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199. Hic: see note on 1. 122.

adventure of Sinon.

maius: even a greater event than the

201. ductus sorte: though priest of Apollo, Laocoön had been appointed by lot on this day to make sacrifices to Neptune.

202. Sollemnes: 'sacrificial,' 'where the sacrifices are customarily made.' . Note the derivation.

203. Ecce: cf. 1. 57.

gemini: 'two'; implying similarity. Cf. I, 162. a Tenedo: they come from Tenedos as an omen that the enemy is coming from its concealment there to destroy the city.

204. immensis orbibus: an ablative of description, limiting angues. 205. Incumbunt pelago: 'they breast the sea'; with tranquilla per alta. pariter: 'side by side.' ad litora tendunt: 'make for the shore.'

207. Sanguineae: 'bloody'; of the color of blood. pars cetera: all: except the head and breast. pontum Pone legit: 'courses the sea behind.' 208. sinuatque: in connection with legit may be translated as a present participle, 'curving.' volumine: 'in folds'; referring to the undulating curves made by the long bodies of serpents in propelling themselves over the waves. 209. sonitus spumante salo: note the alliterative effect. The repetition of the s-sound is intentional, in imitation of the plashing of the waves. 'the shores.'

210. oculos: see note on I, 228.

arva: .

212. visu exsangues: 'terrified by the sight.' agmine certo: 'in an undeviating course'; indicating that they had been sent, by a higher power, expressly to destroy Laocoön, and were not merely seeking for prey.

215. morsu depascitur: 'devours.'

216. Post: adverbially for postea. ipsum: refers to Laocoon. auxilio: dative of the end or purpose. See note on I, 22.

,!

218. medium: sc. eum; around his body. collo: around his neck. For the dative, see H. 426, 6; LM. 535; A. 225, d; B. 187, 1, a; G. 348; (H. 384, II, 2).

219. superant: 'rise above him.'

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capite: with their heads.' Cf. volu mine, 1. 208, for a similar use of the singular for the plural.

221. vittas: see note on I, 228.

223. Qualis mugitus: sc. est. If Virgil was familiar with the famous statu of Laocoön, now preserved in the Vatican, he chose rather, with true poetic taste, to transfer the spirit of that great work to his description than to adhere to the original in respect to all its details.

225. At: in transition. arcem in the following line.

delubra summa: 'the lofty shrine'; the same as

226. arcem: for templum. It was situated on the summit of the Acropolis. 227. Sub pedibus: the statues of Minerva are often represented with ser pents coiled at the feet.

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Fig. 15.-Laocoon and his Children attacked by the Serpents (11. 212 sqq.)

228, 229. novus pavor: 'new terror'; no longer apprehension for our personal safety, as in l. 212, but fear of the goddess who has punished Laocoön, and thus shown the danger of committing any outrage upon the wooden horse. cunctis: for the dative, see H. 425, 4, N.; LM. 538; A. 235, a; B. 188. I, N.; G. 350, 1; (H. 384, 4). Insinuat: sc. se. scelus expendisse: for sceleris poenam solvisse.

231. Laeserit: for the mood, see note on I, 388. tergo: for corpori. 232. ad sedes: 'to the shrine.'

233. conclamant: 'exclaim with one voice.'

234. Dividimus urbis: we divide the walls and disclose to view the buildings.' The muri are the city walls; the moenia, the buildings within. 235. Accingunt: sc. se; 'apply themselves.' Cf. I, 210. rotarum lapsus: 'the gliding wheels'; put for the simple term rotas. Cf. 1, 301. collo: 'about the neck'; dative.

237. Scandit: 'climbs' or 'mounts'; a bold figure, indicating the difficulties overcome in conducting the wooden horse through the walls and to the summit of the citadel.

238. armis: for armatis, as in I, 506. LM. 651; A. 248, c, 2; B. 218, 8; G. 405;

For the ablative, see H. 477, II; (H. 421, II).

239. Sacra canunt: hymns were sung at the sacred festivals of the Romans by choirs of boys and girls.

240. The dat. urbi is governed by inlabitur.

I, 162.

242. Dardanidum: see note on I, 565.

minans: 'towering'; as in

243. Substitit: 'halted.' Stumbling on the threshold was considered an evil omen. utero: the ablative of place. The shock of the sudden halt caused the weapons of the Greeks secreted within the horse to clash and rattle.

244. Instamus: cf. I, 423, and below, 1.491. immemores, caeci: 'thoughtless' and 'blind' in respect to the circumstances which should have awakened suspicion, namely, the stumbling of the horse and the noise of the arms from within.

245. Sistere is followed by the accusative with in, or by the ablative either with or without in. Cf. X, 323.

246. Tunc etiam: 'then also' as an additional warning.

247. credita: is better joined with ora than with Cassandra. For the dative Teucris, see note on ulli, I, 440.

248. esset: relative clause of characteristic expressing the cause of miseri. See note on I, 388. Others make it concessive.

249. velamus: see note on I, 417.

250-437. While the city is buried in slumber, the Grecian fleet returns silently from the island of Tenedos, and Sinor, seeing the signal torch on

board the ship of Agamemnon, opens the wooden horse. The leaders issue forth and commence the attack on the city, setting fire to it in various places with the aid of Sinon, and are soon joined by their whole army at the Scaean gate. Aeneas is warned of the danger in a dream by the shade of Hector, and is roused from sleep by the increasing noise of the conflict and of the flames. He arms himself and hastens from the palace of his father, and, being joined by Coroebus and other warriors, undertakes to defend the city. After a momentary success, his party is defeated, Coroebus and others are slain, and he is left with only two companions, with whom he proceeds to the palace of Priam.

250. Vertitur: the sky itself is conceived to revolve, while the earth stands still. ruit oceano: 'ascends from the ocean'; i.e. Night rises in her chariot from the eastern ocean when the sun sinks in the west. Cf. V, 721; and for this sense of ruit, VI, 539; VIII, 369.

252. Myrmidonum: for Graiorum. dolos: refers especially to the stratagem of the wooden horse. per moenia: 'throughout the city'; not the fortifications merely. See note on 1. 234.

254. phalanx: here = 'host' or 'army.' ships drawn up in order.' They advanced

Fig. 16.- The Greeks descending from the Wooden Horse (11. 259 sqq.)

instructis navibus: with their in regular array, in order to be ready for an enemy, and to effect a simultaneous landing.

255. amica - lunae: 'the friendly stillness of the silent moon'; i.e. friendly,' or 'iavorable' to the projects of the Greeks. According to the postHomeric tradition, Troy was taken at the time of full moon. We should infer from 11. 340, 360, 397, 420, etc., that the moon was sometimes shining, and sometimes obscured.

256. nota: 'well known'; for the Greeks had been ten years encamped upon the shores.

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257. Extulerat, etc.: intensive for the perfect: 'suddenly raised the signal flame'; the signal by which Sinon was to understand when to open the horse. defensus: 'protected' from discovery in his nocturnal movements.

259. Laxat: this verb is adapted to both objects, Danaos and claustra, by zeugma: 'releases the Greeks, and loosens the bolts.' H. 751, 2, N.; A.

p. 430; B. 374, 2, a; G. 690; (H. 636, II, 1). The natural order of the ideas is also reversed. This license is termed hysteron proteron.

260. se promunt: for prodeunt. robore: see note on Italiam, I, 2.

262. Demissum per funem: ‘along a rope let down.'

263. primus: this should probably be understood literally, and, in that case, would show that the speaker, in mentioning the names rapidly, was reminded at the moment when Machaon's name occurred, that he was said to have issued first from the horse.

264. doli (i.e. equi) fabricator: he was directed by Minerva, Seel, 15. 265. sepultam: cf. 1. 253.

266. portis: ablative of the way by which. See note on 1. 187. omnes socios: those who have just landed from the ships.

267. conscia: 'confederate'; implying that those already in the city and those just arrived have a mutual understanding of the plan of attack.

268. Cf. IV, 522.

aegris:

sorrow-laden'; said of men, as compared

with the gods.

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Fig. 17. Achilles dragging Hector's Body about the Walls of Troy (11. 272 sqq.)

269. dono divum: 'by the blessing of the gods.' Cf. Spenser, opening lines of Vision of Bellay:

'It was the time when rest, soft sliding downe
From heaven's height into men's heavy eyes,
In the forgetfulnes of sleepe doth drowne
The carefull thoughts of mortall miseries.'

270. In somnis: 'in slumber.' Cf. 1. 302. Aeneas is repeatedly favored with warnings by visions and dreams.

271. largos fletus: ‘a flood of tears.' Cf. I, 465.

272. Raptatus bigis, ut quondam: '(appearing) as formerly (he was), when dragged by the chariot.' Aeneas had seen the corpse of Hector in this condition after it had been brought back to Troy by Priam. The ghosts of the slain are conceived to have the appearance of their disfigured and mutilated bodies. See VI, 494.

273. per-tumentes: for loris per pedes tumentes traiectis. lora: the

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