-- Ne parva Tyrrhenum per aequor Janum Quirini clausit, et ordinem Et veteres revocavit artes, Per quas Latinum nomen et Italae Crevere vires famaque et imperi Solis ab Hesperio cubili. Custode rerum Caesare non furor Civilis aut vis exiget otium, Non ira, quae procudit enses Non qui profundum Danubium bibunt Edicta rumpent Julia, non Getae, Non Seres infidive Persae, Non Tanain prope flumen orti. Nosque et profestis lucibus et sacris, were, angrily. For Apollo was the master of poets, and corrected them when they went astray. 5. Fruges agris rettulit, since they are no longer laid waste by civil war. - 6. Nostro Jovi; that is, Jupiter on the Capitol. In the large temple Augustus built a small chapel, on the walls of which were hung up the Roman standards that Phraates, king of the Parthians, was forced to restore 20 B. C. 9. Janum Quirini, more commonly Janum Quirinum. The Janus was shut in Numa's reign, then in 235 B. C., some time after the termination of the First Punic War, and three times in the reign of Augustus, in 29, 27, and 10 B. C.- - 11. Construe thus: injecit frena licentiae evaganti rectum ordinem; an allusion to the numerous laws which Augustus passed in order to repress the immorality that had become rampant during the civil wars. Emovit cul pas seems to refer particularly to the lex Julia de adulteriis, passed 14. Connect famaque et majestas imperii porrecta (est) ab Hesperio cubili ad ortus solis. Horace is quite correct in saying that the power of Rome rested upon the moral superiority of the Romans to all other nations. 18. Exiget fugabit. · 20. Inimicat, a word formed by Horace, but in accordance with analogy, inimicas reddit.-21. Qui Danubium bibunt; that is, the Pannonians, Vindelicians, and Dacians. See iv. 14, 46.-22. Edicta Julia, the laws which Augustus, the adopted son of C. Julius Caesar, imposes upon them. 24. Prope Tanain orti; that is, the Scythians. See iv. 14, 42.-25. Et profestis lucibus et sacris; that is, diebus et profestis et festis, 'both on holidays and common days.' in 17 B. C. = - = Cum prole matronisque nostris Rite deos prius apprecati, Virtute functos more patrum duces Trojamque et Anchisen et almae Progeniem Veneris canemus. 30 28. Apprecati, a rare word first used by Horace, = precati. — 29. More patrum. It was an old custom among the Romans to have songs in praise of their ancestors sung at their feasts, and accompanied by a flute-player. Horace says he will do this, celebrating particularly Anchises, and Aeneas, the son of Venus: for from these the gens Julia, to which Augustus belonged, traced its descent. 30. Lydis remixto carmine tibiis, in a song mixed with (accompanied by) Lydian flutes.' The flute is called Lydian, because it was much used by the Lydians. Some commentators suppose that allusion is here made to the peculiar measure called Lydian, and well known as effeminate; but this is improbable. CARMEN SAECULARE. In the year 17 B. C. Augustus celebrated the ludi saeculares. These were instituted in the earliest times of Rome, to mark with solemnity the longest period to which human life was supposed ever to extend: but it was a disputed point whether saeculum in regard to these games meant, as in common usage, a space of 100, or, in a peculiar religious sense, 110 years. Both views found supporters. Augustus, after the pacification of the empire, wishing to reawaken the religious feeling of the people, which during the long civil wars had almost died away, resolved to revive these games, which, as Suetonius (August. 31) tells us, had fallen into disuse. He ordered the Sibylline books to be consulted; and these, taking the cycle of 110 years, stated the year and the mode of celebrating the festival. The next who celebrated these games was the Emperor Claudius, A. D. 47 (A. U. C. 800), following the cycle of 100 years; then A. D. 88 (A. U. C. 841), Domitian, and A. D. 204 (A. u. c. 957), Septimius Severus, again following the reckoning of Augustus; and lastly, A. D. 247 (A. U. c. 1000), Philippus. The secular games lasted for three days, beginning in the evening and continuing during the night. They consisted in the offering of various sacrifices to all the gods of Rome (hence, in line 7, Dis, quibus septem placuere colles), and are fully described by Zosimus, ii. 5. To heighten the interest of the festival, Augustus requested from Horace a carmen saeculare, which was to be sung by a choir of boys and girls. Many commentators have been of opinion that the song is a so-called carmen amoebaeum; that is, consists of stanzas intended to be sung alternately by the boys and girls. But this opinion finds no confirmation in the poem itself, equally little in the description which we have of the proceedings at the games, and is altogether improbable. In the aesthetic criticism of the poem, we must remember that it was an official composition, in which no high flight of poetic fancy could be allowed. It is addressed to Apollo and Diana, to whom the Sibylline books directed a poem as well as a sacrifice to be offered. PHOEBE Silvarumque potens Diana, 2. Lucidum coeli decus refers both to Phoebus, god of the sun, and to Diana, who was goddess of the moon as well as of the M (177) Semper et culti, date, quae precamur Quo Sibyllini monuere versus Alme Sol, curru nitido diem qui Rite maturos aperire partus Diva, producas sobolem Patrumque Prosperes decreta super jugandis Feminis prolisque novae feraci Lege marita; Čertus undenos decies per annos 5 10 15 20 woods.-6. Lectas, the proper and standing epithet of women, 'chosen, excellent.' The epithet of the boys, castus, refers to the fact that both classes, boys and girls, were to consist only of such as had both father and mother alive, so that they might be 'pure,' not defiled, as it were, by any death in the family. The choir consisted of twenty-seven boys and the same number of girls. —7. Hence the poem is indeed addressed specially to Apollo and Diana, according to the order of the Sibylline books, and these divinities are first invoked, but yet a prayer to all the gods worshipped at Rome is to be admitted.-9. Curru nitido. The chariot of the sun, according to the representations of the poets, glistened with metal and precious stones. - 10. Aliusque et idem, 'every day new, as it were another, and yet always the same." 14. As to the construction of lenis aperire, compare iv. 14, 22: impiger vexare, and line 25 of this poem. The goddess who is invoked is she who presides over births; she is called either by a Greek name, Ilithyia, or a Latin, Lucina or Genitalis. — 17. Patrum decreta. In this very year, 17 B. C., Augustus, by a decree of the senate, established his first regulations regarding morals, in order to put a stop to the diminution of the number of Roman citizens caused by the visibly increasing immorality and dislike to marriage. His ordinances on this subject consisted partly in the imposition of severe penalties on adultery (lex Julia de adulteriis), and partly in encouraging, by numerous rewards, those who married and had children. This course of legislation was completed A. D. 9 by the celebrated lex Papia Poppaea. 18. Connect super (= de) lege marita feraci novae prolis. Lex marita, with maritus used as an adjective, is a short poetical expression for 'law of marriage.'-22. Qrbis, 'cycle,' of Ter die claro totiesque grata Nocte frequentes. Vosque veraces cecinisse, Parcae, Quod semel dictum est stabilisque rerum Fertilis frugum pecorisque Tellus Spicea donet Cererem corona; Condito mitis placidusque telo Luna puellas. Roma si vestrum est opus, Iliaeque Jussa pars mutare lares et urbem Sospite cursu, Cui per ardentem sine fraude Trojam Liberum munivit iter daturus Plura relictis : Di, probos mores docili juventae, Romulae genti date remque prolemque 25 30. 35 40 45 ten times eleven-that is, 110-years, which, as is mentioned in the introduction to the poem, Augustus adopted in fixing the time of his games.-23. Grata, because it was illumined with torches and altar-fires, and spent merrily in all manner of festivity. -24. Frequentes, because numerously attended.-25. 'And do you, O Parcae, truthful in singing (that is, who sing truthfully; compare line 13) that which is said by you once for all (semel), and which then even the end of the world keeps, observes.'-27. Bona-fata. The sense is this: grant that the future may be as fortunate for the Roman state as the ages past have been.-29. The idea is, that Tellus, joyous and grateful on account of her fertility, should bring to Ceres, the goddess of the fruits of the earth, a wreath of ears of corn, such as the country people used to give to this deity at the harvest feast. -31. Aquae, rain. -32. Aurae, 'breezes' or 'weather' generally, Jove being the god of the weather. 33. Telo; namely, the bow. See line 61. 35. Bicornis, for Diana, as goddess of the moon, was represented with a crescent on her head. -37. Si does not imply doubt here, but means 'as truly as, since assuredly.' As to Iliae turmae, compare Carm. iv. 15, 31. 39. Jussa pars, apposition to Iliae turmae, and = quae pars gentis Trojanae jussa est. 41. Sine fraude, without injury.'-42. Castus. Pius is the attribute which Virgil commonly gives to Aeneas.-44. Plura relictis = plura quam reliquerant, or quam relicta erant. ·47. Romulae genti. 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