ENEIS. LIB. XII. Parthus sive Cydon, telum immedicabile torsit; Postquam acies videt Iliacas, atque agmina Turni, Quæ quondam in bustis, aut culminibus desertis NOTES. word Parthus, by the repetition of it, is made emphatic. 858. Immedicabile: inflicting an incurable wound. Cydon: an inhabitant of the city Cydon, or Cydonia, in Crete, founded by a colony from Samos. Hodie, Canea. The Cretans were celebrated archers. 859. Transilit: in the sense of trans currit. 860. Sata: in the sense of nata vel filia. 862. Parvæ alitis: of a small bird: small in comparison with the size of the goddess. Subitò. This is the common reading. Heyne has subitam. Collecta: in the sense of contracta. 863. Bustis: in the sense of sepulcris. 864. Importuna: in the sense of infausta. The bird here meant is the owl, which is the only fowl that sings in the night. Serum: late-in reference to the time of her singing. 866. Pestis fertque: the fury flies forward and backwards before the face of Turnus, screaming horribly. Fertque refertque se: she advances and retreats. 867. Novus: unusual-new. Solvit: in the sense of debilitat. 869. Stridorem et alas: in the sense of stridorem alarum: the noise, or whizzing of her wings. 871. Fedans: tearing her face, &c. 872. Quid: Rumus says, quomodo. 601 858. Parthus, inquam, sive Cydon torsit tan860 quam immedicabile telum; illa stridens in 862. Illa collecta est 865 865. Dira pestis versa 870 875 868. Come sunt 870. Ut Juturna infelix soror Turni procul agnovit 876. O vos, obscœnæ volucres 878. Reponit-ne hæc pro virginitate mihi 880 ereptâ 883. Quicquam meorum bonorum erit dulce 874. Morer: can I prolong. Lucem: in the sense of vitam. 875. Jam, jam, &c. This is in imitation of Homer, who makes Apollo quit the field just before Hector is slain by Achilles.Acies: the fight-the field of battle. 876. Obscœnæ : inauspicious of ill omen. Verbera: the strokes flapping of your wings. 878. Hæc reponit. Jove had an amour with Juturna; and as a reward for her violated virginity, he conferred upon her immortality. See verse 141, supra. Reponit: in the sense of reddit vel dat. Superba: in the sense of sæva vel dura. 879. Adempta est: taken away from me. Quò: why-for what purpose. Some copies have cur. 880. Possem: I wish I could-O! that I could end, &c. 881. Certè: at least surely. 882. Immortalis: This is the reading of Heyne. Valpy and Rumus read mortalis. This will make a difference in the sense. It will strip the words of any expression of strong passion on the part of Juturna. It implies that if she were mortal, she would accompany her brother to the shades below. Aut: Valpy and Rumus read haud. Heyne reads aut, with an interrogation. Rumus and Valpy read without any. 883. Satis alla: sufficiently deep. 602 tum P. VIRGILII MARONIS Terra mihi, Manesque Deam demittat ad imos! 885. Dea effata tan- Tantum effata, caput glauco contexit amictu, Multa gemens, et se fluvio Dea condidit alto. Æneas instat contrà, telumque coruscat Ingens, arboreum, et sævo sic pectore fatur: 892. Opta te sequi 894. Ille Turnus quassans caput, ait: O ferox hostis 899. Vix bis sex lccti homines subirent illud 886 Quæ nunc deinde mora est? aut quid jam, Turne, re tractas? Non cursu, sævis certandum est cominùs armis. Nec plura effatus; saxum circumspicit ingens, Saxum 907. Nec evasit totum spatium viri, nec Sed neque currentem se, nec cognoscit euntem, 884. Demittat: send me a goddess, &c. Rumus says, detrudet. Arboreum: massy as a tree-like a tree. 890. Certandum est: the contest is to be decided in close fight, not at running. Sævis: in the sense of duris. 891. Facies: in the sense of formas. Contrahe: in the sense of collige. 892. Opta: desire-wish to ascend to. Sequi: in the sense of ascendere. 894. Fervida: in the sense of superba. 898. Limes agro: placed as a limit or boundary to the land. Discerneret: that it might terminate (prevent) disputes about the fields. Davidson says, "to distinguish the controverted bounds of the fields." 899. Bis sex lecti, &c. Here the poet had two passages of Homer in his eye: Iliad v. 302, where Diomede throws a stone at Eneas, such as two men in Homer's time could hardly have wielded: and Iliad, lib. xxi. 405, where Minerva gives Mars a blow with a stone that was set for a landmark. These, and some other imitations, discover less judgment and correctness, than is to be seen in the rest of the poet's works. This stone, which our hero wields with so much ease, the poet informs us was so large that twelve men, in his time, would have scarcely peen able to carry it upon their shoulders! Homer makes his heroes throw stones when 890 895 900 905 they have no other weapons. Turnus has his trusty sword, but there is no mention made of it. Jove prevents him from the use of it. 903. Sed neque cognoscit se: so disordered in his senses, that he does not perceive himself to be running, &c. The fury had deprived him not only of his strength of body, but of the powers of his mind. Heyne says, videt solitas vires sibi deesse. 905. Concrevit: hath congealed-grown thick. Frigore: may mean the fear and consternation, occasioned by the fury, by meton. This appears better than to take it for cold or chillness. That idea is expressed by gelidus. 906. Per vacuum inane: moved through the empty air. Inane: in the sense of aërem. Viri. Servius connects viri with lapis; but it illy suits the place. Its proper place is after spatium, implying that the stone, passing or thrown through the air, did not go the whole distance to Æneas, but fell short of him, and consequently did not give him a blow. Ruæus connects totum with ictum; but improperly: for that would imply that the stone gave Eneas a partial stroke; but it is plain it did not hit him at all, since it did not reach him. Heyne takes viri with Servius, in the sense of Turni. Rumus connects it with spatium. 909. Avidos cursus: the fond races-the Velle videmur, et in mediis conatibus ægri 910 915 920 925 Consurgunt gemitu Rutuli, totusque remugit Protendens, Equidem merui, nec deprecor, inquit: 931 NOTES. races on which we are intent, and eager in the pursuit. 910. gri: weak-faint from our great exertions. Succidimus: in the sense of deficimus. 911. Nota: in the sense of solita. Corpore: in the sense of corpori, the dat. 913. Quacunque virtute: by whatever (efforts of) valor he sought the way of attacking Eneas, or of making his escape. 914. Sensus: thoughts. Vertuntur: in the sense of volvuntur. 935 rere 935. Et redde me meis. amicis sive vivum, seu tu mavis, redde meum corpus mighty peals burst from the thunder. Crepitus: properly a roaring or crashing. Dissultant: in the sense of eduntur vel excitantur. Instar: like a black whirlwind-swift as a whirlwind. 924. Recludit: opens or penetrates the extremity of his coat of mail. Ora: the edge or border of any thing. Exitium: in the sense of mortem. 925. Extremos orbes: by this we are to understand the lower part of the shield. Septemplicis: having seven folds or plates 916. Cunctatur: he hesitates-he knows of brass. not what to do he is at a stand. 917. Tendat: in the sense of irruat. 919. Coruscat: in the sense of vibrat. 920. Sortitus fortunam oculis: Servius explains these words thus: Æneas oculis elegit hunc locum ad feriendum, quem fortuna destinaverat vulneri. Fortunam in this sense, is of the same import with locum vulneris. Heyne is of the same opinion. Rumus says, opportunitatem. 921. Murali tormento: this was an engine, or machine for battering the walls of cities, and for throwing missive weapons. Concita: thrown, or sent. 923. Nec tanti crepitus: nor do such 926. Ictus: in the sense of percussus, vel vulneratus. 927. Duplicato poplite: upon his bended knee. Heyne says, inflexo genu. 929. Remittunt: echo-return the sound. Vocem: in the sense of sonum. 931. Deprecor: nor do I entreat that you should spare me. 932. Sorte: in the sense of fortuna. Miseri: in the sense of infelicis. 935. Redde me meis, &c. Turnus confesses himself vanquished and entreats Eneas to send him back to his father and friends; but if he choose rather (mavis) to deprive him of life, in that case, that he would send Eneas, volvens oculos, dextramque repressit. 940. Sermo: Turni Et jam jamque magis cunctantem flectere sermo cœperat flectere Eneam Coperat; infelix humero cùm apparuit alto cunctantem 940 Balteus, et notis fulserunt cingula bullis, 945 947. Ait: Tu-ne in- Terribilis: Tu-ne hinc spoliis, indute, meorum dute spoliis meorum Eripiare mihi? Pallas te hoc vulnere, Pallas amicorum Immolat, et pœnam scelerato ex sanguine sumit. his dead body to them, that it might be treated according to the rites of his country. 940. Flectere: to turn or change him. Rumus says, commovere. 941. Infelix: inauspicious-unfortunate. It had proved so to Pallas, whom Turnus slew it now proves so to Turnus, who in turn is slain by Eneas. Allo: this is the reading of Heyne and Davidson. Rumus and Valpy read ingens, referring to the belt (balleus) of Pallas, which Turnus wore upon his shoulders. Allo: refers to Turnus. This last is the best. Bullis: studs or bosses. Ruæus says, clavis. 943. Pueri: in the sense of juvenis. 944. Insigne: in the sense of ornamentum. 945. Hausil oculis: He saw. Save doloris: the death of Pallas caused excessive grief to Eneas; and from the moment that he heard of his fall, he vowed vengeance on Turnus. The sight of these memorials, these spoils, of his friend, roused him into fury. He had otherwise, perhaps, spared his suppliant. Hausit: in the sense of vidit. 950 947. Indute: voc. agreeing with tu, from the verb induo: clad. Meorum: of my friends: namely, Pallas. 948. Eripiare: the passive is here used in the sense of the middle voice of the Greeks: canst thou rescue thyself from my hands? Rumus says, 949. Scelerato: devoted. impio, in reference to his having slain Pallas. Heyne is of the same opinion. Immolat: sacrifices you to the gods below. 951. Fervidus: in the sense of ardens. Illi: in the sense of illius. Frigore: with the chill of death. 952. Indignata cum gemitu. Heyne takes this in the sense simply of gemens vel marens. Mr. Davidson observes, the conclusion of this beautiful poem is unworthy of the dignity of the subject. And if Virgil had lived to finish it to his mind, he would, in all probability, have given it a more elegant termination. |