Me fabulosae Vulture in Appulo Texere (mirum quod foret omnibus, Tru 10 15 20 ter penetrate into the grove under the tops of the trees.-9. What Horace here relates of the adventures of his youth is borrowed from the Greek poets, who tell similar stories of themselves. Of Pindar, in particular, it is said that bees, when he was a boy, laid him down on boughs of laurel and myrtle, and fed him with honey. Fabulosae belongs to palumbes in line 12, the doves, of whom so many stories are told. Compare i. 22, 7. Vulture in Appulo. Vultur was a hill of Apulia above Venusia, Horace's birthplace; stretching, however, also into the neighbouring district of Lucania. Thus it happened that the boy, though playing on the hill beside his own native town, yet went beyond Apulia, extra limen altricis Apuliae; Apulia being called altrix, because the poet was born there. Observe the metrical liberty which Horace takes here in the word Apulia and its derivatives; having the first syllable long in Appulo, as is by far most common, but short in line 10. - 11. Ludo fatigatumque somno, poetical; for the child was wearied with play only, and in consequence of this fatigue was overcome by sleep.12. Fronde nova, green, fresh leaves.'- 14. Acherontia (now Acerenza), Bantia (now Abbazia di Vanzo), and Forentum (now Forenzo), were towns in the neighbourhood of Venusia; the first situated, like most Italian towns, high on a hill, hence called nidus, the last in a valley, hence humilis. 17. Ut expresses the object, and belongs to texere, in line 13. Connect corpore tuto ab atris viperis, with my body safe from black snakes.' 20. Non sine dis; that is, non sine deorum auxilio. Without the particular assistance of the gods, the boy could not have been so bold (animosus) as to sleep in the forest. 21. Vester, belonging, devoted to you.' 22. Tollor in arduos Sabinos, Í raise myself, climb to the high land (situated among the Apennines) of the Sabines.' This land itself has no name in Latin, the name of the people, Sabini, being always used for it. Seu- that is, vel proficiscor (this must be supplied from tollor) Praeneste, si id mihi placuit, &c. for seu is equivalent to vel si. Praeneste (now Palestrina), celebrated for its cool (frigidum) refreshing air, and for this reason still a favourite summer res Vestris amicum fontibus et choris Nec Sicula Palinurus unda. Utcunque mecum vos eritis, libens Visam Britannos hospitibus feros Et Scythicum inviolatus amnem. Vos Caesarem altum, militia simul Pierio recreatis antro. Vos lene consilium et datis et dato idence for the Romans. Tibur (now Tivoli) is situated on the peak and slope of the Alban range, and is hence called supinum, hanging on a hill.' Baiae (see ii. 18, 20) is called liquidae, on account of its clear, pure, pellucid air. - 26. Acies versa retro Philippis; that is, the defeat at Philippi.' See ii. 7, 9.-27. Devota = sacra diis inferis, accursed.' See ii. 13. - 28. Palinurus, a promontory on the coast of Lucania, near the Gulf of Velia. Nothing is known of the danger alluded to here, to which Horace was exposed in the Sicilian Sea (Sicula unda.)-29. Utcunque: see i. 17, 10.-30. Bosporum: see ii. 13, 14, and 20, 14.-32. Litoris Assyrii, of the Arabian deserts, which extend as far as the Persian Gulf. — 33. Britannos hospitibus feros. The story went, that the Britons sacrificed strangers to the gods. -34. Concanum, a Spanish tribe, said to practise the Scythian custom of eating horse-flesh.-35. Gelonos see ii. 9, 23.36. Scythicum amnem; namely, the Tanais.-37. Militia — oppidis, as soon as he has added the cohorts weary of service (that is, the veterans, the milites emeriti) to the towns,' settled them in the towns; for the Romans used to settle their veterans as colonists; and Augustus in particular had, after the battle of Actium, done this on a most extensive scale.40. Pierio antro, in, or by means of the Pierian grotto;' that is, by the study of poetry; for the cave on Mount Pierus in Thessaly was sacred to the muses.-41. Consilium here is trisyllabic, i after being pronounced as y. See Zumpt, 3.-42. Description of the battle of the Titans and giants with Jupiter and the other celestial deities. Compare ii. 19, 22.-43. Immanemque turmam, and the rest of the horrid troop,' for the poet mentions afterwards many besides the Titans.-44. Sustulerit extinxerit, interfecerit. Caduco, = Qui terram inertem, qui mare temperat Imperio regit unus aequo. Magnum illa terrorem intulerat Jovi Fidens juventus horrida brachiis, 45 50 Pelion imposuisse Olympo: Sed quid Typhoeus et validus Mimas, Aut quid minaci Porphyrion statu, Quid Rhoetus evulsisque truncis Enceladus jaculator audax Contra sonantem Palladis aegida Hinc avidus stetit Vulcanus, hinc matrona Juno et, Qui rore puro Castaliae lavit Crines solutos, qui Lyciae tenet Vis consili expers mole ruit sua, Vim temperatam di quoque provehunt 'descending' from heaven. Compare ii. 13, 11.-45. Description of the power of Jupiter. Terram inertem, the sluggish earth,' because, according to the ideas of the ancients, it stood still, whilst the heaven moved.-46. Regna tristia, 'the sad kingdoms.' In the mind of a republican Roman there was no more unfortunate state than a monarchy: no doubt, however, the poet is thinking chiefly of the despotisms of the East.-50. Connect horrida juventus fidens brachiis, the fearful crew (of the Titans), trusting to the brute strength of their arms,' whilst the gods above had wisdom and prudence to oppose to them.-51. Fratres; namely, Otus and Ephialtes, two giants, who attempted to reach heaven by piling Pelion and Olympus, two Thessalian mountains, upon each other.-52. Imposuisse, for imponere. See Gram. § 380, note 2; and Zumpt, § 590. -53. Those here named were all giants, sons of Tartarus and Tellus, and therefore uterine brothers of the Titans, who were sprung from Uranus and Tellus.-54. Minaci-statu, an ablative of quality, ' of threatening posture,' of, or with, the attitude which pugilists assume.-56. Audax is to be connected with evulsis truncis, 'bold, as a slinger, with his uprooted trunks of trees.'57. Aegida: see i. 15, 11.58. Hinc, 'on this side, on the side of Jupiter.' Avidus, eager,' for battle. -60. Nunquam arcum, Apollo, who is resolved never, at no moment (so long as the war lasts), to lay aside his bow.' -61. Rore puro Castaliae, with the pure dew of the Castalian fount,' a spring on Mount Parnassus in Thessaly, sacred to the muses.-Lavit, present for lavat, from lavere. Compare iv. 6, 26.-64. DeliusApollo. Apollo was born in Delos, and there consequently is his natalis silva. Patara, a city of Lycia, was a favourite place of his abode, and he had a celebrated oracle there.-65. Vis consilii ex In majus; idem odere vires Injecta monstris Terra dolet suis, pers carens consilio, 'force without prudence to regulate it ;' opposed to vis temperata, 'force guided by prudence.'-67. Vires omne nefas animo moventes, strength which employs such mind as has to set in motion every possible wickedness.' He adduces as instances the Titans and giants, who presumptuously strove to reach heaven, and therefore were destroyed; Gyges, as to whom compare ii. 17, 14; Orion, who made an attempt upon the honour of Diana (tentator Dianae), and was therefore shot by the virgin; Typhoeus (line 53), on whom Mount Etna was rolled; Tityus, who attempted to force Latona; and Pirithous, who offered violence to Proserpine.-74. Partus; that is, filios suos: see note on line 53. Luridum, ghastly, gloomy.' -75. Nec-Aetnam, the swift (devouring, fierce) fire has not eaten away Etna which is placed above Typhoeus,' so that it should become lighter, and the giant be delivered from his burden.-77. Tityi jecur. The punishment of Tityus was this, that he lay stretched out in Orcus, and a vulture (ales, nequitiae custos additus) gnawed continually at his liver, which always grew again.-79. Trecentae catenae. Theseus attempted to deliver his friend, but failed, and was himself taken prisoner in the lower world. Hercules was able to rescue Theseus, but could not free Pirithous, who was bound with innumerable chains. CARMEN V. An ode written in the year 20 B. c., when Augustus, by threats of war, compelled Phraates, king of the Parthians, to restore the Roman standards, and the large number of Roman prisoners that had fallen into the hands of his nation in the unfortunate expeditions of M. Crassus and M. Antonius. Some short time before this, Britain, which Augustus, desirous of carrying out the projects of his adoptive father Caesar, had threatened with war, had, nominally at least, submitted to the Roman power. See Odes, i. 35, 30, and 21, 15. The joy in Rome at both events was great, and Horace expresses his in this ode. He begins with a description of the disgraceful servitude of the Romans among the Parthians, and then shows by the example of Regulus, that to ransom them would have been base and injurious. But as Augustus has by threats of war forced their restoration, he must be considered as a god. COELO tonantem credidimus Jovem Milesne Crassi conjuge barbara Sub rege Medo Marsus et Appulus, Oblitus aeternaeque Vestae, Incolumi Jove et urbe Roma? 5 10 1. Coelo is to be connected with regnare, that Jupiter reigns in heaven.' As contrasted with this, Augustus will be held a praesens divus, a present, visible god; a god who reigns on the earth.'5. An indignant question,Has a soldier of Crassus really lived with a barbarian wife?' To miles belong, in line 9, Marsus et Appulus, which are the names of the two most warlike tribes of Italy. Compare i. 2, 39.-6. Connect hostium with socerorum in arvis, in the fields of their fathers-in-law, enemies of the Romans.' -10. Anciliorum. The ancilia were the twelve small round shields, sacred to Mars, which the Salii put on when they began their dance in honour of their god. The form anciliorum is the less common one for ancilium, from ancile. The toga was a dress peculiar to the Romans, and was worn on all public occasions.-11. Aeternae Vestae. The epithet eternal' here refers not so much to the goddess as to the fire which burned on her altar, and which it was the duty of the vestal virgins to keep up constantly. On this it was |