  6  '  Haec  soror 
acta  tuis  sentiat  e  lacrimis.' 

3.  Longa  imagine,  '  with  long  array 


of  (ancestral)  statues,'  or  waxen  masks, 
which  it  was  the  custom  to  carry  in  a 
funeral  procession.  The  expression  is  an 
unusual  one,  but  is  more  graphic  than 
'  muha  imagine.'  Cp.  Ov.  M.  4.  30  '  longo 
.  .  foramine  buxus.' 

4.  Tuba,  as  in  7,  12  '  Tibia  funesta 
tristior  illa  tuba.' 

Querela,  by  the  metonymy  so  fre- 
quent  in  Propertius,  for  '  the  instrument 
that  proclaims  my  death.' 

6.  Attalico,  i.  e.  with  drapery  worthy 
of  Attalus  :  cp.  3.  30  (2.  32),  12  '  Por- 
ticus  aulaeis  nobilis  Attalicis : '  so  5  (4). 
5,  24.  The  varied  wealth  and  magnifi- 
cence  of  the  kings  of  Pergamus  had  passed 
into  a  proverb :  see  Hor.  Od.  i.  i,  12  ;  2. 
18,  5  :  cp.  Pliny  H.  N.  8.  48  '  Aurura  in- 
texere  vestibus  invenit  Attalus  rex.' 

Mors,  abstract  for  concrete  = '  mortuus 
ego  :'  cp.  'funus'  i.  18  (17),  8  :  '  fata'  i. 
20  (19),  2. 

7.  Lancibus  .  .  ordo.  This  use  of 
the   ablative   almost   in   the   sense  of  the 


130 


-...V^* 


jS^^ 


PROPERTIUS. 

Sat  mea,  sat  magna  est,  si  tres  sint  pompa  libelli, 

Quos  ego  Persephonae  maxima  dona  feram. 
jTu  vero  nudum  pectus  lacerata  sequeris,  ^^ 

'     Nec  fueris  nomen  lassauSEEK  msum,      VaV»Y^ 
Osculaque  in  gelidis  pones  suprema  labeilis, 

Cum  dabitur  Syrio  munere  plenus  onyx. 
Deinde,  ubi  suppositus  cinerem  me  fecerit  ardor, 

Accipiat  Manes  parvula  testa  meos, 
Et  sit  in  exiguo  laurus  superaddita  busto, 

Quae  tegat  extincti  funeris  umbra  locum. 
Et  duo  sint  versus  :    Qui  nunc  jacet  horrida  pulvis, 

Unius  hic  quondam  servus  Amoris  erat. 
Nec  minus  haec  nostri  notescet  fama  sepulcri, 

Quam  fuerant  Phthii  busta  cruenta  viri. 
Tu  quoque  si  quando  venies  ad  fata  (memento 


ao^--^ 


15 


^'sr 


genitive  is  not  uncommon  in  Propertius : 
'  a  row  consisting  of,  made  up  of  fragrant 
censers,'  carrying  the  incense  to  be  buraed 
on  the  pyre.  Yery  similar  is  the  '  creber 
platanis  surgentibus  ordo'  of  3.  30  (2.  32), 

13- 

9.  Tres  .  .  libelli.  Burmann  and  others 
have  imagined  these  to  be  the  works  of 
the  poet's  favourite  authors,  Mimnermus, 
Callimachus,  and  Philetas,  for  which  inter- 
pretation  hardly  anything  can  be  said. 
They  obviously  refer  to  the  three  books 
of  Elegies  written  by  Propertius,  the  third 
of  which  he  was  then  engaged  upon.  It 
is  mainly  on  the  ground  of  this  line  that 
Lachmann  divided  the  second  book  into 
two,  making  Lib.  3  to  begin  at  what  is 
commonly  arranged  as  the  lOth  Eiegy  of 
Lib.  2.  For  the  discussion  of  the  whole 
question,  and  Hertzberg's  grounds  for  dis- 
senting  from  Lachmann's  division,  see  the 
former's  Quaest.  Prop.  3.  2,  216. 

12.  Lassa  vocare.  The  construction 
of  '  lassus '  with  the  infinitive  is  more 
common  in  Propertius  than  in  other  poets  : 
we  find  it  again  in  3.  31  (2.  33),  26  '  talos 
mittere  lassa  manus.'  It  is  a  condensed 
expression,  equivalent  to  '  quae  labore  de- 
fessa  non  potes  vocare.'  These  futures, 
'  fueris,' '  sequeris,' '  pones,'  are  mild  impera- 
tives,  Hke  the  Greek  optative  w^ith  dv. 

14.  Syrio  munere  ;  Hke  the  '  myrrha 
Orontea'  of  i.  2,  3.  Perfumes  and  spices 
were  thrown  on  the  corpse  ;  Juv.  4,  109 
'  amomo  Quantum  vix  redolent  duo  fu- 
nera.' 


16.  Manes  comes  to  be  often  confused 
with  '  ossa '  and  '  cineres,'  from  the  idea  of 
the  spirit  always  lingering  about  the  re- 
mains  of  its  former  tenement.  Virgil,  no 
less  than  twice  (vv.  35  and  427)  in  his 
4th  book  of  the  Aeneid,  couples  '"Manes' 
and  '  cinis '  together,  without  any  great 
distinction  between  them.     Cp.  below,  vv. 

41,42. 

17.  In  .  .  busto,  either  '  near  the  tomb, 
as  '  in'  may  be  used  I.  2,  II,  or  '  within 
the  space  surrounding  the  tomb  ;'  the  latier 
being  the  more  probable. 

18.  Umbra,  in  apposition  to  '  laurus,' 
the  latter  being  the  symbol  of  poetic  in- 
spiration. 

19.  Horrida  (MSS.),  needlessly  altered 
by  the  Italian  scholars  into  '  arida.'  The 
'  loathsome  dust '  contrasts  with  the  gay 
and  adomed  figure  of  the  former  lover. 

20.  Unius  .  .  amoris,  i.  e.  constant  to 
a  single  love. 

22.  Fuerant;  sc.  '  nota,'  from  '  no- 
tescet '  of  the  preceding  Hne.  '  My  fame 
will  be  as  great  for  constancy  to  Cynthia 
as  that  of  Achilles  for  his  crueUy  to  Poly- 
xena ;  I  shall  earn  equal  glory  in  a  better 
way.'  But,  according  to  one  account, 
Poly.xena  stabbed  herself  in  grief  on  the 
tomb  of  her  lover. 

23,  24.  Tu  quoque  .  .  memores  :  a 
passage  admitting  of  more  interpretations 
than  one :  perhaps  the  best  is,  '  And  thou 
too,  when  thou  shalt  come  to  die — for, 
remember  this,  thy  last  journey  (must  be 
taken) — come  when  thy  head  is  grey  to 


PROPERTIUS.  .  131 

Hoc  iter)  ad  lapides  cana  veni  memores. 
Interea  cave  sis  nos  adspernata  sepultos  :  25 

Nonnihil  ad  verum  conscia  terra  sapit. 
Atque  utinam  primis  animam  me  ponere  cunis 

Jussisset  quaevis  de  tribus  una  soror ! 
Nam  quo  tam  dubiae  servetur  spiritus  horae  ? 

Nestoris  est  visus  post  tria  saecla  cinis :  30 


Cui  si  tam  longae  minuisset  fata  senectae 
Gallicus  Iliacis  miles  in  aggeribus,       J'^^ 
-vi  \^--.x    k'^     Non  ille  Antilochi  vidisset  corpus  humari,    . 

join  one  who  still  tliiaks  ot  thee  in  his 
tomb.'  The  chief  force  of  the  last  line 
is  doubtless  contained  in  what  seem  the 
subordinate  words  of  the  sentence,  '  cana ' 
and  '  memores  ;'  the  former  expressing  the 
wish  of  I.  20(19),  17  '  te  longae  remo- 
rentur  fata  senectae,'  the  '  memores '  con- 
taining  the  assurance  of  the  same  Elegy 
(vv.  6,  7)  '  Non  adeo  leviter  nostris  Puer 
haesit  ocellis  Ut  meus  obUto  pulvis  amore 
vacet.'  Heinsius'  conjecture,  'cara'  for 
'  cana,'  would  do  little  more  than  repeat 
the  same  idea  expressed  by  '  memores.' 
To  make,  with  Burmann  and  Jacob, 
'  memento  hoc  iter '  the  consequent  to 
'  si  quando,'  etc.  seems  much  weaker  than 
to  include  the  former  words  in  a  paren- 
thesis,  by  way  of  a  gentle  reminder  of 
death,  and  thereby  to  constitute  '  cana 
veni'  as  the  true  apodosis. 

24.  Iter  stands  closeenoughto  ad  fata  to 
dispense  with  such  epithets  as  '  supremum' 
(Hor.  Od.  2.17, 11),  or  '  tenebricosum '  (Ca- 
tuU.  3. 10),  and  the  like,  in  conjunction  with 
which  it  commonly  signifies  the  '  wa}'  of 
death.'  Lachmann  would  take  '  hoc  iter' 
with  '  veni,'  but  the  MSS.  put  a  break  after 
'  iter,'  as  though  it  were  to  be  joined 
with  '  memento  ;'  and  if  the  real  force  Hes 
in  '  cana '  and  '  memores,'  '  veni '  stands 
better  by  itself. 

Lapides  .  .  memores,  like  the  '  pul- 
vis  amore  vacet '  quoted  above.  Paley 
considers  the  second  line  corrupt,  on  the 
scarcely  sufficient  ground  of  its  being  the 
only  pentameter  in  the  Elegy  which  ends 
with  three  syllables,  such  terminations 
being  frequent  in  Propertius,  more  parti- 
cularly  however  in  the  first  than  in  the 
later  books. 

25.  Interea,  etc,  i.  e.  between  now  and 
thy  death. 

Cave,  as  is  wel!  known,  is  used  with  its 
last  syllable  common  in  the  Latin  poets, 


osAA  VinUuv 


like  '  vale.'  According  to  some  scholars, 
there  were  two  forms  of  this  and  similar 
verbs,  one  belonging  to  the  second  con- 
jugation,  making  the  imperative  '  cave,' 
the  other  of  the  third  conjugation,  making 
'  cavg.' 

26.  Conscia  terra,  i.  e.  my  ashes  will 
not  be  unaware  of  thy  forgetfulness. 
'  Terra '  is  occasionally  used  as  '  cinis,' 
'  pulvis,'  or  'favilla:'  cp.  1.  c.  '  oblitus 
pulvis  ;'  2.  I,  77  '  muta  favilla  :'  and  4.  6 
(3-  7)'  9  '  pi^  terra'  according  to  some  in- 
terpretations. 

27.  Atque  utinam.  From  the  want 
of  connection  vvith  the  preceding  lines  some 
have  supposed  that  the  following  verses 
belong  to  another  elegy  of  the  poet's,  or 
else  that  the  lines  containing  the  missing 
link  have  dropped  out. 

28.  Soror.    See  note  on  I.  20  (19),  5. 

29.  Horae,  better  taken  as  a  genitive 
after  '  spiritus,'  i.  e.  '  life  of  uncertain  hmit,' 
than  as  a  dative  with  '  servetur,'  i.  e.  '  re- 
served  only  for  uncertain  fortunes,'  or  for 
an  event  so  unforeseen  as  death. 

31,  32.  The  reading  in  these  lines  is 
doubtful.  The  best  MSS.  present  '  Quis 
tam  longaevae,'  out  of  which  has  been 
constructed  the  '  Cui  si  tam  longae '  of  the 
text :  Hertzberg,  with  some  reason,  retains 
the  '  longaevae,'  omitting  the  '  si,'  by  the 
gratuitous  insertion  of  which,  on  the  part 
of  some  transcriber,  he  explains  the  '  quis ' 
of  the  MSS.  A  still  greater  difficulty  lies 
in  Gallicus,  of  which  numerous  altera- 
tions,  e.  g.  '  Graicus,'  '  Ilius,'  '  Doricus,'  etc. 
have  been  made.  '  Gallus '  was  a  river  of 
Phrj^gia,  and  may  have  given  its  name  to 
the  country  :  possibly  Propertius  borrowed 
the  expression  from  some  Alexandrine  or 
Cyclic  poet,  as  Hertzberg  suggests. 

33.  Humari  is  obviously  the  right 
reading,  not  '  humati '  (for  '  humandi ')  as 
Kuinoel  urges. 


,yu. 


K  2 


132 


PROPERTIUS. 


Diceret  aut :    O  mors,  cur  mihi  sera  venis  ? 
^**^  r      Tu  tamen  amisso  non  nunquam  flebis  amico  :  35 

Fas  est  praeteritos  semper  amare  viros. 
Testis,  cui  niveum  quondam  percussit  Adonin 

Venantem  Idalio  vertice  durus  aper. 
Illis  formosum  jacuisse  paludibus,  illuc 

Diceris  effusa  tu,  Venus,  isse  coma.  40 

Sed  frustra  mutos  revocabis,  Cynthia,  Manes : 

Nam  mea  quid  poterunt  ossa  minuta  loqui  ? 


XXXII. 

LIB.  III.   El.  20  (II.  26). 

Propertius  here  tells  a  dream  which  he  had  had,  of  Cynthia  being 
shipwrecked  in  the  lonian  sea,  and  being  rescued  from  drowning  by  a 
dolphin.  He  hopes  thus  to  deter  her  from  some  voyage  she  is  meditating, 
I  follow  Weber  and  many  editors,  who  commence  a  new  Elegy 


see  21, 9 
at  V.  21. 


ViDi  te  in  somnis  fracta,  mea  vita,  carina 
donio  lassas  ducere  rore  manus. 


34.  Diceret,  =  ' dixisset :'  see  note  on 
I.  18(17),  22. 

35,  36.  Amisso  .  .  praeteritos,  em- 
phatic,  implying  that  she  had  loved  him 
too  little  when  aUve. 

37.  Testis  .  .  cui.  This  emendation 
of  '  qui '  (MSS.)  seems  absolutely  neces- 
sary  :  the  '  durus  aper'  who  killed  Adonis 
would  be  a  curious  evidence  of  sustained 
aftiection  toward  a  dead  husband.  The 
antecedent  to  '  cui '  is  of  course  '  illa,' 
sc.  '  Venus.'  Kuinoel  reads  '  quem  .  . 
Adonis.' 

39,  40.  There  is  much  confusion,  both 
as  to  the  reading  and  construction  of  these 
lines.  'IlUs'  and  '  jacuisse'  have  more 
authority  in  their  favour  than  '  illic '  and 
'  flevisse '  or  'lavisse;'  the  latter  might 
seem  to  have  been  invented  to  simphfy  the 
construction.  Before  'jacuisse'  must  be 
suppHed  '  dicitur,'  from  the  'diceris'  of  the 
next  line.  '  Beside  those  marshes,  as  is 
said,  the  fair  youth  lay,  and  thither  with 
streaming  hair,  Venus,  thou  didst  hie.' 
Thus  Propertius  would  encourage  Cynthia 
to  visit  his  grave.    Kuinoel  compares  Bion. 


Idyll.  I.  20  d  S'  'AcppoSira  \vaafj.iva  irXo- 
Ka/uSas  dvcL  Spvfj.us  d\d\r]Tai. 

Paludibus,  i.  e.  the  natural  lair  of  the 
wild  boar.  Lachmann  once  read  '  formosis,' 
strangely  enough  taking  it  with  'paludibus' 
as  meaning  '  beautiful  waters.'  There  is  no 
such  contradiction  between  '  paludibus'  and 
the '  vertice ' preceding as  to  warrant  Heinsius' 
alteration  into  '  in  collibus'  or  '  in  vallibus.' 

41.  Sed  frustra  refers  back  to  v.  35  : 
Thou  mayest  and  wilt  weep  for  me  when 
gone,  but  thou  canst  never  call  me  back 
from  the  tomb ;  therefore  tell  me  thy 
love  while  I  yet  live  to  respond  to  it. 

1.  Vidi  te.  None  of  the  better  texts 
have  '  vidi  ego  te.'  The  spondaic  rhythm 
suits  the  solemn  melancholy  thought. 

2.  Ducere,  '  moving,'  '  plying  thine 
arms  wearied  in  struggling  with  the  lonian 
spray.'  We  have  a  somewhat  similar  use 
of  'ducere'  in  Ov.  Amor.  2.  4,  29  '  Illa 
placet  gestu  numerosaque  brachia  ducit.' 

Rore,  best  taken  as  causal  ablative 
with  '  lassas,'  like  '  humore  graves '  v.  4, 
not  for  (in)  '  rore '  with  '  ducere.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


133 


Et  quaecumque  in  me  fueras  mentita,  fateri, 

Nec  jam  humore  graves  tollere  posse  comas : 
Qualem  purpureis  agitatam  fluctibus  Hellen, 

Aurea  quam  molli  tergore  vexit  ovis. 
Quam  timui,  ne  forte  tuum  mare  nomen  haberet, 

Atque  tua  labens  navita  fleret  aqua ! 
Quae  tum  ego  Neptuno,  quae  tum  cum  Castore  fratri, 

Quaeque  tibi  excepi,  jam  dea  Leucothee  ! 
At  tu  vix  primas  extollens  gurgite  palmas 

Saepe  meum  nomen  jam  peritura  vocas. 
Quod  si  forte  tuos  vidisset  Glaucus  ocellos, 

Esses  lonii  facta  puella  maris, 
£t  tibi  ob  invidiam  Nereides  increpitarent, 

Candida  Nesaee,  caerula  Cymothoe. 
Sed  tibi  subsidio  delphinum  currere  vidi, 

Qui,  puto,  Arioniam  vexerat  ante  lyram. 


15 


5.  Qualem  .  .  Hellen,  an  imitation  of 
the  Greek  use  of  attraction,  rarel}'  found  in 
the  Latin  poets,  diav  "EAAt;:/  =  '  vidi  te 
talem  qualis  erat  Helle.'  Kuinoel  resorts 
to  the  strange  interpretation  of  making 
'  aurea  ovis  (vidit)'  govern  '  Hellen.' 

Purpureis,  Homer's  Trop(f>vpeov  Kvjxa, 
'  the  dark-blue  waves,'  their  colour  when 
freshened  hy  the  wind.  Aulus  Gellius 
quotes  a  line  of  Furius  Antias,  '  Spiritus 
Eurorum  virides  quum  purpurat  undas.' 
Cp.  Cic.  Acad.  Prior.  2.  33  and  Virg.  G. 

4-  373- 

6.  Tergus  is  strictly  the  covering  (hide, 
fleece,  etc.)  of  the  'tergum:'  but  the  two 
words  are  not  uncommonly  used  alike, 
especially  by  the  poets. 

8.  Atque  tua,  '  sailing  over  waters 
called  after  thee.'  Hertzberg  suspects  that 
Propertius  wrote  '  Teque  '  for  '  Atque,'  ob- 
serving  that  this  is  the  only  place  but  one 
(viz.  5  (4).  2,  52)  where  '  atque'  is  found 
before  a  consonant  instead  of  a  vowel. 

10.  Excepi  seems  to  be  used  here  in 
the  sense  of '  suscipere  vota,'  '  to  take  on 
oneself  the  discharge  of  certain  vows  to 
the  gods.'  The  two  verbs  seem  to  be 
used  sometimes  indiscriminately,  e.  g.  Cic. 
ad  Fam.  10.  I.  Bekker  would  refer  it  to 
a  technical  sense  of  '  excipere '  (seen  espe- 
cially  in  the  law-term  '  exceptio ')  =  '  to 
bargain  with  the  gods.' 

Jam  dea  :  cp.  3.  23  (2.  28).  18  '  Nunc 
dea,  quae  Nili  flumina  vacca  bibit.'  It  is 
a  delicate  way  of  saying,  '  once  a  mortal, 


and  so  able  to  sympathize.'  According  to 
one  story,  she  too  had  been  preserved 
from  drowning,  after  her  leap  into  the  sea, 
bv  a  dolphin.  The  name  seems  to  be 
written  both  '  Leucothee '  and  '  Leuco- 
thoe'  (MSS.).  Jam,  (not  '  tum.'  which 
Kuinoel  reads,)  is  found  in  all  the  MSS. 
Weber  wrongly  punctuates  after  '  jam.' 

II.  Primas  palmas,  '  the  tips  of  thine 
hands,'  like  '  primum  digitum'  in  CatuII. 

2.  3- 

15.  Ob  invidiam  has  been  altered  by 
many  editors  from  inferior  MSS.  into  '  prae 
invidia '  unnecessarily,  '  ob '  not  uncom- 
monly  denoting  the  cause,  as  e.  g.  Virg. 
Ae.  10.  85  2  '  Pulsus  ob  invidiam.'  Mark- 
land  proposed  '  ab '  for  '  ob,'  which  is 
adopted  by  some  in  Hor.  S.  I.  4,  26  '  Aut 
ob  avaritiam  .  .  laborat.' 

Increpitarent.     See  on  3.  4,  34. 

16.  Nesaee.  See  Virg.  G.  4.  338  ;  Ae. 
5.  826;  Hom.  II.  18.  40  tirjaair)  27r€ra)  re. 
'Cymothoe'  and  'Cymodoce'  are  also  enu- 
merated  among  the  Nereids  in  Hom.  1.  c. 

18.  Arioniam  lyram,  i.  e.  Arion  with 
his  lyre,  like  '  imbelles  lyrae,'  5  (4).  6,  36, 
an  expression  quite  in  the  style  of  Proper- 
tius,  the  person  being  denoted  by  the  attri- 
bute  or  instrument  for  which  he  was  chiefly 
distinguished.  So  Romulus  is  characterised 
by  his  '  trabea'  in  Ov.  Fast.  6.  796  '  Cum 
data  sunt  trabeae  templa,  Quirine,  tuae.' 
Cp.  4.  2  (3.  3),  7  '  Horatia  pila,'  =  '  Hora- 
tios  cum  pilis.' 


134  PROPERTIUS. 

Jamque  ego  conabar  summo  me  mittere  saxo, 
Cum  mihi  discussit  talia  visa  metus. 


XXXIII. 


LIB.  IV.    El.  I    (III.  I  et  2). 

In  this  poem  Propertius  claims  distinction  for  himself  as  the  imitator  of 
Callimachus  and  Philetas,  and  as  having  first  taught  his  countrymen  the 
beauties  of  Elegiac  poetry,  the  poetry  of  love  and  peace,  which  suits  his 
genius  and  his  taste  better  than  the  stem  and  warlike  Epic.  En^^  (he 
knows)  will  beset  him  while  alive :  but  the  world  is  too  much  indebted  to 
poets  for  him  to  be  forgotten,  any  more  than  Homer  and  the  rest.  His 
fame,  on  the  contrary,  will  grow  with  years,  especially  among  the  maidens 
whose  love  and  beauty  he  has  sung.  We  may  compare  with  the  general 
tone  of  this  Elegy  Virgi^s  boast  in  his  Georgics,  3.  291,  Horace's  in  his 
Odes,  3.  10,  10.  The  only  originality,  which  most  of  the  Roman  poets 
aspired  to,  seems  to  have  been  the  originality  of  imitation.  What  Homer, 
Hesiod,  and  Aratus  were  to  Virgil,  what  Sappho  and  Alcaeus  were  to 
Horace,  such  Propertius  here  represents  Callimachus  and  Philetas  to  have 
been  to  him. 

Callimachi  Manes  et  Coi  sacra  Philetae, 

In  vestrum,  quaeso,  me  sinite  ire  nemus. 
Primus  ego  ingredior  puro  de  fonte  sacerdos 


I.   Sacra     Philetae,    a    difficult    ex-  tering  to  the   muses.     Hertzberg   regards 

pression,     not     easily    harmonised     with  '  sacra  Philetae'  as  =  '  sacerdos  Phiietas,' 

'  manes,'   to  which   it   is   coupled.     Some  priest  of  the  grove  to  which  the  poet  asks 

would    take    it    as    equivalent    to    '  sacer  admission,   great   master   of  the    style   of 

Phileta,'    =    '  blest,   deified   shade,'   which  which  he  would  become  the  humble  imi- 

however   would    require    'sanctus'    rather  tator.     Unger  makes  '  sacra' =  '  sacrarium.' 

than    '  sacer.'     OreUi,   comparing   Martial  Any  such  alterations  as  '  scripta,'  '  serta,' 

7.  63,  5  '  Sacra  cothumati  non  attigit  ille  '  simulacra,'  are  out  of  the  question.      Phi- 

Maronis,'    interprets   it   as   '  ars   recondita  letas    died    about    290  B.  c,   Callimachus 

quae    in    ipso    poeta    olim    fuerat     atque  about  240  B.  c. 

etiamnunc    per    ejus    scripta    se    prodit.'  3.  Primus,   scarcely  justified  by  facts. 

Neither    of  these    explanations    seems    to  Ennius,  in  his  epigrams,  had  been  the  first 

suit   the  context   so   well  as  the  simplest  to  use  the  elegiac  metre,  which  Catullus 

and    commonest    meaning    of   '  sacra,'    as  made   the   vehicle  of  impassioned   feeiing 

applied  to  poets  who  serve  the  muses  by  and  sustained  narrative,  besides  translating 

their  compositions  :   cp.  5  (4).  6,  I  '  Sacra  a    poem    of    Callimachus    in    the    same 

facit  vates  ;    sint  ora  faventia  sacris,'  and  metre. 

'  coelestia  sacra,'  Ov.  Tr.  4.  10,  19.     Pro-  Puro  de  fonte,  '  (drinking  inspiration) 

pertius  contemplates  Philetas  as  still  minis-  from  an    untouched    spring,'   as  in  Lucr. 


PROPERTIUS.  135 

■■■  '^•'..«iA 

Itala  per  Graios  orgia  ferre  choros. 
Dicite,  quo  pariter  carmcn  tenuastis  in  antro  ?  5 

Quove  pede  ingressi  ?   quamve  bibistis  aquam  ? 
Ah  valeat,  Phoebum  quicumque  moratur  in  armis ! 

Exactus  tenui  pumice  versus  eat, 
Qup  me  Fama  levat  terra  sublimis,  et  a  me 

Nata  coronatis  Musa  triumphat  equis,  10 

Et  mecum  in  curru  parvi  vectantur  Amores, 

Scriptorumque  meas  turba  secuta  rotas. 
Quid  frustra  missis  in  me  certatis  habenis  ? 

Non  datur  ad  Musas  currere  lata  via. 


Multi,  Roma,  tuas  laudes  annalibus  addent,  15 


4.  2  '  juvat  integros  accedere  fontes  At- 
que  haurire.' 

Ingredior  ferre,  a  construction  found 
in  Cicero,  Acad.  I.  I,  3  :  see  note  on 
I.  6,  33.  The  verb  is  chosen  in  reference 
to  '  nemus.'     Cp.  v.  6. 

4.  Itala  per  Graios,  '  convey  ItaHan 
mysteries  in  Grecian  rhythms,'  or  '  conduct 
in  Grecian  style  the  worship  of  Italia's 
muse.'  The  imagery  is  in  harmony  with 
the  sacerdotal  function  claimed  by  the 
poet.  The  rites  (i.  e.  the  subjects  of  his 
poems)  will  be  national,  the  music  or 
measures  to  which  they  will  be  set  are 
Grcek.  This  seems  simpler  and  better 
than  to  suppose  a  transposition  of  '  per,' 
and  construct  (with  Hertzberg)  '  Graios 
choros  ferre  per  orgia  Itala,'  i.  e.  '  Graecam 
poesin  in  sacra  vatum  Romana  adducere,' 
or  to  imagine  (with  Kuinoel)  a  hypallage 
for  '  Graia  orgia  per  Italos  choros  ferre.' 
Choros  is  used  here  for  '  modos,'  as 
keeping  up  the  figure  of  the  priest  of- 
ficiating,  while  the  chorus  sang  and  moved 
in  harmony.  Cp.  Manil.  I,  6  '  Hospita 
sacra  ferens,  nulli  memorata  priorum.' 

5,6.  The  general  meaning  of  these  lines 
is,  How  did  ye  gain  such  perfection  in 
your  verse  ?  By  what  course,  and  after 
what  models  did  ye  compose  ? 

Pariter,  side  by  side,  or  following  each 
other's  steps. 

Tenuastis,  used  here  in  a  pecuHar 
sense,  '  how  did  ye  refine,  polish  your 
lines?'  Hertzberg  compares  Stat.  Silv. 
4.  7>  9  •  ^ind  just  below,  v.  8,  '  teuui 
pumice.' 

6.  Ingressi,  i.e.  the  sacred  grove  of 
V.  2 :  '  by  what  way  did  ye  gain  en- 
trance  ?' 

7,  8.    Moratur     in     armis,    '  makes 


Phoebus  tarry  in  the  hattle-field,'  i.  e.  is 
wholly  devoted  to  heroic  poetry  :  he  for 
himseh"  prefers  the  smooth,  finished  mea- 
sures  of  elegiac  verse. 

8.  Eat,  '  run,'  not  (as  Paley)  in  allusion 
to  publication. 

9.  Quo,  '  that  verse  whereby  I  am  to 
rise  to  fame.' 

10.  Nata.  Propertius  calls  himself  the 
father  of  elegiac  verse  (see  v.  iH),  whom 
as  his  chiid  he  sees  triumphing  together 
with  himself  and  the  Loves,  whom  he 
celebrated  in  that  measure.  Lachmann's 
correction,  '  nota,'  would  much  weaken 
the  passage  :  in  his  second  edition  he  too 
adopts  '  nata.' 

12.  Scriptorum  turba,  i.  e.  the  host 
of  imitators  who  serve  to  swell  the  suc- 
cessful  poet's  triumph.  I  cannot  agree 
with  Orelli,  who  considers  it  more  poetical 
to  take  '  scriptorum'  of  the  poet's  writings, 
•  quae  quasi  vitam  atque  corpus  habentia 
currum  ejus  triumphalem  subsequantur  !' 
The  verb  substantive  is  omitted,  as  often 
in  Propertius.  It  would  be  clearly  against 
the  poet's  practice  to  couple  this  line  with 
the  following.  For  the  envy  he  had  ex- 
cited  among  his  contemporaries,  see  below, 
V.  21. 

13.  Habenis.  Mark  the  change  of 
imagery  from  the  triumph  to  the  race- 
course. 

14.  There  are,  it  would  seem,  two  con- 
structions  mixed  up  here,  '  non  datur  ad 
musas  lata  via'  (nom.),  and  '  non  datur 
currere  ad  musas  lata  via'  (ablat.).  We 
may  take  it  as  an  imitation  of  the  Greek 
intinitive  with  SiaTi  suppressed.  Cp.  the 
proverb,  ov  iravTos  dfSpos  tls  KopivOov 
iaO'  6  itXovs. 

15.  Annalibus.     There  will  be  plenty 


1^,6 


PROPERTIUS. 


Qui  finem  imperii  Bactra  futura  canent. 
Sed,  quod  pace  legas,  opus  hoc  de  monte  Sororum 

Detulit  intacta  pagina  nostra  via. 
Mollia,  Pegasides,  vestro  date  serta  poetae  : 

Non  faciet  capiti  dura  corona  meo.  20 

At  mihi  quod  vivo  detraxerit  invida  turba, 

Post  obitum  duplici  fenore  reddet  Honos. 
Omnia  post  obitum  fingit  majora  vetustas  : 

Maius  ab  exequiis  nomen  in  ora  venit. 
Nam  quis  equo  pulsas  abiegno  nosceret  arces,  25 

Fluminaque  Haemonio  comminus  isse  viro, 
Idaeum  Simoenta,  Jovis  cunabula  parvi, 

Hectora  per  campos  ter  maculasse  rotas? 
Deiphobumque,  Helenumque,  et  Polydamanta,  et  in  armis 


to  sing  of  thy  warlike  glory  in  Epic  verse, 
(with  perhaps  an  allusion  to  the  spirit  and 
title  of  Ennius'  great  work :)  mine  is  poetry 
to  be  perused  in  peace. 

18.  Pagina  .  .  detulit,  as  it  stands,  is 
an  awkward  metaphor,  as  again  in  2,  21 ; 
but  '  pagina  nostra,'  in  Propertius'  style,  is 
equivalent  to  '  paginae  scriptor.'  Cp.  3. 
32  (2.  34\  87  '  cantarunt  scripta  Catulli  ;' 
5  (4).  6,  3  '  Cera  Philetaeis  certet  Romana 
corymbis.' 

Intacta,  '  untrodden  before,' as  opposed 
to  '  muhi'  of  V.  15. 

19.  Mollia  contains  the  emphasis  of 
the  hne ;  the  poet  of  love  must  have  a 
soft,  dehcate  crown  of  myrtle  or  ivy  :  the 
stiff  laurel-chaplet  shall  be  reserved  for  the 
epic  bard :  cp.  5  (4).  i,  6[  '  Ennius  hirsuta 
cingat  sua  dicta  corona :  Mi  folia  ex  hedera 
porrige,  Bacche,  tua.' 

22.  Duplici  fenore,  the  modal  ab- 
lative,  as  in  1.  7.  6  '  Saepe  venit  magno 
fenore  tardus  Amor  :'  cp.  Tibull.  2.  6,  22. 

23.  Vetustas,  not,  as  Paley  takes  it,  of 
the  remote  future,  '  distant  posterity:' 
rather,  '  the  oldness  of  things  makes  them 
seem  greater.' 

25.  Nam  quis.  The  connection  is, '  If 
poetry  did  not  long  survive  the  poet's 
death,  who  would  now  know  anything  of 
past  events  like  the  tale  of  Troy?' 

Equo  pulsas,  '  overthrown  through  the 
stratagem  of  the  horse.'  or  perhaps '  pulsas ' 
= '  pulsatas.'  and,  as  Burmann  remarks, 
Propertius  may  be  following  the  rational- 
istic  theory  of  the  Trojan  horse  being  a 
particular  sort  of  battering-ram. 

26.  Haemonio     viro,    the    hero    of 


Thessaly  (Achilles),  assailed  by  the  rivers 
Xanthus  (or  Scamander)  and  Simois.  See 
Hom.  II.  21.  211  foll. 

27.  This  hne  was  considered  by  Lach- 
mann  to  be  spurious,  involving  as  it  does 
a  confiision  between  the  Phr}'gian  and 
Cretan  mountains  bearing  the  common 
name  of  Ida.  Haupt  reads  '  Jovis  cum 
prole  Scamandro ; '  but  there  is  no  au- 
thority  for  any  alteration.  Such  confu- 
sions  of  legend,  arising  from  similar  names, 
are  not  uncommon  in  the  poets ;  e.  g. 
Virgil  attributes  to  one  Scylla,  the  daughter 
of  Nisus,  what  really  belonged  to  another, 
the  daughter  of  Phorcus,  E.  6.  74,  and  see 
others  quoted  by  Hertzberg.  h.  I.  Cp.  Ae. 
3.  104,  105,  (where  the  colonization  of 
Troy  from  Crete  is  inferred  from  the 
common  name  of  Ida,)  '  Creta  Jovis  magni 
medio  jacet  insula  ponto,  Mons  Idaeus  ubi, 
gentis  cunabula  nostrae.'  A  similar  mix- 
ture  of  Phrj'gian  and  Cretan  legends  may 
be  noticed  in  Lucr.  2.  632  foll.  Burmarm's 
supposition  that  '  Jovis  parvi '  means  Ae- 
neas,  in  reference  to  Virg.  Ae.  i.  618  '  Alma 
Venus  Phrygii  genuit  Simoentis  ad  undam,' 
h  strained  and  improbable. 

28.  Per  campos,  the  reading  of  the 
MSS.,  needlessly  altered  into  '  Ter.'  Cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  1.483  '  Ter  circum  Iliacos  rap- 
taverat  Hectora  muros.'  Homer  (II.  24. 
16)  represents  Hector  as  being  dragged 
thrice  only  round  the  tomb  of  Patroclus. 

29.  Polydamanta  et  in  armis  :  the 
MSS.  have  '  Polydamantes  in  armis,'  whence 
Paley  reads  '  Pulydamantas,'  but  the  plural  is 
awkward  among  so  many  singulars.  The 
text  is  Lachmann's  emendation   of  Scali- 


PROPERTIUS.  137 

Qualcmcunquc  Parin  vix  sua  nosset  humus.  30 

Exiguo  scrmone  fores  nunc,  llion,  et  tu 

Troja,  bis  Oetaei  numine  capta  dei. 
Nec  non  ille  tui  casus  memorator  Homerus 

Posteritate  suum  crescere  sensit  opus. 
Meque  inter  seros  laudabit  Roma  nepotes  j  35 

Illum  post  cineres  auguror  ipse  diem. 
Ne  mea  contempto  lapis  indicet  ossa  sepulcro, 

Provisum  est,  Lycio  vota  probante  iieo. 
Carminis  interea  nostri  redeamus  in  orbem, 

Gaudeat  ut  solito  tacta  puella  sono.  40 

Orphea  detinuisse  feras  et  concita  dicunt 

Flumina  Threicia  sustinuisse  lyra  j 


ger's  conjecture,  '  sine  armis,'  which  last 
Kuinoel  explains  by  referring  to  the  un- 
warlike  character  of  Helenus  and  Poly- 
damas,  though  he  seems  to  have  forgotten 
the  exploits  of  the  former  in  II.  12.  94 
and  13,  80,  while  the  latter  is  nowhere 
spoken  of  as  deficient  in  courage.  At  the 
same  time  it  spoils  the  flow  of  the  lines 
to  take  the  '  in  armis'  with  '  Parin  ;'  Prof. 
Conington  suggests  '  Polydamanta  sub 
armis.'  Ovid  has  imitated  the  next  line, 
Tr.  5-  5,  54  '  Forsitan  Evadnen  vix  sua 
nosset  humus.' 

31.  Exiguo  sermone, 'little  talked  of.' 
Some  would  read  here  '  Ilios,'  as  in  Hor. 

Od.  4.  9,  18.  AIl  three  forms  of  the  no- 
minative  and  vocative,  '  Ilium,'  '  Ilion,'  and 
'Ilios,'  are  found  in  the  poets  ;  'Ilion'  would 
usually  denote  the  city, '  Troja'  the  district. 

32.  Bis  capta,  once  by  Hercules  under 
Laomedon,  the  second  time  through  his 
arrows,  with  one  of  which  Philoctetes  slew 
Paris.     See  Soph.  Phil.  1425  foll. 

33.  34.  Memorator,  a  coinage  of  Pro- 
pertius :  Valerius  Flaccus  creates  the  femi- 
nine  '  Eoae  memoratrix  tibia  pugnae  '  6. 
142.  Not  only  has  the  fame  of  Troy 
grown  with  years,  but  also  that  of  its  bard. 

34.  Posteritate,  like  '  seros  nepotes' 
in  the  next  line,  is  the  eniphatic  word. 

36.  Diem,  i.  e.  when  I  shall  be  praised 
thus.  One  MS.  has  'esse'  for  ipse,  but 
'  esse '  can  hardly  stand  for  '  fore  ;'  and  the 
pronoun  means  that  he  turns  prophet  for 
himself. 

37.  Lapis.  The  emphasis  is  on  '  con- 
tempto  sepulcro '  = '  lest  the  funeral  stone 
that  marks  my  bones  should  be  a  despised 
one.' 


38.  Vota  probante.  '  Apollo  sanc- 
tions  my  prayer'  to  become  illustrious  by 
my  poems.  Is  there  any  allusion  to  his 
works  being  admitted  to  the  Palatine 
library  of  Apollo  ? 

39.  Carminis  .  .  orbem,  '  the  sphere' 
or  '  course  of  my  song ;'  not  without  some 
emphasis  on  '  nostri'  =  ' such  as  befits  me,' 
i.  e.  songs  of  love,  which  he  had  spoken 
of  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  Elegy  as  his 
particular  proviuce.  Kuinoel  compares  Ov. 
Rem.  Am.  398  '  gyro  curre,  poeta,  tuo:' 
see  on  4.  2  (3.  2),  21. 

Interea,  as  3.  4  (2.  13),  25,  while  yet 
I  live  and  write. 

40.  Ut  seems  better  than  '  in,'  which 
Lachm.  and  Haupt  read  from  the  '  in- 
solito' of  some  MSS.  ;  '  gaudeat  in  sono' 
would  scarcely  be  Latin  (cp.  Ov.  Fast.  4. 
193),  not  to  mention  the  abruptness  of 
the  connection.  Orelli  requires  '  sono '  to 
be  constructed  with  '  tacta.' 

41.  In  most  of  the  MSS.  a  new  elegy  is 
marked  as  beginning  here  :  but  v.  39  seems 
to  point  rather,  as  Muretus  shewed,  to  the 
following  lines  as  constituting  the  resump- 
tion  of  his  favourite  theme  there  spoken 
of. 

Detinuisse.  Orelli  and  others  would 
read  '  delinisse'  to  avoid  the  repetition  of 
sound  in  the  '  sustinuisse'  of  the  following 
line.  Hertzberg  however  sees  in  it  an 
'  efhcax  6ixoi6tttqjtov.'  Cp.  Martial  14. 
166  (of  the  same  lyre)  '  Quae  duxit  silvas 
detinuitque  feras.' 

42.  Sustinuisse  Paley  well  explains 
by  '  tenuisse  ne  deorsum  fluerent.'  Cp. 
Manil.  5.  561  (of  the  sea)  '  sustinuit  fluc- 
tus.' 


138 


PROPERTIUS. 


Saxa  Cithaeronis  Thebas  agitata  per  artem 

Sponte  sua  in  muri  membra  coisse  ferunt  j 
Quin  etiam,  Polypheme,  fera  Galatea  sub  Aetna  45 

Ad  tua  rorantes  carmina  flexit  equos ; 
Miremur,  nobis  et  Baccho  et  ApoUine  dextro, 

Turba  puellarum  si  mea  verba  colit  ? 
Quod  non  Taenariis  domus  est  mihi  fulta  columnis, 

Nec  camera  auratas  inter  eburna  trabes  j  50 

Nec  mea  Phaeacas  aequant  pomaria  silvas,  ^,, 

Non  operosa  rigat  Marcius  antra  liquor : 
At  Musae  comites,  et  carmina  grata  legenti, 

Et  defessa  choris  Calliopea  meis. 
Fortunata,  meo  si  qua  es  celebrata  libello  !  55 

Carmina  erunt  formae  tot  monumenta  tuae. 
Nam  neque  pyramidum  sumptus  ad  sidera  ducti, 

Nec  Jovis  Elei  coelum  imitata  domus, 
Nec  Mausolei  dives  fortuna  sepulcri 


43.  Thebas  (MSS.),  changed  by  Hein- 
sius  into  '  Thebanam.'  Others  prefer 
'  Thebis'  or  '  Thebes.'  The  simplest  way 
perhaps  of  taking  the  accusative  is  to  sup- 
pose  it  =  '  ad  Thebas,'  '  drawn  (by  his 
music)  to  Thebes.'  To  take  it  as  in  appo- 
sition  to  '  saxa,'  =  '  the  stones  that  grew 
into  Thebes,'  would  be  very  harsh. 

46.  Rorantes  .  .  equos,  '  sea-horses' 
attendant  on  the  ocean  nymphs.  For 
Galatea  and  Polyphemus  see  Theocr. 
Idyll.  6. 

49.  Quod.  This  use  of  '  quod,'  pre- 
facing  an  objection  to  which  a  reply  is 
made  (as  here  in  v.  53  '  At  musae  co- 
mites'  etc),  is  well  known  from  the  com- 
mon  phrases  '  Quod  ais,'  '  Quod  quaeris,' 
'  scribis,'  etc,  '  As  for  the  fact  that,' '  True 
that.'  Cp.  Ov.  Her.  17.  51  '  Quod  genus 
et  proavos  et  regia  nomina  jactas,  Clara 
satis  domus  haec  nobilitate  sua  est.' 

T  a  e  n  a  r  i  i  s , '  of  Taenarian  green  marble :' 
cp.  Tibull.  3.  3,  I4. 

50.  Camera,  'the  ivory  (or  ivory-white) 
ceiling  intersected  with  gilded  beams.'  Cp. 
Hor.  Od.  2.  18, 1.- 

51.  Phaeacas,  a  form  of  the  adjective 
perhaps  peculiar  to  Propertius :  Tibullus 
uses  the  commoner  '  Phaeacius'  in  4.  I,  78: 
and  hence  some  te.xts  have  here  '  Phaea- 
cias.'  But  Propertius  often  uses  pecuHar 
forms  of  adjectives  and  substantives,  e.  g. 
'  Baiae  aquae,'  '  Ronnila  vincla,'  '  Curii 
fratres,'  etc. 


Mea,  =  'I  have  no  orchards  to  vie  with 
Phaeacian  plantations.'    (Paley.) 

52.  Marcius.  '  No  water  from  the 
Marcian  spring  refreshes  artistic  grottoes 
of  mine.'  It  was  the  purest  water  in  Rome, 
first  conveyed  from  the  Pelignian  country 
into  the  city  by  Q^  Marcius  Rex,  144  b.c. 
See  its  history  in  Pliny,  H.  N.  31.  24. 

53.  Grata.  Lachmann  adopts  this, 
with  one  good  MS ,  instead  of  '  cara,' 
which  Herlzberg  retains  as  having  '  plus 
coloris  et  tjOovs.'  There  is  Httle  or  no 
difference  in  the  meaning,  but  '  grata ' 
avoids  a  somewhat  unpleasant  alHteration 
of  '  c'  in  the  two  lines. 

54.  Defessa  .  .  choris, '  wearying  her- 
self  to  take  part.'  Propertius  represents 
himself  as  tiring  out  the  Muses  in  the 
dance,  according  to  the  image  he  sets 
forth  in  4,  20  :  '  Me  juvat  .  .  Musarumque 
choris  impHcuisse  manus ; '  cp.  Hesiod, 
Theog.  3.  Calliope  is  often  taken  by  the 
poets  as  the  Muse  Kar'  efox^,  the  repre- 
sentative  of  the  Nine  :  see  2,38. 

57.  Pyramidum  sumptus,  '  the  Py- 
ramids'  lavish  pile,'  = '  sumptuosae  Pyra- 
mides.'  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  30,  2  '  RegaHque 
situ  pyramidum  ahius.'  Nothing  could 
be  weaker  than  Burmann's  emendation, 
'  montes.' 

59.  Dives  fortuna,  '  nor  the  gorgeous 
state  of  Mausolus'  tomb,'  a  poetic  peri- 
phrasis  for  the  tomb  itself,  h'ke  the  '  sump- 
tus  Pyramidum'  just  before. 


PROPERTIUS.  139 

Mortis  ab  extrema  conditione  vacant.  60 

Aut  illis  flamma  aut  imber  subducet  honores, 

Annorum  aut  ictu  pondera  victa  ruent  j 
At  non  ingenio  quaesitum  nomen  ab  aevo      \"\Voull 

Excidet :    ingenio  stat  sine  morte  decus. 


XXXIV. 

LIB.  IV.    El.  2  (3). 

We  have  here  a  dream  of  Propertius,  or  rather,  as  Paley  thinks,  an 
allegory,  in  which  he  represents  himself  as  called  away  by  Apollo  from 
the  pursuit  of  Epic  poetry,  for  which  his  genius  was  unsuited,  to  that  of 
Elegiac  or  Amatory  verse  :  in  the  treatment  of  such  themes  Calliope  was  to 
be  his  patroness,  and  Philetas  his  model.     Compare  5.  i,  70  foU. 

Visus  eram  molli  recubans  Heliconis  in  umbra, 

Bellerophontei  qua  fluit  humor  equi, 
Reges,  Alba,  tuos  et  regum  facta  tuorum 

Tantum  operis  nervis  hiscere  posse  meis  • 
Parvaque  tam  magnis  admoram  fontibus  ora,  5 

Unde  pater  sitiens  Ennius  ante  bibit, 
Et  cecinit  Curios  fratres,  et  Horatia  pila. 


Mausolei  is  here  an  adjective.  whole  sentence,  as  in  Virg.  G.  3.  40  '  Silvas 

63.  Ab    aevo  :    so  4  (3).  6,  7  '  excidit  saltusque  sequamur  Intactos,  tua,  Maece- 

aevo ; '   it    means,   '  shall   fall   away   from  nas,   haud  moUia  jussa.'     The  expression 

time '  or  '  life.'     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  9.  407  '  me-  nervis    hiscere    is    rather    incongruous 

niori  vos  eximet  aevo  :'  Hom.  II.  24.  725  and  obscure  :  we  may  compare  the  some- 

dn'  alaifos  Vfos  aiXfo:   and  Babrius  12.4  what  similar  '  carmen  hiare  lyra'  in  3.  29 

tKTTfffovTa  TTJs  uipTjs.  (2.  31),  6.      '  Strain  my  opened  mouth  to 

sing  on  my  lyre   so   hard  a  theme.'     Its 

2.   Bellerophontei.     Hippocrene,  the  use  is  altogether  diflerent  in  Virg.  Ae.  3. 

inspiring  well  of  the  Muses   on  HeHcon,  314. 

arose  from  a  kick  of  Bellerophon's  horse  5.   Admoram,    referring    probably    to 

Pegasus  {TTTjyr),  the  properties  of  the  horse  the  poems  arranged  as  the  iifth  Book  of 

and  of  water  being  often  regarded  as  kin-  Propertius. 

dred  in  ancient   times)  ;    hence   the  '  fons  7.   Cecinit,  the  reading  of  the  MSS., 

caballinus'   of    Persius,    Prolog.  i,    which  for  which  Lachmann   substituted  '  cecini,' 

may     contain     some     reference     to     this  from  one  good  edition,  thinking  it  better 

passage :    so    '  Gorgoneo    lacu'   below,    v.  to    make   Propertius    say  that    he    in   his 

32.  dream  sang  of  the  Curiatii,  etc,  than  go 

4.    Tantum     operis,    the    accusative  on  needlessly  enumerating  all  that  Ennius 

in  apposition,  not  to  '  reges,'  but  to  the  had  written  about.      Hertzberg,  however, 


140 


PROPERTIUS. 


Regiaque  Aemilia  vecta  tropaea  rate, 
Victricesque  moras  Fabii,  pugnamque  sinistram 

Cannensem  et  versos  ad  pia  vota  deos, 
Hannibalemque  Lares  Romana  sede  fugantes, 

Anseris  et  tutum  voce  fuisse  Jovem ; 
Cum  me  Castalia  speculans  ex  arbore  Phoebus 

Sic  ait,  aurata  nixus  ad  antra  lyra  : 
Quid  tibi  cum  tali,  demens,  est  flumine  ?   quis  te 

Carminis  heroi  tangere  jussit  opus  ? 
Non  hic  ulla  tibi  speranda  est  fama,  Properti  : 

Mollia  sunt  parvis  prata  terenda  rotis, 
Ut  tuus  in  scamno  jactetur  saepe  libellus, 

Quem  legat  expectans  sola  puella  virum. 
Cur  tua  praescriptos  evecta  est  pagina  gyros_? 

Non  est  ingenii  cymba  gravanda  tui. 


Kuinoel,  and  Paley  retain  '  cecinit,'  i.  e. 
on  the  strength  of  his  Heliconian  draught 
(see  Pers.  Prol.  3)  Ennius  at  once  became 
the  singer  of  the  Curii,  etc:  so  Propertius 
was  just  going  to  take  his  Epic  draught, 
when  Phoebus  interposed. 

For  Curii  fratres  = 'Curiatii,' see  note 
on  1,51. 

8.  Regiaque  Aemilia.  If  '  cecinit' be 
-read,these  words  should  strictlyreferto  some 
other  victory  than  that  of  Aemilius  Paulus 
over  Perseus,  which  happened  in  the  year 
following  the  death  of  Ennius ;  and  ac- 
cordingly  Hertzberg  supposes  the  over- 
throw  of  Demetrius  of  Pharos  by  L.  Ae- 
milius  Paullus  in  219  b.c.  is  here  meant ; 
but  the  latter  exploit  was  far  too  insigni- 
ficant  to  be  ranked  with  the  great  events 
noticed  in  these  hnes.  On  the  contrary, 
the  victory  over  the  great  king  of  Mace- 
donia  was  an  event  worthy  of  the  Epic 
Muse,  and  the  description  given  in  Livj' 
(45.  35)  of  the  triumphal  retum  of  Aemi- 
Hus  up  the  Tiber  in  a  vessel  decorated 
with  the  spoils  of  Macedonia,  leaves  hardly 
any  doubt  that  the  allusion  is  to  this, 
through  a  slight  confusion  of  the  poet's 
memory. 

12.  Fuisse.  We  have  similar  changes 
in  construction,  e.  g.  i,  26  '  isse'  after 
'  pulsas  :'  and  16,  26  '  desiluisse'  after  '  fu- 
gata.' 

Jovem,  =  '  Jovis  arcem,'  the  Capitol. 

13.  Ex  arbore,  i.  e.  from  among  the 
trees  shading  the  CastaHan  fount ;  cp. 
'  Heliconis  in  umbra '  v.  I  :  '  Aonium   ne- 


mus'  V.  42.  ApoHo  is  often  represented 
on  coins  as  leaning  on  his  lyre,  the  lyre 
itseif  sometimes  resting  on  the  trunk  of 
a  tree. 

18.  Mollia  .  .  rotis.  There  is  no 
need  of  referring  '  prata '  to  the  Moi;- 
aaiv  XiiixSiva  of  Aristoph.  Ran.  1300, 
as  Hertzberg  suggests.  It  is  a  pro- 
verbial  way  of  stating  that  each  Idnd  of 
genius  should  undertake  its  proper  work, 
and  follow  its  peculiar  line.  '  Mollia'  is 
used  as  in  i,  19  (cp.  3.  32  (2.  34K  42)  in 
reference  to  the  smooth  run  and  tender 
subjects  of  Elegiac  p oetry,  which  is  sym- 
bolized  under  the  '  moUia  prata.' 

Parvis  rotis,  i.e.  '  humble,'  '  unambi- 
tious,'  as  '  parva  ora '  v.  5. 

19.  In  scamno,  i.  e.  that  your  poetry 
may  be  popular  among  maidens,  as  they 
sit  solitary,  waiting  for  their  lovers.  Some 
would  take  Ut  =  '  although,'  and  disso- 
ciate  it  from  the  line  preceding  :  '  though 
you  are  popular  among  girls,  why  do  you 
aim  at  tasks  beyond  your  power?'  but 
this  would  require  '  legit '  rather  than 
'  legat.' 

21.  Evecta  :  Scaliger's  emendation  of 
'  praescripto  sevecta'  (MSS.),  the  latter  a 
word  not  found  elsewhere.  The  accusative 
is  like  4,  37  '  iines  non  exeat  aequor,'  and 
Hor.  Od.  4  15,  9  '  ordinem  Rectum  eva- 
ganti.' 

Gyros,  used  in  a  similar  sense  by  Ov. 
Rem.  Am.  398  ;  cp.  above,  1,  39  '  Car- 
minis  .  .  orbem,'  metaphor  from  the  race- 
course. 


PROPERTIUS. 


i4f 


Alter  remus  aquas,  alter  tibi  radat  arenas, 

Tutus  eris  :    medio  maxima  turba  mari  est. 
Dixerat,  et  plectro  sedem  mihi  monstrat  eburno,  25 

Qua  nova  muscoso  semita  facta  solo  est. 
Hic  erat  affixis  viridis  spelunca  lapillis, 

Pendebantque  cavis  tympana  pumicibus, 
Orgia  Musarum  et  Sileni  patris  imago 

Fictilis,  et  calami,  Pan  Tegeaee,  tui,  30 

Et  Veneris  dominae  volucrcs,  mea  turba,  columbae 

Tinguunt  Gorgoneo  punica  rostra  lacu  j 
Diversaeque  novem  sortitae  rura  puellae 

Exercent  teneras  in  sua  dona  manus. 
Haec  hederas  legit  in  thyrsos,  haec  carmina  nervis       35 

Aptat,  at  illa  manu  texit  utraque  rosam. 
E  quarum  numero  me  contigit  una  dearum, 

Ut  reor  a  facie,  Calliopea  fuit : 
Contentus  niveis  semper  vectabere  cycnis, 

Nec  te  fortis  equi  ducet  ad  arma  sonus.  40 

Nil  tibi  sit  rauco  praeconia  classica  cornu 

Flare,  nec  Aonium  cingere  Marte  nemus, 
Aut  quibus  in  campis  Mariano  proelia  signo 


23,  24.  Remus  .  .  turba  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
5.  163;  Ib.  152. 

29.  Orgia.  For  want  of  something 
better  I  adopt  this  ingenious  emendation 
of  Haupt's  (which  seems  preferable  to  the 
'  Organa  ^lusarum '  favoured  by  Hertz- 
berg)  for  the  '  Ergo  Musarum'  of  the  MSS., 
of  which  nothing  satisfactory  can  be  made, 
the  '  ergo'  of  Hor.  S.  2.  6,  70  forming  no 
justification  of  its  use  here.  Cp.  Sen.  Oed. 
429,  431  '  Te  senior  turpi  sequitur  Silenus 
asello  .  .  Condita  lascivi  deducunt  orgia 
mystae.' 

31.  Mea  turba, 'flock  precious  to  me:' 
something  may  be  said  for  the  suggestion, 
'  mea  cura.' 

33.  Diversae  .  .  rura,  '  each  apart 
from  the  rest  in  the  field  (of  art)  assigned 
to  her.'  Paley  quotes  Aristoph.  Ran.  1300 
to  illustrate  '  rura.'  Scaliger  conjectures 
'  jura.' 

34.  Dona,  i.  e.  preparing  their  gifts  for 
the  different  classes  of  poets  enumerated  in 
'  thyrsi,'  '  carmina,'  etc,  the  Dithyrambic, 
Epic  (?),  Elegiac  or  Amatory. 

39.  Vectabere  cycnis.  The  aUusion 
is  to  the  car  of  Venus  drawn  by  swans, 


indicating  the  goddess  who  would  preside 
over  the  poems  of  Propertius.  Cp.  Hor. 
Od.  4.  I,  10.  Ovid  represents  himself  under 
a  similar  image,  Ars  Am.  3. 809 '  Lusus  habet 
finem  :  cycnis  descendere  tempus '  etc. 

40.  Ducet  ad  arma,  i.  e.  '  to  sing  of 
deeds  of  war,'  to  meddle  with  heroic  poetry, 
as  in  2. 1,  18  '  Ut  possem  heroas  ducere  in 
arma  manus.' 

41,  42.  Praeconia  classica,  '  let  it 
be  no  task  of  yours  to  blow  from  the 
hoarse  clarion  praises  of  naval  triumphs,' 
as  opposed  to  the  battles  on  land  men- 
tioned  in  the  next  lines :  cp.  2.  i,  28  '  clas- 
sica  bella.'  Kuinoel  retains  the  'praetoria' 
of  the  Aldine  text,  '  quia  classicum  apud 
praetorem  sive  imperatorem  canitur.' 

42.  Flare  must  unquestionably  be  sub- 
stituted  for  'flere'  (MSS.),  Lachmann  hap- 
pily  comparing  Martial  11.  3,  8  '  Pieria  .  . 
proelia  flare  tuba :'  see  on  6  (7),  46. 

Cingere.  The  MSS.  waver  betweeii 
this  and  '  tingere  ; '  but  the  former  (Qy. 
'  to  surround  a  wood  occupied  by  the  foe') 
seems  a  less  violent  expression  than  '  tin- 
gere '  = '  cruore  nemus  implere.' 

43,  44.   Aut  quibus.     We  must  supply 


142 


PROPERTIUS. 


Stent  et  Teutonicas  Roma  refringat  opes  j 
Barbarus  aut  Suevo  perfusus  sanguine  Rhenus  45 

Saucia  maerenti  corpora  vectet  aqua. 
Quippe  coronatos  alienum  ad  limen  amantes, 

Nocturnaeque  canes  ebria  signa  fugae, 
Ut  per  te  clausas  sciat  excantare  puellas, 

Qui  volet  austeros  arte  ferire  viros.  50 

Talia  Calliope,  lymphisque  a  fonte  petitis 

Ora  Philetaea  nostra  rigavit  aqua. 


XXXV. 

LIB.  IV.    El.  4  (5). 

This  Elegy,  together  with  the  one  immediately  preceding  (' Arma  deus 
Caesar  dites  meditatur  ad  Indos')  was  evidently  written  about  the  year 
732  A.u.c.  (between  21  and  20  b.c),  when  Augustus  went  to  Asia,  threat- 
ening  India  and  Parthia  with  war.  See  3.  i  (2.  10),  15.  16.  The  poet 
declares  himseif  unwilling  to  join  the  expedition,  even  if  all  the  booty 
of  the  '  domus  intactae  Arabiae'  awaited  him.      He  does  not  share  the 


'  canere,'  as  involved  in  'flare'  and  '  cin- 
gere  ;'  '  in  what  plains  beneath  the  Marian 
standard  the  battle  is  ranged.' 

Mariano  .  .  signo,  because  till  the 
second  consulship  of  Marius,  b.c.  104,  the 
eagle  was  not  the  single  ensign  of  the  army, 
but  was  associated  with  the  emblems  of  the 
wolf,  horse,  and  other  animals.  After  Ma- 
rius  the  eagle  was  alone  retained. 

44.  Stent,  not  '  stays,'  but  '  is  ranged,' 
with  the  notion  of  a  standing  fight.  The 
defeat  of  the  Cimbri,  102  b.  c,  is  here 
alluded  to. 

45.  Suevo.  Most  MSS.  have  'sevo;' 
but  the  context  requires  rather  an  epithet 
of  detail ;  the  defeat  of  Ariovistus  by 
J.  Caesar,  b.c.  58,  is  probably  meant.  For 
the  important  position  occupied  by  the 
Suevi,  see  Tac.  Germ.  c.  38  ;  Caesar.  B.  G. 

4-  I- 

46.  Maerenti  :  the  patriotic  river 
being  opposed  to  Rome's  successes  over 
the  Fatherland. 

Vectet.  '  Quo' or 'ut' must  be  supplied 
from  the  '  quibus '  of  v.  43 :  such  awkward 
ellipses  are  not  infrequent  in  Propertius. 

48.   Signa  fugae.     The  images  of  war 


are  still  continued  :  combats  of  Love,  not 
of  Mars,  are  to  be  the  poet's  theme. 
'  SpoHa  ab  ebrio  amatore  nocturnis  rixis  de 
puellis  recepta'  is  Hertzberg's  explanation 
of  the  words. 

Ebria  is  by  hypallage  placed  with 
'  signa,*  in  sense  belonging  of  course  to 
those  who  leave  the  torches,  flowers,  crow- 
bars,  etc. 

49.  Excantare,  '  serenade  them  out,' 
entice  them  out  by  song  from  their  bolted 
chambers. 

50.  Ferire,  a  phrase  of  ordinary  life 
for  '  to  cheat,'  not  uncommon  in  the 
Comoedians.  Cp.  Plaut.  Trin.  2.  1,19; 
Teren.  Phorm.  1.  I,  13.  Propertius  uses 
it  again  in  5  (4).  5,  44.  Here  however  the 
word  may  have  been  chosen  with  reference 
to  the  weapons  of  Love's  war,  the  use  of 
which  the  poet  teaches. 

52.  Philetaea,  i.e.  of  which  Philetas 
had  drunk.  The  same  figure  is  used  in 
5  (4).  6,  4  '  Et  Cyrenaeas  uma  ministret 
aquas,'  i.  e.  imitation  of  Callimachus.  Cp. 
Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  25  '  Adjice  Maeoniden,  a 
quo  ceu  fonte  perenni  Vatum  Pieriis  ora 
rigantur  aquis.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


143 


covetousness  of  his  times,  which  stiinulated  men  to  join  in  these  enter- 
prises  (see  Tibull.  1,1),  and  kept  up  the  spirit  of  war.  Yet  they  will  carry 
none  of  their  spoils  out  of  the  world  with  them :  captor  and  captive  will  go 
to  the  grave  equally  destitute.  For  himself,  he  will  prefer  in  his  youth  and 
prime  the  indulgence  of  Love  and  Poctry.  When  those  fail,  he  will  turn 
to  graver  studies,  the  pursult  of  physics  and  the  problems  of  another  world. 
There  is  a  translation  of  part  of  this  Elegy  among  the  works  of  Gray. 


OTakuA».  s  CKi.j 


Pacis  Amor  deus  est  j   pacem  veneramur  amantcs. 

Stant  mihi  cum  domina  proelia  dura  mea. 
Nec  tamen  inviso  pectus  mihi  carpitur  auro, 

Nec  bibit  e  gemma  divite  nostra__  ^ti^' 
Nec  mihi  mille  jugis  Campania  pinguis  aratur,  5 

Nec  miser  aera  paro  clade,  Corinthe,  tua. 
O  prima  infelix  fingenti  terra  Prometheo !      ie^x  (■^'^^^i^Ku/i  <^ 

Ille  parum  cauti  pectoris  egit  opus : 
Corpora  disponens  mentem  non  vidit  in  arte. 


2.  Stant  .  .  proelia.  Lachm.  adopts 
the  conjecture  of  Heinsius,  '  sat'  for  '  stant;' 
but  the  MS.  reading  makes  very  good  sense, 
if  the  emphasis  be  rightly  laid  on  '  cum 
domina.'  '  The  severest  war  I  can  endure 
is  with  the  lady  of  my  love.'  For  the 
phrase  '  stare  proelia '  (not  =  '  strife  is 
ceased,'  as  some  take  it),  see  above,  on 
2,  44. 

3.  Nec  tamen,  The  thread  of  con- 
nection  in  these  lines  is  somewhat  hard  to 
trace,  and  Lachmann's  emendations,  '  Nec 
tantum,'  '  bibat,'  '  aretur,'  do  not  at  all 
clear  up  the  difBcuhy,  The  poet  would 
say,  '  For  myself  I  love  peace  ;  and  though 
I  have  m_v  quarrels  with  Cynthia,  yet  what 
makes  others  love  war  (viz,  the  thirst  for 
gold  and  luxury)  is  absent  ahogether  from 
my  heart :'  I  neither  want  them  nor  have 
them, 

Carpitur  auro,  '  is  not  fretted  with 
a  longing  for  accursed  (rather  than  '  un- 
seen')  gold,' 

4.  Sitis,  for  '  sitiens  ego,'  a  metonymy 
frequent  in  Propertius  :  see  a  still  bolder 
use  of  the  .«ame  word  in  5  (4),  9,  62 
'  Iratam  sitim  '  = '  impetum  Herculis  siti- 
entis  et  irati,'  Cp.  Virg.  G.  2.  505  '  Hic 
petit  excidiis  urbem  miserosque  Penates 
Ut  gemma  bibat  et  Sarrano  indonniat 
ostro," 

6.  Nec  miser,  '  nor  mean  enough  to 
get  money  through  thy  fall.'  '  Miser,' 
the  common  epithet  of  '  avaritia,'  '  divi- 
tiae,'  etc,     Kuinoel  would  take  it  as  used 


adverbially  in  the  sense  of  '  misere  cupio ' 
in  Ter,  Ad,  4.  i,  6, 

Aera  .  .  clade,  Early  editions  have 
'  ire  ,  ,  classe,'  the  last  of  which  Kuinoel 
adopts ;  but  '  clade,'  besides  having  more 
authority  in  its  favour,  adds  much  more 
point  to  the  line,  Such  is  the  avarice,  that 
it  would  lay  a  Corinth  in  the  dust  to  glut 
itself  with  its  spoils  ! 

7,  Prima  terra,  Horace's  '  princeps 
limus'  Od,  I,  16,  13  ;  the  dpxos  irr]\ds  of 
Soph.  Frag.  3^2,  '  O  primal  clay,  so  fatal 
to  thy  framer,'  or  '  in  the  hands  of  Pro- 
metheus,'  The  allegory  (Hertzberg  sug- 
gests)  was  probably  tirst  made  popular  by 
the  Alexandrine  poets,  and  through  them 
was  introduced  into  Roman  poetry.  He 
refers  to  Callim,  Frag.  133. 

8,  Cauti  pectoris.  Kuinoers  way  of 
taking  these  words  seems  simpler  than 
Hertzberg's,  The  latter  would  make  them 
signify,  '  Promethea  pectori,  dum  finxisset, 
parum  cavisse,'  It  is  surely  more  natural 
to  make  them  mean,  '  The  work  of  Pro- 
metheus  (Wise-man)  shewed  an  unwise 
heart,'  playing  on  the  name  of  Prometheus, 
the  next  lines  pointing  out  u/here  the  error 
lay, 

9,  Mentem  .  .  arte,  '  did  not  in  his 
handywork  take  thought  of  the  mind.' 
Passeratius  made  the  extraordinary  conjec- 
ture  of  '  in  arce'  =  'in  capite.'  '  In  arte,' 
i.e,  while  engaged  in  his  art :  cp,  2,  3,  42, 
where  '  in  arte '  should  be  read  for  '  in 
ante,'  and  taken  in  a  similar  sense. 


144 


PROPERTIUS. 


Recta  animi  primum  debuit  esse  via.  lo 

Nunc  maris  in  tantum  vento  jactamur,  et  hostem 

Quaerimus,  atque  armis  nectimus  arma  nova. 
Haud  uUas  portabis  opes  Acherontis  ad  undas : 

Nudus  at  inferna,  stulte,  vehere  rate. 
Victor  cum  victis  pariter  miscebitur  umbris ;  15 

Consule  cum  Mario,  capte  Jugurtha,  sedes  j 
Lydus  Dulirhio  non  distat  Croesus  ab  Iro.- 

Optima  mors,  j^^rcae  quae  venit  acta  die. 
Me  juvat  in  prima  coluisse  Helicona  juventa, 

Musarumque  choris  implicuisse  manus.  ^^yW^^  20 

Me  juvat  et  multo  mentem  vincire  Lyaeo,''^;^^^-^  ,^  i»£i..irLn"-«^J*^^>'*^A»ft 

Et  caput  in  verna  semper  habere  rosa.    ii-; ' ;  ^ '• ' •  ■a.  \--..<^'MAfUA<''.M  •.r. 


t,>v-' 


10.  Recta  is  here  used  apparently  more 
in  a  participial  sense,  = '  the  mind's  course 
should  first  have  been  made  straight.'  The 
connection  with  the  next  line  through 
'nunc'  is,  '  since  we  were  originally  fa- 
shioned  thus  ill,  no  wonder  now  we  are 
what  we  are.' 

11.  Maris  with  in  tantum,  '  driven 
into  and  over  the  wide  ocean  in  search  of 
foes,'  not  content  with  defending  ourselves 
from  those  at  home. 

14.  Nudus  at.  I  adopt  this  emenda- 
tion  with  Hertzberg  for  the  reading  of  the 
MSS.,  '  ad  infernas  .  .  rates.'  'At'  being 
often  written  '  ad,'  and  being  thus  mis- 
taken  for  the  preposition,  may  have  caused 
the  addition  of  the  '  s,'  making  thereby 
the  accusatives.  Even  if  5  (4).  7,  56  does 
prove  a  different  transit  over  the  Styx  of 
the  evil  and  the  good,  explaining  the 
plural  '  rates,'  there  is  still  the  difficulty 
of '  vehere,'  the  natural  word  for  being 
'  carried  in,'  but  not  '  carried  to  the  boat.' 
Besides,  the  preceding  line  places  the  dead 
soul    at   the    waters ;    the    following    one 

.  -,^  iiVi  must  apply  to  its  crossing.     Paley,  object- 

.  ,        ing  to  such  an  use  of '  at,'  reads  '  ab  inferna 

t^^C^v^  (^'<S^'*     .  rate.'     The  alliteration  of  the  '  e'  is  no 

/worse    than    that    of  '  a,'   which    is    very 

common  in  Propertius. 

15.  Umbris,  the  true  reading.  One 
good  MS.  has  '  undis,'  which  crept  in  prob- 
ably  from  a  confusion  with  the  'undas'  of 
V.  13  :  and  then  out  of  '  undis'  arose  the  in- 
genious  conjecture  '  Indis,'  which,  strangely 
enough,  Kuinoel  adopts  in  his  text. 

17.  Lydus  Dulichio.  Rich  and 
famous  Lydia  is  contrasted  with  the  poor 
little  islet  of  Dulichium. 

18.  A  difficult  line,  both  in  rcspect  of 


text,  connection,  and  meaning.  Most 
MSS.  give  '  parta,'  which  makes  no  sense; 
some  have  '  parca,'  which  Scaliger  explains 
as  =  tt)  newpcofitvr)  rjfxipa,  Hke  '  femina 
turba'  3.  29  (2.  31),  4;  but  there  seems 
little  or  no  ground  for  such  a  use  of  the 
word.  Lachmann  proposes  '  Parcae,'  which 
is  more  justifiable  on  the  analogy  of  VirgiFs 
'  Parcarumque  dies'  Ae.  12.150,  i.  e.  death 
brought  on,  not  by  rash  enterprises  of  war 
in  quest  of  spoil,  but  by  the  ordinary  course 
of  nature  on  '  the  day  of  destiny ;'  cp.  the 
Homeric  phrases  Kar  aJcrav,  vnep  fiopov 
Oavftv.  '  Parcae'  might  have  been  changed 
into  '  parca '  to  suit  the  contrast  in  the 
preceding  Hnes  between  Croesus  and  Irus. 
The  general  connection  would  seem  to  be, 
'  Rich  or  poor,  death  comes  to  all ;  and 
that  death  is  best  which,  fixed  by  destiny, 
we  do  not  anticipate  by  any  act  of  our 
own.'  Hertzberg's  interpretation  of  '  parca 
dies'  as  '  dies  quae  hominum  vitae  diutis- 
sime  pepercerit'  seems  as  questionable  in 
point  of  meaning  as  of  authority.  Paley 
takes  it,  '  in  the  day  of  poverty,'  from 
which  death  is  welcome  as  releasing  you. 

Acta  seems  better  than  the  'apta'  of 
some  MSS.,  if  we  compare  6,  30  '  Ista  per 
humanas  mors  venit  acta  manus.' 

19.  The  connection  is,  '  My  joy  from 
my  youth  has  been  neither  war  nor  money- 
seeking,  but  poetry.' 

21.  Mentem  vincire,  not  a  common 
expression,  =  '  enchain  (not  captives  with 
fetters,  but)  my  own  senses  with  plenteous 
wine.'  In  Virg.  G.  2.  94  '  vincire  lin- 
guam'  denotes  a  purely  physical  result  of 
a  particular  wine. 

22.  Caput  in  rosa,  i.  e.  '  crowned 
with  roses,'  as  Cicero  uses  the  phrase  '  esse 


PROPERTIUS. 


145 


25 


Atque  ubi  jam  Venerem  gravis  interceperit  aetas, 

Sparserit  et  nigras  alba  senecta  comas, 
Tum  mihi  Naturae  libeat  perdiscere  mores, 

Quis  deus  hanc  mundi  temperet  arte  domum ; 
Qua  venit  exoriens,  qua  deficit,  unde  coactis 

Cornibus  in  plenum  menstrua  Luna  redit  • 
Unde  salo  superant  venti  j   quid  flamine  captet 

Eurus,  et  in  nubes  unde  perennis  aqua  • 
\[    Sit  ventura  dies,  mundi  quae  subruat  arces  • '-^4)  iWYYvji^iVi-iu/fU  iijj^A 

Purpureus  pluvias  cur  bibit  arcus  aquas ; 
Aut  cur  Perrhaebi  tremuere  cacumina  Pindi  ';f^*^.!:'^^'"^^''*'^^ 

-'4^V9.    ji\V^uTf'   totTrfKtW 

bohs  et  atratis  luxerit  orbis  equis  j    ''  ■         •  -;  -^r  l^ 
Cur  serus  versare  boves  et  plaustra  Bootes :  ^  35     i 

rleiadum  spisso  cur  coit  igne  chorus ;        /        ,  1  ~ 

Curve  suos  fines  altum  non  exeat  aequor,  ^v^- 


30 


tV(^,  ".*\(l' 


in  TOSZj*  '  potare  in  rosa  ; '  cp.  Martial  8. 
77»  2~*1ft  aeterna  vivere  digne  rosa.'  It 
might  also  mean,  though  less  probably, 
'  to  have  the  head  pillowed  on  roses,'  as 
in  Hor.  Od.  i.  5,  1.  Kuinoel  compares 
Eur.  Herc.  Fur.  677  aitl  5'  iv  aT{(pdvoiaiv 

UJJV. 

25.  Perdiscere.  '  Then  let  me  rightly 
spell  of  Nature's  ways '  Gray. 

26.  Mundi  .  .  domum.  Cp.  3.  7  (2. 
16),  50  '  aetheria  domo,'  used,  as  often  in 
Lucretius  and  Ovid,  for  the  heavens,  the 
upper  of  the  three  divisions  into  which 
the  world  was  distributed. 

27.  Exoriens,  not  '  the  sun,'  for  which 
use  of  the  word  the  '  oriens'  of  Virg.  Ae.  5. 
739,  and  Val.  Fl.  3.  411  afford  no  justifica- 
tion ;  but  '  Luna '  is  supplied  from  the  fol- 
lowing  hne.  Of  the  sun  he  speaks  later, 
in  v.  34. 

Deficere,  in  the  sense  of '  setting,'  not, 
•  being  eclipsed.'  See  Burm.  on  Ov.  M. 
2.  382  '  expers  Ipse  sui  decoris,  qualis,  cum 
deficit  orbem,  Esse  solet.' 

Coactis :  so  Ovid  uses '  coire,'  Her.  2.  3 
'  Cornua  cum  Lunae  pleno  semel  orbe 
coissent.'  Cp.  Lucan  i.  532  '  comuque 
coactc' 

29.  Salo  superant.  '  How  rising  winds 
the  face  of  Ocean  sweep '  Gray.  Some 
would  interpret,  '  lord  it  o'er  the  sea,'  but 
'  superare'  in  this  sense  requires  the  accu- 
sative.  It  is  rather,  '  swell '  or  '  surge  over 
the  sea,'  '  salo'  being  a  local  ablative. 

Quid  .  .  captet.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  i.  462. 
'  Quid  cogitet  humidus  Auster,'  and  Persius 


6.  12  '  Quid  praeparet  Auster.'  There  is 
a  singular  interchange  of  moods  in  these 
lines  not  easy  to  be  accounted  for  ;.Lcp. 
Persius  3.  67  foll.- 

30.  In  nubes,  i.  e.  '  supplies  ofwaterto 
the  clouds  from  year  to  year.' 

31.  Sit  ventura.  For  '  sit,' (see  v.  39,)^ 
which  is  given  in  all  the  MSS.,  Kuinoel 
adopts  the  emendation  'si'  =  'an'  (so  used 
in  V.  40).  This  use  of  'si'  is  however 
much  less  common  in  the  best  Latin 
authors  than  he  appears  to  suppose.  As 
to  the  sentiment,  see  Lucr.  5.  95  ;  Ov.  M. 
I.  256;  Lucan  i.  79;  Manil.  2.807. 

32.  Bibit.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  i.  380  '  et 
bibit  ingens  Arcus,'  according  to  the  belief 
that  the  rainbow  drew  up  water  from  the 
lakes,  rivers,  and  sea,  to  return  it  in  the 
shape  of  rain  ;  so  Tibull.  i.  4,  44  '  imbrifer 
arcus.' 

34.  Luxerit,  in  point  of  form,  may  be 
from  '  luceo  '  or  '  lugeo  ; '  '  atratis '  shews 
the  latter  to  be  meant. 

35.  Serus  versare,  '  late  in  tuming,' 
=  'qui   cunctatur   versare.'     Cp.  3.  13  (2. 

21),  15  '  faciles  praebere  ;'  Ib.  31,  26  '  mit-,  ^      ,       • 
tere  lassa.'     See  on  Catull.  64  (66).  67.         ■■-'','-' 

36.  Spisso   igne,   '  congregated   fires,'         -  "' 
is    found    in    all    the    MSS.       '  Imbre '    is  -'  ■     ' 
adopted    by   Kuinoel    almost    alone    from      •• 

a  conjecture  of  Heinsius  on  Ov.  M  lo.o^,  ^^j^^^^^^^^^j^^^ 
508.  See  Maml.  1.  751  foll.,  quoted  by  v,^..,^^^  ^c^v^,,'!:  i^ 
Hertzberg.  Tennyson's  comparison  of  the  tt  c^».3,i«  Wuw,  C«uA 
Pleiades  to  'a  swarm  of  fire-flies  tangled  .jwW^  \iJrtJtci(ioy-^  (.li 
in  a  silver  braid'  will  illustrate  this  charac-c<^^ 
teristic  of  them. 


>4A.  (y/YvtvxK  j(^  |««  (rjj(^vl  ,{.  ,^  (viU^ 


146  PROPERTIUS. 

Plenus  et  in  partes  quatuor  annus  eat ; 
Sub  terris  sint  jura  deum  et  tormenta  gigantum ; 

Tisiphones  atro  si  furit  angue  caput ;  40 

'uk  ;tl  -^^^  Alcmaeoniae  furiae  aut  jejunia  Phinei ; 


U'-Vu. 


'     ''^       Num  rota,  num  scopuli,  num  sitis  inter  aquas; 

Num  tribus  infernum  custodit  faucibus  antrum  ~js^5^^'^    ^ 

Cerberus,  an  Tityo  jugera  pauca  novem;    '  .    ^,  .x^o^^ 

An  ficta  in  miseras  descendit  fabula  gentes,    "^^^^45 

Et  timor  haud  ultra  quam  rogus  esse  potest. 
Exitus  hic  vitae  superet  mihi !    Vos,  quibus  arma 

Grata  magis,  Crassi  signa  referte  domum. 

LIB.  IV.    El.  6(7). 

An  Elegy  on  the  death  of  Paetus,  a  young  friend  of  the  poet,  who  had 
been  %\Tecked  and  drowned  in  a  voyage  to  Alexandria,  undertaken,  it 
would  seem,  with  some  lucrative  object.  Propertius  denounces  the  thirst 
for  money,  and  the  ventures  upon  the  sea  to  which  it  leads.  Hertzberg,  on 
somewhat  slight  grounds,  considers  this  Elegy  to  have  been  an  imitation 
of  a  poem  of  Callimachus,  fragments  of  which  have  been  preserved  by 
Stobaeus.  ^^  -^,   q.^i^tV.VCvu.^V^--'^ -^«^  ^^"^  " 

Ergo  sollicitae  tu  causa,  pecunia,  vitae  es  j 

40.  Furit,  '  if  Tisiphone's  head  is  wild  47.  Exitus  hic,  '  such  be  the  course  of 
with  the  black  ringlet-snake.'                            life  left  me  to  its  end.'     Propertius'  next 

41.  Alcmaeoniae.  Alcmaeon  was  words  were  accomplished,  the  Parthians  vo- 
haunted  by  the  Furies  for  having  mur-  luntarilj'  surrendering  the  lost  standards, 
dered  his  mother  Eriphyle  at  the  com-  an  event  often  celebrated  in  the  poets, 
mand  of  his  father  Amphiaraus  and  of  the  e.  g.  Hor.  Od.  4.  15,  6  ;  Ep.  i.  »4,  27.  See 
oracle  of  Apollo.  also  Ov.  Fast.  5.  580-^8. 

Phinei,  king  of  Arcadia,  was  punished 
for  his  cruelty  to  his  sons  by  the  Harpies 

being  set  to  take  away  or  spoil  every  meal.  I.  Ergo,  as  23,  i.     The  use  of 'ergo' 

The  pecuHarity  of  this  passage  is,  that  his  in  outbursts  of  indignation  and  complaint 

punishment  seems  to  be  extended  also  to  is  very  common.     One  or  two  indifferent 

the  world  below  ;  see  however  Virg.  Ae,  6.  MSS.    have    '  Ergone,'    which    has    been 

603  foll.  adopted    in    a   few  texts.     But  '  ergo '  is 

44.  Tityo  pauca, '  and  whether  Tityus  never   found  with  the  ultimate   short    in 
finds  his  nine  acres  too  few ;'  '  Scarce  to  any   of  the    Augustan    poets,   unless   Ov.         J 
nine  acres   Tityus'   bulk   confined'    Gray.  Her.  5.  59^  '  Votis   ergo   meis   alii   rediture "^/^^  C^*^*^ 
Cp.  Tibull.  I.  3,  75.  redisti,'  together  with  Tr.  i.  i,  87^  be  ex-  ■,;^     ^  '-    - 

45.  Propertius  was  not  ignorant  of  the  ceptions.     In  Lucan,  Martial,  and  Statius,    ■ 
teachings  of  Lucretius.     See  also  3.  32  (2.  on    the   contrary,   'erg6'    is    not    uncom- 
34)'  53  fol'-   >j  mon. 


PROPERTIUS. 


147 


Per  tc  immaturum  mortis  adimus  iter  !         it-^ico^,^^^  v.a(m^ 
Tu  vitiis  hominum  crudelia  pabula  praebes  j 

Semina  curarum  de  capite  orta  tuo.  aW^0^\5^Ws 

Tu  Paetum  ad  Pharios  tendentem  lintea  portus  5 

Obruis  insano  terque  quaterque  mari. 


H.^va.w^w^i.AcNam  dum  te  sequitur,  primo  miser  excidit  aevo, ,  ^     ^^ 


l^,ri!^^ujr*'X!^^t  ^ov^  longinquis  piscibus  esca  natat 

Et  mater  non  justa  piae  dare  debita  terrae, 
«iert\:.l"fcv»^^Ckv^^^  P^^-  cognatos  inter  humare  rogoa,:'^^ '^'''^^^'-^■'-'^cr" 
i«iA^v  lPTI  1  tit    -Sed  tua  nunc  volucres  adstant  super  ossa  marihae :  ■■.\~'i '.  "i. 
.^o<^o.^,tYs.<T^i/U'-J:  Nunc  tibi  pro  tumulo  Carpathium  omne  mare  est. 
W^  (vvW-iA-^nfeiJx  Aquilo,  raptae  timor  Orithyiae, 
"^-  ^f^-D^f.fuv  >,»i  Qy^e  spolia  ex  illo  tanta  fuere  tibi .? 

Aut  quidnam  fracta  gaudes,  Neptune,  carina  ?  jS 

Portabat  sanctos  alveus  ille  viros.  'r^l-VW^.V)rouIj^'vV 

Paete,  quid  aetatem  numeras  ?   quid  cara  natanti  w.  W^-'.' 
Mater  in  ore  tibi  est  ?    non  habet  unda  deos.  ^frWo^  r.  . 

Nam  tibi  nocturnis  ad  saxa  ligata  procellis  <3^(fc*4.^5T(& 


«tu^ 


■5r, 


3.  Crudelia,  i.  e.  as  involving  their 
destruction. 

4.  De  capite,  not  '  from  thy  source,' 
but  ('  pecunia'  being  personified  here)  '  from 
thee,'  '  caput,'  as  often,  standing  '  pars  pro 
toto.' 

Orta,  without  the  verb  substantive,  as 
1,  12''  secuta.' 

5.  Pharios.  The  name  of  the  island 
lying  ofF  the  harbour  of  Alexandria  was 
used  occasionally  by  the  Latin  poets  for 
the  whole  of  Egvpt,  as  Lucan  8.  442  '  pe- 
timus  Pharon  arvaque  Lagi.'  See  also 
TibuU.  I.  3,  32V 

7.  Excidit,  not  as  some  would  take 
it,  '  (navi)  excidit,'  but  with  '  aevo,'  as  in 
I,  6^^ '  lost  his  young  life.' 

8.  Nova  longinquis.  The  one  epi- 
thet  explains  the  other,  '  strange  to  the 
fish  of  distant  waters.'  Kuinoel  quotes 
Ov.  Ibis  148  '  NQStraque  Ipnginquus  viscera 
piscis  edet.' 

9.  Debita  terrae,  '  right  tribute  of 
respectful  dust,'  the  sprinkling  of  earth 
over  the  corpse  being  the  well-known  mark 
of  '  pietas :'  cp.  Hor.  Od.  i.  28,  24.1  This 
seems  better  than  to  make  '  terrae '  a 
dative, '  due  honour  to  the  sacred  remains,' 
'  terra'  being  used  for  'manes'  occasion- 
ally,  or  '  mother  Earth,'  who  is  honoured 
when  the  dead  are  buried. 


10.  Pote  (as  Patey  femal-ks);  liot  the'''^*''^''''^" 
neuter,   but   stands   for  '  poti(s)   est,'  like 
'  mage'  for  '  magis.' 

Cognatos  . .  rogos,  a  hypallage  of  the 
adjective  (as  Catull.  66  (68).  97  '  cognatos 
cineres')  verv  common  in  Propertius.  The 
■whole  of  this  passage  has  been  well  illus- 
trated  from  an  epigram  of  Glaucus  of 
Athens,  one  of  the  Greek  Anthologists, 
which  might  have  been  known  to  Pro- 
pertius  : 

Oii  k6vls  oxiS'  d\iyov  Tiirpas  Papos,  d\\' 
'EpaaiTTnov 
*Hj'  iffopqs  avTij^iraffa  6d\affxra  rd-^i 

'nXfT-o  ■yap  ffvv  vrfc    ra  5   bffna  irov  \ 
■noT   iKeivov  ' ;  J 

TlvOeTai,  aWviais  yvoiffTd  fi6vais  eve- 
tieiv. 

16.  Sanctos,  '  no  unholy  men  were 
they  whoni  that  vessel  bore,'  i.  e.  they  did 
not  deserve  to  be  wrecked  for  any  guilt. 
Kuinoel  compares  the  parallel  thought  in 
Hor.  Od.  3.  2,  26. 

19.  Nam,  proof  of  the  mercilessness  of 
the  waves,  spoken  of  in  the  preceding  line. 

Ad  saxa  to  be  taken  with  '  ligata  .  . 
vincula,'  not  '  detrito.'  It  seems  that  the 
vessel  had  been  moored  for  the  night 
(' noctumis  procellis')  by  cables  to  rocks 

L  2 


148 


PROPERTIUS. 


Omnia  detrito  vincula  fune  cadunt.  .,. 
Sunt  Agamemnonias  testantia  litora  curas, 

Qua  natat  Argynni  poena  minantis  aquae, 
Hoc  juvene  amisso  classem  non  solvit  Atrides, 

Pro  qua  mactata  est  Iphigenia  mora. 
Reddite  corpus  humo !    (Posita  est  in  gurgite  vita 

Paetum  sponte  tua,  vilis  arena,  tegas ! 
Et  quoties  Paeti  transibit  nauta  sepulcrum, 

Dicat :    Et  audaci  tu  timor  (ssse  potes. 
Ite,  rates  curvas  et  leti  texite  causas ! 

Ista  per  humanas  mors  venit  acta  manus. 
Terra  parum  fuerat  fatis ;  adjecimus  undas : 

Fortunae  miseras  auximus  arte  vias. 
Ancora  te  teneat,  quem  non  tenuere  Penates  ? 

Quid  meritum  dicas,  cui  sua  terra  parum  est  ? 


25 


30 


on  the  shore ;  but  in  the  heaving  of  the 
surge  the  rope  had  worn  away  against  the 
rock,  and,  dropping  into  the  sea,  had  set 
the  crew  adrift  to  meet  the  fury  of  the 
gale.  '  Saxa,'  at  this  stage  of  nautical 
experience,  can  hardly  stand,  as  some  sug- 
gest,  for  the  fvval  or  large  stones  used  for 
anchors  in  primitive  times,  though  v.  33 
might  seem  to  favour  such  an  interpreta- 
tion. 

21,  22.  A  very  difficult  passage  in  point 
of  meaning,  construction,  and  mythology. 
As  to  the  reading,  I  retain  the  '  minantis 
aquae'  of  the  MSS.  in  preference  to  Atha- 
mantiadae'  (Hertzberg's  conjecture),  and 
adopt  the  '  natat '  of  several  editions  in 
preference  to  '  notat.'  '  There  are  shores 
that  witnessed  Agamemnon's  grief,  where 
floated  Argynnus,  victim  to  the  angry  wave.' 

Argynni  poena  aquae,  =  '  Argynnus 
punitus  ab  aqua,'  the  construction  of  the 
double  genitive,  more  common  in  Greek 
than  Latin.  For  '  poena,'  as  thus  used, 
see  3.  12  (2.  20),  31. 

Qua  (not  'quae')  is  in  all  the  MSS. 

Natat  (  =  'natavit,'  see  22,  13),  of  a 
drowned  corpse,  occurs  above  in  v.  8. 
Propertius  here  compares  the  fate  of  Paetus 
with  that  of  Argynnus,  a  youth  loved  by 
Agamemnon,  who  (according  to  Athe- 
naeus  13.  8,  p.  608)  was  drowned  in  the 
Cephissus,  or  in  the  sea  (according  to 
other  versions  perhaps  of  the  story),  and 
whose  loss  so  overwhelmed  Agamemnon, 
that  the  delay  caused  by  his  grief  uhi- 
mately  brought  about  the  sacrifice  of  Iphi- 
genia.     This  last  we   may  suppose  to  be 


added  in  order  to  intensify  the  evils  of 
which  the  sea  was  guihy,  though  some 
critics  have  regarded  vv.  23  and  24  as  an 
interpolation. 

25.  Reddite,  sc.  '  undae,'  or  '  Aquilo 
and  Neptune'  from  vv.  13,  15.  The  transi- 
tion  is  very  abrupt,  Propertius  now  calhng 
on  these  to  give  up  the  dead.  Lach- 
mann  would  transpose  vv.  25-29  to  after 
V.  70,  where  '  reddite'  would  continue  the 
appeal  to  the  sea-nymphs.  It  must  how- 
ever  be  remembered  that  the  poet  is  speak- 
ing  in  the  excitement  of  passion  and  grief. 

Posita  .  .  vita  slands  best,  as  Haupt 
gives  it,  in  a  parenthesis,  '  You  have  got 
already  the  best  part,  his  life ;  restore  at 
least  his  body  to  the  earth.'  Several  MSS. 
have  '  positaque'  (Kuinoel  and  Hertzberg). 

26.  Sponte,  i.  e.  without  waiting  for 
friends  to  do  it. 

31.  Terra,  i.  e.  Earth  did  not  supply 
enough  occasions  for  death. 

Fatis  in  all  the  best  texts  is  joined 
with  '  fuerat.'  Kuinoel  however,  with 
Paley,  attach  it  to  '  adjecimus,'  comparing 
Lucan  3.  195  (of  the  Argo)  '  fatisque  per 
illam  Accessit  mors  una  ratem.' 

32.  Fortunae  .  .  vias,  '  chance  ways 
to  misery  have  been  added  to  by  Art.' 
Kuinoers  '  Naturae'  is  a  mere  conjecture; 
the  same  confusion  between  the  two  words 
occurs  again  just  below,  v.  37. 

34.  Sua  terra,  i.e.  'Earth,  man's  proper 
element.'  Hatred  of  the  sea  seems  charac- 
teristic  of  the  Roman  poets,  especially  Pro- 
pertius;  see  I.  18  (17),  13  foU.  Cp.  Tibull. 
I.  3,  37;  Hor.  Od.  i.  3,  21. 


PROPERTIUS. 


149 


Ventorum  est,  quodcumquc  paras :   haud  ulla  carina 

Consenuit  j    fallit  portus  et  ipse  fidem. 
Natura  insidias  pontum  substravit  avaris  j 

Ut  tibi  succedat,  vix  semel  esse  potest. 
Saxa  triumphales  fregere  Capharea  puppes, 

Naufraga  cum  vasto  Graecia  tracta  salo  est. 
Paullatim  socium  jacturam  flevit  Ulixes, 

In  mare  cui  soli  non  valuere  doli. 
Quod  si  contentus  patrio  bove  verteret  agros, 

V^erbaque  duxisset  pondus  habere  mea, 
Viveret  ante  suos  dulcis  conviva  Penates, 

Pauper,  at  in  terra,  nil  ubi  flare  potest. 
Non  tulit  hic  Paetus  stridorem  audire  procellae, 

Et  duro  teneras  laedere  fune  manus, 
Sed  Thyio  thalamo  aut  Oricia  terebintho 

Effultum  pluma  versicolore  caput. 


40 


45 


37.  Insidias  is  found  in  one 
MS.,  and  seems  preferable  to  the  more 
common  '  insidians ; '  '  Nature  (cp.  Ov.  M. 
''l.  21)  spread  the  sea  for  a  snare  to  the 
covetous.'  The  emphasis  is  of  course  on 
'  insidias '  = '  it  was  with  treacherous  aim 
that'  etc. 

Substravit,  with  special  reference  to 
'  insidias.' 

39.  Triumphales,  i.  e.  even  when 
nearly  succeeding  they  were  wrecked  at 
last. 

40.  Tracta,  either  for  '  distracta,' '  scat- 
tered;'  or  else,  '  drawn,'  '  sucked  in  by 
the  vasty  deep.'  '  Trita '  is  found  in  some 
MSS.  It  is  difficult  to  see  the  force  of 
paullatim  in  the  next  Hne,  unless  it  im- 
plies  that  the  comrades  were  carried  off 
one  by  one ;  but  I  am  hardl}'  prepared  to 
adopt  (with  Kuinoel)  Heinsius'  ingenious 
emendation,  '  palantum.' 

42.  Soli  (as  in  all  the  MSS.)  = '  solum.' 
The  sea  alone  proved  too  much  for  the 
skill  of  Ulysses,  Propertius  designedly 
ignoring  the  deaths  of  Ulysses'  comrades 
on  land  (Hom.  Od.  9.  63,  566  etc).  Paley 
however,  with  Lachni.,  adopts  Lipsius'  ex- 
cellent  conjecture,  '  soliti.' 

43,  44.  Verteret  .  .  duxisset.  For  a 
similar  conjunction  of  tenses  after  'si'  cp. 
1. 18  (17),  19.  Verteret  must  mean, '  had 
he  continued  to  plough.' 

46.  Pauper,  here  used  in  its  true  sense, 
'  of  humble  means.'  Kuinoel  quotes  Se- 
neca's  definition  in  Ep.  87  '  Paupertas  est 


non  quae  pauca  possidet,  sed  quae  multa 
non  possidet.' 

Flare  is  Jacob's  singularly  happy  cor- 
rection  of  the  'flere'  of  all  the  MSS., 
which  last  Weber,  Kuinoel,  and  Paley 
retain ;  '  where  he  can  have  nought  to 
weep '  does  not  suit  the  context  well, 
whereas  '  flare '  not  only  makes  excellent 
sense,  but  strikes  the  note  continued  in 
the  ensuing  line ;  '  where  wind  has  no 
power,'  '  flare'  being  =  nom.  c.  and  '  nil' 
accusative.  For  a  similar  confusion  in  the 
MSS.  between  '  flare'  and  '  flere,'  see  on  4. 

2  (3- 3)' 42- 

47-50.  Non  tulit  hic.  '  Here  (while 
on  shore)  Paetus  had  not  to  bear  the 
howling  of  the  tempest,  or  the  hurting  of 
his  soft  hands  against  the  coarse  rope,  but 
in  a  chamber  of  citron  or  of  Orician  tere- 
binth,  his  head  was  pillowed  on  a  cushion 
of  many-coloured  down.'  The  construc- 
tion  is  awkward,  even  when  '  Effultum '  be 
read  for  '  Et  fultum'  (MSS.).  As  Hertz- 
berg  remarks,  from  the  negative  '  non 
tulit '  must  be  supplied  some  verb  of  an 
opposite  sense  = '  Not  suffering  but  indul- 
gence  would  have  been  his  lot.' 

Thyio,  the  correction  made  by  the 
Italian  scholars  of  the  '  Chio'  (Qy.  '  with 
Chian  furniture ')  found  in  all  the  MSS. ; 
it  is  a  Latinized  adjective  of  Ovov  or  Ovia, 
usually  taken  for  the  citron-tree  (cp.  Persius 
I.  53  '  citrei  lecti').  Others  however  read 
'  Thyiae,'  the  supposed  name  of  Paetus' 
wife,  =  '  in  Thya's  chamber.' 


150 


PROPERTIUS. 


Huic  fluctus  vivo  radicitus  abstulit  ungues, 

Et  miser  invisam  traxit  jiiatu^  aquam  • 
Hunc  parvo  ferri  vidit  nox  improba  ligno  j 

Paetus  ut  occideret  tot  coiere  mala. 
Flens  tamen  extremis  dedit  haec  mandata  querelis,       ss 

Cum  moribunda  niger  clauderet  ora  liquor : 
Di  maris  Aegaei  quos  sunt  penes  aequora,  Venti, 

Et  quaecumque  meum  degravat  unda  caput, 
Quo  rapitis  miseros  primae  lanuginis^annos  ? 

Attulimus  longas  in  freta  vestra  manus.  60 

Ah  miser  alcyonum  scopulis  aflBigar  acutis  j 

In  me  caeruleo  fuscina  sumpta  deo  est. 
At  saltem  Italiae  regionibus  advehat  aestus  : 

Hoc  de  nie, .  sat  erit,  si  modo  matris  erit  I 
Subtrahit  haec  fantem  torta  vertigine  fluctus  j  65 

Ultima  quae  Paeto  voxque  diesque  fuit. 
O  centum  aequoreae  Nereo  genitore  puellae, 

Et  tu  materno  tacta  dolore  Theti, 
Vos  decuit  lasso  supponere  brachia  mcnto  j 


51.  Huic,  i.  e.  of  one  so  delicafeJy  nur- 
tured  ;  '  such  was  he  from  whose  fingers,' 
etc. 

Vivo  (MSS.) :  'vivos'  has  been  con- 
jectured,  =  ' to  the  quick:'  cp.  '  vivos  et 
roderet  ungues'  Hor.  S.  i.  lo,  71  ;  but  this 
would  be  little  more  than  a  repetition  of 
the  idea  in  '  radicitus.'  '  Vivo,'  taken  to- 
gether  with  v.  53,  implies  that  Paetus  was 
tossed  about  on  a  plank  some  time  before 
he  was  drowned. 

Ungues,  of  the  delicate  hands  men- 
tioned  in  vv.  48  and  60. 

52.  Miser..aquam, '  and  his  poor  lips, 
wide-gaping,  drew  in  the  loathsome  brine.' 

Miser  hiatus,  a  Propertian  enallage 
for  '  miseri  oris  hiatus :'  cp.  v.  59.  Some 
would  take  '  hiatus'  of  the  yawning  sea, 
and  reading  '  aquae'  and  '  invitum,'  in- 
terpret  it  of  the  waves  swallowing  the 
struggling  Paetus.  There  is  no  authority  for 
'niger'  being  substituted,  as  in  Kuinoers 
text,  for  '  miser.' 

53.  Parvo,  emphatic.  On  a  large  plank 
he  might  have  been  saved  ;  but  the  slight 
spar  and  everything  beside  —  darkness, 
rocks,  and  storm  —  combined  to  destroy 
him. 

60.  Longas.  Long  tapering  hands 
were  a  sign  of  youth  and  beauty ;  cp.  2. 
2,5'  Fulva  coma   est,  longaeque  manus, 


et  maxima  toto  Corpore.'  Paetus  says 
that  youth  was  written  on  his  cheeks  and 
hands  when  he  entered  on  his  voyage. 
Such  conjectures  as  '  lotas'  =  '  pure  hands,' 
or  '  longas  .  .  moras,'  are  no  improvements 
on  the  somewhat  peculiar  expression  in 
the  text.  Barth  explains  '  longas'  by  '  in- 
tegras  antea,'  comparing  v.  51. 

61.  Affligar,  'I  shall  be  dashed  on 
the  sharp  rocks  where  the  sea-birds 
build.'  The  MSS.  are  divided  between 
'affigar'  and  '  affligar,'  the  latter  of  which, 
with  Hertzberg,  I  prefer.  A  similar  con- 
fusion  occurs  in  Virg.  Ae.  I.  45,  and  often 
elsewhere.  Hertzberg  quotes  from  Calli- 
machus  in  illustration  of  this  line :  d\A' 
e/tos  aiuiv  Kvnaaiv  aiOviijs  fiaWov  iawKi- 
aaro. 

62.  Cp.  Hom.  Od.  5.  292*^5  iiTsuJV  (v- 
vayev  vetpeXas,  irapa^e  5«  irovTov  Xtptri 
rpiatvav  eXwv  k.t.X.  In  more  than  one 
passage  of  this  Elegy  Propertius  is  evidently 
thinking  of  the  wreck  of  Ulysses. 

63.  Advehat,  an  almost  necessary  cor- 
rection  of '  evehat '  (MSS.),  which  last  can 
hardly  mean,  as  Hertzberg  urges,  '  throw 
me  up,'  or  '  out'  on  the  shores  of  Italy. 

69.  Kuinoel  points  out  Ovid's  imitation 
of  this  Hne  in  Ep.  ex  Pont.  2.  3,  39  '  Mitius 
est  lasso  digitum  supponere  mento,  Mer- 
gere  quam  liquidis  01  a  natantis  aquis,' 


PROPERTIUS.  151 

Non  poterat  vestras  ille  gravare  manus.  70 

At  tu,  saeve  Aquilo,  nunquam  mea  vela  videbis  j 
Ante  fores  dominae  condar  oportet  iners. 


XXXVII. 

LIB.  IV.   El.  10  (III.  Ti). 

The  subject  of  this  noble  poem  is  the  power  of  women,  and  the  control 
exercised  by  them  even  over  the  greatest  heroes.  From  such  examples  as 
Medea,  Penthesilea,  Omphale,  and  Semiramis,  Propertius  is  led  on  to  the 
most  notable  instance  in  his  day,  viz.  the  sway  exercised  by  Cleopatra  over 
Antony,  and  the  terror  she  inspired  in  almost  every  Roman  but  Caesar, 
Hence  the  poet  passes  to  the  glories  of  the  great  victory  of  Actium,  which 
had  just  happened,  and  the  praises  of  Augustus,  who  by  that  triumph  had 
become  the  Hberator  of  both  sea  and  land.  Paley  conjectures  with  much 
plausibility  that  Propertius  here  attempted  to  gratify  Maecenas  by  giving 
a  specimen  of  his  capability  for  historic  subjects. 

QuiD  mirare,  meam  si  versat  femina  vitam, 

Et  trahit  addictum  sub  sua  jura  virum;   Qu.   <^ 
Criminaque  ignavi  capitis  mihi  turpia  fingis, 

Quod  nequeam  fracto  rumpere  vincla  jugo  ?  --v>:. 

Venturam  melius  praesagit  navita  mortem :  5 

Vulneribus  didicit  miles  habere  metum.   -'~^'  \y<i^^^^v 
Ista  ego  praeterita  jactavi  verba  juventa  j 

Tu  nunc  exemplo  disce  timere  meo. 
Colchis  flagrantes  adamantina  sub  juga  tauros 


72.    Iners,    '  unenterprising,'    '  home-  better  than  to  follow  the   advice   of  my 

keeping,'   i.  e.  not  venturing   on   the   sea.  inexperienced  counsellors. 
Cp.  I.  8,  10  '  Et  sit  iners  tardis  navita  Ver-  Mortem  (as  in  most  MSS.)  need  not 

giUis ! '  be   altered  into  'noctem;'  '  nox,'  in  the 

sense  of  '  storm,'  (as  i.  i8  (17),  10;  Virg. 

5.  Melius, '  the  mariner  better  than  any  Ae.  3. 194,)  requires  some  more  suggestive 

one  else  forecasts  the  coming  destruction.'  expression  in  the  context  than  '  navita.' 

Praesagit.      The  verb  is   common  in  7.   Ista,  '  I  too  in  bygone  youth  have 

Plautus,   and    occurs    in  Lucretius,  butis  thus   rashly  talked;'   i.  e.  about  breaking 

little  used  by  the  poets  generally.  the  yoke,  and  getting  free  from  woman's 

Navita.       The    meaning    is  :    Every  power. 
one  knows  best  the  dangers  attending  on  9.   Adamantina:    i.  e.  of  the  hardest 

his  own  craft ;    I,  as  a  lover,  know  con-  metal,    sometimes    steel,    here  iron.      Cp. 

sequently  the   dangers    of  my   condition  the  dSafMVTiva  §«a^d  of  Aesch.  P.  V.  6. 


152 


PROPERTIUS. 


Egit,  et  armigera  proelia  sevit  humo, 
Custodisque  feros  clausit  serpentis  hiatus, 

Iret  ut  Aesonias  aurea  lana  domos. 
Ausa  ferox  ab  equo  quondam  oppugnare  sagittis 

Maeotis  Danaum  Penthesilea  rates ; 
Aurea  cui  postquam  nudavit  cassida  frontem, 

Vicit  victorem  candida  forma  virum. 
Omphale  in  tantum  formae  processit  honorem, 

Lydia  Gygaeo  tincta  puella  lacu, 
Ut,  qui  pacato  statuisset  in  orbe  columnas, 

Tam  dura  traheret  moUia  pensa  manu. 
Persarum  statuit  Babylona  Semiramis  urbem, 

Ut  solidum  cocto  toUeret  aggere  opus, 
Et  duo  in  adversum  missi  per  moenia  currus, 

Ne  possent  tacto  stringere  ab  axe  latus. 


10.  Proelia  sevit,  best  illustrated  by 
Ov.  Her.  12.  95  foll.  :  Jason,  under  the 
guidance  of  Medea,  sowed  the  teeth  that 
sprang  up  in  a  crop  of  vvarriors,  who  at 
once  fell  on  one  another. 

11.  Hiatus  =  '  hiantia  ora: '  see  on 
6,  52- 

12.  Aesonias  domos,  lolcos,  the 
land  of  Aeson,  Jason's  father.  Cp.  Ov. 
Her.  12.  128  '  Ponitur  ad  patrios  aurea 
lana  deos.' 

14.  Penthesilea,  queen  of  the  Scy- 
thian  Amazons  :  hence  '  Maeotis.'  Cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  I.  490;  Ov.  Her.  21.  118.  She 
is  nowhere  mentioned  in  Homer,  (who 
does  notice  the  Amazons,  II.  3.  189  'Afia- 
^6v(s  dyTiavfipai,)  but  was  a  favourite 
subject  with  the  Greek  painters.  There 
are  many  versions  of  her  story,  some 
affirming  that  it  was  Pyrrhus,  not  Achilles, 
who  slew  her,  though  all  agree  that  the 
latter  fell  in  love  with  her. 

15.  Nudavit,  =  ' (the  removal  of)  the 
helmet  bared  her  face  :'  a  condensed  idiom 
common  in  Propertius. 

Cassida,  a  rare  form  of  the  no- 
minative  instead  of  the  common  '  cassis  : ' 
used  also  by  Virg.  Ae.  II.  775  '  Aurea 
vati  Cassida.'  The  grammarians  com- 
pare  '  chlamyda,'  existing  together  with 
'  chlamys.' 

17.  Omphale.  Only  one  MS.  inserts 
the  '  et '  before  '  in,'  nor  is  there  any  need 
of  it.  It  is  quite  common  in  the  Latin 
poets  to  find  a  long  vowel  shortened  be- 
fore  a  succeeding  vowel  when  elision  is 
neglected,  e.  g.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  211    *  Insula 


lonio  ;'  Id.  G.  4.  461  '  Rhodopeiae  arces;' 
E.  3.  79  '  Vale,  vale,  inquit  lola.'  See 
Lachmann  on  Lucr.  6.  743- 

18.  Gygaeo  .  .  lacu,  the  famous  reser- 
voir  for  the  overflowing  waters  of  the 
Hermus  and  Hyllus,  mentioned  as  one  of 
the  wonders  of  Lydia  by  Hdt.  i.  93. 
Perhaps  some  beautifying  influence  was 
ascribed  to  the  water  (at  all  events  there 
was  a  temple  to  Venus  on  its  shores), 
which  might  give  a  point  to  '  tincta  '  = 

'  lota.' 

19.  Pacato,  in  which  he  had  esta- 
blished  peace  by  subduing  various  mon- 
sters,  and  therefore  manifesting  still 
more  the  greatness  of  the  hero  who 
yet  yielded  to  Omphale's  sway.  Cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  6.  803  '  Erymanthi  Pacarit  ne- 
mora.' 

21.  Persarum  .  .  urbem.  Babylon, 
so  far  as  it  was  a  city  at  all  in  the  time 
of  Propertius,  was  in  the  power  of  the 
Parthians  more  tlian  of  the  Persians.  How- 
ever  Lucan  speaks  of  it  in  a  similar  way, 
6.  446  '  Babylon  Persea.' 

22.  Cocto  .  .  aggere,  =  '  coctilibus 
muris '  Ov.  M.  4.  58.  The  meaning  is, 
that  these  great  works,  which  were  done 
through  women,  would  never  have  been 
achieved  by  their  husbands  alone. 

24.  N  e,  (=  '  ita  ut  non,')  properly  used 
only  for  the  pi^rpose,  not,  as  here,  for  the 
restdt. 

Tacto  ab  axe,  '  through  the  touching 
of  the  wheels.'  The  preposition,  as  not 
uncommonly  in  Propertius  and  Ovid,  is 
here  redundant. 


PROPERTIUS. 


153 


Duxit  et  Euphratem  mcdium,  qua  condidit  arces,  25 

Jussit  et  imperio  subdere  Bactra  caput. 
Nam  quid  ego  heroas,  quid  raptem  iii  crimina  divos  ? 

Jupiter  infamat  seque  suamque  domum. 
Quid  ?    modo  quae  nostris  opprobria  vexerit  armis, 

Et  famulos  inter  fcmina  trita  suos  ?  30 

Conjugis  obscaeni  pretium  Romana  poposcit 

Moenia,  et  addictos  in  sua  regna  patres. 
Noxia  Alexandria,  dolis  aptissima  tellus, 

Et  toties  nostro,  Memphi,  cruenta  malo, 
Tres  ubi  Pompeio  detraxit  arena  triumphos  :  35 

Tollet  nulla  dies,  hanc  tibi,  Roma,  notam  ! 
Issent  Phlegraeo  melius  tibi  funera  campo. 


26.  Subdere,  '  bade  Bactra  bow  the 
head  to  her  sway.'  Diodorus  (2.  6)  relates 
the  failure  of  Ninus  to  capture  Bactra, 
until  Semiramis  came  to  his  aid.  '  Sur- 
gere,'  however,  is  found  in  all  the  MSS., 
'  subdere'  being  a  conjecture  of  Burmaim's. 
Paley,  with  Kuinoel,  reads  '  surgere,'  in- 
terpreting  it  to  mean  that  Semiramis  made 
Bactra  the  capital  of  the  empire  :  '  Surgere 
de  operibus  exstructis  et  jam  florere  in- 
cipientibus  frequens;'  but  supposing  that 
*  surgere'  could  have  this  meaning,  Bactra 
never  was  the  head  of  the  Assyrian  empire. 
Haupt  and  Lachmann  adopt  'subdere'  into 
their  text. 

27.  Nam  quid,  not,  as  Kuinoel  in- 
terprets,  for ' quidnam : '  but  the  conjunction 
here,  as  in  many  other  places,  refers  to 
a  suppressed  thought.  '  I  will  say  no 
more  of  Semiramis  and  such  Hke  :  for 
why  should  I  accuse  heroes  and  gods  of 
bowing  to  women,  when  a  Roman  like 
Antony  gives  himself  up  to  a  '  meretrix 
regina  Canopl'  Hke  Cleopatra  ? 

Raptem  in  crimina,  ('  crimine ' 
MSS.)  may  be  compared  with  the  judicial 
phrases,  '  rapere  in  jus,  ad  suppHcium,'  and 
the  Hke.  Hertzberg  and  Paley  retain 
'  crimine,'  Haupt  has  '  crimina.' 

29,  30.  Vexerit,  the  reading  of  most 
MSS.,  and  not  requiring  to  be  changed,  as 
by  Hertzberg  and  Kuinoel,  into  '  vexerat.' 
'  How  tell  of  what  disgrace  but  lately  she 
hath  brought  on  our  arms — she  a  woman 
and  the  truU  of  her  own  menials.' 

31.  Conjugis  .  .  pretium,  '  the  price 
to  be  paid  by  her  lewd  paramour;'  a  kind 
of  condensed  expression  for  '  pretium  con- 
jugii  a  conjuge  poposcit.'  The  reading 
'  conjugii,'  adopted  by  Kuinoel  and  Orelli, 


is  only  a  conjecture  to  save  the  awkward- 
ness  of  the  genitive  'conjugis'  =  '  quod 
conjux  dat.'  Kuinoel  quotes  from  Florus 
4.  2  '  Haec  mulier  Aegyptia  ab  ebrio 
imperatore  pretium  libidinum  Romanum 
imperium  petiit.' 

33.  Alexandria.  Some  would  unneces- 
sarily  substitute  '  Alexandrina.'  The  ter- 
mination  'ia'  and  'ea'  seem  to  have  been 
both  in  use,  as  in  'Antiochia'  and  '  An- 
tiochea,'  'Seleucia'  and  '  Seleucea,'  though 
inscriptions  favour  the  latter  forms  rather 
than  the  former. 

Dolis.  This  characteristic  of  the 
Aegyptians  is  often  noticed  :  cp.  Aesch. 
Frag.  299  (Diud.)  A(ivlI  -nXiKeiv  roi 
/xrjxdf^  AljvTTTtoi :  and  Kuinoel  quotes 
Theocr.  15.  49  Ora  Trply  e£  uTraTas  «e- 
KpoTay.4voi  avSpfs  iTraiffdov. 

35.  Tres  ubi.  The  'arena'  is  put,  in 
Propertian  style,  for  Pompey's  murder  on 
the  Aeg^^ptian  shore.  The  three  triumphs 
were  gained  on  the  three  continents,  the 
first  for  his  victories  in  Spain,  the  second 
for  the  conquest  of  Numidia,  the  third  for 
his  establishment  of  the  Roman  supremacy 
in  Asia  and  the  East.  Heinsius  makes 
the  extraordinary  conjecture  of  'verna' 
for  '  arena,'  referring  it  to  Pothinus,  the 
eunuch  who  suggested  Pompey's  assassina- 
tion  to  Ptolemy. 

36.  Notam,  the  'disgrace,'  which  arose 
from  Pompey's  death  having  been  inflicted 
by  Septimius,  formerly  one  of  his  centu- 
rions,  rather  than  from  its  being  unavenged, 
as  Kuinoel  urges. 

37.  Phlegraeo  campo,  the  plain  of 
Pharsalia,  after  his  defeat  on  which  Pom- 
pey  sought  refuge  in  Egypt. 

Issent  .  .  funera.     Kuinoel  compares 


154 


PROPERTIUS. 


Vel  tua  si  socero  colla  daturus  eras. 
Scilicet  incesti  meretrix  regina  Canopi 

(Una  Pliilippeo  sanguine  adusta  nota.!)  40 

Ausajovi  nostro  latrantem  opponere  Anubim, 

Et  Tiberim  Nili  cogere  ferre  minas, 
Romanamque  tubam  crepitanti  pellere  sistro, 

Barid^  et  contis  rostra  Liburna  sequi, 
Foedaque  Tarpsio  conopia  tendere  saxo,  45 

Jura  dare  et  statuas  inter  et  arma  Mari ! 
Quid  nunc  Tarquinii  fractas  juvat  esse  secures, 

Nomine  quem  simili  vita  superba  notat, 
Si  mulier  patienda  fuit  ?    Cape,  Roma,  triumphum, 

Et  longum  Augusto  salva  precare  diem  1  50 

Fugisti  tamen  in  timidi  vaga  flumina  Nili  • 


3.  4,  3  (l.  13,  19)  '  spatiatur  pompa,'  in- 
terpreting  '  elatus  et  crematus  esses.'  One 
MS.  has  '  essent.' 

38.  Socero,  Julius  Caesar,  whose 
daughter  JuHa  Pompey  had  married  :  '  or 
had  you  even  ventured  to  entrust  your 
neck  to  your  conqueror,'  '  isset  meHus ' 
being  understood  before  '  si.' 

40.  Una  .  .  nota,  '  the  single  disgrace 
imprinted  (on  Rome)  by  the  heirs  of 
Philip's  blood  : '  '  nota,'  the  nominative  in 
apposition  to  the  sentence.  All  the  other 
kinsmen  of  PhiHp  the  Great,  e.  g.  PhiHp 
III,  Perseus,  &c.  had  been  vanquished  and 
held  in  contempt  by  the  Romans  ;  whereas 
Cleopatra  had  inspired  them  with  fear. 
This  is  better  than  either  to  take  '  nota ' 
as  an  ablative  after  '  adusta'  =  '  the  only 
one  descended  from  the  blood  of  PhiHp 
who  was  branded  with  disgrace,'  as  though 
Cleopatra  were  the  only  discreditable  de- 
scendant  of  the  Macedonian  hero,  or  to 
regard  'sanguine'  (MSS.)  as  =  '  sanguini,' 
'  the  only  blot  upon  the  blood  of  PhiHp.' 
OrelH's  viewof  '  adusta'  being  used  instead 
of  the  more  usual  'inusta'  to  denote  the 
lighter  and  erasible  character  of  the  stain, 
seems  somewhat  fanciful.  He  aptly  com- 
pares  Lucan  lo.  59  '  Dedecus  Aegypti, 
Latio  feralis  Erinnys  .  .  .  Terruit  illa  suo, 
si  fas,  CapitoHa  sistro,  Et  Romana  petit 
imbelli  signa  Canopo.' 

44.  Baridos,  not  used  elsewhere,  it 
appears,  by  Latin  authors :  a  specimen  of 
Propertius'  learned  accuracy,  0apis  being 
the  native  name  for  the  boats  on  the  Nile, 
as  described  by  Hdt.  2.  96. 

Contis  -•  our  '  punt-poles.'  It  need 
hardly  be   said   that   this    description   of 


Cleopatra's   fleet    is    a   poetical   exaggera- 
tion. 

45.  Conopia  must  be  written  with  an 
'  i '  when  the  penultimate  is  short,  from  the 
form  Kojvwwiov,  'Conopeum'  (KoivajiTerov) 
when  it  is  long,  as  in  Juv.  6.  80.  See 
Bentley  on  the  parallel  passage  in  Hor. 
Epod.  9.  16.  Its  strict  sense  is  of  course 
a  '  mosquito-net : '  but  some  suppose  it 
denotes  here  '  military  standards,'  and 
others  '  tent-awnings.' 

46.  Jura  dare  :  '  she  claimed,  aspired 
to  frame  laws  for  Rome  ; '  it  is  never  used 
for  '  jus  dicere,'  or  'judicare.' 

Arma  Mari  :  an  indirect  compliment 
to  Augustus,  JuHus  Caesar  having  restored 
to  the  Capitol  the  arms  and  trophies  of 
Marius,  which  had  been  taken  down  by 
SuUa,  according  to  Suetonius,  Jul.  Caes.  II. 

Mari  is  to  be  joined  only  with  '  arma,' 
not  with  '  statuas.'  Some  good  MSS.  have 
'  dare  statuas,'  without  the  '  et,'  which 
however  would  not  be  quite  so  much 
in  accordance  with  the  metrical  practice 
of  Propertius  as  the  reading  of  the  text ; 
see  on  v.  53. 

47.  Tarquinii.  Many  of  the  MSS. 
give  '  Tarquini,'  which  Weber  reads.  But 
there  is  no  evidence  to  shew  that  the 
penultimaof 'Tarquini'was  ever  lengthened 
by  the  Latin  poets,  while  of  the  uncon- 
tracted  genltive  of  the  second  declension 
the  instances  in  Propertius  are  not  in- 
frequent;  e.  g.  i.  6,  34  'imperii:'  and 
above,  v.  31,  (according  to  some)  '  con- 
jugn:'  4.  13  (3.  14),  2  'gymnasii.' 

51.  Tamen,  'boastful  as  thou  wert, 
yet  thou  hadst  to  fly.' 

Timidi.     The  Nile  is  represented  as 


PROPERTIUS. 


155 


Accepere  tuae  Romula  vincla  manus. 
Brachia^  spectavi  sacris  admorsa  colubris, 

Et  trahcre  occultum  membra  soporis  iter. 
Non  hoc,  Roma,  fui  tanto  tibi  cive  verenda,  55 

Dixit,  et  assiduo  lingua  sepulta  mero. 
Septem  urbs  alta  jugis,  toto  quae  praesidet  orbi, 

Femineas  timuit  territa  Marte  minas ! 
Hannibalis  spolia  et  victi  monumenta  Syphacis 

Et  Pyrrhi  ad  nostros  gloria  fracta  pedes  j  60 

Curtius  expletis  statuit  monumenta  lacunis  j 

At  Decius  misso  proelia  rupit  equo  j  -'wjuvv  >v«t.  \^v 

Coclitis  abscissos  testatur  semita  pontes  j 

Est  cui  cognomen  Corvus  habere  dedit. 


dreading  the  retaliation  of  Rome  for  the 
insolence  of  Cleopatra  now,  while  the 
opposite  feeling  had  been  attributed  to  it 
in  the  '  minae'  of  v.  42. 

53.  Spectavi,  either  in  poetic  vision, 
or  in  the  representation  of  Cleopatra  with 
the  asp  on  her  arm,  carried  in  the  tri- 
umphal  procession  of  Augustus.  The 
lengthening  of  the  short  syllable  before 
the  double  consonant  of  the  word  follow- 
ing  seems  not  to  be  the  practice  of 
Propertius.  See  3.  7  (2.  16),  43 ;  5  (4). 
5,  17  ;  5  (4).  I,  41  and  4,  48  :  also  below, 
V.  67. 

Sacris:  better  (with  Kuinoel)  '  sacred 
to  Isis,'  than  '  cursed,'  '  loathsome.' 

54.  Trahere,  '  and  her  limbs  imbibing 
sleep  in  its  stealthy  approach :'  '  iter 
soporis'  being  the  Propertian  equivalent  of 
'  ipsum  soporem  advenientem.'  Others 
would  take  the  expression  to  mean  '  the 
way'  or  '  means  of  death,'  i.  e.  the  poison, 
like  Virgirs  '  via  mortis,'  G.  3.  482.  But 
the  fornier  seems  both  more  precise  and 
more  picturesque. 

65.  56.  Non  hoc  .  .  mero  :  repre- 
sented  as  CIeopatra's  last  words.  '  Not 
as  long  as  thou  hadst  so  great  a  citizen, 
(i.  e.  Augustus,)  O  Rome,  couldst  thou 
ever  be  afraid  of  me  or  of  those  lips 
drowned  in  unceasing  wine.'  Most  MSS. 
have  '  fuit,'  which  might  easily  have 
arisen  from  the  repetition  of  the  '  t'  in 
'tanto'  immediately  following. 

Cive,  (ablative  absolute,  as  5  (4).  1,33,) 
the  name  to  which  Augustus  was  especially 
partial  :  cp.  Ov.  Tr.  4.  4,  13  '  Ipse 
pater  patriae,  quid  enim  civilius  illo  ?' 

Lingua,  i.  e.  Antony.     Kuinoel  quotes 


Seneca,  Ep.  83  '  M.  Antonium  .  .  quae 
alia  res  perdidit  .  .  quam  ebrietas  nec  vino 
minor  Cleopatrae  amor?'  Horace  (Od.  I. 
37,  14)  attributes  the  '  mentem  lympha- 
tam  Mareotico '  to  Cleopatra  as  much  as  to 
Antony  :  and  so  here  it  might  be  takea, 
'  she  spoke  and  in  a  drunken  stupor  died.' 

57.  Toto,  found  in  most  MSS.  and  all 
the  older  editions,  is  an  archaism  of  Pro- 
pertius,  like  the  'nullae'  (for  '  nulli')  of 
I.  21  (20),  35. 

58.  Timuit:  ironical.  Note  the  double 
alliteration  in  this  line. 

59.  60.  Altering  these  lines  is  almost  as 
hopeless  as  retaining  them  in  their  present 
state  and  position.  Kuinoel  would  place 
them  after  the  couplet  beginning  '  Nunc  ubi 
Scipiadae,'  etc.  Lachmann  suggests  '  sunt 
parta  '  instead  of  '  monumenta,'  and  Orelli 
'  non  nota,'  with  an  interrogation  after 
'  pedes.'  If  we  keep  them  as  they  are,  we 
can  only  explain  the  '  monumenta '  as  the 
nominative  or  vocative  of  exclamation : 
'  Think  of  the  tokens  of  victory  we  possess.* 
One  first-class  manuscript  omits  these  two 
lines  altogether. 

61.  Monumenta,  explained  by  the 
'  expletis  lacunis'  ('chasm')  which  formed 
the  memorial  to  Curtius,  not  any  altar  or 
temple  to  record  the  event,  as  Burmann 
would  interpret  it. 

63.  Coclitis  .  .  semita:  probably  the 
name  of  the  street  retained  to  mark  the 
path,  by  which  Horati^s  advanced  to 
defend  the  bridge. 

Pontes,  like  '  lacunis,'  the  plural  used 
for  the  singular,  perhaps  either  to  increase 
the  musical  sigmatism  of  the  verses,  or  to 
amplify  the  idea  of  the  exploits. 


156  PROPERTIUS. 

Haec  di  condiderant,  haec  di  quoque  moenia  servant :      65 

Vix  timeat,  salvo  Cacsare,  Roma  Jovem. 
Nunc  ubi  Scipiadae  classes  ?   ubi  signa  Camilli  ? 

Aut  modo  Pompeia  Bospore  capta  manu  ? 
Leucadius  versas  acies  memorabit  Apollo  : 

Tantum  operis  belli  sustulit  una  dies,  70 

At  tu,  sive  petes  portus,  seu,  navita,  linques, 

Caesaris  in  toto  sis  memor  lonio. 


XXXVIII. 

LIB.  IV.   El.  17  (IIL  18). 

An  elegy  on  the  premature  death  of  M.  Claudius  Marcellus,  the  nephew 
of  Augustus,  which  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  23  B.c,  to  the  great  grief 
of  his  uncle  and  all  the  Roman  people.  See  the  well-known  lines  on  the 
same  subject  by  Virgil,  Ae.  6.  860  foll.  Marcellus  was  not  drowned  at 
Baiae,  as  some  are  disposed  to  interpret  the  words  of  Propertius  at  v.  9. 
He  was  carried  off  by  a  disease,  which  neither  the  warm  baths  of  Baiae 
nor  the  medical  skill  of  Antonius  Musa  could  arrest.  It  has  been  supposed 
that  the  poet  dwells  on  the  natural  causes  of  Marcellus'  death  in  order 
to  divert  popular  attention  from  the  suspicion  attaching  to  Livia  and 
Tiberius  of  having  hastened  it  by  foul  means  in  order  to  further  their 
own  interests.     See  Merivale,  Hist.  Emp.  ch.  35. 


67.  Nunc  ubi.  The  connection  is :  the  his  first  edition  adopted.  The  common 
glory  of  Scipio,  Camillus,  and  Pompey  will  reading  '  Bosphora,'  retained  by  Kuinoel, 
henceforth  be  eclipsed  by  that  of  Au-  is  found  in  no  MS.,  and  is  an  arbitrary 
gustus,  the  victor  of  Actium.  formation  on  the  doubtful  model  of  '  Tae- 

Classes:     cp.   Livy    28.   45    '  Triginta  nara,'  '  Maenala,' etc. 

navium  carinae,  viginti  quinqueremes,  de-  70.   Tantum  .  .  dies,  '  so  much  of  the 

cem  quadrirenies  quum  essent  positae,  ipse  labour  of  a  war  has  one  single  day  taken 

(sc.  Scipio)  ita  institit  operi,  ut  die  quadra-  away,'  i.e.  so  much  has  the  day  of  Actium 

gesimo    quinto,    quam    ex    silvis    detracta  done  for  deciding  the  whole  war. 

materia  erat,  naves  instructae  armataeque  72.   Toto.      'Tuto'   is   a    happy   con- 

in  aquam  deductae  sint.'  jecture,   but    the    MSS.    and   editions    are 

68.  Bospore  capta,  i.  e.  by  Pompey  unanimous  in  favour  of  '  toto,'  i.  e.  not 
the  Great  at  the  close  of  the  Mithridatic  only  in  the  part  about  Actium.  Kuinoel 
war,  when  he  gave  the  captured  kingdom  illustrates  these  lines  from  Suetonius  (Octav. 
of  Bosporus  to  Pharnaces  the  son  and  98),  where  some  sailors  in  the  bay  of 
murderer  of  Mithridates.  Though  usually  Puteoli  are  spoken  of  as  saluting  Augustus 
masculine,  'Bosporus'  seems  occasionally  with  the  words  :  '  Per  illuni  se  vivere, 
to  be  used  feminine.  Orelli  quotes  Sulp.  per  illum  navigare  ;  libertate  atque  fortunis 
Sev.  Dial.  i.  26  '  Bosporus  exclusa.'     Hein-  per  illum  frui." 

sius  proposed  '  capte,'  which  Lachmann  in 


PROPERTIUS. 


157 


Clausus  ab  umbroso  qua  ludit  pontus  Averno,  tW^-^»  o^^-^jv^  a^.tA-  ^r^,o. 

t^  Fuinida  Baiarum  stagna  tepentis  aquae,      . /a^. .-«~' »»'— f--'"-«u«  >^^ 

Qua  jacet  et  Trojae  tubicen  Misenus  arena,    "^^**  •o>\^^im~  '^«'■•^  hr^jAiyy^  uw 

Lt  sonat  Herculeo  structa  labore  via,  ^ 

Hic,  ubi,  mortalis  dextra  cum  quaereret  urbes,  5 

Cymbala  Thebano  concrepuere  deo  j  ^'Cbjuii:  Wi.  <3fv.V»-^^"T'*  ^^"^'^ 

At  nunc  invisae  magno  cum  crimine  Baiae,    'H^vkA..  w«- ■>  « i»*.-'^ 

Quis  deus  in  vestra  constitit  hostis  aqua  ? 
His  pressus  Stygias  vultum  demisit  in  undas,  ^  v.MtvwS,>^c,-^ 

Errat  et  in  vestro  spiritus  ille  lacu.  10 


I,  2.  Clausus:  referring  to  the  well- 
known  work  of  Agrippa,  who,  after 
uniting  the  Avernus  with  the  Lucrine 
kke,  let  in  the  sea  through  a  trap-dyke 
(the  '  via  Herculea')  to  forni  a  haveu  for 
ships.     See  Virg.  G.   2.   164;  Hor.  A.  P. 

63- 

Umbroso  :  the  steep  sides  of  the 
Avernus  were  once  covered  with  dark 
woods. 

Ludit,  the  reading  of  all  the  MSS. ; 
not  inaptly  said  of  the  quiet  sportive 
motion  of  waters  protected  from  winds. 
Hertzberg  and  Paley  prefer  '  alludit,'  to 
be  taken  with  '  stagna,'  =  '  washes  up  to 
the  steamy  pools  of  Baiae  :'  an  old  edition 
gives  '  lidit.'  It  seems  better  to  retain 
'  ludit,'  making  '  stagna '  in  apposition 
to  '  pontus,'  the  waters  of  Avernus,  Lu- 
crinus,  and  the  Gulf  of  Baiae  being  united 
in  one  after  the  work  of  Agrippa. 

Fumida,  an  undoubtedly  true  cor- 
rection  by  ScaHger  of  '  humida'  (MSS.),  a 
very  insipid  epithet  of  '  stagna.'  Cp. 
Lucr.  6.  747V  C3v.  Ars  Am.  i.  ^J^6  '  Et 
quae  de  caHdo  sulphure  fumat,  aquam.' 

3.   Misenus.     For   the  legend   of  Mi- 

senus — described  by  some  as  the  pilot,  by 

others  as  the  trumpeter,  of  Aeneas,   but 

nowhere  mentioned  by  Homer — see  Virg. 

Ae.  3.  239 ;  6.  162. 

vO/i  irt  !k\««<TV  I     4.   Sonat,    '  rings    with    the    noise    of 

««.«vCb^  <iTffl3\vheels.'       The    '  via    Herculea '    was    the 

WiKuWia^OL  road   along  the  sand-bank  separating  the 

^jWfiMAt»    Lucrine  lagoon    from  the   outer   sea,  said 

a^^^A^^°  have  been  made  by  Hercules   to  drag 

^^^"m;'^'  the  oxen   of  Geryon   along,  but  really  a 

creation    of  nature   like   the   chesil   beach 

of  Portland.      Agrippa  widened   and   for- 

tified  it  against  the   sea.     Hertzberg   and 

Paley   take   'sonat'    of  the    dash    of  the 

waves  against  the  now  protected  road  :  cp. 

I.   12,    2    '  Qua   jacet    Herculeis    semita 

litoribus.' 


5.  Mortalis,  either  accusative  with 
'  urbes'  for  'urbes  mortalium,'  which  seems 
singularly  weak,  unless  opposed  (as  Paley 
thinks)  to  '  coelum  adire'  impHed  in  'deo,' 
or  else  the  nominative,  said  of  Hercules 
'  while  yet  a  mortal,  winning  cities  with 
the  might  of  his  arm.' 

6.  Thebano  deo  is  evidently  Her- 
cules,  not  Bacchus  (as  Weber  strangely 
interprets  it)  :  the  two  deities  were,  it  is 
true,  equally  worshipped  in  Thebes,  the 
reputed  birthplace  of  the  son  of  Alcmena  ; 
but  with  this  part  of  Italy  the  feats  of 
Hercules  were  much  more  associated  than 
those  of  Dionysus ;  witness  the  city  of 
'  Hercularieum,'  and  the  tale  of  the  defeat 
of  the  giants  on  the  Phlegraean  plains. 

7.  Invisae  .  .  Baiae,  the  vocative, 
(not,  as  some  would  take  it,  the  nomina- 
tive  containing  the  apodosis  to  '  qua '  of 
V.  I  and  3,)  '  O  Baiae,  hateful  with  thy 
deep  guih '  of  causing  Marcellus'  death. 
These  lines  are  evidently  parenthetical, 
introduced  by  the  particle  expressive  of 
strong  feeling :  '  God  !  do  I  say  ?  if  any 
god  visits  thee  now,  it  can  only  be  one 
who  loathes  thee  ; '  emphasis  on  '  hostis.' 

9,  10.  His  pressus,  the  apodosis  to 
V.  1.  'His'  is  most  naturally  referred  to 
'  Baiae,'  v.  7,  i.  e.  '  with  Baian  airs  and 
waters  overcome.'  The  relaxing  climate 
of  Baiae  was  known  to  be  fatal  to  many 
constitutions.  'Pressus'  suits  with  '  de- 
misit  ;'  the  weight  of  the  oppressive  air 
caused  him  to  droop  and  die. 

Demisit  is  not  without  a  nominative,  as 
Kuinoel  says  ;  but  the  'ille'  of  the  next 
hne  is  to  be  drawn  back  to  form  its  sub- 
ject,  its  position  making  the  pronoun  all 
the  more  effective  by  its  standing  in 
marked  contrast  with  '  spiritus.' 

10.  Errat  .  .  lacu,  '  he  is  now  but 
breath  (parted  from  the  body)  wandering 
o'er  your  lake  :'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  648  '  cx- 


158  PROPERTIUS. 

Quid  genus,  aut  virtus,  aut  optima  profuit  illi 

Mater,  et  amplexum  Caesaris  esse  focos  ? 
Aut  modo  tam  pleno  fluitantia  vela  theatro,       (s^s^.O 

Et  per  maternas  omnia  gesta  manus  ? 
Occidit !    Et  misero  steterat  vigesimus  annus ! 

Tot  bona  tam  parvo  clausit  in  orbe  dies ! 
I  nunc,  tolle  animos,  et  tecum  finge  triumphos, 

Stantiaque  in  plausum  tota  tlieatra  juvent ; 
Attalicas  supera  vestes,  atque  omnia  magnis 

Gemmea  sint  ludis :    ignibus  ista  dabis. 
Sed  tamen  huc  omnes,  huc  primus  et  ultimus  ordo : 

Est  mala,  sed  cunctis  ista  terenda  via  est. 
Exoranda  canis  tria  sunt  latrantia  collaj 

Scandenda  est  torvi  publica  cymba  senis. 
Ille  licet  ferro  cautus  se  condat  et  aere, 

Mors  tamen  inclusum  protrahit  inde  caput. 
Nirea  non  facies,  non  vis  exemit  Achillem, 

Croesum  aut,  Pactoli  quas  parit  humor,  opes. 
Hic  olim  ignaros  luctus  populavit  Achivos, 


25 


tremus  si  quis  super  habitus  errat.'  Later 
writers  only  use  'spiritus'  for  'a  ghost.' 
The  image  of  the  Stygian  lake  is  Hke 
Theocr.  I.  140  Aafvis  e0a  poov. 

12.  Mater,  Octavia,  sister  of  Augustus. 
Amplexum   .  .   focos    refers    to    the 

adoption  of  Marcellus  into  the  Julian 
family,  perhaps  also  to  his  marriage  with 
Julia,  the  emperor's  daughter.  Both  cere- 
monies  would  be  performed  before  the 
•  gods  of  the  hearth.'  '  Amplexo,'  which 
Kuinoel  reads,  would  be  admissible  in 
point  of  grammar,  but  '  amplexum '  is 
supported  by  all  the  best  MSS. 

13.  Vela  theatro.  When  curule  ae- 
dile  in  23  b.  c,  Marcellus  had  exhibited 
magnificent  games,  during  which,  for  the 
first  time,  the  forum  was  covered  over 
with  an  awning  ('vela'),  and  its  sides 
draped  with  superb  tapestries.  Many  of 
the  arrangements  were  superintended  by 
Octavia,  owing  to  her  son's  illness,  and 
to  this  fact  the  following  line  points.  The 
Theatre  of  Marcellus  in  the  Campus 
Martius  was  built  in  his  honour  by  Au- 
gustus  after  the  former's  death. 

17.  I  nunc.  In  the  abruptness  of 
strong  feeling  the  poet  tums  to  address 
Marcellus,  who,  almost  before  the  scenes 
just  spoken  of  were  ended,  was  seized  and 


cut  off  by  disease.  Kuinoel  points  out  the 
imitation  of  this  Hne  in  Ov.  Her.  9.  105 
'  I  nunc,  tolle  animos  et  fortia  facta  re- 
cense.' 

19.  Attalicas  .  .  vestes,  not  referring 
probably  to  the  festal  dress  of  Marcellus 
as  aedile,  but  rather  to  the  awnings  and 
draperies  spoken  of  above :  cp.  3.  30 
(2.  32),  II  '  Porticus  aulaeis  nobilis  At- 
talicis.' 

20.  Ista,  supported  by  the  best  MSS. : 
many  good  editors  however  prefer  '  usta,' 
not,  I  imagine,  so  much  on  its  own  merits, 
as  to  prevent  the  repetition  of  '  ista'  within 
three  lines.  It  can  hardly  be  denied  that 
'  ista,'  =  '  these  poor  shows,'  has  the 
greater  point  of  the  two. 

21.  Ordo.  The  idea  of  the  theatre 
and  the  ranks  in  it  is  still  in  the  poet's 
mind;  'the  ranks  of  high  and  low.'  Supply 
'tendit'  with  'huc'  (best  MSS.  'hoc'). 

24.  P u b  1  i c a ,  emphatic, '  all-wekoming ;' 
80  Aesch.  (Supp.  157)  calls  Hades  iroKv- 
^ivwraTov . 

25.  Ferro  et  aere,  i.  e.  '  with  helmet 
and  coat  of  mail.'  In  13,  12  '  aes'  is  used 
for  a  hehnet :  '  Virgineumque  cavo  pro- 
tegit  aere  caput.' 

Ille,  '  your  mightiest  captain.' 

29,  30.    Hic     olim   .  .  amor,    '  such 


PROPERTIUS. 


159 

30 


Atridae  magno  cum  stetit  alter  amor. 
At  tibi,  nauta,  pias  hominum  qui  trajicis  umbras, 

Huc  animae  portent  corpus  inane  tuae,  vis^riptx^  ^WjvA^t «^'vvMrt. 

Qua  Siculae  victor  telluris  Claudius  et  qua 

Caesar  ab  humana  cessit  in  astra  via. 


XXXIX. 


LIB.  IV  (III).    El.  22. 

TuLLUS,  the  poefs  friend,  (see  i.  6,)  after  accompanying  his  uncle,  the 
proconsul  of  Asia  Minor,  in  the  character  of  legate  or  secretary,  did  not 
return  to  Rome  on  the  expiration  of  his  office,  but  seems  to  have  em- 
ployed  his  time  in  a  protracted  tour  among  the  places  of  interest  in  those 
parts.  Propertius  writes  this  Elegy  to  him,  urging  him  to  return  to  Rome, 
as  containing  more  beauty  and  interest  than  all  the  world  beside,  as  the 
country  of  his  ancestors,  and  the  true  field  for  the  display  of  his  abilities. 
Similar  praises  of  Italy  may  be  found  in  Virgil,  G.  2.  136  foll. 

Frigida  tam  multos  placuit  tibi  Cyzicus  annos, 
Tulle,  Propontiaca  qua  fluit  Isthmos  aqua. 


too  was  the  grievous  plague  that  erst 
wasted  the  helpless  (unwitting  of  its  cause) 
sons  of  Greece,  what  time  Atrides  heavily 
rued  his  second  love  ;'  or,  '  Atridae,'  geni- 
tive,  '  when  Atrides'  second  love  cost  the 
Greeks  dear,'  as  Hor.  Ep.  i.  2,  14.  '  Hic' 
(not  '  sic')  is  the  reading  of  the  MSS., 
and  refers  to  the  ravages  of  death  spoken 
of  in  the  preceding  Hnes,  or  the  pestilence 
that  killed  Marcellus. 

Ignaros,  because  it  was  not  till  Calchas 
spoke  that  the  Greeks  knew  why  the 
visitation  came. 

Alter  amor,  i.  e.  Agamemnon's  pas- 
sion  for  Chryseis,  preferred  as  she  was  to 
his  first  and  lawful  love,  Clytaemnestra. 
Lachmann  proposed  '  altus'  for  'alter,'  and 
Jacob  '  cum  stat  adulter  amor.' 

31,  32.  A  ver)'difficult  passage,  ofwhich 
none  of  the  proposed  interpretations  seem 
altogether  satisfactory.  The  simplest  per- 
haps,  requiring  no  alteration  of  the  re- 
ceived  text,  is,  '  But  at  thy  behest,  O 
mariner,  who  conveyest  across  the  pool 
the  ghosts  of  holy  men,  let  the  breezes 
subject  to  thee  (or,  '  thy  ministering  spi- 
rits')  waft  his  shadowy  form  to  the  place 


where,'  etc.  Burmann  and  others,  com- 
paring  Ov.  M.  13.  488,  would  take 
'  animae '  with  '  inane '  in  the  sense  of 
'  lifeless  frame,'  'suae'  being  adopted  in 
place  of  'tuae'  (MSS.),  and  '  portes'  for 
'  portent.'  There  is  much  more  to  be 
said  for  Lachmann's  substitution  of  '  hoc ' 
for  'huc:'  '  Let  Charon  bear  away  the 
body  emptied  of  its  soul ;  that  soul  has 
passed  to  the  stars  by  the  way  its  fathers 
and  its  kindred  trod.'  But  it  is  very  diffi- 
cult  to  find  any  such  contrast  marked  in 
the  text. 

33>  34-  Qua.  The  poet  asks  Charon 
to  convey  the  shade  of  Marcellus  to 
'  where  Claudius  and  Caesar  passed  to  the 
stars  by  the  way  common  to  man,'  (the 
'cunctis  terenda  via' of  V.  22,)  i.e.  through 
death,  or  '  from  the  paths  of  man,'  an 
unusual  expression  however  it  be  taken. 
The  '  Claudius  '  here  spoken  of  is  of 
course  the  great  Marcellus,  the  conqueror 
of  Syracuse,  the  ancestor  of  the  hero  of 
the  present  poem. 

2.  Fluit  isthmos,  '  where  the  isthmus 
floats   on   the  Propontis   wave.'     Cyzicus 


i6o 


PROPERTIUS. 


rfv  ^'jxi^'^- 


Dindymus,  et  sacrae  fabricata  juvenca  Cybelae, 

Raptorisque  tulit  qua  via  Ditis  equos, 
Si  te  forte  juvant,  Helles  Athamantidos  urbes,  5 

Nec  desiderio,  Tulle,  movere  meo : 
Tu  licet  adspicias  coelum  omne  Atlanta  gerentem, 

Sectaque  Persea  Phorcidos  ora  manu, 
Geryonae  stabula,  et  luctantum  in  pulvere  signa 

Herculis  Antaeique,  Hesperidumque  choros,  10 

Tuque  tuo  Colchum  propellas  remige  Phasim, 

Peliacaeque  trabis  totum  iter  ipse  legas, 
Qua  rudis  ArgQa  natat  inter  saxa  columba 


was  situated  on  an  isthmus  according  to 
niost  geographers,  though  Strabo  makes 
it  an  island.  Many  would  translate  '  isth- 
mos'  here  '  a  strait,'  viz.  '  the  Dardanelles,' 
but  there  seems  to  be  nc  authority  for 
such  a  sense.  It  would  not  be  ahen  to 
the  style  of  Propertius  to  take  '  fluit 
Isthmos  aqua '  for  '  aqua  Isthmon  prae- 
fluit.' 

3.  Dindymus.  Hertzberg,  taking  ex- 
ception  to  this  form,  instead  of  the 
commoner  '  Dind^TOon,'  or  '  Dindyma,' 
suggests  '  Dindyma  sacra  Rheae  et  fabri- 
cata  juvenca  Cybelae.'  But  why  should 
not  'Dindymus'  have  co-existed  with 
•  Dindynion,'  as  '  Ilios'  with  '  Ihon?' 

Juvenca.  This  emendation  of  Voss 
involves  the  slightest  change  from  the 
'  inventa'  of  the  MSS.,  and  is  recom- 
mended  by  the  fact  that  images  of  cows 
are  often  found  on  the  coins  of  Cyzicus. 
That  city  was  famous  for  the  temple  of 
Cybele,  built  (as  it  was  said)  by  the  Argo- 
nauts.  Together  with  other  works  of 
art,  its  gold  'stateres'  with  the  head  of 
Cybele  on  one  side  were  in  great  repute. 
The  'heifer'  here  spoken  of  is  supposed 
to  have  been  of  marble,  and  to  have  stood 
in  a  chapel  of  the  temple  on  Mount  Din- 
dymon. 

Cybelae,  the  dative,  '  in  honour  of  the 
goddess.'  Haupt  reads  '  sacra  (MSS.)  fa- 
bricata  e  vite  Cybebe.' 

4.  Raptoris.  Mythology  places  the 
rape  of  Proserpine  in  many  different  places, 
though  Propertius  stands  alone,  it  appears, 
in  describing  Cyzicus  as  its  scene.  Klau- 
sen,  however,  states  that  representations 
of  it  are  to  be  found  on  the  local  coins. 

Qua.  One  or  two  early  editions  have 
'  quae,'  but  the  former  seems  preferable, 
the  same  word  being  also  supplied  before 


'  Dindymus,'  unless  '  placuit'  be  rather 
understood. 

5.  Si.  The  apodosis  begins  v.  17. 
Visit,  if  you  will,  all  the  wonders  of  Asia 
and  of  Africa,  those  of  Rome  and  Italy 
will  surpass  them  all.  Actual  travels,  not 
pictorial  representations  of  places,  etc.  seen 
at  Cyzicus,  are  here  meant.  Paley,  how- 
ever,  thinks  otherwise. 

8.  Phorcidos.  The  head  of  Medusa, 
the  daughter  of  Phorcus,  which  Perseus 
cut  off,  having  gone  to  Tartessus,  the 
legendary  home  of  the  Gorgons  (whence 
the  '  Gorgades  insulae '  got  their  name), 
in  quest  of  her.  Perseus  is  also  connected 
with  Atlas,  whom  by  the  head  of  the  Gorgon 
he  changed  into  the  mountain  :  cp.  Ov.  M. 

4.  655  '  Quantus  erat,  mons  factus  Atlas.' 
Propertius  in  this  Elegy  indulges  his  clia- 
racteristic  fondness  for  mythology. 

9.  Geryonae,  genitive  of  '  Geryones,' 
as  '  Anchisae '  of  Anchises.  Erythea  on 
the  coast  of  Spain  is  meant :  cp.  5  (4). 
9,  2  '  Egcrat  a  stabulis,  o  Erythea,  tuis.' 

Signa,  not  '  statues,'  but  the  '  marks,' 
'  foot-prints,'  such  as  would  be  shewn  to 
a  traveller  with  an  appetite  for  the  mar- 
vellous.     Burmann  compares  Pliny  N.  H. 

5.  1  '  Ibi  (i.  e.  at  Lixur  in  Mauritania) 
regia  Antaei  certamenque  cum  Hercule ; 
et  Hesperidum  horti.' 

10.  Choros:  here  used  in  the  sense 
of  the  Greek  x^/"''  —  '  *^^  place  for 
dancing,'  as  Hom.  Od.  12.  318  ivOa  S'  taav 
ySvficptQJV  KaXoi  X^P"'  V^^  66ooKOi.  Such 
an  elision  as  that  which  takes  place  in 
'  Antaeique '  is  very  awkward,  and  would 
rarely,  if  ever,  be  found  in  Ovid. 

13.  Argoa  .  .  columba  :  cp.  3.  21,  19 
(2.  26,  39)  '  Cum  rudis  Argus  Dux 
erat  ignoto  missa  columba  mari.'  The- 
ablative  het^  is  fjeculiar,  '  through  the  aia 


PROPERTIUS. 


i6i 


%.u^^"'-'- 


In  faciem  prorae  pinus  adacta  novae, 
Et  si,  qua  Ortygii  visenda  est  ora  Caystri,  15 

Et  qua  septenas  temperat  unda  viasr 
Omnia  Romanae  cedent  miracula  terrae: 

Natura  hic  posuit,  quidquid  ubique  fuit. 
Armis  apta  magis  tellus,  quam  commoda  noxae, 

Famam,  Roma,  tuae  non  pudet  historiae.  20 

Nam,  quantum  ferro,  tantum  pietate  potentes 

Stamus  j  .victrices  temperat;  1^^  manusT*  ,^,l^f 
Hic  Anio  Tiburne  fluis,  Clitumnus  ab  Umbro 

Tramite,  et  aeternum  Marcius  humor  opus, 
Albanus  lacus  et  socia  Nemoren^s^  ab  unda,  "^  ^^,     t-is 

Potaque  Pollucis  lympha  salubris  equo. 
At  non  squamoso  labuntur  ventre  cerastae, 

Itala  portentis  nec  fluit  unda  novis  j 
Non  hic  Andromedae  resonant  pro  matre  catenae, 

I-!  ,y  '    ' "  ■  ■•■  ■        ,  3  t^x,  *.'•'.'  *  '  '        ■ 


of  the  dove,'  regarded  as  the  instrument 
by  which  the  vessel  floated  safely  among 
the  rocks. 

Natat  for  '  natavit,'  a  use  of  the  pre- 
sent  not  uncommon  in  Propertius  :  see 
6,  22  ;  5  (4).  1,77'  Me  creat  Archytae 
soboles  ;'  Ib.  121  '  edit'  =  '  edidit.' 

15.  Ortygii.  This  is  Voss'  correction 
of  the  impracticable  'origae'  of  the  MSS. 
'Ortygia'  was  an  old  name  of  Ephesus, 
which  was  situated  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Cayster,  '  the  haunt  of  quails'  and 
other  birds  :  cp.  Virg.  G.  1.  384.  Reading 
'Ort)'giae'  (dative)  as  though  the  poet 
meant  '  the  shore  of  Cayster  within  sight 
of  Ephesus,'  robs  '  visenda '  of  half  its 
force.  After  •  si,'  *  legas '  is  easily  under- 
stood  from  v.  12,  rendering  the  change 
into  '  sis'  (Haupt)  superfluous. 

16.  Temperat  . .  vias,  i.e.  '  moderates 
its  course  divided  into  seven  channels,'  as 
Kuinoel  rightly  explains  it.  It  is  just  one 
of  those  condensed  expressions  so  charac- 
teristic  of  the  poet.  Barth  holds  that  not 
the  Nile,  but  the  Rhesus,  a  river  of  the 
Troad.  is  here  meant. 

18.  Ovid  imitates  this  line,  Ars  Am. 
I.  56  (speaking  of  Rome)  '  Haec  habet, 
ut  dicas,  quidquid  in  orbe  fuit.' 

19.  Commoda  noxae,  '  disposed  to 
harm,'  explained  by  v.  21  foll.  :  according 
to  the  favourite  boast  of  the  Romans, 
'  parcere  subjectis'  Virg.  Ae.  6.  853,  and 
Hor.  Carm.  Saec.  51  '  jacentem  Lenis  in 
hostem.' 


22.  Ira,  '  even  in  the  hour  of  triumph 
anger  stays  her  hand.'  Kuinoel  strangely 
enough  adopts  in  his  text  Burmann's  '  illa' 
for  the  '  ira '  of  all  the  best  MSS. 

24.  Marcius  :  cp.  note  on  4  (3).  I,  52 
'  Non  operosa  rigat  Marcius  antra  liquor.' 

25.  Ab  unda.  There  is  no  need  of 
altering  the  text  (with  Hertzberg)  into 
*  Albanusque  lacus  socii  Nemorensis  et 
unda,'  although  it  may  be  proved  that 
the  Alban  and  Arician  lake  did  not  issue 
from  the  same  fountain.  The  two  lakes 
were  close  together,  and  might,  poetically 
speaking,  be  said  with  sufBcient  truth  to 
'  flow  from  kindred  waters.'  Two  MSS. 
give  '  socii,'  and  one  MS.  has  '  et'  for  '  ab.' 

26.  Potaque  Pollucis,  '  the  well 
that  springs  by  Vesta's  fane,'  at  which  the 
Dioscuri  '  washed  their  horses'  after  the 
battle  of  the  Lake  Regillus :  see  Ov.  Fast. 
I.  708,  463.  It  was  called  '  Juturna,' 
and  rose  in  the  Roman  forum. 

27.  Cerastae  :  cp.  Virg.  G.  2.  153 
'  Nec  rapit  immensos  orbes  per  humum, 
neque  tanto  Squameus  in  spiram  tractu  se 
colligit  anguis.'  The  '  cerastes  *  was  a 
kind  of  homed  serpent  found  in  Africa : 
cp.  Lucan  6.  679  '  Libyci  membrana 
cerastae.' 

29.  Pro  matre,  '  the  penahy  of  her 
mother's  sin.'  Andromeda,  chained  to  the 
rock  and  given  up  to  the  sea-monster, 
endured  the  punishment  due  to  her  mother 
Cassiopeia,  who  had  brought  on  the  visit- 
ation  by  her  insolence  to  the  Nereids. 

M 


l62 


PROPERTIUS. 


Nec  tremis  Ausonias,  Phoebe  fugate,  dapes ;  30 

iJNec  cuiquam  absentes  arserunt  in  caput  ignes, 
Exitium  nato  matre  movente  suo; 
Penthea  non  saevae  venantur  in  arbore  Bacchae  j 
Nec  solvit  Danaas  subdita  cerva  rates  j 
h-o;v^o''^"ifCornua  nec  valuit  curvare  in  pellice  Juno,  35 

^* "  '  ^        Aut  faciem  turpi  dedecorare  bove  : 

Arboreasque  cruces  Sinis,  et  non  hospita  Graiis 

Saxa,  et  curvatas  in  sua  fata  trabes. 
Haec  tibi,  Tulle,  parens,  haec  est  pulcherrima  sedes  j 

Hic  tibi  pro  digna  gente  petendus  honos :  40 

Hic  tibi  ad  eloquium  cives,  hic  ampla  nepotum 
Spes  et  venturae  conjugis  aptus  amor. 


30.  Ausonias,  '  nor  hast  thou  to  shud- 
der  at  Italian  feasts,'  like  those  of  Thyestes 
at  Mycenae.  Kuinoel  compares  Ov.  Her. 
16.  205  'Non  dabimus  certe  socerum  tibi 
clara  fugantem  Lumina,  qui  trepidos  a  dape 
vertat  equos.' 

31.  Arserunt  in  caput,  '  nor  have 
distant  torches  blazed  against  (i.  e.  fatal 
to)  the  Hfe  of  any  ; '  referring  to  the  story 
of  Althaea  and  Meleager.  This  seems 
more  direct  than  to  join  '  in  caput'  with 
'  movente,'  though  the  latter  construction 
may  be  the  more  common  of  the  tw^o. 
Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  5.  305  '  Respice  Thestiaden: 
flammis  absentibus  arsit.' 

33.  In  arbore,  explained  by  Eur. 
Bacch.  1095  ws  6'  u5ov  «AdTj?  SeffTTOTtjv 
((prjfxevov  k.t.X. 

34.  Cerva:  i.  e.  the  Greeks  were  equal 
to  the  crime  of  sacrificing  Iphigenia,  had 
not  Artemis  substituted  for  her  a  stag. 
See  the  epilogue  (probably  spurious)  in 
Eur.  Iph.  in  Aul.  1856  foll.  Propertius 
(6,  24  '  Pro  qua  mactata  est  Iphigenia 
mora)  gives  the  other  version  of  the 
story. 

35.  Cornua  .  .  curvare,  '  to  shape 
the  crumpled  horns  (of  a  cow)  upon  the 


harlot's  head,'  alluding  to  the  story  of  lo. 
Cp.  3.  23(2.  28),  17. 

36.  Bove  stands  for  '  bovis  facie.' 

37.  Cruces.  From  'curvare'  (equi- 
valent  to  '  curvando  efEcere ')  some  such 
verb  as  the  latter  must  be  understood 
before  '  cruces ; '  similarly  before  '  saxa ' 
and  '  trabes '  some  equivalent  like  '  ad- 
hibere.' 

Sinis,  o  mTvoKaixTTTrjs,  the  mythical 
robber  of  Corinth,  who  killed  travellers 
by  fastening  them  to  the  tops  of  bent 
pines,  which  he  then  caused  to  spring 
back.     See  Ov.  M.  7.  440  foll. 

38.  Saxa  probably  refer  to  the  Sciro- 
nian  rocks,  from  which  the  robber  Sciron 
used  to  throw  wayfarers  from  Megara  to 
Corinth  into  the  sea.  Cp.  15,  12,  and 
Ov.  1.  c. 

In  sua  fata,  because  Theseus  visited 
Sinis  with  the  same  kind  of  destruction 
which  he  had  invented  for  others. 

41.  Ad  eloquium  cives,  citizens  to 
hear  and  profit  by  your  eloquence. 

42.  Aptus  amor,  '  worthy,' i.e.  suited 
to  your  condition.  Tibullus  (i.  4,  24) 
has  'ineptus  amor'  to  express  an  unworthy 
love-aftair.     One  MS.  has  '  actus.' 


PROPERTIUS.  i63f 


XL. 

LIB.  V(IV).   El.  3. 

This  Elegy  of  Propertius  is  probably  the  first  specimen  of  that  kind  "*^'^  iJ-t-9.0 
of  poetry  which  Ovid  afterwards  developed  to  such  perfection  in  his 
'  Heroides.'  It  is  an  imaginary  love-letter,  written  by  Arethusa  to  her 
husband  Lycotas,  absent  in  the  Eastern  wars.  It  has  however  been  sup- 
posed  that  these  are  not  fictitious  personages,  but  fancy  names  for  Aelia 
Galla  and  her  husband  Postumus,  about  whom  see  4. 1 1  (3. 12),  i  '  Postume, 
plorantem  potuisti  linquere  Gallam,  Miles  et  Augusti  fortia  signa  sequi?' 
If  Ovid  had  ever  heard  or  seen  this  poem  of  Propertius,  it  is  hard  to 
understand  how  he  could  have  claimed  for  himself  the  credit  of  having 
originated  this  style  of  poetr>^,  as  he  appears  to  do  in  Ars  Am.  3.  346 
'  Ignotum  hoc  aliis  ille  novavit  opus.'  Arethusa  complains  of  her  husband's 
continued  absence,  her  own  desolation  and  vain  attempts  to  relieve  it ;  she 
denounces  war,  yet  wishes  she  could  follow  him,  and  implores  him  to  return 
speedily,  continuing  faithful  to  her  alone.  She  will  be  as  grateful  to  the 
gods  for  his  return  as  she  has  been  devoted  to  them  in  his  absence. 

Haec  Arethusa  suo  mittit  mandata  Lycotae, 

Cum  toties  absis,  si  potes  esse  meus.  , 

Si  qua  tamen  tibi  lecturo  pars  oblita  deerit,  ^^  uUcv.-Sl  W  ^- 

Haec  erit  e  lacrimis  facta  litura  meis ;  ^»''^^^'^»^   jorfv^ivnx  >«<>;%  umijc 
Aut  si  qua  incerto  fallet  te  litera  tractu,  s 

Signa  meae  dextrae  jam  morientis  erunt. 
Te  modo  viderunt  iteratos  Bactra  per  ortus,    s.vv^»-  «'^^^■^'^- 1«|  «a!^<n^'»0 

Te  modo  munito  Neuricus  hostis  equo,  ^ 

3.  Cp.  Ov.  Her.  11.  I,  2  '  Si  qua  tamen  noel  adopts  this  last,  but  does  not  account 

caecis    errabunt    scripta    lituris  Oblitus    a  for  the  peaceful  Seres  being  represented  as 

dominae  caede  Ubellus  erit.'  enemies  of  Rome  (which  they  never  were), 

5.  Incerto  .  .  tractu,  'formed  with  un-  formidable  '  with  mail-clad  horses'  ('  mu- 

steady  stroke :'  the   more   common  word  nito  equo'),  which  they  never  possessed. 

in  such  a  relation  would  be  '  ductus.'  From  the  'naricus'  of  one  MS.  and  the 

7.  Iteratos  .  .  ortus, 'in  Eastern  climes  '  euricus  '  of  another  Jacob  formed  the 
once  more  revisited.'  Kuinoel  compares  reading  in  the  text ;  the  '  Neuri' were  the 
Lucan  2.  642  '  totos  mea,  nate,  per  ortus  people  of  Sarmatia,  mentioned  by  Hdt.  4. 
Bella  feres.'  17.     See  Tac.  Hist.  i.  79,  where   the   ca- 

Bactra  stands  here  for  '  Parthia,' as  in  valry   of  the  Sarmatians    and  the   '  cata- 

part  belonging  to  the  latter  at  this  period.  phractarum    pondus'    are    specially    men- 

8.  Neuricus.  Most  MSS.  give  '  He-  tioned.  The  nations  are  selected  here  as 
ricus,'  out  of  which  '  Sericus '  has  naturally  marking  the  extreme  hmits  of  East  and 
been  made  (cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  29,  37).    Kui-  West. 

M  2 


164 


PROPERTIUS. 


toos-dc 


Hibernique  Getae,  pictoque  Britannia  curru, 

Ustus  et  Eoa  discolor  Indus  (SquaJ 
Haecne  marita  fides  ?   et  pactae  sunt  mihi  noctes, 


10 


Cum  rudis  urgenti  brachia  victa  dedi  ?  /^uS^Sii^CX^J^Y^*^^ 
Quae  mihi  deductae  fax  omen  praetulit,  illa  ^*»*^ '^***- ^»^»- "c^v 

Traxit  ab  everso  lumina  njgra  rogoj  ^v^^-^^^^-^^^^^^^uJr^^^. 
(^^^^^^\^^.Et  Stygio  sum  sparsa  lacu,  nec  recta  capillis^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ .^^ 

Vitta  data  est :   nupsi  non  comitante  deo.  t^v-^»^. 

Omnibus  heu  portis  pendent  mea  noxia  vota ; 

Texitur  haec  grastns^^quarta  lacerna  tuis. 
Occidat,  immerita  qui  carpsit  ab  arbore  vallum, 

Et  struxit  querulas  rauca  fper  ossa^  tubas  :  20 

Dignior  obliquo  funem  qui  torqueat  Ocno, 


10.  Aqua,  the  locative,  not  instru- 
mental  case,  '  by  the  side  of  the  Eastem 
wave  :'  cp.  3.  4,  39  (2.  13,  55)  '  jacuisse 
paludibus.'  Kuinoel  adopts  the  unsup- 
ported  and  insipid  emendation  '  equo,'  in 
spite  of  the  previous  pentameter  ending 
with  the  same  word.  Indus,  not  the 
river,  but  the  people. 

11.  The  best  MSS.  do  not  contain 
'  sunt.'  From  one  MS.,  which  gives  '  et 
parce  avia,'  is  derived  Haupt's  reading, 
*  et  pactae  in  savia  noctes.' 

12.  Rudis,  '  a  novice  in  love  ;'  used  in 
the  same   sense  4.  1^(3.  17),  7,   and   14^ 

(15).  5- 

14.  Everso,  '  caught  a  sombre  light 
from  some  expiring  pile,'  or  can  it  be  from 
'  everrere,'  the  ashes  being  swept  away 
from  the  pile  ?  see  Virg.  Ae.  1 1 .  2 1 1  '  altum 
cinerem  et  confusa  ruebant  Ossa  focis.' 
To  give  a  favourable  omen,  the  torch 
should  have  been  bright  and  clear  :  Are- 
thusa  thinks  her's  burnt  dim  from  having 
been  lit  at  some  smouldering  funeral-pyre. 
Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  2.  561.'^ 

15.  Lacu.  When  the  bride  had  been 
conducted  in  procession  ('  deducta,'  v.  13) 
to  the  bridegroom's  house,  she  was  touched 
with  fresh  water,  by  way  of  symbolizing 
her  purity.  Arethusa  complains  that  in 
her  case  the  water  had  been  polluted  by 
some  magical  rites, — probably  the  meaning 
of  '  Stygio'  =  ' deadly,'  '  fatal,'  as  in  Virg. 
Ae.  5.  855. 

Recta,  either  for  the  adverb,  as  '  aeter- 
nus'  in  v.  22,  '  my  head-band  was  put  on 
awry,'  or  else  '  the  proper  head-dress  was 
not  set  upon  my  hair.'  A  particular  sort 
of  '  vitta'  was  assumed  by  Roman  ladies 
at  their  marriage :   cp.  11,34  '  Vinxit  et 


mcceptas  altera  vitta  comas.'  The  dress,  in 
which  they  were  married,  was  called  the 
'  tunica  recta.' 

17.  Noxia,  i.  e.  '  harmful,'  in  seeming 
to  retard  rather  than  hasten  her  Iord's 
return. 

Vota,  for  '  votive  offerings,'  as  in  Virg. 
Ae.  3.  279  '  votisque  incendimus  aras.'  Cp. 
Lucr.  5. 1200  '  et  votis  nectere  vota,' 

18.  Lacerna,  a  sort  of  military  cloak 
or  '  cape,'  which,  it  seems,  Roman  wives 
worked  and  sent  out  every  year  to  their 
husbands  when  campaigning.  See  Ov. 
Fast.  2.  743  (where  Lucretia  is  busy  in 
working  one  of  these  '  castrensia  pensa ') 
'  Mittenda  est  domino,  (nunc,  nunc  prope- 
rate  puellae,)  Quamprimum  nostra  facta 
lacema  manu.'  Propertius  means  that 
though  Arethusa  is  ever  praying  for  Ly- 
cotas'  return,  yet  three  years  are  gone  and 
he  is  absent  still.  'The  line  explains 
'  noxia.' 

19.  Vallum  is  from  '  vallus,'  the  stake 
to  begin  the  first  '  vallum '  or  '  stockade,' 

20.  Ossa,  '  and  shaped  the  screaming 
trumpet  out  of-shrill-sounding  bones,'  the 
primitive  material  of  the  instrument  before 
bronze  was  discovered  :  see  Kuinoers  note 
h.  1.  Some  however  read  here  '  aera'  for 
'  ossa.'  The  Roman  writers  generally 
ascribe  the  invention  of  the  '  tuba'  to  the 
Tyrrhenians. 

21.  Obliquo  cannot  mean  '  foolish,' 
i.  e.  in  not  driving  the  ass  away,  but  refers 
to  the  posture  of  the  rope-twister,  '  stand- 
ing  side-ways,'  and  hence  not  seeing  the 
ass. 

Ocno,  an  instance  of  far-fetched  allu- 
sion  in  Propertius.  Pliny,  N.  H.  35.  11, 
40,  mentions  a  picture  by  Polygnotus,  in 


PROPERTIUS.  165 

Aeternusque  tuam  pascat,  aselle,  famem. 
Dic  mihi,  num  teneros  urit  lorica  lacertos  ? 

Num  gravis  imbelles  atterit  hasta  manus  ? 
||Haec  noceant  potius,  quam  dentibus  ulla  puella  25 

Det  mihi  plorandas  per  tua  colla  notas.    At^'^^^' 
Diceris  et  macie  vultum  tenuasse  •    sed  opto, 
^Miuv'Afif<o  'n»UjiujuBvii<E  desiderio  sit  color  iste  meo. 
**-'^  At  mihi  cum  noctes  induxit  Vesper  amaras,    '^- «-^  ^-«^^VtM-^-vidw  «*« 

Si  qua  relicta  jacent,  osculor  arma  tua.  ^       30 

Tum  queror  in  toto  non  sidere  pallia  lecto,    Km»!  ^  Ifii^  f.oJM'^  ■^oshD-M 

Lucis  et  auctores  non  dare  carmen  aves. 
Noctibus  hibernis  castrensia  pensa  laboro, 

Et  Tyria  in  radios  vellera  secta  suos. 
Et  disco,  qua  parte  fluat  vincendus  Araxes,  35 

Quot  sine  aqua  Parthus  millia  currat  equus. 
Cogor  et  e  tabula  pictos  ediscere  mundos, 

Qualis  et  haec  docti  sit  positura  dei ;  ^ft^i^yjau^*  (Uaw»  «Jp«^  ffrt^ 
Quae  tellus  sit  lenta  gelu,  quae  putris  ab  aestu,  ^  pfcJb^v,  s»(um*' 

Ventus  in  Italiam  qui  bene  vela  ferat.  *  40 

Assidet  una  soror,  curis  et  pallida  nutrix 

JPejerat  hiberni  temporis  esse  moras. 

which  a  man  named  Ocnus  is  represented  husius  unnecessarily  conjectures  '  conor.' 

as  twisting  a  rope,  which  an  ass  is  gnawing  Mundos,  peculiar  sense,  '  parts  of  the 

at   as   fast  as  it  is  made,  emblematic  of  globe.' 

labour    spent    in    vain,   according   to    the  38.  Positura,  '  and  how  the  wise  deity 

proverb,    avvdyav    tov  ""Okvov    ttiv   Ow-  has  arranged  them  all,'  as  explained  in  the 

fUYYa.  following    couplet  :    '  mundorum,'   as    the 

28.  Meo,  emphatic,  '  pining  for  me,'  genitive  of  the  object,  is  supplied  from 
and  not  for  any  one  else.  the  preceding  hne.    '  Positura,'  not  a  com- 

29.  At,  but  whatever  be  the  case  with  mon  word,  but  used  by  Lucretius,  5.  689 
you,  I  am  ever  faithful  and  restless  in  the  '  Propter  signiferi  posituram  totius  orbis.' 
thought  of  you.  For  the  general  sentiment,  cp.  4.  4  (3.  5), 

31.    Sidere,   '  that    the    coverlet    rests  26  '  Qnis  deus  hanc  mundi  temperet  arte 

not  smoothly  on  any  part  of  my  couch,'  domum.' 

i.  e.  from  her  tossing  about.      Ovid  has  Docti  .  .  Dei,  not,  as  Weber  explains 

imitated    this,   Amor.  i.  2,  i    '  quod    tam  it,   '  Phoebus,'   the   Sun,   but    Hke   '  Deus 

mihi  dura  videntur  Strata,  neque  in  lecto  prudens'  Hor.  Od.  I.  3,  21.*' 
paUia  nostra  sedent.'  39.  Ab.     The   preposition  is  here  re- 

34.    In     radios   .  .   secta,     '  divided,'  dundant,   as    sometimes    after   verbs,   e.g. 

'  carded  ready  for  its  proper  shuttle,'  i.  e.  Ov.  M.  I.  66  '  Nubibus  assiduis  pluvioque 

prepared  for  weaving.     There  is  no  need  madescit  ab  Austro,'  where  see  note. 
of  altering  the  '  secta'  of  most  MSS.  into  42.  Pejerat,  '  and  swears,  though  she 

'lecta'  or  '  ducta,'  as  in  several  texts.    For  knows  it  is  false,  that  the  wintry  season 

'radios' all  the  MSS.  have  '  gladios,' which  alone    causes   his    delay,'    the    real    cause 

might  possibly  have  had  the  same  double  being  another  love.    Some  editions  change 

signification  which  airdOrj  had  in  Greek.  the  '  pejerat'  of  the  MSS.  into  '  dejerat'  = 

37.   Cogor,  forced  to  resort  to  maps,  '  protests,'  a  form  however  which  occurs 

for  want  of  any  one  to  tell  me.     Brouk-  in  no  other  poet. 


i66 


PROPERTIUS. 


Felix  Hippolyte !   nuda  tulit  arma  papilla, 

Et  texit  galea  barbara  molle  caput.        i^^^c^^^^^^^B^Ar^v^"^" 
Romanis  utinam  patuissent  castra  puellis  !*"*^' '^^'*'      45 

Essem  militiae  garcina  fida  tuae  j 
Nec  me  tardarent  Scythiae  juga,  cum  pater  altas 

Africus  in  glaciem  frigore  nectit  aquas. 
Omnis  amor  magnus,  sed  aperto  in  conjuge  major  : 

Hanc  Venus,  ut  vivat,  ventilat  ipsa  facem.  50 

Nam  mihi  quo  ?    Poenis  tibi  purpura  fulgeat  ostris, 
iuuWcW|vvYwUW  Crystallusque  meas  ornet  faquo^a^  manus. 

Omnia  surda  tacent,  rarisque  assueta  Kalendis 
»        (]LkA.A</i.  Vix  aperit  clausos  una  puella  Lares. 


Glaucidos  et  catulae  vox  est  mihi  grata  querentis  : 

I'      '^'^^         *^„,^|Illa  tui  partem  vindicat  una  toro. 


55 


44.  Barbara,  to  mark  the  contrast 
with  '  Romanis  puellis'  in  the  next  line, 
'  happy  in  the  freedom  of  her  wild 
state.' 

46.  Sarcina,  'a  trusty  chattel  ready  to 
share  your  service.'  Compare  Briseis'  words 
in  Ov.  Her.  3.  68  '  Non  ego  sum  classi  sar- 
cina  magna  tuae.' 

48.  Africus  must  be  here  used  for 
'  wind'  in  general.  This,  the  reading  of 
all  the  MSS.,  is  somewhat  hard  to  explain, 
but  none  of  the  proposed  emendations 
('Arctoo'  Lachmann,  'Adstricto'  Eldyk, 
'  Aprico '  Hertzberg)  are  satisfactory.  For 
'  pater,'  as  applied  to  the  winds,  Kuinoel 
refers  to  Claudian  Rapt.  Pros.  2.  73  '  Com- 
pellat  Zephyrum :  pater  o  gratissime  veris,' 
though  this  scarcely  amounts  to  a  parallel. 
Haupt  has  in  his  text  '  Tetricus,'  which, 
with  '  pater,'  i.  q.  '  Jupiter,'  would  mean 
'  sharp,  severe  weather.'  After  all,  it  may 
be  said  that  in  the  Latin  poets  '  Africus' 
is  marked  by  epithets  denoting  roughness 
and  storminess  rather  than  warmth.  Paley 
compares  3.  21,  16  (2.  26,  36)  '  frigidus 
Auster,'  where  some  read  '  turbidus.' 

49.  Aperto  in  conjuge,  '  an  acknow- 
ledged,  sanctioned,  wedded  lord,'  as  con- 
trasted  with  a  secret  paramour.  It  is  true 
and  lawful  love  alone  (he  goes  on  to  say) 
that  Venus  endeavours  to  keep  ahve.  Cp. 
Ov.  Amor.  I.  4,  38  '  manifestus  amator.' 
Lachmann  suggests  '  rapto,'  =  '  absence 
makes  the  heart  grow  fonder.'  Kuinoel 
has  '  deserta  in  conjuge ;'  but  the  MSS.  all 
present  '  aperto.'  This  use  of  '  in '  (as  in 
'  perditus  in  quadam'  i.  14,  7)  is  quite  in 
the  style  of  Propertius. 


50.  Mark  the  alliteration  in  this  line. 

51,  52.  Nam  mihi  quo.  Some  word 
like  '  ornatus '  must  be  understood  from 
the  following  words,  if  the  interrogation 
be  placed,  as  by  Hertzberg  and  Weber, 
after  '  quo '  =  '  what  is  ornament  to  me 
now  you  are  away?  'tis  for  you  alone 
I  would  have  the  purple  sparkle  on  my 
dress,  and  the  diamond  on  my  finger.' 
If  the  interrogation  be  placed  after  manus, 
the  sense  is,  '  what  care  I  for  the  purple  of 
your  house,  or  the  jewels  on  my  fingers,  if 
you  are  away?'  Kuinoers  'si'  for  tibi 
is  a  plausible  conjecture  of  Heinsius. 

Meas  ;  some  good  MSS.  have  '  tuas,' 
= '  devoted  to  you.' 

53,  54.  Surda,  here,  as  often  in  the 
poets,  '  noiseless,'  '  what  cannot  be  heard.' 
The  following  words  mean  that  instead  of 
the  '  ditis  examen  domus  Circum  reni- 
dentes  Lares'  (Hor.  Epod.  2.  65),  one 
single  maiden,  used  to  do  it  oftener,  now 
reluctantly  opens  the  doors  of  the  Lara- 
rium,  to  pohsh  and  adorn  the  Lares,  at 
the  rare  intervals  of  the  Kalends — the  Ides 
and  Nones  being  usually  set  apart  as  well 
as  the  Kalends  for  worship  of  the  Lares. 
Kuinoel  adopts  Schrader's  conjecture, '  lanis 
assueta  colendis,'  and  takes  '  clausos  lares ' 
of  the  '  closed  doors  of  the  house.'  Pro- 
pertius  means  that  Arethusa  has  not  even 
the  heart  to  perform  her  ordinary  religious 
and  domestic  duties :  she  has  regard  only 
to  the  '  Lares  compitales'  (see  v.  57),  who 
might  bring  Lycotas  home. 

56.  Tui  partem,  =  '  partes,'  '  claims 
your  place ; '  '  tori '  is  a  tempting  con- 
jecture  for  '  toro.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


167 


Flore  sacella  tego,  verbenis  compita  velo,"^^J2Ci^p^  P^Wt-ot^^^ 

Et  crcpat  ad  veteres  herba  Sabina  focos^^^j^  ^^^^^^,^^5^^^ 
Sive  in  finitimo  gemuit  stans  noctua  tigno,  .^^^.  ^,,,^^^  Jj,m 
^'*^:r?'*^Seu  voluit  tangi  parca  lucerna  ^erc^^'^; '^;^. -^^  ^^^lT 
Illa  dics  hornis  caedem  denuntiat  agnis, 

Succinctique  calent  ad  nova  lucra  popae. 
Ne,  precor,  adscensi?  tanti  sit  gloria  Bactris, 

Raptave  odorato  carbasa  lina  duci,  Wic^a..^^  ^tW^^ 

Plumbea  cum  tortae  sparguntur  pondera  fundae,  65 

Subdolus  et  versis  increpat  arcus  equis.      ■h^dnuuMni.  'Lt^    \r£^u>(ita  tojjjtfr 
Sed,  tua  sic  domitis  Parthae  telluris  alumnis 

Pura  triumphantes  hasta  sequatur  equos ! 
Incorrupta  mei  conserva  foedera  lecti  j 

Hac  ego  te  sola  lege  redisse  velim.  70 

Armaque  cum  tulero  portae  votiva  Capenae,  (V<a>fl^^iAu«*tf<"iy<Kf^\P^»<»^ 

Subscribam,  salvo  grata  puella  viro.  *****  <'***'**v«- 


58.  Sabina,  '  savin,'  a  sort  of  juniper 
used  for  incense,  before  trafEc  had  intro- 
duced  the  latter.     See  Ov.  Fast.  i.  343.^ 

59-62.  Sive  .  .  popae.  The  meaning 
is,  All  bad  omens  are  instantly  (' illa  dies' 
V.  61)  averted,  all  good  omens  are  pro- 
pitiated  by  my  sacrificing  lambs  of  a  year 
old.  As  to  the  evil  import  of  the 
owrs  cry,  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  461."^  On  the 
other  hand,  the  sputtering  of  a  '  waning 
lamp'  ('  parca  lucerna'),  the  wick  of  which 
had  then  to  be  touched  with  wine,  was 

**^^  Cts  *  '"•jconsidered  fortunate.     Kuinoel  quotes  Ov. 

^&piKit.  Hqx.  19,  151    '  Sternuit   et   lumen    (posito 

nam  scribimus  illo);  Sternuit  et  nobis  pro- 
spera  signa  dedit.  Ecce  !  merum  nutrix 
faustos  instillat  in  ignes,  Crasque  erimus 
plures,  inquit,  et  ipsa  bibit.'   Cp.  Ib.  13.  II4. 

62.  Nova,  '  unexpected,'  because  Are- 
thusa  not  only  performed  all  her  regular 
sacrifices,  but  also  on  extraordinary  occa- 
sions,  when  any  omens,  good  or  evil, 
seemed  to  call  for  sudden  and  unusual  ones. 

Lucra  (found  in  better  MSS.  than 
'sacra')  are  the  sacrificial  perquisites  of  the 
slayers  of  the  victim. 

63.  Adscensis.  See  a  similar  use  of 
the  participle  in  4.  11  (3.  12),  3  '  Tantine 
ulla  fuit  spoliati  gloria  Parthi.'  '  Let  not 
the  fame  of  scaUng  the  walls  of  Bactra  be 
so  dear  in  your  eyes'  (as  to  endanger  your 
life)  ;  only  she  fears  to  mention  such  an 
evil  contingency. 

64.  Odorato, '  the  fine-woven  standards 
plucked  from  some  scented  chief,'  perfumes 
being  characteristic  of  Orientals. 


Carbasa  must  here  be  used  as  an 
adjective  for  '  carbasea,'  (though  no  other 
instance  seems  to  exist  of  such  a  substi- 
tution.)  unless  we  prefer  to  take  the  two 
substantives  together  on  the  doubtful  ana- 
logy  of  'fluviis  vadis'  (MSS.)  2.10(9), 
12. 

65.  Sparguntur  has  the  full  force  of 
the  present  tense,  '  while  the  leaden  masses 
are  being  scattered  from  the  whirling  sling.' 

67.  Tua,  =  '  the  spear  presented  to  you.' 
The  real  gist  of  her  prayer  is  the  '  Incor- 
rupta  conserva,'  as  I  hope  for  your  trium- 
phant  return,  so  preserve  your  honour 
chaste  :  see  on  TibuII.  2.  5,  63. 

68.  Pura  .  .  hasta, '  the  pointless  spear,' 
without  its  iron  head,  daibrjpos,  which  it 
was  the  custom  of  Roman  generals  to  pre- 
sent,  according  to  Servius  on  Virg.  Ae.  6. 
760  (' pura  juvenem  qui  nititur  hasta'),  to 
a  young  man  on  his  first  military  achieve- 
ment,  or,  according  to  others,  as  a  reward 
for  saving  a  feIIow-citizen's  life.  Probably 
many  of  these  were  distributed  on  the 
occasion  of  every  triumph.  See  Suet. 
Claud.  c.  28  ;  Tac.  Ann.  3.  21  ;  Siiius  15. 
261. 

71.  Portae  .  .  Capenae,  i.  e.  in  the 
temple  of  Mars.  Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  6.  192 
'  Lux  eadem  Marti  festa  est,  quem  pro- 
spicit  extra  Appositum  Tectae  porta  Ca- 
pena  viae.'  Here  arms  were  offered  up  oa 
the  safe  retum  of  a  soldier  :  compare  the 
imagery  used  by  Hor.  Od.  3.  26,  4. 

72.  Salvo,  i.  e.  both  from  the  dangers 
of  war  and  seductions  of  foreign  loves. 


i68 


PROPERTIUS. 


XLL 

LIB.  V  (IV).    El.  5. 

This  magnificent  poem  was  probably  written  on  the  occasion  of  the 
fourth  celebration  of  the  quinquennial  games  instituted  to  commemorate 
the  victory  of  Actium.  See  Dio  Cass,  53.  i ;  Sueton.  Octav.  c.  18.  This 
one  took  place  probably  A.u.C.  738.  The  poet,  introducing  himself  in  the 
character  of  Apollo's  priest  (vv.  i-ii),  chants  the  glories  of  Augustus,  and 
chiefly  his  triumph  over  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  bestowed  by  the  favour 
of  Phoebus.  At  v.  69  Propertius  changes  the  strain,  and  calls  for  the 
dance  and  song  and  banquet,  amid  which  various  minstrels  should  set  forth 
the  several  successes  of  Caesar. 


Sacra  facit  vates ;   sint  ora  faventia  sacris, 

Et  cadat  ante  meos  icta  juvenca  focos. 
iCera  Philetaeis  certet  Romana  corymbis, '^'**^''«»*a«fc^  l»*<;*i*«^ 

Et  Cyrenaeas  urna  ministret  aquas.  Q^rftPi^^itJbotjfti  VAj^^-nWit-a^ 
Cogtum  moUe  date,  et  blandi  mihii  turis  honores,  5 ' 

Terque  focum  circa  laneus  orbis  eat. 

<H«^  t/vkyi  W«-    CijLfeR/TL\L\R»3>., 


1.  Vates.  The  poet  speaks  as  Apollo's 
prophet-priest,  from  the  shrine  dedicated  to 
that  god  on  the  Palatine  by  Augustus,  in 
memory  of  the  battle  of  Actium.  See 
V.  II  and  3,  29  (2.  31)  :  cp.  Hor.  Od.  i. 
31,  i ;  Carm.  Saec.  65  ;  Ep.  2.  2,  94.  He 
proclaims  the  festival  and  the  ceremonies 
preparatory  to  its  due  celebration. 

Sint  .  .  faventia,  =  '  favete  linguis,'  the 
Greek  eixpTjfifTTe. 

2.  Meos  focos,  '  the  temple-hearth  of 
my  lord  Apollo.' 

3.  Cera,  the  reading  of  the  MSS.  and 
editions  before  Scaliger,  who  made  the 
ingenious  conjecture  '  serta'  (feminine  no- 
minative  for  the  commoner  form  '  sertum,' 
as  in  3.  31  (2.  33),  37),  adopted  by  Kuinoel 
and  Unger.  Haupt  reads  '  ara.'  There 
is  certainly  a  strange  confusion  of  meta- 
phor  involved  in  '  cera '  and  '  corymbis,' 
but  specimens  of  a  similar  fault  may  be 
found  in  other  passages  of  Propertius, 
where  the  general  character  is  much  less 
allegorical  thau  in  the  present  one.  'Cera' 
here  =  ' tabula  :*  '  Let  the  page  or  scroU 
of  the  Roman  bard  vie  with  the  elegy  of 
the   ivy-crowned  Philetas.'     Cp.  4(3).  i, 


18,  where  'pagina'  is  used  for  the  poet 
himself.     See  note  on  4  (3).  1,1. 

4.  Et.  One  old  MS.  has  '  Atque,'  but 
the  first  syllable  of '  Cyrenae '  seems  to  be 
always  long,  except  in  CatuU.  7.  4  '  Laser- 
piciferis  jacet  Cyrenis,'  who  seems  to  have 
followed  the  Greek  poets  in  occasionally 
shortening  it.  Besides,  'atque'  is  seldom 
used  before  a  consonant  by  the  better 
poets,  who  prefer  its  elision. 

Cyrenaeas  .  .  aquas,  i.  e.  waters  from 
which    Callimachus    drew  his    inspiration-. 
Cp.  4.  2  (3.  3),  52   '  Ora   Philetaea   nostrajl 
rigavit  aqua.' 

Urna  may  refer  to  the  -xtpvhp  or  holy 
water  with  which  priests  were  sprinkled 
just  before  sacrificing. 

5.  Honores,  offerings  to  the  gods ;  a 
sense  of  the  word  frequent  in  Virgil.  Cp. 
Tibull.  1.7,53  '  tibi  dem  turis  honores  ;* 
'  offerings  of  delicious  incense.' 

6.  Laneus  orbis.  Another  part  of  the 
sacrificial  ceremony  was  the  wreathing  the 
altar  with  woollen  garlands.  See  Virg.  E.'. 
8.  64  '  molli  cinge  haec  altaria  vitta  : ' 
Theocr.  2.  2  ^reif/ov  Tav  KeXi^av  (poiViKecv 
oios  aArrai. 


PROPERTIUS. 


169 


Spargite  me  lymphis,  carmenque  recentibus  aris 

Tibia  Mygdoniis  libet  eburna  cadis.  v«<^.Yr*x,  Mmr&.  &«..- 

Ite  procul  fraudes !    Alio  sint  aere  npxae : 

Pura  novnm  vati  laurea  mollit  iter.  10 

Musa,  Palatini  referemus  Apollinis  aedem : 

Res  est,  Calliope,  digna  favore  tuo. 
Caesaris  in  nomen  ducuntur  carmina :   Caesar 

Dum  canitur,  quaeso,  Jupiter  ipse  vaces ! 
Est  Phoebi  fugiens  Athamana  ad  litora  portus,  15 

Qua  sinus  loniae  murmura  condit  aquae, 
Actia  Iuleae'\pelagus  monumenta  carinae, 

Nautarum  votis  non  operosa  via.  ^^,v>tf4J,^ii  n-rjt  ^^(rwjjt'^*):-^''* 

Huc  mundi  coiere  manus ;   stetit  aequore  mole^'  -' f  ^-^^^^^Hu*^  .^'^Q^ 

Pinea,  nec  remis  aequa  favebat  avis.        - '  *  ^o 

Altera  classis  erat  Teucro  damnata  Quirino, 


7,  8.  Carmenque,  '  and  on  the  new- 
built  altars  let  the  ivory  flute  pour  from 
Phrygian  stores  its  offering  of  melody,' 
a  highly  figurative  expression  for  Let  the 
Phrygian  flute  have  its  accustomed  part  in 
the  ceremony.  For  the  imagery  Hertz- 
berg  well  compares  Pind.  Nem.  3.  76  foll. 
Tre/XTTcu  .  .  iToii  doiSiiiov  AioXijaiv  fv  rrvo- 
aicriv  avXaiv. 

Recentibus  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  lately  consecrated  shrine  of  the  Pala- 
tine  Apollo,  but  rather  is  put  metaphori- 
cally  for  the  ahar  of  a  new  poetic  worship, 
this  use  of  the  elegiac  style  in  •an  Epinician 
ode  being  unfamiliar  to  the  poet :  see  v.  10 
'  novum  vati  .  .  iter.' 

Cadis  :  Lachmann  and  Kuinoel  write 
this  word  with  a  capital,  KdSoi  being  men- 
tioned  by  Strabo  as  a  town  of  Phrygia, 
and  so  possibly  famous  for  its  flutes.  The 
reading  '  modis'  is  obviously  an  explana- 
tion  of  '  cadis,'  which  has  crept  into  the 
text. 

9.  Ite  procul.  Paley  compares  Calli- 
machus  kKcis,  eKas  ocms  aXiTpos. 

10.  Pura.  The  cleansing  quaUties 
ascribed  to  the  laurel  or  bay  (the  shrub 
sacred  to  ApoUo)  sufficiently  explain  this 
epithet  without  any  further  reference  to 
the  story  of  the  maiden  Daphne :  cp. 
TibuU.  3.  4,  23  'casta  lauro.'  The  mean- 
ing  of  the  line  is,  that  the  inspiratiou  of 
ApoUo  (symbolized  by  the  laurel)  will 
enable  the  poet  to  master  a  new  and  diffi- 
cult  subject. 

11.  Referemus,  the  reading  of  most 
MSS.,  though  little  is  said  in  this  Elegy 


about  the  temple  of  Apollo  on  the  Pala- 
tine.  See  3.  29  (2.  31).  Burmann's  con- 
jecture,  '  reseramus,'  has  much  to  recom- 
mend  it,  the  poet,  in  his  character  of 
priest,  opening  the  temple-doors.  Se- 
veral  MSS.  mark  a  fresh  Elegy  beginning 
here. 

14.  Vaces,  i.  e.  deign  to  listen  to 
Caesar's  praises.  Others  would  take  it, 
'  spare  awhile  to  Caesar  the  praise  which  is 
ever  due  to  thee,'  but  the  words  can  hardly 
bear  this  signification. 

15,  16.  "Portus,  better  taken  as  tiie 
nominative,  than  the  genitive  after  '  litora.* 
'  There  lies  the  haven,  retreating  to  the 
Athamanian  shores,  on  which  the  fane  of 
Phoebus  stood,  there  where  the  roar  of 
the  lonian  billow  is  hushed  within  Am- 
bracia's  bay.'  The  district  of  Athamania 
lay  rather  more  to  the  north-east  of  Epirus, 
but  is  here  used  in  a  more  extensive  sense. 

17.  Actia,  which  would  more  naturally 
belong  to  '  pelagus,'  is  by  a  true  Propertiaii 
hypallage  transferred  to  '  monumenta,'  = 

'  Actium's  waters  recording  the  glory  of 
Augustus'  fleet.' 

Pelagus,  in  apposition  to  '  sinus '  or 
'  portus.' 

18.  Votis  .  .  operosa,  a  somewhat 
complex  expression,  '  not  costing  mariners 
the  labour  of  many  vows  (for  safety),'  the 
approach  to  the  harbour  being  safe  and 
easy.  '  Votis,'  the  dative,  equivalent  to 
'  nautis  vota  facientibus.'  With  the  fol- 
lowing  lines  compare  the  parallel  passage 
in  Virgil,  Ae.  8.  675  foll. 

21.  Teucro:  '  Romulus,  the  guardian 


.179  .  ._  ,     ^    .        PROPERTIUS. 

Pilaque  feminea  turpiter  acta  manu  : 
Hinc  Augusta  ratis  plenis  Jovis  omine  velis, 

Signaque  jam  patriae.  vincere  docta  suae. 
Tandem  acies  geminos  Nereus  lunarat  in  arcus,  25 

Arniorum  radiis  picta  tremebat  aqua,  •  1., 

Cum  Phoebus  linquens  stantem  se  vindic^  Delon    ^y^c^-) 

(Nam  tulit  iratos  mobilis  una  Notos), 
Adstitit  Augusti  puppim  super,  et  nova  flamma 

Luxit  in  obliquam  ter  sinuata  facem.  "    30 

Non  ille  attulerat  crines  in  coUa  solutos, 

Aut  testudineae  carmen  inerme  lyrae  j 
.-:,  ^_,      Sed  quali  adspexit  Pelopeum  Agamemnona  vultu, 

"^  '  Egessitque  avidis  Dorica  castra  rogis  : 

Aut  qualis  flexos  solvit  Pythona  per  orbes  35 

Serpentem,  imhelles  quem  timuere  lyrae.'^-^  |p»hfl^\'i''>>^''^v<^'^ 
Mox  ait :   O  longa  mundi  servator  aE  Alba,  p^  . 
^j,i«t>c-o-Vc<--.^-A^™i-         Auguste,  Hectoreis  cognite  major  avis, 

Vince  mari :  jam  terra  tua  est  j   tibi  militat  arcus, 

Et  favet  ex  humeris  hoc  onus  omne  meis.  40 

Solve  metu  patriam,  quae  nunc  te  vindice  freta 

Imposuit  prorae  publica  vota  tuae  ; 
Quam  nisi  defendes,  murorum  Romulus  augur 

of   Teucrian    Rome,'    i.  e.    founded   from  Flamma  ter  accensa  est  apicemque  per  aera 

Troy  :  cp.  i,  47;^  and  many  places  in  Virgil  duxit.'     Probably   Propertius    had    in    his 

and    Horace,  where    the    poets   speak    of  mind   the    appearance   described  by  Virg. 

Rome  as  the  heir  and  successor  of  Troy.  Ae.  8.  67S  '  geminas  cui  tempora  flammas 

Kuinoel    retains    the    absurd    corruption,  Laeta  vomunt,  patriumque  aperitur  vertice 

'  tenero    Quirino,'  as  =  '  molli  Antonio'!  sidus.' 
1;'  Paley   compares    3.  7  (2.  16),  38    '  Actia  34.  Egessit  .  .  rogis  :  '  egerere'  may 

ij.  damnatis  aequora  militibus.'  be  here  used  for  the  more  common  'efFerre,' 

24.  Patriae,  dative,  =  '  pro  patria,'  as  as  also  in  Stat.Theb.  i.  37  '  egestas  altemisj 

it  would   be   in  prose :    so   below,   v.  39,  mortibus  urbes : '  but  it  is  better  perhaps.i 

'  tibi  militat  arcus.'  in   both   cases   to   take   it  in  its  ordinary 

Docta,  i.  e.  by  the  many  victories  al-  sense  of  '  emptied,' '  with  the  hungry  pyres 

ready  won  by  Augustus.  drained  the  Doric  camp.' 

27.  Vindice, 'fixed  at  his  will,' or 'by  36.  Imbelles  ..  lyrae,  '  the  timid 
his  support :'  '  vindex,'  i.  q.  '  auctor,'  with  Muses,'  who  had  been  frightened  by  the 
the  idea  of  deliverer  from  the  persecution  snake.  Cp.  3.  20  (2.  26),  18  '  Arioniam 
of  the  waves.  lyram.' 

28.  Una,  '  alone  of  islands,'  involves  37.  Ab  Alba,  '  sprung  from  Alba's 
the  least  change  from  the  'unda'  of  the  kings.' 

best   MSS.,  and  is  adopted  by  nearly  all  38.   Hectoreis,  as  often  in  the  Latin 

modem    editors    except    Lachmann    and  poets,  stands  for  '  Trojan.' 
Kuinoel,  who  admit  the  conjecture  '  ante.'  40.   Onus  :  so  v.  55  '  pharetrae  pondusUj 

30.  In  obliquam,  '  like  a  torch  held  consumit   in   arcus.'      Cp.  Hor.  Od.  i.  22,11 

aslant.'  3  '  gravida  sagittis  .  .  pharetra.'  ' 

Ter  may  be  best  taken  with  '  luxit,'  as  43.  Augur,  'when  he  took  the  auspices 

cp.  Ov.  M.  10.  278  'amici  numinis  omen  for  the  walls.'   See  Bentley  on  Hor.Od.3.3, 


PROPERTIUS. 


171 


45 


«.N 


Ire  Palatinas  non  bene  vidit  aves. 
JEt  nimium  remis  audent ,   proh,  turpe  Latinis, 

Principe  tc,  fluctus  regia  vela  pati ! 
Nec  te,  quod  classis  centenis  remiget  alis, 

Terreat :   invito  labitur  ilJa  mari  •  -. '^ -^ 

Qupdque  vehunt  prorae  Centaurica  saxa  minantes, 

Tigna  cava  et  pictps_experiere  meti^     Ura^c».  ipiU.-.s^jlii^^^^y^^ 
Frangit  et  attollit  vires  in  milite  causa ; 

Quae  nisi  justa  subest,  excutit  arma  pudor. 
Tempus  adest  j   committe  rates  :   ego  temporis  auctor 

Ducam  laurigera  Julia  rostra  manu. 
Dixerat,  et  pharetrae  pondus  consumit  in  arcus/.  55 

Proxima  post  arcus  Caesaris  hasta  fuit. 
Vincit  Roma  fide  Phoebi ;   dat  femina  poenas :  „i)t<i^' 

Sceptra  per  lonias  fracta  vehuntur  aquas.  a^^ 

At  pater  Idalio  miratur  Caesar  ab  astro :  r^v^K^-**^ 

Sum  deus,  et  nostri  sanguinis  ista  dideSi  ^^;^-;^^^ 
Prosequitur  cantu  Triton,  omnesque  marinae 

Plauserunt  circa  libera  sima  deae. 


f^^l^ 


♦Hv  r*'^i  ■ 


66,  who  proposes  '  auctor '  unnecessarily, 
and  which  Lachmann  and  Kuinoel  adopt. 

45,46.  Proh  turpe,  '  Oh !  shame  to 
Latium's  sons,  that  beneath  your  sway  the 
waves  should  brook  a  tyrant's  fleet  1 ' 
'  Principe,'  contrasted  with  '  regia.'  Hertz- 
berg  would  join  '  Latinis '  with  '  remis,'  = 
'  impelled  by  Roman  oarsmen.'  Several 
MSS.  have  '  prope '  for  '  proh  turpe.' 
Haupt  accordingly  reads  '  audent  prope. 
Turpe  Latinos  Principe  te,'  etc.  Antony's 
ships  are  represented  as  making  the  first 
onset  (  =  '  audent  remis'). 

47.  Alis  may  be  taken  either,  as  in 
Virg.  Ae.  3.  520  '  velorum  pandimus  alas,' 
of  sails,  or,  like  nrepov  in  Hom.  Od.  11. 
125  tperfia,  Tare  irTepa  vrjval  itkKovTai, 
'  the  feathers  of  a  hundred  oars.'  Though 
the  fornier  is  the  common  view,  the  latter 
seems  to  suit  '  remiget'  better. 

49,  50.  Quod  has  nothing  to  do  with 
'  terreat'  of  the  hne  before.  '  As  for  what 
their  prows  bear  on  them,  figures  threaten- 
ing  to  hurl  giant  stones,  these  you  will 
find  but  hollow  timbers  and  painted  terrors.' 
The  allusion  here  is  to  painted  figure- 
Iieads,  a?  the  last  line  shews,  not  to  the 
Egyptian  sailors  and  their  stone  missiles 
mcntioued  by  Dio  C.  50.  33.  See  Virg. 
Ae.  10.  195  '  Ingentem  remis  Centaurum 
promove-t ;     ille    Instat    aquae,    saxumque 


undis  immane  minatur:'  cp.  Ib.  5-  122. 
It  is  said  that  a  Centauromachia  was 
painted  on  Cleopatra's  vessel  at  Actium. 

Centauricus,usedalsobyStatius,  Achill. 
I.  266,  for  the  more  common  form  of  the 
adjective  '  Centaureus.' 

55.  Pondus,  e.  g.  '  the  contents  of  his 
quiver ;'  like  '  onus '  v.  40.  Virgil  describes 
the  same  scene,  Ae.  8.  704  foU. 

In  arcus,  according  to  the  Greek  con- 
struction  of  ava\i<TKUV  «fs  ri  :  so  Virg. 
G.  3.  178  '  Sed  tota  in  dulcis  consument'1 
ubera  natos.' 

57.  Fide,  either  '  as  Phoebus  promised,' 
see  vv.  39  and  54,  or  '  by  the  aid  of  Phoe- 
bus,'  '  under  his  guidance,'  as,CatuU.  33 
(34),  I  '  Dianae  sumus  in_fide.' 

59.  Idalio.  C.  Julius  Caesar  is  repre- 
sented  as  looking  down  from  the  star  of 
Venus,  the  mother  of  his  ancestor  lulus. 

60.  Fides,  '  proof,'  i.  e.  the  valour 
shewn  by  Augustus  proves  the  divinity  of 
the  race.  Julius  is  already  among  the 
gods ;  he  foresees  that  his  adopted  son 
will  one  day  be  received  among  them  too. 

62.  Circa,  preposition,  '  round  the 
standards  of  freedom,'  or  '  freed  from  An- 
tony's  attacks ; '  not  as  Mitscherlich  on 
Hor.  Od.  I.  37,  1,  =  '  laetitiae  signa  libera 
circum  plausu  ediderunt,'  which  only  com- 
plicates  a  simple  expression. 


^    yy^O^    OtP^V*^'^''-^*^'^ 


Ijvv/'» 


PROPERTIUS. 


65 


ri'**M^  Cir.it^;^  OlA^UWw. 


Illa  petit  Nilum  cymba  male  nixa  fugad, 

^oc  unum,  jusso  non  moritura  die. 
Di  melius  !   quantus  mulier  foret  una  triumphus, 

Ductus  erat  per  quas  ante  Jugurtha  vias ! 
Actius  hinc  traxit  Phoebus  monumenta,  quod  ejus 
' '   Una  decem  vicit  missa  sagitta  rates. 
Bella  satis  cecini :   citharam  jam  poscit  ApoUo 

Victor,  et  ad  placidos  exuit  arma  choros. 
Candida  nunc  molli  subeant  convivia  luco, 

Blanditiaeque  fluant  per  mea  coUa  rosae  j  .^JuiJ*><-«^^  ""^* 
Vinaque  fundantur  prelis  elisa  Falernis, 

Terque  lavet  nostras  spica  Cilissa  comas. 
Ingenium  potis  irritet  Musa  poetis :  ^  .  ...      ,75  _,    , 

Bacche,  soles  Phoebo  fertilis  esse  tuo.  ti-t^^wXuiw^^a^^J^ttfyi^^^it*^'- 
IUe  paludosos  memoret  servire  Sicambrosj  ^ 


70 


63.  Cymba,  contemptuous,  but  exag- 
gerated,  Cleopatra  really  escaping  vvith  her 
fleet  to  Alexandria,  and  entering  the  har- 
bour  with  pomp  and  music,  as  though  she 
had  gained  the  victory.  See  a  somewhat 
similar   exaggeration    in    Hor.  Od.  l./37i 

64.  Hoc  unum,  '  gaining  this  alone, 
to  die  on  a  self-chosen  day ;'  it  is  an  appo- 
sition,  hke  the  cognate  accus.  in  Greek, 
expressing  the  eftect  of  the  preceding  sen- 
tence ;  see  Prof.  Conington  on  Virg.  Ae. 
6.  22^  :  cp.  Ib.  2.  6g&  '  hoc  tantum.' 

65.  Di  melius,  here  used,  not  in  its 
usual  sense  of  a  prayer  to  avert  ill,  but 
as  expressing  a  fact  :  '  Heaven  ordered  it 
better,'  for  how  paltry  a  triumph  would 
Cleopatra  have  made  after  Jugurtha  ! 
Paley's  version  ('  yet  what  a  glorious  addi- 
tion  would  the  queen  herself  have  made  to 
the  triumph  !')  seems  hardly  to  suit  with 
the  contemptuous  tone  adopted  by  Proper- 
tius  towards  Cleopatra. 

Quantus,  being  taken  as  ironical,  = 
'  quantulus.' 

67.  Monumenta,  the  restoration  of 
ApolIo's  temple  on  the  promontory  of  Ac- 
tium,  and  the  quinquennial  festival  called 
'  Actia,'  instituted  at  Nicopolis,  the  city 
which  was  erected  by  Augustus  in  com- 
memoration  of  his  victory. 

68.  Una.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
press  this  into  harmony  with  '  pharetrae 
pondus'  V.  55,  but  it  may  easily  mean  that 
each  shaft  of  ApoIlo's  was  the  ruin  of  ten 
vessels. 


71.  Candida,  '  let  the  gay  feast  suc- 
ceed,'  with  reference  probably  to  the  white 
dress  worn  at  banquets :  cp.  Hor.  S.  2.  2, 
6i  '  Festos  albatus  celebret.' 

Luco  (MSS.).  Kuinoel  has  '  ludo,'  a 
conjecture  of  Heinsius.  The  priests,  after 
the  sacrifice,  usually  banqueted  in  the 
grove  adjoining  the  temple,  and  it  is  as 
a  priest  that  the  poet  is  speaking,  as  in 
V.  I  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  il.  740  '  lucos  vocet 
hostia  pinguis  in  altos.' 

72.  Rosae,  better  taken  as  the  genitive 
after  '  blanditiae,'  than  as  the  nom.  plur. 
in  apposition  to  it.  Scaliger  plausibly 
proposed  '  blanditae.'  One  or  two  MSS. 
give  '  blandidulae,'  a  word  coined  in  the 
style  of  Catullus  rather  than  Proper- 
tius. 

74.  Spica  Cilissa,  i.  e.  tuft  of  saffron, 
imported  from  Corycus  in  Cilicia ;  it  was 
used  also  for  ascertaining  omens.  See  Ov. 
Fast.  I.  76  '  Et  souet  accensis  spica  Cilissa' 
focis.'  Crocus-oil  was  the  most  prized  of 
all  unguents. 

75.  Potis,  rightly  substituted  for  the 
'  positis'  of  the  MSS.,  as  the  '  Bacche'  of 
the  following  line  shews. 

Irritet  is  better  than  '  irritat'  (Kuinoel) 
as  suiting  with  '  memoret'  v.  77»  ^^^  '  ^^' 
ferat'  v.  79. 

76.  Fertilis,  'a  pregnant,  suggestive 
god  : '  Paley  compares  y6vifios  as  used  by 
Aristoph.  Ran.  96. 

77.  Servire  Sicambros.  This  Ger- 
man  tribe  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Rhine 
had,  the  year  before  the  probable  date  of 


PROPERTIUS.  173 

Cepheam  liic  Mcroen  fuscaque  regna  canat. 
Hic  referat  sero  confessum  foedere  Parthum  j    Mi  44H «^ju^vAfcp^u*»  «/^  M'"*  ip»/»* 

Reddat  signa  Remi :   mox  dabit  ipse  sua..  ^  80  '  ifMhu 

Sive  aliquid  pliaretris_.  Augustus  parcet  Eois,  q J,^,_^^^J^'-*^  ^™^  «^^pw 

Differat  in  pueros  ista  tropaea  suos.  '"'■  ^^'^'^^'^'  '^'^^^^p^ 

Gaude,  Crasse,  nigras  si  quid  sapis  inter  arenas  ; 

Ire  per  Euphraten  ad  tua  busta  licet. 
Sic  noctem  patera,  sic  ducam  carmine,  donec  85 

Injiciat  radios  in  mea  vina  dies. 


'tOd-      tu^ 


XLII. 

LIB.  V.  El.  II. 

This  Elegy,  one  of  the  finest  poems  in  the  language,  was  written  to 
console  Aemilius  Paullus  (Censor,  22  B.c),  the  friend  of  Augustus,  for  the 
premature  death  of  Cornelia,  his  wife,  the  daughter  of  P.  Cornelius  Scipio 
and  Scribonia.  Cornelia  is  represented  throughout  as  speaking  from  the 
shades  below,  bidding  her  husband  cease  from  lamenting  her,  and  declaring 
the  perfect  purity  and  innocence  of  her  hfe.  To  this  part  of  his  subject 
Propertius,  according  to  his  natural  vein,  gives  a  rhetorical  character,  by 
making  Cornelia,  not  very  consecutively,  plead  her  cause  before  Aeacus 
and  the  judicial  court  of  Hades,  calling  witnesses  to  attest  her  virtues,  and 
claiming  a  favourable  verdict,  together  with  a  place  among  her  honoured 
ancestors  below,  as  a  reward  for  her  goodness.     Nothing  can  exceed  the 


this    Elegy,   defeated    the    Romans   under  power    by    a    tardy   truce,'    at    last    con- 

M.  LoUius :    but    shortly    after    sued    for  sented  to.     So  'fateor'  is  used  Virg.  Ae. 

peace.      '  Servire'  is   a    strong   expression  7-433;   12.568. 

for  this,  but  it  seems  better  than  to  take  81.  Pharetris  .  .  Eois,    e.  g.    '  phare- 

it  as  a  prediction  of  their  subjugation  by  tratis  Eois  gentibus,'  perhaps  including  In- 

Tiberius  many  years  later.     See  Hor.  Od.  dians  as  well  as  Parthians. 

4.  2,  33  foll.  82.   Pueros  refers  to  his  adopted  sons 

78.  Hic,    with    the    preceding    '  ille,'  Caius  and  Lucius  Caesar. 

refers  to  the  '  poetis'  of  v.  75.  83.  Nigras :  the  epithet  belongs  rather 

Msroen.     Candace,   queen  of  Meroe,  to  the  people  than  the  soil.      So   above,jj, 

;the  capital  of  one  portion  of  Aethiopia  '  fusca  regna '  v.  78  :  cp.  Ov.  M.4.  21  *De4\, 

(' fusca    regna'),    had    been    defeated    by  color  India.'                                                      jlfl 

Petronius,  prefect  of  Aegypt,  and  had  sub-  Sapis.      Cp.  3.  4,  26  (2.  13,  42)  '  Non-Jj 

mitted  to  Augustus  about  six  years  before  nihil  ad  verum  conscia  terra  sapit.'               f"S 

this  time.   Cepheus,  the  king  of  Aethiopia,  84.   Busta,   applied   with   a    somewhat 

is  known  best  as  the  father  of  Andromeda.  wide    hcence    to    the   unburied   bones    of 

^ViCp.  Ov.  M.  4.  669   '  Aethiopum    populos,  Crassus :    possibly  there   might  be   mixed 

■  iCepheia  conspicit  arva.'  with  it  the  idea  of  raising  some  monument 

79.  Confessum,     '  owning     Rome's  to  the  unfortunate  general. 


174 


PROPERTIUS. 


beauty  and  tenderness  of  the  closing  lines,  in  which  she  commends  her 
three  children  to  their  father's  love,  and  the  widowed  husband  to  the  care 
of  his  children.  As  the  death  of  Cornelia  took  place  in  i6  b.c,  we  may 
conclude  this  poem  to  have  been  the  latest  production  of  the  poefs  genius, 
who  is  thought  by  some  to  have  died  in  the  following  year. 

Desine,  Paulle,  meum  lacrimis  urgere  (^epiilciuffi': 

Panditur  ad  nullas  janua  nigra  preces  ;      -sp^!, -,xw_  fcuucta 
,  Cum  semel  infernas  intrarunt  igiTej3>  leges, 

Non  exorato  siant:  adamante  viae.    ^TVjyo^,  y.fJ.cjMov&^^'»}.^' 
Te  licet  orantem  fuscae  deus  audiat  aulae,  5, 

Nempe  tuas  lacrimas  litora  surda  bibent.  .,,,  wj/^v^Ma  ai' 
Vota  movent  superos  :    ubi  portitor  aera  recepitl*"'^'-*^^'*^  ^*^^' 

Obserat  herbosos  lurida  portaTogQ^.    Iji-\\li;*^x  t^r-'^^-^  li^k 
Sic  maestae  cecinere  tubae,  cum  subdita  nostrum 

Detraheret  lecto  fax  inimica  caput.  10 


(>*■■ 


,<«' 


2.  Panditur,  opens  to  restore  the  dead. 
Janua  refers  probably  both  to  the  gate 

of  the  grave,  and  to  that  of  Orcus.  Lu- 
cretius  uses  the  expression  'janua  leti'  I. 
1096.  Cp.  Ov.  Tr.  3.  2,  30  '  Interitus 
clausas  esse  vetate  fores.' 

3.  Intrarunt . .  leges,  a  peculiar  phrase, 
to  which  none  of  the  passages  usually 
quoted  afford  any  real  parallel ;  hence  the 
conjectural  emendation  '  sedes.'  There  is 
the  double  notion  contained  of  '  entering 
the  dominions,'  and  '  coming  within  reach 
of  the  laws,'  '  entering  the  jurisdiction,'  as 
we  niight  say.  'luire'  is  however  the 
word  to  be  expected  in  such  a  combination, 
rather  than  '  intrare.' 

Funera,  as  often,  for  '  the  dead.'  Cp. 
V.  8  '  rogos.' 

4.  Stant  .  .  viae.  The  direct  expres- 
sion  would  be  '  adamas  obstat  viis.'  '  Each 
way  is  barred  with  gates  of  unyielding 
adamant.'  With  this  somewhat  pecuhar 
use  of  'stare'  we   may  compare  Ennius' 

\\  '  stant  pulvere  campi '  = '  are  thick-blocked 

|i  with  dust,'  Ann.  8.  45.     Hertzberg  quotes 

.1  Lucilius,  '  stat  sentibu'  fundus : '  cp.  Virg. 

r|Ae.  12.  408  '  stat  pulvere  coelum.'     The 

idea  of  the  iron  gates  of  Tartarus  takes 

its   origin   of  course   from  Hom.  II.  8.  15 

'EvOa    (nSrjpdai    t€    irvKai    Kal   x^^f^^s 

'  ovS6s. 

6.  Nempe,  '  be  sure,'  or  as  in  Juv. 
8.164  '  Esto  :  desisti  nempe,'  for  '  not- 
withstanding.'  '  Even  should  your  prayers 
reach  Pluto's  ear,  yet  neither  will  your 
prayers  or  tears  avail,'  the  fates  being 
superior  to  his  will. 


7.  Superos,  the  emphatic  word.  '  'Tis 
only  the  gods  of  heaven  that  are  moved 
by  prayer.' 

Aera,  Charon's  vavXov,  a  Greek  super- 
stition  adopted  by  the  Romans  :  cp.  Juv. 
3.  267  '  nec  habet  quem  porrigat  ore  tri- 
entem.' 

8.  Herbosos . .  rogos,  anotherinstance 
of  what  Kuinoel  calls  the  '  loquendi  mos 
quaesitus  et  in  hac  elegia  audacior'  of  the 
poet.  The  balance  of  authority  is  in  fa- 
vour  of 'herbosos'  as  against  '  umbrosos  :' 
'  the  gates  of  Tartarus  once  closed,  the 
grass-grown  grave  is  barred  for  ever,'  i.  e. 
no  communion  i?  possible  between  the 
dead  and  the  Hving,  not  even  through 
prayers  and  tears  offered  on  the  grave. 
'  Herbosos  '  is  added  to  strengthen  the  no- 
tion  of  the  grave,  as  a  closed  place ;  the 
earth  is  mounded  up,  and  grass  grows 
on  it.  '  Parca '  for  '  porta,'  '  locos '  and 
'  domos'  for  '  rogos,'  and  'obsidet'  for 
'  obserat'  are  mere  conjectures. 

Rogos,  Hke  '  busta,'  used  of  the  grave 
by  a  confusion  of  imagery  ;  see  on  v.  3. 

9.  Sic  .  .  cecinere,  '  such  were  the 
lessons  taught  by  the  trumpet's  funeral 
note.'  Others  take  it  of  the  very  words 
sung  in  the  '  naenia'  to  the  accompani- 
ment  of  the  trumpet. 

10.  Detraheret,  noftearing  her  from 
the  couch'  whereon  she  was  laid  on  the 
pile.  It  refers  rather  to  the  gradual  sink- 
ing  down  of  the  body  into  the  buming 
mass,  = '  withdrawing  my  head  from  the 
bier'  (Paley) ;  lecto  is  better  taken  thus 
than  with  '  subdita.' 


PROPERTIUS. 


175 


Quid  mihi  conjugium  Paulli,  quid  currus  avorum 

Profuit,  aut  famae  pignora  tanta  meae  ? 
Num  minus  immites  habuit  Cornelia  Parcas?  ^    MAiijjk^-^^'^  ^^''"^ 

En  sum,  quod  diffitis  quinque  levatur,  onus!         ,,        ,   ,      "^  ,. 
Damnatae  noctes,  et  vos  vada  lenta  paludes,  ,,\,  ic.        \    ,-, 

Et  quaecumque  meos  implicat  unda  pedes,  ; 

Immatura  licet,  tamen  huc  non  noxia  veni : 

Det  pater  hic  umbrae  mollia  jura  meae.      :-\Kr((^h^  dkKMh^'^  ('dPf-' 
Aut  si  quis  posita  judex  sedet  Aeacus  urna,;'-  i..'AAAA^fAjj/i\  - 


In  mea  sortita  vindicet  ossa  pila : 
Assideant  fratres,  juxta  Minoida  sellam 
*   Eum«nidum  intento  turba  severa  foro. 


W 


II.  Currus,  the  triumphal  car  :  see  v.  37 
foU.  The  '  famae  pignora '  in  the  next 
Hne  relate  to  the  same. 

14.  Onus.  The  same  sentiment  occurs 
in  Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  40  :  Juv.  10.  147.''  The 
small  um  holding  her  ashes  may  be  lifted 
with  a  single  hand. 

15.  Damnatae  noctes,  a  Propertian 
hypallage  for  '  damnatorum  noctes,'  unless 
it  may  mean  '  hateful,  wretched,'  for  which 
sense  there  seems  Httle  precedent. 

I  16.  Implicat  :  Paley  well  compares 
Virg.  G.  4.  478  '  tardaque  palus  inamabiHs 
lunda  AUigat,  et  novies  Styx  interfusa  co- 
ficrcet.' 

18.  Pater  hic.  The  '  hic'  is  either  used 
SdKTiKus  or  =  'hujusce  regni,'  'Jupiter  in- 
fernus,'  as  opp.  to  '  Jupiter  coelestis.' 
Pluto  of  course  is  meant.  Weber  and 
Paley  read  '  hinc,'  i.  e.  for  this  my  inno- 
cence  may  Pluto  deal  tenderly  with  my 
shade. 

Det  .  .  jura,  not  =  '  judicet,'  but  (as 
Paley)  '  impose  lenient  conditions  on  my 
shade'  for  its  residence  in  Orcus  :  see  4.  lO 
(3.  II),  46. 

19.  Si  quis  .  .  Aeacus,  '  if  Aeacus,  it 
may  be,  sit  as  my  judge,'  or  '  quis'  being 
taken  more  closely  with  '  judex'  =  ' among 
my  judges.'  Heinsius  proposed  needlessly 
'  si  quid.' 

20.  In  mea  .  .  pila,  '  having  drawn 
the  ball  for  sitting  in  judgment  on  my 
shade,  let  him  assert  the  law  against  me.' 
She  had  iirst  asked  for  mild  terms,  as 
being  innocent ;  '  aut '  introduces  a  second 
thought :  she  is  now  ready  to  be  tried,  and 
to  defend  herself,  as  she  does  in  the  rest  of 
the  poem.  What  judges  should  preside  over 
each  case  was,  according  to  Roman  custom, 
determined  by  baUs  drawn  from  a  ballot- 
box  called  'uma'  or  '  siteUa.*     Aeacus  is 


accordingly  represented  with  this  urn  before 
him,  and  then  as  sitting  to  judge  Cornelia, 
having  drawn  her  case.  '  Urna '  however 
may  be  taken  as  the  box  into  which  were 
put  the  '  tabellae  '  containing  the  sentence 
of  the  judges.  '  In  .  .  ossa '  might  be  taken 
with  '  sortita,'  not  with  'vindicet'  (which 
usually  means '  punish') :  cp.  Cic.  Ep.  ad  Att. ,, 
4  '  ConsiHis  quae  erant  sortita  in  sinjMlosJ 
candidatos.'  '  Judicet '  is  the  reading  of  l, 
most  MSS.:  but '  judico '  and  '  vindico'  (like 
'  judex'  and  '  vindex')  are  constantly  inter- 
changed  by  the  transcribers.  Of  the  nu- 
merous  conjectures  made  on  this  line,  the 
only  one  perhaps  worth  recording  is  Hein- 
sius'  simple  change  of  '  in'  into  '  is.' 
Hertzberg  would  give  the  passage  a  dif- 
ferent  turn  altogether  by  making  Cornelia 
denounce  the  severest  punishment  on  her- 
self,  if  she  is  false  in  protesting  her  inno- 
cence  :  '  I  have  gone  to  my  grave  innocent ; 
else  ('  aut ')  let  Aeacus  punish  me.'  A 
sHght  justification  of  this  view  may 
be  found  in  the  passage  he  quotes  in  its 
defence,  3.  12  (2.  20),  30:  but  the  general 
flow  of  ComeHa's  words  is  much  disturbed 
by  such  an  interpretation,  not  to  mention 
that  it  would  altogether  take  away  the 
force  of  the  imprecation  in  v.  27.  Paley 
takes  '  sortita  pila'  as  =  '  sortiendis  judi- 
cibus,' '  Let  him  punish  my  shade  according 
to  its  deserts  by  appointing  a  jury.' 

21,  22.  Fratres,  Minos  and  Rhada- 
manthus.  There  is  a  great  variety  in  the 
readings  here,  though  the  sense  is  little 
aftected  by  them.  Aeacus  is  to  sit  in  the 
middle:  the  brothers  are  to  be  on  either 
hand  as  assessors ;  near  the  judgment-seat 
of  Minos  is  to  stand,  in  the  character  of 
executioners,  the  '  awful  group'  of  the 
Furies,  while  the  court  is  fiUed  with  the 
crowd    of    eager    shades.      When    all    is 


l.       QuAA\'b««*  ah-JUfiv^itm»»  — ■  y<*At>«rM»_  t<>,JBiV\XxjrVLO 


1 76  PROPERTIUS. 

Sisyphe,  mole  vaces ;   taceant  Ixionis  orbes : 

Fallax  Tantaleo  ^grripiareS  liquor  j 
Cerberus  et  nuUas  hodie  petat  improbus  umbras, 

Et  jaceat  tacita  lapsa  catena  sera. 
^>  \tiiu»,v>><«  -^^-isi  ifUW:  i-  ipsa  loquor  pro  me.     Si  fallo,  poena  sororum, 

Infehx  humeros  urgeat  urna  meos.  •-*>— u 

Si  cui  fama  fuit  per  avita  tropaea  decori, 

Afra  Numantinos  regna  loquuntur  avos. 
Altera  maternos  exaequat  turba  Libones, 

Et  domus  est  tituhs  utraque  fulta  suis. 
Mox,.  ubi  jam  facibus  cessit  praetexta  Cmaiiti^ 


''^fO»^ 


30 


Vinxit  et  acceptas  altera  vitta  comas ;         ''****"^-trcv(U».  ^». 


Jungor,  Paulle,  tuo,  sic  discessura,  cubih. 
In  lapide  hoc  uni  nupta  fuisse  legar. 


35 


arranged  and  still,  Cornelia  will  speak  and 
declare  her  innocence,  v.  27. 

Minoida  :  so  all  the  best  MSS. 
'  Minois '  is  everywhere  else  used  as  a  sub- 
stantive  = '  daughter  of  Minos,'  which  makes 
Orelli  and  others  prefer  the  reading  '  Mi- 
noia  sella,'  but  we  may  compare  the  use  of 
'  Phylaceis '  and  other  forms  (see  Heinsius' 
Dote  on  Ov.  Her.  15.  164),  remembering 
at  the  same  time  that  no  poet  takes  such 
liberties  with  the  forms  of  proper  names  as 
Propertius. 

24.  Tantaleo(MSS.).  Unless  we  adopt, 
with  Haupt,  the  conjecture  '  corripere  ore' 
for  '  corripiare,'  we  must  take  '  Tantaleo  * 
( =  Taj^TaAeo;)  as  a  substantival  form,  de- 
rived  from  a  supposed  Greek  original  Tav- 
TdXews. 

26.  Sera,  the  gate  guarded  by  Cer- 
berus  not  being  opened  or  shut.     Kuinoel 

ijcompares  Stat.  Theb.  8.  56  '  Ferrea   Cer- 
'jbereae  tacuerunt  limina  portae.'    '  Catena' 
is  probably  the  chain  of  Cerberus  fastened 
by  the  gate  like  a  Roman  watch-dog. 

27.  Sororum,  i.  e.  the  Danaids.  Simi- 
larly  the  word  is  used  absolutely  for  the 
Fates,  Furies,  and  Muses,  the  context  alone 
determining  the  application  in  each  case. 
See  on  i.  20  (19),  5. 

28.  Infelix  is  to  be  taken  with  '  urna,' 
not  with  '  poena.' 

29.  30.  Cornelia's  speech,  proclalming 
her  noble  descent  and  innocent  life,  begins 
here  and  continues  to  v.  99  '  Causa  perorata 
est.'  '  If  any  one  can  boast  of  ancestral 
glories  she  can,  with  the  conqueror  of 
Carthage  and  Numantia  for  one  of  her 
forefathers,'  viz.  the  younger  Scipio  Afri- 
canus. 


30.  Afra.  The  MSS.  present  '  Aera,' 
'  Atra,'  '  Vera,'  and  other  confusions,  from 
which  Scaliger  discemed  the  true  read- 
ing. 

31.  Altera,  '  the  other  line  of  my 
maternal  ancestry  matches  the  deeds  of 
the  Cornelii  with  those  of  the  Libos,'  or 
Scribonii,  who,  though  originally  a  plebeian 
family,  became  important  through  their 
connection  with  Augustus.  In  a  transla- 
tion  of  this  Elegy  by  Sir  E.  Head,  which 
appeared  in  Fraser's  Magazine  some  time 
ago,  these  lines  are  well  rendered  : — 

'  If  any  maid   could   vaunt   her   sires   in 
Rome, 
Ancestral   fame  was   mine   on   either 
side : 
For    Spain    and   Carthage    deck'd   with 
spoil  the  home 
Where    Scipio's    blood    was    match'd 
with  Libo's  pride.' 

33,  34.  Praetexta,  i.e.  when  as  a  bride 
she  exchanged  the  '  toga '  of  the  maiden 
for  the  'stola'  of  the  matron,  and  assumed 
the  bridal  fillet  instead  of  the  one  she  had 
wom  before  :  see  on  3,  15. 

Acceptas,  '  caught  by'  or  '  circled 
with  the  band,'  the  reading  of  all  the 
MSS.  Cp.  9,  49  '  cepit  mihi  fascia  pectus :' 
but  the  early  emendation,  '  aspersas'  = 
'  duly  sprinkled  by  way  of  purification,' 
has  much  to  recommend  it.  Could  '  ac- 
ceptas'  mean  'dear  to  another'  ? 

35.  Sic,  '  only  to  be  parted  thus,'  i.  e. 
by  death,  not  by  infidelity  or  divorce. 

36.  Hoc  (MSS.)  :  sc.  '  PauIIi  conjugis,' 
or='meo'  (Hertzberg).  Paley  and  Lach- 
mann  have  '  huic' 


PROPERTIUS. 


177 


Testor  majorum  cineres  tibi,  Roma,  verendos, 

Sub  quorum  titulis,  Africa,  tonsa  jaces,  ^u^  ^  f/nXni/»  ««(aK/t^  twk ' 

Et  Pcrscn,  proavi  simulantem  pectus  Achillis, 

Quique  tuas  proavo  fregit  Achille  domos :  40 

Me  neque  censurae  legem  mollisse,  nec  ulla    V.?,(:tr -u.iu/.  wcUA«ift/,v.»Vov/). 

Labe  mea  vestros  erubuisse  focos. 
Non  fuit  exuviis  tantis  Cornelia  damnum : 

Quin  erat  et  magnae  pars  imitanda  domus. 
Nec  mea  mutata  est  aetas ;   sine  crimine  tota  est :       45 

Viximus  insignes  inter  utramque  facem.     U-l^M.\^it)Hn*i(M«.  ,^v^^>\^» '»^wj^^**< 


IV   tiV 


A^Xtv    H  -1"' 


Mi  natura  dedit  leges  a  sangume  ductas,     , 

■K.T  ,..,..  OlOfl 

Ne  possem  melior  judicis  esse  metu. 
Quaelibet  austeras  de  me  ferat  urna  tabellas 

Turpior  assessu  non  erit  ulla  meo. 
Vel  tu,  quae  tardam  movisti  fune  Cybeben, 

Claudia,  turritae  raja  ministra  deae ;    ^Z!!TlZHJ^:^iZ^Z^^ 
Vel  cui,  commissos  cum  Vcsta  reposceret  ignes,    q^iM.^-x^  iw^^i^jfj^  y^^^ 

Exhibuit  vivos  carbasus  alba  focos. 


5° 


38.  Titulis  .  .  tonsa.  The  translation 
referred  to  above  has — 

'  Shades  of  our   fathers,  ye  whose  titles 
tell 
Of  Afric    shorn    of   empire    at    your 
feet ;' 

but  '  tonsa '  refers  more  probably  to  the 
image  of  Africa  in  mourning,  with  head 
shorn,  represented  at  the  foot  of  the  statue 
of  Scipio  Africanus. 

39,  40.  Et  Persen.  Cornelia  does  not 
invoke  Perseus  but  his  conqueror,  L.  Ae- 
milius  Paullus,  her  relative ;  therefore  the 
construction  must  be,  as  Hertzberg  gives 
it,  '  Et  (eum  testor  qui  fregit)  Persen  .  . 
tuasque,  o  Persa,  domos  Achille  proavo 
ortas,'  = '  Achilles'  sons  hurled  from  Achilles' 
seat.'  Orelli  reads,  with  the  MSS.,  '  Qui- 
que  tuas  proavus  fregit,  Achille,  domos ;' 
but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  instance 
could  be  found  to  justify  '  Achille,'  with 
the  ultima  short,  as  the  vocative  of 
'  Achilles.'  Haupt  adopts  the  ingenious 
conjecture  '  Te  Perseu.' 

41.  Mollisse,  i.  e.  'weakened,'  relaxed 
by  setting  a  bad  example  at  home :  cp. 
V.  67. 

42.  Focos  may  contain  a  reference  to 
the  Lares,  whose  images  were  stationed  on 
the  hearth. 


46.  Utramque  facem,  '  Between  the 
bridal  torch  and  torch  of  death  We  liv'd 
and  Iov'd  in  wedded  faith  the  same.'  Cp. 
Ov.  Her.  21.  172  '  Et  face  pro  thalami  fa.xy 
mihi  mortis  adest;'  so  Claudian  Epist.  2. 
I  '  primae  lumina  taedae.' 

49.  Quaelibet  is  the  reading  of  the 
MSS.,  not  Kuinoers  '  quamlibet.'  '  No 
matter  how  severe  my  judges  be,  I  shall 
seem  fit  to  be  ranked  with  the  purest 
of  matrons,  even  such  as  Claudia,' 
etc. 

Urna  =  '  judex  :'  see  on  v.  20. 

52.  Claudia  Quinta,  the  vestal  virgin, 
falsely  suspected  of  having  broken  her 
maiden  vow,  proved  her  innocence  by 
moving  the  vessel  which  brought  the 
image  of  Cybele  from  Phrygia  to  Rome, 
and  which  had  stuck  on  a  shoal  in  the 
Tiber.  See  Ov.  Fast.  4.  305/^011.,  where 
the  legend  is  told  at  length. 

53.  Vel  cui.  Dionysius  Hal.  (2.  58) 
tells  the  story  of  a  certain  Aemilia,  a  vestal 
virgin,  who,  having  suffered  the  sacred  fire 
'  consigned  to  her  care'  to  be  extinguished 
through  neglect,  caused  it  to  revive  by 
throwing  on  the  embers  a  piece  of  her 
linen  robe,  shewing  thereby  the  forgive- 
ness  and  approval  of  her  by  Vesta.  Pos- 
sibly,  like  these,  Cornelia  had  been  assailed 
with  unjust  suspicions :  see  v.  58. 

N 


1^8 


PROPERTIUS. 


Jl-mkj  t  ^ 


Nec  te,  dulce  caput,  mater  Scribonia,  laesi. 

In  me  mutatum  quid,  nisi  fata,  velis  ? 
Maternis  laudor  lacrimis  urbisque  querelis, 

Defensa  et  gemitu  Caesaris  ossa  mea. 
XA  w«.|'wU^Ate!L(!*^.^A^^    jjjg  g^^  jj^^^  dignam  vixisse  sororem 

'  '^'  Increpat ;   et  lacrimas  vidimus  ire  deo 

Et  tamen  emerui  generosos  vestis  honores, 

Nec  mea  de  sterili  facta  rapina  domo. 
JTu,  Lepide,  et  tu,  PauUe,  meum  post  fata  levamen ! 
jj'l     Condita  sunt  vestro  lumina  nostra  sinu. 
Vidimus  et  fratrem  sellam  geminasse  curulem  j 
I;     Consule  quo  facto  tempore  rapta  soror. 


55 


60  *<^  *■ 


6S 


Filia,  tu  specimen  censurae  nata  paternae^ 
Fac  teneas  unum,  nos  imitata,  virum 

Et  seriiiifulcite  genus.     Mihi  cymba  volenti 
Solvitur,  aucturis  tot  mea  fata  meis. 

Haec  est  feminei  merces  extrema  triumphi, 
Laudat  ubi  emeritum  libera  fama  rogum. 


■lA*- 


V,t^\'— ^"<* 


\^^ 


70 


56.  Hertzberg  quotes  in  illustration  of 
this  line  the  common  inscription  on  the 
monuments  of  Roman  wives,  '  De  Qua  Vir 
Nil  Doluit  Nisi  Mortem.' 

59.  Sua  nata.  Scribonia,  who  mar- 
ried  Octavianus  for  her  thlrd  husband,  was 
the  mother  of  Julia,  to  whom  in  conse- 
quence  Cornelia  would  be  half-sister.  The 
education  and  early  life  of  Augustus'  only 
child  gave  no  signs  of  her  later  dissolute- 
ness. 

Vixisse,  =  ' has  ceased  to  live.' 

60.  Deo,  Caesar:  so  '  Deus  Caesar,' 
4.3(3.4),!.' 

61.  Tamen,  i.  e.  though  I  died  so 
young. 

Vestis  is  supposed  to  refer  to  some 
robe  of  honour  bestowed  on  mothers  who 
had  given  three  children  to  their  home 
and  country.  As  this  is  only  a  conjecture, 
it  has  been  proposed  to  read  '  stirpis'  for 
'  vestis.' 

62.  Sterili,  emphatic  :  '  'Twas  no  child- 
less  home  from  which  I  was  tom  by  death.' 

65.  Fratrem.  P.  Cornelius  Scipio  was 
consul  i6b.c.  ;  he  is  also  said  to  have 
been  aedile  and  praetor.  Kuinoel  com- 
pares  Ov.  Ep.  ex  Pont.  3.  4,  99  '  geminabit 
honorem  Filius.' 

66.  Consule.  The  MS.  reading  makes 
very  good  sense,  if  '  tempore '  may  be 
taken  with  '  rapta'  in  the  sense  of  '  season- 


ably,'  which  it  bears  often  in  Plautus  : 
'  once  she  had  seen  her  brother  consul,  she 
was  ready  to  die.'  Nothing  can  be  weaker 
than  Hertzberg's  '  carried  off  by  time.' 
Lachmann,  followed  by  Haupt,  alters  the 
line  into  '  Consul  quo  factus  tempore,  rapta 
soror,'  a  change  not  compensated  by  any 
improved  meaning. 

67.  Censurae.  Paullus  Aemilius  Le- 
pidus,  CorneIia's  husband,  was  censor 
22  B.C.,  in  which  year  some  conclude  from 
this  line  that  his  daughter  was  born  '  to 
illustrate  the  censorship  of  her  sire.' 

69.  Serie,  '  by  offspring  support  your 
line.'  The  commentators  quote,  in  illus- 
tration  of '  fulcite,'  Euripides'  <ttv\oi  oiKav, 
Iph.  Taur.  57. 

70.  Meis.  This  is  Lachmann's  emen- 
dation,  adopted  by  Hertzberg  and  Haupt, 
of 'malis'  (MSS.),  which,  even  if  it  could 
mean  '  that  the  prospect  of  many  woes 
impending  on  a  prolonged  life  reconciles 
her  to  early  death,'  yet  does  not  in  any 
way  suit  the  context.  Rather,  '  I  am 
content  to  die,  as  I  shall  live  on  in  my 
posterity:  my  destinies  will  grow  in  the 
hands  of  the  numerous  children'  which  she 
has  just  wished  for  her  daughter.  Paley 
ascribes  '  malis'  to  the  unwillingness  of 
the  transcribers  to  let  'meis'  so  soon 
follow  '  mea.' 

72.  Emeritum   .  .  rogum     seems    to 


PROPERTIUS. 


179 


Nunc  tibi  commendo,  communia  pignora,  natos : 

Hacc  cura  et  cineri  spirat  inusta  meo. 
Fungere  maternis  vicibus,  pater.      Illa  meorum  75 

Omnis  erit  collo  turba  ferenda  tuo. 
Oscula  cum  dederis  tua  flentibus,  adjice  matris  j 

Tota  domus  coepit  nunc  onus  esse  tuum. 
Et  si  quid  doliturus  eris,  sine  testibus  illis  : 

Cum  venient,  siccis  Cosculal  falle  genis.  80 

Sat  tibi  sint  noctes,  quas  de  me,  Paulle,  fatiges, 

Somniaque  (in_)faciem  credita  saepe  meam. 
Atque,  ubi  secreto  nostra  ad  simulacra  loqueris, 

Ut  responsurae  singula  verba  jace. 
Seu  tamen  adversum  mutarit  janua  lectum,  85 

Sederit  et  nostro  cauta  noverca  toro, 
Conjugium,  pueri,  laudate  et  ferte  paternum  ^ 

Capta  dabit  vestris  m_oribus  illa  manus. 
Nec  matrem  laudate  nimis ;   collata  priori 

Vertet  in  ofFensas  libera  verba  suas.  90 

Seu  memor  ille  mea  contentus  manserit  umbra, 

Et  tanti  cineres  duxerit  esse  meos, 
Discite  venturam  jam  nunc  sentire  senectam. 


stand  for  '  emeritae  rogum'  =  '  the  bier  of 
her  who  faithfully  has  discharged  her  Hfe.' 
The  common  interpretation,  '  the  extin- 
guished  pyre,'  seems  flat,  even  if  it  could 
be  supported  by  Ov.  M.  15.  186,  where 
most  texts  read  '  emersas '  for  '  emeritas 
noctes.' 

Libera,  unbribed,  unrestrained,  i.  e. 
among  those  who  speak  as  they  think. 

74.  Cura  :  '  the  only  care  Cornelia  has 
is  that  her  children  may  miss  a  mother's 
love.'  For  the  expression  a  happy  parallel 
..is  quoted  from  Cic.  Verr.  i .  44  '  Cur  hunc 
Hdolorem  cineri  ejus  atque  ossibus  inussisti  ?' 
Here  Cornelia  interrupts  the  thread  of  her 
defence  by  parting  injunctions  to  her  hus- 
band  and  children ;  cp.  Eur.  Alc.  375  foll. 

80.  Falle  genis,notacondensedexpres- 
sion  for  '  dry  your  cheeks  before  you  kiss 
them,  nor  let  them  discover  they  had  been 
wet  with  tears,'  =  '  falle  eos  osculando  siccis 
genis,'  but  rather  (in  the  strict  sense  of 
'  oscula'  = '  kissing  lips ')  '  decipe'  osculantes 
pueros.' 

81.  Fatiges,  'wear  out  (in  grieving  or 
complaining)  about  me:'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  8. 
94  '  Olli  remigio  noctemque  diemque  fati- 
gant.' 


82.  In  faciem,  '  and  visions  often 
thought  to  wear  my  face,  seeming  to  turn 
into  my  features,'  a  condensed  expression 
for  '  credita  formata  «sse  in  faciem.' 

85.  Mutarit  janua.  The  door  of  the 
'  atrium,'  opposite  to  which  always  stood 
the  marriage  couch  (hence  '  lectus  ad- 
versus')  is  represented  as  causing  a  new 
bed  to  be  arranged  for  a  new  wife.  What 
is  done  in  reference  to  a  thing  is  sometimes 
expressed  by  the  poets  as  being  done  hy 
it ;  the  couch  that  is  altered  in  respect  of 
the  door  (being  placed  opposite  to  it)  is 
said  to  be  altered  hy  the  door. 

86.  Cauta,  '  shy,'  '  uncertain  of  her 
ground,'  and  hence  needing  kindness  from 
the  step-children ;  it  includes  also  the  idea 
of  '  suspSc.ious,'  '  severe,'  '  jealous.' 

93.  Discite  means  that  the  children 
should  learn  to  detect  the  infirmities  of 
their  father's  age  almost  before  he  felt 
them,  and  so  be  enabled  to  lighten  them : 
'  jam  nunc'  is  contrasted  with  '  venturam.' 

Sentire  (MSS.),  as  though  by  a  kind 
of  tact  inspired  by  affection.  Numerous 
conjectures,  as  '  lenire'  (adopted  by  Lach- 
mann),  '  saepire,'  '  sarcire,'  have  been  pro- 
posed. 

N  1 


i8o 


PROPERTIUS. 


Coelibis  ad  curas  nec  vacet  ulla  via. 
Quod  mihi  detractum  est,  vestros  accedat  ad  annos ;    95 

Prole  mea  Paullum  sic  juvet  esse  senem ! 
Et  bene  habet :    nunquam  mater  lugubria  sumsi ; 

Venit  in  exequias  tota  caterva  meas. 
Causa  perorata  est.     Flentes^m^  surgite  testes, 

Dum  pretium  vitae  grata  rependit  humus.  100 

Moribus  et  coelum  patuit ;   sim  digna  merendo, 

Cujus  honoratis  ossa  vehantur  avis. 


94.  Coelibis,  '  nor  let  any  way  be  left 
open  for  a  widower's  cares  to  approach 
him.' 

100.  Humus  by  itself  can  hardly  mean, 
as  Hertzberg  interprets,  '  inferi  .  .  piorum 
concilium.'  Rather,  '  earth  repays  the  vir- 
tues  of  my  life  by  lying  lightly  on  my 
ashes ;  virtue  (she  continues)  has  been 
able  even  to  open  heaven's  gate :'  cp.  Hor. 
Od.  3.  2,  21  Virtus  recludens  immerito 
mori  Coelum.'  '  Mores'  is  the  character- 
istic  Roman  synonym  for  virtue. 

102.  Avis  (the  emendation  of  Heinsius) 


seems  to  give  the  most  natural  sense  to 
the  passage  :  '  May  I  for  my  merits  deserve 
to  have  my  bones  carried  to  the  tomb  of 
my  honoured  sires ;'  cp.  E!.  de  Mort.  Dr.  v. 
329  '  Ille  pio,  si  non  temere  haec  creduntur, 
in  arvo  Inter  honoratos  excipietur  avos.' 
The  '  equis'  of  some  MSS.  might  be  paral- 
leled  by  Hor.  Od.  3.  3,  15;  while  the 
'  aquis'  of  others  could  refer  to  being  fer- 
ried  over  the  Styx  ('  honoratis'  either  = 
'  august '  or  '  crossed  in  triumph ' )  :  but 
neither  interpretation  is  in  keeping  with 
the  ideas  of  a  Roman  matron. 


PUBLIUS  OVIDIUS  NASO. 


LIFE    OF    OVID. 


PuBLius  OviDius  Naso  was  born  at  Sulmo,  43  b.c.  His  family 
was  of  equestrian  rank  and  moderate  wealth.  Together  with  his 
elder  brother,  Lucius,  he  studied  declamation  under  the  eminent 
orators  Porcius  Latro  and  ArelHus  Fuscus,  moving  at  the  same  time 
in  the  best  society  of  the  capital,  and  maintaining  the  closest  inti- 
macy  with  the  poets  and  savants  of  his  day.  The  profession  of  the 
law,  for  which  his  practical  father  intended  him,  soon  proved  dis- 
tasteful  to  a  mind  adapted  and  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  poetry 
and  pursuit  of  pleasure.  After  travelling  in  Greece,  Sicily,  and 
Asia,  he  resided  partly  on  his  Pelignian  estate,  but  chiefly  in  Rome, 
where  he  exerted  himself  sufficiently  to  hold  certain  petty  judicial 
offices,  though  declining  to  avail  himself  of  his  privilege  of  enter- 
ing  the  senate.  He  married  successively  three  wives,  the  last  of 
whom,  belonging  to  the  Fabian  family,  he  celebrates  for  her  affec- 
tionate  devotion  to  him,  Tr.  4.  10,  73.  He  also  speaks  of  a  daughter 
named  Perilla,  who  was  left  a  widow  and  married  again,  Tr.  3.  7. 
Though  he  never  mentions  Maecenas,  Ovid  seems  to  have  been  held 
in  high  esteem  at  the  court  of  Augustus,  until  some  mysterious  mis- 
adventure,  connected  either  with  political  treason,  a  love-intrigue  with 
the  younger  Julia,  whom  Sidonius  ApoIIinaris  recognised  in  the  poet's 
mistress  Corinna,  or  the  Emperor's  real  or  feigned  resentment  at  the 
immorality  of  the  '  Ars  Amandi,'  led  to  the  poet's  relegation  to  Tomi, 
A.D.  8,  where  he  died  in  solitude,  of  a  broken  heart,  the  same  year  as 
Livy,  A.D.  18. 

Ovid  is  the  child  of  fashion,  the  poet  of  gallantry  and  intrigue,  the 
favourite  of  the  refined  society  of  Augustan  Rome,  springing  from 


i84  LIFE   OF  OVID. 

and  living  in  its  ranks,  reflecting  its  tastes  and  vices,  and  studying 
to  gain  its  applause.  In  point  of  originality,  variety,  and  ease, 
he  may  be  called  the  greatest  of  the  Roman  poets,  not  unworthy 
to  be  ranked  (as  by  Dante,  Inf.  4.  90)  with  Lucan  next  to  Horace 
among  the  great  spirits  of  Latin  poetry,  or  to  be  placed,  as  by 
Erasmus,  with  Homer,  as  the  two  poets  to  be  known  by  every 
teacher.  His  earliest  productions  of  all  he  tells  us  that  he  burnt. 
His  genius  first  displayed  itself  in  the  composition  of  tragedies, 
of  which  the  lost  '  Medea,'  so  highly  praised  by  Quintilian  (Inst. 
Or.  10.  I,  98),  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  his  masterpiece. 
The  earliest  of  his  existing  works  is  the  '  Heroides,'  while  the  rest 
were  probably  written  in  the  order  according  to  which  they  are 
usually  arranged.  Ovid's  characteristics  as  a  poet  ('  nimium  amator 
ingenii  sui'  Quint.  Inst.  Or.  10)  are  exuberance  of  imagination, 
expressing  itself  among  other  ways  in  an  overfondness  for  de- 
scription,  gracefulness  and  taste  rather  than  natural  warmth  and 
sensibihty,  a  luxuriant  fulness  and  freedom  of  clear  picturesque 
diction,  often  marred  by  the  excess  of  contrast,  antithesis,  and 
point,  a  perfect  smoothness  and  simplicity  of  construction,  and 
a  faultless  flow  of  easy  harmonious  versification,  especially  in  the 
Elegiac  metre,  which  in  his  hands  reached  its  highest  point  of 
perfection.  At  the  same  time,  with  all  his  excellences,  he  betrays 
the  first  marks  of  the  decline  of  Roman  poetry,  which  may  be 
said  to  have  begun  directly  after  his  time.  His  strong  rhetorical 
colouring,  his  frequent  straining  after  effect,  his  unreality  of  feeling, 
his  partiaUty  for  detailed  description,  his  rapidity  and  looseness  of 
composition,  were  the  early  symptoms  of  literary  defects  that  soon 
developed  themselves  more  fully  in  the  poetry  of  Seneca  and 
Lucan,  Silius  and  Statius.  Like  that  of  his  followers,  Ovid's  read- 
ing  was  extensive,  and  his  learning  varied ;  the  '  Heroides '  and 
'  Amatoria '  shew  his  acquaintance  with  the  writings  of  Parthenius, 
Virgil's  teacher ;  the  '  Metamorphoses '  and  '  Fasti '  indicate  no  in- 
considerable  knowledge  of  Greek  and  Alexandrine  literature;  while 
his  propensity  to  parade  his  erudition  on  subjects  in  which  he 
was  versed  set  an  example  which  his  less  gifted  successors  were 
only  too  prone  to  copy  and  exaggerate,  Nisard  calls  Ovid  the 
'  Euripides,'  as  contrasted  with  Virgil,  the  '  Sophocles '  of  Roman 
poetry,  and  regarding  him  as  a  greater  master  of  language  and 
rhythm  than  of  thought  and  fancy,  styles  him  the  inaugurator  and 
leader  of  a  new  school,  '  chef  de  T^cole  facile,  Tecole  de  resprit 


\ 


LIFE   OF  OVID.  185 

des  mots.'     Etudes,  vol.  i.  p.  48.      See  also  Merivale's  criticism  of 
him,  Hist.  of  Empire,  ch.  38. 

Of  no  Roman  poet,  except  perhaps  Lucan,  are  the  MSS.  so  nume- 
rous  and  yet  so  defaced  by  interpolations,  corrections,  and  errors. 
There  are  MSS.  of  the  '  Amatoria '  as  old  as  the  ninth  and  tenth 
centuries ;  the  best  of  the  entire  works  belong  probably  to  the  twelflh 
and  thirteenth. 

io'  oJJk-<o  E.     Ot<va,i'o    «.oJWfro  5  cki,  VfOl^v  , 

^^x^vs^  K.-ttc  vA.ao  U  K^^  Mc^o.U  Wi    lAm^Mv^  ImWJ^  (f\A)   V)j(nxj.  ^-ra^At 

U/r  C^l^\\K  -v-lM)  ,  wrU   0(n^-   ^      \^^  ^f^     .y^rvo,^..^-    ^    ,VvvcmA(^a>^>v-^  \ri^^(^  o 
vV.  cv^    y^    .w^Wfrrt^    c^  ^vat^-  .  tfccxJr   U  vrvv^t^   vr^  Ipu^^  ^^  ^^"  ^^    ''" 

t)tMs.|Wa.A.iU'  nrjr.r^l  -i-jg^ 

LiiftEr?  111  aia 

ReAiuii  v'irfUA«^>  (Wumb  ?,l  Li 

MflA*-"  mAMAVvuuA^  '+*««  ^  \  OT) 

H(lIcauJ,\'uw  1%'^! 

M*Worf|A,o/^<v)  1 1  ^qqa^. 

>-3K  Z4^(;.ft 


vor 


XLIII. 
PUBLIUS    OVIDIUS    NASO. 

HEROIDES.     Ep.  II.  1-75. 

Demophoon  was  the  son  of  Theseus,  who,  returning  from  Troy,  met 
Phyllis,  the  daughter  of  Sithon,  king  of  Thrace.  Having  promised  to 
marry  her  he  went  away  to  Attica,  engaging  to  retum  in  a  month.  As 
he  delayed  longer  than  Phyllis  expected,  fancying  she  was  deserted  by 
him,  she  put  an  end  to  her  life  and  was  turned  into  a  tree,  Demophoon 
on  his  return  clasped  the  tree  to  his  bosom,  when  leaves  and  buds  instantly 
sprang  from  it.     See  a  reference  to  the  same  legend  in  Ars  Am.  3.  37,  38. 

HosPiTA,  Demophoon,  tua  te  Rhodopeia  Phyllis     "■  ■'■'^"^ 
Ultra  promissum  tempus  abesse  queror. 

Cornua  cum  Lunae  pleno  semel  orbe  coissent, 
Litoribus  nostris  anchora  pacta  tua  est. 

Luna  quater  latuit ;   toto  quater  orbe  recrevit ,  5 

Kd,vs  cv,-i^,.o.  Nec  vehit  Actaeas  (Sithoais-^  unda  rates.     1  '^^'^'''^  ^^^ 

Tempora  si  numeres,  bene  quae  numeramus  amantes  j 
Non  venit  ante  suam  nostra  querela  diem. 

Spes  quoque  lenta  fuit.      Tarde,  quae  credita  laedunt, 


I.  Hospita, 'your  hostess,' and  there-  be   explained  by  the   oratio    obliqua   im- 

fore  having  ground  for  complaint.    Demo-  plied  in  '  pacta '  v.  4. 

phoon  had  been  the  guest  of  her  father.  5.  Recrevit,  a  compound  seldom  used 

The  feminine  is  formed  from  '  hospes,'  as  by  the  poets :  once  by  Lucr.  5.  260  '  Ergo 

'  antistita'  from  '  antistes.'  terra  tibi  libatur  et  aucta  recrescit.' 

3.  Semel.   The  reading  '  quater,' which  6.   Actaeas,  'Athenian;'  'Acte'  being 

appears  in  one  or  two  MSS.,  would  seem  an  old  name  of  Attica  :  so  Virg.  E.  2.  24 

to  have  arisen  from  a  confusion  with  v.  5,  '  Actaeo  Aracyntho.' 

or  from  the  space  of  a  month  being  thought  Sithonis,  used  adjectively  for  '  Sitho- 

too    short    for   the    accomplishment   of  a  nia  ;'  so  '  Ausonis,'  '  Bistonis,'  '  Hesperis  ;' 

voyage  to  and  from  Athens.  see  Madv.  Lat.  Gr.  §  60,  obs.  5. 

Coissent:    cp.    Prop.  4.  4  (3.  5),  27  9.   Spes  .  .  lenta,   '  not   only   my   pa- 

*  unde   coactis   Cornibus  in   plenum  men-  tience  but  my  hope  has  lasted  long,'  i.  e. 

strua  luna  redit.'      The  subjunctive  is  to  she  did  not  give  up  hoping  for  his  return. 


i88  OVID. 

Credimus :    invita  nunc  et  amante  nocent.  lo 

Saepe  fui  mendax  pro  te  mihi :    saepe  putavi 
>»^i       .u^T>n»^^^^^       Alba  procellosos  vela  referre  Notos. 

o^-^-^B^f^^Thesea  devovi,  quia  te  dimittere  nollet  • 
^  '  Nec  tenuit  cursus  forsitan  ille  tuos. 

Interdum  timui,  ne,  dum  vada  tendis  ad  Hebri,  15 

Mersa  foret  cana  naufraga  puppis  aqua. 
Saepe  deos  supplex,  ut  tu,  scelerate,  valeres, 

Sum  prece  turicremis  devenerata  focis. 
Saepe,  videns  ventos  coelo  pelagoque  faventes, 

Ipsa  mihi  dixi :    Si  valet  ille,  venit.  20 

Denique  fidus  amor,  quidquid  properantibus  obstat, 

Finxit;   et  ad  causas  ingeniosa  fui.       >^^^^^-' -^••-'^ 
At  tu  lentus  abes,  nec  te  jurata  reducunt 
Numina,  nec  nostro  motus  amore  redis. 
.t^^.ccy-v^;^Demophoon,  ventis  et  verba  et  vela  ded^sti^^^^  ^^  ^ 
cui»^'^»^  Yela  queror  reditu,  verba  carere  nde'i'"^  *»  ysMB.fwK^itAtr>ie<f^^**^'' 

Dic  mihi,  quid  feci,  nisi  non  sapienter  amavi  ? 
Crimine  te  potui  demeruisse  meo. 

See   Bentley  on  Hor.  A.  P.  172,  who   ex-  MSS.,  '  Cum  prece:'  but  the  omission  of 

plains  '  lenta '  here  as  '  quae  longa  mora  the   substantive   verb  would   be  awkward 

extrahitur.'     We  have  a  different  sense  of  here. 

the  same  phrase  in  17.  loS 'Spes  tua  lenta  Devenerata,   here  used    as    simply  = 

fuit :    quod  petis,  alter  habet.'     Burmann  '  venerata.'      In    the    only    other   passage 

vvould  take  '  spes '  as  = '  timor.'    '  I  did  not  where    the    word    occurs    (Tibull.  i.  5,  14. 

fear  your  periidy  at  once,  but  came  slowly  '  Somnia    ter    sanctr.    deveneranda   mola')i 

to  believe  it :'  but  this  is  only  anticipating  it  means  '  to  avert  by  prayer.'     In  several ' 

what  is  said  directly  afterwards.  MSS.    this    and    the    following    line    are 

10.   Invita  .  .  amante,   the    emphatic  omitted,  some  editions  reading  '  Saepe  Deis 

words ;    '  e'en  now,   (when   I   cannot  dis-  supplex,'  to  be  constructed  with  '  Ipsa  mihi 

believe  them,)  it  is  against  a  lover's  wishes  dixi.'     The  use  of  '  venerari'  with  '  ut'  is 

that  they  hurt.'      One    MS.   has   '  invito  common  in  Plautus. 

nunc  et   amore  noces.'     Bentley  proposes  22.   Ingeniosa,  a  favourite  word  with 

'  invitae  nunc  et  ut  ante  nocent.'  Ovid  :    cp.  M.  11.  313  '  furtum  ingeniosus 

12.  Alba,  i.  e.  as  marking  a  safe  return.  ad  omne  ;'  and   in  a  different  sense  with 
Cp.  Catull.  62  (64).  235.  '  in,'  Tr.  2.  342   '  Inque    meas  poenas   iu- 

Procellosos  .  .  Notos,     the     proper  geniosus  eram.' 

wind  to  bring  Demophoon  from  Attica  to  25.   Verba  et  vela.     We  may  remark 

Thrace.       '  Procellosos '    may   be    added,  both  the  alliteration  and  the  play  on  the 

to   express   a   cause    of  delay :    the   wind  phrases  '  dare  vela,'  '  dare  verba,'  '  to  set 

might  be  fair,  but  the  boisterous  sea  may  sail,"   and    '  to    deceive.'     See   similar    in- 

impede  the  voyage.  stances,  7.  8,  9  ;   16.  25. 

13.  Nollet,    'I    fancied   him    loth    to  28.  Crimine,i.e.'non  sapienter  amandi.' 
part  with  you,'  is  the  force  of  the  mood.  '  My  very   fault   might  well  have  bound 

16.   Mersa  foret,  =  ' should  have  been  you   to  me:'   so  Ars  Am.  2.  2,  252  '  Nec 

sunk.*  tibi  sit  servos  demeruisse  pudor.' 

Cana  .  .  aqua,  '  on  the  white  surf,'  off  Potui,    i.  q.    '  debui :'    cp.    M.  2.  608 

the  bar  at  the  river  mouth.  '  potui  poenas  tibi  Phoebe  dedisse,  Sed  pe- 

18.  Sum.     Burmann    reads,  with   two  perisse  prius.' 


OVID. 


189 


Unum  in  me  scelus  est,  quod  te,  scelerate  recepi  ^ 

Sed  scelus  hoc  meriti  pondus  et  instar  habet.  30 

Jura,  fides,  ubi  nunc,  commissaquc  dextera  dextrae  ? 

Quique  erat  in  falso  plurimus  ore  deus  ? 
Promissus  socios  ubi  nunc  Hymenaeus  in  annos, 

Qui  mihi  conjugii  sponsor  et  obses  erat  ? 
Per  mare,  quod  totum  ventis  agitatur  et  undis,  35 

Per  quod  saepe  ieras,  per  quod  iturus  eras ; 
Perque  tuum  mihi  jurasti,  nisi  fictus  et  ille  est, 

Concita  qui  ventis  aequora  mulcet,  avum ; 
Per  Venerem,  nimiumque  mihi  facientia  tela, 

Altera  tela  arcus,  altera  tela  faces  j 
Junonemque,  toris  quae  praesidet  alma  maritis, 

Et  per  taediferae  mystica  sacra  deae. 
Si  de  tot  laesis  sua  numina  quisque  deorum 

Vindicet,  in  poenas  non  satis  unus  eris. 
At  laceras  etiam  puppes  furiosa  refeci  j 

Ut,  qua  desererer,  firma  carina  foret. 
Remigiumque  dedi,  quo  me  fugituru^  abires : 

Heu  patior  telis  vulnera  facta  meis ! 


V  -ca^Vca^  tW«.«>v«fc-"-to 


40 


45 


30.  Instar,  '  worth,'  '  value,'  as  in  i6. 
366  '  Unus  is  innumeri  militis  instar  habet,' 
a  sense  of  the  word  not  uncommon  in 
Cicero. 

34.  Sponsor  et  obses,  '  surety  and 
pledge  that  you  would  wed  me:'  cp.  l6. 
114  '  Sponsor  conjugii  stat  dea  picta  sui.' 
After  Propertius'  time  it  is  well  known 
that  uncontracted  genitives,  such  as  '  con- 
jugii,'  became  frequent ;  see  on  Prop.  i. 
6.34. 

35.  Ventis  .  .  et  undis.  It  is  some- 
what  awkward  to  speak  of  the  sea  as 
being  disturbed  by  waves,  whence  some 
MSS.  present  '  iniquis,'  and  Heinsius  con- 
jectures  '  Euris.'  Burmann  quotes  a  pas- 
sage  in  defence  of  the  common  reading, 
which  is  not  however  quite  a  parallel,  Tr. 
3.  2,  15  '  ventis  dubius  jactabar  et  undis.' 
The  two  words  must  be  taken  together, 
as  conveying  the  idea  of  the  conflict  be- 
tween  wind  and  wave  raising  and  disturb- 
Lng  the  sea.  The  notion  of  the  troubled 
sea  is  introduced  to  harmonize  with  that 
of  the  Iover's  broken  faith. 

37-  Et  ille,  i.  e.  unless  the  witness  be 
as  imaginary  as  the  oath  by  him  is  false. 
Jahn,  with  many  MSS.,  has  '  falsus '  for 
'  fictus.'     Neptune  was  the  reputed  father 


of  Theseus.  Eur.  Hipp.  1169  (Theseus 
says)  Si  deol  Hocrddov  0'  ws  dp'  ^ad'  ifids 
rraTrjp. 

39.  Mihi  facientia,  a  peculiar  usage 
of  '  facere'  with  the  dative,  which  usually 
means,  '  to  suit,'  '  be  agreeable  to.'  Here 
it  must  mean  '  making  against  nie,'  '  press- 
ing  too  hard  upon  me,' '  taking  part  against 
me:'  cp.  Amor.  2.  9,  36.  The  conjecture 
'  ofBcientia '  is  worth  noticing,  though 
its  adoption  would  render  '  nimium '  un- 
meaning. 

Tela.  From  the  '  tella'  of  some  MSS. 
Heinsius  would  extract  the  reading  '  belli ' 
for  that  of  the  text,  the  only  thing  in 
favour  of  which  is  the  removal  of  the 
unpleasant  and  pointless  repetition  of 
'  tela.' 

42.  Deae,  the  Eleusinian  Demeter,  a 
natural  adjuration  to  an  Athenian  lover. 

45.  At  (not  'ah')  is  undoubtedly  the 
right  reading  here,  as  expressing  indigna- 
tion.  See  Burmann's  note  on  12.  i,  where 
'  ut '  had  been  substituted  for  '  at '  in  the 
same  sense. 

Etiam  :  I  went  so  far  in  the  distraction 
of  my  love  as  to  repair  your  ships. 

47-  Fugiturus,  very  rarely  used.  One 
MS.  presents  here  '  fugitivus.' 


190  OVID. 

Credidimus  blandis,  quorum  tibi  copia,  verbis  j 

Credidimus  generi,  numinibusque  tuis ;  50 

Credidimus  lacrimis :    an  et  hae  simulare  docentur  ? 

Hae  quoque  habent  artes,  quaque  jubentur,  eunt  ? 
Dis  quoque  credidimus :    quo  jam  tot  pignora  nobis  ? 

Parte  satis  potui  qualibet  inde  capi. 
Nec  moveor,  quod  te  juvi  portuque  locoque ;  55 

Debuit  hoc  meriti  summa  fuisse  mei : 
Turpiter  hospitium  lecto  cumulasse  jugali 

Poenitet,  et  lateri  conseruisse  latus. 
Quae  fuit  ante  illam,  mallem  suprema  fuisset 

Nox  mihi,  dum  potui  Phyllis  honesta  mori.  60 

Speravi  melius,  quia  me  meruisse  putavi : 

Quaecumque  ex  merito  spes  venit,  aequa  venit. 
Fallere  credentem  non  est  Qp£m£a  puellam    ^V>cttip«^an^Vj«a- (^a/rt«iw 

Gloriaj   simplicitas  digna  favore  fuit.  ^ 

Sum  decepta  tuis  et  amans  et  femina  verbis :  65 

Di  faciant,  laudis  summa  sit  ista  tuae. 
Inter  et  Aegidas  media  statuaris  in  urbe ; 

Magnificus  titulis  stet  pater  ante  suis. 
Cum  fuerit  Sciron  lecti^s.  torvusque  Procrustes, 

50.  Numinibus.     The  balance  of  MS.  harbour  and  to  house.'     Cp.  Juv.  3.  2,  II 

authority  is  decidedly  in  favour  of  this  as  '  Nemo  cibo,  nemo  hospitio  tectoque  ju-  l\ 

against  '  muneribus.'    '  Nominibus' is  only  vabit.'  " 

a  very  ingenious   conjecture  of  Heinsius',  56.   Summa,   i.  e.    I    should    not   have 

adopted  by  Burmann.    '  Numinibus'  makes  gone  further,  and  fallen  in  love  with  you  : 

very  good  sense,  if  referred  to  the  divine  '  this  should  have  been  the  crown  and  end 

ancestry    of  which    Demophoon    boasted,  of  my  service ;'  cp.  v.  66. 
and  is  ditferent  from  the  '  Dis'  of  v.  53,  61.  Me   meruisse  is  obviously  prefer- 

which  are  the  gods  whom   he  called  to  able  to  the  '  te  meruisse' of  several  MSS. : 

witness  his  oath :  see  v.  37  foll.  the  next  Hne  shews  that  Phyllis  is  speak- 

152.  Eunt :    cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  11,  60  '  Et  ing  of  the   services  she  had  rendered  to 

lacrymas  vidimus  ire  deo.'  Demophoon.     '  She  had  a  right  to  expect 

53>  54-  Quo.    The  'quod'  of  the  MSS.  fidelity,  because  she  had  eamed  it  by  her 

was  wisely  altered  by  Heinsius  into  '  quo,'  benefits  to  him.' 

which  is  the  most  common  construction  in  63.   Credentem,    emphatic,    '  one    so 

the  poets,  with  an  accusative  following  it,  ready  to  trust  you,'  the  character  expressed 

as  in  the  well-known  h'ne,  Hor.  Ep.  I.  5, 12  by   the    following   '  simplicitas,' =  '  artless 

'  Quo  mihi  fortunam,  si  non  conceditur  uti.'  tiust,'  '  innocence.' 

'  Quo'  =  '  quoi,' '  to  what  end  or  purpose?'  67.  Aegidas,  the  descendants  of  The- 

some  verb  like  '  dedisti'  being  understood  seus,  the  son  of  Aegeus. 
from  the  context.     The  meaning  is  clear  :  68.   Stet,  ofthe  statue  of  Theseus ;  cp.  1 

'  why  such  a  host  of  promises  and  adjura-  Hor.  S.  2.  3,  183  '  aheneus  ut  stes.'  I 

tions  ?   by  the  least  portion  of  them  you  Ante,   opposed  to   the   '  post  illos'   of 

would    have    equally    deceived    one    who  v.  73. 

loved  hke  me.'  Suis,  emphatic,  =  so  well  deserved. 

Inde  =  ' ex  iis  pignoribus.'  69.   Sciron.     In    the    Stoa    at    Athens 

55.  Juvi    portu,    '  welcomed    you    to  there  was,  according  to  Pausanias,  a  repre- 


Oi^waeju^  vvy.«.n  S.>-.\    urvmv^  Vjk^ ;  k  QXtP '  '  9  ' 

S>jj^,ct  tu.-rftvVtw  lO-v."-»-    i<vV(M  h^l.tJ 

Et  Sinis,  ct  tauri  mixtaque  forma  viri ;  70 

Et  domitae  bello  Tliebae,  fusique  Bimembres, 

Et  pulsata  nigri  regia  caeca  dei ; 
Hoc  tua  post  illos  titulo  signetur  imago : 

Hic  est,  cujus  amans  hospita  capta  dolo  est. 


XLIV. 

AMORES.     LiB.  I.   El.  15. 

OviD  in  this  Elegy  replies  to  those  who  in  a  spirit  of  envy  had  re- 
proached  him  with  choosing  poetry  as  the  pursuit  of  his  life,  rather  than 
seeking  distinction  in  the  camp  or  at  the  bar.  He  shews  that  immortality 
can  be  won  through  poetical  eminence  alone,  and  trusts  that  as  Homer 
and  Sophocles  and  the  rest  have  gained  undying  fame  through  their 
writings,  he  may  also  by  his  poems  survive  both  envy  and  the  grave. 

QuiD  mihi,  Livor  edax,  ignavos  objicis  annos, 

Ingeniique  vocas  carmen  inertis  opus  ? 
Non  me  more  patrum,  dum  strenua  sustinet  aetas, 

Praemia  militiae  pulverulenta  sequi ;  a 

Nec  me  verbosas  leges  ediscere,  nec  me  S 

In^ato  vocem  prostituisse  foro  ?p^  jJr^.OT^^^^t^Sr 
Mortale  est,  quod  quaeris,  opus :    mihi  fama  perennis 


sentation  of  Theseus  hurling  this   famous  in    2.  17,  18;    the    same    construction    is 

robber  into  the  sea.     See  on  Prop.  4  (3).  found  in  prose. 

22,  37  foU.  5.   Verbosas  applies   not  so   much  to 

Lectus,  i.  e.  when  the  people  have  read  the  laws  as  to  the  comments  on  them. 
these  feats    on  the  inscription  under  the  Leges  ediscere.     The  poet  had  been 

statue.  designed    for    a    pleader,    and    had    been 

74.  Hospita(v.  i)  better  than 'hospite,'  educated  for  that  calling:   but  these  lines 

which  is  found   in  a  few  MSS.  ;  '  hospes  seem    to    shew  that    he    never    practised. 

dolus'  would  be  a  harsh  expression,  unlike  Cicero  (Legg.  2.  23)  refers  to  a  time  when 

Ovid's  style,  and  two  substantives  in  the  all  Roman  boys  were  taught  the  Laws  of 

ablative    would    be    awkward.       '  Amans  the  XII  Tables,  '  Nostis  quae  sequuntur : 

hospita'   makes   all   the   stronger  contrast  discebamus    enim    pueri    XII    ut    carmen 

with  '  capta  dolo.'  necessarium  :  quas  jam  nemo  discit.' 

6.   Ingrato,  not  '  hateful,'  but  '  unre- 

2.  Inertis.       Ovid's    father    seems    to  munerative;'  a  character  which  the  pro- 

have    agreed  with    the    poet's   detractors.  fession  seemed  to  have  retained  in  Juvenal's 

|Cp.  Tr.  4.  10,  21  '  Saepe  pater  dixit :  stu-  time  :  see  Juv.  7.  I13. 
fdium  quid  inutile  tentas  ?'  7.   Mortale.     Ovid's  reply  to  his  de- 

4.   Sequi,  constructed  with  '  objicis,'  as  tractors. 


.^^>t" 


192  OVID. 

Quaeritur,  in  toto  semper  ut  orbe  canar. 
Vivet  Maeonides,  Tenedos  dum  stabit  et  Ide, 

Dum  rapidas  Simois  in  mare  volvet  aquas.  10 

^ ..    Vivet  et  Ascraeus,  dum  mustis  uva  tumebit, 
tjM^J*^  Dum  cadet  incurva  falce  resecta  Ceres. 

Battiades  semper  toto  cantabitur  orbe : 

Quamvis  ingenio  non  valet,  arte  valet. 
Nulla  Sophocleo  veniet  jactura  cothurno  j  15 

Cum  Sole  et  Luna  semper  Aratus  erit. 
Dum  fallax  servus,  durus  pater,  improba  lena 

Vivent,  dum  meretrix  blanda :    Menandros  erit. 
J^nius  arte  carens,  animosique  Accius  oris, 
usvf^^^^^^^^r^^surum  nullo  tempore  nomen  habent.  20 

«i'**^  vf^'"^^a-rronem  primamque  ratem  quae  nesciat  aetas, 


rtU*" 


Aureaque  Aesonio  terga  petita  duci  ? 
Carmina  sublimis  tum  sunt  peritura  Lucreti, 

Exitio  terras  cum  dabit  una  dies. 
Tityrus,  et  fruges,  Aeneiaque  arma  legentur. 


'l^^J^^  ^' 


(Uk^  vLftii*^*',^  ^'  ll%^  Mustis,  'with  the  juice  of  new 
wine  :'  the  word  is  first  used  by  Ovid  in 
llthe  plural  :  in  M.  14.  146  '  tercentum 
(jmusta  videre,'  it  stands  for  '  autumn.' 

13.  Battiades,  Callimachus  of  Cyrene. 
Ovid's  criticism  of  the  '  princeps  elegiae' 
(as  Quintihan,  Inst.  Or.  10.  I,  calls  him) 
is  probably  correct.  We  may  notice 
also  the  poet's  preference  for  Sophocles 
among  the  Greek  tragedians  rather  than 
Euripides,  with  the  latter  of  whom  he  has 
often  been  compared  as  to  taste  and  style. 

16.  Cum  Sole.  The  immortality  of 
Aratus  (270  b.c.)  is  thus  expressed  in  re- 
ference  to  the  astronomical  character  of 
his  poems.  For  Cicero's  judgment  on  the 
I'  ornatissimi  atque  optimi  versus'  of  Ara- 
tus,  which,  when  very  young,  he  translated, 
see  de  Orat.  I.  16  :  de  N.  D.  2.  41.  Caesar 
Germanicus  also  made  a  translation  of  the 
•  Phaenoniena '  about  this  time. 

19.  Arte  carens  .  .  oris,  '  Ennius  with 
all  his  roughness,  Accius  with  all  his  fire.' 
This  criticism  on  Ennius,  natural  to  a  poet 
who  prized  smoothness  and  ease  as  much 
3s  Ovid  did,  is  repeated  in  modified  terms 
elsewhere,  Tr.  2.  424  '  Ennius  ingenio 
^maximus,  arte  rudis:'  cp.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7, 
75  '  Cedet  musa  rudis  ferocis  Ennl.'  The 
'  os  animosum'  of  the  characters  in  Accius' 
(or  '  Attius,'  as  it  is  also  written,)  trage- 
dies  may  be  illustrated  by  Quintilian,  Inst. 


25 


Or.  10.  1,97  '  Tragoediae  scriptores  vete- 
rum  Accius  atque  Pacuvius  clarissimi  gravi- 
tate  sententiarum,  verborum  pondere,  auc- 
toritate  personarum.'  Ovid  calls  hini|| 
'  atrox'  Tr.  2.  359  ;  Horace  '  altus'  Ep.  2. 
1.58. 

21.  Varronem.  The  translation  of 
Apollonius  Rhodius'  Argonautica  by  Te- 
rentius  Varro  Atacinus  is  here  referred  to  ; 
he  also  wrote  a  poem  entitled  '  Libri 
Navales,'  to  which  Ovid  is  supposed  to 
allude  in  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4.  16,  21  '  Velivoli- 
que  maris  vates  cui  credere  possis  Carmina 
caeruleos  composuisse  deos  :'  see  also  Ars 
Am.  3.  335,  and  Tr.  2.  439.  Cp.  Stat. 
Silv.  1.  c. 

23.  Sublimis.  It  is  hard  to  see  why 
Burmann  should  question  the  justness  of 
this  epithet,  as  applied  to  Lucretius,  and 
prefer  the  conjecture  '  subtilis.'  Perhaps 
no  single  word  could  more  exactly  describe 
the  poet,  whose  theme  was  the  '  majestas 
cognita  rerum.' 

24.  Una,  not  'ima'  =  'the  last  day,'  (as 
Scaliger  edited,)  is  the  true  reading :  Ovid 
has  in  his  mind  Lucretius'  own  words  inj 
5.  95  '  Una  dies  dabit  exitio.'  ' 

25.  Frugesis  the  reading  of  the  better 
MSS.,  and  niay  be  considered  to  represent 
the  subject  of  the  Georgics  quite  as  well 
as,  if  not  better  than,  '  segetes,'  which  has 
clearly  been  substituted  from  the  '  Quid 


OVID. 


193 


30 


Roma  triumphati  dum  caput  orbis  erit. 
Donec  erunt  ignes  arcusque  Cupidinis  arma, 

Discentur  numeri,  culte  Tibulle,  tui. 
Gallus  et  Hesperiis,  et  Gallus  notus  Eois, 

Et  sua  cum  Gallo  nota  Lycoris  erit. 
Ergo,  cum  silices,  cum  dens  patientis  aratri 

Depereant  aevo,  carmiina  morte  carent. 
Cedant  carminibus  reges,  regumque  triumphi ;  .  . 

Cedat  et  auriferi  ripa  beata  Tagi.      ^^-  ^  ^^   ^,,^^^^^^^^ 
Vilia  miretur  vulgus :    mihi  flavus  Apollo 

Pocula  Castalia  plena  ministret  aqua. 

MMU.V^*^^'^'^"'^^"'^"^  ''''"'''  metuentem  frigora  myrtum         ,^^^ w^^.^ l^. 
*^\oc^\t«,.  Atque  a  sollicito  multus  amante  legar.  ^  '  ' 

Fascitur  m  vivis  Livor  :    post  fata  quiescit  j     ^^•^,  ^„^i«^<r,x  vW-t.«  <«v>-'«\  * 

um  suus  ex  merito  quemque  tuetur  honos.-exft^tv  ooWir^o^.rf; 
Ergo  etiam,  cum  me  supremus  adederit  ignis,    o,,^.,  (ji;^so.i  ajshfvJ--^^^- 
Vivamj   parsque  mei  multa  superstes  erit. 

'^^  CW  «VVLV.W  -ausWola-  auul  V<MSlii  pcvTr^  '^'^ 


35 


3^,t»^ 


faciat  laetas  segetes'  of  G.  i.  i,  the  other 
two  words,  '  Tityre'  and  'Arma'  being 
taken  from  the  first  lines  of  the  other 
poems. 

29.  Gallus  .  .  Eois.  Cornelius  Gallus, 
so  famous  as  the  friend  of  Virgil,  (see 
E.  10,)  wrote,  according  to  Servius,  four 
books  of  Elegies  to  his  mistress  Lycoris 
(or  Cytheris,  her  real  name) ;  he  also 
translated  into  Latin  the  poems  of  Eu- 
phorion  of  Chalcis.  Ovid,  Tr.  4.  10,  5, 
places  him  at  the  head  of  the  Roman 
Elegiac  poets — Gallus,  TibuUus,  Propertius, 
and  Ovid  himself.  Octavianus  made  him 
the  first  prefect  of  Aegypt  after  it  was 
made  a  province  :  hence  perhaps  '  notus 
Eois.'  He  was  also  one  of  the  heroes  of 
Actium,  a  general  of  some  ability,  and 
iinoted  for  courage.  Cp.  3.  9,  64.  '  San- 
/jguinis  atque  animae  prodige  Galle  tuae.' 
34.  Beata,  i.  e.  '  weahh-producing.' 
Jahn  reads,  with  several  MSS.,  '  benigna,' 
=  '  fertile."     Pliny  mentions  the  gold  sand 


of  the  Tagus,  which  is  still  sought  for  by 
Spanish   paupers.      Cp.  Catull.  27  (29).  19I 
'  amnis  aurifer  Tagus.'  \ 

36.  Aqua.  Burmann  adopts  the  '  aquae' 
of  one  good  MS.,  on  the  ground  that  Ovid 
almost  always  uses  '  plenus '  with  a  geni- 
tive  :  most  texts  however  have  '  aqua." 

37.  Myrtum  :  the  myrtle  being  the 
plant  sacred  to  Venus,  whom  it  was  sup- 
posed  to  have  sheltered  when  she  came 
forth  from  the  sea,  Ovid  longs  for  a  crown 
of  it,  as  the  poet  of  Love  ;  see  i.  i,  29^ 
For  poets  of  graver  themes  the  crown  of 
bay  was  reserved.  Cp.  Prop.  4  (3).  1,' 
19. 

41.  Adederit.  Prop.  5  (4).  7,  9  '  Et 
solitum  digito  beryllon  adederat  ignis.' 
Cp.  Calpurn.  II.  11./  'Adusserit'  is  only 
found  in  bad  texts. 

42.  Multa  :  some  would  read  '  magna  ;' 
but  cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  30,  6/.  We  have  the 
same  idea  enlarged  in  the  closing  lines  of 
the  Metamorphoses. 


194 


OVID. 


XLV. 


AMORES.     LiB.  III.   El.  9. 

This  beautiful  Elegy  contains  Ovid's  lament  over  the  death  of  his  friend 
Tibullus.  Poets,  (he  complains,)  although  the  special  objects  of  divine 
protection,  must  die,  however  gifted,  however  pious  they  may  be;  death, 
notwithstanding,  cannot  touch  their  works  ;  and  Homer  himself  is  not 
surer  of  such  immortality  than  the  lover  and  singer  of  Delia  and  Nemesis. 
The  only  comfort  Ovid  finds  is  in  reflecting  that  TibuUus  died,  not,  as 
had  once  nearly  happened,  on  a  foreign  shore,  but  that  his  eyes  w-ere 
closed  by  loving  hands,  and  that  now,  if  he  exists  at  all,  it  is  in  the  Elysian 
fields,  surrounded  and  welcomed  by  the  poets  who  preceded  him  thither. 


■*^<^'' 


Memnona  si  mater,  mater  ploravit  Achillen, 

Et  tangunt  magnas  tristia  fata  deas  : 
Flebilis  indignos,  Elegeia,  solve  capillos  • 

Ah,  nimis  ex  vero  nunc  tibi  nomen  erit ! 
Ille  tui  vates  operis,  tua  fama,  Tibullus, 

Ardet  in  extructo,  corpus  inane,  rogo. 
Ecce,  puer  Veneris  fert  eversamque  pharetram, 

Et  fractos  arcus,  et  sine  luce  facem ! 
Adspice,  demissis  ut  eat  miserabilis  alis, 

Pectoraque  infesta  tundat  aperta  manu. 
Excipiunt  sparsi  lacrimas  per  colla  capilli, 

Oraque  singultu  concutiente  sonant. 
Fratris  in  Aeneae  sic  illum  funere  dicunt 


I.  Memnona.  The  grief  of  Eos  for 
Memnon,  as  indeed  the  whole  story  about 
this  hero,  is  not  mentioned  in  Homer ; 
probably  it  was  the  subject  of  the  '  Ae- 
thiopis'  of  Arctinus.  Virgil  notices  the 
same  typical  examples  of  female  grief: 
'  Te  filia  Nerei,  Te  potuit  lacrimis  Tithonia 
flectere  conjux'  Ae.  8.  383. 

3.  Indignos  is  generally  taken  as  '  un- 
cfFending.'  See  Consol.  ad  Liv.  40  '  Oc- 
cidit :  indignas,  Livia,  solve  comas:'  cp. 
Ars  Am.  3.  708  '  Indignas  sauciat  ungue 
genas."     It  means  rather  '  in   undeserved 


mourning,'  implying  that  Tibullus  ought 
not  to  have  died. 

5.  Vates  operis,  '  priest  of  thy  wor- 
ship,'  or  '  service,'  the  sense  which  we  have 
so  commonly  in  '  operari.'  Cp.  M.  11.  68 
'  Amissoque  dolens  sacrorum  vate  suorum.' 

7.  Eversam,  '  tumed  upside  down,' 
'  emptied.'  Some  would  read  '  inversam.' 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  n.  93  (at  the  funeral  of 
PaUas)  '  versis  Arcades  armis;'  Cupid's 
attire  is  before  described  in  the  same  way, 
1.  15,  27  '  Donec  erunt  ignes  arcusque  Cu- 
pidinis  arma.' 


OVID. 


'95 


Egressum  tectis,  pulcher  lule,  tuis. 
Nec  minus  est  confusa  Venus,  monente    1  ibullo,  15^  ^ 

Quam  juveni  rupit  cum  ferus  inguen  aper.         '•**  ^  «^W^<r.  vuih.^ 
At  sacri  vates,  et  divum  cura  vocamur  j 

Sunt  etiam,  qui  nos  numen  habere  putent ! 
Scilicct  omne  sacrum  mors  importuna  profanat, 

Omnibus  obscuras  injicit  illa  manus.  20 

Quid  pater  Ismario,  quid  mater  profuit  Orpheo  ?  Kixkt  J^^^^' '-^'^  ""^  "^*^' 

Carmme  quid  victas  obstupuisse  feras  ?  '  ^ 

Aelinon  in  silvis  idem  pater,  Aelinon  altis 

Dicitur  invita  concinuisse  lyra. 
Adjice  Maeoniden,  a  quo,  ceu  fonte  perenni,  25 

Vatum  Pieriis  ora  rigantur  aquis : 
Hunc  quoque  summa  dies  nigro  submersit  Averno ; 

Defugiunt  avidos  carmina  sola  rogos. 


14.  Tectis  has  more  MS.  authority 
than  the  reading  '  castris,'  which  Orelli 
however  adopts,  comparing  the  'Laurentia 
castra'  of  Virg.  Ae.  10.635,  ^^"^  Tibull. 
2.  5,  49,'  the  notion  being  that  Aeneas 
died  at  the  end  of  the  three  years  in  the 
camp-settlement :  see  Prof.  Conington  on 
Virg.  Ae.  i.  265. 

15.  Confusa,  '  stunned '  with  grief, 
more  frequently  with  '  dolore '  expressed  ; 
but  cp.  Tr.  3.  5,  11'^  Juv.  3.  \/ 

17.  At,  starting  an  objection,  to  which 
'scihcet'  =  'true,  but  know  that'  etc.  re- 
plies  in  v.  19. 

18.  Numen  habere  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  10. 
221  '  N3'mphae  quas  alma  Cybebe  Numen 
habere  maris  .  .  Jusserat.' 

19.  Importuna,  not  =  '  inopportuna ' 
i.  e. '  premature,'  but  '  accursed,'  containing 
the  ground  of  '  profanat.' 

20.  Obscuras.  Heinsius  ingeniously 
conjectured  '  obscaenas'  here,  which  would 
harmonize  well  with  the  '  profanat'  of  the 
preceding  line ;  but  '  obscuras'  makes  very 
good  sense  either  as  '  dark/  or  =  al^rjKos, 
'  making  dark.' 

Injicit  .  .  manus,  a  legal  phrase,  = 
'  takes  violent  possession  of :'  death  seizes 
man  as  its  property.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  10. 
419  '  Injecere  manum  Parcae.' 

21.  Pater,  not  Oeagrus,  according  to 
the  usual  story,  but  Apollo  would  seem 
to  be  here  represented  as  the  father  of 
Orpheus. 

Ismario,  separated  from  '  Orpheo,'  as 
'  DeHus'  from  '  Apollo'  Virg.  Ae.  3. 162. 
Mater,  Calliope. 


Orpheo.  In  the  parallel  passage,  Virg. 
E.  4.  57,  we  have  the  other  or  Greek  form 
of  the  dative,  '  Orphei.'  The  Latin  ter- 
mination  in  -eo  is  however  the  commoner 
of  the  two,  and,  except  in  lyrics,  is  almost 
always  pronounced  as  a  monosyllable. 
CatuIIus  uses  both  forms  \n  the  same 
poem,  62  (64).  336  and  382.   *^"*T^j!.C 

23,  24.  There  is  much  variety  in  the 
reading  of  these  lines.  Most  of  the  MSS. 
have  '  Et  linon,'  and  '  pater  edidit:'  two 
however  present  '  Aelinon,'  which,  though 
occurring  nowhere  else  in  the  Latin 
poets,  Scaliger  and  Heinsius  adopted  and 
repeated  here.  The  '  Aelinon '  was  the 
hymn  sung  by  Apollo  over  Linus  (his  son 
by  Psamathe),  who  was  torn  to  pieces  by 
dogs, — though  there  are  other  versions  of 
the  myth. 

Invita,  not  'invicta'  as  in  many  MSS., 
is  the  best  reading :  '  with  sad,  reluctant 
lyre,'  unwiUing  to  mourn,  yet  powerless  to 
save.  The  two  words  are  constantly  con- 
fused  by  the  transcribers. 

26.  Cp.  Prop.  4.  2  (3.  3)  51,  2  '  Ivm- 
phisque  a  fonte  petitis  Ora  Philetaea  nostra 
rigavit  aqua.' 

28.  Defugiunt  (as  in  Jahn  and  Orelli) 
is  found  in  one  MS. ;  all  the  rest  give 
'  diffugiunt,'  which  neither  in  meaning  nor 
construction  suitsthis  passage.  'Defugere' 
with  the  accusative  is  very  common  in 
prose,  and  is  used  by  Silius  and  Seneca. 
Comparing  Consol.  ad  Liv.  266  '  Haec 
avidos  etfugit  una  rogos,'  we  may  be 
tempted  to  read  'effugiunt'  with  Cio- 
fanus. 

O  % 


196  OVID. 

Durat  opus  vatum,  Trojani  fama  laboris, 

Tardaque  nocturno  tela  retexta  dolo.  30 

Sic  Nemesis  longum,  sic  Delia  nomen  habebunt, 

Altera  cura  recens,  altera  primus  amor. 
^^^a^  QiiJ^i  "^os  sacra  juvant  ?   quid  nunc  Aegyptia  prosunt . 
"^-^^  '^  ^  Sistra  ?    quid  in  vacuo  secubuisse  toro  ? 

Cum  rapiant  mala  fata  bonos,  ignoscite  fasso,  35 

Sollicitor^  nuUos  esse  putare  deos. 
Vive  pius  :    moriere  pius  j    cole  sacra  :    colentem 

Mors  gravis  a  templis  in  cava  busta  trahet. 
Carminibus  conlide  bonis  :   jacet,  ecce  !   Tibullus  j 
[^-  ^Mfl^   '<^    '^^"^^s^^^V^ix  manet  e  tanto  parva  quod  urna  capit.  40 

Tene,  sacer  vates,  flammae  rapuere  rogales, 

Pectoribus  pasci  nec  timuere  tuis  ? 
Aurea  sanctorum  potuissent  templa  deorum 

Urere,  quae  tantum  sustinuere  nefas. 
Avertit  vultus,  Erycis  quae  possidet  arces  j  45 

-^c^  ^^^^'  Sunt  quoque,  qui  lacrimas  continuisse  negant. 

Sed  tamen  hoc  melius,  quam  si  Phaeacia  tellus 

Ignotum  vili  supposuisset  humo. 

29.  Vatum.      There    is    no    authority  the  subjunctive:  'at  a  time  when  the  good 

nor  reason  for  Heinsius'  correction  '  vatis,'  are   snatched   away,'  or  '  when  I   see  the 

still   less    for   Orelli's    bold    suggestion    of  good,'  etc. 

'  fatum,' = '  the  poet's  work  outlives  death.'  36.   Sollicitor.  .  putare:    a   poetical 

'Vatum'   does  not  require  us  to  suppose  construction.      Prose    would    require    '  ut 

that  Ovid  regarded  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey  putem'  or  '  ad  putandum.' 
in  a  spirit  of  premature   criticism   as   the  37.  Moriere  pius.    Jahn,  by  punctuat- 

work    of  different    poets ;    he   has   simply  ing    after   '  moriere,'    seems    to    spoil    the 

in   his   mind    both    Homer   and   Tibullus.  balance   of  the   line.      '  Live  piously,  yet 

As  the  poems  that  sing  of  Troy  will  last,  piety    will    not    keep    you     from    death ; 

so    will    those    that    celebrate    Delia    and  worship,  yet  in  the  midst  of  worship  you 

Nemesis.     The   '  vates '    die,   the   '  vatum  will  be  hurried  to  the  tomb.' 
opus'  survives.  39.   Confide,  hypothetical  imperative, 

31.  Nemesis  :  see  on  Tibull.  2.  5,  1 1 1,  like  '  vive,'  '  cole  :'  '  trust,  if  you  like.' 
and  Introductory  Life.  40.   Tanto,  found  in  two  MSS.,  seems 

33.  Vos  :  Delia  and  Nemesis.  preferable  to  '  toto,'  the  common  reading, 
Nunc,    i.  e.   whatever    they   may   have  as  contrasting  better  with  '  parva.'     Orelli 

done  once.  compares  Soph.  El.  758  tv  ^pax^i  XaXicai 

34.  Sistra, '  the  timbrels'((7€r(TTpa)  play-  fiiytaTov  auijxa  ^uKaias  arroSov  ^(povaiv. 
ed  by  .shaking  them,  and  used  in  the  worship  46.  Negant.  The  indicative  is  found 
of  Isis.  The  reference  is  to  Tibull.  I.  3,  23  here  in  all  the  MSS.  but  one,  while  all 
'  Quid  tua  nunc  Isis  mihi,  Delia  ?  quid  mihi  agree  on  the  subjunctive  in  v.  18.  Ovid 
prosunt  llla  tua  toties  aera  repulsa  manu.'  seems  to  have  used  the  two  constructions 

In    vacuo.     Cp.   Tibull.  1.  c.  '  Et   puro  indifferently. 

secubuisse  toro.'     This  was  usual  before,  47.    Phaeacia.      See    Tibull.    i.    3,   311 

and  at,  many  festivals  in  Rome.    See  Amor.  '  Me  tenet  ignotis  aegrum  Phaeacia  terris.'  II 

3.10,2  '  Annua  venerunt  Cerealis  tempora  48.   Vili,  '  common  earth,' unhallowed 

sacri :  Secubat  in  vacuo  sola  puelia  toro.'  by  the  offerings  of  relations,  without  urn, 

35.  Rapiunt  is  read  in  more  MSS.  than  tomb,  or  inscription. 


OVID.  197 

Hinc  certe  madidos  fugientis  pressit  ocellos 

Mater,  et  in  cmeres  ultima  dona  tulit  ^  50 

Hinc  soror  in  partem  misera  cum  matre  doloris 

Venit,  inornatas  dilaniata  comas ; 
Cumque  tuis  sua  junxerunt  Nemesisque  priorque 

Oscula,  nec  solos  destituere  rogos. 
Delia  discedens,  Felkius,  inquit,  amata  55 

Sum  vtibp:   vixisti,  dum  tuus  ignis  eram. 
Cui  Nemesis,  Quid,  ait,  tibi  sunt  mea  damna  dolori  ? 

Me  tenuit  moriens  deficiente  manu. 
Si  tamen  e  nobis  aliquid,  nisi  nomen  et  umbra, 

Restat,  in  Elysia  valle  Tibullus  erit.  60 

Obvius  huic  venies,  hedera  juvenilia  cinctus 

Tempora,  cum  Calvo,  docte  CatuUe,  tuo ; 
Tu  quoque,  si  falsum  est  temerati  crimen  amici, 

Sanguinis  atque  animae  prodige  Galle  tuae. 
His  comes  umbra  tua  est :    si  quid  modo  corporis  umbra 
est,  6s 

Auxisti  numeros,  culte  TibuUe,  pios. 
Ossa  quieta  precor  tuta  requiescite  in  urna, 

Et  sit  humus  cineri  non  onerosa  tuo. 


49.  Madidos,    '  wet '    with    tears  '    or  of  Catullus,  '  jocundissime  Calve'   (14.  2), 

'  dewy'  with  the  damp  of  death.  was  more  famous  as  an  orator  than  a  poet. 

53.    Cumque    tuis,  =  '  together   with  Scarcely  any  remains  of  his  genius  survive. 

thy  kindred.'       The    reading   '  tuis   oculis  On   the    death   of   his   mistress    Quintilia, 

Nemesis  junxere' must  have  crept  into  the  Catullus    has    some    beautiful    lines  :    see 

text  from  a  confusion  with  '  osculis,'  which  94  (96). 

had  probably  been  written  on  the  margin  63.   Crimen.      There    seems    to    have 

as  explaining  '  tuis.'  been  some  ill-feeling  between  Tibullus  and 

Priorque.     See  v.  32.  Cornelius  Gallus  (for  whom  see  i.  15,  29). 

55.   Felicius  :    explained    by    '  vixisti  Orelii  conjectures  that  it  may  have  been 

dum  tuus  ignis  eram.'     Delia  was  his  fint  connected  with  the  distribution  of  estates 

love.  among  the  veterans,  which,   as  one  of  the 

57.   Quid   ait   tibi    sunt,  '  what  right  commissioners,  Gallus  conducted,  usually, 

hast  thou  to  grieve  for  a  loss   not  thine  however,  to  the  protection  of  poets.     He 

butmine?'  the  emphasis  also  lying  on  the  died    only    seven    or    eight    years    before 

'  me'  of  the  next  line.    '  It  is  me,  not  thee,  TibuUus. 

he  has  loved  in  his  later  years  and  at  his  65.   Si    quid,  i.  e.  '  if  only   the   shade 

death.'     Burmann  and  Baumgarten-Crusius  of  what  once  was  a  living  form  be  some- 

prefer  the    '  Quid   ais  ?    tibi   sint'   of  two  thing   real.'      '  Quid'   is    better    than    the 

MSS.,  which  does  not  improve  the  sense.  'qua'  of  some   texts.     The  same   scepti- 

Ovid  might  have  wisely  omitted  altogether  cism   of  despair   is   similarly   expressed   in 

the   bickering  of  the  rival  mistresses  over  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4.  I,  18  '  Da  mihi,  si  quid 

his  friend's  death-bed.  ea  est,  hebetantem  pectora  Lethen.' 

60.  Compare    Tibullus'    own    assurance  66.    Numeros   .  .  pios,  =  '  piorum,' 

^-  3'   57  '  ^s^  ^^  •  ■  ^P^*  Venus  campos  '  swelled  the  ranks  ofthe  good.' 

ducet  in  Elysios.'  Culte.     Cp.  I.   15,  38    '  Discentur  nu- 

62.  C.  Licinius  Calvus,  the  great  friend  meri,  culte  TibuUe,  tui.' 


198  OVID. 


XLVL 

METAMORPHOSES.     Lib.  I.  1-88, 

Here  we  have  the  poefs  description  of  the  creation  of  the  World  and 
of  IVIan,  as  being  the  first  of  all  '  Metamorphoses,'  Chaos  being  trans- 
formed  into  Order  and  Shape.  First,  the  Four  Elements  took  their  sepa- 
rate  character,  functions,  and  place.  Next,  to  each  of  these  its  own  living 
beings  were  assigned :  the  gods  to  the  heaven,  the  beasts  to  the  earth, 
fishes  to  the  sea,  and  birds  to  the  air.  But  one  to  have  dominion  over 
the  rest  was  still  wanted ;  and  this  led  to  the  formatiou  of  iNIan,  either 
from  divine  seed  or  from  the  earth,  which  still  containing  the  vital  sparks 
of  its  heavenly  origin,  responded  readily  to  the  formative  touch  of  Pro- 
metheus.  With  this  view  of  the  creation  may  be  compared  those  of 
Lucretius,  5.  416  foll.,  Virgil,  E.  6.  31  foll.,  Manilius,  i.  116  foll. 

In  nova  fert  animus  mutatas  dicere  formas 

Corpora :    Di  coeptis,  nam  vos  mutastis  et  illas, 

Adspirate  meis,  primaque  ab  origine  mundi 
\yy:ir^  t«*»*w^^i'?.»*     Ad  mea  perpetuum  deducite  tempora  carmen. 
»<A-uo  (LtUJjxa.'^  Ante  mare  et  tellus,  et,  quod  tegit  omnia,  coelum,        s 

Unus  erat  toto  Naturae  vultus  in  orbe,    ti<vM-,^^.ost^*»^-<«W;^'3ij(»i;fl<u^uti. 

Quem  dixere  Chaos ;   rudis  indigestaque  moles, 

1.  Mutatas.  The  work  of  Nicander  lence  of  the  poem,  viz.  the  ingenuity  with 
of  Colophon  (185-I35  B.c),  from  which  which  the  various  transformations  are 
Ovid  appears   to    have   derived    the    idea,      Unked  together. 

if  not  the  substance,   of   his    poem,   was  Deducite,    '  trace    down    for    me/    as 

called    'ETepoiovfieva.      Though    the    ori-  perhaps  Manil.  1 .  3  '  Coelestis  rationis  opus| 

ginal  book  is  lost,  many  of  the  mythical  deducere  mundo  Aggredior.'  I 

subjects  it  treated  of  are  preserved  in  the  5.  Tellus  is  found  in  at  least  one  good 

M(Tafj.op(pdi(r(wv  ^wayojyfj  of  the  gram-  MS.,  and  is  favoured  by  the  parallel  pas- 

marian  Antonius  Liberalis  (a.  d.  147).  sage  in  Ars  Am.  2.  467,  468   '  Prima  fuit 

2.  Et  illas,  i.  e.  As  ye  wrought  the  rerum  confusa  sine  ordine  moles,  Unaque 
changes,  so  help  me  in  singing  them,  erant  facies  sidera,  terra,  fretum :' cp.  Fast. 
or  (as  Haupt  explains  the  'et')  As  all  I.  105,  106.  Haupt,  with  most  texts, 
operations  are  yours,  so  also  were  those.  retains  '  terras,'  i.  e.  before  sea,  earth,  and 
ISothing  is  to  be  said  for  the  coupHng  of  sky  existed  in  separate  forms. 

'  vos  et  illas.'  7.  Chaos,  first  used  by  Hesiod,  Theog. 

4.  Perpetuum,  'connected,  unbroken:'  126,  is  connected  with  the  root  of  xc"''*"'. 

cp.  Hor.  Od.  I.  7,  6.  ^"  The  fifteenth  book  originally    meaning    mere    void    space,  = 

of  the  Metamorphoses  ends  with  the  apo-  '  inane '  of  Lucretius :  thence  it  passes  into 

theosis  of  Caius  Julius  Caesar,  and  prayers  the  signification   of  '  a  confused  mass   of 

for  the  delay  of  that  of  Augustus.     The  elemental  substances.'     Virgil  (Ae.  4.   10) 

epithet  '  perpetuum '   suggests   one   excel-  connects  Erebus  and  Chaos  as  gods,  while 


OVID. 


199 


Nec  quidquam,  nisi  pondus  iners,  congestaque  eodem 
Non  bene  junctarum  discordia  semina  rerum. 
NuUus  adhuc  mundo  praebebat  lumina  Titan, 
Nec  nova  crescendo  reparabat  cornua  Phoebe, 
Nec  circumfuso  pendebat  in  aere  tellus 
Ponderibus  librata  suis,  nec  brachia  longo 
Margine  terrarum  porrexerat  Amphitritej 
Quaque  fuit  tellus,  illic  et  pontus  et  aer. 


Sic  erat  instabilis^tellus. 


'  unda. 


Lucis  egens  aer 


nulli  sua  forma  manebat, 
Obstabatque  aliis  aliud ;   quia  corpore  in  uno 
Frigida  pugnabant  calidis,  humentia  siccis, 
Mollia  cum  duris,  sine  pondere  habentia  pondus. 


iS 


Claudian  uses  the  word  for  the  infernal 
regions  themselves  In  Ruf.  2.  525. 

Indigesta.  These  negative  participles 
are  favourite  creations  of  Ovid ;  in  the 
Metamorphoses  alone  we  find  '  inobmtus,' 
'  inconcessus,'  '  insopitus,'  '  incommen- 
datus,'  '  inexpectatus,'  '  indestructus,'  '  im- 
perceptus,'  '  imperfossus,'  '  inexperrectus,' 
and  many  others.  New  adjectives  of  a 
similar  kind  are  '  innabiHs,'  '  infragilis,' 
'  insolidus,'  '  inambitiosus.' 

10.  Nullus  .  .  Titan,  '  no  Sun  was 
there  as  yet  to  shed  his  light.'  Such  my- 
thological  names  for  natural  objects  as 
'  Titan,'  '  Phoebe,'  '  Amphitrite,'  and  the 
like  become  commoner  and  commoner  in 
the  poets  of  the  Decline. 

13.  Ponderibus.  Theplural  expresses 
the  many  well-balanced  parts  that  support 
the  whole,  and  is  therefore  used  in  pre- 
ference  to  the  singular  here  and  elsewhere, 
as  Cic.  Tusc.  5.  24,  69  :  cp.  Lucan  1.57 
'  librati  pondera  coeli  Orbe  tene  medio  :' 
see  Munro  on  Lucr.  2.  218.  Milton  has 
almost  translated  this  line  in  P.  L.  7.  242 
'  And  Earth  self-balanced  on  her  centre 
hung.' 

Nec  goes  both  with  '  circumfuso'  and 
with  'pendebat:'  '  there  was  no  circum- 
ambient  air  for  earth  to  balance  herself 
amidst.' 

14.  Margine,  the  local  ablative  :  as 
15.  741  '  Porrigit  aequales  media  tellure 
lacertos;'  in  each  case  the  adjective 
'  longo  '  and  '  media '  fulfils  the  office  of 
a  preposition,  having  no  force  beyond  that 
of  '  along,'  and  '  on  either  side  of '  re- 
spectively.  See  on  Val.  Fl.  8.  1 1 1  '  ad- 
verso  dorso.' 


15.  Quaque  fuit.  This  is  the  read- 
ing  of  one  of  the  Medicean  and  most  of 
the  older  MSS.,  and  makes  good  sense : 
Earth,  sea  and  air  possessed  not  yet  their 
separate  forms  and  seats,  but  where  earth 
was,  there  too  was  sea  and  air  :  '  que'  after 
'nec'  =  'but,'  as  2.  8 II,  and  often  else- 
where  :  '  fiiit '  for  '  erat,'  to  avoid  repeti- 
tion  in  the  next  Hne.  From  this  verse 
having  been  quoted  in  a  scholium  of 
Porphyrio  on  Hor.  Od.  3.  4,  29  as  con- 
taining  '  ut '  in  the  sense  of  '  where,'  several 
reconstructions  of  the  verse  have  been 
proposed  ;  e.  g.  Haupt's  '  Utque  aer,  tellus 
illic  et  pontus  et  aether,'  which  bowever 
militates  against  v.  23  ;  Burmann's  '  Utque 
fuit  tellus  illic  ubi  pontus  et  aer,  Sic  erat,' 
etc. ;  and,  better  perhaps  than  either,  Prof. 
Coningtons  '  Utque  fuit  tellus  illic  et  pon- 
tus  et  aer,  Sic  erat'  =  'True,  there  were 
earth,  air  and  sea,  only  the  earth  could  not 
be  trodden  on,'  etc. ;  the  antithesis  of  '  sic' 
and  '  ut '  is  very  common  in  Ovid. 

16.  Instabilis,  not  in  its  usual  sense  of 
'  unable  to  stand,'  but  '  unable  to  be  stood 
upon  ;'  thus  corresponding  with  '  in- 
nabilis.' 

17.  NuIIi  .  .  manebat,  i.  e.  to  none 
of  the  three  just"  spoken  of,  viz.  earth, 
water,  air.  'Sua'  and  'manebat'  are  both 
predicates  :  '  to  none  was  there  a  distinct 
and  lasting  form.' 

19.  Calidis  .  .  siccis,  ablatives  go- 
verned  by  the  '  cum '  drawn  back  from 
the  next  line :  see  v.  66.  Cp.  Claudian 
Rapt.  Pros.  I.  42  '  Paene  reluctatis  ite- 
rum  pugnantia  rebus  Rupissent  elementa 
fidem.' 

20.  Sine     pondere     stands    for    an 


200 


OVID. 


tf  vs^iiijjL-»*4.ofUHi'^Hanc  deus  et  melior  litem  Natura  diremit : 
.T^»l«^-^™.k.i-        -j^^j^  ^QglQ  terras,  et  terris  abscidit  undas, 
Et  liquidum  spisso  secrevit  ab  aere  coelum, 
Quae  postquam  evolvit,  caecoque  exemit  acervo, 
Dissociata  locis  concordi  pace  ligavit. 
Ignea  convexi  vis  et  sine  pondere  coeli 
Emicuit,  summaque  locum  sibi  legit  in  arce  j 
■I.-    ,.■  i/uau„  Proximus  est  aer  illi  levitate,  locoque : 
^;„r4\jix\^.i,«!^«t^^'*'^    Densior  his  tellus,  elementaque  grandia  traxit, 
^^^l^i^^o^'"'**^'^'^^  pressa  est  gravitate  sui  j    circumfluus  humor 
^o. — .{«4. «  \Jltima  possedit,  solidumque  coercuit  orbem. 

Sic  ubi  dispositam,  quisquis  fuit  ille  deorum, 
Congeriem  secuit,  sectamque  in  membra  redegit ; 
Principio  terram,  ne  non  aequalis  ab  omni 
Parte  foret,  magni  speciem  glomeravit  in  orbis. 
Tum  freta  difHindi  rabidisque  tumescere  ventis 
Jussit,  et  ambitae  circumdare  litora  terrae. 
Addidit  et  fontes,  immensaque  stagna,  lacusque. 


30 


35 


adjective  in  the  ablative,  =  toTs  av€v  $apovs 
ovcrt ;  see  a  less  strong  instance  in  v.  26, 
where  it  is  coupled  as  an  adjective  with 
*  ignea  : '  cp.  '  sine  imagine'  v.  87. 

21.  Melior  .  .  Natura,  (see  v.  79,) 
'  the  newer  and  better  order'  of  things, 
resulting  from  the  action  of  the  '  deus.' 
Perhaps  Ovid  nieaut  simply  to  leave  the 
agent  in  creation  undetermined,  as  in  v.  32 
'  quisquis  fuit  ille  deorum.'  Cp.  Manil. 
2.  82  '  Hic  igitur  deus  et  ratio  quae  cuncta 
gubernat.'  Claudian  gives  another  account, 
De  Laud.  Stil.  ^.  9  '  nam  prima  Chaos  Cle- 
mentia  solvit  Congeriem  miserata  rudem.' 

Litem  :  see  Fast.  I.  107.  Cp.  ApoU.  R. 
I.  496  (where  Orpheus  sings  of  the  four 
elements)  vdneos  e^  oKooio  SuKpiOev 
dfKpls  (Kaara. 

22.  Terras.  Ovid,  like  Lucretius, 
when  speaking  of  the  earth  as  a  mass, 
uses  the  plural  rather  than  the  singular. 
See  Munro  on  Lucr.  I.  3. 

24.  Caeco,  'confused;'  i.  e.  where  the 
separate  nature  of  the  parts  cannot  be 
seen. 

.  Acervo  :  cp.  Fast.  1.  c.  '  Ignis,  aquae, 
mellus  unus  acervus  erant.'  There  is  a 
sort  of  oxymoron  intended  between  '  dis- 
sociata '  and  '  concordi '  like  Manilius' 
'  discordia  concors'  i.  140;  their  local  se- 
paration  is  the  cause  of  their  peace. 

27.  Legit.     A  few  MSS.  have  '  fecit ;' 


but   cp.    12.  43   ' summague__d£ 

legit  in  arce.'  '' 

28.  Levitate  locoque  :  as  it  was 
next  in  lightness,  so  it  became  next  in 
position. 

29.  Elementaque  :  '  drew  along  with 
it  the  bulky  particles:'  the  dregs  of  all 
the  other  elements  drained  ofF  into  the 
earth  and  helped  to  constitute  it.  See 
Lucr.  5.  496;  so  Manil.  i.  157  '  UUima 
subsedit  glomerato  pondere  tellus.' 

31.  Ultima,  '  the  uttermost  parts.' 
Haupt  reads  'extima'  without  MS.  au- 
thority. 

Possedit.from  ' possidgre'  = '  took  pos- 
session  of;'  'possidere'  means  '  to  be  in 
possession  of.' 

Solidum,  contrasted  with  '  circum- 
fiuus.' 

37.  Ambitae.  The  penultima  is  long 
as  contracted  from  '  ambe-itae.'  In  '  am- 
Wtus,'  '  ambltio'  we  must  suppose  the 
elision  of  the  '  e '  before  the  '  i.' 

Litora,  accus.  after  '  circumdare.' 

38.  Immensaque  stagna  has  more 
MS.  authority  in  its  favour  than  '  et  stagna 
immensa'  (Jahn),  into  which  it  is  easier 
to  suppose  that  it  was  changed  than  vice 
versa.  The  shortening  of  the  vowel  at 
the  end  of  a  word  before  two  consonants 
beginning  the  next  is  very  common  in 
Ovid,  e.  g.  '  olentia  stagna  Palici '  Ep.  er 


OVID. 


20I 


Fluminaque  obliquis  cinxit  declivia  ripis  : 
Quae,  diversa  locis,  partim  sorbcntur  ab  ipsa  ^  40 

In  mare  perveniunt  partim,  Cflmpoque  recepta 
L,berioris  aquae,  pro  ripis  litora  pulsant.      '«^rl£X^vZ°W- 
Jussit  et  extendi  campos,  subsidere  valles,  fikiiiA  UM^  [f^r^) 

Fronde  tegi  silvas,  lapidosos  surgere  montes. 
Utque  duae  dextra  coelum,  totidemque  sinistra  4.; 

^yi^      Parte  secant  Zonae,  quinta  est  ardentior  illisj 

Sic  onus  inclusum  numero  distinxit  eodem    T-(mt,j  ^wsiiioaw,  (i.i.^'<n.')f, 
Cura  dei,  totidemque  plagae  tellure  premuntur. 

Quarum  quae  media  est,  non  est  habitabilis  aestu  i^J^^'^'^  ^'^i^ 
Nix  tegit  alta  duas ;  totidem  inter  utramque  locaviT, ^"^cT '""^  ■-Vi^iuA 
Temperiemque  dedit,  mixta  cum  frigore  Hamma.  ^""^^^»^  1  «»^.iJUa  ^jl  txMc/r 
Imminet  his  aer,  qui,  quanto  est  pondere  terrae  ^w  Uwn  V(sy%uWowL,-v.  ii»v,^ 
Fondus  aquae  levius,  tanto  est  onerosior  igoi, 


itrj^lii*^ 


Pont.  2.  10,  25  ;  'litera  scripta'  Her.  5.  26: 
'  aspera  spina'  Ib.  11.  34.  See  note  on 
CatuU.  62  (64).  186. 

Fontes  .  .  stagna,  lacus,  '  springs, 
vast  standing  pools,  and  running  lakes.' 

39.  Obliquis,  '  winding,'  as  9.  1 8  '  cur- 
sibus  obliquis:'  cp.  Hor.  Od.  2.  3,  II  '  ob- 
liquo  rivo.' 

Cinxit  (MSS.)  :  Heinsius  proposes 
'  strinxit.' 

40.  Diversa  locis,  i.  e.  according  to 
the  difterent  situations  and  nature  of 
ground  through  which  rivers  flow.  Per- 
haps  Ovid  has  in  his  mind  the  kindred 
passage  about  rivers  in  Virg.  G.  4.  367 
'  Omnia  sub  magna  labentia  flumina  terra 
Spectabat  diversa  locis.' 

Ipsa,  sc.  '  terra,'  the  whole  passage 
being  about  the  relation  of  land  and 
water. 

41.  Campo,  =  '  aequore,'  of  the  sea  : 
\so  Virg.  Ae.  10.  214  '  campo   salis.'     Cp. 

IFast.  4.  292  (of  the  Tiber)  '  campo  libe- 
riore  natat.'  The  latter  passage  confirms 
the  '  liberioris'  of  most  MSS.  here  against 
the  '  uberioris '  of  one,  the  two  words 
being  frequently  confused.  '  Liberioris,' 
besides,  gives  more  point  to  the  contrast 
between  banks  and  shores.  The  Latin 
poets  do  not  always  observe  the  distinction 
between  '  litus'  and  '  ripa  :'  see  Hor.  Od. 
3.  27,  22  .-^'irg.  Ae^TS.  83  ;  Prop.  I.if;  iS. 
47.  Onus  .  .  inclusum,  sc.  'coelo,'  = 
the  weighty  earth  o'er-arched  by  the  light 
sky.  Possibly  '  onus '  may  be  used  as  in 
Fast.  2^450;   Amor.  2.  13,  1  ;    the   earth 


being  regarded  as  contained  in  the  womb 
of  the  heavens ;  see  Lucr.  5.  548  '  con- 
cepta  ab  origine  mundi,'  and  the  whole 
passage  (534-550)/  Markland  however, 
on  Stat.  Silv.  5.  3,  20of  contends  that '  onns' 
here  is  '  sine  sensu,'  and  proposes  to  read 
'  opus,'  as  also  in  Lucan  6.  480. 

Eodem.  The  zones  on  earth  corre- 
spond  to  those  in  the  heavens,  and  take 
their  character  and  temperature  from  them  : 
see  Virg.  G.  i.  233  foU. ;  Tibull.  4.  i,  151 
foU.  ^ 

48.  Premuntur,  '  are  enclosed  by  earth' 
(Haupt)  :  cp.  14.  6  '  fretum  gemino  quod 
litore  pressum.'  It  would  suit  better  with 
'distinxit'  to  take  it  = '  are  stamped,  im- 
printed  on  the  earth,'  '  tellure '  being  the 
local  ablative. 

50.  Utramque,i.  e.  not  between  the  two 
frigid  zones  last  mentioned,  but  on  either 
side  of  the  equator,  between  the  Torrid 
and  the  Frigid  Zones  respectively.  Bur- 
mann  contends  for  '  utrumque,'  as  being 
found  in  many  parallel  passages  in  the  best 
MSS.  See  Lachmann's  note  on  Lucr.  2. 
517  :  he  would  write  '  interutraque'  in  one 
word,  after  the  analogy  of  '  interea,' '  prop- 
terea,'  '  postea,'  etc. 

53.  Igni,  '  the  empyrean,'  fire  being 
held  to  be  the  chief  ingredient  of  the 
'  coelum  :'  see  v.  26.  Ovid  uses  '  igni'  and 
'igne'  indiscriminately,  as  forms  of  the 
ablative,  but  '  igni '  when  closing  an  hexa- 
meter  Hne,  as  here  :  cp.  3.  490  ;  13.  802  ; 
and  Tr.  4.  10,  67.'  '  Amne  '  and  '  orbe'  are 
however  often  found  at  the  end  of  lines. 


202 


OVID. 


IUic  et  nebulas,  illic  consistere  nubes 
yWi-J^^^^cvwi^-^^v,  Jussit,  et  humanas  motura  tonitura  mentes,  5S 

Mw:.;Juu^.a«rt,.^w,v,i^g^  ^^^  fulminibus  facientes  frigora  ventos. 

His  quoque  non  passim  mundi  fabricator  habendum 
Aera  permisit :  vix  nunc  obsistitur  illis, 
V^?<rV-^^;cWd««»  Q^^  5^^  quisque  regant  diverso  flamina  tractu, 

Quin  lanient  mundum :   tanta  est  discordia  fratrum !     60 
Eurus  ad  Auroram,  Nabataeaque  regna  recessit, 
Persidaque,  et  radiis  juga  subdita  matutinis. 
Vesper,,  et  occiduo  quae  litora  Sole  tepescunt, 
Proxima  sunt  Zephyro :   Scythiam  Septemque  trionem 
Horrifer  invasit  Boreas :    contraria  tellus  65 

Nubibus  assiduis  pluvioque  madescit_ab  Austro. 
Haec  super  imposuit  liquidum,  et  gravitate  carentem, 
Aethera,  nec  quidquam  terrenae  faecis  habentem. 
Vix  ea  limitibus  djssepserat  omnia  certis, 
Cum,  quae  pressa  diu  massa  latuere  sub  illa,  70 

Sidera  coeperunt  toto  efFervescere  coelo. 


54.   IUic,  sc.  '  in  aere.' 

Consistere,  a  military  term,  '  He  bade 
the  clouds  take  their  stand.'  Heinsius 
suggests  '  considere,'  =  '  settle  below '  the 
'  liquidum  coelum'  v.  53.  Cp.  Lucr.  6. 
453  '  parvas  consistere  nubes.' 

56.  Fulminibus.  The  Stoics  thought 
that  lightning  was  caused  by  the  winds 
driving  the  clouds  against  each  other  :  cp. 
15.  70  '  quae  fulminis  esset  origo  :  Jupiter 
an  venti.'     See  Manil.  I.  102,  103* 

Facientes  frigora:  Virg.  G.  i.  352 
'  agentes  frigora  ventos.'  Observe  the 
alUteration. 

57.  For  the  notion  of  the  winds  having 
separate  homes,  cp.  Virg.  G.  I.  371 ;  Ae. 

I.  55  fo"- 

59.  Diverso,  emphatic  :  '  E'en  though 
they  do  confine  their  blasts  each  within 
their  separate  quarter.' 

60.  Mundum,  =  ' aera.' 

62.  Juga,  i.  e.  mountains  of  India.  See 
Lucan  4.  63,  an  elaborate  passage  about 
winds,  where  he  also  speaks  of  '  Nabataeis 
flatibus.' 

Matutinis.  These  quadrisyllabic  spon- 
daic  endings  of  the  hexameter  are  not 
very  common  in  Ovid,  except  with  proper 
names,  as  above,  v.  14  '  Amphitrite,'  v. 
690  '  Nonacrinas.'  Occasionally  however 
they  are   found  in   other   words :   as  e.  g. 


3.669  '  pantherarum  ; '  5.265  '  antiqua- 
rum  ; '  6.  70  '  argumentum  ; '  Ib.  247  '  ex- 
halarunt ;'  7.  114  '  implevere.'  See  on 
CatuU.  62  (64),  v.  II. 

64.  Septemque  trionem  (not  '  tri- 
ones')  is  found  in  the  best  MSS.,  '  the 
region  of  the  wain.'  From  the  seven  stars 
in  Ursa  Major,  likened  to  seven  '  teriones' 
= '  ploughing  oxen,'  or  a  waggon  drawn 
by  a  pair  of  oxen,  the  word  came  to  mean 
generally  '  the  North.'  The  tmesis  occurs 
in  Virg.  G.  3.  581. 

66.  Ab.  If  the  preposition  be  not,  as 
often,  redundant  here,  it  may  express  the 
cause,  while  the  simple  ablative,  '  nubibus,' 
signifies  the  instrument ;  or  'ab'  may  be 
drawn  back  to  '  nubibus,'  as  '  cum '  v.  20. 
'  Ab  '  is  sometimes  joined  with  active  as 
well  as  neuter  verbs,  where  the  cause  is 
denoted,  as  TibuU.  I.  5,  3  '  turbo  Quem 
celer  assueta  versat  ab  arte  puer.'  See  on 
Prop.  4  (3).  I,  63  :  cp.  Fast.  5.  323  '  coelum 
nigrescit  ab  Austris ;'  Virg.  G.  I.  234  '  tor- 
rida  semper  ab  igni.' 

69.  Dissepserat,  the  true  reading,  not 
'  discerpserat,'  as  in  a  few  MSS.  The  verb 
'dissepire'  is  rare,  but  occurs  in  Lucr.  I. 
990  '  Aer  dissepit  colles.'  Cp.  Seneca, 
Med.  335  '  Bene  dissepti  foedera  mundi,' 
(this  passage  being  perhaps  in  the  writer's 
mind). 


OVID. 


203 


Neu  regio  foret  ulla  suis  animantibus  orba, 

Astra  tenent  coeleste  solum,  formaeque  deorum  j 

Cesserunt  nitidis  habitandae  piscibus  undae  j 

Terra  feras  cepit,  volucres  agitabilis  aer.  75 

Sanctius  his  animal,  mentisque  capacius  altae 

Deerat  adhuc,  et  quod  dominari  in  cetera  posset : 

Natus  homo  est,  sive  hunc  divino  semine  fecit 

Ille  opifex  rerum,  mundi  melioris  origo ; 

Sive  recens  tellus,  seductaque  nuper  ab  alto  80 

Aethere,  cognati  retinebat  semina  coeli ; 

Quam  satus  lapgto,  mixtam  fluvialibus  undis, 

Finxit  in  effigiem  moderantum  cuncta  deorum ; 

Pronaque  cum  spectent  animalia  cetera  terram, 

Os  homini  sublime  dedit,  coelumque  tueri  85 

Jussit,  et  erectos  ad  sidera  tollere  vultus. 

Sic,  modo  quae  fuerat  rudis  et  sine  imagine,  tellus 

Induit  imotas  hominum  conversa  figuras. 


73.  Astra.  The  stars  were  generally 
held  in  ancient  times  to  constitute  a  high 
order  of  living  beings :  see  Aristot.  de 
Coelo,  I.  9,  14.  Cp.  Fast.  3. 112  '  Consta- 
bat  sed  tamen  esse  deos,'  and  Virg.  G.  2, 
342.  Heinsius  makes  the  '  que'  in  '  for- 
maeque  deorum'  exegetical,  the  stars  being 
viewed  as  the  visible  shapes  of  the  gods, 
and  called  by  their  names. 

Coeleste  solum,  Shakspeare's  '  floor 
of  heaven.'  The  following  passage  on  the 
creation  of  man  would  seem  to  have  been 
imitated  from  his  favourite  poet  by  Milton, 
P.  L.  7.  505  foll.  '  There  wanted  yet  the 
master-work,'  etc. 

74.  Nitidis,  '  bright-scaled.'  Several 
MSS.  have  'timidis;'  but  'nitidis'  suits 
better  with  the  character  of  water  as 
transparent,  just  as  '  agitabilis,'  v.  75,  ex- 
presses  the  adaptation  of  the  air  to  the 
motion  of  wings. 

82.  Satus  lapeto.  Prometheus,  who 
is  first  mentioned  in  Hesiod's  poems,  does 
not  appear  there  as  the  creator  or  fashioner 
of  man,  but  only  as  the  champion  of 
humanity  already  existing.  By  what  au- 
thors  and  at  what  time  he  was  invested 
with   the    attributes    of   creation    is    not 


known,  possibly  through  the  Alexandrine 
poets  blending  their  own  ideas  with  the 
Mosaic  account  of  the  Creation,  with 
which  they  may  have  first  become  ac- 
quainted  in  that  city.  Cp.  Prop.  4(3).  4, 
7  '  O  prima  infehx  fingenti  terra  Prome- 
theo,'  and  Hor.  Od.  I.  16,  13  ;  in  the  latter 
passage  several  additional  details  being 
added,  the  origin  of  which  is  equally  un- 
known.  Pausanias  (170  a.d.)  mentions 
his  being  shewn  in  Phocis  some  lumps 
of  clay,  as  the  remnants  of  that 
which  Prometheus  had  used  in  moulding 
man  ! 

87.  Tellus,  '  metamorphosed  earth 
clothed  itself  in  the  new  shapes  of  men,' 
according  to  the  poet's  theory  of  deve- 
lopment,  by  which  earth  from  its  rough 
and  formless  state  in  chaos  was  trans- 
formed  into  the  noble  shape  and  substance 
of  man. 

88,  Ignotas,  because  unlike  to  any- 
thing  earth  had  seen  before.  Lucretius 
makes  Earth,  not  the  substance  only,  but 
the  producer,  of  man  :  see  5.  820  '  Quare 
etiam  atque  etiam  matemum  nomen  adepta 
Terra  tenet  merito  quoniam  genus  ipsa 
creavit  Humanum.' 


2  04  OVID. 


XLVII. 

METAMORPHOSES.     Lib.  V.  572-642. 

Arethusa  relates  to  Ceres  the  story  of  her  being  transformed  into 
a  fountain.  The  river-god  Alpheus,  being  enamoured  of  her  as  she  was 
bathing  in  a  stream  of  Arcadia,  pursued  her  for  a  long  distance,  when, 
sinking  with  fatigue,  she  implored  the  aid  of  Diana,  whose  attendant  in 
the  chase  she  had  been.  The  goddess  envelopes  her  in  a  cloud,  and  then 
changes  her  into  a  fountain.  Alpheus  tries  to  mingle  his  waters  with 
hers,  but  Diana  opens  for  Arethusa  a  channel  below  ground,  from  which 
she  emerges  in  the  famous  fountain  at  the  extremity  of  Ortygia  near 
Syracuse. 

ExiGiT  alma  Ceres,  nata  secura  recepta, 
Quae  tibi  causa  viae  ?    cur  sis,  Arethusa,  sacer  fons  ? 
Conticuere  undae ;  quarum  dea  sustulit  alto 
Fonte  caput,  viridesque  manu  siccata  capillos 
.  Fluminis  Elei  veteres  narravit  amores.  5 

^tt^    s         p^^^  ^^^  Nympharum,  quae  sunt  in  Achaide,  dixit, 
Una  fui ;    nec  me  studiosius  altera  saltus 
Legit,  nec  posuit  studiosius  altera  casses. 

1.  Recepta  seems  to  be  the  best  sup-  reus  rex  :'  but  many  books  of  the  Meta- 
ported  reading,  for  which  a  few  MSS.  give      morphoses  are  without  any  instance  at  all. 

'  reperta.'     The  two  words  are  often  inter-  4.   Virides,  as  of  a  water-nymph.     Cp. 

changed,  as  Burmann  remarks.     It  might  2.  12  '  Pars  in  mole  sedens  virides  siccare 

have  been  thought  that  Ceres  could  more  capillos.' 

justlv  be  said  to  have  discovered  than  re-  Siccata,  the  common  use  of  the  passive 

gained  her  daughter,  and  hence  the  ahera-  participle  in  the  sense  of  the  Greek  middle 

tion  mav  have  arisen.     Arethusa's  tale  is  aorist,   Hke    the   well-known   '  Laevo    sus-j 

aptlv  narrated  to  Ceres,  while  the  similar  pensi  loculos  tabulamque  lacerto' Hor.  S.  I.| 

experiences  of  her  daughter  Proserpine  at  6,  74. 

the  hand  of  Pluto  are  fresh  in  her  memory.  5.   Elei,  i.  e.  the  Alpheus,  which  runs 

Thus  skilfully  are  the  several  portions  of  through  Elis  into  the  sea.     In  the  upper 

the  Metamorphoses  woven  together.     See  part  of  its  course  this  river  runs  for  some 

v.  497   foll.,   where    Arethusa,    on    Ceres'  way  in  the  limestone  underground,  out  of 

coming  to  Sicily,  promises  to  tell  her  the  which  fact  this  legend,  like  many  similar 

story  of  her  migration  thither  from  Greece.  ones,  probably  arose. 

2.  Sacer  fons.  These  single  mono-  8.  Legit,  '  scoured,  explored  the  woods.' 
syllables  at  the  end  of  hexameter  lines  are  We  may  compare  Virg.  Ae.  12.  4<Si  '  Haud 
not  frequent  in  Ovid,  whereas  Virgil  intro-  minus  Aeneas  tortos  legit  obvius  orbes.l 
duces  two  or  three  for  the  sake  of  variety  Burmann  quotes  M.  2.  498  '  Dum  saltusl 
in  every  book  of  the  Aeneid.  Ovid  has  eligit  aptos.'  These  repetitions  of  words, 
'  morer  vos '  7-  520:  Ib.  663  '  extulerat  as  '  studiosius  altera'  here,  are  quite  in 
sol :'  8.359 'vulnificuf  sus:'  Ib.603 'aequo-  Ovid's  way. 


OVID.  205 

Sed,  quamvis  formae  nunquam  mihi  fama  petita  est, 

Quamvis  fortis  eram,  formosae  nomen  habebam.  lo 

Nec  mea  me  facies  nimium  laudata  juvabat ; 

Quaque  aliae  sraudere  solent,  effo  rustica  dote    "^*  "^^  «^^**^  «'^ '^«^^•«.t-tUjVii 

Corpons  erubui,  crimenque  placere  putavi.  ^^  ■*■ 

Lassa  revertebar,  memini,  Stymphalide  silva  : 

Aestus  erat,  magnumque  labor  geminaverat  aestum.       15 

Invenio  sine  vortice  aquas,  sine  murmure  euntcs, 

Perspicuas  ad  humum,  per  quas  numerabilis  talte 

Calculus  omnis  erat  j   quas  tu  vix  ire  putares. 

Cana  salicta  dabant,  nutritaque  populus  unda, 

Sponte  sua  ngias  ripis  declivibus  umbras.  20 

Accessi,  primumque  pedis  vestigia  tinxi  : 

Poplite  deinde  tenus ;    neque  co  contenta,  recingor, 

Molliaque  impono  salici  velamina  curvae, 

Nudaque  mergor  aquis  :  quas  dum  ferioque,  trahoque 

Mille  modis  labens,  excussaque  brachia  jacto  j  25 

Nescio  quod  medio  sensi  sub  gurgite  murmur, 

Territaque  insisto  propioris  margine  ripae.     ^/,1:^^^^!^^,.»*^.  ^r^ 

Quo  properas,  Arethusa  ?   suis  Alpheus  ab  undis,  "^ 

10.  Fortis,  '  masculine  though  I  was,  20.  Natas,  joined  by  hypallage  with 
I  had  the  name  of  fair.'  Notice  the  alli-  '  umbras' instead  of '  populus' and  '  salicta.' 
teration,  so  common  in  Ovid,  pervading  Declivibus,  '  shelving,' and  so  allowing 
these  two  lines.  the  maiden  to  stand  on  the  edge  of  the 

11.  Facies    laudata,  =  ' faciei   laudes,'  stream. 

as    above,  v.  i    '  nata    recepta,'   and    very  21.   Vestigia.     See  on  Catull.  62  (64), 

often  in  the  poets.  162. 

12.  Rustica,  '  simple  maiden  that  I  22.  Recingor,  mid.  s.  '  ungird  myself :' 
was:'  Ovid  often  uses  the  adjective  and  so  'mergor'  v.  24,  '  vertitur'  v.  67.  In 
its  substantive  '  rusticitas  '  to  denote  '  pru-  4-  51 1  we  find  '  recingi '  with  an  accusative, 
dishness.'  '  sumptumque  recingitur  anguem.' 

14.   Stymphalide,  a  muuntain  in  the  2;;.  Mollia,  either  '  light,' '  delicate,' or 

N.  E.  of  Arcadia.      The  Alpheus   rose   in  '  fluttering,'  = '  leave   it    to   flutter  on   the 

the  south-western  portion  of  Arcadia,  and  drooping  willow.' 

flowed  in  the  direction  of  Elis,  to  which  Curvae, 'bending,' and  therefore  within 

Arethusa  was  retuming.      Stymphalus  was  her  reach. 

more  famous  for  its  lake  than  its  woods  ;  24.   Traho,  =  '  draw    to    nie,'    '  throw 

hence  probably  the  reading  of  a  few  MSS.  over  me.'     One  MS.  has  '  teroque.' 

'  lympha.'  27.   Insisto    followed    by    an    ablative 

Silva,  i.e.  where  she  had  been  hunting  ;  without  'in'  is  not  a  conunon  construc- 

hence  '  lassa,' and 'labor' in  the  next  line.  tion ;   the  dative   or   accusative   are   more 

16.  Euntes  to  be  taken  with  '  sine  often  joined  with  it  by  the  poets.  Cp. 
vortice'  as  well  as  '  sine  murmure.'  Her.  21.  85  ;  Fast.  I.  507.     One  MS.  has 

17.  Ad   humum,  more  probable  than  here  '  propiori  in  margine.' 

Heinsius'   emendation   '  imo,'  which   Bur-  Propioris,  i.  e.  the  bank  that  chanced 

mann  with  many  texts  adopts.     The  older  to  be  the  nearer  of  the  two :  opposed  to 

MSS.  present '  ad  imum,'  carelessly  written,  '  altera  ripa'  of  v.  30. 
it  might  seem,  for  '  ad  umum."  28.   Suis,    not    without    force  :    '  cried 

Alte,  '  at  the  bottom.'  Alpheus,  for  the  waters  were  his.' 


2o6  OVID. 

Quo  properas  ?   iterum  rauco  mihi  dixerat  ore. 

Sicut  eram,  fugio  sine  vestibus ,   altera  vestes  30 

Ripa  meas  habuit.     Tanto  magis  instat,  et  ardet, 

Et  quia  nuda  fui,  sum  visa  paratior  illi. 

Sic  ego  currebam,  sic  me  ferus  ille  premebat; 

Ut  fugere  accipitrem  penna  trepidante  columbae, 

Ut  solet  accipiter  trepidas  agitare  coiumbas.  35 

Usque  sub  Orchomenon,  Psophidaque,  Cyllenenque,    !J!IX^v,s 

Maenaliosque  sinus,  gelidumque  Erymanthon,  et  Elin 

Currere  sustinui  j   nec  me  velocior  ille. 

Sed  tolerare  diu  cursus  ego,  viribus  impar, 

Non  poteram :    longi  patiens  erat  ille  laboris.  40 

Per  tamen  et  campos,  et  opertos  arbore  montes, 

Saxa  quoque,  et  rupes,  et  qua  via  nuUa,  cucurri. 

Sol  erat  a  tergo :   vidi  praecedere  longam 

Ante  pedes  umbram,  nisi  si  timor  illa  videbat. 

Sed  certe  sonituque  pedum  terrebar  j   et  ingens  45 

Crinales  vittas  afflabat  anhelitus  oris. 

Fessa  labore  fugae,  Fer  opem,  deprendimur,  inquam, 

Armigerae,  Dictynna,  tuae,  cui  saepe  dedisti 

Ferre  tuos  arcus,  inclusaque  tela  pharetra. 

Mota  dea  est,  spissisque  ferens  e  nubibus  unam  50 

Me  super  injecit^     Lustrat  caligine  tectam 

35.   Agitare.     The   MSS.   are  divided  41.  Et    opertos.      Jahn,    following    a 

between    '  urgere  '    and    '  agitare,'    both  few  MSS.,  reads  '  et'  here  for  the  common 

equally    admissible.       For    the    simile    cp.  '  per,'  though  the  rapid  style  of  the  de- 

Hom.   II.  21.493   AaKpvoeaaa   5'  vvaiOa  scription  might  perhaps  sufficiently  account 

Oio.  (pvytv  ws  T«  7reA.fia,  "H  pd  6'  vtt'  'iprj-  for  the  first  '  et'  standing  by  itself.     See 

Kos  Koi\7]v   flfffirraTO  TriTprjv  k.t.K.     If  a   similar  doubt   arising   at  ArsAm.  1.96 

'  urgere'  be  preferred,  we  are  reminded  of  '  Per  flores  et  thyma  summa  volant,'  where 

fthe  '  Remis  adurgens  accipiter  velut  Molles  two  MSS.  have  '  per  thyma.' 
columbas' of  Hor.  Od.  I.  37,  17.  42.    Saxa,    rupes,   denote    respectively 

36,37.  Ovid    pays    no    heed    here    to  '  loose,  detached  rocks,' and  '  steep  crags.' 
geographical  probabilities  :    none  of  these  43.  Longam,best  taken,perhaps  closely, 

places    could    have    lain    in    the    route    of  with  '  praecedere,'  '  his  shadow  before  me 

Arethusa,  flying  from  the  sources  of  the  growing  longer  and   longer,'  as  he   drew 

river  Alpheus ;  but  the  list  of  names,  even  nearer  and  nearer  to  me. 
at  the  price  of  accuracy  in  detail,  brings  45,  46.    Sed     certe  :     whatever     fear 

out  in  more  vivid  colours  the  length  of  might  have  had  to  do  with  my  seeing  his 

,     lm^,    l^,         the  maiden's  flight.      The  same   love  of  shadow,  there  was  no  mistake  about  the 

.  1  J  7       ?  detail,   though    never    the    same   want    of  sound   of  his  feet,  or  the  panting  of  his 

v"^    ''i    '        '   precision,  is  found  in  Milton.     Ovid  often  breath  on  my  hair.     See  I.  542  '  tergoquel 

carries    it    too    far,    as    e.  g.    M.  3.  206  fugaci  Imminet  et  crinem  sparsum  cervi-l 

foll.  cibus  afflat,'  and  compare  the  whole  pas- 

Cyllenenque  :    for   the   quadrisyllabic  sage  with  this. 
ending  of  the  verse,  see  note  on  I.  62.  51.  Thus  in  Hom.  II.  3.  381  Aphrodite 

Sinus,  '  the  hollows  in  the  hills.'  rescues  Paris  :  kKaKvipf  5'  ap'  Tjtpi  noW^. 


OVID. 


207 


Amnis  j    et  ignarus  circum  cava  nubila  quaerit, 
Bisque  locum,  quo  me  dea  texerat,  inscius  ambit, 
Et  bis,  lo  Arethusa,  lo  Arethusa,  vocavit. 
Quid   mihi  tunc  animi   miscrae  fuit  ?    anne  quod   agnae 
est,  55 

Si  qua  lupos  audit  circum  stabula  alta  frementes  ? 
Aut  lepori,  qui  vepre  latens  hostilia  cernit 
Ora  canum,  nullosque  audet  dare  corpore  motus  ? 
Non  tamen  abscedit  j   neque  enim  vestigia  cernit 
Longius  ire  pedum :   servat  nubemque  locumque.  60 

Occupat  obsessos  sudor  mihi  frigidus  artus, 
Caeruleaeque  cadunt  toto  de  corpore  guttae, 
Quaque  pedem  movi,  manat  lacus,  eque  capillis 
Ros  cadit :    et  citius,  quam  nunc  tibi  facta  renarro, 
In  laticem  mutor,     Sed  enim  cognoscit  amatas  65 

Amnis  aquas,  positoque  viri,  quod  sumserat,  ore, 
Vertitur  in  proprias,  ut  se  mihi  misceat,  undas. 
Delia  rumpit  humum.     Caecis  ego  mersa  cavernis 
Advehor  Ortygiam  •    quae  me  cognomine  divae 
Grata  meae  superas  eduxit  prima  sub  auras.  70 


The  method  of  deUverance  is  pecuHarly 
apt  here,  as  Arethusa  is  to  pass  through 
the  cloud  into  a  fountain  of  water. 

52.  Ignarus,  '  not  knowing  what  had 
become  of  me.'  One  MS.  has  '  ignaram,' 
for  which,  taken  passively,  much  might 
be  said,  as  '  inscius'  in  the  next  line  does 
Httle,  if  anything,  more  than  repeat '  ignarus.' 

55.  Quid  mihi  :  cp.  7.  582  :  '  Quid 
mihi  tunc  animi  fuit  ?  an  quod  debuit  esse '  ? 

Agnae  est  (Ed.  princeps)  is  better  than 
'  agnae '  simply  :  written  in  one  word  with 
'agnae'  ('agnaest')  the  verb  substantive 
may  easily  have  dropped  out,  as  seems  so 
often  to  be  the  case.  '  Est '  is  perpetually 
found  at  the  end  of  lines,  the  word  before 
suffering  ehsion,  both  in  Virgil  and  Ovid. 
'  Agnae '  is  the  dative,  corresponding  with 
'  mihi '  and  '  lepori '  v.  5  7. 

60.  Servat, '  keeps  watch  on  cloud  and 
ground.'  Cp.  10.382  '  nutricis  Hmen  ser- 
vantis  alumnae.' 

62.  Caeruleae  guttae, '  drops  of  blue- 
ish  water.' 

63.  Lacus.  A  few  MSS.  have  '  manat 
locus,'  which  would  not  make  so  good 
sense.  '  Lacus '  and  '  locus '  are  again  con- 
fused  in  6.  320  '  vidi  praesens  stagnumque 
locumque.' 


65.  Sed  enim,  nearly  corresponding 
to  dA.A.d  yap  in  Greek.  '  Sed' continues 
the  narrative,  '  enim'  gives  the  ground  for 
the  subordinate  sentence ;  here  the  '  sed' 
belongs  strictly  to  '  vertitur,'  the  '  enim '  to 
'  cognoscit.'  So  I.  530  '  Sed  enim  non 
sustinet  ultra  Perdere  blanditias  juvenis 
Deus,  utque  movebat  Ipse  Amor,  admisso 
sequitur  vestigia  passu.'  In  many  pas- 
sages  however  the  independent  force  of 
the  particles  cannot  be  traced,  the  two 
almost  forming  one  word  ;  even  here  the 
parenthetical  character  of  the  iirst  clause  is 
so  oWiterated  as  to  require  a  copulative 
particle  to  join  it  to  the  second. 

68.  Caecis  ego.  Some  MSS.  read 
'  caecisque  ego ;'  the  absence  of  the  con- 
junction  is  more  in  Ovid's  style.  This 
breaking  up  of  his  lines  into  small  and 
often  unconnected  parts  may  be  reckoned 
as  one  of  his  defects  in  versiiication.  See 
e.  g.  Fast.  5.  201,  202. 

69.  Cognomine  .  .  grata,  '  dear  from 
its  sharing  the  name  of  my  guardian-god- 
dess.'  Cp.  I.  694  '  Ortygiam  studiis  ipsa- 
que  colebat  Virginitate  Deam.' 

70.  Sub  auras,  '  from  below  up  to' 
is  the  full  force  of  the  preposition 
here. 


2o8  OVID. 


XLVIII. 

METAMORPHOSES.     Lib.  XV.  153-237. 

The  earlier  part  of  the  i^th  Book  of  the  jNIetamorphoses,  which 
Dryden  considered  to  be  Ovid's  masterpiece,  is  taken  up  with  a  descrip- 
tion  of  the  doctrines  of  Pythagoras  in  connection  with  Numa,  who  was 
commonly  supposed  to  have  imbibed  his  wisdom  from  the  Samian  sage. 
Among  other  practices  reprobated  by  Pythagoras  was  that  of  eating  flesh, 
the  guilt  and  unnaturahiess  of  which  is  represented  from  various  points 
of  view.  See  a  remarkable  letter  of  Seneca's  on  the  same  subject,  Ep. 
108.  In  the  present  extract  the  famous  doctrine  of  Metempsychosis  is 
set  forth,  the  constant  change  involved  in  which  is  shewn  to  be  in  analogy 
with  the  whole  order  of  nature, — not  only  souls,  but  day  and  night,  sun 
and  moon,  the  seasons  of  the  year,  and  the  ages  of  man,  being  ever  in 
a  flux.  Ovid  here  appears  rather  the  imitator  of  Lucretius  than,  as  else- 
where,  of  Virgil. 

^^i^Wo-ivu^'^'^»-'^'^  O  GENUS  attonitum  gelidae  formidine  mortis ! 

Quid  Styga,  quid  tenebras,  quid  nomina  vana  timetis, 
Materiem  vatum,  falsique  piacula  mundi  ? 
Corpora,  sive  rogus  flamma,  seu  tabe  vetustas 
Abstulerit,  mala  posse  pati  non  uUa  putetis :  5 

Morte  carent  animae  j    semperque,  priore  relicta 
Sede,  novis  domibus  habitant,  vivuntque  receptae. 
Ipse  ego,  nam  memini,  Trojani  tempore  belli 
Panthoides  Euphorbus  cram,  cui  pectore  quondam 

1.  Cp.  Lucr.  5.  1192  'O  genus  infelix  sembles  in  language)  has  '  Dea  a  violato- 
humanum.'  For  other  grounds  why  death  ribus  gravia  piacula  exegit'  29.  18.  Com- 
should  not  be  feared,  see  Ib.  3.  988  foll.  pare    in    the    line    of   Ennius    quoted    by 

2.  Nomina,  not  'numina'  as  in  some  Phaedrus,  Epilog.  Lib.  3.  v.  34  '  Palaml' 
MSS.,  is  evidently  more  suitable  to  this  mutire  plebeio  piaculum  est,'  where  '  peri- 
passage.  Pythagoras  (see  v.  63  of  this  culum'  has  been  wrongly  substituted.  ' 
book, '  Mente  deos  adiit')  would  hardly  use  4.  Tabe,  i.  e.  whether  the  body  has 
the  language  that  in  the  sceptical  Lucretius  vanished  (see  v.  13)  on  the  pyre  or  mould- 
would  be  natural  enough.  ered  away  in  the  grave.      The  argument 

3.  Piacula,  though  occurring  ordy  in      is   that   no   evil   can   be   feh   after   death, 
,  two  MSS.,  is  more  forcible  than  'pericula'      because  the  body  has  vanished  altogether, 

,fiii>^      (Jahn)  :  '  the   punishments  of  a  fictitious  and   the   soul,  though   surviving,   at   once 

w)s:v,t* ^'^*\|^-*>-  world,'  'piaculum'  denoting  not  only,  as  passes  away  into  another  being. 

^^.^ct'-^  Virg.  Ae.  6.  568,   the    sin  which    requires  9.  Panthoides,  slain  by  Menelaus,  who 

*  expiation,  but  the  penaky  by  which  it  is  dedicated  his  victim's  shield  in  the  temple     ^ 

expiated.     Livy  (whom  Ovid  so  often  re-  of  Hera  in  Argos.    See  Hor.  Od.  I.  28,  10:  Y^' 


OVID.  209 

Sedit  in  adverso  gravis  hasta  minoris  Atridae.  10 

Cognovi  clipeum,  laevae  gestamina  nostrae,     *«  (I5M.J  WA«sr5^  qjM^tuu/^Mi.  W^ 

Nuper  4banteis  templo  Junonis  in  Argis.      e^|<ft><^^]iLW.<vln  ««i.opMiumu 

Omnia  mutantur :    nihil  interit.     Errat,  et  illinc 

Huc  venit,  hinc  illuc,  et  quoslibet  occupat  artus 

Spiritus,  eque  feris  humana  in  corpora  transit,  15 

Inque  feras  noster,  nec  tempore  deperit  uUo. 

Utque  novis  facilis  signatur  cera  figuris, 

Nec  manet,  ut  fuerat,  nec  formas  servat  easdem, 

Sed  tamen  ipsa  eadem  est :    animam  sic  semper  eandem 

Esse,  sed  in  varias  doceo  migrare  figuras.  20 

Ergo,  ne  pietas  sit  victa  cupidine  ventris,  P^ 

Parcite,  vaticinor,  cognatas  caede  nefanda  ,     '    '     '     - 

Exturbare  animas,  nec  sanguine  sanguis  alatur. 

Et  quoniam  magno  feror  aequore,  plenaque  ventis 

Vela  dedi  •    nihil  est  toto  quod  perstet  in  orbe.  25 

Cuncta  fluunt,  omnisque  vagans  formatur  imago. 

Ipsa  quoque  assiduo  volvuntur  tempora  motu, 

Non  secus  ac  flumen.     Neque  enim  consistere  flumen, 

Nec  levis  hora  potest  j    sed  ut  unda  impellitur  unda, 

Urgeturque  prior  veniente,  urgetque  priorem  :  30 


Hom.  II.  16.  808  IlavOoiSTjs  EvcpopPos,  bs  23.  Exturbare,  '  dislodge  kindred  souls 

■qKikiijv  fKfKaaro  ''Eyx^i  0'  liriroavvT)  re  by  impious   slaughter,'  i.  e.  of  beasts   for 

ir65faai  re  Kapna\ifioiatv.  food.     This  compouiid  is  rarely  found  in 

10.  Sedit,  '  lodged.'  the  poets,  though  very  common  in  Plautus. 

11.  Gestamina,  always  used  by  Ovid  24.  Feror  aequore,  metaphorical  for 
in  the  plural,  see  1.457';   ^3-  M^/    Virgil  '  embarked  on   a  great  subject.'     Cp.  Ars 

Ihas    the    singular,    Ae.  3.   280    '  clipeum,  Am.  3.  499  '  Sed  libet  a  parvis  animum  ad 

magni   gestamen   Abantis.'      The   idea   of  majora  referre,  Plenaque  curvato  pandere 

the   plural   in  such  words   is  '  one  of  the  vela    sinu:'    so    Virg.   G.   2.  41    foll.  ;    4. 

many  things   borne.'     Nouns  of  this  ter-  116. 

mination    occur   peculiarly   often    in    this  25.   Ferstet.     Two    MSS.    give    '  per- 

biumber,  e.  g.  '  purgamina,'  '  medicamina,'  stat:'    but    the    subjunctive    is    evidently 

r  imitamina,'  'moderamina'  in  the  Meta-  required  :   '  nought  is  there  of  a  kind  to 

morphoses  alone.  remain  unchanged.'     The  two  great  doc- 

12.  Abanteis,  from  an  early  king  of  trines  laid  down  are  '  Nihil  interit'  v.  13, 
Argos,  whose  name  is  ahvays  associated  and  the  cognate  truth  here,  '  Nihil  per- 
with    a    shield,    which    wrought    victories  stat.' 

even  after  his  death.     See  Virg.  1.  c.  26.    Cuncta  ..  imago,    '  all    is    in    a 

13.  Omnia  .  .  interit,  i.e.  not  even  the  flux,  and  shifting  every  shape  that  is 
body  perishes :  above  in  v.  157  the  vague  made  :'  the  well-known  TrdvTa  pti  of  the 
term  '  abstulerit'  was  carefuUy  used  of  it.  school  of  Heraclitus. 

These  words  contain  a  curious  anticipation  Vagans  to  be  taken  closely  with  '  for- 

of  a  great  physical  truth.  matur,'  =  '  made,   designed   to   be    shifting 

22.   Vaticinor,  '  I  warn  you  as  a  pro-  and  transicnt.' 

phet,'    a    common    signification    in    Ovid.  27.   Ipsa,  not  only  actual  and  substan- 

See  6.  159  :    cp.  Ep.  ex  Pont.  1.  I,  47  '  Va-  tial  shapes,  but  such  immaterial  things  as 

ticinor  moneoque  times  and  seasons  are  ever  on  the  flow. 


2IO 


OVID. 


i  'i 


Tempora  sic  fugiunt  pariter,  pariterque  sequuntur, 
Et  nova  sunt  semper  :   nam  quod  fuit  ante,  relictum  est, 
Fitque,  quod  haud  fuerat-   momentaque  cuncta  novantur. 
Cernis  et  emersas  in  lucem  tendere  noctes, 
Et  jubar  hoc  nitidum  nigrae  succedere  nocti.  35 

Nec  color  est  idem  coelo,  cum  lassa  quiete 
Cuncta  jacent  media,  cumque  albo  Lucifer  exit 
Clarus  equo  j    rursumque  alius,  cum  praejvia^luci 
Tradendum  Phoebo  Pallantias  inficit  orbem. 
Ipse  dei  clipeus,  terra  cum  tollitur  ima, 
Mane  rubet,  terraque^  rubet,  Qum  conditur  ima : 
Candidus  in  summo  est ;   melior  natura  quod  illic 
Aetheris  est,  terraeque  procul  contagia  vitat. 
Nec  par  aut  eadem  nocturnae  forma  Dianae 
'ijEsse  potest  unquam  :    semperque  hodierna  sequenti,       45 
^Si  crescit,  minor  est  j    major,  si  contrahit  orbem. 
Quid  ?    non  in  species  succedere  quatuor  annum 
Adspicis,  aetatis  peragentem  imitamina  nostrae  ? 
Nam  tener,  et  lactens,  puerique  simillimus  aevo 


40 


33.  Monientaque,  '  and  every  second 
is  a  new  creatioii.' 

34.  Emersas.  The  older  MSS.  here 
have  '  emersas,'  which  best  suits  the  ge- 
neral  drift  of  the  passage, '  the  night  passing 
out  of  darkness  into  light,'  and  may  be 
illustrated  by  Fast.  3.  399,  where  the  best 
texts  have  '  Tertia  no.x  emersa  suos  ubi 
moverit  ignes,'  though  in  this  case  it  must 
mean  '  the  beginning  of  night.'  At  the 
same  time  much  may  be  urged  in  favour 
of  '  emeritas,'  found  in  several  MSS.,  and 
used  in  a  similar  way,  Fast.  3.  43  '  Quo 
minus  emeritis  exiret  cursibus  annus.' 
Others  read  '  emensas :'  the  words  are 
constantly  interchanged  :  see  below  on 
V.  74. 

39.  Pallantias,  Aurora,  as  being  de- 
scended  from  the  giant  Pallas :  cp.  9.  421  ; 
Fast.  4.  373.  In  15.  700  we  find  the  form 
'  Pallantis '  as  well.     Dryden — 

'  Ev'n  heaven  itself  receives  another  dye 
When  wearied  animals  in  slumbers  lie 
Of  midnight   ease  :    another  when  the 

grey 
Of  morn  preludes  the  splendour  of  the 

day.' 

40.  Clipeus,  '  the  disk  of  Phoebus.' 
This  expression   seems  to  be  peculiar  to 


the  present  passage.  Ennius  uses  the  word 
of  the  vault  of  heaven  ('  Altisono  coeii 
clupeo')  by  a  somewhat  similar  meta- 
phor. 

41.  This  liue  is  wanting  in  one  MS., 
but  the  sense  requires  it,  while  the  chime 
which  the  end  of  it  makes  with  the  pre- 
ceding  verse  is  peculiarly  Ovidian. 

42.  In  summo,  '  in  his  meridian 
height.' 

47.  Dryden  gives  the  sense  of  these 
lines  well,  esp.  the  meaning  of  '  succedere  :' 

'  Perceiv'st  thou  not  the  process   of  the 

year, 
How   the    four    seasons    in    four    forms 

appear, 
Resembling  human  life  in  every  shape 

they  wear.' 

48.  Imitamina,  a  coinage  of  Ovid, 
who  is  specially  partial  to  these  nouns. 
We  have  in  the  Metamorphoses  alone 
'  remoramen,'  '  renovamen,'  '  curvamen,' 
'  oblectamen,'  '  purgamen,'  '  firmamen,' 
'  respiramen,'  '  caelamen,'  '  nutrimen,'  '  mo- 
deramen,'  '  tentamen,'  etc,  besides  those 
common  to  him  with  other  poets,  e.  g. 
'  ligamen,'  '  fundamen,'  '  molimen,'  '  leni- 
men,'  and  others.     For  the  plural  see  on 

V.   II. 


OVID.  211 

Vere  novo  est.     Tunc  hcrba  nitens,  et  roboris  expers    50 

Turget,  et  insolida  est,  et  spe  delectat  agrestem. 

Omnia  tum  florent,  florumque  coloribus  almus 

Ludit  ager;    neque  adhuc  virtus  in  frondibus  uUa  est. 

Transit  in  Aestatem  post  Ver  robustior  Annus,  * 

Fitque  valens  juvenis  :    neque  enim  robustior  aetas         55 

Ulla,  nec  uberior,  nec,  quae  magis  aestuet,  uUa  est. 

Excipit  Autumnus,  posito  fervore  juventae  ,  ,  ^ 

Maturus,  mitisque,  inter  juvenemque  senemque  ^^^^ 

Temperie  medius,  sparsis  per  tempora  canis. 

Inde  seniHs  Hiems  tremulo  venit  horrida  passu,  60 

Aut  spoliata_  suos,  aut,  quos  habet,  alba  capillos. 

Nostra  quoque  ipsorum  semper,  requieque  sine  ulla, 

Corpora  vertuntur  •    nec  quod  fuimusve,  sumusve, 

Cras  erimus.     Fuit  illa  dies,  qua  semina  tantum, 

Spesque  hominum  primae  materna  habitavimus  alvo.     65 

Artifices  Natura  manus  admovit,  et  angi 

Corpora  visceribus  distentae  condita  matris 

Noluit,  eque  domo  vacuas  emisit  in  auras. 

Editus  in  lucem  jacuit  sine  viribus  infans  j 

Mox  quadrupes,  rituque  tulit  sua  membra  ferarum  :         70 

Paulatimque  tremens,  et  nondum  poplite  firmo 


50.  Nitens,  said  of  the  bright  green  of  construction,  though  elsewhere,  in  common 
the  springing  com.  'Recens'  and  '  virens,'  with  other  authors,  he  uses  an  ablative  or 
which  a  few  texts  read,  are  both  much  genitive  after  '  spoHari.'  A  few  MSS.  give 
weaker.  'suis'  in  this  passage.     It  is  possible  that 

51.  Turget  =  opyd:  so  Virg.  E.  7.48  the  assonance  with  '  capillos '  at  the  end 
'  laeto  turgent  in  palmite  gemmae.'  of  the   line  may  have   influenced  him   in 

Spe,    emphatic,    '  with    hope    alone    it  adopting  the  less  usual  constmction. 
feeds  the  farmer's  eyes.'  65.   Spesque  .  .  alvo,  '  each  one,  but 

53.  Ludit.  Most  modern  editors  change  the  promise  of  a  man,  found  his  first  home 
the  'ludit'  of  nearly  all  the  MSS.  into  within  his  mother's  womb.'  Some  MSS. 
'  ridet,'  which  is  found  in  but  two:  with  have  'primo'  for  '  primae.' 

Jahn  however  I  retain  the  less  usual  ex-  Habitavimus,  as  below,  'domo'v.  68. 

pression.       Earth    in    spring-time,    viewed  66.   Artifices,    '  Nature    applied    her 

as  in  its  boyhood,  may  without  any  vio-  moulding  hand,'  i.  e.  to  shape  the  'semina' 

lence  be  said  to  frolic  amid  its  flowers.  into    organic    forms,  =  the    '  corpora'    of 

54.  The  rhythm  of  this  line  admirably  v.  67.     Cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  2,  62. 
expresses   the   growth  of  spring   into   the  68.  Vacuas,  contrasted  with  the  narrow 
solid  vigour  of  summer-time  :  just  as  the  ('  angustas'  implied  in  '  angi'  v.  66)  cham- 
shivering    winter    and    tottering    age    are  ber  of  the  womb. 

expressed  by  the  dactyls  of  v.  60,  and  the  70.  Quadrupes,   '  on    all    fours,'    may 

smooth  decline  of  old  age  in  v.  75.  remind  us  of  the  famous  answer  by  Oedipus. 

59.   Sparsis,  emphatic,  '  gray  hairs  just  to   the   riddle   of  the   Sphinx,  "AvOpMiToy^ 

sprinkled    on   its    forehead.'      Jahn,   with  KariKf^as,  bs  ijvtKa  'yaiav  itpip-nu,  Jlpui-^ 

several  MSS.,  reads  '  sparsus  quoque  t.  c'  rov    'i<pv    riTpaTiovs    vtiwios    iic    Xay6vav\ 

61.  Suos.    Here  Ovid  follows  the  Greek  k.t.K. 

P  2 


212  OVID. 

Constitit,  adjutis  aliquo  cpnamine  nervis. 

Inde  valens  veloxque  fuit  j    spatiumque  juventae 

Transit,  et,  emejisis  medii  quoque  temporis  annis, 

Labitur  occiduae  per  iter  declive  senectae.  75 

Subruit  haec  aevi  demoliturque  prioris 

Robora :   fletque  Milon  senior,  cum  spectat  inanes 

IIlos,  qui  fuerant  solidorum  mole  toronim 

Herculeis  similes,  fluidos  pendere  lacertos. 

Flet  quoque,  ut  in  speculo  rugas  adspexit  aniles,  80 

Tyndaris,  et  secum,  cur  sit  bis  rapta,  requirit.    iO<sj**^  ,>».'ijfr^<'^-^ 

Tempus  e(iax  rerum,  tuque  invidiosa  vetustas, 

Omnia  destruitis,  yitiataque  dentibus  aevi 

Paulatim  lenta  consumitis  omnia  morte. 


XLIX. 


FASTI.     LiB.  V.  183-229  j  261-379. 

OviD  here  gives  an  account  of  the  Italian  goddess  Flora  and  the 
Floralia,  games  instituted  in  her  honour,  which  lasted  six  days,  from  the 
28th  of  April  to  the  ^rd  of  May,  and  were  accompanied  with  exhibitions 
in  the  circus  and  representations  in  the  theatre.  Flora,  with  her  husband 
Zephyrus,  is  the  tutelary  deity  of  gardens  and  flowers,  of  fields  and  crops, 
of  vines  and  olives.     The  games  in  her  honour  had  been  instituted  at  the 

fi      72.  Conamine,  '  its  strength  aided  by  suisse   toris.'     Ovid   had   evidently  in  his 

||a  special  efFort:'  cp.  Lucr.  6.  324  '  se  vis  mind,  as  Burmann  remarks,  the  passage  in 

I,  Colligit  et  niagnum  conamen  sumit  eundi.'  Cic.  De  Sen.  c.  9   about   Milo,   '  qui   cum 

73.  Spatium,  accusative ;  the  image  of  jam  senex  esset,  athletasque  se  in  curriculo 
the  race-course  is  in  the  poet's  mind.  exercentes  videret,  adspexisse  lacertos  suos 

74.  Emensis,  the  reading  of  the  best  'iicitur,  iUacrymansque  dixisse,  At  hi  qui- 
MSS.  A  few  have  '  emeritis'  or  '  emersis,'  «^em  jam  mortui  sunt.'  Here  the  reference 
it  being  thought  that  '  emensus'  could  not  to  Milo  is  naturally  put  mto  the  mouth  of 
be  used  passively.    Virgil  however,  as  well  ^is    fellow-countryman   Pjnhagoras.     The 

l'as   Ovid,   uses   it    so,    '  emenso   cum  jam      «^o^^le  epithet  (' manes,"  fluidos,' = '  hang 

■decedit  Olympo' G.  1.450.  withered   and  useless')  is  not  uncommon 

_„    c       •         t  ij  •     rri.  in  Ovid  and  the  Elegiac  poets  generallv : 

77.  Senior,   '  now  grown    old.      The  ,  ,r,^-  °.  ^, 

™„„,„.;.r„    ^™  Zi,        u  c  ~  nence  no  need  for  the  coniecture  '  in  amne 

comparative    expresses  the    change    from  ^     ,  .  ,  ,  ■       1       ■  ,    , 

vouth  to  age  ^°''    '"»"«5,  suggested  by  the    m  speculo 

D       ,»      1  rr^i   •       ■      TT    -       •        ,         Of  V.    80. 

70.  Mole  tororum.    This  is  Heinsius  q.     r,-       „„.       •  ^ „     ■       rj,, 

,'  .    ,,  .  ,    ^  ,  ol.   bis   rapta,  1.  e.  once  by    Iheseus, 

admirable  coniecture,  extracted  from   the  ^„1  „„„^  v,    d,  •,      n^   u       t/  r    «   ,..» 

r    ■  r    i_     11/rr.n       ,_ ■  i  ^"d  once  bv  raris.     Cp.  Her.  10.  I47,  ^27. 

confusion  of  the  MSS.,  which  give  '  more  rp,  •        •      cu  j  u 

2  '  5  '  The    meaning    is,   She   wonders    now   she 

..(morte)  ferorum.'     Cp.  Her.  9.  60  (Deia-      sees  herself  in  the  glass,  how  she  could 

I  nira  to  Hercules)  '  Et  solidis  gemmas  appo-      ever  have  charmed  two  such  lovers. 


OVID. 


213 


cominand  of  a  Sibylline  oracle  in  238  B.c,  but  for  some  reason  or  other 
were  discontinued.  The  goddess  tells  here  how  she  manifested  her 
displeasure  by  storms  of  wind  and  rain,  which  damaged  the  crops,  and 
how  in  consequence  the  games  were  made  annual  in  the  consulship  of 
L.  Postumius  Albinus  and  M.  Popilius  Laenas  (173  B.c).  Several  details 
of  the  festivities,  corresponding  to  our  May-day,  are  explained  by  Flora 
at  the  request  of  the  poet. 

Mater,  ades,  florum,  ludis  celebrata  jocosis : 

Distuleram  partes  mense  priore  tuas. 
Incipis  Aprili  •    transis  in  tempora  Maii. 

Alter  te  fugiens,  cum  venit  alter,  habet. 
Cum  tua  sint,  cedantque  tibi  confinia  mensum,  5 

Convenit  in  laudes  ille  vel  iste  tuas. 
Circus  in  hunc  exit,  clamataque  palma  theatris  : 

Hoc  quoque  cum  Circi  munere  carmen  eat. 
Ipsa  doce  quae  sis  :    hominum  sententia  fallax. 

Optima  tu  proprii  nominis  auctor  eris.  10 

Sic  ego,  sic  nostris  respondit  diva  rogatis  j 

Dum  loquitur,  vernas  efHat  ab  ore  rosas  : 
Chloris  eram,  quae  Flora  vocor.     Corrupta  Latino 

Nominis  est  nostri  litera  Graeca  sono. 


2.  Mense.  See  4.947  '  Exit  et  in 
Maias  sacrum  Florale  Kalendas  ;  Tum 
repetam  :  nuuc  me  grandius  urget  opus.' 

5.  Mensum  :  this  contraction  (as  in 
'  canum  '  and  '  apum ')  for  '  mensium '  is 
found  again  in  v.  424  '  dux  mensum,'  and 
in  M.  8.  500  '  Et  quos  sustinui  bis  mensum 
quinque  labores.'  Cp.  Sen.  Phoen.  535 
'  per  decem  mensum  graves  Uteri  labores.' 
This  form  of  the  genitive  is  not  pecuhar 
to  the  poets  (who,  whenever  metre  admits, 
use  for  the  most  part  the  open  form  in 
'  ium'),  but  is  found  occasionally  in  prose 
authors  as  well.  So  with  imparisyllabic 
nouns  of  the  same  declension  as  '  serpen- 
tum,'  '  parentum,'  and  the  like. 

6.  Ille  vel  iste,  though  perhaps  not 
found  elsewhere,  appears  in  the  best 
MSS.  =  'the  one  or  the  other  of  the  two 
months.'  '  Ille  vel  ille,'  which  Burmann 
retains,  seems  rather  to  be  used  in  the 
sense  of  '  such  and  such;'  cp.  Amor. 
I.  8,  84  '  Et  faciant  udas  illa  vel  illa 
genas.' 

7.  In  hunc  exit,  i.  e.  '  the  shows  of 
the  circus  are  continued  or  extend  into 
this  month.'  Cp.  4.  947  '  Exit  et  in  Maias 
sacrum    Florale    Kalendas.'      '  Exire    in ' 


(like  '  desinere  in')  more  often  means 
'  to  end  in.' 

Palma,  the  approbation  and  praise  of 
the  spectators,  proclaimed  by  voice,  not  any 
special  prize  awarded  for  the  best  drama. 

8.  Hoc  .  .  eat,  '  may  this  my  poem 
proceed  Mke  the  successful  dramas,  amid 
the  favour  and  applause  of  the  circus.' 
This  is  the  common  way  of  taking  the 
passage ;  but  does  it  not  mean  rather,  that 
as  the  shows  in  the  circus  and  theatre  run 
on  into  May,  so  in  the  order  of  the  poet's 
song  they  shall  be  celebrated  in  his  de- 
scription  of  May  rather  than  of  April  ?  In 
V.  6  he  had  said  that  either  month  suited 
for  Flora's  praise  :  in  v.  8  he  shews  why 
he  will  sing  of  them  rather  in  May,  viz. 
because  the  chief  part  of  the  festivities 
took  place  then  ;  cp.  2.  2  '  Aher  ut  hic 
mensis,  sic  liber  aher  eat.' 

10.  Auctor,  '  informant,'  '  interpreter.' 
Cp.  M.  7.  824  '  Criminis  .  .  auctor.'  The 
word  is  used  aS  both  mascuhne  and  femi- 
nine;  '  auctrix'  is  post-classical. 

13.  Chloris,  an  obviously  false  ety- 
mology.  Ovid,  in  common  with  most  of 
his  cotemporaries,  was  fond  of  tracing 
everything  Roman  to  a  Greek  original. 


214  OVID. 

Chloris  eram,  Nymphe  campi  felicis,  ubi  audis  15 

Rem  fortunatis  ante  fuisse  viris. 
Quae  fuerit  mihi  forma,  grave  est  narrare  modestae  : 

Sed  generum  matri  reperit  illa  deum. 
Ver  erat :    errabam.     Zephyrus  conspexit ;   abibam. 

Insequitur  ;    fugio.     Fortior  ille  fuit :  20 

ijCMtUW: ''^'^''"'V'**^"''*^  Et  dederat  fratri  Boreas  jus  omne  rapinae, 
^'•'i^'^  Ausus  Erechthea  praemia  ferre  domo. 

Vim  tamen  emendat  dando  mihi  nomina  nuptae, 

Inque  meo  non  est  ulla  querela  toro. 
Vere  fruor  semper :    per  me  nitidissimus  annus :  25 

Arbor  habet  frondes,  pabula  semper  humus.  ^ 

Est  mihi  fecundus  dotalibus  hortus  in  agris  j  Ni^»-^**^''^ 


Aura  fovet ;    liquidae  fonte  rigatur  aquae.  ,  .^sy^^ 

Hunc  meus  implevit  generoso  flore  maritus,  ^^^j^cVi»*^ 

Atque  ait,  Arbitrium  tu,  dea,  floris  habe.  30 

Saepe  ego  digestos  volui  numerare  colores ; 

Nec  potui.     Numero  copia  major  erat. 
Roscida  cum  primum  foliis  excussa  pruina  est, 

Et  variae  radiis  intepuere  comae ; 
Conveniunt  pictis  incinctae  vestibus  Horae,  35 

Inque  leves  calathos  munera  nostra  legunt. 


16.   Rem,  '  where   once,  'tis  said,  lay  consisting,  as  it  does,  of  almost  the  same 

the  realm  of  the  blessed.'  letters.     See  Lucr.  _i;.  735  '  It  Ver  et  Venus, 

18.  Reperit,  '  that  beauty  won  for  my  et  veris  praenuntius  ante  Pennatus  gra- 
mother  a  god  as  a  son-in-Iaw.'  The  similar  ditur  Zephyrus,  vestigia  propter  Flora 
use  of  (bpiaK(a$ai  is  well  known.  quibus     mater     praespargens     ante     viai 

19.  Abibam,  with  the  imperfect  force,  Cuncta  coloribus  egregiis  et  odoribus 
=  'tried  to  escape  from  him.'  opplet.' 

21.  Fratri  :  Boreas  had  given  Ze-  Nitidissimus  annus.  Ovid  has  per- 
phyrus  full  precedent  and  authority  for  haps  in  his  mind  Virg.  E.  3.  57  '  Nunc 
ravishment,  by  having  carried  off  Orithyia  frondent  silvae  ;  nunc  formosissimus  annus.' 
from  her  father  Erechtheus'  home.  See  below,  v.  51.    '  Nitidus'  means  '  bright 

22.  Praemia  =  '  praeda,'  as  in  M.  6.  and  fruitful,'  as  in  Lucretius'  favourite 
518  '  spectat  sua  praemia  raptor.'  phrase,  '  nitidae  fruges.' 

24.  Inque,  '  in  the  matter  of,'  '  in  29.  Flore.  The  Latins  commonly 
regard  to,'  a  common  use  of  the  prepo-  used  the  singular  for  the  plural,  especially 
sition  in  the  Latin  poets,  as  e.  g.  in  Virgil,  in  speaking  of  productions  of  the  earth, 
'  Talis  in  hoste  fuit  Priamo '  Ae.  2.  541.  when  they  intend  to  express  an  indefinite 
Some  see  an  allusion  here  to  the  inscription  quantity,  or  the  entire  kind  of  fruit  or 
frequent  on  ancient  tombstones,  '  Vixerunt  flowers:  so  below,  v.  122  '  injecta  rosa,' 
sine  querela.'  and  128  '  vinctis  flore.'     See  Madvig,  Lat. 

25.  Per  me.     I  prefer  this  reading  of  Gr.  §  50. 

Burmann's,    supported    by    two    or    three  Maritus,   Zephyrus,   bringing   out   the 

MSS.,  to  the  '  semper'  or  the  '  vere  est'  of  flowers  by  his  genial  influence. 

many  texts.     '  Per   nie'  may  easily  have  31.  Digestos,  sc.  '  in  horto,' '  the  array 

got  confused  with  the  preceding  '  semper,'  of  colours.' 


OVID.  215 

Protinus  accedunt  Charites,  nectuntque  coronas, 

Sertaque,  coelestes  implicitura  comas. 
Prima  per  immensas  sparsi  nova  semina  gentes  : 

Unius  tellus  ante  coloris  erat.  40 

Prima  Therapnaeo  feci  de  sanguine  florem, 

Et  manet  in  folio  scripta  querela  suo. 
Tu  quoque  nomen  habes  cultos,  Narcisse,  per  hortos : 

Infelix,  quod  non  alter  et  alter  eras ! 
Quid  Crocon,  aut  Attin  referam,  Cjnyraque  creatum  •    45 

De  quorum  per  me  vulnere  surgit  honor  ? 


Forsitan  in  teneris  tantum  mea  regna  coronis 
Esse  putes.     Tangunt  numen  et  arva  meum. 

Si  bene  floruerint  segetes,  erit  area  dives ; 

Si  bene  floruerit  vinea,  Bacchus  erit.  50 

Si  bene  floruerint  oleae,  nitidissimus  annus,     fL^'^  -v^AfrWi-wj»*^ 
Pomaque  proventum  temporis  hujus  habent. 

Flore  semel  laeso  pereunt  viciaeque  fabaeque, 

fibJt^tuucA  ^tW  vnVoiu  \y^-\\  (y^t.  Ijujj  i  -^* . 

37.   Accedunt.    Some  MSS.  have  '  arri-  Crocus,  and  Adonis,  see   Id.  4.  2S3 ;    10. 

piunt'  (Burmann).  104  and  735  ;  Fast.  4.  223. 

Charites.       Cp.    Hesiod,    ''Epya    73,  46.  De     quorum  ;    for    a    somewhat 

where  we  have  the  Hours  and  the  Graces  similar   separation   of  a  preposition   from 

mentioned  together,  'A/i<^i  5«  ol  Xdpires  its  case,  cp.  Amor.  3.  9,  13  '  Fratris  in  Ae- 

^Tf  9tal  KalTruTViaHftOui^OpfJiovs  xpvffdovs  neae    sic    illum    funere    dicunt'   etc.      See 

eOeaav  XP^^  dixcpl  5<  ttjv  ye  '^Clpai  KaWi-  Madv.  L.  Gr.  §  474.       Ovid   takes   other 

KOfioi  aTf(pov  dvOeaiv  flapivoTaiv.    So  Mil-  liberties  of  the  same   kind,  e.  g.   5.551; 

ton,  Comus  9S6  '  The  Graces  and  the  rosy-  Ep.  ex  Pont.  3.  3,  46. 

bosomed  Hours  Thither  all  their  bounties  47,  48.  Coronis.       Not    only    is    my 

Ibring.'  dominion   over    flowers   (used    chiefly   for 

Coronas,   made   of  leaves,   '  serta '  of  festive   garlands),   but   my  power   reaches 

flowers.  also  to  the  produce  of  the  fields. 

41.    Therapnaeo.        Therapne     was  51.   Floruerint  throughout  is  the  em- 

an  ancient   city  on   the  Eurotas,  not   far  phatic  word,  Flora  presiding  over  the  early 

from   Sparta,   whence   Hyacinthus    came  :  bloom  of  every  herb,  on  which  its  produce 

for  the  story  see  M.  10.  162.     Palej'  re-  is  represented  as  depending. 

marks,  that  the  flower  is  not  our  hyacinth,  52.  Poma  includes  all  juicj'  fruits  beside 

but  the  Martagon  or  Turk's-cap  lily,  the  apples  and  pears,  e.  g.  figs,  as   2.  256,  or 

petals    of  which    are    pencilled   ('scripta'  plums,  as  Virg.  E.  2.  53,  but  not  grapes. 

here)  with  small  black  strokes.  Proventum.        If     we      read     here, 

142.  Querela:  cp.  M.l.  c.  215  '  Ipse  suos  with  Paley,  '  Poma  quoque  eventum,'  the 

gemitus  foliis  inscribit ;  et  aiai  Flos  habet  meaning    is,    '  Other    fruits    too    feel    the 

inscriptum  funestaque  litera  ducta  est.'  results  of  the  flowering  time,'  i.  e.  if  they 

44.   Alter    et    alter,   '  double.'      Nar-  do  not  flower   in   spring,  they  fail.      But 

cissus  thought  the  face  in  the  stream  was  the    MS.    authority    for    '  proventum'    is 

that  of  another,  and  not  the  reflection  of  strong,  and  it  makes  equally  good  sense : 

his    own.       See   M.  3.  339  foll.,   and   for  '  have    their    increase    derived    from    the 

the  legends  of  Attis  (changed  into  a  pine),  flowering  season,'  or  '  dependent  on  it.' 


2i6  OVID. 

Et  pereunt  lentes,  advena  Nile,  tuae.     o^«Wt  «^ixjsrew  tuHx^iluj/rirv» 
Vina  quoque  in  mao;nis  operose  condita  cellis  ,   55       ^^^ 

Florent,  et  nebulae  dolia  summa  tegunt.  i>Jua^. 

Mella  meum  munus.     Volucres  ego  mella  daturas 
«ft^ojfwevsau^^^^^j  violam,  et  cylisos,  et  thyma  cana  voco. 

Nos  quoque  idem  facimus  tum,  cum  juvenilibus  annis 

Luxuriant  animi,  corporaque  ipsa  vigent.  60 

Talia  dicentem  tacitus  mirabar.     At  illa, 

Jus  tibi  discendi,  si  qua  requiris,  ait  ^ 
Dic,  dea,  ludorum,  respondi,  quae  sit  origo. 

Vix  bene  desieram  j    retulit  illa  mihi. 
Cetera  luxuriae  nondum  instrumenta  vigebant :  65 

Aut  pecus,  aut  latam  dives  habebat  humum.^^^^3^^^^.^  ,^^, 
Hinc  etiam  locuples,  hinc  ipsa  pecunia  dicta  est :  'K^^^  t»u-fca:. 

Sed  jam  de  vetito  quisque  parabat  opes. 
Venerat  in  morem  populi  depascere  saltus,   VXWj«*^'^W^"^ 
^^jv»'^^^'^'*^!^,^^  Idque  diu  licuit,  poenaque  nulla  fuit.  70 

IrtW^^"'^*      Vindice  servabat  nullo  sua  publica  vulgus. 


Paa^^' 


rfii^'^ 


Jb>^ 


^^" 


.(y>:^ 


yO^ 


Jamque  in  privato  pascere  inertis  erat. 


54.  Advena  :  see  a  similar  use  of  the 
word  in  2 .  68  '  advena  Tybris : '  here  it 
expresses  the  culture  of  lentils  imported 
from  Egypt :  so  Virgil  calls  them  '  Pelu- 
siacae  lentis'  G.  i.  228. 

56.  Florent  .  .  nebulae.  The  Latins 
use  '  flos,'  like  the  Greeks  dvOos,  for  the 
'  crust'  on  old  wines  :  the  '  nebulae'  is 
probably  the  scum  or  froth  which  settles 
on  new  wine.  The  two  words  however 
may  both  refer  to  this  last.  Whatever 
be  their  precise  meaning,  they  involve 
an  extravagant  claim  on  the  part  of 
Flora. 

59.  Idem  facimus:  Flora  claims  the 
vigour  of  mind  and  body  in  youth  as  the 
result  of  her  beneficence  and  power. 

60.  Ipsa,  '  within  itself,'  or  according 
to  the  use  of  the  pronoun  distinguishing 
a  thing  from  its  accessories.  See  Munro 
on  Lucr.  4.  736. 

67.  Locuples,  as  from  '  loco  plenus.' 
Cicero,  Pliny,  and  many  others  give  the 
same  etymology.  It  is  more  probable 
however  that,  like  '  assiduus,'  its  original 
meaning  was  '  one  occupying  a  particular 
portion  of  the  soil,'  a  proprietor  j)erma- 
nently  settled  and  domiciled. 

Pecunia  is  from  '  pecus,'  as  our  word 
'  fee '  has  been  traced  to  the  German 
'  vieh.' 


Ipsa  is  simply  '  also:'  see  Prof  Coning- 
ton  on  Virg.  Ae.  2.  394. 

69.  Populi  .  .  saltus,  the  pastures  of 
the  '  ager  publicus'  =  the  unappropriated 
property  of  the  state.  The  wrongs  made 
50  familiar  to  us  in  the  pages  of  Livy, 
consisted  in  the  graziers  using  these  pas- 
tures  without  paying  the  '  vectigal,'  or 
'  scriptura,'  as  it  was  called  later.  '  Saltus ' 
=  Gr.  aKarj,  the  open  spaces  among  forests 
adapted  for  pasturage,  hence  called  '  vacui ' 
in  Virg.  G.  3.  143.1 

71,72.  Vindice.  .erat.  These  lines  do 
little  more  than  repeat  the  substance  of 
the  two  preceding :  '  With  impunity  the 
people  maintained  their  interest  in  the 
common  land,  and  for  any  man  hence- 
forth  to  pasture  on  his  own  private  ground 
was  thought  the  mark  of  a  dull,  unenter- 
prising  spirit.'  This  is  Paley's  way  of 
taking  the  passage ;  but  why  should  not 
'  ^Tilgus '  have  its  proper  sense  of  the 
'  plebs '  or  common  people,  and  the  mean- 
ing  be,  '  No  champion  was  there  to  pre- 
serve  to  the  plebs  their  right  to  the 
common  land  ? '  If  we  adopt  the  former, 
'  sua '  should  be  taken  more  closely  with 
'  servabat,'  =  ' kept  as  his  own  what  be- 
longed  to  the  state.' 

Publica  (not  'pabula')  is  clearly  the 
true  reading,  as  opposed  to  '  in  privato.' 


OVID. 


217 


Plebis  ad  aediles  ^erducta)  licentia  talis 

Publicios  :    animus  dcfuit  ante  viris. 
Rem  populus  rccipit :   mulctam  subiere  nocentes.  75 

Vindicibus  Jaudi^  publica  cura  fuit. 
Mulcta  data  est  cx  parte  mihi  •    magnoque  favore 

Victorcs  ludos  instituere  novos. 
Parte  Jocant  clivumj^  qui  tunc  erat  ardua  rupes ; 

Utile  nunc  iter  est,  Publiciumque  vocant.  80 

Annua  credideram  spectacula  facta  :    negavit ; 

Addidit  et  dictis  altera  verba  suis  : 
Nos  quoque  tangit  honor :    festis  gaudemus,  et  aris, 

Turbaque  coelestes  ambitiosa  sumus. 
Saepe  deos  aliquis  peccando  fecit  iniquos,  85 

Et  pro  delictis  hostiafblanda^fuit. 
Saepe  Jovem  vidi,  cum  jam  sua  mittere  vellet 

Fulmina,  ture  dato  sustinuisse  manum. 
At  si  negligimur,  magnis  injuria  poenis 

Solvitur,  et  justum  praeterit  ira  modum.  90 

Respice  Thestiaden  j   flammis  absentibus  arsit : 


73.  Perducta,  an  unusual  sense  of  the 
word  :  but  '  delata,'  which  Burniann  and 
several  others  read,  looks  very  much  like 
a  gloss  substituted  for  the  word  it  ex- 
plained. 

74.  Animus,  i.e.  courage  to  correct  the 
wrong  had  till  then  been  wanting.  The 
brothers  Lucius  and  Marcus  Publilius 
Malleolus  (Tac.  Ann.  2.  49)  were  aediles 
240  B.c.  P"or  an  earher  instance  of  '  mul- 
taticia  pecunia'  exacted  by  plebeian  aediles 
from  '  pecuarii  damnati,'  and  applied  simi- 
larly  to  the  institution  of  games,  see  Livy 
10.23;  33- 42- 

75.  Recipit,  the  technical  term  for 
admitting  or  bringing  under  consideration 
any  case,  usually  said  of  the  '  praetor,' 
(according  to  Ernesti  Clav.  Cic.)  '  cum  dela- 
tum  ab  aliquo  in  numerum  reorum  refert.' 
It  is  joined  also  with  '  nomen*  and  '  cau- 
sam.' 

77.  M ihi,  to  Flora,  as  being  the  guardian 
deity  of  the  '  arva'  (see  v.  48)  on  which 
the  trespass  had  been  made.  So  in  Livy 
33.  42  the  fines  were  spent  on  a  temple  to 
Faunus,  as  the  guardian  of  the  cattle  which 
had  caused  the  trespass. 

79.  Locant  clivum, 'contract  to  make' 
or  'improve'  the  main  road  up  the  Aven- 
tine,    called    the   '  chvus    Pubhcius'    after 


them :  see  Livy  27.  37.  In  prose  we 
should  have  had  some  word  like  '  munien- 
dum'  or  'stemendum' joined  with  'clivum.' 
81.  Credideram.  The  poet  was  mis- 
taken  in  thinking  that  the  Floralia  from 
the  first  had  been  celebrated  annually  : 
Flora  shews  how  the  yearly  celebration 
came  to  pass. 

83.  Quoque,  '  we  gods,  like  men,  can 
feel  honour.' 

84.  Ambitiosa,  'an  honour-lovingbody 
are  we  denizens  of  heaven,'  i.  e.  demand 
that  honour  should  be  paid  us  ;  '  turba,'  as 
of  a  number  of  candidates. 

86.  Blanda,  emphatic,  '  sufficient  to 
soothe'  the  gods.  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  23,  ig, 
where  however  'blandior'  should  not  be 
joined  with  '  hostia'  (ablative). 

88.  Sustinuisse,  '  stayed  his  hand;' 
so  Prop.4. 1,42  (3.  2,  2)  '  Flumina  Threicia 
sustinuisse  lyra.' 

89,90.  Injuria..  solvitur,notacommon 
construction  :  '  'tis  only  by  heavy  penalties 
that  the  wrong  is  expiated'  or  '  paid  for.' 

Justum,  '  ordinary,'  '  regular  :'  '  Anger 
passes  its  usual  bounds.'  Compare  the 
phrases  'justum  proelium,'  'justus  exer- 
citus,'  'justum  iter :'  so  Virgil  has  '  justos 
Hymenaeos'  G.  3.  60. 

91.  Thestiaden.       See    the    story   of 


2i8  OVID. 

Causa  cst,  quod  Phoebes  ara  sine  igne  fuit. 
Respice  Tantaliden ;    eadem  dea  vela  tenebat. 

Virgo  est,  et  spretos  bis  tamen  ulta  focos. 
Hippolyte  infelix,  velles  coluisse  Dionen,  95 

Cum  consternatis  diripereris  equis ! 
Longa  referre  mora  est  correcta  oblivia  damnis. 

Me  quoque  Romani  praeteriere  Patres. 
Quid  facerem  ?    per  quod  fierem  manifesta  doloris  ? 

Exigerem  nostrae  qualia  damna  notae  ?  100 

Excidit  officium  tristi  mihi.     Nulla  tuebar 

Rura,  nec  in  pretio  fertilis  hortus  erat. 
Lilia  deciderant :    violas  arere  videres 

Filaque  punicei  languida  facta  croci. 
Saepe  mihi  Zephyrus,  Dotes  corrumpere  noli  105 

Ipsa  tuas,  dixit ;  dos  mihi  viHs  erat. 
Florebant  oleae  •    venti  nocuere  protervi. 

Florebant  segetes  ;   grandine  laesa  Ceres.  g^i^Hao  KtWa"^'^^ -^ 
In  spe  vitis  erat  j   coelum  nigrescit  ab  Austris^^^Vv^ei^^^ '>^'V' 

Et  subita  frondes  decutiuntur  aqua.  ^^»"  «e»-*-' p'^"»^^",^^'* 
Nec  volui  fieri,  nec  sum  crudelis  in  ira  : 

Cura  repellendi  sed  mihi  nuUa  fuit. 


Meleager    in    M.  8.  260   foll. :    cp.   Prop.  97.   Damnis  =  f7;/ii'a£S  in  its  legal  sense 

4  (3).  22,  31   '  Nec  cuiquam   absentes  ar-  of  '  penalties,'  as  below,  v.  100. 

serunt  in  caput  ignes,  Exitium  nato  matre  99.  Manifesta   doloris,  '  shew   signs 

movente  suo.'  of  mv  resentment.'     Generally  in  this  con- 

93.  Tantaliden,  Agamemnon,  whose  struction  it  means  '  convicted  of.'  Tacitus 
fleet  the  anger  of  Diana  detained  at  AuHs.  (Ann.  12.  51)  speaks  of  a  body  as  '  spiran- 
Cp.  M.  7.  664  '  Flabat  adhuc  Eurus  reditu-  tem  ac  vitae  manifestam.' 

raque  vela  tenebat.'  100.  Exigerem, '  what  kind  of  penahy 

94.  Virgo  .  .  focos,  '  though  gentle  should  I  demand  for  the  dishonour  cast  on 
as  might  have  been  a  maid,  yet  twice  she  me  ?' 

avenged  her  neglected  hearth,'  i.  e.  in  the  Notae.     From  meaning  '  the   censor's 

case  of  both  Oeneus  and  Agamemnon.  mark'  the  word   comes  to  signify  '  igno- 

95.  Dione  {AiojyT]  formed  from  Aios),  miny.'  Burmann,  less  suitably,  takes  '  no- 
mentioned  by  Homer  (11.5.370,405)  as  strae  notae'  as  =  '  bearing  my  stamp :' 
the  mother  of  Aphrodite  by  Zeus.  Theo-  '  quae  essent  manifesta  a  me  proficisci.' 
critus  (7.  116)  first  uses  the  name  for  loi.  Tuebar,  explaining  the  previous 
Aphrodite  herself,  whence  naturally  the  words :  '  I  began  no  more  to  protect  the 
Latin  imitators  of  the  Sicilian  school  de-  fields.' 

rived   it  as   a   common  name  for  Venus  :  107.  Florebant,  i.e.  just  at  the  critical 

Claudian  however  once  uses  it  in  its  proper  time  :  see  above,  v.  51. 

signification,  Rapt.  Pros.  3.  433  '  sic  Vene-  109.   Ab    Austris.      The    south   wind 

rem  quaerat  deserta  Dione.'  was  the  especial  enemy  to  the  foliage  of 

96.  Consternatis,  '  frightened,' a  word  the  vine.  Paley  compares  Virg.  G.  2.  333 
commonly  used  by  Ovid  and  Livy.  See  '  Nec  metuit  surgentes  pampinus  austros.' 
on  Catull.  62  (64).  71.  For   this    usage    of  'ab'   see    on   Ov.  M. 

Diripereris,  in  the  full  sense  of  the  i.  66. 

imperfect,  '  when  you  were  being  torn.'  H2.  Cura    repellendi,   '  yet    neither 


OVID. 


219 


Convcncre  Patres  :    et,  si  bcne  floreat  annus, 

Numinibus  nostris  annua  festa  vovent. 
Annuimus  voto.     Consul  cum  consule  ludos 

Postumio  Laenas  persoluere  mihi.    Pnitvva  r»^ 
Quaerere  conabar,  quare  lascivia  major 

His  foret  in  ludis,  liberiorque  jocus ; 
Sed  mihi  succurrit,  numen  non  esse  severum, 

Aptaque  deliciis  munera  ferre  deam. 
Tempora  sutilibus  cinguntur  pota  coronis, 

Et  latet  injecta  splendida  mensa  rosa. 
Ebrius  incinctis  philyra  conviva  capillis 

Saltat,  et  imprudens  vertitur  arte  meri. 
Ebrius  ad  durum  formosae  limen  amicae 

Cantat ;   habent  unctae  mollia  serta  comae. 
Nulla  coronata  peraguntur  seria  fronte, 

Nec  liquidae  vinctis  flore  bibuntur  aquae. 
Donec  eras  mixtus  nuUis,  Acheloe,  racemis. 


»25 


did  I  care  to  banish  it,'  i.e.  the  '  damnum' 
which  the  '  ira'  caused  :  as  above,  v.  loi 
'  Excidit  officium  tristi  mihi.' 

114.  Annua,  emphatic :  see  above, 
V.  81. 

116.  Postumio.  In  the  consulship  of 
L.  Postumius  Albinus  and  M.  Popilius 
Laenas,  173  b.c,  the  games  were  restored 
by  the  aedile  C.  Servihus ;  this  is  attested 
by  an  old  coin  still  existing,  which  on  one 
side  has  an  image  of  Flora,  and  on  the 
other  the  inscription,  '  C.  Servilius  C.  F. 
Floral.  Primus.'  ^ 

Persoluere  :  see  on  Catull.  64  (66).  38. 

117.  Lascivia  major,  i.e.  greater  than 
at  other  festivals.  The  '  lascivia '  may  be 
illustrated  by  Seneca's  remark  on  Cato, 
Ep.  97,  '  Catonem  illum  quo  sedente  ne- 
gatur  populus  permisisse  sibi  postulare 
Florales  jocos  nudandarum  meretricum.' 

118.  Liberiorque  jocus.  So  4.  946 
'  Scena  joci  morem  liberioris  habet.'  Cp. 
Martial  I.  I  '  Nosses  jocosae  dulce  cum 
sacrum  Florae.'  Two  or  three  MSS.  give 
'  uberior,'  a  word  often  confused  with 
'  liberior  ;'  see  on  M.  I.  41.' 

120.  Munera,  '  gifts  well-suited  to 
festive  joys,'  i.  e.  roses  and  garlands  asso- 
ciated  alwavs  with  banquets  and  revelry, 
as  the  next  lines  are  intended  to  shew ; 
the  emphatic  words  being  '  coronis,'  '  rosa,' 
'  philyra,'  '  serta,'  '  coronata,'  '  flore.' 

121.  Sutilibus.      Roses    and    various 


flowers  were  stitched  to  a  band  made  of 
bark,  often  from  the  shrub  called  '  philyrai 
or  the  hnden-tree  :  Hor.  Od.  i.  38,  2  '  Disj- 
plicent  nexae  philyra  coronae.'  Cp.  MarV 
tial  9.  91,  6  '  t"ronteni  sutihbus  ruber  coA 
ronis.' 

Pota  (Heinsius'  correction)  resembles 
Horace's  '  uda  Ly.ieo  tempora'  (Od.  i.  7J 
2  2)  =  'tempora  potorum.'  The  commonl 
reading,  '  tota,'  though  found  in  old  MSS., 
is  very  flat. 

124.  Vertitur  seems  to  rest  on  better 
MS.  authority  than '  utitur'  (Paley) ;  though 
'verti'  seems  rarely  used,  if  ever,  in  the 
sense  of '  dancing,'  yet  here  the  word  may 
have  been  chosen  to  denote  the  unseemly 
movements  and  gestures  of  the  drunken 
guest :  '  Unconscious  of  his  shame  he  is 
twirled  about  by  the  agency  of  wine,'  '  arte 
(  =  'ope')  non  sua,  sed  meri.'  It  was 
considered  a  disgrace  in  Cicero's  time  for 
a  Roman  citizen  to  dance ;  see  Mur.  c.  6 
'  Nemo  fere  saltat  sobrius  nisi  forte  insanit.' 

126.  Cantat,  i.  e.  the  'occentatio'  or 
'  serenade.'  Cp.  Persius  5.  165  '  dum  Chry- 
sidis  udas  Ebrius  ante  fores  extincta  cum 
face  canto.'     See  Lucr.  4.  II 71  foll. 

129.  Acheloe,  from  the  same  root  as 
'XXipojv,  'Axata,  '  aqua,'  used  for  'water' 
generally  both  by  Greek  and  Latin  poets. 
See  Eur.  Bacch.  625  Sfiualu  'Axff^^'Ov  <pi- 
puv  'EvvfTrcuv,  and  Virg.  G.  I.  9  '  Pocula-, 
que  inventis  Acheloia  miscuit  uvis.'     We 


?,2o  OVID. 

Gratia  sumendae  non  erat  uUa  rosae.  130 

Bacchus  amat  flores :   Baccho  placuisse  coronam, 

Ex  Ariadnaeo  sidere  nosse  potes. 
Scena  levis  decet  hanc ;   non  est,  mihi  credite,  non  est 

Illa  cothurnatas  inter  habenda  deas. 
,Turba  quidem  cur  hos  celebret  meretricia  ludos,  135 

Non  ex  difficili  causa  petita  subest. 
Non  est  de  tetricis,  non  est  de  magna  professis : 

Vult  sua  plebeio  sacra  patere  choro ; 
Et  monet  aetatis  specie,  dum  floreat,  uti, 

Contemni  spinam,  cum  cecidere  rosae.  140 

Cur  tamen,  ut  dantur  vestes  Cerealibus  albae, 

Sic  haec  est  cultu  versicolore  decens  ? 
An  quia  maturis  albescit  messis  aristis, 

Et  color  et  species  floribus  omnis  inest  ? 
Annuit ;   et  motis  flores  cecidere  capillis,  145 

Accidere  in  mensas  ut  rosa  missa  solet. 
Lumina  restabant,  quorum  me  causa  latebat  j 

Cum  sic  errores  abstulit  illa  meos  : 
Vel  quia  purpureis  collucent  floribus  agri, 

Lumina  sunt  nostros  visa  decere  dies :  150 

Vel  quia  nec  flos  est  hebeti,  nec  flamma,  colore, 

Atque  oculos  in  se  splendor  uterque  trahit : 
Vel  quia  deliciis  nocturna  licentia  nostris 

Convenit.     A  vero  tertia  causa  venit. 


may  compare  Lovelace's  liaes  to  Althea  :  146.   Accidere    in    (or  'ad'),  an   ex- 

'  When  flowing  cups  run  swiftly  round  With  pression  common  to  Ovid  with  the  earlier 

no  allaying  Thames.'  writers  :  cp.  Lucr.  4.  214  '  Aetheris  ex  oris 

1133.   Scena    levis,  '  the   gay,   wanton  in  terrarum  accidit  oras.' 

stage  of  pantomime,'  as   opposed  to   the  Rosa  missa.     Rose-leaves  were  some- 

'  cothurnus,'   or    '  buskin'd    stage    of  gor-  times  showered   down   from   the    roof  of 

geous  Tragedy.'  the  '  Coenatio'  upon  the  guests  and  ban- 

137.  De  tetricis,  '  no  sour,  no  solemn  queting-tables :  see  above,  v.  122.  Cp. 
moralist  is  she.'  Suet.  Nero.  c.  31  (of  the  '  Domus  aurea') 

138.  Plebeio  .  .  choro,  not  the  whole  '  Coenationes  laqueatae  tabulis  eburneis 
body  of  the  people,  but  referring  to  '  turba  versatiHbus,  ut  flores,  fistulatis,  ut  unguenta 
meretricia'  v.  135  =  '  common  people  with  desuper  spargerentur.'  Paley  thinks  it 
common  animal  enjoyments,'  'choro'  suit-  refers  rather  to  the  rose-leaves  falling  from 
ing  with  '  sacra.'  the  faded  garlands  of  the  banqueters. 

141.   Cerealibus,    sc.    '  ludis.'      They  147.   Restabant.      Ovid   was   now   at 

fell   about  the   l^th   of  April ;  see  4.  619  a  loss  to  know  what  was  the  cause  of  the 

'  Alba  decent  Cererem :   vestes  Cerealibus  torches  used  in  the  Floralia  as  well  as  in 

albas   Suniite.'      The   Oppian   law   in   the  the  Cerealia  :  see  4.  494. 

time    of  the    Punic    wars    had    forbidden  153.   Deliciis,  '  gaieties,'  as  above,  v. 

Roman  matrons  to  wear  coloured  dresses.  120. 

See  Livy  34.  i,  154.   Venit,  awkward  after  '  convenit.' 


OVID.  221 

Est  breve  praeterea,  de  quo  mihi  quaerere  rcstat,         155 

Si  liceat,  dixi.     Dixit  et  illa,  Licet. 
Cur  tibi  pro  Libycis  clauduntur  rete  leaenis 

Imbelles  capreae,  sollicitusque  lepus. 
Non  sibi,  respondit,  silvas  cessisse,  sed  hortos, 

Arvaque  pugnaci  non  adeunda  ferae.  160 

Omnia  finierat :    tenues  secessit  in  auras. 

Mansit  odor :    posses  scire  fuisse  deam.    t4  5Sh^T,(6«rr,.  v'5(««>>(\s.  6«-«r'»s 
Floreat  ut  toto  carmen  Nasonis  in  aevo,     l^Q^n-ty^-^^'''^"^''^'^'^'"^'^ 

Sparge,  precor,  donis  pectora  nostra  tuis.  '^■^  *^'^'^'^ '^^' 


L. 


TRISTIA.     LiB.  IV.   El.  lo. 

This  Elegy  is  Ovid's  autobiography.  His  characteristic  egotism  prompts 
him  to  communicate  for  the  benefit  of  posterity  the  details  of  his  life.  His 
birthplace  and  parents ;  his  education,  youth,  and  companions ;  his  early 
writings ;  his  triple  marriage ;  the  miseries  and  consolations  of  his  exile, 
are  all  rapidly  and  powerfuliy  sketched  in  this  single  piece.  A  few  parti- 
culars  omitted  here  are  supplied  from  other  portions  of  his  worlis.  These 
may  be  found  coUated  and  elaborately  commented  upon  in  Masson's  Life 
of  the  poet,  printed  in  the  ^th  vol.  of  Burmann's  edition  (^Amst.  1727). 


One  MS.  has  '  fuit,'  froin  which  Heinsius  hence  the  peculiarity  of  the  Floralia  con- 

suggests  '  fluit.'     Ovid  however  wrote  too  sisted  in  tame  aninials,  as  hares  and  deer, 

rapidly   to    notice    or    mend    such    repeti-  being  hunted. 

tions.  159.  Cessisse,  '  had  not  fallen  to  her 

157.   Tibi,  '  in  thine  honour.'  share.' 

Rete,    a    peculiar    form    of    the    abla-  160.   Arva    is   here    used    in    its    strict 

tive,   to    account    for  which   some   would  sense  of  '  cultivated  lands,'  from  '  arvus' 

imagine  a  nominative  form  'retis:'  it   is  adjective,  ('aruus')  '  aro.' 

used  again  in  Halieut.  v.  22  '  Chiusus  rete  Pugnaci,   '  combative,'   i.  e.   fit   to    be 

lupus  :'  so  Ausonius  Mosella  280  '  Ille  hamis  baited,  as  lions,  tigers  ;    opp.  to  the  '  im- 

€t  rete  potens.'     But  we  have  in  Ovid  also  belles'  of  v.  158. 

'  mare'  for  an  ablative,  Tr.  5.  2,  20  '  Exi-  162.  Odor,  as  ofthe  goddessof  Flowers: 

guum  pleno  de  mare  demat  aquae  :'  so  in  Paley    compares    the    recognition    of    the 

Ars  Am.  3.  94  ;  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4  6,  1^6  ;  and  ocean  nymphs  by  Prometheus,  Aesch.  P.  V. 

other  places.    Ovid  seems  particularly  loose  I15,  and  of  Artemis  in  Eur.  Hipp.  1391. 

in  the   tcrminations  of  the   ablative :   see  16.^.   Floreat,  a  play  on  the  name  of 

e.  g.  the  curious  '  amne  perenne '  of  Fast.  the  goddess  and  the  nature  of  her  func- 

3.654,    and    '  specie    coeleste '    of   M.  15  tions. 

743.  164.   Dona    refers    to   Flora's    gifts    of 

Leaenis.  Usually  itwasthewildcr  beasts  beauty   and    grace    and    richness    of    pro- 

that    were    baited    in    the    amphitheatre  ;  duction. 


^ 


222  OVID. 

Ille  ego,  qui  fuerim,  tenerorum  lusor  amorum, 

Quem  legis,  ut  noris,  accipe,  posteritas. 
Sulmo  mihi  patria  est,  gelidis  uberrimus  undis, 
Millia  qui  novies  distac  ab  Urbe  decem. 
yji^  Editus  hic  ego  sum  :    nec  non,  ut  tempora  noris, 


Cum  cecidit  fato  Consul  uterque  pari.  («'^^ 

Si  quid  id  est,  usque  a  proavis  vetus  ordinis  heres  j 

Non  modo  Fortunae  munere  factus  eques. 
Nec  stirps  prima  fui  •    genito  jam  fratre  creatus, 

Qui  tribus  ante  quater  mensibus  ortus  erat. 
Lucifer  amborum  natalibus  adfuit  idem : 
>^!^^\v>^^yvi^u,.vx^v3.^-\Jn3.  celebrata  est  per  duo  liba  dies. 
<x,\iu!^irf:aj«>,uai»M("<x^«vdi«  Hacc  cst  armifcrac  festis  de  quinque  Mmervae, 
i  *i-b»^o»^w5W»c5WiWw.>^Qyg^g  £gj.j  pugna  prima  cruenta  solet. 

Protinus  excolimur  teneri,  curaque  parentis 
Imus  ad  insignes  Urbis  gj^^arte  viros. 


15 


1.  Lusor  amorum,  '  gay  singer  of  soft 
loves,'  from  the  sense  of  '  ludere'  used  with 
'  carmina,'  etc,  so  common  in  the  poets. 
These  words  Ovid  wished  to  be  engraven 
on  his  tomb-stone  :  see  3.  3,  73  '  Hic  ego 
qui  jaceo  tenerorum  hisor  amorum '  etc. 
Cp.  5.  I,  22  '  Ille  pharetrati  lusor  Amoris 
abest.' 

3.  Sulmo,  '  Peligni  pars  tertia  ruris,' 
Amor.  2.  16,  I  :  see  also  Fast.  4.^1.  The 
last  syllable  is  short,  as  in  '  Umbro,' 
'  Varro,'  etc. 

6.  Cum  .  .  pari.  Lygdamus,  or  who- 
ever  wrote  what  appears  as  the  third  book 
of  TibuUus'  poems,  was  born  in  the  same 
year  with  Ovid,  as  he  informs  us  in  a  line 
exactly  the  same  as  this  :  see  (Pseudo-) 
Tibull.  3.  5,  18.  Hirtius  and  Pansa  fell  at 
Mutina,  43  b.c.  Tibullus  himself  was  pro- 
bably  ten  vears,  at  the  least,  older  than 
Ovid. 

7,  8.  Si  .  .  eques.  These  lines  occur 
almost  word  for  word  in  Amor.  3.  15,  5,  6, 
the  pentameter  in  the  latter  passage  being 
'  Non  modo  militiae  turbine  factus  eques.' 
Ovid's  parents,  it  seems,  belonged  to  the 
select  class  of  '  equites,'  denoted  by  the 
title  '  illustres'  or  '  splendidi,'  who  not  only 
had  the  requisite  property  quahfication, 
but  could  also  trace  their  free  birth  at  least 
to  their  grandfather.  Cp.  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4. 
8,  17  '  Seu  genus  excutias  :  equites  ab 
origine  prima  Usque  per  innumeros  inve- 
niemur  avos.' 

Si  quid   id   est.a  favourite  expression 


with  Ovid  :  see  Ep.  ex  Pont.  4.  1,  1 7  '  Da 
mihi,  si  quid  ea  est,  hebetantem  pectora 
Lethen :'  cp.  Ib.  14. 11./  Here  it  is  meant 
to  soften  the  boast  of  his  pedigree. 

9.  Jam,  better  than  the  '  sum  . .  creatus' 
of  several  MSS.,  which  would  involve  the 
repetition  of  the  verb  substantive  thrice  iii 
a  single  couplet.  Merkel  however  reads 
'  sum.' 

12.  Liba,  the  cakes  oftered  to  the 
'genius'on  a  birthday.  See  TibuU.  2.  2,,\ 
8  '  Atque  satur  libo  sit  madeatque  mero  :'| 
so  Martial  10.  24,  1  '  Natales  mihi  Martiae 
Kalendae  .  .  .  Quinquagesima  liba  septi- 
mamque  Vestris  addimus  hanc  focis  acer- 
ram.' 

13.  Quinque.  The  '  Quinquatria ' 
began  on  the  igth  of  March,  but  the 
gladiatorial  shows  were  not  held  till  the 
second  day  of  the  festival  :  thus  Ovid  was 
born  on  the  20th  of  March.  This  bloody 
worship  of  the  '  dea  armigera'  arose  from 
a  confusion  of  the  Roman  Minerva,  or 
goddess  of  mind  and  art,  with  the  Grecian 
Pallas  or  goddess  of  war.  See  Fast.  3. 
809  foll. 

16.  Ab  arte,  not,  as  some  would  take 
it,  = '  a/ter  instruction  in  grammar.'  The 
'  ab '  is  redundant,  as  often  is  the  case  in 
the  Latin  poets,  see  on  Tibull.  2.  I156,  and 
especially  with  Ovid  (cp.  on  M.  1.66): 
hence  the  expression  is  equivalent  here  to 
'  artibus  insignes.'  The  same  usage  is  not 
uncommon  in  prose  :  e.  g.  Cicero  has  'po-Vl 
tens    a    pecunia,'    '  firmus    ab    aequitate,'jil 


OVID. 


223 


Frater  ad  eloquium  viridi  tendebat  ab  aevo, 

Fortia  verbosi  natus  ad  arma  fori.         ^  ^^^,,„.«  pu.t^^b.yw  )«^^.,.^ 
At  mihi  jam  puero  coelestia  sacra  placebar^j.  ^^^(.^ro. ^■'VvMt^^^.K  r^ 

Inque  suum  furtim  Musa  trahebac  opus.  i^^t^^^""^       20 
Saepe  pater  dixit :   Studium  quid  inutile  tentas  ? 

Maeonides  nullas  ipse  reliquit  opes. 
Motus  eram  dictis,  totoque  Helicone  relicto, 

Scribere  conabar  verba  soluta  modis. 
Sponte  sua  carmen  numeros  veniebat  ad  aptos,  25 

Et,  quod  tentabam  dicere,  versus  erat. 
Interea,  tacito  passu  labentibus  annis,  ,;(«^-ukWuv^uA-  qj..ii/x<  W  ^''^**^ 

Liberior  fratri  sumpta  mihique  toga  est ;     Amex)«,u  joui^  ,c(^vi.  A.ai , ;... 

Induiturque  humeris  cum  lato  purpura  clavo, 

Et  studium  nobis,  quod  fuit  ante,  manet.  30 

Jamque  decem  vitae  frater  geminaverat  annos, 
Cum  perit,  et  coepi  parte  carere  mei. 

Cepimus  et  tenerae  primos  aetatis  honores, 
Eque  viris  quondam  pars  tribus  una  fui. 

Curia  restabat :   clavi  mensura  coacta  est  j  35 


QpiP^^O-  'V.v^  H>W-  j  .-iajSvjo  loCiX-  vjV%o.-  ^^'rtM.-'.- 
'  felix  a  laude.'  Seneca  (Contr.  lo)  men- 
tions  Arellius  Fuscus  and  Porcius  Latro 
among  the  '  insignes  viri,'  under  whom 
Ovid  studied  rhetoric.  The  completion  of 
his  education  at  Athens  the  poet  omits 
here,  as  also  his  travels  in  Asia  and  Sicily, 
^(wii^^lKo^  ^°''  ^vhich  see  I.  2,  77  foll.  Ovid,  like 
Vu.t*Horace,  seems  to  have  owed  much  to  the 
care  of  his  father.     Cp.  also  2.  343. 

17.  Frater.  Ancient  glosses  on  this 
passage  give  his  name  as  '  Lucius.' 

18.  Cp.  3.  12,  18  '  Cedunt  verbosi  gar- 
rula  bella  fori.' 

19.  Coelestia  sacra,  a  somewhat  vague 
expression  in  itself,  though  defined  by  the 
'  musa'  of  the  following  Hne.  '  Sacra,'  as 
in  Virg.G.  2.476  ;  and  cp.  Prop.  4(3).!,  i. 
Heinsius  ingeniously  suggests  '  Permessia,' 
and  Markland  '  Phoebeia.' 

22.  Ipse,  i.  e.  great  as  he  was.  One 
MS.  has  '  inde'  =  '  ex  studio  inutih.' 

26.  Dicere,  '  the  speech  I  tried  to 
make  ran  into  verse.'  Seneca,  the  rhetori- 
cian,  who  had  heard  Ovid  declaim  '  de 
jurejurando  mariti  et  uxoris,'  thus  describes 
his  efforts :  '  Oratio  ejus  jam  tum  nihil 
aliud  poterat  videri  quam  solutum  carmen ' 
(quoted  in  Masson's  Life  of  Ovid,  p.  43). 

28.  Toga,  the  '  toga  virihs,'  called  '  li- 
bera,'   Fast.  3.  775^,   was    assumed   at   the 


Liberalia  in  March  somevvhere  between 
the  ages  of  14  and  16,  usually  nearer  the 
latter :  but  see  Suet.  Aug.  38  '  Liberis  Se- 
natorum  quo  celerius  Reipublicae  assue- 
scerent  protinus  virilem  togam,  latum 
clavum  induere,  et  Curiae  inleresse  per- 
misit.' 

29.  Purpura  clavo,  the  broad  purple 
coloured  band  attached  to  the  dress,  which 
was  the  badge  of  the  senatorian  order. 
As  one  of  the  '  Equites  illustres '  (see 
above,  v.  7)  Ovid  enjoyed  this  privilege, 
although,  when  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-iive,  he  declined  to  enter  the  se- 
nate  :  see  v.  35. 

34.  Viris  .  .  tribus,  one  of  the  '  Tri- 
umviri  Capitales'  probably,  who  inquired 
into  capital  offences,  and  committed  crimi- 
nals  to  prison.  They  had  also  jurisdiction 
in  certain  causes  between  slaves  and  persons 
of  inferior  rank.  Some  have  supposed  the 
'  Triumviri  Monetales,'  or  '  commissioners 
of  the  Mint,'  are  here  referred  to.  Masson 
asserts  however  that  '  Tresviri,'  or  '  Tri- 
umviri,'  when  used  without  any  qualifying 
word,  always  refer  to  the  former ;  at  all 
events  in  Plautus  '  Tresviri '  stands  for 
'  judicial  magistrates'  everywhere. 

35.  Mensura  coacta  est,  '  the  width 
of   the   stripe   was   contracted,  narrowed.' 


224 


OVID. 


Maius  erat  nostris  viribus  illud  onus. 
Nec  patiens  corpus,  nec  mens  fuit  apta  labori, 

SoUicitaeque  fugax  ambitionis  eram ; 
Et  petere  Aoniae  suadebant  tuta  sorores 

Otia  judicio  semper  amata  meo.  40 

Temporis  illius  colui  fovique  poetas, 

Quotque  aderant  vates,  rebar  adesse  deos. 
Saepe  suas  volucres  legit  mihi  grandior  aevo, 

Quaeque  nocet  serpens,  quae  juvat  herba,  Macer. 
Saepe  suos  solitus  recitare  Propertius  ignes,  45 

Jure  sodalitio  qui  mihi  junctus  erat. 
Ponticus  heroo,  Bassus  quoque  clarus  iambis 

Dulcia  convictus  membra  fuere  mei. 
Et  tenuit  nostras  numerosus  Horatius  aures, 

Dum  ferit  Ausonia  carmina  culta  lyra.  50 

Virgilium  vidi  tantum  :    nec  amara  Tibullo 


As  Ovid,  more  from  indolence  than  want 
of  means,  declined  to  take  his  place  in  the 
senate,  he  was  obliged  to  change  the 
'  latus  clavus,'  which  he  had  hitherto  worn 
as  a  prelude  to  entering  the  senate,  for  ihe 
'  clavus  angustus,'  the  badge  of  the  '  eques.' 
38.  Fugax,  '  disposed  to  shun,'  with  a 
genitive,  not  found  before  Ovid's  time ; 
cp.  3.  2,  9  (where  he  says  of  himself) 
'  Quique  fugax  rerum  securaque  in  otia 
natus  Mollis  et  impatiens  ante  laboris 
eram.' 

43.  Volucres.  Aemilius  Macer  of 
Verona  wrote  a  poem  on  Birds,  Snakes, 
and  Herbs,  in  imitation  probably  of  the 
'  Theriaca '  of  Nicander,  for  which  author 
he  shared  with  Ovid  a  comnion  admira- 
tion.  Not  a  line  has  survived  of  Macer's 
writings.  The  '  Hiacus  Macer'  (Ep.  ex 
Pont.  4.  16,  6),  who  was  Ovid's  travelling 
companion,  is  a  distinct  person  from 
Aemilius  Macer,  who  died  i6  B.c. 

44.  Nocet.  Merkel  prefers  this  to  the 
common  reading,  '  necet,'  which  certainly 
does  not  form  so  complete  a  contrast  with 
'juvat'  as  '  nocet'  does.  The  indicative 
may  be  accounted  for  by  regarding  the 
expression  as  =  '  serpentes  (accus.  as  '  vo- 
lucres '  V.  43)  quae  nocent,  herbas  quae 
juvant.'  Ovid  however  is  apt  to  depart 
from  the  strict  usage  of  the  mood  in  this 
relation ;  see  a  remarkable  instance  in 
Her.  10.  86  '  Quis  scit,  an  haec  saevas 
tigridas  insula  habet  ? ' 

46.  Sodalitio,  found  in  most  MSS., 
though  '  sodalitii '  has  some  slight  autho- 


rity.  The  latter  however  might  have 
arisen  from  the  adjective  not  being  used 
elsewhere  in  classical  authors.  Some  have 
imagined,  from  this  and  other  passages, 
that  ihere  was  a  regular  '  Collegium  Poet- 
arum'  in  Augustan  Rome. 

47.  Ponticus,  the  author  of  a  '  The- 
baid,'  to  whom  Propertius  addressed  two 
epistles  ;  see  Prop.  I.  7  and  9. 

Bassus  was  the  name  of  several  well- 
known  Roman  writers  a  little  later  than 
Ovid.  Of  the  one  in  the  text  nothing  is 
known,  except  he  be  identified  with  the 
Bassus  to  whom  Propertius  writes  an  elegy 
(1.4).  '  Bassus'  is  usually  read  here  as 
against  the  '  Battus'  of  several  MSS.,  the 
latler  not  being  a  Roman  name. 

lambis,  in  better  MSS.  than  '  lambo  :' 
'  numeros  Ovidius  variare  solet'  (Merkel). 

49.  Numerosus,  '  poet  of  sweet  mea- 
sures.' 

50.  Ausonia  is  undoubtedly  the  right 
reading,  not  '  Aonia,'  nor  (Heinsius'  inge- 
nious  emendation)  '  Aeolia.'  Ovid  only 
expresses  by  it  what  Horace  described  him- 
self  as  '  Romanae  fidicen  lyrae'  Od.  4.  3, 
23.  Horace  mentions  neither  Ovid  nor 
Propertius,  being  about  twenty  years  older 
than  either  of  them.  TibuIIus,  with  whom 
he  was  intimate,  was  nearer  to  his  age. 

51.  Virgilium.  Virgil  died  19  b.c, 
and  Tibullus  probably  the  year  after  him, 
Ovid  being  then  a  young  man  of  only 
twenty-four. 

Amara,  better  supported  by  MSS.  than 


OVID.  225 

Tempus  amicitiae  fata  dcdere  meae, 
Successor  fuit  hic  tibi,  Galle,  Propertius  illi : 

Quartus  ab  his  scrie  temporis  ipse  fui. 
Utque  ego  majores,  sic  me  coluere  minores,  55 

Notaque  non  tarde  facta  Thalia  mea  est.  .     „    v,^. ;«..  f\rc,.-.^ 

Carmina  cum  primum  populo  juvenilia  legijTUWJ^  loaojj^  jttA  cu*.^Hj<w,°^ 

Barba  resecta  mihi  bisve  semelve  fuit.        ^\=Krtuu«tt^M  4aW  .W^^Mss^vuoc 
Moverat  ingemum  totam  cantata  per  Urbem  ^ 

Nomine  non  vero  dicta  Corinna  mihi.  60 

Multa  quidem  scripsi :   sed  quae  vitiosa  putavi, 

Emendaturis  ignibus  ipse  dedi. 
Tum  quoque,  cum  fugerem,  quaedam  placitura  cremavi, 

Iratus  studio  carminibusque  meis. 
Molle,  Cupidineis  nec  inexpugnabile  telis  65 

Cor  mihi,  quodque  levis  causa  moveret,  erat. 
Cum  tamen  hic  essem,  minimoque  accenderer  igni, 

Nomine  sub  nostro  fabula  nulla  fuit. 
Paene  mihi  puero  nec  digna,  nec  utilis  uxor 

Est  data  :    quae  tempus  per  breve  nupta  fuit.  70 

Illi  successit,  quamvis  sine  crimine,  conjux, 

Non  tamen  in  nostro  firma  futura  toro. 
Ultima,  quae  mecum  seros  permansit  in  annos. 


53.  Gallus:  see  note  on  Amor.  i.  15^  dinosa    Notum,    Naso    tener,    Tomosque 

29.  missum  Quondam  Caesareae  nimis  puellae 

55.   Majores,  sc.  '  natu,'  '  those  older  Ficto    nomine    subditum    Corinnae.'      See 

than  myself :'  so  '  minores'  =  ' younger.'  the  Life  of  Ovid  in  Smith's   Biogr.  Dict., 

57.   Legi.     For  the  practice  of  publicly  by  Mr.  Dyer,  who    is  disposed  to   accept 

reciting    poems    see    Hor.  S.  I.  4,  73  foll.  the  identification  of  Corinna  with  Julia. 

'  Nec    recito    cuiquam    nisi    amicis,    idque  63.   Cum    fugerem.       Ovid's    banish- 

coactus,  Non  ubivis  coramve  quibuslibet.  ment  took  place  a.d.  8.     In  speaking  of 

In  medio  qui   Scripta   foro   recitent,   sunt  past    time    the    imperf.    subjunctive    after 

multi,   quique    lavantes.'      Cp.  Juv.  7.  83.  '  cum' is  not  infrequent.    The  same  expres- 

The  beard  was  first  shaven  by  the  Romans  sion  is  found  in  Ep.  ex  Pont'.  I.  9,  42  ;  4. 

about  the  age  of  twenty  or  twenty-one.  5,  33. 

60.  Corinna.  See  Amor. 3.  i  2, 15 'Cum  67.   Igni,   as    Merkel    reads,    is    better 

Thebe,   cum   Troja   forent,   cum   Caesaris  than  '  igne '  at  the  end  of  a  line :  see  on 

acta,  Ingenium  movit  sola  Corinna  meum.'  M.  i.  53.^ 

These    '  juvenilia    carmina'    are    evidently  68.    Fabula,     '  talk,'     '  scandal.'      Cp. 

what  we  possess  now  in  the  Amores,  most  Amor.  3.  i,  21   '  Fabula,    nec    sentis,   tota' 

of  which  are  addressed  to  Corinna.     Who  jactaris   in  urbe,'  which   passage   probably 

was  the  real  person  represented  under  the  contains    a    truer    estimate    of  the    poet's 

name  of  Cbrinna,  is  a  well-known  subject  reputation  than  he  himself  chose  to  repre- 

of  controversy  ;    the  not  improbable  sup-  sent  after  his  banishment. 

position  that  it  was  Julia,  the  daughter  of  73.   Ultima.     Ovid's   last    wife   was   a 

Augustus,  was  first  broached  by  Sidonius  widow,  a  member  of  the  Fabian   family, 

Apollinaris   (a   poet   of  the    fifth    century  (see  Ep.  ex  Pont.  I.  2, 136  (Fabio  Maximo) 

A.D.)  in  the  lines :  '  Et  te  carmina  per  Hbi-  '  Ille  ego  de  vestra  cui  data  nupta  domo,')| 


226 


OVID. 


fi  [Mxh. . 


Sustinuit  conjux  exulis  esse  viri. 
,  .  .  ,     Filia  me  mea  bis  prima  fecunda  iuventa,  75 

Sed  non  ex  uno  conjuge,  fecit  avum. 
Et  jam  complerat  genitor  sua  fata,  novemque 

Addiderat  lustris  altera  lustra  novem  : 
Non  aliter  flevi,  quam  me  fleturus  adempto 

IUc  fuit.     Matri  proxima  justa  tuli.  80 

Felices  ambo,  tempestiveque  sepulti, 

Ante  diem  poenae  quod  periere  meae ! 
Me  quoque  felicem,  quod  non  viventibus  illis 

Sum  miser,  et  de  me  quod   doluere  niliil ! 
Si  tamen  extinctis  aliquid,  nisi  nomina  restant,  85. 

Et  gracilis  structos  effugit  umbra  rogos  j 
Fama,  parentales,  si  vos  mea  contigit,  umbrae, 

Et  sunt  in  Stygio  crimina  nostra  foro  : 
Scite,  precor,  causam,  nec  vos  mihi  fallere  fas  est, 

Errorem  jussae,  non  scelus,  esse  fugae.  90 

Manibus  hoc  satis  est :   ad  vos  studiosa  revertor 

Pectora,  quae  vitae  quaeritis  acta  meae. 
Jam  mihi  canities,  pulsis  melioribus  annis, 
^^^^^^(^«J^i^^^^jvui^^^^Venerat,  antiquas  miscueratque  comas  j 
*^  .^iW»^  ^  Postque  meos  ortus  Pisaea  vinctus  oliva  95 

^  Abstulerat  decies  praemia  victor  equus  : 


I 


and  well-connected  in  other  ways  :  cp.  Ib. 
2.  10, 10  f'!  I,  15.  How  devoted  the  poet 
was  to  her  we  may  see  from  the  beautiful 
elegy  addressed  to  her,  Tr.  3.  3.'  Cp.  Ep. 
ex  Pont.  3.  1  ;  Ib.  r.  4. 

Seros  :  some  MSS.  have  '  socios,'  as  in 
Her.  2.  33,  but  '  seros'  best  suits  the  spirit 
of  the  present  passage. 

75.  Filia,  her  name  was  'Perilla:'  see 
the  elegy  addressed  to  her,  3.  7  :  cp.  Fast. 
6.  219. 

80.  Justa  tuli,  '  performed  the  funeral 
rites,'  an  old  and  indisputable  emendation 
of  'busta'  (MSS.),  which  could  hardly 
mean  even  what  Burmann  conceived  pos- 
sible,  '  endured  the  sight  of  my  mother's 
tomb.'  The  two  words  are  perpetually 
being  confused :  see  the  note  of  Heinsius, 
given  in  Burmann's  edition. 

81.  Ambo,  not  '  ambos,'  is  found  in 
all  MSS.  but  one.  The  latter  form  of  the 
accus.  plural  arose  from  the  word  being 
used  as  an  adjective. 

Sepulti    (MSS.),    not    '  sepultos,'    into 


which    it    was    evidently    altered    to    har- 
monize  with  '  Me  quoque  felicem '  v.  83. 

85,  86.  Cp.  Amor.  3.  9,  59  '  Si  tamen  e| 
nobis  aliquid,  nisi  nomen  et  umbra,  Restat :' I 
so    M.  14.   396    '  Nec    quidquam    antiquij 
Pico  nisi  nomina  restat.'  Cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  7, 1 
'  Sunt    aliquid   manes :    letum   non   omnial 
finit,     Luridaque     evictos     eiliigit     umbraS 
rogos.'     The   meaning   here   is,  '  If  there 
be    left   of   you   anything    that    can    feel.' 
The     MSS.     are     divided     between    '  re- 
stat '   and  '  restant : '    Merkel   prefers  the 
latter. 

91.  Manibus,  e.  g.  'parentales  umbrae' 
of  v.  87. 

95.  Pisaea  .  .  oliva,  the  olive  crown 
of  the  Olympian  race.  Ovid  means  that 
he  was  just  over  fifty  years  of  age  when  he 
was  banished  :  see  8,  33  '  Jamque  decem 
lustris  omni  sine  labe  peractis  Parte  premor 
vitae  deteriore  meae.'     Cp.  Ibis.  i. 

96.  Equus  is  generally  adopted  in  pre- 
ference  to  '  eques' (MSS.).  Merkel  how- 
ever  defends  '  eques,'  referring  to  Macrob. 


OVID. 


227 


I 


Cum  maris  Euxini  positos  ad  laeva  Tomitas 

Quaerere  me  laesi  principis  ira  jubet. 
Causa  meae  cunctis  nimium  quoque  nota  ruinae 

Indicio  non  est  testificanda  meo.  100 

Quid  referam  comitumque  nefas,  famulosque  noccntes  ? 

Ipsa  multa  tuli  non  leviora  fuga.  '^tiuAKLi^^V^  i»^'***-^^'^'*»^!/ 

Indignata  malis  mens  est  succumbere,  seque 

Praestitit  invictam  viribus  usa  suis ; 
Oblitusque  mei,  ductaeque  per  otia  vitae,  105 

Insolita  cepi  temporis  arma  manu. 
Totque  tuli  terra  casus  pclagoque,  quot  inter  "'^'V*^»'^'^  ^''^'^^^iWB^aiJfcti^sv 


Occultum  stdlae  conspicuumque  polum. 

o 
Juncta  pharetratis  Sarmatis  ora  Getis 


*wtt«4-'  ^a 


<  i  i-i  ^NirV  lC^UtA  <i*T°»r»  fc 


Tacta  mihi  tandem  lons;is  erronbus  acto       a^„..ui.. ...»..,-.    ^   .  ^.     ,  . 


v*»'«^V*^''^   Hic^ego,  finitimis  quamvis  circurnsoiier^  armfS^^^^^-^.w.c^»^^ 
ii!S^^'^^^,^':^istid.y  quo  possum,  carmin<f'fata  levo.  Ciw.Jo*''''**^!^-^'".— "" '"^  ^*^'"'^' 
Quod,  quamvis  nemo  ^sg^^jus  referatur  ad  afff^,^-^*^  '^^MOKJt^  JX(h!m'h1L'^ 
Sic  tamen  absumo  decipioque  diem.  Q^^^^'^^ '''^**^  ■*^Hai«^  ^  „   . 

opposed   to   '  arma,    as    in    Cicero  s   well-      ^       ^..^inT^o/wi 


^,^^^' 


Sat.  6.  9,  where  passages  from  Virgil  and 
Ennius  are  quoted  with  the  vain  attempt 
to  prove  that  '  eques'  can  be  used  in  ihe 
.«ense  of  '  equus.'  The  horses,  not  the 
riders,  it  seems,  were  adorned  with  the 
wreath.  See  Bentley's  note  on  Hor.  Od. 
4.  2,  17,  who  quotes  from  Theocr.  i6.  46 
ri/xas  5e  ital  diKies  (Waxov  iTrwoi  Oi' 
a<ptaiv  (^  i(pwv  (7Tt(pavT](popoi  tjvOov  dyw- 

VOJV. 

97.  Ad  laeva,  i.  e.  to  one  saiHng  into 
the  Euxine  from  the  Propontis.  Tomi  was 
on  the  coast  of  Lower  Moesia,  between 
Istros  and  Odessos. 

99.  Causa.  For  the  various  theories 
on  this  subject,  see  Classical  Museum,  vol. 
iv,  No.  13,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Dyer  in 
Smith's  Biogr.  Dict. 

Quoque  is  out  of  place  here,  as  it  does 
not  belong  to  '  nimium,'  but  simply  serves 
to  connect  this  sentence  with  the  preceding 
one :  that  had  described  the  '  ruina  ; '  this 
speaks  of  its  cause.  , 

lOi.  Comitum:  cp.  5.  2,30;  Ep.  ex 
Pont.  I.  4,  3^^  '  llle  habuit  comites  primos 
telluris  Achivae,  At  nostram  cuncti  desti- 
tuere  fugam:'  Ib.  2.  7,  61  '  Recta  fides 
comitum  poterat  mala  nostra  levare :  Di- 
lata  est  spoliis  perfida  turba  meis.' 

105.  Mei  is  found  in  all  MSS.  but 
one :  '  forgetting  all  I  had  been.'  Most 
editions  have  'togae'  (given  in  one  MS.), 


oppos 

known   hne,  '  Cedant    arma   togae.'     The 

change    is    at   once   violent    and    unneces- 

sary. 

106.  Temporis  arma,  '  the  arms  be- 
longing  to,  required  by  the  occasion,'  i.  e. 
regardless  of  the  ease  and  peace  of  his 
past  Hfe,  the  poet  takes  up  the  arms  need- 
ful  for  his  present  trial  ;  it  is  a  singuiar 
expression,  unlike  Ovid's  style ;  one  would 
rather  have  expected  '  insolito  tempore.' 
Heinsius  suggests  that  '  temporis '  sliould 
be  taken  with  '  insolita,'  which  would  be 
very  harsh :  while  Scaliger  needlessly  pro- 
poses  to  read  '  tum  prius,'  and  others 
'  protinus.'  Cp.  5.  i:,  52  '  Hic  mihi  prae- 
bebit  carminis  arma  locus.' 

108.  Occultum  .  .  polum  is  of  course 
the  South  pole,  '  conspicuum,'  the  North. 
Cp.  M.  2.  132  '  polumque  EiTugito  austra- 
lem  junctamque  Aquilonibus  Arcton.'  The 
idea  of  these  lines  is  variously  expressed 
by  Ovid  :  see  I.  5,  45'  foll. ;  4.  i,  ^5  foU. ; 
5.  I,  3c/foII. :  Ep.  ex  Pont.  2.  7,^25  ;  4.  15, 
7  foU. 

III.  Circumsoner.  The  better  half 
of  the  MSS.  have  the  subjunctive  here, 
though  Ovid  uses  the  indicative  (cp.  i.  i, 
116)  after  '  quamvis'  quite  as  often  as  the 
subjunctive.  The  passive  use  of  '  circum- 
sonare'  occurs  again  3.  14,  47;  5.  3,  11, 
though  rare  in  other  authors. 

Q2 


228  OVID. 

Ergo,  quod  vivo,  durisque  laboribus  obsto,  115 

Nec  me  soUicitae  taedia  lucis  habent, 
.  Gjatia,  Musa,  tibi  :   nam  tu  solatia  praebes ; 
■vto.r^^M*-'**'**^  Tu  curae  requies,  tu  medicina  venis  ; 

Tu  dux,  et  comes  es ;   tu  nos  abducis  ab  Istro, 

In  medioque  mihi  das  Helicone  locum.  120 

Tu  mihi,  quod  rarum  est,  vivo  sublime  dedisti 

Nomen,  ab  exequiis  quod  dare  Fama  solet. 
Nec,  qui  detrectat  praesentia,  Livor  iniquo 

Ullum  de  nostris  dente  momordit  opus. 
Nam  tulerint  magnos  cum  saecula  nostra  poetas,  125 

Non  fuit  ingenio  Fama  maligna  meo ; 
Cumque  ego  praeponam  multos  mihi,  non  minor  illis 

Dicor,  et  in  toto  plurimus  orbe  legor. 
Si  quid  habent  igitur  vatum  praesagia  veri ; 

Protinus  ut  moriar,  non  ero,  terra,  tuus.  .   ^  ^3° 

Sive  favore  tuli,  sive  hanc  ego  carmine  tamam 

Jure,  tibi  grates,  candide  lector,  ago. 

118.  Venis    (in    nearly   all   the   MSS.)  Ero.     The   last  vowel  is   short,  as  in 
should  be  restored  for  the  common  reading  '  estS '  3,  72.     The  practice  of  shortening 
'maH.'    '  Venire,'  Hke  '  stare,'  is  often  used  the  final  'o'  is  beginning  to  grow  common 
by  the  poets  as  simply  =  '  esse,'  or  rather  in    the    time    of  Ovid,    who    has   '  add6,'l 
'fieri:'  see  on  Prop.  i.  19  (18),  14.  '  rogS,'    '  pet6,'    '  repend5,'    '  dabS,'    '  de-J 

119.  Et  :    so    Merkel    for    '  tu.'      Cp.  sin6,'    and    many    others ;    the    instances 
Markland  on  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7,  57.  occur  almost  entirely  in  his  elegiac  pieces ; 

122.   Ab  exequiis :   so  Prop.  4  (3).  i,  in   the    Metamorphoses    scarcely   any  ex- 

123,  24  '  Omnia  post  obitum  fingit  majora  ample  occurs  beyond  the  comnion  'nescio' 

vetustas  :  Majus  ab  exequiis  nomen  in  ora  and  '  puto.'     See  note  on  Tibull.  2.  6,  41. 
veuit.'  132.   Jure    may   be    punctuated    as    in 

126.  Maligna,  as  the  exact  opposite  of  Merkers  edition,  so  as  to  be  joined  with 

'  benignus,'   takes    the    sanie   construction  the  first  part  of  the  sentence,  not  with  the 

with  the  dative,  =  '  niggard  to  my  genius.'  last  =  '  Whether  from   partiality  or  from 

130.   Protinus    ut,   not  =  '  as   soon  as  the  real  merits  of  my  poems.'    "The  double 

ever  I  shall  die,'  but  '  even  though  I  should  ablative  need  not  oflfend,  as  '  jure'  is  one 

die  at  once.'     Ovid  has  been  insisting  that  half  adverbial.     Still  the  common  division 

his    fame    is    already   established,    and    so  of  the  lines  makes   sense,  '  favore '  being 

whenever  he   should   die,   however   soon,  opposed  to  '  carmine,'  as  '  interest'  to  '  the 

his  name  would  survive  the  grave.  test  of  merit.' 


GRATIUS    FALISCUS. 


LIFE    OF     GRATIUS. 

Gratius  [Faliscus,  a  cognomen  resting  mainly  on  the  authority 
of  a  doubtful  MS.,  cp.  v.  40]  is  mentioned  by  Ovid  (ex  Pont.  4.16, 
34),  '  Aptaque  venanti  Gratius  arma  daret,'  and  perhaps  alluded  to 
by  Manilius  (2,  44).  Nothing  however  is  known  for  certain  about 
his  life,  or  any  other  works  of  his  than  the  five  hundred  and  forty 
lines  constituting  the  unfinished  '  Cynegetica.'  Wernsdorf  tries  to 
establish  that  the  name  'Gratius'  was  commonly  given  to  slaves  or 
freedmen  ;  and  it  might  have  been  accordingly  in  a  servile  capacity 
that  the  poet  became  so  minutely  acquainted  with  the  habits  of 
animals,  and  details  of  the  chase.  Together  with  Aemilius  Macer, 
another  friend  of  Ovid's,  (Tr.  4.  10,  43,)  the  author  of  poems  on 
birds,  beasts,  and  herbs,  and  Manihus,  who  wrote  on  astronomy, 
Gratius  may  be  reckoned  among  the  Didactic  poets  of  the  Augustan 
age.  He  is  remarkable  for  Httle  beside  a  minute  and  sympathetic 
observation  of  nature,  together  with  a  power  of  condensed  expres- 
sion,  which  is  occasionally  marred  by  harshness,  obscurity,  and  the 
monotonous  recurrence  of  the  same  words  and  phrases.  He  betrays 
an  excessive  partiaHty  for  sententious  maxims,  and  in  his  desire  to 
impart  elevation  to  a  common-place  subject  he  indulges  too  freely 
his  moraHzing  and  digressive  propensities.  His  materials  Gratius 
appears  to  have  drawn  chiefly  from  Xenophon ;  while  the  frequent 
imitations  of  Virgil  and  Ovid,  with  occasional  echoes  of  Lucretius, 
shew  on  what  model  he  fashioned  his  poetical  phraseology,  and  his 
occasionally  forced  constructions.  The  '  Cynegetica'  would  seem  to 
have  received  little  attention,  except  what  it  may  have  gained  from 
the  immediate  contemporaries  of  the  poet,  for  not  only  does  Oppian, 
the  Greek  poet  of  the  second  century  a.d.,  never  mention  it,  but 
Nemesianus,  who  wrote  in  Latin  on  the  same  subject  in  the  third 
century,  speaks  of  himself  as  pursuing  an  untrodden  path  (v.  9). 
See  the  Introduction  to  the  '  Cynegetica'  of  the  latter. 

The  poem  of  Gratius  has  come  down  to  us  through  a  single  3IS., 
belonging,  it  is  thought,  to  the  ninth  century,  and  comprising,  be- 
sides,  the  '  HaHeutica'  usually  ascribed  to  Ovid. 


LI. 
GRATIUS    FALISCUS. 

CYNEGETICA.     211-327. 

In  this  passage  Gratius  describes  the  origin  and  merits  of  a  breed  of 
dogs  called  '  metagons,'  probably  from  ntTdyovTes,  as  being  remarkable  for 
their  quick  scent  and  pertinacity  in  following  up  the  game.  From  v.  154 
of  the  poem  he  had  been  enumerating  the  various  kinds  of  hounds  most 
adapted  for  sport ;  but  all  these  he  considers  surpassed  by  this  cross-breed 
between  the  Spartan  and  Cretan  dog  (the  two  best  races),  which  he  here 
styles  by  a  name  found  in  no  other  writer— the  '  metagon.'  He  celebrates 
a  certain  Hagnon  as  the  discoverer  and  introducer  of  this  particular  breed, 
the  special  merits  of  which  he  proceeds  to  dwell  on.  After  enumerating 
the  points  that  mark  a  well-bred  metagon,  he  lays  down  rules  to  be  ob- 
served  in  bringing  it  up,  and  closes  his  description  by  a  somewhat  forced 
and  artificial  passage  on  the  evil  efFects  of  luxury,  and  the  benefits  of 
simple  training. 

At  vestrum  non  vile  genus,  non  patria  vulgo : 
Sparta  suos,  et  Creta  suos  promittit  alumnos. 
Sed  primum  celsa  lorum  cervice  ferentem, 

I.  At  vestrum,  referring  to  the  '  meta-  breeds,  to  produce  the  metagon,'  vvhich,  if 

gontes'   mentioned   two  lines  before.     All  we  were  to  read  '  ad  vestrum,'  might  seem 

the  ancient  texts  give  '  ad  vestram,'  which  most  natural ;  but  reading  '  at,'  and  placing 

must   be  connected   with  '  virtus '  of  the  a  colon  after  '  vulgo,'  it   seems  better  to 

previous   line,  =  '  as   for  your   merits,'   or  take  'promittit'  in  the  sense  of  '  boasts,' 

'  to  form  your  merits.'     The  conjunction,  '  asserts  : '  '  Sparta    and   Crete   each   claini 

as  is  well  known,  was  often  written  like  your    breed    as    fosterlings    of    its    own.' 

the   preposition   (see   Lachm.   on    Lucr.  6.  These  two  countries  are  oflen  mentioned 

1170),  and  vice  versa.    Wernsdorf  and  Bur-  together  as   famous  for  the   best   hounds. 

mann  however   adopt   the  emendation   of  See    Lucan.  4.  441    '  Spartanos    Cretasque 

Johnson    (^an    EngHsh    editor    of   Gratius,  legat.'     Cp.  also  Ov.  M.  3.  223,  and  Sen. 

1699)  given  in  the  text.  Hippol.  33  foll. 

Vulgo,  '  everj-^where,'  used  here  for  the  3,  4.   Sed,  '  yet  'twas  neither  a  Spartan 

adjective  '  vulgaris,'  = '  no  common  country  nor  a  Cretan,  but  a  son  of  Boeotia,  Hagnon, 

is  yours.'  that  first  led  thee  to  the  wood,  Glympicus.' 

2.   Promittit.      Wernsdorf   takes    this  Celsa  . .  cervice,  a  sign  of  good  breed  ; 

to  mean  '  Sparta  and  Crete  contribute  their  see  below,  v.  59. 


234 


GRATIUS. 


Glympice,  te  silvis  egit  Bocotius  Hagnon  j 
Hagnon  Astylides,  Hagnon,  quem  plurima  semper 
Gratia  per  nostros  unum  testabitur  usus. 
Hic  trepidas  artes  et  vix  novitate  sedentes 
Vidit,  qua  propior  patuit  viaj    nec  sibi  turbam 
Contraxit  comitem,  nec  vasa  tenentia  longe. 
Unus  praesidium,  atque  operi  spes  magna  petito, 
Assumptus  metagon  lustrat  per  nota  ferarum 
Pascua,  per  fontes,  per  quas  trivere  latebras  ; 
Prima-e  lucis  opus :   tum  signa  vapore  ferino 
Intemerata  legens,  si  qua  est,  qua  fallitur,  ejus 
Turba  loci,  majore  secat  spatia  extera  gyro. 


iS 


4.  Glympice.  The  origin  of  this 
iianie,  given  by  Hagnon  to  his  dog,  is 
unknown ;  some  consequently  propose  to 
substitute  '  Gymnice.'  For  an  elaborate  list 
of  dogs'  names  see  Ov.  M.  3.  206  foll.,  all 
of  which  are  Greek  :  see  too  the  catalogue 
in  Xenophon  De  Venat.  7.  §  5. 

Silvis,  as  often  in  the  poets,  =  '  ad 
silvas.'  An  old  edition  gives  '  de  silvis' 
for  '  te.' 

Hagnon,  (perhaps  like  '  Dercylus,'  v. 
103  of  this  poem,)  an  imaginary  name 
formed  from  dyvuv,  a  dialectic  variation 
of  dyojv  =  KWTjybs.  See  Excursus  3  in 
Wernsdorf  Poet.  Lat.  Min.  vol.  i. 

6.  Per  nostros  usus,  i.e.  '  Gratitude 
cherished  through  generations  of  men  that 
love  our  sport  will  shevv  him  eminent ;' 
cp.  above,  v.  73  of  the  poem  :  '  Si  qua 
meis  respondet  ab  artibus  ergo  Gratia.' 
It  might  also  mean  '  ample  service  in  the 
practice  of  our  art ;'  see  a  similar  use  of 
the  preposition,  v.  151,  '  non  ulla  per  artes 
Cura  prior.'  Cp.  v.  190  '  totas  genus  asper- 
nere  per  artes.' 

7.  Trepidas,  '  unformed,'  '  unsettled.' 
Cp.  V.  13  of  the  poem,  '  trepidam  vitani.' 

Sedentes,  a  rare  use  of  the  word  :  we 
may  compare  however  the  expression 
'  sedet  sententia.'  The  accusative  is  used 
here  as  in  the  well-known  Greek  construc- 
tion,  i.  q.  '  Vidit  qua  propior  ad  arfes 
patuit  via,'  =  '  Saw  where  a  quicker  me- 
thod  lay  to  perfect  arts,  that  now  were 
but  raw  and  unsettled.' 

8.  Propior  via.  Cp.  v.  5  of  the  poem  : 
'  Post  alia  propiore  via  meliusque  profecti.' 

8,  9.  Turbam  .  .  comitem,  i.e.  a  train 
of  attendants.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  7.  806  foll. 
'  Nec  mecum  famulos  nec  equos  nec  nari- 
bus  acres  Ire  canes  nec  lina  sequi  nodosa 
sinebam  :  Tutus  eram  iaculo.* 


9.  Vasa  tenentia  longe,  =  '  conti- 
nentia,' '  hunting-gear  reaching  far  :'  '  vasa ' 
(for  which  '  gaesa '  has  been  conjectured) 
here  means  all  the  tackle,  such  as  snares, 
traps,  nets,  besides  spears  and  other  im- 
plements  used  in  hunting.  The  above 
seems  a  more  natural  interpretation  of 
'  tenentia '  than  (Burmann's)  '  causing  long 
delay,'  though  it  is  difficult  to  find  an 
exact  parallel  for  it  in  classical  authors. 
Nemesianus  imitated  this  expression,  Cyn. 
300  '  longoque  meantia  retia  tractu.' 

11.  Lustrat,  here  used  absolutely,  while 
in  the  best  authors  it  has  always  a  case 
after  it ;  and  so  Gratius  uses  it  himself, 
V.  151  '  orbes  Lustramus.' 

12.  Per  quas,  =  'per  latebras  quas  tri- 
vere,'  '  the  well-trodden  lairs.' 

13.  Primae  .  .  opus,  accusative  in  ap- 
position  to  the  sentence,  as  '  rarum  opus ' 
V.  34.  Cp.  Nemesianus,  Cyn.  324,  325 
'  Venemur  dum  mane  novum,  dum  mollia 
prata  Nocturnis  calcata  feris  vestigia  servant,' 
which  explains  '  intemerata '  in  the  next 
line.  Apoll.  R.  4.  1 1 1  is  also  quoted  by 
Johnson,  (of  hunters)  dXfvdfievot  (pdos  ijovs 
Mt)  ■trplv  dnaKdivT]  Orjpuv  arilSov  TjSi  Kal 
6SiJ.rjv  QTjpeirjv  \(vKTiaiv  kviaKift.^aaa  j3o- 
XfiOiv. 

Vapore  ferino,  '  by  the  scent.'  Cp. 
Oppian  I.  466  0-qpiiov  dvTfifjV. 

14.  Legens.  So  Ov.  M.  3.  17  '  Sub- 
sequitur  pressoque  legit  vestigia  gressu.' 

15.  Turba  loci,  '  a  number  of  scents 
in  that  one  spot  crossing  and  confusing 
each  other.' 

Majore  secat,  (in  this  case)  '  he  cuts 
with  fuller  sweep  an  outer  course,'  i.  e.  the 
dog  runs  round  the  spot  at  a  greater  dis- 
tance,  till  he  finds  some  one  marked  scent 
to  follow.  '  Secat  spatia'  might  also  mean, 
'  cuts    across    the    several    tracks    of    the 


GRATIUS. 


235 


Atque  hic,  egressu  jam  tum  sine  fraude  reperto, 
Incubuit  spatiis,  qualis  permissa  Lechaeis 
Thessalium  quadriga  decus,  quam  gloria  patrum 
Excitat,  et  primae  spes  ambitiosa  coronae. 
Sed  ne  qua  ex  nimio  redeat  jactura  favore, 
Lex  dicta  officiis  :    ne  voce  lacesseret  hostem, 
Neve  levem  praedam,  aut  propioris  pignora  lucri 
Amplexus,  primos  nequidquam  effunderet  actus. 
Jam  vero  impensum  melior  fortuna  laborem 
Cum  sequitur,  juxtaque  domus  quaesita  ferarum, 
Ut  sciat,  occultos  et  signis  arguat  hostes  j 
Aut  efFecta  levi  testatur  gaudia  cauda, 
Aut  ipsa  infodiens  uncis  vestigia  plantis 


animals  that  converge  to  their  lair.'  The 
early  editions  have  '  majora.'  Gratius 
had  before  his  eyes,  as  in  other  parts  of 
his  poem,  so  especially  here,  Xenophon's 
treatise,  De  Venatione  :  see  c.  3  and  5. 

16.  Egressu,  i.e.  the  exit  of  some  one 
beast  being  discovered  by  a  single  track 
separating  itself  from  the  '  turba '  spoken 
of  above. 

17.  Incubuit  spatiis:  the  same  phrase 
is  repeated  below,  v.  34. 

Permissa  Lechaeis,  '  as  the  chariot, 
once  started,  rushes  on  the  Corinthian 
course.'  '  Lechaeis,'  sc.  '  spatiis,'  with 
which  it  ought  perhaps  to  be  joined  by 
punctuation.  The  temple  of  Olympian 
Zeus  and  the  race-course  lay  between 
Corinth  and  the  port  on  the  Corinthian 
gulf  called  '  Lechaeum.'  Cp.  Virg.  G.  i . 
512,  which  passage  Gratius  has  probably 
in  his  mind. 

18.  Quadriga.  The  singular  is  rare : 
of  the  poets,  however,  Propertius  uses  it 
twice  and  Martial  once.  The  Thessalian 
race-horses  were  famous,  though  they 
made  bad  hunters ;  see  v.  502  of  the 
poem. 

Quam,  the  chariot  being  put  for  the 
charioteer. 

20.  Redeat  .  .  favore,  '  lest  loss  result 
from  over-eagerness,'  or  '  interest  in  his 
work:'  '  favor '  =  '  desire  of  applause,'  cp. 
'  faventem  '  v.  30.  '  Favere  sibi '  is  used 
for  '  to  please,  indulge  oneself : '  it  is  the 
opposite  of  this  which  is  required  for  the 
hound,  viz.  '  self-restraint,'  as  the  foUowing 
Hnes  shew. 

21.  Ne  voce.  Cp.  Xenophon  I.c.  jroA.Aat 
5^  . .  ixaviKus  nepi(p€p6fxevai  vKaKTOvfft  Trtpl 
rd  <x''7  ''^*  ilaniTTTovaiv  ds  avTo.  k.t.\. 


22.  Propioris  pignora,  '  clutchiiig  at 
the  promise  of  a  nearer  or  easier  prey,' 
i.  e.  the  temptations  offered  by  the  track  of 
some  animal  concealed  near.  'Pignus'  is 
a  favourite  word  with  Gratius :  see  below, 
vv.  30,  45. 

23.  Effunderet,  '  should  spill  and  spoil 
its  first  performances ;'  hke  VirgiFs  '  effusus 
labor'  G.  4.  491.  '  Offenderet '  however 
is  found  in  all  the  older  editions,  and  might 
mean  '  dash  to  tbe  ground,'  '  render  use- 
less.' 

Actus,  a  favourite  word  with  later 
poets,  esp.  Claudian  ;  cp.  Mall.  Th.  Cons. 
145  '  actusque  priores  Commendat  repetitus 
honos.' 

25.  Juxtaque,  the  predicate :  '  when 
the  hard-sought  lair  is  nigh,'  not,  as  before 
(v.  17),  wheii  the  hound  has  a  long  course 
before  him. 

26.  Ut  sciat.  '  Hagnon'  should  be  un- 
derstood  as  the  subject  of 'sciat;'  this  is 
better  than  to  take  it  of  the  dog  certify- 
ing  himself  of  the  presence  of  his  prey, 
though  '  canis '  must  be  supplied  before 
'  arguat.'  Such  confused  constructions  are 
not   uncommon    in    Gratius :    see  e.  g.   v. 

33- 

27-  Effecta  .  .  gaudia,  '  his  joy  at- 
tained,'  '  reahzed,'  as  we  say.  Cp.  v.  207 
(of  the  poem)  '  maturo  pressantes  gaudia 
lusu.'  Heinsius  conjectures  '  adfecta.' 
See  Xenophon  I.  c.  6.  16  'EneiSdv  5«  ntpl 
Tov  Kayuj  Siai,  5^\ov  noirjaovai  rSi  kvvtj- 
76T77,  airv  rais  oiipats  rd  awfJ.aTa  o\a 
avveniKpaSatvovaai. 

28.  Infodiens,  '  burying,'  '  planting 
its  feet  in  the  ground.'  Cp.  Virg.  G.  3. 
87  (of  the  horse's  hoof)  '  cavatque  tel- 
jurem.' 


236 


GRATIUS. 


Mandit  humum,  celsasve  apprensat  naribus  auras. 

Et  tamen,  ut  ne  prima  faventem  pignora  fallant,  30 

Circa  omnem,  aspretis  medius  qua  clauditur  orbis, 

Ferre  pedem,  accessusque  abitusque  notasse  ferarum 

Admonet,  et  si  forte  loci  spes  prima  fefellit, 

Rarum  opus,  incubuit  spatiis  ad  prospera  versis, 

Intacto  repetens  prima  ad  vestigia  gyro.  35 

Ergo  ubi  plena  suo  rediit  victoria  fine, 

In  partem  praedae  veniat  comes,  et  sua  naris 

Praemia  :    sic  op?ri  juvet  inservisse  benigno. 

Hoc  ingens  meritum  est,  haec  ultima  palma  tropaei, 

Hagnon  magne,  tibi  divum  concessa  favore.  40 

Ergo  semper  eris,  dum  carmina,  dumque  manebunt 


29.  Mandit  humuni,  used  by  Virg. 
Ae.  1 1 .  669  of  a  dying  warrior.  Heinsius 
proposes  '  radit.'  The  last  part  of  the 
line  is  also  modelled  on  Virgil's  '  captavit 
naribus  auras '  G.  i.  376. 

Apprensat,  a  word  apparently  found 
only  here.  One  old  edition  has  '  appressat,' 
a  non-existent  verb. 

30.  Pignora  fallant,  '  that  the  first 
promise  of  success  delude  not  the  sanguine 
hound :'  see  v.  20  and  note. 

31.  Aspretis,  shortened  from  '  aspe- 
retis'  (cp. '  aspris'  Virg.  Ae.  2.  379),  a  word 
common  to  Gratius  and  Livy,  but  not 
found  elsewhere. 

Orbis,  of  the  hollow  covert,  in  the 
centre  of  which  the  animal  is  concealed. 
The  construction  is :  '  circa  omnem  orbem 
qua  (orbis)  clauditur'  etc,  unless  we  join 
'  omnem'  with  '  pedem,'  as  Burmann  thinks 
possible. 

32.  Accessus,  i.e.  all  possihle  points  of 
entrance  and  escape. 

33.  Admonet.  After  the  parallel  con- 
fusion  of  subject  in  v.  26  it  is  possible  to 
take  this,  as  many  do,  of  the  sportsman  in 
general,  or  Hagnon  in  particular,  warning 
his  dog,  although  all  the  preceding  verbs, 
and  '  incubuit'  in  the  next  line,  must  have 
the  'metagon'  for  their  subject.  But  it 
may  also  mean  that  the  dog  by  certain 
signs  warns  his  master  to  go  round  about 
the  covert,  to  see  if  the  prey  may  have 
escaped  on  any  other  side,  while  he  guards 
the  point  to  which  the  scent  had  led  him. 

Spes  prima.  The  repetition  of '  prima  ' 
thrice  in  six  Hnes  is  unworthy  of  a  poet's 
ear,  but  is  not  wholly  without  parallel  in 
Gratius.  Johnson  would  substitute  '  praeda,' 
or  '  illa." 


34.  ;5.  Incubuit  .  .  versis,  i.  e.  '  he 
starts  (aor.  '  is  wont  to  start')  upon  the 
track  that  promised  so  well,  and  makes 
a  fresh  circuit  to  the  point  from  which 
he  bent  his  footsteps  first'  in  pursuit  of  the 
animal  just  missed.  Burmann  would  read 
'  incumbat,'  taking  '  admonet '  of  the 
spoitsman  sending  the  dog  back  to  find 
a  fresh  scent.  '  Versis  '  is  no  doubt  the 
true  correction  of  'siser'  (MSS.),  which 
arose    from  the  word  at   the   end   of  the 

line  being  written  '       ',  and  so  becoming 

inverted,  as  Johnson  remarks. 

35.  Repetens.  '  Cursum' is  easily  sup- 
pHed  from  '  spatiis,'  making  such  conjec- 
tures  as  '  repens,'  '  referens,'  unnecessary. 
Barth  quotes  the  Culex,  v.  104,  '  Ima  su- 
surrantis  repetebant  ad  vada  lymphae,' 
where  however  many  good  texts  give 
'  repebant.' 

Gyro,  as  above,  v.  15. 

36.  Rediit,  '  when  victory,  crowned 
with  its  spoil,  has  arrived.'  '  Rediit'  here 
=  '  venit  :'  Wernsdorf  compares  v.  20. 
The  '  re'  however  may  contain  the  notion 
of  return  for  all  the  toil  = '  resulted :'  see 
V.  92.  With  'plena  fine'  cp.  Ov.  M.  8. 
273  '  pleni  successibus  anni.' 

37.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  222  '  vocamus  In 
partem  praedamque  Jovem.' 

Sua  naris,  '  the  rightful  prize  for  his 
sagacity'  (v.  191  '  quantum  nare  meren- 
tur'). 

38.  Operi  benigno,  '  a  labour  that 
rewards  him.'  '  Opus,'  like  '  artes,'  a  word 
perpetually  recurring  in  Gratius. 

41.  Semper  eris.  Cp.  Ov.  Amor.  i. 
15,  16  '  Cum  sole  et  hina  semper  Aratus 
erit.' 


GRATIUS. 


237 


Silvarum  dotes,  atquc  arma  Diania  tcrris. 

Hic  ct  scmiferam  thoum  de  sanguine  prolem 

Finxit :    non  alio  major  sub  pectorc  virtus, 

Seu  norit  voces,  seu  nudi  ad  pignora  Martis. 

Thoes  commissos,  clarissima  fama,  leones 

Et  subiere  astu,  et  parvis  domuere  lacertis. 

Nam  genus  exiguum_,  et,  pudeat  quam  informc  fatcri, 

Vulpina  specie  •    tamen  huic  exacta  voluntas. 

At  non  esc  alius  quem  tanta  ad  munia  fetus 

Exercere  velis :   haud  te  tua  culpa  refellat 

Inter  opus,  quo  sera  cadit  prudentia  damno. 


45 


42.  Silvarum  dotes,  '  the  delights  of 
sport :'  '  dos '  is  a  favourite  word  with 
Ovid. 

Diania.  Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  5.  141  (of 
dogs)  '  Exagitant  et  Lar  et  turba  Diania 
fures.' 

43.  Hic  et.  Another  service  of  Hag- 
non's  consisted  in  creating  a  new  breed  of 
dogs  from  a  cross  between  a  sort  of  wolf 
and  a  hound,  called  elsewhere  '  lycis- 
cus.' 

45.  Norit  (or  'morit')  appears  to  have 
been  the  MS.  reading  of  this  difficult  line, 
which  is  not  without  a  meaning,  awk- 
wardly  as  it  is  expressed  :  these  wolf-hounds 
have  (he  says)  the  double  merit  of  docility 
and  pluck  ;  they  will  obey  the  voice  readily, 
when  there  is  need  of  cunning  and  caution, 
and  not  shrink  at  other  times  from  open 
encounter.  The  direct  construction  would 
have  been  '  virtus,  sive  ad  noscendas  voces 
sive  ad  pignora'  etc.  Of  the  many  emen- 
dations  here  proposed,  the  most  note- 
worthy  perhaps  is  Johnson's  ingenious  sug- 
gestion,  '  Sive  voces  naris  s.  n.  a.  p.  M.,'  i.e. 
'  ad  persequendas  sagacitate  feras  sive  ad 
hostes  nudo  Marte  domandos,'  '  ad  pignora' 
being  drawn  back  to  '  naris.' 

Nudi,  '  face  to  face,'  i.e.  giving  no 
room  for  craft ;  explained  by  v.  152,  '  sive 
indomitos  vehementior  hostes  Nudo  Marte 
premas,  seu  bellum  ex  arte  ministres.' 

Pignora  Martis  (for  which  some  pro- 
pose  'proelia'  without  authority),  means 
either,  as  we  say, '  the  wager  of  battle,'  or, 
more  consistently  with  the  usage  of  Gra- 
tius,  '  at  the  sure  prospect  of  a  combat 
face  to  face  :'  see  on  v.  22.  Before  '  ad 
pignora '  understand  '  virtus,'  '  merit  in  re- 
gard  to.' 

47.  Subiere,  '  pounced  or  sprung  upon,' 
used  of  a  sudden  attack;  see  v.  184  '  Sicut 
Acarnanes  subierunt  proelia   furto.'     This 


perhaps  alludes  to  contests  in  the  amphi- 
theatre  :  hence  '  commissos.'  Wernsdorf 
refers  to  a  case  mentioned  by  Pliny,  H.  N. 
8.  19. 

Lacertis,  as  in  v.  67. 

48.  49.  The  construction  is,  '  pudeat  fa- 
teri  quam  informe  sit,'  not,  as  some  take 
it,  '  informe  specie  quam  (  =  'ut')  pudeat 
fateri.'  Much  however  is  to  be  said  for 
the  '  species'  (nom.  case)  of  all  the  older 
editions,  the  final  syllable  of  '  vulpina ' 
being  lengthened  before  the  two  conso- 
nants,  as  in  v.  142  (of  the  poem)  '  gene- 
rosa  stirpibus.' 

49.  Exacta  voluntas, '  straightforward 
purpose :'  imitated  perhaps  from  Ov.  Her. 
17.  177  '  Et  libet  et  timeo :  nec  adhuc 
exacta  voluntas.'  Though  Hke  a  fox  in 
form,  it  is  yet  unlike  it  in  straightforward 
purpose  and  attack.  Cp.  v.  173  (of  the 
poem)  '  Tantum  vellet  in  armis.' 

50.  Tanta  :  Gronovius  conj.  '  tanti.' 
Munia.     There    is    some   doubt  whe- 

ther  this  should  be  referred  to  the 
tasks  of  combating  fierce  animals  etc, 
spoken  of  above,  or  whether,  as  Johnson 
wisely  suggests,  it  should  be  taken  with 
'  fetus'  (genitive),  '  the  important  office  of 
breeding.' 

51.  52.  Haud  .  .  damno,  '  let  not 
any  negligence  on  your  part  (in  using 
some  other  breed)  convict  you  in  the 
chase  by  inflicting  some  loss,  which  teaches 
that  caution  comes  too  late:'  or,  'quo' 
may  have  'opus'  for  its  antecedent,  and 
'  damno '  may  follow  'cadit'  as  below, 
V.  92, '  redit  indulgentia  damno  :'  '  in  which 
a  caution  all  too  late  is  wont  to  cost  one 
dear.'  Two  old  editions  have  '  aut  .  . 
revellat,'  which  must  mean,  '  else  let  your 
error  balk  you  (lit.  '  pul!  you  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  work ')  when  too  late.' 

52.  Inter  opus  (see  v.  53  of  the  poem). 


238 


GRATIUS. 


Junge  pares  ergo,  et  majorum  pignore  signa 
Feturam,  prodantque  tibi  metagonta  parentes, 
Qui  genuere  sua  pecus  hoc  immane  juventa. 
Et  primum  expertos  animi,  quae  gratia  prima  est, 
In  Venerem  jungunt :    tum  sortis  cura  secunda, 
Ne  renuat  species,  aut  quae  detrectet  honorem. 
Sint  celsi  vultus,  sint  hirtae  frontibus  aures, 
Os  magnum,  et  patulis  agitatos  morsibus  ignes 
Spirent,  adstricti  succingant  ilia  ventres, 
Cauda  brevis,  longumque  latus,  discretaque  coUo 
Caesaries,  non  pexa  nimis,  non  frigoris  illa 
Impatiens  :    validis  tum  surgat  pectus  ab  armis, 
Quod  magnos  capiat  motus,  magnisque  supersit. 
EflPuge,  qui  lata  pandit  vestigia  planta : 
Mollis  in  officio ;    sircis  ego  dura  lacertis 
Crura  velim,  et  solidos  haec  in  certamina  calces. 


60 


65 


i.  e.  when  actually  engaged  in  the  sport, 
a  common  meaning  of  '  opus,'  '  officium' 
in  Gratius.  It  may  also  mean  here  '  in 
the  work  of  propagating.' 

53.  Pares,  '  of  equal  size.'  Barth  com- 
pares  Nemesianus  Cyn.  II4  '  Huic  parilem 
submitte  marem,  sic  omnia  magnum.' 

Majorum  pignore,  i.  e.  '  let  the  pa- 
rents  give  promise  of  the  excellence  which 
you  wish  to  be  marked  in  their  offspring.' 

55.  Pecus,  very  rarely  used  of'dogs;' 
here  of  the  '  genus  informe'  spoken  of 
V.  48. 

Juventa.  Cp.  Nemesianus  Cyn.  115 
'  Dum  superant  vires,  dum  laeto  flore  ju- 
ventus.'  For  immane  ('fierce')  Barth 
conj.  '  mutante,'  i.  e.  '  in  the  prime  of  age.' 
Johnson  would  expunge  the  line. 

57.  Secunda  (Burmann),  better  than 
the  old  reading  '  secundae.'  '  The  next 
care  in  the  choice  ('sortis')  of  parents ' 
regards  the  outward  figure  and  appearance, 
as  the  first  (' cura  prior'  of  v.  152)  con- 
cerned  the  spirit  and  temper,  =  '  animi 
expertos.' 

58.  Ne  .  .  honorem, '  that  the  form  be 
not  inconsistent  with,  nor  tend  to  impair, 
their  (other)  merits;'  this  seems  better 
than  to  take  it,  with  Wernsdorf,  '  not 
deserve  any  esteem,'  or,  as  Burmann  sug- 
gests,  '  shrink  from  honour  in  the  cbase,' 
though  '  non  defecturus  honores'  (v.  74) 
in  some  measure  recommends  this  last 
interpretation.  Heinsius  reads  'ne'  for 
'  quae  :'  and  Burmann  suggests  '  qua.'     If 


'  quae'  be  kept,  '  sit  ea'  must  be  supplied 
before  it  = '  be  such  as  to  *  etc. 

Co.  Morsibus  ignes,  '  the  steam'  or 
'  hot  breath  rushing  from  their  gaping 
jaws' =  '  patulis  tanquam  ad  morsum ' 
(Wernsdorf )  :  cp.  '  hiatus.'  The  line  is 
imitated  from  Virg.  G.  3.  85  :  '  Collectum- 
que  fremens  volvit  sub  naribus  ignem  ;'  and 
Lucr.  5.  29  '  equi  spirantes  naribus  ignem.' 
Cp.  Nemesianus  Cyn.  108  foll.  and  Xenoph. 
De  Venat.  c.  4.  i  for  the  characteristics  of 
well-bred  dogs. 

62.  Discreta.  Compare  Ovid's  use  of 
the  substantive,  Ars  Am.  2.  303  '  Com- 
positum  discrimen  erit ;  discrimina  lauda.' 

63.  Non  pexa,  '  not  too  shaggy,  yet 
enough  to  protect  against  the  cold.' 
'  Pexus'  means  long  enough  to  require 
combing. 

III a,  equivalent  to  '  eadem,'  '  but  at  the 
same  time.' 

65.  Supersit,  i.  e.  remain  unexhausted 
by  such  great  exertions  of  the  lungs.  One 
of  the  finest  lines  perhaps  in  any  Latin 
poet.  Wernsdorf  compares  Persius  I.  14 
'  Grande  aliquid  quod  pulmo  animae  prae- 
largus  anhelet.' 

67.  Mollis,  sc.  'erit;'  '  such  will  be 
weak  in  work.' 

Siccis,  as  in  Nemesianus,  Cyn.  III, 
'  sicca  alvo  :'  '  feet  spare  and  firm.'  '  Sic- 
cus '  means  not  swollen  with  fat  and 
moisture. 

Lacertis,  similarly  used  v.  47  '  parvis 
domuere  lacertis.' 


GRATIUS. 


239 


Da  requiem  gravidae,  solitosque  remitte  labores. 

Vix  oiieri  super  illa  suo.     Tum  deinde  monebo,  70 

Ne  matrcm  indocilis  natorum  turba  fatiget, 

Perccnsere  notis,  jamque  inde  excerncre  parvos. 

Signa  dabunt  ipsi :    tcneris  vix  artubus  haerct 

Illc  tuos  olim  non  defecturus  lionores  ; 

Jamque  illum  impatiens  aequae  vehementia  sortis  75 

Extulit  j    affectat  materna  regna  sub  alvo ; 

Ubera  tota  tenet,  a  tergo  liber  aperto, 

Dum  tepida  indulget  terris  clcmentia  mundi. 

Verum,  ubi  Caurino  perstrinxit  frigore  vesper, 


69.  Requiem  gravidae:  compare  the 
advice  given  by  Virgil  in  the  case  of  mares 
in  foal,  G.  3.  140. 

70.  Vi.x  .  .  super,  '  scarce  more  than 
strength  enough  for  the  burthen  she  bears.' 
Heinsius  suggests  '  par  '  for  'super;'  but 
the  latter  =  '  superest,'  in  the  sense  in 
which  it  is  used  above,  v.  65.  Cp.  Virg. 
G.  3.  127  '  ne  blando  nequeat  superesse 
labori.' 

Oneri,  as  often  in  Ovid  and  elsewhere, 
for  '  the  burthen  in  the  womb.' 

Tum  deinde  :  cp.  Lucr.  5.  1004  :  a 
pleonasm  not  uncommon  in  Livy :  so 
'  tum  postea,'  '  dehinc  post,'  '  post  deinde,' 
'  post  inde,'  etc. 

Monebo,  with  an  infinitive,  is  not 
an  infrequent  construction  in  the  best 
authors ;  Ovid  (Fast.  4.  131)  has  '  monet 
.  .  ire  ;'  see  Virg.  G.  i.  457  :  Ae.  10.  439. 
Gratius  has  '  notasse  .  .  admonet  '  above, 
v.  32;  cp.  V.  378. 

71.  Indocilis,  either  '  rough,'  '  disor- 
derly,'  or,  '  unfitted  for  sport,'  '  unsuscep- 
tible  of  training,'  though  perhaps  this  could 
hardly  be  ascertained  so  early.  See  the 
parallel  passage  in  Nemesianus  Cyn.  135 
folL 

72.  Jam  inde  =  '  at  once,'  as  in  Virg. 
G-  3-  73'  to  be  taken  together,  not  as 
Burmann,  who  separates  them,  explaining 
'  inde '  by  '  ex  turba  natorum.' 

Excernere,  'separate  themwhen  small;' 
the  verb  is  not  found  in  this  sense  before 
Gratius,  though  Livy  uses  the  participle, 
28.  39 ;  so  Virg.  G.  3.  398  '  excretos  .  .  a 
matribus.' 

Parvos.  Burmann  ingeniously  conjec- 
tures  '  pravos'  =  '  indocilis'  v.  71. 

73.  Ipsi,  '  the  puppies,'  not,  as  some 
read,  '  ipsae,'  '  the  raothers.' 

Teneris  . .  artubus,  '  thin  and  delicate 
limbs '   characterise    the    most    promising 


puppies.  On  the  same  principle,  the 
lightest  in  weight  are  said  to  be  the  best : 
see  V.  82. 

74.  Tuos  .  .  honores,  '  quos  ex  ve- 
natu  captas,'  as  Barth  explains,  '  the  fine 
('ille')  hound  that  will  not  fail  the 
glory  of  the  chase.'  There  is  a  read- 
ing  '  suos,'  which  might  mean  fitly  enough 
'  the  high  tasks  assigned  it,'  or,  '  its  noble 
breeding.'  See  on  v.  58  '  nec  quae  de- 
trectet  honorem.' 

75.  Jamque,  '  e'en  now,'  as  a  puppy. 
Sortis,    sc.   '  uberum,'   follows   '  impa- 

tiens.' 

76.  Extulit,  the  aorist :  like  '  incubuit ' 

V-  34- 

77.  A  tergo  '  (free)  on  the  side  of,'  or 
'  in  respect  to,  its  back,'  which  it  clears 
from  the  other  puppies,  who  climb  it,  in 
order  to  get  at  the  teats  monopolized  by 
the  ambitious  whelp  :  '  aperto,'  opp.  to 
'  operitur '  v.  80.  Of  the  numerous  emen- 
dations  of  this  hopelessly  corrupt  line, 
Burmann's  suggestion  of  '  tenens  ac '  for 
'  tenet  a  '  is  the  simplest :  '  a '  has  no 
authority  beyond  being  an  early  correction 
of  the  '  ea,'  which  the  earliest  texts  give. 
The  lengthening  of  the  short  vowel  in 
the  caesura  is  common  enough  in  all  the 
poets. 

78.  Clementia  mundi,  '  the  mildness 
of  the  heavens.'  '  Clementia'  is  not  used 
in  this  sense  by  the  Augustan  authors  ;  but 
see  Lucan  8.  365,  366  '  Quidquid  ad  Eoos 
tractus  mundique  teporem  Labitur,  emollit 
gentes  clementia  coeli.'  Cp.  Calpurn.  Ecl. 
8.8  '  Et  ros  et  primi  suadet  clementia 
solis :'  so  Statius  (Theb.  3.  527)  has  '  pla- 
cidi  clementia  Nili.'  '  Mundus,'  as  often 
in  Lucretius,  is  here  used  for  '  coelum,'  or 
perhaps  for  '  the  sun.'  See  Dissen  on  Ti- 
bull.  3.  4, 17  :  cp.  Manil.  1.  36  and  note. 

79.  Caurino  .  .  frigore,    '  the    chill 


240 


GRATIUS. 


Ira  jacet,  turbaque  potens  operitur  inerti.  So 

Illius  et  manibus  vires  sit  cura  futuras 

Perpensare  :    levis  deducet  pondere  fratres  • 

Haec  de  pignoribus,  nec  te  mea  carmina  fallent. 

Protinus  et  cultus  alios  et  debita  fetae 

Blandimenta  feres,  curaque  sequere  merentem  :  85 

Illa  perinde  suo  saturat  de  lacte  minores 

Ac  longam  praestabit  opem ;   tum  denique,  fetae 

Cum  desunt  operi,  fregitque  industria  matres, 

Transeat  in  catulos  omnis  tutela  relictos. 

Lacte  novam  pubem,  facilique  tuebere  maxa  j  90 


blasts  of  the  north-west  wind  :'  the  adjec- 
tive  seems  to  be  a  formation  of  Gratius' : 
'  Caurus,'  i.q.  dpyeaTTis  =  '  ventus  occiduus 
qui  adversus  Aquilonem  flat,'  as  Aulus 
Gellius  describes  it,  2.  22,  §  12.  Cp.  Vir- 
girs  '  semper  spirantes  frigora  Cauri'  G.  3. 
356- 

Perstrinxit,  sc.  '  terras,'  the  opposite 
of  '  reserare,'  as  used  by  Lucr.  I.  11, 
'  pinched  the  earth.' 

Vesper  =  '  the  West;'  cp.  Ov.  M.  i. 
63,  where  it  is  the  home  of  the  warm 
Zephyrus. 

80.  Ira  jacet,  '  the  Httle  tyrant's  wrath 
is  laid,  and  he  lets  himself  be  half- 
smothered  by  the  worthless  litter.'  '  Ira 
jacet '  is  Ulitius'  emendation,  generally 
accepted  for  '  Ire  placet,'  as  in  the  earliest 
texts,  which  hardly  makes  sense,  unless  it 
be  a  very  clumsy  expression  for  '  he  is 
content  they  should  climb  his  back,'  sup- 
plying  '  in  tergo'  from  v.  77. 

Inerti,  either  '  coward,'  i.  e.  not  daring 
to  resist  the  strong  one ;  or  else,  as  John- 
son  explains  it,  dTtx^^^  =  '  venationi  in- 
epta.' 

81.  Illius,  to  be  taken  with  '  vires :' 
so  '  ille '  v.  74,  the  most  promising  whelp 
will  be  discovered  by  his  light  weight. 
See  Nemesianus  Cyn.  145  foll. 

Et :  another  of  the  'signa'  mentioned 
V.  73.    Two  old  editions  have  '  e  manibus.' 

82.  Perpensare,  a  verb  not  found  else- 
where  in  classical  authors. 

Levis  deducet,  '  the  lighter  will  sink 
his  brethren  in  the  scale,'  i.  e.  the  Hghtest 
and  best  of  the  Htter  will  go  up,  and  so 
send  the  rest  down.  Though  the  poet 
had  used  '  manibus '  in  the  Hne  before,  he 
speaks  here  as  if  the  puppies  were  being 
weighed  in  a  balance. 

83.  Haec  de  pignoribus.  I  adopt 
this  correction  of  Burmann's :  '  so  far  for 


the  tokens  that  bespeak  the  weU-bred 
whelp,'  or,  '  for  the  puppies  themselves,' 
('  pignora,'  as  often  for  '  children,') ;  '  next 
I  wiH  speak  of  the  mother's  ('  fetae ') 
treatment.'  The  common  reading,  '  Nec 
me,'  etc,  is  very  flat :  '  the  puppies  will 
not  disappoint  me  in  their  promise,  nor 
my  poem  deceive  you  in  its  precepts.' 
Burmann  quotes  several  passages  where 
'  haec'  and  '  nec'  have  been  confused. 

86.  This  is  a  hopeless  Hne.  The  earHest 
text  has  '  suos,  ut  erit  delacta,  minores,' 
which  makes  no  sense ;  for  this  have  been 
suggested  '  delata,'  '  delecta,'  '  devincta,' 
'  uteri  de  lacte,'  and  others.  The  reading 
in  the  text  is  another  ingenious  conjecture 
proposed  by  Johnson,  which  involves  the 
least  change  possible  in  the  words,  and 
gives  a  meaning  weU-suited  to  the  context. 
'  Treat  the  mother  well,  she  in  Hke  manner 
('  perinde')  will  amply  supply  her  whelps 
with  her  own  milk,  and  long  wiH  yield 
them  sustenance.' 

88.  Operi,  (see  on  v.  39)  '  the  task  of 
suckling,'  perseverance  in  which  ('  in^us- 
tria ')  has  weakened  them.  If  '  fetu ' 
(  =  '  fetui')  for  '  fetae,'  and  '  operis'  (conj. 
UHt.)  be  read,  we  must  not  take  the  latter 
with  '  industria '  = '  when  they  fail  their  off- 
spring,  perseverance  in  suckling  (or  hunt- 
ing?)  having  overcome  the  mother's 
strength,'  but  as  a  Greek  genitive  after 
'  desunt.' 

Fregit . .  matres,asbelow,  v.95,  'fregit 
reges.'  Some  would  read  '  friget  .  .  ma- 
trum.' 

89.  Relictos,  =  '  now  that  they  are 
forsaken  by  their  mothers,'  as  in  Virg.  Ae. 
2.357,  '  catuHque  reHcti  Faucibus  expec- 
tant  siccis.'  The  whole  Hne  seems  to  be 
modelled  on  Virg.  G.  3.  157  '  Post  partum 
cura  in  vitulos  traducitur  omnis.' 

90.  Facili,  not '  Hght,' '  easily  digested,' 


GRATIUS. 


241 


Nec  luxus  alios,  avidaeque  impendia  vitae 

Noscant :   haec  magno  redit  indulgentia  damno. 

Nec  mirum :   humanos  non  est  magis  altera  sensus. 

Tollit  se  ratio,  et  vitiis  adeuntibus  obstat. 

Haec  illa  est,  Pharios  quae  fregit  noxia  reges,  95 

Dum  servata  cavis  potant  Mareotica  gemmis, 

Nardiferumque  metunt  Gangem,  vitiisque  ministrant. 

Sic  et  Achaemenio  cecidisti,  Lydia,  Cyro  : 

Atqui  dives  eras,  fluvialibus  aurea  venis. 

Scilicet  ad  summam  ne  quid  restaret  habendum,  100 


but '  common,' '  easily  procured.'  Cp.  Sen. 
Herc.  Oet.  655  (of  the  poor  man)  '  Carpit 
faciles  vilesque  cibos.'  Cp.  Nemesianus, 
Cyn.  161. 

Tuebere,  a  rare  use  of  the  verb  :  so 
Columella  6.3  '  tueri  armentum  paleis;' 
cp.  Ov.  Tr.  5.  6,  38  '  Florida  quam  muhas 
Hybla  tuetur  apes.' 

91.  Avidae  . .  vitae, '  the  extravagance 
of  a  panipered  life.' 

Impendia  is  less  used  by  the  poets 
generally  than  '  impensa.'  Gratius  uses  it 
again  in  this  poem,  v.  33,  '  Ingrati  majora 
sinus  impendia  sument.' 

92.  Damno  redit,  '  is  rewarded  only 
by  loss,'  or,  '  the  return  comes  at  a  heavy 
cost ;'  compare  the  use  of  the  ablative  in 
the  phrase  '  stat  magno.'  From  this  sense 
of  '  redire '  is  derived  that  of  '  reditus,' 
'  the  proceeds  of  an  enterprise.'  Cp.  v.  20 
'  redeat  jactura,'  and  note  on  v.  52. 

93.  94.  Est.  If  we  retain  the  common 
reading  in  these  two  lines,  '  est '  must  be 
taken  =  '  edit,'  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  4.  66  '  est 
mollis  flamma  medullas,'  and  the  meaning 
will  be,  '  No  wonder  it  is  so  with  dogs  ; 
for  in  the  case  of  man  no  other  indulgence 
eats  out  more  surely  the  heart ;  Reason 
lifts  herself  to  oppose  the  inroads  of  excess.' 
Numerous  emendations  have  been  sug- 
gested  ;  the  least  violent  perhaps  is  John- 
son's,  simply  changing  '  obstat'  into  '  ab- 
stat: '  '  Reason  withdraws  herself,  and 
stands  aloof  from  the  inroad  of  vice.' 
Barth's  correction,  'ToIIat'  and  '  obstet,' 
have  something  to  recommend  them. 
Haupt  adopts  Lachmann's  plausible  con- 
jecture  of  '  res'  for  '  est:'  '  humanos  non 
res  magis  altera  sensus  Tollit ;  sed'  etc. 
The  foUowing  passage  on  the  evils  of 
luxury  is  styled  by  Wemsdorf  (Excursus 
on  these  lines)  '  a  digressio  pulcherrima 
aeque  ac  amaenissima.'  It  may  be 
true    that    the    common-place    nature   of 


Gratius'  subject  required  any  elevation 
that  could  be  derived  from  being  asso- 
ciated  in  any  of  its  parts  with  thoughts 
of  a  higher  cast ;  but  it  can  hardly  be 
denied  that  the  occasion  of  the  present 
digression  is  forced  and  unnatural,  and 
that  the  subject-matter  of  it  is  weak  and 
insipid. 

95.  Noxia,  a  substantive  used  occa- 
sionally  in  the  earlier  and  later  poets  for 
'  noxa.'  Cp.  Manil.  2.  599  '  Poenas  jam 
noxia  vincit.'  Gratius  uses  it  again,  vv. 
439  and  461. 

96.  Cavis  .  .  gemmis,  '  swill  from 
jewelled  bowls  the  long-stored  wine,'  or 
else  literally,  '  from  cups  hollowed  out 
of  single  gems.'  Cp.  Pliny  N.  H.  33 
(quoted  in  Burm.)  '  Smaragdis  teximus 
calices  :'  so  Virg.  G.  2.  506  '  gemma  bibat.' 

97.  Nardifer,  formed  by  Gratius  on 
the  analogy  of  '  thurifer,'  '  aurifer,'  etc. 

Metunt  Gangem,  a  peculiar  ex- 
pression,  only  justifiable  by  the  fact  of 
'  Ganges '  being  commonly  used  for  India 
in  general. 

Ministrant,  used  intransitively,  as  in 
Virg.  Ae.  6.  302  '  velisque  ministrat:'  cp. 
Stat.  Theb.  7.  752  '  Ipse  sedens  telis  pari- 
terque  ministrat  habenis.'  Here  perhaps 
it  stands  antithetically  to  'reges'  v.  95, 
'  princes  in  power,  slaves  to  vice.' 

98.  Cyro,  the  ablative,  as  in  Hor.  Od. 
2.  4,9  '  Barbarae  postquam  cecidere  turmae 
Thessalo  victore.'  It  could  hardly  be  the 
dative,  as  Wernsdorf  and  others  make  it, 
=  'fell  into  the  hands  of  Cyrus,'  unless 
Gratius  wrote  '  cessisti.' 

99.  Atqui,  i.  e.  your  riches  might  have 
gotten  you  power :  but  vou  used  them 
only  for  self-indulgence  and  effeminacy. 
One  text  has  '  At  quam.' 

100.  Scilicet,  better  taken  in  an  iro- 
nical  sense  with  the  clause  immediately 
foUowing  it,  marking  the  folly  of  trying 

R 


242 


GRATIUS. 


Tu  quoque  luxuriae  fictas  dum  colligis  artes, 
Et  sequeris  demens  alienam,  Graecia,  culpam, 
O  quantum,  et  quoties  decoris  frustrata  paterni ! 
At  qualis  nostris,  quam  simplex  mensa  Camillis ! 
Qui  tibi  cultus  erat  post  tot,  Serrane,  triumphos  ? 
Ergo  illi  ex  habitu,  virtutisque  indole  priscae, 
Imposuere  orbi  Romam  caput :   actaque  ab  ilUs 
Ad  coelum  virtus,  summosque  tetendit  honores. 
Scilicet  exiguis  magna  sub  imagine  rebus 
Prospicies,  quae  sit  ratio,  et  quo  fine  regenda. 


to  reach  perfection,  than  with  '  tu '  as  indi- 
cating  the  transition  to  a  higher  instance, 
which  signification  it  bears  in  Virg.  G.  2. 
534,  and  elsewhere. 

loi.  Fictas  .  .  artes,  '  elaborate,  arti- 
ficial  ways  of  luxury,'  as  contrasted  with 
a  natural  and  simple  mode  of  Ufe.  Two 
early  editions  read  '  victas,'  i.  e.  '  the  arts 
of  conquered  nations,'  the  '  aliena  culpa' 
of  the  following  line. 

103.  Frustrata,  '  did  you  miss,'  '  fall 
short  of  3'our  ancestral  glory.'  '  Exprimere 
voluit  Graecum  d7r€TVX«s  ideoque  cum 
genitivo  jungitur '  (Johnson).  This  is 
better  than  taking  '  decoris'  after  '  quan- 
tum.'  The  verb  substantive  is  often 
omitted  by  Gratius ;  see  above,  e.  g.  vv. 
21,  25,  44,  49,  57,  67,  70. 

104.  Camillis.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  2.  167 
foll. ;  Hor.  Od.  I.  12,  36  foU. ;  Manil.  I. 
780.  For  the  position  of  the  substantive, 
see  on  Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  21  ;  Madv.  Lat. 
Gr.  §  474-  g- 

105.  Serrane.  Gratius  had  in  his  mind 
probably  Virg.  Ae.  6.  844  '  te  sulco,  Ser- 


rane,  serentem.'  This  surname  of  Regulus 
is  thought  to  have  been  derived  from  Sara- 
num,  a  town  of  Umbria,  not  from  '  serere.' 

106.  Illi  =' heroes  Hke  those.' 

Ex,  '  in  consequence  of.'  The  preposi- 
tion  is  not  redundant,  (as  above,  v.  153, 
'  seu  bellum  ex  arte  ministres,')  but  more 
prominently  marks  the  cause. 

Habitu,  '  the  training.' 

Indole,  '  the  native  temper.' 

107,  108.  Acta  may  either  be  taken, 
with  most  editors,  as  '  raised  to  heaven,' 
(cp.  Virg.  Ae.  11.  136  '  actas  ad  sidera 
pinos,')  or,  as  seems  to  me  more  simple, 
'  the  virtue  wrought  by  them  has  reached 
to  heaven  and  the  heights  of  glory,'  '  ad' 
belonging  to  '  summos  honores '  as  well  as 
'  coelum.'  One  text  has  '  ortaque  ;'  Hein- 
sius  proposes  '  auctaque.' 

109.  Rebus,  best  taken  as  dative  after 
'  quae  sit  ratio,'  though  it  niight  be  joined 
with  '  prospicies '  = '  you  will  see  the  inte- 
rest  of '  etc,  '  quae  s.  r.'  being  epexegetical. 
The  discipline  of  heroes  may  teach  us  the 
true  discipline  for  hounds. 


M.    MANILIUS. 


R  2 


LIFE     OF     MANILIUS. 


Of  the  author  of  the  '  Astronomica'  less  is  known  than  even  of 
Gratius.     As  the  best  MSS.  omit  the  name  of  the  poet,  it  is  uncertain 
whether  he  was  called  (M)  INIanilius  or  Malhus.    As  neither  the  author 
nor  his  work  are  mentioned  or  alluded  to  by  any  ancient  writer  or 
early  grammarian,  there  is  no  external  evidence  to   shew  when  he 
lived ;  and  conjecture  has  assigned  him  to  periods  as  far  remote  from 
each  other  as  those  of  Augustus  and  Theodosius.     Internal  testimony 
seems  to  point  strongly  to  the  earlier  date,  especially  the  notice  of 
Varus'  overthrow  as  something  recent,  in  i.  898,  and  the  mention  of 
Rhodes,  as  the  '  hospitium  venturi   Principis'  (Tiberius)  in   4.764. 
Merkel  has  broached  the  singular  hypothesis  that  the  object  of  Ovid's 
bitter  invective  in  his  '  Ibis'  is  no  other  than  the  author  of  the  '  Astro- 
nomica.'      A  less   arbitrary  theory  is    that  of  Bentley,   who,   while 
allowing  Manilius  to  belong  to  the  Augustan  age,  believes  him  to 
have  been  a  foreigner,  probably  of  African  birth  and  connexions,  the 
scenery,  m}thology,  and  curiosities  of  which  country  the  poet  appears 
to  dwell  on  with  especial  interest.     It  can  hardly  be  denied  that  his 
scanty  use  of  particles,  his  frequent  employment  of  prepositions,  such 
as  'de'  and  '  sub,'  with  unusual  meanings,  his  fondness  for  pronouns, 
and   in   particular  '  is,'   the    prevalence    of  violent   metaphors,   rare 
phrases,  uncouth  terms,  and  forced  constructions,  the  long-mnded 
sentences  without  relief,  and  sundry  characteristics  of  his  prosody, 
indicate  a  want  of  familiarity  with  the  best  poetic  models  of  his  day. 
On   the   other  hand,  his    propensity  to    alliteration,   antithesis,   and 
playing  on  words,  his   occasionally  rhetorical  turn  of  thought  and 
expression,  and  his  taste  for  elaborate  and  picturesque  description, 
reflect  some  characteristic  faults  of  the  school  of  Ovid.     The  highest 
efforts  of  his  genius  are  seen  in  his  Introductions  and  Digressions. 
Few  Graecisms  appear  in  his  work;   and  while  at  times  his  astro- 
nomical  knowledge  rises  to  a  level  beyond  that  of  his  age,  he  does 
not  seem  indebted  for  it  in  any  marked  degree  to  either  Greek  or 


246  LIFE   OF   .AIANILIUS. 

Alexandrine  learning.  Though  often  pompous  and  obscure,  diffuse 
and  prone  to  repetition  of  words  and  phrases,  yet  in  the  nature  of 
his  subject,  in  earnestness  of  tone  and  striking  moral  reflection  (in 
the  Stoic,  however,  not  Epicurean  vein),  he  offers  a  faint  resemblance 
to  Lucretius,  whom  in  one  or  two  places  it  is  not  improbable  that 
he  imitated.  The  '  Astronomica'  is  an  unfinished  poem  :  a  sixth 
and  seventh  book,  it  is  probable,  have  either  been  lost  or  else  were 
never  written,  to  complete  the  design  of  the  whole.  It  is  doubtful 
to  what  extent  the  prose  author  Formicus  Maternus,  a.d.  355,  one 
of  the  few  Roman  writers  on  astronomy,  was  indebted  to  the  poem 
of  ^lanilius. 

The  oldest  extant  ]\IS.  of  the   '  Astronomica,'   now   in  Brussels, 
belongs  to  the  eleventh  century  at  the  latest. 


LII. 
M.    MANILIUS. 

ASTRONOMICA.     Lib.  I.  1-116. 

This  Extract  comprises  the  introduction  to  Manilius'  great  poem.  He 
first  announces  his  subject,  and  puts  forward  the  favourite  claim  of  nearly 
all  the  Latin  poets,  namely,  that  of  originality  in  the  choice  and  treatment 
of  their  theme.  Caesar,  the  heir  of  heaven  and  the  author  of  the  vvorld's 
peace,  inspires  him  to  sing.  The  history  of  Astronomy  is  next  sketched. 
The  gods,  and  IVIercury  in  particular,  gave  the  first  revelation  to  man  of 
the  mysteries  of  the  heavens,  Nature  at  the  same  time  being  not  unwilling 
to  disclose  her  secrets.  Eastern  kings  were  foremost  in  discovery :  next 
came  the  priests,  to  whom  the  deity  made  known  the  operation  of  the 
stars  on  human  destiny.  The  poet  then  traces  the  rise  of  knowledge  amid 
the  general  darkness  of  barbarous  life.  Time,  poverty,  and  experience 
developed  gradually  the  arts  and  enterprises  of  civilisation.  After  the  dis- 
covery  of  earthly  things,  human  energies  soared  to  heaven,  and,  examining 
into  the  natural  causes  of  phenomena,  finally  arrived  at  the  knowledge  of 
the  nature,  movements,  and  influence  of  the  stars.  These  are  to  form  the 
subject  of  his  poem,  which  Time  and  Fortune,  he  trusts,  will  bless. 

Carmine  divinas  artes,  et  conscia  fati 
Sidera  diversos  hominum  variantia  casus, 
Coelestis  rationis  opus,  deducere  mundo 


1.  Conscia  fati,  '  charged  with  the  Deducere,  as  in  Ov.  M.  i.  4,  '  trace 
secrets  of  Fate.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  519  downward  from  the  beginnings  of  the 
*  Testatur  moritura  deos  et  conscia  fati  universe,'  which  last  he  begins  by  exam- 
Sidera.'  See  below,  3.  58,  '  Fata  quoque  ining :  see  v.  116  '  Ac  quoniam  coelo  de- 
et  vitas  hominum  suspendit  ab  astris.'  scendit  carmen  ab  alto.'     Jacob   suggests 

2.  Variantia  casus,  '  colouring  man's  that  a  reference  is  designed  to  the  wizard's 
lot.'  drawing    down    to    earth    the    moon    and 

3.  Opus,  not  '  the  poet's  task,'  but,  in  other  heavenly  bodies,  and  so  examining 
reference  to  the  preceding  words,  '  the  their  nature  and  learning  their  secrets. 
work  or  plan  of  heavenly  Reason,' by  which  It  might  also  be  taken  of  '  drawing  down 
the  stars  were  made  to  determine  the  the  subject  from  heaven  to  earth,'  or 
course  of  fate.  making  it  comprehensible  ;  cp.  v.  98. 


248 


MANILIUS. 


Aggredior,  primusque  novis  Helicona  movere 
Cantibus  et  viridi  nutantes  vertice  silvas, 
Hospita  sacra  ferens  nulli  memorata  priorum. 
Hunc  mihi  tu,  Caesar,  patriae  princepsque  paterque, 
Qui  regis  augustis  parentem  legibus  orbem, 
Concessumque  patri  mundum  deus  ipse  mereris, 
Das  animum,  viresque  facis  ad  tanta  canenda. 
Jam  propiusque  favet  mundus  scrutantibus  ipsum, 
Et  cupit  aetherios  per  carmina  pandere  census. 
Hoc  sub  pace  vacat  tantum  :   juvat  ire  per  ipsum 


4.  Movere  =  '  sensu  magico,  ut  Ache- 
ronta  movere '  v.  84  (Jacob) :  the  notion 
is  of  breaking  in  on,  disturbing  sacred 
privacy. 

5.  Et,  found  in  all  the  MSS.,  for  which 
there  is  no  reason  to  substitute  Bentley's 
correction,  '  ad,'  joining  '  ad  silvas '  with 
'  ferens.' 

Nutantes  vertice  :  imitated  frcm  Virg. 
Ae.  9.  679  '  Attollunt  capita  et  sublimi  ver- 
tice  nutant.' 

6.  Hospita  .  .  ferens,  '  ofFering  a 
strange  sacrifice  to  the  Muses,'  i.  e.  pre- 
senting  a  poem  on  a  theme  unsung  before : 
see  2.57.  Cp.  Prop.  4(3).  1,3'  Primus  ego 
ingredior  puro  de  fonte  sacerdos  Itala  per 
Graios  orgia  ferre  choros  :'  also  Virg.  G.  2. 
476:  Persius  Prolog.  7.  '  Hospita' =  £<Vos, 
'  foreign  :'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  377  '  quo  tutior 
hospita  lustres  Aequora.'  The  adjective  more 
frequently  means '  kindly,'  and  is  found  only 
in  the  feminine  singular  and  neuter  plural. 
Perhaps  Manilius  may  refer  to  Aratus, 
Eudoxus,  and  other  Greek  astronomical 
writers,  to  whom  no  Roman  poet  had 
hitherto  introduced  his  countrymen  :  Cicero 
however,  we  know,  had  translated  the 
^aivofxfva  of  Aratus,  N.  D.  2.  41. 

7.  Hunc,  sc.  '  animum'  v.  10.  Bentley 
proposes,  from  a  few  later  MSS.,  to  read 
'  Tu  mihi  tu  Caesar,'  while  others  read 
'  nunc,'  flatly  enough  contrasting  with 
'  priorum'  of  the  line  before.  Alliteration, 
as  in  tlie  end  of  this  line,  is  very  frequent 
in  Manilius. 

9.  Patri,  '  C.  Julius  Caesar.' 
Mundum,  i.  q.  '  coelum,'  as  contrasted 

with  '  orbem'  (  =  'terram')   in   preceding 
line :  see  on  Grat.  Cyn.  78. 

Deus  ipse  :  cp.  Virg.  E.  i.  6  '  Deus 
nobis  haec  otia  fecit.' 

10.  Animum  need  not  be  changed  into 
Bentley's  '  animos,'  just  because  the  latter 
may    be    commonly    used    in    Virgil    and 


Ovid  :  '  Caesar  both  inspires  the  purpose, 
and  gives  strength  for  its  fulfilment.' 

Viresque  facis.  Bentley  quotes  Ov. 
M.  4.  527  '  Occupat  hunc  (vires  insania 
fecerat)  Ino.'  The  short  syllable  in  '  facis' 
is  lengthened  by  the  caesural  pause :  cp. 
Grat.  C}Ti.  77.  This  takes  place  far  less 
frequently  in  the  second  than  in  the  third 
person  of  tenses.  See  however  an  instance 
in  Hor.  S.  2.3,1'  Sic  raro  scribis  ut  toto 
non  quater  anno,'  etc. 

Cauenda,  though  less  harmonious,  is 
given  in  better  MSS.  than  Weber's  '  canen- 
dum  :'  so  in  3.  45  '  ad  fata  videnda,'  at 
the  end  of  a  line. 

11.  Jam  propiusque  favet  (MSS.) 
Bentley  changes  into' Jamque  favet  propius.' 
'  Propius '  does  seem  to  go  more  naturally 
with  '  scrutantibus,'  (as  I.  733  ;  4.  900,) 
than  with  '  favet '  in  the  sense  of  '  more 
closely,'  or  '  intimately,'  = '  propensius,'  as 
Stoeber  takes  it.  The  meaning  is,  that 
Caesar's  reception  into  heaven  makes  it 
henceforth  more  open  to  nien's  longings 
and  enquiries. 

12.  Cupit,  as  in  best  MSS.  '  Rapit  (an 
early  emendation)  pandere  '  would  be  a 
Graecism  for  '  ad  pandendum.' 

Census,  '  publish  the  treasures  (or 
'  inventory '  perhaps )  of  the  skies  ; '  a 
favourite  word  with  Manilius,  and  used 
in  many  peculiar  significations.  There 
seems  however  much  to  be  said  for  the 
reading  '  sensus,'  found  in  two  MSS.,  and 
adopted  by  Jacob  in  his  text,  which  suits 
also  better  with  '  pandere,'  '  unfold  its 
inner  meaning  and  secrets,'  the  contents  of 
the  '  praecordia  mundi '  mentioned  below. 

13.  Sub  pace  vacat :  cp.  Lucr.l.41  foll. 
'  Vacat '  is  found  in  one  very  good  MS. 
Jacob  however  prefers  the  '  vocat'  of  many 
texts,  which  is  the  old  form  of  '  vacat :' 
see  Munro  on  Lucr.  i.  520.  Compare  the 
paralle!  passage,  somewhat  resembling  this. 


MANILIUS. 


249 


Aera,  et  immenso  spatiantem  vivere  coelo, 
Signaque  et  adversos  stellarum  noscere  cursus. 
Quod  solum  novisse  parum  est ;    impensius  ipsa 
Scire  juvat  magni  penitus  praecordia  mundi, 
Quaque  regat  terrena  suis  animalia  signis 
Cernere,  et  in  numerum  Phoebo  modulante  referrc. 
Bina  mihi  positis  lucent  altaria  flammis  j 
Ad  duo  templa  precor,  duplici  circumdatus  aestu, 
Carminis  et  rerum :    certa  cum  lege  canentem 
Mundus  et  immenso  vatem  circumstrepit  orbe, 
Vixque  soluta  suis  immittit  verba  figuris. 


15 


in  the  introduction  to  the  '  Aratea '  of 
Germanicus  Caesar,  v.  11,  where,  after 
speaking  of  the  opportunity  of  peace,  he 
adds,  '  Nunc  vacat  audaces  ad  coelum 
tollere  vultus,  Sideraque  et  mundi  varios 
cognoscere  motus  ; '  here  too  some  editors 
read  '  vocat.' 

Tantum.  Bentley  reads  'jam  nunc' 
without  authority. 

Juvat  ire,  imitated  from  Ov.  M.  15. 
147  '  juvat  ire  per  alta  Astra,'  where,  as 
here  and  in  Virg.  G.  2.  37,  the  enthusiasm 
of  plunging  into  a  subject  is  expressed. 
Compare  Aristophanes'  words  put  in  So- 
crates'  mouth,  Nub.  225  'AepoPara)  Kal 
vtpKppovSi  TOV  i]XlOV. 

Ipsum.  Bentley  adopts  'altum'  from 
one  MS.  simply  on  the  ground  of  '  ipsum ' 
being  repeated  twice  in  three  lines ;  but 
in  this  one  book  we  find  the  same  awk- 
wardness  occurring  with  '  ipse '  twice  more : 
see  286-28S ;  694-696,  and  with  other 
words  frequently  ;  see  e.g.  546-549  '  imo;' 
622-624  '  astra,'  '  astris;'  647-649  '  mun- 
dus,' '  mundum ;'  754~756  '  coelum,' '  coelo ;' 
842-S48,  out  of  which  'ignes'  occurs  at 
the  end  of  no  less  than  three  lines. 

15.  Adversos  .  .  cursus,  referring  pro- 
bably  to  the  courses  of  the  superior  planets, 
which,  as  vievved  from  the  earth,  are  alter- 
nately  'direct'  (from  West  to  East),  and 
'  retrograde'  (from  East  to  West),  ahhough 
their  real  motion,  of  course,  is  invariably 
from  West  to  East ;  see  v.  805  '  Sunt  alia 
adverso  pugnantia  sidera  mundo:'  cp.  5. 
1,2'  signisque  relatis  Quis  adversa  meant 
stellarum  numina  quinque.'  Stoeber  refers 
to  Cic.  N.  D.  2. 19. 

17.  Penitus  to  be  taken  with  '  scire  :' 
'  impensius'  with  '  juvat.' 

Praecordia  mundi,  used  again  in 
3.  61.  See  Macrob.  Somn.  Scip.  i.  20 
(speaking  of  the  names  given  to  the  sun) 


'  Mens  mundi  ita  appellatur  ut  physici  cum 
cor  coeli  vocaverunt :'  the  phrase  therefore 
means  the  grandest  and  most  hidden  por- 
tions  of  the  heavens,  the  parts  lying  nearest 
to  the  sun,  the  heart  and  centre  of  the 
universe. 

18.  Terrena  :  this  is  Bentley's  emen- 
dation  of  '  generetque,'  given  in  the  MSS., 
which  comes  very  awkwardly  after  '  regat,' 
unless  it  could  mean,  by  a  sort  of  hendiadys, 
•  regulates  the  birth  of  creatures.'  Jacob  and 
Weber  retain  '  Quaeque  .  .  generetque' 
without  explanation.  Cp.  2.  83  '  Ducit  ab 
aetheriis  terrena  animalia  signis.'  Scaliger 
had  already  changed  '  Quaeque'  (MSS.) 
into  '  Quaque,'  so  that  it  may  be  taken, 
'  in  what  way  it  (sc.  '  mundus ')  sways 
through  its  planets  the  destinies  of  earth's 
creatures  :'  see  below,  v.  27. 

20.  Bina,  i.  e.  the  shrine  of  Phoebus, 
who  presides  over  the  '  carmen ;'  and  of 
Mercury,  who  reveals  the  '  res'  or  '  matter* 
of  it :  see  v.  30. 

22.  Cum  (not  'tum')  is  the  true  read- 
ing,  and  is  best  taken  as  the  preposition 
goveming  '  lege,'  '  in  harmony  with  the  law 
of  verse,'  as  '  lex'  is  used  in  Hor.  Od.  4.  2, 
12.  There  is  probably  some  contrast  de- 
signed  between  '  certa  '  and  '  immenso,'  the 
narrow  limits  and  confinement  of  verse  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  boundless  extent  of 
the  universe,  the  poet's  subject,  on  the 
other.     See  3.  34. 

24.  Vixque  soluta  suis,  '  scarcely  ad- 
mits  the  words  of  prose  to  express  its 
forms,'  i.e. '  the  forms  of  astronomy  can  with 
difficulty  be  put  even  into  prose  ('  soluta 
verba')  :  how  much  harder  then  for  one 
(' certa  lege  canentem')  to  shape  them 
into  verse!'  It  might  mean,  if  we  take 
'  vix'  with  '  soluta,'  '  The  universe  (as  the 
theme  of  my  poem)  introduces  into  verse 
words   that   are   hardlv  severed   from   the 


!5o 


^IANILIUS. 


Quem  primum  interius  licuit  cognoscere  coelum 
Munere  coelestum  ?     Quis  enim,  condentibus  illis, 
Clepsisset  furto  mundum,  quo  cuncta  reguntur  ? 
Quis  foret  humano  conatus  pectore  tantum, 
Invitis  ut  dis  cuperet  deus  ipse  videri  ? 
Tu  princeps  auctorque  sacri,  Cyllenie,  tanti ; 

*  ^  ^  -ji-  ^  * 

Et  Natura  dedit  vires,  seque  ipsa  reclusit, 
Regales  animos  primum  dignata  movere, 
Proxima  tangentes  rerum  fastigia  coelo : 
Qui  domuere  feras  gentes  oriente  sub  ipso, 
Quas  secat  Euphrates,  in  quas  et  Nilus  inundat, 
Qua  mundus  redit,  et  nigras  superevolat  urbes. 
Tum  qui  templa  sacris  coluerunt  omne  per  aevum, 
Delectique  sacerdotes  in  publica  vota 


35 


figures  and  diagrams'  (cp.  3.  94  '  Et  titulis 
signanda  suis  rerumque  figuris')  in  which 
astronomy  is  usually  studied,  and  with 
which  its  terms  are  closely  associated. 
Weber's  interpretation  is  more  forced :  '  It 
suggests  to  me  with  difficulty  words  that 
must  be  stripped  of  their  proper  sense' 
in  order  to  serve  my  purpose.  But  would 
not  both  the  latter  interpretations  require 
'  solvenda?' 

25.  Coelum,  '  whom  did  the  favour  of 
the  gods  permit  first  to  know  the  secrets 
of  the  skies  ? '  This  correction  of  Bentley's 
seems  necessar)' :  see  v.  3 1  of  the  entire 
book.  The  MSS.  give  '  terris,'  to  suit 
which  early  editors  transformed  'interius' 
(MSS.)  into  '  infernis,'  reading  also  '  mu- 
nera'  for  'munere'  in  the  next  line :  but 
'  infernae  terrae'  could  hardly  mean  our 
world. 

26.  Condentibus  (MSS.),  '  if  they 
chose  to  hide  the  secrets,'  makes  perfectly 
good  sense,  though  Bentley  refuses  to 
acknowledge  it,  substitu*ing  'nolentibus' 
without  any  authority.  The  passage  (4. 
914),  which  he  quotes  against  the  above 
interpretation,  does  not  really  militate 
against  it. 

27.  Clepsisset  (MSS.),  altered  by 
Bentley  into  '  cepisset,'  on  the  ground  that 
the  former  word  was  obsolete  or  old- 
fashioned  in  the  poet's  time :  but  Seneca 
uses  it  more  than  once  in  his  Tragedies, 
Herc.  Fur.  799;  Med.  155.  At  the  same 
time  Manilius  might  have  written  '  cepis- 
set,' which  the  juxtaposition  with  '  furto ' 


transformed  into  '  clepsisset.'  Such  a  pleon- 
asm  as  '  furtim  clepere'  is  common  enough 
in  the  poets :  see  on  TibuII.  i.  10,  34. 

30.  Tu  princeps,  '  author  and  revealer 
of  this  vast  mystery.'  This  and  the  fol- 
lowing  lines  contain  the  answer  to  the 
question  of  v.  25.  The  '  munus  coelestum ' 
is  here  shewn  to  have  proceeded  from 
Mercury ;  the  authors  of  discovery  are 
then  enumerated  in  order,  as  kings,  priests, 
and  so  forth. 

31.  Dedit  vires  'powers  to  discover:' 
cp.  V.  10  '  viresque  facis  ad  tanta  canenda.' 
Several  MSS.  give  '  Naturaeque  dedit  vires' 
(sc.  '  Mercurius'),  which  Jacob  prefers. 

33.  Proxima  ..  coelo,  i.  e.  by  their 
power  they  were  almost  raised  to  heaven, 
and  so  were  naturally  first  prompted  to 
search  into  its  secrets. 

35.  This  line  Bentley  marks  in  italics  as 
spurious,  '  secat  gentes '  being  inapplicable 
(he  considers)  to  a  river.  Allowing  that 
this  could  be  remedied  by  transposing  the 
following  verse,  so  that '  secat  urbes'  might 
be  rightfully  said  of  the  Euphrates,  we 
should  still  have  the  further  anomaly  of 
'  inundare  in,'  a  construction  not  found 
elsewhere  :  compare  however  3.  634  '  Ni- 
lusque  tumescit  in  arva.' 

36.  Mundus,  of  the  sun  returning 
above  the  eastern  horizon :  as  again,  3. 
591  '  Qua  redit  in  terras  mundus.'  The 
word  is  commonly  used  by  Manilius  for 
the  sun  :  perhaps  too  by  Gratius,  in  Cyn. 
78  (295)  '  clementia  mundi.' 

Nigras  .  .urbes,  i.e.  of  the  Aethiopians. 


MANILIUS. 


251 


Officio  vinxere  deum  ;   quibus  ipsa  potentis 

Numinis  accendit  castam  praesentia  mentem,  40 

Inque  dcum  deus  ipse  tulit  patuitque  ministris. 

Hi  tantum  movere  decus,  primique  per  artcm 

Sideribus  videre  vagis  pendentia  fata. 

Singula  nam  proprio  signarunt  tempora  casu, 

Longa  per  assiduas  complexi  saecula  curas :  45 

Nascenti  quae  cuique  dies,  quae  vita  fuisset, 

In  quas  fortunae  leges  quaeque  hora  valeret, 

Quantaque  quam  parvi  facerent  discrimina  motus. 

Postquam  omnis  coeli  species,  redcuntibus  astris, 

Descripta  in  proprias  sedes,  et  reddita  certis  50 

Fatorum  ordinibus  sua  cuique  potentia  formae  j 

Per  varios  usus  artem  experientia  fecit, 

Exemplo  monstrante  viam ;   speculataque  longe 


39.  Vinxere  deum,  '  by  faithful  ser- 
vice  attached  the  deity  to  them,'  i.e.  put 
him  under  an  obHgation  to  manifest  him- 
self.  '  Vincire  ofiicio,  non  magicis  taeniis' 
is  Jacob's  explanation  of  the  word  in  his 
Glossary.  Some  early  editions  have  '  jun- 
xere.' 

41.  Inque  deum.  The  '  in'  is  sepa- 
rated  by  tmesis  from  '  tuht '  =  '  deum  iis 
intulit,'  a  powerful  mode  of  expressing  the 
self-revelation  of  the  divinity  to  his  priests. 
Compare  Virgi^s  description  of  the  Sibyl, 
Ae.  6.  78  '  magnum  si  pectore  possit  Ex- 
cussisse  deum.' 

42.  Hi,  i.  e.  kings  and  priests. 
Movere,   'begun:'  so  Virg.  Ae.  7-  45 

•  Majus  opus  moveo.'  There  is  an  old 
reading  '  novere.'  The  two  words  are 
commonly  interchanged  :  see  the  diffi- 
cult  passage  in  Grat.  Cyn.  45  (255),  and 
note. 

Per  artem  :  cp.  Virg.  G.  I.  122  '  pri- 
musque  per  artem  Movit  agros,'  and  Lucr. 
5.  10. 

43.  Vagis,  emphatic  epithet,  '  on  the 
courses  of  the  stars.' 

44.  Proprio  .  .  casu,  as  in  3.  32  '  Tem- 
poraque  et  varios  casus.'  He  describes  the 
method  ('  artem '  v.  42)  by  which  astrology 
was  discovered.  The  priests  noted  each 
change  of  season,  regulated  by  the  stars, 
and  the  particular  circunistances  and  events 
which  accompanied  it ;  then  when  obser- 
vations  had  been  made  over  a  sufficiently 
long  period  ('  longa  saecula'),  they  pre- 
dicted  the  one  from  the  other.     Scaliger 


conjectures  '  propria  .  .  causa'  without  rea- 
son.  Stoeber  aptly  compares  Cic.  de  Div. 
2.  42. 

46.  Nascenti,  Bentley's  correction  of 
'Nascendi'  (MSS.),  which  he  denies  can 
be  joined,  consistently  with  Latin  usage, 
to  '  dies '  in  the  sense  of  '  dies  natalis.' 
Jacob  and  Weber  retain  the  latter. 

50.  Descripta  in  sedes.  'Praecepta' 
(MSS.)  might  mean  by  itself  '  anticipated,' 
'  first  grasped,'  or  (less  suitably)  '  taught :' 
but  the  '  in  proprias  sedes '  following  makes 
Bentley's  conjecture,  given  in  the  text, 
highly  probable.  Cp.  4.  588  '  Quatuor  in 
partes  coeli  describitur  orbis :'  Ib.  737  '  Et 
certis  descripta  nitent  rationibus  astra.' 
At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  acknow- 
ledged  that  pecuhar  usages  of  prepositions 
(especially  '  in'  and  '  sub')  are  among  the 
characteristics  of  Manilius'  style. 

51.  Fatorum,  i.  e.  through  the  fixed 
recurrence  of  events  that  followed  it,  each 
appearance  presented  by  the  heavens 
(' forma'  =  ' species  coeli'  v.  49)  had  its 
special    influence    assigned    to    it.      Cp.  v. 

254- 

52.  53.  Usus  .  .  viam.  Compare  Vir- 
girs  use  of  these  words  in  the  parallel  line, 
G.  2.  22  '  Sunt  alii  quos  ipse  via  sibi  rep- 
perit  usus  :'  so  Lucr.  5.  1449  '  Usus  et  im- 
pigrae  simul  experientia  mentis,'  etc. 

Experientia  denotes  the  general  pro- 
cess,  as  '  usus '  the  several  details  and 
instances. 

53.  Speculataque  longe,  •  with  far- 
reaching  glance.' 


!52 


MANILIUS. 


Deprendit  tacitis  dominantia  legibus  astra, 
Et  totum  alterna  mundum  ratione  moveri, 
Fatorumque  vices  certis  discurrere  signis. 
Nam  rudis  ante  illos  nullo  discrimine  vita 
In  speciem  conversa  operum  ratione  carebat, 
Et  stupefacta  novo  pendebat  lumine  mundi : 
Tum  velut  amissis  maerens,  tum  laeta  renatis 
Sideribus,  variosque  dies  incertaque  noctis 
Tempora  nec  similes  umbras,  jam  sole  regresso, 
Jam  propiore,  suis  poterat  discernere  causis. 
Necdum  etiam  doctas  soUertia  fecerat  artes, 
Terraque  sub  rudibus  cessabat  vasta  colonis. 
Tumque  in  desertis  habitabat  montibus  aurum, 
Immotusque  novos  pontus  subduxerat  orbes. 


55 


60 


54.  Dominantia  . .  astra,  sc. '  moveri,' 
'  the  sovereign  stars  move  by  silent  laws,' 
as  3-  119  *  Atque,  utcunque  regunt  domi- 
nantia  sidera,  parent.' 

55.  Totum  Jacob  takes  as —  to  iTav,  as 
in  V.  168  :  in  ignorance  of  this  the  '  mundi ' 
of  one  good  MS.  has  (he  thinks)  been 
altered  into  '  mundum.' 

Alterna  .  .  ratione  :  so  2.  63  '  Totum- 
que  aherno  consensu  vivere  mundum  Et 
rationis  agi  motu.'  Stoeber  explains  '  al- 
terna  ratione,'  sc.  '  naturae,  quae  Deus  Ma- 
nilio,  et  astrorum  in  eundem  finem  mutuo 
conspirante ; '  it  might  also  refer  to  the 
correspondence  between  the  order  of  things 
below  and  the  movements  of  the  stars 
above.  Perhaps,  after  all,  Scaliger's  con- 
jecture  '  aeterna,'  which  Jacob  adopts  in 
his  text,  is  best  suited  to  this  passage ; 
these  two  words  are  again  interchanged, 
3.  55  '  Staretque  altemo  religatus  foedere 
mundus,' which  Bentley  alters  into  'aeterno.' 

56.  Discurrere.  Most  editions  accept 
this  happy  conjecture  of  Scaliger's  in  place 
of  'discernere'  (MSS.'^ ;  Jacob  however 
defends  '  discernere,'  which  he  joins  with 
'  deprendit,'  i.  e.  experience  learnt  to  dis- 
cover  the  laws  ('  leges,'  'rationem,'  'signa') 
by  which  the  universe  ('  totum')  was  con- 
trolled.  But  is  '  deprendit  discernere '  a 
legitimate  expression,  and  may  not  '  dis- 
cernere'  have  arisen  from  some  confusion 
with  'discrimine'  in  the  following  line,  or 
with  the  same  word  in  v.  63  ? 

57.  Ante  illos,  i.e.  the  Chaldaean  and 
Aegyptian  priests. 

Nullo  discrimine,  i.e.  with  no  power 
of  distinguishing  causes  and  elTects. 


Vita,  abstract  for  concrete,  '  qui  tum 
vivebant  : '  cp.  Tibull.  2.  I,  37  '  his  vita 
magistris  Desuevit,'  etc. 

58.  In  speciem,  opp.  to  '  ratione,' 
'  intent  on  the  appearance,  they  missed  the 
cause  or  plan  of  Nature's  works.'  Com- 
pare  the  similar  description  in  Lucr.  5. 
I181  foll. 

60.  Amissis.  Manilius  seems  to  refer 
to  Lucr.  5.  970-977. 

62.  Nec  similes.  The  'nec'  here 
seems  to  be  inseparable  from  'similes'  = 
'  et  dissimiles.'  Hence  the  difficulty  of  the 
common  reading  '  poterat '  in  the  next 
line,  the  sense  of  the  passage  demanding 
'  non  poterat  discernere;'  but  a  negative 
may  be  perhaps  supplied  from  the  subject  of 
'  poterat,'  viz.  '  rudis  vita  nullo  discrimine,' 
or  (as  Jacob)  from  '  pendebat '  v.  59  = 
'  nescibat.'  If  '  nec'  be  joined  with  '  po- 
terat,'  ('  neque '  being  omitted  with  the 
earlier  clauses,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  I.  544,) 
'  similes '  niust  mean  that  the  shadows 
were  like,  but  produced  by  a  different 
cause.  Bentley's  correction,  '  impar  dis- 
cernere,'  is  too  violent  to  be  admitted. 

64.  Sollertia,  i.  e.  in  the  practical  arts 
they  were  as  backward  as  in  specula- 
tion. 

65.  Rudibus, '  untaught,'  because  they 
knew  no  better. 

Vasta,  in  its  original  sense  =  '  deso- 
late,'  '  uncultivated,'  to  be  taken  closely 
with  '  cessabat,'  '  Earth  lay  idle  and 
waste.' 

67.  Immotus  :  old  texts  have  '  ignotus.' 
'  And  ocean,  unstirred  by  oars,  had  kept 
distant,  or  from  view,  new  worlds' — dis- 


MANILIUS. 


253 


Nec  vitam  pelago,  nec  ventis  credere  vota 

Audcbant  j    se  quisque  satis  novisse  putabant. 

Sed  cum  longa  dies  acuit  mortalia  corda, 

Et  labor  ingenium  miseris  dedit,  et  sua  quemque 

Advigilare  sibi  jussit  fortuna  premendo  : 

Seducta  in  varias  certarunt  pectora  curas, 

Et  quodcumque  sagax  tentando  reperit  usus, 

In  commune  bonum  commentum  laeta  dederunt. 

Tunc  et  lingua  suas  accepit  barbara  leges, 

Et  fera  diversis  exercita  frugibus  arva, 

Et  vagus  in  caecum  penetravit  navita  pontum, 

Fecit  et  ignotis  iter  in  commercia  terris. 

Tum  belli  pacisque  artes  commenta  vetustas  j 

Semper  enim  ex  aliis  alia  proseminat  usus. 

Ne  vulgata  canam :    linguas  didicere  volucrum. 


80 


covered  since.  Cp.  Sen.  Med.  379  '  Te- 
thysque  novos  detegat  orbes.'  See  a  similar 
sense  ot  '  subductus'  in  v.  391. 

68.  Vota,  i.  e.  hopes  and  plans. 

69.  So  runs  this  line  in  all  the  older 
MSS.,  not,  as  in  some  editions,  '  sed  quis- 
que  satis  se  nosse'  or  'novisse'  (Jacob). 
Cp.  Sen.  Hippol.  529  '  Nondum  secabant 
credulae  pontum  rates  ;  Sua  quisque  norat 
maria.' 

70.  Acuit . .  corda.  Manilius  through- 
out  this  passage  had  evidently  in  his  mind 
the  parallel  description  in  Virg.  G.  I.  121 
foll.  '  Pater  ipse  colendi  Haud  facilem  esse 
viam  voluit,  primusque  per  artem  Movit 
agros,  curis  acuens  mortalia  corda,'  etc. 

72.  Advigilare  sibi  :  so  TibuII.  2.  5, 
93  '  advigilare  nepoti,'  '  look  out  for  him- 
self.' 

Fortuna  premendo,  '  the  pinch  of 
each  man's  fortune.'  Manilius,  like  Lu- 
cretius,  is  partial  to  this  use  of  the  gerund  : 
see  vv.  74,  86,  167,  170,  etc. 

75.  Bonum  (MSS.).  Bentiey,  for  no 
particular  reason,  substitutes  '  novum.'  Cp. 
Lucr.  5.  955  (which  passage  Manilius  may 
have  had  in  his  mind)  '  Nec  commune 
bonum  poterant  spectare,'  and  (for  the 
sense)  Virg.  G.  I.  127  '  in  medium  quaere- 
bant.' 

Commentum,  '  contrivance,'  '  inven- 
tion : '  a  sense  of  the  word  derived  from 
the  similar  use  of  '  comminisci,'  and  used 
below,  v.  80. 

Laeta,  not  adverbial,  but  refers  to  '  pec- 
tora'  v.  73. 


77.  Et  fera.  This  is  the  reading  of  most 
MSS..  and  is  certainly  not  improved  upon 
by  Stoeber's  recommendation  (adopted  by 
Weber)  of  the  '  fora '  of  one  MS.,  still  less 
by  his  explanation,  '  Lingua  accepit  leges 
et  fora,  quae  cum  juris  dicundi,  tum  ser- 
monis  exercendi  causa  constituta.'  '  Fera 
arva'  is  the  '  terra  vasta'  of  v.  65,  and 
answers  to  the  '  caecus  pontus '  of  the  fol- 
lowing  line,  and  the  '  lingua  barbara '  of 
the  preceding  one. 

79.  Iter  in  commercia,  '  opened  for 
unknown  lands  a  highway  for  trade  with 
each  other.'     Bentley  quotes  Ov.  Ars  Am. 

2.  332  '  In  tabulas  multis  haec  via  fecit 
iter.'  AIl  the  MSS.,  except  one,  give 
'  itiner  commercia,'  but  Bentley  condemns 
the  former  word  as  '  nimis  vetustum  pro 
auctoris  saeculo.'  There  may  be  much 
truth,  on  the  other  hand,  in  Wemsdorfs 
remark  on  another  passage,  '  Plurima  anti- 
quata  verba  sequioris  aetatis  scriptores 
revocare  solent.'  Here  however  Bentley's 
reading  seems  on  the  whole  preferable. 

T  e  r  r  i  s,  the  dative,  but  not  =  '  ad  terras,' 
as  many  have  taken  it. 

Sl.  Alia  is  more  likely  to  have  been 
the  original  reading,  afterwards  altered 
into  '  alias'  and  '  alios'  for  the  sake  of  the 
metre,  than  vice  versa.  The  abstract  form 
of  the  expression  is  preferable,  and  the 
last  syllable  is  lengthened  both  by  the 
caesura  and  the  double  consonant. 

Proseminat  =  '  propagates,'  a  rare 
word,  occurring  once  in   Cicero,  De  Or, 

3.  16, 


254 


MANILIUS. 


Consultare  fibras,  et  rumpere  vocibus  angues, 
Sollicitare  umbras,  imumque  Acheronta  movere, 
In  noctemque  dies,  in  lucem  vertere  noctes. 
Omnia  conando  docilis  sollertia  vicit : 
Nec  prius  imposuit  rebus  finemque  manumque, 
Quam  coelum  ascendit  ratio,  cepitque  profundam 
Naturam  rerum  causis,  viditque  quod  usquam  est : 
Nubila  cur  tanto  quaterentur  pulsa  fragore, 
Hiberna  aestiva  nix  grandine  mollior  esset, 
Arderent  terrae,  solidusque  tremisceret  orbis, 
Cur  imbres  ruerent,  ventos  quae  causa  moveret, 
Pervidit,  solvitque  animis  miracula  rerum : 
Eripuitque  Jovi  fulmen  viresque  tonandi, 
Et  sonitum  ventis  concessit,  nubibus  ignem. 
Quae  postquam  in  proprias  deduxit  singula  causas, 
Vicinam  ex  alto  mundi  cognoscere  molem 
Intendit,  totumque  animo  comprendere  coelum  : 


90 


9S 


83.  Fibras.  The  first  syllable  is  rarely 
shortened  by  the  Latin  poets ;  is  there  any 
other  instance  besides  this  and  Sen.  Herc. 
Oet.  1278? 

Rumpere  .  .  angues,  one  of  the  results 
of  incantation.  Cp.  Virg.  E.  8.  71  '  Frigi- 
dus  in  pratis  cantando  rumpitur  anguis.' 
See  also  Ov.  M.  7.  203  foU.,  which  pas- 
sage  Manilius  might  have  had  before 
him. 

84.  Acheronta  movere  :  so  Virg.  Ae. 
7.  312.     See  on  v.  4. 

85.  In  noctemque  dies,  by  pretend- 
ing  to  cause  and  remove  eclipses  :  see  Ov. 
M.  1.  c.  '  pallet  nostris  Aurora  venenis.' 

86.  Docilis,  i.  e.  ready  to  learn  from 
experience  and  eifort,  as  described  above. 

87.  Manumque.  Bentley  pronounces 
for  this,  the  reading  of  the  MSS.,  as  against 
'  modumque,'  which  is  found  in  many  old 
editions.  It  must  be  taken  as  a  kind  of 
hendiadys,  '  finem  manumque' =  '  manum 
ultimam  imponere,'  which  is  the  common 
expression  in  good  Latin  authors.  See 
(quoted  by  Bentley)  Ov.  M.  8.  200;  13. 
403:  Id.  Her.  16.  115  :  Rem.  Amor.  1 14. 
It  is  not  the  only  instance  in  Manilius  of  a 
confusion  made  between  two  such  distinct 
phrases  as  '  imponere  manum '  and  '  impo- 
nere  finem.' 

88.  89.  Cepit  .  .  causis  :  cp.  2.  127 
'  prendere  mundum  : '  '  Ere  reason  scaled 
the  heavens  and  grasped  in  their  causes  the 
unfathomable    nature    of   things.'      There 


seems  no  need  to  adopt  Bentley's  conjec- 
ture  of  '  claustris'  for  '  causis  ;'  v.  540  is 
scarcely  a  sufficient  ground  for  the  change. 
For  the  ablative,  if  '  capere'  =  '  intelligere,' 
we  may  compare  v.6^  '  discernere  causis' 
= '  comprehend  Nature  through  (compre- 
hending)  her  principles;'  else  it  may  be 
a  kind  of  local  ablative. 

Profundam  (MSS.):  altered  by  early 
editors  into  '  profur.dis.'  This  is  a  Lucre- 
tian  sense  of  the  word.  With  the  next 
lines  cp.  Ov.  M.  15.  68  foll. 

92.  Arderent  terrae,  i.  e.  the  causes 
of  volcanoes. 

Solidus,  '  massive  ;'  Ov.  M.  I.  31  '  soli- 
dumque  coercuit  orbem.' 

94.  Miracula  rerum.  Virgil(G. 4.441) 
has  the  same  phrase  in  a  somewhat  dilTerent 
sense ;  here  of  course  it  expresses  the 
Lucretian  conception  of  releasing  the  mind 
from  the  sense  of  the  mysterious  and  mar- 
vellous  in  things. 

95.  Tonandi.  The  older  MSS.  give 
'  tonantis,'  in  which  case  Bentley  suggests 
'  nomen '  for  '  fulmen.'  He  adopts  how- 
ever,  in  his  text,  the  '  tonandi '  of  two 
later  ones,  comparing  v.  366  '  crescens  ad 
fulmina  vimque  tonandi.' 

96.  Nubibus  ignem  :  so  v.  849  '  fa- 
bricantes  fulmina  nubes.'  Cp.  Lucr.  6. 
143  foll. 

98.  Vicinam  ex  alto,  '  brought  near 
from  its  high  region,'  i.  e.  brought  within 
reach  of  the  understanding. 


MANILIUS.  255 

Attribuitque  suas  formas,  sua  nomina  signis ;  100 

Quasque  vices  agerent  certa  sub  sorte  notavit, 
Omniaque  ad  numen  mundi  faciemque  movcri 
Sideribus  vario  mutantibus  ordine  fata. 
Hoc  mihi  surgit  opus,  non  ullis  ante  sacratum 
Carminibus  :    faveat  magno  Fortuna  labori,  105 

Annosa  et  molli  contingat  vita  scnecta  • 
Ut  possim  rerum  tantas  emergere  moles, 
Magnaque  cum  parvis  simili  percurrere  cura. 


LIII. 

ASTRONOMICA.     Ltb.  V.  538-618. 

This  passage  contains  perhaps  the  finest  piece  of  description  to  be 
found  in  Manilius.  In  enumerating  the  several  constellations  as  they  rise 
in  reference  to  the  signs  of  the  zodiac,  the  poet  arrives  at  that  of  Andro- 
meda,  the  tale  of  whose  exposure  on  the  rock,  with  her  deliverance  from 
the  sea-monster  by  Perseus,  he  here  narrates.  Compare  the  description 
of  the  same  subject  by  Ovid  (M.  4.  670  foll.). 

Andromedae  sequitur  sidus,  quae  Piscibus  ortis 
Bis  sex  in  partes  coelo  venit  aurea  dextro. 
Hanc  quondam  poenae  dirorum  culpa  parentum 


101.  Certa  sub  sorte,  '  in  submission  in  his  Iiidex,  quotes  from  Appuleius,  '  ardua 
to  fixed  laws,'  better  taken  with  '  agerent '  emersi :'  while  the  common  usage  of  the 
than,  as  Weber  punctuates,  with  '  no-  accusative  with  such  verbs  as '  exire,'  '  eva- 
tavit.'  dere,'  '  egredi,'  etc,  aifords  sufficient  ana- 

102.  Numen  mundi.  Manilius  re-  logies  for  such  a  construction.  Bentley 
gards  the  '  mundus'  or  '  heavens '  as  a  reads  '  evincere  moles' simply,  it  appears, 
species  of  divinity  ;  hence  '  nunien '  =  the  from  a  comparison  of  VirgiTs  '  evicit 
'nod'  or  '  will '  of  heaven  manifested  in  gurgite  moles'  Ae.  2.496,  which  however 
its  '  facies.'  One  or  two  MSS.  have  '  nu-  few  will  feel  convincing.  Others  conjec- 
merum.'     See  Munro  on  Lucr.  3.  145  '  ad  ture  '  evolvere.' 

numen  mentis  momenque  movetur.' 

104.   Surgit  opus  =  ' begins.'     Cp.  Ov.  2.  Bis  sex  in  partes,  the  twelve  parts 

Fast.  4.  830  '  Auspicibus   vobis    hoc    mihi  of  the  Ecliptic,  marked  by  the  twelve  signs 

surgat  opus  :'  so  Amor.  I.  i,  27.  of  the   zodiac  :    '  When   the    Pisces    have 

107.    Emergere    moles,   '  rise    above  risen,  Andromeda  appears  in  her  place  in 

the  difficulties.'     This  is  the  reading  of  all  the  zodiac  on  the  right  (or  east)   of  the 

the  MSS.,  involving,  it  is  true,  the  unusual  heavens.' 

construction  of  '  emergere'  with  the  accu-  3.  Dirorum,  'fell:'  '  vox  sanguinis  no- 

sative  of  the  object  surmounted.     Jacob,  tionem  continet.'     Markland  on  Stat.  Silv. 


256 


MANILIUS. 


Prodidit,  infestus  totis  cum  finibus  omnis 
Incubuit  pontus,  timuit  navifraga  tellus. 
Proposita  est  merces,  vesano  dedere  ponto 
Andromedan,  teneros  ut  bellua  manderet  artus. 
Hic  Hymenaeus  erat :    solataque  publica  damna 
Privatis  lacrimis  ornatur  victima  poenae, 
Induiturque  sinus  non  haec  ad  vota  paratos, 
Virginis  et  vivae  rapitur  sine  funere  funus. 
Ac  simul  infesti  ventum  est  ad  litora  ponti, 
Mollia  per  duras  panduntur  brachia  cautes  j 
Adstrinxere  pedes  scopulis^  injectaque  vincla, 
Et  cruce  virginea  moritura  puella  pependit. 
Servatur  tamen  in  poena  cultusque  pudorque  : 
SuppJicia  ipsa  decent :    nivea  cervice  reclinis 
Molliter,  ipsa  suae  custos  est  ipsa  figurae. 


15 


5.  3,  84.      Cp.   Ov.  Ars  Am.  2.  383    (of 
Procne)  '  Altera  dira  parens.' 

Culpa  parentum,  Ovid's  '  maternae 
pendere  linguae  .  .  poenas,'  i.e.  the  mother's 
boast  of  her  daughter's  beaut\'  having 
ofFended  the  Nereids,  who  induced  Posei- 
don  to  flood  the  land,  and  send  a  sea- 
monster  into  it. 

5.  Navifraga,  Jacob's  reading  in  his 
edition,  is  the  best  emendation  of  the 
untenable  'naufragia'  of  all  the  MSS.,  the 
'  i '  having  got  displaced.  '  Naufragia  ' 
never  has  its  ante-penultimate  long,  Mani- 
lius  himself  using  it  as  short  in  4.  126. 
Scaliger  reads  '  quum  naufraga  ;'  Bentley's 
change,  as  usual,  is  more  violent,  '  Mau- 
rusia.'  The  earth  caused  so  many  wrecks 
that  it  became  terrified. 

6.  Proposita  est,  i.  e.  by  the  oracle, 
as  in  Ov.  l.c.  '  poenas  immitis  jusserat.' 

Merces  here  = '  poena,'  with  which  it 
is  more  usually  contrasted. 

8,  9.  Hic  Hymenaeus  erat  :  (cp. 
Lucr.  I.  90  of  Iphigenia),  i  e.  '  the  only 
wedding  pomp  she  was  to  know  was  this 
procession  to  her  death.'  Cp.  Soph.  Antig. 
813  oiiO'  vfifvaioiv  (yKKrjpov  .  .  a\K'  'Ax<- 
povTi  vvfj.(ptva<u.  Manilius  has  in  his  mind 
Virg.  Ae.  4.  127. 

Solataque.  Little  or  nothing  can  be 
made  of  the  MSS,  which  give  '  solaque  in 
p.  d.  Pro  natis  (Primatis)  lachrjTiians  o.  v. 
poena.'  The  reading  in  the  text  is  in  the 
main  the  fruit  of  Bentley's  ingenuity  : 
'  Consoling  her  country's  ills  by  self-sacri- 
ficing   grief  she    submits    to    be    decked.' 


Jacob  reads,  '  Hic  Hymenaeus  erat ;  solari 
publica  damna  Privatis  :  lacrimans  o.  v.  p.' 

9.  Victima  poenae,  'a  prey  to  the 
monster,'  '  poena'  being  used  as  below, 
V.  54  '  Adnantemque  tibi  poenam.' 

10.  Non  haec  ad  vota, '  flowing  robes 
prepared  for  hopes  and  projects  other  than 
these,'  i.e.  for  marriage  and  not  for  death. 

11.  Sine  funere  funus.  This  verse 
is  characterised  by  an  antithesis  and  alli- 
teration  as  congenial  to  Manilius  as  to 
Ovid :  cp.  4.  1 1  '  Et  summum  census  pre- 
tium  est  effundere  censum.'  Catullus  has 
a  somewhat  similar  expression,  62  (64).  83 
'  Funera  Cecropiam  nec  funera  portarentur.' 
Funus,  the  funeral,  and  not  a  hymeneal 
procession. 

15.  Virginea  :  to  mark  the  unnatural- 
ness  of  the  punishment  to  a  Roman  mind 
— a  maiden  on  the  cross  (of  rock)  ! 

16.  Cultus,  a  happy  conjecture  of 
Bentley's  for  fhe  '  vultus'  of  the  MSS. : 
'  Quomodo  vultus  servatur  qui  lacrimis 
opplebatur?'  He  quotes  Ov.  M.  13.  478 
(of  Polyxena)  '  Tum  quoque  cura  fuit 
partes  velare  tegendas,  Cum  caderet,  casti- 
que  decus  servare  pudoris.' 

17.  Reclinis,  a  word  first  found  in 
Ovid  ;  common  in  authors  after  him. 

18.  Est  ipsa,  in  all  the  MSS. :  '  sola ' 
is  only  a  conjecture,  or  else  an  interpreta- 
tion  of  '  ipsa '  which  has  crept  into  the 
text.  Jacob"s  conjecture  is  insipid  :  '  Mol- 
liter,  (ipsa  suae  custos  est  palla  figurae).' 
The  repetition  of  the  pronoun  is  hke  Juv. 
8.  147.  148. 


MANILIUS.  257 

Defluxere  sinus  humcris,  fugitque  lacertos 

Vestis,  et  effusi  scapulis  lusere  capilli.  20 

Te  circum  Alcyones  pennis  planxere  volantes, 

Fleveruntque  tuos  miserando  carmine  casus, 

Et  tibi  contextas  umbram  fecere  per  alas. 

Ad  tua  sustinuit  fluctus  spectacula  pontus, 

Assuetasque  sibi  desiit  perfundere  ripas.  25 

Extulit  et  liquido  Nereis  ab  aequore  vultum, 

Et  casus  miserata  tuos  roravit  et  undas. 

Ipsa  levi  flatu  refovens  pendentia  membra 

Aura  per  extremas  resonavit  flebile  rupes. 

Tandem  Gorgonei  victorem  Persea  monstri  30 

Felix  illa  dies  redeuntem  ad  litora  duxit. 

Isque,  ubi  pendentem  vidit  de  rupe  puellam, 

Diriguit,  facies  quem  non  stupefecerat  hostis :    v 

Vixque  manu  spolium  tenuit  •    victorque  Medusae 

Victus  in  Andromeda  est.     Jam  cautibus  invidet  ipsis,    35 

Felicesque  vocat,  teneant  quae  membra,  catenas. 

Et  postquam  poenae  causam  cognovit  ab  ipsa, 

Destinat  in  thalamos  per  bellum  vadere  pcnti, 

Altera  si  Gorgo  veniat,  non  territus  ire. 

Concitat  aerios  cursus,  flentesque  parentes  40 

20.   Scapulis    lusere,    a    very    happy  33.   Facies.     This  is  Bentley's   emen- 

restoration  by  Bentley  of  the  true  text  for  dation   of  'facie'   (MSS.).      He   takes   it 

'  scapulis   haesere'   (MSS.),   and   '  scopulis  with  '  hostis' (the  genitive),  i.  e.  Medusa's 

haesere,'  as  in  the  early  editions.       '  Her  face,   that   turned    all    beside    into    stone. 

hair   streaming   from   her    shoulders    wan-  Weber  also  joins  '  facie' with  '  stupefecerat.' 

toned  with  the  wind.'     Cp.  Ov.  M.  4.  673  Does  not  however  '  Diriguit  facie'  better 

•  nisi  quod  levis  aura  capillos  Moverat  et  correspond  with  '  manu  tenuit '  in  the  next 

trepido  manabant  lumina  fletu,  Marmoreum  line  ? 

ratus  esset  opus.'     Bentley  quotes  a  similar  36.   Victus   in   Andromeda,  i.  e.   '  in 

use   of  '  ludere'  in  Virg.  Ae.  1 1. 497  '  lu-  the    person   of,'   or,    '  in    the    case    of,'    a 

duntque  jubae  per  colla,  per  armos.'  favourite  sense  of  the  preposition  in  the 

24.  Tua  .  .  spectacula,  '  to  get  a  sight  Latin  poets.  Compare  the  phrases  '  ardere 
of  thee,'  or  '  at  the  sight  which  thou  didst  in — laborare  in — aliqua  :'  and  such  usages 
afford  :'  the  poetical  equivalent  of  '  ad  te  as  '  talis  in  hoste,'  '  vesanus  in  vite,'  etc. 
spectandum.'  See  Madvig  Lat.  Gr.  230  §  I.      Here  it  is 

Sustinuit,  '  kept  them  aloft,'  not  let-  almost  equivalent  to  '  ab.'  See  another 
ting  them  subside.  instance,  4.  45  '  Et  Cimbrum  in  Mario  .  . 

25.  Desiit   is  scanned  of  course  as   a      victum.' 

dissyllable.  37.   Ipsa.     On  the  recurrence  of  '  ipsa ' 

Ripas.    Some  MSS.  have  '  rupes,'  which  after  '  ipsis'  v.  35,  see  note  on  1. 13. 

Jacob  adopts.     On  '  ripas'  for  '  litora'  see  38.  Thalamos  .  .  ponti  :  cp.  Soph.  O. 

note  on  Ov.  M.  i.  41.  T.  195  es  fj.ifav  BaXaiiov  'AfUpiTpiTas :  so 

27.  Roravit  et  undas.   The  construc-  Stat.   Achill.  i.  27    '  undosis    turi)a    comi- 

tion    is   '  casus   miserata   (est)   et    roravit  tante  sororum  Prosiluit  thalamis.'     There 

undas    (lacrimis).'      Jacob    suggests    '  in  is  also  a  notion  here  of  his   own  bridal- 

undas.'  bed. 


258 


MANILIUS. 


Promissu  vitae  recreat,  pactusque  maritum 
Ad  litus  remeat.     Gravidus  jam  surgere  pontus 
Coeperat,  et  longo  fugiebant  agmine  fluctus 
Impellentis  onus  monstri :    caput  eminet  undas 
Scindentis,  pelagusque  movet ;   circumsonat  aequor         45 
Dentibus,  inque  ipso  rapidum  mare  navigat  ore. 
Hinc  vasti  turgent  immensis  torquibus  orbes, 
Tergaque  consumunt  pelagus ;   sonat  undique  Syrtis, 
Atque  ipsi  metuunt  montes  scopulique  ruentem. 
Infelix  virgo,  quamvis  sub  vindice  tanto,  50 

Quae  tua  tum  fuerat  facies  ?    quam  fugit  in  auras 
Spiritus  ?   ut  toto  caruerunt  sanguine  membra  ? 
Cum  tua  fata  cavis  e  rupibus  ipsa  videres, 
Adnantemque  tibi  poenam,  pelagusque  ferentem, 
Quantula  praeda  maris !   quassis  hic  subvolat  alis  55 

Perseus,  et  coelo  pendens  jaculatur  in  hostem, 
Gorgoneo  tinctum  deftgens  sanguine  ferrum. 
Illa  subit  contra  versamque  a  gurgite  frontem 
Erigit,  et  tortis  innitens  orbibus  alte 


41.  Promissu.  This  substantive,  it 
seems,  is  not  found  elsewhere  in  any  good 
Latin  author.  The  MSS.  give  '  promis- 
sum.' 

Pactusque  maritum,  '  pledging  him- 
self  to  wed  her,'  the  technical  signification 
of  '  pacisci  ;'  cp.  Ov.  M.  4.  703.  Old  edi- 
tions  have  '  pactusque  Hymenaeum.' 

45.  Scindentis,  pelagusque  movet 
(MSS.).  Bentley  would  read  '  scandentis 
pelagusque  vomit.'  There  is  much  to  be 
said  for  the  latter  conjecture,  as  'movet' 
is  unquestionably  weak  after  '  fugiebant 
fluctus,'  and  as  '  movit '  appears  in  one 
MS.,  a  transposition  of  letters  may  easily 
have  occurred.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  15.  514  '  Na- 
ribus  et  patulo  partem  maris  evomit  ore.' 
'  Scandentis '  however  is  hardly  established 
by  his  criticism  upon  the  common  reading, 
'  si  enim  eminet,  quomodo  aquas  scindit'  ? 
Jacob  reads '  Frendentis,  pelagusque  vomit.' 

46.  Navigat,  of  the  sea  'flowing'  in 
his  yavvning  jaws  :  a  peculiar  sense  of  the 
verb.  The  image  is  rather  an  e.xtravagant 
one. 

48.  Consumunt  pelagus,  as  we  say 
'  to  take  up  room,'  '  covers  the  surface  of 
the  sea,'  a  rare  sense  of  the  verb,  as  ap- 
plied  to  space.  See  Burmann  on  Val.  Fl. 
I.  832.     Ovid  1.  c.  has  '  possidet  aequor.' 


Syrtis  :  the  scene  of  Andromeda's  ex- 
posure  is  generally  laid  in  Mauritania.  The 
MSS.  give  '  fortis,'  whence  Voss  conjec- 
tured  '  Phorcys,'  i.q. '  the  sea,'  which  Jacob 
adopts  in  his  text. 

50.  Sub  vindice,  as  in  4.928  '  Au- 
gusto  crescit  sub  principe  coelum.' 

53.  Ipsa,  fem.  sing.  =  '  face  to  face.' 

54.  Poenam  :  sec  on  v.  9. 

55.  Quantula  .  .  alis,  '  how  sm.all  a 
prey  for  an  ocean's  jaws.'  There  is  much 
doubt  about  the  words  that  follow.  The 
MSS.  give  '  quantis '  and  '  quartis,'  for 
which  Jacob  happily  conjectures  '  quassis 
hic  subvolat  alis.'  '  Hic '  (adverb)  seems 
required  by  the  sense  of  the  passage,  with 
which  the  common  reading  ('  sed  pennis 
subvolat  alte')  seems  hardly  to  agree. 

Subvolat,  '  flies  upward'  from  the 
shore  :  see  v.  42. 

56.  Jaculatur  must  mean  here  '  darts 
himself  weapon  in  hand  against  the  foe :' 
cp.  V.  61.  There  is  no  need  of  altering  it 
with  Bentley  into  '  sic  fertur.' 

58.  Illa,  sc.  '  poena'  =  '  bellua'  v.  53. 
Versamque   .  .   frontem  :     Bentley's 

correction   of  '  versaque    asurgit   a   fonte ' 
(MSS.). 

59.  Tortis  innitens,  '  resting  on  its 
wreathed  coils.'     Cp.  v.  47  '  immensis  tor- 


MANILIUS.  259 

Emicat,  ac  toto  sublimis  corpore  fertur.  60 

Sed  quantum  illa  subit  semet  jaculata  profundo, 

In  tantum  revolat,  laxumque  per  aethera  ludit 

Perseus,  et  ceti  subeuntis  verberat  ora. 

Nec  cedit  tamen  illa  viro,  sed  saevit  in  auras 

Morsibus,  et  vani  crepitant  sine  vulnere  dentes  •  65 

Efflat  et  in  coelum  pelagus,  mergitque  volantem 

Sanguineis  undis,  pontumque  extollit  in  astra. 

Spectabat  pugnam  pugnandi  causa  puella ; 

Jamque  oblita  sui,  metuit  pro  vindice  tali 

Suspirans,  animoque  magis  quam  corpore  pendet.  70 

Tandem  confossis  subsedit  bellua  membris 

Plena  maris,  summasque  iterum  remeavit  ad  undas, 

Et  magnum  vasto  contexit  corpore  pontum, 

Tum  quoque  terribilis,  nec  virginis  ore  videnda. 

Perfundit  liquido  Perseus  in  marmore  corpus,  75 

Major  et  ex  undis  ad  cautes  provolat  altas, 

Solvitque  haerentem  vinclis  de  rupe  puellam, 

Desponsam  pugna,  nupturam  dote  mariti. 

Hic  dedit  Andromedae  coelum,  stellisque  sacravit, 

Mercedem  tanti  belli,  quo  concidit  ipsa  80 

Gorgone  non  levius  monstrum,  pelagusque  levavit. 

quibus  orbes.'     Dn'den,  Alexander's  Feast  70.   Animo  .  .  pendet.      A    pla}'    on 

(of  the  dragou), '  Sublime  on  radiant  spires  words  quite  in  the  style  of  Ovid. 

he  rode.'  72.  Remeavit.     The  older  MSS.  have 

61.  Semet  jaculata.  The  MSS.  give  '  summasque  iterum  renavit,' which  seems 
'  semper  jaculata,'  the  meaning  of  which  to  make  this  correction  by  Bentley  neces- 
would  hardly  be  clear  :  for  this  Gronovius  sary  :  otherwise  '  renavit '  may  be  consi- 
conjectured  '  semet  j.'  =  'darting  itself  forth  dered  to  suit  the  sense  best,  the  dead 
from  the  deep.'  Bentley  suggests  '  seque  carcase  '  floating  up  again'  to  the  surface. 
ejaculata  profundo  est,'  comparing  Ov.  M.  "jG.  Major:  cp.  Stat.  Theb.  7.  7°°  ' 'nde 
6.  259  '  ExpuUt  hanc  sanguis,  seque  ejacu-  viro  majoraque  membra  diesque  Lae- 
latus  in  altum  Emicat.'     Jacob  reads  '  spu-  tior.' 

mam  ejaculata.'  78.   Desponsam  pugna  reminds  us  of 

62.  In.     Bentley  suggests  '  Is,' arbitra-      Aeschylus' 5opi7a/i/3poi/,  Agam.  686. 

rily  pronouncing  the  following  hne  to  be  Nupturam  dote  mariti,  'tobe  made 

an  interpolation  inserted  for  the  purpose  of  a  bride  by  the  gift  of  her  lord,'  i.  e.  the  life, 

making  a  nominative  to  '  revolat.'  which  Perseus   had  bestowed    on  her,  iu- 

63.  Ceti  :  so  i.  431  '  cetus.'    The  mas-  stead   of  her  bringing   him   a  dowry  :    a 
culine   form   stands   somewhat   awkwardly  somewhat  forced  expression. 

here  between  the  '  iUa  subit'  of  v.  61,  and  80,  81.  Concidit  .  .  levavit, '  in  which 

'  cedit  illa'  on  the  next  line.     Plautus  also  the  monster  fell,  and  (by  its  fall)  relieved 

uses  the   masculine  singular :    but   usually  the  ocean.'     'Concidit'is  Bentley's  read- 

the  noun  is  found  only  in  the  plural.  ing  from  one  MS.  for  the  '  condidit '  of  the 

67.  Extollit  in  astra  seems  to  repeat  rest,   which    could    never    be    taken    with 

too  closely  the  '  efflat  et  in  coelum  pelagus'  '  monstrum'  in  the  sense  of  '  despatching' 

of  the  preceding  Hne.     Jacob  reads,  from  on  the    analogy   of  '  condere   bellum,'  as 

one  MS.,  '  exstillat.'  Stoeber  and  others  imagined. 

S  3 


PHAEDRUS. 


LIFE    OF     PHAEDRUS. 


Obscurity  seems  to  be  the  lot  of  fable-writers.  We  know  as  little 
of  Phaedrus  as  of  his  Greek  model  Aesop,  or  of  his  Latin  successor 
Avianus,  the  latter  of  whom  first  mentions  him  in  his  Dedication  to 
Theodosius  :  '  Phaedrus  etiam  partem  aliquam  quinque  in  libellos 
resolvit/  MartiaVs  '  improbi  jocos  Phaedri'  (3.  20)  is  held  by  many 
critics  not  to  refer  to  the  fabulist.  From  the  poet's  own  testimony 
(Prologue  B.  3.  v.  1 7),  he  appears  to  have  been  a  native  of  Mace- 
donia  or  Thrace,  and  to  have  come  as  a  slave  to  Rome.  Since  he 
is  styled  '  Augusti  Libertus'  in  the  tide  of  his  work,  it  may  be  con- 
cluded  that  the  Emperor,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  genius,  bestowed 
upon  him  his  freedom.  He  wrote  probably  in  the  reigns  of  Tiberius, 
Cahgula,  and  Claudius,  as  most  of  the  historical  allusions  occurring 
in  his  works  fall  within  that  period  of  time.  Ill-concealed  ridicule 
of  the  minister  of  Tiberius  exposed  Phaedrus  to  some  persecution 
froni  Sejanus;  while  his  own  vanity  and  sensitiveness  received  per- 
petual  shocks  from  those  who  were  envious  of  his  fame,  or  contemp- 
tuous  of  the  subject,  language,  and  style  of  his  poetry.  Books  3,  4, 
and  5  were  severally  addressed  to  his  patrons,  Eutychus,  Particulo, 
and  Philetus,  the  two  first  supposed  to  have  been  freedmen  of 
Claudius,  and  persons  of  some  influence  at  court,  whose  aid  the 
querulous  or  distressed  fabulist  appears  to  have  invoked  with  more 
importunity  than  success.     The  date  of  his  death  is  unknown. 

Phaedrus  is  the  only  poet  of  whom  we  have  any  remains  between 
the  age  of  Augustus  and  that  of  Nero ;  and  he  may  be  called  less 
a  poet  than  a  prose  author.  Still  he  may  fairly  claim  the  credit  of 
having  introduced  to  his  countrymen  from  Greece  a  new  though 
humble  style  of  so-called  poetry,  the  versification  of  fables,  probably 
the  only  order  of  composition  that  would  have  been  tolerated  in  the 
suspicious  reign  of  Tiberius.      His  one  excellence  is  as  a  teller  of 


264  LIFE   OF  PHAEDRUS. 

anecdotes  (sometimes  original  and  relating  to  his  own  times)  in  the 
plain,  concise,  unvarnished  diction  of  the  '  sermo  familiaris : '  for  to 
compare  his  style  and  language  with  that  of  Terence,  as  some  critics 
have  done,  is  to  place  him  on  a  level  very  much  higher  than  he 
deserves.  His  learning  seems  to  have  been  confined  within  the 
narrowest  limits,  Ennius  and  Virgil,  beside  Aesop,  being  the  only 
authors  referred  to  in  the  Fables.  His  unidiomatic  constructions, 
his  provincial,  vulgar,  and  prosaic  expressions,  his  fondness  for 
abstract  terms,  and  his  infrequent  use  of  conjunctions  and  particles, 
constitute  marked  symptoms  of  the  progressive  decline  of  Roman 
poetry.  His  versification  is  mechanically  correct,  and  the  lambics 
of  Phaedrus  are  unquestionably  better  adapted  to  their  subject  than 
the  Elegiacs  of  Avianus;  but  even  his  Senarii  are  often  dull,  spirit- 
less,  and  monotonous.  In  fact,  so  little  do  these  fables  in  spirit, 
language,  or  metre  bear  the  certain  stamp  of  the  Augustan  or  even 
Claudian  age,  that  they  have  been  supposed  by  one  critic  to  have 
been  the  creation  of  mediaeval  ingenuity,  while  Du  INIdril  suggests 
that  Phaedrus  wrote,  as  might  have  been  expected,  originally  in 
Greek,  and  that  what  we  now  possess  under  his  name  consists  of 
mere  translations  from  the  Greek  original,  executed  by  various 
authors  and  at  various  times.  For  a  high  estimate  of  the  style 
and  genius  of  Phaedrus,  compare  the  remarks  of  Hallam,  Lit. 
Europe,  vol.  3,  p.  465. 

The  earliest  jNIS.  of  the  Fables  of  Phaedrus  belongs  to  the  tenth 
century. 


LIV. 
PHAEDRUS. 


LiB.  III.  Prologus. 

This  Introduction  to  the  third  Book  of  his  Fables  contains  the  poefs 
dedication  of  it  to  a  friend  of  the  name  of  Eutychus,  just  as  in  the 
Prologue  to  B.  4  we  find  him  inscribing  that  to  Particulo,  and  B.  5  to 
Philetus :  see  5.  10,  10.  Eutychus  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  high 
station,  employed  perhaps  as  a  minister  or  secretary  in  the  imperial  court. 
Phaedrus  assures  him  that  a  life  of  business  and  money-making  is  un- 
favourable  to  the  cultivation  of  poetry  in  general,  and  to  the  appreciation 
of  his  own  works  in  particular.  The  patron,  like  the  poet,  must  give  up 
all  distractions,  if  he  is  ever  to  become  a  sound  judge  of  poetry.  Phaedrus 
next  describes  the  origin  of  fables,  and  shews  how  he  had  improved  on 
the  productions  of  Aesop,  though  not  without  bringing  trouble  on  himself 
from  Sejanus  by  some  of  his  additions.  He  clears  himself  from  any  charge 
of  malignant  insinuations,  on  the  ground  that  human  life  and  manners,  not 
particular  individuals,  formed  the  scope  of  his  raillery.  His  task  was  a 
difficult  one :  but  what  Aesop  and  Anacharsis  succeeded  in,  he  might  hope, 
for  the  honour  of  his  country,  and  with  the  benefits  derived  from  the  lite- 
rature  of  Greece,  to  undertake  with  some  prospect  of  deserved  fame.  He 
concludes  by  asking  Eutychus  to  give  a  judgment  of  the  work  marked  by 
his  characteristic  sincerity.  The  metre  is  the  Comic  lambic  Trimeter, 
(a  somewhat  free  form  of  the  lambic  Trimeter  Acatalectic,)  which  allows 
an  lambus,  Tribrach,  Spondee,  Dactyl,  or  Anapaest  in  every  place  except 
the  last,  this  being  always  filled  by  an  lambus. 

Phaedri  libellos  legere  si  desideras, 
Vaces  oportet,  Eutyche,  a  negotiis, 
.  Ut  liber  animus  sentiat  vim  carminis. 
Verum,  inquis,  tanti  non  est  ingenium  tuum, 
Momentum  ut  horae  pereat  officii  mei.  5 

4.   Inquis,  as  in  the  early  editions,  is  Ingenium    here  =  '  the    product    of 

the    right    reading,   not   '  inquit '   (MSS.).      your  genius,'  your  work. 
It  is  the  supposed  objection  of  Eutychus.  5.   Momentum  .  .  horae  form  almost 


266 


PHAEDRUS. 


Non  ergo  causa  est  manibus  id  tangi  tuis, 
Quod  occupatis  auribus  non  convenit. 
Fortasse  dices :    Aliquae  venient  feriae, 
Quae  me  soluto  pectore  ad  studium  vocent. 
Legesne,  quaeso,  potius  viles  naenias, 
Impendas  curam  quam  rei  domesticae, 
Reddas  amicis  tempora,  uxori  vaces, 
Animum  relaxes,  otium  des  corpori, 
Ut  assuetam  fortius  praestes  vicem  ? 
Mutandum  tibi  propositum  est  et  vitae  genus, 
Intrare  si  JVlusarum  limen  cogitas. 
Ego,  quem  Pierio  mater  enixa  est  jugo, 
In  quo  tonanti  sancta  Mnemosyne  Jovi, 
Fecunda  novies,  artium  peperit  chorum  j 
Quamvis  in  ipsa  pene  sim  natus  schola, 
Curamque  habendi  penitus  corde  eraserim, 
Et  laude  invicta  vitam  in  hanc  incubuerim. 


15 


one  word  = '  the  brief  space  of  an  hour ' 
rather  than  '  the  smallest  part  of  an 
hour ;'  '  that  even  one  short  hour  due  to 
my  business  should  be  wasted  on  it.' 

Officii,  found  in  the  best  MSS.:  altered 
by  Heinsius  unnecessarily  into  '  officiis.' 

lo.  Naenias,  '  nursery  rhjtnes,'  as  we 
might  say :  cp.  4.  2,  3  '  Sed  diligenter  in- 
tuere  has  naenias.'  He  adopts  the  term  of 
reproach,  which  Eutychus  may  be  supposed 
to  apply  to  the  Fables.  Cp.  Hor.  Ep.  i. 
I,  63  '  puerorum  Naenia.' 

14.  Assuetam.  Phaedrus  is  partial  to 
these  open  forms,  which  are  found  in  the 
best  Augustan  poets.  See  I.  11,5  '  in- 
siieta,'  i.  31,  3  '  miliium,'  and  3.  4,  2  '  re- 
liciias.'  One  edition  has  '  ut  ad  siietam 
fortius  perstes  vicem,'  but  this  is  only  a 
conjecture,  formed  from  the  'prestes'  of 
one  MS. ;  moreover  '  perstare '  is  usually 
constructed  with  '  in '  and  the  ablative, 
not  '  ad'  with  the  accusative. 

Vlcem,  '  your  usual  business;'  strictly, 
service  rendered  for  another,  or,  altemately 
vvith  another  :  cp.  Tac.  Ann.  4.  8  :  Ov. 
Ars  Am.  3.  666. 

17.  Pierio  .  .  jugo.  Phaedrus  repre- 
sents  himself  as  being  born  in  the  classic 
region  of  Pieria  in  Macedonia,  originally 
occupied  by  a  Thracian  people,  (cp.  v.  56 
'  Threissa  cum  gens  numeret  auctores 
suos,')  and  celebrated  as  the  birthplace  of 
Orpheus  and  the  Muses.  The  argument 
here  is :  If  I,  with  all  my  devotion  to  the 


Muses,  with  whose  home  my  birthplace 
associates  me,  scarce  am  reckoned  among 
poets,  what  is  to  become  of  him  (v.  24) 
who  thinks  of  nothing  but  money-making  ? 

18.  Mnemosyne.  Cp.  Hesiod.  Thcog. 
52  Movcai  'OXi;fi7rtd5es,  Kovpai  Atos  alyto- 
Xoio,  Tas  fv  JJiepir)  KpoviSrj  T€«e  narpi 
fjiifitad.  MvT)  1x0 avvt]. 

19.  Fecunda  novies:  the  nine  Muses 
were  born  all  at  once.  The  MSS.  give 
'  facunda.' 

Artium  is  used  here,  in  a  peculiar  way, 
for  the  Muses  themselves.  Heinsius  con- 
jectured  '  artificem.' 

20.  In  ipsa  .  .  schola,  '  the  very  seat 
of  leaming  itself.'  '  Schola'  appears  for 
the  first  time  here  in  poetry.  Weber  and 
other  texts  have  the  words  transposed, 
reading,  much  less  harmoniously,  '  natus 
sim  pene  schola,'  though  of  course  '  pene' 
might  lawfully  be  lengthened  before  the 
double  consonant. 

21.  Habendi,  sc.  'possessions,'  'money,' 
=  Greek  TrKfove^ia,  used  as  in  Hor.  Ep.  I. 
7,  85  '  amore  senescit  habendi.' 

Eraserim,  also  imitated  from  Hor.  Od. 
3.  24,  51  '  Eradenda  cupidinis  Pravi  sunt 
elementa.' 

22.  Invicta  .  .  incubuerim,  i.e.  with 
desire  for  praise  unsubdued  by  any  lower 
passion  for  wealth  or  ease.  Orelli  and 
Dressler  adopt  '  invicta  *  against  '  invita '  (as 
in  the  best  MSS.),  which  last  hardly  suits 
the   passage,   and   seems   to    have    sprung 


PHAEDRUS. 


267 


Fastidiose  tamen  in  coetum  recipior. 
Quid  credis  illi  accidere,  qui  magnas  opcs 
Exaggerare  quaerit  omni  vigilia, 
Docto  labori  dulce  praeponens  lucrum  ? 
Sed  jam,  quodcumque  fuerit,  (ut  dixit  Sinon, 
Ad  regcm  cum  Dardaniae  perductus  foret) 
Librum  exarabo  tertium  Aesopi  stilo, 
Honori  et  meritis  dedicans  illum  tuis. 
Quem  si  leges,  laetabor ,   sin  autem  minus, 
Habebunt  certe,  quo  se  oblectent  posteri. 
Nunc,  fabularum  cur  sit  inventum  genus^ 
Brevi  docebo.     Servitus  obnoxia, 
Quia,  quae  volebat,  non  audebat  dicere, 
Affectus  proprios  in  fabellas  transtulit, 
Calumniamque  nctis  elusit  jocis. 


30 


35 


from  a  confusion  with  the  word  that  fol- 
lows  it.  '  Multa,'  '  nuda,'  and  '  inventa ' 
are  other  conjectures.  Some  read  '  in  hanc 
vitam  incubuverim,'  but  there  seems  no 
authority  for  the  latter  form,  'tribuerit' 
being  the  undisputed  reading  in  18,  2. 

23.  Fastidiose,  '  grudgingly,'  in  refer- 
ence  to  the  disparagements  of  the  poet's 
enemies,  often  complained  of:  see  v.  60, 
and  Prologue  B.  4.  Compare  also  the 
Epilogue  B.  2. 10  foll. 

Coetum,  '  the  choir  of  the  Muses:' 
'  I  am  grudged  a  place  among  the  poets 
of  my  day.' 

25.  Exaggerare  .  .  vigilia.  Both  of 
these  words  are  common  to  Phaedrus  with 
Cicero  in  the  peculiar  sense  in  which  they 
are    used  here  :    cp.  Off.  i.  26,  92  ;   Phil. 

7-  7. 19- 

36.  Docto  labori.  So  Epilogue  B. 
2.  15  '  Sin  autem  doctus  illis  occurrit 
labor.'  A  carefully  studied  and  musical 
line. 

27.  Quodcunque  fuerit,  '  whatever 
may  be  the  result,'  i.  e.  whether  poetical 
taste  and  reputation  may  be  won  in  the 
midst  of  business,  as  you  may  suppose,  or 
only  by  entire  self-surrender  to  the  Muses, 
as  I  believe,  or,  more  probably,  whether 
you  are  disposed  to  read  me  or  not.  It 
can  hardly  signify,  '  whatever  this  book 
may  turn  out  to  be.'  The  quotation  from 
Virgil  (Ae.  3.77'  Cuncta  equidem  tibi  rex, 
fuerit  quodcunque,  fatebor')  of  so  common 
a  phrase  seems  to  be  a  very  needless  parade 
of  small  learning.     In  the  Epilogue  (v.  34) 


to  this  book  Phaedrus  quotes  from  Ennius 
to  better  purpose. 

29.  Exarabo,  '  write  a  third  book  with 
Aesop's  pen,'  i.  e.  in  his  style,  a  common 
usage  of  the  verb  in  Cicero's  letters. 

30.  Honori  et  meritis  :  '  Ex  veteri 
forniula  quae  in  inscriptionibus  frequens' 
(Gudius). 

33.  Fabularum  .  .  genus,  '  the  style 
of  fables,'  i.  e.  the  kind  of  literature  styled 
fables.  Cp.  '  Aesopi  genus'  Prologue  B.  2, 
V.  1,  and  4.  7i  2  '  jocorum  genus.'  So  too 
Prologue  B.  4. 1 3  '  Usus  vetusto  genere,  sed 
rebus  novis.'  Dressler  thinks  that  the  fol- 
lowing  passage,  vv.  33-50,  together  with 
the  Epilogue  to  this  Book,  was  written 
after  the  poet's  imprisonment,  here  ascribed 
to  the  agencj'  of  Sejanus,  and  was  inserted 
at  the  time  of  dedicating  this  portion  of 
his  work  to  Eutychus,  the  rest  of  it  having 
been  written  before  his  accusation. 

34.  Servitus  obnoxia,  'a  dependent 
slave,'  Aesop ;  his  masters  are  said  to  have 
been  two  Samians,  Xanthus  and  ladmon. 
This  use  of  abstract  for  concrete  terms  is 
a  well-known  peculiarity  of  Phaedrus.  See 
note  on  2.  5,  22  :  cp.  Milton,  P.  L.  12. 132. 
'  Obnoxia,'  as  in  Ov,  M.  5.  235  '  Submis- 
saeque  manus  faciesque  obnoxia  mansit.' 

36.  Affectus  proprios,  '  cast  his  pri- 
vate  feelings  into  the  form  of  fables.' 

37.  The  MSS.  here  presented  the  hope- 
less  reading,  '  fiet  scelus  it  locis,'  out  of 
which  Pithou,  the  earliest  editor  of  Phae- 
drus,  made  the  ingenious  restoration  of  the 
text. 


268 


PHAEDRUS. 


Illius  porro  ego  semita  feci  viam, 

Et  cogitavi  plura,  quam  reliquerat, 

In  calamitatem  deligens  quaedam  meam.  40 

Qupdsi  accusator  alius  Sejano  foret, 

Si  testis  alius,  judex  alius  denique, 

Dignum  faterer  esse  me  tantis  malis, 

Nec  his  dolorem  delenirem  remediis. 

Suspicione  si  quis  errabit  sua,  45 

Et  rapiet  ad  se,  quod  erit  commune  omnuim, 

Stulte  nudabit  animi  conscientiam. 

Huic  excusatum  me  velim  nihilominus : 

Neque  enim  notare  singulos  mens  est  mihi, 

Verum  ipsam  vitam  et  mores  hominum  ostenderc.      50 

Rem  me  professum  dicet  fors  aliquis  gravem. 

Si  Phryx  Aesopus  potuit,  si  Anacharsis  Scytha 

Aeternam  famam  condere  ingenio  suo : 


Calunmiam  .  .  elusit:  so  Cicero  has 
'  calumniam  non  effugiet,'  =  '  avoid  an 
action  for  libel  or  intrigue,'Cluent.  59. 163. 

Jocis,  the  word  usually  applied  by  the 
poet  to  his  fables.  See  4.  7,  2  '  Et  hoc 
jocorum  legere  fastidis  genus.'  Cp.  4.  2,  I, 
and  Prologue  B.  2.  5. 

38.  Semita  .  .  viam,  '  out  of  his  path 
I  made  a  road,'  i.  e.  by  enlarging  on  his 
plan.  The  distinction  between  'semita' 
and  '  via'  is  well  marked  by  Martial  7.  6t, 
4  '  Et,  modo  quae  fuerat  semita,  facta  via 
est.'  Burmann  prefers  the  less  harsh  form 
of  the  line,  '  Ego  porro  illius  semitam  f.  v.' 
Bentley  suggests  '  pro '  for  '  porro,'  others 
'  post.'  The  word  was  written  probabl}' 
pb  in  the  MS. 

39.  Cogitavi,  i.q.  '  excogitavi,'  '  in- 
vented.'  Cp.  Prologue  B.  4.  11  '  fabulis 
Quas  Aesopias,  non  Aesopi,  nomino,  Paucas 
ostendit  ille,  ego  plures  dissero.' 

41.  Alius  Sejano,  like  Horace's  '  alius 
Lysippo,'  Ep.  2.  I,  240,  '  any  one  else  but 
Sejanus.'  Phaedrus  had  evidently  been 
accused  of  ridiculing  the  minister  of  Tibe- 
rius,  (see  on  i.  2,)  and  was  probably  still  in 
prison,  as  these  lines  seem  to  imply,  but 
now  that  Sejanus  was  dead  he  could  speak 
freely  of  his  persecutor,  while  he  was  urging 
Eutychus  to  exert  himself  for  his  liberation. 

42.  Judex  is  obviously  the  right  word 
after  'accusator'  and  '  testis.'  'Index' 
however  has  been  suggested  from  a  com- 
parison  with  Tac.  Ann.  4.  28  '  Structas 
principi   insidias  .  .  index    idem    et    testis 


dicebat:'  see  however  Ib.  c.  59  (of  Se- 
janus)  '  Adsimulabatque  judicis  partes  ad- 
versus  Germanici  stirpem,  subditis  qui 
accusatorum  nomina  sustinerent,'  where 
all  the  MSS.  have  'judicis,'  not  (as  later 
editions)  '  indicis.' 

45.  Suspicione.  One  or  two  editors 
read  '  suspectione,'  seemingly  from  igno- 
rance  of  the  first  '  i '  in  '  suspicio '  being 
always  long. 

46.  Rapiet,  i.e.  'wrest'  out  of  it  an 
appHcation  to  himself. 

Erit,  future  by  attraction,  or  =  'what 
will  be  found  to  be  common  to  all.' 

48.  Huic,  not  Sejanus,  but  the  mis- 
taken  individual  of  v.  45,  whose  suspi- 
ciousness  has  only  caused  him  to  reveal 
the  secret  faults  or  crimes  of  his  heart. 
Phaedrus  says  he  did  not  mean  even  to 
produce  this  effect. 

49.  Notare,  '  mark  out  for  censure  : ' 
while  '  ostendere '  is  simply  '  to  portray  as 
they  are.' 

50.  Ipsam  vitam,  i.e.  life  in  the  ab- 
stract,  not  individual  lives  and  characters. 
Cp.  Prologue  B.  1.4.  So  Martial  8.  3,  20 
'  Agnoscat  mores  vita  legatque  suos.' 

52,  53.  Si  Phryx,  i.e.  if  Aesop,  though 
a  Phrygian,  if  Anacharsis,  though  a  Scy- 
thian,  could  yet  by  their  genius  build 
themselves  a  deathless  fame,  etc.  There 
is  much  confusion  here  in  the  MSS.,  to 
which  Bentley  supposes  he  conforms  more 
closely  by  the  conjecture  '  Phrygibus  si 
Aesopus  potuit  si  Anacharsis  Scythis,'  i.  e. 


PHAEDRUS.  269 

Ego,  litteratae  qui  sum  propior  Graeciae, 

Cur  somno  inerti  deseram  patriae  decus  ?  55 

Threissa  cum  gens  numeret  auctores  suos, 

Linoque  ApoUo  sit  parens,  Musa  Orpheo, 

Qui  saxa  cantu  movit,  et  domuit  feras, 

Hebrique  tenuit  impetus  dulci  mora. 

Ergo  hinc  abesto,  Livor,  ne  frustra  gemas,  60 

Quoniam  mihi  soUemnis  debetur  gloria. 

Induxi  te  ad  legendum  :    sincerum  mihi 

Candore  noto  reddas  judicium  peto. 


LV. 


LIB.  L  2. 

The  well-known  fable  contained  in  this  extract  is  not  only  an  excellent 
sample  of  the  poefs  narrative  style,  clear,  forcible,  terse,  and  straight- 
forward,  but  it  is  also  interesting  as  one  of  those  which  probably  afforded 
matter  of  accusation  against  Phaedrus.  For  while  the  alleged  apphcation 
of  the  original  fable  by  Aesop  to  the  Athenians  under  Pisistratus  involves 
many  difficulties,  the  parallelism  of  the  cases  being  hard  to  establish,  its 
truth  and  significance  is  enhanced  tenfold  if  it  be  regarded  as  pointing 
to  Tiberius,  at  one  time  sunli  in  debauchery  and  indolence  at  Capreae, 
at  another  displaying  the  greatest  energy  and  ferocity  at  Rome  :  (see  Tac, 
Ann.  4.  67  '  Quanto  intentus  olim  publicas  ad  curas,  tanto  occultos  in  luxus 
et  malum  otium  resolutus.'  Cp.  Ib.  6.  i  with  6.  38)— the  King  Log,  in 
fact,  at  Gapreae,  the  King  Stork  at  Rome. 


'  if  they  could  build  for  the  Phrygians  and  57.  Cp.   Virg.   E.  4.  55-57,    a    passage 

Scythians,'   etc,   corresponding   with   '  pa-  probably  in  the  poet's  mind. 

triae  decus' of  V.  55  ;  Orelli,  however,  and  58.    Et     domuit.        Bentley    suggests 

Dressler  read  as  in  the  text.  '  edomuit,'  to  avoid  '  et '  preceding  '  que  :' 

54.    Litteratae,     opp.     to     barbarous  but  the  usage  is  not  so  rare  as  to  justify 

Thrace    and    Scythia.      In    Plautus    and  the  alteration ;  it  is  found  in  Cicero. 

Terence  this  word  is  generally  appHed  to  59.   Hebrique,  having  been  carelessly 

a  '  branded  slave  ;'  Cicero  and  subsequent  written  'Herebique'  in  an  early  MS.,  some 

writers  however  often  use  it  in  the  sense  editors    give    '  Erebique,'    referring    it    to 

of  '  learned,'  '  elegant.'     Cp.  Epilogue  B.  Eurydice's   recovery,  a  sense  which  obvi- 

2.8'  Quod  si  labori  faverit  Latium  meo,  ously  the  words  do  not  admit  of. 

Plures  habebit,  quos  opponat  Graeciae.'  61.   Sollemnis,  '  usual,'  i.e.  for  which 

56.   Threissa.     Phaedrus  ciaims  to  be  there    is    a    precedent    in    such    Thracian 

aThracian:  see  on  '  Pierio  jugo' v.  17.  authors  as   Linus   and  Orpheus.     Bentley 

Auctores  suos,  =  ' native  poets  of  her  would  read  '  perennis,' to  match  the  '  aeter- 

own.'  nam  famam'  of  v.  53. 


27o 


PHAEDRUS. 


Athenae  cum  florerent  aequis  legibus, 
Procax  libertas  civitatem  miscuit, 
Frenumquc  solvit  pristinum  licentia. 
Hic  conspiratis  factionum  partibus 
Arcem  tyrannus  occupat  Pisistratus. 
Cum  tristem  servitutem  flerent  Attici, 
(Non  quia  crudelis  ille,  sed  quoniam  grave 
Omne  insuetis  onus,)  et  coepissent  queri : 
Aesopus  talem  tum  fabellam  rettulit. 
Ranae,  vagantes  liberis  paludibus, 
Clamore  magno  regem  petiere  a  Jove, 
Qui  dissolutos  mores  vi  compesceret. 
Pater  deorum  risit,  atque  illis  dedit 
Parvum  tigillum,  missum  quod  subito  vadi 
Motu  sonoque  terruit  pavidum  genus. 
Hoc  mersum  limo  cum  jaceret  diutius,    * 
Forte  una  tacite  profert  e  stagno  caput, 
Et  explorato  rege  cunctas  evocat. 
IUac,  timore  posito^  certatim  adnatant. 


•5 


1.  Aequis  legibus,  the  Greek  taovo- 
/lia,  a  democracy  under  which  laws  are 
equall)'  and  impartially  administered  to  a!l. 

2.  Procax,  i.e.  '  liberty,  growing  wan- 
ton,  threw  the  state  into  confusion.'  '  Pro- 
cax'  is  formed  from  an  old  verb  '  procare' 
=  '  poscere,'  meaning  originally  '  impor- 
tunate,' '  forward,'  '  greedy  :'  compare  '  pe- 
tulans,'  '  petulcus,'  '  petax.' 

3.  Licentia,  best  taken  as  the  nomina- 
tive,  and  not  the  ablative. 

4.  Hic  conspiratis.  '  Hic'(not 'hinc') 
MSS.  ;  '  conspirati,'  used  like  '  conjurati,' 
first  apparently  by  Phaedrus,  afterwards  as 
a  substantive  =  '  conspirators,'  often  by 
Suetonius. 

Factionum  :  see  Hdt.  I.  59. 

5.  Tyrannus,  =  '  as,'  or  '  in  the  cha- 
racter  of,  tyrant.' 

6.  Attici,  often  used  as  a  substantive 
by  Phaedrus  for  '  the  Athenians,'  (see  Epi- 
logue  B.  2.  I  ;  4.  5,  32,)  but  not  by  any 
other  Augustan  author. 

7.  8.  Grave  .  .  onus,  '  because  to  those 
unused  to  it  every  restraint  is  irksome.' 
The  reading  '  Omnino  insuetis'  probably 
arose  from  the  first  syllable  of  '  insuetis ' 
being  written  twice,  or  froni  ignorance  of 
'  insuetis'  being  scanned  as  a  quadrisyllable. 
See  note  on  Prologue  B.  3.  14. 

9.  Rettulit,  as  in  Prologue  B.  1. 1  '  rep- 


perit;'  4.  23,  21  '  rettudi.'  The  form  '  re- 
tuli,'  with  the  first  syllable  short,  is  very 
rare  in  good  authors. 

10.  Liberis,  as  typifying  the  free  life 
of  a  democracy. 

11.  Clamore  =  '  cum  clamore.'  The 
poets  sometimes  add,  sometimes  omit  the 
preposition.     See  Munro  on  Lucr.  I.  275. 

14,  15.  Vadi.  So  all  the  MSS.  and 
best  editions ;  it  is  taken  with  '  motu :' 
'  the  splash  and  disturbance  of  the  pool, 
into  which  it  had  suddenly  been  dropped, 
frightened  the  timid  creatures.'  Weber  has 
'  vadis.' 

Pavidum  genus  :  like  '  inerme  genus' 
1.31,6,  '  lepidum  genus'  5.  7,  13. 

16.  Hoc  mersum  limo.  This  is  found 
in  all  the  best  MSS.,  and  is  retained  by 
Orelli  and  Dressler.  Bentley  corrects, 
'  Immersae  Hmo  quum  jacerent  diutius.' 
If  this  fable  is  intended  to  have  any  refer- 
ence  to  Tiberius,  the  reading  in  the  text 
(apart  from  MS.  authority)  is  obviously 
preferable ;  the  '  tigillum  mersum  limo' 
representing  the  emperor,  '  mersus  volup- 
tatum  sordibus,'  as  it  were. 

Diutius  must  be  scanned  as  a  trisyl- 
lable  :  so  also  '  diu '  and  '  diutinus '  are 
contracted  in  Plautus  and  Terence.  The 
comparative  means,  longer  than  would 
have  been  expected  from  anything  alive. 


PHAEDRUS.  271 

Lignumque  supra  turba  petulans  insilit :  20 

Quod  cum  inquinassent  omni  contumelia, 

Alium  rogantcs  regem  misere  ad  Jovem ; 

Inutilis  quoniam  essct,  qui  fuerat  datus. 

Tum  misit  illis  hydrum,  qui  dente  aspero 

Corripere  coepit  singulas :    frustra  necem  25 

Fugitant  inertes  :    vocem  praecludit  metus. 

Furtim  igitur  dant  Mercurio  mandata  ad  Jovem, 

AfBictis  ut  succurrat.     Tum  contra  deus : 

Quia  noluistis  vestrum  ferre,  inquit,  bonum, 

Malum  perferte.     Vos  quoque,  o  cives,  ait,  30 

Hoc  sustinete^  majus  ne  veniat,  malum. 


LVI. 

LIB.  II.  5. 

This  extract  contains,  not  a  fable,  but  (what  was  probably  more  to  the 
poefs  taste)  an  anecdote,  a  '  vera  fabella'  as  he  terms  it,  ilkistrative  of  one 
of  the  social  nuisances  of  his  time.  The  general  idleness  of  imperial  Rome 
created  a  number  of  busybodies,  flatterers,  and  Paul  Prys,  who  were  always 
meddhng  with  other  persons'  concerns,  or  inflicting  on  them  their  com- 
pany,  not  always  with  interested  motives,  but  simply  to  attract  notice  and 
favour,  or  to  employ  their  time.  See  Martial  2.  7 ;  4.79;  Seneca  De 
Tranquill.  An.  c.  12. 

20.   Lignum,  i.  e.  treating  it  only  as  gravissimis    et   recentibus  puniret.'     Some 

a  log  of  wood.  refer   the    '  hydrus '    to    CaHgula,    but    it 

Turba    petulans,    descriptive    of   the  is   doubtful  whether  Phaedrus   Hved   into 

people  during  the  retirement  of  Tiberius,  his  reign. 

as  '  pavidum  genus'  palnts  them  when  he  Singulas  ='  one  after  the  other.' 

roused  himself.  27.  Furtim,  i.  e.  lest  the  snake  should 

23.  Esset.  The  subjunctive  marks  the  devour  them,  if  he  knew  what  they  were 
alleged  ground  of  the  request.  doing :  or,  compared  with  v.  II,  to  shew 

Fuerat,  the   indicative,  expressing  the  how  humbled  they  were,  not  demanding  a 

simple   fact,  =  6   irpii/   5o9ds.      Cp.  Tac.  kingloudly  inperson,  but  through  Mercury, 

Ann.  6.  38   '  Ipsi   (Caesari)   fluxam    senio  as   the   messenger  or  intercessor  between 

mentem  et  continuo  abscessu  velut  exilium  gods  and  men. 
objectando.'  Mandata  govems  the  following  '  ut.' 

24.  Hydrum,  'a  water-snake.'  29,  30.    Bonum  .  .  Malum   might  be 

25.  Corripere  .  .  singulas,  as  de-  taken  as  masculine,  understanding  '  regem;' 
scriptive  of  Tiberius'  behaviour,  may  but  it  suits  better  with  the  following  hnes 
be  illustrated  by  Tac.  Ann.  6.  38  '  Non  to  take  it  as  neuter,  =  '  when  you  were 
enini    Tiberium  .  .  tempus,    preces,    satias  well  off  and  ill  oflT.' 

mitigabant    quin    incerta    vel    abolita    pro  Ait,  sc.  '  Aesopus.' 


272 


PHAEDRUS. 


£sT  ardelionum  quaedam  Romae  natio, 
Trepide  concursans,  occupata  in  otio, 
Gratis  anhelans,  multa  agendo  nihil  agens, 
Sibi  molesta  et  aliis  odiosissima : 
Hanc  emendare,  si  tamen  possum,  volo 
Vera  fabella:    pretium  est  operae  attendere. 
Caesar  Tiberius  cum,  petens  Neapolim, 
In  Misenensem  villam  venisset  suam, 
Quae  monte  summo  posita  Luculli  manu, 
Prospectat  Siculum,  et  respicit  Tuscum  mare 
Ex  alticinctis  unus  atriensibus, 
Cui  tunica  ab  humeris  linteo  Pelusio 
Erat  destricta,  cirris  dependentibus, 
Perambulante  laeta  domino  viridia. 


1.  Ardelionum,  not '  ardalionum'  as  in 
most  MSS.,  seems  to  be  the  right  form  of 
the  word.  It  is  conjecturally  derived  from 
'  ardeo.* 

Natio,  in  a  contemptuous  sense,  as  \ve 
use  the  word  '  tribe :'  so  used  by  Plautus 
and  Cicero. 

2.  Trepide  concursans.  Cp.  Sen. 
De  Tranquill.  An.  c.  I  2  '  Circumcidenda  con- 
cursatio,  qualis  est  magnae  parti  hominum 
domos  et  theatra  et  fora  pererrantium. 
AHenis  se  negotiis  offerunt,  semper  aliquid 
agentibus  similes.' 

3.  Gratis,  (sometimes  used  in  its  full 
form,  'gratiis')  '  for  nothing.'  Lucr.  3. 
947  uses  it  as  nearly  =  '  grate.' 

5.  Emendare,  according  to  the  poet's 
didactic  purpose,  spoken  of  in  the  Pro- 
logue  to  this  Book,  '  Nec  aHud  quidquam 
per  fabellas  quaeritur,  Quam  corrigatur 
error  ut  mortahum,'  vv.  2,  3. 

Si  tamen,  '  if  at  least  I  can.'  The 
phrase  softens  a  seemingly  boastful  state- 
ment,  as  in  Ov.  Tr.  3.  14,  24  '  Nunc  incor- 
rectum  populi  pervenit  in  ora,  In  populi 
quidquam  si  tamen  ore  meum  est.'  Is  it 
to  be  explained  by  an  ellipse,  '  Volo 
(dixero)  tamen,  si  possum'?  see  on  Martial 
10.  24,  6. 

8.  Misenensem:  cp.  Tac.  Ann.  6.  50 
'  Mutatisque  saepius  locis  tandem  apud 
promontorium  Miseni  consedit  in  villa,  cui 
L.  Lucullus  quondam  dominus.' 

10.  Siculum  .  .  mare  must  here  mean 
the  lower  part  of  the  Tyrrhenian  sea, 
where  it  washes  the  shores  of  Sicily.  Usu- 
ally  it  denotes  the  sea  which  is  on  the  east 
side  of  the  island. 


Respicit.  Dressler  adopts  this  conjec- 
ture  of  Heinsius  in  place  of  the  '  prospicit ' 
of  the  best  MS.  Bentley  suggests  '  de- 
spicit.'  The  poet  describes  the  villa  by 
its  front  and  back  view. 

11.  Alticinctis  .  .  atriensibus,  '  one 
of  the  stewards  girt  up  for  work.'  '  Alti- 
cinctu';,'  a  word  coined  by  Phaedrus  from 
the  'puer  alte  cinctus'  of  Hor.  S.  2.  8,  10. 

12,  13.  Cui  .  .  dependentibus, '  whose 
tunic  had  been  drawn  off  his  shoulders  and 
tied  with  a  girdle  of  Pelusian  linen,  while 
his  ringlets  dangled  over  them.'  This  is  a 
difBcult  passage,  which  may  be  taken  in 
more  ways  than  one.  The  version  above 
gives  the  words  their  natural  sense,  and 
represents  the  attendant  tuming  down  his 
tunic  below  the  shoulders,  in  order  to 
sprinkle  the  water  with  more  zeal,  or  to 
prevent  splashing  it. 

Linteo  Pelusio,  the  belt  by  which  he 
fastens  it  above  the  loins ;  so  Suet.  Cal. 
26  '  Et  coenanti  modo  .  .  ad  pedes  stare, 
succinctos  linteo,  passus  est.' 

Destricta  Weber  explains  by  '  laevi- 
gata,'  for  which  there  seems  to  be  no 
authority. 

Cirris  is  usually  taken  of  the  '  fringes' 
of  the  tunic,  or  of  the  belt,  but  there 
seems  to  be  no  other  passage  of  any  clas- 
sical  author  where  the  word  bears  this 
sense.  Compare  moreover  the  '  jactans 
ofBcio  comam'  of  v.  16.  Slaves  sometimes 
were  permitted  to  wear  their  hair  unshorn 
(see  Martial  12.  18,  25),  and  this  man  was 
probably  one  of  the  superior  domestics, 
engaged  in  what  was  not  his  business. 

14.    Domino.       Cp.    Suet.    Tib.    27 


PHAEDRUS. 


273 


Alveolo  coepit  lignco  conspergere 

Humum  aestuantem,  jactans  officio  comam  : 

Sed  deridetur.     Inde  notis  flexibus 

Praecurrit  alium  in  xystum,  sedans  pulverem. 

Agnoscit  hominem  Caesar,  remque  intelligit. 

Id  ut  putavit  esse  nescio  quid  boni : 

Heus !    inquit  dominus.     IUe  enimvero  assilit, 

Donationis  alacer  certae  gaudio. 

Tum  sic  jocata  est  tanta  majestas  ducis : 

Non  multum  egisti,  et  opera  nequidquam  perit ; 

Multo  majoris  alapae  mecum  veneunt. 


15 


'  Dominus  appellatus  a  quodam  denunci- 
avit,  ne  se  amplius  contumeliae  causa  no- 
minaret.' 

Viridia  here=  '  viridaria'  or  '  viridiaria,' 
which  last  the  best  MSS.  read.  Unless 
'  laeta,'  a  somewhat  unmeaning  epithet, 
could  have  crept  into  the  text  from  some 
confused  repetition  of  the  last  syllable  of 
'  perambulante,'  '  viridiaria '  would  make 
a  seven-foot  line.  'Viridia'  however  is 
used  as  a  substantive  by  Seneca,  Vitruvius, 
and  others. 

16.  Jactans  officio  comam,  '  tossing 
his  head  (Ht.  '  the  curls  on  his  head,'  see 
V.  13)  about  in  the  ardour  of  his  work.' 
This  can  be  the  only  meaning  of  the 
words  in  the  text,  which  form  the  nearest 
approach  to  the  MS.  '  jactans  officium 
come.'  Numerous  conjectures  have  been 
made,  Bentley  suggesting  '  leve '  for  '  come,' 
Bothe  '  comes,'  while  Weber  adopts  the 
emendation  of  Rigaltius,  '  come  officium 
jactitans '  = '  jactans  officii  sui  elegantiam 
munditiamque,'  as  he  explains  it. 

19.  Remque  intelligit,  i.e.  recognised 
the  feliow  and  the  meaning  of  his  act. 

20.  Id,  this  notice  which  Tiberius 
seemed  to  take  of  the  service :  '  the 
steward  thinking  that  recognition  meant 
some  good.'     Some  read  '  is.' 

21.  Ille  enimvero,  as  often  in  the 
comedians    and    Cicero.      '  Well,    he    of 


course  springs  toward  his  master,  brisk 
with  the  joyous  prospect  of  a  present  sure 
to  follow.' 

22.  Alacer  certae  :  one  editor  sug- 
gested  '  alapae  certe,'  i.  e.  of  manumission 
at  least.  But  the  common  reading  makes 
good  sense  ;  and  the  '  certe'  of  the  MSS. 
is  explained  by  the  fact  of  the  vowel  being 
throughout  almost  always  written  for  the 
diphthong. 

23.  Majestas  ducis  =  ' magnus  dux.' 
See  on  Prologue  B.  3.  34  'servitus  obnoxia.' 
Cp.  1. 1 3, 1 2  '  Corvi  stupor  ingemuit ;'  I.  5, 
1 1  '  Improbitas  (leonis)  praedam  abstulit ;' 
4. 6, 1 2  '  Periclitatur  magnitudo  principum,' 
and  many  others. 

24.  Perit  =  '  periit,'  as  in  4.  21,  27. 
See  note  on  Sen.  Troad.  23,  and  Munro's 
remarks  on  Lachmann's  note  to  Lucr.  3. 
1042. 

25.  Multo  majoris,  '  the  stroke  of 
freedom  fetches  a  much  higher  price  with 
me,'  alluding  to  the  well-known  cere- 
mony  of  manumission,  the  master  laying 
his  hand,  or  (more  usually)  the  '  vin- 
dicta,'  or  rod,  upon  the  slave  to  be  freed. 
Tiberius  means  that  for  such  a  paltry 
service  the  slave  is  not  going  to  get  his 
freedom  from  him. 

Mecum,  =  '  apud  me,'  '  chez  moi,'  as 
though  it  were,  '  not  bought  so  cheap  at 
my  shop.' 


274  PHAEDRUS. 


LVII. 

LIB.  IV.  5. 

We  have  here  an  anecdote  of  a  different  kind,  the  interest  of  which, 
as  is  often  the  case,  does  not  lie  in  the  somewhat  feeble  moral,  but  in 
the  enigma,  propounded  by  the  will  of  the  old  man  in  the  story,  and  the 
lively,  vigorous,  and  picturesque  style  in  which  the  attempts  at  its  solution 
are  described,  It  is  evidently  a  creation  of  the  poet's  own,  Aesop's  name 
being  introduced  only  '  auctoritatis  gratia,'  on  the  principle  laid  down  in 
the  Prologue  to  B.  5. 

Plus  esse  in  uno  saepe,  quam  in  turba,  boni, 

Narratione  posteris  tradam  brevi. 

Quidam  decedens  tres  reliquit  filias ; 

Unam  formosam  et  oculis  venantem  viros  : 

At  alteram  lanificam  et  frugi  rusticam  :  5 

Devotam  vino  tertiam  et  turpissimam. 

Harum  autem  matrem  fecit  heredem  senex, 

Sub  conditione,  totam  ut  fortunam  tribus 

Aequaliter  distribuat,  sed  tali  modo, 

Ne  data  possideant  aut  fruantur  j   tum,  simul  10 

Habere  res  desierint,  quas  acceperint, 

Centena  matri  conferant  sestertia. 


2.   Brevi,  scarcely  an   apt   epithet   for  as  below,  v.  35  :  cp.  Ov.  M.  5.  583),  with 

one  of  the  poet's   longest  narratives,  but  which   Manificam'  and   '  frugi,'    as   adjec- 

not  to  be  changed,  as  Gudius  suggests,  into  tives,  agree.     Else,  if  it  be  regarded  as  an 

'  gravi.'     Next  to  the   poet's   passion   for  adjective  =  '  modest,'   '  retiring,'  then   the 

fame,  reputation  for  brevity  seems  to  be  '  et '    which   Burmann    reads   would    seem 

his  great   ambition.      See   Prologue   B.  2.  necessary  before  it,  of  which  however  the 

12  ;  Epilogues  B.  3.  8,  and  B.  4.  7.  MSS.  give  no  trace. 

4.  Venantem,  an   imitation  of  Plaut.  6.    Devotam,  used  like  the   far  com- 
Mil.  Glor.  4. 1,  44  '  Viden  tu  illam  oculis  moner  participle  '  deditus'  v.  43.    Cp.  Suet. 
venaturam  facere  atque  aucupium  auribus.'  Cal.  30    '  Equestrem    ordinem,    ut    scenae 
Cp.    Ov.    Med.    Fac.  27    '  quos    venetur  arenaeque  devotum,  assidue  proscidit.' 
amores.'  Turpissimam, '  very  ugly,'  v.  41  '  De- 

5.  Lanificam  :   the  highest  credit,  as  formis.' 

was  thought,  to  a  Roman  lady.     Compare  10.   Tum,  either  '  moreover,'  or   with 

the   well-known   epitaph,   '  Domi   mansit,  '  conferant,'  answering  to  '  simul.' 
lanam  fecit.'     Rigaltius  quotes  from  Luci-  12.   Centena,   i.e.   '  each   should   give 

lius :  '  sororem  Lanificam  dici  siccam  atque  a  hundred.'     There  is  no  need  of  adopting 

abstemiam  ubi  audit.'  Heinsius'  insertion   of  '  ut '  after  '  matri.' 

Rusticam,  better  taken  as  a  substan-  It  is  naturally  understood  from  the  '  ne'  = 

tive  (  =  '  a  country  girl  of  country  tastes,'  '  ut  non'  of  v.  10. 


PHAEDRUS. 


275 


Athenas  runior  implet.     Mater  sedula 

Juris  peritos  consulitj   nemo  expedit, 

Quo  pacto  non  possideant,  quod  fuerit  datum, 

Fructumve  capiant :    deinde,  quae  tulerint  nihil, 

Quanam  ratione  conferant  pecuniam. 

Postquam  consumpta  est  temporis  longi  mora, 

Nec  testamenti  potuit  sensus  colligi, 

Fidem  advocavit,  jure  neglecto,  parens. 

Seponit  moechae  vestem,  mundum  muliebrem, 

Lavationem  argenteam,  eunuchos,  glabros ; 

Lanificae  agellos,  pecora,  villam,  operarios, 

Boves,  jumenta,  et  instrumentum  rusticum  : 

Potrici  plenam  antiquis  apothecam  cadis, 

Domum  politam,  et  delicatos  hortulos. 

Sic  destinata  dare  cum  vellet  singulis, 

Et  approbaret  populus,  qui  illas  noverat, 

Aesopus  media  subito  in  turba  constitit : 

O  si  maneret  condito  sensus  patri, 

Quam  graviter  ferret,  quod  voluntatem  suam 


30 


15.  Fuerit,  not  (as  in  Weber)  '  fuerat,* 
is  evidently  required,  both  as  suiting  with 
'tulerint'  in  the  next  line,  and  as  = '  which 
was  supposed  to  have  been  given.'  Cp. 
V.  45. 

19.  Sensus,  '  the  purport  of  the  will.' 
One  MS.  has  '  census,'  i.  e.  the  disposition 
of  the  property  according  to  the  will. 
The  two  words  are  often  confused.  See 
on  Manil.  i.  12. 

20.  Advocavit,  a  judicial  term  :  '  She 
called  in  to  her  aid  her  own  good  faith, 
giving  up  the  law,'  i.  e.  either,  '  any  hope 
of  assistance  from  the  lawyers'  ('jus'  = 
'  jurisconsuhi,'  as  '  servitus'  =  ' servus*  Pro- 
logue  B.  3.  34),  or,  better,  '  passing  over 
the  legal  conditions  laid  down  in  the  will ;' 
the  mother  resolved  to  distribute  the  for- 
tune  equally ;  the  technical  restrictions  she 
purposed  to  omit,  as  being  unable  to  under- 
stand  them. 

21.  Mundum  muliebrem,  'a  lady's 
toilet,'  a  phrase  explained  by  Livy  34.  7 
'  Munditiae  et  ornatus  et  cultus  haec  foe- 
minarum  insignia  sunt  ;  his  gaudent  et 
gloriantur ;  hunc  mundum  muliebrem  ap- 
pellarunt  majores  nostri.*  This  is  an  lambic 
line  which  equally  admits  of  being  scanned 
as  an  Hexameter,  though  of  course  the 
penultima  of  '  muliebrem  '  here  is  short,  to 


make  the  final  lambus. 

22.  Glabros,  '  beardless  slaves;'  a 
word  used  by  Catull.  59  (61).  135.  Cp. 
Juv.  6.  366. 

24.  Boves  and  jumenta  are  often 
contrasted  :  '  jumenta  '  (' juvimenta')  in 
this  case  means  '  horses  for  draught,' 
'  teams.' 

Instrumentum  rusticum,  '  farm-im- 
plements.'  '  Instrumentum  '  is  commonly 
used,  especially  by  Cicero,  in  the  singular, 
like  '  apparatus,'  with  which  it  is  some- 
times  joined. 

25.  Potrix  is  not  found  in  any  other 
classical  author,  but  Terence  has  '  conipo- 
trix'  And.  i.  4,  5.  In  the  later  poets  these 
feminine  nouns  become  very  common. 

27.  Sic,  to  be  taken  with  'destinata' 
=  'seposita'  v.  21  :  '  the  goods  thus  set 
apart  or  assigned  she  proposed  to  distribute 
to  each.' 

Destinata  seems  to  have  been  a  tech- 
nical  term  for  the  intentions  of  a  will. 

30.  O  si,  not  a  wish,  as  often,  but 
expressing  the  common  doubt  as  to  the 
consciousness  of  the  departed.  Compare 
the  phrases  :  '  Si  quis  manium  sensus,' 
'  Nigras  si  quid  sapis  inter  arenas,'  '  Si 
sentire  datur  post  fata  quietis,'  and  such 
like. 

T  2 


276  PHAEDRUS. 

Interpretari  non  potuissent  Attici ! 

Rogatus  deinde  solvit  errorem  omnium. 

Domum  et  ornamenta,  cum  venustis  hortulis, 

Et  vina  vetera  date  lanificae  rusticae :  35 

Vestem,  uniones,  pedisequos  et  cetera 

llli  adsignate,  vitam  quae  luxu  trahit : 

Agros,  vites,  et  pecora  cum  pastoribus 

Donate  moechae :    nulla  poterit  perpeti, 

Ut  moribus  quid  teneat  alienum  suis.  40 

Deformis  cultum  vendet,  ut  vinum  paret  j 

Agros  abjiciet  moecha,  ut  ornatum  paret  j 

At  illa  gaudens  pecore,  et  lanae  dedita, 

Quacumque  summa  tradet  luxuriae  domum. 

Sic  nulla  possidebit,  quod  fuerit  datum,  45 

Et  dictam  matri  conferent  pecuniam 

Ex  pretio  rerum,  quas  vendiderint  singulae. 

Ita,  quod  multorum  fugit  imprudentiam, 

Unius  hominis  repperit  soUertia. 


32.  Attici,  emphatic, 'so  clever  a  people  fruantur'   was  one  of  the  conditions  :  see 

as  the  Athenians.'  v.  lo. 

37.  Adsignate,  '  apportion,'  here  used  42.  Abjiciet,  or  (as  in  the  older  MSS. 
in  a  sense  akin  to  its  original  one,  viz.  the  here)  '  abiciet '  =  '  throw  away,'  i.  e.  sell 
allotment  to  individuals  of  portions  out  of  at  any  loss  :  so  Plaut.  Most.  3.  3,  3  '  Nun- 
the  public  land.  quam  edepol  me  scio  Vidisse  usquam  ab- 

Luxu  in  its  narrower  sense  of '  excess  in  jectas  aedes.'     In  the  MSS.  both  this  and 

drinking.'     Cp.  Tac.  Hist.  2.  71   (of  Vitel-  the   preceding   line   end  with   '  paret,'   for 

lius)  '  luxu  et  saginae  mancipatus  emptus-  which  various   attempts  have  been  made 

que.'  to   substitute  '  petat,'  '  gerat,'  '  impetret,' 

38.  Agros,  vites,  perhaps  the  simplest  '  comparet,' etc.  Bentley  proposes  '  vinum 
correction  of  '  agros  utiles'  (MSS.).     Some  bibat'  in  the  line  before. 

prefer    however    '  villas '    for   '  vites'    (see  44.   Tradet,   '  will    hand    over  to    an- 

v.  23);  but  the  poet  purposely  varies  the  other.' 

terms  of  the  description.  Luxuriae    domum,  peculiar  genitive, 

39.  Perpeti,  followed  by  '  ut,'  is  a  ='the  establishment  that  ministered  to 
somewhat  uncommon  construction.  Te-  excess.'  Burmann  conipares  Cic.  Verr.  5. 
rence  uses  it  with  'ne'  in  Eun.  2.  I,  12  37  '  Ubi  iste  per  eos  dies  .  .  castra  luxuriae 
'  perpeti   ne    redeam   interea.'     '  Ne  datis  collocarat.' 


niAEDRUS. 


277 


LVIII. 

LIB.  V.  7. 

Another  anecdote  of  his  own  times  is  here  told  with  much  humour 
by  Phaedrus,  illustrating  to  what  lengths  self-conceit  may  carry  a  man. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  the  satire  in  it  is  levelled  at  Sejanus'  claiming 
the  authority  and  homage  due  to  the  absent  emperor. 

Ubi  vanus  animus,  aura  captus  frivola, 

Adripuit  insolentem  sibi  fiduciam, 

Facile  ad  derisum  stulta  levitas  ducitur. 

Princeps  tibicen  notior  paullo  fuit, 

Operam  Bathyllo  solitus  in  scena  dare.  s 

Is  forte  ludis  (non  satis  memini  quibus) 

Dum  pegma  rapitur,  concidit  casu  gravi 

Nec  opinans,  et  sinistram  fregit  tibiam, 


1.  Aura  captus,  '  caught  by  a  light 
breeze  of  popularity,'  i.  e.  deluded,  as  the 
flute-player  was,  by  the  favour  in  which 
he  fancied  himself  held.  For  a  similar  use 
of  'aura'  without  '  popularis'  see  Livy  6. 
1 1  '  jam  aura,  non  consiHo,  ferri.' 

Frivola,  '  worthless,'  having  no  sub- 
stance  or  seriousness  in  it.  Cp.  3.  6,  8 
'  frivolam  insolentiam.' 

2.  Adripuit,  a  true  correction  of  '  ab- 
ripuit '  (MSS.).  The  word  is  purposely 
used  here  to  express  the  eagerness  with 
which  a  vain  man  seizes  everything  that 
ministers  to  self-confidence  ;  the  milder 
and  more  usual  verb  would  have  been 
'  sumere.' 

Sibi  is  to  be  taken  of  course  with 
'  adripuit,'  not  with  '  fiduciam,'  which 
would  require  the  genitive,  not  the  dative. 

3.  Ad  derisum  ..  ducitur  (answering  to 
'  captus  aura'  v.  1)  =  '  is  easily  drawn  into 
ridicule,'  i.  e.  ends  in  being  laughed  at. 

4.  Princeps,  the  name  of  the  flute- 
player,  on  which  the  joke  turns.  Like 
'  Rex,'  '  Regulus,'  '  Tyrannus,'  it  seems 
not  to  have  been  an  uncommon  name  at 
this  time,  being  found  on  monuments  : 
and  Suet.,  de  Illust.  Gramm.  c.  4,  mentions 
a  grammarian  named  '  Princeps,'  whom  as 


a  youth  he  had  hstened  to. 

Notior  paullo,  '  pretty  well  known," 
a  sort  of  litotes  :  cp.  Ter.  Eun.  2.  3,  23 
'  si  qua  est  habitior  paullo,  pugilem  esse 
aiunt.' 

5.  Solitus,  to  be  taken  closely  with 
'  notior,'  '  known  through  his  being  used 
to  accompany  Bathyllus,'  i.  e.  to  play  for 
him,  v.  15.  Bathyllus  was  the  famous 
ballet-dancer,  freedman  and  favourite  of 
Maecenas,  or,  if  he  had  died  before  this, 
one  of  his  pupils,  all  of  whom  retained 
their  master's  name  according  to  Salma- 
sius,  quoted  by  Ruperti  on  Juv.  6.  63  '  Chi- 
ronomon  Ledani  molli  saltante  Bathyllo  : ' 
cp.  Persius  5.  i  23. 

7.  Pegma,  MSS.  'pecma,'  the  machine 
with  which  players  were  suddenly  raised 
aloft :  so  Juv.  4.  122  '  Et  pegma  et  pueros 
inde  ad  velaria  raptos.'  Cp.  Suet.  Claud. 
34,  from  which  it  appears  that  this  portion 
of  the  stage-machinery  was  liable  to  dis- 
arrangement. 

8,  9.  Nec  opinans,  or  (as  Bentley 
reads)  '  nec  opinus,'  is  generally  accepted 
as  the  reading  here.  The  older  MSS.  give 
'  Nec  opia  sed,'  which  Gudius  paradoxi- 
cally  defends,  imagining  a  word  '  opium ' 
or   '  opOium,'  Gk.  dveiov,  = '  a   flute   with 


278 


PHAEDRUS. 


Duas  cum  dextras  maluisset  perdere. 

Inter  manus  sublatus,  et  multum  gemens 

Domum  refertur.     Aliquot  menses  transeunt, 

Ad  sanitatem  dum  venit  curatio. 

Ut  spectatorum  mos  est,  et  lepidum  genus, 

Desiderari  coepit,  cujus  flatibus 

Solebat  excitari  saltantis  vigor. 

Erat  facturus  ludos  quidam  nobilis, 

Et  incipiebat  ingredi  Princeps.     Eum 

Adducit  pretio,  precibus,  ut  tantummodo 

Ipso  ludorum  ostenderet  sese  die. 

Qui  simul  advenit,  rumor  de  tibicine 

Fremit  in  tlieatro  :   quidam  affirmant  mortuum, 

Quidam  in  conspectum  proditurum  sine  mora. 

Aulaeo  misso,  devolutis  tonitribus, 

Di  sunt  locuti  more  translaticio. 


15 


many  stops,'  or  dnal ;  but  nothing  can  be 
more  direct  or  intelligible  than  the  ancient 
emendatioii  given  in  the  text. 

8.  Tibiam.  There  is  a  double  pun  here  : 
(i)  '  tibia,'  meaning  both  '  a  flute'  and  '  a 
shin-bone,'  which  last  Princeps  broke  in 
his  fall  :  (2)  '  tibiae  dextrae,'  a  technical 
term  in  Roman  music,  distinguished,  as 
'  the  treble  pipes,  held  in  the  right  hand,' 
from  '  tibiae  sinistrae '  or  '  bass  pipes, 
played  by  the  left  hand.'  See  the  Inscrip- 
tion  to  the  'Andria'  of  Terence.  The 
'  sinistra  tibia'  was  the  more  important  of 
the  two,  the  '  dextrae  tibiae'  being  only 
used  to  commence  the  piece  of  music. 
Hence  the  somewhat  obscure  joke  in  the 
text,  the  poet  applying  to  the  '  tibia '  or 
'  shin-bone '  what  was  true  of  the  'tibia' 
or  '  flute.' 

13.  Et  lepidum  genus,  '  a  class  of 
people  as  they  are  who  Hke  amusement,' 
the  construction  being  '  et  (ut  spectatores 
sunt)  1.  g.,'  as  '  genus'  could  hardly  be 
taken  coordinately  with  '  mos ; '  or  did 
Phaedrus  write  '  en'  for  '  et'?  To  take  it 
of  '  the  amusing  art  of  the  flute-player' 
with  '  desiderari  coepit '  is  very  forced. 
On  '  genus'  in  this  sense,  cp.  i.  2,  15  and 
note. 

16.  Nearly  the  same  line  occurs  5,  4 
'  Facturus  ludos  quidam  dives  nobiles.' 
Bentley  proposes  here  too  to  read  '  no- 
biles.' 

17,  18.  The  text  is  in  great  confusion 
here.     The  MSS.  give  '  Et  incipiebat  Prin- 


ceps  abduci  reum  Ingredi  a  se  reducit 
pretio  pretibus  ut  Tantummodo  ipso  ludo- 
rum  ostenderet  sese  die,'  which  evidently 
is  corrupt.  The  restoration  given  above 
is  found  in  one  of  the  oldest  editions. 
Dressler  (in  the  Teubner  edition)  reads 
'  Et  incipiebat  Princeps  a  duce  ingredi. 
Reductum  pressit  precibus  ut  tantumniodo' 
etc. 

Eum  refers  to  the  '  nobiUs.' 

Pretio,  precibus,  a  common  phrase, 
used  in  Ter.  Eun.  5.  8,  25  :  cp.  Hor.  Ep. 
2.2,173. 

23.  Aulaeo  misso,  '  the  curtain  beiug 
lowered,'  i.  e.  the  play  begun  ;  '  mittere 
(more  usually  'premere')  aulaeum'  is  op- 
posed  to  '  tollere  aulaeum '  at  the  end  of 
the  plece  ;  see  Virg.  G.  3.  25. 

Tonitribus,  the  imitated  thunders  by 
which  the  introduction  of  the  gods  was 
announced.  Rigaltius  quotes  from  Festus  : 
'  Claudiana  tonitria  appellabantur,  quia 
Claudius  Pulcer  instituit,  ut  ludis  post 
scenam  conjectus  lapidum  ita  fieret  ut  veri 
tonitrus  similitudinem  imitaretur.' 

Devolutis,  caused  by  the  stones  roll- 
ing  down  an  incline,  not  '  ceased  to  roll.' 

24.  Di,  '  the  gods  made  their  speeches 
in  the  usual  style :'  a  satirical  allusion  to 
the  bad  plays,  which  tried  to  remedy  their 
lame  plots  and  insipid  poetry  by  sensa- 
tional  effects.  Cp.  Hor.  A.  P.  191  '  Nec 
deus  intersit '  etc. 

Translaticio,  a  legal  term  used  by 
Cicero  ;  lit.  '  handed  down,'  '  customary.' 


PHAEDRUS. 

Tum  chorus  ignotum  modo  reducto  canticum 
Insonuit,  cujus  haec  fuit  sententia  : 
Laetarc,  incolumis  Roma,  salvo  Principe. 
In  plausus  consurrectum  est.     Jactat  basia 
Tibicen  •    gratulari  fautores  putat. 
Equester  ordo  stultum  errorem  intelligit, 
Magnoque  risu  canticum  repeti  jubet. 
Iteratur  illud.     Homo  meus  se  in  pulpito 
Totum  prosternit :    plaudit  illudens  eques  j 
Rogare  populus  hunc  coronam  existimat. 
Ut  vero  cuneis  notuit  res  omnibus, 
Princeps,  ligato  crure  nivea  fascia, 
Niveisque  tunicis,  niveis  etiam  calceis, 
Superbiens  honore  divinae  domus, 
Ab  universis  capite  est  protrusus  foras. 


279 

25 


25.  Ignotum,  meaning  that  '  a  strange 
tune'  vvas  applied  to  the  words,  '  Laetare 
incolumis'  etc,  and  hence  he  did  not  at 
once  recognise  that  it  was  the  Roman 
'  God  save  the  King.'  Burmann  prefers 
the  conjecture  '  notum.' 

Modo  reducto,  i.  e.  '  Princeps  having 
only  just  been  led  once  more  into  the 
theatre:'  a  generally  accepted  correction 
of  '  more  ducto '  (MSS.),  '  modo '  being 
often  written  short,  '  mo,'  especially  when 
pronounced  and  scanned  as  a  monosyllable. 
Bentley  however  would  read  '  more  docto.' 
These  words  should  be  taken  either  with 
'  ignotum,'  expressing  the  reason  why  the 
long-absent  flute-player  did  not  recognise 
the  tune,  or  else  with  '  insonuit.' 

26.  Insonuit,  a  conjecture  adopted  by 
Orelli  and  Dressler  for  the  MS.  '  Imposuit,' 
which  could  hardly  niean  '  took  him  in,' 
'  deceived  him,'  here.  It  is  possible  (see 
Suet.  Calig.  c.  6)  that  the  'canticum'  in 
question  may  have  expressed  the  congra- 


tulations  of  the  people  on  the  emperor's 
escape  from  the  designs  of  Sejaims. 

28.  Jactat  basia  :  cp.  Juv.  4.  118 
'  Blandaque  devexae  jactaret  basia  rhe- 
dae.'  Heinsius  proposed  '  jactant,'  (of  the 
people,)  taking  '  tibicen'  with  '  putat.' 

32.  Homo  meus,  '  this  blockhead  of 
mine,'  of  whom  I  am  speaking,  as  we  use 
'  my  friend'  under  like  circumstances  :  cp. 
Catull.  17.  21  '  Tahs  iste  meus  stupor  nil 
videt,  nihil  audit.' 

36.  Nivea  fascia.  The  '  fasciae  cru- 
rales '  became  a  regular  part  of  Roman 
dress,  when  the  change  of  the  '  toga '  for 
the  '  palHum '  1-eft  the  legs  exposed.  The 
colour  was  the  noticeable  point  in  the 
present  case,  white  being  that  bf  royalty 
and  high  birth. 

38.  Divinae  domus,  i.  e.  the  imperial 
family,  called  also  '  Augusta  domus.'  The 
phrase  '  in  honorem  Divinae  Domus '  is 
common  in  inscriptions,  sometimes  occur- 
ring  only  in  the  initials  H.D.  D. 


L.  ANNAEUS    SENECA. 


LIFE    OF    SENECA. 


L.  Annaeus  Seneca,  the  reputed  author  of  the  ten  Tragedies  that 
bear  his  name,  is  better  known  as  a  philosopher  than  a  poet.  The 
second  son  of  the  orator  M.  Annaeus  Seneca  and  Hehia  his 
wife,  born  at  Cordova  about  six  years  before  the  Christian  era,  he 
was  brought  as  a  child  to  Rome,  where  he  received  an  elaborate 
education.  Adding  to  hereditary  ability  great  industry  and  zeal  for 
knowledge,  he  first  rose  to  eminence  as  a  pleader,  and  was  ap- 
pointed  Quaestor.  After  twice  suffering  banishment  under  Caligula 
and  Claudius,  he  returned  to  Rome  through  the  influence  of  Agrip- 
pina,  and  was  appointed  tutor  to  her  son,  afterwards  the  Emperor 
Nero.  Retaining  for  some  time  much  influence  at  court,  and 
having  amassed  enormous  wealth,  he  at  length  incurred  the  dis- 
pleasure  and  suspicion  of  Nero,  who  ordered  his  death,  a.d.  65, 
the  same  year  in  which  Seneca's  relative,  Lucan,  perished.  His 
devoted  wife,  Pompeia  PauHna,  reluctantly  survived  him. 

While  early  tradition  ascribes  these  ten  Tragedies  to  the  philo- 
sopher  L.  Annaeus  Seneca,  later  criticism  sees  in  them  the  work 
of  several  authors  belonging  to  the  same  age  and  school,  but 
differing  in  taste,  ability,  and  metrical  skill,  Quintilian,  almost  a 
contemporary,  cites  a  line  from  the  Medea,  as  the  work  of  Seneca, 
evidently  referring  to  the  Philosopher  :  see  Inst.  Or.  9.  2  '  Aut  invi- 
diae  gratia,  ut  Medea  apud  Senecam  "  Quas  peti  terras  jubes.?'"  cp. 
Ib.  10.  I,  where  we  are  told  also  that  poems  by  L.  Seneca  were 
extant  in  QuintiHan's  time.  That  he  made  occasional  translations 
from  Euripides  would  appear  from  his  ii^th  Epistle,  while  his 
well-known  satire,  the  '  Apocolocyntosis,'  proves  him  to  have  been 
no  stranger  to  composition  of  a  dramatic  kind.  It  must,  on  the 
other  hand,  be  allowed  that  there  ore  fewer  definite  resemblances 
of  thought  and  expression  between  these  tragedies  and  the  acknow- 
ledged  works  of  the  philosopher  than  might  have  been  expected, 


284  LIFE  OF  SENECA. 

ihough  a  general  affinity  of  ethical  and  philosophical  ideas,  the 
same  propensity  to  seek  glory  in  suicide,  and  the  same  moralizing 
sententiousness  of  style,  are  traceable  in  both.  It  is  certain,  on 
the  whole,  that  these  plays,  if  not  actually  from  the  pen  of  the 
philosopher  when  a  youth,  belong  to  his  time,  and  were  not  impro- 
bably  composed  by  members  of  his  family,  an  '  opus  Senecanum,' 
as  Nisard  expresses  it 

In  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  Neronian  age,  which  was 
more  at  home  in  the  lecture-room  than  on  the  tragic  stage,  these 
plays  were  written  solely  for  literary  recitation.  The  absence  of 
plot  and  deficiency  of  arrangement,  the  poverty  of  character  and 
moral  interest,  the  untruthfulness  to  nature,  the  scantiness  of  real, 
natural  dialogue,  and  other  characteristics  of  these  tragedies,  wholly 
unfit  them  for  dramatic  exhibition,  while  the  forced  exaggeration 
of  feeling,  the  bombast  of  sentiment  and  style,  the  long-winded  and 
pedantic  declamations,  the  frequent  and  elaborate  descriptions  of 
events  and  scenes  overladen  with  epithets  and  details,  are  adapted 
to  the  false  taste  of  the  rhetorical  schools.  In  spite  however  of 
these  and  other  defects,  that  mark  the  growing  corruption  of  Roman 
poetry,  the  tragedies  of  Seneca  are  not  without  high  merits  of  their 
own.  The  descriptions  to  be  found  '.n  them  are  often  very  fine  : 
spirited  speeches,  and  striking  apophthegms,  breathing  an  exalted 
morale  in  the  vein  of  the  Stoic  philosophy,  occur  more  or  less  in 
every  play :  the  style  is,  for  the  most  part,  clear,  correct,  and  epi- 
grammatic,  the  language  pure  and  easy,  while  the  versification 
throughout,  both  in  the  lambic  and  Lyric  portions,  is  singularly 
accurate  and  harmonious.  The  mythological  lore,  conspicuous  in 
the  poetry  of  Propertius  and  Ovid,  is  carried  still  further  in  these 
dramas,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  '  Octavia,'  derive 
their  subjects  from  Grecian  legend.  Niebuhr  recognizes  in  Seneca's 
affected  and  sentimental  style  a  resemblance  to  the  school  of  Rous- 
seau.  However  this  may  be,  it  is  incontestable  that  it  has  been 
in  France  that  these  tragedies,  which  were  studied  in  Europe 
before  the  masterpieces  of  Greece  were  known,  have  always  re- 
ceived  the  highest  appreciation,  and  have  excited  no  inconsiderable 
influence  upon  the  national  drama. 

Of  the  numerous  !MSS.  of  Seneca's  tragedies,  the  oldest,  which, 
it  should  be  remarked,  does  not  contain  the  '  Octavia,'  is  assigned 
to  the  twelfth  century. 


LIX. 
L.  ANNAEUS    SENECA. 

HERCULES  FURENS,  662-760. 

Theseus,  as  the  companion  of  Hercules  in  his  joiirney  to  Hades  for 
the  purpose  of  fetching  Cerberus  to  the  upper  world,  describes  to  Am- 
phitryon,  father  of  Hercules,  one  of  the  characters  of  the  play,  the 
principal  scenes  and  personages  of  the  infernal  regions.  The  metre  is 
lambic  Trimeter  Acatalectic. 

Thes.  Spartana  tellus  nobile  attollit  jugum, 

Densis  ubi  aequor  Taenarus  silvis  premit ; 

Hic  ora  solvit  Ditis  invisi  domus, 

Hiatque  rupes  alta,  et  immenso  specu 

Ingens  vorago  faucibus  vastis  patet,  S 

Latumque  pandit  omnibus  populis  iter. 

Non  caeca  tenebris  incipit  primo  via : 

Tenuis  relictae  lucis  a  tergo  nitor 

Fulgorque  dubius  solis  afflicti  cadit, 

Et  ludit  aciem.    'Nocte  sic  mixta  solet  10 

Praebere  lumen  primus  aut  serus  dies. 


2.   Taenarus.      The    Latin    poets    use  '  immenso,'  '  ingens,'   'vastis;'  see   on   v. 

indiscriminately  the  four  forms  '  Taenarus,'  28. 

'  Taenarum,'   '  Taenaron,'  and   '  Taenara.'  6.   Omnibus   populis  :  see  v.  47,  and 

Cp.  Virg.  G.  4.  467,  where  Orpheus   is  re-  cp.  Ov.  M.  4.  441  '  Sic  omnes  animas  locus 

presented  as  entering  Hades  by  way  of  the  accipit  ille,  nec  uUi  Exiguus  populo  est.' 

'  Taenarias   fauces,   alta   ostia    Ditis.'      So  9.   Dubius   solis,  '  struggling  light,  as 

Eur.  Herc.  Fur.  23  To  \oia6iov  5«  laivapov  of  the  sun  eclipsed.'      Cp.  Virgirs  use  of 

Sid  (TToixa  Bi^rjK   h"Ai5ov.  '  incertus'  Ae.  3.  203  ;  6.  270. 

4.   Immenso  specu.     Gronovius  sug-  Afflicti,    in    the    sense    of  the    more 

gests  'immerso'  (abl.   absol.).     The  two  common  '  languidus,' when  the  sun's  light 

ablatives  are  awkward,  though  easy  to  be  is  paled  by  clouds  or  eclipse. 

paralleled  from  Seneca.     'Specus'  is  both  10.   Ludit  aciem,  '  the  uncertain  light 

masculine  and  neuter  in  classical  authors,  ('dubius')  deceives  the  gaze,'  i.  e.  makes 

while  Ennius  and  the  early  writers  use  it  the  eye  fancy  it  sees  what  it  does  not  see, 

as   a    feminine.      Note  the   monotony  in  as  happens  in  twilight. 


286 


SENECA. 


Hinc  ampla  vacuis  spatia  laxantur  locis, 
In  quae  omne  mersum  pereat  humanum  gcnus. 
Nec  irc  labor  est :    ipsa  deducit  via. 
Ut  saepe  puppes  aestus  invitas  rapit : 
Sic  pronus  aer  urget  atque  avidum  chaos, 
Gradumque  retro  flectere  haud  unquam  sinunt 
Umbrae  tenaces.     Intus  immensi  sinus 
Placido  quieta  labitur  Lethe  vado, 
Demitque  curas  ^    neve  rcmeandi  amplius 
Pateat  facultas,  flexibus  multis  gravem 
Involvit  amnem ;    qualis  incerta  vagus 
Maeander  unda  ludit,  et  cedit  sibi 
Instatque,  dubius,  litus  an  fontem  petat. 
Palus  inertis  foeda  Cocyti  jacet. 
Hic  vultur,  illic  luctifer  bubo  gemit, 
Omenquc  triste  resonat  infaustae  strigis ; 
Horrent  opaca  fronde  nigrantes  comae, 
Taxo  imminente ;    quam  tenet  segnis  Sopor, 


12.  Hinc,  '  from  this  point,'  i.  e.  the 
half-lit  parts  near  the  opening  of  the 
cavern. 

13.  In  quae,  to  be  constructed  of  course 
with  '  mersum.' 

14.  Ipsa,  i.  e.  the  mere  slope  of  the 
path,  without  any  effort  of  walking,  makes 
one  descend,  like  the  well-known  '  facilis 
descensus  Averni.' 

16.  Aer,  the  reading  of  all  the  MSS., 
and  making  good  sense,  '  the  downward- 
setting  air.'  The  'agger'  of  some  hiter 
editions  would  merely  repeat  the  '  dedu- 
cit  via'  of  V.  14. 

Chaos,  not  in  the  sense  of  primaeval 
confusion,  as  in  Ov.  M.  i.  7,  but  the 
vawning  (xai-vetv)  gulf  of  Tartarus. 

17.  Gradumque  retro.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae. 
6.  128  '  Sed  revocare  gradum  superasque 
evadere  ad  auras  Hic  opus,  hic  labor  est.' 

18.  Immensi  sinus,  to  be  taken  with 
'  vado'  =  '  its  flood  of  vast  sweep.'  Some 
inferior  texts  have  '  immenso  sinu  ;'  see  on 
V.  4. 

20.  Neve  =  "et  ne,'  a  use  common  in 
the  poets  :  see  e.  g.  Ov.  M.  i.  151  '  Neve 
foret  terris  securior  arduus  aether  Affec- 
tasse  ferunt  regnum  coeleste  Gigantas.' 
Similarly  '  ve'  is  frequently  used  =  '  que.' 

21.  Flexibus,  best  taken  with  '  in- 
volvit.' 

Gravem,  '  gloomy,'  or  (better)  '  intri- 


cate  ; '    cp.  Virg.  G.  4.  480    '  novies    Styx 
intenusa  coercet.' 

23.  Ludit.  The  best  MS.  gives  both 
'  ludit '  and  '  errat,'  together  with  '  incertis  .  . 
undis  '  ('  Scatent  5iTToypa(piats  hae  tra- 
goediae '  Bothe.)  The  tautology  invoh'ed 
in  '  vagus  .  .  errat,'  and  the  unpleasant 
repetition  of  the  sibilant  endings  probably 
caused  the  poet,  or  his  copyists,  to  sub- 
stitute  the  reading  in  the  text.  Cp.  Ov. 
M.  2.  246  '  Quique  recurvatis  ludit  Maean- 
dros  in  undis.' 

Cedit  sibi,  to  be  taken  closely  with 
'  instatque,'  Hke  '  se  sequiturque  fugitque,' 
'  treads  (as  it  were)  on  its  own  heels.' 

24.  Litus  an  fontem,  i.  e.  its  mouth 
or  source. 

25.  Cp.  Virg.  G.  4.  479  '  deformis  arundo 
Cocyti  tardaque  palus  inamabilis  unda.' 

26.  Luctifer,  '  ill-boding.'  Seneca  is 
fond  of  such  compound  adjectives,  many 
of  which,  like  this  one,  appear  for  the  first 
time  in  his  tragedies  ;  so  '  nidificus,'  '  su- 
perbificus,'  '  castificus,'  and  many  others. 

-28.  Opaca  .  .  nigrantes.  Such  tau- 
tologous  epithets  constituted  one  of  the 
weaknesses  of  Seneca's  style  ;  see  in  this 
one  piece,  vv.  4,  5  '  immenso,  ingens,  vastis  ;' 
V.  19  '  placido  quieta  ;'  vv.  22,  24  '  in- 
certa  .  .  dubius;'  51,  52  '  quieto  tacente ;' 
V.  83  '  laeta  felLx.' 

29.   Taxo    imminente,   i.  e.    hanging 


SENECA.  287 

Famesque  maesta  tabido  rictu  jacens ;  30 

Pudorque  scrus  conscios  vultus  tegit ; 

Metus,  Pavorquc,  Funus,  et  frendens  Dolor, 

Aterque  Luctus  sequitur,  et  Morbus  tremens, 

Et  cincta  ferro  Bella;    in  extremo  abdita 

Iners  Senectus  adjuvat  baculo  gradum.  35 

Amph.  Estne  aliqua  tellus  Cereris  aut  Bacchi  ferax  ? 

Thes.  Non  prata  viridi  laeta  facie  germinant ; 
Nec  adulta  leni  fluctuat  Zephyro  seges ; 
Non  ulla  ramos  silva  pomiferos  habet : 
Sterilis  profundi  vastitas  squalet  soli,  40 

Et  foeda  tellus  torpet  aeterno  situ, 
Rerumque  moestus  finis  et  mundi  ultima ; 
Immotus  aer  haeret,  et  pigro  sedet 
Nox  atra  mundo  j   cuncta  maerore  horrida, 
Ipsaque  Morte  pejor  est  Mortis  locus.  45 

Amph.  Quid  ?    ille,  opaca  qui  regit  sceptro  loca, 
Qua  sede  positus  temperat  populos  leves  ? 

Thes.  Est  in  recessu  Tartari  obscuro  locus, 

Quem  gravibus  umbris  spissa  caligo  adligat. 

A  fonte  discors  manat  hinc  uno  latex  :  50 

Alter  quieto  similis  (hunc  jurant  dei), 

over   Cocytus.     Cp.   Ov.  M.  4.  432   foll.,  exegetical,  and  '  finis'  be  in  apposition  to 

which  passage,  together  with  Virg.  Ae.  6.  '  tellus '  v.  41  :     '  that   land   lies  duU   and 

■282  foll.,  was  probablv  in  the  poet's  mind.  motionless  for  ever :  for  it  is  the  sad  end 

See  too  Silius  13.  595  '  Dextra  vasta  comas  of   all,   the    last    remotest    corner    of   the 

nemorosaque  brachia  fundit  Taxus  Cocyti  world.'    Bothe  objects  to  '  mundi,'  as  being 

rigua  frondosior  unda.'  foUowed  so  soon  by  'mundo'  v.  44 :   but 

33.  Cp.  Oed.  590  foll.  '  Luctus  evellens  few  will   be   satisfied  with  his  conjecture, 

comam,  Aegreque  lassum  sustinens  Morbus  '  et  in  unda  ultima'  to  be  joined  with  '  im- 

caput,  Gravis  Senectus  sibimet  et  pendens  motus  aer,'  i.  e.  '  the  atmosphere  in  its  last 

Metus.'     Seneca,  like  Ovid,  is  particularly  undulation  hung  motionless.' 

fond    of    such    personifications  ;     here    he  46.   Loca.    The  repetition  of  this  word 

copies  Virg.  Ae.  6.  274.  and  its  paronyms  at  the  end  of  three  out 

40.  Sterilis  to  be  taken  with  '  vasti-  of  four  consecutive  lines  is  unpleasant,  but 

tas.'  not  uncommon  in  Seneca. 

Profundi,  either  '  abysmal,'  and  so  re-  47.  Populos  leves,  '  shadowy  throng.' 

moved  from  the  sun,  or,  as  in  Lucr.,  simply  Hor.  Od.  i.  10,  18  '  virgaque  levem  coerces 

= '  immensi.'  Aurea  turbam.' 

Squalet    expresses    the    result    of    the  50.   Discors.     One    MS.  has  '  dissors' 

'  sterilis,'   '  lies    rough,'   '  unsightly.'      Cp.  written  above.     The  two  words  are  often 

Virg.  G.  I.  507    '  squalent    abductis    arva  confused,  as  in  Ov.  M.  8.  133  '  Discordem- 

colonis.'  que  utero  fetum  tulit,'  where  Heinsius  and 

42.  This  line  comes  in  somewhat  awk-  others    read    '  dissortem.'       Here    '  discors 

wardly  here.     We  must  supply  some  such  latex'  =  '  two    diftering    streams,'    as    ex- 

words   as   '  illic   est'  =  'There   is   the   sad  plained  in  the   following  lines.     Cp.  Oed. 

end  of  all  things,  there  the  limits  of  the  322  '  se  scindit  unius  sacri  Discors  favilla.' 

world.'     Perhaps  'que'  might  be  taken  as  51.   Dei,  as  the  plural,  is  used  by  the 


2  88  SENECA. 

Tacente  sacram  devehens  fluvio  Styga : 

At  hic  tumultu  rapitur  ingenti  ferox, 

Et  saxa  fluctu  volvit,  Acheron  invius 

Renavigari.     Cingitur  duplici  vado  55 

Adversa  Ditis  regia,  atque  ingens  domus 

Umbrante  luco  tegitur.     Hic  vasto  specu 

Pendent  tyranni  limina ;    hoc  umbris  iter ; 

Haec  porta  regni.     Campus  hanc  circa  jacet, 

In  quo  superbo  digerit  vultu  sedens  60 

Animas  recentes.     Dira  majestas  deo, 

Frons  torva,  fratmm  quae  tamen  speciem  gerat 

Gentisque  tantae  :    vultus  est  illi  Jovis, 

Sed  fulminantis.     Magna  pars  regni  trucis 

Est  ipse  dominus,  cujus  adspectum  timet,  65 

Quidquid  timetur. 

Amph.  Verane  est  fama,  Inferis 

Tam  sera  reddi  jura,  et  oblitos  sui 
Sceleris  nocentes  debitas  poenas  dare  ? 
Quis  iste  veri  rector  atque  aequi  arbiter  ? 

Thes.  Non  unus  alta  sede  quaesitor  sedens  70 

Judicia  trepidis  sera  sortitur  reis. 


post-Augustan     poets     indifferently     with  6i.  Animas     recentes,    '  the    newly 

'  Di.'      In  Virgil  and  Horace  the  former  arrived  souls.' 

is  never  found.  62.   Fratrum,  Jupiter  and  Neptune. 

52.   Sacram  .  .  Styga.      Cp.  Hom.  II.  64.  Pars    regni.      Cp.  Prop.  I.  6,  34 

14.  271  'Aypfi   vvv  fioi   ofioaaov   daaTov  '  pars  eris  imperii.' 

^Tvyus  vSojp.  65,  66.     Cujus     adspectum     timet, 

54.  Invius  .  .  renavigari.  These  '  whose  look  is  dreaded  even  by  those  who 
constructions  of  the  infinitive  with  the  cause  dread  themselves,'  i.  e.  the  Manes. 
adjective  become  very  common  in  the  The  Florentine  MS.  gives  '  adspectus,' 
later  poets  ;  this  particular  one  seems  to  making  an  excess  of  sibilants  in  the 
be  used  nowhere  else.  Hne. 

55.  Duplici  vado,  i.  e.  the  two  rivers  67.  Oblitos  sui,  extending  the  idea  of 
just  mentioned  ;  '  vadum '  is  commonly  '  tam  sera,'  '  actually  after  they  have  for- 
used  by  Seneca  for  a  river,  e.  g.  of  the  gotten  the  crimes  their  own  hands  wrought :' 
Danube,  Thyest.  376,  the  Pactolus,  Phoen.  so  v.  580  of  the  play,  '  veteres  excutiunt 
604,  the  Baetis,  Med.  728.  reos.'     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  568. 

56.  Adversa,  facing  the  traveller  ;  cp.  70,  71.  Quaesitor,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  6. 
Virg.  Ae.  6.  631  '  Moenia  conspicio  atque  432  '  Quaesitor  Minos  urnam  movet.'  The 
adverso  fornice  portas.'  poet  has  before  him  the  image  of  a  Roman 

58.   Pendent,   i.  e.   on   account  of  the  law  court.     The  emphasis  here  is  on  '  non 

steep  slope  of  the  cavern.   Bothe  substitutes  unus'  =  not  one  '  quaesitor,'  but  three. 

'  hac'  for  the  '  hoc'  of  most  texts,  on  the  Judicia  .  .  sortitur    is    the    technical 

ground  that  the  threshold  could  hardly  be  phrase   for   the   choosing   of  the  jury   by 

called  itself  a  road  ;  but '  hoc'  may  be  used  lot,  which  was  the  business  of  the  '  quae- 

loosely,  like  '  hic  cursus'  Virg.  Ae.  i.  534.  sitor:'  here  however  it  is  used,  as  Grono- 

Umbris,  not  =  '  ad  unibras ;'  '  by  ihis  vius  remarks,  loosely  =  '  holds  a  tardy  trial 

way  pass  the  shades.*  for  anxious  criminals." 


SENECA.  289 

Aditur  illo  Gnossius  Minos  foro  • 

Rhadamanthus  illo ;    Thetidis  hoc  audit  socer. 

Quod  quisque  fecit,  patitur :    auctorem  scelus 

Repetit,  suoque  premitur  exemplo  nocens.  75 

Vidi  cruentos  carcere  includi  duces, 

Et  impotentis  terga  plebeia  manu 

Scindi  tyranni.     Quisquis  est  placide  potens, 

Dominusque  vitae  servat  innocuas  manus, 

Et  incruentum  mitis  imperium  gerit,  8c 

Animaeque  parcit :    longa  permensus  diu 

Felicis  aevi  spatia,  vel  coelum  petit, 

Vel  laeta  felix  nemoris  Elysii  loca, 

Judex  futurus.     Sanguine  humano  abstine, 

Quicunque  regnas :    scelera  taxantur  modo  85 

Majore  vestra. 

Amph.  Certus  inclusos  tenet 

Locus  nocentes  ?   utque  fert  fama,  impios 
Supplicia  vinclis  saeva  perpetuis  domant  ? 

Thes.  Rapitur  volucri  tortus  Ixion  rotaj 

Cervice  saxum  grande  Sisyphia  sedet ;  90 

In  amne  medio  faucibus  siccis  senex 
Sectatur  undas  :   adluit  mentum  latex  j 

72.  Aditur.  The  passive  present  is  8l.  Animaeque  parcit, 'spares  huniaii 
rare  in  the  poets,  but  the  verb  is  cominonly  life,'  as  in  Troa-d.  408  (of  Death)  '  noxia 
used  for  appearing  before  a  judge  in  corpori  Nec  parcens  aiiimae.'  Others  would 
Cicero.  '  Auditor'  is  a  mere  conjecture,  read  '  animo,'  i.  e.  '  restrains  his  mind  and 
suggested  by  the  '  audit'  in  the  next  verse.  temper.'      MS.    authority    however    is    in 

73.  Thetidis  . .  socer,  Aeacus,  father  of  favour  of  '  animae.' 

Achilles.  Longa  .  .  diu,  a  redundancy  common 

Hoc,  the  ablative,  '  hears  cases  in  the  enough  in  Seneca. 
third'  (court).  82.   Coelum   petit,  apotheosis,  as   in 

Audit,   as   often,  used   absolutely  of  a  Hor.  Od.  1.2,45  '  in  coelum  redeas:'  cp. 

judge  sitting  to  try  prisoners.  Ov.  M.  15.  870  '  Accedat  coelo.' 

75.  Exemplo,  i.  e.  on  the  principle  of  84.  Judex  futurus.    It  was  a  common 

exact  retaliation,   each   guilty  one  has  to  belief  that   good   rulers  on  earth  became 

writhe  under  the  suffering  he  contrived  for  after  death  judges  in  the  shades.      So  in 

others,  according  to  the  law  illustrated  in  Herc.  Oet.  1558  the  Chorus  addresses  Her- 

the  following  lines.  cules  :  '  Non  tamen  viles  eris  inter  umbras  : 

79.  Dominus  vitae,  as  distinguished  Aeaconque  inter  geminosque  Cretas  Facta 
from  the  '  impotens'  or  dwpaxTjs  of  v.  77,  discemes." 

or,  according  to  the  use  of  the  same  phrase  85.   Taxantur,    a    favourite    word    of 

in  Sen.  Ep.  4  ('  Ita   dico  :    quisquis  vitam  Seneca,  used  again,  Thyest.  v.  92,  and  very 

suam   contempsit,   tuae   dominus    est'),=  often    in   the    philosopher's    epistles,   indi- 

'  though  the  lord  of  other  men's  lives.'  cating  a  common  authorship.   '  Your  crimes 

80.  Gerit  ;  this  alteration  of  '  regit '  (ye  kings)  are  rated  on  a  higher  scale' 
(MSS.)  by  a  mere  transposition  of  letters,  (than  those  of  ordinary  men). 

as  suggested  by  Bothe,  has  much  to  re-  92.   Adluit  is  evidently  the  right  read- 

commend  it.  ing  here,  though  most  editions  have  '  abluit,' 

U 


290  SENECA. 

Fidemque  cum  jam  saepe  decepto  dedit^ 
Perit  unda  in  ore ;   poma  destituunt  famem  • 
Praebet  volucri  Tityos  aeternas  dapes  j  95 

Urnasque  frustra  Danaides  plenas  gerunt  ^ 
Errant  furentes  impiae  Cadmeides ; 
Terretque  mensas  avida  Phineas  avis. 


LX. 


THYESTES,  344-403. 

A  CHORUS  of  old  men,  citizens  of  Mycenae,  witnesses  of  the  strife 
between  the  brothers  Atreus  and  Thyestes,  (which  for  the  present  is 
hushed  through  a  pretended  reconciliation,)  moraHze  on  the  characteristics 
of  true  kingship.  In  the  spirit  of  Stoic  teaching  (cp.  Hor.  S.  i.  3, 132  foll. ; 
Ep.  I.  I,  106)  they  pronounce  the  true  king  to  be  the  man  of  sound  mind, 
undisturbed  by  ambition,  or  desire  of  wealth,  or  fear  of  death  ;  and  end  by 
wishing  for  themselves  an  obscure  and  untroubled  hfe.  The  metre  is 
Choriambic  Dimeter  Acatalectic,  or  Glyconian,  throughout,  not,  as  we 
have  it  in  Horace  and  Catullus,  combined  with  variations  of  this  system. 

Regem  non  faciunt  opes, 

Non  vestis  Tyriae  color, 

Non  frontis  nota  regiae, 

Non  auro  nitidae  fores  : 

Rex  est,  qui  posuit  metus  5 

Et  diri  mala  pectoris, 

(^em  non  ambitio  impotens 

Et  nunquam  stabilis  favor 

Vulgi  praecipitis  movet. 


which  has  no   meaning   in  tliis    passage  ;  of  in   the  plural.     Cp.  Thyest.  153  '  Im- 

while  'adluit'  is  almost  demonstrated  by  pendet  capiti  phirima  noxio  Phineis  avibus 

the  parallel  line  in  Hippol.  1232  '  Me  ludat  praeda  fugacior.' 

amnis   ora  vicina   adluens,'  on  which  the 

best    texts    are    agreed.       Cp.    Catull.  63  3.  Nota, '  the  badge  of  the  royal  brow/ 

(65).  6.  a  diadem  :  cp.  v.  531  of  the  play, '  Regiam 

97-   Cadmeides,    Ino,    Autonoe,    and  capitis  notam  Squalor  recusat  noster.' 

Agave,  who   in   their   madness   tore  Pen-  9.   Praecipitis,   '  rash,'   'hasty:'    Ho- 

theus  to  pieces.  race's  '  mobilium  turba  Quiritium'  Od.  I. 

98.  Avis,  '  the  Harpies,'  usually  spoken  i,  7. 


SENECA. 


291 


Non  quidquid  fodit  Occidens, 
Aut  unda  Tagus  aurea 
Claro  dcvehit  alvco  j 
Non  quidquid  Libycis  terit 
Fervens  area  messibus ; 
Quem  non  concutiet  cadens 
Obliqui  via  fulminis, 
Non  Eurus  rapiens  mare, 
Aut  saevo  rabidus  freto 
Ventosi  tumor  Adriae  j 
Quem  non  lancea  militis, 
Non  strictus  domuit  chalybs  j 
Qui  tuto  positus  loco 
Infra  se  videt  omnia, 
Occurritque  suo  libens 
Fato,  nec  queritur  mori. 
Reges  conveniant  licet, 
Qui  sparsos  agitant  Dahas, 
Qui  rubri  vada  litoris, 
Et  gemmis  mare  lucidum 
Late  sanguineum  tenent. 


15 


.lO 


10.  Fodit  Occidens,  referring  chiefly 
to  the  silver-mines  of  Spain  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood  of  New  Carthage.  Cp.  Stat. 
Silv.  3.  3,  89  '  Quidquid  ab  auriferis  ejectat 
Iberia  fossis.' 

11.  Tagus.  See  on  Ov.  Amor.  i.  15, 
34;  cp.  Herc.  Oet.  627. 

13.  Terit  :  cp.  Stat.  L  c.  '  quod  messi- 
bus  Afris  Verritur,  aestiferi  quidquid  terit 
area  Nili.'  The  more  usual  construction 
is  '  area  terit  messes ; '  here  it  means 
'  what  is  threshed  from  Libyan  har- 
vests.' 

14.  Messibus  perhaps  might  be  taken 
with  '  fervens,'  but  the  latter  word  refers 
more  especially  to  the  heating  of  the  floor 
by  the  flail  or  the  feet  of  the  oxen  treading 
out  the  corn. 

15.  16.  Cadens  .  .  via,  for  '  via  ful- 
minis  per  cbhquum  cadentis' =  ' as  it  falls 
aslant.'  Cp.  Lucan  i.  154  '  obliqua  prae- 
stringens  lumina  flamma.' 

17.  Rapiens,  '  whiriing,' '  tossing  the 
sea  ; '  hence  '  rapidus,'  so  often  used  of 
winds. 

19.   Ventosi  .  .  Adriae,     being    open 


more  especially  to  the  south  wind.    Seneca 
is  imitating  Hor.  Od.  3.  3,  4  foll. 

21.  Domuit,  i.  e.  '  never  has  crushed, 
and  never  will  :'  the  tenses  seem  purposely 
varied  ;  in  v.  15  '  concutiet ;'  in  v.  9  '  mo- 
vet ;'  so  below,  45,  46  '  metuit  .  .  cupiet' 
in  succeeding  lines. 

Chalybs,  used  in  later  authors  for 
things  made  of  steel,  e.  g.  as  here,  a 
sword  :  in  Lucan  for  a  horse's  bit,  the 
point  of  an  arrow,  nails,  etc. 

22.  Tuto  .  .  loco.  Cp.  the  similar 
passage  in  Lucr.  2.  I  foU.  See  below,  v. 
51  '  obscuro  positus  loco.' 

26.  Reges  conveniant,  explained  by 
'  certet '  v.  33,  '  come  into  comparison.' 
The  '  reges'  here  spoken  of  are  the  power- 
ful  kings  of  Bactra  and  Parthia. 

27.  Qui  .  .  Dahas,  '  who  chase  the 
roving  Dahae,'  Virgirs  '  indomiti  Dahae' 
(Ae.  8.  728),  a  nomad  tribe  on  the  eastern 
steppes  of  the  Caspian.  Seneca  is  fond  of 
exhibiting  his  geographical  knowledge. 

29.  Gemmis.  See  on  TibuII.  2.  2, 15  : 
cp.  Prop.  I.  15  (14),  12.  The  kings  of 
Persia  and  Arabia  are  here  described. 

U  2 


292  SENECA. 


Aut  qui  Caspia  fortibus 

Recludunt  juga  Sarmatis  j 

Certet,  Danubii  vadum 

Audet  qui  pedes  ingredi, 

Et  (quocunque  loco  jacent)  35 

Seres  vellere  nobiles : 

Mens  regnum  bona  possidet. 

Nil  uilis  opus  est  equis  j 

Nil  armis  et  inertibus 

Telis,  quae  procul  ingerit  40 

Parthus,  cum  simulat  fugas  j 

Admotis  nihil  est  opus 

Urbes  sternere  machinis, 

Longe  saxa  rotantibus : 

Rex  est,  qui  metuit  nihil  j  45 

Rex  est,  qui  cupiet  nihil. 

Hoc  regnum  sibi  quisque  dat. 

Stet,  quicunque  volet,  potens 

Aulae  culmine  lubrico : 

Me  dulcis  saturet  quies  j  5° 

Obscuro  positus  loco, 

Leni  perfruar  otio  j 

Nullis  nota  Quiritibus 

Aetas  per  tacitum  fluat. 

Sic  cum  transierint  mei  55 

NuIIo  cum  strepitu  dies, 

Plebeius  moriar  senex. 


31.  Aut  qui  Caspia,  i.  e.  the  kings  of  which  requires  no  steeds  or  arms  to  main- 
Arnienia,  who  are  so  powerful  as  not  to  tain  it. 

fear  the  dauntless  Sarmatians,  whom  they  52.   Perfruar    otio  :    cp.   Sen.  Ep.  84, 

suffer  to   pass   through   the   gates   of  the  the   latter  part  of  which   resembles  these 

Caucasus.  Hnes  both  in  language  and  thought. 

32.  Recludunt  has  its  first  syllable  53.  Cp.  Hor.  Ep.  i.  17,  10  '  Nec  vixit 
long :  Seneca  does  not  admit  an  lambus  male  qui  natus  moriensque  fefellit:'  the 
into  the  first  foot,  as  CatuIIus  does  occa-  \a0f  Piaiaas  of  Epicurus.  Seneca  gives 
sionally.  rather  a  difFerent  estimate  of '  quies'  in  his 

34.  Pedes,  i.e.  tread  on  foot  the  frozen  Epistles :  see  Ep.  87  and  92. 
Danube.     Cp.  Herc.  Fur.  535.  Quiritibus  would  be  a  ludicrous  ana- 

36.  Vellere,   obtained   from    trees,   as  chronism  to  put  into  the  mouth  of  Myce- 

the  Romans  believed.    Cp.  Virg.  G.  2.  121  naean  moralists,  supposing  these  tragedies 

'  Velleraque  ut  foliis  depectant  tenuia  Seres.'  to   have   any  pretension   to    dramatic   fit- 

See  Herc.  Oet.  668  '  Legit  Eois  Ser  arbo-  ness. 
ribus.'  55.   Sic,    i.  e.    as    has    just    been    de- 


37,  38.  Regnum,    the    true    royalty,      scribed. 


SENECA.  293 

Illi  mors  gravis  incubat, 

Qui,  notus  nimis  omnibus, 

Ignotus  moritur  sibi.  60 


LXI. 

HIPPOLYTUS,  1037-1 II 5. 

The  messenger  relates  to  Theseus  the  overthrow  and  death  of  Hippo- 
lytus,  his  injured  son.  A  terrible  sea-monster,  sent  by  Poseidon  in  answer 
to  the  prayer  of  Theseus  (v.  945),  meets  the  chariot  of  the  banished  hero 
on  his  way  to  Argos,  and  scares  his  high-bred  steeds,  who  overthrow  the 
chariot  on  the  rocks  and  dash  their  master  to  pieces.  Seneca  evidently 
had  before  him  the  speech  of  the  'E^dyyeXos  in  the  'iTnroXvTos  of  Euripides, 
1152-1254. 

Herculea  taurus  colla  sublimis  gerens 

Erexit  altam  fronte  viridanti  jubam ; 

Stant  hispidae  aures ;   oribus  varius  color, 

Et  quem  feri  dominator  habuisset  gregis, 

Et  quem  sub  undis  natus  :  hinc  flammam  vomunt,      5 

Oculi  hinc  relucent  caerula  insignes  nota ; 

Opima  cervix  arduos  tollit  toros, 

Naresque  hiulcis  haustibus  patulae  fremunt ; 

Musco  tenaci  pectus  ac  palear  viret ; 

Longum  rubenti  spargitur  fuco  latus  j  10 


1.  Herculea  .  .  colla,  '  the  neck  of  a  In  the  former  there  is  little  propriety;  the 
Hercules,'  i.  e.  broad  as  that  of  Hercules ;  latter,  which  might  have  suited  the  mon- 
cp.  Herc.  Fur.  72  '  Mediusque  collo  sedit  ster  perhaps,  had  it  been  a  serpent,  cannot 
Herculeo  polus.'  This  reading  of  several  well  apply  to  a  bull,  unless  it  be  taken  as 
MSS.  seems  better  than  the  common  '  cae-  '  eyeballs.'  Bothe  conceives  that  a  copyist, 
rulea,'  which  occurs  just  afterwards.  having  omitted  the  '  i '  of  the  word  '  ori- 

2.  Erexit  altam,  after  '  sublimis'  v.  I,  bus,'  in  order  to  prevent  erasing  might 
an  example  of  Seneca's  redundancy.  See  easily  have  transformed  the  original  into 
on  Herc.  Fur.  28.  '  orbibus.' 

Yiridanti  :  the  natural  colour  of  a  sea-  Varius    color    is    explained    by   what 

monster,  as  below,  v.  9.     The  higher  taste  foUows  ;   the  monster's  face  had  the  colour 

of  Euripides  keeps  him  from  any  such  ela-  in  part  of  an  ox,  '  the  lord  of  the  herd,' 

borate   description   of  the   monster   itself,  in  part  of  a  sea-calf,  '  natus  sub  undis.' 
Kpfiaaov  0fafia  SepyfiaTQju  ].  c.  5,6.   Hinc  .  .  hinc,    i.  e.   partly   fiery- 

3.  Oribus,  the  very  probable  correction  red,  as  those  of  a  wild  buU,  partly 
of  Bothe's  for  the  '  cornibus' of  most  edi-  marked  with  azure,  as  those  of  a  sea- 
tions,  and  the  'orbibus'  of  the  best  MSS.  calf. 


!94  SENECA. 

Tum  pone  tergus  ultima  in  monstrum  coit 

Facies,  et  ingens  bellua  immensam  trahit 

Squamosa  partem.     Talis  extremo  mari 

Pistrix  citatas  sorbet  ac  frangit  rates. 

Tremuere  terrae  ;    fugit  attonitum  pecus  15 

Passim  per  agros,  nec  suos  pastor  sequi 

Meminit  juvencos  j    omnis  e  saltu  fera 

Diffugit,  omnis  frigido  exsanguis  metu 

Venator  horret.     Solus  immunis  metu 

Hippolytus  arctis  continet  frenis  equos,  20 

Pavidosque  notae  vocis  hortatu  ciet. 

Est  alta  ad  Argos  collibus  ruptis  via, 

V^icina  tangens  spatia  suppositi  maris ; 

Hic  se  illa  moles  acuit,  atque  iras  parat. 

Ut  cepit  animos,  seque  praetentans  satis  25 

Prolusit  irae :    praepeti  cursu  evolat, 

Summam  citato  vix  gradu  tangens  humum, 

Et  torva  currus  ante  trepidantes  stetit. 

Contra  feroci  gnatus  insurgens  minax 

Vultu,  nec  ora  mutat,  et  magnum  intonat  :  .^0 

'  Haud  frangit  animum  vanus  hic  terror  meum  : 

Nam  mihi  paternus  vincere  est  tauros  labor.' 

Inobsequentes  protinus  frenis  equi 


II.   Pone   tergus.      '  Pone,'  as  a   pre-  iigg  dKTrj  ris  ecrTi  TovTTficeiva  rrjaSe  yTJs, 

position,  not  found   in  any  good  authors  Ilpbs  itovtov  rjSi]  Kei/xevT]  ^apwviKov. 
subsequent  to  Plautus  :   '  tergus'  might  be  Ruptis,  i.e.  the  hills  being  cut  through 

taken  as  in  apposition  to  '  ultima  facies.'  to  make  the  pass. 

In  monstrum    coit  :    '  the    creature's  24.    Illa  moles,  the  sea-monster. 

form   in   its   extremities    contracts    into    a  28.  Currus,  as  in  v.  40,  of  the  '  horses 

fish.'       So    Virg.   Ae.  3.  426    (of    Scylla)  and   chariot.'      Cp.   Eur.  1.  c.  1229  <p6Pq> 

'  Prima   hominis   facies   et   pulcro   pectore  TtTpcopov  iKfiaivojv  oxov  :    so  Virg.  G.  I. 

virgo  Pube   tenus,  postrema   immani  cor-  514;  Ae.  12.  287. 

pore  pistrix;'  cp.  Ib.  10.  211    '  Frons  ho-  29.  Gnatus.    The  messenger  is  relating 

minem  praefert,  in  pristin  desinit  alvus.'  the  disaster  to  Theseus,  father  of  Hippo- 

13.  Squamosa,    joined   with   '  bellua,'  lytus. 

instead  of  'partem'  as  would  seem  more  30.   Magnum,  '  loudly,'  as  Plaut.  Mil. 

natural.  Glor.  3.  2,  1 1  (of  a  snorer)  '  magnum  cla- 

14.  Pistrix.  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  mat.'  The  adverbial  neuter  is  not  how- 
written,  '  pristis,'  (the  Greek  form  of  the  ever  used  thus  by  the  classical  poets.  See 
word,)  a  large  fish,  probably  the  whale.  Bentley  on  Hor.  S.  I.  7,  28. 

Ac    frangit,  found   in   the   best  MSS.  32.   Paternus  .  .  labor.    Theseus  cap- 

Many  texts  have  '  aut  reddit,'  which  would  tured  the  Marathonian  bull,  and  slew  the 

suit  Charybdis  better  than  a  whale.  Minotaur. 

22.   Alta  :  some  have  '  arta.'  33.   Inobsequentes,  a  word  peculiar. 

Ad     Argos  :     Eur.    Hipp.    I197    T^»'  it  would  appear,  to  Seneca.     These  com- 

ev9vs  ''Apyovs   KamSavpias   oSov ;    cp.   Ib.  pounds    with    the    negative    'in'    increase 


SENECA. 


?95 


Rapuerc  currum  •   jamque  deerrantes  via, 

Quacunque  rabidos  pavidus  evexit  furor,  35 

Hac  ire  pergunt,  seque  per  scopulos  agunt. 

At  ille,  qualis  turbido  rector  mari 

Ratem  retentat,  ne  det  obliquum  latus, 

Et  arte  fluctus  fallit,  haud  aliter  citos 

Currus  gubernat :    ora  nunc  pressis  trahit  40 

Constricta  frenis,  terga  nunc  torto  frequens 

Verbere  coercet.     Sequitur  adsiduus  comes, 

Nunc  aequa  carpens  spatia,  nunc  contra  obvius 

Oberrat,  omni  parte  terrorem  movens. 

Non  licuit  ultra  fugere  :    nam  toto  obvius  45 

Incurrit  ore  corniger  ponti  horridus. 

Tum  vero  pavida  sonipedes  mente  exciti 

Imperia  solvunt,  seque  luctantur  jugo 

Eripere,  rectique  in  pedes  jactant  onus. 

Praeceps  in  ora  fusus  implicuit  cadens  50 

Laqueo  tenaci  corpus ;    et  quanto  magis 

Pugnat,  sequaces  hoc  magis  nodos  ligat. 

Sensere  pecudes  facinus,  et  curru  levi. 


with  the  dechne  of  the  language  ;  see  note 
on  Ov.  M.  I.  7.  Cp.  Eur.  1  c.  1223  At  5'  iv- 
daKovaai  arofiia  Trvpiyfvrj  yvaOots  Bia 
(pepovaiv,  ovT€  i'avK\Tjpov  x^P"^*'  Ov9'  In- 
voStafJ.wv  ovTf  KoWrjruiv  oxav  M.eTa- 
(TTpeipovaat. 

.^4.  Deerrantes  in  the  best  authors 
ahvays  appears,  as  here,  in  the  contracted 
form.  Compare  the  parallel  contraction 
of  the  tenses  of  '  desum,'  e.  g.  '  deerat,' 
'  deessem,'  '  deesse,'  etc. 

37.  Cp.  Eur.  1.  c.  Kal  SeaiTOTTjs  puv  in- 
iriKolaiv  fjQiai  HoXvs  ^vvotKU)v  fjpnaa' 
Tjvias  x^poif  "EXKft  64  Kumriv  wcrre  vav- 
l3dTr]s  dvTjp  'If^aatv  «s  Tovniadfv  dpTrjaas 
Si/xas. 

38.  Obliquum,  '  present  a  broadside 
to  the  waves.' 

43.  Aequa  carpens  .  .  obvius.  Cp. 
Eur.  1.  c.  'Styrj  TreKd^cov  dvTvyi  ^vvfintTo, 
and  HpoiKpaiviT  ks  TovfxnpoaOtv  waT  dva- 
arpfcpftv  Tavpos,  (p60q>  TtTpwpov  (Kftaivojy 
oxov. 

45.  Toto  obvius.  'Toto'  is  found 
in  the  best  texts,  for  which  many  substi- 
tute  '  torvo.'  The  former  has  the  most 
force  here,  the  monster  being  represented 
as  '  charging  with  all  the  gathered  terrors 


of  his  face.'  The  repetition  of  '  obvius '  at 
the  end  of  two  lines  so  close  to  each  other 
is  unpleasant,  but  not  uncommon  in  Seneca  : 
see  note  on  Herc.  Fur.  46. 

46.  Corniger,  '  the  horned  monster  of 
the  deep ;'  used  here,  after  the  manner  of 
Phaedrus,  as  a  substantive ;  so  '  setiger'  IVIed. 
645  ;  cp.  '  sonipedes'  and  '  bijuges'  v.  66. 

47.  Vero.  The  shortening  of  the  '  o ' 
in  such  words  as  '  vero,'  '  porro,'  '  subito,' 
'  postremo,'  '  sero,'  is  a  mark  of  the  silver 
age  of  Latin  versification.  All  these  are 
found  short  in  Seneca  (Hipp.  1008  ;  Ag. 
985),  or  Statius  (Theb.  I.  596),  or  Juvenal 
(I.  169  ;    II.  91). 

Mente  exciti,  '  driven  out  of  their 
senses  by  fear.' 

49.  Onus,  '  him  they  bear '  =  Hippo- 
lytus,  as  below,  v.  55  '  non  suum  agnoscens 
onus  :'  so  '  pondus'  is  used,  Ov.  M.  2.  16 1. 

■;o.   Cadens,  neuter  with  '  corpus.' 

51.  Laqueo  tenaci,  '  the  reins  that 
clung  to  hiin.'  Cp.  Eur.  1.  c.  Avros  S'  6 
tKtjixwv  fjviaiatv  €fxn\aKeis  Aiafibv  Sva- 
e^rfVvaTov  tKKfTai  SfOtis  'SnoSovfitvos  fitv 
npbs  nerpais  (pi\ov  Kapa  Qpavaiv  re  aap- 
Kas. 

53.   Pecudes,  used  here  of  horses  :  cp. 


296  SENECA. 

Dominante  nullo,  qua  timor  jussit,  ruunt. 

Talis  per  auras  non  suum  agnoscens  onus,  55 

Solique  falso  creditum  indignans  diem, 

Phiaethonta  currus  devio  excussit  polo. 

Late  cruentat  arva,  et  inlisum  caput 

Scopulis  resultat.     Auferunt  dumi  comas, 

Et  ora  durus  pulcra  populatur  lapis,  60 

Peritque  multo  vulnere  infelix  decor. 

Moribunda  celeres  membra  provolvunt  rotae  j 

Tandemque  raptum  truncus  ambusta  sude 

Medium  per  inguen  stipite  erecto  tenet, 

Paulumque  domino  currus  adfixo  stetit.  65 

Haesere  bijuges  vulnere,  et  pariter  moram 

Dominumque  rumpunt.     Inde  semianimem  secant 

Virgulta  j    acutis  asperi  vepres  rubis, 

Omnisque  truncus  corporis  partem  tulit. 

Errant  per  agros  funebris,  famuli,  manus,  70 

Per  illa,  qua  distractus  Hippolytus,  loca, 

Longum  cruenta  tramitem  signat  nota ; 

Maestaeque  domini  membra  vestigant  canes. 

Necdum  dolentum  sedulus  potuit  labor 

Explere  corpus.     Hoccine  est  formae  decus  ?  75 

Qui  modo,  paterni  clarus  imperii  comes 

Et  certus  heres,  siderum  fulsit  modo, 

Passim  ad  supremos  ille  colligitur  rogos, 

Et  funeri  confertur. 

Stat.  Theb.  4.  733  'perfurit  arvis  Flamma-  the  two  senses  of 'rumpere'  is  just  what 

tum  pecus.'     Martial  (5.  37,  5)  applies  the  we    might    expect   to    find    in   Seneca   or 

term  to  elephants  ;  Plautus  and  Lucretius  Ovid.     See  on  Ov.  Her.  2.  25. 
to  shoals  of  lish.  73.   Canes:  Hippolytus  being  devoted 

55.    Agnoscens  :    cp.    Ov.    M.  2.  161  to  the  chase. 
(of  Phaethon)  '  Sed  leve  pondus  erat,  nec  75.  Explere    corpus,    '  complete    the 

quod  cognoscere  possent  Solis  equi.'  body,'  i.  e.    collect   all  the   fragments :    so 

57.   Devio  .  .  polo,    '  the   heavens    in  below,  v.  1 264  '  Dum  membra  nato  genitor 

which  he  had  strayed.'  adnumerat    suo    Corpusque    fingit.'      The 

61.   Multo  vulnere,  as  v.  1265  of  the  poet,  as  usual  with  him,  dwells  too  much 

play,  '  Hoc  quid  est  forma  carens  Et  turpe  on  details   that    should  have   either  been 

multo  vulnere  abruptum  undique  ? '   Bothe's  suppressed  or  lightly  touched. 
suggestion  '  pulvere,' however  ingenious,  is  "/6.   Modo.     The  repetition  in  a  sen- 

quite  unnecessary  ;   'vulnere'  is   found  in  tence.,of  the  same  word  in  different  senses 

all  the  MSS.,  and  the  recurrence  of  it  at  would   have   been   avoided   by  a   poet   of 

v.  66  is  quite  in  Seneca's  style.  more  delicate  ear  than  Seneca. 

66.  Haesere,  '  for  a  moment  the  steeds  Imperii.  Seneca  uses  both  the  open 
were  stopped  with  the  shock,'  i.  e.  the  ini-  and  close  forms  of  these  nouns ;  in  Phoen. 
paling  of  their  lord.  we  have  '  ingeni,' '  imperi,'  '  exilis,'  all  neces- 

67.  Rumpunt.     The  tasteless  play  on      sitated  by  the  metre  at  vv.  238,  296,  625. 


SENECA.  297 


LXII. 


TROADES,  442-493. 

Andromache  tells  how  Hector  appeared  to  her  in  a  vision,  bidding  her 
conceal  their  child  Astyanax  from  the  hostile  designs  of  the  Greeks.  After 
doubting  where  she  may  find  a  secure  hiding-place  amid  the  ruins  of  Troy, 
she  resolves  on  his  father's  tomb  for  a  refuge,  as  likely  to  be  spared  by  the 
foe.  No  such  scene  occurs  in  the  '  Troades'  of  Euripides.  There  is  how- 
ever  much  resemblance  between  this  passage  and  the  appearing  of  Hector 
to  Aeneas,  described  by  Virgil,  Aeneid  2.  268  foll.  Seneca  had  already  in 
this  play  (v.  171-202)  indulged  his  taste  for  the  supernatural  by  represent- 
ing  the  ghost  of  Achilles  demanding  the  sacrifice  of  Polyxena. 

Partes  fere  nox  alma  transierat  duas, 

Clarumque  septem  verterant  stellae  jugum  j 

Ignota  tandem  venit  adflictae  quies, 

Brevisque  fessis  somnus  obrepsit  genis ; 

Si  somnus  ille  est  mentis  attonitae  stupor :  5 

Cum  subito  nostros  Hector  ante  oculos  stetit, 

Non  qualis  ultro  bella  in  Argivos  ferens 

Graias  petebat  facibus  Idaeis  rates, 

Nec  caede  multa  qualis  in  Danaos  furens 

Vera  ex  Achille  spolia  simulato  tulit,  10 

Non  ille,  vultus  flammeum  intendens  jubar ; 

Sed  fessus  ac  dejectus  et  fletu  gravis, 

Similisque  nostro,  squalida  obtectus  coma. 

Juvat  tamen  vidisse.     Tum  quassans  caput, 

2.  Verterant  .  .  jugum,  i.  e.  the  seven  7.  Ultro,  with  '  ferens,'  '  forward  in 
stars  of  the  Wain  had  finished  their  course  :  attack,'  as  opposed  to  defence.  While 
cp.  Herc.  Fur.  130  '  Septeni  stelHs  Arcades  Achilles  was  absent  the  Trojans  took  the 
ursae  Lucem  verso  temone  vocant.'  Dreams  aggressive. 

nearer  the  dawn  were  held  to  be  truer.  10.   Vera  .  .  simulato,  i.  e.  from  Pa- 

3.  Ignota,  '  rest,  long  a  stranger  to  me.'       troclus,    clad    in   the    armour   of  Achilles. 

5.  Ille  goes  with  '  stupor'=  '  that  hea-  See  Hom.  II.  17.  207  Twv  irotvfjv  o  roi  ov 
viness  that  falls  upon  the  grief-stunned  n  f^dxrjs  eKvoaTrjaavTi  At^eTat  'AvSpo- 
spirit.'  MxV  t^vTa  Tfvxea  Tlrjhfiaivos. 

6.  Subito.  On  the  short 'o' see  V.  175  13.  Nostro.  Understand  '  vuhui'  from 
of  the  play,  and  note  on  Hipp.  47.  Cp.  v.  1 1  :  cp.  Virg.  I.  c.  '  Squalentem  barbam 
Virg.  Ae.  2.  270    '  In    somnis    ecce    ante  et  concretos  sanguine  crines.' 

oculos    maestissimus   Hector  Visus  adesse  14.  Tamen,   i.  e.   notwithstanding   his 

mihi,'  etc.  wretched  aspect. 


2  98  SENECA. 

'  Dispelle  somnos/  inquit,  '  et  gnatum  eripe,  15 

O  fida  conjux !     Lateat :   haec  una  est  salus. 

Omitte  fletus.     Troja  quod  cecidit,  gemis  ? 

Utinam  jaceret  tota  !     Festina  !    amove 

Quocunque  nostrae  parvulam  stirpem  domus!' 

Mihi  gelidus  liorror  ac  tremor  somnum  expulit  j  20 

Oculosque  nunc  huc  pavida,  nunc  illuc  ferens 

Oblita  nati,  misera  quaesivi  Hectorem. 

Fallax  per  ipsos  umbra  complexus  abit. 

O  gnate,  magni  certa  progenies  patris, 

Spes  una  Phrygibus,  unica  adflictae  domus,  25 

V^eterisque  soboles  sanguinis  nimium  incliti, 

Nimiumque  patri  similis  (hos  vultus  meus 

Habebat  Hector ;   talis  incessu  fuit, 

Habituque  taUs  j   sic  tulit  fortes  manus, 

Sic  celsus  humeris,  fronte  sic  torva  minax,  30 

Cervice  fusam  dissipans  jacta  comam), 

O  gnate,  sero  Phrygibus  et  matri,  cito 

Eritne  tempus  illud  ac  felix  dies, 

Quo,  Troici  defensor  et  vindex  soli, 

Recidiva  ponas  Pergama,  et  sparsos  fuga  35 

Cives  reducas,  nomen  et  patriae  suum 

18.  Utinam  .  .  tota.     Hector  nieans,  tauri    magis    laus    est   quam    hominis,'   as 

'  would  that  its  ruin  were  complete,'  and  Gronovius  remarks).     The  infant  may  be 

that    there    was    no    more    bloodshed    to  supposed  to  have  made  a  gesture  of  this 

follow.  description    as    Andromache    is    speaking. 

20.   Mihi    must    be    pronounced    as   a  Cp.  Hipp.  305  '  Sic  temere  jactae  colla  per- 

monosyllable  =  'mi';  cp.   v.  417   of  this  fundant  comae  Humerosque  sumnios.' 
play,  '  Mihi  cecidit  olim,'  etc,  where  some  32.  This   is   Bothe's   correction   of  the 

read  '  mihi   cadit  olim.'     So  Thyest.  289  common  reading  and  punctuation  of  this 

'Nisi'is  pronounced  as'ni';  and  Octav.  line,  'O  gnate,  sero  Phrygibus,  at  matri 

117'   Modo '   is    scanned    as    a   monosj'!-  cito,'  vvhich  is  not  only  doubtful  Latinity, 

lable.  but  also  gives  little  meaning.     The  MSS. 

23.  Ablt,  the  perfect :  these  contracted  give  neither  '  at'  nor  '  et,'  but  '  o,'  which 
forms  are  very  common  in  Seneca.  Cp.  may  perhaps  have  been  a  mark  of  abbre- 
Herc.  Fur.  49,  where  many  texts  have  viation  for  the  conjunction.  Translate,  (not 
'  perit.'  Most  here  give  '  abit,'  but,  as  however  as  Bothe,  '  Soon  or  late  will  that 
Bothe  remarks,  the  perfect  is  required  by  time  come  to  the  Phrygians  and  your 
the  sense.     See  Lachm.  Lucr.  3.  1042.  mother?'  but)  '  will  the  day  come  quickly, 

24.  Certa,  i.  e.  from  your  resemblance  though  all  too  late  for  the  Trojans  and 
to  him,  drawn  out  in  the  lines  that  follow,  3'our  mother  ? '  i.  e.  however  quickly,  it 
V.  27  foll.  will  be  too  late. 

29.  Sic  tulit:  an  imitation  of  VirgiFs  35.   Recidiva.     Seneca    here    imitates 

'  Sic  oculos,  sic  ille  manus,  sic  ora  ferebat'  Virgil,  Ae.  4.  344  '  Et  recidiva  manu  posu- 

Ae.  3.  490.  issem  Pergama  victis  :'  cp.  Id.  7.  322  ;   10. 

31.  Jacta   is  found   in   the   best   MS.,  58.     The  word   is  a   favourite   one  with 

i.  q.  '  jactata,'  i.  e.  '  as   he   throws   up  his  Virgil,  in  the  sense  of  '  returning,'  '  being 

neck.'     Many  editions  read  'lata'  (' quae  restored.' 


sp:neca.  299 

Phrygibusque  reddas  ?     Sed  mei  fati  memor 

Tam  magna  timeo  vota.     Quod  captis  sat  est, 

Vivamus.     Heu  me,  qui  locus  fidus  meo 

Erit  timori,  quave  te  sede  occulam  ?  40 

Arx  illa  pollens  opibus  et  muris  deum, 

Gentes  per  omnes  clara  et  invidiae  gravis, 

Nunc  pulvis  altus  •    strata  sunt  flamma  omnia, 

Superestque  vasta  ex  urbe  ne  tantum  quidem, 

Quo  lateat  infans.     Quem  locum  fraudi  legam  ?  45 

Est  tumulus  ingens  conjugis  cari  sacer, 

Verendus  hosti,  mole  quem  immensa  parens 

Opibusque  magnis  struxit,  in  luctus  suos 

Rex  non  avarus  :    optime  credam  patri. 

Sudor  per  artus  frigidus  totos  cadit :  50 

Omen  tremisco  misera  feralis  loci. 


LXIII, 


MEDEA,  608-670. 

The  Chorus,  consisting  of  Corinthian  women,  comments  on  the  uniform 
misfortunes  which  had  visited  all  the  Argonaut  heroes,  and  prays  that 
Jason  may  escape  a  similar  destiny,  though  the  temper  and  language  of 
Medea  seem  to  bode  him  evil.  The  metre  is  Sapphic,  each  stanza  (ex- 
cept  the  last,  which  is  corrupt)  consisting  of  eight  Epichoriambic  verses — 
instead  of  three,  as  usual  in  Horace  and  CatuHus — followed  by  an  Adonic. 

QuiSQUis  audacis  tetigit  carinae 

37.  Memor,  '  remembering  my  ill  des-  envy'  for  its  strength,  or  '  gravis'  govern- 

tiny,  I  fear  such  lofty  hopes,'  as  those  she  ing  the  genitive,  =  '  charged  with  envy.' 

has  just  been  uttering.    '  Immemor'  would  The  Florentine  MS.  gives  '  gravis,'  which 

make    no    sense,    unless    '  facio '    and    not  is  far  preferable  to  the  '  capax  *  of  many 

'timeo'   had    been    the    word    used    with  editions. 

'  vota.'  45-   Fraudi,  i.  e.  to  baulk  the  foe,  pre- 

39,  40.   Fidus  .  .  timori,  '  what  place  vent  hini  from  discovering  the  child  ;    so 

will  be  safe  enough  to  reassure  my  fears  ?'  v.  496  of  the  play,  '  doli.' 

41.  Deum,  Apollo  and  Neptune,  who  48.  In  luctus,  '  no  miser  in  his  grief:' 
were  hired  by  Laomedon  to  build  the  '  in,'  '  regarding.'  Cp.  Lucan  1.181  '  avi- 
walls  of  Troy.  dumque  in  tempora  foenus.' 

42.  Invidiae  gravis,  either  dative=  51.  Omen  . .  loci.  Andromache  shrinks 
'  odious  to  the  eye  of  envy,'  or,  the  geni-  from  the  evil  omen  involved  in  hiding  her 
tive   of  the   quality,   '  an   object   of   sore  child  within  a  tomb. 


SENECA. 

Nobiles  remos,  nemorisque  sacri 
Pelion  densa  spoliavit  umbra ; 
Quisquis  intravit  scopulos  vagantes, 
Et  tot  emensus  pelagi  labores, 
Barbara  funem  religavit  ora, 
Raptor  externi  rediturus  auri : 
Exitu  diro  temerata  ponti 

Jura  piavit. 

Exigit  poenas  mare  provocatum. 
.  Tiphys  in  primis  domitor  profundi 
Liquit  indocto  regimen  magistro  : 
Litore  extremo  procul  a  paternis 
Occidens  regnis,  tumuloque  vili 
Tectus,  ignotas  jacet  inter  umbras. 
Aulis  amissi  memor  inde  regis 
Portubus  lentis  retinet  carinas, 

Stare  querentes. 

Ille  vocali  genitus  Camoena, 
Cujus  ad  chordas  modulante  plectro 
Restitit  torrens,  siluere  venti  j 


15 


2.  Nobiles,  '  famous,'  either  as  being 
handled  by  heroes  and  demigods,  or  else 
as  being  cut  from  a  sacred  wood.  Horace's 
'  silvae  filia  nobilis'  Od.  I.  14,  12.  Gro- 
novius  suggests  that  Seneca  may  have 
written  '  mobiles.'  These  lines,  Hke  many 
others  in  these  plays,  betray  a  great  super- 
abundance  of  epithets,  an  obvious  defect 
in  Seneca's  style. 

Remos,  not  'ramos'  (the  latter  sug- 
gested  by  '  umbra'  v.  3)  is  the  reading  of 
the  best  MS. 

4.  Scopulos  vagantes,  '  the  shifting 
rocks'  of  the  Symplegades,  as  in  v.  341 
of  the  play,  '  Cum  duo  montes,  clauslra 
profundi,  Hinc  atque  illinc  subito  impulsi' 
etc. 

6.  Religavit,  '  moored  his  bark  to  the 
foreign  shore,'  i.e.  Colchis.  See  on  Catull. 
62  (64).  174  'Perfidus  in  Cretam  religasset 
navita  funem.' 

II.  Tiph)'s,  the  '  domitor  freti '  of 
v.  2  of  this  play  :  cp.  vv.  317-327.  He 
was  the  pilot  of  the  Argo ;  see  Apoll.  R. 
I.  105. 


12.  Indocto,  one  not  taught  by  Ar- 
temis  as  Tiphys  had  been :  his  name  was 
Ancaeus,  v.  37  ;  Apcll.  R.  2.  867. 

13.  Extremo,  as  in  one  good  MS.,  is 
more  forcible  than  *  externo,'  the  common 
reading  here. 

Procul  a  paternis.  Cp.  Apoll.  1.  c. 
dWa  vv  Kal  rbv  Au9i  fiivvvOaSirj  va,TpT]s 
eKas  (vvaaf  vovaos. 

16.  Regis,  probably  Tiphys  :  Aulis 
may  have  constituted  part  of  his  '  paterna 
regna,'  and  is  here  represented  as  shewing 
its  resentment  for  the  loss  of  its  prince  by 
being  ever  after  ('  inde')  hostile  to  ships, 
and  to  those  of  the  Greeks  under  Aga- 
memnon  in  particular. 

17.  L  e n  t  i  s , '  tenacious,' '  causing  delay ;' 
so  '  lenta  vincula,'  '  brachia,'  and  similar 
phrases. 

19.  Ille,  Orpheus  is  another  instance. 
See  Apoll.  R.  i.  23  foll.  IIpcDra  vvv 
'Op(prjos  ixvT]au)fi(da,  tuv  pd  ttot'  avTr) 
KaWioiTT]  QpTjiKi  (paTi^trai  ivvqduaa 
Oldypo)  aKoinris  TliimXr/iSos  d-yxi  TiKt- 
aOai. 


SENECA.  301 

Cui  suo  cantu  volucris  relicto 
Adfuit  tota  comitante  silva, 
Thracios  sparsus  jacuit  per  agros  j 
At  caput  tristi  fluitavit  Hebro  :  25 

Contigit  notam  Styga  Tartarumque, 
Non  rediturus. 

Stravit  Alcides  Aquilone  natos ; 
Patre  Neptuno  genitum  necavit, 
Sumere  innumeras  solitum  figuras :  30 

Ipse  post  terrae  pelagique  pacem, 
Post  feri  Ditis  patefacta  regna, 
Vivus  ardenti  recubans  in  Oeta, 
Praebuit  saevis  sua  membra  flammis, 
Tabe  consumtus  gemini  cruoris,  35 

Munere  nuptae. 

Stravit  Ancaeum  violentus  ictu 

Setiger.     Fratres,  Melagre,  matris 

Impius  mactas :    morerisque  dextra 

Matris  iratae.     Meruere  cuncti  ■  40 

Morte  quod  crimen  tener  expiavit 


26.   Notam  Styga,  i.  e.  visited  before,  relieving    earth    and    sea    from    monsters 

when  he  went  in  quest  of  Eurydice,  '  never  and  oppressors,  also  shared  the  evil  destiny 

to  retum'  on  this  occasion,  as  he  had  done  of  the  Argonauts.     Sonie  uncertainty  rests 

then.  on    the   connexion   of   Hercules   with   the 

28.  Aquilone  natos.  Apoll.  R.  i.  Argonautic  expedition.  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  i. 
2  11  Zr]TT]S  av  KaKats  t«  Boprjioi  vUs  123,  and  the  Schohast  on  I.1291.  With 
iKovTO.  i^or  the  cause  of  Hercules'  anger  '  pacem'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  802  '  Erymanthi 
against  them,  see  Ib.  1300  foU.  Pacarit  nemora.' 

29.  Genitum,  Periclymenos,  son  of  3;.  Gemini  cruoris,  i.  e.  the  blood 
Neleus  but  descended  from  Poseidon.  Cp.  of  Nessus,  and  that  of  the  Hydra.  It 
Ov.  M.  12.  556  '  Mira  Periclymeni  mors  was  the  poison  extracted  from  the  latter 
est  :  cui  posse  figuras  Sumere  quas  vellet,  which  was  conveyed  by  the  arrow  into 
rursusque  reponere  sumtas,  Neptunus  de-  the  Centaur's  blood,  and  thus  passed 
derat,  Nelei  sanguinis  auctor.'  into  the  garment  sent  by  Dejanira  to  Her- 

30.  Innumeras.     The  substitution  of  cules. 

a  dactyl  in  the  second  foot  of  a  Sapphic  37.    Ancaeum.     See  on  v.  12  :  he  was 

hne  for  a  spondee   is  pecuHar  to  Seneca.  killed   in   the  Calydonian   hunt.     Cp.  Ov. 

We    have    similar    instances    in   Oed.  412  M.  8.  401  foll. 

'  Te  caput  Tyria  cohibere  mitra  ;'   Ib.  476  38.   Setiger,   like   '  corniger  ; '   see    on 

'  Sidus  Arcadium  geminumque  plaustrum  ;'  Hipp.  46. 

Troad.  840  '  An  ferax  varii  lapidis  Cary-  Fratres  .  .  matris  :    Toxeus  and  Ple- 

stos ;'   Ib.  1055  '  Troja  qua  jaceat  regione  xippus,  brothers  of  Althea.      Meleager   is 

monstrans."  reckoned  among  the  Argonauts,  Apoll.  R. 

31.  Ipse  .  .  pacem.      Hercules,    after  i.  191. 


302 


SENECA. 


HercLili  magno  puer  inrepertus  ? 
Raptus  heu  !    tutas  puer  inter  undas. 
perarate  pontum, 
Fonte  timendo. 


Ite  nunc,  fortes 


45 


Idmonem,  quamvis  bene  fata  nosset, 
Condidit  j   sepi  Libycis  arenis, 
Omnibus  verax,  sibi  falsus  uni, 
Concidit  Mopsus,  caruitque  Thebis. 
Ille  si  vere  cecinit  futura : 
Exul  errabit  Thetidis  maritus  j 
Igne  fallaci  nociturus  Argis 
Nauplios  praeceps  cadet  in  profundum  j 
Patrioque  pendet  crimine  poenas 


43-45.  Tutas  .  .  timendo.  '  Tutas  ' 
means  waters  naturally  safe,  calm,  and  con- 
fined,  like  those  of  a  fountain  ;  hence  the 
irony  of  the  following  lines.  '  A  fountain 
may  be  your  death  ;  dare  then,  if  you  will, 
to  hazard  the  ocean.'  Some  texts,  missing 
the  point  of  the  lines,  read  '  sorte  timenda.' 
The  construction  is  rather  a  pecuHar  abla- 
tive  absolute  = '  cum  fons  sit  timendus.' 

Puer,  Hylas,  n:entioned  as  another  in- 
stance  of  the  misfortunes  that  dogged  the 
Argonauts.  He  went  as  the  companion 
of  Hercules,  TlpoiOrj^-qs  laiv  re  <fyop(vs 
<pv\aKus   T€    Pioio,   Apoll.  R.  I.  132,    and 

46.  Idmonem.  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  2.  818 
''EvOa  5'  'APavTiaSrjv  TmTpwixtvq  fjKaae 
fiotpa,  "ISfior^a,  ^tavToavvrjai  KtKadjXivov 
aWa  fj.iv  ovri  tilavToavvai  iaawaav  (nfl 
Xpfw  rjyf  Safxrjvat. 

47.  Condidit  :  sc.  Mopsus,  his  fellow- 
seer  :  iirst  he  buried  Idmon  and  then 
perished  himself. 

Sepi,  by  the  bite  of  a  poisonous  ser- 
pent,  a  word  used  by  Lucan  9.  723  '  Ossa- 
que  dissolvens  cum  corpore  tabificus  Seps.' 
This  is  the  reading  of  the  best  MS. :  many 
editions  have  '  condidit  serpens'  (so  punc- 
tuated),  partly  from  not  understanding 
'  sepi,'  partly  to  supply  a  subject  before 
'  condidit ; '  but  it  was  not  Idmon,  but 
Mopsus,  ihat  perished  by  the  serpent-bite. 
See  Apoll.  R.  4.  15 16. 

49.  Caruitque  Thebis,  '  lost  his  grave 
at  Thebes,'  where  he  had  predicted  (it  is 
supposed)  that  he  should  die.  There  is 
probably  a  confusion  here  made  by  Seneca 
between  Mopsus,  son  of  Amphyx  and 
Chloris,  the  prophet  among  the  Argonauts, 


and  the  son  of  Apollo  and  Manto,  daughter 
of  Tiresias.  It  was  the  latter  who  was 
associated  with  Thebes,  not  the  former. 

50.  Ille  obviously  refers  to  Mopsus, 
whose  prediction  the  chorus  claim  to  have 
heard. 

51.  Exul.  Peleus  was  driven  from  his 
kingdom  of  Phthia  by  the  king  of  lolcos. 
See  Eur.  Troad.  11 27. 

52.  Igne  fallaci.  A  Nauplius  {0$ 
irtpi  iravTas  fKaivvro  vavTikiTiai  Apoll.  R. 
I.  138)  was  one  of  the  Argonauts,  but  the 
one  here  referred  to  was  the  father  of 
Palamedes,  whose  condemnation  by  the 
Greeks  at  Troy  Nauplius,  king  of  Euboea, 
revenged  by  exhibiting  false  lights  at  the 
most  dangerous  points  of  the  coast,  so 
luring  the  Greek  ships  to  destruction  :  but 
disappointed  that  Ulysses  and  Diomede 
had  escaped,  he  threw  himself  from  the 
rocks  Seneca  either  confuses  the  two 
persons  bearing  the  same  name,  as  in  the 
case  of  Mopsus,  or  else,  viewing  the  father 
of  Palamedes  as  the  descendant  of  the 
Argonaut,  represents  the  destruction  of  the 
former  as  coming  on  him  for  the  sin  of 
his  ancestor,  as  happened  also  to  Aja.x,  son 
of  Oileus,  next  mentioned. 

Argis,  the  dative  of  '  Argos '  =  the  city 
of  that  name,  used  sometimes  for  Greece 
in  general,  and  here  for  the  Greeks. 

54.  There  is  great  confusion  in  the  text 
here.  The  MSS.  give  '  Patrioque  pendet 
crimine  poenas,'  with  which  may  be  com- 
pared,  in  point  of  scansion,  Oed.  489  '  Me- 
liore  pensans  damna  marito.'  But  in  the 
latter  passage  it  is  only  one  of  several 
various  metres  introduced  into  the  chorus : 
there  is  no  instance  in  Seneca  of  such  a 


SENKCA. 


303 


Fulmine  ct  ponto  moriens  Oileus. 
Conjugis  fatum  redimens  Pheraei, 
Uxor,  impendes  animam  marito ! 
Ipse,  qui  praedam  spoliumque  jussit 
Aureum  prima  revehi  carina, 
Ustus  accenso  Pelias  aheno 
Arsit  angustas  vagus  inter  undas. 
Jam  satis,  divi,  mare  vindicastis  : 
Parcite  jusso ! 


60 


line  occurring  in  a  pure  Sapphic  stanza. 
At  the  same  time  there  is  something  mani- 
festly  irregular  about  the  last  stanza  of  this 
Ode,  and  the  poet  may  have  varied  it  in 
the  metre  of  one  line  as  well  as  in  the 
length  of  the  whole.  Bothe  would  alter 
into  '  Crimine  et  poenas  patrio  rependet  :' 
'Crimine  poenas'  may  have  been  written  hy 
itself  as  the  Adonic  hne,  and  '  patrio(que) 
pendet'  being  superscribed  as  the  end  of  the 
preceding  verse,  the  transposition  neces- 
sary  to  remodel  the  line  may  in  part  be 
accounted  for. 

Patrio  . .  crimine,  ablative  of  cause  = 
'  on  account  of  his  father's  sin'  in  violating 
the  sanctity  of  the  ocean,  v.  9. 

55.  Oileus,  here  used  for  '  Ajax,  Oilei 
filius,'  according  to  the  Roman  fashion  of 
calUng  sons  after  their  fathers,  as  some 
suppose.  At  the  same  time,  the  omission 
of  '  Ajax'  before  'Oileus'  in  this  passage, 
where  everything  turns  on  the  distinction 
between  the  father  and  son,  is  not  to  be 
accounted  for  satisfactorily.  Ajax  was 
killed  by  a  stroke  of  lightning  in  a  storm, 
and  his  body  was  washed  up  on  the 
Capharean  rocks,  a  punishment  sent  on 
him  by  Athena.  Oileus  is  counted  among 
the  Argonauts  by  ApoU.  R.  I.  74  avv  Kal 
rpLTos  ^fv  'OiKevs. 


56.  Pheraei,  Apoll.  R.  i.  49  Ov  5e 
^epais  "AS/j.TjTos  ivpprjveaaiv  dvdaacov 
Mifjvev  vTTo  aKonirjv  opeos  Xa\Kw5ovioio. 
The  punishment  fcr  maritinie  daring  that 
should  have  fallen  on  Admetus  was  re- 
deemed  by  the  vicarious  suftering  of  AI- 
cestis,  as  that  of  Oileus  had  been  by 
Ajax. 

59.  Prima,  '  Argo,  first  of  vessels.' 
Pelias  sent  Jason  to  Colchis  after  the 
golden  fleece. 

61.  Arsit  angustas,  '  his  ficating 
limbs  were  bumt  in  the  confined  water  of 
the  boiling  cauldron,'  into  which  he  had 
been  thrown  after  being  cut  into  pieces  by 
his  own  daughters,  whom  Medea  had 
taught  that  they  might  thus  restore  their 
father  to  youth. 

Undas,  emphatic  :  having  sinned  against 
water,  he  perished  by  water. 

63.  Parcite  jusso,  i.  e.  spare  the  hero, 
who  has  dared  the  ocean  only  at  the 
bidding  of  another  (' jussit'  v.  58),  and  not 
of  his  own  free  will.  One  MS.  has  '  vivo.' 
The  Florentine  however  gives  '  jusso,' 
which  has  obviously  the  most  point.  Gro- 
novius  quotes  froni  Val.  FI.  5.  480  '  Nec 
tua,  Thessalicis  quanquam  inclita  nomina 
terris,  Sponte  sequor ;  cui  non  jusso  tot 
adire  voluptas  Monstra  maris  ?' 


M.  ANNAEUS    LUCANUS. 


LIFE     OF     LUCAN. 


M.  Annaeus  Lucanus  was  born  of  Roman  parents  at  Cordova, 
A.D.  38.  His  father,  L.  (or  M.)  Annaeus  Mella,  of  equestrian  rank, 
was  brother  to  Seneca  the  orator;  and  the  intellectual  gifts  of  that 
cultivated  famiiy  were  inherited  and  developed  by  the  future  author 
of  the  '  Pharsalia.'  At  a  very  early  age,  Hke  the  philosopher 
Seneca,  he  was  sent  by  his  father  to  Rome,  where,  together  per- 
haps  with  Persius,  he  studied  rhetoric  and  philosophy,  imbibing 
at  the  same  time  a  love  of  the  old  republican  Hberty,  under  the 
tuition  of  Cornutus  the  Stoic.  Here,  surrounded  by  wealth  and 
the  best  society  of  the  capital  (Juv.  7.  69),  he  appHed  himself  to  the 
numerous  compositions  in  prose  and  verse  which  Statius  refers  to 
in  his  Birthday  Ode  (Silv.  2.  7),  but  which  have  not  come  down  to 
posterity.  He  married  an  estimable  and  highly-gifted  lady  named 
Polla  Argentaria,  whose  merits  are  celebrated  both  by  Statius  and 
Martial.  Nero,  to  whose  favour  the  young  poet  had  been  through 
his  uncle's  influence  introduced,  became  after  a  short  time  jealous 
of  his  protdge's  superiority  as  a  composer  and  declaimer ;  and 
being  debarred  by  the  Emperor  from  indulging  his  genius  farther 
in  public  recitations,  Lucan  devoted  himself  to  the  composition 
of  his  only  surviving  and  unfinished  work,  the  Epic  of  the  '  Phar- 
saHa.'  Resentment  at  the  altered  behaviour  of  the  Emperor  towards 
him,  that  had  wounded  his  Spanish  pride,  drove  the  poet  to  join 
in  Piso's  conspiracy  against  Nero.  Having  been  discovered,  he 
put  an  end  to  his  Hfe  by  the  Emperor's  command,  after  first 
disgracing  himself  by  the  betrayal  of  his  accomplices,  perhaps  even 
of  his  own  mother  AciHa,  a.d.  65,  when  he  had  only  reached  his 
twenty-seventh  year.     See  Tac.  Ann.  15.  49,  56,  70:  Ib.  16.  17. 

'  Lucanus  ardens  et  concitatus  et  sententiis  clarissimus  et  magis 
oratoribus  quam  poetis  mirandus.'  This  brief  and  pregnant  criti- 
cism  of  QuintiHan's  (Inst.  Or.  10.  i,  90)  suggests  at  once  the  chief 

X  2 


3o8  LIFE   OF  LUCAN. 

merits  and  defects  of  Lucan  as  a  poet.  The  latter  may  be  said 
to  belong  as  much  to  the  age  as  to  the  author.  The  same  pre- 
dominance  of  declamation,  the  same  over-fondness  for  minute  and 
often  painful  description,  the  same  want  of  real,  with  exuberance 
of  spasmodic,  feeUng,  the  same  parade  of  erudition  and  moralizing 
sententiousness,  that  were  noticed  in  the  plays  of  Seneca,  pervade 
the  Epic  of  Lucan.  On  the  other  hand,  the  vigour  and  originahty, 
the  boldness  and  fertility  of  his  genius,  stamp  him  as  a  '  man  of 
great  powers'  (Coleridge),  and  claim  for  him  a  very  highrank 
among  the  poets  of  the  Sih-er  Age.  Fine  delineation  of  character, 
noble  sentiments  happily  expressed,  speeches  fuU  of  passion  and 
thought,  are  scattered  throughout  the  '  Pharsalia.'  The  subject  may 
have  been  unwisely  chosen,  unartistically  handled,  and  historically 
misrepresented ;  but  judging  the  Epic  in  its  parts,  and  not  as  a 
whole,  it  is  a  marvellous  poem  to  have  been  produced  by  a  youth 
of  five-and-twenty.  Nor  was  his  influence  unfelt  upon  the  Hterature 
of  his  country.  His  elaborate  descriptions  added  to  the  vocabulary 
of  Latin  poetry.  His  intellectual  self-confidence  and  independence 
of  the  traditional  language  of  verse  aflforded  him  no  scruples  in 
the  creation  of  novel  constructions,  and  in  the  adoption  of  prosaic 
though  significant  phrases,  occasionally  reminding  us  of  the  manner 
of  Tacitus.  His  versification  resembles  that  of  Ovid  rather  than 
Virgil,  though  vastly  inferior  to  either.  He  often  repeats  the  same 
word  in  a  single  Hne  ;  the  verses  are  frequently  rough  and  inharmo- 
nious,  and  even  when  well  constructed,  seldom  fit  in  neatly  with  each 
other ;  while  his  rhythm  has  a  tendency  to  degenerate  into  some- 
thing  nearly  approaching  to  rhyme.  Niebuhr  calls  Lucan  '  a  bad 
poet  belonging  to  an  intolerable  school'  (Seneca's);  but  with  this 
harsh  judgment  may  be  compared  the  more  appreciative  criticism 
of  Merivale,  Hist.  Empire,  c.  54  (end). 

So  highly  esteemed  was  Lucan  (Hke  Statius)  in  the  middle  ages 
(cp.  Dante  Inf.  4.  90)  that  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  in  existence 
a  large  number  of  MSS.  of  the  '  PharsaHa.'  The  earHest  belong 
to  the  tenth,  or  perhaps  the  ninth  century. 


LXIV. 
M.  ANNAEUS    LUCANUS. 

LIB.  I.  119-182. 

This  extract  describes  two  out  of  the  six  causes  to  which  the  poet 
ascribes  the  civil  war  between  Pompey  and  Caesar.  First  (vv.  1-40),  the 
rival  genius  and  temper  of  the  leaders :  the  older  general  desiring  to  retain 
in  peace  and  popularity  a  reputation  already  won ;  the  younger  of  a  more 
restless  and  enterprising  spirit,  impatient  of  any  but  the  first  place  in  the 
State,  and  loving  war  for  its  own  sake.  Pompey  is  represented  by  the 
image  of  an  ancient  tree  hung  with  past  trophies,  Caesar  as  a  flash  of 
lightning  spreading  ruin  and  dismay  wherever  it  bursts.  Secondly  (vv. 
40-64),  the  demoralization  of  Roman  society  through  avarice  and  luxury 
promoted  by  foreign  conquest ;  the  growth  of  large  estates  and  the  conse- 
quent  necessity  of  war  and  spoil  to  supply  the  appetite  for  debauchery  and 
extravagance :  ambition,  violeuce,  and  corruption  perverting  policy  and 
justice ;  and  the  interests  of  usurers  combining  with  the  exigencies  of 
debtors  to  bring  about  a  civil  war. 

MoRTE  tua  discussa  fides,  bellumque  movere 
Permissum  ducibus  j  stimulos  dedit  aemula  virtus. 
Tu  nova  ne  veteres  obscurent  acta  triumphos, 
Et  victis  cedat  piratica  laurea  Gallis, 


I.   Morte  tua.     In  the  preceding  lines  others,  is  one  of  Lucan's  favourite  abstract 

Lucan  has  been  speaking  of  Julia,  Caesar*s  terms,  and  is  used  in  many  various  senses  : 

daughter    and    Pompey's  wife,   who    died  here  =  ' mutual  confidence.' 

54  B.c.     Had    she    lived,  the    poet    con-  3.  Nova  . .  acta,  i.e.  lest  Caesar's  recent 

siders  that  she  might  have  prevented  the  victories  in  Gaul  and  Britain  should  eclipse 

breach    between    her    husband    and    her  your  former  triumphs  in  Spain,  Sicily,  and 

father.  Pontus. 

Discussa.     Bentley,  to  avoid  repetition  4.   Victis    .  .    Gallis  =  '  victoriae    de 

after  'excusso'  two  lines  before,  suggests  Gallis   reportatae,'  a  common  use   of  the 

'  discissa  :'  'discutere  (he  adds)  non  temere  participle,  especially  in  Livy  and  the  poets. 

dictum   invenies   nisi   de    rebus    noxiis    et  Piratica     laurea,    Pompey's    decisive 

molestis.'  overthrow  of  the  pirates  off  the  coast  of 

Fides,    like    'fatuni,'    'fortuna,'    and  Cilicia,  65  b.c. 


3IO 


LUCAN. 


Magne,  times :  te  jam  series,  ususque  laborum 
Erigit,  impatiensque  loci  fortuna  secundi : 
Nec  quenquam  jam  ferre  potest,  Caesarve  priorem, 
Pompeiusve  parem.     Quis  justius  induit  arma, 
Scire  nefas  j   magno  se  judice  quisque  tuetur : 
Victrix  causa  deis  placuit,  sed  victa  Catoni. 
Nec  coiere  pares :   alter  vergentibus  annis 
In  senium,  longoque  togae  tranquillior  usu 
Dedidicit  jam  pace  ducem ;   famaeque  petitor 
Multa  dare  in  vulgus,  totus  popularibus  auris 
Impelli,  plausuque  sui  gaudere  theatri  • 
Nec  reparare  novas  vires,  multumque  priori 
Credere  fortunae  :    stat  magni  nominis  umbra. 
Qualis  frugifero  quercus  sublimis  in  agro 


5.  Te  jara  must  evidently  refer  to 
Caesar,  though  the  usage  of  the  language 
requires  the  indication  of  the  same  subject 
as  was  denoted  by  'tu'  v.  3.  Bentley 
would  read  '  hunc,'  supposing  'te'  to  have 
arisen  from  hc,  the  abbreviation  of  '  hunc' 
'Jam'  is  perhaps  intended  to  mark  the 
transition  here  to  a  difFerent  subject,  not 
to  have  the  temporal  force  of  ^5jj  = '  long 
since.' 

Series  ususque,  'succession  and  expe- 
rience  of  enterprises.' 

6.  Fortuna,  '  success,'  as  below,  vv.  17, 
42.  Caesar,  when  stopping  at  a  small 
town  in  the  Alps,  is  said  to  have  ex- 
claimed,  '  Mallem  hic  primus  esse  quam 
Romae  secundus.' 

7.  Jam  (v.  20),  '  any  longer,'  i.  e.  since 
the  death  of  Julia ;  even  if  they  could 
endure  it  before,  they  can  do  so  no  more. 

8.  Induit  =  '  induerit.'  The  subjunc- 
tive  is  used  after  the  same  phrase  in  Ov. 
Fast.  3.  325  ;  Stat.  Theb.  3.  562. 

9.  Scirenefas:  cp.  Hor.  Od.  1.  II,  l. 
The  meaning  is  :  It  is  not  permitted  for 
man  to  know  or  to  decide  a  case,  where 
such  judges  as  the  gods  and  Cato  took 
opposite  sides. 

Quisque  for  '  uterque,'  as  '  quis,'  v.  8, 
for  '  uter.'  Bentley,  without  any  authority 
from  MSS.,  reads  '  uterque.' 

10.  Deis,  as  giving  the  victory  to 
Caesar. 

Catoni,  as  adhering  to  Pompey  after 
his  defeat. 

11.  Alter  :  Pompey  was  nearly  60, 
having  been  born  106  B.c. :  his  rival  was 
only  six   years  younger.     '  Subtiliter    de- 


trahit  Caesari,  cum  vicerit  senem'  is  the 
remark  of  a  Schohast  on  this  passage. 

13.  Dedidicit  . .  ducem.  An  unusual 
expression,  which  Weber  traces  to  Lucan's 
uncle  Seneca,  comparing  Troad.  887  '  De- 
pone  cultus  squalidos,  festos  cape;  Dedisce 
captam.' 

14.  Dare,  not  infinitive  after  'didicit' 
(suppHed  from  '  dedidicit')  =  he  had  lost 
the  character  of  '  dux'  in  that  of  a  '  famae 
petitor,'  but  rather  tlie  descriptive  in- 
finitive  (Infinitivus  Historicus)  like  '  ferre 
manum'  below. 

In  vulgus  is  in  several  phrases  used 
rather  than  the  dative,  probably  to  prevent 
confusion  with  the  adverb. 

Popularibus.  Cp.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7,  69 
'  Et  gratum  popularitate  Magnum.' 

15.  Sui  .  .  theatri,  the  first  theatre  of 
stone,  which  he  had  built  for  the  Romans 
near  the  Campus  Martius  55  B.  c.  See  7. 
9  foU.  '  Nam  Pompeiani  visus  sibi  sede 
theatri  Innumeram  effigiem  Romanae  cer- 
nere  plebis.'  Cicero  describes  the  games 
which  celebrated  its  opening,  Ep.  ad  Div. 
7.  I. 

i6.  Multumque,  for  'que'=  'but'  after 
'  nec:'  cp.  Ov.  M.  i.  15. 

17.  Stat  .  .  umbra.  Cp.  Sen.  Octav. 
V.  70  '  Magni  resto  nominis  umbra.'  This, 
together  with  the  contrasted  '  nescia  .  . 
stare'  in  v.  27  tends  to  confirm  the  com- 
mon  reading  'stat'  in  the  text,  for  which 
•  sat'  has  been  needlessly  proposed.  '  Stat' 
prepares  one  for  the  following  simile. 

18.  Frugifero  .  .  agro.  One  scho- 
Hast  takes  this  to  represent  Pompey's 
weahh,  another  more  wisely  interprets  it 


LUCAN. 


31 1 


Exuvias  veteres  populi,  sacrataque  gestans 
Dona  ducum,  nec  jam  validis  radicibus  hacrcns, 
Pondere  tixa  suo  est  j    nudosque  pcr  aera  ramos 
EfFundens,  trunco,  non  frondibus,  efficit  umbram  : 
Et,  quamvis  primo  nutet  casura  sub  Euro, 
Tot  circum  silvae  lirmo  se  robore  tollant, 
Sola  tamen  colitur.     Sed  non  in  Caesare  tantum 
Nomen  erat,  nec  fama  ducis  j    sed  nescia  virtus 
Stare  loco,  solusque  pudor  non  vinccre  bello. 
Acer,  et  indomitus,  quo  spes,  quoque  ira  vocasset, 
Ferre  manum,  et  nunquam  temerando  parcere  ferro  • 
Successus  urgere  suos,  instare  favori 
Numinis,  impellens  quidquid  sibi  summa  petenti 
Obstaret,  gaudensque  viam  fecisse  ruina. 
Qualiter  expressum  ventis  per  nubila  fulmen 
Aetheris  impulsi  sonitu,  mundique  fragore 


of  Rome.  It  is  not  however  necessary  to 
find  a  counterpart  for  every  portion  of  this 
simile  any  more  than  e.  g.  for  the  '  e.x- 
pressum  ventis  per  nubila'  in  the  one  that 
follows. 

19.  Veteres  harmonizes  with  the  '  ve- 
teres  triumphos '  of  v.  3  ;  but  '  veteris,' 
found  in  old  MSS.,  gives  a  force  to  '  po- 
puli,'  which  by  itself  is  somewhat  flat  = 
'  the  spoils  won  from  some  ancient  people.' 

20.  Radicibus,  ablative,  '  no  longer 
clinging  to  the  soil  by  sturdy  roots,'  said 
of  an  effete,  but  still  living  tree ;  cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  10.  423. 

21.  Nudos,  '  leafless.'  So  Pompey  wou 
no  new  honours,  nor  sent  forth  fresh  shoots 
of  fame.  One  editor  conjectures  '  nuUos' 
from  Virgirs  '  decisis  . .  ramis '  Ae.  1 1 .  5  :  but 
the  trophy-trunk  there  spoken  of  is  a  diiTer- 
ent  thing  from  the  sacred  oak  meant  here. 

23.  E  t.  So  Bentley  from  one  good  MS. : 
most  give  '  sed  :'  and  later  editions  '  at.' 

24.  Silvae,  i.e.  though  so  many  power- 
ful  and  distinguished  Romans  flourished 
around  him,  yet  Pompey  was  alone  adored. 

Robore,  '  trunk.'  Cp.  Catull.  62  (64). 
107  '  Indomitum  turben  contorquens  fla- 
mine  robur  Eruit.' 

25.  Tantum,  adverb,  not  the  adjective, 
'  only.'  Caesar  had,  beside  reputation,  the 
qualities  next  mentioned,  '  virtus'  etc. 

27.  Non  vincere  bello,  i.  e.  he  was 
asfaamed  of  defeat  in  war,  and  of  nothing 
else.  Voss  takes  it,  '  the  only  shame  he 
knew  was  that  of  conquering  by  other 
means    than    the    sword,'    i,  e.    fae    was 


ashamed  of  advantages  gained  by  com- 
promise,  stratagem,  surrender,  and  tbe 
like.  Bentlej',  comparing  7.  73,  reads 
'lente'  for  'bello:'  '  his  one  sole  care 
was  to  be  swift  in  conquering.'  But  it 
is  doubtful  if  '  pudor'  could  be  used  in 
this  sense ;  nor  does  there  appear  to  be 
any  necessity  for  the  change  of  text. 
Little  can  be  said  for  joining  '  bello '  with 
'  acer '  rather  than  '  vincere.' 

29.  Temerando  .  .  ferro.  '  Teme- 
rare '  cannot  be  used,  as  has  been  supposed 
here,  in  its  etymological  sense  =  '  temere 
uti,'  '  not  one  to  shrink  from  the  venture 
of  the  sword.'  Rather,  '  he  never  shrunk 
from  dyeing  the  sword  in  blood'  when 
'  spes '  or  '  ira '  prompted.  Bentley  substitutes 
'  juri'  for  '  ferro,'  i.  e.  he  was  always  ready 
to  sacrifice  right  to  might  :  cp.  i.  225. 

31.  Impellens,  '  driving  before  him,' 
or  '  pushing  away :'  cp.  Persius  2.  59. 

32.  Viam  .  .  ruina.  Bentley  compares 
Sen.  Herc.  Fur.  66,  7  '  Nec  in  astra  lenta 
veniet,  ut  Bacchus,  via  ;  Iter  ruina  quaeret.' 
'  Ruina '  is  the  natural  word  after  '  impel- 
lens'  and  '  obstaret.' 

33.  Qualiter,  i.  e.  '  Ita  viam  ruina  fa- 
ciebat,  qualiter  fulmen'  etc.  This  form, 
not  found  in  Virgil  or  Horace,  is  first  used 
by  Ovid  :  the  corresponding  'tahter'  occurs 
in  Martial. 

Expressum  ..  ventis,  '  forced  out 
through  the  clouds  by  the  winds.'  See 
note  on  Ov.  M.  i.  56. 

34.  Aetheris,i.q.'aeris:'  thetwowords 
are    used    however    sometimes    indiscrimi- 


312 


LUCAN. 


Emicuit,  rupitque  diem,  populosque  paventes  35 

Terruit,  obliqua  praestringens  lumina  flamma  j 

In  sua  templa  furit,  nullaque  exire  vetante 

Materia,  magnamque  cadens,  magnamque  revertens 

Dat  stragem  late,  sparsosque  recoiligit  ignes. 

Hae  ducibus  causae  suberant :    sed  publica  belli  40 

Semina,  quae  populos  semper  mersere  potentes. 

Namque  ut  opes  nimias  mundo  fortuna  subacto 

Intulit,  et  rebus  mores  cessere  secundis, 

Praedaque,  et  hostiles  luxum  suasere  rapinae, 

Non  auro,  tectisve  modus,  mensasque  priores  45 

Aspernata  fames :    cultus,  gestare  decoros 

Vix  nuribus,  rapuere  mares  :    fecunda  virorum 

Paupertas  fugitur,  totoque  arcessitur  orbe, 

Quo  gens  quaeque  perit.     Tum  longos  jungere  fines 


nately.  '  Impulsi,'  '  fragore,'  'rupit'  (see 
V.  31)  convey  the  same  idea  of  driving 
and  crushing. 

Mundi  =  'coeli.'    CatuU.  62  (64).  206. 

35.  Rupitque  diem,  '  has  riven  the 
sky,'  'dies'  in  Lucan  being  often  put  for 
'  the  air,'  as  4.  68  '  Incendere  diem  nubes 
oriente  remotae:'  so  7.  189;  8.216.  The 
schohast  explains  '  prae  fulgore  suo  obscu- 
ravit  diem.'  Shakspeare,  JuUus  Caesar, 
A.  I,  s.  3,  '  When  the  cross-blue  hghtning 
seem'd  to  open  The  breast  of  heaven.' 

36.  Obliqua:  so  Sen.  Thyest.  359 'ob- 
liqui  via  fulminis.' 

Praestringens,  '  dazzling.'  Every- 
where  the  three  forms,'perstringens,'  'prae- 
stringens,'  and  '  praestinguens'  are  con- 
founded. 

37.  In  sua  templa, 'on  the  quarters 
of  the  sky,  its  home,'  the  well-known  use 
of  the  word  in  Lucretius.  The  parallel  is 
Caesar  making  war  on  the  altars  and 
hearths  of  his  couiitry. 

Exire,  '  carry  out  its  course;'  nothing 
acts  as  a  liniit  beyond  which  the  lightning 
or  Caesar  cannot  go. 

39.  Sparsosque  recolligit  ignes  may 
perhaps  refer  to  Caesar  after  scattering  his 
forces  and  spreading  ruin  and  dismay 
among  the  '  populi  paventes'  of  Gaul,  Ger- 
many,  Britain,  and  the  rest,  concentrating 
his  legions  for  an  attack  on  Rome.  Cp. 
Sen.  Oed.503  'Lunaque  dimissos  dum  plena 
recolliget  ignes:'  Virg.  G.  i.  427.  Statius 
refers  to  this  splendid  simile  in  his  Ode  on 
Lucan's  birthday  :  see  Silv.  2.  7,  49  (67). 

40.  Publica,  emphatic,  '  in  the  state,' 


as  distinguished  from  the  'ducibus'  etc, 
also  '  open  and  manifest,'  as  contrasted 
with  '  suberant'  or  latent  causes. 

41.  Semina  .  .  mersere  involves  a 
confusion  of  metaphors. 

44.  Praeda,  '  dicitur  de  tota  patria;' 
rapina,  '  de  aliqua  parte,'  Schol. :  the 
latter  is  used  in  pkiral,  Virg.  Ae.  8.  263, 
elsewhere  rarely. 

45.  Tectis,  alluding  to  the  overbuild- 
ing  often  referred  to  by  Horace  and  others  ; 
the  conjectures  'textis'  and  '  lectis'  are 
needless. 

46.  Cultus :  so  Juvenal  complains  of 
men  wearing  'bombycina,'  'multicia,'  'syr- 
ma,'  '  monilia,'  '  mitras'  etc. 

Gestare  decoros,  for  '  gestari  a  nuri- 
bus  decoros.'  The  infinitive  is  used  epexe- 
getically,  like  the  Greek,  '  nuribus'  being 
of  course  the  dative,  joined  with  '  decoros.' 
Cp.  Ov.  Med.  Fac.  25  '  Feminea  vestri 
potiuntur  lege  mariti,  Et  vix  ad  cultus 
nupta  quod  addat  habet.' 

47,48.  Fecunda  virorum  Paupertas. 
The  idea  is  taken  from  Hor.  Od.  I.  12,  42 
foU.  Grotius  quotes  from  the  Anthology  a 
line  of  Palladas,  MtaoiivTai  ■nivirjv  firjTtpa 
ffojcppoavvrjs. 

48,  49.  Totoque  .  .  perit  :  the  whole 
world  is  ransacked  for  the  wealth,  of  which 
every  people  dies. 

Longos  jungere  fines,  unite  wide 
farms  that  hitherto  had  been  separate 
and  in  different  hands  :  '  longos '  may 
be  proleptic  =  so  as  to  make  extensive 
farms.  Bentley  suggests  '  latos '  to  prevent 
the   recurrence   of  the  same  word  within 


LUCAN. 


313 


Agrorum,  et  quondam  duro  sulcata  Camilli  50 

Vomere,  et  antiquos  Curiorum  passa  ligones 

Longa  sub  ignotis  extenderc  rura  colonis. 

Non  erat  is  populus,  quem  pax  tranquilla  juvaret, 

Quem  sua  libertas  immotis  pasceret  armis. 

Inde  irae  faciles,  et,  quod  suasisset  egestas,  55 

Vile  nefas  j    magnumque  decus,  ferroque  petendum, 

Plus  patria  potuisse  sua  j    mensuraque  juris 

Vis  erat :    hinc  leges,  et  plebiscita  coactae, 

Et  cum  Consulibus  turbantes  jura  Tribuni : 

Hinc  rapti  pretio  fasces,  sectorque  favoris  60 

Ipse  sui  populus,  letalisque  ambitus  urbi, 

Annua  venali  referens  certamina  campo. 

Hinc  usura  vorax,  avidumque  in  tempora  fenus, 

Et  concussa  fides,  et  multis  utile  bellum. 


four  lines.     Such  repetitions   however  are 
not  infrequent  in  Lucan. 

50.  Duro  (MSS),  altered  by  Bentley 
into  '  duri,'  as  more  forcible. 

52.  Sub  ignotis,  not  =  'usque  ad  ig- 
notas  gentes'  as  the  SchoUast  explains,  but 
'  under  the  tillage  of  foreign  peasants.' 
The  farnis  were  worked  no  more,  as  for- 
merly  in  the  days  of  the  Curii  and  Camil- 
lus,  by  Roman  hands,  but  by  imported 
slaves.     Cp.  Juv.  14.  140  foll. 

54.  Quem  sua  ..  armis,  '  not  such 
as  to  delight  in  liberty  for  their  portion 
without  the  stir  of  arms.'  Their  craving 
for  spoil  made  them  prefer  war  to  peaceful 
freedom.  Cp.  Tibull.  i.  I,  2.  Bentley 
reads  '  arvis'  for  '  armis'  =  '  in  their  untilled 
fields,'  comparing  i.  28  '  muUos  inarata  per 
annos  Hesperia.' 

55»  56.  Quod  suasisset  .  .  nefas. 
These  words  may  be  taken  in  more 
senses  than  one  :  '  the  crime,  that  need 
had  prompted,  was  lightly  esteemed  ' 
or  '  undertaken  for  a  trifle,'  i.  e.  strait- 
ened  circumstances  were  held  to  ex- 
cuse  crime,  perhaps  with  a  reference  to 
Catiline's  conspiracy ;  or  '  from  avarice 
('  inde')  sprang  the  odious  crimes  that 
poverty  and  despair  might  rather  have 
urged  ; '  or  '  to  wait  for  the  promptings  of 
need  to  crime  was  thought  unworthy, 
while  the  ambition  that  sought  to  master 
one's  country  was  deemed  most  glorious.' 

58.  Leges,  passed  both  by  senate  and 
people. 

Plebiscita,  ordinances  of  the  people, 
not  approved  by  the  senate. 


Coactae  is  usually  taken  as  a  no- 
minative  with  '  leges'  or  '  plebiscita  ;'  but 
there  is  much  to  be  said  for  Bentley's  con- 
struction  of  it  as  a  genitive  with  '  plebis,' 
reading  '  plebis  scita'  in  two  words,  i.  e. 
compelled  by  force  to  vote  on  the  side  of 
the  powerful. 

59.  Cum  Consulibus,  i.  e.  the  tri- 
bunes,  the  natural  counterchecks  to  the 
consuls,  now  conspiring  with  them  to 
overthrow  the  rights  of  the  people.  This 
would  seem  to  be  the  natural  meaning  of 
the  words  ;  they  can  hardly  bear  the  signi- 
fication  which  would  be  more  true  to 
history :  '  Tribunes  in  their  struggle  with 
Consuls  overthrowing  right.'  Some  re- 
ject  the  whole  line  as  an  interpola- 
tion  ;  while  Bentley  proposes  'rostra'  for 
'  jura,'  comparing  4.  799  (of  'Curio') 
'  Quid  nunc  rostra  tibi  prosunt  turbata, 
forumque  ? ' 

60.  Sector,  here  used  for  '  the  distri- 
butor  or  seller.'  Technically  it  means  the 
bidder  or  purchaser  of  confiscated  goods  at 
a  public  sale. 

62.  Arinua..campo,  the  yearly  elec- 
tions  held  in  the  Campus  Martius. 

63.  Avidumque  in  tempora  foenus, 
'  hungry  for  the  times  of  payment,'  or  '  as 
time  went  on '  (like  Lucr.  6.  711  '  Nilus  in 
aestatem  crescit'),  becoming  a  yawning  gulf. 
'  Tempora '  (found  in  some  MSS.)  better 
than  '  in  tempore,'  which  could  scarcely 
mean  '  seizing  occasion  for  satisfying  its 
greed.'  Cp.  Sen.  Troad.  489  '  in  luctus 
suos  Rex  non  avarus.'  A  plausible  con- 
jeclure  is,  '  auctumque  in  foenora  foenus.' 


314  LUCAN. 


LXV. 


LIB.  I.  516-578. 

Ik  this  passage,  which  is  an  independent  imitation  of  Virgil  (G.  i.  464 
foll.),  Lucan  paints  the  various  omens  and  prodigies  in  earth,  sea,  and  sky 
that  betokened  Caesar's  march  on  Rome  with  the  consequent  evils  of  civil 
war,  and  tended  to  spread  the  panic  and  despair  which  he  had  previously 
described  as  created  by  the  news  of  the  Proconsurs  advance.  The  diver- 
sity  of  style  in  description  between  Lucan  and  Virgil  is  very  noticeable  in 
this  extract.  See  Nisard,  Etudes  sur  Les  Poetes  Latins,  Tome  Second, 
Part  4.  Merivale,  however,  strangely  enough  denies  that  Lucan  ever 
studied,  and  questions  if  he  had  ever  read,  Virgil ;  Hist.  Empire,  c.  64. 

Danda  tamen  venia  est,  tantorum  danda  pavorum  : 

Pompeio  fugiente  timent.     Tum,  ne  qua  futuri 

Spes  saltem  trepidas  mentes  levet,  addita  fati 

Pejoris  manifesta  fides,  superique  minaces 

Prodigiis  terras  implerunt,  aethera,  pontum.  5 

Ignota  obscurae  viderunt  sidera  noctes, 

Ardentemque  polum  flammis,  coeloque  volantes 

Obliquas  per  inane  faces,  crinemque  timendi 

Sideris,  et  terris  mutantem  regna  cometen. 

Fulgura  fallaci  micuerunt  crebra  sereno,  10 

Et  varias  ignis  denso  dedit  aere  formas  : 

2.  Pompeio    fugiente,   i.  e.  ordinary  But  redundancy  is  a  characteristic  defect  of 

people  may  be  excused  their  fears,  when  Lucan's  descriptions. 
Pompey  himself  takes  to  flight.  10.  Fallaci    .   .    sereno,    '  amid    the 

4.  Manifesta  fides  (Virg.  Ae.  2.  309),  treacherous   calm  of  the  sky,'  when  you 

'  plain  evidence  of  a  worse  doom  to  come  never  would   expect   Hghtning.     Cp.  Hor. 

was  given  besides ;'  'manifesta'  as  opp.  to  Od.  I.  34,  6   foU. ;     see    Virg.  G.  I.  487 

the  '  bellorum  murmure' spoken  of  V.  514,  '  Non  alias  coelo  ceciderunt  plura  sereno 

and  the  '  vana  fama '  of  v.  464.  Fulgura.'       Bentley    suggests    that    Lucan 

9.  Terris,  opp.  to  '  coelo'  v.  7.    To  its  wrote  'ceciderunt'  here  on  the  ground  that 

terrible  look  above  was  added  the  know-  he  would  not  have  placed  'micuerunt'  so 

ledge  of  its  baneful  effects  below.  close  to  '  emicuit'  v.  13  :  but  see  on  I.  49, 

Mutantem    regna.      Cp.    Tac.    Ann.  and  many  other  places. 
14.  22  '  Inter  quae  et  sidus  cometes  efful-  II.  Varias   .  .    formas,   explained  by 

sit,  de  quo  vulgi  opinio  est  tanquam  muta-  '  jaculum,'  '  lampas'  in  the  following  Hnes. 
tionem  regis  portendat.'  Denso  . .  aere  :  a  Stoic  doctrine.   MSS. 

Cometen   Bentley  considers  to  be  tau-  give  '  tenso,'   'tento;'   but  Weber  quotes 

tologous,  and  would  read  '  mutantis  .  .  co-  Sen.  Q^N.  7.  21  'Placet  ergo  nostris  Stoi- 

metae'  to  be  taken  with  'sideris,'  as  the  cis  cometas,  sicut  faces,  sicut  turbas  trabes- 

two  words  are  frequently  joined  by  authcrs.  que  et  aha  ostenta  coeli  denso  aere  creari.' 


LUCAN. 


315 


Nunc  jaculum  longo,  nunc  sparso  lumine  lampas 
Emicuit  coelo  j   tacitum  sine  nubibus  uUis 
Fulmen,  et  Arctois  rapiens  de  partibus  ignem 
Percussit  Latiale  caput,  stellaeque  minores, 
Per  vacuum  solitae  noctis  decurrere  tempus, 
In  medium  venere  dicm ;    cornuque  coacto 
Jam  Phoebe  toto  fratrem  cum  redderet  orbe, 
Terrarum  subita  percussa  expalluit  umbra. 
Ipse  caput  medio  Titan  cum  ferret  Olympo, 
Condidit  ardentes  atra  caligine  currus, 
Involvitque  orbem  tenebris,  gentesque  coegit 
Desperare  diem  •    qualem,  fugiente  per  ortus 
Sole,  Thyesteae  noctem  duxere  Mycenae. 
Ora  ferox  Siculae  laxavit  Mulciber  Aetnae, 
Nec  tulit  in  coelum  flammas,  sed  vertice  prono 
Ignis  in  Hesperium  cecidit  latus  j    atra  Charybdis 
Sanguineum  fundo  torsit  mare  j   flebile  saevi 


15 


25 


Bentley  joins  the  following  line  with  this, 
placing  a  full  stop  at  '  lampas/  and  con- 
structing  '  eniicuit'  with  '  fulnien.' 

13.  Tacitum,  i.e.  unaccompanied  with 
thunder,  another  unusual  phaenomenon. 
Oudendorp  conjectures  '  jactum,'  without 
any  point. 

14.  Arctois :  see  v.  477  of  this  book. 
This  is  symbolical  of  the  quarter  from 
which  Caesar  was  to  approach  Rome. 
Lightning  in  ordinary  times  would  be  re- 
presented  as  coming  from  the  South. 

15.  Latiale  caput  means  probably  the 
Roman  Capitol ;  not,  as  some  take  it, 
the  temple  or  statue  of  Jupiter  Latiaris  on 
the  Alban  mount.  'LatiaHs'  and  'Latiaris' 
are  forms  of  the  same  word  equally  com- 
mon. 

16.  Decurrere,  '  run  out,'  i.  e.  fiuish 
their  course :  one  MS.  has  '  discurrere.' 
Cp.  10.  501  '  Quam  solet  aetherio  lampas 
decurrere  sulco.' 

17.  Cornu  . .  coacto, 'the  homs  meet- 
ing  in  the  completed  orb,'  i.  e.  when  the 
moon  was  fuU  :  so  Prop.  4.  4  (3.  5),  27 
'  coactis  Comibus  in  plenum  menstma  Luna 
redit.' 

18.  Fratrem  .  .  redderet,  '  just  when 
she  was  reflecting  perfectly  her  brother's 
(the  Sun's)  Hght.' 

21.  Condidit.  Observe  the  aUitera- 
tion  in  this  line.  Nisard  remarks  on  the 
superiority  of  Virgil's  Hnes,  '  Sol  caput  ob- 


scura    nitidum    fermgine    texit    Impiaque 
aeternam  timuerunt  secula  noctem'  1.  c. 

22.  Orbem,  '  the  earth,'  not  '  its  disk.' 
Statius  (quoted  by  Weber),  seems  to  have 
imitated  this  line :  '  et  occiduum  longe  Ti- 
tana  secuti  Desperasse  diem'  Theb.  4.  284. 

23.  Fugiente  per  ortus.  Cp.  Sen. 
Thyest.  821  foll.  '  Ipse  insueto  novus  hos- 
pitio  Sol  auroram  videt  occiduus  Tenebras- 
que  jubet  surgere  nondum  Nocte  parata.' 

25.  Aetnae.  Here  the  poet  begins  to 
specify  the  prodigies  on  earth  (cp.  v.  5), 
as  hitherto  those  of  the  heavens,  and  after- 
wards,  at  v.  28,  those  on  the  sea.  Contrast 
Virgirs  simpler  Hnes  1.  c.  '  Quoties  Cyclo- 
pum  effervere  in  agros  Vidimus  undantem 
ruptis  fornacibus  Aetnam  Fiammarumque 
globos  liquefactaque  volvere  saxa.' 

26.  Vertice  prono,  '  whirling  down- 
wards  the  flame  fell  on  the  Italian  side' 
(of  the  mountain).  '  Hesperium  latus'  is 
taken  from  Virg.  Ae.  3.  418  (in  connexion, 
as  here,  with  Charybdis).  'Vertex'  (the 
same  word  as  '  vortex,'  see  Qiiintil.  Inst. 
Or.  I.  7)  is  often  used  of  flame,  as  well  as 
of  wind  and  water  :  see  e.  g.  Virg.  Ae.  12. 
672  '  Ecce  autem  flammis  inter  tabulata 
volutus  Ad  coelum  undabat  vortex.'  This 
of  course  portended  the  devastation  coming 
on  Italy. 

28.  Saevi.  It  has  been  proposed  to 
read  'laevi'  here  instead  of  '  saevi,'  as 
hardly  agreeing  with    'flebile;'    but    the 


3i6 


LUCAN. 


Latravere  canes.     Vestali  raptus  ab  ara 

Ignis,  et  ostendens  confectas  flamma  Latinas  30 

Scinditur  in  partes,  geminoque  cacumine  surgit, 

Thebanos  imitata  rogos.     Tum  cardine  tellus 

Subsedit,  veteremque  jugis  nutantibus  Alpes 

Discussere  nivem.     Tethys  majoribus  undis 

Hesperiam  Calpen,  summumque  implevit  Atlanta.  35 

Indigetes  flevisse  deos,  Urbisque  laborem 

Testatos  sudore  Lares,  delapsaque  templis 

Dona  suis,  dirasque  diem  foedasse  volucres 

Accipimus,  silvisque  feras  sub  nocte  relictis 

Audaces  media  posuisse  cubilia  Roma.  40 

Tum  pecudum  faciles  humana  ad  murmura  linguae, 

Monstrosique  hominum  partus  numeroque  modoque 

Membrorum,  matremque  suus  conterruit  infans : 

Diraque  per  populum  Cumanae  carmina  vatis 

Vulgantur :    tum,  quos  sectis  Bellona  lacertis  45 

Saeva  movet,  cecinere  deos,  crinemque  rotantes 


latter  word  means  that,  though  the  hounds 
were  savage,  their  cry  was  doleful :  cp. 
Hom.  Od.  12.  86,  87. 

30.  Ostendens  confectas,  '  the  flame 
of  the  sacrifice  that  marked  the  close  of 
the  Latin  festival,'  on  the  Alban  mount  in 
honour  of  Jupiter  Latiaris,  during  which 
hoHday  there  was  a  sacred  truce  and  no 
battle  could  take  place  while  it  lasted. 
Cp.  5.  402  '  Vidit  flammifera  confectas 
nocte   Latinas.' 

32.  Rogos,  the  pyre  on  which  Eteocles 
and  Polynices  were  bumed,  and  the  flame 
of  which  divided  in  two  to  mark  the 
hatred  of  the  brothers  even  in  death.  See 
Stat.  Theb.  12.  431  '  exundant  diviso  ver- 
tice  flammae.' 

Cardine,  =  ' axe,  ut  tamen  non  polus, 
verum  quaevis  alia  pars  terrae  indicetur' 
Weber.  A  subsidence  after  an  earthquake 
is  meant.  Virgil  (I.  c.)  confines  it  to  the 
AIps  :  '  insolitis  tremuerunt  motibus  Alpcs.' 

35.  Summumque  implevit  Atlanta, 
'  filled  (i.e.  overflowed)  Mauritania's  shore 
to  the  edge  of  Atlas ; '  •  rose  to  the  top  of 
Atlas'  involves  too  much  of  an  exaggera- 
tion.  Bentley  (from  the  '  impulit '  of  one 
MS.)  suggests  '  Mauramque  impellit  Aby- 
lam,'  i.  e.  '  with  huger  billows  dashes 
against'  the  two  columns  of  Hercules. 
The  tidal  waves  accompanying  an  earth- 
quake  are  here  alluded  to. 


38.  Diem  foedasse,  said  of  birds  seen 
usually  only  at  night.  Cp.  Virg.  1.  c.  '  im- 
portunaeque  volucres  Signa  dabant.'  Note 
the  alliteration  in  this  and  the  sigmatism 
in  the  preceding  line. 

40.  Cubilia;  marking  the  desertion  of 
thecity:  so  Virgil  l.c. 'et  altae  Per  noctem 
resonare  lupis  ululantibus  urbes.'  Shak- 
speare  less  accurately, '  a  lioness  hath  whelp- 
ed  in  the  streets'  Julius  Caesar. 

41.  Contrast  Vir^il's  more  impressive 
simplicity,  '  pecudesque  locutae,  Infandum.' 

42.  Monstrosi,  a  syncopated  form  of 
the  common  '  monstruosus '  first  found  in 
Lucan.  The  following  line  contains  a 
vivid  picture. 

44.  Cumanae  .  .  vatis,  the  Sibyl. 
There  is  no  need  of  altering  the  Latin 
form  '  Cumanae'  into  the  Greek  '  Cumaeae,' 
because  the  latter  happens  to  be  more 
common  in  Virgil  and  other  poets.  One 
Scholiast  on  this  passage  gives  an  example 
of  these  '  dira  carmina.'  '  Regna  ruent 
Romae  ferro  flammaque  fameque'  signified 
by  the  initials:  R.R.R.  F.F.F. 

45,  46.  Quos  .  .  cecinere  deos.  The 
'BeUonarii'  or  priests  of  Bellona  who  al- 
ways  wounded  their  arms  or  legs  when 
they  off"ered  sacrifices  to  their  Deity  are 
here  meant :  cp.  TibuU.  I.  6,  45  foll.  '  Ce- 
cinere  deos '  is  not  '  sang  the  oracles  of  the 
gods,'  nor  '  foretold  the  anger  of  their  gods,' 


LUCAN. 


3^7 


Sanguinci  populis  ulularunt  tristia  Galli. 
Compositis  plcnae  gemuerunt  ossibus  urnae. 
Tum  fragor  armorum,  magnacque  per  avia  voces 
Auditae  nemorum,  et  venientes  comminus  umbrae 
Quiquc  colunt  junctos  extremis  moenibus  agros, 
Diffugiunt ;    ingens  urbem  cingebat  Erinnys, 
Excutiens  pronam  flagranti  vertice  pinum, 
Stridentesque  comas :    Thebanam  qualis  Agaven 
Impulit,  aut  saevi  contorsit  tela  Lycurgi 
Eumenis,  aut  qualem,  jussu  Junonis  iniquae, 
Horruit  Alcides,  viso  jam  Dite,  Megaeram. 
Insonuere  tubae,  et  quanto  clamore  cohortes 
Miscentur,  tantum  nox  atra  silentibus  auris 
Edidit,  et  medio  visi  consurgere  campo 
Tristia  Sullani  cecinere  oracula  Manes ; 
Tollentemque  caput  gelidas  Anienis  ad  undas 
Agricolae  fracto  Marium  fugere  sepulchro. 


So 


55 


60 


(' iratos'  being  understood  from  '  saeva,' 
and  'Deos'  being  taken  for  'Deam'  = 
Bellona),  but '  sang  songs  about  their  gods,' 
giving  the  notion  of  terror  and  supersti- 
tion:  cp.  Persius  5.  187.  Equally  unsatis- 
factory  are  Bentley's  emendation,  '  saeva 
monet  (MSS.)  placare  d.'  and  '  sensere 
deos,'  as  Van  Jever  proposes.  To  take 
'  quos  deos'  for  '  dii  quos'  and  to  con- 
struct  '  saeva '  with  '  cecinere '  would  be 
very  harsh. 

47.  Sanguinei  ;  found  in  the  best 
MSS.  A  few  have  '  sanguineum,'  with 
'  crinem.' 

Populis,  i.  e.  '  to  the  nations,'  not  only 
to  Rome.  Bentley  proposes  '  Cybeles,'  as 
in  Phaedr.  4.  I,  4  '  Galli  Cybeles.'  The 
priests  of  Cybele  were  called  so  from  the 
Gallus,  a  river  in  Phrygia  (the  original 
seat  of  her  worship),  the  waters  of  which 
made  men  mad. 

49.  Cp.  Virg.  1.  c.  '  Armorum  sonitum 
toto  Germania  coelo  Audiit  *  *  »  Vox  quo- 
que  per  lucos  vulgo  exaudita  silentes 
Ingens.' 

50.  Venientes  comminus  umbrae 
surpasses  in  brevity  and  force  Virgirs  '  si- 
mulacra  modis  pallentia  miris  Visa  sub 
obscurum  noctis.' 

53.  Pronam  .  .  pinum,  '  a  pine-torch 
held  before  her,'  i.  e.  shaking  out  its 
sparks  (' excutiens')  in  the  face  of  all 
she  met.  '  Pronus '  is  a  favourite  epithet 
with  Lucan. 


54.  Stridentes,  i.e.  in  reference  to  the 
snakes,  of  which  it  was  composed. 

55.  Contorsit  tela,  '  turned  the  wea- 
pons  of  the  wild  Lycurgus'  against  himself, 
and  his  son  Dryas,  whom  he  killed  in  the 
belief  that  he  was  cutting  down  a  vine. 
The  madness  was  sent  on  him  for  his  im- 
piety  toward  Dionysus. 

56.  Eumenis.  The  singular  is  not 
found  before  Lucan,  but  is  used  by  Silius 
and  Statius.  There  is  apparently  no  au- 
thority  in  Greek  for  such  an  use.  '  Erin- 
nys'  is  the  common  word,  as  above, 
v.  52. 

Jussu  .  .  iniquae,  imitated  from  Virg. 
Ae.  8.  292. 

57.  Viso  jam  Dite,  i.  e.  terrible  even 
after  he  had  seen  Pluto. 

Megaeram.  See  Sen.  Herc.  Fur.  loi 
'  agmen  horrendum  anguibus  Megaera 
ducat.' 

59.  Silentibus,  i.  e.  where  silence 
should  have  been. 

Auris.  Several  MSS.  give  '  umbris'  = 
'  the  shades  of  night'  as  in  Catull.  64  (66). 
55  '  per  aetherias  .  .  umbras.' 

60.  Campo,  sc.  Martio,  where  SuUa  was 
buried. 

63.  Fracto,  i.e.  either  by  Marius  him- 
self,  or  more  probably  (comparing  Virg. 
G.  1.  497),  by  the  casual  plough  of  the 
rustic.  Marius  and  SuIIa  are  represented 
as  appearing,  partly  from  their  having 
been  the  leaders  of  the  last  great  civil  war, 


3i8 


LUCAN. 


LXVI. 

LIB.  IIL  399-452- 

A  DESCRIPTION  of  a  sacred  grove  near  Massilia,  which,  in  order  to 
procure  timber  for  conducting  his  famous  siege  of  that  city,  Caesar  did 
not  scruple  to  cut  down.  While  his  soldiers  shrink  from  the  sacrilege, 
the  general  fells  the  first  tree :  and  the  army,  fearing  the  gods  less  than 
their  leader,  follow  his  example.  Nisard  praises  this  as  one  of  the  finest 
pieces  in  the  poem :  '  le  style  en  est  meilleur  parceque  la  pensee  en  est 
nette,  et  les  circonstances  claires.'     Etudes,  Vol.  2,  p.  93. 

Lucus  erat  longo  nunquam  violatus  ab  aevo, 

Obscurum  cingens  connexis  aera  ramis, 

Et  gelidas  alte  submotis  solibus  umbras. 

Hunc  non  ruricolae  Panes,  nemorumque  potentes 

Silvani,  Nymphaeque  tenent,  sed  barbara  ritu  5 

Sacra  deum,  structae  diris  altaribus  arae, 

Omnisque  humanis  lustrata  cruoribus  arbor. 

Si  qua  fidem  meruit  superos  mirata  vetustas, 

Illis  et  volucres  metuunt  consistere  ramis. 


partly  as  the  representatives  of  the  demo- 
cratic  or  Caesarian,  and  the  oligarchical  or 
Pompeian  cause. 

Sepulchro,  with  '  tollentem,'  '  lifting 
his  head  from  the  shattered  tomb.' 

1.  Nunquam  violatus,  '  never  pro- 
faned  (by  axe)  from  distant  time:'  as 
below,  V.  37  '  violata  in  robora.'  '  Teme- 
ratus'  is  similarly  used. 

2.  Cingens  .  .  aera;  an  uncommon 
expression,  but  which  means,  '  within  its 
interlacing  boughs  enclosing  a  darkened 
atmosphere,'  not  '  ramis'  with  '  obscurum,' 
'  darkened  by  the  branches.'  Lucan  has 
in  his  mind  Virg.  G.  2.  123.  There  is  a 
kind  of  zeugma  in  '  cingens  aera  et  um- 
bras.'  Bentley,  relying  on  the  question- 
able  parallei  of  i.  140,  reads  'efficiens'  for 
'  cingens.' 

3.  Alte  .  .  solibus,  lit.  '  the  rays  of 
the  sun  repelled  high  up,'  i.  e.  by  the 
height  and  thickness  of  the  foliage :  cp. 
Sen.  Ep.  4.  1 2   '  lucus  et  conspectum  coeli 


ramorum  aliorum  alios  protegentium  umbra 
submovens.' 

4.  Panes  in  the  plural,  first  used  by 
Ovid  for  any  rural  deities  like  Pan  ;  see 
Her.  4.  171  '  Sic  faveant  Satyri  montana- 
que  numina  Panes.'  Compare  the  use  of 
'  Sileni.'     See  on  CatuII.  62  (64).  252. 

6.  Diris  altaribus  arae  is  the  read- 
ing  of  all  the  MSS.,  for  which  has  been 
substituted  '  sacris  ferahbus'  from  6.  429 
'  tristes  sacris  feralibus  aras.'  'Arae'  are 
the  steps  and  basement  of  the  altar,  '  al- 
taria'  the  superstructures  on  which  the 
victims  were  offered,  in  this  case  human 
sacrifices :  hence  '  diris.'  Bentley  quotes 
Quintil.  Declam.  12.  26  '  quod  aris  altaria 
non  imposuimus.' 

7.  Arbor,  as  in  three  good  MSS.,  pre- 
ferable  to  the  'arbos'  of  most  editions,  as 
lessening  the  sigmatism  of  the  line.  Virgil 
always  uses  the  older  form. 

8.  9.  Si  qua  .  .  ramis,  ' if  any  degree 
of  pious  antiquity  can  make  a  story  cre- 
dible,  we   must  believe  the  tale  that  not 


LUCAN. 


319 


Et  lustris  recubare  ferae  •    nec  ventus  in  illas 
Incubuit  silvas,  excussaque  nubibus  atris 
Fulgura  :    non  uUis  frondem  praebentibus  auris 
Arboribus  suus  horror  inest :    tum  plurima  nigris 
Fontibus  unda  cadit,  simulacraque  niaesta  deorum 
Arte  carent,  caesisque  extant  informia  truncis. 
Ipse  situs,  putrique  facit  jam  robore  pallor 
Attonitos  :    non  vulgatis  sacrata  figuris 
Numina  sic  metuunt  j    tantum  terroribus  addit, 
Quos  timeant,  non  nosse  deos.    Jam  fama  ferebat 
Saepe  cavas  motu  terrae  mugire  cavernas, 
Et  procumbentes  iterum  consurgere  taxos, 
Et  non  ardentis  fulgerc  incendia  silvae, 
Roboraque  amplexos  circumfluxissc  dracones. 
Non  illum  cultu  populi  propiore  frequentant, 


even  birds  will  sit  upon  those  branches.' 
Virgil  has  a  similar  line,  Ae.  10.  792 
'  Si  qua  fidem  tanto  est  operi  latura 
vetustas.'  Bentley  would  read  '  sique 
fidem.' 

Superos  mirata  ;  an  age  reverencing 
the  gods  is  more  entitled  to  credit.  There 
is  little  to  be  said  for  the  suggestion  of 
'  lucos'  for  '  superos.' 

lUis.  The  '  illic'  of  one  good  MS. 
seems  preferable,  as  '  illas'  occurs  in  the 
next   line. 

11.  Excussa,  merely  descriptive  of  '  ful- 
gura  ; '  supply  '  incubuere.' 

12.  13.  Praebentibus,  dative  after 
'  arboribus  ;'  '  though  yielding  their  leaves 
to  the  motion  of  no  breeze,  in  those  trees 
resides  a  natural  shiver.'  '  Praebentibus ' 
is  the  reading  of  the  best  MSS.,  '  rapien- 
tibus'  is  found  as  a  gloss  in  one.  Bentley 
alters  into  '  quatientibus :'  others  into 
'  praedantibus.'  I  can  hardly  think  that 
'  praebere  frondem'  could  be  said  of  a  gale 
bending  the  foliage  and  as  it  were  offering 
it  to  the  passers-by,  as  has  been  suggested 
to  me. 

13.  Suus,  i.e.  not  caused  by  wind. 
Horror:   not   common   in  this   sense : 

but  used  again  5.154  '  nuUoque  horrore 
comarum  Excussae  laurus.'  Compare  a 
somewhat  similar  description  of  a  grove  in 
Sen.  Thyest.  669  foll.  esp.  v.  677  '  Nec 
dies  sedat  metum  :  Nox  propria  iuco  est.' 

16,  17.  Putrique  facit  .  .  Attonitos, 
i.  e.  at  the  unsightHness  of  the  crumbhng 
images  the  men  were  awe-stricken. 

Pailor.     Bentlev  reads  '  paedor '  unne- 


cessarily,  '  pallor'  signifying  any  repulsive 
colour  or  aspect  :  cp.  6.514:  and  Lucr. 
4.  335  '  palloribus  omnia  pingunt.' 

17,  18.  Non  vulgatis  .  .  metuunt, 
•  so  frightened  are  they  at  deities  en- 
shrined  in  such  unusual  shapes,'  as  the 
next  words  explain :  they  fear,  but  whoni 
they  fear,  they  know  not :  and  this  igno- 
rance  increases  their  alarms.  '  Non'  may 
also  be  taken  with  '  metuunt' =  ' men  do 
not  fear  deities  represented  in  the  usual 
way,  as  they  fear  these.' 

19.  Nonnosse:  infinitive  for  substan- 
tive  =  To  dyvoerv,  as  often  in  Lucan  and 
Lucretius. 

Jam  fama  ;  another  cause  for  their 
fears,  not  only  the  strange  appearance  of 
the  gods,  but  the  tales  told  of  the  place. 
One  MS.  has  '  nam'  instead  of  '  jam.' 

21.  Procumbentes,  not,  as  below, 
V.  28, '  cut  down,'  which  would  contradict 
V.  I  :  but  '  falling  of  themselves.' 

22.  Non  ardentis.  Cp.  Sen.  Thyest. 
673  foll.  '  quin  tota  solet  Micare  flamma 
silva,  et  excelsae  trabes  Ardent  sine 
igni.' 

23.  Circumfluxisse,  the  reading  of 
the  best  editions.  The  MSS.  fluctuate  be- 
tween  '  circumflexisse'  (used  actively  al- 
ways  by  Virgil,  who  alone  employs  the 
word)  and  '  circumfulsisse.'  Cp.  Varro  R. 
R.  2.  9,  2  '  mulos  circumfluxisse  (lupum) 
et  ungulis  caedendo  eum  occidisse.' 

24.  Illum,  sc.  'lucum,'  as  'hunc'  in  v.4. 
G.  E.  Weber  reads  'illam'  in  reference  (I 
presume)  to  the  'silvae'  of  v.  22. 

Cultu,  not  =  the  people  will  not  dwell 


320 


LUCAN. 


Sed  cessere  deis  :    medio  cum  Phoebus  in  axe  est,         25 

Aut  coelum  nox  atra  tenet,  pavet  ipse  sacerdos 

AccessuSj  dominumque  timet  deprendere  luci. 

Hanc  jubet  immisso  silvam  procumbere  ferro, 

Nam  vicina  operi,  belloque  intacta  priori, 

Inter  nudatos  stabat  densissima  montes.  30 

Scd  fortes  tremuere  manus,  motique  verenda 

Majestate  loci,  si  robora  sacra  ferirent^ 

In  sua  credebant  redituras  membra  secures. 

Implicitas  magno  Caesar  torpore  cohortes 

Ut  vidit,  primus  raptam  librare  bipennem  35 

Ausus,  et  aeriam  ferro  proscindere  quercum, 

Effatur,  merso  violata  in  robora  ferro : 

Jam  ne  quis  vestrum  dubitet  subvertere  silvam  j 

Credite  me  fccisse  nefas.     Tum  paruit  omnis 

Imperiis,  non  sublato  secura  pavore  40 

Turba,  sed  expensa  superorum,  et  Caesaris  ira. 

Procumbunt  orni,  nodosa  impellitur  ilex  j 

Silvaque  Dodonis,  ct  fluctibus  aptior  ahius. 


near  the  spot,  but,  they  worship  by  keep- 
ing  their  distance  :  even  the  priest  (v.  ^^) 
fears  to  draw  nigh  to  worship  ('  accessus'). 

25.  Cessere  deis,  active,  supplying 
'  lucum '  = '  they  have  left  it,  surrendered 
it  to  the  gods. 

26.  Ipse  sacerdos;  not  even  the 
Druid  will  approach :  how  much  less  then 
the  people. 

28.  Jubet,  sc.  Caesar. 

Immisso  better  than  the  'immenso'  of 
some  MSS.,  or  the  conjecture  '  immerso  ; ' 
the  notion  is  that  of  invasion. 

29.  Operi,  as  often  in  Livy  and  else- 
where,  of  siege  works ;  see  v.  385. 

31.  Fortes,  '  the  sinewy  arms  shrank 
trembling  from  the  task.'  Bentlej',  in 
order  to  make  the  whole  sentence  run 
smoother,  suggests  '  sontes  tenuere  manus  :' 
but  'moti'  easiiy  finds  a  subject  in  'milites' 
supplied  from  '  manus.' 

33.  Redituras,  as  had  happened  to 
Lycurgus:  see  on  i.  570(55). 

34.  Torpore.  This  Hne  is  quoted  by 
Priscian  with  '  torpore,'  not  '  terrore'  given 
in  many  texts ;  the  word  denotes  the  stu- 
por  and  inaction  caused  by  fear. 

35.  Librare.  The  MSS.  here,  as  in 
many  similar  cases,  vary  between  '  librare ' 
and  '  vibrare.'      If  anv  distinction  is  to  be 


drawn  between  them,  '  vibrare'  is  to  flash 
a  weapon  in  the  light  for  mere  show ; 
'  librare'  to  balance  and  adjust  it  to  the 
hand  for  a  blow  or  discharge.  The  sense 
then  would  require  'Hbrare'  in  this  pas- 
sage. 

36.  Ferro.  The  repetition  of  '  ferro' 
within  two  lines  is  very  awkward,  and 
would  doubtless  have  been  removed  if 
Lucan  had  corrected  his  poem.  Bendey 
conjectures  'properans  prosternere,' arguing 
that  'proscindere'  is  inappHcable  to  a  tree : 
but  why  should  not  Lucan  have  used  so 
natural  a  word,  applied  as  it  is  to  the 
earliest  ploughing,  first  in  such  a  sense  ? 

39.  Me  fecisse  nefas,  i.e.  if  there  be 
any  impiety  in  the  act,  I  have  done  it  ; 
and  on  me,  not  you,  will  the  punishment 
fall. 

41.  Expensa,'  weighing  Caesar's  anger 
against  that  of  Heaven,'  they  dread  the 
former  most,  and  consequentlv  obey  him. 

42.  An  imitation  of  Virg.  Ae.  6.  180. 

43.  Dodonis,  the  adjective,  which  is 
common  in  Ovid,  with  the  last  syllable 
lengthened  by  caesura.  This  is  given  in 
the  best  MSS. :  in  the  margin  of  one  is 
found  '  Dodones,'  the  Greek  genitive,  like 
'  Libyes,'  '  Europes.'  The  Chaonian  oak 
is  of  course  meant  here. 


LUCAN.  321 

Et  non  plebeios  luctus  tcstata  cuprcssus, 

Tum  primum  posuere  comas,  et  fronde  carentes  45 

Admisere  diem,  propulsaque  robore  denso 

Sustinuit  se  silva  cadens.     Gemuere  videntes 

Gallorum  populi  j   muris  sed  clausa  juventus 

Exultat :    quis  enim  laesos  impune  putaret 

Esse  deos  ?     Servat  multos  Fortuna  nocentes,  50 

Et  tantum  miseris  irasci  numina  possunt. 

Utque  satis  caesi  nemoris,  quaesita  per  agros 

Plaustra  ferunt,  curvoque  soli  cessantis  aratro 

Agricolae  raptis  annum  flevere  juvencis. 


LXVII. 

LIB.  VII.  251-330. 

Caesar's  address  to  his  legions  before  the  Battle  of  Pharsalia.  The 
entire  speech  is  at  once  the  fruit  of  Lucan's  imagination  and  an  exercise 
of  his  rhetoric.  It  has  nothing  in  common  with  that  sketched  in  the 
Commentaries  De  Bell.  Civ.  3.  90,  which  last  agrees  far  more  with  the 
spirit  of  Caesar's  character  and  policy,  Here  the  great  general  declaims, 
as  Nisard  says,  in  the  tone  of  a  brigand-chief  revelling  in  strife  and 
bloodshed.  (See  esp.  vv.  43-45.)  Spoil  or  the  gibbet,  he  tells  his  soldiers, 
is  before  them.  They  have  only  some  feeble  mercenaries,  indifferent  to 
the  issue,  to  conquer;  or  else  they  have  a  second  Sulla  to  butcher  them, 
if  defeated.  For  himself,  if  unsuccessful,  he  is  resolved  on  suicide.  Mercy 
is  to  be  afforded  to  none  but  fugitives.  Let  them  destroy  their  camp  and 
entrenchments ;  they  will  soon  be  in  possession  of  those  of  the  enemy. 


44.   Non  plebeios.     The  cypress  was  But  '  Fortuna'  (see  Hor.  A.  P.  201 )  means 

too  rare  a  tree  to  be  planted  except  over  here  '  success.'      '  Many  criminals  are  pre- 

the  graves  of  the  wealthy  :  cp.  Hor.  Od.  2.  served,   because   they  are   fortunate ;  it  is 

14,  23.  only    the     unfortunate,    whom    the    gods 

46.  Robore  denso,  ablative  of  cause  have  power  to  punish.'  For  the  senti- 
or  instrument  after  '  sustinuit '  = '  from  the  ment  compare  Juv.  13.  103  foll.  '  muhi 
thickness  of  the  trees,'  or  abl.  absolute  =  Committunt  eadem  diverso  crimina  fato ; 
so  thick  were  the  trees.  Ille  crucem  sceleris  pretium  tuht,  hic  dia- 

47.  Sustinuit  se  .  .  cadens,  i.e.  '  quo-  dema.' 

minus  caderet.'     The  trees  were  so  thick  53,54-    Soli.     G.  E.  Weber  constructs 

that    they    propped     one     another     from  this  genitive  with  'agricolae,'  like  vtKTap 

falling.  iojvoxod  ;    this   is  better  than  to  take  it 

50.   Multos.      Markland    proposes    to  with   '  annum,'   the   '  produce   of  the   soil 

read'magnos'  to  contrast  with  '  miseris,'  unturned   by  the  plough.'      For  a  similar 

V.  51 :    see  his  note  on  Stat.  Silv.  3.  3,  68.  use  of  '  annus'  see  3.  70- 

Y 


T.UCAN. 

O  DOMiTOR  mundi,  reium  fortuna  mearum, 
Miles,  adest  toties  optatae  copia  pugnae ; 
Nil  opus  est  votis,  jam  fatum  arcessite  ferro  : 
In  manibus  vestris,  quantus  sit  Caesar,  habetis. 
Haec  est  illa  dies,  mihi  quam  Rubiconis  ad  undas 
Promissam  memini,  cujus  spe  movimus  arma, 
In  quam  distulimus  vetitos  remeare  triumphos. 
Haec  eadem  est  hodie,  quae  pignora,  quaeque  Penates 
Reddat,  et  emerito  faciat  vos  Marte  colonos. 
Haec,  fato  quae  teste  probet,  quis  justius  arma 
Sumpserit,  haec  acies  victum  factura  nocentem  est. 
Si  pro  me  patriam  ferro,  flammisque  petistis, 
Nunc  pugnate  truces,  gladiosque  exsolvite  culpa. 
Nulla  manus  belli  mutato  judice  pura  est, 
Non  mihi  res  agitur,  sed  vos,  ut  libera  sitis 
Turba,  precor,  gentes  ut  jus  habeatis  in  omnes. 
Ipse  ego,  privatae  cupidus  me  reddere  vitae, 
Plebeiaque  toga  modicum  componere  civem. 


I.  Fortuna,  the  cause  of  my  success, 
or  on  whom  my  enterprises  depend. 

3.  Nil  opus  .  .  ferro,  iu  reference  to 
'  toties  optatae '  of  the  line  before  :  '  No 
need  have  we  more  of  wishes  and  of 
prayers ;  now  summon  destinv  to  the  trial 
of  the  sword,'  or  better,  '  bring  on,  hasten 
destiny  by  the  sword,'  as  in  4.  484  '  Ar- 
cessas  dum  fata  manu.' 

4.  In  manibus,  i.  e.  on  you  depends 
what  Caesar  is  to  be. 

6.  Promissam.  See  i.  386  foll.  '  His 
cunctae  siniul  assensere  cohortes,  Elatasque 
alte  quaecunque  ad  bella  vocaret  Promisere 
manus.' 

7.  In  quam  .  .  triumphos,  not  '  to 
which  we  have  put  off  returning  to  the 
triumphs  once  denied  us,'  but,  taking  '  re- 
meare '  with  '  vetitos,'  in  the  sense  of 
'  quibus  vetitum  est  remeare,'  =  the  tri- 
umphs  forbidden  to  return,'  the  triumphal 
procession  being  put  for  the  victorious 
army.  Caesar's  opponents  had  prevented 
his  triumph  after  his  victories  in  Spain, 
60  B.C. 

9.  Emerito  .  .  Marte,  '  having  served 
out  your  time  in  war.'  Cp.  Livy  39.  19, 
and  often  elsewhere,  '  emerita  stipendia.' 
Some  MSS.  have  '  emeritos.'  This  and 
the  preceding  Une  are  not  found  in  the 
best  MSS.,  and  have  been  thought  to  be 


spurious :  but  with  the  exception  of  '  hodie,' 
which  is  superfluous,  there  is  nothing  in 
them  which  is  not  worthy  of  the  poet  and 
suitable  to  the  context. 

10.  Haec  must  go  with  'acies'  (in  the 
sense  of  battle),  unless  we  suppose  Lucan 
wrote  '  acie,'  and  '  haec'  refers  to  '  dies'  of 
v.  5=this  is  the  day  to  prove  by  the  wit- 
ness  of  heaven  (shewn  in  the  result  of  the 
battle)  who  etc.  Cp.  1.  126  '  quis  justius 
induit  arma,  Scire  nefas.' 

11.  Victum,  i.  e.  on  the  side  of  the 
vanquished,  whichever  it  be,  will  lie  the 
guilt  of  civil  war. 

13.  Gladiosque  exsolvite  cuipa; 
i.e.  by  conquering  '  clear  your  swords  from 
guilt;'  for  then  the  gods  will  shew  that 
they  are  on  your  side.  Some  MSS.  have 
'  gladiisque  exsolvite  culpam.'  Both  con- 
structions  are  admissible. 

14.  Mutato  judice,  i.e.  if  we  are  van- 
quished  and  the  foe  thus  become  the  judge 
to  decide  on  the  war,  none  of  ns  will  be 
held  guiltless.  It  is  better  to  take  '  belli ' 
with  '  judice,*  than  with  '  pura '  =  '  innocent 
of  the  war,'  though  the  latter  may  be  jus- 
tified  by  the  analogy  of  Horace's  '  sceleris- 
que  purus'  Od.  i.  22,  i. 

iS.  Plebeiaque  toga.  Caesar  pre- 
tends  that  he  was  ready  to  yield  even  his 
patrician  rank,  and  confine  himself  to  the 


LUCAN. 


323 


Omnia  dum  vobis  liceant,  nihil  esse  recuso. 

Invidia  regnatc  mea :    nec  sanguine  multo  20 

Spem  mundi  petitis ;   Graiis  delecta  juventus 

Gymnasiis  aderit,  studioque  ignava  palaestrae, 

Et  vix  arma  ferens,  et  mixtae  dissona  turbae 

Barbaries:   non  illa  tubas,  non  agmine  moto 

Clamorem  latura  suum.     Civilia  paucae  25 

Bella  manus  facient :   pugnae  pars  magna  levabit 

His  orbem  populis,  Romanumque  obteret  hostem. 

Ite  per  ignavas  gentes,  famosaque  regna, 

Et  primo  ferri  motu  prosternite  mundum ; 

Sitque  palam,  quas  tot  duxit  Pompeius  in  Urbem  30 

Curribus,  unius  gentes  non  esse  triumphi. 

Armeniosne  movet,  Romana  potentia  cujus 

Sit  ducis  ?    aut  emptum  minimo  vult  sanguine  quisquam 


status  of  a  modest  citizen,  of  which  the 
'  toga  composita'  (as  opp.  to  the  fiowing, 
sweeping  patrician  dress)  would  be  the 
emblem. 

20.  Invidia  regnate  mea,  '  on  me 
be  the  hate,  if  only  you  win  the  power,' 
i.  e.  let  my  foes  accuse  nie  of  seeking 
empire,  of  stirring  up  civil  war  etc,  I  care 
not,  if  only  j'ou  gain  the  benefit  of  victory. 
Weber  compares  Livy  24.  25  (whence 
Lucan  may  have  borrowed  so  striking  a 
phrase)  '  Quid  enim  sua  sponte  fecisse  Hie- 
ronymum  puerum  ac  vixdum  pubescentem 
facere  potuisse  ?  Tutores  ac  magistros  ejus 
sub  aliena  invidia  regnasse.' 

Nec  sanguine,  i.  e.  yet  after  all  with 
small  bloodshed  of  yours  may  ye  win  the 
world :  the  enemy  is  so  efleminate  and 
feeble.  The  'fluvii  cnioris'  of  v.  43  are  of 
course  those  of  the  enemy. 

21.  Delecta.  Bentley  reads  '  collecta  ' 
as  more  suitable  to  the  general  meaning : 
but   '  delecta'  may   have    an   irony   in    it, 

,  '  the  flower'  but  of  what?  Grecian  train- 
ing-schools ! 

22.  Studioque  ignava,  unfitted  for 
real  fighting  by  their  passion  for  the  mock- 
combats  of  the  ring. 

25.  Latura,  i.  q.  '  intellectura  ;'  '  Vix 
clamor  eorum  in  moto  agmine  audietur' 
Schol.  It  is  better  to  take  it  in  the  sim- 
pler  sense,  '  unable  to  support,'  like  '  arma 
ferens,'  just  above,  = '  enduring  the  weight 
of  arms.' 

25-27.  Civilia  .  .  hostem,  i.  e.  there 
will  be  but   few   citizens,  or  coimtrymen 


even,  among  them  to  wage  a  civil  war. 
The  great  service  of  the  battle  will  be  to 
rid  the  world  not  of  Rome's  citizens  but 
Rome's  enemies. 

His  .  .  populis,  so  v.  45.  The  plural 
is  emphatic  =  '  many  and  motley  races 
Hke  these,'  one  in  nothing  but  enmity  to 
Rome. 

28.  Famosaque  regna,  e.  g.  merce- 
naries  from  Syria,  Armenia,  Arabia,  Me- 
dia,  etc.  See  below  in  the  description  of 
the  battle  itself,  vv.  514,  540  foll. 

30.  Sitque  palam  :  an  expression  not 
uncommon  in  Plautus,  Terence,  and  Ci- 
cero,  but  rare  in  the  classical  poets.  See 
however  Lucr.  2.  567  :  cp.  Id.  5.  II55  '  id 
fore  clam.' 

31.  Unius .  .triumphi.  'Tot'istobe 
taken  with  '  curribus.'  '  Let  the  world  see 
that  the  nations  which  Pompey  led  in  so 
many  triumphs  were  not  really  worthy  to 
gain  him  one,'  i.  e.  his  victories  over  all 
these  feeble  nations  put  together  did  not 
constitute  a  true  claim  for  a  single  tri- 
umph. 

32.  Movet.  On  this  use  of  the  verb 
see  Bentley's  note  on  Hor.  S.  I.  10,  78 
'  Men'  moveat  cimex  Pantilius  aut  cru- 
ciet,  quod  Vellicet'  etc.  Cp.  Val.  Fl.  7. 
131(29). 

33.  Emptum,  accusative  neuter,  said 
not  of  'Magnum'  but  '  Magnum  praepo- 
nere,'  i.  e.  does  any  alien  care  for  setting 
up  Pompey  over  Italy,  if  it  must  be  pur- 
chased  by  one  drop  of  blood  ?  Cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  10.  503. 

Y  2 


324  LUCAN. 

Barbarus  Hesperiis  Magnum  praeponere  rebus  ? 
Romanos  odere  omnes,  dominosque  gravantur,  35 

Quos  novere  magis  :   sed  me  Fortuna  meorum 
Commisit  manibus,  quorum  me  Gallia  testem 
Tot  fecit  bellis.     Cujus  non  militis  ensem 
Agnoscam  ?   coelumque  tremens  cum  lancea  transit, 
Dicere  non  fallar,  quo  sit  vibrata  lacerto.  40 

Quod  si  signa  ducem  nunquam  fallentia  vestrum 
Conspicio,  faciesque  truces,  oculosque  minaces, 
Vicistis  :    videor  fluvios  spectare  cruoris, 
Calcatosque  simul  reges,  sparsumque  senatus 
Corpus,  et  immensa  populos  in  caede  natantes.  45 

Ssd   mea  fata  moror,  qui  vos  in  tela  ruentes 
Vocibus  his  teneo  :    veniam  date  bella  trahenti, 
Spe  trepido  :    haud  unquam  vidi  tam  magna  daturos, 
Tam  prope  me  superos  :    camporum  limite  parvo 
Absumus  a  votis  :   ego  sum,  cui,  Marte  peracto,  50 

Quae  populi,  regesque  tenent,  donare  licebit. 
Quone  poli  motu,  quo  coeli  sidere  verso, 
Thessalicae  tantum,  superi,  permittitis  orae  ? 
Aut  merces  hodie  bellorum,  aut  poena  paratur. 
Caesareas  spectate  cruces,  spectate  catenas,  55 

Et  caput  hoc  positum  rostris,  effusaque  membra. 


31^,36.    Omnes  .  .  magis.     '  Oniiies,'  cally  as  a  single  individual.   That  body  was 

accusative,  with  'Romanos.'     'Quos'  (not  almost  wholly  on  the  side  of  Pompey. 

'  Quo')    seeins    to    be    the    MS.   reading :  46.   Mea    fata    moror,  'I    delay    the 

'  they  hate  all  Romans  :  but  most  they  hate  settlement  of  my  destiny,'  i.  e.  the  victory 

whom  best   they   know,'   i.  e.   those   who  I  feei  to  be  certain. 

have  conquered  and  ruled  them,  viz.  Pom-  47.   Trahenti,  '  deferring.' 

pey ;    and   thus    they   are   most    hkely  to  48.   Trepido    may   either   be   verb   or 

tiirn  against  hini.  adjective ;   but    it    is    best   to    take    it    as 

Meorum,  i.  e.  niy  own  fellow-citizens  the  latter,  containiiig  the  grouiid  of  '  tra- 

and    friends,    not    conquered    foes    as    my  henti '  = '  putting  off  in  the  flutter  of  hope 

rivaTs   troops  consist  of.  the  hour  of  the  fight.' 

37.    Quorum.       Bentley     prefers    the  52.  Cp.  7.  848  '  ThessaUca   infelix  quo 

'  quaruni'   of   some   MSS.,  sc.   '  manuum,'  tanto  crimiiie  tellus  Lacsisti  superos,  ut  te 

the  hands  that  wielded  the  '  enseiii,'  '  lan-  tot  mortibus  uiiam  Tot  scelerum  fatis  pre- 

cea,' which  follow.  merent?'     Here    the    poet   makes  Caesar 

40.  Dicere  non  fallar  = '  in  dicendo,'  wonder   by    what   extraordinary   dispensa- 

'  I  shall  not  be  mistaken  in  saying,'  i  e.  I  tion  the   destiny  of  Rome  (involviug  for 

shall  know  for  certain,  a  rare  construction.  the  combatants  '  aut   merces    aut   poena') 

The   repetition   of  the   same  verb  in   the  should    have    to    be    settled    in   Thessaly. 

next  Hne  ('  fallentia')  is  awkward  though  Cp.  Virg.  G.  1.  490  foU. 

not  unusual  in  Lucan.  Sidere    verso:  i.  e.  its  natural  course 

44.   Simul    should    be    taken    with    all  altered. 

three  accusatives.  53.    Permittitis.       Some    texts    have 

Senatus.     The  senate  is  viewed  poeti-  '  promittitis.' 


T.UCAN. 


325 


Septorumquc  nefas,  et  clausi   proclia  campi  : 

Cum  duce  Sullano  gerimus  civilia  bella. 

Vcstri  causa  movet ;    nam  me  secura  manebit 

Sors  quacsita  manu :    fodientem  visccra  cernet  60 

Me  mea,  qui  nondum  victo  respexerit  hostc. 

Di,  quorum  curas  abduxit  ab  aethere  tellus, 

Romanusque  labor,  vincat,  quicumque  necesse 

Non  putat  in  victos  saevum  destringere  ferrum, 

Quique  suos  cives,  quod  signa  adversa  tulerunt,  65 

Non  credit  fecisse  nefas :    Pompeius  in  arto 

Agmina  vestra  loco,  vetita  virtute  moveri, 

Cum  tenuit,  quanto  satiavit  sanguine  ferrum  ! 

V^os  tamen  hoc  oro,  juvenes,  ne  caedere  quisquam 

Hosti  terga  vclit:    civis,  qui  fugerit,  esto.  70 

Sed  dum  tela  micant,  non  vos  pietatis  imago 

Ulla,  nec  adversa  conspecti  fronte  parentes 

Commoveant :   vultus  gladio  turbate  verendos. 

Sive  quis  infesto  cognata  in  pectora  ferro 

Ibit,  seu  nullum  violabit  vulnere  pignus,  75 

Ignoti  jugulum,  tanquam  scelus,  imputet  hostis. 


57.  Septorumque  nefas  refers  to  the 
massacre  by  SuUa  of  the  four  Mariau  le- 
gions  consisting  of  the  Samnite  and  Luca- 
nian  prisoners  taken  in  the  battle  before 
the  Colline  gate,  82  B.c.  They  were 
butchered  by  the  soldiers  in  the  '  Villa 
Publica'  close  to  the  'Ovile'  or  '  Septa,' 
the  enclosure  in  the  Campus  Martius : 
hence  '  clausi  campi.'  Cp.  2.  196  '  Tum 
flos  Hesperiae,  Latii  jam  sola  juventus, 
Concidit,  et  miserae  maculavit  ovilia 
Romae.' 

58.  Sullano,  i.  e.  who  not  only  repre- 
sents  SuUa^s  party  but  is  capable  of  Sulla's 
cruelties  :  cp.  i.  326  '  Et  docilis  Sullam 
scelerum  vicisse  magistrum.' 

59.  Vestri.  It  is  for  you,  not  for  my- 
self  I  fear. 

Manebit,  i.  e.  in  case  of  defeat. 

61.  Respexerit,  '  he  that  looks  back 
to  flee  while  the  foe  remains  unconquered 
will  see  me  plunge  the  steel  into  my 
heart,'  i.  e.  the  moment  my  army  de- 
spairs  of  conquering  their  enemy,  I  will 
kill  myself.  Some  MSS.  have  '  victum 
hostem.' 

64.  Destringere  is  obviously  prefer- 
able  to  the  '  distringere'  of  several  MSS. 
The   latter   word   is  '  to   pull    in   different 


directions,'   '  destringere '  =  '  to  draw  out,' 
sc.  '  vagina.' 

67.  Loco  best  taken  with  '  in  arto,' 
not  with  '  moveri '  in  the  sense  of  '  your 
valour  hindered  from  changing  its  field.' 
The  allusion  is  to  Pompey  bursting  through 
the  hnes  of  Caesar  before  Dyrrachium.  See 
6.  163  foll. 

69.  Tamen.  Although  you  were  thus 
treated  and  might  fairly  claim  vengeance, 
yet  spare. 

70.  Qui  fugerit,  contrasted  with  the 
following  '  dum  tela  micant.'  Once  let 
him  flee,  treat  him  no  longer  as  a  '  hostis ' 
but  as  a  citizen  ;  as  long  as  the  foe 
resists,  spare  him  not  though  he  be  your 
father. 

71.  Pietatis  imago,  '  thought  of  na- 
tural  afiection:'  see  Virg.  Ae.  10.  824. 

75,  76.  Seu  nullum  .  .  hostis  :  '  or 
if  he  shall  outrage  no  tie  of  kindred 
by  the  death-wound  he  inflicts,  yet  let 
him  reckon  the  slaughter  of  a  stranger- 
foe  as  equal  to  having  dared  the  crime 
of  parricide.'  Cp.  Tac.  Hist.  3.  51  'Cele- 
berrimos  auctores  habeo  tantam  victoribus 
adversus  fas  nefasque  irreverentiam  fuisse, 
ut  gregarius  eques  occisum  a  se  proxima 
acie  fratrem  professus  praemium  a  ducibus 


326  LUCAN. 

Sternite  jam  vallum,  fossasque  implete  ruina, 

Exeat  ut  plenis  acies  non  sparsa  maniplis. 

Parcite  ne  castris  j    vallo  tendetis  in  illo, 

Unde  acies  peritura  venit.  80 


LXVIII. 

LIB.  IX.  166-213. 

The  mourning  for  the  murdered  Pompey  on  the  shores  of  Africa  is 
here  described.  Cornelia,  on  landing,  being  unable  to  have  her  husband's 
corpse  burned  on  the  funeral  pyre,  throws  upon  the  flames  his  arms  and 
triumphal  dress.  Her  example  prompts  the  troops  to  kindle  memorial 
pyres  in  honour  of  their  comrades,  who  fell  at  Pharsalia,  Cato  utters  a 
sort  of  funeral  oration  over  Pcmpey,  contrasting  his  character  with  that 
of  Caesar,  and  congratulating  him  on  having  died,  now  that  Liberty  had 
fallen,  and  before  he  saw  Rome  at  the  feet  of  a  tyrant.  He  prays  for  the 
same  fate  at  the  hands  of  Juba  for  himself,  if  he  be  destined  to  fall  into 
the  conqueror's  hands. 

Interea  totis,  audito  funere  Magni, 

Litoribus  sonuit  percussus  planctibus  aether  • 

Exemploque  carens,  et  nuUi  cognitus  aevo 

Luctus  erat,  mortem  populos  deflere  potentis. 

Sed  magis,  ut  visa  est  lacrimis  exiiausta,  solutas  5 

petierit.'     '  Ignoti  hostis'  has  been  taken  79.  Tendetis,  sc.  '  castra,'  as  in  Virg. 

to  mean  '  of  any  non-Italian  combatant : '  Ae.  2.  29  '  hic  saevus  tendebat  Achilles  ; ' 

'  let  him  regard  as  a  crime  the  slaughter  hence  our  word  '  tent.'     This  is  a  poetical 

of   a    foreign   foe,'    Caesar   (according    to  exaggeration :  Caesar,  so  far  from  destroy- 

Appian  2.  c.  74)  having  bade  his  soldiers  ing  his  camp  and  intrenchments  to  make 

fight   almost  wholly  against   the    Itahans,  victory  a  necessity  for  his  soldiers,  left  two 

disregarding  the  foreign  allies.     But  such  cohorts  for  the  very  purpose  of  guarding 

an  interpretation  hardly  agrees  with  other  them. 
testimony  or  with  the  spirit  of  w.  28,  29. 

Besides,  this  line  must  have  reference  to  4.   Deflere,  '  that  subjects  should  wail 

the  ahernative  in  the  two  preceding  verses,  for    a    prince's   death,'    being    usually    (as 

the  'scelus'  answering  to  the  '  cognata  in  Lucan  judgcd  from   the  specimens  of  his 

pectora,'  the  '  ignoti  hostis'to  the'nullum  day)  more  disposed  to  rejoice  at  such  an 

pignus.'     This  is  an  isolated  use  of  jugu-  event.     This  is  a  Greek  use  of  the  infini- 

lum  in  the  sense  of  acpayfj  =  '  slaughter.'  tive  =Td  Kkaifiv,  forming  a  nominative  to 

77.  Ruina.     The  fosse  was  to  be  fiUed  'erat'  =  this   mourning  of  the  people  for 

with   the   earth,   stones,  timber,   etc,   the  the  chief  was  a  grief  without  precedent. 

broken    fragments    of    the    'vallum'    or  Cp.  3.  416  (18)  '  terroribus   addit  ..  non 

'  agger.'     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  9.  504  '  Et  fossas  nosse  deos.' 

implere  parant  ac  vellere  vallum.'  5.   Sed   magis  to  be  taken  with  'plan- 


LUCAN. 


327 


In  vultus  effusa  comas,  Cornelia  puppe 
Egrediens,  rursus  geminato  verbere  plangunt. 
Ut  primum  in  sociae  pervenit  litora  terrae, 
Collegit  vestes,  miserique  insignia  Magni, 
Armaque,  et  impressas  auro,  quas  gesserat  olim, 
Exuvias,  pictasque  togas,  velamina  summo 
Tcr  conspecta  Jovi,  funestoque  intulit  igni. 
Ille  fuit  miserae  Magni  cinis  :    accipit  omnis 
Exemplum  pietas,  et  toto  litore  busta 
Surgunt,  Thessalicis  reddentia  Manibus  ignem. 
Sic,  ubi  depastis  submittere  germina  campis, 
Et  renovare  parans  hibernas  Apulus  herbas 
Igne  fovet  terras,  simul  et  Garganus,  et  arva 
Vulturis,  et  calidi  lucent  buceta  Matini. 
Non  tamen  ad  Magni  pervenit  gratius  umbram, 
Omne  quod  in  superos  audet  convicia  vulgus. 


15 


gunt'  (v.  7)  :  great  as  was  their  grief 
before,  it  was  doubled  at  the  sight  of 
Cornelia,  Ponipey's  wife. 

6.  In  vultus,  with  'efFusa,'  'showering 
over  her  face  :'  imitated  froni  Virg.  G.  4. 

337- 

7.  Plangunt :  supply  '  populi'  from  v.  4. 

8.  Sociae  .  .  terrae,  '  the  friendh' 
shore'  of  Africa,  where  the  supporters  of 
Pompey  had  ralUed :  see  v.  118  '  In  Li- 
bycas  egit  sedes  et  castra  Catonis.' 

9.  Collegit  vestes:  cp.  Virg.Ae.6.221 
(at  the  funeral  of  Misenus)  '  Purpureasque 
super  vestes,  velamina  nota,  Conjiciunt.' 

10.  Impressas,  '  stamped,'  '  embroi- 
dered  with  gold.' 

11.  Exuvias,  evidently  some  kind  of 
apparel,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  4.  496  (a  parallel 
passage  to  this) :  cp.  E.  8.  91.  The  word 
is  formed  from  '  exuo'  ('doff'=do  off) 
as  '  induviae '  from  '  induo'  ('  don'  =  do  on) ; 
hence  spoils  '  stripped'  from  the  eneniy. 

Pictas  togas,  associated  with  the  '  tu- 
nica  palmata '  wom  by  generals  at  their 
triumph.  See  Livy  10.  7  '  quos  .  .  tunica 
palmata  et  toga  picta  .  .  honoraritis.' 

12.  Ter  :  cp.  7.  686  '  Quamque  fuit 
laeto  per  tres  infida  triumphos,'  i.  e.  over 
Hiarbas  and  Domitius  Ahenobarbus  in  Nu- 
midia,  over  Sertorius  and  Perpema  in 
Spain,  and  over  Mithridates  in  Pontus. 
See  Veli.  Paterc.  2.  40  '  Hujus  viri  fasti- 
gium  tantis  actibus  fortuna  extulit,  ut 
primum  ex  Africa,  iterum  ex  Europa,  tertio 
ex  Asia  triumpharet.' 


13.  Ille  fuit,  '  that  had  to  serve  for 
Poinpey's  real  ashes  to  his  broken-hearted 
wife ; '  the  body  had  been  buried  by  Cor- 
dus,  8.  712  foll. 

13,  14.  Omnis  .  .  pietas  :  abstr.  for 
concrete,  '  all  dutiful  spirits  follow  her 
example.' 

15.  Thessalicis,  i.  e.  to  the  souls  of 
those  who  had  fallen  at  Pharsalia. 

Reddentia  ;  the  're'  means  '  giving  as 
was  due:'  cp.  Catull.  62  (64).  362  '  morti 
quoque  reddita  praeda;'  so  'redeunt'  Val. 
FI.  2.  310  (69). 

16.  Sic  goes  with  'lucent'  v.  19.  The 
blaze  of  the  funeral  fires  on  the  shore  is 
compared  with  that  froni  the  stubble  anJ 
dry  grass  kindled  by  the  Apulian  farmer  in 
order  to  improve  the  pasture  :  see  Virg.  G. 
I.  84  '  Saepe  etiam  steriles  incendere  pro- 
fuit  agros'  etc. 

Depastis,i.e.  after  the  fields  have  been 
fed  down  with  sheep,  just  as  '  steriles '  in 
the  passage  just  quoted  means,  '  after  the 
crops  have  been  got  up.' 

Submittere,  'to  cause  to  spring,'  taken 
with  '  parans,'  an  agricultural  term  applic- 
able  to  the  rearing  of  animals  no  less  than 
crops. 

19.  Buceta, ' cow-pastures  :'  a  very  rare 
word,  but  obviously  preferable  to  '  buxeta  ' 
of  some  old  editions,  which  would  make 
little  or  no  sense.  See  Aul.  Gell.  11.  i,  i 
(speaking  of  Italy)  '  buceta  in  ea  terra 
gigni  pascique  solita  sint  compluria.' 

21.  Omne   quod.     It  is  best  to  take 


328 


LUCAN, 


Pompeiumque  deis  obicit^  quam  pauca  Catonis 

Verba,  sed  a  pleno  venientia  pectore  veri. 

Civis  obit,  inquit,  multum  majoribus  impar 

Nosse  modum  juris,  sed  in  hoc  tamen  utilis  aevo,        25 

Cui  non  ulla  fuit  justi  reverentia :    salva 

Libertate  potens,  et  solus  plebe  parata 

Privatus  servire  sibi,  rectorque  senatus, 

Sed  regnantis,  erat :    nil  belli  jure  poposcit, 

Quaeque  dari  voluit,  voluit  sibi  posse  negari.  30 

Immodicas  possedit  opes,  sed  plura  retentis 

Intulit :   invasit  ferrum,  sed  ponere  norat. 

Praetulit  arma  togae,  sed  pacem  armatus  amavit : 

Juvit  sumpta  ducem,  juvit  dimissa  potestas. 

Casta  domus,  luxuque  carens,  corruptaque  nunquam       35 

Fortuna  domini ;    clarum^  et  venerabile  nomen 

Gentibus,  et  multum  nostrae  quod  proderat  Urbi. 

Olim  vera  fides  Sulla  Marioque  receptis 


'  quod'  as  the  conjunction  and  'omne' 
with  '  vulgus,'  i.  e.  that  all  the  common 
herd  reproach  the  gods  with  his  death  is 
less  pleasing  to  Pompey's  shade  than  the 
few  words  of  one  true  man  like  Cato. 
To  make  '  quod'  the  relative='aU  that 
the  commoa  folk  dare  to  utter  as  re- 
proaches'  is  very  harsh. 

22.  Pompeium,  sc.  '  mortimm.' 
Obicit;  so  8.  795  '  Cur  obicis  Magno 
tumulum.'  Compare  the  forms  '  adicit,' 
'  eicit,'  '  abicit,'  '  subicit,'  '  hiicit.'  Most 
of  these  are  not  found  before  Statius 
and  Martial ;  '  reice '  occurs  however  in 
Virg.  E.  3.  96,  and  Lucretius  twice  uses 
'  eicit.' 

24.  Obit,  perfect  for  '  obiit,'  as  in  v.  39. 
See  on  Sen.  Troad.  423  '  abit.' 

Multum,  found  in  good  MSS.,  is  pre- 
ferable  to  '  muho,'  into  which  it  may  have 
been  changed  by  the  false  notion  of  its 
being  joined  with  the  comparative  instead 
of  with  '  impar.' 

25.  26.  Nosse,  Greek  infinitive  for  the 
noun  substantive  =  '  impar  notitia  juris:' 
cp.  '  cantare  pares'  Virg.  E.  7.  5.  '  Far  in- 
ferior  to  our  sires  in  knowing  the  bounds 
of  right,  yet  useful  in  an  age  like  this  that 
has  no  regard  for  right  at  all.' 

Cui  (for  which  Bentley  would  read 
'Quo')  must  evidently  refer  to  'aevo,'  and 
not  to  Pompey. 

Ulla:  two  MSS.  give  '  nulla,'  i.  e.  use- 


ful  in  a  lawless  age  as  having  some  reve- 
rence  for  law :  but  this  is  awkward. 

27  28.  Solus,  '  a  citizen  and  nothing 
more  : '  '  content  to  be  simply  a  private 
citizen  though  the  commons  were  ready 
to  be  his  slaves'  (if  he  would  have  chosen 
to  be  their  despot)  ;  or  can  it  mean  '  indi- 
vidualizing  himself  by  being  a  private 
man  under  such  circunistances  ? 

29.  Sed  regnantis  =  only  on  the  con- 
dition  that  the  senate  was  supreme,  i.  e. 
that  its  freedom  was  not  over-ruled  or 
defied  by  any  one,  as  by  Caesar. 

Belli  jure,'onthe  score  of  his  victories 
in  war.'  Every  point  is  meant  to  contrast 
with  Caesar,  whom  in  the  later  books 
Lucan  disparages  in  favour  of  his  rival. 

31.  Retentis,  '  more  than  he  kept  for 
himself  he  brought'  (into  the  state).  Ob- 
serve  the  rhetorical  antithesis  of  the  fol- 
lowing  lines. 

32.  Invasit  ferrum,  not  a  common 
expression  :  cp.  i.  242  '  Invadunt  clypeos.' 

38.  Fides,  a  word  used  very  loosely 
by  Lucan,  seems  to  mean  here  '  the  real 
substance  of  liberty  perished,'  as  opposed 
to  et  ficta  following  =  'even  the  shadow 
and  pretence  of  it.' 

Receptis,  i.  e.  when  they  entered  the 
city  at  differeut  tinies,  only  to  wreak  their 
vengeance  on  the  opposite  party.  It  might 
mean  '  submitted  to  as  masters '  by  Rome, 
like  '  frenum  recepit'  Hor.  Ep.  i.  10,  36. 


LUCAN.  329 

Libcrtatis  obit ;   Pompeio  rebus  adempto, 

Nunc  ct  ficta  perit :    non  jam  regnare  pudebit,  40 

Nec  color  imperii,  ncc  frons  erit  uUa  senatus. 

O  felix,  cui  summa  dics  vcnit  obvia  victo, 

Et  cui  quaerendos  Pharium  scelus  obtulit  enses  ! 

Forsitan  in  soceri  potuisscs  vivcre  regno. 

Scire  mori  sors  prima  viris,  sed  proxima  cogi.  45 

Et  mihi,  si  fatis  alicna  in  jura  venimus, 

Da  talcm,  Fortuna,  Jubam :    non  deprccor  hosti 

Servari,  dum  me  servet  ccrvicc  recisa. 


LXIX. 

LIB.  IX.  543-5^5' 

This  magnificent  passage  represents  Cato,  in  his  march  through  Libya, 
stopping  at  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Ammon.  He  is  urged  by  Labienus  to 
consult  the  Oracle  as  to  the  fate  of  Caesar,  the  prospects  of  Rome,  and  the 
right  course  to  be  pursued  by  the  supporters  of  the  Pompeian  cause.  The 
Stoic  general  declines  to  question  the  Oracle  on  subjects  where  his  own 
conscience  leaves  him  in  no  doubt  at  all.  The  Deity,  he  adds,  dwells  not 
in  any  particular  temple,  least  of  all  in  the  barren  wastes  of  Libya.  The 
Universe  and  the  virtuous  Soul  are  his  home.  He  planted  in  man's  spirit 
at  his  birth  all  that  was  needful  for  him  to  know :  and  it  is  only  those  who 
neglect  the  inner  light,  and  are  thus  always  in  perplexity,  that  require  the 
aid  of  oracles  and  soothsayers. 

41.    Color   ..   senatus,    not   (as   the  Regno,  like  '  regnare' in  v.  40,  of  the 

Scholiast)   '  neither    dignity   belonging    to  absolute  government  of  an  individual  in- 

the  "imperium"  nor   reverence   any  more  stead  of  a  republic. 

for  the  senate.'      Color  here  means  '  pre-  45.   Proxima   cogi,   as  was   the   case 

text,'  i.  e.  aspirers   to  despotic  sway  (the  with    Pompey,    forced    (to    die).       Lucan 

'  regnare'  of  the  preceding  verse)  will  not  makes  Cato  speak  here  as  the  Stoic. 
even  put  forward  the  pretence  of  an  '  im-  47.     Da     talem   .   .    Jubam,     '  grant 

perium'  entrusted  by  the  senate,  nor  will  that    Juba    may    deal    so    with    me,'    lit. 

the  show  (frons)  of  a  senate  be  kept  up.  '  grant   Juba    to    me    with    such    a    dis- 

43.  Quaerendos,  emphatic  =  '  wel-  position.'  Cato  prays  that  Juba,  with 
come.'  whom    he    was    now    acting    in    alhance, 

Pharium     scelus,    the    crime    of   the  might    do    for    him    what    Ptolemy    had 

eunuch  Pothinus,  regent  of  Egypt  and  the  done  for  Pompey,  i.  e.  by  putting  him  to 

author  of  Pompey's  murder.  death  save  him  from  faUing  into  Caesar's 

44.  Potuisses,  i.  e.  your  death  has  hands.  Good  MSS.  have  'Fatalem:' 
saved  you  from  resigning  yourself  to  live  whence  some  would  read  '  Fac'  instead 
under  the  sway  of  Caesar.  of  '  Da.' 

Vivere,  emphatic,  '  Hve  ignominiously  Hosti,  as  Pompey's  head  was  kept  for 

rather  than  die  gloriously.'  Caesar.     See  v.  1032  foll.  of  this  book. 


!30 


LUCAN. 


Stabant  ante  fores  populi,  quos  miserat  Eos, 
Cornigerique  Jovis  monitu  nova  fata  petebantj 
Sed  Latio  cessere  duci ;    comitesque  Catonem 
Orant,  exploret  Libycum  memorata  per  orbem 
Numina,  de  fama  tam  longi  judicet  aevi. 
Maximus  hortator  scrutandi  voce  deorum 
Eventus  Labienus  erat :   fots  obtulit,  inquit, 
Et  fortuna  viae  tam  magni  numinis  ora, 
Consiliumque  dei  :   tanto  duce  possumus  uti 
Per  Syrtes,  bellique  datos  cognoscere  casus. 
Nam  cui  crediderim  superos  arcana  daturos, 
Dicturosque  magis  quam  sancto  vera  Catoni  ? 
Certe  vita  tibi  semper  directa  supernas 
Ad  leges,  sequerisque  deum  j   datur,  ecce,  loquendi 
Cum  Jove  libertas  :    inquire  in  fata  nefandi 
Caesaris,  et  patriae  venturos  excute  mores : 
Jure  suo  populis  uti,  legumque  licebit, 
An  bellum  civile  perit :   tua  pectora  sacra 


15 


1.  Quos  .  .  Eos,  i.e.  various  nations 
from  the  East,  among  whom  the  Oracle  of 
Jupiter  Ammon  was  held  in  especial  reve- 
rence.  '  Eos,'  more  often  used  '  for  the 
dawn,'  here  = '  Oriens.'  One  MS.  has  '  misit 
Eous.' 

2.  Cornigeri,  the  form  under  which  he 
was  worshipped  there ;  see  v.  512  '  Stat 
corniger  ilhc  Jupiter,  ut  memorant,  sed  non 
aut  fulmina  vibrans  Aut  similis  nostro,  sed 
tortis  cornibus  Ammon.'  A  nomadic  peo- 
ple,  like  the  Libyans,  worshipped  Ammon 
under  the  form  of  a  ram,  as  the  protector 
and  leader  of  the  flocks. 

Monitu,  '  according  to  Jove's  warning 
were  seeking  fresh  responses,'  i.e.  they  had 
been  commanded  by  Jupiter  to  come  and 
consult  his  oracle.  Bentley  conjectures 
'  monitus,'  accus.  in  apposition  to  '  fata.' 
•  Jovis  monitis'  is  similarly  used  Virg.  Ae. 
4.331;   10.689. 

7.  Eventus,  '  learning  the  issue  of  the 
struggle  from  the  Hps  of  the  gods.' 

Labienus,  once  an  officer  and  partisan 
of  Caesar:  see  5.  346  foll. 

Fors,  found  in  one  or  two  MSS.,  is  pre- 
ferable  to  '  sors,'  as  being  very  commonly 
joined  with  '  fortuna.' 

8.  Ora,  '  mouth,'  i.e.  oracles,  or,  as  in 
the  phrase  '  venire  in  ora,'  '  presence.' 

10.   Bellique   datos,  rather  '  assigned 


by  fatv;,'  than  =  'dictos,'  'revealed'  as  '  da- 
turos'  in  the  next  Hne  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3. 
85  and  460  ;  4.  225.  One  MS.  has  '  bel- 
hsque  datos.'  Much  may  be  said  for 
Bentley's  happy  conjecture  '  ratos.' 

14.  Sequerisque  deum.  Cp.  Sen.  De 
Vit.  Beat.  15,  5  '  Habebit  illud  in  animo 
vetus  praeceptum  :  deum  sequere.' 

15.  Inquire  in  :  so  Ov.  M.  i.  148 
'  FiHus  ante  diem  patrios  inquirit  in 
annos.' 

Nefandi,  ashaviiig  involved  his  country 
in  civil  war,  often  called  '  nefas.' 

16.  Excute,  '  search  out:'  Ht.  '  shake 
out'  what  may  be  hid  in  the  folds  of  a 
robe  or  any  such  thing. 

Mores,  '  quos  mores  per  victoriam  ha- 
bitura  sit,'  '  qui  venturi  sunt  in  patriam' 
Schol.  It  is  simpler  to  take  '  patriae,'  not 
as  dative,  but  as  the  genitive  with  '  mores ' 
=  the  coming  temper  and  condition  of  our 
country. 

17.  Legum,  sc.  '  jure.' 

18.  An  bellum, 'or  is  the  blood  of 
the  civil  war  to  be  wasted,'  i.  e.  is  the 
object  of  the  civil  war  in  preventing  the 
tyrannical  power  of  Caesar  not  to  be 
gained  V  A  direct  question  is  here  put 
instead  of  an  indirect  one  after  'inquire' 
V.  15  ;  hence  the  indicative  '  Hcebit,' 
'  perit.' 


LUCAN. 


331 


Voce  reple  ;    durae  saltem  virtutis  amator, 

Quaere  quid  est  virtus,  et  posce  exemplar  honesti. 

Ille  deo  plenus,  tacita  quem  mente  gerebat, 

Effudit  dignas  adytis  e  pectore  voces : 

Quid  quaeri,  Labiene,  jubes  ?    an  liber  in  armis 

Occubuisse  velim  potius,  quam  regna  videre  ? 

An  sit  vita  nihil,  et  longa  ?   an  differat  aetas  ? 

An  noceat  vis  ulla  bono,  Fortunaque  perdat 

Opposita  virtute  minas,  laudandaque  velle 

Sit  satis,  et  nunquam  successu  crescat  honestum  ? 

Scimus,  et  haec  nobis  non  altius  inseret  Hammon. 

Haeremus  cuncti  superis,  temploque  tacente 

Nil  agimus  non  sponte  dei ;    nec  vocibus  uUis 

Numen  eget ;   dixitque  semel  nascentibus  auctor 

Quidquid  scire  licet,  steriles  nec  legit  arenas, 

Ut  caneret  paucis,  mersitque  hoc  pulvere  verum. 

Estne  dei  sedes,  nisi  terra,  et  pontus,  et  aer, 

Et  coelum,  et  virtus  ?   superos  quid  quaerimus  ultra  ? 

Jupiter  est  quodcunque  vides,  quocunque  moveris. 


30 


35 


19,  20.  Saltem  .  .  Quaere,  if  you  do 
not  ask  all  this  I  have  said,  yet  at  least 
enquire,  what  is  the  part  for  courage  to 
play,  what  model  of  virtue  should  we 
foUow  ? 

22.  Dignas  adytis,  i.e.  that  might 
well  have  come  from  the  shrine  of  the 
god. 

24.  Regna  videre,  '  than  see  Caesar 
king.'  Cp.  v.  209  (44)  '  in  soceri  potuisses 
vivere  regno.' 

25.  An  sit  vita  nihil,  '  need  I  ask  if 
life,  even  when  long,  be  worthless,  or 
whether  its  period  be  of  any  matter  or 
no?'  This  is  perhaps  the  best  reading, 
and  may  be  illustrated  from  many  passages 
in  Seneca,  as  Nat.  Quaest.  6.  32,  9  ;  Id.  De 
Vit.  Beat.  21.  i  '  (Philosophus)  inter  lon- 
gius  tempus  et  brevius  nihil  interesse  ju- 
dicat  ; '  see  also  many  others  in  the 
Epistles,  e.  g.  70  and  73.  There  is  great 
diversity  of  reading  as  to  the  last  half  of 
the  line.  C.  F.  Weber  and  Orelli  have 
'  Sed  longam  diiferat  aetas,'  i.  e.  '  but 
whether  long  life  be  only  a  protraction  of 
time'  (i.  e.  not  involving  any  change  of 
quality  in  it).  Other  texts  have  '  si  longa' 
and  '  seu  longa.'  The  best  MSS.  give 
*  longa  an.' 

27,  28.  Laudandaque  velle,  'whether 


it  be  enough  to  purpose  things  that  are 
praiseworthy,  and  whether  right  be  never 
made  more  right  by  success,'  i.  e.  all  a 
good  man  can  do  is  to  choose  and  deter- 
mine  on  the  right  course,  even  though  he 
fail  of  success  in  it ;  right  is  not  in- 
creased  by  prosperity  nor  diminished  by 
failure.  Of  this  Cato  says  he  is  certain  in 
his  heart  and  needs  no  oracle  to  confirm  it. 
Bentley  quotes  Seneca  Ep.  78  '  Scit  tem- 
pore  honesta  non  crescere.' 

30,  31.  Haeremus  (with  dative,  as  in 
7.  7S9),  '  we  all  belong  to  the  gods,  and 
even  whcn  the  oracles  be  dumb,  we  never 
act  without  the  will  of  heaven.'  The 
construction  of  '  sponte '  with  a  genitive, 
not  found  in  writers  of  the  Augustan  age, 
is  often  used  by  Lucan,  the  later  poets, 
and  Tacitus. 

34.  Hoc  pulvere, 'nor  buried  his  truth 
in  the  desert  sand,'  i.  e.  in  the  temple  of 
Jupiter  Ammon 

36.  Ultra,  i.e.  elsewhere  than  in  these, 
viz.  the  universe  and  the  soul  of  the  vir- 
tuous  man. 

37.  Quocunque  seems  to  be  the  right 
reading  here,  though  'quodcunque'  is  found 
in  the  best  MSS.,  having  perhaps  been  re- 
peated  from  the  preceding  by  a  careless 
copyist.      If  'quodcunque'  be  retained,  it 


332  LUCAN. 

Sortilegis  egeant  dubii,  semperque  futuris 

Casibus  ancipites  :    me  non  oracula  certum, 

Sed  mors  certa  facit :    pavido,  fortique  cadendum  est.    40 

Hoc  satis  est  dixisse  Jovem.     Sic  ille  profatur, 

Servataque  fide  templi  discedit  ab  aris 

Non  exploratum  populis  Hammona  relinquens. 


must  be  taken  as  ='  quemcunque  motum  41.   Dixisse,  i.e.  Jove  has  said  this  at 

moveris,'    '  whatever    impulse    you    feel.'  our  birth,  and  that  is  enough  :  see  v.  32. 
Cp.  Sen.  Nat.  Quaest.  Prolog.  B.  I   '  Quid  42.    Servataque     fide,    '  leaving    un- 

est  deus  ?  quod  vides  totuni  et  quod  non  impaired    the    credit    of  the    shrine,'  i.  e. 

vides  totum.'    Cp.  Aesch.  Frag.  295  (Ddf )  without  testing  whether  it  spoke  true  or 

Ztvs  ioTiv  alOfjp,  Zeiis  5^  7^,  Zivs  5'  ov-  false. 

pavos.      Zfvs   Toi   TOL   ndvTa,  Xuitl   twcS'  43.   Populis,  dative  with  '  relinquens : ' 

vnepTfpov.  see  v.  3. 


C  VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 


LIFE     OF    VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 


C.  Valerius  Flaccus  (some  MSS.  give  the  cognomina  '  Setinus 
Balbus'),  another  of  the  Epic  poets  in  the  first  century  of  the 
Roman  empire,  was  born  at  Padua,  as  his  friend  Martial  informs  us, 
I.  61(62).  3  '  Censetur  Apona  Livio  suo  tellus  Stellaque  nec  Flacco 
minus.'  He  Uved  in  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  to  whom  he  dedicated 
his  poem  about  a.d.  70:  see  i.  12  foll.  of  the  '  Argonautica.'  From 
I.  5  it  has  been  conjectured,  that  he  was  one  of  the  '  Quindecimviri 
sacris  faciundis.'  He  died  young  and  in  reduced  circumstances,  as 
may  be  gathered  from  Martial  i.  76(77).  The  only  other  ancient 
author  who  mentions  him  is  Quintilian,  speaking  of  his  death  as 
recent  (probably  about  a.d.  88):  '  Multum  in  Valerio  Flacco  nuper 
amisimus'  Inst.  Or.  10.  i,  90.  It  is  scarcely  probable  that  Juvenal 
alludes  to  him  i.  8-10. 

The  '  Argonautica,'  an  unfinished  poem,  is  in  part  a  translation, 
in  part  a  free  imitation,  of  the  Alexandrine  epic  of  Apollonius  Rhodius, 
which  had  already  been  made  familiar  to  Roman  ears  through  the 
version  of  Varro  Atacinus,  so  highly  praised  by  Propertius  and  Ovid. 
His  copious  learning,  especially  in  matters  of  geography  and  mytho- 
logy,  his  descriptive  power,  particularly  shewn  in  touches  of  natural 
scenery,  his  pure  diction  and  correct  style,  have  incHned  some  critics 
to  set  Valerius  Flaccus  above  his  Greek  model,  while  Wagner  places 
him  only  below  Virgil  in  the  rank  of  Roman  epic  poets.  He  had,  it 
would  seem,  more  talent  than  genius,  more  taste  and  prettiness  than 
imagination  or  power.  His  versification  is  particularly  smooth  and 
harmonious,  though  perhaps,  as  Mr.  Ramsay  remarks  (Art.  Dict. 
Biogr.),  not  sufficiently  varied  in  rhythm.  Barth  (quoted  by  Burmann) 
praises  Valerius  Flaccus  as  '  Latinitatis  Maronianae  egregius  custos  ; ' 
and  the  same  critic  characterizes  his  four  main  excellences  as  '  Sonus,' 
'  Spiritus,'  '  Eruditio,'  '  Gravitas.'     The  subject  of  the  '  Argonautica'  is 


.33^>  LIFE   OF   VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 

only  brought  down  to  the  point  where  Jason  is  preparing  to  depart 
from  Colchis,  the  eighth  book  breaking  off  suddenly.  Evidently  the 
poet  contemplated,  if  he  did  not  write,  other  books  containing  the 
eventful  return  of  the  Argonauts. 

The  poem  of  Valerius  Flaccus  is  scarcely  ever  quoted  by  the 
early  grammarians,  and  few  MSS.  of  it  are  in  existence.  Poggio 
BraccioHni,  the  Florentine  scholar,  was  the  first  to  discover  an 
incomplete  iNIS.  of  the  first  three  books  and  half  the  fourth,  in  the 
abbey  of  St.  Gall,  when  he  was  attending  the  Council  of  Constance, 
A.D.  1416.  The  date  of  the  earUest  MSS.  seems  to  be  uncertain :  the 
Medicean  are  as  late  as  the  fifteenth  century. 


LXX. 
C.  VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 

LIB.  11.  242-310. 

This  extract  contains  the  tale  of  Hypsipyle's  rescue  of  her  father  Thoas 
from  the  Lemnian  massacre,  which  is  told  more  briefly  by  ApoU.  R.  i.  609 
foU.  It  forms  an  episode  in  the  story  of  the  Argonauts,  who  arrive  at 
Lemnos  just  after  the  murder  of  all  the  male  sex,  except  the  father  of 
Hypsipyle.  She  carries  Thoas  ofF  to  the  temple  of  Bacchus,  whence  at 
day-break  she  conveys  him,  disgnised  as  the  God,  and  herself  attending 
him  as  a  Bacchante,  to  a  wood  by  the  sea.  On  the  shore  she  discovers  a 
worn-out  boat,  in  which  he  escapes  to  the  Tauric  Chersonese,  where  he 
is  made  priest  to  Diana,  until  her  worship  is  transferred  to  Aricia.  The 
Lemnian  women,  supposing  Hypsipyle  to  have  slain  her  royal  sire,  elect 
her  queen  in  his  stead.  Compare  Statius  Theb.  5.  29,  w-ho  tells  the  same 
story  at  great  length. 

Sed  tibi  nunc  quae  digna  tuis  ingentibus  ausis 
Ora  feram,  decus  et  patriae  laus  una  ruentis, 
Hypsipyle  ?   non  ulla  meo  te  carmine  dictam 
Abstulerint,  durent  Latiis  modo  saecula  fastis 
Iliacique  Lares  tantique  palatia  regni.  5 

Irruerant  actae  pariter  nataeque  nurusque, 


2.   Ora   feram,  '  what  words  of  praise  Latian  annals,'  i.  e.  as  long  as  Rome  en- 

shall    I   utter?'     Cp.   Lucan  9.  550  '  nu-  dures.    Heinsius  suggests 'fatis' for  '  fastis.' 

minis    ora    Consiliumque    dei.'      This    is  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  9. 446-450. 

a    common    expression    in    Valerius   Flac-  5.  Lares,  perhaps  introduced  here  from 

cus,   e.  g.    I.    807;    4.   19,   241  ;    5.  417,  Hypsipyle's    act    being    one    of    domestic 

though  used   in  a   different   sense.     Hein-  virtue.    Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  5.  744  '  Pergameum- 

sius  proposes  '  orsa  seram  ; '  Burmann,  with  que  Larem.' 

more  plausibiUty,  '  quo  digna  tuis  .  .  Ore  6.     Natae  =  'virgines;'       Nurus  = 

feram.'  '  nuptae.'     Cp.   Ov.  Fast.  4.  295   '  Proce- 

3,4.   Non  ulla,  sc, '  saecula  :'  '  no  time  dunt    pariter    matres    nataeque    nurusque.' 

shall  snatch  thee  from  the  memory  of  man,  Here  the  words  are  suggested  by  the  fact 

so  long   as   the   ages  continue  marked  ia  of  Hypsipyle  saving  her  father. 

Z, 


33« 


VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 


Totaque  jam  sparsis  exarserat  insula  monstris ; 

Illa  pias  armata  manus,  Fuge  protinus  urbem 

Meque,  pater  j   non  hostis,  ait,  non  moenia  laesi  9 

Tliraces  habent,  nostrum  hoc  facinus  j  ne  quaere,  quis  auctor  j 

Jam  fuge,  jam  dubiae  donum  rape  mentis,  et  ensem 

Tu  potius  miserae  retine.     Tunc  excipit  artus 

Obnubitque  caput,  tacitumque  ad  conscia  Bacchi 

Templa  rapit,  primoque  manus  a  limine  tendens, 

Exime  nos  sceleri,  pater,  et  miserere  piorum  15 

Rursus,  ait :   tacita  pavidum  tum  sede  locavit. 

Sub  pedibus  dextraque  dei  latet  ille,  receptus 

Veste  sacra  j    voces  tholus  et  trieterica  reddunt 

Aera  sonum,  fixaeque  fremunt  in  limine  tigres. 

Regina  ut  roseis  Auroram  surgere  bigis  20 

Vidit,  et  insomni  lassatas  turbine  tandem 

Conticuisse  domos  j   stabilem  quando  optima  facta 

Dant  animum  majorque  piis  audacia  coeptis : 


7.  Monstris  may  mean  '  fiends,'  the 
'  nataeqiie  nuriisqiie'  just  spoken  of,  as 
Cleopatra  is  called  by  Horace  '  fatale  mon- 
strum'  Od.  I.  37,  21  ;  but  it  is  better  to 
take  it  of  abnormal  influences  generally  : 
see  Virg.  Ae.  3.  583  foll. 

8.  Pias,  i.e.  armed  like  the  rest,  but 
with  duteous  love  for  her  sire. 

9.  Laesi,  'injured'  in  having  their 
daughters  carried  off  by  their  Lem- 
nian  conquerors.  See  v.  107  foll.  of  this 
book. 

10.  Q_uis  auctor,  sc.  Venus,  in  re- 
venge  for  the  kindness  shown  to  He- 
phaestus,  and  the  neglect  manifested  to- 
ward  herself.  See  v.  loi  and  Apoll.  R. 
I.  614  fUfl  x6\os  alvbs  oira^ev  'KvnpiSos 
owfKo,  ixiv  yipaojv  (irl  STjpov  aTiaaav. 

11.  Dubiae,  '  snatch  the  offer  of  a 
still  wavering  mind'  (i.  e.  half  disposed  to 
follow  the  example  of  the  rest),  the  offer 
of  life  and  safety. 

12.  Miserae,  whichever  way  she  decides 
to  act.  Much  may  be  said  for  the  con- 
jecture  '  miserate  tene,'  i.  e.  in  pity  keep 
me  from  even  the  temptation  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  rest. 

Retine,  '  take  and  keep,  you  rather 
than  I,  the  svvord  of  your  unhappy 
child.' 

13.  Conscia,  '  sympathetic,'  '  friendly.' 
Thoas,  the  father  of  Hypsipyle,  was  the 
fabled  son  of  Bacchus  and  Ariadne  :  cp. 
Ov.  Her.  6.  II5  '  Bacchus  avus.' 


14.  Primoque  ..  a  limine,('ad  limina,' 
one  MS.)  from  (i.  e.  while  yet  standing 
on)  the  edge  of  the  threshold  stretching 
her  hands  forth  to  the  god.  Temples 
often  served  as  hiding-places :  cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  2.  567,  where  Helen  is  represented  as 
'  limina  Vestae  Servantem  et  tacitam  se- 
creta  in  sede  latentem.' 

15.  Pater,  Bacchus,  not  Thoas. 
Piorum,  i.  e.  herself  and  Thoas. 

16.  Rursus,  referring  probably  to  some 
unknown  service  done  to  Thoas  by  Bac- 
chus.  To  join  it  with  '  ait'  is  very  flat. 
The  rest  of  the  line  is  imitated  from  Virg. 
Ae.  2.  525. 

17.  Dextra,  '  on  the  right  side  of  the 
god.' 

18.  19.  Tholus,  Jacob's  emendation 
of  'chorus'  (MSS.),  which  the  passage 
hardly  admils  of.  It  means  that  the  dome 
of  the  temple  and  the  cymbals  used  in  the 
triennial  festivals  gave  forth  supernatural 
sounds  in  answer  to  and  approval  of  the 
maiden's  prayer  and  deed.  So  too  the 
bronze  '  figures  of  the  tigresses  on  the 
threshold  roar  applause.' 

20.  Regina,  'princess,'  as  often  in  the 
poets :  of  Ariadne,  Virg.  Ae.  6.  28,  of 
Medea,  Ov.  Her.  12.  I  '  At  tibi  Colcho- 
rum,  memini,  regina  vacavi,'  and  Deida- 
mia,  Stat.  Ach.  i.  295.  The  massacre  had 
been  going  on  through  the  night  (see 
v.  214)  :  and  it  was  only  at  day-break 
that  all  had  become  quiet. 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 


339 


Scrta  patri  juvenisque  comam  vestesque  Lyaei 

Induit,  et  medium  curru  locat,  aeraque  circum  25 

Tympanaque  et  plenas  tacita  formidine  cistas. 

Ipsa  sinus  hederisque  ligat  famularibus  artus, 

Pampineamque  quatit  ventosis  ictibus  hastam, 

Respiciens,  teneat  virides  velatus  habenas 

Ut  pater,  et  nivea  tumeant  ut  cornua  mitra,  30 

Et  sacer  ut  Bacchum  referat  scyphus.     Impulit  acri 

Tum  validas  stridore  fores,  rapiturque  per  urbem, 

Talia  voce  canens :    Linque  o  mihi  caede  madentem^ 

Bacche,  domum ;   sine  foedatum  te  funere  pontus 

Expiet,  et  referam  lotos  in  templa  dracones.  35 

Sic  medios  egressa  metus  j   facit  ipse  verendam 

Nam  deus,  et  flatu  non  inscia  gliscit  anhelo. 

Jamque  senem  tacitis  saeva  procul  urbe  remotum 

Occultat  silvis,  ipsam  sed  conscius  ausi 

Nocte  dieque  Pavor  fraudataque  turbat  Erinnys.  40 


26.  Tacita  formidine,  '  dread  mys- 
teries.' 

Cistas  :  cp.  CatuU.  62  (64).  259. 

27.  Famularibus,  i.  e.  worn  by  the 
Bacchantes,  in  which  capacity  Hypsipyle 
attends  her  father.  '  Hederis'  belongs  to 
'sinus'  as  much  as  to  'artus';  but  the 
poet  for  metrical  reasons  prefers  to  under- 
stand  it  before  the  first  object  and  express 
it  with  the  second,  instead  of  vice  versa : 
see  a  similar  case  v.  24. 

29,  30.  Respiciens  .  .  ut, '  taking  care 
that,'  etc,  not  a  common  construction  in 
earlier  writers. 

Virides,  i.  e.  entwined  with  leaves. 

Velatus,  emphatic,  to  escape  detec- 
tion. 

Cornua,  symbols  of  plenty.  See  Ti- 
buU.  2.  I,  3  '  Bacche  veni,  dulcisque  tuis 
e  cornibus  uva  Pendeat.'  Cp.  Ov.  Fast.  3. 
789  :  Hor.  Od.  2.  19,  30. 

Mitra:  cp.  Stat.  Ach.  i.  617  '  Serta 
comis,  mitramque  levat,  thyrsumque  viren- 
tem  Armat.' 

31.  Scyphus,  '  resemble  Bacchus  in 
duly  handling  the  sacred  cup ;'  so  Virg. 
Ae.  S.  278  '  Et  sacer  implevit  dextram 
scyphus.'  '  Canthanis '  is  the  techni- 
cal  term :  for  a  fuller  representation  of 
Bacchus  sce  Silius  7.  196  '  dextraque  pe- 
pendit  Cantharus '  etc.  Cp.  Virg.  E. 
6.  17. 

Impulit,  'flung  open,'  as  I.  610  '  valido 


contortam  turbine  portam  Impulit  Hippo- 
tades.' 

33.  Mihi,  dativus  ethicus,  '  I  beseech 
thee.' 

,^5.  Dracones,  standards  of  dragon- 
shape  kept  in  the  temples  of  Bacchus,  not 
the  creatures  which  drew  the  chariot,  which 
are  usually  represented  as  tigers  or  lynxes. 
The  word  is  used  by  Prudentius  and  later 
authors  in  a  similar  way  for  the  standards 
of  the  Roman  cohorts. 

36.  Medios  egressa  metus,  '  thus 
escaped  she  from  encircling  fears.'  Com- 
pare  the  uses  of  '  evehi,'  '  evagari,'  '  eva- 
dere,'  '  excedere'  and  '  exire'  with  an 
accusative.  With  '  medios  metus '  cp.  Hor. 
Od.  3.  27,  27  '  mediasque  fraudes  Palluit 
audax.' 

37.  Nam  explains  how  it  was  she 
escaped  detection. 

Gliscit,  '  feels  her  throbbing  bosom 
swell  with  the  inspiration  of  the  god : ' 
and  so  knows  herself  for  the  time  to  be 
safe  under  his  protection. 

39.  Occultat.  Weber  retains  the  '  oc- 
culerat'  of  the  MSS.,  a  form  however  for 
which  there  seems  to  be  no  authority, 
though  the  passage  rather  requires  the 
pluperfect  than  the  present :  Heinsius  sug- 
gests  that  the  poet  may  have  written  '  oc- 
culere  it.' 

40.  Fraudata,  '  baulked'  of  its  victim, 
Thoas. 

Z  2 


340  VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 

Non  similes  jam  ferre  choros  (semel  orgia  fallunt) 

Audet,  non  patrios  furtis  accedere  saltus, 

Et  fuga  diversas  misero  quaerenda  per  artes. 

Visa  ratis,  saevae  defecta  laboribus  undae, 

Quam  Thetidi  longinqua  dies  Glaucoque  repostam  45 

Solibus  et  canis  urebat  Luna  pruinis. 

Huc  genitorem,  altae  per  opaca  silentia  noctis, 

Praecipitem  silvis  rapit,  et  sic  maesta  profatur : 

Quam,  genitor,  patriam,  quanta  modo  linquis  inanes 

Pube  domos  !    proh  dira  lues,  proh  noctis  acerbae  50 

Exitium  !    talin'  possum  te  credere  puppi, 

Care  parens  ?   possum  tantis  reti  nere  periclis  ? 

Solvimus  heu  serum  Furiis  scelus  ?    annue  votis, 

Diva,  soporiferas  quae  nunc  trahis  aequore  bigas. 

Non  populos,  non  dite  solum,  non  ulla  parenti  55 

Regna  peto :   patria  liceat  decedere  terra. 

Quando  ego  servato  mediam  genitore  per  urbem 

Laeta  ferar  ?   quando  hic  lacrimas  planctusque  videbo  ? 

Dixerat ;    ille  procul  trunca  fugit  anxius  alno, 

Taurorumque  locos  delubraque  saeva  Dianae  60 

41.  Semel,  emphatic :   '  but   once  can  52.  Possum  .  .  periclis   contains   the 
such  processions  deceive.'  altemative  to  '  credere  puppi;'  the  risk  ot 

42.  Patrios  . .  saltus,' the  forest  where  keeping  him   and  dispatching  him   seems 
her  sire  was  hid,'  an  unusual  expression.  equal. 

The   meaning   of  this   and   the  following  53.   Solvimus,  '  am  I  after  all  to  pay 

line   is  :    She   cannot   visit   her   father   by  to  the  Furies  though  late  the  crime  they 

her  former  stratagem,  and  she  cannot  get  have  decreed,'  i.  e.  of  killing  my  father,  if 

to   him   by   steahh  :    therefore  ('et')  she  not  by  the  sword,  yet  by  consigning  him 

must  contrive   some  means  of  escape  for  to  so  frail  a  bark.     Cp.  Stat.  Theb.  5.  628 

him.  '  Exolvi  tibi,  Lemne,  nefas.' 

Furtis,  pecuharly  used  here  for  '  furto  ;'  54.    Trahis    aequore,    i.  e.   rising    in 

did  the  poet  write,  as  Heinsius   suggests,  thy  chariot  from  the  deep :  cp.  4.  97  (of 

'  furtim  succedere'  ?  the  rising  sun)  'traxitque  diem  candentibus 

45.  Repostam,  '  laid  up  in  honour  of,  undis.' 

dedicated  to,  Thetis ;'  see  the  well-known  57,58.   Quando    ego,  'O  that  some 

poem   of  Catullus,  425'  nunc  recondita  day  I  may  rejoice  (not,  as  now,  be  sad) 

Senet   quiete    seque    dedicat    tibi   Gemelle  over  the  rescue  of  my  sire  !  O  that  I  may 

Castor  et  gemelle  Castoris.'  see    the    matrons    here   weep    (and    not, 

46.  Urebat,   used  of  cold   as   well   as  as  now,  exult)  over  the  murder  of  their 
heat  :    Lucan  4.  52    '  Urebant    montana  lords!' 

nives;'  similarly  Calpurn.  Ecl.  5.  107  'tor-  59.  Trunca,  ' crippled,' without  rudder, 

rida   hiems  ; '    Silius  4.  68  '  ambustumque  or  equipments  of  any  kind. 

nivosis  Cautibus.'  60.   Taurorum,  i.e   the  Tauric  Cher- 

47.  Huc,  the  place  where  lay  the  boat.  sonese,  '  the  regions  of  the  Tauri.' 

One  MS.  has  '  nunc'  D  ianae, 'ApTe/iis  Tavp(57roA.os.     Apol- 

50.   Pube,  '  emptied  of  what  once  gal-  lonius    gives   a   difterent    version,   making 

lant   youth ; '   '  modo '  seems    to   refer    to  Thoas  to   be   conveyed    by   fishermen    to 

'  quanta '    rather    than    to    'Hnquis'     or  Sicinus   or  Oencie  in   the  Aegean :    see   I. 

'  inanes.'  623. 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS.  341 

Advenit ,   hic  illum  tristi,  dea,  praeficis  arae, 

Ense  dato ;   mora  nec  terris  tibi  longa  cruentis. 

Jam  nemus  Egeriae,  jam  te  ciet  altus  ab  Alba 

Jupiter  et  soli  non  mitis  Aricia  regi. 

Arcem  nata  petit,  quo  jam  manus  horrida  matrum         65 

Congruerat :    rauco  fremitu  sedere  parentum 

Natorumque  locis,  vacuaeque  in  moenibus  urbis 

Jura  novant ;   donant  solio  sceptrisque  paternis, 

Ut  meritam  j    redeuntque  piae  sua  praemia  menti. 


LXXI. 

LIB.  VIL  103-152. 

The  growing  passion  of  Medea  for  Jason  is  here  described.  The  hero 
has  just  rushed  out  of  the  hall  of  Aeetes'  palace,  indignant  at  the  perfidy  of 
the  king,  who  refuses  to  deliver  to  him  the  golden  fleece,  until  he  has 
further  succeeded  in  taming  the  fire-breathing  bulls.  Medea  watches 
him  depart,  and  more  than  ever  enamoured  with  his  beauty  and  valour 
longs  to  follow  him.  She  tries  every  means  to  soothe  her  passion, 
but  in  vain.  She  at  last  flings  herself  to  sleep  only  to  be  haunted  by 
visions  of  her  inexorable  father  and  her  persecuted  lover.  See  ApoU. 
R.  3.  439  foll. 

At  trepida  et  medios  inter  deserta  parentes 
Virgo  silet,  nec  fixa  solo  servare  parumper 
Lumina,  nec  potuit  maestos  non  flectere  vultus  j 
Respexitque  fores,  et  adhuc  invenit  euntem. 


63.  Te  refers  to  Diana.  Redeunt,  '  given  as  her  due;'  so  'red- 

64.  Regi,   '  Aricia   cruel    to   its    priest  dere' in  Catull.  62  (64).  362. 
alone,'  i.  e.  the  '  rex  Nemoralis'  or  high- 

priest   of  Diana's   temple   at   Aricia,   who  i.  Medios  :  though  standing  between 

might  be  succeeded  by  any  one,  who  could  her  parents,  yet  forsaken  :  an  oxjTOoron. 
kill   him  :  see  Ov.  Ars  Am.  i.  259  '  Ecce  Deserta, 'desolate,' 'forlom.'  Burmann 

suburbanae  templum  nemorale  Dianae,  Par-  compares  the  use  of  '  destitutus '  in  Livy 

taque  per  gladios  regna  nocente  maau  :'  cp.  2.12. 

Stat.  Silv.  3.  I,  55.    We  have  a  similar  ex-  4.   Adhuc,  to  be  taken  with  'euntem' 

pression  in  7.  3  '  Noxque  ruit  soli  veniens  ='  still  in  the  act  of  going:'  cp.  ApoU.  R. 

non  mitis  amanti.'  3.  444   «tt'  aiiTw   S'  onfiaTa  Kovprj  Aofa 

69.  Ut  meritam,  i.e.  as  having  earned  Trapa  Kinapfjv  cfxoy-iviq  OrjuTo  Ka\virTpr]v, 

it  by  the  murder  of  her  father,  which  they  K^p  "X*'  cr/J^vxovffa'  voos  5e  ol  rjvT  oveipos 

imagined  she  had  perpetrated.  'EpmJyyv  miroTrjTo  fxer'  'ixvui  vuffoiiivoio. 


342 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 


Visus  et  heu  miserae  tum  pulchrior  hospes  am.anti 
Discedens ;    tales  humeros,  ea  terga  relinquit. 
Illa  domum  atque  ipsos  paulum  procedere  postes 
Optat,  et  ardentes  tenet  intra  limina  gressus. 
Qualis,  ubi  extremas  lo  vaga  sentit  arenas, 
Fertque  refertque  pedem,  tumido  quam  cogit  Erinnys 
Ire  marij  Phariaeque  vocant  trans  aequora  matres  j 
Circuit  haud  aiiter,  foribusque  impendet  apertis, 
An  melior  Minyas  revocet  paterj   oraque  quaerens 
Hospitis,  aut  solo  maeret  defecta  cubili, 
Aut  venit  in  carae  gremium  refligitque  sororis, 
Atque  loqui  conata  silet ;   rursusque  recedens 
Quaerit,  ut  Aeaeis  hospes  consederit  oris 
Phrixus,  ut  aligeri  Circen  rapuere  dracones. 
Tum  comitum  visu  fruitur  miseranda  suarum, 
Implerique  nequit  j    subitoque  parentibus  haeret 
Blandior,  et  patriae  circumfert  oscula  dextrae. 


15 


6.  Humeros.  So  Dido  (of  Aeneas) 
Virg.  Ae.  4.  1 1  '  Quem  sese  ore  ferens, 
quam  forti  pectore  et  arniis.' 

Relinquit  blends  two  images,  viz. 
'  leaves  on  the  mind  of  Medea,'  and  '  re- 
linquens  ostendit.' 

7.  Procedere  postes,  not  '  go  forth 
beyond  the  doorway  to  follow  him,'  but 
'  she  wishes  the  house  and  doors  to 
move  on,'  that  he  may  be  longer  in  her 
sight. 

8.  Et,  '  and  yet  within  the  threshold 
she  keeps  her  feet  eager  to  step  be- 
yond,'  modesty  controUing  the  impe- 
tuosity  of  love;  '  ardentes'  means  almost 
the  same  as  if  '  vix '  had  been  used  vvith 
'  tenet.' 

11.  Phariae  ..  matres.  Io's  wander- 
ings  were  to  cease  at  Canopus  in  Egypt, 
where  she  was  to  be  restored  by  the  touch 
of  Zeus  to  human  shape.  See  Aesch.  P. 
V.  865.  Hence  the  matrons  of  Egypt 
are  represented  as  calling  her  to  the 
place  of  her  deliverance.  So  Medea  feels 
that  peace  and  satisfaction  for  herself  lie 
alone  '  trans  Hmina,'  as  for  lo  '  trans 
aequora.' 

12,  13.  Impendet  .  .  an,  'lingers  about 
the  doors  left  open,  to  see  whether  her 
relenting  sire  would  recall  the  Minyae.' 
'An'  follows  'impendet'  as='immorans 
dubitat. '  Heinsius  proposes  '  intendit,' 
which  does  not  agree  so  well  with  the 
simile. 


Melior:  so  2.  369 'divae  melioris,' and 
commonly  in  this  poet. 

15.  Sororis,  '  Chalciope.'  With  the 
following  lines  cp.  ApoU.  R.  3.  685  IloX- 
\aKi  S'  Iftepofv  fiiv  dva  aTOjja  OvTev 
iviairtLV  ^Boyjrj  5'  oii  irpov^atve  napoi' 
rkpo}.  The  poet  has  before  him  the 
scenes  in  the  Aeneid  between  Dido  and 
Anna. 

16,  17.  Recedens,  sc.  'a  gremio  soro- 
ris,'  to  indicate  her  restlessness :  or  may  it 
mean  '  going  back  to  the  old  subject'? 
cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  78.  Medea  asks  about 
Phrixus,  who  had  been  kindly  received 
by  Aeetes,  and  had  married  Chalciope; 
why  should  not  Jason  be  similarly  treated, 
and  she  herself  given  in  marriage  to 
him? 

18.  Rapuere  dracones:  see  Apoll.  R. 
3.  309  foll.  (where  Aeetes  says)  "RiSnv 
yap  TTOTi  TTaTpbs  kv  apfiaaiv  'HeXtoto  At- 
Vivaas,  OT  ffiuo  icaaLyvqT-qv  iKOfiL^iv 
KipKTjv  eawtpirjs  fiaoj  x^'^''^^.  Medea 
meditates  escaping  (as  she  did  later)  in  a 
dragon-car ;  see  v.  24.  For  the  indicative 
('  rapuere')  after  the  subjunctive  ('  conse- 
derit')  cp.  i.  278-281  '  ut  steterit,'  fol- 
lowed  by  '  ut  intulit.' 

21.  Blandior,  with  unusual  fondness  ; 
there  is  no  need  however,of  changing  (with 
Heinsius)  'subito'  into  '  solito.' 

Circumfert,  lit.  '  applies  her  kissing 
lips,'  i.e.  kisses  in  many  places  her  father's 
hand. 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS.  343 

Sic  assueta  toris  et  mensae  dulcis  herili, 

Aegra  nova  jam  peste  canis  rabieque  futura, 

Ante  fugam  totos  lustrat  queribunda  penates. 

Tandem  etiam  molli  sese  semel  increpat  ira :  25 

Pergis,  ait,  demens,  teque  illius  angit  imago 

Curaque,  qui  profuga  forsan  tenet  alta  carina, 

Quique  meum  patrias  referet  ncc  nomen  ad  urbes  ? 

Quid  me  autem  sic  ille  movet,  superetne  labores, 

An  cadat,  et  tanto  turbetur  Graecia  luctu  ?  30 

Saltem,  fata  virum  si  jam  suprema  ferebant, 

Jussus  ad  ignotos  potius  foret  ire  tyrannos 

O  utinam,  et  tandem  non  hac  moreretur  in  urbe  ! 

Namque  et  sidereo  nostri  de  sanguine  Phrixi 

Dicitur,  et  caram  vidi  indoluisse  sororem ;  35 

Seque  ait  has  jussis  actum  miser  ire  per  undas. 

At  redeat  quocumque  modo^  meque  ista  precari 

Nesciat,  atque  meum  non  oderit  ille  parentem. 

Dixerat  haec,  stratoque  graves  projecerat  artus, 

Si  veniat  miserata  quies,  cum  saevior  ipse  40 

Turbat  agitque  sopor  j   supplex  hinc  sternitur  hospes, 

22.   Dulcis    governs   '  mensae,'   'a   fa-  were    not    akin   to    me,'    to    some    other 

vourite  at  its  master's  board;'   the  line  is  tharj    Aeetes  :    Apoll.    R.   1.  c.  486   d    54 

imitated    from    Virg.   Ae.    7.   490.      The  fJ.ii'    oXaa     Afj.rj6T]vai     viro     Poval,     ToSe 

simile   can    scarcely   be   called   a   pleasing  irpoTrapoiOe    Saiiri    Ovve/Cfv   ov    ol    tyoryf 

one.  uaKfi    iirayaiopxii    arri.       For    a    similar 

25.  Molli  .  .  ira,  anger  easily  yielding  use   of  '  ferre,'   '  carry   off,'    see   Virg.   E. 

to   love :  Heinsius  with  less  point  would  5.  34. 

read  '  haud  molli.'     The  older  MSS.  have  34.  Sidereo;  Nephele  was  the  mother 

semel  (not  '  simul'),  i.e.  making  one  last  of  Phrixus,    whose    uncle,    Cretheus,  was 

effort  at  self-restraint.  grandfather  to  Jason. 

28.  Nec  nomen, 'not  my  name  even,'  35.  Sororem;  the  meaning  is,  '  and 
still  less  myself.  '  Nec' in  the  later  writers  if  my  sister  felt  for  him,  why  should 
froni    Livy    and    Ovid    is    often   used   for  not  I?' 

'  ne  .  .  quidem  :'  see  v.  435  '  sed  nec  prima  37.   At,  a  necessary  correction  of  '  aut' 

pudor  dat  verba  timenti.'     Cp.  Stat.  Silv.  as  given  in  the  MSS.     '  But  I  pray  that 

2.  2,  55,  56  '  ubi  nunc  nemora  ardua  cer-  he    may   return    somehow,   and    yet    not 

nis,  Hic  nec  terra  fuit:'  Juv.  2.  152  '  Nec  know  that  I  pray  for  this,'   i.  e.  lest  he 

pueri  credunt.'  discover    my    passion    for    him.      Apoll. 

29.  Movet,  superetne,  '  make  me  R.  1.  c.  468  oi'«a56  voaTrjatu  (pvyiiv 
care,  whether  he  surmount  his  toils.'     For  fiopov. 

a  similar  use  of  the  verb  see  Lucan  7.  282  39.   Graves,   heavy   with   sleeplessness 

'  Armeniosne  movet  Romana  potentia  cujus  and  grief. 

Sit  ducis.'     ApoII.  R.  I.  c.  464  foll.  Tiitt'  40.  Si,  like  ti  nais,  '  to  see  whether,' 

ffxe  5fi\airjv  To5'  «x*'  "X"*'  *'^'  ^7*  '''^'''  '  '"    hopes    that,'    etc,    as    Virg.    Ae.    2. 

Toii/  ^Oiaerat  rjpwoa/  vpocpepeaTaTOS,  etre  75^- 

Xepeiaiv  'Epperaj.  41.  Sternitur,  '  appears  prostrate  as  a 

31,32.    Si    jam    suprema,   '  only,   if  suppliant,' i.  e.  in  her  dream.     Cp.  Apoll. 

death  was  now  to   overtake  the  hero,  I  R.  3.  616  foU.      Heinsius    proposes    '  cer- 

would  he  had   been   sent  to  princes  that  nitur.' 


344  VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 

Hinc  pater :    illa  nova  rumpit  formidine  somnos, 
Erigiturque  toro ;   famulas  carosque  Penates 
Agnoscit,  modo  Thessalicas  raptata  per  urbes : 
Turbidus  ut  Poenis  caecisque  pavoribus  ensem  45 

Corripit,  et  saevae  ferit  agmina  matris  Orestes ; 
Ipsum  angues,  ipsum  horrisoni  quatit  ira  flagelli, 
Atque  iterum  infestae  se  fervere  caede  Lacaenae 
Credit  agens,  falsaque  redit  de  strage  dearum 
Fessus,  et  in  miserae  collabitur  ora  sororis.  50 


LXXII. 


LIB.  VIII.  68-174. 

Medea  by  her  incantations  and  the  aid  of  Sleep  hills  the  dragon  that 
guarded  the  golden  fleece  in  the  grove  of  Mars,  though  after  the  deed  is 
done  she  feels  ashamed  and  half-regretful  at  it,  fearing  lest  the  serpenfs 
hiss  should  haunt  her  ever  after.  Jason,  standing  on  the  prostrate  dragon's 
back,  seizes  the  ghttering  fleece  and  flies  -vith  Medea  to  rejoin  his  com- 
panions.  Meantime  news  of  Medea's  departure  reaches  Aeetes,  who,  with 
Absyrtus  his  son,  instantly  prepares  to  pursue  the  Argonauts.  Idyia,  her 
mother,  with  Chalciope  and  the  maidens  of  Colchis,  pours  forth  her  grief 
and  anger  against  the  Grecian  ravisher,  and  her  daughter,  faithless  ahJie  to 
her  parents  and  her  betrothed.     See  Apoll.  R.  4.  109  foll. 

Jamque  manus  Colchis  crinemque  intenderat  astris, 
Carmina  barbarico  fundens  pede,  teque  ciebat, 

44,  46.  Modo  .  .  raptata,  '  she  that  49.  Agens,  '  ch.Tsing  her;'  the  use  of 
but  now  fancied  herself  whirling  with  this  participle  with  another  verb  is  not 
Jason  throughThessalian  cities(cp.  4.  402),  uncommon  in  the  poets  :  see  3.  40  '  lenit 
wild  as  was  Orestes,  when  .  .  .  he  seized  agens;'  4.  lli  '  torquet  agens ; '  Virg.  Ae. 
his  brand.'  I.  191  '  miscet  agens  ;'  Stat.  Theb.  5.  364 

45.  Turbidus,     governing    '  Poenis,'      '  sistit  agens ;'  and  many  other  places. 
'  maddened    by   the    Furies'    {voivai),   to  Falsa,  '  imaginar}'.' 

whom    also    the    '  agmina    matris'    refer  :  50.  Sororis,  Electra. 

an    expanded    imitation    of    Virg.  Ae.  4. 

471  foll.  1.   Crinem,  '  her  wild  tossing  hair  she 

47.  Quatit  ;  imitated  from  Virg.  Ae.  threw  upward  toward  the  stars.'  Heinsius 
6.571  '  sontes  ultrix  accincta  flagello  Tisi-  proposes  'lumen'  for  'crinem:'  but  the 
phone  quatit  insultans.'  latter  = '  caput   cum    crinibus   diffusis,'   as 

48.  Infestae.     Some  would  read  '  in-  priestesses    and   enchantresses    are   usually 
cestae:'  both  apply  equally  well    to  Cly-  described.     Cp.  Lucan  5.  170  foll. 
taemnestra,  but  MS.  authority  is  in  favour  2.    Barbarico  .  .  pede,  '  pouring  forth 
of  the  former.  spells  of  uncouth  rhythm.' 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS.  345 

Somne  pater :   Somne  omnipotens,  te  Colchis  ab  omni 

Orbe  voco,  inque  unum  jubeo  nunc  ire  draconem. 

Quae  freta  saepe  tuo  domui,  quae  nubila  cornu  5 

Fulminaque  et  toto  quidquid  micat  aethere  j    sed  nunc 

Nunc,  age,  major  ades  fratrique  simillime  Leto. 

Te  quoque,  Phrixeae  pecudis  fidissime  custos, 

Tempus  ab  hac  oculos  tandem  deflectere  cura. 

Quem  metuis  me  hic  stante  dolum  ?  servabo  parumper       10 

Ipsa  nemus :    longum  interea  tu  pone  laborem. 

Ille  haud  Aeolio  discedere  fessus  ab  auro, 

Nec  dare  permissae  (quamvis  juvet)  ora  quieti 

Sustinet ;   at  primi  percussus  nube  soporis 

Horruit,  et  dulces  excussit  ab  arbore  somnos.  15 

Contra  Tartareis  Colchis  spumare  venenis^ 

Cunctaque  Lethaei  quassare  silentia  rami 

Perstat,  et  adverso  luctantia  lumina  cantu 

Obruit,  atque  omnem  linguaque  manuque  fatigat 

Vim  Stygiam,  ardentes  donec  sopor  occupat  iras.  20 

Jamque  altae  cecidere  jubae,  nutatque  coactum 

Jam  caput,  atque  ingens  extra  sua  vellera  cervix, 


3.    Somne     omnipotens,    Sophocles'  14.   Nube    soporis:    so   Stat.  Ach.  i. 

TrayKpaTTjs  vnvos  Aj.  675.  646  '  Discussa  nube  soporis.' 

Colchis,  i.e.  I,  the  sorceress,  that  have  15.   Horruit  :  'the  dragon  roused  itself 

the  might  and  right  to  summon  thee.  and  shook,  or  drove,  from  the  tree  (he  was 

5.   Cornu.     The  poets  are  fond  of  re-  coiled  around)  theinviting  slumbers.'  Hein- 

presenting  the  image  of  Sleep  with  a  horn  :  sius'  emendation  '  corpore '  has  something 

see   Stat.  Theb.  6.  27   '  Et   nox   et   cornu  to  be  said  for  it :  but  'arbore'  is  more  for- 

fugiebat  Somnus  inani :'  Ib.5. 199  '  Somnus  cible  :  so  far  from   allowing  the  slumbers 

et  implacido  fundit  gravis  otia  cornu.'  to   touch   himself,   he   repelled   the   sleepy 

7.  Major,not 'elder,'referring  to'Leto,'  vapours  even  from  the  tree. 

but  '  mightier  than  ever  before.'  17.    Silentia     rami,    imitated    from 

Leto,  an  imitation  of  VirgiKs  '  consan-  Virg.    Ae.   5.   854    '  Ecce    deus     ramum 

guineus  Leti  sopor'  Ae.  6.  278.  Lethaeo  rore  madentem  Vique  soporatum 

10.  Servabo.     The  shortening  of  the  Stygia     super    utraque    quassat    'Tempora 

last  syllable  in  the  first  person  of  the  pre-  cunctantique  natantia  lumina  solvit.'    Cp. 

sent  and  future  of  verbs  has  become  quite  Apoll.  R.  4.  156  foll.   j?   5e   fxiv   dpKevOoio 

common  by  this  time:  cp.  e.g.  7.477-480,  veoy  TiTiJL-qoTi  6a\\S>  BaTTTovcy'  Ik  KvKeui- 

where  in  three  lines  are  used  '  oro,'  '  quae-  vos  aK-qpaTa  (pApfian'  doiSais,  'Patye  KaT' 

s5,'  'spectabS;'  and  see  note  on  Tibull.  2.  6(pOa\fj.uiv. 

6,41.     Here  the  poet  is   imitating  Virg.  19.    Fatigat,    (' fatis'  or  '  satis   agit,') 

Ae.  5.  845.  '  exerts  to  the  full,'  'plies  :'  so  5. 141  '  arma 

12.  Aeolio,  '  belonging  to  the  family  fatigant.'  He  has  probably  in  his  mind 
of  Aeolus,'   the    grandfather   of   Phrixus  ;  Virg.  Ae.  7.  754. 

Apoll.  R.  2.  II43  AtoA.(5j7i/ */>ifo»' TtJ'' d<^'  22.    Extra    sua   vellera,  '  far  beyond 

'EAXtlSos  P^lav  iKeaOai.  the  cherished  fleece  fell  head  and  neck ;' 

13.  Quamvis  juvet,  '  pleasant  though  hitherto  the  dragon  had  stood  erect,  coiled 
it  were;'  '  juvet'  is  preferable  to  the  around  the  tree :  now,  overpowered  with 
'jubet'of  the  best  MSS.,  which  only  re-  sleep,  he  fell  flat  on  the  ground,  his 
peats  the  notion  of  '  permissae.'  head  and  neck  lying  forward  beyond  the 


346 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 


Ceu  refluens  Padus,  aut  septem  projectus  in  amnes 

Nilus  et  Hesperium  veniens  Alpheos  in  orbem. 

Ipsa  caput  cari  postquam  Medea  draconis  25 

Vidit  humi,  fusis  circum  projecta  lacertis, 

Seque  suumque  simul  flevit  crudelis  alumnum  : 

Non  ego  te  sera  talem  sub  nocte  videbam, 

Sacra  ferens  epulasque  tibi ;   nec  talis  hianti 

Mella  dabam,  ac  nostris  nutribam  fida  venenis.  30 

Quam  gravida  nunc  mole  jaces !   quam  segnis  inertem 

Flatus  habet !    nec  te  saltem,  miserande,  peremi, 

Heu  saeyum  passure  diem  !   jam  nulla  videbis 

Vellera,  nulla  tua  fulgentia  dona  sub  umbra. 

Cede  deo,  inque  aliis  senium  nunc  digere  lucis  35 

Immemor,  oro,  mei ;    nec  me  tua  sibila  toto 

Exagitent  infesta  mari.     Sed  tu  quoque  cunctas, 

Aesonide,  dimitte  moras,  atque  effuge  raptis 

Velleribus  :    patrios  extinxi  noxia  tauros ; 

Terrigenas  in  fata  dedi ;   fusum  ecce  draconis  40 


tree  and  the  fleece  :  cp.  Apoll.  R.  4.  159 
yevvv  5'  avTrj  ivl  x^PV  ©'?''«''  «petffd- 
ixfvos'  ra  5'  aiTiipova  ttoWuv  bmaao) 
KvK\a  TroXvTTpffivoio  Si«f  vKrjs  TfTct- 
vvffTo.  Burmann  compares  Stat.  Theb. 
8.  639  '  dependet  languida  cervix  Exte- 
rior  clypeo.' 

23.  Refluens  Padus,  '  driven  back- 
ward'  by  the  tide  which  it  meets  near  its 
mouth,  and  so  weakened,  like  the  dragon ; 
or,  spreading  over  its  banks,  as  the  dragon 
stretched  beyond  the  fleece. 

24.  Hesperium  .  .  orbem,  '  Western 
region  of  the  world,'  i.  e.  in  respect  of 
Ehs  ;  'orbis'  being  used  as  6.  33  '  Rhipaeo 
orbe  :'  cp.  Juv.  2.  I08.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  694 
'  Alpheum  fama  est  huc  Elidis  amnem 
Occultas  egisse  vias  subter  mare,  qui 
nunc  Ore,  Arethusa,  tuo  Siculis  confun- 
ditur  undis.'  The  similes  are  somewhat 
extravagant,  very  inferior  to  Apoll.  R. 
4.  152  oTov  OTf  ^XrjXpolcn  KvXtvdofievov 
TTeKdyeaaiv  Kvfjia  fxiXav  Kwcpov  re  Kat 
dppofiov. 

25.  Ipsa,  marking  the  transition  from 
speaking  of  the  dragon  to  Medea. 

26.  Projecta,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  9.  442, 
not  to  be  ahered  into  '  porrecta.'  Such 
repetitions  as  this  after  v.  23  are  very  com- 
mon  in  this  poet. 

28.  Talem,  i.  e.  thus  weak  and  pros- 
trate ;    sjmilarly    in    the    foUowing    line. 


talis  =  'so  unkind  to  thee:'  once  'fida,'  I 
am  now  '  crudelis'  (v.  27). 

32,  33.  Nec  te  .  .  diem,  '  not  even 
have  I  done  thee  the  small  service  of  kill- 
ing  thee  outright,  doomed  to  endure  the 
cruel  hour  of  awaking,'  to  find  the  fleece 
gone.  Weichert  conjectures  '  Nec  (one 
MS.)  saevum  patiere  diem,'  which  does 
not  seem  to  improve  the  meaning  of  the 
passage. 

34.  Umbra,  not  the  shadow  of  the 
dragon,  but  of  the  tree  he  guarded  :  see 
5.  228  '  vellera  Martis  in  umbra  .  .  Li- 
querat.' 

35.  Cede  deo,  may  be  '  retire  before 
the  God,'  viz.  Mars,  as  in  Lucan  3. 
423  (25)  :  see  Apoll.  R.  4.  167  aXcros 
'Aprjos:  cp.  7-519  '  Saevior  ingenti  Ma- 
vortis  in  arbore  restat.'  Better  however 
take  it,  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  5.  467,  '  obey 
the  will  of  heaven,'  which  bids  thee 
depart. 

Senium  .  .  digere,  a  diflrcult  expres- 
sion,  meaning  either  '  transplant'  or  '  settle 
thine  old  age  in  other  groves:'  or,  taking 
'  digero'  in  its  post-Augustan  sense  =  '  con- 
coquo,'  '  digest,  endure  thine  old  age,'  like 
yfjpas  (^fiv  in  Pind.  01.  i.  133.  Cp.  Stat. 
Silv.  3.  5,  13  '  patria  senium  componere 
terra.' 

39.  Tauros.  For  this  and  the  follow- 
ing  lines  see  7-  545  ^oW. 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS.  347 

Corpus  habes ;  jamquc  omne  nefas,  jam,  spero,  peregi. 

Quaerenti  tum  deinde  viam,  qua  se  arduus  heros 

Ferret  ad  aurigerae  caput  arboris :   Eia,  per  ipsum 

Scande  age,  et  adverso  gressus,  ait,  imprime  dorso. 

Nec  mora  fit :   dictis  fidcns  Cretheia  proles  45 

Calcat,  et  aeriam  squamis  perfertur  ad  ornum, 

Cujus  adhuc  rutilam  servabant  brachia  pellem, 

Nubibus  accensis  similem,  aut  cum  veste  recincta 

Labitur  ardenti  Thaumantias  obvia  Phoebo, 

Corripit  optatum  decus  extremumque  laborem  50 

Aesonides,  longosque  sibi  gestata  per  annos 

Phrixcae  monumenta  fugac  vix  reddidit  arbor 

Cum  gcmitu,  tristesque  supcr  coicre  tenebrae. 

Egrcssi  relegunt  campos,  et  fluminis  ora 

Summa  petuntj   micat  omnis  ager,  villisquc  comantem     55 

Sidereis  totos  pellem  nunc  fundit  in  artus, 

Nunc  in  colla  rcfert,  nunc  implicat  ille  sinistrae. 

Talis  ab  Inachiis  Ncmcae  Tirynthius  antris 

Ibat  adhuc  aptans  humeris  capitiquc  leoncm. 

Ut  vero  sociis,  qui  tum  pracdicta  tcnebant  60 

Ostia,  per  longas  apparuit  aurcus  umbras, 

Clamor  ab  Hacmonio  surgit  gregc  ;   sc  quoque  gaudens 

Promovet  ad  primas  juveni  ratis  obvia  ripas. 

41.  Spero,  implying  and  foreboding  on  vases  and  bas-reliefs.  Burmann  how- 
that  worse  crimes  may  have  yet  to  fol-  ever  strangely  takes  '  recincta '  as  = '  suc- 
low.  cincta.' 

42.  Tum    deinde:    so   Lucr.  5.  1004  50.   Laborem,  for  the  meed  and  fruit 
'  Tum  penuria   deinde  cibi '  etc. :    see  on  of  toil ;  as  -novos  is  used  in  Greek. 
Gratius  70(287).  51.  Sibi  gestata,  i.  e.  because  no  one 

44.  Adverso  . .  dorso,  not  'on  the  back  had  claimed  it  during  those  years. 

of  thy  foe,'  but  =  'adversus  dorsum,'  '  press  53.   Tenebrae,  the  Hght  of  the  fleece 

thy  feet  against,  climb  upon,  his  back:'  so  being  gone  from  the  tree,  '  gloomy  dark- 

we  may  take  (v.  18)  '  adverso  cantu.'    For  ness  closed  over  it.' 

this  use  of  certain  adjectives  as  mere  pre-  54.   Fluminis  ora,  where  Jason's  com- 

positions  see  note  on  Ov.  M.  I.  13  '  longo  rades    were    awaiting    him  :     see    below, 


margme. 


60. 


46.  Squamis,  found  in  the  Aldine  edi-  57.   In    colla.     Cp.   Apoll.   R.   4.  179 

tion,  and  decidedly  preferable  to  the  tame  "Hie  8'  aWoTe  fiiv  A.aia)  ewieifiivos  wixw 

'  quamvis' of  the  MSS.  kvxivos  l£  viraToio  iroSyvfKls,  dA.A.OTe  6' 

Ornum  :    in   Apoll.  R.  4.  124   it  is  a  avTe  EiXei  axpaaaontvos. 

(prjyos  dTreipeaii].  69.     Ibat     adhuc     aptans,     '  strode 

48.    Nubibus.      Apoll.  R.  4.  125   ve-  along,   adjusting   all  the    time    the    lion's 

(pfXr)    evaXiyKiov,    ¥)   t'  dviovTOS  'YLOdov  skin.' 

(pKoyepyaiv  epev9eTai  dnTiveaaiv.  61.    Umbras,    i.  e.    of    night,    during 

Veste    recincta    (Virg.   Ae.  4.  518),  which  the  fleece  was  taken. 

'  with    loose     flowing     robe,'    as    Thau-  63.  Primas  . .  ripas,  '  the  edge  of  the 

mantias  (or  Iris)  is  generally  represented  bank;'  so  2.  255  '  primo  a  limine.' 


348  VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 

Praecipites  agit  ille  gradus,  atque  aurea  misit 

Terga  prius  j    mox  attonita  cum  virgine  puppim  65 

Insilit,  ac  rapta  victor  consistit  in  hasta. 

Interea  patrias  saevus  venit  horror  ad  aures, 

Fata  domus  luctumque  ferens  fraudemque  fugamque 

Virginis.     Hinc  subitis  inflexit  frater  in  armis ; 

Urbs  etiam  mox  tota  coit  j   volat  ipse  senectae  70 

Immemor  Aeetes ;    complentur  litora  bello 

Nequidquam  :    fugit  immissis  nam  puppis  habenis. 

Mater  adhuc  ambas  tendebat  in  aequora  palmas 

Et  soror  atque  omnes  aliae  matresque  nurusque 

Colchides  aequalesque  tibi,  Medea,  puellae.  75 

Extat  sola  parens,  impletque  ululatibus  auras  : 

Siste  fugam,  medio  refer  huc  ex  aequore  puppim, 

Nata,  potes :    quo,  clamat,  abis  ?    hic  turba  tuorum 

Omnis  et  iratus  nondum  pater  j   haec  tua  tellus 

Sceptraque  :    quid  terris  solam  te  credis  Achaeis  ?  80 

Quis  locus  Inachias  inter  tibi,  barbara,  natas  ? 

Istane  vota  domus  exspectatique  Hymenaei  ? 

Hunc  petii  grandaeva  diem  ?   Vellem  unguibus  uncis, 

64.  Atque  aurea  :  Burmann  reads  back.  Weichert  and  others  have  main- 
'  utque  aurea,'  connecting  it  with  '  mox.'         tained  their  genuineness.     Orelli  however 

65.  Attonita,  '  quia  nullam  antea  na-  and  G.  E.  Weber,  both  on  internal  and  ex- 
vem  viderat  Medea'  (Heinsius).  Rather,  ternal  grounds,  consider  them  an  interpo- 
bewildered  at  all  she  saw,  or  stunned  with  lation.  See  the  note  by  the  former  in  his 
the  thought  of  her  crime.  Ecl.  Poet.  Latin.  P.  348. 

66.  In  hasta,  i.  e.  as  ready  to  defend  73.  Mater,  '  Idyia,'  which  Wagner 
the  maiden  and  the  fleece,  should  any  one  proposes  to  read  for  adhuc.  In  Greek 
appear  to  rescue  them.  Cp.  Apoll.  R.  4.  the  first  syllable  is  long,  Apoll.  R.  3. 
181    irfpl   jap   Stev   6<ppa    I    /xjy   tls   'Av-  243. 

Spav  ^i  6taiv  voacpiaaeTai  dvTiBoKriaas.  Adhuc  means,  that  while  her  son  and 

For    a    similar    use    of   '  in '    see    4.   281  husband  and  all  the  city  were  on  the  stir 

'  fixaque    silet    Gradivus    in   hasta:'    and  preparing  to  chase  the  fugitives,  she  kept 

c.  462.  '  still  stretching  her  hands  over  the  sea.' 

67.  Horror,  '  dread  tidings  ;'  Apoll.  R.  Burmann  proposes  '  ad  hoc' 

4.  213  'HStj   5'  Al-qTT)  vTTiprjvopi  irdai  re  76.     Extat,     '  stands    out    conspicuous 

KoA.x"'*  M'?^*''?' '^*/"'"'^'^'''''*  */""^ '^^' *P7'  from    the    rest:'   so   5.252   '  vox    et    tua 

kTiTVKTO.  noctibus  extet.' 

69.    Inflexit    (MSS.)     "Weichert    ex-  78.  Potes  refers  to  the  magic  powers 

plains  by  '  armatus  incessit' =  '  egit  se,' a  of  Medea. 

very  peculiar  use  of  the  word.     The  Al-  81.   Inachias,  properly  Argive  ;  thence 

dine  has  '  insurgit.'     Burmann  conjectures  used    by    the    poets     for    '  Grecian '     in 

'  se  erexit.'     Others  construct  '  hunc  (sc.  general. 

patrem)  inflexit.'  82.  Vota,  the  participle,  '  the  home  of 

72.  After  this  Hne  are  found  in  some  of  our  prayers'  for  you. 

the   later   MSS.  sixteen    verses,  describing  Hymenaei,  nom.  plural  after  '  isti-ne' 

Aeetes  as  fainting  with  grief,  reproaching  suppHed. 

Medea  with  her  undutifulness,  and  charg-  83.   Hunc,  emphatic,  '  was  this  the  day 

ing   Absyrtus,   her  brother,   to    fetch  her  I  longed  in  my  old  age  to  see  ?' 


VALERIUS   FLACCUS. 


349 


Ut  volucris,  possem  pracdonis  in  ipsius  ora 
Ire  ratemque  supra,  claroque  reposcere  cantu, 
Quam  genui :    Albano  fuit  haec  promissa  tyranno, 
Non  tibi  j    nil  tecum  miseri  pepigere  parentes, 
Aesonide  j    non  hoc  Pelias  evadere  furto 
Te  jubet,  aut  ullas  Colchis  abducere  natas. 
Vellus  habe,  et  nostris,  si  quid  super,  accipe  templis. 
Sed  quid  ego  quenquam  immeritis  incuso  querelis  ? 
Ipsa  fugit,  tantoque  (nefas)  ipsa  ardet  amore. 
Hoc  erat,  infelix  (redeunt  nam  singula  menti), 
£x  quo  Thessalici  subierunt  aequora  remi, 
Quod  nullae  te,  nata,  dapes,  non  ulla  juvabant 
Tegmina  ?   non  ullus  tibi  tum  color,  aegraque  verba 
Enantesque  genae  atque  alieno  gaudia  vultu 
Semper  erant  ?     Cur  tanta  mihi  non  prodita  pestis, 
Ut  gener  Aesonides  nostra  consideret  aula, 
Nec  talem  paterere  fugam  ?    commune  fuisset 
Aut  certe  tunc  omne  nefas,  iremus  et  ambae 
In  quascumque  vias ;    pariter  petiisse  juvaret 
Thessaliam  et  saevi,  quaecumque  est,  hospitis  urbem. 


90 


95 


84.  In  ipsius.  The  poet  takes  many 
liberties  in  placing  prepositioiis  with  regard 
to  their  cases,  e.  g.  6.  367  '  in  clipei  sep- 
templicis  improbus  orbem  Arietat  :'  cp.  5. 
88.  91,  243,  593,  622  ;  6.  24,  73  ;  8.  438, 
and  often  elsewhere. 

86.  Albano,  i.  e.  of  Albania,  on  the 
eastem  side  of  the  Caucasus.  His  name 
was  '  Stirus  : '  see  v.  299  '  longa  Stirus 
prospectat  ab  unda,  Conjugio  atque  iterum 
sponsae  flammatus  amore.' 

88.  Evadere  furto,  '  it  is  not  with 
this  plunder  that  Pelias  bids  thee  make  off,' 
viz.  Medea,  but  with  the  fleece. 

90.  Super,  as  often  in  the  poets  for 
'superest:'  see  v.  435  '  nec  spes  ulla 
super.'  Here  it  is,  '  if  there  be  anything 
beside,'  not  '  left.' 

92.  Ipsa,  emphatic,  '  it  is  of  her  own 
free  will  that  she  is  gone.' 

Tanto,  '  this  wicked  passion,'  as  below, 
V.  98  '  tanta  .  .  pestis.' 

93-95.  Hoc  erat . .  quod.  For  the  con- 
struction  of  this  phrase  see  Prof.  Conington 
on  Virg.  Ae.  2.  664. 

96.  Tegmina,  i.e.  'dress,'  'ornaments,' 
a  questionable  conjecture  of  OreIIi's  adopted 
by  G.  E.  Weber.      The  MSS.  give  '  tem- 


pora,'  which  can  hardly  mean  '  seasons  of 
delight.' 

97.  Errantesque  genae,  '  wandering, 
unsteady  glances  of  the  eyes : '  cp.  Prop. 
4.  13  (3.  14),  27  '  Non  Tyriae  vestes, 
errantia  lumina  fallunt.'  '  Genae'  is  often 
used  in  Propertius  aud  Ovid  for  the  'eyes.' 

Alieno  gaudia  vultu,  '  forced  mirth.' 
Cp.  Hor.  S.  2.  3,  72  '  malis  ridentem  ali- 
enis.'  Some  wrongly  interpret  it,  '  thv  joy 
depending  on  another's  face'  sc.  Jason's. 

99.  Gener,  to  be  taken  with  '  consi- 
deret '  = '  settle  as  accepted  son-in-law.' 

101.  Aut  certe  tunc.  'OreIse(i.e. 
had  thy  father  not  consented  to  Jason  for 
his  sonin-Iaw),  at  least  in  that  case,  would 
all  thy  guilty  plan  have  been  shared  with 
me.'  Heinsius  would  read  '  tecum,'  which 
would  be  more  plausible,  if  '  tunc'  was  not 
itself  an  emendation  for  the  '  nunc'  of  the 
MSS.  Valerius  has  evidently  in  his  mind 
Virg.  Ae  2.  709  '  Quo  res  cunque  cadent, 
unum  et  commune  periclum,  Una  salus 
ambobus  erit.' 

103.  Quaecumque  est,  from  Virg. 
Ae.  5.  83  '  Nec  tecum  Ausonium,  quicun- 
que  est,  quaerere  Thybrim  :'  cp.  ApoII.  R. 
3.  266. 


350  VALERIUS    FLACCUS. 

Sic  genetrix,  similique  implet  soror  omnia  questu 
Exululans ;   famulae  pariter  clamore  supremo  105 

In  vacuos  dant  verba  Notos,  dominamque  reclamant 
Nomine  j   te  venti  procul  et  tua  fata  ferebant. 


105.  Clamore  supremo,  'thelastcry'  3.  349.  It  is  a  technical  term  for  a  fune- 
that  they  were  ever  to  send  after  Medea  :  ral  wail :  Ov.  Tr.  3.  3,  43  and  (probably) 
the    same  expression    occurs   i.  752,   and      Virg.  G.  4.  460. 


C  SILIUS    ITALICUS. 


LIFE    OF    SILIUS    ITALICUS. 


C.  SiLius  Italicus  (less  probably  a  Spaniard  from  Italica  in 
Baetica  than  an  Italian  from  Corfinium,  or  Italica,  the  capital  of 
the  PeHgni)  was  born  of  noble  and  wealthy  parents,  a.d.  25.  He 
devoted  himself,  with  characteristic  industry,  first  to  oratory  and 
law,  and,  according  to  the  testimony  of  his  friend  Martial  (7.  63), 
he  was  long  remembered  as  an  advocate  and  respected  as  a 
'  centumvir'  or  petty  judge.  He  rose  to  the  consulship  in  a.d.  68, 
and  subsequently  exercised  proconsular  sway  in  Asia  with  distinction. 
After  enjoying  for  a  while  at  Rome  the  favour  of  ViteUius  and  the 
caresses  of  a  cultivated  society  he  withdrew  from  the  Capital,  and 
gave  himself  up  to  the  study  and  composition  of  poetry  in  his  villas 
at  PuteoH,  amid  the  scenes  associated  with  the  memory  of  his  two 
Uterary  idols,  Cicero  and  Virgil.  Here  he  lived  among  his  books 
and  statues  till  his  seventy-fifth  year,  when  his  naturally  delicate 
constitution,  unable  longer  to  endure  the  agony  of  an  incurable 
cancer,  sought  release  in  suicide  by  starvation,  a.d.  100.  Of  his 
two  sons,  the  younger  died  early ;  the  elder  he  lived  to  see  consul. 
A  minute  sketch  is  given  of  Silius  by  the  younger  Pliny,  Epist.  3.  7. 

'  Scribebat  carmina  majore  cura  quam  ingenio '  is  Pliny's  terse 
and  correct  criticism  of  Silius  in  the  Epistle  above  referred 
to.  MartiaUs  exalted  praises  of  the  '  Perpetui  nunquam  moritura 
volumina  SiU '  (7.63)  may  have  been  dictated  less  by  impar- 
tial  criticism  than  by  anxiety  to  stand  weU  with  the  rich  and 
influential  poet.  The  '  Punica,'  it  must  be  said,  is  Uttle  better 
than  a  wordy  paraphrase  in  verse  of  the  narratives  of  Livy  and 
Polybius,  possessing  few,  if  any,  characteristics  of  an  Epic  poem. 
It  was  a  better  subject  than  the  '  PharsaUa,'  but  its  author  was  far 
more  unfitted  for  his  task  than  Lucan.  SUius  had  industry  and 
learning,  but  not  a  spark  of  originaUty.  His  language,  imagery, 
incident,  mythology,  rhythm,  perhaps  even   characters,  are   in  the 

A  a 


354  LIFE  OF   SILIUS   ITALICUS. 

main  borrowed  from  Virgil.  In  his  descriptions,  especially  of  battles, 
Silius  occasionally  displays  novelty,  ingenuity,  and  vigour;  though 
even  these  he  is  apt  to  overload  with  ornament,  epithets,  and  details, 
while,  Hke  other  poets  of  the  period,  he  never  misses  an  occasion 
for  the  display  of  his  historical,  geographical,  and  antiquarian  erudi- 
tion.  Not  so  much  to  himself  as  to  the  faithfulness  with  which  he 
followed  his  master,  this  '  simia  Virgihi '  (as  his  critics  have  styled 
him)  owes  his  only  three  merits,  correctness  of  diction,  purity  of 
style,  and  smoothness  of  versification.  See  Mr.  Merivale's  contrast 
of  Silius,  as  the  representative  of  the  Flavian  era,  with  Lucan,  as 
the  type  of  the  Neronian,  Hist.  Empire,  c.  64. 

Silius,  like  Valerius,  is  little  quoted  by  early  writers,  and  was  first 
made  known,  like  the  author  of  the  '  Argonautica,'  through  the  dis- 
covery  at  St.  Gall  of  a  single  MS.  by  Politian  or  Poggio  at  the  time 
of  the  Council  of  Constance.  Later,  another  MS.  was  found  at 
Cologne,  ascribed  to  the  time  of  Charlemagne.  This  was  of  course 
the  oldest,  but  it  was  incomplete,  and  is  now  lost. 


LXXIII. 
C   SILIUS    ITALICUS. 

LIB.  I.  81-139. 

SiLius  here  narrates  the  story  of  Hannibal,  when  a  boy  of  nine,  being 
taken  by  his  father  into  Dido's  temple  at  Carthage.  There,  undismayed 
at  the  awful  ceremonies  and  portents  which  occurred,  he  records  an  oath 
of  perpetual  enmity  and  vindictive  war  against  Rome.  A  sacrifice  in 
honour  of  Hecate  follows,  after  which  the  priestess  foretels,  in  accordance 
with  the  Extispicium,  the  victorious  career  of  the  young  hero.  His  sub- 
sequent  disasters,  through  the  kindness  of  Juno,  are  concealed  from  him. 
For  other  versions  of  the  same  story,  see  Livy  21.  i ;  Polybius  3.  11. 

Urbe  fuit  media  sacrum  genetricis  Elissae 

Manibus,  et  patria  Tyriis  formidine  cultum, 

Quod  taxi  circum  et  piceae  squaientibus  umbris 

Abdiderant  coelique  arcebant  lumine,  templum. 

Hoc  sese,  ut  perhibent,  curis  mortalibus  olim  s 

Exuerat  regina  loco.      Stant  marmore  maesto 

Effigies,  Belusque  parens,  omnisque  nepotum 

A  Belo  series :    stat  gloria  gentis  Agenor, 


1.  Genetricis,  Dido,  foundress  of  the  3.    Squalentibus,    '  black,'    'gloomy' 
city.     Livy  and  Polybius  lay  the  scene  in  shade  of  pines  and  yews. 

the    temple    of  Jupiter  ;    but   Silius,   with  5,  6.  Curis  . .  exuerat,  '  had  freed  her- 

much  fitness,  transfers  it  to  the  shrine  of  self    from    life's    cares'    by    self-murder. 

the  injured  queen,  who  had  prayed  that  hos-  Virgil    makes    Dido    kill    herself    in-  her 

tihty  may  reign  for  ever  between  her  people  palace,  Ae.  4.  645. 

and  the  descendants  of  her  faithless  lover  ;  Maesto,   preferable    to   the   'maestae' 

see  Virg.Ae. 4.625  foll.:  and  cp.  his  descrip-  of    many    editions  ;     cp.    Virg.   G.  i.  480 

tion  of  the  temple  of  Sychaeus,  Ib.  457.  '  maestum    ebur.'      See    also    his    descrip- 

2.  Tyriis   may  be   taken   as   a  dative  tion    of    the    palace    of    Picus,     7.    177 
with   patria,    (cp.  15.719  '  patrius  genti  folL 

pavor,')  but  it  is  safer  to  construct  it  as  a  8.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  i.  729. 

dative  with  '  cultum,' '  formidine' being  a  Agenor,    the    father   of  Cadmus    and 

modal  ablative.  Phoenix. 

A  a  a 


356 


SILIUS    ITALICUS. 


Et  qui  longa  dedit  terris  cognomina  Phoenix. 
Ipsa  sedet  tandem  aeternum  conjuncta  Sychaeo  : 
Ante  pedes  ensis  Phrygius  jacet.      Ordine  centum 
Stant  arae  coelique  deis,  Ereboque  potenti. 
Hic,  crine  efFuso,  atque  Hennaeae  numina  divae, 
Atque  Acheronta  vocat  Stygia  cum  veste  sacerdos. 
Immugit  tellus,  rumpitque  horrenda  per  umbras 
Sibila  j   inaccensi  flagrant  altaribus  ignes. 
Tum  magico  volitant  cantu  per  inania  Manes 
Exciti,  vultusque  in  marmore  sudat  Elissae. 
Hannibal  haec  patrio  jussu  ad  penetralia  fertur, 
Ingressique  liabitus  atque  ora  explorat  Hamilcar. 
Non  ille  evantis  Massylae  palluit  iras, 
Non  diros  templi  ritus,  adspersaque  tabo 
Limina,  et  audito  surgentes  carmine  flammas. 
Olli  permulcens  genitor  caput  oscula  libat  j 
Attollitque  animos  hortando,  et  talibus  implet : 
Gens  recidiva  Phrygum  Cadmeae  stirpis  alumnos 
Foederibus  non  aequa  premit :    si  fata  negarint 


15 


11.  Ensis  Phrygius,  Aeneas'  sword, 
with  which  she  slew  herself.  Cp.  Virg. 
Ae.  4.  645  '  ensemque  recludit  Dardanium.' 
In  the  following  lines  Silius  copies  1.  c.  509 
'  Stant  arae  circum,'  etc. 

12.  Ereboque  potenti  :  if  this  Une 
be  imitated  from  Virg.  Ae.  6.  247,  we 
should  perhaps  take  'Erebo'  after  '  po- 
tenti'  =  '  Queen  of  Hell.' 

13.  Atque  is  occasionally  repeated,  as 
here,  by  the  poets,  especially  in  emphatic 
enumerations,  for  '  et . .  et : '  cp.  Virg.  E.  5. 
23;  Tibull.  2.  5,  73.  It  is  much  rarer  in 
prose. 

Hennaeae  .  .  divae,  Proserpine  ra- 
vished  from  Enna. 

14.  Stvgia,  '  dark  as  the  Sty.x.' 
Sacerdos,  the   priestess,  as   shewn   by 

V.  21. 

15.  Immugit,  '  groans  inwardly,'  used 
of  Aetna,  Virg.  Ae.  3.  674. 

15,  16.  Rumpit  .  .  sibila,  like  the 
common  '  rumpere  voces'  etc. ;  cp.  p^^ai 
(pwfjv,  ^povrijv. 

Inaccensi,  found  in  good  MSS., 
and  far  more  forcible  than  the  reading 
'  in  accensis,'  which  would  be  flat  tauto- 
logy.  The  marvel  here  hes  obviously  in 
the  flames  bursting  forth  at  the  spell  of 
the  priestess  :    see  v.  23  '  audito  surgentes 


carnxine  flammas.'  Silius,  hke  Ovid,  is 
especially  fond  of  these  negatives  formed 
from  participles.  The  word  is  only  used 
beside  by  Claudian,  Rapt.  Pros.  i.  224 
'  Pectus  inaccensum  Veneri.' 

21.  Evantis  Massylae,  '  the  frantic 
Libyan  priestess : '  the  special  for  the  ge- 
neral  name,  as  Virgil  uses  it,  Ae.  4.  483, 
'  Hinc  mihi  Massylae  gentis  monstrata 
sacerdos.' 

Palluit  iras:  cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  27,  28 
'  palluit  fraudes.'  Heinsius  needlessly  con- 
jectures  '  aras.' 

22.  Diros  .  .  ritus,  human  sacrifice 
being  common  at  Carthage :  see  4.  790 
foU. 

23.  Carmine,  the  excellent  emenda- 
tion  by  Heinsius  of  the  '  cardine'  found  in 
nearly  all  the  MSS.     See  above  on  v.  16. 

24.  Oscula  libat,  lit.  '  tastes  his  lips' 
in  kissing  him  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  i.  256,  from 
which  the  whole  passage  is  imitated. 

26.  Recidiva,  '  the  race  of  the  Trojans 
revived '  in  Rome  :  the  adjective,  often 
used  in  Virgil,  is  strictly  applied  to  a  tree 
cut  down  that  shoots  again,  and  is  not 
quite  the  same  as  '  redivivus,'  with  which 
here  and  elsewhere  it  is  confused  by  the 
copyists. 

27.  Foederibus,    the   terms   of  peace 


SILIUS    ITALICUS. 


357 


Dedecus  id  patriae  nostra  depellere  dextra, 
Haec  tua  sit  laus,  nate,  velis  :   age,  conctpe  bella 
Latura  cxitium  Laurentibus  :    horreat  ortus 
Jam  pubes  Tyrrhena  tuos  j   partusque  recusent, 
Te  surgente,  puer,  Latiae  producere  matres. 
His  acuit  stimulis ;    subicitque  haud  mollia  dictu  : 
Romanos  terra  atque  undis,  ubi  competet  aetas, 
Ferro  ignique  sequar,  Rhoeteaque  fata  revolvam. 
Non  superi  mihi,  non  Martem  cohibentia  pacta, 
Non  celsae  obstiterint  Alpes,  Tarpeiaque  saxa. 
Hanc  mentem  juro  nostri  per  numina  Martis, 
Per  Manes,  regina,  tuos.      Tum  nigra  triformi 
Hostia  mactatur  divae,  raptimque  recludit 
Spirantes  artus  poscens  responsa  sacerdos, 
Ac  fugientem  animam  properatis  consulit  extis. 
Ast  ubi  quaesitas  artis  de  more  vetustae 
Intravit  mentes  superum,  sic  deinde  profatur  : 


30 


40 


imposed  on  the  Carthaginians  after  their 
defeat  in  the  battle  of  the  Aegates,  which 
closed  the  first  Punic  war. 

28.  Nostra,  emphatic  :  '  if  I  do  not  live 
to  wipe  off  this  disgrace  myself,  make  this 
thy  glory,  my  son.' 

29.  Concipe  bella  :  Ernesti  considers 
this  to  mean  simply  '  grasp  the  thought  of 
wars,'  comparing  v.  80  of  this  Book, '  Roma- 
num  sevit  puerili  in  pectore  bellum.'  I  prefer 
to  take  it  after  the  analogy  of '  concipe  foe- 
dus'(Virg.Ae.  12.13:  Stat.Ach.2.  227)  and 
similar  phrases,  as  =  '  conceptis  verbis  jura 
bella,'  '  swear  the  carrying  on  of  wars,' 
i.  e.  according  to  the  form  of  oath  given 
in  vv.  34  foU.  Cp.  13.  475  (referring  to 
this  passage)  '  nostro  cum  bella  Latinis 
Concepit  jussu.' 

30.  Laurentibus  :  see  Virg.  Ae.  7.  63. 
The  Romans  were  so  called  from  Lauren- 
tum,  the  old  capital  of  Latium  before 
Aeneas  arrived. 

32.  Surgente,  '  growing  in  age  and 
strength,'  like  Virgi^s  '  Ascanium  surgen- 
tem'  Ae.  4.  274. 

33.  Subicit,  best  taken  of  Hamilcar 
'  suggesting'  the  words  of  the  oath  to  his 
son,  and  so  having  the  same  subject  as 
'  acuit :'  see  a  similar  use  of  the  verb  in 
Ter.  Phorm.  2.  3,  40.  But  it  is  more  often 
interpreted  in  its  ordinary  sense  of  '  reply- 
ing,'  and  understood  of  Hannibars  answer 
to  his  father. 


Dictu  :  Burmann  and  others  have 
'  dicla.'      Cp.  '  mollia  fatu'  Virg.  Aen.  12. 

25- 

34.  Competet,  a  word  hardly  ever 
u.sed  by  the  poets,  and  mostly  by  post- 
Augustan  writers  only :  cp.  Suet.  Octav. 
31  '  si  cujusquam  neptium  suarum  compe- 
teret  aetas.'  'Conferet'  is  found  in  some 
old  editions.  Silius  has  in  his  mind  Virg. 
Ae.  4.  627. 

35.  Rhoeteaque  fata  revolvam, '  roU 
back,'  i.  e.  repeat  on  Rome  the  doom  of 
Troy  :  imitated  from  Virg.  Ae.  10.  61  '  ite- 
rumque  revolvere  casus  Da,  pater,  Iliacos 
Teucris.'  The  metaphor  is  either  from 
spinning,  or  from  unrolling  a  scroll. 

37.  Obstiterint.  There  is  force  in 
this  tense,  frequent  in  prophecies,  as  if  it 
was  already  done  ;  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  89  and 
92  'defuerint'  and  '  oraveris.'  The  Aldine 
and  other  editions  have  here  '  abstulerint,* 
the  stop  being  placed  after  '  mentem,' 
which  is  joined  with  it,  =  'not  the  lofty 
Alps  .  .  can  wrest  me  from  my  purpose.' 

40.  Recludit,  imitated  from  Virg.  Ae. 
4.  63  foU.  '  pecudumque  reclusis  Pectoribus 
inhians  spirantia  consuUt  exta.' 

41.  Spirantes,  '  the  limbs  yet  palpi- 
tating:'  cp.  Ov.  M.  15.  136  '  Protinus 
ereptas  viventi  pectore  fibras  Inspiciunt, 
mentesque  Deum  scrutantur  in  ilhs.' 

42.  Properatis,  '  examined  in  haste,' 
repeating  the  idea  of  '  raptim'  v.  40. 


358 


SILIUS    ITALICUS. 


Aetolos  late  consterni  milite  campos,  45 

Idaeoque  lacus  flagrantes  sanguine  cerno. 
Quanta  procul  moles  scopulis  ad  sidera  tendit, 
Cujus  in  aerio  pendent  tua  vertice  castra ! 
Jamque  jugis  agmen  rapitur  j   trepidantia  fumant 
Moenia,  et  Hesperio  tellus  porrecta  sub  axe  50 

Sidoniis  lucet  flammis.      Fluit  ecce  cmentus 
Eridanus.     Jacet  ore  truci  super  arma  virosque, 
Tertia  qui  tulerat  sublimis  opima  Tonanti. 
Heu  !    quaenam  subitis  horrescit  turbida  nimbis 
Tempestas,  ruptoque  polo  micat  igneus  aether  ?  55 

Magna  parant  superi.     Tonat  alti  regia  coeli  j 
Bellantemque  Jovem  cerno.     Venientia  fata 
Scire  ultra  vetuit  Juno,  fibraeque  repente 
Conticuere.     Latent  casus,  longique  labores. 


45.  Aetolos,  i.  e.  '  Apulian,'  in  refer- 
ence  to  Cannae  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  lO.  28 
'  Aetolis  surgit  ab  Arpis  Tydides,'  the  foun- 
dation  of  that  city  having  been  ascribed 
to  Diomede,  the  descendant  of  an  Aetolian 
family. 

46.  Flagrantes  (as  in  all  the  MSS.), 
'  foaming  red'  or  'bubbling'  with  blood, 
an  unusual  expression,  and  consequently 
altered  by  editors  into  '  fragrantes '  and 
'  stagnantes.'  The  allusion  is  obviously  to 
L.  Trasimene  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  87  (from 
which  the  general  idea  of  the  pas- 
sage  is  taken)  '  bella  horrida  bella  Et 
Thybrim  muho  spumantem  sanguine 
cerno.* 

49.  Trepidantia,  '  tottering  walls  ; ' 
cp.  V.  299  '  paventia  tecta,'  and  v.  637 
'  murosque  trementes.' 

51.  Sidoniis.  The  'o'  in  the  adjec- 
tive,  as  in  the  obhque  cases  of  the  sub- 
stantive,  is  found  both  long  and  short  in 
the  Latin  poets,  though  Virgil  and  Ovid 


ahvays  treat  the  vowel  in  the  subsfantive 
as  long. 

52.  Eridanus,  i.  e.  red  with  the  blood- 
shed  from  the  fields  of  Trebia  and  Ticinus, 
both  which  rivers  run  into  the  Po. 

53.  Qui  tulerat,  Marcellus,  killed  by 
an  ambuscade  of  Numidians  near  Venusia. 
Sihus  had  in  his  mind  Virg.  Ae.  6.  860 
'  Tertiaque  arma  patri  suspendet  capta 
Quirino.' 

Sublimis  ;  so  Virg.  1.  c.  '  victorque 
viros  supereminet  omnes.' 

54.  Quaenam.  There  is  some  plausi- 
bihty  in  Heinsius'  conjecture  '  quianam,'  if 
Silius  had  in  his  mind  Virg.  Ae.  5.  13  '  Heu 
quianam  tanti  cinxerunt  aethera  nimbi  ? 
Quidve,  pater  Neptune,  paras  ? ' 

55.  Tempestas,  the  storm  that  burst 
on  Hannibars  arniy  when  he  approached 
Rome  :  see  12.  612  foll. 

58.  Juno,  in  her  partiahty  to  Hannibal, 
suppresses  the  fohowing  events  as  big  with 
ruin  to  her  favourite  hero. 


SILIUS  ITALICUS.  359 


LXXIV. 

LIB.  III.  477-556- 

A  DESCRIPTION  of  the  Alps,  with  the  hardships  and  difficulties  encoun- 
tered  by  the  army  of  Hannibal  in  crossing  them.  Silius  has  borrowed 
much  from  the  still  finer  picture  of  the  same  scene  drawn  by  Livy,  21, 
c.  32-38,  which  should  be  compared  with  this. 

Sed  jam  praeteritos  ultra  meminisse  labores 

Conspectae  propius  dempsere  paventibus  Alpes. 

Cuncta  gelu  canaque  aeternum  grandine  tecta 

Atque  aevi  glaciem  cohibent :    riget  ardua  montis 

Aetherei  facies,  surgentique  obvia  Phoebo  5 

Duratas  nescit  flammis  mollire  pruinas. 

Quantum  Tartareus  regni  pallentis  hiatus 

Ad  Manes  imos  atque  atrae  stagna  paludis 

A  supera  tellure  patet :   tam  longa  per  auras 

Erigitur  tellus,  et  coelum  intercipit  umbra.  10 

Nullum  ver  usquam,  nullique  aestatis  honores  : 

Sola  jugis  habitat  diris,  sedesque  tuetur 

Perpetuas  deform.is  Hiems  :    illa  undique  nubes 

Huc  atras  agit,  et  mixtos  cum  grandine  nimbos. 

Jam  cuncti  Flatus  Ventique  furentia  regna  15 

Alpina  posuere  domo ;   caligat  in  altis 


I.   Meminisse,  =  to    fj.vTjaaa6ai,   the  lo.   Coelum  intercipit,  '  cuts  off  the 

infinitive   being  used   more   and   more  by  Hght  of  heaven.' 

the  later  Roman  writers  as  a  substantive,  II.  Aestatis  honores,  '  the  graces  of 

after  the  Greek  usage.     See  on  Lucan  3.  summer,'  foliage  and  fruit ;  so  Stat.  Theb. 

417  (19)  and  9.  170  (4).    Cp.  Livy  1.  c.  32  lo.  783  (quoted  by  Bentley  on  Hor.  Od. 

'  Ex   propinquo  visa   montium  altitudo  .  .  i.  17,  14)  '  hi  sertis,  hi  veris  honore  soluto 

terrorem  renovarunt.'  Accumulant.' 

4.  Atque  aevi  glaciem.  The  con-  15.  Jam  =  'jamdudum,'  '  long  since,' 
junction    is    not    wanted,    and   '  aevi    gla-  from  the  beginning  of  things. 

ciem'  is  a  very  harsh  expression  for  '  per-  16.  Caligat.     The  rocks  are  so  high 

petual  ice.'     There  is  consequently  much  that    the  eye   '  grows   dizzy'   in    looking 

probabiUty    in    the    conjecture    '  aequae-  down  from  them.      This  does   not  come 

vam.'  in  here  well ;  it  is  only  a  weak  repetition 

5.  Surgentique  .  .  Phoebo,  i.e.  near  of  what  had  been  said  more  powerfuUy 
as  the  tops  are  to  the  rays  of  the  rising  before  as  to  the  loftiness  of  the  Alps,  from 
sun,  yet  these  fail  to  meh  the  eternal  which  the  poet  passed  to  describe  their 
ice.  barrenness. 


36o  SILIUS   ITALICUS. 

Obtutus  saxis,  abeuntque  in  nubila  montes. 

Mixtus  Athos  Tauro,  Rhodopeque  adjuncta  Mimanti, 

Ossaque  cum  Pelio,  cumque  Haemo  cesserit  Othrys. 

Primus  inexpertas  adiit  Tirynthius  arces  j  20 

Scindentem  nubes,  frangentemque  ardua  montis 

Spectarunt  superi,  longisque  ab  origine  saeclis 

Intemerata  gradu  magna  vi  saxa  domantem. 

At  miles  dubio  tardat  vestigia  gressu, 

Impia  ceu  sacros  in  fines  arma  per  orbem,  25 

Natura  prohibente,  ferant,  divisque  repugnent. 

Contra  quae  ductor  (non  Alpibus  ille,  nec  ullo 

Turbatus  terrore  loci  j    sed  languida  maestus 

Corda  virum  fovet  hortando,  revocatque  vigorem) : 

Non  pudet,  obsequio  superum  fessosque  secundis,  30 

Post  belli  decus  atque  acies,  dare  terga  nivosis 

Montibus,  et  segnes  submittere  rupibus  arma  ? 

Nunc,  o,  nunc,  socii,  dominantis  moenia  Romae 

Credite  vos  summumque  Jovis  conscendere  culmen. 

Hic  labor  Ausoniam,  dabit  hic  in  vincula  Thybrim.      35 

Nec  mora :    commotum  promissis  ditibus  agmen 

Erigit  in  collem,  et  vestigia  linquere  nota 

Herculis  edicit  magni,  crudisque  locorum 


19.  Pelio,  scanned  as  a  dissyllable  by  but  by  the  dismay  of  his  troops.  Weber 
sjTiizesis:  seeLachm.Lucr.  2.719.  'Pindo'  adopts  the  '  monstris'  of  most  editions : 
is  a  needless  alteration.  i.  e.  '  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers  sinking  at 

Cesserit,    '  would    have    yielded  '   the  the  awful  scene.' 

palm  of  height  to  the  Alps.     Cp.  Ov.  M.  30.    Fessos,    '  enfeebled    by    success.' 

2.  216-226.  Silius  evidently  borrowed,  without  improv- 

20.  Tirynthius.  Cp.  2.  356  '  pudet  ing,  the  speech  of  Hannibal  given  in  Livy 
Hercule   tritas   Desperare   vias    laudemque  21.30. 

timere  secundam.'  32.   Submittere  .  .  arma,  '  lower  be- 

21.  Ardua  montis,fromVirg.Ae.8.22i,  fore  rocks  our  coward  arms  :'  Hke  '  dare 
where  Hercules  is  spoken  of.  This  usage  terga'  in  the  hne  before,  both  military 
of  the  neuter  plural  of  adjectives  with  the  metaphors  in  keeping  with  the  speaker's 
genitive  is  a  favourite  one  with  Silius,  as  character. 

with  Lucretius:  see  e.  g.  '  saeva  locorum'  34.  Jovis  .  .  culmen,  the  Capitol.    Cp. 

4.  760  ;  '  cruda,  importuna  locorum'  3.  514,  Livy  1.  c.  c.  35  '  Moeniaque  eos  tum  tran- 

540  ;  '  stagni  languentia'  4.  490;  '  aspera  scendere  non  Italiae  modo,  sed  etiam  urbis 

ponti' 6.  359  ;   '  infima  vulgi'  8.249;  ^"'^  Romanae.     Cetera   plana,    procHvia   fore : 

elsewhere    '  dura,'    '  prospera,'    '  extrema,'  uno  aut  summum  altero  proeHo  arcem  et 

'  incHnata — rerum.'     Among  prose  authors  caput  ItaHae  in  manu  ac  potestate   habi- 

Tacitus  is  most  addicted  to  it.     See  Mad-  turos.' 

vig  on  the  sense  of  the  genitive,  Lat.  Gr.  37.   Erigit,    '  leads   upward,'  a   use   of 

284,0^5.5.  the   word   frequent    in   Livy;    see    21.32 

28.  Maestus,   the    reading   of   all    the  '  Erigentibus  in  primos  agmen  cHvos  appa- 

MSS.,  which,  if  retained,  must  mean  '  de-  ruerunt  .  .  montani.' 

pressed,'  not  by  the  dangers  of  the  scene.  38.   Crudisque    locorum   (see   on  v. 


SILIUS   ITALICUS.  3^' 

Ferre  pedem,  ac  proprio  turmas  evadere  calle, 

Rumpit  inaccessos  aditus,  atque  ardua  primus  40 

Exsuperat,  summaque  vocat  de  rupe  cohortes. 

Tum,  qua  durati  concreto  frigore  collis 

Lubrica  frustratur  canenti  semita  clivo, 

Luctantem  ferro  glaciem  premit :    haurit  hiatu 

Nix  resoluta  viros,  altoque  e  culmine  praeceps  45 

Humenti  turmas  operit  delapsa  ruina. 

Interdum  adverso  glomeratas  turbine  Corus 

In  media  ora  nives  fuscis  agit  liorridus  alis  : 

Aut  rursum  immani  stridens  avulsa  procella 

Nudatis  rapit  arma  viris,  volvensque  per  orbem  50 

Contorto  rotat  in  nubes  sublimia  flatu. 

Quoque  magis  subiere  jugo,  atque,  evadere  nisi, 

Erexere  gradum,  crescit  labor  :    ardua  supra 

Sese  aperit  fessis  et  nascitur  altera  moles^ 

Unde  nec  edomitos  exsudatosque  labores  ss 

Respexisse  libet :    tanta  formidine  plana 

Exterrent  repetita  oculis  j    atque  una  pruinae 

Canentis,  quacumque  datur  promittere  visus, 

Ingeritur  facies  :    medio  sic  navita  ponto, 

Cum  dulces  liquit  terras,  et  inania  nullos  60 

Inveniunt  ventos  securo  carbasa  malo. 


21)   '  by   fresh,   untrodden   spots,'   further  51.    Contorto   .  .  flatu,  =  '  turbine,' 

explained    by   proprio  ..  calle  =  'paths  '  the   whirling   blast.'     There   is   a   super- 

of  their  own.'      This  belongs  rather  to  the  fluity  of  words  here  as  well  as  an  exag- 

bombast  of  the  orator  than  to  the  wisdom  geration  of  ideas. 
of  the  general.  55.   Unde,  i.  e.  from  the  points  which 

44.  Luctantem,    '  the    resisting   ice:'  they  had  gained. 

so  '  luctantia  lumina'  7.  204.     See  the  de-  Nec,     '  not     even     the     toils     already 

tailed  description  in  Livy  I.  c.  c.  37.  surmounted:'     see     on    Val.    FI.    7.    130 

45.  Nix  resoluta,  i.  e.  '  the  avalanche  (28). 

of    snow    loosened'    by    the    disturbance  Exsudatos.      Livy    uses    the    verb    in 

caused    in    cutting    the    ice,    as    just    de-  this  sense,  5.  5  '  ut  .  .  his  instituendis  ex- 

scribed.  sudetur  labor.' 

46.  Humenti  .  .  ruina,  a  vivid  pic-  »6,57.  Plana  exterrent,  i.  e.  look- 
ture  of  an  avalanche.  Many  of  the  old  ing  down  upon  and  retracing  the  level 
editions  read  '  viventes  :'  see  a  similar  con-  from  the  dizzy  height  they  had  gained 
fusion  in  Stat.  Silv.  3.  i,  145.  terrifies  them.     Some  texts  have  '  plena.' 

Turmas,  '  whole  squadrons  at  once.'  58.  Promittere  visus, '  look  forward,' 

48.  Fuscis  . .  alis,  i.  e.  bringing  with  it  found  in  one  MS.,  instead  of  the  more 
black  clouds.  Cp.  Val.  Fl.  6.  494  '  fuscis  common  '  permittere,'  and  best  suits  with 
et  jam  Notus  imminet  alis.'  the  '  prospectat'  of  v.  62.     The  two  verbs 

49.  Rursum, 'else,' on  the  other  hand.  are  constantly  confused  by  the  tran- 
Heinsius  plausibly  proposes  '  sursum.'    The  scribers. 

form  in  '-um'  is  for  the  most  part  only  61.    Securo  .  .  malo,    '  on    the    lazy 

used  before  vowels.  mast,'  i.  e.  not  strained  by  the  wind. 


362  SILIUS  ITALICUS. 

Immensas  prospectat  aquas,  ac  victa  profundis 

Aequoribus  fessus  renovat  sua  lumina  coelo. 

Jamque,  super  clades  atque  importuna  locorum, 

Illuvie  rigidaeque  comae  squalore  perenni  65 

Horrida  semiferi  promunt  e  rupibus  ora  j 

Atque  effusa  cavis  exesi  pumicis  antris 

Alpina  invadit  manus,  assuetoque  vigore 

Per  dumos  notasque  nives  atque  invia  pernix 

Clausum  montivagis  infestat  cursibus  hostem.  70 

Mutatur  jam  forma  locis ;   hic  sanguine  multo 

Infectae  rubuere  nives  j    hic  nescia  vinci 

Paulatim  glacies  cedit  tepefacca  cruore  : 

Dumque  premit  sonipes  duro  vestigia  cornu, 

Ungula  perfossis  haesit  comprensa  pruinis.  75 

Nec  pestis  lapsus  simplex  :    abscisa  relinquunt 

Membra  gelu,  fractosque  asper  rigor  amputat  artus. 

Bis  senos  soles,  totidem  per  vulnera  saevas 

Emensi  noctes,  optato  vertice  sidunt, 

Castraque  praeruptis  suspendunt  ardua  saxis.  80 


63.  Coelo:  his  eyes,  exhausted  with  by  Heinsius  of  '  compressa' (MSS.).  These 
looking  downward  on  the  sea,  he  refreshes  lines  are  derived  from  Livy's  narrative,  1.  c. 
by  turning  upward  to  the  skies.  c.  36  '  Jumenta  secabant   interdum   etiam 

64.  Super  clades,  '  besides  the  hard-  tum  infimam  ingredientia  nivem,  et  pro- 
ships  (described  above)  and  the  labours  lapsa  jactandis  gravius  in  connitendo  un- 
of  the  ground  ; '  Heinsius  conjectures  guHs  penitus  perfringebant  :  ut  pleraque, 
'cautes'  or  '  calles.'  See  Li\^'s  account  velut  pedica  capta,  haererent  in  durata  et 
of    these    '  homines    intonsi    et    incuhi '  alte  concreta  glacie.' 

21.32.  76.  Nec  .  .  simplex,   '  nor  was    their 

68.   Alpina,  i. e.  a  horde  native  to  the  fall  their  only  ruin,'  referring  only  to  the 

Alps,    and    therefore    the     more    to    be  horses ;  cp.  Virg.  G.  3.482  '  Nec  via  mortis 

dreaded.  erat  simplex.' 

71.  Sanguine,  i.e.  from  the  conflicts  78.   Bis   senos.     The  poet's  accuracy 

between  the  Carthaginians  and  the  Alpine  is  here  at  fauh  ;   Livy  and  Polybius  both 

tribes.  assign  nine  days  as  the  time  occupied  in 

75,  Comprensa,  a  sound  emendation  crossing  the  Alps. 


SILIUS  ITALICUS.  363 


LXXV. 


LIB.  IV.  763-822. 

This  is  a  striking  episode  in  the  poem  of  Silius,  Just  before  the  battle 
of  the  Trasimene  lake,  a  deputation  is  represented  as  arriving  from  Car- 
thage  to  ask  Hannibal's  consent  that  his  son  might  be  numbered  amongst 
the  youths  from  whom  a  selection  was  to  be  made  by  lot  for  victims  to 
the  gods.  The  proposal,  originating  with  Hanno,  the  private  foe  of  Han- 
nibal,  is  received  with  horror  by  Himilce  his  wife,  who,  after  loudly 
denouncing  Carthaginian  ingratitude  and  cruelty,  philosophizes  on  the 
immorality  of  human  and  (perhaps)  animal  sacrifice,  as  inconsistent  with 
the  nature  of  '  a  mild  and  man-related  God.'  Hannibal,  in  reply  to  the 
envoys,  expresses  his  gratitude  at  being  afforded  the  option  of  refusing : 
he  resolves  to  preserve  Iiis  son  for  carrying  on  the  war  with  Rome,  and 
promises  the  gods  of  his  country  a  more  valuable  sacriiice  of  the  best  blood 
of  Rome.  The  incident  is  entirely  the  fruit  of  the  poefs  invention,  while 
the  rationalistic  vein  of  thought  running  through  the  sentiments  put  in 
Himilce's  mouth  is  not  unlike  that  of  Cato's  views  on  the  oracle  of 
Ammon,  expressed  by  Lucan  9.  573  foll. 

EccE  autem  Patres  aderant  Carthagine  missi : 
Causa  viae  non  parva  viris,  ncc  laeta  ferebant. 
Mos  fuit  in  populis,  quos  condidit  advena  Dido, 
Poscere  caede  deos  veniam,  ac  flagrantibus  aris 
(Infandum  dictu !)  parvos  imponere  natos.  5 

Urna  reducebat  miserandos  annua  casus, 
Sacra  Thoanteae  ritusque  imitata  Dianae. 
Cui  fato  sortique  deum  de  more  petebat 
Hannibalis  prolem  discors  antiquitus  Hannon. 

4.    Poscere  .  .  deos,    (imitated    from  mind)  '  stat  ductis  sortibus  urna  :' so  perhaps 

Virg.  Ae.  4.  50,)    chiefly    Saturn,    answer-  reducebat  =  ' was  causing  the  woeful  lots 

ing  probably  to  the   Moloch  of  the  Ca-  to  be  drawn  once  more,'  unless  it  be  '  bring- 

naanites.      The    selection    of  his    victims  ing  back,'  in  reference  to  '  annua.' 
was    usually   made   from    the    families   of  7.  Thoanteae,  i.e.  in  the  Tauric  Cher- 

the   noblest    citizens.      Cp.  Enn.  Ann.  8.  sonese ;  see  on  Val.  Fl.  2.  301  (60)  foll. 
Fr.  4  (Vahlen)  '  Poeni  soliti  sos  sacrificare  8,  9.  Sorti  .  .  prolem,  demanded  that 

puellos.'      For   the    infinitive    after    mos,  the  offspring  of  Hannibal  should  be  placed 

see    on    Catull.  62  (64).  366    '  copiam  .  .  among  those  whose  lots  were  to  be  drawn 

solvere.'  for  sacrifice  to  the  gods. 

6.  Urna,  the  balloting-urn,  as  Virg.  Ae.  Antiquitus,  a  word  common  in  Livy 

6.  22  (which   Silius  probably   had   in  his  and  prose  authors  :  but  not  used  elsewhere 


364 


SILIUS   ITALICUS. 


Sed  propior  metus  armati  ductoris  ab  ira, 
Et  magna  ante  oculos  stabat  genitoris  imago, 
Asperat  haec  foedata  genas,  lacerataque  crines, 
Atque  urbem  complet  maesti  clamoris  Imilce, 
Edonis  ut  Pangaea  super  trieteride  mota 
It  juga,  et  inclusum  suspirat  pectore  Bacchum. 
Ergo  inter  Tyrias,  facibus  ceu  subdita,  matres 
Clamat,  lo  conjux,  quocumque  in  cardine  mundi 
Bella  moves,  huc  signa  refer :    violentior  hic  est, 
Hic  hostis  propior.     Tu  nunc  fortasse  sub  ipsis 
Urbis  Dardaniae  muris  vibrantia  tela 
Excipis  intrepidus  clipeo,  saevamque  coruscans 
Lampada  Tarpeiis  infers  incendia  tectis. 
Interea  tibi  prima  domus  atque  unica  proles 
Heu !    gremio  in  patriae  Stygias  raptatur  ad  aras. 


»5 


in  poetry,  it  would  appear.  It  is  formed 
like  '  divinitus,'  '  humanitus,"  etc.  Here  it 
is  to  be  joined  with  discors  =  '  bearing 
an  ancient  grudge  :'  so  2.  277  '  olim  Duc- 
torem  infestans  odiis  gentilibus  Hannon.' 

10.  Propior  metus,  '  fear  that  came 
more  home  to  them'  than  the  private  ani- 
mosity  of  Hanno  :  cp.  below,  v.  19  '  propior 
hostis.' 

12.  Asperat  haec  (in  best  MSS.), 
'  adds  excitement  to  their  fears,'  Hke  Virg. 
Ae.  II.  220  '  Ingravat  haec  saevus  Drances.' 
Some  of  the  old  editions  had  '  Aspar.  Ad 
haec,'  '  Aspar'  (taken  with  '  imago'  v.  11) 
being  conceived  as  Hannibars  son,  and 
bearing  an  exact  likeness  to  his  father,  a 
supposition  wholly  unsupported. 

13.  Complet  is  often  joined  with  a 
genitive  by  Plautus :  so  Lucretius  (5. 1 160) 
has  '  ararum  compleverit  urbes.'  Other 
poets  more  usually  construct  it  with  an 
ablative.  Silius,  4.  435,  has  '  satiatam  san- 
guinis  hastam.' 

Imilce.  For  imaginary  details  re- 
specting  this  wife  of  Hannibal,  see  2.97 
foll.  Whatever  her  correct  name  might 
have  been,  she  is  described  by  Livy  (24. 
41)  as  a  Spaniard.  History  makes  no 
mention  of  any  children  of  Hannibal. 

14.  Edonis.  '  Obiter  notandum  Luca- 
num  SiUumque  perperam  corripuisse  s}'lla- 
bam  secundam,  cum  Graeci  semper  'HScuvot 
scripserint,  nunquam  'RS6vioi'  Bentley  on 
Hor.  Od.  3.  25,  9.  Cp.  Lucan  I.  670  '  ver- 
tice  Pindi  Edonis  Ogygio  decurrit  plena 
Lyaeo.'     So  'Sidonis'  and  '  Bistonis' (see 


Ciris,    v.  165)    are    used    indiscriminateiy 
long  and  short. 

Trieteride  mota,  '  roused  by  the  tri- 
ennial  festival  of  Bacchus.'  Silius  copies 
Virg.  Ae.  4.  300  foU.  '  totamque  incensa 
per  urbem  Bacchatur,  qualis  commotis  ex- 
cita  sacris  Thyas,  ubi  audito  stimulant 
trieterica  Baccho.' 

15.  Suspirat,  '  breathes  forth  the  god 
imprisoned  in  her  breast:'  cp.  Val.  Fl.  2. 
278  '  flatu  .  .  gliscit  anhelo,'  and  Claudian 
Rapt.  Pros.  1.6'  totum  spirant  praecordia 
Phoebum.' 

16.  Subdita,  a  condensed  expression  = 
'  facibus  subditis  stimulata.'  Compare  the 
use  of  '  circumdatus '  with  an  ablative  = 
'  surrounded  by,'  with  a  dative  =  '  sur- 
rounding.'  Burmann  unnecessarily  con- 
jectures  '  concita.' 

17.  Cardine,  '  far  region  of  the  world,' 
a  common  usage  of  the  word  in  Ovid  and 
the  later  poets. 

19.  Propior,  i.  e.  his  hostility  comes 
more  home  to  you,  as  he  demands  your 
own  child  for  destruction  :  cp.  v.  10. 

20.  Dardaniae,  i.e.  Roman  ;  as  '  Dar- 
dana  Roma'  4.670;  so  'Dardanides'  is 
applied  to  Scipio. 

Vibrantia,  '  quivering,'  neuter  as  well 
as  active  :  cp.  Ov.  M.  8.  342  '  Tela  tenent 
dextra  lato  vibrantia  ferro.' 

24.  Gremio  has  the  force  of  the 
country  to  whose  care  he  had  been  en- 
trusted,  as  contrasted  with  the  distant 
and    hostile    country    spoken    of   vv.   17, 


SILIUS   ITALICUS. 


365 


I  nunc,  Ausonios  ferro  populare  Penates,  25 

Et  vetitas  molire  vias !    i,  pacta  resigna, 

Per  cunctos  jurata  deos  !    sic  praemia  reddit 

Carthago,  et  tales  jam  nunc  tibi  solvit  honores. 

Quae  porro  haec  pietas,  delubra  adspergere  tabo  ? 

Heu  primae  scelerum  causae  mortalibus  aegris,  30 

Naturam  nescire  deum  !   justa  ite  precati 

Ture  pio,  caedumque  feros  avertite  ritus : 

Mite  et  cognatum  est  homini  deus.     Hactenus,  oro, 

Sit  satis  ante  aras  caesos  vidisse  juvencos  j 

Aut  si  velle  nefas  superos  fixumque  sedetque,  35 

Me,  me,  quae  genui,  vestris  absumite  votis. 

Cur  spoliare  juvat  Libycas  hac  indole  terras  ? 

An  flendae  magis  Aegates,  et  mersa  profundo 

Punica  regna  forent,  olim  si  sorte  cruenta 

Esset  tanta  mei  virtus  praerepta  mariti  ?  ^o 

Haec  dubios  vario  divumque  hominumque  timore 

Ad  cauta  illexere  Patres  ;    ipsique  relictum, 

Abnueret  sortem,  an  superum  pareret  honori. 

Tum  vero  trepidare  metu  vix  compos  Imilce, 


26.  Vetitas  molire  vias  :  see  3.  501, 
and  I.  495  '  saxa  vetantia;'  the  mean- 
ing  is,  go,  waste  Italy,  climb  the  Alps, 
and  see  what  a  return  for  such  services 
your  country  gives.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  7.  425, 
and  the  vvhole  of  Amata's  speech,  v. 
400  foU.,  from  which  Himilce's  is  imi- 
tated. 

Pacta,  the  '  pacem  cohibentia  pacta ' 
of  I.  116,  i.  e.  the  peace  made  after  the 
Roman  victory  of  the  Aegates  Insulae.  In 
her  anger  at  Carthage  she  takes  the  side 
of  Rome  and  condemns  the  war. 

28.  Jam  nunc,  even  now,  in  the  midst 
of  your  services  to  her. 

29.  Silius  here  imitates  Lucr.  5.  1194 
foll. 

31.  Precati,  better  than  '  precari,'  as 
in  several  texts. 

32.  Caedum.  This  form  of  the  ge- 
nitive  is  common  in  Silius  :  so  '  cladum ' 
2.  620,  and  often  elsewhere. 

33.  Mite  et  cognatum  :  a  sentiment 
more  natural  to  a  contemporary  of  Seneca 
than  to  a  matron  of  Carthage  in  the  third 
century  b.c. 

34.  Sit  satis  .  .  juvencos  may  mean 
either   '  hitherto    and    no    longer    let    the 


blood  even  of  bullocks  be  shed,  much  less 
that  of  men,'  or,  '  let  it  suffice  to  have 
gone  so  far  as  to  sacrifice  bulls  ;  let  us  not 
go  on  to  offer  the  blood  of  men.'  The 
former  interpretation  seems  to  agree  best 
with  vv.  31  and  32. 

35.  Nefas,  used  as  in  the  parallel  pas- 
sage,  Ov.  M.  15.  iii. 

Fixum,  '  if  it  be  settled  that  the  gods 
demand  a  sacrifice  so  unnatural  as  this.' 
Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  15  '  Si  mihi  non  animo 
fixum  immotumque  sederet.' 

36.  Absumite,  imitated  from  Virg.  Ae. 
9.  492  '  me  primam  absumite  ferro.' 

37.  Hac  indole,  '  this  noble  spirit'  of 
my  son. 

41.  Hominumque.  The  MSS.  fluc- 
tuate  between  'hominum'  and  '  hominis.' 
In  either  case,  of  course,  Hannibal  alone 
is  meant  :  see  above,  v.  10 ;  '  ipsi,'  how- 
ever,  v.  42,  seems  rather  to  require  '  ho- 
minis.' 

44.  Compos.  This  seems  to  be  a 
solitary  instance  of  '  compos '  used  abso- 
lutely  without  '  sui,'  '  mentis,'  or  some 
such  word.  Heinsius  suggests  '  sui '  for 
'  metu ; '  the  latter  is  awkward  before 
'  metuens'  in  the  ne.xt  line. 


366  SILIUS   ITALICUS. 

Magnanimi  metuens  immitia  corda  mariti.  45 

His  avide  auditis,  ductor  sic  deinde  profatur  : 

Quid  tibi  pro  tanto  non  impar  munere  solvat 

Hannibal  aequatus  superis  ?    Quae  praemia  digna 

Inveniam,  Carthago  parens  ?    Noctemque  diemque 

Arma  feram,  templisque  tuis  hinc  plurima  faxo  50 

Hostia  ab  Ausonio  veniat  generosa  Quirino. 

At  puer  armorum  et  belli  servabitur  heres. 

Spes,  o  nate,  meae,  Tyriarumque  unica  rerum, 

Hesperia  minitante,  salus,  terraque  fretoque 

Certare  Aeneadis,  dum  stabit  vita,  memento.  ss 

Perge,  patent  Alpes ;   nostroque  incumbe  labori. 

Vos  quoque,  di  patrii,  quorum  delubra  piantur 

Caedibus,  atque  coli  gaudent  formidine  matrum, 

Huc  laetos  vultus  totasque  advertite  mentes. 

Namque  paro  sacra,  et  majores  molior  aras.  60 


LXXVI. 


LIB.  XII.  691-752. 

The  scene  of  Hannibal  before  the  walls  of  Rome  is  here  described  with 
some  force  and  beauty,  much  of  which  however  is  due  to  the  passage  in 
Virgil  on  which  this  is  modelled  (Ae.  2.  588-624).  Juno,  at  the  request 
of  Jupiter,  appears  to  the  great  general,  and  '  opens  his  eyes '  (compare 
2  Kings  6.  17)  to  see  the  several  divinities  of  the  Eternal  City,  each  guard- 
ing  their  special  hili,  ready  to  hurl  destruction  on  any  assailant,  and  above 


45.   Immitia,   '  stem.'      Himilce   fears  expression,  = '  love  }'our  worship  to  be  paid 

that  her  husband's  noblemindedness  might  in    the    agony    of    mothers,'    lest    their 

lead  him  to  consent  to  so  cruel  a  sacri-  children    be    torn    from    them    for    sacri- 

fice.      Observe   the   strong   alliteration   in  fice. 
this  line.  60.    Paro    sacra  :    Hannibal   tells    the 

47.  Tibi,  referring  to  the  '  Carthago  pa-  gods,  who  revel  in  blood,  that  he  is  pre- 
rens'ofv.  49.  paring  a  sacrifice    for  them,  and   that   on 

48.  Aequatus    superis,  i.e.  in   being  a  grander  scale,  alluding  to  the  slaughter 
left  free  to  obey  or  disobey  the  gods.  at  Trasimene.     The  best  MSS.  have  '  ma- 

52.   Heres,  to   be   taken  vvith  '  serva-  jores,'  not,  as  in  the  old  editions,  '  meli- 

bitur,' '  preservcd  to  inherit' and  continue  ores,'  though  the  latter  is  rendered  pro- 

the  war.  bable  by  the  use  of  '  melior '  in  Virg.  Ae. 

58.   Coli  .  .  formidine.   a    condensed  5.483;   12.296. 


SILIUS   ITALICUS.  367 

all,  thc  great  Thunderer  himsclf,  ah-eady  launching  his  thundcrbolts.  Per- 
suaded  by  the  goddess,  and  overawed  by  the  sight,  he  retires  unwilHngly, 
threatening  to  return.  The  people  within  the  walls  can  scarce  believe 
that  Hannibal  and  his  army  have  retired  :  but  as  soon  as  the  tidings  are 
confirmcd,  they  deck  the  temples  of  the  gods,  and  rush  forth  to  see  the 
spots  lately  occupied  by  the  enemy's  host.  See  Livy  26.  10,  and  Arnold's 
Hist.  Rome,  vol.  iii.  c.  44,  p.  244,  245. 

Jamque  propinquabat  muro,  cum  Jupiter  aegram 

Junoncm  alloquitur  curis,  mulcetque  monendo : 

Nullane  Sidonio  juveni,  conjuxque  sororque 

Cara  mihi,  non  ulla  unquam  sine  fine  feroci 

Addes  frena  viro  ?     Fuerit  delere  Saguntum,  5 

Exaequare  Alpes,  imponere  vincula  sacro 

Eridano,  foedare  lacus :   etiamne  parabit 

Nostras  ille  domos,  nostras  perrumpere  in  arces  ? 

Siste  virum  !    namque  (ut  cernis)  jam  flagitat  ignes, 

Et  parat  accensis  imitari  fulmina  flammis.  10 

His  dictis,  grates  agit,  ac  turbata  per  auras 

Devolat,  et  prensa  juvenis  Saturnia  dextra, 

Quo  ruis,  o  vecors  ?    majoraque  bella  capessis, 

Mortali  quam  ferre  datum  ?    Juno  inquit,  et  atram 

Dimovit  nubem,  veroque  apparuit  ore.  15 

Non  tibi  cum  Phrygio  res  Laurentive  colono, 

En  age,  (namque,  oculis  amota  nube  parumper, 

Cernere  cuncta  dabo)  surgit  qua  celsus  ad  auras, 

Adspice,  montis  apex,  vocitata  Palatia  regi 

Parrhasio  plena  tenet  et  resonante  pharetra,  20 

5.  Fuerit,  '  let  it   have  been   allowed  12.   Prensa:  Virg.  Ae.  2.  592  '  dextra- 
him  :'  see  the  similar  passage,  6.604  '  ripas  que  prehensum  Continuit'  etc. 
fluvionim  exire  Latino  Sanguine  fas  fuerit :  13.  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  10.  81 1   '  Quo  mori- 
Tarpeium   accedere   collem    Murisque   ad-  ture  ruis,  majoraque  viribus  audes  ?' 
spirare  veto.'  17.  Cp.Virg.  Ae.  2. 604  '  namque  omnem, 

6.  Exaequare,  hyperbolical  for  '  treat  quae  nunc  obducta  tuenti  Mortales  hebetat 
the  Alps  as  though  a  plain.'  visus  tibi,  et  humida  circum  Caligat,  nubem 

Imponere   vincula,  of  the  bridge  of  eripiam.' 
boats  constructed  by  Hannibal,  on  which  19.   Vocitata,  a  word  little  used  since 

his  army  crossed  the  Po  before  the  battle  Lucretius. 

of  Trebbia,  Livy  21.  47.    Ernesti  strangely  19,  20.    Regi     Parrhasio,    '  Arcadian 

takes   it  of  blocking   the   river   with   the  prince,'   Evander  :   Virg.  Ae.  8.  54   '  Pal- 

corpses  of  the  slain.  lantis  proavi  de  nomine  Pallanteum.'    Par- 

8.   Domos  :  '  in'  is  to  be  supplied  from  rhasia,  one  of  the  chief  districts  of  Arcadia, 

before  '  arces.'     The  reference  is  of  course  and   so  used  for  the  whole,  as   in  Ae.  8. 

to  the  CapitoL  344,  and  elsewhere. 

II.   Grates  agit,  i.  e.  for  enabling  her  20.  Et   is  strangely   used   here  ;    Silius 

to  save  her  favourite  from  the  dangers  of  could  hardly  however  have  written  '  en,'  as 

an  attack  on  Rome.  Lefevre  supposes,  directly  after  '  adspice.' 


368  SILIUS   ITALICUS. 

Intenditque  arcum,  et  pugnas  meditatur  Apollo. 

At,  qua  vicinis  tollit  se  collibus  altae 

Molis  Aventinus,  viden',  ut  Latonia  virgo 

Accensas  quatiat  Phlegethontis  gurgite  taedas, 

Exertos  avidae  pugnae  nudata  lacertos  ?  25 

Parte  alia,  cerne,  ut  saevis  Gradivus  in  armis 

Implerit  dictum  proprio  de  nomine  campum. 

Hinc  Janus  movet  arma  manu,  movet  inde  Quirinus, 

Quisque  suo  de  colle  deus :    sed  enim  adspice,  quantus 

Aegida  commoveat  nimbos  flammasque  vomentem  30 

Jupiter,  et  quantis  pascat  ferus  ignibus  iras. 

Huc  vultus  flecte,  atque  aude  spectare  Tonantem, 

Quas  hiemes,  quantos  concusso  vertice  cernis 

Sub  nutu  tonitrus  !    oculis  qui  fulgurat  ignis  ! 

Cede  deis  tandem,  et  Titania  desine  bella.  35 

Sic  eflFata  virum,  indocilem  pacisque  modique, 

Mirantem  superum  vultus  et  flammea  membra, 

Abstrahit,  ac  pacem  terris  coeloque  reponit. 

Respectans  abit,  et  castris  avulsa  moveri 

Signa  jubet  ductor,  remeaturumque  minatur.  40 

Redditur  extemplo  flagrantior  aethere  lampas, 

Et  tremula  infuso  resplendent  caerula  Phoebo. 

At  procul  e  muris  videre  ut  signa  revelli 

Aeneadae^  versumque  ducem  j    tacita  ora  vicissim 

Ostentant,  nutuque  docent,  quod  credere  magno  45 

Non  audent  haerente  metu  j    nec  abire  volentis. 


22,  23.  Altae  molis,  to  be  joined  with  turesqueness :  but  the  word  is  often  used 

'  Aventinus.'  redundantly  in  the   poets  :    see   Markland 

24.  Phlegethontis,    over    which,    as  on  Stat.  Silv.  3.  4,  87. 

Hecate,  she  has  the  control.  29.    Sed  enim,  hke  dWci  yap,  used  in 

25.  Avidae  pugnae,  dative,  =  '  for  quick  transitions.  The  reference  here  is 
the  eager  strife.'  Drakenborch,  followed  to  the  tempest  that  burst  over  Hannibal's 
by  Ernesti,  reads  '  avide'  against  the  MSS.  troops  when  drawn  up  for  battle  before 
here  and  also  at  v.  457  (which  almost  con-  the  vvalls  of  Rome  :  see  v.  654  foU  ,  and 
firms  the  reading  in  the  text)  '  et  minitans  compare  Livy  26.  11. 

avida   ad    certamina    fertur.'      SiHus    does  35.   Titania,  which  only  resembles  the 

not,  Hke  Virgil.  eschew  such  ofioioTtXfVTa  :  war  of  the  Titans  against  Heaven. 

seee.  g.  1.4;   5.163;   8.42;  9.169.  36.    Indocilem    .   .    modi,     slow     to 

26-28.  The  Campus  Martius,  and  the  leam  restraint  and  moderation. 

Janiculan  and  Quirinal  hills  are  successively  41.  Redditur,  not  with  '  flagrantior'  = 

mentioned.  '  is    made,'    but    '  is    restored '    after    the 

27.  Implerit,  expressive  of  the  size  of  storm. 

Mars.      Silius   had   in    his    mind   perhaps  42.    Caerula,    not   '  the    sea,'   but,    as 

Hom.  II.  21.  407.  often    in    Lucretius,    with    and    without 

28.  Manu,  added  for  the  sake  of  pic-  '  coeli,'  '  the  bkie  vault  of  heaven  grows 


SILIUS  ITALICUS. 


3^9 


Sed  fraudcm  insidiasquc  putant,  et  Punica  corda : 

Ac  tacitae  natis  infigunt  oscula  matres, 

Donec  procedens  oculis  sese  abstulit  agmen, 

Suspectosque  dolos  dempto  terrorc  resolvit.  50 

Tum  vcro  passim  sacra  in  Capitolia  pergunt, 

Inquc  vicem  amplexi  permixta  voce  triumphum 

Tarpeii  clamant  Jovis,  ac  delubra  coronant. 

Jamque  omnes  pandunt  portas ;    ruit  undique  laetum, 

Non  sperata  petens  dudum  sibi  gaudia,  vulgus.  55 

Hi  spectant,  quo  fixa  loco  tentoria  regis 

Adstiterint :    hi,  qua  celsus  de  sede  vocatas 

Affatus  fuerit  turmas  :    ubi  belliger  Astur, 

Atque  ubi  atrox  Garamas,  saevusque  tetcnderit  Hannon. 

Corpora  nunc  viva  sparguntur  gurgitis  unda :  60 

Nunc  Anienicolis  statuunt  altaria  Nymphis. 

Tum  festam  repetunt,  lustratis  moenibus,  urbem. 


bright  once  more  (resplendent),  and 
sparkles,  flooded  with  the  rays  of  Phoebus.' 
In  these  lines  the  '  pax  coeH'  (see  v.  41) 
is  described  :  the  foUovving  verses  depict 
the  '  pax  terris,'  the  latter  being  the  cause 
of  the  former  ;  because  Hannibal  retires, 
heaven  ceases  to  manifest  its  displeasure. 

44,  45.  Ora  .  .  ostentant,  '  exchange 
silent  looks.' 

46.  Volentis,  sc.  '  esse,'  '  nor  do  they 
deem  his  departure  the  offspring  of  choice 
(Ht.  the  act  of  one  desiring  it),  but  the 
guile  and  stratagem  of  his  Punic  heart.' 
Some  MSS.  have  '  volentes,'  and  one  '  vo- 
lentem.' 

55.  Dudum  to  be  taken  with  non 
sperata,  =  ' that  had  long  since  ceased  to 
be  hoped  for.'  This  passage  is  imitated 
from  Virg.  Ae.  2.  27  foll.  '  Panduntur 
portae  :  juvat  ire  et  Dorica  castra  Deser- 
tosque    videre    locos    Htusque    relictum  : 


Hic  Dolopum  manus,  hic  saevus  tendebat 
Achilles.' 

58.  Astur,  the  Highlanders  in  the  N.W. 
of  Hispania  Tarraconensis.  The  name 
survives  in  the  modern  '  Asturias.'  They 
were  equaHy  celebrated  for  their  mines, 
their    horses,    and    their    bravery  :    cp.  I. 

231;  3-  335-337- 

59.  Tetenderit  :  see  on  Lucan  7.  329 

(79)-  ,      .     , 

60.  Corpora,  accusative  afterthe  middle 

'  sparguntur'  =  '  spargunt  se.' 

Viva,  '  fresh-running  water;'  so  '  flu- 
mine  vivo  '  Virg.  Ae.  2.  719.  The  ablu- 
tions  are  preparatory  to  the  reHgious  rites 
that  follow. 

61.  Anienicolis,  i.  e.  as  the  deHverers 
of  the  city ;  Hannibars  camp  was  on  the 
Anio  ;  Livy  26.  10  '  Inter  haec  Hannibal 
ad  Anienem  fluvium  tria  millia  passuum  ab 
urbe  castra  admovit.' 


P.   PAPINIUS    STATIUS. 


B  b  2 


LIFE     OF     STATIUS. 


P.  Papinius  Statius  was  born  at  Naples,  probably  about  the  year 
A.D.  6i,  though  recent  critics  date  his  birth  as  early  as  a.d.  40. 
From  his  father,  a  scholar,  rhetorician,  and  poet  of  some  distinction, 
he  inherited  a  taste  for  literature,  which  was  cultivated  by  a  careful 
education  at  Rome.  His  genius  shewed  itself  first  in  improvised 
recitations,  for  which  he  won  prizes  in  the  contests  at  Naples  and  at 
Alba,  though  he  failed  in  the  great  object  of  his  ambition,  success  in 
the  '  Agon  Capitolinus  :'  cp.  Silv.  3.  5,  31  foll. ;  Ib.  5.  3,  231  foll. 
The  patronage  of  Domitian,  which  he  early  received,  he  repaid  by 
incessant  and  shameless  flattery.  From  his  own  writings  he  would 
seem  also  to  have  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  distinguished  personages 
of  the  time,  such  as  Atedius  Melior,  Pollius,  Stella,  and  others,  while 
Juvenafs  Hnes  (7,  82  foll.)  attest  the  general  popularity  of  his 
poetry.  If  Martial,  his  contemporary,  who  speaks  so  frequently  and 
favourably  of  Lucan,  Silius,  Flaccus,  and  Stella,  is  silent  about 
Statius,  jealousy  at  the  favour  enjoyed  by  the  latter  at  the  Imperial 
court  may  partly  account,  as  in  the  parallel  case  of  Horace  and 
Propertius,  for  such  exceptional  omission.  Mortified  perhaps  by  his 
faikire  in  the  Capitohne  contests,  Statius  finally  quitted  Rome,  and 
migrated  with  the  reluctant  Claudia,  whom  he  had  married  early 
in  hfe,  to  Naples,  where  he  died  young,  and  probably  in  straitened 
circumstances,  about  a.d.  96,  or  much  later  according  to  some 
authorities.  As  however  such  dates  rest  only  on  inferences  drawn 
from  somewhat  ambiguous  passages  in  the  poet's  writings,  little 
reliance  can  be  placed  upon  them. 

Statius,  the  greatest  poet  of  the  Decline,  ranked  by  Dante  (cp. 
Purg.  c.  21.  22,  etc.)  and  by  Pope  next  to  Virgil,  reminds  us  more 
of  Ovid  than  of  any  of  his  predecessors.  Though  in  the  art  of 
narration  he   is  far  inferior  to  the  author  of  the  Metamorphoses, 


374  LIFE   OF    STATIUS. 

Statius  has  the  same  vivid  fancy,  the  same  facility  and  fluency  of 
style,  the  same  copiousness  of  expression,  the  same  partiaUty  for 
brilliant  pictures  and  minute  ornamental  description,  and  the  same 
fondness  for  mythological  and  heroic  subjects.  His  diction,  though 
much  imitated  by  succeeding  poets,  is  however  less  simple  and 
unaffected  than  Ovid's.  Straining  after  uncommon  phrases  and 
forced  constructions  Statius  often  becomes  obsciire,  and  his  versi- 
fication,  if  more  varied,  is  not  so  correct,  easy,  or  harmonious  as 
that  of  his  model,  while  his  prose  style  appears  to  considerable 
disadvantage  in  the  Introductions  he  prefixed  to  his  various  poems. 
Of  the  '  Thebaid,'  his  first  great  work,  modelled  as  to  its  general 
plan  on  the  QrjlBats  of  Antimachus  of  Claros  (420  b.c).  and  which 
occupied  the  poet  tweh-e  years,  the  most  opposite  judgments  have 
been  formed.  While  Niebuhr  pronounces  it  '  an  absurd  and  bom- 
bastic  poem,'  Merivale,  allowing  its  defects  in  other  points,  yet 
praises  it  as  '  the  most  perfect  of  ancient  epics  in  form  and 
argument.'  A  second  epic,  the  '  Achilleid,'  referred  to  in  Silv.  5.  2, 
163,  he  left  wholly  unfinished  (cp.  Dante,  Purg.  21.  93),  but  what 
remains  is  a  striking  fragment.  His  last  productions  were  the 
descriptive  and  lyrical  pieces  entitled  the  '  Sih'ae,'  which,  consider- 
ing  the  rapidity  with  which  the  several  poems  were  composed,  and 
the  variety  of  their  subjects  and  metre,  may  well  be  considered  his 
masterpiece,  '  genuine  poetry,'  says  Niebuhr,  '  imprinted  with  the  true 
character  of  the  country,  and  constituting  some  of  the  most  graceful 
productions  of  Roman  Hterature.'  It  is  probable  that  Statius  wrote 
much  which  has  not  come  down  to  posterity :  Juvenal  (7.  87)  men- 
tions  a  play,  the  '  Agave,'  as  written  by  him  for  bread.  It  is  difficult 
to  account  for  Dante's  notion  that  Statius  was  a  Christian. 

Of  the  '  Thebaid,'  as  we  might  expect  in  the  case  of  a  poem  read 
almost  as  much  as  the  '  Pharsalia'  in  the  middle  ages,  numerous 
MSS.  exist,  of  which  a  few  are  as  old  as  the  ninth  and  tenth  cen- 
turies,  containing  also  the  '  Achilleid.'  Of  the  '  Silvae,'  known  much 
later  than  the  other  works,  the  oldest  extant  MS.  belongs  to  the 
fourteenth,  or  perhaps  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century. 


LXXVII. 
P.    PAPINIUS    STATIUS. 

SILVAE.     LiB.  IL  I.  1-68  j  208-234. 

'  Prijium  habet  Glauciam  nostrum,  cujus  gratissimam  infantiam,  et 
qualem  plerumque  infelices  sortiuntur,  apud  te  complexus  amabam.  Jam 
vero  tibi  hujus  amissi  recens  vulnus  (ut  scis)  Epicedio  prosecutus  sum,  adeo 
festinanter,  ut  cxcusandam  habuerim  aifectibus  tuis  celeritatem.'  Thus 
Statius  dedicates  to  Atedius  Melior  this  Elegy  on  the  early  death  of 
Glaucia,  his  favourite  '  libertus.'  See  Martiars  two  epigrams  on  the  boy, 
6.  28  and  29.  Statius  attempts  to  console  the  grief-stricken  Melior  by 
every  assurance  of  sympathy  which  the  poefs  own  afflictions  and  losses 
have  taught  him  all  the  more  deeply  to  feel.  He  goes  on  to  sing  the 
praises  of  Glaucia,  his  youth,  beauty,  modesty,  winning  voice  and  manners. 
Now  that  he  is  gone,  there  is  none  to  cheer  Melior,  or  turn  away  his  wrath 
and  cares ;  no  one  to  delay  his  going  out,  or  welcome  his  coming  in.  Still, 
Glaucia  is  happy  in  Hades,  where  he  is  beloved  by  all.  Melior  must  con- 
sole  himself  that  all  here  is  made  for  death.  His  favourite  has  passed 
beyond  all  the  hazards  of  life,  and  is  better  ofF  than  the  living,  who  have 
yet  to  encounter  death,  they  know  not  when  or  how.  He  bids  the  spirit 
of  Glaucia  come  and  comfort  his  afflicted  master,  assure  him  he  is  living 
still,  and  bid  him  take  care  of  his  sorrowing  parents  and  sister. 

QuoD  tibi  praerepti,  Melior,  solamen  alumni, 

Improbus  ante  rogos,  et  adhuc  vivente  favilla 

Ordiar  ?   abruptis  etiamnunc  flebile  venis 

Vulnus  hiat,  magnaeque  patet  via  lubrica  plagae. 

Cum  jam  egomet  cantus,  et  verba  medentia  saevus         5 

2.   Improbus,  '  intrusive.'      The  mean-  the  wound  still  slippery  with  blood.'     The 

ing  is,  '  what  comfort  could  I  presume  to  imagery  is  somewhat  material  and  harsh. 
offer,  while   the   ashes   of  your   favourite  5.    Saevus  is  given  by  the  MSS. ;    cp. 

were   yet  warm?    even  now  it   is  almost  6,  I   '  Saeve   nimis,   lacrimis   quisquis   dis- 

too  early  :'  see  v.  15.  crimina    ponis,   Lugendique    modos  :'    yet 

4.  Lubrica  =  'cruda,' lit.  '  the  path  of  Markland  alters  into  '  saevis '  = '  words  to 


376 


STATIUS. 


Confero,  tu  planctus,  lamentaque  fortia  mavis, 
Odistique  chelyn,  surdaque  averteris  aure. 
Intempesta  cano :    citius  me  tigris  abactis 
Fetibus,  orbatique  velint  audire  leones. 
Nec  si  tergeminum  Sicula  de  virgine  carmen 
Affluat,  aut  silvis  chelys  intellecta  ferisque, 
Mulceat  insanos  gem.itus ;   stat  pectore  demens 
Luctus,  et  admoto  latrant  praecordia  tactu. 
Nemo  vetat,  satiare  malis,  aegrumque  dolorem 
Libertate  doma :    jam  flendi  expleta  voluptas  ? 
Jamne^  preces  fessus  non  indignaris  amicas  ? 
Jamne  canam  ?   lacrimis  en  et  mea  carmina  in  ipso 
Ore  natant,  tristesque  cadunt  in  verba  liturae. 
Ipse  etenim  tecum  nigrae  sollemnia  pompae, 
Spectatumque  Urbi  scelus,  et  puerile  feretrum 
Produxi  j   saevos  damnati  turis  acervos, 
Plorantemque  animam  supra  sua  funera  vidi : 


heal  the  cruel  wounds,'  the  adjective  being 
used  for  the  substantive,  as  in  Theb.  2. 
406  '  Pone  modum  laetis : '  Ib.  4.  744 
'  mersus  acerbis:'  11.  551  '  fidere  laetis.' 
More  is  to  be  said  for  WakefieWs  con- 
jecture  '  laevus'  =  '  awkward.' 

6.  Confero,  used  specially  of  funereal 
tributes :  see  v.  35  '  confer  gemitus :'  3.  3. 
42  '  Ipse  tuli,  quos  nunc  tibi  confero, 
questus.'  Cp.  Lucan  9.  64,  where  Mark- 
land  would  read  '  contulit '  for  '  obtuHt.' 
Some  MSS.  have  here  '  consero'  (Queck), 
as  in  the  phrase  '  serere  sermonem.' 

9.  Leones.  There  is  no  need  to  change 
this  into  '  leaenae.'  '  Apud  Poetas  saepe 
vidimus  animalia  uno  genere  posita  alte- 
rum  sexum  exprimere,'  says  Burmann  in 
a  good  note  on  Val.  Fl.  6.  347  '  Dat  ca- 
tulos  post  terga  leo.' 

10.  Tergeminum,  i.e.  '  Not  even  were 
the  melody  from  all  three  sirens  to  stream 
at  once  on  your  ears.'  Homer  says 
nothing  specific  as  to  their  number  :  this 
appears  to  have  been  a  later  addition, 
made  perhaps  by  the  Alexandrine  poets ; 
see  Ausonius  Idyl  1 1  (on  the  number  3), 
vv.  20,  2 1  '  Tres  in  Trinacria  Siredones  : 
omnia  tema  :  Tres  volucres,  tres  semideae, 
tres  semipuellae.' 

Virgine,  not  for  the  plural,  but  '  one 
lay  from  each  maiden.' 

12.  Stat,  '  deep-fixed  in  the  heart,'  not 
easily  to  be  reached  through  the  senses. 


13.  Latrant,  '  sob '  or  '  fret '  when 
touched :  so  Theb.  2.  338  '  magnas  la- 
trantia  pectora  curas  Admota  deprendo 
manu  (not  '  jactantia,'  as  some  MSS. 
give).'  '  Mire  utuntur  hoc  verbo  optimi 
auctores'  is  Barth's  remark  on  this  pas- 
sage. 

15.  Libertate  doma,  '  tame  it  by  in- 
dulgence,'  i.  e.  by  letting  it  have  its  full 
course,  a  kind  of  oxymoron  :  see  Mark- 
land's  note  on  5.  5,  a6. 

16.  Preces,  i.e.  entreaties  to  calm  your 
grief  and  listen  to  comfort. 

18.  Ore  natant,  the  very  utterance 
of  my  lines  is  flooded  or  choked  with 
tears. 

20.  Scelus,  '  miser)','  especially  that 
caused  by  an  early  or  unnatural  death ; 
this  sense  of  the  word  is  found  in  Plautus 
and  Terence,  and  is  common  in  the  later 
poets,  e.  g.  Martial  7.  I4,  i  '  Accidit  in- 
fandum  nostrae  scelus,  Aule,  puellae  ;'  cp. 
'  nefas'  in  v.  175  of  this  poem. 

21.  Produxi,  '  carried  to  the  grave:' 
as  Virg.  Ae.  9.  485  '  nec  te  tua  funera 
mater  Produxi.' 

Damnati,  i.e.  '  offered,'  'devoted'  to 
the  gods  below,  as  '  caput  damnaverat 
Orco  '  Virg.  Ae.  4.  699.  Weber's  '  et ' 
before  saevos  is  found  in  no  MS. 

22.  Animam,  i.  e.  GIaucia's  spirit 
mourning  over  the  untimely  death  of  the 
body   that   held   it.      Cp.  Plat.  Phaed.  82 


STATIUS. 


377 


Tequc  patrum  gcmitus  superantem,  et  brachia  matrum, 

Complcxumquc  rogos,  igncmque  haurirc  parantem 

Vix  tenui  similis  comes,  ofFcndique  tenendo.  25 

Et  nunc  (heu)  vittis  et  frontis  honore  soluto 

Infaustus  vates  versa  mea  pectora  tecum 

Plango  lyra :   et  diri  comitem  sociumque  doloris 

(Si  merui,  luctusque  tui  consortia  sensi) 

Jam  lenis  patiare  precor.     Me  fulmine  in  ipso  30 

Audivere  patres :    ego  juxta  busta  profusis 

Matribus,  atque  piis  cecini  solatia  natis, 

Et  mihi,  cum  proprios  gemerem  defectus  ad  ignes 

(Quem,  Natura !)  patrem  j    nec  te  lugere  severus 

Arceo,  sed  confer  gemitus,  pariterquc  fleamus.  35 

Jamdudum  dignos  aditus,  laudumque  tuarum, 

O  merito  dilecte  puer,  primordia  quaerens 

Distrahor ;   hinc  anni  stantes  in  limine  vitae. 


(of  the  earthly  soul)  Trepi  to.  /xvTjixaTa  re 
Kai  Toiis  Ta(povs  icv\ivSovfj.4vr]  .  .  ola  nap- 
ixovTat  al  ToiavTai  ^vxai  fiScuXa  .  .  Sid 
Kai  opSivTai.  Scaliger  prefers  the  '  plora- 
tam'  of  one  MS. 

23.  Superantem,  '  surpassing,'  not 
'  breaking  through.' 

Brachia,  the  wringing  of  the  arms 
in  grief. 

25.  Similis,  '  sympathetic  in  your 
agony.'  The  common  tale  about  Porcia, 
wife  of  Bmtus,  was  that  she  destroyed 
herself  by  swallowing  live  coals,  unable  to 
bear  the  death  of  her  husband  and  the 
ruin  of  his  cause. 

26.  Frontis  honore, 'the  ornaments 
cn  my  brow,'  i.  e.  he  has  put  aside  the 
badges  of  the  poet,  and  presents  himself 
'  in  mouming'=  infaustus,  when  the  head 
was  always  unbound  :  see  Theb.  6.  30. 
It  might  also  refer  to  the  poet's  removing 
the  '  vitta '  under  the  inspiration  of  song : 
cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  370;  Tibull.  2.  5,  66. 

27.  Versa,  as  in  one  MS., '  with  aUered 
strains,'  not  (as  Queck)  = '  conversa  in  me 
pectus  percutio  qua  canere  debebam;'  as 
the  poet  has  changed  from  gay  to  grave, 
so  has  his  lyre,  see  v.  5  :  instead  of '  can- 
tus '  the  poet  offers  his  friend  what  he 
desired,  viz.  '  planctus.'  Markland  retains 
'  verso,'  as  in  most  MSS.  and  editions,  but 
conjectures  '  Phoebo'  for  '  tecum  ;'  see  5. 
3,  I  2  '  ApoUine  verso.'  If  '  verso'  (verb) 
be  read  (  =  '  I  vex  my  soul  with  yours'),  a 
colon  is  placed  after  '  tecum.' 


28.  Et  diri.  '  Et' here  =  ' atque  ita  :' 
there  is  no  need  of  reading  '  at'  as  in  one 
MS.     Markland  conj.  '  duri.' 

Comitem  sociumque,  i.  e.  not  only 
to  be  with  you  in  your  distress,  but  also 
to  partake  in  it. 

30.  Fulmine  in  ipso, 'in  the  actual 
shock  of  loss  (not,  as  in  your  case,  when 
grief  has  had  time  to  spend  itself)  I  have 
been  able  to  comfort  others  ;'  such  too  is 
the  force  of  juxta  busta.  Old  editions 
have  '  funere  :'  but  cp.  5.  5,  50  '  dignumque 
nihil  mens  fuLmine  tanto  Reperit.'  Both 
Cicero  and  Livy  use  '  fulmen'  in  a  similar 
sense. 

33.  Et  mihi.  Queck  takes  these  words 
not  with  'cecini'  (' nam  qui  defectus  ge- 
mit,  is  solatia  non  habet'),  but  with  some 
verb  like  '  eripuit,'  suppressed  in  the  vehe- 
mence  of  feeling.  It  is  simpler  to  take 
them  of  the  poet  solacing  himself  under 
his  affliction  in  the  same  way  as  he  had 
consoled  others  in  theirs.     Cp.  5.  5,  40. 

D  efectus,  '  wasted  with  sorrow.' 
Ignes  =  '  rogos.' 

34.  Quem,  i.  e.  how  fond  a  sire,  thou 
knowest,  O  Nature,  who  gavest  him  to 
me. 

34,  35.  Lugere  .  .  arceo,  a  construc- 
tion  not  found  before  Ovid,  but  common 
in  the  poets  posterior  to  him. 

36.  Dignos  aditus,  '  fit  avenue  to  your 
praise,'  i.  e.  how  I  may  fitly  approach  the 
theme  of  your  merits ;  a  very  common 
sense  of '  aditus'  in  Cicero. 


378  STATIUS. 

Hinc  me  forma  rapit,  rapit  inde  modestia  praecox, 

Et  pudor,  et  tenero  probitas  maturior  aevo.  40 

O  ubi  purpureo  sufFusus  sanguine  candor, 

Sidereique  orbes,  radiataque  lumina  coelo, 

Et  castigatae  coUecta  modestia  frontis, 

Ingenuique  super  crines,  mollisque  decorae 

Margo  comae  ?    blandis  ubinam  ora  arguta  querelis,       45 

Osculaque  impliciti  vernos  redolentia  flores, 

Et  mixtae  risu  lacrimae,  penitusque  loquentis 

Hyblaeis  vox  tincta  favis  ?   cui  sibila  serpens 

Poneret,  et  saevae  vellent  servire  novercae. 

Nil  veris  affingo  bcnis ;   heu  lactea  colla,  50 

Brachiaque,  et  nunquam  domini  sine  pondere  cervix ! 

O  ubi  venturae  spes  non  longinqua  juventae^ 

Atque  genis  optatus  honos,  jurataque  multum 

Barba  tibi  ?   cuncta  in  cineres  gravis  intulit  hora, 

Hostilisque  dies  :    nobis  meminisse  relictum.  55 

Quis  tua  colloquiis  hilaris  mulcebit  amatis 

Pectora  ?    quis  curas,  mentisque  arcana  remittet  ? 

Accensum  quis  bile  fera,  famulisque  tumentem 

41.  O  ubi,  as  below,  v.  52.  Markland  in  from  the  line  before ;  the  tvvo  words 
suggests,  as  more  common, '  Heu  ubi,'  com-  are  similarly  confused  in  Ov.  M.  4.  504. 
paring  Theb.  5.  613,  350;  Ib.8.  174;  Silv.      Penitus  is  to  be  taken  with  it. 

3.  5,44.  50.   Affingo,  '  no  fancied  graces  am  I 

Candor,  '  clear  complexion.'  adding  to  the  true ;'  a  word  more  common 

42.  Radiata   .   .    coelo,     '  eyes     fur-      in  Cicero  than  in  the  poets. 

nished  by  heaven  with  rays,'  i.  e.  beaming  Colla,  the  entire  neck  or  throat :  '  cer- 

with  heavenly  rays.     Ovid  may  have  been  vix '  denotes  rather  the  back  of  the  neck, 

in  Statius' mind,  M.4.  193  'Forma  calorque  originally  perhaps  a  single  vertebra  (Key). 

tibi,  radiafaque  lumina  prosunt.'     'Coelo'  Lucretius  couples  the  two  words  together, 

harmonizes  with  '  siderei'  just  before.  2.  800. 

4,";.   Castigatae,  '  a  perfect  brow,'  said  53.54-  Jurataque  ..  barba, '  the  beard 

either  of  faultless  shape,  as  Ov.  Amor.  i.  oft  anticipated  in  oaths.'     Glaucia  would 

5,  21  '  castigato  sub  pectore,'  or  '  smooth  often  swear  by  the  prospects  of  his  beard, 

in  surface,'  a  '  polished,  unwrinkled  brow.'  or  vow  to  sacrifice  it,  when  it  grew,  to 

Modestia   frontis  =  '  modesta  frons,'  some  particular    deity,   according    to    the 

abstract  for  concrete ;  '  brow  modest  and  well-known   custom.       The   lad   was  just 

composed  ;'  cp.  2,  33  '  feritas  viae' =  ' fera  over  twelve  years  ;  see  v.  1 24,  and  Martial 

via.'  6.  28,  8. 

44.  MoIIis,  '  the  soft  or  wavy  line  of  56.  Tua  must  obviously  refer  to  Melior, 

hair' on  the  forehead.  though    the    '  tibi '    of    v.  54    points    to 

46.  Impliciti,  '  the  lips,  when  he  was  Glaucia. 

folded  in  your  arms,  that  were  fragrant  as  Amatis  :  one  old  edition  gives  '  amati' 

flowers  of  spring."  after  '  tua'  = '  tui.'      Unpleasant  as  the  sig- 

47.  Mixtae  risu.  Markland  quotes  matism  of  the  line  is  in  its  present  state, 
Theb.  6.  164  '  Illa  tuos  questus  lacrimo-  it  is  by  no  means  without  parallel  in 
sosque  impia  risus  Audiit.'  Statius  :  cp.  3.  5,  45. 

48.  Tincta,  Markland's  happy  con-  58.  Fera,  corrected  by  Markland  from 
jecture   for  '  mixta'  (MSS.),  which  crept  the  '  feret'  of  the  MSS.,  which  could  only 


STATIUS.  379 

Leniet,  ardentique  in  sc  deflectet  ab  ira  ? 

Inceptas  quis  ab  ore  dapes,  libataque  vina  60 

Aufcret,  et  dulci  turbabit  cuncta  rapina  ? 

Quis  matutinos  abrumpet  murmure  somnos 

Impositus  stratis,  abitusque  morabitur  artis 

Nexibus,  aque  ipso  revocabit  ad  oscula  poste  ? 

Obvius  intranti  rursus  quis  in  ora  manusque  65 

Prosiliet,  brevibusque  humeros  circumdabit  ulnis  ? 

Muta  domus,  fateor,  desolatique  Penates, 

Et  situs  in  thalamis,  et  maesta  silentia  mensis. 

•}(■  -x-  -sf  -x-  ^  ^ 

Hic  finis  rapto:    quin  tu  jam  vulnera  sedas, 
Et  toUis  mersum  luctu  caput  ?   omnia  functa,  70 

Aut  moritura  vides ;   obeunt  noctesque,  diesque, 
Astraque,  nec  solidis  prodest  sua  machina  terris. 
Nam  populos,  mortale  genus,  plebisque  caducae 
Quis  fleat  interitus  ?    Hos  bella,  hos  aequora  poscunt : 
His  amor  exitio,  furor  his,  et  saeva  cupido ;  75 

Ut  sileam  morbos :   hos  ora  rigentia  Brumae, 
Illos  implacido  letalis  Sirius  igni, 
Hos  manet  imbrifero  pallens  Auctumnus  hiatu. 
Quidquid  habet  ortus,  finem  timet ;    ibimus  omnes, 

mean,  '  bear  the  brunt  of.'     One  old  edi-  72.   Prodest,  i.  e.  prevent  it  from  one 

tion  has  '  ferat,'  from  which  the  transition  day  returning  to  chaos.    See  Lucr.  2.  1142 

to  the  adjective  is  easy.  foll. 

Tumentem,    (not,    as    in    one    MS.,  Machina,  '  massive  fabric :'  see  Munro 

'timentem'  Qy.  '-dum')  here  used  with  on  Lucr.  5.  96. 
dative  on  the  analogy  of  '  iratum.'  73.  Nam,  not  to  be  taken  with  quis  = 

63.  Impositus,  middle  sense,  =' throw-  tis  ydp,  as  in  Virg.  G.  4.  445;  its  force 
ing  himself  on  your  couch.'  here  is,  '  I  speak  of  the  universe  as  decay- 

64.  Aque  ipso  :  so  Markland  for  the  ing,  for  as  to  men,  they  are  of  course 
common  '  atque,'  often  confused  with  mortal,  and  should  not  be  bewailed :'  see 
'  aque :'  the  meaning  is  the  same,  '  when  a  similar  use,  Plaut.  Aul.  4.  8,  2. 

you  had  actually  reached  the  door.'  Caducae,  in  its  proper  sense,  '  destined' 

67.   Fateor,  '  yes  !   the  huuse,  as  you  or  '  made  to  fall,' Hke  '  mortale,' emphatic, 

say,  is  dumb,'  the  poet  quoting  the  lament  =  if  men  are  made  to  die,  why  weep  at 

of  MeUor.     Markland  condemns  the  '  fa-  their  death  ? 

teor'  of  all  the  MSS.  as  a  '  vox  inepta  et  76.   Ora    rigentia,   '  winter's   freezing 

nullius  sensus,' and  proposes  '  pariter,' whOe  breath:'  Winter  is  thus  personified,  as  in 

others  conjecture  '  muta  domus  facies.'  ^'^irg-  Ae.  12.  335  '  atrae   Formidinis   ora' 

69.  Hic   finis,     In  the  previous  lines  stands  for  black-visaged  Panic. 

Statius  has  been  describing  the  kind  recep-  78.   Hiatu,  '  mouth,'  as  '  ora'  just  be- 

tion  accorded  to  Glaucia  in  the  Shades.  fore  :    cp.  Theb.  8.  388.     This  line,  like 

70.  Functa,  sc.  '  morte,' or  '  vita  ;' the  many  others  in  Statius,  might  seem  to 
participle  of  'fungi'  is  frequently  used  in  express  the  idea  of  some  picture,  repre- 
this  sense  by  Statius  and  later  authors  ;  senting  Autumn,  wan  and  wet,  breathing 
earlier,  '  defunctus '  is  preferred.  pestilence. 

71.  Obeunt..dies  ;   cp.  Catull.5.4  foll.  79.    Quidquid    hahet  .  ,  timet  :     cp. 


380 


STATIUS. 


Ibimus  :    immensis  urnam  quatit  Aeacus  ulnis. 
Ast  hic,  quem  gemimus,  felix,  hominesque  deosque, 
Et  dubios  casus  et  caecae  lubrica  vitae 
Effugit,  immunis  fati  ^    non  ille  rogavit, 
Non  timuit,  renuitve  mori.      Nos  anxia  plebes, 
Nos  miseri,  quibus  unde  dies  suprema,  quis  aevi 
Exitus,  incertum  j    quibus  instet  fulmen  ab  astris, 
Quae  nubes  fatale  sonent.     Nil  flecteris  istis  ? 
Sed  flectere  libens.      Ades  huc  emissus  ab  atro 
Limite,  cui  soli  cuncta  impetrare  facultas, 
Glaucia  (nam  insontes  animas,  nec  portitor  arcet, 
Nec  dirae  comes  ille  ferae) :   tu  pectora  mulce, 
Tu  prohibe  manare  genas,  noctesque  beatas 
Dulcibus  alloquiis,  et  vivis  vultibus  imple ; 
Et  periisse  nega,  desolatamque  sororem, 
Qui  potes,  et  miseros  perge  insinuare  parentes. 


80 


90 


95 


Sen.  Herc.  Oet.  11 00  '  Quod  natum  est, 
poterit  mori.'  The  reading  in  the  text  is 
far  preferable  to  the  '  habent'  of  several 
editions,  or,  as  in  the  margin  of  one  MS., 
'  Ortus  quidquid  habet.' 

80.  Immensis,  i.  e.  large  enough  to 
hold  us  all.  Statius  has  Horace  in  his 
mind,  Od.  2.  3,  25  foll. ;  Ib.  17,  lo,  and 
other  passages. 

Ulnis,  not  '  umbris,'  as  in  most  MSS., 
is  evidently  the  right  reading  here. 

82.  Lubrica  vitae  :  see  on  Silius  3. 
498  (38)  ;  '  lubricus'  in  this  sense  and 
connection  is  a  favourite  word  with  Ci- 
cero. 

84.  Renuit,  a  happy  emendation  for 
'meruit'  as  in  MSS.  ;  he  was  not  weary 
oflife,  =  non  rogavit;  he  was  not  afraid 
of  death,  =  non  timuit  :  he  was  re- 
signed  to  fate,  hence  non  renuit.  The 
flow  and  point  of  this  striking  sentence 
(imitated,  according  to  Markland,  from 
Seneca  Nat.  Quaest.  6.  32)  would  be  alto- 
gether  marred  by  retaining  (with  Queck) 
'meruit.'  Cp.  5.3,252  '  raperis,  genitor, 
non  indigus  aevi,  Non  nimius ;'  see  also  2. 

2,  127  foU. 

85.  Nos  miseri,  opposed  to  '  hic  felix' 
V.  81.  The  next  words  give  the  reason 
of  the  unhappiness. 

87.  Fatale  sonent.  The  adverbial 
usage  of  the  adjec'.ive  is  frequent  in  Sta- 
tius,  e.  g.  Silv.  2.  2,  137  '  juvenile  calens  :' 

3.  I,  40  '  famulare  timens ;'  Theb,  4.  833 


'  Immortale  tumens  :*  Ib.  lO  '  turmale  fre- 
mit,'  and  man}'  others. 

88.  Sed  ..libens,'well, ifyouwillnot  be 
moved  by  these  comforts  I  olTer  ('  istis,'  sc. 
'  solatiis'  v.  32),  you  shall  consent  to  be  by 
GIaucia's  :'  hence  '  tu'  (v.  91)  is  emphatic. 

89.  Impetrare,  i.  e.  who  alone  can 
obtain  all  you  desire  from  Melior.  The 
infinitive  is  often  used  in  the  poets  where 
the  gerundive  would  be  required  in  prose  : 
see  011  Catull.  62  (64).  366.  '  Facultas'  in 
particular  is  ahvays  used  with  an  infinitive 
by  Statius ;  see  v.  188  of  this  poem,  '  ad- 
scendisse  facultas;'  Theb.  4.  513  '  saevire 
facultas  ;'  Ib.  7.  764  '  devitare  facultas.' 

91.  Comes  ille  ferae,  Orthrus,  ac- 
cording  to  Heinsius'  note  on  Silius  13.  845 
'  illatrat  jejunis  faucibus  Orthrus  Armenti 
quondam  custos  immanis  Hiberi'  (sc.  '  Ge- 
ryones');  he  does  not  however  establish 
the  point  that  Orthrus,  known  as  brother 
of  Cerberus,  was  associated  with  him  also 
as  watch-dog  of  the  Shades.  Barth  pro- 
poses  '  trinae  canis  ille  ferae,"  =  '  Cerberus, 
the  triple-headed  monster-dog, '  a  very 
harsh  circumlocution. 

92.  Beatas,  participial  sense,  ='made 
happy.' 

95.  Qui  potes:  cp.  above,  v.  89  '  cui 
soli  cuncta  impetrare  facultas.'  One  MS. 
has  '  qua  potes.' 

Insinuare  parentes,  sc.  '  menti  Me- 
lioris,'  i.e.  remind  him  of  the  care  he  owes 
to  vour  forlom  sister  and  afHicted  parents. 


STATIUS. 


381 


LXXVIIL 


SILVAE.     LiB.  II.  2. 


1-97. 


'  PoLLii  mei  Villa  Surrentina,  quae  sequitur,  debuit  a  me  vel  in  honorem 
eloquentiae  ejus  diligentius  dici :  sed  amicus  ignovit.'  This  '  very  animated 
poem  of  Statius,'  as  Merivale  styles  it,  contains  a  description  of  Pollius' 
villa,  situated  on  a  low  promontory  west  of  Surrentum,  to  which  the  poet 
had  been  invited  after  his  victory  at  the  literary  contests  of  Naples,  and 
which  he  celebrates  as  being  graced  by  every  beauty  of  nature  and  art. 
See  ]Merivale's  account,  constructed  from  the  materials  of  this  piece :  Hist. 
Empire,  c.  64;  compare  the  description  of  the  '  Villa  Tiburtina'  of  Vo- 
piscus,  Silv.  I.  3,  and  (still  more  nearly  resembling  this)  the  '  Hercules  Sur- 
rentinus'  (Silv.  3.1),  erected  also  by  this  same  PoIIius  (Felix  ?). 

EsT  inter  notos  Sirenum  nomine  muros, 

Saxaque  Tyrrhenae  templis  onerata  Minervae, 

Celsa  Dicarchei  speculatrix  villa  profundi, 

Qua  Bromio  dilectus  ager,  collesque  per  altos 

Uritur,  et  prelis  non  invidet  uva  Falernis.  ;; 

Huc  me  post  patrii  laetum  quinquennia  kistri, 

Cum  stadio  jam  pigra  quies,  canusque  sederet 


1.  Sirenum  .  .  muros,  Surrentum,  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  Bay  of  Naples, 
where  the  memory  of  the  Sirens  was  per- 
petuated  by  a  sanctuary,  and  by  the  rocks 
called  '  Sirenusae  insulae;'  the  name  of 
'  Surrentum '  itself  is  perhaps  connected 
with  '  Siren.'  This  country  and  its  asso- 
ciations  were  familiar  to  Statius,  himself 
a  native  of  Naples  :  cp.  3.  1,64  '  notas 
Sirenum  nomine  rupes.' 

2.  Saxa,  the  '  promontorium  Minervae' 
of  Ov.  M.  15.  709,  the  headland  which 
forms  the  southern  extremity  of  the  bay, 
about  seven  miles  from  the  '  muri  Sire- 
num.' 

Tyrrhenae,  probably  as  introduced  by 
the  Etruscans,  whose  early  connection  with 
Campania  is  well  known. 

Templis  :  the  plural  indicates,  not  se- 
veral  temples,  but  the  sacred  places  and 
enclosures  about  the  one  temple ;  see 
below,  v.  23. 

3.  Dicarchei  .  .  profundi,    i.  e.    the 


'  sinus  Puteolanus,'  Dicaearchus  being  the 
reputed  founder  of  Puteoli,  called  from 
him  by  the  Greeks  AiKaiapxio. ;  see  v.  96 
'  Dicarchi  Moenia.'  On  the  various  forms 
of  his  name  see  Markland  on  v.  96. 

4.  Bromio.  The  Surrentine  wine  is 
often  celebrated  in  the  poets,  as  e.  g.  by 
Ovid  I.  c.  '  Surrentino  generosos  palmite 
colles :'  cp.  3.  5,  102. 

5.  Uritur,  of  the  grape,  '  ripens  with 
the  heat,'  not  with  '  ager.' 

6.  Laetum,  i.e.  after  winning  the  prize 
at  the  quinquennial  contests  held  in  Naples. 
See  Suet.  Octav.  98  '  Mox  Neapolim 
trajecit  et  quinquennale  certamen  g^Tiini- 
cum,  honori  suo  institutum,  perspectavit ;' 
cp.  Id.  Dom.  c.  4.  These  contests  in 
poetry,  rhetoric,  and  music  existed  in  the 
Greek  cities  of  Campania  before  they  were 
introduced  into  Rome  itself. 

Patrii,  '  belonging  to  my  country.' 

7.  Stadio  is,  of  course,  the  arena  at 
Naples. 


382 


STATIUS. 


Pulvis,  ad  Ambracias  conversa  gymnade  frondes, 

Trans  gentile  fretum  placidi  facundia  Polli 

Detulit^  et  nitidae  juvenilis  gratia  Pollae, 

Flectere  jam  cupidum  gressus,  qua  limite  noto 

Appia  longarum  teritur  regina  viarum. 

Sed  juvere  morae.     Placido  lunata  recessu 

Hinc  atque  hinc  curvas  perrumpunt  aequora  rupes  : 

Dat  natura  locum,  montique  intervenit  udum 

Litus,  et  in  terras,  scopulis  pendentibus,  exit. 

Gratia  prima  loci,  gemina  testudine  fumant 

Balnea,  et  e  terris  occurrit  dulcis  amaro 

Nympha  mari ;   levis  hic  Phorci  chorus,  udaque  crines 

Cymodoce,  viridisque  cupit  Galatea  lavari. 

Ante  domum  tumidae  moderator  caerulus  undae 

Excubat,  innocui  custos  laris  j    hujus  amico 

Spumant  templa  salo  :    felicia  rura  tuetur 

Alcides  :    gaudet  gemino  sub  numine  portus  j 

Hic  servat  terras,  hic  saevis  fluctibus  obstat. 


25 


Pigra  quies  (MSS.)  Though  this 
is  a  somewhat  favourite  expression  of  the 
poet's,  who  uses  it  always  iii  a  bad  sense 
(see  I.  6,  91  ;  2.  3,  66  ;  Achill.  i.  43S),  the 
epithet  does  not  seem  to  have  much  mean- 
ing  here  in  reference  to  a  race-course,  hence 
Markland  proposes  '  parta  quies.'  '  Pigra  ' 
must  be  taken  as  denoting  the  absence  of 
hfe  and  motion,  '  quies'  of  sound  and  ac- 
clamation. 

8.  Gymnade,  a  word  introduced  froni 
the  Greek  by  Statius :  '  gymnas'  3.  i.  44. 
The  reference  here  is  to  the  '  Ludi  Actiaci,' 
instituted  by  Augustus,  and  held  at  Nico- 
polis  every  five  years  (Suet.  Octav.  c.  18), 
just  after  the  contes',s  at  Naples. 

10.  Detulit,  '  carried  me  out  of  my 
way,'  as  we  see  from  the  next  Hne. 

Pollae,  another  form  of  the  common 
name  '  PauUa,'  as  Clodius  and  Claudius  ; 
cp.  3.  I,  87.  Lucau's  wife  bore  this 
name. 

15.  Dat  .  .  locum,  '  suppHes  a  place,' 
i.  e.  such  a  site  as  a  man  would  choose  for 
his  villa. 

Udum,  Markland's  emendation  of 
'  unum,'  as  in  most  if  not  all  MSS.,  i.  e. 
a  shore  which  is  covered  at  high  tide,  and 
so  never  quite  dry ;  so  3.  i,  68  '  diem  dum 
litore  ducimus  udo.'  Others  conjecture 
'  uncum'  and  '  imum,' 


l5.  In  terras,  i.  e.  the  damp  shore 
ends  in  dry  ground  overhung  by  rocks  ; 
or  does  it  mean,  '  from  the  shore  a  gorge 
winds  out  through  o'erhanging  rocks  into 
the  open  ground'?  but  this  is  spoken  of 
later,  in  v.  30. 

17.  Gratia,  '  as  the  first  charm  of  the 
spot,  from  beneath  twin  arches  baths  send 
up  their  steam,'  i.  e.  one  of  salt  water,  the 
othcT  fresh  ;  see  3.  I,  loo  '  curvi  tu  litoris 
ora  Clausisti  calidas  gemina  testudine  Nym- 
phas.'  '  Testudo  (testa)'  is  a  vault  or 
grotto  hollowed  out  in  the  rock.  Virgil 
uses  it  for  a  vaulted  roof,  Ae.  I.  505. 

18.  E  terris,  '  the  sweet  fresh  water 
from  the  land  runs  down  to  meet  the 
bitter  briny  wave.' 

19.  Nympha,  i.  e.  the  nymph  of  the 
stream  that  here  ran  down  from  the  hills 
into  the  br>^'. 

21.  Domum,  '  the  bath-chambers.' 
Neptune's  fane  fronts  his  beloved  sea,  so 
near  as  to  be  washed  with  the  spray. 

22.  Innocui,  '  unharmed' by  the  waves, 
as  Virg.  Ae.  10.  302  '  sedere  carinae  Omnes 
innocuae.' 

23.  Rura  tuetur,  i.  e.  the  temple  of 
Hercules,  looking  landward,  watches  the 
country  side :  see  3.  i  :  cp.  Achill.  2.  22 
'  Scyros  erat  placidique  super  Tritonia 
custos  Litoris.' 


STATIUS. 


383 


Mira  quies  pelagi :    ponunt  hic  lassa  furorem 
Aequoraj  et  insani  spirant  clementius  Austri. 
Hic  praeceps  minus  audet  hiems,  nulloque  tumultu 
Stagna  modesta  jacent,  dominique  imitantia  mores. 
Inde  per  obliquas  erepit  porticus  arces, 
Urbis  opus  j    longoque  domat  saxa  aspera  dorso. 
Qua  prius  obscuro  permixti  pulvere  soles, 
Et  feritas  inamoena  viae,  nunc  ire  voluptas  : 
Qualis,  si  subeas  Ephyres  Baccheidos  altum 
Culmen,  ab  Inoo  fert  semita  tecta  Lechaeo. 
Non,  mihi  si  cunctos  Helicon  indulgeat  amnes, 
Et  superet  Pimplea  sitim,  largeque  volantis 
Ungula  se  det  equi,  reseretque  arcana  pudicos 
Phemonoe  fontes,  vel  quos  meus,  auspice  Phoebo, 
Altius  immersa  turbavit  PoUius  urna, 
Innumeras  valeam  species,  cultusque  locorum 
Pieriis  aequare  modis ;   vix  ordine  longo 


30 


.=55 


40 


29.  Modesta,  ■  calm  ;'  an  unusual  sense 
of  the  word,  employed  perhaps  here  the 
better  to  illustrate  the  parallel  that  foUows 
between  the  peaceful  water,  and  the  look 
of  Pollius. 

30.  Inde  .  .  arces,  '  from  the  shore 
along  the  slanting  hill  climbs  a  covered 
colonnade.' 

31.  Urbis  opus  (Virg.  Ae.  5.  II9)  has 
been  taken  to  mean  '  costly  as  a  city  ; ' 
rather,  '  a  work  more  worthy  of  a  city ' 
than  the  villa  of  a  private  individual. 

Longo  .  .  dorso  is,  either,  '  the  rough 
rock  is  tamed  to  form  the  long  smooth 
surface  of  the  covered  way'  (see  a  similar 
use  of  '  dorsum'  4.  3,  44),  or,  '  the  long 
smooth  ridge  of  the  portico  breaks  the 
harshness  of  the  rocks  on  either  side  ;'  the 
former  is  more  probable,  as  depicting  the 
greatness  of  the  work. 

35.  Culmen,  the  famous  Acro-corin- 
thus. 

Lechaeo,  the  port  of  Corinth,  to  which 
Ino  or  Leucothea,  after  throwing  herself 
into  the  sea,  was  said  to  have  been  carried 
on  the  back  of  a  dolphin :  there,  in  her 
honour,  games  were  instituted  by  Sisyphus 
her  kinsman,  then  ruling  over  Corinth : 
so  Theb.  4,  59  '  Inoas  Ephyre  solata  que- 
relas.' 

This  semita  tecta  or  arcade  between 
Corinth  and  Lechaeum  was  one  of  the 
magnificent  works  which  had   been  con- 


structed   after  the  restoration  of  the  city 
by  C.  Julius  Caesar. 

37-  Superet  .  .  sitim  :  cp.  i.  4,  26 
'  Licet  enthea  votis  Excludat  Pimplea 
sitim.' 

38.  Ungula  .  .  equi,  Hippocrene  :  cp. 
7.  4  '  ungulae  hquorem  :'  Persius  Prolog.  I 
'  Nec  fonte  labra  prolui  cabaUino.' 

Se  det,  a  favourite  expression  of 
Statius  :  cp.  I.  I,  42  '  Et  quis  se  totis  Te- 
mese  dedit  hausta  metaUis;'  so  5.3,71, 
and  see  Markland  on  1.4,  49,  vv-here  he 
quotes  from  Ausonius,  Mosella  v.  448  '  Ast 
ego  quanta  mei  dederit  se  vena  liquoris." 

39,  40.  Pudicos  .  .  fontes :  cp.  Theb. 
I.  697  '  rore  pudico  Castaliae,'  where  the 
notion  is  simply  that  of  purity  ;  here  there 
is  also  that  of  virginity,  '  virgin  springs,' 
as  we  should  say,  like  the  '  integros 
fontes'  of  Lucr.  i.  918:    cp.  Virg.  G.  2. 

175- 

Phemonoe  (not  '  Melpomene,'  as 
in  one  MS.),  a  legendary  daughter  of 
ApoUo,  to  whom  the  invention  of  the 
hexameter  verse  is  ascribed.  Some  have 
identified  her  with  the  Cumaean  Sibyl. 
Statius  seems  to  be  the  only  Latin  poet 
who  mentions  her ;  such  parade  of  mytho- 
logical  erudition  is  quite  characteristic  of 
the  sih'er  age. 

42.  Aequare, '  keep  pace  with,'  modis 
being  ablative,  as  Virg.  Ae.  2.  362  '  lacrimis 
aequare  labores.' 


384  STATIUS. 

Suffecere  oculi,  vix,  dum  per  singula  ducor, 

Suffecere  gradus.     Quae  rerum  turba !   locine 

Ingenium,  an  domini  mirer  prius?   haec  domus  ortus  45 

Adspicit,  et  Phoebi  tenerum  jubar;    illa  cadentem 

Detinet,  exactamque  negat  dimittere  lucem, 

Cum  jam  fessa  dies,  et  in  aequora  montis  opaci 

Umbra  cadit,  vitreoque  natant  praetoria  ponto. 

Haec  pelagi  clamore  fremunt,  haec  tecta  sonoros  50 

Ignorant  fluctus,  terraeque  silentia  malunt. 

His  favit  Natura  locis:    his  victa  colenti 

Cessit  et  ignotos  docilis  mansuevit  in  usus. 

Mons  erat  hic,  ubi  plana  vides  ■    et  lustra  fuerunt, 

Quae  nunc  tecta  subis  j   ubi  nunc  nemora  ardua  cernis,     55 

Hic  nec  terra  fuit :    domuit  possessor,  et  illum 

Formantem  rupes,  expugnantemque  secuta 

Gaudet  humus.     Nunc  cerne  jugum  discentia  saxa, 

Intrantesque  domos,  jussumque  recedere  montem. 

Jam  Methymnaei  vatis  manus,  et  chelys  una  60 

Thebais,  et  Getici  cedat  tibi  gloria  plectri : 

Et  tu  saxa  moves,  et  te  nemora  alta  sequuntur. 

Quid  referam  veteres  ceraeque  aerisque  figuras  ? 

Si  quid  Apellei  gaudent  animasse  colores  j 

Si  quid  adhuc  vacua  tamen  admirabile  Pisa  65 

45.  Domus  =  oi'/fJ7/*a,  and  '  tecta' below,  58.  Jugum  discentia,  '  learning  sub- 
V.  50.  '  One  chamber  looks  to  the  east  mission  : '  not  a  well-chosen  metaphor, 
and  the  young  (i.  e.  fresh-risen)  beam  of  especially  as  in  reUtion  to  a  mountain 
Phoebus.'  '  juguni '    would    naturally    have    another 

46.  Adspicit  (MSS.)     Markland  reads  meaning. 

'  prospicit,' the  former  being,  as  he  main-  59.  Intrantesque  . .  montem, '  cham- 

tains,  = '  juxta  videre.'  bers '  or  '  grottoes  advancing  into  the  rock, 

47.  Exactam,  '  refuses  to  part  with  the  and  the  cliff  retiring  at  thy  command,'  '  in- 
expiring  light:'  Markland  quotes  Claudian  trantes' picturesquely  contrasted  with  rece- 
Laus  Ser.  (of  Spain)  42  '  tu  fessos,  exacta  dere.  PolHus  had  cut  away  some  of  the 
luce,  jugales  Proluis.'  cliff  to  enlarge  the  shore  :  see  3.  I,  104  '  et 

49.  Natant,  '  floats  reflected  ;'  so  Theb.  litus,  quod  pandis,  amo.' 

2.  42  (of  Malea)  '  ingens  medio  natat  um-  60.   Methymnaei.      One    old    edition 

bra  profundo.'  has  '  Mitylenaei,'  but  cp.  Martial  8.  51,  15 

Praetoria,used  bySuetonius  and  writers  '  Sic  Methymnaeo  gavisus  Arione  delphin.' 

of  this   period  for  any  patrician   country  Una,  i.  e.  famous  above  all  others :  see 

house  :   see  v.  82  ;   and    1.3,25   '  altemas  on  Catull.  20  (22).  lO.     Markland  would 

servant  praetoria  ripas  :'  cp.  Juv.  I.  75.  read  '  illa.' 

54.   Lustra  :  so  3.  I,  168  '  Naturae  de-  61.   Thebais,  Amphions. 

serta  domas,  et  vertis  in  usum  Lustra  habi-  Getici,   i.  e.   of  Orpheus  :    so   3.  I,  16 

tata  feris.'  '  Tyrione  haec  nioenia  plectro,  An  Getica 

56.  Nec  terra, 'here  was  there  not  even  venere  lyra.' 

earth,'  much  less  woodland ;   for  'nec'=  65.    Adhuc     vacua;     Calderinus     ex- 

•  ne  . .  quidem,'  see  on  Val.  Fl.  7.  130  (28).  plains  this  =  before  he  had  completed  his 


STATIUS. 


385 


Phidiacae  rasere  manus :    quod  ab  arte  Myronis, 

Aut  Polycleteo  jussum  est  quod  vivere  caelo, 

Aeraque  ab  Isthmiacis  auro  potiora  favillis ; 

Ora  ducum,  et  vatum,  sapientumque  ora  priorum, 

Quos  tibi  cura  sequi,  quos  toto  pectore  sentis  70 

Expers  turbarum,  atque  animum  virtute  quieta 

Compositus,  semperque  tuus.     Qujd  mille  revolvam 

Culmina,  visendique  vices  ?   sua  cuique  voluptas, 

Atque  omni  proprium  thalamo  mare  j   transque  jacentem 

Nerea  diversis  servit  sua  terra  fenestris.  75 

Haec  videt  Inarimen,  illi  Prochyta  aspera  paret : 

Armiger  hac  magni  patet  Hectoris :    inde  malignum 

Aera  respirat  pelago  circumflua  Nesis  : 

Inde  vagis  omen  felix  Euploea  carinis, 

Quaeque  ferit  curvos  exerta  Megalia  fluctus.  80 


masterpiece  at  Pisa,  viz.  the  famous  statue 
of  Zfiis  '0\vfinios,  excellent,  though  uii- 
equal  to  his  best  work ;  but  it  is  rather 
'  si  quid  Phidiacis  rasum  manibus  superest 
tamen  adhuc  admirabile  vacua  Pisa,'  i.  e. 
PolHus  has  secured  any  remaining  master- 
pieces  from  plundered  Pisa.  '  Tamen '  = 
in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  taken.  Mark- 
land  conjectures  '  Olympiaca  famae,'  the 
latter  taken  with  '  admirabile,'  as  5.3,  109 
'  famae  obscura.' 

67.  Vivere  caelo  :  cp.  4.  6,  26  '  la- 
boriferi  vivant  quae  marmora  caelo  Praxi- 
tehs,  quod  ebur  Pisaeo  polHce  rasum,  Quod 
Polycleteis  jussum  est  spirare  caminis.' 
Both  '  caelo  '  ('  by  the  chisel ')  and  '  ab 
arte  Myronis '  go  with  '  vivere  ;'  not, '  quod 
(est)  ab  a.  M.' 

68.  Aeraque,  according  to  the  fiction 
which  ascribed  the  origin  of  bronze  to  the 
alloy  made  from  the  melting  of  metals, 
gold  and  brass  in  particular,  at  the  buming 
of  Corinth,  146  B.  c. 

71.  Turbarum,  the  emendation  of 
Markland  for  '  curarum '  (MSS.),  which 
arose  probably  from  a  confusion  with 
'  cura '  in  the  preceding  Hne.  Cp.  SiHus 
12.  502,  where  the  MSS.  give  '  experti 
turbarum.'  Queck  retains  '  curarum'  with 
the  remark,  '  repetitionem  ejusdem  verbi 
Statius  minime  curat.' 

72.  Tuus,  '  ever  self-possessed.'  So 
Cicero  uses  '  suus,'  Fin.  4.  4  '  poterit  sem- 
per  esse  in  disputando  suus.' 

74.  Thalamo  :  cp.  Martial  lo.  51,  9 
'  Et   non    unius    spectator   lectulus    undae 


Qui  videt  hinc  puppes  fluminis  inde  maris.' 

75.  Diversis  servit,  i.  e.  the  windows 
with  various  aspect  (Ht.  '  facing  different 
ways')  have  each  their  own  view  of  the 
land  across  the  smooth  water  appropriated 
to  their  enjoyment.  Markland  quotes 
from  PHny,  Ep.  5.  6  '  piscinam  quae  fene- 
stris  servit  ac  subjacet.'  Compare  the  use 
of '  paret '  in  the  next  Hne. 

76.  Illi,  sc.  '  fenestrae,'  with  paret. 
If  '  ilHc'  or  '  iHinc'  (as  in  most  MSS.)  be 
adopted,  '  paret'  must  be  taken  =  '  apparet.' 

77-  Armiger..Herculis,  '  Misenum  ;' 
see  Virg.  Ae.  6.  166  (of  Misenus)  '  Hec- 
toris  hic  magni  fuerat  comes.' 

Hac  (MSS.)  ;  Markland  proposes  '  hinc  ' 
to  correspond  with  the  following  '  inde.' 

78.  Nesis,  the  island  of '  Nisida,'  once 
the  crater  of  a  volcano,  and  in  the  time  of 
Statius  emitting  sulphureous  vapours ;  so 
Lucan  6.  90  '  taH  spiramine  Nesis  Emittit 
Stygium  nebulosis  aera  saxis.' 

79.  Euploea  :  its  name  evnXoia  was  a 
'  feHx  omen;'  cp.  3.  i,  149  '  Et  placidus 
Limon  omenque  Euploea  carinis,'  two 
rocky  islets  near  Nisida,  owned,  it  would 
appear,  by  PoHius.  The  MSS.  give  '  Eu- 
boea '  or  '  Euboia,'  which  must  mean 
'  Cumae,'  the  colony  from  Chalcis  :  but 
the  paraUel  passage  is  conclusive  in  favour 
of  the  '  Euploea '  of  the  oldest  editions. 

80.  Ferit .  .  fluctus  :  we  should  rather 
have  expected  '  quam  feriunt  fluctus  ;'  the 
idea  must  be  that  '  MegaHa's  high  cliffs 
('  exerta ')  beat  back  the  waves.'  Mark- 
land  would  read  'premit.' 

C  C 


386 


STATIUS. 


85 


Angitur  et  domino  contra  recubante,  proculque 

Surrentina  tuus  spectat  praetoria  Limon. 

Una  tamen  cunctis  procul  eminet  una  diaetis, 

Quae  tibi  Parthenopen  directo  limite  ponti 

Ingerit.     Hic  Graiis  penitus  desecta  metallis 

Saxa :   quod  Eoae  respergit  vena  Syenes  j 

Synnade  quod  maesta  Phrygiae  fodere  secures 

Per  Cybeles  lugentis  agros,  ubi  marmore  picto 

Candida  purpureo  distinguitur  area  gyro. 

Hic  et  Amyclaei  caesum  de  monte  Lycurgi 

Quod  viret,  et  moUes  imitatur  rupibus  herbas. 

Hic  Nomadum  lucent  flaventia  saxa,  Thasosque, 

Et  Chios,  et  gaudens  fluctu  certare  Carystos. 

Omnia  Chalcidicas  turres  obversa  salutant. 

Macte  animo  quod  Graia  probas,  quod  Graia  frequentas 

Arva :    nec  invideant  quae  te  genuere  Dicarchi  96 

Moenia :    nos  docto  melius  potiemur  alumno. 


90 


M  e  g  a  1  i  a ,  (probably  the  same  that  Pliny, 
3.  6,  12,  calls  Megaris)  a  small  island  be- 
tween  Pausilypus  and  Kaples ;  see  Smith 
Dict.  Geography,  '  Megaris.' 

81.  Contra  .  .  proculque,  i.  e.  Limon 
is  jealous  that  Pollius  chose  the  opposite 
site  of  Surrentum  rather  than  herself  for 
his  residence.  Markland  changes  '  procul- 
que'  (MSS.)  into  the  harsh  ending  '  procul 
qui :'  but  this  is  not  necessary,  if  '  spectat,' 
coming  after  '  angitur,'  be  regarded  as 
nearly=' invidet,'  '  gazes  sadly  on  your 
villa  far  ofF  at  Surrentum.' 

83.  Una,  sc.  '  diaeta'  =  ' a  room  :'  see 
Dict.  Antiqq.  '  House  (Roman).'  Mark- 
land  proposes  '  Aute  tamen  cunctas  procul 
eminet  una  diaetas,'  '  una '  being  only  re- 
peated  by  the  poets  in  passages  of  strong 
feeHng.  But  alJ  MSS.  and  oldest  editions 
read  as  in  the  text. 

84.  Directo  limite,  '  which  right 
across  the  deep  conveys  to  you  the  view 
of  Naples.' 

85.  Desecta,  preferable  to  the  '  de- 
lecta'  of  most  MSS.,  '  cut  from  the  heart 
('  penitus')  of  Grecian  mines.' 

87.  Synnade.  Statius  seizes  every  op- 
portunity  for  displaying  his  erudition  about 
marbles  :  cp.  I.  5,  35-42,  and  4.  2,  26, 
where  the  light  marble  streaked  (resper- 


git  here)  with  purple  veins  and  spots,  from 
Phrygia,  is  also  mentioned.  See  a  similar 
passage  in  Martial  9.  76. 

Maesta  refers  probably  to  the  self- 
torturing  rites  practised  in  the  Phrygian 
worship  of  Cybele  ('  lugentis'). 

88,  89.  Ubi  . .  gyro, '  where,  as  though 
it  were  painted,  the  white  ground  of  the 
marble  is  marked  with  dark-red  rings.' 

93.  Fluctu  certare  :  soi.5,  34'un- 
dosa  Carystos :'  the  green  and  white  marble 
of  Carystus  was  the  colour  of  the  waves. 
Weber  adopts  this  correction  of  Salma- 
sius  for  '  fluctus  spectare'  (MSS.),  which 
might  however  mean,  '  fond  of  gazing 
on  the  waves  so  like  itself.'  The  alteration 
is  at  the  same  time  rendered  probable 
by  the  parallel  passage,  4.  2,  28  '  glauca 
certantia  Doride  saxa.' 

94.  Chalcidicas,  of  Naples,  colonized 
from  the  Chalcidic  or  Euboean  city  of 
Cumae,  the  '  tellus  Eubois'  of  i.  2,  263. 

95.  Graia  :  Statius  often  (see  esp.  5. 
3,  II  i)  speaks  of  '  Graia  Parthenope' 
(Silius  8.  533)  ;  he  here  praises  his  friend 
for  preferring  it  to  the  less  foreign  and 
cultivated  Puteoli,  his  birthplace.  In  the 
MSS.  'Graia'  and  '  Grata'  are  here  con- 
fused,  as  at  3.  5,  94 :  see  on  Catull.  64 
(66).  20. 


STATIUS.  387 


LXXIX. 


SILVAE.     LiB.  n.  7.  19-80. 

'  ExcLUDiT  volumen  Genethliacon  Lucani  quod  Polla  Argentaria  claris- 
sima  uxorum,  cum  hunc  diem  forte  consecraremus,  imputari  sibi  voluit.' 
Thus  Statius  prefaces  this  hendecasyllabic  Ode  on  Lucan's  Birthday,  in 
which  he  congratulates  Spain  on  having  given  so  great  a  poet  to  the  world, 
a  sers-ice  not  inferior  to  that  of  Smyrna  or  Mantua.  In  his  infancy,  Cal- 
liope  took  him  to  her  bosom,  and  foretold  his  greatness,  as  a  Roman  poet 
singing  of  Roman  subjects.  His  early  productions  are  carefully  enume- 
rated,  before  he  undertook  his  masterpiece,  the  '  Pharsalia,'  which  he 
finished  at  an  eariier  age  than  Virgil  wrote  his  '  Culex.'  This  wins  for 
him  a  fame  superior  even  to  that  of  the  author  of  the  '  Aeneid,'  as  the 
high-priest  of  the  poetic  choir. 

LucANUM  canimus  :    favete  linguis  : 

Vestra  est  ista  dies  j   favete,  Musae, 

Dum  qui  vos  geminas  tulit  per  artes 

Et  vinctae  pede  vocis  et  solutae, 

Romani  colitur  chori  sacerdos.  S 

Felix  heu  nimis  et  beata  tellus, 

Quae  pronos  Hyperionis  meatus 

Summis  Oceani  vides  in  undis, 

Stridoremque  rotae  cadentis  audis  j 

Quae  Tritonide  fertiles  Athenas  10 

Unctis,  Baetica,  provocas  trapetis : 

Lucanum  potes  imputare  terrisj 


3,  4.  Geminas  . .  artes,  '  the  twin  arts  Tellus,  the  Spanish  province  in  which 

of  speech  by  metre  bound  and  also  free,'  Cordova,    Lucan's    birthplace,    was    situ- 

i.  e.  of  verse  and  prose  ;  cp.  5.  3,  loi  '  Qua  ated. 

fandi    via    lata    patet  :    sive    orsa    libebat  8.   Summis,    '  the    farthest    waters    of 

Aoniis  vincire  modis  seu  voce  soluta  Spar-  ocean:'    cp.  Claudian  Idyll.  I.  I   '  Oceani 

gere.'     Hand   conjectures  '  arces.'     Lucan  summo  circumfluus  aequore  lucus.' 

was  the  author  of  both  Orations  and  Let-  10.  Tritonide,  used  here  in  an  unusual 

ters,  none  of  which  however  have  come  sense  for  the  olive  itself,  '  the  nursling  of 

down  to  posterity.  Pallas  ; '  sLmilarly,   Ovid   and   Martial   use 

6.   Heu.     Marldand  suggests  '  Felix  o  ;'  '  Pallas  '  for  the  olive  and  oil. 

but  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  4.  657,  and  other  places,  11.  Trapetis,   as   in   Virg.  G.  2.  519, 

where  '  heu '  is  naturally  joined  with  '  ni-  '  olive-presses'  or   'oil-mills:'   the   Greek 

mis,'  the  latter  word  expressing  a  kind  of  rpawrjTrjS. 

pensive  feeling,  though  not  actual  grief.  12,   Imputare   terris,  i.e.  reckon  the 

c  c  a 


STATIUS. 

Hoc  plus  quam  Senecam  dedisse  mundo, 

Aut  dulcem  generasse  Gallionem. 

AttoUat  refluos  in  astra  fontes  15 

Graio  nobilior  Melete  Baetis ; 

Baetin,  Mantua,  provocare  noli. 

Natum  protinus  atque  humum  per  ipsam 

Primo  murmure  dulce  vagientem 

Blando  Calliope  sinu  recepit.  20 

Tum  primum  posito  remissa  luctu 

Longos  Orpheos  exuit  dolores, 

Et  dixit :    Puer  o  dicate  Musis, 

Longaevos  cito  transiture  vates, 

Non  tu  flumina,  nec  greges  ferarum,  25 

Nec  plectro  Geticas  movebis  ornos : 

Sed  septem  juga,  Martiumque  Thybrim, 

Et  doctos  Equites,  et  eloquente 

Cantu  purpureum  trahes  Senatum. 

Nocturnas  alii  Phrygum  ruinas,  30 

Et  tarde  reducis  vias  Ulixi, 

Et  puppem  temerariam  Minervae 

Trita  vatibus  orbita  sequantur : 

Tu  carus  Latio,  memorque  gentis 

Carmen  fortior  exeres  togatum.  35 


world   indebted  to  you    for  having   given  28.   Doctos   (MSS.),  '  wise,  intelligent 

birth    to    Lucan.     M.  Seneca    and   Junius  hearers,'  not  merely  senseless  streams  and 

Gallio  were  uncles  to  the  poet,  and,  like  hills.     It  also  expresses  a  contrast  with  the 

him,  natives  of  Cordova.  mob  of  hearers  or  spectators  :  cp.  Hor.  S. 

14.  Dulcem  ;  see  Sen.  Nat.  Quaest.  i.  10,  76;  A.  P.  248;  Ep.  2.  i,  185. 
Praef.  Lib.  4  '  Gallionem,  fratrem  meum,  Markland's  conjecture,  '  celsos,'  involves 
quem  nemo  non   parum  amat,  etiam   qui  needlessly  a  violent  change. 

amare  plus  non  potest.'  32.   Puppeni  .  .  Minervae,  the  Argo  ; 

15.  Refluos,  '  with  course  reversed,'  see  Catull.  62  (64).  9,  10.  Statius  refers 
i.  e.  instead  of  flowing  downward  to  the  to  Apollonius  Rhodius  and  his  Latin  imi- 
sea,  or  '  forced  back  by  the  sea;'  see  on  tator  or  translator,  Terentius  Varro  Ata- 
Val.  Fl.  8.  90  (23).  The  'Meles'  that  cinus,  praised  by  Ovid  (Amor.  i.  15,  21) 
flows  by  Smyrna  was  associated  with  the  '  Varronem  primamque  ratem  quae  nesciat 
legendary  birthplace  of  Homer  ;    cp.  3.  3,  aetas  :'  cp.  Ars  Am.  3.  335. 

61  '  potusque  verendo  Fonte  Meles.'  34.  Carus.    The  best  MS.  gives  'canis' 

18.   Humum     per     ipsam  :     even    as  ='cantor  es,'  '  thou  art  Latium's  bard:' 

he  crawled  on  the  ground,  his  infant  cries  cp.  v.  62. 

were  sweet  and  musical.  35.   Fortior:    so  Theb.  I.  32   '  fortior 

22.    Orpheos  .  .  dolores,    '  her    long  oestro  Facta  canam.' 

mourning    for    Orpheus '    her    son.     '  Or-  Exeres   togatum,  '  bolder   than   they 

pheos,' the  Greek,  and 'Orphei,' the  Latin,  shalt  thou  put  forth  a  national  lay,'  i.e. 

forms  of  the  genitive,  are  used  indiscrimi-  a  poem  on  a  Roman  theme  ;  compare  the 

nately  by  the  poets :   so  '  Theseos,'  '  Pen-  phrase    '  fabula    togata,'    as    distinguished 

theos,'  etc.  from    the    '  palliata,'    or    Greek    style    of 


STATIUS. 


389 


Ac  primum  teneris  adhuc  in  annis 
Ludes  Hectora,  Thessalosque  currus, 
Et  supplex  Priami  potentis  aurum. 
Tu  sedes  reserabis  Inferorum, 
Ingratus  Nero  dulcibus  theatris 
Et  noster  tibi  proferetur  Orpheus. 
Dices  culminibus  Remi  vagantes 
Infandos  domini  nocentis  ignes. 
Tu  castae  titulum  decusque  Pollae 
Jucunda  dabis  allocutione. 
Mox,  coepta  generosior  juventa, 
Albos  ossibus  Italis  Philippos, 
Et  Pharsalica  bella  detonabis, 
Quod  fulmen  ducis  inter  arma  divi, 
Libertate  gravem  pia  Catonem, 


40 


45 


5° 


comedy.  'Exeres'  seems  a  necessary  al- 
teration  from  the  'exeris'  of  the  MSS., 
to  harmonize  with  '  movebis,'  '  trahes,' 
'  ludes,'  etc. 

37-  Ludes  Hectora  :  '  Ludere'  is  often 
used  with  accus.  of  poetic  compositions, 
e.  g.  Virg.  G.  4.  565.  Lucan's  earliest 
effort  seems  to  have  been  a  poem  on  the 
Death  and  Ransom  of  Hector. 

T  h  e  s  s  a  1  o  s,  Achilles'  chariot,  after  which 
Hector  was  dragged. 

39.  Reserabis,  alluding  to  Lucan's 
poem  on  Orpheus,  whom  (in  v.  41)  Cal- 
liope,  as  his  mother,  naturally  calls  'noster.' 
Markland,  from  a  passage  of  an  old  Scho- 
liast  on  the  Thebaid  (9.  224),  conjectures 
the  poem  to  have  been  called  '  Orpheus 
Catachthonius.' 

40.  Ingratus  .  .  theatris.  This  line 
comes  in  very  awkwardly  here,  though 
there  is  nothing  to  justify  Markland's  sug- 
gested  elimination  of  it  altogether.  We 
must  suppose  that  a  panegyric  on  Nero 
was  brought  out  by  Lucan  about  the  same 
time  as  his  piece  on  Orpheus ;  '  thy  praises 
of  the  thankless  Nero,  and  thy  lay  on  my 
darling  Orpheus,  shall  next  be  brought  on 
the  stage  I  love  :'  but  the  epithet  '  dulci- 
bus'  is  very  flat.  '  Theatris'  must  be  taken 
with  '  proferetur,'  not  with  '  ingratus  : '  the 
reference  is  to  the  quinquennial  contests. 
See  the  '  Vita  Lucani,'  ascribed  to  Sueto- 
nius,  at  the  beginning  :  '  ]\L  Annaeus  Lu- 
canus  Cordubensis  prima  ingenii  experi- 
menta  in  Neronis  laudibus  dedit  quinquen- 
nali  certamine.'     Nothing  is  to  be  said  for 


the  interpretation,  '  Nero  will  be  no  more 
welcome  on  the  stage,  when  the  character 
of  our  Orpheus  shall  be  brought  forward 
by  you.'  Heinsius  conjectures  '  Nec  noster 
tibi  praeferetur  Orpheus  ;'  but  '  proferetur' 
is  in  the  best  MSS. ;  and  the  verb  is  often 
used  of  public  exhibitions. 

43.  Domini  .  .  ignes,  i.  e.  the  burning 
of  Rome  in  a.d.  64,  which  Statius,  in 
common  with  Pliny  and  Suetonius  (Nero, 
c.  38),   ascribes   to   Nero  ;    cp.  Tac.  Ann. 

15- 44- 

44.  Pollae  :  his  last  boyish  production 
was  to  be  a  love-poem  ('  allocutio  spon- 
salis')  to  his  future  wife,  PoIIa  (or  '  Paulla') 
Argentaria  :  see  below,  v.  82-86  of  this 
Ode.  Martial  often  mentions  her  with 
similar  praise,  e.  g.  7.  21  and  23  ;    10.  64. 

47.  Philippos  :  Statius,  like  most  of 
the  Roman  poets,  imagining  the  battles  of 
Philippi  and  Pharsalia  to  have  been  fought 
on  the  same  spot ;  see  Merivale's  note, 
(Hist.  Rom.)  end  of  ch.  27. 

48.  Detonabis,  '  thunder  forth.'  Usu- 
ally  it  means  '  to  thunder  violently,'  or  '  to 
cease  thundering.'  Silius  (17.  202)  first 
uses  it  in  the  sense  of  the  text. 

49.  Ducis  .  .  divi,  C.  Julius  Caesar  ;  cp. 
I.  I,  24  '  Primus  iter  nostris  ostendit  in 
aethera  divis.'  See  the  famous  comparison 
of  him  to  a  flash  of  lightning,  in  Lucan  i. 
151  foll.  Good  MSS.  give  '  quo  fulmen,' 
whence  Markland  conjectures  'quod'  = 
'  quale  :'  others  have  '  et.' 

50.  Libertate,  '  Cato  revered  for  his 
duty-loving  independence.' 


39° 


STATIUS. 

Et  gratum  popularitate  Magnum. 

Tu  Pclusiaci  scelus  Canopi 

Deflebis  pius,  et  Pharo  cruenta 

Pompeio  dabis  altius  sepulcrum. 

Haec  primo  juvenis  canes  sub  aevo,  55 

Ante  annos  Culicis  Maroniani. 

Cedet  Musa  rudis  ferocis  Enni 

Et  docti  furor  arduus  Lucreti, 

Et  qui  per  freta  ducit  Argonautas, 

Et  qui  corpora  prima  transfigurat.  60 

.Quin  majus  loquor :    ipsa  te  Latinis 

Aeneis  venerabitur  canentem. 


LXXX. 

SILVAE.     LiB.  IIL  5. 

*  SuMMA  est  Ecloga  qua  mecum  secedere  Neapolim  Claudiam  meam 
exhortor.  Hic,  si  verum  dicimus,  sermo  est ;  equidem  securus,  ut  cum 
uxore,  et  qui  persuadere  malit,  quam  placere.'  Statius  in  this  poem  tries 
to  induce  his  wife  to  settle  with  him  at  Naples.  Her  heart  is  in  Rome, 
but  not  attracted  to  it  by  any  unla^vful  passion  or  over-fondness  for  its 
pleasures  and  excitements,  She  has  always  been  devoted  to  her  husband 
from  the  first  days  of  their  early  marriage,  sympathizing  with  his  labours, 
successes,  and  failure.  Her  tenderness  of  heart  was  shewn  in  the  faithful 
memory  she  cherishes  for  her  former  husband,  and  her  motherly  care  of 
his  child.  Like  the  ancient  heroines,  she  should  be  ready  to  follow  her 
lord,  especially  to  so  charming  a  spot  as  Naples,  where  she  would  find  a 
suitor  for  her  daughter,  and  would  have  all  the  beauties  of  Art  and  Nature 
to  enjoy. 

51.  Popularitate, '  loved  for  his  pleas-  59.  Ducit,  Markland's  emendation  for 
ing  manners;'  see  Lucan  I.  132  '  totus  'duxit'  (MSS.),  which  ill  agrees  with 
popularibus  auris  Impelli.'  '  transfigurat,'  unless  possibly  the  difference 

52.  Scelus  Canopi^Pompey^s  murder  :  of  tense  may  indicate  that  Varro's  poem  is 
see  Ib.  8.  610  foll.  older  than  Ovid's.       This  usage,  whereby 

56.  Ante  annos.     Compare  the  anec-  '  poetae  facere  dicuntur  quae  facta  descri- 

dote   mentioned   in   the  '  vita   Lucani '  of  bunt,'  is  well  known. 

Suetonius :  '  tantae  levitatis  et  tam  immo-  60.  Transfigurat.     The  present  tense 

deratae  linguae  fuit,  ut  in  praefatione  qua-  in  these  cases  supposes  the  deed  to  be  con- 

dam    aetatem   et   iaitia   sua   cum  Virgilio  stantly  going  on,  because  the  book  record- 

comparans   ausus   sit  dicere :    et   quantum  ing  it  is  constantly  being  read  :  cp.  Persius 

mihi  restat  ad  Culicem.'  4.  2  '  tollit.' 


STATIUS.  391 

QuiD  mihi  maesta  die,  sociis  quid  noctibus,  uxor, 

Anxia  pervigili  ducis  suspiria  cura  ? 

Non  metuo,  ne  laesa  fides  aut  pectore  in  isto 

Alter  amor :    nullis  in  te  datur  ire  sagittis 

(Audiat  infesto  licet  haec  Rhamnusia  vultu),  s 

Non  datur  -,   et  si  egomet  patrio  de  litore  raptus 

Quatuor  emeritis  per  bella,  per  aequora,  lustris 

Errarem,  tu  mille  procos  intacta  fugares  • 

Non  interscctas  commenta  retexere  telas, 

Sed  sine  fraude  palam,  thalamosque  armata  negasses.     10 

Dic  tamen,  unde  alta  mihi  fronte  et  nubila  vultus  ? 

Anne  quod  Euboicos  fessus  remeare  penates 

Auguror,  et  patria  senium  componere  terra  ? 

Cur.  hoc  triste  tibi  ?    certe  lascivia  cordi 

Nulla,  nec  aut  rapidi  mulcent  te  proelia  Circi,  15 

Aut  intrat  sensus  clamosi  turba  theatri ; 

Sed  probitas  et  opaca  quies  et  sordida  nunquam 

Gaudia.     Quas  autem  comitem  te  rapto  per  undas  ? 

Quanquam  et  si  gelidas  irem  mansurus  ad  Arctos, 

Vel  super  Hesperiae  vada  caligantia  Thules,  20 

Aut  septemgemini  caput  haud  penetrabile  Nili, 

Hortarere  vias.     Etenim  tua  (nempe  benigna 

I.    Qiiid    mihi,  '  why    prythee?'    the  bata,'  =  ' though  bereaved  "of  your  lord.' 

dativus  ethicus,  as  below,  v.  II.  II.    Alta,  in  the  best  MSS.,  not  'alia' 

4.  Sagittis,  as  often  in  Ovid,  for  the  (Markland),  used  for  '  deep,'  '  unintelli- 
arrows  of  Love.  gible,'  '  ominous.'     Tac.  Ann.  3.44  has  in 

5.  See  on  Catull.  62(64).  71  '  Pace  tua  a  like  sense  '  altitudine  animi:'  but  this 
hic  fari  liceat,  Rhamnusia  virgo:'  Nemesis  hardly  justifies  the  application  of  the  ad- 
is  meant.  jective  to  '  frons.' 

7,  Emeritis   .  .  lustris :  see  note  on  Nubila  vultus :  so  4.  2,  41  '  tranquil- 

Ov.  M.  15.  186  and   226;    in    the    latter  lum  vultus,'  not  '  vultu,'  as  some  read  in 

passage  '  emeritis  annis'  is  found  in  some  both   passages.     Ovid  however  has  '  toto 

MSS.     Markland  would  change  here  into  nubila  vultu'  M.  5.  512. 
'  emensis,' but  unnecessarily.  12.  Euboicos,  i.e.  Naples ;  see  on   2. 

9.  Intersectas,    '  not     feigning     (like  2,94. 

Penelope)  to  weave  anew  the  web  she  had  14.   Cordi,    '  suits    your   taste  :'    most 

cut   in   the    midst.'      '  Intertextas'   would  MSS.  however  give  '  corde.' 

have  no  meaning  unless  joined  with  some  16.    Turba.      Markland    would    alter 

noun  denoting  with  what  the  threads  were  needlessly  into  '  cura,'  comparing  Prop.  3. 

crossed.  7  (^-  16),  33  '  Tot   jam   abiere  dies,  cum 

Retexere    is   used  more  often  in  the  me  nec  cura  theatri,  Nec  tetigit  Campi  : ' 

sense  of  '  unweaving,'  (see  Ov.  Amor.  3.  g,  see  on  2.  2,  71. 

30)    than    of  '  weaving    afresh ; '    hence  17.  Opaca   quies,  '  sequestered  ease:' 

Imhof  (reading  '  imperfectas')  would  take  we   have    the    same    expression   Theb.  4. 

it,  '  not  contriving  to  unravel  the  web  so  42.^. 

that  it  may  continue  uniinished.'  22.   Hortarere   vias,  i.e.  so  far  from 

10.  Armata,  carrj'ing  out  the  idea  of  being  loath  to  follow  me,  you  would  en- 
'  fugares,'  v.  8  ;  Markland  conjectures  '  or-  courage  the  journey  ;  see  v.  i  lO :  it  could 


392 


STATIUS. 


Quam  mihi  sorte  Venus  junctam  florentibus  annis 
Servet  et  in  senium),  tua  (quae  me  vulnere  primo 
Intactum  thalamis,  et  adhuc  juvenile  vagantem  25 

Fixisti),  tua  frena  libens  docilisque  recepi ; 
Et  semel  insertas  non  mutaturus  habenas 
Usque  premo.     Ter  me  nitidis  Albana  ferentem 
Dona  comis  sanctoque  indutum  Caesaris  auro 
V^isceribus  complexa  tuis ;    sertisque  dedisti  30 

Oscula  anhela  meis.     Tu,  cum  Capitolia  nostrae 
Infitiata  lyrae,  saevum  ingratumque  dolebas 
Mecum  victa  Jovem  :    tu  procurrentia  primis 
Carmina  nostra  sonis,  motasque  in  murmura  voces 
Aure  rapis  vigili :    longi  tu  sola  laboris  35 

Conscia,  cumque  tuis  crevit  mea  Thebais  annis. 
Qualem  te  nuper  Stygias  prope  raptus  ad  undas, 
Cum  jam  Lethaeos  audirem  comminus  amnes, 
Adspexi !   tenuique  oculos  jam  morte  cadentes. 
Scilicet  exhausti  Lachesis  mihi  tempora  fati  40 

Te  tantum  miserata  dedit,  superique  potentes 


never  be  taken  passively,  '  you  might  then 
be  encouraged  to  go  with  me.' 

Etenim.     One  MS.  has  '  ^^^    mens,' 

=  the  same  heart  as  when  I  wedded  you. 

23.  Sorte  (not  '  forte')  is  the  true 
reading,  'sors'  (as  in  'consors')  being  the 
technical  term  in  this  relation. 

24.  Servet,  optative,  better  than  the 
'  servat'  of  one  MS. 

Tua  (  =  '  tui,  quae'  etc),  like  the  pre- 
ceding  '  tua '  v.  22,  goes  with  '  frena ' 
V.  26. 

25.  Juvenile  vagantem,  '  the  roving 
fancies  of  youth;'  so  2.  2,  137  '  juvenile 
calentem.'  For  the  adverbial  use  of  the 
adjective  see  note  on  2.  I,  87. 

28.  Nitidis  was  changed  into  the  '  vi- 
disti '  of  some  texts  from  it  not  being  per- 
ceived  that  '  complexa'  ('es')  governed 
*  me.'  These  were  the  annual  contests 
founded  by  Domitian  at  his  Alban  villa  in 
honour  of  Minerva  (Suet.  Dom.  4),  in 
which  the  'dona'  or  '  prizes'  were  '  oak- 
leaves  of  gilded  metal ; '  hence  '  nitidis 
comis,'  not,  as  usual,  '  essenced  hair.' 
Cp.  4.  2,  65-67. 

31,  32.  Capitolia,  (see  v.92)  the  quin- 
quennial  contests  (or  Agon  CapitoHnus) 
instituted  by  Domitian  to   commemorate 


the  rebuilding  of  the  Capitol.  Statius 
again  refers  to  his  failure  in  5.  3,  232  '  Et 
fugit  speratus  honos,  cum  Lustra  parentis 
Invida  Tarpeii  canerem  :'  hence  '  ingratum 
Jovem'v.  33. 

32.  Infitiata,  sc.  'dona'  or  'honorem,' 
implied  in  the  pre^nous  lines,  '  refused  its 
guerdon  to  my  lyre.' 

34.  Motasque  in  murmura  voces, 
'  low,  half-uttered  words,'  Heinsius'  cor- 
rection  for  the  '  totasque  in  murmure 
noctes'  of  the  mutilated  MSS.,  which  could 
hardly  mean  '  the  fruits  of  night-long  re- 
hearsals  :'  'noctes'  might  have  been  sug- 
gested  by  '  vigili.'  Cp.  2.  i,  104  '  motas 
etiam  tum  in  murmura  voces.'  Queck  has 
'  mutasque  in  murmure  voces.' 

37.  Prope,  found  in  a  few  MSS.,  like 
Horace's  '  prope  funeratus,'  seems  the  best 
reading  for  '  modo,'  which  after  '  nuper '  is 
superfluous. 

Umbras  (in  one  MS.)  is  preferable  to 
'undas,'  as  not  anticipating  the  idea  of  the 
following  line  :  cp.  Achill.  I.  630  '  Stygias- 
que  procul  jam  raptus  ad  umbras.' 

40.  Tempora  fati.  Markland  quotes 
Val.  Fl.  3.  379  '  Sortitusque  breves  et  par\n 
tempora  fati  Perpetimur.' 

41.  Tantum,'onlyout  of  pity  foryou:' 
for  your  sake  alone  I  was  spared. 


STATIUS. 


393 


Invidiam  timuere  tuam  :   post  ista  propinquum 

Nunc  iter  optatosque  sinus  comes  ire  moraris  ? 

Heu  ubi  nota  fides  totque  explorata  per  usus, 

Qua  veteres  Latias  Graiasque  heroidas  aequas  ?  45 

Isset  ad  Iliacas  (quid  enim  deterret  amantes  ?) 

Penelope  gavisa  domos,  si  passus  Ulixes. 

Questa  est  Aegiale,  questa  est  Meliboea  relinqui, 

Et  quamquam  saevi  fecerunt  Maenada  planctus. 

Nec  minor  his  tu  nosse  fidem,  firmamque  maritis  50 

Reddere :   sic  certe  cineres,  umbramque  priorem 

Quaeris  adhuc ;   sic  exequias  amplexa  canori 

Conjugis,  ingentes  iterasti  pectore  planctus, 

Jam  mea.     Nec  pietas  alia  est  tibi  curaque  natae : 

Sic  ut  mater  amas,  sic  nunquam  corde  recedit  55 

Nata  tuo ;    fixamque  animi  penetralibus  imis 

Nocte  dieque  tenes :    non  sic  Trachinia  nidos 

Alcyone  veros,  non  sic  Philomela  penates 


43.  Optatos,  (not '  optandos,')  found  in 
most  MSS.  ;  like  '  propinquum,'  it  con- 
trasts  near  and  pleasant  Naples  with  the 
distant  and  painful  journey  to  Thule,  etc, 
V.  20. 

45.  Observe  the  unpleasant  sigmatism 
of  this  line,  which  seems  to  be  in  part  imi- 
tated  from  Ov.  Amor.  2.  4,  33  '  Tu  quia 
tam  longa  es,  veteres  Heroidas  aequas.' 
Markland  proposes  to  substitute  '  Graium' 
for  '  Graias.' 

48.  Aegiale,  wife  of  Diomede  ;  Statius 
overlooks  her  noted  unchastity. 

Meliboea,  said  to  have  been  the  wife 
of  Philoctetes,  though  never  mentioned  by 
Sophocles  or  any  ancient  writer  as  such. 

49.  Q_uamquam  .  .  planctus,  '  and 
whomsoever  beside  these  love's  wild  re- 
grets  drove  to  madness,'  such  as  Dido  and 
Ariadne,  the  latter  of  whom  Gronovius 
supposes  is  meant  by  '  Maenada'  =  the 
spouse  of  Bacchus.  'Quamquam'  here  is 
not,  as  many  take  it,  the  conjunction,  but 
the  accus.  of  the  pronoun  '  quisquis,' 
though  such  a  fomi  occurs  rarely,  if  ever, 
elsewhere.  Markland's  conjecture  is  wholly 
unsatisfactory,  '  Et  cujus  saevi  ferierunt 
Maenala  planctus,'  referring  to  some  ima- 
ginary  wife. 

50.  Minor  .  .  nosse,  poetical  use  of 
the  infinitive,  where  the  gerund  would  be 
used  in  prose ;  so  Hor.  S.  2.  3,  313  '  tanto 
certare  minorem ;'  where  see  Bentley's 
note:  cp.  Lucan  9.  189(24). 


Nosse  fidem,  like  the  use  of  ddiyai 
in  the  Homeric  phrases  <pi\a,  dpria,  Tjiria 

flSbJS. 

51.  Priorem.  Claudia  had  been  the 
widow  of  a  musician  when  Statius  married 
her:  hence  'canori'  in  the  next  line,  and 
see  v.  64. 

52.  Exequias  amplexa,  explained  by 
5.  I,  40  '  quod  diligis  umbram  Et  colis 
exequias,'  '  cherishing  the  relics  of  your 
music-Ioving  lord,'  or  simply,  '  cherishing 
the  thought  of  your  buried  husband.'  The 
former  meaning  is  more  probable  ;  though 
such  a  use  of  '  exequiae'  is  not  found  in 
prose  till  Eutropius,  it  may  have  existed 
naturally  enough  in  the  poetry  of  Statius' 
day. 

53.  Iterasti  (MSS.)  refers  probably  to 
some  funeral  commemoration  of  her  first 
husband  after  her  marriage  with  Statius. 
Markland  conjectures  '  iteras  de  ; '  '  pec- 
tore'  however  can  stand  without  the  pre- 
position. 

55.  Sic  ut  mater  :  the  daughter  here 
spoken  of  was,  according  to  Markland, 
only  a  step-daughter  of  Claudia,  the  child 
of  her  first  husband  by  a  former  wife  ; 
but,  as  the  best  MSS.  give  '  sic  et'  here,  it 
is  possible  that  the  poet  is  referring  to  a 
daughter  of  his  own,  which  he  had  by 
Claudia. 

57,  58.  Nidos  . .  veros,  '  her  own  nest- 
lings,'  not,  as  in  your  case,  where  the 
daughter    you    love    is    the    offspring    of 


394 


STATIUS. 


Circuit  amplectens  animamque  in  pignora  transfert. 

Et  nunc  illa,  tenet  viduum  quod  sola  cubile,  60 

Otia  jam  pulchrae  terit  infecunda  juventae  : 

Sed  venient  plenis,  venient  connubia,  taedis. 

Sic  certe  formaeque  bonis  animique  meretur : 

Sive  chelyn  complexa  ferit,  seu  voce  paterna 

Discendum  Musis  sonat  et  mea  carmina  flectit,  65 

Candida  seu  molli  diducit  brachia  motu  j 

Ingenium  probitas,  artemque  modestia  vincit. 

Nonne  leves  pueros,  non  te,  Cytherea,  pudebat 

Hoc  cessare  decus  ?     Nec  tantum  Roma  jugales 

Conciliare  toros  festasque  accendere  taedas  70 

Fertilis :   et  nostra  generi  tellure  dabuntur. 

Non  adeo  Vesuvinus  apex  et  flammea  diri 

Montis  hiems  trepidas  exhausit  civibus  urbes  : 

Stant,  populisque  vigent.     Hic  auspice  condita  Phoebo 


another  ;  'veros'  is  the  admirable  emenda- 
tion  by  Markland  of  theunmeaning  'nervos' 
(or  'vernos')  of  the  MSS.  On  the  other 
supposition  of  Claudia  being  the  mother, 
and  not  the  step-mother,  Imhof  reads 
'  vemos,'  joining  it  with  '  penates.'  '  Ni- 
dos'  as  in  Virg.  Ae.  12.  475  '  Pabula  parva 
legens,  nidisque  loquacibus  escas:'  cp.  id. 
G.  4.  17.  Halcyone  was  the  wife  of  Ceyx, 
prince  of  Trachis. 

59.  Circuit.  Statius  is  thinking  of 
Virg.  E.  6.  80  '  et  quibus  ante  InfeHx  sua 
tecta  supervoHtaverit  aHs.' 

Pignora  as  often  = ' offspring,'  referring 
to  Itys ;  for  the  confused  versions  of  the 
story  see  Prof.  Conington's  note  1.  c. 

61.  Infecunda,  to  be  taken  with  'iHa,' 
not  with  '  otia.'  These  two  Hnes  had 
been  much  disfigured  by  the  transcribers, 
till  Markland  restored  the  true  text  as 
given  above,  though  he  needlessly  substi- 
tutes  '  tam'  for  '  jam'  (MSS.). 

62.  Plenis,  '  rich,  abundant,'  opp.  to 
'viduum'  V.  60 ;  or  Statins  may  have  in 
his  mind  VirgiTs  '  plenis  nubihs  annis ' 
Ae.  7-  53-  Markland  afFects  not  to  under- 
stand  the  phrase,  and  changes  into  '  festis,' 
as  written  '  phestis,'  just  as  two  Hnes  below 
'  ferit,'  written  '  pherit,'  was  altered  into 
'  petit :'  see  v.  70. 

64.  Paterna,  '  the  voice  she  inherited 
from  her  sire,'  as  4.4,  75  '  virtute  paterna.' 
JuvenaFs  words  (7.82)  'Curritur  ad  vocem 
jucundam'  are  strongly  in  favour  of  Statius 
being  meant  here. 


65.  Discendum,  i.  e.  that  the  Muses 
might  condescend  to  learn.  Markland 
would  read  either  '  livendum'  =  to  be  en- 
vied  by  the  Muses,  or  'dicendum'  in  imi- 
tatioii  of  Hor.  Od.  4.  9,  2  r. 

Flectit,  '  sets  to  music  the  words  of 
my  songs :'  so  Lucr.  5. 1403  '  flectere  can- 
tus : '  cp.  Pliny  Ep.  4.19'  Versus  quidem 
meos  cantat  formatque  cithara.' 

66.  Diducit,  '  waves  her  parted  arms' 
in  harmony  with  the  measures  of  the 
dance  :  that  art,  as  practised  by  the  ancients, 
consisting  as  much  of  the  skilful  motion 
of  the  arms  {xiipovoiJ.ia)  as  of  the  feet : 
cp.  Hor.  Od.  2.  12,  17.  Statius  imitates 
Prop.  3.  14  (2.  22),  5  '  Sive  aliquis  niolli 
diducit  candida  gestu  Brachia.'  In  both 
passages  '  diducit'  is  preferable  to  '  de- 
ducit.' 

68.  Pudebat  :  one  MS.  reads  '  pu- 
debit ; '  but  Statius  does  not  expect  her 
to  remain  single  for  the  future :  see 
V.  62. 

69.  Hoc  cessare  decus,  '  that  this 
jewel  should  lie  neglected.' 

70.  71.  Conciliare  . .  fertilis,  poetical 
use  of  infinitive  for  the  gerund,  or  the 
noun  = '  fertilis  conciliatione  tororum.'  Cp. 
Virg.  G.  1.  284  '  feHx  ponere.' 

72.  Vesuvinus  apex,  alluding  to  the 
great  eruption  in  a.d.  79  during  the  youth 
of  Statius,  of  which  he  speaks  in  4.  4,  79 
foll.  Perhaps  we  should  read  '  Vesvinus,' 
formed  from  '  Vesvius'  4.  4,  79,  and  elsc- 
where. 


STATIUS. 


395 


Tecta,  Dicarchci  poilus,  et  litora  mundo  75 

Hospita ;   et  hic  magnae  tractus  imitantia  Romae 

Quae  Capys  advcctis  implevit  mocnia  Teucris. 

Nostra  quoque  haud  propriis  tenuis,  nec  rara  colonis 

Parthenope ;    cui  mite  solum  trans  aequora  vectae 

Ipse  Dionaea  monstravit  Apollo  columba.  80 

Has  ego  te  sedes  (nam  nec  mihi  barbara  Thrace, 

Nec  Libye  natale  solum)  transferre  laboro : 

Quas  et  mollis  hiems,  et  frigida  temperat  aestas  j 

Quas  imbelle  fretum  torpentibus  alluit  undis. 

Pax  secura  locis  et  desidis  otia  vitae,  85 

Et  nunquam  turbata  quies,  somnique  peracti. 

NuUa  foro  rabies,  aut  strictae  jurgia  leges 

Norunt :   jura  viris  solum  et  sine  fascibus  aequum. 

Quid  nunc  magniticas  species  cultusque  locorum, 

Templaque  et  innumeris  spatia  interstincta  columnis,   90 

Et  geminam  molem  nudi  tectique  theatri, 

Et  Capitolinis  Qiiinquennia  proxima  lustris ; 


75.  Tecta,  Cumae. 
Dicarchei,  Puteoli :  see  on  2.  2,  3. 
Mundo,  preferable  to  the  'mundi'  of 

the  MSS.,  '  shores  that  bid  welcome  to  the 
world,'  and  therefore  not  likely  to  be  de- 
populated.  '  Mundi  hospita,'  according  to 
Markland,  who  quotes  5.  3,  168,  Mar- 
tial  10.  26,  4  etc,  means  not  '  host  of  the 
world,'  as  might  seem  equally  natural,  but 
'  welcomed  to  or  received  by  the  world.' 
The  genitive  could  hardly  be  taken  with 
'  litora,'  =  '  shores  that  are  the  property  of 
the  world.' 

76.  Tractus,  lit.  the  lines  drawn  by,  = 
the  '  extent'  of  Rome  :  so  Livy  has  '  trac- 
tus  castrorum'  3.  28,  i.  See  Virg.  Ae. 
10.  145. 

78.  Haud  propriis  tenuis,  'not  scanty 
in  citizens  of  its  own,  nor  thin  in  the  num- 
ber  of  foreign  settlers.'  The  MSS.  give 
'  et,'  mistaken  perhaps  for  '  aut,'  as  '  haud' 
was  sometimes  written ;  Imhof  however 
would  retain  'et'  =  'Naples  is  both  too 
small  to  hold  its  own:'  the  dative,  as  in 
Theb.  1.  56  '  angustaque  Tartara  poenis  : ' 
but  this  seems  doubtful  to  me. 

79.  Cui  ;  Parthenope,  the  Siren,  was 
always  honoured  at  Naples  as  the  reputed 
founder  of  the  city.  For  the  legend  about 
the  dove  see  4.  4,  47  and  Vell.  Paterc.  i,  4 
(quoted  b}'  Markland)  '  Hujus  classis  cur- 
sum  esse  directum  alii  columbae  antece- 
dentis  volatu  ferunt :  .  .  pars  horum  civium 


magno  post  intervallo  Neapolim  condidit.' 
Cp.  Theb.  7.  664  '  haec  omine  dextro 
Moenia  Cirrhaea  monstravit  ApoIIo  ju- 
venca  : '  hence  '  columba '  here  is  prefer- 
able  to  the  '  columbae'  of  the  MSS. 

86.  Peracti,  '  slept  out,'  '  undisturbed,' 
like  'tota  quies'  1. 1,  41.  Cp.  Ov.  M.  15. 
711  '  in  otia  natam  Parthenopen.'  Two 
MSS.  have  '  parati,'  '  easy,  ready  slum- 
bers.' 

87,  88.  Aut  strictae  .  .  norunt,  '  nor 
sharp-edged  laws  become  familiar  with 
strife;'  '  Leges  .  .  norunt'  is  Markland's 
correction  of  the  '  legis,  Morum  jura  viris ' 
etc.  found  in  most  previous  editions,  which 
however  might  mean,  '  no  strifes  kindled 
by  harsh  law,  but  men's  righteous  ways 
(without  severe  enactments)  serve  for 
laws;'  at  the  same  time  4.4,  39  (' non 
miscent  jurgia  leges,')  goes  far  to  confirm 
the  alteration  in  the  text. 

Strictae  may  be  a  metaphor  from 
swords,  or  else  = '  severe,'  as  in  Manil.  5. 
106  (vvhere  Scaliger  reads)  '  nec  strictos 
crede  Catones.'  Some  old  editions  have 
here  '  scita  Lycurgia.' 

Sine  fascibus,  i. e.  Equity,  and  that 
without  rods,  is  the  code  among  men :  cp. 
2.  2,  123. 

91.  Nudi  tectique,  '  one  open  to  the 
sky,  the  other  roofed.' 

92.  Proxima,  '  iiext  in  splendour'  to 
the  Agon  Capitolinus  :  see  on   2.  2,6  and 


39 '^  STATIUS. 

Quid  laudem  risus  libertatemque  Menandri, 

Quam  Romanus  honos  et  Graia  licentia  miscent  ? 

Nec  desunt  variae  circum  oblectamina  vitae  :  95 

Sive  vaporiferas,  blandissima  litora,  Baias, 

Enthea  fatidicae  seu  visere  tecta  Sibyllae 

Dulce  sit,  Iliacoque  jugum  memorabile  remo : 

Seu  tibi  Bacchei  vineta  madentia  Gauri, 

Teleboumque  domos ;    trepidis  ubi  dulcia  nautis  100 

Lumina  noctivagae  tollit  Pharus  aemula  Lunae  : 

Caraque  non  molli  juga  Surrentina  Lyaeo, 

Quae.  meus  ante  ahos  habitator  Pollius  auget : 

Aenariaeque  lacus  medicos  Statinasque  renatas. 

Mille  tibi  nostrae  referam  telluris  amores :  105 

Sed  satis  hoc,  conjux,  satis  hoc  dixisse,  creavit 

Me  tibi,  me  socium  longos  adstrinxit  in  annos. 

Nonne  haec  amborum  genetrix  altrixque  videri 

Digna?   sed  ingratus  qui  plura  annecto,  tuisque 

Moribus  indubito :    venies,  carissima  conjux,  no 

Praeveniesque  etiam :    sine  me  tibi  ductor  aquarum 

Thybris  et  armiferi  sordebunt  tecta  Quirini. 

5.  3,  232  (24)  ;  and  Wernsdorfs  Excursus  beside  Bacchus,  as  Hercules,  Minerva,  Nep- 

9,  vol.  4.  tune,  and  Sirens,  etc.     Cp.  4.  8,  8  foU. 

93.  Risus  ..  Menandri,  '  the  mirth  104.  Aenariae.  The  second  syllable 
and  freedom  of  the  comedy  of  Menander's  is  made  long  in  the  '  Aetna  '  v.  426  :  hence 
school.'  Heinsius  conjectures  '  ritus  ; '  and  perhaps  we  should  read  here  '  Inarimes,' 
Markland  suggests  '  jocandi '  for  '  Me-  the  name  given  by  the  Latin  poets  to  the 
nandri'  (MSS.).  island.     Both  Strabo  and  Pliny  speak  of 

94.  Graia   licentia.      The  MSS.  give  waters  in  the  island  good  for  the  stone. 

'  grata.'  but  the  sense  requires  the  change,  Statinasque  (sc.  '  aquas'),  a  spring  in 

'  Roman    dignity   blending    with    Grecian  these  parts,  the  waters  of  which  had  per- 

freedom.'     See  note  on  2.  2,  95.     Mark-  haps  failed  for  a  time.     Calderinus  (under- 

land  quotes  Sidon.  Apoll.  23.  99  '  rigorque  standing    'insulas')    makes    them    to    be 

Romanus  fuit  Attico  in  lepore.'  islands  on  the  Campanian  coast,  that  sunk 

97-  Enthea,  a   word  not  used   before  below  the  surface  in  one  earthquake  and 

Seneca  :  see  on  Achill.  2. 154  (14).  Cumae  reappeared  after  another.     See  Wernsdorf 

is  here  refened  to.  Excursus  on  '  Aetna'  1.  c.     Imhof  plausibly 

98.    Remo,     Misenum  :    so    5.  3,  167  conjectures  '  Stabiasque  renatas,'  the  town 

'  Htuo  remoque  notatus  Colhs:'    cp.  Virg.  not  far  from  Pompeii,  destroyed  by  Sulla, 

Ae.  6.  234.  and  by  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  but  al- 

102.   Non   molli  :  the  Surrentine  wine  ways  popular  as  a  site  for  villas  :  Ov.  M. 

is  usually  represented  as  of  a  soft  rather  15.711. 

than  a  dry  flavour  :  hence  Heinsius  conjec-  105.   Amores,  peculiar  sense,  '  grounds 

tured  here  '  non  soli,'  i.  e.  dear  to  others  for  loving,'  '  charms.' 


STATIUS.  397 


LXXXI. 

SILVAE.     LiB.  V.  3.  209-265. 

This  is  a  portion  of  the  '  Epicedion  in  patrem,'  or  Elegy  on  the  death 
of  the  poefs  father.  To  him  Statius  ascribes  the  origin  of  his  own  poetic 
tastes  and  success,  and  fondly  recalls  the  afFectionate  interest  which  he 
shewed  in  his  son's  public  recitations,  and  the  valuable  guidance  which 
he  lent  to  the  composition  of  the  Thebaid.  Mother  and  son  are  alike 
inconsolable  at  the  loss  of  one  so  worthy  to  be  loved  for  his  virtues ; 
these  have  been  rewarded  from  the  gods  by  pure  and  unenvied  fanie,  by 
a  happy  measure  of  life,  by  a  painless  death,  and  the  unfeigned  sorrow 
of  wife  and  child. 

Me  quoque  vocales  lucos  ignotaque  Tempe 

Pulsantem,  cum  stirpe  tua  descendere  dixi, 

Admisere  deae  :    nec  enim  mihi  sidera  tantum, 

Aequoraque  et  terras,  quam  vos  debere  parenti. 

Sed  decus  hoc  quodcumque  lyrae  primusque  dedisti  5 

Non  vulgare  loqui  et  famam  sperare  sepulcro. 

Qualis  eras,  Latios  quoties  ego  carmine  patres 

Mulcerem  felixque  tui  spectator  adesses 

Muneris  !    heu  quali  confusus  gaudia  fletu, 

Vota  piosque  metus  inter  laetumque  pudorem !  10 

Quam  tuus  ille  dies !   quam  non  mihi  gloria  major ! 


T.   Ignotaque  Tempe,  i.e.  the  groves  was  more  dear  to  him  than  life.     '  Quam' 

and  vales  of  song  to  which  hitherto  I  had  equivalent  to  '  quantum.' 

been    a    stranger.      '  Ignota'    ('inotaque')  7,8.    Carmine    .  .    mulcerem.      See 

found    in    the    oldest    MS.    of   Statius,    is  Juvenars  lines  (7.  83  foll.)    on  the   popu- 

adopted  by  Weber  for  the  common  read-  larity   of   the   recitations   of   Statius   with 

ing  'lustrata'  (Queck),  for  which   Mark-  both  high  and  low  :   '  tanta  dulcedine  cap- 

land  coniectured'monstrata'  =  'pointedout  tos   Afficit    ille    animos,   tantaque    libidine 

by  my  father.'  vulgi  Auditur.' 

2.  Descendere  requires 'me' to  be  re-  9.   Gaudia,   after  '  confusus' =  '  having 
peated  before  it  from  v.  i.  your  joy  mingled  with  tears,'  as  influenced 

3,  4.  Nec   enim   .  .  parenti,  '  for  to  by  fear  and  hope  aUke. 

me  it  is  not  so  great  a  debt  to  owe  this  10.  Piosque  metus, '  fears  arising  from 

sight    of  earth,   sea,   and    heaven  to    my  affection  foryour  child  : ' 'inter' is  of  course 

father     as     it    is    to    owe    to    him    my  to  be  supphed  before  '  vota.' 

admission    to    your    circle,  O    ye   Muses.'  II.   Quam  tuus,  '  the  joy  and  triumph 

Statius   means   that  the  taste  for   poetry,  of  the   day  was   more   yours  than  mine.' 

inherited  from  and  inspired  by  his  father,  This  was  PoHtian's  correction  of  the  MSS. 


STATIUS. 


Talis  Olympiaca  juvenem  cum  spectat  arena 
Qui  genuit,  plus  ipse  ferit,  plus  corde  sub  alto 
Caeditur :   attendunt  cunei  j   spectatur  athletes 
Ille  magis,  crebro  dum  lumina  pulveris  haustu 
Obruit  et  prensa  vovet  expirare  corona. 
Hei  mihi  quod  tantum  patrias  ego  vertice  frondes, 
Solaque  Chalcidicae  Cerealia  dona  coronae 
Te  sub  teste  tuli !   qualem  te  Dardanus  Albae 
Vix  cepisset  ager,  si  per  me  serta  tulisses 
Caesarea  donata  manu  !   quod  subdere  robur 
Illa  dies,  quantum  potuit  dempsisse  senectae  ? 
Heu  quod  me  mixta  quercus  non  pressit  oliva, 
Et  fugit  speratus  honos,  cum  Lustra  parentis 
Invida  Tarpeii  canerem !     Te  nostra  magistro 
Thebais  urgebat  priscorum  exordia  vatum : 
Tu  cantus  stimulare  meos,  tu  pandere  facta 
Heroum,  bellique  modos,  positusque  locorum 
Monstrabas ;   labat  incerto  mihi  limite  cursus 
Te  sine,  et  orbatae  caligant  vela  carinae. 


25 


30 


which  gave  '  Quamvis  ille  dies,'  which  was 
without  meaning,  and  '  qualis  et  ilJe  dies,' 
which  was  without  spirit  and  force.  Cp. 
2.  7,  20  '  Vestra  est  ista  dies.'  '  Meus, 
tuus,  est  dies'  was  a  common  fonn  of 
expression  for  happy  days :  see  Martial 
10.  58,  7  '  Hic  mihi  quando  dies  meus 
est  ?' 

13,  14.  Ferit  .  .  caeditur  :  absorbed 
in  his  son  he  gives  and  feels  every  blow. 

14,  Spectatur  athletes,  '  the  sire  is 
looked  on  as  the  wrestler,  rather  than  the 
son.'  '  Spectatur,'  contrasted  with  the 
'  cum  spectat'  of  v.  12  ;  the  eagerness 
of  the  parent,  as  a  spectator,  makes  him 
an  object  of  interest  to  the  '  cunei.'  The 
MSS.  give  'Acetes,'  'Achates. '  Mark- 
land  contends  that  the  shortening  of  the 
vowel  before  '  thl '  is  no  grealer  liberty 
than  in  such  words  as  '  cycnus,'  '  smarag- 
dus,'  '  Ichneumon,'  '  D&phne,'  '  PrScne,' 
'  TherSpnaeus,'  'PrScnessus,'  '"Atlas,' '  Cly- 
tfimnestra,'  '  Tgcmessa,'  and  others  which 
are  found  in  the  classic  poets ;  but  he  for- 
gets  that  dOXrjT^s  is  contracted  from 
de6\r]Tr)s,  the  vowel  being  therefore  es- 
sentially  long. 

15,  16.  Crebro  .  .  obruit,  '  while  his 
eyes  are  absorbed  or  buried  in  cease- 
less    gazing   on    the    ring;'    '  haurire'    is 


more  often  used  in  this  sense  than  the 
noun. 

17.  Patrias  .  .  frondes,  i.  e.  the  prize 
in  my  native  city,  Naples :  see  on  2.  2,  6 
and  94. 

19.  Albae  .  .  ager :  see  3.  5,  28  '  ter 
me  nitidis  Albana  ferentem  Dona'  etc. 

24.  Lustra,  i.  e.  at  the  Agon  Capito- 
Inius :  cp.  V.  113  o/  the  poem,  '  caneret 
Quinquennia  versu.' 

25.  Invida,  '  unkind,'  in  denying  me 
the  victory,  as  3.  5,  32  '  saevum  ingratum- 
que  .  .  Jovem.'  'The  MSS.  here  are  much 
confused,  giving  'dulce'  for  'lustra'  (Mark- 
land's  emendation),  and  '  caneret  t.  n.  m. 
Thebais,'  whence  it  has  been  maintained, 
in  spite  of  JuvenaFs  Hnes  quoted  above, 
that  it  was  his  Thebaid  that  Statius  on  this 
occasion  unsuccessfully  recited.  Queck  ac- 
cepts  Markland's  restoration  of  the  passage 
as  given  in  the  text. 

26.  Urgebat,  '  was  following  close  on 
the  openlngs  of  the  old  poets,'  'exordia' 
meaning  perhaps  that  he  began  the  poem 
under  his  father's  auspices.  See  the  closing 
lines  of  the  Thebaid. 

30.  Caligant  vela,  '  my  sail  (ship) 
gropes  blindly  for  the  way,'  i.  e.  he  pursues 
his  course  in  sorrow  and  perplexity  with- 
out  his  father's  guidance. 


STATIUS.  399 

Nec  solum  larga  memet  pietate  fovebas  j 

Talis  et  in  thalamos :    una  tibi  cognita  taeda 

Connubia,  unus  amor.     Certe  sejungere  matrem 

Jam  gelidis  nequeo  bustis  j   te  sentit  habetque, 

Te  videt,  et  tumulos  ortuque  obituque  salutat,  35 

Ut  Pharios  aliae  ficta  pietate  dolores 

Mygdoniosque  colunt,  et  non  sua  funera  plorant. 

Quid  referam  expositos  servato  pondere  mores  ? 

Quae  pietas  ?   quam  vile  lucrum  ?    quae  cura  pudoris  ? 

Quantus  amor  recti  ?    rursusque,  ubi  dulce  remitti,         40 

Gratia  quae  dictis  ?   animo  quam  nuUa  senectus  ? 

His  tibi  pro  meritis  famam  laudesque  benignas 

Index  cura  deum,  nulloque  e  vulnere  tristes 

Concessit :    raperis,  genitor,  non  indigus  aevi, 

Non  nimiusj   trinisque  decem  quinquennia  lustris         45 

Juncta  ferens  j   sed  me  pietas  numerare,  dolorque 

Non  sinit.     O  Pylias  aevi  transcendere  metas, 

Et  Teucros  aequare  senes,  o  digne  videre 

Me  similem !     Sed  nec  leti  tibi  janua  tristis : 

Quippe  leves  causae  j   nec  segnis  tabe  senili  go 

Exitus  instanti  praemisit  membra  sepulcro ; 

Sed  te  torpor  iners  et  mors  imitata  quietem 

Explicuit,  falsoque  tulit  sub  Tartara  somno. 

33.  Connubia.     The  ' a' may  be  held  on  Ov.  Fast.  4.  393,   where   this   Hne    is 

to  be  short  here,  as  in  '  pronuba,'  '  innuba,'  quoted  among  many  instances  of  the  use 

or  else  it  must  be  scanned  as  a  trisyllable  :  of  '  index'  with  a  substantive. 
see  Munro  on  Lucr.  3.  776.  Vulnere  tristes,  i.  e.  praises  saddened 

Certe,  a  favourite  adverb  with  Statius  by  no  sting  of  envy.     The  poet  is  think- 

=  'nimirum:'  cp.  3.  5,  51   and  63;  4.  6,  ing   of  his   own  case   perhaps :  see  Theb. 

108;  5.  I,  iio,  etc.  12.  818. 

35,  36.    Ortuque,  '  at  rise  and  set  of         44,45-  Non  indigus,  i.  e.  your  life  was 

sun.'     His  mother  does  in  real  grief  and  neither  too  short  nor  too  long.     'Nimius' 

affection  what  the  Aegyptian  and  Phrygian  with  a  genitive  is  as  frequent  in  prose  as 

mourners  do  for  hire.  poetry. 

37.  Non    sua    funera,   i.  e.   those    of         48.  Senes,  as  Priam  and  Anchises. 
Osiris  and  Atys  respectively.  '  Mygdonios'  49.   Similem,  not   '  as   old'   but   '  old 
=  'Phrygios.'  also.'     Cp.  1.4,125. 

38.  Expositos, 'open  to  all,' 'aiTable:'  Nec  leti  .  .  janua,  '  not  even  the  ap- 
cp.  2.  2,  152  ;  so  Pliny  Ep.  i.  lO  '  est  enim  proach  to  death  :'  see  on  2.  2,  56. 
obvius  et  expositus.'  50.    Tabe    is   obviously  a   true   emen- 

43.  Index,  '  evidence  of  your  nierit'  or  dation  of  '  labe,'  which  is  found  in  good 

(taking  '  Deum '  with  it)  '  providence,  mark  MSS. 

ofthe  existence  of  the  gods.'    'Index'and  51.  Praemisit,  i.e.  cause  them  to  waste 

'  vindex'  (which  might  well  mean  '  guar-  away  one  by  one,  before  the  final  stroke 

dian  of  your  rights')  are  here,  as   often,  of  death  :  so   instanti  =  long  waiting  for 

confused  in  the  MSS.     Cp.  Achill.  1.  673  its  decaying  victim. 
'  index  Lucina.'     See  the  note  of  Heinsius  53.    Explicuit,  '  stretched   you   low;' 


40O  STATIUS. 

Quos  ego  tum  gemitus !   comitum  manus  anxia  vidit, 
Vidit  et  exemplum  genetrix,  gavisaque  novit  55 

Quae  lamenta  tuli :   veniam  concedite,  Manes ; 
Fas  dixisse,  pater :    non  tu  mihi  plura  dedisses. 


LXXXII. 

THEBAID.     LiB.  VII.  760-823. 

This  splendid  passage  describes  the  death  of  Amphiaraus  in  the  ex- 
pedition  against  Thebes.  Apollo,  whose  priest  he  was,  sits  in  disguise  at 
his  side,  as  from  his  chariot  he  deals  death  and  destruction  around 
him.  Presently  the  god  reveals  himself,  and  in  grief  warns  his  minister 
that  his  hour  of  death  is  at  hand.  Amphiaraus,  aware  of  his  doom, 
consigns  to  Apollo  the  task  of  vengeance  on  his  wife  and  the  care  of 
his  son,  and  is  left  alone  by  the  weeping  deity.  A  shivering  and  shaking 
of  the  plain  takes  place,  and  causes  a  pause  in  the  fight,  every  one 
fearing  for  his  own  safety.  The  earth  then  opens  her  mouth,  and  the 
hero-prophet,  with  arms  and  reins  clerched  in  his  hands,  majestically 
sinks  into  the  ground,  casting  a  sad  glance  behind  him  on  the  sky  and 
earth  as  they  close  from  his  view. 

Et  jam  cornipedes  trepida  ac  moribunda  reflantes 

Corpora  rimantur  terras,  omnisque  per  artus 

Sulcus  et  incisis  altum  rubet  orbita  membris. 

Hos  jam  ignorantes  terit  impius  axis,  at  illi 

Vulnere  semineces  (nec  devitare  facultas)  5 


the  verb  is  descriptive  of  the  like  effect  of  '  frightened,     and     so     snorting     at     the 

sleep  and  death.  corpses.' 

Falso  .  .  somno,  '  disguised  as  sleep.'  3.  Sulcus,  '  each  furrow  made  by  the 

55.  Gavisaque  novit,  i.e. '  she  gladly  wheels    is    driven   through    the    limbs    of 

saw  my  grief,'  seeing  how  I  loved  my  sire.  men.' 

One  old   edition  has  '  vovit,'  i.  e.  prayed  Altum  :  adjective  for  adverb;  cp.  Achill. 

for  herself  the  mourning  I  shewed  for  my  1.  323  '  laetumque  rubet.'     See  on  Silv.  2. 

sire.  I,  87:  here  'ahum'  goes  more  naturally 

with  'incisis'  than  '  rubet.' 
1,2.  Reflantes  .  .  terras,  '  the  steeds  4.   Ignorantes,   i.e.   '  unconscious '   in 

snorting  and   shrinking  at  the  quivering,  death. 

expiring  bodies  beneath  their  feet,  search,  Impius,  '  unnatural,' in  crushing  human 

stamping,   for  firm    ground,'   a    rare    and  corpses. 

peculiar  use  of  '  reflare.'     A  MS.  in  Magd.  5.   Devitare  facultas  :  see  on  Silv.  2. 

CoU.    Library,    Oxford,    has    'trepidi'=  1,89. 


STATIUS.  40I 

V^enturuni  supcr  ora  vident.     Jam  lubrica  tabo 

Frena,  nec  insisti  madidus  dat  temo,  rotaeque 

Sanguine  difficiles,  et  tardior  ungula  fossis 

Visceribus  :    tunc  ipse  furens  in  morte  relicta 

Spicula,  et  e  mediis  extantes  ossibus  hastas  lo 

Avellit :    stridunt  animae  currumque  sequuntur. 

Tandem  se  famulo  summum  confessus  Apollo, 

Utere  luce  tua,  longamque,  ait,  indue  famam, 

Dum  tibi  me  junctum  mors  irrevocata  veretur. 

Vincimur :    immites  scis  nulla  revolvere  Parcas  15 

Stamina ;   vade  diu  populis  promissa  voluptas 

Elysiis,  certe  non  perpessure  Creontis 

Imperia,  aut  vetito  nudus  jaciture  sepulcro. 

Ille  refert  contra,  et  paulum  respirat  ab  armis : 

Olim  te,  Cirrhaee  pater,  peritura  sedentem  20 

Ad  juga  (quis  tantus  miseris  honor?)  axe  trementi 

Sensimus :    instantes  quonam  usque  morabere  Manes  ? 

Audio  jam  rapidae  cursum  Stygis  atraque  Ditis 

Flumina,  tergeminosque  mali  custodis  hiatus. 

Accipe  commissum  capiti  decus,  accipe  laurus  25 

Quas  Erebo  deferre  nefas :    nunc  voce  suprema, 

Si  qua  recessuro  debetur  gratia  vati, 

Deceptum  tibi,  Phoebe,  Larem  poenasque  nefandae 

Conjugis,  et  pulchrum  nati  commendo  furorem. 


7.  Temo,  as  v.  751  of  this  book,  '  mag-  is  on  you  :  it  is  only  delayed,  not  repealed, 
noque  gravatus  Temo  deo,'  '  the  body  of  by  my  sitting  at  your  side. 

the  chariot,'  part  being  put  for  whole.  16.    Populis.      See    Bentley    on    Hor. 

8.  Difficiles,  '  clogged  with  gore.'  Ep.   i.  6,   59,    who   adduces   this   passage 

9.  In  morte,  '  the  darts  left  sticking  as  an  instance  of  'populus'  and  '  cam- 
in  the  corpses;'  '  mors'  is  similarly  used  pus'  being  confused,  owing  to  the  two 
by  Prop.  3.  4,  6  (2.  13,  22)  '  Nec  sit  in  words  resembling  each  other  in  their 
AttaHco  mors  mea  nixa  toro:'  cp.  Catull.  abbreviations  ('  cpus'  'pplus'):  he  would 
62  (64).  362.  read    here,    according    to    an    old    MS., 

11.  Stridunt    animae,    imitated   per-  '  campis.' 

haps  from  Hom.  Od.  24.  5  (of  the  spirits  20.  Statius  here  imitates  Virg.  Ae.  12. 

of  the  suitors)  ttj  p'  dye  KiVTjaas,  rai  5k  630  foll. 

Tpi^ovaai  enovTo.  22.   Quonam  usque,  = 'quousque,' the 

12.  Summum  confessus, '  for  the  last  'nam'  being  simply  a  mark  of  interroga- 
time  revealing  himself  to  his  minister,*  tion  :  so  i.  215  '  quonam  usque  nocentum 
better  than  taking  it  as  '  summum  deum.'  Exigar  in  poenas?'  cp.  Achill.  1.624,  ^^^ 
Hitherto  he  had  been  acting  as  charioteer  638. 

in  disguise  :  see  v.  738  foU.  of  the  book,  29.  Conjugis,  Eriphyle,  wife  of  Am- 

'  Ille    ruit :    deus   ipse   vagis    succedit    ha-  phiaraus,  bribed  by  the  necklace  given  to 

benis  Lernaeum  falso  simulans  Haliagmona  her  by  Polyneices,  in  retum  for  which  she 

vultu.'  induced  her  husband  to  join  the  expedition 

14.   Irrevocata  ;  the  sentence  of  death  against  Thebes. 

Dd 


402  STATIUS. 

Desiluit  maerens  lacrimasque  avertit  Apollo.  30 

Tum  vero  ingemuit  currusque  orbique  jugales. 

Non  aliter  caeco  nocturni  turbine  Cori 

Scit  peritura  ratis,  cum  jam  damnata  sororis 

Igne  Therapnaei  fugerunt  carbasa  fratres. 

Jamque  recessurae  paulatim  horrescere  terrae,  35 

Summaque  terga  quati  j   graviorque  efFervere  pulvis 

Coeperat :    inferno  mugit  jam  murmure  campus. 

Bella  putant  trepidi  bellique  hunc  esse  fragorem, 

Hortanturque  gradus :   alius  tremor  arma  virosque 

Mirantesque  incli  nat  equos.     Jam  frondea  nutant  40 

Culmina,  jam  muri,  ripisque  Ismenos  apertis 

EfFugit :   exciderunt  irae,  nutantia  figunt 

Tela  solo,  dubiasque  vagi  nituntur  in  hastas 

Comminus,  inque  vicem  viso  pallore  recedunt. 

Sic  ubi  navales  miscet  super  aequora  pugnas  45 

Contempto  Bellona  mari ;   si  forte  benigna 

Tempestas,  sibi  quisque  cavent,  ensesque  recondit 

Mors  alia,  et  socii  pacem  fecere  timores : 

Talis  erat  campo  belli  fluitantis  imago. 

Sive  laborantes  concepto  flamine  terrae  50 

Ventorum  rabiem  et  clausum  ejecere  furorem  j 

Nati,  Alcmaeon,  driven  into  '  honour-  42.  Exciderunt  (not 'exciderant'),  the 

able  madness'  by  the  Erinyes  for  obeying  true  reading,  as  Ov.  Her.  12.  "JI  '  Nostin' 

the  behest  of  Apollo  and  last  wlsh  of  his  an   exciderunt   mecum   loca?'      It    is   the 

father  in  the  murder  of  his  mother.  perfect  of  instant  action. 

31.  Orbi,  the  cause  of  '  ingemuit,'  at  Figunt  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  12.  130  '  Defi- 

being  forsaken  by  the  god.  gunt  telluri  hastas  et  scuta  reclinant.' 

33.  Scit  peritura  =  '  ratis  peritura  43,  44.  Dubiasque  .  .  comminus, 
scit  se  perituram  esse,'  the  well-known  '  they  advance  to  meet  each  other  leaning 
Graecism,  like  Virgil's  '  sensit  delapsus.'  on  their  quivering  spears  ; '  for  the  phrase 
Some  editions  have  '  stat,'  '  doomed  to  '  niti  in  hastas'  see  Virg.  Ae.  12.  398; 
perish.'  9.  227. 

34.  Igne,  '  doomed  by  the  fire  of  the  46.  Benigna,  i.  e.  in  allaying  the  fury 
star  Helena'(i.  q.  '  Urania,'  according  to  of  the  combatants.  There  is  an  awk- 
Lactantius),  believed  to  be  unfavourable  ward  ellipse  of  some  verb  hke  '  orta  fuerit ' 
to    sailors :    see    Pliny    N.  H.  2.  37,  and  here. 

OrelIi's  note  on  Hor.  Od.  i.  3,  2.  47.   Ensesque    recondit,  '  swords  are 

Therapnaei.     Therapnae  was  in  La-  sheathed  in  prospect  of  a  different  death,' 

conia,  where  the  Dioscuri  had  a  temple.  i.  e.  drowning. 

39.    Alius     tremor,    either    '  another  49.   Fluitantis,   '  as    it   wavered    over 

shaking,'  different  from  the  first  (v.  35),  the    plain,'    the    battle    or    rather    (belli 

by  which  only  the  ground  and  inanimate  =  '  bellantum')  the    combatants    rocking 

objects  were  affected,  while  now  both  he-  to    and    fro  :    cp.  Tac.  Hist.  5.  18   '  flui- 

roes   and   horses  feel   it ;    or  rather,   they  tantem   labantemque    militem   eminus    fo- 

think  it   is  the  shock  of  battle,  whereas  diebant.'     Here  the  word   has  a  peculiar 

it  is  '  a  very  different  shock'  under  which  fitness   given  to   it   by   the   simile   of  the 

they  reel :  cp.  '  mors  alia '  v.  48.  sea-fight. 


STATIUS.  403 

Exedit  seu  putre  solum  carpsitque  terendo 
Unda  latens  j   sive  hac  volventis  machina  coeli 
Incubuit  j   sive  omne  fretum  Neptunia  movit 
Cuspis,  et  extremas  gravius  mare  torsit  in  oras  j  55 

Seu  vati  datus  ille  fragor,  seu  terra  minata  est 
Fratribus :   ecce  alte  praeceps  humus  ore  profundo 
Dissilit,  inque  vicem  tremuerunt  sidera  et  umbrae. 
Illum  ingens  haurit  specus  et  transire  parantes 
Mergit  equos  j    non  arma  manu,  non  frena  remisit :      Co 
Sicut  erat,  rectos  defert  in  Tartara  currus, 
Respexitque  cadens  coelum  campumque  coire 
Ingemuit  j  donec  levior  distantia  rursus 
Miscuit  arva  tremor  lucemque  exclusit  Averno. 


LXXXIII. 


ACHILLEID.     LiB.  II.  141-209. 

In  this  extract  is  prettily  told  the  discovery  of  Achilles  in  his  disguise  at 
the  court  of  Lycomedes,  king  of  Scyros.  After  various  dances  exhibited 
by  the  daughters  of  the  king  led  by  Deidamia,  in  which  the  Greek  hero, 
having  already  recognised  his  companions-in-arms,  takes  no  interest,  and 
throws  all  into  confusion,  several  presents  are  by  the  artifice  of  Ulysses,  and 
under  the  management  of  Diomedes,  set  out  for  the  maidens  to  choose 
from.  Among  these  is  an  embossed  shield  and  a  spear,  which  the  sisters 
imagine  to  be  a  gift  for  their  father.  The  instant  that  the  disguised  chief- 
tain  sees  these,  and  beholds  reflected  in  the  golden  surface  of  the  shield 


53.  Sive  hac,  '  or  whether  on  this  side  Infernas    reseret    sedes    et    regna    recludat 

of  earth  the  fabric  of  the  roUing  heavens  Pallida,  dis  invisa  superque  immane  bara- 

(weight  of  atmosphere)  pressed  too  hea-  thrum  Cematur,  trepidentque  immisso  lu- 

vily.'  mine  Manes.' 

55.  Gravius  ..  oras,  '  hurled  with  59.  Parantes,  '  making  ready  to  leap 
more  weight  than  usual   the   sea   against  the  gulf.' 

far-distant  shores.'  61.    Sicut    erat,    a    favourite    expres- 

56,  57.  Fragor  .  .  fratribus,  i.  e.  the  sion  of  the  poet's  :  cp.  3.  680;  4.  803; 
crash,  as  of  welcoming  applause  in  honour  and  perhaps  10.  37.  So  Ov.  M.  5.  601 
of  Amphiaraus,  or  as  threatening  vengeance  (of  Arethusa)  '  Sicut  eram  fugio  sine  ves- 
to  Eteocles  and  Polyneices.  tibus.' 

58.   Tremuerunt.      Statius    evidently  63.  Levior  :  a  slighter  earthquakebeing 

has  in  his  mind  Virg.  Ae.  8.  243  foU.  '  Non  needed  to  close  the  earth  than  to  rend  it, 

secus  ac  si  qua  penitus  vi  terra  dehiscens  or  simply  the  earthquake-shock  abating. 

D  d   2 


404  STATIUS. 

his  female  attire,  his  heart  turns  at  once  to  thoughts  of  war  and  Troy. 
Ulysses  whispers  encouragements  in  his  ear :  Agyrtes  sounds  the  war- 
trumpet,  and,  amid  the  terror  and  wonder  of  the  palace,  Achilles  in  a 
moment  drops  his  disguise,  and,  grasping  shield  and  spear,  stands  erect,  as 
if  challenging  Hector  to  the  fight. 

Cetera  depositis  Lycomedis  regia  curis 

Tranquilla  sub  pace  silet,  sed  longa  sagaci 

Nox  Ithaco,  lucemque  cupit  somnoque  gravatur. 

Vixdum  exorta  dies  et  jam  comitatus  Agyrta 

Tydides  aderat  praedictaque  dona  ferebat.  5 

Nec  m.inus  egressae  thalamis  Scyreides  ibant 

Ostentare  choros  promissaque  sacra  verendis 

Hospitibus :    nitet  ante  alias  regina  comesque 

Pelides ;    qualis  Siculae  sub  rupibus  Aetnae 

Naiades  Hennaeas  inter  Diana  feroxque  10 

Pallas  et  Elysii  lucebat  sponsa  tyranni. 

Jamque  movent  gressus  thiasisque  Ismenia  buxus 

Signa  dedit,  quater  aera  Rheae,  quater  Evia  pulsant 

Terga  manu,  variosque  quater  legere  recursus. 

Tum  thyrsos  pariterque  levant  pariterque  reponunt,        15 

Multiplicantque  gradum,  modo  quo  Curetes  in  actu, 

Quoque  pii  Samothraces  eunt ;   nunc  obvia  versae 

Pectine  Amaz-onio,  modo  quo  citat  orbe  Lacaenas 


3.     Somiioque      gravatur,     '  loathes  vos  buxusque  vocant.'     The  Ismenus  was 

sleep,'   '  feels   it   a   burden,'  not,  as   more  the  famous  stream  by  Thebes. 
usual,  '  is  oppressed   with   sleep;'    in   the  13.  Evia:  one  MS.  has  '  enthea,'  '  in- 

former  sense   '  gravari '   more   often    takes  spiring,'  or  '  inspired,'  a  word  not  uncom- 

an  accusative,  as  a  deponent  verb.     The  mon    in   the   poets   of  this   period  ;   while 

two  Heinsii  conjecture  '  somnosque.'  '  Evius'    is   very   rare    as   an  adjective :  it 

5.  Praedictaque  :  see  v.  47  foll.  of  is  doubtful  if  it  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  book ;  '  tu  cuncta  citus  de  puppe  me-  Latin,  though  the  Greek  (vios  is  com- 
mento  Ferre,  ubi  tempus  erit,  clypeumque  mon  enough. 

his  jungere  donis.'  14.  Terga  :  Ovid's  '  taurea  terga'  (Fast. 

6,  7-    Ibant    ostentare.     This    poet-  4.  342"),  '  timbrels.' 

ical  usage    of  the  infinitive    is  very   fre-  16.   Actu,   used  of  the  studied  move- 

quent    in    Statius  :     e.  g.    Theb.    i.    225  ments  of  actors,  dancers,  orators :   formed 

•  punire  .  .  descendo  :'   Silv.  4.  4,  61   '  ibis  from  '  agere'  in  its  histrionic  signification. 

frenare  :'  see  note  on  Prop.  i.  6,  33  '  car-  See  Munro  on  Lucr.  3.  192. 
pere  ibis.'  17.    Obvia    versae,    '  in    lines    facing 

8.   Regina:  see  on  Val.  Fl.  2.  26r  (20) :  each  other:'  'obvia,'  adverbial,  as  Theb. 

and  cp.  I.  294  '  humeris   quantum   Diana  1 .  348  '  transversa  frementes  : '  see  on  Silv. 

relinquit    Naiades   effulget   tantum    regina  2.  1,87. 
decori  Deidamia  chori.'  18.  Pectine,  '  a  chain-dance,'  like  the 

11.  Sponsa,  Proserpine.  rows  of  teeth  in  a  comb,  described  by  the 

12.  Ismenia  buxus,  the  Theban  flute,  '  jungere  brachia' of  v.  21. 

used    much    in    the    Boeotian   worship   of  Lacaenas.     For  the  Doric  worship  of 

Bacchus.     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  9.  616  'Tympana  Diana,  see  Miiller,  Dorians,  B.  2.  c.  9. 


STATIUS.  405 

Delia  plaudentesque  suis  intorquet  Amyclis. 

Tum  vero,  tum  praecipue  manifestus  Achilles,  20 

Nec  servare  vices,  nec  jungere  brachia  curat. 

Tum  molles  gressus,  tunc  adspernatur  amictus 

Plus  solito,  rumpitque  choros  et  plurima  turbat. 

Sic  indignantem  thyrsos  acceptaque  matris 

Tympana  jam  tristes  spectabant  Penthea  Thebae.  25 

Solvuntur  laudata  cohors  repetuntque  paterna 

Limina,  ubi  in  mediae  jamdudum  sedibus  aulae 

Munera,  virgineos  visus  tractura,  locarat 

Tydides,  signum  hospitii  pretiumque  laboris, 

Hortaturque  legant ;   nec  rex  placidissimus  arcet.  30 

Heu  simplex,  nimiumque  rudis,  qui  callida  dona, 

Graiorumque  dolos,  variumque  ignorat  Ulixem ! 

Hinc  aliae,  quas  sexus  iners  naturaque  ducit, 

Aut  teretes  thyrsos,  aut  respondentia  tentant 

Tympana,  gemmatis  aut  nectunt  tempora  limbis  :  35 

Arma  vident,  magnoque  putant  donata  parenti. 

At  ferus  Aeacides,  radiantem  ut  comminus  orbem 

Caelatum  pugnas  saevis  et  forte  rubentem 

Bellorum  maculis,  acclinem  et  conspicit  hastam ; 

Infremuit  torsitque  genas,  et  fronte  relicta  40 

Surrexere  comae  :    nusquam  mandata  parentis. 


19.   Plaudentes,  uot  '  clapping  hands'  tant ; '     they    try    the     drums    by    strik- 

but  '  beating  time  (lit.   the  ground)  with  ing    them    and    these    '  answer    to    the 

their  feet :'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  644  '  Pars  pe-  blow.' 

dibus  plaudunt  choreas.'  35.    Gemmatis  ..  limbis,   '  jewelled 

Intorquet,   i.  e.  makes  them   wreathe  head-bands,'  called  '  mitrae'  v.  4I   of  this 

the  dance  in  her  honour.  book  :  cp.  Claudian  Cons.  Mall.  Theod.  118 

26.    Laudata,  with   '  solvuntur,'   '  part  '  frontem  limbo  velata  pudicam.' 

amidst  applause  ; '  '  solvuntur' is  the  oppo-  38.    Pugnas,    as    in    nearly    all    MSS., 

site  of  '  intorquet'  v.  19.  better  than  the  'pugnis'  of  most  editions, 

29.   Signum    hospitii,  ^tvia,  accord-  taken  with  '  caelatum,' like  Virgi^s  '  flores 

ing  to   the   ancient  practice   of  host   and  inscripti  nomina.' 

guest    interchanging    gifts  :    see  Virg.  Ae.  Saevis,  to  be  joined  with  'macuHs'  = 

9.  359.  '  happening  to  be  crimsoned  with  the  cruel 

Pretiumque      laboris,    '  reward     for  stains  of  wars.' 

their    pains,'    i.  e.    the    dancing    just    de-  39.    Acclinem,    '  leaning    against    the 

scribed.  wall.' 

32.  Varium;  so  noiKiXos  is  applied  to  40.  Torsitque  genas, 'roUed  his  eyes;' 

Prometheus    by  Aesch.  P.  V.   308.     This  cp.   I.  351    (where   Thetis    says    of   him) 

method   of   discovering   Achilles  was    the  '  Nonne  vides  ut  torva  genas  aequandaque 

invention   of  Ulysses  :    see   v.  44  foll.   of  fratri.' 

this   book.      Horace    calls   him    '  duplex'  41.    Mandata    parentis,   the   instruc- 

Od.  I.  6,  7.  tions  given  him  for  preserving  his  disguise 

34.  Respondeutia,  natural  after  '  ten-  by  Thetis :  see  i.  339  foll. 


4o6  STATIUS. 

Nusquam  occultus  amor,  totoque  in  pectore  Troja  est. 

Ut  leo,  materno  cum  raptus  ab  ubere  mores 

Accepit,  pectique  jubas  hominemque  vereri 

Edidicit  nullasque  ruit  nisi  jussus  in  iras :  45 

Si  semel  adverso  radiavit  lumine  ferrum, 

Ejurata  fides,  domitorque  inimicus,  in  illum 

Prima  fames,  timidoque  pudet  servisse  magistro. 

Ut  vero  accessit  propius  luxque  aemula  vultum 

Reddidit,  et  similem  tandem  se  vidit  in  auro,  50 

Horruit  erubuitque  simul.     Tunc  acer  Ulixes 

Admotus  lateri  submissa  voce  :    Quid  haeres  ? 

Scimus,  ait,  tu  semiferi  Chironis  alumnus, 

Tu  coeli  pelagique  nepos :   te  Dorica  classis, 

Te  tua  suspensis  expectat  Graecia  signis,  55 

Ipsaque  jam  dubiis  nutant  tibi  Pergama  muris. 

Eia^  age,  rumpe  moras :   sine,  perfida  palleat  Ide, 

Et  juvet  haec  audire  patrem,  pudeatque  dolosam 

Sic  pro  te  timuisse  Thetin.    Jam  pectus  amictu 

Laxabat :   cum  grande  tuba  (sic  jussus)  Agyrtes  60 

Insonuit ;    fugiunt  disjectis  undique  donis, 

Implorantque  patrem  commotaque  proelia  credunt. 

Illius  intactae  cecidere  a  pectore  vestes. 

Jam  clypeus  breviorque  manu  consumitur  hasta 


42.    Occultus    amor,  '  his  clandestine  which  was  plated  outside  with  gold :  see 

love'  for  Deidamia.  above  in  this  book,  v.  49. 

43,44.   Mores   accepit,  i.e. 'allowed  54.  Coeli  pelagique  nepos.  Aeacus, 

itself    to    be    tamed:'    so    Pliny,    N.  H.  his  grandfather,  was  the  son  of  Zeus,  and 

36.   16,  25    (of   iroii)    '  cedit    et    patitur  Thetis,  his  mother,  was   the  daughter  of 

mores.'  Nereus :  cp.  v.  224  (of  his  parents)  '  AUe- 

45.  Nisi   jussus,  i.  e.  except  when  in-  gantque  suos  utroque  a  sanguine  divos.' 
cited  to  attack  wild  animals  in  hunting.  56.    Dubiis  :    Pope    almost    translates 

46.  Adverso,  =  ' adversus  lumen,' if  the  this  line,  Hom.  II.  2.18:  '  And  nodding 
steel  has  flashed  fuU  upon  him,  answering  Ilion  waits  th'  impending  fall.'  Cp.  I. 
to  '  comminus'  v.  37.  473  foll. 

47.  Ejurata  fides,  '  its  fealty  is  re-  60.  Tuba  :  see  above,  v.  50  of  this 
nounced:'  '  ejurare' is  used  frequently  by  book,  '  tecum  lituo  bonus  adsit  Agyrtes 
Seneca  and  Tacitus  for  '  to  disown.'  Cp.  Occultamque  tubam  tacitos  apportet  in 
Auson.  Idyll.  2.  31  '  Vitati  coetus  ejurati-  usus.' 

qne  tumultus.'     Some  MSS.  give  here  '  It  63.   Intactae,  i.  e.  of  their  own  accord, 

jurata    fides;'    but    '  jurare    fidem'    could  ashamed  to  have  concealed  his  valour  so 

hardly  be  applied  to  a  lion.  'ong. 

48.  Timido,  i.  e.  who  is  frightened  at  64.  Breviorque,  i.  e.  '  too  short'  for 
his  attack,  as  contraslcd  with  v.  44.  his  mighty  hand;  the  'clypeus'  and  the 
There  is  no  need  of  altering  into  '  tu-  '  hasta'  are  of  course  those  spoken  of 
mido'  =  '  proud.'  above,  vv.  38,  39. 

49.  Lux  aemula,  saw  his  face  ex-  Consumitur,  is  '  fully  grasped,'  or  '  is 
pressed    in    the    reflexion    of    the    shield,  wasted'  in  the  giant  hand  that  could  wield 


STATIUS.  407 

(Mira  fides),  Ithacumquc  humeris  excedere  visus  65 

Actolumquc  ducem  :    tantum  subita  arma  calorque 
Martius  horrenda  confundit  luce  penates. 
Immanisque  gradu,  ceu  protinus  Hectora  poscens, 
Stat  medius  trepidante  domo. 


far  heavier  ones.     Cp.  i.  446  '  totos  con-  67.   Penates  :   the  whole  household  is 

sumunt  carbasa  ventos.'  so  dazzled  by  the  presence  of  the  hero  and 

66.   Aetolumque  ducem,  Diomede,  as  the  terrible  glitter   of  his   arms,  that   he 

having  after    the   Trojan   war    settled    in  seems  more  imposing  than  even  Ulysses  or 

Aetolia:  Ov.  M.  14.  461  '  AetoUus  heros.'  Diomede. 


M.  VALERIUS    MARTIALIS. 


LIFE     OF     MARTIAL. 


M.  Valerius  Martialis,  like  the  Senecas,  Lucan,  Quintilian, 
Columella,  Prudentius,  Juvencus,  and  others,  was  a  native  of  Spain, 
having  been  born,  as  he  often  tells  us,  at  Bilbilis,  on  the  river 
Salo  in  Arragon,  during  the  reign  of  Claudius,  a.  d.  43,  on  the 
Kalends  of  March,  whence  perhaps  his  name.  Migrating  to  Rome 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  adopted  the  profession  of  an  advo- 
cate,  in  which  however  he  succeeded  in  acquiring  neither  fortune 
nor  fame.  Abandoning  the  law  he  devoted  himself,  like  Statius,  to 
poetry,  which  in  his  needy  hands  took  the  form  of  flattering  epi- 
grams  calculated  to  tickle  the  vanity  and  win  the  patronage  of  the 
semi-literary  Domitian,  who  repaid  the  poet's  compliments  by  re- 
wards  more  honorary  than  lucrative,  the  privileges  of  the  '  jus  iriuvi 
liberorum,'  the  rank  of  knight,  and  the  oflfice  of  tribune  :  see  5.  13; 
3.  95.  By  some  means,  unknown  to  us,  he  became  possessed  of 
a  Sabine  farm  near  Nomentuni,  besides  a  small  house  in  Rome 
itself,  that  might  well  have  satisfied  a  less  discontented  disposition. 
His  patrons  and  friends  were  numerous  and  eminent ;  Pliny  the 
younger,  Quintilian,  Juvenal,  Valerius  Flaccus,  Silius  Italicus,  Stella 
of  Padua,  the  poetess  Sulpicia,  with  many  less  notable  personages, 
are  mentioned  as  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  sociable  and  witty 
Epigrammatist ;  Statius,  from  feelings  probably  of  jealousy  or  dis- 
like,  he  never  even  alludes  to.  Though  his  poems  gained  him 
increasing  honour  and  wide  popularity,  his  restlessness  and  extra- 
vagance  would  not  permit  him  to  end  his  days  in  Rome.  Finding 
that  his  flattery  was  less  acceptable  to  Nerva  and  Trajan  than  it 
had  been  to  their  predecessors,  he  returned  to  his  native  country 
A.  D.  100,  not,  it  would  seem,  without  pecuniary  assistance  from 
his  friend  Pliny.  It  was  probably  there  that  in  his  declining  years 
he  married  Clodia  INIarcella,  a  Spanish  lady  of  wealth  and  wit,  with 
whom   he   lived  till   his   death,   which   took  place   about  a.d.   104, 


412  LIFE   OF   MARTIAL. 

when  he  had  reached  his  sixtieth  year,    failing  by  fifteen  years  of 
the  age  which  he  had  prayed  to  attain :  see  lo.  24,  7. 

Although  germs  of  the  epigrammatic  order  of  poetry  are  to  be 
found  in  Catullus  and  Horace,  and  were  still  more  developed  pro- 
bably  in  the  lost  poems  of  Domitius  Marsus,  Ovid's  contemporary, 
yet  Martial  deserves  the  credit  of  being  the  real  inventor,  as  he  was 
also  the  perfecter,  of  the  social  and  political  Epigram.  His  wit  is 
pointed,  various,  easy,  and  brilliant.  His  language  is  pure,  terse, 
direct,  and  powerful,  somewhat  perhaps  interlarded  with  Greek,  but 
entirely  clear  from  any  Spanish  admixture  of  phraseology  or  con- 
struction.  His  varied  versification,  if,  according  to  Bernhardy, 
occasionally  stiff"  and  pedantic,  is  never  otherwise  than  vigorous  and 
correct,  while  his  metres  are  adapted  with  singular  felicity  to  the 
subject  and  spirit  of  the  several  pieces,  the  Elegiac  being  appro- 
priated  to  themes  of  tender  sentiment  or  grave  flattery,  the  Hende- 
casyllabic  to  light  and  playfiil  subjects,  the  Scazon  being  reserved 
for  the  expression  of  bitter  and  personal  invective.  He  possesses 
the  talent  for  description,  especially  in  regard  to  natural  scenery, 
that  was  characteristic  of  his  age ;  and  we  meet  occasionally  in  the 
poet  with  a  genuine  pathos  and  striking  moral  reflectiveness  that  is 
not  easy  to  find  in  what  we  know  of  the  man.  Pliny  (Ep.  3.  21) 
characterizes  him  as  '  homo  ingeniosus,  acutus,  acer,  et  qui  plurimum 
in  scribendo  et  salis  haberet  et  fellis,  nec  candoris  minus.'  For  his 
style,  see  the  comparison  of  him  with  Horace  in  Merivale's  Hist. 
Empire,  c.  64,  who  considers  the  '  Epigrams'  to  be  the  '  quintessence 
of  the  Flavian  poetry.'  The  poems  came  out  in  separate  books, 
each  testifying  its  approximate  date;  the  '  Xenia'  and  '  Apophoreta,' 
consisting  of  distichs,  although  placed  last,  appear  to  have  been  the 
earliest  productions  of  the  poet,  and  to  have  given  but  slight  promise 
of  the  developments  of  his  genius  that  were  to  follow. 

The  earliest  MSS.  of  Martial,  which,  it  may  be  remarked,  do  not 
contain  the  probably  genuine  book  entitled  '  Liber  de  Spectaculis,' 
belong  to  the  tenth  century. 


LXXXIV. 
M.  VALERIUS    MARTIALIS. 

EPIGRAMMATA. 
LIB.  I.  13  (14). 

De  Arria  et  Paeto. 

Casta  suo  gladium  cum  traderet  Arria  Paeto, 
Quem  de  visceribus  traxerat  ipsa  suis : 

Si  qua  fides,  vulnus,  quod  feci,  non  dolet,  inquit ; 
Sed  quod  tu  facies,  hoc  mihi,  Paete,  dolet. 


LXXXV. 

LIB.  I.  15  (16). 

Ad  yuliiim,  Sodalem  suuni. 
O  MiHi  post  nullos,  Juli,  memorande  sodales ; 


I.  Paeto,  Caecina  Paetus,  commanded 
by  the  emperor  Claudius  to  put  an  end 
to  his  Hfe,  a.d.  42,  being  suspected  of 
treason.  See  the  full  details  of  this 
scene  in  Pliny,  Ep.  3.  16  '  Praeclarum 
quidem  illud  ejusdem,  ferrum  stringere, 
perfodere  pectus,  extrahere  pugionem, 
porrigere  marito,  addere  vocem  immor- 
talem  ac  paene  divinam,  Paete,  non 
dolet.' 

3.   Si  qua  fides,  a  formula  of  adjura- 


tion :  cp.  5.  19,  i  '  si  qua  fides  veri :'  Cal- 
purn.  Ecl.  7.  56   '  mihi   crede,   Lycota,   Si 

qua  fides.' 

1.  Memorande,  better  than  the  '  nu- 
merande'  (cp.  39  (40),  i)  of  some  MSS. 
Martial  has  evidently  in  his  mind  the  be- 
ginning  of  Ovid's  Elegy,  Tr.  i.  5,  i  'O 
mihi  post  ullos  nunquam  memorande  so- 
dales.'  Besides,  '  numerat '  occurs  just 
after,  v.  4. 


414 


MARTIAL. 


Si  quid  longa  fides,  canaque  jura  valent : 
Bis  jam  paene  tibi  consul  trigesimus  instat, 

Et  numerat  paucos  vix  tua  vita  dies. 
Non  bene  distuleris,  videas  quae  posse  negari ; 

Et  solum  hoc  ducas,  quod  fuit,  esse  tuum. 
Expectant  curaeque  catenatique  labores  j 

Gaudia  non  remanent,  sed  fugitiva  volant. 
Haec  utraque  manu,  complexuque  assere  toto : 

Saepe  fluunt  imo  sic  quoque  lapsa  sinu. 
Non  est,  crede  mihi,  sapientis  dicere,  Vivam. 

Sera  nimis  vita  est  crastina :    vive  hodie. 


LXXXVI. 

LIB.  L  6i  (62). 

Ad  Licentianum  auctores  unde  nascantur. 

Verona  docti  syllabas  amat  vatis  : 
Marone  felix  Mantua  est : 


2.  Canaque,  as  Schneidewin  reads, 
suits  the  context  better  than  '  castaque,' 
as  in  Weber  and  many  editions  :  '  time- 
honoured,'  as  Virg.  Ae.  I.  292  '  Cana 
Fides.'  This  friendship  is  referred  to  in 
12.34  as  one  of  thirty-four  years'  stand- 
ing. 

4.  Numerat,  '  your  Hfe  as  yet  reckons 
but  few  days  of  enjoyment ; '  '  vita,'  as 
'  vivere'  below,  =  '  gay,  merry  life:'  see 
6.  70.  This  is  better  than  to  take  it, 
'  Being  nigh  threescore,  you  have  but  few 
days  more  for  life  and  happiness.' 

5.  Negari,  i.  e.  you  are  not  wise  to 
defer  the  pleasures  which  the  Future  may 
perhaps  deny  you  ahogether. 

7,  8.  Expectant ..  volant,  i.e.  troubles 
are  always  at  your  service  and  at  your 
side ;  joys  are  runaway  slaves  and  never 
stay.  'Catenati'  implies  that  troubles 
(i)  are  certain,  (2)  that  they  produce  each 
other.  The  metaphor  is  from  slaves  being 
fastened  to  each   other  to    prevent    their 


escape.     Cp.   7.  61,  5   '  catenatis  lagonis,' 
=  '  strung  together.' 

9.  Assere,  continuing  the  metaphor 
from  '  fugitiva,'  and  referring  to  the  well- 
known  phrase,  '  manu  asserere  in  Hber- 
tatem,'  or,  '  in  servitutem,'  the  latter  of 
which  it  seems  to  mean  here. 

10.  Sic  quoque,  i.  e.  even  when  thus 
claimed  and  clasped  by  you. 

12.  Cp.  5.  58,  7  '  Cras  vives  :  hodie  jam 
vivere,  Posthume,  serum  est :  Ille  sapit 
quisquis,  Posthume,  vixit  heri.' 

1.  Docti,  the  well-known  epithet  as- 
signed  to  CatuHus  by  his  brother-poets  ; 
see  Ov.  Amor.  3.  9,  62  ;  Tibull.  3.  6,  41. 

Syllabas,  'verses,'  referring  to  the  term 
'  Hendecasyllables ;'  not  found  elsewhere 
in  such  a  sense.  Martial  is  peculiarly  fond 
of  Greek  words. 

2.  Felix,  i.  e.  however  unfortunate  in 
the  division  of  her  lands,  she  is  happy  in 
having  produced  Virgil. 


MARTIAL. 


415 


Censetur  Apona  Livio  suo  tellus, 

Stcllaquc  ncc  Flacco  minus. 
Apollodoro  plaudit  imbrifer  Nilus ; 

Nasone  Peligni  sonant. 
Duosque  Senecas,  unicumque  Lucanum 

Facunda  loquitur  Corduba. 
Gaudent  jocosae  Canio  suo  Gades  j 

Emerita  Deciano  meo. 
Te,  Liciniane,  gloriabitur  nostra, 

Nec  me  tacebit  Bilbilis. 


3,  4.  Censetur,  '  the  country  of  the 
Paduan  spring  takes  rank  by  its  Livy, 
by  Stella  too,  nor  less  by  (Valerius)  Flac- 
cus.'  '  Censeri,'  used  in  a  similar  sense 
and  construction  9.  17,  5  '  Fehx  quae  tah 
censetur  munere  tehus : '  see  Mayor  on 
Juv.  8.  2. 

Aponus  was  a  fountain  near  Patavium, 
called  now  Bagni  D'  Abano  :  so  6.  42,  4 
'  fontes  Aponi  rudes  puelhs.'  Lucan,  7- 
193,  speaks  of  '  Aponus  fumifer.' 

Stella,  the  friend  of  Statius,  to  whom 
he  dedicated  the  first  book  of  his  '  Silvae.' 
Martial  mentions  him  above,  7(8),  i,  and 
again6.  21,1;  7.14,5.  Valerius  Flaccus 
is  addressed  in  the  76th  Epigram  of  this 
Book. 

5.  Apollodoro,  a  writer  of  whom 
httle  is  known,  probably  a  comic  poet  of 
Alexandria,  an  imitator,  it  is  said,  of  Me- 
nander. 

Plaudit;  the  choice  of  this  word  has 
been  imagined  to  refer  to  the  noisy  greet- 
ings  accorded  to  Isis  by  her  worshippers  : 
Nile  welcomes  her  poet  as  she  would 
a  god. 

Imbrifer,  i.e.  that  with  its  inundations 
serves  for  rain  ;  cp.  Hdt.  2.  14. 

7.  Duosque  Senecas,  the  rhetorician, 
and  his  son,  the  philosopher  :  cp.  4.  40,  2 


'  Et  docti  Senecae  ter  numeranda  domus  :' 
see  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7,31  (12). 

9.  Gaudent  suits  with  '  jocosae,'  as 
'  loquitur  '  with  '  facunda '  v.  8  :  cp.  Ov. 
Amor.  3.  15,  7  '  Mantua  Virgilio  gaudet, 
Verona  CatuIIo.' 

Canio,  Canius  Rufus,  a  countryman 
and  contemporary  of  Martiars.  For  his 
character  as  illustrating  '  jocosae,'  see  the 
Epigram  (3.  20)  addressed  to  him.  Gades 
was  at  this  time  notable  for  its  licentious- 
ness :  see  5.  78,  26  '  Gadibus  improbis:' 
cp.  I.41  (42),  12. 

10.  Emerita  (Augusta),  the  Roman 
capital  of  Lusitania,  colonized  by  the 
'  Emeriti '  or  veterans  of  two  legions,  now 
called  '  Merida.'  For  the  character  of 
MartiaKs  friend,  Decianus  ('Cecropiae  ma- 
didus  Latiaeque  Minervae  Artibus '),  see 
the  8th  (9th)  and  39th  (^oth)  Epigrams  of 
this  Book :  the  second  Book  is  dedicated 
to  him. 

11.  Licinianus:  see  49  (50),  3. 
Gloriabitur,    the    Celtiberians    being 

noted  for  their  boasting  propensities. 

12.  Bilbilis,  one  of  the  chief  cities 
in  Hispania  Tarraconensis,  was  Martiars 
birth-place ;  see  I.  c.  '  Videbis  altam,  Li- 
ciniane,  Bilbilem  Equis  (Aquis  ?)  et  armis 
nobilem.' 


4i6 


MARTIAL. 


LXXXVII. 

LIB.  1.76(77)- 
De  Flacco.      Quod  poetae  nihil  lncri  habent. 

O  MiHi  curarum  pretium  non  vile  mearum, 

Flacce,  Antenorei  spes  et  alumne  Laris, 
Pierios  difFer  cantusque  chorosque  Sororum : 

Aes  dabit  ex  istis  nulla  puella  tibi. 
Quid  petis  a  Phoebo  ?  nummos  habet  arca  Minervae : 

Haec  sapit,  haec  omnes  fenerat  una  deos. 
Quid  possent  hederae  Bacchi  dare  ?    Palladis  arbor 

Inclinat  varias  pondere  nigra  comas. 
Praeter  aquas  Helicon,  et  serta  lyrasque  dearum 

Nil  habet,  et  magnum  sed  perinane  sophos. 
Quid  tibi  cum  Cirrha  ?    quid  cum  Permesside  nuda  ? 


1.  Curarum  pretium,  not,  as  Far- 
nabius,  '  rich  omament  of  our  common 
pursuit,'  i.  e.  poetry,  but,  '  rich  reward  of 
my  interest  in  you.' 

2.  Antenorei  .  .  Laris,  Padua,  the 
birthplace  of  Valerius  Flaccus  ;  see  on 
61  (62),  4.  He  died  young,  and  in  strait- 
ened  circumstances,  as  has  been  inferred 
from  this  Epigram. 

4.  Istis  .  .  puella,  i.  e.  none  of  the 
Muses  ;  '  istis,'  sc.  '  sororibus,'  not  '  ex 
cantibus  citharaque,'  here,  as  often,  with 
a  contemptuous  connotation. 

5.  Minervae,  found  in  all  the  MSS. ; 
Minerva  stands  here,  and  in  v.  7,  as  the 
goddess  of  practical  shrewdness  and  money- 
making  enterprise,  as  contrasted  with 
Apollo,  the  patron  of  unremunerative 
poetry.  Some  consider  her  to  have  been 
the  pecuHar  goddess  of  lawyers,  the  '  fo- 
rum'  of  V.  12;  see  10.  19,14  (of  Pliny) 
'  Totos  dat  tetricae  dies  Minervae  Dum 
centum  studet  auribus  virorum.'  Mark- 
land,  ou  Statius  Silv.  3.  105,  makes  the 
ingenious  emendation  of  '  Monetae '  for 
'  Minervae,'  and  '  temperat'  for  'fenerat' 
in  the  next  line.  Compare  Juvenars  com- 
plaints  in  Satire  7. 


6.  Fenerat..deos  has  been  taken  = 
'  drains  with  usury  the  rest  of  the  gods:' 
so  Cicero  Parad.  6.  2  '  ad  fenerandas  .  . 
provincias.'  Gronovius  interprets,  more 
consistently  with  the  use  of  '  fenerare,' 
'  lends  you  all  the  gods  (i.  e.  their  gifts) 
on  usury,'  being  too  canny  to  give  them 
for  nothing. 

8.  Varias,  in  reference  to  the  gray- 
green  hues  of  the  olive. 

Pondere,  emphatic  =  has  plenty  of 
fruit.  The  meaning  of  the  line  is,  that 
the  service  of  Pallas  is  fruitful  and  pro- 
fitable  enough.  Martial  is  evidently  think- 
ing  of  Aesop's  fable  about  the  gods  choosing 
their  trees  :  see  Phaedrus  3.  17. 

10.  Magnum  .  .  sophos,  '  loud  but 
very  empty  bravos  :'  so  3  (4),  7  '  Audieris 
cum  grande  sophos.'  '  Sophos,'  Greek 
ffo<pa/s  ;  the  adverb  and  adjective  are  both 
frequently  used  by  Martial. 

11.  Nuda,  '  destitute,'  '  needy,'  as  opp. 
to  '  divitiis '  in  the  next  line ;  found 
in  the  best  MSS. :  others  have  '  Per- 
messidos  unda,'  '  Permesside  lympha,'  etc. 
Permessus  is  the  river  sacred  to  ApoUo 
and  the  Muses,  which  rises  in  Mount 
Helicon. 


MARTIAL 


417 


Romanum  propius,  divitiusque  forum  est. 
Illic  aera  sonant :    at  circum  pulpita  nostra 
Et  stcriles  cathedras  basia  sola  crepant. 


LXXXVIII. 

LIB.  I.  88  (89). 

Ad  Alcimum  puerum  sepulhim. 

Alcime,  quem  raptum  domino  crescentibus  annis 

Labicana  levi  caespite  velat  humus : 
Accipe  non  Pario  nutantia  pondera  saxo, 

Quae  cineri  vanus  dat  ruitura  labor : 
Sed  faciles  buxos  et  opacas  palmitis  umbras, 

Quaeque  virent  lacrimis  roscida  prata  meis. 
Accipe,  care  puer,  nostri  monumenta  doloris : 

Hic  tibi  perpetuo  tempore  vivet  honor. 
Cum  mihi  supremos  Lachesis  perneverit  annos : 

Non  aliter  cineres  mando  jacere  meos. 


14.  Steriles  cathedras,  i.  e.  yielding 
no  solid  gain.  The  'cathedrae'  were  the 
grammarians'  chairs  who  criticised  and 
expounded  the  poets ;  the  '  pulpita '  were 
the  raised  stages  whence  the  poets  recited 
their  pieces ;  cp.  Juv.  7.  20.^^  '  Poenituit 
muhos  vanae  sterilisque  cathedrae.' 

Basia,  the  kisses  of  the  audience  ap- 
plauding  the  reciting  poet :  cp.  3.  (4),  7 
'  dum  basia  captas.' 

Crepant,  contrasted  with  '  sonant,'  the 
true  ring  of  the  coin. 

2.  Labicana  :  Martial  takes  the  liberty 
of  lengthening  the  first  syllable,  which  in 
'  Labici '  and  '  Labicum '  is  always  short. 
It  is  not  meant  that  the  boy  was  buried 
at  Lavici,  but  by  the  side  of  the  road 
(Esquiline)  leading  froni  Rome  to  Lavici. 

Velat  (MSS.)  :  'velet'  has  been  con- 
jectured  to  suit  the  common  formula, 
S.  T.T.L.  =  ' sit  tibi  terra  levis  :'  cp.  5.  34, 
9  ;  but  no  change  is  necessary. 

3.  Pario,  which  Schneidewin  reads,  is 
perhaps  better  than  the  '  Phario'  of  some 
MSS.,   thoui^h   either    makes   good   sense. 


The   Egvptian   porphjTV-quarries  were  at 
Syene  :  cp.  Stat.  Silv.  4.  2,  27. 

5.  Faciles,  '  hght,'  '  flexible,'  or  '  got- 
ten  easily,'  as  contrasted  with  the  preceding 
Une.  Weber  retains  the  '  fragiles '  of 
several  texts,  which  scarcely  suits  the  con- 
text  as  well  as  '  faciles.' 

6.  Prata,  '  turf,'  for  the  more  common 
'  caespes.'  Probably  the  slave  belonged  to 
Martial. 

8.  Honor,  i.  e.  the  evergreen  beauty 
('  in  urna  perpetuum  ver'  Juv.  7.  208)  of 
the  turf  and  box-tree,  as  contrasted  with 
the  decay  of  stone  etc.  in  v.  4 :  cp.  Virg. 
G.  2.  404  'silvis  aquilo  decussit  honorem.' 
This  is  better  than  taking  it  of  the  poet's 
verse,  which  does  not  suit  so  well  with 
v.  10  '  aliter  jacere,'  i.  e.  the  master  would 
wish  to  be  buried  as  simply  as  his  slave. 
Besides,  '  hic  honor '  naturally  refers  to 
'  monumenta,'  i.  e.  '  buxi '  etc,  rather  than 
to  a  new  gift  (of  a  poem). 

9.  Perneverit,  '  spun  out,'  a  word  not 
used  by  any  other  classical  author,  but  ob- 
viously  preferable  to  the  '  pervenerit  annus' 
of  one  old  MS.  and  several  editions. 

E  e 


41 8  MARTIAL. 

Lxxxrx. 

LIB.  II.  5. 

Ad  Decianum  causidictim. 

Ne  valeam,  si  non  totis,  Deciane,  diebus, 

Et  tecum  totis  noctibus  esse  velim. 
Sed  duo  sunt,  quae  nos  disjungunt,  millia  passum : 

Quatuor  haec  fiunt,  cum  rediturus  eam. 
Saepe  domi  non  es  :    cum  sis  quoque,  saepe  negaris 

Vel  tantum  causis,  vel  tibi  saepe  vacas. 
Te  tamen  ut  videam,  duo  millia  non  piget  ire : 

Ut  te  non  videam,  quatuor  ire  piget. 


xc. 

LIB.  II.  90. 

Ad  Quintilianum  de  otiosa  vita. 

QuiNTiLiANE,  vagae  moderator  summe  juventae, 

Gloria  Romanae,  Quintiliane,  togae, 
Vivere  quod  propero  pauper,  nec  inutilis  annis, 

Da  veniam :   properat  vivere  nemo  satis. 
Differat  hoc,  patrios  optat  qui  vincere  census,  5 

Atriaque  immodicis  artat  imaginibus. 

3.  Disjungunt,  as  in  the  oldest  MS.,  I.  Vagae,  '  restless   youth;*    q).  Stat. 

better   than  '  distinguunt,'  as  Weber  and  Silv.  3.  5,  25  '  juvenile  vagantem.' 

Lemaire.  3.  Vivere,  as  in  1.15,11,  '  to  enjoy, 

Passum,    for    '  passuum,'    would    na-  =make   the    best    of,    life;'    cp.    5.   20, 

turally   get   contracted    from   its  frequent  14. 

use  with  '  millia.'      Virgil's  '  quae  gratia  Pauper  .  .  annis,   '  though   poor   and 

currum'  Ae.  6.  653,  is  hardly  a  parallel.  active  in  years,'  and  so  having  as  yet  no 

5.  Negaris  :  cp.  5.  22,  9  '  Illud  adhuc  excuse  for  ease  and  self-indulgence.  Mar- 
gravius,  quod  te  post  mille  labores,  Paule,  tial  has  in  his  mind  Anchises'  words,  Virg. 
negat  lasso  janitor  esse  domi.'  Ae.  2.  647  '  invisus  divis  et  inutilis  annos 

6.  Vacas,   '  often    it   seems  you   have  Demoror.'     Cp.  11.81,3. 

time  to  spare  only  on  your  briefs  or  on  5.   Differat,   '  he  may  put  this   (' vi- 

yourself,'  i.  e.  at  any  rate  you  have  none      vere ')  off  who,'  etc. 

for  your  fricnds.  6.  Iniaginibus  :  see  on  5.  20,  7.     The 


MARTIAL.  419 

Me  focus  et  nigros  non  indignantia  fumos 
Tecta  juvant  et  fons  vivus  et  hcrba  rudis  : 

Sit  mihi  verna  satur,  sit  non  doctissima  conjux, 

Sit  nox  cum  somno,  sit  sine  lite  dies.  lo 


XCI. 

LIB.  111.  20. 

Ad  Musam  de  Canio. 

Dic,  Musa,  quid  agat  Canius  meus  Rufus  ? 
Utrumne  chartis  tradit  ille  victuris 
Legenda  temporum  acta  Claudianorum  ? 
An  quae  Neroni  falsus  adstruit  scriptor  ? 
An  aemulatur  improbi  jocos  Phaedri  ? 
Lascivus  elegis,  an  severus  herois  ? 
An  in  cothurnis  horridus  Sophocleis  ? 
An  otiosus  in  schola  poetarum 
Lepore  tinctos  Attico  sales  narrat  ? 
Hinc  si  recessit,  porticum  terit  templi  ? 
An  spatia  carpit  lentus  Argonautarum  ? 


idea  is,  that  the  man  is  too  absorbed  in  ployed  in  correcling  the  false  histories  of 

the    grandeur    of  his    ancestors    to    think  the  time. 

about  his  own  ease,  or  that  family  pride  5.    Improbi   .  .   Phaedri,    '  reckless 

stimulates  him  to  covet  honours  for  him-  Phaedrus ; '    it    is    uncertain    whether    the 

self.  fabuHst    and    his    daring    attacks    on    the 

7.  Non  indignantia,  'a  roof  not  great  men  of  his  time  are  here  referred  to. 
impatient  of  smoke,'  i.  e.  having  no  gilded  Jocos,  as  in  Phaedr.  Prologue  B.  i.  7 
ceiling  to  be  spoiled,  and  low  enough  to  '  Fictis  jocari  nos  meminerit  fabulis.' 

be  soon  blackened  by  it.  7-   Cothurnis  .  .  Sophocleis  :    cp.  5. 

8.  Fons  vivus.a  naturalrunningspring,  30,  I,  and  Virg.  E.  8.  10  '  Sola  Sophocleo 
not  water   conveyed   by  pipes,  aqueducts,  tua  carmina  digna  cothurno." 

etc,    like    Virgirs   '  vivique    lacus'   G.  2.  Horridus,  not  '  dishevelled,'  but,  like 

469.  '  severus'  v.  6  (as  we  might  say), '  tremen- 

Rudis,  not  '  wild,'  but  '  simple,'  as  op-  dous,'  '  imposing.' 
posed  to  ornamental  arrangementof  ilowers  8.   Schola  :    see  4.61,3;    it  was   pro- 

in  vases  and  elaborate  beds.  bably  a  kind  of  club  {Xiaxv)'  where  poets 

niet  to  discuss  and  recite  :  see  Bernhardy 

4.   Adstruit,  implying  additions  made  Rom.  Litt.  P.  71  foll. 
to  the  truth,  like  '  affingo  :'  cp.  Tac.  Ann.  1 1.  Spatia  ..  Argonautarum,the'Por- 

I.  I  'Tiberii  Caiique  et  Claudii  ac  Neronis  ticus  Argonautarum,'  erected  by  Agrippa, 

res  florentibus  ipsis  ob  metum  falsae,  post-  son-in-law    of   Augustus,   in    the   Campus 

quam  occiderant,  recentibus  odiis  compo-  Martius,   and   adorned   with   a   picture   of 

sitae  sunt.'     Martial  supposes  Canius  em-  the  Argonauts. 

E  e  2 


420  MARTIAL. 

An  delicatae  sole  rursus  Europae 

Inter  tepentes  post  meridiem  buxos 

Sedet,  ambulatve  liber  acribus  curis  ? 

Titine  thermis,  a.n  lavatur  Agrippae,  15 

An  impudici  balneo  Tigillini  ? 

An  rure  Tulli  fruitur,  atque  Lucani  ? 

An  Pollionis  dulce  currit  ad  quaitum  ? 

An  aestuantes  jam  protectus  ad  Baias 

Piger  Lucrino  nauculatur  in  stagno  ?  20 

Vis  scire,  quid  agat  Canius  tuus?   ridet. 


XCII. 

LIB.  IIL  ^S' 
De  Piscibus  sctdptis. 

Artis  Phidiacae  toreuma  clarum, 
Pisces  adspicis :    adde  aquam,  natabunt. 

XCIII. 

LIB.  III.  41. 
hi  Laccrtam  caclatam. 

Inserta  phialae  Mentoris  manu  ducta 
Lacerta  vivit,  et  timetur  argentum. 

12.  Delicatae  .  .  Europae.    This  was  the  favourite  distance,  it  seems,  from  the 

probably    aaother   erection    of  Agrippa's,  capital :    see   lo.  79,  i   '  Ad  lapidem  Tor- 

also    in   the   Campus    Martius,   consisting  quatus  habet  praetoria  quartum :  Ad  quar- 

of  a  colonnade,  decorated  with  a  painting  tum  breve  rus  emit  Otacilius.'  Paley  under- 

of  the  rape  of  Europa  ;  cp.  2.  I4,  15  '  Lotus  stands  '  rus '  after  '  dulce,'  and  '  lapidem  ' 

ad  Europes  tepidae  (  =  ' sole  tepentes' here)  after  'quartum;'  but  it  is  simpler  to  take 

buxeta  recurrit ;'  see  also  II.  1,  lO.    '  De-  '  quartum'  here  as  =  '  villa  sita  ad  quartum.' 
Hcatus'  is  a  favourite  epithet  of  Martiars,  20.  Nauculatur,    '  is    he    yachting?' 

'  charming,'  '  voluptuous.'  Some   read  '  naviclatur '  for  the  '  navicu- 

17.  Tulli  .  .  Lucani.  See  the  beau-  latur'  of  several  texts,  which  last  is  in- 
tiful  epigram  on  these  two  brothers,  I.  56  :  consistent  with  the  metre,  an  anapaest 
cp.  9.  52.  in  the  fourth  foot  of  a  Scazon  being  a  rare 

18.  Dulce  .  .  quartum,  '  Pollio's  sweet  licence.  The  word  is  not  found  elsewhere 
villa  at  the  fourth  milestone  from  Rome,'  in  the  classics. 


MARTIAL.  421 

XCIV. 

LIB.  IIL  44. 

Ad  Ligurinum  poetam. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

OccuRRiT  tibi  nemo  quod  libenter, 

Quod,  quacumque  venis,  fuga  est,  et  ingens 

Circa  te,  Ligurine,  solitudo, 

Quid  sit,  scire  cupis  ?    nimis  poeta  es : 

Hoc  valde  vitium  periculosum  est.  s 

Non  tigris  catulis  citata  raptis, 

Non  dipsas  medio  perusta  sole, 

Nec  sic  scorpius  improbus  timetur. 

Nam  tantos,  rogo,  quis  ferat  labores  ? 

Et  stanti  legis,  et  legis  sedenti :  10 

Currenti  legis,         ^  *  * 

In  thermas  fugio;   sonas  ad  aurem. 

Piscinam  peto ;   non  licet  natare. 

Ad  coenam  propero  j   tenes  euntem. 

Ad  coenam  venioj   fugas  sedentem.  15 

Lassus  dormio  j   suscitas  jacentem. 

Vis,  quantum  facias  mali,  videre  ? 

Vir  justus,  probus,  innocens  timeris. 


4.  Nimis  poeta  :  see  Horace's  lines  on  15.   Sedentem,  as   Schneidewin  reads, 

the  poetical  bores  ofhis  day,  A.P. 453-476.  is  usually  taken  to  mean  'sitting'  while 

7.   Dipsas,  a  serpent,  the  bite  of  which  supper    is   being   put   on    the    table  ;    cp. 

excites  vehement  thirst ;  so  Lucan  t).  609  8.    67,   6    '  Sternantur    lecti  :     Caeciliane 

'  in  mediis  sitiebant  dipsades  undis.'  sede  ; '  but  this  is  doubtful.     Weber  and 

13.   Piscinam,  the  technical  word  for  Lemaire,     following    several    MSS.,    read 

the  cold  swimming-bath,  called  also  '  na-  '  fugas    edentem:'    cp.    Hor.    Ep.  i.  16, 

tatio,' 'puteus,'  '  baptisterium  :'  cp.  Auson.  22    '  sub    tempus    edendi.'      Schneidewin 

Mosella  341,  342  '  Vidi  ego  defessos  multo  would    eject   the   line   altogether.     See    a 

sudore  lavacri   Fastidisse  lacus  et   frigora  similar  epigram   on  the   same  person,   3. 

piscinarum.'  50. 


422 


MARTIAL. 


xcv. 

LIB.  IV.  8. 
Ad  Euphenmm  de  Jioris  nominandis. 

Prima  salutantes  atque  altera  conterit  hora  j 

Exercet  raucos  tertia  causidicos. 
In  quintam  varios  extendit  Roma  labores  j 

Sexta  quies  lassis,  septima  finis  erit. 
Sufficit  in  nonam  nitidis  octava  palaestris ; 

Imperat  extructos  frangere  nona  toros. 
Hora  libellorum  decima  est,  Eupheme,  meorum, 

Temperat  ambrosias  cum  tua  cura  dapes, 
Et  bonus  aetherio  laxatur  nectare  Caesar, 

Ingentique  tenet  pocula  parca  manu. 
Tunc  admitte  jocos :    gressu  timet  ire  licenti 

Ad  matutinum  nostra  Thalia  Jovem. 


I.  Conterit,  '  wears  out,'  the  true 
reading,  (not  '  continet,'  as  in  most  edi- 
tions,)  suits  best  with  '  exercet '  in  the 
next  line,  besides  being  supported  by  the 
best  MSS. ;  Cic.  de  Fin.  1.21  '  An  ille  .  . 
se  in  musicis,  geometria,  numeris,  astris 
contereret?'     Cp.  Juv.  I.  127  tbll. 

5.  Nitidis,  Greek  XnrapaTs,  from  the 
oil  smeared  on  the  bodies  of  those  who 
engaged  in  athletics.  This  was  also  the 
hour  for  bathing. 

6.  Frangere,  '  crush  (with  recHning 
hmbs)  the  couches  prepared '  for  dinner, 
the  ordinary  hour  of  the  '  coena '  being 
three  o'clock  in  summer.  In  the  margin 
of  an  old  edition  this  line  is  read,  '  Imperat 
excelsos  scandere  ;'  but  this  would  be  more 
appHcable  to  sleeping-couches  than  to  the 
low  ones  on  which  they  rechned  at  meals  ; 
besides,  Martial  uses  the  same  phrase  in 
2.  59,  3  '  Frange  toros  :  pete  vina  :  rosas 
cape  :  tingere  nardo.' 

7.  Euphemus,  the  chamberlain  or  chief 


steward  of  Domitian's  household,  whom 
the  poet  urges  to  present  his  Epigrams  to 
the  emperor  at  the  fitting  time,  when  he 
is  over  his  wine  ;  cp.  10.  I9,  19  '  Haec 
hora  est  tua  cum  furit  Lyaeus.' 

8.  Ambrosias,  Hke  '  nectare '  in  the 
next  line,  applied  to  Caesar  as  a  god.  Such 
insinuations  were  peculiarly  to  the  taste  of 
Domitian :  see  Merivale  Hist.  vol.  7>  *^h. 
62. 

10.  Parca.  Another  reading  is  '  larga  ;' 
but  see  Suet.  Dom.  21  '  Prandebat  ad  satie- 
tatem  ;  ut  non  temere  super  coenam  praeter 
Matianum  malum  et  modicam  in  ampulla 
potiunculam  sumeret.' 

Ingenti..manu,  contrasting  with  '  po- 
cula  parca;'  cp.  Suet.  I.  c.  c.  18  '  statura 
fuit  procera.'  Martial  may  have  had  in 
mind  Virg.  Ae.  5.  487.  Compare  the  pre- 
cautions  urged  by  Horace,  S.  2.  i,  iS,  and 
the  similar  epigram  of  Martial's,  10.  19. 

12.  T  h a  1  i a, '  our  merry  muse,'  OdWeiv : 
so  '  jocos'  in  preceding  line:  cp.  7.  17' 4- 


MARTIAL.  423 

XCVI. 

LIB.  IV.  14. 
Ad  Silium. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

SiLi  Castalidum  decus  Sororum, 

Qui  perjuria  barbari  furoris 

Ingenti  premis  ore  perfidosque 

Fastus  Hannibalis,  levesque  Poenos 

Magnis  cedere  cogis  Africanis  :  5 

Paulum  seposita  severitate, 

Dum  blanda  vagus  alea  December 

Incertis  sonat  hinc  et  hinc  fritillis, 

Et  ludit  popa  nequiore  talo, 

Nostris  otia  commoda  Camenis  .  10 

Nec  torva  lege  fronte,  sed  remissa 

Lascivis  madidos  jocis  libellos. 

Sic  forsan  tener  ausus  est  Catullus 

Magno  mittere  passerem  Maroni. 

2.  Perjuria:  see  the  opening  lines  of  many  others  '  rota,'  i.  e.  '  aleatorum  cir- 
the'Punica;'  and  cp.  6.  19,  6  '  Et  perjuria  cumstantium  corona,'  or  sonie  kind  of 
Punici  furoris.'  gambling  perhaps  like  '  roulette.'     Weber 

3.  Premis,  like  '  cogis'  v.  5,  =  '  dost  prefers  '  popa,'  which,  though  strictly  the 
describe  as  crushed,'  like  Horace's  '  jugulat  slayer  of  the  victim  at  sacrifices,  might 
dum  Memnona'  S.  I.  lO,  36,  and  Stat.  Silv.  perhaps  also  mean  a  knave  of  the  tavern 
2.7,77(59)-  ('popina'),   though    there    seems   no   au- 

4.  Fastus,  as  in  most  MSS.,  not  (as  in  thority  for  such  a  sense.  If  'tropa'  be 
a  few)'Astus.'  Probably  Martial  has  in  read,  the  reference  must  be  to  the  Tpoff(i  (  = 
his   mind  Hor.  Od.  4.  8,  16  '  Rejectaeque  oaTpaKivSa)  Trai^eiv. 

retrorsum  Hannibalis  minae' etc.  Nequiore    talo,   'loaded'   or   fraudu- 

7.  Vagus,  '  the  strollers  of  December,  lently  managed  dice ;  contrasted  with  '  in- 

with  their  seductive  dice,'  or  simply,  '  wild,  certis'  v.  8  ;  see  14.  16. 
unrestrained  December.'    On  the  Saturnalia  13.   Sic,  i.  e.  taking  advantage  of  the 

public  gambling  was  permitted  by  the  ae-  Saturnalia. 

diles  ;  see  5.  84,  3  '  Et  blando  male  proditus  14.   Passerem,   alluding   of   course   to 

fritilloArcana  modo  raptus  e  popina  Aedilem  the  poem  on  the  '  Sparrow  '  of  Lesbia,  so 

rogat   udus   aleator:'    cp.   14.1,3.      The  frequently   referred   to   by  Martial.      Sca- 

'  tali '    stand    for    one    sort    of    games    of  Hger  argued  from  this  passage  that  CatuIIus 

chance,   for   which   '  alea'    is    the    generic  lived  to  a  later  period  than  had  generally 

term  :  '  fritillus' is  '  the  dice-box.'  been  believed.      Martial  intends  delicately 

9.  Popa.     There  is  much  variation  in  to  flatter   Silius  by  comparing  him   with 

the  MSS.  here  ;  Schneidewin  reads  '  tropa ;'  his  idol,  Virgil. 


424  MARTIAL. 


XCVII. 

LIB.  IV.  64. 
De  hortis  Martialis. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

JuLi  jugera  pauca  Martialis, 

Hortis  Hesperidum  beatiora, 

Longo  Janiculi  jugo  recumbunt : 

Lati  collibus  imminent  recessus  j 

Et  planus  modico  tumore  vertex  5 

Coelo  perfruitur  sereniore ; 

Et  curvas  nebuia  tegente  valles 

Solus  luce  nitet  peculiari  j 

Puris  leniter  admoventur  astris 

Celsae  culmina  delicata  villae.  10 

Hinc  septem  dominos  videre  montes, 

Et  totam  licet  aestimare  Romam, 

Albanos  quoque  Tusculosque  colles, 

Et  quodcumque  jacet  sub  Urbe  frigus, 

Fidenas  veteres,  brevesque  Rubras,  15 

Et  quod  virgineo  cruore  gaudet 

Annae  pomiferum  nemus  Perennae. 


I.  Juli,  the  Julius  Martialis  to  whom  the  first  stage  out  of  Rome,  on  the  Fla- 
the  sixth  Book  of  the  Epigrams  is  dedi-  minian  road,  not  very  far  from  Veii.  Livy 
cated  :  see  6.  i  :  cp.  7.  17  ;  5.  20.  speaks  of  '  saxa  Rubra'  2.  49  ;  others  read 

8.  Peculiari,  '  all  to  itself,' when  the  '  Ulubras,'  after  Juvenars  '  vacuis  aedilis 
valleys  are  in  mist.  Ulubris'  10. 102. 

9.  Puris,  '  unclouded  :' so  8. 14,  3  '  pu-  16.  Virgineo  cruore,  supposed  by 
ros  soles  et  sine  faece  diem.'  some  to  refer  to  the  worship  of  Diana  at 

Astris :   there   is   much  plausibility   in  Aricia,  with  which  that  of  Anna  Perenna 

the  reading  of  one  edition,  '  austris.'  has    improbably    been    identified,    and    at 

II.  Dominos  .  .  montes,  '  the  lordly  which  maidens  were  once  sacrificed;  there 
hills.'  Some  MSS.  give  '  domino  '  = '  the  is  certainly  no  evidence  of  any  such  dark 
owner,'  with  '  licet.'  ceremonies  at  the  cheerful  festival  of  Anna 

13.  Tusculos  =  ' Tusculanos:'  so  Stat.  Perenna.  For  Heinsius' emendations  (' ca- 
Silv.  4.  4,  16  '  Algidus  aut  horrens  aut  nore' or  '  rubore')  of  this  obsaue  passage, 
Tuscula  protegit  umbra.'  see  his  note,  given  in  Burmann's  Ovid,  on 

14.  Frigus,abstract  for  concrete, '  what-  Fast.  3.  675. 

cver  cool  spot  near  the  city  lies.'  17.  Nemus  Perennae,  on  the  Flami- 

15.  Breve»    Rubras,   '  tiny   Rubrae,'  nian   road,   near  the    first  milestone :    see 


MARTIAL.  425 

111  ic  Flaminiac  Salariaeque 

Gestator  patet,  essedo  tacente, 

Ne  blanuo  rota  sit  molesta  somno,  20 

Quem  nec  rumpere  nauticum  celeuma, 

Nec  clamor  valet  helciariorum  j 

Cum  sit  tam  prope  Mulvius  sacrumque 

Lapsae  per  Tiberim  volent  carinae. 

Hoc  rus  (seu  potius  domus  vocanda  est)  25 

Commendat  dominus  j    tuam  putabis  : 

Tam  non  invida,  tamque  liberalis, 

Tam  comi  patet  hospitalitate. 

Credas  Alcinoi  pios  Penates, 

Aut  facti  modo  divitis  Molorchi.  30 

Vos  nunc  omnia  parva  qui  putatis, 

Centeno  gelidum  ligone  Tibur, 

Vel  Praeneste  domate,  pendulamque 

Uni  dedite  Setiam  colono : 

Dum,  me  judice,  praeferantur  istis  35 

Juli  jugera  pauca  Martialis. 

Merkel  on  Ov.  Fast.  3.  523  (where  it  is  23.    Cum    sit,    although    the    Milvian 

spoken  of  as  being)  '  Haud  procul  a  ripis,  bridge  is  so  near,  yet  there  is  no  noise. 

advena  Tibri,  tuis.'  Cp.  Prop.  i.  15  (14),  3. 

18.  Illic,  i.  e.  from  the  villa  ;  some  30.  Molorchi,  the  vine-dresser  (' pau- 
have  '  ilhnc.'  per  Molorchus'  Stat.  Silv.  3.  i,  29),  who 

19.  Gestator,  peculiarly  used  here  of  was  rewarded  for  his  hospitality  to  Her- 
'  one  who  is  taking  a  drive  ;'  Suetonius  has  cules  at  Nemea  :  cp.  Stat.  Silv.  4.  6,  51 
'  gestare,'  and  Cicero  'vehere'  (whence  the  '  Nec  torva  effigies  epuHsque  ahena  remis- 
commoner  '  vector'),  as  neuters  in  the  sis  Sed  qualem  parci  domus  admirata  Mo- 
same  sense.  lorchi.'      Domitian  is   said   to  have  built 

Patet,   i.  e.   can   be   seen  without   the  and   adorned  a  chapel  in  honour  of  Mo- 

rattle  of  the  carriage  being  heard.  lorchus    close    to    the    temple    of    Her- 

21.  Celeuma,  as  it  is  written  in  all  cules :  hence  '  facti  modo  divitis;'  see 
the  MSS.,  not  (as  in  Weber)  '  celeusma,'  9.  65. 

'  the  boatman's  cry,'  by  which  time  was  32.  Centeno  .  .  ligone,    i.  e.   with    a 

kept  in  rovving  ;  cp.  3.  67,  4  '  Lentos  tin-  hundred  slaves. 

guitis  ad  celeuma  remos.'  34.   Uni,  '  make  all  Setia,  if  you  will, 

22.  Helciariorum  («XK€tv),  '  of  the  into  one  huge  farm.'  With  pendulam 
towers;'  answering  to  our 'bargemen.'  The  cp.  10.  74,  U  '  Nec  quae  paludes  delicata 
commerce  of  Rome  was  carried  on  chiefly  Pomptinas  Ex  arce  clivi  spectat  uva  Se- 
by  ineans  of  the  Tiber.  tini :'  see  13.  112, 


426  MARTIAL. 

XCVIII. 

LIB.  V.  13. 

Comparatio  literati  et  divitis. 

SuM,  fateor,  semperque  fui,  Callistrate,  pauper, 

Sed  non  obscurus,  nec  male  notus  eques : 
Sed  toto  legor  orbe  frequens,  et  dicitur,  Hic  est : 

Quodque  cinis  paucis,  hoc  mihi  vita  dedit. 
At  tua  centenis  incumbunt  tecta  columnis, 

Et  libertinas  arca  flagellat  opes : 
Magnaque  Niliacae  servit  tibi  gleba  Syenes, 

Tondet  et  innumeros  Gallica  Parma  greges. 
Hoc  ego  tuque  sumus ;  sed  quod  sum,  non  potes  esse  : 

Tu  quod  es,  e  populo  quilibet  esse  potest. 


XCIX. 

LIB.  V.  20. 
Otii  bona  vita. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

Si  tecum  mihi,  care  Martialis, 
Securis  liceat  frui  diebus, 
Si  disponere  tempus  otiosum, 

3.  Hic  est :  cp.  Persius  i.  28  '  At  pul-  Flagellat,  '  presses  down,'  or  '  keeps 
crum  est  digito  monstrari,  et  dicier,  Hic  close  locked  up '  (Forcell.) :  so  2.30, 4' Et 
est!'  cujus  laxas  arca  flagellat  opes:'  compare 

4.  Cinis  :  see  1. 1,4,  and  3.95,  7  foll.:  a  somewhat  similar  metaphor  in  Stat.  Silv. 
cp.  Ov.  Tr.  4.  jo,  121  '  Tu  mihi,  quod  2.  2,  150  '  Non  tibi  sepositas  infelix  stran- 
rarum    vivo    sublime    dedisti    Nomen,    ab  gulat  arca  Divitias.' 

exequiis  quod  dare  fama  solet.'  8.  Parma,  famous  for  the  excellence  of 

6.   Libertinas,  i.e.  such  as  had  been  its  wool.     See   14.  155  '  Velleribus  primis 

heaped  up  by  Narcissus,  Pallas,  Crispinus,  Apulia,  Parma  secundis  NobiHs :'  cp.  2.  43, 

and  the   like.     There  seems  to  be  some  4  '  Vel    quam    seposito    de    grege    Parma 

antithesis    designed    between    '  libertinas '  dedit.' 
and    '  flagellat '    here,    as    in    the    parallel 
passage  between  '  laxas' and  the  same  verb.  i.   Martialis:  see  on  4.  64. 


MARTIAL.  427 

Et  verae  pariter  vacare  vitae, 

Ncc  nos  atria,  nec  domos  potentum,  5 

Nec  lites  tetricas  forumque  triste 

Nossemus,  nec  imagines  superbas  : 

Sed  gestatio,  fabulae,  libelli, 

Campus,  porticus,  umbra,  Virgo,  thermae  j 

Haec  essent  loca  semper,  hi  labores.  10 

Nunc  vivit  necuter  sibi  bonosque 

Soles  effugere  atque  abire  sentit  j 

Qui  nobis  pereunt,  et  imputantur. 

Quisquam  vivere  cum  sciat,  moratur  ? 


c. 

LIB.  V.  42. 

Amicis  qitod  datur,  non  perit. 

Callidus  effracta  nummos  fur  auferet  arca : 
Prosternet  patrios  impia  flamma  Lares. 

Debitor  usuram  pariter  sortemque  negabit : 
Non  reddet  sterilis  semina  jacta  seges. 

Dispensatorem  fallax  spoliabit  amica :  S 

Mercibus  extructas  obruet  unda  rates. 

4.  Pariter  .  .  vitae,  '  together  with  the  MSS.  shewing  no  trace  of  the  inter- 
you,  have  time  to  attend  to  what  deserves  jection  ;  here  it  is  = '  ne  alteruter  quidem  ;' 
to  be  called  hfe,  viz.  enjoyment.'  see  Lachm.  Lucr.  5.  839  for  similar  uses  of 

5.  Atria  .  .  domos,    referring    to    the  the  word. 

'  salutantes' of  4.  8,  I.     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  12.  Bonos,     i.  e.     favourable     for    enjoy- 

519,  where  some  read  '  nec  nota  potentum  ment. 

Limina'  (for  'Munera').  13.   Imputantur,  '  charged  to  our  ac- 

7.   Imagines,    the    waxen    images    of  count:'  cp.  10.44,5   '  Gaudia  tu  differs  : 

illustrious  ancestors,  placed  in  the  '  atria '  at   non   et   stamina  differt  Atropos   atque 

of   Roman   houses,   often   referred   to   by  omnis  scribitur  hora  tibi.'     No  finer  senti- 

Horace  and  other  poets  ;  cp.  2.90,6' Atria-  ment    was    ever    expressed    in    such    few 

que  immodicis  artat  imaginibus.'  words. 

9.  Virgo,  the  '  Aqua  Virgo'  or  aque-  14.  Sciat  =  '  possit,' as  '  nescire' is  often 
duct  constructed  by  Agrippa  for  the  supply  used  for  '  nequire,'  or  simply, '  understands 
of  his  '  Thermae'  near  the  Pantheon,  and  what  true  life  is.' 

used    in    part   to  this   day ;    so  6.42,  18  3.   Sortem,  in  its  well-known  sense  of 

'  Cruda  Virgine  Marciaque  mergi.'  '  the  principal,'  as  distinguished  from  the 

10.  Labores,   ironical,    '  our    greatest      interest  (' usuram'). 

exertions.'  5.  Dispensatorem,  '  your  steward' or 

11.  Necuter,  Schneidewin's  reading  for  'manager'  (Juv.  1.91)  will  rob  you  to 
the  common  '  Nunc  vivit  sibi  neuter  heu,'      gratify  his  dishonest  mistress. 


428  MARTIAL. 

Extra  fortunam  est,  quidquid  donatur  amicis : 
Quas  dederis,  solas  semper  habebis  opes. 


CI. 

LIB.  V.43. 

De  IThaide  ct  Lecania. 

Thais  habet  nigros,  niveos  Lecania,  dentes : 
Quae  ratio  est }   emptos  haec  habet,  illa  suos. 

CII. 

LIB.  VI.  82. 
De  Poeta  male  vestito. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

QuiDAM  me  modo,  Rufe,  diligenter 

Inspectum,  velut  emptor  aut  lanista, 

Cum  vultu  digitoque  subnotasset, 

Tune  es,  tune,  ait,  ille  Martialis, 

Cujus  nequitias  jocosque  novit,  5 

Aurem  qui  modo  non  habet  Batavam  ? 

Subrisi  modice,  levique  nutu 

Me,  quem  dixerat  esse,  non  negavi. 

Cur  ergo,  inquit,  habes  malas  lacernas  ? 

Respondi :    quia  sum  malus  poeta.  10 

Hoc  ne  saepius  accidat  poetae, 

Mittas,  Rufe,  mihi  bonas  lacernas. 

7.  Extra    fortunam,  i.  e.   out  of  the  6.   Aurem  .  .  Batavam  ;    used    appa- 

reach   of  fortune   to  steal  or  to  destroy.  rently  like  'RoiiiTi.os  in  Greek,  for  dullness 

For   the   sentiment,    compare   Seneca,  De  and  ignorance,  Holland  at  this  time  pro- 

Benef.  6.  3  '  Egregie  mihi  videtur  M.  An-  ducing  better  soldiers  than  scholars  :  their 

tonius    apud    Rabirium    poetam  .  .  excla-  red,  savage  aspect  is  noticed  by  the  poet 

mare  :  "  Hoc  habeo  quodcunque  dedi."  '  again,  14. 1 76.  A  few  MSS.  have  '  severam  ' 

and  '  siievam.'     '  Batavus'  has  the  middle 

5.   Nequitias,  '  naughty  epigrams  :'  as  syllable  common  in  the  Latin  poets. 
5.  2,  3   '  Tu    quem    ncquitiae    procaciores  11.  Hoc,  i.  e.  that  I  may  never  have  to 

Delectant  nimium.'  accuse  myself  again  of  being  a  bad  poet. 


MARTIAL. 


429 


CIII. 

LIB.  VII.  61. 

Ad  Caesarem. 

Abstulerat  totam  temerarius  institor  Urbem, 

Inque  suo  nullum  limine  limen  erat. 
Jussisti  tenues,  Germanice,  crescere  vicos  j 

Et,  modo  quae  fuerat  semita,  facta  via  est. 
NuUa  catenatis  pila  est  praecincta  lagonis, 

Nec  praetor  medio  cogitur  ire  luto. 
Stringitur  in  densa  nec  caeca  novacula  turba, 

Occupat  aut  totas  nigra  popina  vias. 
Tonsor,  caupo,  coquus,  lanius  sua  limina  servant 

Nunc  Roma  est,  nuper  magna  taberna  fuit. 


1.  Temerarius,  '  the  impudent  trades- 
man;'  some  editions  have  'cetarius'  = 
'  fishmonger, '  and  '  cerarius '  =  '  wax- 
chandler.' 

2.  Inque  suo  .  .  erat,  '  no  shop  kept 
within  its  own  door,'  but  all  encroached 
on  the  street,  as  opp.  to  v.  9. 

3.  Germanice,  as  5.  2,  7,  Domitian; 
he  assumed  this  title  after  his  victory 
over  the  Chatti  a.d.  84.  Cp.  9.  2,  where 
we  learn  that  he  imposed  this  name  also 
on  the  month  of  September. 

4.  Semita  .  .  via;  for  the  distinction 
between  these  see  note  on  Phaedr.  Pro- 
logue  B.  3,  V.  38  '  Ego  ilHus  porro  seniita 
feci  viam.' 

5.  Pila  .  .  lagonis,  i.e.  the  'caupones' 
were  not  allowed  any  longer  to  haiig  their 
earthen  flasks  from  chains,  or  strung  to- 
gether  in  front  of  the  pillars  as  a  tavern- 
sign.  The  pillars  of  public  buildings  were 
favourite  places  for  other  traders,  e.  g. 
booksellers,  as  Hor.  S.  i.  4,  71. 

Est,  not  with  'praecincta,'  =  you  see  the 
pillars  no  longer  begirt  in  front  with  fiasks. 


Lagonis  ;  so  Schneidewin  reads  as 
found  in  the  best  MSS. :  the  word  is  also 
written  '  lagaenae'  and  '  lagenae.' 

6.  Medio  .  .  luto,the  drains  in  Rome, 
as  in  many  continental  towns  now,  being 
in  the  middle  of  the  streets. 

7.  Stringitur,  i.  e.  from  its  '  theca'  or 
'  case  :'  see  11.  58,  9. 

Caeca,  '  unperceived,'  and  so  danger- 
ous ;  '  hidden  in  its  case '  is  tame ;  it 
might  mean  rashly,  carelessly  handled. 

Novacula  :  contrary  to  the  general 
drift  of  the  epigram  this  has  been  taken 
in  the  sense  of  a  '  knife'  or  '  dagger,"  re- 
ferring  to  the  insecurity  of  life  in  the 
crowded  streets ;  but  from  v.  9  it  would 
seem  rather  to  allude  to  the  intrusion  of 
the  barber's  seats  on  the  crowded  thorough- 
fares. 

9.  Coquus,  lanius:  these  would  be- 
long  to  the  '  nigra  popina'  of  v.  8,  as  '  ton- 
sor'  to  the  'novacula'  of  v.  7.  On  Do- 
mitian's  architectural  improvements,  see 
Suet.  Dom.  c.  5  :  cp.  Martial  de  Specta- 
culis  2,  and  Epigr.  9.  4,  7-12. 


430 


MARTIAL. 


CIV. 

LIB.  VIL  63. 

Ad  Silium. 

Perpetui  nunquam  moritura  volumina  Sili 

Qui  legis  et  Latia  carmina  digna  toga  j 
Pierios  tantum  vati  placuisse  recessus 

Credis  et  Aoniae  Bacchica  serta  comae  ? 
Sacra  cothurnati  non  attigit  ante  Maronis, 

Implevit  magni  quam  Ciceronis  opus, 
Hunc  miratur  adhuc  centum  gravis  hasta  virorum  j 

Hunc  loquitur  grato  plurimus  ore  cliens. 
Postquam  bis  senis  ingentem  fascibus  annum 

Rexerat,  asserto  qui  sacer  orbe  fuit : 
Emeritos  Musis  et  Phoebo  tradidit  annos, 

Proque  suo  celebrat  nunc  Helicona  foro. 


1.  Perpetui,  '  immortal  :'  so  6.  64, 
10  '  Quas  et  perpetui  dignantur  scrinia 
Sili.' 

2.  Latia  . .  toga,  '  worthy  of  a  Roman 
poet;'  Silius  is  thought  to  have  been  a 
Pelignian  by  birth.  Cp.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7, 
53  (34)  '  carmen  togatum'  (of  Lucan's 
Epic). 

3.  Pierios,  emphatic;  not  only  poetry 
but  prose  was  his  study. 

4.  Bacchica  serta,  i.  e.  of  ivy,  sacred 
to  Bacchus,  the  patron  god  of  Lyric  and 
Elegiac  poetry :  cp.  Prop.  5  (4).  I,  62  '  Mi 
folia  ex  hedera  porrige,  Bacche,  tua.' 

5.  Sacra  :  see  note  on  Prop.  4  (3). 
I,  I. 

Cothurnati,  '  subHme  :'  so  5.  5,  8 
'  Grande  cothurnati  pone  Maronis  opus.' 
'  Coronati '  is  another  reading,  as  '  coronato 
..  Menandro'  5.  lO,  9. 

6.  Implevit . .  opus,  '  fully  discharged 
the   task  of  Cicero,'   i.  e.   practised   as   a 


pleader.  He  bought  Cicero's  estate.  See 
the  pretty  epigram  il.  48. 

7.  Hasta,  the  tribunal  of  the  centum- 
viri,  cp.  6.  38,  5  :  at  their  place  of  meeting 
was  set  up  a  spear  called  '  hasta  centum- 
viralis.'  Silius  appears  to  have  been  one 
of  these  '  judicial  umpires,'  of  which  Cicero 
speaks  at  length,  De  Orat.  I.  38.  Pliny 
speaks  of  himself  as  pleading  before  them, 
Ep.  4.  16. 

9, 10.  Bis  senis,  i.e.  the  twelve  lictors 
that  preceded  the  Consul.  Silius  held  this 
office  in  the  '  great  year'  that  freed  the 
world  by  the  death  of  Nero,  a.d.  68.  Cp. 
8.  66,  3,  and  Phn}'  Ep.  3.  7. 

10.  Asserto  :  so  Stat.  Theb.  5.  431 
'  asserto  nuper  Marathone  superbum  The- 
sea.' 

11.  Emeritos,  sc.  '  foro  et  fascibus.' 

12.  Suo  is  in  all  the  MSS. :  '  he  is  as 
much  at  home  on  Helicon  as  in  the  forum 
which  he  had  made  his  own.' 


MARTIAL. 


431 


cv. 

LIB.  VIL  84. 

Ad  librtim  suum. 

DuM  mea  Caecilio  formatur  imago  Secundo, 

Spirat  et  arguta  picta  tabella  manu : 
I,  liber,  ad  Geticam  Peucen  Histrumque  jacentem 

Haec  loca  perdomitis  gentibus  ille  tenet. 
Parva  dabis  caro,  sed  dulcia  dona  sodali : 

Certior  in  nostro  carmine  vultus  erit. 
Casibus  hic  nullis,  nullis  delebilis  annis 

Vivet,  Apelleum  cum  morietur  opus. 


CVI. 

LIB.  VIII.  13. 

Ad  Priscum  de  tixore. 

UxoREM  quare  locupletem  ducere  nolim, 
Quaeritis  ?   uxori  nubere  nolo  meae. 


1.  Caecilio,  dative  from  '  Caecilius,' 
probably  Pliny  the  younger,  propraetor  of 
Pontica. 

2.  Manu,'under  the  skilful  hand  ;'  some 
MSS.  give  '  manum,'  which  would  mean, 
'  express  the  haud,'  a  sense  not  suitable 
here.  The  distinction  is  well  pointed  out 
by  Weber  :  '  spiro  id  quod  sum,  quo  im- 
pletus,  cui  similis  sum  ;  spiro  ea  re,  qua, 
vel  per  quam,  sum.' 

3.  Peucen,  an  island  called  from  its 
pine-trees,  formed  at  the  lower  mouths  of 
the  Danube  :  see  7,  1  '  rudis  Peuce.' 

Jacentem,  '  flat  shores  of  the  Ister,' 
the  true  reading,  not  (as  Weber  and  others) 
'  tacentem,'  =  '  sluggish'  or  '  frozen.'  Cp. 
Virg.  Ae.  3.  689  '  Thapsumque  jacentem.' 
Paley  takes  it  as  = '  conquered ;'  but  this 
is  expressed  in  the  next  line. 

6.  Certior,  i.e.  '  a  truer  likeness'  than 
in  any  picture  or  sculpture  of  me. 


7.  Hic,  best  taken  as  the  adverb,  =  '  in 
these  my  poems  will  my  features  survive.' 

Delebilis,  an  adjective  not  found  else- 
where  in  classical  authors,  but  preferable  to 
any  other  reading  which  can  be  extracted 
from  the  confused  MSS. 

2.  Nubere,  i.  e.  '  to  marry  a  wife  who 
will  be  my  master,'  the  verb  strictly  being 
used,  like  yafieiaOat,  only  of  the  wife  :  cp. 
I.  25,  4.  Anacreon  in  a  well-known  pas- 
sage  (Od.  84)  uses  the  Greek  verb  in  a 
similar  way  of  a  hen-pecked  husband : 
Kuvos  ovK  eyrjiiev,  aXX'  iyrjfiaTo.  Nonius 
quotes  a  like  usage  from  Pomponius  (a 
poet  of  the  seventh  century)  :  '  Meus  frater 
nupsit  posterius  dotatae  vetulae.'  Com- 
pare  the  play  on  the  corresponding  phrase 
'  uxorem  ducere'  in  10.  69  '  Custodes  das, 
PoUa,  viro :  non  accipis  ipsa ;  Hoc  est 
uxorem  ducere,  Polla,  virum.' 


432  MARTIAL. 

Inferior  matrona  suo  sit,  Prisce,  marito  : 
Non  aliter  fiunt  femina  virque  parcs. 


CVII. 

LIB.  VIII.  i8. 

Ad  Cirmitmi. 

Si  tua,  Cirini,  promas  epigrammata  vulgo, 

Vel  mecum  possis,  vel  prior  ipse  legi : 
Sed  tibi  tantus  inest  veteris  respectus  amici, 

Carior  ut  mea  sit,  quam  tua  fama  tibi. 
Sic  Maro  nec  Calabri  tentavit  carmina  Flacci, 

Pindaricos  nosset  cum  superare  modos  j 
Et  Vario  cessit  Romani  laude  cothurni, 

Cum  posset  tragico  fortius  ore  loqui. 
Aurum  et  opes  et  rura  frequens  donabit  amicus  : 

Qui  velit  ingenio  cedere^  rarus  erit. 


CVIII. 

LIB.  VIIL  56. 

De  temporibiis  Caesains. 
Temporibus  nostris  aetas  cum  cedat  avorum, 

4.  Non  aliter  .  .  pares,  '  the  onlyway  7.  Vario,  L.  Varius  Rufus,  who  gained 
for  man  and  wife  to  be  equal  is  for  the  his  fame  as  a  tragedian  from  the 'Thyestes,' 
wife  to  be  inferior,'  the  joke  lying  in  the  praised  by  Quintil.  Inst.  Or.  19.  i  '  Jam 
paradox  (Paley).  Varii  "Thyestes"  cuilibet  Graecorum  com- 

parari  potest.'     Horace  places  him  high  as 

5.  Sic,  i.  e.  iniluenced  by  the  same  an  epic  poet,  S.  i.  10,  44  '  forte  epos 
modesty.  acer    Ut    nemo    Varius    ducit:'     cp.    Od. 

Calabri  :    Venusia,   the    birthplace    of  i.  6. 

Horace,  was  on  the  borders  of  Apulia :  but  Laude,  the  glory  of  tragedy  he  left  to 

'Calabria'  was  sometimes  used  to  include  Varius. 

all  the  south  of  Italy.  10.   Ingenio   cedere,   not  '  yield   the 

Carmina,  i.e.  the  lyric  poetry,  as  the  first  place  to  another's  wit,'  but  ('  ingeiiio' 

next  line  shows.     This  estimate  by  a  Ro-  ablative)  '  give  up  their  genius  to  you,'  as 

man  poet  of  Virgil's  lyrical  and  dramatic  in  the  phrase  '  cedere  possessionibus  alicui ;' 

capacities  is  remarkable.  so  '  cessit  laude '  v.  7. 


MARTIAL. 


433 


Creverit  et  major  cum  duce  Roma  suo : 
Ingenium  sacri  miraris  deesse  Maronis, 

Nec  quenquam  tanta  bella  sonare  tuba. 
Sint  Maecenates,  non  deerunt,  Flacce,  Marones, 

Virgiliumque  tibi  vel  tua  rura  dabunt. 
Jugera  perdiderat  miserae  vicina  Cremonae, 

Flebat  et  abductas  Tityrus  aeger  oves : 
Risit  Tuscus  eques,  paupertatemque  malignam 

Repulit  et  celeri  jussit  abire  fuga. 
Accipe  divitias  et  vatum  maximus  esto : 

Tu  licet  et  nostrum,  dixit,  Alexin  ames. 
Adstabat  domini  mensis  pulcherrimus  iile, 

Marmorea  fundens  nigra  Falerna  manu ; 
Et  libata  dabat  roseis  carchesia  labris, 

Quae  poterant  ipsum  sollicitare  Jovem. 
Excidit  attonito  pinguis  Galatea  poetae, 

Thestylis  et  rubras  messibus  usta  genas : 
Protinus  Italiam  concepit  et  arma  virumque, 

Qui  modo  vix  Culicem  Heverat  ore  rudi. 
Quid  Varios  Marsosque  loquar,  ditataque  vatum 


2.  Cum  duce  :  cp.  5.  19,  5  '  Pulchrior 
et  major  quo  sub  duce  Martia  Roma  ? ' 

4.  Bella  sonare  :  so  Ov.  Tr.  2.  529 
'  Bella  sonant  alii,'  and  Stat.  Silv.  4.  2,  66 
'  modo  Daca  sonantem  Proelia.'  Heinsius 
would  read  '  tonare,'  as  in  this  Book,  3,  14 
'  Aspera  vel  paribus  bella  tonare  modis;' 
but  '  tuba '  clearly  suits  better  with  '  so- 
nare.' 

5.  Sint  (not  '  sunt'  as  in  niany  editions) 
is  required  here ;  '  let  there  only  be  the 
Maecenases,  there  will  be  no  lack  of  the 
Virgils :'  cp.  Juv.  7.  69  foli. 

6.  Tua  rura,  '  aye.  you  yourself  can 
create  a  Virgil  by  giving  him  one  of  your 
estates;'  this  seems  better  than  to  take  it 
'  you  have  only  to  look  to  your  estate  to 
find  a  Virgil  among  those  employed  upon 
it,'  Tityrus  having  been  a  slave 

8.  'Tityrus,  as  in  the  Eclogues,  here 
stands  for  Virgil  himself. 

12.  Nostrum  .  .  Alexin,  referring  to 
the  story  that  Maecenas  (or  PoIIio)  gave 
Virgil  a  youth  called  Alexander,  for  whom 
the  poet  had  conceived  a  fondness :  cp. 
73,  10.  The  second  Eclogue  is  supposed 
to  have  been  written  in  gratitude  for  the 
gift.  See  Prof.  Conington.  Introduction  to 
E.  2. 


14.  Marmorea,  '  marble-white,'  as 
Virg.  G.  4.  523  '  marmorea  cervice  revul- 
sum.' 

Nigra,  as  marking  the  contrast  of 
colour. 

17,18.  Attonito,  i.  e.  '  the  inspired 
bard  left  his  coarse  Galateas  and  sunburnt 
Thestylises,"  and  took  to  higher  themes. 
Cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  19,  14  '  attonitus  vates.' 
Galatea  :  Virg.  E.  3.  64. 

Thestvlis  :  cp.  Virg.  E.  2.  lo;  and 
Mihon  L'AIIegro  88. 

19.  Concepit,  '  grasped  the  thought 
of  Italy  and  the  Aeneid  :'  cp.  Persius  i.  96 
'  Arma  virum,  nonne  hoc  spumosum  et 
cortice  pingui?' 

20.  Culicem  :  cp.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7, 
74(56)  '  Ante  annos  Culicis  Maroniani;' 
this  was  VirgiPs  first  poem,  but  is  lost,  the 
piece  bearing  that  name  being  probably 
froni  a  later  hand. 

21.  Varios:  see  on  8.  18,  7  ;  L.  Varius, 
as  we  know  from  Horace,  was  patronised 
by  Maecenas,  since  it  was  through  his  in- 
troduction  that  Horace  became  known  to 
the  minister.  Some  MSS.  have  '  Varos,' 
'Varros:'  but  the  Quintilius  Varus,  the 
friend  of  Virgil  and  Horace,  was  a  critic 
rather  than  an  author,  and  moreover  would 

Ff 


434  MARTIAL. 

Nomina,  magnus  erit  quos  numerare  labor  ? 
Ergo  ego  Virgilius,  si  munera  Maecenatis 
Des  mihi  ?     Virgilius  non  ero,  Marsus  ero. 


CIX. 

LIB.  VIIL  69. 

Ad  Vacerram. 

MiRARis  veteres,  Vacerra,  solos, 
Nec  laudas  nisi  mortuos  poetas. 
Ignoscas  petimus,  Vacerra :    tanti 
Non  est,  ut  placeam  tibi,  perire. 


cx. 

LIB.  VIII.  73. 
Ad  Iiistanimm. 

Instanti,  quo  nec  sincerior  alter  habetur 

Pectore,  nec  nivea  simplicitate  prior : 
Si  dare  vis  nostrae  vires  animosque  Thaliae, 


not   probably    have    stood    in   need   of  a  i),  seems  to  have  prevailed  equally  in  the 

wealthy  patron.  time  of  Martial.     Compare  a  remarkable 

Marsos,  the  well-known  Domitius  Mar-  Epigram  (5.  10)  beginning,  '  Esse  quid  hoc 

sus,  adopted  and  cherished  by  the  patrician  dicam,  vivis  quod  fama  negatur?'    see  also 

family  of  the  Domitii.      His  '  Epigrams'  11.  90,  7,  and  Persius  i.  76  foll. 

were  his  most   famous   compositions,  and  3.  Vacerra  :    cp.  11.66  and  77;   ^"<^ 

are  often  praised  by  Martial,  e.  g.  2.  77!  ^2.  32. 

5.5,6;   7.99,7.  3j  4-    Tanti  ..  perire,  '  in  order  to 

21,  22.    Ditata  .  .  nomina,  =  '  dita-  please  you,  it  is  not  worth  while  dying.' 
torum  vatum:'    some    MSS.  have  '  dicta- 

taque.'  i.   Instanti,  the  friend  of  Martial,  to 

34.  Marsus,  i.e.  I  should  only  be  an  whom  12.96  and  other  epigrams  are  ad- 

epigrammatist  Uke  Domitius  Marsus,  not  dressed :  cp.  7-  68,  i  '  Commendare  meas, 

a  great  epic  poet  Hke  Virgil.  Instanti  Rufe,  Camenas  Parce,  precor,  so- 

cero:'  see   also  8.  51,  where  he  presents 

i.  Miraris  veteres.     The  same  pre-  the  poet  with  a  bowl.     The  name  is  rare : 

judice  against  living  authors,  which  Horace  hence  probably  the  confusion  of  the  MSS. 

condemns  in  his  contemporaries  (see  Ep.  1.  here. 


MARTIAL. 


435 


Et  victura  petis  carmina,  da,  quod  amem. 
Cynthia  te  vatem  fecit,  lascive  Properti : 

Ingcnium  Galli  pulchra  Lycoris  erat. 
Fama  est  arguti  Nemesis  formosa  TibuUi : 

Lesbia  dictavit,  docte  Catulle,  tibi. 
Non  me  Peligni,  nec  spernet  Mantua  vatem, 

Si  qua  Corinna  mihi,  si  quis  Alexis  erit. 


CXI. 

LIB.  IX.  4. 

Ad  Caesarem. 

QuANTUM  jam  superis,  Caesar,  coeloque  dedisti, 

Si  repetas  et  si  creditor  esse  velis ; 
Grandis  in  aetherio  licet  auctio  fiat  Olympo, 

Coganturque  dei  vendere  quidquid  habent : 
Conturbabit  Atlas,  et  non  erit  uncia  tota, 

Decidat  tecum  qua  pater  ipse  deum. 
Pro  Capitolinis  quid  enim  tibi  solvere  templis, 

Quid  pro  Tarpeiae  frondis  honore  potest  ? 
Quid  pro  culminibus  geminis  matrona  Tonantis  ? 


6.  Ingenium,  as  we  say,  'the  soul  of 
Gallus'=  the  source  of  his  inspiration. 

Lycoris,  the  celebrated  mistress  of  the 
elegiac  poet,  C.  Cornelius  Gallus  :  see  Virg. 
E.  10;  cp.  Ov.  Ars  Am.  3.  536  foU.  '  No- 
men  habet  Nemesis,  Cynthia  nomen  ha- 
bet ;  Vesper  et  Eoae  novere  Lycorida 
terrae:  Et  multi,  quae  sit  nostra  Corinna, 
rogant.' 

9.  Peligni  (Schneidewin,  not  '  Peli- 
gnus')  the  countrymen  of  Ovid. 

10.  Alexis:  see  on  8.  56,  12.  The 
meaning  of  these  lines  is,  that  however 
disposed  to  favour  their  own  poets,  both 
Mantuans  and  Pelignians  would  come  to 
admire  Martial,  if  he  could  only  acquire 
the  inspiration  derivable  from  love. 

I.  Coelo,  referring  to  the  numerous 
temples  below-mentioned  as  erected  by 
Domitian.  See  Suet.  Dom.  c.  4,  and  Meri- 
vale,  Hist.  Rom.  c.  62. 


2.  Creditor  esse,  'act  the  creditor  and 
demand  payment.' 

5.  Conturbabit,  '  will  become  bank- 
rupt :'  so  Juv.  7. 1 29  '  Sic  Pedo  conturbat :' 
'  conturbare  rationes'  is  the  fuU  phrase. 

Atlas,  the  supporter  of  heaven :  and  so 
as  he  breaks,  the  whole  concem  of  Olym- 
pus  must  come  to  ruin. 

6.  Decidat  is  also  a  term  of  business, 
joined  with  '  rem'  or  '  negotium,'  '  to  settle 
a  transaction,'  '  come  to  terms  with  any 
one:'  '  there  will  not  be  a  full  uncia  out 
of  every  as  (a  '  penny  in  the  shilling') 
on  the  strength  of  which  Jove  might  com- 
pound  with  you.' 

7.  CapitoHnis:  Domitian  had  rebuilt 
the  Capitol :  see  Suet.  Dom.  c.  5 ;  Meri- 
vale  l.c. 

8.  Tarpeiae  frondis :  see  4.  54, 1,  and 
on  Stat.  Silv.  3.  5,  31. 

9.  Culminibus,  two  temples,  other- 
wise.  it  seems,  unknown. 

F  f  2 


436  MARTIAL. 

Pallada  praetereo :    res  agit  illa  tuas. 
Quid  loquar  Alciden,  Phoebumque  piosque  Laconas  ? 

Addita  quid  Latio  Flavia  templa  polo? 
Expectes  et  sustineas,  Auguste,  necesse  est : 

Nam  tibi  quod  solvat,  non  habet  arca  Jovis. 


CXII. 

LIB.  IX.  12. 
De  puero  '  Earinon '  vocato. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

NoMEN  cum  vioUs  rosisque  natum, 
Quo  pars  optima  nominatur  anni  ■ 
Hyblam  quod  sapit  Atticosque  flores, 
Quod  nidos  olet  alitis  superbae : 
Nomen  nectare  dulcius  beato, 
Quo  mallet  Cybeles  puer  vocari, 
Et  qui  pocula  temperat  Tonanti : 
Quod  si  Parrhasia  sones  in  aula. 


10.  Pallada:  Domitiaii  conceived  him- 
self  the  special  favourite  of  Minerva,  whose 
efEgy  he  caused  to  be  stamped  on  his 
medals.  In  her  honour  the  contests  at  his 
Alban  villa  were  instituted. 

Res  agit,  '  she  directs  your  interests,' 
is  your  factotum.  Cp.  5.  61,  14  '  Res  non 
uxoris,  res  agit  iste  tuas.' 

11.  Piosque:  on  the  margin  of  one 
old  edition  is  written  '  duosque.'  The 
'  Dioscuri'  are  of  course  meant,  called  '  pii' 
from  their  mutual  affection. 

12.  Flavia  templa:  see  2,  8  '  Manebit 
altum  Flaviae  gentis  decus :'  cp.  Suet.  1.  c. 
'  Item  Flaviae  templum  gentis  (excitavit).' 

Polo  :  one  old  edition  has  '  foro  :*  '  La- 
tius  polus'  would  seem  to  mean  that  part 
of  the  sky,  which  belongs  to  deified  Ro- 
mans,  and  to  which  the  gods  of  Flavian 
blood  had  been  added.  Cp.  35,  2  '  Dum 
videt  Augusti  Flavia  templa  poli'  (AI. 
'tholi'). 

I.  Nomen,    accusative    after    '  dicere ' 

v.   II. 


2.  Nominatur,  as  in  the  best  MSS. : 
'  nuncupatur'  may  have  arisen  from  14,  I 
'  Nomen  habes  teneri  quod  tempora  nun- 
cupat  anni.' 

4.  Alitis  superbae  :  cp.  6.  55,  2  '  Et 
nido  niger  alitis  superbae : '  the  Phoenix  is 
meant,  which  was  said  to  make  its  nests 
of  all  kinds  of  Arabian  spice.  See  Ov.  M. 
15.392^011.;  Stat.  Silv.  2.  4,37  :  cp.  Clau- 
dian  Laud.  Stil.  2.  429  '  procul  ignea  lucet 
Ales,  odorati  redolent  cui  cinnama  biisti.' 

5.  Beato, '  drink  of  the  immortals,'  the 
Mdwapfs. 

6.  Cybeles  puer,  the  beautiful  shep- 
herd  of  Celaenae  in  Phrygia,  with  whom 
Cybele  fell  in  love :  Ov.  Fast.  4.  223 
'  Phryx  puer  in  silvis  facie  spectabilis  Attis 
Turrigeram  casto  vinxit  amore  deam  : '  cp. 
Stat.  Silv.  3.  4,  41  '  Sangariusque  puer.' 

8.  Parrhasia,  '  if  his  name  be  spoken 
in  the  (imperial)  court  on  the  Palatine,' 
this  being  the  hill  on  which  the  Arcadian 
Evander  built  his  palace  :  so  7-  99.  .S  '  Car- 
mina  Parrhasia  si  nostra  legentur  in  aula  : ' 
cp.  8.  36,  3. 


MARTIAL.  437 

Respondent  Veneres  Cupidinesque : 

Nomen  nobile,  molle,  delicatum  lo 

Versu  dicere  non  rudi  volebam : 

Sed  tu  syllaba  contumax  repugnas. 

Dicunt  Earinon  tamen  poetae, 

Sed  Graeci,  quibus  est  nihil  negatum, 

Et  quos  'Apes  "Apes  decet  sonare  :  i^ 

Nobis  non  licet  esse  tam  disertis, 

Qui  Musas  colimus  severiores. 


CXIII. 

LIB.  IX.  31. 

De  Antistii  Rustici  niorte. 

Cappadocum  saevis  Antistius  occidit  oris 
Rusticus :    o  tristi  crimine  terra  nocens ! 

Retulit  ossa  sinu  cari  Nigrina  mariti, 
Et  questa  est  longas  non  satis  esse  vias : 

Cumque  daret  sanctam  tumulis,  quibus  invidet,  urnam,  5 
Visa  sibi  est  rapto  bis  viduata  viro. 


12.  Syllaba,  i.  e.  the   first   syllable   in  decet  in  sola   Caesaris  esse  domo'  13,  8. 

'  Earinon,'    which     would     naturally    be  See  the  '  Capilli  Flavii  Eiarini' of  Statius, 

short,  and   hence  inadmissible   into   most  Silv.  3.  4.     Seneca  mentions  an  '  Earinus, 

Hnes,  except  lambics.     Compare  Horace's  puer  amabilis' Ep.  12.  i. 
difficulty    with     '  Equotuticum, '    S.   I.   5, 

87.  2.    Rusticus,   supposed   to   have    been 

15. 'Ap€S,    alluding    to   the   ease   with  the    father    of  the    'Rusticus'   to    whom 

which  the  Greek  poets  adapted  the  quan-  Pliny  addresses  a  letter,  9.  29.     The  form 

tities  of  syllables  to  the  exigencies  of  their  'Rustica'  appears  as  a  woman's  name  in 

metre,  as  Hom.  II.  5.  31  ^Apes  'Ap«s  /3po-  inscriptions. 

ToKoL-{k,  niai<p6ve,  TeixiainXTJTa.     A  line  3.   Sinu:  cp.  Ti'DuIl.  I.  3,  6  '  Quae  legat 

is    quoted    from    Lucilius   '  APEC  APEC  in  maestos  ossa  perusta  sinus.' 

Graeci  ut  faciunt.'  4.  Longas,  i.  e.  afforded  her  too  short 

l6.  Disertis,  i.  e.  we  Latin  poets  can-  a  time  to  cherish  her  husband's  remains ; 

not  be  so  clever,  or  such  masters  of  lan-  when    the   journey   was   over,  she   would 

guage.      With   the    subject   of   this   piece  have  to  part  from  them. 

compare   the    two   following    epigrams   of  6.   Bis,  once  when  he  died,  and  again 

this   book.     Earinos  was  a   favourite   eu-  when    his    bones   were    consigned    to    the 

nuch  at  the  court  of  Domitian.     '  Quod  tomb. 


438 


MARTIAL. 


CXIV. 

LIB.  X.  24. 
Ad  Kalendas  Martias  de  natali  suo. 

(Metre  Hendecasyliabic.) 

"Natales  mihi  Martiae  Kalendae 
(Lux  formosior  omnibus  Kalendis, 
Qua  mittunt  mihi  munus  et  puellae), 
(^nquagesima  liba  septimamque 
V^estris  addimus  hanc  focis  acerram  j 
His  vos  (si  tamen  expedit  roganti) 
Annos  addite  bis  precor  novenos, 
Ut  nondum  nimia  piger  senecta, 
Sed  vitae  tribus  areis  peractis 
Lucos  Elysiae  petam  puellae. 
Post  hunc  Nestora,  nec  diem  rogabo. 


3.  Et  puellae.  On  the  kalends  of 
March  was  the  Festival  of  the  Matronalia 
in  honour  of  Juno  Lucina :  cp.  9.  91,  15 
and  Hor.  Od.  3.  8, 1 ;  for  the  presents  given 
on  that  day,  see  on  TibuU.  4.  2,  I  :  cp.  id. 
3.  I,  3  '  Et  vaga  nunc  certa  discurrunt  un- 
dique  pompa  Perque  vias  urbis  munera 
perque  domos.'  Martial  (5.  84,  li)  calls 
the  kalends  of  March,  the  '  Saturnaha'  of 
women.  'Et'  =  Even  the  ladies  who  are 
expected  to  receive,  not  give,  presents  on 
that  day,  send  them  to  me,  because  it  is 
my  birthday. 

4.  Liba,  the  birthday  cakes  offered  to 
the  Genius :  cp.  TibuU.  2.  2,8  '  Atque  satur 
libo  sit  madeatque  mero.' 

5.  Acerram,  'thurible:'  so  Hor.  Od. 
3.  8,  2  '  Quid  velint  flores  et  acerra  turis 
Plena?' 

6.  Si  tamen,  '  if  at  least,'  =  ' rogo  ta- 
men  modo  si  expediat  roganti:'  see  on 
Phaedr.  2.  5,  5  '  si  tamen  possum.' 


Roganti  may  be  joined  either  with 
'  expedit '  or  '  addite  : '  Schneidewin  punc- 
tuates  as  with  the  latter. 

9.  Areis,  the  three  courses  or  '  stages' 
of  life,  viz.  youth,  prime,  and  old  age, 
twenty-five  years  being  allowed  for  each, 
just  as  in  tlie  circus,  twenty-five  was  the 
number  of  the  races  ('  missus')  run  each 
day.  All  the  older  editions  had  '  aureis,' 
an  'aureus'  consisting  of  twenty-five  de- 
narii ;  hence  the  seventy-five  years  were 
viewed  as  making  up  three  gold  pieces. 

10.  Elysiae  .  .  puellae,  Proserpine. 

11.  Post  hunc  Nestora, '  after  a  Nes- 
tor's  Hfe  Hke  this  (Hving  through  three 
generations)  I  will  pray  no,  not  for  a  day 
beyond.'  There  is  much  confusion  in  the 
MSS.  here,  which  give  '  nechora,'  '  nec 
moram'  etc.  The  expression  in  the  text, 
an  emendation  of  Gruter's,  is  supported  by 
Juv.  12.  128  '  Vivat  Pacuvius,  quaeso,  vel 
Nestora  totum.' 


MARTIAL.  439 


cxv. 


LIB.  X.  47. 

Ad  Martialem  de  vita  beatiore. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

ViTAM  quae  faciant  beatiorem, 

Jucundissime  Martialis,  haec  sunt : 

Res  non  parta  labore,  sed  relicta  j 

Non  ingratus  ager,  focus  perennis, 

Lis  nunquam,  toga  rara,  mens  quieta,  g 

Vires  ingenuae,  salubre  corpus, 

Prudens  simplicitas,  pares  amici, 

Convictus  facilis,  sine  arte  mensa, 

Nox  non  ebria,  sed  soluta  curis  j 

Non  tristis  torus,  et  tamen  pudicus  j  10 

Somnus,  qui  faciat  breves  tenebras  : 

Quod  sis,  esse  velis  nihilque  malis  j 

Summum  nec  metuas  diem,  nec  optes. 

I.   Faciant,  as  in  Schneidewin,  seems  vires   ingenuaeque   mihi,'   where  see  Bur- 

the  best  reading,  though  the  'faciunt'  of  mann's  note.     Some  would  take  it  in  the 

many  texts  is  perfectly  admissible  in  the  sense  of  '  native  strength,' others  as 'sound,' 

sense   of,   '  these   are   the  things   that   do  'complete'(  =  'integrae'):  but  the  passages 

make,'  while  '  faciant'  =  '  are  calculated  to  given  above  seem  almost  conclusive  in  fa- 

make,  are  of  a  sort  to  make.'  vour  of  the  first  interpretation. 

4.  Ingratus    ager,  a   farm   that   does  7-  Prudens  simplicitas, 'discreet  sim- 
not  repay  the  toil  spent  on  it :  see  on  Ov.  plicity,'  the  '  vera  simplicitas'  of  i.  39,  4. 
Amor.  1.15,6.  Pares,  friends    of  your   own    standing 

Focus,  '  kitchen-fire,'  is  used  here  per-  and    rank,    as    contrasted    with    '  magni 

haps  as='victus:'  cp.  12.  18,  21  '  focus,  amici.' 
Multa  villica  quem  coronat  oUa.'  8.  Convictus  facilis,  '  plain  entertain- 

5.  Toga  rara,  '  infrequent  use  of  the  ment,'  the  '  mundae  Coenae  sine  aulaeis  et 
business-gown  ; '     the    Romans    wore    the  ostro' of  Hor.  Od.  3.  29,  15. 

'toga'  habitually  only  when  in  the  city ;  12.    Velis    (according    to   Weber)    re- 

in  the  country  they  were  content  with  the  quires  '  iit'  to  be  supplied  before  it,  as  = 

'  tunica  ; '  hence  the  '  tunicata  quies'  of  51,  to  QkXiiv  :    another  element  of  happiness 

6:  cp.  Juv.  3.  171  foll.     The  poet  on  re-  is   the  wishing   to   be  what   you   are  and 

tuming  to   Spain   says  '  Ignota   est   toga '  nothing  better ;  it  is   simpler  to   take   it, 

12.  18,  17.  like  metuas  and  optes,  as  a  concessive 

6.  Vires  ingenuae,  '  genteel,  delicate  subjunctive  =  '  be  content,  neither  wish 
strength,' as  distinguished  from  the  animal  nor  fear  death;'  and  then  life  will  be 
robustness  of  a  slave :  cp.  3.  46,  6  (where  happier. 

the  poet  says  of  himself)  '  Invalidum  est  13.   Cp.  Seneca,  Ep.  98.  16  '  Hic    tam 

nobis  ingenuumque  latus.'     Ovid  uses  the      turpe  putat  mortem  fugere  quam  ad  mor- 
same   expression,   Tr    i.  5,  72    '  Invahdae      tem  confugere.' 


440  MARTIAL. 


CXVI. 

LIB.  X.  104. 
Ad  Libellum  suum. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

I  NOSTRO  comes,  i  libelle,  Flavo 

Longum  per  mare,  sed  faventis  undae, 

Et  cursu  facili  tuisque  ventis 

Hispanae  pete  Tarraconis  arces. 

Illinc  te  rota  tollet,  et  citatus  s 

Altam  Bilbilin  et  tuum  Salonem 

Quinto  forsitan  essedo  videbis. 

Quid  mandem  tibi,  quaeris  ?    ut  sodales 

Paucos  et  veteres  et  ante  brumas 

Triginta  mihi  quatuorqne  visos  10 

Ipsa  protinus  a  via  salutes, 

Et  nostrum  admoneas  subinde  Flavum, 

Jucundos  mihi  nec  laboriosos 

Secessus  pretio  paret  salubri, 

Qui  pigrum  faciant  tuum  parentem.  15 

Haec  sunt:   jam  tumidus  vocat  magister. 


6.  Tuum  Salonem:  the  Salo  (Xalon)  hostium   castris.'      Paley  takes   it   '  while 
was  a  tributary  of  the  Ebro,  and  flowed  still  on  your  way.' 

by  Bilbilis  :  see  103,  2  '  rapidis  quem  Salo  14.    Pretio  .  .  salubri,  '  a  sound,  ad- 

cingit  aquis.'     '  Tuum,'  as  being  the  birth-  vantageous  price  :'  cp.  Pliny  Ep.  I.  24  '  si 

place  of  its  author.  praediolum  .  .  tam  salubriter  emerit.'    The 

7.  Quinto,  i.e.  about   the  fifth  stage  change  of 'pretio'  (MSS.)  into  '  spatio,'  as 
westwards  from  Tarragona.  in  old  editions,  arose  probably  from  igno- 

9.  Ante    brumas  :    see   the  preceding  rance  of  this  use  of  '  salubris.' 
epigram   to  this  (103).     Martial  had   re-  15.  Pigrum  ,.  parentem,  i.  e.  where 

sided  thirty-four  years  in  Rome,  and  was  your    author    may  indulge    his    ease,    the 

now    preparing    to    return    to    his    native  '  pigritia  ingenua' of  12.  4,  6 :  see  also  ib. 

country.      One    of    these    friends,    called  18,  10. 

Manius,  he  mentions  in  Epigr.  20  of  this  16.  Haec    sunt,  the  answer   to  '  quid 

book.  mandem' etc.  of  V.  8. 

II.   Ipsa  .  .  via,  '  directly  you  are  off  Tumidus   .  .   magister,    '  the     ship- 

your    joumey,'    as    soon    as    you    have  master    fuming    and    fretting.'     Compare 

arrived.    For  a  similar  use  of  '  a' see  Livy  the   end  of  Juvenars  third  Satire,  v.  315 

30.    36   '  confestim    a    praelio    expugnatis  foll. 


MARTIAL. 


441 


Castigatquc  moras,  et  aiira  portum 
Laxavit  melior  •    vale,  libelle  : 
Navem,  scis  puto,  non  moratur  unus. 


CXVII. 

LIB.  XL  91. 
Epitaphmm  Canaces. 

Aeolidos  Canace  jacet  hoc  tumulata  sepulcro, 

Ultima  cui  parvae  septima  venit  hiems. 
Ah  scelus,  ah  facinus !    properas  quid  flere,  viator  ? 

Non  licet  hic  vitae  de  brevitate  queri. 
Tristius  est  leto  leti  genus  :    horrida  vultus 

Abstulit  et  tenero  sedit  in  ore  lues : 
Ipsaque  crudeles  ederunt  oscula  morbi, 

Nec  data  sunt  nigris  tota  labella  rogis. 
Si  tam  praecipiti  fuerant  ventura  volatu, 

Debuerant  alia  fata  venire  via. 
Sed  mors  vocis  iter  properavit  claudere  blandae, 

Ne  posset  duras  flectere  lingua  deas. 


17, 18.  Portum  laxavit,  'the  favouring 
breeze  enables  you  to  clear  the  harbour.' 

19.  Unus,  'a  single  passenger  cannot 
detain  a  vessel,'  i.e.  he  will  not  be  waited 
for ;  a  proverb,  Hke  our  '  Time  and  tide 
wait  for  no  man.' 

I.  Aeolidos  is  read  by  Schneidewin, 
'  daughter  of  AeoHs'  (the  wife  of  Aeolus), 
the  genitive  as  in  '  Hectoris  Andromache.' 
One  old  MS.  has  '  Aeolis  heu.'  We  may 
suppose  that  the  patronymic  was  given  to 
the    child    from    the    legend    of    Canace, 


daughter  of  Aeolus,   celebrated   by  Ovid, 
Her.  II  ;  Tr.  2.384. 

3.  Scelus  :  so  93,  3  '  O  scelus,  o  mag- 
num  facinus  crimenque  deorum  : '  see  on 
Stat.  Silv.  2.  I,  20. 

7.  Ipsa  ..  oscula,  even  her  Httle  mouth 
and  Hps. 

8.  Tota,  emphatic,  '  not  entire,'  but 
eaten  away  by  the  '  lues,'  =  cancer  or 
whatever  disease  it  was. 

12.  Ne  posset,  i.  e.  which  she  would 
have  done  with  her  '  winning  voice '  could 
she  have  spoken  to  entreat  them. 


442  MARTIAL. 


CXVIII. 

LIB.  XIL  i8. 
Ad  Juvenalem. 

(Metre  Hendecasyllabic.) 

DuM  tu  forsitan  inquietus  erras 

Clamosa,  Juvenalis,  in  Suburra, 

Aut  collem  dominae  teris  Dianae : 

Dum  per  limina  te  potentiorum 

Sudatrix  toga  ventilat  vagumque  s 

Major  Coelius  et  minor  fatigant : 

Me  multos  repstita  post  Decembres 

Acccpit  mea  rusticumque  fecit 

Auro  Bilbilis  et  superba  ferro. 

Hic  pigri  colimus  labore  dulci  lo 

Boterdum  Plateamque  :    Celtiberis 

Haec  sunt  nomina  crassiora  terris. 

Ingenti  fruor  improboque  somno, 

Quem  nec  tertia  saepe  rumpit  hora, 

Et  totum  mihi  nunc  repono,  quidquid  15 

Ter  denos  vigilaveram  per  annos. 


2.  Juvenalis    is    most    probably    the  '  Coeliolus,' or  '  Coelicolus.' 

great    satirist,   to   whom    other   epigrams,  9.   Ferro.     The  Salo,  on  which  Bilbilis 

e.  g.  7.  24  and  91,  are  inscribed.  stood,  was    famous    for    tempering    steel : 

3.  Collem  ..  Dianae,   the   Aventine,  hence    the    city    became   famous    for   the 
from  her  famous  temple  on  that  mountain.  manufacture  of  arms  :  see  4.  55,  10  foll. 
Cp.  7.  73,  I  '  Esquiiiis  domus  est,  domus  II.    Boterdum,   spelt    in    some    MSS. 
est  tibi  colle  Dianae:'  see  also  6.  64,  13.  'Botrodum:'    the    same    discrepancy    is 

5.  Sudatrix  probably  occurs  nowhere  found  in  i.  49,  7  '  et  delicati  dulce  Botrodi 
else  in  a  classical  author.  nemus :'  this,  like  Platea,  is  a  small  town 

Toga  ventilat,  'you  fan  yourself  with  on  the  Salo  :  cp.  4.  55,  13  '  Et  ferro  Pla- 

the    folds    of  your    gown,    as    you    tread  team  suo  sonantem.' 

sweating  the  thresholds  of  the  great.'  12.    Crassiora,     '  somewhat,     rather 

6.  Major  Coelius  et  minor,  the  two  coarse.' 

parts  of  the  Coelian  Hill,  where  stood  at  15.   Repono,  i.e.  I  am  making  up  in 

this  time  the  residences  of  the  rich.     The  full  for  the  slecp  which  I  lost  during  my 

greater  part  of  the  hill  was  formerly  called  sojourn  in  Rome  of  thirty  (or  rather  thirty- 

•  Querquetulanus :'    the     lesser    eminence  four)  years. 


MARTIAL. 


443 


Ignota  est  toga:    sed  datur  petenti 
Rupta  proxima  vestis  a  cathedra. 
Surgentem  focus  excipit  superba 
Vicini  strue  cultus  iliceti, 
Multa  villica  quem  coronat  olla. 
Dispensat  pueris  rogatque  longos 
Levis  ponere  villicus  capillos. 
Sic  me  vivere,  sic  juvat  perire. 


CXIX. 

LIB.  Xn.  31. 
Ad  Marcellmyi. 

Hoc  nemus,  hi  fontes,  haec  textilis  umbra  supini 
Palmitis,  hoc  riguae  ductile  flumen  aquae ; 

Prataque,  nec  bifero  cessura  rosaria  Paesto, 
Quodque  viret  Jani  mense,  nec  alget  olus ; 

Quaeque  natat  clausis  anguilla  domestica  lymphis, 
Quaeque  gerit  similes  candida  turris  aves : 


17,  18.  Sed  datur, '  when  I  call,  there 
is  handed  me  the  nearest  (i.e.  '  most 
convenient,'  a  rare  sense  of  '  proximus,') 
garment  from  a  broken  old  arm-chair.' 
Martial  is  shewing  how  all  ceremony  and 
finery  are  thrown  away  amid  the  simple 
fashions  of  his  native  country ;  when  he 
goes  to  sleep,  he  throws  his  clothes  on  a 
chair  instead  of  folding  them  up.  There 
is  no  particular  force  in  '  rupta,'  while 
there  is  some  plausibility  in  the  'rapta'  of 
a  few  texts,  the  last  syliable  being  length- 
ened  before  'proxima.'  For  the  disuse  of 
the  '  toga'  see  on  10.  47,  5. 

19.  Focus  :  so  I.  49(50),  27  '  Vicina 
in  ipsum  silva  descendet  focum.' 

22,23.  Dispensat  pueris, '  my  bailiif 
serves  their  rations  to  the  slaves,  and 
smooth  himself  is  always  bidding  them  to 
lay  aside  their  long  hair.'  Slaves  were  ex- 
pected  to  have  their  hair  cut  close,  except 
when  quite  young.  Perhaps  the  bailiff  is 
anxious   to   get  the  lads  ranked   as  men. 


that  they  might  perform  the  work  of 
aduhs.  Paley,  comparing  Juv.  3.  186, 
thinks  that  the  baihff  asks  ^lartial  to  let 
his  slaves  have  their  hair  cut,  that  day 
being  kept  as  a  holiday.  The  '  vilhcus,' 
who  was  always  a  slave,  is  called  '  levis ' 
here.  The  construction  of  'rogo'  with 
an  infinitive  is  unusual. 

1.  Supini,  either, 'bending,'  not  trained 
upwards,  but  bent  so  as  to  creep  over  trel- 
lis-work,  or,  '  tumed  and  trained  so  as  to 
be  exposed  to  the  sun,'  (Paley.) 

2.  Ductile,  brought  into  the  gardens 
from  some  spring  to  water  them  ('  riguae'). 

4.  Nec  alget,  i.  e.  never  killed  by 
frost. 

6.  Similes,  i.  e.  '  candidas,'  'doves'  or 
'pigeons  ;'  there  is  a  MS.  reading  '  Veneris.' 

Turris.  the  '  columbarium  : '  cp.  Ov. 
Tr.  I.  9,  7  '  Adspicis  ut  veniant  ad  candida 
tecta  columbae,  Accipiat  nullas  sordida 
turris  aves.' 


444  MARTIAL. 

Munera  sunt  dominae  post  septima  lustra  reverso ; 

Has  Marcella  dapes  parvaque  regna  dedit. 
Si  mihi  Nausicae  patrios  concederet  hortos, 

Alcinoo  possem  dicere,  malo  meos. 


cxx. 

LIB.  XII.  56. 

Ad  Polycharmum. 

Aegrotas  uno  decies  aut  saepius  anno  j 

Nec  tibi,  sed  nobis  hoc,  Polycharme,  nocet. 

Nam  quoties  surgis,  soteria  poscis  amicos : 
Sit  pudor :   aegrota  jam,  Polycharme,  semel. 

8.   Marcella.   the    poet's  wife,   was    a  a    friend    on    his    recovery   froni    iliness. 

native  of  Spain,  a  '  municeps  Salonis'  as  he  Statius  entitles  one  of  his  poems  '  Soteria 

calls  her  in  21,  1.  Rutilii   Gallici'  Silv.  I.  4.      See   a   similar 

Dapes,   so    Schneidewin  :    Weber    and  epig'-am  on  Clytus,  who  by  a  like  pretext 

most  texts  have  'domos:'  Heinsius  con-  got  several  birthday  presents  in  the  year, 

jectures  '  lares.'  8.  64. 

Regna  :  as  in  Virg.  E.  I.  70  '  mea  regna  4.    Aegrota  .  .  semel,    i.  e.   may  you 

videns  mirabor  aristas.'  never  recover.    '  Semer  =  'once  for  all,' as 

in  5-  39'  5  '  semel  fac  illud,  Mentitur  tua 

3.   Soteria,  aojTrjpia,  presents  made  to  quod  subinde  tussis.' 


T.(?)    CALPURNIUS. 


NOTICE    OF    CALPURNIUS. 


MucH  uncertainty  rests  upon  the  name,  date,  and  writings  of  this 
poet.  Whether  his  ' praenomen'  was  Titus  or  Caius,  his  cognomen 
Serranus  or  Siculus,  and  if  the  latter,  whether  it  denotes  the  country 
of  his  birth  or  the  Theocritean  style  of  his  poetry — whether  he  lived 
in  the  reigns  of  Nero,  Domitian,  Gordian,  or  Carus,  to  each  of  which 
periods  able  critics  have  assigned  him — above  all,  whether  he  is  the 
author  of  the  eleven  Pastorals  ascribed  to  him  in  most  MSS.  and  in 
the  earliest  editions,  or  only  of  the  first  seven,  the  last  four  being  the 
work  of  Nemesianus,  on  all  these  points  a  variety  of  opinion  has 
been  entertained.  See  Haupfs  '  De  Carminibus  Bucolicis  Calpurnii 
et  Nemesiani  Liber,'  or  the  epitome  of  it  in  Prof.  Conington's  essay 
On  the  Later  Bucolic  Poets  of  Rome,  Virgil,  vol.  i.  That  Calpurnius 
wrote  only  the  first  seven  of  the  Eclogues  assigned  to  him,  seems  esta- 
blished  by  the  differences,  in  versification  and  style,  which  Haupt  has 
detected  between  these  and  the  remaining  four ;  but  not  feeling  equally 
convinced  by  the  arguments  of  the  same  critic  placing  Calpurnius  in 
the  age  of  Nero,  and  assuming  the  inscription  of  the  Eclogues  to 
Nemesianus,  the  Carthaginian  poet  (as  given  in  a  very  old  MS.),  to 
be  genuine,  and  not,  as  Haupt  supposes,  a  copyist's  blunder,  I  follow 
Wernsdorf,  Bernhardy,  Gibbon,  and  Ramsay  in  assigning  the  author 
of  these  Pastorals  to  the  latter  half  of  the  third  century  a.d. 

Calpurnius  is  chiefly  noteworthy  as  the  first  and  perhaps  the  last 
imitator  of  Virgirs  Eclogues  who  deserves  any  mention  at  all.  By 
nature  he  would  seem  to  have  possessed  as  few  qualifications  for 
BucoUc  poetry  as  Virgil  himself ;  possibly,  if  he  were  a  Sicilian,  he 
might  have  been  led  to  compose  in  this  style  by  admiration  for  his 
countrjTnan  Theocritus.  Unfortunately  however  Calpurnius  had 
neither  the  simplicity  of  his  Syracusan,  nor  the  genius  and  taste  of 
his  Italian  model.     His  language  on  the  whole  is  pure  and  classical, 


448  NOTICE  OF  CALPURNIUS. 

though  here  and  there  betraying  marks  of  declining  Latinity  in  the 
coinage  of  inelegant  terms,  and  in  the  use  of  artificial  phrases  and 
constructions,  unless  we  suppose  that  some  of  these  are  designedly 
put  into  the  mouth  of  rustic  speakers  for  consistency  of  effect.  Still 
it  must  be  said  that  whatever  inelegance  may  be  found  in  him  cannot 
be  ascribed  to  ignorance  of  the  best  models,  of  which  his  frequent 
imitations  of  such  authors  as  Horace,  TibuUus,  Propertius,  Ovid, 
Juvenal,  and  Persius  entirely  acquit  him.  Even  in  his  versification, 
which  generally  speaking  is  particularly  easy  and  correct,  the  strangest 
anomalies,  such  e.  g.  as  the  scansion  of  'jugale'  as  a  quadrisyllable 
(6.  50)  and  '  saginata'  as  a  trisyllable  (4.  125),  are  (if  at  least  the  text 
be  correct)  permitted  to  appear.  Idyllic  poetry  was,  in  short,  alien 
to  the  urban  and  practical  spirit  of  Rome,  and  the  failure  in  this 
branch  of  literary  composition,  from  which  the  genius  of  Virgil  did 
not  wholly  preserve  him,  is  all  the  more  conspicuous  in  the 
Eclogues  of  a  mere  cultivated  imitator  and  harmonious  plagiary 
like  Calpurnius. 

The  earlier  MSS.  of  Calpurnius  belong  probably  to  the  beginning 
or  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century ;  and  these,  as  well  as  the  first  five 
editions  (though  the  MSS.,  according  to  Haupt,  not  unanimously) 
assign  all  the  eleven  Eclogues  to  this  author.  The  date  of  the 
'  Codex  e  Germania  vetustissimus  atque  emendatissimus,'  on  the 
authority  of  which  MS.  Ugoletus  in  his  edition  (about  a.d.  1500) 
based  his  separation  of  the  first  seven  from  the  last  four  Eclogues, 
together  with  the  dedication  of  the  former  '  to  Nemesianus  the  Car- 
ihaginian,'  is  unknown ;  the  whole  question  is  exhaustively  treated  in 
the  monograph  by  Haupt  referred  to  above. 


CXXI. 
CALPURNIUS. 

ECL.  VII.  19-84. 

CoRYDON,  a  young  shepherd  returning  to  the  country  after  a  sojourn 
in  Rome,  relates  to  Lycotas,  an  aged  comrade,  the  splendours  of  the 
^mphitheatre,  both  the  details  of  the  building  and  the  spectacles  he  had 
witnessed  in  it.  The  variety  of  rare  animals,  and  the  marvellous  change^ 
of  scenery  which  he  witnessed,  had  particularly  impressed  him.  Lycotas 
is  eager  to  hear  of  the  emperor,  and  what  form  the  god  presented.  Cory- 
don  replies,  that  though,  from  his  high  position  in  the  building,  he  could 
not  obtain  a  good  view,  yet,  as  far  as  he  could  see,  the  spirit  of  a  Mars  and 
the  grace  of  an  Apollo  were  combined  in  the  imperial  features.  The 
general  idea  of  the  Eclogue  is  derived  from  Virgil  (E.  i ),  though  the  treat- 
ment  in  either  case  is  very  different.  Carinus,  the  eldest  son  of  Carus, 
whom,  according  to  some,  the  poet  designed  in  this  piece  to  flatter,  was 
particularly  famous  for  the  magnificence  of  his  games  and  spectacles.  See 
Gibbon,  c.  12.  Wernsdorf  thinks  that  Calpurnius  refers  especially  to  the 
games  held  a.d.  284,  in  celebration  of  tbe  successes  of  Carus  and  Nume- 
rianus  in  the  Persian  war. 

Lyc.  Dic,  age,  dic,  Corydon,  nec  nostras  invidus  aures 
Despice  :    non  aliter  certe  mihi  dulce  loquere, 
Quam  certare  soles,  quoties  ad  sacra  vocatur 
Aut  fecunda  Pales  aut  pastoralis  Apollo. 

CoR.  Vidimus  in  coelum  trabibus  spectacula  textis  5 


3.  Certare   soles,  '  as  when  you   are  Caesar)  were  constructed  of  wood,  the  later 

wont  to  contend'  for  the  prize  of  song  at  were  of  stone.     Cp.  Tac.  Ann.  13.  31  '  tra- 

the  shepherds'  festivals  of  Pales  or  Apollo.  bibus  quis  molem  amphitheatri  apud  Cam- 

Some   editions   have   '  cantare,'   and   most  pum  Martis  Caesar  extruxerat.'    See  Meri- 

MSS.  '  solent' (sc.  '  pastores').     Virgil,  in  vale    on    the   Colosseum,    which    is    the 

his  Eclogues,  often  speaks  of  these  '  cer-  building,  he  thinks,  described  in  this  pas- 

tamina'  of  the  shepherds.  sage  (Hist.  Empire,  c.  60)  :    he  considers 

5.   Trabibus,   not    meant    to    exclude  '  trabibus'   to  mean  a  wooden   scaffolding 

the  idea  that  masonry  entered  chiefly  into  at  the  top  of  the  building. 
the  material  of  the   building  :    vvhile  the  Spectacula,  '  the  place  of  seeing,' the 

earlier  amphitheatres  (of  Curio  and  C.  Julius  amphitheatre  itself. 


450 


CALPURNIUS. 


Surgere,  Tarpeium  prope  despectantia  culmen, 
Immensosque  gradus,  et  clivos  lene  jacentes. 
Venimus  ad  sedes,  ubi  pulla  sordida  veste 
Inter  femineas  spectabat  turba  cathedras. 
Nam  quaecumque  patent  sub  aperto  libera  coelo, 
Aut  eques  aut  nivei  loca  densavere  tribuni. 
Qualiter  haec  patulum  contendit  vallis  in  orbem, 
Et  sinuata  latus,  resupinis  undique  silvis, 
Inter  continuos  curvatur  concava  montes : 
Sic  tibi  planitiem  curvae  sinus  ambit  arenae, 
Et  geminis  medium  se  molibus  alligat  ovum. 
Qijid  tibi  nunc  referam,  quae  vix  sufFecimus  ipsi 
Per  partes  spectare  suas  ?   sic  undique  flilgor 
Percussit.     Stabam  defixus,  et  ore  patenti, 
Cunctaque  mirabar,  necdum  bene  singula  noram. 
Tum  mihi,  tum  senior  lateri  qui  forte  sinistro 
Junctus  erat,  Quid  te  stupefactum,  rustice,  dixit, 
Ad  tantas,  miraris,  opes  ?   qui,  nescius  auri, 


15 


7.  CHvos,  'the  gently-inclining  slopes' 
of  the  seats  rising  one  behind  another, 
tier  above  tier. 

Jacentes,  Hke  Horace's  '  Usticae  cu- 
bantis'  Od.  i.  17,  11. 

8.  PuUa,  '  the  dingy,  sombre-dressed 
mob,'  as  below,  v.  63  '  pullaque  paupertas.' 
The  third  '  maenianum'  or  story  was  re- 
served  for  the  '  pullati'  or  common  people. 
Above  this  was  the  gallery,  which  con- 
tained  seats  for  the  women.  See  Suet. 
Oct.  44  '  Feminis  ne  gladiatores  quidem  .  . 
nisi  ex  superiore  loco  spectare  concessit.' 

10.  Libera.  It  would  seem  from  this 
passage  that  the  '  velarium  *  or  awning  did 
not  extend  over  the  whole  building ;  the 
higher  class  of  spectators  shehered  them- 
selves  from  the  weather  by  '  umbrellae ' 
or  '  umbracula,'  Martial  14.  28.  The  parts 
occupied  by  the  '  white-robed  tribunes,' 
knights,  and  senators,  were  the  '  podium,' 
and  the  first  fourteen  rows  of  seats  called 
the  '  primum  maenianum.' 

13.  Resupinis,  '  sloping  backward ' 
from  the  plain,  just  as  the  '  clivi  lene  ja- 
centes'  of  the  amphitheatre  from  the  arena. 

14.  Curvatur  concava,  '  the  curve  of 
the  low-l)nng  plain  winds  round  among 
unbroken  hills;'  i.  e.  there  is  no  opening 
in  the  hills  to  disturb  the  perfect  circle. 
Observe  the  alliteration,  aiding  the  sense. 

15.  Sic  tibi, '  just  so,  you  see,'  a  happy 


use  of  the  '  dativus  ethicus,'  far  preferable 
to  the  '  ibi'  and  '  ubi'  of  old  editions. 

Arenae,  with  '  planitiem,' '  the  sweep 
of  the  sloping  seats  encircles  the  bend  of 
the  level  arena.' 

16.  Geminis  medium, 'and  the  two 
fabrics  (hemicycles)  meeting,  lock  them- 
selves  in  the  centre  into  one  oval  pile,'  i.  e. 
the  amphitheatre  is,  or  seems,  made  of  two 
theatres,  tumed  round  on  a  pivot,  face  to 
face,  and  so  formmg  one  elliptical  struc- 
ture.  This  in  fact  was  the  construction 
of  the  first  amphitheatre,  the  design  of 
the  tribune  Curio.  Wernsdorf  quotes  Stat. 
Silv.  3.  5,  91  '  Et  geminam  molem  nudi 
tectique  theatri.'  See  Pliny  N.  H.  36.  24, 
8,  and  Merivale,  Hist.  Empire,  c.  41. 

18.  Per  partes,  as  just  afterwards, 
V.  20,  '  necdum  bene  singula  noram  :'  '  I 
could  scarcely  view  the  scene,  even  in  its 
parts,  how  then  can  I  relate  to  you  the 
whole?'  The  expression  occurs  in  Pliny, 
Ep.  2.  5,  but  is  not  common. 

Fulgor,  '  the  dazzle'  of  the  scene,  in 
particular  the  gems,  metals,  and  marbles 
glittering  in  the  conspicuous  portions  of 
the  building. 

20.  Bene,  Heinsius'  emendation  of 
'  bona,'  which  last  however  Wemsdorf  re- 
tains,  interpreting  '  quid  in  singulis  boni 
esset.' 

23.  Adtantastobe  taken  with  'stupe- 


CALPURNIUS. 


451 


Sordida  tecta,  casas,  et  sola  mapalia  nosti. 

En !    ego  tam  tremulus,  tam  vertice  canus  et  ista  25 

Factus  in  urbe  senex,  stupeo  tamen  omnia  :   certe 

Vilia  sunt  nobis,  quaecumque  prioribus  annis 

Vidimus,  et  sordet,  quidquid  spectavimus  olim. 

Balteus  en !   gemmis,  en !    illita  porticus  auro, 

Certatim  radiant ;    nec  non,  ubi  finis  arenae  30 

Proxima  marmoreo  peragit  spectacula  muro, 

Sternitur  adjunctis  ebur  admirabile  truncis, 

£t  coit  in  rotulum,  tereti  qui  lubricus  axe 

Impositos  subita  vertigine  falleret  ungues, 

Excuteretque  feras.     Auro  quoque  torta  refulgent  35 

Retia,  quae  totis  in  arenam  dentibus  extant, 

Dentibus  aequatis  j   et  erat,  mihi  crede,  Lycota, 

Si  qua  fides !    nostro  dens  longior  omnis  aratro. 

Ordine  quid  referam  ?   vidi  genus  omne  ferarum, 

Hic  niveos  lepores,  et  non  sine  cornibus  apros,  40 


factum'=yo«  need  not  wonder  that  you 
are  amazed  at  this  great  magnificence  ; 
even  I  am,  who  have  grown  old  in  the 
city. 

24.  Sordida  tecta,  in  apposition  to 
'  casas.'     Burmann  suggests  '  tesqua.' 

Mapalia  :  Virg.  G.  3.  340  '  raris  habi- 
tata  mapalia  tectis.' 

28.  Vidimus  .  .  spectavimus.  If 
these  lines  do  not  involve  mere  tautology, 
'  vidimus'  must  refer  to  any  sight  what- 
ever,  '  spectavimus '  to  theatrical  spectacles 
in  particular. 

29.  Balteus,  the  landing-places  at  the 
top  of  the  first  and  second  tiers  of  seats ; 
in  prose  '  praecinctiones,'  the  belt  or  circle 
which  divided  the  several  ranks  of  spec- 
tators  from  each  other.     Gibbon,  c.  12. 

Porticus,  the  '  covered  gallery'  at  the 
top  of  the  building  containing  the  seats  of 
the  women  and  the  poorer  classes  :  see  on 
V.  8. 

31.  Peragit  spectacula,  '  the  arena's 
bound  limits  the  exhibition  close  to  it  by 
a  marble  fence,'  an  enclosure  surmounted 
by  a  railing  running  round  the  arena,  and 
separating  it  from  the  '  podium.'  '  Specta- 
cula'  is  used  here  for  the  thing  exhibited 
(viz.  wild  beasts),  according  to  Wemsdorf : 
but  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not 
have  its  common  signification  of  the  seats 
nearest  to  the  arena,  only  parted  from  it 
by  the  marble  fence.  '  Peragere'  is  not 
found   elsewhere    exactly   in   this    sense : 


'  Sed   in   his   scriptoribus   (says  Burmann) 
quadam  indulgentia  utendum.' 

32-35.  Sternitur  .  .  feras  ;  '  in  front 
of  the  arena-wall  are  laid  ivory-plated 
bars,  combined  to  form  a  cylinder,  which, 
gUbly  moving  on  its  shapely  axle,  might, 
by  sudden  revolution,  Ijaffle  the  gripe 
of  claws,  and  fling  oif  the  beasts,'  that 
attempt  to  get  over  the  barrier  into  the 
seats  of  the  nearest  spectators.  '  Rotulus ' 
or  '  rotulum'  (as  in  the  mediaeval  ex- 
pression  '  custos  rotulorum ')  was  a  late 
form  for  the  common  '  rotula,'  dimi- 
nutive  of  '  rota.'  '  Rutilum,'  as  in  most 
MSS.,  makes  no  sense,  and  only  arose 
probably  from  the  transcriber's  ignorance 
of  an}'  such  word  as  '  rotulus.'  '  Pluteum' 
is  another  conjecture  ;  but  the  whole  pas- 
sage  is  obscure. 

36.  Retia,  '  the  nets  which  project  into 
the  arena,  hung  on  soHd  elephants'  tusks. 
tusks  all  of  equal  size  and  length.'  These 
nets  of  gold  wire  (' auro  torta'),  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  wild  beasts  at  a 
distance,  were  suspended  from  huge  ivory 
poles  fastencd  into  the  '  murus  marmo- 
reus'  of  V.  31. 

40.  Niveos  lepores,  not  '  rabbits ' 
(which  would  hardly  have  been  curiosities) 
but  a  rare  sort  of  hares,  which  Pliny  men- 
tions  as  found,  very  rarely,  on  the  Alps. 
For  the  '  horned  boars'  Aelian  (17.  20)  is 
cited,  At-ffi  Se  Aivojv  tv  AWiomq  yivfaOai 

VS  TpiKfpUS. 

G  g  2 


452 


CALPURNIUS. 


Mantichoram,  silvis  etiam  quibus  editur,  Alcen 
Vidimus,  et  tauros,  quibus  aut  cervice  levata 
Deformis  scapulis  torus  eminet,  aut  quibus  hirtae 
Jactantur  per  colla  jubae ;   quis  aspera  mento 
Barba  jacet,  tremulisque  rigent  palearia  setis. 
Nec  solum  nobis  silvestria  cernere  monstra 
Contigit :   aequoreos  ego  cum  certantibus  ursis 
Spectavi  vitulos,  et  equorum  nomine  dignum, 
Sed  deforme  pecus,  quod  in  illo  nascitur  amni, 
Qui  sata  riparum  venientibus  irrigat  undis. 
Ah  !    trepidi  quoties  nos  descendentis  arenae 
Vidimus  in  partes,  ruptaque  voragine  terrae 
Emersisse  feras  j   et  eisdem  saepe  latebris 
Aurea  cum  croceo  creverunt  arbuta  libro. 


45 


So 


41.  Mantichoram,  fiapTtxopas.  the 
Graecised  forin  of  the  Persian  '  mardkhora' 
=  ' man-eater,'  a  monster  mentioned  by 
Ctesias,  compounded  of  a  lion,  a  porcupine, 
and  a  scorpion,  with  the  head  of  a  man. 
See  the  description  in  Aristotle,  Hist. 
Animal.  2.  I,  53. 

Silvis,  to  be  taken  with  '  Alcen,'  not 
'  Mantichoram :'  the  trees  which  these 
foreign  animals  were  accustomed  to  were 
imported  together  with  them.  See  Gibbon, 
c.  12.  Caesar  describes  the  '  Alces,'  or 
'  elk,'  as  a  native  of  the  Hercynian  forest : 
'  his  sunt  arbores  pro  cubilibus'  Bell.  Gall. 
6.  27. 

42.  Tauros,  possibly  '  camels  '  or  '  ca- 
meleopards.'  The  poet's  description  may 
have  Iseen  taken  from  Pliny  N.  H.  8.  45 
'  Syriacis  (tauris)  non  sunt  palearia,  sed 
gibber  in  dorso.  Carici  quoque  in  parte 
Asiae  foedi  visu,  tubere  super  armos  a 
cervicibus  eminente'  (quoted  by  Werns- 
dorf). 

43.  Deformis .  .torus,'unsightlyhump.' 
Quibus    hirtae,    the   '  bubalus    atque 

bison'  of  Martial,  De  Spect.  23.  4. 

45.  Tremulis  rigent,  '  stiff  and  hard 
are  the  dewlaps,'  covered  with  waving 
bristles ;  Calpurnius  uses  '  palearia '  for  the 
throat  or  stomach,  3.  17  '  Et  matutinas 
revocat  palearibus  herbas.' 

47.  Certantibus,  i.  e.  accustomed  to 
be  pitted  against  the  sea-calves,  or  simply 
put  for  '  certantes  cum  ursis.' 

48,49.  Equorum  ..pecus,  the  hippopo- 
tamus  :  '  In  the  latter  spectacles  I  do  not 
recoUect  any  crocodiles,  of  which  Augustus 


once  exhibited  thirty-six,'  Gibbon  (in  a 
note  on  this  passage),  c.  12.  For  '  pecus* 
in  this  sense  see  on  Sen.  Hipp.  53. 

In  illo.  The  simple  rustic  is  cha- 
racteristically  represented  as  not  knowing 
the  name  of  the  Nile,  but  only  of  its 
beneficial  influence  on  the  crops. 

50.  Venientibus,  '  coming '  of  their 
own  accord,  not  by  artificial  systems  of 
irrigation  ;  or,  simply  '  rising,' '  increasing;' 
cp.  Ov.  M.  8.  164  (of  the  Maeander)  '  Oc- 
currensque  sibi  venturas  adspicit  undas.' 
Heinsius  needlessly  conjectures  '  vernanti- 
bus.' 

51,52.  Trepidi,  emphatic:  'with  what 
a  shudder  oft  I  watrhed  the  beasts  spring 
forth  to  their  places  in  the  deep  arena.' 
This  is  better  than  Wernsdorf 's  construc- 
tion  of  '  in  partes'  with  '  vidimus,'  or  Bur- 
mann's  proposal  to  take  '  trepidi '  with 
'arenae'  =  '  frightened  at  the  arena.' 

For  in  partes  has  been  conjectured  '  in 
pratis,'  '  absorptas,'  etc. 

Descendentis,  i.  e.  '  depressed '  to  one 
looking  from  a  high  position  ;  better  than 
'  sloping.'  One  MS.  has  '  sol  discedentis,' 
whence  Haupt's  ingenious  emendation, 
'  sola  discedentis  arenae  Vidimus  inverti.' 

Voragine,  the  deep  vaults  below  the 
arena,  opening  into  it  by  a  grating. 

54.  Creverunt.  '  At  one  moment  the 
arena  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  earth  like 
the  garden  of  the  Hesperides,  and  was 
afterwards  broken  into  the  rocks  and  ca- 
verns  of  Thrace.  The  subterraneous  pipes 
conveyed  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  water, 
and  what  had  just  before  appeared  a  level 


CALPURNIUS. 


453 


Lyc.  O  felix  Corydon,  quem  non  tremebunda  senectus  55 

Impedit !    o  felix,  quod  in  haec  tibi  saecula  primos, 
Indulgente  deo,  demittere  contigit  annos ! 
Nunc  tibi  si  propius  venerandum  cernere  numen 
Sors  dedit,  et  praesens  vultumque  habitumque  notasti, 
Dic,  age,  dic,  Corydon,  quae  sit  modo  forma  deorum.    60 

CoR.O  utinam  nobis  non  rustica  vestis  inesset! 

Vidissem  propius  mea  numina :    sed  mihi  sedes, 
Pullaque  paupertas,  et  adunco  fibula  morsu 
Obfuerunt  •    utcumque  tamen  conspeximus  ipsum 
Longius,  ac,  nisi  me  decepit  visus,  in  uno  65 

Et  Martis  vultus  et  Apollinis  esse  putavi. 


plain  might  be  suddenly  converted  into 
a  wide  lake,  covered  with  arrned  vessels, 
and  replenished  with  the  monsters  of  the 
deep,'  Gibbon  1.  c.  Cp.  Martial  De  Spect. 
21.3,4. 

58.  Numen,  the  emperor :  cp.  Virg. 
E.  I.  42  '  Nec  tam  praesentes  alibi  cogno- 
scere  Divos.' 

60.  Modo  =  'tell  me  what  they  only 
look  like ;'  Lycotas  never  expects  to  have 
any  real  acquaintance  with  such  exalted 
beings,  but  would  like  to  have  some  idea 
of  their  mere  appearance.  The  Editio 
Princeps  has  '  mihi.'  Cp.  Virg.  E.  i.  19 
'  Sed  tamen  iste  deus,  qui  sit,  da,  Tityre, 
nobis.' 

61.  Rustica  =  '  pullata'  (see  v.  8),  and 
therefore  requiring  him  to  sit  in  the  third 
tier  of  seats. 

Inesset,  '  had  not  been  on:'  as  Ov. 
Fast.  4.  658  '  nec  digitis  annulus  ullus 
inest.' 


63.  Fibula,  some  peculiar  brooch,  or 
mode  of  wearing  it,  that  marked  the  poor 
man.  To  give  the  expression  more  point, 
'aheno'  and  '  adeso '  have  been  conjec- 
tured  for  '  adunco,'  which,  as  an  epithet, 
fails  in  distinctiveness. 

64.  Utcumque,  '  after  a  fashion,  any- 
how,  as  best  I  could.'  Cp.  Juv.  10.  271 
'  Exitus  ille  utcumque  hominis.'  Some 
inferior  texts  have  'utrumque'  (Qy.  Ca- 
rinus  and  Numerianus)  which  is  obviously 
inconsistent  with  the  next  line. 

66.  Martis  .  .  Apollinis,  i.e.  severity 
and  beauty  combined.  '  John  Malala,  who 
had  perhaps  seen  pictures  of  Carinus,  de- 
scribes  him  as  thick,  short,  and  white,' 
Gibbon,  note  98,  c.  12.  Merivale  consi- 
ders  that  the  description  in  the  text  points 
to  Domitian,  in  whose  reign  he  believes 
Calpurnius  to  have  written.  Greswell,  on 
the  other  hand,  refers  it  to  the  youngest 
Gordian.     See  Introductory  Life. 


LIFE     OF     NEMESIANUS. 


M.  AuRELius  Olympius  Nemesiaxus  was  a  native  of  Carthage,  and 
probably  of  good  family,  (similar  names  being  found  belonging  to  men 
of  high  distinction  about  the  same  time,)  '  Olympius'  designating  ihe 
individual,  '  Nemesianus ' — perhaps  from  Nemesium,  a  town  in  Mar- 
niarica — being  his  family  appellation.  That  he  hved  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  third  century  a.d.,  we  know  from  the  '  Cynegetica'  (v.  64 
foll.),  where  he  speaks  of  himself  as  preparing  to  sing  the  praises 
of  the  emperors  Carinus  and  Numerianus.  But  the  chief  information 
we  have  concerning  Nemesianus  is  derived  from  a  passage  in  the 
*  Life  of  the  Emperor  Carus,'  by  the  contemporary  historian,  Flavius 
Vopiscus,  who,  extolHng  Numerianus  as  the  first  poet  of  his  day, 
adds,  that  he  triumphed  in  a  hterary  contest  over  Nemesianus,  '  the 
author  of  poems  on  fishing,  hunting,  and  aquatics  ['  Nautica :'  Qy. 
'  Ixeutica'  =  '  Hawking'],  who  had  carried  off  all  the  prizes.'  He  is 
thought  by  some  to  be  alluded  to  by  Calpurnius  in  his  Eclogues, 
under  the  name  of  '  INIeliboeus.'  About  the  time  of  his  death  nothing 
is  known. 

Of  the  didactic  poetry  of  Nemesianus  (and  Vopiscus  mentions  no 
bncolic  compositions  of  his)  little  has  come  down  to  us.  His  '  Ha- 
Heutica'  and  '  Nautica'  are  entirely  lost ;  and  what  we  have  of  his 
'  Cynegetica'  is  a  mere  fragment  of  what  was,  or  was  intended  to 
be,  a  large  work,  the  '  prooemium '  alone  occupying  more  than  a 
hundred  out  of  the  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  lines  which  have 
been  preserved.  It  is  remarkable  that  he  never  refers  to  the  cognate 
poem  of  his  predecessor  Gratius,  whom  Jul.  Scaliger  considers  in  every 
way  his  superior.  Xenophon  and  Oppian,  the  latter  of  whom  had, 
about  a  century  before  Nemesianus,  written  three  hexameter  poems 
in  Greek  on  the  same  subjects,  and  (probably)  with  the  same  titles, 
seem  to  have   supplied  him  with  much  cf  his  material.     His  clear 


M.  AURELIUS  OLYMPIUS  NEMESIANUS. 


458  LIFE  OF  NEMESIANUS. 

style  and  classical  diction  evidence  close  and  sympathetic  study  of 
the  best  Latin  poets,  Virgil  in  particular,  of  whose  phraseology  we 
find,  not  infrequently,  direct  imitations  or  elaborate  refinements. 
His  critics  however  have  discovered  in  him  '  aliquid  transmarinae 
peregrinitatis,'  for  which  charge  a  few  affected  phrases,  inelegant 
formations,  Uke  '  inviscerat'  (v.  215),  '  corruges'  (v.  92),  etc,  and 
coarse,  irregular  use  of  terms,  like  '  carina'  (v.i  10), '  gravedo'  (v.  132), 
afFord  perhaps  some  justification.  His  diffuseness  contrasts  unfavour- 
ably  with  the  terseness  of  Gratius ;  while  his  poem  is  somewhat 
overladen  with  exuberant  imagery  and  mythological  allusions.  But 
his  versification,  modelled  apparently  on  that  of  the  Georgics,  must 
be  admitted  to  be  correct,  easy,  and  sonorous.  Hincmar,  arch- 
bishop  of  Rheims  (a.d.  845),  speaks  of  the  '  Cynegetica'  as  a  book 
he  had  studied  when  a  boy  at  school. 

Three  MSS.  of  the  '  CynegeLica'  of  Nemesianus  are  in  existence, 
one  a  transcript  of  that  on  which  the  first  edition  was  founded, 
made  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the  other  two,  of  slight  vakie,  belong- 
ing  (according  to  Haupl)  to  the  tenth.  In  most  editions,  this  poem 
was  coupled  with  the  '  Cynegetica'  of  Gratius  and  the  '  Haheutica' 
of  Ovid.  See  Notice  of  Calpiu-nius,  and  the  Monograph  of  Haupt, 
De  Carm.  Bucol.  Calpurn.  et  Nemes. 


CXXIL 

M.    AURELIUS    OLYMPIUS    NEMESIANUS. 

CYNEGETICA,  240-282. 

The  poet  here  enumerates  the  countries  that  furnish  the  best  hunters, 
and  the  characteristics  of  the  several  breeds.  The  best  are  those 
bred  froni  Greek  and  Cappadocian  sires.  Next  come  the  Spanish  horses, 
up  to  more  work,  and  no  less  handsome  than  the  Greek,  though  some- 
what  fiery,  restless,  and  intractable.  The  third  sort  to  be  recommended, 
when  thorough-bred,  are  the  Moorish  or  Numidian.  They  are  ugly,  and 
unaccustomed  to  the  rein,  but  they  will  stand  any  amount  of  work ;  they 
obey  the  least  touch  of  a  whip,  and,  if  somewhat  slow  at  starting,  never 
fail  in  a  long  race  to  outstrip  their  competitors,  just  as,  in  a  storm,  the 
other  winds  retire  before  the  superior  violence  of  the  northern  blast. 
These  animals  come  to  their  prime  slowly,  but,  as  is  usually  the  case  with 
excellence  that  is  not  precocious,  they  retain  the  vigour  of  youth  till  a  late 
age,  and  their  spirit  never  fails  them  before  their  limbs. 

CoRNiPEDES  igitur  lectos  det  Graecia  nobis, 
Cappadocumque  notas  referat  generosa  propago : 
Armenti  et  palmas  numeret  grex  omnis  avorum. 
Illis  ampla  satis  levi  sunt  aequora  dorso, 

1.  Graecia  :  the  breeds  of  Thessaly,  g.  o.  e.,'  aud  take  the  former  words  with 
Argos  {iniToPoTov),  and  Epirus  (Virg.  G.  3.  '  generosa  propago'  in  apposition  to  '  grex 
121)  were  especially  valued.  omnis'  =  '  adorned  with  recent  victories  of 

2.  Cappadocum.  At  the  time  when  their  sires,'  can  satisfy  no  one.  The  sim- 
Nemesianus  lived,  and  later,  Cappadocian  plest  change  is  that  of  Gronovius,  reading 
stallions  were  favourites  for  breeding  ;  '  Armenti' and  '  numeret,' '  armenti' being 
cp.  Oppian  I.  197:  Claudian  Laus  Seren.  taken  with  '  propago '  =  '  Let  every  foal 
190  foU.  '  dileclus  equorum,  Quos  Phry-  be  able  to  count  the  triumphs  of  his  sire.' 
giae  matres  Argeaque  gramina  pastae  Cp.  Grat.  228  '  Thessahum  quadriga  decus, 
Semine  Cappadocum  sacris  praesepibus  quam  gloria  patrum  Excitat.'  Wernsdorf 
edunt ;'  Id.  in  Ruf.  2.  31.  proposes  '  Harmataque  {apiMTa)  et  palmas 

Notas,    '  the    marks    of    Cappadocian  immeret  g.  o.  e.'     See  his  Excursus  on  the 

breed  :'  so  Grat.  497  '  Restat  equos  finire  lines,  vol,  i.     Palmas,  as  VirgiFs  '  (mittit) 

notis.'  palmas  Epirus  equorum '  G.  I.  59. 

3.  '  Locus  fere  desperatus '  (Werns-  4.  Aequora,  '  large  surface  of  eveu 
dorf).     To  read  '  Armata  et  palmis  nuper  back :'  so  Virg.  G.  3.  So  '  obesaque  terga.' 


460 


NEMESIANUS. 


Immodicumque  latus  parvaeque  ingentibus  alvi, 
Ardua  frons  auresque  agiles  capitique  decoro 
Altus  honos,  oculique  vago  splendore  micantes : 
Plurima  se  validos  cervix  resupinat  in  armos : 
Fumant  humentes  calida  de  nare  vapores : 
Nec  pes  officium  standi  tenet :    ungula  terram 
Crebra  ferit  virtusque  artus  animosa  fatigat. 
Quin  etiam  gens  ampla  jacet  trans  ardua  Calpes 
Culmina,  cornipedum  late  fecunda  proborum. 
Namque  valent  longos  pratis  intendere  cursus : 
Nec  minor  est  illis,  Graio  quam  in  corpore,  forma. 
Nec  non  terribiles,  spirabile  flumen,  anheli 
Provolvunt  flatus  et  lumina  vivida  torquent, 
Hinnitusque  cient  tremuli  frenisque  repugnant ; 
Nec  segnes  mulcent  aures,  nec  crurc  quiescunt. 
Sit  tibi  praeterea  sonipes,  Maurusia  tellus 


,n.  Immodicum:  Virg.  1.  c.  (of  a  cow) 
'  Tum  longo  nuUus  lateri  modus.' 

Ingentibus,  i.  e.  '  however  large  the 
steed,  his  belly  must  be  small : '  Virgirs 
'  brevis  alvus.' 

6,  7.  Decoro  . .  honos,  Virgirs  '  argu- 
tum  caput,'  '  a  comely  head,  carried  proud 
and  high.' 

Vago  splendore,  '  eyes  that  sparkle 
with  a  restless  brilliancy  :'  said  of  the  mo- 
tion,  not  the  colour,  of  the  animars  eyes. 

8.  Resupinat,  '  his  ample  neck  arches 
itself  back  upon  powerful  shoulders;'  so 
'  plurima  cervix'  (of  a  cow)  Virg.  1.  c. :  cp. 
Grat.  30. 

9,  10.  Cp.  Virg.  1.  c.  '  Stare  loco  nescit, 
micat  auribus  et  tremit  artus  CoUectumque 
fremens  volvit  sub  naribus  ignem.' 

11.  Crebra  ferit,  adjective  for  adverb 
•  crebro : '  these  same  words  occur  in  Virg. 
G.  3.  499. 

Animosa,  '  his  high-mettled  spirit  frets 
his  limbs,'  i.  e.  will  not  aUow  him  to  stand 
still. 

12.  Gens  .  .  Calpes:  Nemesianus,  as 
a  native  of  Africa,  thus  describes  the  Span- 
iards.  '  Ampla'  and  'late'  indicate  that 
in  all  parts  of  Spain  the  horses  were  good : 
Claudian  Laus  Ser.  54  (of  Spain)  '  Dives 
equis,  frugum  facilis,  pretiosa  metallis.' 

14.  Longos,  emphatic :  their  last  is 
greater  than  that  of  the  Greek  horses, 
while  their  beauty  is  not  inferior. 

15.  Graio,  i.  e.  than  in  the  Greek 
horses    above-mentioned.      One    MS.   has 


'grato  pro  corpore.'  For  the  confusion  of 
the  two  words,  see  on  Catull.  64  (66). 
58. 

16.  Terribiles,  the  accusative  with 
'  flatus.' 

Flumen,  'a  stream  of  breath.'  '  Ful- 
men'  (in  the  margin  of  one  MS.)  would 
correspond  better  with  '  terribiles '  and 
Virgirs  'ignem'  G.  3.  85  ;  '  lumen  '  and 
'  numen,'  which  are  found  in  several  edi- 
tions,  arose  probably  from  the  recollection 
of  Virgirs  '  coeli  spirabile  lumen'  (Ae.  3. 
600),  where  Ribbeck  reads  '  numen.' 

Anheli,  i.e.  not  from  over-exertion, 
but  from  their  high  spirit :  see  v.  9. 

18.  Tremuli,  'restless:'  so  '  tremit 
artus'  Virg.  G.  3.  85  ;  Ib.  250  '  tremor 
pertentat  equorum  Corpora.' 

19.  Nec  segnes,  '  neither  (like  some 
horses)  do  these  droop  their  lazy  ears,' 
but  keep  them  ever  moving  ;  '  segnes ' 
being  the  opposite  of  '  agiles'  v.  6.  The 
notion  in  mulcent  here  is  '  making  the 
ears  lie  down  smoothly  :'  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  1 1 . 
812  '  caudamque  remulcens  Subjecit  pavi- 
tantem  utero.' 

20.  Maurusia  tellus,  strictly  Mauri- 
tania,  but  used  sometimes  for  '  Libya ' 
generally ;  see  Claudian  De  Cons.  Stil.  3. 
278  ;  the  Numidian  horses  would  seem  to 
be  referred  to  here  :  cp.  Oppian  i.  289 
(quoted  by  Burmann)  Mavpajv  5'  al6\a 
<pv\a  noXv  npo^pepovffiv  dndvTojv  'Afi<pl 
Spoftovs  ravaovs  rt  Hal  dijupl  -novovi  d\€- 
yuvovi. 


NEMESIANUS. 


461 


Quem  mittit,  modo  sit  gentili  sanguiiie  firmus  • 

Quemque  coloratus  Mazax  deserta  per  arva 

Pavit  et  assiduos  docuit  tolerare  labores. 

Nec  pigeat,  quod  turpe  caput  deformis  et  alvus 

Est  ollis,  quodque  infrenes,  quod  liber  uterque,  25 

Quodque  jubis  pronos  cervix  diverberet  armos. 

Nam  flecti  facilis  lascivaque  colla  secutus 

Paret  in  obsequium  lentae  moderamine  virgae. 

Verbera  sunt  praecepta  fugae,  sunt  verbera  freni. 

Quin  et  promissi  spatiosa  per  aequora  campi  30 

Cursibus  acquirunt  commoto  sanguine  vires, 

Paulatimque  avidos  comites  post  terga  relinquunt. 

Haud  secus  efFusis  Nerei  per  caerula  ventis, 

Cum  se  Threicius  Boreas  super  extulit  antro 

Stridentique  sono  vastas  exterruit  undas,  35 

Omnia  turbato  cesserunt  flamina  ponto : 

fpse  super  fluctus  spumanti  murmure  fervens, 


21.  Firmus,  i.  e.  '  stroiig  in  its  pure 
native  blood,'  i.  e.  crossed  with  no  foreign 
breed. 

22.  Coloratus,  '  sunburnt,'  not  '  paint- 
ed.'  The  '  Mazices '  or  '  Mazaces '  were 
a  people  of  Mauritania  :  Lucan  4.  681 
'  tremulum  cum  torsit  missile  Mazax.' 

Deserta,  i.  e.  making  the  horses  bred 
in  them  hardy. 

24.  Turpe  caput,  '  ugly  head,'  as  in 
Virg.  G.  3.  52  :  cp.  Grat.  525  '  turpia  coUa.' 

25.  Ollis  .  .  uterque,  i.  e.  both  the 
Mauritanian  and  the  Mazacian  horses. 

26.  Diverberet,  '  and  that  the  mane 
on  their  necks  flaps  on  both  sides  against 
their  forward  shoulders,'  i.  e.  their  manes 
are  not  combed  or  divided  on  their  short 
necks.  This  is  an  unusual  sense  of  '  diver- 
bero,'  but  supported,  as  Wernsdorf  urges, 
by  the  analogies  of  '  diverbium '  and  '  di- 
spicio.'  Gronovius  would  read  '  Quodque 
jubas  pronis  cervLx  diverberet  armis.' 

27.  Nam,  i.e.  for  they  have  this  ad- 
vantage. 

Lasciva  .  .  secutus,  '  their  free  and 
easy  neck  obeys  the  least  touch.'  Bur- 
maiin,  questioning  the  phrase  '  sequi  coUa,' 
proposes,  with  much  plausibility,  '  solutus.' 

28.  Paret  in  obsequium  =  '  usque 
ad  obsequium,'  '  cheerfully  complies.' 
Claudian  Laud.  Stil.  i.  259  (of  the  Africans) 
'  Hi  virga  moderantur  equos ;'  Martial  9. 
23.  H- 


Moderamine,  '  under  the  control  of 
a  light  switch.' 

29.  Fugae  =  '  cursus,'  as  often  in  the 
poets  :  '  strokes  give  the  command  to 
start,  and  strokes  to  stop.' 

30.  Quin  et :  another  advantage,  in 
these  horses,  besides  their  easy  control. 

Promissi,  '  long-extended,'  is  some- 
what  tautologous  after  '  spatiosa ;'  yet  to 
take  it  with  '  equi '  would  be  hardly  less 
anomalous.  Much  may  be  said  for  Hein- 
sius' emendation  'permissi'=  'once  started,' 
answering  to  '  effusis'  (v.  33)  in  the  simile, 
as  Grat.  227  '  permissa  .  .  quadriga.' 

31.  Commoto  sanguine,  '  when  once 
their  blood  is  up.' 

32.  Avidos,  '  eager  to  win.'  One  old 
edition  has  'pavidos'  for  '  que  avidos;' 
but  the  conjunction  is  necessary  here. 

34.  Super,  not  '  upward  from  his  cave 
below,'  but  '  above — beside  the  other 
winds,'  to  mark  his  superior  power.  The 
simile  is  derived  from  Virgil,  G.  3.  196  foll. 

36.  Cesserunt,  perfect  of  instantaneous 
action,  rather  than  of  habit. 

Flamina,  a  necessary  correction  of 
'  flumina,'  as  in  the  older  MSS.,  which 
last  cannot  be  understood  of  the  force 
of  the  wind  driving  back  the  rivers  from 
their  mouths,  as  thus  the  point  of  the  simile 
would  be  in  a  great  measure  destroyed. 

37.  Ipse,  Boreas,  as  distinguished  from 
the  '  flamina'  of  the  preceding  line. 


462 


NEMESIANUS. 


Conspicuum  pelago  caput  eminet :    omnis  euntem 
Nereidum  mirata  suo  super  aequore  turba. 
Horum  tarda  venit  longi  fiducia  cursus : 
His  etiam  emerito  vigor  est  juvenilis  in  aevo. 
Nam  quaecumque  suis  virtus  bene  floruit  annis, 
Non  prius  est  animo,  quam  corpore,  passa  ruinam. 


40 


Spumanti  murmure,  i.  e.  '  ore,  quo 
murmur  efflat,  spumami '  (Burmann): 
Heinsius  suggests  '  marmore.' 

38.  Pelago,  to  be  taken  with  '  con- 
spicuum,'  '  far  seen  upon  the  deep.' 

Caput  eminet,  '  towers  above  the 
rest.'  '  Caput,'  in  apposition  to  '  ipse,'  not 
accusative  of  part  of  the  subject. 

39.  Suo,  '  rushing  over  their  realm  of 
waters,'  with  '  euntem,'  or,  as  Johnson  (the 
English  editorof  Nemesianus)prefers,'gazes 
at  him  from  the  surface  of  the  deep.' 


40.  Tarda,  '  it  is  long  before  these 
steeds  can  be  trusted  on  a  protracted 
run.' 

41.  Etiam,  either  '  at  the  same  time,' 
or  (with  'emerito')  '  even  when.' 

42.  Suis  .  ,  annis,  '  ripe  years,'  at  its 
proper  time ;  excellence  that  is  not  pre- 
cocious. 

Virtus,  used  of  a  horse  above,  v.  11  : 
but  here  the  sentiment  is  purposely  stated 
as  a  general  principle,  '  passa  est '  being  an 
aorist. 


D.    MAGNUS    AUSONIUS. 


1 


i 


LIFE    OF    AUSONIUS. 


Decimus  Magnus  Ausonius,  born  at  Bui-digala  (Bordeaux)  pro- 
bably  in  the  year  309  a.d.,  was  the  son  of  JuUus  Ausonius,  a 
physician  eminent  for  high  character  and  literary  genius.  Carefully 
brought  up  while  a  boy  by  his  female  relatives,  women  of  intelli- 
gence  and  piety,  and  afterwards  instructed  by  the  best  teachers  of 
a  town  famous  for  its  cultivation,  under  the  direction  of  his 
maternal  uncle,  Magnus  Arborius,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  at  Tou- 
louse,  Ausonius  devoted  himself  early  to  an  intellectual  career ; 
see  Parent.  3.  19  foll.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he  began  to  lecture 
in  his  native  city,  first  as  grammarian,  then  as  rhetorician,  in  which 
latter  capacity  he  rose  to  such  eminence  as  to  be  invited,  about 
A.D.  366,  to  the  court  of  the  elder  Valentinian,  and  made  tutor 
to  the  young  prince  Gratian,  Having  won  the  esteem  both  of 
the  emperor  and  his  son,  he  received  from  them  in  succession 
the  honours  of  the  Quaestorship,  the  Praefecture  of  Italy,  Gaul, 
and  Libya,  and  finally,  in  a.d.  379,  the  Consulship.  Toward  the 
end  of  his  prosperous  and  easy  Hfe  he  obtained  leave  from  Theo- 
dosius  to  withdraw  from  the  imperial  court  at  Treves  to  his  native 
country,  where  he  closed  his  days  in  Uterary  retirement  about 
A.D.  392.  His  wife,  Attusia  Lucana  Sabina,  a  lady  of  rank  from 
Bordeaux,  he  lost  in  the  twenty-eighth  year  of  her  age,  and 
he  never  married  again  (Parent.  8.  16  folL).  By  her  he  had  three 
children,  a  son,  who  died  in  infancy,  a  second,  who  became  dis- 
tinguished,  and  a  daughter,  married  to  a  young  nobleman,  the 
parents  of  the  poet's  favourite  grandson,  to  whom  he  dedicated 
the  '  Protrepticon'  (Idyll.  4).  Among  the  friends  of  Ausonius  appear 
the  well-known  names  of  Paulinus,  bishop  of  Nola,  once  his  pupil, 
Symmachus,  the  famous  orator  and  champion  of  Paganism,  besides 
numerous  professors  and  other  literary  characters,  spoken  of  in  his 
'  Parentalia,'  '  Professores,'  and  '  Epistolae.'  What  was  the  religion 
of  Ausonius  is  a  doubtful  question.  Gibbon  (c.  27  note)  calls  him 
'  a    professed    Pagan.'      On    the    other    hand,    his    relatives    were 

H  h 


466  LIFE  OF  AUSONIUS. 

Christian,  his  patrons  were  Christian,  and  in  the  '  Ephemeris,' 
beside  other  parts  of  his  works,  he  speaks  of  himself  as  a  Christian 
— less  however,  if  he  was  such,  from  conviction  than  conformity 
to  the  faith  and  example  of  the  imperial  court. 

Niebuhr  (Lect.  134)  calls  Ausonius  an  '  incredibly  bad  poet,'  who 
would  never  have  had  any  high  position  at  all,  but  for  the  reverence 
of  the  French  scholars  of  the  sixteenth  century ;  while  Gibbon 
remarks  that  '  the  poetical  fame  of  Ausonius  condemns  the  taste 
of  his  age'  (c.  27).  It  must  however  be  remembered  tliat  during 
the  period  between  Diocletian  and  Theodosius  (a.d.  285-395), 
Roman  literature  generally  was  at  the  lowest  possible  ebb ;  it  was 
an  age  of  grammarians,  epitomisers,  commentators,  and  theologians, 
not  of  poets.  Accordingly,  in  the  absence  of  any  poetical  genius, 
and  by  the  side  of  such  men  as  Donatus,  Eutropius,  or  Servius, 
the  author  of  the  'Mosella'  seems  scarcely  to  merit  the  low  place 
assigned  him  in  the  criticism  above  quoted.  If  his  powers  were 
not  great,  they  were  at  least  various ;  prose  as  well  as  poetry  he 
cultivated,  though  both  after  the  fashion  of  a  rhetorician,  with 
more  regard  to  words  than  thoughts,  form  than  substance.  Lyric, 
heroic,  descriptive,  epistolary,  epigrammatic  styles  of  poetry  he 
handled  at  least  with  ease  if  not  alwavs  with  success,  with  neatness 
of  expression  if  not  with  originality  of  conception.  The  '  Mosella,' 
though  here  and  there  spoiled  by  excess  of  uninteresting  detail,  is 
unquestionably  one  of  the  most  beautiful  pictures  of  natural  scenery 
to  be  found  in  any  ancient  poet.  His  faults,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  numerous  and  obvious.  His  lack  of  taste  (to  say  nothing  of 
decency)  is  shewn  in  more  than  one  of  his  poenis.  Some  of  his 
Idylls  and  Epistles  are  mere  childish  playing  with  words  and  phrases. 
His  diction,  when  not  directly  borrowed  from  preceding  poets,  is 
often  marred  by  strange  terms  and  uncouth  constructions,  while  his 
versification  is  far  more  incorrect  and  inharmonious  than  might  have 
been  expected  from  one  who  shews  himself  to  have  read  widely,  if 
not  profoundly,  the  great  classical  models.  On  the  whole,  Julius 
Scaliger  gives  perhaps  the  fairest  estimate  of  him  in  the  fewest 
words,  '  Ausonius  ingenium  magnum,  acutum ;  stilus  duriusculus. 
Multa  scripsit  non  solum  varia,  sed  etiam  varie.  Quare  quid  facere 
potuerit,  non  quid  fecerit,  potius  judicandum.' 

Of  the  numerous  MSS.  of  Ausonius,  the  earliest  is  assigned  to 
the  tenth  century. 


CXXIII. 
D.   MAGNUS    AUSONIUS. 

PARENTALIA.     IX. 

An  Elegy  on  the  poefs  wife,  Attusia  Lucana  Sabina,  who  died  just 
before  completing  her  twenty-eighth  year,  leaving  him  a  widower  with 
two  children,  to  remain  single  the  rest  of  his  life.  Nothing  can  console 
him  for  the  loss  of  one  who  was  as  virtuous  as  she  was  fair  and  noble : 
every  wife  reminds  him  of  her,  by  way  of  contrast  or  comparison.  Her 
children  live  and  prosper,  and  he  hopes,  when  he  dies,  to  come  and  tell 
her  of  their  happiness  continuing. 

Hactenus  ut  caros,  ita  justo  funere  fletos 

Functa  piis  cecinit  naenia  nostra  modis. 
Nunc  dolor  atque  cruces  nec  contrectabile  fulmen, 

Conjugis  ereptae  mors  memoranda  mihi. 
Nobilis  a  proavis  et  origine  clara  senatus,  5 

Moribus  usque  bonis  clara  Sabina  magis. 
Te  juvenis  primis  luxi  deceptus  in  annis, 

Perque  novem  caelebs  te  fleo  Olympiadas : 
Nec  licet  obductum  senio  sopire  dolorem^ 

Semper  crudescit  nam  mihi  poena  recens.  10 


I.  Justo  funere, '  due  funeral  honours,'  Nec  contrectabile,  i.  e.  a  shock  too 

as  in  the  phrase  '  justa  mortuo  persolvere.'  terrible  to  touch  on,  or,  like  aawTos,  a  bolt 

See  above,  Praefat.  ad  Parent.  i  '  Nomina  too  hot  to  be  handled. 

carorum    iam   condita   funere   justo   Fleta  5.   Senatus  ;    her  father,  Attusius  Lu- 

prius    lacrjTnis    nunc    memorabo    modis.'  canus    Talisius,    was    a    member    of   the 

The  regular  funeral  wailing  was  sufficient  senate     of    Bordeaux  ;      see     Parent.     8. 

for  tbeir  deaths,   happening   in  the   usual  1-4. 

course  ;  bers  called  for  a  different  grief.  6.  Usque,  with  '  bonis,'— ■'  good  to  the 

3.   Cruces.     Both  in  the  singular  and  end,'  not   with   '  magis,' =  ' still   more   fa- 

plural  this  word  is  often  used  by  Ausonius  mous.' 

and   later  authors   for  '  mental   anguish:'  7.   Deceptus,    as    in    Virg.  Ae.  4.  17 

see   below,   v.  19.     Terence    and    Plautus  '  Postquam  primus  amor  deceptam  morte 

somewhat    similarly   employ   it  :    but    the  fefellit :'    so    below,    v.  13,    '  deceptos  .  . 

strictly  classical  poets  very  rarely.  canos.' 

H  h  2 


468  AUSONIUS. 

Admittunt  alii  solatia  temporis  aegri : 

Haec  graviora  facit  vulnera  longa  dies. 
Torqueo  deceptos  ego  vita  caelibe  canos, 

Quoque  magis  solus,  hoc  mage  maestus  ago. 
Vulnus  alit,  quod  muta  domus  silet  et  torus  alget ;        15 

Quod  mala  non  cuiquam,  non  bona  participo. 
Maereo,  si  conjux  alii  bona  :    maereo  contra, 

Si  mala  :    ad  exemplum  tu  mihi  semper  ades. 
Tu  mihi  crux  ab  utraque  venis  :  sive  est  mala,  quod  tu 

Dissimilis  fueris  j    seu  bona,  quod  similis.  20 

Non  ego  opes  cassas  et  inania  gaudia  plango : 

Sed  juvenis  juveni  quod  mihi  rapta  viro. 
Laeta,  pudica,  gravis,  genus  inclyta  et  inclyta  forma, 

Et  dolor  atque  decus  conjugis  Ausonii. 
Quae  modo  septenos  quater  impletura  Decembres,  25 

Liquisti  natos,  pignora  nostra,  duos. 
Illa  favore  Dei,  sicut  tua  vota  fuerunt, 

Florent,  optatis  accumulata  bonis  j 
Et  precor,  ut  vigeant,  tandemque,  superstite  utroque, 

Nuntiet  hoc  cineri  nostra  favilla  tuo.  3° 


II.    Aegri,   nominative   with   '  alii '  —  15.   Quod  .  .  silet  contains  the  subject 

'  when    in    sorrow.'       Some    would    read  of  '  alit ; '   '  silet '  after   'muta'   is   tauto- 

'  aegre.'     For  the  sentiment,  see  Ov.  Tr.  logous. 
4.6,  16  foU.  19.   Venis,  not  simp!y  =  'es:'  (see  011 

13.  Torqueo,  '  my  old  age  cheated  (of  Prop.  i.  19  (18),  14;)    there    is    rather    a 
its  stay)  feels  the  torture  of  a  widowed  life.'  mixture  of  such  expressions  as  '  crux  venit 

14.  Solus.    The  lengthening  of  a  short  ab  utraque,*  and  '  tu  riihi  crux  es  propter 
syllable  by  caesura  in  the  division  of  the  utramque.' 

pentametcr,  though  not  uncommon  in  Au-  24.  Polor    atque    decus,    '  the    pain 

sonius  (see  e.g.  Parent.  6.  10  ;  Idyll.  3.  28),  and   pride    of   your   lord:'   imitated   from 

is  rare  in  the  classical  elegiac  poets,  except  Virg.  Ae.  10.  507    '  O   dolor    atque    decus 

in  the  case  of  perfects  like  '  petiit,'  '  adiit,'  magnum  rediture  parenti.' 
etc.    '  Sanguis' is  thus  lengthened  by  Tibull.  30.   Hoc  .  .  favilla,  i.  e.  may  I,  when 

1.  6,  66  (though  see  Lachm.  Lucr.  i.  853) ;  dead,  come  and  tell  you  that  they  yet  live 

and   'vincis'   by   Prop.  2.  8,  8.      The   in-  and  thrive  ;  a  Propertian  usage  of '  favilla  :' 

stances  from  Ovid  are  doubtful.  see  on  Prop.  3.  4,  26  (2.  13,  42).    The  poet 

Mage,    a   form    found   once   in   Virgil,  mentions     one     son,    called    '  Hesperius,' 

several  times  in  Propertius,  but   never  in  Parent.  II.  4;  and,  in  the  Preface  to  Idyll. 

Horace  or  Ovid  :  cp.  '  pote'  for  '  potis.'  4,  a  daughter. 


AUSONIUS.  469 


CXXIV. 

IDYLLIA.     III. 

A  QUAiNT  description  is  here  given  of  the  poefs  estate,  in  the  style 
of  Horace  or  Lucilius  ('  Stilo  Luciliano'  is  found  in  a  preface  given  in 
one  MS.),  with  moralizing  reflections  on  the  virtue  of  contentment,  the 
difficulty  of  self-knowledge,  and  the  like.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been 
written  after  the  death  of  Gratian,  when  the  poet  retired  to  his  ancestral 
property  not  far  from  Bordeaux. 

Salve  herediolum  majorum  regna  meorum, 

Quod  proavus,  quod  avus,  quod  pater  excoluit. 
Quod  mihi  jam  senior,  properata  morte,  relinquit, 

Heu  heu  nolueram  tam  cito  posse  frui. 
Justa  quidem  series  patri  succedere  :    verum  5 

Esse  simul  dominos,  gratior  ordo  piis. 
Nunc  labor  et  curae  mea  sunt :    sola  ante  voluptas 

Partibus  in  nostris  ;   cetera  patris  erant. 
Parvum  herediolum,  fateor :    sed  nulla  fuit  res 

Parva  unquam  aequanimis ;  adde  etiam,  unanimis.      10 
Ex  animo  rem  stare  aequum  puto,  non  animum  ex  re. 

Cuncta  cupit  Croesus,  Diogenes  nihilum  ; 
Spargit  Aristippus  mediis  in  Syrtibus  aurum ; 

Aurea  non  satis  est  Lydia  tota  Midae. 
Cui  nullus  finis  cupiendi  est,  nullus  habendi :  15 

Ilie  opibus  modus  est,  quem  statuas  animo. 
Verum  ager  iste  meus  quantus  sit,  nosce  :    etiam  me 

Noveris,  et  noris  te  quoque,  si  potis  es  : 
Quanquam  difficile  est  se  noscere.     TvmOl  aeavrovj 


3.  Relinquit,  not  '  reliquit,'  is  in  the  8.  Cetera,  i.  e.  the  care  and  responsi- 

MSS. :   the  present  denotes  here,  as  else-  bilities  of  the  property. 

where,  a  present  relation  to  a  past  fact,=  13.   Aristippus,   in  imitation  of  Hor. 

'  relictuni  possideo.'  S.  2.  3,  100  foU. '  Aristippus  qui  servos  pro- 

5,6.  Justa,    opp.    to    'gratior:'    '  the  jicere  aurum  In  media  jussit  Libya,  quia 

natural  course  of  things  is  to  succeed  one's  tardius  irent  Propter  onus  segnes.' 

sire  :   the   more  pleasant  one   for   all  du-  Syrtibus,  strangely  used  here  for  the 

teous  sons  is  to  be  joint-masters   of  the  inland  desert  instead  of  the  sandy  shoals 

estate.'  off  the  coast. 


470  AUSONIUS. 

Quam  propere  legimus,  tam  cito  negligimus.  20 

Agri  bis  centum  colo  jugera ;    vinea  centum 

Jugeribus  colitur,  prataque  dimidium. 
Silva  supra  duplum,  quam  prata  et  vinea  et  arvum  : 

Cultor  agri  nobis  nec  superest,  nec  abest. 
Fons  proptcr  puteusque  brevis,  tum  purus  et  amnis :      25 

Naviger  hic  refluus  me  vehit  ac  revehit. 
Conduntur  fructus  geminum  mihi  semper  in  annum. 

Cui  non  longa  penus,  huic  quoque  prompta  fames. 
Haec  mihi  non  procul  urbe  sita  est,  nec  prorsus  ad  urbem  j 

Ne  patiar  turbas,  utque  bonis  potiar.  30 

Et  quoties  mutare  locum  fastidia  cogunt, 

Transeo :   et  alternis  rure  vel  urbe  fruor. 


cxxv. 


IDYLLIA.     IV.  45-100. 

This  portion  of  the  '  Protrepticon/  or  hortatory  epistle,  addressed  by 
the  poet  to  his  grandson,  is  interesting  as  throwing  light  on  the  studies 
of  the  time,  and  also  as  narrating  important  circumstances  in  Ausonius' 
career.  Dramatic  and  lyric  poetry,  together  with  history,  are  to  form 
the  boy's  chief  studies  :  Homer,  Menander,  Horace,  Virgil,  Terence,  and 
SaUust  are  the  authors  particularly  recommended,  The  poet,  a  teacher 
for  many  years  himself  of  grammar  and  rhetoric,  speaks  with  experience 
and  authority.      His  success  as  tutor  to  the  young  emperor  Gratian  had 


21.  Colo,  of  arable  land  as  distin-  Amnis  is  probably  the  '  Garonne ' 
guished  from  pasture,  =  the  '  prata'  of  the  ('  aequoreae  Garumnae'  Mosella  483),  of 
next  line.  whose  tidal  stream  the  poet  says  in  the 

22.  Dimidium,    the    reading    of   the  next  line  he  avails  himself. 

MSS.,   '  and    half  of  that  ('centum')   is  28.  Longa  penus, 'a  store  that  will  last 

meadow-land,'    i.  e.    fifty   acres.       Tollius  long;' see  Prof.  Conington  on  Virg.  Ae.  i. 

would  read  '  dimidio,'  understanding  '  co-  703,   which  passage  was  perhaps    in  the 

luntur.'  poet's    mind.      For    the    lengthening    of 

23.  Supra  duplum,  i. e.  he  has  more  the  short  syllable  in  this  place  of  the 
than  seven  hundred  acres  of  forest.     The  pentameter,  see  on  Parent.  9. 14. 

next    line   means    that    he    has    just    the  30.  Patiar  . .  potiar,  an  intended  piay 

number    of    labourers    requisite    for    his  on  the  words ;  so  '  vehit  .  .  revehit'  v.  26, 

estate,  neither  more  nor  less.  '  superest  .  .  abest '  v.  24,  '  legimus  .  .  ne- 

25.  Brevis,  i.e.  not  deep,  and  so  easily  gligimus  '  v.  20,  '  aequanimis  .  .  unanimis  ' 

drawnfrom;  the  wordsare  from  Juv.3.  226.  v.  10. 


AUSONIUS.  471 

raised  him  to  the  highest  honours  of  praefectures  abroad,  and  the  consul- 
ship  at  home.  The  noble  rank  he  had  won  for  his  family  should  supply 
a  motive  and  an  example  for  his  grandson's  imitation. 

Perlege  quodcumque  est  memorabile.     Priva  monebo: 

Conditor  Iliados  et  amabilis  orsa  Menandri 

Evolvenda  tibi.     Tu  flexu  et  acumine  vocis 

Innumeros  numeros  doctis  accentibus  effer 

AiFectusque  impone  legens.     Distinctio  sensum  5 

Auget  et  ignavis  dant  intervalla  vigorem. 

Ecquando  ista  meae  contingent  dona  senectae  ? 

Quando  oblita  miiii  tot  carmina  totque  per  aevum 

Connexa  historiae,  soccos  aulaeaque  regum, 

Et  melicos  lyricosque  modos  praefando  novabis  10 

Obductosque  seni  facies  puerascere  sensus  ? 

Te  praeeunte,  nepos,  modulata  poemata  Flacci 

Altisonumque  iterum  fas  est  didicisse  Maronem. 

Tu  quoque,  qui  Latium  lecto  sermone  Terenti 

Comis  et  adstricto  percurris  pulpita  socco,  15 

Ad  nova  vix  memorem  diverbia  coge  senectam. 

Jam  facinus,  Catilina,  tuum,  Lepidique  tumultum. 


1.  Priva,  i.  e.  special  works  to  study,  Tragedy;'  the  curtains  were  inwrought 
particularizing  the  '  quodcumque.'  This  with  the  figures  of  kings,  heroes,  and  gods. 
line  is  absent  from  one  MS.  Compare  Milton's  '  gorgeous  Tragedy  in 

2.  Iliados:  the  last  syllable  is  length-  sceptred  palL' 

ened  by  caesura.     Juv.  ii.  178  '  Conditor  10.   Praefando  novabis,  '  bring  them 

Iliados  cantabitur.'  back  to  my  memory  by  repeating  them  to 

Orsa  ;    used   especially  of  poetry :    cp.  me.' 
Stat.  Silv.  2.  I,  114  '  Attica  facundi  decur-  11.  Obductos,  (Parent.  9.  9,)  as  of  the 

reret  orsa  Menandri.'  hard  skin  closing  over  a  wound. 

4.   Innumeros    numeros,   '  the   loose  14.  Terenti,  vocative :  see  Madv.  Lat. 

measures'   of  comedy,    or    '  ill-modulated  Gr.  §  37.  obs.  3. 

hnes  modulated  by  good  delivery.'     Auso-  15.   Comis,  the  verb,  as  Epist.  16.  33. 

nius  takes  the  expression  perhaps  from  the  Adstricto,    '  who    treadest    the    stage 

famous  epitaph  on  Plautus,  v.  4  '  Et  numeri  with  graceful-fitting  sock,'  borrowed  from 

innumeri    simul    omnes    conlacrumarunt.'  Hor.  Ep.  2.  I,  174  '  Quam   non   adstricto 

Some  would  separate  the  first  word  into  '  in  percurrat  pulpita  socco.' 
numeros,'  i.  e.  '  learn  to   recite  the   mea-  16.  Nova,   i.  e.   as  though   they  were 

sures  of  poetry  to  the  measures  of  music'  new. 

But  as  Ausonius  is  speaking  of  Menander,  Diverbia,  '  comedies,'  part  for  whole  : 

one  of  the  former  interpretations  is  prefer-  '  diverbium  '   is    strictly   the    dialogue,    as 

able.  distinguished     from    the    '  canticum '    or 

6.   Ignavis,  not  '  to  lazy  listeners,'  but  chorus. 
'  to  dull,  spiritless  passages.'  17.   Jam    facinus.     He  now  proceeds 

8.  Oblita  :  Ausonius  is  thinking  of  to  the  '  connexa  historiae' of  v.  9.  These 
Virg.  E.  9.  51  '  Omnia  fert  aetas,  animum  lines  are  remarkable  as  proving  the  exist- 
quoque  .  .  Nunc  oblita  mihi  tot  carmina.'  ence  of  the  lost  histories  of  Sallust,  covering 

9.  Connexa..regum  (v.l9),'themany  the  period  of  the  Social  War,  or  else  the 
threads    of  History,   Comedy,    and    royal  twelve  years  between  78  B.c.  and  66  b.c. 


472  AUSONIUS. 

Ab  Lepido  et  Catulo  jam  res  et  tempora  Romae 

Orsus,  bis  senos  seriem  connecto  per  annos. 

Jam  lego  civili  mistum  Mavorte  duellum,  20 

Movit  quod  socio  Sertorius  exul  Ibero. 

Nec  rudis  hoc  avus  admoneo,  sed  mille  docendo 

Ingenia  expertus.     Multos  lactantibus  annis 

Ipse  alui  j   gremioque  fovens  et  murmura  solvens 

Eripui  tenerum  blandis  nutricibus  aevum.  25 

Mox  pueros  molli  monitu  et  formidine  leni 

Pellexi,  ut  mites  peterent  per  acerba  profectus, 

Carpturi  dulcem  fructum  radicis  amarae. 

Idem  vesticipes  motu  jam  puberis  aevi 

Ad  mores  artesque  bonas  fandique  vigorem  30 

Produxi :    quanquam  imperium  cervice  negarent 

Ferre,  nec  insertis  praeberent  ora  lupatis. 

Ardua  temperies,  dura  expcrientia,  rarus 

Eventus,  longo  rerum  spectatus  ab  usu, 

Ut  regat  indocilem  mitis  censura  juventam.  35 

Quae  tolerata  mihi,  donec  jam  aerumna  juvaret 

Leniretque  usu  bona  consuetudo  laborem  • 

Donec  ad  Augustae  pia  munera  disciplinae 

Accirer  varioque  accingerer  auctus  honore, 

Aurea  cum  parere  mihi  palatia  jussum.  40 

Absistat  Nemesis,  ferat  et  Fortuna  jocantem. 

Praesedi  imperio,  dum  praetextatus  in  ostro 

Et  sceptro  et  solio  sibi  praefert  jura  magistri 

Majoresque  putat  nostros  Augustus  honores. 


23.   Lactantibus   is  said  to  be  found  '  Sed  arrogari  iion  potest,  nisi  jam  vesti- 

in  all  the  MSS.  here :    so  Epitaph.  32.  3,  ceps.' 

the  verb  is  clearly  of  the  first  conjugation  :  38.   Augustae  .  .  disciplinae.     '  Va- 

but  it  is  perpetually  confounded  with  '  lac-  lentinian  was  less  attentive  to  the  religion 

tentibus ;'  cp.  Ov.  M.  15.  201,  where  '  lac-  of  his  son,  since  he  entrusted  the  education 

tens'  is  in  all  but  two  MSS.  of  Gratian  to  Ausonius,  a  professed  Pagan,' 

24,25.  Murmura  ..aevum, '  interpret-  Gibbon,  c.  27,  note. 
ing  their  lispings,'  or  '  breaking  up  my  talk  40.  Parere,  i.  e.  as  Praetorian  praefect ; 

into   prattle    (cp.  Lucr.  5.  230),   I  rescued  '  to  his  care  the  palace,  as  nearly  every- 

their  infant  years  from  fond  and  spoiling  thing  else,  was  entrusted,'  Gibbon,  c.  1 7. 
nurses.'     '  Murmura  solvens' could  hardly  42.   Praetextatus  =  '  impubes,' not  yet 

mean  '  dismissing  their  frets.'  fourteen  years  old,  and  therefore  not  hav- 

29.   Vesticipes,    either    '  bearded,'    or  ing  assumed  the  '  toga,'   here  opposed  to 

taking  the  '  toga  virilis,'  but  probably  the  '  maturus '  v.  45. 

former;  so  '  investis' is  used  in  Macrobius  43.   Sibi    praefert,    '  puts    before    his 

for  '  beardless.'     The   word   seems  to  be  own    his    guardian's    power,'    i.  e.    Auso- 

first  found  in  Aul.  Gell.  5.  19  (of  adoption)  nius. 


AUSONIUS.  473 

Quos  mox  sublimi  maturus  protulit  auctu,  45 

Quaestor  ut  Augustis  patri  natoque  crcarer  : 

Ut  praefecturam  duplicem  scllamque  curulem, 

Ut  trabeam  pictamque  togam,  mea  praemia,  consul 

Induerer,  fastisque  meis  praelatus  haberer. 

His  ego  quaesivi  meritum  quam  grande  nepoti  50 

Consul  avus  lumenque  tuae  praeluceo  vitae. 

Quamvis  et  patrio  jamdudum  nomine  clarus 

Posses  ornatus,  posses  oneratus  haberi : 

Accessit  tamen  ex  nobis  honor  inclytus.     Hunc  tu 

Effice,  ne  sit  onus  :    per  te  ut  connixus  in  altum  55 

Conscendas  speresque  tuos,  te  consule,  fasces. 


CXXVI 


IDYLLIA.     VI.  1-15;  45-9H. 

The  subject  of  this  curious  poem,  cntitled  the  '  Crucifixioii  of  Cupid,' 
was  taken  from  a  picture  or  fresco  in  the  dining-room  of  a  resident  at 
Treves,  named  Aeolus,  or  (according  to  some  texts)  Zoilus.  Struck  with 
the  painting,  the  poet  (as  he  says)  '  mirandi  stuporem  transtulit  ad  inep- 
tiam  poetandi,'  dedicating  it  to  one  whom  he  calls  his  '  son,'  Gregorius. 
The  love-lorn  heroines  are  represented  as  wandering  and  weeping  below 
in  the  '  Plains  of  Grief,'  as  described  by  Virgil,  and  calling  to  mind  the 
trouble  and  death  to  which  the  god  of  Love  had  brought  each,  when 
suddenly  Cupid  himself  appears  among  them.  They  instantly  recognise, 
seize,  and  proceed  to  crucify  the  author  of  their  misery  on  a  famous 

46.  Augustis,  dative,  i.  e.  to  Valen-  I  have  earned  for  my  grandson  what  high 
tinian  and  Gratian.  See  Grat.  Act.  '  ex  tuo  esteem  !  and  as  a  guiding  Hght  I  shine  on 
merito,  te  ac  patre  principibus,  quaestura      the  pathway  of  your  lite.' 

communis.'  53.   Oneratus, '  charged  with  a  load  of 

47.  Praefecturam  duplicem  refers  glory,' is  doubtless  the  true  reading,  though 
to  that  of  Italy,  including  Libya,  which  ScaHger  supports  '  honoratus' in  spite  of  the 
he  received  a.d.  377.  and  that  of  Gaul,  metrical  anomaly.  The  confusion  arose 
including  Britain,  a.d.  378.  Cp.  Idyll.  from  the  aspirate  being  written,  as  often, 
2.  42.  before  '  onus'  and  '  onero.'     This  playing 

49.  Praelatus,  i.  e.  '  ranked  the  senior  on  words  of  similar  sound,  as  here,  be- 
consul  of  my  year.'  So  in  the  Grat.  Act.  tween  '  honos '  and  '  onus,'  is  quite  in 
he  represents  Gratian  as  saying,  '  Quid  de  Ausonius'  way;  see  on  Idyll.  3.  30. 
duobus  consuHbus  designatis  quaeritis,  quis  55.  Ne  sit  onus,  '  lest  it  become  a 
ordo  sit  nuncupationis  ?  Anne  alius  quam  drawback,'  as  indisposing  you  to  exertion  ; 
quem  praefectura  constituit  ?'  hence    per   te,   emphatic,  =  rise   by   your 

50.  His  sc.  '  officiis  ;'  '  by  these  honours  own  eftbrts.     See  Juv.  8.  74  foll. 


474 


AUSONIUS. 


myrtle-tree,  while  some  torture,  and  others  tease  him.  Presently  Venus 
appears,  but  instead  of  helping  and  defending  her  son,  she  makes  him 
responsible  for  her  own  unhappy  amour  with  Mars,  and  beats  him  with 
her  wreath  of  roses,  till  the  flowers  are  dyed  a  deeper  red  with  his  blood. 
The  heroines  at  last  intercede  for  him,  attributing  their  woes  to  Fate 
more  than  to  Cupid,  and  he  is  released. 

Aeris  in  campis,  memorat  quos  Musa  Maronis, 
Myrteus  amentes  ubi  lucus  opacat  amantes, 
Orgia  ducebant  heroides  et  sua  quaeque, 
Ut  quondam  occiderant,  leti  argumenta  gerebant, 
Errantes  silva  in  magna  et  sub  luce  maligna,  5 

Inter  arundineasque  comas  gravidumque  papaver 
Et  tacitos  sine  labe  lacus,  sine  m.urmure  rivos : 
Quorum  per  ripas  nebuloso  lumine  marcent 
Fleti  olim  regum  et  puerorum  nomina  flores^ 
Mirator  Narcissus  et  Oebalides  Hyacinthus,  10 

Et  Crocus  auricomans  et  murice  pictus  Adonis, 
Et  trasico  scriptus  gemitu  Salaminius  Aeas. 
Omnia  quae  lacrimis  et  amoribus  anxia  maestis 
Exercent  memores  obita  jam  morte  dolores, 
Rursus  in  amissum  revocant  heroidas  aevum.  15 

■X-  -x-  -x-  *  ^  -sf 


1.  Aeris  :  Virg.  Ae.  6.  887,  888  '  Sic 
tota  passim  regione  vagantur  Aeris  in 
campis  latis,'  '  the  shadowy  fields'  of  the 
lower  world. 

2.  Myrteus :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  442  '  Hic, 
quos  durus  amor  crudeli  tabe  peredit,  Secreti 
celant  calles,  et  myrtea  circum  Silva  tegit ;' 
the  myrtle  being  the  favourite  plant  of 
Venus.  For  the  play  on  the  words 
amentes  amantes  see  on  Idyll.  3.  30  ; 
4.  53. 

4.  Leti  argumenta,  '  each  bore  the 
emblem  of  her  mode  of  death,'  as  de- 
scribed  vv.  16-42  of  the  poem. 

5.  Luce  maligna,  '  the  niggard  light,' 
taken  from  Virg.  1.  c.  270;  so  below,  '  ne- 
buloso  lumine'  v.  8. 

7.  Sine  labe,  '  without  blemish'  = 
'  quem  nihil  illapsum  turbat '  (Wernsdorf, 
comparing  Ov.  M.  3.  4T0).  AIl  is  seen  as 
in  a  dream  ;  see  below,  v.  41. 

9.  Fleti  .  .  nomina,  '  with  princes' 
names  written  in  tears,'  evidently  imitated 
from  VirgiTs  '  flores  inscripti  nomina  re- 
gum  ■  E.  3.  106.  The  best  texts  have 
'  nomina,'  though  '  nomine'  finds  an  exact 


parallel  as  to  construction  with  Lucr.  2. 
630  '  sanguine  fleti,'  (if  that  be  not  cor- 
rupt). 

10.  IMirator,  '  self-gazing'  in  the  foun- 
tain  ;  so  Ov.  M.  3.  416  '  Adstupet  ipse 
sibi.' 

Oebalides,  son  of  Oebalus,  king  of 
Sparta  :  see  Ib.  10.  210  foll.,  and  for  the 
transformation  of  Adonis  into  the  anemone, 

lo-  735- 

12.  Gemitu  :  Ib.  10.  215  '  Ipse  suos 
gemitus  foliis  inscribit :  et  ai  ai  Flos  habet 
inscriptum.' 

Tragico,  '  sad,'  Ovid's  'funesta'  in 
the  same  passage. 

Aeas,  the  Greek  form  being  used  for 
the  Latin  '  Ajax.' 

13.  Omnia  quae,  sc.  '  leti.  argumenta' 
v.  4  :  '  these  badges  of  death  awake  the 
memory  to  griefs  that  had  been  long 
buried,  and  recall  the  heroines  to  the 
scenes  of  their  past  lives.'  The  asyndeton 
is  however  somewhat  awkward  ;  Grono- 
vius  proposes  '  Experti  memores,  obita 
jam  morte,  doloris' =  ' though  dead,  yet 
mindful  of  their  grief.' 


AUSONIUS.  475 

Quas  inter  mcdias  turvac  caliginis  umbratn 
Dispulit  inconsultus  Amor  stridentibus  alis. 
Agnovere  omnes  pucrum  memorique  recursu 
Communem  sensere  reum  :   quanquam  humida  circum 
Nubila  et  auratas  fulgentia  cingula  bullas  20 

Et  pharetram  et  rutilae  fuscarent  lampados  ignem  : 
Agnoscunt  tamen  et  vanum  vibrare  vigorem 
Occipiunt,  hostcmque  unum  loca  non  sua  nactum, 
Cum  pigros  ageret  densa  sub  nocte  volatus, 
Facta  nube  premunt.     Trepidantem  et  cassa  parantem    25 
Suffugia  in  coetum  mediae  traxere  catervae. 
Eligitur  maesto  myrtus  notissima  luco, 
Invidiosa  deum  poenis.     Cruciaverat  illic 
Spreta  olim  memorem  Veneris  Proserpina  Adonin. 
Hujus  in  excelso  suspensum  stipite  Amorem,  30 

Devinctum  post  terga  manus  substrictaque  plantis 
Vincula  maerentem,  nullo  moderamine  poenae 
Affigunt.     Reus  est  sine  crimine,  judice  nullo 
Accusatus  Amor :    se  quisque  absolvere  gestit, 
Transferat  ut  proprias  aliena  in  crimina  culpas.  35 

Cunctae  exprobrantes  tolerati  insignia  leti 
Expediunt :    haec  arma  putant,  haec  ultio  dulcis, 

17.  Dispulit,  i.  e.  with  the  ghttering  which   Jupiter  decided    he    should    divide 

belt  and  torch,  mentioned  v.  20.  between  Proserpine  and  Venus,  who  were 

Inconsultus,  '  rash,'  'careless:'  so  v.  equally  in  love  with  him. 
51  (of  Venus)  '  tantos  penetrat  secura  tu-  32.   Poenae,  genitive  singular,  not,  as 

muhus.'  many  take  it,  nom.  pkiral,  as  = '  the  Fury- 

20.   Bullas,  accusative  of  part  afFected  :  heroines  :'  cp.  v.  54. 
'  shining   in   respect   of  the    studs   on   it.'  33.   Affigunt,  an  undoubted  emenda- 

There  is  no  need  of  changing  (with  Tol-  tion    of  '  afficiunt'    (MSS.)      '  Cupidinem 

hus)  into 'auratis  bulhs,' as  Virg.Ae.12.940  cruci  affigunt'  are  the  poet'G   own  words 

'  Balteus  et  notis  fulserunt  cingula  bullis.'  in  his  preface  to  the  poem. 

22.  Vanum,  '  bootless,'  '  impotent,'  as  34.  Quisque,  either  a  revival  of  the 
that  of  spirits ;  so  in  v.  18  of  tbe  poem,  ante-classical  usage,  seen  in  Plautus  and 
'  Ventilat  ignavum  simulati  fulmiuis  ignem  '  Terence,  where  'quis'  and  'quisque'  are 
(of  Seniele),  and  below,  v.  39,  '  speciem  feminine  as  well  as  masculine  forms  ;  or 
mucronis  inanem.'  Observe  the  allitera-  else,  since  'quaeque'  is  used  immediately 
tion,  which  some  would  disturb  by  reading  below,  and  at  v.  66,  we  must  regard  this 
'  rigorem '  = '  cruelty.'  as  a  general  maxim,  applicable  to  men  in 

23.  Unum    is    contrasted   with  '  facta  general  as  well  as  to  the  '  heroides.* 
nube'v.  25.  36.  Exprobrantes,  '  reviling  him,' not 

Loca    non    sua,    '  caught    in    strange  formally  accusing  him,  v.  33. 

ground,'  i.  e.  unaccustomed   to   the   dark-  37.   Expediunt,  '  bring  out,  get  ready 

ness  of  the  shades.  to  punish  him  with,'  as  explained  in  the 

25.  The  first  words  of  this  line  are  taken  following  lines. 

from  Virg.  Ae.  12.  254.  Haec,  '  these  (the  instruments  of  their 

29.  Memorem,  i.  e.  because  he  wished  owndeath)theydeem  most  fitting  weapons' 

to  give  to  Venus  the  share  of  his  society,  to  assail  him  with. 


476  AUSONIUS. 

Ut,  quo  quaeque  perit,  studeat  punire  dolore. 

Haec  laqueum  tenet,  haec  speciem  mucronis  inanem 

Ingerit :    illa  cavos  amnes  rupemque  fragosam,  40 

Insanique  metum  pelagi  et  sine  fluctibus  aequor. 

Nonnullae  flammas  quatiunt  trepidoque  minantur 

Stridentes  nullo  igne  faces.     Rescindit  adultum 

Myrrha  uterum  lacrimis  lucentibus  inque  paventem 

Gemmea  fletiferi  jaculatur  succina  trunci.  45 

Quaedam  ignoscentum  specie  ludibria  tantum 

Sola  volunt :    stilus  ut  tenuis  sub  acumine  puncti 

Eliciat  tenerum,  de  quo  rosa  nata,  cruorem ; 

Aut  pubi  admoveant  petulantia  lumina  lychni. 

Ipsa  etiam  simili  genetrix  obnoxia  culpae  50 

Alma  Venus  tantos  penetrat  secura  tumultus. 

Nec  circumvento  properans  suffragia  nato, 

Terrorem  ingeminat  stimulisque  accendit  amaris 

Ancipites  Furias,  natique  in  crimina  confert 

Dedecus  ipsa  suum  :    quod  vincula  caeca  mariti  55 

Deprenso  Mavorte  tulit :    quod  pube  pudenda 

Hellespontiaci  ridetur  forma  Priapi : 

Quod  crudelis  Eryx,  quod  semivir  Hermaphroditus. 

Nec  satis  in  verbis :  roseo  Venus  aurea  serto 

Maerentem  pulsat  puerum  et  graviora  paventem.  60 

Olli  purpureum  mulcato  corpore  rorem 

Sutilis  expressit  crebro  rosa  verbere  :    quae,  jam 

40.   Cavos    amnes,   not  used  here   in  on  the  '  Pervigilium  Veneris,'  v.  23  '  Facta 

the    conimon    sense    of    '  deep-channelled  Cypris   de   cruore   deque  Amoris   osculis ;' 

streams,'  but  '  empty,'  '  waterless,*  as  being  and  below,  v.  63. 

unreal,   so    in    the    next    Hne,    '  sine    fluc-  49.   Petulantia,  '  mischievous,'  '  wan- 

tibus     aequor,'    and    v.   43     '  nullo     igne  ton ;'  the  epithet  strictly  belongs,  of  course, 

faces.'  to  the  '  teasing'  heroines. 

42.    Trepido,    dative,    sc.    '  Cupidini,'  52.   Suffragia,  '  not  hastening  to  the 

like  '  inque  paventem  '  V.  44.  side'   or  '  aid   of  her   persecuted  son:'    a 

44.  Lucentibus,     '  glistening,'     like  peculiar  use  of  the  word. 

'  gemmea'  in  next  line.     Many  other  con-  53-  A  hne  almost  made  up  from  Virg. 

jectures  have  been  made  from  the  impos-  Ae.  7«578  and  11.  337. 
sible   '  vigentibus'  of  the    MSS.,   such   as  54.   Ancipites  Furias,  '  Furies  in  dis- 

'  ingentibus,'  '  higentibus  ;'  Wernsdorf  sug-  guise,'    i.  e.   those   that   might   have   been 

gests,  with  much  plausibility,  '  uventibus,'  taken  for  Furies,  not  '  the  wavering  hero- 

comparing  Ov.  M.  10.  509  (in  the  story  of  ines,'  as  though  '  poenae '  (above,  v.  32) 

Myrrha)  '  Dat  gemitus  arbor  lacrimisque  meant  these.     See  an  exactly  similar  ex- 

cadentibus  humet.'  pression  in  Epigr.  95.  3  (of  Hylas)  '  Oscula 

45.  Gemmea,  '  sparkling  like  jewels  ;'  et  infestos  inter  moriturus  amores  Ancipites 
Ulitius  conjectures  '  gummea,'  a  doubtful  patitur  Naiadas  Eumenidas.' 

adjective  occurring  nowhere  else.  55.   Caeca,  prepared  secretly,  that  sur- 

48.   Cruorem.     See  Wernsdorf 's  nole       prised  her. 


AUSONIUS.  477 

Tincta  prius,  traxit  rutilum  magis  ignea  fucum. 

Inde  truces  cecidere  minae  :    vindictaque  major 

Crimine  visa  suo,  Vcnerem  factura  nocentem.  65 

Ipsae  intercedunt  heroides  et  sua  quaeque 

Funera  crudeli  malunt  adscribere  fato. 

Tum  gratcs  pia  mater  agit  ccssisse  dolentes 

Et  condonatas  puero  dimittere  culpas. 


CXXVII. 

IDYLLIA.    X.  23-675  73,  74;  381-417. 

A  BEAUTiFUL  description  of  the  river  Moselle,  which  Juliiis  Scahger  con- 
sidered  by  itself  sufRcient  to  entitle  Ausonius  to  the  name  of  a  great  poet. 
The  fondness  of  Constantine  and  the  succeeding  emperors  for  the  city 
of  Treves,  on  the  banks  of  that  river,  probably  led  the  court-poet  to 
immortaHse  it  in  verse.  The  occasion  of  the  poem  was  the  triumphal 
entry,  along  the  Moselle  into  Treves,  made  by  the  emperor  Valentinian 
after  his  victory  over  the  Alemanni  in  a.d.  368.  See  v.  42 1  foll.  of  the  poem, 
and  Gibbon,  c.  25.  The  first  part  of  the  extract  celebrates  the  beauty  of 
the  river  and  its  adjoining  scenery :  the  latter  claims  for  the  scholars  and 
statesmen  of  the  Belgae  and  Aquitani  a  higher  appreciation  of  their  merits 
than  they  have  hitherto  enjoyed. 

Salve  amnis  laudate  agris,  laudate  colonis, 

Dignata  imperio  debent  cui  moenia  Belgae : 

Amnis  odorifero  juga  vitea  consite  Baccho, 

Consite  gramineas  amnis  viridissime  ripas  ! 

Naviger_,  ut  pelagus ;    devexas  pronus  in  undas,  g 


65.   Suo,  which  it  professed  to  punish.  2.  Dignata  imperio.     Treves,  on  the 

Factura      nocentem,     i.  e.     if     the  Moselle,  reckoned  by  Ausonius  as  fourth 

punishment    were    continued,    not    Cupid,  among   the   '  Clarae   Urbes '   of  his   time, 

but  Venus,  would  appear  the  guihy  one,  became  in  the  fourth  century  the  residence 

for  her  punishing  him  beyond  his  deserts.  of  the  emperors.     Constantine  the  Great, 

'  Facit  ira  nocentem '  is  a  needless  though  in   particular,  often   held   his   court  there. 

ingenious  correction.  Vinet  however  thinks  Noviomagus  is  meant 

69.   Puero,  dative   after  '  condonatas,'  here  ;   cp.  v.  11  (of  the  poem)  '  Nivoma- 

'  remit    the    sins    forgiven    to    her    boy.'  gum  divi  castra  inclita  Constantini.' 

Gronovius  would  read  '  Et  condonatis  pue-  3.  Juga  vitea  :  of  the  '  vine-clad  slopes' 

rum  dimittere  culpis.'  on  the  Moselle  see  the  full  description  in 

vv.  152-162  of  the  poem. 


478 


AUSONIUS. 


Ut  fluvius,  vitreoque  lacus  imitate  profund& , 
£t  rivos  trepido  potis  aequiparare  meatu, 
Et  liquido  gelidos  fontes  praecellere  potu, 
Omnia  solus  habes,  quae  fons,  quae  rivus,  et  amnis 
Et  lacus,  et  bivio  refluus  manam.ine  pontus. 
Tu  placidis  praelapsus  aquis  nec  murmura  venti 
Ulla,  nec  occulti  pateris  luctamina  saxi. 
Non  superante  vado  rapidos  reparare  meatus 
Cogeris,  extantes  medio  non  aequore  terras 
Interceptus  habes,  justi  ne  demat  honorem 
Norninis,  exclusum  si  dividat  insula  flumen. 
Tu  duplices  sortite  vias,  et  cum  amne  secundo 
Defluis,  ut  celeres  feriant  vada  concita  remi : 
£t  cum  per  ripas  nusquam  cessante  remulco 
Intendunt  collo  malorum  vincula  nautae. 
Ipse  tuos  quoties  miraris  in  amne  recursus, 
Legitimosque  putas  prope  segnius  ire  meatus  ? 


6.  Vitreo  :  so  below,  v.  33  '  Spectaris 
vitreo  per  levia  terga  profundo.' 

7.  Potis,  the  adjective,  (not  '  potes,')  is 
required  by  the  context  after  '  naviger  .  . 
pronus'  etc. 

Rivos,  '  small  streams,'  as  v.  o,  con- 
trasted  with  '  amnis  '  or  '  flumen  '  =  '  a 
large  river ;'  compare  the  proverb  (Ov.  ex 
Pont.  2.  5,  22)  '  e  rivo  flumina  magna 
facis.' 

Trepido  ;  cp.  Hor.  Od.  2.  3,  12  '  ob- 
liquo  laborat  Lympha  fugax  trepidare  rivo.' 

10.  Bivio  . .  manamine,  i.e. '  with  ebb 
and  flow  ; '  'manamine'is  Gronovius' ex- 
cellent  conjecture  for  the  senseless  '  muni- 
mine'  of  the  MSS.  It  is  true  that  it  is  an 
ana^  kfyoixtvov,  but  Ausonius,  like  Ovid, 
is  partial  to  these  substantives,  as  in  this 
one  poem  '  luctamen,'  '  decoramen,'  '  simu- 
lamen,'  '  libamen.'  It  is  not  of  course 
meant  that  there  is  any  tidal  action  in  the 
Moselle,  but  that  its  gentle  streani,  enabling 
vessels  to  be  towed  against  it  (see  vv.  I9, 
20),  presents  the  same  advantages  as  the 
tide  in  the  sea  :  so  below,  y.  17  '  Tu 
dupHces  sortite  vias.' 

11.  Praelapsus,  not  '  prolapsus '  (as 
Wemsdorf ),  seems  to  be  favoured  by  the 
Epigram  on  '  Treveri,'  v.  6  '  Largus  tran- 
quillo  praelabitur  amne  Mosella.' 

12.  Occulti  .  .  saxi  :  the  poet  is  pro- 
bably  thinking  of  the  Rhine  in  niany  parts 
of  its  course. 


13.  Superante  vado,  '  no  projecting 
shoal  compels  you  to  recover  the  swiftness 
of  your  course,'  i.  e.  after  interrupting  it. 
There  are  no  rapids  or  falls  in  the  Moselle. 
'  Superante'  and  '  reparare'  seem  necessary 
emendations  of  the  '  sperante'  and  the 
'  praeparare'  of  the  MSS. 

16.  Exclusum,  i.  e.  you  would  not 
deserve  the  name  of  a  true,  genuine  river, 
if  an  island  cleft  your  stream,  barring  it 
from  its  even  flow. 

17.  Duplices . .  vias,  i.e.  up  and  down 
stream  navigation :  explained  by  the  fol- 
lowing  lines. 

19.  Remulco,  '  the  never-slackening 
tow-rope  ; '  '  remulcus '  or  '  rymulcus '  is 
the  Latinized  form  of  the  Greek  pvf^ovK- 
Ktiv,  which  however  has  the  first  syllable 
long ;  Ausonins  uses  the  word  again  in 
connexion  with  the  Moselle,  Epist.  2.  9 
'  celerisque  remulci  Culpabani  properos  ad- 
verso  flumine  cursus.'  For  the  '  helciarii' 
of  the  Tiber,  see  Martial  4.  64,  22  ;  Prop. 

1-15  (14)' 4- 

20.  Malorum,  '  the  rope  tied  to  the 
mast.'  Wemsdorfs  suggestion  of  '  mula- 
rum,'  however  ingenious,  is  unnecessary. 

21.  22.  Recursus,  i.  e.  the  backward 
voyages  up-stream,  which  are  so  easy  that 
the  river  seems  to  be  moving  in  the  same 
direction  as  the  boats,  and  are  almost 
more  rapid  than  the  '  natural  passages' 
made  with  the  current  ('  legitimi  meatus'). 


AUSONIUS.  479 

Tu  neque  limigenis  ripam  praetcxeris  ulvis, 

Nec  piger  immundo  pcrfundis  litora  coeno, 

Sicca  scd  in  prima  adspergis  vestigia  lympha.  25 

I  nunc,  et  Phrygiis  sola  levia  consere  crustis, 

Tendens  marmoreum  laqueata  per  atria  campum. 

Ast  ego  despectis,  quae  census  opesquc  dcderLint, 

Naturac  mirabor  opus,  non  cura  nepotum 

Laetaque  jacturis  ubi  luxuriatur  egestas.  30 

Hic  solidae  sternunt  humentia  litora  arenae, 

Nec  retinent  memores  vestigia  pressa  figuras. 

Spectaris  vitreo  per  levia  terga  profundo, 

Secreti  nihil  amnis  habens ;   utque  almus  aperto 

Panditur  intuitu  liquidis  obtutibus  aer,  35 

Nec  placidi  prohibent  oculos  per  inania  venti  : 

Sic  demcrsa  procul  durante  pcr  intima  visu 

Cernimus  arcanique  patct  pcnetrale  fluenti  j 

Cum  vada  lene  meant,  liquidarum  et  lapsus  aquarum 

Prodit  caerulea  dispersas  luce  figuras :  40 

Quod  sulcata  levi  crispatur  arena  meatu  • 

Inclinata  tremunt  viridi  quod  gramina  fundo. 

Utque  sub  ingenuis  agitatae  fontibus  hcrbae 

Vibrantes  patiuntur  aquas,  lucetque  latetque 

Calculus,  et  viridem  distinguit  glarea  muscum,  45 


23.  Limigenis,  better  than  '  limigeris.'  35.  Obtutibus,  very  rare  in  the  plural, 
The  formation  of  such  adjectives  is  very  and  here  awkwardl)'  following  the  siniihir 
common   in  Ausonius,   e.  g.   '  amnigenus,'  compound  '  intuitu.' 

'  nubigenus,' '  Aquilonigenus,' etc.  36.   Per  inania,   '  the   clear   spaces  of 

24.  Piger  =  '  by  a  sluggish  course  ;'  the  the  sky.' 

cause  of  the  '  coenum.'  40.   Caerulea  .  .  figuras,   '  shapes   of 

25.  Sicca  ..  lympha,  i.  e.  feet  remain  objects  visible  through  the  blue  transpa- 
unwetted   (by   sedge   or   mud)   until   they  rency  of  the  water.' 

touch  your  very  waters.  41.    Quod  .  .  meatu,    introducing    an 

26.  I  nunc  ;  see  on  Prop.  4.  17  (3.  18),  instance  of  one  of  the  '  iigurae,'  viz.  '  the 
1 7  foU.  '  I  nunc  tolle  animos,  et  tecum  wrinkled  sand  furrowed  by  the  gentle  flow 
finge  triumphos.'  of  the  water.'      We   might  perhaps   have 

Phr3'giis  . .  crustis, '  Inlay  your  smooth  expected  'ut'  rather  than  '  quod,'  but  the 

floors  with  mosaics  of  Phrvgian  marble,'  later  poets  are  somewhat  free  in  the  use 

from  S\Tinada,  where  the  quarries  were.  of  the   latter  conjunction  :    see   especially 

29,  30.   Cura  .  .  egestas,  '  the  studied  Wernsdorfs    Excursus    on    Calpurn.    Ecl. 

extravagance  of  spendthrifts,  and  ruin  that  3.  34. 

delights   in  squandering.'     The   simplicity  43.   Utque,   not,   as    some   take   it,  = 

of  the  '  opus  Naturae'  is  contrasted  with  '  how  ; '    still    less    (with    Weber)    to    be 

the  artificial  splendour  elaborated  by  wealth.  changed    into    '  usque.'     It    expresses    the 

The  construction  is  '  non  (loca)  ubi  cura  comparison  of  the   river  to  the  clearness 

egestasque  luxuriatur.'  of  '  natural  springs'  =  '  ingenui  fontes  :'  to 

34.  Amnis,  not  genitive,  but  either  no-  this    '  ut '    answers    the    '  haud    aliter'   of 

minative  or  vocative.  v.  46. 


48o  AUSONIUS. 

^  -Jf  -j^  *  -^  -x- 

Haud  aliter  placidae  subter  vada  laeta  Mosellae 
Detegit  admixtos  non  concolor  herba  lapillos. 

•^  -^  *  -X-  *  -^ 

Salve  magne  parens  frugumque  virumque  Mosella  : 
Te  clari  proceres,  te  bello  exercita  pubes, 
Aemula  te  Latiae  decorat  facundia  linguae.  50 

Quin  etiam  mores  et  laetum  fronte  severa 
Ingenium  Natura  tuis  concessit  alumnis. 
Nec  sola  antiquos  ostentat  Roma  Catones, 
Aut  unus  tantum  justi  spectator  et  aequi 
PoIIet  Aristides  veteresque  iliustrat  Athenas.  55 

Verum  ego  quid  laxis  nimium  spatiatus  habenis 
Victus  amore  tui  praeconia  detero  ?     Conde 
Musa  chelyn,  pulsis  extremo  carmine  nervis. 
Tempus  erit,  cum  me  studiis  ignobilis  oti 
Mulcentem  curas  seniique  aprica  foventem  60 

Materiae  commendet  honos :    cum  facta  viritim 
Belgarum  patriosque  canam  decora  inclyta  mores. 
Mollia  subtili  nebunt  mihi  carmina  filo 
Pierides  tenuique  aptas  subtemine  telas 
Percurrent :   dabitur  nostris  quoque  purpura  fusis.  65 

Quis  mihi  tum  non  dictus  erit  ?    Memorabo  quietos 
Agricolas  legumque  catos  fandique  potentes, 
Praesidium  sublime  reis ;   quos  curia  summos 

48.   Salve,    imitated   from   Virg.  G.  2.  '  pursuits  belonging  to  a  retired  life,'  too 

173  '  Salve,  magna  parens  frugum,  Saturnia  old  for  business  and  honours.     Cp.  Epigr. 

tellus,  Magna  viruni.'  34.  15    '  Huic    ego,    quod    nobis    superest 

50.   Facundia.     Two  declamations  by  ignobilis  oti,  Deputo.' 
tbe  rhetorician  Eumenius  of  Autun  survive,  62.    Canam,   as   he   did   in   the   pieces 

that  were  delivered  at  Treves  in  the  pre-  entitled     '  Professores '     and    '  Parentalia,' 

sence  of  Constantine ;  see  also  the  rhetors  celebrating    each    notabiHty    by    himself 

enumerated   by   Ausonius   in    his   '  Profes-  ('viritim'). 
sores.'  65.   Fusis,   keeping    up  the   metaphor 

54.   Spectator,  an  assayer,  critic,  like  of  spinning  and  weaving.     Grand  subjects 

Ter.  Eun.  3.  5,  18  '  elegans  formarum  spec-  shall  also  be  treated  in  grand  manner  ;  not 

tator.'     Ovid   uses  '  spectare,'   and   Cicero  only  will  the   '  quieti    agricolae'  be   sung 

'  spectatio' for  testing  metal.  in  '  mollia  carmina '  or  '  soft  simple  lays,' 

57.  Detero, 'mar,' '  weaken,' like  Hor.  but   also  the  '  proceres,' '  senatus,' etc.  be 

Od.  I.  6,  12  '  laudes  culpa  deterere  ingeni.'  celebrated     by    me.       Some     texts     have 

The    poet    deprecates    verbose    and    far-  '  fastis'    for    '  fusis.'     See    his    '  Epigram- 

fetched  praise  of  Treves.  mata  Fastorum.*     For  the   use   of  purple 

59.   Oti,   an   old   emendation   of  'ora'  threads     in     weaving     see     Dict.     Antiq. 

(MSS.),  which  is  without  meaning.     Au-  '  Tela.' 

sonius  evidently  has  in  his  mind  Virg.  G.  68.  Cp.  Hor.  Od.  2.  13  '  Insigne  maestis 

4.  564  '  studiis  florentem  ignobilis  oti,'  i.  e.  praesidium  reis.' 


AUSONIUS. 


481 


Municipum  vidit  proceres  propriumque  senatum ; 
Quos  praetextati  celebris  facundia  ludi 
Contulit  ad  veteris  praeconia  Quintiliani ; 
Quique  suas  rexere  urbes  purumque  tribunal 
Sanguine  et  innocuas  illustravere  secures ; 
Aut  Italum  populos  Aquilonigenasque  Britannos 
Praefecturarum  titulo  tenuere  secundo. 
Quique  caput  rerum  Romam  populumque  patresque 
Tantum  non  primo  rexit  sub  nomine  j   quamvis 
Praefuerit  primis.     Festinat  solvere  tandem 
Errorem  Fortuna  suum,  libataque  supplens 
Praemia  jam,  veri  fastigia  reddet  honoris 
Nobilibus  repetenda  nepotibus.     At  modo  coeptum 
Detexatur  opus,  dilata  et  laude  virorum 
Dicamus  laeto  per  rura  virentia  tractu 
Felicem  fluvium  Rhenique  sacremus  in  undis. 


75 


80 


69.  Propriumque  senatum, '  a  senate 
consisting  of  its  own  citizens  and  states- 
men,'  not  foreigners. 

70.  Praetextati  .  .  ludi,  i.  e.  schools 
for  youths  :  cp.  Profess.  18.  7  (of  the 
grammarian  Marcellus  of  Narbonne)  '  Mox 
schola,  et  auditor  multus,  praetextaque 
pubes  Grammatici  nomen  divitiasque  de- 
dit.' 

71.  Contulit,  '  brought  them  into 
comparison  with  '  =  '  ranked  with.'  See 
Profess.  I.  2. 

75.  Titulo  . .  secundo,  either'  success- 
ful,'  or  =  the  '  tantum  non  primo'  of  v.  7/) 
inferior  only  to  the  power  of  the  em- 
peror  ;  see  on  Idyll.  4.  47.  The  poet,  with 
his  characteristic  vanity,  is  really  speaking 
of  himself  here,  as  in  the  preceding  Hnes  of 
his  own  relations  and  friends.  Cp.  Epist. 
16.  16-27. 

77.  Tantum  non  primo,  i.  e.  as 
'  consul  secundus  Principi,'  Epist.  1.  c. 

78.  Praefuerit  ;  the  MSS.  have  '  Par 
fuerit  ; '  but  Ausonius  is  referring  to  the 
control  which  he  exercised,  as  tutor,  over 
Gratian. 


78-81.  Festinat . .  nepotibus  :  Weber 
adopts  Gronovius'  emendation  'tuum'  for 
the  '  suum'  of  the  MSS.,  deriving  the  sub- 
ject  of  'festinat'  from  '  qui  rexit'='He 
who  has  won  these  honours  himself, 
hastens  at  length  to  repair  the  mistake 
which,  Fortune,  thou  madest  in  turning 
his  muse  to  other  themes.  Presently  will 
the  poet  brim  for  those  worthies  the  cup 
of  praise,  hitherto  scarce  tasted  by  them, 
and  to  each  will  render  the  crown  of 
merited  fame,  which  their  posterity,  en- 
nobled,  may  in  their  turn  aspire  to.'  It 
seems  however  more  direct  to  take 
errorem  as  the  omission  by  Fortune  to 
recognise  the  merits  of  the  provincials, 
which  is  now  to  be  repaired  by  heaping 
them  and  their  posterity  with  honours. 

82.  Detexatur,  i.  e.  let  my  task  of 
singing  the  praises  of  the  Moselle  ere- 
while  begun  be  finished  to  the  end,  before 
I  begin  the  glorification  of  the  heroes. 

84.  Sacremus,  '  enshrine  her  in  the 
waters  of  the  Rhine,'  into  which  the 
Moselle  flows ;  '  Deus  Rhenus'  is  found  on 


I  1 


4 


CLAUDIUS    CLAUDIANUS. 


I  1  2 


LIFE     OF     CLAUDIAN. 


Claudius  Claudianus  is  supposed  both  from  internal  (cp.  Epist. 
I  •  20 ;  5.3)  and  external  testimony  to  have  been  born  at  Alexandria, 
and,  as  Gesner  conjectures,  of  no  humble  origin.  What  circum- 
stances  brought  him  to  Rome,  and  how  he  acquired  the  patronage 
of  Stilicho,  to  whose  suite  he  was  attached  after  a.d.  395,  is  un- 
known.  Through  the  influence  of  Stilicho's  wife  Serena,  Claudian 
married  an  African  lady  of  rank  and  wealth  at  Alexandria  (cp. 
Epist.  2).  He  Hved  for  the  most  part,  it  would  seem,  at  Rome, 
and  perhaps  Ravenna,  on  terms  of  close  intimacy  with  men  of  such 
position  and  rank  as  Olybrius,  Probinus,  and  Gennadius,  lo  whom 
he  addresses  three  of  his  epistles.  From  his  Preface  to  the 
'  De  Bello  Getico'  (vv.  7-10)  we  learn  that  Claudian  had  a  brazen 
statue  erected  in  his  honour,  and  titles  conferred  upon  him,  a  fact 
confirmed  by  an  inscription  (if  genuine)  discovered  at  Rome  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  which  asserts  that  such  a  statue  was  erected  in 
the  Forum  of  Trajan  by  Arcadius  and  Honorius  at  the  request 
of  the  senate,  and  that  the  titles  of  '  Notarius'  and  '  Tribunus' 
belonged  to  the  '  praegloriosissimo  poetarum'  (see  the  dissertation  on 
this  inscription  among  Gesner's  Prolegomena  to  his  edition).  On 
the  fall  of  Stilicho  in  A.  d.  408  the  poet's  fortunes  declined 
(cp.  Epist.  i),  and  by  some  Hcence  of  expression  in  one  of  his 
youthful  epigrams  having,  as  has  been  supposed,  incurred  the 
animosity  of  Hadrian,  StiIicho's  successor,  he  is  thought  to  have 
withdrawn  either  to  his  native  Nile  ('  nostro  Nilo'  Epist.  5.  3)  or 
to  the  Court  of  Theodosius  the  younger  at  Constantinople.  As 
no  reference  however  occurs  in  his  works  to  any  date  later  than 
A.  D.  404,  we  cannot,  in  the  absence  of  external  testimony  as 
well,  be  said  to  know  anything  for  certain  of  the  poet's  end. 
As  to  CIaudian's  paganism  two  pieces  of  contemporary  evidence 
seem  conclusive  :  Augustine,  De  Civ.  Dei,  5.  26  '  Poeta  Claudianus 
quamvis  a  Christi  nomine  alienus;'  Orosius,  Adv.  Pag.  7.  35 
'  Poeta  quidem  eximius  sed  paganus  pervicacissimus.'    The  hymns, 


486  LIFE  OF   CLAUDIAN. 

from  which  an  opposite  inference  has  been  drawn,  are  unques- 
tionably  spurious.  See  Milman's  note  at  the  end  of  Gibbon's  3oth 
chapter. 

Claudian,  the  poet-laureate  of  the  great  Vandal,  is   the  last  of 

the   Latin   poets,   forming,   as   Coleridge    remarks,   the   transitional 

link  between  the  Classic  and  the  Gothic  mode  of  thought.     Living 

as  he  did  in  a  debased  age  of  literature,  four  hundred  years  after 

the    Golden    era,   born   in   a   foreign   country   and   to   the   use   of 

another   language,   he   shewed   himself  no   mean   genius   by  rising 

superior  to   such   heavy  disadvantages.      Nature  had  bestowed  on 

him  great  powers,  while  Alexandria  suppHed  him  with  the  means 

of  cultivating   them.      His  first   poems,  he  tells  us   (Epist.  4.  13), 

were  written  in  Greek,  his  acquisition  of  Latin  being,  as  Niebuhr 

says,  a  task  of  love :  his  first  Latin  verses  were   composed  during 

the  consulship  of  Probinus  a.d.  395.     To  a  rich  imagination  and 

artistic  taste  he  very  early  added  a  knowledge  of  the  best  poetry 

of  Greece;  and  from  a  careful  study  of  Virgil,  Ovid,  and  Statius, 

apparently  his  favourite  models,  he  caught  the  true  spirit  and  pure 

expression   of  the    Roman   Muse.       His    faults    belong    almost    as 

much   to    the   age    as    to    the   writer.      In    description    he    is    too 

copious  and  detailed ;  his  poems  abound  with  long  speeches,  many 

of    them   turgid   in   sentiment   and   pedantic   in    arrangement ;    his 

parade    of  varied   erudition,  his   partiality  for   abstruse   mythology, 

and  a  disposition  to  philosophize  and  moralize  in  season  and  out 

of  season  are  just  the  natural  defects  of  a  lettered  but  uninspired 

epoch.     His  versification  is  correct  but  monotonous,  while  its  flow 

is   frequently  interrupted   by  the   poet's   turn   for   breaking  up  his 

hexameter  lines  into  short  epigrammatic  sentences.     See  Gibbon's 

sketch  of  his  career  and  high  estimate  of  his  genius,  Hist.  Empire, 

end  of  chap.  30. 

The  oldest  known  MS.  of  Claudian  was  assigned  by  Heinsius 
(in  the  Preface  to  his  second  edition)  to  the  latter  half  of  the 
eleventh  century.  Of  an  earlier  one,  used  by  Giraldus,  he  was 
unable  to  discover  any  traces  at  all.  The  poems  for  the  most  part 
are  found  separately,  some  being  copied  far  more  frequently  than 
others.  Occasionally  they  are  combined  with  works  of  another 
author,  as,  e.  g.  the  '  Raptus  Proserpinae'  (probably  the  earliest 
poem  of  Claudian)  exists  together  with  the  Achilleid  of  Statius  in 
a  MS.  of  the  fourteenth  century. 


CXXVIII. 
CLAUDIUS    CLAUDIANUS. 

IN  RUFINUM.     LiB.  I.  1-115. 

The  fate  of  Rufinus  dispels  the  religious  doubts  of  the  poet,  who  seeing 
the  prosperous  impunity  of  vice,  and  the  unmerited  distress  of  virtue,  had 
begun  to  disbeUeve  in  a  God  of  justice  and  order.  The  rise  of  Rufinus  is 
described  as  that  of  an  emissary  of  Hell  ordained  to  plague  mankind. 
Alecto  convenes  a  synod  of  the  infernal  Powers  in  envy  at  the  public 
happiness  and  peace.  On  her  proposing  war  with  Heaven,  Megaera 
recommends  a  better  plan,  viz.  that  of  injuring  mankind  through  a 
monster  of  iniquity  sent  on  earth,  Rufinus,  her  pupil,  surpasses  his 
instructress  in  all  the  arts  of  crime  and  fraud,  and,  as  the  minister  of 
Theodosius,  will  succeed  in  spreading  all  the  desired  misery  and  con- 
fusion.     See  Gibbon,  c.  29. 

Saepe  mihi  dubiam  traxit  sententia  mentem, 
Curarent  superi  terras  j   an  nullus  inesset 
Rector^  et  incerto  fluerent  mortalia  casu. 
Nam  cum  dispositi  quaesissem  foedera  mundi, 
Praescriptosque  mari  fines  annisque  meatus,  5 

Et  lucis  noctisque  vices,  tunc  omnia  rebar 
Consilio  firmata  dei,  qui  lege  moveri 
Sidera,  qui  fruges  diverso  tempore  nasci, 
Qui  variam  Phoeben  alieno  jusserit  igni 

I.    Dubiam    should  be   taken  closely  5.  Annis,  '  the  courses  fore-appointed 

with  '  traxit'  =  'distraxit.'    For  similar  sen-  to  the  years,'  i.  e.  through  the  four  seasons. 

timents  cp.  Tac.  Ann.  6.  22,  and  Juv.  13.  Some  editions  have  '  amnis,'  evidently  sug- 

86  foll.     How  indifferent   to  Christianity  gested  by  '  mari : '  see  also  v.  64  foll.,  and 

Claudian  was,  this  passage,  among  many  Psalm  104.9,10;  but  the  plural  would  be 

others,  helps  to  shew.  necessary. 

4.  Foedera  mundi,  '  the  ordinances  of  9.  Variam,  of  the  phases  of  the  moon  : 

heaven' Job:  a  favourite  phrase  of  Lucre-  '  Non  dimittit  facile  noster  philosophandi 

tius.  Cp.  Manilius  3.  55  '  Staretque  aeterno  occasionem,'  Gesner. 

religatus  foedere  mundus.'     For  this  sense  Jusserit,  subjunctive,  as  expressing  part 

of  '"mundus'  see  on  Catull.  62  (64).  206.  of  the  speaker's  conviction. 


488  CLAUDIAN. 

Compleri,  solemque  suo ;   porrexerit  undis  lo 

Litora ;    tellurem  medio  libraverit  axe. 

Sed  cum  res  hominum  tanta  caligine  volvi 

Adspicerem  laetosque  diu  florere  nocentes, 

Vexarique  pios,  rursus  labefacta  cadebat 

Religio,  causaeque  viam,  non  sponte,  sequebar  15 

Alterius,  vacuo  quae  currere  semina  motu 

Atfirmat,  magnumque  novas  per  inane  figuras 

Fortuna,  non  arte,  regi  j   quae  numina  sensu 

Ambiguo  vel  nulla  putat,  vel  nescia  nostri. 

Abstulit  hunc  tandem  Rufini  poena  tumultum,  20 

Absolvitque  deos :   jam  non  ad  culmina  rerum 

Injustos  crevisse  queror :    tolluntur  in  altum, 

Ut  lapsu  graviore  ruant.     Vos  pandite  vati, 

Pierides,  quo  tanta  lues  eruperit  ortu. 

Invidiae  quondam  stimulis  incanduit  atrox  25 

Alecto,  placidas  late  cum  cerneret  urbes. 

Protinus  infernas  ad  limina  tetra  sorores, 

Concilium  deforme,  vocat :    glomerantur  in  unum 

Innumerae  pestes  Erebi,  quascumque  sinistro 

Nox  genuit  fetu ;    nutrix  Discordia  belli,  30 

Imperiosa  Fames,  leto  vicina  Senectus, 

Impatiensque  sui  Morbus,  Livorque  secundis 


11.  Medio  ..  axe  :  Milton's  '  self-ba-  they  feel  that  these  gods  know  nothing  of 
lanced  on  her  centre:'  so  Ov.  M.  X.  13:  mankind,  which  comes  to  much  the  same 
cp.  Quart.  Cons.  Hon.  286.  thing  practically.     Some  would  read  '  am- 

12.  Res  hominum,  i.e.  as  contrasted  bigua,' making  a  triple  ahernative  of  belief, 
with  the  '  res  mundi'  etc. ;  in  other  words,  viz.  that  the  gods  are  either  doubtful  exist- 
the  moral  as  distinct  from  the  physical  ences,  or  absolutely  non-existent,  or  igno- 
world.  rant  of  man.     The  caesural  lengthening  of 

14.  Rursus,  in  its  strict  sense,  implying  'ambigua'  is  however  harsh.  '  Veri '  is 
alteration,  not  repetition  :  '  a  change  came  found  in  some  MSS.  for  '  nostri.' 

over   his    faith:'    see  on  CatuU.  20(22).  20.  Tumultum,  '  this   conflict  of  the 

II.  heart,'  the  doubts  spoken  of  before. 

15.  Causae  viam, '  the  path' or  '  view'  24.  Lues,  i.  e.  Rufinus,  as  we  should 
of  the  opposing  '  sect'  of  materialists,  like  say  the  'plague'  of  his  country.  Seneca 
Lucretius  and  the  philosophers  he  followed.  calls   the   Sphinx   '  saeva   Thebarum   lues' 

Sequebar,  '  grew  disposed  to  foUow,'  is  Phoen.  131. 
the  force  of  the  imperfect.  27.   Sorores,  here  used  in  a  wide  sense 

16.  Vacuo,  '  undirected,  unintelligent  for  all  the  '  pestes  Erebi '  mentioned  below. 
motion,'  not  so  unusual  a  sense  of  '  va-  Perhaps  Milton  had  this  passage  in  mind 
cuus'  as  to  need  the  proposed  emendation  when  writing  Par.  Lost,  i.  330  foll.  though 
'  vano.'  the  concrete  images  of  Moloch,  Ashtoreth, 

18,   19.    Q_iiae  ..  nostri,    sc.    '  causae  etc.  in  the  latter  have  a  great  advantage 

viam.'     The   materialists    are    divided    in  over  the  personified  abstractions  of  Clau- 

opinion  (' ambiguo  sensu')  as  to  whether  dian.     Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  273-281. 
there  are  any  gods  at  all,  or,  if  there  be,  32,  33.   Secundis   anxius,  '  vexed   at 


CLAUDIAN.  489 

Anxius,  et  scisso  maerens  velamine  Luctus, 

Et  Timor,  et  caeco  praeceps  Audacia  vultu, 

Et  Luxus  populator  opum,  quem  semper  adhaerens        35 

Infelix  humili  gressu  comitatur  Egestas ; 

Foedaque  Avaritiae  complexae  pectora  matris 

Insomnes  longo  veniunt  examine  Curae. 

Complentur  vario  ferrata  sedilia  coetu, 

Torvaque  collectis  stipatur  curia  monstris.  40 

Alecto  stetit  in  mediis  vulgusque  tacere 

Jussit,  et  obstantes  in  tergum  repulit  hydros 

Perque  humeros  errare  dedit ;   tum  corde  sub  imo 

Inclusam  rabidis  patefecit  vocibus  iram : 

Siccine  tranquillo  produci  saecula  cursu,  45 

Sic  fortunatas  patiemur  vivere  gentes  ? 

Quo  nova  corrupit  ncstros  clementia  mores  ? 

Quo  rabies  innata  perit  ?   quid  inania  prosunt 

Verbera  ?   quid  facibus  nequidquam  cingimur  atris  ? 

Heu  nimis  ignavae,  quas  coelo  Jupiter  arcet,  50 

Theudosius  terris  !     En  aurea  nascitur  aetas  j 

En  proles  antiqua  redit.     Concordia,  Virtus, 

Cumque  Fide  Pietas  alta  cervice  vagantur, 

Insignemque  canunt  nostra  de  plebe  triumphum. 

Proh  dolor !    ipsa  mihi  liquidas  delapsa  per  auras  55 

Justitia  insultat,  vitiisque  a  stirpe  recisis 

EUcit  oppressas  tenebroso  carcere  leges. 

At  nos  indecores  longo  torpebimus  aevo. 


prosperity  ; '    '  secundis,'    ablative    neuter ;  what  purpose  ? '   More  may  be  said  for  the 

so  perhaps  Lucan  7.  20  '  anxia  ..  venturis.'  '  quae'  of  several  editions  =  '  what  means 

Scisso  :  cp.  Virg.  Ae.  8.  702  '  Et  scissa  this  strange  mercy?'    For  corrupit  some 

gaudens  vadit  Discordia  palla.'  texts  have  '  corripuit.' 

34.   Caeco.    Recklessness  is  represented  48.  Quo  ..  perit,  ' to  what  has  our  in- 

'  blind,'  as  not  seeing  the  desperate  nature  born  fury  decayed  ?'  like  Virgi^s  '  quonam 

of  her  attempts.     Cp.  Hor.  Od.  i.  18,  14  nostri  tibi  cura  recessit?'  Ae.  2.  595:  cp. 

'  quae  subsequitur  caecus  Amor  sui.'  G.  4.  324. 

39.  Ferrata:  so  Virg.  Ae.  6.  280  '  Fer-  48,  49.  Inania  ..  verbera,  i.e.  lashing 

reique  Eumenidum  thalami.'     '  Secreta'  is  the  air  with  our  serpents  and  torches,  and 

also  found  in  one  MS.  hurting  none. 

42.   Repulit,  '  pushed  behind  her  the  53.  Alta   cervice,  i.  e.  in  defiance  of 

snakes  that   thronged   her  front,'   i.  e.   in  Injustice  and  Vice,  a  favourite  expression 

order  to  speak  the  better.    Cp.  In  Eutrop.  of  CIaudian's.     Cp.  De  Nup.  Hon.  84  (36) ; 

2.  III  (of  Bellona)  '  pingues  pectebat  stra-  Bell.  Get.  628  (31). 

gibus  hydros.'     Claudian  here  imitates  Ov.  56.    Justitia  :    so    in   Virg.  G.  2.  474 

M.  4.  475  (of  Tisiphone)  '  obstantes  rejecit  Justice  is  represented  as  coming  down  from 

ab  ore  colubras.'  heaven,   because    she    had    deserted    earth 

47.    Quo   (Heinsius    and  Gesner),  '  to  altogether  in  the  brazen  age. 


490  CLAUDIAN. 

Omnibus  ejectae  regnis  ?     Agnoscite  tandem 

Quid  Furias  deceat :    consuetas  sumite  vires,  60 

Conventuque  nefas  tanto  decernite  dignum  j 

Jam  cupio  Stygiis  invadere  nubibus  astra, 

Jam  flatu  violare  diem,  laxare  profundo     - 

Frena  mari,  ruptis  fluvios  immittere  ripis, 

Et  rerum  vexare  fidem.     Sic  fata  cruentum  65 

Mugiit  et  tortos  serpentum  erexit  hiatus^ 

Noxiaque  efFudit  concusso  crine  venena. 

Anceps  motus  erat  vulgi :   pars  maxima  bellum 

Indicit  superis  j   pars  Ditis  jura  tuentur : 

Dissensuque  alitur  rumor :    ceu  murmurat  alti  70 

Impacata  quies  pelagi,  cum  flamine  fracto 

Durat  adhuc  saevitque  tumor  dubiumque  per  aestum 

Lassa  recedentis  fluitant  vestigia  venti. 

Improba  mox  surgit  tristi  de  sede  Megaera, 

Quam  penes  insani  fremitus  animique  profanus  75 

Error  et  undantes  spumis  furialibus  irae. 

Non  nisi  quaesitum  cognata  caede  cruorem 

Illicitumve  bibit,  patrius  quem  fuderit  ensis, 

Quem  dederint  fratres.     Haec  terruit  Herculis  ora, 

Et  defensores  terrarum  polluit  arcus ;  So 

Haec  Athamanteae  direxit  spicula  dextrae ; 


59.  Omnibus  ..  regnis,  i.  e.  both  in  sembly  as  when  hollow  rocks  retain  The 

heaven  and  earth  ;  see  vv.  50,  5 1 .  sound  of  blustering  -.vinds  which  all  night 

63.  Violare   diem,  '  poison  with  our  long  Had  roused  the  sea,  now  with  hoarse 

breath   the   air   of  day:'   cp.  Ov.  M.  13.  cadence  lull,' etc. 

600    '  nigrique    volumina    fumi    Infecere  72.    Dubium,   i.  e.   wavering    between 

diem.'  storm  and  calm  :   so  '  impacata  quies*   of 

65.  Rerum  ..  fidem,  '  the  stability  of  calm  only  half  restored  to  the  sea. 
things'  =  '  foedera  mundi'  v.  4.  75,  76.  Profanus  error,  i.e.  crime  tak- 

65,  66.    Cruentum    mugiit,  '  spirted  ing  an   impious,  unnatural   direction,  viz. 
blood  from  her  shrieking  throat.'  toward  fratricide,  incest,  and  the  like,  as 

66.  Tortos    properly  belongs  to  '  ser-  the  next  lines  shew. 

pentum;'    '  the    writhing    serpents    with  79.   Herculis  ora.     In  Eur.  Herc.  Fur. 

their    yawning    mouths    stood  once  more  835    Iris   sends   AvTra   (Nwtos  eKyovos) 

upright  on  her  head:'   see   above,  v.  42.  to     inspire     Hercules    with    TTaiSoKTdvovs 

For  '  tortos' some  editions  have  '  totos.'  (ppevaiv  rapayfj.ovs.     Cp.  Sen.  Herc.  Fur. 

69.  Tuentur,  either  '  part  are  for  main-  982. 
taining  the  rights   of   Hell,'  i.  e.   are    for  80.   Polluit  arcus,  i.  e.  by  killing  his 

defence  only,  not  assault :  or  '  support  the  wife   Megara,  and   his   children.     '  Artus ' 

authority  of  Dis  over  themselves.'     Some  has  been  conjectured  for  '  arcus : '  but  cp. 

MSS.  have  '  verentur,'  a  gloss  perhaps  of  Virg.  Ae.  2.  521    '  defensoribus   istis'   (sc. 

'  tuentur.'  '  armis '). 

70-74.   Cp.  a  somewhat  similar  image  81.   Athamanteae  ;  Athamas  slew  his 

in   Milton,   P.  L.  2.  284   '  He    scarce   had  son  Learchus  at  the   promptings  of  Tisi- 

finished,  when  such  murmur  fiird  Th'  as-  phone,  as  Ovid  (M.  4.  474)  represents  it. 


CLAUDIAN.  491 

Haec  Agamemnonios  inter  bacchata  penates 

Alternis  lusit  jugulis ;   liac  auspice  taedae 

Oedipoden  matri,  natae  junxere  Thyesten. 

Quae  tunc  horrisonis  effatur  talia  dictis  :  85 

Signa  quidem,  o  sociae,  divos  attoUere  contra 

Nec  fas  est,  nec  posse  reor :    sed  laedere  mundum 

Si  libet,  et  populis  commune  intendere  letum, 

Est  mihi  prodigium  cunctis  immanius  hydris, 

Tigride  mobilius  feta,  violentius  Austris  90 

Acribus,  Euripi  refluis  incertius  undis, 

Rutinus ;   quem  prima  meo  de  matre  cadentem 

Suscepi  gremio.     Reptavit  parvus  in  isto 

Saepe  sinu,  teneroque  per  ardua  colla  volutus 

Ubera  quaesivit  fletu,  linguisque  trisulcis  95 

Mollia  lambentes  finxerunt  ora  cerastae. 

Meque  etiam  tradente  dolos  artemque  nocendi 

Et  didicit  simulare  fidem  sensusque  minaces 

Protegere,  et  blando  fraudem  praetexere  risu, 

Plenus  saevitiae  lucrique  cupidine  fervens.  100 

Non  Tartessiacis  illum  satiarit  arenis 

Tempestas  pretiosa  Tagi,  non  stagna  rubentis 

Aurea  Pactoli :    totumque  exhauserit  Hermum, 

Ardebit  majore  siti.     Quam  fallere  mentes 

Doctus,  et  unanimos  odiis  turbare  sodales !  105 

Talem  progenies  liominum  si  prisca  tulisset, 

Pirithoum  fugeret  Theseus  j   offensus  Orestem 


S3.   Alternis  :  Orestes  killing  his  mo-  99.   Protegere,   '  to    screen    malicious 

ther  in  requital  for  her  murdering  her  hus-  purposes,'  not    a   common    usage    of  the 

band.     The  image  is  a  bold  one.  verb. 

Jugulis  :  see  on  Lucan  7.  326  (76).  102.  Tempestas, '  Tagus'  rich  shower,' 

86.  Cp.  the  speech  of  Beelzebub  in  strictly  the  gold  dust  found  in  the  sands  of 
Milton  P.  L.  310.  Tagus  when  ruffled  by  the  wind,  as  con- 

87.  Mundum  is  here  used  for  the  '  race  trasted  with  the  quiet  stream  of  Pactolus 
of  man,'  a  sense  which  Gesner  thinks  is  bringing  down  the  gold  in  its  waters 
derived  from  the  sacred  writers.  ('stagna'). 

90.  Mobilius,  i.  e.  nimbler  than  a  ti-  103.  Totum  :  the  Hermus  receives  the 

gress    pursuing    the    stealer    of    the    cubs  Pactolus    as    a    tributary,    and    also    itself 

which  she  has  just  brought  forth  ;  '  fetus'  yields  gold  :  cp.  In  Prob.  Cons.  51-54. 

=  'recently    delivered  :'    cp.  Ov.  M.  13.  Exhauserit:  '  si,' as  often  in"the  poets, 

802.  is  omitted. 

93.   Isto,  more  expressive  than  '  hoc,'  107.   Fugeret,  not  exactly  =  'fugisset ;' 

•  this  hard  breast  of  mine  you  see.'  rather,  '  Theseus  woiild  be  knoivn  as  one 

97.   Etiam,  i.  e.  not  only  nursing  him,  who  had  to  part  from  Pirithous :'  and  so 

but    indoctrinating    him    with    fraud    and  with  the  other  tenses  following.     See  on 

violence.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  7,  78  (60). 


492  CLAUDIAN. 

Desereret  Pylades  j    odisset  Castora  Pollux. 
Ipsa  quidem  fateor  vinci,  rapidoque  magistram 
Praevenit  ingenio :    nec  plus  sermone  morabor : 
Solus  habet  quidquid  scelerum  possedimus  omnes. 
Hunc  ego,  si  vestrae  res  est  accommoda  turbae, 
Regalem  ad  summi  producam  principis  aulam. 
Sit  licet  ille  Numa  gravior,  sit  denique  Minos^ 
Cedet,  et  insidiis  nostri  flectetur  alumni. 


CXXIX. 

DE   QUARTO   CONSULATU   HONORII   AUGUSTI 
PANEGYRIS.     121-183. 

In  these  lines  Claudian  celebrates  the  Nativity  of  Honorius.  Born  in 
the  purple,  East  and  West  contended  for  his  origin.  All  the  Pagan  choir 
of  Oracles,  Diviners,  Astrologers,  and  Augurs  exult  in  the  natal  day  of  the 
Christian  prince.  The  soldier  is  recognized  in  his  cradle ;  while  an  infant 
he  names  the  year  as  Consul.  The  gods  loved  to  play  with  him  as  a  child, 
and  his  queenly  mother  would  often  place  the  premature  diadem  on  his 
head.  His  titles  rise  with  his  age;  the  '  Nobilis  Puer'  grows  into  the 
'  Princeps  Juventutis:'  and  the  'Princeps'  becomes  the  '  Caesar.'  In 
sympathy  with  his  rising  glories  the  face  of  Nature  brightens  everywhere. 
See  a  note  on  this  remarkable  passage  in  ]Milman's  edition  of  Gibbon, 
end  of  c.  30. 

HiNC  natis  mansura  fides.     Hoc  nobilis  ortu 
Nasceris,  aequaeva  cum  majestate  creatus 
Nullaque  privatae  passus  contagia  sortis. 
Omnibus  acceptis  ultro  te  regia  solum. 


Iio.  Praevenit:  sc.Rufinus :  as  though  been  accustomed  to  adore  the  majesty  of 

the  previous  words  were  '  me  ipsam,  fateor,  the  royal  infants,'  Gibbon  c.  29. 

vincet,' but  the  change  of  subject  is  some-  4.    Omnibus    acceptis.       'Ultro'    is 

what  awkward.  usually  taken  with  the  participle,  =  Hono- 

rius  bad  nothing  to  contend  for  or  to  win ; 

1.  Hinc  natis.  The  clemency  of  their  '  all  dignities  he  inherited  as  the  free  gift 
father  Theodosius  secured  for  his  sons,  of  Nature  and  his  Father '  (Gibbon). 
Arcadius  and  Honorius,  the  attachment  of  Might  it  be  taken  as  meaning,  that  while 
the  soldiery  and  people.  all    or    most    (the    language    of   flattery 

2.  Aequaeva,  '  born  to  life-long  dig-  would  not  be  precise  as  to  which)  princes 
nity.'     'The  generals   and  ministers   had  were    only    received,   not    born    into,   the 


CLAUDIAN. 


493 


Protulit  et  patrio  felix  adolescis  in  ostro ; 
Membraque  vcstitu  nunquam  temerata  profano 
In  sacros  cecidere  sinus.     Hispania  patrem 
Auriferis  eduxit  aquis :    te  gaudet  alumno 
Bosporus.     Hesperio  de  limite  surgit  origo : 
Sed  nutrix  Aurora  tibi.     Pro  pignore  tanto 
Certatur :   geminus  te  civem  vindicat  axis. 
Herculis  et  Bromii  sustentat  gloria  Thebas  ^ 
Haesit  Apollineo  Delos  Latonia  partu  j 
Cretaque  se  jactat  tenero  reptata  Tonanti : 
Sed  melior  Delo,  Dictaeis  clarior  oris, 
Quae  dedit  hoc  numen  regio.     Non  litora  nostro 
SufHcerent  angusta  deo;   nec  inhospita  Cynthi 
Saxa  tuos  artus  duro  laesura  cubili. 
Acclinis  genetrix  auro,  circumflua  gemmis, 
In  Tyrios  enixa  toros :    ululata  verendis 
Aula  puerperiis.     Quae  tum  documenta  futuri  ? 
Quae  voces  avium  ?   quanti  per  inane  volatus  ? 
Quis  vatum  discursus  erat  ?   tibi  corniger  Ammon 
Et  dudum  taciti  rupere  silentia  Delphi ; 


'5 


purple,  Honorius  was  strictly  '  Porphyro- 
genitus'  (though  this  latter  title  was  not 
in  actual  use  till  500  years  later)  ?  The 
opposition  between  '  acceptis'  and  '  pro- 
tuHt,'  with  which  last '  ultro '  might  equally 
well  be  taken,  would  in  this  case  give 
more  point  to  the  sentence  ;  but  '  reliquis ' 
might  be  expected  rather  than  '  om- 
nibus.' 

6.  7-  Profano, '  common,'  i.e.  anything 
but  purple,  as  opp.  to  '  sacros,'  '  crawled 
on  the  bosom  of  divine  parents'  or  '  were 
received  after  birth  in  sacred  swaddling 
clothes : '  so  above,  v,  3  '  privatae  contagia 
sortis.' 

7.  Hispania.  Theodosius  was  born  in 
the  same  province,  and  perhaps  the  same 
city,  as  Trajan  and  Hadrian,  viz.  '  Italica,' 
the  ruins  of  which  may  be  seen  not  far 
from  Seville.     See  v.  20  of  this  poem. 

8.  Eduxit,  '  bore,'  '  reared,'  as  often  in 
Virgil,  Spain  standing  for  the  mother. 

9.  Bosporus.  Honorius  was  born  at 
Constantinople,  where  his  father  was  then 
reigning  as  emperor  of  the  East.  The 
Eastem  empire  is  again  called  '  Aurora '  In 
Ruf.  2.  100  '  Tahbus  urgetur  discors  Au- 
rora  procellis :'  so  Bell.  Gild.  61  (34). 


13.  Haesit :  so  Prop.  5  (4).  6,  27  '  Cum 
Phoebus  linquens  stantem  se  vindiceDelon.' 

17.  Angusta,  '  confined  shores,'  such 
as  the  islands  of  Delos  and  Crete. 

Cynthi  is  the  rocky  mountain  in  Delos, 
that  gave  its  name  to  Apollo  and  Diana. 

iS.  Laesura,  as  in  some  MSS.,  is  pre- 
ferable  to  the  common  '  laesere.' 

19.  Acclinis.  Gesner  thinks  that  Clau- 
dian  is  comparing  Flacilla  with  Latona,  as 
described  by  Callimachus,  Hymn.  in  Del. 
209  dnb  5'  kK\i9rj  (iiiraMv  unois  ^oiviKOS 
TtoTi  irpefj.vov. 

20.  Tyrios  ..  toros.  '  An  apartment 
of  the  Byzantine  palace  was  lined  with 
porphyry :  and  was  reserved  for  the  use  of 
the  pregnant  empresses,'  Gibbon,  c.  48. 

20,  21.  Ululata  . .  puerperiis,  said 
either  of  the  cries  of  the  august  empress  in 
travail,  or  better,  '  cries  of  joy  at  the  ador- 
able  birth  rang  through  the  palace  court.' 
'  Ululare'  is  used  oi  joyful  acclamation  by 
Lucan  6.  258  '  laetis  ululare  triumphis,'  and 
Virgil,  Ae.  4.  168. 

23.  Discursus,  '  hurrying  to  and  fro,' 
in  the  excitement  of  expectation. 

24.  Taciti  ..  Delphi.  Cp.  Juv.  6.  555 
'  quoniam  Delphis  oracula  cessant : '  Lucan 


494  CLAUDIAN. 

Te  Persae  cecinere  magi ;    te  sensit  Etruscus  25 

Augur,  et  inspectis  Babylonius  horruit  astris  ^ 

Chaldaei  stupuere  senes,  Cumanaque  rursus 

Intonuit  rupes,  rabidae  delubra  Sibyllae. 

Nec  te  progenitum  Cybeleius  aere  sonoro 

Lustravit  Corybas :    exercitus  undique  fulgens  30 

Adstitit :    ambitus  signis  augustior  infans 

Sentit  adorantes  galeas,  redditque  ferocem 

Vagitum  lituis.     V^itam  tibi  contulit  idem 

Imperiumque  dies  :    inter  cunabula  consul 

Proveheris :    signas  posito  modo  nomine  fastus  ;  35 

Donaturque  tibi,  qui  te  produxerat,  annus. 

Ipsa  Quirinali  parvum  te  cinxit  amictu 

Mater  et  ad  primas  docuit  reptare  curules. 

Uberibus  sanctis  immortalique  dearum 

Crescis  adoratus  gremio :   tibi  saepe  Diana  40 

Maenalios  arcus  venatricesque  pharetras 

Suspendit,  puerile  decus :    tu  saepe  Minervae 

Lusisti  clypeo,  fulvamque  impune  pererrans 

Aegida,  tractasti  blandos  interritus  angues. 

Saepe  tuas  etiam,  jam  tum  gaudente  marito,  45 

Velavit  regina  comas  festinaque  voti 

5.  III  '  Non  ullo  saecula  dono  Nostra  ca-  titled  '  Nobilissimus  Puer.'    '  Fastus' of  the 

rent   majore   Deum   quam   Delphica   sedes  4th  declension  is  a  later  form  for  '  fasti ' 

Quod  siluit.'     JuHan  was  perhaps  one  of  found  in  Sihus  2.  lo  and  Lucan  lo.  i86 

the  last  vvho  consuhed  the  oracle  that  had  (where  for  '  fastibus'  somc  read  '  fascibus'). 

been  revived  and  restored  by  Hadrian.   See  The  next  hne  involves  an  inaccurac}',  as 

Prudentius,  Apoth.  438  (4)  foll.  the  ^xar  named  from   Honorius  was   not 

26.   Horruit,  '  shuddered,'  i.  e.  at  the  a.d.  384,  the  year  of  his  birth,  but  386, 

portended  birth  of  so  great  a  con^ueror.  the  year  of  his  consulship.      The   former 

29,  30.   Nec   te  :  thou  didst   not,  hke  however,  at  the  expense  of  truth,  seemed 

Jupiter,  have  wild  Corybantes   to  protect  to  convey  the  most  flattering  compliment. 
thee  at  thy  birth  with  the  clash  of  their  37.  Q^iirinali  ..  amictu,  Virgirs 'Qui- 

cymbals  ;  but  a  whole  host  was  ready  to  rinaii  trabea'  Ae.  7.612,  the  white  purple- 

greet  and  shield  thee.  striped  robe,  which  Romulus  wore,  and  the 

31.  Augustior,  i.  e.  than  Jove  himself.  consuls  after  him. 

For  the  quantity  of  ambitus  see  Ov.  M.  39-44-  The  goddesses  here  do  not  re- 

I.  37-  present  the  empresses  and  princesses,  nor 

32,  33.  Ferocem  vagitum.  '  Illud  in-  are  their  statues  meant.  All  is  pure  myth, 
genium  ludibundum  Alexandrini  poetae  expressive  of  divine  childhood :  cp.  Virg. 
agnoscas,'  Gesner.     Statius   describes   Lu-  E.  4.  15,  16. 

can's  infant  cries  as  musical,  Silv.  2.  7,  37  43,  44.   Impune,  '  unhurt'  by  the  Me- 

'  Primo  murmure  dulce  vagientem.'  dusa's  head  on  the  shield  of  Athena,  which 

35.  Proveheris  :  Honorius,  when  only  changed  those  who  looked  at  it  into  stone. 

two  years  old,  was  made  Consul.  The  hair  of  Medusa  had  been  tumed  into 

Signas  ..  fastus  :    '  thy    name,    scarce  serpents  by  Athena. 

given,  marks   the   Calendar  of  the  year.'  Blandos,  that  were  tame  and  gentle  to 

He  appears  in  the  Fasti  for  a.d.  386,  en-  thee. 


CLAUDIAN.  495 

Praesumptum  diadcma  dedit :    tum  levibus  ulnis 

Sustulit  et  magno  porrexit  ad  oscula  patri. 

Nec  dilatus  honor :    mutatus  principe  Caesar 

Protinus  aequaris  fratri  j    nec  certius  unquam  50 

Hortati  superi :    nuUis  praesentior  aether 

Adfuit  ominibus.     Tenebris  involverat  atra 

Lumen  hiems,  densosque  Notus  collegerat  imbres : 

Sed  mox,  cum  solita  miles  te  voce  levasset, 

Nubila  dissolvit  Phoebus,  pariterque  dabantur  55 

Sceptra  tibi  mundoque  dies  :    caligine  liber 

Bosporus  adversam  patitur  Chalcedona  cerni. 

Nec  tantum  vicina  nitent ;    sed  tota  repulsis 

Nubibus  exuitur  Thrace  :    Pangaea  renident, 

Insuetosque  palus  radios  Maeotia  vibrat.  60 

Non  Boreas  nimbos,  non  Sol  ardentior  egit  j 

Imperii  lux  illa  fuit :    praesagus  obibat 

Cuncta  nitor,  risitque  tuo  Natura  sereno. 


cxxx. 

DE   NUPTIIS   HONORII   ET   MARIAE.     49-110. 

CupiD,  eager  to  convey  to  Venus  the  intelligence  of  the  Emperor  Hono- 
rius'  passion  for  his  cousin  Maria,  the  daughter  of  Stilicho,  flies  to  his 
mother's  abode  in  Cyprus.  '  The  picture  of  the  Cyprian  grove,  the  seat 
of  harmony  and  love,  the  triumphant  progress  of  Venus  over  her  native 
seas,  and  the  mild  influence  which  her  presence  difFused  in  the  palace  of 
Milan,  express  to  every  age  the  natural  sentiments  of  the  heart  in  the  just 
and  pleasing  language  of  allegorical  fiction,'  Gibbon,  c.  29  (end). 


48.  Magno,  '  tall,'  and  so  explaining  elevation.'  Gesner  thinks  that  reference 
'  sustulit.'  Gibbon  speaks  of  the  '  graceful  is  made  at  the  same  time  to  the  practice 
majest}'  of  the  person  of  Theodosius'  c.  26.  of  raising  ('chairing')  the  young  emperor 

49.  Mutatus  ..  Caesar,  i.e.  from  being  on  the  soldiers' shields,  mentioned  by  the 
'  princeps  Juventutis '  thou  becomest  '  Cae-  historians  of  the  period. 

sar,'  and  bearest  these  titles  in  common  6[,  62.  Non   Boreas  .  .  fuit,  '  it  was 

with  Arcadius.  not  Boreas,  nor  Sol  more  fiery  than  usual, 

51.   Nullis,  not  with  the  ablative  '  omi-  that  chased  the  clouds,  but  the  brilliance 

nibus,'  but  the  dative  with  '  adfuit,'  under-  of  the  new  emperor.' 
standing  '  principibus  '  63.   Tuo  . .  sereno.  '  in  the  calm  which 

54.   Levasset,  i.  e.  '  proclaimed   thine  thou  hadst  caused.' 


496  CLAUDIAN. 

MoNS  latus  Eoum  Cypri  praeruptus  obumbrat, 

Invius  humano  gressu,  Phariumque  cubile 

Proteos  et  septem  despectat  cornua  Nili. 

Hunc  neque  canentes  audent  vestire  pruinae  j 

Hunc  venti  pulsare  timent  •    hunc  laedere  nimbi.  5 

Luxuriae  Venerique  vacat :    pars  acrior  anni 

Exulat  y   aeterni  patet  indulgentia  veris. 

In  campum  se  fundit  apex :    hunc  aurea  saepes 

Circuit  et  fulvo  defendit  prata  metallo. 

Mulciber,  ut  perhibent,  his  oscula  conjugis  emit  10 

Moenibus  et  tales  uxorius  obtulit  arces. 

Intus  rura  micant,  manibus  quae  subdita  nullis 

Perpetuum  florent,  Zephyro  contenta  colono : 

Umbrosumque  nemus,  quo  non  admittitur  ales, 

Ni  probet  ante  suos  diva  sub  judice  cantus.  15 

Quae  placuit,  fruitur  ramis ;   quae  victa,  recedit. 

Vivunt  in  Venerem  frondes  omnisque  vicissim 

Felix  arbor  amat :    nutant  ad  mutua  palmae 

Foedera ;   populeo  suspirat  populus  ictu ; 

Et  platani  platanis  alnoque  assibilat  alnus.  20 

Labuntur  gemini  fontes ;    hic  dulcis,  amarus 

Alter,  et  infusis  corrumpunt  mella  venenis, 

Unde  Cupidineas  armavit  fama  sagittas. 

Mille  pharetrati  ludunt  in  margine  fratres, 

1.  Eoum,  i.  e.  the  south-eastern  cor-  the  adverb,  used  by  Statius  and  later 
ner  of  Cyprus,  Egj^pt  being  situated  due      authors  for  '  perpetuo.' 

south.     Some   MSS.   have    'lonium,'   but  Zephyro  ..colono: 'Suavissima  imago 

it    is    doubtful   if  this  name  was   applied  et  Alexandrinum  spirans  ingenium,'  Gesner. 

to    the    Mediterranean  so   far  eastwards ;  G.  Herbert  ('  Providence ')  :  '  Winds  grew 

besides,    that    epithet   would   not    charac-  gardeners.' 

terize  one  side  of  the    island  more  than  17.  Vivunt    in   Venerem  :    '  live   to 

another.  love'  =  'ad   Venerem    exercendam.'     The 

2.  Gressu,  best  taken  perhaps  as  a  theory  of  the  '  Loves  of  the  Plants'  had 
dative  = '  gressui,'  a  common  form  of  that  before  Claudian's  time  been  broached  by 
case  in  the  poets.  Theophrastus   and    Pliny.      Cp.    Prop.  I. 

Pharium  is  the  true  reading,  not  '  va-  19  (18),  19. 

rium.'     Proteus,    the    mythical    king    of  19.   Ictu,    '  the   heart    of  poplar    unto 

Aegypt,    is    particularly    associated    with  poplar  beats.' 

Pharos   by   Homer,   Od.  4.  354,  5   N^ffos  20.   Assibilat,  '  whispers  responsively,' 

tireiTa    Tts    icxTi  iroXvKKvaTcp   ivl    irovTqi  used   of  wind  by  Ausonius   Mosella    258. 

AlyvJTTOv  irpoTtapoiOe,  ^apov  5e  I  kikXt)-  Cp.  Aristoph.  Nub.  1008    otov   nXaravos 

aKovaiv  (where  Menelaus  consults  Proteus) :  vTfXtq.  ypidvpi^rj. 

Ib.  v.  385  foll.  22.   Corrumpunt,  not  '  corrumpit,'  is 

8.   In    campum,   '  ils   summit  spreads  obviously    the    original    reading,    having 

itself  into    table-Iand.'      One    MS     gives  '  fontes'    for   its    subject.      This    allegory 

'  desidit'  for  '  se  fundit.'  picturesquely    expresses    Sappho's    y\vKv- 

13.  Perpetuum  :    a   poetical   form   of  niKpov  tpos. 


CLAUDIAN.  497 

Ore  pares,  similes  habitu,  gens  mollis  Amorum.  25 

Hos  Nymphae  pariunt,  illum  Venus  aurea  solum 

Edidit  j   ille  deos  coelumque  et  sidera  cornu 

Temperat  et  summos  dignatur  figere  reges  : 

Hi  plebem  feriunt.     Ncc  cetera  numina  desunt. 

Hic  habitant  nullo  constricta  Licentia  nodo,  30 

Et  flecti  faciles  Irae,  vinoque  madentes 

Excubiae,  Lacrimaeque  rudes,  et  gratus  amantum 

Pallor,  et  in  primis  titubans  Audacia  furtis, 

Jucundique  Metus,  et  non  secura  Voluptas , 

Et  lasciva  volant  levibus  Perjuria  pennis.  35 

Hos  inter  petulans  alta  cervice  Juventas 

Excludit  Senium  luco.     Procul  atria  divae 

Permutant  radios,  silvaque  obstante  virescunt. 

Lemnius  haec  etiam  gemmis  extruxit  et  auro, 

Admiscens  artem  pretio,  trabibusque  smaragdis  40 

Supposuit  caesas  hyacinthi  rupe  columnas. 

Beryllo  paries  et  iaspide  lubrica  surgunt 

Limina,  despectusque  solo  calcatur  achates. 

In  medio  glebis  redolentibus  area  dives 

Praebet  odoratas  messes  :    hic  mitis  amomi,  45 

Hic  casiae  matura  seges,  Panchaia  turgent 

Cinnama,  nec  sicca  frondescunt  vimina  costo, 

Tardaque  sudanti  prorepunt  balsama  ligno. 

Quo  postquam  delapsus  Amor  longasque  peregit 

26.   Illum,  sc.  '  Cupidinem,' '  Prince  of  39.    Etiam,    i  e.   over   and    above    its 

the  Loves' just  spoken  of,  from  the  '  Cu-  natural  beauty  Vulcan  had  added  art. 
pidineas' of  V.  23.  40.   Trabibusque  smaragdis.    Eme- 

28.   Dignatur  :  his  true  power  is  over  rald  beams  rest  on  sapphire  pillars.     '  Sma- 

gods,    but    '  he    condescends    to    plant    in  ragdis'  (or  Qy.  '  smaragdi,'  the  next  hne 

kings  the  shafts  (' cornu  '  v.  27)  of  love.'  beginning  with  an  '  s')  =  '  smaragdinis,'  ab- 

The  'Loves'  content  themselves  with  lesser  lative  in  apposition. 
game.  41.   Hyacinthi,  a  stone  of  the  colour 

31.  Flecti  faciles,  i.  e.  because  lovers'  ofthefiower.     Claudian  is  fond  of  details 
quarrels  are  proverbially  short.  as  regards  jewels :  cp.  Quart.  Cons.  Hon. 

32.  Rudes,  '  strange,'  '  unfamiliar,'  un-  585  foll.  :   Laud.  Stil.  2.  88  foll. 

like  any  tears  shed  before,  as  Shakspeare's  43.   Solo,  i.e.  the  palace  is  floored  with 

As  You  Like  It  (of  Love),  '  It  is  to  be  all  agate  as  though  of  no  value. 

made   of  sighs   and   tears,'   or   '  awkward  Achates,  called  from  the  river  in  Sicily 

tears,'  lovers  being  naturally  more  used  to  where  the  stone  was  first  found. 

smiles.  48.  Tardaque  ;  a  good  instance  of  the 

38.  Permutant  . .  virescunt :  the  rays  sound    suited    to    the    sense    of    the    line. 

of  the  palace,  shot  far  and  wide,  mingle  Claudian  may  have  had  in  mind  Ov.  M. 

with  the  hues  of  surrounding  objects,  and  10.  307    '  Sit    dives    amomo    Cinnamaque 

the  gold  blends  with  the  green  of  the  grove  costumque     suam    sudataque    ligno    Tura 

that  stands  in  its  front.  ferat '  etc. 

K  k 


498  CLAUDIAN. 

Penna  vias  j    alacer  passuque  superbior  intrat.  50 

Caesariem  tum  forte  Venus  subnixa  corusco 

Fingebat  solio  j   dextra  laevaque  sorores 

Stabant  Idaliae.     Largos  haec  nectaris  imbres 

Irrigat :    haec  morsu  numerosi  dentis  eburno 

Multifidum  discrimen  arat :    sed  tertia  retro  55 

Dat  varios  nexus  et  justo  dividit  orbes 

Ordine,  neglectam  partem  studiosa  relinquens. 

Plus  error  decuit ;   speculi  nec  vultus  egebat 

Judicio :    similis  tecto  monstratur  in  omni, 

Et  rapitur  quocumque  videt.     Dum  singula  cernit  60 

Seque  probat,  nati  venientis  conspicit  umbram  j 

Ambrosioque  sinu  puerum  compJexa  ferocem. 


CXXXI. 


DE   BELLO   GILDONICO.     28-127. 

The  goddess  of  Rome,  dejected  and  weak,  appears  before  the  throne 
of  Jupiter,  beseeching  to  be  defended  from  the  imminent  danger  of  famine, 
caused  by  the  revolt  of  Gildo,  the  tyrant  of  Africa,  a.d.  386-398.  She 
complains  that  her  former  strength  and  glory  are  gone  with  her  repubhcan 
institutions.  Under  the  Empire  she  had  acquired  regular  corn-supphes 
from  Egypt  and  Libya :  but  of  these  the  former  had  been  withdrawn  to 
the  Eastern  empire ;  and  now  cut  ofF  from  the  latter  by  the  insolence 
of  Gildo,  she  seems  to  be  doomed  to  starvation,  a  pitiable  return  for  all 
her  past  conquests  on  African  shores,  and  over  African  chiefs.  It  were 
better  to  return  to  the  narrow  limits  of  her  once  happy  and  contented 
repubhc  than  to  starve  with  the  huge  population  of  an  enfeebled  empire ; 
rather  would  she  perish  under  the  sword  of  another  Brennus  or  Porsena, 
than  in  the  pangs  and  ignominy  of  Famine.     See  Gibbon,  c.  29. 

50.   Superbior,  '  prouder  than  ever  be-  negligence  that  adds  to  beauty. 

fore,'    i.  e.    at   having   inflamed    Honorius  59,  60.  Similis  . .  videt :  she  needs  no 

with   love :  see  v.  117  of  the  poem,  '  im-  mirror,  for  the  marble  and  jewelled  house 

mane  tropaeum  Retulimus  :    nostrum  jam  reflects  her  face  on  every  side,  and  whither- 

sentit  Honorius  arcum.'  soever  she  looks,  her  image  glances  on  the 

52.   Sorores:  the  Graces  are  probably  walls.     For  rapitur,  thus  strangely  used, 

here  meant.  Prof.  Conington  happily  conjectures  '  capi- 

55.   Discrimen,   the  'parting'  of  the  tur,'  as  Virg.  Ae.  8.  311  '  Miratur,  faciles- 

hair,   as  in  Ov.  Ars  Am.  2.  303  '  Compo-  que  oculos  fert  omnia  circum  Aeneas,  capi- 

situm  discrimen  erit :  discrimina  lauda.'  turque  locis.' 

57-    Neglectam  ..studiosa:    a    de-  62.  Ferocem,  '  spirited,' '  insolent :'  as 

signed    antithesis    to    express    the    studied  above,  v.  50  '  superbior  intrat.' 


CLAUDIAN.  499 

Sr  mea  mansuris  merueiunt  moenia  nasci, 

Jupiter,  auguriis  j    si  stant  immota  Sibyllae 

Carmina ;   Tarpeias  si  necdum  respuis  arces : 

Advenio  supplex,  non  ut  proculcet  Araxem 

Consul  ovans,  nostracve  premant  pharetrata  secures         s 

Susa,  nec  ut  rubris  aquilas  figamus  arenis. 

Haec  nobis,  haec  ante  dabas  :    nunc  pabula  tantum 

Roma  precor:    miserere  tuae,  Pater  optime,  gentis; 

Extremam  defende  famem.     Satiavimus  iram, 

Si  qua  fuit :    lugenda  Getis  et  flenda  Suevis  lo 

Hausimus  j   ipsa  meos  exhorret  Parthia  casus. 

Quid  referam  morbive  luem,  cumulosve  repletos 

Stragibus,  et  crebras  corrupto  sidere  mortes? 

Aut  fluvium  per  tecta  vagum  summisque  minantem 

Collibus  ?    ingentes  vexi  submersa  carinas,  15 

Remorumque  sonos  et  Pyrrhae  saecula  sensi. 

Hei  mihi !    quo  Latiae  vires  Urbisque  potestas 

Recidit  ?    in  qualem  paulatim  fluximus  umbram  ? 

Armato  quondam  populo  patriisque  vigebam 

Consiliis  :    domui  terras  urbesque  revinxi  20 

I.  Meruerunt,  as  Gesner  explains, '  fato  else  but  here  :  '  exhorresco'  is  the  classical 
quodam  propitio  consecuta  sunt.'  '  Man-  form.  The  rarity  of  the  word  probably 
suris'  is  the  emphatic  word.  Observe  the  accounts  for  the  '  horreret,'  'horrebat'  etc. 
strong  alliteration  here.  of  some  editions. 

3.  Necdum='et  si  nondum:'  but  it  12.   Cumulos  :   some   texts   have  '  tu- 
appears  rather  to  be  used  indiscriminately  mulos  ; '  but  the  former  is  more  forcible. 
with  'nondum  :'  cp.  In  Ruf.  2.  206.   '  Nec'  We  have  the  same  variety  in  Prob.  Cons. 
is  of  course  an  older  form  of  the  negative  v.  110  '  Crescunt  in  cumulum  strages.' 
than  '  non.'                                                                  13.  Corrupto  sidere,  '  from  the  poi- 

4.  Araxem.denoting  the  Scythians  and  soned  air :'  so  Nemesianus  Cyn.  211 
Bactrians.  Most  MSS.  give  '  Oaxen,' which  '  letale  periclum  Quod  seu  coelesti  cor- 
being  in  Crete  (see  Virg.  E.  i.  66  '  Cretae  rupto  sidere  manat.'  Cp.  Virg.  Ae.  3.  138 
veniemus  Oa.xen')  is  wholly  inapplicable  '  Corrupto  coeli  tractu.'  The  state  of  the 
here,  unless  it  can  stand  for  the  '  Oxus.'  air  was   caused  by  the  constellations,  ac- 

5,6.  Pharetrata  ..  Susa,  i.e.  the  capital  cording  to  Roman  behef. 
of  the  Parthian  archers  or  tTrTTOTo^oraj.  J4.    Vagum  :    cp.    Hor.    Od.  r.   2,  18 

Secures,  the  axes  borne  amid  the  con-  (which  Claudian  has  evidently  in  his  mind) 

sular  '  fasces.'  '  vagus  et  sinistra  Labitur  ripa.' 

7.   Pabula:  '  the  subsistence  of  Rome  18.  Recidit,  better  than  the  'decidit' 

depended  on  the  harvests  of  Africa,  and  it  of  many   editions.     The  first   syllable    of 

was  evident  that  a  declaration  of  war  with  '  recldo'  is  commonly  long   in  the  poets, 

its  prince  would  be  the  signal  of  famine'  of 'recldo'  never. 

(Gibbon).      See    below,   v.  43    '  Pascimur  19,  20.     Armato    .  .    consiliis,    i.  e. 

arbitrio  Mauri.'  through    the    arms  of  the   whole    people, 

10.   Getis  ..  Suevis,  i.  e.   that   might  and   the  wisdom   of  my  senators,    I   vvon 

stir  the  pity  of  our  deadliest  foes.     Lu-  strength  and  fame.     Bentley  on  Hor.  Od. 

can  and   Silius    also    use    the    open    form  3.  6,  20   doubts    if  'patriis'  could   mean 

'  Suevi.*  anything  but   '  Romuli    (why   not   rather 

II.  Exhorret,  perhaps  found  nowhere  '  Martis'?)  parentis  consiliis.'     With  some 

K  k  2 


CLAUDIAN. 

Legibus  •    ad  solem  victrix  utrumque  cucurri. 

Postquam  jura  ferox  in  se  communia  Caesar 

Transtulit,  et  lapsi  mores,  desuetaque  priscis 

Artibus  in  gremium  pacis  servile  recessi, 

Tot  mihi  pro  meritis  Libyam  Nilumque  dedere,  25 

Ut  dominam  plebem  bellatoremque  senatum 

Classibus  aestivis  alerent,  geminoque  vicissim 

Litore  diversi  complerent  horrea  venti. 

Stabat  certa  salus :   Memphis  si  forte  negasset, 

Pensabam  Pharium  Gaetulis  messibus  annum.  30 

Frugiferas  certare  rates  lateque  videbam 

Punica  Niliacis  concurrere  carbasa  velis. 

Cum  subiit  par  Roma  mihi,  divisaque  sumpsit 

Aequales  Aurora  togas,  Aegyptia  rura 

In  partem  cessere  novam  :    spes  unica  nobis  35 

Restabat  Libye,  quae  vix  aegreque  fovebat 

Solo  ducta  Noto,  nunquam  secura  futuri, 

Semper  inops,  ventique  fidem  poscebat  et  anni. 

Hanc  quoque  nunc  Gildo  rapuit  sub  hne  cadentis 

Auctumni  :   pavido  metimur  caerula  voto,  40 

Puppis  si  qua  venit,  si  quid  fortasse  potenti 


good   MSS.   he  reads   '  Armatis  quondam  3.70 'EflFusis  magnum  Libye  tulit  imbribus 

populi    patrunique  vigebam   Conciliis,'   an  annum.' 

excellent  description,  it  must  be  allowed,  33.   Par   Roma,  Constantinople.     '  E- 

of   the    '  Comitia    Centuriata*    under    the  gypt,  a  small  and  populous  tract,  was  still 

Republic.  capable  of  exporting,  each  year,  260,000 

22.   A    remarkable   instance  of  Repub-  quarters  of  wheat  for  the  use  of  Constan- 

lican    sympathies    boldly    expressed    by    a  tinople,'  Gibbon,  c.  40. 

court  poet,  more  natural  in  the  mouth  of  34.   Aequales  ..  togas,  '  adopted  Ro- 

Tacitus  :    cp.  Ann.  i.  2   '  Munia    senatus,  man  dress,' perhaps  also  implying  that  the 

magistratuum,  legum  in  se  trahere.'     See  Eastern   empire   was    as    populous    as   the 

a  similar  outburst  of  Repubhcan  patriotism,  West,  which  at  first  was  the  case. 

not  probablv  displeasing  to  StiHcho,  Laud.  Aurora,   of  the    Eastern   empire  :   cp. 

StiL  I.  325-333.  Quart.  Cons.  Hon.  130  (10)  '  Sed  nutrix 

25.  Meritis,  ironical,  i.  e.  as  a  reward  Aurora  tibi.' 

for  yielding  my  independence.  36,  37.  Quae  ..  Noto,  i.  e.  if  the  south 

Dedere    is    awkward    without    a    sub-  wind  did  not  blow,  there  was  no  more  any 

ject :  '  Caesares '  may  be  understood  from  Egypt   for   corn  to  come   from    with    an 

V.  2  2.  easterly  breeze.     '  Spes,'  not  '  Libye,'  is  of 

26.  Dominam  ..  bellatorem,   ironi-  course  the  subject  of  '  quae  ..  ducta.' 

cal :    'plebem'    includes    a    sneer   as    con-  38.  Venti    fidem,  '  required  certainty 

trasted  with  the  '  populus'  (v.  19)  of  Re-  both  of  produce  and  wind'  to  convey  it : 

publican  days.  cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  16,  30  '  segetis  certa  fides 

27.  28.    Gemino  ..diversi:  i.  e.  the  meae.' 

south  winds   wafting  the  corn  ships  from  40.   Metimur,  sc.  'oculis;'    we    gaze 

Africa,  the  east  wind  from  Egypt.  for  ships  and  caiculate  how  soon  they  can 

30.   Annum,  i.  q.  '  annonam,'  as  Lucan  arrive. 


CLAUDIAN.  501 

Vel  pudor  extorsit  domino,  vel  pracdo  reliquit. 

Pascimur  arbitrio  Mauri,  nec  debita  reddi, 

Sed  sua  concedi  jactat  gaudetque  diurnos, 

Ut  famulae,  praebere  cibos,  vitamque  famemque  45 

Librat  barbarico  fastu  vulgique  superbit 

Fletibus  et  tantae  suspendit  fata  ruinae, 

Romuleas  vendit  segetes  et  possidet  arva 

Vulneribus  quaesita  meis.     Ideone  tot  annos 

Flebile  cum  tumida  bellum  Carthagine  gessi  ?  50 

Idcirco  voluit  contempta  luce  reverti 

Regulus  ?    haec  damnis,  genitor,  Cannensibus  emi  ? 

Incassum  toties  lituis  navalibus  arsit 

Hispanum  Siculumque  fretum  ?    vastataque  tellus, 

Totque  duces  caesi,  ruptaque  immissus  ab  Alpe  55 

Poenus,  et  attonitae  jam  proximus  Hannibal  Urbi  ? 

Scilicet,  ut  domitis  frueretur  Barbarus  Afris, 

Muro  sustinui  Martem  noctesque  cruentas 

Collina  pro  turre  tuli  ?     Gildonis  ad  usum 

Carthago  ter  victa  ruit  ?     Hoc  mille  gementis  60 

Italiae  clades  impensaque  saecula  bello, 

Hoc  Fabius  fortisque  mihi  Marcellus  agebant, 

Ut  Gildo  cumularet  opes  ?     Haurire  venena 

Compulimus  dirum  Hannibalem,  fractumque  Metello 


42.  Domino  vel  praedo,  i.  e.  Gildo, 
as  a  prince,  may  condescend  to  allovv  some- 
thing  to  Rome  ;  as  a  robber,  he  may  spare 
us  his  leavings. 

48.  Romuleas,  i.  e.  won  through  con- 
quest  by  the  children  of  Romuhis. 

53,54.  Lituis  ..  arsit  ..  fretum.some- 
what  violent  metaphors.  Cp.  Aesch.  Pers. 
395  (raAm7£  S'  avTfi  TrdvT  kKiiv  knk- 
(pKfyev  ;  Virg.  Ae.  li.  147  '  incendunt  cla- 
moribus  urbem;'  ib.  10.894;  Shakspeare's 
'  what  fire  is  in  my  ears.'  Gesner  explains 
it  by  '  motus  ille  intestinus  et  turbidus 
qui  existit  in  concursu  classium  post  signa 
lituis  data  concurrentium  et  miscentium 
orania.' 

55.  Immissus  is  preferable  to  the 
'emissus'  of  many  editions.  The  AIps 
were  not  Hannibal's  starting-point,  but  the 
heights  from  which  he  '  sprang  on'  Ronie  : 
cp.  De  Bell.  Get.  64I  (44)  '  Cimbrica  tem- 
pestas  aliasque  immissa  per  Alpes'  (where 
there  is  no  variety  of  reading). 

56.  Proximus.     Here    aad    below    at 


v.  59  Claudian  seems  to  imitate  Juv.  6. 
290  '  proximus  urbi  Hannibal  et  stantes 
Collina  turre  mariti.' 

57.  Domitis,  i.  e.  '  which  I  subdued, 
not  he.' 

58.  Muro,  the  emendation  of  Heinsius 
for  '  Mauro'  (MSS.),  which  dces  not  suit 
the  context. 

69.  Collina  :  see  Livy  26.  10  '  Placuit 
consules  circa  portas  Collinam  Esquili- 
namque  ponere  castra.'  '  Turris '  is  the 
fortified  gate. 

60.  Ter,  in  reference  to  the  three  Punic 
wars.  The  last  syllable  of  '  ruit'  is  length- 
ened  in  caesura. 

64.  Hannibalem  is  Barth's  conjecture 
in  place  of  '  Syphacem,'  which  appears  in 
all  the  MSS.,  but  which  militates  not 
only  against  history,  but  metre,  the  penul- 
tima  being  always  long.  Some  copyist 
must  have  altered  '  Hannibalem'  into  '  Sy- 
phacem,'  thinking  probably  that  the  con- 
text  required  the  mention  of  a  Numidian 
priace,  or,  as  Gesner  suggests,  from  somc 


502  CLAUDIAN. 

Traximiis  immanem  Marii  sub  vincla  Jugurtham ;  65 

Et  Numidae  Gildonis  erunt  ?     Proh  funera  tanta ! 

Proh  labor  !     In  Bocchi  regnum  sudavit  uterque 

Scipio  ?     Romano  vicistis  sanguine  Mauri  ? 

Ille  diu  miles  populus,  qui  praefuit  orbi, 

Qui  trabeas  et  sceptra  dabat,  quem  semper  in  armis     70 

Horribilem  gentes,  placidum  sensere  subactae, 

Nunc  inhonorus,  egens,  psrfert  miserabile  pacis 

Supplicium,  nulloque  palam  circumdatus  hoste 

Obsessi  discrimen  habet.     Per  singula  letum 

Impendet  momenta  mihi,  dubitandaque  pauci  75 

Praescribunt  alimenta  dies.     Heu  prospera  fata ! 

Quid  mihi  septenos  montes  turbamque  dedisti, 

Quae  parvo  non  posset  aii  ?     FeHcior  essem 

Angustis  opibus :    mallem  tolerare  Sabinos, 

Et  Veios.     Brevior  duxi  securius  aevum :  80 

Ipsa  nocet  moles.     Utinam  remeare  liceret 

Ad  veteres  fines,  et  moenia  pauperis  Anci ! 

Sufficerent  Etrusca  mihi  Campanaque  culta, 

Et  Quincti  Curiique  seges,  patriaeque  petenti 

Rusticus  inferret  proprias  dictator  aristas.  85 

Nunc  quid  agam  ?     Libyam  Gildo  tenet,  altera  Nilum. 

Ast  ego,  quae  terras  humeris  Pontumque  subegi, 


confusion  with  Sophonisba,  wife  of  Syphax,  is  the   supply   of  more.      Claudian  some- 

who  drank  the  poison  sent  her  by  Masi-  times   becomes   obscure  by   awkward   at- 

nissa.  tempts  to  condense. 

67,68.  In  Bocchi  regnum  ..  Mauri.  77.   Dedisti,  sc. 'Jupiter,' to  whom  the 

'Was  it  to  win  for  Bocchus  a  sceptre  that  speech  in  the  main  is  addressed  :  see  v.  2. 

the  Scipios  toiled  ?  was  it  to  give  victory  'Dedistis'   was   only   read   to    refer   it   to 

to  Moors  that   Rome   shed   her   blood?'  '  fata,'    for    which    last    Heinsius    suggests 

It   is   better,    as   in  Weber,  to   make  the  '  fati.' 

sentence  interrogative,  than,  with  Gesner,  79.  Tolerare,   content    with   the    Sa- 

categorical.     The  latter  thinks  the  second  bines  and  Veientines  for  neighbours,  had 

clause  means  that  the  victory  of  the  Mau-  her  empire  stretched  no  further  than  these 

ritanians  was  endurable,  because  later  they  territories. 
became  such  firm  friends  to  Rome.  80.    Brevior,   i.  e.  when    of  narrower 

70.   In  armis  :  see  on  Prop.  4  (3).  22,  compass.     Lines  like  these,  broken  up  into 

19  '  Armis  apta   magis  teUus  quam   com-  short  epigrammatic  sentences,  are  quite  in 

moda  noxae.'  Claudian's  style  :  e.  g.  see  vv.  339-346  of 

72.  Pacis  ..  supplicium, '  endures  the  this  poem. 
piteous  penahy  of  peace,' i.  e.  humlHation  85.   Proprias,   i.  e.   not   depending   on 

and   impotence :  Claudian  is   thinking    of  importation.     Cincinnatus  might  ofter  not 

Juv.  6.  292   '  Nunc  patimur  longae  pacis  onl)^  his  services  as  a  general,  but  his  pro- 

mala.'  duce  as  a  farmer  to  his  distressed  country. 

75,  76.  Dubitandaque  ..  dies,  i.e.  the  86.   Altera,    sc.  '  Roma' =  Constanti- 

few   short   days   (that    it   will    last)    Hmit  nople :  see  above,  v.  34. 
the  consumption  of  our  food,  and  perilous  87.   Humeris  appears  in  aU  the  MSS. ; 


CLAUDIAN.  503 

Deseror :    emeritae  jam  pracmia  nulla  senectae. 

Di,  quibus  iratis  crevi,  succurrite  tandem, 

Exorate  Patrem  :    tuque  o,  si  sponte  per  altum  90 

Vecta  Palatinis  mutasti  collibus  Idam, 

Praelatoque  lavas  Phrygios  Almone  lcones, 

Maternis  natum  precibus  jam  flecte,  Cybebe. 

Sin  prohibent  Parcae,  falsisque  elusa  vetustas 

Auspiciis,  alio  saltem  prosternite  casu,  95 

Et  poenae  mutate  genus.     Porsenna  reducat 

Tarquinios :    renovet  ferales  AUia  pugnas. 

Me  potius  saevi  manibus  permittite  Pyrrhi : 

Me  Senonum  furiis,  Brenni  me  reddite  flammis. 

Cuncta  fame  leviora  mihi.  100 


CXXXII. 

DE   LAUDIBUS  STILICHONIS. 

LiB.  II.  100-172. 

The  poet  here  portrays  the  moral  virtues  of  Stilicho — his  justice,  tem- 
perance,  and  freedom  from  avarice  and  ambition.  Property  and  cha- 
racter  were  ahke  safe  under  his  administration ;  virtue,  art,  and  Hterature 
never  failed  to  receive  from  him  their  rewards.  Unbeguiled  by  sloth, 
self-indulgence,  or  sensuality,  he  was  the  darhng  of  the  soldiery,  from 
whom  he  never  withheld  their  rights,  while  he  always  treated  them  with 
affability,  and  due  appreciation  of  individual  excellence.  The  emperor's 
father-in-law  was  always  the  plain  and  modest  citizen ;  while  the  wit  and 
wisdom  of  his  conversation  suited  ahke  the  philosopher  and  the  soldier. 


'juvenis'   and   'numeris'  have   been  con-  Lucan  I.  6oo   '  Et   lotam  parvo   revocant 

jectured.     Barth  illustrates  the  expression  Almone  Cybeben.' 

in  the  text  by  Sesostris'  famous  inscription  93.   Natum,  i  e.  Jupiter.     The  Cretan 

given  by  Hdt.  2. 106  €701  TTjvSe  t^v  X'^?!^  Rhea,  wife  of  Cronos,  having  been  iden- 

ufjioiai  TOiai  ifiolai  iiCTT]ffa.fj.T]v.  tified  vvith  the  Phrygian  Cybele,  the  latter 

88.   Emeritae  :    metaphor    from    war-  is  here  called  the  '  mother  of  Jove.'     Cp. 

fare;  'having  served  out  my  time  no  prize  Virg.  Ae.  9.  82  foU. 

awaits    me   in    my  old    age.'     Martial  7.  94.   Prohibent.     If  the  Fates  prevent 

63,  II.  Jupiter  from  saving  Rome  from   destruc- 

91.  Mutasti.     For   the  translation   of  tion,  at  least  let  the  latter  be  WTOught  in 
Cybele  to  Rome  see  Ov.  Fast.  4.  255  foll.,  some  other  way  than  by  famine. 

and  Livy  29,  c.  11  and  14.  94,  95.   Falsisque  .  .  auspiciis,  '  and 

92.  Almone:    Ov.  L  c.  '  Est  locus  in  antiquity  has  been  deceived  by   flattering 
Tiberim  qua  lubricus   influit  Almo.'     Cp.  auguries.' 


504  CLAUDIAN. 

Omnes  praeterea,  puro  quae  crimina  pellunt 

Ore  deae,  junxere  choros  unoque  receptae 

Pectore  diversos  tecum  cinguntur  in  usus. 

Justitia  utilibus  rectum  praeponere  suadet, 

Communesque  sequi  leges,  injustaque  nunquam  5 

Largiri  sociis  :    durum  Patientia  corpus 

Instruit,  ut  nuUi  cupiat  cessisse  labori  • 

Temperies,  ut  casta  petas ;   Prudentia,  ne  quid 

Inconsultus  agas  j   Constantia,  futile  ne  quid 

Infirmumque  geras.     Procul  importuna  fugantur  10 

Numina,  monstriferis  quae  Tartarus  edidit  antris. 

Ac  primam  scelerum  matrem,  quae  semper  habendo 

Plus  sitiens  patulis  rimatur  faucibus  aurum, 

Trudis  Avaritiam ;    cujus  fidissima  nutrix 

Ambitio,  quae  vestibulis  foribusque  potentum  15 

Excubat  et  pretiis  commercia  pascit  honorum, 

Pulsa  simul :    nec  te  gurges  cormptior  aevi 

Traxit  ad  exemplum  j   qui  jam  firmaverat  annis 

Crimen,  et  in  legem  rapiendi  verterat  usum. 

Denique  non  dives  sub  te  pro  rure  paterno,  20 

Vel  laribus  pallet  j    non  insidiator  oberrat 


1,2.   Puro  ..  ore,  '  who  with  the  light  Monstriferis,   like    several    adjectives 

of  their  clear  eye  scatter  the  darkness  of  compouuded  with  '  fero,'  is  a  coinage  of 

guilt:'  cp.   Proverbs    20.8   '  Rex   dissipat  the  later  poets,  and  an  especial  favourite 

omne  malum  intuitu  suo.'     One  MS.  has  with  Val.  Flaccus. 
'  orbe' for  '  ore.'  16.    Commercia    pascit,  '  and    feeds 

3.   Cinguntur  =  '  accinguntur  :'  as  In  the  traffic  in  public  offices  with  her  bribes,' 

Ruf.  I.  49,'apply  themselves,' middle  sense;  i.  e.   the    marketing   of  honours   increases 

just  as  couversely  '  cingunt  se' is  used  for  with   the   increasc   of   readiness   to   bribe. 

the  passive  occasionally.     There   may  be  Some   would   read  '  poscit.'     Ambition   is 

at    the    same    time    the    notion    of    the  thus  called  the  '  nurse' of  Avarice,  because 

goddesses    being    lodged     in    the    breast,  her  eagerness  to  win  honours  by  corrup- 

and    so  being  girded,  when  the  latter    is  tion  feeds  and  keeps  alive  the  appetite  for 

girded.  money. 

5.   Communes,  '  impartiah'  19.  Rapiendi,  with  '  usum,' '  the  prac- 

Injustaque,  '  and  never  even  on  friends  tice  of  greed  time  had  changed  into  a  law,' 

bestow  more  than  is  their  due.'    Heinsius's  i.  e.  the  law  seemed  to   sanction   what   it 

conjecture  '  largiri  facilis'  for  '  1.  sociis'  is  made  no  eiforts  to  repress.     '  Rapere'  may 

unnecessary.  apply  as  well  to  the  unlawful   getting  of 

8.   Temperies,   in   the  later  poets,  is  honours,    as    to    the    unlawful    snatching 

used    in    the    sense    of    '  temperantia '    or  of   their   price.      '  Qui  ..usum'  are    sup- 

aaiiftpoavvT] :  cp.  Stat.  Silv.  2.  6,  49.  ported  by  better  aulhority  than  '  quod  .  . 

II.   Numina,  of  the  Powers  of  Vice,  usus.'       Stilicho's    integrity    is    still    more 

as    'Deae'  v.  2    of   the    Virtues:  cp.  De  firmly  established  by  the  unwilling  evidence 

Nup.   Hon.   77(29)   '  nec    cetera    numina  of  the  contemporary  historian  Zosimus  :  see 

desunt,'    said    of   '  Licentia,'   '  Irae,'   '  Au-  Gibbon,  c.  29. 
dacia' etc.  21.   Pallet.    '  Pendet'  is  found  in  some 


4 


CLAUDIAN. 


505 


Facturus  quemcumque  reum  j    non  obruta  virtus 

Paupertate  latet :   lectos  ex  omnibus  oris 

Evehis,  et  meritum,  non  quae  cunabula,  quaeris  j 

Et  qualis,  non  unde  satus.     Sub  teste  benigno  25 

Vivitur  y   egregios  invitant  praemia  mores. 

Hinc  priscae  redeunt  artes ;    felicibus  inde 

Ingeniis  aperitur  iter  despectaque  Musae 

Colla  levant ;   opibusque  fluens  et  pauper  eodem 

Nititur  ad  fructum  studio,  cum  cernat  uterque,  30 

Quod  nec  inops  jaceat  probitas,  nec  inertia  surgat 

Divitiis.     Nec  te  jucunda  fronte  fefellit 

Luxuries,  praedulce  malum,  quae  dedita  semper 

Corporis  arbitriis  hebetat  caligine  sensus 

Membraque  Circaeis  effeminat  acrius  herbis ;  35 

Blanda  quidem  vultus,  sed  qua  non  tetrior  ulla 

Interius :   fucata  genas  et  amicta  dolosis 

Illecebris  torvos  auro  circumlinit  hydros. 

Illa  voluptatum  multos  innexuit  hamis : 

Te  nunquam  conata  capit.     Non  prava  libido  40 

Stupris  advigilat ;    non  tempora  somnus  agendi 


MSS. :  the  meaning  would  be  much  the 
same :  '  none  is  anxious  or  fearful.' 

Insidiator,  i.  q.  '  delator,' '  false,  trea- 
cherous  accuser.' 

22.  Facturus,  the  best  reading,  the 
emphasis  being  on  '  quemcunque.'  Some 
MSS.  have  '  fracturus,'  as  Laud.  Stil.  I.  362 
'  Fracturumque  reos  humili  sub  judice  Vu\- 
tus.'      Heinsius  suggests  '  acturus.' 

24.  Evehis,  '  exalt'  sc.  '  in  honores:' 
generally  quaUfied  by  some  such  words  as 
'  ad  deos'  (Hor.  Od.  I.  i,  6),  '  ad  aethera' 
(Virg.  Ae.  6.  130),  '  in  coelum'   (Juv.  1. 

38). 

Non  quae  rests  on  better  authority 
than  '  nunquam.'  If  the  following  words 
do  not  involve  tautology,  the  first  part  of 
the  sentence  regards  the  birth-place  ('cuna- 
bula'),  the  second  the  'parentage'  of  the 
candidate. 

29.  Opibus  f  luens.  This  use  of  '  fiuo' 
for  '  affluo'  is  rarely,  if  ever,  found  in 
classical  writers ;  we  find  an  early  instance 
in  Plaut.  M.  G.  4.  8,  12  '  fluat  facetiis.' 

31.  Quod.  '  Cum  cadente  latinitate 
frequens  usus  tov  quod  invaluit,  idque  non 
solum  ubi  infinitivus  cum  accusativo  sed 
adeo,  ubi  "  ut "  requirebatur,  poni  coeptum 


est.'  Wernsdorf,  Excursus  to  Calpurn.  Ecl. 
3.  34:  see  Madv.  L.  Gr.  §  398  b,  obs.  3. 
'  Scio  quod  .  .  amet'  is  however  found  in 
Plautus,  Asin.  i.  I,  37.  Claudian  uses  it 
after  'credo'  in  Rapt.  Pros.  3.  223  '  Nec 
credit  quod  bruma  rosas  innoxia  servet ; ' 
after  'promitto'  Epist.  2.  39 ;  and  after 
'cerno'  Laud.  Stil.  2.  130(31). 

34.  Sensus,  not  the  bodily  senses,  but 
the  feelings  and  faculties  of  mind  (below, 

V.  56). 

35.  Effeminat,  a  word  used  by  Cicero 
frequently  but  not  found  in  any  good  poet 
but  Claudian. 

37.  Interius,  '  inwardly,'  not  '  when 
looked  at  nearer,'  as  opp.  to  '  vultus.' 
Heinsius  made  out  from  the  MSS.  '  ul- 
trices,'  which  he  takes  with  '  genas,'  but 
with  what  meaning  does  not  appear. 
Gesner  suggests  '  Ultricum'  =  '  Furiarum,' 
thus  providing  a  subject  for  '  ulla.' 

38.  Circumlinit,  '  covers  them  up 
with  gold,'  to  hide  them  from  her  victims : 
Ovid  (M.  II.  136)  caUs  Midas  '  circum- 
litus  auro.'  Some  read  '  circumligat,'  and 
'  circumfluit.' 

40.  Nunquam,  to  be  taken  of  course 
with  '  capit,'  not  '  conata.' 


5o6  CLAUDIAN. 

Frustratur ;    nullo  citharae  convivia  cantu, 

Non  pueris  lasciva  sonant.     Quis  cernere  curis 

Te  vacuum  potuit  ?   quis  tota  mente  remissum, 

Aut  indulgentem  dapibus,  ni  causa  juberet  45 

Laetitiae  ?     Non  indecores  aeraria  lassant 

Expensae  :    parvo  non  improba  litera  libro 

Absentum  condonat  opes.     A  milite  parcus 

Diligeris ;    neque  enim  neglectas  pace  cohortes 

Tum  ditas,  cum  bella  fremunt.     Scis  nuUa  placere         50 

Munera,  quae  metuens  illis,  quos  spreverit,  ofFert 

Serus  et  incassum  servati  prodigus  auri. 

Antevenis  tempus,  non  expectantibus  ultro 

Munificus,  mensaeque  adhibes  et  nomine  quemque 

Compellas,  clari,  sub  te  quod  gesserit  olim,  55 

Admonitor  facti  •    figendaque  sensibus  addis 

Verba,  quibus  magni  geminatur  gratia  doni. 

Nec  si  quid  tribuas,  jactatum  saepius  idem 

Exprobrare  soles :   nec  quos  promoveris,  alto 

Turgidus  alloqueris  fastu  j   nec  prospera  flatus  60 

AttoUunt  nimios.     Quin  ipsa  superbia  longe 

Discessit,  vitium  rebus  sollemne  secundis, 

Virtutumque  ingrata  comes.     Contingere  passim 

AfFarique  licet.     Non  inter  pocula  sermo 

Captatur,  pura  sed  libertate  loquendi  65 

Seria  quisque  jocis  nulla  formidine  miscet. 

Quem  videt  Augusti  socerum  regnique  parentem. 


46.  Lassant,  as  we  say,  'burthen'  or  of  gratitude.     Cp.  In  Eutrop.  2.  319  '  nec 
'  exhaust   the  treasury.'     Gesner  suspects,  grata  timentum  Munera.' 

and  very  probably,   that    Claudian   wrote  53.   Ultro,  with  '  muniiicus,' '  forwardly 

'  laxant.'  generous,'    explained   by    '  non   expectan- 

47.  Expensae,   a   word   found    in   no  tibus.' 

poet   or  prose   author  but   Claudian  ;  the  58.  Jactatum,equivalent  to 'jactando  :' 

usual  form  is  '  impensae.'  cp.  Ov.  M.  i.  25  'dissociata'  =  '  dissoci- 

48.  Condonat,  '  awards  to  others,' or  ando.' 

'  coniiscates  to  the  treasury;'  one  edition  Idem  marks  the  inconsistency  between 

has  '  condemnat.'  the   generosity  implied   in  '  tribuere,'  and 

Parcus,    '  though     thrifty,'     i.  e.    not  the  ungenerousness  of  casting  the  favour 

courting  their  influence  or  favour  by  lar-  in  the  receiver's  teeth. 
gesses.  65.  Pura,  i.e.  unmixed  with  either  fear 

52.  Incassum,  if  taken  with  'servati,'  or    licence :  'libertate'   is    either    the    ab- 

must  mean  that  it  was  of  no  use  hoarding  lative    absolute,    or    ablative    of    circum- 

it,  as  it  must  be  lavished  in  the  end ;  but  stance. 

it  is  better  to  join  it  with  '  prodigus,*  i.  e.  67.   Socerum  :  Honorius  was  married 

such  gifts,  however  profuse,  yield  no  fruits  to  Maria,  daughter  of  Stilicho. 


CLAUDIAN.  507 

Miratur  conviva  parem,  cum  tanta  potestas 

Civem  lenis  agat.     Te  doctus  prisca  loquentem, 

Te  matura  senex  audit,  te  fortia  miles,  70 

Adspersis  salibus,  quibus  haud  Amphiona  quisquam 

Praeferat  Aonios  meditantem  carmine  muros, 

Nec  velit  Orpheo  migrantes  pectine  silvas. 


CXXXIII. 

DE   BELLO   GETICO.     598  to  end. 

This  is  Claudian's  'strong  and  elegant  peroration'  to  his  Poem  on  the 
Gothic  war,  consummated  by  the  'Battle  of  Pollentia'  (twenty-five  miles 
S.  E.  from  Turin),  in  which  Stilicho  surprised  and  overthrew  Alaric 
with  his  spoil-encumbered  host.  The  Roman  conquerors,  in  their  longing 
to  avenge  the  calamities  inflicted  on  the  empire  by  the  Goths,  disregarded 
the  spoils  of  Corinth  and  Argos,  and  thirsted  only  for  the  blood  of  their 
foes.  They  set  free  many  thousand  prisoners  from  Gothic  chains,  who 
kissed  the  hands  of  their  deliverers,  and  went  to  carry  the  praises  of 
Stilicho  through  the  provinces  of  Italy.  '  The  wife  of  Alaric,  who  had 
impatiently  claimed  his  promise  of  Roman  jewels  and  patrician  handmaids, 
was  reduced  to  implore  the  mercy  of  the  insulting  foe.  Pollentia  and  its 
neighbouring  battle-field  of  Vercellae  will  ever  be  remembered  as  the 
chosen  spots  of  Roman  vengeance,  the  graves  of  barbarian  valour,  and  the 
glorious  monuments  of  Marius  and  Stilicho, — the  two  illustrious  generals 
who  had  vanquished  on  the  same  ground  the  two  most  formidable  enemies 
of  Rome.'     See  Gibbon,  c.  30. 

Quis  Musis  ipsoque  licet  Paeane  recepto 
Enarrare  queat,  quantum  Gradivus  in  illa 
Luce  suae  dederit  fundator  oriffinis  Urbi  ? 


68,  69.  Cum  ..  agat, '  because  so  great  ..  musas,'  a  very  tame  substitution  for  the 

a  lord  modestly  acts  the  citizen.'    Gesner  more  difficult  phrase. 

compares  the  common  use  of  the  Itahan  73.   Migrantes    pectine    silvas,    an 

'  Podesta '  for  a  magistrate.  inverted  expression  for  '  pectinem  moven- 

72.    Meditantem  ..muros,   a   some-  tem  silvas.' 
what    forced   expression  =  '  designing '   or 

'  framing   through    his    lay    the   walls    of  I.    Recepto,   i.  e.   though   inspired  by 

Thebes:'    '  meditari  carmina'  was   in  the  Apollo  :    cp.  Laud.  Stil.  2.  loi  (2)  '  Deae 

power  of  any  minstrel  :  it  was  reserved  for  junxere     choros     unoque     receptae     Pec- 

the  '  Thebanae  conditor  urbis,'  '  meditari  tore.' 

muros  carmine.'    Some  MSS.  have  '  Aonias  3.    Originis,  with  '  quantum,'  =  ' how 


5o8  CLAUDIAN. 

Altius  haud  unquam  toto  descendimus  ense 

In  jugulum  Scythiae  :    tanta  nec  clade  superbum  5 

Contudimus  Tanain,  vel  cornua  fregimus  Istri. 

Invisum  miles  sitiens  haurire  cruorem 

Per  varias  vestes  onerataque  plaustra  metallo 

Transit,  et  argenti  cumulos ;    et  caedis  avarus 

Contemptas  proculcat  opes.     Pretiosior  auro  10 

Sanguis  erat ;    passim  neglecti  prodiga  lucri 

Ira  furens  strictis  odium  mucronibus  explet. 

Purpureos  cultus  absumptique  igne  Valentis 

Exavias,  miserisque  graves  crateras  ab  Argis, 

Raptaque  flagranti  spirantia  signa  Corintho,  15 

Callidus  ante  pedes  venientibus  objicit  hostis 

Incassum ;    neque  enim  feralis  praeda  moratur, 

Sed  justos  praebent  stimulos  monumenta  doloris. 

Asseritur  ferro  captivum  vulgus,  et  omnes 

Diversae  vocis  populi,  quos  traxerat  hostis  20 

Servitio,  tandem  dominorum  strage  redempti 

Blanda  cruentatis  aflfigunt  oscula  dextris, 

Desertosque  Lares  et  pignora  laeta  revisunt. 

Miratur  sua  quemque  domus,  cladesque  renarrant 

Ordine,  tum  grati  referunt  miracula  belli.  25 

much  of  its   founder's  spirit  he  lent  that  his  camp  may  be  doubted  as  a  matter  of 

day  to  the  hosts  of  Rome,'  a  somevvhat  history,  but  it  adds  considerable  effect  to 

harsh  expression.  the  picture. 

6.   Cornua,  '  Ister's  strength,'  i.  e.  the  15.  Signa    Coriatho,   imitated    from 

nations    on    the    banks    of    the    Danube.  Virg.  G.  3.  34.    Alaric  had  sacked  Greece 

Rivers,  either   from   their   impetuosity  or  only  a  few  years   before   his    invasion   of 

their  curving  banks  or  the  roar  of  their  Italy :  hence   '  miseris '   as   the   epithet   of 

torrent,  are  commonly  represented   in  the  '  Argis.' 

Greek    and    Latin    poets    as    figures    with  17.   Feralis,  not  accus.  =  ' ferales,' but 

horns:  cp.  Laud.  Stil.  i.  220  '  Rhenumque  with  '  praeda,'  '  doomed  spoil,'  i.e.,  as  the 

minacem  Cornibus  effractis  adeo  mitescere  next   line   shews,  fated   to   excite    greater 

cogis;'   so  '  corniger'  Virg.  Ae.  8.  77.  fury  in  the  victors  and  bring  heavier  ven- 

8.  Varias  vestes,  Kke  '  the  prey  of  geance  on  the  vanquished.  Gesner  quotes 
divers  colours  of  needle-work,' in  Deborah's  the  similar  artifice  of  Mithridates  referred 
song,  Judges  6.  30.  to  by  Cic.  Leg.  Manil  c.  9. 

9.  Avarus,  used  purposely  =  'greedy  of  18.  Monumenta  doloris,  an  allusion 
blood  alone  tramples  with  scorn  on  gold:'  to  Virg.  Ae.  12.  945,  where  the  same 
their  'avaritia'  was  not  the  ordinary  kind :  words  are  applied  to  ihe  spoils  of  Pallas, 
but  there  is  much  repetition  of  the  same  the  sight  of  which  infuriates  Aeneas. 

idea  in  this  and  the  following  hnes.  I9.   Asseritur  ferro,  '  emancipated  by 

13.  Absumptique  igne  :  the  emperor  the  sword,'   not    by   the  'vindicta,'  af;er 

Valens  was   burnt   in  a  cottage  where  he  the  well-known  phrase  '  manu  in  libertatem 

had  taken   refuge   after  the  defeat  of  his  asserere.' 

army    by    the    Goths    in    the    battle    of  22.    Blanda      cruentatis  :     '  Suavitas 

Adrianople,  a.d.  378:  see  Gibbon,  c.  26.  ex  paradoxo'  (Gesner). 

Whether  Alaric  had  these  very  spoils   in  25.   Tum   grati,  the  best  reading  per- 


CLAUDIAN.  509 

Quis  tibi  nunc,  Alarice,  dolor,  cum  Marte  perirent 

Divitiae  spoliisque  diu  quaesita  supellex, 

Pulsaretque  tuas  ululatus  conjugis  aures ; 

Conjugis,  invicto  quae  dudum  freta  marito 

Demens  Ausonidum  gemmata  monilia  matrum  30 

Romanasque  alta  famulas  cervice  petebat ! 

Scilicet  Argolicas  Ephyreiadasque  puellas 

Coeperat  et  pulchras  jam  fastidire  Lacaenas. 

Sed  dea  quae  nimiis  obstat  Rhamnusia  votis, 

Ingemuit  flexitque  rotam  :    domat  aspera  victos  35 

Pauperies,  unoque  die  Romana  rependit 

Quidquid  ter  denis  acies  amisimus  annis. 

O  celebranda  mihi  cunctis  PoUentia  saeclis  ! 

O  meritum  nomen  felicibus  apta  triumphis  ! 

Virtutis  fatale  solum ;   memorabile  bustum  40 

Barbariae !    nam  saepe  locis  ac  finibus  illis 

Plena  lacessito  rediit  vindicta  Quirino. 

Illic  Oceani  stagnis  excita  supremis 

Cimbrica  tempestas,  aliasque  immissa  per  Alpes 

Isdem  procubuit  campis.     Jam  protinus  aetas  45 

Adveniens  geminae  gentis  permisceat  ossa, 

Et  duplices  signet  titulos,  commune  tropaeum : 

Hic  Cimbros  fortesque  Getas,  Stilichone  peremptos 


haps  of  the  varjnng  MSS.,  '  tell  over  again  separated  from   its   subject  'acies'  in  the 

the   wondrous    blessings    of  the    war,'    in  next  line. 

reference  to  the  marvellous  deliverance  of  39.    Apta,    used    as    in    Plautus    and 

Honorius  by  Stilicho.  Terence  for  an  active  participle,  like  the 

27.    Spoliis   .  .   supellex,    '  furniture  compound  '  adeptus.'     The  poet  plays  on 

through  long  time  (rather  than  '  long  ago')  the   name   '  Pollentia'   as   connected   with 

won  by,  or  in,  the  spoils  of  war.'  '  pollere.'     Weber   unnecessarily  places    a 

31.  Alta  .  .  cervice,  i.  e.  haughtily  de-  comma  after  nomen. 

manding :  see  on  In  Ruf.  i.  53;  cp.  ib.  2.  40.  Virtutis:  best  taken  with  '  solum,' 

294    '  magna    cervice    triumphat '      This  '  fatale'   being    constructed    with    the    da- 

seems   better  than  to  take  it  of  the  '  fa-  tive  :    Heinsius     accordingly    would    read 

mulae'   with    tall    shoulders    to    bear  her  '  virtuti.' 

'  lectica.'  44.    Cimbrica    tempestas  :    referring 

32.  ArgoHcas,  the  enslaved  maidens  to  Marius'  victory  over  the  Cimbri  and 
of  Argos  and  Corinth  lately  ravaged ;  see  Teutones  on  the  field  of  Vercellae,  which 
on  V.  15.  however  was   sixty   miles   from   Pollentia. 

34.  Rhamnusia:  see  onCatuII.62(64).  Claudian  is  thinking  of  Virg.  Ae.  7.  222, 
395.  223,  and  perhaps  of  ib.  10.  13. 

35.  Ingemuit  need  not  necessarilv  im-  Alias,  i.  e.  by  another  passage  of  the 
ply  anger,  but  that  Nemesis  unwillingly  Alps  than  that  of  the  '  Julian,'  crossed  bv 
checked    the    career  of  Fortune's   spoiled  Alaric. 

child.  48.   Hic  :   the  proposed  inscription   for 

36.  Romana,    somewhat    awkwardly  the  trophy  on  the  battle-field. 


CLAUDIAN. 

Et  Mario,  claris  ducibus,  tegit  Itala  tellus. 
Discite  vesanae  Romam  non  temnere  gentes  ! 


CXXXIV. 

DE   RAPTU   PROSERPINAE. 

LiB.  II.  322-363. 

Proserpine'S  reception  in  the  realms  below  as  the  bride  of  Pluto  is 
here  described.  The  pale  kingdom  brightens  up  with  joy,  and  feasting 
and  song  take  the  place  of  punishment  and  grief.  The  Furies  even 
indulge  in  wine,  and  the  birds  skim  unhurt  over  the  pestilent  waters  of 
Avernus.  Acheron  runs  milk,  and  Cocytus  wine.  No  spirits  of  Death 
roam  on  earth,  and  Charon  sits  reed-crowned  in  his  idle  boat.  At  the  rise 
of  Hesperus  the  bride  is  escorted  to  her  chamber,  while  Night  stands  by  to 
give  her  blessing  on  the  happy  union. 

Reginam  casto  cinxerunt  agmine  matres 

Elysiae,  teneroque  levant  sermone  timores, 

Et  sparsos  religant  crines,  et  vultibus  addunt 

Flammea,  sollicitum  praevelatura  pudorem. 

Pallida  laetatur  regio,  gentesque  sepultae  5 

Luxuriant,  epulisque  vacant  genialibus  Uinbrae. 

Grata  coronati  peragunt  convivia  Manes. 

Rumpunt  insoliti  tenebrosa  silentia  cantus. 

Sedantur  gemitus  :    Erebi  se  sponte  relaxat 

Squalor,  et  aeternam  patitur  rarescere  noctem.  10 

Urna  nec  incertas  versat  Minoia  sortes  : 

Verbera  nulla  sonant,  nulloque  frementia  luctu 

Impia  dilatis  respirant  Tartara  poenis. 


50.  This  noble  line  seems  moulded  on  genialis,'  '  the  nuptial  feast.'    Cp.  Virg.  Ae. 

VirgiFs  well-known  '  Discite  justitiam  mo-  6.  656  '  Conspicit,  ecce,  alios  dextra  laeva- 

nitiet  non  temnere  Divos'  Ae.  6.  620.  que  per  herbam  Vescentes  laetumque  choro 

Paeana  canentes.' 

4.   Flammea,  in  its  strict  sense,  '  the  10.   Rarescere,  '  to  lose  the  thickness 

bridal  veil.'  of  its   gloom.'     The  'clarescere'   of   one 

Praevelatura  :  the  verb  is  not  found  MS.    is   perhaps    only  an   explanation    of 

before  Claudian's  time;  one  MS.  has 'prae-  '  rarescere.' 

vallatura.'     A  similar  confusion   exists  in  II.  Urna.  Virg.  Ae.  6.  432  '  Quaesitor 

Laud.  Stil.  2.  189.  Miiios  urnam  movet:'  see  on  Prop.  5  (4). 

6.  Genialibus,  as  in  the  phrase  '  lectus  11,  19. 


I 


CLAUDIAN.  511 

Non  rota  suspensum  pi  aeceps  Ixiona  torquet : 

Non  aqua  Tantaleis  subducitur  invida  labris  :  15 

Et  Tityos  tandem  spatiosos  erigit  artus, 

Squalentisque  novem  detexit  jugera  campi  • 

Tantus  erat !    laterisquc  piger  sulcator  opaci 

Invitus  trahitur  lasso  de  pectore  vultur, 

Abreptasque  dolet  jam  non  sibi  crescere  fibras.  20 

Oblitae  scelerum  formidatique  furoris 

Eumenides  cratera  parant,  et  vina  feroci 

Crine  bibunt ;   flexisque  minis  jam  lene  canentes 

Extendunt  socios  ad  pocula  plena  cerastas, 

Ac  festas  alio  succendunt  lumine  taedas.  25 

Tunc  et  pestiferi  pacatum  flumen  Averni 

Innocuae  transistis  aves,  flatumque  repressit 

Amsanctus :   tacuit  fixo  torrente  vorago. 

Tunc  Acheronteos  mutato  gurgite  fontes 

Lacte  novo  tumuisse  ferunt,  hederisque  virentem  30 

Cocyton  dulci  perhibent  undasse  Lyaeo. 

Stamina  nec  rupit  Lachesis ;   nec  turbida  sacris 

Obstrepitant  lamenta  choris ;   mors  nulla  vagatur 

In  terris,  nullaeque  rogum  planxere  parentes  j 

Navita  non  moritur  fluctu,  non  cuspide  miles.  35 

Oppida  funerei  pollent  immunia  leti ; 


15.  Tantaleis.    Some  read  here  '  Tan-  io6),   '  the   Furies    now   mix    a    bowl    of 

talicis,'    as    in    Sen.    Thyest.   228.      The  wine,'   and    drink    from    it    through    the 

line  that  once  followed  this  in  some  edi-  mouths  of  the  serpents  that  are  to  them 

tions,  '  Solvitur    Ixion  :    invenit    Tantalus  for  hair — a  bold  irnage. 

undas,'  was    rightly  ejected    by   Heinsius.  25.  Alio,    i.  e.   than    that   with   which 

The  rhythm  of  some  parts  of  this  descrip-  they  terrify  the  guilty,  which  is   kindled 

tion  is  marred  by  the  sense  too  frequently  from  the  fiery  waters  of  Phlegethon. 

ending  with  the  single  lines.  27.   Aves  :  see  Virg.  Ae.  6.  239  '  Quam 

18.   Sulcator.     Nouns  of  this  termina-  super  haud  ullae  poterant   impune   volan- 

tion  are  very  common  inventions  of  the  tes     Tendere    iter    pennis:'    so    Lucr.  6. 

poets  of  the   silver   age,   e.  g.   '  mutator,'  740  foll. 

'  simulator,'    '  haustor,'    '  finitor,'    '  editor,'  28.  Amsanctus  :  see  Virg.  Ae.  7.  565 

'  consultor,'  '  humator,'  '  temeiator,'  '  repa-  foU. 

rator,' '  mugitor,' and  others.  30.     Hederisque      virentem.       The 

Piger,  either  '  at  his  leisure,'  or  '  lazy  idea   of  the   rivcr   and   its    personification 

with  surfeit:'  see  the  lines  of  Virgil,  Ae.  crowned    with    ivy    seems    blended    here  : 

6.  59^  foll.  ivy   was   sacred   to   Bacchus  :    yew   would 

Opaci,  '  deep-hidden  :'  '  habitatque  sub  have   been  the   natural  ornament   of  Co- 

alto  Pectore,  nec  fibris  requies  datur  ulla  cytus. 

renatis'  Virg.  1.  c.  32.    Rupit,    the    function    of  Atropos 

22,  23.    Cratera    parant  ;    instead   of  rather  than   Lachesis  strictly. 

the    x""-*    doivovs    vr]<paXia    nfiXiyixaTa  33.   Obstrepitant,  '  interrupt,'  a  word 

usually  ascribed  to  them  (cp.  Aesch.  Eum.  not  found  elsewhere. 


ni2 


CLAUDIAN. 


Impexamque  senex  velavit  arundine  frontem 
Portitor,  et  vacuos  egit  cum  carmine  remos. 
Jam  suus  inferno  processerat  Hesperus  orbi. 
Ducitur  in  thalamum  virgo :   stat  pronuba  juxta 
Stellantes  Nox  picta  sinus,  tangensque  cubile 
Omina  perpetuo  genitalia  foedere  sancit. 


40 


37-  Arundine,  'a  crown  of  reeds,'  in 
token  of  his  mirth.  The  'crines'  of  seve- 
ral  editions  would  seem  to  have  arisen 
from  groundless  repugnance  to  the  expres- 
sion  '  pectere  frontem.' 

39.  Suus.  The  realms  below  have  their 
own  sun  and  stars  :  see  v.  282  foU.  of  this 
Book,  '  sunt  ahera  nobis  Sidera  :  sunt  orbes 
ahi,  lumenque  videbis  Purius,  Elysiumque 


magis  mirabere  solem.'  For  the  time  and 
its  customary  ceremony  see  CatuU.  60(62). 
40.  Ducitur;  this  was  the  office  of 
the  '  pronuba,'  or  brideswoman.  Cp.  Ov. 
Her.  2.  117  '  Pronuba  Tisiphone  thalamis 
ululavit  in  illis.'  Claudian  uses  '  no.x  pro- 
nuba '  as  simply  =  bridal  night,  Quart.  Cons. 
Hon.  644  '  Cum  tibi  prodiderit  festas  nox 
pronuba  taedas.' 


AURELIUS    PRUDENTIUS. 


Ll 


I 


LIFE     OF     PRUDENTIUS. 


AuRELius  Prudextius  Clemens  (as  he  tells  us  in  the  brief  metrical 
Autobiography  prefixed  to  his  poems)  was  born  in  the  north  of  Spain, 
A,D.  348.  Having  been  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  Rhetoricians, 
he  began  pubhc  Hfe,  Hke  so  many  of  the  Roman  poets,  in  the  pro- 
fession  of  a  pleader,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  by  Theodosius 
judge  over  a  district  of  Spain.  His  active  and  successful  discharge 
of  these  offices  induced  Theodosius  (or  Honorius)  to  promote  him 
to  some  post  of  honour  about  the  Emperor's  person.  In  his  youth 
he  had  been  gay  and  dissipated  :  but  after  the  busy  years  of  his 
middle  Hfe  were  past,  a  change  seems  to  have  come  o\'er  him,  when, 
dissatisfied  with  the  pleasures  and  honours  of  the  world,  he  gave 
himself  up  to  religious  exercises,  and  the  composition  of  sacred 
poetry,  devotional,  polemical,  and  dogmatic.  His  poems  he  pub- 
lished  when  fifty-seven  years  old,  a.d.  405,  after  which  date  we  know 
no  more  of  his  history. 

Among  the  Christian  poets  of  the  decUning  empire,  Prudentius  is 
generally  pronounced  to  be  the  first  in  merit,  as  he  is  also  one  of  the 
earliest  in  point  of  time.  Dressel  however  is  disposed  to  place  his 
predecessors  Juvencus  and  Victorinus  above  him  in  purity  of  style, 
while  Niebuhr,  apparently  on  very  inadequate  grounds,  awards  the 
palm  of  poetic  skill  to  Hilary  of  Arles.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  that, 
without  any  natural  gift  for  poetry,  Prudentius'  excellence  lay  in  the 
boldness  and  ingenuity  with  which  he  adapted  the  diction  and  metres 
of  classical  Latin  to  express  an  altogether  new  body  of  thought  and 
feeling.  Conscious  of  the  w^ants  of  his  age,  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
revive  old  words  and  forms,  and  to  coin  new  ones,  with  more 
regard  to  their  expressiveness  and  precision  of  meaning  than  to  their 
elegance,  euphoniousness,  or  correct  formation.  The  aim  of  the 
Christian  poet  is  no  more  to  deUght  and  amuse,  or  to  exhibit  his  own 
genius  and  skill,  but  to  teach  lessons  of  faith,  to  inspire  the  feeUngs 
and  frame  the  utterances  of  piety;  hence  the  dry,  proHx,  doctrinal 

L  1  2 


5i6  LIFE  OF  PRUDENTIUS. 

details  that  are  intermixed  with  even  the  best  lyrical  pieces  of  Pruden-  a 

tius;   while  such  subjects  as  the  'Apotheosis'  and  '  Hamartigenia'  f 

could  afford  no  field  for  high  poetic  capabiHties,  even  if  he  had  pos- 
sessed  them.  INIythology  in  the  new  order  of  poetry  has  disappeared 
to  make  room  for  Allegory,  which,  in  the  hands  of  Prudentius,  has  all 
the  tediousness  with  none  of  the  beauty  possessed  by  the  legends  of 
Paganism.  As  to  his  varied  versification,  the  lyrical  metres  are  very 
superior  in  their  lightness  and  fliow  to  his  cramped  and  ponderous 
hexameters ;  but  in  all  of  them  the  greatest  licences  are  taken  with 
the  laws  of  prosody,  the  accentual  rather  than  the  quantitative  value 
of  syllables  being  regarded,  whenever  it  best  suited  the  poet's  con- 
venience.  .  It  was  not  that  Prudentius  was  ignorant  of  the  best  clas- 
sical  poets,  of  whom,  in  particular  Horace,  his  works  betray  study 
and  imitation;  but  as  with  the  phraseology,  so  with  the  metre  and 
prosody,  of  heathen  poetry,  he  saw  that  both  must  undergo  modifica- 
tion  in  the  way  of  greater  freedom  and  flexibility,  if  they  were  ever  to 
be  of  service  in  expressing  Christian  feeling  and  Church  doctrine. 
In  short,  Prudentius  has  his  distinct  place  and  office  in  the  field  of 
Latin  literature,  as  the  chief  author  who  bridged  the  gulf  between 
Pagan  poetry  and  Christian  hymnology;  he  has  certainly  no  pre- 
tensions  to  be  called,  as  by  Bentley,  '  the  Horace  and  Virgil  of  the 
Christians.' 

The  earliest  extant  MSS.  of  Prudentius  belong  to  the  tenth  century. 


cxxxv. 

AURELIUS     PRUDENTIUS. 

CATHEMERINON  X.  s^-i^S- 

(Metre  Anapaestic  Dimeter  Catalectic.) 

This  is  part  of  Prudentius'  famous  '  Funeral  Hymn,'  proclaiming  the 
certainty  of  the  Resurrection  of  Body  and  Spirit.  Hence  the  honour  due 
and  paid  to  the  dead,  as  to  men  who  have  only  fallen  asleep,  and  are  soon 
to  be  awakened.  Piety  and  sympathy  alike  prompt  us  to  shew  the  same 
respect  to  the  outcast  dead  that  was  shewn  by  Tobit,  who  received  his 
reward  in  the  recover)'  of  his  sight,  that  recovery  being  also  symboHcal  of 
higher  truths.  Death  and  suffering  form  the  road  to  life  and  glory ;  the 
risen  body  will  know  no  decay  or  disease.  Hence  the  folly  of  sorrow- 
ing  and  shrieking  for  the  dead,  and  thus  impugning  the  wisdom  of  Provi- 
dence.  The  earth  shall  take  the  body  into  its  keeping  like  a  seed,  and 
shall  one  day  render  it  back  perfected  in  the  image  of  its  Creator. 

Venient  cito  saecula,  cum  jam 
Socius  calor  ossa  revisat 
Animataque  sanguine  vivo 
Habitacula  pristina  gestet. 

Quae  pigra  cadavera  pridem  5 

Tumulis  putrefacta  jacebant, 


2.   Socius,  not  a  substanti^^e  with  '  re-  308   '  calor  ossa  reliquit'  (of  Andromache 

visat,'  but  an  adjective  with  '  calor,'  like  fainting). 

'  hospita  ^nscera'  v.  30  of  this  Hymn  ;   cp.  4.  Habitacula  ;  a  late  word,  not  found 

below,  v.  8  '  animas  comitata  priores.'  in    classical,    but    frequent    in    Christian, 

Calor    here    signifies    the    '  soul,'   the  poets. 
'  ignis'  of  V.  29  of  this  Hymn ;  so  in  the  5.  Pigra  (preferable  to  the  '  nigra'  of 

best  poets  it  means  '  the  glow  of  life,'  e.  g.  some   editions)  is   contrasted   with  '  rapi- 

Virg.  Ae.  4.  705  '  Dilapsus   calor:'  Id.  3.  entur'  v.  7. 


5i8  PRUDENTIUS. 

Volucres  rapientur  in  auras 
Animas  comitata  priores. 

Hinc  maxima  cura  sepulcris 
Impenditur,  hinc  resolutos  lo 

Honor  ultimus  accipit  artus 
Et  funeris  ambitus  crnat. 

Candore  nitentia  claro 
Praetendere  lintea  mos  est, 

Adspersaque  myrrha  Sabaeo  15 

Corpus  medicamine  servat. 

Quidnam  sibi  saxa  cavata, 
Quid  pulcra  volunt  monumenta, 
Nisi  quod  res  creditur  illis 
Non  mortua,  sed  data  somno  ?  20 

Hoc  provida  Christicolarum 
Pietas  studet,  utpote  credens 
Fore  protinus  omnia  viva, 
Quae  nunc  gelidus  sopor  urget. 

Qui  jacta  cadavera  passim  25 

Miserans  tegit  aggere  terrae, 
Opus  exhibet  ille  benignum 
Christo  pius  omnipotenti : 

Quia  lex  eadem  monet  omnes 
Gemitum  dare  sorte  sub  una,  30 

Cognataque  funera  nobis 
Aliena  in  morte  dolere. 


12.    Funeris    ambitus,    '  the    funeral  Tuscul.    Quaest.  I,  22    '  Caerinioniis    se- 

pomp,'  in  reference  especiall}'  to  the  pro-  pulcrorum     intelligi,    excessu     yitae  _  non 

cessions  with  which  the  corpse  was  borne  sic    deleri    hominem,     ut    funditus    inter- 

to  the  Catacombs.  iret.' 

15,16.   Sabaeo  .  .  medicamine,  i.  e.  24.  Urget,  not  '  arcet,'  is  the  true  read- 

inceiise  used  in  embalming.  ing.    Prudentius  perhaps  has  in  his  mind 

17.    Saxa    cavata    describe    both    the  Hor.  Od.  i.  24,  i  '  Ergo  QuintiUum  perpe- 

cave-sepulchres  of  the  East  and  the  cata-  tuus  sopor  urget.' 
combs  of  the  West.  25.  P  a  s  s  i  m ,  with  '  j  acta ,'  = '  flung  any- 

20.    Somno  :    Dressel    compares    Cic.  where  at  random.' 


PRUDENTIUS.  gi9 

Sancti  sator  illc  Tobiae, 
Sacer  ac  venerabilis  heros, 

Dapibus  jam  rite  paratis  35 

Jus  praetulit .  exequiarum. 

Jam  stantibus  ille  ministris 
Cyathos  et  fercula  liquit, 
Studioque  accinctus  humandi 
Fleto  dedit  ossa  sepulcro.  40 

Veniunt  mox  praemia  coelo 
Pretiumque  rependitur  ingens, 
Nam  lumina  nescia  solis 
Deus  inlita  felle  serenat. 

Jam  tunc  docuit  Pater  orbis,  45 

Quam  sit  rationis  egenis 
Mordax  et  amara  medela, 
Cum  lux  animum  nova  vexat. 

Docuit  quoque  non  prius  ullum 
Coelestia  cernere  regna,  50 

Quam  nocte  et  vulnere  tristi 
Toleraverit  aspera  mundi. 

Mors  ipsa  beatior  inde  estj 
Quod  per  cruciamina  leti 

Via  panditur  ardua  justis  55 

Et  ad  astra  doloribus  itur. 


33.   See    Book    of  Tobit,    ch.  2.  I-7,  are  very  frequent  in  the  theology  of  Pru- 

where  the  good  man  leaves  his  feast  to  dentius'  tinies. 

bury  a  dead  and  neglected  countryman.  47.   Mordax  :  see  Tobit  11.  12.    '  His 

35.  Rite  refers  to  the  '  holy  feast  of  eyes  began  to  smart'  just  before  they  were 

the  seven  weeks,'  during  which  '  the  good  opened. 

dinner  had  been  prepared  for  Tobit.'  53.  Beatior,  =  '  beata  magis  quam  mi- 

40.  Fleto  :  '  Therefore  I  wept,  and  after  sera,'  seems  to  be  the  force  of  the  compara- 

the  going  down  of  the  sun,  I  went  and  tive. 

made  a  grave  and  buried  him,'  Tobit  1.  c.  Inde,   i.  e.   '  ex  hac  re,'  explained   by 

44.  Felle,  '  the  gall'  of  the  fish,  with  'quod'  etc. 

which  Tobias  cured  his  father's  blindness  ;  54.  Cruciamina,  like 'ululamina' v.  78, 

see  ch.  11.  not  found  in  any  classical  author,  though 

45.  Jam  tunc,  i. e.  in  that  was  early  such  formations  are  very  common  :  see  on 
prefigured  what  afterward  was  more  clearly  Ov.  M.  15.  200  (48),  and  Ausonius  Mosella 
taught.      Such    allegorical    interpretations  32  (10). 


PRUDENTIUS. 

Sic  corpora  mortificata 
Redeunt  melioribus  annis, 
Nec  post  obitum  recalescens 
Compago  fatiscere  novit.  60 

Haec,  quae  modo  pallida  tabo 
Color  albidus  inficit  ora, 
Tum  flore  venustior  omni 
Sanguis  cute  tinget  amoena. 

Jam  nuUa  deinde  senectus  65 

Frontis  decus  invida  carpet, 
Macies  neque  sicca  lacertos 
Suco  tenuabit  adeso. 

Morbus  quoque  pestifer,  artus 
Qui  nunc  populatur  anhelos,  70 

Sua  tunc  tc-menta  resudans 
Luet  inter  vincula  mille. 

Hunc  eminus  aere  ab  alto 
Victrix  caro  jamque  perennis 
Cernet  sine  fine  gementem,  75 

Quos  moverat  ipse  dolores. 

Quid  turba  superstes  inepta 
Clangens  ululamina  miscet  ? 
Cur  tam  bene  condita  jura 
Luctu  dolor  arguit  amens  ?  80 


60.    Compago  ;    cp.   Cic.   de   Sen.  21  a    post-classical    word,    is    used    actively, 

'  dum  sumus  in  his  inclusi  compagibus  cor-  Apoth.  719'  Cnidus  conviva  resudat  con- 

poris.  geriem  ventris  ;'  here  however  it  is  neuter, 

Novit,  poetical  usage,  as  in  the  best  '  tormenta '  being  constructed  with  '  luet.' 
authors,  for  '  potest,'  as  'nescit'  for  '  ne-  73.   Aere.     One  edition  ahers  this  into 

quit.'  '  aethere  :'  but  the  words  are  not  seldom 

65.   Deinde    is   here   a  trisyllable  :    in  interchanged ;    besides   '  altus   aer'  =  'ae- 

Virgil  and  all  good  poets  it  is  a  dissyllable.  ther.' 

Prudentius  uses   it   so  again,   Dittochaeon  76.   Moverat,   i.  e.    had    awakened    in 

I.  I  '  Eva  columba  fuit  tunc  candida,  nigra  others. 
deinde  :'  cp.  '  deinceps' Cath.  7.  136.  77.   Turba   superstes,  best   taken  of 

70,  71.  Populatur,  '  wastes,' '  ravages,'  the    surviving    relatives,  =  '  turba    super- 

as  in  Ov.  Med.  Fac.  45  '  formam  popula-  stitum,'   not    of  the   'praeficae'   or   hired 

bitur  aetas  :'  cp.  Sen.  Hippol.  1096  (60)  '  Et  female  moumers. 

ora  durus  pulcra  populatur  lapis.'     Disease  Inepta    of   course    goes    with    '  ulula- 

(personiiied)  shall  sufter  the  same  torments  mina.' 

he  has  inflicted  ;  hence  '  resudans,' '  sweat-  79,80.    Cur   .  .   amens,     '  why    does 

ing  with  fever  in  retribution.'    '  Resudare,'  frantic  grief  by  its  wailings  impeach  the 


i 


PRUDENTIUS.  521 

Jam  macsta  quiesce  querela, 
Lacrimas  suspendite  matres, 
Nullus  sua  pignora  plangat, 
Mors  haec  reparatio  vitae  est. 

Sic  semina  sicca  virescunt  85 

Jam  mortua  jamque  sepulta, 
Quae  reddita  caespite  ab  imo 
Veteres  meditantur  aristas. 

Nunc  suscipe  terra  fovendum, 
Gremioque  hunc  concipe  molli  :  90 

Hominis  tibi  membra  sequestro, 
Generosa  et  fragmina  credo : 

Animae  fuit  haec  domus  olim 
Factoris  ab  ore  creatae, 

Fervens  habitavit  in  istis  95 

Sapientia  principe  Cliristo. 

Tu  depositum  tege  corpus, 
Non  immemor  ille  requiret 
Sua  munera  fictor  et  auctor 
Propriique  aenigmata  vultus.  100 


well-framed    laws    of    heaven,'    viz.    that  next  line,  is  emphatic,  = '  nothing  less  than 

death    should    be    the   gate    of  Hfe :    see  a  man's.' 

above,  vv.  53-58.  Sequestro,  '  give  into  your  keeping,' 

83.  Pignora,  used  by  classical  poets  a  post-classical  word.  Dressel  quotes  a 
and  prose  writers  for  '  children '  and  '  rela-  similar  use  of  the  verb  from  TertuUian. 
tives.'     Cp.  Cath.  12. 148.  Heinsius    conj.    '  sequestrae'    to    go    with 

84.  Reparatio,  a  word   not  found  in  '  tibi.' 

previous  authors,  '  death  is  the  regaining  95.  Istis,   referring    to  the   'membra' 

or  renewal  of  life.'  and  '  fragmina'  of  vv.  91,  92. 

88.    Meditantur,     '  purpose    bursting  100.   Aenigmata,    '  the    image;'    cp. 

into  ears  as  before ;'  cp.  Hor.  Od.  3.  22,  7,  the  Vulgate  version  of  i  Cor.  13.  12  '  vi- 

and    Ausonius,   Rosae  30  (of   a    budding  demus  nunc  per  speculum   in  aenigmate.' 

rose)  '  Jam    meditans    foliis    se   numerare  See  a  similar  use  of  the  word  by  Pruden- 

suis.'  tius,  Perist.  2.  I18  '  argenteorum  aenigma- 

91.  Hominis,   like  '  generosa '  in   the  tum.' 


522  PRUDENTIUS. 


CXXXVI. 

CATHEMERINON   XII.  93-140  ^   185-308. 

(INIetre  lambic  Dimeter  Acatalectic.) 

An  extract  from  the  '  Hymn  of  the  Epiphany,'  Herod  gives  orders  for 
the  *  Massacre  of  the  Innocents,'  who  are  forthwith  slain,  drowned,  or 
dashed  to  pieces,  cut  off  like  budding  roses  on  the  threshold  of  life,  but 
who  now,  as  the  proto-martyrs  of  Christ,  play  before  the  throne  with 
crowns  on  their  heads  and  pahiis  in  their  hands.  From  the  vain  cruelty 
of  Herod  the  Virgin's  Babe  is  saved,  and  now  is  worshipped,  not  only  by 
Israehte  believers,  but  also  by  Gentiles,  who  have  forsaken  their  idols  for 
their  true  king — the  Supporter  of  the  Weak,  the  Saviour  of  the  Lost,  the 
Restorer  of  the  Dead. 

AuDiT  tyrannus  anxius 
Adesse  regum  principem, 
Qui  nomen  Israel  regat 
Teneatque  David  regiam. 

Exclamat  amens  nuntio,  S 

Successor  instat,  pellimur; 
Satelles  i,  ferrum  rape, 
Perfunde  cunas  sanguine. 

Mas  omnis  infans  occidat, 
Scrutare  nutricum  sinus,  10 

Interque  materna  ubera 
Ensem  cruentet  pusio. 


3.  Nomen,  the  'race'  or  'stock'  of  ripe' are  mere  attempts  to  patch  the  liiie. 

Israel,   as   in   the   classical   phrases  '  Lati-  The  text  best  expresses  the  rapidity  and  ea- 

num,'  '  Romanum,'  etc.  geraess  of  the  command,  like  Perist.  14.65. 

7.  Satelles  i.    Some  of  the  older  MSS.  12.  Pusio  :  this  diminutive  ofpusus' 

give  '  Satelles  ferrum  rape,'  one  with  '  vade '  = '  puer '  is  found  in  Cicero  and  Juvenal : 

(the    gloss    of  '  i ')    written    over    '  rape.'  Prudentius  uses  also  the  feminine  '  pusiola,' 

The  readings  'Ferrum  satelles  arripe,"cor-  Fr.  '  pucelle.' 


PRUDENTIUS.  523 

Suspecta  per  Bethlcm  mihi 
Puerpcrarum  est  omnium 

Fraus,  ne  qua  furtim  subtrahat  15 

Prolem  virilis  indolis. 

Transfigit  ergo  carnifex 
Mucrone  destricto  furens 
EfFusa  nuper  corpora, 
Animasque  rimatur  novas.  20 

Locum  minutis  artubus 
Vix  interemptor  invenit, 
Quo  plaga  descendat  patens 
Juguloque  major  pugio  est. 

O  barbarum  spectaculum  !  25 

Inb'sa  cervix  cautibus 
Spargit  cerebrum  lacteum 
Oculosque  per  vulnus  vomit : 

Aut  in  profundum  palpitans 
Mersatur  infans  gurgitem,  30 

Cui  subter  artis  faucibus 
Singultat  unda  et  halitus. 

Salvete  flores  martyrum, 
Quos  lucis  ipso  in  limine 

Christi  insecutor  sustulit,  35 

Ceu  turbo  nascentes  rosas : 

Vos  prima  Christi  victima, 
Grex  immolatorum  tener, 
Aram  ante  ipsam  simplices 
Palma  et  coronis  luditis.  40 

19.  Effusa,  'bom:'  cp.  Cath.  7.  59  choking  throat  gurgles  the  water,  and  the 
'  Nec    ante    partu    de    senili    effusus    est.'      gasping  breath.' 

'Edita'    would    be    the    classical    expres-  39.   Aram    ante    ipsam:    some    read 

sion.  '  sub  ipsam,'  which  suits  Rev.  6.  9  '  I  saw 

20.  Rimatur,  '  rifles  :'  like  Virgirs  use  iinder  the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that 
of  the  word,  Ae.  6.  599  '  Viscera  rimatur-  were  slain  :'  but  MS.  authority  is  in  favour 
que  epulis,'  of  the  vulture  ;  cp.  the  similar  of  the  text,  which  represents  them  as  vic- 
usage  of  '  scrutari.'  tims   sporting  before   the   altar   on  which 

28.   Vomit,  sc.  '  cervix,'  which  is  here  they  are  slain.     Non-elision  is  common  in 

used  for  the   head,  more   particularly,   of  Prudentius,  both  in  his  Lyrics  and  Hexa- 

the  infant ;  '  the  eyes  start  out  of  the  head  meters  ;  while  there  are  a  few  well-known 

through  the  gaping  wound.'  instances  of  the   hiatus   even  in   Horace's 

31,  32.    Cui  .  .  halitus,   '  deep    in    its  Odes. 


524  PRUDENTIUS. 

Quid  proficit  tantum  nefas, 
Quid  crimen  Herodem  juvat  ? 
Unus  tot  inter  funera 
Impune  Christus  tollitur. 

Inter  coaevi  sanguinis  45 

Fluenta  solus  integer 
Ferrum,  quod  orbabat  nurus, 
Partus  fefellit  virginis. 


Hic  rex  priorum  judicum, 
Rexere  qui  Jacob  genus,  50 

Dominaeque  rex  ecclesiae, 
Templi  et  novelli  et  pristini. 

Hunc  posteri  Efrem  colunt, 
Hunc  sancta  Manasse  domuSj 
Omnesque  suspiciunt  tribus  55 

Bis  sena  fratrum  semina. 

Quin  et  propago  degener 
Ritum  secuta  inconditum, 
Quaecumque  dirum  fervidis 
Baal  caminis  coxerat,  60 

Fumosa  avorum  numina 
Saxum,  metallum,  stipitem, 
Rasum,  dolatum,  sectile 
In  Christi  honorem  deserit. 


44.  Tollitur  (as  inv.148  of  this  Hymn,  57.  Propago  :    the   heathen   are    here 

'  puerile  pignus  tollere')  might  be  taken  to  meant,  as  distinct  from  the  Jews  just  men- 

mean,  '  is  reared,'  '  brought  up,'  but  it  is  tioned. 

simpler  to  take  it  =  ' is  removed,' i.e.  into  60.   Baal,   the  image  of  the   fire-god, 

Egypt :  cp.  V.  15 'ne  qua  furtim  subtrahat.'  used    here    as    a    generic    name    (Dressel 

47.   Nurus,  '  wedded  matrons,'  in  con-  thinks)    for    any    idol.      Cp.    Apoth.  325 

trast  with  '  virginis.'  '  caput  et  jam  coctile  Baal  finxerat  ?' 

51,52.   Dominae,  i.  e.  not  the  servile  61.    Fumosa,    either   expressing    their 

church,  under  bondage  to  the  Law,  but  the  antiquity,  as  in  Juv.  8.  8  '  Fumosos  equi- 

new  Jerusalem  :   see  Gal.  4.  26.     '  Gemi-  tum  cum  dictatore  magistros,'  i.  e.  black- 

nae'     has     been     conjectured     for     '  do-  ened  with  age   and   dust,  or,  (as   Dressel 

minae.'      So    templi    novelli,    i.  e.    the  prefers)  '  begrimed  with  the  smoke  of  sa- 

Christian    Temple    of   the    Spirit,   or    the  crifices  ofTered  to  them.'    Cp.  Hamart.  404 

temple  of  the  Revelation  (c.  21.  22).  '  fumosos  lapides.' 


PRUDENTIUS.  525 

Gaudete  quidquid  gentium  est,  65 

Judaea,  Roma  et  Graecia, 
Aegypte,  Thrax,  Persa,  Scytha, 
Rex  unus  omnes  possidet. 

Laudate  vestrum  principem 
Omnes  beati  ac  perditi,  70 

Vivi,  imbecilli  ac  mortui  : 
Jam  nemo  posthac  mortuus. 


CXXXVII. 


APOTHEOSIS,  435-502. 

SiNCE  the  Birth  of  Christ  the  oracles  grew  dumb ;  the  heathen  temples 
were  razed  by  the  emperors,  who  knelt  before  the  standard  of  the  Cross. 
Julian  alone,  traitor  to  none  but  God,  still  bowed  to  idols ;  but  even  his 
reverence  for  them  was  on  one  occasion  shaken,  when  the  presence  of  a 
Christian  soldier  at  a  sacrifice  to  Hecate  was  sufficient  to  frustrate  the 
ceremony,  make  the  incantations  of  no  effect,  dismay  the  emperor,  and 
convert  the  witnesses  of  the  miracle. 

Ex  quo  mortalem  praestrinxit  spiritus  alvum, 

Spiritus  ille  Dei,  Deus  et  se  corpore  matris 

Induit  atque  hominem  de  virginitate  creavit : 

Delphica  damnatis  tacuerunt  sortibus  antra, 

Non  tripodas  cortina  tegit,  non  spumat  anhelus  5 

Fata  Sibyllinis  fanaticus  edita  libris. 


67.   Thrax:   the  poet  passes  from  the  '  touched: '    cp.    Psychom.   305    '  auratis 

names  of  the  countries  to  those  of  their  praestringens  aera  pennis.' 

inhabitants.  5.    Cortina,     the    braz.en     '  cauldron  ' 

70,  71.  Perditi,  '  miserable,'  '  despair-  placed  on  or  over  the  tripods  :  sometimes 

ing,' opp.  to  '  beati ;'  so  imbecilli,  '  sick,'  used   for   the   tripod  itself:    cp.  Virg.  Ae. 

'  weakly,'  opp.  to  '  vivi.'     '  Imbecillus'  has  3.  92. 

its  second  syllable,  which  is  long  in  clas-  Tegit  :   some  MSS.  and  editions  give 

sical  authors,  shortened  by  Prudentius ;  cp.  '  regit.'     For  the  silencing  of  the  oracles 

Cath.  4.  2  ;  Praef.  ad  Apoth.  31.  at   the  birth  of  Christ,   see   on   Claudian 

Quart.  Cons.  Hon.  145,  and  Milton,  Hymn 
on  the  Nativity,  and  P.  R.  455  foll. 

I.   Praestrinxit  (confused  as  usual  in  Spumat,  first  used  actively  in  poetry  by 

the  MSS.  with  '  perstrinxit ')  means  here  Claudian,  Rapt.  Pros.  i.  281. 


526  PRUDENTIUS. 

Perdidit  insanos  mendax  Dodona  vapores, 

Mortua  jam  mutae  lugent  oracula  Cumae, 

Nec  responsa  refert  Libycis  in  Syrtibus  Ammon  : 

Ipsa  suis  Christum  Capitolia  Romuia  maerent  lo 

Principibus  lucere  Deum  destructaque  templa 

Imperio  cecidisse  ducum :   jam  purpura  supplex 

Sternitur  Aeneadae  rectoris  ad  atria  Cnristi, 

Vexiliumque  crucis  summus  dominator  adorat. 

Principibus  tamen  e  cunctis  non  defuit  unus,  15 

Me  puero,  ut  memini,  ductor  fortissimus  armis, 

Conditor  et  legum,  celeberrimus  ore  manuque, 

Consultor  patriae,  sed  non  consultor  liabendae 

Relligionis,  amans  tercentum  millia  divum. 

Perfidus  ille  Deo,  quamvis  non  perlidus  Urbi,  20 

Augustum  caput  ante  pedes  curvare  Minervae 

Fictilis  et  soleas  Junonis  lambere,  plantis 

Herculis  advolvi,  genua  incerare  Dianae  : 

Quin  et  Apollineo  frontem  submittere  gypso, 

Aut  Pollucis  equum  suffire  ardentibus  extis.  25 

Forte  litans  Hecaten  p:acabat  sanguine  multo : 

Pontificum  festis  ferienda  securibus  illic 

Agmina  vaccarum  steterant  vitulasque  revincta 

Fronte  coronatas  umbrabat  torta  cupressus. 

Jamque  insertato  reserabat  viscera  cultro  30 


7.  Vapores,    *  its    maddening   exhala-  with 'consultor,' 'celeb^^rrimus' being  taken 

tions.'   Prudentius  here  ascribes  to  Dodona  with  '  conditor.'   The  meaning  of  the  next 

what    was    strictly    true    only    of   Delphi,  words  is  that  '  Julian  was  a  sound  adviser 

where  an   intoxicating  vapour  rose   from  of  his  couatry,  save  in  regard  to  the  reH- 

a  chasm  in  the  '  adytum,'  which  inspired  gion  she  should  hold.' 

the  prophetess.  20.   Urbi.     This   famous  line   is  read 

9.  Ammon  :  '  the  Lybic  Hammon  and  commented  on  by  Gibbon  (end  of 
shrinks  his  horn,'  Milton.  The  oasis  of  ch.  22)  as  '  perfidus  orbi  :'  but  there  is 
the  Ammonium  was  really  far  inland  from  more  authority,  it  would  appear,  for  '  urbi,' 
the  Syrtes.    With  similar  vagueness  Lucan  which  Dressel  reads. 

calls  it  '  Syrticus  Ammon'  10.  38.  23.  Genua  incerare  :  taken  from  Juv. 

10.  Romula,  like  Virgirs  '  Romula  10.  55  '  Propter  quae  fas  est  genua  incerare 
tellus '  Ae.  6.  876  :  instead  of  the  regular  deorum.'  Small  waxen  tablets  inscribed 
form  of  the  .idjective,  '  Romuleus,'  the  with  vows  were  attached  to  the  knees  of 
noun  is  used  adjectively :  see  Madv.  L.  images.  So  Hamart.  404  '  Incerat  lapides 
Gr.  §  189.  fumosos  idololatrix  Relligio  : '  cp.  Symm. 

15.  Unus.     In  the  following  character  i.  203. 

of  Julian,  Gibbon  remarks  that  '  the  con-  24.    Apollineo  .  .  gypso,    '  a    plaster 

sciousness  of  a  generous  sentiment  seems  Apollo,'  as  Juv.  2.4'  plena  omnia  gypso 

to  have   raised  the  Christian  poet   above  Chrysippi  invenias.'     The  most  contempt- 

his  usual  mediocrity:'  note  to  end  of  c.  22.  uous  terms  are  purposely  chosen  in  these 

17.   Ore    manuque,  joined    by   some  lines  to  discredit  idolatry. 


PRUDENTIUS.  527 

Vittatus  de  more  sencx  maiiibusque  cruentis 

Tractabat  trepidas  letali  frigore  fibras, 

Postremosque  animae  pulsus  in  corde  tepenti 

Callidus  interpres  numeris  et  fine  notabat : 

Cum  subito  exclamat  media  inter  sacra  sacerdos  35 

Pallidus:    En  quid  ago?    majus,  rex  optime,  majus 

Numen  nescio  quod  nostris  intervenit  aris, 

Quam  sufferre  queant  spumantia  cymbia  lacte, 

Caesarum  sanguis  pecudum,  verbena,  coronae. 

Accitas  video  longe  dispergier  umbras  :  4° 

Territa  Persephone  vertit  vestigia  retro 

Extinctis  facibus,  tracto  fugitiva  flagello. 

Nil  agit  arcanum  murmur,  nil  Thessala  prosunt 

Carmina,  turbatos  revocat  nulla  hostia  Manes. 

Nonne  vides,  ut  turibulis  frigentibus  ignis  45 

Marceat,  ut  canis  pigrescat  pruna  favillis  ? 

Ecce  Palatinus  pateram  retinere  minister 

Non  valet :    elisa  destillant  balsama  dextra. 

Flamen  et  ipse  suas  miratur  vertice  laurus 

Cedere,  et  incertum  frustratur  victima  ferrum.  50 

Nescio  quis  certe  subrepsit  Christicolarum 

Hic  juvenum  :  genus  hoc  hominum  tremit  infula  et  omne 

Pulvinar  divum ;  lotus  procul  absit,  et  unctus : 

Pulcra  reformatis  redeat  Proserpina  sacris. 

Dixit  et  exanguis  collabitur,  ac,  velut  ipsum  55 

Cerneret  exerto  minitantem  fulmine  Christum, 

Ipse  quoque  exanimis  posito  diademate  princeps 

Pallet  et  adstantes  circumspicit,  ecquis  alumnus 

Chrismatis  inscripto  signaret  tempora  ligno. 


32.   Tractabat  .  .  fibras  ;    there   is  a  43.   Arcanum    murmur,   '  the   mystic 

double  alliteration  in  this  line  ;  Prudentius  hum.' 

is  partial  to  assonances.     See  in  this  one  47.   Palatinus,  i.  e.  who  officiated   in 

extract,  vv.  4,  6,  8,  9,  33,  37,  41,  42,  46,  the  imperial  sacrifices. 

47,  54,  63,  65.  53.  Lotus  .  .  et    unctus,   '  avaunt  ye 

34.  Numeris   et   fine,  with  notabat  baptized  and  anointed  ones,'  the  formula 

= '  counted  anri  measured,'  unless  it  may  wherewith  Christians  were  commanded  to 

be  taken  with  '  caUidus,'  '  skilled  in  num-  depart  from  the  pagan  sacrifices.   '  Unctus,' 

bers  and  their  meaning   or  design;'  pos-  i.  e.  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  'chrisma'  of 

sibly  a  sacrificial  phrase.  v.  59. 

42.   Tracto,  '  trailing  her  scourge  be-  54.   Pulcra  =  ' fausta,' '  propitious.' 

hind  her  :'  some  read  '  fracto,'  which  per-  59.  Chrismatis  is  of  course  to  be  taken 

haps    would    suit    better    with    '  extinctis  with    '  alumnus,'    a    quasi-Hebraism     for 

tacibus.'  '  unctus  alumnus.' 


;28  PRUDENTIUS. 

Qui  Zoroastreos  turbasset  fronte  susurros.  60 

Armiger  e  cuneo  puerorum  flavicomantum 

Purpurei  custos  lateris  deprenditur  unus, 

Nec  negat  et  gemino  gemmata  liastilia  ferro 

Proicit  ac  signum  Christi  se  ferre  fatetur. 

Prosiluit  pavidus  dejecto  antistite  princeps,  65 

Marmoreum  fugiens  nullo  comitante  sacellum, 

Dum  tremefacta  cohors  dominique  oblita  supinas 

Erigit  ad  coelum  facies  atque  invocat  Jesum. 


CXXXVIII, 


CONTRA  SYMMACHUM  II.  583-640. 

This  passage  is  less  remarkable  for  its  poetry  than  for  its  philosophical 
view  of  the  victorious  empire  of  Rome  preparing  the  way  for  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ.  The  triumphs  of  the  Romans  were  not  the  gifts  of  false  gods, 
grateful  for  sacrifices,  but  were  designed  by  Providence  to  break  do\ra  the 
barriers  between  the  jarring  nationalities  of  the  world,  and  familiarize 
them  with  a  common  yoke,  by  way  of  disciplining  them  for  a  common 
Christianity.  An  '  universal  peace  is  struck  through  sea  and  land,'  and 
Law,  Art,  Commerce,  and  Marriage  constitute  the  world  one  city  and  one 
family.  Thus  the  way  was  paved  for  the  coming  of  Christ  by  the  unity  of 
the  Empire,  and  the  civilization  of  the  individual  subject.  See  Claudian, 
Cons.  Stil.  3.  154  foll. 

Vis  dicam,  quae  causa  tuos,  Romane,  labores 
In  tantum  extulerit,  quis  gloria  fotibus  aucta 

Inscripto   .  .   ligno,    i.  e.    with    the  63.   Gemino  .  .  ferro,  '  jewelled  shafts 

sign  of  the  cross  :  so  Cath.  5.  95  '  Lignum  with  two-edged   points:'  see  woodcut   in 

est  quo  sapiunt  aspera  dulcius.'  Dict.  Antiqq.  '  Hasta.' 

60.  Zoroastreos,  used  generally  here  64.  Proicit,  i.  e.  flings  away  the  wea- 
for  magic  rites.  At  the  time  when  Pru-  pons  of  his  office,  declaring  that  he  bears 
dentius  \vrote,  almost  every  kind  of  sorcery  the  standard,  not  of  the  emperor,  but  of 
was  associated  with  the  name  and  tradi-  Christ. 

tions  of  Zoroaster.  65.  Dejecto;  see  v.  55. 

Fronte,    i.  e.   where    the    cross   would  68.  Jesum.    In  this  poem  in  particular 

have  been  signed.  (vv.  222,  417,935,991,  1057)  Prudentius 

61.  Flavicomantum,     probably,     as  shortens  the  preceding  vowel  before  '  Jesus' 
Dressel    suggests,    Germans,    from   which  as  a  dissyllable  ;  he  rarely,  if  ever,  scans  it 
nation  the  body-guard  of  the  emperor  was  as  a  trisyllable ;  see  Psychom.  777. 
chosen ;    see  Tac.  Ann.  13.  18,  who  also 

speaks  of  the  '  rutilae  comae'  of  the  na-  2.   Fotibus,  '  cherishings,' '  supports,'  a 

tiou,  Germ.  c.  4.  post-classical    word,    used    by    Prudentius 


PRUDENTIUS.  529 

Sic  cluat,  impositis  ut  mundum  frenet  habenis? 

Discordes  linguis  populos  et  dissona  cultu 

Regna  volens  sociare  Deus,  subjungier  uni  5 

Imperio,  quidquid  tractabile  moribus  esset, 

Concordique  jugo  retinacula  mollia  ferre 

Constituit,  quo  corda  hominum  conjuncta  teneret 

Relligionis  amor :   nec  enim  fit  copula  Christo 

Digna,  nisi  implicitas  societ  mens  unica  gentes.  10 

Sola  Deum  novit  concordia,  sola  benignum 

Rite  colit  tranquilla  Patrem :   placidissimus  illum 

Foederis  humani  consensus  prosperat  orbi, 

Seditione  fugat,  saevis  exasperat  armis, 

Munere  pacis  alit,  retinet  pietate  quieta.  15 

Omnibus  in  terris,  quas  distinet  occidualis 

Oceanus  roseoque  aurora  illuminat  ortu, 

Miscebat  Bellona  furens  mortalia  cuncta 

Armabatque  feras  in  vulnera  mutua  dextras. 

Hanc  frenaturus  rabiem  Deus  undique  gentes  20 

Inclinare  caput  docuit  sub  legibus  isdem, 

Romanosque  omnes  fieri,  quos  Rhenus  et  Ister, 

Quos  Tagus  auriftuus,  quos  magnus  inundat  Hiberus, 

Corniger  Hesperidum  quos  interlabitur  et  quos 

Ganges  alit  tepidique  lavant  septem  ostia  Nili.  25 


again,    Perist.  5.  330    '  Paullum    benignis  24.     Corniger     Hesperidum  :     one 

fotibus  Recreetur.'     '  Fontibus'  and  '  for-  of  Prudentius'  many  imitations  of  Virgil  : 

tibus'  are  less  probable  readings.  see     Ae.    8.    77     '  Coniiger     Hesperidum 

8.   Quo,   '  in   order    that,'  or   ablative  fluvius     regnator     aquarum. '      Whether, 

(sc.   'jugo')   with   '  conjuncta,' =  '  hearts  as    in    Virgil,    the    Tiber    is    meant,    or 

once  knit  by  a  common  yoke  would  best  (as    would    better   suit    the    passage)    the 

be  held  together  afterwards  by  a  common  Po,    the    '  Fluviorum    rex    Eridanus,'    it 

faith.'  is    hard    to    say.       '  Corniger '    is    here 

13.  Prosperat,  '  makes  him  favourable  a  substantive,  as  in  Ov.  M.  14.  602, 
to  the  world,'  not  a  classical  use  of  the  ='the  river  of  the  West,'  'gentium'  or 
word  :  so  Perist.  10.  365  '  Et  prosperatum  '  orarum  '  being  suppHed  after  '  Hespe- 
dulce  delectat  Deum.'  ridum.' 

14.  Fugat,  i.  e.  '  diruptum  foedus  hu-  25.  Ganges.  The  last  syllable  is 
manum  fugat  Deum.'  always    made    long    before    a    vowel    by 

16.    Distinet,    as    Dressel    reads    with  Virgil    and  the  best   poets :    but   no   irre- 

many    MSS.,    seems    inappropriate    here,  gularity    as    to    shortening    long    syllables 

unless  it  can  mean  '  the  lands  that  he  to  will    surprise    in    a    writer    like    Pruden- 

the    extreyne  West.'     It    is    perhaps    safer  tius,    who    uses    '  ChalcedSn,'    '  Lacedae- 

to  adopt  the  '  continet '  of  some  MSS.,  as  m6n,'     '  gthicus,'     '  eremus,'    '  mathgsis,' 

in    Symm.  2.  811:    cp.    Tibull.  (?)  3.  i,  '  hSresis,'   '  liigubris.'   '  frustra,'   '  idSlium,' 

147.  and    many    others.      Hence    there    is    no 

Occidualis,  a  word  not  found  before  need    of  supposing   a    form   '  Gangis,'   as 

Prudentius'  time.  many  editions  read. 

M  m 


530  PRUDENTIUS. 

Jus  fecit  commune  pares  et  nomine  eodem 

Nexuit  et  domitos  fraterna  in  vincla  redegit. 

Vivitur  omnigenis  in  partibus,  haud  secus  ac  si 

Cives  congenitos  concludat  moenibus  unis 

Urbs  patria  atque  omnes  lare  conciliemur  avito.  30 

Distantes  regione  plagae  divisaque  ponto 

Litora  conveniunt  nunc  per  vadimonia  ad  unum 

Et  commune  forum,  nunc  per  commercia  et  artes, 

Ad  coetum  celebrem,  nunc  per  genialia  fulcra 

Externi  ad  jus  connubii :    nam  sanguine  mixto  35 

Texitur  alternis  ex  gentibus  una  propago. 

Hoc  actum  est  tantis  successibus  atque  triumphis 

Romani  imperii :   Christo  jam  tunc  venienti, 

Crede,  parata  via  est,  quam  dudum  publica  nostrae 

Pacis  amicitia  struxit  moderamine  Romae.  40 

Nam  locus  esse  Deo  quis  posset  in  orbe  feroci 

Pectoribusque  hominum  discordibus,  et  sua  jura 

Dissimili  ratione  tuentibus,  ut  fuit  olim  ? 

Sic  incompositos  humano  in  pectore  sensus, 

Disjunctasque  animi  turbato  foedere  partes,  45 

Nec  liquida  invisit  Sapientir.,  nec  Deus  intrat. 

At  si  mentis  apex  regnandi  jure  potitus 

Pugnacis  stomachi  pulsus  fibrasque  rebelles 

Frenet  et  omne  jecur  ratione  coerceat  una, 

Fit  stabilis  vitae  status  et  sententia  certa  50 

Haurit  corde  Deum,  Domino  et  subjungitur  uni. 


27.  Fraterna,  '  the  bonds  of  brother-  is  thought  to  have  broken  down  the  old 
hood,' not  those  of  slavery,  as'domitos'  prejudice  against  the  intermarriage  with 
would  naturally  suggest.  foreigners  :  see  Gibbon,  c.  53,  who  seems 

28.  Omnigenis  ;  the  adjective  is  pro-  to  question  this  assertion  of  Pruden- 
bably  of  late  formation,  and  does  not  exist,  tius. 

as  some  have  supposed,  in  Lucretius  nor  per-  36.   Alternis,  i.e.  belonging  to  oppo- 

haps  in  Virgil ;  see  Lachm.  Lucr.  5.  440.  site  sides  of  the  world  (v.  31)  :  cp.  '  alternas 

29.  Congenitos,    post-classical,    used  ripas  '  Stat.  Silv.  i.  3,  25. 

again, Psychom.  221 'congenitisditionibus.'  40.   Amicitia.     The  lengthening  of  a 

Observe  the  alliteration  here.  short  vowel  before  two  consonants  at  the 

30.  Urbs  patria:  the  latter  is  either  beginning  of  a  following  word  is  very 
a  substantive  in  apposition,  '  a  city  for  a  frequent  in  Prudentius. 

country,' or  better,  an  adjective  like  '  avito,'  45,46.   Animi  .  .  partes,  explained  in 

as    if    all    were    born    and    lived    in    one  the  following  verses,  the  intellect,  desires, 

city.  appetites,  etc.     Cp.  Book  of  Wisdom,  1.4 

34.   Genialia,    here    in    its    technical  '  In  malevolam  animam  non  introibit  sapi- 

sense:  see  on  Claudian  Rapt.Pros.  2.327(6).  entia,    nec    habitabit    in    corpore    subdito 

Caracalla,  in  the  spirit  of  his  famous  edict,  peccatis.' 


PRUDENTIUS.  531 

En  ades  omnipotens,  concordibus  influe  terris  : 
Jam  mundus  te,  Christe,  capit,  quem  congrege  nexu 
Pax  et  Roma  tenent :    capita  haec  et  culmina  rerum 
Esse  jubes,  nec  Roma  tibi  sine  pace  probatur  :  155 

Et  pax  ut  placeat,  facit  excellentia  Romae, 
Quae  motus  varios  simul  et  ditione  coercet 
Et  terrore  premit. 

52.  Concoidibus,emphatic. 'now  they  53.    Capit,    '  is    fit    to    receive   thee  ;' 

are  in  harmony  and  peace.'  '  mundus '  is  antecedent  to  '  quem.' 


M  m  a 


I  N  D  I  C  E  S. 


:-...¥«*•  *^^ 


INDEX     OF     POEMS. 


C.   VALERIUS    CATULLUS. 


I.  Peliaco  quondam  prognatae  vertice  pinus 

II.  Etsi  me  assiduo  confectum  cura  dolore 

III.  Omnia  qui  magni  dispexit  lumina  mundi 

IV.  Lugete,  o  Veneres,  Cupidinesque 

V.  Phaselus  ille,  quem  videtis,  hospites 

VI.  Ni  te  plus  oculis  meis  amarem 

VII.  Suffenus  iste,  Vare,  quem  probe  nosti 

VIII.  Paeninsularum,  Sirmio,  insularumque 

IX.  Dianae  sumus  in  fide 

X.  Acmen  Septimius,  suos  amores 

XI.  Chommoda  dicebat,  si  quando  commoda  vellet 


Carm.  62  (64) 

3 

Carm.  63  (65) 

31 

Carm.  64  (66) 

34 

Carm.  3 

42 

Carm.  4 

43 

Carm.  14. 

45 

Carm.  20  (22) 

47 

Carm.  29  (31) 

49 

Carm.  32  (34) 

50 

Carm.  43  (45) 

52 

Carm.  82(84) 

■        54 

AliBIUS    TIBULLUS. 

XII.  Divitias  alius  fulvo  sibi  congerat  auro  Lib.  i^i^  61 

XIII.  Ibitis  Aegaeas  sine  me,  jNIessala,  per  undas  Lib.  i.  3.  66 

XIV.  Hunc  cecinere  diem  Parcae  fatalia  nentes  Lib.  i.  7.  72 

XV.  Quis  fuit,  horrendos  primus  qui  protulit  enses  Lib.  1. 1  o,  77 

XVI.  Quisquis  adest,  faveat ;  fruges  lustramus  et  agros  Lib.  il.  i.  81 

XVII.  Phoebe  fave  ;  novus  ingreditur  tua  templa  sacerdos  Lib.  11.  5.  87 

XVIII.  Castra  Macer  sequitur ;  tenero  quid  fiet  Amori  Lib.  11.  6.  94 

XIX.  Vos  tenet,  Etruscis  manat  quae  fontibus  unda  Lib.  iii,  5.  97 

XX.  Sulpicia  est  tibi  culta  tuis,  Mars  magne,  Kalendis  Lib.  |^Y.  2.  100 

XXI.  Parce  meo  juveni,  seu  quis  bona  pascua  campi  Lib.  iv.  3.  102 

XXII.  Huc  ades  et  tenerae  morbos  expelle  puellae  Lib.  iv,  4.  103 

XXIII.  Nulla  tuum  nobis  subducet  femina  lectum  Lib.  iv^ti^.  105 


S.    AURELIUS    PROPERTIUS. 

XXIV.  Quid  juvat  ornato  procedere,  vita,  capillo  Lib.  i.  2.  113 

XXV.  Non  ego  nunc  Hadriae  vereor  mare  noscere  tecum  Lib.  i.  6.  115 

XXVI.  Tu  licet  abjectus  Tiberina  molliter  unda         Lib.  i.  15  (14).  118 

XXVII.  Et  merito,  quoniam  potui  fugisse  puellam       Lib.  i.  18(17),  120 


S36 

NO. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVII. 

XXXVIIl, 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 
XLII. 

XLIII. 

XLIV. 

XLV. 

XLVI. 

XLVII. 

XLVIII. 

XLIX. 

L. 


INDEX    OF   POEMS. 

PAGE 

Haec  certe  deserta  loca  et  taciturna  querenti 

Lib.  I.  19  (18).  122 
Non  ego  nunc  tristes  vereor,  mea  Cynthia,  Manes 

Lib.  I.  20  (19).  124 
Quicumque  ille  fuit,  puerum  qui  pinxit  Amorem 

Lib.  III.  2  (11.  12).     127 
Quandocumque  igitur  nostros  mors  claudet  ocellos 

Lib.  III.  4  (11.  13,  17).     129 
Vidi  te  in  somnis  fracta,  mea  vita,  carina 

Lib.  III.  20  (11.  26).     132 
Callimachi  Manes  et  Coi  sacra  Philetae 

Lib.  IV.  I  (m.  I  et  2J.     134 
Visus  eram  molli  recubans  Heliconis  in  umbra 

Lib.  IV.  2  (3).  139 
Pacis  Amor  deus  est :  pacem  veneramur  amantes 

Lib.  IV.  4(5).  143 
Ergo  sollicitae  tu  causa,  pecunia,  vitae  es  Lib.  iv.  6  (7).  146 
Quid  mirare,  meam  si  versat  femina  vitam 

Lib.  IV.  10  (iii.  11).     151 
Clausus  ab  umbroso  qua  ludit  pontus  Averno 

Lib.  IV.  17  (iii.  18).     157 
Frigida  tam  multos  placuit  tibi  Cyzicus  annos 

Lib.  IV  (iii).  22.     159 
Haec  Arethusa  suo  mittit  mandata  Lycotae 

Lib.  V  (iv).  3.  163 
Sacra  facit  vates;  sint  ora  faventia  sacris  Lib.  v  (iv).  6.  168 
Desine,  Paulle,  meum  lacrimis  urgere  sepulcrum 

Lib.  v(iv).  II.     174 

P.    OVIDIUS    NASO. 

Hospita,  Demophoon,  tua  te  Rhodopeia  Phyllis 

Heroides,  II.  1-75.      187 
Quid  mihi,  Livor  edax,  ignavos  objicis  annos 

Atnores,  Lib.  I.  15.      191 
Memnona  si  mater,  mater  ploravit  Achillen 

Amores,  Lib.  III.  9.     194 
In  nova  fert  animus  mutatas  dicere  formas 

Metamorphoses,  Lib.  I.  1-88.     198 
Exigit  alma  Ceres,  nata  secura  recepta 

Metamorphoses,  Lib.  V.  572-642.     204 
O  genus  attonitum  gelidae  formidine  mortis 

Metamorphoses,  Lib.  XV.  153-237.     208 
Mater,  ades,  florum,  ludis  celebrata  jocosis 

ivzj//",  Lib.  V.  183-228  ;  261-379.     213 
Ille  ego,  qui  fuerim,  tenerorum  lusor  amorum 

Irtstta,  Lib.  IV,  10.     222 


INDEX   OF   POEMS.  537 


GRATIUS    PAIilSCUS. 

NO.  PAGE 

LI.  At  vestrum  non  vile  genus,  non  patria  vulgo 

Cynegetica,  211-327.     233 

M.    MANIIiIUS. 

LII.  Carmine  divinas  artes,  et  conscia  fati 

Astronomica,  Lib.  i.  1-116,     247 
LIII.        Andromedae  sequitur  sidus,  quae  Piscibus  ortis 

Astronomica,  Lib.  V.  538-618.     255 


PHAEDRUS. 

LIV.         Phaedri  libellos  legere  si  desideras  Lib.  iii.  (Prologus).  265 

LV.  Athenae  cum  florerent  aequis  legibus  Lib.  i.  2.  270 

LVI.  Est  ardelionum  quaedam  Romae  natio  Lib.  11. 5.  272 

LVII.        Plus  esse  in  uno  saepe,  quam  in  turba,  boni  Lib.  iv.  5.  274 

LVIII.      Ubi  vanus  animus,  aura  captus  frivola  Lib.  v.  7.  277 


L.    AHTJTAEUS    SENECA. 

LIX.         Spartana  tellus  nobile  attollit  jugum 

Hercules  Furens,  662-760.  285 

LX.           Regem  non  faciunt  opes                               Thyestes,  344-403.  290 

LXI.         Herculea taurus  colla sublimis  gerens  Hippolytus,  lon-iii^.  293 

LXII.       Partes  fere  nox  alma  transierat  duas           Troades,  ^^2-^^i.  297 

LXIII.      Quisquis  audacis  tetigit  carinae                     Medea,  608-670.  299 

M.    AJSTNAEUS    LUCANUS. 

LXIV.      Morte  tua  discussa  fides,  bellumque  movere 

Pharsalia,  Lib.  I.  1 19-182.     309 
LXV.        Danda  tamen  venia  est,  tantorum  danda  pavorum 

/"^«rWi^jLib.  I.  516-578.     314 
LXVI.      Lucus  erat  longo  nunquam  violatus  ab  aevo 

Pharsalia,  Lib.  III.  399-452.      318 
LXVII.    O  domitor  mundi,  rerum  fortuna  mearum 

Pharsalia,  Lib.  vil.  251-330.     322 
LXVIII.  Interea  totis,  audito  funere  Magni 

Pharsalia,  Lib.  IX.  166-213.     326 
LXIX.     Stabant  ante  fores  populi,  quos  miserat  Eos 

Pharsalia,  Lib.  IX.  543-585.      330 


538 


INDEX   OF   POEIMS. 


C.  VAIjEIIIUS    flaccus. 

NO.  PAGE 

LXX.  Sed  tibi  nunc  quae  digna  tuis  ingentibus  ausis 

Argonautica,  Lib.  II,  242-310.      337 

LXXI  At  trepida  et  medios  inter  deserta  parentes 

Argonautlca,  Lib.  Vli.  103-152.     341 

LXXIL  Jamque  manus  Colchis  crinemque  intenderat  astris 

Argonautica,  Lib.  vill.  68-174.     344 

c.  sHjIus  italicus. 

L XX III.         Urbe  fuit  media  sacrum  genetricis  Elissae 

Punica,  Lib.  I.  81-139.     355 
LXXIV.  Sed  jam  praeteritos  ultra  meminisse  labores 

Punica,  Lib.  ill.  477-556.     359 
LXXV.  Ecce  autem  Patres  aderant  Carthagine  missi 

Punica,  Lib.  iv.  763-822.     363 
LXXVI.  Jamque  propinquabat  muro,  cum  Jupiter  aegram 

Punica,  Lib.  xii.  691-752.     367 

P.  PAPINIUS    STATIUS. 

LXXVII.        Quod  tibi  praerepti,  Melior,  Folamen  alumni 

Sil-vae,  Lib.  II.  i.  1-68;  208-234.     375 
LXXVIII.      Est  inter  notos  Sirenum  nomine  muros 

Sil-vae,  Lib.  Ii.  2.  1-97.     381 
LXXIX.         Lucanum  canimus  :  favete  linguis 

Silvae,  Lib.  Ii.  7.  19-80.     387 
LXXX.  Quid  mihi  maesta  die,  sociis  quid  noctibus,  uxor 

Silrvae,  Lib.  ili.  5.     391 
LXXXI.         Me  quoque  vocales  lucos  ignotaque  Tempe 

Si/vae,  Lib.  v.  3.  209-265.     397 
LXXXII.        Et  jam  cornipedes  trepida  ac  moribunda  reflantes 

Tihebaid,  Lib.  VII.  760-823.     400 
LXXXIII.      Cetera  depositis  Lycomedis  regia  curis 

Achilleid,  Lib.  II.  141-209.     404 


M.  VALERIUS   MARTIALIS. 

LXXXIV.      Casta  suo  gladium  cum  traderet  Arria  Paeto 

Lib.  I.  13  (14).     413 

LXXXV.        O  mihi  post  nullos,  Juli,  memorande  sodales 

Lib.  I.  15(16).     413 

LXXXVI.      Verona  docti  syllabas  amat  vatis  Lib.  i.  61  (62).     414 

LXXXVII.     O  mihi  curarum  pretium  non  vile  mearum 

Lib.  I.  76(77).     416 


INDEX   OF   POEIMS. 


539 


Lib. 
Lib. 
Lib. 
Lib. 


iii.  20. 

III.  35. 

III.  41. 

III.  44. 


20. 
42. 


NO. 

LXXXVin.  Alcime,  quem  raptum  domino  crescentibus  annis 

Lib.  I.  88  (89). 
LXXXIX.      Ne  valeam,  si  non  totis,  Deciane,  diebus  Lib.  11.  5. 

XC.  Quintiliane,  vagae  moderator  summe  juventae 

Lib.  II.  90. 
XCI.  Dic,  INIusa,  quid  agat  Canius  meus  Rufus 

XCII.  Artis  Phidiacae  toreuma  clarum 

XCIII,  Inserta  phialae  Mentoris  manu  ducta 

XCIV.  Occurrit  tibi  nemo  quod  libenter 

XCV.  Prima  salutantes  atque  altera  conterit  hora    Lib.  iv.  8 

XCVI.  Sili  Castalidum  decus  Sororum  Lib.  iv,  14 

XCVII,  Juli  jugera  pauca  INIartialis  Lib,  iv,  64 

XCVIII.  Sum,  fateor,  semperque  fui,  Callistrate,  pauper 

Lib.  V.  13 
XCIX.  Si  tecum  mihi,  care  Martialis  Lib.  v 

C.  Callidus  effracta  nummos  fur  auferet  arca      Lib,  v 

CL  Thais  habet  nigros,  niveos  Lecania,  dentes    Lib.  v.  43. 

CIL  Quidam  me  modo,  Rufe,  diligenter  Lib.  vi,  82, 

GIIL  Abstulerat  totam  temerarius  institor  Urbem 

Lib.  VII.  61. 
CIV.  Perpetui  nunquam  moritura  volumina  Sili  Lib.  vii.  63. 

CV.  Dum  mea  Caecilio  formatur  imago  Secundo 

Lib.  vii,  84. 
CVI.  Uxorem  quare  locupletem  ducere  nolim     Lib.  viii.  12. 

CVII.  Si  tua,  Cirini,  promas  epigrammata  vulgo  Lib.  viii.  18. 

CVIII.  Temporibus  nostris  aetas  cum  cedat  avorum 

Lib.  VIII.  56. 
GIX.  Miraris  veteres,  Vacerra,  solos  Lib.  viii,  69, 

CX.  Instanti,  quo  nec  sincerior  alter  habetur    Lib.  viii.  73, 

CXI,  Quantum  jam  superis,  Caesar,  coeloque  dedisti 

Lib.  IX.  4. 
CXII,  Nomen  cum  violis  rosisque  natum 

CXIII.  Cappadocum  saevis  Antistius  occidit  oris 

CXIV,  Natales  mihi  Martiae  Kalendae 

CXV.  Vitam  quae  faciant  beatiorem 

CXVI.  I  nostro  comes,  i  libelle,  Flavo 

CXVII.  Aeolidos  Canace  jacet  hoc  tumulata  sepulcro 

Lib.  XI 

CXVIII,  Dum  tu  forsitan  inquietus  erras  Lib.  xii.  18. 

CXIX.  Hoc  nemus,  hi  fontes,  haec  textilis  umbra  supini 

Lib.  XII.  31. 
CXX.  Aegrotas  uno  decies  aut  saepius  anno  Lib.  xii.  56. 


Lib.  IX.  12. 
Lib.  IX.  31. 

Lib.  X.  24. 

Lib.  X.  47. 
Lib.  X.  104. 


91. 


417 
418 

418 
419 

420 
420 
421 
422 
423 
424 

426 
426 

427 
428 
428 

429 
430 

431 
431 
432 

432 
434 
434 

435 
436 
437 
438 

439 

440 

441 

442 

443 
444 


540  INDEX   OF   POEMS. 

^^  T.    CALPURNIUS. 

PAGE 

CXXI.  Dic,  age,  dic,  Cor}-don,  nec  nostras  invidus  aures 

Ecl.  VII.  19-84.     449 

M.  AURELIUS    OLYMPIUS   NEMESIANUS. 

CXXII,        Cornipedes  igitur  lectos  det  Graecia  nobis 

Cynegetica,   240-282,     459 

D.  MAGNUS    AUSONIUS. 

CXXIII,  Hactenus  ut  caros,  ita  justo  funere  fletos  Parentalia,  i\.  467 
CXXIV,  Salve  herediolum  majorum  regna  meorum  Idyllia,  iil.  469 
CXXV.         Perlege  quodcumque  est  memorabile.     Priva  monebo 

Idyllia,  IV.  45-100,     471 
CXXVI.       Aeris  in  campis,  memorat  quos  Musa  Maronis 

Idyllia,  VI.  1-15;  45-98.     474 
CXXVII,     Salve  amnis  laudate  agris,  laudate  colonis 

Idyllia,  X,  23-67;  73,  74;   381-417.     477 

CLAUDIUS    CLAUDIANUS. 

CXXVIII.    Saepe  mihi  dubiam  traxit  sententia  mentem 

In  Rtifinitm,  i.  1-115.     487 
CXXIX.       Hinc  natis  mansura  fides.     Hoc  nobilis  ortu 

De  Quarto  Consulatu  Honorii  Augusti  Panegyris,  1 21-184.      49 2 
CXXX.        IMons  latus  Eoum  Cypri  praeruptus  obumbrat 

De  Nuptiis  Honorii  et  Mariae,  49-1 10.      496 
CXXXI.       Si  mea  mansuris  meruerunt  moenia  nasci 

De  Bello  Gildonico,  28-127.     499 
CXXXII.     Omnes  praeterea,  puro  quae  crimina  pellunt 

De  Laudibus  Stilichonis,  II.  100-172.     504 
CXXXIII.  Quis  Musis  ipsoque  licet  Paeane  recepto 

De  Bello  Getico,  598  to  end.     507 
CXXXIV.    Reginam  casto  cinxerunt  agmine  matres 

De  Raptu  Proserpinae,  II.  322-363.      510 

AUHELIUS   PRUDENTIUS    CLEMENS. 

CXXXV,  Venient  citosaecula,  cum  jam  Cathemerinon,  y^.  i(>-izs-  5i7 
CXXXVI,     Audit  tyrannus  anxius 

Cathemerinon,  'S.n.  gi-i 40;   185-208.     522 
CXXXVII.    Ex  quo  mortalem  praestrinxit  spiritus  alvum 

Apotheosis,  435-502.     525 
CXXXVIII.  Vis  dicam,  quae  causa  tuos,  Romane,  labores 

Contra  Symmachum,  II.  583-640.     528 


INDEX     OF     NOTES. 


Ab,   redundant,   21,   84,   152,    165,    202, 
218,  222. 

—  ='  on  the  side  of,'  239. 

—  ='  off '  a  journey,  440. 

,  Abjicere,  of  selling  at  a  loss,  276. 
Ablative,  absolute,  116,  119,  155,  312. 

—  for  genitive,  129. 

—  peculiar  forms  of,  221. 

—  in  '  i,'  201,  225. 

—  various  uses  of,  113,  118,  121,  126. 
Abstract,  usage  of  for  concrete,  in  Proper- 

tius,  115,  117,  121. 

—  in  Phaedrus,  267,  273. 
Absumere  in  aliquid,  19. 
Accidere  in  aliquid,  220. 
Accius,  Ovid's  criticism  of,  192. 
Accusative,  cognate,  114. 

—  in  apposition  to  sentence,  172,  234. 

—  after  verbs  like   evehi,   egredi,   eva- 
gari,  etc,  14-,  255,  339. 

Achelous,  of  water,  219. 
Acta,  technical  meaning  of,  129. 
Action,  put  for  the  description  of  the  ac- 

tion,  390,  423. 
Actus,  235,  404. 
Ad  se,  '  chez  soi,'  21. 
Adedere,  193. 

Adeo,  emphasizing  the  word  it  follows,  5. 
Adjectives,  coexistent  forms  of  ending  in 

'  is'  and  '  us,'  21. 

—  compound,  frequent  in  Catullus,  25. 

—  and  in  later  poets,  286. 

—  in  neuter  plural  with  genitive,  360. 

—  for  adverb,  164,  294,380,400,  404,  460. 

—  equivalent    to    prepositions,    199,  347, 
406. 

—  separated  from  their  substantives,  195, 
242. 

Admovere,  sacrificial  term,  98. 
Adstrictus  soccus,  4;i. 
Adstruere,  4I9. 

Adverbs,  equivalent  to  adjectives,  69.  90. 
Advigilare,  vvith  dative,  253. 


Aeas  for  Ajax,  474. 
Aenaria,  quantity  of  propenuhima,  396. 
Aenigmata,  peculiar  meaning  of,  521. 
Aequora,  of  a  horse's  back,  459. 
Aequore    ferri,   metaphorical    sense    of, 

209. 
Aer  and  aether,  aerius  and  aetherius, 

interchanged,  34,  73,  311,  520. 
Aera,  per  ipsum  ire,  meaning  of,  249. 
Aetolus,  =  '  Apulian,'  358. 
Affingere,  378. 

Afflictus,  of  the  sun  eclipsed,  285. 
Affligi  and  affigi,  confused,  150. 
Agens,  use  of  with  verbs,  344. 
Agere  res,  meaning  of,  436. 
Agon  Capitolinus,  instituted  by  Domitian, 

392.435- 
Alae,  of  sails  or  oars,  I71. 
Alapa,  peculiar  usage  of,  273. 
Aleje  Cilicas,  said  of  Mt.  Taurus,  173. 
Alexis,  433. 
Alienus  vultus,  349. 
Alio,  adverb,  128. 
Alis,  another  form  of  alius,  36. 
Alius,  with  ablative  of  comparison,  268. 
Alliteration,   10,   19,  90,   155,   166,   202, 

248,  256,  3'  5.  316,  366,  450,  475,  499, 

527.  530- 
Alludere,  with  accusative,  8. 
Alter  et  alter,  215. 
Alternus,  use  of,  530. 
Alticinctus,  272. 
Altus,  peculiar  sense  of,  391. 
Alveus  vernus,  84. 
Ambarvalia,  81. 
Ambitus   (participle),    quantity   of,    200, 

494. 
—  (substantive),  of  a   funeral  procession, 

518. 
Amores,  peculiar  sense  of,  396. 
Amplifice,  21. 

Anachronisms  in  the  poets,  8,  292. 
Anceps,  peculiar  use  of,  476. 
Anguinus,  anguineus,  16. 


542 


INDEX   OF   NOTES. 


Annus,  'produce,'  321,  500. 

—  ingens,  year  of  Nero's  death,  431. 
Ante,  use  of  by  Tibullus,  62,  81. 
Antique  =  olim,  51. 
Antiquitus,  rare  in  the  poets,  363. 
Antitheses  verbal,  common  in  Greek  and 

Latin  poetry,  37. 
Anxius,  with  ablative,  489. 
Apertus  conjux,  166. 
Apisci,  13. 

—  participie  of,  with  accusative,  509. 
Applausus,  of  a  loom,  85. 
Apprensare,  236. 

Ara,  altare,  difference  between,  318. 
Arabium,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  119. 
Arata  for  arva,  117. 
Aratus,  Ovid's  eulogy  of,  192. 
Arcere,  with  infinitive,  377. 
Ardelio,  272. 
Ardere  in  caput,  162. 

—  lituis  (of  the  sea),  501. 

Areae,  meaning  of  as  applied  to  life,  438. 

Argonautarum  Porticus,  419. 

Argumenta  leti,  474. 

Argutare,  rare  form,  116. 

Argynnus,  story  of,  148. 

Arte  =  ope,  219. 

Artes,  of  the  Muses  themselves,  266. 

Arva,  its  strict  sense,  221. 

Aspiration,  excess  of,  satirized,  54. 

Aspretum,  236. 

Asserere,  technical  use  of,  414,  430,  508. 

Assibilare,  496. 

Assyrius  for  Syrius,  35,  66. 

At,  written  like  the  preposition,  144,  233. 

—  in  imprecations,  42. 

—  starting  an  objection,  195. 

—  expressing  indignation,  189. 

—  rare  use  of,  144. 

Athletes,  first  syllable  shortened,  398. 

Atque  ..  atque,  91,  356. 

Atque,  rare  in  the  best  poets  before  a  con- 

sonant,  133,  168. 
Attici  =  Athenienses,  270,  276. 
Attonitus,  '  inspired,'  433. 
Attraction,  133. 
Attributes,  omission  of  distinctive,  in  Pro- 

pertius,  125,  176. 
Auctor,  '  informant,'  213. 
Auctus,  uses  of,  14,  35. 
Audire,  absolutely,  of  a  judge,  289. 
Aulaeum  mittere,  278. 
Auris  Batava,  429. 
Aurora,  = '  the  Empire  of  the  East,'  493, 

500. 
Ausonius,  Life  of,  465. 
Avarus,  avidus,  in  aliquid,  299,313. 
Avertere,  '  carry  ofF,'  3. 
Avida  pugna,  368. 

B. 

Baal,  for  idols  in  general,  524. 


Bacchus,  representations  of,  81. 

Balteus,  technical  sense  of,  451. 

Baris,  154. 

Bassus,  lambic  poet,  224. 

Batavus,  quantity  of  penultima,  428. 

Bathyllus,  277. 

Beata,  '  wealth-producing,'  193. 

Bene,  usage  of  in  proposing  a  toast,  83. 

Blandus,  217. 

Bosporus,  gender  of,  156. 

Buceta,  327. 

C. 

Cachinni,  of  the  sea,  21. 
Cadere,  sacrificial  sense  of,  63. 

—  Cyro,  241. 

Cadus,  of  the  cells  of  a  fiute,  169. 
Caedum,  genitive,  365. 
Callimachus,  Ovid's  criticism  of,  192. 
Calor,  of  hfe,  517. 
Calpumius,  Notice  of,  477. 
Calumnia,  technical  use  of,  268. 
Calvus,   friend   of  Catullus    and   Tibullus, 

197. 
Campus,  of  the  sea,  201. 
Canities,  =  cani,  18. 
Capere  causis,  254. 
Capiti,  ablative  form,  65. 
Cappadocian  horses,  459. 
Captare,  of  wind,  145. 
Carbasus  for  carbaseus,  167. 
Cardo,  316,  364. 
Carpere  pontum,  I18. 
Casa,  peculiar  meaning  of,  83. 
Cassida  for  cassis,  152. 
Cassiope,  120. 

Castigatus,  of  a  forehead,  378. 
Catenati  labores,  414. 
Cathedrae,  417. 
Catullus,  Life  of,  i. 
Caurinus,  239. 
Cave,  with  ultima  short,  131. 
Cavi  amnes,  meaning  of,  476. 
Cedere  Deis,  Deo,  320,  346. 

—  sibi,  221,  286 

—  alicui  ingenio,  meaning  of,  432. 
Celeuma,  424. 

Censeri,  with  ablative,  '  to  be  rated  at,' 

415- 
Census  aetherii,  248. 
Cera,  use  of  by  Propertius,  168. 
Cerastae,  161. 
Cernere,  '  to  decide,'  13. 
Cetus,  masculine  form,  259. 
Chaos,  meanings  of,  19S,  286. 
Chartae  regiae,  47. 
Chori,  '  place  of  dancing,'  160. 

—  peculiar  sense  of,  135. 
Cingere  aera,  said  of  a  wood,  318. 

—  Marte  nemus,  141. 
Cinis,  gender  of,  96. 
Circumfluere,  said  of  serpents,  319. 


INDEX   OF   NOTES. 


543 


Circumsonari,  227. 

Cirri,  meauings  of,  272. 

Cista,  20,  75. 

Clamor  supremus,  350. 

Claudian,  Life  of,  485. 

Clavus  latus,  223. 

Clementia  mundi,  239. 

Clepere,  an  archaism,  250. 

Clipeus,  of  the  sun's  disc,  2IO. 

Clivi,  '  sloping  seats,' 450. 

Coactus,  of  the  moon's  orb  at  full,  315. 

—  '  contracted,'  of  a  robe,  223. 
Coelius,  major  et  minor,  442. 
Coetu,  dative  form,  29,  36. 
Cogitare  =  excogitare,  268. 
Cognitissimus,  44. 
Cognoscere,  '  to  visit,'  99,  I16. 
Cohors,  of  an  officer's  suite,  66. 
Collum     and    cervix,    their    difference, 

378. 
Colonus  Zephyrus,  496. 
Color  imperii,  329. 
Colus,  gender  of,  24. 
Comatus,  of  a  wood,  44. 
Comere,  of  adorning  a  country,  471- 
Compendia,  '  gain,'  68. 
Competere,  rare  in  the  poets,  357' 
Complere,  with  genitive,  364. 
Componere,  in  peculiar  sense,  322. 
Compos,  used  absolutely,  365. 
Concipere  bella,  357. 

—  Arma  virumque,  433. 
Condonare,  506. 

Conferre,  of  funeral  tributes,  376. 
Confestim,  rare  in  the  poets,  22. 
Congenitus,  530. 
Connubium,   quantity  of  propenultima, 

399- 
Conopeum,  Conopium,  154. 
Conscia  fati,  of  the  stars,  247. 
Consistere,  used  of  clouds,  202. 
Consitus  caligine,  17- 
Consternatus,  218. 
Consumere  in  arcus,  of  arrows,  171. 

—  of  a  spear  in  the  hand,  406. 

—  of  space,  258. 
Conterere  aliquem,  422. 
Contingi  lumine,  30. 
Conturbare  (sc.  rationes\  435. 
Convenire,  =  ' compare,'  291. 
Corinna,  Ovid's  mistress,  225. 
Corniger,  as  a  substantive,  295. 

—  used  for  a  river,  529. 
Cornu,  of  Sleep,  345. 
Cornua,  of  Bacchus,  81,  339. 

—  applied  to  rivers,  508. 

Corona    and    sertum,    their    difterence, 

215. 
Cortina,  meaning  of,  525. 
Cothurnatus,  430. 
Creditor  esse,  sense  of,  435. 
Cruces,  use  of,  467. 
Crusta,  of  mosaic  work,  479. 


Culex,  referred  to,  390,  433. 
Cum  (preposition),  omitted,  270. 
Cupressus,   first   syllable    lengthened   by 

Catullus.  23. 
Curii  =  Curiatii,  140. 
Cybele,  represented  as  mother  of  Jupiter, 

503. 
Cyrene,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  168. 

D. 

Dactyl,  in  second  foot  of  a  Sapphic  line, 

301. 
Damnatus,  175,  376. 
Damnum,  '  penalty,'  218. 
Dardanius,  '  Roman,'  374. 
Dare,  construction  of  with  participles  in 

-dus,  75. 
■ —  meaning  of  in  compounds,  86. 

—  jura,  154,  175. 

—  locum,  382. 

—  se,  383. 

Dative,  of  nouns  in  -eus,  26,  195. 

—  ethical,  90,  339,  391,  450. 

—  of  Greeic  nouns  in  -is,  shortened,  19. 
Decedere,  '  make  way  for,'  21. 
Decidere  cum  aliquo,  phrase,  435. 
Decurrere,  'run  out  a  course,'  315. 
Dedere,  a  sacred  term,  66,  88. 
Dediscere  ducem,  310. 
Deducere  carmen,  198,  247. 

—  of  weight,  240. 

Deerrantes,  scanned  as  a  trisyllable,  295. 
Defessa  choris,  meaning  of,  138. 
Deficere,  of  the  sun  setting,  145. 
Dei,  as  plural,  not  in  Virgil  or  Horace, 

2S8. 
Deinde,  scanned  as  a  trisyllable,  520. 
Delebilis,  431. 
Delphi,  for  '  the  inhabitants  of  Delphi,' 

29. 
Deposivi,  51. 
Derecta,  47. 

Deripere  deos  coelo,  80. 
Descendens  arena,  452. 
Desiit,  scanned  as  a  dissyllable,  257. 
Destinare,  technical  sense  of,  275. 
Deterrere  quin,  67. 
Detexere,  of  a  poem,  481. 
Detonare,  peculiar  sense  of,  389. 
Devenerari,  188. 
Devotus,  i.  q.  deditus,  274. 
Diaeta,  'a  room,'  386. 
Diducere  brachia,  of  dancing,  394. 
Dies,  '  the  sky,'  312. 
—  '  air,'  490. 

Digerere  =  concoquere  (?),  346. 
Diminutives  of  adjectives,  common  in  Ca- 

tullus,  12. 
Dindymus,  160. 

Dione,  properly  '  mother  of  Venus,'  218. 
Dipsas,  421. 
Dirus,  255. 


544 


INDEX   OF   NOTES. 


Discernere,   discrimen.    of  hair,    238. 

498. 
Discerpere  dictis,  40. 
Discors  and  dissors.  confused,  287. 
Discrucior,  40. 
Discutere  fidem,  309. 
Disertus,  peculiar  use  of,  437. 
Dispensare,  443. 
Dispensator,  427. 
Dissepire,  202. 

Diutius,  scanned  as  a  trisyllable,  270. 
Diverberare,  461. 
Diverbia,  meaning  of,  471. 
Diversa  locis,  201. 
Divi  parentes,  30. 
Divina   domus,  of  the  Imperial  familv, 

279. 
Doctus,  special  attribute  of  Catullus,  414. 

—  of  a  cuitivated  audience,  388. 
Dogs,  the  best  breeds  of,  233. 

—  names  of,  234. 
Dolere  ^diSti/eif,  51. 

Dotes,  metaphorical  use  of,  237. 
Dracones,  as  standards,  339. 
Dubius,  of  the  sun's  light,  285. 
Ducere,  of  metals,  69. 

—  of  sails,  116. 

—  of  the  hands  in  swimming,  132. 
Dulcis,  with  dative,  343. 

Dum,  construction  of  moods  with,  92. 
Dux  gregis,  signification  of,  77- 

E. 

Earinus,  name  of  a  slave,  437. 

Edonis,  shortening  of  penultima,  364. 

Educere,  493. 

Effecta  gaudia,  235. 

Effeminare,  505. 

Effundere  actus,  235. 

Effusus,  i.  q.  editus,  523. 

Egerere,  meaning  of,  170. 

Egredi,  with  accusative,  339. 

Ejuratus,  406. 

Elegiac  metre,  first  Roman  composers  in, 

134- 

Elision,  of 'm',  or  vowels  in  the  first  foot 
of  an  hexameter  by  Catullus,  27. 

—  of  '  m'  in  the  fifth  foot,  37. 

—  of  que  in  the  third  foot  of  a  penta- 
meter,  160. 

Emergere,  active  usage  of  with  vultus, 

4- 

—  with  accusative  of  object  surmounted, 

255- 

—  passive  participle  of,  210. 
Emeritus,  178,  322,  391,  430,  503. 
Enimvero,  273. 

Ennius,  Ovid's  criticism  of,  192. 
Entheus,  396. 

Equus  and  eques,  confused,  226. 
Ergo,  the  ultima  long  in  the  better  poets, 
16. 


Erigere,  its  mihtary  sense,  360. 

Est,  position  of  in  Tibullus'  pentameters, 

63- 

—  at  the  end  of  the  hexameter,  88,  207. 
Et,  at  the  beginning  of  a  poem,  120. 

—  followed  by  que,  269. 
Etymologies,  suggested  b}'  Ovid,  213,  216. 
Eumenis,  as  a  singular,  317. 
Europae  Porticus,  420. 

Evehere,  use  of,  505. 

Eversus  rogus,  164. 

Evius,  as  an  adjective,  404. 

Ex,  '  in  consequence  of,'  242. 

Exacta  voluntas,  237. 

Exaggerare,  267. 

Exarare,  267. 

Excernere,  239. 

Excidere  aevo,  139,  147. 

Excipere  vota,  133. 

Excutere,    different    uses    of,    95,  317. 

330- 
Exequiae,  '  relics'  (?),  393. 
Exhorrere,  499. 
Exire  in  mensem,  213. 
Expensae,  506. 
Explere  corpus,  296. 
Explicare,  of  death,  399. 
Expositus,  399. 
Expressus,  '  translated,'  32. 
Exsudatus,  361. 

Extenuare,  technical  meaning  of,  23. 
Externare,  8,  14. 
Exturbare,  209. 
Exuviae,  327. 


Fabula,  '  scandal,'  225. 

Facere  (with  dative),   pecuHar  sense  of, 

189. 
Facilis,  of  water,  99. 

—  of  food,  240. 

—  of  box-trees,  4^7- 

—  of  an  entertalnment,  439. 
Falli,  with  cognate  accusative,  48. 

—  with  infinitive,  324. 
Fascia,  279. 

Fastus,  fourth  declension,  494. 
Fata  (qy.  of  a  corpse),  124 
Fatalis,  with  dative,  90. 
Fatigare  vim,  345. 
Favor,  sense  of  in  Gratius,  235. 
Fax,  177. 

Fenerare  deos,  416. 
Ferire,  '  to  cheat,'  142. 

—  fluctus,  of  cliflFs,  385. 
Ferre,  peculiar  uses  of,  323,  343. 
Fertilis,  '  inspiring,'  172. 
Ferus  et  ferreus,  77- 

Fetus,  '  just  delivered,'  491. 
Fibra,  with  penultima  short,  254. 
Fides,  'substance'  of  a  thing,  328. 

—  rerum,  490. 


INDEX   OF   NOTES. 


545 


Fides  si  qua,  in  adjurations,  413. 

—  veuti,  500. 
Fieri,  with  dative,  94. 
Finis,  teniiiiine,  17. 

Fire,  practice  of  shepherds  passing  through, 

92. 
Flagellare  opes,  of  a  chest,  426. 
Flagrare  sanguine,  of  a  lake,  358. 
Flammea,  denoting  rapidity,  26. 

—  (substantive),  510. 

Flare  and  flere,  confused,  141,  149. 

Flectere  carmina,  394. 

Fleti  noniina,  peculiar  construction,  474. 

Florere,  of  wine,  216 

Fluere  =  affluere,  with  ablative,  505. 

Flumen,  of  a  stream  of  breath,  460. 

Focus,  of  kitchen  fire  especially,  439. 

Foedera  mundi,  487. 

Fortuna.  138,  310,  322. 

Fotus,  528. 

Frangere  torum,  Martial's  use  of,  422. 

Frigus,  a  cool  spot,  424. 

Frons,  *  show'  of  a  thing,  329. 

Frontis  honos,  377. 

Frustrari,  with  genitive,  242. 

Fuerit  (with  infinitive)  =  fas  fuerit,  367. 

Fuga,  of  a  horse's  motion,  461. 

Fugax,  with  genitive,  224. 

Fugiturus,  189. 

Fuisse,  of  death,  99. 

Fulmen,  '  shock  of  grief  etc,  377. 

Functus  (absolutely  used)  =  'dead,'  379. 

Funus,  'a  corpse,'  121,  174. 

Furtis  =  furto,  340. 

Fusus,  metaphorical  use  of,  480. 

Future  =  mild  imperative,  130. 

—  past,  use  of  in  prophecies,  357. 


Galli,  priests  of  Cybele,  317. 

Gallicus  miles,  131. 

Gallus,   the   poet,   Ovid's   notice   of,    193, 

225. 
Ganges,  quantity  of  last  syllable,  529. 
Genae,  '  eyes,'  349.  405. 
Genialis,  technical  sense  of,  5 10,  530. 
Genitive  singular  of  2nd  declension,  uncon- 

tracted  form,  118,  154,  189,  296. 

—  plural,  of  3rd  and  ^th  declensions,  con- 
tracted,  213,  21S. 

—  double,  148. 

Genus,  use    of   by  Phaedrus,   267,   270, 

278. 
Geographical  inaccuracy  in  the  poets,  6, 

206,  389. 
Germanicus,  Domitian,  429. 
Gerund,  favourite  use  of  by  Manilius,  253. 
Gestator,  425. 
Glabri,  275. 
Graius  and  gratus,  confused,  38,  91,  386, 

396,  460. 
Gratis,  272. 


Gratius,  Life  of,  231. 

Gravari  somno,  peculiar  sense  of,  404. 

Gymnas,  382. 

Gyrus,  uses  of,  34,  I40,  234,  236. 

H. 

Habitaculum,  517. 

Hadria,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  II 5. 

Haec,  old  form  of  feminine  plural,  25. 

Haerere  ocellis,  of  Cupid,  125. 

Hair,  of  slaves,  443. 

Hasta,  pura,  sense  of,  167. 

—  centumvirorum,  430. 

Haud    and    aut,    confused,    4,    36,    237, 

395- 
Haustus,  peculiar  sense  of,  398. 
Hectoreus  =  ' Trojan,'  170. 
Helciarius,  424. 
Helena,  star  fatal  to  ships,  402. 
Herbosi  rogi,  174. 
Heu,  abbreviation  of  in  MSS.,  126. 

—  with  nimis,  3S7. 

Hexameter,   quadrisyllabic    spondaic    end- 
ings  of,  4,  202,  206. 

—  monosyllabic  endings  of,  204. 

—  broken    into    small    clauses    by    Ovid, 
207  ;  and  by  Claudian,  502. 

—  sense  of,  closing  with  line  too  often  in 
Claudian,  511. 

Hiatus,  in  Lyrics,  523. 

Hiatus  =  ora  hiantia,  150,  152,  379. 

Hic  est,  426. 

Hic,  hoc,  quantity  of,  79. 

Hic  ille,  use  of,  71. 

Hiscere  nervis,  139. 

Hoc  erat  quod,  consiruction  of,  349. 

Hoc   unum,  accusative   in   apposition  to 

sentence,  172. 
Homo  meus,  279. 
Honor,  of  trees,  417. 

—  of  ofFerings  to  the  gods,  168. 

—  of  success  in  the  chase,  239. 
Honori  et  meritis,  a  formula,  267. 
Horace,  Ovid's  notice  of,  224. 
Horridus,  of  a  pompous  actor,  419. 
Horror,  of  leaves,  319. 

—  '  bad  tidings,'  348. 
Hospitus,  '  foreign,'  248. 

—  with  genitive  and  dative,  395. 
Hyacinthus  (the  stone),  497. 
H\-paIIage,  of  adjectives  in  Propertius,  121, 

'147. 
Hypermetric  lines,  51. 

L 

Igitur,  at  the  beginning  of  a  poem,  129. 
Ignavus,    '  uninteresting'    (of    writings), 

471.. 
Ignis  =  coeIum,  2or. 

—  '  hot  breath,'  238. 

—  plural,  i.  q.  rogi,  377. 

N  n 


546 


INDEX    OF   NOTES. 


Iliuni,  fornis  of  the  word,  137. 

Ille,  uses  of,  158,  238. 

Ille  vel  iste,  213. 

Illic,  referring  to  Hades,  125. 

Imagines,  meaning  of,  129,  418,  427. 

Imbecillus,  quantity  of  second  syllable, 

525- 
Impellere  fores,  '  dash  open,'  339. 
Impendere,  constructed  with  an,  342. 
Impendia  for  impensa,  241. 
Imperative,  hypothetical,  ii)6. 
Imperfect   subjunctive,   coupled   vvith   plu- 

perfect      subjunctive,     121,    132,     133, 

149. 
Impexus  and  implexus,  confused,  70. 
Implere  opus,  430. 
Improbus,  'intrusive,'  375. 
In,  uses  of,  10,  130,  214,  257,  348. 

—  separated  from  verb  by  tmesis,  251. 

—  understood  from  second  clause,  367. 
Incerare,  526. 

Index  and  vindex,  confused,  399. 
Indicative  in  dependent  propositions,  224, 
310. 

—  coupled    with    subjunctive    after    ut, 

342- 
Indignus,  of  premature  mourning,  194. 
Indistinctus,  22. 
Indocilis,  peculiar  sense  of,  114. 
Inesse,  '  to  be  on,'  as  a  dress,  453. 
Infinitive,  gerundive  usage  of,  28,  3S0. 

—  =  supine,  118,  404. 

—  after  adjectives,  145,  288,  32S,  394. 

—  =substantive,  105,  319,  326,  359. 

—  epexegetical  use  of,  312. 

—  perfect  for  present,  64. 
Inflectere,  peculiar  usage  of,  348. 
Ingeniosus,  188. 

Ingenuae  vires,  meaning  of,  439. 

Ingratus,  '  unremunerative,'  191,  439. 

Injicere  manus,  phrase,  195. 

Innumeri  numeri,  471. 

Inobservabilis,  11. 

In  obsequium,  use  of,  461. 

Inquirere  in  aliquid,  330. 

Inserere  rixas,  65. 

Insinuare,  use  of,  380. 

Instabilis,  peculiar  sense  of,  199. 

Instar,  substantive,  189. 

Instare,  with  infinitive  following,  38. 

Instrumentum,     use     of     in     singular, 

275- 
Intonsus,  '  ancient,'  83. 
Intrare  leges,  174. 
I  nunc,  158,  479. 
Invadere  ferrum,  328. 
In  vulgus,  for  dative,  310. 
Invius,  with  dative,  496. 
Ipse,  uses  of,  17,  42,  216,  346,  349. 

—  repetition  of,  256. 
Iste,  sense  of,  491. 

Itonus,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  18. 
Itylus,  32. 


J. 

Jacere,  senses  of,  117,  431,  450. 
- —  ex  humero,  128. 
Jam,  marking  transition  to  a  new  subject, 
310. 

—  inde,  239. 

Jesus,  as  dissyllable,  shorteiiing    of   pre- 

ceding  vowel  before,  528. 
Joci,  used  of  fables  by  Phaedrus,  268. 
Jubere,  with  dative,  before  infinitive,  12. 
Juerint,  35. 

Jugulum,  peculiar  uses  of,  325,  491. 
Juno,  Lucina,  51. 

—  female  oath  by,  106. 
Jupiter,  in  adjurations,  36,  37- 

—  Pluvius,  74- 
Jurata  barba,  378. 
Jurgia  mentis,  98. 

Justa  ferre,  meaning  of,  226. 
Justum  funus,  467. 
Justus,  '  regular,'  217,  469. 
Juvenal,  442. 


Labicum,  -anus,   quantity   of  first    syl- 

lable,  417. 
Labor,  of  the  fruit  of  toil,  347. 
Lacerna,  164. 
Lactans  and  lactens,  472. 
Lacus,  dolium,  as  applied  to  wine,  92. 
Laedere  manes,  meaning  of,  65. 
Lagonae,  429. 
Laaifica,  meaning  of,  274. 
Lascivus,  of  the  stars,  86. 

—  of  a  horse's  neck,  461. 
Lassare  aeraria,  506. 
Lassus,  with  infinitive,  130. 
Latrare,  peculiar  sense  of,  376. 
Laudandus   epithet  cf  Proserpine,  98. 
Laurel,  crackling  of,  an  omen,  92. 

—  eating  of,  by  prophets  and  poets,  90. 
Laxare  portum,  441. 

Lectus,  torus,  difference  of,  64. 
Lectum  mutare,  peculiar  use  of,  179. 
Legere  saltus,  204. 

Lengthening  of  second  person  singular  of 
verb  in  Caesura,  248. 

—  of  a  short  syllable  in   division  of  the 
pentameter,  46S,  470. 

Leniter,  of  the  smooth  breathing,  54. 
Lentus,  senses  of,  80,  116,  187,  300. 
Lex,    distinguished    from    plebiscitum, 

313- 

—  of  verse,  249. 

Liba,  technical  meaning  of,  76,  222,  438. 

Libri,  special  sense  of,  47. 

Lignum,  of  the  Cross,  527. 

Limbus,  405. 

Limigenus,  479. 

Litterator,  46. 

Litteratus,  269. 


INDEX   OF   NOTES. 


547 


Litus,  ripa,  their  dilTerence  disregarded, 

114,  201,  257. 
Locare  cl  i  vuni,  21  7. 
Locupies,  etyiuology  of,  216. 
Longa  penus,  470. 
Longae  nianus,  nieaning  of,  150. 
Lora,  as  applied  to  books,  47. 
Lotus  et  unctus,  Christian  seuse  of,  527. 
Lubricus,  ^75'  i^°- 
Lucan,  Lifc  of,  307. 
—  Statius'  Birthday  Ode  to,  3S7. 
Lucretius,  Ovid's  notice  of,  192. 
Luctifer,  287. 
Ludere,  with  accusative,  of  a  poetic  com- 

position,  389. 
Lues,  of  a  person,  488. 
Lusor,  with  genitive,  222. 
Lustrare,  ncuter  use  of,  234. 
Luxus,  of  excess  in  drinking,  276. 
Lyra,  metonyniic  uses   of  in   Propcrtius, 

133.  170- 


M, 


Macer  Aemilius,  the  poet,  224. 
Machina,  of  the  universe,  379. 
Madere,  of  hard  drinking,  83. 
Mage,  46S. 

Magnanimus,  in  a  bad  sense,  9. 
Magnifice,  95. 
Magnum,  as  adverb,  294. 
Malignus,  with  dative,  228. 

—  of  Ught,  474. 
Manamen,  47S. 
Manes  =  cinis,  130. 
Manifestus,  with  genitive,  218. 

—  with  fides,  314. 
Manilius,  Life  of,  245. 
Mantichora,  452. 

Manum  injicere,  meaning  of,  195. 

—  finemque  imponere,  254. 
Manu,  redundant,  368. 
Marbles,  kinds  of,  386. 
Marcella,  wife  of  Martial,  444. 
March,  kalends  of,  lOO,  438. 
Marmoreus,  of  colour,  433. 

Marsus,  Domitius,  the  epigrammatist,  434. 

Martial,  Life  of,  411. 

Masculine  of  nouns  used  for  feminine,  376. 

Meals,  posture  at,  24. 

Mecum='chez  moi,'  273. 

Meditari,  peculiar  uses  of,  507,  521. 

Melior  =  ' relenting,*  342. 

Mellitus,  sense  of,  42. 

Memorator,  137. 

Mens  aninii,  31. 

Mente  mala,  meaning  of,  93. 

Metaphors,  confusion  of,  128,  168,  312. 

Metres,  Hendecasyllabic,  41 . 

—  Hipponactean,  or  Scazon,  47. 
Metere    Gangem,   pecuHar    expression, 

241. 
Mihi,  scanned  as  a  monosyllable,  298. 


Minerva,  goddess  of  weaving,  85  ;  of  prac- 

tical  shrevvdtiess,  416. 
Ministrare,  intransitive  use,  241. 
Minois,  as  an  adjective,  176. 
Mirator,  474. 
Misellus,  '  love-sick,'  53. 
Modestus,  applied  to  water,  383. 
Modo  non,  63. 
MoIIire  legem,  1  77- 
Mollis,   meaning  of  in   Propertius,    136, 

140. 

—  with  margo,  378. 
Momentum  horae,  265. 
Monstra,  meaning  of,  338. 
Monstrifer,  504. 
Monstrosus,  316. 

Mores,  Roman  name  for  '  virtue,'  180. 

Mors,  for  concrete,  28,  129,  401. 

Morsus,  '  jaws,'  238. 

Movere,  senses  of,  248,  251,  323,  343. 

Mugire  cruentum,  490. 

Mulcere  aures,  meaning  of,  460. 

Multi,  with  genitive,  34. 

Mundus  =  'the  heavens,'  17,  145,  239, 

—  in  piural  =  '  parts  of  the  globe,'  165. 

—  ='  the  sun,'  250. 

—  ='  the  race  of  man,'  491. 
Mundus  muliebris,  a  phrase,  275. 
Munere  isto  (tovtov  x°P"'  9y-)'  45- 
Mustum,  in  plural,  192. 

Mutare,  neuter  usage  of,  48. 

Myths,  confusion  of  in  the  poets,  136,  302. 

N. 

Naeniae,  of  fables,  266. 
Namque,  position  of,  39. 
Nardifer,  241. 
Natare,  of  utterances  in  grief,  376. 

—  of  refiection  in  water,  384. 
Natio,  use  of,  272. 
Natura  melior,  200. 
Nauculari,  420. 
Navifragus,  256. 
Navigare,  peculiar  use  of,  258. 
Ne  =  ita  ut  non,  152. 

Ne  ve  =  et  ne,  286. 

Nec,  the  old  form  of  the  negative,  9. 

—  omitted  in  earlier  clauses  of  a  negative 
sentence,  252. 

—  =ne  .  .  quidem,  343,  384. 
Necdum,  499. 

Necuter,  427. 
Nemesianus,  Life  of,  457- 
Nempe,  use  of,  174. 
Neptunine,  peculiar  form,  5. 
Neptunus  uterque,  meaning  of,  49. 
Nequior  talus,  423. 
Nequitia,  uses  of,  117,  428. 
Nestor  =  Nestoris  aevum,  438. 
Nidi,  '  nestlings,'  393. 
Nimis,  '  greatly,'  5. 

—  with  heu,  387. 

N  n  2 


548 


INDEX   OF    NOTES. 


Nimius,  with  genitive,  399. 
Niti  in  hastas,  402. 
Nitidus,  of  fish,  203. 

—  ='  fruitful,'  214. 

—  of  the  wrestling-ring,  422. 
Nomen,  '  race,'  522. 
Nosse  fidem,  393. 
Nosse  =  posse,  520. 
Nota,  218. 

Notam  habere,  122. 
Notare,  106,  268. 
Nothus,  of  the  moon's  light,  51. 
Nouns    ending  in  -men,   their  frequency 
in    Ovid    and    other    poets,    210,   478, 

519- 

—  plural  of,  209. 

—  ending  in  -tor,  numerous  in  later  poets, 

5". 

Novissimum  mare,  45. 
Noxia  for  noxa,  241. 
Nubere,  peculiar  usage  of,  431. 
Numen,  i.q.  nutus,  17. 

—  habere,  195. 

—  mundi,  255. 

—  of  the  emperor,  453. 

Numeris  et  fine,  peculiar  phrase,  527. 


O. 


O,  final, quantity  of  in  verbs,  97,  228,  345. 

—  in  adverbs,  295,  297. 

—  in  nouns,  222. 
Oarion,  form  of  Orion,  41. 
Obductus,  metaphorical  use  of,  471. 
Obicit,  328. 

Ob  invidiam,  133. 
Obliquus,  '  winding,'  201. 
Obnoxius,  used  absolutely,  267. 

—  gemmis,  115. 

Obscurae  manus,  of  death,  195. 
Obstrepitare,  511. 
Obtutibus,  479. 
Occidualis,  529. 
Ocellus,  metaphorical  use  of,  49. 
Ocnus,  legend  of,  164. 
Oileus  =  Oilei  filius,  303. 
Omnigenus,  adjective,  530. 
'OixoioriXtvTOV,  in  Propertius,  1 20. 

—  in  Silius,  368. 

Onus,  uses  of,  170,  201,  239,  295. 
Opera  tua,  mea,  etc,  sense  of,  43. 
Operatus,  with  dative,  82,  85. 
Operosus  votis,  meaning  of,  169. 
Opis,  for  opum,  25. 
Oppetere,  use  of,  10. 
Opus,  religious  sense  of,  194. 

—  of  siege-works,  320. 

—  usage  of  by  Gratius,  236,  237,  240. 
Oracles,  silenciiig  of,  493,  525. 

Ora  ferre,  337. 

Orbls,  various  senses  of,   137,  i6S.  236, 

346- 

Origo,  peculiar  sense  of,  507. 


Orpheus,  declension  of.  388. 

Orsa,  of  poetry,  471. 

Ortus,   of  the    heat   caused   by   a   star'5 

rising,  63. 
Oscula,  meaning  of,  179,  342,  356,  441. 
Ossa,  of  a  trumpet,  16 1. 
—  =  umbra,  126. 
Ostrinus,  119. 
Ovid,  Life  of,  183. 
Ovile,  of  goats  as  well  as  sheep,  85. 
Oxymoron,  in  Latin,  9,  200,  256. 


P. 


Pacisci,  of  marriage  contract,  258. 

Palam  esse,  323. 

Palimpseston,  47. 

Pallere,  with  accusative,  356. 

Pallor,  meaning  of,  319. 

Panes  (plural),  318. 

Parcae  dies,  144. 

Parma,  famous  for  wool,  42. 

Parrhasius,  of  the  Imperial  court,  436. 

Parthenope,  the  Siren,  395. 

Participles,  for  substantives,  117. 

—  compounded  with   in  (negative),  199, 
294.. 356; 

—  passive,  in  middle  sense,  204. 

—  equivalent  to  gerund,  506. 
Pascere,  used  for  pasci,  89. 
Passer,  Catullus' poem  upon,  424. 
Pater,  applied  to  winds,  166. 
Patrius,  with  dative,  355. 

—  '  of  senators'  (?),  499. 

Paullo,  use  of  with  comparative,  277. 
Pauper,  meaning  of,  149. 
Pecten,  of  a  dance,  404. 
Pecudes,  of  horses,  21^5. 
Pecus,  of  dogs,  238. 

—  of  hippopotamuses,  452. 
Peculiaris,  424. 
Pegma,  277. 

PeliOj  scanned  as  a  dissyllable,  360. 
Pentameter,  trisyllabic  ending  of,  31,  64, 

96. 
Peragere,  |>eculiar  use  of,  451. 
Perduci,  in  legal  sense  =  deferri,  217. 
Per  partes,  450. 
Perennae  nemus,  424. 
Perfect    tense,    second    person    singular 

contracted,  35,  46. 
Perire  =  '  to  be  in  love,'  52. 
Perneverit,  417- 
Perpensare,  24O. 
Perpeti,  constructed  with  ut,  276. 
Perpetuus,  of  a  poem,  198. 

—  neuter  of  for  adverb,  496. 
Perstringere,  of  cold,  240. 
Pes,  nautical  sense  of,  44. 

—  '  rhythm,'  344. 

Petere  jura,  meaning  of  phrase,  40. 

Pexus,  238. 

Phaeacus,  adjective  form,  138. 


INDEX    OF    NOTES. 


549 


Phaedrus,  Life  of,  263. 

Pharsalus   and    Pharsalia,   their   differ- 

ence,  6. 
Phaselus,  meaning  and  gender  of,  43. 
Phenionoe,  383. 
Piaculum,  meaning  of,  208. 
Pignus,  usage  of  in  Gratius,   235,   237, 

238,  24O. 
Pipilare,  42. 
Piscina,  421. 
Plangere  aliquem,  74- 
Plaudere,  of  dancers,  405. 
Play  on  words  in  Ausonius,  470,  473,  474. 
Plenae  taedae,  meaning  of,  394. 
Plenus,  followed  by  a  genitive  mostly  in 

Ovid,  193. 
Poena,  rare  uses  of,  148,  256. 

—  plural  =  '  the  Furies,'  344. 

Poets,  modern,  prejudice  against  in  Rome, 

434- 
Polus  occultus,  conspicuus,  227. 

—  Latius,  436. 
Poma,  meaning  of,  215. 
Pondus  =  ' contents  of  quiver,'  171. 

—  in  plural,  meaning  of,  199. 
Pone  (preposition),  rare,  294. 
Ponere,  term  of  sacrifice,  62. 
Ponticus,  the  heroic  poet,  224. 
Popa,  meaning  of,  423. 

Populus  and  campus,  confused,  401. 

—  of  the  dead,  287. 
Porro,  52. 

Porticus,  technical  sense  of,  451. 

Positura,  165. 

Posse  =  debere,  1S8. 

Possidere   and    possidSre,  their   differ- 

ence,  200. 
Postilla,  adverb,  54. 
Pote,  147. 

Potestas,  for  concrete,  507. 
Potrix,  275. 

Praecordia  mundi,  249. 
Praeda,  rapina,  their  difference,  312. 
Praefari,  uses  of,  29,  471. 
Praeluceo,  473. 
Praemia  =  praeda,  214. 
Praeoptarit,  scanned  as  trisyllable,  12. 
Praesagire,  151. 
Praetexta,  technical  sense  of,  176. 
Praetextatus,  472,  481. 
Praetoria,  '  mansions,'  384. 
Praevelare,  510. 

Precor,  constructed  vvith  infinitive,  87. 
Premi,  use  of,  201. 
Preposition,   place  of  in   reference   to    its 

case,  215,  349. 
Present  tense,  forperfect,  in  Propertius,  161. 
—  other  uses  of,  390,  469. 
Pretio,  precibus,  phrase,  278. 
Primus,  '  edge  of,'  338,  347. 
Priscus,  '  stern,'  14. 
Privus,  471. 
Procax,  origin  of  word,  270. 


Procedere,  force  of,  lOI. 
Procne,  legend  of,  32. 
Prodigies,  drowned,  92. 
Producere,  funeral  sense  of,  376. 
Profundus,  meaning  of,  254,  2S7. 
Prolepsis,  instances  of,  63,  82. 
Prometheus,  myth  of,  203. 
Promissus  (participle),  peculiar  sense  of, 
461. 

—  (substantive),  258. 
Pronuba,  office  of,  512. 
Pronus,  6,  286,  317. 
Properatus,  357. 
Propertius,  Life  of,  109. 

—  noticed  by  Ovid,  224. 
Propior  metus,  364. 
Proscindere,  320. 
Protegere  sensus,  491. 
Proseminare,  253. 
Prosperare,  529. 
Proximus,  peculiar  use  of,  443. 

—  confused  with  maximus,  97. 
Prudentius,  Life  of,  515. 
Pudici  fontes,  383. 

PuIIus,  of  mob,  450. 

Pulpita,4i7. 

Pusio,  522. 

Pyrene,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  72. 

Q. 

Quadriga,  in  singular,  235. 

Qiiaesitor,  288. 

Qualiter,  311. 

Quam  =  quantum,  397. 

Qiiamquam,    accusative    of    quisquis, 

.'.93  • 
Q_iiamvis,  with  indicative,  227. 
Quantum  hominum,  42. 
Qiiantus  =  quantulus,  172. 
Quartum,  peculiar  use  of,  420. 
Que,  for  ve,  52,  286. 

—  exegetical,  203,  217. 

—  misplacement  of,  69,  91. 

—  after  nec  =  '  but,'  199,  310. 
Queri,  construction  with,  96. 
Quicum,  archaism  for  quacum,  40. 
Quies  impacata,  490. 

Quine,  use  of,  15. 
Quinquatria,  222. 
Quinquennia,  at  Naples,  381. 
Quirinalis  amictus,  494. 
Quis  for  aliquis,  77. 

—  for  uter,  310. 
Quisque  =  uterque,  310. 

—  for  femiuine,  475. 

Quo,  elliptical  use  of  with  accusative,  190. 

—  with  perit,  corrupit,  489. 
Quod,  prefacing  objections,  138,  171. 

—  where    ut    may    have    been    expected, 

479-  505- 
Qiionam  usque,  401. 
Q^ioque,  out  of  place,  227. 


550 


INDEX    OF    NOTES. 


R. 

Rapere  mare,  of  wind,  291. 

—  peculiar  use  of  passive,  498. 
Raptare  in  crimina,  153. 
Recidere,  quantity  of  first  syllable,  499. 
Recidivus,  356. 

Recinctus,  347. 

Recipere  rem,  legal  phrase,  217. 

Recrescere,  187. 

Reddere,  meanings  of,  36,  315,  327. 

Redire,  senses  of,  236,  241,  341. 

Reflare,  with  accusative,  400. 

Refluens,  refluus,  346,  388. 

Regere  fines,  68. 

Regina,  '  princess,'  338. 

Regna,  of  an  estate,  444. 

Relative  used  instead  of  conjunction,  86, 

125. 
Religare,  meaning  of,  15,  300. 
Remulcus,  478. 
Reparatio,  ^21. 
Repetere,  used  as  neuter,  236. 
Respicere,  followed  by  ut,  339. 
Resudare,  520. 
Rete,  an  ablative  form,  221. 
Retexere,  meaning  of,  391. 
Retuli,  quantity  of  first  syllable   in   the 

poets,  270. 
Revisere,  neufer  usage  of,  with  in,  29. 
Revolvere  fata,  357. 
Rex  (Nemoralis),  341. 
Rhamnusia  (Nemesis),  30,  39,  391,  509. 
Rimari,  use  of,  523. 
Rivus  and  amnis,  their  difference,  478. 
Rogare,  with  inlinitive,  443. 
Rogos,  of  the  grave,  1  74. 
Romulus,  adjective  form,  526. 
Rotulus  (or  -um),  pecuhar  form,  451. 
Rudis  herba,  419. 

—  of  tears,  497. 
Rumpere  angues,  254. 

—  diem,  312. 

—  sibila,  356. 

Rura,  metaphorical  use  of,  141. 
Rursum,  form  chiefly  used  before  vowels, 

361. 
Rursus,  strict  meaning  of,  48,  488. 

S. 

Sabbath,    Jewish,    referred    to    by    Latin 

poets.  67. 
Sacra,  service  of  the  Muses,   134,   223, 

248,  430. 
Salo,  river,  440,  442. 
Salubris,  peculiar  use  of,  440. 
Sanctus,  of  the  dead,  96. 
Sapores,  104. 

Satumalia,  gambling  allowed  on,  423. 
Saxa,  rupes,  difFerence  between,  206. 
Scelerare,  30. 
Scelerata  sedes,  'jo. 


Scelus,  of  early  deaih,  376,  441. 

Schola,  266,  419. 

Scilicet,  uses  of,  127,  241. 

Scire  =posse,  427. 

Scit  peritura,  Graecism,  402. 

Scurra,  meaning  of,  48. 

Scyphus,  339. 

Sector,  3  1  3. 

Sed,  repetition  of,  75. 

—  =nisi,  95. 

—  enim,  use  of,  207,  368. 
Sedere,  peculiar  use  of,  234. 
Semita,    via,    difference    between,    268, 

429. 
Seneca,  Life  of,  283. 
Senet,  45. 

Sensus  =  ' understanding,'  127. 
Sequestrare,  521. 
Sequi  colla,  461. 

—  somnos,  64. 
Serenum,  substantive,  495. 
Sheep,  colour  of,  77,  89. 
Si,  nearly=  quando,  46. 

—  for  an.  145. 

—  =eiirws,  343. 

—  quis,  peculiar  use  of,  175, 

—  tamen,  meaning  of,  272,  438. 

—  omitted,  491. 
Sibyls,  variety  of,  91. 

Sic  .  .  ut,  use  of  in  adjurations,  53,  123. 

Siccine,  12. 

Siccus,  '  spare,'  238. 

Sicut  erat,  403. 

Sidonius,  quantity  of  propenultima,  358. 

Sidus  corruptum,  499. 

Sigmatism,  69,  114,  316,  378,  393. 

Sileni,  20. 

Silius  Italicus,  Life  of,  353. 

Similis,  '  reflected,'  498. 

Simplex  =  '  only,'  362. 

Singular  of  iiouns  in  plural  sense,  21 4. 

Sinus,  '  hollows  in  hills,'  206. 

—  sacri,  meaning  of,  493. 

Si  quid  id  est,  favourite  phrase  of  Ovid, 

222. 
Sirens,  number  of,  376. 
Sithonis,  adjective,  187. 
Sitis,  for  concrete,  70,  I43. 
Sive  omitted,  44. 

Sneezing,  omens  connected  with,  52. 
Sodalitius,  224. 
Solito,  adverb  (?),  120. 
Solus,  peculiar  use  of,  149. 
Solvere,  with  genitive,  75. 

—  murmura,  peculiar  phrase,  472. 
Solvi  poenis,  of  an  injury,  217. 
Sonare  bella,  433. 

Sophos,  416. 

Sors,  '  principal  of  money,'  427. 

—  in  plural,  meanings  of,  67,  88. 
Sortiri  pilam,  175. 

—  judicia,  288. 
Sospitare,  archaic  verb,  51. 


INDEX    OF    NOTES. 


55? 


Soteria,  444. 

Spatia,  235,  419. 

Species,  opposed  to  ratio,  252. 

Spectacula,  seuses  of,  449,  451. 

Spectator  =  '  critic,'  480. 

Specus,  gender  of,  2S5. 

Spirare  nianuni  and  manu,  meaning  of, 

431- 
Spoliari,  followed  by  accusative,  211. 
Sponte,  with  genitive,  331. 
Spumare,  in  active  sense,  525. 
Stare,  of  a  battle,  142,  143. 

—  of  a  statue,  190. 

Stars,  viewed  as  living  creatures,  203. 

Statius,  Life  of,  373. 

Strictae  leges,  meaning  of,  395. 

Sub,  '  up  to,'  207. 

Subditus,  with  an  ablative,  364. 

Subducere,  meaning  of,  252. 

Subicere,  peculiar  sense  of,  357. 

Subire,  '  to  spring  upon,'  237. 

Subject  before  verb,  omitted,  87. 

Submittere,  327. 

Subrepere,  with  dative,  103. 

Subtusus,  80. 

Suffragia  = '  assistance,'  476. 

Sunt    qui,   construction   of  moods   with, 

196. 
Super  =  superesse,  239,  349. 
Superare,  neuter  use  of,  145. 
Supinus,  senses  of,  24,  443. 
Surdus,  '  noiseless,'  166. 
Surgere,  of  an  undertaking,  255. 

—  of  aboy,  357. 
Suspendere  vota,  lO. 
Suspirare  in  aliquo,  lO. 

—  Bacchum,  364. 
Sustinere  flumina,  137,  257. 
Sustollere,  17. 

Suus,  uses  of,  205,  431,  462. 

Syllabae,  of  Hendecasyllabic  verses,  414. 

Synapheia,  23. 

Syrtes,  vague  uses  of,  469,  526. 


Tacitum  fulmen,  meaning  of,  315. 

Taciturnus,  with  dative,  122. 

Taenarus,  different  forms  of,  2S5. 

Tantaleo,  substantive,  176. 

Tautology  in  Seneca's  epithets,  286. 

Taxare,  289. 

Tegere,  peculiar  use  of,  32. 

Tegmina,  peculiar  sense  of,  349. 

Temperare  vias,  of  a  river,  161. 

Temperies,  504. 

Tempestas,   metaphorical  meanings  of, 

49 1'  509- 
Templa,  of  the  skies,  39,  312,  4.^6. 

—  of  a  single  temple,  381. 
Tempore, 'seasonably'(?),  178. 

—  primo  =  dpx^f  (?),  14- 
Tendere,  of  a  camp,  326,  369. 


Tenere  bidentes,  63. 

—  participle,  pcculiar  use  of,  234. 
Tener,  senses  of,  74. 
Tenuare  carmen,  135. 
Tepefacere,  second  syllable  lengthened, 

27. 
Tergum  and  tergus.used  synonymously, 

133- 
Terra  =  cinis,  131. 

—  plural,  sense  of,  200. 
Testudo,  382. 
Tetulisset,  36. 

Tibia,  double  sense  of,  278. 
Tibullus,  Life  of,  57. 
Titan,  for  '  Sun,'  199. 
Tityrus,  433. 
Toga,  disuse  of,  439. 
Togatum  carmen,  388. 
Tonitria,  theatrical,  278. 
Toto,  form  of  dative,  155. 
Tractus,  uses  of,  163,  395. 
Trahere  mentem,  487. 
Translaticius,  278. 
Trepidae  artes,  234. 
Tritonis  =  '  olive,'  387, 
Tritus,  peculiar  use  of,  48. 
Troicus  and  Troius,  26, 
Tueri,  rare  sense  of,  24I. 

—  rura  (of  a  temple),  382. 
Tum  deinde,  239,  347. 
Tumere,  with  dative,  =  irasci,  379. 
Turben,  old  form  of  turbo,  II. 
Turris=  columbarium,  443. 

—  =  '  fortified  gate,'  501. 
Tusculus  for  Tusculanus,  424. 
Tuus  ='  self-possessed,'  385. 

—  dies,  397. 

U, 
Ubertim,  35. 

Uduni  litus,  meaning  of,  382. 
Ulterius,  with  accusative,  I16. 
Ululare,  of  joy,  493. 
Umbilici,  of  books,  47. 
Unus,  pecuUar  uses  of,  48,  384. 

—  when  repeated,  386. 
Urbis  opus,  383. 
Urere,  of  torture,  95. 

—  of  cold,  340. 
Urna,  175,  363,  510. 
Usus,  234,  251. 
Utpote,  with  indicative,  7. 
Utcumque,  453. 

V. 

Vacuus,  uses  of,  22,  488. 
Vadum,  of  a  river,  288. 

—  in  plural,  of  a  river's  bed,  73. 
Vagus  December,  meaning  of,  423. 
Valerius  Flaccus,  Life  of,  335. 
Vapor,  of  '  scent,'  234, 
Vapulare,  12S. 

Variare,  peculiar  sense  of.  27. 


552 


INDEX    OF   NOTES. 


Varius,  '  cunning,"  405. 

—  of  the  moon,  487. 

Varro  Atacinus,  Ovid's  notice  of,  192. 

Vasa,  '  huuting-gear,'  234. 

Vaticinari,  209. 

Vela,  '  awning,'  158. 

Vellera,  25. 

Vendere,  113. 

Venena,  applied  to  books,  46. 

Venerandus,  of  the  young,  76. 

Venire=esse,  123,  228. 

Verb,  ellipse  of,  402. 

—  substantive.omitted,  120,126, 135,  242. 
Versans  =  versatus,  13. 

Vertex,  of  flame,  315. 

Verti  =  '  dance,'  219. 

Vesci,  with  accusative,  91. 

Vester,  for  tuus,  14. 

Vesticipes,  472. 

Vestis  honores,  178. 

Vetustas,  318. 

Via  Herculea,  157. 

Vibrare  and  librare,  difFerence  of,  320. 

Vicem,  meaning  of,  266. 

Viden   ut,  foUowed   by  subjunctive   and 

indicative,  83. 
Vigilia,  267. 


Vincire  deum,  251. 
Vincla,  of  walls,  28. 
Virgo  (aqueduct,)  427. 
Viridia,  as  a  substantive,  273. 
Vita,  abstract  for  concrete,  252. 
Vitta,  technical  use  of,  164,  176. 
Vivere,  Martiars  sense  of,  414,  418. 

—  in  Venerem,  496. 
Vivus,  of  a  spring,  419. 
Vocat,  old  form  of  vacat,  248. 
Vocative,  used  for  nominative,  75- 
Vocitatus,  367. 

Vorago,  theatrical  sense  of,  452. 
Vota,  164, 

Vowels,  terminal,  quantity  of  before  con- 
sonants  of  foUowing  word,  15,  155,  200, 

253.  530. 

—  long,  shortened  in  the   absence  of  eli- 
sion,  152. 

—  licence  as  to  quantity  of,  by  the  Greek 
poets,  437. 

Vulgo  =  vulgaris,  233. 

W. 
Winds,  cause  of  lightning,  202,  311. 
World  below,  having  its  own  sun  and  star 
system,  512. 


CORRIGENDA. 

P^g^       3  (y-  4)»  9  (^-  ^*^)'    '°  (^'-  ioi)/or  quum  read  cum. 
,,  8  (note  on  v.  71)  dele  reference  to  v.  166. 

„  26  (note  on  v.  330) /or  'which'  read  '  the  former  of  which.' 

„  27  (note  on  v.  359)  for  altas  read  alta. 

a  a 

„  30  (v.  400)  and  95  (v.  16)  /or  exstinctos  read  extinctos. 

„  31  (note  on  v.  5)  /or  adluit  read  alluit. 

y  y 

„  58  and  110 /or  '  cotemporaries' rfad  '  contemporaries.' 

„        73  (note  on  v.  1 3)  /or  '  it'  read  '  them.' 

„        75  (note  on  v.  48)  /or  conscius  read  conscia. 

„        78  (note  on  v.  13)  /or  forsan  read  forsitan. 

„  90  (note  on  v.  57)  /or  '  line  .  .  means'  read  '  lines  .  .  mean.' 

„  119  (note  on  v.  5)  /or  silva  read  silvas. 

„  121  (note  on  v.  21)  /or  '  19  (18),  19'  read  '  20  (19),  19.' 

„  136  (v.  24)  and  224  (V.  36)  /or  maius  read  majus. 

"  ''53  (^-  36)  dele  comma  a/ter  dies. 

„  187  (v.  4)  /or  anchora  read  ancora. 

„  196  (v.  35)  /or  rapiant  read  rapiunt. 

„  202  (note  on  v.  66)  dele  reference  to  Prop.  4  (3).  I,  63. 

„  283  For  'twice  suffering  banishment  under  Caligula  and  Claudius'  read 

'  suffering  banishment  under  Claudius." 

„  287  (v.  42)  /or  moestus  read  maestus. 

,,  310  (note  on  v.  16)  dele  colon  a/ter  nec. 

„  317  (and  note)  /or  sepulchro  read  sepulcro. 


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