40 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 7 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 Pelion imposuisse Olympo: Sed quid Typhoeus et validus Mimas, Contra sonantem Palladis aegida Hinc avidus stetit Vulcanus, hinc matrona Juno et, 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 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 it 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 Sub rege Medo Marsus et Appulus, Incolumi Jove et urbe Roma? 16 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 Hoc caverat mens provida Reguli, Si non periret immiserabilis Captiva pubes. 'Signa ego Punicis 'Derepta vidi; vidi ego civium Auro repensus scilicet acrior Nec vera virtus, cum semel excidit, 6 believed that the welfare of the state depended.-13. Reguli. C. Atilius Regulus was, during the first Punic war, in the year 255 B. C., along with the greater part of his army, taken prisoner in Africa by the Carthaginians. He was sent to Rome to negotiate an exchange of prisoners; but instead of doing so, he opposed the proposal in the senate, and, in accordance with his pledged word, returned to Carthage into captivity, and to the tortures which he knew awaited him.-14. Condicionibus foedis, the proposals of the Carthaginians for an exchange of prisoners and the conclusion of a peace.15. Exemplo aevum, who by his example would bring destruction for the future (veniens in aevum), unless,' &c. He said that he would bring destruction by his example, if he and his fellowcaptives should be freed.-18. Signa― affixa delubris. Standards taken in battle used to be hung up in temples as trophies. The Carthaginians, it appears, had done this with the Roman standards and arms, which had been taken, however, sine caede, without bloodshed,' without the soldiers having been slain.-22. Retortalibero, the arms tied behind a free back.'-23. Portas non clausas, 'the gates (of Carthage) not shut,' a sign of the security in which the citizens conceived themselves to be.-24. Populata. Populari is properly a deponent verb, but the participle has frequently the passive meaning.-25. Scilicet, 'naturally, no doubt.' This remark is supposed to be made by those who were favourable to an exchange of prisoners. 27. Damnum, the loss of the gold, for which you will receive worthless men. Amissos colores, the natural hue which the wool had before it was dyed; for medicata is = tincta, infecta. 29. Cum deterioribus, when it has once departed (out of the minds of men), it will not, refuses to be (non curat = non vult) brought back into the bosoms of the degenerate, of those who (by allowing themselves to be taken prisoners) have shown themselves to be destitute of courage;' strictly, too little courageous, not courageous enough,' for deterior is = minus bonus, minus fortis, 6 |